Chapter 278: Extreme Fear of Lightning and Thunder
Chapter 278: Extreme Fear of Lightning and Thunder
"Ella, don't use-" Elysia exclaimed, but it was too late.
An electric blue ball erupted in the air and turned into billowing lightning, which shot towards Evelyn. The thunder rumbled like a flash of shock, followed by the electric torrent that spread across the wet ground. Evelyn's barrier was shaken slightly by that.
Evelyn started crying and shrieking like a baby. She was only hit by a small jolt of electricity because the barrier the old wizard put up warded off 99 percent of the tiny thunderbolt.
Even so, she still felt the things that made her scared and horrified. The source of her terror recurred in her mind, something that made her have a phobia or extreme fear of lightning and thunder.
"No, no more lightning. Sob-sob... I'm a good girl, don't hurt me anymore. I- I don't want to die--" Evelyn covered her head with her hands and crouched down. Fresh terror reared up within her, and her voice was thick with fear.
Ella was surprised because it was not the result she expected. Ariel and Maximilian were the same, but they responded instantly. They were afraid that something has gone wrong and Evelyn was injured.
Maximilian immediately deactivated the zone barrier without anyone asking, then he hurried towards Evelyn. Ariel also rushed over as quickly as possible for first aid. Yet, there was a shadow that preceded them to approach Evelyn.
"Eve, are you all right? I'm here, everything is fine. It's just a little electricity. You're safe." Elysia crouched down after breaking Evelyn's barrier. She immediately tried to help, but nothing was wrong with Evelyn other than Evelyn's fear of lightning and thunder.
Evelyn lifted her head slightly at the soothing, familiar voice. She felt cold, and her body was trembling. Her chest felt so tight that it was difficult to breathe... Yet, only one suggestion on her mind, asking for protection.
"Ely, Ely... Sob-sob..." Evelyn stretched out her hand and threw herself at her best friend, Elysia was pushed back, and they sat on the ground. Then, the frightened girl hid in her best friend's arms.
"It's okay, everything is fine. Close your eyes and listen to my heartbeat--" Elysia continued her soothing suggestion as she stroked Evelyn's hair. She also used her magic to make her friend dry and warm.
At the same time, she tried to calm Evelyn down with subtle magic. She was aware Evelyn had difficulty breathing due to heart palpitations and trembling with fear.
Yet, Evelyn hugged her best friend tighter and buried her face in her best friend's breast. She cried silently there, even though warmth and comfort had enveloped her.
Elena sighed at this scene. She still remembered Evelyn's panic last time. This girl had simply come to Elysia's room and hid under the covers. But, Evelyn's fear this time was quite severe. Was it because this girl got electrocuted a little?
"What about her condition?" Maximilian turned to Ariel, but Ariel did not immediately answer.
She crouched down and touched Evelyn's arm, trying to check on this girl with Holy Magic. Yet, she didn't find anything wrong, like wounds or the like. Therefore, she glanced at Elysia and received a subtle nod from the latter.
"Princess Evelyn is fine, Sir Maximilian. She just suffered from the shock of the lightning, and she ended up frightened." Ariel breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
Somehow, it sounded like an accusation to Maximilian, even though only he thought so.
"Strange, my protective barrier has already warded off 99 percent of any attacks. The Holy Princess's lightning magic attack shouldn't have had such an impact." Maximilian frowned in his defense, albeit no one tried to accuse him.
"Eve, Eve, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I used that magic after making sure lightning couldn't penetrate my protective barrier. So, so what happened? Why did it happen, Ely, Sir Maximilian?" Ella crouched next to Elysia with a guilty expression. She did not understand what had just happened to cause this.
"Eve's fine. Please don't panic like that, Ella. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Yes, repeat that a few times. You didn't do anything wrong, really." Elysia gave a piece of advice to the panicked and restless girl. Then, she turned to the old wizard. "Sir Maximilian, can you dry out this area?"
"Easy peasy." Maximilian answered curtly and stretched out his hand. A sizeable purple magic circle appeared on the ground and turned all the water into steam.
After that, he gave Evelyn a complex look. He wondered the cause of Evelyn's extreme fear. Was the incident that shocked the Ariatha Kingdom 10 years ago the reason? It was highly possible because Mitchell Royal Family's youngest descendants were the victims plus the evil schemes' primary targets.
On the other hand, Hannah stopped Rosie and Fran's training. They and Harold's group rushed to Evelyn to find out the details of what had just happened.
"What happened? Did an accident happen?" Harold asked out of concern.
"No accidents happened, and no one was hurt, Sir Harold. Princess Evelyn was only shocked by the lightning magic attack earlier." Ariel assured everyone that all was well.
"Huh? I thought there was an incident, and someone was injured. So this princess was crying just because she was shocked? Hmh, strange and ridiculous with a whiny personality. It's dangerous for her to be in the battle zone then. That's not the mentality of a person who can fight on the battlefield." Hannah folded her arms with a disgruntled and disappointed expression.
Evelyn shuddered at that. She knew it very well, but her dread just came and drowned her.
In the past, she tried to deal with her fear, but she failed miserably. She was just helpless...
"Hush, hush... Eve, don't be afraid. You're not alone. Everyone has flaws, and so do I. Please don't overthink negative and gloomy thoughts." Elysia stroked Evelyn's head with a soft, gentle voice. She understood what Evelyn was going through quite a bit because she was the same before Elena came to help.
After saying that, Elysia waited for Evelyn's pulse to calm down before turning towards Hannah with a displeasure expression. "How ungracious of you, Miss Hannah. If you can say that as an instructor to a student, you have failed to give proper teaching. Everyone has different understandings and skills, so are the drawbacks and flaws."
"Eh? I didn't say anything wrong. What you say is justified, little girl. But it is my right, I will say what I like. As you know, why should I keep my mouth shut when all I say is the truth? This Princess Evelyn has to understand that and overcome it." Hannah put her hands on her hips. She grinned at Elysia, but her words were offensive to Evelyn.
"Hmph! I don't want to talk to someone who only understands about herself, her belief, and her world." Elysia scowled and paid no more attention to Hannah. She returned to her gentle tone to her friends. "Let's go, Ella. Eve, can you walk, or do you want to be carried?"
Evelyn only shook her head slightly, but Elysia could tell from the gesture. Elysia moved a little and carried Evelyn away as if Evelyn was no heavier than a feather.
Ella immediately followed her friends after giving Hannah a quick aggrieved glance. Maximilian, Ariel, and others also followed Elysia to the edge of the training ground. No matter what, they were still worried about Evelyn.
The ridiculous thing, Hannah also went there as if nothing had happened. Though she received some objections and disapproval from some caring people.
After some time, Evelyn finally regained her serenity, no more any sense of fright or terror. She no longer leaned on her best friend and let go of her hug.
"Oh, poor girl. That must be scary. Please drink this warm tea. It will make you more comfortable and warm from the inside." Rosie's mother gave Evelyn a cup of fragrant tea with a warm smile.
Evelyn glanced left and right before accepting the cup. "En, thank you, ma'am."
"Hehe, no worries, no worries." Rosie's mother waved her hand lightly, then turned to the surrounding people to shoo them away. "Shoo-shoo, make room for them. There's nothing to watch and wait for. Sit there, or you can do whatever else."
Ella glanced at the girl next to her. Evelyn just fiddled the cup with a complicated expression on Evelyn's rosy face.
"Eve, please forgive me. I didn't know that you are afraid of lightning and thunder." Ella touched Evelyn's arm in a sincere and gentle voice. She regretted using that lightning magic.
"En, I'm fine." Evelyn gave a subtle nod. To be honest, she didn't blame anyone but herself.
"Yes, you will be fine and always will be, Eve. The extreme fear of lightning and thunder comes for a reason, but it's not without a solution. Your dread can be called a phobia or trauma. If you wish, I can suggest some countermeasures, Eve. No, let me help you." Elysia stroked Evelyn's back in a gentle motion. She came up with a suggestion to help.
"Really, Ely? Then please help me." Evelyn's interest soared like never before. She needed that help very much.
"Okay, but not now and not here. Let's discuss it carefully when you're calm and ready for it. Hum, it's just a few countermeasures and involves nothing but words. So, don't worry." Elysia gave a reassuring smile when Evelyn's mouth snapped shut due to misrepresentation.
"All right. You are so kind, Ely. Thank you so much." Evelyn's mood was significantly improved simply because of her best friend's smile and kind words.
Yet, when the atmosphere returned to peace, a certain knight approached with a sweet smile like a girl asking her parents for candy. "Elysia, let's do our spar~"