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The skin that had been touched by the falling fragment was crystalizing, slowly spreading beyond to the skin that hadn't been touched. It was an odd feeling, a stiffness in her body, but there was still no time to contemplate because there were crystals at her feet, around her, everywhere. They were growing upwards, trapping her in a cage of fragments - trapped, that was, if they hadn't been growing upwards from her feet, slowly turning her into just another crystal. She couldn't even move.

And there was just white. So much white around her. She glanced around desperately looking for a way out, for someone to help her, and for a moment out of the corner of her eye the white around her seemed different. Was that.. was that the sounds of battle? There seemed to be a figure there, in the white and--

So much anger. It was everywhere, cloying, and Leo felt herself start to get angry too; why had she been stupid enough to follow Medea here? Why had she let herself get separated from Mei when she knew their best chance was staying together? The thought of her friend at the mercy of the hunters because Leo had been too stupid to help her burned.

But the feeling faded soon enough. All that was left now was the cold, hard certainty that this was the end. The crystals were winding up her arms now, the upper part of her chest and her face was still free, but that was it. This was it. This was all her cowardice amounted to in the end - dying alone, surrounded by the white of the crystals everywhere she looked. She was beginning to hate the colour, she thought with a weak laugh. What a way to go. Maybe she'd be feeling better about this if she'd actually helped in the battle, helped rescue the captured students like she'd promised, but that was too late now. There wasn't much she could do when most of her body was covered in crystals that were ever snaking higher to reach the rest of her.

So this was it. She felt remarkably clearheaded, considering the situation. It wasn't how she'd imagined she'd eventually go, that was for sure, but she supposed most people didn't get to choose how they went, so that was probably normal. But still, she wished she had her friends around her - Alex, Mei, Amrita (but how could she ever face Amrita after chickening out so badly as she'd done here?), jack, she'd even settle for an amicable stranger. Just... someone. She wished there was someone here so she didn't have to feel so alone, trapped here in the blinding white of the crystals.

But that was selfish too, she knew. It'd be better if her friends made it out, if they managed to escape the crystals somehow. Providing of course they'd even survived the hunters, but surely, surely they hadn't fallen to the enemy. When they'd been meeting up with the horsemen at the portal, she'd never even contemplated that some of them might not come home. Now, with the fragments spreading quickly, she realised that they'd be lucky if anyone made it home. Anyone at all.

She certainly wouldn't. The crystals were at her throat now. She wondered what it'd feel like, being a crystal. Would it even feel like anything at all? She hoped not. She hoped for numbness, for the loss of her mind - anything other than being stuck here in the white forever.

There were so many things she should've done differently. She wished now that she'd spent less time studying and more time making friends, or learning how to defend herself. The one spar with Yin obviously hadn't been enough, and the way she'd panicked when presented with the real thing showed her exactly how weak she was. She could have done more, if only she hadn't put a stopper on herself. Sure studying was important, but she was doing alright in her classes now, so why couldn't she have done some other things too? She treasured the friends she had - so why hadn't she spent more time with them? She should've asked Mei to give her another lesson on gymnastics or asked Alex if he'd like to just hang out at the maul or something. She should have done more.

But time was running out and the crystals were at her nose. So this was really, really it. She'd have taken a deep breath, but that was obviously not an option anymore; instead, she closed her eyes and waited for the end.

She didn't wait long.

As he panicked, brushing his arms and trying to keep away from the encroaching fragments, he began to grow tired. He wanted to sit down and rest...it would be alright to give up wouldn't it? He had fought as hard as he could...

He thought he heard something. A word...revenge? Was this what this whole thing was about?

There was a crackling noise above him, and Jason saw the crystal fragments was somehow hanging over his head, growing outwards and preventing him from moving. He stabbed at them with Zanthvos, but the shards just grew back.

Before long, he was unable to escape. Already it was growing around his body, freezing him to the spot. Though his own terry filled mind probably aided this.

He then took a deep breath, urging his mind to calm down and think clearly for a moment. If this...if this was it..he had to do something first before he...went...

He could see the others from the camp were close by, Taking a breath, he called out to them.

"Rep! Jerry! Sasha! Rin! I'm glad...I got to meet you all at the camp last night..." He then paused. "Jerry, you were a great partner."

So very pissed off on having to experience those dam famine vines again as she could still feel them moving around even tho they were gone. Everything was going on so fast in her rage fit that Tori only saw bits and pieces of what was happening.

Tori stopped to try and calm herself down when the ground started to shake as she watched a crystal shard grow near and what the hell shattering some crystals with her weapon. Only when Tori started to feel the start of some pain in her feet did she look down at them to see crystals growing at her feet, seconds later they shoot pain up her leg as she blacked out for a little still feeling the crystals growing that reminded her of those vines somewhat.

Was it cowardly to watch the fight over the barrier from the trees? Fai had contemplated that question once or twice as he leaned against a tree, letting his body rest. He thought, perhaps, that it was more logical than cowardly. This jungle and the enraged huntress that he’d encountered had drained his energy, and every move he had made led him into yet another trap. He was quite lucky to have found this spot, where he hadn’t been hurt more.

The view was quite nice from here, as well, the horseman thought, almost as lovely as the moon from Sal’s rock. He could see all of the attacks that landed on the hunters, watch with silent joy as each blow landed, each strand snapped. And then the hunter finally fell, he had felt such a rush. It had been beautiful, he thought, still lingering over the image in his mind. But one dead hunter was nothing compared to all the horsemen that had fallen because of them. Nothing compared to Cairo.

He was about to join as the new defense rose. He was even reaching for one of the fragments that floated in the air--when things changed. The fragments started attacking--not just the hunters, no, they were attacking all of them--even him. Before he knew it, with his low energy, he was encompassed--dead.

This wasn’t how he had planned on dying.

Cairo, he thought as the crystals crept over his body, sucking his life from him. His beloved Cairo. Had she thought of him in those last few moments? Had she reached out for the lover that wasn’t there, just as he was doing now? She had been so beautiful--was she finally at peace now? Had her FEAR returned to FEAR, just as the humans claimed dust returned to dust? Or was she even now part of the gloriously terrifying phoenix that had risen from the ashes?

Oh how he longed to see her face once more--

The memory of her face came before his eyes as they glazed over, beautiful and bedecked in gold. A smile pulled at her lips and he imagined he could feel her hand rise up, touching his cheek gently, caressing it as she always had during their private times, teasing him that he was never as fast as she--and never as tall, either, he thought with a hint of amusement.

Sal.

The name made him almost fight the death that was creeping over him. Sal, who had been with him after the deaths, Sal, who had brought to his life just a hint of what had once been. He did not want to die without speaking to his friend one more time--without--teasing him over his precious rock. Yes, Fai thought, just once more he wanted to shove the fact that he had been the last on the rock before their deaths--that Sal’s precious rock would still hold his glass of wine long after they were gone--or until that damned minipet came carousing and knocked it over. He really hated that squirrel thing.

As for the others... he would miss Kiwi. He did hope that all of his famine brethren got some satisfaction in their last moments of life. That was more than the others had gained.

It seemed a shame, though, Fai thought as the crystals started to creep over his Precious. He hadn’t even gotten those pants he’d promised to get. He would have enjoyed seeing more of Halloween. And taking it apart. Why, he hadn’t even gotten one of those... screw drivers that he’d been told of. Ahh, regrets. How they might haunt him.

Were he not dead, that was.

Riyo was prepared to lament the fact of how much her FEAR sucked before the chaos ensued.

... What was that?

The feline's head tilted upwards to the sight of the crystals, a dumbfounded and even dull look on her features as she tried to process the meaning. Nervously glancing to Shun and Mitsu, the ghoul's small portion of selflessness disappeared. Riyo had just thrown down the gauntlet of her own life in order to improve her living conditions. Things had been looking up for her.

Now this. Now the land they currently inhabited would be devoured by a beautiful chaos, taking them along with it.

For what? For a ghoul who could only look at her in confusion.

The slivers of crystal began to surround her, the feline trying so hard to stay on her guard. If she touched it, would the crystal envelope her? "Jack, this isn't right." Sure, she hadn't expected complete success from this whole situation, but this? This didn't even make sense.

But for a moment, Riyo saw more than just crystal. She saw something very familiar to her soul. The embodiment of rage. Anger. Her own began to well up inside her. "I never wanted friends." The ghoul mumbled, thinking back to the bitter image of the first time she stepped on Amityville soil. "I never needed companionship. Now look where I ******** am!"

As Sasha watched the ground rumble beneath her, as she watched the crystalline structures erupt through the surface of the earth at her feet, she was struck with a sudden exhaustion. Bone deep, soul deep, and so heavy that Sasha couldn't move away. A hunter to her left was instantly consumed; she thought she could see his face through the hard, stony surface of his crystalline coffin.

Revenge.

So much loss. So much destruction. Had they brought this onto themselves? It was entirely, uncomfortably possible. She only hoped they'd been fighting for the right reasons. Humanity was still out there, wasn't it? There were people who still loved and cared for one another? Who gave selflessly?

That had been worth fighting for, hadn't it?

There was nothing left to do now but admit defeat.