Chapter 22

Gus sat in the dimly lit kitchen, the soft yellow light from the overhead bulb casting a warm glow on the room. The instructions that Philip had written were strewn across the table in front of him, each one detailed and organized. Despite the late hour, sleep eluded him, and Gus studied each written instruction carefully. There was too much going on in his head that prevented him from getting some rest, too many questions to ignore. And, of course, Philip was on his mind the majority of the night.

He absentmindedly patted his palisman, who was out of her hiding place, and finally relaxed now that Philip was currently out of the house. She was nestled comfortably on his lap, her presence comforting him a bit. But he couldn't shake off the worry from the warning that his palisman had given him about Philip earlier. The same one that Flapjack had given Hunter about Philip's curse getting worse and stronger.

He had tried getting his palisman to give him more details, but she had a hard time explaining herself to him, so for now, he let her be. At the moment, he was trying to decide if he should talk to Philip when he returned, to see if something was troubling him, even though he was still upset about the way the man had mistreated Hunter the other day…

Nothing made sense to the boy regarding the man, at least, not since he came back to the house.

He didn't think Philip was planning anything terrible, unlike some of his friends who believed he was somehow growing in power to kill them. After all, they had the eternal oath keeping them safe from him. And from the instructions that laid in front of him, had given him the impression that the man was truly trying to help them get back to the Boiling Isles.

But… Why was Philp trying to help them if he wanted to destroy them? Why let them decide his fate when they returned to their world?

It was then that he heard footsteps, and he turned to see Luz walking into the kitchen, holding her palisman egg. She looked tired, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"So, you couldn't sleep either?" she asked, a tired smile on her face.

Gus shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "Nope. Just too much in my mind."

Luz nodded sympathetically before she sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound coming from the rustling of paper as Gus began to stack the instructions on top of one another.

"Things have been weird," Gus said. "And I can't help but feel like I'm missing something…"

She looked at him with confusion, which made him press his lips into a thin line. He knew that she wanted more elaboration from him, but she was not exactly the person he wanted to share his concerns with regarding the man, but…

"It's about Philip," he said, his voice trailing off.

Luz's expression immediately shifted at the mention of Philip's name, her eyebrows furrowing. "What about him?" she asked, her tone dropping slightly.

Yep, he shouldn't have brought the man up. "Nevermind," he mumbled.

"No, Gus, what is it?" she pressed.

"Forget I said anything."

"Gus…"

"I'm serious Luz, just forget it," the boy said with some irritation in his tone now.

Luz could feel the tension coming from him.

"Are you mad at me or something?" Luz couldn't help but ask, ignoring the anxiety that would grow in her chest whenever her friends would get mad at her.

"It's just that… ever since Philip came into the house, you've been a different person," Gus finally admitted, avoiding her eyes. Luz said nothing, which prompted the boy to continue. "You've been so angry…"

Luz took in his words, and she had to admit, she had been angry a lot these past days, but she couldn't help it, at least not with Belos' presence in her house while he schemed in the background.

"I know I've been angry a lot, and I'm sorry," she said, quickly shifting away from her anger as she felt bad for possibly making her friends uncomfortable. "It's just that, I've been worried."

"And I get it, the others and I talked about it, but man, Luz… you're not the only one who's worried, who's scared, who feels stressed out," Gus said, his tone growing frustrated. "The majority of us have family members that we aren't even sure if they're still alive or if we will ever see them again, and I know that's because of Philip. I know he has done many terrible things; I've seen some of the stuff he has done with my own eyes while I was in his head. I'm not naïve."

Luz felt her stomach twist with discomfort at what Gus was saying to her. She didn't mean to make Gus feel like he was being naïve. And she couldn't help but feel she had been selfish the past few days. Yes, she was worrying about her friends' lives, about wanting to take them back home, but there were times, she had to admit, that she was focusing on her own fears about losing any of them too much instead of thinking about how the others actually felt being away from home, away from their families.

Her friends were good at putting a smile in front of her, acting like they were doing just fine since they were enjoying their time on Earth, but… of course they were just putting on a front. And most likely they were doing it, so they didn't make her more worried than she already was…

But what confused her was the fact Gus admitted that Philip was responsible for the situation they were in, of the possibility that their families and homes were long gone, yet…

"Then why don't you hate him?" Luz asked, frustrated. "If you've seen some of the terrible things he has done, then why are you trying so hard to be his friend… Why do you seem to feel bad for him at times?"

"Because I've also seen the terrible things that have been done to him, Luz," Gus argued, but in a soft tone.

"Whatever he's been through doesn't excuse what he has done."

"I know that," Gus groaned. "You don't have to keep reminding me every single time. You don't have to keep making me feel guilty for feeling bad for him."

"I don't…"

"Well, the way you look at me tells me otherwise," Gus said, his tone growing more exasperated.

Luz took a moment to keep from feeling defensive, doing her best not to get into a heated argument with her friend. She didn't like fighting with anyone that she cared about so much. She was the type of person who loved to make others smile and laugh. At least, she tried to be because, for some reason, when others were happy, she was happy.

She couldn't help but blame Belos for causing so much trouble for them.

"Belos brings the worst out of everyone," she said.

"What… are you talking about…?" Gus frowned, now meeting her serious gaze. "Are you seriously blaming what's happening right now with us on him…?"

She did not respond, and simply stared at him with the same expression, which made the boy get up from his seat. He clutched his palisman tightly against his chest as she woke up with confusion, and he took a few steps away from Luz. He was annoyed. It was evident by the way he shook his head.

"Luz," he said, turning back to her. "Other than him being a massive jerk to Hunter, has he done anything to you or the rest of us while he's been in this house? Has he even remotely tried to manipulate you into doing anything?"

Luz took a deep breath before responding. "He's been trying to make us feel bad," she tried her best to explain. "Just like when I first met him, he acted like he was hurt after getting 'bullied' by two others."

"Luz, he's not faking it," Gus said, his voice firm. "Do you really think he's been acting all vulnerable this whole time so he could manipulate us?"

The girl held Gus' gaze, her expression serious, which made Gus stare at her with disbelief.

"Luz," he began uncertainty. "Philip hasn't been faking at all. He… he isn't some evil tyrant like in those old Disney movies you have shown us. He's more complex than that. Like, when I entered his mind, while we were about to bury him in the basement, he was remembering a man trying to kill him when he was a child," Gus revealed, making Luz look at him with confusion. "And… I think that man…was his dad."

His friend's eyes widened. "What?"

"I wanted to ask him about it, but he doesn't like to talk about anything that makes him feel, well, anything, I guess," Gus explained, struggling to find the right words. "But I do think that was his dad trying to kill him in their basement. And I've seen other terrible things that he has been through which kind of led him to try to hide his emotions and do his best to focus on his mission to kill all witches. But these days he has been with us, he hasn't had much control with his emotions, and honestly… maybe that's what is affecting his curse to lose control," he said as he finally realized that maybe… the curse was growing vile within Philip cause something was extremely wrong with Philip's emotional state. And of course, Philip was trying to fight things off by just holding his emotions in.

Something happened to Philip while he was gone that struck him so bad emotionally, that he was…

It was at that moment, things started into place in the boy's mind.

He thought about the way the man didn't care how unkempt his hair was the past few days. The way he looked so… defeated… simply giving them all the instructions to make the portal and now looking for the Titan's blood for them without much rest. The way Philip had agreed to be sealed, locked up forever… as if he didn't care about killing the witches anymore…

Gus felt his heart skip a bit as the realization dawned on him.

There was no way that… But…. it all made sense, by the way Philip carried himself these days, resigned.

"I think… Philip has given up on his mission," the boy let out quietly, in a daze at his theory.

"What?" Luz asked, not catching what he said at first.

"I think Philip has given up on his mission," the boy repeated himself, and at the same time trying to think of why Philip would give up the very thing that he worked so hard for so many years.

"Why do you think that…?"

"Have you not noticed how different he's been?"

"By different do you mean trying to make us feel bad…?"

"Damn it, Luz, you're honestly as stubborn as Philip!" Gus threw a hand up in frustration. And honestly, Gus came across another realization that yes… Luz was as stubborn as Philip.

"I'm not like him," Luz argued right away, offended.

"He's paranoid about us witches being bad," Gus said. "He thinks we're just trying to manipulate him while he's staying with us. And you're paranoid that he's been bad, trying to manipulate us…. when neither side has been trying to do anything of the sorts these past weeks…"

Luz wanted to keep arguing with her friend. There was no way she was like the man.

Okay, fine, she was kind of paranoid that he was planning something to hurt them, but who could blame her? The man had manipulated so many for centuries.

'But… you've also manipulated me to get what you wanted…' she couldn't help but hear a voice in her head.

No… she has never manipulated anyone… She has tricked people instead. Though… back when Philip was turning her into stone, she did call him by his real name to win him over so she could sabotage his plans.

By using his real name… was that her manipulating him…?

No…

Then again…

She had also planned for Belos to ruin the puzzle activity, so Hunter and everyone else in the house would grow angry at him, push him away. But… she manipulated the situation for the right reasons. She was doing it for everyone's own good.

Luz felt a lump form in her throat as a realization came down at her.

For everyone's… own good…

'All I've been doing is for all of you!' Belo's angry words ran through her mind.

She looked down at her palisman egg, shocked at the fact that Gus may be right.

Ever since Belos was moved from the abandoned house to hers, she was worried that he may be planning something. She had been so paranoid, and probably as paranoid as him. She was for sure stubborn… and probably like him, and in a way that both were desperately trying to do what they believed was… the right thing for others, even if it meant manipulating people or situations.

But… What if he was just lying when he said he was doing things for the rest of humanity? What if he really just wanted to kill others because he was evil?

'Come on Luz, stop thinking you're the main heroine of a story and stop trying to make Belos as the evil antagonist that you have to defeat to save the world like the stories you love…' she told herself with annoyance as the image of Belos, with tears trailing down his eyes as he screamed at her about how he loved his brother dropped in her mind, showing her that he wasn't some emotionless man.

She had always tried her best to be a good person, but… somehow, she was letting her own worries and fears lead her to be governed by anger and maybe be blind to what Gus and others were seeing when it came to Belos the past weeks.

As Luz recalled her time on the Boiling Isles, she remembers how composed Belos tended to appear to her during their confrontations, even when they fought one another. Of course, when he turned into his cursed form at that second fight, he became a raging monster at the end, but other than that he was calm in comparison to her, who displayed more emotions. However, during their time on Earth, Belos seemed to struggle with maintain that mask of calmness. He was prone to fits of rage and emotional breakdowns, as if he had lost any sense of control of his emotions. And in these past few days, since he had returned after 'disappearing' he had looked as though he was…

Before she had a chance to continue with her thoughts, a flashing blue light blinded her. She quickly covered her eyes.

She was completely confused and looked up to see Gus having the same expression as her. Then suddenly, she felt her body become heavy, her eyes drooping as if they were made of lead. Her brows furrowed tiredly.

"What was that?" Gus let out as he had seen some sort of light just pass the room like a wave. He grew concerned when he saw Luz collapsing to the floor. He quickly lunged to her, catching her and her palisman egg.

"What's happening…?" Luz let out, her voice weak, feeling a sense of fear rise in her chest, but that also quickly died out when she just passed out.

"Luz!" Gus called out to her, panic rising in his voice. "Luz, what's wrong?"

Luz didn't respond, her body completely limp in his arms. Her breathing was quiet but even, as if she was in a peaceful sleep.

Gus' palisman was also panicking, nudging Gus to try and help Luz. Outside of the house, more bright blue waves were shot from the forest, passing through each house one by one. The entire neighborhood was affected without anyone noticing. And within the depths of the forest, a couple of dark tall figures stood motionless, their breathing heavy and malicious.

The chapel was quiet, the candles casting shadows along the walls. Philip, Masha, and Sister Margaret stood by the altar while two armed men had their weapons trained on Philip.

Philip stared at them with what looked like a look of disinterest, but his mind was racing as he tried to assess the situation. He knew that they were in danger, knew these people worked with the same men that had attacked him over a week ago. They were most likely well-versed in the ways of magic based on that one fight, so they had to be dangerous, but he refused to let these people know they unsettled him.

The way the blonde carried herself, standing between the two men with confidence and her piercing blue eyes observing him with a predatory gleam, indicated to him she was in charge of the two, and she was the one they should be worried about the most, even though she looked rather young.

He shifted his weight slightly, ready to attack if needed, and his hand unconsciously moved in front of Masha.

Masha's eyes darted between the 'intruders'. They could hear their own heartbeat pounding in their ears as they mentally kicked themselves for not dragging Philip to a better hiding place.

Meanwhile, sister Margaret had a disapproving gaze, especially towards the woman as well. She had no idea who these people were and didn't like the fact they had brought weapons inside the house of God.

"My, my, aren't you cute," the blonde spoke up to Philip, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room. "I've been looking for someone like you for quite some time now. Though, I must say, your face is littered with too many wrinkles and your hair is too long for my taste. I guess we're going to have to change that soon."

Philip narrowed his eyes at her, though he was utterly confused by what she was implying to him.

In that instant, Masha took a hold of Philip's shirt, having the urge to protect him as they didn't want the woman near him at all after what she had just said. The way the blonde spoke and looked at Philip as if he was some sort of prize she wanted to own didn't settle well for Masha.

"Who are you?" Philip finally asked, his voice cold.

"I guess I'm being rather rude here, aren't I?" the blonde said with amusement. "My name is Elizabeth Hartman, and I'm a demon hunter," she revealed, her eyes locking onto Philip who couldn't help but feel shocked.

She couldn't be serious…

And if she was what she claimed she was… then the world really enjoyed mocking him, didn't it?

"A… demon hunter?" Masa asked with confusion. "The government has demon hunters?"

The woman scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. "Please, we have no affiliation with your pitiful government," she retorted. "While we do collaborate with them in some capacity, we are our own autonomous organization. But I digress…" she trailed off, turning to Sister Margaret. "Consider yourself fortunate that we uphold our agreement with the Catholic Church by not laying a hand on you or the child," she continued, speaking in a way that left sister Margaret perplexed. "Even though I do want to turn you two into dust."

Of course, the Catholic Church knew who these people were and had some sort of agreement with them that kept their people safe, even though sister Margaret had known nothing about. Though, in a way she was thankful that Masha was for now safe thanks to the church.

"The Catholic Church…?" Philip questioned. "One of the most powerful churches knows you guys use magic and are making deals with you…?"

"Oh, don't be so surprised. Some of their own people mess around with magic as well," Elizabeth revealed. She expected Sister Margaret to look shocked at the news, but the older woman simply stared at her like a hawk, probably not surprised with anything that the Catholic Church does behind closed doors. "But anyways, they aren't allowed to meddle with our affairs, especially when we're taking care of the 'dangerous' monsters that roam in this world," she said.

"So… are you like… the men in black?" Masha blinked.

Elizabeth's eyebrow twitched at the teen's comparison. "Not quite, my dear," she forced the words out, trying not to let the child annoy her more than they already were.

"If you're not a threat to us, then I ask you to take those guns out of our church," Sister Margaret said with annoyance, not liking that the guns were pointing at them, especially at Masha.

"Oh no, Sister. I can't do that. We need these in case anyone decides to get frisky," she quipped, glancing for a second at Philip. "We've got to look out for ourselves, especially when we're dealing with someone as… unstable and hazardous as…. you know…"

Philip's expression darkened, the woman's words slicing through him like a knife.

"And since this has nothing to do with you, why don't you take your leave," the woman sneered at sister Margaret, her lip curling in disgust. "And while you're at it, take that brat with you. I can't stand it when grubby little hands touch what belongs to me." She had an inexplicable urge to wrench Masha's hand away from Philip.

"What do you want?" Philip asked, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed with Philip's bravado. "For someone who can create a portal to a magical realm, you're pretty dense," she taunted.

Philip's frown deepened at her words.

"How do you know about the portal?" Masha asked with confusion.

The woman's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Let's just say we've been keeping tabs on you," she replied, her eyes glittering with malice.

"You've been spying on us," Philip deduced.

"I must admit, what I learned the past two weeks have truly taken my breath away," Elizabeth confessed. "Children who can use magic… a shapeshifting demon, an even more powerful demon that used to be human centuries ago, and a world of magic, existing in a parallel dimension… It's almost too fantastical to believe. Oh, how I would love to get my hands on every one of you… especially a portal to that magical world…"

Philip immediately knew he had to make sure this woman didn't get her hands on the portal, no matter what and keep the kids safe from her.

"But of course, the magical world can wait for now as I should focus on one thing at a time," Elizabeth said, her attention landing on Philip. "Anyways… You're going to be interested in what I have to tell you."

Philip's brows furrowed, letting her go on.

"I'm here to give you exactly what you want, my dear Philip…" the woman said.

Masha instantly didn't like the sound of that.

"And that is?" Sister Margaret was the one to ask, while Philip didn't say a thing, waiting for Elizabeth's response.

"Confinement," Elizabeth replied, her tone matter-of-fact. "For all the crimes that you have committed, and to keep you from hurting anyone else ever again."

Philip felt as though the world had frozen around him.

What…?

"That's what you yearn for, isn't it?" Elizabeth asked. "To be locked up, never to see the light of day again?"

Sister Margaret was caught off guard at Elizabeth's words this time and turned to Philip in complete confusion.

What did she mean about… what he yearned for…?

Elizabeth's lips curved into a predatory smile to see Philip drop the hostility he had towards her. His eyes now were reflecting the inner turmoil he felt. She knew very well Philip had been grappling with guilt and remorse for some past actions he had committed, whatever that was, and the idea of confinement had been circling in his mind for the past few days after spying on him, listening to the conversations he had with others, especially the one earlier with Masha.

For a moment, there was silence in the room as Philip's mind was having trouble gathering his thoughts together and keeping the pain inside his chest from growing.

"We both know how dangerous you are," Elizabeth said. "How easily you can lose… control… You really did a number on some of my men the other day. I could hardly recognize them when we retrieved their mangled bodies."

"He was defending himself," Masha argued, knowing full well what Elizabeth was talking about since Vee had informed them how Philip was attacked late in the forest by some men.

"And that one civilian and a police officer that are still in critical condition," Elizabeth brought up, ignoring Masha's comment. "They are most likely not going to make it, and all because they had the unfortunate luck to come across your path, huh?"

Philip's gaze dropped to the ground, feeling guilt take a painful hold of his heart as the patchy memories of the way he had lost control and hurt the two humans that night before Vee absorbed some of his magic came crashing in his head.

"But don't worry, my dear, this is why we're here for," Elizabeth said with a fake soothing voice. "We make sure monsters like yourself don't continue to hurt others."

"Stop calling him a monster," Masha said in a stern tone. "Philip is a human, just like everyone in this room."

"Oh, please, he's far from human now," Elizabeth chuckled at the girl's comments. "It's interesting, really. I was even surprised when my people tested that arm of yours," she said as Philip slowly raised his head to meet her gaze with confusion. "I have never seen anything like it. Magical matter… that's what you are, magic but taken a physical shape. You are your own unique species now in a way. But…" Elizabeth paused for a moment, as Philip slowly was taking in her words. "…there is something missing. Like a piece of a puzzle. You're incomplete, and you're falling apart. And the problem is, if the instability continues, it will be rather disastrous for the rest of us."

Her words hung in the air, and for a moment, there was silence as everyone processed the gravity of what she was saying. Even Masha glanced over at the man with complete concern.

He had theorized something similar along the lines of what Elizabeth was saying about the composition of his body after he continued to 'live' after… that one witch had 'killed' him years ago… And how his body would just regrow itself when anything happened to it… But he had pushed the matter aside a long time ago since the thought of him becoming something resembling the power that was used by the race he had despised so much disgusted him… The thought that maybe his soul was also nothing but magic… scared him…

Yet…

Here someone confirmed his worst fears.

Oh… how he wanted to scream his lungs out at that moment for another reason to despise himself for what he had done… but this time to what he had done to himself.

"But the good news is, we found a way to stabilize it," Elizabeth had taken an amused tone this time. "Well, keep it from getting worse. But that's good news for you, isn't it?" she asked Philip who just stared at her, still looking miserable. "That we found a way to keep you from losing control? To also give you what you deserve?" As the woman spoke, the heaviness that he felt for a while now came back tenfold. "We both know what you're capable of, and I'm just trying to help you here, trying to stop any more innocent people from getting hurt," Elizabeth pressed on with a soft tone. "That's what I do, what my people do. You want to do the right thing, don't you, Philip? You want to keep the world safe?"

Yes… that's what he wanted… He always wanted to do the right thing his whole life… What he thought he had been doing for so many years, yet…

'Monster…' the dark voice hissed in his head. 'That's what you are…'

"Come with us, Philip," Elizabeth said, her voice smooth as silk, before she raised a hand out to him. "You can trust me…"

Philip stared blankly ahead; his mind consumed by a dark void. He felt nothing except the heavy guilt that weighed in his soul. Everything seemed to be fading out, the colors muted, and the sounds muffled. He felt as if he was drifting away, lost in an endless sea of nothingness.

He deserved to pay for everything he had done, to be punished for the crimes he had committed for so many innocent lives. There was no way he could continue living without suffering for what he had done. That's why he had decided days ago he should be sealed away like the Collector had been for years. He had thought he would be ready for it when the day came when he would be imprisoned forever, to never again breath in the fresh air the world had to offer, to never see the sunlight again… but now that someone was offering to imprison him suddenly brought a sense of fear in him. Though, he couldn't help but also feel almost relieved to think that he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else ever again if he turned himself in to her.

He was a monster, even though Masha would disagree, even if they wanted to believe he wasn't. He had committed unspeakable acts that could never be forgiven.

What the teenager wanted was him to find some way to redeem himself, but there was no way he could do that, even now that the blonde had confirmed he was indeed losing control and could hurt others. And, he had centuries to have been better, but he had pushed all those chances away countless times due to his stubbornness, selfishness, and cowardliness.

Philip didn't know what was happening around him anymore. It was a strange and frightening sensation, to feel so utterly detached from the world and from himself. Yet, even now, he could feel it, the darkness that lurked within him, the rotten magic that was apparently him all along, desperate to crush anything and anyone in his way…

She was right. He would eventually lose control completely. He could feel himself slipping further and further from the fragile grip he had on his own consciousness. There were moments already that he had lost control of the curse, well… of himself…

Even now he continued to try to deny it, just like he had tried for the past years.

There was no curse…

He was the problem…

He was always the problem…

Philip wanted to scream, to lash out at the world that had made him this way, but he knew there was no one to blame but himself as he was the one who had chosen to carve the glyphs into his arm, to devour the souls of others. He had led himself to become the darkness that he could no longer control.

He was dangerous.

'Go to her…' the dark voice said to him in a quiet tone.

He was a monster…

'This is the right thing to do. She can keep the world safe from you. You know you are only capable of just destroying everything and everyone…'

He stood there, feeling his grip on reality slipping away as he took a step forward towards the one who could help him keep others from dying by his hands, to punish him for everything he had done.

And maybe… letting her imprison him would be better, since it would relieve Hunter from suffering if he still had some sort of attachment towards him.

But as he took another step forward, he stumbled and felt a tug on his shirt. He turned to his left, his mind still foggy with overwhelming emotions, to find Masha holding him back, their hands gripping tightly on his shirt.

They were gazing at him with an even expression before they slowly shook their head, which made him stare at them with confusion.

"Don't listen to her, Philip," Masha said, her voice quiet. "Don't you remember what we talked about earlier today?" they asked him. "I was serious when I told you that you're not a lost cause…"

Philip looked away from them, feeling his eyes glaze over with tears that he would hold back no matter what they said. He didn't want to cause Masha to pity him more, to cause their kindness to keep pushing to save him.

"Oh, child, you really are over your head here if you think you can 'help' him be a good person," Elizabeth chuckled. "You truly are so naïve, aren't you? People have taken so many lives don't change. Oh, and especially him, who is nothing but 'tainted' magic pretty much now."

"Philip, please look at me," Masha tugged at his shirt, ignoring the blonde's taunts. They were desperate to pull him from the woman's influence.

"Masha…" Philip let out, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked down at them with his mismatched eyes. "I get what you're trying to do here, and I appreciate it, I truly do, but you got to understand, I am not your brother."

Masha did their best to ignore the hurt in their chest. "I know you're not," they said. "But-"

"I had plenty of chances to change my ways, to listen to reason, but I chose not to," he said, cutting off Masha. His left blue eye glowed without any emotion while the other looked extremely defeated. "I've done, so many terrible things… and yes, I feel terrible now that I realized I've been wrong for hurting innocent people, by killing my brother and others, but… there's still a part of me that wishes these past weeks were just some bad dream, that I was still in the right."

Masha now looked at him with confusion from his confession.

"When I returned to Luz's place, I couldn't even bring myself to talk to Luz's friends or to Hunter," he admitted, his frustration evident in his voice. "I hate myself for what I did to them, so I couldn't talk to them out of guilt, but I also couldn't talk to them because, deep down, I think I still don't see them as human. I think a part of me still wants to think they're the monsters, you know?" He paused, letting out a bitter laugh. "Looks like I'll never shake off what I am, how I think. I guess… it's true… one can't reason with crazy…"

"Philip…" Masha began, her expression serious. "You've carried a hatred for witches and demons for almost 400 years. Changing your mind about them in an instant is impossible. In order to change your perspective, you must spend time with them, get to know them. It may take time to let go of old prejudices, but making the effort to connect with them will show you a different side of them. If you refuse to talk to them, your view will never completely change. Especially if you allow yourself to be locked away forever."

Philip took in their words. Despite this, the expression of defeat remained etched on his face, unconvinced.

"And honestly, Philip," Masha spoke with regret. "I'm sorry to say this, but neither you nor that Cruella De Vil over there should have a say in how you should be punished," Masha stated firmly, their gaze locked with Philip's confusion. They ignored the way Elizabeth scoffed at the comparison they had made with her. "The ones who should decide how you pay for your crimes are the ones you've hurt. It's not up to you …"

Philip said nothing, and tried to pull away from them, but they did not let go.

"Don't go to her, Philip," Masha pressed on. "Don't give up. And whatever she means of you losing control, we'll find a way to prevent it from getting worse. I don't know how, but I think with the others, we can totally help you…"

Philip closed his eyes for a moment, trying to find an ounce of hope that may linger in his heart, or in his mind that he can truly be good, and figure out how to control himself before he causes any more harm… But…

'You don't deserve another chance…' the dark voice whispered to him.

He placed his hands over Masha's, his hands huge compared to theirs.

"Let me go, Masha..." Philip said quietly, trying to pry their fingers off his shirt, but they maintained a good grip which made it difficult for him to pull away.

"No…" Masha narrowed their eyes on them. They refused to back down, to let him walk to someone who was obviously terrible. They were going to stay firm in what they believed in, and for sure they were going to be as stubborn as he was at this moment.

Philip clenched his teeth; he didn't want to hurt them. He almost went with growing sharp claws and cutting off his shirt, but then felt someone grab his left arm tightly.

Philip found himself staring at Sister Margaret, who was holding on to his arm, her eyes boring into him.

Guilt immediately clawed at him, recalling everything she had said to him and behind his back. He desperately wanted to crawl into a hole and just rot there at this moment.

He averted his eyes away from her, bracing himself for, what he imagined, her reminding him how terrible he was of a human being.

At least, that's what he thought she would do…

Sister Margaret was a devout woman of God, upholding all the tenets of her faith except one – granting forgiveness to those she deemed irremediable. This belief had been ingrained in her by her mother, a bitter and abusive woman who had always blamed her and her sisters for her misfortunes. Her mother would apologize for her terrible acts and would promise she would never harm them again, but then she would continue to hurt them afterwards. Her mother's controlling ways had even extended to trying to almost force Sister Margaret into a marriage at a young age with a wealthy suitor. Sister Margaret of course fought off the arrangement which resulting in constant physical and emotional abuse from her mother until she finally ran away at 16.

With nowhere else to go, Sister Margaret found refuge in a convent thanks to a compassionate older nun who showed her kindness and offered her a chance at a meaningful future.

She never went back home, even when her mother begged for forgiveness… Because she had known her mother truly never meant to change…

Over time, Sister Margaret grew to love helping those in need, particularly children, whom she felt a strong desire to protect. Their innocent and curious natures touched her deeply, and she could not bear to see them suffer in any way.

However, when members of her church were revealed to have committed unspeakable crimes, especially to children and were somehow "forgiven," Sister Margaret was disgusted and enraged, almost to the point she had abandoned the church. She simply couldn't fathom how anyone could forgive such evil deeds, especially forgive those who weren't truly sorry for what they have done. She became convinced over time, after seeing more people ask for forgiveness and then continue to cause harm that there was no hope for true redemption or second chances. For Sister Margaret, the sins of the past could never be erased, there was no way to make things right with certain sins/crimes. And the majority of the people only apologize because they were caught and want to escape any sort of consequences.

Yet…

Philip was seeking to be locked away…

He wasn't groveling for forgiveness, for a second chance like the majority of people would do if they were in his situation. He wasn't making excuses for what he had done, he wasn't just crying, curled up in a bed, seeking others to pity him. He believed he couldn't change, he believed he was a danger.

'He's in pain…' the words from Sister Lilian replayed in her mind from days ago. 'It's traumatizing to discover that everything you were taught to believe in was a lie. He's suffering from the realization that he's hurt so many innocent lives.'

Sister Margaret had responded to Lilian that Philip was only wallowing in self-pity, which in a way he was still at it, but… he was seeking to be punished, to be locked away. He was so desperate for it that he was willing to turn himself in to some woman who clearly had no good intentions with him. He was too blind to see the dangers that waited for him if he let himself be imprisoned by Elizabeth…

'He's finally realized the error of his ways and is plagued by intense remorse for his past sins. It's not the time to be harsh towards him, but rather a time to show understanding, patience, and compassion. He's in a vulnerable state right now, and it wouldn't take much for him to slide down a darker path than he was before, especially with that curse of his that we know nothing about.' Father Francis' voice crossed her mind.

A darker path…

And from the looks of it, it was more of a self-destructive path… especially by how roughed up he looked in appearance.

And just like Father Francis said, he was in a vulnerable state right now, and probably was when that Minister guy had got his hands on him and started him in the path to where he was now, and now Elizabeth was the next 'devil' in disguise to possibly pull him to a terrible fate, whatever that was. To possibly use him for something destructive too.

'In time, his guilt will guide him towards making the right choices, provided he receives the right guidance and support.'

The right guidance…

The right support…

Sister Margaret longed for Father Francis to be present in the room with them. He was the merciful and empathic man. The one who believed in Philip's potential for redemption. He was the one who could rescue Philip from falling into the 'darker' path that he had foreseen.

Despite her desire for Father Francis to be by Philip's side, she was the one who was there. It was she who had reached out without a second thought, who held onto him, keeping him from trying to destroy himself even further, even though she was the one who had deemed him unredeemable.

Her hand tightened around his arm, unable to understand why she held on to him, why she felt pain in her chest when she saw the way Philip looked so resigned.

Then again… who was she trying to fool…?

She knew very well why she was right there, holding on to him, even though a part of her didn't want to believe it. She had to be honest with herself and do what her heart was telling her to do. And it was time for her to fulfill her duty as a woman of God, and… do what a compassionate person would do in such a situation.

"The child is right," Sister Margaret said to Philip with a stern voice. "You don't have the right to choose how you should face the consequences for your actions, nor that woman."

Philip's gaze lowered to the ground, feeling shame at her words…

Sister Margaret turned to the blonde this time. "Philip has a lot to answer for, and if you lock him away, then he won't be able to make amends for what he did."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes on her.

"Letting you lock him up is a cowardly way out for him, and Philip here, is not a coward," she said, which had Philip's spiraling thoughts halt as he took in what she had just said and what she continued to say. "He's a man who was misguided. Has made many terrible mistakes and clearly feels remorse for hurting so many, more so, he thinks he doesn't deserve another chance, desperate to keep others safe. He admits he was wrong with what he has done, isn't making excuses, and is desperate to do the right thing that he is willing to give himself in to be imprisoned, and that to me shows me that he isn't a coward."

She turned to Philip whose eyes were glazed over again with unshed tears.

"Your friend is right, change won't come instantly, Philip, but if you truly want it, then you have to work for it," she said before her eyes softened to a warm chocolate color. "And someone like you who spent centuries on a mission isn't the type to just give up, am I right?"

Masha grinned at Sister Margaret, especially when Philip took a step back, placed a palm over his human eye, doing his best to hold back the tears that were desperate to come out.

He wasn't sure what to think at this moment with Sister Margaret's words. Nothing was making sense to him right now. After all, she was the last person he expected to want him to believe he could change…

But here she was, still hard on him, but at the same time trying to give him hope that he didn't think he could have.

He wanted to pull away from Sister Margaret, from Masha, yet… at the same time he didn't want them to let him go even for a second, which made him feel guilty as well…

He didn't notice how Elizabeth was fuming at this moment.

She felt that Philip didn't seem like he had any intentions of going to her at this moment.

She was so close to having her hands on him without exchanging blows, but of course some old hag had to ruin things for her…

She could try to talk her way into persuading him again, but… she felt Sister Margaret would just ruin her efforts. And Elizabeth was far from being a patient woman…

"I really do hate when people get in the way with things…" Elizabeth grunted out.

No matter…

This was exactly why she had come herself in case things diverted according to plans…

She tore off her coat to reveal herself wearing an armor suit as well, but it was slender compared to the other two men's. It suddenly began to emit some sort of blue glow before she pointed a hand to their direction.

Immediately Philip, as if out of instinct, was in front of Sister Margaret and Masha, his eyes flashing blue with hostility as Masha glared at Elizabeth, poking their head out from Philip's right side.

"Wait, didn't you say you had some agreement with the Catholic Church not hurting us?" they asked with annoyance, doing their best to hide the dread they felt that their lives were in danger now. Sister Margaret quickly pulled them behind her as well, trying to shield them more.

"What can I say? Rules are meant to be broken," Elizabeth said with a shrug of amusement. "And they won't care so much if they think this place had simply burned down from an untended candle."

Multiple tiny fire glyphs appeared at the palm of her palmed glove. Philip glared at her and was about to lunge at her before she had a chance to do anything, but suddenly, a huge light of yellow shot through the room, engulfing Elizabeth and the two armored men before they seemed to zap away without a trace.

Philip was left bewildered as he, Masha, and Sister Margaret stared at where Elizabeth had been once standing before they turned to face the source of the sudden ray of light. There, standing by the entrance of the hallway, was Sister Lilian, a determined expression etched onto her face, a wooden wand tightly clenched tightly in her extended hand, with a mouth gaping Father Francis right behind her.