Kaelan’s Desperate Bid

Ancient magical ruins, a floating island.

Beneath a transparent quartz partition, the Crown of Domination lay in quiet slumber, its form entirely shrouded by the restrictive magic upon the stone table, which rendered it impervious to any external force.

Kaelan tilted her head back, allowing a stream of icy potion to pass her lips; the draught was so acrid and bitter that it sent a spasm through her tongue, threatening to make her retch instantly.

Quickly, she clapped both hands over her mouth, gritting her teeth, and forced the concoction down her throat.

The round-bottomed vial slipped from her grasp and clattered to the ground, joining a heap of identical empty bottles that formed a small, growing mountain.

The witch’s skin was paler than usual, betraying a profound sickliness.

The excessive potion blazed within her stomach, then absorbed into her bloodstream, relentlessly ravaging her small frame.

She stumbled, collapsing onto one knee, her face etched with exhaustion:

“Please… leave my body…”

With a voice bordering on a plea, Kaelan spread her arms towards the air, and grey-black magical energy began to rise from her skin.

The ominous energy overflowed from her, gathering and swirling above her head, resembling a small, dark cloud.

That magical energy was not her own; rather, it stemmed from her kin, her adversaries, and the countless spellcasters she had hunted over centuries, having performed forbidden rituals to drain life after vibrant life.

The originally vibrant and varied magical energies, each carrying the distinct personality of its former owner, had mingled within her, twisting into a tyrannical corruption that utterly defiled her, even as it granted her power that struck terror into the hearts of her enemies.

Now, Kaelan no longer needed these powers; she intended to expel this magical energy, to cleanse her defiled body, and thereby earn the recognition of the Crown of Domination…

She had to acquire the Crown of Domination and wield its power, for only then could she contend with the relentless pursuit of the Assembly of Truth.

More importantly, the domination spell would allow her to reclaim Saranya from Lenix…

Lenix, that scoundrel, had been unable to remove the forbidden spell Kaelan had planted on Saranya.

Instead, she had implanted a new enchantment directly into Saranya’s mind.

Kaelan’s meticulously designed runic forbidden spell was meant to subtly influence Saranya; as Kaelan’s long-term, high-frequency enhancements deepened the enchantment, the runes would neither strip Saranya of her free will nor burden her mind.

On the contrary, Saranya would experience boundless joy throughout this process; her little Aya would initially fear her, then become fascinated, slowly and sincerely submitting to her, eventually falling in love, willingly throwing herself into Kaelan’s embrace.

She had realized she had fallen for a mere plaything, a vessel for her desires.

She loved little Aya, and thus, she had to make little Aya love her in return.

Was that not simply how things ought to be?

‘This was love…’

‘A love she had personally crafted… the most perfect love…’

Kaelan’s lips curved into a faint smile, the pleasant sensation temporarily dulling her pain.

Yet, in the very next moment, her face twisted into a sudden grimace, veins bulging on her forehead, as she softly uttered her enemy’s name with the deepest, most profound resentment:

“Lenix…”

Lenix, that individual, had unleashed a remarkably crude spell to counteract Kaelan’s influence over Saranya.

Lenix had directly, through hypnosis and brute force, forcibly branded a thought into Saranya’s mind, utterly disregarding the potential impact on her mental state.

“If this continues, little Aya will break down sooner or later…”

“Little Aya will be ruined… utterly ruined…”

Kaelan had defiled Saranya; yes, perhaps she had.

She admitted to possessing Saranya through despicable means, and not only did she revel in it, she delighted in tainting little Aya, in witnessing her descent.

She desired little Aya to become as soiled as herself, for only then would little Aya be perfect.

And Lenix? How much better was Lenix than her?

Between the two of them, who could claim greater righteousness?!

Neither.

Lenix merely wore an extra layer of nauseating hypocrisy.

Saranya was hers, she had claimed her first; no one else could snatch away her toy!

The dark magical energy flowed ceaselessly, and the cloud above Kaelan’s head swelled rapidly in volume, its shadow eclipsing even the azure magical light within the ruins.

It coalesced into a pitch-black tornado that tugged at her, making her sway precariously, her long hair flying wildly, leaving her in a truly disheveled state.

This time, she vowed to purge that magical energy from her body.

The black tornado writhed, and from within, increasingly frantic human voices began to emerge.

These voices layered upon each other, starting as deep whispers, then abruptly erupting at a certain moment, screaming wildly, directly into her ears:

“Kaelan! Why did you kill me, why did you kill me?! Wuwuwuwu—”

“How could you do this?! You beast! You wretched spawn!”

“Please, don’t kill my daughter…”

“Sister Kaelan… how could you…”

All the people she had killed were there, their essence woven into the storm.

This power had long since transformed into a curse, and from the moment she made her decision, taking that fateful step, these curses had clung to her relentlessly.

She felt guilt, she wept, and of course, she had regretted it…

But none of that mattered now.

Kaelan closed her eyes, her damp eyelashes trembling slightly, as she pressed her hand onto the stone table before her.

A milky-white magical light emanated from her palm, and a long, strip-like surge of magical energy began to grow from the bottom-left of the table, extending directly towards the crown.

“It’s working!”

Kaelan’s eyes brightened, and she hastily accelerated the infusion of magical power.

After a century, seeing her own milky-white magical energy dance before her once more, her eyes welled up, and several clear tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Finally…”

Just then, the situation abruptly shifted as the massive black tornado above suddenly twisted and warped, launching a torrent of magical energy, thick as a bowl, directly towards the stone table!

“No!!!”

Seeing the energies about to merge with her own, Kaelan screamed, her voice choked with tears.

With her free hand, she conjured a shield-shaped spell and hurled it into the air, intercepting the violently plummeting energies.

“Wuwuwuahahaha—you will never escape us!”

“Kaelan Novfloss! Sinner! You are condemned to live your entire life within our curses!!!”

The grey-black magical energy battered Kaelan’s defensive spell.

She simultaneously channeled magical energy into the stone table and diverted a portion to resist the relentless onslaught from above.

Yet, she soon realized, with a surge of despair, that her own strength was utterly insufficient to withstand the curse powers that relentlessly sought to disrupt her.

The power she had absorbed far exceeded her own inherent strength.

“No… please… you can torment me however you wish…”

“Just let me get the Crown… let me save little Aya…”

“You can do whatever you want with my body… please… just let me save her…”

In response to her desperate pleas, the black tornado erupted with shrill, mocking laughter:

“Hahahahaha—”

“She doesn’t need your saving!!! Let her go mad!!! Let her die!!!”

“You’ve finally met your match! Now you, too, get to taste this agony!!! Iyahahahahaha—”

The black magical energy unleashed an immense force, shattering Kaelan’s defensive spell.

Despite her desperate pleas, the magical energy on the stone table was entirely corrupted; the Crown of Domination trembled once, her defiled power repelled, and the stone table ceased to react.

The tornado shrieked as it surged back into Kaelan’s body, its immense force sending her flying.

Her small frame slid a considerable distance before violently crashing onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

“I’m sorry…”

Her gaze dimmed, and she allowed the last tear to slip from the corner of her eye before slowly closing them.