Hellbound Heart

Elle's heart leapt into her throat as she laid eyes on Sebastian. She gasped, feeling as if time had stood still, for a moment. Her mind raced as she drank in the sight of the man she dearly loved, standing before her in the flesh. He was not just a figment of her overactive imagination. It felt like an eternity since they had last seen each other, even though it had only been several hours in actual fact.

But her emotions were quickly overtaken by the realization of the entire figure of Seb standing there. The darkness that surrounded him was eerily reminiscent of what she had felt around Zeke and Gav from their appearance earlier. Seb's striking grey eyes were now completely consumed by the darkness, and he looked... utterly dangerous.

The darkness around him seemed completely uncontrollable, and it was clear that Sebastian was not his normal self. Elle could not help but feel a chill run down her spine as she took in his imposing figure. She had never seen him like this before!

In that moment, she felt a deep sense of unease gripping her heart hard.

It was as if the man she loved had completely disappeared, replaced by someone or something else entirely. Something darker and more sinister that was just lurking beneath the surface. It was as if he had been possessed by something dark and evil. Right now, he was just like the two men standing next to her.

Elle could not help but wonder what had happened to Seb, and what could be done to bring him back to himself.

Despite her weakness, Elle willed herself to move. Digging her nails into her palms, she used that sharp pain to spur herself and scrambled from the top of the altar to head towards Seb, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She had to do something to snap him out of that weird state that he was in. She could no longer stand by and watch as the man she loved was lost to this darkness.

But before she could even begin to take a step, Zeke stretched his arm wide across her path, blocking her from going towards Sebastian.

"Let me through," she pleaded wearily, her voice cracking with emotion. She was already using all of her strength to move herself and had no more to spare in trying to get past Zeke who was stopping her from moving forward.

But Zeke's gaze was cold and unwavering, and he refused to budge.

"You can't go to him," he said firmly. "He's too dangerous right now. You could get hurt."

Elle bit her lip hard. She knew that Zeke was just trying to protect her, but she could not bear the thought of standing by and doing nothing while Seb was lost to the darkness.

"I don't care if I get hurt," she retorted. "I have to help him. He needs me." She tried to struggle and get out of his blockade but it was really impossible with his immense strength and her current weakened state. In fact, even if she wasn't this weak, she was certain there's no way she could get past this man!

But she needed to find a way to snap Seb out of his trance, and she could not do it from a distance! She needed to go to him and touch him and make him hear her voice. She knew Sebastian would respondto her like she always did.

"No. Too risky. I can't risk you getting hurt when you're already this weak. You have yet to recover from what has happened to you." Ezekiel's voice still sounded calm but just utterly absolute. Something in him just compelled her to obey even against her will.

"Leave this to us, young lady." Gav piped in and took a step forward, when Zeke shot him a sharp, warning glance. "This is my brother. Don't you dare touch him even by accident."

Gav raised a brow, his reaction showing that he seemed already aware of who Sebastian was. "So this is Sebastian, huh..." he murmured, studying Seb's figure with a critical eye before cocking his head. "I thought he lost his demonic powers. Did he not?"

Elle's eyes widened at the mention of Seb's powers.

"The opening of the gate must be the reason why his powers are back again..." Zeke provided an explanation before trailing off.

Elle's heart lurched as Seb rushed towards them and attacked Zeke out of nowhere. Her eyes shut involuntarily at his sudden attack.

When she opened them again, she saw Seb and Zeke now locked in a fierce battle, both of them moving with lightning-fast speed. Their powers were so strong and fast that Elle could not even follow their movements with her eyes. Seb was attacking his brother like a mindless creature, his movements fueled by an unbridled rage that seemed to be coming from somewhere deep within him.

Zeke, on the other hand, was merely defending himself, moving with fluidity, grace and precision that Elle found utterly unbelievable. She could not help but watch on in awe as he effortlessly dodged Seb's attacks, his movements almost like a dance. As though he had been through this series of steps thousands of times before.

But Elle knew that this was no time to stand by and watch. She had to do something to stop the fighting, to snap Seb out of his trance and bring him back to himself.

She had no idea what she was going to do, but she knew that she had to do something.

Without thinking, she screamed at him, hoping that her voice would penetrate the darkness that seemed to have consumed him. And then, she moved to go to him.

Gav tried to stop her, his carefree voice now holding a tinge of warning. "Don't do what you're planning to do, unless you want to die, young lady."

The man was still nonchalantly standing there, as though he was neither enjoying or getting bored from what was happening before him.