"You'd be a good spy," she hummed playfully.
"Mommy! We can kidnap him!"
"No, Star," Silver dryly stated. "He doesn't have the credits to be a spy."
"Boo," Star huffed, which actually made me smile as I returned my gaze to Sebastian.
"If I use my ability, will that disable me?" I inquired.
"Yes." He nodded. "If you use your ability at this moment to reverse all of this, you'll end up being useless in the fight you just endured and the same result may transpire," he warned. "However, if you allow me to do it, you and your team will have to owe something in return at the end of the semester."
It was a difficult decision, but it was obvious which one I had to choose to give us a chance at surviving the attack from those universal assassins.
"If I take the second option, what happens to you." I paused to look at Silver. "And you." Finally, I lowered my eyes to Star, who was waiting to be acknowledged by me.
"And ME!" she declared happily.
"Yes," I affirmed. "And you."
Star giggled and moved to hug Silver. "We go home!"
Silver bobbed her head. "If Sebastian goes along with the agreement, then yes. We have no reason to remain here."
"And I'll be out of commission, but will ensure the altered time will get rid of the group of reinforcements that were sent to arrive before Elijah's intrusion," Sebastian said.
"What about Elijah?" The question made my blood boil. I wished I hadn't faced him like a coward.
I knew he was the "evil twin" from our current hypothesis, but seeing how he'd easily gotten the upper hand of the situation to ruin us only contributed to the brewing rage.
Silver decided to answer. "Based on your actions, everything may shift entirely," she reasoned. "This Elijah person took advantage of the situation. It would be suicide for him to try and challenge you all. If you're able to protect yourselves and get rid of the assassins without exerting all your energy, it would be a hard gamble for him to try and take the four of you on."
"Four?" I questioned. "What about Finnick?"
"I can't determine what exact moment my ability will stop at. I'll reverse it to what the Universe thinks is right. If that lands you before Finnick was shot or after, it’s based on fate," Sebastian deciphered.
"That bullet that hit Finnick," I voiced. "It may still kill him if I land in the moment where he was shot."
"Trust in what the Universe has set for you," Silver instructed as Star yawned and began to rub her eyes.
"Mommy? I'm sleepy."
Silver smirked as she crouched down to lift Star up so she could rest her head on Silver’s shoulder. Silver returned her attention to me as she continued, "Remember that what happened was forbidden in the realms of the Universes. That's exactly why we can bend the rules by interfering. However, just because time is about to be reversed, that doesn't mean what occurred is officially unwritten."
"What...does that mean?" I whispered.
Sebastian bobbed his head slightly as his eyes locked on mine. "Chances are, you and your friends are all going to remember what occurred. How they died and potentially the feelings associated with their times of death. None of those aspects are controlled by this gifted ability. Its purpose is to reverse events that have transpired unjustly."
"Unjustly..." I whispered. "So it works when it's clear what has occurred is against the realms of justice?"
"It works the strongest in those scenarios," Sebastian elaborated. "Similar to when one's magic doubles, if not triples, when a loved one is in danger."
"With you and the others having your memories, it will become clear to your enemy that you avoided death by the grace of the Universe and those with the ability to manipulate time and space."
"What happens then? Isn't that going to make us more of a target?" I questioned.
"Yes and no," Silver merely shrugged. "Yes, they may make you a target and continue to pester you during your last semester, but I have a strong doubt they would make such risky moves right when such events have transpired. If your Shadow Kingdom is anything like the one we deal with, it's a constant gamble, where playing tag can lead to a long, strenuous wait in between, before one makes the move to try and combat the other."
"There's one thing you have to understand, Connor," Sebastian pointed out. "The Shadow Kingdom projects the philosophy that they're on a timeline," he voiced. "In reality, they're not. They're willing to lurk in the shadows for weeks, months, or years just to find the right moment to strike when you're completely unguarded. It's a tactic that's annoying when you don't have patience, but it’s a method that has aided them to grow over the centuries. This is exactly why it's not a simple task to take them down. It's a process of layers that start from the bottom and make their way up."
"Not to forget that this isn't just one unit of evil. They're all connected from different universes. Just like how I have some sort of connection to Brianne with the prophecy," Silver revealed. "You'll come to realize, once you've graduated and taken the next step on your path of magical fulfillment, that every soul upon this world has a higher purpose, and your growth will direct you to where your purpose lies in this map of destiny. Finding that path will be the hardest struggle to achieve, but it will invite you to a new world of possibilities that don't just fall into the categories of magic and power. The role of the Shadow Kingdom across the universes is one thing: to stop those who have a grand purpose to serve in this world that won't favor them. Just like we have seers, they also have their own who can predict the future."
It made sense, and yet it felt like a tangled mesh of wisdom far greater than my years. I wondered if this woman had lived before, like Brianne and Jax. It could be a part of the prophecy that connected her with Brianne, but who knew.
I noticed that her body was beginning to glow, and she frowned as the circling magic circles in each direction were beginning to crack.
"Time is up," she announced as she snapped her free fingers. My friends’ bodies lowered to the ground. They were lying upon their backs, but I watched as Brianne's body began to glow a soft orange with hints of gold.
I checked on Finnick. He was beginning to glow a soft teal with hints of gold and purple, like the northern lights. Jax was a burning red with hints of orange and gold, and finally, Kaito was a soothing purple with hues of blue and gold.
Their magic oozed outward, like pools of blood, but it was a magical liquid that reminded me of melted silver. It spread around them until it formed a magic circle that burned with growing intensity.
As the golden magic circles began to spin, Silver's attention landed on me for what felt like it would be the last time.
Fuwa and Elsa moved from Star's shoulders that were beginning to grow more and more transparent to sit upon Sebastian's shoulders.
"I'll give you one more slice of advice," she declared as her body began to fade further. "You will be tested again. I don't say this to scare you, but to give you a warning I'm sure you wish you'd gotten before all of this. There won't be any second chances. You'll have to face not only your fears but also the final obstacle you need to confront within yourself. Do this, and you'll find the sense of empowerment you've been searching for."