"Angel!"
Just before Berry blew the powder, Angus's voice sounded from inside.
Startled, Berry quickly hid the powder as Angus emerged from the house.
"Angel, are you alright? Are you fine?" Angus immediately asked, worry evident on his face.
"Err, why are you asking me such a question out of the blue?" Lily replied, rather speechless as she couldn't understand why Angus was suddenly anxious.
"Just now, I sensed that you were in danger. Are you sure you're alright?" Angus inquired again, checking Lily's body for any signs of distress.
Lily was now tongue-tied. "I think you've set yourself into an early alarm. Don't always be on guard. Look, besides me and Berry, no one else is here. Oh, and plus you're now here, so where could the danger come from?" A playful smirk appeared on her face.
Angus glanced at Berry, and his brows suddenly knitted together dangerously. He lifted his tail, prepared to capture Berry, but Lily immediately stopped him.
"Angus, what's wrong with you?!" Lily shouted, shielding Berry protectively.
Angus met Lily's gaze. "Angel, believe me, the danger is coming from her. I can sense it."
Lily's brows furrowed tightly.
"You're not doubting him, are you?" Star's voice suddenly resonated.
"I just can't bring myself to doubt him," Lily responded.
"Congratulations, then. I can confirm that he's telling the truth: this Berry here isn't Berry, and she's here to harm you," Star explained.
Lily's eyes widened, and she was about to flee from Berry, but it was too late. Before she could react, Berry had already grabbed her.
"Let go!" Lily struggled, but somehow she couldn't free herself.
Without wasting any time, Angus wrapped his tail around Lily, pushing berry back and dragging lily out from Berry's grip.
Liam and the others arrived and witnessed the scene. Without hesitation, they immediately captured Berry.
Lily looked at Berry, about to say something, but then sneezed twice in a row.
"Angel!"
Lily blinked twice, feeling dizzy. It turned out that during the time Berry held her, she has had spread some of the powder on her.
"Am... am," Lily stammered.
Angus held her tightly, worry clearly visible on his face. "Angel! How are you feeling?"
Lily struggled to stay conscious. "Just... feel like... sleeping," she murmured and lost consciousness right away.
"Angel!" they all shouted.
"What happened to her?" Liam no longer cared about Berry and immediately rushed to Lily's side. "Angel! Beauty, wake up!" He pulled Lily away from Angus's embrace.
A frown appeared on Art's face as he moved closer. "She's sleeping. There seems to be nothing wrong with her," he remarked, caressing Lily's face gently.
"Are you sure nothing is wrong with her?" Malik's anxious voice questioned.
Art remained silent, his brows knitting tighter. "She seems fine; I can't fully understand her situation clearly. Had I mated with her, I would have known exactly what was wrong," he thought. "But I noticed that Berry is possessed," he announced.
Everyone's gaze fixed on Berry, who was already unconscious.
"Take Angel to rest first," Angus suggested.
"Okay," Liam replied, and he immediately carried Lily inside.
"I still think that something isn't right with Angel; I just can't pinpoint what it is," Angus said with a frown.
"Let's try to get Berry conscious first. We'll understand what happened to Angel through her," Malik proposed.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
...Late at night...
Lily suddenly opened her eyes. Her face was emotionless and pale, as if she wasn't conscious at all. She stood up from the bed and slowly moved out as if someone was controlling her.
"Come! Come! Come!"
A strange voice continued echoing in her head, and like a possessed doll, she walked out of the house, following the direction the voice instructed her.
Lily continued walking until she was far from home, and then the voice suddenly stopped. Hearing no more commands, Lily stood rooted in one spot, her gaze fixed ahead without blinking.
"Grandfather! She's here!" Viva's excited voice echoed as he ran up to Lily. "But grandfather, she's just as Berry described—she's too ugly compared to when I first saw her. What could have happened to her?" He laments heartbrokenly.
"If you don't want her anymore, I can just dismiss her," Viva's grandfather replied.
"No, grandfather! Though she's ugly now, her eyes are still the same— even more beautiful. I still want her."
"Fine, the soul-controlling charm will soon complete its work. Let's start the ritual of controlling her completely; this way, she will only belong to you. As for her mate, that snake will surely trace her here using the connection they both share. Take this thorn stick and cut off the mate mark on her neck," Viva's grandfather announced, handing a thorn stick to Viva.
Viva took it and looked at his grandfather. "Cutting off mate marks can only be done willingly by the female. Without her consent, it won't be removed." He stated worriedly.
"You need not worry; I know this already. But she's not in her right mind now. Her emotions have been stripped away. Just place the thorn in her hand and use her hand to cut it—it's that simple."
"Right," Viva nodded and moved closer to Lily. He held up her hand and positioned the thorn as his grandfather instructed, he was just about to use her hand to cut off the mark when suddenly, a hand snatched the thorn from Lily's grasp and used it to injure Viva's arm.
"Arrg!" Viva screamed in pain and stumbled back several steps. "How dare you—" he began, boiling with rage, but as his eyes fell on who had intervened, he was stunned.
Standing beside Lily was a peerlessly handsome man with long ashy hair. Bathed in the silvery moonlight, he radiated an ethereal beauty. His eyes sparkled like stars, glowing with intensity. Cold winds tousled his long hair, lending him an almost divine appearance. A small snow crown adorned his head, adding to his striking allure. His bare chest was muscular and snow-white, exuding a seductive charm; he was simply too perfect. The air around him was chillingly cold, filled with a palpable aura of deadly intent.
"Snow... snow... Snow Hawk!" both Viva and his grandfather exclaimed in unison, visibly shaken.
"Since you are not afraid of the snake and dragon, I can only personally pay you a visit," the handsome man's cold voice resonated.
Viva's grandfather immediately dropped to his knees. "We've made a mistake! This won't happen again; please forgive us!" he pleaded.
"Please... please, we beg for your forgiveness!" Viva echoed, kneeling immediately alongside his grandfather.
The handsome man regarded them as if they were nothing more than insects. "Have you ever heard that I left my territory to go outside and returned to my palace without shedding blood along the way?"
Both grandfather and son trembled, tears streaming down their faces.
"She... doesn't like to see blood; I won't shed blood," he declared, picking Lily up horizontally in his arms as two pairs of snowy white huge wings unfurled from his back.
Seeing the handsome figure preparing to depart, both Viva and his grandfather celebrated inwardly, believing they had been spared. But suddenly, they felt their bodies freezing up.
"Snow Hawk!" Viva's grandfather exclaimed, his teeth chattering from the icy grip enveloping him.
"I won't let her see blood, but you cannot continue to live," he stated coldly, leaving behind his chilling words as he soared into the sky.
Viva and his grandfather continued to call out the handsome man's name, but there was no response. Viva's grandfather had only his son to blame. They struggled against the encroaching cold, but they could not break free, and thus, they were frozen to death.