Chapter 18: Awakening

1

'Nothing's happening,' she repeated, and dropped to the ground.

'What?' Ozin and Maxy cried simultaneously. 'It didn't work?'

Demonlord gave his half-grimace, half-smile again, 'Well, well, well. You're not the successor after all.' He lunged forward with lightning speed and grabbed a whimpering June by the neck. 'Then there's no point in you having the Talisman, is there?' He pulled her close and smiled. 'First you, then your friends.'

'Wait!' she gagged, struggling to breathe. 'It's responding to me… I know it works… give me a minute… don't hurt them.' The Talisman was still held tightly in her hand, a faint glow emitting from the indents. Demonlord raised an eyebrow, his hand still tightly wrapped around her neck. For a brief moment, he loosened his claws a bit, but then tightened them again. He nodded with satisfaction.

'I see, the Talisman's power is in sync with your vitals. I can't just kill you yet,' he lectured. His foul breath was getting on her nerves. 'While I loosened my grip, the Talisman's radiance grew brighter slightly, but not enough to form a flame. Regardless though, you're still nowhere near the power nor skill to confront me. Your incompetence irritates me.' He lowered her to the ground and stepped on her knees brutally, making her scream. 'Still, I'm clueless on who the successor is. So I'm going to give you one more chance.' He aimed his hand at Maxy, and one of his tentacles shot out, grabbing her hips and catching her by surprise. His tentacle recoiled and brought her neck into his hand. She writhed in his grasp, dropping her sword on the ground. 'You are going to surprise me or watch your friend die.' 

'Don't hurt her!' June screamed, both dismayed and agonised. 'It's my fault that I can't make the Talisman do something. This has nothing to do with her! Leave her alone!'

'This has every right to do with her,' Demonlord looked emotionless, but it didn't match his voice. 'She was the one that saved you, right? She was the one that made you come here, right? She dared to challenge me, and this is what she gets. She doesn't have the slightest innocence in her.'

'Eat this!' Ozin shouted, slashing the air with his fingers. A purple slash flew straight at Demonlord's neck. 

'Incinerate.'

Demonlord cocked his head at the incoming projectile and blocked it with his own—shooting an inferno beam from his mouth. The fireball broke through the thin slash and blew a hole in the wall behind Ozin's head. 'Get lost, hermit.' He warned, and blasted a ring of fire around them, blocking Ozin from entering the zone. 'I kindly advise you not to hit the fire barrier,' he intoned. 'It will deflect your attack back at you. Don't believe me?' Despite being angry and frustrated, Ozin had to compromise. The ring that Demonlord made was as large as the arena of the Roman Colosseum. Nothing could get in. And nothing could get out.

'Don't… worry… about… me…' Maxy rasped. She was losing oxygen by the second. 'He's… gonna… kill me… either way… Focus… on… controlling… the talisman… and… defeat… him… Don't… count… me… as… a… burden…'

'Enough of your blabbering, princess,' Demonlord snorted. 'You make me sick.' A sharp click reverberated around her metal collar. She let out a dry, high-pitched scream. The constant stream of blood soaked through her waist and her wound was pierced even deeper. 'Don't worry,' he remarked relentlessly. 'I'll make sure none of your vital organs get damaged. I want you to feel the pain and beg me for your death to come faster.'

'No!' June shouted, trying to free herself from Demonlord's pin. 'Stop it! STOP IT! SHE'S GONE THROUGH ENOUGH!'

'Then conjure your power,' Demonlord didn't even look. 'If she dies, then it'll be your own fault. Your fault for being weak.'

'Stop it for a second! I'm trying to!' Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. 'Let me feel the pain instead! Stop torturing her! She doesn't deserve to suffer for someone else!'

'I hate your attitude, girl. That's not the point!' he roared, pressing down on her legs even harder. 'I want you to hate me. Hate me to the point where you lose it and actually become powerful! Do that, and little princess over here doesn't have to get crushed to death!'

June panted. For the first time in her eleven-year-old life, she'd felt this angry. Experiencing ruthless torture was one thing, but seeing someone else getting tortured in her place was a whole different thing. I DON'T WANT TO BE A MURDERER! She screamed on the inside. She tightened her grasp around the small, boring cube angrily, trying to crush it, ending it as if that would do something useful. The sharp edges cut into her skin, making blood seep into the crevices of the dark, cyan symbol. The smoke evoked from the flames was making her throat itch, but somehow that was the last thing on her mind right now. I can't let somebody die because of me. She gritted her teeth. But how?

Simple, just let your synph flow out of your body.

Who was that talking to me? She breathed sharply. Time slowed down around her, the raging inferno lazily licked the air, and no sound came through her ears. What is happening? And who are you?

I'm in your hands. I've been renourished by your blood. All you need now is a self-activation.

Self-activation?

I've been observing you for quite some time now. You're the one I'm searching for.

Surely not. I can't even protect myself.

In your current condition, no. But you haven't unleashed your full potential yet. Let your anger flow.

My… anger?

Don't just let your anger boil. Use it as kinetic energy to release your inactive synph into your hands.

But synph is useless. Static electricity.

Plasma is harmless—until activated when it can deep fry living tissue. Get your synph moving.

I can't! I don't know how to!

Despite wanting to escape from his filthy grasp, Demonlord's right about you. You are incompetent. Hesitate now, and Maxy dies, I'll leave the rest for you to figure out.

Wait! Don't go!

The voice in her head disappeared, instantly unfreezing time and unlocking her ears. The shrilling cries of pain of Maxy dying returned. Dying… dying in front of her… dying in front of her because she was useless, incapable of saving those who are close to her…

'Let. Her. Go!' she shouted again, except an intimidating aura shrouded that shout, making Demonlord turn his head in amusement. The few strands of her blonde hair that stuck to her forehead stood up.

The chamber froze, and then everything erupted into dust.

2

An extremely strong tremor shook the tunnel they were in. Sammy tugged Ben close, hugging him tightly.

'What happened?' asked Ben, alert.

'I… I think something's happening overhead,' Sammy whispered. 'A huge battle is going on. We're very close.'

'Do you think they're alright?'

'I hope so,' he replied.

Hang on, June, Ozin. Ben clenched his jaw. We're coming.

3

As the dust cloud cleared, just like in the movies, only destruction remained.

The decorations were erased from existence. The ring of fire was smothered. The stone throne was shattered into pieces, and the pillars were broken.

Only four figures stood amidst the silent doom.

Demonlord dropped Maxy to the floor, who rested her hands on her neck and chest, taking pain-stricken breaths and coughing up blood.

'Why, this became all the more interesting,' he intoned dully, his blazing red eyes unfocused but aware.

A freezing blue aura emitted from June's hands. Her eyes were dyed indigo by the flames evoked from the talisman. 'It's… floating,' Ozin watched in awe. The Talisman lingered in the air, circling June's slim but straight body. Her blonde air was half-risen from her shoulder, and she stood incredibly still. Standing. Demonlord's eyes widened. I was pinning her to the ground, and now she's standing. Very interesting. I've been waiting for this fight. So she is the successor of the talisman. She's standing before me. Her face is expressionless. Nonetheless, her strength and speed and nothing compared to m –

'What are others' life to you?' she asked, startling the monster before him. 'Are they a joke?' Her eyes were ice cold. The warm emerald eyes from before were gone.

'I don't care,' Demonlord answered flatly. 'I give those who have no use to me less sympathy than a flea.'

'Do you… really not care for the world to end?' June asked, her voice unnaturally monotone.

'Answering sympathetic questions is a waste of time,' Demonlord replied impatiently. He suddenly drew out his tentacles and whiplashed them at her.

'Anatomy Laceration.'

A blinding blue flash filled the cavern. Maxy and Ozin covered their eyes as much as they could. The sound of flesh sliced into a thousand pieces could be heard. The next thing they knew, Demonlord was gasping in shock. All six of his tentacles were severed, dropping lifelessly to the ground. Blue blood splattered everywhere.

'You cut me,' Demonlord exclaimed. 

'And there's plenty more where that came from,' she responded and proceeded to shoot a laser at high speeds. Demonlord dodged it, raising an eyebrow.

'Too easy.'

'Watch your back.'

The laser rebounded off the walls and flew straight back at him, puncturing a hole in his chest. He looked shocked at first when blood seeped through his mouth.

'Regenerate, I know you can,' June stated coldly, never letting her gaze off the creature. A sneer replaced Demonlord's shock. 

'So you've had it figured out,' he clapped his hands. 'Then what? Can you ever find a way to kill me? I'm not like that scout. I can regenerate before you can land another attack,' The blood pouring stopped as soon as it started; his tail and tentacles had grown back. 'But more importantly… what makes you think you can defend against my attacks?' He raised both hands. 'Dual incineration.' Two bright orange orbs shot out from his hands, aiming for June, who didn't look like she could dodge them. 

'Involuntary repel.' 

A blue slash connected with Demonlord's own beam, sending it straight back to where it came from. It exploded in front of Demonlord's face, making him howl in pain. 'You pesky insect!' He shouted, covering his ashen face with his claw. 'Inferno! Inferno! Inferno! Inferno! Inferno!' He sent one fireball after another, only to be destroyed by an invisible barrier that his Talisman created, preventing them from harming the German girl. 

It wasn't that hard, was it? The talisman whispered in her mind. You just had to get used to it. 

June ignored it. 'Cremation beam.' She said, sending a giant ray of purplish blue into Demonlord's chest.

'It's no use, girl!' He stared. 'You're soon going to use up all your energy, but I can still regenerate. This mountain is also becoming increasingly fragile from me losing control of the Talisman. Soon, everyone will get buried alive from the mountain's collapse. You haven't achieved anything by stealing my treasure. Because it's going to crumble and corrupt my territory, it's more the reason for me to protect my people from any potential harm. You're wasting your precious time just to be killed by me in the end.'

That Demonlord was right. June's body ached so much that she could barely stand. Her marked thigh was burning painfully, threatening to make her buckle. The talisman is too energy-consuming for me. She realised bitterly. I need to finish this fast.

The two—June and Demonlord—threw each other everything they could muster. The chamber was tossed, shaken, and deformed. A desperate clash between blue and red constantly sent blinding flashes of light across the room. At some point, not a single stone was left unturned. The cave collapsed into ruins. Almost all of the stalagmites and stalactites were severed and cleared. Maxy and Ozin covered their heads and curled into foetal positions, knowing that they couldn't do anything about it but watch the battle unfold. This is your time to shine, June. Ozin prayed. The synph that had been hibernating inside you for so long woke up and conjured the talisman's power. You've never been taught how to perform magic before, yet you're holding your own and overpowering the immense force from Demonlord, the ruler of the underworld.

Demonlord continued to whiplash June with his tentacles, occasionally shooting a fireball from his mouth. June, on the other hand, did everything bare and could slice through Demonlord's attacks as fast as he could cast them. June slowly advanced towards him, closing the gap between them.

'Rendezvous point,' she intoned. A blue, electrifying snake emerged from the hollow depths of the ground. It sprang towards Demonlord at terrifying speeds, shocking him and sprawling him across the ground. Another slithering blue snake followed up right after the first one, flying at supernatural speeds. Demonlord shot back a surprised gasp, followed by an immense heatwave from his mouth. 'Collisional Repel,' June deflected the heatwave like a solid object, knocking Demonlord flat onto his back. Meanwhile, the talisman vibrated overhead, emitting light particles from its vertices. 'Return to Sender.' 

'You're not cool!' He yelled angrily. Getting up to his feet, he extended his flaring arms and threw them at her in a frenzy. Suddenly, blood bloomed against his scaly skin when they got close to her, tearing open his skin. Still, he found himself slashing her cheek with his sharp claws once, making her flick her head backwards. She stiffed a muffled cry, but that was all. 'How did you like that, you coon?'

'The attack is still going to fire, injuring me or not,' she replied, lowering her head back down. Her eyes were glistening with flames. 'Watch out overhead.'

Demonlord looked up, and as soon as he did—if he'd hesitated for another second, his neck would've been snapped in half—the talisman sent his heated shockwave attack back at him, knocking him to the ground again. 

The force of the talisman kept him at bay for a whole minute, enough time for June to walk up to him, glaring down at him in front with her cold, blue-infused eyes. 'You were the one that asked me for a fight, weren't you?' she muttered bitterly. 'You're one of those movie villains, always too cocky of their opponents, just to be dealt with easily in the end. How pathetic could you be to pick on a little girl that's one-third of your size and one-tenth of your strength?' 

He wanted to say something so badly, but his mouth stuck together as the talisman pinned his body down with thin air. Unable to express his anger, but also praising her ingenuity. Suddenly, the weight on him disappeared, and he found himself choking and gasping for breath.

'I've removed the spell on you briefly so we can talk,' June bent her knees. 'And I hope you realise by now that you can barely scratch me. You're no match against a fully controlled Talisman of Wisdom. Now, if I let you go, will you behave?'

'Just kill me already,' he spat at her feet. 'I've had enough humiliation from a smartmouth kid like you.'

She frowned. 'I hope you know I want to kill you. I really do.' She brought up her index finger, pointing it over her head. Demonlord felt his bones being pulled by leads. He was pulled to his knees, his chin painfully tilting up, revealing his muscular chest. 'I always knew you could regenerate, but I also knew attacks that disable regeneration. Farewell.' A feverish red glow emerged from her palms. She's going to strike me in the heart. Demonlord realised, quivering. I can't even stand up to dodge, she bound me to the ground. I guess I was never meant to be.

The room turned bright red.

4

Demonlord opened his eyes again. He was breathing very fast. Am I dead? Is this heaven? He looked around the place. No. I'm still in my chamber. Then what happened? The girl was aiming straight at my heart. And I saw the spell cast. How am I still alive? He looked at his right arm and flinched when he realised it was missing. That brat sliced my arm off with an anti-magic attack. He cursed in pain. Dismayed, he turned his attention to the blood on the ground. Am I bleeding? Wait, the blood is red. He looked at where June was standing, and his eyes bulged in shock.

She stood very still. Her blonde hair covered her face so he couldn't see it. In one hand, she clutched the talisman tightly; the other was holding onto her leg as support. Her entire body was covered in thick, red blood. It soaked through her shirt and jeans. There weren't any visible wounds besides the gash on her face, but she was coughing uncontrollably, clearly in loads of agony and distress. Demonlord knew what was happening and sighed with relief. That little squirt strained herself too much with the Talisman. She's just a novice. She only held on for so long because her high synph diluted much of the side effects that powerful magic was causing to her body. Even I could faint after using the Talisman too much, and it was never hypercharged for me…

'June!' He could hear Ozin shouting her name distantly in despair. 

A smile crept onto his face. 'Well then, let the game continue,' he announced. 'An anti-magic attack could only stop my healing for a minute. After that minute goes, all three of you will die by my hands.' He turned back to June, grinning blissfully. 'Starting with you. And no, I am not a movie villain. I won't wait for you to restore your energy just to finish me off at the end. I'm killing you now. Sorry, but you should have killed me when you had the chance instead of trying to convince me to behave. You have a price to pay for being the cocky one.' He raised his remaining claw and straightened his muscular fingers, aiming them at June, who stood wincing and shivering. 'My apologies. You had a good run.'

'Dissipate!' His hand shattered into pieces.

'Oh, you're still alive.' The demon turned back, leering. 'What a wonderful surprise.'

'If you want to kill her, you'd have to kill me first,' said Ozin. 'I won't allow it otherwise.'

'Granted,' he flexed his renewed arm gingerly, curling into a fist. Instantly, he sent his arm towards Ozin like a whip, catching him off guard. He was punched in the face, staggering backwards. Blood splattered on the ground before him. 

'Dissipate.' He muttered, unwavering. 

'Destructing Beam.' Demonlord yelled. The blue blood pouring from his recently severed wrist turned bright red. A jet of blazing plasma exploded in front of Ozin's face. He gagged, dropping to the ground. 

'Stop trying, demons have naturally purified magic inside our blood,' Demonlord said profoundly. 'We don't need to cultivate ourselves, unlike hermits. You're no match against my superior powers.'

'Maximum… dissipate!' Ozin cried desperately, raising his hand with all of the energy he'd still got left, and closed his fingers around the air. 

A purple sphere—ten times larger than his previous ones—emerged from his fist. It caved in for a brief moment before launching itself at Demonlord, sending sparks of purple electricity across the ruins. Demonlord, however, cast his own destructing beam to counter the speed of the sphere. The sphere promptly stopped in front of his wrist stump, where the blood was gushing the most. 'You're not funny,' said Demonlord seriously. 'How are you one of the top-rank officers of the council? You can't even protect one measly German –' But before he could finish his sentence, he felt something sharp slice his elbow, cutting his arm in half. He whirled around in shock. How is this kid… is still conscious? After impaling her so many times with the collar…? Maxy did a full round swing up his elbow, with blood dripping from her eyes and head. 

'You go to hell,' she whispered harshly. With the sudden shock of seeing his arm cut off, combined with the massive amounts of residue damage the Talisman inflicted onto him, Demonlord felt his magic overpowered by the purple sphere, which entered his body—and without warning, diced his ten-foot-tall frame into a hundred pieces.

The purple slashes went to and fro around his cells, with the lingering afterimage of June's attacks bursting from them.

5

Maxy struggled to stand. Her body was on fire. Demonlord had nearly killed her, whether it was intentional or not. Distraught, she tugged at her collar. Still intact, with no way of unlocking. She ground her teeth, screaming in frustration. Even after assisting with decapitating Demonlord, she knew deep down he wasn't dead. Her arms felt weak and painful—most likely from how hard she swung the sword. My tendons must've snapped. She stiffed a muffled cry. Even the slightest movement was hurting her splinters. It's not over yet, he's still alive. I just know it. My senses never lied. She spun her head to the place where Demonlord had collapsed. The dust clouds still hadn't lifted from June's fierce battle with him. 

Speaking of June.

'June!' She cried. 'Where are you!' Pushing past the broken stones, she raced through the field of ruin and didn't stop, couldn't stop. The guilt set upon her was too great. I can't let her die. She fought to her limits because of me. Of me! Swollen tears rolled down her cheeks as she desperately shouted her name. She's not responding. That means she's… But soon enough, she saw her frail body lying against a wall. She still had some strength left to protect herself with the Talisman. Maxy pushed away the boulders before her, dropping down to her knees. June was breathing. 'Sister! You have to keep your head clear!' She slipped her injured arm behind her neck, tilting her head to match her eye level. 

'You did a great job…' June gasped, trying to open her eyelids. She managed a slit. 'He's… he's going to come back soon… I… I need five minutes to restore my stamina… the Talisman… is forcing me to stay awake… it's trying to take control of me…'

'Don't talk,' Maxy brought her hand up to her chest. 'You ruptured several blood vessels inside, take a deep breath and relax.'

'I can't…' she replied weakly. 'My ribs are broken… the injuries that I've sustained during the battle… came back to me because… I lost control of the Talisman…'

'Stop! I'm going to finish Demonlord, and then we can go home,' Maxy trembled.

'Stay put!' June suddenly regained some strength in her voice. 'Some weird things are going on inside my body. Whether the residue magic will heal me… or succumb to my wounds… is still yet to be decided. In fact, you're probably more injured than I am.'

'What should I do?'

'Help Ozin, he received a blow to the head and is unconscious. I can easily heal myself if I can bring the magic back in control. I just need a minute to restore my energy.'

Maxy looked back—Demonlord was already piecing himself together, the sick tentacles squirming back together. Her eyes locked onto them determinedly.

'Then I'll buy you that one minute. I can't be sure after that.'

'You got it,' June tried to smile, but her splinters were painful. 'I'll be right back.'

Maxy nodded briefly before running back to Demonlord's body parts.

June closed her eyes. Bring yourself under control. Steady your breathing, even if it hurts. Her temples bulged. You overcame your capabilities because of a lack of experience. That won't happen a second time. Remember that the Talisman will pump magic into you until you explode, so don't let that happen again!

Swaying in and out of consciousness, unstable magics surging through her veins, she abruptly saw two figures run into the caves. Ben! Sammy! She wanted to scream in despair. Stay away!

'June! June!' She heard Ben yell, spotting her in an instant. 'What happened here?'

No. Don't. Everything happened at once. Maxy was running towards Demonlord, cut into a dozen pieces; Ben and Sammy struggled through the rubble, trying to reach her; Her heart was beating faster and faster; she felt a sudden surge of energy through her veins. This is the healing coming through. She realised, panicking. My wounds are healing, but I still can't control the talisman! Stop! She saw the Talisman vibrating violently, sending blue electricity through midair. It's going to do something. Make it stop! She concentrated as hard as she could. An immense pain was pulsing in her head, and she endured it. The talisman is testing me, and I'm not going to let it win! Still, the blue glow around it was increasing. I foresee an explosion coming. STOP IT! The steadily growing slowed, and she felt something shoot up her throat. Her chest exploded in pain. It's going to explode, it's going to –

Instead of exploding, the Talisman shot lightning randomly, leaving black burn marks where it hit. At the same time, she vomited out a huge amount of blood dripping down her chin.

'Junie! We're coming to help you!' Sammy cried.

'Stay away from me!' June managed to shout hoarsely, even with blood pouring from her mouth. 'Don't get close… I've lost control of it!'

They were hesitant at first but withdrew back into the tunnel promptly, after witnessing one of the Talisman's rapid-firing lightning strike a boulder next to them.

'How surreal… your motivations fantasise me,' a dry voice spoke. They spun around to see Maxy clapping her own face in shock. The weapon she was about to strike Demonlord with—evaporated out of existence. 'I created these weapons through magic,' Demonlord rasped, despite in pieces. 'They shatter soon after I shatter.' Dismayed, Maxy backed off gingerly—not lifting her eyes off him for one moment—and ran towards Ozin instead. 

'Demonlord…' June gasped. 'You won't get away with this.'

'Oh, just shut up,' he replied lazily, clearly not dying. 'If I die, then you'll all die with me, as I've pretty much merged with the mountain. My strong flow of magic is keeping the infrastructure stable, so it won't topple after, say, the battle we just fought.'

'Enough with your explaining,' she snapped. With some effort, she finally managed to get back up to her feet. 'I can protect everyone here with a burst of the Talisman's magic. I won't let anyone die.'

That's when Demonlord started to laugh uncontrollably.

'Everyone?' He morphed back into shape almost instantly, startling her. 'Everyone? Look at your childish fantasies, this isn't a bedtime story.' He raised one hand, glaring at her determinedly. 'Not everyone will live. Not everyone can live. I want you to understand that. That's just the way of life' The hand he raised set on fire, making her flinch. 'I hate you. I hate your simplicity, your foolishness, your energy. What makes you think I'm going to allow that to happen?' June didn't speak, but in reality, she saw the harsh truth in his eyes—he wasn't letting them go in one piece. 'I give you a sporting chance because I know your limits,' he continued dully, not extinguishing the fire in his palm. 'You either sacrifice one of your friends to me and escape or continue fighting me. There's one move you can use to end me right now, and you know what it is. However, as soon as I die, the mountain will implode, and you're not going to have enough energy left to save anyone but yourself.'

'I said I won't let anyone die!' she cried in anguish. The talisman sent twelve lightning strikes into the Demonlord's chest. He didn't dodge or block it. He let his blood drip onto the ground and only healed himself after a considerable amount had left his body. He dropped to his knees, charging the fireball even further. 'I… WON'T… LET… ANYONE… DIE!'

'JUNO HAVEN!' Ozin shouted, staggering towards her. His face was burnt and covered in blood. 'WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? DON'T HESITATE! KILL ME! AND THEN YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE CAN GO HOME!!!'

'Ozin, stop saying that!' June was in tears. 'Why would you say that, I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU! I'm protecting everyone here, so don't you give up before I do!'

'Junie…' Sam had broken down. 'Junie, please! Defeat him! Defeat him so we can go home.'

'Oy. You still haven't used the ability on me yet,' said Demonlord. 'You're wasting everyone's time here. If you want to finish me off, use Maximum Dissipate—the only ability that stops entire magic cycles for a while. You're wasting your energy on useless moves.'

June took a deep, haggard breath. The temperature around them had dropped significantly—yet only now she'd noticed. I took off my winter coat. She realised. I'm going to freeze to death. She sat down in a lotus position—and spoke loudly and clearly. 'Please erase yourself from existence.' A wish and a prayer.

'Maximum Liberation.'

Immediately, a surge of electricity shot out from the Talisman's core and punctured through Demonlord's chest, where his heart was. He let out a surprised cry, not because he was hit—because he wasn't healing. Please work. June prayed. I can't afford to use another move on him while keeping everyone else alive –

'What was that move?' he sputtered in confusion, clutching the wound in his chest. 'What…?' He looked at the ceiling. And why isn't the mountain collapsing?

'Maximum Dissipate uses too much energy,' she explained, struggling to put her words together. 'So I made up something that uses minimal energy while still delivering the fatal blow that Maximum Dissipate does. Your heart is your weak point, right? Even demons can't retaliate from missing a heart for too long.'

'But… how…' Demonlord's eyes bulged. 'My heart… is on the right side!'

June closed her eyes. 'And with my remaining energy, I can support the entire mountain without your blood.'

'I'm… outsmarted?' He dropped to the ground, pawing the air in disbelief. 'No. It can't be! This was never supposed to happen! It's hardly fair!'

'You outplayed yourself by giving me the Talisman. We would've all died if you didn't give me a chance.'

'A chance…' Demonlord repeated. 

'Finish him off!' Maxy cried. 'Finish him off before he can do any tricks!'

'But the mountain will collapse!' June shouted. 'I can't pull this off on my own!'

'Then I will help you take it!' Ozin cried. He managed to heal himself from Demonlord's fatal attack but was still low on energy.

'Do it! Finish him off!' Sammy cried. 'Defeat that monster! He's unable to do anything!'

'"Unable to do anything?"' Demonlord's dying nerves cracked. With his dying breaths, he powered the fireball to its maximum output. 'Die, you insolent punk!' He shouted and threw the fireball at Sammy without warning.

'NO! I CAN'T STOP IT!' June gave a desperate scream.

The largest explosion rocked and dusted the whole chamber.

6

'Maxy!' June retched in shock and pain.

The cloud of dust shrouded around them solemnly, with a hint of sadness.

'Maxy!' She screamed again, with more despair.

'Don't worry, sister,' Maxy replied confidently. 'I drove the fireball off-course!'

'Maxy… WHY DID YOU…' she dropped to the ground, finally breaking down.

'What's wrong?'

'Why did you block it!!!'

Upon hearing her utter those words in despair, Maxy dropped to the ground. 'Because I'm… I'm… finally free,' she whispered serenely. There were happy tears glistening in her eyes. She had stepped in to intercept the ball from harming Sammy, and the sheer force of the attack drove through and broke her metal collar—before punching through her torso. She carefully wrapped her hands around the wound, even though she knew—what happened next would be inevitable. Blood pooled down her legs at an alarming rate, and she knew it was her end.

Even Demonlord drew a sharp breath after witnessing what just happened. It was too late, however, for him to react to it in any way. He just lay there, stunned. And when the world turned dark around him, he swore he'd almost shed a tear for his enemies.

June closed the Talisman around her fingers, relentlessly bashing it across the floor. She bashed until her flesh split open, bashed until blood formed a stream beneath her hand, bashed until the ground cracked into pieces. All she wanted to do right now was hurt herself and break that goddamned stone cube. Soon she found herself unable to do the second and stopped from doing the first.

'June, don't,' Ozin wrapped his arms around her shoulders, tears flowing down her back. 'Hurting yourself won't change the past! You can't undo what happened! You can only blame yourself for being weak! And to not let that happen again in the future!'

'You won't understand,' June replied calmly—too calm. 

'No matter how painful it is, you can't stop moving!' Ozin shouted. 'There's other people you need to protect! You can't get beaten by death! You're only giving him what he wants!'

'I need to talk to someone,' June got up to her feet, her voice on the urge to collapse. 'Let me go.'

Before Ozin could react, June shook off his grip with immense strength, more than he'd ever felt from her. Then she was running off, and he didn't stop her.

Maxy leaned close to June, trying to comfort her, who had collapsed again once she reached her. June knelt next to her in the pool of blood, crying tears full of grief. She could tell that she was at her limits, still trying to protect everyone on the mountain with her energy. 'I'm sorry,' she sobbed. 'I'm sorry you never got the chance to leave the mountain again. It's all my fault.'

She could only smile wryly, with her life slowly slipping away from her grasp. 'I'm sorry I had to be a burden.' She whispered weakly.

'Don't you say that!' June shouted with anger and anguish. 'Don't you dare say that!'

'I was weak, and I couldn't even dream of killing that monster one day,' Maxy sputtered and coughed. 'You made one of my dire dreams come true, so I can't ask for more from you.'

'I couldn't protect you,' she shook with sorrow. 'This mountain has only so much brought me sorrow, yet I'm still supporting its inhumane weight. I want to crush it so much after we get out of here. Right, Ozin? You can heal her, right?'

Osen looked at her pitifully and could only shake his head.

'What do you mean?' She squinted her eyes. 'HEAL HER LIKE YOU SHOULD BE, YOU GODDAMN HERMIT!'

'Stop!' Maxy grabbed her arm impulsively. 'Don't weep for me. I protected your brother from harm, so I beg you to take care of him, sister. Don't let my death go to waste. That's all I'm hoping for.'

'I'M WEAK! I CAN'T PROTECT ANYONE I CARE FOR!'

'I know you're in a lot of pain right now, sister,' Maxy shook her hand. 'But I beg you, please get everyone out of here safely. I'll be joining Akul in heaven now.'

June's teary eyes widened. 'Akul?' she whispered, falling silent. Maxy used the last bit of her strength to reach up to her ears, whispering something. She nodded impulsively, cradling Maxy's frail body in her arms. Time seemed to slow down to infinity. June didn't know how much time she sat there, but later she would recall someone calling to her after she regained her consciousness.