Chapter 2.12: Sudden Revelations
The door clicked closed, and it lifted a weight off of the dark-haired teenager's chest. She hadn't expected to get off so easily with the blonde being so terrified all the time. However, luck had favored her. A smile grew on her face as she realized the girl would soon be under her control. All she needed to do was play nice for a tad bit and say the right thing. It was rotten to use someone so vulnerable in her eyes. But really, she had no other choice in the matter. Cale would come for her eventually, in more than snide words. She would demonstrate to him that his dear wife could also become a part of this conflict when he came.
The heiress made it back to her room and began to strip. Her clothing was filthy, with a stench coming from them faintly. Her nose thankfully had stopped bleeding so she could change without worry. That still puzzled her. She hadn't been using Cleo's powers to avoid that from happening. The teenager knew she had to train, but the pain from using her eyes was becoming unbearable. Leila looked down at her messy clothing with disdain. This wasn't the first time she had suffered, even when ignoring the urge to utilize them. The same thing happened at the festival. The only thing that linked those two events together was that bracelet. Part of her wanted to steal it from Lili’s room and destroy it. But the more vocal part knew she had to dissect it.
There was a possibility the cult that distributed the bracelets had an eye on her. She didn't want to say the bracelet had been planted. Saying that they had planted the bracelet would imply that the cult had access to her home. But it was too strong of a coincidence that Lili had one right after that old woman spoke to her that day. Or, Liliko'i might have been linked to them. Which gave Leila a massive headache as it led to a lot of conspiracy theories she didn't have the energy to think about. All she knew was that some mysterious group had an interest in her. And she needed to investigate them before they revealed their true motives. Leila bit her bottom lip as she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. The idea of there being other players in this conflict frightened her.
Honestly, the girl hadn't wanted to say the quiet part out loud. But the books couldn't help her much further than they already had. Things that were never mentioned were now coming to the forefront. Meaning that this world was becoming a strange place she had to navigate, blindfolded practically. Her stomach twisted as she walked naked to her bath and started the water. She looked down at the bottom of the tub with anxiety. The jade-eyed girl didn't like that there were people in the shadows possibly influencing her life. She had been cocky, thinking that she knew all there was to know about this world. Now there was a possibility there was a mole in the house or that this cult was more widespread than she ever imagined.
The water reached 2/3rds up the tub before she stopped the tap and sunk in. The warm water soothed her tense body into a state of relaxation. However, the intensity of her troublesome thoughts remained as she sat there. A dull look came onto her face as she let everything go in the eerie silence that filled the room. Without much thought, she closed her eyes and allowed a familiar tingling sensation to spread throughout her body. It was pointless to hold back if she was alone. The tingling became more prominent in her upper body. Leila felt her chest tighten as if she had gone underwater and inhaled deeply. Her mind was at full power, readying itself for the show she was putting on. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked in the mirror with all her hesitation gone.
And she felt sickened by what she saw. One wet hand moved upward to touch the skin around her eyes and flinched. They were the same purple as before, but her veins were bulging out. To the point, she looked utterly alien to herself. She didn't know whether to feel startled or satisfied that her assumptions were correct. This magic was picking away at her. With her jaw clenched, she trembled and tried to think clearly. This meant that possibly her abilities were getting stronger. The jade-eyed heiress could stomp her enemies into the dirt without any worries. But she knew that she would be engulfed in pain while doing so. Every fiber of her body would be driven to edge fighting.
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And she wasn't sure if she was prepared for it.
'It's wrong.' Her expression soured as the mirror began to wobble and wiggle about. Like an earthquake started. But she was too angry to even focus on what she saw. 'It feels so unfair right now.'
To win, she would have to destroy her body. To eradicate the royal family, she would possibly kill herself in the process. A soft, exasperated laugh left her mouth as she continued staring at herself. She was going to be the one in pain, no matter what. That angered her. It enraged her to the point her eyes flashed, and she lost control. Her legs became jello as her mirror shattered. As a grenade had gone off, everything turned white, or more so, a combination of white and purple. Hundreds of shards hit the ground, flew against her bedroom walls, and broke into millions all around her. Leila sat there in shock, unsure of what to do now. All she could do was bow her head and let her eyes fade.
Once they were under control, she washed herself and got out. The bathtub drained as she looked around her bedroom. It was wrecked and there was no way she could explain it to the maids. Or her parents, who she was sure were home at the moment. Leila sighed. She hadn't meant to break the mirror. Honestly, the heiress didn't even know that she was strong enough to do something like that. But now that she did know, she felt a mix of satisfaction suddenly. The situation was dire and strange, but the jade-eyed woman felt relieved. That she had the theory of her powers growing confirmed. All she needed to do was find some way to use her mind's newest powers on purpose. Being able to pop someone like a balloon, to rip apart a living being with a thought, was insane to think about.
Leila wondered how it would work exactly. The mirror burst when she was under a lot of stress. Hence, someone must emotionally fuel her for it to be employed against them. Which was pretty easy with the environment she was in. But that also made her feel nauseous suddenly. Because she hadn't done it on purpose, meaning, she couldn't control it. The heiress wondered if she would end up popping someone by accident. An innocent maid or gardener or even a stray animal might die in the middle of her hypothetical temper tantrum. Her arms wrapped around her body as she let it all sink in. Leila would focus on that possibility later. Right now, she had to decide whether to bring the bracelet up to Lili.
If it wasn't planted, the woman would be lost and it would waste valuable conversation time. But the blonde could easily lie, play dumb or act as if she was terrified of the heiress. Leila frowned, not sure what version of her sister-in-law she would receive. They had a moment where she got the younger woman to open up. But going in guns blazing with interrogation in her mind would have that opening slam shut. Leaving her with one less chess piece on her side of the board. This left the green-eyed woman with only one choice. Don't directly mention the bracelet and the dark saintess. Allude to it if possible and see what happens. If the blonde came off as a liar, she'd use the cruelest tactics. She would befriend her to extract information if she found the blonde to be unaware.
There was a knock at her door, finally. "Miss Cleo, is everything alright? I heard a commotion." It was Yeonhee who she hadn't seen in quite a while.
The heiress dried off her hair and body before putting on a towel. Before answering, Leila made sure that her eyes were off completely with the bulging veins gone. She opened the door just a crack with her body blocking most of the room.
"My mirror fell over while I was bathing. I managed to pick it up, but there's glass everywhere." The teenager blushed with faux embarrassment.
Yeonhee rolled her eyes and sighed. "I told Jisu that it was too massive to stay upright. I'll go get a broom and dustpan. Get dressed, please." And with that, she hurried off, none the wiser to what truly happened.