"Let me go, my dear Yaliana!" The wizard gasps for breath, kissing Yaliana's demon feet. "From today onwards, I am the slave you've raised. I'll do anything you ask, like a loyal dog."
"Shut up, you filthy idiot. I'll keep you, torment you, but I don't want you as my dog!" Yaliana retorts, suddenly sensing something. She looks up, stopping Evan and Schwella in midair. A gloomy smile spreads across her face. "Ah, the lovely young wizard and Schwella. I was just wondering when you two would show up."
"You knew we'd come here?" Evan asks after he has returned to his proper form, his wrist conjuring an unusual strength to ensure he isn't pulled into the mirror.
"I knew for sure. I've been fighting with that witch by your side for more than 500 years. I knew she was getting tired and would eventually give up, so I carefully planned this scheme. I patiently waited for the right candidate, and finally, I found a wizard like you who could make her believe in helping me. Besides, I truly needed your demon blood to decipher her magic. I wasn't lying," Yaliana explains.
"You demon!" Schwella interjects calmly, her gaze still on the wizard kneeling before them.
"Speaking of being aloof from worldly affairs, when everyone in the castle was poisoned to death, you also became a devil," Yaliana replies with fierceness. "This is just a battle between demons and devils. But I am the ultimate victor."
"No, you're wrong. We are the ones who lost!" Schwella says slowly, closing her eyes. "I disappointed the clan elders and the head witch doctor's expectations, renouncing the ancestral vow and going against the natural order. These 500 years of suffering were my punishment. But you turned from a human aristocrat into a demon parasitism body, personally killing your own family members, friends, and loved ones. You're nothing more than a monster now."
"Shut up, you worthless person!" Yaliana dismisses Schwella and turns her attention to the wizard on the ground, still groveling at her feet. "Because of you, everything has gone awry. You think you can pass the blame."
"Is that wizard in your story the one you deeply loved?" Evan inquires, his brow furrowing.
Schwella nods slowly, her gaze still focused on the wizard on the ground, without any significant emotional reaction.
"Are you still in love with him now?" Evan presses on.
Schwella doesn't respond, seeming to hesitate.
Seeing Schwella's silence, Evan assumes he's gotten his answer and prepares to divert his gaze. However, he suddenly notices Schwella nodding slowly.
"No matter what form he takes, he is the person I love most. I am willing to give up everything for him," Schwella replies calmly. "I apologize for lying to you earlier. I cannot forget that love, the happiest time in my life."
"Hah, so you also love this guy!" Yaliana exclaims with a harsh laugh. "You really are a foolish woman. You may not know what he's done, what he looks like now, or his true nature."
"No, I do know. That's why I hate him. I hate him for becoming what he is now," Schwella says, her voice steady. "As you said, I am a devil; this sin cannot be absolved. But I am different from you. I am still a witch doctor and will never forget our ancestors' guidance. Love still exists in my heart, and I still remember the image of him when we first met. That's enough for me."
"You make me sick, Schwella. I've never had any regard for you," Yaliana retorts, her foot kicking the wizard, groveling before her, showing disdain. "Let me end this and erase you from this world forever."
As Yaliana's body rapidly transforms into an actual demon, Evan raises his wand, attempting to find a weakness. Still, he can't discern any apparent vulnerabilities in her. With the increasing number of souls being swallowed, her power should be approaching that of Dumbledore and Voldemort. Evan isn't confident he can defeat her.
He shifts his gaze to the blood-red Demon Altar behind her. If he can't defeat the demon, he must destroy the altar—the demon's foundation.
"I will distract it with magic for a while. Destroy the altar, wizard!" Schwella says in a low voice, floating beside Evan. "You must succeed. You are our only hope."
Evan looks at Schwella, nods firmly, and turns his gaze back to the demon. In his eyes, determination shines. Schwella begins chanting ancient incantations in a language unfamiliar to Evan, resembling a hymn used in the sacrificial rituals of some African tribe. Temperate energy flows from her, causing all the surrounding imprisoned ghosts to stop moving. They watch Schwella with expressions of liberation, and their bodies begin to emit a faint light.
All the rays converge in front of Schwella, forming a giant sphere of light.
"No, you foolish idiot, stop this!" Yaliana shouts as she attempts to break free of her shackles. "These ghosts belong to me."
She spins towards Evan and Schwella, but Evan quickly raises his wand, creating a golden barrier that prevents the demon from approaching. Although it won't hold out for long, it's enough for now.
Schwella's magic is completed, and the ancient Shamanic magic transfers the strength of the souls. The ball of light in front of her flies towards Yaliana, turning into a set of shackles that tightly bind her in place.
Despite her wailing and struggling, the shackles remain unyielding.
Evan observes the ghosts. They're becoming increasingly transparent and feeble, with even Schwella's body fading in color. The soul-weakening effect of this magic is severe.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hateful magic!" Yaliana screamed. "These were my soul, my strength!" She lunged forward but quickly recoiled, emitting a pitiful cry. As black mist emanated from the demon's claws, Yaliana couldn't get close to the sphere.
"You must die, you must die!" Yaliana cursed, her madness reaching its peak. "I want you to be gone forever, to suffer eternally!"
"Now, wizard, destroy that altar; this is our only chance," Schwella urged.
Evan didn't need the reminder. He approached the Demon Altar, examining the various ancient and diverse magical inscriptions that adorned it. The altar seemed constructed from an unusual five-pointed star-shaped material, possibly wood or stone, covered in ancient writings much like those he had seen in the mirror.
In the center of the altar, a design of a demon was engraved, with a red, pupil-shaped round hole in its eye. The round hole extended downward, resembling a throat, through which souls had been sucked. The hole's interior had many folds, and it pulsed and contracted, giving Evan the unsettling impression that it was a living creature.
Evan quickly assessed the altar, raised his wand, and recited an incantation while gathering magical power. The power surged, approaching the limits of what Evan could control. With a swift motion, he aimed his wand at the altar, releasing a bottle-green ray. The magic strike left a deep groove on the surface of the Demon Altar.
Yaliana, trapped in the sphere, emitted a pitiful cry and lay on the ground, appearing seriously injured but not fatally so. Evan's magic hadn't destroyed the Demon Altar, and the damage was slowly repairing itself.
"This isn't good. I can only use the Philosopher's Stone's power!" Evan furrowed his brow as he looked at the altar. He wasn't sure which kind of magic would work, but he was convinced that destroying the altar was the key. Like a Horcrux, it couldn't be beaten by ordinary spells. Only magic stronger than its protective enchantments or a special weapon could permanently damage it.
"Living person, attack that round hole where the demon's soul currently resides," the wizard on the ground suddenly spoke, his expression intense. "That demon won't spare me. I must destroy it; I must destroy it."
"Is its soul really inside there?" Evan asked.
"Yes, believe me. Years ago, I constructed this altar and placed its soul inside. I raised this demon using the blood and souls of virgins," the wizard explained, his voice filled with hatred. "With your blood mixed with the demon's essence, its strength won't be pure anymore. This can destroy its soul."
Evan looked at the ghostly wizard and then at the continuously contracting round hole in the center of the altar.
"But you'd better not!" he warned. Even though he didn't fully understand the dark magic of demons, he knew that infusing his blood into the altar wasn't a wise idea. Yaliana didn't have good intentions.
However, the wizard's words from earlier made Evan realize something: the circular hole led directly to the demon's soul, making it vulnerable. This was his opportunity.
With quick reflexes, Evan inserted his wand into the expanding round hole and began chanting an incantation. A blue magical rune appeared on the tip of his wand, and the next moment, a highly corrosive liquid began to flow steadily, a more robust version of the Corrosion Curse. These poisonous fluids could destroy anything they came into contact with.
"No, stop it!" Yaliana screamed, her voice shrill but growing weaker. She writhed on the ground as if experiencing immense pain. Her muscles spasmed, her eyes vacant. Something seemed to erupt from within her, and her pale skin took on an iridescent hue. She felt like she was burning from the inside out, tearing apart bit by bit.
Yaliana's features contorted, and she reached out with her fearsome, sharp claws, but she seemed to have lost her strength.
The demon's body, once shaped like a demon, vibrated and transformed back into that of a delicate woman. It was over. It felt like her soul was departing, finally ending this nightmare.
The space around Evan, centered on the Demon Altar, began to tremble violently.
"We did it!" Evan muttered to himself as he continued to project the corrosive liquid.
"No, you've destroyed my altar! You've destroyed the demon!" the wizard's soul raved, his face twisted angrily. "What did you do? I told you to use blood..."
"Let's go!" Evan said, not paying any attention to the ranting ghost. He retrieved his wand and ran towards Schwella.
He heard a loud sound, like the shattering of glass. The mirror world was collapsing rapidly.
"We need to get out of here quickly!" Evan urged.
Schwella's body had nearly become transparent, her strength dissipating rapidly, ready to fade at any moment.
"You go on; I don't intend to leave. I must stay here to end this evil that has persisted for over 500 years," Schwella said calmly. Her gaze shifted to the owl pendant hanging from Evan's wrist. "Wizard, this amulet is my gift to you. I hope you can find my tribe and convey my apologies to our ancestors. I have let them down. If there is a next life, I will strive to become the greatest head witch doctor. Go, and this amulet will be your guide. Find my tribe."
"I will go," Evan promised solemnly.
He touched the amulet hanging on his wrist. With a strange energy emanating from it, his body transformed into an energy owl. He took flight, circling in the air, looking back at Schwella and the fallen Yaliana as the two women continued their tragic embrace.
This wedding had been more than 500 years in the making. Although the participants were no longer themselves, their love was evident. No matter what form they took or what they had done, as long as they loved each other, it was enough.
Evan glanced at them one last time, then soared higher, leaving behind this world created by a demon.
If there was a next life, he hoped that Schwella could find true love with a man who also loved her.