Chapter 198: Using Treat on Herself
With all eyes on her, Elin felt nervous. True, she'd felt like a spectacle earlier, with whatever it was sticking out the back of her head, but she wasn't sure if maybe it was because she had her Intelligence reduced or whatever, only that she was struggling to maintain her composure from the terror that threatened to take her over.
Up to this point, she'd been able to mostly keep that terror inside by not reacting at all to what was happening around her. She had been able to say a few things, but now she wasn't sure if she'd be able to manage that again with everyone looking at her like they were.
Initially she'd been unable to contain her fears, but after a minute of that, she was able to get that under control, only to find that it was taking all of her focus to maintain that. Even responding to questions directed at her had felt like her control was in danger of breaking.
So, now that she had to do something other than let everyone else talk around her and move her body around, she felt a new fear come up: that doing this would unravel the control she was barely keeping herself from descending into the terror that felt like it would just swallow her up, leaving her in a shell that was only her on the outside.
Even just feeling this new fear was eroding her control and she felt her breathing start to quicken and she was vaguely aware of others talking around her, but she wasn't hearing anything at all.
Not that it mattered to her, she was busy trying to keep from descending into the fear that she felt certain she wouldn't be able to climb out of once she fell into it. That it wouldn't matter if the devourer was removed or if it burrowed deeper into her, because she'd never be able to climb out of where she'd end up anyway.
Suddenly she felt warm arms wrap around her, startling her back into awareness around her, creating an opening in the fear that was starting to drag her down. While her mind wasn't sure who the arms belonged to, the warmth and comfort she felt from them almost made her want to cry in relief. That she finally had a lifeline with which to hold onto.
"Take your time, my gem," Kim whispered in her ear. "Don't worry about anything other than getting your spell through. We'll take care of everything else."
Elin couldn't be sure if she nodded or not right then, just that the arms removed themselves from her, though the warmth from them lingered. As well as the brief sense of comfort that they had provided.