Chapter 107: THE CHAINED MONSTER IN HER

VIVIAN

Vivian released Eric.

His body fell heavily to the ground, and he immediately rolled onto his side, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

"Cough! Cough!"

He clutched his chest, his face twisted in pain.

He thought he was going to die in this weird girls hand. But suddenly she let go of him.

Vivian stood before him, looking down at him without the slightest trace of sympathy.

"Speak."

Her voice was frighteningly calm.

Eric trembled. He struggled to push himself up, but the pain in his chest forced him back down.

"I swear! I swear to the Peace of Haxia that everything I told you is true!"

He raised both hands into the air as if making a desperate oath before the entire Federation.

"I didn’t do it! I wasn’t the one who made the decision! Not my.business."

Vivian tilted her head. "Then who did?"

Eric swallowed painfully. "The family..."

His voice trembled. "It was the family’s decision."

Vivian said nothing.

Eric looked at her pale face and hurriedly continued.

"You were only three years old when your beast bloodline showed signs of awakening. At that time, everyone thought you would become a powerful beast because you were born into the Astronova family."

He coughed again, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"But your beast form was a fox."

Vivian’s fingers slowly curled. "A fox...of course I am." she repeated.

"Yes." Eric nodded frantically. "Your father was a fox beast. You inherited his bloodline, so you were going to awaken as one too."

He paused, gathering the courage to continue. "But Elena was different."

Vivian’s eyes became colder.

"Continue."

"Elena was five years old and still hadn’t awakened. Everyone was worried about her future. The Astronova family needed another Phoenix to maintain its position and secure more support from the Federation."

Eric’s breathing became ragged. "Grandfather believed the family couldn’t afford to lose another potential Phoenix. The family needed the Federation’s support to grow stronger, and Elena was supposed to become the next great hope of the Astronovas."

He looked at Vivian. "Grandfather made the decision."

A strange silence fell between them.

"And my mother?" Vivian asked.

Eric’s lips trembled.

"She agreed."

For the first time, something flickered across Vivian’s expression.

It wasn’t anger. Not yet. It was disbelief. Aftwrall Emelianna was her own mother. Why couldn’t she felt Pity for her own child?. Was she really Vivian mother? What if she wasn’t.

Eric lowered his head. "Your mother believed it was necessary for the family’s future. She thought sacrificing one child was better than losing the family’s position and the support of the Federation."

He swallowed. "You were only three and had no idea what happened. It was staged as a kidnapping that made you lose your core 15 years ago. They removed your beast core and transferred it to Elena."

Vivian couldn’t hear anything for several seconds.

The wind seemed to stop. Even Eric’s labored breathing sounded distant.

"They... removed my core?"

Her voice was barely audible.

Eric nodded.

"Yes."

"And gave it to Elena?"

"Yes!"

He answered hurriedly.

"She awakened as a Phoenix at five years old. The entire family celebrated her awakening. Nobody questioned where the power came from."

Vivian stared at him.

A slow, terrible understanding began to settle over her.

All those years.

All those celebrations.

All those occasions when Elena had been praised as the family’s greatest treasure.

And the Astronova family had known.

They had known exactly what they had done.

Eric wasn’t finished. "There is something else."

Vivian slowly turned her head toward him.

He flinched. "After Elena became a Phoenix, her condition wasn’t as stable as everyone expected. Her body needed something to sustain her. As your core was rejecting her body. So it was..."

His eyes darted nervously around them. "Your blood."

Vivian’s heart stopped. "What?"

"Your blood contains traces of the original beast energy that was taken from you. Even after your core was removed, your body continued to produce a unique spiritual essence."

Eric’s voice grew weaker.

"The family discovered that your blood could help Elena. So, whenever you came to dine with us, they would give you a special soup."

He looked at her pleadingly.

"You always drank it because you trusted them."

Vivian didn’t move.

"They put something in it that made you fall asleep. Then they took your blood."

Eric’s voice broke. "Every week."

The world tilted.

"Every week?" Vivian whispered.

"Yes."

"How long?"

Eric closed his eyes.

"Since you were little."

Something inside Vivian shattered.

Not loudly. Not dramatically. It was worse than that.

It was the quiet destruction of something she had carried for years without even realizing it was dying.

A memory suddenly flashed through her mind.

A little girl sat at a long dining table, her tiny legs swinging beneath the chair.

She was smiling.

Across from her sat Elena, dressed in a beautiful pink gown, while their mother spoke affectionately to her.

The little girl watched them for a while before timidly raising her hand.

Mother, can I have some soup too?

Their mother turned toward her and smiled.

For a brief moment, the little girl’s eyes sparkled.

Perhaps today was different. Mother had smile at me.

A bowl was placed before her.

This is specially prepared for you, Vivian.

The little girl beamed.

Thank you, Mother!

She drank every drop. The soup tasted delicious.

Soon, her eyelids grew heavy.

Mother, I’m sleepy.

Then go and rest, darling.

The little girl smiled. She had been called darling.

For that tiny moment, she felt loved.

She climbed down from her chair and walked toward the servants waiting outside.

Behind her, the adults continued their conversation.

Nobody watched her leave.

Nobody noticed when she stumbled and slept on her way. But she felt a hand carry her out.

BOOM!

Vivian suddenly screamed.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

An enormous wave of spiritual energy exploded from her body.

Eric was thrown backward. The ground cracked beneath Vivian’s feet as a terrifying aura surged into the sky.

Her long hair loosened from the wrap made by Beeny. It whipped around her face.

The air vibrated.

The surrounding trees bent violently, their branches snapping under the pressure.

Then the wind changed.

A powerful vortex began forming around Vivian.

It started as a small spiral of dust.

Within seconds, it transformed into a monstrous tornado that swallowed everything in its path.

Trees were uprooted from the ground.

Rocks flew into the air.

The earth split apart.

Eric grabbed the trunk of a massive tree, wrapping both arms around it as the tornado threatened to tear him away.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"WHERE IS ALL THIS ENERGY COMING FROM?!"

He had just learnt Vivian was dangerous even without being awakened. This was beyond anything he had ever imagined.

"She hasn’t even awakened!"

His voice was drowned out by the roaring wind.

"How can someone without a beast core possess such terrifying power?!"

Vivian stood at the center of the storm.

Her head hung forward. Her fingers trembled.

Tears streamed down her face. But the expression in her eyes was no longer one of grief.

It was fury. Pure, unrestrained fury.

Her lips parted. "You..."

Her voice shook.

"You took everything from me."

The tornado grew stronger. "You took my core."

The ground beneath her feet collapsed. "You took my blood."

A wave of spiritual energy erupted from her body. "And you made me thank you for it!"

BOOOOOOM!

The sky darkened. Vivian lifted her head.

Her eyes had become frighteningly cold.

"You fed me poison and called it love."

Another wave of energy swept across the land.

"They stole my life and called it sacrifice."

Her voice cracked.

"And all this time..."

Tears fell from her chin.

"All this time, I thought I wasn’t good enough."

For a moment, the storm faltered..Vivian pressed a trembling hand against her chest.

"I thought Mother didn’t love me because I was weak."

Her breathing became uneven. "I thought Grandfather despised me because I was a fox."

She laughed..It was a broken, horrible sound.

"Turns out..."

Her eyes darkened.

"They were afraid I would become useless to them."

The storm roared again.

"No!"

A violent surge of energy exploded from her body.

"They were afraid I would be useless after they had already taken everything!"

Inside Vivian’s ConsciousnessThe lotus trembled violently.

Its enormous leaves shook as cracks spread across the spiritual space.

Beeny stood before it, her little body trembling.

"STOP!"

Her voice echoed through the consciousness.."Stop sending her your power!"

The lotus shook its head frantically.

Golden tears streamed down its petals. "It’s not me!"

Its voice was filled with panic.

"I’m not sending her anything! She’s taking it herself!"

Beeny froze. "What?"

"She is drawing the power directly from the roots! I can’t stop her!"

The lotus let out a miserable sob.

"I’ve never seen anything like this. She isn’t asking for my energy. She’s pulling it out of me!"

Beeny stared at the lotus in horror. The golden petals began falling one after another.

One..Two..Three.

Soon, the entire spiritual space was filled with falling petals.

The lotus shrank before their eyes.

Its beautiful golden petals disappeared until only a bare lotus head remained.

Beeny’s mouth fell open.

"All your petals..."

She looked at the trembling plant.

"They’re all gone!"

The lotus wept. "I know!" It shook violently. "She’ll destroy herself at this rate!"

Beeny turned toward the depths of the consciousness. "We have to stop her!"

The lotus suddenly lifted its head. "No. We can’t.."

Beeny turned back. The lotus’s remaining energy flickered. "We have to find the other Vivian."

Beeny’s expression changed.

The original Vivian.

The girl whose consciousness had remained hidden deep within this spiritual world.

The lotus’s voice became urgent. "This Vivian is enraged. Her mind is consumed by destruction. If she continues like this, she’ll tear apart everything around her, including herself."

Beeny’s face paled. "And if she loses control completely?"

The lotus was silent for a moment.

Then it whispered, "We might never be able to bring her back."