Eternal Undying Chronicles

The air was tense; Alicarde had just taken Marian hostage, his sword pressed firmly to her neck.

It was quick and shocking. He hadn't hesitated—already the young witch trembled, her life balanced in his hands. She knew she couldn't cast faster than he could sever her head.

In their current state, no one could. Not after Malefica had weakened their power by half.

The witches surrounding them watched, unease visible in every one of them. None dared to attack.

"Malefica, you really will stop at nothing to thwart your own coven,"

Cassandra's voice cut through the silence, filled with rage.

"Shut the hell up, you witch b*tch... you did this to yourself."

Alicarde's tone was dark.

"Now I want answers."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes.

"What answers? This has nothing to do with you."

"It doesn't," he replied, unbothered,

"and I couldn't care less if you sacrificed some random witch. But I want answers, and you've been playing your little games. Now... now it's my turn."

Malefica could guess what he was after. He wanted information about the demon of noon. Though she couldn't be sure Cassandra would speak the truth, it was worth a try.

"Cassandra," he continued, voice low.

"Tell me what you know about the demon of noon."

Cassandra gritted her teeth, her gaze flickering between Marian and the sword pressing against her throat. She knew that to keep Marian alive, she had to cooperate—at least for now.

"The demon of noon... why would you care about that?" she said cautiously.

"So, you do know."

Alicarde noted, his voice tight with menace.

"What if I do?" Her tone was defiant.

He pressed the blade a fraction deeper into Marian's neck.

"One more disrespectful word, and by my truename, this witch will die."

He wasn't joking—Malefica knew him well enough to recognize his resolve.

"Cassandra, if I were you, I'd take him seriously. At this point, I don't think I could stop him from killing her."

Cassandra bit her lip, her anger simmering as she shot a glare at Malefica, but she took a breath and relented.

"The demon of noon is a demon from a thousand years ago. He was a human once... that's all I know of his origins. Supposedly, he appeared a few months before you were born. There are books and scrolls about him hidden in the grand library in Evergreen, under the underground pillar. Only the coven leader knows about it."

Alicarde narrowed his eyes, unconvinced.

"You really didn't take me seriously when I said I'd kill her. Fine, let me show you my resolve."

He shifted his grip, pressing the blade against Marian's throat just enough to break the skin.

"Wait... wait!" Cassandra's voice quivered.

"That's all I know! But… the demon is supposedly tied to the Wiccan rule of three... it affected Lady Diana, her daughter Lady Aradia, and now it will affect Malefica. That's all I know, I swear."

Alicarde scrutinized her, sensing that she was still hiding something. Whatever it was, he could discover it when they got to the library. He just needed to make a call and have Amena check… but his phone was gone. He glanced at Malefica, realizing he'd have to borrow hers.

"What do you mean by that?" Malefica interjected.

"How does it relate to my curse?"

Her heart pounded. This might connect to why her grandmother cursed her. She had to know.

"I don't know,"

Cassandra admitted reluctantly.

"All I know is Lady Diana sealed the demon in what is now Evergreen City. That's why she was caught off guard when you betrayed her—she was trying to maintain the seal."

Malefica's gaze hardened, wondering if Cassandra was only trying to avoid the whole truth.

"And the Wiccan… what is that?"

Alicarde's cold voice slipped out from beneath his hood.

Cassandra smirked.

"It's the rule of three."

Without warning, she lifted her hand, whispering, "[Searing Lance]."

A radiant lance of light shot toward Alicarde's face with blinding speed. Too fast.

The lance struck him squarely in the face, the searing light burning through his hood in an instant. Marian stumbled to the ground, startled by the sudden attack. Malefica's eyes widened—Cassandra had been waiting, baiting him all along.

Alicarde's face should have been destroyed. The witches watched, certain he was dead.

But the darkness beneath his hood shifted. His face wasn't flesh and blood—only shadow and void where the searing light had struck.

Slowly, Alicarde fell to the ground. Marian scrambled away, pulled to Cassandra's side with a gesture.

Cassandra's face twisted into a triumphant smile as she sneered at Malefica.

"Another one dead because of you. What a cursed thing you are, Malefica. A cursed witch bound to the night…the knight of order."

Malefica didn't flinch. She knew better. Alicarde was alive and listening, silent on the ground..

"What do you mean by 'knight of order'?" Malefica pressed.

Cassandra's smile faded as she turned to Malefica with a look of disdain.

"It's the Wiccan rule of three. Like your mother and grandmother before you, the same fate awaits. And that fate means miserly, pain, betrayal and heartbreak.."

Malefica's eyes narrowed, frustration building as Cassandra's answers remained as cryptic as ever. Cassandra was clearly relishing her control over the situation.

She turned to the surrounding witches.

"Take her away, and dispose of that corpse."

"Corpse? That's a pretty rude thing to say about a guy,"

Alicarde's voice drawled, dark and mocking.

Cassandra froze as he floated to his feet, his dark form rising before her.

"You… you're alive? How?"

"Surprise, b*tch. I'm immortal."

Cassandra's expression twisted with fury as she yelled to her coven.

"What are you all doing? Attack now!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Alicarde's smile grew beneath his hood, anticipating the bloodbath. But Malefica rushed to him, grabbing his hand.

"No," she whispered urgently,

"we need to leave. Summon your familiar."

"What? No way… she's dead," he muttered. Explore more stories at empire

Malefica pulled him closer, her breath warm against his ear as she whispered her truename. A thin, shimmering barrier enveloped them just in time, absorbing the burst of energy as countless magical attacks rained down on them.

The barrage intensified, and Alicarde could feel the barrier start to crack under the assault. The pressure in Malefica's grip told him all he needed to know—she was using everything she had to hold the shield.

He gritted his teeth, torn between cutting down his enemies or protecting her. But then, with a growl, he made his choice.

"Damn it."

He summoned Wrath, mounting his bicorn with Malefica. Space distorted around them, rippling like water as they vanished into the ether.

Watching them disappear, Cassandra grabbed Marian's arm, whispering maliciously.

"Activate the barrier! Lock down the whole forest and prepare for the ritual. Send out the warlocks—I want him dead at any cost."

'Malefica,' she thought coldly.

'I'll make sure you watch him die.'

The witches scattered, mobilizing with newfound urgency as the barrier around the forest shimmered, sealing the area in an unbreakable lock.