Inside, it was quieter than it should have been. The air dense, heavy, almost tangible. Jeremy felt something tightening around his chest. Julie stopped first — before her hung a glowing veil, as if the fog had frozen time.
— What is this...? — she whispered, but didn't finish.
Light pierced them from every side. Suddenly, there was no darkness, no valley.
There was… a city. Their town. But different. Quieter. Empty. The streets looked as if still waiting for something that never came.
Jeremy stood alone. Julie had disappeared.
— Mom...? — He said it involuntarily when he saw a familiar silhouette. Alison, younger. Dressed as she was when she was still an angel. Her face was calm, but her eyes — glazed with pain. — Is it... true?
She didn't answer. She moved forward, running toward someone he never really knew, only saw for a moment. Jack. A father who stood with a shadow in his eyes.
— It was our punishment, Jeremy, because we wanted to be together for all eternity — he suddenly heard Alison's voice, as if from nowhere. — We couldn't be angels. But you… you were always the light among it all. The diary you read, back when I was still an angel, I had a vision I didn't tell anyone about. I wrote down everything I saw in it. But I couldn't change destiny.
Jeremy looked at his hands. They were burning. Not with fire, but golden light. As if his mother's memory had awakened something dormant.
— Why now?
— Because you are approaching the truth — the vision replied, fading away. — And truth always hurts before it frees you.
The illusion disappeared. Darkness of the cave returned. Julie stood nearby, her face wet with tears.
— Did you see it too?
— Not the same. But… I felt your emotions. As if for a moment they were mine.
Jeremy took a deep breath and looked down the corridor, where something more than just artifacts lurked.
— This place knows everything about us.
— And now we have to learn everything about ourselves — Julie added, squeezing his hand.
Jeremy stepped away from her and moved a flat stone aside, barely noticing that beneath it something more than dust and roots was hidden. When he reached into the niche, his fingers touched a hard, polished surface. He pulled out a small leather scroll tied with a red cord.
Julie leaned closer as he carefully unrolled the parchment. The letters were burned with light, not written — as if made from pure essence of angelic power. Although the parchment was almost transparent, the words remained untouched by time:
"There is something worse than losing wings. It is the knowledge that your child will not know the truth until they stand on the edge themselves — between light and darkness. Jeremy...
If you are reading this now, it means Henry deemed you ready.
Do not fear the power you feel inside. It is not just Jack's legacy. It is also my sacrifice. Part of me passed into you so you could do what we could not.
Change the future. Save her before she burns."
Jeremy felt the light ignite again beneath his skin. It didn't hurt. This time it was like a mother's touch — quiet but present. Julie looked at him with a mixture of emotion and worry.
— It's not just a diary. It's... a spell.
— No. It's a guide — Jeremy corrected her, folding the parchment and putting it in his jacket's inner pocket. — We have to go further.
Julie nodded, but her eyes still reflected those words.
Because if Jeremy's mother sacrificed part of herself to save the future… it meant nothing was decided yet.
***
In the very center of the circle of ashes, Rosalie sat on her knees, staring at her closed hands in which a glass orb trembled — a remnant of one of the rituals. Her eyes were cloudy, and the skin around her fingers darkened from being saturated with dark power.
And then she felt it.
The earth beneath her feet trembled. Not physically, but on the level of a spiritual echo — as if someone had cut the veil between dimensions, disturbing the balance.
She froze.
Closed her eyes and opened herself to what was invisible. Something was pulling her — a beam of energy unlike anything she had ever known. Strong. Confused. Saturated with light and something else… something primal.
— Jeremy… — she whispered.
But immediately after, she sensed it.
Rosalie's heart beat faster. The second presence was different. Less distinct, but anchored in Jeremy like a breath that cannot be held.
— Julie.
She rose abruptly, and the smoke from the ashes danced around her body. The orb shattered in her hand, scattering into dust that wrapped around her wrists like shackles.
She knew that signature. It was pure, but no longer entirely human. And that was what frightened her.
— She is changing… — she hissed through clenched teeth. — And she is changing him.
She looked into the darkness as if she could see more there.
— I won't let you escape with what's mine.
In the darkness, a crack sounded as if the earth had split. Rosalie vanished into shadow, leaving behind only a bloody symbol on the ashes.
***
The forest was quiet, too quiet. Jeremy stopped mid-step, his hand reaching out toward Julie, who walked just behind him. Both felt the air change weight — as if it became thicker, oppressive.
Julie grabbed his wrist.
— Do you hear that?
— No. But I feel it — he answered without hesitation.
His gaze fell on a small clearing ahead, where moments ago everything was calm. Now leaves swirled without wind, and shadows of the trees moved as if they didn't belong to the branches that cast them.
Julie pressed her fingers to her temple. She had felt this before — in dreams. Cold on the back of her neck. Breath on her skin, though no one was behind her. That exact feeling.
Jeremy gently wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.
— She's coming — he said quietly. — She sensed us.
— How do you know it's her?
— Because now... we are connected. Julie, you feel it too, don't you?
Julie nodded. Her voice was a whisper:
— It's not just about you anymore, Jeremy. It's about me too.
Their eyes met. Something between them tightened like a string — not from fear, but from decision.
— I won't let her touch you — he promised.
At that moment, behind their backs, a subtle crack sounded — like thin ice breaking.
Julie turned her head. Nothing was there.
But they both knew they were no longer alone.
***
Outside the city, in an abandoned motel, Jack and Alison sat opposite each other, both silent. Beyond the dirty window, the sky had taken the color of dead blue, and the air was heavy, like before a storm.
Alison suddenly twitched, clutching her chest.
— Did you feel that? — Jack asked, not taking his eyes off her.
— Yes. Jeremy. Something has changed. As if for a moment... he touched me through the barrier.
Jack wiped his face with his hands, then stood and approached the window.
— He's calling us. Our connection with him hasn't died yet. And it seems to be working. Henry has to be with him.
Alison nodded.
— If he's beginning to open the passage... we can return. To the city. To him.
— But not as demons. Not with the old power.
— Maybe not. But as parents. And that's enough.
Jack turned to her, and a spark of old strength shone in his eyes.
— Only one thing holds us back.
— Rosalie.
Their eyes met. They knew time was finally running out. And that if their son succeeded... they would have to fight not just for his soul. But for everything.
At that moment, the room's door opened without knocking. Martha stood in the doorway. Her hair was windblown, her face tired, but her eyes full of determination.
— I knew I'd find you here — she said without greeting. — Rosalie sensed me. She tried to stop me, but something inside her... broke. I know we're not her enemies, even though she wants us to be.
Jack and Alison exchanged surprised looks.
— You want to come back too? — Jack asked.
— I want to save my daughter before she does something that can't be undone. And if we're going to do this, we have to join forces. With your son. With Henry. And with the hope that it's not too late yet.
Alison rose from the chair and approached Martha.
— I don't trust you, Martha. But when it comes to our children... we have a common goal.
Three figures — two fallen, and the student of Lucifer and his lover — stood on the same side for the first time in years.
And together, they looked at the rising sky, feeling this was just the beginning of the real battle.