The rain came down at its hardest since the storm began. The droplets clung to the windshield in fast, heavy sheets as the car rumbled up the cracked road. The old church loomed ahead, a blackened silhouette against the gunmetal sky.
Inside the sedan, the atmosphere was just as heavy. No one spoke.
The car's suspension groaned under the weight of far too many bodies. Lila, Rowan, Eri, and Mephisto were all crammed into the backseat, knees jammed, shoulders pressed tight, breath fogging the windows.
"This is absurd," Eri muttered, one arm awkwardly twisted behind Rowan's seat. "I was a god once, you know. You could at least give me a little more room."
"Keep dreaming," Rowan growled. "If anyone's getting the extra room, it's the pregnant lady—you got that?"
"Children," Mephisto said, deadpan—and dead. "You're making it worse."
Aiden sat experimenting with creations from his new ring. His face was tense as sweat dripped down from his brow. This new ring would take some getting used to.
A sudden pressure coiled in his chest—suffocating, yet familiar like a lost friend. Almost as if he had felt this kind of presence long ago. The air around him felt heavier, thicker, charged with something too big to name.
He stared out the windshield in the church's direction, barely breathing.
It wasn't malevolent. But it wasn't human either.
The sensation wormed its way through him—cold and luminous, like frost weaving over bone.
The answer was lost at the tip of his tongue.
His fingers twitched toward the Ring of Vows, pulse racing—
A sharp voice cut through the fog in his head.
"Get it together."
Eri's voice. Low. Clipped.
He turned toward her, startled.
She didn't look at him—just stared out the window, arms crossed tight over her chest.
Her voice was quieter now, but firm. "You can't afford to zone out. Not now. We don't have much longer, and you know it."
Aiden nodded once, forcing air into his lungs.
He didn't ask what she meant by "longer." He didn't need to.
The pressure in his chest eased, but the unease clung to him like rain on skin—impossible to shake.
Rowan shifted in her seat, her eyes turned to the window as well. The cold glass fogged faintly where her breath touched it. Somewhere beyond the misted glass, she heard it again—a whisper threading through the rain.
"Rowan..."
She stiffened, her hands pausing mid-stroke against the shadow cat. Phoebe's voice. Phoebe's voice—soft, and too sad. Like it had crawled up from somewhere long buried.
Rowan slammed her eyes shut, willing it away. It's not real. The Core is gone. It's over.
But deep down, fear twisted sharp. The pact she made with Eri—the price she paid—felt like it was breathing at the back of her neck again. She swallowed it down, biting the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper.
"Stay sharp. It isn't real," she muttered to herself under her breath. The Core is gone. There's no way it could be using Phoebe against her now.
...Or could it?
Next to her, Mephisto adjusted his grip on the passenger seat's headrest. "This is it," he said lowly.
The car rolled to a stop at the crumbling curb. The church, blackened and sagging, seemed to pulse in the mist.
Shariff turned slightly, looking back at them. His gaze lingered on Aiden, Lila, and Rowan one by one. "You sure about this?"
Aiden nodded, jaw tight. "Yeah. We finish this."
Carter gave a grunt, unlocking the doors with a loud click. "Be safe, alright? If things go south, just run. Don't be a hero, guys."
Shariff looked at Aiden again—a little harder this time. His fingers brushed the toddler's hair before speaking. "Good luck. And, uh..." He hesitated, words heavy. "Thanks. For everything. We wouldn't be here right now without you."
Aiden managed a thin smile. "No. Thank you. You didn't have to stay this long."
Shariff chuckled dryly, shifting the toddler in his lap. "Maybe not. But some things… you don't walk away from."
Carter tapped the wheel impatiently. "We'll be at the cabin after we grab our families. You all better make it back."
Rowan forced a grin. "You're acting like you're not gonna cry when you hear we saved the world."
Shariff laughed, easing some of the tension. Carter just rolled his eyes.
"Go," Shariff said quietly. "Before you lose your nerve."
Carter grumbled something under his breath as he shifted the car into drive, hand gripping the wheel with practiced impatience.
And the world ahead waited, quiet and storm-fed. They climbed out. Lila pulled her jacket tighter around her belly, Aiden instinctively steadying her.
Aiden turned toward Lila, eyes lingering on her longer than usual. Not with doubt—just that quiet, stormy look he always wore when he couldn't protect her the way he wanted to.
She caught it instantly and sighed, resting a hand on her belly. "I know that look."
Aiden gave a faint smile. "You're sure you still want to do this?"
"I'm seven months, not nine," she said firmly. "I'm not even showing that much."
"You're still pregnant," he muttered, his voice a little too low.
"And you're still Aiden." Her smile softened. "You're not wrong for worrying. But I can handle this. You know that."
He nodded slowly, brushing her hand. "Yeah. I do. Doesn't mean I don't still wish you were getting in that car with them."
"I know," she whispered. "But this isn't just your fight. It's mine too. Ours."
She rolled her weight onto the balls of her feet, using her spear for balance, "We done being adorable yet?"
Aiden stood a little straighter.
Lila took his hand.
The sedan's headlights blinked once before the car pulled away, vanishing into the mist, carrying with it a piece of their safety.
Rowan watched it until the taillights disappeared, the old fear gnawing a little deeper.
You've got this, she told herself.
You have to.
They huddled under the warped eaves of an overgrown tree. Eri crouched low, surveying the ground.
"We move fast," Eri said, sharp and clipped. "They'll have patrols. Might already know we're here."
Rowan leaned close, voice low. "You sure your little root tricks are still working?"
Eri smirked humorlessly. "Yes you don't have to worry about that."
A soft tink followed her words.
Eri looked down.
Another petal had fallen from the bracelet wrapped tightly around her wrist—a pale shard of obsidian-veined silver, now resting in her palm like a countdown she couldn't stop.
She clenched her fist around it, jaw tight.
Aiden didn't notice.
But Lila did. And her hand hovered briefly, almost reaching for Eri—before pulling back. Lila adjusted the small pack slung across her hip. "We get in. Find Marisol. Get out. Right?"
"That's the plan," Aiden confirmed. He turned his ring over on his finger, feeling the faint pulse of warmth inside it. His hand was steady—but his heart wasn't.
Rowan shifted again, unease flickering across her face. "Wait… where's Mephisto?"
They all looked around.
The shadows clung to the broken stone and weeping vines—but Mephisto was gone. No smug grin. No lazy quip. Just gone.
Aiden cursed under his breath. "Seriously?"
Eri's eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness. "Of course. He slipped off."
Rowan muttered, "Slippery little rat."
Lila frowned, pulling her jacket closer. "You think he went ahead?"
"Or worse," Eri growled. "He's already started his own plan."
Aiden wiped the rain from his face, gritting his teeth. "Doesn't matter. We stick to ours."
He looked up at the looming church doors, heart pounding.
Marisol's in there.
And we're not leaving without her.
Rowan tightened her grip on her spear, the mist swallowing her up like a ghost. "Then let's go get her back."
Together, they stepped into the dark — toward the ending none of them dared to speak aloud.