Chapter 23
Elizabeth stood in the middle of the desolate road, surrounded by the dense forest. The rustling of the branches of the trees was the only sound that broke the silence. The trees loomed overhead, casting ominous shadows on the road. Her blue eyes blazed with an intense rage before she took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
She had been teleported to a different location, and her two armored men looked around in bewilderment. Their devices showed that they were far away from the church, and one of them muttered, "A teleportation spell? But how? That's a powerful spell."
Elizabeth gritted her teeth, having an idea of who could have executed such a powerful spell.
"Of course, they would have someone in that church," she muttered under her breath with annoyance. "Someone who probably has one of those wands…"
She wanted to go back to the church and try to attack again, but if someone from the Catholic Church, from that certain group, was indeed present there, it made her hesitant. They couldn't risk breaking the agreement their organization had with the church. She considered her options, knowing that she could always hunt down her other prey for now.
The surrounding forest seemed to grow even darker as she decided to just speed things up with her plan.
She pressed a finger against the earpiece in her ear. "Did you guys finish casting the spell through the whole neighborhood?" she asked before she got an affirmative through her earpiece. "Then… send them out," she said, a glimmer of wickedness in her eyes.
Sister Lilian's gaze remained fixed on the spot where Elizabeth and her two henchmen had stood before she had made them disappear into thin air. She was so fixated on the spot that she didn't notice the other people in the room staring at her with a mix of shock and confusion. It wasn't until she felt their eyes on her that she finally snapped out of her trance and pulled back into herself.
"I swear, I didn't kill them," Sister Lilian blurted out, her words tumbling out in a rush, hoping that they wouldn't assume that she had just murdered people inside a church. "I just teleported them about a mile away from us."
Father Francis, who had been standing a few feet away, stepped closer to her, his eyes still wide. "Sister Lilian," he said, slowly. "How…?"
Sister Lilian let out a deep breath before she turned to face him, looking guilty. "Yeah, I have a lot of explaining to do," she admitted. "And I swear, Father, I didn't want to keep so much from you. But I guess since, well… the secret is out, no use of me keeping you in the dark anymore."
Sister Margaret, who had been watching the exchange, walked over to them. "So, there is indeed a section from the Catholic Church that handles magic," she said, her tone matter-of-fact.
Sister Lilian nodded. "They sent me here when Father Francis replaced Father Rick," she explained. "We always have someone here monitoring the town due to the countless magical activities that had been documented for centuries."
Sister Margaret hummed at the revelation, but then a thought came across her mind. "Do you really dislike me that much, Sister Lilian?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sister Lilian was taken aback by the question. "What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"You didn't try using magic of yours to defend us against Philip," Sister Margaret continued, before a rare tiny smile made its way to her lips. "Were you just going to let him kill me?"
Sister Lilian's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, heavens no, Sister Margaret," she quickly replied. "I was just terrified because I had never seen anything like him before. And I was just so surprised to see you standing up to him just like that. I thought for sure you had magic yourself or something under your sleeve to defend yourself, but I guess… you didn't… which makes it more impressive how you just stood up to him like that." She stopped for a moment before blinking up at Sister Margaret with confusion. "Weren't you… afraid he was going to kill you…?"
"Of course not," Sister Margaret said simply. "I've already made my peace that my death will come soon or later. I'm rather old after all."
"That… doesn't surprise me…" Father Francis muttered under his breath at Sister Margaret's lack of care about her safety before he looked at Sister Lilian. "We should leave before they come back."
"Oh, we don't have to worry about them as long as we're inside here," Sister Lilian said. "Well, now that they know I'm here, they won't dare break the agreement they have with the Catholic Church."
"That was so cool…" Masha finally spoke up in awe, gaining the attention from both nuns and the priest. They quickly joined them, their eyes sparkling at Sister Lilian. "A nun using magic. Now I've seen it all," she said. "Are you a witch or?"
"Oh, no, not a witch," Sister Lilian said. "Well… I wasn't born with the ability to use magic. That was my adoptive mother that could use magic."
Masha blinked, wanting to know more about Sister Lilian now.
"My partner here helps me cast spells," she showed Masha the wooden wand she had used to teleport Elizabeth and the two armored men away.
Masha stared at the wand curiously, then suddenly it began to glow brightly, emitting a strange energy. Sister Lilian's eyebrows rose in surprise as the wand started to transform in her hand. Its wooden body contorting and twisting until it took the form of a small bird in her palm. The bird had a black and white plumage, with a distinct black cap on its head that contrasted with its white cheeks. It chirped cheerfully as it perched on Sister Lilian's outstretched hand.
Masha's eyes widened in amazement and before they knew it, the bird had leaped off Sister Lilian's hand and flown straight towards them. Surprised, Masha quickly caught the bird with their palms, fearing it would have fallen to the ground.
To their surprise, the bird chirped to them as they held it in their hand.
Masha blinked at the bird.
"Your name is Twig?" they asked before being taken aback. "Wait… did I just… understand you?" they asked with surprise before the bird chirped back with amusement.
"Wow, would you look at that?" Sister Lilian said, looking completely surprised at what had just happened.
Sister Margaret hummed while Father Francis was just in awe at the scene before them.
Father Francis turned to Sister Lilian then, having countless of questions now that he wanted to ask of her. He had thought, since he first met her, that she was just a shy woman, who was extremely eager to help him, though of course there was more to her than meets the eye.
Sister Lilian watched with a mix of joy and sadness the way Masha held Twig to their cheek. Twig rubbed its head gently against Masha's skin, emanating a comforting warmth that enveloped them both.
"It seems like you and Twig have quite the connection," she said, letting out a soft smile, making Masha smile at her as well before turning to Philip.
"Look, Philip, I think Twig is like the other palisman that Vee's friends have," they said, taking a step towards him. But their movement was halted as they saw Philip take a step back fast, his expression grim as he shook his head, as if he didn't want them coming closer to him.
"What's wrong?" Masha asked, their confusion mirrored on their face. Then they noticed Twig jumped onto their shoulder and had moved close to their neck, clearly uneasy around Philip. "It's okay, Twig," Masha said softly, bringing the bird closer to their cheek as they gently stroked its head. "Philip is a friend."
Philip kept his distance from the group, especially with the new palisman in the room. He couldn't help but recall all the creatures he had consumed in the past centuries. He wondered how Masha would react if they found out that his body was basically a living corpse of countless palismen…
"Are you alright, Philip?" Philip hesitantly glanced at Father Francis, who was looking at him with concern.
The priest had woken up around the same time as Sister Lilian and had heard most of the conversation, while they hid in the hallway, while Elizabeth had with the others. He was surprised to find Philip was back, and was honestly glad he was, but the things that Elizabeth had said to the man… and how close Philip was just going to go to her…
"Who exactly was that woman?" he asked Sister Lilian.
Sister Lilian had been watching Masha and Twig before she heard Father Francis asking his question.
"She works for an organization that eliminates anything or anyone that has magic, or at least, that's what they used to do…" she said with a frown. "But in the past years, they became more like 'collectors' and basically scientists in some way since they've been experimenting with magic… and we believe they have other ulterior motives as well by how much magical artifacts they've been collecting."
"And for some reason they want Philip," Father Francis said as Philip just stood there quietly, taking in all Sister Lilian was saying.
"She said Philip is something new, magical that has taken physical shape," Sister Lilian said. "I can see why they would want him since we've gathered intel that they want to able to use magic like a natural witch can."
Sister Margaret furrowed her brows in confusion. "Isn't the bird magic taking physical shape as well?" she asked.
Masha shook their head. "Nope, well, a friend told me their palisman are made out of a magical wood from their world before it takes shape into a creature," they explained, before Twig chirped with agreement. Masha turned to Sister Lilian. "How can those people use magic then if they haven't been able to use it naturally?" they asked, their voice laced with confusion.
"Like I said, they have countless magical artifacts that help them use magic," she replied. "But from the glyphs that appeared on Elizabeth's gauntlet, she must have demon blood in that suit."
"Demon blood?" Masha asked, blinking.
Sister Lilian reached under her collar and produced a tiny bottle, being held along with a chain, with a half of it containing a blue liquid inside.
Philip's eyes lit up with recognition - it was titan's blood!
"This liquid lets people, while you carry it, cast spells from certain symbols," she explained, holding up the bottle for all to see. "But it's extremely rare and unfortunately its used up the more magic one casts. I've been only given a tiny bit to be used in emergencies. We don't want it falling into the wrong hands after all."
Philip fought the urge to reach out and take the bottle from her. He had spent the past few weeks searching for titan's blood to no avail, and now it was right in front of him. It honestly frustrated him that he had wasted his time looking for titan's blood the past few weeks instead of looking for the other materials for the portal. He could have probably gotten the kids back home by now if he had made the door before…
Wait… a second…
'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's heart sank as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"She knows where they are," Philip let out, his voice filled with dread.
"What was that Philip?" Father Francis asked with confusion, not catching what the man said when he spoke up.
"That woman, she has been spying on me for the past two weeks," Philip explained, looking paler by the second. "She knows where I was staying. She knows about Luz and her friends."
"I need to contact Vee," Masha said, their mind racing as they pulled out their phone from their pocket and turned it on.
"We need to go help them before it's too late," Sister Lilian said immediately. Twig quickly flew back to her before turning back into a wand. "But… if that woman is here… that means she has brought tons of her people along too," she added, her voice laced with concern. "We won't be enough to fight them…"
Philip felt anxiety grip his heart, just like it was with Sister Lilian. He also couldn't help but feel extremely guilty that the kids were in trouble thanks to him.
It was always him… he thought to himself.
'Only bringing destruction wherever you go…' the dark voice hissed in his head.
Masha, who had been trying to contact Vee, couldn't successfully get a call through.
"I'm not getting any signal," they said, their voice slightly trembling from panic.
Philip saw the terror in their eyes when they looked up at him, making him feel sick, reminding him they were just a child… who was pulled into his mess, just like Luz and her friends.
'This is all your fault…'
His hands turned into fists.
'You know what to do…'
He forced himself to shove the exhaustion, the fear, and the guilt inside of him to the side. This wasn't the time for him to panic, especially at the thought of men, like the ones who had attacked him weeks ago, going after the children now.
He knew if he didn't act fast, terrible things would happen to Hunter and the rest of the children.
'And it will all be on you…'
He moved without a second thought, going behind the altar, with his hands forming claws.
"Philip?" Father Francis let out before his eyes widened when Philip dipped down behind the altar and heard wood boards being torn away. "What are you doing?" Father Francis exclaimed before everyone ran over to the altar to see wood boards ripped away to reveal a dark hole in the ground that led to an unknown destination.
Father Francis gasped in shock at the hidden underground tunnel.
"Of course, there's a hidden passageway in this church," Sister Margaret mumbled in a monotone tone. Taking the discovery in a stride.
Philip glanced at Sister Lilian; his gaze intense.
"Give me the titan's blood." he said, making Sister Lilian grasp the bottle and took a step back.
"Why do you want it?" she asked, with some hesitation, suspicion etched on her face. Philip couldn't blame her, though.
"This path leads to the forest and will allow me to reach the kids faster without anyone noticing," he explained. "If there are any enemies like the ones I fought weeks ago, then I'll need that blood to teleport the kids here."
Sister Lilian was completely confused, not following the man's plan, but then something dawned on her.
"You're not going alone," she declared, realizing that Philip was planning to go alone. She was determined to help in any way. "And if you need someone to help you transport the kids here, I can help you with that."
"I'm going alone," Philip replied sternly. "You'll only get in my way."
"Why don't you take Twig with you and use the spell Sister Lilian used?" Masha asked him.
"She won't want to come with me," Philip muttered, knowing full well the palisman would be too terrified to tag along with him. He also didn't know the exact spell that Sister Lilian used so he wasn't sure if he could pull it off in his first attempt if she taught him how to use it. "And you'll need her in case of trouble. It's better if the others see the kids are teleported without the use of the wand anyway, so they don't know where they went."
Sister Lilian stared at him, still holding the flask tightly, but Sister Margaret placed a hand on top of hers.
"We have no other choice," Sister Margaret said. "I think from everyone in the room, he knows what is best to do."
"He won't be able to take them all by himself," Sister Lilian argued before glancing at Philip with her eyes darkening. "Those people… they've done terrible things to others. And most likely, they didn't just send out ordinary people to attack those kids."
"What do you mean by that…?" Masha hesitantly asked, feeling cold dread in the pit of their stomach.
"I said earlier that they've experimented with magic…" Sister Lilian pointed out. "And… let's say they've created things that shouldn't even exist…"
Philip held her gaze, not looking deterred from her words.
"Those people, they're dangerous, Philip," she pressed on.
"And I am too…" Philip's voice turned cold as he stood up, both his eyes glowing blue as he stared down at her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand, remembering some of the things he had said to them the first night he had arrived in their church.
He was right…
He wasn't some weakling.
He was probably as dangerous than Elizabeth and her organization…
Sister Lilian stared at Philip before she reluctantly handed the flask to Philip.
"I need paper and something to write with," Philip told Father Francis, who quickly retrieved them. Once Philip had a marker, he went off to the side and drew glyphs on the wooden floor in a particular pattern, stopping occasionally to ensure everything was correct.
"What are you doing?" Sister Margaret asked, unsure of what she was seeing.
"Those are the symbols we use for magical spells," Sister Lilian commented, as she got a closer look. Her brows raised in awe. "But I've never seen them used in such a complicated pattern before. Hold on a second… is this pattern a teleportation spell?" she asked, surprised there was a way to teleport with glyphs.
Philip didn't respond to her, completely focused on his task. He eventually finished drawing the intricate pattern on the floor with effortless ease before going to the opposite corner of the church and repeated the pattern exactly as he had done before. With a firm grip on the bottle of Titan's blood, he slammed his hand down on the second pattern, activating the spell.
In an instant, the glyphs glowed and the world around him twisted and turned, colors swirling together in a dizzying blur.
When it finally stopped, Philip found himself back at the first pattern, his feet firmly planted on the floor. He looked up to find the others staring at him with amazement.
"That… was so cool…" Masha let out; her eyes wide with wonder.
Philip noticed that there was only a small amount of Titan's blood left in the bottle, just enough for one more teleportation spell.
He drew the glyphs again where he had first drawn on it on the floor since the whole thing vanished after he had activated the spell in his test run. Once he was done, he tied the chain with the bottle around his neck that contained the remaining blue liquid. Father Francis retrieved some tape and helped Philip secure the paper on the vial, not knowing what he had written, but understanding the importance of keeping it safe.
Philip then simply hid everything under his shirt.
Masha was gazing at him with concern as he returned to the hole.
"Philip, wait," they said before going after him.
"I promise I'll protect them," Philip said, sounding calm, which Masha knew was just a mask he was wearing to hide the possible mix of emotions he was dealing with due to the situation they were in. And honestly, Masha was worried for him. The man had gone through too much emotionally the past days, especially the past two hours, was exhausted, and now he was going to fight some organization by himself?
He didn't turn to look at them as he continued. "I'll make sure that woman doesn't get her hands on any of them."
Masha was afraid for their friends. Elizabeth seemed like a very dangerous person and if the people who worked with her were as dangerous as her then… well, they just hoped Philip could for sure protect them. But they also hoped he could protect himself since he was Elizabeth's main target.
They also couldn't help but feel so proud of Philip.
Earlier that day, Philip thought he wasn't capable of doing anything good, but here he was, taking action to save Luz and her friends without hesitation. Of course, he probably isn't going to think much of it if he comes back with the others and probably would just blame himself that they were in trouble to begin with, but… they were going to make sure to assure him that going out, risking his life to protect others was more than just nothing.
Masha stared at him before they threw themselves at Philip, hugging him tightly from behind. Philip tensed up, shocked by the sudden embrace.
At first, he wasn't sure what was happening till he realized that Masha's arms were around his waist.
The last time he was hugged was…
The image of his brother hugging him, pulling him from the darkness that was eating him up, flashed in his mind.
Masha's voice brought him back to the present. "You better come back safely too, okay?" they said, their face buried against his back. "Don't you dare go to that evil woman."
Philip didn't reply. His heart ached from their words, but at the same time… it was strange… he also felt… something else, and he couldn't pinpoint what the feeling was. All he knew was that the pull in his head wasn't as strong as before.
He had the urge to stay there, letting Masha just continue holding on to him, but instead, he gently pried Masha off him and turned to face them.
"I'll be back," he said quietly, doing his best to maintain eye contact, unsure why they felt the need to assure the child that he would be returning. "I promised I was going to return your friends to their world, and I'll make sure that happens."
Masha smiled at him, but still seemed uncertain to let him go by himself.
He hesitantly looked at Father Francis and the nuns, who were observing the two of them.
"Keep her safe," Philip said, motioning to Masha, who didn't bother correcting him about their pronouns since they were just too anxious about Vee and everyone else back in Luz's house. They also couldn't help but smile that Philip also worried about them while he was gone.
"Of course," Sister Margaret said. "We won't let the child out of our sight."
"I still think it's a bad idea that you're going alone…" Sister Lilian mumbled.
"He'll be okay," Father Francis said, giving the man a knowing smile. "Like Sister Margaret said, he knows what he's doing."
Philip stared at Father Francis, slightly confused why the man had so much faith in him, but then again, even Sister Margaret seemed confident that he would protect Luz and her friends by not holding him back.
He wondered if Sister Margaret thought this was him trying to make amends for what he had done…
As Philip's thoughts threatened to overwhelm him, he forcefully pushed them away. He knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time. Without uttering a word, he leaped down into the hole, landing smoothly on the ground. In the darkness, his eyes glowed, illuminating the long tunnel ahead. He had only traversed this path a few times before, and he vaguely remembered a wooden staircase that led up to the chapel, but he didn't bother to check if it was still there. Instead, he ran through the tunnel with determination, sprinting towards its end.
As he reached the end of the tunnel, Philip couldn't help but notice that it was different from what he remembered. It appeared someone had attempted to conceal the exit by burying it by the tons of dirt mounted in a certain angle. But Philip didn't let this deter him.
He scaled along the slope and began digging at the top of the ground fast before he made his way out to the open air in the forest.
His glowing blue eyes were scanning his surroundings. He currently couldn't hear anything, at least, not with the current state of his ears were like…
As he stared at the dark forest, he imagined, based on what Sister Lilian had said earlier, that it was possible there were more people out there, seeking the children out, compared to the four that had attacked him.
Now he could see why Sister Lilian didn't think he should go alone, at least… in his current state…
He gazed down at his clawed hands, a thought coming to mind, though… it was a bit risky… and he wasn't sure if it would work, but…
Suddenly, he caught the sight of someone standing between some trees in front of him.
He was ready to attack whoever it was but froze as he found himself staring at his brother.
"Caleb…?" he let out, his throat clenching as a pale, sickly looking version of his brother, stared at him with a look of what looked like disappointment.
Philip had seen, what he imagined, his brother's ghost countless of times in the past. It was rather strange he hadn't seen him while he was on Earth till now, but…
Guilt gripped his chest like a knife twisting deep into his heart. He glanced away; his teeth clenched hard.
"I know… this is my fault…" he said, feeling so angry at himself that he wanted to just slam his head against a tree multiple times till it cracked. "But… I promise I'll rescue them. I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe."
He hesitantly glanced back, hoping that his brother would for once, not look at him with the same expression he usually gave him, but instead, his brother bore eyes heavy with what looked like sorrow mixed with disappointment before he looked away and vanishing.
'You're always going to be a disappointment to him…' the dark voice hissed in Philip's mind. 'You aren't capable of doing anything right.'
His shut his eyes hard, stopping himself from spiraling down to self-pity. He shoved his thoughts about his brother aside, reminding himself he had a mission to accomplish.
He took a deep slow breath, letting the cold air fill in his lungs, returning to the idea he had in mind before his brother's ghost had appeared.
Again… it was risky… but… he could do this; he could have control…
There was no curse…
The rotting magic was him…
He felt his heart race against his chest as he mentally told himself to not mess up with what he was about to do… He told himself this was the only way he could have a chance to protect the children, even though it scared him.
Come on… he mentally told himself. He had done it before, even though the circumstances were different, especially by how unstable he was now, but he had no choice…
No choice…
He shut his eyes, taking a moment to steady himself, mentally screaming at himself to just do it, reminding himself that the children were in trouble because of him. After a minute of pushing aside his nerves, he dived deep into himself, doing his best to find that heaviness that he had been feeling for the past weeks, that dark pull that he had been struggling to fight off and before he knew it, he grasped it firmly, and…
"Come on, Luz, wake up…" Amity gently patted her girlfriend's cheek. Luz was settled beside Camila on her bed.
Hunter stood at the center of the room, lost in thought, his arms folded over his chest. Vee, beside Camila, held her hand with concern. The palismans of everyone in the room nudged Camila's face, attempting to rouse her.
Gus and Willow arrived, carrying a bucket of water and a hand towel. They handed them to Amity, who dipped the towel in the water before pressing it to Luz's face, hoping the cold water would jolt her awake. But as with their previous different attempts, Luz remained asleep.
"A blue light…" Hunter said under his breath. "Do you guys think that maybe it was some magic spell? And possibly from someone that had attacked Belos days ago?"
"But Philip killed them all," Gus said.
"I think there are more than just those four if they work for the government," Vee pointed out. "At least, in the movies, there are more who are just waiting for the right moment to attack."
"But… that would mean they know we're here, then?" Amity asked. "But… why put Luz and Camila to sleep and not the rest of us if they want to attack us?"
"I'm guessing maybe the spell only worked on humans," Gus said.
"We should get ready in case of-" Hunter was cut off when he saw all the palisman completely freeze where they were before Flapjack quickly flew to him out of fear. The boy caught him in confusion as the bird chirped at him, his wings flapping frantically.
"What's wrong?" Gus asked, looking concerned as the others quickly got their palisman and went over to Hunter.
"Flapjack says there is someone outside," Hunter said with a frown and turned to the window that was currently shut by the curtain. The boy glanced at Willow. She nodded to him before both went over to the window and opened it to see through it.
The backyard was cloaked in darkness, the only light coming from the silver of the moon in the sky. Their eyes locked onto the figure standing in the middle of the yard, it's back to them, its form twisted, like something out of a horror movie that Luz had shown them many times.
The creature was tall and lean, towering at seven feet. The creature's flesh was bloodied and raw, with no trace of hair anywhere on its naked body. It slowly turned its head, revealing its twisted face, elongated and inhuman. Black empty sockets stared at them.
"What... is that…?" Willow slowly let out quietly. Her eyes wide as Hunter was staring at the creature with shock.
At first, he had thought they were looking at Belos that somehow had taken a different form, the creature was nothing like his uncle, nothing like he had seen before. Especially by how the creature's body was smeared with blood and other unidentifiable fluids.
Then suddenly, the creature's twisted mouth opened wide, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth that glinted menacingly in the moonlight. It let out a blood-curdling scream. The sound seemed to cut through their souls, causing both Willow and Hunter to paralyze them in place, their blood running cold.
In an instant, the creature began to move, running towards the house, its grotesque body contorting and writhing in each step as it moved with a terrifying speed. The creature smashed into the door with a deafening crash, making the walls tremble with its sheer force. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the hallway as the monster forced its way inside.
"What's going on?!" Gus yelled out in fear as Hunter and Willow yanked away from the window, their palisman turning into staffs immediately as they heard heavy footsteps shuffling on the first floor before ascending the stairs towards them.
Hunter and Willow jumped in front of everyone, in defensive, shaky stances, their staffs glowing brightly as they heard the beast echoing through the hallway with a terrible resonance. Everyone's wide eyes in the room were locked at the door, as the creature's footsteps grew louder and louder.
Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Everyone was frozen on the spot, as they heard nothing but the silence of the hallway beyond the door.
They waited, their muscles and their nerves on edge, as time seemed to stretch out before them. The seconds ticked by like hours, and they could feel their hearts pounding in their chests, waiting for whatever was standing behind the door to burst in and attack them.
Then…
"Gu-guys." Gus stammered, shattering the stillness of the room, his voice quivering as he struggled to speak. "There… is something behind the window…"
Hunter and Willow's head whipped towards the window, where they saw, through the thin curtains, a dark silhouette of a figure perched up against the glass. Then the next thing the kids knew, there was nothing but chilling screams and horrifying creatures crashing into the room.