The old version was trashy, and I think my writing got a bit better than when I wrote this originally. Also, I'm thinking about making this into a multi-chaptered fic. I know this fandom is dead, but if there is anyone who comes here to read/update fics, please leave a review.

It's not that hard, you don't even have to register in order to leave a comment :)

Anyways, you guys are gonna see me again if I decide to update a chapter two. If not... well, we'll see.

That's after the mid-term tests anyways.

New Lorien, Himalayas, India

Ran

The room filled with white light. Ran shrunk into herself while reflectively reaching out with her hands.

"Ran...?" She cringed and let her powers loose, sucking in the explosive light. She swallowed all the heat, force and massive destruction. "What..." Burning with power, the girl took a harsh breath, unable to even open her eyes. The force of the bomb was too much for her to contain.

"Nigel." She said through painful breaths. The heat in her body was pulling her apart, burning everywhere. "Oh, Nigel." Despite everything, Ran smiled. The tears in her eyes boiled away as the heat continued to burn through her. Nigel stood frozen on his spot, eyes transfixed on his girlfriend's glowing body.

"Ran.. what are you doing?" She tried to answer but smoke rolled out of her mouth and coughed. A stream of flames shot through her lungs, setting fire to Ran's world. Her vision flickered orange, red and a blinding white.

"I..." Ran could feel her body failing. Her hair tips were on fire and her skin was turning red, black in some places. Her weak human body couldn't hold it anymore. "I can't..."

Then, all of a sudden, she could feel the heat escaping her body. At first, she tried to keep it in. Ran thought that she was losing concentration and was accidentally letting the force go. But after a second, she found herself slowly allowing the explosion to fade away from her. The heat, the painful force in her was being pulled away. Not the explosive way, but being taken.

Like water being poured from one glass into another. Slowly, she stopped glowing and started to dim.

"What...?" Ran could feel her destructive force flow out until there was none left. As the force escaped her, pain washed over her entire body and she slumped backwards. It felt as if she was burning alive. Nigel quickly caught her, before gasping and stumbling back.

"You're hot." Ran tried to lean on the walls. Her surroundings were cold, icy against her skin. Even the air felt like ice and snow, colliding with her flaming lips.

"Sorry." After managing to calm down a bit, she forced her heated body to look around. She wished to know what happened to the force piled in her. Then, she saw him standing with his hands held out, his own light and heat gathered in his body. John Smith, Number Four. The second his deep blue orbs met her dark ones, Ran understood.

He copied her legacy and took the force over. John's teeth were gritted with pain and he was sweating heavily. Unlike Ran, his Lumen kept his skin from burning. However, it couldn't protect his insides, which was obvious by looking at the other Garde's horrified face. Four was gasping for breath, and at the same time, fighting the tranquillizer on him. He looked as if he was going to pass out.

"John...?" The girl, Ella, said, trying to approach him. Ran read the fear and concern on the young girl's face. From her youthful eyes, Ran thought that she saw a feeling more old and experienced, unlike her appearance.

"No." John said firmly. "Don't." He stumbled a bit and a wave of hot air escaped. Miki, Taylor and some other teens jumped back. He flinched and drew it into him, the tip of his pale fingers trembling almost imperceptibly. Ran stared at him with a blank face, her mind whirling.

"Are... are you okay?" Five pulled Ran from Nigel, supporting her weight in his metal arms. A flash of something passed his eyes as he focused on Four, but it was too brief for Ran to wonder what it was.

"You didn't have to." Number Five said, not looking at Four. John simply shook his head, a trail of smoke and dark ashes following his movements.

"You know I had to." His voice crackled with power and pain. Ran saw that parts of his hair were alight in a golden hue. She turned when he heard a small sob beside her and found Ella's eyes filled with tears.

"Please John... No..." John Smith just smiled bitterly. His cheeks were suspiciously wet, but Ran couldn't really make herself mind whether the infamous John Smith was crying or not. She was too busy trying not to pass out herself.

"I'm sorry. All of you." The words were whispered softly, and for some reason, Ran had a feeling that his apology wasn't only directed at them. And he stepped out of the cave, rising into the air.

"Stay with Nigel." She felt her limp body get moved to the side and from her peripheral vision, saw Five launching into the air after Four.

Four stared at him and sadly sent him a regretful grin. "No. It's my responsibility." He looked around. "It always was my fault, wasn't it? I'm really sorry." And like that, he was gone, flying into the air and vanishing between the comically clear blue sky.

The ones left in the cave looked at each other. Five opened his mouth to say something.

"That idiot-" But before he finished, he passed out, surrounded in a cyan glow. And one by one, the OG and students of HGA fell asleep, covered in a shade of comforting sea blue.

John's vision

Nigel

"Mmm...?" Nigel woke up with a slight frown. He saw Kopano, Taylor and some others around him, and relaxed a little after finding Ran. He even saw Six and Sam, as well as professor Nine too. And a girl who seemed to be Loric, and even a Mogadorian. They all woke up slowly, gazes confused.

"I don't have much time left." A voice said behind him. John Smith was standing there, his blonde hair slightly messy and blue eyes glazed. But unlike them, he was looking faint and a bit transparent. The Loric, Ella, woke and ran towards Four.

"What is this place, John? How did you do it?" The tall boy gestured around him, hands stretched out tensely.

"Just like you did Ella. Without the Entity's help." Six woke up and her perplexed expression changed into disbelief as she saw John and a tearful Ella.

"What's happening?" Sam stood up next to her. Nigel didn't miss his hands brushing Six's carefully.

"I'd love to know that too." John hesitated. Six took a tentative step forward, slowly making her way to meet him.

"I..." Suddenly, his body became a hot flickering red. His face twisted and he grimaced in pain.

"Johnny?" Nine asked behind him. His metal arm reflected the faint golden light, and Nigel faintly wondered how Nine would have looked like if he had both his arms intact.

"I can't hold it anymore." He said with a sigh. Ran carefully stepped towards him. She didn't seem to be burned here, and she was clothed properly too.

"I could have done it." She said with a bit of disbelief. John quietly looked into Ran's eyes. The strange feeling in his eyes made him forget that Four was only two or three years older than him.

"You have more left. So much more. But I don't. And it's my fault, after all." He hung his head slightly.

"Bullshit." Nine snapped. "It's not your damn fault." Six nodded. John raised his head to face Six's sad face, but he didn't look into her hazel eyes directly. Nigel knew that they had one of the closest relationships even among the Garde, Sam and Six being the only people Four had from the start who was still alive and well.

"Yeah, John. Whatever happened, it's not because of you. It was that boy, taking your body." Sam told him in a cautious tone. Four coughed up blood but smiled gently. Hopelessness filled Six and Sam's eyes, and Nigel had a gist of what was going to happen. Somehow, even though the others weren't hurt here, John looked as broken as he was a few minutes before.

"Will... will you be okay?" The girl, Marina, whispered. He turned to look at her, reaching out to touch her, but flinching away an inch before holding her hand.

"Marina... It's too late. But I'm okay." Number Four's frame flickered white once more, becoming more and more transparent. "I have to go. Kopano, Taylor, I'm so sorry. I hope Marina can heal you. Ran, Nigel, live a good life. Please don't waste it. Isabela, Caleb... none of this is your fault. It will be mine, always. Don't feel guilty for the things happening out of your control. And Six, Sam, Nine, Five, Ella, Adam and Marina, Malcom and Lexa... it's okay. I had to." A cold sense of dread entered Nigel's heart. This was Number Four's goodbye, the final second they shared. He felt slightly embarrassed because it seemed like he was interrupting his private moment.

"Don't you dare, John." Sam yelled, angry and sad. "You... you can't..."

Six held Sam back, her own tears soaking her clothes. "John, don't make us go through that again..."

"I know, Six... Sam... Thank you, for being with me from the start." A heartbeat. "...To the end. I can see Sarah. She... she's there, waiting for me. Henri, Sarah, Eight, there's a woman, who looks like your Cepan, Six..."

Six covered her mouth with her fist, holding back a whimper. "Katarina..." She gasped out. Four's body was clear now, almost like a ghost. They could see through his pale body, and there was nothing but a dark blankness behind him.

Four's empty sea blue eyes washed over them but didn't actually see anyone. He was already lost to the darkness, not belonging in their world anymore. "They're all calling me. I'm truly sorry. And goodbye." With that, Four vanished from view, and Nigel's vision shattered into a million little pieces.

Somewhere in the cyan void, Nigel heard the scream of a boy, who sounded painfully like Number Four.

Some basement prison

Six

Six and Sam woke up with a gasp, eyes flashing open. And a fearful second later, Six let out a muffled scream.

"Six? Six!" Sam quickly grabbed her, who was hunched over her body. Six's eyes were filled with tears. Not because of the searing pain burning through her, but because of the sadness.

"Sam... John... He's..." Her ankle glowed and a fifth scar burned itself on her skin. Sam looked at Six with scared eyes.

"John...!" They both grabbed at the cobalt pendant and disappeared in a splash of blue light.

New Lorien

Taylor

As everyone was pulled out of the telepathic vision, Six, Sam, Nine and Marina appeared in the Loralite-lit cave. They didn't even acknowledge each other, but frantically searched around looking for someone.

"Where's John?" Nine asked breathlessly but before anyone answered, Nine yelled, grabbing his ankles. He looked at Five, holding his brightly burning ankles, and for the first time, Taylor saw Nine's eyes truly fearful. Five hissed as his skin started to boil, and Marina let out a sharp cry of pain. Six, she seemed to already have had her scar because for some reason, simply buried herself in Sam's arms. Ella had no scar but she was crying openly. Taylor suspected that she was having a telepathic conversation with John in his last few minutes.

A few seconds later, a shower of red, white and golden sparks lit the clear blue sky. As the energy exploded, the Original Garde's ankles stopped burning. Instead, a fifth scar was carved beside the other four, marking the death of another Garde. The remaining six, now five Garde, stared at where John Smith, Number Four, died.

New Lorien

Ella

The final conversation she had with John lingered in her head. Ella kept rewinding it over and over again because she couldn't quite believe what just happened. Everyone was chaotic around her, most simply whispering to each other, and the five original Garde quietly sharing their sadness and thoughts together.

'Why... why did you do it? Why did you take over the power from Ran?' She had asked him about saving Ran and dying instead. Ella knew it was selfish, but she'd have preferred John over Ran.

'I... Ella... I had to. For all of you.' Ten wanted to ask him more. Ask him if he was holding back the whole time as the body jumper said. Ask him if he would miss them. Ask him what to tell Ran and Five. Ask him about the hundred and more futures he saw, and about the things that he had dared to see.

And ask him if he regretted it.

But she never got to question him any of those things. She only got an answer for one question she did not ask.

'Ella... I don't regret it, I really don't. It's what I had to do." John's voice faded away, mingling with the wind and passing away to the other end. "Years before, you told me there was a prophecy drawn here. My death was not in it, unlike the others. There was no path, no direction for me. Now, I know what it meant. I choose my own way. I will make my life, and I did. I chose to save Ran's life and end mine, Ella. Unlike Eight or One, Two, Three, I had a chance to go the path I want to. So... I do not regret any part of it. I treasure every second with all of you." Another drop of tear rolled down Ella's face, and a hand wrapped around her shoulder, enveloping the small girl in a hug. Nine let her scream into his chest, and the others quietly whispered comforting words to her. Behind her, Ella found Six slumped on the floor, and Sam trying to be strong and gathering the HG. John's voice slowly played in the background. "...Training with Nine and Six, talking with Sam and Adam, looking at you and Marina talk... Even Five being grumpy and bickering with everyone. But now... it's time for me to go. I do not regret what I did. Goodbye, Ella." And like that, John left, without regret of what he'd done. That was when they all realized Four was gone.

Forever.

Does this fic deserve to be longer?

Maybe.

Did the story deserve a better ending?

Definitely.