The Destructive Adventures of the Lovers-Chapter 71: Queen’s Defeat

Phoebie burst into the grand hall of the Ice Castle, her breaths short and her eyes wide with panic. The frost-covered walls shimmered with the ghostly blue light of the ice torches. She stumbled, catching herself against one of the towering pillars.

"My Queen," she gasped, her voice echoing against the icy stone. "Aeiwou... Aeiwou has escaped! She's coming!"

Martha, seated on her frozen throne, narrowed her eyes. She sat up, the air around her growing colder, the crystals in the walls crackling with her rising tension. "Impossible," she whispered, her voice as sharp as the icicles hanging above. "The Antarctic Ice Castle's power cannot be broken."

"But it has," Phoebie insisted, trembling. "The castle fell, and Aeiwou... she's free. She's bringing her demons." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

For a heartbeat, Martha froze, her fingers tightening around the armrests of her throne. Then she stood, her cloak of frost billowing around her, sending a sharp, frigid wind through the hall. "Prepare the knights," she commanded. "Every warrior in this castle."

Phoebie nodded and dashed back out, the sound of her hurried footsteps quickly swallowed by the whisper of the frozen halls.

Outside, the first wave of Aeiwou's creatures had already reached the castle walls. Towering Yetis hurled massive snowballs, each impact sending shards of ice cracking through the courtyard. Evil Snowmen with jagged, frozen grins marched forward, their eyes glowing with a wicked light. Ice Demons slithered through the snow, their claws scraping against the icy ground, leaving deep grooves in their wake.

Martha emerged from the castle doors, her eyes blazing a fierce, glacial blue. She extended her hand, and the snow beneath the Yetis' feet rose like a tidal wave, crashing down upon them. Some stumbled, struggling to push through the wall of ice, but others roared and charged forward, their eyes fixed on the castle's glimmering spires.

Ella ran to Martha's side, her breaths coming out in short, white puffs. "Mother," she whispered, her voice shaking. "What are we facing?"

"Something far worse than you can imagine," Martha said without looking at her. She raised her hands, and a dozen Ice Knights materialized from the ground, their armor gleaming like fresh frost, their swords as sharp as winter wind. "Aeiwou is not just a queen. She is a force."

From the distant fog, a dark figure appeared. Aeiwou, her eyes glowing an otherworldly blue, her long hair whipping around her like a storm. She raised her arms, and a whirlwind of snow swirled around her, lifting her from the ground. The very air around her crackled with power, sending chills down Ella's spine.

"Martha," Aeiwou's voice echoed across the battlefield, dripping with fury. "Did you think I would remain a prisoner forever?"

Martha stepped forward, her own power crackling around her, frost creeping up the walls of the castle. "You should have," she spat back. "You have no place in this world."

Aeiwou laughed, her voice a twisted melody. "You dare speak to me of belonging? You, who locked me away? You, who stole my world?"

With a flick of her wrist, Aeiwou sent a barrage of ice shards flying toward the castle. Martha threw up her hands, forming a shimmering barrier of ice. The shards shattered against it, exploding into powdery snow.

"Ella," Martha hissed, glancing at her daughter. "Fight beside me."

Ella hesitated, her eyes flicking between her mother and the approaching horde. She clenched her fists, her breath steadying. "For the Creation World," she whispered to herself, summoning a blade of ice in her hand. She charged forward, leaping into the fray, her blade slicing through the air as she clashed with the first wave of Yetis.

Aeiwou snarled, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Ella. She thrust her hand forward, and a spiraling column of ice shot toward the girl. Ella ducked, rolling through the snow before slashing the icy tower in half with a fierce cry. She twisted around, sending a barrage of ice shards back at Aeiwou.

"Weak!" Aeiwou spat, dodging the shards effortlessly. She raised her hand, and the ground beneath Ella cracked, jagged ice spikes shooting up around her. Ella barely leapt away, tumbling through the snow.

Martha stepped forward, her power flaring, and the ground beneath her feet froze solid, spreading outward in a web of jagged frost. She threw her arms wide, summoning a wall of ice that surged forward, crashing into Aeiwou's minions and sending them sprawling.

"This is my world!" Martha roared, her voice echoing through the snow-filled sky. "You will not take it!"

Aeiwou merely grinned, her eyes gleaming. "Then I will tear it from your grasp, shard by shard."

As the snowstorm raged around them, the two queens clashed, their powers colliding in a furious dance of ice and fury, while Ella fought desperately at her mother's side, the cold seeping into her bones, her heart pounding with every strike.

Zeze's breath came out in quick, foggy puffs as she raced through the snow-laden forest, her footsteps barely touching the frozen ground. She skidded to a halt when the shattered ice cage clanged behind her, its jagged shards scattered like broken promises.

"No... no, no, no..." she whispered, her eyes wide as she stumbled upon Xyrille, still frozen in a twisted stance, her mind encased in a glistening sheath of ice. She fell to her knees beside her friend, placing trembling hands on Xyrille's cold, glassy face. "Xyrille... please... wake up."

Owen's figure, encased in a frozen cocoon, lay sprawled against a nearby tree, his wings stiffened mid-beat. Zeze staggered to him, her tears hot against her numbed cheeks. "Owen! Come on! You... you have to get up! I can't do this alone!"

She whipped her head around as the chilling crack of branches echoed through the trees. Raven emerged from the darkness, his shadow long and twisting against the icy ground. His eyes gleamed like polished onyx, reflecting her fear.

"Ah, the little speedster," he murmured, his voice a low, menacing rumble. He approached slowly, the snow hissing under his feet as it burned from his dark aura. He reached out and cupped her face, his grip like cold iron. "What are you running from, Zeze? You can't outrun death."

Zeze's breath hitched, her legs trembling, but she bit her lip, forcing the fear down. She twisted away from his touch, her feet digging into the snow as she prepared to bolt. But as she tried to run, a wave of frost curled around her ankles, tightening like shackles.

"No..." she gasped, straining against the ice, her eyes wild. "Let me go!"

Raven leaned closer, his voice a dark whisper. "Beg."

Zeze felt her heart hammering against her ribs, her mind racing with a thousand desperate thoughts. She tried to muster her strength, but the cold had stolen it, leaving only the raw, shivering core of her fear.

"P-please..." she stammered, tears freezing against her lashes as she felt the ice creeping up her legs. "Please... don't..."

A sudden crack of ice split the air, and the tree behind her came to life, its branches twisting and snaking around her, tightening like a serpent. She let out a strangled cry as the limbs wrapped around her arms, her body lifted off the ground, struggling as the branches coiled tighter, splintering against her flesh.

Raven leaned back, a cruel smile curling his lips as he watched her squirm. He spread his wings and took off, his dark form disappearing into the swirling snow. As his shadow passed over the frozen battlefield, the shattered remains of the Ice Castle quaked, chunks of sharp, glittering ice rising into the air like broken glass.

"No!" Zeze screamed, her voice breaking as she twisted against the tightening branches, the bark creaking around her like the jaws of a beast. "No!"

Nearby, Ella's eyes widened as she saw the dark figure soaring above, his presence casting a suffocating shadow over the forest. Without a second thought, she broke into a sprint, her feet crunching against the snow, her breath coming in panicked bursts. She reached for her mother, grabbing Martha's wrist, pulling her away from the cracking ice.

"Mother, we have to go!" Ella cried, her eyes wide with terror. "He's coming!"

Martha hesitated, her icy blue eyes flicking back to the crumbling castle behind them, the jagged shards reflecting the chaos around them. She turned, her grip tightening on Ella's arm as they stumbled toward the frozen river.

Behind them, the shattered pieces of the Ice Castle erupted into the sky, sharp fragments hurtling like arrows through the air. One shard, jagged and gleaming, struck Phoebie as she scrambled for cover, piercing her chest. She staggered, her mouth opening in a silent scream as blood bloomed against the snow before she collapsed, her body twitching before falling still.

Aeiwou, her eyes blazing with vengeful fire, extended her hand, a sphere of crackling blue light forming in her palm. She twisted her wrist, the orb spiraling into a shield that deflected the incoming shards, her laugh echoing through the woods.

Ella looked back one last time as they reached the edge of the river, her heart thundering in her chest. She let go of her mother's hand, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She took a trembling step onto the ice, the cold seeping through her boots, but before her mother could follow, Aeiwou's shadow loomed over them.

"Going somewhere?" Aeiwou's voice cut through the air, sharp and bitter as the wind. She reached out, her fingers clawing into Martha's skull. The world seemed to slow as her grip tightened, the air crackling with raw, icy power.

"No!" Ella screamed, her voice tearing through the frozen air as she watched her mother seize, her eyes rolling back as Aeiwou's fingers dug into her temples. There was a sickening crack, and Martha's head exploded into a spray of frozen shards and mist, her lifeless body crumpling to the ground.

Ella's scream echoed through the barren, snow-covered wasteland, her knees buckling as she collapsed beside the river, her sobs shaking her frame as the blood-stained snow soaked into her cloak.

Ella stared at Xyrille, but something was wrong. Her movements, her posture—everything was wrong. Xyrille's eyes weren't the soft, trusting gaze that Ella had known. They were cold, empty, like windows to a void.

"No..." Ella whispered, her breath catching in her throat. "No, this... this isn't right!"

Xyrille's mouth twisted into a smirk.

"Are you sure?" the voice that came from her wasn't Xyrille's at all. It was sharp, like shards of ice scraping against bone.

Ella's heart pounded. Her hands trembled.

"No!" she screamed, stepping back. She looked around, desperate for help, but everything around her felt distant, out of reach. She tried to run, but her feet wouldn't move. Her breath caught in her throat, the air thick, suffocating.

Before she could react, cold hands—ice-cold hands—grabbed her face.

"You can't run," Aeiwou's voice purred, low and soothing. "I can feel you, every part of you. Your heart, your thoughts... everything."

Ella's entire body went numb as the chilling fingers pressed against her temples. She felt a cold, creeping sensation slip into her mind, like a fog rolling over everything she was. Her thoughts started to blur, and the ground beneath her felt unstable, like she was slipping into a dream she couldn't wake up from.

"No... no, please..." Ella whispered, tears threatening to spill, but her voice was weak, barely audible.

The world around her spun, distorted, and for a moment, everything went dark. She fell, weightless, floating in the cold abyss of her own mind. The sound of her own heartbeat was deafening.

Then, the world snapped back into focus. Aeiwou stood there, still holding her face. Ella's limbs felt heavy, her body cold. But more than that, she felt... empty. Hollow.

Aeiwou pulled back, her fingers still lingering on Ella's skin, as if she was savoring the moment.

"Welcome to your new reality," Aeiwou's voice echoed in her mind. "You are mine now. Your thoughts, your actions... everything will be mine."

Ella's eyes widened, her body trembling. She tried to speak, to scream, but nothing came out. The weight in her chest grew heavier, suffocating her.

"I've waited a long time for this," Aeiwou whispered, her lips curling into a wicked smile. "You are the key to everything. And now, you will do as I say."

Ella's heart broke. She could feel the chains wrapping around her mind, locking her away in a cage of ice, her will no longer her own.

The last thing she saw before the world went cold again was Aeiwou's cruel smile, a reflection of the darkness she had just become trapped in.

And then... Ella was gone.