THE CATHEDRAL

6:07 PM. Adelaide Cathedral Steps.

The doors were open.

Red light poured out like blood from a wound. It painted the stone steps, the soldiers, their faces.

The air was thick. You could taste metal.

In front of the doors, 40 Cult members. Black robes. Heads down. And behind them, 60 Infected. Standing perfectly still. Not breathing. Just waiting.

At the Top of the steps, 2 figures.

One woman. Young. Hair white as ash. Dress made of black cloth that moved even though there was no wind.

One man. Old. Priest robes. Eyes closed. Hands raised to the sky.

The pink sky above was turning red. Slow. Like someone was pouring paint into water.

Captain Reyes put a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. "That’s them. The Twin Speakers. They started the ritual."

Ethan didn’t answer. He was looking at Lily. She was holding his hand so tight her knuckles were white.

"You don’t have to do this." He said again.

Lily shook her head. "I’m not scared."

She was lying. But her voice didn’t shake.

Selena drew her broken blade. The last 3 inches of it. "Then let’s end it."

Captain Reyes nodded to her soldiers. "Cover fire. Go."

---

*THE CHARGE*

The soldiers moved first.

Guns up. "Get down!

The Cult didn’t Move.

The Infected did.

They charged. No screaming. No sound. Just feet hitting stone.

The soldiers opened fire. Bodies dropped. But more came.

Ethan moved.

He wasn’t thinking. He was just moving. Knife in one hand. The other holding Lily’s hand and pulling her forward.

A Cult member stepped in his way. Ethan didn’t stop. He drove his shoulder into the man’s chest and kept running.

Selena was bEside him. Her blade flashing. Cutting. Not killing. Just clearing a path.

They reached the steps.

The white-haired woman opened her eyes. They were red. "You’re late."

The old man didn’t open his eyes. "You’re early."

The doors behind them slammed shut.

The light got brighter.

---

*INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL*

It was a church. Or it used to be.

Pews were gone. The floor was covered in salt and red symbols. And in the center, where the altar should be...

A pool. Black water. And in the middle of the pool, floating, a Shard.

But not like Melbourne. Not like Brisbane.

This one was both. Half black. Half red. And it was spinning.

Above it, the ceilinG was gone. Open to the sky. And the sky was bleeding red.

The Twin Speakers walked in behind them. The doors closed on their own.

"Welcome to the end." The woman said. "The Third Moon."

Lily hid behind Ethan. "It’s loud."

She was right. There was a sound. Low. Like a choir singing underwater.

Ethan stepped forward. "Stop this."

The old man smiled. "We can’t. It’s already started. 70%."

Selena looked around. "Where are the others? The Cult?"

"They’re outside." The woman said. "Holding the line. For you."

She walked around the pool. Bare feet in the black water. It didn’t ripple. "You’ve been a problem. Melbourne. Brisbane. But Adelaide... Adelaide will be different."

"How?" Ethan asked.

"Because this time, we’re not using a Shard." The old man said. "We’re using a person."

The water in the pool moved.

Something rose from it.

A girl. Maybe 16. Eyes closed. Floating. Chains around her wrists and ankles. Her skin was pale. Too pale.

And her chest... there was light coming out of it. Red and black, mixing.

Lily gasped. "She’s my age."

Ethan’s jaw tightened. "Let her go."

The woman laughed. "She volunteered. To save the world."

"By killing it?" Selena askeD

"By remaking it." The old man said. "One mind. One will. No more pain."

The girl in the water opened her eyes. They were completely white.

She spoke. But it wasn’t her voice. It was 100 voices. "It hurts."

Ethan took a step forward. "We can help you."

The girl looked at him. "It’s too late. The Moon is already here."

Outside, thunder. But the sky was clear.

The red light got brighter.

The Twin Speakers raised their hands.

---

*THE FIGHT*

The woman moved first.

She didn’t walk. She slid across the water. And when she reached Ethan, her hand was already coming for his throat.

He caught her wrist. She twisted. Her other hand came up with a needlE

Ethan hit her in the jaw. She flew back and hit a pew.

Selena was on the old man.

He didn’t fight back. He just stood there, chanting. Every word made the Shard spin faster.

Selena punched him. He didn’t flinch. Blood came from his nose. He kept chanting.

"You have to break the Shard!" Selena yelled to Ethan.

Ethan looked at the pool. At the girl floating in it. "What about her?"

"If you don’t, she dies anyway!" Selena screamed.

Ethan ran.

He jumped. Landed on the edge of the pool. The water was freezing.

He reached for the girl.

The moment his hand touched her, he saw it.

Her memories. Hundreds of them. The Cult taking her. The pain. The voices. The fear.

And through it all, one thought: _Make it stop._

Ethan pulled her out of the water.

The moment he did, the Shard stopped spinning.

The red light flickered.

The woman screamed. "NO!"

She lunged. Ethan turned. Took the hit on his back. Pain exploded.

He fell to his knees, holding the girl.

The old man stopped chanting. "You fool. You’ve killed her."

The girl in Ethan’s arms opened her eyes. Real eyes. Brown. "It... it stopped hurting."

Ethan held her tighter. "I got you."

The Shard in the pool cracked. Once. Twice.

Then it exploded.

Not with light. With sound.

A wave hit them. Knocked everyone off their feet.

When the dust cleared, the Shard was gone. Just water.

The red sky outside was fading. Back to pink. Then gray.

The woman was on her knees, crying. The old man was dead. His heart had given out.

Selena ran to Ethan. "You okay?"

Ethan nodded. He was bleeding from his back but he didn’t care. "She’s okay."

The girl looked up at him. "Thank you.

---

*10 MINUTES LATER*

Soldiers came in. They took the woman away. Cuffed.

Medics took the girl. She was weak but alive.

Captain Reyes walked to Ethan. "You did it. All three."

Ethan was sitting on the floor, back against a pew. Selena next to him. Lily in his lap.

"Yeah." Ethan said. "We did."

Outside, the sky was clearing. The clouds were breaking.

For the first time in a week, they could see blue.

Reyes handed Ethan a radio. "Command wants to talk to you."

Ethan took it. "Yeah?"

A voice. The Prime Minister. "Ethan. Selena. On behalf of the country... thank you. You saved us."

Ethan didn’t know what to say. "We just did what we had to."

"There’s more work. Other cells. Other countries. But tonight, you rest. That’s an order."

The radio went dead.

Selena leaned her head on Ethan’s shoulder. "We did it."

"We did." Ethan said.

Lily looked up. "Does this mean we can go home now?"

Ethan smiled. "Yeah, Lil. We can go home."

---

*MIDNIGHT. Adelaide, Rooftop.*

They weren’t on the train. Not yet.

They were on the roof of a building. Blankets. Food. Real food.

The stars were out. The moon was normal. White.

Lily was asleep between them.

Selena was eating bread like it was the best thing she’d ever had. "I forgot food could taste like this."

Ethan laughed. "Me too."

They sat in silence. Watching the city below. Lights were coming back on. People were coming out.

"It’s over." Selena said quietly.

"The ritual is." Ethan said. "The fight isn’t."

"I know." She said. "But tonight it is."

Ethan looked at her. At the cuts on her face. The bruises. "You’re hurt."

"So are you." She said. "We’re both hurt."

"Yeah."

She took his hand. "Don’t let go."

"I won’t."

They sat like that until the sun started to come up.

Pink. Then gold. Then blue.

A normal sunrise.

Lily woke up. "Is it morning?"

"Yeah, Lil." Ethan said. "It’s morning."

She smiled. "Good. I’m hungry."

Selena ruffled her hair. "Then let’s get you breakfast."

They stood up.

Below them, Adelaide was waking up.

Ambulances. People hugging. Flags.

It wasn’t perfect. But it was alive.

Ethan looked at Selena. "Ready?"

She took his hand. "Always."

And the three of them walked to the edge of the roof.

To the stairs.

To home.