Almost before the audience was settled in, Father Arlen was starting.

"Thank you for your continued time, everyone, I assure you, this will not last much longer," he announced. Taking a steadying breath, he turned to Mabel. "I'll admit, young lady, I was skeptical at first, but your testimony has proved without a doubt that you are who you say you are."

Mabel gave Norman a big thumbs up.

"However, even though you have proven yourself this boy's friend, you have not proven yourself one of ours," Father Arlen continued. There was a strange glint in his eye. He had a plan. This time, he addressed the crowd. "We have seen it before. A demonic possession! Don't let this girl trick you because she looks cute, the demons have learned from their past failures! Now, they intend to try and trick us to garner our sympathy. Don't let her trick you!"

"I'm not a demon!" Mabel shouted. "Just a ghost! I'm just helping Norman."

"Oh, are you?" Father Arlen asked. "Then why don't you prove it?"

"I will!" Mabel cried defiantly, before frowning. "Uh..."

Kris sighed. They didn't really have a plan for when they got up here, so they'd have to wait for this trial to finish, or something. They had an idea. All Mabel had to do was raise her hands... she did so, and then the ghost could do... something ghost-like.

Perfectly on cue, things suddenly started being raised up around the room. A flower pot at the back, before it was put down, a ladies hat, then it was put down again, and finally a small childly, which after the ghost was done was gently put down again. Kris frowned, squinting hard. If they looked closely, they though they saw the thin outline of a boy in a strange hat. Finn?

The outline waved. Hm.

Mabel grinned triumphantly, her hands on her hips like she'd just won the case. Kris was feeling pretty confident as well, at least until they both looked out into the audience.

With Mabel's little performance, the general air in the church had shifted. Faces that looked upon the little spectacle with excitement had turned white as a sheet. Some audience members had hunkered down, shaking with terror. Some, near the back, even looked ready to bolt.

Mabel and Norman exchanged bewildered glances.

"What is it?" Mabel called out, confused. "What's wrong?"

Father Arlen looked entirely too smug before he fixed his face. "Don't mind it now, young lady. Now, everyone, I think we, finally, have presented all the evidence. Are there any objections?"

Mabel, for once, kept quiet, though it was clear that she didn't really want to. She still seemed taken aback from the earlier reaction to her show.

"Perfect," Father Arlen said, all business. "Now, all who consider this boy, and, in extension, this demon, guilty, can rise."

To Kris, Mabel, and Norman's shook, the whole room rose, before Father Arlen waved them back down again.

"Ah, nearly unanimously, I see," Father Arlen said calmly. "I suppose we can skip who seems them as 'innocent', then. Now-."

"What?!" Mabel cried, stepping forward. "Guilty? How?! We proved it-!"

"Young lady, WHOEVER you are, please sit down!" Father Arlen snapped, before composing himself. "You've had your say, and we're quite done with that."

"But-?"

"Be. Quiet." Father Arlen hissed.

"He's innocent!" Mabel yelled back. "I know he-!"

To Mabel's surprise, it was not Father Arlen who protested. Instead, it was everyone in the audience, shouting Norman's guilt and crimes they had obviously only made up just now. It was so forceful that Mabel took a couple steps back.

Beside her, Father Arlen tried to hide a grin. Kris watched him. He thinks he won, didn't he?

"Oh no..." Kipo covered her face. She couldn't bare to watch this.

"Guilty? THAT'S a real surprise," Gale grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"We have to help them," Kipo begged, but Gale only gave her an odd look.

"Help her... how?" he asked her, skeptically, before his eyes widened. "Ah, the wooden menagerie. Yes, take your pick-."

"No, no," Kipo told him, shaking her head. The idea had merit, but sudden strange animals would not help their case at all. "Something else?"

Gale sighed. "Like what?" he asked tiredly. Kipo glared at him.

"You must have something else in your desk," Kipo said, but Gale only shook his head. Kipo growled, frustrated. "Can I look, at least?"

"Do you have no respect for privacy?" Gale snapped. "Of course not!"

"My friends are in danger!" Kipo argued.

"Your help is right. There!" Gale argued back, motioning to the box.

Kipo sat back, thoroughly annoyed. The animals... wouldn't help them, and neither would Gale, apparently. Was there really nothing Kipo could do...?

Kipo glanced at the box again, considering it. But as she turned away again, she froze.

...No... there WAS something she could do.

Kipo grabbed a piece of Gale's magic paper.

Father Arlen raised his arms quietly, and eventually, the crowd quieted down. Still, he waited a couple seconds before speaking.

"I am glad we are all in agreement," he said, slowly. "Now, I hate to keep you all from work more than you already are, but I need some of you to help deal with these two. Don't worry, you will be paid adequately."

Immediately, a dozen hands shot up. Father Arlen peered around at the volunteers, and then called out who he wanted.

"Miss Terry, Mr Jackson, and Mr Hale," Father Arlen called, and the ones he had picked on stood up. They all looked pretty big and strong, and they dwarfed both Mabel and Norman as they made their way up to the front of the church. A bit excessive, Kris thought. Father Arlen nodded at them, satisfied. "Perfect. Now, the rest of you can finally get to work. Ah, Mr Fraser, you can stay here. You're helping as well."

Fraser hadn't moved, but he nodded at Father Arlen anyway. Grier stepped up.

"Uh... Father, should I-?" he started, but Father Arlen waved a hand at him.

"Later, Mr Grier, later," he said, dismissing Grier easily. Grier nodded.

"Of cou-."

He was suddenly interrupted as a sudden cold blew through the church, raising cries of surprise from the departing audience. Everyone in the front of the church turned just in time, and a little piece of paper blew through the air, envelope. Eventually, Father Arlen took it in his fingers, and tore it open. In the stunned silence in the church, it sounded loud, and echoed throughout. From the envelope, Father Arlen pulled out a piece of paper, and quickly read it to himself quietly, his eyes scanned over the page. The rest of the gathered crowd watched with baited breath as his face changed from confusion to shock to horror, and all blood drain from his already pale face. After he finished, Father Arlen set the letter down, rearranging his face into something unreadable, but he couldn't hide the troubled look in his eyes. His fingers clutched the paper tightly, nearly completely destroying it.

Only Mabel was brave enough to step up to him. After exchanging a look with Norman, she spoke up, and her voice sounded way too loud in the silence.

"Hey, uh... what is that?" she asked Father Arlen, and as if broken from a spell, his face crunched up into a snarl. He raised himself back up, looking out into the crowd with a thunderous expression and thoroughly ignoring Mabel.

"I'm... afraid I have received terrible news," he announced. He held up the crumpled letter. "But first, rejoice! Look upon this: the word of God!"

The church broke out in cheers and crying, to an extend that it felt uncomfortable to Norman, Kris and Mabel, but it still wasn't as big as they were all expecting. It seemed the crowd hadn't forgotten about the 'terrible news'

The reaction was so subdued that Father Arlen could continue speaking over them easily.

"However..." he continued dramatically, and the crowd hushed. "The word is a warning. The Lord warns us that you're all in DANGER!"

The crowd gasped.

"There will be no more work today, you must all go home and lock yourselves in!" Father Arlen continued. He pointed dramatically at Mabel and Norman. "We've played directly into these monster's hands! They haven't only committed crimes before, their planning one right now against our little town. They expected this to happen, and are planning to kill us all for their dark Lord. Run! Run while you can!"

For a second, no one moved. And that second seemed to last for a long time, where Mabel, Norman and Kris were able to see each and every moment of Father Arlen's lie dawning on the crowd's face.

Suddenly, someone screamed, and the moment shattered. The crowd surged out, a panic unlike any other shoving them out, with every person intent of saving themselves, no matter who else got in the way. And when they were all trying to push themselves out of the slim door at the same time, it looked almost like a riot.

"Miss Terry, Mr Jackson, Mr Hale, Mr Fraser!" Father Arlen called out, and four retreating backs turned back to the front of the stage. Father Arlen pointed at Mabel and Norman. "Get them! Hurry!"

The four only like worry waver on their faces for a second before they all surged forward. Norman and Mabel cried out, but as Norman shielded his face, Mabel took something out of her pocket and through it at their attacker's eyes.

"Glitter Attack!" Mabel cried as the attackers stumbled back, "And there's more that came from!"

"What the hell was that?!" Fraser screamed.

Kris clutched their sword. This wasn't the distraction they wanted, in fact, it sucked, but if Kris played it right, perhaps it could still work in their favour. After all, they had a ghost Kris could barely see on their side, pointing them in the right direction.

Kris gripped their sword. What ever happened, happened, they supposed.

The attackers where descending on Mabel and Norman once again, still trying to blink the glitter out of their eyes. Mabel was standing in front of Norman like a knight, her hand in her pocket and prepared to grab more glitter, while Norman was tugging at his handcuffs, trying to tear himself free. The attackers were ready for them now, though, so Kris doubted Mabel's defense would work again. It'd be better to save that for later.

For Mabel or the attackers could do anything, Kris ran out, twisting around on their feet and sliding in front of Mabel, slicing at the attackers, who stumbled back pretty quick.

Kris' fingers flexed on their sword. It felt like déjà vu, because they knew they'd done this before, but it wasn't them fighting with the sword. It was like watching from a dream, and the sword both felt familiar and unfamiliar.

Kris didn't even know if they could fight with a sword or not. Other than That Person, the extent of their sword wielding was play fighting with their brother, who usually just let Kris win no matter what. Kris used to hit him extra hard for that.

They weren't sure if they could win a fight on that alone. Luckily, they had an extra edge on their enemies in the fact that no one else had a sword.

"What the- Who in the world are you?" Father Arlen cried. His guards also looked pretty weary now, backing away from the (admirably) dull blade.

Kris ignored all of that. They had a plan, and they relayed it to Mabel and Norman quickly.

Mabel brightened immediately. "Ok!"

"What?!" Norman cried. "How the-What?"

"Norman, let's go!" Mabel cried. Kris smiled to themself. She got it. She reached into her pocket, and threw the glitter again, twice as much as before. Like Kris had predicted, the attackers predicted it this time, and ducked away. But they hadn't expected the sudden wind that circled around them, carrying the glitter around in a tornado. Kris heard their screams of pain as they turned around, smacking their sword against Norman's cuff. It probably wouldn't work as a sword, but it made a pretty good hammer.

Norman still looked confused, but all he had to was follow Kris, so hopefully this wouldn't be too hard of a task for him.

"..." Norman stared at Kris. "I... can do that... how are you speaking inside my mind?"

Norman shouldn't worry about unimportant things while they should be leaving.

Norman looked tired. "I... fine," he sighed. "That's weird but I guess it's fine... or something."

Without answering, Kris turned away, leading Norman away from their panicking attackers. Thankfully, Norman didn't ask anymore questions, instead following Kris quietly. A look of realization came over his face as the two approached a seemingly innocuously spot of the stage.

"Oh, that's what he was doing..." Norman muttered to himself. Kris didn't say anything.

When they arrived, Kris gave a significant glance back at the glitter tornado, before nodding to Norman and opening the trapdoor. Kris didn't waste any time before hoping inside, and after some hesitation, Norman followed them, too.

Behind them, the glitter tornado was lifted, and the remaining people shook the glitter off of them, rubbing at their eyes and coughing it out from there lungs. But, as was the nature with glitter, as much glitter they brushed off, double the amount seemed to appear from nowhere.

"What the hell-," someone cried.

"Mr Jackson, watch your language!" Father Arlen cried. "Now get-! What?! Where did they GO?!"

"I saw them!" another person cried, pointing at the space the two had disappeared in. "They went out some secret way!"

"How did they-?" Father Arlen stopped himself quickly. "More of their demonic powers. If you know where they went, then FOLLOW them! We cannot let them leave, or hurt anyone else. Go, go!"

The four jumped, and then, after Father Arlen gave them a scowl, they quickly scrambled around the place Norman and Kris had disappeared, feeling around until someone found it and wrenched it open, dropping inside. The others hurried after them, and soon, the trapdoor snapped shut.

Father Arlen, left behind, growled, crumpling the paper in his hands. He read it again, a sneer curling up on his face, but in his eyes, there was also a deep seated fear.

When he finished rereading, Father Arlen shook his head, crumbling the paper once again.

"A false god," he muttered to himself madly, throwing the paper away. "It must be. An imposter. He's never... interfered like this before. No... I made the right choice, I know I did. He wants them dead."

Father Arlen shook his head, then nodded, then shook it again. He let out a frustrated growl, before turning, stalking out of the church and slamming the doors behind them.

In the now empty church, Mabel crept out from behind the statue, reaching for the paper.