Emma screamed and launched herself at the Necro-Sovereign with everything she had left.

Her weak silver light barely made him blink.

He caught her tiny fist in his massive hand like she was a bug. "Still so angry, my dear daughter. You inherited that from me."

"You’re not my father!" Emma shouted, trying to pull free. "Kael is my father!"

"Kael raised you. I created you." The Necro-Sovereign’s voice was almost gentle. "There is a difference."

Kael stepped forward, his face full of pain. "Emma, it doesn’t matter whose blood you have. What matters is who chose to love you."

"How touching," the Necro-Sovereign said mockingly. "But love won’t save your world now. Watch."

He gestured with his free hand. Across the broken sky, entire planets began turning gray and lifeless. Billions of people were dying every second.

"Stop it!" Emma begged. "Please!"

"I cannot stop what I am," the Necro-Sovereign replied. "Death is my nature. Just as it is yours."

Emma felt tears streaming down her face. Her weak powers couldn’t save anyone. Her memories of love had made her too human to control death properly.

"There has to be another way," she whispered.

"There is no other way," Void Emma said, appearing beside them. "Raw power is all that matters. Give me your love, and I’ll give you strength."

"No," Kael said firmly. "Emma, don’t listen to her."

But Emma was starting to think maybe she should. What good was love if it couldn’t save anyone?

Then Marcus came tumbling through the crack between worlds, landing hard on the memory-snow.

"I’ve been looking everywhere for you," he gasped, getting to his feet. "I know how to beat him."

"How?" Emma asked desperately.

"Not here," Marcus said, glancing nervously at the Necro-Sovereign. "Too dangerous. We need to talk somewhere private."

The Necro-Sovereign laughed. "Run and hide, little insects. It will not change anything."

Marcus grabbed Emma and Kael’s hands. "Hold tight."

Time twisted around them like a tornado. When it stopped, they were standing in Emma’s old treehouse - the one Kael had built for her eighth birthday.

"He can’t hear us here," Marcus explained quickly. "This memory is too happy for him to enter."

Emma sat on her old wooden chair, feeling hopeless. "It doesn’t matter where we hide. I’m too weak to fight him."

"That’s exactly why we can win," Marcus said excitedly.

"What do you mean?"

Marcus pulled out an ancient-looking book. "I’ve been studying the laws that control life and death. The Necro-Sovereign has one weakness."

"What weakness?" Kael asked.

"He can only exist when there’s an imbalance. Too much death, or too much life. But if death and life were perfectly equal..."

"He would disappear," Emma finished, understanding starting to dawn.

"Exactly. But creating perfect balance is almost impossible. It would require someone to die permanently while simultaneously bringing everyone back to life."

Emma’s heart sank. "That’s impossible. If I die, I can’t use my powers to resurrect people."

"Not impossible," Marcus said sadly. "Just... very difficult."

He opened the book to a page covered in strange symbols. "There’s a way. But it requires the ultimate sacrifice."

"What kind of sacrifice?" Kael asked, though his voice suggested he already knew.

"Emma would have to split herself in two. Forever. One part would stay dead to balance the scales. The other part would use all her remaining power to bring everyone back to life."

Emma stared at the symbols, trying to understand. "So I’d be half-dead and half-alive?"

"No," Marcus said gently. "You’d be completely dead and completely alive at the same time. It would tear your soul apart."

"But everyone else would live?"

"Everyone. Every person who ever died would come back. Perfect balance."

Emma looked at Kael, her heart breaking. "I’d never see you again, would I?"

Kael’s eyes filled with tears. "There might be a way around that."

"How?"

"If I died at the exact same moment you split yourself, maybe my soul could help hold yours together."

"NO!" Emma shouted. "I won’t let you die for me!"

"And I won’t let you face this alone," Kael replied stubbornly.

Marcus shook his head. "It wouldn’t work anyway. The balance requires Emma’s sacrifice specifically. Anyone else dying would tip the scales wrong."

Emma felt like the world was ending. Save everyone but lose herself forever. Or stay whole and watch everyone die. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"There has to be another option," she said desperately.

"Actually," said a new voice, "there is."

They all spun around. Future Emma stood in the treehouse doorway, but she looked different than before. Older. Sadder. More tired.

"I thought you disappeared," present Emma said.

"I did. But I found a way back. And I learned something important while I was gone."

"What?"

Future Emma sat down across from her younger self. "The sacrifice doesn’t have to be permanent."

Marcus frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean there’s a loophole in the cosmic law. If Emma splits her soul to create perfect balance, she can put it back together later. But only if someone she loves is waiting for her on the other side."

"The other side of what?" Emma asked.

"Death. Someone has to die before you and wait for you in the afterlife. Then when you split yourself, they can catch the part of you that dies and keep it safe until you’re strong enough to reunite."

Emma’s heart started beating faster. "So Kael could die first, and then when I sacrifice myself, he’d be there to help me?"

"Not Kael," Future Emma said sadly.

"Why not?"

"Because the person who waits has to be someone whose love for you is stronger than their desire to live. Kael loves you more than anything, but he also loves life. He’d fight death instead of accepting it."

Emma felt confused. "Then who?"

Future Emma pointed at Marcus.

Everyone stared in shock.

"Marcus?" Emma said. "But he barely knows me."

"That’s not true," Future Emma replied. "In my timeline, Marcus sacrificed himself to save you dozens of times. His love for you is different from Kael’s, but just as strong. He loves you like a guardian angel loves someone they’re meant to protect."

Marcus looked stunned. "I... I do care about Emma. More than I expected to."

"And unlike Kael, you don’t fear death," Future Emma continued. "You’ve walked through time so much that you understand it’s just another place to visit."

Marcus nodded slowly. "If dying would save Emma and everyone else, I’d do it gladly."

"Marcus, no," Kael protested. "There has to be another way."

"There isn’t," Future Emma said firmly. "I’ve seen every possible timeline. This is the only one where everyone lives."

Emma looked at Marcus with new eyes. He’d been helping her since the beginning, even when he didn’t have to. Even when it was dangerous.

"Would you really do that for me?" she asked.

Marcus smiled. "Kid, I’ve been waiting my whole life to do something that mattered. Saving you and everyone else? That’s the best purpose I could ask for."

Emma felt tears coming again, but these were different. Not tears of sadness, but tears of gratitude.

"When would you have to die?" she asked quietly.

"Soon," Future Emma said. "The Necro-Sovereign is getting stronger every minute. We have maybe an hour before he destroys everything."

Emma looked around at the people who loved her. Kael, who’d raised her. Marcus, who’d protect her. Future Emma, who’d guide her.

"Okay," she said finally. "Let’s do it."

But just as she stood up, the treehouse began shaking violently.

Void Emma’s laughter echoed from everywhere at once.

"Did you really think I couldn’t find you?" her evil voice called out.

The walls of the treehouse started melting like ice cream.

"I heard everything," Void Emma continued. "And I have a better idea."

She materialized in the center of their group, grinning wickedly.

"Instead of Marcus dying to save you, why don’t I kill Kael right now? Then you’ll have no choice but to give me all your love to save him."

Before anyone could react, Void Emma’s hand shot out toward Kael’s chest.

Emma screamed and threw herself between them.

But instead of hitting Emma, Void Emma’s attack passed right through her and struck someone else.

Marcus.

He gasped and looked down at the dark energy spreading through his chest.

"No!" Emma cried.

Marcus smiled weakly as he began to fade away. "It’s okay, kid. This just means we’re starting the plan early."

"Marcus, don’t leave me!"

"I’m not leaving," he whispered as his body became transparent. "I’m going ahead to wait for you."

And then he was gone.

Void Emma laughed triumphantly. "Perfect! Now the balance is already disturbed. You can’t save everyone now, Emma. You can only choose who dies first!"