The World Is Falling Apart

---Katherine---

"You mean, one of us have to seal the portal from inside the portal?" I caught on quickly. Indigo nodded vigorously.

"That's the only explanation that makes sense. How else can 'blue and gold' be 'in opposition'?"

"Well, since we're out of other options, let's give it a try." Aaron stood up and offered me a hand to pull me to my feet. I took it. "Which one of you wants to go inside the portal?"

Indigo and I looked at each other, then at the portal. I saw her hesitation. "I'll go," I volunteered. "I mean, I already went in once, so it's less scary."

"I can go with you again," Aaron offered. I shook my head.

"I think only one of us can go in. The prophecy says 'blue and gold', so it has to be one of us who enters the portal. Thanks for offering, though. I appreciate it."

Indigo looked like she wanted to say something, but changed her mind. She grasped her spear tightly in her hand. "Alright, Katherine. Be careful."

I nodded and stepped over the bottom edge of the portal. The mirrored throne room was just as silent and empty as we left it. It felt so much darker, since I was accustomed to the light from the throne room I came from. At least there were still a few torches and candles left in there, whereas here the only light was from the portal and whatever glimmer of sunlight that managed to pass through the heavy curtains on the window. It made the entire room feel even more ominous.

"Ready, Katherine?" Indigo called out. She stood about fifteen feet away from the portal for ample space to aim, since her spear was already seven or eight feet in length. I called back an affirmative answer as I aimed my sword at the right edge of the portal. Now on opposite sides of the portal, both of us cast the mending spell. I saw a burst of light from Indigo's spear, but my sword did nothing.

"Try your healing magic, Kath!" Aaron called out from his place beside Indigo. I returned Retribution into its sheath on my back, walked up to the portal, and placed my hand on its jagged edge. I murmured a quick prayer in my heart before summoning my healing magic. Blue tendrils mixed with the red.

Aaron gave a shout of surprise and pointed at the border of the portal. This time, I saw my healing magic travel along the outline of the portal. From the other edge, Indigo's gold magic did the same. The gold and blue magic met each other at the top and bottom of the portal, before mixing and continuing on its way around the perimeter. Slowly, the portal began to stitch itself close.

"It's working!" I yelled happily. Indigo grinned at me and flashed me a thumbs up with one hand.

The portal slowly compressed in length but widened in width, going from a shaky ellipse into flattened oval. It looked like a big, red eye. I heard rumbling from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the throne room that I was in was disintegrating before my eyes. Cracks formed and widened, splitting stone. Pillars began to collapse. A chunk of the ceiling fell and smashed the throne into the ground. The iron chandeliers wobbled precariously.

"What's going on?" Aaron shouted in alarm. He ventured closer to the portal and peered in. "Indigo, the throne room inside is falling apart!"

"What?" Indigo retracted her spear without thinking and began to run towards the portal. The gold magic disappeared, and the portal began to unstitch itself. Indigo hurriedly ran back to her position and recast the spell.

"Kath, you have to get out of there!" Aaron's eyes were frantic as he watched the throne room fall apart behind me. I looked back at the breaking world, then back at the magic flowing through the portal.

"I can't. If either Indigo or I move from our position, the magic will stop and the portal will reopen. I have to stay here to seal the portal."

"But—!" Aaron wanted to argue, but he knew that I was right. "Fine. I'll come in and make sure nothing hits you." He began to step inside, but before his leg had even passed all the way through, he jumped back with a yelp. "Ow! The portal—it cut me!"

He rolled up his pant leg. We both saw a thin cut on his calf. Blood beaded along the cut. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to tell us that the portal only allowed me to be inside. Aaron quickly untied his cloak and tried to toss it to me through the portal. It was repelled back. I guess once the magic began, nothing else could get in.

More rumbling. Looking back, I saw that most of the pillars had crashed into the ground. Dust and debris flew everywhere. As the walls crumbled, I saw swirls of red emerge from behind, the same shade as the portal. The rubble disappeared into the red. "There's more magic in here, and it's eating up the world!"

"Kath, come out. You can leave your hand in there and pull it out when the portal is almost closed." Aaron said, worry creasing his face. I nodded and began to step out of the portal, making sure to keep my right hand on the portal edge. As most of my body crossed the threshold, the blue magic shrank considerably. On my end, the portal began to unravel again.

"I don't think I can leave," I said helplessly and returned to where I was. The blue magic returned to its original brightness and the portal continued to close. Aaron followed anxiously as I slowly began to walk to my left, smoothing my hand over the closing edge of the portal. Indigo moved to her left as well. The beam of gold light from her spear was like a sewing machine that quickly wove her side of the portal close. Now, the portal was only about half its original size. If all went well, we would meet in the middle as the portal closed.

Indigo and I both willed our magic to be stronger, fighting against time as the world fell apart on my side. Wind whipped my hair around my face. I could see tendrils of red pull the throne room apart from the corner of my eye. This throne room was filled with the remains of the evil that had plagued Crystallea for centuries. It had to be eradicated and destroyed. This was the ancient magic's revenge, I suppose, for being held in captivity against its will for so long. It would pull all of this into nothingness and leave the outside world, now purged from the presence of Lord Victor and his Evils, alone.

The portal was rapidly closing. It was about three feet wide and ten feet tall now, and shrinking with every second. The world inside the portal collapsed faster, until the only small patch of ground still left untouched was the ground beneath my feet. Even so, the wind whipped up by the magic battered me and threatened to pull me away at any moment. I placed both hands on the portal's edge to stabilize myself and watched my healing magic pour out from my palm and fingertips. I tried to ignore how there was more and more red at the edges of my vision and how the world was shrinking into oblivion.

"Kath, you have to come out! The portal is going to close!" Aaron stuck his face close to the portal. "At least get halfway out!"

Indigo nodded from where she was. "You might get sucked away by the magic inside. Come out, Katherine! I'll finish sealing the portal as soon as you are out!"