So quiet.

It was how the hall where the virtues were gathered was. Each one on a table, and on the only empty table, there was a small child sitting. So it seems fair to say that all the virtues were almost there.

This small child, so solitary and calm, hid her sadness and disappointment behind a neutral expression. It was painful to see all her siblings there in their original state while she remained corrupted and divided. To calm her own heart, she emitted a white light, similar to an aura, from her hands, and formed it into a sphere on the empty table.

That was all she had left to do. Nothing. She could distract herself for eternity, her sister would continue causing trouble, and she would remain refusing to get involved. She had seen when they were corrupted, she had tried to escape and saw everything working against her to prevent her from escaping.

I would like to say that the cave was silent, but that damn dripping kept falling there. All the girl wanted was peace, but that incessant noise, hammering in her head, as if pressuring her to do something... she wouldn't look at the puddle under the drip; she was fed up with longing. Fed up with remembering a distant past she could never reclaim.

The girl just stayed there, standing, thoughtful and appreciating the virtues. She did not expect anyone else to come; everything was over anyway. This was the end of the story.

Except that it wasn't.

For from the hole Angela had made at the beginning of the story, a shadow descended with force. Aiming right at the child's head.

The impact of the attack was so strong that the piece of the floor where the shadow fell had cracked, throwing debris in all directions. However, none of the debris hit the virtues; it was as if, halfway through, they simply changed trajectory, avoiding them.

Criara maintained her psychotic expression as her hand pierced the ground, revealing she had not hit anyone. The assassin looked to the side, a bit surprised but not at all shocked, while the child now stood next to her, staring with indifference.

"Who are you? One of the humans?" The beast moved her arm, still in the ground, and used it to throw all the rocks from the floor against the girl as soon as she pulled it out.

But just like with the virtues, none of the stones hit Lalá; they just diverted from her along the way.

"No..." the girl deduced, semi-closing her eyes as if analyzing the one in front of her. "The body is human, but the power is very great. It resembles Michelle's."

"Who?" Criara disappeared the moment she asked, determined to rip the girl's head off with the next swipe. But did the child dodge? No, the girl didn't move a single muscle. Criara herself simply missed.

"I already told you that you won't be able to hurt me, no matter how much you try. I don't know why or how you came to me, but you're wasting your time. You're not strong enough to defeat me."

"Haha, that's up to me to decide!" Criara invoked her destructive energy through her cloak, regenerating the parts that had been erased by Fernanda earlier and launched it at the girl like a cannon.

But the blow simply reversed course when it was about to touch Lalá, and flew back toward Criara, who did not suffer any damage from the attack.

"You're good kid, but will you keep using those tricks of yours? At some point, you will tire out." Criara transformed into lava and charged like a jet against the girl. The jet came with full force but simply passed by the girl, creating an exact opening to avoid hitting her.

"You'll tire out before I do, adult."

The assassin continued to attack again and again. Lava, energy, even physical blows, but none hit. The girl did not move, nor did she express anything, and still nothing hit her.

"Not going to fight back?" Criara asked, seeing that, indeed, her advances were futile.

"I'm not interested. I'll just wait until you give up."

Criara laughed. A verb she did not accept very well, as there was always room for chaos.

This battle continued, half a virtue against whatever the other was. Perhaps calling it a battle is an exaggeration; this consecutive failed attempt at murder continued with one refusing to stop and the other not even trying.

"Why don't you use the sword?" the child questioned, noticing her opponent carrying a weapon in the sheath. "All these attacks and you haven't used it once."

"I don't even know how to use that thing. I prefer it in my hand; I'll be able to feel the sensation of telling you..."

"I found you!" Pedro shouted as he and James arrived at the cave. Both were still injured and weak but refused to leave Helena behind. "And... a child? Who is she? I thought all the generals had been defeated."

"She is probably the one who should have destroyed hope," the older one deduced. "Remember, there were supposed to be 20 generals just like 20 virtues. Even if one of the virtues was never destroyed, she should still have a general."

"More humans..." Lalá huffed. "...You really caused a mess, or should I call it a fix?" Criara did not even pay attention to the two outside; she saw a potential opening with the distraction and continued attacking, still missing. "But you're really annoying. I already told you to leave me alone."

With that command, Lalá moved her hand, pulling Pedro and James into the cave with force, landing right in front of Criara. The two got up still confused about why they had been pulled, while the beast stared at them, questioning if they were worth the effort or not.

"Helena." The uncle got up without wasting any time. "I know you're still in there. Control yourself, dear; don't let this thing dominate you."

"Uh... James, I don't think she's going to listen..." Pedro said. Looking into the assassin's eyes, he saw no emotion except malice. It was hard to believe that this wasn't the essence of the woman, as that was all it emanated.

Criara advanced against the two. The older one managed to raise a barrier in time; the beast slammed against the transparent wall but couldn't break it. The older one then, seeing that he managed to hold off her attack, doubled his power, placing a dome over himself and Pedro. His enemy (?) laughed at the fact that they were actually trying to confront her without attacking. None of the three tried to hurt her back. Out of fear, affection, or indifference.

She could easily see in their eyes how much determination was lacking to face her and had to admit it was quite irritating. Criara punched the barrier with all her strength, which made the object move a little, but not even she could break that wall.

"A very resilient power, but still not enough to stop me." Criara placed her hands on the wall and transformed into lava, liquefying and enveloping the dome. She wanted to increase the temperature inside until either they were burned or forced to leave.

But just as James could block even light, he could prevent the temperature inside from being affected, regulating it to stay at a decent level.

"Helena, listen to me." The uncle tried once more to be the voice of reason for his niece. "You can control these instincts and impulses. It's your body, and you can decide what it will do. This thing inside you doesn't have to be you if you know how to handle it. Helena, you can free yourself from it. Take back the reins of what should be yours."

Inside, the girl was able to hear but couldn't act. How can I explain? She was trying but at the same time wasn't, as if she was attempting to attempt. Gathering strength to at least start trying. But it was like the feeling of giving up, procrastination, or discouragement. As if, deep down, she didn't want to take control again, she didn't feel strong enough to control Criara.

The lava continued to envelop the dome, swirling around it, generating more friction and, consequently, more heat. It still did not affect the inside at all. But the lava began to swirl so much that a layer of fire formed between it and the barrier, plus the destructive energy Criara used to try to deteriorate the wall.

Chaos + fire + lava, this combination created the unimaginable, softening the barrier. For if Criara couldn't destroy it, if thrown correctly, she could mold it. The barrier liquefied, still hard, like rubber or slime, Criara grabbed the new material and pulled it off the duo. Now the lava advanced against them with no protection.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline, but in the shock Pedro managed to activate another mimicry, his ears elongating while his legs turned into hare paws. The priest leaped, holding James, out of the line of attack. But as he wasn't in the best condition, Pedro couldn't control the leap well, and they both crashed into a wall.

Criara returned to her normal form, staring at them, and immediately Pedro's mimicry dissipated. It was a fleeting chance, a single opportunity; there was not much more he could do, as Pedro truly could no longer fight. The mimicry was gone, the trees would have no effect against the chaos before him. As he felt the pain throughout his body, Pedro realized how out of place he was. He was of no use in this scene; he saw himself before his own incompetence.

James stood up, refusing to give up on his niece. Pedro asked him to stop, but the man paid him no attention.

"Helena, you must be completely terrified, right? You must be confused about who you are, whether it's this instinct controlling you or the one who wants to decide how to live. I can't do anything more for you except be here, except talk. You can control yourself. You don't need to hurt anyone else, hear what I'm saying."

Advancing with pure brutality, Criara thrust her arm through the man's chest, pulling out his heart while impaling him. A thin, morbid sound of air escaping his body, a breathless exhale, drowned in his own blood.

"NO!" Pedro screamed, seeing someone die once again. It was not the first, nor the second time, nor even the third, fourth, or fifth. He had seen it so many times that he was on the brink of madness.

Criara smiled triumphantly for having killed one of them. But her smile quickly disappeared with what came next.

"You think... you killed me by pulling out my heart?" the man said with exhaustion, lifting his arms and holding onto the one who impaled him. "I will not die. For my life is already saved in the light of the world. You can rip out my heart, or my head, or even disintegrate me, I will not die, for no beast is stronger than Him. I may not be here to see it, but one day, my niece will overcome you, for you do not control her. And if she lacks the strength alone, I am sure my Lord can help her. Helena, I know this is too much..."

Criara could no longer move. The old man's eyes stared at her without fear, with authority, seeing her as nothing. The old man continued.

"...you will have to continue this journey alone, at least without me guiding you. But you already know who to ask if you need... in any case, I love you, Helena. Never forget, you are not the beast you believe yourself to be or that others will accuse you of being. You can, YES, decide who you are."

With that said, the old man smiled and his arms fell. His soul departed never to return. Criara looked intrigued and somewhat frightened by what the man had said. Tears began to roll down her eyes as the assassin could not understand what was happening. She... didn't want anything more there for now. She had not managed to destroy anything of that man. Her cloak dissipated, her hair returned to being just a red strand, and Helena took control of the body.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, what have I done? No, no, no, no, no," she said desperately, pulling her arm out of her own uncle and cradling him in her lap. "Hey, talk to me, uncle, don't you dare leave me like this. I can't kill anyone else I love. Please, uncle, don't leave me like this."

As she panicked beside the man, Pedro panicked from a distance.

"Damn, I shouldn't have come..." the man murmured, struggling to breathe. "It's my curse, if I hadn't been here, no one would have... no one would have... I just came to make things worse, damn, damn, stupid, stupid, STUPID." He began to hit his own head as if punishing himself for failing to prevent anything. Again.

As the pair wallowed in bitterness, Lalá watched them with complete indifference. She stood there, merely observing, not interfering. Just contemplating the consequences of her sister's actions.

"Why?" the half-redhead snarled, but as it came out in murmurs, the girl had difficulty understanding. Helena repeated her question. "Why? What was the purpose of all this? These deceptions? These creatures? These fights? Why?"

"For hope to shine."

"Hope? What are you talking about? THERE IS NO HOPE HERE! Only despair, only chaos, only death, only suffering..."

"Lily is obsessed with being loved, being idolized, being special. And she only feels this way when people feel hope. But do you know when we feel hope? When we are in trouble. Hope only exists when we are in a tough situation. Hope is the feeling of salvation, of resolution, it is the expectation of a way out. The reason for all this? Exactly so that you would seek a way out. The worse the situation you are in, the stronger the hope will be when you feel it."

"Wait... you're saying that..."

"You haven't defeated anyone, you did exactly what she wanted. She will not stop here; she will plan chaos after chaos, over and over, on a global scale, just to see the whole world struggling and writhing in search of a way out. In search of her."

"NO! THAT'S A LIE!" The woman screamed, hugging her uncle tighter, feeling the blood flowing, more and more slowly. "AND YOU? WHO ARE YOU IN ALL OF THIS? YOU DIDN'T DESTROY ANY VIRTUE, YOU WEREN'T DECEIVED BY ANYONE."

"I am just an observer."

"DON'T PLAY WITH ME! YOU'RE JUST WATCHING WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING? THAT MAKES YOU JUST AS GUILTY AS SHE IS! WHY DON'T YOU DO ANYTHING?"

"You don't understand... there is nothing I can do. I don't want to do anything. I have nothing to do. I... I..." The pressure on the girl increased more and more; she felt watched by various gazes. Judging, loving, disappointed, stern, understanding. And I'm not referring to the humans, but to her equals, scattered around the cave, observing her actions just as she observes theirs. But the difference between her and them is that she can act, they cannot. "Since you want me to do something so much, very well, let it be your will." The girl began to levitate in the air, rocks and stones loosened from the ground, joining and merging into a huge spear, pointed directly at Helena. "I will end these heroes here and now, so there will be no one to feed anyone's hope. HAPPY NOW?"

The virtues blinked intensely, trying to signal the girl to stop. Pedro was too busy panicking to act, and Helena was so exhausted that she didn't even want to react. But again, the virtues couldn't act as virtues; if there were any remnants of a soul within them, they could stop Lalá, they could communicate with her better.

But how? They were just spheres, they were celestial, spirits, deities, but not souls, not something that could move in the human plane. There was not a single trace of something they could use... wait. There was one thing. A remnant kept within each virtue.

Lalá moved her hand and the spear descended towards Helena, ready to end it once and for all. And as the attack approached, the virtues glowed, the spear was split into two pieces right in the middle, and the one responsible for cutting it was flying towards Lalá.

"G-Gaya?" It was indeed her, the smiling swordswoman, wrapped in blood. However, now she did not wear her classic smile, only a face full of compassion.

"Enough with the deaths, Lalá." The general said, placing her hand on the girl's cheek. "The blame for what Lily did is not yours, but the negligence is. One blame is not tied to the other. Take responsibility for what is yours."

"B-But... I..."

"You still have a choice." This time, the blood was replaced by a red light, within a nun, dressed in black, like any other. "Things are not predetermined. You still have the power to choose the life you want, you can still turn the mistake into a success."

Red turned to Brown, and a young Korean girl, without a unicorn horn, appeared.

"You are not trained, you are not her animal. You can rebel."

Brown turned to Blue, and a gangster, without fangs or sharp claws, emerged.

"You know what is right; deep down you know it. Don't fool yourself into saying you're not obligated to anything."

Blue turned to Gold, and a girl with brown hair, cruelly dyed blonde, and devastated eyes, but with a face, appeared.

"You need to hear the voice of reason and see the world for what it is. See things as they are."

Gold turned to Transparent, and an octopus appeared.

It did not speak, as it was just an octopus, but Lalá recognized the animal and already knew what it would say to her.

Transparent turned to Colorful, and various children appeared.

"Your sister acts out of malice and needs to stop."

Colorful turned to Purple, and a lady, not in armor but in a dress, appeared.

"That doesn't mean your sister is evil. We don't need to label humans in these terms; she's just been led astray by evil. You will open her eyes."

Purple turned into several small Orange Balls. And a mother and daughter pair, without blue skin or mourning clothes, appeared holding hands.

"You don't need to fight. You can try talking, listening." Said the mother, followed by the daughter.

"But if she won't listen, and starts to belittle you, you must show that what you feel also matters."

The Orange Balls turned Yellow. And a Flarmen, as beautiful as ever, appeared.

"You both came from the same place; you understand her feelings. You know that, in a distorted way, she has good intentions."

Yellow turned into Musical Notes, and a weak man with tears in his eyes appeared.

"Deep down, you know she is not as powerful as you make her out to be."

Musical Notes turned to Wine, and a deformed young man appeared.

"Are you afraid? Why? Fear is trivial compared to what you truly need to do."

Wine turned to Gray, and a normal man, without viper traits, appeared.

"If fear persists, remember that sometimes we must take risks if we want a better life."

Gray turned to Violet, and an extremely anxious teenager, in regular clothes, appeared.

"J-J-Just try not to overthink it. Just do it."

Violet turned to Green, and a human teenager appeared.

"You are not alone in facing her. We will be in your heart."

Green turned to Glass, and a hospital patient appeared. A mirror appeared in front of Lalá, but it did not show her, but the "old" her, the sphere, the virtue of hope.

"Don't do it just for others. This is for you too; it's about the true meaning of hope."

Glass turned to Pink, and an emperor without horns appeared.

"You are half of a deity just like she is. How long will you keep belittling yourself like this? Take action."

Pink turned to Black, and a girl with glasses, without a cloak and with normal eyes, appeared.

"To change the world, you first have to change yourself."

Fernanda's soul fragment embraced her, while tears fell from Lalá's eyes. Fernanda vanished, leaving her black color enveloping the girl. Once again, the others appeared, all 19 colors dancing around the girl, repeating everything again in voices, not theirs, but the generals', the voices of the humans who had gone through all that struggle and could help her. Voices that carried experience and conviction.

"Can I... do this?" Then all the colors turned white, while Lalá's black eye turned white. For the first time in a long time, the girl felt hope.

The child slowly floated to the ground, the divine light around her diminishing. She looked at the two humans there, suffering, completely uninterested in what had happened.

"I'm sorry." The girl finally allowed herself to embrace. Finally allowing herself to see, really SEE, the consequences of what her sister had done. "I will stop her, trust me."

The girl levitated the three of them—Helena, Pedro, and James' corpse—out of the cave, far from it. So they wouldn't have to be involved in the mistakes she had made anymore.