Page 153 of Hell Fae King
Just like the Naga and Griffin battling a few feet behind the approaching flamethrower.
Another spiral of fire came for me, forcing me to dodge left. The sudden action nearly sent me to the ground, but I managed to balance myself at the last second with an unintended hop.
The fire-breathing creature wavered with the movement, causing me to frown. Because he’d… he’d blinked in and out of existence for a second. Almost like a hologram.
What in the…?
I twirled and tilted my head at the same time, the movement probably making me look absolutely ridiculous, but it caused the Nightmare Fae to flicker again.
I straightened. “It’s a mirage,” I whispered aloud. “Just like the first trial.”
No one heard me. Or, if they did, they didn’t react to me.
Are they even here?I wondered.
They had to be.
But maybe not in this mirage. Maybe they were seeing something completely different.
This was the land of nightmares and dreams. Who knew what was real and what was fake?
Yet something told me this illusion had nothing to do with the Strigoi or the Ghouls of this realm. Because they weren’t the only ones who were fond of manifesting false realities.
Vivaxia excelled at it, too. I’d seen her version of it in the Virtuous Fae Realm when she’d crafted that false utopia.
A utopia I’d seen through, thus revealing the decaying world beneath.
She’d fixed the vision a few times, but I’d caught enough of the truth to realize her version was a lie.
Just like this,I thought as I glanced around again.
The blood splatter was real. I saw it in both visions—the battle façade and what I assumed was reality.
The courtyard appeared to be real, too.
Same with the crater-like hole near the fountain.
So how do I break the mirage?I wondered as I jumped sideways to avoid yet another fireball. While the vision might not be completely real, I didn’t want to test my theory by letting myself be burned.
But I really needed that damn dragon to stop trying to kill me.
Glaring, I focused my siphoning ability on him to see if there was a way to temporarily douse his fire.
And found him covered in Vivaxia’s magic—a magic I recognized, thanks to that spell I’d absorbed in the paradigm. Only this enchantment felt different. It wasn’t compulsion-based like the one I’d felt on the Centaur. This… this felt… heavier. More deeply ingrained.
Frowning, I tugged on the essence and startled as the entire world around me jolted in response.
It feels deeper because it’s tied to this mirage…I yanked on the magical strands once more, causing the entire world to tremble in response.
The dragon roared in annoyance, or maybe that was Vivaxia growling. Regardless, I gave another harsh yank—one that sent the beast tumbling to the side.
I didn’t wait for him to get up or for Vivaxia to think of something new for this little game of visions. Instead, I engaged my inner siphon and started pulling all the energy into my being.
A shriek pierced my ears, the fae before me vibrating in and out of existence. Pain stabbed my heart in the next blink, freezing me in place.
I’m killing them,I realized, my breath stalling in my lungs.Just like in the Netherworld Kingdom.
Is this…? Is this real?
