Night:

My eyes shoot open at the sound of Moon's voice. I feel the will to fight once again flow through my veins. The black void shatters to reveal the war happening around me. My three family members melt into the true form of a demon. Without hesitation, I turn my sword away from myself and plunge the blade deep within Iris's gut. I watch as her sadistic grin changes into a grimace of pain. Her glistening, yellow eyes fill up with pain, but still manage to look at me with enough hatred for an army of people. I mercilessly yank the weapon out of her. Blood splatters everywhere, its metallic smell invading my nose. Starting to fall, she chokes out: "You...don't deserve...this world... God loves humans...far more than...they will deserve..."

"Iris!" I hear someone scream. Looking over at the other side the battlefield, I see Alice almost fall to her knees. The amount of grief in her eyes almost makes her look human. The tears falling from her eyes almost makes me feel sorry for her. "I'll kill you," she roars. The space between us quickly disappears as she races towards me. But before she can even lay a claw on me, the sound of a gunshot splits the air. She drops to the ground, destined to die with her leader.

Mary:

I throw away my gun, having used my last bullet on Alice. "Jermaine will not be the only casualty in this war," I stay quietly to her body. I feel one last tear slide down my cheek, but this tear is for me. I have lost my brother and now I have I lost myself.

I chose the path of peace when I became an agent. This path would lead me to protect others from going through the same trauma. But today, I chose the same path my brother chose all those years ago. The path of revenge.

Summer:

My eyes slowly flutter open, grogginess gradually changing to alertness. Remembering everything, I leap to my feet. However, I quickly realize that I am no longer where I'm supposed to be. I'm home, but it's as if I've been transported to some sick version of it. A pile of burned rubble stands where my house should be. I force myself to take one step at a time, pushing down the urge to vomit as the stench of death hangs over me like a dark cloud. I have to know if my family made it out safe; yet, something in the back of mind tells me they didn't.

"Summer...is that you...?" my father's voice calls me from deeper within the destruction. I waste no time in running to him. Nothing right now makes sense to me. Nothing is telling me how I got here, but I don't care. My father needs me.

I find him quickly, crushed underneath a broken wall with my mother in his arms. Looking up at me, I expect to see relief wash over them, but I only see accusations swirling in their gazes. No matter how many times I see that look, I will never get used to it. "You're too late..." father sneers at me.

"If you...had...just...been quicker...you could...have...won," mother chimes in, her words ending in a bloody coughing fit.

"The demons did this?" I ask, my voice coming out squeaky and panicked.

"Yes and they did this because you weren't good enough... If the government asked your sister to help them instead... then things would have been different..." father responds, his voice becoming weak after talking too much. I hang my head in shame, clenching my fists in anger at my own weakness. What happened while I was sleeping? Why can't I ever be as good as my sister?

"You should just die with the rest of the city. It's already unfair that you lived and not your sister," mother growls at me. Her words stop me completely, a feeling of shock consuming my body. My sister is...dead? That can't be...right... Autumn has to be alive...

"It's true, look for yourself," father says, nodding to place covered in darkness. Following his gaze, I see her. I take a few steps towards her, not truly believing that the completely still body in front of me is my sister. The blood around her head tells me that a nasty fall took her life. I don't even notice the tears falling from my eyes. What is feeling in my chest? Is guilt or grief? Maybe it's even both... I drop to my knees beside her, not daring to touch her. I wonder if she died thinking that I hated her.

"I'm sorry, Autumn. I was always so jealous of you, but that didn't mean I hated you. I always loved you. I mean, you were my big sister," I whisper to her, knowing she can't hear me, but still needing to say it. I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting my last memory to be seeing her like this. I can't do anything right. I can't get my parents to love me. I can't even be a good sister. Through my despair, I feel a cold hand touch my cheek. Opening my eyes, I see Autumn giving me the kindest smile. I hold back a shriek of terror as I scramble away. She doesn't make an attempt to follow me, but only says this:

"This isn't real. This is a nightmare. Wake up, Summer."

My eyes shoot open, but this time for real. I jump to my feet, much to Ace's surprise. His shocked expression quickly turns into a playful smirk. "Interesting. You're more powerful than I thought, brat," he laughs, looking at me as if seeing me for the first time.

"Good because I can do a heck of lot more than just wake up from a nightmare," I say bitterly. With a raise of my arms, cars and broken pieces of rubble rise from the ground. His amused smirk is gone now and I can almost see fear in his brown eyes.

"Impressive," he chuckles nervously. "Look brat, I mean kid, I don't have anything against humans, okay? I was just looking for a good time! Now, I've found it and it's gone. So why don't you just let me go?"

"Not a chance," I answer, but I hesitate. The thought of killing someone, whether demon or human, causes a feeling of nausea to wash over me. If I kill him, he won't come back. He'll be dead...forever. At the sight of my indecision, his smirk returns.

"You're not going to kill me," Ace states plainly. I cast my eyes downwards, gently putting all my weapons back on the ground. "I'm not going to die for a war I don't believe in. Until next time, brat." I lift my eyes from to the floor to see that he's gone. Surprisingly, I feel no regret because if I had killed him, I would have also killed myself.

Shane:

Darkness tugs at my vision and blood slips through the cracks of my fingers as I hold onto my side. I cling to my consciousness desperately, knowing that my victory will keep both my freedom and humanity's freedom. Though, the outlook is grim as I see a nearly unharmed Widow hover above me. Her cruel smirk telling me she's enjoying the fight. "Darling, why are you still fighting? People like us should stick together," she says, almost tauntingly. She swoops down to caress my check, dodging pieces of earth I throw at her using my Guardian powers.

"I'm nothing like you!" I yell back in protest. The more I say it, the more I become less sure of my words. Am I like her..? I did treat Night like she said I did, but I apologized. I'm different now.

"See? You're not even sure if you believe yourself," Widow laughs, landing a harsh blow on my shoulder. The pain of the scratch takes effect immediately and I stumble to the ground. I quickly create a dome of earth around me, effectively protecting myself. It only lasts mere minutes before she digs her way to me. I only nearly escape a stab to the stomach. I look to Night for help, but she takes no notice, continuing to stare blankly at the bodies around her. I open my mouth to call for help, but I'm cut off.

"Don't even think about calling for help. This is our fight," Widow growls, her feet touching the ground in an perfect landing. Panic threatens to take over my thoughts, but I deny them the privilege. I take a deep breathe, banishing the fear from my mind. I would rather die today as a free man than die tomorrow as her slave.

"This is everyone's fight. We fight as a team!" I hear a voice yell. Looking to my right, I see Summer racing towards me. Using her telekinesis, she flings a car at Widow. I almost flinch as I see the vehicle steal her beauty and not her life. Widow struggles for a moment, but stops when she sees her reflection in the broken glass. A look of pure sorrow and defeat on her once stunning features.

I walk over to her, sharping a piece of concrete with my powers. She looks at me with empty eyes. It's shocking to see the confident woman from before become so broken. "Kill me," she says. "What good is a succubus without her looks?"

"You were a mighty opponent. In fact, you almost won. I hope you find peace in the afterlife," I answer, giving her compassion despite her betrayal. Then, I slam the concrete into her body, expelling her from this world forever.

Night:

The sound of the wall breaking around me isn't enough to free me from my trance. It only reveals more destruction, more death. I can't even say I am fully innocent because the blood on my hands has soaked into my skin and no amount of water can wash it away. I look at Mary, noticing right away she is in the same trance. It's a numb, spell-like trance that eats away at your very soul. Shane tries desperately to drag her from that place, but she must save herself. Though it already seems like it is too late. It might even be too late for me.

"It is never too late," Moon says telepathically, walking over to sit beside me. "Yes, there is war and death, but they will always be here. However, where there is hate, there is love and where there is war, there is the hope for peace." I look away, not sure I deserve any love or peace after what I've done. "Night, you can't change your past, but you can change your future."

I open my mouth to respond, but I am interrupted by the sounds of multiple relieved voices. I look at Summer to see that she's being hugged by her parents and sister. They say the words she's been longing to hear: "We love you." Just like that, those words take me out of my trance. They make me realize something. I don't want war. I don't want to kill anymore. I want to protect love and I want to protect happiness. I can only hope that Mary also gets the same mercy.

"Moon," I say, looking down at my bloodied sword, "This sword represents my violence, my hatred, and my revenge, but from this moment on, I am someone new. Someone who values peace and not war. To make sure I keep this mentality, I will never summon my sword again. I will become Night the Hero, a very unlikely hero, but a hero nonetheless."