Bluish, green, and silver-hued spirits with cloudy wisps of limbs and faces descended upon Cora and Cerberus in a torrent of otherworldly energy. Demonic-looking beasts with glowing eyes and shadowy translucent bodies soon followed in an indigo-violet swarm of darkness.

Cora screamed at the sight of them while Cerberus cackled with glee.

"Please make them go away, Cerberus!" Cora begged with fear in her eyes. "Whatever it is that you have tethered to this circle does not look the slightest bit friendly. I do not see Theodore or Lianna anywhere!"

"Hush, gatekeeper, and do not worry! I am in full control of the situation. I vow to you, my summoning circle is strong enough to contain them. These frightful fellows will not be able to harm us unless we release them from my—"

A familiar, razor-sharp whistling noise surged in the air. Through a ripple of shadow and smoke, Aunt Mathilde and Aunt Amelia appeared through the fold. Immediately, Cora noticed that Aunt Mathilde's missing hand had been replaced by a prosthetic one. The material of her new appendage appeared to be molded from wood and metal. Her elongated cast iron fingers were bony and twig-like. They stretched forth like the thinnest sprigs on a tree branch.

Meanwhile, Aunt Amelia was looking as lovely as ever with her fiery curls and buxom form. She smiled winsomely at Cora—as though they weren't standing in the eye of a paranormal storm—and purred, "My, my, look at how much you have grown, child! You are practically a woman now. Tell me, how does it feel to have your power restored?"

Cora frowned. A woman? What was her aunt going on about?

She quickly glanced down at her body and gasped. Her palms and fingers had lost their childish pudge, appearing delicate and slender in comparison. Cora cupped her hands to her chest, and, good lord, she had breasts now! Not great big ones like her redheaded aunt, but they were most definitely there, small and ripe like plums, when they were nonexistent before. She trailed her palms down the sides of her waist to her hips. Her curves felt different here as well. They were more pronounced and feminine.

She glanced over to Cerberus with a look of amazement. He grinned. "It would appear that you are settling into your powers at last, gatekeeper. Your true visage is lovely. I especially approve of your new... assets."

A smile tugged at the corner of Cora's mouth, but she forced herself to glare at him. "Do not leer at a lady, Cerberus! It is most improper."

"But if I do not leer at you, gatekeeper, then who am I to leer at?" he asked in a cheeky tone. He cast a mercenary look in her aunts' direction. "I should feed soon in order to grow my powers to match yours!"

"Enough, you two!" Aunt Mathilde trilled irritably. "Your Aunt Amelia and I sensed the wicked creatures this hound has awoken from the underbelly of the In Between, and we came to save you, Cora."

Aunt Amelia proffered her hand. "Quickly, child, before the insipid pup loses control of this circle and puts us all in danger!"

Cora hesitated. She could feel everyone's eyes boring into her as the spirits howled around them.

There was a part of her that wished to go to them. Despite everything Cerberus had told her about their wickedness, Cora didn't want to believe that Aunt Mathilde and Aunt Amelia were beings of pure evil. She wished to speak to them and, at the very least, understand what drove them toward such madness.

"I will go with you under one condition," Cora declared bravely. "You must tell me all the truth and nothing but. I wish to know everything, starting from the moment you sought me out for my powers as a gatekeeper."

Aunt Amelia's expression hardened. "I do not know what lies this mongrel has been feeding you, but you are no gatekeeper, Cora! You are a weaver. Like us."

"Listen to your aunties, child," Aunt Mathilde warned sharply. "We know what is best for you! That hound is only here to profit off of our essence. Like parasites, it is in their nature to consume everything in their wake in order to thrive... Look at what he was, a bloody-eyed mutt-ling with barely any bark or bite—and what he has become now, a full-fledged demon who can draw summoning circles. Where do you think his sudden powers arose from? Think, child, think!"

Cerberus snarled viciously, baring his fangs. "Do not attempt to reel me into your devilry, you foul witches! You are the ones who have been leeching off the gatekeeper, not I! My only purpose here is to make certain that you cease to exist in this state of deviance. Death must mark the end of every mortal's journey, and your path to hell has long been overdue. Let me be the one to guide you to the flames!"

As Cerberus lunged towards them with his mouth open wide, Cora held up her hand and shouted, "No, do not eat them, Cerberus!"

A blinding white light burst in front of Cerberus, knocking him backwards onto his rump. He groaned in pain. "Why did you stop me?"

Cora rushed over to his side. "Are you alright, Cerberus? I am so sorry! I did not mean to hurt you!"

He cast her a wounded look. "I thought we were a team, gatekeeper!"

"We are a team," she assured him, "but I also wish to help my aunts. Please give me a chance to talk to them first."

Suddenly, the symbols upon Cerberus' summoning circle began to shudder violently. His red eyes widened with alarm. In the next moment, the seal burst open in a thunderous explosion of flames, and the spirits and shadow demons were unleashed from their restraints.

With an ear-splitting roar, every single one of them dove straight for Cora.