Her Struggle

[Ayla’s POV]

Fear begins to claw at me with each step that I take, despite everything in me screaming no. Whatever this fucking serum Barren injected me with was, it was powerful, and even with tapping into my strongest abilities, I couldn’t seem to stop.

‘Do something,’ I hiss at the darkness, which had seemed to go dormant. ‘Before we both do something we regret.’

I’m met with silence, causing my heart to drop as I realize that maybe the darkness was completely subdued due to the return of my abilities.

This wasn’t good; I had to do something, but as I begged the universe to help me overcome this obstacle, I was easily led to the front of the temple.

"It seems they were anticipating our arrival," Barren murmurs, looking around at the many guards who are waiting for us. "But no worries, they’re just a minor hindrance."

Letting out a laugh, he makes a bunch of roots explode from the ground that quickly wrap around the guards while I watch in horror and am unable to help.

Gasps and yel