to my lap as tears streamed down my face.
"We're entering our final semester and I've never felt so lost. So defeated. So damn confused. The moment Kaito questioned my capabilities, I felt as if everything had gone backward. As we progressed through the year, Kaito and everyone else around me were going up on the hill of triumph, while I felt like I was going down in a spiraling spin. My dad's appearance is what really rocked everything, not because I was scared of him, but because I was afraid of what he'd be able to do with all those connections. The nightmares just made such fears worsen, and the moment when the pressure was on, my body simply couldn't handle it."
I looked at my friends as their bodies floated in their designated places, and sobs left me as I realized their ends. Each of them were tragic, painful, and preventable, if it wasn't for my lack of belief in myself.
"It didn't even flicker in my mind that I carried that ability I'd used when talking to Jax. I just wanted to protect what I cherish the most with what I've always been comfortable using. There was no need to go outside the box. Or to pull some other strings to make it work. I simply wanted to do what I knew would get me the results I needed, even if I lacked...and, well, this is the end result."
I tried to wipe my eyes as tears continued to flood from them, but it was no use. I was sobbing not because of my obvious failure, but because of the ultimate truth.
My friends are gone. The people I've grown up with, the woman I've fallen in love with, the man who's been willing to open his filled heart for more, and the destiny we all could have walked upon are all gone because of my error of judgment.
They’d graced me with this opportunity to survive, and I knew I wouldn't be a coward and try to end it early so I could avoid the pain in my heart.
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I simply expected it to be Star, but when I opened my eyes, I saw that it was Sebastian. He knelt down on one knee, his expression as serious as always, but there was slight tenderness to it.
A speck of understanding in the hollows of seriousness.
"The Universe throws curveballs at you, not to torture you, but to make you wiser," he whispered. "It takes strength to acknowledge your flaws, but more importantly, it takes a man with the skills of a demigod to reverse the harm that's been done."
My eyes widened at his comment and they grew further when he lifted his free hand to show the true markings all along the back of his hand.
"Those..." I trailed off as he slowly nodded before he rose up to his full height and offered his glowing hand to me. I hesitated in accepting it, the lingering hopelessness beginning to creep in, but I shook my head and took a deep breath.
I need to do this.
Placing my hand in his, I watched as it began to glow as well, while I was aided in standing up. I watched in shock as the purple glow began to burn with hints of black, and when I looked to Sebastian, he assessed my hand accordingly before he nodded.
"You have a choice, Connor. You can use your ability now and reverse the time you've lost to have another shot at saving your friends, or I can reverse time for you, but it will have consequences."
"Both sound as if they have consequences," I admitted quietly, and he actually smirked slightly while Silver looked at me with a quirky smile.
"You'd be a good spy," she hummed playfully.
"Mommy! We can kidnap him!"
"No, Star," Silver dryly stated. "He doesn't have the credits to be a spy."
"Boo," Star huffed, which actually made me smile as I returned my gaze to Sebastian.
"If I use my ability, will that disable me?" I inquired.
"Yes." He nodded. "If you use your ability at this moment to reverse all of this, you'll end up being useless in the fight you just endured and the same result may transpire," he warned. "However, if you allow me to do it, you and your team will have to owe something in return at the end of the semester."
It was a difficult decision, but it was obvious which one I had to choose to give us a