Chapter 126 126

Chapter 126 126
LYKA's POV

I paced restlessly outside the room, my fingers twisting nervously against each other as unease gnawed endlessly at my chest.
The hallway suddenly felt suffocating.
Too quiet.
Too tense.
Every passing second only worsened the anxiety bubbling inside me, and no matter how hard I tried convincing myself that everything was fine, I simply couldn’t relax knowing Morgan was alone inside that room with Derrick.
And Scott too, technically.
But Scott was restrained. Scott couldn’t protect Derrick if something went wrong.
Morgan, on the other hand…
That woman had spent far too much time looking at Derrick in ways that made my skin crawl.
She wanted him.
That much was painfully obvious.
And now she had the perfect opportunity to get close to him without interruption.
Which was exactly why I couldn’t understand Derrick’s stupidity.
How could he not see through her intentions?
“That woman is obviously plotting something,” I muttered quietly beneath my breath while glaring toward the closed door. “She practically reeks of bad intentions.”
My jaw tightened.
Honestly, at this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised if Morgan was the one responsible for whatever happened to Scott.
Nothing about her felt trustworthy anymore.
The memory of her expression earlier replayed inside my head repeatedly... the irritation in her eyes whenever Derrick defended me, the bitterness hidden beneath her fake calmness, the strange excitement she showed when Derrick agreed to let her perform the ritual.
No matter how much I thought about it, something felt wrong.
Terribly wrong.
I stood silently in the hallway, waiting impatiently for the door to open so Morgan could finally announce she was done.
But instead...
A strange sound echoed faintly from inside the room.
I froze immediately.
At first, I thought it might’ve been Morgan chanting spells.
But the more I listened carefully, the more disturbed I became.
The noises didn’t sound controlled.
They sounded violent. Chaotic. Dangerous.
My heartbeat quickened instantly.
That doesn’t sound like chanting, Alexia muttered uneasily inside my head. I swallowed hard. Something’s wrong.
The moment those words settled inside my mind, panic shot straight through my chest.
Without thinking any further, I rushed toward the door immediately.
I didn’t care whether Morgan got angry at me for interrupting.
I didn’t care whether Derrick warned me not to enter.
Something inside that room had gone terribly wrong, and I could feel it with every instinct screaming inside me.
I pushed the door open hurriedly.
“What is goi... ”
The words died abruptly inside my throat.
My entire body froze.
The sight before me completely shattered every expectation I had.
Morgan wasn’t performing any ritual.
She wasn’t chanting. She wasn’t helping Scott. Instead...
Derrick had her lifted completely off the ground by her throat. My mind blanked instantly. Morgan clawed desperately at his wrist while gasping for air, her face pale and strained as panic filled her widened eyes.
The room itself looked destroyed.
Furniture lay shattered across the floor.
A thick dark mist swirled unnaturally around the chamber like living smoke.
And Derrick...
Something about him felt wrong.
Terrifyingly wrong.
“Derrick!” I screamed instinctively before rushing toward him.
But the moment I got close...
An invisible force slammed violently into me.
Pain exploded through my back as I crashed hard against the wall.
“Ouch!” I whimpered painfully.
The impact knocked the air straight out of my lungs.
For several seconds, I remained dazed against the wall while trying to understand what had just happened.
What was that force? Why did the room suddenly feel so heavy? The strange mist surrounding the room thickened briefly before swirling violently around Derrick’s body.
Then Morgan’s strained voice reached my ears weakly.
“H-Help… he’s…”
Her desperate plea immediately snapped me back to reality.
My gaze shot toward Derrick again.
“What are you doing to her?” I demanded sharply, forcing myself to stay calm despite the fear creeping into my chest.
Approaching him recklessly clearly wasn’t an option right now.
Derrick slowly turned toward me.
Or rather...
Whatever was inside him turned toward me.
“Why should I let her go?” he asked lazily.
His voice sent chills directly through my body.
It still sounded like Derrick…
But colder. Sharper. Crueler.
“She wanted to see me so badly,” he continued mockingly. “I simply granted her wish.”
My stomach twisted painfully.
Phoenix.
He resurfaced far too quickly.
The realization alone made my chest tighten painfully.
I remembered the promise I made Derrick not long ago... the promise that if Phoenix ever fully resurfaced again, I wouldn’t hesitate.
But now that I stood here facing him…
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t even force myself to act.
Because regardless of who currently controlled that body...