The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 359: The Marionette And The Puppeteer

Chapter 359: The Marionette And The Puppeteer

"We both know that was only an illusion, it isn’t the real creature that attacks the people." Draco pointed out with a neutral countenance as his sharp eyes remained fixated on Zamiel.

"An illusion? So perhaps, the creature is trying to distract us?" Rama queried with both curiosity and worry flitting through her gaze.

"It seems so." Zamiel remarked.

"But the illusion appeared to be able to cause harm to us, how is that even possible?" Rama gasped.

"Because the unknown creature possesses unknown powers. Forbidden powers." Draco stressed out, his eyes narrowing on Zamiel who was rather unmoving by his judging eyes, but he still kept quiet.

Rama suddenly realizing what he meant, chipped in in a defensive manner "What do you mean? That Malika is behind this?" Rama scoffed angrily.

"I never said that, besides she is not the only one with forbidden sorcery, there may be others we don’t know, but for now, she’s the only being we know with dark entities evoked from forbidden sorcery living inside of her." Draco pointed out.

She knew he was right, every word rolling off his lips in pride but mostly murderous intent was true, but she didn’t want to think for a second that there was a possibility that Malika was the dark creature hunting the people in the kingdom and causing chaos, just as Zoya’s prophecy had declared, but she wasn’t prepared for the result, for reality to hit her so hard.

"It’s not Malika." Rama stated firmly between her gritted teeth, but her words did not align with her instincts.

"You don’t sound so sure yourself love, besides what makes you think it isn’t her? It could be, it could be not." Draco said as he continued walking into the deeper parts of the woods.

"No matter what’s inside of her, she would never hurt anyone, I know her to her core." Rama argued, meanwhile, Zamiel was as silent as a monk, not adding a word to the debate. As always.

"You know her to her core, but now her core is being infected with dark magic, dark magic that is keeping her alive, it gives her every breath she takes, every beat of her heart. The dark entities are now her core, that is no longer the Malika you know." Draco implied with a neutral tone, but he was well aware that Rama would never give in, would never accept the possibility that Malika, the sweet and kind angel was now festering a darkness within her, one that could control her.

She was no longer the half bred angel, she was now a marionette with its string being pulled by its puppeteer.

Rama didn’t want to have to hear the bitter truth leaving his lips, because she knew he was right. The first day she met her after she woke up, she had felt different, she could barely sense her angelic essence in her anymore, rather the dark overbearing presence she exuded was more palpable.

For the first time, she wished he was wrong, but Zoya’s prophecy kept ringing in her head like a constant warning bell and she knew better than to ignore it. She wanted to reveal the prophecy to him, and save the kingdom from the tragedy that had befallen them, but the thought of watching Malika die for the second time haunted her soul like a nightmarish vision.

She took a deep breath in and sealed her lips shut, she wouldn’t condemn Malika to her death without finding out the truth first, about who the creature was and she hoped bitterly and desperately, that it wasn’t Malika.

"Zamiel, you’ve been unsurprisingly quiet." Draco remarked and Zamiel’s head mechanically craned towards his direction as he stared at him with dead eyes.

"I’m always quiet, besides I have nothing to add in both of your annoying jabs." He retorted with a straight face.

"Then what do you have to say concerning the possibilities of your mate being behind the recent murders?" Draco asked.

"Like you said, there’s a possibility, after all forbidden sorcery was sensed from the illusion art restore that attacked us earlier." Zamiel pointed out in a logic sense.

As soon as he spoke, Rama whipped her head back to face him "She’s your mate, yet you say she might be responsible for the murders?"

"In a logical sense, yes she might. But, we can’t jump into conclusions yet until we find out the truth, then we pass judgement." Zamiel reasoned out.

She shook her head in disagreement "Still..."

Before she could say more, he interrupted "I know you want to protect Malika and we have the same goals, but in reality, if she’s killing innocent people because of the darkness festering in her, she’ll no longer be the Malika we knew, the dark entities would fully have control over her body and then..." For the first time, maybe it was the lighting, but she saw concern in his cold, impassive eyes.

But then, Draco completed from where he trailed off "Then we’ll have to get rid of her."

"No, please! If she’s the one behind this, we could maybe lock her up so she can’t leave and harm people until we find a cure for her, please Draco." Rama pleaded, her voice breaking with desperation and hope.

"She could easily break out of chains, she’s not your fragile Malika anymore." Draco said, attempting to avert his gaze from her teary eyes and maintain his resolve, but as he proceeded to walk away, she grabbed his arm tightly.

"Please, Draco, we could use enchanted chains that she won’t be able to break through. The witches will help us, we have Zoya, please until we find a cure and if we don’t, then you can do whatever you want, I beg of you. It’s not Malika’s doing, she’s being overpowered." She insisted, her voice turning hoarse as she sobbed.

"I’ll think about it, I promise." He said and her face suddenly lit up with hope as she hugged him tightly.

"Besides, you should save your tears for later, we have no idea is she’s the one behind this or someone else, you might just be lucky." Draco said and she released him as she nodded hopefully.

"You’re right." She mumbled as she wiped her tears and they proceeded with their journey.

In the dim light of the waning moon, the woods exuded an eerie atmosphere, thick with the scent of decay and foreboding. Rama, with a determined gaze, walked cautiously through the tangled underbrush, her senses tingling with apprehension. Beside her strode Draco, his crimson ember eyes scanning the shadows with predatory intent. And trailing behind them was Zamiel, his dark form blending seamlessly with the night.

As they ventured deeper into the heart of the forest, a sense of unease settled over the trio like a heavy shroud. The air grew colder, carrying with it a whisper of malevolence that sent shivers down their spines.

Suddenly, Rama stumbled upon something hidden amidst the undergrowth, a shriveled, rotting corpse, its flesh mottled with decay and its vacant eyes staring sightlessly into the darkness.

The air was thick with the stench of decay, a putrid miasma that clung to the trees like a shroud. Flies buzzed lazily around the corpse, drawn by the promise of rotting flesh.

Maggots writhed and squirmed within the gaping wounds that marred its desiccated flesh, their insatiable hunger driving them ever deeper into its decaying form.

The corpse itself was a ghastly sight to behold, its skin stretched tight over brittle bones, its eyes sunken and hollow, devoid of the spark of life. Long strands of matted hair clung to its skull like tendrils of blackened seaweed, tangled and twisted in the grasp of death.

A gasp escaped Rama’s lips as she recoiled in horror, her heart pounding in her chest. Draco’s lips curled into a cruel smirk as he crouched beside the corpse, his sharp claws tracing the contours of its lifeless face. "Another victim of the forest’s dark embrace." he murmured, his voice dripping with malice.

Zamiel’s gaze remained impassive as he surveyed the scene, his senses attuned to the subtle nuances of the supernatural. "There is dark magic at work here." he intoned gravely, his voice a low rumble in the stillness of the night. "These souls have been drained of their essence, their life force stolen away by thee malevolent creature."

"They’re more corpses ahead." Draco said and they proceeded forward.

Determined to uncover the truth behind the grisly discovery, Rama pressed on, her footsteps quickening with resolve, but the thought that Malika could be the one talking those innocent lives haunted her like a nightmare.

With each step, the forest seemed to close in around them, the trees looming like silent sentinels in the darkness. And as they delved deeper into the shadows, they stumbled upon more corpses, each one in the same state of decay, as if their very souls had been sucked dry.

The stench of death hung heavy in the air, mingling with the sickly sweet scent of corruption. Rama’s stomach churned with nausea as she beheld the grim tableau before her, a haunting reminder of the darkness that lurked within the heart of the forest.