The dark Lilith [OUAT Peter Pan X oc]

Chapter five: A reunion between friends

"This can't be," Mulan said, her voice thick with disbelief as she scanned the gruesome scene before them. The land they had thought safe—hidden from the horrors of the world—now lay desecrated, the bodies of their fallen companions scattered across the clearing. "Our land... we were protected here, hidden. How did the ogres find us?"

"Ogres didn't do this." Snow's voice was cold, steely with determination. She crouched beside one of the bodies, her eyes flicking to the bloodied chest where the heart had been torn out. "Cora did this. Their hearts... they were ripped out. This is her magic—twisted and evil. I've only seen one other person capable of such darkness. We have to stop her."

"Too late." Mulan shook her head, her sword pointing toward one of the bodies lying at her feet. "She killed them... she killed them all."

"No." Snow straightened, clenching her fists. "We have to stop her before she hurts anyone else."

The air around them felt thick with the weight of what had happened, but then Emma's voice cut through the tension, calling them to action.

"Hey! Hey, look!"

Emma hurried to a pile of fallen bodies, and with frantic energy, she began clearing the debris. Beneath the dead weight of one body, there was a movement—a weak, but distinct hand, waving from underneath.

Aurora rushed to help Emma, pulling away more bodies until they exposed a battered and bloodied Killian, struggling to sit up.

"Please," he rasped, his voice hoarse with pain. "Please help me."

"It's okay," Snow said quickly, kneeling beside him, her voice gentle. "You're safe now. We won't hurt you."

Killian's eyes fluttered, relief washing over his face as he managed a strained smile. "Thank you... thank you..."

Emma and the others helped him sit up, all the while unaware of the glint of something calculating in Killian's gaze as he surveyed his surroundings. As he looked toward the water's edge, his expression hardened for a moment, but he quickly masked it, pretending to be too weak to notice the woman lying motionless near the riverbank—Lillian, still unconscious from the blow he'd delivered.

They didn't see him glance at her. No one did. And as they gathered around him, none of them would realize that the man they were helping to safety had a hand in everything that had happened.

Emma's heart skipped a beat as she turned around, her eyes landing on a familiar figure lying motionless near the edge of the water. She blinked, not quite believing what she was seeing. She hesitated for a moment, before turning to Mary Margaret.

"Mary Margaret... is that..." Emma trailed off, pointing toward the dark brown hair partially hidden beneath a pile of debris.

"Lillian!" Snow's voice cracked as she recognized the young woman. She bolted forward, her movements frantic as she rushed to the teenager's side. The weight of several bodies lay on top of her, and Snow quickly started moving them aside, searching for any signs of injury. She gently called her name, shaking Lillian's shoulders. "Lillian, Lillian!"

Emma followed close behind, her heart pounding as she knelt beside Snow, placing a gentle hand on Lillian's shoulder in a quiet show of comfort. The young sorceress's chest rose and fell faintly as she began to stir.

Lillian's eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding her expression. She blinked a few times, her gaze shifting between Snow and Emma, before she furrowed her brow, struggling to process the situation.

"Snow... Emma?" Her voice was shaky, a faint tremor of disbelief in her tone. "How did I get here?" She pushed herself up slightly, looking around her surroundings, still disoriented. Her eyes widened as they landed on a figure standing a little farther away. "Killian?"