Sebastian sat up, gasping and in pain, but happy. He was alive, and he had his heart card back where it belonged.

He still had a gaping hole in his chest that he was fairly certain should have killed him, but he’d worry about that later.

The Scion lay several yards away, eyes open, staring at nothing.

Sebastian wondered what happened to him.

Behind him was Olivia, bleeding from a wound in her chest as well as numerous gashes from Eema’s blade, but still alive, trying to get up.

And beyond her, Eema, dripping water, pulling herself out of the canal.

She looked pissed.

But once more Sebastian had his own problems, as Bram was pushing himself up across the street, the façade of the building behind him damaged from where he’d collided with it.

Whatever the reactivation of Death Is Not the End had done to throw him back, it hadn’t been enough to stop him, and he was back in his beast form.

He locked large, monstrous eyes with Sebastian, snarled, then stalked toward him, stumbling as he came.

“Great,” Sebastian muttered, trying to get his own feet under him, trying to ignore the pain wracking his body. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck.

Just when he managed to unsteadily gain his feet, something hit his back. He looked down to see a black spike jutting out of his left side.

There was a scream of pain and the spike withdrew.

Sebastian turned around.

It had been Olivia who’d hit him with the spike and also who had screamed, as she was now trying to fend off Eema, who for some reason was using her fists rather than her sword.

They both looked as disoriented as Sebastian felt, but Eema moved as surely—if not as quickly—as ever.

Olivia’s arms were spikes, one covered in Sebastian’s blood, but she couldn’t land a hit on Eema.

A grunt reminded Sebastian she wasn’t the only enemy left standing. Bram had stumbled and fallen but was pushing himself back up.

Sebastian tried to move, but his back let out a sharp jolt of pain that sent him stumbling to his knees.

At least she missed my spine.

But maybe not his spleen. Or liver, or whatever it was shooting nausea-inducing pain through him.

He hobbled away, trying to think fast, trying not to puke, blood soaking his leg from the wound in his back.

He needed to die and get a fresh body, but that was turning out to be harder than expected.

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He checked his countdowns. Still several minutes on the map card, and about three on Blaze of Creation. All he had was Sovereign of Gelandar and Death Is Not the End.

If he could just make it inside the World Store he could sit down and think.

He changed course in that direction, starting to summon chains to try to yank himself toward the store, but a blow to the back of his head sent him sprawling before he could finish activating the ability.

Get up! he urged himself, and surprised himself when he managed to do just that.

Then he realized he wasn’t rising under his own power: A large hand wrapped around his head, lifted him into the air, and slammed him down onto his back.

He stared up at Bram, and honestly wasn’t sure if he was only imagining the world spinning around him.

Nope, he thought as the pain from Bram kicking his head finally registered.

Bram practically fell atop Sebastian, straddling him.

Sebastian kicked with his right leg—his left had stopped listening to him—aiming for the crotch.

It connected, but didn’t seem to do anything to the massive monster.

Two of Bram’s giant, clawed fingers pressed into the hole in Sebastian’s chest

“Just give it up!” Sebastian croaked, trying to pull the hand away, trying to force himself to die.

The bar was almost full now. He’d come back a lot stronger if he could just manage to shed this extremely damaged mortal coil.

He quickly realized Bram was too strong for him to fend off, so he activated Sovereign of Gelandar, trying to make chains out of Bram’s flesh, but couldn’t take control of it.

Barely able to focus on anything, he tried again, this time forming chains from the asphalt below him and sent them around Bram’s thick, muscular neck.

Not to strangle the beast boy, but to yank him away.

Bram, not expecting this, crashed to the side, his claws slipping out from Sebastian’s chest.

Sebastian rolled away, popped to his feet, and dashed toward the World Store.

Well, that was what his brain told his body to do. What actually happened was that he fell flat on his face, feeling his nose break and his heart bounce against the ground.

He rolled over onto his back, his heart still attached enough to not be left behind.

Die already! he pleaded with his body.

Bram had almost reached him again, but it was all Sebastian could do to stay conscious.

Then something flew overhead.

At first he thought it was Eema’s sword, but it was far too small for that.

Whatever it was had hit Bram, leaving a gaping hole in his stomach.

The monster looked down at it, then up at something beyond where Sebastian lay.

“This isn’t your territory!” he shouted in his deep, monstrous voice.

Then there was a giant crash and Sebastian’s body was thrown several inches into the air before landing hard, bouncing his head against the ground.

His poor, beleaguered heart constricted, unable to decide whether to escape through his throat or open chest, or simply give up altogether.

Unfortunately, it kept beating.

The crash that had lifted Sebastian into the air had been the result of a giant figure landing beside him, and who he now found himself staring up at.

Whether because of the setting sun or Sebastian’s fading consciousness, the man’s face seemed cloaked in shadow.

“He’s mine!” Bram shouted with such intensity and venom that it caused actual pain in Sebastian’s head.

Or maybe that was just the multiple concussions he’d suffered.

The man, still staring down at Sebastian—as far as Sebastian could tell—raised a hand at Bram.

There was a whistle followed by a thud and Bram let out a grunt, then fell to the ground.

Then the man moved his hand toward Sebastian.

“Vra gah bah,” Sebastian said. He meant to say he couldn’t get up even with help, but his mouth wouldn’t listen to him.

But it became clear that the man wasn’t offering him a hand up as something shot out from his open palm and went straight into Sebastian’s stomach.

The pain was so intense it made all that had come before seem mild in comparison.

And even though his heart wasn’t what had been hit, the stress was the proverbial straw, and his traumatized, exposed heart finally gave up the ghost.

And so it was with a sigh of relief and a nagging pang of worry at the message that suddenly appeared, that Sebastian Finch died again.