The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 98: Ninety-seven

Every part of her being was on alert, her senses heightened as she took in every sound and movement around her.

She raised a hand and clutched the linen shirt in front of her heart and could feel her heart beating through her chest, the sound of her own breathing harsh in her ears.

Her mind was racing, her thoughts overwhelmed by the memories she saw and felt, every muscle in her body was tense, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

The fear that was coursing through her body was almost terrifying and real, her heart still pounding in her chest as she tried to keep herself from panicking.

Jannah’s eyesight was blurry with fear, her eyes trained at the woman behind the cell.

In an instant, the woman she could barely see suddenly exploded and bursted into a violent spray of red, into dozens of tiny, bloody chunks— the air thick with the metallic scent of blood.

The force of the blast sent Jannah tumbling backwards which made her realize that she was too close to the cell.

"Countess!"

She heard someone call out as she tumbled, a pair of strong and muscular arms wrapping around her with her sight getting blocked by someone’s chest, making her close her eyes.

She felt the person who embraced her cushion her fall, the rumble of that person’s chest vibrating against her cheek.

However, she didn’t care about them or her at the moment, she quickly pulled away and sat up to see the state of the woman— only for her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the empty space where the woman was just moments before.

The once-living person had been reduced to nothing but a bloody mess of chunks of flesh and bone that lay scattered all around the interior of the cell.

The ground was wet and slippery from the spray of the woman’s blood, making Jannah start to tremble from the shock.

What happened to Aria’s mother..? Jannah thought, her pupils dilating and shaking as her breathing came out in short, quick gasps.

Just like when she found out that there was a zombie in Count Nige’s manor, she felt her emotions overwhelming her as she struggled to process what she had witnessed.

Her body started shaking, her hands trembling uncontrollably and her breathing came out short and ragged. Her eyes clouded, her mind racing with a flood of negative thoughts and emotions.

Did I kill the mother..? Did I turn her into that? What did I do..? What happened..? Jannah could feel the sensation of fear and terror coursing through her veins, clawing to get out, gnarling against her skin.

I’m a monster.. What I just did.. That’s not right.. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and her mind filled with images of the horrific scene she had just witnessed— both from the mother’s memories and from seeing the woman blow into smithereens.

She tightened her arms to her chest, feeling completely powerless and vulnerable.

The woman felt her heart rate increasing as the moment passed by, her mind still racing, her thoughts coming in clouded, chaotic bursts.

She clenched her fists, her knuckles white with tight tension.

She could feel the familiar tightening in her chest, the sensation of a knot in her stomach, the feeling of her throat closing and clogging.

Her body felt tense and rigid despite the fact that she’s trembling, like every muscle was flexing tightly, ready to snap at any moment.

Jeriel.. Jeriel.. She called for her little sister unconsciously as she tried to take deep breaths, but her chest felt heavy, her lungs barely filling with air.

Jannah was hyperventilating at this point, inhaling air as if she was drowning, her breaths coming in ragged and shallow puffs of air.

She clutched the cloth of her shirt, her fingers trembling uncontrollably.

She felt a wave of nausea roll through her, her stomach clenched with a tightness that was almost unbearable as her eyes shifted from the blood splattered all over the walls to the pieces of flesh scattered around.

No, no, no, stop, stop looking at those things! Jannah tried to scold herself, her grip on her shirt tightening as she looked away from the cell, her gaze moving around the room, but the cell.

As Jannah struggled to catch her breath, struggling desperately to control herself from breaking down, she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, holding her close.

She found herself pulled into a tight embrace, her body pressed up against the person holding her.

The arms tightened around her, pulling her against a lean, but muscular body, the heat radiating from their skin like a furnace, the soothing feeling of their touch as their hand moved gently over her back, rubbing slow circles.

She had expected it to be her little sister, but the scent was unfamiliar, but it was still comforting, a subtle mix of musk and soap.

Unconsciously, she leaned into the embrace, her trembling body pressed closely to the person’s body, burying her face on their chest, not caring if she was being too close for comfort.

She had seen people lose limbs in the battle, she had witnessed someone getting their heads and limbs severed from their body, but she hadn’t seen someone blow into pieces just like Aria’s mother.

Not only that.. When she used the skill, Mind’s Eye, to gather information and see what could be the mother’s intention of letting her fellow women get assaulted— she saw and felt horrible things.

Those men.. They did everything first to Aria’s mother, they touched her, they violated her, they did a lot of things— and Jannah experienced all the pain and suffering the woman went through.

She could still feel their hands on her body, touching and groping, feeling her skin with their disgusting palms— making Jannah’s lips tremble as her arms got tighter around her chest, hugging herself and curling closer to the person who caged her in their arms.

Her mind continued to race with questions, her eyes continued to stay unfocused as she got flashes of memories from Aria’s mother.

If Jannah experienced such horrible and terrifying things then how would the head butler, Marco, hold up if he uses it on someone?

"No, no, no.. I can’t let him use it.. He would lose his mind if he did.." Jannah muttered under her breath, raising a hand to clutch her hair tightly, "Marco can’t use it.. He can’t.. I don’t want him to experience the things those people have experienced.."

Jannah continued to mumble, unaware of what was happening in her surroundings.

She was unaware at how the Duke stared at the cell where the mother of the little girl was supposed to be, his purple eyes narrowed and glaring daggers at the pool of blood.

Just what did the Countess see for her to react like this? Duke Eulicies wondered, looking away from the cell and staring at the woman in his arms who was still shaking, but not as hard as earlier.

When he got called by Kirie, saying that Jannah had asked him to go to the basement, he was ecstatic.

He expected to be the Countess’s assistant for the day which made him feel happy and excited all the way from the mansion to the previously known mail house.

However, that excitement and happiness immediately went out of the window when he saw the erratic state of the woman who called for him.

Before he could get close to Jannah though, the woman inside the cell suddenly turned and exploded into small pieces, the pieces of her flying everywhere with her blood spluttering on the wall and ground.

It was a terrifying sight, but nothing is more terrifying than seeing Jannah start to lose the usual amused and calm look in her eyes.

Yes, nothing was more terrifying than to see Jannah stumbled back in fright.

When he saw that Jannah had stepped on the woman’s hand that was still oozing with blood, he was fast to lunge forward and wrap his arms around her head and spin himself around so he would be the one receiving the pain instead of the Countess.

All he could do was protect her from the pain since he knows that he can’t do much other than offering a comforting embrace.

It wasn’t even a moment later when he heard rapid and quick footsteps approach the basement. Then, he heard the door slammed open, a crack soon followed which indicates that something broke.

He turned his head to the stairs, his eyes narrowed and his arms tightening around Jannah in a protective manner.

However, the glare from his eyes vanished when he saw that the person was just Jeriel.

"What happened?!" The youngest Rafelon asked, rushing towards him and Jannah, kneeling beside him and unwrapping his arms around the Countess so Jeriel could see Jannah.

"Sis? Sis? Big sis." Jeriel called out softly, cupping Jannah’s cheeks into her palm as she tried to get her big sister’s attention.

Hearing the familiar voice and the familiar comforting scent of her little sister, Jannah perked up almost immediately and tackled Jeriel into a hug when she saw that it was indeed the person she was looking for.

"You’re okay." Jeriel breathed out a sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms around Jannah.

"I’m not okay.."