Outside, impenetrable darkness had fallen. Nothing could be seen farther than 30 feet beyond the window. As if they were staring into the void.
"What is happening?" asked the Light-Haired.
There were three of them left.
"The Black Prince is coming," said the Ice Queen.
The light of the stars disappeared. Because the stars themselves had disappeared.
Then they appeared. But they were unfamiliar stars.
The three of them found themselves in a white gazebo surrounded by dark trees. Among the trees of what was either a garden or a forest, large creatures with burning eyes were moving. The lights of their eyes were relentlessly following the newcomers.
"This is the Dark Terrible Garden of the Dark Prince of Cold!" said the Ice Queen. "Its monsters grab anyone who appears here and drag them away into the darkness. And then no one can find them anymore."
Large clawed paws emerged from the darkness, but before they could reach anyone, the Cursed severed them completely with the Frost Sword. A monster's scream rang out behind the trees.
Large paws emerged from the other side, grabbed the Light-Haired, and dragged her away.
The Cursed rushed after her.
"Stop! It is certain death!" the Ice Queen shouted.
But he did not hear her. He was running toward the place where eyes were glowing in the darkness and large, long teeth were flashing.
A gigantic invisible force struck him. As if after colliding with a wall, he fell to the ground, and the terrifying monsters surrounded him. They grabbed him with their clawed paws, intending to tear him apart.
Suddenly, black walls appeared around him, stretching from nowhere and disappearing into nowhere. A long black corridor with neither beginning nor end. The monsters were mercilessly thrown in unknown directions.
The Ice Queen appeared beside him.
"To win, I resorted to High-Order Magic. It stands above my Ice Magic. Get up and give me your hand—I will lead you through the Black Corridor to where the Dark Prince is."
The Cursed got up. He looked around. The monsters were nowhere to be seen. Dark magic was moving through the corridor. It did not obey the normal laws of physics. He took several steps, and the walls of the corridor began to swim before his eyes.
He held out his hand. The Ice Queen took it. Her palm was cool. And strangely calming. He looked into her eyes, and it seemed to him that she had changed. Another person was standing before him. But perhaps it only seemed that way to him. She gave him a cold smile, and they ran through the Black Corridor.
Night. The courtyard of a large building. Streams of black liquid were flowing down the walls made of an unknown material from beneath the roof. Black whirlwinds of darkness were swirling in the windows and the doorway.
Inside, there were numerous bones on the floor. Human and others.
On the second floor were empty rooms with cracked walls and worn-out carpets and tapestries.
At the end of the corridor, near the entrance to a room, there were several monsters. The Cursed slit their throats, and only then did he see what had been holding them back. The sight sent a chill through him.
On an old bed, the Light-Haired sat with her back against the wall. Her eyes were glowing unnaturally brightly in the darkness. She held out one hand before her, palm open. A network of black veins had appeared on it.
Black body parts of monsters were floating in the air around the girl. Paws. Heads. Parts of torsos. And every time the jaws of the monsters with long teeth moved in an attempt to bite and tear flesh from the girl on the bed, another part of a monster's body tore apart into even smaller fragments, as if the monster were biting and tearing itself apart. The monsters were roaring in pain and continuing their insane attempts to reach the Light-Haired, but at the same time they were still devouring themselves.
The Cursed witnessed one of the abilities the Light-Haired had acquired in action, and that ability chilled his blood. Oh, stars, what horror had she encountered back then, and whom had she killed?
When only shapeless small pieces remained of the monsters, the room changed. The Cursed girl was still lying on the bed. But now it was an expensive bed with luxurious white bedding. The Cursed stood before the bed. And before the Cursed stood a stranger with a gray face and dressed in a black suit, towering over him with his back to him.
His sword was raised above the girl.
The Cursed instantly cut off his head, and it rolled across the floor. The body collapsed to the floor. The head came to a stop in a corner where large black spiders were moving. Its black eyes stared at the Cursed and her lips spoke the words of the Curse.
But nothing happened. The head fell silent. A hint of surprise appeared on its features, growing cold as death approached.
"I am already cursed! Curses no longer work on me, scum!" With these words, the Cursed drove his sword into the head of the last Prince.
The castle with red light in its windows stood before them. Large, monstrous. An ancient atmosphere of horror spread from it and drove away all uninvited guests.
"Do we really need to go in there?" asked the Cursed.
"It is the only way," replied the Ice Queen.
The Light-Haired was staring at the castle with her eyes wide open. The red light was reflected in them.
"I have a bad feeling about this," she said.
The Cursed and the Ice Queen looked at her grimly. They were overcome by the same feelings.
In the large halls on the first floor, sorcerous signs were glowing on the walls.
On the second floor, a bright radiance flooded the space. At times, the figure of a stranger in a wide-brimmed hat and a long coat with long tails could be seen in it. His mouth was still stretched into an ominous smile that boded nothing good.
When they entered the main hall, a bright flash engulfed it. An explosive wave swept through the hall, and a moment later everyone who was inside it disappeared without a trace.