Armed with the original name of the harbinger, Lily and her companions returned to the sanctuary in preparation for the final battle. They knew they could not simply say the name; they needed to be brave enough to face the harbinger, weaken it enough so that it could be cast out into oblivion.
Under the crescent moon's light, they came together in that night in the sanctuary's courtyard. There, they drew a protective circle infused with crystals and talismans meant to amplify the light and shield them from the influence of the Harbinger.
Lily stood in the center of the circle, her hands shaking softly as she held the Celestial Stone. She could feel its warmth spread through her very being; it reminded her of the power she was to hold. As she started chanting, calling for the Harbinger, a cold wind whipped through the courtyard and knocked out torches and plunged them into darkness.
Back from the darkness stepped the Harbinger, its form writhing, twisting, with eyes that burned with malice.
"Ariston," Lily said, her voice fierce with determination.
The Harbinger stiffened, its face contorting in shock and rage. "No," it hissed, recoiling as if it had been struck.
"Ariston," she repeated, her voice growing stronger with each syllable. "You were once a man-a soul capable of light. But you chose darkness. You do not belong here.".
The shadows that surrounded the Harbinger began to ripple, its shape growing less defined as the name separated it from its strength. It took a step forward, but the magical circle kept it pressed back, the light from the Celestial Stone burning it at every step.
"Let us go, Ariston," Lily commanded, her voice ringing out through the courtyard. "Your time is done. Go back to the darkness you were born of.".
Finally, the Harbinger let out one last, tortured scream as its form began to unravel like the threads in a great, frantic wind. And at that moment, the darkness around them lifted, and for a heartbeat of a moment, Lily thought she spied a form - a man, with grief and relief written on his face.
And then, he was gone.