Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 222 222: Running out of time

Electra's POV

I scoffed, arms crossing over my chest, glaring at the shadowy figure that stood just a few feet away from me.

"Of course, I remember you," I snapped, my tone laced with mocking amusement. "How could I possibly forget about the dumb and clearly bored creep voice that keeps playing puppet master with my life?"

The entity let out a low, amused chuckle, the sound slithering through the air like it was alive.

"Oh, Electra," it murmured, its form shifting slightly, "you wound me."

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess," I continued, narrowing my gaze. "You're not happy that Seraphina and I switched back? Is that why you're here? Are you here to try to mess with me like you messed with her and got her to say yes to our lives switching?"

A smirk curled my lips, but my muscles remained tense. This thing—whatever the hell it was—was dangerous. I could feel it.

The way the instincts of my other side burned under my skin, clearly ready to lash out, the way my heart pounded, and the way my body was on edge like it was standing in the presence of a predator was enough indication that whatever this thing was, it was dangerous.

The voice let out another chuckle, this time louder and almost amused.

"Oh, Electra, do you truly believe I'm unhappy about your switch?"

Its shadow-like form flickered, the air around it warping slightly. "On the contrary," it said. "I'm quite pleased. It means we can finally get to the real reason I'm meeting you instead of playing around."

I scoffed at its ridiculous response. I didn't trust it at all, not for a second.

The first time it had spoken to me, it had hidden, and I never got to see what it looked like, and Seraphina had also mentioned that she had never seen it. Yet here it was, fully revealing itself to me now.

"You're the one who's playing around, you sick piece of shit!" I snapped.

I saw the glow of its eyes sharpen, and then—it laughed. Not a cold laugh, not a menacing, villainous chuckle. No—it was genuine amusement, which somehow made me even angrier.

"Oh, Electra," it hummed, "I understand your anger, but like I just said, I have no intention of switching your lives again. I mean, why would I, when I was the one who made sure you switched back in the first place?"

I froze.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I demanded.

It took a slow step forward as it responded. "I mean exactly what I said," it murmured. "You didn't think you and Seraphina just happened to wake up in your own bodies again, did you?"

I said nothing because the truth was—I hadn't questioned it. Not deeply enough.

When I had opened my eyes in my own bed, I had been so relieved that I didn't stop to wonder how it happened, but now—now I realized I had been a fool.

This thing had been pulling the strings from the start. "So you..." My voice was low, dangerous. "You really switched us back?"

"I did," it confirmed.

"Why?"

Another chuckle.

"Because, Electra," it whispered, "your time is running out."

A chill ran through me. I didn't like the way it said that; I didn't like the implication, and I sure as hell didn't like that it knew something I didn't.

I took a step forward, fists clenching at my sides.

"If you're not here to make me switch lives with Sera again, then why are you here? What do you want from me?" I demanded.

The creature sighed.

"Still so impatient," it muttered, almost fondly. "Always so quick to fight, so unwilling to listen."

I gritted my teeth, feeling my anger rise dangerously.

"I have every right to be impatient," I spat. "You've been screwing with my life—our lives—since the beginning. So start talking. Why are you here now, and what do you want from me?"

The air around us shifted again. The creature's gaze bore into mine, and for the first time, I felt something deeper under its amusement.

Something ancient and somewhat terrifying.

"I am here, Electra," it murmured, "to tell you the truth. Your truth."

My breath hitched slightly, but I held my ground. "What truth?" I asked, my voice sharp.

The voice was silent for a moment, as if considering something, and then, in a voice so low, so cold, it sent a shiver through my bones, it said—

"The truth about what you really are."

My stomach dropped, and a strange feeling coiled around my chest. I hated this feeling, and I hated how my body was reacting to his words before my mind could even process them.

"What—" I started, but my voice faltered.

The creature grinned, sensing my hesitation.

"Ah," it hummed, "you feel it, don't you?"

I took a step back, my breathing uneven. "Feel what?" I asked through clenched teeth.

The voice laughed, and this time, the sound wasn't just amused—it was thrilled.

And I had reached my limit—the mocking, the cryptic words, and the way this thing continued to play in my face like this was some twisted game to it—I was done.

Anger burned through me, setting my veins alight with heat, and before I could stop myself, the words tore out of my throat.

"Just stop messing around and tell me the damn truth!" I snapped, my voice raw. "What are you even talking about? If you're not going to tell me what this truth is and what the hell I'm supposed to be feeling, then get out!"

The figure chuckled. "Calm down, Electra," it murmured, "anger doesn't exactly help you in this situation."

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms.

"Stop playing games!" I snarled. "If you have something to say, then say it!"

The creature tilted its head, its eyes narrowing with amusement, and then— "Very well," it said, its voice taking on a chilling, almost delighted tone. "You want the truth? Here it is—"

There was a pause—a moment of absolute silence—and then it said words that I didn't expect to hear.

"You, Electra Vale, are an abomination."

I froze. My heart skipped a beat—then another. I stared at the creature, my mind racing, and my body tensed.

Abomination?

"What—" My voice caught, my throat suddenly dry. "What the hell do you mean?"

The thing grinned, and I hated how much it looked like it was enjoying this.

"Tell me, Electra," it purred, "what are you feeling right now?"

I blinked, utterly confused by its question.

To be honest, I was feeling angry, obviously, and also confused. I was—then it hit me.

I wasn't just angry; I was also starting to feel tired. My body felt heavy—too heavy, like something inside me was slowly leaving me, and unlike a few minutes earlier, my other side suddenly felt like it was no longer fighting.

It was—fading. A slow fade, like a candle being snuffed out, and my stomach dropped.

I pressed a hand against my chest, feeling the rapid beat of my heart.

"What—" My voice shook. "What's happening to me?"

The creature grinned wider, exposing rows of jagged teeth that flickered in and out of focus.

"What you should be feeling, Electra," it whispered, "is your own life slipping away."

My life was—slipping away? I was dying already?

My thoughts were so disoriented and so out of it until the nightmare I had came back to me, and now—now, this thing was confirming to me that it wasn't just a dream, and it was really a warning.

My breath came short, panic coiling tightly around my ribs. "Am I really going to die?" I demanded, my voice shaking despite myself.

The creature tilted its head, mockingly thoughtful. "Haven't you already been given a sign?" it mused. "A glimpse of your own end?"

A sign—a glimpse of my own end. That had to be the dream and the burning, according to what Roxana had said.

I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding in my ears.

"You're saying I'm heading toward death, and there's no way for me to stop it? Is that it?" I asked, my voice low.

The creature smirked.

"Oh, most definitely you are very close to death," it said smoothly. "And unfortunately, you keep pushing away the only person who could save you."

I stiffened, and my brows furrowed. The only person who could save me? My mind started to spin as I tried piecing together the puzzle, and then—I thought of her.

Seraphina, and my chest tightened.

"Are you talking about Seraphina?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

The creature's smile widened, like it was pleased. "Ah, so you are capable of putting the pieces together," it drawled. "Maybe you aren't as hopeless as I thought."

A chill crawled up my spine.

What did Seraphina have to do with my death?

Was she supposed to stop it? How though? She was an ordinary human? So how was an ordinary human my only hope?

My head spun, and I needed more specific answers, but before I could speak again, the creature took a step back.

"Tick, tock, Electra," it murmured, grinning again like it knew something I didn't. "Your clock is ticking faster than you think."

I stiffened.

"What does that mean?" I snapped. "Stop talking in riddles and—"

But before I could finish, the creature vanished like it had never even been there, and I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't move. I was still shaking, and the only thing I could think about was how my clock was supposedly ticking fast and how the only person who could save me was Seraphina.