"MONSTERS!" Agate shouted, summoning a spear. Marie felt a pit in her stomach. Aaron summoned flames on his fists, Misty summoned water, and Pebbles' fists grew larger. Marie was frozen in absolute horror, before she snapped out of it. Copper rushed into the room, along with Percy and the others. "Stay out of this!" Agate shouted as the others arrived, and summoned a shield that prevented everyone from entering. Well, except for Copper, who was already inside. "NO!" Okami shouted, banging on the shield. "GUYS!" Marcus cried, his eyes flickering with magic. WE'LL BE IN THERE IN A SECOND!" Justin shouted, his gauntlets appearing on his hands. "JUST HOLD ON UNTIL WE CAN HELP!" Percy yelled, her eyes glowing brightly. "DARLINGS, HOLD OUT FOR A BIT, ALRIGHT?" Indigo urged, summoning a spiked ring. "WE'LL HELP YOU, AS SOON AS THIS THING BREAKS!" Darien promised, summoning bullets. Agate's spear began to glow brightly. "No, PLEASE!" Marie shouted, rushing towards Agate. "You would side with monsters?!" Agate demanded, her eyes blazing with orange. "I would side with my friends!" Marie retorted, and ran in front of Agate, putting herself between the wizard and her monster friends. "If you want to hurt them, then you'll have to go through me." Marie's eyes blazed with magic. Agate looked into Marie's eyes, and saw only courage and determination. "Then it's treason." Agate growled, her teeth gritted. Copper stood next to Agate. "Agate, wait!" He put his hand on her shoulder. "Agate. The war is over." "We sent the monsters underground to keep more bloodshed from happening! I fully intend to put these three where they belong, with their families underground." "But there isn't a reason to fight!" "Yes there is! Monsters and humans cannot live together!" Then, with a burst of magic, spears appeared around Marie, floating and aiming at Agate. "ENOUGH!" Marie screamed, her voice ringing with fury and annoyance. "If it's a fight you want, then a fight you'll get! But I will NOT stand around and let you take my friends away from me! We sheltered them! We kept them safe! And they helped us in return! They're like family! And if you mess with them, then you're messing with me!" Aaron smiled brightly, his fiery eyes sparking with gratitude. Misty grinned, a determined and grateful look in her aqua eyes. Pebbles looked ready to cry, but immediately brushed it off, taking a battle stance. All three were grateful for Marie's pledge to stand and fight with them, as allies and friends. Even family. Then, with a loud crack, everyone burst through the shield, and rushed to the side of Marie and the monsters. Everyone had their weapons out and ready. Agate's eyes burned bright with orange. "So be it." "AGATE, STOP!" Copper cried out, before spears rushed around Copper, trapping him. His red eyes shone bright with anger and magic, when a spear appeared right at his neck, threatening to pierce it. He couldn't move or use his magic. "STAY OUT OF THIS!" Agate screamed, before spears flung at the group.
Everyone either blocked or dodged, when Marie summoned a gasterblaster. Agate's eyes flickered with recognition and fear, before her own spears stabbed towards it, along with waves of magic. Marie jumped and dodged, twisting and turning. The gasterblaster fired, blasting towards Agate with it's fury. Agate jumped out of the way, but then, Marie charged at her with a sword in hand. Agate blocked Marie with her spear, when another came out of the ground and at Marie. She didn't have time to dodge or block. It impaled her through the stomach and out the back. Marie let out a cry of pain, blood pouring out. It poured below Marie, and a little out of her mouth. Everything and everyone stopped. Agate gasped, as if she didn't even know what she was doing until it was done. Marie fell to the ground, her HP reduced to zero. Her SOUL appeared above her. Marie looked at Agate with a glimmer of anger and horror in her eyes, before her SOUL cracked, and it broke in half. Everyone cried out for Marie, rushing towards her. Agate covered her mouth, horrified. What had she done? She just killed this girl, and all she had done was protect her friends. Yet, Marie's SOUL did not break entirely. Percy was holding Marie in her arms, sobbing and begging for her to come back, begging for her to return like before. Marie was limp, her eyes having lost their familiar sparkle. Agate fell to her knees, tears falling from her eyes. Her mouth was still covered by her own hand. The orange in her hair and eyes faded, leaving only gray. Amber was watching from outside of the room, a horrified expression on her face. Copper was equally so, and the spears around him disappeared. "Agate..." Copper's voice rang with horror, anger, and disappointment. "What have you done?" Agate was unable to answer. But then, the SOUL began to shake.
Marie's SOUL was beginning to shimmer brightly with white light. Then, it fused back together with a blinding light. "But She Refused." An ethereal voice filled the air, ringing with wisdom, kindness, and warmth. Then, the SOUL returned to Marie, and her wound was healed. Her body began to glow white, and began to float in the air. Percy gasped, a smile on her face. "She's coming back...!" Percy exclaimed, happiness and relief echoing in her voice. Then, Marie grew to be taller, her body turning to be alike when she had SAVED Darien and Indigo. Angel wings spread from her back. Most of her features were lost, save for her basic outline and some facial features, such as her eyes and nose. She opened her eyes, and they were completely white.
She was levitating above the ground. She faced towards Agate, of whom looked absolutely terrified. Her now gray eyes were sparkling with the emotion, as well as awe. Marie walked towards Agate, yet she was floating above the ground, walking as if she was. She was now directly in front of Agate, her white form shimmering. Agate was trembling as she looked up at her, the former's eyes glittering with fear, yet again, holding awe and shock. Marie bent down a bit to be at level with the trembling sorceress. Agate backed away a small bit. Marie reached a hand out towards Agate, with the latter flinching in horror, fearful of what might have come. But nothing happened. Marie had reached her hand out for Agate to grab. Agate stared at it for a moment, before taking the hand. Marie helped her up, her glowing white eyes shining with understanding, forgiveness, and kindness. Agate was shaking, when tears began to spill once more. "I'm...I'm so sorry...!" Agate whispered through her tears. "I hurt you...I killed you...!" "You didn't kill her." The same ethereal voice spoke. Megami, as of course. But Agate didn't know that. "I..." "She simply refused death. She did not die. You only wounded her, child of bravery. The woman you see before you is the Angel. Marie is to be the harbinger of light, the bringer of peace, and the savior of the world. She is to bring harmony between the two races before she can properly SAVE the world, meaning that this fight was destined. She needed a way to speak to you and your brother, but she didn't know exactly how. Yet fate decided to get that over with, sending you both towards her. Child of bravery, you must understand. This war was only temporary, and so is the separation of the two races. For Marie must bring the monsters to the surface, making the underground go empty. Do you understand? It must be done to ensure the safety of everyone on this earth." Megami spoke again, her ethereal voice echoing about. Copper and Agate were both frozen. Agate looked at Marie again, awe in her eyes. "I...Marie, I..." Marie had a kind look in her eyes. She couldn't exactly speak while in this form, and could only communicate through body language and looks in her eyes, despite the fact that they were glowing pure white. Agate recognized it as forgiveness, and hugged Marie. "I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, tears falling down. Marie's eyes shone with kindness and forgiveness, and she hugged Agate back, though she had to bend down a bit to do so. The hug finished, and Marie turned towards Percy and the others. Then, the white began to fade, and Marie returned to her normal state, looking a little dazed and tired.
"Now do you see why I was so nervous? Because I didn't want you to hurt my friends. And I didn't want them to be taken from here." Marie spoke, her voice shaking. "And I should hope that you don't try and do it again." Agate nodded, looking ashamed. Copper stepped forward. "So...you're the Angel?" "Yes." Marie replied. "Then...we can't stop you, can we?" Copper asked, his red eyes sparkling with awe and resignation. Marie had to be honest; Copper and Agate would not be able to stop her. No one would. She would keep going until the final fight. "No." "Then we won't. I do have a question, though." "Yeah?" "What else is gonna happen? We all know the prophecy, that an Angel will make the underground go empty, but what will happen if you can't? If you can't go underground and free the monsters?" Marie remembered the darkness that had once engulfed her, and remembered Yami. Marie felt a chill run down her spine at the memory. "Then this world will be engulfed in darkness, with no light to clear it. The earth will be shrouded in eternal darkness, and this timeline will forever be destroyed." Marie spoke, truth ringing in her serious voice. "If I'm not able to, then everything as you know it will cease to be." Agate covered her mouth again, and Copper's eyes widened. "How...how do you know?" "The same woman who spoke to Agate spoke to me. Megami. She knows what's going to happen. Well, at least, what will happen, should we...should I fail." Marie was placing the responsibility solely on her. "...the least we can do is help you." Agate piped up, her voice holding more bravery than before. The orange in her hair and eyes were beginning to return. "Help you and your friends. Help you defeat whatever you need to." Marie looked at Aaron and the others. Everyone looked back at her, giving her looks of seriousness and mild fear. She looked back at Agate and Copper. "...it's not just my decision." She replied. "Agate, you and Copper are one of the seven great wizards. You both helped seal the monsters underground. I don't know if...if we can trust you." Marie spoke, truth ringing in her sorrowful tone. She sounded genuinely apologetic and regretful. "...We all need to talk about it. We can't just let you join, just like that."
...
Agate, Copper, and Amber all waited outside of the room. Amber kept casting fearful glances towards Agate, and she responded with an apologetic look. Copper kept looking at his feet, staring down at them. He had just witnessed a miracle. Marie had come back to life, just after dying. Well, technically, she didn't die, as the ethereal voice said. And she was the Angel, to save the world. He couldn't begin to imagine the pressure upon her, having to bear that responsibility for the rest of her life. He and Agate may have ruled the seven kingdoms, but Marie was to save everything on this earth. "...do you think that Marie forgave us?" Amber asked, her green eyes sparkling with fear and sadness. "Amber, you weren't in the battle. You did nothing to harm anyone." Copper responded, turning towards Amber. "...has she forgiven Agate?" Amber asked once more. "...I think so." Agate replied this time, looking at her hands. Agate couldn't shake off that guilt of hurting Marie, but she did regain her trait. Then, the door opened, and Aaron walked through. He beckoned for the trio of siblings to come with him, and so they did.
They had all come to an agreement, but it hadn't been that simple, based on how long it took. "Agate, Copper, and Amber?" Marie said, walking forward. Agate and Copper wanted her and the others to say yes, they wanted to make it up to them by helping them fight. Amber wanted to help anyone the best she could, and this was likely the best way to do it. Amber was afraid, but at the same time, she felt excited to join this fight. She wouldn't fight, but she could heal. She could help on the sidelines. Either way, Amber felt obliged to help, just as Copper and Agate did. "If all of you wish it so, then you may join us in the fight against the darkness." Marie announced, even if it wasn't that loud. She had a kind smile on her face and a determined look in her eyes. The trio all smiled. "We won't let you down, Angel." Copper said, his smile filled with confidence. "We won't let any of you down!" Agate added. Amber only beamed, her bright smile filled with gratitude.
Deep in the darkness, Yami felt something wrong. An inbalance. A change in fate. His black eyes widened with horror when he realized what it was. The Bete Noire, the instrument of destruction that was to happen...it was no longer to exist. The siblings were somehow convinced to agree on matters with the monsters. Then, Yami came to another realization. It was her, wasn't it? No one else could convince the siblings to agree, not by normal means. He let out a deep-throated growl of anger. "We must begin." The woman's voice spoke, her horrible snarl echoing in Yami's mind. "If the Bete Noire will no longer exist, then we must start the plan." He shuddered at the sound of her voice once more. "Fine, fine." Yami replied, the black from his eyes beginning to run down his cheeks. "It shall be done, and the light will fall. The darkness shall reign supreme."