Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 323: No last words

Third-person POV

Seraphina didn’t stop running.

Her legs were shaking, and her chest felt tight from all the panic, but she didn’t let herself slow down. She had no idea how long Yuna could hold off Iris, or if she even could, but Seraphina knew she had to take the chance and run. She had to get help.

She hurried down the stairs as fast as she could, gripping the railing to steady herself. Her heart kept pounding in her ears, and her throat still ached from where Iris had choked her. She was sore, scared, and trying not to fall apart.

All she could think about was Electra.

If she died... Electra would die too. That was what the sigil on her back meant, and that was the bond they shared now. She could still vividly remember everything that Electra’s grandfather had told her: that if one of them dies, the other does too.

And Iris had tried to kill her on purpose, just to make Electra suffer.

Seraphina still couldn’t believe it.

She knew Iris was cruel, but to go that far? To try to kill her just to get to Electra? It didn’t feel real, and she felt sick just thinking about it.

She kept running, turning down another hallway, eyes scanning for anyone, any guard, any teacher, even a student, but the halls were empty. Everyone was at the tournament.

She was alone.

Seraphina swallowed hard, pushing her tired legs to keep moving. She was so close to the door now, the one that led out of the more outward area, and she believed that once she was outside, she could find someone.

There had to be security around the building, or maybe someone still on campus who hadn’t gone to the tournament.

She reached the door and yanked it open, and her breath caught in her throat.

There was a man standing right outside the door.

Tall, still, and wearing all black from head to toe.

His face was covered with a full mask, a dark one with no features at all. Just two dark holes where his eyes should be, and his hands were in his pockets, like he was just waiting.

Seraphina froze, the door still halfway open in her hand.

The man didn’t move, and he didn’t speak. He just stood there, watching her.

Her heart dropped.

"W-Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaky.

The man tilted his head a little, still saying nothing. Just staring.

Seraphina’s fingers started to slip from the door handle. Her legs backed up a little, instinct making her move without thinking.

Then the man finally spoke. His voice was low and rough, like it had been scraped against gravel.

"You weren’t supposed to get away."

Seraphina’s eyes widened. "What?" she whispered. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"You were supposed to be dead by now," he said. "You should have fallen off the rooftop. That’s what was planned."

Her blood ran cold.

She stepped back slowly. "You’re with Iris?"

The man didn’t answer that, but she knew for a fact that he was.

Her stomach twisted, and without thinking twice, she turned and ran. She didn’t care that her legs felt like jelly or that she could barely breathe; she just ran. Down the hallway, away from the man, and her heart was pounding harder than it had all morning.

She didn’t hear him chasing her, but she didn’t dare look back.

Her only focus now was getting away.

Her breath came in panicked bursts as she ran, and she kept telling herself to keep moving, but her legs felt like they could give out at any moment. Her side ached, her throat burned, and every step felt like it might be her last, but she pushed on.

She turned a corner, thinking she was finally putting some distance between herself and the man in the mask, but just a second later, her heart sank.

She skidded to a halt and realized with a jolt of panic that she had somehow ended up running in a circle. She was back where she had started.

"No, no, no..." she whispered to herself, her eyes darting around.

She spun around quickly, hoping she could find another way out before it was too late, but then she heard a voice that made her entire body freeze.

"Well, well," Iris’s voice rang out, calm and amused, "going somewhere?"

Seraphina’s stomach twisted. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs, and she turned slowly, already knowing what she would see, and there she was.

Iris stood at the other end of the hallway, leaning casually against the wall like she had all the time in the world.

Seraphina’s first instinct was to run, but just as she turned to sprint the other way, the masked man appeared again.

Her eyes widened, and her legs refused to move. She was trapped.

One in front and one behind.

She looked between them, trying to find even the smallest gap to escape through, but there was none. She was completely cornered.

"Iris..." Seraphina said, trying to sound calm even though her voice was shaking. "You don’t have to do this. This is insane, and you’ll ruin your life. Please, just stop."

Iris laughed bitterly. "Oh, sweetheart," she said. "You’re acting like my life isn’t already ruined. Besides, it’s too late for begging."

"I get it, you hate me, and you hate Electra, but this—this is murder," Seraphina tried again, stepping back slowly even though there was nowhere to go.

"Murder?" Iris scoffed. "Do you think that’s supposed to scare me? I already crossed that line, child. Ask your little friend Yuna."

Her tone sent a shiver down Seraphina’s spine. Her eyes flicked toward Iris’s arm, where the skin around her wrist was starting to look dark and swollen.

Iris noticed Seraphina’s gaze and flexed her injured hand.

"Can’t kill you myself," she said, almost like she was talking to herself. "Not with this hand. That damned snake’s poison is already spreading."

Seraphina felt a flicker of hope, but it vanished when Iris turned to the masked man and said coldly, "Do it."

The man didn’t even hesitate. He stepped forward with a calm pace and pulled something from his pocket. A knife.

Seraphina’s legs trembled, and she couldn’t breathe. Every part of her screamed at her to run, but there was no way out.

She tried one last time. "You don’t have to do this! Please, if you let me go, no one has to know what happened..."

"Enough," Iris snapped. Her face was twisted into a maniacal smile. "Do you have any final words, Seraphina?"

Seraphina shook her head, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Please..."

Iris didn’t even flinch. Using her good hand, she shoved Seraphina forward. Seraphina stumbled right into the arms of the masked man, and without a word, he stabbed her.

The knife plunged into her stomach, the force of it knocking the air from her lungs. The pain was sharp, deep, and blinding. She gasped, her hands flying to her abdomen, trying to hold the wound like that would somehow stop the bleeding.

Her legs gave out, and she dropped to the ground, the world already spinning around her.

Iris stood over her, still watching. "See? That wasn’t so hard."

Seraphina could barely hear her. Everything was starting to fade, the colors, the sounds, and the pain turning into something dull and heavy, but through the haze, one thought kept screaming in her head:

Electra.

She had to stay alive.

She had to.