"So what will it be Jesse?" The Admin smiled cruelly. "Will you be my champion?"

Jesse froze, her green eyes filled with fear and determination.

"I-" She stumbled, shaking her head a bit, as the Admin gestured to her friends, trapped in cages. He flicked his wrist, and blue flames grew around them, surrounding them in crackling heat.

She heard her friends' screams and panicked voices.

The Admin leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"I don't know if you'd like to see what would happen if you refuse."

She looked down at her friends, helplessly looking for what wasn't there. A knot tightened in her chest.

"What will it be?" He asked again, snapping his fingers. The blue flames flickered closer.

"Jesse!" A voice shouted.

Lukas.

"Jesse!" He said again. "Don't listen to him! We'll be okay-"

The Admin growled angrily and moved his hand so that the flames grew and snapped, making him shut up. He moved his hand again, and the flames were so close that they were about to burn the bars.

"Stop-!" Jesse finally cried, blinking tears out of her eyes. "Stop it!"

The Admin stopped the flames from moving, and turned to her.

"I'll...I'll do it." She said helplessly, staring down at the floor, breathing heavily.

The Admin laughed excitedly.

"Now that's the answer I wanted to hear!" He said, taking her hand in his.

"Jesse, no!" Lukas screamed, a plead in his voice. Her heart almost broke right then, right now. She wanted to reach out to him, but she knew she couldn't. And instead bound by distance.

"We have so much to do." He said, bringing her hand to his face. "My champion."

He laid a kiss on her hand as she looked at him with shock and fear.

"Jesse please, don't do this-!" Lukas shouted again, and was left with a glare from the Admin. His hand went up, and Jesse quickly grabbed it.

"Lukas," she said, tears escaping her eyes. "Stop. Please."

The Admin calmed down, Jesse's grip loosening around his hand.

"Good choice, champion. Now, it is time for us to go-" He waved his hand and dark vines came up from the floor, trapping and surrounding her in them. She gasped, the vines' grip tight like iron. He grinned.

"What are you doing?!" She asked, trying but failing to pry herself from its grip.

"The thing is Jesse...I can't have a champion who's mortal." He replied, waving his hand back and forth.

"What?" She exclaimed, a vine wrapping around her neck.

"Don't worry, your death will be quick and painless. And after that, then will you become my real champion."

The floor in front of her cracked and started to open, revealing a swirling green portal that closely resembled Heckmouth.

"This," the Admin gestured. "Is the abyss of nothingness, created by no one else but moi."

He chuckled as Jesse growled.

"I assume you prefer it as, what do you call it? Heckmouth?" 

She could feel the vines gripping around her body, tightening at a fierce rate.

"Once you fall in, and 'die,' I'll use my magic to transform you. You will no longer be yourself. You'll become immortal...Just like me."

She felt the vines move her right over Heckmouth, her friends' cries muffled as thoughts danced in her head. 

What if she became immortal? That wouldn't be so bad, wouldn't it? She would live forever, be the greatest champion who ever lived. She would be strong and powerful and-

She slapped herself and shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. Why was she even thinking about that? What about her friends and Beacontown? 

The Admin gritted his teeth, his enchantment over her obviously failing.

The vine's grip loosened a bit and Jesse lurched, hearing screams.

"Wait." She said firmly and she stopped, about a few feet away from falling to her death.

"What?" Replied the Admin, confusion visible in his eyes.

"You said I won't be myself once you resurrect me out of there. You didn't just mean my immortality."

He grinned.

"Smarter than you look, eh? Well of course you won't be yourself, yourself. I'll make a few modifications. We can't have a champion with that attitude. Well then, have a fun trip down~"

The vines loosened entirely and Jesse cried out. And then she was gone.

"JESSE!" Screamed Lukas.

"NO!" Petra exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

The Admin laughed, and then turned to face them, his eyes burning with hate.

"Now that Jesse's gone, I can finally get rid of you pathetic annoyances-" His hands clenched into fists as the flames reappeared, but larger and hotter. 

"You won't win." Lukas said, voice cracked and face red. 

"What did you say?"

"You won't win. Jesse will never be your champion. No matter what you do, no matter what you say-" Lukas looked up with bright blue eyes. "She'll never be yours."

"Persistent, are you? Let's finish this-" The Admin was about to move his hand, and then froze. Something-no, someone-had grabbed his leg. He turned around.

"Jesse?"

"JESSE!"

Her green eyes shot daggers as one hand held onto his leg, and the other the ledge.

"If I'm going down, you're coming down with me." She snarled, and then let go of the edge, taking the Admin with her.

They tumbled into light and darkness.

***********************************

"She did it, she saved us." Jack said solemnly, the cage around them and the flames gone. Nurm had his head down and Petra was crying, leaning on Lukas for support. His eyes were swollen and his eyes brimmed with tears. 

The looked down at the floor, which was cracked. The portal was now gone, but so was their friend.

"She saved us all."

***********************************

Jesse could feel herself falling, disintegrating, dying. It didn't hurt, she felt no pain. She felt so calm, peaceful. She felt like closing her eyes and letting go...but there was something she had to do first.

"YOU IDIOT!" Screamed the Admin, flailing his arms in the air. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

She kept her grip on him, making sure that he couldn't escape and get out. 

Ironic, huh? The abyss he had created would be the cause of his death.

"LET GO OF ME!" He shouted, and for once, Jesse heard fear in his voice. "DON'T YOU WANT IMMORTALITY? STRENGTH? ENDLESS POWER?"

She felt parts of her body floating away, like she was turning into pixels. She shook her head at the Admin, who was still trying to pry her from himself, struggling. She smiled.

"NO-!NO!" The Admin cried, looking at himself in terror. 

"Shhh." Said Jesse soothingly, gripping his hand. "Just let go."

He looked into her eyes, and then froze. She saw more parts off his body disappear.

"-my champion..." He rasped, and then he was gone. Nothing but a bunch of dust and spots.

Jesse sighed with relief. She smiled once again, and then closed her eyes. Her job was done. Her mission was completed. Now it was time to go.

She thought of Beacontown, her home. Filled with bright colors and happiness. She thought of the sun shining its warmth and the cool breeze. She thought of the sense of adventure and risk and love. 

Jesse thought of her friends, Axel and Olivia, Jack and Nurm, Radar, Petra, and Lukas. How they were safe and unhurt. She thought of their smiles and their laughs. She remembered the memories she held on to in her heart.

 She remembered the bravest, most heroic best friend anyone could have.

"I'll see you soon Reuben, don't you worry." A chuckle escaped her lips as she felt lighter and lighter, pieces of her being torn apart. Her sacrifice was worth it.

"I'll be there."

My first official scene for this book! Yay! Also, as I may or may not have said earlier, some scenes will have a little bit of a ship and some won't. I just happened to add a little bit of Lukesse in this one. Hope you liked!