Chapter Forty-Four: Cost of Victory

Holly winced as her eyes met Krim's. Flashes of what the man had done to her, what he'd subjected her to ricocheted through her brain. "Why are we fighting?" she demanded of Sloth. "We could do this battle all day. This isn't solving anything."

"You're the one seeking to eradicate me and my family," Sloth replied in a hiss. "Why should I ever stop fighting you? You think you're the good guy because you've been told that over and over? What makes it true?"

"Enough," Eros interrupted as he strode toward the other side. Holly watched him go but an ache blossomed in her chest and she reached out to him.

"Shouldn't you be keeping your attention on the fight?" Demanded Krim. "You wouldn't want to lose another reaper, would you?" he questioned as he summoned his own scythe and gestured at Quix. "That one would hurt a lot more than Ruby. You forgot about her so fast."

"I didn't forget!" Holly almost howled the words. "You're wrong!"

Krim threw his head back and laughed. His eyes nothing more than black pits mocking her. "You'd only be that defensive if I was telling the truth. Just admit it. You never cared for Ruby. All she wanted was a friend and what did you offer?"

"Krim," Growling Quix stepped out with his scythe at the ready. "It's time we finish this."

Jumping at each other the two fought with their scythes flashing as they hit each other emitting sparks. Ruby. Could she get her back? Holly focused as hard as she could. She tried to remember everything she could about the reaper but her mind swam instead. Both the reaper and the Fate were blocked from her mind.

"Holly, I've got this, just kill the Sin," Angel ordered. His black and golden magic kept lighting up the area as he hurled energy balls at our enemies. "Until one dies none of this will end."

Kill the Sin? Sure, that's what Holly was supposed to do. But was it something she could really do? Her magic wasn't a deadly one to begin with.

War approached with his sword drawn but Famine strode forward to meet him calling his own weapon in hand. Their blades clashed causing sparks to fly out.

Holly had to end this somehow, but all she could think about was how she could never kill someone! Even if they did deserve it. How could she ever bring herself to do it? Flashing an apologetic smile at Eros she closed her eyes as she prepared herself to just give up.

"Fine," Eros growled as he spun away from Sloth. His sister reached out to him but the black-haired angel shook her off as he returned to Holly's side and took her hands in his. "Take my life, Holly."

What? No way!

"Never," Holly hissed.

"You don't have a choice here. I don't want you hurt by losing any more people." Eros brought her hands to his lips as he kissed her knuckles. "I love you, and I'll always love you. I don't know what will happen if I'm the Sin that is killed, but I won't let you suffer."

Her hands burned. Holly tried to pull them out of his grip but the angel refused to give her lease. She struggled more but Eros pulled his wings around them so they were in their own little world. "Eros," she whispered as she swallowed. "Please, don't do this."

"Be happy," he responded. "Hearing that you would have let me be with you, it meant the world to me. And I want you to have a real-life, Holly."

"You think we're going to just let you do that?" demanded Death. He gestured to Krim and the reaper howled as the pink energy surrounded him. All across the battlefield, the ground was disturbed as skeleton after skeleton dragged themselves from their graves.

Holly pushed against Eros again. There was no way he could do this why all of this was going on. "Eros, you can't!"

"I have to," he replied as he kissed her forehead. "Once my power is gone, all of this will be over. You'll have the power to stop all of them."

Holly wanted to scream but a hand rested on her back and she glanced back to see Angel there. Never before had she been so relieved to see him. The man took his glowing fist and slammed it into Eros's chest until he let go of Holly and pushed him away.

Okay, maybe she wasn't that relieved to see him. "Angel!" she screeched.

"He needed to let go," Angel replied. "You wanted him to live, right?"

She did, but that didn't mean she meant it like this. "Angel, enough."

"If you touch him again, I'll tear your soul out of here," Sloth whispered her eyes narrowed on the group.

"I'm the one making the sacrifice, sis. Stay out of my way." Eros demanded as he shoved her hands away.

Death chuckled again as he watched us. "I think it's time this game was won." He pointed to Quix who was still parrying blows from Krim. The two reapers moved in a blur, Holly was barely able to keep her eyes on them.

No! She ran at Death without thinking until Dagon snagged her from behind and pulled her against his chest. "Let go!" she howled as she kicked.

Death's power exploded from him and arced toward Quix. The reaper didn't so much as flinch as the blow hit him. But his eyes widened as he got a taste of his past self.

"I don't think so," Angel grunted and another golden ball slammed into the prince of Death. "You're going to stay away from him. Do you know how hard it is to find capable protectors for her that aren't just trash?" he scoffed. "No way I'm letting you take him out."

Death stopped his attack and smiled. "You know I've taken out far worse than you. My own Father was taken down by my hand. Do you really think you'll fare better? You're just a mere demon."

"I do not think you want to mess with him," Tydeus informed the other. "I'm the only one that gets to punish Angel."

Quix fell to his knees and Krim's scythe slammed down biting into the shoulder of the man. He screamed in pain and Holly' hit her limit. With a wild cry, she pushed past everyone and tossed herself at Sloth grabbing the woman and focusing every bit of her power she could. It surged through her like an untamed ocean but still, Holly focused all of it into the Sin.

Now Sloth screamed as her body was ripped apart by the ravages of time. She struggled to break free and her allies turned their attacks to Holly but each was parried by Holly's own side. Sloth couldn't escape.

"Brother!" Sloth yelped as she reached for Eros and to escape the attack.

"You're the one that caused all this," Eros responded as he put his hands on Holly's shoulders. "And it's time that she's free again. If it means your death? So be it. I've told you before, I'll always choose her first."

The skeletons surrounded Quix without hesitation but Holly couldn't let Sloth go or all of this was for nothing. She couldn't allow that to happen.

Sloth thrashed again. Part of her leg was just gone and her fingers from one hand were absent as well. "Stop," she demanded. "If you want your happy ever after here, if you want to be with Quix and my brother then you have to stop!"

Holly hesitated, the power burning against her palm as it threatened to recoil. Could she even stop at this point? "What do you mean?" she demanded instead.

"I told you, this isn't the real world, it's mine. And if you kill me, then you're going to lose everything. "

"Do it," Eros demanded his eyes half-closed. "No matter what happens I'll find you again." He glanced over his shoulder at the reaper that was on the ground, unmoving as the skeletons were battled away by Tydeus. "I'll find him for you."

Tears stung her eyes. Quix wasn't moving. Her heart broke and her hand tightened on Sloth's wrist. "So be it," she whispered as she let her powers rage out of control.

Sloth continued to scream until her very self was unwound like one big ball of thread and then she was gone. And true to her words, as Holly watched, one by one the people around her dissolved as well. The world itself shaking as the skeletons dissolved into nothing but mist. War lost his battle with Famine and the two of them vanished as well.

And then it was over. Everyone was gone and Holly was by herself. As she looked around the battlefield there were no traces of the war that had just raged. Her power swirled around her and as she watched the same power that had taken everyone else away, took her away as she and the rest of the world vanished for good.