Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 99 99: To Be 'Her'

To truly know me is to be me.~Electra Vale

Seraphina's POV

The pain was unbearable. It was as if my entire body was being set on fire from the inside out, the flames licking at every nerve, making my skin crawl and my muscles seize.

I couldn't even cry out; the pain stole my breath, leaving me gasping for air that never seemed to come. My thoughts were a blur of confusion and agony, and nothing made sense—nothing except the searing pain consuming me.

Somewhere in the haze of pain, I heard Electra's voice. She was calling my name, her tone urgent. "Seraphina, listen to me! You need to get to the bathroom and sit under the shower. It won't stop the pain, but it'll help—trust me!"

Her words held a strange authority, and though I was barely conscious of my surroundings, they compelled me to move.

Stumbling toward the bathroom, I could feel the world spinning around me, the floor tilting just under my feet. Every step sent shockwaves of pain through my body, but Electra's words replayed in my mind.

She had said it wouldn't stop the pain, but it would help, so I held on to that promise, desperate for even a shred of relief.

I reached the bathroom and collapsed against the wall, fumbling to turn on the shower. The icy water blasted over me, shocking my system, but I didn't care. I sat under the spray, letting out a relieved sigh as I felt the cold water on my skin.

The pain didn't go away, but there was a strange sort of grounding in the cold, reminding me that I was still alive, even if it felt like I wouldn't be for much longer.

As the water calmed me down, my thoughts began to clear just enough for me to realize something terrifying—Electra knew what was happening to me. Her voice earlier wasn't just commanding; it was knowing. I couldn't say she wasn't surprised by my pain or that she expected it, but I was certain that she understood it.

This had to be what Irina was talking about—Electra's sickness, or rather, the sickness that required me to stay indoors for seven days, according to Irina.

A sickening realization hit me in that moment, and it dawned on me that this was what Electra usually experienced. For this to be happening to me, it could only mean that it used to happen to Electra, and now that I'm supposed to be her, it was happening to me.

My hands trembled as I pressed them against my stomach, trying to calm myself, but the truth was unavoidable: I wasn't fully human anymore.

I was something else—something that could explain this fire coursing through my veins, this pain that no ordinary human could endure. Half-human, half-Phoenix. That's what Electra was, and somehow, through whatever twisted series of events had unfolded in the last few days, that was what I had become too.

Despite the initial relief, the water running down my body started to do nothing to quell the burning sensation coursing through me, and my head felt like it was splitting open, as if my brain itself was on fire.

Each thought that ran through my mind made the pain worse. How could this even be real? How was it possible that swapping lives with Electra somehow included swapping… beings? I still didn't understand.

My body hadn't changed—it was still mine—but little did I know that something had shifted. I wasn't just me anymore. I was something else. Something terrifying—a Phoenix.

The thought of being anything other than human felt foreign and impossible. It wasn't real—or at least, it shouldn't have been, but here I was, in the middle of this nightmare that I couldn't blame anyone else but myself for.

Another sharp pain struck my head, and I let out a small whimper. The cold water was supposed to help, but it only made my skin feel more sensitive, and my body ached, not from exhaustion, but from something I couldn't explain.

Every nerve felt alive, too alive, like my body was adjusting to something it wasn't ready for.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I leaned against the shower wall, tears slipping down my cheeks silently. The fear was overwhelming, especially because I didn't know what I was or how to control it.

What did being a Phoenix even mean? Could I burst into flames at any moment? Could I hurt someone just by existing? Worse, could I hurt myself?

The tears came faster, and I buried my face in my hands, wishing the pain would just stop. I couldn't do this. If this was the pain Electra typically went through and this was what it would take to be her, then I didn't want to be her. I wouldn't last too long if I had to live with such pain.

A knock on the bathroom door startled me out of my spiraling thoughts. My head snapped up, and I quickly wiped my tears away, trying to steady my breathing.

"Seraphina?" Electra's voice rang out, her tone casual. "How are you feeling?"

My heart leapt into my throat. I already concluded that she must know what was wrong with me, but the last thing I wanted was to make it obvious that I myself didn't know what was wrong with me. I needed to make her believe that I had no idea I was living her life and that I'd always been like this, and to do that, I needed to pretend like I was used to the pain.

"I'm fine," I called out, trying to keep my voice calm, though it wavered slightly. "You can leave now."

The door creaked open, and I froze.

"Are you sure?" she asked, stepping inside. "You don't sound fine."

My panic spiked. Was she going to figure out that I was bluffing? The main reason I didn't want her to know that I was really Seraphina Hook was because I had a feeling that the moment she did, this switch would no longer work in my favor.

The moment she'd become aware that I was that Seraphina, she would try to intimidate me, and I didn't trust myself not to be intimidated just yet.

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped, harsher than I intended. "Just… go."

There was a brief pause, and for a moment, I thought she might actually listen, but then her voice came again. "Alright, Seraphina, but just an advice, try not to touch anyone while you're like that. You could end up doing serious damage if you do."