"The power of friendship" was cringe and lame and unrealistic. Atleast to Max. He had seen various tropes like that happening in the media he watched, but he hated it. That mostly was due to the fact that he had no friends back then. At the end of the school year however, he started getting attention and people started liking him. Somehow he was able to bag Vaishaali, making him even more famous in the school.
Now on the verge of death Max stood beside four other people. They were just strangers that he had met a few hours ago. But due to the shared fight they had, they had learnt to trust each other. They were technically his only friends right now. No one in the world was alive anymore anyway.
They all stood in a circle around the Box. Chuck was sweating. His eyes were scared. It clearly showed that he didn't wanna die. He was still a kid after all, with an entire life ahead of him. Melissa was trying to be brave, smiling in the face of imminent death. Lin and Albert were mirroring each other, with their folded arms. Max stood in the centre, with a black hole in his hands.
The key didn't work for some reason. But he bad to destroy it. He didn't know if it would work though, that's why he had asked evryone to leave. But they were stubborn.
Maybe they gave up on living, or they trusted Max's power. Or maybe they were just being optimistic. It was too soon for them to trust Max with their lives.
Max: Okay...here goes nothing...
Max was almost at his limit. His blood was still flowing out of the cut that Dreacon delivered on his chest. Max slowly lowered his body and kneeled in front of the Box. He aimed the black hole at it. He wanted to announce the name of the move, but his energy had finally given out. He was losing his consciousness.
Just as he was about to shut his eyes, he saw Chuck..waiting for Max to do it. He immediately snapped back. This wasn't time to fall asleep. He locked in, and used his left arm to thrust the black hole onto the Box.
Max screamed in pain and resolve. The event horizon of the tiny black hole touched the Box on the ground, disintegrating the Box and moving it around. The Box twisted and was engulfed by the black hole. And five seconds later, the ticking sound had stopped as the black hole vanished. Max had done it! He won!!
As soon as the black hole burnt out and vanished into thin air along with the Box, Max smiled and fell down on the ground with a thud. He was finally done.
Chuck, who had shut his eyes close, expecting an explosion opened his eyes when the sound stopped. He was overjoyed to see it worked, and saw Melissa and Lin also smiling. Albert didn't show a lot of emotion. Max was smiling, but he had fallen down.
Chuck and Melissa: Max!!! No!!!
They both rushed to him, trying to wake him up.
Chuck: No no!! I'm sorry...
Chuck then tried stopping his tears. He then smiled proudly at Max.
Chuck: Thank you, Max!! You did it!! We will not forget your sacrifice...
Max: Hello???! I am still alive!!!
Max came back to reality screaming. He just wanted to shut his eyes, but now he was just terrified that he would be left alone in this place, because they had assumed he had passed away..
Chuck's eyes widened.
Chuck: Max!!! You are alive!!
Max: Of course I am!! Now please get me out of here...I can't move!!!
Lin: Tsk...
Max: Wait....!! Why are you disappointed that I'm alive??
Lin: Well...you had a heroic death. Sadly you will never get to die like that anymore.
Melissa smiled. She then started stitching him up. Max had lost a lit of blood, and he would lose consciousness soon. But atleast, be told them to move with him!
Albert: We need to go...this castle won't hold out long!!
Albert noticed the cracks in the wall growing larger by the minute. The building would come crashing down any moment now.
Lin carried Max on his back, and started running, while Melissa performed the surgery whilst running.
Albert: We need to find a way out. My senses are just showing me sounds of rubble falling. I can't concentrate.
Chuck: Leave that to me!!
Chuck stated confidently as he removed the Book of Fireflies from his bag.
Chuck: Find us a way to get out of this place!!
As soon as he uttered those words, the Eternal Tome in his hands started glowing and tiny fireflies flew out. The started flying towards another corridor, trying to lead them out. The five newfound allies started running in harmony, with Albert acting as their shield, as he protected them from the falling rubble.
After three minutes of running, the fireflies led them to an empty hallway that had multiple boats.