Gabriella’s POV
“Someone is trying to kill your daughter.”
“What do you mean someone is trying to kill my daughter?” Nick gripped her neck so tightly, but Margaret used a spell to force his grip to release her.
“Stop harming the innocent. If someone is attempting to harm your daughter, let’s direct that anger toward them and unleash it. I declared at the meeting that if anything happens to Estella, I’m prepared to break the peace and fight them with the last drop of my blood.” Margaret’s resolute tone indicated that she was on our side.
“She’s right, Nick. Let’s find the person who’s targeting our precious daughter,” I said, with Nick’s expression growing more intense. He nodded in agreement, and we promptly left, heading toward our daughter’s room. Suddenly, we were struck by a dark force. The aura enveloped the area, creating a barrier of its own.
“Dedusa is growing more powerful,” Margaret noted as we struggled to regain our footing.
“She’s created a barrier to protect Estella’s body. This is both good and bad news,” she continued.
“Can we address that later? Our priority is finding a way to enter and rescue our daughter from whoever wants to harm her,” Nick insisted. I began chanting spells alongside Margaret, and we managed to breach Estella’s room. There, we witnessed the infuriating sight of the Elder fighting for his life, while Estella hovered in the air, her eyes dark, using a mere flick of her fingers to break the man’s bones-exactly as described in the book about her.
“Estella, don’t kill him. We can’t let you be consumed by bloodlust,” I pleaded, but she silenced me by warning, “Stop talking, or you’ll be next.”
Fear gripped me as her chilling voice sent shivers down my spine. Despite this, Nick remained steadfast, leaping up to reach her and pleading, “Please, Estella, stop this.”
“LET ME GO…” She screamed, and chaos ensued. We were all thrown to the ground, suffering injuries from the fall.
Her escalating strength was astonishing. I wondered what could be done to prevent her from causing further harm. If she killed the man, the trauma would forever scar our daughter.
“Please, help me. I don’t want to die,” the man begged, his life hanging by a thread.
“Why should I spare you? You stooped so low, attempting to end this body’s life to imprison me. Death is your punishment; it’s time to join your ancestors,” she declared. However, Margaret intervened, cutting off her speech.
“Dedusa, have you no shame? Using a child? Why not come out and face me as witch to witch?”
“That voice… You’re her descendant, right? Delighted to meet you again. But why not begin by killing you first?” Dedusa retorted. Margaret cast a spell that caused Dedusa’s own magic to recoil, prompting a pained scream from her. “How dare you try to oppose me? You’re just like her.”
I suddenly understood-the powerful witch Dedusa killed in the past had been one of Margaret’s ancestors. Dedusa held a grudge against her.
“You may have eliminated her in the past, but regardless of your strength now, as long as the innocent vessel you occupy lacks the intent to kill, you remain vulnerable.”
Dedusa erupted into wicked, maniacal laughter. “Oh, you believe that because she lacks a killer’s intent, I can’t utilize her? Just watch and see. Once I complete the binding spell, I’ll have control over her.”
“Estella, wake up, please,” I pleaded with my daughter. I noticed Dedusa behaving strangely.
“What have you done?” Dedusa collapsed back onto the bed. I rushed to Estella, worried. “Estella, are you okay? I’m sorry, and I promise you, I’ll protect you at all costs.”
“You monster! How dare you try to harm my daughter!” Nick seized the man by the neck, his claws unsheathed.
“Nick, stop! I think he’s learned his lesson now, understanding that Estella cannot be killed,” Margaret intervened.
“Why would I spare him? He tried to kill an innocent child. I’m so tempted to rip his heart out right now. Just let me do it!” He shouted in anger.
“She’s right, my love. Killing him immediately might only bring more fear to the people and disrupt the town’s peace. Right now, our main concern is Dedusa. Let’s work together to find a way to separate Dedusa from our daughter and then permanently seal her away,” I spoke with confidence, feeling the Luna power within me. Nick heeded my words and released the man.
“I’ll spare you for now, but pass this message on to others who share the same evil thoughts as you do about harming my daughter. If anyone dares to harm her again, I won’t show any mercy. I’ll break your bones and tear out your heart,” Nick warned, his eyes glowing with his wolf’s intensity. The man visibly trembled and promised, “I swear.”
Something didn’t add up he was an elder witch, so why was he so frightened? He should have been capable of using spells against Dedusa and Nick.
“Margaret, she drained my powers. I’m just a powerless witch now,” the man admitted, leaving us all shocked.
It was true, the book mentioned that Dedusa could easily absorb witches’ powers to strengthen herself. It was worse than we had anticipated.
“No, that can’t be possible. How is that even happening? She’s not bonded with Estella, so how can she absorb witches’ powers? This is beyond what I expected,” Margaret added.
“What can we do? Does this mean she’ll take everyone’s powers?” I voiced my concerns.
“I won’t allow that to happen. I refuse to stand by and watch as it unfolds. I will do whatever it takes to get rid of Dedusa, even if I have to go to great lengths,” Margaret vowed fiercely.
“You sound like a powerful witch now,” Nick remarked.
“Leave,” Margaret ordered the man, who swiftly exited, fear evident in his demeanor.
“What’s our plan, Margaret?” I asked anxiously.
“There’s something you need to know,” Margaret began, and a sense of unease settled over me.
“What is it? Is it about Estella?” I inquired.
“No, it’s about Dedusa. You mentioned that you read the book about her.”
“Yes, I did, but I couldn’t find any solution in it,” I responded, fearing her disappointment.
“Do you know why she chose your daughter?” Margaret’s question hung heavily in the air.