CHAPTER LXXVI
It was late at night. I had just finished dinner and was heading to bed, my thoughts heavy but calm, the quiet hum of the night wrapping around me like a blanket. I was about to pull the sheets over myself when I heard soft footsteps behind me.
Lylah came closer, her presence warm and familiar. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around me from behind, holding me tight as if she feared letting go. Her voice trembled slightly as she whispered, "Thank you, Astrid… for coming into my life… and thank you… for loving me."
Her words made me freeze for a moment. I turned to face her, searching her eyes. "Why… why are you saying this all of a sudden?" I asked, my voice low but touched with concern.
She looked at me, her lips parting as if she was about to confess something important. "There's something I need to tell you," she said, her tone weighted with urgency.
But before she could continue, a strange thud-thud sound echoed near my window. My head instinctively turned toward it. Curious, I started walking in that direction, but Lylah quickly caught my arm.
"Astrid, wait—don't go near there. It could be dangerous," she said firmly, her grip tightening around me.
Her words only made me frown in confusion. "Danger? Are you calling Flash a danger? That's… that's not right, Lylah."
She shook her head sharply, her eyes darkening. "It's not Flash," she said, her voice tense, almost shaking.
I let out a quiet sigh, choosing to ignore her warning. My curiosity got the better of me. I reached for the curtain and pulled it aside, glancing back at her with a small smirk. "See? It's Flash."
But the look in her eyes wasn't relief. It was fear—raw and unshakable fear.
And then… I turned my gaze fully to the window.
My breath caught in my throat.
It wasn't Flash at all. There, perched on the edge of the sill, was a massive crow—larger than any bird I had ever seen. Its feathers were pitch black, swallowing the moonlight into their darkness, and its beady red eyes glowed with something… unnatural. The creature was pecking and clawing at the glass, the sound sharp and relentless, as though it was desperate to break through.
I instinctively stepped back, my pulse quickening.
Then—
With a bone-chilling crack, the window shattered, shards of glass scattering like deadly rain. The crow thrust its enormous head through the broken frame, its beak snapping inches from me.
Before I could even react, Lylah moved—swift, almost inhuman. She extended her arms forward, catching the creature by its neck with an unnatural strength, and with a fierce twist, she hurled it downward into the darkness below.
But before I could even process what had just happened, something else happened—something that stole the breath from my lungs.
From her back… wings emerged.
They weren't delicate, angelic wings like in the fairy tales—they were powerful, expansive, and radiated an otherworldly energy that sent chills down my spine. The moonlight caught the edges of each feather, making them glow faintly as they unfurled to their full span.
Without another word, Lylah stepped onto the windowsill and leapt into the night, disappearing into the shadows below—leaving me stunned, my heart pounding with questions I didn't yet dare to ask.
I leaned out of the shattered window, the cold night air biting against my skin. My eyes widened in horror. The monstrous crow—its feathers black as midnight and glistening with an unnatural sheen—was relentlessly spewing bursts of blazing fire toward Lylah. The flames lit up the darkness in fierce, hellish flashes, each one aimed to scorch her alive.
But Lylah… she didn't flinch. With a speed that stole my breath, she caught the beast's jagged beak in both hands. The crow let out a deafening, bone-chilling screech that rattled my very soul, but Lylah's grip only tightened. Her eyes burned—not with fear, but with a feral determination.
With one sharp twist, there was a sickening crack. The creature reeled back, its scream echoing through the night, a sound so guttural it felt like it clawed at the inside of my chest.
Then, Lylah did something that made the world seem to still for a heartbeat. She raised her arm to the sky, and in that instant, magic roared to life around her—wild and radiant. Sparks of golden light spun in the air, twisting into a spiral, condensing into a shape… a blade of pure magic, glowing as if forged from the heart of a star. The moment her fingers wrapped around it, the air itself seemed to tremble.
With a cry that carried power and defiance, she lunged forward. The sword arced through the air, slicing clean through the monstrous crow's neck. Time slowed—the beast's flaming eyes dimmed, its head falling in a slow, surreal drop, before hitting the ground with a dull, final thud. The body collapsed, bursting into a cloud of dark ash that the wind quickly claimed, scattering it into nothing.
I stood frozen, my hands trembling at the window frame. The sight of it—the ferocity, the magic, the sheer danger—was too much. My heart pounded wildly, my breathing shallow. The adrenaline drained from me all at once, leaving me weak.
The edges of my vision began to blur, the world tilting and spinning. The last thing I saw was Lylah's silhouette in the moonlight, wings still spread wide, her sword glowing faintly in her hand. Then, darkness swallowed me whole.
When my eyes fluttered open the next morning, I found myself lying in bed. My head felt heavy, my thoughts still wrapped in the fog of sleep. And there she was — Lylah — sitting right beside me, her gaze locked on me with unnerving intensity, like a cat waiting for a mouse to make the first move.
The moment our eyes met, my heart gave a startled jump. Without thinking, I shot upright and bolted off the bed.
"Oh no, nope, nope, nope!" I muttered under my breath as I darted toward the door.
But Lylah was faster. Every time I tried to run past her, she would suddenly appear in front of me, blocking my path. It was like she was teleporting — one second she was behind me, the next she was standing ahead with that sly little smile, her hands on her hips. And to make it worse… she wasn't calling me "Astrid" anymore.
No. She was calling me "Caelum."
Hearing that name from her lips made me freeze for half a second — half a second too long, because she used it to step right into my space.
"Lylah, move," I hissed, trying to sidestep.
She tilted her head. "No, Caelum."
That name again. My stomach twisted.
I made one final dash for the front door, determined to make a dramatic escape. My hand was just about to grab the handle when—
SLAM!
The door shut right in my face. I stumbled back, blinking, only to find Flash — the ancient parrot with the attitude of a grumpy king — perched on the doorknob, glaring at me like I was about to steal his kingdom.
And next to him?
Chiko. The monkey. Arms crossed. Tail flicking. The little troublemaker was grinning at me with a look that screamed, You're not going anywhere.
I stared at them, then back at Lylah, who was now sauntering toward me like she had all the time in the world.
"Oh no…" I breathed. "No, no, no. You're all in on this!"
Flash let out a slow, deliberate squawk, almost like he was confirming it. Chiko started drumming his little hands on the door in this annoying, taunting rhythm. Lylah just smiled sweetly — which was somehow even scarier.
That's when it hit me.
They had teamed up.
The deadly fairy, the ancient parrot, and the chaos-loving monkey…
This was not going to end well for me.
And from the way they were all looking at me, I had a very bad feeling they had a big plan — and I was going to be right in the middle of it, whether I liked it or not.
To be continue....