Heart of a Hunter

The Final Stand

Sam's POV:

The air around us felt electric, buzzing with the kind of tension that made my heart pound and my instincts scream. The Arcani were coming. No, they were already here, slipping out from the shadows like ghosts, their eyes glowing that unnatural gold. My grip tightened around the gun in my hand, but I knew, deep down, bullets wouldn't be enough. Not this time.

Blair stood in the center of the clearing, her eyes locked on the figures moving toward us. She looked calm, but I could feel the storm inside her—the power twisting and building, threatening to break free. I didn't know how much longer she could hold it in.

Dean moved to my right, his shotgun raised, his jaw set in that determined way he always got before a fight. But even he knew this wasn't like anything we'd faced before. The Arcani weren't demons or ghosts or monsters we could gank and walk away from. They were something older, something darker. And they wanted Blair.

The clearing felt too small, the shadows pressing in around us. I could hear the rustling of leaves, the low hum of something unnatural, and every muscle in my body screamed at me to move, to act, to do something. But all I could do was stand there, my eyes on Blair, my heart in my throat.

"Sam," she said softly, not turning to look at me. "You need to stay back."

"No way," I shot back, stepping closer to her, my hand brushing against hers. "I'm not leaving you."

She finally looked at me, her green eyes filled with a sadness that made my chest ache. "If this power gets out of control, I don't know what'll happen. I can't protect you from it. You can't protect me from it either."

I shook my head, refusing to accept that. "I'm not letting you face this alone."

Dean glanced between us, his jaw tight, the tension rolling off him in waves. "Whatever's coming, we handle it together. That's how we do things."

Blair swallowed hard, her eyes flicking to the Arcani as they stopped at the edge of the clearing, watching us with those cold, glowing eyes. There were too many of them to count, their forms shifting like shadows, barely human. They didn't move, but I could feel the weight of their presence pressing down on us like a vice.

And then, one of them stepped forward. He was taller than the others, his face twisted with something like amusement, but his eyes burned with a cold intensity. "Blair," he said, his voice smooth and commanding. "It's time."

Blair flinched, her hand instinctively reaching for mine. I squeezed it tightly, refusing to let go.

"You don't have to do this," I whispered, my voice low and fierce. "We can fight them. We'll find another way."

The Arcani leader's gaze shifted to me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. "You can't stop this, Sam Winchester," he said with a smirk. "This has been written for centuries. The seal is broken. Blair's power is ours."

"No," Blair said, her voice steady but shaking at the edges. "It's mine."

The Arcani leader's smirk widened. "For now. But not for long."

Dean stepped forward, his shotgun aimed directly at the leader's chest. "I don't care how old you are or how many prophecies you think you've got going for you," he growled. "You're not taking her."

The Arcani leader barely glanced at Dean, his eyes fixed on Blair. "You can feel it, can't you, Blair? The power inside you, the darkness. It's already breaking free. You can't control it."

Blair took a step forward, her hand slipping out of mine. I reached for her, panic flaring in my chest. "Blair, don't—"

But she stopped, her back straightening, her eyes hardening with a resolve I hadn't seen before. "I can control it," she said, her voice stronger than I expected. "And I'm not going to let you or anyone else use it."

The Arcani leader laughed, the sound echoing in the stillness of the night. "Control? You can't even begin to understand what's inside you. You are the seal, Blair. You are the key to the end of everything. There's no stopping it now."

I saw the flicker of fear in Blair's eyes, but she didn't back down. She took another step forward, closer to the Arcani, her body trembling with the effort to hold the power inside her.

"Maybe I can't stop it," she said softly, "but I can make sure you don't control it either."

The ground beneath us trembled, and the air grew heavy with a dark, pulsing energy. I felt it radiating off Blair, a surge of power so strong that it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The Arcani took a step back, their eyes narrowing as they realized what was happening.

Blair was letting go.

"Blair!" I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation as I moved toward her. "Don't do this!"

She turned to me, her face pale but determined. "I have to," she whispered. "It's the only way."

"No," I said, my heart pounding in my chest. "You don't have to sacrifice yourself. We can figure this out. We can stop them—together."

Her eyes softened, and for a moment, I saw the Blair I loved—the woman who had fought beside me, who had trusted me, who had loved me through everything. "I love you, Sam," she whispered, her voice breaking. "But this is bigger than us."

The Arcani leader stepped forward again, his eyes blazing with fury. "You think you can destroy the power inside you?" he hissed. "You'll destroy yourself in the process."

Blair's lips curled into a sad smile. "Maybe."

The ground shook harder, the power around us building like a storm, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. She was going to do it. She was going to let the power consume her to stop the Arcani. To stop them from using her.

I ran to her, grabbing her shoulders, my voice shaking with fear. "Blair, please. Don't do this. Don't leave me."

Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't pull away. "I don't have a choice," she whispered.

"Yes, you do!" I shouted, my voice raw with emotion. "We'll find another way! We always find another way."

She shook her head, her hand coming up to cup my cheek. "This time... there's no other way."

Before I could say anything else, the power exploded out of her.

It was like nothing I'd ever felt before—a wave of dark energy, pure and unrestrained, surging through the clearing and tearing through the Arcani like they were made of smoke. The ground cracked beneath our feet, the trees shuddered, and the air hummed with the raw force of the power Blair had been holding back.

The Arcani screamed as the energy ripped through them, their forms flickering and disintegrating in the blast. The leader's face twisted in rage and terror as he tried to fight it, but it was too late. The power was too strong, and within moments, they were gone. Every last one of them.

But the power didn't stop.

It kept surging, radiating from Blair, tearing through the earth and sky, and I realized with horror that she couldn't stop it.

"Blair!" I shouted, grabbing her arms, but she was shaking, her eyes wide with panic. "Blair, you have to stop!"

"I can't!" she cried, her voice breaking. "It's too much!"

I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly as the energy swirled around us, chaotic and uncontrollable. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to help her. The power was tearing her apart, and I could feel her slipping away, slipping out of my grasp.

"I love you," I whispered, my voice breaking as I held her tighter. "Please, Blair, don't leave me."

Her eyes met mine, filled with pain and fear, and I knew—this was it.

She was slipping away. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice so soft it was almost lost in the chaos.

And then, everything went white.