[Third person POV]
Sam and Danny slowly disengaged from their kiss, breath mingling in the stillness of the room, their foreheads gently resting against one another. A warm flush crept up their necks and onto their cheeks.
"I thought that you…" Danny began, his voice barely above a whisper as he gazed into her violet eyes, searching for answers.
Sam gently shook her head, brushing her forehead against his, "You didn't really let me explain everything… not completely," she said softly.
She reached down and took his hand in hers, fingers trembling slightly as she guided him toward the bed once again. With care, she sat him down beside her, refusing to let go of his hand. Her grip tightened.
"Alright," she began, her voice steadier now, "During the ritual my Nana taught me… I truly did sacrifice our original bond. That part wasn't a lie."
Danny's expression darkened, his brows furrowing as the corner of his mouth twisted into a grimace. "Yeah, I still don't like that. Like—at all. In fact, I hate it."
"Danny, let me finish," Sam said, an amused smile forming despite the heaviness of the moment. She raised a finger to his lips, silencing him with a gentle touch.
"I sacrifice it. I severed the bond that connected us. It was more painful than I could have imagined. It felt like something inside me was being torn apart, something I didn't even realize I needed until it was gone," Sam confessed, her voice quivering slightly, eyes distant with the phantom pain.
She saw the confusion etched across his features and gently pressed her finger a little firmer. "But then… something strange happened. As soon as I completed the ritual, this radiant pink ring appeared before me. It hovered in the air, glowing. And then… it spoke. It told me that I possessed a 'great love in my heart.' or something like that"
Danny's eyes widened in astonishment. Her touch was no longer necessary—he was rendered speechless by what he was hearing.
"It's all kind of hazy," Sam continued. "I wasn't thinking logically. I was… following my instincts. I took the ring—whatever it was—and shattered it. Or maybe it shattered on its own. All I remember is using its fragments to recreate the bond between us."
She looked proud for a brief second, but that pride quickly faded when she saw the look of horror dawning on Danny's face.
"Sam… I don't think you fully understand the implications of what you just did," Danny said, his voice low, almost trembling.
Sam only smiled in response. Not with arrogance, but with quiet acceptance. "I do. More than you think," she replied, placing her hand over his chest, right above his heart.
Her eyes lost focus as her perception shifted. Through the lens of her magical awareness, she could see the threads that tied her to Danny. Their connection was there—but not whole. It was fractured. Incomplete. Imperfect in ways that couldn't be undone.
And surrounding him were other bonds. Ones she hadn't seen before.
One was a light blue string, shimmering like fire—beautiful but distant. Another was pitch black, streaked with a haunting pale white, coiled tightly as if clinging to Danny's very soul.
'Because of what I did… Danny can never truly be mine,' Sam thought with a sinking heart. 'Not entirely. It was the price I paid to keep him in my life. A broken bond is better than no bond at all. I made my choice, and now… I must live with the consequences.'
Danny's voice cut through her thoughts, filled with urgency. "No, Sam." He took her hand from his chest and held it tightly. "You don't get it. You don't really understand what it means to destroy a Lantern ring."
Sam blinked. "A Lantern ring? You know what the ring was?" Then her eyes lit up with a flicker of realization. "Wait—like the Green Lantern? That kind of ring?"
Danny gave a tight nod. "Yes and no. It's more complicated than that. Each ring is part of the Emotional Electromagnet Spectrum. The green ones are fueled by willpower. But the pink… the pink ones are powered by love. Star Sapphire Corps." He paused, collecting himself. "There are others too—rage, fear, hope, avarice—but the pink ones are specifically linked to love. The rings… They're weapons. High-grade cosmic tech monitored by their own Corps. Each ring chooses its wielder..."
Danny went on to explain what he knew about the Corps and their way of doing things.
Danny grimaced. "It's like smashing a galactic-level military-grade artifact. It's a very serious offense—."
Before Sam could fully respond—a blinding flash of pink light exploded in front of them, bathing the room in radiant glow.
"A serious offense indeed," a woman's voice echoed through the air, cold and commanding.
A portal shimmered open, rippling like liquid light. Through it stepped four alien-like women, each adorned in elegant yet intimidating Star Sapphire Corps uniforms.
Their eyes glowed with the same energy as their rings, which crackled with power. In their other hands, they wielded crystalline spears—each tip crackling with concentrated pink energy.
Danny shot to his feet, instinct taking over. He pulled Sam behind him protectively, his body tensed, eyes glowing faintly with power.
Sam didn't resist. But she didn't cower either. She shifted to his side, her gaze sharpened, and she clenched her fists, ready for whatever.
"Samantha Manson," the lead Star Sapphire declared, her voice echoing with authority, "You are hereby summoned to present yourself before Queen Aga'po to answer for your crime against the Star Sapphire Corps!"
Sam's eyes widened, heart thudding in her chest, but before she could respond, Danny stepped forward, frowning. "Alright, maybe we could talk about this first—?"
His voice was calm, but wary. The alien women, however, weren't feeling diplomatic.
"This matter is no concern of yours, outsider," the leader snapped, glaring at him with contempt. Without hesitation, she raised her staff and fired.
Danny barely had time to react before a searing blast of violet energy struck him square in the chest. He grunted as he was thrown backward, crashing through the air past Sam and slamming into the far wall of her room, cracking the plaster on impact.
"Danny!!" Sam cried out in panic. Then her expression shifted, eyes blazing with fury as magical energy began to flare to life around her. "You—!"
But she didn't get the chance to retaliate. Another beam of violet energy surged toward her, this time enveloping her completely in a glowing pink crystal, freezing her mid-motion.
"Sam! AAAAHHHHHH!!" Danny's enraged roar rattled the air as twin beams of neon-green ectoplasmic energy erupted from his hands, crashing against the Star Sapphires' hastily erected barrier.
The shield shattered under the force of his attack.
Danny shot toward them like a missile, but just as he closed in, another pair of beams met him head-on. He crossed his arms and summoned an ectoplasmic shield, digging in as he was pushed back, his boots grinding against the floor.
He growled, struggling to hold the assault at bay, but before he could counter, the remaining two Star Sapphires joined the assault, bombarding him with a combined surge of violet energy.
Danny's shield cracked, then shattered, and he was launched backward like a ragdoll, phasing straight through the mansion walls and exploding into the open sky outside.
He tumbled through the air, spinning wildly before finally stabilizing with a powerful burst of energy. He hovered midair, panting, brushing white strands of hair from his eyes.
"Okay," he muttered, blinking hard, "first of all… ow."
But there was no time to waste..
"No—No, no, no!" Danny launched himself like a comet, blasting through the air in a streak of white light, phasing through the mansion's walls and racing back into Sam's room.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Two of the Star Sapphires were already inside the portal, levitating beside the pink crystal that held Sam. The other two were right behind them, preparing to follow. The portal began to shrink, its edges collapsing inward.
Danny's eyes lit up with panic. "NO!!" he shouted, thrusting forward with all his might. He stretched out his arm, just barely managing to wedge his fingers into the narrowing portal before it could close completely.
He screamed as the collapsing space resisted him, trying to seal shut. Gritting his teeth, Danny anchored his feet to the ground and pulled with every ounce of strength he had.
"Come on…!" he growled, his voice raw, veins bulging along his neck and arms. "I can't… lose her… not like this…!"
His green eyes blazed brighter than ever, sheer determination radiating off him. Every muscle in his body tightened and flexed, pushing against the resistance of the collapsing wormhole. Visible tears forming on his jump suit from flexing his muscles and summoning every ounce of strength he possessed.
Danny roared, the sound primal and furious, "AAAAAARGHHH!!"
Space groaned around him. The portal, instead of closing, began to expand again. Slowly, agonizingly, it stretched wider and wider until finally—he forced it open just enough.
Just enough to push his head through.
---
Location: Planet Zamaron – Star Sapphire Corps Headquarters
Date: March 10
Time: 6:24 PM
The towering palace of violet crystal shimmered under the glow of Zamaron's suns. Inside, in the grand throne chamber of the Star Sapphire Corps, the Queen awaited.
"My Queen, we've retrieved the perpetrator," one of the armored warriors reported, bowing respectfully as the pink crystal dissolved, releasing Sam from her prison.
Sam staggered slightly, eyes wide as she took in her new surroundings—an enormous crystalline throne room filled with vibrant pink light, floral motifs, and hovering violet structures. At the far end stood a regal figure.
Queen Aga'po.
Tall and statuesque, the queen had smooth blue skin and piercing violet eyes. Her presence radiated authority. Her elegant gown flowed around her like liquid amethyst, and a shining tiara crowned her head.
But Aga'po was not looking at Sam or at her corps members.
She was staring behind her, her brows furrowed with concern.
The Star Sapphires turned, frowns of confusion forming as they realized the portal hadn't closed. Instead, it had begun to widen again—against all known protocol.
Suddenly, a white boot slammed onto the crystalline floor with a heavy thud.
A figure followed it—slowly forcing himself through the space between realms.
Followed by his chest, showcasing his emblem.
His head poked out through, showing his white hair which was disheveled, partially shadowing his face, but his eyes—wild, green, burning—were visible beneath. He looked furious, desperate, and absolutely unhinged.
Veins bulged from his neck and temple as he strained to push his body fully through, the dimensional barrier warping around him. He flashed a fierce, unsettling grin, teeth clenched like a beast that had just broken through its cage.
"Here's Danny~" he sang, voice trembling with exhaustion and madness.
Everyone in the chamber—Star Sapphires, guards, even Queen Aga'po herself—stared in stunned silence.
Sam's jaw dropped. "Danny…?"
He stepped into the room fully now, shoulders heaving with exertion, chest rising and falling rapidly. His clothes were torn from the struggle. His body was slick with sweat.
Yet he stood tall, defiant, as the portal, without anything holding it apart, sealed behind him.
His words echoed through the chamber, coldly, as warning, and as a promise all in one.
"Let. Her. Go."
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