The stone room had a star engraved on the floor. With each point of the star sat another of the guardians. The stone table in the center of the room was also shaped like a star. Each point on the table had a wheel and a lever that connected to the bracelets. She looked at her friends who so valiantly came to save her, and her heart sank. She let them down. She didn't have to help Deidre, had she not, she could have been in the battle helping them overcome the enemy.

Or she could have gotten them captured because they were looking for her.

It was a lose-lose, and Selena hated that this was how it ended. She never thought in her seventeen years that her life would end sacrificed on an altar. This was something that you saw in scary movies. Not something that is supposed to happen in real life.

She fiddled with the bracelets that were on her wrist, but they wouldn't budge. They were different from the ones she had to wear with the purple stones. These were smaller, thinner, and had more room to wiggle out of. It dangled on her wrist. How could she not pull her wrist out of it? She also couldn't use her magic anymore.

Gedeon loves to block magic. Selena thought to herself.

"Back in the day, there was an evil sorceress named Corvina. She was one of the most powerful witches in existence. She would take the most powerful of dark creatures and sacrifice them on this very altar to absorb their magic. It's why the bracelets are so big. They had to fit giant monsters with hands and limbs much larger than yours."

"Why don't they just fall off?" Selena asked. She was tired of being the fearful victim in Gedeon's game. If she could keep him talking maybe she could find a way out of this.

"They're spelled," Gedeon said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The bracelets are bound and can only be taken off by someone other than the person wearing them." He placed his hand on the book and silently read. He sat like that for a long while. After Ander gave Elle her robes he walked over to Selena. He gave her a half frown.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I don't want to talk to you right now, Ander. In my last moments, I'd rather it not be with someone I hated."

"I didn't have a choice, Selena!" Ander hissed at her.

Selena narrowed her eyes and looked at him with a disgusted glare. "You always have a choice. You just took the easy way out. I can't imagine what your people are thinking about looking at you right now. They're probably more disgusted than I am."

Selena saw tears well in Ander's eyes, but he quickly shook his head. He walked back to the center of the room with Gedeon and stood at the point of the table next to his. Gedeon closed the book and smiled. He snapped his fingers and the armor that he and Ander were wearing was replaced with the white robes they had the guardians dressed in. He raised his eyebrows excitedly and looked at each of the guardians.

"I'll explain what's going to happen," Gedeon said. "Each of you will be wheeled to me through this contraption on the table. When you get on the table I'll use this knife," he said unsheathing a medium-sized blade from his waistband, "And stab it into your heart. I'll then say a spell and your magic will be mine."

"Gedeon you don't have to do this," called Asher. "We can figure something out!"

"Quiet!" he screamed. "The choice has been made seventeen years ago. I cannot contain the power of the vein without assistance any longer. Your powers will serve me nicely. I will rule all the realms."

He scanned around the room and looked each guardian in the eye. When he looked at Selena his eyes stopped moving. "I guess you're lucky number one. Only seems right, doesn't it? I've kept you here for weeks. Only fair you don't see your friends die."

"Don't touch her!" Judah screamed. He jerked at his bracelets and the chains in an attempt to break free. Gedeon raised his hand and a dark aura ball hit Judah in the chest. He fell to the ground and groaned in pain.

"Judah!" Selena yelled.

She tried to run to his side of the star. He was right across from her, but she couldn't move off her point. She willed her feet to move. She commanded her body to follow instructions, but she couldn't budge.

"I've had enough of the back talking," Gedeon said. "You will die today on this altar and you will shut up." Gedeon winced and grabbed his head. Selena felt a small sliver of joy, knowing that every time he used his power he hurt himself. "Now, where were we?"

He walked over to the point of the star where Selena's wheel was. He began to turn it, and slowly, the chain attached to her bracelets began to coil. With each turn of the wheel was another step toward the table. Selena tried to pull back, but the chain was pulling too strong. She dragged her feet, screamed, and winced in pain as the bracelet's magic dug into her skin. She winced in pain as she moved closer to the table before Gedeon grabbed her by the arm and threw her onto the altar.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," he told Selena. "Since our dinner, I knew that I would enjoy plunging this knife into your heart," he smiled and creepily bit his lower lip. He raised the knife above his head and slammed it down toward Selena. She yelped and he laughed. "I was merely practicing on where it needed to land. Do you want to know what it feels like to be stabbed, Selena?" He picked the knife up and plunged it into her belly. Selena roared in pain and Judah screamed in frustration from his point of the star. Tears welled in her eyes as her stomach burned. Soon, that feeling would be in her chest.

Then she would be gone. Cease to exist.

What happened after you died? Selena grew up Catholic, but her parents never really took church seriously. Would she go to Heaven? Would she go to the Dead World? Would she be forced to join the Elders? At least then she would be at peace. No more evil wizards attacking her. No more fighting monsters and destroying her hometown. Just peace. Regardless of where she existed.

"Any last words?" Gedeon asked.

Selena looked at the others. She tried to memorize each of their faces so when she closed their eyes they would be the last things that she saw. She would remember Elle's blonde hair and Jayden's tall body. She would remember Asher's perfectly white teeth. Judah.

She had to remember Judah the most.

She looked at him one more time and smiled. "I'll see you soon," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Very well," Gedeon said.

Selena closed her eyes and felt the tears roll down her cheeks. She wondered if she would die instantly or if she would have to bleed out before she passed on. What would Gedeon do with her body? Would he return her to the human world and maybe her family could have some closure?

That requires humanity. Selena thought as she braced herself for what was coming.

She heard Gedeon raise his arms in the air and scrunched her eyes as tight as they could go. Judah screamed as he brought the knife toward her, and then something firm lay on top of her body. She didn't feel the blow from the knife. She opened her eyes and lying on top of her back facing up was Ander. The knife was embedded into the middle of his back right below his neck.

"What are you doing?!" Selena asked him.

"We all make choices," Ander said. He reached his hands up, they trembled as he grabbed Selena's bracelets and ripped them off. "Give him hell."

Ander slumped to the side, and Selena found herself having to climb out from under his body. He was heavy and there was no way for him to get off of her himself. Gedeon grabbed the knife out of his back and cursed Ander as he brought it down toward Selena again. She pulled to the side, and the blade went into her shoulder. She screamed in pain, but she used her free hand to shoot a bolt of electricity toward Gedeon. He flew backward, and it gave her just enough time to get off the table.

She ran to Judah and grabbed his bracelets. His eyes widened and he grabbed Selena close and put a force field up right before a ball of dark energy hit Selena in the back. Gedeon roared in anger, and then the room was filled with intense light.

Selena squinted her eyes and she saw the brightness coming from the altar table. Ander's body was raised in the air, and he began to shift. His blue fur disappeared and was replaced with skin that was smooth and dark like the earth. The horns on his head and the wig that he wore to cover them went away and were replaced with hair that was curly and shaped on top of his head. His torn-up blue wings were replaced with beautiful white ones. His eyes were wide and a golden regal glow illuminated him. He looked down at his skin.

"Selena?!" he called to her. His voice cracked. "Selena is this real?"

"It's...real," Selena said shocked. Ander used his wings to float into the air and Judah moved to grab the bracelets off the other guardians. Ander soared around and looked at his lack of fur when a dark spell hit him in the back.

"NO!" Selena screamed.

Ander fell to the ground unconscious and Selena shot several bolts of lightning at Gedeon. He dodged each of them and shot more dark energy toward Selena. Selena saw him get winded, and she remembered what Ander said about Gedeon not being able to use big spells right now.

Selena continued to send bolt after bolt toward Gedeon. He rolled and sent dark energy to everyone in the room. Judah threw a force field up around each of them and Gedeon roared in anger.

"I will not be shafted after all of my hard work!" He roared. "Your power will be mine!"

He let out an agonizing scream and floated into the air. He raised his hands into the air and the room began to disappear. Selena, the other guardians, and Ander who was still unconscious were in an empty field. They stood in a circle while Gedeon floated above them. Gedeon soared down to the ground and punched the earth and a magical black goop began to sprout from the ground.

"The Plague of Dread," Elle whispered.

The plague rapidly poured out, and soon it surrounded the guardians on either side. Selena looked at Gedeon and a single tear rolled down her face. She had fought so hard, Ander had sacrificed for her, Elora, and the other armies, and they still didn't win. It was as if the world was trying to laugh.

The Plague of Dread formed a circle and rapidly started closing in. Ander was absorbed as the five guardians closed in. Selena grabbed Judah and Jayden's hands, and soon they were all holding hands in a circle.

"If I can't get it the traditional way I'll pull your lifeless spirit from the plague and take it that way!" Gedeon roared. "I will not be defeated!"

Selena looked at the others and let out a small smile. "It meant the world to me that you guys came to save me."

"We love you," Jayden said. "You're one of us."

Selena smiled. If only that were true. She felt the black goo roll around her feet. Her feet started to burn and she winced. Judah tried to throw a force field around them, but there was no way out. The Plague was all-consuming.

"I love you guys," Judah said.

They all said it back as the Plague wrapped around their bodies. It rose past their feet, to their shins, and then to their torso. Every cell in Selena's body burned, but she didn't let go of her friend's hand. "At least we go out together," Selena said.

The others nodded as the Plague wrapped around their chest and covered their neck, then their head. Soon, Selena was submerged in darkness. Burning filled every pore of her body. She could feel her hand still in Judah's and Jayden's, but she couldn't see them. She screamed in agony, but her screams were muffled by the goo. The only thing she could hear was the Plague rolling over her body.

She was submerged in darkness and pain. This was her end. Soon, the Plague would rip away her entire being, and she would be no more. She thought back to her sister and the first day of her new school. How she made her a mix tape. She remembered running into Judah on the way to class that day. How her life was changed at that moment and she didn't even know it yet.

She thought back to family Christmases and other holidays. She wanted her last thoughts to be good ones. Peaceful ones.

Then she felt the burning stop. Her body began to glow, and she could see the outline of her body illuminate a soft pink glow. She looked to her right and saw Judah with a golden glow, Jayden with a purple one, Asher with a light blue, and Elle with a forest green. She was able to move again, and as their magic illuminated them, she noticed the Plague begin to disappear. It began to drain away from her head, and slowly move down their neck. Soon their torsos weren't covered, and then their shins.

Then it was gone.

"Impossible!" Gedeon shouted.

Selena looked at him, a pink glow still illuminated from her body. She didn't know how it happened, but they overcame the Plague of Dread, and now it was time to take down Gedeon.

"Focus your magic," Judah said. "Concentrate on an energy blast."

They raised their hands in the air and Selena focused everything she could on Gedeon. He sunk to the ground and was running toward them at a slow pace. The use of his magic slowed him down greatly. He raised his hands to deliver an energy ball toward them, but he was unable to form his magic after exhausting himself by summoning another Plague.

A blinding white ball of light formed in front of the guardians. It grew bigger, and soon it was the size of a large boulder. They released it, and the ball of light shot toward Gedeon at a rapid pace. He screamed in agony, and the world around them was blinded by a white light.

When the light cleared, Gedeon was gone.

"Is he...dead?" asked Asher.

"I hope so," said Jayden.

There was a cough behind them and Selena turned and saw Ander trying to get off the ground. She ran to him and grabbed his hands as she crouched next to him. "Selena, I had the most amazing dream," he said.

"It wasn't a dream," Selena said holding his hand up to him. "Your people must be so proud of you."

Ander sobbed on the ground and Selena brought him into a tight bear hug. "I'm so grateful for what you did," she whispered. "You saved me."

"After I betray-" Selena covered his mouth gently with her hand.

"Let bygones be bygones. Focus on the now."

He smiled at her, and Judah, Elle, Jayden, and Asher appeared next to her. They helped Ander up and Judah and Jayden let them lean on them for support. "Let's go back and check on our allies," he said. He held up his hand and they all said "Aperta."

A blue misty portal appeared before them. When they walked through it, they were once again on the battlefield. Bodies of Fairies, Minotaurs, Aquins, and Gedeon's army scattered the floor, but standing before the castle was Halayah raising a cry of victory. She shot a golden orange beam of light into the air and fireworks burst into the sky.

"We did it," Selena whispered. "We actually did it."