My Family in the Novel?

Chapter 256: Elena's Suffering

WARNING! CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED....

Bloodied and battered, Elena struggled to draw breath into her ravaged lungs, each gasp a laborious effort as her life force waned.

The sight of her own blood only served to exacerbate her suffering, adding to the agony that consumed her.

Clutching desperately to the tattered shreds of her consciousness, Elena endured the torment inflicted upon her, her will to survive the only thing keeping her tethered to the brink of oblivion.

"Pfft... HAHAHA, you're more fun than I thought, tainted one," Marvey's laughter rang out, a cruel echo of the pain he had wrought upon her.

Wiping sweat from his brow, his satisfaction was palpable, a grotesque grin etched across his face as he reveled in his sadistic amusement.

As Marvey reveled in his handiwork, a figure approached with silver-gray hair, his expression as devoid of emotion as ever. "You've gone way overboard, Marvey..." he intoned, his voice a solemn rebuke.

Marvey scoffed at the criticism, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "Ho? Do you actually feel sorry for this one, Harvey?" he sneered, his contempt dripping from every word.

The man with silver-gray hair remained impassive, his stoic facade betraying nothing of his true feelings. "Do you think I would...?"

Harvey began to weave a healing spell, channeling his magic to mend Elena's battered body. In a matter of moments, her wounds began to knit together, the cuts and bruises fading away as if they had never existed.

Broken bones realigned, internal bleeding ceased, and her body was restored to a state of wholeness.

Yet, despite the miraculous healing, Elena remained unconscious, her body too exhausted to awaken.

"Tsk... you should've just left her there. It's not like she'll die just because of a few bruises," Marvey's disdainful remark pierced the air, his gaze lingering on Elena with a disturbing fascination. To him, she was more entertaining when she was broken and vulnerable.

Although Harvey maintained his impassive demeanor, a flicker of emotion crossed his features as he regarded his partner with a knowing look.

"Four broken ribs, a ruptured lung, a bleeding stomach, damaged eyes, brain trauma, two twisted arms, and more... Do you want me to continue?" Harvey's recitation laid bare the extent of Elena's injuries, a testament to the brutality of Marvey's actions.

'Tsk…'

With a click of his tongue, Marvey fell silent, his expression clouded with conflicted emotions. Slowly, he turned away, his steps heavy with the weight of their mission.

"Marvey, I know it's difficult to restrain yourself... but we must prioritize our mission," Harvey reminded him, his voice tinged with a sense of duty.

"Yeah, yeah," Marvey muttered dismissively, his attention already drifting elsewhere. With a casual gesture, he reached for a bottle of wine on the table before sealing the bird-like cage once more,

Harvey's sigh hung heavy in the air as he cast a rueful glance at his brother, Marvey. At this rate, their mission was destined to fail before they even made a dent in it.

Cradling Elena tenderly in his arms, he made his way back to the center of the garden, where a small white table had been transformed into a makeshift bed.

With gentle precision, Harvey laid Elena down on the bed, treating her with the care and respect she deserved after enduring such brutality.

Despite his own disdain for Elena's existence, Harvey refused to condone the use of violence against her.

Marvey's actions had crossed a line, even by his standards, but out of deference to his brother's volatile emotions, Harvey had stood by silently, a silent witness to the cruelty inflicted upon the defenseless woman.

If it were solely up to him, Harvey would have preferred to end Elena's life swiftly and painlessly.

As his hands hovered over her neck, he couldn't help but marvel at how fragile and delicate she seemed, like a worn-out doll teetering on the brink of collapse with the slightest misstep.

Yet, despite the ease with which he could extinguish her life, a profound sense of reluctance gnawed at his conscience.

With a heavy heart, Harvey shook off the dark thoughts that threatened to consume him. There was no room for hesitation in their line of work, no place for sentimentality.

Pushing aside his inner turmoil, he resolved to carry out their mission with the cold efficiency it demanded, no matter the personal cost.

Now wasn't the time for sentimentality.

There would come a reckoning for this woman, but it was not their place to mete out justice with their own hands.

With a heavy heart and a sense of duty weighing on his shoulders, Harvey turned away from Elena's unconscious form and made his way toward the garden's exit.

The other dark elves, silently standing guard, fell into step behind him, their presence a silent testament to their unwavering loyalty.

"Seal this place and don't let anybody enter," Harvey commanded, his voice carrying the weight of authority.

"But what about the others—"

"Don't let anybody enter... and I mean everyone and everything by that. No one shall enter this place without my permission from now on."

"As you wish," the elves replied in unison, bowing their heads in deference to Harvey's directive.

With a solemn nod, they turned to their respective tasks, channeling their own magic to seal the garden off from prying eyes.

Their golden mana shimmered with brilliance amidst the darkness that cloaked their surroundings, a stark contrast to their outward appearance of shadow and secrecy.

As the enchantments took hold and the garden became shrouded in an impenetrable barrier, Harvey couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lingered within him.

Despite his best efforts to push aside his doubts, he couldn't shake the feeling that their actions had set something irrevocable in motion, something that would come back to haunt them in ways they couldn't yet imagine.

'I wonder what move that monster will make….'

He couldn't help but smile in excitement.

…..

In the demonic castle, once a gleaming white bastion of power, two figures trembled involuntarily as a palpable energy, foreign and malevolent, surged through the air.

The sensation was repugnant, a vile miasma that even the demons in the vicinity recoiled from, their heads bowed low in dread and their bodies wracked with involuntary shivers.

Amidst the collective unease, only one individual seemed unaffected by the ominous energy, laughing hysterically as she traced the contours of her arms.

"Ah~ this feeling, this energy... Father, you're finally coming, aren't you?"

Elaniel, the undoubted new monarch of demons spoke the words with a mixture of anticipation and reverence, her gaze fixed on the unseen force that loomed on the horizon.

'Father?'

The word hung in the air, pregnant with significance. Annabeth's mind raced as she pondered the implications of this revelation. There was only one individual whom the monstrous being before her would dare to address as father, albeit in an unconventional sense was—the hero.

But why?

Why was the hero exuding such an overwhelming aura of darkness? The question gnawed at Annabeth's mind, filling her with a sense of foreboding.

Whatever was unfolding, she knew that it spelled trouble for both demons and humans alike.

Despite the considerable distance between them, Annabeth could sense the hero's presence, his dark aura permeating the air and stretching far beyond what she had imagined possible.

It was a stark contrast to the noble and virtuous image typically associated with heroes, a testament to the dense quality of dark mana that surrounded him.

Her father, the demon king, had always warned her about the dangers of provoking the hero and his mysterious connections.

But this display of power surpassed anything she had anticipated.

The sheer darkness and dread emanating from him left her questioning the purpose of their demonic forces.

If such a monstrous entity was already wreaking havoc in the mortal world, what need was there for their carefully laid plans and amassed legions?

The situation felt increasingly precarious, tipping the delicate balance of power in unforeseen directions.

Annabeth's mind raced with thoughts of the impending war and the thousands of demons she had rallied to the hero's doorstep.

If he were to simply obliterate them all with his overwhelming darkness, what would become of their carefully orchestrated strategy?

"Princess, I'm going to take my leave for a minute," Elaniel's sudden announcement interrupted Annabeth's contemplations. With a swiftness that bordered on supernatural, she vanished from sight.

Leaving Annabeth to wonder and ponder each and everyone of her questions right now.

….

In the vast and desolate plains of the eastern lands of the north, three striking women walked in unison, their footsteps leaving faint imprints on the snowy terrain.

As they traversed the barren landscape, a conversation bubbled among them, carried on the chilly wind.

"That light yesterday... that was Adrian, wasn't it?" Aria queried, her breath forming wisps of steam in the frosty air.

"Yes, it most likely was," Bella confirmed with a hint of solemnity, her gaze fixed ahead.

Aria and Louise exchanged glances, amusement dancing in their eyes.

"You two are becoming quite predictable,"

Bella huffed in response, a faint blush gracing her cheeks. "

Aria and Louise chuckled softly, the camaraderie between them palpable.

"You can't really blame us, Bella. The last vivid memory I have of you is snuggled up in the wagon," Aria said teasingly.

"Fair point…." Bella conceded with a small smile, even she can't deny her misdeeds in the past.

"But enough of this idle chatter. We need to keep moving forward. We're nearing the castle's borders, and Adrian is already on the move. We can't afford to slow down."

"Louise, how many enemies are we likely to face today?"

"Based on what my spirits scouted yesterday, probably around 300 low-level ones and around 20 to 30 intermediate demons... Although highly unlikely, we should still watch out for high-ranking demons"

Taking a moment to steady their breath, the three girls braced themselves for the impending confrontation.

Mana swirled around them like a protective barrier as they pressed forward toward their destination, each step a silent declaration of their resolve.

As the trio possessed the highest firepower in the group, it fell upon them to deliver devastating blows to the enemy ranks.

Spotting a small village teeming with low-ranking demons nearby, they wasted no time in unleashing their spells.

Explosions rocked the ground and filled the air with chaos, leaving no mercy for even those attempting to flee as they were swiftly dispatched by the elemental spirits awaiting them.