With time running out for Sunset, everyone knew they had to move things along quicker if they wanted to take Serenade down and save their world. After successfully eliminating Eight Ball, it left only the most elusive and trusted of Serenade’s subordinates, Arax.

Horizon and Yuna had decided they needed to do as much research on Arax as they could, so they asked the only other person they knew had encountered him before besides Sunset, Cinder. Cinder was all too happy to oblige them, and invited the two young teens to her abode for tea to discuss it. With only a day passing since the death of Eight Ball, they were wasting no time.

At the last minute, feeling like she was not useful enough to the team, Thorn had asked to accompany them and meet with Cinder. The girls agreed and brought her along. There, Horizon and Yuna sat, with Yuna assisting Thorn. As Thorn reached with her hand to be assisted, Yuna prompted her to switch hands. “Oh, you’re left handed?” Thorn asked as she took the girl’s hand and sat between Horizon and she.

Yuna nodded as she answered. “Yes. Sorry.”

“Just like your sister then, I take it?” Thorn giggled.

Yuna rubbed her neck and nodded once more. “Yeah, both of us. It’s a strange coincidence, I suppose.”

“I see…” Horizon commented, her eyes now fixated on Thorn.

“Something wrong, Horizon?” Yuna blinked, noticing her friend was staring.

Horizon blinked back and then shook her head. “No, I guess I just never noticed that you’re left handed…”

Yuna blushed. “Yeah, I guess it never came up.”

From the other room, Cinder’s voice interrupted them, as the muscular woman came out carrying a teapot in one hand, and four cups in the other, each with their handle looped through her fingers. Setting them down, she began to pour each girl a cup of tea. “Sorry for the long wait…”

Yuna waved dismissively as she took her offered cup and gave a sip. She made an approving smile before speaking. “It’s no trouble. If anything, we’re thankful that you took the time to meet with us.”

“If it aids in bringing Serenade down, I’m all for it.” Cinder grinned as she passed the final cup to Thorn who took it and cradled her hands around it.

“Is it true that you and Serenade were mates?” Horizon asked.

The other two teens with her froze at Horizon’s question, realizing she might not have realized how insensitive it might have been. Cinder, however seemed only slightly bothered by it. She leaned back in her seat and sipped from her own cup before giving a quiet answer.

“I guess technically we were about to be… I never got to properly ask her, but I did tell my parents it was my intention…” Cinder said.

“She was different back then, right?” Horizon tilted her head.

Cinder found herself tapping her cup. After eight taps, she answered. “I don’t think so… I was merely just more naive…”

“We’re so sorry to hear… Eclipse told us what she did to your family…” Yuna chimed in.

Cinder frowned. “I blame my own naivety more than anything else. Serenade is responsible for sure, but I played a large role in it. I should have been more careful, I was young and too eager to make changes to the way things always were… I should have been more cautious…”

“Do you think she ever felt the same romantic feelings toward you?” Thorn asked.

Raising a brow, Cinder glanced at the blind girl before replying. “No… Serenade only loves herself. That’s a fact. She is not capable of caring for anyone more than herself. Anything she does that may resemble empathy, love or compassion are merely facades to get what she wants. I am certain the siren would even kill her own sister if necessary for her own survival. She can’t be trusted. She is pure evil, that much I am certain of.”

“How so?” Horizon questioned.

Cinder smirked. “I’ve had plenty of centuries to think about it; not to mention I watched her actions during the war over a decade ago. I’ve heard the tales of those who have interacted with her… Her black heart has no room for anyone else…”

Thorn spoke back with a light tone, a hint of sadness in her voice. “What a terrible existence…”

Yuna nodded in agreement. “I have to say, I agree with Thorn. While Serenade is our enemy, and she is definitely a ruthless monster… Her existence sounds very sad… Cursed even…”

Horizon’s voice made everyone look in her direction, as her tone sounded very serious. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that Serenade is cursed. Those who kill cross a threshold that they can’t return from. They commit to a life where they will be shunned, hated and seen with disdain forever. Serenade entered such a life the first time she killed…”

Cinder nodded and took a large sip before setting her cup down. She crossed her arms and spoke sincerely. “Horizon is correct. I am sure the first time Serenade killed, she felt something in her change. Maybe she gains joy from killing, but that is where one becomes cursed, that joy she gained I imagine now is her only source of joy. She likely spends her days thirsting for more killing, unable to satisfy her thirst.”

“Do you hate Sunset for not killing her?” Horizon asked.

Chuckling, Cinder shook her head. “No. While I think the world would have been better without her existence… Sunset was trying to keep from losing herself… She hated Serenade like I did, but like she was able to spare Adagio, she did the same for Serenade. I think it’s because Sunset saw a bit of herself in both girls. She knew if she killed them with her hatred of them consuming her so much, she would become like them in no time at all…”

“Sounds like Sunset is suffering too…” Yuna added.

Cinder frowned at that thought. “I suppose so. She’s in worse shape than when I saw her back in Equestria… She was mentally broken down back then, but now I can see she has lost her spirit as well.”

“What do you mean?” Horizon asked.

Looking at her cup, Cinder continued to explain. “I can sense it in her, her will to live is nearly gone. She was already full of self-loathing back then, but now I think she’s accepted that she will never be able to undo the things she’s done in her life. The demonic energy killing her is likely speeding up because her will to fight it off is waning.”

“Is there any way to save her?” Yuna asked.

Cinder didn’t want to speak of it. She knew that Sunset’s situation was dire, and any hope of saving her from her fate was long passed. Cinder wasn’t sure how these girls would handle the grave news, so she contemplated lying, but ultimately decided that they would be faced with the truth soon anyway.

“Sunset is…” Cinder paused and let out a sigh. “It’s like what Eclipse said… She’s as good as dead. She only has a little longer left. She’ll turn fully into a demon, and the demon will control her body for a short time, maybe a few weeks, and then she will be gone. After the demon takes over completely, she’s past the point of no return, she’s dead.”

“Horizon can’t dark pull her back to normal?” Thorn tilted her head.

Cinder shook her head. “No. Even after all that you’ve done to enhance your abilities, I agree with Eclipse’s assessment: If Horizon tries that, she will die. The amount of dark energy in Sunset is too much for her body to handle…”

Horizon’s tone seemed unaffected by those words, as predicted and she changed the subject. “What can you tell us about Arax? We have to get rid of him before it’s too late. Every subordinate that can help Serenade now reduces our chances of success.”

Cinder looked up in thought. She recalled all that Starlight had told her about her time with Arax when the two chatted back in Equestria. Admittedly, she spoke highly of him, like he was just a lost soul, lead down the wrong path. Cinder wasn’t exactly sure how much of that she believed, but she did trust Starlight, even if she wasn’t in the right headspace at the time.

“Arax is…” She chewed her thoughts for another eight seconds before answering. “He’s not like the others that serve Serenade…”

“What do you mean?” Yuna blinked.

Stirring her tea by swirling her cup gently, Cinder sighed. “Truthfully, the only one in Equestria who really got any kind of info on him was Starlight Glimmer… She spent a good amount of time at his side… I suppose you could say she was his slave, though he didn’t treat her as such…”

“How did he treat her?” Yuna questioned.

Cinder leaned in. “In actuality, quite well. She says he’s gentle deep down, but don’t let that fool you, he is a changeling after all. Capable of changing shape and form, disguising himself as something else. As a result, you should always assume he’s a brilliant actor…”

“Are there limits to changeling’s abilities?” Horizon jumped in.

Cinder recalled all the times she had faced them back in Equestria. Most of the time, changelings couldn’t keep their changed form for extended periods of time, usually only a few hours at once, sometimes less if the form was extremely taxing.

“Well, they aren’t able to hold a shape for really long periods of time. I’d say even eight hours in a different shape is enough to push them to their limits, but Arax is not like other changelings… He’s a demon like Serenade is, and as such I don’t know what he’s capable of. We never really got to see his full power in action, and there’s no doubt he’s gotten better at how to use it…” Cinder frowned.

“That’s not good news…” Thorn frowned.

Cinder nodded at the blind girl. “However, I think with all the lot of you have learned… So long as you’re careful, you can defeat him.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Cinder, but we don’t even have a clue where to start…” Yuna frowned as well.

Cinder grinned. “Either way, I wish I could help you all more. All I can say is be on the lookout for Arax. He can trick you in many different ways,”

“We’ll be vigilant.” Horizon nodded.

Key stood at the window of the empty building looking in Cinder’s home’s direction. He let out a long sigh as he shook his head. Behind him, Lock was playing a game she had pulled up on her phone. A bored look on her face as she sat there.

Rolling his eyes, Key stepped over in her direction and gestured for her to stop the game. Annoyed, Lock paused it and made the hologram of the game disappear before focusing her attention on Key. “Sorry, I was bored. We’ve been sitting here for like an hour, when are we going to get something to eat? You promised me we’d get Vietnamese food today…”

Sighing, Key placed a hand atop of her head. “First of all, we don’t actually need food anymore, remember? Second, we should be focusing on the task at hand.”

“That’s your job, remember? I’m just here to make sure everything goes smoothly and you are protected.” Lock reminded with her finger raised.

Key laughed and nodded. “Yes, I suppose that’s right… Either way, things are progressing a bit slowly, we should perhaps intervene here.”

“What should we do?” Lock blinked.

Key closed his eyes and thought. After a few seconds, he responded. “Perhaps we should text them the location of one of the former bases that Serenade used. I’m sure investigating there would give them a hint of what to do…”

“Sounds boring, but okay… So… About that food?” Lock grinned.

Rubbing her head, Key smiled at her before caressing her cheek gently. He still remembered the day they met, the way she became his protector. He was glad to have her.

A young Lock was busy setting the table for her family. Her parents had instructed her to be hasty as their elder relatives were coming over, and then to make herself scarce. They had wanted to impress them, and felt their unmarried daughter who worked an average job wouldn’t do so.

She had grown used to it, and had already prepared to go out that evening, after she had finished. Once the table was set, she called out to her parents that she would be leaving, to which she was given a grunt as a response. She rolled her eyes and headed toward the door, slipping on her shoes. She grumbled under her breath before the pigmy girl exited the house.

The moment she stepped outside, she felt the wrath of the summer heat hit her. Even in the winter time, it was offensively hot out. Making her way to her car, the woman sighed before starting the engine.

At thirty-one, she had no husband or boyfriend to speak of, and to most she was seen as a very “plain” girl. She never thought of herself as beautiful, but she didn’t think she was ugly by any stretch of the imagination.

Starting the car, she drove off until she came to a nearby night market, one she frequented often. Sighing, she turned the car off and threw her head back and closed her eyes. She wondered how much longer she could do this. Work life sucked, and she hated being so close to her parent’s place. She wanted to leave the country and see the world, but money was always too tight.

She had saved up a few thousand before, but then the check engine light in her car came on and that was all wiped out. The economy was on a downturn, and most in her position were just struggling to live. She was normally exceptional with money and saving, but there just wasn’t a way to save your way out of a broken economy.

The girl lifted her head up and exited her car, securing it before making her way to go and get food. Checking her purse, she could see a few fifties there. She nodded approvingly before looking around to decide what she wanted to eat.

Coming to a decision, she got in line at an establishment, but then her eyes were drawn to the man standing in front of her. Looking up to see him, she looked in awe at his messy hair. The man turned to face her and tilted his head. She noted the key shaped earring dangling from his ear.

She blinked and blushed upon looking at him. He was so handsome, someone she couldn’t imagine being in a place like this, enough to be a model even.

To her surprise, he smiled at her.

“Oh… Sorry… I didn’t mean to stare…” She blushed and tried to cover her face with her purse.

The man reached forward and gently pushed her purse down with his two fingers, causing the red on her face to grow. “I… I…” She stammered.

“You’re beautiful…” He spoke.

She could feel all the blood in her body rush to her face at those words. “W-wha!?”

“Sorry… Am I being too forward?” He asked.

She shook her head violently. “N-not at all! Thank you! No one has ever said that to me… Especially someone so…”

He chuckled gently before gesturing toward the stall where they were both trying to buy food. “Want to sit together? My treat.”

“How can I say no?” She blushed.

Nodding. He pointed to a table, instructing her to sit while he acquired food for them. She did so, as if her brain was on auto-pilot. Captivated by this mysterious stranger, Lock watched as he retrieved a set of bills from his pocket, paid for their food and brought it to the table.

He smiled as he sat down across from her and offered her a bowl. Lock took it graciously and began to eat with a pair of chopsticks that he had provided.

There was silence between the two briefly before he spoke up. “So, you live here, I take it?”

Lock nodded.

“I see…” He replied.

“And you?” She asked.

He shook his head. “Nah, just passing through.”

“Where are you from? Your accent is definitely not local…” She inquired.

He looked down at his bowl, chopsticks in hand as he thought about his answer carefully. After a few moments he gave a rather uninspired answer. “I guess I’m from a lot of places…”

“I see… You travel a lot?” She asked.

He nodded. “You could say that.”

“Must be nice… I always dreamed of traveling…” She gave him a gentle smile which he returned.

The man reached across the table and took her free hand into his own. He gripped it gently and spoke with a serious tone. “I think that can be arranged…”

Lock nearly choked on her food as she tried to compose herself. “D-don’t you think you’re coming off a little strong?” She asked.

His face remained serious. “Am I?”

She looked away bashfully. “I… I guess not…”

“So you prefer forward then?” He asked.

“S-sure… Why not…?” She replied sheepishly.

“Lock… I can sense something about you…” He spoke quietly.

Lock blinked and squinted as she looked at him. “I never told you my name…” She stated.

“You didn’t have to. I already knew it,” he said.

“How?” Lock blinked.

“You really want to know?” He smirked.

She could sense there was something different about this man, something that made her curious. She looked down at his hand grasping her own and then back up to his light colored eyes as she felt her head nod involuntarily. “Yes…”

“If I tell you, it’ll change your life, Lock… It’ll change everything… You’d be bound to me forever, I want you to understand that…” He spoke quietly.

Lock didn’t care, her curiosity overwhelmed her. Somehow, she felt like she knew this stranger, like she was meant to find him. “I… I don’t care… I want to understand… Please, tell me…”

He grinned and nodded. “Very well… My name is Key…”

A mysterious message appeared on Yuna’s phone, causing her to check it right away. Upon opening the message, a hologram of a map with an X marked on a specific building appeared before here along with a message.

Hey Yuna,

Key told me to send you this message. This place was an old hideaway for Serenade and her minions. She’s since abandoned it as the size of her entourage has shrunk considerably so she doesn’t need as much space anymore.

Anyway, Key told me I should recommend you search there for any clues regarding Arax. Don’t ask how I got your number, name or how I knew you were searching for Arax, it would take far too long to explain any of this to those in your position.

Good luck,

Lock

Naturally, Yuna had told her friend Horizon who recognized the area and they decided they would go together. Feeling like she hadn’t contributed enough to their cause, Thorn insisted she accompany them, which Yuna accepted, after all, someone who understood dark magic would be quite valuable in the upcoming situation for sure.

Together, the group had gotten in the car and taken off for the building, and Yuna spent most of the car ride chatting with Thorn about various topics. Thorn mostly gave simple commentary, but Yuna couldn’t help but notice that despite the car being on auto-pilot, Horizon was oddly fixated on the road and not conversing with either of them.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Horizon Shimmer to be quiet, but there was something quite off about her this time around. She seemed almost deliberately unwilling to chat, like her mind was occupied with other things. Yuna wanted to pry, but thought better of it, as she knew with the knowledge of her mother’s upcoming death, the girl certainly had a lot to think about.

With the three of them arriving at the old building, the car parked itself and Horizon was the first to open her door. The disheveled teen yawned and closed the door behind her as the other two teens stepped out and joined her. Looking up at the building it was quite large, an old factory that had long been abandoned.

Gestured toward the entrance, Horizon lead the group, illuminating the way upon entering the dark building by switching on the light from her phone on her wrist. The other two kept close behind her, Thorn having a bit more bearings after stepping into the darkness.

Checking around, Yuna blinked as she noticed cables running across the floor. She flipped on her own light and checked where they went, noting they came from one of the windows. Looking through the window, Yuna noticed they lead toward the building next door. She voiced her theory to the group. “I think they were getting electricity from the place next door when they used this place…”

Thorn nodded in agreement, but Horizon just gave a simple “Mmm” in response. Yuna squinted curiously as her friend seemed exceptionally distracted, she adjusted her glasses as she came back to Horizon’s side. Thorn felt around with her walking stick and began to examine the room on her own, but kept close by.

“Something wrong, Horizon?” Yuna questioned finally.

Horizon didn’t respond, she was still chewing her thoughts it seemed.

The group made it through the building, coming to a dead end with nothing but pipes and valves. Squatting down, Horizon began to examine them and noticed blood on the ground, already dried. Pulling Moon up on her phone, she had him begin to analyze it.

Yuna stood there awkwardly while Thorn stood a good eight feet away waiting for Horizon’s results. Gulping, Yuna stepped forward and squatted down to Horizon’s level, placing a nervous hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Horizon… You’ve been acting strange for a little while now, what’s wrong?”

Horizon lifted her chin and faced forward as she spoke her thoughts. “Something has been bothering me for a little while now…”

“What is it?” Yuna asked.

Horizon looked at Yuna with serious eyes. “How did Thorn know your sister was left-handed?”

Yuna blinked. “What do you mean? She met her, remember? When they met everyone could see that Moondancer was holding something in her left hand… She probably guessed that way.”

“How?” Horizon raised a brow.

“What do you mean, how?” Yuna was confused.

“Moondancer never said she was holding anything, and no one else commented on it. There should have been no way for Thorn to have known she was holding anything… She couldn’t see it…” Horizon explained.

A cold sweat ran down Yuna’s neck for some reason. She felt uneasy about this fact for some reason. “T-that’s… True…”

Horizon turned and looked over her shoulder at the gothic teen standing in the shadows. She spoke with a serious tone to Thorn. “So Thorn… How did you know?”

A sigh escaped Thorn, and after taking a step forward, she dropped her walking stick onto the ground. “I was hoping I had more time…” Her usual exuberant tone had shifted to one more lacking in emotion as she reached into her hoodie.

Within seconds she produced a Glock and pointed it at the two of them. “However, I only need Horizon alive… It doesn’t matter what condition…”

“You’re working for Serenade…?” Yuna blinked as she turned to face Thorn.

“It all makes sense now…” Horizon said.

“What has she done with Thorn!?” Yuna looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to make sense of what was happening.

“There never was a Thorn…” Horizon stated.

Yuna’s mouth opened in shock. “W-wha!?”

“She was a spy for Serenade the entire time… She is how Serenade was always a step ahead of us, she’s been feeding her info…” Horizon explained.

“Wait, that’s not possible! We met her mom, Vinyl, remember?” Yuna reminded.

Shaking her head, Horizon kept her eyes on Thorn. “Serenade has the power to control others… Vinyl likely was being controlled by Serenade to make the illusion more realistic… She put a lot of work into fooling us…”

Thorn nodded. “Correct. Serenade doesn’t like to leave too much to chance…”

“Y-you pretended to be our friend!? You were planning on betraying us this whole time!?” Yuna shook her head in disbelief. “What kind of monster are you!?”

“She’s a changeling… She is Arax.” Horizon concluded.

Both Horizon and Yuna stared down Thorn waiting for her to confirm or deny the accusation. After a long sigh, Thorn replied. “I guess there’s no reason to keep this charade going now…”

Closing her eyes, Thorn’s body quickly shifted into a much taller man with long messy dark hair. He had an eyepatch over one of his eyes and a baggy white shirt over his form with baggy jeans covering his bottom half. His visible eye had a red iris, and his face was somewhat chiseled, if it weren’t for his expression and intent many would likely consider him quite handsome.

“So… You are Serenade’s second-in-command then?” Yuna asked.

Arax nodded. “Serenade and I are linked. When I was on death’s door, she rescued me, she planted a part of herself in me…” He placed his free hand upon his heart and continued. “A demon vine… It keeps my heart beating, and gives me a portion of Serenade’s power… But also meant I would share her fate…”

“What do you mean?” Yuna blinked.

“Serenade can kill me at any time… And if she dies, I will die…” Arax explained.

“So you fear death then?” Horizon asked.

“I did… Not anymore…” He replied.

“What is keeping you serving her then?” Horizon questioned.

“I suppose I can tell you… That creature… Serenade… The most vile and despicable life form that I know… Twisted, wretched… Evil… And yet… I somehow have feelings for her… Does that sound crazy to you?” He tilted his head in wonder.

“Very.” Yuna nodded.

He chuckled. “I guess it doesn’t matter. We all get fucked in the end anyway… You two are no different… I do want to apologize for what I was forced to do though…”

“What do you mean?” Yuna blinked.

“He killed Moondancer…” Horizon concluded.

Yuna’s face turned white at hearing those words. She glanced at Horizon and then back at Arax. “Is that true!? You killed my sister!?”

The man’s expression remained unchanged. “It wasn’t anything personal… She knew too much, she was going to blow my cover, it was disadvantageous to our cause… Serenade ordered me to neutralize anyone who would impede our plans…”

“YOU BASTARD!” Yuna hissed.

He shook his head. “Your anger should be directed at Serenade, not me. I am merely doing what I am required to do.”

“I don’t care! You pulled the trigger! You mother fucker!” Yuna took a step forward, but Arax lifted his gun and pointed it at her. She froze as he aimed at her.

“You’re going to be reunited soon anyway… So I guess it doesn’t matter, does it? Again… It’s not personal, I’m just doing what I have to…” Arax said.

“Fuck you…” Yuna felt tears run down her cheeks.

Horizon paid close attention as she saw Arax’s finger begin to pull down on the trigger, but she wasted no time and took her chance. Quickly, she conjured up a small light spear and hurled it in Arax’s direction, knocking the gun out of his hand, and slicing his fingers off.

He looked down at his hand as black blood spurted from the wound. While he was distracted, Yuna quickly ducked down and dived for the gun. Once she had it in hand, she crawled backward and stood up, pointing it at him. Arax just continued to stare at his hand for a few more seconds before looking up at Yuna who was holding the weapon in both hands looking at him with it pointed directly at him.

The changeling seemed unfazed by the injury to his hand and instead, tilted his head as he watched Yuna. Her hands were steady, not shaking, perfectly calm. He found this fact odd.

“Yuna… You’re not unlike your sister… She didn’t have what it took to pull the trigger either… Face it… Just like her, you’ve never killed someone. You don’t have it in you, so why not put that down?” He smirked.

Yuna stood firm.

Arax shook his head and reached his arm toward her, but to his shock, a loud bang echoed through the air. Followed by seven more. Looking down, he could see bullet holes in his chest. Once he looked back up, Yuna pulled the trigger once more, hitting him between the eyes.

The man collapsed onto the ground as Yuna lowered the gun and shot him a few more times until the clip was empty. She sighed and let the gun rest at her side as she spoke. “I’m not my sister… I don’t show mercy to those who hurt the people I love…”

Horizon reached forward and placed a hand on Yuan’s shoulder, which Yuna reached up and touched. The two stood in silence for a brief moment until Horizon spoke up. “I’m sorry, Yuna…”

Yuna nodded and wiped her eyes which had tears welling up in them. “At least… That monster is dead… How could anyone love someone like Serenade? Truly he was pure evil…”

Horizon nodded.

The two stood there until Horizon noticed Arax’s hand twitch. She blinked and watched as the bullet wounds in his body began to weave back together, pushing the bullets out and the holes in him closing up. He inhaled heavily as he started to push himself to a stand. Yuna and Horizon quickly bolted past him so they wouldn’t be backed into a corner any long and looked back as he stood back up.

Horizon pushed Yuna behind her and quickly conjured up a few light spears. She hurled one at him, piercing his shoulder. He winced only slightly but seemed unfazed as the wound began to heal almost instantly.

“This is unreal…” Yuna replied.

Arax had a serious look on his face as he spoke to the two teenagers. “I’m afraid that won’t work… The powers Serenade gave me… They allow my body to regenerate. So long as a single microscopic cell of me exists, I can regenerate my entire body… It’s actually quite remarkable…”

Horizon ignored his explanation and hurled a few more spears at him, one of them knocking his head clean off his shoulders. The two watched as his body stood there headless, but sure enough, just as he had warned, his head quickly grew back, black tendrils slowly formed and turned flesh-colored before his head was completely restored.

“That’s… Not possible…” Yuna blinked.

“We have to run…” Horizon instructed.

The two girls bolted off, Horizon threw a spear in Arax’ direction, slicing his leg off to slow him down, and while he quickly began to regenerate it, they bought themselves enough time.

Rushing through the factory, the two girls raced into an abandoned office and shut the door behind them. Panting, they hid under a table and spoke in a hushed tone.

“This is crazy… Every attack he just regenerates… He’s basically invincible…” Yuna lamented.

Horizon nodded in agreement and pulled up a hologram of Moon. The canine gave a quick salute before speaking. “Horizon, I am monitoring your situation… This definitely isn’t ideal…”

“Any suggestions, Moon?” Horizon tilted her head.

Moon frowned as a few graphs appeared around him. “I’m running all the data I have, but I can’t see a path to victory here… He won’t tire out before you do, and conventional means of attack definitely seem ineffective. Since even a single cell of his body remaining means he will regenerate… That means we would need something to destroy all of him…”

“Well unless you have a small version of the Sun in your pocket that isn’t very helpful…” Yuna reminded.

Moon took on a defeated look. “I’m sorry… I wish I was more useful here… I’ll keep analyzing… That demonic power that Serenade gave him is quite nasty…”

Horizon blinked at those words, an idea popped into her head. “I think I have an idea…” She stated.

“What’s your idea?” Yuna asked.

Horizon dismissed Moon and came out from under the table. “We are going to need to face him head on…”

“Are you crazy!?” Yuna exclaimed.

“Trust me,” Horizon replied.

Looking at Horizon, Yuna felt a sense of confidence about her. Something in Horizon clearly was beaming with confidence. If she was this sure, Yuna felt slightly at ease. Yuna let out a sigh and nodded. “Okay… I trust you…”

Horizon kept crouched low as Yuna followed, the two kept quiet as Horizon reached into her backpack and retrieved the bladed gloves she wore with her disguise that she had opted out of wearing this time around. Placing them onto her hands she could see Yuna looked nervous. “What are you going to do with those?” Yuna blinked.

Horizon shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’m fairly sure this will work…”

Yuna said nothing until the two came back to the main area of the factory. Horizon poked her head out and ducked back down behind some pipes. She got a glimpse of Arax looking for them before she spoke in a hushed tone to Yuna. “Stay here and keep a safe distance. I am going to try to take him down, but you should still be out of range of our fight okay?”

Yuna nodded. “Please, be careful…”

Horizon gave a thumbs-up before she crept around the pipes and came out into the open. Once she was standing again she called out to Arax. “Arax.”

The changeling shifted his head and looked in her direction. He turned his entire body to face he as he stared her down with his single eye. “So… You finally came out… Does that mean you’re going to come with me, quietly?”

“Not a chance… I’m going to have to kill you now…” Horizon explained.

Arax frowned. “I see… Well, I suppose I will have to incapacitate you then… While we need you for the shard you’re holding, I don’t necessarily have to bring you in pristine condition… You do know though that what Serenade intends to do with you will be far more painful than anything I can do…?”

Horizon sighed as she looked down at her hand. She opened and closed it before looking back up at Arax. “Arax… I don’t really know what you’ve been through… I can only imagine how difficult your life has been if you’re in a position where you must serve Serenade… I wish I could help you, but as you said… Your fates are connected… So there is no way to spare you. If she dies, then you die... And I'm sorry but there is no way forward where she lives..."

He nodded in understanding. “Yes, the only way out for me is death… Now you understand my predicament”

Horizon nodded back. “I intend to set you free then…”

Arax tilted his head, unsure of what she meant.

Without wasting another second, Horizon quickly conjured up some light spears and began hurling them at him, piercing his arms, and then two through his shoulder. He gripped one of the spears, and black smoke came from his hand as his body was being burned by them. He would recover in seconds, so Horizon knew she had to hurry.

Dashing forward, she dodged a few attacks that he hurled her way in desperation, and ultimately plunged her clawed hand into his chest. Digging through his insides, she could feel what she was looking for. She gripped it tight and he quickly felt a large amount of pain as she squeezed.

The pain immobilized him, as Horizon began to pull. “What… Are you…?” He managed to get out.

Horizon spoke softly. “I’m sorry… Arax… This is how it has to be.”

Tugging, she began to pull what she was holding out of him. Peeking over the pipes in the distance, Yuna adjusted her glasses and could see that something that looked like a thorny worm was coming out of him, gripped tightly in Horizon’s hand. It writhed and squirmed violently as Horizon tugged harder and harder, Arax unable to do anything to stop it.

With a loud snap, it came out of him and it violently twitched in Horizon’s hand. The girl threw it onto the ground and stomped on it, squishing it into a pool of black sludge.

Arax gripped his chest as he felt his body unable to regenerate this time. His heartbeat started to slow down. He could see his own vision becoming blurry. “So… You pulled the demon vine out… Clever child…”

Horizon nodded. “I’m sorry, Arax. I gathered that you weren’t always a bad person… But I had no choice.”

Arax laughed through strained breaths as he bent over trying to hold black blood in. “It’s funny… You’d think I’d be sad… But I’m not… I’m actually happy… Happy that I finally get to die... Happy that I don't have to do this anymore... Is that weird?”

Horizon rested her hands at her sides. “It's not weird at all. I’m glad.”

“Freedom… At long last…” He chuckled. “Thank you… Horizon Shimmer… For setting me free...”

With those words, he collapsed onto the ground and his body began to dissolve into black smoke. It was over, Arax was finally dead.

Sunset and friends had gathered at the old abandoned factory after Yuna had messaged them that Horizon had successfully killed Arax. Upon their arrival, she explained the details of what had transpired and told the group of how Arax died. Sunset seemed somehow not as at ease as the others.

Yuna blinked before she remembered something else. “Oh! When Arax died, while Horizon was heading out here, I noticed he dropped something…”

Reaching into her bag, Yuna retrieved a gemstone that looked as though it was missing a single piece. Horizon blinked upon seeing it. “Let me see that,” Horizon stated.

Yuna passed it to Horizon, and the stone began to shine the moment Horizon touched it. Horizon could feel a strange sensation in her body like something was coming out of her. The stone shined brightly before the missing piece appeared on the stone.

“That must be the siren amulet… It fused back together when Horizon touched it…” Eclipse explained.

“The energy inside of Horizon must have been enough to fix it, but it’s still inert… I’m sure Serenade will still want to get her hands on it… After all, it's essential to her plan.” Sunset crossed her arms.

“Serenade will indeed.” A familiar effeminate voice called out to them all.

The entire group flinched before turning to see the siren in question standing before them. She had her arms at her sides with ease as she stared them all down with a rather calm expression on her face. “I’ll be taking that…” She extended her hand expectantly.

“Fat chance.” Jasper chimed in.

“Yeah, go eat shit, bitch!” Bolt joined him.

Candy decided to join the chatter and gave the siren the finger before spouting out her own retort. "Bitches like you should really learn to know when they're beaten."

Serenade ignored the lot of them. “So… I see you’ve killed Arax then?”

“That’s right, your boyfriend is dead.” Sunset smirked.

Serenade to all of their surprise began to smile. “I’m relieved then…”

“What!?” Sunset blinked in disbelief.

“Arax convinced me to do those horrible things… The things a siren should never do… Before I knew it, I had grown feelings for him… I had gotten soft… Feelings, love… They’re only weaknesses that can be exploited. You did me a favor by killing him, now my mind can remain clear…” She smirked.

Sunset could feel herself grinding her teeth in anger. To hear Serenade speak of someone who loved her so callously. “You… He loved you… You monster… How could you be so cruel to him? He sacrificed himself for you...”

“Then he was foolish. All who love me will meet terrible fates… Isn’t that right, Cinder?” She grinned at the dragon standing with the group.

Cinder crossed her arms and looked away shamefully.

Serenade let out a long sigh. “It doesn’t matter anymore, anyway. Arax is dead. My use for him was nearing its end anyway. He was a useful pawn, but still… Just a pawn in the end…”

“You really are the cruelest of the cruel, you know that?” Eclipse pointed out.

“I’ll take that as a compliment…” Serenade smirked.

“Scum like you would…” Eclipse replied.

Serenade yawned. “I grow bored of this, give me the stone, now. I am not going to ask you a third time. You will give it to me if you know what’s good for you…” Serenade commanded.

Horizon kept the stone gripped in her palm before looking at her mother. Sunset shook her head. “Don’t… Nothing good will come of her getting that stone, Horizon. She must not have it. There’s nothing left for her to threaten us with…”

Serenade shook her head disapprovingly. “You disappoint me, Sunset. After all this time, you still don’t know what I’m capable of?”

“Jack and shit, that’s what you’re capable of.” Sunset grinned defiantly.

“Very well… If you won’t give me the stone, perhaps a trade will change your mind…”

Black tendrils came out of Serenade’s arm and moved so quickly that none of them could react. Quickly they grabbed Jasper and pulled him toward Serenade. Once he was in her grip, she made her demand again. “Give me the stone… Or he dies…”

Weird how this turned out to be a shorter chapter, but that is the next 2 chapters will accommodate for that.

Yes, as I said before: the final chapter will be released tomorrow on Christmas Eve, and then the Epilogue on Christmas day. I'll include some of my final thoughts then. Also, I'll answer any questions people have left!