"Let me go, I am not coming with you!"
"Snow White, you'll endanger yourself and Grimilde with your behavior!"
"Grimilde is no longer here at the moment." Astrael grabbed the hands of the men restraining her and removed them from her body, then positioned himself between them.
"What do you mean?" The princess's frightened voice caused him to turn to her and offer, strangely, an almost human look.
"She is Heks now, not Grimilde. The Heks is a concentration of magic out of control. Her consciousness is different from the Queen's. It's feral."
"Magic?" It was the Empress who intervened: she grabbed Astrael by the collar and raised her voice to be heard by everyone, as the wind's strength was increasing.
"Are you saying she is a witch like Alex?!"
Astrael smiled broadly: "Oh, she is not a simple witch; she is a conduit for magic, a doorway, but also a very dangerous weapon."
It was at that moment that the Archmage came running, followed by Scarlet, Iza, and Derek. "Follow me, we found shelter!"
Zeyana glared angrily at Astrael for a moment longer, then turned, following the rest of the group toward the shelter. Snow White was still shaken: "We can't leave her alone..."
"If you go to her, you'll only risk getting yourself killed. I've witnessed what she is capable of... She has no human feelings."
"And you? Do you understand human feelings?" It was a truly curious question that Astrael hadn't expected: he looked at her closer, noticing only then that the love Snow White harbored for Grimilde wasn't a foolish infatuation but something strong, capable of making her brave and allowing her to face those disasters without crumbling. She was drenched from head to toe, and the cold wind was freezing her hands and feet, but her eyes were strong, as steady as a rock—no, like a cliff withstanding the continuous crashing of the waves.
"Come with me." Astrael grabbed her hand, and in a second, Snow White found herself in a small cave, lit by a newly created fire. She saw the group and prepared to protest, but Astrael stopped her: "Golujef has no escape. The Heks loves to subjugate stronger opponents, and she will."
Snow White had a different look in her eyes, and Astrael noticed it immediately, but he had no time to tend to her, so he left her with the group and walked away with an indecipherable expression on his face. The princess knew well that the Empress's men would try to capture her again if she tried to run, so she would have to wait for the right moment to slip away.
"I know what you want to do." Alex appeared at her side, took a seat on a large, smooth stone, and motioned for the princess to sit with her. "It's dangerous, but I imagine you are aware of that."
Snow White was hesitant but eventually lowered herself to lean against the stone and rest her legs. "Yes, I know perfectly well it's not the safest or wisest choice in this situation, but I'm tired of being protected. I can't leave Grimilde alone to face such a powerful demon, but I know I couldn't help her against him, and that torments me."
"She probably won't need your physical strength, but..." Alex grasped Snow White's hand and gave her an understanding, resolute look: "...she needs someone to bring her back."
The Archmage whispered something, and a golden light enveloped Snow White's body: the woman felt a pleasant, warming sensation, and she felt stronger. "This will defend you against the elements, and you'll manage to avoid some damage, but it won't be enough to save you if you encounter the fury of the battle. If she loses control, you'll have to find a way to get her attention. Are you armed?"
"Yes..."
"Good, you might need it. Those who use the dark arts or magic are particularly sensitive to the smell of blood; we can recognize traces that are familiar to us..."
"B-blood?"
"Yes. Use your dagger, but only as a backup plan."
Snow White looked at the blade of her dagger and shuddered at the thought of having to spill her own blood, but for Grimilde, she would do it without hesitation. She looked up and glanced around, noticing that the group was still attentive to her movements.
"I'll distract them, don't worry."
"Thank you, I..."
"Don't worry, I expect to see you return with the Queen, and if not, I'll make sure to come looking for you."
Snow White nodded firmly and stood up, moving quickly to exit the cave, surprised to see that no one tried to stop her. Alex smiled at her, and with that, the princess left the area, leaving behind the only chance of safety she had found.
"I didn't expect the Ravenous One to be a coward."
Grimilde reached the area where she sensed a spike in demonic energy and found herself in an open clearing, surrounded by the thick, dark woods. The rain beat down on her fiercely, but her body in that moment perceived neither pain nor cold; she was subject to the power of Heks. The Queen knew that sooner or later she would have to relinquish control to face such a battle, and the risk of not being able to come back would be high regardless.
Soon a sinister, deep voice signaled the presence of Golujef, who manifested in the middle of the plain in his most terrifying form: "Coward? I am merely savoring your presence... don't worry, I will devour you soon."
The Ravenous One was eight feet tall, and his body was studded with dark spikes—the manifestation of formless chaos. He had incredibly sharp, long teeth, elongated holes instead of eyes, and a head that seemed to resemble a helmet. In his hand, he held a long spear made from the bones of his enemies, carved so they could impale and slice future adversaries.
Grimilde was afraid; she trembled at the thought of never seeing her beloved again, of dying in the clash and thereby dooming the entire continent. Heks hadn't taken control in years: the last time had been more than ten years prior and had followed a tragedy and an environmental disaster. Heks was the manifestation of her power, a violent and amoral identity, ready to destroy any obstacle or enemy in her path. She kept her hidden and chained to her spirit solely thanks to the training and the tools the Tribe had provided, but mostly thanks to the hersir. If he knew it had come to this, to risking becoming the next cataclysm herself...
"Come closer, otherwise I will come to you."
Golujef took a step forward, and the earth shook. His black eye sockets glowed red, and he opened his maw, preparing to eat. Grimilde knew he was too strong right now; she would have to weaken him, distract him, while Astrael did his part. She hoped she could trust him—she was placing her very life in his hands—but she had no other choice. Grimilde closed her eyes and released the final chain holding back Heks, who didn't hesitate to take control, immediately detonating all the magic she had held back for years.
The Queen's body mutated: something black and glossy coated her legs, creeping up to her neck like a sort of armor; then her eye sockets glowed blue, and her face became an expressionless mask.
The dark substance that had covered her skin slithered onto the ground, and shortly after, a massive tentacle burst out behind Golujef, trying to grab him by the neck.
"What a neat little trick." The demonic monster raised his spear and effortlessly sliced through the tentacle, which let him go. Meanwhile, Heks parted her lips, letting out an almost melodic scream, and the ground began to shake violently once more.
Golujef started running toward her to impale her, but more tentacles appeared in front of him, trying to hold him back and drag him to the ground. He began hacking at them, paying no mind to the movements of his prey, who vanished before his eyes. Golujef let out a roar, and demonic energy exploded from his body, reducing every black tentacle to ash.
"You don't actually think you can stop me with these measly little tentacles? Ridiculous!"
Heks dodged the spear the monster had hurled at her, but the demonic force surrounding the weapon was so powerful that it leveled a dozen trees behind the witch, and the impact caused a shockwave capable of throwing her off balance. Golujef leaped, reaching her in half a second, but Heks's speed surpassed his, allowing her to evade every strike he unleashed with his claws.
Suddenly, the Ravenous One's spear flew back toward her, attempting to pierce her from behind: the witch noticed its presence too late, and Golujef took the opportunity to grab her and slam her to the ground. The woman's body collided with the earth with immense force, creating a small crater. A piercing scream tore through the air, and Heks's body remained pinned to the ground.
The witch struggled to her feet, snapping broken bones back into place. Her eyes glowed red. Golujef saw her vanish again and braced for the next attack. He grabbed his weapon and drove it into the ground, causing spikes of rock to erupt everywhere, trying to impale his prey.
Heks looked down at him from above, suspended in the leaden sky. The thunderbolts above her head began to roar fiercely and draw closer to her. She spread her arms, channeling energy, and soon a blue and purple light appeared behind the black clouds, condensing into a single point.
The sky trembled, and Golujef immediately realized what she was about to do. "Damn you!" Golujef flew into a rage, aware that Heks had taken control of the storm he had brought to the continent.
The sky trembled, and Golujef immediately realized what she was about to do. "Damn you!" Golujef flew into a rage, aware that Heks had taken control of the storm he had brought to the continent.
The Ravenous One roared again and grabbed his spear, pulling his arm back, ready to strike, charging it with demonic energy—filled with the screams of spirits, red as the blood of the bodies he had devoured. The wind around the monster grew and condensed behind him, devastating trees, rocks, and dirt, creating a fatal chasm capable of annihilating anything and reducing it to dust.
Meanwhile, Heks was not intimidated, and her hand continued to channel the lightning, ready to bring it crashing down on the Ravenous One.
"Die, witch!" Golujef released the strike that cut through the air and destroyed the woods behind him: the spear flew at an impressive speed, impossible to track with the naked eye. Heks raised her hand toward him, showing her palm, then released part of her energy to summon a hundred tentacles to form a very thick wall. It wouldn't hold for long, but she only needed to buy time.
She raised her eyes to the sky and screamed again, summoning the most devastating thunderstorm in the continent's history. The wind shifted the clouds, beginning to create a thick, enormous vortex, progressively lengthening into the shape of a tornado, and the thunderbolts began to dance in the air like dragons ready to devour their prey.
The tornado was slow, but its power was so devastating that it blew away Golujef's weapon just as it was about to pierce Heks's body.
"I will destroy you!" Golujef leaped into the air, attempting to drag his opponent into the tornado with him.