Without another word, Cecilia ran to the bridge. John was left to observe Chris as he struggled to piece back the Twilight. He circles Chris, like how a predator stalks wounded prey. "I assume that without death, there is no need for the barge of the dead and its captain." Chris couldn't even glare at John; his efforts concentrated on keeping the Twilight's form
"The spiritual energy needed to sustain you and the Twilight is slowly being taken away! That is why you're trying to infuse the ship with your energy, to give it a corporeal form. But will your soul be enough?" He continued to circle Chris, this time as if ridiculing the captain's efforts.
John kept circling Chris, his eyes gleaming with loathing for the captain. "Even though it's been some time, I can still read her like an open book. I could feel how much she cares for you. As a father, I dare to say that no man could ever be good enough for my princess!"
He kneels beside the captain. Chris, despite struggling to keep the Twilight intact, glanced at John. "When I first left my daughter, her grandfather and I were the only men in her life. Now that she has grown up, you are the third one and the only one left alive." He then grabbed Chris by his throat, John's hand trembling, threatening to crush the neck locked within his vice-like grip. "I know my wife and my father-in-law already said their piece. Now you listen to mine, if you ever make my daughter cry or hurt her in any way…I will unleash hell and all of its fury upon you!"
John then released Chris's neck and placed his hands on his shoulders, and he extended his hands towards the lattice that covers deck Zero. "What are you doing?" Chris asked as he struggled to keep the ship together.
"I created this lattice; I still have some influence over it." The lattice starts to crackle, and the energy begins to unravel. "I will transfer that energy into you, so you can keep the ship from fading away." The cracking energy entered John through his outstretched hand. It coursed throughout his body and exited through the other hand and directly into Chris.
This energy, however, was not enough; the ship was still fading away. John closed his eyes as he understood what needed to be done. "The energy of the lattice is not enough; I will transfer what spiritual energy I have inside of me to you. The Twilight will quickly consume this energy, so you'd better hurry and open the book!"
Chris suddenly panicked when he felt the sudden surge of energy. "What are you doing? Stop this, John, stop it, think of Cecilia!" Chris shouted; he desperately reminded him of his daughter.
"I am thinking about my child, this is for her, penance for hurting her, and to give back the world that she remembers." John concentrated harder, placing both hands on Chris's shoulders, but this time he was not only transferring the lattice's energy into Chris, but also his own.
"Interesting!" John chuckled and grunted at the same time. The energy transfer had an unseen side effect. John was able to dip into Chris's memories. "I guess at first you don't remember or recognize her. My girl was here in this very ship…twenty-four years ago. During her coma, her spirit wandered here on the ship, and the two of you met." John chuckled when he understood the connection between Cecilia and Chris. "The two of you were meant to be together; she was born for you, and you stayed for her."
"John, it's not too late, break the connection, save yourself!" Chris pleaded desperately to John. "Please think of how Cecilia would feel if she loses you this way! If you go now, who will unleash hell on me?!"
John started to fade away; he could feel his essence being siphoned away. "Captain, from one man to another…I beg of you. Save my daughter from the chaos that I created. Give her the one thing I failed to give her…a family!"
"No, stop this…there's still time, YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK HER HEART!" Chris shouted, desperate to make him think about his daughter.
With his last ounce of strength, he said his final words. "…and you, Chris…will be the one to mend it." Right before Chris's eyes, John dissipated completely into a bright light of energy, which went into Chris's hands.
"GRAAAAAAHH!" Chris shouted in despair, but he could not stop now, for if he did, the Twilight would vanish completely and along with it…the book of life and death. He felt in his hands a massive buildup of energy, and with one big push, he forced all of the spiritual energy in his hands into the Twilight. The metal behemoth creaked and groaned, rumbling as the energy coursed through it. Then it stopped; the Twilight was once again whole and with substance.
Chris fell on his back, sprawled on the gold deck, exhausted by the ordeal. His breaths were shallow and ragged. Cecilia arrived, followed by Bustamante and Murillo, "Captain…they're…here?" she said, as she looked around her and noticed that the Twilight was tangible and solid once more
"Captain, you did it, you stabilized the ship," Murillo said excitedly as she praised Chris.
Bustamante helped the captain to his feet. "How did you do it, Captain? You must be exhausted."
Cecilia helped to support Chris. "I thought you needed more spiritual energy. Where did you get that much energy?" As if she remembered something, she looked to her left and right. "Where is my dad?"
All eyes were on Chris, and he lowered his head and pointed to deck Zero, which is now free of the lattice. He turned to Cecilia and embraced her tightly. "Your father used the energy of the lattice to help me give the ship a stable form."
"Then my dad is a hero," Cecilia nervously said, trying to project a brave front. "Captain? Where is he?"
Chris tightened his embrace. "The energy was not enough to stabilize the ship; he gave up his spiritual energy so I could give the Twilight whole again."
When she heard what her father did, she buried her face in the captain's chest and quietly cried. Bustamante and Murillo exchanged sad glances. "I'm sorry, Miss Bermudez," Bustamante said, expressing his grief.
She embraced Chris tightly and said, "He was a brave man, he always was. I never doubted that he would see his mistake." She broke away from their embrace and held her face up and wiping her tears away. "I'm proud of him, I'm proud of my dad! He corrected the chaos that was unleashed, even if it meant sacrificing his existence."
Chris glances in the direction of Deck Zero, which is now clear of any hurdles. "Your father said, This is only temporary. The next time this happens again, we have nothing left to hold the ship together." He slipped his hands onto Cecilia's, their fingers intertwined. "We need to open the book before it vanishes along with the ship; we can't let your father's sacrifice be in vain."