PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Chapter 361 Goddess
The sound of many wings flapping around her jolted her but she didn't halt. They were probably the minion witches who turned themselves into bats, watching her, stalking her. She didn't want to meet with the corpse-like witches, she wanted the silver-haired witch.
She continued walking deeper inside but no one appeared before her. Did they want her to keep going? She looked around and thought that this wasn't the area she saw in her dream so she kept walking. She walked a few hundred meters further and she finally found the place. There was a small, circular patch of flat grass which was unique to see in a forest like this. It was definitely not natural.
"Hello? I am here now. Where are you?" she called out again.
She waited for an answer but there was none. Nobody appeared.
Abi sighed. It seemed she would have to use her ability after all.
She closed her eyes to listen to what was happening around her.
Abi's eyes widened because the first thing she locked onto was a man's voice. Abi shivered and she found herself hiding behind a tall tree. It was probably a futile move but she did it anyway.
"Don't run, witches… come at me!" a menacing voice thundered in her ears. The voice was still a fair way away from where she was but it still sent shivers down her spine.
She focused and she was shocked once again because this time, she heard both kinds of heartbeats. Witches and vampires.
Why were the vampires here? Were they here to hunt down the witches?
Abi heard a fight break out. It was as if one of the groups went on a killing spree and Abi could tell it was the vampires who were killing the witches.
"Where's your queen?" the man asked and she heard a woman shriek as well as gunshots. Were they shooting the witches?
"That's it, shoot those fucking sneaky birds down!"
Abi was starting to feel scared. She hadn't expected to walk into this and even more terrifying was the fact that she was supposed to feel at ease because vampires were there, but she didn't. For some reason, her stomach began to knot in fear.
Feeling that there was something wrong, Abi started to move. She was going to leave this place. She shouldn't have come.
She was about to start running back when suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest!
Abi had been too focused on keeping an eye on the vampires that she didn't notice the heartbeat of the witch who was approaching her.
She was about to scream but a hand covered her lips. Oh god… what had she gotten herself into?
The fear that shook her subsided as soon as she saw who it was. The woman right behind her was the silver-haired witch. Now that she was so close to her, Abi couldn't help but gape at her. She could see that even her lashes and eyebrows were silver. Her eyes were like the white full moon. Was she really a witch? Wasn't she a goddess?
"Don't scream," the goddess said and when Abi nodded, the silver-haired witch removed her hand from Abi's mouth. "Follow me," she then said as she grabbed Abi's wrist and dragged her away.
"W-where are you taking me? And why are vampires here?" Abi asked. Abi wondered why she did not feel scared of this silver-haired goddess.
The woman glanced at Abi as they continued running. "They are here to catch me."
"W-why?" Abi gulped. Were they Zeke's men?
"I will tell you everything soon. We need to leave this place first."
Abi could only follow her. She tried to focus again to tell if they were getting further away from the vampires when she suddenly halted and pulled the witch to a stop too.
"There are vampires ahead of us!" Abi told her. The woman looked at her, clearly alarmed, but she didn't look surprised.
The witch then brought out a small bottle, poured the silver liquid onto her hands and rubbed them all over the small scratches on Abi's legs and arms. It didn't heal but it stopped the bleeding and the blood disappeared. Abi had not noticed that she was wounded.
"They must have smelled your blood," the silver-haired witch said and they continued running again.
"But… there are vampires…" Abi protested. She thought they would head to a different path but the woman didn't change direction.
"How many are ahead of us?" she asked.
"Two."
The woman didn't stop. The vampires were close. She halted and slowly let Abi's hand go.
Two vampires appeared before them like mad wolves. Their eyes weren't the same as the vampires in the capital. They weren't like Alex or Zeke. They seemed different even though their heartbeats were the same as the normal vampires Abi had met.
The vampires laughed like maniacs upon seeing them.
But before they could even stop their menacing laugh, the silver haired witch suddenly disappeared.
The next second, she appeared behind one of the vampires and slashed him across his neck. Abi didn't see the vampire's head roll away from his body from that one move from the silver-haired witch because her eyes fell on the one who was about to shoot her.
Abi was rooted to the ground.
But again, the witch didn't even let the other one pull the trigger. She cast a spell and everything turned black. All Abi could hear was a quick slicing sound and in the next moment, everything else fell silent. All Abi could hear was the heartbeat of the silver-haired witch. She could no longer hear the vampire's heartbeat.
The thick black fog dissipated and the silver-haired witch appeared before her. She held Abi's wrist again and they continued running.
Abi wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing, following this woman. But she felt safe. Their escape made her forget everything. For the first time, even for just a moment, she stopped thinking about Alex.
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Chapter 362 God of slaughter
Back in the capital, Zeke emerged from the forest with a serious expression. He was drenched from the downpour and his white shirt was stained red. His hair was a mess but still looked more imposing than ever.
The two young men waiting by the roadside didn't move from their spot upon seeing their brother, while Zeke just glanced at them, expressionless.
Zeke ran his fingers through his hair as he continued walking. He then halted before them.
"Speak," said Zeke without looking at them. His eyes were directed towards the northern mountains in the far distance.
The prim and proper young man stepped over to him and whispered something in Zeke's ear. What the young man said somewhat changed Zeke's poker face.
"Wait for my instruction" was all Zeke said in response and he disappeared before them.
The two young men just watched him leap away and once he was gone, they sighed.
"Geez… brother is still as cold as ever. I still can't help but hold my breath and shut my mouth in case I say something wrong," the other, less serious, young man complained. "Is he going after Alexander?"
"Obviously," the other one said and they both boarded their respective sports cars and left.
The clouds were dark and gray and it continued to drizzle.
Zeke was fast as lightning as he travelled towards White Falls Village following Alex's trail.
Meanwhile, Alex had already arrived at White Falls Village and he suddenly felt uneasy. He had calmed down on his way to this place, thinking that his little lamb was probably in their hotel room, sulking, and waiting for him to comfort her. He had even smiled like an idiot thinking about how he would surprise her.
But his smile broke when he couldn't find her anywhere in the village. He had looked in all the places they had visited and there was no sign of her. His eyes started to burn and his heart thudded inside his chest.
The darkness enveloped his being as his gaze surveyed the dark forest. He didn't know why but he ended up at the entrance of the forest. And there it was, the car they used to go back to the palace.
Alex opened the car and smelled her presence. Why did she come here? He couldn't see any signs of a struggle, meaning she came here on her own? Why?
The only thing that Alex could think of was that those damn witches somehow managed to manipulate his little lamb.
The fury and rage burned even fiercer inside him as he looked into the forest. It was as if the devil in him had been awakened. The rampaging dragon that had just fallen asleep was waking up once again.
But this time, Alex was still rational. His mind thought of all the different possibilities that could have made his little lamb go inside there on her own, of what he might find inside. He knew he couldn't lose his cool right now at the thought that his little lamb might already be in their hands.
He had to stay in control. He couldn't let his inner dragon loose this time around because his little lamb could get hurt in the process. The thought that his little lamb might get hurt because of his actions was the only thing that stopped him from going berserk and destroying everything.
Alex entered the forest and he could smell her scent, although it was faint. He followed the scent, thankful that it still lingered. However, he didn't go too far before he felt that something was off.
The moment Alex felt the chaos unfolding deep within the forest, his eyes blazed.
The next second, he landed in front of the herd of vampires torturing three witches in the middle of the forest. Alex looked around. He couldn't sense Abigail.
His eyes burned gold as he grabbed one of the vampires who was frozen in place, shocked to their core because of the sudden appearance of this man. They immediately knew exactly who this man was. Everybody knew this man was the legendary Alexander with just one glance. They could just feel it. And his presence alone terrified them. They had heard about him destroying every rogue vampire from that northern castle three months ago.
"What are you vampires doing in this place?" Alex asked.
When the vampires couldn't answer, Alex gritted his teeth and slammed one of them on the ground. The impact was so strong the earth shook and the birds in the forest flew away, instantly turning the atmosphere into one of danger and darkness. All the vampires' knees shook slightly as they felt his deathly aura.
Alex surveyed each one of them and he stopped on one of the witches, eyes blazing like a demon.
"Where is Abigail?" he asked.
The witch, who was already tortured, opened her mouth to speak.
"I… I don't know," she replied, trembling.
Alex was about to kill her when he felt some movements from afar once again.
He let go of the witch and leapt away.
He landed in front of another group of vampires. Once again, Alex's presence made the vampires freeze, utterly shocked upon seeing the man who suddenly appeared before them.
Alex surveyed them. His eyes glowing in the darkness, like a beast enveloped by pure darkness that could freeze anyone's soul.
Not seeing Abi here made him want to just kill these men in front of him. But he restrained himself. The last bit of sanity held him back. He needed to know where his Abi was and dead vampires couldn't talk.
Cloaked with barely restrained bloodlust, Alex walked closer to them, like the dreadful God of slaughter. He looked like the definition of the calm before the storm. However, something caught his eyes that made him halt.
One of them was holding something shiny like a piece of jewelry. It was Abigail's necklace.
His body, his heart and his world trembled and all hell let loose.
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Chapter 363 Crystalized
Abi and the silver-haired witch continued running.
Somehow, Abi didn't feel tired despite running for a long while now. Her body felt lighter than ever and her lungs didn't feel like it was on fire like it used to. She suddenly remembered the training regime Alex had put her through back then. Her heart used to pound in her chest from all the effort she had to exert just to run down the road but right at that moment, she wasn't even heaving.
They must have covered a few kilometers by now and they were going at a fairly fast pace. Did the witch cast a spell on her, Abi wondered because she somewhat felt that she was a balloon being dragged along by the silver-haired witch.
After what seemed like a long time, they stopped in front of a mossy, large tree. There didn't seem to be anything special about the place because the tree looked like every other tree in the forest.
The silver-haired witch then turned to Abi.
"Can you listen to see if some of the vampires managed to follow us?" she asked and Abi immediately obeyed.
Abi closed her eyes and to her relief, she couldn't hear any vampire heartbeats anymore. It seemed that they had managed to escape from the vampire herd. Abi's racing heart - from fear rather than exertion - started to calm down a little.
She opened her eyes again and shook her head in response.
"I think we managed to lose them. I can't hear anyone around the vicinity," Abi told her and the silver-haired witch nodded.
The witch then turned back towards the tree, still not letting go of Abi's wrist.
Abi saw the witch close her eyes and her mouth started moving, chanting some kind of spell. As the witch chanted, small, tiny lights appeared all around them, as if a large amount of fireflies had been awakened from their slumber. The tiny, blue colored lights enveloped the tree and a moment later, its roots retracted from the ground and the branches untangled themselves transforming the tree into a cave-like entranceway.
Abi's eyes widened in shock. Whoa! How did she even know which tree to look for in this forest filled with thousands of the same looking tree?
"Come," the witch said as she looked back at the shocked woman standing behind her.
Abi swallowed. She still didn't feel scared of this woman but there was still some doubt within her heart. She didn't know who this woman was. What if she never comes out of this entrance way again? What if this was some kind of trap?
"It's okay. Don't be afraid. It's safer for us inside. Those vampires won't be able to follow us in there or sense our presence," the silver-haired witch encouraged.
Abi hesitated. She felt that this woman didn't harbor any ill-feelings towards her. She felt that this woman didn't have any bad intentions towards her. She had felt this when she first locked eyes with her that night at the hotel. Now that she was here, she felt that this woman was kind of like Alex in a way. This woman seemed dangerous, in the same way that she knew that Alex was dangerous but she didn't feel scared. In the same way that she felt that Alex would never hurt her every time she looked into his eyes, she felt the same thing towards this woman, this stranger.
Even though she had only really had two encounters with this woman - she didn't count the dreams - this encounter had given Abi a bit more insight about her. Now that she had met her, even if they still hadn't properly introduced themselves, her gut told her it was okay to follow this woman. She didn't know why but Abi decided to listen to her guts. She was already here. Even if she refused, this goddess could very easily just drag her inside.
Abi then nodded and the goddess showed her a quick but sweet smile. She looked pleased.
They both walked through the entrance way, hand in hand. It was dark, so dark that Abi almost couldn't see anything.
Abi heard a noise come from behind them. The tree must have moved to cover up the entrance again. Abi wondered if someone would ever find her from this place. Maybe even Alex might not be able to locate her even if he searched the entire forest. Not unless he wiped it clean.
Abi was about to speak when the woman before her once again started chanting. Somehow, Abi found that her chants were pleasant to her ears, as if she was hearing some ancient, mystic melody.
And then, another door opened for them.
Light welcomed them. Abi had thought that the door would open up to another dark, underground world but she was wrong. The moment she saw what was on the other side, she was awestruck.
The place was like a cave filled with different shades of blue crystals, from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. They were surrounded by crystals everywhere, as if it was a cave made of thousands of years old crystalized glaciers.
She felt like she was walking underwater. It was just so breathtaking. She didn't know where the light came from but she thought that even the tiny light from a single firefly would be enough to light up this cave. Looking around in pure awe, Abi wondered if this was a natural cave or if this was a result of a spell that was cast by one of the witches.
The silver-haired witch finally let go of her wrist and she walked ahead of Abi, leading the way. There were many doors along the walls of the large corridor-like pathway. Abi could only think that this might be the witch's hidden palace? It was like she had entered another world. A fairyland.
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Chapter 364 Exchange
They walked further into the pathway and eventually, it opened into a large, open space. She could see a throne sitting in the middle of the area. It was made of light blue crystal. Its back was carved into the shape of a tree and its armrests and legs looked to be in the shape of branches and roots. It looked so beautiful, so magical.
But something felt off.
It seemed like they were the only ones around. She couldn't hear any other heartbeats inside the cave and as she looked around, she didn't know why but she felt a little bit lonely. As beautiful as this place looked initially, she saw many small things to indicate that this place hadn't been used by many people or witches. Was this place abandoned or was the queen the only one living here?
"Y-you're the queen of the witches, right?" Abi asked.
The woman halted and she turned to face her.
"I am not," she replied, causing Abi to look at her, eyes wide. "I am the next queen in line."
This revelation made Abi speechless. She wasn't the queen? Then, where was the queen? Who was the queen?
The silver-haired witch seemed to have read what she was thinking. "Our queen…" she started, glancing up at the majestic empty throne with sad eyes. "She disappeared three months ago and we don't know where she is even now."
Abi creased her brows. Three months. That timeline was very suspicious. That was about the same time Alex disappeared. Could there be a connection?
"She disappeared the same night when the king of vampires was stabbed by you," the silver-haired witch continued.
What the woman said made Abi's heart thud against her ribcage. It brought back the memories of that night, memories that her mind had tried so hard to forget. The memories of that single moment still affected her as if it just happened yesterday. It was the most traumatic time of her life.
"But we know she's still alive," she added and Abi finally found her voice.
"How do you know that?" Abi asked, curious. If they didn't know where the queen was, how could they possibly know she was still alive?
"When the current queen dies, her powers will instantly be transferred to the next queen. This hasn't happened yet. I don't have her full powers so that's how I know she is still alive. Although, I do feel that there is something not quite right happening with her. I have received more than half of her strength in the last three months. It seems she is slowly dying. The queen isn't old enough to die through the natural aging process. I believe she was captured."
"You think the vampires captured her?" Abi's gaze turned serious. Did this woman trick her into coming to use her as ransom for their queen?
"I don't think the vampires are the ones who took her," the witch responded, causing Abi's brows to knot once again.
However, she didn't come here to find out about their queen or her whereabouts. She was here to find out about how to get Alex's memories back and to save him. This was what this woman had told her in her dreams. This was what she had promised.
"Then, why did you appear in my dreams? You told me to come here if I wanted to save my husband."
The witch offered her a seat and Abi made herself comfortable while the woman just stood before her.
"Listen, I believe our queen's disappearance has something to do with your husband. I am not saying that the king abducted her or that it was the Reign family who took her. There is someone out there who is controlling both the rogue vampires and rogue witches. And I believe the king, your husband, and our queen knows who this person is.
I have been trying to find a way to talk to the vampires but there is no way for me to speak with them without them killing me first. I have tried to find a way to reach out to them but it's futile because I can't speak with them outside this forest."
"Why?"
"Because this forest is the only place that is protected by spells. Anything that happens inside this forest can't be seen by others who are looking from the outside. I can't let anyone know what I am trying to do. You already know, right? That everyone is watching our every move, possibly even that someone who must have captured our queen. If they see that I am reaching out to the vampires, I am certain they will make their move to stop any alliance that might happen."
"But you are able to speak with me through my dreams. You should have spoken to Zeke through it."
"I can't. Witches can't enter just anybody's dreams. You are the only one that this has happened to. You are special, Abigail."
"So, you lured me in here because you knew that Zeke and Alex would come after me. Your plan all along was to lure me in to get to them?" Abi questioned. She was starting to get upset. "You used my desperation in wanting to save my husband to get me here. You lied to me to get me here!"
"No, please. Don't get me wrong. I know some truth about what really happened about that night you stabbed your husband. I just want to exchange information. I will help you save your husband, in exchange, I am asking for your help to locate and save our queen."
"But I don't know anything. And I am just a human…"
"As I've said, Abigail, you are special. Have you ever wondered why you can do things that even we can't do? Have you ever wondered how I could speak to you through your dreams? I don't know what you are but I don't believe you are just a normal human being."
Abi frowned. "W-what do you mean?"
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Chapter 365 The truth
"I'm sorry but even I can't fathom what you are. Even I am fascinated with you. You are such a mystery to me."
There was silence for a moment.
Abi wanted to ask her more questions but she stopped herself. She couldn't afford to be distracted. Besides, she really didn't believe she was all that special. She was just a weak human who could do nothing but cry and run.
The witch approached her and held her hands.
"I will let you know the truth. Just make a deal with me that you will help me. I am certain if you were the one to speak to your husband or the vampire crown prince, they would certainly listen to you."
Abi contemplated for a moment. It seemed like a reasonable deal. This woman was obviously desperate to save her queen and she was desperate to save her husband. They were both in similar situations and if working together could achieve both these goals, then why not? Besides, wasn't this what Zeke wanted to know as well? Didn't he want to know what really happened to Alex, about why he lost his soul and his memories?
"Okay, I will promise you. If you tell me the truth, I will help you. But how can I be sure that what you say is the truth?"
"I will not tell you. I will show you instead. I'm certain you already know that we can see the past as long as we witnessed it at the time. I will show you so you can see with your own eyes, Abigail," she explained and she led Abi towards another room.
There was a crystal ball in the middle of the room. She could tell this was the device that witches used to keep watch on the happenings of the world.
The witch chanted a spell as Abi stood there.
Abi didn't move. Her eyes switched between the crystal ball and the witch. Her heart started to race from anticipation of what was about to come. She wanted to know what really happened that night. She wanted to get answers but she was also apprehensive because she might see that moment again, the moment where Alex plunges the knife into his chest. She didn't know what this witch was going to show her.
"Are you ready?" the witch asked.
Abi looked at her for a long moment, mentally preparing herself, before she nodded.
The crystal ball started to glow and then the pictures formed, becoming clearer by the second. She looked into it and there he was. In the middle of the crystal ball was her husband, Alex.
Alex was covered with blood and there was another silver-haired woman before him. Abi could already tell that this was the Witch Queen. She was also as beautiful as this woman standing next to her but Abi didn't see that. Her eyes were focused on her husband's figure, before she looked at anything else.
Abi knew the place they were at. They were under the wisteria tree in the backyard of Alex's mansion.
Abi remembered what Alex said; that the witches couldn't hear what was being said but they could read lips. "But I can't read their lips."
"It's okay. I can make it so that you can hear them in your dreams."
"My dreams? I thought…"
"You can hear voices through your dreams so I will have you see it through your dreams."
That was fascinating. Abi could only blink.
"I'll have to put you to sleep," the witch told her.
Abi finally took a deep breath and as the witch chanted, Abi began to lose consciousness.
She fell asleep and the scene on the crystal ball started to appear in her mind as if she was there, watching them. She started to hear their voices.
"They are watching, Alexander. Don't even try to trick them. If you don't die tonight, they will kill your wife. You must push the dagger if you want her to live."
"Tell me what you are thinking, witch," Alex responded.
"I can cast a spell on your heart, Alexander. That's the only way for you to keep living. But this spell requires something that is important to you."
"Tch! You witches are so old fashioned. You people are still the same even now," he hissed. "Something important…" Alex echoed. "Are you going to take my Abigail's life?" he smiled, sardonically.
"No. This spell does not require someone's life. But there is nothing more important to you than her, right?"
Alex didn't respond for a while. "That's right. I can't think of anything more important to me than her."
"Then, give up all your memories about her. That is one of the most important things to you that I could use in exchange for the spell. This spell will keep you alive even after you are stabbed. Half of your soul will die and the other half will stay alive. But you will not last long. You need to get your memories back and awaken your dead soul before the power of the spell runs out. If you can't do that in time, you will die. But I have to warn you now. It is almost impossible to awaken the dead soul. Only one person I know managed to do that. That person's soul came back to life once his memories returned. But that was a one in a million chance. Think about it carefully."
"There's no other way, right?" Alex asked.
"There is, Alexander. If you let Abigail die, then you will certainly keep living."
Alex laughed, but it was a bitter laugh, as if he was telling the queen that that wasn't even an option. "Do it, witch. Take all my memories," he said without even a hint of hesitation.
"But… please, think about it –"
"Shut up. This is my decision." Alex cut through her. "Don't worry, my wife will find a way to bring my memories back. She's quite hellbent, you see. You know, she once said that she would go through hell for me and I believe her. She is my wife, after all," he smirked.
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Chapter 366 The movie
The silver-haired witch watched the tears flow down on the sleeping girl's cheeks. The glow of the crystal ball made those tears glimmer in a beautiful yet heart wrenching way. The silver-haired witch was surprisingly moved by the scene. She had watched this scene unfold at the time and back then, she felt nothing. She couldn't quite understand why the man was so willing to give up his life for this human woman. Seeing Abigail's tears and all the emotion that she emitted as she watched this scene unfold, the witch could feel how much Alexander meant to her. She could feel all the love that Abigail felt for her husband and she was moved.
She had seen Abigail's actions and read the words that came from her lips but none of that feeling could be felt when she was watching through the glass ball. Only at this moment did she finally understand why Alexander was so confident about his wife's abilities to bring his memories back, and consequently, the other half of his soul. It was because of her love for him.
The silver-haired witch had never felt such an intense, fierce emotion coming from someone before. Abigail's love for her husband was so powerful that she thought she saw a soft glow of light surrounding Abigail, as if her body couldn't contain all of that emotion that it leaked out.
She moved closer to Abigail, reached out to touch her face and to wipe her tears away, but she halted. She sensed some sort of disturbance in the air and she immediately became alert for any upcoming trouble.
With a concentrated look on her face, the witch quietly left the room, leaving Abi still sleeping and dreaming and she didn't see Abigail's expression of pain and grief appear on her face.
Inside Abi's dream, the scene from the past continued to appear in her mind's eye. She saw Alex say goodbye to her before he left her at the hospital.
This scene was so heartbreaking for her. She first saw Alex's relief and happiness in the knowledge that her time had been extended, that her tumor was gone and that she now had the rest of her life to look forward to. But then, a second later, his eyes dimmed and she saw his anguish at what he had to do next. He whispered to her. "I love you, Abigail. You are the only one I will ever love. The only one…" and watching this was so bittersweet for her.
And then she saw him rub her wedding ring with his thumb before he slowly slid her engagement and wedding rings off her finger. She wanted to shout at him in her dream, 'No! Don't leave me... Don't go. I love you, Alex. Please stay...' Her heart felt like it was being torn to pieces and her tears flowed even more down her face. She couldn't stop it. It hurt. Watching him walk away from her was painful, especially after he had promised her that he would not leave, that he would be there when she woke up.
Abi wanted to stop this dream from continuing. She wanted to wake up! She didn't want to go through all of this again. She didn't want to see Alex leave her. But she was left with no choice. The movie kept playing and she could only keep watching.
The next scene was Alex travelling towards a castle, still with a dagger in his chest. She watched as he fought all of the rogue vampires by himself. As she watched this scene, she couldn't help but forget her pain for a second. Her eyes were focused on him alone. He looked like the mystical god of war, mesmerising her with his precise movements and his power. She watched as he defeated the first wave of the rogue vampires but then in the next second, she felt her heart nearly stop as she saw the countless arrows and bullets being fired towards him.
She was alarmed at how much blood seemed to be flowing from all the arrows and bullets that hit their mark and she wanted to close her eyes. No, she didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see him being hurt like this. Abi couldn't help but silently cry. She didn't know he suffered like this, because of her. She didn't know he had gone through all this. It was painful, so painful she couldn't take it.
And yet she kept watching. She kept watching because she had to. She needed to find out what happened to him. She needed to watch to look out for any clues that might be useful.
So she watched as he kept on fighting, smiling as if he was having the time of his life. But his eyes gave him away. She saw through them. The heaviness of his decision weighed on him. She could tell that he didn't want to give her up. He didn't want to forget her. But he had no other choice.
Abi saw him set fire to the castle. She watched him approach Xavier as he used the little lamb and the jellyfish plushy to catch him off guard.
Abi even yelled at Alex not to fall for it, telling him it was okay even if the toys burned to ashes. She yelled at him to stop, despite knowing that what she was seeing had already happened, that there was no way she could stop any of it or change any of it anymore. She just couldn't help it, it was too painful for her.
Xavier was now holding the hilt of the dagger on Alex's chest as Alex caught the toys with one hand as the other grabbed Xavier's neck. Abi held her breath. Was this it? Was this the moment that Alex loses all his memories of her?
And then, Xavier pulled the dagger out as Alex broke his neck with one squeeze and both of them fell onto the floor.
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Chapter 367 Cruel
This time, Abi couldn't help but look away. It was all too much for her. She just now realised what Alex had gone through for her, what he had done all because he wanted to save her. All these things happened because of her. It was all her fault.
Abi's back was turned away from the scene. Her heart was in pieces, feeling as though she was the one who had just gone through all these things herself instead of Alex. She felt his pain within her and she felt like she couldn't breath.
The sound of Alex's groan made her turn around again. She saw him hunched over in pain as if something was being ripped away from his body. He clenched his chest as he growled louder with the thunder.
A few seconds after, the world became silent. Only the sound of the blaze could be heard. Alex lay on the ground, looking so weak, looking as if he was dying. She saw him look at the flames that were about to devour him and then look at the toys in his arms. He smiled, caressing them, holding on to them tightly.
"Tch. I'm so lame. Abigail…" he called her name. "Would you laugh at me if you found out that I became damned because of these damn little toys?" he mumbled weakly, laughing.
But then, his smile faded and he suddenly embraced them. He fell silent as he gritted his teeth. He still looked like he was in pain, although this time, it wasn't because of something physical. It was because of something emotional.
He closed his eyes and his lips started to tremble a little. He looked so helpless, so vulnerable and so alone. Watching him like that made Abi felt like she was going to break down. She subconsciously ran towards him, to embrace him and hold him. She wished, she could suffer with him. But she couldn't even touch him, all she could do was watch and cry.
She could only watch him lay there, unmoving for a while, until his lips stopped trembling. And then…
"I miss you, my wife…" he uttered as a single tear flowed down from his eyes. That was the very first time Abi saw him cry. "I'm sorry for leaving you all alone. Please… don't suffer too much because of me… I want you to smile every day even when I'm gone."
After those words left his lips, he struggled to push himself up and sit. He threw his head back and looked up at the sky before he let out a sigh.
He coughed once again, looking like he was now gasping for air, looking so weak. He tried to stand but he fell again.
Lifting the toys in front of him, he stared at them as he spoke. "It looks like I can't even stand anymore," he told the toys as he gritted his teeth. "I guess I should at least make sure that you two will not be turned into ashes," he mumbled and he crawled like a baby without much strength. His arms even trembled just to get himself to sit up.
But he managed it. He sat up and stared at the toys again. He lifted his hand, and he looked at the open window. He attempted to throw the jellyfish out first but he had no strength.
He groaned and laughed throatily. "Damn, what the hell am I even doing?" he asked himself but he still tried his very best to get them out of the burning castle.
When he managed to throw the jellyfish as far as he could, he fell down again. "Damn," he cursed as if he was now questioning his sanity. But the moment he lifted the little lamb up, he bit his lips.
"Little lamb…" he uttered, "do you want to be burned along with me?" he asked.
Then, he smiled again. "Ah, if you could talk, I know you would say 'yes'. That's the extent of your love for me after all," he continued muttering on his own, even looking amused even in that situation.
"But no. There's no way I would let you burn here with me 'cause being burned is… it's a little painful. You have already suffered so much and I couldn't possibly add any more to that," he mused. "So I better get you out of here too. Keep that jellyfish company so that he doesn't get lonely, okay?"
He forced himself to sit up again, and then, with all the strength he could mutter, he threw the little lamb out of the window before he finally lost all his strength and fell down once again.
Alex laid there on his back, watching the flames above him.
His eyes glimmered as his breaths became weaker.
"Abigail…" he called out her name one last time and his hands found their way to the rings hanging on a necklace around his neck.
As the flame started to finally burn him, Alex kissed the rings and put them inside his mouth, as if he was trying to keep them safe from the fire.
He gritted his teeth as the flames burned his skin. He was burning but he didn't scream. His skin would slowly regenerate after being burned but the flames didn't stop and he kept being burned for a long time until the castle collapsed around him.
Abi screamed in pain when she watched the castle collapse and that was when she woke up. She looked terrified and broken. Her tears were like rivers, flowing nonstop.
What she witnessed was too much. Too cruel. Too damn painful that she felt like she had died many times in that dream.
Why? Why did her Alex have to suffer like that?
Abi clenched at her heart. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Her mind was playing those images of Alex lying down on the floor of that burning castle as the flames surrounded him before being buried by the debris.
"Oh, Alex… Alex…" she wept, calling out his name between her shallow breaths.
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Chapter 368 Berserk
The silver-haired witch was frozen still the instant she entered the room. Abigail was already awake but she looked utterly broken, overwhelmed with grief, and crumbling in pain.
The witch looked at where the crystal ball had stopped and she was surprised. She only planned to show her the deal between Alexander and the queen! That was all the truth she wanted her to know in exchange of what she was asking. She wanted Abigail to know the reason why Alexander lost his memories and for her to know what she had to do.
But she actually gone beyond that. She couldn't believe this woman managed to see so much in such a short period of time. But she didn't have enough time to spare to ponder over that. She still had things to explain to her. She still had so much to tell her. She had to bring this woman back to that man before it was too late.
With an alarmed face, the witch approached Abigail and rubbed her back to calm her down.
"Are you okay? Please calm down," she asked her but Abigail didn't stop weeping. She didn't even look at her. She was doubled over, still in so much pain.
Seeing that Abi might take a while to calm down, the witch decided to cast a spell on her.
Her pleasing chants played like warm music inside the room until Abigail's cries slowly died down. The unbearable pain in her heart didn't disappear but her mind was slowly brought back to reality, as if the ominous, hopeless clouds that enveloped her world had dissipated.
She sniffed as she finally looked at the witch. Her mind was a little clearer now, although her heart was still bleeding and aching.
"Abigail… I am sorry but I need to return you to him," the witch told her in an almost frantic voice. Gone was her calm and collected expression. She looked worried.
"H-him?" Abi somehow managed to respond as she wiped her tears. Her spell really worked.
"Your husband, he's here."
Abi's eyes widened. Hearing that Alex was there made her want to cry again.
"Where is he?" she immediately stood up. All Abi wanted to do that moment was to run to him and embrace him as tight as she could. She wanted to just glue herself to him, to never let go of him even for a moment. What she saw broke her heart so much that she felt like she could die from the pain. It was too much. Why? Why did Alex have to suffer so much? Why did he need to be in so much pain? It wasn't fair… it was too cruel…
Had she known all this, she wouldn't have pushed him away. She wouldn't have gotten so angry at him.
"It seemed he followed you here. I was planning to let you go after this once the rogue vampires left so that you could negotiate with your husband. I really wasn't planning on making Alexander angry," the witch started to explain, looking like she was terrified about something.
"I will speak with him. Now please, bring me to him," Abi said. She couldn't wait anymore. She needed to see him and hold him or this pain would break her.
The witch held her hand as they headed out. "I'm afraid he has gone berserk, Abigail. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen," the witch said, still sounding very worried and very apologetic. "Please stop him or he will destroy everything and kill everyone," she pleaded as they halted before the entrance way.
Abi's brows creased. Alex had gone berserk? Was it in the same way as that night he went to fight the rogue vampires? That was the only time she had ever seen that side of Alex and because the images were still very raw in her mind, she couldn't help but clutch at her heart. Alex was in pain. Alex had gone through hell for her and she only just found out now
Abi closed her eyes and fought past her pain. She couldn't think about that now. She had to think about her husband, about doing what needed to be done. She could only think that he had gone berserk because he, too, was in so much pain.
Abi opened her eyes and looked at the witch again, her determination solidifying. She had seen this witch expression before when she was on the rooftop watching Alex fighting her minions. She didn't even flinch back then but now, she looked pale from fear and dread. So Alex might be really be in rage mode because even this witch, who was quite powerful, felt a little overwhelmed when she saw the destruction happening outside.
Abi didn't look worried at all. "It's okay," was all she said to the witch. "I will go and protect him," she added. What she really meant that she would go and protect Alex from himself, that she would go and protect him from the pain. There was a glimmer of something powerful in her eyes.
Seeing it made the witch relax and she finally chanted the spell to open the doorway to the forest. The moment they stepped out, they were welcomed by a thunderous sound.
A huge tree just landed like a spear from heaven right before them. The witch protected Abigail as they stepped backwards. The earth even trembled due to the impact.
The rain was pouring down, as if the heavens were angry as well.
The witch's grip on Abi tightened. "Let's leave, Abigail. We need to leave now. It's too late. I don't think we can reason with him when he is like this," she said, voice slightly shaking.
She started to drag her but Abi refused. "What do you mean by too late? I am going to go to my husband!" Abi protested as she pulled her hand away from witch's grip.
"Listen, please!" The witch grabbed Abi by her shoulders, making Abi face her. "It's too late!"
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Chapter 369 Impossible
"It's too late. Alexander is already in that state. Believe me, when that man is in that state, it is impossible for him to recognize anyone. He will destroy everything, anyone, whoever it is that happens to cross his path. We must flee and wait until he calms down and goes back to normal!" she explained.
But Abi shook her head. There's no way she would just leave him. No way.
"No, please let go."
"He will kill you! Please believe me. Alexander loses his rationality when he's in that state. He destroys everything in his way. He will kill you, too! He can't recognize anyone!" the witch pleaded. She couldn't believe that what she dreaded was actually happened. How did he snap so easily like that? She couldn't let Abigail die. If she died by his hands and he found out once he returned to normal, he would go berserk once again and would kill and destroy everything. Once that happened, she might never be able to rescue their queen because their home, this forest, and the few witches left would all be annihilated by him. She might even die as well.
So she thought that it was better for them to flee for now and return her to him once his rampage was over.
But Abigail refused.
"No. Please let me go. He will NEVER hurt me! I can't leave my husband all alone again. I will never leave him by himself again. Please…" she begged. "I promise, everything will be fine. I will keep my promise to you. And we still have so many things to talk about, right? Don't worry, I will be okay. You go back inside for now so he doesn't see you. Once I calm him down, you can come out again, alright?."
Abigail's gaze was fierce and more than determined. The witch couldn't even argue with the intensity she showed. And before she knew it, her grip on Abi loosened.
In that instant, Abi dashed away, heading towards the raging monster, without any hint of hesitation or doubt in her eyes.
The witch could only watch her go. Although she couldn't fathom what Abi was trying to do, she could only trust this woman. She had heard about the things Alexander did in the past. She even saw some of it in the crystal balls through the powerful visions of their queen. This man was a monster and no one ever managed to stop him when he was going berserk like that.
He was a disaster and everyone could do nothing but bend and bow and ask for his mercy. No, he wouldn't even give any mercy even if someone in his way was on their knees and begging for their life. He would just annihilate them without batting an eye. He was that ruthless. If the witch hadn't witnessed how deep his love was for Abigail, she wouldn't have let her go. Her first thought, and still her thought right then, was to flee and leave everything behind while they still could.
But somehow, having seen all the things that have happened to this couple, and feeling the extent of Abigail's love for her husband, made her believe. She didn't know why but she had developed this seemingly blind faith, that no matter how hopeless everything was, no matter how cruel the world was, in the end… love would always win. They were the ones who showed her that. A ruthless man like Alexander sacrificing everything, even his life for his beloved; this thought used to be unthinkable for her. But they had changed her views - that in love, there was no such thing as impossible.
"Fine… go ahead, Abigail. Show me more of the power of your love," she smiled but she didn't leave. She instead followed Abi's trail. She wanted to see the events unfold with her own two eyes and in case something went wrong. She would try to at least keep Abi alive.
…
Abi was getting closer to the heart of the storm. She could feel it. This heavy and chilling atmosphere she knew so well seemed to have cloaked the entire forest.
She could hear it. The sound of the agonized screams from both witches and vampires as well as the breaking and falling trees bombarded her ears. She didn't even try to activate her powers. She just started to hear them.
But the terrifying noises didn't stop her. She continued running until she was met with a large, open space. No, it was a space where she could finally see the sky because of all these fallen trees.
She stood there and looked around.
"Alex!!" she called out. But the next second, a swoosh passed by right in front of her face. It was a man being thrown away like baseball. He hit one of the trees and the tree nearly broke as the man fell to the ground.
Abi started to see them. The rogue vampire's and witches' lifeless bodies.
She swallowed as her body trembled.
When she turned and looked at the direction where the vampire came from, Abi's eyes widened.
A large tree trunk was about to hit her.
She thought she was going to die.
But the witch appeared and pushed her down. The tree just missed them both.
Abi lifted her face and saw Alex standing there. His eyes were a burning furnace. He looked like some else. The witch was right, he couldn't seem to see her.
"A-alex…" she called out when suddenly, he disappeared. The next second, the witch covering her was gone.
Abi immediately turned around and saw Alex already gripping the witch's neck, her feet dangled in the air.
He was going to kill her. If the witch hadn't been quick enough to cast a spell to fight the strength of his grip, she would have been dead by then.
"No!! Don't kill her, Alex!!" Abi screamed.
Alex didn't seem to hear her.
So Abi ran towards him and crashed herself into his back him, hugging him as tightly as her little arms could, with all the strength she could muster.
__________
Chapter 370 Now or never
Alex's vision was blurry red. He couldn't feel anything. His body and mind were numb and his heart was filled with nothing but pure darkness.
His body craved blood, destruction and chaos. He just wanted to kill. He was like a mindless creature created just to kill and destroy, to bring calamity to the world. And he couldn't get enough. His body wanted more blood.
His lips curved up the moment the creature in his grip actually tried to fight against him. This kind of futile resistance only made him want to play more with his resisting prey, simply because everyone he killed just kept running away and never tried to fight back. That was simply too boring. It was definitely more entertaining when they at least tried to fight back, even if it was utterly useless.
The demons inside that drove him seemed to like this. It licked its lips in anticipation, as if it couldn't wait to devour this little insect caught in his web. It had been a very, very long time since he had met a resisting prey, one that was strong enough to actually survive the first blow. Even then, he knew that his power exceeded this prey's powers a hundredfold. This one didn't just succumb and refused to accept his inevitable death. Why? Wouldn't it be easier and less painful if it just closed its eyes and died? Did it want to suffer?
With a wicked smirk, he slowly tightened his grip around its neck, giving his prey the time to struggle more and fight against him with all it had.
When his grip was about to break through his prey's spell, he decided to give it a moment to run away. It had been a while since he had a good game of tag. Maybe they would even get to play hide and seek. Those were the games his demons desired to play. Indeed, those were the most fun games to them.
His body was about to move, to throw his prey to the ground when he felt another insect cling onto his back and it made him pause for a second.
Before he could turn around to deal with it, his numbed body registered that this new prey was emitting a warmth that he could actually feel. Its arms were wrapped around his waist, heating him up like nothing he had ever felt before. His consciousness could see and feel nothing but that burning sensation. And all of the sudden, his body refused to move.
He felt like he had been immobilised by a burning chain that set his body on fire. It was as if he was under a strong spell, one that didn't have any defences against.
He stayed still, unmoving for a long while. His consciousness that was buried deeply in the pit of darkness started to awaken, reaching out to the warm light that had appeared on the surface. He felt like he was swimming upwards, kicking his legs to take him closer to the light. It was curious. Where was it coming from? Why was it so bright? Why was it calling out to him?
Alex's eyes became unfocused, as if his demons were slowly retreating into the darkness as the light shone brighter and brighter by the second.
But then, the prey in his hand cast an even more powerful spell to escape his grip which immediately broke the spell, or whatever it was that held him frozen. It triggered him and his eyes saw red again. His entire being was swallowed by the darkness yet again and the bright light within him was overwhelmed by it. Its light slowly faded to a small flicker, barely noticeable.
The witch was thrown away like a ragdoll. It happened like lightning but the witch managed to protect herself before her back crashed against a large tree. The impact was minimized but her body still hit the tree with a crack and she fell with a thud to the ground.
Abi flinched, hoping that the witch survived that attack. However, she didn't have time to ponder on whether the witch was still alive. There was something a bit more important at the moment, like how to stop her husband's rampage.
Abi turned her attention back to Alex. Her arms tightened around his waist but her hopes plummeted when she noticed that her hug didn't seem to affect him, let alone stop him. He used to immediately react when she embraced him. His coldness and darkness used to instantly disappear whenever she did this but it didn't seem to be working this time around.
"Alex… please…" she begged, speaking clearly so that he could hear her voice. Abi clenched him tighter as she kept calling out his name.
Alex's hands then moved and landed on the hands wrapped around his waist. He didn't have time to deal with this one. He was too focused on playing with the more powerful prey. His eyes never left his prey. A menacing smile curved on his lips as his eyes blazed, anticipating the game that was about to begin.
He grabbed the arms that were wrapped around him and moved them away from him. His grip was tight and it hurt her but she didn't have the time to feel the pain.
Abi started to panic. What should she do? He was too strong.
The moment he pulled her hands off her, Alex disappeared from in front of her. It was as if she was invisible to him. It was like he didn't really notice or care that she was there. Abi quickly looked around to see where he went and she saw him appear before the witch.
However, the witch was quick to escape, almost teleporting a few meters back from where Alex had appeared.
Abi watched him smile menacingly as he walked closer to the witch. He really looked like someone else, like a stranger, like somebody she didn't know. This wasn't the Alex that she knew. He was like the most ruthless villain who was about to crush his prey. He walked slowly towards the witch, who was panting from his attacks. It seemed she was wounded because of the impact and Abi could see the marks of Alex's hand around her neck. She could also tell that she was running out of strength. She had used many strong spells in a short period of time and it seemed that it had drained her. Abi didn't know how much longer this witch would be able to evade Alex or defend herself against his attacks.
She needed to do something but what? What could she do to stop Alex?
Seeing Alex close in on the witch, Abi immediately moved. She didn't think anymore and let her instincts kick in. She knew that Alex would kill the silver-haired witch once he caught her again because Alex was showing that wicked, menacing smile of his, one that said that this game was over.
Abi didn't know how she ran so fast. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline rush, or maybe something else but she didn't worry about that. In what seemed like no time, she was standing before the witch, her arms raised in a defensive position, defending the witch from Alex.
She had to stop him now. She had to bring him back now. It was now or never.
Her eyes blazed with unwavering will. She looked like a fierce, little fragile warrior, waiting for the god of war to come to her and face her. She was like a little white rabbit standing in the lion's way. She wasn't going to let him harm this witch. She still needed this woman's help. They needed to survive this so that they could find out how to bring Alex's memories back!
Abi locked eyes with him and then she ran towards him, planning to place a kiss right on his lips. She thought that if the hug didn't work, maybe a kiss would. That was the more powerful drug she thought she could use to sedate him.
As she got closer, everything seemed to have turned into slow motion.
The world ceased to exist, fading into nothingness, and all she could see was him. Her Alex was standing there and she was so close to reaching him. After seeing what truly happened the night he left, she felt like she had been separated from him for too long. Remembering those images, those scenes, Abi just wanted to kiss him, to hug him and shower him with all the love she felt for him in her heart.
However, the dreamy moment shattered like mirrors breaking into a million pieces.
Because Alex's hand gripped her neck just before she could touch him.
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