The Enchanted Warriors (Dragon Riders AU)

42🖤

"You should have brought him with you. You should never have left him with them," Olive said to Emma, her voice sharp and unforgiving through their mind-link.

"I know... I made a terrible mistake, but I couldn't bring him with me. Leo would never have let me," Emma whispered, her tone so faint it was barely audible in Olive's mind. But Olive wasn't having it.

"Mistake? You call it a mistake, it's a choice, Emma. It's a terrible choice that you've made over the years. He would never have given you anything! Yet we still managed to get Y/N out, didn't we? I warned you-again and again-to take the kids and leave that wretched place, but you ignored me. And now look at the mess you've created. Look at what they've done to us," Olive snapped, her words cutting deep.

"You never stood up for yourself until they started hurting Y/N. You let that filthy woman take what was ours-what was mine. You let her hurt my kids. I begged you to unleash me on her, to let us all destroy her, time and time again, but you chose Leo over and over. You made her stronger, gave her power over us over me. And you didn't leave until it was too late. You let them do what they did."

"And then you took one child and left the other behind with them. Now everything is a mess. They will find us and ruin these people's lives. Leo will destroy this beautiful place, and if she finds out about Y/N, who knows what will happen next? Otis and I should have taken the kids and left both of you behind."

________________

"What have I done to deserve this presence?" a female voice murmured, her tone cold as she stared down at the white, enchanted orb that projected the image of another woman. She wrapped the white silk bed sheet tighter around her body, her fiery red hair cascading down her back. With a sigh, she gripped the sheet with her left hand and gracefully lowered her legs to the ground.

"Is this a bad time?" Kasumi's voice cut through the silence, sharp and impatient. The woman in the orb chuckled softly, settling into a chair with a languid grace, still holding the bedsheet close. She reached for the red berries on the table beside her and began to chew them slowly, savoring the taste. A man's hand rested motionless on the bed behind her, a silent testament to her power.

"It's never a bad time," she purred, a seductive edge to her voice.

Kasumi's eyes narrowed. "It's time to start the plan. We can't afford any more delays."

The woman arched an eyebrow, her expression both amused and challenging. "But you said you needed more time, that you weren't certain about the plan, and that the timing wasn't right."

"Do as I say," Kasumi snapped, her voice laced with authority. "I'm not here to justify my decisions to you."

A sinister smile spread across the woman's lips as Kasumi's voice echoed ominously through the room. The woman's laughter, dark and alluring, filled the air as she slowly faded from the orb's view.

Kasumi placed both hands on the white orb, and in an instant, the woman's image vanished, leaving the room shrouded in an unsettling silence. The atmosphere was thick with tension, the thrill of impending danger lingering like a shadow over what was to come.

Minho opened the door quietly, his eyes softening as he saw Kasumi still awake. "You're not asleep yet?" he asked gently. Kasumi didn't respond, her gaze distant.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Kasumi looked up at him, and for the first time that night, a small, genuine smile appeared on her lips-a rare softness reserved only for him. She nodded toward the plate he held, filled with all her favorite dishes.