Heaven: A Maiden's Curse (Reader's POV) (One-shot)

22 - The Unstoppable Force

The air thickened as Hyacinth unleashed her new form. Her laughter echoed, sharp and electric, as her hair twisted and coiled, now glimmering with the sheen of steel and crackling with dark energy. Each strand pulsed with life, snapping like whips, leaving scorch marks on the ground.

"You’ve tried so hard," Hyacinth mocked, her voice dripping with malice, "but no matter what you do, you’re just insects beneath my heel. Let me show you the futility of your struggle."

Freya was already on her feet, staggering but resolute. Her eyes met mine as I struggled to rise. My body felt heavy, the curse and my wounds dragging me down, but her determination fueled something inside me.

“Don’t give up,” she said firmly. “We’ve still got one last shot.”

I nodded weakly, gripping my weapon. “If we’re doing this, we do it together.”

Freya darted forward, zigzagging to avoid Hyacinth's lashing hair. Her movements were calculated, each step a feint to keep Hyacinth guessing. I saw her hand dip into her coat, pulling out small explosives she must have prepared earlier.

She threw them one by one, forcing Hyacinth to deflect them with her cursed strands. The explosions lit up the chamber, smoke and debris filling the air, but Hyacinth remained unscathed.

“Is this the best you can do, little blacksmith?” Hyacinth sneered. “Your father’s tools couldn’t harm me, and neither can yours!”

Freya’s lips curled into a smirk. “Keep talking.”

Amid the smoke, she planted a series of traps on the ground, each armed with jagged spikes laced with venom. I could see her plan—she was trying to box Hyacinth in, forcing her to step on the traps.

While Freya distracted Hyacinth, I focused on recovering. My arm, still cursed and pulsing with dark veins, felt like it had a mind of its own. The pain was excruciating, but I forced myself to channel it, to weaponize the curse instead of letting it control me.

I threw my weapon, aiming for Hyacinth’s head, but her hair intercepted it, coiling around the blade and disintegrating it in an instant. She turned her gaze to me, her eyes glowing with disdain.

“How pitiful,” she said, her hair whipping toward me.

I barely managed to roll away, the electricity from her strands singing the ground where I had been. Freya seized the opportunity, detonating one of her traps beneath Hyacinth. The explosion sent shrapnel flying, some of it embedding in Hyacinth’s torso.

She didn’t even flinch.

Hyacinth’s laughter grew louder, more unhinged. “Is this all? This is the best the daughter of Forge and some cursed human can do?”

Her hair shifted, forming a massive, writhing mass above her. It struck the ground like a thunderbolt, forcing both Freya and me to dive for cover.

But the sheer power of her attack was too much. A strand of her electrified hair grazed my leg, and the jolt sent pain shooting through my body. I collapsed, gasping for air, my energy draining rapidly.

Freya wasn’t faring much better. Though she had avoided the direct attacks, her movements were slowing, her injuries catching up to her. Despite this, she refused to give in, charging Hyacinth with everything she had left.

“You think you’re unstoppable?” Freya shouted, throwing a dagger aimed for Hyacinth’s face.

Hyacinth caught the blade with her hair, snapping it like a twig. She retaliated, sending her strands lashing toward Freya, wrapping around her arm. Freya screamed as the electricity surged through her, but she gritted her teeth, pulling a hidden blade from her boot and cutting herself free.

Freya and I regrouped, both barely standing. We exchanged a glance, unspoken understanding passing between us. This was it—our last chance.

“We hit her together,” I said, my voice hoarse. “No holding back.”

Freya nodded, blood dripping from a cut on her forehead. “Right.”

We charged, Freya from the left and me from the right. Hyacinth stood her ground, her hair coiling around her like a living shield.

Freya threw another explosive, and I used the distraction to hurl a cursed strike from my arm. The combined attack seemed to hit its mark, the explosion engulfing Hyacinth in smoke and fire.

For a moment, I thought we’d done it.

Then she emerged, her hair smoldering but intact, her body radiating with even more power. She raised her cane, now glowing with dark energy, and the chamber trembled.

Freya and I collapsed, our bodies unable to take any more. We lay side by side on the ground, gasping for air as Hyacinth loomed over us.

“You’ve fought valiantly,” she said mockingly, “but this is where it ends.”

Her hair twisted above her, forming a massive spear crackling with black lightning. She raised it high, aiming to end us both.

The last thing I saw was Freya’s hand reaching for mine, her grip weak but determined.

And then everything went dark. It's the end of us.