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He blinks, surprise evident in his eyes, and he opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up my hand, silencing him for a moment longer.
“I know it sounds drastic, but hear me out please. The Shikari are growing stronger, and they won’t stop until they have complete control. If I give myself up, if I die for the prophecy, then all of you will have a chance to defeat them. My life, my sacrifice, will give you the time and the power you need to succeed. And it will save so many people. In both of our worlds.”
The professor’s face pales.
“Malia, no,” he says, his voice tinged with a mix of concern and desperation. “I’m trying to find another way. I just need time.”
“I think we both know that we’re out of time.” Tears well up in my eyes as I take his hands in mine, my grip firm and unwavering. “Last night was—”
“That was the prophecy confirming it. You are definitely the star Malia.”
“How?” I ask, brows drawing together as I cock my head to one side, considering his words.
“Apparently, after speaking with the others while you were asleep, it would seem that when you and I…”
He trails off and my face blazes with embarrassment. I don’t regret what we did. I can’t. But that doesn’t make talking about it any easier.
“Well, you know. It activated your magic fully and that acted as some kind of beacon, alerting the Shikari to your whereabouts.”
I release my breath on a sigh. “Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“So we are out of time,” I say flatly.
“We’ve bought ourselves a little bit by coming here to the lighthouse, but it’s a temporary measure.”
“What do you need for the ritual?” I ask. He hesitates and I press forward. “Professor, I’ve thought about this. I’ve wrestled with the decision, and it’s the only way I see for all of you to have a fighting chance. The prophecy points to my sacrifice as the key to victory. We can’t ignore that.”
He shakes his head, his voice filled with a raw emotion. “Malia, you’re precious to me. I can’t bear the thought of losing you. We’ll find another way. There must be one.”
I squeeze his hands tighter, my voice softening. “Professor, I need your help. I need you there when I talk to the others. I need you to make them understand. I know they won’t like it. I know it will be hard for them to accept. But they need to know that this sacrifice could save them, save everyone. It’s bigger than me. Than us.”
The professor shakes his head, and he takes a step back, his gaze searching mine as if trying to gauge the depth of my conviction.
“Malia—” he says, his voice tinged with a mix of concern and desperation.
Tears well up in my eyes as I take his hands in mine, my grip firm and unwavering. “Professor, it’s time. We have to do this.”
He shakes his head, his voice filled with a raw emotion. “Malia, please.”
“What do you need for the ritual?” I ask again.
“I-it has to be on the full moon,” he confesses, his voice laced with regret and reluctance.
I blanch. “T-that’s tonight.” He nods and I take a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do it then.”
“No, Malia. It’s too soon. You need time to—”
“To say goodbye to people?” I tease with a gentle smile. Maybe it’s in bad taste to make jokes right now, but I don’t know how else to deal with the knowledge that my timeline just got shortened. Drastically. “Anything else?”
“We all need to be there. I’ll sort everything. Are you sure you really want to do this?”
“I am. I’m sure.”
“The others will try to talk you out of it.”
“I know. It’s why I want your help. Be on my side. Convince them with me.”
