Cronus found himself in LOMAD, Meenah's dark underwater world. Still lacking control of his movements, Cronus found himself reaching into his sylladex and withdrawing a small light blue marshmallow.

"Vwhat's this?" Cronus asked Aranea as he was forced to eat it.

"A marshmallow that makes you invisi8le. I smuggled it into your sylladex earlier while you were trying to write that monologue a8out love and other topics you weren't familiar with."

"Hey! I—MARSHMALLOWV POVWER!" Cronus cried involuntarily to activate the marshmallow. He became completely invisible and was forced to swim towards Meenah's hive. The Thief of Life could be seen in front of it, fighting imps armed with plasmas pistols and air helmets. Cronus winced as he watched Meenah stab, slice, and mutilate all the imps for some grist. Then he felt himself say:

"Meenah, your powver has gone unchecked for too long! Your friends fear you more than your enemies!"

"Huh? Who said that?" Meenah asked, not seeing Cronus get closer to her with the plasma pistol Aranea had given him earlier in the jade mines.

"Doesn't matter wvho. Iwv'e come to stop you from doing something rash."

"Is that bight?" Meenah replied, stifling a giggle as she recognized the voice. "Pretty rash of you, ya know, comin' here to sea if you can krill me," Meenah countered. "Cronus, I knew you were seaweird, but I didn't think you were stupid."

"Vwe'll see about that!" Cronus cried, shooting a charged-up plasma pistol shot at Meenah. Meenah easily dodged the shot and swam forward to where it had been fired. Just because she couldn't see her enemy didn't mean he wasn't there. Cronus quickly swam above her to avoid her, but when he did so Meenah could feel the current created by his sudden movement. She was able to tell that Cronus was above her and very nearly hit him when she thrust her 2X3dent upward. Cronus turned to face Meenah again from behind and fired the plasma pistol multiple times, making sure to scatter the shots around so as to confuse her. But Meenah wasn't so easily fooled. Using her 2X3dent to block the shots nearest to her, she whistled for Fishbowlsprite. The sprite seemed to come from nowhere to her side.

"Get on fishipster's head!" Meenah ordered it. The sprite tried to do so, but was shot by Cronus' pistol a few times. But this had been exactly what Meenah had been expecting. She snapped her fingers, and Fishbowlsprite fired a laser on command, stunning Cronus long enough for it to get its helmety self around its head. Meenah then reared back, steadied her aim, and threw her 2X3dent straight into Fishbowlsprite, killing it and sending the weapon straight into Cronus' face. But Meenah raised an eyebrow in surprise when she heard:

"AAGGAAHH! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" Cronus then became visible, his face now sporting two gashes where the 2X3dent had made its mark. It would have been 3, but Meenah's aim had been a tad off on account of him being invisible.

"It was obviously you," Meenah told Cronus as the dazed troll's blood clouded the water around his face.

"Vwhat happened? Did you beat me?" Cronus asked, touching his cheek and wincing. "My face aches."

"Just an ache? Shoulda been worse, the way I stabbed ya. Guess Serket took most of the blow. She deserved it, after all," Meenah reasoned. "Hey, where you goin'?"

"I don't knowv, just avway from here. Maybe I'll go see Mituna. I bet he vwon't stab me in the face," Cronus said as he swam away.

"Wade a minnow! Gotta tell ya somefin!" Meenah called back.

"Vwhat?" Cronus asked, turning around to find Meenah getting ready to throw her 2X3dent.

"THIS!" And with that Meenah threw her trident at Cronus again, this time aiming perfectly at his heart, killing him. Meenah picked up the sinking body and buried it in the ocean floor with the shards of glass from Fishbowlsprite.

"Don't blame me Cronus, it was Aranea's fault that you're in a watery grave. If I didn't kill you, she'd use you again Gog-knows –when," Meenah told Cronus' body as he gave him a kiss.

. . . . .

Latula and Mituna stayed in his hive, snuggled in his recuperacoon. One look at the sky on Latula's world made her reconsider leaving Mituna there; who knows what the crazy colors of the sky would do to him? Due to Mituna's mental state, Latula knew it wasn't going to get any more intimate. Not that it mattered anymore. She watched as Mituna fell asleep, then handed him to Lapclopsprite. It had stayed behind during the battle with Prora Methos, but now it held Mituna's body telekinetically. A sad emoticon appeared on its screens.

"You don't s33m surpr1s3d," Latula remarked. The sprite/lusus typed a response.

"I could sense it when this happened to him. I have no knowledge of how to restore him to normal."

"1 don't 31th3r. Wh4t 1f th3r3 1sn't 4 w4y?"

"It would seem that way, for now. If only I had been in the battle. I could have stopped this."

"1 couldn't do 4nyth1ng, 31th3r, 4nd 1 w4s th3r3. 1 don't know how th1s h4pp3n3d, but…wh4t c4n w3 do but try 4nd c4r3 for h1m?"

"Agreed. But I will leave him to you for now. You have been a good matesprit to him."

"Th4nks. 1 d1d my b3st," Latula said somberly. Lapclopsprite was about to leave when suddenly its screens began to flash.

"Incoming message…It appears to be from Mituna. It says, 'I chose.' That is the message in its entirety."

"Wh4t do you m34n, h3 'chos3' th1s? Why would h3 do som3th1ng l1k3 th4t? Wh4t w4s go1ng through h1s m1nd?"

"I don't know. But judging from my sprite-based knowledge as a construct of this game, this action was necessary for his well-being…in a way that I cannot grasp. Take care of him," Lapclopsprite typed. Latula wanted to say more but the sprite vanished. The two simple words of Mituna's supposed message befuddled Latula, but she still managed to fall asleep anyway.

She woke up on Prospit and went to Mituna's room. He had woken up, curiously still wearing his helmet from his world.

"HUGH?! WE'R3 1N G0LD3N L4ND!" Mituna cried, glancing at his room nervously. "W3 CAN'T B3E3S hear! WE'RE G0101N34 DIE!" Mituna flailed his arms about the room before finally clutching at Latula.

"Shh, shh…th3r3's noth1ng h3r3 to hurt us! W3'r3 h3r3 b3c4us3 1t's s4f3…" Latula reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. This made Mituna jump.

"THEY'S COMIIIING! TH3 MUNESTERS NO WE'RE HERE! D000000000M3DS1398—huh?"

"Wh4t 1s 1t, Tun4?"

"D1D Y0U S43Y3…60LD3N L4ND? 00H…1'M 5ORRY. 1 M1551L3D Y4."

"1t's ok4y…no on3 1s h3r3 but us," Latula reassured him again. "Why 4r3 you so sc4r3d?" she asked, hoping to get some understanding of whatever it was that was bothering him.

"1'M 5ORRY. 1 5HUDN'T B3 SC4RR3ED. 1 JU5T…MY H34D HURTS, 4ND…TH3R3! TH3R3 H3 15! G3RT1M, TUL1P! 4ND BL0 UP H15 INF0!"

"wh4t 1nf0? G3t who? Th3r3's no one h3r3 but us," Latula said again, growing a bit impatient. Mituna looked up at her and stood up, staring into her face.

"YOU…YOU C4N'T TH3A. YOU C4N'T 533 TH3M. LUCKY Y0U. CU2 1 C4N. TH3Y HURT M3, 1N MY H34D. 1 C4N'T M4K3 TH3M 5T0P. M05T 0F TH3 T1M3. 8UT…WH3N Y0U'R3 H3R3, TH3Y G3T SC4R3D. TH3Y'R3 SC4R3D 0F Y0U." Mituna stood up and stared at Skaia, looking out into space beyond.

"YA H34R TH4T, M0N5T34RS?! MY TUL1P I5 H3R3RRR! 5H'3LL K1LL 4LL 0F Y0U! 4ND 1F SH3 C4N'T TH3N 1'LL D0 1T MY5ILF!" suddenly, Mituna winced in pain. "00H. TH3Y H34RD M3. 1 SH0ULDN'T H4V3 S41D 4NYTH1NG. 0W. 000000W! 4GGGGGGONGQO3HRGWUOERH!" Latula had to restrain Mituna to stop him from slamming his head against the wall repeatedly.

"M1tun4, 1t's ok4y! no on3's gonna g3t you!" Latula cried, but her words seemed to have no effect. After a few more seconds, Mituna seemed to calm down, finally settling back down on the bed to snuggle with Latula again. But then, he heard another voice in his head, this one sounding rather doopey.

"WH0 4R3 Y0U? WHY D0 Y0U W4NT T0 HURT M3?" Mituna whispered to the voice.

"Tun4, who's hurting you?!" Latula demanded, adopting a threatening tone in an attempt to "scare off" whatever entity Mituna was seeing. She frankly had no idea if it would work.

"TUL1P 1—JU5T 5HUT UP! C4N'T Y0U 533 1 4M 1N 4 C0NV3R54TIOTIONIDNRIBHDRJGNDJGHJGTRFJTUFRUCKAONGASN!" Mituna screamed in her face, and his breath would have been rancid to her if she had a sense of smell. Latula scowled at him. She had had enough of his newfound strangeness.

"M1tun4, wh4t's gott3n 1nto you?! 1'v3 b33n TRY1NG to h3lp you! Th3r3's no n33d to b3 so RUD3 to m3! Fr4nkly, 1'm st4rt1ng to th1nk you'r3 just 3x4gg3r4t1ng. H3ck, you'r3 prob4bly m4k1ng 4ll th1s up! W3ll, h4 h4! Now 1t's not funny 4nymor3! So stop 1t, now! 1'v3 h4d 3nough worry1ng 4bout you! 1 don't know wh4t sort of pr4nk you 4nd Kurloz thought you could pull but 1'v3 h4d 3NOUGH! So you know wh4t? YOU SHUT UP!" Latula stormed out of Mituna's bedroom in a huff, going back to her own so that she could get out of here. Maybe then Mituna would drop this silly act. Mituna hung his head as she left, moaning and sobbing. He would have screamed in sorrow, but his voice was getting hoarse.

"815CU1T5…5H3'5 GOON. 1'M 4L0N3…" Mituna lamented.

Don't be sad, Mituna. Biscuits will help you get her back! She just doesn't understand what you're feeling right now. Biscuits is sorry if he came at a bad time. It's just that he hasn't gotten to talk to you, and he really is excited to meet you!

"C00D Y00 8R1NG TUL1P 84CK?" Mituna pleaded with Biscuits. No answer.

But as Latula was about to head back to her own world, she heard a doopey voice call her name.

Latula! This is Biscuits! He's the voice that Mituna was hearing! He's also Mituna's exile! He—me and him—need you to come back! Mituna is sorry that he scared you away. The voices in his head are driving him mad. He needs you to get rid of them. You're his Knight of Mind, after all!

"1 c4n't b3l13v3 4ny mor3 of th1s. 1'm sorry, but 1 won't. 1 don't c4r3 1f you'r3 M1tun4's 3x1l3, for 4ll 1 know you m1ght b3 1n on 1t, too!"

Ok. You have a point. Is Biscuits telling the truth? He's going to prove it to you! Listen to a sample of the monsters in his head!

Before Latula could protest, she suddenly heard a thousand voices. No—noises was a more appropriate word. Grunts, snarls, growls, and even the occasional eerie hum.

The Heir of Doom grows weaker. His mind is ours to torment, she could hear them say. The Knight has left him. He is ours to take. Some voices sounded grating, others were little more than low roars, but all of them seemed to be saying the same thing at once.

"So…they're real," Latula said as the voices faded from her. "I don't know. All they seemed to do was talk about him. Are they really that dangerous?"

Can you imagine having to hear that all day and night? When you sleep, and when you wake up? Can you imagine having to hear them whisper to you all the ways they could kill you, all the ways they could ruin your life, forever and ever? That's what Mituna feels right now. Do you want him to stay that way, or do you want to give him some time away from those things? Or are you just going to let him burn like an overdone biscuit?

The words burned into Latula's mind. Would she really leave him like this? She couldn't. No troll she knew of would do such a thing to their matesprit. Mituna had made a choice, she finally realized after being told this several times. Maybe the other option was something so horrible, he had been willing to sacrifice his sanity for it. Now it was her turn. What choice would she make? The more tempting option, or the one which required sacrifice? After recalling the actions of her matesprit, she knew.

Latula flew back to Mituna's room, finding him on the floor in despair. She took off his helmet and placed a hand to his forehead. At first it didn't seem to do anything, but after a few moments Mituna suddenly stopped moving around and opened his drying eyes. Latula helped him back up and sat him into a chair, making sure to put his helmet back on him.

"1'M 5ORRY."

"no, stop s4y1ng th4t, you h4v3 noth1ng to b3 sorry for. I'm the one who should be sorry. Biscuits told me what the problem was. I believe you now. You just tell me when something gets too rough to handle, and I'll take care of it."

"TH4NKS. Y0U'R3 S0 4 R4D1C4L M4T3SPR1T."

"you're pretty radical too, you know. Thanks for being so forgiving." Mituna smiled and leaned in close. She thought he would just give her a hug, but instead he stood up, threw off his helmet and kissed passionately on the lips. Latula didn't draw away, instead cherishing the moment in which Mituna was somehow able to love her back. All that shyness and awkwardness she remembered from when they had first met in the beginning of the session was gone. She was so glad to finally see his sensitive side. If only he had shown it sooner.

Mituna suddenly sat back down in the chair, apparently passed out. She wasn't sure whether or not he was asleep and would wake up back in her hive, but either way she placed him back in his bed. Glancing around the room, she saw numerous bare shelves. These would have to be filled with stuff to keep him occupied, she thought. Anything to take away the pain of the nightmares. But that could be filled at a later time. Right now he seemed content.

"I won't let this stop me from loving you," Latula told Mituna, giving him a goodnight kiss before she left his room again, this time to see if she could buy things for Mituna in Prospit.

Thank you, she heard a voice whisper as she flew through Prospit.

I know this isn't what you had in mind when you thought of us being together. But it's what we have to do now. I wish I could explain to you why I did what I did, but the words will never come fast enough. I chose this to save you, and everyone else. One day you'll see what I mean.

And remember, I'm still here, and I always will be.