Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 322: Stupid Snake

Third-person POV

Yuna was frozen for a second. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest, not from fear, but from the overwhelming rush of disbelief.

She had known Iris was unstable and very unpredictable. The kind of psychopath who was very capable of laughing when others were crying and found chaos amusing, and that was the very reason she had teamed up with her in the first place.

Because she had wanted to cause chaos too, not just any kind of chaos, though. She wanted Electra to feel what it was like to lose, to break, and to see her whole life fall apart.

But this?

This was something else entirely.

Iris had just tried to murder someone, and not in some heat-of-the-moment rage. No, she had planned this and thought it through. She had taken Seraphina to the rooftop, choked her nearly unconscious, and had been seconds away from pushing her off the edge when Yuna stepped in.

Now, Iris stood a few feet away, still grinning like she hadn’t done anything wrong. Her red curls blew in the soft wind, and her hands were covered in faint scratches from Seraphina’s desperate fight to survive. She looked completely unfazed.

"Snap out of it, Iris," Yuna hissed, her voice shaking with rage. "Are you insane? What did you think was going to happen if the school found out you tried to murder someone?"

Iris tilted her head, then started laughing. It wasn’t even a nervous laugh, it was loud and carefree, like the question itself was ridiculous.

"Oh, Yuna," Iris said in a mocking tone, wiping a fake tear from the corner of her eye. "You’re adorable and also so naïve. Do you really think this school would report it as murder?"

Yuna narrowed her eyes. "It is murder."

Iris just shrugged. "No, it’s suicide. That’s what they’ll say. Poor, fragile Seraphina jumped off the roof, and everyone will believe it because she’s quiet. She doesn’t have many friends, besides following Electra, who everyone knows bullied her, around like a lost puppy. All the signs are there."

Iris twirled her finger in the air, smiling. "And no one would even question it, not in a place like Elysium."

Yuna’s stomach twisted. She wanted to yell, to scream, to grab Iris by the collar and shake her senseless, but the scariest part of all was there was a part of her that believed Iris might be right.

Elysium wasn’t normal, everyone here had secrets, powerful bloodlines, and political ties, and this shithole school cared more about reputation than justice.

Iris looked up at the sky and closed her eyes, realizing that the sun had fully risen now.

"It’s the perfect time," she whispered. "The early morning sun... It’s the most peaceful hour for a phoenix to unravel. Don’t you agree?"

Yuna flinched at the word.

Unravel.

From the little that she knew, thanks to her obsession with Electra, she knew that’s what it’s called when a phoenix dies, experiences a burning out, and a final blaze before their body disintegrates into light and ash.

Iris turned back to her with that same maddening smile. "So for your own good, stay out of my way, Yuna."

Yuna clenched her fists, trying to steady her breath.

Below them, the distant sound of cheering drifted up from the tournament grounds. The Revernyn tournament had already begun, and everyone was watching the games. Everyone was distracted.

Except for the three of them on the roof.

Yuna glanced at Seraphina, who had somehow managed to pull herself a few feet away from the edge. Her legs were trembling, her breaths shallow, and her eyes, red and unfocused, kept darting between Iris and the stairs.

She was trying to escape.

Good.

Yuna needed to give her a chance, and that meant she had to do something.

Without warning, Yuna took a step forward, then another. Her feet moved faster than her thoughts, and before Iris could realize what was happening, Yuna lunged.

She tackled Iris straight in the stomach, pushing her back and away from Seraphina.

The two of them fell to the ground with a loud thud, Yuna pinning Iris down as best she could.

"Seraphina, run!" Yuna shouted.

Seraphina didn’t hesitate. Still clutching her neck, she scrambled to her feet and staggered toward the stairs.

Iris screamed, furious now. "You stupid traitor!"

She shoved Yuna off with surprising strength, scrambling to her knees, but it was too late, Seraphina had already disappeared down the stairs.

Yuna stood too, backing away with her arms raised in case Iris tried to attack.

"Do you think she’s going to thank you?" Iris snarled, pointing toward the staircase. "You think Electra will thank you for this?"

"I don’t care," Yuna said, breathing hard. "I just didn’t want to be part of your sick game anymore."

Iris’s eyes glinted with rage, and she looked almost inhuman in that moment, like someone who had finally dropped every last ounce of sanity.

"I gave you a chance," Iris whispered, stepping forward. "I gave you a place by my side. You were supposed to be on my team."

Yuna shook her head. "I was never on your team. I just didn’t know how far you’d go."

Iris let out a short, bitter laugh, and Yuna took a step back, suddenly unsure of what she’d just triggered. She could easily tell that Iris was angry, furious even, but the look in her eyes now wasn’t just rage, it was just something completely sinister.

Before Yuna could take another step, Iris lunged forward.

Her hands were on Yuna’s throat in an instant, just like they had been on Seraphina’s minutes earlier. The force knocked Yuna back a few steps, and her foot skidded dangerously close to the rooftop edge.

She gasped, clutching at Iris’s wrists, trying to break free, but Iris wasn’t budging.

"You think you’ve done something heroic?" Iris snarled, her face inches away from Yuna’s.

Yuna tried to respond, but the grip around her neck was like iron, and no air could pass through. Her lips opened and closed like a fish out of water, and the burning in her lungs was getting worse with every second.

"Just because you’re going to die in her place now..." Iris hissed through gritted teeth, "...doesn’t mean she’s getting away, you foolish little girl. Seraphina is still going to die."

Yuna’s eyes widened, her confusion evident. What did that even mean? Was Iris planning something else? Something worse?

But she couldn’t speak and couldn’t ask. All she could do was claw at the hands around her neck, her panic rising as her vision began to blur.

Iris shoved her forward, closer to the edge of the rooftop, and for a brief moment, Yuna felt her heels scraping against nothing but air. Her body wobbled, and her knees threatened to buckle, but Iris held her steady, still choking her, still enjoying the way Yuna squirmed beneath her hands. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Yuna struggled, kicked, and punched, but it was useless. A half-snake like her was strong in her own right, but she was no match for a full-blooded phoenix. Especially not one like Iris, who was driven by fury and madness.

She could feel her energy slipping. Her legs were shaking, her arms were weak, and everything inside her screamed that this was the end.

But if it really was... then she wasn’t going to go down without a final strike.

Summoning what little strength she had left, Yuna curled her fingers tightly. Her venomous nails extended, and with one last gasp of willpower, she dug them into Iris’s arms with all the strength she could muster.

Iris screamed.

The sound was loud and furious, and her skin sizzled where Yuna’s poison had entered, turning red on contact.

In a blind rage, Iris shoved Yuna with full force, and Yuna’s body flew off the rooftop like a ragdoll.

For a split second, Yuna felt like she was floating. Her hair whipped around her face, the wind roared in her ears, and her lungs still screamed for air. The world tilted and spun as she fell.

Then...

A sickening thud rang out as her body slammed into the ground below, and everything stopped.

Iris stood at the edge of the roof, breathing hard, her arms trembling from the effort and the shock. Her hair was a tangled mess around her shoulders, and her eyes were wide and wild, like she couldn’t quite believe what she had just done.

But slowly... her lips curled into a smile.

She leaned slightly over the edge, watching Yuna’s body lie still on the courtyard, and from this height, it looked like she wasn’t moving at all.

"Good riddance," Iris whispered, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

She backed away from the ledge, her heartbeat finally starting to slow, the rush of adrenaline fading. She’d done what needed to be done. Yuna had chosen the wrong side, and now she was gone.

But then... a sudden sting shot up her arm, and Iris looked down.

Her left arm, the one Yuna had scratched, was turning an ugly shade of purple. The skin was swelling, and veins were darkening, which was the mark of venom.

Her eyes narrowed. She flexed her hand, but pain shot through her wrist, and the area around the wound was already blistering.

Her smile fell.

"That stupid snake," she hissed, clenching her jaw.