A wave of darkness crashed down on them like a waterfall from another world.
The crows screeched madly, and two figures emerged from the mist, stretching into unnatural shapes, ready to seep into any body, any soul Rosalie wished to destroy.
Jeremy grabbed Julie's hand.
— Now. Don't be afraid.
She only nodded. Their hands clasped tighter. And then... something happened.
For a moment, the world ceased to exist.
Light burst from their bodies — not pure like celestial power, and not dark like demonic evil. Something in between. Pulsating with energy, throbbing with emotion and the will to live.
A sphere of light and fire formed around them. The crows dissolved in the air with a piercing screech, as if burned from within. The shadowy creatures recoiled, writhing in agony.
Julie closed her eyes, her hair lifting in the wind of an invisible force. She whispered words she had never known before — but Jeremy had heard them in the memories written in his mother's journal.
— It's a protection spell, he said. It's from her blood...
From their combined power, a symbol formed in the air — an ancient sign that hovered between them and Rosalie.
The girl took a step back. For the first time, something appeared in her eyes… something that might have been unease.
— That's impossible... she whispered. You weren't supposed to...
— I was. And I am, Jeremy said, raising his hand. This isn't a power that was given to me. It's a power we chose together.
Julie joined him. Their hands united once more, and the light exploded. It shook the Forest of Crows, illuminating the darkness like dawn.
Rosalie shielded her face, furious and... surprised.
— This is just the beginning, Julie said.
And with that strength — as if in rhythm with their beating hearts — they pushed the shadows back into the mist.
***
The mist in the Forest of Crows dispersed slowly, as if ashamed of its failure.
Rosalie stood motionless, her hands still slightly raised, as if she couldn't believe her own darkness had been repelled. Where Jeremy and Julie had stood moments before, only a scorched circle remained, glowing with a silvery shimmer — the sign of a power she didn't know. A power that shouldn't exist.
She clenched her fists.
— This is impossible... she hissed. They have no right to be stronger than me.
A crow landed on a branch just above her. Its feathers were stained with ash, and its eyes glowed with a faint red light. It looked at her with a mixture of respect and fear.
Rosalie looked away, as if its presence reminded her of her humiliation.
— This isn't the end, she said to herself. This was just the first move.
She closed her eyes and raised a hand to the sky. She whispered something in a language even demons feared to speak. A sound spread around her — not sound, but its shadow. Muffled, deep, soaked in rage.
The earth beneath her feet cracked.
And from within the fissure, something moved. Something that had slept beneath the forest for generations. Something with no name, because no one had ever dared to utter it.
— If they want to fight together, she whispered with a cold smile, then I won't be alone anymore either. If they ignored my grace, they'll get my hatred.
She stepped forward, and the air around her began to vibrate. The forest no longer listened to her — it served her.
And it wasn't letting anyone out.
***
They only stopped when they vanished among the trees, breathing unevenly, their hands clasped as if one could keep the other from falling apart.
Julie was pale. Her heart hadn't slowed yet, and her eyes still scanned the space behind them — not looking for the enemy, but for... echoes. Rosalie had left behind more than fear. Something alive. Something that tried to follow, but stopped at the border of their shared power.
Jeremy gripped her hand tightly. Too tightly.
— Do you see it? Julie whispered.
— I don't need to. I feel it, he said, looking into her eyes. She's not letting go. And she won't. But that... that thing that was with her... it's not just her anymore.
Julie nodded slowly, as if afraid to shatter the fragile balance between their understanding and panic.
— That thing... did she awaken it? Call it?
— Or let it take her, Jeremy blinked, fighting a vision. Rosalie was powerful. But now she's... empty. As if she lent herself to something worse.
Julie shivered.
— And what if it's not just about us anymore?
Jeremy looked ahead. He could feel the earth breathing deeper. The air growing thicker. Rosalie's echo moving between realities, trying to slip through every possible crack.
— We have to stop her. Now, before she loses the last piece of her humanity, Jeremy said, turning to Julie. But it won't be enough — not just us. Not with what's coming.
Julie hesitated.
— Do you think we should...
— Yes. Jeremy nodded. It's time to join forces with our parents again. And with Martha. If Rosalie summoned something from beyond this world, only together can we stop her.
— And if that's not enough? Julie whispered, touching his cheek. What if we're only a shadow of what we need to be?
Jeremy took her hand.
— This isn't about winning anymore. It's about who we still are.
Their foreheads touched. Their breaths evened out. They were beginning to understand that together, they formed not just power — but resistance. A barrier against what was inhuman. And that Rosalie might have hell inside her — but they had each other.
***
The wind tugged at dead branches, and the sky above thickened, as if bracing for something far greater than a mere storm. They stood at the edge of the city — where the old forest met the forgotten paths once used by the fallen and the angels. Now the land seemed to hold its breath.
Martha knelt, her hand touching the soil. She felt a pulse. Deeper than the earth. Older than magic.
— She's already merged, she said quietly, not looking at anyone. Rosalie. Her soul... it's no longer alone. Something else is there. Something feeding on her. And if Jeremy doesn't stop it — he won't be the only one lost.
— Can we still go back? Alison asked, though she wasn't sure what she even wanted anymore. Not as monsters. Not as destroyers... but as parents?
Jack glanced at her from the side, as if his answer was still forming.
— I don't know, Alison. But I know this — if we stop now, none of us will return. Not to ourselves, not to him.
Martha stood up. Her eyes were as dark as the deep.
— Rosalie was my mistake. But she's also my daughter. And if there's a shadow of a chance that I can stop her... I will. Even if it destroys me.
Alison stepped closer and looked her straight in the face.
— You won't do it alone. Jeremy shouldn't be the only one paying the price for our choices.
— And you? Martha asked.
— Me? Alison gave a crooked smile. I've already lost everything. And if fighting for him is my only salvation, then so be it.
Jack pulled a battered rune symbol from his bag. He placed it on the ground between them.
— If we're going to act, we have to start by summoning what's left in us. Even if it's only fragments.
— And then? Martha asked.
Jack looked toward the city.
— Then we go to our son.
***
In the heart of the city, where once stood a chapel, Rosalie sat among the ruins of the old altar. The stone was cold, but her body didn't feel it. Her eyes were closed, her hands resting on her knees, and around her swirled a vortex of dark energy — thick as mist, glinting faintly like black light.
She heard them.
Not voices.
Not footsteps.
Energy.
Jack. Alison. Martha.
They had returned.
She opened her eyes. There was no rage in them. Just... disappointment.
— Of course you would come back, she whispered. That's what you always do. At the end, when it's already too late.
She raised her hand, and an image formed in the air — like a rippling surface of water. Jeremy and Julie. In the forest. Side by side. Close. Strong. Almost united.
She clenched her fingers, and the image shuddered and faded.
— They're still drawn to each other... Her voice was calm, yet a trace of bitterness hung in the air. She's changing faster than I thought. And he... he's starting to resemble them more and more.
From behind her, a figure emerged — not fully human. A shadow. A trace of something greater, which whispered:
— The solstice is coming. You know what you must do.
Rosalie rose slowly, smoothing her black silk dress, which clung to her body like a living thing.
— Yes. I know. I have to break them before the ritual completes. Before he restores her power. And before Jack... reaches for the sword again.
She turned toward the northern edge of the city, where she felt the rising tension.
— It's time to accelerate the plan.
***
Jeremy jerked his head up suddenly. His heart pounded faster, as if someone had gripped it tight. Instinctively, he looked at Julie, who was just tying her cloak at the waist. A chill gust swept over their faces, even though they were deep in the forest — and the air shouldn't have vibrated like that here.
Julie looked at him under raised brows.
— Is it again...?
Jeremy only nodded. His fingers closed around the pendant his mother had given him — a small cross with a cracked amethyst. The amethyst trembled.
— Rosalie felt us, he said quietly. And now she's moving.
Julie swallowed. — What will she do?
— Whatever she has to. But it can't be stopped... only survived. Jeremy stood and held out his hand to her.
— We have to be ready. If the ritual succeeds, if they return... she won't let it go smoothly.
Julie raised her hand and laced her fingers with his. There was no hesitation in her touch. Not after what they'd been through.
— Then we'll face it together. No matter what comes.
Jeremy looked into her eyes, feeling the storm building inside him — anxiety mixing with strength. Magic, darkness, light... and Julie. Everything revolved around this moment.
— If she strikes, she'll strike through you. You know that?
— I do. But I also know I'm not weak anymore, she said softly. And with you beside me... I can't be broken.
Jeremy smiled with a gratitude he never voiced. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead.
— It's all about to begin.