Chapter 199 Face the truth

Chapter 199 Face the truth
Lyra’s POV

The unbearable pain is the first thing that hits me. It's an agonizing feeling that explodes through the back of my skull, dragging me forcefully back to consciousness.

I let out a weak groan, my heavy eyelids fluttering open as I try to make sense of the dark, freezing environment. My wrists and ankles are painfully chained in thick, heavy iron that cuts straight into my skin.

I force my head up as my vision slowly clears through the throbbing haze of pain. Standing just a few feet away from me, surrounded by massive demon guards with glowing red eyes, is a familiar figure. One that I never in a million years expected to see here.

Prince Roman…?

I stare at him. He isn't in chains. He isn't captured or injured. He is standing tall, his dark coat resting comfortably on his shoulders. I watch as he converses with those demons. 

A huge wave of shock and betrayal hits me hard, freezing the blood in my veins. My jaw drops, and I start breathing frantically as I stare at him. The boy I called my close friend, the boy I trusted, defended, and cared for… he has been working with the demons the entire time. Please tell me this is just a cruel nightmare. 

As if he sensed me watching, Roman's gaze meets mine, and I see the immediate flash of guilt and shame on his face. He takes a slow step forward, his voice low and desperate. "Lyra... please, just let me explain. I never wanted it to come to this, I swear to you. I tried to save you from—"

"Shut the fuck up!" I scream at the absolute top of my lungs, my voice breaking with a raw, furious anger that makes me want to cry. The heat of my Phoenix spirit flares violently in my chest, making my eyes glow. I also feel wyndra’s rage inside me.

"Don't you dare speak to me! I swear on my life, I will make you pay for every single bit of this betrayal!"

Roman flinches as if I physically hit him, closing his mouth and stepping backward, unable to look me in the eye.

"Oh, look who's finally awake and making pathetic threats," a cruel, familiar voice sneers from the shadows.

Daisy steps with a nasty, triumphant smirk plastered on her face. She struts toward me, her dark eyes gleaming with pure malice. "Look at you now, Lyra. The great, powerful Phoenix, or whatever you think you are, bounI like an animal, lying at our feet like the filthy, worthless slave you've always been."

I glare straight into her eyes, forcing a mocking smile on bloody lips despite the blinding pain in my head. 

"And look at you, Daisy. Still taking orders from monsters, still desperately begging for a shred of power because you know you'll never be anything more than a pathetic, worthless sidekick."

Daisy's smirk instantly vanishes. A violent, murderous rage contorts her features, her face turning bright red.

Before I can even react, Daisy suddenly swings her fist and hits me right in the face. My head jerks to the side, and I can taste the fresh blood in my mouth.

I let out a sigh, spitting a mouthful of blood straight onto the toe of her boot. I turn my head back, looking at her furious face, and let out a mocking laugh. "Is that the absolute best you've got, Daisy? Is it just me or are you getting sloppy?"

Daisy's eyes go wild with pure rage. "You little bitch!"

She raises her fist again, preparing to rain heavy blows down on my face, but another voice suddenly echoes through the dark chamber.

"That is enough, Daisy."

Daisy's hand freezes mid-air.

"The master explicitly requested that his precious prize not be too bruised before the ritual begins," Marina says smoothly, stepping out of the dark archway. She walks forward with slow, elegant strides, her long, glossy black hair trailing behind her as her dark eyes fix on my face.

Marina stops right beside Daisy, looking down at me with that same wicked, unsettling smile. "Daisy did her part remarkably well, didn't she, Lyra? She used your weak, pathetic father as the perfect bait to lure you right into our hands."

A sharp surge of pure hatred boils in my veins, making my chains rattle against the stone floor. "You monster!"

"Oh, save your energy, fox," Marina purrs, tilting her head with a chilling amusement. "Because you're not the only surprise guest sitting in this room."

She slowly steps aside, gesturing toward the far, pitch-black corner of the dungeon.

My gaze follows her hand, and the breath is completely knocked out of my lungs.

Kai is tied to a chair in the corner. His head is slumping limply downwards, completely passed out. Deep, bloody lacerations cover his broad shoulders and bare chest, his clothes torn to shreds, and thick, l thick demon chains bind his massive frame. I can see how badly beaten he looks right now.

"Kai!" I scream, a desperate sob ripping straight from my chest.

Panic, terror, and devastation explode inside my heart all at once. I thrash frantically against my iron chains, pulling with everything inside me until the metal digs deep into my skin, drawing blood, completely oblivious to the pain.

"Kai! Wake up! Please, Kai, look at me!" I stifle a sob, my voice breaking as I struggle against the bonds. "Kai!"

He doesn't move. He stays completely still, his breathing shallow and faint.

Before I can scream his name again, the temperature in the cave drops to absolute zero.

A suffocating, toxic, and evil energy suddenly fills everywhere. The overwhelming weight of the Aura hits my chest like a wall, making my lungs freeze up completely. The floor below us shakes, and the air feels thick, metallic, and heavy with the smell of rotting flesh and sulfur.

Terror grips my soul, making my fox tremble to her very core before I can even see who is coming. Wyndra whimpers in fear, and I try to rest my mind to calm her down..

A massive, monstrous figure emerges from the darkness.

That's when I realized that I've seen his face before. Once, in my dream. 

The Demon King, Yaros, stands over eight feet tall, his physical presence completely blocking out any light. His skin is completely black, cracked with veins that glow with an orange heat. Two huge, twisted horns curve out of his head, stretching toward the ceiling, and his face is a terrifying nightmare of sharp fangs. 

But the most horrifying part about him are his eyes. They are red, but somehow switches to black at the same time.

My chest pounds hard against my ribs, pure fear freezing me in place as the Demon King's deadly stare locks right on me.

“Welcome, bride.”