When Hayley seemed to be done, she looked at Asher with a pained expression—almost dismissively.
But Asher wasn't buying it. He grabbed her arms roughly.
"Where is Dad? And I need to know what happened to me and Rose—and why the hell another soul is inhabiting my sister's body!" Asher yelled.
Jeremy and Ezekiel just stood there. Intervention wasn't necessary; Asher needed the truth, and the woman before them seemed to be hiding something bigger—something far more dangerous.
Ezekiel's eyes narrowed. He was starting to enjoy what was happening.
"Do you think Asher would mind if I slit this woman's throat? Trash like her deserves to be disposed of," Zeke fumed.
Jeremy held his hand and whispered closely in his ear.
"I think we should get Asher out of here. Look at him—he's tormented." Jimmy's voice was heavy with worry, and truly, from what Ezekiel was seeing, Asher was trembling. His face had gone pale—almost as white as chalk.
Zeke noticed Hayley was saying something to Asher, so he moved closer to hear what it was. What could make a mother abandon both of her children in a school that far away? A public school notoriously known for bullying and abuse. It had been reported several times that both students and teachers were caught abusing unsuspecting children.
Even when the matter was raised to the government, it was always brushed aside—and that only made things worse. God, his parents deserved worse than death.
"He's dead, Asher," Hayley said flatly. "He was leading the undead to us… so I had to sacrifice him."
Asher froze. His mother sacrificed his dad. He felt overwhelmed. How could someone be this despicable?
"You know what's so funny about all this?" Asher asked, his voice tight.
Ezekiel, who was closer, moved to hug him, but Asher stopped him with a hand gesture. Jimmy, on the other hand, was shaking his head. It seemed even he couldn't decide if Hayley was telling the truth. How could a woman who once tried to protect her child suddenly become this cold?
Hayley stared at her son, her eyes unblinking, waiting for the merciless words he would throw at her. But they never came.
"I always believed you were misunderstood. Rose hated you, yes—I won't deny that—but I thought you were just… broken. That maybe, just maybe, you didn't leave me in that rotten hell of a school on purpose. That maybe me hiding my identity was your way of protecting me. That you loved me—in your own twisted way."
Asher was on the verge of crying. This was too much.
"I was beaten to a pulp. Even the teachers hated me. Everything I did was twisted against me. And worst of all, I was manhandled by several gangs—forced to do sexual things…" Asher's tears poured uncontrollably.
Jeremy was stunned, shedding his own tears. Just standing there, he could feel Asher's pain.
"I just wanted to be with my parents… and my dear sister. But no! It was all snatched away from me. If not for Ezekiel, I would've been raped—brutally gang-raped—killed and dumped, forgotten forever."
Asher finally broke. He fell to the rocky ground, grazing his knees.
Ezekiel momentarily lost balance, then rushed to him in a panic. Jimmy followed quickly.
"It's okay, darling. Let's get out of here. It's obvious your stick-figure mom won't say anything," Ezekiel muttered darkly, his grey eyes burning with hate as he looked at Hayley.
"But before we leave, answer him—why is another soul in Rose's body? And as much as I want to uncover your part in Asher's trauma, there's no time. And by the looks of it, you're just a walking corpse—nothing more." Ezekiel's hateful words brought tears to Hayley's eyes.
Asher's words had struck a chord in her she hadn't expected. She thought she was protecting her children… not destroying them.
Then, as if giving up, Jeremy sighed bitterly.
"Let's leave and find another way," Jimmy said quietly, holding Asher's waist protectively.
But then, Hayley fell to her knees—shocking them all.
She looked at her son—exhausted, broken. She could see it clearly now. Had she really ruined his life?
"I didn't know it would turn out like this," she began to cry. "I thought it was just an excuse you made up to escape from boarding school. Never did I imagine my baby boy was bullied to the point of death."
Then slowly, she removed her mask—and her half-melted, skeletal face was revealed. Maggots still feasted on the decaying flesh, and a terrible odor filled the air.
"I got this from the battle with the Demon Lord Asmodues. And before that moment, I received a message—that two powerful supernatural beings would come from my children. The Child of Light… and the Dragon Lord." Hayley paused, her body shaking. Then, before their eyes, she began to vomit blood, her intestines slowly slipping out bit by bit.
Clutching her chest painfully, she whispered the last thing on her mind.
"Rose faced several attacks in her childhood. Then one day, we found her dead—killed by an unknown force. We screamed. But suddenly… she woke up—completely different. We didn't understand it. We had no idea another soul had entered her body."
Her voice cracked.
"And Asher… I know I caused you too much pain. But one last thing—destroy the Book of Shadows. It's what keeps bringing all this darkness. Only you can destroy it, but you must accept who you are. Don't deny yourself anymore. You're more powerful than you can ever imagine."
She vomited more violently now. Everyone began to panic—Asher included—and so did the surviving villagers of Silverhill.
Ezekiel was confused. She was fine just a minute ago—what was happening?
Then Hayley gripped Ezekiel's hands tightly and said her final words.
"The end is here. The armies of the dead are all around. Run—run with Asher and protect him at all costs. You can win this war. You're my baby boy… the child of God. I'm sorry I wasn't a good mother. And about your trauma—I hope you heal one day. Tell Rose I love her… so much… please…"
And with that, she vomited the rest of her internal organs. Her eyes suddenly fell from their sockets and rolled across the ground.
Jeremy screamed, "C'mon, guys—RUNNNNNN!"
Before they could take a step, a pillar of flame burst from above—everything went ablaze. All the remaining survivors—children, mothers, everyone—were incinerated. Nothing was left.
And as they looked up—they saw them.
The dragons.
Three massive beasts, glaring down at them with fury in their eyes.
Ezekiel quickly shielded Asher.
Jimmy unsheathed his sword—ready for battle.