The Finale

"What's that sound?!" Katsu yelled, covering his ears. He turned his head to see flames erupting from the Dark Academia. His eyes widened as his group panicked. Yami was sweating furiously and choking on the deadly smoke, Sachiko was trying to assess what was happening and why, and Kirai was staring at the flames, destruction playing in his pale eyes.

Yami's eyes tore between the Light Academia and the Dark. She had a desire to help Ophelia…but her academy was her home. But most importantly, she had to find out who was causing this. She had to find out what that dark cloud was—and if it was connected to this whole situation. Her head hurt and the smoke wasn't helping much—it was only causing her to get nauseous and hazy. She could hear screams coming from everywhere around her. Students from both schools were trying to escape—meanwhile Yami and her friends stand here doing nothing. Yami wanted to help. She wanted to improve the world. For that, she decided to get past the smoke and help her school.

Even though she might be betraying her idea of helping her true mother, Ophelia—she had to help her friends. Even if they weren't always the kindest to her. One never betrays a friend. Or many of them, in this situation.

"Guys, we have no idea what is happening and why it is—believe me, this is a weird situation—but we have to save our people. I know saving Ophelia is important and all, but what's most important is the people we are closest to. Now, we have to go help out—and find out the main cause of this destruction," Yami spoke with confidence and hope.

"Yeah, agreed, both schools are important—but the thing is, I don't have a connection with Ophelia, really…it would be awkward…" Katsu mumbled, and Yami smiled. Sachiko and Kirai nodded as a reply to her speech and the squad set foot on the stone-paved path that connected the academias together.

"Wait, we couldn't even go to the Light Academia anyways! Isn't there a…force that prevents any students to enter each other's domains? I mean, there was no point anyways!" Sachiko pointed out as they ran towards the Dark. Yami was about to agree when she remembered something about this.

"When it's Exchange Groups, they have the force fields taken down by the headmistresses. It's just my guess, though. But I'm sure of it," Yami stated as they got closer and closer to their destined location. Sachiko nodded slowly as their paces slowed down as they breathed in heavily. "We need a way to breathe safely…here."

Yami knew that in order to help everyone that was in the half-destructed academia they had to be able to breathe through the smoke. She shuffled her pocket that she had with her and pulled out the fabric that would have been there to secure the dagger she had had, but her weapon had gotten lost and she had no use of the fabric except to make masks out of it. (It was rather large) She gave one to each of her friends, and they instantly knew what to do. They tied the fabric around their ears and nodded quickly as Yami secured her own as well.

"Good idea, this will definitely help. I think," Katsu mumbled once more, and the squad forged their way ahead. Yami inspected what had happened to the academia because of the wreckage. Half of the side of the school was standing upright (a whole lot of the school though, it was huge, as you'd imagine) and the other half was crumbled to the ground. Moans could be heard. Yami saw a lot of students limping and she wondered where Rosa was…well, never mind that, she had to help these people.

The squad headed towards a student who had deep purple-green ombre-colored hair and two horns that stuck out of the top of her head. She was kneeling on the ground, shaking tremendously from the effect of the explosion. She had several burn marks here and there and was brushing them off.

"Do you need any assistance?" Sachiko inquired, causing the girl to spin around, surprised. She had red eyes and freckles around her cheeks and nose and a terrified expression on her face.

"A-are you one of t-them?" The girl asked, quivering. The group exchanged curious looks at each other while shaking their heads tremendously.

"What do you mean, one of them? One of the students, you mean? Well, yeah, we are…" Katsu shrugged, holding his hand out to the girl, who reluctantly took it and stood up. Yami noticed her uniform was thrashed.

"T-that's not what I m-mean…" The girl shivered. "I mean t-those!" She pointed at a broken down…machine? It had tiny mechanical legs and a large eye in the front that looked something like a camera. Yami had never really seen robotics before—after all, it was barely used. Only Sureiya, the machinery goddess, could make them. Was she connected to this? How many more of these things were there? And most of all, why?

"Are there more of them?" Yami quipped, and the girl looked over at her with sweat running down her cheeks. It took a second to answer but the girl brought herself together and replied.

"I t-think so—I even saw a-androids that w-were life-size and realistic—I've only ever h-heard about them in s-stories—I n-never thought I w-would e-ever s-see one—" She stumbled on and Yami's eyes widened. She still had no idea what had caused the explosions, but now she understood a little bit more about what this whole situation was about.

"Alright. Would you card to join us? We're going to get everyone out of this…mess," Yami stated while looking around at the dust from the fallen walls and furniture. The girl almost stifled a laugh.

"We're too weak to help anybody at all-there's no way!" The girl laughed, and Yami heaved out a sigh, trying to prove that they weren't as weak as the girl thought. They had to help everyone.

"Well, never mind that, today we're going to find out what is happening and stop it," Yami confirmed, and the girl's eyes slwoly lowered to the ground.

"I mean…the academia is important to me. But I don't want—" Before the girl could finish, her eyes rolled up and didn't move. Yami's heartbeat quickened as she realized that a strange, glowing spear was straight into her stomach. The girl was presumably…dead.

"W-what?" Sachiko's face paled and she looked internally grossed out as trickles of blood fell down the glowing spear wound. Yami quickly pressed a hand against the heart of the girl, hoping that she was alive and could be treated. However, she knew deep inside that she had no hope when Yami felt no heartbeat at all. Finally, the body of the girl slumped onto the ground, dead as stone.

"What…how…who…" Yami's voice trailed off but as she was saying this, something brushed her shoulder. And then another…and then a few more. All glowing blue.

"Watch out!" Kirai yelled as what looked like a huge glowing spear similar to the one that slaughtered the girl nearly slashed Yami's shoulder. However, she moved just in time to only get a mild cut. She landed on the ground next to Kirai, but quickly picked herself up and looked straight ahead. A android, or more like a literal CYBORG, which was never seen before, was standing there. It seemed to be more of a feminine cyborg. It had many control panels plastered onto its arms and legs and fierce eyes that were gold and deluxe. It had a messy bun that was tinted with neon blue. It held more of those technologic spears that had killed the girl from before.

Yami didn't care about who this cyborg was. She wanted to defeat it and help the others. She managed to pull herself together and pull her concentration off of the dead body. Yami summoned all of her power (which was very hard to do, as you might know) and planned her attack. The cyborg girl tilted her head and cracked her knuckles together, and eased her hand to throw the spear. Without Yami preparing to even dodge, the cyborg threw it at her and nearly sliced Yami's ankle.

"Here, let me help!" Yami heard Sachiko's voice yell right beside her. She nodded in agreement and readied up her dark magic, maintaining it to make sure it didn't cause any damage. It probably would, though…

Sachiko clamped her palms together to create powerful wind. She charged at the cyborg and opened her palms once again. The wind burst out and the cyborg was pushed back. The robot was on the ground, parts of her programming and technology sparking and breaking down.

"Wow…that felt…oddly good!" Sachiko smiled slightly and went over to the cyborg and stepped on it, getting harsher by the minute. Soon the cyborg's system shut down and the human eyes that she had (she was half human, half robot as a cyborg is) rolled into her head. "Anyways—we've got to g—"

As Sachiko began speaking, the squad noticed cries from nearby. It seemed to be at least a few meters away, to the right. "Uh…let's be pretty careful and go help whoever needs help—and then find out what to do next. I think," Katsu stumbled, his eyes averted towards the sound of the cries for help.

The group nodded and trekked their way over all of the debris from the destruction and the broken glass. They could finally spot out a pale, limp body covered with massive chunks of the walls from the Dark Academia. They had blonde hair that was currently tangled and covered with ash. That was when Yami noticed that the body was Akuji's.

"Akuji!" She cried out, not caring what Akuji had said to her earlier. She didn't care that Akuji hated her now, or despised her greatly. She only cared about helping everyone through this, and that included Akuji, good experiences or bad. She had to help her friends, no matter what.

"What do you mean, Aku—" Just as Sachiko was about to finish her sentence, she gasped. She clutched her hand around her mouth and dropped down onto the ground, pain in her eyes. "It really is her! We need to get her out! Now! Quickly! Kirai, Katsu, come and help too, you're not just some lazy assistants!" She said through sniffles.

Kirai and Katsu obeyed and came over to one of the largest piece of the wall and used their dark abilities (which were much more controlled than Yami's) to slowly lift up the piece. Katsu used shadow arms to lift it up while Kirai made sure it didn't fall onto Akuji afterwards. They successfully got the large piece of wall off of their friend and managed to pull her put of a few other heavy things that had fallen onto her.

Yami crawled over to Akuji's limp body, not caring that her uniform was getting dirty. She placed a palm on Akuji's heart like she did to the other girl and miraculously felt a heartbeat. It was normal and not too fast and not too slow. "She's alright. She just has leg injuries…most likely severe ones. However, I'm just assuming that because of what fell on her," Yami eyed the large piece of wall that Kirai and Katsu had luckily taken off of poor Akuji.

"Akuji, wake up, you!" Katsu grabbed Akuji's shoulders and shook her hard. Sachiko glared at Katsu, smacked him, and scolded him.

"Katsu! Stop it! If anything you're doing is going to do anything at all, you'll make it even worse! Stop shaking her! Would you like to be shook while PILES AND PILES of debris and cement fell on YOU?! Well, I sure wouldn't! Now, stop it!" Sachiko yelled, and Katsu groaned and paused his shaking of Akuji.

"Fine, fine, fine. Wait—guys? Is Rosa alright? We haven't spoken about her in ages, it feels like!" Katsu pointed out. Yami's neck prickled at the thought and she seriously considered this. She had been worried about her mother, Ophelia, but hadn't thought about her very own headmistress, Rosa. Who tried to help her (even though it didn't work) when Mari's…death came upon them all. She was her headmistress, and much more. Her aunt. Her friend. Her professor as well.

"Where are all the other students?" Kirai asked, staring around at the rather deserted destructed school. There were no hints of any students at all. None in the very least. Not even on the standing side of the Dark Academia. "Not even Rosa is here…" Yami mumbled to herself, her heart skipping a beat when she heard screaming. Screaming coming from the Light Academia. Cries of despair. And a bright glowing light coming straight out of the massive hole that the explosion created in the opposing school.

"I think they're in there!" Sachiko gulped and exchanged looks with her squad mates. Sweat poured down Yami's face as she realized what they were about to do. They were going to save everyone from unknown forces. Could it be Tsubasa? Yami didn't know, but whatever it was, it surely wasn't good.

"We're going," Yami's voice trembled as she stepped forwards. Her lower lip was quivering but she managed to stay strong and stay in the lead. She turned her head around so she could see her three other friends. They looked affirmative and ready as well. Actually, the only one who seemed distracted was Katsu—who was running his hands through his spiky hair with an interested expression on his face. "Katsu? What is it?" Yami added, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry to break the dramatic stuff and everything…but we seriously need a team name!" He said while shrugging. Yami actually thought it was a good idea, but they had to get going because lives were on the line currently.

"Alright, we'll brainstorm on the way there. Kirai, carry Akuji, will you? Okay. We should get going now," Yami stated and Kirai nodded and picked up Akuji off the ground and struggled to hold her. After all, they were basically all the same height!

The team quickened up their steps as they trekked towards the Light Academia which was not too far away. Yami calmed her breath and tried not to remember that the steps they took brought them closer and closer to their sealed fate by the minute. The screams and silence switched on and off. As they neared the broken down school, there was a groan.

"Where…Yami? Sachiko, Katsu, Kirai? Why…why did you save me after what I did?" The voice was Akuji's. Yami stopped moving even though they did 't have any time to spare. She looked at Akuji, who's eyes were weary. Her blonde hair had straightened out now, and her face expression was peaceful but pained at the same time. She looked up at Yami, who came over and kneeled down.

"You're still my friend, of course. I am truly sorry," Yami said calmly, her eyes staring into Akuji's. Akuji breathed out and spoke.

"Alright. Though I might never forgive you for that, you are still my friend," Akuji stated. She then looked at Kirai, who still was holding her. "Please put me down! I can walk by myself! I do not need assistance!" She gave Kirai the stink eye, who put her down without making a single face expression.

Akuji wobbled as she walked towards Yami, her pace growing faster by the moments. "I could hear your discussion. I was half-unconscious—which sounds quite weird, but I want to help!" She said, pumping her fist into the air. Yami looked at Akuji up and down doubtfully. The girl had just nearly been crushed by walls but still had the desire to help them fight.

Sachiko spoke for her. "Girl, are you sure? You just nearly got, well—you know, injured seriously, you might want to take a slight break, you know? Maybe just chill outside while we save everyone…" She started to say, but then Akuji's expression turned livid.

"No! I am going to help you guys," She started to walk again but her left leg gave out. She fell to the ground, but popped right back up again. "No matter what!" She argued.

Even Katsu was having doubtful thoughts about this. "Akuji. I know you really want to help, but I don't want you to get hurt or injure yourself for this," Katsu blushed slightly and Sachiko raised a teasing eyebrow. Akuji stifled a giggle but then turned her expression stone cold in just a matter of seconds.

"No. I am part of Team Tsuki!" Akuji yelled out, and Yami tilted her head, as did the rest of the group. "Sorry…I should let you guys choose the team name. Not someone like me," Akuji sighed but the rest of the team smiled.

"That's actually a perfect name. Team Moon, or Team Tsuki. They mean the same thing, don't they?" Sachiko smiled and the whole group nodded.

"Alright, Team Moon. Let's get on with this!" Yami gave a confident grin as they all began running as fast as they could towards the destructed Light Academia. Their footsteps treaded over the broken porcelain and found an entryway with stairs. Deciding to go up them, the five students quickly and carefully got up and overlooked the whole that the explosion had created in the school. The echoes of screams could be heard in that hole. This was where everyone was being held—with an unknown force.

"Stars, that's rather…can I say, deep?" Sachiko mumbled to herself as the group was careful not to fall into this deadly pit. "We have to get down somehow without dying—I just don't know how!" She groaned and sat down, most likely assessing what to do right now for their Plan A.

"My mistress longs for you," A sweet, silky voice was heard from behind. Yami spun around to see another cyborg, yet with different features snd darker skin. She had bandages wrapped around her eye and pristine control panels all on her like the other one. Her hair was floofy and dark, and she had the most striking eyes; gold like the last one as well. Yami's heartbeat quickened as Team Moon tensed, not wanting to do anything brash; as they could fall into the pit if they did. And falling met death.

However, the cyborg did something unexpected. She ran to each of them and actually punched them, causing them to fly. Fly down into the empty pit. "Bye bye," The cyborg said in the sickeningly sweet voice. Yami's eyes teared up because of the pressure of falling down so fast and so far.

She knew this was the end, her hopes and dreams of saving her friends and classmates and teachers was diminished. She knew she was going to hit surface, feel pain, and that would be it.

Sachiko stared down at the surface of the pit, which she could not see at all. She thought about her life, how she had lived it. She knew that she would be somewhere safer than this world.

Akuji didn't think of anything much except that they would probably live. They'd be fine, but that was only what Akuji thought…

Katsu was nearly sobbing. He had always wanted to live a life, a good one. Crack jokes, play pranks, make friends and prank some more. However, he would never be able to…

Kirai thought of nothing as they all, in unison, hit a surface.

But not harshly.

They fell through something liquid. Water, perhaps? No…couldn't be. They would still be dead. Well, no matter that, they were alive. In this strange type of liquid, they could not breathe, and they were falling rather slowly down. Everyone was confused except for Akuji. She had been suspicious of this pit. If the cyborg had plainly said that her 'mistress' longed for them, then they would still live. It only made sense. However this 'mistress' was, though, no one knew…

All of the sudden, Team Moon could breathe again and they felt air as they fell softly onto what felt like steel ground. Yami's eyes opened up and she looked around. It was an empty room that felt cagey. There was a metal door that seemed like it led into a hallway…or someplace else. Was this an underground agency or something like that? Well, whatever it was, it was definitely triggering Sachiko's claustrophobic senses.

"Guys…we're alive," Katsu said hoarsely from screaming the whole way down childishly.

"I know." Akuji said breathlessly. She got up and tried not to stumble as her left leg gave out again. The others stood up to and walked over to the steel door, Sachiko volunteering to open it. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked and it seemed to lead into a pristine white hallway that went down at least two hundred feet.

"I wonder where it leads," Yami whispered to herself. She could hear cries of help echoing closer and closer; they were very close and near. "Alright. If we want to help out at all, let's get going. I know our friends and others are here," Yami stated and Team Moon started to pace towards the end of the hallway. When they did this, (which took a few minutes) they noticed that there were no sides to turn.

Akuji looked up, wondering if there was an entrance to where they were here. However, the ceiling above was just normal, flat and secured. She started worrying; what if there was no way to find everybody? Just as these thoughts started washing in, she felt herself drop.

"AAAAH!" Yami screamed as she unexpectedly fell. It seemed that the ground had opened up with the strange power of technology. "This—was—unexpected!!" She yelled as her other squad mates screamed with terror. Luckily, they didn't drop as far as they did before. (This time they dropped a safer amount of distance)

They had fallen into a room similar like the last, except HUMONGOUS and rather pristine and white. Hundreds and hundreds of cyborgs lined up in this place, half on the right, half on the left. Yami could spot huge rectangle-shaped glass thingies that had students in them. Each one of them held one student each…if Yami was correct, the academias together had at least 500 people. 500 people in those things—or less, since Team Moon and that girl from earlier weren't in one.

Another thing that caught her eye was a taller, curvier cyborg. Yami could only see the back, but she could see that she had long light blue hair that was placed in a low ponytail falling down to her knees. She had a shiny dress on that glowed in the prosthetic lights around the large room. It was colored white like everything else.

Team Moon tried to keep quiet as the tall cyborg moved around tapping her fingers on the glass. She whispered something like a strange curse, but her tone was soft and calm. "You'll soon be under my control, in an academy of the Glitched. I'll turn you all into my minions, like them," The cyborg lady cooed. "And you all…you demi-goddesses aren't nearly as powerful as I," Yami looked up to see who this cyborg woman was talking about.

She nearly gasped when she saw two figures with chains around their wrists, hanging from the tall ceiling. They both had pale skin from the exposure of being in a darker room for quite some time. The one on the right had black hair, and a torn, black dress covered in muck. The one on the left had shimmering white hair with pale eyes and a shimmering dress that was torn up as well with holes here and there, dirt covering almost all of it. When Yami inspected them some more, she realized that the one on the left was Ophelia, her mother, and the one on the right was Rosa, her headmistress. They were being held captive.

"No!" Yami couldn't help but to say this. As soon as she did, she covered her mouth with a quickened breath. She had just exposed her friends that they were there-right now. Sachiko glared at Yami while sweat was pouring down her angelic dark skin. Akuji looked like she was sick, Katsu was nearly bursting with screams, and Kirai just gave Yami a sharp glance.

"Well well well, looks like I forgot a few," The cyborg woman spoke softly, and suddenly swerved around, her glare settling on the five. Her light blue hair was hanging on two sides of her head, both nearly as long as the backside of her hair. Her eyes were angled differently and she had control panel lines under her mouth and on her forehead. She was quite intense. "Cyborg Yusi and Cyborg Mei, step forward." She said boldly.

Two female cyborgs from the crowd of them stepped into the gap between the sides. They walked over reluctantly to the five and each grabbed two by their wrists. One of the cyborgs managed to get Katsu with them as well, so they were actually carrying five.

The cyborgs placed each of them side by side in one of the glass things. They tapped on one of their metal arms which was probably full of tech. The glass doors to the rectangle things slid closed, and Yami knew that their mission to save everyone had failed. She didn't even want to fight against them. They seemed too powerful for her, even though she was powerful herself. She also was overwhelmed with grief. It was her fault their plan had failed. She had felt too much emotion and cried out without thinking. Yami looked to see her friends staring at the glass of their rectangle platforms, lost of hope.

"Our plan has worked out well. We have captured the demigoddesses, and made sure that the goddesses cannot stop us. For this, we will build the new academia. The Glitched Academia. Our time has come. Now, all of you, each of you will carry at least one of these students and teleport them out with your Tech Screens. Now, do it! We don't have much time. We must quickly rebuild the academias and form our new school.

"We will figure out everything once we get settled in. Now, take them! The era of Light and Dark is over!"

The cyborgs nodded at the same time and simultaneously took each and every of the students up. Yami sucked in a breath, scared for her life and unkowing of what would happen next. She knew she had failed to save everyone. She knew she had failed to change the stereotypes—she knew she had failed everything. But she knew one thing.

She possibly still had a chance.

As she was taken up a strange way to the surface, she could hear the evil cyborg woman stating,

"Make sure the Rosa and Ophelia girls never see light again."

A new hope spread.

She still had a chance.

Whatever happened, she would get through it. She would save everyone from this mess, and Rosa and Ophelia too. No matter what.