The Agony of the Tethered Elias looked at the distorted spirit with a heavy heart. His sorrow wasn't just for the girl whose soul was being shredded by the friction of a world she no longer belonged to, but for the brother—a man so blinded by the agony of parting that he had become his sister’s jailer.
"I understand you," Elias said, his voice calm but firm. "I won't lie and say life just goes on. My own clock stopped the day I lost them. But you have to continue, not for yourself, but for those who care about you. Is this truly what she wants?"
"You lie!" the man shrieked, his red eyes bulging. "We are one! We were always together, and we will stay together! The Founder promised me... he promised her a physical body again! A new vessel!"
Elias pointed at the weeping specter, whose shriveled limbs twitched in rhythmic pain. "Look at her! Does that look like happiness to you? Those giant, hollow eyes... that withered frame... you are torturing her in the name of love. Wake up!"
The Monstrous Defiance "Enough!" the man roared. "Show him, sister! Show him our bond!" The spirit let out a silent, soul-piercing scream. Her distorted hand began to swell, growing into a massive, grotesque claw of translucent gray mist. Her fingernails elongated into jagged, obsidian blades that sliced through the air with a metallic hiss. She lunged at Elias, her movements jerky and pained.
Elias dodged the downward swings, the floorboards shattering where he had stood a second before. He didn't fire back. Instead, he stared into the girl’s oversized eyes, seeing the reflection of a soul that was screaming for release. "Can't you hear her?" Elias shouted over the sound of the girl's clawed strikes. "Can't you hear her begging for the end?"
"You're just afraid!" the man laughed hysterically. "Afraid of a love that transcends death!"
Suddenly, a gunshot echoed from the entrance. Jennifer burst in, her weapon raised. The bullet was aimed at the brother, but the spirit—acting on a primal, protective instinct—thrust her other massive hand in the way. The bullet struck the spectral mist, causing the girl to shriek in a frequency that made the glass in the room vibrate and crack. Even in her agony, she would not let her brother be harmed.
The Release of the Saint Jennifer rushed to Elias's side. "I heard everything through the comms. Elias, give me a moment... let me try to reach him." "Fine," Elias muttered, "but if you fail, I will do what must be done."
Jennifer stepped forward, her voice trembling with empathy. "Listen, I know how bitter the sting of loss is, believe me. But this is enough. It’s time for goodbye. Just let her go, please." "Silence!" the man spat. "Do you think I'd believe you? The Founder promised me he would grant her a physical body as well! Just wait and see!"
"Listen to me!" Jennifer cried out. "Don't you see that this Founder is wrong? He's a man who kills in cold blood. Don't you see it with your own eyes? Stop believing words and start believing actions!" "Silence! Silence! Silence!" the man screamed, covering his ears. "You don't know what we've been through! You're just afraid that my sister is untouchable by bullets and magic! You will all die! Show them, sister!"
As the spirit prepared for another lethal strike, Elias acted. He pushed Jennifer out of the way. "That’s enough. Watch out!" Elias reached for the Anti-Magic Device—the one his sorcerer friend had given him to stop the previous Vassal. He activated the field at full power. The magic was the only link between her soul and the mechanical watch; once the field hit, the girl let out a piercing scream and recoiled as the tether snapped.
The Final Farewell The girl let out one final, deafening cry, then collapsed backward. "What have you done?!" the man wailed, rushing to his sister's fading form. Elias stepped forward and slapped the man—not out of malice, but to break the hysterical trance. "I'm not the one hurting her, you are! Look at her!"
The man turned. The girl's face was no longer a mask of pain. The giant, weeping eyes had shrunk to a normal size, and for the first time since her death, she was smiling. The tears had stopped. She reached out her withered hand, touching his face with a warmth that seemed to transcend her spectral state.
"No... no! Sister, don't leave me! Please! Don't go!" Elias watched him with cold fury. "Listen, I wanted to give you a chance, but what is wrong with you? You became a partner in countless murders, killing without mercy. The end never justifies the means."
The man ignored him, staring at his palms. "Don't go... don't go..." Suddenly, he stopped and let out a manic, hollow laugh. He stood up. "I found it. If you're so determined to go, I'll just follow you." He pulled out a clean, silver knife. With a final, haunting smile, he plunged it into his own heart.
"I'm coming, sister..." he whispered, collapsing to the floor. Jennifer fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "You fool! Do you think this is what she wanted? Didn't you see her smile? She wanted you to live! She died twice just to protect you, and you threw it all away for a delusion!"
Elias stood over them, the silence of the laundry heavier than any scream. The sun was rising, but for the man on the floor, the shadows had finally won.
