"How is this possible?" Ein stutters. "He should be DEAD!"

Why, 'cuz he fell a few hundred feet? TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL! I cheer, dancing around inside my head.

"What should we do?" Zane asks in worry.

"We still. Have. The advantage." Ein says, calming a bit as he turns to look at Aphmau, Zane, and I. "Follow me!" He commands, running out of the clearing. We chase after him, hearing Aaron yell after us,

"I'M NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY!"

We keep running, not pausing to let Aaron catch up. Ein doesn't stop until we reach a new clearing, far from the mountain.

"YOU! Go that way---" Ein points to Zane. "You do not know where I am, you are looking for me, and when your idiot brother shows up, KILL HIM!"

"Yes, brother!" He runs off away from us. I note that Ein accidentally called Garroth our brother again. Interesting...

"We need to wait here." Ein instructs. "We can still win. You need to kill him. For good." Ein snarls at Aphmau, who in turn nods eagerly.

And then I hear heavy footfalls behind us. We turn and see Aaron coming into the clearing, covered in bandages, blood, and bruises. And a red chunk of cloth covers his eyes once again. Just like in college.

"So... you're alive. Barely." Ein smiles. Aaron doesn't say anything, just stares at Ein, Aphmau and I. (Aphmau in particular, obviously.)

"Nothing to say?" Ein challenges. "What about to her?" He turns to Aphmau.

"LET HER GO!" Aaron snaps instantly.

"You're in no position to talk." Ein scolds. "So let's try this again. Aphmau, darling..." he pulls another knife and again she takes it.

But I'm not afraid this time. Aaron wouldn't come here unless he had a plan. Right?

Aphmau takes the knife. "Do not fail me this time." Ein warns.

"I will not!" Aphmau promises. She runs for Aaron with a battle cry, raising the knife above her head, but this time he catches it easily, tossing it to the side and holding Aphmau close to him. Something else falls in the snow, but I can't see what it is. Aphmau fights him, screaming "LET ME GO!" and grunting as she tries and fails to pull away.

But Aaron isn't watching that. He's focused on something on her face.

Oh my Irene, the bruise.

Aaron lets out the most horrifying, guttural scream that tears through my body in a way I will never forget. But what I will remember most is the faint outlined glow of scarlet behind the piece of red cloth.

Aaron backs away from Aph, breathing hard. I look to Ein, but he's already running, running as if his life depended on it.

Yeah, you better run, you slimeball excuse of a werewolf.

Next thing I know, Aaron has run past me, and then my feet are a blur in the snow as I run to protect my brother from the Ultima. Aaron lunges for Ein, pounding his fist into the snow where Ein stood not a second ago, just as I catch up with him. Ein laughs with delight.

"Kill him. Kill the Ultima!"

I punch Aaron over and over, dodging his attacks effortlessly.

"You---won't---touch---my---brother---ever---again!" I scream with each punch. Aaron makes a pained groan each time, but his attacks are limited when he's trying not to hurt me. He can't hold me like he held Aphmau, I'm much too strong.

Irene, for once in my life, grant me this---I don't want to hurt Aaron!

But nothing happens. I can't stop myself, and Aaron's blood stains my hand with each blow I take, until Aaron is down on his knees, his hand against his bleeding chest as I fall back for a few seconds, breathing hard.

Violet, stop.

A calm breeze covers my body, a purple wind I barely sense as I grind my knee into Aaron's bleeding stomach.

Violet, stop.

Aaron groans and shoves me off, sending me rolling into the snow, making a move for my head, but I'm not there anymore. I'm behind him, kicking him hard in the back, making him faceplant in the bitter snow. To my surprise, Ein isn't running.

He expects me to finish Aaron off.

As soon as I realize it, the purple wind inside me grows in strength and size, surrounding my heart and expelling all the green from my mind.

Violet, STOP.

I'm just about to punch Aaron when my fist freezes mid-air, and the cold from the snow is soaking in my boots and my sweater, and the smell of Aaron's blood is filling my nose and I can hear his pained groans, Ein's laughter, and my fearful, trembling breath.

I lower my fist.

"A-Aaron..." I mumble. Unable to support myself on my legs, I drop to my knees. "I-I'm so s-sorry..."

He doesn't answer, pushing himself up from the snow slowly and painfully. But his masked face looks at mine.

"Not your fault." He promises, and then his gaze slides to EIn.

I follow his gaze, feeling REAL joy the moment Ein sees my eyes, and I know they must be purple again, because Ein gasps.

But Aaron hesitates, looking at me. "Get him." I whisper.

Aaron doesn't need telling twice. Ein is running again, faster than ever, now that I'm not there anymore. Aaron bounces from trees, flying through the air and knocking Ein to the ground, only to get back up and chase him again. I force myself up, feeling the calming breeze exit my body, leaving me more tired and fearful than ever. But I have to help Aaron... I have to stop Ein...

And so I run after them.

By the time I catch up with them, Aaron is on the ground with his bandana-type thing ripped free from his face, revealing scarlet eyes that root me to the ground. I don't look at them, but I can see them in my peripheral vision.

I can't move.

I can't think.

But I can watch.

Ein laughs, laughs as full and clear as ever. "You know, no matter how many times I hit her, she will STILL LOVE ME!" And he's laughing again, not even bothering to attack when Aaron dashes for him, just spinning out of the way and sprinting for Aaron, shoving him against a tree and punching him multiple times before he knocks Aaron down again. Aaron's eyes dull to gray for just a second, but then he's back up, jumping against a tree to kick Ein's face. Hope jumps to my throat until Ein grabs his foot and swings him around, swatting him against the tree and throwing him across the clearing.

I shuffle a bit, realizing I can move again, and wonder if I should help.

But Aaron's not giving up.

He's running for Ein, and both of them do an elaborate dance around each other and I can't tell who's winning, if Aaron's still bleeding, if his eyes are still red, if Ein is still laughing, until suddenly, Aaron is winning. He's landing more punches than he's taking, and Ein's down on the ground.

But then he's back up, flinging snow in Aaron's face and punching him over and over.

"You chose to live like a human." Ein says with each hit. "And now---you'll die like one."

But Aaron's looking at the piece of red cloth, and I catch a faint black strand of words written on it.

Aph x Aaron. 

He's not going to give up.

Ein lunges for Aaron for what he assumes will be the last time. But Aaron's fist is there, catching Ein before he knows what's coming. Aaron tosses Ein across himself like a football, and I realize what I'm looking at. Aaron's really a werewolf! He has ears---and a tail! Dark, gray- black ones, with red tips that match his eyes!

Ein lands against a tree, and Aaron launches at him, breaking the tree in half when Ein moves out of the way. They keep fighting for a few minutes longer, until Aaron lands a solid kick in Ein's gut, sending him sprawling backward into the snow.

"YOU HURT HER!" Aaron yells.

Ein laughs, but tightly, holding his side as he stands up. "And she deserved it. And when I get back, I'll do it again." Aaron starts for him, but Ein doesn't move. "She'll love me either way."

Aaron punches him, sending him down again. "You won't make it back." He promises.

"And what are you going to do?" Ein taunts. "Finish me, then!"

"NO!" Aaron yells.

"Heh! Coward." Ein laughs, but Aaron grabs his neck, hoisting him into the air.

"I DIDN'T SAY I WAS FINISHED!" Aaron snarls. "You'll know what true suffering is!"

And all I remember is a flash of red light, and I can't force myself to stay up anymore. I fall to my knees, clutching my head at Ein's horrified, pain-filled scream. Away from my mind, I'm falling into the cold snow, into this horrible nightmare.

This is almost over, Violet. I hear in my head.

But I'm too far away to respond.

Too far away to even care.

__________________________

"I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU! WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE!! SOMEONE AS WORTHLESS---AS PATHETIC AS YOU!!! YOU ARE NOTHING, COMPARED TO MY LOVE!!! JUST DIE!!!"

I open my eyes painfully slow, letting the world come to focus around me.

"Aph..." I whisper, feeling the words pass my mouth like poison. I force myself to sit up. I'm still on the edge of the clearing. Ein is nowhere in sight. But there is a lot of blood. More than Aaron would have shed.

"He's gone." A girl's voice says, and I scream so loud I feel my vocal cords wanting to snap. But when I turn, the wolf girl is there, and she's smiling.

"Who---how do you...? I..."

"I don't know if you remember me. My name is Tatiana, and you need to get back to your pack." She pulls my arm over her shoulder, tugging me along gently. "They will need you."

"But... What happened... why am I so...?"

"The potion was expelled from you in a way I do not understand." She says, pulling me faster as I hear "STAY BACK, STAY BACK!!!" far away in Aph's voice. "I cannot explain it, other than you have been touched by something bigger than ourselves."

"But Ein... Aaron... he..."

"Ein is gone." She repeats. "And your pack is no longer under any spells, except for the Aphmau girl."

It breaks my heart, hearing these words. Aphmau... will I ever see her smile again?

Tatiana enters a clearing, where I can see Aaron and Aphmau in a tight embrace, Aphmau's eyes glittering evil green, and Garroth, Lucinda, Kim, and Zane standing a distance away.

None of their eyes are green.

"Z-zane..." I murmur. He's blue. He's blue. He and Garroth focus on me and make sounds I didn't know were humanly possible, running over to me and grabbing me from Tatiana. Tatiana's grip dissolves and Garroth and Zane are supporting me, crying just as much as I am, until we hear a tiny, horrified,

"What have I done?"

We look over to Aphmau and Aaron. Aaron's eyes are a dead gray, and Aphmau's are her normal, sweet brown, filled with tears as her grip on Aaron disappears and he falls to the ground.

"AARON!" Her voice cracks, her heart tearing from her throat as she falls on her knees next to him, crying with all she has in her.

But Aaron doesn't wake up. Doesn't come back.

And then everything dissolves into chaos.

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Thanks so much to anyone reading this!