"Oh, Mister Warlock." No one heard Marse''s voice outside the barrier, but Isaiah could read her mouth. "You''re here?"


    Isaiah had his hands open while blood dripped from his fingertips. The scar on the back of his hand glowed brightly, but instead of appearing amazing, it looked painful. Locking Marse inside a barrier was hard since she was powerful, but he had to.


    "My, my. What a pitiful bunch." Marse clicked her tongue continuously, shaking her head, and nting her hand on the transparent barrier. "Grand Duke, you shouldn''t keep me locked up in here. I mean, do you even know what will happen if Maleficent awakened?"


    Isaiah didn''t respond, but he could easily read what Marse was saying.


    The corner of her lips curled up into a smirk. "I''m just trying to help my brother since Maximus slightly irked me. You guys shouldn''t be doing this spell. You know, that''s what Maximus wanted."


    There was a part of Isaiah that slightly waned upon Marse''s remarks, but he didn''t give in. Marse would say anything to put doubt in people''s hearts. Isaiah trusted Abel and Aries.


    "She''s saying the truth."


    Suddenly, Isaiah heard Sunny''s tiny voice on his side. He gazed down to this side, only to see Sunny sporting a solemn front that had a tinge of horror as if a realization dawned on her.


    "Marse is telling the truth," Sunny repeated as panic suddenly dominated her face, turning to Marcia and Bertha. "Stop —!"


    Just as Sunny yelled, her voice was cut off as her heart thudded, almost making her soul leave her body abruptly. At that same moment, Bertha and Marcia stopped chanting, falling on the floor with a thud.


    The two seeded, but this sess wasn''t for Aries''s side, but for the enemy.


    The barrier surrounding Marse slowly vanished, allowing herughter to echo in the great hall. Marse was hunching in, arms on her abdomen, back trembling. When she straightened her spine, she raised her chin, eyes down on Isaiah and Sunny.


    "Oh, look at your faces," was the first thing she said, spreading her arms wide open in joy. "How I wish to see my brother''s expression as realization kicks in."


    As herughter subsided, the corner of her lips curled up into a sinister smirk. Her eyes moved in Abel''s direction, seeing her brother sitting on the chair with his eyes shut.


    "Sleep tight, my brother dear. Let''s not see each other anymore." Marse smirked, shifting her attention to Isaiah and Sunny.


    The moment she met Isaiah''s eyes, thetter immediately squatted to pick up Sunny.


    "Let''s go!" he yelled without any exnation, taking Sunny away from here before Aries — who seemed to have awakened her witch — would harm everyone.


    "Run and hide!" As Isaiah skipped from space to space with Sunny in his arms, he could still hear Marse''s echoing screams. "But there is no ce we will not find you!"


    Isaiah ground his teeth, pulling Sunny into his embrace protectively. Meanwhile, Sunny''s dted and nk eyes kept them over his shoulder. She watched Marseugh evilly while Isaiah took her away.


    Little Sunny didn''t say anything, but her expression said it all.


    Everything turned for the worse which no one expected.


    <strong>***********</strong>


    <strong>Meanwhile…</strong>


    "Watch out!"


    Aries snapped her eyes, flinching slightly as a dark spear pierced through the ground several steps from her. Her gaze moved up slowly, catching Third hop several steps back from the ck spear.


    "Maleficent," she whispered, having this strong emotion in her heart that was the same as what she felt the second she met Fabian.


    "My empress, why did you even ask to stay behind if you will just stand there?" Fabian''s voice came to her side, wrapped his fingers around the dark spear, and pulled it out of the ground. When she shifted her attention to him, Fabian cocked his head to the side.


    "You''re not helping me, my empress," he rified, smiling. "Marse is, uhm… somewhere…"


    Fabian raised his head, setting his eyes in the banquet''s direction. "Ah. There. In the banquet. She''ll kill everyone."


    <strong>''How can he keep his cool after knowing things might go the wrong way?''</strong> she wondered, but then again, she got her answer immediately.


    The problems here were mainly Aries and the people of the empire. Fabian''s issue was something personal. Therefore, it was only natural for him to not care about others.


    "I know," Aries whispered, sadness resurfacing in her eyes, keeping her attention on Maximus. "Suzanne is a very sweetdy."


    "You are vicious." Fabian pointed out, peeling his eyes from her. "You knew giving her the spot of thedy-in-waiting will put her in great danger, yet you still did. You''re born evil."


    "Thanks for reminding me, Reverend."


    Fabian chuckled with his lips closed. "Your sarcasm is quite funny."


    "Cover for me, Fabian." Aries abruptly changed the topic, sizing up Maximus from head to toe. "Marcia and Bertha are also there."


    "Are you sure they were and not just because of my spear?"


    "Just do it."


    Fabian''s eyes squinted, but his smile showed more irritation than happiness. "Don''t order me around. I wield Maleficent, not the other way around."


    "You wield what is stolen." She cast him a side-eye. "Though I do not have any intentions of taking that rotten thing back, I need the rest."


    "I''ll take that as a promise, then." His eyes glinted, taking a step whilst spinning the dark spear as if it was simply an extension of his body. "Do not break it."


    The moment those words rolled out of Fabian''s tongue, the ground underneath his feet cracked, creating a hollow. He then catapulted towards Third like a bolt of lightning, keeping the man busy while Aries gather the energy in the empire.


    Aries stood still in the same spot, looking heavenward. The energy in the air wasn''t visible, but she could feel it slowly dominating the air, condensing into one giant ball that slowly embraced her body. It slowly took the oxygen around her until it suffocated her, leaving her gasping.


    "Ah…" Her mouth fell open. It felt as though the energy was going inside her mouth, choking on her own breath, eyes turning red. Aries groped her neck as she gagged, and then another minute passed, and her body slowly fell to the ground with a thud.


    <strong>CLASH!</strong>


    Fabian hopped back several steps from Third, ncing over his shoulder, seeing Aries unconscious on the ground. In his mind, he was uncertain if that was part of her n, or if she just couldn''t take the energy that was lent to her.


    "Haha…" Fabian arched his brow upon hearing Third''sughter, setting his eyes back on the man. "... oh, Maleficent. I want her back, but it seemed her power''s new host was stronger than expected."


    Third smirked at his opponent, detecting the slight confusion in thetter''s eyes. "I had always thought you were amazing, Fabian. However, you are just nothing, a nobody without that spear."


    That moment, Fabian nced at his dark spear, seeing the dark shroud slowly drift away, heading to Aries behind him. His breath suspended, looking back, only to realize the dark shroud that initially surrounded his spear floated to Aries.


    The dark shroud surrounded her unconscious body, lifting her until her feet left the ground. All Fabian saw was Aries opening her eyes to reveal the dark glow in them. A dark tear rolled down to her side. Her tear was akin to a sharp de, tearing her skin to show cracks on the side of her face down to her neck.


    "You have… broken your promise…" Fabian breathed out, keeping his sharp, thin eyes on Aries''s figure that was mid-air. "... Aries."