Hell had arrived.
Far away, Mia felt a strange pressure in the air, like something unseen pressing against her soul. A chill ran down her spine. Pumeo, noticing her unease, frowned. "What's wrong, sister?" he asked.
"No, demon!" Mia snapped, her hand moving before she could stop it. A sharp slap echoed through the room. Pumeo held his cheek, eyes wide with shock. Mia gasped, her body trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she threw her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered.
Pumeo hesitated before wrapping his arms around her. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Mia pulled away, wiping her tears. "I think you were right all along... I am a demon."
Pumeo's breath caught. "No, you can't be!" His voice wavered, almost desperate.
Mia gave him a sad smile. "I thought you'd be happy to hear that you were right all these years."
Pumeo shook his head. "I called you a demon because I wanted to be wrong..." His voice broke.
Sophie woke up to the sound of hushed voices. Stepping into the room, she found Mia and Pumeo in an embrace. Something inside her melted. Hen joined her, pausing at the doorway. "Wow..." he whispered.
Sophie pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh." She leaned into his embrace. "I want this to last forever."
Deep in the underworld, the Demon Queen sat upon her throne, staring at the wasteland she ruled. Her kingdom—her home—felt empty. She stood and walked to the grand coffin resting in the heart of the throne room. Her fingers traced its surface, and her voice wavered as she whispered, "Why did you have to die?" A tear slipped down her cheek. "I never wished to see you gone... I only wanted to stand beside you."
Grief weighed heavy on her soul. Kiki had left her, choosing his family—Li and Lie—over their time together. Demon Girl was gone. Scarlett was missing. Everyone had left her behind. Slowly, she raised a trembling hand and pointed a finger at her own forehead. Dark energy swirled around her, pooling into her fingertip. "It ends now..."
Before she could strike, a powerful presence filled the room. A deep, resonant voice echoed through the halls. "I heard your sorrow calling me back."
The Queen's breath hitched. Her eyes widened as she turned. Standing before her was the Demon King—alive.
She fell to her knees, bowing low. "I'm sorry... please forgive me."
The King approached, placing a hand on her shoulder. "For what?"
"I blamed you for everything. I ruined our daughter's life. Now she's gone. I failed as a wife. I failed as a mother. I failed as a queen."
The King knelt before her, lifting her chin so she would meet his gaze. "No. I failed—as a father, as a husband, as a king."
She shook her head. "Don't blame yourself. It was me. I made a third of the universe hate us. I caused a war that consumed entire worlds. I—" Her voice broke. "I killed our daughter. I should die."
The King tightened his grip on her shoulders. "No. The universe never needed a reason to hate us. The war would have happened with or without you. And our daughter..." He exhaled, his gaze softening. "She is alive. She's on Earth."
A light began to glow around him. The Queen's eyes widened in horror. "No! You can't leave me again!"
She clenched her fingers together, raising her hands. With an incantation, she wove the fabric of the abyss itself:
O abyss that swallows time and fate,Darkness deeper than death's own gate,
By my will, by my wrath,
Undo the grave, retrace his path.
Demons of the void, I pay the toll—
Rip him from death, restore him whole!
A surge of power exploded around them, and the King's fading form solidified. He stood before her, whole and alive.
She clutched his hand tightly. "I want our daughter to see her father again."
The King nodded. "Then let's go."
The Demon Queen stepped forward, raising her hands high. A massive portal ripped open before them, the very fabric of Hell trembling. From its depths, the army of the underworld marched forward, ready to follow their king and queen.
Scarlett, still searching for her sister, felt the disturbance in the air. Her eyes widened as she turned toward the sky. "Mother..."
Mia felt it too. The ground beneath her trembled. The sky darkened. Pumeo shuddered beside her. All of Earth felt it.
Hell had arrived.