As night fell, they prepared for what might be their final battle. The abandoned cathedral on Elm Street had been empty for decades, but it sat on what the locals called "thin ground"—a place where the barriers between dimensions were naturally weak.
"Perfect for a ritual requiring massive amounts of divine power," Maria observed as they surveyed the building from across the street.
The cathedral loomed against the night sky, its Gothic spires reaching toward stars that seemed dimmer than usual. No lights were visible in the windows, but there was an oppressive quality to the darkness that suggested supernatural presence.
"I count at least six heat signatures inside," David reported, lowering his binoculars. "But there could be more that I can't detect."
"The basement," Elena said. "That's where they'll have the ritual space. And probably where they're holding Sarah."
Dario tried not to think about what Sarah might be enduring. The guilt of her capture was eating at him—if he hadn't involved her, if he'd been more careful...
You cannot change the past, Cassius said gently. You can only act in the present.
"What's the plan?" Dario asked.
Marcus pulled out a hand-drawn map of the cathedral's layout. "Maria and James take the main entrance—create a distraction, draw their attention. Elena and David circle around to the side entrances, cut off escape routes. Luna goes in through the bell tower—she can phase through solid matter when necessary."
"And us?"
"We go straight for the basement. While they're dealing with the others, we find Sarah and get her out."
"And then?"
Marcus was quiet for a moment. "Then we do whatever it takes to stop them."
Luna moved closer to Dario, her ethereal presence somehow comforting despite the circumstances.
"Your host is very brave," she said quietly. "And very foolish. This Sarah—she must mean a great deal to you."
"She does. Even though I... even though things between us..."
"Love is complicated when you're sharing a soul with someone else," Luna said with understanding. "I've been through three hosts in the past century. Each time, I had to leave behind people who mattered."
"How do you bear it?"
"By remembering that love isn't ownership. You can love someone and let them go. You can love someone and choose something else. It doesn't make the love less real."
Dario looked across the street at Marcus, who was coordinating final preparations with the others. The pull he felt toward him was undeniable—not just Cassius's ancient connection to Aurelius, but something deeper, more personal.
"He fell first, didn't he?" Luna observed, following his gaze.
"What?"
"Marcus. He's been in love with you since the moment you met. It's written all over his aura."
Dario felt heat rise in his cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course you do. The question is whether you're going to do anything about it."
"This isn't exactly the time—"
"This is exactly the time," Luna interrupted. "When facing possible death, when do you have time for anything but truth?"
Before Dario could respond, Marcus jogged back over to them.
"Everyone's in position," he said. "You ready?"
Dario met his eyes and felt that familiar jolt of recognition, deeper now that he understood its true nature.
"Ready," he said.
As they moved toward the cathedral, Luna's words echoed in his mind. When facing possible death, when do you have time for anything but truth?