Chapter 174: The Mountain Climb

"Two hours to climb Mount Blanc. Impossible." Cole looked at the peak. Snow. Ice. Deadly.

"Then we make it possible. We always do." I refused to accept limits.

"We can't teleport. Can't fly. Can't use shortcuts. We have to climb. In the dark. In winter. In two hours." Sarah was realistic. Honest.

"Then we climb fast. We push hard. We don't stop." Maya was already putting on gear. Ready.

Luna pulled out phones. Called her pack.

"I need helicopters. Two of them. Best pilots. Meet us at the base of Mount Blanc. Now." Luna gave orders. Alpha voice. Commanding.

"Helicopters can't reach the top. Too high. Too cold. Too dangerous." Cole pointed out.

"They get us halfway. We climb the rest. Saves an hour." Luna was smart. Strategic.

Thirty minutes later helicopters arrived. We loaded in. All of us.

The flight was rough. Wind. Snow. Darkness. But the pilots were good. Experienced. Brave.

They got us to fifteen thousand feet. Halfway up. As high as they could go.

"This is it. Good luck. We'll wait here." The pilot shouted over the noise.

We jumped out. Into snow. Into cold. Into danger.

Started climbing immediately. No time to rest. No time to prepare. Just climb.

The mountain was brutal. Steep. Icy. Deadly.

"Stay together. Watch your steps. One mistake and you fall." I led. Careful. Focused.

Sarah slipped. Almost fell. Cole caught her. Saved her.

"Thanks." Sarah gasped. Scared.

"Always." Cole held her steady.

We climbed for an hour. Exhausted. Freezing. Suffering.

But determined. Driven. Unstoppable.

Finally reached the summit. Top of Mount Blanc. Highest point.

Rebecca stood there. Allison beside her. And Aria. Tied up. Gagged. On her knees.

"You made it. Impressive. Most wouldn't have tried." Rebecca smiled. Cold. Evil.

"Let Aria go. This is between us." I stepped forward. Protective.

"No. This is about power. About my daughter. About making her what she should have been born as." Rebecca put her hand on Allison's shoulder. "She was born human. Normal. Weak. I fixed that. I gave her power. Fifty powers. Soon to be fifty three."

"Fifty three? There's only four of us." Luna counted. Me. Sarah. Maya. Luna. Four Lunas.

"Three Luna powers. And Aria's Guardian power. That's four more. Fifty four total actually." Rebecca corrected. "Then Allison will be complete. Perfect. Unstoppable."

"You're insane. Stealing powers. Killing people. All for your daughter?" Sarah was disgusted.

"All for love. A mother's love. The strongest force in the universe." Rebecca looked at Allison. "She deserves power. Deserves strength. Deserves everything."

"I never asked for this." Allison spoke. Quiet. Sad. "I was happy being human. Happy being normal. You did this. Not me."

"Quiet. I know what's best for you. I'm your mother." Rebecca snapped. Controlling.

"You're not a mother. You're a monster." Allison looked at us. "Please. Stop her. I don't want these powers. Don't want this life. Don't want any of it."

"Don't listen to her. She's confused. She'll understand later. When she's the most powerful being alive." Rebecca raised her hands. Magic building. Stolen magic. Combined magic. "Now. Time to take Luna Triad's power. Time to complete my daughter. Time to finish this."

Rebecca attacked. Fast. Powerful. Overwhelming.

We dodged. Barely. Her magic was strong. Really strong.

"She has fifty powers. We can't beat that." Sarah was right. Outnumbered. Outpowered.

"Then we don't fight her. We fight together. Luna Triad combined." I grabbed Sarah and Maya's hands. "Like against the Dominion. Like always."

Through the bond we connected. Deep. Complete. Total.

Our powers started merging. Combining. Becoming one.

"No! You can't! That almost killed you last time!" Luna shouted. Worried.

"We don't have choice. It's the only way." I felt the power building. Growing.

Rebecca saw what we were doing. Panicked.

"Stop them! Allison stop them!" Rebecca commanded.

"No. I won't help you anymore. I'm done." Allison stepped back. Refusing.

"Traitor! Ungrateful child!" Rebecca turned on her daughter. Raised her hand. Ready to strike.

Allison didn't move. Didn't defend. Just accepted it.

The attack came. Powerful. Deadly. Aimed at Allison.

Aria broke free. Somehow. Some way. Jumped in front of Allison. Took the hit.

The blast struck Aria. Threw her back. Hurt her. Bad.

"Aria!" I screamed.

Aria collapsed. Bleeding. Dying. But smiling.

"Saved the child. Like I couldn't save mine. Worth it." Aria whispered. Then passed out.

Rebecca looked shocked. Horrified. She'd just hurt an innocent. Just attacked wrongly.

"What have I done? What have I become?" Rebecca stared at her hands. Realizing. Understanding.

Allison ran to Aria. Checked her. "She's alive. Barely. Needs help. Now."

"We have to finish combining. Have to stop Rebecca. Have to end this." Sarah pulled me back. Focused.

"No. Wait. Look." Maya pointed.

Rebecca was crying. Breaking. Collapsing mentally.

"I just wanted to help my daughter. Give her what she deserved. But I became the monster. I became the villain. I became everything I hate." Rebecca fell to her knees. Broken.

"Give the powers back. Return what you stole. Fix what you broke." I approached slowly. Carefully.

"I can't. The ritual is permanent. One way only. The powers are Allison's now. Forever." Rebecca looked up. Defeated. "Unless she dies. Then the powers disperse. Return to their owners. But that would kill my daughter."

"There has to be another way. Some way to reverse it." Luna searched her memory. Guardian knowledge. Ancient wisdom.

"There is. But it requires sacrifice. Someone must take all the powers into themselves. Hold them. Then release them back. But the strain would kill them. Instantly." Rebecca explained.

"Then I'll do it. I'll sacrifice myself. Fix my mother's mistake." Allison stood. Brave. Determined.

"No. You're sixteen. You're a child. You don't die for your mother's crimes." I refused.

"Then who? Who dies to fix this? Who sacrifices?" Allison asked. Desperate.

We all looked at each other. Four Lunas. All willing. All ready. All knowing someone had to.

But who? Who would sacrifice? Who would die?

The wind howled. The snow fell. The mountain waited.

And we had to decide. Fast. Before Aria died. Before it was too late. Before everything ended.