Chapter 142: The Nightmare

Words : 1195 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 142: The Nightmare While holding Caelum in her arms, Lethia stared at her trembling hands, drenched in his blood. Her breath hitched when her eyes met the silver dagger embedded in him. And the bitter stung harder because the one who did it was the only person she trusted. She could feel Caelum’s body growing heavier against her, a sign his strength was slipping away. They both collapsed to the floor, and Lethia scrambled to cradle him in a sideways position, desperate not to let the silver blade push in deeper. "Cael... what..." Her voice broke off as blood burst from his mouth. "No... No... Caelum!" she screamed in panic, her entire body breaking out in chills as his warm blood stained her chilly hands. "Help... doctor... no..." she rambled, wide eyes darting to the three bodyguards engaged in a brutal fight with Terressa. The woman was growling, eyes glowing red, body jerking with unnatural convulsions as if some mystic force had taken over her. She struck with impossible strength, pummeling the guards like a wild creature. Lethia fumbled through her own pockets, then Caelum’s, searching for a phone but found nothing. Caelum kept coughing blood, his eyes squeezed shut, and with every shuddering breath, Lethia felt her heart sink deeper into a terror she’d never known before. "No, Caelum... Oh God, why... what should I..." Her voice cracked with a sob, like the air itself refused to enter her lungs every time Caelum coughed up more blood. She couldn’t rely on the bodyguards before her. And the other three were nowhere in sight. There was no one. No one to carry Caelum out. No one to help. "Cael... wait here, I... I’ll get my phone. I’ll call for help—" But just as she was about to move, Caelum’s hand gripped her wrist, firm and unrelenting. And slowly, he opened his eyes—weak, yet burning with something fierce. "You should go first..." His breath hitched between words. "Take... my c-car... and... go now!" "Caelum... are you awake?" Lethia caressed his cheek, her fingers shaking. "Go!" he gasped, pushing her wrist away, his grip slipping. "What are you even saying? Stay here. Don’t you dare lose consciousness. I’ll call the hospital—" "He’s here..." Caelum’s breathing grew more ragged. "You’re in danger, Queen! So... go! Get far—first!" Blood erupted from his mouth again, darker than before, thick and blackened. "CAELUM!" Lethia screamed as the blood gushed from his lips. The hairs on her arms stood in dread. Her mind raced, but every thought only led to worse possibilities. Whoever it was Caelum warned her about, there was no fucking way she would run and leave him behind. Caelum let out a low, broken chuckle. "Told you..." His voice crumbled into a hoarse whisper. "You’d scream my name, Queen..." His lips, stained with blood, pulled into a faint, cocky smirk before his eyes fluttered shut and his grip went limp. "No... No! Caelum, no! Stay with me!" Lethia’s voice shattered into sobs as tears spilled down her face. She shook him frantically, panic crashing over her like a tide. And that’s when she saw it: a glowing red light, like a pearl, pulsed inside Caelum’s chest. Her breath caught. Her lips parted. A bead fox? Why was it glowing red? Her trembling hand reached for the light, but her fingers only touched the sturdy chest of his. Her fist clenched into his shirt, and she struck his chest with a weak punch. "Come back to me! Cael..." Her voice cracked. She hit him again. "Save him!" Again, harder this time. "Whatever the fuck this is, SAVE HIM!" she screamed, her voice breaking entirely as she sobbed harder. Her breath came in ragged gasps, the cries lodged in her throat like knives. Her legs gave out. She couldn’t even stand anymore. "Ha... ha... ha... who are you calling to save him?" Terressa’s laughter rang out, shrill and twisted. Lethia turned her head and saw Terressa standing over the fallen, bloodied bodies of the three bodyguards she had knocked down with strange force. She walking slowly toward her, drenched in blood. She wasn’t the Terressa she knew. Her voice had dropped into something deeper, darker. Her glowing red eyes were hollow, radiating rage. And the branded mark glowing on her collarbone blazed with the same red hue as her eyes. "Wh–what are you?" Lethia stammered, her breath catching. She was panting now, the sobs having drained the air from her lungs. "Hm... I should be the one asking you that. What are you?" The unhinged Terressa inhaled deeply, as if savouring the thick scent of blood that clung to the air like metal. "Why does your energy smell so divine?" Lethia didn’t understand a single word the woman was saying. But the fox bead on Caelum’s chest was pulsing brighter, glowing a fierce, fiery red. Why that colour? Was it because Caelum was dying? Her heartbeat thundered violently in her ears. ’What does she mean by my energy? Is it the baby? No... there’s no connection. The fox? Is the fox still inside me? Whisney... are you still there? Please, look at your bead. Help me! Whisney...’ Lethia called out in her mind, desperate for her inner fox spirit. But no voice answered. A dull pain jolted in her belly, and she instinctively clutched it tight with her fist. There was no way out, no way to run. She knew it. Terressa was under the influence of dark magic, corrupted by the branding. A puppet in red fire. "Terre... I know you’re still in there. Can you hear me? Can you come out?" Lethia called out helplessly, trying to reach the real Terressa beneath the madness. "Hah... so you don’t want to say what you are, huh? Fine. Sometimes, blood speaks louder than words." Lethia watched in horror as black smoke curled around the woman’s palm, and from that darkness, a silver dagger formed. Every fibre in her body screamed in alarm. She knew exactly what Terressa’s body was about to do. ’Is this the end of my life? Why does everyone seem so eager to kill me? Did I commit some unforgivable sin in a past life?’ The moment Terressa lunged to stab her, Lethia dropped her body low, curling herself over Caelum. She wrapped her arms around him, shielding her belly. She couldn’t let the blade touch her stomach again. She couldn’t let her baby feel pain, not again. Her face pressed into Caelum’s chest, their bodies crushed close together as she squeezed her eyes shut tight willing this nightmare to be over. If death were the only way out of this cursed life, then so be it. She only prayed it would be fast... and not too painful. She was sorry she had dragged Caelum into this hell with her. Braakk!! The violent crack of splintered wood echoed like something massive had just been hurled across the room. Lethia flinched. There was no sharp stab, no pain tearing through her body. But she felt an intense heat surge through her veins, her blood rushing like a storm. ["Hah! Finally! I’m not late, am I?"]

Chapter 142: The Nightmare

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