Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 54: Left Behind

Third-person Pov

Roxana glanced down at Seraphina's lifeless form sprawled on the ground, her chest rising and falling faintly with shallow breaths. She turned back to Electra and signaled with a subtle hand gesture that confirmed Seraphina had passed out.

Electra's response was immediate, and her laughter rang out, loud and unrestrained. It wasn't the kind of laugh that conveyed humor; it was laced with malice, the kind that sent a shiver down the spines of even her closest friends. It amused her that a simple joke had caused Sera to pass out, and she wondered what would happen when she really started to mess with the kid.

As her laughter continued, Irina cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably. "Do you want us to help her? Or just leave her here?" Irina's question carried an edge of unease, though her tone remained detached, as if she were trying to appear indifferent.

Electra ignored her at first, still chuckling as she made her way toward Seraphina's still form. Roxana stepped back, allowing Electra to kneel beside the unconscious girl.

Electra placed a hand on Seraphina's forehead, brushing a few loose strands of hair aside. Her fingers moved to check Seraphina's pulse, briefly lifting one of her eyelids to check her pupils. Her face betrayed no concern, only her usual cold gaze. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Satisfied with whatever she found, Electra stood, brushing dirt from her knees. Without looking back at Seraphina, she turned to Roxana and signaled for her to follow. Roxana fell into step behind her as Electra approached Irina, Deena, and Penelope, who were waiting nearby with mixed expressions of discomfort and indifference.

Irina repeated her question, crossing her arms. "Well? Should we leave her or do something about it?"

Electra smirked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Leave her," she said simply, her tone dripping with apathy. "She'll wake up soon enough."

Deena frowned, her usual bravado faltering slightly. "Are you sure? I mean, as much as I don't care for her, what if something's actually wrong? Shouldn't we, I don't know, call someone? Like the infirmary staff or something?"

Electra's sharp gaze locked on Deena, silencing her immediately. "Do I look like I care?" she snapped, her voice cold and dismissive. "She's not dying. She's just a pathetic little girl who couldn't handle a bit of pressure. She'll be fine."

Deena held up her hands in surrender, muttering, "Alright, alright, no need to bite my head off."

Electra turned back to where she'd left her equipment and casually picked up her bow and arrows. "Let's go," she ordered, not sparing Seraphina another glance. "We're done here."

Without waiting for a response, Electra began walking away, her posture relaxed and unbothered, as if leaving an unconscious girl in the middle of the field was a completely ordinary occurrence.

One by one, her friends followed. Roxana, also unbothered, fell into step beside Electra without hesitation. Penelope lingered for a moment, glancing back at Seraphina with a trace of unease before eventually joining the group. Irina followed without a word, her face unreadable, while Deena trailed at the back, still looking somewhat conflicted.

***

The cold night air was the first thing Seraphina noticed when her eyes fluttered open. Her head throbbed painfully, each pulse making her wince as she tried to sit up.

The ground beneath her felt hard and cold, and the faint rustling of leaves nearby told her she was outside. Confusion flooded her senses as she tried to piece together how she had ended up here.

Darkness surrounded her, except for faint voices calling her name. Hearing her name made her wince, and she lifted a trembling hand to her forehead. She tried to focus, blinking rapidly to clear her blurred vision.

Slowly, she pieced together her situation. It was nighttime—completely dark except for two approaching lights that were at a distance.

Her name rang out again, louder this time, and she croaked out a response, her voice weak and dry. "I'm here… I'm here…"

The figures hurried toward her, the beams of their flashlights illuminating her disheveled form. As they came closer, she recognized the voices and silhouettes. It was Yuna and Yura, and relief swept over her briefly, but it was quickly replaced by embarrassment and confusion.

"Seraphina!" Yuna exclaimed, dropping to her knees beside her. She placed a hand on Seraphina's shoulder, shaking her gently. "What the hell happened? Are you okay? You scared us half to death!"

Yura hovered behind Yuna, her expression taut with worry. "We've been looking for you for hours. You didn't show up to dinner, and we thought—" She cut herself off, shaking her head, as though banishing the worst-case scenarios from her mind.

Seraphina blinked at them, her mind racing to make sense of everything. She felt the sting of dried blood on her cheek and flinched when her fingers brushed against it. Memories came rushing back like a flood: Electra's mocking smile, the arrow flying past her head, and then… darkness.

"I…" Her voice faltered as she struggled to form coherent words. "I... I passed out. I don't even know how long I've been here."

Yuna's brow furrowed, and she exchanged a glance with Yura. "What happened, Seraphina? Did they do something to you?"

Seraphina hesitated, her lips trembling. Her mind screamed at her to tell the truth, to let Yuna and Yura know what Electra and her friends had done, but another part of her—a quieter, terrified part—urged her to stay silent. She was afraid that if she told Yuna what happened, Yuna would foolishly confront Seraphina, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Yura knelt beside her, her flashlight illuminating Seraphina's pale face. "You're hurt," she said softly, noticing the cut on Seraphina's cheek. "You need to get this cleaned up. Can you stand?"

Seraphina nodded weakly and accepted their hands as they helped her to her feet. Her legs wobbled beneath her, but Yuna and Yura held her steady. She leaned on them for support as they began walking toward the dorms.

"You're lucky we found you," Yuna said, her tone wavering between worry and anger. "If we hadn't come looking..."

Seraphina glanced at her, guilt gnawing at her insides. "I… I didn't mean to worry you. I just… I don't know what happened."

Yuna stopped abruptly and turned to face her, her expression sharp. "Don't lie to us, Seraphina. I can see it in your eyes. Something happened, and I need you to tell me what it was. Was it… Electra?"

Seraphina froze, her throat tightening. The truth hovered on the tip of her tongue, but fear kept it locked away. Instead, she shook her head slowly, lowering her gaze to the ground.

Yuna sighed in frustration. "You're trying to hide what happened from me, aren't you?" she accused.

"Yuna," Yura interrupted gently, placing a hand on her sister's arm. "Let's get her back to the dorms first. She's clearly not in the best shape right now."

Yuna gritted her teeth but relented, helping Seraphina move forward again.

Seraphina turned to Yuna, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere, and asked hesitantly, "How did you even know I was at the field? I didn't tell you I was going to be here."

Yuna glared at her while shaking her head. "Believe me, I've been asking myself that same question," she snapped. Her tone softened slightly, but her irritation was evident. "I have every intention of giving you a proper scolding for not telling me beforehand, but right now, let me explain how I found you."

Seraphina swallowed. Yuna exhaled sharply before continuing, "When I couldn't find you in your room, I went to your roommates. I know they're, well, not exactly friendly, but I didn't have any other option. But to my surprise, they actually told me something useful. They mentioned seeing you in the archery uniform earlier and suggested I check the field."

Seraphina nodded slowly, trying to process the idea of her usually aloof roommates being helpful. "I see," she murmured, then added quickly, "Thank you for coming to look for me, Yuna. If you and Yura hadn't shown up, I might've spent the entire night out here."

Yuna's expression softened, her worry starting to show through her frustration. "You don't need to thank me," she said firmly. "But what I do need is for you to explain something to me. What happened to your cheek, Seraphina? How did you get that cut?"

Seraphina froze. She had been hoping—praying, really—that Yuna wouldn't notice or wouldn't press, but Yuna's eyes were sharp, and the concern there was genuine. She stayed silent, trying to think of how to explain the situation without further upsetting her friend.

Yuna's insistent voice broke through her hesitation.

"Seraphina, don't even think about brushing this off," Yuna said sternly. "You're hurt. I want to know how and why. What happened?"

The words stuck in Seraphina's throat for a moment, but she could see that Yuna wasn't going to let it go. She sighed heavily, then admitted in a shaky voice, "Electra, she shot an arrow at me, and well, it grazed my face."