The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 386: Two Sides

Chapter 386: Two Sides

Night fell and everyone retired to their respective chambers while both Draco and Zamiel proceeded to leave for the night watch in the forest as usual.

"Draco." Rama called softly as she clutched on his arm, like a little girl not wanting to let go.

He knew how lonely she felt whenever he was absent. The feeling was extensively mutual, but he had to leave, to ensure her safety and that of the kingdom.

"I’ll miss you too, love." He said with a smile as he kissed the back of her palm passionately.

"Be safe, I’ll be waiting for you." Rama said as she hugged him lightly.

A sarcastic smile drew on his lips "It isn’t me who should be frightened, love."

"I know, but still.." She whispered softly.

"I’ll be safe." He promised as he set to leave.

"About Malika..." She suddenly blurted out and he halted to hear her out.

His passionate eyes suddenly went cold when she mentioned Malika. She knew he was still doubtful about Malika regarding her new uncanny change.

"She’s not a threat..." Rama could barely finish her statement when he interrupted.

His jaws ticked, making it sharper than the blade of a dagger as he spoke "Eveb you are not certain of your own words. I’m anything but stupid, I know very well she’s a threat and I know you know. Trying to protect her won’t help, you’ll only be endangering more lives."

"Draco, you won’t hurt her, right?" Rama panicked as she grabbed his arm, her pleading eyes shining at him.

Draco sighed "I’ll leave her be, until she’s had her baby." He stated.

"Draco, she hasn’t hurt anyone." Rama said, but even she was barely certain of herself.

She had no idea about the fight between light and darkness Malika had to go through and moreover, Zoya’s visions continued to fill her heart with doubts about Malika’s innocence.

It wasn’t an impossible feat to think that the darkness in her could fuel or control her to do things against her wish.

"She hasn’t hurt anyone yet or perhaps your have no idea whether she has or not, besides it’s not others I’m worried about, it’s you." Draco said, his voice echoing softly through the room.

Rama sighed in defeat, perhaps he was right. No, he was undoubtedly right, but still, she decided to keep her lips tightly shut about Zoya’s prophecy, because if she spilled the truth, Draco wouldn’t bat an eye in separating Malika’s head from her shoulders, even though she was pregnant.

"What if...you find evidence that Malika’s the culprit? Will you still..kill her?" Rama asked warily.

Draco’s face suddenly darkened "I’m not that kind of a monster, I won’t hurt her innocent unborn baby, but if she turns out to be the culprit, then I’ll have to put her down." Draco stated out. "Not completely, but we would have to weaken her to prevent hurting others." He added.

Rama’s brows furrowed in confusion as she asked "Weaken her, how?"

"With magic of course, the white witch will help us." Draco said nonchalantly.

"Then after the child is born?" Rama pressed on and silence invaded the room for a moment as Draco averted his gaze from her with a sigh.

Rama’s eyes narrowed "You’ll kill her, won’t you?" Her voice echoed softly in a whisper.

"Well, if I don’t, more lives will be lost. You are queen and choices will be hard. You have to protect your people and like you said, only if she’s the culprit, but if not, she’ll be safe." Draco assured.

Her breath shuddered as she spaced out for a moment. He was right, but still, it felt impossible to let go of her when they had just got her.

"You’re right." She whispered as she slowly came to accept the bitter truth, that sooner or later, she’d have to let go of her.

—------

In the dimly lit chambers of the castle, Malika stood alone, her heart pounding in her chest as she faced the dark entity that had taken root within her. Shadows danced across the stone walls, casting eerie shapes upon the floor as Malika tried to strengthen her mind.

With every fiber of her being, Malika fought against the dark presence that threatened to consume her, her hands trembling as she struggled to summon the strength to resist its influence. But try as she might, the darkness only seemed to grow stronger, its malevolent tendrils wrapping around her mind like chains, binding her in a web of fear and despair.

Desperation clawed at Malika’s throat as she gasped for air, her thoughts clouded by the suffocating grip of the entity that held her captive. She could feel its icy fingers probing the depths of her soul, searching for any weakness to exploit as it sought to claim dominion over her mind and body.

With a cry of defiance, Malika lashed out, summoning every ounce of her celestial powers she possessed in a desperate bid to push back the encroaching darkness. But it was no use. The entity laughed in the face of her feeble attempts, its mocking voice echoing through her mind like a cruel taunt as it tightened its grip around her with every passing moment.

Tears welled up in Malika’s eyes as she sank to her knees, her strength waning with each futile attempt to break free from the entity’s hold. She could feel her will slipping away, like grains of sand slipping through her fingers as she fought against the relentless tide of darkness that threatened to engulf her whole.

In a last desperate plea for help, Malika called out to the light, praying for salvation from the depths of her despair. But her cries fell on deaf ears, the darkness closing in around her like a suffocating blanket as it snuffed out the faint glimmer of hope that remained.

And then, with a final, agonizing wrench, the darkness consumed Malika whole, wrapping her in its cold embrace as it claimed her mind and body as its own. In that moment, all traces of the young woman she once was were extinguished, replaced by the hollow shell of a vessel now under the control of the dark entity that had taken root within her.

Her demeanour suddenly turned into a twisted form of darkness as it enveloped her whole, seeping into every inch of her soul.

After some moments of standing frozen in one position, she struggled to crawl out of the abyss of darkness the entity had trapped her in and finally, when she thought she had overcame it, she relaxed, although she could still feel a whiff of its essence swirling within her.

It was a struggle of darkness and light, a struggle between two sides within her.

In the flickering candlelight of her chamber, Malika paced restlessly, her every movement a testament to the turmoil raging within her.

Her skin was pale and clammy, her eyes wide with fear as she struggled to suppress the dark presence that writhed and twisted within her soul.

With trembling hands, Malika reached out to ring the bell for her maid, her heart pounding in her chest as she prayed for some semblance of normalcy to return to her life. But even as her fingers brushed against the cool metal of the bell, a voice whispered in the back of her mind, a voice filled with malice and hunger.

"No," Malika whispered, her voice barely more than a hoarse whisper as she fought to resist the entity’s influence. "I will not let you control me."

But the entity laughed in the face of her feeble defiance, its dark laughter echoing through her mind like a sinister melody as it tightened its grip around her with every passing moment. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Malika knew that she was fighting a losing battle, that the darkness within her was too strong to be overcome.

And then, with a final, desperate plea for help, Malika rang the bell, the sound echoing through the silent chamber like a death knell as she waited for the maid to arrive. But when the door swung open and the maid stepped inside, Malika’s worst fears were realized.

The darkness encroached her like a thick veil, darkness seeping into the very core of her being, she could feel it.

For in that moment, she knew that she was no longer in control of her own actions, that the dark entity within her had seized control of her body and mind.

Malika’s eyes suddenly turned pitch black, leaving the maid with blood curdling terror. With a predatory glint in her eyes, Malika lunged forward, her hands outstretched as she reached for the maid’s soul.

The maid’s eyes widened in terror as she realized the danger she was in, but it was too late. With a swift motion, Malika’s hands closed around the maid’s throat, her fingers digging into the soft flesh as she began to drain the life force from her body.

A choked gasp escaped the maid’s lips as her body went limp in Malika’s grasp, her soul torn from her body by the insatiable hunger of the dark entity that now controlled her mistress. With a final, shuddering breath, the maid’s eyes rolled back in her head, her lifeless body collapsing to the floor in a heap.

For a moment, Malika stood over the maid’s corpse, her chest heaving with exertion as she struggled to come to terms with what she had done. But even as she looked down at the lifeless form before her, she felt no remorse, no guilt for the innocent life she had taken.

For she knew that she was no longer herself, that she was nothing more than a vessel for the dark entity that had taken root within her soul. And as she turned away from the maid’s lifeless body, a cold smile twisted her lips, her eyes gleaming with a malevolent light as she embraced the darkness that now consumed her whole.