"STOP!" I screamed with all the strength I could summon.
The dark chamber fell into silence. The draining stopped. Even the air seemed frozen in shock.
"You can't do this to me. You can't do this to anyone—but especially not to me." My voice echoed, fierce and resolute.
Rodulf and Juwel stared at me, startled.
"Betard and Agnes are gone," I said, stepping forward. "They're not here anymore. They've been dead for a century—probably suffering in hell for what they did. And guess what? So are you. You're dead too."
Rodulf staggered back as if struck by invisible force.
"Don't listen to her!" Juwel cried. "She's trying to manipulate us—"
"Manipulate?" I barked back. "I'm speaking the truth and the entire universe knows it. I came here for one reason—to find the cursed book."
Juwel's face went pale. "The curse book?"
Rodulf's voice shook. "You mean… the one they searched for—from Betard to Denmark?"
"Yes," I nodded. "That cursed book. My uncle and his team found it, but now there are dark forces hunting it. I need to find it and destroy it—before it destroys everything."
Juwel's voice was nearly a whisper. "That book can… it can bring destruction to the world."
"Exactly," I said, tears burning in my eyes. "And what do you think you two have been doing all these years? Haunting the living? Killing innocents for revenge? What's the difference?"
Rodulf dropped to his knees, trembling. "What did I do so wrong to deserve this?"
Juwel placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "You didn't. It wasn't your fault."
He looked up at her, eyes empty. "Then what do I do now?"
She didn't answer.
But I knew what needed to be said.
It wasn't just me anymore—Maria's voice echoed in my head, soft yet powerful, as if the Universe itself was guiding me.
"Free your souls," I whispered. "Cross the borders. Justice exists beyond this world. Find peace, and cherish those who stayed by your side—even in death."
Rodulf and Juwel exchanged a look—stunned, unsure.
"But how?" Juwel asked, eyes flickering with hope. "We're… stuck here."
"No," I said firmly. "You only think you are. Accept that your time in this world is over. You were never meant to stay here."
"But… Sir Rodulf's revenge?" she asked hesitantly.
I turned to Rodulf.
"It's already served. Or it will be, in the place where real judgment exists."
Rodulf was quiet. Then he spoke, voice tender.
"Juwel… maybe it's time. Time for us to go. You've been with me through everything—through betrayal, through death. I can't let you suffer anymore. I'm so sorry for the pain I caused you… but thank you for never leaving me."
Juwel's eyes welled up, and her smile—soft, radiant—spoke of all the pain and love she'd buried.
"I pray you find peace," I said gently. "And maybe… happiness together. In the world beyond."
Rodulf looked at me for a long moment—something in his gaze told me he understood now.
Juwel reached for his hand.
They both looked up—and light enveloped them. In an instant, their forms shimmered, rising skyward like stardust returning to the cosmos.
I inhaled deeply. For the first time in that nightmare realm, I felt calm.
"They're free now," I whispered.
But before the thought could settle—
The ground began to tremble.
The world—this twisted, broken version of reality—started crumbling around me like shattered glass in a slow-motion storm.
"Mom!" I screamed, panic surging in my chest as the darkness swallowed everything.