Midnight Shadow

As the priest's chant grew louder and more intense, Princess Zulin felt an energy coursing through her veins, trying to force its way into her body.

The air around her thickened, like an invisible presence was pressing in on her from all sides.

She felt a strange, inner turmoil, as if two opposing forces were battling for control within her. One force seemed to be fighting to maintain its secrecy, to remain hidden and undiscovered.

But the other force, fueled by the priest's chant, was determined to expose the truth, to bring the hidden force to light.

Zulin's body trembled and convulsed, her face twisted in a mixture of pain and fear. She muttered again, her voice barely audible.

"Stop...please stop..." Her eyes remained closed, but her eyelids fluttered wildly, as if trying to keep pace with the turmoil brewing within her.

The priest's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed intently on Zulin. He seemed to sense that something was amiss, that the ritual was not proceeding as planned. But he did not falter, and continued.

King Valtor's face was set in a deep frown, his eyes fixed on his daughter with a mixture of concern and confusion. Queen Vynessa's eyes were wide with fear, her hands clasped together in a silent prayer.

What was happening to Zulin? And what would be the outcome of this ritual?

The king's eyes met Astrid's, and he gently patted her hand, a subtle reassurance that he understood her concerns.

However, his expression also conveyed that he couldn't intervene just yet. Stopping the ritual abruptly, especially when things were taking a strange turn, would raise more questions than answers.

If he intervened now, it would appear as though he was trying to conceal something, that he didn't want the truth to be revealed.

The king's reputation for fairness and justice was at stake, and he couldn't afford to give the impression that he was hiding something.

Astrid's face fell, but she seemed to understand her father's predicament. She nodded slightly, her eyes never leaving her father's face, as if willing him to find a way to end the ritual without arousing suspicion.

Meanwhile, Priest Thorold had stopped chanting. Zulin's body convulsed, her eyes still closed, as if she was battling some inner demon. A demon which seemed unwilling to reveal itself just yet.

The air was heavy with anticipation, electric with tension. The onlookers' faces were etched with shock, their eyes wide with incredulity, as if they were too stunned to fully comprehend what they were witnessing.

Muffed whispers spread could be heard amongst them, fueled by the priest's chanting. "Why is the princess so repulsive to divinity?" someone murmured. "Why does it look like ... It isn't even working on her?"

The priest's grave tone made the king frown. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid something is definitely wrong. The princess here..." He hesitated, as if weighing his words carefully, unsure if he should reveal his suspicions.

The king's eyes narrowed, his curiosity piqued. "Speak, priest. What is it that you've discovered?"

The priest took a deep breath, his wise eyes gleaming with conviction. "Princess Zulin here... isn't one of us, I'm afraid. But from my findings, she isn't human either." His words hung in the air like a challenge.

The king's face darkened, his mind burdened with implications. "What do you mean? What force is in her?"

The priest's expression turned enigmatic. "There is a power within her that resists my attempts to penetrate her spirit. It's as if she's shielded by an unknown energy. But I assure you, Your Majesty, I will uncover the truth. There are other ways to discern what she truly is."

The priest's words hung in the air, casting a shadow of doubt. Was it truly possible that the princess wasn't human? Or was this some inexplicable phenomenon, beyond the realm of their understanding?

As the crowd watched, transfixed, some had already jumped to conclusions. Their minds racing, they saw this as irrefutable evidence, proof that the princess was not of this world.

The seed of suspicion sprouted more, already taking deep roots, that would forever change the course of events.

After the priest said, "There are other ways to discern what she truly is," Zulin abruptly sprang up, her eyes wide with shock. "What do you mean? What I truly am? I'm a human being, there's nothing more. What are you talking about, Father? There's no force in me. I'm a complete person."

As she turned to face her father, the queen's eyes widened in alarm, her face pale. Astrid's expression faltered, her eyes fixed on Zulin's face.

Zulin's eyes, normally a bright golden color, had suddenly turned a deep, fiery red. It was as if her gaze could burn with an inner intensity, like embers glowing beneath the surface.

Astrid's voice trembled. "Zulin, what happened to your eyes?"

Zulin, unaware of the change, looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

The king himself looked shocked, his usual calm elegance cracking for a moment. He seemed truly surprised, and that made the onlookers wonder what their king must have seen that made him look like that.

The priest's expression faltered for a moment before he regained his calm, wise demeanor. He gazed at Zulin with an intensity that made her feel like he could see right through her. In his hand, he grasped the sacred relic, the string of polished crystal beads embossed with tiny crosses, which seemed to glow with an otherworldly energy.

The priest turned to the king. "Your Majesty, we are not done. Princess Zulin, you may sit back down on the mat. Let us continue."

As Zulin sat back down on the mat, the people caught a glimpse of the color of her eyes and gasped in utter shock. They had every reason to believe that Princess Zulin might not be one of them.

Zulin, still unaware of the commotion she had caused, settled into a lotus position.

Priest Thorold, stepped forward, the sacred relic still clutched in his hand. The string of crystal beads seemed to glow with an otherworldly energy.

Thorold reached out and carefully placed the relic around Zulin's neck. The elastic cord stretched to accommodate her slender neck, and the beads settled against her skin.

As soon as the relic made contact with Zulin's skin, it glowed brightly with a golden light. The light intensified, and then, in an instant, it was replaced by a dark, foreboding energy that seemed to emanate from Zulin's body itself.

The dark energy rippled and pulsed, as if it was being repelled by the relic. The air was thick with tension as the onlookers watched in horror.

Zulin felt an intense heat emanating from the relic, as if it was burning her skin.

A searing sensation, like her body was rejecting the foreign object. It was as if the relic was a drop of oil poured into a vessel of water - the two elements refused to mix, instead repelling each other with intense force.

Her skin burned and itched, as if the relic was inflicting a thousand tiny pinpricks of fire. She felt a creeping sense of unease, like her body was trying to expel the relic, to push it out of her system.

The sensation was akin to trying to merge fire and ice - the two elements were fundamentally incompatible, and the relic's presence in her body felt like a gross violation of her natural order.

Her skin crawled, her nerves recoiled, and her very essence seemed to revolt against the relic's presence.

She felt an overwhelming urge to remove it, and before she knew it, her hands were already grasping for the beads.

With one swift motion, she pulled the relic off her neck, and it shattered on the stone floor. The crystal beads rolled in all directions, coming to rest in the stunned silence.

The priest's eyes slightly widened in shock. "Impossible!," he whispered. "That relic is imbued with the power of the divine. No ordinary human can break it."

The people erupted into chaos, their voices rising in a cacophony of fear and confusion. Some stumbled backward, tripping over each other in their haste to get away from Zulin.

The queen's face was pale, her eyes fixed on Zulin with a mixture of fear and suspicion. The king's expression was grim, his jaw clenched in determination.

Astrid's voice cut through the chaos. "What's going on? What's happening to Zulin?"

But Zulin herself was beyond answering. She was consumed by a burning sensation, as if her very soul was on fire. She felt a presence stirring within her, a presence that threatened to consume her entirely.

As soon as the relic shattered on the floor, Zulin felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over her.

It was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, a burden removed from her very being.

Her skin still burned from the relic's touch, but the sensation was no longer suffocating.

Her eyes, which had flashed with intensity before, now blazed with an even fiercer light. The color had deepened, and the flames that seemed to dance within them appeared to have grown stronger.

It was as if her very essence had been unleashed, and her gaze swept across the room like a wildfire.

As she opened her eyes again, her gaze fell upon the scattered beads on the floor.

Her eyes flashed with an intensity that seemed almost otherworldly, and the air around her seemed to vibrate with an energy that was both captivating and terrifying.