Chapter LXXI: Renovatur
The radiant light from the old chapel begins to fade. The battle is over. The once resounding clangs of swords and cries of spiritual warfare are replaced by a calm, holy silence. Amid the sacred glow now gently dimming, Liz lies on the ground, her chest slowly rising and falling. Bennett is by her right, resting peacefully, while Wyn lies to her left, her hand still gripping the hilt of her sword. Adrian is slumped next to Bennett, his head tilted upward as if still watching the fading light.
Liz's vision blurs, her energy nearly depleted. She hears the distant thudding of footsteps rushing up the chapel stairs. Sirens wail from the quadrangle, an ambulance finally arriving. Relief floods her heart, but her body is too weak to respond. As her eyes flutter closed, she slips into unconsciousness.
But not into darkness.
She finds herself in a dream.
This realm is familiar yet twisted—a haunting version of her past, the place where she was once known as the Bogus Buyer. But the energy here is different. Gritty. Heavy. Off.
And then, she sees her.
Another Liz.
The Liz of this realm.
Her skin is pale, her hair disheveled. There’s a perpetual exhaustion in her eyes, her posture slouched as if carrying years of regret. A tiger-like expression sharpens her face—not of fierceness, but of being caged by her own decisions.
Liz watches silently as this alternate version of herself rummages through a pile of her online shopping hauls—bags, dresses, accessories, stuffed toys, decorative pens, candies, and more. All symbols of the emptiness she tried to fill.
The other Liz suddenly pauses.
A dusty old scrapbook peeks out from beneath a pile of boxes. She pulls it out slowly, as if scared of what she'll find.
She opens it.
Pages flip, and memories spill forth.
Photos of her and Bennett. Laughter frozen in time. Notes written in the margins. A pressed flower. A receipt from their first dinner together. A smudged drawing of a church they once visited.
The other Liz's hands tremble.
Tears begin to well up in her eyes.
And then—
She breaks down.
Falling to her knees, clutching the scrapbook to her chest.
She wails, the sound gut-wrenching.
"Why... why did I do this? Why did I push him away? Why did I let my pride, my ego, my lies ruin what we had?"
She hugs the scrapbook tightly.
"Benjamin... I'm sorry. I was so blinded. I was selfish. You were there for me—even when I didn’t deserve it. And I... I let you slip away. I chased things that didn’t matter, while ignoring the one person who truly did. And now… now you’re gone. You’re never coming back."
She gasps for breath between sobs.
"If only I could tell you one more time... that I love you. That I always did. That I'm sorry. So sorry. Please… forgive me…"
Liz, the real Liz, feels the pain in every word. Her heart twists.
She watches, frozen, her eyes now filled with tears.
She walks slowly toward the other Liz, kneels beside her, though she cannot be seen.
And she speaks—not just to the other Liz, but to herself.
"This… this could have been me. If I had never changed. If I let my bitterness win. If I stayed blind to what was real. Bennett… I realize now—you were my anchor. My reality. My truth. You never gave up on me. Even when I faltered. Even when I doubted. Your prayers, your love, your faith… they saved me. I was on the edge of this same destruction, this same guilt. But I was pulled back—by grace. By God. By you."
She places a gentle hand over her heart.
"I don’t deserve the second chance I’ve been given. But I won’t waste it. I’ll live every moment remembering that love isn’t something to take for granted. I’ll fight for it. I’ll guard it. And I’ll honor you—with every step I take. Because faith… isn’t just belief. It’s a choice. A vow. A fire. And I’ll let it burn brightly in me—forever."
Then the realm begins to shimmer. Cracks of light rupture the void. Liz closes her eyes.
When she opens them again—
She's in a hospital ward.
White walls. A steady beep from a heart monitor. A soft breeze coming in through the half-opened window. The smell of antiseptic, and the comfort of clean sheets.
She blinks. Her body aches, but her heart… her heart feels full.
She’s alive.
She’s back.
But she knows—something within her has changed forever.
The white glow of the hospital ceiling greets Liz as she slowly opens her eyes. Her body aches, but the sterile scent, the rhythmic beep of a heart monitor, and the faint hum of life outside the room assure her she's back in the world of the living.
She blinks, her vision adjusting, and the first thing she sees is her grandma rushing to her side. “Liz!” her grandma cries, hugging her gently as Liz still lies weakly on the bed.
“Abuela…” Liz whispers, voice hoarse but laced with relief. She closes her eyes, savoring the familiar warmth.
“Thanks be to God,” her grandma says, tears streaming down her cheeks. “We were so worried… Dominga and Dolores couldn’t stop crying.”
Just then, Dominga and Dolores enter the hospital room. Their eyes widen in disbelief.
“Liz!” Dominga gasps.
“You’re alive!” Dolores chokes, rushing to the bed. The two of them grip Liz’s arms tightly, careful not to hurt her but unable to hide their joy.
“What… happened?” Liz asks slowly, her voice shaky.
Her grandma takes a deep breath, then begins to narrate.
“Brother Padilla said… when they went up the stairs to the old chapel, they saw Ivan first — lying on the floor, unconscious. He was holding a strange miniature book and… a satanic rosary.”
Liz listens, her eyes wide.
“But there was more,” her grandma continues. “Behind him… was a massive fossil etched on the wall. It was the creature you fought — like a giant anaconda with horns. A fossil of it. Burnt into the stone.”
Dominga shivers. “And you… all four of you — you, Adrian, Wyn, and Bennett — were on the ground. Unconscious. Like… like you gave everything you had.”
Dolores wipes her eyes. “Then Fathers Edgar and Emilio explained what happened. They told Bro. Padilla everything — about the possession, the devils, the statue, the battle. He couldn’t believe it. But then…”
Her grandma continues, “The servers — the ones who were under the curse — they came too. And they remembered. They remembered how you all saved them. They told us. They told us it was the four of you.”
Dominga adds, “You were heroes, Liz.”
“But you were in critical condition,” her grandma says. “So Bro. Padilla had to call for ambulances. He said no one died — and that’s a miracle. But you were all barely holding on.”
Liz blinks, her heart heavy but grateful. “So… that’s why we’re here.”
Her grandma nods. “We came as soon as we got the call. Dolores and Dominga dropped everything. I’ve never prayed so hard in my life, anak.”
A long silence settles. Then Liz asks, “What about Wyn? Adrian?”
“They’re stable now,” Dolores replies. “They’re in another room. A bit bruised, but they’re awake. Adrian was even cracking jokes earlier.”
A soft smile forms on Liz’s lips. Relief.
But then… her voice trembles slightly.
“And… Bennett?”
The room falls still.
Dominga glances at Dolores, who shifts her eyes to Lola. The three of them exchange a look.
“Abuela?” Liz sits up. “Where is he?”
“Liz…” her grandma begins, but Liz doesn’t wait.
She pulls the IV from her arm despite her grandma’s protests. “Wait! Liz, don’t—”
But Liz is already swinging her legs over the bed, her body still weak but driven by fear and love. Her hospital gown flutters as she walks toward the hallway, her heart pounding.
Dominga, Dolores, and her grandma rush after her.
“Liz, wait! You just woke up!” Dominga pleads.
But Liz keeps walking. “I need to see him,” she says breathlessly.
In her mind, the flashes of the battle return. The light. The sword. The way Bennett stood tall before the serpent. The way he shielded them all.
She walks down the corridor, praying in her heart that he’s okay.
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