Today was the day, the festival was soon to begin, and as was the standard affair, a wish would be granted at the castle to those chosen in secret by Vel the night prior. He would welcome them into the castle from which a parade showcasing the wisher and their wish would begin, and the festivities would begin in full swing.

Vel made her final preparations, sharpening her blades in her room.

There as a knock on the door. Nincy entered and shut the door behind him. He stood firm, locking eyes with his partner. He declared with resolve and conviction, "You're not doing this."

"Who's gonna stop me?" Vel demanded. "You? Them?"

Nincy shook his head, "Vel, come on. You don't want this. Gems Vel, you have to much to live for to-"

"And that just means there's too much to lose if Wishcraft goes ary again," Vel retorted, rising from her feet. "A whole country is gone, Nincy. It could destroy the whole world."

"And if I let you proceed I lose the most important thing in my world," Nincy pleaded. "Vel-"

"Step aside," Vel demanded gripping his blades.

Nincy said nothing and stood his ground.

"Now," Vel growled. "Or are you gonna make me?"

The two locked eyes, a silent, wordless debate of what to do, and forced to face the idea of harming Vel to protect her from herself...

Nincy flinched and looked away.

"That's what I thought," Vel growled. "This'll be over soon. You deserve better than me anyways. Wishcraft dies with me... I have already sent for the heroes to meet me in the courtyard. Do not intervene."

Vel marched onward to his own self destruction. Nincy yelled and punched the wall in a fit of self hatred, too scared to act he did nothing. He pulled a small idol from his pocket, a small idol of one of the deities his home worshiped. This one represented partners and the home. "Please... please save him from himself. If you have any power... please..."

The family stood in the empty courtyard, a sour wind blowing through the air as they awaited Vel.

Odile reread the letter she had received. "So... it says here he wants to talk about our wish?"

"Probably about how it works?" Bonnie suggested. "Not like any of us have revived the dead before."

Aster tensed up and avoided eye contact.

Isabeau declared confidently, "That's fine! What matters is that we did it! This is the end! We're getting them back, and we're going home!"

"We really do have to get Bonnie home," Mirabelle reminded. "They did leave without saying anything to their sister."

"It's fine," Bonnie brushed it off. "We've only been gone a week that's not that long?"

"Wasn't your sister frozen that whole time?"

Odile reminded. "I don't think that's the same."

"Whatever," Bonnie blew a raspberry and laughed playfully. Odile rustled their hair and chuckled.

Vel entered the courtyard, clad in armor decorated in stars he took a bow, "Heroes of Vanguard. Welcome. This will be the final festival and the final wish I grant. I will grant you any one wish."

"That's not true," Aster glared.

"What?" Odile inquired, confused.

"I suppose not," Vel shook her head solemnly. She glared directly at the family. "I'm not reviving Siffrin."

"What?" Odile demanded.

Vel continued, "Wishcraft destroyed my home nation. My brother is gone because I wished for a civil war within its borders to end with no victory. This reduces the nation to nothingness. Wishcraft dies with me."

Vel pointed his blade at Aster, "And that starts with them."

Isabeau stepped between Aster and Vel. "Hey, no. Calm down. There's no need for this. We can talk things out. I get losing your country was hard but-"

"You don't get it!" Vel screamed. "I have hated myself for years because of what I did! Because of what I erased! I was a scared kid surrounded by the enemy and my brother told me to wish! I wished, and he was gone! It was all gone because of me! I was just a scared kid! Imagine what a monster could do if they abused this power! Look at what Jince did! Look at what Zick did! Because of me!"

"That wasn't your fault," Mirabelle retorted. "Besides I'm sure that many were helped by your wishes! Two mistakes doesn't make you a bad-"

"Will you stop BLINDING talking!" Vel screamed, starting to cry. "I have been stuck with this guilt for my entire life! When I kill that starry haired fool I can be free! I can finally leave!"

"There are people who care about you," Odile pleaded. "I thought we were freinds to some extent. Nincy loves you. The people love you. You can't throw that all away just because you can't forgive yourself."

"Watch me," Vel growled lifting her blades...

"I don't think talking will do us anymore good..." Bonnie gripped their pan, determined.

Odile nodded, "I'm afraid not. Everyone ready?"

"Always," Isabeau cracked his knuckles.

"We just need to change her mind," Mirabelle added. "Siffrin aside, we can't let her do this to herself. If we don't do something she's going to hurt herself and Aster."

"We got this," Aster assured. "We're a family. We'll handle this together..."

Vel readies her blades...

Aster was the first to lunge forward, opening their palm and sending out a blast of Papercraft. Vel merely sneered as his eyes glowed blue and he weaved out of the way.

Mirabelle raised two fingers, sending out a wide wave of Sisscorscraft. Vel's eyes once more glowed, and she chuckled. She created an X shape with her blades, conjuring a shield that reflected the attack right back at her. Mirabelle tried to dodge out of the way, but Vel forsaw this as well. It was merely bait. Instead as Mirabelle ducked, Vel sneered and raised her fist, closing it to send out a blast of crushing Rockcraft at Mirabelle. Mirabelle fell to her knees from the blast, she tried to rise to her feet , using her blade to support herself, but it was no use. She fell to the ground, defeated.

Mirabelle has fallen.

Vel stood before the remaining four, laughing as if trying to calm himself from a long repressed breakdown of guilt and self hatred. The leaves of the trees blew in the wind behind him as he stood arms outstretched, awaiting the family's next move.

"She's predicting our actions!" Odile exclaimed.

"She has to have some sort of weakness!" Isabeau added.

"I got nothing!" Aster admitted. "We just have to keep attacking! We have to defend ourselves! There's no other way!"

"Yeah we can't let him hurt Aster!" Bonnie exclaimed.

The battle raged on. Vel dashed forward with impossible speed towards Isabeau. The fighter tried to evade the attack, Vel's eyes aglow the entire time. Bonnie tried to jump in to assist, striking at Vel from behind, but Vel sidestepped the child's attack, causing them to hit Isabeau in the face.

"Crab!" Bonnie exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"

Vel lunged forward, throwing Bonnie aside and stabbing Isabeau. The fighter coughed up blood and glared at Vel. "Your brother wouldn't want this."

Vel chuckled and twisted the blood. He assured, "I checked. Don't worry. This won't be lethal..."

Isabeau collapsed, unable to continue standing.

Isabeau has fallen.

"If we don't do something about foresight we can't lay a finger on her!" Aster exclaimed.

It was then that Odile noticed a scent. The scent of burnt sugar.

The ability to see and change the future.

The ability...

"It's... Timecraft," Odile realized. "She's using Timecraft!"

"OK but what do about it?" Bonnie demanded.

"Think!" Odile demanded. "You've spoken to him alone! Did he tell you what wish gave him this ability?"

Aster thought for a moment. "The ability to evade disaster... that was her wish. There must be a loophole."

Odile pondered it for a moment. She smiled, as the weakness occurred to her. "I know what to do. Bonnie, stay back! Aster! Stall him! I just need him to listen to me for a second!"

Vel laughed madly, slinging her limbs around like a rag doll. She lunged for Odile, only to be blocked by Aster who parried her attack with their dagger. "Vel!" Odile demanded. "You don't want this!"

"Yes!" Vel screamed. "I! Do! This is the only way this can end! This was always what I deserved!"

Odile thought for a moment. She couldn't think of what to say to get through to him. She knew what she had to do to get past the foresight, but how.

Then a voice exclaimed from the entrance to the garden, "Vel! Stop! Please!"

Nincy rushed forward past Odile-

Author's Note: It is from this moment the other two endings split off. Everything past this point will be for this ending and the others will begin here.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment as Nincy ran past Odile unarmed.

She had a choice to make.

She felt the world close in around her. She looked upon her fallen allies. She thought of Siffrin as they lay dying.

She thought about how hard she had tried to get past her self hatred.

And in that moment...

She failed.

She had to bring Siffrin back, or she was a failure.

No matter what terrible things she had to do.

She lunged for Nincy, and grabbing him by the throat. "FREEZE! NOW!" Odile screamed as she cracked under the pressure and self loathing. "Or he dies!"

Vel lowered her blades. Lucidity returned to her glowing eyes. They were full of panic as her hands shook. "Hey hey hey! Slow down a second! Let's not do anything rash!"

"Hey Odile hold on!" Aster tried to de escalate things. They knew that look in Odile's eyes. Odile was relapsing and if something wasn't done... "We don't need to resort to hostages!"

"Bring him back," Odile demanded.

"I won't," Vel growled.

"Hey hey easy easy!" Nincy pleaded. "I know tensions are high but-"

"Nincy look out!" Vel suddenly screamed as he saw what was about to happen.

Odile merely sneered and a loud snap filled the air.

Nincy crumbled up on the ground.

Odile had snapped his neck.

Odile sneered as she approached Vel. Aster stood in shock and horror, unable to move.

"Guess you're out of options," Odile played her trump card. Her plan came to fruition as she revealed her intentions. "If you want your partner back, give me the ability to undo death. Simple as."

"You just killed your only leverage!" Vel exclaimed.

Bonnie stood trembling over the corpse, mortified. "Odile... what did you do?"

Odile continued. "The killing WAS the leverage! Now you have to grant my wish, or he stays dead. So much for your foresight when you're so slow. Now grant the BLINDING wish!"

"What the stars is wrong with you?" Aster screamed. "You can't just kill an innocent bystander to get what you want!"

"Watch me," Odile retorted. "We came here to get Siffrin back. We're getting Siffrin back."

Vel sighed, defeated. There was nothing else he could do. He lowered his blades, his eyes no longer aglow, and fell to his knees. "I'm sorry Nincy..." he sobbed out.

Vel raised her hand, a glowing orb that slowly morphed into the shape of a star appeared. Odile reached for it, a wide grin on her face. The wish was at last within her grasp. The power to fix everything and-

A dagger sliced her hand. Aster glared at her, enraged. "Bonnie, take the others."

"But-" Bonnie protested.

"Now," Aster yelled.

Bonnie hesitantly complied, guiding the wounded Isabeau and Mirabelle away. Vel crawled over to Nincy, past Aster, speaking some prayer in her native tongue.

Odile didn't listen to it. It made her head hurt. She held the glowing sphere in her hand. Concentrated Wishcraft, gathered by Vel for a year to grant the wish of whoever possessed it. For a moment Odile pondered why, if Vel truly intended to destroy himself, would he create this?

Such a question didn't matter now, but it did exist. Aster glared at Odile and demanded, "Hand over the Wishcraft."

"What are you complaining about?" Odile demanded. "We win! You get your precious stardust back. We get Siffrin back."

"Not like this," Aster demanded. "I knew Siffrin. They were dear to me just like you. They wouldn't want this. We're using that to fix your mistake. We're reviving Nincy."

"Pry it from my cold dead hands," Odile growled. "Are you just scared he'll replace you?"

"I'm more scared he would be disgusted with you." Aster growled. "I'm not asking again. This is wrong and you know it. We're better than this."

Odile gripped her tome tight. There were no more words to say as she prepared for combat.

"I warned you," Aster reminded. "If we fought again, I wouldn't hold back."

Aster lunged forward as if at the speed of light. They were fast. Faster than Odile was prepared for. They gave a mocking smirk as Craft flowed around their body. Aster had to be faster so they Made Up Time. The speed would be their greatest advantage.

Odile leapt back as Aster closed the distance with a wide swing. They followed up their preparations with the forming of a fist, firing off a short range black of Rock Craft. Odile deflected the force of the blast with her arms.

"Why can't you just let this be over?" Odile screamed.

"Cause this isn't an ending worth having!" Aster retorted. "This isn't right and you know it!"

Odile opened her tome and closed her first, firing off Rock III. Aster was unprepared for the blow and was sent staggering back. Aster wiped black blood from their mouth and charged again. They had to give it all they had. They had to end this now.

Aster lifted their dagger and readied for the finale.

"Is it so wrong of me to want my family back?" Odile demanded. "Is it so wrong of me to-"

Vel suddenly stopped her prayer and whipped around, his eyes fully blue. "No! We have to stop her now!"

Vel leapt forward by Aster's side. Aster prepared to Just Attack with everything he had but the attack couldn't connect before Odile spoke. "...wish for a world without death?"

The sphere began to glow. "You maniac!" Vel screamed. "You've doomed us all!"

Odile laughed madly, "What is there to fear in a world without death? I win! Siffrin is coming home! We win! We-"

And she stopped.

Everything stopped.

The remaining colors left the world, just like the House of Change. Nothing lived or died ever again as nothing moved again.

For the world without death must also be a world without life. Without change. Without joy.

Without time.

Mirabelle rose to her feet, aching from her wounds as she saw the scene before her, everyone frozen in time as she remained immune to such Crafts. Unable to free them, she left. This Hero of Vanguard is said to still wander the world as it slowly freezes, seeking a way to reverse Odile's wish.

However her wish was granted, and a world without death was made by freezing it in time. The only way it could be.

Thus ended their search for a wish...