Regret

Despondent (Kate)

I make it out of the portal and land on the floor of the concert hall.

It was all over now. Sana, my best friend, was gone. And I'm pretty sure Edith was now dead too.
Since we failed at bringing my friend back I decided to go over to the lake and placed Sana into the water. After that I decided to head to Cheryl's to tell her what happened.
I knock on her door and she opens it.

"Kathleen? What brings you here?"
"You mind coming to the cafe? There's something you need to know."

We make it to the cafe and I tell Cheryl what had happened.

"You can't be serious...she's dead? How? Wha-what happened?"
"Heart attack," I lie. "She was put under so much pressure with the band and everything and..."
"I understand."
Cheryl gets up from her seat and pushes in her chair. Her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm terribly sorry. I...I need some time alone. Forgive me."
She exits the cafe and heads back to her home. Not long after I walk out as well.

On my walk through the city, I notice Violet. No surprise there.
"I see you a lot," I tell her. "What are you up to?"
"Well first I want to apologize about your friend, I came off as harsh back there, I was just upset since I warned her about all of this. As for what I'm doing, I'm getting ready for December 31."
"New years?"
"Well yes but no. I'm getting ready to fight Valenstia, that powerful tristitia I've told you about at the restaurant."
"Oh, right. Are you gonna be okay fighting on your own? I thought you planned on fighting it with Edith."
"While it would've been easier to win if Edith was still here, I could still win without her. I'll be just fine, I don't need anyone's help."

She walks away and I continue my path through the city. I finally stop at the fountain, sitting down besides it.
"It's a shame that Sana and Edith had died. But on the brightside, this means that Violet Silver is the last magica left, which makes you more likely to make a wish," Naroi exclaims, appearing on my left.
"How the hell is that good? You knew these people for a while and you act like they were nothing!"
"I apologize. My kind doesn't understand emotions like you humans do."
"What is your kind anyway?"
"We're known as libres, we were created into this universe from stardust, around a billion years ago. Our main purpose was to bring and maintain balance throughout space."
"But why did you come here?" I ask.
"We had to find a way to restore balance as it was off course. The only way to do that was to convert emotional energy into magical energy, and Earth was the closest to us."
"But what about making them suffer? You never told us they would turn into monsters!"
"I don't think you understand what I'm saying. I told you the universe was at risk of being off balance. Sacrifices were needed to be made. Besides, it's not like we forced them against their will to do this."
"But they didn't know they would turn into their enemies! You never told them!"
"I would've told them if they asked but they didn't."
"What about bringing them back?" I ask. "Edith had come up with a plan to bring Sana back after she turned into a tristitia, was that at all possible? Can you really bring them back?"
He looks at me and shakes his head.
"It's not in my ability to do that. I'm sure you know what entropy is, right?"

I shake my head. "No, I don't"
"It's a measure of randomness, think of a campfire, the wood burns and becomes nothing but ash, smoke, and gases, which all spread energy more easily than its solid form. That's basically what happens when a magica becomes a tristitia. Not much energy is released when their gem is still intact, but when it shatters, a whole bunch of energy is released. Why do you think tristitias are found by following the glow of a lipana? It's because tristitias have more energy released and spread it more easily than magicae do."
"So does that mean they can't come back?"
"Not that I know of..."
He pauses as if he's thinking, then speaks again.
"That's right...there is one way. Kathleen, I'm sure you remember me telling you about your magical potential, correct?"
I nod. "Yeah you told me it was powerful enough to alter the universe or something."
"Exactly. You have the power to wish for your friends back."
"Seriously? It's that simple?"
"Of course! Just say what you want and I'll make it happen."
"But...what about Violet?"
"You barely know the girl. You knew Sana more. Do you want her back or not?"
"Yeah but still...everything she said has come true."
"She's probably using that to her advantage. It seems as if she's manipulating you, though I'm not entirely sure..."
"Manipulating me?" I ask. "Isn't that what you're doing?"
He looks at the ground and gives a slight irritated sigh.
"No. I am not manipulating you, I told you everything, she has not. But c'mon now, you seemed to have cared a lot about Sana, and though I cannot comprehend such feelings like caring or love I do understand that if you make your wish, you could bring Sana back as easy as snapping your fingers. Besides, who do you care more for? A stranger that never answers why they don't want you to become a magica, or your friend that's been there with you since childhood?"
    "No, no, you're right," I say. "Ok."
I pause to take a deep breath in and out.
"I wish."

It happened in less than a blink of an eye. Naroi was suddenly covered in bullet holes and collapsed onto the ground.
His body was nothing more than a gorey pulp with his blood and entrails all around him.
I sat there shocked at what happened, wondering who shot him and how? That's when I noticed Violet standing a few feet away, with a handgun by her feet.

"You idiot," She says, walking to me. "Do you seriously not give a damn about what happens? You saw your friends die and become monsters, if you become a magica then the same fate will only happen to you. What will your family think? Or the other people that care about you? Do you realise how many people would be miserable if they found out you were gone??"

I couldn't think of anything to say. I was quite shocked by her tone. It wasn't cold or serious, it had emotion to it. She literally almost sounded and looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry," I tell her. "I just want my friend back. I didn't like watching her suffer."
"Yeah, I get it."
"You do?"
She nods.
"Yeah, I've seen many people die or turn into tristitias. I guess after a while it no longer surprises you."
"How many people did you see die?" I ask her.
"I stopped counting."
"Oh...I'm sorry...what was your wish? You never told me at the cafe."

No response.

"Violet, What was your wish?"
She ignores me and begins walking away.
"Violet!" I shout. "What did you wish for?? Violet, answer me, I need to know!"