Cora wailed in terror as the onslaught of summoned beings plummeted toward her. She wrapped her arms around her head to protect herself, bracing for impact.

Upon that same instant, Cerberus' body began to shift and mutate right beside her into something massively black and inhuman. His nose lengthened into a thick snout. A long snake-like tail emerged from behind. His flesh became covered in a short and shiny black coat of fur. Claws as deadly as blades protruded from his paws, and his fangs sharpened to absurdly lethal lengths.

Cerberus' eyes burned red like glowing embers in the dark as he pounced in front of Cora. His jaws and fangs chomped away, feasting upon the oncoming souls in a crazed bloodbath of ripped limbs and severed heads. The more he ate, the fleshier he grew. His muscles expanded from the size of a wolf to a full-grown stallion. Cora scampered behind him for cover.

Not too far from them, Aunt Mathilde and Aunt Amelia joined hands to form a circuited loop with their arms. Their eyes closed in deep concentration as they chanted in ancient Greek and Latin. A thin gray veil emerged from the void between their arms. It ballooned into a large mushroom-shaped cloud. A gentle breeze sent the cloud towards the hoard of spirits. The moment it came into contact with the undead, the magic seemed to immobilize their movements in midair. The spirits became locked in place like transparent floating statues.

Between Cerberus' frenzied feeding spree and her aunts' paralyzing spell, the summoned phantoms finally began to simmer down. In time, chaos gave way to quiet.

Cora's brown eyes darted this way and that in a stunned stupor. While Cerberus seemed even more fearsome than ever, her aunts appeared visibly drained. Their radiant skin grew as dull and haggard as Cora remembered before any of them had entered this strange, forbidden realm.

In a feeble voice, Aunt Amelia pleaded with Cora, "We depleted much of our powers to save you from those spirits. Please come with us, Cora, before we wither away! Only you can help us regain our strength!"

The flaming red in Aunt Amelia's curls had indeed turned gray. Her face sagged with age and dismay.

"Oh, Cora! Aunt Amelia and I apologize for deceiving you, but truly we meant no harm. I promise you, you shall hear no more half-truths or lies from our tongues. From now on, we shall share all that is known with you," Aunt Mathilde vowed in faint, rickety tones. "Please do not abandon us when we need you most. Think of everything we have done for you. We took you in, Cora, and nurtured you as though you were our own flesh and blood!"

Aunt Mathilde's fading hair began to thin from her scalp. Strands of white and gray fell from her head in clumps.

Before Cora could respond, Cerberus released a thunderous roar. It echoed through the epicenter like a sonic boom. The force of it rattled Cora's bones.

The hellhound was crouched low with his hackles raised. His jaw cracked open to epic proportions as he primed himself to lunge forward. Cora began to panic. Cerberus looked ready to swallow her aunts whole.

"Cerberus! No!" Cora scolded. "Let me speak to them first, then I'll come back to you! I promise!"

She dashed over to Aunt Mathilde and Aunt Amelia and grabbed their hands, making sure to clasp onto Aunt Mathilde's left hand and not the prosthetic one on her right.

Gripping tightly onto her aunts, Cora closed her eyes and focused inward to call forth her powers. She thought about how much she wished to learn the truth from them, how much she needed to understand everything about what they had done in order to complete her duty, and how much she wanted to help souls like Theodore and Lianna find peace after being denied for so long.

Within seconds, a colossal hole opened up beneath Cora's feet and engulfed her and both of her aunts through a dark, shadowy portal. Cora yelped. Her aunts screamed. Cerberus immediately dove after them, but he was one step too late.

As Cora vanished from sight, he threw back his beastly head and howled pitifully at being left behind.