Cecilia dodged out of the way. 

The Celestial Guards who were with her leaped into action, pointing their weapons at Margaret. Laina was shocked by Margaret’s actions and so was Marius. Seeing his lover being threatened, he too drew his weapon and stood protectively before her to protect her. 

“I don’t need your protection, Marius! Get the case to Dante now!” Margaret said to him as she got into position with her weapon in hand. 

“No, I’m not leaving. Not until I know you’re safe,” Marius replied. 

Taking advantage of the distraction, one of the Celestial Guards lunged towards Marius with a sword in hand. Marius blocked the attack with ease, pushing the guard back as he let out a roar. 

Laina and Cecilia on the other hand were glaring at one another. Neither made a move. 

“You’ve got fierce friends, Laina,” she praised, “But are you willing to let them die for you?” 

With a click of her hands, Kol and Florin’s bodies appeared before her. Both of them were still unconscious. Laina was livid. Anger and anxiety surged through her body. 

“Don’t you dare,” she warned, her voice shaking a little as she spoke. 

Cecilia grinned as she laughed, “My my. If I knew it was this easy to get to you, I would have come much earlier.”

Cecilia grabbed Florin by the collar of his blouse. He weighed nothing to her. Laina watched carefully as she examined him closely. 

“A vampire? How did you get a creature of the night to stand by your side? And this one…” she let go of Florin, letting his body fall to the ground with a thud as she turned her attention to Kol. 

The former empress looked over to Laina, “You gave him your blood? This pathetic half-breed?”

Laina curled her hands into fists. She wanted to tear this woman apart. Blinded by anger, Laina failed to see that Cecilia was making her way towards her with a weapon in hand. Thorne, however, saw it as clear as day. 

In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between them, blocking the attack with his body. Cecilia was caught by surprise. Before she could do anything else, it was too late. The dagger in her hand pierced into Thorne’s chest. 

Blood seeped from the wound as Cecilia retracted her dagger, putting distance between them. Blood pooled as Thorne fell onto his knees. Laina caught him before he hit his head on the ground. 

“Thorne? Thorne! Stay with me!” she cried as she held him in her arms. 

Thorne clenched his jaw as he attempted to speak. He grabbed onto Laina’s arm. 

“Your… Your Majesty. You… need to leave…”

Laina shook her head as tears began to blur her vision, “No… I’m not going anywhere. I… I…”

Seeing Thorne gravely wounded hurt her deeply. For a split second, it looked as if it was Dante who was dying in her arms. Something snapped within her. Laina stood up slowly as a sword materialized in her hands. 

She yelled in agony as she charged towards Cecilia. The crazed look in her eyes was a surprise. Cecilia could feel a shudder snaking down her spine. The look Laina had in her eyes was scary. 

But Cecilia had the upper hand in this situation. 

Laina was no match for her. 

“Pathetic,” Cecilia muttered as she send Laina flying backward, crashing into the wall behind her. 

Laina crashed into the wall, her back radiated with pain as blood spewed from her lips. Her body crumbled, falling off the indent she had made in the wall. But before she hit the ground, Cecilia grabbed her by the neck. 

She tightened her grip, blocking Laina’s airway. She struggled to breathe. Laina brought her hands up to Cecilia’s attempting to remove them from her neck. When Margaret realized what was happening, all she saw was red. 

“NO!” she yelled as she rushed over to save Laina. 

Cecilia turned to face Margaret. To the former empress, she was just an obstacle in her way. With a pulse of energy, she pushed Margaret back, causing her to crash into Marius who was running up behind her. 

“Pathetic,” Cecilia spat, “Did you seriously think you would be able to fight me? Being in Gaeia has made you soft and weak.”

Laina continued to struggle in Cecilia’s grasp. She could feel herself losing consciousness as she gasped for air. 

“You want to live, don’t you, Laina?” Cecilia asked, “If you want to live, then beg me, Beg me to let you go.”

“Never…” 

“What did you say?”

“I said NEVER!” Laina yelled at the top of her lungs. 

No matter what happened, she was never backing down. She placed her hands on Cecilia’s arms and as she looked her dead in the eyes. In an instant, a surge of power flowed through Laina’s veins as her entire body was lit up in flames. 

Shocked, Cecilia attempted to let go of Laina. But she could not do so as Laina had her hands on her arms. The flames continued to spread from Laina’s body onto Cecilia, causing her to scream in agony. 

Normal flames would not have harmed the former Empress. In fact, no attack Laina could muster in Gaeia would have been able to harm Cecilia as she was a Celestial. However, these were no normal flames. 

Laina had pulled powers from deep within her being. In her struggle to survive, she awakened powers she had from a different life. When she finally released Cecilia from her grasp, Laina was still covered in flames. 

The power of flame and Sun burned her on the inside and out. She did not have any control over it. Margaret, realizing what was going on, rushed to Laina’s side. 

“Laina! Laina!” she called out to her, hoping Laina could hear. 

But the Queen of Kinshearth did not respond. She took a step towards Cecilia who was injured and screaming in pain from the wound Laina had inflicted on her. 

“You dare threaten me?” Laina spoke, her voice echoing in everyone’s mind. 

The aura that surrounded her voice was oppressive, even more than Cecilia’s. It forced everyone onto the ground. Thorne, who was still conscious, knew things were getting out of hand. If they were to go on, Laina would burn out. 

The amount of energy she needed to use those powers was inhuman, not to mention the harm it could cause her body. Despite having suffered a grave wound, his enhanced healing powers kept him alive. 

Apart from Dante, he was the only one who could reach Laina now. 

Cecilia, surprised to see Laina with this much power, retreated backward. The situation was getting out of hand, she no longer had the upper hand. Like a coward, she decided to make a run for it to retreat. 

She called for the Celestial Guards to come to her aid. They did as she asked and attempted to fight Laina off as she fled. Two of the guards lunged towards Laina. But before they could even get close enough to attack her, they were engulfed in flames. 

Their pain-filled screams filled the air for only a few seconds before they were reduced to ashes. 

“Laina! Please, follow the sound of my voice!” Margaret pleaded, hoping she could get through to Laina before it was too late.