Spirit Animals - The Ten Keepers: Fall of the Ten [Book Three]

Alternate Ending - Part Two

DO NOT SKIP CHAPTERS. DO NOT SKIP CHAPTER TWENTY THREE TO ONWARD CHAPTERS (that didn't really make sense but you get the point) DO NOT SKIP!!!

(DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE LAST CHAPTER AND THE EPILOGUES!)

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Zoron's POV

Victory. Triumph. They have won the battle.

He looked around and saw that everyone looked battered but a light of triumph was slowly filling their eyes. Those who were infected looked around in confusion which slowly turned to shame but relief. Zerif had disappeared with the Wyrm along with the blinding light of the Staff of Cycles.

"Z-Zoron," he heard a weak but familiar voice as he turned to see Hope limping towards him. Despite the limp, a small smile was on her face, "We won."

"Yeah..." Zoron replied, smiling back, as he took her hand, "We won."

They walked hand-in-hand towards the others who were gathering around Ivan. He had guilt and shame written all over his face and he avoided all eye-contact as they all approached. Everyone wore a guarded expression and Riley looked the most weary around him. Jef was the only one to look furious.

"Why did you give up, Ivan?" Jef asked, clearly trying to control the anger behind his words.

Ivan didn't look up and he could hear the guilt in his tone, "I'm sorry..."

"You're sorry," Jef scoffed, "After all that you expect us to forgive you easily?"

"I don't expect you to forgive me at all," Ivan mumbled, "I gave up and now I face the consequences of my decisions."

Jef growled and looked like he wanted to punch him but Riley held his arm to stop, "Jef, what's done is done. The battle has been won. There's no point."

But when she looked at him, Zoron could tell that she didn't entirely forgive him. No one did, not yet anyways.

"I'm...sorry as well," John spoke up, his eyes filling with guilt, "If it weren't for Eilene, I might've not been able to fight for control."

"It's my fault you got infected," Eilene spoke, "because if I haven't gotten us trapped down there, if I went up the rope last, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"That was my decision," John argued, "I should've been more careful."

"I should've gone on my own instead of dragging you guys with me," Eilene countered.

"We wanted to save Erdas as well," John insisted, "I should've just left the moment I got infected. It was my fault for slowing you guys down."

"It was my fault that I betrayed you all in the first place," Eilene snapped.

They just looked at each other once before John let out a small chuckle. Eilene only looked at him in confusion, "What's so funny?"

"You're right," John replied, "We do argue for the stupidest reasons."

Eilene cracked a smile, "I'm always right."