Hansel and Gretel pressed their backs against the door of the candy cottage, their bodies trembling with exhaustion. The warm glow of the room seemed to mock their fear, its sweetness a fragile veneer against the terror outside. Gretel’s hand clutched her sharpened stick tightly, her knuckles white as she listened intently for any sound.

Outside, the low rumble of a bear’s growl rolled through the clearing, deep and resonant like thunder. The siblings exchanged wide-eyed looks, their breaths shallow and rapid.

“What’s happening?” Hansel whispered, clutching his wooden carving as if it might protect him.

“I don’t know,” Gretel replied, her voice barely audible. She edged closer to the window, peeking out from behind the thick curtains.

Mary stood in the clearing, her crimson cloak swirling around her like liquid fire. Her serene mask had fallen away, revealing the predatory gleam in her ember-like eyes. She turned toward the massive bear that had emerged from the shadows, her lips curling into a sneer.

The bear was enormous, its fur a rich, earthy brown that shimmered in the firelight. It stood tall on its hind legs, towering over Mary, its claws sharp and glinting. Its growl deepened, reverberating through the clearing, as it fixed its unblinking gaze on the goblin.

Mary’s voice broke the tense silence, sharp and mocking. “Do you think you can stop me, beast?” She tilted her head, her claws flexing. “This is no place for animals.”

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The bear growled in response, dropping back to all fours with a heavy thud. Its body tensed, muscles rippling beneath its thick fur, and in an instant, it charged.

Mary leapt to the side with inhuman speed, her crimson cloak billowing as the bear’s massive paw slammed into the ground where she had stood. She twisted, her clawed hand slashing through the air. Shadows erupted from her fingertips, coiling toward the bear like living serpents.

The bear batted the shadows away with a powerful swipe, its claws slicing through the darkness effortlessly. Mary snarled, her ember-like eyes narrowing.

“You should’ve stayed in your den,” she hissed, extending her hand. Thick, black crude oil oozed from her palm, spreading rapidly across the frozen ground. She ignited it with a flick of her wrist, the flames roaring to life in a circle around her.

Inside the candy house, Gretel pulled Hansel away from the door. “We need to move,” she whispered urgently. “If Mary wins, she’ll come for us.”

Hansel hesitated, his eyes darting toward the barricade they had hastily assembled. “But where can we go?” he asked, his voice trembling. “She’ll find us.”

“Let me think,” Gretel said, her mind racing. She glanced back at the window, her stomach knotting as the sounds of the fight grew louder.

The bear lunged through the flames, its thick fur singed but unharmed. It crashed into Mary with its full weight, knocking her off balance. She rolled to her feet with a snarl, eyes blazing. Raising her hand, she summoned a whip of hellfire that crackled and hissed as it lashed through the air.

The bear dodged, its movements unnaturally quick for its size. It lunged again, its jaws snapping dangerously close to Mary’s shoulder. She twisted away, but the bear’s claws raked across her side, tearing through fabric and skin. Blood oozed from the wound, staining the snow beneath her feet.

Mary staggered back, clutching her side. Her sneer deepened into a grimace as she raised both hands, summoning a swirling wall of shadows between her and the bear. The flames around her intensified, their heat distorting the air.

“You’re nothing but a dumb animal!” Mary shouted, her voice echoing with rage. “I’ll tear you apart!”

The bear paused for a moment, its glowing eyes locked onto Mary through the dark barrier. Then, with a deafening roar, it charged. The shadows dissipated like smoke as the bear’s massive body crashed through, its claws slashing downward in a blur.