Transmigrated Into a Cannon Fodder Phoenix, Stuck With the Ice Dragon-Chapter 142: True Or Lies

"Get out! Get out!"

Vivian shouted frantically, her wand clutched tightly in her hand, even after the phoenix healer finished tending to her wounds.

"It’s okay, Vi. It’s me," I said softly, raising both my hands. I glanced around the room, silently signaling everyone else to leave. "I promise you. Only me."

The healer hesitated, then stepped back. Auren followed. Even Lucian paused before finally turning away.

"No."

Thalor shook his head. "I’m not leaving. I need to confirm it."

Vivian’s brows knitted tightly. Her grip on the wand trembled. "I said—" She stopped, her voice straining. "I’m not your bride! How can a fairy be a freaking mermaid?"

The words cracked more than her scream earlier.

Thalor didn’t move.

"Because the sea doesn’t care what you believe," he said quietly.

Vivian’s breath hitched. "Then neither do I."

She pointed the wand straight at him.

"Thalor... please," I stepped between them, my hands raised. "Just give her time. Let her calm down first."

"I only need a few seconds," Thalor said stubbornly. "To confirm. To steady myself."

"That’s not what she needs right now—"

"I said get out!" Vivian’s voice cracked as she screamed.

The sound wasn’t loud but it spread.

Suddenly, the glass jug on the bedside table shook violently.

With a sharp crack, the water inside burst upward, the jug splitting as the liquid compressed unnaturally, narrowing into a single, dense stream.

It shot forward like an arrow.

The water struck Thalor square in the chest.

The impact was brutal and hard enough to pierce the air and slam him backward into the wall. He gasped sharply, the sound torn from his lungs as he collapsed to the floor.

"Thalor!" I shouted as I rushed to him.

The water fell apart instantly, splashing uselessly across the floor.

Vivian stared at her hands in horror. "I—I swear... I didn’t cast..."

Thalor lifted his head slowly, his breath ragged, pain carved deep into his expression.

He pressed one hand against the floor and forced himself upright, shoulders tense as he steadied his breathing. For a moment, he said nothing, just inhaled, slow and controlled.

"So..." he began, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I finally found you, my bri—"

Blood burst from his mouth.

The words died with it.

"Lucian!" I shouted, panic tearing out of me. "Call Dr. Darian! He’s badly injured!"

Lucian was already moving.

Thalor staggered, one hand braced against the wall as more blood dripped between his fingers. Auren caught him just in time, lowering him back down before his knees gave out completely.

I turned back toward the bed.

Vivian was still sitting there, frozen.

Her eyes were locked on her own hands as if they no longer belonged to her. They trembled faintly in her lap.

"I’m a fairy..." she muttered. Once. Then again. "I’m a fairy..."

Her voice sounded hollow, distant, like she was trying to convince herself.

"Vivian," I called softly, stepping closer.

She didn’t look at me.

"I’m a fairy," she repeated, quieter this time, fear seeping into every word. "Fairies don’t do that. Fairies don’t—"

Her breath hitched.

"It’s okay... it’s not your fault," I said softly as I moved closer to the bed.

"Don’t come!" Vivian shouted the moment she noticed me. "Step back! I’m afraid I might hurt you too!"

I stopped, then slowly raised my hands, palms open, to show her I meant no harm.

"No," I said gently, shaking my head. "You won’t hurt me. This was just a mistake. An accident."

Vivian’s eyes filled with tears. "You don’t know that," she whispered. "I didn’t even try to do anything, and he—" Her voice broke. "What if it happens again?"

I took one careful step closer.

"If it does," I said quietly, then let my lips curve into a small grin, "I’ll just put up my barrier."

I tried to sound light. Confidence. Like I was sharing a secret I was proud of.

"You don’t have to worry about me anymore," I added gently. "I’ve grown stronger. Strong enough to protect you this time."

Vivian’s eyes widened.

"No!" she shouted suddenly. "Seriously—don’t come any closer!"

I froze.

"Vivian?" I called softly. "What’s wrong?"

She shook her head, breathing unevenly, as if trying to push a thought away. "I—I just remembered something. From that night." Her fingers tightened into the bedsheets. "When I was sealing Elyndra. When she was screaming."

My chest tightened.

"She said something then," Vivian continued, her voice strained. "I didn’t understand it at the time. I thought she was just trying to scare me."

Her gaze flicked to me, then away.

"She kept laughing. Saying some things shouldn’t stand too close to each other." Vivian swallowed hard. "Fire and water—"

She stopped herself and shook her head.

"At first, I thought she was talking about you and Lucian," she muttered, more to herself than to me. "But now... thinking about the foretelling Elyndra heard from the Oracles was all about Lady Celeste..."

Her words trailed off, turning into broken murmurs.

"It’s okay, Vi," I said quickly, stepping closer again. "I believe in you. So you need to believe in yourself too—"

"How can I?" she snapped.

She looked up at me, eyes red and furious, fear spilling over into anger. "How can I believe in myself?! How?"

Her hands clenched into fists.

"I was raised as a fairy," she said, her voice shaking. "I lived my whole life believing I was one. And then that freaking Leviathan shows up and tells me I’m his mermaid bride, and—and—"

She broke off sharply, breath hitching.

"Your mother," Vivian said suddenly, her gaze locking onto mine. "She knew."

My chest tightened.

"She knew something," Vivian went on, her voice cracking. "About me. About my identity. About all of this." She let out a bitter laugh. "And no one thought I deserved to know?"

"What do you mean my mother knew?" I asked, frowning in confusion.

Vivian’s shoulders shook as she drew in a sharp breath.

"Your mother talked to me about punishment," she said hoarsely. "Back then, I thought she meant my parents. I thought she was warning me to behave. To stay in line."

She pressed a hand to her forehead, breathing hard. "But now... now that I think about it, her words were strange. Too careful. Like she wasn’t talking about rules."

My heart sank.

"She said some punishments don’t come from crime," Vivian whispered. "They come from blood. Just by being born."

The words sat heavily between us.

I stared at her, trying to piece them together. "Punishment... for what?"

Vivian shook her head slowly. "She never said it outright." Her fingers curled into the blanket. "She spoke like it was inevitable. Like it wasn’t about choice."

My throat felt dry. "When did she tell you this?"

"The time before I was tasked to bring you out to the human world," Vivian replied softly. "I was young. I didn’t question it." She let out a weak, humorless laugh. "Why would I? I thought I was just a fairy repaying my parents’ sins."

The words hit harder than anger ever could.

I swallowed. "You were a child."

Vivian nodded slowly. "A convenient one."

Her fingers tightened around the blanket. "I thought helping you was my punishment. My repayment. That if I did it right, everything would be over."

My chest ached.

"She never said I was wrong," Vivian continued. "She never said I shouldn’t think like that."

She looked up at me then, eyes glassy but sharp.

"So tell me," she asked quietly, "how am I supposed to know now which part of my life was true... and which part was lies?"