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*****
Boom!
Gwen and Alessa plummeted from mid-air.
Clatter! Clatter!
Debris, torn into the sky by Alessa earlier, now rained down around them like a chaotic storm.
Gwen held Alessa's hand tightly, grasping it as firmly as if the girl were a friend she could never bring herself to abandon.
Blue flames seared through Alessa's soul, and boundless agony erupted from within her spirit. Through the Penance Stare, Gwen witnessed Alessa's story unfolding before her eyes.
Alessa was originally just an ordinary little girl. However, because she came from a single-parent family and didn't know who her father was, she became the target of relentless bullying at school. Her classmates even mocked her, cruel calling her a "witch."
That alone would have been tragic enough, but compared to what Alessa experienced afterward, the schoolyard bullying was simply not worth mentioning.
In the school restroom, she was molested by a janitor.
When such a horrific thing happened, she received no understanding or sympathy. The perpetrator received no punishment whatsoever. Even worse, her own mother began to loathe her. When the former leader of the cult demanded that Alessa's mother hand her over for "purification," her mother pushed Alessa out without a moment's hesitation.
The result was a nightmare. Alessa was taken to a church in Silent Hill. Like a piece of meat, she was clamped onto an iron rack, with roaring flames burning beneath her.
Alessa screamed in agony, but the cult members, led by their leader, showed not a shred of mercy. Instead, they watched with sick, twisted smiles on their faces.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the rack holding Alessa tipped over, knocking into the furnace below and igniting a massive fire.
As the cultists scattered and fled in panic, Alessa remained there, struggling and screaming amidst the flames. Just as she was about to be burned to death, a police officer saved her and rushed her to the hospital.
That fire ignited the entire town of Silent Hill and created a demon.
Lying in her hospital bed, enduring the double torture of physical pain and mental anguish, Alessa spat vicious curses at those who had harmed her, those who had stood by and watched, and eventually, the entire town.
In the end, aided by a mysterious power, she became a demon. She transformed the town into the Silent Hill Otherworld, dragging its inhabitants into her nightmare.
As for Heather, she was a part of Alessa—her benevolent side. That was why they shared a connection, and why Heather could feel Alessa's summons.
Of course, this wasn't Heather's first time in Silent Hill.
Years ago, when Heather was still a baby, she had been here. That time, Heather's adoptive father had stormed into Silent Hill to save her. He had helped Alessa, who couldn't enter the church herself, to get inside, allowing Alessa to complete her revenge.
Afterward, Heather's adoptive mother found a mysterious seal and used it to send Heather out of this world, though she herself remained behind. This was the motivation behind Heather's father spending so many years searching for his wife and collecting information on Silent Hill.
And the reason the cultists were hunting the father-daughter duo was precisely because of that seal.
Alessa knew all of these things very well.
As for Heather, Alessa didn't want to see her again. Heather was her good side, the hope she had sent away. The life Heather lived was the life Alessa had always yearned for.
But now, Heather—the representation of hope—had returned to this hell. This compelled Alessa to consider devouring and merging with Heather, so they could become one once again.
However, before Alessa could put this thought into action, Gwen's group collided with her. She was hit by Gwen's Penance Stare, and her soul began to burn.
Gwen released Alessa, her brows knitting together tightly as she sensed the slow incineration of Alessa's soul.
Silent Hill... this space was definitely not created by Alessa alone.
Alessa's power originated from a mysterious existence, and that entity was the true source of this space known as Silent Hill.
Gwen hummed in thought, suddenly noticing Alessa looking at her with eyes full of unwillingness and resentment.
"Why is it me?! Why do you all get to have happiness and hope, but I only get darkness and despair? I won't accept this!" Alessa screamed in anguish.
Gwen shook her head. "Actually, you grasped what you always wanted a long time ago."
As she spoke, Gwen glanced toward the RV where Heather was, then turned back to Alessa. "Besides, you know exactly what you need to do now, don't you?"
Alessa was stunned for a moment. Then, she let out a laugh and glared ferociously at Gwen. "You're ruthless!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she gathered the last of her strength. She split her own soul, discarding the portion that was currently burning. The remaining small fragment shot toward the RV, rushing into Heather's body to merge with her.
Heather's body went stiff, and she fell into a daze, but she quickly recovered.
She was still herself; Alessa's fragmented soul did not overwrite her consciousness.
"Is it over?" Mary Jane murmured.
"Of course not! We haven't helped Heather find her father yet!" Luke said with a smile.
"Thank you, all of you!" Heather said, filled with gratitude.
Just then, Gwen stepped onto the vehicle. "Let's go! Move out!"
"Where to?" Peter pushed up his glasses, secretly breathing a sigh of relief seeing that Gwen was back to normal.
"I got some information from Alessa. If I'm not guessing wrong, Heather's dad has been taken by those cultists, and their base is in the church here."
As Gwen spoke, she drove the RV toward the church.
Leaving a trail of blue fire in their wake, Gwen and her team arrived at the destination.
Compared to other parts of this dimension, there were no monsters here. However, as Gwen looked at the church before her, she sensed an aura that was even more evil.
"It looks like the monsters don't dare to approach this place because there's something even more terrifying inside," Gwen murmured. She was the first to step off the vehicle, leading the group toward the church entrance.
Little Lamb quickened his pace to catch up with Gwen. "Big Sister, if there's trouble later, can I fight?"
He had never used his abilities in combat before, but after the previous battle, he had taken a liking to the feeling of fighting.
Gwen looked down at Little Lamb and saw the anticipation in his eyes. She pondered for a moment. "Okay. You are responsible for protecting the others!"
"No problem!" Little Lamb patted his chest, accepting the mission.
Arriving at the church doors, Gwen deactivated her transformation and knocked on the door.
The sound of knocking seemed incredibly abrupt and out of place in this bizarre world. Peter and the others shivered slightly.
"Will they actually open the door in this situation? If it were me, I wouldn't," Harry muttered quietly, then his eyes suddenly widened.
The church door opened.
A figure wearing a hood, their face obscured, glanced over the group. When they saw Heather, they hurriedly stepped aside to make way.
The group smiled slightly at Harry, who shrugged, and they all walked into the church together.
Following the cultist, the group arrived at the main hall in the center of the church.
Upon arriving, Heather immediately saw the man tied to a statue.
Her father, Harry Mason.
Harry Mason's eyes went wide when he saw his daughter. He shouted, "Heather! Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to come?"
Heather bit her lip. "I had to come to save you!"
Harry Mason was both moved and anxious.
"Shut him up."
A woman with long white hair and a pale face spoke indifferently. A cultist immediately walked over to Harry Mason with a hostile look, pressing a knife against his neck.
Claudia nodded in satisfaction and looked at Heather. "Welcome home."
Heather replied coldly, "This is not my home!"
Claudia smiled, unconcerned, but then cast a puzzled look at Gwen and the others.
Who are these kids?
She was confused, but since no cultist had witnessed Gwen and her team fighting earlier, she didn't pay them much mind. She simply assumed Gwen and the others were ordinary people who had stumbled into Silent Hill along with Heather.
Claudia looked back at Heather, feeling a surge of excitement in her heart.
She's finally here!
She had expended so much effort to get Heather to return to Silent Hill of her own volition.
Yes, actively and voluntarily!
Because only if Heather came to Silent Hill willingly could she merge with Alessa and become the vessel for the descent of their God.
To make Alessa a qualified vessel, they had single-handedly orchestrated Alessa's tragedy.
The result had been very successful. Alessa had sunk into demonhood, her heart filled with resentment, becoming a perfect vessel.
But what they hadn't expected was that Alessa would send a part of herself to the outside world, rendering herself incomplete.
Furthermore, after Alessa became the vessel, the power she awakened exceeded their imagination. They couldn't control Alessa at all.
So, they had no choice but to plan for Heather to merge with Alessa.
This way, they could not only deal with the uncontrollable Alessa but also make Heather the new vessel.
Now, they had finally succeeded.
Their God was about to descend upon this world!
Thinking of this, Claudia couldn't help but feel agitated. However, to complete the ritual for God's descent, one more item was needed.
With that in mind, Claudia gave Heather a faint smile and said, "Give me the Seal."
"Let my father go!" Heather said coldly.
"Heh."
Claudia chuckled softly and waved her hand. The cultist watching Heather's father immediately pressed the knife into his neck, drawing a shallow line of blood.
Seeing this, Heather was startled and cast a pleading look at Gwen and the others.
But...
Gwen and her friends were huddled together in a corner, trembling with apparent fear.
Heather froze.
What is going on with Gwen and the others?
With their power, it should be easy to deal with these people.
Suddenly, she saw Gwen give her a subtle wink.
Heather's heart skipped a beat. Although she didn't know what Gwen and the others were planning, there was no doubt that she needed to play along.
Thinking of this, she took out the half-medallion she had always carried and said, "Release my father!"
Claudia smiled faintly. "Hand it to me, and I will let him go."
Heather bit her lip and suddenly asked, "Where is Vincent?"
"He was a traitor," Claudia said lightly. "Naturally, traitors do not meet good ends."
Just as they were about to bring Heather to Silent Hill, he had actually told Heather part of their plan, nearly causing the whole operation to fail. She could not tolerate such treacherous behavior.
"He was your son!" Heather exclaimed in shock.
"So what?"
Claudia spoke indifferently, walking up to Heather and holding out her hand. "As long as you give it to me, I will release your father."
Heather bit her lip, glanced at Gwen out of the corner of her eye, and after seeing Gwen nod, she handed the item to Claudia.
Claudia smiled faintly. "Good girl."
Saying this, she waved her hand, signaling her men to release Harry Mason.
Seeing this scene, Heather was slightly stunned. She hadn't expected the woman to actually keep her word.
Harry Mason stumbled toward his daughter, hugged her briefly, then shielded her behind him, grabbing Heather's hand as they began to edge toward the church exit.
"Stand still," Claudia said blandly. "I said I would release him, but I never said I would let you leave."
As her voice fell, the cultists surrounded them.
Heather shouted angrily, "You aren't keeping your promise!"
"I am a villain, after all," Claudia remarked casually, acting as if it were a matter of course.
Just then, a cultist walked up to Claudia, handed her another half of a Seal, and said, "We got it."
Claudia nodded with satisfaction. Looking at the two pieces of the Seal in her hands, she addressed the crowd: "Prepare the ritual."
Upon her command, the cultists swarmed Gwen's group. They tied up these terrified-looking, insignificant "kids" in the corner, and then grabbed Heather and her father again.
"No!"
Watching Heather being tied up and placed on the altar, Harry Mason roared in rage, but he was quickly bound by several cultists and thrown into the corner.
Claudia smiled faintly and said, "These people will serve perfectly as sacrifices to our God in a moment."
With that, she joined the two halves of the Seal together. Then, as if shedding a disguise, her entire being instantly transformed into a monster.
Her body turned a ghastly pale white, bound by straps of black leather. Her figure was voluptuous, but two sharp blades were bound to her hands. Most striking of all was her head.
Four blades sprang out from the back of her head, appearing as if they were pierced right into her eye sockets, forming right angles. Her mouth seemed to lack lips entirely, revealing only rows of eerie white teeth.
The Missionary—this was Claudia's true form.
Holding the Seal, she walked quickly to Heather, who was bound on the altar. She pressed the Seal against Heather's chest, took two steps back, knelt on one knee, and began to murmur.
Accompanying her murmurs, the cultists began to chant in unison.
With their summons, the Seal on Heather's chest began to emit an ominous aura. Waves of energy filled with resentment and curses began to condense above Heather.
A moment later, a black, humanoid phantom appeared in the air above Heather. Instantly, a powerful evil aura filled the church.
This is their God?
Gwen and Peter exchanged a glance. After a subtle signal, the corners of their mouths curled into smiles as they looked at the phantom slowly descending toward Heather.
Just this level, and it dares to call itself a God?
(End of Chapter)