Menelaus didn't get the time to even sigh in relief, or check to see what was going on with the children, before a familiar voice—so beautiful, with a cadence that made it hard to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman—sounded in his ears.
"I can't hold them off for long. This is your chance to complete the ritual. Your being—and your children's lives—depend on it. While you can abandon him now and attempt it on yourself, I still wouldn't say it's a hundred percent safe."
Menelaus's eyes shone. Hearing the voice now, he was more than certain that this was a Saint. Why this Saint was helping him, he did not know—nor did he care. When the time came for the Saint to collect, he would willingly lay down his life.
"You've already attracted the ire of the Existential Compendium onto him. However, you still have to finish it—and lock it to me. With that, you can safely perform the ritual on yourself without any complications," the voice continued.