Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Metalocalypse. Parts in this chapter were taken from the show, spoken words by some of the characters, only to follow the show in the episodes. What some of the characters say is from the show, and not my own. But it is my character hearing them being spoken. I just wanted to follow as closely as possible to the events in the show.

Ch.3

Kale drove off after Pickles and Kay exited his car. Kay stood out front, staring at Mordhaus. There was no getting over the expanse of the place. It was massive, and she knew there was even more of the place that couldn't be seen. Pickles walked forward, heading to the front door, and she followed quickly behind him.

As they walked around, Kay looked around at the surroundings, admiring the medieval architecture. They eventually came into what appeared to be the living room, and sitting on the couches, minding their own were the other members of Dethklok. She heard Pickles sigh and figured he didn't want to run into the others.

On their arrival, the others looked up and saw Pickles and Kay. The two stood there in the middle of the living room silently, and the others sat on the couches silently looking at them for a bit. Finally, Pickles decided to speak.

"Hey guys," he acknowledged the others. "This is my friend, Kay. Kay, these are the others in Dethklok."

Kay waved over to the others, a kind smile on her face. She could feel the tension in the room building with each passing second. She almost felt like running to get away from it. It made her think that Pickles was really not wanting to see the others even more.

"Hi's!" the bands rhythm guitarist, Toki greeted joyfully. "Yours that's girl froms the TV's!"

She felt my face grow hot, glad that she put on pale foundation, which helped cover the red blush she knew was on her face.

"Guess the change in looks didn't do anything," Kay said, looking over at Pickles. He just shrugged.

"Sos, you're Pickles' new girlfriends?" Skwisgaar asked, playing his guitar that wasn't hooked up to an amp.

Kay giggled. She peeked over at Pickles and saw his face grow red from embarrassment.

"No, I'm just a girl that bumped into him the other day," she explained. She was starting to get annoyed constantly reiterating the situation.

"Dids you knows Pickle befores?" Toki asked.

"No," she shook her head in response. "I ran into him at a coffee shop, and asked for his help. He agreed to help me."

"Help you with what?" Kay heard the eternal slur and lisp of the bands bassist, Murderface, ask. She sighed.

"My band," she answered.

"Okay, that's it for questions," Pickles proclaimed. "C'mon Kay, let's go." Pickles started to walk away into the hallway behind the living room, and Kay quickly followed. After a quick jaunt down a few hallways, they ended up at the doorway to a room. Pickles opened the door to reveal a bedroom, and she could only assume it was his. A strong scent of stale tobacco wafted out into the hallway. The twp walked into the room together. Kay looked around. The floor was littered with dirty clothes and empty beer bottles. The bed was completely unkempt, and even more dirty clothes lay on the bed.

"Umm… make yourself at home," Pickles told Kay. "I'm gonna take a shower real quick. Then we can figure something out." Pickles disappeared through a door in the room that Kay assumed lead to a bathroom.

She walked around the room, wondering to herself how someone could live like this for a long period of time. She admired his bedframe which she thought was very cool and fitting for the death metal Dethklok was known for. Kay saw a pack of cigarettes laying on the nightstand and picked them up. The pack was almost full.

"Hey, I'm taking one of your cigs!" she yelled to Pickles, hoping he could hear.

"Okay!" she heard his muffled voice yell back through the door and running water.

Kay took a cigarette out of the pack and lit it, looking around the room. There wasn't much, other than the bed, nightstands, a dresser on one wall, and a bunch of dirty clothes strewn around. She turned around to look at the rest of the room and choked on inhaled smoke. Standing in the doorway, staring at her blankly, was the rest of Dethklok. She coughed, clearing her lungs and breathing in air.

"Yes?" she rasped out the question, her throat raw from the smoke and coughing fit. "Can I help you?"

"Uh… umm… er…" the band's frontman grunted out. "Pickles… he's uh… in your band now?" he finally got the question out. Kay raised an eyebrow at them, and saw that they were concerned.

"No," she clarified to them. She elaborated on as she saw them sigh in relief. "My drummer's sick and can't get out of bed. I guess you can call it fate that we ran into each other. Pickles agreed to help record some tracks."

"Pickle, hes ams greats guy," Toki gushed. Kay smiled at him.

"Why are you guys concerned?" she asked. "I thought the band was broken up." The four men fidgeted and shuffled their feet as an answer to her. She gave a long nod, completely understanding. They all still wanted to be in the band, but without Pickles, there was no band.

"What the…" they all heard Pickles say. Everyone turned to the bathroom door and saw the drummer in question standing in the door way with a towel wrapped around his waist staring at the guys. "What the hell are you guys doing in here? Get out!" he yelled at them.

"No need to yell," Murderface slurred to Pickles. "That is no way to act around a lady." Kay saw Murderface look at her, trying to give her a sultry expression, which only failed and she felt an eye twitch.

"Hey, umm…" she began, grasping for something to resolve the tension. "Why don't you guys walk me around. That way, Pickles, you have time to get dressed and stuff. Then we can figure out what we're doing tonight." Kay immediately walked over to the rest of the band members and walked out of the room. The guys walked after her and heard Pickles door click close. She sighed to herself mentally. "So!" she turned around joyfully to the guys. "Show me some of the hotspots in this place. It's not often other musicians get to be inside Dethklok's famous house."

The four guys walked Kay around, showing her the dining room, the living room, and their recording room. They walked past a giant window in one of the hallways, and she saw the movement of a few figures. Kay looked over and saw wolves meandering around in the yard.

"Puppies!" she called out. Before the others could react and stop her, Kay opened the window and hopped out into the yard. The wolves began to stalk towards her, hunger glowing in their eyes. She could feel the band's eyes on her, unsure what to do. As the wolves drew closer, growls low in their throat, ready for the pounce, Kay opened my mouth and quietly hummed a tune. The wolves calmed down, and walked up to her, the hunger gone from their eyes, and nuzzled against her. She pet them on their heads, rubbing their coats.

Kay looked back and saw that Pickles had finally joined the others by the window, and he watched with eyes wide open. She smiled over at them and stood up. The wolves walked around her in a circle, rubbing their heads on her legs. Kay walked back over to the window and hopped back inside the hallway with the others.

"Hows dids yous…" Toki began, but his question fell silent.

"De yards wolves ams hungry always," Skwisgaar reasoned.

"Oh, they were sweet little things," Kay responded, enjoying the look of utter shock and confusion on their faces. "So, Pickles," she directed her attention to. "We should discuss what we're going to do today." She walked up to him, grabbing his arm and walked away from the group.

"Why don't we watch a movie and get drunk?" Pickles offered. Kay thought about it for a minute.

"Sure!"

The two went into the living room and Pickles grabbed a movie at random and started playing it. He grabbed a Klokateer that was walking by and ordered him to bring a bunch of alcohol. Pickles and Kay settled down on the couch and began relaxing and drinking.

A good ways into the movie, Kay felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and saw that Amara finally called. She was tempted to ignore her call, but something in her gut told her it was important to answer. She got up from the couch, excusing herself and walked into the hallway.

"Hey Mar," Kay answered, unwantingly. "Before you start yelling, be aware that nothing bad has happened. Pickles and I just went to…"

"Michelle's in the hospital," Amara cut her off calmly. Kay could hear the strain in Amara's voice to remain calm, and she could tell there were tears in her friend's eyes that she didn't want spilling over. Kay stood silently for a minute, her heart falling out of her chest, and pounding harder than before. It felt as if all the blood in her body had drained away. She barely registered talking to Amara, telling her that she would be there soon, and seeing the other members of Dethklok standing nearby as she turned back into the living room and stood next to Pickles.

"I have to go to the hospital," Kay said calmly, feeling her whole body go numb. "Michelle relapsed." Her eyes betrayed the rest of her body, as fluid rushed forth and broke over the damn, slipping down her warm cheeks.

Pickles stood up in a heartbeat and walked Kay around the house. She felt aimless, just wanting nothing more than to be with her drummer and friend. Before she realized what was going on, Pickles had Kay in a garage full of vehicles. He pushed her into a sports car and got in the other side. The next thing she knew, she saw the flashing streetlights pass by, and the hospital she vaguely remember telling Pickles to go to neared into view.

Kay rushed to the front desk, throwing down her ID, and demanding to know where her friend was. Pickles was right behind her as she ran down the halls, trying to find the room. She finally saw the girls standing outside a door, talking amongst themselves, and ran up to them, collapsing in their arms. The tears wouldn't stop coming, no matter what she tried.

The girls spoke to Kay, but she couldn't hear anything they were saying. No doubt they were trying to figure out why the drummer from another band was standing awkwardly behind her. Another figure walked up to them, clad in a white coat, hands in the pockets. Kay looked up to see her family doctor. He stared down at Kay with no expression on his face. Her heart instantly began to settle down. She stood up and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Hey Doc," she greeted him. Even though it wasn't his name, she was used to calling him Doc. "Talk to me," she pleaded, feeling much calmer. His demeanor told Kay that things were going to be okay.

"She's not gonna die," he said plainly. Doc opened the door to Michelle's room and ushered Kay in. Michelle was asleep in her bed, hooked up to an IV and her heart monitored. Doc closed the door behind him, leaving the girls and Pickles outside in the hallway. "Michelle relapsed, but she was brought here in time. Her body was severely dehydrated and she was not able to retain the nutrients she was getting. We're going to run some more tests to see if she's got something else in her, or if this virus is a mutation."

"How can the flu do this to someone?" Kay asked, astounded. "People don't die from the flu nowadays. What happened?"

"Kay, it's very possible that this is a mutation, a new strand of the flu. It is also possible that she's been very bad about keeping up her immune system and it failed on her. But don't worry, she's going to be okay."

Kay walked over to the bed where Michelle laid, and sat down in a chair next to her. She grabbed Michelle's hand and held it tight in hers as she heard Doc open the door to leave the room. She heard the footsteps of others entering the room, but she kept her focus on Michelle. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and looked up to see Trista smiling down at her.

"Better now?" Kay's best friend asked. Kay smiled and laughed. She was sure they all thought she overreacted. And by all accounts, she was pretty sure she did overreact. The girls, at least, understood why Kay reacted the way she did. Kay looked around and saw Pickles standing in the doorway to the room. She squeezed Michelle's hand and got up from the seat and walked up to Pickles. The two walked out of the room and into the hallway.

"Hey, umm… sorry." It wasn't much, but that was all she could offer him. "The girls are like family to me. I kinda flipped when Mar said Chelle was back here."

"So that's your drummer?" he asked, chuckling nervously. Kay smiled.

"Yeah, that's Michelle, my drummer, and one of my oldest friends. We go way back. She was there for me during some of the worst times. All the girls were."

"It's cool. I should go, let you be with your friends." Kay looked up as Pickles said this to her.

"Thanks," she said, appreciative. "I should be here for the girls." Pickles nodded.

"Hey, I'm having the opening celebration of my wine in a couple days. You should come," he offered. Kay smiled at him warmly.

"I think I might have to pass. Chelle might get better soon, and I know Maggie will want me to help her with the songs we recorded."

"Oh. Well, our last concert is coming up soon, too."

"I'd love to make it to that. I'll see what's going on and let you know."

"Okay. Well, I'll see you around."

Kay waved to Pickles as he walked away, feeling bad for leaving him. She would have loved to spend more time with him, but her priorities were with Michelle and the girls right now.

The next two days passed away in a blur. Amara never left Michelle's side, and Kay split her time between the hospital and the studio with Maggie where they spent their time working on the tracks, getting them ready for submission. Michelle was released from the hospital, and once again was confined to the bed, but with a new dietary menu and care.

Kay remembered sitting on the couch with Trista in the afternoon a couple days later watching the news, and there was coverage of Murderface's political campaign down the drain with the release of his private pictures, and Pickles' wine release party where it turned out the wine was poisoned of sorts. Kay felt real bad for the wine failure, but there was nothing she could do. She messaged Pickles later that night and told him that things were settling down and that she would be honored to accompany him to the last concert. He responded that he would send someone to pick her up.

Kay told the girls to keep in touch with as she entered the vehicle sent to her for the concert. They waved goodbye as she drove away. Earlier that day, Kay spent a while on her appearance, wearing a torn, white top, and torn, dark blue jeans. She had on pale foundation and dark eyeshadow. She was happy with her appearance.

She arrived at Mordhaus, and was escorted to the helipad where Pickles waited. Kay could see the others inside the aircraft, and noticed that two were people she had not yet met. Pickles smiled at her as she came up to him, and she smiled at him in return. They walked into the aircraft together, and Pickles introduced Kay to the two men in suits. It turned out, Kay knew who the elder man was, given his status as CEO of Crystal Mountain Records was legendary. She had even had dealings with Mr. Cornickelson in the past when Half Breed was rising in fame. By his smile to her, it was clear that Mr. Cornickelson remembered her. She smiled and bowed to him in respect. Pickles introduced the other man, Charles, explaining that he was the CFO and such. Kay shook Charles' hand.

Pickles sat with the rest of the band, and Kay decided to take a seat next to Mr. Cornickelson. Soon, the aircraft was off. Cornickelson talked with the band in front of them. It was very bittersweet. When he was done talking, the aircraft was very silent. The CEO turned to Kay and began talking.

"I was very pleased to see your band rise to fame, Kay," he said with a smile. Kay smiled back at him.

"We have a lot of fun together."

"How is everyone?"

"Not so well." At Cornickelson's confusion, she continued. "Michelle's sick. She's been in and out of the hospital. We're hoping she'll recover this time. Otherwise, things have been well for all of us. Except for that café photo with me and Pickles."

"Speaking of," she heard Charles speak. "I would like to discuss with you the ramifications of this picture."

She lowered her head and sighed.

"It was an accident. Pickles came with me when I went to get lunch for everyone, and someone took a picture of it. I don't know why everyone keeps thinking that there's a secret affair." Kay looked up at Charles, noting that the members of Dethklok were watching and hearing them. "If anything, we're lucky. No one will be able to recognize me in that picture. I was dressed down, and my hair was up. And there's only one image of me without my mask floating around in the world."

"What do you mean, 'without a mask?'" Charles asked. Mr. Cornickelson laughed.

"She's in a band as well," Mr. Cornickelson answered for Kay. "She almost joined Crystal Mountain Records years ago, before Dethklok came." She giggled at his remark.

"It was a good few years before. The girls and I were young, and I wanted nothing to do with you. The others kept pushing, and I walked out."

"They sighed and shook their heads at you," Mr. Cornickelson said. "I just laughed and said that it was fate. It might have been a good thing you weren't signed to us. You skyrocketed to fame, it seemed, without any help."

"Well, that's what happens when you have good driving forces," Kay replied, winking and smiling.

"Charles," Mr. Cornickelson directed his conversation to. "I would like miss Kay to be with us back stage. I'm sure there's plenty we can catch up on."

Charles nodded in acceptance and the flight continued in silence.

It wasn't much longer before they arrived at the concert site. Everyone disembarked the aircraft and Dethklok began preparing for their final concert. Charles ordered some Klokateers to stand guard by Kay and Mr. Cornickelson. At first, she thought it was odd, but the longer she watched the boys of the band, and Charles, the more something in the back of her mind itched, and she felt a strong desire to stay near them. The longer she stood there, watching the darkening mood of the band, the more she felt her nerves heighten.

Against Kay's better judgment, she slipped between the guards and straight up to Pickles. He stood there, looking down at her, and there was no joy in his eyes. Before she knew what she was doing, Kay flung her arms around him and hugged him tight. She knew she caught him by surprise, and apparently she caught everyone else by surprise too, since it became extremely quiet around them.

"You remember how it felt when you were playing with us?" Kay whispered up to him. She felt his nod. "Well, think of that tonight. Play your heart out. Make this the best show you've ever done."

"Thanks," Pickles whispered back. She let him go and walked backwards, back to the guards. She saw that the rest of the band members were watching her with open mouths in shock.

Charles got the boys set and ready, and they watched from backstage as Dethklok took the stage for their final performance. Nathan addressed the audience, and all Kay heard was booing coming from the crowd. It was clear that the band was so loved; the fans didn't want the band to go yet. Kay stood next to Mr. Cornickelson, fidgeting.

"What's wrong, Kay?" he asked.

"There's something odd. I have this feeling in my stomach; something dark, dreadful. I'm… afraid." Kay didn't know how best to explain the situation. Not many knew of the things she saw in her past, or the intuition that always ended the way she figured. And right now, Kay couldn't shake images carved into stone; an old prophecy told to her when she was young, and soul searching.

A few minutes later, as the band began to play, something appeared over the crowd. A silver ghost; a person floating over everyone, killing them where they stood. He grew larger as he neared, and almost appeared as a half demon creature in Kay's eyes.

"Go, go, go!" Charles called out to the guards. "This is what we've been training for!"

Kay looked over at him, seeing him calm.

"What the hell is going on?" Mr. Cornickelson questioned. "What is that?"

Mr. Cornickelson walked out onto the stage in front of the guards and the band, and before her eyes, the creature lifted him into the air, and killed him. Charles grabbed hold of Kay's arm and took her with him, telling the guards to get the band to safety.

They ended up in a control room, where Charles sat in a chair in the center, presumably the 'captain's chair.' Kay stood near him, not sure where else to be, as he gave commands. Next thing she knew, the stage building was launched into the air. She watched as they attached to a submarine, which immediately began its decent into the water.

Charles had Kay follow him as he met up with the band. By the time they did finally meet, she fell to her knees and stared at the body of Cornickelson. Pickles walked up next to her, but just stood there, like the others.

"Who was that man?" Nathan asked.

"His name is Selatcia," Charles spoke. "But we call him the Half-Man. It's about time I told you everything. It's time you learned of the Church of the Black Klok."

Kay froze where she was, not breathing. She felt every nerve on her body flare up as memories assaulted her mind. She heard her heart pounding in her ears. Shakily, Kay took control of her body, slowly standing up and walked away from the others. She heard them call after her, but paid them no mind, just wanting some privacy.

She found a Klokateer and asked where she could get some privacy, and was lead to a bedroom. The door closed and she was left alone to her thoughts. The memories of walking into Crystal Mountain records flooded back. Kay had fought her friends the whole way there, yelling at them. But Mr. Cornickelson was very interested in their music. It did no good though. Kay's depression at the time got the better of her, and after knocking a table over, she stormed out of the meeting room and ran away. She began a soul searching hunt, trying to figure out why she felt so angry at the world. She fell to looking into religions, believing them to be the answer. Most of them were nothing but crocks.

Kay remembered her search bringing her to a remote land. Rumors and lore lead her there. Talk of two entrances to an underground cult of sorts. She managed to find one of those entrances and found herself deep inside a cave. She admired the glyphs on the wall, telling a tale of an apocalypse. When she had turned around, a man stood behind her. He told Kay he was the high priest of the Church of the Black Klok. He, then, proceeded to talk of the prophecy. It intrigued Kay. For hours, they sat, asking questions, learning more of the prophecy and the characters within. It was then that the high priest said she may be a part of the prophecy. He informed her that if certain events unfold in the future, part of the prophecy would change, but only one part. He said that the addition of another character would join. A person known as 'The White Mystic.' When Kay asked for information about the White Mystic, all he could say was that very little was known, and that what he said was it.

Her phone rang in her pocket, pulling her out of her trance. Kay pulled it out and looked at the number. She sighed to herself and answered.

"Kay! Are you okay?" Trista fervently asked, fear lacing her tone. "We saw the concert coverage! What the fuck happened?"

"I'm okay," Kay answered her main fear. "I'm still trying to figure it all out myself. Cornickelson's dead. And I'm with Dethklok right now."

"When is she coming home?" she heard Amara ask Trista. Before Trista could ask, Kay answered.

"I think the safest place for me right now is with Dethklok. Their manager seems to know what's going on, and what to do. Besides, if they let me go, that'll put everyone at risk."

She could hear Trista sigh over the line. Kay heard Trista's hand muffle the phone as she told the others what Kay said.

"Alright, Kay," She spoke to Kay again. "Please stay in touch. We're worried about you."

"I understand. I'll be fine."

The line clicked dead, and she fell onto the bed. Kay stared at the ceiling, unsure what to do next. She was stuck in a submarine with the world's most popular band. The only person on this sub she knew was Pickles. And a mutual respected figure from her past was killed in front of her eyes by some demonic ghost. And now, an old, secret organization came into play.

Kay rolled up from the bed and slid down on the ground, sitting cross-legged. She closed my eyes, sitting up straight, and began to push everything out of her mind. She felt her lips move and her vocal chords vibrate as she began to chant as she meditated. Kay remembered a place she had gone to when she ran away. Lush, green fields of grass, wildflowers dotting the ground. The sky was crystal blue, with small, puffy clouds pockmarked in the sky. Tall mountain capped with snow tried to reach the pristine sky. She remember walking in this field and having to stop to take it in. It was there, for the first time in years, that she had felt calm and happy. It was there that all her worries of the past melted away. She breathed in deep, almost able to smell the air of that field, hear the gentle wind blowing.

Kay faintly heard her name being called a ways away down the field. She looked around, but couldn't see anyone. She sat down in the field, smiling, enjoying her surroundings. Her name was called again, and this time she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

Kay's eyes shot open and the field she was in dissolved from her vision. It took a moment for her eyes to focus, and she heard her name being called again, this time much closer. Kay looked up and saw Pickles was bending down next to her.

"Hey there," he greeted, seeing that Kay finally came back to reality.

"Hey Pickles," she gave raspily.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You seemed kinda… out of it."

"I'm okay. Just… shocked. Are you okay? That thing was trying to get you."

"Yeah, I'm good." Pickles sat down next to her and looked around. "So what were you doing?"

"I was meditating," she said, giggling.

"Isn't that that 'om' crap old geezers do?"

"Yes, it is," she laughed. "Meditating calms the mind and centers you."

"Hmm." Pickles thought about that for a while.

"You wanna know what else clears your mind?" she asked with a smile.

"Uhh… what?"

"Dancing!" Kay proclaimed, standing up with a bounce.

She grabbed Pickles' hand and dragged him out of the room. It took a few minutes, but she managed to find a communal room. There was a giant stereo on one wall, a giant couch in the middle and a huge TV against the wall. She dragged Pickles in and turned the radio on, searching for a good channel. Finally, Kay found some upbeat music. It wasn't rock, but it was good to dance silly to. She turned to Pickles, who looked at her skeptically. She started doing the dance from the music video she had seen before of the song that was playing. Pickles looked almost horrified. He began to loosen up and laugh at her. The dance moves were funny, so Kay was glad it was this song that started playing. Soon after, Toki, Murderface, and Skwisgaar came into the room, questioning the music and stopped when they saw Kay dance. Toki smiled, running over to her, and began dancing with. Kay was surprised to see that he knew the dance, but it just made it better. It took a lot of coaxing, but she managed to get Skwisgaar to dance with her, giving up on the song's choreographed dance and just moving to the beat. In no time, she had Murderface and Pickles dancing too. The whole time, the guys were screaming obscenities and saying that none of this was 'metal.' Kay just told them to shut up and dance, get it all out. They were all laughing, unbelieving that this was happening. For a few dances, they all became lost in the beat, just enjoying the moment. Finally, when they were all out of breath, they stopped dancing, gasping for air, smiling, and laughing.

Pickles ended up turning the TV on, so Kay silenced the stereo. The channel was on the news, which had coverage of the attack at the concert. It was around that time that Nathan walked into the room. The news caster revealed that Roy Cornickelson had wanted Nathan to give the eulogy. It was clear in that moment that the fun had ended, and it was time to go back to the real world. They left the room, wanting to get away from the despair.

Kay ended up back in the bedroom she had before. She walked up to the mirror and looked at herself in the reflection. She still looked like she was ready for the concert. Kay unclipped her hair, letting it fall down her back, and entered the bathroom and wiped off the makeup that felt caked on her face at that moment. She found a brush and began brushing the knots out of her hair, parting it down the middle. She looked at her reflection once again and tried to smile. The smile wouldn't come to her lips.

"Mistress," Kay heard a male voice call into the room. She was caught off guard, but she exited the bathroom and came back into the bedroom where she saw a Klokateer in the doorway. "Master Ofdensen has requested your presence. Please follow me." Kay did as she was asked, following the hooded man through the hallways of the submarine. They finally arrived in a large room with a window covering one of the walls, looking out into the dark expanse before them.

"I told you all some time ago that there was something much bigger than us going on out there." Charles began speaking, not once looking at them. "See, there's an unyielding darkness surrounding this band; a horrible danger. And it's time that I told you that story.

Do you remember the black fire upon us? The attack on our home? It was led by the Revengencers. The man with the silver face led a group of brainwashed ex-fans bent on taking us all down. Upon my chasing this man, I was wounded, beaten, and that's the first time I saw Selatcia, the Half-Man, the man that killed Roy Cornickelson. I'd never seen anything like it, and it terrified me. I watched him possess a man and turn him into his pawn. My eyes met his, and I experienced a horrible blackness. I felt as if my heart was being crushed. I quite literally died, I felt my soul drift away from my body. And I can explain more once we arrive."

"We are here, sire," a Klokateer spoke as the door leading out of the room opened.

"Welcome, to the Church of the Black Klok," Charles proclaimed.

They were ushered out of the room and into personal pods, which automatically drove them up through an underwater entrance into the cave. Kay realized that this was the secondary entrance she had heard about all those years ago. They all left the pods and walked through the cave. As they walked through the tunnels, Charles explained that the Church of the Black Klok was an ancient society that had been well guarded. They had saved Charles' life before, and had secretly been protecting the band. As they entered the main chamber, an elderly man stood before them, the high priest. And down below were the many followers of the religion. There were more people than Kay remembered. She was taken aback by this, but the band didn't seem fazed at all.

The high priest, Ishnifus Meaddle, explained how he nursed Charles back to health. Charles then told them of the prophecy he was introduced to. Kay walked over to the wall and looked at the ancient script on the wall. Charles explained that he was known as the Dead Man in the prophecy, and as such, was able to move around undetected, obtaining information about Falconback. Kay stored that information in the back of her mind to ask later. She just continued to examine the wall. Ishnifus began to talk, saying that the Metalocalypse has been moving forward. And in these dark times, the prophecy says that five souls would rise up, saving the world.

Of course, the guys didn't understand any of this, or who these people were. Ishnifus continued, saying that as the world crumbles, and everything turns to darkness, the world would look to Dethklok for salvation.

"This fucking shit doesn't make any fucking sense," Nathan spat out. "Because, we're not fucking heroes, that's for fucking sure. And secondly, we're not even a fucking band anymore. Fuck!" Nathan turned around to walk away, but was stopped when Ishnifus spoke again.

"What drove you to destroy your record?" He asked, clearly knowing the answer himself. "There's something you're not telling them, because you fear it would make you appear mad. We know why you destroyed that record. And so do you. 'Twas the wrong record, 'twas the wrong message. Look, you were visited by a water beast; a sea prophet. She has been your guide for some time. She speaks to you in dreams. And she spoke to you then. She told you that you couldn't condone that message. The five of you had to release the appropriate one. And release this message, you must. This will be the most important thing you will have done. You're one song away from finishing this message. Yes, Dethklok must finish this last song first. Look within yourself, you know this to be true."

The guys stood there, staring at him in disbelief. But Charles cut them off, saying that they needed to leave for the funeral now. As everyone began to walk away, Ishnifus Meaddle stood beside Kay. The others, around the tunnel entrance, stopped and looked over at the two.

"You have become strong," he spoke softly to Kay. She nodded, looking back up at the prophecy on the wall. "The right events have unfolded, leading you to us again, to take the role of the White Mystic. Are you prepared for this journey?"

Kay looked up at him, feeling her eyes water as a rush of emotion overwhelmed her. Memories of her past flooded her mind. She placed a hand on the wall, looking at it again, and to the image of the White Mystic on the wall.

"You believe me to be the Mystic, still?" she asked, hearing her voice tremble.

"Only one, heart as pure as yours can take up this mantle," was his reply.

"How do you know my heart is pure? I've seen things, done things, that would terrify others."

"It is because of this pain you have endured, that makes you stronger, makes you understand the job at hand. I believe there is no other more suitable for this role."

Kay inhaled deep and slowly released the air in her lungs as she willed the tears back inside.

"I am the White Mystic. I will do my duty, and protect the chosen ones." She turned away from the wall and walked to the rest of the group, waiting for her.

They walked back to the submarine in silence. There was so much on everyone's mind, there was no reason to say anything. Kay found her way back to her room and looked for something to wear. It was almost as if they had prepared for a woman to be onboard, since half the closet was filled with women's clothing. Kay managed to find a nice black pencil skirt with a matching jacket. She found a white blouse to go underneath and slipped it on. She entered the bathroom and worked on her hair, deciding to just put it in a high ponytail. For appearances, she applied a small amount of makeup, making sure not to do her usual gothic layers.

After some time, there was a knock on the door. Pickles entered the room, dressed in a nice suit. Kay smiled at him in greeting.

"Hey, uh…" he began. "I'm sorry, for dragging you into all this shit."

"It's okay," she stopped him from continuing, smiling. "It was destined. And unforeseeable. Besides, you would have seen me at Roy's funeral anyways."

"Yeah, what's the deal with that? How do you know him?"

Kay giggled.

"Shortly after Kale and I managed to leave the gang, I met up with the girls. For a few years, they dealt with my depression, withdrawls, and… suicide attempts. The girls managed to get me to start writing, which spawned all the lyrics to our songs. We began creating those songs together. Those were some of the only moments the depression didn't affect me." Kay looked up at Pickles, who only stood there staring at her. "One day, Maggie said that she had set up a meeting with the CEO of a record label. Me, being the perfectionist, was not happy with this. I didn't think the music was ready. And I certainly was not ready to devote my time to the music. We went anyway. Roy was very kind, very gentle. He was very interested in our work, and wanted me to sign a contract immediately. The girls were excited about it. But I felt suffocated. So I ran. Literally. I ran out of the building, and didn't stop running. That began my journey of self-discovery. About a year later, I returned. I met with Roy a few more times, and we did talk business, but I told him that I wasn't ready, that it didn't feel right. He never got angry about it, but he would always keep in touch."

"I see," Pickles said. "Why were you depressed?" Kay was shocked that Pickles was asking about her personal life. But she answered him anyway.

"Because my family was killed in front of me, and there was nothing I could do. I always felt like it was my fault. I ran away from my grandparents and found a gang. I ended up joining, being the youngest member. I drowned everything out with drugs and alcohol. I was still depressed when I got out of the gang. Almost nothing the girls did helped. Except writing music. Singing always had a way of calming me down."

"Well, I'm glad you're not dead," Pickles said. Kay laughed. "We should be there soon." He walked out of the room, leaving her alone. Kay sat there, preparing her mind for the funeral.