Daria’s Entrance

Chapter 27: Daria's Entrance

The cold bit through Lirian's thin cloak as she pulled it tighter around her shoulders.

The air here, so far from the palace, felt different—sharper, harsher.

The cold didn't just settle on her skin; it dug deep into her bones, refusing to let her sleep.

Her room in the northern castle was drafty, and the servants who tended to her seemed colder, too. 

Their eyes seemed hollow, and their voices clipped.

She didn't belong here.

Unable to endure the icy stillness any longer, Lirian slid out of bed and padded to the door, her breath misting in the dim hallway.

The stone walls around her looked like a frozen tomb, heavy and like an ice block.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she decided to walk, hoping movement might warm her.

The corridors were like unfamiliar ways, and soon she realised she was lost.

She pressed on, the thought of retracing her steps was lost to the distraction of the distant sounds she started to hear.

She went onto a balcony. The wind stung her cheeks.

In the pale moonlight, the northern border stretched out before her, the massive wall snaking across the landscape like a slumbering beast.

The wall wasn't merely stone; it fused seamlessly with the northern castle itself.

From here, it was clear: the castle wasn't just a home; it was a fortress, every corner built to withstand sieges.

The border wall's jagged peaks bristled with spikes, and beyond there was a dark expanse of unknown lands.

A weird sound caught her attention, faint but persistent.

It was guttural and strange, a noise that didn't belong to the stillness of the night.

Lirian gripped the stone railing and leaned over, her breath hitched immediately.

Below her, shadowy figures writhed at the base of the wall.

Monsters!

Their bodies were misshapen, their limbs long.

Some had too many eyes, others not enough, and their mouths opened wide in unnatural screams.

They clawed and slammed themselves against the wall.

Lirian felt a chill run through her fingers, spreading through her body.

It wrapped around her, and all she could hear was her fast-beating heart.

She saw the monsters before, back in Gabriel's mansion.

They were creatures of Minerva, born of forbidden experiments.

Gabriel had been the one to breed them, but he had done so in secret.

The crown had never sanctioned this.

But they were not supposed to be here.

How had they crossed the border? Why were they attacking?

One of the monsters stopped its frenzied assault on the wall and looked up.

Its eyes—glowed like molten embers—glaring at Lirian.

Lirian's breath caught in her throat.

Its expression seemed so twisted, rage boiling beneath its skin.

"Gaaaaaaaah!!!!"

It opened its maw and let out a scream so raw that she stumbled back a step.

The monster, wild with anger, flung itself at the wall.

Its claws scraped against the stone, leaving deep grooves as it tried to climb.

Lirian's fingers gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"What…? What is this…?"

She couldn't move. Couldn't scream.

The monster shrieked again. "Gaaaaaah!"

But then its tone changed, morphing into something almost…human?

"Help!" it shouted, its voice sounded cracked. "Help me! Please! Help!"

Lirian's stomach twisted inside more than a hundred times.

The words sounded desperate, pained.

She couldn't reconcile the human-like plea with the monsters below.

The moment stretched on... And then, without warning, the creature's body tensed.

Its skin began to bubble and split, glowing cracks formed along its hide.

It exploded.

A horrible boom shattered the air, and Lirian stumbled back, shielding her face as pieces of the creature rained down in a fiery burst.

"What is this…? What just happened?"

She gasped. Her ears started ringing.

Below, the remaining monsters continued to climb.

They threw themselves at the wall with forciness, their claws teared and their teeth gnashed.

"Shit!"

She turned and ran, her bare feet slapped against the stone floor.

"Gabriel…I need Gabriel…" Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her chest burned with each inhale.

She didn't know how she was going to find him, only that she needed to get away from here fast.

Behind her, the screams of the monsters grew louder.

"Lirian!" A commanding voice shouted.

She turned a corner and nearly collided with Daria.

Her cloak billowed behind her as she drew her blade.

Magic ran through her fingertips…it was like an aura of elemental power that seemed to form in the air around her.

Behind her, more knights followed, with their glowing blades and runes of fire, water, earth, and wind.

Daria didn't wait for Lirian to explain.

She shoved her behind her and barked orders to the others.

"Hold the line! Push them back!"

The knights surged forward, lighting up the dark corridor with their powers.

Flames came to life, wind howled, and shards of ice streaked through the air.

The monsters that had scaled the wall met them head-on.

Lirian watched, pressed against the cold stone, as the knights fought with no fear that was almost beautiful.

Fire burnt one creature. It turned to ash.

Another was crushed beneath a wall of stone summoned by an earth mage.

Wind blades sliced through the air, severing limbs, while water surged in powerful currents to wash the remains away.

"How are they so powerful?" Lirian muttered to herself.

Daria striked too.

The monsters seemed to die under her command, their numbers kept getting smaller as the knights pushed them back.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

The noise from behind them made Lirian turn.

Gabriel appeared…

His cloak swept the ground, and his eyes immediately sought out Daria.

Daria noticed him almost instantly…

She softened for the briefest moment.

She called out, "Gabriel!" before turning back to the fight.

Her moves became even more fierce, as if motivated by his presence.

When the last of the monsters fell, the battlefield fell into an awkward silence.

Daria sheathed her sword and walked toward Lirian.

She placed a hand on Lirian's shoulder, as if helping her. "Are you hurt?" she asked urgently.

Lirian shook her head, still too stunned to speak.

Daria nodded once, then turned her attention to 

Gabriel, who was already approaching.

Her lips curved into a smile as she closed the distance between them.

Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.

Gabriel paused for a moment, his eyes widened.

Then, he relaxed into her embrace, his hands rested on her back.

Daria lifted her head up and kissed him.

The knights around them exchanged glances, some looking away in discomfort, others with smirks.

Lirian stood rooted in place.

The night had been chaotic, and yet here, in the middle of everything, the heroine of the book was kissing her husband.

And Gabriel allowed that…

Something she didn't understand.

"What the hell is going on here? Daria was in love with Raphael, not Gabriel…"

Lirian couldn't take her eyes off them, but then…Gabriel pushed Daria back.

'He didn't enjoy it?' Lirian let out a relieved sigh.

But then her tongue was forced to take it back, when she saw Gabriel place his thumb on Daria's cheek, and smile so softly, as if he were almost in love.

"I've been waiting for you, my love." Gabriel kissed her again.