To Love A Villain

Chapter 237: Final Decision

>>Elara (Pen’s mother)

The room was still and quiet except for the sound of my husband’s voice as he read aloud. His words were like knives, each one cutting deeper into the panic rising inside me.

"Pen and Val are heading to the Dark Woods."

No.

My heart pounded violently in my chest, the panic bubbling up, desperate to break free. I tried to scream, tried to shout, but nothing came out. Pen can’t go there. She can’t even set foot near that cursed place.

No! No! No!

They’re going into Dark Woods!!?? Of all the places why there?!??!

I willed my body to move, to do anything, but all I managed was a small, pitiful sound. "Mmmm!" I tried to scream, my body trembling with the effort, but it was useless. My husband glanced at me, concern flickering in his eyes, but he didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand what I was trying to say.

I have to stop her. I have to warn her. I told her not to leave, I told her she’d be safe here!

I strained, trying to lift my arm, trying to force my lips to move, but I was trapped, frozen in place. Dark Woods will ruin her. She doesn’t know what she’s walking into.

My mind raced, filled with images of the woods—its twisted trees, the thick, unnatural fog that suffocated everything and that one thing that was still in there, that one thing that will be the end of her.

And now, Pen, my sweet Pen, was heading straight into that nightmare.

She can’t go. She’ll never come back the same. If she comes back at all.

Tears welled in my eyes, frustration and fear clawing at me from the inside. I needed to make him understand. I needed him to stop her, but all I could do was lie here, helpless and silent.

"Mmm... mmmm!" I struggled again, my voice a faint, garbled noise."Mmmmm!!!" I tried to speak, but words wouldn’t come out of my mouth, "Mmmmm!"

"Elara!" My husband coaxed me, "I’m sure Pen and Val will be fine,"He sighed, "Maybe I should send them a letter and let them know about your condition."

He put down the letter and came to my side, his hand resting gently on my arm. He thought I was just upset, but this wasn’t about me. This was about Pen. About the Dark Woods.

I wanted to scream. To beg him to stop her. To keep her safe. But no matter how much I tried, my body refused to obey. I was powerless, forced to watch as my world crumbled, knowing I couldn’t protect the one person who mattered most.

Pen... please, don’t go.

***

>>Val

"Oh, One last thing," The witch said, "The magic you possess, use it in your attacks."

"Light magic?"

"Yes," She answered, "The Bringer of Death is weak to light."

"Why light though?"

"..." She hummed eerily, "Perhaps because you possess it."

"...Okay...?" I nodded, "I’m leaving now,"

"Good bye, young hero. May you return victorious."

***

>>Pen

My mother had told me, a wandering witch advised her to name me Persephone. Otherwise I’ll die at birth. At first they didn’t believe her, but Mom had a difficult delivery, the doctor said I was going to die since the oxygen wasn’t reaching me and I was stuck.

That’s when she called me by this name, "Persephone!!" She yelled, "Persephone! You can do it!!" And as soon as she did, I came out of her safely

Yet still my parents didn’t want to call me by that name, so I was nicknamed, ’Pen’ or ’Penny’

"Pen!!!" I heard Val’s voice. It looked like he was searching for me. I did leave the hallways after all, "Pen?!" He came out of the Palace hallways to the outer corridors, "Pen!" He yelled my name when he saw me sitting on the edge of the open corridor, "Where were you!? I was looking all over the place for you!!"

I couldn’t respond to him. I was still in the state of shock

"Pen?" He immediately noticed something was wrong. Then he noticed the letter in my hands, "What’s that?" He asked

"It’s from dad..." I was terrified

"What’s wrong? Why are you going pale?"

"He said mom is paralyzed..." No wonders they never came after me or sent a letter. With how much she used to nag about keeping me with her, it was odd she never came here herself.

So this was it.

She physically was unable to do so... And it was my fault. I was the cause of this

"What!?! How?!?" Val asked

"From the night she fell from the stairs..." I never told Val I had a fight with mom and that I snuck out, "She hurt her spine..."

"My God" He wasn’t sure what to do or say. I know the information was sure to eat him up as well.

...

I sat there in silence and he began to move around in anxiety. He bit his thumbnail, trying to make a decision.

"We can’t go to them now," I made the decision to say it first, "We’re leaving for Dark Woods."

"Pen," Val looked at me with concern. He came back and sat down next to me.

I turned to look at him, "It’s alright Val." I placed my hand on his cheek, "We’ll defeat this great evil and then return home," I did my best to hide all the fears inside of me, "Maybe then we can ask the King for the Diamond Elixir, and heal Mom with it." The good thing was that even if they showed, Val would think it was the worry I had for Mom.

Val stared back at me, "Diamond Elixir." It was the highest ranked magic potion that could heal a person’s body, bringing a person from the verge of death but it cost a fortune.

"I know," I said, "We can’t abandon our posts, so how about we hurry it up." I placed my other hand on his other cheek, cupping his face, "And hurry back home? Hmm?"

He stared back at me, then placed his hands over mine, "Hmm," He nodded

It’s alright

I told myself

It’s alright. I know we’ll be fine.