"AHHH!"


    niel woke up with a blood-curdling scream, her eyes flooded with tears, and her breathing heavy and erratic. She clutched her body as she could still feel the intense pain from the horrifying ordeal in her dream.


    "Your majesty! Are you alright?" Her servants, concerned and attentive, rushed to her side.


    "Your majesty, please calm down!" They tried to soothe her.


    niel looked around, her gaze darting in confusion, and then she realized that she was back in her own room. The nightmare still fresh in her mind, she shuddered, trying toprehend the terrifying images that had haunted her sleep.


    "What happened? Why am I back here? I''m pretty sure I—"


    The moment she recalled what happened, a wave of nausea overwhelmed her, and she began vomiting violently.


    "Your majesty!"


    "Hey, call the healers immediately!"


    "Inform Princess Elowyn"


    Her servants, in a state of panic, rushed to her aid. This was the first time they had seen their queen in such distress, and it left them deeply concerned.


    …..


    "Mother, are you okay?"


    "Y-yes," she stammered, trying to reassure me with a smile.


    However, the slight tremble in her hands as she sipped her water betrayed her true condition. I couldn''t help but sigh, looking at her now.


    Her appearance had deteriorated significantly, and I knew that her nightmares and illness had been taking a toll on her day by day, but I hadn''t realized it had reached this level.


    I raised my hands and signaled the servants to leave. As the door closed I looked at my mother again although she seemed fine now based on what the servants told me it was the first they had seen the queen acting like that.


    And for some reason I can feel that something is wrong with her especially her mana which was concerning even though she didn''t have to use it why does it keep fluctuating in and out of her body?


    I held my mother''s hand, and although she was surprised at first, she allowed me to do so. My mana spread around her body, and my right eye began to glow with a vivid green light.


    As I examined her, I noticed not only the fluctuations in her mana but also the cracks in her mana veins.


    ''What''s going on?'' This level of damage to one''s mana veins would typically be fatal.


    it''s like her very mana core was cracked or something, and yet my mother seemed fine, aside from the dark circles under her eyes. Her overall appearance was that of someone who was slightly unwell.


    There are only a few reasons why a mana vein can break. One is if it''s severed by a sword master''s aura, which can cut directly through mana. The other reason is if a summoner''s spirit dies.


    I looked at her again, and a shiver ran down my spine. I was slightly taken aback by the creepy, ear-to-ear smile that had suddenly spread across her face. It sent goosebumps across my body, and I couldn''t help but stand up in shock.


    "Elowyn, what''s wrong?" she asked, her face returning to its normal expression.


    "N-nothing," I stammered.


    "I see," she said, looking down at her hand, which I had identally brushed away. I couldn''t help but wonder if what I had just witnessed was just my imagination.


    The door opened, and a servant entered.


    "Excuse me, Your Highness, but it seems the elders are pressuring the border guards to allow them entry into the city once again."


    Those old farts are at it again? When will they learn? I sighed and looked at my mother. She just smiled at me gently, and waved her hand to tell me to go, but for some reason, it made me nervous.


    ''What exactly was going on with her?''


    ...


    Strange and loudughter echoed inside niel''s head the moment Elowyn touched her hand.


    It was an unsettling, malevolentughter that seemed to reverberate through her very soul, filling her with a profound sense of dread.


    She felt as if her own body was no longer under her control, as though an unseen force had bound her will.


    Desperation welled up within her, and she attempted to tell Elowyn to step away, but the words caught in her throat.


    It was as if her voice had been stolen from her. She watched in mute horror as Elowyn continued to hold her hand, seemingly unaware of the turmoil within niel.


    Elowyn''s touch felt warm andforting, yet niel couldn''t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.


    The sinisterughter persisted in the background, a constant reminder of the dark presence that had invaded her.


    After Elowyn left.


    Confused and frightened, niel rose from her seat and approached the ornate mirror in her room.


    She stared at her reflection, the image of her own beautiful self, but it was as though she was looking at a stranger.


    Suddenly the memory of those shadowy tentacles slithering over her body, viting her very essence, haunted her thoughts, once more the child she saw that time and theughter inside her head was eerily simr.


    "Who are you?" niel''s voice quivered with a mix of fear and anger. She gazed into the mirror, hoping for a response, but several agonizing seconds passed with no reply. Frustration welled up within her, and in a fit of rage, she mmed her fist against the ss, causing it to crack.


    "Who are you?!" she cried out, her voice echoing through the room. Her pleas were met with an eerie silence that sent chills down her spine. She could sense the presence within her, the malevolent force that had taken control of her body.


    Then, something changed. niel''s face distorted, her expression shifting from one of confusion to sinister amusement. Though she appeared the same, an entirely different aura emanated from her, dark and foreboding. Her once-emerald eyes now glowed a sinister shade of dark red.


    "Geez, you found out, huh?" a voice emanated from niel''s lips, though it wasn''t her own. It was a voice filled with mockery and malevolence.


    "Did myughter get to you? I knew I should''ve held myself back, but that was really fun, you know? Haha. Did you see our daughter''s face? Hahaha. I''m pretty sure she''s suspecting me right now."


    niel''s mind was a whirlwind of confusion and terror as she realized that she was sharing her own body with another entity, an entity that reveled in chaos and darkness. She had no idea how this had happened, but she was determined to reim control of her own self.


    "Who are you? What did you do to my body?" niel''s voice trembled with a mix of desperation and fear. She couldn''t believe the words that wereing out of her own mouth.


    "Straight to the point, eh?" the entity inside her responded with a tone that was both chilling and oddly cheerful.


    "For starters, my name is Fael. Well, that''s actually my second name. My original name was Kaksan." She looked at niel''s reflection in the mirror, her touch cold and alien on her own shoulders.


    "And, sorry to bring this to you, but this body is mine now, okay?"


    niel struggled to grasp the horrifying reality of the situation. "W-what?" was all she could manage to stammer.


    ''Kaksan? But I thought Kaksan died'' niel realized, her horror deepening as the pieces of the puzzle fell into ce. She now started to understand why the miasma in the forest never disappeared, no matter what they did. With this malevolent being still around, the death of the forest was bound to happen.


    Fael continued to taunt her, reveling in her torment.


    "You''re quite lucky, actually. If it weren''t for Father''s residual mana inside your soul, I would''ve devoured your very being. But I just had to stick to your body instead. This body is really great. Not only is it super strong, but look at this." niel''s hands moved on their own to caress her ample breasts.


    "It''s practically perfect for seduction. And it''s also very good in spiritual resonance, though I doubt the spirits would make contact with me, knowing what I am"


    Despite the dire situation, Fael''s voice retained its eerie cheerfulness. "Oh, don''t make such a sad face. You''re ruining our face now, you know," she said, almost mocking herself.


    "And besides, once I reunite with Father, I''m sure you''ll like it as well. I''m intending to make this my main form. I''ll share some of my rewards with you from time to time. We''re in the same body, anyway. Hehe."


    "And as for your daughters, I have no need for the second one, so can I eat her?" Fael''s words dripped with malice.


    Suddenly, niel''s hand went for her throat, trying desperately to choke herself, to wrest control away from this sinister presence within her. "Don''t you dare!" she cried out.


    A twisted amusement filled Fael''s voice.


    "Well, isn''t this surprising? I never expected you to temporarily take control like that, hehe"


    niel, gasping for air, let go of her neck, her breaths ragged, her eyes wild with fear. Fael gazed at her reflection in the mirror once again, as if nothing had happened.


    "Okay, fine. I won''t kill your daughter, but that doesn''t mean I can''t make her suffer, right? Hahaha," she said with a wide, malicious smile.


    "W-wait, no, please—"


    Fael cut her off abruptly. "Anyway, sleep for now, your majesty" She exerted her dominance over niel once more, leaving the queen helpless and forced into a slumber against her will.


    "Now should I take what I came here for?"


    …..


    "Your majesty" the guards said in unison as they bowed their heads.


    "Is Iselia inside?" niel inquired, now standing in front of Iselia''s room.


    "Yes, your majesty," confirmed the guard as he opened the door.


    niel walked into the room and immediately took in Iselia''s scent.


    "Ahh, she''s so fresh, this beautiful aroma really is the best," Fael thought, savoring the scent. She looked around the room and finally saw Iselia''s bed. Despite thete hour, Iselia was still fast asleep, lost in dreams.


    Elowyn walked over to Iselia''s bed and took a seat beside her, her eyes filled with maternal affection. Carefully, she stroked Iselia''s hair and cheeks as she watched her daughter sleep.


    "Mother...?" Iselia woke up, her eyes blinking in the soft light filtering into the room. She rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep.


    "Oh, did I wake you up?" niel said, her voiceced with a touch of concern as she leaned down and kissed Iselia''s forehead. Iselia didn''t notice the unsettling look in her mother''s eyes or the subtle, eerie grin that followed the affectionate gesture.


    "Why are you here, Mother?" Iselia inquired, slightly puzzled.


    "Hmm? Do you know what time it is?" niel responded, a strange glint in her eyes. Realizing she might bete, Iselia attempted to get out of bed, but niel gently forced her to lie back down.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine, Iselia," niel cooed.


    "You can rest for a little bit more. Mama also wants to sleep a bit longer, hehe." She pulled Iselia closer, hugging her daughter while her nose twitched as she sniffed the child''s small body, the unsettling aura around her growing more apparent.


    Iselia was puzzled by her mother''s sudden change in behavior, as niel showered her with more affection than usual. She didn''t mind it, though, because she cherished any moments she could spend with her mother. These disys of love were a rarity, and Iselia weed them eagerly.


    But then, niel abruptly stopped her affectionate gestures and released Iselia. The child looked up, concerned by the sudden change.


    "Mother?" Iselia inquired with a furrowed brow, trying to understand what had just happened.


    niel, her expression filled with shock and confusion, stared at Iselia, her eyes wide and troubled.


    "Why do you have father''s energy as well?" niel asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and disbelief.


    Iselia simply tilted her head in confusion, notprehending what her mother was talking about.


    ….


    ''Should I proceed with my n?''


    ''But I don''t know how father will react if I kill another person he blessed''


    ''I''m d I checked her first before eating her right away I almost couldn''t contain myself there''


    ''Although I wanted her potential, I guess that will have to wait until I reunite with father''


    niel''s actions grew more unsettling, her mind struggling between her malevolent desires and her attempts to maintain a facade of affection.


    "Mother?" Iselia''s voice quivered, her confusion mounting.


    niel, hugged her Iselia once again, attempting to brush off her previous strangeness with a gentle smile.


    "Oh, sorry, I got you startled there" she said, her voice honeyed with feigned tenderness.


    Iselia, though still puzzled, offered a hesitant smile in return. She couldn''t quite understand her mother''s odd behavior but foundfort in her mother''s embrace.


    Unbeknownst to Iselia, the darkness lurking within niel''s mind continued to wrestle with her intentions, creating a chilling undercurrent beneath her seemingly loving gestures.