CHAPTER 79: HOW PATHETIC

The sound of leaves and sticks crunching beneath her made Lilith open her eyes. At first, her vision was blurry, but after rubbing them with the back of her hand, she could see more clearly—and what she saw sent a wave of shock through her.

She was in the middle of nowhere, dressed in a knee-length white dress, now stained with blood and dirt.

She remembered being in the cave with the others, preparing to perform magic on the prince. Then everything went dark. And now... this.

Lilith looked down to find herself standing in a muddy, murky pool of water, thick with squirming worms moving around her ankles. Panic flared in her chest as she jumped out of the water, frantically kicking and shaking her legs to get them off.

She quickly inspected herself, making sure the slimy creatures were gone. A sigh of relief escaped her lips.

"How pathetic you are."

Lilith stumbled back at the sound of the voice. She spun around and saw a woman standing a few feet away. The woman wore a shimmering silver dress that clung to her elegant frame. Her long hair flowed down her shoulders, swaying gently in the breeze.

"You..." Lilith narrowed her eyes, immediately recognizing her. She was the same woman who had warned her before—one of the Da...Me... Hae witches.

"I still don’t understand why the gods chose you as the Chosen One," the woman sneered. "All I see is a girl fumbling around with power she doesn’t understand, blindly making foolish choices."

Lilith barely registered the insult. Her focus was elsewhere. "Where am I?" she demanded. "Take me back to the palace."

The woman scoffed, clearly irritated. "The goddess has another message for you. Or rather, a warning. You must stop trying to break the prince’s curse... or you’ll destroy us all."

"I’m afraid I can’t do that," Lilith replied, standing tall despite the fear creeping through her. "The prince has suffered for over three hundred years for something he didn’t do. He deserves to be free. He deserves to be happy."

"Freedom? Happiness?" the woman spat the words like venom. "He is a demon of destruction, Lilith. There’s no freedom or happiness for monsters like him. The prince must not be saved."

"The prince is no demon of destruction," Lilith said firmly. "You don’t know him. He’s not completely evil—and the little good left in him is worth saving. His mother shouldn’t have to die for nothing."

"Oh, please," the woman scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. "Celeste chose her path and suffered the consequences. She was a traitor—a disgrace. She deserved everything that happened to her. If it were up to me, I would’ve made her suffer even more for daring to conceive a child with a High Demon."

Lilith could see the burning anger and venom in the woman’s eyes. The hatred was palpable. She couldn’t understand how they could loathe Hades so much.

"The only traitor I see here is you—your tribe, and your goddess," Lilith snapped. "You have the power to free the prince from his curse, but instead you choose to let him suffer for eternity. You’re the ones who are truly evil."

"It is his destiny," the woman retorted coldly. "And destiny cannot be changed—no matter who you are. To save all worlds, he must never be set free."

"I will save him," Lilith declared. "I will change the destiny you cling to and rewrite it however I see fit—even if it costs me my life."

As she spoke, she wove her fingers together. Golden vines sprouted from her hands, glowing with power.

The woman gave a chilling smile, though her eyes were devoid of warmth. "You think you’re a match for me simply because you’re the Chosen One?"

Lilith stepped into a ready stance. "No. I don’t think I’m a match for you. I know I’m better than you, witch."

The woman’s eyes darkened, and with a flick of her hand, silver vines shot out like lightning toward Lilith. She barely dodged the first strike—then another came, and this time it grazed her arm.

Wincing, she regained her stance and countered with her own golden magic. But the woman moved swiftly, dodging the attack with graceful ease.

Lilith knew she couldn’t defeat her, not in a direct duel. But she only needed enough time—to hold the woman off and find a way out of this place.

Another blast of silver magic hit her without warning, sending her flying backwards. She crashed into the ground with a heavy thud, groaning in pain as she struggled to rise.

Just in time, she rolled to the side, avoiding another blast that scorched the spot where she’d just been. Gritting her teeth, she directed one of her golden vines toward the woman’s ankle. It wrapped tightly around it—and with a forceful tug, Lilith yanked her down.

The woman hit the ground hard.

But before Lilith could sigh in relief, the witch was back on her feet, sending a powerful wave of magic that struck Lilith squarely in the chest. She was flung backwards, crashing to the ground once—twice—and a third time. With the final impact, pain shot through her shoulder, and she felt a bone shift painfully out of place.

Gritting her teeth, she glanced over her shoulder. The witch was approaching, her expression cold and merciless. Ahead of her, Lilith spotted a cliff, not too far off.

Without thinking, she pushed herself off the ground and ran toward it, ignoring the searing pain in her body and the angry scream of the witch behind her.

At the edge of the cliff, Lilith looked down and saw a stream of water winding between jagged rocks. She didn’t hesitate. Closing her eyes, she hurled herself off the cliff—only to be stopped mid-air by a strong grip around her arm.

Lilith’s eyes snapped open in confusion. Hades was standing in front of her, holding her by the arm, preventing her fall.

Her brows furrowed. "W–What is going on?"

"I leave you alone for a few hours, and you’re already trying to throw yourself off a building?" Hades said letting out a sigh.

Lilith turned—and gasped.

She was no longer at the cliff but at the edge of a tall window in the palace, her feet halfway off the ledge, the cold wind whipping past her. Her knees buckled beneath her as Hades pulled her fully inside, steadying her before she could collapse.