Author Games: The Hero You Deserve

Semifinals: Cherry Bomb

"I saw promise in you from the beginning. All three of us did, for different reasons. You have it in you to be a hero. You just don't want to accept that."

I shook my head. "But now I have to or else the world is over, right?"

Miguel said nothing, and for a moment I worried he was already dead.

"Isn't there anything you can do to help us? You've lived with them for over a century, don' you have anything that can help us?" I begged.

After another terrifying stretch of silence, Miguel held a hand out. "Get me something to write with."

I rushed to one of the overturned desks and grabbed a pen and scrap of paper, all but hurling it at him. He wrote with a shaking hand, then gave me the slip. "If you cannot force them back to their realms, then this is the only other option."

He died. And as disgusting and improbable as it was, I was upset about it. So much for being a villain. I took a deep breath, clutched the paper in my hand, then rushed over to the remaining Sentries.

The Sorceress and the Necromancer were both flipping though large, leather-bound books filled with runes impossible for me to read. "Nothing, I have nothing," the Sorceress growled, slamming the dusty book shut.

The Necromancer shook his head. "I don't do this kind of spell..."

Azazel looked up from his pacing when I joined them. "Blacklight?"

"Dead," I panted. Everyone's expressions turned grave. I held out the slip of paper. "He gave me this."

The Sorceress took the paper and unfolded it, her eyes widening as she read it. "This... this is old magic. A binding spell." She looked up at me with a horrified expression. "What does he mean by giving us this?"

"He said if we can't force them back to their realms, then this is the only option."

The Necromancer read over the Sorceress's shoulder, his expression darkening. "If this is our only option, we're doomed. Does Blacklight really expect one of us to make this sacrifice..."

I clenched my fists. "I don't understand magic, but I take it this is something big. Whatever it is, whatever sacrifice needs to be made to make it happen... I'll do it." Oh god, if Papa could hear me now. I could hardly believe the words were coming from my mouth.

The five other Sentries looked at me in shock.

I shifted uncomfortably. "It's death, right? I need to die to make this happen? I've got nothing left to live for at this point, and you're all good people. Good heroes. The world needs you, not me. So... I volunteer as tribute." The joke fell flat.

The Sorceress shook her head. "Cherry, did you hear me? This is a binding spell, the binding spell. You wouldn't die you would..."

Oh.

Of course. If we couldn't send Tifanos and Zachariel back to their realms, we would need to contain them somehow. We'd need to bind them to a vessel. It wasn't ideal, but it was the only thing to do.

We'd essentially have to create a new Blacklight.

I didn't give myself time to think about what that meant. If I gave myself that opportunity, I knew I would back out. This had to be done. It had to. I nodded, standing straighter. "Yeah. Okay, yeah, I'll do it."

The Sorceress and the Necromancer set to preparing the spell casting area. A circle similar to the one I'd found Miguel dying in, though this one seemed to be the exact reverse. I moved to a corner and sat down, listening to the chaos of the battle happening close by. Was I really willing to have that battle continue inside my head? Would I even survive? I shut my eyes tight in an attempt to block out all thought.

"Alright, Cherry, we're ready for you."

I walked on shaky legs to the center of the circle, feeling as though I was inside a dream. How I managed to keep from fainting is beyond me. The five stood on the edge of the circle around me. They passed a knife around, using it to cut small slits into their palms. One by one they pressed their bloody palms into the circle, then they clasped hands.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"A life is needed in order to complete the spell. It may be cheating, but if we each offer a fifth of our lifespan, it should work just as well," the Sorceress explained.

My heart thudded. A fifth of their lifespan? Each of them? "Guys, no-"

"We all need to make sacrifices for this to work," Ocarina cut me off. "It'll be worth it in the end."

Goldstreak shrugged. "What are heroes for after all?"

Heroes.

"Ready?" the Sorceress asked. Everyone nodded, and she began to recite the spell Miguel had written.

The circle glowed eerily, and the chaos of the nearby fight silenced. The smoke cleared instantly and both shadow and light began to swirl above me, whipping my hair around me.

I'd never in my life considered myself a hero. For as long as I could remember, I wanted with every fiber of my being to be the exact opposite. I thought being a villain would fill the strange emptiness I'd felt inside myself since childhood. I always thought that once I took my father's place, I would feel complete.

But maybe that's not what I was meant to do with my life. Maybe I always felt empty because I was meant for this. It's a dumb thought. Probably wishful thinking. Yeah.

As the howling wind engulfed me and the energy of both an angel and a demon bore down on me, I didn't feel fear, or panic, or... anything, really. I felt calm. The energy hit me hard, and I wasn't sure if I screamed or not. I saw the most blinding light and the deepest, most horrifying darkness all in one instant.

The rest of the Sentries flew back... and then there was complete silence. For a moment, I wondered if it had worked. And then a voice spoke from some dark corner of my mind.

Well... isn't this an interesting development.

Fascinating indeed.

I heaved a heavy sigh, both of relief and acceptance of my fate. "Hi guys... welcome to your new home."