Page 151 of Espíritu

“But that was never you. That was him. And he doesn’t get to win. Not now.”

The light sharpened—bright and trembling.

“You’re stronger than him, Angel. You always were. You opened that door. You let someone care. That means you’re still in there.”

He reached toward her with everything he had.

“And I’m not leaving without you.”

At first, silence.

Then, a spark.

Faint and flickering—but real.

“Julian?”

Her voice, soft as ash, wavered in the dark.

He laughed—half sob, half relief. “Yeah. It’s me.”

Her presence shimmered closer, still distant, still fragile, but moving toward him. The shadows writhed like a living thing between them, trying to draw her back.

“Don’t let him take you again,” Julian said. “Not when you fought this hard. Not when we’re still fighting for you.”

The shadows lunged.

The light snapped brighter.

Julian reached for her with everything he had.

“You’re not alone,” he whispered. “We’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Angel’s presence surged—weak but furious, bright and trembling.

“Help me,” she whispered.

And just like that, the tether tightened.

The darkness around her began to tear.

But Angel’s spirit flickered with growing strength, the light around her intensifying with every second as she slowly materialized as golden light in the darkness.

“Angel!” Julian called out.

With a burst of light, his consciousness slammed back into his body, back into the crypt.

Back to the real world where Angel’s body convulsed and thrashed on the ground.

The two forces collided within Angel’s body. Tendrils of shadow burst outward, clashing with golden bursts of light that radiated from deep within them. Julian’s breath hitched as Angel’s head snapped back, and for a moment, Bahlam’s guttural roar echoed through the crypt, shaking the walls.

Her body spasmed violently, arching back as golden light surged from the circle around Julian, exploding outward in a shockwave that scattered marigolds and shadow alike.

Julian flinched, shielding his eyes.

Angel collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, limbs limp, head lolling. The golden light around her winked out all at once.

For one awful moment, she didn’t move.