CHAPTER 458: IS THIS ALL YOU HAVE? (1)

"YOU -!" Prince Syla bellowed, getting more worked up about the tiny creature who was supposedly the elder sister of the witch they had invited. However, Prince Syla had lived long enough to know of this witch, so despite the fact that he wanted to snap at her and show his dominance, he hesitated.

Apart from the one word, he could not muster the courage to complete whatever he was about to say. He knew when to bow out of a game. One would have thought that if Syla really knew this, then maybe he would not have tried to take a throne that was not his and also repeat that same mistake with his son.

Fuming, he turned to look at his favourite son, but despite the slight annoyance that fleeted over Simon’s face, Syla could not help but feel like his specially groomed son was indeed turning into a fool at how he was looking at Shelby.

The witches seemed to be on the verge of blowing up, or rather, just the Time Witch. Even though she looked the oldest, her temper and mannerisms were proving to the audience that she was indeed younger.

One thing was certain: no one knew why the Timeless Witch had come there when she was not invited. Like Currey’s deduction, the Timeless Witch never poked her nose to where it did not belong, neither did she do things without her usual rewards, so her actions were very puzzling.

As if she was privy to this, the Timeless Witch shrugged at her sister... then she closed her eyes as if uninterested in what was going on there, this puzzled the whole lot.

Satisfied that her sister was going to stay out of her affairs, the Time Witch signalled the guards around Shelby.

"Feed ... it ... to... her!"

The guards hesitated. They were clear in their thoughts as the haze was no more, however, one could see the struggle on their faces, which was interesting. They barely knew this Shelby person, so why that reaction?

Another command rang out, slicing through the air like a blade.

"Do it!"

This time, they hesitated for only a second before springing into action. Hands gripped Shelby’s shoulders, rough and unyielding, pinning her in place. The head guard was the only one who remained in place, but with all the frenzy, several eyes missed the way his hands clenched into fists. Another approached Shelby, his grip steady on a small glass bottle, the liquid inside sloshing ominously.

Shelby’s heart pounded. She knew what that meant. Knew all too well. A sickening wave of terror crashed over her, and she struggled, thrashing against their hold. But she was one. One against many.

’Am I going to lose my baby just like that?’

Desperation clawed at her chest, but their grip was relentless. The bottle’s stopper was pulled. The bitter scent of its contents filled the air. It was coming.

The head guard also felt his insides churn, especially when he thought back to past proceedings. It only took a few more seconds for him to come to a consensus. After that mental equilibrium, he relaxed his clenched fists and then reached out for the nearest subordinate, who was holding on tightly to Shelby.

He reached out instinctively, his hands desperate to pull her away from danger. He could not understand himself as this action went against everything he believed in and had been groomed to uphold. But then, he froze.

That feeling.

That same overwhelming force that had once crushed him to the ground, making him crawl and bow before this female without understanding why. It was here again, wrapping around the surroundings with her in its centre like an unseen storm. His breath hitched, his limbs locking in place as realization clawed its way into his mind.

She didn’t need help.

With that kind of power ... that raw, untamed, absolute power .... who in their world could ever stand against her?

No one! The head guard dared to believe that neither Prince Syla nor his son combined could go against that.

The whole world would bow to her with just the intake of this human’s breath.

At the same time, those closest to Shelby also felt the same, and those who had yet to experience the wrath of this power started trembling. It had not yet manifested to its full potential, but the two guards holding her on either part of the arms felt their arms slack.

The warmth spread and an invisible force reached Simon, causing him to stumble back slightly. Prince Simon stared at Shelby, his eyes widening in disbelief. Was she truly capable of that much? She refused to believe it, but he knew what he was feeling!

His fingers twitched. It was just a little, but enough for him to notice the tremor. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, but he forced a smile, his lips stretching over the growing tension in his body.

’No one must know! I will lose face if they see that their king cannot withstand this! I will be ridiculed!’

It took everything in Simon to remain standing, to pretend that he wasn’t struggling against the sheer force radiating from her.

’I knew that I made the right decision with her! I knew it’

How could such overwhelming power come from this dainty frame... and a human at that? It was absurd. Unthinkable. And yet, it was happening right before Simon’s eyes.

But even through the shock, through the weight pressing down on him, a thought took root.

’With that much power... and with her by my side... I will be supreme!’

The TimelessWitch smiled but her eyes remained closed. As the power spread, the guards, dropped their arms, because it felt like lead, and then they started to sink to their knees, to the disbelief of the onlookers.

Prince Simon may have been mesmerised by this power, but his father was not.... Not at all!

Prince Syla was just as shocked, but it was a different kind of shock, one that was laced with horror and disbelief.

’How could she? What is she?’

’That power...’

It was unmistakable.

’That should belong to Roman! But he is dead. Long gone.’

Prince Syla shook his head slowly as if he could not comprehend and deny what was going on. Turning his head with difficulty, he saw Ash’s pale face and knew it!

’I am not imagining it! Ash feels the same, too.... But that bastard should be buried in history. So how.... Just how is that terrifying power now surging from her?’

Prince Syla’s body tensed, every instinct screaming at him, warning him that this was beyond unnatural. The room felt heavier, the very air pressing down on his lungs. His vigilance against Shelby sharpened into something dangerously close to fear.... And Syla did not like it!

The Faes in the room were not faring any better, even though they were far from Shelby. They could see the changes in the most powerful people they had ever known around the weakest female they had ever met!

Beads of sweat slid down Syla’s temples, gathering at his collar. He clenched his fists, but even that did nothing to steady him. Then, without warning, his chest constricted violently. A sharp pain clawed its way up his throat.

He coughed once. Then again,.... harder. His vision blurred as something warm and metallic surged up his throat.

And then, he coughed up blood!

For Shelby, it was different.

She had no idea how the power had been invoked the first time in the dungeon.... how she had sent those guards flying and turned the entire room of strong Fae into injured submissives.

It had happened in a blur, a moment of fear and fury colliding into something beyond her comprehension. And since that day, she had tried.... over and over....to summon it again, to reach for that unknown force. But it had never answered her call.

Not until now.

Desperation surged through her, raw and unfiltered, crashing against her panic like a tidal wave, especially with the thought that her baby.... The one link that she had with Ian was going to be terminated in front of all these Faes,

"No!" She whispered and tried to struggle to no avail.....

"NO!" she screamed, And then ..... that sharp warmth. Familiar, intoxicating, rushed through her veins and filled her to the brim. It curled inside her, not as a whisper but as a roar. She distantly heard a crush.... Almost like the sound of glass hitting the ground, but like the previous time, her focus and awareness started leaving her.

And suddenly, she wasn’t afraid. Rather, she was rest assured.

A newfound confidence unfolded within her, steady and unwavering. She didn’t know how, but she knew.

This time, she was in control.... Or so she thought.

Just as it started, it all left instantly, and when Shelby came too... all she could hear was the sinister laughter of that ancient Time Witch!

"Is this what I should be afraid of, big sister? This pathetic display of trivial power?"

With a slow wave of her hand, another vial appeared in the witch’s hand. It looked to be the exact same as the one that had been crushed. It floated over to Shelby. She tried to move, but Shelby could not....

Her body was not hers to control anymore. Her mouth opened on its accord as the stopper pulled off the bottle. The bottle stopped by her opened mouth and tilted.... Its contents slowly dripped....

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