56: The Task

Six months had passed since Lycius began his cultivation.

Vynessa had blossomed into a striking young woman, appearing to be in her early twenties. However, her ambitions extended far beyond mere youth—her ultimate goal was to halt her aging at the prime of her beauty, around her thirtieth year, when her body would be in its most perfected state. With Elizabeth's magic, such a feat was well within reach.

Despite still carrying out Elizabeth's errands, Vynessa had grown far more rebellious than anticipated—a grumpy, obstinate little menace, sharp-tongued and utterly insufferable when she chose to be.

The only time she became tolerable was when Lycius possessed Kiara's body through soul transference. His mastery over the technique had advanced, extending his control to a full day each week.

And in that stolen time, Vynessa ensured she took every moment for herself. The rest of the family had long since surrendered to the inevitable—dealing with her was a task none of them had the patience for. Only Lycius, in whatever form he took, had the power to rein her in.

Meanwhile, Xylara had undergone a transformation of her own. Her illusions—if they could still be called that—had evolved beyond mere intangible deceptions.

They no longer crumbled upon touch, holding form with an eerie stability. Though she had yet to create anything of formidable power, her constructs were real enough to be felt, to interact with the world in ways illusions never should.

She had tested. She had tempered.

And now, she was ready to fulfill her master's will.

Her task: to capture the three Heavenly Demons.

The first to fall beneath Lycius's dominion would be Mia Darkflames, the Heavenly Demon of Instinct—a name whispered with both reverence and fear.

She was the Abyssal Wolf, the undisputed Queen of the Beastkin, a warlord whose mere presence on the battlefield could turn tides and break armies.

But raw power alone would not be enough to save her.

Xylara had been given a singular task: to bring Mia to her knees.

______________

The Beastkin Kingdom was a sight to behold—a realm untouched by ruin, brimming with life and untamed spirit. Unlike Xylara's former kingdom, which had crumbled beneath disaster, this land flourished. Towering stone walls protected sprawling streets, where markets buzzed with trade, laughter echoed between homes, and the scent of roasted meat and wild spices filled the air.

This was a true homeland, one that belonged solely to the Beastkin.

Everywhere Xylara looked, she saw them—wolfkin with thick pelts and sharp eyes, feline warriors moving with effortless grace, avian hybrids soaring above in sweeping arcs. Unlike the melting pots of other kingdoms, this was a nation where the Beastkin ruled without contest, their pride evident in every structure, every step, every breath.

But tonight, all would kneel.

A subtle shimmer overtook Xylara's form as her illusion settled into place. Her delicate features shifted, her scent changed, her ears elongated into soft furred points, and a fluffy tail flicked behind her as she became one of them—a lone traveler returning home under the cover of dusk.

She slipped past the gates with ease, unnoticed, unchallenged.

Then, with a whisper of power, her true work began.

A wave of unseen energy rippled outward as an illusion barrier spread across the royal capital. The spell settled over the city like a silent storm, unseen yet suffocating. It sank into the minds of those caught in its embrace, weaving dreams from nothingness. One by one, the Beastkin fell.

Merchants slumped over their stalls, warriors collapsed mid-patrol, children curled into their mother's arms as if merely drifting into a peaceful slumber. The once-lively kingdom was now silent, the streets littered with the unconscious.

But not all had succumbed.

Two remained standing.

At the heart of the kingdom, within the grand palace, two formidable auras surged against the oppressive tide of Xylara's power. Mia Darkflames—the Abyssal Wolf, Queen of the Beastkin. And beside her, a force just as chilling—Melvin Darkflames, the Ice Wolf, the Beastkin King.

They alone had resisted the illusion.

A smirk played upon Xylara's lips.

The hunt had truly begun.

The once-vibrant royal capital lay in eerie silence. Stalls stood abandoned, their owners slumped over their wares. The steady rhythm of life had ceased, leaving behind only the gentle rustling of the wind and the occasional flicker of torchlight.

Something was wrong.

A low growl rumbled in Mia Darkflames' throat as she sprinted through the lifeless streets, her sharp crimson eyes darting around in search of an answer.

Her claws clicked against the cobblestone as she and her husband, Melvin Darkflames, moved like twin shadows through the kingdom they ruled.

Their people—all of them—had collapsed as if overtaken by some unseen force. No blood, no signs of battle—just the unnatural stillness of forced slumber.

"This is no ordinary attack," Mia snarled, her instincts screaming danger.

Melvin's ice-blue gaze was cold and calculating as he observed their surroundings, his breath visible in the air despite the warm evening breeze.

"A powerful illusionist is at work," he murmured. "One who holds enough mastery to affect an entire city without struggle."

Mia's crimson eyes narrowed. There was only one person she knew who could wield illusions with such devastating precision.

The thought sent a strange chill down her spine. It couldn't be...

But she had no time to dwell.

Her muscles tensed as her body shifted, limbs elongating, bones rearranging with a sickening crack.

Within seconds, her Beastkin form was gone, replaced by the monstrous form of her true self—a towering, obsidian-furred wolf, her crimson eyes burning like molten fire.

Beside her, Melvin followed suit, his pristine white fur a stark contrast against the darkness of the city. His massive form radiated frost, ice trailing from his paws as his breath came out in clouds.

The two wolves stood at the heart of their kingdom, their powerful auras surging outward in warning. Whoever had done this would soon pay in blood.

Then, as if answering their unspoken challenge, a lone figure stepped forward.

At the center of the slumbering capital, beneath the glow of the twin moons, Xylara stood in full view, her disguise discarded.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Mia's massive form staggered, her burning gaze locking onto the woman before her.

"...Xylara?"

Her voice trembled—not with fear, but with unbelievable shock.

She shifted back into her humanoid Beastkin form, landing on her feet as she staggered forward, disbelief clear in every step.

"You're supposed to be dead."

Melvin, however, did not transform back. His massive icy frame remained, his wary blue eyes locked onto Xylara with a predator's scrutiny.

Mia took another step forward, her mind reeling.

"You—why? Why have you put my people under an illusion?" Her voice was laced with confusion, but beneath it all, fury brewed.

Xylara met her gaze, her expression unreadable. Then, without hesitation, she spoke:

"I am alive because I was claimed."

Mia's breath hitched.

She stood frozen as Xylara spoke of her journey—of how her home had been wiped from existence, its people slaughtered. Of the one who had taken everything from her.

Lycius.

A name Mia had never heard before, yet now carried weight in the air between them.

"The son of Lana Abyssi destroyed my kingdom," Xylara said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Then, he claimed me as his own. Now, I serve him."

She paused, letting the words sink in.

"And I am here because I have been given a task. You, Mia… will share my fate."

A heavy silence followed.

Mia's crimson eyes darkened, a storm brewing behind them.

The past clashed with the present. Memories of laughter, shared battles, unyielding loyalty—shattered by the cruel reality of their opposing sides.

Xylara wasn't lying.

And that meant only one thing.

They were no longer friends.

A snarl tore through the silence as Mia's body tensed, her instincts screaming against the idea of submission. Her crimson eyes, once filled with shock, burned with raw defiance.

"I won't be 'claimed' like you were, Xylara," she spat, baring her fangs. "I don't know what that bastard did to you, but I am not weak enough to fall to the same fate! Not again!"

The air cracked as Mia's form twisted once more, her body expanding into the monstrous Abyssal Wolf, obsidian fur bristling with untamed fury. She was a Queen, a ruler of beasts , and she would fight to protect her people, no matter who stood against her—even if it was her ghost friend.

With a snarl, she lunged.

Xylara moved only at the last second, her lips curling into a wicked smirk as she let Mia's claws swipe through a mirage. The moment they connected, the illusion shattered like fragile glass, Mia's claws passing harmlessly through empty air.

"Still so predictable," Xylara mused, stepping lightly across the battlefield, her violet eyes gleaming. "You always fought with your heart first. And that's what makes you so easy to play with."

Mia spun around, her burning eyes locking onto Xylara's form as another illusion danced just out of reach. A cruel, taunting laugh echoed in her ears.

The Xylara she had known before would never have spoken like this.

Xylara was playing with her. Enjoying this.

"You've changed," Mia growled, her lips curled in disgust. "You're reveling in this! What the hell happened to you?!"

Xylara let out a light, delighted giggle—one that didn't belong to the woman Mia remembered. "Oh, Mia," she sighed, mock disappointment dripping from her tone. "I simply embraced what I was always meant to be. You will too. Eventually."

Before Mia could snarl a retort, ice erupted between them.

A wall of razor-sharp spikes separated the two women, the air instantly dropping to subzero temperatures. The world turned to frost, and Melvin's massive form loomed behind the attack, his glacial blue eyes void of hesitation.

"She's dangerous," Melvin growled, his voice like cracking ice. "And she's not your friend anymore."

With that, he lunged, fangs glinting like jagged icicles, aiming for Xylara's throat.

The moment he should have made contact, his powerful jaws snapped through empty air.

An illusion.

"You're going to have to try harder than that, Your Majesty," Xylara taunted, her form materializing behind him.

But Melvin was not so easily toyed with. His form twisted midair, and with a single pulse of his overwhelming ice magic, the entire battlefield froze solid.

A direct counter to illusions.

The once-liquid shadows that Xylara weaved through the air froze in place, locking away her magic's fluidity. The air was thick with crackling ice, a web of crystalline barriers trapping them all within its suffocating embrace.

"Enough games," Melvin rumbled, his fur standing on end. "Whatever spell you put on Mia in the past, I will break it."

Xylara's smirk widened, not a single trace of concern on her face. "Oh, Melvin," she cooed, her voice dripping with amusement. "You think you've won? But you've forgotten something important."

Her violet eyes gleamed as a pulse of magic radiated outward.

One by one, throughout the capital, the Beastkin began to stir.

Melvin's eyes snapped toward them—his people, his subjects, waking from their slumber.

But something was wrong.

The moment they awoke, their screams filled the night.

Their bodies jerked and convulsed, their eyes going wide in terror as their worst nightmares manifested before them.

Some clawed at their own throats, gasping for breath that was no longer there. Others scrambled across the ground, sobbing like children, as twisted apparitions—illusions made real—stalked toward them with grotesque, elongated limbs and soulless grins.

One by one, they broke.

Some tried to fight, only to feel their own flesh peel away from their bones—an agony so real that their minds shattered.

Some chose the quicker way out, driving their own weapons through their hearts rather than continue to exist in this waking nightmare.

Melvin's body locked up as the horror unfolded around him.

"No..."

He had prepared for illusions. But not for this. Not for his people to suffer.

Mia, still in her Beast Form, froze in place, unable to tear her gaze away from the horror that surrounded them.

It was a massacre without a single weapon drawn.

And in the midst of it all, Xylara watched with unrestrained delight.

Her violet eyes shimmered with madness, her lips curling in satisfaction as she drank in the terror, the despair, the beautiful hopelessness painted across the streets of the capital.

"Do you understand now?" she whispered, her voice carrying through the screams. "This is the power of Lycius. The power of my true Master. And soon... you will belong to him, just as I do."

Melvin's vision blurred with rage, grief, and helplessness.

Mia's heart pounded, torn between battle and the horror that surrounded her.

And above them, Xylara laughed—a sound that rang through the streets like a twisted melody of a woman who had lost herself completely to the darkness.

The battle was far from over.

But the war had already begun.

____________________

------------------------

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Edit:

Dear Readers,

I sincerely apologize for not being able to write today. Unfortunately, an unexpected illness has left me needing some rest. I truly appreciate your patience and understanding, and I'll make sure to try and compensate for this, tomorrow.

Thank you for your support!