The Enchanted Warriors (Dragon Riders AU)

51🤍

The castle was a prison of shadows, every door and window locked tight as the black mist thickened, curling around Ella and Y/N. Ella frantically pulled at the handle of a locked door, her breaths quick and uneven, while Y/N clung to her arm, sobbing as fear gripped her.

“You think you can run away?” Kasumi’s voice echoed through the mist, sharp and mocking, sending chills down their spines.

Ella spun around, instinctively pushing Y/N behind her as Kasumi stepped into view. Her cold, unfeeling eyes gleamed with malice, her lips curling into a sneer.

“Pathetic,” Kasumi spat, her tone dripping with venom.

The oppressive silence of the castle was broken by the soft click of heels echoing through the mist as Ava stepped forward. Her fiery red hair seemed to glow in the dim, shadowy light, and the malice in her crimson eyes sent a shiver down Y/N’s spine. The thick, swirling black mist clung to her skin, choking her senses, making it hard to breathe, harder to think.

“Oh, Y/N,” Ava cooed, her voice syrupy sweet but laced with venom. Her smile was wide, too wide, like a predator closing in on its prey. “Your father and I have been searching for you everywhere. Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused us?”

Y/N’s legs trembled, barely holding her upright as she clutched Ella’s arm. Her breaths came in short gasps, panic clawing at her chest as tears welled in her wide, fearful eyes.

Ava’s voice turned sharper, darker, as she took another step closer, her movements deliberate, predatory. “Your father was very angry,” she hissed, her words cutting through the air like a blade. “And you know how he gets when he’s angry.”

Y/N whimpered involuntarily, her body trembling as she instinctively stepped back, her hand tightening around Ella’s. The weight of Ava’s presence pressed down on her, suffocating, unbearable. The mist seemed to grow colder with every word Ava spoke, creeping closer like a living thing ready to swallow her whole.

“What’s wrong, little bird?” Ava purred, tilting her head mockingly. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

The corners of her lips curled into a smile, revealing sharp teeth that gleamed in the dim light. She was toying with Y/N, savoring the fear radiating off her like an intoxicating perfume.

Y/N’s voice trembled as she forced herself to speak, her words barely audible through her sobs. “Please… don’t hurt me…”

Her plea only seemed to amuse Ava further. She let out a low, chilling laugh, her eyes narrowing as she stepped even closer, her dress trailing behind her like liquid fire. The mist thickened around them, coiling around Y/N’s ankles like tendrils of despair.

“Don’t hurt you?” Ava repeated, her tone mockingly soft. She reached out, her long, blood-red nails just barely brushing against Y/N’s tear-streaked cheek. “Oh, my dear, sweet Y/N… I’m not here to hurt you. Not yet.”

Ava’s smile twisted into something more sinister, her voice dropping to a whisper that seemed to echo in the oppressive silence. “But that doesn’t mean you’ll leave here unharmed. No, no. You’ll pay for your little game of running away. You’ll see what happens to those who defy me… who defy us.”

As Ava spoke, the mist seemed to come alive, writhing and shifting, whispering dark promises into Y/N’s ears. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the cold, stone floor, clutching Ella’s dress as though it were the only anchor in a sea of terror.