Daniel stared at the final page.
Nothing was written on it.
Then one word appeared.
CHOOSE.
Mara stepped closer.
"What does it mean?"
Daniel shook his head.
"I don't know."
Michael looked at the symbols.
"The ritual isn't finished."
Daniel looked toward the sealed door.
"The entity is trapped."
"For now."
Elias stepped forward.
"The door needs a guardian."
Daniel looked at him.
"Who?"
Elias smiled.
"The last hunter."
Mara immediately understood.
"No."
Elias nodded.
"It's the only way."
Daniel looked at him.
"You."
"I've been Hollowed for three hundred years."
"You can still fight it."
"I've been fighting it every day."
Elias placed his hand against the door.
"Now I can finish what your family started."
The symbols began glowing.
Elias's body began fading.
Mara stepped forward.
"Elias."
He smiled.
"Take care of him."
Mara nodded.
"I will."
Elias looked at Daniel.
"Your father would be proud."
Daniel swallowed.
"Tell him I said goodbye."
Elias smiled.
Then he disappeared through the door.
The symbols went dark.
The chamber became silent.
Michael looked at Daniel.
"It's done."
Daniel looked at the book.
The final page remained blank.
Then it closed.
The ritual was complete.
But above them, something screamed.
Daniel looked toward the stairs.
Mara raised her weapon.
"That wasn't the entity."
Michael shook his head.
"No."
They climbed.
The church was empty.
Every Hollowed creature was gone.
The broken windows were still.
The flames had disappeared.
Daniel stepped outside.
Morning light appeared over the trees.
For the first time in days, the world felt normal.
Then Daniel heard a familiar voice.
"Daniel."
He turned.
His father stood at the edge of the tree line.
Daniel froze.
"Is it really you?"
His father smiled.
"Not for long."
Daniel stepped toward him.
"I wanted to see you."
"I know."
"You could have told me."
"I tried."
Daniel looked down.
"I was angry."
"You had every right."
His father looked toward the church.
"You did what I couldn't."
Daniel shook his head.
"We did."
His father smiled.
Then slowly disappeared with the morning light.
Daniel whispered:
"Goodbye, Dad."
Mara placed a hand on his shoulder.
Daniel looked at her.
"Let's go home."
They walked toward the car.
Behind them, the church stood silent.
But beneath the ground, something moved.
The black book had disappeared.
And nobody noticed.