The Cursed looked around. The night forest surrounded him. The Witch stood nearby.
Danger lurked behind the trees.
They were standing on a forest road that stretched into the darkness.
Suddenly, a burning corridor appeared there. An otherworldly female rider and riders with orange, flame-burning eyes were riding through it.
The female rider had long black hair with white strands. A pale face with bones protruding in places. She was clad in black armor. The bone-like faces of the riders mirrored those of the ones who had driven the townspeople into the trap castle.
The Cursed and the Witch barely managed to leap aside as the terrifying squad rushed past them.
"This is the Demoness. She is returning," the Witch said. She pointed toward the castle visible between the trees. "And that castle is one of the energy centers of her essence. Destroy it, and we destroy part of her life. Then we must reach all her castles, and only then will the Demoness be killed."
Through the dark enchanted forest, the Cursed and the Witch came to the castle. The Cursed killed several monsters that sprang at them from ambush along the way.
"This castle is guarded by the Demoness's elite warriors," the Witch said. "My magic will protect you with a shield of invincibility. Many blades aimed at you will miss. Any wounds that get through to you, if there are any, will be minor. You must reach the central hall on the upper floors, where the energy crystal is stored. This is the heart of the castle. Kill the elite warriors guarding it and destroy the crystal."
A strong magic rose around the Witch. Her hair was blown by the wind.
The castle bridge lowered. The gate grille rose. The Cursed entered without resistance. The Witch's magic accompanied him. Terrifying creatures attacked him from the corners of rooms and corridors, but he destroyed them with his sword.
Steadfastly and inevitably, he moved forward. He climbed to the upper floors and, in the central hall, saw a crystal floating in the air above a stone pedestal. He moved toward the crystal to destroy it, and at that moment four large figures in dark armor emerged from the darkness of the walls. They raised large serrated swords and attacked the warrior. The battle began. They attacked from all sides. The Cursed dodged their attacks, and where the enemies' swords reached him, they could not pierce the magical protection surrounding him. He cut them down, then destroyed the crystal.
The world around him trembled.
"The Demoness had taken damage and felt a drop in her power," the Witch said as they stood outside. "She would try to deal with this immediately. She will send her hunters after us."
She led him to an ancient square slab lying on the ground, hidden among the forest trees.
"This is an ancient teleport created for fast travel between the castles of power. Only mages can activate it."
Together, they stepped onto the slab. The Witch spoke unfamiliar words that carried power and a barely hidden cruel threat. Ancient symbols lit up on the slab. They found themselves in a new part of the forest.
In front of them stood a black castle covered in magical markings.
"This is the castle of the Demoness's mages. They guard the crystal of her magical power. It cannot be entered physically like the previous castle, only through magic."
She led him to a forest clearing.
"Stand in the center of the clearing."
When he stood in the center, she touched several trees around him with her hand, and magical symbols appeared on them. Magical marks lit up on the Cursed's face. At that moment, a flash occurred, and he found himself inside the castle. There, other horrifying creatures attacked him. Their images kept appearing on the walls and coming to life, and the monsters kept throwing themselves at the Cursed. He killed them with his sword and his Curse abilities and moved on.
In the central hall there was a crystal and four mages. Tall figures with horns grown from the use of forbidden magic attacked him from a distance. But the Witch's magic protected him. He cut them down with his sword and destroyed the crystal.
The castle and its territory trembled again.
Outside, new and previously unknown spaces were opening up. Through them, they passed into a large house. When they entered, all the candles and lamps in the rooms lit up. The Witch entered a room where a blue crystal was burning on a pedestal. She touched it, and a global transformation occurred in her.
A diadem with long sharp spikes appeared on her head, her dress lengthened, changed colors, and became covered with unknown but threatening magical symbols. Power emanated from them, altering the reality around them. The Witch's eyes from that moment burned with an uncontrollable blue flame.
Before the Cursed stood not just the Witch anymore.
"Only the All-Seeing is able to take the Main Castle and defeat the Demoness," she said, and her words hummed like the voice of an unstoppable doom in his ears.
A massive dark castle with sharp spires rose before them. Large black creatures covered with growths and spikes—the Demoness's hunters, sent by her to destroy the two who were advancing—approached from the left and right.