Marisol ended up in a dimly lit chamber, the air thick with ancient magic and foreboding. Her grip on the dagger tightened, its energy pulsing against her skin as if urging her forward.
She didn't know where she was or how she got there. All she did was allow her senses to lead her, and it seemed this was where she was meant to go.
With each step she took, the sense of familiarity grew, though she couldn't quite place it. Marisol's heart rate picked up as it finally clicked, the memories of her immediate surroundings sharpening. It was here, in this very space, that Guinevere had been frozen in stasis.
In her dream, it had taken the shape of a forest, but this was its physical form. Guinevere was still here, too, her frozen figure even more menacing in person with an impossibly dark aura.
With hesitant steps, Marisol approached the still figure, her grip on the hilt of the dagger almost bruising now as she used it to steel herself. This was it. This was where she would confront Guinevere and put an end to the chaos once and for all. All she had to do was strike.
But just as she began to lift the dagger out of its protective sheath, she was lifted off her feet by an unseen force and sent crashing to the ground a few feet away. Pain shot through her body as she struggled to regain her bearings, the dagger slipping from her grasp and falling to the floor with a clatter.
A chilling laughter suddenly filled the chamber, sending shivers down Marisol's spine. Slowly, Guinevere's frozen form began to stir, her eyes snapping open immediately after. They glowed with malicious intent as she slowly approached Marisol.
"Did you truly believe you could challenge me, little hybrid?" Guinevere's voice reverberated with power, each word sending an unsettling feeling coursing through Marisol's veins. "You are but a mere pawn in my grand design. We wanted a sacrifice, and you made yourself available."
"Have you ever tried listening to yourself?" Marisol spat, picking her bruised body off the floor ever so slowly, "You sound really dumb for someone who's supposedly all mighty."
"Oh please, brainwashed animal." She flicked her wrist, and Marisol felt another strong gust of wind that sent her back to the floor, "You are nothing compared to me. How gullible could you be... you let them lead you right into my trap." She had a satisfied glint in her eyes, swirling around in those dark orbs, perfectly mixing with her irritation at the sight of Marisol.
Marisol gritted her teeth, pushing herself to her feet despite the pain coursing through her body. "Says the person who resorts to petty tricks as a distraction. You've gassed yourself so much that you've begun to believe that you're something that you're not. You're nothing, Guinevere."
"Oh, I'll show you nothing." Guinevere snarled, and this time, it was with an even more forceful gust of wind that Marisol was sent flying out of the building. She cried out in pain, struggling to defend herself against the onslaught of magic.
Guinevere's laughter filled the air once again, well conveying her satisfaction at having the upper hand as she floated out of the building with an unrivaled poise, "Foolish child," she spitted, her eyes blazing with malevolence. "You can not even begin to dream of defeating me. I am eternal, and you are nothing but a fleeting shadow."
Desperation clawed at Marisol's chest as she fought to push back against the overwhelming force bearing down on her. She searched frantically for any sign of weakness in Guinevere's defenses, a gap that could offer Marisol the chance for reprisal, but the dark witch seemed invincible, her power unmatched.
But Marisol refused to give up. She refused to let Guinevere win. With a fierce cry, Marisol summoned every ounce of strength she had left and lunged forward, her outstretched hand seeking the dagger that flew straight into it, her hand closed around the hilt with immediacy. With a swift motion, she plunged the shining edge right into Guinevere's heart.
Marisol's own heart drops when the Guinevere before her disintegrates into dark smoke, the dagger falling to the floor once again and skidding out of reach.
With a mocking laughter, the real Guinevere reanimates in front of Marisol's face, sending her staggering backwards and her face paling in horror.
"You really are foolish, aren't you?" Guinevere sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "You really deluded yourself into believing you could defeat me? Do you think you could change the course of destiny?"
Marisol growled, her irritation boiling over both at Guinevere's smugness and being tossed around like a doll, and with a wave of her fingers, she, too, smacked Guinevere across the room.
Guinevere screamed as she got to her feet.
"How dare you!" She yelled, seething as she conjured tendrils of shadow that lashed out at Marisol, seeking to ensnare her in their grasp.
Marisol dodged quickly. With a defiant cry, she summoned her own magic, weaving strands of light to counter the darkness that still stubbornly reached for her.