CHAPTER 522: YEP, THAT’S ALL!

To the people in the Thornston receiving room, it all went by too fast, but they did not miss any details. It all happened in a way that felt both agonizingly slow and terrifyingly fast. One moment, Shelby stood, still, calm, hands resting on her belly, looking at the impending danger as if it were a casual flower-viewing day out.

And then Aliya lurched in a blur of claw and desperation, her half-shifted form hideous and jagged, eyes glowing with venomous intent. Her body cracked with motion, unnatural and vicious, as she sprang like a creature from a nightmare, Geneva, against her better judgement, screamed, and Alex gasped in horror.

Although they had heard and seen some of the supernatural phenomena, it was different to see this in still images and then in real life. Their mouths moved as their hearts thundered.

Their feet refused to obey, and they stood frozen.

Though they were like that, it was out of fear of the impending danger to Shelby and not themselves. Time had thickened around them, slowing their limbs, choking their panic.

They watched as their beloved girl stood in the siren’s and Sorrow Weaver’s path.

In that moment, they felt small and helpless... and the worst part?

The only person whom they believed could stop it, Ian, ... didn’t move.

He did not take a step, not a word or even any attempt to defend his wife!

He just sat there, watching, eyes unreadable.

When Aliya was almost upon Shelby with claws outstretched, death was seconds away.

Something flew—a large object. Suzie was the one who had reacted to the internal command. She threw with force and intention, but with almost practised precision. The large but light canvas sliced through the air like a comet right in between Shelby and Aliya’s outstretched hands.

The painting acted like a medium, glimmering faintly, like an ancient artefact that was alive.

It struck the space between predator and prey.

And the siren, Aliya, was gone, just like that.

She was not thrown, nor banished, but was erased!

Aliya was swallowed into the object like smoke pulled into a sealed jar. She had no chance even to move aside. It was a well-orchestrated move!

A gasp echoed through the room. Time snapped back into place.

Both Geneva and Alex collapsed to their knees, clutching each other, hearts racing. What they were seeing was just unbelievable!

The children blinked, stunned, but not afraid.

And in the centre of it all, Shelby stood untouched, blinking slowly, her hand now loosely around her midsection and her face indifferent. The moment Aliya vanished — swallowed whole into the now perceived strange painting which cluttered in its frame and was left facing the ceiling, the room seemed to exhale.

A hush settled over everything. It was a peace but not relief.

Something heavier, for they did not know where she had gone. All except Ian, Currey, and Suzie, the rest were oblivious.

Samantha, who was as flustered, but marvelled at the same time, saw her grandparents freeze, the colour draining from their faces, but though she felt the same, she couldn’t shake the excitement from seeing this happen. If her mother was safe, nothing else mattered to Samantha.

’My mum did this! How awesome is that! She saved as all!’

Geneva clutched her shawl tighter, her knuckles white. Then her eyes fluttered, as she stood up and stumbled back a step as a wave of dizziness crashed over her, nausea threatening to overwhelm her. Alex stood up and caught her elbow, his own breath shallow, eyes locked on the spot where Aliya had been.

"It’s done," he whispered, though his voice cracked under the weight of the words.

"That’s all?" Samantha asked, and Ingrid nodded, eyes transfixed on the same place.

They didn’t speak of what they’d seen. .... Or rather, they couldn’t.

The other two children watched with wide, unblinking eyes. There was no fear or confusion. Just a deep, quiet wonder.

Gabriel tilted his head, gaze still fixed on the painting that now lay on the ground. The reverence in his voice was unmistakable,

"Where did that woman go?"

"To a place where she cannot hurt anyone again...."

Ingrid walked and leaned close to her. "Will she come back?"

For this, Shelby wasn’t sure, but she knew that without her intervention, Aliya was as well as doomed. Most importantly, Shelby had no reason to save Aliya out of there as she had done with Currey some time back. The last person Shelby wanted out in the world was Aliya. Shelby knew that she was saving lots of lives from that one action.

"Sometimes you have to let things take their course. There is no need to dirty your hands over unworthy people. This is what it feels like to have nothing left to take."

At that, Suzie, though a little shaken, but not showing it, walked forward and lifted up the large rectangular framed painting. She turned and, seeing Currey with a stand, smiled and propped it up.

One question gnawed at their minds: ’How did Suzie know to do this at that time?’ But none asked, for the answer was unnecessary. They turned to the paining.

Since all that action had happened around the picture, they all turned, leaning closer to look.

Ian finally moved close to Shelby and then helped her back to her seat,

"You need to rest, my Elfin."

She nodded and allowed herself to rest her feet. She sighed in relief.

They had only casually glanced at the paintings that Suzie had brought in earlier, not giving them much thought, but now, they wanted to see what it was!

It was a painting or maybe a sketch, or perhaps something else entirely. It was hard to say.

It depicted sand dunes stretching endlessly into a white horizon. The dunes rolled and curled like waves frozen in time — bright and scorching in appearance, yet... strangely sunless. No sun was drawn.

No shadows cast, but it appeared scorching enough that it was almost felt. There was also light - an unnatural and flickering lightning bolts dancing faintly above the horizon, without clouds, without thunder—just the silent suggestion of violence. And in the centre, barely visible at first, lay the Aliya.

It was strange how they all knew that it was her. The figure was not that large, but it had all Aliya’s characteristics. It was as if she had been drawn into the picture, but they all knew otherwise. She was curled in upon herself, like a small, broken person.

Her claws dug into nothing. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, eyes wide with rage and terror. She moved, or something in the image shimmered to suggest that she did. Agony played across her face, and yet she remained utterly trapped within the endless heat.

Even Geneva winced at the picture and looked at her daughter-in-law with strange eyes. Upon closer look, one could see some sort of adoration. She knew the torment this Aliya person was feeling, if she was still alive...

A creature of the ocean and voice, cast into a desert where neither could save her. That was literal hell!

Alex stepped back in horror.

"She’s still alive," he whispered.

Ian nodded, "Wouldn’t it be too simple to kill her off? With all that she has done?"

They could see the small image change places as if the picture were alive.

What Alex had wanted to say was,

"What kind of magic is this?!"

But he could not bring himself to.

As they were all engrossed in their thoughts, Gabriel cropt forward and reached out his hand to touch the picture, but then,

"Careful—!" Alex was already at his side, pulling him back by his collar and steadying him before he hit the ground.

Alex had seen what happened when someone touched the painting, so why would he let his grandson touch this?

Gabriel didn’t speak or cry, but his eyes fluttered, and his small frame trembled faintly.

"Don’t go touching things you shouldn’t!"

Geneva, still pale but steady now, rushed forward and hugged him.

Currey swiftly threw a small pencil at the painting and it disappeared into it, making the audience widen their eyes. He took a second one, threw it, but it bounced off of it.

"It’s sealed now, how do you want me to handle it, your highness?"

This time, he did not hide how he addressed Ian in front of his parents,

"Hang it up there!"

Currey swiftly carried it away and then hung it up high on one of the walls of the corridor. Aliya was gone, and the only memento was that painting!

No one even found it strange that the kids took this whole incident as one of those things...

"Mum?"

"Yes, dear,"

"Thanks for coming back to us. "

Shelby smiled at that. She knew that they all itched to ask her questions, but she was tired and her eyes started drooping. Samantha turned to Ian,

"Dad, can we change our name? I don’t want to carry that woman’s name anymore...."

The other two nodded as well, and Ian just said,

"Currey!"

"I’ll get that done, your Highness."

"My daughter, Shelby, needs rest, and so do I. Now that this creature is gone, I can have a good sleep. Let’s talk more after a good rest."

Geneva said, her voice sounding very weak and shaken.

Ian nodded and stood up with Shelby in his arms. They just stood near her, watching, their faces solemn and happy simultaneously! Aliya did not dwell in anyone’s mind; it was as if she had never existed!

Just as they started to disperse, Suzie asked,

"But where is Murray?"

It was not her question, but how she asked it that got Ian to raise an eyebrow.

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