[Discontinued*] The Darling Princess [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 16

When Y/N came too, she realised that she was shivering. It felt as if her body was made of nothing but ice, and she wrapped her arms tight around her body. The stone beneath her did nothing to comfort her.

"Y/N?"

Yuu was crouching next to her, looking petrified. His eyes flickered between her and the monster, unsure of what to do.

"Yuu," Y/N whispered, her voice hoarse. She stretched out a hand toward the boy and placed it on his forearm, startling him with how cold her skin was.

"Are you okay," Yuu asked, wrapping an arm around Y/N's shoulders and pulling her closer to him. "You're as cold as ice."

Another shudder ran through Y/N's body and she shook her head, nestling deeper into the warmth that Yuu gave her. She needed warmth, but there was no warmth to be found in a cavern so far from the moonlight.

"Where are Ace and Deuce," Y/N asked.

Suddenly, the ink-spilling monster let out another banshee-like screech, followed by a distinguishable word. "Leave! Leave! Leave!"

Duece, who was standing in front of the monster, received the punch, which sent him flying back into the cavern wall. He sunk to the floor and crumpled into a ball, his hands clutching his stomach where the monster had struck him. It felt as if he had gotten hit with a mace. 

"Deuce," Y/N whispered, getting to her feet. A pain erupted in her stomach and she winced, nearly falling over. Yuu caught her at the last second and assisted her in getting over to Deuce. "Deuce," Y/N whispered again. "Are you okay?"

Deuce glanced up at the girl and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. But this monster is getting on my nerves. We need that stone."

Suddenly, there was another grunt and Ace came flying into the group, crushing Y/N's smaller frame and pressing her between his back and the floor. Her breath left her in a hurry and she suddenly felt lightheaded again, her vision turning spotty as Ace removed himself from her. Deuce was the one who helped her to stand this time. 

"Stay away," Grim yelled, scampering over to where his "henchmen" were gathered. 

Once he reached them, he spat out a maze of blue flames which should have burned anything to a crisp, but instead, this strange creature seemed to draw more power from the flames, the ink inside the glass vial filling up as the flames soaked into its body. It growled at Grim and raised its lantern in a silent warning. 

"I-it's not working at all," Grim exclaimed. 

Weak as she was, Y/N's quick eyes suddenly picked something up from behind the monster, embedded in the rocky wall. Her eyes widened at the sight of the crystal, shining in the darkness. It was easily as big as the one that had been used to construct the chandelier, perhaps even bigger, and the blue edges seemed to chase away the darkness surrounding it. 

"Wait is that..." Yuu looked over at Y/N. Yuu had seen the stone too.

"Behind that thing," Ace yelled. "At the end of the tunnel, something..."

"That light, is it a magic crystal?" Deuce's eyes were wider than Y/N had ever seen before, and for a moment, it seemed like he was about to dance with the joy of having found the rock that could save his entire future. 

The ink monster seemed to realise that the intruders had noticed the stone and started swinging its pickaxe and lantern wildly, as if hoping to chase them away. "GO! WON'T GIVE!" It swung at the group and they all ducked, though Y/N wasn't able to regain her balance as quickly as the others and clung to Deuce like a lifeline.

The boy suddenly realised just how cold his friend was and turned to the others. "Uh, guys?! Y/N is freezing!"

Yuu turned to Y/N. "I know, but I don't know what to do!"