Eternal Undying Chronicles

The pages of her two grimoires fluttered with an eerie resonance, like the beating wings of caged birds. The scent of magic thickened in the air as Malefica moved her hands with deliberate precision.

"Compress,"

she murmured, her voice laced with cold intent.

The space around the two figures began to distort violently. The air seemed to fold upon itself, as if it were clay in the hands of a master sculptor. Invisible forces bent and twisted the very fabric of reality, pressing in from all sides.

The sky above shimmered and contracted, like the stretching of elastic, as if the entire universe itself were being compressed into a smaller, tighter space.

The pressure built steadily, a low hum vibrating through Cassandra's chest, until it reached a sharp, unbearable point.

Cassandra's palm stung, blood trickling from her skin, forming droplets that glowed faintly in the dim space. As they pooled on her hand, the blood twisted and transformed, drawn by her magic.

The liquid unraveled into countless thin strands of light, stretching upwards like spider silk. These strings wove and interlaced in midair, forming an intricate lattice that surrounded them.

The space trembled as though it were on the verge of collapse, the strain reverberating with a distant, strained groan of resistance. The edges of the lattice crackled, threads pulsing like a heartbeat as the area itself resisted the compression.

Cassandra gritted her teeth, fighting to maintain control. The very air around them buckled under the pressure of her spell.

Malefica, watching the scene unfold, flicked her wrist with a fluid motion, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

"Rend."

With that single command, a pulse of invisible force surged through the air. The attack was silent, but the pressure it exerted was unmistakable. The air itself split, a jagged rift tearing through the space between them.

The force of the strike was unseen but palpable, a blade of raw energy aimed straight at Cassandra.

But Cassandra was ready. Her eyes narrowed, her body already in motion. In one fluid motion, she passed through a shimmering gate, the magical portal flickering open in front of her as she darted to the side.

The rift of energy missed her by mere inches, its invisible tendrils brushing against her skin with a barely perceptible sting.

A mocking laugh escaped Cassandra's lips, echoing through the collapsing space.

"You gate spell is impressive, Malefica,"

Cassandra called out, her tone dripping with disdain.

"It was supposed to trap me, but once I cracked the randomized pattern of the gates, it was easy."

Malefica's eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a snarl.

"Not if I drown you first."

Her voice was like ice, and with another swift motion, she raised her hand.

"Torrent."

The words fell from her lips with an almost casual menace, and immediately the water that had been gathering in the air exploded into existence. Towering waves, impossibly high, surged around them, crashing down with the force of an ocean's fury.

The water cascaded over everything, swallowing the space they occupied. It was as though the very sea had risen to consume them, filling the small isolated battlefield with an overwhelming surge of water. The sound of it was deafening, an endless roar that drowned out all else.

Cassandra was engulfed by the flood in an instant, her body pulled beneath the surface as the waves rose higher and higher.

For a moment, she was lost in the suffocating depths of the water, but her mind remained calm. A barrier spell snapped into place, forming a translucent shield around her. The water swirled violently against the barrier, but it could not breach her defenses.

'She knows this spell can't hurt me,' Cassandra thought, her eyes narrowing.

'Then why—?'

Of course. It wasn't about the water at all. Malefica didn't want to drown her. She wanted to silence her. If Cassandra kept talking, if she kept speaking of the betrayal of her grandmother, she could twist the tides of the battle in her favor. Malefica couldn't allow that.

With a flick of her wrist, Cassandra's grimoire flapped open once more, a single page turning to a new spell. Her legs morphed, flesh and bone shifting with an otherworldly fluidity.

The skin of her legs elongated, merging and reshaping until they formed a shimmering mermaid tail. Scales glistened in the dim light as gills bloomed on either side of her neck, expanding and contracting with each breath. Cassandra moved effortlessly through the water, her new form cutting through the ocean of magic with ease.

She searched the darkness around her, trying to locate her opponent. The water around her was pitch black, a dense, oppressive void that swallowed all light.

Cassandra's heart beat faster. Where was Malefica?

She snapped her fingers and cast an illumination spell. A sphere of radiant light blossomed around her, its glow cutting through the darkness like a beacon. But as the light reached out, it illuminated a terrifying sight. A massive, pulsing black dot loomed ahead, and Cassandra's breath caught in her throat.

It wasn't a dot—it was a creature. A monstrous, lifeless beast, conjured from the depths of Malefica's dark magic. Its size was impossible to comprehend, a hulking, writhing mass of shadow and sea creatures, a nightmarish amalgamation that churned in the water like a grotesque behemoth.

Cassandra's heart raced as the creature's massive eyes turned toward her. It was a construct, not a living being, but the sheer presence of it made her pulse quicken. It wasn't a summon from a deep ocean's in the demiplanes.

It was a lifeless, magical creation, but it was still horrifying beyond measure.

She swam backward in terror, but the creature was already upon her, its monstrous jaws snapping open.

Without thinking, Cassandra shifted her fire blade, channeling the flames into a long, sharp lance. She thrust it forward, and as the water swelled around her, it hardened into a massive weapon of flame and force. She shoved the lance into the creature's mouth, forcing it deep into its throat.

The blade rotated with increasing speed, the water around it spinning like a drill. Fire and water mixed, creating an explosive, churning vortex. The creature's flesh tore apart, the magic unraveling as the lance shredded it into motes of light.

As the last of the creature's form disintegrated, Cassandra swung her hand through the water, her voice rising in a scream that was lost to the crashing waves.

"Malefica!" she cried out, her voice a mixture of fury and challenge. Explore new worlds at empire

The water around her began to pulse, growing darker and denser, as a small black dot appeared before her. It expanded rapidly, consuming the space around her. The torrent of water slowed, and soon there was nothing left but air.

Cassandra's mermaid tail vanished, replaced by her human legs. But before she could even regain her balance, a massive shockwave tore through the air, sending her flying backward. She crashed hard into the ground, blood pooling beneath her.

Her body felt broken, but her five-element spell held firm, absorbing the brunt of the impact.

"Malefica... there you are," Cassandra spat, rising to her feet, her eyes burning with fury.

Malefica, standing in the distance, whispered a single word.

"Gate open."

Cassandra's heart sank as the realization hit her: Malefica had disabled her gate spell when she unleashed the Torrent. The escape route she thought she had was gone.

"Damn you," Cassandra growled, her blood hot with anger. She bit her lip, holding back a cruel taunt, but in the end, she couldn't resist.

"Mother killer."

Malefica froze, her expression shifting from confident to horrified.

"Wh… what?"

Cassandra stepped forward, her voice ice cold.

"Malefica, your birth was the reason your mother died. Your very existence is the reason she's gone. What a grave sin. Shouldn't you be punished threefold?"

Malefica stumbled back, her aura faltering. She coughed up blood as the weight of Cassandra's words hit her with a crushing force, her power draining as the backlash of her own guilt flooded back into her.