When Jake returned to the others, his face was changed. Pale, frozen with fear and the knowledge that no one wanted to have. Before anyone could ask a question, he spoke first:
"We need to close the gate. Elias... he's not a ghost. It's something more. An entity born from death and betrayal. And he's already working through Mason."
Mason, sitting in the corner with his head bowed, looked up. His pupils were unnaturally dilated, as if he saw more than the rest of them.
"He... speaks to me," he whispered. "Every day he gets louder. Every night, I feel him taking parts of me. He's not fully here yet, but it's only a matter of time."
Nancy knelt before him and grabbed his hands.
"Fight. You're stronger than him. We all are."
At that moment, the floor shook, and a prolonged moan emerged from the basement. In the center of the ritual circle, a tear appeared—a dark, pulsating wound in reality.
Ethan took out Mason's grandfather's journal and opened to the page with the sealing ritual.
"Here. We need to do it at exactly the right time. We need to offer something from Elias' bloodline. And speak his true name."
Mason shuddered.
"No... If you do that, he'll know I betrayed him. That I'm not with him."
"That's precisely why we must," said Noah. "Because only then will we sever the bond. Only then will you get yourself back."
From the shadow of the tear, a hand emerged. Not human. A hand covered in cracked black skin, with claws as long as knives. It reached out toward Mason.
Jake stood between them, arms spread wide.
"Not this time."
Nancy began reading the words from the journal. Her voice trembled, but she was determined. When she spoke Elias' name, the entire basement howled. Mason began screaming, clutching his head.
"He's coming out! He's coming out through me!"
Noah rushed to hold him. Ethan completed the ritual. The moment the last word was spoken, the gate shook and... slammed shut with a bang. Elias' hand vanished into the darkness.
Mason collapsed, unconscious. But the silence was deceptive. In the depths of the basement, someone... clapped.
From the shadows, a young man with a face eerily similar to Mason's emerged.
"Did you think it would all end this easily?" he said. "The gate is just one of many. And I... I am its new heir."
Noah took a step back.
"Who are you?"
The young man smiled widely.
"My name is Elian. And we're just starting over."
He stepped through the circle, which had just been the center of magic. Now, it was dull, and the surrounding earth was dry and fragile, as if everything holy had been sucked out of it. He looked at the gathered group, and his smile was cold, almost fascinating.
"Elias doesn't need the gate anymore," he said. "He has me. And what's inside me is stronger than anything you've seen."
"You're nothing but an echo," Nancy hissed. "He'll use you, just like he tried to use Mason."
Elian laughed, but there was no joy in his laugh.
"Mason was weak. He struggled, begged for salvation. And me? I agreed. I accepted him. And now his power is mine."
Nancy knelt by the unconscious Mason. His chest rose slowly, as if his body didn't know whether it was worth coming back. Burning marks appeared on his neck—three circles intertwined in a triangle.
"He's still alive," said Noah. "But if Elias continues to act through Elian, Mason may never wake up."
Elian stepped closer.
"Oh, he'll wake up. When the right time comes. Then, you'll all become my witnesses."
Jake raised his weapon—the iron rod, found earlier. He pointed it at Elian.
"You haven't won yet. We can still stop him."
"You can try." Elian disappeared. He literally dissolved into the air, leaving behind only a cold gust.
In the basement, the echo of his voice resounded:
"We'll meet where it all began. On the hill. At sunset."
*
They took Mason from the basement. The way back through the forest was full of silence—not natural, but forced. As if the island were holding its breath. The ground beneath their feet was dry, the air motionless, and the sky—unnatural.
They stopped in the forest, at a ruined cemetery. It was there that Nancy and Noah tried to tend to Mason's wounds and come up with a plan.
"Elian isn't bluffing," Olivia said. "If Elias really found a new heir, the gates might open again. And there won't be a ritual that can close them."
"But what if we kill Elian...?" asked Ethan.
"That won't be enough," replied Noah. "Elias lives through the blood bond. We need to cut it at the source."
"Meaning Mason?" Jennifer asked, horrified.
A silence fell. Nancy looked at the unconscious boy.
"No," she said firmly. "This time, I will fight for him. Until the end. I won't let Elias win."
Noah gave her a sideways glance.
Jake stared at the horizon, where the sky was already turning purple. Evening was approaching. The final confrontation was near.
"We need to go to the hill. But this time... with our own ritual."
Noah nodded.
"Get ready. We start the last fight at sunset."
*
The hill was dark even before sunset. Thick clouds covered the sky, and the wind carried with it death and ash. The old trees around the summit twisted as if in convulsions. Nancy, Noah, Jake, Olivia, Ethan, and Jennifer approached the ritual site, knowing they might not return.
Mason walked on his own, though he swayed with each step. The shadows under his eyes had deepened, and the marks on his neck glowed as if something within them was pulsating. He hadn't fully returned to himself, but he was still himself. Yet, not fully.
At the summit, Elian was waiting. Dressed in black, with ritual marks painted in blood. Behind him, a fire burned, around which skeletons were arranged—remains of victims from decades ago. There was no humanity left in his eyes. Elias was looking through him.
"You came too late," he said, stretching out his arms. "The gate is already opening. And I am its key."
The earth beneath their feet trembled. Mason groaned, falling to his knees. Dark liquid began to ooze from his mouth. Nancy ran to him, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Hold on! Please!"
From the shadows of the hill, figures began to emerge. Will. Daniel. Marie. Even Marie's husband's ghost. They all looked at Mason with reproach, but also... hope.
Marie spoke:
"He can still be free. But only if you, Elian, are erased."
Jake raised his hand with the rolled ritual parchment.
"This is Elias' final ritual. Not to summon, but to take away."
Elian laughed harshly.
"Try it. But you'll have to sacrifice more than words."
Then the ground cracked. From within the hill, a pitch-black entity emerged. Elias. In all his dark glory. Huge, with wings of smoke and a face made of thousands of twisted souls.
Noah screamed:
"Start the ritual!"
Olivia, Jennifer, and Ethan formed a circle. Nancy knelt beside Mason, holding his hand. Jake began reciting. The ritual was long, complex, and Elias howled with every syllable.
Elian lunged toward the circle, but Nancy stopped him.
"You won't pass."
Arm in arm with her, Mason stood. Though weak, he rose and looked Elian in the eyes.
"You're not me. And you never will be."
With the last word of the ritual, the sky tore open with lightning. Elias howled, and his body shattered. Souls burst out of him—free. Marie vanished with a smile.
Elian began to disintegrate.
"No... It wasn't supposed to be like this..."
Nancy ran to Mason, who was once again collapsing to the ground. She caught him.
"It's over now. You're free."
But on the horizon, the sky still bled.