>>Aelin

Draegon spun around so fast it was as if lightning had struck him. He extended his arm around as a protective gesture towards me.

Ruoxy stood there, her body twisted in a grotesque yet eerily awful way, dark blood seeping from the gaping wound in her chest—but she was stillsmiling.

A slow, creeping,malicioussmile.

Draegon’s eyes flickered down to the heart in his hand, its flesh burnt and shriveled from his grip. Without hesitation, hecrushedit completely, fingers tightening until the organ turned to nothing but dust. The remains slipped between his fingers and scattered into the wind.

But Ruoxy didn’t flinch.

Didn’t waver.

Didn’tfall.

Draegon’s breath hitched for the first time since the fight had started. I saw his chest rise and fall in one sharp inhale before his fingers released the remnants of the heart, letting the ashes drift away. His eyes locked onto Ruoxy’s, his usual unwavering confidence now coated in something else. Somethingunnerved.

He took a step forward.

"How are you still standing?" His voice was low, controlled—but I heard the edge of somethingoffbeneath it.

Ruoxy laughed. A quiet, breathy sound that gradually grew into somethingwrong.And then, still grinning, she tilted her head, the bones in her neckcracking.

"Oh, Draegon," she purred. "Because you can’t kill me?"

Draegon’s frown deepened.

"Ijustdestroyed your core," he said, a sharpness cutting through his voice. "You should be dead."

"Yes." Ruoxy’s smile widened, stretching too far, her black-stained lips curling like a chasm splitting open. "Justlike you destroyed it last time."

And then she laughed even harder.

The sound twisted around us, bouncing through the trees, seeping into my skin like something rotten.

My stomach churned.

I stood frozen a few feet behind Draegon, my fists clenched at my sides as I watched them.Watched him.I had never seen Draegon react like this before.

He looked confused for a moment. But as he stood there, the realization of Ruoxy’s words settling into his bones, I couldseethe way his expression darkened.

The way his fingers twitched as if gripping at an invisible truth he hadn’t grasped yet.

Idesperatelywished I could do something.

Anything.

I had my magic, but what good would it do? I wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t fast enough. I wasn’t like him. I pressed my fingers to my chest, trying to steady my breathing, but no matter how much I tried, the dread kept building.

Draegon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The dust of the fake heart still clung to his fingers.

And then—

He exhaled slowly.

"...That wasn’t your core," he murmured and I paused. Right. That is the only thing that would make sense. That thing looked like a core but it was never her core to begin with.

That’s why she isn’t dead!

Draegon must have thought it was her core because it looked exactly like one.

Ruoxy stopped laughing. She didn’t answer. She justsmiled.

And then she lunged.

Draegon moved instantly, wings spreading wide as he dodged her initial strike, but Ruoxy was fast—too fast.

They clashed in a brutal, bone-shattering collision.

I stumbled back, my feet sliding against the grass as I barely managed to stay standing.

The air around themcracked.

Draegon struck first, his claws aiming for her throat, but Ruoxy twisted her body unnaturally, dodging with an ease that sent a chill down my spine.

Draegon didn’t pause.

He pivoted, shifting his weight and driving his knee up toward her ribs, but Ruoxy caught it mid-air, grinning as sheslammedhim back against a tree.

The impact sent leaves trembling. Draegon barely reacted. Instead, he grabbed Ruoxy’s arm andwrenchedit to the side with enough force to snap bone.

But Ruoxy—

She didn’treact.Her face didn’t even twitch as the sound of her own bones breaking filled the clearing.

And then— With that same eerie smile still on her lips— She forced her twisted armback into place.

!!?

I felt my stomachdrop.

Draegon let out a low, growling breath. He wasn’t holding back anymore. With a surge of movement, he launched himself forward, claws slicing at her abdomen, her sides, her legs—everywhere.

He was searching for something.

Her real core.

But Ruoxy took the hits without care.

Even as his claws ripped through her flesh, even as dark blood splattered against the grass—she barely seemed tofeel it.

Draegon’s eyes flickered. And then Ruoxy struckback.Her claws slashed across his shoulder, and for the first time, Draegonstaggered.

I let out a sharp inhale, my chest squeezing as I watched.

I wanted to help.

I needed to help.

But I was frozen.

I had never felt souseless.

Draegon grit his teeth, ignoring the blood seeping down his arm. His wingsflaredagain, and he pushed forward, forcing Ruoxy into another deadlock.

Their movements were almosttoo fastto follow now, a whirlwind of attacks and counters, each one sending shockwaves through the clearing.

But even with every hit Draegon landed—she wasn’t stopping.

Her body was breaking. Splitting. Butreforming.

How the hell is she doing that?!? Just how?!? How is that even possible?!

It was like she was somethingelse entirely.

Draegon growled lowly, his frustration visible in the way his strikes became more ruthless, morecalculated.

I could see it in his eyes. He was determined. Determined to findit and end it.

The fight raged on, an endless storm of claws, fire, and blood. Draegon and Ruoxy clashed again and again, neither giving the other an inch. The air crackled with heat, the ground scorched beneath their feet.

I stood further back, my breath caught in my throat, my fists clenched at my sides. Ishouldhave been used to this by now.Shouldhave known this was a fight I couldn’t step into. But Ihatedjust standing there, doing nothing while Draegon bled, while Ruoxy barely reacted to his attacks.

I needed to do something.

And then—

Cold.

There was this cold sensation creeping onto me.

!?!?

A shadow darker than night itselfmoved.Before I could evenblink,something wrapped around my torso—arms? Hands—and I wasyankedbackward with such force that my breath was knocked out of my lungs.

My entire bodyfroze.

It happened sofast.

One moment, I was watching Draegon fight. The next, my feet had left the ground, and I wasbeing taken.

What the-!?!?

A figure—completely black, anabsenceof light rather than a solid form—had its arms wrapped around me, dragging me away without a single sound.

I tried toscream,but it choked in my throat.

But he noticed somehow. Draegon’s head snapped toward me instantly.

His entire bodystilledfor half a heartbeat.

And then—

Everything in himchanged.

He twisted on his heel, wingsflaring, his purple eyes burning like molten jewels as his focus snapped away from Ruoxy andlocked onto me.

"AELIN!" His roarshookthe ground beneath us.

The black figure moved faster.

I thrashed, trying to break free, but its grip waslike ice,solid and unrelenting. It had no features, no face, no eyes—just a solid, shifting mass of darkness that wrapped around me anddraggedme further away.

I didn’t know what it was.

I didn’tcare.

All I knew was that Draegon was gettingfarther and fartheraway.

"No—NO!" I struggled harder, panic clawing at my chest. I saw Draegonmove,saw the raw fury in his face as he prepared to lunge toward me—

And then Ruoxystruck.She had beenwaiting.The moment Draegon’s focus left her, shetook advantage.

Her claws—blackened, gleaming—piercedinto his side,deep.Draegongasped,his entire body jerking as blood sprayed from the fresh wound.

And then—she didn’t stop.

Sheslashed.

Again.

Andagain.

Claws tearing through his side, his shoulder, his wings.

Draegon stumbled back, his arms dropping slightly, his breath ragged asdark crimsonpoured from him.

My heartstopped.

"No—NO!" I screamed, trying totearmyself from the shadow’s grip.

But it held tight, dragging me back step by step as I watched Draegon gettorn apart. He used his scales, trying to harden his skin where she was attacking but some of it was working while some of it wasn’t.

Ruoxy’sgrinwidened.

She wasenjoyingthis. I felt my chest tighten—my visionblurwith rage and panic. Draegontriedto fight back. Even with his wounds, even as his bloodstainedthe ground, he forced himself to move—forced himself tostrike.

But Ruoxy dodged,again and again,slashing at his body like she wastoyingwith him.

And I—

I washelpless.

Frustration,pure fury,bubbled up in me, hot and unrelenting. I couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand watching himbleed for mewhile I was dragged away by this faceless thing.

I needed to help.

Ineededto break free.

Ineededto get to him. An arm of mine broke free from the shadow as tears welled in my eyes.

Ireached out—toward Draegon, towardhim.

Toward the only thing that mattered.

"Draegon—!" His name tore from my lips, raw and desperate.

And then—

A glow.

A thin,golden stringflickered into existence,stretchingfrom my outstretched palm—

And itshottoward Ruoxy.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com