Eternal Undying Chronicles

Malefica took a measured step back, her expression cold and composed, but Cassandra's words had struck deeper than they seemed. Though the spell itself was unaffected, a crack formed in Malefica's otherwise unyielding demeanor—a small hole planted in her heart by the seed of doubt.

Cassandra wasn't about to let up. She pressed forward, her voice sharp and filled with righteous indignation.

"Your grandmother raised you all by her lonesome! She loved you and gave you everything you could possibly desire. And what did you give her in return?"

The fiery sword in Cassandra's hand flared brighter, its flames roaring to life as she swung it in a devastating arc.

The searing blade connected with Malefica's iron-clad form, sending a cascade of sparks flying in all directions.

The clang of steel meeting flame echoed like a thunderclap, shaking the forest around them. Malefica's iron body shimmered with heat, but her expression didn't flinch. Instead, she twisted her form with inhuman speed, sidestepping into one of the nearby spatial gates, her body dissolving into motes of light.

She reappeared a moment later behind Cassandra, silent and calculating.

Cassandra turned slowly, her burning eyes locking onto Malefica, who stood poised but uneasy. For the first time, a flicker of something unfamiliar passed through Malefica's gaze—hesitation. Memories of her grandmother began to surface unbidden, intruding on her focused mind like whispers from the past.

"You came here seeking the truth about the Demon of Noon, didn't you?"

Cassandra's voice carried a venomous edge, each word like a dagger aimed at Malefica's composure.

"Fine. I'll tell you what the records say. The Demon of Noon was the reason your mother died. And you… you would have suffered the same fate at the hands of a man from the Order."

Cassandra's voice rose with fury.

"She did everything to protect you, sacrificed everything, and how did you repay her? You sealed her away in the form of a statue for a thousand years!"

Malefica bit her lip, the edges of her perfect facade faltering. She hated how easily Cassandra had latched onto the spell's weakness: the Wiccan Rule of Three. If Malefica allowed herself to believe, even for a moment, that her actions had been wrong, the spell would turn on her, delivering its retribution threefold.

The flaw in her magic was widening like a fissure, threatening to consume her.

Taking a deep breath, Malefica steadied herself, her voice calm but tinged with underlying tension.

"I already know that, Cassandra. I didn't need you to tell me. And as for the Demon of Noon… I am fully aware of my connection to him."

Her lips curled into a sharp, defiant smile.

"After all, he is my father."

Cassandra froze, her fiery resolve flickering with shock.

"Y-your father?"

she stammered, the revelation throwing her off balance.

Malefica's hands clenched into fists, her iron form shimmering as if in defiance of her opponent's disbelief.

"It seems you don't know everything after all. That false confidence of yours…"

She let the words trail, her disdain cutting deeper than any spell.

Cassandra quickly recovered, narrowing her eyes.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you turned on the woman who raised you!"

she snapped.

"Did it never occur to you that she had her own struggles, her own difficulties? No, you were too selfish, too self-centered… too greedy!"

Cassandra's voice dripped with scorn.

"And greed is a deadly sin. Shouldn't you be punished threefold for that?"

The words hit Malefica harder than any spell, her normally pale complexion draining further as the flaw in her spell became an unignorable chasm.

She clenched her teeth, refusing to let Cassandra's accusations shake her further.

"I don't have time for your nonsense," she hissed, her voice colder than before.

But Cassandra wasn't done. She leaped forward, her flaming sword cutting through the air with deadly precision.

Malefica dodged, her body twisting like liquid steel, narrowly avoiding the fiery blade as it sliced through a nearby tree. The tree erupted into flames, its branches cracking and splintering under the intense heat.

Malefica dove into another gate, the spatial magic rippling around her as she disappeared again. Cassandra's eyes scanned the chaotic battlefield, her mind working furiously to anticipate where Malefica would emerge.

Suddenly, a gate shimmered to life on her left, and without hesitation, she thrust her sword forward, aiming for Malefica's reappearance.
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But Malefica was faster. She emerged from a different gate entirely, launching a counterattack with a burst of raw energy that sent Cassandra flying backward. The younger witch hit the ground hard, her sword skidding away as she rolled to a stop.

Malefica stepped forward, her expression cold and pitiless.

"You think you can best me with cheap tricks and accusations? I've walked this path far longer than you, Cassandra. You're still nothing but a child playing with fire."

Cassandra gritted her teeth, flames reigniting around her hands as she summoned her sword back to her grip.

"A child, huh?" she spat, rising to her feet.

"Then let's see how this child burns you."

With a surge of energy, Cassandra swung her sword again, this time unleashing a wave of fire that tore through the forest, consuming everything in its path.

Malefica's iron body glowed red-hot as the flames roared toward her. She braced herself, her iron skin absorbing the heat, but the sheer force of the attack forced her to take a step back.

"You're starting to crack," Cassandra taunted, a wild grin spreading across her face.

"Maybe you're not as invincible as you think."

"Never said I was."

Malefica's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Instead, she raised her hand, summoning a spear of dark energy that materialized in the air above her.

With a flick of her wrist, the spear shot forward, cutting through Cassandra's flames like a blade through smoke. Cassandra dodged, the spear grazing her shoulder and leaving a searing wound.

She winced but didn't falter.

"Is that all you've got?"

she challenged, her voice defiant.

"Because I'm just getting started."

Malefica's calm mask began to fracture, her frustration bubbling beneath the surface. The seeds of doubt planted by Cassandra's words were growing, gnawing at the edges of her confidence. But she couldn't let it show. Not now.

The battle raged on, their magic colliding in an explosive dance of fire.