Then, from out of nowhere, a white lady jumped on the demon's back and started to hack away with her claws. It was forced to let go of Chris as it swatted away at the attacking ghost. Chris rolled and crawled away from the demon. The demon managed to grab hold of the white lady and threw her away. "Wretched being, I will deal with you later!" The demon howled. Battered and bruised, the captain wheezed a chant to summon a force that would bring the demon to its knees.
"Shadows deep and spirits torn, from forgotten realms, now reborn, Rise, O souls in endless night, bound by wrath, unleashed in spite." The ground rumbles slowly, the clouds cover the moon and stars, and the lights flicker until they all die out
"Veil of sorrow, break and rend, Bring the lost, their fury sends, Chains unbound, from grave and crypt, by this call, your wrath be whipped." From the ground, countless hands jutted out, digging themselves out of the cold dirt. Supernatural entities crawled out from the shadows. Snarling, bearing their fangs and claws
"Wail and howl, the cursed throng, Strike the heart where evil's strong, by ancient words, this pact is sealed, bring ruin swift, let fate be revealed." The entities summoned by the captain descend upon the demon.
Twisted rotting corpses held on to its massive legs, preventing it from moving. Kapres (Cigar-wielding giants) and Tikbalangs (giant humanoids with the head and tail of a horse) clamped down on its arms, immobilizing them. Hordes of Tiyanak (goblins, born from the corpses of unbaptized infants) join the white lady and hack away at the demon's body. The overwhelming numbers brought the demon not just to its knees, but they forced it to its back.
Chris slowly and forcibly stood up, his left arm dangling from its socket. He limped towards the distressed demon as he pulled something out from under his coat. Holding a blue orb, he stood atop its head. "I told you…not to harm her!" Fear showed within the demon's eyes as it recognized what the captain held in his hand: a mana charge. "Open its mouth!" Chris commanded, to which the Tiyanaks forced open the demon's maw.
Chris then jammed the blue orb down the demon's throat. It wriggled violently, desperately trying to free itself. With his bare hands, the captain shattered the blue orb, releasing a blue flame that slowly consumed the demon from the inside. As the blue flame started to escape, the supernatural entities retreated one by one. A blue light engulfed the demon, searing its flesh. It wanted to howl, but it could not as Chris's hands were jammed down its throat. When the blue light reached its zenith, it imploded, destroying even the tiniest remnant of the demon.
Chris stood up once the danger had passed. Slowly, his body began to heal itself. Cecilia regained consciousness to witness how the captain's body, twisted and snapped, as flesh was knitted and bones mended.
The captain panted from the ordeal. When he recovered, he turned to the dark entities he summoned, "For your help, the reapers will not come after you this day," he declared with quiet gratitude. The entities bowed to the captain, and one by one, they retreated into the shadows.
Above, the heavy clouds slowly parted, allowing the serene light of the moon and twinkling stars to spill softly across the battlefield.
Cecilia ran to Chris's side to steady him as the ordeal left him weak. Chris turned to her, and he lifted his mended hands to caress her face. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"You're stupid! You're so stupid! Why did you let yourself get battered before you use that spell?" Cecilia asked, tears flowed from her eyes as she embraced him tightly.
Chris smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I could only use those spells once; I can never use them again." The two chuckled as their foreheads touched delicately and intimately.
"Ehem!" Murillo's throat cleared sharply, slicing through the heavy silence and drawing the pair's attention. They turned slowly toward the two chiefs, but this time, there was no awkwardness—no hesitation to break their embrace. The world seemed to hold its breath.
Bustamante gripped the three white ladies' arms firmly yet carefully. "Shall we bring them back to the Twilight, Captain?"
"Be gentle with her, Chief," Cecilia urged softly, her voice edged with both caution and compassion. "They were under that thing's control—their will wasn't their own." Breaking away from Chris, Cecilia stepped toward the nearest white lady, her eyes searching for any sign of the woman beneath the haunted gaze. "Are you alright?" she asked, voice trembling with empathy.
"NO!" The white lady's voice shattered the air, raw and desperate. She twisted away, her face hidden as if shielding a wound too deep to show. "Please… don't come near me." Her voice cracked, trembling violently, the sound of a ghost crying out from a place beyond pain.
Cecilia's breath caught, a cold wave crashing through her chest. The voice—so achingly familiar—echoed in her mind, unraveling the fragile calm. Her heart pounded wildly, each beat a hammer blow against her ribs. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she reached out, trembling, toward the spectral figure.
Her voice broke, barely more than a whisper, carrying the weight of a thousand shattered hopes. The single word she spoke sent a jolt of raw, unbearable truth through the air:
"Mom?"