Enslaved To The Alphas-Chapter 301: The Goddess’ Power

They had chosen the wrong mate.

The moment the words settled into Shiqi’s mind, triumph surged through her leaving her exhilarated. Nothing mattered anymore. She now had the power of the Golden Goddess! She was the most powerful being in the universe!

She spread her arms wide, her head tilting back as she stood beside the podium, laughing, ready to welcome the power that would seep into her.

This was it. This was the moment that had slipped through her fingers once before, the moment she had chased for so long. She opened herself fully.

"Come," she whispered hoarsely. "I accept."

The bright golden light that had descended from the moon came towards her as if attracted by a magnet, and then thickened around her almost at once. It wrapped around her body like warm silk, sinking into her skin, sliding through her veins. Heat bloomed in her chest and spread outward, fast and intoxicating.

Her smile widened, teeth showing, eyes shining with fevered joy.

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes... I feel you."

The Goddess had taken them out of anger. The sacrifice was complete. Once she had the power of the Goddess, there was no need to wait for another ritual. There would never be a descending Goddess again because she would be a living Goddess ruling this place. The soul of the three lords would soon disappear from this world and then Emira and Aron would be left to her mercy.

Soon, the warmth intensified. It pressed against her ribs, filled her lungs, burned behind her eyes. Shiqi laughed again, louder this time, her arms still open as if she could gather all of it into herself. But then—

The heat did not stop. Instead, it burned hotter and sharper.

Shiqi’s smile faltered.

Her brows drew together as the warmth turned searing, as if the golden light had grown teeth. It clawed at her from the inside, tearing her instead of blessing her. Her breath hitched. Her fingers curled.

"What...is happening?" she whispered.

The pain within her surged suddenly, violently, ripping through her chest and down her spine. Shiqi gasped as if stabbed. Her eyes flew open with shock. The golden glow around her flared brighter, almost blinding, but instead of feeling full, she felt hollowed out.

Burned. From the outside, it soon looked as if she was engulfed in flames.

"No," she said, her voice cracking. "No, this is wrong." Something was definitely wrong! Her body should have felt comforted by the power, healed.. but this was not... She tried to look at Aron? Was this his trick? Had he interfered in something? But she couldn’t.

Because the heat scorched her skin. It felt as though flames were licking beneath her flesh, eating her alive from the inside. She could only scream with her eyes closed as the pain exploded through her body, raw and unbearable. Her knees buckled but something unseen held her upright. Dark spots crowded the edges of her sight when she tried to look around.

She clawed at herself, dragging her hands down her arms, her chest, as if she could rip the fire away. Her skin felt like it was peeling, shrinking, tightening painfully over her bones.

"Stop," she cried, her voice breaking into panic. "Stop it!"

But there was no answer. No stopping it.

She staggered, spinning in place, eyes darting wildly around the courtyard. Everyone else was nothing but blurred shapes and distant shadows. No one came closer. No one touched her.

She was alone. She tried to summon her power to submerge in water. Anything that would cool down the agony she was going through.

But her power also seemed to be bound. And then the pain worsened.

She tried to step back but her feet left the ground without warning. A sharp gasp escaped her as her body lifted into the air, weightless, helpless.

Her body twisted midair as if caught by invisible hands. The golden light constricted around her, crushing, burning. She flailed, trying to balance, but there was nothing to grab onto.

Then, without mercy, she was thrown down.

Her body slammed onto the floor with a sickening force. Pain exploded through her bones. She screamed as the breath was knocked from her lungs, her chest heaving violently as she lay there gasping.

For a few seconds, she could only choke on air.

Her ears rang. Her head throbbed. The golden light still clung to her, but now it felt cold and hostile, like chains instead of warmth. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

As she struggled to push herself up, another sensation struck her.

Her body began to change.

She froze, terror flooding her eyes as she felt it happening. Her limbs felt heavy. Wrong. Her skin tightened painfully, drawing inward. Her fingers trembled as she lifted her hands and stared at them in horror.

They were thinner. Shrivelled and wrinkled.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head violently. "No, no, no-"

Her voice cracked completely this time.

Shiqi dragged herself to sit on her knees, her arms trembling, her breath coming out in short, panicked gasps. The pain had not eased. It had only changed. It sank deeper, heavier, settling into her bones as if time itself had turned against her.

Her hands shook violently as she held them up. Her skin was no longer smooth now. It was creased. Veins stood out sharply beneath it, blue and fragile.

"This isn’t possible," she whispered, horror flooding her voice. "My magic..." How did she turn into an old woman? Why had her magic disappeared? She closed her eyes and hurriedly tried to use the illusion spell again, to maintain a youthful appearance. The magic rose around her hands but soon disappeared, as if having no energy to move.

"No!!!" Her scream tore through the courtyard as the change surged upward.

Her arms withered before her eyes, flesh thinning, muscles shrinking as if being drained dry. Her shoulders slumped, no longer held up by strength or arrogance. Her back curved painfully, her spine protesting as centuries of weight pressed down at once.

She clawed at her face.

Her nails scraped against skin that sagged beneath her touch. Her cheeks hollowed. Deep lines carved themselves around her mouth, her eyes, her brow. Her jaw trembled as she felt her teeth ache, loosen, as if they no longer fully belonged.