Chapter 102: illusion

The Demon Kingdom

Zeke sat in a large room with several mysterious figures whose identities remained hidden. The room was quiet, but the tension between them was impossible to ignore. Zeke had been thinking about what he had witnessed earlier, and the more he remembered it, the more troubled he became.

He finally looked at the people sitting around him and frowned.

"I saw that royal Light Witch with my own eyes," he said. "You all know what that means. With her standing beside Caius, there is no way we can stop him if he decides to attack us. Do you understand how dangerous this situation has become?"

One of the mysterious figures chuckled, as though Zeke had just told a funny joke. The person’s face remained hidden, making it impossible to tell whether they were a man or a woman.

"You don’t have to worry about that part," the stranger replied calmly. "Just do what he told you to do and stay quiet for a while. Everything is already being taken care of."

Zeke stared at the person in disbelief. He couldn’t understand how they could remain so calm when they were talking about Caius, the Werewolf King who had terrified countless enemies throughout history.

"Then why are you all so relaxed?" he demanded. "Who is this person who thinks they’re powerful enough to stop Caius? Unless you have a way to deal with him, we’re all going to end up dead!"

The mysterious figures exchanged glances before suddenly bursting into laughter.

Zeke’s expression darkened. "What’s so funny?"

"You’re thinking too much about Caius," one of them answered. "Yes, he’s powerful, and he’s always been a pain in the ass. Nobody wants to stand against him without a good reason. But even the strongest person in the world can have a weakness."

Zeke’s eyes narrowed as he listened.

"And Caius now have weakness we can hold on to," another figure added, leaning back in the chair. "His mate."

The words made Zeke fall silent for a moment. He knew Caius had a mate, but he hadn’t considered how much that information could change things. Caius had spent centuries being feared as a creature no one could control, yet now there was someone who could make him lose his judgment.

"Are you saying we can use his mate to him down?" Zeke asked carefully.

"Of course," the first figure replied. "Luring Caius out will be much easier now. We don’t need to fight him on his own terms when we can make him come to us willingly."

A cold smile appeared on another person’s face.

"Once the witches are taken down, the rest will be easier. Caius has always stood in our way, but this time, things will be different. He has something to lose, and that makes him vulnerable."

Zeke looked from one person to another, trying to understand how far their plans had already gone. He still wasn’t convinced that anyone could defeat the Werewolf King, but if these people truly had a way to use Hazel against him, then the situation was more dangerous than he had imagined.

"And what happens when Caius discovers what we are trying to do?" Zeke asked.

The mysterious figure laughed again. "By then, it will already be too late."

.....

Hazel woke up with a sharp gasp, and the first thing she saw was a hand resting on her forehead. Before she could even understand what was happening, her body reacted on its own. She grabbed the person and threw him away with all her strength, sending him crashing against the wall.

A loud sound filled the room, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor.

Hazel stared at the man lying on the ground, her eyes widening when she saw the blood coming from his smashed head. She had only wanted to protect herself, but she hadn’t expected to use so much strength that she could kill someone with one move.

"What the hell?" she whispered.

Her hand moved to her forehead as a sharp pain spread through her head. She pressed it weakly, trying to understand what had happened to her. It felt as though something had been trying to force its way out of her head, and she couldn’t explain the strange feeling that remained even after the man stopped moving.

For a moment, Hazel felt as if someone had been trying to steal something from her, something important that she couldn’t even name. The thought made her skin crawl, and she quickly looked around the room to make sure no one else was hiding there.

She needed to leave.

However, just as she turned toward the door, something on the floor caught her attention. It was a chain with a red ruby pendant, lying beside a ring. Hazel bent down and picked them up, only to pull her hand back when she felt how hot they were.

"Why are these things so hot?"

She looked at the man again. Despite the terrible state of his head, he wasn’t ugly at all. In fact, he was quite handsome, with neat clothes and a well-kept appearance. He didn’t look like someone who would normally hide in an unfinished building and attack a woman while she was unconscious.

Who was he, and why had he been touching her forehead?

Hazel had too many questions, but she didn’t have the time to search for answers. She dropped the chain and ring beside him and hurried out of the room, hoping Janet and Akeelah were still nearby.

Thankfully, they hadn’t gone far. Hazel found them in another part of the building, arguing so loudly that neither of them noticed her approaching.

"Forget everything!" Janet shouted, pointing angrily at Akeelah. "Today is our last day! Do you understand that? Why didn’t you alert us immediately when you realized Hazel was the target?"

Akeelah frowned at her. "And how was I supposed to know what they were planning? You’re the one who is supposed to know when something is wrong! You were right there with Hazel, so don’t put all the blame on me."

"Are you seriously blaming me right now?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

" Guys! Let’s go," Hazel interrupted coldly. Both women immediately turned toward her, and their argument stopped at once. Their eyes widened when they saw her standing there, looking perfectly fine despite having been kidnapped and knocked unconscious.