Chapter Twenty-Two

Knowledgeable of that fact, the surviving Lycans promptly transformed into their beasts, their growls loud and lethally dangerous. But Rolando's dominating growl was preventing them from charging. He was curious about how the Princess would escape.

"What are Lycans doing here on the peaceable lands of the Water Nymph Kingdom?"

Questioning lowly to herself as she bravely looked at the conniving man's face, Angelique frowned when he suddenly smirked. It appeared he was enjoying her entrapment. Tensing when Oshio and her Water Nymph Warriors were drawing closer, she had barely blinked when the impatient beasts had rushed towards her from a hand signal from Rolando.

She whispered for the scattered roots surrounding the area to intercept their advancement.

And with one look in smirking Rolando's direction, she did the impossible. Adding more power and energy into the roots, she enlarged them. Without blinking an eye; and using her hidden manna, she maneuvered it to land on the other side of the waterfall. She had not broken a sweat from the astonishing technique.

Every creature was stunned, and she used this opportunity to escape.

Turning Diana in the direction of the makeshift bridge, she tapped her sides with her legs.

As if a light had clicked in their heads, everyone creature returned the chase, including frowning Rolando and Oshio.

They had underestimated the power of the Legendary Creature.

Racing faster than the wind while avoiding the many blasts of water balls and water daggers, Diana’s powerful legs jumped onto the properly placed and sturdy bridge.

Twice, she almost fell because her speed was causing her to run unbalanced, but Diana was determined to bring Angelique safely to the other side.

Avoiding numerous flying water blades by creating a root shield, Angelique's eyes widened when the beasts had jumped, albeit poorly, on the bridge. They did not bother to test its durability because their main goal was to terminate her. And because of this, some legs were wobbly on the bridge, while some were less fortunate.

They faltered and fell into the chasm below with loud howls of sorrow and disappointment.

Forming small air balls, she maneuvered them to hit the warriors attacking her from behind.

But their attacks were unending, and because of this, she formed an impenetrable force field around Diana and herself. With that accomplished, she was able to concentrate on her escape.

Her heart soon soared when they were almost on the other side of the waterfall.

Glancing behind, she saw Oshio was standing with a nasty and ugly frown on her face while aiming her bow with a very sharp water arrow attached to the end.

There was a purple substance on the tip, which Angelique could detect was poison. And she was aiming it at Diana’s head.

Angelique whimpered, for Oshio’s determined eyes were scary.

Brace yourself, Diana.

Seeing the last resolve leaving Oshio’s face, she watched in slow motion as she released the arrow. With a whooshing sound, the arrow was like a lightning bolt.

Everywhere became quiet as the attacks seized. It was as if the arrow, as it passed through the air, was socking everything around it.

The force field around them forcefully disintegrated as the arrow drew closer.

Whispering for a wind whip to intercede it, she had reacted a bit too late, for it had missed its mark.

Abated heart and breath, Angelique watched the arrow approaching in slow motion.

However, at the last minute, before it could enter Diana's flesh, one of the Water Nymphs, Ocean, as a matter-of-fact, had suddenly appeared through a portal between her and the incoming arrow.

Angelique's breath hitched when it pierced her straight into her heart.

Everything had seemed to stop at that moment, except Diana’s loud clattering hooves.

The loud splitting scream of Sea enveloped and disturbed the stillness.

She had appeared in another portal, but to only stumble a small distance from Ocean. She was far too late, as she crawled on her hands and knees towards gagging and slowly dying Ocean.

Her last emotion, as Ocean brazenly stared in Angelique’s direction, was a small smile on her face before she missed her footing and slowly fell into the chasm below.

It was a heartbreaking scene, as her pale hands that were outstretched was for Sea to catch, and been her last resolve, but Sea had narrowly missed it by only touching her fingertips.

She closed her eyes, her impending death dangerously creeping closer.

"NO!"

Screaming with her hands still outstretched, Sea was heartbroken as she desperately called her name.

"OCEAN! OCEAN!"

Finally disappearing in the darkness with a wordless apology on her lips, Ocean’s death had shocked every single person, including Oshio, who had not calculated one of her closest sister's betrayal.

Gasping and holding tightly onto Diana's mane when she suddenly leaped to land loudly on the other side of the waterfall, Angelique forced her fervent galloping to a stop.

Turning her to face the disturbing scene, she gently calmed her down.

Bawling in pure anguish, Sea jumped into the chasm after Ocean, but a portal suddenly swallowed her whole.

She materialized near Queen Oshio, where the Pectyle deposited her brokenly sobbing person near her feet.

With a small bow, it curtly spoke.

"Me was forced to comply with attendants order to create portals to bring them here, My Queen."

Oshio's face became deathly pale as she slowly nodded. Two betrayals and death had wounded her deeply. But the pain she felt was for another reason.

"You are dismissed."

She growled.

"Of course."

The Pectyle bowed once more before disappearing into another portal.

Crawling towards her sister’s feet, Sea was determined and frantic.

Loudly begging, she was traumatized.

“Please, I beg of you, elder sister! Allow the Princess to leave! I will do anything you request if you let her go! Ocean cannot die in vain! I tried to stop her, but she insisted she had to protect the Princess! Please, elder sister!”

Holding her bow in one hand, Oshio lifted Sea’s chin with the other. Gazing into her eyes, which was blurred by tears, she was insensitive to her pleas.

“Did you and Ocean think of the consequences and dangers an inexperienced Water Nymph as you would undergo if you betrayed me?”

Sea was stunned, her eyes glazing over.

Looking into Oshio's eyes, she realized there was no compassion or sympathy. It seemed all these emotions of love and care were illusions. Was she just another spec of dust on her sleeve? Then what of the sacrifices she had made? Was it for naught?

Slowly, Sea concluded in her heart that her elder sister would have never made her a Princess, even if she begged until her knees bled for the esteemed seat.

She realized her elder sister would have never given up her right to rule.

Roughly, she pulled her face from her hold.

Maliciously, she barked.

“I HATE YOU!”

Indifferent, Oshio smiled, but her raised hand spoke a different emotion.

Screaming, for she had suddenly slapped her extremely hard across the face; Sea shivered in pure fear when her thunderous voice gnawed through her skull like a bad song.

It echoed that even the beasts was left immobile on the bridge with their heads between their paws.

“YOU LITTLE INCONSIDERABLE FOOL! DO YOU THINK SCREAMING SUCH VENOMOUS WORDS AND DOING ALL OF THIS SHAMEFUL ACTIONS WOULD MOVE MY HEART?!”

The aftermath of the slap was so painful that her ears were still ringing. But instead of filling her with pain, Sea was angry.

Blood flowed down the side of her lip.

She spat the blood in her mouth on the ground. It was from a broken tooth.

Her left eye was now growing swollen and red from the force, but she bit her lip to dismiss her sob.

Trembling, as she placed a hand to cradle her wound, Sea gazed up at her raging elder sister—a sister who had treated both Ocean and herself as her little slaves.

“GUARDS, TAKE HER AWAY!”

“NO! PLEASE ELDER SISTER, DO NOT DO THIS! I BEG OF YOU! PLEASE!”

Sobbing, as she groveled near her elder sister by gripping tightly to the end of her dress, Sea was both angry and disappointed when two large Water Nymph Warriors had broke from their formation to draw closer to her.

They gripped her shoulders in a tight hold. Their faces were impassive and unemotional.

The tight grip she had on Oshio's outer dress caused it to rip when they had roughly pulled her away. Their grip had no mercy.

With flying arms and legs, she screamed once again, her angry tears raining down her chin like a waterfall.

Oshio watched the scene with cold eyes.

She realized Sea was stalling her attention from catching the disappointedly staring Princess, and it made her furious.