Nathaniel's taunts faded into the background as my focus honed in on him. Every fibre of my being burned with purpose.
He thought he could manipulate me, wear me down, but he had underestimated how far I was willing to go.
This fight wasn't just about vengeance or reclaiming Aeliana it was about proving to Nathaniel, to everyone, that I was not someone to be trifled with.
The flames around me roared to life, casting an ominous glow across the room. Nathaniel steadied himself, his sword glinting in the flickering light. Despite the confidence in his stance, I caught the faintest flicker of doubt in his eyes.
"You've bitten off more than you can chew, Nathaniel," I growled, my voice low and deadly.
"Big words, Princess," he sneered, lunging forward, his blade aimed directly for my heart.
I sidestepped, his swing grazing the air where I had been. In one fluid motion, I twisted, my flames snapping toward him like a whip. He deflected the attack with his sword, but the heat forced him back a step, sweat beading on his brow.
"You're quick," he admitted, his smirk faltering. "But speed won't save you."
"Neither will arrogance," I retorted, closing the distance between us.
I launched a barrage of attacks, each strike a calculated mixture of fire and physical force. My fists blazed with power, every swing aimed to break his guard.
Nathaniel countered with skill, his blade meeting my fire again and again, but I could feel him faltering. His strikes were slower, his movements less precise. He was tiring, and I wasn't about to let him recover.
I ducked under a wide arc of his sword, driving my knee into his abdomen. He grunted, stumbling back, and I followed up with a surge of flames that engulfed his legs.
He swore, patting at the fire, but I didn't let up. A second blast sent him skidding across the floor, his armour smouldering.
"Still think you're in control?" I asked, advancing on him.
Nathaniel pushed himself to his feet, his smirk replaced by a grimace. "You fight like a wild animal," he said, wiping blood from his lip. "But wild animals can be tamed."
"Try it," I said, the flames coiling around my hands flaring brighter.
He charged again, his blade slicing through the air with renewed desperation. I met him head-on, our movements blurring in a deadly dance of fire and steel.
Each clash sent sparks flying, the heat in the room becoming suffocating. Nathaniel's strikes grew wilder, more erratic, while mine became sharper, more deliberate.
I saw my opening when he overextended, his blade swinging wide. Seizing the moment, I ducked low and swept his legs out from under him.
He crashed to the ground with a growl of frustration, his sword clattering from his grip. I kicked it away, flames igniting along my arms as I stood over him.
"You're done, Nathaniel," I said, my voice icy despite the heat around me.
He glared up at me, his expression twisted with fury. "Not yet."
Before I could react, he lunged for a dagger strapped to his boot, slashing at my leg. Pain flared as the blade grazed my thigh, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
Instead, I grabbed his wrist, my flames searing his skin. He screamed, dropping the weapon, and I flung him across the room.
He hit the wall hard, slumping to the ground in a heap. I advanced slowly, my steps deliberate, the air around me crackling with power. "It's over," I said, my voice steady and unyielding.
Nathaniel laughed—a weak, hollow sound. He propped himself up against the wall, his chest heaving. "You think this is over?" he rasped. "You think you've won?"
I paused, narrowing my eyes. Something was wrong. His confidence, even in the face of defeat, sent a chill down my spine.
Nathaniel reached into his tattered jacket, pulling out a small vial filled with a dark, viscous liquid.
The sight of it made my stomach turn a substance that seemed to pulse with unnatural energy, its contents almost alive.
"What are you doing?" I demanded, the flames around me flaring in warning.
He grinned, his teeth stained with blood. "You think you've seen everything, Princess? Let me show you what true power looks like."
Before I could stop him, he uncorked the vial and downed its contents in one swift motion.
The liquid glowed as it slid down his throat, and Nathaniel convulsed, his body jerking violently. I took a step back, my flames bracing for whatever monstrosity he was about to unleash.
"What have you done?" I hissed, my heart pounding as his body began to change.
Nathaniel's body convulsed violently, his screams morphing into guttural roars as the transformation overtook him. The shadows in the room deepened, twisting unnaturally around him as his frame expanded.
His armour cracked and splintered, unable to contain the grotesque growth of his limbs. Muscles bulged beneath his skin, veins pulsing with the sickly glow of whatever abomination he had consumed.
I stood rooted to the spot, my every sense screaming danger, but I forced myself to remain calm. His choice to drink that vial had sealed his fate. Whatever monstrosity he had become, I would ensure it was his last mistake.
Nathaniel's face twisted into something barely human—his eyes glowing a ghastly green, his teeth elongating into jagged fangs.
His laughter, deep and distorted, echoed through the room as he rose to his full, monstrous height, towering over me.
"You wanted a fight, Princess?" he growled, his voice an inhuman snarl. "Then fight me as I am now!"
Without hesitation, he charged, his massive clawed hand sweeping toward me with incredible speed. I barely had time to react, throwing up a wall of purple flames that erupted from my palms.
The fire caught his arm mid-swing, scorching his flesh, but he barely flinched. The sheer force of his attack sent me skidding backwards, my boots dragging against the blood-streaked floor.
"Your fire won't save you now!" he roared, slamming his fists into the ground. The impact shook the room, cracks splintering outwards like a spider's web.
Dust and debris rained from the ceiling, but I kept my footing, the flames around me flaring brighter.
"You've become an even bigger fool than I thought, Nathaniel," I snarled, my voice steady despite the chaos. "That power will destroy you just as surely as I will."
I surged forward, flames trailing me like a comet's tail. My hands ignited in blazing arcs of purple fire as I leapt, aiming a strike at his chest.
He swiped at me again, his claws raking through the air, but I twisted mid-flight, landing a fiery punch squarely against his torso. The flames exploded on impact, the force of it sending him staggering back.
But he didn't fall. His grotesque form seemed to absorb the brunt of my attack, his twisted grin widening as he lunged at me again.
I dodged, the edge of his claw slicing a lock of my hair. He was relentless, his monstrous strength turning every swing into a deadly hazard.
"Is this all you've got, Ciara?" he taunted, his voice a grating mockery of the man he once was. "The mighty Princess, brought low by her own hesitation!"
I grit my teeth, frustration bubbling within me. He was faster and stronger than before, but I refused to let him gain the upper hand. Every move he made, every taunt he threw my way, only stoked the fire in my chest.
My magic burned hotter, brighter, as I channelled every ounce of rage, every shred of determination, into my flames.
Nathaniel lunged again, his massive claws aiming to pin me to the ground. I jumped, flipping over his outstretched arms, and landed behind him.
Summoning a blazing orb of fire between my hands, I hurled it at his back.
The explosion rocked the room, the heat scorching the walls, but Nathaniel merely roared, spinning to face me with fury etched across his monstrous features.
"Your flames are nothing to me!" he bellowed, charging once more.
"Then let's test that," I snapped, the air around me shimmering with heat.
I unleashed a torrent of fire, the purple flames swirling and writhing like a living entity. They consumed the space between us, engulfing Nathaniel in a blinding inferno.
His roars of pain echoed through the room, but even as the fire burned his flesh, he kept moving, his massive form bursting through the flames like an unstoppable force.
He swiped at me, and this time his clawed hand connected, raking across my side. Pain flared, white-hot, but I pushed it aside, refusing to let it slow me down.
I retaliated with a punch wreathed in fire, slamming it into his jaw with enough force to send him reeling. Blood dark and viscous spattered across the floor.
"You're out of your depth, Nathaniel," I said, my voice cold and steady. "You might have power, but you don't have control. That will be your undoing."
"You talk too much!" he growled, lunging at me with terrifying speed.
I met his charge head-on, flames erupting from my hands as I locked with him. His claws scraped against my arms, but my fire seared his flesh in return.
The room was a storm of heat and fury, our battle tearing apart everything in its path. Every move was a deadly dance, every strike pushing both of us to our limits.
But Nathaniel's body was faltering. The abomination he had become was taking its toll, his movements growing sluggish, his attacks losing precision.
He was burning out, consumed by the very power he had sought to wield. I saw it in his eyes—the desperation, the fear.
"Your arrogance is your downfall," I said, stepping back and raising my hands.
The flames around me intensified, swirling into a vortex of searing heat. The air itself seemed to tremble as I channelled every ounce of my power into one final attack.
My purple fire coalesced into a massive inferno, its light casting long, menacing shadows across the room.
Nathaniel stared at me, his monstrous form trembling as he realised what was coming. "You don't have the strength," he spat, though his voice wavered.
"You don't know my strength," I said, my voice a deadly whisper.
With a scream of fury, I unleashed the inferno. The fire roared to life, surging forward like a tidal wave of destruction.
It consumed everything in its path, the heat unbearable, the light blinding. Nathaniel's screams echoed through the room, his monstrous body engulfed in the all-consuming flames.
I stood unmoving, my arms outstretched as the fire did its work. There was no pity in me, no hesitation. Nathaniel had chosen his path, and I had ended it. When the flames finally died down, there was nothing left of him but ash.