CHAPTER 211: _YOU’RE IN OUR WAY

Aurora’s POV

*****

"Goddess." She cursed, ducking just in time before the blast hit her.

When she rolled over to the other side, the sickly yellow blast hit the wall behind the front desk, sending dust and debris flying upon impact.

Aurora quickly straightened her posture, eyes flicking to the hole in the wall before whipping her head toward the man.

She refused to register him as ’Magnus’ mentally.

It’ll make it so much easier to punch a hole through his damn throat.

"Tell your leaders at the Dark Hand that they might have some stupid control over my father," she raised her right arm as she spoke, her eyes lighting up with a bright silver light.

The gesture caused her silver aura to surround her body like living flames. Her silver hair flowed above her and her gown sparkled like a starry sky around her.

"But they will never have control over me." Aurora finished.

The next second, just when the man was about to make a move, she sent a charged punch at the ground in front of her.

BOOM!

A crescent shockwave charged with silver energy erupted from the ground, hurling toward the man.

He reacted quickly, raising his arms and creating a force field made of yellow energy.

Unfortunately for him, the force bubble did little to stop the crescent wave. It collapsed into thousands of energy shards when the wave hit, sending the man flying backwards until he crashed into multiple shelves.

When the noise from the impact died down and the dust and smoke settled, Aurora got on her feet and allowed herself to release a heavy breath.

"Gosh, fuck this..." She cursed, gritting her teeth as she grabbed her communication necklace.

She activated it, mentally connecting with it and then ringing Lucian’s comm ring.

"Come on, come on..." She whispered, staring anxiously at the rubble she’d sent the man into. "Pick up, Lucian."

However, before she could try calling someone else, an invisible force wrapped around her like a giant’s hand, causing a sharp gasp to escape her lips.

Her limbs twitched as they stretched beside her like a puppet being controlled. Slowly, she was lifted into the air while a sinister laughter echoed through the store.

The flickering lights turned off completely, leaving the room in near pitch black darkness.

"Your powers are impressive, Aurora." That eerie voice, which sounded too similar to Magnus’s, mused from the rubble, forcing her to fix her gaze there.

Terror surged through her being when a shadowy figure rose from the rubble, his sickly yellow eyes glowing like twin suns in the darkness.

Even in the darkness she could see how his teeth were bared in a sick grin, so broad that saliva dripped down his lips.

"But do you know how many centuries of history the Dark Hand has behind it? Do you know the powers that back us?" He sneered, swiping his hand through the dark.

Air gushed out of Aurora as she was sent flying backwards until she slammed into the wall behind the front desk.

A sharp pain hit the back of her head, forcing her eyes shut as she fell to the ground weakly.

She knelt, heaving through gritted teeth, her fists clenching on the ground as the bastard continued with his monologue of self-praise.

"Your father isn’t the only ruler behind our great organisation," he paused briefly before adding mischievously. "Magnus, your darling mate whose body I now use was merely a stepping stone in our grand plan."

The name he mentioned reopened an old wound she thought she’d long buried, causing her chest to constrict.

Then he added: "And you?"

Aurora managed to regain mobility of her trembling limbs, gripping the desk with her right hand while trying to hide behind it.

Alas, an invisible force soon gripped her yet again, forcefully levitating her into the air and constricting her bones until she hung straight like an arrow.

The lights flickered back on, revealing the man using Magnus’ body and the grin stretching his lips.

"You’re in our way." The man spat coldly, his eyes lighting up with an even brighter light while he tightened his fist. "Oh, I’m going to enjoy ripping you to shreds."

Aurora moved her feet but all she could do was kick helplessly in the air.

She could unleash her aura, but without her limbs, she wouldn’t be able to shape it in a way she could fight back.

It seemed like a last resort at this point...

That and—

"I’m... I’m not looking into the Dark Hand anymore." She managed to choke out those words, her voice cracking.

But the man sniggered. "Right. So you went snooping in the industrial district today for what? Aether craft scraps?"

Her eyes widened when she heard those words.

Meanwhile, the man noticed the look on her face and tilted his head. "Don’t seem surprised. We have eyes in every corner of this continent. Hiding was never—"

Before he could finish whatever the heck he was about to say, something completely unexpected happened.

ZRZTT!

A powerful blue laser blast burst through the glass door of the store and hit the man square on the back of the head. His body jolted before his head exploded into a bloody pulp.

The invisible force holding Aurora disappeared, causing her to fall to the ground. She clutched her chest, raising her head and staring at the headless body.

Smoke simmered out of the bloody stump left behind. Black veins crawled up his hands like snakes.

Soon, the body fell forward to the ground with a loud thud, leaving the store eerily silent.

Until—

Crunching sounds of boots meeting glass on the marble floor rang through the store. Aurora squinted at the entrance of the store, clenching her fists when a figure emerged from the dust.

But when she saw who it was... Her shoulders dropped and her body got hit by a weird wave of relief and shock.

Her lips parted, her breath shuddering as she blinked with disbelief at her saviour.

"Your highness," Seraphyne murmured, pulling down the hood of her shirt while lowering the smoking black laser gun in her other hand.

Her hazel eyes locked on Aurora, burning with a fierce light before softening into something warm.

"I’m sorry you had to get tangled up in this." Seraphyne continued, stepping over the second dead body. "There’s a lot I have to catch you up with..."