Chapter 250: When Everything Started To Fall Apart

Leona opened her mouth to speak. The entire village leaned forward, holding their breath, waiting for the truth that had been buried for decades.

And then she stopped.

Her lips pressed together. Her brow furrowed.

An awkward flush crept up her neck as she turned to look at Luca, who was currently being frantically bandaged by Luna and Lulu.

“Luca.” She said, her voice small. “Where exactly should I start? What truth should I say? I don’t even know where to begin.”

Luca winced as Luna tightened a bandage around his abdomen before thinking about it for a moment and saying,

“Start from when everything turned for the worst. When it all started falling apart.”

Leona paused, her gaze drifting inward.

“…When everything turned for the worst?”

She let out a deep sigh and turned back to the crowd.

“Then…it probably has to do with when I found out I was going to be married.”

A wave of surprise rippled through the villagers.

This was not where they had expected the story to begin.

Whispers spread like wildfire.

What did marriage have to do with anything?

How could that be connected to the cold, distant matriarch they had known for so long?

But they fell silent, leaning in, because there was clearly a conspiracy at play here.

Something had been hidden from them for years, and now, finally, the truth was going to come out.

The elders, who had long suspected something was wrong but could never prove it, listened with sharp, focused eyes and nostalgic faces.

Leona’s voice grew distant, her eyes unfocusing as she looked into a past only she could see.

“I remember that day clearly.” She said softly. “It was a beautiful morning. Me and Nyx…we were together at that time.”

Nyx’s head snapped up, surprise flickering across her features. She hadn’t expected to be mentioned.

“We were having a competition.” Leona continued, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. “About who could climb a tree the fastest.”

A few of the older villagers chuckled, the memory surfacing unbidden.

They remembered those days—the two sisters, wild and free, racing through the branches like squirrels.

“Everyone scolded us.” Leona said, her smile growing. “They said we were adults acting like children. But we didn’t care. We were having the time of our lives.”

She looked at Nyx, and for a moment, the years melted away.

“We climbed from one tree to another, claiming each other’s sticks, arguing about who was faster, fighting and teasing.”

“You were so competitive, Nyx. You even cheated.”

Nyx’s lips twitched. “I did not cheat. I was simply…strategically advantaged.”

“You grabbed my foot and pulled me down.”

“I thought your leg was a branch, that’s all.”

The crowd laughed—a genuine, warm sound that seemed to surprise even them.

They remembered that version of Leona, the one who was basically another form of Lulu.

Excited. Cheerful. Even a bit childish.

She hadn’t seemed like someone destined to be the Matriarch, weighed down by duty and expectation.

Instead, she had been as free-spirited as a girl who just wanted to live her life to the fullest and make other people happy.

“I really had a lot of fun that day.”

She paused as her smile faded.

“But, unfortunately, it was also the same day I was told a marriage had been arranged for me. I was going to be married to Julius.”

A somber silence fell over the crowd.

“I was shocked, of course. This wasn’t expected at all—it came out of nowhere. And apparently, the one who arranged it was my own father.”

Her jaw tightened.

“I tried to fight it. I told him I had no interest in marriage right now, and even if I did, I wanted to choose my own partner.”

“But my father was completely against it.”

She bit her lips like she remember the frustration she felt.

“He had made his decision, and he wasn’t going to change his mind.”

She thenlooked at the older villagers and said with a indignant smile,

“Those of you who remember my father know how stubborn he was. How unwilling he was to listen to anyone else.”

Grim nods rippled through the crowd. They did remember.

The previous Patriarch had been a difficult man—someone who completely sided with the males, just like every patriarch before him.

Stubborn. Utterly chauvinistic. He looked down on women as if they existed only to serve the men.

They had no good memories of him.

Leona continued. “At the time, he was also on his deathbed. He was going to pass away soon.”

“Because of that and because of my responsibilities, I had no choice but to agree to the marriage.”

She looked at the villagers, her eyes searching.

“I don’t know if it was because he was relieved that I was finally going to have a partner, or if the timing was just terrible.”

“But days after I agreed…my father passed away.”

None of the elves looked sad. They had actually been quite happy when the previous Patriarch died, because they had not liked him at all.

But more than that, his death meant something important—since he had no male children, Leona would become the Matriarch.

That had been a cause for celebration, especially for the female villagers, who had hoped she would finally bring about change.

Leona continued in her somber tone.

“Despite his passing, the marriage arrangement stood. I was still going to be married off.”

She sighed. “I still had my responsibilities. I still had to honor my father’s last wishes. So I decided to go through with it.”

Her expression softened slightly as she added,

“But luckily…the person I was marrying was Julius.”

She looked at the crowd.

“You all remember him from back then. The Grand Healer. The kind, helpful, smart young man everyone looked up to.”

“I didn’t know him well, we had barely spoken.” She shook her head before forcing a smiel. “But I thought he seemed decent. Nice, even.”

“The female villagers didn’t mind him, which was rare. So I was…satisfied.”

She then added,

“I also got to know him a little before the wedding. We talked. He seemed considerate, thoughtful. I thought—maybe this isn’t so bad.”

Her eyes grew brighter.

“I thought that even though I haven’t fallen in love with him—maybe if we spend time together, if we get to know each other…”

“…maybe he could be the one for me.”

Nyx’s eyes darkened as she listened. She remembered that time.

Remembered investigating Julius herself, watching him, talking to him, making sure her sister would be safe.

She had found nothing wrong. Nothing suspicious.

Compared to the other males in the village—the brash, rude, disrespectful ones—Julius had seemed different. Better.

So, she had approved.

Leona’s voice grew heavier.

“So I got married. The whole village was there. Even though I was nervous, even though I wasn’t completely sure about the future…seeing all of you there, wishing me happiness…it made me feel like everything would be alright.”

Everyone remember that day and how nervous Leona was and how they partied all night with fond emotions

“And after I got married and started living with him, I got comfortable too.”

Leona added before continuing to say,

“He was considerate. He didn’t treat me roughly or say rude things. He seemed like a genuine person I could live with. So I was satisfied.”

“Everything seemed…not bad at all.”

But then her face darkened. The light drained from her eyes.

“That is…until the day came when I ascended to my position as Matriarch.”

A heavy silence settled over the crowd.

“A week after I got married, the ascension ceremony took place. The village couldn’t stay long without a leader, so they crowned me matriarch.”

She smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“At the time, despite the heavy responsibility—which I didn’t like, because I preferred a carefree life—I knew this was a great opportunity.”

“For years, centuries, female elves had been persecuted, treated harshly, reduced to servants. I thought that if I became Matriarch, I could make changes. Bring both sides to equality.”

“Give women the respect they deserved.”

The female villagers clenched their fists, their eyes bright with remembered hope. They remembered those days—the discussions, the dreams, the certainty that Leona would bring about a new age.

They had put all their hopes on her.

Leona’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“I truly did think I could bring about a new era for everyone. That I could make a change.”

She looked up, her eyes haunted.

“But everything took a turn for the worse that very night.”

Hearing this, one of the more eager elves couldn’t contain herself any longer. She stepped forward, her hands clasped tightly in front of her chest.

“What…What happened, Leona? What happened that night?”

Another elf nodded vigorously, her voice urgent.

“Please tell us! We want to know!”

Everyone leaned in, their eyes fixed on Leona with rapt attention.

The weight of their gazes should have been crushing, but instead, Leona felt something unexpected—warmth.

They weren’t looking at her with suspicion or judgment.

They were looking at her with concern. With sympathy.

With the same desperate need to understand that had been burning inside her for forty years.

She took a deep breath.

“Every time a Matriarch ascends to the throne…”

She began.

“…the previous leader shares words of advice on that very night.”

“Wisdom and knowledge are bestowed upon the new leader. It has been a tradition for centuries.”

The older elves nodded, their faces solemn. They remembered. These were the final words from one generation to the next—sacred, meaningful, passed down through countless matriarchs.

“My father had already passed on.” Leona continued. “So he couldn’t speak to me directly. But he had recorded a message, a magical imprint that would allow me to hear his final words.”

“I had recently gotten married, so Julius accompanied me that night.”

She paused, her eyes growing distant.

“We went to the Holy tree, where my father had placed his final message. We waited together under the full moon. No one else was there. Just the two of us.”

A wistful smile crossed her face.

“When the moon was at its peak, my father’s image manifested before us. And I…”

Her expression flickered, complicated. “I didn’t know how to feel. He was my father, related to me by blood. But I wasn’t fond of him. Not at all. So I was…conflicted.”

The smile returned, softer this time.

“But I also had Julius by my side. For the first time, I had a husband. Someone to face things with. I thought that now, I wouldn’t have to bear anything alone.”

Her eyes glistened. “In that moment, I felt a real connection with him. It was the first time I actually felt something for Julius.”

Luna and Lulu exchanged uncomfortable glances.

Even though it was only a moment, hearing their mother say she had fond feelings for their bastard father, even briefly made their stomachs turn.

Luca remained calm, a faint, unreadable smile on his face as he listened.

Leona’s expression darkened.

“But who would have thought…” Her voice dropped. “My father wouldn’t give sagely advice. He wouldn’t share tips for governing the village.”

“He didn’t even scold me like he used to. Instead the moment I saw him, before I could even speak, his image turned…ominous.”

She shuddered.

“His aged face had a darkness to it that I didn’t recognize. It was like something else was looking through his eyes. He looked terrifying—so much so that I took several steps back.”

“But I gritted my teeth. I stood my ground. I tried to call out to him.”

Her hands clenched into fists.

“But before I could say anything, he burst out in a loud, furious voice and he…he went on a long rant about how he had failed!”

Everyone gasped in shock, while Leona’s face twisted with remembered pain.

“He spoke of his dreams for the village. His aspirations. All the things he had wanted to accomplish but couldn’t, because of the illness that had taken him.”

“He said that he had died too young—with at least a century of life left. And he was full of grievances.”

Her voice cracked.

“I could feel it. The air changed. It grew cold. Heavy. Ominous. He didn’t look like my father anymore…”

“…He looked like a resentful spirit.”

Everyone shivered at the chiling revelation, while Nyx’s eyes narrowed.

She had suspected something like this, something supernatural, something beyond normal understanding.

But hearing it confirmed sent a chill down her spine.

Leona pressed on.

“He said he couldn’t pass on. Not until he accomplished his duties as Patriarch. Not until his aspirations were fulfilled.”

“Apparently, his spirit was still roaming this world, trapped by his own bitterness.”

She closed her eyes tightly.

“And in that moment, I knew something was wrong. So, I tried to appease him, I said so many things to calm him down.”

“But he didn’t even glance at me. He just ranted and ranted until finally—he screamed!”

Her voice rose.

“’I won’t die! He said. I won’t truly go to heaven until I bring this village to its perfect goal! Until all my aspirations come to fruition!”

“Before that happens, I’m staying here at all costs. Anyone who opposes me will suffer horribly!”

“He just kept ranting, kept screaming, until—”

She swallowed.

“Until he pointed at me.”

Her voice grew hollow.

“He said everything went wrong in his life the moment I was born. That I was the cause of all his failures. That I was a curse.”

Murmurs of outrage rippled through the crowd.

Several elves shook their heads, faces twisted with disbelief.

How could anyone blame a child for their own shortcomings? It was absurd. Cruel.

Leona continued.

“He said that as punishment for my sins, for ruining his life—I would lose something precious.”

“That is, my ability to show love.”

“My ability to laugh.”

“My ability to cry for others.”

“I would become a slab of ice, unable to show affection to anyone. And anyone who tried to get close to me would suffer!”

She looked at the crowd, her eyes red.

“I tried to beg him to stop. I tried to plead. But he didn’t listen. Instead—” Her voice broke. “Instead, he surged forward. Not toward me. Toward Julius.”

Gasps echoed through the square.

“He went into Julius’s body. And Julius he—”

“—he started screaming like he was being torn apart from the inside.”

“Like something was devouring his soul or…or—”

“—he was being possessed by a evil spirit!”

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