"You all... underestimate me..."
The Queen's emerald eyes flickered as her body trembled, her regal composure barely holding against both the spiritual and physical toll. The dark chains had left behind more than just physical marks. Within her, black energies writhed like vipers, seeking to consume her very essence. Her connection to nature, usually so vibrant and strong, now felt distant—muted.
'Exactly as that boy warned,' she thought grimly.
Adrian's words came back to her like an echo: "If darkness falls, just pretend to be yourself." A cryptic phrase that now carried weight she hadn't anticipated.
The black energy clawed at her mind, whispers of doubt and corruption growing louder. She could feel it—this strange power trying to taint her, to twist her spirit into something unrecognizable. A few more of those attacks, and she would fall—not just in body but in soul.
Her fingers tightened into fists.
'I can never allow that...'
