Suddenly, my finger hurts, as if a ring had just burned me. Moon Goddess, the butterfly tattoo! I let go of Nora, and look at it from up close. That thing is... glowing on my finger. Not only glowing, but moving and spinning around my finger. I can feel the magic imbued in it... Earth Magic!
"...What is this?" asks Nora, staring at it too. "...It looks like a butterfly?"
"Yeah... A present from Sylviana. I think. Step back a second, Nora."
She nods, and wipes her nose as she carefully steps away from me, standing next to Selena. Oh, Moon Goddess, could it be? Is that what Luna was referring to when she mentioned I could do... more, for the last time? I take a deep breath, and focus on that ring, unlocking the power inside. It suddenly bursts out.
I feel the ring explode, and a large mark appears on my hand, on my arm, spreading through my body with a strange sensation.
"Mara!" shouts Selena.
"I'm alright! These are different markings... Just stay back for a second."
I'm not sure I can handle this, but it's coming anyway. I feel it grow inside, like a new strength, a... large tree pushing my Fire and Water Magic aside to take up some space. Oh, Moon Goddess, that’s a big bundle of Earth Magic. I need to take big gasps as I let it all in, feeling it grow inside. This is so different from what I'm used to, and it doesn't even leave me room to adjust to it. I feel my feet suddenly rooted deeper in the ground, and my whole body as if... torn in all directions, attracted to the ground like a magnet. I feel each tree around like an underground connection, from my feet to their roots... It's powerful, but it's not... me. I feel it. That thing isn't staying in me like the fire, not even like water.
"...What color are my eyes?" I ask Selena.
"...They're back to dark brown, maybe a bit golden. Not blue or anything else."
I nod. Alright, I guess I know now... This is limited. All of it. It's not part of me, just a little... borrowed. I get down on my knees, and bury my hands in the ground, closing my eyes.
I feel it... all of the ground around. The minerals, the soil... I can find a shy baby root in one area, or a buried stone there. I can find... what shouldn't be there. I take a deep breath and, using all my power, I start moving them, bringing them up. I move the ground above them, undigging the bodies and bringing them to the surface, one after another. I try to use the mind-link and, through Nora and Selena, find as many wolves as I can... I realize I can feel the humans too through Selena's mind-link. She's... connected to them too. I feel like I'm not breathing, this power is too big for me. I force myself to take another deep breath, and keep bringing them back. One after another, the bodies and those still holding on to life... I hear cries of joy or sadness around me, people shouting all around, but I don't have time to listen. I have to go on, bring them back as fast as I can. Perhaps some can still be saved... and the others can find a proper grave.
I stop only when I'm sure I can't find anybody else. I'm... out of breath, and I can't stand up for now. However, all the cries of joy around me makes it worth it. This was worth it. I nod, feeling a bit better.
...Liam.
I lift my head, knowing exactly where my mate is. ...Why did Luna say I should go back to him too? I... I look down at the markings on my arms. I still have that Earth Magic. I... I have the three powers. It's not for long, and I can't save anyone else, but... if it's my mate, perhaps...
No, I can't use Dark Magic. I can't do the same. I can't...
Wait a second. What if I use... Light Magic?
"...Mara?" Selena calls out.
I began stumbling toward him without thinking. I reach it, the cloak they covered him with. I fall on my knees next to Liam's body, unaware of his brothers on the other side. Moon Goddess, I'm shaking. I'm shaking so much. I'm scared, and at the same time, I'm... feeling hope. This crazy, blazing flame of hope. I pull back the cloak, just a little, to see his face. I let out a gasp. Moon Goddess, Liam... Liam, Liam, Liam... Is it possible?
"Mara? Mara, are you alright?" gently asks Nora, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"No... Nora, I think I'm about to do somethingreallycrazy.
My heart is beating like crazy. I feel so insane, crazy, and excited. I shouldn't be, right? I... I am faced with the body of my mate, with... Liam's dead body. It’s the worst vision ever. My Liam, lying there, just... nothing inside. I can't feel him at all. Not him, not his inner wolf, nothing. My eyes see him, but inside, I feel nothing, just that horrible void that eats me from the inside. I keep staring, and a part of me really wants a miracle. I don't want to see his... cold skin, his blue lips, or his body not even moving to breathe... Death looks horrible, and empty. It's Liam, but there's nothing there, I'm... just facing a body. I never thought it would be so hard. I'm fighting inside with the horrible urge to cry again, to bawl it all out, and yet, I have that crazy idea shining in my mind, like a flame that won't disappear. I must be going insane.
I can bring him back... Right, Luna?
"...What are you going to do? Mara, talk to us!" says Selena behind me.
"...I can use the same spell. The one Luna wanted to use to bring her mate back."
“You can bring him back...?” asks Nathaniel.
I nod.
"Mara, no!" protests Nora. "Isn't it the same Dark Magic that caused all of this in the first place?"
"It is, but the spell itself wasn't the cause. It turned into a curse because of the dark feelings that caused this spell, and because Luna used Dark Magic in the first place, not the other way around. I've seen the spell. It was perfect, and it would have worked if Luna hadn't been so inexperienced and dominated by her emotions. She knew nothing about the difference between Dark and Light Magic; only Luna the Witch did, but she couldn't stop her mistake."
"Wait a second," growls Selena, "isn't the difference between the two about... using your own life energy?"
