The fence rattled as each member of the team leapt over. Coraline and Emery were first, brandishing their ranged weapons as the others climbed the fence behind them. There was no movement, either in the shadows or of the shadows. They moved into the building, all surrounding Emery and the light she was giving off. They were still cut up and bruised, but nobody was hurt too badly to be part of the attack.

Everyone’s pixies went up to search the other floors while the magical defenders descended the stairs to the basement. They moved with the precision of a military team, fanning out and clearing each room one at a time. Satisfied that they were alone, everyone gathered around Emery.

“She’s not down here,” Emery said.

“Neither is the machine,” Amira added. “Jada, Coraline, watch the stairs in case of an ambush. Liv, Keaton, double check the basement for clues. Emery, are you certain that she would come here?”

“I’m convinced. She came here before, and I think she needed time to build the machine and connect it to the power grid. This would be the easiest location for her to install something without somebody questioning her too much. Cynthia also expected the trap to end in her favor, which means she’s probably going to be in a hurry and won’t have time to move her operation.”

“Perhaps,” Amira replied. “Alright, everyone. Let’s move up.”

They scoured the ground floor, turning on lights as they went, but it was as empty as the basement. Time was slipping through their fingers. Emery was on edge. Every creak of the foundation felt like an ambush.

After that: the second floor. They repeated the process, scanning the wide, empty office space for anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing.

“This place is too big to search room by room,” Emery whispered to Keaton.

“We’ll find her.”

“Then what? We can’t simply vanquish her like we can normal planar invaders. How do we beat someone like this? Short of sending her to fairy jail, there’s nothing to prevent her from trying again from scratch.”

Keaton grabbed Emery by the hand, assuring her, “We’re more than capable. We’ll figure something out.”

“Yo!” They turned to see a little yellow pixie half-phased through the ceiling. “We found her. The top floor. Hurry.”

Birch disappeared and the two split up to collect the others. Emery found Liv and Amira and explained what happened. They met up with the others outside the stairwell.

“Let’s go,” Jada said, gesturing at the elevator.

Liv grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her away. She signed something quickly, but without Linette to translate nobody was entirely sure what. Gritting her teeth, Liv pointed at the stairwell.

“We can’t climb all the way up,” Coraline insisted.

“No, Liv is right.” The group turned to see their collection of pixies hovering nearby. Linette continued, “The elevator is too easy to sabotage. We’re going up a different way. Come on. Follow us.”

They made their way to the edge of the building and the outer windows. Liv grabbed a window frame and, with Linette’s help, phased through the window. Everyone tensed up, but she just swung around until she was pressed up against the outside window, held on by pixie magic.

“This is insane,” Amira mumbled, stepping forward. “Nells, do you think you can do that?”

“Oh, sure! Probably,” Nellie replied.

Once Amira had duplicated the maneuver, Jada and Coraline followed. Wolf stammered a bit, having not gone through any proper training, but Keaton made it outside just fine. Emery stepped up to the window and placed her hand against it. It seemed to melt at her touch.

“I’m nervous.”

“I can push you, if it’ll help,” Carina offered.

With a deep breath, Emery grabbed the window frame and swung herself out. Her hand slipped and she let go of the window, flailing wildly in the air for a moment before landing hard against the solid glass. She shook her head and sat up.

“How is this working?” she asked as Keaton helped her to her feet.

“We’re oriented to the building now, instead of Earth,” Linette explained, pointing upward. “Let’s go.”

It was a good hundred meters until the curtain wall ended and they were able to climb into the unfinished floors. Even with magic providing some thermal insulation, Emery couldn’t help but shiver at the biting wind this far up.

They took the stairs for the remaining few floors, all safe within Emery’s bubble of light. There were still no shadows moving in the corner of her eye, nor whispers tickling at her ears. Did Cynthia not know they were here? Did Night Terror not detect them?

The door to the top floor was open. Amira signaled for them to stop and poked her head out, then pulled back in and nodded. Emery tightened her grip on her staff. With a silent count of three, Amira burst through the door with the rest of them on her heels.

Cynthia was standing at the edge of the floor, staring out the absent window down at the city. She was dressed in bulky warm clothing rather than her uniform. The machine was here, though, covered in exposed wires and gears.

Everyone fanned out into a semicircle and started approaching. Cynthia turned away from the edge and started walking toward the machine. She didn’t seem to be in any hurry.

“Don’t take another step!” Amira warned, brandishing her thorn whip.

Cynthia stopped, then replied, “It took you long enough to get here.”

“Surrender or we’ll have to take you in by force,” Amira said.

“To fairy jail?” Cynthia asked, and the hair stood up on Emery’s neck. “It won’t matter, though.”

Stepping forward, Amira assured her, “You won’t have the opportunity to do this again.”

“Won’t need to,” Cynthia replied, taking a few steps closer to the machine. “I released Night Terror as soon as I realized I’d been spotted.”

Emery’s eyes widened just as something grabbed onto her from behind. She let loose an orange burst in her panic, but it went wild as she was yanked off of her feet. She hit the ground and oriented herself just in time to see Cynthia emerging from shadows in her magical girl uniform.

The machine was on and buzzing, sparking intermittently. Cynthia leapt up, hovering in the air above it. Shadowy flames crawled up from the machine and climbed her legs. Emery pointed her staff, but just barely had time to roll out of the way of a shadow lance.

It was utter chaos. Liv and Keaton were back to back, throwing hit after hit at the shadows that surrounded them. Coraline had her shield to protect her from a barrage of shadow pellets, but they were pushing her toward the missing outer wall. Amira was struggling to aim as shadow tendrils weaved their way around steel girders. Before Emery’s eyes, Jada was thrown right into one with a sickening thud.

She really should just give up. If they surrendered, at least they’d live. How did you fight an unbeatable enemy? Only by making them your friend. Surely, Night Terror would appreciate their loyalty if they—

No…

No, it was in her head again!

Not exactly. It was soaking into their very reality, to be more accurate. Like a stain? No, not quite. Closer to an acid. There was no need to preserve what came before, after all. Everything was improved by being absorbed.

The shadows didn’t stop. Emery released a yellow slash at a thick tendril, but it didn’t completely sever as she’d hoped. She was breathing heavier, too. These shadows were made of sterner stuff. If she were on everyone else’s level, Emery would be having an easier time. If only she’d struck a deal with Night Terror like Cynthia ha—

She couldn’t even tell which thoughts were Night Terror’s until she was halfway through them! Her simple human brain simply couldn’t parse the difference. Wait, was that an insult or self-deprecation?

Another shadow got through, this one a blade that nicked Emery’s shoulder. It was slowed by her aura of light, but that bubble was dimming quickly. Emery was only doing marginally better than the others, and there was nothing she could do to help them. Except maybe give up. She shook her head to clear the bad thought.

Shadows were coalescing in front of the machine. Some kind of form was pulling itself from the mire. It looked human, but skeletal and with much longer limbs. The shape was covered in large holes, which sent a shiver down Emery’s spine. What could have been skeletal wings or misshapen spider legs were forcing themselves out of the creature’s back.

Emery had seen Night Terror before. One form, at least. This was just another realization of its true nature: a focal point for it to exist in their world. Was that her rationalization or Night Terror’s explanation? It was a sign that they were going to fail. They were too weak to stop it. It would be hopeless to attack once it was fully integrated.

The others were too busy keeping each other safe. Emery was the only one who stood a chance to get close. No, she didn’t. Yes, she did. She was fooling herself. Shut up! Emery took a deep breath and forced herself to take a step forward, her foot sinking into the sticky shadow covering the ground.

Three tendrils lashed out at her. Emery raised a violet barrier, but even with her enhanced strength each blow cracked the shield. She needed to step back. This plan was going to fail.

“Shut up!” she cried, dropping the shield to fire an orange blast.

Shadows whirled around her like flames. Tendrils launched from either side. One was cut through by a longsword and the other bounced off of Keaton’s buckler shield.

“We’ve got you!” Keaton cried. She was going to get them killed. “You have a plan?”

“I think so!”

Night Terror’s focal point was facing them. Behind it, Jada was creating a sonic shield with her saxophone while Coraline readied her razor whip. The focal point turned, but the razor lashed through it and all the raging shadows seemed to hiccup.

“Emery!” Amira cried, cutting a swath through the flames with her buttercup sword. “You’re the only one who can get close. You have to pull Cynthia away!”

Emery nodded. Amira was wrong. This was going to fail. Emery was the only one with strong enough light powers to get to Cynthia. It would solve nothing. Coraline’s razor sword broke through the barrier around the focal point and pierced the creature, causing the shadows to writhe. Emery pushed forward.

“Cynthia!” she cried. Cynthia, who was grimacing and twitching, opened her eyes a little. “You have to stop helping it!” What did Emery hope to accomplish? “It’s clearly hurting you!”

“No!” Cynthia spat, a little bit of spittle dripping from her mouth. “It’s not fair! I should have been allowed to be a magical girl!”

“It’s not about fair!” Amira cried, struggling with shadow vines that had grabbed her arm. “Being a magical defender is about taking pride in who you are! What do you have to take pride in!?”

Cynthia retorted, “Being normal! We don’t all have to have something that makes us stand out as different!”

“Cynthia!” Emery cried, dodging a hail of shadow pellets. “I get it! I’m from a rich family, too. There’s a lot of pressure on us to prove that we deserve all the things that we have, that we’re better than the people who don’t. But pride comes from something else: surviving and even thriving in the face of adversity. It’s not about putting yourself above others!” She threw up a barrier as another tendril got past Keaton’s defenses. “Not being accepted by the guild probably felt like being told you weren’t as valuable a person as the rest of us! But that’s not true! Power and fame isn’t how you prove yourself as a person!”

Breathing heavily, Cynthia replied, “Night Terror is going to make everyone equal! It’ll wipe out all the things that divide us and get rid of this pointless competition once and for all! Nobody will be more deserving than anyone else!”

“There is no competition!” Amira cried. “The world is big enough for all of us to live equally as it is. Our differences aren’t stopping us!”

“I’ve seen what Night Terror wants to do!” Emery added. “It only wants to take away all the things that make people who they are. It’s not going to cure the selfishness that makes everything feel like a competition!”

That was more than enough. The shadows around Emery’s ankles hardened and dragged her away. She lost her balance and hit the floor hard. Emery slammed her staff into the ground hard enough to pierce it. Shadows struggled to pull her away, but Liv brought a sword down and severed the grasping tendrils.

Using her staff to pull herself to her feet, Emery cried, “I can’t imagine how much you’ve struggled with living in your family’s shadow! Being a magical girl would have meant the world for you. It would have been something that was entirely your accomplishment. But your life is going to be fine! You don’t need as much uplifting as the rest of us do!”

Emery was lying, of course. She was just saying whatever she thought would end the situation in her favor. That wasn’t true. Except it was. Obviously, it was. Cynthia would see right through it.

“Cynthia! Please!” Emery begged.

Cynthia looked so torn. But Emery’s words wouldn’t have any effect. Her world was about to end and Emery was a failure. Soon all life would be cast in perpetual night and there would be no more facesfacesfacesfaces—

Emery shook her head. Cynthia was breathing heavily. She was in physical agony. It was worth it, though. A little bit of pain would save the world.

Cynthia whined, “I don’t know what to do!”

Emery took another few steps forward before shadow spikes emerged from the ground in front of her. She reached out her hand and said, “Let me pull you out!”

After a moment, Cynthia nodded and slowly pulled her hand from the flames, reaching out to Emery. The spikes around Emery started to waver and she stepped forward. Emery pushed through them as if they were water.

No! No, this was wrongwrongwrongwrongwrong! Emery was going to fail. She had to fail she had to fail she had to fail— Cynthia was beyond saving. She would die if she was pulled from the machine. Emery would die if she tried to save her. Everyone was going to die. Everyone was going to die. Everyone was going to die.

Emery was close enough now. She could feel the heat from the flames. Her outfit was starting to smolder. Still, she reached out and clasped Cynthia’s hand. The flames licked around her arm, melting the skin.

She pulled. Emery pulled as hard as she could. Cynthia screamed as she started to come loose. She grabbed Emery’s arm with her other hand as well. It was like pulling someone from quicksand. Emery’s arm was melting.

There was no sickening plop when Cynthia came free. She fell on top of Emery, who screamed as Cynthia landed on her arm. With a heave, Emery threw Cynthia off of her and climbed back to her feet. With both hands, the scent of burning flesh filling her mind, Emery slammed the end of her staff into the machine.

Sparks flew as it began to smoke. Emery pushed the staff in further. She was grabbed from behind and pulled back. Not fast enough. The explosion blinded Emery and knocked her back. She landed on top of her savior, struggling to breathe.