"It was nice while it lasted, wasn't it?"

The man grabs the attention of his colleagues. They all knew what he was talking about, and it had to come eventually. They just wished it wasn't so soon.

"Salem was perhaps the greatest creation man has ever made, and possibly ever will make. But the power upon which it was founded has been used far too generously. Witches and Werewolves, Arsonists and Serial Killers, only bound by their will and a card. It's chaos disguised as normalcy. The worst part, no one knows who has what card, and the only way to find out is for the holder to reveal or for the holder to die. What we intended for a fresh start was used for an escape for malicious entities. It pains me to say it, but Salem must be destroyed."

The other man, his voice heavy, says, "You don't mean…"

"Yes, Cotton. Protocol Scatter is to be initiated. Lydia, Wildes, gather the founding cards. We will send them to a new world, one which we did not play a part in creating. The rules state that fifteen cards will be separated from the rest. We can send the remaining thirty-five to one person. Let us look."

The pair of ladies goes off in search of the cards throughout the house, the one house which is unreachable to the citizens of Salem. The founding cards, the original cards from which all other versions were copied, are here, and must be kept hidden and protected, lest they be misused.

The man, clearly the leader of the four Founders, strolls to a mirror stretching from the floor to the ceiling.

"Are you sure you want to do this, John? We can't go back from this, and we can only help the holder of the founding deck so much from beyond. We may yet be able to rebuild," says Cotton, not quite believing what he's saying himself.

"Come now, Cotton, we both know it's too late for that. As much as I wish it weren't, it is. Let us do one final service to the world while we have life."

The women reenter the room, each carrying a handful of cards.

"You have them all?" John asks. Both women nod, counting out the cards. Lydia carries twenty-seven, Wildes carries twenty-three. "Good. Hand them here." The women comply.

"You all knew what you were getting into when you helped me create this world. It is only fair you know what you're getting into when you help me destroy it." The others nod in sync. "We will recite the ancient seeking spell, to find our chosen one. The chosen one will receive the entire deck, minus the fifteen cards required to be kept separate. If the chosen one is the right one, they will retrieve and protect the fifteen separate cards, along with the ones they initially receive. Once the cards have been sent, this world will collapse on itself. We alone will travel to the new world with the cards, but our bodies must remain here, to be destroyed with the rest. Our minds and spirits will go to aid the chosen one. It will be difficult, and extremely painful at first. You already know all this, and I am merely reminding you. This change is irreversible. We must all be in agreement to make this work. If we attempt this, and we do not agree that this is the proper course of action, the cards will perish along with this world, and we will cease to exist. When you are ready, approach the mirror and touch the glass."

John walks to the glass and touches his left hand to the mirror's edge. Cotton follows close, then Lydia and Wildes. Lydia hesitates for a moment, then steels her resolve and joins the others.

"Before we do this, I wish to say one last thing. It has been an honor and a privilege creating and monitoring this world with you. I would give anything that this be deemed unnecessary. I am glad I could call you three my friends. Let's begin."

The four of them stand straight and tall, and begin reciting the spell.

" Sanctificetur Dominus dominantium niteremur possemus, nihil hac nocte faceremus parceret. Obiectum tollent nobis virtutem atque initium novi horam illam. Ostende nobis esset electio, ut in eos, duo, tres."

On the final word, the cards began to levitate, shuffling themselves, fifteen flying into the mirror at random, and the rest staying behind. The image in the mirror changed rapidly, finally focusing on a teenager, about nineteen, sitting on a couch, reading a book.

"This is it, friends. I shall wait for you on the other side."

The remaining cards flew into the mirror, and the world collapsed on itself.