Heart Of Stone - Episode 5&6

 

HEART OF STONE

Heart Of Stone - Episode 5&6

 (..Sold•To•The•Pit•Of•Hell..)

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or reposted in any form, or by any means without a written permission from the author.

Copyright © 2025.

By: Naomi Cindy B.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Shayla's yellings.

The tears welling in her eyes.

Her kicks against the air.

Her pouring blood.

None was enough to stop Ryker.

His strike met her like a raging stormcloud, and though he's not exactly holding her, he has a magical hold on her.

He's choking her wretched life out of her wretched lungs.

Her nose is bleeding too, her lower lip changed colour. Death knocked at her door, and it opened wide.

Ryker stood there, beside the pool, just doing his thing—taking her life.

Shayla's life only has a thin thread left when Cheyenne entered the Groove, her eyes stretching for a sec when she saw what's going on.

"What are you doing here?" Ryker questioned, still not lowering his hand from the crying slave in the air.

"I and Sage found the boss of the hidden warehouse where she was last seen." Cheyenne reported.

Ryker's hand went down, and Shayla went down too, her body hitting the ground with a deadly thud.

She held her bleeding tummy with a palm, shifting away from him on her butt. Her glassy eyes stared up at him with fear, and her body is trembling.

Her whole skin is red—eyes inclusive. And she's panting so bad.

Ryker didn't give her another gaze.

He just grabbed his white linen jacket  from where it was hung, put it on and started walking out with his effortless steps.

"What should I do to her, My Lord?" Cheyenne asked.

"Drag her out, make sure she gets the heaviest workload at the labor camp everyday. And clean this Groove thoroughly. Clean out her smell." He replied without turning, then his steps faded out.

Cheyenne's fingers grabbed Shayla's hair, tugging her up.

"I...I didn't come here on my own!" She spoke up. "I was brought by—"

"Shut up already, I do not want to hear what your voice has to say." Cheyenne cut her off harshly.

Shayla's mouth went clamped.

She's struggling to hold her bleeding tummy, struggling to walk as Cheyenne dragged her, and at the same time she's struggling with the sting of her hold on her hair.

It was hard till they got out of the Groove, and Cheyenne threw her down. Her bleeding tummy hit the ground, and the stem inside it fully entered her skin, making her cry out.

"I ... Was brought here by Lilith! I'm new here and—"

That was interrupted by a boiling slap from Cheyenne.

Shayla fell back to the ground again, her blood dripping a lot.

"Believe me, I was—"

Another slap.

Shayla's tears sprang out, and she held her cheek with her second hand before looking up at Cheyenne's ruthless face.

"Do you know what Lord Ryker hates most?" Cheyenne spoke with a practiced accent. 

"It is when you break into his territory or breach his rules." she continued, raising her heels to place the sharp edge on Shayla's forehead.

Shayla gulped.

"That Heatless Tower and this Bamboo Groove are sacred places you should never make the mistake of entering. They're not for roaches like you, they're exclusively for him. And if you're one of the slut slaves seeking for attention, give up already. He'd kill you before you get even a little bit of warmth from him." She said heartlessly, each word stabbing Shayla's chest like a knife.

"I'm...I'm not a slut." She managed to talk through her pouring tears.

Cheyenne dropped her heel from her forehead, smiling hatefully.

"I see you're the type who talks back. Well, I'll have fun messing with you in here. Entering that Groove would be your biggest mistake ever, and you'll regret it over and over again."

With that, she walked off, leaving Shayla there... bleeding and weeping.

Shayla stood, her palm still holding her bleeding tummy tightly.

She looked at the Bamboo Groove entrance, wiping her tears with her second hand, then she sniffled, remembering his words...

"...AND CLEAN THIS GROOVE THOROUGHLY. CLEAN OUT HER SMELL."

She brought her arm close to her nose, sniffling her own skin.

She doesn't smell.

Even when she still lived like a dog in her cage at the Dark Room, she was allowed to bath and brush always. The only things she lacked were food and decent change of clothes.

That statement from him hurt more than it should.

But then...his personality has always been like this like she heard.

He has his own beliefs, and no one could change them, so if he believes she smells, then good for him.

She returned to the Slaves Wing, and as she walked past the corridor with bleeding tummy, the eyes of her fellow slaves stared at her, some with pity and some with worries.

Some stared with curiosity about where she got the wound from.

"She must have encountered the evil twins." One of them mumbled.

"Oh my goodness! 150 billion!" Lilith ran out of the hall to meet her.

She gasped again when she saw her bleeding tummy.

"Did Lord Ryker do this to you? Your nose is bleeding too! This is serious... We slaves don't get treatment. Once you get wounded, you rot and die...no one cares. Geez, are you gonna die now? You're so unlucky!" She pitifully said.

Suddenly, Shayla pushed her away, and everyone received shocks, including Lilith herself.

"You tricked me into the Groove because you wanted to use me as cover, isn't it? Because I'm new, you took advantage of me. I might have lived my whole life in a cage, but I'm not stupid, Lilith." Shayla said hurtfully, and Lilith laughed.

"I was only trying to make friends with you and make you the best slave after me, and you're taking it for granted? So what if you took the fall for me? You're basically my servant!" Lilith snapped with hostility.

The other slaves couldn't say anything. It's not the first time Lilith treats new slaves badly.

Shayla stayed speechless too.

She's getting weak cos of her bleeding tummy. She's losing too much blood.

"One meal portion left, who hasn't eaten breakfast?" Xena's voice broke into the corridor, and the slaves dispersed instantly.

Xena appeared from the end of the corridor, holding a big basket from the slaves kitchen. She's actually here to pack the plates they used for breakfast.

"Watch out from now on, you're on my blacklist!" Lilith threatened Shayla before leaving too.

"How did you get hurt?" Xena asked Shayla, looking genuinely worried as she stared at her tummy.

"I...the Groove." Shayla tried to explain.

Xena dropped her basket, gasping. "You entered my brother's Groove? And you're still alive? You're lucky! He's insane about that place." 

"I was tricked inside by Lilith." Shayla replied, sitting on the pavement and supporting herself with the pillar.

"You should stay away from Lilith, she's evil. You're new, so she'd wanna take advantage of you." Xena said.

"I wish I knew that earlier. How did you know I'm new?" Shayla asked, her lips pale with both hunger and blood loss.

"Everyone knows you're the 150 billion slave, Shayla. Try to stay as far away from my brother as possible. He kills for fun, and it's not funny if you trespass." Xena offered.

"Thanks for the additional advice..." Shayla drawled.

"Xena, my name is Xena, Ryker's sis. I and my old chef father are in charge of the two kitchens" Xena introduced.

"Oh..." Shayla nodded, groaning in pains from her tummy.

"Darn it...your tummy." Xena muttered, gently taking Shayla's hand away from it.

She raised her blouse from the wound, frowning when she saw how deep it is. The bamboo stem is even still inside it, that's why it's bleeding so much.

"This is bad, there's no treatment for slaves here at all. What are we gonna do? My powers can't heal." Xena muttered.

Shayla's face twisted in pains again.

Xena quickly removed the scarf she's wearing on her head. She wrapped it round on Shayla's tummy.

Blood dampened it immediately, but she kept wrapping till it went three rounds, then she knotted it.

"It's 8:50, and the Labor Camp opens at 9, so you should eat and join the others to work. I'll secretly search for some capsules from the pharmacy and keep them for you, so when you return from camp in the evening, we'll apply it." Xena said.

She took the plate of custard and the only one wrap of pie remaining. She handed them to Shayla who took them with a smile.

"You're so kind, Xena."

Xena smiled back, "And you're beautiful"

Shayla smiled again, taking a bite from the pie then topping with the milkless sugarless custard.

"Why do you and your dad work in the kitchen though?" She asked suddenly.

A sigh left Xena's mouth, and she backed the pillar.

"It's a long story..."

Shayla kept staring at her, so she sat up, facing her.

"Several years ago, I and my father and my mother and my twin sister lived together in peace." She started.

"You're a twin?" Shayla blinked, licking custard away from her full lips.

"Yeah..." Xena said, sadness riddling her voice.

"The four of us lived together as one happy family, and back then... mother was pregnant with Ryker, so we were expecting him as out fifth family member. We weren't rich and we weren't very powerful, but at least we lived fine. Then one particular night, mother began feeling labour pains...but father wasn't at home. It was just me and my twin sis with her. We were just crying cos we were three years olds and knew nothing." 

"Where did your father go?" Shayla asked, getting more curious.

"He was at a bar, drinking..." Xena smiled sadly.

"What! But you said y'all were one happy family... Why would he leave his pregnant wife alone at home with three year olds twins?" Shayla asked.

"I dunno, that night is still a mystery. Father never behaved like that before. He got drunk at the bar and spanked Azura's ass" Xena continued.

"Azu...Wait, the Grand Supreme's wife? What was she doing at the bar too?" Shayla blinked.

"Back then, The Spectres were still the ruler of this city, the Millions Family were just one regular rich family. So like I said... father spanked Azura's arse, and she wanted to behead him, but father was like; please spare me...I have a pregnant wife and two young twins and I can't die yet." 

"Azura was even more enraged to hear that. She dragged father to our house with the intention of killing him and his pregnant wife and his twin kids. By the time they arrived at our house, mother already gave birth to Ryker all by herself, but Ryker wasn't a random child. He was born powerful, I mean... he's a Demigod who carries the power of millennial ice in that body, and when he was born, he was holding the FrostOrb in his right hand. That was when Azura knew he wasn't just a normal child." 

Xena was already crying by now.

Shayla held her hands, urging her to continue.

"Azura told her husband Zeke about it, and they decided to ruin our family just to take Ryker. Zeke killed mother. He killed her..." Xena sniffled.

Shayla began rubbing her hands.

"After killing mother, they decided to capture I and my father and my twin as slaves, but my twin disappeared magically... no one knows her whereabouts till now. They took me and father and Ryker. Using the FrostOrb, they also took the palace from the Spectres, and they became rulers. They threw us in the kitchen and made us cook for them, and they made Ryker a member of the Millions Family forcefully. He mustn't show affection to me or father, else we'd be killed. Also, if they hear anyone calling him our Morozov surname, it's death sentence." Xena sobbed.

"But...he's so powerful...he should fight for you both..." Shayla muttered.

"Azura and Zeke knew that when he grows, he'd wanna save us, so to prevent that, Zeke extracted my lifeline and hid it where no one would find it. That's what they always threaten him with." Xena said.

"So...your life-line is with Grand Supreme Zeke? The red thread?" Shayla's eyes widened.

"Yeah, he only has to cut that red thread, and I'll die. But there's a solution to that though... If I find my missing twin sister, another lifeline can be created for me from her own, and that's why Ryker has been looking for her so much. I bet all the struggle will be over when he finds my twin." Xena exhaled.

"That's...that's heartbreaking." Shayla pitifully said.

"I know, right?" Xena looked around, seeing that the other slaves are already leaving for the labor camp.

"You should join them. Like I said, I'll sneak you some capsules from the pharmacy, and I'll come treat your wound myself after I finish cooking dinner with father." She said.

"Thank you, Xena. I'm glad I met you." Shayla smiled, standing after dropping her custard plate.

She finished it already, but there's still a bit of pie left.

"See you later, friend!" Xena waved her, leaving with the basket.

"Friend?" Shayla muttered. "She's more like my big sister. If she's older than Lord Ryker, then she's far older than me." 

She was chewing the rest of her pie as she head to the camp, following the lead of the others.

Her barefoot doesn't matter.

Her cold feet doesn't matter too.

She's used to hardships, and she only wishes to stay alive till the end of her slavery here.

Also, the thought of the story Xena just told her is making her wonder.

Grand Supreme Zeke and his wife Azura are the most villainous beings existing.

Erasing a whole family just to get their powerful son? All because the old chef spanked Azura's arse?

Crazy.

And now the son is a bloodthirsty demigod who nearly killed her.

She sighed, entering the crowd of slaves after eating the rest of her pie.

--

[Black Swan Ballet School]

* It's the Millions royal twins!!

* Yo! Grand Princess Sadie and Grand Prince Soren!

* I'd do anything to get invited to the East Palace!

* Their bastard demigod bought the slave and I couldn't stop howling!

* Me too! I love seeing the Spectres getting humbled! What was Winona feeling like?

There was no stop to the praises and screams as Sadie and Soren got down from their car at the large park.

They're not smiling, but their arrogance is high. They obviously love the praises.

"And here comes my friends!!" Mercury ran out of the school building, jumping down the staircase.

She's a lousy arrogant one just like them. Also, her mother is the owner of this school.

"I watched the auction last night on the web and I've never been as proud! You guys were so cool! Winona was humbled! I bet Faye and Blaise would walk with their faces on the ground today." She gushed.

"You're too loud sometimes," Sadie chuckled.

"Of course I'm loud! My friends are big shots!" Mercury jumped.

Soren shook his head, and then another car halted in the park. Faye and Blaise came out of it.

Heavy laughter filled the park from everyone.

"Why did Winona try to get the slave last night? Tell me." A student said.

"How much is in your family account? Is it even up to the 60 billion that she bid?" Another one said, laughing out.

"Now I get why you guys are stuck in the West Palace! If your parents are the main rulers of this city, we'd have all died of hunger! Broke people!" Another student laughed.

Faye and Blaise stood in the middle, trying to keep their anger under their clothes cos causing trouble will bring problem for their family for sure.

They received all the insults silently, and while all that is happening, The evil twins and Mercury were smiling at the other side of the park.

They're enjoying this.

"So what if my sister lost to the bastard! The twins hate the bastard so I see no reason why his win should be their win!" Blaise said when he couldn't take it anymore.

"Yeah...that's true. I hear his source of income is different from the family's own so he definitely got the slave with his own money!" Faye added.

Sadie pushed some students out of her way, coming to them.

She faced Blaise in particular.

"The bastard belongs to The Millions Family, so everything he has belongs to the family too! Don't give me shit about how he got the slave with his own money!" She shot.

Blaise wanted to talk back, but Faye held him.

"Your father died not long ago, his grave is still wet, but your mother Kasia already married Faye's father Astor? Really impressive. I bet they married for the fûck." Sadie continued, and that was when things snapped.

Some of Blaise's red hair strands got carried by the air, and that strand went to Sadie.

She saw it coming, but she allowed it. She didn't move till the strand entered her eye.

That eye turned red.

The eyeball disappeared. She went blind in that eye alone.

"Sadie!" Soren came forward with Mercury.

"Sadie your eye!" Mercury gasped.

"What did you do to my twin!" Soren yelled at Blaise.

He'd have killed him on the spot, but Sadie held him back.

"I'll manage with one eye for the rest of today, leave him alone." 

"What do you mean leave him alone? He ruined your eye!" Soren glared.

"I said leave him!" Sadie glared back.

She went inside. Soren and Mercury went after her.

Faye quickly pulled Blaise aside. "Are you insane? You hurt Sadie with your hair? You'll get us all killed! Blaise!!"

Blaise yanked her away. "I didn't say you could advise me, go tell your father to break up with my mother instead!" He glared and went inside.

Faye scoffed, flipping her long hair.

"His character is getting more and more unbearable."

--

[Inside, Dressing Room]

The males dressing room is different from females, but for the sake of the twins who have to be in the same place all the time, a different dressing room was built for them, and Mercury uses that same dressing room with them.

Soren and Mercury have finished dressing, but Sadie is wearing only her leotard, and she's currently trying to get her tutu to her waist.

"Are you really gonna leave Blaise like that? Burn the West Palace with his family!" Mercury said.

"Leave him alone, you don't trust me?" Sadie smiled, finally getting her tutu to her waist. Her one eye is still wholly red.

She signalled at Soren with her thumb, and Soren immediately got it.

"You should come to the East Palace palace with us later. We have a welcoming ritual to do for the slave." He told Mercury.

"Really?" Mercury clasped her palms together in eagerness.

"I can't wait!!"

--

[12Pm, Warehouse]

Cheyenne had to inform the Slave Labor Camp about Shayla's punishment. She also had to clean up the Groove to get rid of her smell, and it took a lot of time.

Ryker had waited for her with Sage, so they left the palace late, and that's why they're just arriving right now.

Sage quickly jumped down from the big black car and rounded it. He almost opened the door for Ryker, but Ryker opened it himself.

He came out, looking like a symbol of richness in his pressed white shirt and loose black pants.

He loves free wears.

He enjoys robes, but it's not meant for this particular occasion. His hair is a little put together right now, but still healthy as always.

"I warned you severally...Do not attempt opening car doors for me. I'm not some king." He told Sage savagely.

"I always seem to forget. Pardon me, My Lord." Sage apologized.

Cheyenne came out of the car too, settling her figure beside the two.

Ryker's eyes shifted to the warehouse, and darkness loomed in there.

He didn't raise his hand as usual, his mind did the work this time.

The warehouse froze, getting covered by ice within a minute. It started cracking.

The workers inside ran out for their lives, and they were all lucky to get out before the building collapsed.

The moment the workers saw him, they voluntarily fell on their knees.

The collapsed building melted away behind them.

"Did your boss run off?" Ryker asked straight to the point, his stance so fuckin majestic.

"Our boss came earlier, but he didn't spend much time before leaving." One of the workers said.

Ryker slowly raised his hand with destructive intents, and that worker went from his knees to prostration.

"I swear! My Lord! It's not a lie! He left in about an hour before you arrived!! I'll never lie to you! I'm not crazy why would I lie!!" 

Ryker dropped his hand.

"Where did he say he was going?" Sage asked.

"America or something..." The worker quickly said.

"America?" Cheyenne frowned.

"That's in the human world. No one can travel to the human world without the crossover ladder, and to get access to the ladder, the managers collect more than ten bags of money. Your boss is a rich one." Ryker sighed, looking at the time.

"The ladder opens only at night, so your boss will surely climb it tonight at 7. By 7, I'm freezing this city." 

"Freeze this city? Everyone will freeze." Sage said.

"Isn't that the point? The boss will freeze on the ladder too, and we'll get him." Cheyenne said.

"We? We won't be with Our Lord! Did with forget that no one can escape his freezing ice? If he's freezing the city just to catch the boss, then we're freezing too. Meaning he'll be catching the boss alone." Sage said.

"So be it," Cheyenne shrugged.

"After catching the boss, you'll have to make the ice melt, but you can't melt that much ice from the city without your partner fire, and you haven't found your partner yet." Sage argued worriedly.

"Of course he can melt it, it'll only consume a lot of energy. Don't you trust him?" Cheyenne argued.

"But—"

"No pointless arguments, Sage. This city is freezing by 7" Ryker interrupted flatly.

Sage went quiet.

Cheyenne looked at Ryker and smiled proudly.

--

[East Palace, Slaves Labor Camp]

When Ryker told Cheyenne to make sure Shayla gets the highest workload, Shayla didn't think it'd be a work of death, but now she's experiencing it.

The others only have to carry shattered rocks on a bowl to the other side of the palace, but Shayla?

She's the one shattering the rocks. 

She was given a sledgehammer to do the work, and right from the first hit she gave the rock, she knew she was in for a lifetime of sufferings here.

Her tummy wound contributed a lot to it, and right now Xena's scarf that's around it is already soaked with her blood as the wound is bleeding again.

She's trying her hardest best to split the rocks, and she's really doing it 

She has split more than hundred bowls for the other slaves to carry, but she's still not fast enough for the slave supervisors.

They're holding sticks behind her, and each time she slacks, they beat her on the back.

Right now, the bowls of every slave is on the ground, begging to be filled, but Shayla can't even lift the sledgehammer anymore.

Her palm is full of big blisters, and they're bleeding too. Her sweat could compete with a stream.

The blood from her tummy is even soaking through her blouse.

She lifted her back, and five strokes of cane landed on her back from the supervisors immediately.

"Agh!!! I...I can't...I can't do this anymore!!" She cried, staggering.

She received more  strokes from the wicked canes, and her back peeled, bleeding out.

"Ahhh!! I really can't! I... I can't..." She sniffled, trying to reach her stinging back with her fingers.

"Go easy on her, she's a female, not a male." Lilith spoke from the midst of slaves.

"You're the slaves janitress doesn't give you the right to dictate to us." the supervisors replied.

Lilith smirked.

"Shayla the expensive slave?" Sadie's sad voice echoed from the base of the rock.

Everyone whipped around to see her there with Soren and Mercury.

"Crap?...I hate that she's beautiful. Let's start the torture from her face." Mercury said.

"Get down here, slave!" Sadie ordered.

--

[Slaves Wing]

The slaves are starting to return from the labor camp, and Xena is expecting Shayla to be among the first batch to arrive, but Shayla is nowhere.

Xena stood in front of the Wing Hall, looking so anxious.

She finished cooking dinner at 6 cos dinner here always come early. She had gone to the pharmacy to sneak a capsule for Shayla, and she needs to apply it before Shayla bleeds to death.

She's sure the scarf would be soaked with her blood right now since the bamboo stem is still inside her.

As the slaves entered the hall, Xena's anxiousness grew, till Lilith appeared.

"I see...150 billion got herself a new friend...that's cute." She said.

Xena stayed quiet.

"She got dragged away by the evil twins." Lilith said again.

"What!" Xena faced her.

"I bet she won't last a day after all. Pity." Lilith made fake pity faces before leaving.

Xena rushed out of the Wing Hall and was clutching at the capsule as she rushed towards the kitchen.

"No...not the twins. She's greatly wounded, if they touch her with their fire, she'd die..." She muttered.

She was so confused and worried that she didn't even look ahead, till she slammed into someone.

She came back to her senses with a gasp, looking up to see Jude.

"Grand Prince Jude? I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Please!" She went on her knees, slamming her forehead to the ground repeatedly.

"Stop that, and stand." He spoke.

Xena quickly spranged up, her forehead slightly wounded.

"Why are you so out of it?" Jude asked, lids shadowed.

"The twins...they took Shayla." Xena reported.

Jude stayed indifferent for a minute, remembering their promise that they'd make Shayla eat pains 

Are they really manifesting that?

"What did you say?" Winona joined them, looking anxious too.

She's only just arriving with Kasia and Astor for the royal meeting, and she was about to leave the park when she heard what Xena said.

"Why are you here, Winona?" Jude asked. He didn't even pretend. It's obvious he doesn't like her.

"I didn't jump the fence. The West Palace got invited to a meeting here, so I came with my parents." Winona rolled eyes.

Jude threw his face away.

"Where did they take my girl to?" Winona asked.

"Your girl?" Jude scoffed.

"Stop this unnecessary drama and tell me where your evil twin siblings might take her to!" Winona glared.

Jude scoffed again.

There are many torture spots in this palace for slaves, but the twins would surely choose the least suspicious one, and he knows that.

"Follow me" he told Winona, then he led the way.

--

Shayla was blindfolded till she arrived at an unknown spot in the palace where the twins dropped her on the cold ground.

Her blindfold was removed, and she nearly screamed when she saw herself beside a deep old well.

The evil twins stood tall in front of her, together with Mercury who's grinning creepily.

This place seems like it's not part of the palace as there are straw grasses everywhere, but it's part of the palace cos she could still smell doom.

Shayla's pale lips parted to talk, but her throat hurts, so she couldn't even say a thing.

She looked at the well, fighting back her tears.

She arrived at the palace today, and today is already the worse day of her existence.

Maybe it's just better to die?

"Do you like it? The well?" Sadie squatted beside her, her perfume so intentionally choky.

Shayla didn't try to move back, she just sniffled, her eyes stinging.

"Don't worry, you won't die. But there are some hungry fishes inside the well, and they only eat faces. They'll eat that face of yours first, then we'll pull you out and start the real torture." Sadie smiled, stroking her hair like a dog's.

"Time is one minute to 7pm, and the torture of Shayla the slave starts!!" Mercury announced happily.

The twins eyes glowed.

They didn't have to use their hands, Shayla was magically lifted from the ground.

She shut her eyes, expecting to fall in the well anytime soon, but...

She has only lived as a slave all her life. She hasn't enjoyed anything.

Her plan is to escape this world one day, go to the human world to settle down peacefully, live well and eat good food for once in her life.

So she can't die yet.

She opened her eyes, and she screamed when she saw she's already on top of the well, ready to fall inside.

"No...no... please... Don't ruin my face!!! It's the only thing I have left!! Please don't ruin me!!! Please!!!"

That begging only increased the twins arrogance.

"Stop!!!!" Winona and Jude yelled from afar.

They're both running towards the scene already.

The well cover went off, and Shayla's cries turned sore as she began falling in, but then...

Like a dream...

Everything stopped at exactly 7pm.

And it's not the natural kind of stop.

Ice suddenly covered the place. The grounds, the atmosphere..

Even the evil twins and Mercury.

Jude and Winona too.

The well water also became ice.

Shayla fell from the well top to the ground, and she groaned painfully, looking so pitiful with the blood all-over.

Her blood stained the ice on the ground, colouring the whiteness.

She stood to her feet, her eyes so damn wide as she looked around.

What's going on?

She ran away from that part of the palace, holding her tummy.

She was matching ice cubes, slipping on ice carpets and going through ice doors like she's the only one left here.

When she got to the inner palace, she came to a fast stop, her breaths congesting hotly in her throat.

Ice has covered everyone here too.

The maids, the slaves, the cars in the park, the palace building itself.

Ice covered everything and everyone, EXCEPT HER.

TBC.

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