"Ariadne could have given us a few seconds head start before evicting anyone," Beor mumbled, staring down the barrel of a gun.

It was like no one could fully understand the monumental occasion that it was, too focused on the bloodlust that had become their way of life in the Maze. Their belief that only one person could be left standing was much stronger than anything else. It was thus, preventing their rational mind from catching up with current situation.

"Guys, you don't need to do this..." Sybil said, putting herself between Tyson and the gun.

Tyson, on his part, pulled Marcus behind him even though chances of protecting him were low.

"Sybil, you can move aside or die," the guy said through gritted teeth. "These guys are nothing but trouble. Whatever is happening right now, I bet that's their fault too. I will kill them one way or the other."

Sybil could tell that Mario was deadly serious, that there was nothing she could say that would change his mind. And for the first time, she regretted that Mario had been caught in the Maze with his gun. However, she never thought their best weapon would be turned against her. It was their source of protection, of security against the other volatile Mazers.

During their little standoff, the doors started shimmering and changing to match the year they came from with a neatly inscribed year on them. And while the other Mazers noticed them, Mario was too focused on his pointless crusade to see what he had been looking for such a long time.

"Ahem, guys, we can all kill each other. Or we can go home," Sybil said, pointing at the doors.

Hesitantly Mario shifted his focus from his targets to the strangely altered Stonehenge. In his anger, he had only then noticed that it was unlike any other place they had been to, that it was a blend of the old and modern technology.

Seeing the numbers on one door that reminded him of the front door of his house, Mario's hand started shaking. Then, he slowly lowered his gun with tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. Then he wordlessly dropped the gun in shock and hurried through the door.

He didn't question it. He didn't hesitate.

The moment he was through, the door changed to a completely different style and color, one that drew the other Mazer's attention. It was as if every door was specially tailored for every individual.

"Beor, what's going on?" Sybil asked, having a vague idea of what it could mean.

"She is sending them all back where they came from. Not only the year but the exact place they were in when they were accidentally picked up," Beor said as more and more Mazers started disappearing through their doors.

"So, they are going home?" Tyson asked, his eyes lighting up with the hope that he thought was forever lost. "We can go home as well?"

"Yes, and yes. I don't see any reason why we wouldn't be sent back as well," Beor said with more confidence than Tyson dared to have after all the disappointments that they had suffered.

"Dude, I hope you're ready to get wet because if that's true, we are about to be spat up in that lake," Marcus said, shivering at the memory. "I can still remember how cold it was."

"Well, you should have thought about that before deciding to take a late-night swim!" Tyson snapped, his emotions off the rails as hope conflicted with fear. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Wait," Sybil said, turning to them. "I am not sure if we'll ever see each other again. I want to thank you all for helping me get here. And I am sorry, Marcus, Tyson, for not seeing the error of my ways sooner, for not helping you sooner."

"That's okay, better late than never!" Marcus said, chipper and more forgiving than usual at the prospect of going home.

"We helped each other out," Tyson said, offering his hand for a handshake. "We would have never made it this far without you."

"That's true," Sybil said jokingly, and they all started laughing.

It was mostly out of relief. The type of cleansing laughter that you let out once you realize that your troubles, troubles that you thought were never-ending, were finally coming to a positive conclusion. Sharing it with the people with whom camaraderie, if not trust, was developed made it even sweeter.

"As for you, Beor, I am glad that you didn't betray the faith I had in you," Sybil said, looking serious once again. "Even though the two of you made a horrible mistake by agreeing to make something as dangerous as the Time Maze, you came through at the end. Not only did you save us, but you also tried to stop the whole thing when you learned what was happening. That you were stopped from doing so doesn't change the fact that you tried to do the right thing."

She still felt resentment and bitterness towards the Founders. However, now it was focused on Sunshine and her husband, people who continued the project even when it was clear what was happening. They sacrificed the lives of people like her friend without ever caring about anything else but their own well-being.

"What about those horrible people? They will just get away with it?" Sybil asked, resentment sneaking into her voice without her control.

"No, I wouldn't say that," Beor said, smiling confidently. "Ariadne and I found the best way to make them suffer for what they had done to both her and the humans. She will send them to the worst place, the one they despise the most, without any means or provisions. They will be forced to survive on their own, if they even survive."

"I still wish I could have made them pay for what they did," Sybil said, hatred burning from her eyes.

"It might be better this way, Sybil," Tyson said, gently laying his hand on her shoulder. "You are untarnished by doing something that would forever change you, and they still have to suffer the consequences of their actions."

"I wish I could just erase them from existence the way they did to my friend," Sybil said, closing her hands into fists, squeezing so tightly that her skin became white.

"Knowing those lovesick idiots, they might erase themselves by themselves," Marcus said matter-of-factly. "I mean, didn't they lose all their important prisoners because they couldn't get their hands off of each other?"

"You know, Marcus, there might be a genius hiding deep down inside you," Sybil said, much nicer than ever before. "I am sorry that I was harsh to you. It's just...you remind me of my friend. He was always going around having fun, and everyone thought he was stupid, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. He always had this uncanny ability to enjoy life, the way you do, and not worry too much."

"You are not so bad yourself, for a chick," Marcus said, smiling at Sybil, while Tyson facepalmed at Marcus's odd way with the words.

Sybil couldn't help but laugh at the combination that the guy represented. He was clever but also very dumb when it came to social interactions. Yet, Marcus was strangely endearing. He made everyone feel like he was their younger brother who needed protection.

"What about you, Beor? What will you two do when you get home?" Tyson asked, wondering how long the two were trapped and happy that even they earned their pardon.

"We aren't going home, at least not yet," Beor said, looking at Loralei, who just nodded her head in silent agreement.

"How come? Do you have that Stalkin syndrome or something?" Marcus asked, his eyes so big with wonder that they looked comical, like a cartoon.

"It's Stockholm syndrome, and no, it's not that," Beor said, looking around as Stonehenge slowly emptied of Time Mazers. "I am Ariadne's creator, and I must help her out. Even though the Mazers are out, we still need to find a way to seal all the entrances and find a better home for her. She is so lost and lonely that I had to promise to stay before she sent all the Mazers home."

"You shouldn't have sacrificed yourself. There must have been a better way out," Sybil said sternly. "You should have asked us for help."

"Honestly, it's not a sacrifice. It's the least I can do after helping create all this," Beor said, spreading his arms to draw their attention to the futuristic tech around them. "Besides, I am not sure how we will deal with people back home. They will never fully understand what happened here. They might always feel a certain hostility towards us."

"Maybe when we finish fixing this mess, and after we help Ariadne, we can go home. But not yet," Loralei said quietly, still feeling like not belonging to the group.

"Well, good luck to you then," Sybil said as she noticed a familiar door of her home appear. "Boys, be good and always be there for each other. Your friendship is the best one I've seen so far."

Soon enough, she was running through her door with such a peaceful expression that Tyson and Marcus could barely recognize that tough girl who saved their lives. Then they saw the door change to the one familiar to them.

"I guess it's our turn," Marcus said, grinning widely. "You guys don't mess up anything else, deal?"

"Deal," Beor said, failing to voice how messing up was usually Marcus's thing.

"Goodbye, and good luck," Tyson said, taking Marcus's hand and dragging him towards the door, determined not to allow them to be separated.

"Goodbye," they heard just before all sound disappeared, and they were immersed in the never-ending cold.