Gwen's POV

I look up from where I'm lying. Kevin was on his back a few feet away and Ben was trying—and failing—to get up. The younger Ben seemed to be trying to figure out what to do. He ran up to Kevin and shook him, screaming something to him. But Kevin was out cold and wasn't responding in any way. He couldn't even acknowledge that he was being yelled at.

Ten-year-old Ben stood up and looked around in a panic. Aggregor was recovering quickly while we were still on the floor. Little-Ben's eyes first fell on sixteen-year-old Ben, who wasn't any more conscious than Kevin. Then he saw me and ran up to me.

"Dweeb!" He approached me and kneeled in front of me. I tried to keep awake. "Gwen, you have to do something! Come on! Use your magic! There has to be something you can do! You're the only one left! Maybe you can do some sort of spell to make time freeze or something and you can deal with this!"

I shake my head, now realizing what I have to do. "I can't do that. But I can do something." I pull myself to my feet, using his shoulder to steady myself.

"What are you gonna do?" he asks, staring at Aggregor, who was now walking up to the baby Alien X.

Once I'm on my feet I look at him. "I'm going to do something I'm sure I'm going to regret." I sigh. "But Aggregor has to be stopped. No matter what the cost."

I use the manna in the air to light myself up. I hear young Ben gasp. The anger and hurt I feel at having to do this makes itself present as I prepare to go full on Anodite. The energy pulls at me forcefully but I don't let it loose. Not yet. I stop pushing when I realize that I am in full alien form.

"What . . . are you?" Young Ben asks.

"I'm an Anodite." My voice echoes through space. I feel its power in my bones right to my core. "I know what I must do to stop him."

Then I let the power have me. It overtakes me completely, shocking me. There's not enough room and I find it pushing out parts of my being to fit. The manna is overpowering me. I knew there must be a way to stop. My plan was to get just enough of the true power to stop Aggregor but now I didn't want to stop. I wanted it.

The energy surged straight to my core and I gasped at the forcefulness. I felt somehow complete with it. I don't stop. I let the full power have me. And take me it does. Suddenly, it's like I've been sitting in a dark room my whole life and somebody just pulled open the curtain. The light shines through me. When the surge of sudden power is over, I am confident that I can do this.

I float to Aggregor, who seemed frozen in shock, and grab him. I'm able to fling him ten feet away from the baby and I grab him by his throat with just sheer strength.

"It's about time someone puts you in your place!" I holler, my voice echoing louder and more forcefully than before.

I don't give him the time to beg for his life. I send a jolt of electricity through him. Then, I use my own new found abilities to drain him of the power he had. The energy flows smoothly from his core straight to mine. It almost causes my bones to ache and my teeth to go on edge . . . but I like it. I feel powerful. So powerful, that I might want to do the same thing to that little baby Alien X. Aggregor was a waste of a life, not even worth me draining dry. I might as well go for the real deal.

Just as I feel Aggregor's life energy being swallowed by me, I hear a voice from behind me, also the sound of at least two people approaching me. That was how sharp my new hearing was.

"Enough, Gwen," Older Ben says, standing tall with Kevin next to him, looking more pained than angry. Ben just looks stern. "We're done here."

I shove Aggregor to the ground. "No, Ben, I'm not. You're right. Aggregor didn't deserve that power. But maybe I do. Maybe I should take it right now! Who's going to stop me?"

"We would," he said.

"You wouldn't stand half a chance."

I could see Kevin steeping forward. "Gwen, you don't have to do this. Turn it off! Before you lose your humanity! It's not too late!"

I knew I should be feeling something. Pity, knowing that my two best friends in the world were trying to reason with me instead of just killing me. That they still believe they can reach me. Maybe love, when I look at Kevin's face twisted in fear and worry. Fear, as I realized what I had been about to do. Anything that could define me as human.

But all I felt was the power surging through my body. But I still knew who it was standing in front of me. And I didn't need to hurt them. Not yet, at least.

"I'll let you two go this time, Ben," I shout, my flaming purple tendrils flaring up at the edges. "But don't come after me, and don't try to stop me again!" I warn. "Or you won't be so lucky!"

With that, I soar into the black sky.

"Gwen!" I hear Kevin shout after me.

I don't give them a second look. Gwen was gone. And I knew what I wanted to do to celebrate it.

Ben's POV

"I can't believe she did that," Kevin cried out.

"She did what she knew she had to. To stop Aggregor." I tried to ignore the feeling of sadness as it threatened to overpower me. "We'll get her back." We would. We had to.

Just then, Professor Paradox appeared and looked at Aggregor.

"Nice work, Benjamin," he says turning to us. "You've all managed to save the universe, once again."

"But what about Gwen?" Kevin asked softly, not looking up from the ground.

"A problem for another day," Paradox said cheerfully. "For now, just be happy that you have completed your assignment."

But we weren't happy. We had gained victory but lost Gwen. The last thing we wanted to do now was celebrate.