The Mad Ҡìղց

Battle

The air seemed to crackle with light as Ayana appeared standing tall, her eyes burning with rage. Lan Zhan stared at her with desperate hope. He had never seen his aunt like this before—filled with an anger so intense that even the dimmest of souls could feel it. Her presence alone sent ripples of energy through the air, making the hair on the back of everyone's neck stand on end.

"Aunty Ayana!" Lan Zhan screamed, his voice cracking. "Thank God you're here, please get me down. These people are insane! They're talking about witches, curses, and all sorts of stuff that doesn't make any sense!" He shook his head, his voice growing more frantic. "Please tell me I'm dreaming."

Ayana took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger bubbling inside her. Her tone softened slightly, but her eyes were still sharp. "I told you to stay with Grandma."

"I did!" Lan Zhan insisted. "I even went to pick up Wei Wuxian, just like you told me, but he refused to follow me. You said if I had to, I should drag him by his hair, so I did." Lan Zhan's face flushed with embarrassment as he continued. "I hit him with my baseball bat and dragged him by his legs. I was just waiting for him to wake up when it felt like I was being sucked into a vacuum, and then we landed here with some old haggard lady."

Ayana's expression remained unmoved as she absorbed the information. "Which one of you didn't go where I asked you to go?" Her voice was now cold and commanding.

Wang raised a hand sheepishly. "That would be us," he said.

Ayana's gaze bore into him, her anger intensifying. "Why didn't you?" she hissed.

"I was worried about my people," Zhan replied, his voice small. I couldn't just leave them."

"They would've been fine," Ayana snapped, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "She couldn't possibly do anything to them." Her eyes flashed with fury. "Why can't you just do as you're told for once?"

"We're sorry," Zhan said, guilt weighing down his words. "It's all my fault."

Ayana's face darkened as she stepped closer. "If anything happens to my nephews," she growled, "I will kill you myself."

The room fell silent. The threat hung heavy in the air, palpable and terrifying. Lan Zhan felt his breath catch in his throat. He knew Ayana, his favorite aunt was terrified of chickens, how could she possibly kill a man?

"Where are Duan Dan and Meng?" Ayana demanded, her voice cold as ice.

Eowyn, standing in the shadows, finally spoke. "Somewhere you can't find them," she said flatly, her defiance clear.

Ayana turned sharply, her eyes narrowing as she fixed Eowyn with a deadly glare. "You insolent brat," she hissed, raising her hand. A flick of her wrist sent Eowyn collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Lan Zhan flinched at the display of power. He had known Ayana since he was a baby, but seeing her like this was something else entirely.

"It's almost midnight," Ayana said, her voice calm but still charged with energy.

Just as she prepared to make an attempt to unlink them, a thick, dark fog rolled in, filling the air with a suffocating chill. The shadows twisted and contorted until a figure emerged from the darkness. She was draped in a black robe, her eyes glinting with malice.

"Ayana," the woman called, her voice echoing unnervingly.

Ayana spun around to face her, and a small smile curled her lips. "Madam Yu, you look well."