Chapter 6

~Lyrielle~

"Father," I cried out as I watched him fall to his knees, one moment standing, the next his head rolling on the ground. Why was I back here? This had happened before, yet I found myself returning to the time when my family had died, just standing there watching them perish. "Kale, Mother," I tried to move forward as the neck hung them, but I couldn’t. My body refused to move on its own, and all I could do was bite my hand to silence my sobs.

I shouldn’t be back here, I thought as I looked around and saw no one else. It was just me and my family. They pointed their fingers towards me when I turned back to face them. "You killed us, Lyrielle. This is all your fault."

"No," I tried to say, covering my ears and closing my eyes, telling myself it was a dream. "I shouldn’t be here," I screamed, and then suddenly, a torrent of icy water slammed into my face, ripping me from the haunting memory. I fluttered my eyes open, expecting to see my family in front of me, but instead, I was on a bed, soaking wet. Water cascaded down my cheeks, plastering my hair to my bandaged neck and face. "Father, Mother, Kale," I shouted their names as I looked around. "Where am I?" I asked as my chest heaved, lungs burning as I sucked in shallow, frantic breaths that sent shivers deep into my bones.

I blinked and looked at the room, realizing I was back in the abandoned building where I had woken up the first time. The first thought was how I shouldn’t be there because I remembered Arineth pushing me off the cliff. But instead of dying, I was back in the room, sprawled on the creaking bed. Looming over me was Arineth, a broad grin on his face. My heart started pounding fast, dreading what he could do to me. His presence in the room was intimidating, like a weight pressed against my chest. “Surprised you’re alive, Lyrielle?” he sneered. He leaned closer until I could feel his breath on my face.

“Did you think I’d let you die so easily? No, you are not dying yet!” He straightened and laughed like a maniac. The sound was so wild it ricocheted off the stone walls, filling the space with its menace and sending vibrations through my bones. “You’re mine now. my little pawn in this bloody fight. I went back to the hall and gave Eiraeth a note. You should’ve seen Eiraeth. the terror when he read my note! They think they’re safe, dancing and drinking, but they have no idea!” I stopped pacing and faced her. “And you—you’ll help me, won’t you? You’ll rise with me. Together, we will rip them apart, make them scream like we’ve screamed!” I crouched beside her, my eyes boring into hers. “Say it, Lyrielle—say you’re with me, or I’ll toss you back off that cliff myself!”

I glared up at him, my hands trembling but clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms until I felt the sting of blood. My voice shook with fury as I grew tired of him playing mind games with me. “You pushed me off that cliff!” I spat, the words dripping with loathing. I could still remember how it felt as I fell down the cliff—it was terrifying, and then my body was set on fire.

He smirked and leaned closer again. “And yet here you are, breathing, whining—pathetic, clinging to life like a rat scrabbling in filth. You could have given up on life when I pushed you down the cliff.”

“That was not the deal. You already agreed to help me, so why are you doing this to me?”

“Because I had to show you how weak you are,” he said, pointing a finger at me. “You’re hungry for revenge, yet you’re nothing but a wisp I could snap with a flick of my wrist.”

“Why torment me then?” I shot back. “I told you I’d fight with you—avenge my family, tear them apart! What more do you want from me? Why drag me through this hell?”

He laughed again, a brutal, cold sound that raked over my skin like claws. I had heard rumors about his ruthlessness and how he treated his enemies. Prince Arineth was also known as the Ice Prince, having slain countless rogues without mercy. I never expected he would be crazier than they had described him.

“You want to fight alongside me? What could a lady who’s been sheltered all her life do?” he asked, but I didn’t know how to respond because he was right. “You’re a burden, a fragile shell that will shatter under the first blow. You want their blood? You’d choke on it before you draw a drop!” He pulled back and headed toward the window, staring outside. “To win this battle, you need to be someone else, someone stronger—not the weak woman everyone knows you to be. Show them you can be strong, Lyrielle.” He turned around to face me with a frown. “If you want to fight alongside me, prepare for the worst because it’s not going to be easy,” he said, his voice serious and powerful, making me shift on the bed. “You’re still weak, Lyrielle.”