"You want to what?!" Isla practically shrieked. The others had made their way back to the castle while Ares and Gwyneth were coming up with their plan. They were hostile towards Ares upon seeing him, but Gwyneth smoothed things over explaining what had really happened in the past.

"We want to recreate the world," Gwyneth doubled down. "Or at the very least, I'd like to reason with the Spirits."

"Sure. I'm down with it." Cetri nodded.

"How can you agree so quickly?!" Elric asked. "This is Ares we're talking about! The same evil we're supposed to destroy! How do you know he's not lying to you?" He took a protective step towards Gwyneth, and she could see the concern in his eyes.

"Because he's had every chance to kill me and he hasn't," Gwyneth answered, causing Ares to grimace. "More than that, he's shown me things that prove what he's saying is true. Things he wouldn't be able to replicate." She quickly added that last part as she saw Elric's mouth open. He closed his mouth, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

"But if he's not the evil we're supposed to defeat, who is?" Isla asked lost in thought.

"I... I don't know..." Gwyneth clenched and released her fists. This was something that had been bothering her as well. Ares' cryptic answer didn't do her any favors either.

"You're sure that Ballard guy is like... dead dead?" Cetri scratched under her chin.

"I killed him with my own two hands." Ares crossed his arms smugly, his voice full of confidence.

"What if he reincarnates like you did?" Isla asked.

"The only one powerful enough to use such an incantation on him would have to have been either one of the Spirits or one of us five. Obviously, none of them did."

"Then how do we fulfill the prophecy?! What if the evil mentioned is still Ares and we're doing the wrong thing by recreating the world?!" Isla shouted. This was the most panicked any of them had seen her in a while.

"You don't have to worry about the prophecy anymore..." The door cracked open. Gwyneth tensed when she saw Thea. She had yet to tell her about her rendezvous with Ares since she was sure Thea would be upset. "Don't give me that look." Thea frowned at Gwyneth who looked away. "I know you've been with Ares. You're not exactly keeping a low profile."

"I'm sorry..." Gwyneth mumbled. She wanted to give a full apology but now wasn't the time.

"Hang on, what were you saying about the prophecy?" Cetri asked, taking a few steps closer to Thea.

"I'm the one who wrote the prophecy."

"What?!" A series of shocked expressions could be seen, some looked almost hurt.

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"It was one of my ways to ensure Ares would be defeated when he reincarnated." Thea sighed. "Now, with you all in agreement, that doesn't seem to be necessary."

"So, the prophecy wasn't some predestined future from the divine... It was just your wish for the future!" Gwyneth approached Thea, half tempted to punch her where she stood. But she knew better than to take her anger out on someone else, even if they deserved it. She slumped in defeat. "Do you know what you put us through? What you put me through?" Gwyneth cried. "I've sacrificed so much... And for what? A conversation? Did you ever think about resolving this yourself?!"

"I couldn't!" Thea shouted back. "Do you think I wanted to kill my best friend?! That I didn't want desperately to give him a second chance?! He murdered thousands of people with no regrets! He had to be stopped! As his best friend... isn't it my duty to look out for him and stop him when he does something wrong?!"

"Thea..." Ares breathed. He had no idea she still cared about him.

”You didn’t think you had it in you to kill him…” Gwyneth mumbled looking away. She wondered if Ares had looked like Aston if she would have still fought him under the castle. If it came down to it, would she have killed him?

“I tried to talk to him, I really did…” Thea cried. “When he wouldn’t listen and I saw him kill so many people… What else was I supposed to do?” She paused. “Do you forgive him for what he did to your kingdom?”

“No. Not yet, at least.” Gwyneth slowly inhaled. “I understand why he did it, but that’s not the same as forgiveness. There’s so much I still have yet to do and to process…” She felt like collapsing from the emotional weight that she’d been carrying. She felt someone grab her shoulder — it was Elric.

“The sooner we get this done, the sooner you’ll be able to mull this all over, right?” He gave her a sympathetic smile.

She nodded in agreement.

“There’s one thing I want to confirm…” Isla clenched her fists and Gwyneth noticed her subtly shaking. “In the forest with the ghosts… Did I…”

“You subjected them to a life of serving as perpetual fuel for our world,” Ares answered flatly.

Isla’s eyes widened in shock and Gwyneth was certain she’d collapse where she stood. Before she could make her way over to her, Elric had already pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s okay,” he whispered into her ear loud enough for everyone else to hear. “You didn’t know.”

“All those lives whose happiness was stolen from them…” Isla began to cry. “The Fae king was right — I don’t deserve to live after what I’ve done.”

“Don’t say that.” Gwyneth forcefully turned her friend’s face towards her. “Once we free Earth and potentially recreate this world, we’ll save them. We can undo what Ballard has done. We can ensure a world where everyone’s fate after death is sealed. I’ll see to it myself.”

Thea sighed blissfully, shaking her head at the girl in front of her. “You are a far better candidate for light than I ever was.”

“This is sweet and all, but shouldn’t we get going?” Cetri tapped her foot impatiently.”

“Wait,” Ares stopped the group before they had a chance to process Cetri’s words. “There’s something I’ve been wondering since we agreed on this plan. There’s a protective barrier around Earth preventing anyone from entering, right? How are we supposed to free them?”

“I had thought about this as well,” Gwyneth said peacefully, as though this was the only thing keeping her grounded. “I don’t think Earth would have sealed themself away without a way out. Who was the one person they trusted most?”

Ares thought for a moment. That would be the other Spirits, wouldn’t it? “But they trusted their siblings all the same—”

“You, Ares. It’s you.” She grabbed her hands in his and watched the perplexion in his eyes. “You’re the only one they trusted with their plan, so I have reason to believe you would be the only one able to save them. It’s what you sought out to do in the first place, right?”

Ares sighed smiling at how much faith the princess had in him. “Even then, it was just wishful thinking. Hope that I could save my friend.”

“Then let’s use that hope not only to save Earth but the rest of Halcyone.”