He releases another grunt before stepping back. Yet his staring doesn't cease. Well, that must just be his manner. Who am I to judge after seeing him fight so well? He's officially won us the first trial, bringing me one step closer to getting Nikki back. For that alone, I'm willing to overlook any...eccentricities.

A white swirl of air appears within the circle, making the souls more erratic than before. It's almost like a portal, remaining open right in the middle while the souls move around it, almost as if being sucked inside.

"They're here," Cer says.

"I can only see a white mist." I frown.

"That's them. They're not visible to the naked eye," he explains further.

"Do we still need to convince them to go back?"

"I think at this point they're all pretty willing," Thea jokes, describing that the souls are overjoyed to have escaped the demon and that the Collectors are having an easy job getting them to cross over.

We wait for moments on end, and Thea relates to me what's happening that I cannot see. One soul after another, they say yes to the crossing. There must be over a hundred souls that the demon had accumulated over time.

"Is Olive there?" I ask, remembering the sighting.

Thea smiles.

"She is. I guess now we know how she came to be at this location when she died in another country. The demon must have eaten her soul there before coming here. And he used her projection to draw other victims."

I nod, happy with the outcome. At least now she'll be able to find peace in the afterlife.

"There are only a few left." She points out to the few particles of colored mist remaining.

When the last ones have left, the portal snaps shut and the entire room returns to its initial state.

It's rather shocking to realize that the first trial is done.

"We did it," I whisper, slowly turning toward the other three. "We did it, guys!" I squeak in excitement, jumping up and down. Thea joins me, grabbing my hands as we twirl and hop around. The guys, however, are merely looking at us with bored expressions on their faces. Cer shakes his head at Thea, already used to her shenanigans, while Ze simply stares at us. His hands are behind his back, his spine straight, his chin tipped up. He stands so still, no muscle moves on his face.

"We passed the trial," both Thea and I chant as we continue to jump up and down.