"Holy sh..." Alex's words were drowned out as he ducked to avoid the laser. Maia could feel the shot graze past her and explode on the wall behind her.

"Please try to avoid melting this pretty face off with laser guns. You would regret it immediately. Trust me," Alex said still aiming his gun back at them and winked causing the Queen to actually blush before regaining her composure. Julia and Maia rolled their eyes.

Maia was standing with her back towards the wall as Julia, Leo and Alex formed a semi-circle around her. It was at times like these where she wished she didn't quit Taekwondo when she was five. Of course, when she was five she never knew that her mother and baby brother would die on her seventh birthday in a car crash. She never expected her father to be diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, an incurable degenerative brain disorder, by the time she was seventeen. Most of all, she never expected herself to travel to a different dimension trying to find an artifact named the Prism of Delirium, the only thing left that could save him.

The Prism of Delirium was hidden in a different dimension due to it's tendency to kill anyone that touched it instantaneously. Worst of all, it killed all of their loved ones painfully and slowly. The government noticed this tendency and immediately sent it through the gateway hoping that no one would find it as the other world didn't even know of its existence. Obviously, that plan didn't work.

Queen Zelda stood before them with a dozen soldiers cornering them against the wall of the Queen's space ship. Julia was holding two daggers in her hands as she stood, eyeing the soldiers. Alex was standing in front of Maia, his back facing her as he aimed his gun towards the soldiers while managing to flirt with the Queen. Honestly, the effect he had on her was quite perplexing although it was kind of hard to deny his blond hair and electric blue eyes. Next to him, on the left of Maia, was Leo. He had the same brown hair, almond colored eyes and light olive skin as Julia, his twin. He was holding a bow and arrow, making eye contact with all of the soldiers and they shuffled uneasily. Maia stood in the middle of them, feeling guilty as they had to protect her. She couldn't seem to do anything besides getting them into different messes such as this one.

"I have always been fond of you," Queen Zelda began. "However, you will leave me no choice. Leave this ship now before I am forced to take action."

"And what's all this? A party?" Maia snapped back before she could stop herself. Panic started to rise in her as the queen's gaze turned steely as she looked at the short, blue-eyed, red-haired girl.

"I'm surprised that you have the nerve to speak," Queen Zelda replied. "You did nothing and continue to do nothing and you dare speak to me, the Queen who fought her way into controlling the entire realm?!"

Maia felt like someone punched her in the gut. The Queen hit a nerve and she knew it as a poisonous smile spread on her lips. Thankfully, Alex jumped in before any more damage could be done.

"Actually, my queen, you only rule the galaxy, not the entire realm."

Queen Zelda turned her eyes back to the boy in front of her and gave him a smile.

"Pretty but smart as well," she said, admiringly. "You belong here, Alex Wright. You belong here, by my side as my lieutenant. Together, we could achieve far more than you could possibly imagine."

"What? Power that no one needs?" he asked.

"Respect. Everyone in this galaxy, every single living and breathing soul will look at you with respect. They will understand your power, your potential and they will look up to you. You could finally become who you were always meant to be."

"And what's that?" he asked, his voice starting to waiver.

"A leader. With your looks, talent, and brain, you could've taken over this galaxy and many others by yourself. You were born to lead, to rule. That's exactly what you will be by my side. We can rule, lead and conquer as equals."

By now she was a foot away from them and extending her hand out to Alex. She was taking a risk but she had confidence that Alex would listen to her. She was smart enough to know what the most looked-down-upon son of the world famous billionaires desired: recognition. They could all tell that she had him in the palm of her hand.

After a moment, Alex spoke again, "A lieutenant is not the equal of a queen, a king is."

"Well, hopefully, in time, you can become one. My king," the Queen said, her eyes glinting mischievously. The Queen had so much power and control that Maia forgot that she was 21, only four years older than them.

Everything was silent except for the steady lull of the ship's engines. Maia quietly moved closer to Julia and could see Alex's expression. He seemed dazed, not sure what to say. They all knew that Queen Zelda wasn't lying. She wouldn't dispose of Alex after he seemed to grow on her in their many encounters and that's what made the decision so hard for him. He could have everything he ever wanted if he just lowered his gun. Everyone watched Alex intently as he was trying to make his decision. Maia could feel the panic rising in her. If Alex joined Queen Zelda they might as well jump out the window and let the empty space engulf them.

Finally, Maia couldn't take it anymore. "Alex..." she whispered. This simple action made him immediately snap back to reality as he looked firmly back at the queen who started backing up, sensing that something changed.

"It's really good offer, but you forgot about something."

"And what's that?" the queen asked, still anxiously backing up.

Alex leveled his gun and said, "The whole reason I'm here: my brother and friends." With that, he pulled the trigger.

The laser gun shot the all-powerful queen right in the heart. She stumbled backwards, gaping at the blood spreading down her elegant dress, still not believing that she could've been shot. She was tripping backwards from the shock as the heat from the laser spread all over her body, engulfing her, burning her from the inside out. She screamed as her body started disintegrating, turning her to ash. She never hit the floor.

The soldiers stood around, stunned for a moment. Finally one of them kneeled before Alex and the rest followed. They should've been executing him, but he set them free from the tyrannical rule of Queen Zelda. They could finally go back home to their families after five years of constant, merciless war.

Alex looked back at Maia and smiled, giving her his silent appreciation. She smiled back. Julia and Leo began to relax and stood in awe.

"Take us to the Prism of Delirium," he commanded them. They nodded and led the four through the spaceship. Finally, they entered a large room and in the middle stood the prism. The power practically radiated off of it.

The four walked up to it uncertainly and stood, staring. There, in front of them, was an object, the only object, that could heal all of their loved ones of CJD. That is if they don't die in the process.

"So, who's gonna hold it?" Leo asked.

"The legend says that certain people can hold it as long as they fit the all characteristics of the Prism," Maia stated.

"Yeah, and it also says that no one has been able to touch it survive to tell the story for about ten thousand years," Julia cut in.

"We have no choice," Leo argued back. They all silently agreed.

"What are the characteristics anyways?" Alex asked.

"Err... all of them?" Maia replied. They all turned and stared at her.

"Well it never specified a specific character, but in the texts it did say 'all the characters of the prism'," she quickly explained. "So what if it had a hidden meaning and meant all of the characteristics possible of a human?"

"Okay... But how are we supposed to have all of the characteristics a human could possibly have?" Alex inquired. Maia was silent for a moment, thinking. Then it struck her.

"What if we all held it? We all have different personalities, right? I mean Julia's the compassionate warrior, Leo the serious one, Alex the leader, and me, the somewhat smart one."

"Super smart one," Alex intervened. Maia let herself smile a little bit.

"We all have the main, dominant characteristics, right? So maybe it would work. And it has four sides, perfect for each of us to hold a side."

"I guess it's worth a shot," Alex said. The twins nodded.

They took their place around the prism and placed their hand on it unison. The prism started to glow with a scorching white light and heat started travel into the bodies of the four teenagers. The light grew brighter, engulfing them.

                                                       *                                           *                                    *

In the hospital room lied a man waiting for his daughter. He could barely remember her but she was too important for him to forget that easily. He wanted to see her one last time before he could no longer remember her, before he would die. Finally, the door opened and a short girl with blue eyes and red hair ran in holding an object between three other children. The man smiled, knowing that his wish came true, he did see her. He closed his eyes, finally at peace. The girl started screaming for him to come back, but he didn't want to break her heart by making her believe that he was healing, so he kept his eyes close and float off into an endless slumber. 

Suddenly, he felt something being placed on his chest and a warmth started spread around his body. He could feel new, pure energy coursing through him. 

The man started to wake up again.