From the impact, Keith covered Nathalie fast from the ice and glass shards that blew in all directions.

    Athan covered himself from the sudden smoke and blast but he regained his stability quickly, looking around while coughing out loud.

    It wasn''t only him; every one of them inside the room had the same reaction.

    He knew that this was a distraction.

    But Mystique caught it rather fast.

    "My— My Lady, are you— alright?"

    Before Nathalie could even respond, Mystique spat at them, "Oh, perhaps— you''re not that —loyal, after all."

    Her hands wafted the smoke out of her vision and had the grimoire in her hands.

    She wanted to cast once more, but her powers began to fizzle out. Out of shock, her eyebrows furrowed, and twitched her fingertips with a shout.

    But none of it came.

    Her eyes gaped in horror when it was Arnold, who also had his grimoire on hand. His gaze was stern but full of regrets while he pressed his lips thin.

    Mystique opened her mouth, stuttering rather inaudibly as her words preferred left unspoken.

    But Arnold paid no mind to it as he glanced at Nathalie, who was in Keith''s embrace.

    "You swore you''ll do anything to bring her back, right?"

    "Of course; you have my word."

    "A lovely answer." Arnold then looked Mystique in the eyes. "Mysti, don''t make it harder for me. Please come home."

    Her indigo eyes now glistened as they got overcrowded with tears, but she gnashed her teeth to hold them in while her eyes turned a tad reddish.

    The smoke diffused and escaped easily to the open windows. From there, two fully-protected silhouettes emerged, Daisy and Jonathan launched themselves, grappled her limbs, and pinned her to the ground.

    "Mystique, I beg of you to stop. NOW!"

    His roars still affected her, flinching but even so, she tried to shrug them off but Athan was there to help them, and she grunted from the burden she had to resist.

    She never hissed, but her lips were tight shut as her chin struck the floor. Her eyes narrowed but still tried her hardest to maintain such eye contact with them.

    "Violette, please don''t fight—"

    "There''s no… Way— all of you... Shall stop me..."

    Despite all of it, Mystique surprisingly got stronger as she tried to resist the weight weighed down on her, she squirmed but Daisy had a handy metal slab on her hand, sparking quite an electricity, then jabbed it to her side.

    She flinched then shuddered to such convulsions despite having such a hostile gaze.

    However, Arnold got caught off guard by what happened before him.

    "Stop this instance!"

    "Don''t worry, she''s fine," Nathalie reassured, then looked at her grimoire still in her grasp and not a chance she''d let go.

    Meanwhile, she snatched her grimoire; from such a tug of war, it threw off the ground— fully opened halfway and faced flat.

    "No! No!" Arnold shouted, coming close to her but then Nathalie whispered a word, not even his ears could catch it and had him stumble and petrified, unable to get up from what happened.

    A mystifying occurrence that not even a man like him could get up. The Grand Duke of Forsberg had no chance against her, not even touching her at some point.

    ''Undoubtedly, she''s the Goddess, a terrifying one at that…''

    While he might have a gist, he didn''t dwell much on it; especially she might have weaknesses that he may or rather unbeknownst to him.

    Athan had foreboding chills creep into his heart when she locked her gaze into it, unsure and afraid at the same time what would happen next.

    Yet what he feared happened.

    Nathalie nibbled her lower lip while shutting her eyes as she grabbed Keith''s sword, and grazed her wrist with blood trickling to the sword''s edge.

    "I shall seal your powers!"

    After she stabbed the spine as she gasped aloud, then Mystique shrieked out of horror at what her eyes had seen.

    The piercing sound raked his ears; instantly they let go of her.

    Except him.

    ''Damn! It hurts!'' he cursed inwardly, still grunting.

    While it was fortunate both Jonathan and Daisy had ear muffs with a subtle microphone near their lip, it still curbed them from such a sound.

    Such sharpness was enough to bleed his ears, and he started to see the ceiling and the floor melded together into a wild swirl with every accent and object therein danced around.

    Alas, about a few moments, Athan let go as well, rolling on the floor, and covering his ears but then, it went quiet.

    His eyes bore sight on Mystique now, jaws locked with teeth gnashed altogether, glaring at Nathalie.

    He couldn''t help but arched his neck and gulped hard, her shadow silhouette that eclipsed the amber glow lighting of the ceiling didn''t help how intimidating and fearsome she became.

    It was like she became a villainess.

    Such onslaught didn''t stop there, while she didn''t want to hurt her, she went for her one thing that was almost like a lifeline of a witch.

    With grimoire, which accumulated most of the spells and concoction to easier and convenient access, now stabbed numerous times, torn to shreds, and stomped its spine for all she cared.

    When it came down to her, none of their items turned out durable.

    Like them, the pawns to her creation, the objects turned out no different and succumbed to her will.

    She then tossed the ruined grimoire in front of her.

    Mystique shed tears while still in such a grimace; her eyes went bloodshot as she peered at her book and Nathalie, back and forth.

    "You… Do you— think you''ll get—away with this? Do you— think you can stop— me—?!"

    Nathalie slapped her, cutting off her daring questions. She then stared in shock at what she did. The latter became indifferent from the former.

    Meanwhile, Athan was on the sideline, and no one held her down yet she couldn''t get up.

    Like what happened to Arnold...

    "No, and Yes, temporarily." Nathalie then crouched herself. Her gaze roamed at Tyler, who stood unconscious. Several cuts on his clothes and seeping wounds were seen from the back and side. "You''ve been with Tyler; do you know how much I''ve defended you?"

    ''What?'' he thought.

    "I''ve protected you! I''ve been rooting for you the whole time! Even when people hated you!" Nathalie shouted at her face.

    Mystique was in a sour mood; behind the gushing of her tears were the genuinely reflected off Nathalie.

    She knew it.

    Everyone knew, at this point, Nathalie favored her.

    The pain resonated from one another, and even Arnold sobbed hard on the floor.

    But then, Mystique remained as she was then. "Even if you did, nothing will change... I''ve embraced vengeance and hatred... All of us have a role to play and act on it until the end."

    Suddenly, when she had no mana, her silhouette began to gleam in flashing bright light.

    Everyone screamed her name to stop, but it was too late as their voice drowned in darkness.