CHAPTER 114: CHAPTER 114: SUDDENLY! JUST LIKE THAT.

Elena hit the ground with a loud thud that echoed across the quiet room. For a moment, she could not breathe. The air caught in her throat as her body convulsed. The mark on her neck pulsed with a violence she had never experienced before. It throbbed sharply, each pulse feeling like a claw tearing through her nerves.

Her scream tore out of her before she could bite it back.

She curled on the floor, gripping her neck with both hands. The pain radiated from the mark and rushed through her entire body as if molten fire had been poured into her veins. Her skin burned. Her bones trembled. She was hot and cold at the same time, as if her body could not decide whether to freeze or ignite.

"Your grace!"

Her consciousness blurred. She could not see anything. Her vision turned white around the edges. The pain rose again in a sharp burst and she arched off the ground, gasping through her mouth. Her pupils dissolved completely, leaving only hollow white orbs.

It felt like something inside her was trying to claw its way out.

The door slammed open hard enough to shake the walls.

The head maid rushed in, her usually stoic face twisted in panic. She was a tall, sharp-eyed vampire with white hair tied tightly behind her head. This woman had never shown a crack in her emotion before. Not even on the day Elena was crowned queen.

But now, she looked genuinely terrified.

"My queen!" she shouted, dropping to her knees. She shook Elena by the shoulders, but Elena’s body was too stiff to respond. "Dear?! Dear! Can you hear me?"

Elena’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Only shaky breaths.

The head maid lifted her head and yelled, voice sharp like a blade.

"All of you! Get in here now!"

The hallway exploded with running footsteps. By the time they arrived and saw their queen almost dead, they rushed out immediately, knowing what to do without being told.

Within seconds, more than ten maids rushed into the chamber. Some carried water basins. Others had clean cloths and two even held long fans used to help patients breathe. Another brought a tray with emergency herbs wrapped in leaves.

None of them could hide how scared they were. Their hands shook as their fear crackled in the air.

"Lift her," the head maid ordered.

The strongest maid, a broad-shouldered human with short black hair, knelt and carefully lifted Elena onto her back. Elena’s head lolled to the side. Her body hung loosely, showing the mark on her neck glowing faintly under her skin, the pulse visible like a heartbeat.

"We are taking her to the infirmary," the head maid said, her voice tight. "Move quickly."

The group hurried into the corridor. Some castle guards stepped aside immediately, bowing deeply, but they all stared as Elena was carried across the hall.

"The queen again?"

"It is getting worse."

"What exactly is wrong with her?"

Fear and curiosity spread among the soldiers, but no one dared ask questions.

The maids stormed into the infirmary. The moment they pushed the doors open, the scent of herbs and old medicine filled their noses.

The nurses rushed forward.

"The queen," one whispered, quickly clearing a bed.

"Lay her down," another said. "Hurry."

The nurses had already begun moving the moment they saw Elena’s face. Her blank white eyes, the trembling, the way her fingers curled unnaturally. This was not the first time she was brought here. But this time was clearly worse.

"Call the royal physician," one nurse said sharply.

"He is coming," another answered.

Not long after, the infirmary doors burst open again.

Xypherion hurried in, clutching his leather medical bag. He was old, older than almost every living vampire in the castle.

Behind him, Isolde entered with quiet but concerned steps. She tied her long, velvety hair up in a bun, revealing her long, slender neck.

"What happened?" the physician asked immediately.

"She collapsed," the head maid replied. "Probably that mark again." she added quietly.

Xypherion did not waste time. He placed the bag on a nearby table and pulled it open. The scent of old herbs, tinctures and rare oils filled the room.

"Everyone out," he ordered.

"But—"

"Out," he said again, louder.

The nurses, the maids and the guards obeyed instantly. Only Xypherion and Isolde remained in the large room. The door closed behind the last maid, leaving an eerie silence.

Elena lay on the bed, chest rising and falling in heavy breaths. Her eyes were still wide open, showing only the white surfaces. The mark on her neck glowed faintly with each pulse.

Xypherion’s hands moved quickly as he shuffled through bottles and pouches.

"She is getting worse," he muttered.

Isolde pulled a small table closer.

"What do you need?"

"Needles," he said. "We will begin acupuncture at once."

Isolde opened a wooden box and retrieved several long, thin needles made from special silver metal.

Elena’s breathing grew louder. She twitched again, fingers clawing at the bed sheets.

Her voice was gone.

Her consciousness was slipping.

Xypherion leaned over her and began locating the acupuncture points.

"We need to hit the Baihui point on the crown of her head," he said, pushing Elena’s soft hair away, exposing her neck.

He placed the first needle at the very top of her head.

He continued checking her body.

"Yintang, between the brows."

A needle went between her eyes.

"Shuigou," he said. "Under the nose."

Another needle inserted precisely.

He moved to her chest that was bare under the robe.

"Tanzhong. The center of her sternum."

He moved to her abdomen.

"Qihai, just below the navel."

He pressed her lower abdomen gently.

"Guanyuan. We cannot miss this one."

More needles followed, sliding into her skin with practiced accuracy.

Isolde handed them over one by one.

"Will this help her?" she asked quietly.

"It must," Xypherion said without pausing. "Her condition has crossed into something more dangerous than before."

Elena’s body trembled with each insertion like a wave of electricity passed under her skin. Her breathing turned irregular and the glow under her mark brightened.

"We need the last two," he said.

Isolde handed him the silver needles.

He pressed one to the side of her neck.

"This point is Tianying," he explained. "It controls the balance of energy around the throat."

The needle went in.

Elena gasped, her legs flaring wildly in front of her.

Then Xypherion reached behind her head.

"This is Fengfu," he said. "The last point."

He inserted the needle at the base of her skull.

Elena shot upright on the bed.

Her back arched high, and her white eyes widened so far that the veins around them became visible. Her hair rose around her as if carried by wind.

Isolde stepped back in alarm. "Did we do it right?" she asked doubtfully.

Xypherion shot her a glare. "Of course we did."

"Then—"

"My Queen?" Xypherion called out, ignoring Elena.

Elena did not respond. Her entire body vibrated, and her fingertips flicked. Her skin turned pale, almost white, and her veins glowed faintly beneath it.

Small white dots appeared on her neck, clustering around the mark. They spread slightly, forming patterns she had never shown before, like tiny celestial symbols.

Xypherion pressed his palm against her forehead.

"Elena," he said firmly, discarding formalities. "Look at me."

But her eyes did not blink. They barely moved. They only glowed.

He pressed another hand over her chest, adjusting the needles slightly.

"Elena," he called again. "Return."

Her lips parted and a soft sound escaped.

Isolde held her throat.

"What is happening to her?"

Xypherion shook his head.

"Something is waking inside her," he replied. "Something I do not recognize."

Elena’s body jerked again. Her head tilted sharply upward as if someone was pulling her from above. Her fingers dug into the sheets. The white dots on her neck spread further.

"She cannot stay conscious," Xypherion said quickly. "Not in this state."

He lifted both his hands and covered her eyes with his palms.

A soft blue glow poured from his fingers.

Elena inhaled sharply and her body tensed for three long seconds.

Then she collapsed backward onto the bed, her head falling gently onto the pillow.

Her eyes closed, the glow vanished and the room went silent.

Isolde stepped closer, her voice shaking slightly.

"Is she... alright now?"

"She is unconscious," he said. "For now. But this is not something we can hide anymore."

He straightened slowly, the weight of the moment settling on his shoulders.

"The king must be informed."

Isolde nodded, her brows furrowed.

"Will she wake soon?"

"I do not know," Xypherion answered honestly. "But... we can no longer pretend this is a simple reaction."

His eyes moved to the glowing mark on Elena’s neck.

"What is in her," he whispered, "is evolving."

He covered her with a blanket and began removing the needles one by one.

This wasn’t something to hide. The king must know about this.