The prince stood there in the darkness, his presence overwhelming, like a shadow that stretched across the very walls of the castle. His face was cold, emotionless, but his eyes—those eyes—were filled with a predatory hunger that made the air feel even colder.
Behind him, the figures of his soldiers loomed like sentinels, their eyes glowing with that same unnatural light. But there was something different about the prince now—something in the way he carried himself. He wasn't just the ruler anymore. He was something else, something twisted by the power he had sought to control.
I didn't have to ask what he was doing here. I could already feel the tension in the air, thick and heavy, as if the very walls of the castle had started to tremble in anticipation of the battle to come.
Cinderella stiffened beside me, her breath shallow. I could see the conflict written on her face—the struggle between the girl she had once been and the power she now carried. I didn't know what the magic had done to her, but I knew that this fight, this moment, would determine everything.
The prince's lips curled into a smile, but it wasn't a pleasant one. "You think you can escape me?" he sneered. "You think you can defy me after everything I've done? After everything I've given you?"
Cinderella's eyes flickered toward him, and for a brief moment, I saw a flash of recognition—of fear. It was the same fear that had been there from the very beginning, the fear that she was becoming something she couldn't control. But there was something else in her eyes now. Something new. Something stronger.
"I'm not your weapon anymore," she said, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. "And I'm not your daughter. I'm me. And I'm not going to let you turn me into him."
The prince's smile faltered, replaced by a snarl. He took a step forward, his hand raised as if to strike, but then he stopped, as if considering something. His gaze flickered from Cinderella to me, and for a brief, terrifying moment, I thought he might turn on me instead.
"You think she can stop me?" he asked, his voice low and venomous. "You're just as weak as she is, Red. Both of you are nothing but pawns in my game. And I always win."
I took a step forward, meeting his gaze with defiance. "You don't win this time," I said, my voice hard. "Not anymore."
The prince's laugh echoed through the hallway, a chilling sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "You think this power belongs to her now? You think it's yours? You have no idea what you're dealing with, Red. You've only seen the tip of the iceberg. And when it comes for you, when it consumes you, you'll beg me to stop."
But Cinderella was no longer the trembling, uncertain girl she had been. She was someone else now—someone powerful, someone who had faced her demons and come out the other side stronger.
With a sharp, steady breath, she raised her hand, and the air around us shifted. The ground beneath our feet vibrated, as if the earth itself were responding to the power inside her. The prince's eyes narrowed as he sensed what was happening.
"No," he hissed, taking a step back. "This isn't how it's supposed to be."
"You lost," Cinderella said, her voice almost a whisper. "And you'll never control me again."
I watched as her body seemed to pulse with light, her fingers crackling with energy. The same power that had once been used to control her was now being turned back on the prince. He may have been the one to plant it in her, but it was hers now. Her power. Her choice.
The prince stepped forward again, his eyes blazing with fury. "You're a fool," he spat. "You can't defeat me."
But Cinderella's eyes were filled with a quiet confidence. "I don't need to defeat you," she said. "I just need to let go."
The air in the hallway seemed to snap, the energy around us vibrating with an intensity that shook the very foundations of the castle. The prince's soldiers took a step back, their faces twisted in confusion and fear. They didn't know what was happening. None of us did.
And then, as if the world itself had held its breath, the power inside Cinderella exploded outward.
It wasn't a violent explosion—not like the storm of magic that had torn through the room during the ritual. This was something different. It was like a wave of pure, unbridled energy, washing over everything in its path. It consumed the prince's soldiers, throwing them against the walls like ragdolls. It hit the prince like a tidal wave, knocking him off his feet and sending him crashing into the stone wall behind him.
I stood there, stunned, as the light around Cinderella slowly faded, leaving only a stillness in its wake.
The prince groaned, trying to push himself up from the floor, but his body seemed to be fighting against him, the very energy that had once been his ally now working against him. He looked up at Cinderella, his expression twisted with pain and disbelief.
"No," he gasped, his voice barely audible. "This isn't possible."
But Cinderella stood tall, her eyes now clear and steady. The power was still there, I could feel it—but it wasn't overwhelming her anymore. She had mastered it.
"You lost," she said, her voice cold. "And I won."
The prince, gasping for breath, looked up at her with a mix of fury and desperation. "This isn't over. You can't stop me. You can't stop what I've started."
For a moment, I thought he might try to lunge at her, but then, his body seemed to convulse, and he let out a strangled cry. His soldiers, now scattered and broken, gathered around him, but their once-loyal eyes were now filled with doubt. They had been nothing but puppets in his game.
"You've already lost, Prince," I said, stepping forward. "There's no coming back from this."
And then, as if the very earth had turned its back on him, the prince collapsed. His body lay motionless, the last remnants of his power dissipating into the cold air around us.
It was over.
Cinderella and I stood there in the aftermath of it all—the silence ringing in our ears, the weight of what we had just done settling over us.
But the battle was won. And for the first time in a long time, I felt a glimmer of hope.