"The King is dead!"
Someone's voice pierced through the chaos like a blade through silk. But it was too late.
King Baltimore—once proud, once arrogant—now lay lifeless in a pool of his own blood, the dark red stain creeping like ivy across the stone floor. His guards, still kneeling in reverence, kissed his hands as if devotion could resurrect him.
It twisted something inside me.
I didn't feel sadness. I couldn't. He was the same man—unrepentant and hell-bent on executing me. I merely acted first. The rest of them? They weren't worth saving. None of them were.
Fairies scrambled in panic, their desperation sparking Love Spells—flickers of pale pink and white magic glowing weakly, like dying stars. Arisa had trained them well.
But I was beyond their reach now. Even Arisa couldn't help them.
Arisa herself staggered a few steps away, clutching her chest where my heartbreak spell still lacerated her soul. Her voice cracked, fragile as ice on a frozen lake. "Murderer…"
"Murderer!" Doverel screamed, louder now, pointing a trembling finger at me as if it were a blade. "You killed the King!"
Several fairies raised their wands in unison. Panic painted their faces, yet they still clung to an outdated rulebook. I was done playing by their rules.
I smiled, slow and venomous, letting the satisfaction curl on my lips.
I lifted the Baltimorean emerald. Its cold green light bathed my face, a reflection of the dark power I now wielded.
"Oh?" I asked sweetly. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
Silence fell over the hall like a shroud. Fear bled into their eyes, a brittle resolve breaking beneath my gaze.
Perfect.
The red mist spiraled from my fingertips, tighter now—controlled, calculated. I whispered, "Narcissism spells."
A fairy's breath caught. "We… we can use them against you!" The panic in her voice cracked like glass. "We're Love Fairies too!"
I giggled, the sound dripping with mock sweetness. "Oh, sure. But you'd end up just like me."
The mist thickened, creeping into their lungs. Words died in their throats. Faces twisted from fury to confusion, then to something darker—adoration for their own reflections.
"Get her…" someone rasped, before falling silent forever.
"Oh, look at me," said a male fairy, clutching at his reflection in a puddle. "I'm so beautiful…"
"No! I'm prettier than you!" shrieked another, shoving him aside.
A scuffle broke out—petty, pathetic. Doverel was trampled, shoved aside by the very fairies she once tried so hard to please.
"Please... help me," Doverel gasped, extending a hand to me, but I ignored it. Crushed by her own ideals, by the people she had tried so desperately to impress. She deserved it.
Then the palace doors burst open—more guards, weapons drawn, faces grim.
"Stay where you are, Scarlette!" they shouted.
But it was already too late.
I felt it first in my fingertips—my power flickering. The red mist, once wild and untamed, now trembled, dimming. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, the ground crumbling beneath me.
Crap.
The price of power was coming. It wanted blood.
I had only one option.
With a final surge, I pushed out the thick, noxious cloud of red mist. It wrapped around the guards, knocking them backward, choking them with narcotic fumes. Their eyes glowed faintly, their minds bending.
And then…
They turned on each other, crying, laughing, kissing their own hands, worshiping their reflections.
"Idiots," I muttered. "I don't have time for this."
I ran.
Through the chaos, my body flickered like smoke, the world around me blurring. I reached the main gates. Heart pounding, breath shallow. For one heartbeat, I hesitated—willing my magic to return.
It did. Just enough.
With a final surge, I shattered the gates. They crumbled under the pressure like brittle glass.
Wind howled against my face as I sprinted into the open air. The distant screams and confusion faded behind me. I was out.
Out of the Love Fairy Kingdom.
But I wasn't free.
Not yet.