Hello, lovely readers! Sorry I skipped this last week with publishing. Life happened, haha. Anyway! As always, thank you to my betas, and to all of you who continue to read this story. It's a really fun challenge! I don't own Sofia, but I do own Vasilia and Kashchey, so no touchy! ;).
Here are some translations.
Kotenok: kitten
L'vitsa: lioness
Padla: ~bastard; literally corpse
Krasavitsa: beauty/beautiful; term of endearment used for women
Mudak: ~dumbass; strictly male insult
Vasilyenka/Vasilechka: Russian diminutive of Vasilia; typically only used as a term of endearment among family.
Enjoy!
Chapter 28: Awakening
The scents of Ledstrana's air brought back many memories. The warm afternoon scents playfully greeted his nose as he inhaled the sweet, coniferous aroma. He spread out his arms and breathed deeply, relishing the sensation of expanding his ribcage until his lungs were filled to capacity. He exhaled, letting his arms drop to his sides slowly as he looked around at the mess that was around him. The man chuckled to himself.
"So you finally decide to show your hideous face," a silvery, feminine voice that the man immediately recognized came from the castle.
"Privet, Printsessa Vasilia, my vindictive little violet. I see my kotenok has grown into a lovely l'vitsa." The man extended his arms and hummed in approval as the phantasmal beauty floated down from one of the towers, her shimmering silver and black cape rippling behind her. She had forgone the pristine braided crown atop her head and her rich, chestnut brown hair undulated around her shoulders in the cool breeze.
"Don't patronize me, you parasitic padla," she snarled. "I have learned much since the last time we fought, and I will not fall to you again."
"Oh, my krasavitsa Vasilia, must we always fight? Why don't we go back to how we were before? We were so close, and we would have made the perfect match! I, the invulnerable wizard, and you, the blossoming sorceress—we would have been unstoppable! We still could be if you'll put this silly vendetta against me behind you," he crooned, taking a slithering step toward the enchantress.
Vasilia gritted her teeth as her upper lip turned up in disgust. "Do not waste your breath. You have such little time left in this realm to use it, after all."
"Now, now, can't we talk about this? After all, we had countless, captivating conversations before that idiot Ivan had to steal you away from me."
Vasilia scoffed, tossing her head back. "Need I remind you, that you were the one who stole me from Ivan? Then you ruthlessly murdered him when I finally escaped from you!"
The man chuckled. "Ah, yes, that was quite a thrill! The moral little mudak never thought the curse the shopkeeper uttered would apply to him. He should have known better than to trifle with any prophecy containing the name of Kashchey the Deathless!" he laughed, displaying his unruly, yellowed teeth.
Vasilia clenched her teeth as the man's wicked cackle reverberated in her memory. She could feel her blood starting to boil with rage as images flooded her mind: the night of her kidnapping, the endless hours held captive by that monster, and her husband's brutal murder. They were memories she'd held onto over the century. She never once even thought of putting them away with all of the other memories she'd stored. They were her motivation to keep on her quest to defeat the vile creature known as Kashchey. She took in a deep breath and relaxed her jaw. It would do her no good to let this piece of garbage get underneath her skin and break her focus. "You will not be laughing when I put an end to your existence."
Kashchey laughed even harder, the skin on his face stretching so thin that his bones seemed to threaten to break through the surface. "And just how would you do that? I exist in every realm, and you cannot defeat me in any one of them! I'll just regenerate even stronger than I was before! I have you to thank for that."
Vasilia smirked. "I guess I'll just have to bring every realm here." She held up her left fist as a deep purple and black fire danced around it like mist.
Kashchey's laughter dwindled, and he raised a scraggly, pointed, grey eyebrow at her. "And just how do you plan on doing that?"
A lurid grin spread across Vasilia's countenance as her pale skin began to glow with white luminescence. The black and purple fire spread up her left arm and engulfed her body as the ethereal glow intermingled with it. She raised her right hand and gathered a black ball, magenta lightning flashing inside of it until it was about the size of a melon. She began to close her fingers around the ball and it shrunk to the size of a golf ball. She then extended her fingers and held them tightly together, her palm flat, as the ball continued to shrink until it was a tiny black orb, pulsating with magenta lightning inside, floating in the palm of her hand. As she did this, a haunting, melodious cadence came from her lips.
"Oh Great Chaos which once encompassed all
Remember this Amulet which brought on your downfall
Oh, Highest of beings, please heed my request
For all of existence bows to your behest.
Recall what's been lost, fix what's been broken
Take back the power that was instilled in this token!"
With a swift swipe of her left fist, she tossed a gleaming gem up high into the atmosphere where it disappeared from view. She immediately aimed her right palm into the air and shot the highly concentrated beam. A black and purple laser streaked through the air and a deafening explosion erupted in the sky, so large that if it occurred on the ground, it would have obliterated the castle and all of the surrounding villages. The earth trembled as magenta lightning crackled through the black smoke with a smoldering heat that could be felt on the ground.
Kashchey growled, narrowing his black eyes at the sorceress after the thunderous boom subsided and the cloud began to clear. "Well, that was a cute little lyric and a dazzling show."
"Just you wait, Kashchey. Soon you'll be screaming in woe." Vasilia returned her hands to her sides and smirked at the hideous skeleton of a man.
The human-like corpse couldn't help but scream in laughter. "Oh, we're rhyming now, are we? You were one for pranks! I guess you'll say now that I'll be filled with angst!" He clutched his sides as his maniacal shriek pierced the ears of each onlooker.
Vasilia took in a breath and looked up to the sky. "Enough with your games; my ascension is nigh, and you will regret the day you killed my beloved."
Kashchey stopped laughing and scoffed in offense. "No, no, no, Vasilia! You were supposed to say, 'the apple of my eye.' Come on, I was having fun! We really must do this more often," Kashchey hooted, wiping a tear.
"I really wouldn't be laughing if I were you, O Deathless One," Vasilia sneered with a wicked grin.
Kashchey suddenly stopped. Like a steam powered locomotive, realization slammed into him. His body felt heavy, and his skin seemed to regain its elasticity as he felt his muscles expand and grow to what they had been a millennium ago. Blood coursed through his veins like magma in an active volcano. He had forgotten what it felt like to have a heartbeat. "No," he snarled. "How!?"
"Don't they always say, 'Know thy enemy?'" the sorceress purred.
"No! It's impossible! I made my existence in all the realms! I am immortal!"
"Immortal, you still are, I assure you. But even immortals can be killed."
Kashchey clenched his steadily whitening teeth as the skin on his neck tightened and his cheeks filled out. "You have made a grave mistake."
Vasilia smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "You know, you'd think a decrepit old husk of a man would be grateful to have his youthful power returned to him."
"Youthful power means nothing if the one wielding it can be defeated." Kashchey's shoulders widened and his spine straightened as his muscles regained their former vigor. His haggard appearance was no more; instead, he stood tall like a knight in his prime. With a strong jawline, and a full head of luscious, ash brown locks, his face shone with the same, spectral agelessness and elegance of Vasilia's. His black cloak billowed around him and hugged tighter to his rejuvenated body. He looked down at his hands, that had previously been skin and bone now full with flesh. Clenching his fist, he felt his full power course through him once again. "I feel somewhat sorry for you, Vasilyenka. Now that I am whole once again, how do you expect to beat me?"
Vasilia's golden emerald eyes flashed with rage at the mention of the name. "If you'd like to find out, call me that one more time," she seethed, glowering at the man as she engulfed her body in black and purple flames.
"Oh, I intend to, Vasilyenka." The name dripped like saccharine syrup off of his lips as he shrouded his body in black mist.
Vasilia shook her head with a disgusted sneer on her face. "It's your funeral," she growled, readying her fighting stance.
