Nothing happened. Matthew kept shaking him, but he still would not budge. Hearing screams from inside the house, he ran back in to find James stuck under the giant axe, with Wesley trying to free him, and some invisible force pulling at Astaroth from behind. Assessing the situation, he went to help Lauren.
Astaroth, with a simple twist of his body, threw Lauren into the air and caught her by the throat. As he slowly squeezed the life out of her, he felt something miniscule pulling on him. He looked down and saw Matthew, trying to body slam him. With his other hand, he easily picked up Matthew by the arms and threw him into Wesley and James. Focusing on Lauren, he now used both hands to choke her. Her struggling was futile; he was far stronger than she was. With her hands pinned to her sides, there was nothing she could do. With her last breath, she whispered "I love you" to her children and then her world went black. Satisfied, Astaroth threw her lifeless body through the brick wall and she fell on top of Erik.
He reached a hand out and Wrath magically lifted itself from on top of James and flew back towards him. Matthew and Wesley helped James to his feet, but the weight of the axe had broken his left leg when it fell on him. Laughing evilly, Astaroth feigned sympathy for James.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, sneering. "Don't worry. Soon you won't feel anything."
"We have to do something," Matthew said quickly. "Lauren and Erik are both dead. He killed them."
"We're on our own?" Wesley asked. "What can we do?"
"Avenge their deaths," James said.
There was a dark look in his eyes as he said those words. He felt guilty for their deaths, almost as if he could have done something, but didn't. His spirit burned with a desire to destroy Astaroth once and for all before he could inflict any more damage. He pushed Matthew and Wesley aside and put all his weight on his right leg. Thinking about all everything that he had experienced before, he waved his right hand violently towards Astaroth. This time, he tapped into his power of telekinesis fully and Astaroth was lifted into the air and hurled into a wall, shattering it like a window. Matthew and Wesley stepped back, slightly afraid of James. He motioned for the Book of Light, which was sitting on an end table, and it flew towards him. The moment he caught it, the pages began to flip of their own accord. Matthew and Wesley gathered around to read the contents of the page.
It was an entire two pages dedicated to Astaroth. It told of his role, his powers, Wrath, and how to vanquish him. Their actions were disrupted by the sound of Wrath whistling through the air, headed straight for James. Remembering what he heard earlier, he held up the Book to shield himself. As Wrath struck the Book, a majestic white light illuminated the room and the axe bounced harmlessly onto the floor. Astaroth reached his hand out to summon it, but with a hard nudge from James, Wesley gestured with his hands and froze Astaroth in time. He smiled at his accomplishment.
"I did it again!" he exclaimed. "Did y'all see it?"
"Not now," James said. "There's a spell we need to read to get rid of this guy."
Assassin of evil, your days are done.
Your evil ways are now unspun.
Death to many you have brought;
Their suffering cannot be erased.
All the pain that you have caused
Now comes together to seal your fate!
Astaroth broke free of his state of suspended animation, but it was too late. Streams of black mist began to flow from the ground and circle him. The mists formed into transparent bodies that moaned loudly. The three brothers stared in amazement at what they were seeing. The bodies, one by one, entered Astaroth's own body. He yelled in pain as each spirit penetrated his body. After countless spirits had entered him, he began to shake violently and uncontrollably. The skin on his body began to bubble as if he were being burned alive. Suddenly, he exploded. Black goo splattered everywhere, including the three brothers.
"Gross," Matthew said, wiping some of the thick slime from his face.
"I think I'm gonna throw up!" Wesley said as he ran to the bathroom.
"Are you okay?" Matthew asked James, who just stared at the place Astaroth stood. He was breathing heavily.
"I'll live," James said.
"Listen," Matthew said, "we're gonna get through this, all three of us. Erik and Lauren didn't die in vain."
"I know," James sighed, "but this is just the weirdest thing in the world. First, I find my two 'long-lost' brothers, then I find my 'long-lost' parents, who get killed right in front of me. Then I find out I'm a witch who's supposed to save the world from God knows what."
"You can't let it all build up on you like that," Matthew said. "You just have to take things one day at a time."
"I mean that was the nastiest thing ever!" Wesley said, walking back into what was left of the living room. "I hope they don't all do that."
"So you liked it?" Matthew asked.
"Hell no!" Wesley replied quickly. "I was just trying to lighten the mood around here, considering...you know."
"Let's get out of here," James said. "We have a lot to do."
From the Doctor: Great action! I promised it would be worth reading! But what do y'all think about it? The conclusion of this great story's coming up next!