“What is it, Felicia?” Giselle inquired when she saw Felicia staring into the darkness.

     “A guard’s coming.” Felicia replied. “He’s definitely seen us.”

     “Then let’s go!” Giselle pulled Felicia away from the guard, and towards the dungeon-palace that the others were still in.

     Corazon relaxed herself again. The best way to fend against anything that Racule was cooking up would be to trust her heart’s immediate reaction.

     “Why are they coming at us so fast?” Tyler asked when they saw the two figures that must have been Felicia and Giselle.

     “Maybe someone’s after them. Look!” Matt pointed a finger.

     Sure enough, they saw another, larger figure chasing after the girls.

     “Hurry up, Felicia!” Giselle yelped.

     “I’m trying!” Felicia huffed, but the guard was too much faster.

     He sprang upon Felicia and had her pulled back in an instant.

     “Go, Giselle!” Felicia yelled. “Go and tell Twilight!”

     Meanwhile, Tia, Dienna, Ray and Steven had made it to the throne room and were standing in a corner and watching Corazon and the Bandaa stare each other down.

     “You know you only have to admit defeat to lose.” Racule taunted. “It would be so much easier than trying to hold out as long as you have!”

     “I don’t care!” Corazon replied. “I’ll fight as long as I can to keep monsters like you from killing more people!”

     “Then why don’t you attack?” Heranna inquired.

     “Felicia,” Giselle gasped at the door to the dungeon-palace, where she met Twilight, Matt, and Tyler. “Was caught.”

     “I know.” Twilight assured Giselle.

     “We saw.” Tyler assured her.

     “Do you think you can run a little more?” Matt inquired.

     At this time, Felicia was being dragged across the darkened field by the guard. He took her to the side of the building and pulled down the branch of a nearby tree. A section of the wall opened…

     Corazon was just readying to let lose an attack when a section of the wall of the throne room opened, letting immense gusts of cold air into the large throne room. A guard dragged in Felicia. Corazon dropped the energy she had just spent several hard minutes gathering.

     It was at this moment that Twilight and his group entered the throne room and everyone was fully aware of everyone else’s presence. This was the final showdown.

     “Excellent job, Brigg.” Racule held out his hand and lifted Felicia high into the air. “You will be well-rewarded.”

     “Corazon!” Felicia called down. “Help! He’s squeezing me!”

     “Yes, child.” Heranna merrily muttered as she watched the girl struggle against nothing. “Call for help.”

     “Now, Corazon,” Racule stated. “You will admit defeat, or watch each of your valued friends die.”

     “Which do you choose?” Heranna demanded.

     “Neither!” Corazon yelled. “I choose neither!” Suddenly, she had all of the energy that she had gathered plus more. No one, but no one hurt her friends and got away with it.

     With a mighty yell, Corazon sent a beam of energy to char Racule’s hand. In his surprise, he dropped Felicia, who landed on Corazon.

     “Go to the others.” Corazon ordered. “In the corner.”

     Felicia obeyed and went.

     Then Racule shot a beam of energy at Corazon. She caught it with another beam. Then Heranna joined her husband and then the guard called Brigg joined those two.

     “Help!” Corazon exclaimed. “I can’t do this without you!” She was talking to her friends in the corner. “Don’t think! Just relax and let your hearts react!” Then Corazon waited for a moment while the others relaxed their minds and opened their hearts. “Good! Now, think of beating the Bandaa!”

     “You fool!” Heranna yelled at Corazon.

     “They don’t have your power!” Racule added. “If they try it, they’ll die!”

     “Then they can channel it through me!” Corazon yelled. “Come on! Relax and let me use what parts of your power that I can.”

     Then she turned her mind to each of her friends. All of Twilight’s group came willingly, but Corazon had to whisper calm, reassuring words to her dearest friends and Ray.

     ‘Just relax.’ She told Dienna with her mind. ‘It will come naturally.’

     ‘But if it would kill us to use this power,’ Dienna though back. ‘How will you survive?’

     ‘I have the willpower and understanding to do so.’ Corazon replied. ‘Now relax, I promise that everything will be fine.’

     Dienna’s power was the biggest Corazon got out of all of them. Perhaps it was because of their recent bonding, she thought as she moved on to coax Felicia.

     ‘It’s okay.’ Corazon thought. ‘Don’t worry.’

     After a short while, Corazon had managed to gather and control all of the energy she had gotten from her friends. Then she channeled it into her energy-beam at the Bandaa.

     With one, last mighty yell and one, last mighty blow, she shoved everything she had at them, while remembering everything that she was fighting for: The people who had been captives, her friends, the entire human race. Corazon would not let anymore lives be lost…