Dark hadn't been sure at first. He really didn't think Mia could be capable of freeing him. He had been depressed and hopeless about it since the day Actor took control over him.

He had been so weak . . . unable to fight.

But now . . . .

With Mia and all the Septics here . . . with himself freed . .

There was a rage boiling inside of him he forgot he had. It burned and ached to be released and he was all too willing to let the fire rise.

"D-daaaaark" Actor twitched. Even though Dark was freed now, Actor still had his body, "You're looking a little pale, there. Maybe you should have 'rested' a bit longer, hm?"

"I may not have my body . . . but I'll get it back and this time, YOU'LL be the one trapped behind a mirror" Dark's voice rumbled low and threatening and even Mia shuddered.

It had been a while since she had really seen Dark angry. The real Dark, that is.

"Funny you say that" Actor snarled suddenly, "It appears things may have not gone according to plan . . . . but that's alright" he smiled, "I always tend to have an ace up my sleeve . . . just like on poker nights"

Mia took a breathe and briefly remembered what it felt like just a moment ago when she 'resurrected' Jackie's body.

That white fire lit around her body once more and Actor snorted, "Nice parlor trick. But it'll take a lot more to go against me than-"

Dark twisted him around and punched him across the face, sending him staggering to Mia who then grabbed him by the front of his face and let her light burn.

"AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhHH!!" Actor screamed as she burnt his face and threw him to the side on the ground.

But instead of just screaming again, the man started to laugh, "Ahahahahhhahahahahahahhahahahaahhahahah!!!!!" Actor pulled his own hands away from his face. Burnt as it was, it started to heal and his grin was wide and wild, "LIKE I SAID! IT'LL TAKE A LOT MORE THAN THAT TO GET RID OF ME!!"

Mia turned to Marvin, "Marv. . .I can give you your magic and you can take everyone else back home. You'll-"

But Marvin shook his head, "No, Mia. You said it before. We won't let him hurt anyone else. We do this together"

Sean nodded, "We may not be able to do much but-"

"You can't do anything, Sean. No offense" Dark interrupted them, "Mia's right. You all should leave except for Anti. You can't defend yourselves without her giving you strength or power. You'll just be a liability"

"Too late for that" Actor snickered, "I won't let ANY of you leave this place. Not until Celine is back and in front of me!"

"And then what?" Mia snuffed him, "You'll kill her yourself and THEN WHAT!?"

Actor snarled, "The egos are an infection just like Celine was. A fucking CANCER! And now with all this power I've gained . . . it's time to cut it all out. It's my fucking time to shine!"

Dark charged him and shouted to Mia, "KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE, MIA! FIGHT!"

'He's right' she glanced to Anti who stood at her side. He nodded to her, "Let's fight together, Mia"

She nodded in agreement, "This time we'll win, Anti"

She shone in a bright white light and bolted to Actor who was currently being punched again by a deranged Dark. But something looked off. He looked to be getting tired already. How long had Actor shut him away?

But Actor just laughed, grabbing both their hands at the same time, "Fools . . . how pathetic"

Anti glitched above him, "You're right . . .YOU ARE PATHETIC!" A blaze of lightning blasted down on him, causes a bright flash of light to erupt in the cabin they were all still in.

And just briefly, Mia thought of how much she wished that her brothers could defend themselves while she fought, too.

Why not?

Why couldn't they?

Actor shook off Anti's blast and still looked to be twitching but otherwise, he seemed unscathed. But with a dirty smile, he reached his hand out to the Septic egos and Mia shouted, "MARVIN! TELEPORT NOW!"

It was out of instinct but he managed it quickly, getting his brothers except for Anti out of the cabin.

Chase shuddered from the cold, "JAYSUS FUCK! This isn't winter attire, you know!"

"Didn't exactly have a choice, Chase" Marvin stared at his hands and snapped his fingers, giving them all winter jackets to wear. He looked over to the cabin and saw that Mia was still fighting, too, though.

"Huh" he hummed to himself, before looking back at the others, "Looks like Mia's learning all sorts of new things. I'm gonna go help. Hen, stay on stand-by in case any of us get hurt. You should have your healing abilities now too. Chase, you stay with Sean and Jameson and have your gun at the ready just in case, alright?"

They all nodded and Marvin was about to teleport into the cabin when suddenly it exploded!

Actor as in the middle of it grinning wide and Dark, Mia and Anti had been flung back like fragile dolls.

"MIA!" Marvin shouted but then Actor caught his eye.

"You . . . .. you could bring her back, too . .. . . Very easily. Yes, you could! I'm starting to get . .. VERY . . impatient"

Marvin gulped but decided that maybe he shouldn't fight. Not on his own, at least.

Yeah, maybe he should hold him off until Dark, Mia and Anti can help him.
Marvin took on Dark Chica before, yes, but Actor was a whole different story, here. He wasn't sure he could measure up at all.

But holding him off and stalling? Keep his eyes elsewhere? That was his specialty.

Dark stayed down, knowing he gave it his all for now, 'I'm sorry, Mia. I did all I could. . . . maybe HE could stand in instead now'

Black covering his vision, he passed out among the rubble.

Anti helped Mia up on her feet, "Come on. We're not done yet. On your feet, woman"

Mia seethed, "Shut up . . .. You're lucky I. . . just forget it"

"Hm?" Anti wanted to snap at her but now wasn't the time, "Mia . . . You're NOT giving it your all. You need to cut loose and destroy him"

"I can't, Anti!" she pushed him off of her, "I HAVE given it my all and LOOK . . . he's unscathed. Not a scratch on him"

"So what? You're just gonna give up already? So fucking soon? Like you always do? Thought you'd be more stubborn at a time like this"

Mia glared at him, "Stubborn enough to . . .. never mind" she sighed, "We gotta think of something else. Brute strength obviously isn't working against him. Burning him isn't doing it, either. I can't . .. think of anything at the moment"

"Well whatever you choose to do, I'll help. I'm at your side whatever happens, Mia"

She blushed and looked up at him again. She really hoped this wasn't their last fight.

Marvin laughed lightly, "Oh . . . hey there, Actor . . I don't think we've really talked"

Actor stomped towards him with a grin, "I'm tired of waiting on Mia to make her decision already. You can perform necromancy, can you not? Bring Celine back"

"Uh . . . I don't know if I can do that"

"You will" he demanded.

Marvin then proceeded to explain to him all the laws of why he 'probably can't' do it, buying them all at least a little bit of time.

"Well you see-"

"Marvin can't bring Celine back. That's beyond his magic" Mia told Anti, "I shouldn't have given them their powers alongside me but I didn't want them hurt, either. I-"

"It's okay, Mia" Anti held her to him to try and help keep them both up, using each other as leverage but they were slowly recovering, "I'm sure it was the right decision. They'd be dead if it weren't for you"

"I . . .." she stopped, deep in thought, "Wait a second . . . .I've never done this before"

"You've never done many things before with your power, Mia" he snorted.

"No, wait . . . . .that's right" she was still in deep thought, "But hold on . . . I think I'm onto something here"

Anti brushed off of her and turned to face her, "Marv doesn't have a lot of time left, Mia. We gotta intervene"

"I think I. . . . ." she looked up into his green eyes and everything stopped.

In just a moment, it was just them peacefully staring at each other.

"Mia . . ." he whispered to her, "I . . ."

"Oh fucking jaysus will you two just kiss already?"

They both snapped to look at the man who DARED to interrupt them. Only. . . .

"JACKIE!?" Mia practically shouted and bolted to hug him.

The hero seemed just as shocked but hugged her back with a pat on the head, "Easy there! Just came back to life, you know. I got all sorts of cricks in my body from not moving" but he smiled, feeling that she really had forgiven him.

Anti glared at the hero, "I mean . . . you're alive . . . ."

Jackie smirked, "I am . . .. " he let Mia go, "And you heard what I said . . . anyway . . . I know physical strength won't beat this asshole, either but I'll try and give you guys the time you need to hold him off with Marvin."

He went to rush off but Mia stopped him, "No, wait! You're not dying again, Jackie! Not so soon!"

He brushed her hand off of him and grinned, "I know that! Because you're fighting, too, now . . . I believe in you, too, Mia. . . . but you also gotta believe in yourself"

It felt way too soon that Jackie pulled away and ran too fight Actor. All too soon.

She couldn't stop him.

"And that means that there are special rules regarding bringing back the dead in which I cannot partake. You see? I have a particular magic that-"

"Alright, enough! Shut the fuck up! I'll just kill you, then!" Actor went to slash Marvin with aura but his hand was caught by someone.

Actor looked back to see an angry Jackie but the man wasn't perturbed, really, "Hero . . . . Ready to die again already?"

"No . . . but I hope YOU'RE ready" Jackie dodged right in time before Actor's cane could skewer him again, "Won't fool me twice"

"We'll see"

Marvin nodded to Jackie and the two lunged at Actor simultaneously.

Mia suddenly thought of it!

"I got it!"

"What?! What is it!?" Anti was all too excited.

She lit up like a firecracker, "I gave them their power at the same time, right!?"

" . .. yes. Where you going with this, lass?"

She swallowed, "Could I . . . take their powers and use them as my OWN?"

Anti froze, "I. . . I don't know . . but it sounds like one hell of an idea. You work on that and I'll help Marvin and Jackie"

"B-but Anti, wait!" she grabbed his wrist, "Please don't go"

"Mia, Actor-"

"Did you hear what Jackie said at all?" she finally spat out, "And Celine and practically fucking EVERYONE around us?! It feels like all of them can see it and yet we're the ones with blinders on"

"Mia, now's not the time-"

"Then when is?"

"Look . . .. we'll figure this out . . .but right now we have to win this war, got it? I. . .. just think about what we could lose otherwise"

Her heart sank but in the depths of her mind, she knew he was right and nodded sadly, letting him go help Marvin and Jackie who were barely holding their own.

Actor was using all of Dark's powers to his advantage with no foreseeable end. He was like a bottomless pit of energy, using it at his own will.

But how?

Physical strength does nothing. Magic apparently isn't doing much of anything, either and neither do bullets or burning or electricity.

Mia took a breathe. If she was gonna do this, then she'd have to be quick at the very last second. Doing something she had never done before. . . .

It angered her that here they were fighting Actor again while she was on the sidelines.

She glanced over to Dark who was still unconscious, 'Time is gone . . . . Not even Jameson can turned this around to our advantage . . . . it's up to me, then . . .. my . . my love for them . . . it stems from all of that.'

Another ember burned within her.

'I can do this'

Sean, Chase, Henrik and Jameson watched from afar silently hoping Actor didn't set their sights on them. Jameson could maybe give them a little bit of time to run farther away but not enough. And Henrik could heal them but only if he wasn't injured himself. And Chase . . . he was a good shot but bullets did nothing against this bastard.

Actor's eyes glowed red and menacing, laughing out of control. Voices all around them started to laugh with him like demons from underground in this deep void.

"LET'S MAKE THIS A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING, SHALL WE?!" He suddenly flicked his fingers and an axe appeared in his hands just like the one Celine used to ram into his heart.

He swung it towards Marvin but the magician squeaked, barely being able to dodge from the attack, "HEY WATCH IT! THIS CAPE WAS EXPENSIVE, YOU ASS!"

"So was my knife but no one cares about that!" Anti whined, "Fucker blew it up in the cabin explosion!"

Anti grabbed Actor's hands to stop him from thrusting the axe at him but he was too strong. That's what Jackie was for, though and the hero gripped the blade in between both of his hands before snapped it apart.

Actor was starting to change even more, though and soon enough, his whole body was starting to get covered by this strange mass of shadows. He looked like Dark Chica did when he had control over her turning her into a beast. But far more terrifying.

"JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY, ASSHOLE!" Anti yelled at him but Jackie grabbed the glitch just in time before Actor swung a wave of his aura's energy at him.

"Get off of me!" Anti bat Jackie away but the hero just snarled at him.

"Don't you see? He's using the void completely to his whim. One hit and you might have just killed over!"

Anti shoved him away and they all stayed together before this. . . man?

"Honestly . . do we even have a plan anymore?" Marvin asked, "Anti?"

"I don't . . I don't know"

Actor went to attack them again but before his aura's lash could land, Mia's bright light blocked it.

She glared at them, "I'm gonna take back your powers, alright!?"

"Wait, what!?" Marvin whined, "Already!? But I thought-"

"TAKE IT, MIA!" Jackie was all too okay with it as long as she had a plan. He hoped she had one, that is.

Anti just watched as this silent taking happened and not even the other egos could tell she had taken their powers again from them.

But it was evident when her light shone brighter and the flames roared around her.

"But what's she gonna do?" Marvin asked out loud, "Nothing we can do works against him! I don't-"

"Marvin just shut up and look" Jackie pointed and they all stared as Mia started conjuring something before her.

A person.

Wait. .. . .

Anti even gaped, "Oh no . . . . is that Celine?"

They all stared horrified as Mia was trying to give Actor exactly what he's been wanting all this time.

"But how?!" Marvin screeched, "If I can't do it, then surely she can't, either! It's not-" but then he stopped and actually looked closer.

Yes, Mia was conjuring a body that seemed to look like Celine . . . . but was it really her?

Actor didn't care, "CELINE! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT, YOU LITTLE BITCH! I KNEW!" his voice was horridly distorted from the shadows and power he had collected but his intentions remained the same, lucky enough.

He stomped closer to her, ready to end her in the moment she opened her eyes.

Only . . .

Marvin caught on, "It's an illusion."

"It's not actually-?" Jackie was confused but watched as Actor swung the axe at the figure of Celine only for it to go straight through.

Anti grinned, "She did it! She's using Marvin's magic all on her own!"

"HUH?" Actor was disoriented and that's when Mia made her move and launched at him from behind the illusion, catching him off guard and sending him flying into the forest and trees in a giant plume of snow.

"She has all our powers?!" Jackie gawked, "Even my strength, Marvin's magic . . .Henrik's healing?. . . wait .. . what about you, Anti?"

Anti looked at his own hands but sure enough he still had his own powers. But then again, she never had control over his glitching or electricity. Just the other Septics.

But that's when it clicked.

"She needs to take my power, too"

In a flash, Anti glitched to her, "MIA! You have to take my power, too! Quickly before he gathers more power again!"

She stared at him dumbfounded, "But Anti, I can't . . . your power own, remember? I can't-"

"You can" he took her face into his face, "I'm your rock, Mia . . . . ." he said, throwing her off, "We were made for each other . . . . . so take this chance and use me"

"Anti . . . . ."

Actor roared loud and venomously, ready to launch a counter attack.

"Anti, I have to tell you something"

". . . . . " Anti knew they were cutting it close but he finally let her talk, "What is it, Mia?"

Time seemed to stop between them. Their hearts were racing and yet their bodies felt so heavy and slow like syrup.

Their eyes only stared at one another, they were so close.

Mia finally grabbed Anti by his cheek, brushing her fingers through his hair lightly, feeling the soft sparks from his glitching that she liked so much.

"Anti . . . . I LOVE YOU"

Anti didn't know how it'd feel but he never thought it'd feel like this. So warm and satisfying. Like everything he ever truly wanted was finally given to him and he was at peace.

"I love you, too"

Mia and Anti came together at the same time and felt as if the world around them would just come crashing down and they'd be okay. Everything would be okay as long as they were together. Their lips were joined together but they both knew they didn't have much time to enjoy this moment.

But it was all Mia needed to be sure of herself finally.

Finally . . .

She was ready to take on anything.

Anti whispered to her as the gently parted, "Take it"

And she could feel it flow into her, his lightning. It was erratic and crackling like firecrackers but also nice like popping bubble-wrap.

Actor lunged towards them almost too fast but Mia was faster, turning just in time firing a blast so powerful, it sounded like a bomb went off and it blew through the forest hard enough to put a giant hole through hundreds of trees. But Actor made it JUST in time to dodge, falling to the side.

"GIVE HER TO ME! DAMMIT, GIVE HER TO ME! SHE'S MINE! MINE!"

He was almost beyond unrecognizable. A monster. An amalgamation of darkness and shadows like a demon or terrifying myth.

Lightning snapped off of Mia but instead of Anti's green, it was white just like her fire and light.

"That's enough" she uttered and before Actor could attack again, she grabbed at his head, "Leave."

And just like with Dark Chica, suddenly the black shadows dissipated from the man and it left his body limp.

It wasn't her words that dispelled the power and void from Actor . . . . it was her will and energy coursing through him.

Everyone watched a bit hesitantly as Actor's eyes closed and he fell to the ground unconscious.

But Mia wasn't done and leaned down, placing a hand over his head.

A burst of her fire went through him again and suddenly in the palm of her hand, she held a black mucky mess of smoke. It was small but this was the virus. Dark's virus.

She let her light cover over it, burning it away and she stood up to face Jackie, Marvin and Anti with a small smile, "It's over"

Anti looked around, a bit unsure, "I don't know if I trust that, love . . . are you sure?"

Mia giggled at him but nodded.

He still didn't look convinced, "You're double sure?"

Marvin sighed loudly, "I trust it! FINALLY! Let's just fucking .. . can we go home now, please? I'm so tired, I could sleep for literal DAYS!"

The others came back up to them unsure themselves but it really did look safe.

Sean jumped at Mia in a tight hug as did everyone else, telling her how proud he was of her. Mia wasn't usually one for high emotions like this and hugs and close contact but she made an exception this time.

She glanced to Anti, her fire having died down.

But why did Anti seem so sad all of a sudden?