The cemetery had transformed into a battlefield. Shadows slithered through the mist, twisted specters awaiting their command, as the white-eyed demon growled with newfound strength, unshackled and taunting Cain and the two women. But as the masked figure departed, a piercing roar shattered the silence.
Olivia and Mia turned toward the sound, seeing the unchained white-eyed demon, now larger and more menacing than ever, laughing with an unsettling glee.
"Power… it flows through me," the demon muttered, almost intoxicated by the newfound strength. Cain, visibly weary from his earlier fight, shifted his stance defensively.
It's new form seemed even more dangerous, and as it stretched its clawed hand, Olivia noticed the white-eyed demon looking at them, an unusual fear flickering in Olivia's eyes as its gazing on them like it wants to pay for the humiliation earlier.
"Get out of here and find the full incantation," Cain urged. "Don't look back—just move!"
The white-eyed demon, radiating a pure malice on Olivia and Mia that cannot be concealed by this cemetery fog, could feel the sinister energy it exuded.
The demon's gaze locked on Olivia and Mia, recognizing them as his prey. "Leaving so soon?" it taunted, taking a threatening step forward before lunging. Cain blocked its path, meeting the demon's attack head-on.
Olivia and Mia watched, barely breathing, as the demon's gaze swept past them, missing them by inches. It was asserting its dominance over the other beings in the cemetery, ready to cause a chaotic onslaught. They exchanged a glance, realizing the unbound demon wasn't just dangerous—it was an apex predator, and they were intruding in its territory.
Cain, already weakened from his prior battle, stood in the path of the advancing demon. His breath came shallow and ragged, yet his stance remained defiant. The demon smirked, its gaze mocking as it assessed him, before launching a fierce attack, wielding powers that seemed to disturb even the protective energies of the cemetery. Swirls of dark energy rippled from the demon, striking at Cain, who barely managed to block the blows. Each strike pushed him back, but he held his ground, determined to buy time for Olivia and Mia.
"Run," Cain ordered them as he clashed with the demon, voice tense yet unwavering. "Get the incantation, finish the ritual—just hurry."
Without hesitation, Olivia and Mia took off, weaving through tombstones and avoiding spectral shapes that lurked in the shadows.
In the cover of the shadows, Olivia and Mia ran, and together they slipped away, clutching the Bible and trying to keep out of sight.
As they ran, they could hear Cain's grunts of effort, the clash of energy, and the hiss of the unbound demon taunting him.
The unbound white eyed demon unleashed a guttural roar, commanding the other monsters around the cemetery. One by one, spirits and twisted creatures rallied to it, pulled in by its force, and it sent them scattering across the grounds in search of prey.
Every step made their hearts pound, the urgency rising as they searched for a hidden page in the Bible that might contain the full incantation.
They huddled together behind a cracked tombstone, flipping through the Bible's worn pages, finding nothing but cryptic phrases and faded words. Tremors shook the ground beneath them as they worked, evidence of the fight raging on. Olivia's fingers flew through the brittle pages, her brow furrowed as she scanned for anything that might complete the ritual.
The distant sound of growling and roaring intensified, accompanied by the dull thuds of powerful impacts. Cain was holding his own against the demon, but his strength was clearly waning. Olivia's heart raced as she cast a glance toward the fight, seeing Cain stagger under a particularly vicious blow. She bit her lip, forcing herself to look away and focus on the book.
"Come on…" she muttered, frustration building as each page revealed nothing but fragments. She ran a hand over her face, willing herself to think. "There has to be something here."
As they flipped to another passage, the unbound demon's mocking voice reached them, its sinister tone tainted with dark amusement. "Is this the best the cemetery's 'protector' can do?" It laughed, a low, chilling sound that carried on the wind, taunting Cain further.
Mia clutched the cross, which had grown warm, trembling slightly as if it had a will of its own. Its red jewel glinted faintly, a small beacon in the gloom. Suddenly, she had an idea. Instinctively, she swung the cross at a nearby weak spirit, and to her surprise, the red jewel pulsed, releasing a flash of light as it absorbed the spirit's energy.
"Mia, did you just…?" Olivia's eyes widened as she glanced at the cross.
"It's like it's charging," Mia whispered, glancing at the cross in disbelief. "I think I can use it on them!"
Encouraged, they continued to defend themselves as they searched, Mia using the cross to fend off the weaker spirits attracted by the commotion. Each defeated spirit seemed to strengthen the cross, the jewel at its center glowing a bit brighter each time.
Finally, Olivia's fingers brushed over a faded passage, the words barely legible. She whispered it aloud, realizing it was the final verse Miss Price had begun over the phone. Relief washed over her. "Mia, I found it! This is it!"
Their relief, however, was short-lived. The white-eyed demon, noticing their movement, turned its attention toward them, snarling as it began to stalk forward, dragging its shattered chains behind it. Mia instinctively raised her cross, bracing herself as Olivia began reciting the incantation, her voice steady despite the rising fear.
"Go ahead, start the incantation!" Mia urged, readying herself to hold off the demon.
Taking a deep breath, Olivia began to recite the incantation:
"Di Amos Prisiga,
Luminis Carceribus,
Per Vires Antiquas Obscuras,
Claudite Portas Somnia,
Vincla Mortis Nunc Stringite,
Custodes Antiqui, Dormite."
With each line, the cemetery seemed to resonate with her words, a faint hum rising in response. Light pooled at the bases of the tombstones, connecting in a web-like pattern across the grounds. She continued, her voice growing stronger as the power around them intensified:
"Vigilia Adversa,
Aperite Oculus Sapientiae."
Olivia felt the energy surge as the ritual neared completion. As Olivia was about to recite the last words. A piercing roar almost shattered her concentration. Olivia and Mia turned toward the sound, seeing the unchained white-eyed demon charged, its rage palpable as it sensed the impending threat to its freedom.
The white-eyed demon snarled, charging toward them, only to be met by the red flare of Mia's cross. She struck out, the cross erupting with energy and driving it back, giving Olivia enough time to continue.
"Tenebras Nunc Abdite,
Firmate Aeternae Magiae."
Cain glanced back, his expression a mixture of pride and determination as he summoned the last of his strength, managing a defensive barrier around them despite his fatigue. Olivia held her breath as she reached the final line:
"Per Pactum Vetustissimum, Vincite!"
As Olivia said the last line of the incantation, the cemetery itself seemed to awaken. Tremors shook the ground, and lines of light that form like a web that stretched across the cemetery brighten more.
The protective barrier brightened, sealing off the monsters again. Cain staggered, the strain finally overtaking him, and collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. Olivia and Mia rushed to his side, their own exhaustion catching up with them as the echoes of the battle faded.
But as the cemetery fell silent, a weak voice was heard "This is only the beginning… I will come back again."
They turned their head to that voice and saw that the white eyed demon seems to revert back to his original from and was now looking weak.
A portal then opened at the back of the demon and the white eyed demon glance at them as it was walking backward to the portal.
And then the cemetery became quiet, the only sound their labored breaths mingling with the distant rustle of leaves.
This allowed themselves a brief moment of relief. As they just survive an intense battle just now.