'Mina.' 

'Huh?' Mina opened her eyes but instantly closed them to shield her orbs from the bright light. Her head felt light and her body felt so heavy. What happened?

'Come on, I know you aren't so weak.' 

'What? Where.. Am I?' Mina forced herself to sit up. Her eyes were squinted and her arm was raised to block off the light. 

'Do you remember me?' 

'You?' Mina tilted her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't see anyone around but the voice did sound familiar. She definitely heard it somewhere before. 'Pyralis?'

'Good, your brain isn't fried.' He chuckled and a man clad in black armour appeared from the blinding light. The armour was very much similar to that of the hunter's but on his chest; there was an emblem of the symbol of fire. 

'You.. is that?' 

'This is the original. He made a copy. Useless scum doesn't know how to use his brain and come up with something new. How dare he disrespect me and ruin the image of my line of successors by using this armour.' Pyralis rambled as he approached Mina and helped her up, dusting her back as well.

'What happened? Where is this place?' Mina said as she looked around. She had no idea if she could even call this a room. Every direction she looked at was white and it was honestly a little blinding. Whoever installed the lights was being a little too generous with them. 

'You forgot that? You were zapped right in the chest by a bolt of dark lightning. This place is well.. A realm.' Pyralis scratched his head. Mina stumbled but he caught her and held on to her arms.

'My friends. Where are they? I need to get to them.' Mina looked at him and he had this look of sadness and apology in them. Something wasn't right. 'Why? Why do you have that look? What happened to me?' Mina started to panic and he her arm. 

'I need you to calm down and listen to me with a clear mind.' He said and she stopped struggling. He paused as she looked at him, waiting for him to say something. 

'You're dead. Wait! Not dead for good! You're just here for a while!' He yelled as she started to thrash about again. 

'Dead? I can't be dead! I have a life to live! A girlfriend to see! I can’t just leave!' Mina screamed. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest so she couldn't be dead if her heart was racing. 

'You're just here for a while! I'll send you back! I'm here to give you advice!' Pyralis shook her by the shoulders and she calmed down.

'I will go back right?'

'Yes.'

'You sure?' 

'Yes.' He rolled his eyes.

'Promise?' 

He stuck his pinkie out at her and they locked pinkies. 

'Now listen, I really don't have much time now. I'll break this down for you. His armour is keeping him alive. It supplies heat to keep him warm so the outside elements can't affect him. His helmet has a tech that allows him to predict your movements so he can always be one step ahead of you. Don't ask me how because I'm not a tech guru. If you want to defeat him, knock his helmet off then destroy his armour. There's a small flap on the small of his back.' Pyralis explained and Mina nodded. 

'What about Zafir? Where did he go?'

'He is making his way back really soon. When you wake up again, be prepared to fight. His resistance will be strong.' 

'Then I need to get back now!' Mina jumped backwards.

'Yes. I just want you to know one last thing. Without sacrifice, there can be no victory. There's always a price to pay for everything. Be careful.' He warned and squeezed her arm. 'Now go, do me proud.' He smiled and lightning flickered in his palm. He directed the lightning at Mina and she out again. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Mina's eyes snapped open and she shot up. Looking around to process her surroundings, she realized she wasn't in that white realm anymore. Sana was staring at her as if she grew another head and Chaeyoung's mouth was wide open. 

'Mina!' Jeongyeon hollered in joy as she blocked a beam of fire from the hunter. Sana grabbed Mina by the collar and pulled her in for a hug. 

'Holy . I thought I lost you forever.' Sana whispered into Mina's ear and the girl rubbed her back. 

'I won't leave you without a fight.' Mina said and planted a kiss on Sana's temple. 'I know how to stop him, you just need to get the rest and-' 'Sana watch out!' Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon screamed. 

The next thing Mina processed was Sana's whimper of pain. 

'Sana!' Mina caught the girl as she fell forward. Sana looked down and Mina slowly trailed her eyes down. A bloodied blade was sticking out from Sana's mid-section and the girl's jacket was growing damp. Droplets of crimson liquid dripped into the floor and Sana fell to her knees. 

'Mina..' Sana gripped onto Mina's sleeves. 

'Hold still! I'll get this out!' Mina the girl's hair. Chaeyoung quickly pulled the sword out and began healing the wound but the process seemed to be going slower than usual. 

'It's poisoned!' Jeongyeon shouted as she kicked a rock at the hunter who had a smug aura around him. Momo was trying to smack him to the floor but her attempts were unsuccessful.

Poisoned?

Mina looked at the blade which was lying on the floor. There was some residue near the base of the blade, some sort of greenish liquid. Those bastards. 

'Please stay awake. Don't close your eyes!' Mina cupped Sana's face. The girl's eyes had glazed over and they seemed unfocused. 

Without sacrifice, there can be no victory, Pyralis's voice echoed in her head. 

Was this what he meant? Did Sana have to give up her life so that they could win? Mina clenched her jaw and she stood up. Jeongyeon and Momo were knocked back by a wave of water. Zafir was here. 

'Aw. More injured friends. What are you going to do now?' Zafir laughed as he stood beside the hunter, twirling his staff. 

'You bastard.' Mina snarled, fists tightening into a ball. 

'Is this a worthy sacrifice for our future?'

'There's no future with you. The only thing that will be sacrificed is you!' Mina yelled and picked up Sana's swords which instantly fused with her blue flames. 

'And what can you do to stop the both of us?' Zafir smiled. 

'I'll take you both on!' Mina burst into flames, a layer of fire wrapped around her form and her brown orbs were replaced by bright blue flames. She jumped up in a column of flames and did a roundhouse kick, slamming a stream of flames into the ground where the two men were. They rolled to the sides and took their stances. 

The hunter swung his fist at her but she ducked, kicking Zafir's staff which had come up behind her and blasted him back with fire. She stabbed into the hunter's leg, sword melting through his armour and ripped off the lower part of his boots, exposing his leg.

Zafir had tried to strangle her with the staff but she grabbed onto the shaft and turned Zafir around, hitting the hunter in the head with the skull. She slammed the hilt of her sword into the hunter's face and he stumbled back. He tried to turn away but Mina stabbed her sword into the side of his helmet, piercing through his ear.

She turned back to Zafir who had risen blocks of concrete to crush her and she brought her sword down, cutting off his brooch and his cloak fell, leaving him in his tunic and jeans. 

The hunter was trying to pull the helmet off and Mina decided to help him. Standing in front of him, she grabbed the hilt and ripped it upwards, forcefully yanking the black helmet off and blood was smeared all over the left side of his face. For the first time, Mina could see his eyes and in those eyes, she could see the reflection of the flames raging in her sockets. 

She punched him in the temple and used the hilt of her right sword to hit him backwards and he ploughed to the ground. 

The overlord had ed his staff forward and she sliced it clean into two, using the end with the skull to smack him in the face. She was tackled to the ground by the pyrokinetic who refused to give up and she had reached the end of her tether. She switched the swords to her left and jumped over him, stabbing them into the small of his back and they re-emerged at the front of his abdomen, just like how he stabbed Sana.

'Taste your own medicine you piece of .' She snarled before using all her strength to pull the blades to the sides, separating his torso from his legs. Mina stood there breathing heavily as she stared at his mangled body, her swords still raised and burning. Dahyun and Jeongyeon exchanged glances from the side-lines. They never expected this from the girl. 

'You're next.' Mina turned towards Zafir and he growled. He raised his hands and the guns that were lying on the floor levitated, cocking them and aimed them all at Mina. 

'No, you're next.' He grinned and the guns fired. Mina could hear the shouts and yells from her friends but they seemed to echo, as if time had slowed down. This was just like her dream. Was this how she would die? 

The image of Sana when she first met her flashed in her mind, how they spent time together and when they first cuddled in bed. The look in her eyes when Mina confessed on the rooftops and then the pain when she got impaled. The gang, who trained with her, taught her how to use her powers, the fun times they shared. Then her parents who were waiting for her return, she had promised she would be safe. No, she wasn't going to give up a fight. Sana didn't get impaled only for Mina to die and let the world plunge into darkness. 

The sacrifice has been made. It's time to claim the victory. 

The bullets exploded and Zafir fell back in visible shock. 

'I'm changing my fate. You won't kill me. Not in this lifetime.' Mina stared at him as he got back up on his feet. With both hands, she blasted flames at Zafir who had pulled the earth around him to make a shield. 

The fire warmed up the earthen shield but Zafir didn't seem to be coming out. 

'Come on..' Jeongyeon whispered as they watched. The flames were roaring and they could feel the heat even from a distance. 

'Come out you coward! Face me!' Mina yelled and forced her hands forward, putting more power into it. Then, it happened. The most brilliant thing anyone had ever seen. 

At first it seemed like it was an illusion from staring at the bright flames for too long but it was real. Shades of all colours began to mix together as the streams intertwined into a magnificent, multi-coloured vortex. The rocks began to glow red hot as the fire raged against the surface. 

'I don't believe it!' Dahyun couldn't help but let out a chortle in awe. 

The rocks exploded and Zafir flew backwards into the burning building, slamming into the wall. The red aura around Mina had been replaced by the multi-coloured fire which she had previously generated. It was the rarest form of fire manipulation that was thought to only be generated by dragons. Mina had done the impossible. 

She stepped forward and looked down at him, fiery gaze burning into his dilated pupils hiding behind his mask. He shot a jet of water but was instantly vaporized. 

'You're so weak.' Mina said in a vitriolic manner. Zafir attempted to attack her again but she harshly gripped him by the jugular, inciting a strangled cough from him. The flames at his neck from Mina's hand and her grasp felt like it was burning his throat off but Mina had negated the fire and thus it didn't physically burn him. 

'You had a smug look on your face earlier. Where is it?' Mina mocked as she shoved him further into the wall as he struck against her grasp. 'Seems like you're all bark and no bite.' 

Zafir tried to pry her hands away only to instantly pull back from the burning sensation.

'Let go of me!' He choked. 

Mina ripped his mask off and held it in her hand. 

'It would be a shame if you burned, just like this.' Mina said viciously as the mask began to burn in her hands, leaving behind a pile of ash which she let it pour from her hands and onto the floor in front of Zafir's face.

She walked behind him and drew Sana’s sword from her side.

‘Not resisting?’ Mina ran the back of her sword against Zafir’s neck, pressing it into his skin.

‘Mina.’ Jeongyeon warned. The plan wasn’t to kill him. They needed him alive to provide more information about the whole organization and for him to officially shut it down.

‘You won’t kill me.’ He challenged.

‘You think so?’ Mina flipped the sword around and the edge was now placed on Zafir’s neck, causing him to freeze up. ‘I have every ing reason to. You killed countless mutants, experimented on them, and disrespected the dead by reanimating their corpse to fight for your pathetic cause, injuring my friends. You killed my girlfriend.’ Mina tightened her grip on the hilt of the sword and the aura of fire around her burned brighter. Her knuckles were white from gipping the sword so tightly.

‘All I ever wanted was for the humans to acknowledge us and not fear us. That was what the original founders had wanted but the other mutants refused. We don’t want to be looked at as aliens that are dangerous. We just wanted to fit in.’ Zafir explained and gulped.

‘By taking innocent lives?’ Mina gritted her teeth.

‘They hunted us first! If we didn’t fight back, more of us would die! It’s either we kill or we get killed!’ Zafir tried to reason but Mina wasn’t taking it.

‘The mutants that defied you? What did they do to deserve to die? They’re entitled to their own opinion! This is being cathartic!’ Mina pressed the blade deeper and Zafir hissed in pain. Mina had secretly taken out the syringe and attached the needle with one hand.

‘Kill me then. Avenge those innocent lives and, your girlfriend.’ Zafir closed his eyes. Mina wasted no time and raised the sword above her head, gripping the handle with both hands.

‘Mina no!’ Nayeon yelled and the girl brought the sword down behind Zafir with the most heart-breaking yell they have ever heard and stabbed it into the floor with her left hand still on the hilt but her right was gripping the syringe with the needle now buried in Zafir’s shoulder. She pressed the plunger, injecting the serum into his body.

Zafir dropped to the ground in shock and looked up at Mina whose eyes had stopped burning. The flames around her dissipated and she dropped to her knees, shoulders shaking as she sobbed. She did it. It was over.

‘Why didn’t you kill me?’ Zafir wheezed as the serum took away his powers and left him weak.

‘Power is when we have every justification to kill, but we don’t.’ Mina said through her tears. Jeongyeon limped up to her and wrapped her arms around Mina’s shoulders. The pyrokinetic clutched on to the fabric of Jeongyeon’s jacket and cried. The girl rubbed her back in silence as Mina cried into her chest, rocking her slightly as she choked for air in between sobs.

‘I’m sorry.’ Zafir said from the floor and Jeongyeon glared at him.

‘It will never fix anything. Never.’ She growled.

Dahyun walked up with a pair of handcuffs and cuffed both his wrists and ankles. Mina pulled away and stumbled on shaky knees towards Sana’s motionless body.

‘Sana.’ Mina’s voice quavered.

‘She’s.. gone.’ Jihyo said. The girl was sitting on the ground, right leg in a temporary splint made of wooden planks and cloth that tied it together.

Tears dripped onto Sana’s cheek from Mina’s eyes and she buried her face into the front of Sana’s jacket that still had the girl’s scent. The rest could only watch in silence. Nothing could console the girl.

‘Use the fire, Mina.’ Pyralis voice resounded in her head.

‘It’s no use.’ Mina mumbled into the fabric.

‘You can. You want her alive so use that drive and generate flames.’

Mina raised her head; cheeks wet with tears and brought up her shaky hand. A bright spark flashed in her palm and a small pink flame appeared. She brought it down towards Sana’s chest and hesitated just above her heart.

‘I’m sorry.’ Mina whispered and she flipped her hand over, pushing the flame into Sana’s chest. All eyes were on Sana, hoping to see some sort of movement. Seconds ticked by but nothing happened. Tears welled up in Mina’s eyes again and her vison of Sana became blurred.

‘No.’ Mina fisted Sana’s jacket in her hands. There was still a hole in the abdomen of Sana’s jacket and Mina didn’t want to look at it. ‘You lied to me!’ She yelled up at the sky and punched the ground.

Momo placed a hand on Mina’s shoulder. Suddenly, Jihyo gasped.

‘What?’ Nayeon gasped.

‘She’s alive.’ Jihyo wheezed.

Chaeyoung quickly checked Sana’s pulse and a smile of disbelief spread across her lips.

‘She’s alive! There’s pulse! But it’s faint and very weak. We need to get her stabilized immediately.’

‘W-where do we go?’ Mina wiped her tears on her sleeve.

‘Where’s the nearest hospital? I’ll use the equipment there.’ Chaeyoung said and a portal was immediately thrown open. Mina scoops Sana gently into her arms and steps through with Chaeyoung. The portal closed and the rest materialized behind them with Jihyo on Nayeon’s back.

Mina kicked down the door to room that Chaeyoung was pointing to and placed Sana on the bed. She watched as the healer dug around for the equipment and pushed a ventilator to the bedside.

‘There’s no power!’ Chaeyoung shouted as she strapped the mask around Sana’s head.

‘Take me to the generator room.’ Mina held Nayeon’s hand and they disappeared. The power came back shortly after they left and the lights flickered back on before they reappeared. Chaeyoung washed her hands and slipped on some rubber gloves.

‘We should go outside and not contaminate the room.’ Jihyo said and the other members filed out of the room.

Mina was unwillingly led out of the operating theatre by Momo.

‘You brought her back to life Mina. She will be okay.’ Momo hugged Mina.

Sana was alive, and that was all that mattered.