Chapter 199
Blood spilled from Negan’s mouth, staining his lips and chin.
I feared the worst.
“No… no, no, no,” I muttered, gripping his hand tighter.
“Negan, wake up!” I half-yelled, desperate for him to wake up.
His breathing was shallow, and the color drained from his face.
Panic surged through me like wildfire.
Kaene cursed under his breath, shaking Negan’s shoulder. “Negan, come on. Open your eyes p>
But he didn’t stir.
The others stood frozen, their faces grim.
The fear of losing him shook me to my core.
Sir Alan took a hesitant step forward. “If he isn’t waking up, then his soul He let the words hang, as if not saying them would somehow make things better.
I swallowed hard because I knew exactly what he meant. Negan wasn’t just trapped in a nightmare, his soul might be gone.
I turned sharply to the others. “We can’t just stand here! We have to do something before it’s too late p>
They were so sluggish, as if none of this concerned them.
Sir Elijah scoffed. “And what do you suggest? We barely survived our own nightmares. You think we can waltz into his and pull him out p>
His Indifference made my blood boil. His words grated on my nerves.
“How selfish are you? Can’t you see he’s dying for crying out loud p>
He stiffened at my words, his jaw tightening.
“I don’t care how impossible it sounds! I won’t stand here and let him die!” I snapped, glaring at him.
Kaene stepped closer, squeezing my hand. “She’s right. If we don’t act now, we might lose him forever p>
Sir Elijah muttered a curse under his breath but said nothing more.
He better keep his mouth shut. Selfish bastard.
Lycan Davos, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“We need Iona p>
That bitch? No way. I didn’t want to see her face.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“She left us here. Do you really think she’s willing to help?” I clenched my jaw in anger, running a hand through my hair in frustration.
“She’s the only one who knows exactly what was done to us.” Kaene added.
“Whether we like it or not, we have to go to her.” Sir Alan agreed, nodding along with Kaene’s words.
I hated the idea. Iona had manipulated us into this ritual, abandoned us without a second thought, and now we were supposed to seek help from her?
Heck! She didn’t even tell us what the ritual meant. But when I looked down at Negan’s still body, I knew we had no choice.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “But if she tries anything, I swear p>
Kaene placed a hand on my shoulder. “We won’t let her.” He said firmly.
As we made to leave, I suddenly remembered Elder Gita.
“Wait, Elder Gita can help.” My voice filled with hope. Maybe we didn’t need Iona after all.
Sir Elijah stared at me as if I had just spoken a different language. “Tell me, Luna, was it Elder Gita who performed this ritual for us?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
To be fair, Iona didn’t perform the ritual either, but he had a point.
We didn’t move Negan from where he lay, fearing it might disrupt something, so we left him in the ritual room.
When we stepped into the hallway, we saw Iona already standing there, as if she had been expecting us.
She wore a white, form-fitting gown, her hair swept to the left side of her face.
She smiled, and my fury sprang to life.
“You survived. Impressive.” She said, amused.
What the fuck is she spewing? Her words ignited my anger. She spoke as if this was a game. We had risked our lives, and this was her response?
“Negan is still trapped, and he’s dying. Fix it.” Kaene didn’t waste time.
Iona turned, raising a brow. “Fix it? You all agreed to this ritual.” She shrugged nonchalantly.
“No one agreed to dying.” I shot back, my temper at its peak.
She smirked. “Didn’t you p>
“You crazy witch! Is this a joke to you?” Sir Elijah spat out, his rage mirroring mine.
Kaene held my hand, as if trying to calm me. But I could feel his anger too.
She simply ignored him.
Stepping forward, her gaze settled on Kaene. “His soul is caught between the dream realm and death. To put it simply, he died In his dream p>
I gasped in shock, my eyes widening in disbelief. I never thought something like that could happen.
Everyone’s expression mirrored mine. The reality of the situation hit us hard.
I looked at Kaene. This was his best friend we were talking about.
He grimaced, his face tightening with sorrow.
“So, can you help?” Lycan Davos spoke first, regaining his composure before the rest of us.
“If I wanted to, I could drag him out.” She said as if our words bored her.
“Then do it,” I snapped.
She scoffed. “Such impatience. Follow me p>
Iona led us to a dimly lit chamber and stopped before a mirror. Its surface flickered oddly, the reflection shifting in a wavy pattern.
Kaene stepped forward, his voice dangerously low. “What do you want, Iona p>
A good question, because every moment we wasted, Negan got closer to the inevitable.
“Nothing. In fact, I plan to help,” she said with a smile.
“Why?” I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously.
Her expression darkened, the playful glint in her eyes finally vanishing. “Because it doesn’t matter whether you live or die. The ancient ones are already waiting for you p>
The air grew heavier at her words.
“What do you mean?” Kaene asked.
Iona turned back to the mirror, tracing symbols along its surface with her fingers. “Those of you awake can see the ancient ones now, while I and Gita handle the unconscious one p>
My blood ran cold. Wait, the ancient ones we had long waited to see?
“You will have to face them now. You don’t keep them waiting.” She murmured, her tone laced with something I knew too well since I got here.
Fear.
She was afraid of them.
Then, before we could argue, strange energy filled the air. The mirror pulsed with an eerie glow.
A portal appeared, leading somewhere unknown.
“Go in. I wish you luck.” she said, looking genuinely concerned for us.