The Roma and Her Demon, Part 3: The New Protectors of Paris

The heavy iron door muffled the chaotic sounds of battle from above, leaving the crypts in a heavy, suffocating silence broken only by Esmeralda's ragged breathing.  The orange glow of the risen sun filtered through the high, barred vents, its bright light causing the ancient stone sarcophagi to cast shadows around the area.

A moment passed, and then the semi-intangible form of Yubel rematerialized beside Esmeralda, her pink skin glowing faintly against the cold stone. "All right, we're here," she told the young performer.  "Time for us to get started."

"'Get started'?!" Esmeralda snapped, pacing frantically on the damp stone floor.  "Yubel, right now, my friends are fighting what is likely a losing battle against Frollo and his vast resources, while the two of us sit here among the dead! We've gotta get back up into Notre Dame, and then I'm sure that we can—!"  But then, she stopped mid-sentence when Yubel floated directly into her path, her vertical third eye snapping open with a piercing violet glare that caused the girl to freeze.

"We can what?!" Yubel challenged.  "Use Nightmare Pain on that whole army and basically risk everything and everyone in the area ceasing to exist—including us?!"

She leaned in closer, her dual-layered voice dropping to a harsh, resonant whisper. "If I unleash my power out of desperation at this point, your fragile human mind will shatter from the feedback.  The ensuing magical shockwave will tear through the sanctuary, killing your precious Hunchback, your Captain, and the Priest."  She sighed to calm herself.  "You need to master the detachment now, or else your recklessness will end up becoming their executioner."

Esmeralda gazed at her childhood friend, a question in her eyes.  But she didn't need to ask it aloud, because then, Yubel’s vertical third eye suddenly flared with a brilliant, swirling violet light that completely swallowed the darkness of the crypt. The stone walls and ancient sarcophagi vanished, replaced by a rush of blinding color and warmth.

Suddenly, Esmeralda found herself standing in a vibrant, sunlit clearing. The grass was a deep green, and the air smelled faintly of wildflowers and campfires. Ahead of them stood a younger version of Esmeralda as a child, laughing as she watched a younger, more vibrant Yubel weave intricate illusions out of light to entertain her.

"Let me show you what happened to the two of us, before I left for that fated war," Yubel’s voice echoed gently from all around them, detached from her physical form.

The idyllic scene suddenly shifted. The sky turned a bruised, angry purple. The sound of distant war horns and the heavy march of armored boots rumbled through the earth. The young Esmeralda was pulled away by older Romas, weeping and screaming for her dearest friend.

The vision centered tightly on Yubel, who stood alone at the edge of the camp. Armed soldiers descended upon her from all sides. In the memory, Yubel unleashed a devastating wave of dark fire. But as the soldiers shrieked in agony, the young Yubel also collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest and crying out in identical pain—the very same feedback Esmeralda had just experienced in the square.

"Take a good long look," Yubel instructed, her spirit form appearing right next to Esmeralda within the memory. "As you can see, I did not possess the detachment back then. I allowed their terror and their hatred to flood directly into my own heart. It did not just kill them, Esmeralda. The emotional backlash paralyzed me as well, and left me vulnerable. That is why I became the first casualty of that war. I show this to you now so that you do not repeat my fatal mistake."

As the vision faded out into nothingness and placed Esmeralda back in the crypts, the young Roma placed a hand over her heart in shock and fell to her knees in tears, with Yubel resting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"How sad—for both of us," Esmeralda sobbed, taking a deep, stabilizing breath as she wiped away her tears. She gazed up at Yubel's semi-intangible form with a decisive frown.  "I cannot lose myself—not as you did."  She nodded resolutely.  "All right.  We'll do this your way.  What's Lesson Number One?"

Yubel nodded resolutely as well, her dual-colored eyes softening upon hearing the steel in her friend's voice.  "At this point, Esmeralda," she told her, "Lesson Number One is, Learning to Sever the Mirror."

"Sever the Mirror?" Esmeralda repeated uncertainly, and with a puzzled look.

"Yes," Yubel affirmed with a short nod, her dual voice echoing cleanly off the tomb walls. "When you feel agony from an individual or a group of such, your mortal instinct tells you to hold on, because you are empathetic.  However, you must view human pain as not a part of you, but a passing shadow."

Esmeralda nodded firmly as Yubel raised her sharp-clawed hand, causing a tiny, flickering spark of black flame to manifest within her palm, and instructed, "Now, close your eyes."

Esmeralda stared at the small flame quizzically, but then Yubel explained further.

"I'm going to feed you a microscopic fraction of Frollo's fear from earlier.  Your goal is not to fight it or push it away.  Rather, let it enter your mind, acknowledge it, and then let it slide right out of your spirit like water off a stone.  Do not own it."

Esmeralda took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and closed her eyes. "Do it," she told her mentor simply.  And with that, she took a deep breath and sharply raised her hand. The miniature spark of dark energy between them violently expanded, swirling into a dense coil of black flames that hissed in the cold air of the tomb.

"Nightmare... Pain!" she commanded.

As the dark magic flared, she immediately felt the horrific echo of Frollo's guilt and terror attempt to claw its way into her mind, and the heavy, suffocating weight of his malice threaten to squeeze her heart.

However, instead of fighting the darkness with anger, Esmeralda anchored herself. She focused on the bright, warm memories of dancing in the sunlit square, the unconditional kindness in Quasimodo's eyes, and the fierce loyalty of Phoebus. She erected these pure thoughts like an impenetrable wall of light inside her mind, blocking out the incoming wave of bad memories.

The phantom agony washed over her mental barrier and slid harmlessly away into the shadows of the crypt. Her breathing remained steady, her pulse didn't race, and she kept her footing perfectly.

Yubel’s third eye widened in genuine surprise, a rare look of awe washing over her sickly pink face. "Wow," the spirit breathed, watching the black flames crackle safely under Esmeralda's absolute control. "You did not just detach yourself from the pain, Esmeralda. You neutralized it with your own light. You learn much faster than I ever could."

"Esmeralda!  Hear me!" Frollo’s voice suddenly boomed from the top of the stairs a moment later, muffled by the heavy iron door but dripping with chilling malice.

"I know that you are down there among the dead, hiding like the rodent you are!" he declared.  "Your accomplices have been subdued!"

The heavy, metallic thud of a soldier's boot struck the iron-bound door, making the stone walls of the crypt vibrate.

"Surrender yourself to the Ministry of Justice within three minutes, or I will bar this door from the outside and flood these tombs with oil," Frollo threatened, his tone twisted with desperate fury. "This entire cathedral will become your final pyre!  The choice is yours—surrender... or burn!"

Esmeralda opened her eyes, the black flames around her hand snapping out instantly. She looked up at the ceiling, her face hardened with determination, completely unfazed by his threats.

"Esmeralda?" Yubel prompted.

"We need to go—now, and save our friends," Esmeralda related.

"'Our' friends?" Yubel repeated uncertainly, arching a curious eyebrow.

"I know Frollo by now," Esmeralda explained.  "He claims to completely respect the One God, so I'm sure he won't lay a finger on any part of Notre Dame."  She sighed resignedly.  "But, as for Quasi and Phoebus—that's a different story."  She gazed at Yubel with a decisive frown and nod. "Training's officially over. Let's go."

On that note, Yubel nodded her agreement as she suddenly and fully coalesced into a radiant, solid form beside Esmeralda. Her mauve skin and split-colored hair shimmered against the dark stone, while her vertical third eye glowed with an unwavering, supportive light.

As they charged up the winding stone steps toward the heavy iron door, Yubel looked at her pupil with fierce pride, reminding her, "Remember, Esmeralda—you are not alone.  Not now—and not ever."

Esmeralda gripped the iron handle of the crypt door, her eyes flashing with a blend of her own inner fire and Yubel's ancient magic. "And you will never be alone again," she returned, throwing her weight into the heavy latch. "From now on, we honor the past to move ourselves forward."

And with a powerful thrust of her hand, she channeled a controlled burst of black flame straight into the locking mechanism. The heavy iron bolts shattered instantly, and the heavy door blew outward with a resounding crash.  That's when the two friends burst back out into the grand sanctuary of Notre Dame, the bright light of the altar illuminating them.

"Frollo!" Esmeralda called ominously, causing her nemesis and his final circle of guards to spin around in sheer shock, while Quasimodo and Phoebus, pinned down by a battalion of soldiers near the pews, looked up with a sudden surge of hope.

"Time to settle the score," Yubel added.  "So release our friends now!"

"Or face our justice head-on!" Esmeralda finished.

"What?  This cannot be!" Frollo shrieked, backing away toward the altar upon seeing the perfectly composed, supernaturally empowered Romani girl marching toward him, flanked by the formidable specter of the Spirit Realm.

"I'm afraid this is all too real, 'Your Excellency'," Yubel taunted him, her third eye flashing with dangerous brilliance as her dual-layered voice reverberated off the stained-glass windows. "You wanted Esmeralda?  Here she is."

On that, Esmeralda stepped forward into the light of the altar, her posture completely devoid of fear. She raised her arms, and a protective aura of black flames crackled harmlessly around her fingers, perfectly under her control. "However, if you do want me, you have to take us both on—but I warn you, I am no longer the lowly street performer you hoped to make yours, or the girl you unfairly convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death.  Now, I am, forevermore, a protector of Paris and its people."

Quasimodo and Phoebus eyed the duo of reunited friends who faced off against Frollo, and the latter remarked under his breath, "I think Esmeralda gained some fire down there."

"Indeed," Quasimodo murmured.  "And look at Yubel!  She seems... solid, like us!"

Phoebus followed his gaze toward the scene and drew in a breath in realization.  Sure enough, it seemed that Yubel was no longer semi-intangible; now, she seemed to be just as corporeal as everyone else in the area.

As for Frollo, his face had contorted into an expression of sheer desperation as he stared fearfully at both the perfectly unburned woman, and the towering, pink-skinned spirit of the legend standing firmly at her side. Furthermore, the soldiers who were holding Quasimodo and Phoebus began to tremble, their grips loosening on their captives as they began to slowly realize their weapons were useless against a force that could command the dead..

"Do you fear us, Frollo?" Esmeralda challenged calmly, glaring toward her nemesis and his trembling soldiers.  "Just as we Romas feared you for the past twenty years?"

"You've reached the end of the line, Minister," Yubel added.  "And now, we offer you a choice—surrender and leave peacefully..."

"Or be exiled by force," Esmeralda finished, her arms crossed firmly.

For a few fleeting moments, Frollo stood frozen on the spot, his nervous fingers brushing the hilt of his dagger.  Then, after a literal second, he snarled in his throat as he drew that weapon from his scabbard as a last resort, pointing it directly at the Romani girl and her companion.

"DEMONRY!" he choked out, his voice cracking under the absolute weight of his terror. "Do you truly believe I actually fear your filthy kind and this unholy demon?  I DO NOT!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Esmeralda taunted him.

"It's your move," Yubel added.  "But don't say we didn't warn you."

With teeth clenched in anger and eyes full of rage, Frollo glared at Esmeralda and Yubel and, with a warning snarl, slowly advanced threateningly toward the two of them, step by step, his dagger pointed directly at the Roma's heart.  Esmeralda could barely hear Quasimodo and Phoebus's voices calling out to her and urging her to do something, but instead, she kept her eyes fixed on Frollo.  That's when he raised his dagger to strike what he believed to be his enemy's fatal blow—

ZAP!

—and suddenly found himself completely immobilized.  He gasped in shock as he struggled to budge himself in any kind of way.  But no matter how much he willed himself to try to move, his body would simply not respond.

"What?!" Frollo exclaimed, as Esmeralda nodded firmly.  "What sorcery is this?!  I cannot move!"

"Sorry, 'Your Excellency'," Yubel declared ominously.

"But we did warn you," Esmeralda finished, equally ominous, her voice ringing out through the vast sanctuary with absolute authority.

Frollo snarled and grunted in effort, trying in vain to budge any part of his body, only to receive mocking glares from the enemies who had literally planted him to the spot.

"It's not nice to mess with our friends, or our city," Esmeralda told him.

"Indeed," Yubel added.  "You should have gone quietly when you had the chance."

"Now, you must face your multitude of sins once more," Esmeralda finished.

She locked eyes with Yubel and gave a sharp, resolute nod. Yubel returned the nod, her third eye pulsing with a blinding violet intensity as she flowed into perfect synchronization with Esmeralda. Together, they raised their hands toward the trembling Minister of Justice, calling out two words.  "Nightmare... Pain!"

And at that command, a roaring, magnificent torrent of black flames erupted from Esmeralda's hands, surging through the nave of the cathedral. The dark fire focused directly on Frollo, slamming into him like a tidal wave of pure judgment while leaving the guards, Quasimodo, and Phoebus entirely untouched.

As everyone within the cathedral watched in amazement, Frollo screamed in desperation and anguish, dropping his dagger as the flames engulfed his mind. And, because Esmeralda had mastered the detachment, she didn't feel a single drop of his agonizing feedback. Instead, she stood tall and steady as Frollo was forced to vividly experience the crushing weight of his own tyranny, his hypocrisy, and the endless suffering he had inflicted upon Paris.

He fell to his knees before the altar, weeping frantically and clawing at his chest as the illusions tore his dark conscience apart. And, with their master having been completely broken by a power they couldn't hope to fight, the remaining guards dropped their weapons and fled out of Notre Dame toward the unknown, while leaving Quasimodo and Phoebus free.

With the soldiers now gone and Frollo fully subdued, Phoebus looked down at his own hands, then at the scattered weapons on the floor, and finally at the imposing, three-eyed spirit hovering gracefully next to Esmeralda. He rubbed the back of his neck, his battle-hardened composure entirely undone by the supernatural display. "What in the world was all that just now?!" he exclaimed incredulously, and then prompted uneasily, "Esmeralda... please explain."

Esmeralda blinked, looking at herself and then at the completely shattered Frollo whimpering by the altar. She gave Phoebus an innocent look, asking, "Explain what?"

Yubel shifted her dual-colored gaze toward the confused captain, her sharp lips curling into an amused, enigmatic smile. "Um, I think he wants to know why I'm suddenly solid now."

Quasimodo stepped forward, his eyes wide with wonder as he carefully approached them. "Esmeralda, you—you managed to hold back the pain!  I could see it in your eyes.  You didn't collapse this time.  How is that possible?"

Esmeralda cast a meaningful glance toward Yubel, winking at her.

"It's quite simple, my friends," Yubel explained, her voice vibrating softly through the sanctuary. "She chose to anchor herself in the living, rather than drown in the sins of the wicked.  In mastering such detachment, she has firmly stabilized our bond.  And as such, I am no longer a mere ghost tethered to her soul.  Now, I can draw upon her life force to manifest physically whenever Paris is in need of our protection."

Upon hearing Yubel's explanation in its entirety, Phoebus let out a long breath he seemed to have been holding ever since the bonfire to carry out Esmeralda's execution was lit.  A moment later, his expression softened as he gazed at the spirit with genuine gratitude. "I—" he began before exhaling in resignation and deciding to change his thought.  "After everything that just happened, with Frollo, his attempt on Esmeralda's life, and learning of her history with you, I don't know what to think."  He sighed again before continuing.  "But... thank you, Yubel.  You saved us.  You saved Paris."  He eyed Esmeralda warmly and finished, "And above all, you saved her."

Esmeralda returned the warm smile and reminded him, "She didn't just save us.  She was protecting me—protecting us."  She gazed at Yubel gratefully.  "In truth, she was honoring a longtime promise to an old friend."

Yubel hovered a fraction closer, her three eyes softening as she looked at the captain, then at Quasimodo, and finally down at Esmeralda. "And as now, I shall continue to protect you all, for it has been written in the stars."  And with a serene smile, her physical form dissolved into a brilliant, swirling ribbon of pink and violet energy. The light danced through the air before gently pouring directly into Esmeralda’s chest.

For a brief moment, Esmeralda’s eyes flashed with Yubel's distinct dual-colored hue, and the faint outline of a third eye gleamed on her forehead before fading away completely, leaving her looking perfectly normal once more.

She took a deep, clear breath, feeling the warm, comforting presence of her old friend and mentor resting securely within her heart. Then she gazed gratefully at Quasimodo and Phoebus, extending a hand to each of them.

"Let go of the past," she reminded them—including Yubel—softly, her voice steady and filled with a bright new hope for the future. "Keep moving forward."