To Love A Villain

Chapter 240: The Bringer Of Death

>>Valenor

Theo was beyond furious but the rest of us were having difficulty accepting that had happened.

Especially me,

"Pen..." I barely recognized her now. Her name left my lips, but it felt hollow, as though the girl we knew was no longer there. The tent they had been in was in shreds, blown away when Rosemary and Pen fought.

But Rosemary... she had lost.

Now, in front of us, was the unthinkable.

Persephone—Pen—was crouched over Rosemary’s body, tearing into her with feral hunger. Blood dripped from her mouth as she devoured the raw flesh, her eyes glazed over, a deep, primal madness consuming her. It was grotesque, horrifying, and wrong on every level imaginable. My stomach churned, but I couldn’t look away.

Theo snapped first.

With a roar of anguish, he knocked an arrow and let it fly. The arrow whistled through the air, straight for Pen’s heart. But it bounced off her skin like it had struck stone, shattering into useless splinters.

?!?!?

It left us all startled.

His next arrow followed just as quickly, and then another, and another—all useless. None of them even scratched her.

"Dammit!" Theo cursed, his eyes wild with frustration, his fingers trembling as he reached for more arrows.

Gimli charged in next, his ax raised high. "Get away from her!" He bellowed, swinging his weapon with all his might. The blade met Pen’s back with a sickening thud—but instead of cleaving through flesh, the ax was deflected as though it had struck metal. The force of the impact sent Gimli stumbling backward, his face contorted with disbelief.

"What in the name of—" He started, but there was no time to finish.

Vaerion raised his hand, his fingers weaving an intricate pattern in the air. Magic crackled around him, a shimmering orb of energy forming in his palm. With a sharp command, he hurled it toward Pen. The fireball exploded on contact, the heat searing the ground and sending sparks flying.

But Pen didn’t even flinch.

The flames died as soon as they touched her, vanishing into the air as though they had never existed.

She slowly lifted her head from Rosemary’s body, her eyes burning with something dark, something unnatural. Her lips were stained red with blood, her teeth bared in a grotesque grin.

I shook my head, "That can’t be her," I whispered

"This isn’t working," Vaerion muttered, his voice tight with disbelief.

"Nothing’s getting through," Gimli grunted, his grip tightening on his ax.

Theo, still shaking with anger, tried again. He aimed for her head this time, hoping for a critical shot, but the arrow snapped against her skull like it had struck iron. No matter what we did, nothing worked.

I was still in shock, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, but neither could I move.

"That can’t be Pen"

"Val!" Vaerion grabbed my arm, "Snap out of it!!"

"Vaerion," I felt lost, "That can’t be Pen," I looked back at her, "It can’t be."

"It’s clearly another entity!!" Vaerion said, "Pen was human," He looked at the woman, "I don’t know what this thing is!"

With a snarl, Pen lunged forward, faster than I’d ever seen her move before. Gimli barely raised his ax in time to block her, but the force of her blow sent him sprawling to the ground, his weapon knocked from his hands.

Right

This isn’t Pen

There is no protection magic around her yet she’s standing fine in the poisonous fog!

That thing isn’t human! Just someone who took her form!!

Vaerion tried to summon another spell, but she was on him in an instant, her claws swiping through the air. He stumbled back, barely avoiding the strike, his eyes wide with shock.

"Valenor!!" Gimli’s voice echoed throughout the forest, "Do something!"

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. We had thrown everything at Pen, No, whatever that thing was that looked like Pen.

But nothing worked. My mind raced, and that’s when it hit me—the witch’s words, echoing in the back of my mind: The Bringer of Death is weak to light.

Light.

I had light magic. I had rarely used it for combat—always for healing, for protection. But now, it was our only hope. The twisted figure in front of us wasn’t Pen. She was something darker, something ancient.

I had to act.

With trembling hands, I closed my eyes and focused, feeling the magic stir inside me. I called on the light, drawing it from deep within, until I felt a warm, radiant energy pulse through my veins.

"You!" I opened my eyes. The air around me shimmered, the light growing brighter, more intense, as it gathered at my fingertips, "What did you do with Pen!?!?" I shouted.

"Get back!" I shouted to the others. Theo and Vaerion stepped back, dragging the still-stunned Gimli with them. Pen’s eyes—no, the thing—turned toward me, her lips curling into a snarl.

I didn’t hesitate.

I thrust my hands forward, and a blinding burst of light exploded from my palms, cutting through the shadows of the forest. The beam struck Pen square in the chest, and for the first time since the fight began, she screamed. Her body jerked violently as the light burned into her, pushing her back.

The light clung to her, searing her skin, and I could see the dark energy around her flicker, weakening. She recoiled, her movements frantic, trying to escape the light that now bound her.

It was working.

"Keep going!" Vaerion urged, his voice sharp with urgency.

I poured more energy into the spell, feeling the light grow stronger, brighter, as it surged toward her. The purple haze of poison in the air seemed to retreat under the force of the light, shrinking back like shadows before a flame. Pen’s monstrous form writhed, her screams piercing the night, but she couldn’t escape it.

Her skin cracked under the intensity of the light, blackened veins crawling across her body like fissures in stone. She stumbled back, her steps faltering.

But I couldn’t stop. If I let up, she’d overwhelm us. I pushed harder, my breath coming in ragged gasps as the light magic drained me, but I held on, refusing to let go.

"Val!!!" I heard Pen’s voice, "Val! Stop!!" Her voice was coming from that creature, "Val! You’re hurting me! Val!!!!"

"Pen..." I whispered, my voice breaking.

"No!!" Theo screamed!! "That’s not Pen, Valenor!!!"

"Val!!!" She screamed and I couldn’t help myself.

I stopped. The magic faded and we all stood in our places, looking at her as she withered on the ground. The dust settled and I walked towards her carefully.

"Pen!" She looked at me then,

"Val..." Her voice was weak, just for a moment, and I thought I saw something human in her eyes—a flicker of recognition, of pain.

"Pen," I wanted to go over to her when Gimli and Vaerion caught me. Stopping me in my path.

"Don’t be fooled Valenor," Vaerion said, "That is not her," He looked at me firmly, "That is not Pen."

"But," I turned to look at her, "She looks,"

"Remember what the witch said!" Gimli said and I froze.

’Do not be fooled by the evil being’s form,’ I gulped as I recalled her words

"Then," I stared at Pen, "Where is she?" I frowned, "Where is my Pen!?!" I looked at them, then back at the evil being, "WHERE IS SHE!?!?!"

She looked back at me, "It’s me," Her voice was weak, "It’s me Val, I’m Pen."

!!!

My heart was pounding, "No," I shook my head, "You’re not. My Pen wouldn’t do this." I turned my face to look at the body of Rosemary, "My Pen and Rosemary were friends," I glared at her, "What did you do with her?!!" I removed my arms from the grips of my fellows and finally took out my sword.

"Where is Pen?!" I was ready to kill the evil thing that had taken the form of my beloved