Hi guys!

Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews and support for this story! I've appreciated every single one of them!

So, this chapter is the last in the story and then there'll be two epilogues. I also have another story planned which will be uploaded in the next few weeks.

Hope you enjoy and please read on!

Eight

Nothing's changed really. I thought when the bright light hit us and everything suddenly heated up that there would be a huge change. I thought I'd see trees and grass and lakes and the sea. I thought I'd see the planet that was worth everything.

But nothing has changed. It's still ashy and cold and grey.

Five and Nine are kneeling next to each other, their shell-shocked faces fixed on the ground. Their hands are clasped but they don't say a word. I suppose after everything we've been through none of us truly thought we'd actually do it and that's more shocking than seeing Setrakus killed.

Ella's unconscious nearby but after a quick check I see she hasn't got any serious injuries and she's not going to die on me anytime soon. I then scramble over to Marina, who's sitting numbly by the dead body of Six.

"Hey" I say softly, lamely. Marina doesn't even look at me; instead her eyes are focused on the clean wound in Six's chest. The wound she made.

"No" John stumbles over, his voice breaking when he sees Six. "No, please no" he begs, falling to his knees next to Six. He gathers her into his arms, sobbing as he presses his face into her hair. His heartbroken wails chill me to the bone.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry" Marina mumbles as she turns away from us all, sobs racking through her body. John doesn't even notice; he's too busy grieving for Six. I swallow the huge lump in my throat and follow Marina, calling her name.

"It's my fault!" she sobs, collapsing onto her knees. "I killed her! My best friend! I killed her!" I wrap my arms around her, shaking my head. I try to fight back my own tears, now I finally have the time to grieve and to realise what we've all been through.

I remember the terrible moment when she killed Six. The two had been grappling and I'd been watching, my stomach in my mouth when I thought Six might kill Mar. But Marina had been stronger in the end and had overpowered Six.

I remember nodding my head, thinking it had been the right thing to do.

And it had, I suppose. It had given John the strength and anger to kill Setrakus and the rest of us had another reason to fight, another death to avenge. But now, when all the chaos is finally over, it doesn't feel so right. Not when John is wailing like someone has ripped his heart out and crushed all of his hopes.

"You had to do it" I soothe Marina, stroking her hair. "You had to" I repeat over and over. She pulls back and the look of self-hatred, the look of disgust towards herself shocks me.

"I murdered her. I put that sword through her and-" her body shakes with tremors and I pull her towards me again, not bearing to see the hatred on her face. She willingly leans into me, her face pressed against my neck.

"I don't deserve to live" she whispers. I shake my head but I'm too busy thinking about what Setrakus said before he died.

You may think you've won, but you haven't.

He was right all along. We thought we could live happily ever after with one another, growing old together and having families. But looking at Marina's utter hatred towards herself and John's complete despair changes things. How can we move on from this?

We may have won but we're all damaged beyond repair. I don't even know if Marina will even want to be alive after killing Six and I know John has given up on everything now Setrakus is dead and Six is gone.

Maybe we aren't the real winners after all. Maybe we are actually the losers.

"We never used this after all" Five pulls the Keystone out of her pocket, tossing it from hand to hand. Ella's awake now and looking down at it in Five's hand; puzzled and a little groggy. Marina laughs bitterly and grabs it, throwing it away in a fury.

"Who cares? It's over and I killed her and-" she dissolves into tears again, hunching down again as she tears at her hair. I can't find it in me to stop her, even when Ella kneels next to Mar and pleads with her, pleads with me to help her.

I don't know why I feel so distant from Marina. I mean, I agree that she had to kill Six but at the same time, I still feel like she's not the same Marina I used to know. I know it's selfish and cruel when she needs my help more than ever, but it's how I feel.

I get up and look around for the rock she threw away. There's something that I need to see even though I have no idea what it is. The Keystone. Why was it so necessary? We managed to defeat Setrakus without it, so maybe it had some other use. Six was the sacrifice, we had the sword… but what was the Keystone for?

I wander over to it, picking it up and examining it closely. It has some marks on it but I think that's just because of hard use. I frown as I peer closer. It's glowing a little but that's all. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"What are you doing?" Ella looks up at me from where she's comforting Marina. It should feel like a celebratory atmosphere but it really doesn't. It feels like a funeral.

"I don't know… there's something about this keystone" I reply. Nine and Five look up, their faces sad. John doesn't seem to notice a damn thing; he's immersed in grieving over Six.

"Yeah, it took our legacies away" Nine mumbles, rubbing his chest where it looks like he was stabbed. Five clutches his hand looking thoughtful.

"What if that's just a side-effect of the real power of the Keystone?" she asks, a frown on her face. An idea begins to slowly form in my mind.

"Do you think… do you think it could have something to do with Six?" I ask slowly. Maybe Five's right. Maybe the Keystone has something to do with the sacrifice.

"Try it" John rasps, his face streaming with tears. I nod and scramble next to Six, wincing inwardly when I see the wound on her chest and the pallor of her skin. It's weird seeing her so…weak. I press the Keystone to her chest, begging for something, anything to happen. I don't know if it's for Marina or Six's sake. Maybe both.

"You think it could work?" Ella and Marina have moved closer, as well as Nine and Five. We form a circle around Six and John, all of our faces anxious. BK who's been pretty much silent during everything sniffs Six's feet and then pads away with a whine.

I press harder the rock harder into her wound when it begins to melt in my hand. I jerk back in shock and watch in fascination as the rock melts into blue goo that spreads out all over Six's chest. It would be gross if we weren't all so desperate.

"What the-" Nine whispers as it begins to shine before seeping into Six's chest. Marina takes a tight grip on my hand and I squeeze her hand, trying to reassure her even though I'm still freaked out.

The goo stuff disappears and then it's like nothing happened. John's face fills with panic and he shakes Six gently, shaking his head.

"Come on Six, wake up" he begs. Marina closes her eyes and her head droops as more tears slip out of her closed eyelids. I wrap an arm around her, my heart deflated. I thought for a moment the Keystone could really save Six.

Six suddenly gasps, her eyes flying open. John cries out in shock as he helps her sit up, his arms wrapped tightly around Six. His tears of pain and grief have turned into tears of joy. He's grinning and it's like the atmosphere has suddenly changed and we're all filled with joy again.

"You're alive" he whispers, burying his face into Six's hair. He keeps saying something and she begins to smile, relaxing a bit. Her eyes sweep over us all, looking confused. She recognises us but doesn't seem to realise what's happening.

"What?" she whispers. John laughs, a muffled laugh against her skin as the rest of us look on in shock.

"We've done it" Nine says slowly with a grin. Realisation has only begun to hit us all and then I grin, turning to Marina again. She seems shell-shocked; barely believing that we've done this and that Six is alive.

"We've done it!" Nine whoops, picking Ella up and swinging her around in the air. She squeals with giggles and grips the tops of his arms as he swings her around in dizzying circles.

John leans down and kisses Six, making her start in shock but she kisses back hesitantly. So, the old Six must be back, not the one who tried to kill us all. Well, unless she has no idea who we are but is just kissing John for the hell of it.

I turn to Marina and pick her up, swinging her around like Nine did to Ella. She laughs, her hair streaming behind her as she giggles. I put her down, cupping her face in mine. I bend down, kissing her in absolute joy that we've won and we'll be together.

Nine is waltzing with Ella and Five has her arms wrapped around Six. I'm barely aware of anyone else, all I can think about is the beautiful girl in front of me who I can be with for the rest of my life.

"I love you" I say earnestly to her. She smiles up at me, finally looking a lot better now that Six is alive and well. Looking less guilty about killing her best friend. Looking like the girl I fell in love with.

"I love you too" she replies, wrapping her arms around me tighter and kissing me deeply. I smile and kiss her back, barely believing what's happening. Barely believing anything anymore.

We've done it. We've killed Setrakus and won the war.

I can finally have the life I want. And I'll be spending every moment with Marina.

Xxx

John

We all sit in silence, consumed in our own thoughts. The first, joyful celebrations, which consisted of dancing and being children again, are over and now we're all peaceful. None of us sit together, instead we're separate and enjoying our own space.

I pick up a random rock from the ground, cocking my head to the side as my face takes on what could be a thoughtful look. I close my eyes and try to duplicate the rock with one of my many legacies but I can't do it. Nothing happens. It's almost like my mind is blocked to the legacy.

I frown a little and then focus on the air, trying to conjure up a slight wind. Nothing happens. I'm growing desperate now; my heat pounding and my hands sweating. I try to fly up into the air but again there are no results. I try legacy after legacy: shape shifting, teleporting, talking to animals…but there's nothing. The only thing I can do is switch two beams of light on in my palms. Lumen.

"I guess Six wasn't the only sacrifice. I lost all my legacies but one" I say softly. No one else hears me as I try to deal with this momentous piece of news. How could I have lost all of my legacies? How is it possible?

But deep down I think I knew all along I had to lose all of the extra legacies I got with being Pittacus Lore. I had to give something up to get Six back and actually, I'm kind of relieved. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I don't have the responsibility of being Pittacus Lore anymore.

I go back to lighting my palms on and off, a grin on my face.

Xxx

Six

It's weird being me again. And I mean the proper Six, the one who wanted to kill every mog she could. Not the one who was working with Setrakus, not the one who wanted to kill the boy she loved.

I feel odd, like I don't belong anymore. As well as my pervious memory of my childhood and Katarina returning, it's also like I've remembered every single detail of being a traitor. I remember grabbing Ella and being about to kill her. I remember trying to kill Marina.

I look over at John's lonely figure. I want to go up to him and hold him, begging for his forgiveness, even though I know he'll give it to me anyway. I want to go down on my knees and beg him to pretend that nothing ever happened.

Although unfortunately I know I'm not that lucky and every single memory of my traitorous behaviour will always stay with me. And I don't know if I can survive that.

Xxx

Third POV

They stand in a circle, Number Eight clutching the rock crystal in his hands. He shape shifts so he can take the hand of everyone in the group and then takes a deep breath, focusing in on the rock and on teleporting.

They disappear, without any commotion. No flash of light, no sudden wave of heat or cold…nothing. They disappear into thin air as though they never existed in the first place.

And then Lorien is empty. Still.

Lifeless.

Xxx

Henri

With Three and Two out of action as well as some of the chimaera, the odds really aren't in our favour. I was surprised just how effective both Two and Three were at holding back the troops but they were doing an incredible job.

We're certainly feeling the strain without them now, that's for sure.

I wipe the sweat from my forehead, breathing heavily. The army's been eliminated down to about 10,000 mogs much to our delight, considering the force that was facing us at first. But we've lost a lot of men too and I don't know how much longer we'll last. We've certainly lost a lot of faith in ourselves.

I'm ducked behind the hastily made barricade of piled up cars and the frames of planes. There are still hundreds of American soldiers out there fighting the mogs but a lot of them have abandoned us. There is definitely an air of hopelessness around.

"Have any brilliant ideas?" I turn to see Sandor nearby, wiping the sweat off his face too. His eyes are lined with wrinkles of exhaustion and I can't see in him the young man I met all those years ago. We've given up so much to get to this point.

I'll be damned if I give up on hope now

"Not yet" I reply through gritted teeth. "Just give me time" Sandor nods, his face serious as another explosion goes off nearby and we duck further for cover. I don't think I'll get the sound of dying men's' screams out of my head.

I grip my gun and then steeling myself, I duck out from under the cover and race for the mogs. I load off a round of bullets; grinning when I see more and more mogs explode into ash. I hear Sandor running after me, releasing one of his new inventions that is kind of like a rocket.

Whatever it is, it does the trick.

The rocket slams into a row of mogs in front of me and then ash rains down into my face, blinding me temporarily. I choke on the ash in my mouth and grind to a halt, trying to gather my senses as I fight the ash in my eyes.

The distraction gives a nearby mog the chance to slam into me, sending me sprawling. Since I'm not as young as I used to be I'm not able to jump to my feet at once and fight the monster. I wheeze on the ground, my exhaustion and bruised, battered body taking over me.

The mog looms over me, grinning as it presses the gun to my chest. It bares its fang-like teeth, stroking the trigger. I close my eyes, thinking of Julianne, thinking of John.

There's a sudden strong breeze that whips across the field and the mog about to kill me staggers back, clutching its chest. It makes a gasping wheezing sound, as though it can't believe something.

A wail rises up from the crowd of mogs and I see a few fall to their knees. I have no idea what they're doing and what's caused this reaction but I take the distraction at once.

I leap to my feet, kicking the mog in the stomach. It stumbles back but doesn't seem to notice that much. There's acute despair on its face, as well as something I've never seen before.

Hopelessness.

I hear a cry and turn at once to see Sandor being overrun by a mog that seems to have gone made in grief or anger I don't know. I shout his name as the mog raises its sword intent on stabbing Sandor through the heart when a figure appears standing over Sandor.

"That's my Cepan you arsehole!" Nine lunges forward and sends the mog flying with a punch to the nose. In fact the punch is so hard that the mog explodes to ash a few seconds after it was delivered.

The Garde who went to Lorien race towards the mogs, as rejuvenated as if they've been shot with energy. They unleash all their legacies on the unprepared mogs and there's no need for the soldiers or us Cepan anymore. I didn't even see them appear yet here they are, racing towards the mogs as eager as their enemy for death.

Sandor whoops as he heaves himself to his feet, delight on his face. Realisation suddenly hits me and I stagger, leaning heavily on my gun for balance. They've done it. They actually did it.

They've won this war. We can go home at long last.

Xxx

Third POV

Days after Lorien awoke, nothing happened. It remained cold and grey and ashy. As though nothing would ever exist there anymore.

It all started with a daisy. It poked its way between the cold, hard dirt and bloomed as much as a small daisy could. It was barely noticeable, barely seemed important but it was the start of the change.

Grass started to grow after that. It was rough and course at first but then it started to become thicker, glossier. It took on a deep green colour, a living colour. Weeks passed and then tiny shoots that would soon become trunks of huge trees appeared.

After that it started to rain. Hard, heavy rain that began to collect into huge puddles. Once the change had begun, nothing could stop it. Smalls streams formed and then turned into rivers that would pour into craters that became lakes. Trees began growing, seas formed and snow fell on the mountains.

Two years after the lumen shone right into the depths of Lorien, the planet was prosperous and ready to be lived on again.

All it needed now was for the Garde to return.

Xxx

Henri

I pick my way through the remains of the battlefield, my face lined in sorrow as I take in all of the dead bodies. Despite winning we've still had heavy losses, debts that can never be repaid or avenged.

"Henri" John joins me, his hand on my shoulder. His face is sad although there's a joy sparkling in his eyes that I haven't seen since Paradise. He looks more youthful than he has in years.

We walk in silence, both of us looking down gravely at the dead bodies and the wreckage. Once everyone's been healed of their injuries we're going to be shipped back to Chicago, where the Government will find us somewhere to live as they repair our ship.

I think I heard them mention the John Hancock Centre at some point.

"I only have one legacy" John finally says, his voice sad but not despairing. He's grown up so much by now that he knows there are far greater things to lose than power. And I think he would gladly swap every legacy for Six's return any day.

"I know" I say softly. "I saw when you finished off the battled earlier" I tell him. He sighs and then lays his head on my shoulder, relying on me like he used to when he was so young and innocent.

"Lorien's reawakened. She'll be ready for us by the time the ship's fixed" he finally says, his voice wistful. "But there's so much to worry about. Repopulating, building…everything" he groans, his face turning soar.

I smile gently and take his hand. "When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope." I quote from so long ago.

John smiles ruefully as he gazes out into the distance where the sun is beginning to rise on a new day. High up in the sky, above us all and shining in the light of the sun, is Lorien. He smiles, free at last.

"There is always hope"

Happy New year!

Hope you enjoyed and please review!