Chapter 274: Ch 273: Traces of Corruption

Lyra was close by. All Seraphina had to do was keep the portal open, and both the demon queen and Kael would be back home.

The thought of having Kael back kept her going and forced her to use even more of her power. She was sure they were going to make it when she felt a foreign power interfering with her body and mind.

/Are you sure you have the strength to keep holding on?/

The voice asked, and Seraphina suddenly felt her magic being cut off from her end. It happened so suddenly that it left her no choice but to follow the command she was being given.

She watched with wide eyes as the magic snapped and the door she had kept open all this time began to close.

"No, this is not alright. I need to pour more magic into it-"

Lyra was almost here. She could see Kael’s hand almost touch the shrinking opening. But it was not big enough for her to break through.

"Darn it-"

She complained, only for Leon to return just in time and cut the closing door open with the help of his aura.

He was able to maintain the opening just large enough for Lyra and Kael to exit.

Seraphina quickly closed the spell behind them so that the corruption following them wouldn’t leak out.

It had been a close call, but she was proud of the fact that she had not allowed the corruption to leak out or reach them. But somehow, she had a feeling the corruption had not tried hard enough either.

/Hmm, you are just like me. Out of all the fragments, you are the only one who resembles me. I guess I should consider myself lucky in that regard. I have a perfect vessel in this world./

The voice spoke so softly that Seraphina had to question whether it even existed or not. But the second she tried to reach for it, it disappeared, leaving her questioning whether she had even heard it or not.

For now, she shook her head and went to check on Kael. The others were gathered around him, and it was starting to make her feel jealous and worried. She needed to distract herself with something before she ended up doing something she would regret later.

"Let me check up on Kael. He might have been affected by corruption because he was in the rift with it for so long..."

Seraphina touched Kael’s body lightly, but he felt as fresh as falling snow. There was not a single hint of corruption on him.

But compared to him, Seraphina was...

’I think...I have a trace of corruption inside me. But how is that even possible? I am the Saintess, so how can I-’

/You are my Saintess. Currently, you possess the strongest fragment of my power and desire. But this is not enough. If you want Kael to be alive and live happily by your side, then this is not enough. You need more power and influence. Now, allow me to demonstrate how you can get it./

The voice whispered, and before Seraphina could tell it to fuck off, she felt her hands being moved, and she was made to grab something...no, someone.

Her hands wrapped themselves around Iris’s shoulder, and then her powers reached out to grab the fragment of the corruption’s soul within her.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Iris questioned, but it was too late. Her fragment of power was gone, and Seraphina quickly changed her target to Lyra next.

The demon queen was fast, but the powers Seraphina conjured under her body held her hostage.

"Saintess, what is the meaning of this?"

Lyra questioned, but it was too late. Seraphina had already swallowed the fragment inside her, and her mind was starting to cloud over.

She...no longer felt like herself.

But for now, there was another fragment she needed to eat. Elena was still there, and-

Leon blocked her attempt. His divine power blocked Seraphina’s way, and she could not get past his erected barrier.

Seraphina was about to do something more when she heard Kael’s groan. He was starting to wake up, and that knocked her out of her daze.

"Ugh, what was I-"

She questioned as she looked around. It took a few seconds before the memories of what happened began to consolidate in her mind, and she let out a groan of pain.

"I...did I attack you all?"

She questioned, not believing what she had just done. But the worst part was that she could still not feel sorry for what she had done. It was almost as if she was being forced to confront her decision right here and now.

"I don’t know what happened, but for now, we should seal you up as well. Otherwise, you might lose control and attack us again."

Lyra pointed out as she started to push herself to sit back up. Her body was hurt, but other than the superficial injury, she felt fine...

No, she was not fine. Something inside her was missing, and it was what Seraphina had stolen from her.

It must have been something important because she could feel its absence in her chest. And one look at Iris told her that the other female had felt that missing presence as well.

"I am going to take Kael back to his room for now, and then we can talk about what happened. The more we keep him out of this mess, the better it will be for him."

Leon pointed out before he grabbed Kael and dragged him up. The others could only watch this happen with an envious look before they settled down to discuss what happened next.

After a few seconds, Leon came back down, but he had a grim look on his face. This next conversation was likely not going to be fun for anyone. But it was necessary.

"Seraphina, care to explain what just happened and why you attacked everyone?"

Leon asked, and Seraphina took a sharp breath before she tried to say anything. But even if she wanted to, no words came out of her mouth.