Fire set the sky alight as Sam stood towering over the two streamers standing on pillars of darkness. She cackled to herself. "This is the power I've only dreamed of! With this, I can stop the Garden once and for all."

Alton jolted up, striking Sam which she didn't even bother to block, forcing Alton to miss. Falling on his back, he slammed to the floor, gritting his teeth. "Shit!"

"Alton, are you alright?" Alice yelled, helping him to his feet.

"Just peachy… Mortem knows all too well I won't hurt Sam. She's got her as a hostage using Sam to kill us with no percussion… I have no idea how to defeat her?!"

"Just breathe. We'll get Sam back; we just need to work together. Mortem isn't used to Sam's body yet; this is the perfect time to break the link while it's at its weakest. If we push Mortem to her limits, I just know Sam will break free."

"I hope you're right, Alice," Alton whispered, twirling a small blizzard around his finger. "Because I have no idea what to do otherwise."

Alton unleashed a blizzard drowning Sam in the unrelenting storm, keeping that on her until she froze over. Alton's attack was burnt to a crisp as the blizzard ignited into a flaming tornado with Sam inside. Sending the attack back, Alton quickly cut his hand, using his blood to detreat the storm and overpower it. Holding his hand panting, Alton glanced up, still fully conflicted. "All you're doing is standing in the way of a change! Stopping me will only help the Garden. I'm here to stop them and allow this world to be free from its grasp."

"With you as its leader to do as they please?!" Alice argued. "From one dictator to another. What differences does it make?"

"The Garden won't show you mercy. If you surrender now, I'll spare you the pain. Join me, and together Fairy-Tale and humanity can stand to defeat the threat once and for all."

Patching up his hand, Alton tutted, lifting his head up. "You think after all we've been through, we'll just let you control us like puppets?"

"You won't be my puppets. Not in the slightest. You'll be given free will and the choice to do what you'd like with the perk of enteral life and power. You'd be seen as the heroes you are like you rightfully deserve. How is that a bad thing?"

Alton turned to Alice, nodding. "If something is too good to be true, it most likely is. How can we trust anything you say?"

"I give you, my word."

"Alright, how about this? Let's make a deal. I'll give myself up in return you let Sam go."

"Alton?!" Alice gasped, stepping back. "Are you serious?!"

"Just trust me on this, Alice!"

Sam gave it a little thought before chuckling to herself. "The body of one of the Ten's Judgement and not only that but ten himself. The power of inspiration at my fingertips. Something like that cannot be overlooked."

Alton nodded. "So, we have an agreement?"

"That we do."

Alton turned to Alice pushing a glacier towards her pressing her against the wall, stopping her from moving. "Alton! Don't do this; there has to be another way! Please!"

Alton lowered his guard as a dark shadow left Sam's body. She collapsed to the floor as Mortem left her body, plunging itself into Alton. Jerking back, Alton fell to his knees, gagging. Collapsing to the ground, Alice could only watch in horror as Mortem took over. "You are a fool, Alton Brantley, a brave but foolish boy! To think you'd give yourself up so easily over a mere girl! Our deal was to let the girl go, but there was nothing to say what happened afterwards!" Standing up, Mortem held their hands up, screaming. "This power! It's unlike anything I've ever felt. Fairy-Tale blood runs through my veins. The might of the Ten in the palm of my hand. This is true bliss, unlike anything I've ever experienced!"

"You bastard!"

Mortem turned to Alice, tutting. "I've had enough of you. Begone." As Mortem went to move, they flinched, startled, unable to even move their finger. Mortem was frozen entirely on the spot. "What's going on."

"Why don't I show you?" Alton whispered in their ear as Mortem blacked out. Waking Mortem found themselves in a gothic ruin—hallways of worn-down chandeliers and cobblestone flooring. Parts of the floor were cracked and crumbling apart. Mortem had no idea where they were as Alton chuckled to himself, approaching the shadow. "Did you honestly believe I would just let you take my body?"

"What is this?" Mortem yelled, stepping back. "Where am I?"

"Why where else? My home."

"This is Fairy-Tale?" Mortem whispered, looking around again. The whole place looked like an old gothic Victorian type palace, with long stairwells plastering around the area. Chandeliers hanging high with seemly nothing holding them up; a few were shattered against the floor into a million pieces. The floor wasn't clouds like most were expecting. Instead, it was piled with cobblestone pathways with roughed and broken edges showing waste for being around for far too long. That wasn't the only thing that struck Mortem. However, the overall place seemed dead. Both in life and look. The colours that might have resigned with the place had drained away into a lifeless grey with no hint whatsoever of colour. To make matters, perhaps stranger was the lack of anything. No sound, no people, no life at all. "Impossible."

"Do you like it? This place is long dead; the resistance perished long ago. How is beyond me all that is left is the rocks and glass of a past civilization. You see, the Garden's plan is flawed, just like their logic. The Ten, however, will keep going until their mission is complete, and that's to wipe out every last trace of the Garden from existence. Including you parasite." Alton taunted. 

Mortem gripped their fist, whispering. "I'm not speaking to Alton anymore, am I?"

"Correct," Alton said after a long pause. A bright light appeared behind him as a silhouette of wings seemed too promising to fully see. "I won't show mercy to your kind, nor can I be reasoned with. Your very destruction is what I was created for. Regardless of circumstances or Alton's choices, I will carry out my goal one step at a time until your race is wiped out." Holding his hand out, he lightly touched Mortem's forehead as they froze over, instantly shattering to a million pieces.

****

Mortem screeched, being torn from Alton's body as their shadowy appearance was left on display. They had no means of escape as Alton rose. "Do you understand now?"

Mortem began trembling, looking to Sam and Alice. "You're… You're nothing more than a monster… Blood fuelled monster! If you go this far… If you… Please, have mercy!"

Alton stood over Mortem, gripping them by the neck, staring daggers at them. "Do you remember what I said? Repeat my words."

Mortem cracked, stuttering. "You… Won't sh-." Alton cut Mortem off, freezing them slowly Mortem panicked, begging. "Please! No, I'm begging of you. I won't. I'm not with them, I can help you. You need me! Please, I just wanted to be free!"

Mortem froze over entirely as he smirked to himself, ripping his hand through the ice, shattering Mortem to pieces. "There's no such thing."

The glacier holding Alice shattered as she fell to her knees. "Alton… What did you do?

"I took the first step." He muttered, walking towards Sam kneeling. "Are you alright?"

Sam groaned, holding her head. "Oh, hey, my dude… What happened? Sorry, I think I blacked out for a moment…"

Alton hugged Sam, whispering. "Don't scare me like that ever again."

"Umm, ok?" She whispered. "What happens next?"

Alton sat down, staring at the night sky. To his shock, sets of fireworks rippled up and lit up the darkness. For a short moment, Alton felt a slight bit of joy; he was, for the most part, free from the burden of V.I.R.A.L even if it wouldn't last long. There was still much to do, but his three-year struggle against Mortem had come to an end. However, this was cut short as Alton turned, seeing Scarlett standing idly in the distance watching him. Alton took a deep breath standing up. Alice took notice of Scarlett, too, turning to Alton worried. He gave her a smile patting her head. "I'm finishing what we started. Look after Sam for me, Alice…"

"Don't do anything you won't regret."

"I won't. I already know what needs to be done."

****

Fireworks crackle and burst to life, lightning up the damaged city. A celebration was set into motion, and all those were letting it all out. Scarlett and Alton stood standing off from the top of an old clocktower overlooking the CEOs' headquarters. Scarlett with a conflicted look of pain and disbelief, losing all sense of who she was and Alton a calm and collective look with nothing to match. He didn't let any kind of emotion wave through towards his former ally as both were at a standoff. "I've been thinking about what to say to you since that night three years ago... Whether I should apologise or put you out of your misery. I still don't know…"

Scarlett never took her gaze away from Alton as she bit her lip until it bled. "You lecture me, yet we are two peas in a pod. What makes you so different and special to me? I've been fighting this fight my whole life, and you only stepped in when it affected you. My family is gone… I have nothing but dirt and broken memories. I keep getting told I'm free to make my own choices, but every time I try, it just brings me back to you!"

Alton shook his head, looking to the broken city filled with life. "You're wrong, Scarlett. Don't you understand? You were always free; the Syndicate family never had any control over you. Riley realised that and never looked back. You still can too."

Scarlett shared the view with Alton, muttering. "Percy visited me when I went home… I'm still not sure what it was all about, but he showed me my future. At this moment, right here, I was engulfed in rage and hate that I couldn't even think straight… It ends with you cutting me down with no mercy. While I still resemble some sort of hatred against you for not stopping me. I understand where that hate and rage came from. It was for myself; it's only taken me 22 years to realise I was being used. 22 years wasted for a cause that went nowhere. I threw away my chance of freedom because I was too afraid to take the leap of faith forward."

"There still is time to change everything."

Scarlett turned to Alton shaking her head. "I need to do this once and for all. I don't think I can ever live with this freedom; I was born to follow orders like a dog… I can't move on like this, so, please… Put me out of my misery."

Alton stared blankly for a moment, fully understanding Scarlett for the first time. A tear froze across his cheek as he moved his hand back, creating a blade. "Then let's end this once and for all." Scarlett turned her hand as two swords appeared floating around her. Both stared on, waiting for the other to strike. Alton raised his ice blade above his head, ready as Scarlett held hers behind her. As the second wave of fireworks was set off, the explosion was the bell for them. Both slashed past each other, the sound of swords clashing negated by the fireworks. Each stood where the other once did, but only one fell. Scarlett looked down, seeing an open wound as she fell to her knees, collapsing. 

Lying on her front, Scarlett stared out into the city, the lights flashing between her eyes. "It's beautiful…" Alton stood over her holding his blade up. She rolled over, looking up at him. "I'm sorry for everything…"

Alton thrust his blade down, stabbing into the ground next to Scarlett. "No more. No more will people I care about die, not tonight."

Scarlett stared blankly at the blade, devasted. "What? No, no. Just kill me. I have nothing to live for. Please!"

Alton snapped, yelling. "No! No more of this pointless war between us, Scarlett. Don't you see we aren't enemies? We were never enemies. Give up on this pointless endeavour."

"Then just kill me! Finish it and kill me!"

"Is that what you truly want? Or is that the easy way out?" Alton barked, making Scarlett flinch. "You don't get to die so easily, not today. You're going to keep suffering until you find something to live for. Then and only then will I put you down."

Scarlett began tearing up, wiping her face. "But…"

"No. Just stop. Just accept my hand and come home." Alton ordered, holding his hand out. "Please, Scarlett.

Scarlett seemed hesitant for a while before looking at Alton conflicted. "I don't know how."

"Then let's discover that together. You know there's no bluffing here."

Scarlett flinched, seeing Alton sharing her green glow. "Inspiration… So, it wasn't a fluke. Still all this time?"

"I never stopped being inspired by someone like you, Scarlett Dawn."

Scarlett felt overwhelmed by knew what she had to do here. Reaching for Alton's hand, a radio played in his ear. "Jinx?"

"Alton, it's terrible. It's Iris… She's, she's!"

The moment Alton and Scarlett's hand touched, the ground shook, and a dozen of bright lights ignited, consuming the sky. Alton's head spun as he stared on in absolute horror. His eyes were fixated on the worst-case scenario. Dozens of giant Titans appeared covering the city. From the most prominent tree, three figures stood sending shivers down Alton's spine. "No way… No, no… They're here…"

Bargaining stood from his Titan alongside the other Stages of Grief overlooking the city of Rhinefield with a smug look. "After 400 years, we are finally free."