And thus, Giygas fled back into the psionic realm, like a gopher burrowing underground to hide from the sun's rays. The greatest evil in humanity's mind has been defeated by my own great-grandson.

But the battle wasn't over yet. Not by far.


On Jeff's screen, the figure of Giygas vanished from the streets of Ceres.

Did we… Jeff thought. Did we actually beat Giygas?

"Wow," Kumatora said. "I think that we actually managed to do it, Jeff. Our plan worked!"

A grin spread onto Kumatora's face. She jumped up and gave Jeff a high five.

"It didn't work exactly as planned," Jeff said. "The combination of PK Rockin, PK Starstorm, and PK Love didn't finish him off like I had hoped."

"It weakened him enough for everyone to send Ninten their strength, didn't it?" Kumatora said. "Yeah, it sucks that we ended up destroying the spirits inside of those knives, but we beat psyching Giygas. What more could we possibly want?"

I don't know, Jeff thought. That's what concerns me. I should feel elated. After all, I did play a key role in bringing down a being whispered of only in legends. And yet, there's nothing.

But if taking down Giygas wasn't enough to satisfy Jeff, then what would be? He always told himself that he wanted to help people and change the world for the better. But now that he had saved the universe from an alien invasion, Jeff only felt exhausted.

I guess this isn't the end, Jeff thought. I need to do even more to prove myself.

Even more… Jeff didn't know how much more he could do. Could anything hold meaning for him after witnessing the beauty of Lorraine's realm and the terror of Giygas?

"Aren't you forgetting about somebody?" Lorraine asked.

Jeff and Kumatora jerked their heads around, looking back at the lake. Diana and Lorraine floated stationary over the lake, but it didn't look like a standstill. Diana's shoulders were slumped over, and she sucked in massive gasps of air. Due to her partially starman body, her breathing noises sounded mechanical, like a machine whirring. The golden light danced off of Diana's shiny, grey skin.

On the other end of the lake floated Lorraine, who directed a cold smile at Kumatora and Jeff.

"I never thought that this day would come," Lorraine said. "You chose to save Giygas over me."

"Save Giygas?" Kumatora said. "We just kicked his ass!"

"Oh, how little you know."

Lorraine snarled and fired a massive laser at Diana. Diana cried out and keeled over, her long hair falling over her face and into the Amber Lake. Her muscles tensed and she took ragged gasps.

"Diana!" Jeff said. "Are you…"

"I'm fine," Diana said, kneeling back up on the air and flashing a weak smile.

"You little brats don't know anything!" Lorraine shouted, firing another laser at Diana. "I... was… going to make Ceres beautiful again. I was going to bring the Osohe back to a golden age! But you…" Lorraine's expression turned dark, and her ancient eyes flashed with a shadowy anger that Jeff had never seen before.

"What did we do?" Jeff said. "We beat Giygas for you, just like you wanted. Can't we just live together in harmony?"

"Beating Giygas was never my goal!"

Lorraine summoned a ball of red energy and flung it at Diana, who barely managed to dance out of the way.

"Never your…" Jeff blinked. "What? But he's…"

Lorraine flashed a wolfish smile that reminded Jeff of Kumatora.

"You really think that I care about him? Hah! I thought you were smart."

"I've never seen her go this ballistic before," Kumatora said. "Normally she's so high up on her rocker that it drives me nuts.

"Tell me, Jeff. Do you know about the curse of the Ancients?"

"I don't see why that's-"

"When we spend time here in the physical universe, our power turns against us. Energy wants to disperse and create chaos." Lorraine's gaze pinned Jeff in place. "It alters our minds. It makes us want to kill."

"I've never heard that before," Kumatora said, taking a step forward.

"Why do you think Giygas targeted you humans in the first place?" Lorraine said. "Do you think that it's because you're special? Dangerous to him? News flash: you're not." Lorraine barked a laugh. "You're inconsequential! Giygas just tried to kill you because the fabric of the universe corrupted his mind and made him want to destroy everything in sight."

That can't be… Jeff thought. All of this time, Giygas was… another victim?

"Don't take her words to heart," Kumatora said. "She'll say anything to get what she wants."

"Oh, I'm not denying that." Lorraine's eyes widened along with her smile, making her look insane. "I'm just sick of holding all of this in. When you beat Giygas, you healed him from that terrible affliction and now he's content to leave you alone."

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. So Giygas wouldn't come back bigger and stronger after all.

"I suffer from the same curse," Lorraine said.

"You…" Kumatora's eyes narrowed. "Now you're just fishing for sympathy."

"Oh, Kuma," Lorraine said. "Why must you always paint me as the villain?"

"Because you sent me into the future and turned my entire race into a bunch of Tendas!"

"I turned your father into a stone instead."

"That's not any better!"

Lorraine shrugged.

"Again, I won't deny the truth. But why would I want to cast my people away? A power beyond my control was pulling my strings."

"I don't believe you."

"Why do you think that I wanted the Sword of Kings?"

To fight Giygas with, Jeff almost said, but remembered that Lorraine cared not at all about Giygas.

But if she wasn't planning to turn its power against Giygas, why did she want it in the first place? Jeff tossed around ideas in its head. Maybe she just wanted access to the unparalleled energy packed within the blade, but what would she use it for.

Wait, Jeff thought. Could it be?

Suddenly, everything made sense: why she was furious with Jeff for not giving the Sword of Kings directly to her, why her anger only grew when he unleashed the power of the knives and the Sound Stone, and why she spoke of the curse on her and Giygas in such a desperate way.

"We saved Giygas using the power of the three Osohe knives and the Sound Stone," Jeff said. "You were planning to use that energy on yourself so that you could heal away your destructive tendencies."

"Ah, so you are a little smarter than you look," Lorraine said. Her face twisted into a scowl. "So do you realize now what you've done to me? Do you understand just how much pain I have to bear because of you? I was going to become whole again and now I'll never have that chance!"

For once, a flash of sympathy shone in Kumatora's eyes.

"You mean…" Kumatora shook her head, and her gaze hardened. "No. I won't fall into your trap now. Even if what you're saying is true, you took advantage of my people long before you cast them away. You said that you were here to protect and unify us, but you only ended up dividing us further." Kumatora gestured towards the glowing lake and green forest around her. "You give us beauty, but that's not enough. The Osohe needed freedom, mother!"

"Freedom." Lorraine shook her head. "That was the one thing I could not give. I am your Queen and you were my subjects. I created you from pathetic spirits; I brought you up and cultured you. I gave the Osohe everything, Kuma. They belonged to me." She looked at Kumatora with fiery eyes. "But none of this matters. I lust for death and destruction. I lust for chaos. And you will not stop me!"

Jeff barely had time to shout out before Lorraine darted towards Diana.


Diana Carpainter struggled to fend off Lorraine and stay alive.

Lorraine summoned a glowing, white blade and whirled it around until it became a blur. She lashed out at Diana, striking again and again. Diana blocked the first couple of attacks with her bow before dropping it into the Amber Lake and summoning a pair of blades.

Diana focused her efforts on darting away and parrying Lorraine's attacks. Soon, she realized that she couldn't possibly keep up with the Osohe queen's pace. Lorraine was faster, stronger, more precise… and just better overall. Whenever Diana darted up or down in the air, Lorraine followed with a twisted glare on her face. Her never-changing scowl almost looked fake.

But could an Ancient like Lorraine truly feel anything? Diana sometimes felt her starman half lurking in the back of her mind, and it was always hollow, empty. It spoke to her in hushed voices, telling her where to aim her bow and what parts of the body to stab when she wanted to kill. Was Lorraine any different, or did she just respond to the same, natural urges to kill?

I think that I suffer from the same "curse" that she does, Diana thought. The compulsion to maim and hurt and kill… it's all there, behind my sad eyes.

After a moment, Diana shook her head.

But I can't blame all of my killings on my starman half. All of the cultists under my father's thumb killed at his command. I've shown that I can be different. I have no excuses for my past.

Diana tried to twist out of the way of Lorraine's next strike, but she felt a blinding pain as the glowing blade entered her side. Diana fumbled for control of her body and dove under the lake.

She resurfaced moments later, gasping for air. Lorraine flew at her with her sword flashing, and Diana parried the attacks. But each time she flew away or raised her arms to block, she could feel her muscles screaming just a little bit louder for her to stop.

"Are you sure that you don't want to join me?" Lorraine said, slicing into Diana's arm. "Even though I want to destroy Ceres, I might allow you to tag along. Your father passed his powers over to you, probably to get rid of the curse."

Diana didn't need anyone to tell her. She and her sister Minerva had just been an experiment for Apollo Carpainter. He wanted to see if he could pass on his powers, and if he could create mindless slaves that would do his bidding without him needing to suffer from the desire for blood himself.

For decades, it worked. But it ended up being her father's greatest mistake.

"I have this power now," Diana said. "And it's my responsibility to use it."

"Responsibility," Lorraine said. "You mean what everyone else wants you to do with it.

Lorraine smiled, shoving her white blade through Diana's chest. Diana gasped, floating away to remove the sword from her chest. She raised her swords, but they shook in her hands.

Psych, Diana thought. I'm really on my last ounce of strength.

Diana gritted her teeth. If she fell, then the barrier surrounding her and Lorraine would fade, giving the Osohe Queen access to Jeff and Kumatora. She would not let that happen.

"You humans want to be your own people," Lorraine said. "You don't let anyone else tell you what to do. You follow your own dreams." Lorraine sliced at Diana's neck, her falsely sweet voice paired with a creepy smile. "You're stupid, selfish creatures. So why do you care about what they want from you?"

"I…" Diana dove down and flew back towards the center of the lake. "It's the right thing…"

"They say that it's the right thing," Lorraine said. "But why should you have to protect everyone with your power? People are inherently evil, and we both know it. Set yourself free, Diana. Don't worry about what other people think about you. Join me." Lorraine extended a hand. "Join the agents of chaos."

"You know that I can't agree to stand by and watch Ceres burn."

"You can, but you won't." Lorraine sighed. "A pity. It will be a shame to kill a being with the blood of an Ancient."

Lorraine darted towards Diana, accelerating from zero to full speed in less than a second. Diana tried to dodge out of the way, but she couldn't gather up the speed to match Lorraine's. Diana braced herself for the pain, but too late she realized that Lorraine didn't intend to stab her.

Lorraine rammed into Diana, grabbing her throat. The Osohe Queen continued to fly forwards until the two smashed into the invisible barrier that Diana put up to separate them from Jeff and Kumatora. Lorraine pressed Diana's throat against the barrier, a feral grin starting to grow on her face.

"Stop kicking and squealing," Lorraine said. "I thought that you wanted to go down with dignity."

No… Diana thought, resisting the urge to grab at her own throat and instead swinging her blades at Lorraine. It can't end like this.

A flash of pain blinded Diana. She screamed, and she could feel hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

How long had it been since Diana Carpainter had cried? She had assumed that her emotions had been beaten out of her long ago. Maybe she could muster up a single spark of feeling and smile, but tears? Too innocent for someone like Diana.

Once again, she was the same child at the receiving end of her father's beating. She was the same child who watched her father fry another cultist with lightning simply because he could. Diana remembered looking at the cultist's charred body and nearly barfing. She couldn't make out any of his features.

In that moment, Diana wasn't a daughter of the Ancients. She wasn't a warrior. She was just another sniveling child, powerless to influence the world around her.

Just when I think that my demons are dead and buried… Diana would have laughed if she had the breath for it.

"That's it?" Lorraine said, ramming her sword into Diana's chest over and over again. "You don't have anything else to say?"

Even if I did, I couldn't say it.

Diana kicked and sliced at Lorraine with her swords, trying to do something, anything. But of course, Lorraine's expression and resolve did not change.

Can't… give up now…

But Diana didn't really have any other options. She couldn't see Jeff and Kumatora from this angle, but she guessed that they hadn't fled even by now. She didn't think that they would leave her behind, and even if they tried it wouldn't matter once Lorraine broke free. She would destroy everything.

If I lose here, the entire universe is doomed, Diana thought. Doesn't that mean something to me? Can't I draw on some last reserve of strength that I didn't know I had?

The corners of Diana's vision started to go black.

So this… is how it ends. I'm not a hero. I couldn't redeem myself. And on top of that, all of the people I killed would have died at Lorraine's hands anyway. My sins mean nothing. My suffering means nothing.

Is there anyone out there? Does anyone care about me?

Am I… alone?

Diana's vision went black.


Kumatora heard a shattering noise behind her, and glittering shards of a clear substance fell down from an invisible wall. Most landed in the water, but some bounced onto the rocks surrounding the lake. Diana Carpainter fell onto the shore with her legs in the golden water but her chest and head on the rocks.

"Oh no," Kumatora said, running towards Diana.

You knew that this would happen, she told herself. Everything depends on how well you can play this next part.

Kumatora jumped over clear shards and landed next to Diana's head. Her grey, starman skin shimmered in the golden light of the lake. With her body half starman, Kumatora didn't know where to check for a pulse. She laid Diana's head in her lap and pressed two fingers up to her neck, where a major artery would be for humans.

She felt a small thump in Diana's neck as blood rushed by. Kumatora breathed a sigh of relief. Diana was unconscious but not dead.

"Why do you hang onto these silly humans?" Lorraine asked, her voice coming from behind Kumatora. "This woman killed many of her own race. Why should you spare her any sympathy?"

"She saved my life," Kumatora said. "I can't just ignore that."

"She…" Kumatora detected surprise in Lorraine's voice. "Oh, yes. After you crashed your spaceship and fell into a coma."

Kumatora stood up and turned around, facing her mother down. Her heart pounded in her chest. She needed to play this exactly right, or everything would fall to pieces. If she acted odd or unusual, her mother would notice that something was wrong.

It was difficult to hide information from Lorraine Olvna Var Entiare, but Jeff had told her that she could obscure her thoughts in this realm simply by thinking about obscuring her thoughts. Hopefully, her mother wouldn't pay much attention to the inner workings of her daughter's mind while in a state of rage regardless.

"I won't let you kill her," Kumatora said. "And I won't let you hurt anyone else. If you want to destroy the universe, you'll have to go through me first. PK Freeze!"

Lorraine laughed as ice materialized over her chest and promptly fell to the ground.

"You're so easy to predict, Kuma," Lorraine said. "What makes you think that you can stop me?"

"Diana managed to slow you down, and I'm a daughter of the Ancients too!"

Kumatora wanted to glance at Jeff, but she worried about giving her intentions away. She glared at her mother instead, glad that she didn't have to fake her anger.

"Kuma, Kuma… Even you don't know who I truly am." Lorraine's voice turned pained and mechanical. "Even you don't know what I can do."

Kumatora took a step back. Again, she didn't have to fake the chill running down her spine or the scowl that followed. Maybe this would be easier than she thought.

"I know that I can stop you right here and right now!" Kumatora said, lunging at Lorraine.

Kumatora streaked towards her mother, lashing out with a fist. At the last moment, Lorraine leaned out of the way and Kumatora's fist missed by less than an inch. Kumatora growled, taking another swing at Lorraine. The Osohe Queen dodged once more in a similar fashion.

"I was going to kill all of them for throwing away my one chance to save myself," Lorraine said. "But you, I wanted to spare. It would not be a good example for a mother to kill her own daughter."

"You already showed me some wonderful examples like turning your husband into a rock and reducing your entire people into Tendas!"

Lorraine's smile turned wolfish.

"You're right. I don'. I just don't want to kill you with the two hands that I used to create you."

"Do Ancients even have hands?" Kumatora said. "Who are you really, mother? I know that you're a monster, but what else did you hide from me?"

For a moment, neither one of them spoke. The golden light of the lake danced off of Lorraine's face, giving life to her otherwise cold expression.

"You really want to see how I am, don't you?" Lorraine said. "…You don't know what you're asking."

"I do." Kumatora said. "I want to know who you are. I want to understand the woman who brought me to life and turned on her entire people."

"Turned on my people?" Lorraine said, shaking her head. "After I cleansed myself of this darkness, I was going to make Ceres beautiful again. The Osohe would rise and enter another golden age." She looked up at Kumatora and took a step forward. "And this one wouldn't end. I would do a better job of… raising my people. I was too lenient."

"Too lenient? You say that as you're about to destroy the universe!"

"Maybe I won't." Lorraine chuckled. "Maybe I'll restrain myself and find another way to heal myself. PK Rockin, PK Starstorm, PK Love… I crafted them in hopes of curing myself. And I did find a way." Lorraine's expression turned dark. "But you used it on Giygas, who brought you pain and suffering, instead of me. You obeyed Giygas' will because he was a threat." Lorraine snarled. "I've learned that with you humans, nice people finish last. I won't make the same mistake twice."

"So you're going to kill everyone?"

"It is my curse," Lorraine said with a sad smile. "Now, I believe you said that you wanted to know who I am."

The next moment, the world faded around Kumatora. The lake and trees, Diana's unconscious body… all of it faded into darkness. Kumatora looked down and could still see her own body, but she couldn't see a speck of anything else no matter how far she looked.

A world with just her and darkness… did Lorraine think that this was going to intimidate her?

"This is just like the trial," Kumatora said. "A universe made up only of the dark. Will another path of fire appear to guide me to my destination?"

"…COME CLOSER."

The voice boomed in her mind. Kumatora sucked in a breath of air, telling herself that she wasn't scared. Her mother had used guilt and fear against her for as long as Kumatora could remember; she would not get away with it now.

"STILL CAN'T SEE ME?"

A pyramid of cubes appeared in front of Kumatora, growing thinner and thinner as it stretched to about twice her height. The cubes themselves were white but occasionally flashed different colors.

Okay, I was not expecting this, Kumatora thought. What's a pile of cubes doing here? It doesn't look like it could hurt anyone.

"…"

"Mother," Kumatora said. "What game are you playing now?"

"NO GAMES. I SHOW YOU THE TRUTH."

This time, the voice came from the pyramid of cubes itself.

"Why did you put this pile of blocks here, mother? Why are you speaking through it."

"HMM…" Kumatora detected amusement in the voice. "HOW LONG BEFORE YOU FIGURE IT OUT, I WONDER?"

…Oh, Kumatora realized. That's a letdown.

"Figure out what?" Kumatora said. "Where are you, mother?"

"SILLY CHILD. THIS IS ME."

"You mean that pyramid of cubes is the thing bringing an end to all human civilization?"

Obviously, Kumatora added mentally. Let's see how long I can milk this surprise for.

"INDEED. I AM AN ENTITY FROM THE PSIONIC REALM. IT IS ONLY NATURAL THAT I DO NOT SHARE THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS THAT YOU HUMANS WOULD." Lorraine paused, and let out a dry sound that Kumatora guessed was a sigh. "BUT I HAVE ADOPED YOUR MANNERISMS."

"You really think that you can take us down?" Kumatora said. "What are you going to do, chuck parts of that pyramid at us?"

"IT IS ONLY NATUARL THAT YOU CANNOT SEE THE COMPLEXITY AND BEAUTY IN MY TRUE FORM. YOU ARE BLIND, MY CHILD."

"Complexity? Beauty? You're a pile of blocks!"

"YOUR IDEAS OF SUCH TOPICS ARE RUIDMENTARY, FLAWED. BUT I THINK YOU HAVE SEEN ENOUGH."

The next moment, the cubes and the black world faded around her. Kumatora looked around as the scene with Amber Lake and the nearby forest pieced itself together. The breeze rippled past, blowing her hair back. Kumatora took a look back at Amber Lake, and then turned around to face her mother.

"Do you see what I have sacrificed by creating this world, Kuma?" Lorraine said, looking out at the lake with a wistful expression. "This world is basic, empty. It is like living in a world where people cannot count past five once you've already mastered calculus. The trees, the lake, the water… so basic. So empty."

Lorraine shook her head and turned back towards Kumatora.

"I will make this one last request," Lorraine said, holding out a hand. "Join me. Leave these ugly people behind. I said that I would destroy the universe in the heat of the moment, but please understand that I don't want to. I created the universe, and I created the Osohe dynasty. I'll try to restrain myself while we search for a cure."

The prospect was so tempting that Kumatora almost agreed right then and there. Freedom was sweet, yes, but freedom meant nothing without the life to sustain it.

"Please, Kuma," Lorraine said. "We can go back to the world we used to know."

"…Why do you care?" Kumatora said. "Why did you send me away instead of turning me into a Tenda like the others? Why are you giving me this opportunity now?"

"I love you," Lorraine said. "Isn't that enough?"

Kumatora looked at how Diana's unconscious body slumped over the rocks. Lorraine had done that to her. Lorraine had destroyed the Osohe empire that she created. Lorraine had taken everything that Kumatora loved.

So why did she claim to care now?

"You're lying," Kumatora said. "You have to be. I know that you can manipulate that body of yours like a puppet. Everything's so calculated." Kumatora squeezed her hands into fists. "What can I possibly do?"

"My offer is generous," Lorraine said. "I have the universe in the palm of my hand. I created it; I have the right to destroy it. Your continued existence is a gift from me."

Oh no you don't, Kumatora thought. You're not the ruler here. Not anymore.

"And this time I'll do a better job," Lorraine said. "I won't let people question my rule."

Did Lorraine intend that comment to provoke her? Regardless, Kumatora needed to take a second and consider her options.

"Ten seconds to agree," Lorraine said. "Otherwise, you all die."

Ten seconds? What kind of ridiculous catch was that?

"Ten," Lorraine said, looking at Kumatora. "Nine."

If Kumatora let Lorraine rule the universe, then she would take away everyone's freedom and force them to live her way. It seemed rather orderly considering that Lorraine claimed to be an agent of chaos, but Kumatora didn't think that she would gain much by pointing that out.

"Eight. Seven. Six."

But at the same time, Kumatora didn't really have the power to stop her.

"Five. Four."

What should Kumatora do? She would rather die than live under her mother's heel, but could she make that decision for the entire human race?

"Three. Two."

Kumatora sucked in a breath of air, the sweet smell on the breeze almost making her barf. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"One."

Only one way to get out of this.

"What about Jeff?" Kumatora asked. "What happens to him?"

"Oh, he can live, same as all the others."

"And you won't do anything to him without my permission?"

"Of course not."

Kumatora took a deep breath. After Lorraine's answer, the decision was easy.

"In that case…" Kumatora said, looking at Jeff. "Absolutely not."

The color drained from Lorraine's face.

"But…" her voice dropped to a whisper. "Why?"

"Cut the act."

"What act?"

"I know you better than that," Kumatora said. "You would never let Jeff live. Not after what he did to mess with your plans, and not after what he knows."

Lorraine averted her gaze, looking down at the ground. After a few moments, she started laughing. It was a rough sound, devoid of any humor or levity.

"I can't believe it," Lorraine said. She looked up at Kumatora with a hungry grin. "Played by my own daughter. I suppose that I should just tell you the truth."

Kumatora leapt over to Jeff and formed a protective barrier around him with her psionics. Now that she had denied Lorraine's request, the Osohe Queen had no reason to keep Jeff alive. He gave Kumatora a curt nod and looked back at the screen covering his glasses lens.

"I was planning to kill everyone," Lorraine said, "And then create an illusion for you to live inside where you still have your friends. That way, I get to hear their screams and you still get to enjoy time with them." Lorraine tapped the side of her head. "I have detailed files on everything in the universe stored in here. I did run the Shard of Ceres for multiple millennia, after all."

"But now that I've figured out, there's no use?" Kumatora said.

"Exactly. I'll just kill everyone, including you."

The casual way that Lorraine spoke made Kumatora wish for her to get angry again. Kumatora could understand an uncontrollable rage, but this cold, sadistic attitude of Lorraine's sent shivers down her spine.

"Go ahead and try."

"I wanted to spare you, but…" Lorraine barked a laugh. "I'm not really your mother, and I'm not even the first Osohe Queen."

"Wait," Kumatora said. "What?"

"I think that I might just tell you, if only to see the stupefied look on your face before you die," Lorraine said. "Your real mother founded the Osohe, but I stole the data that let me create life. Oh, and I wiped all of your memories. That is my right, you know. Everything inside of this universe belongs to me."

"So who's my real mother, then?"

Lorraine chuckled and walked up to the golden lake. She looked out at the sky with the same, wistful gaze as before.

"She loved this place," Lorraine said. "I guess it's no surprise that you do too."

"What is my mother's name?" Kumatora growled.

Lorraine looked back at Kumatora, her back now facing the lake.

"Her name was Senaka," Lorraine said. "But you know her by the name of Giygas."

By the name of… WHAT?

"There it is," Lorraine said. "The look of utter shock on your face. It never gets old."

"It… can't be…" Kumatora shook her head. "But why would you lie about something like this?"

"I wouldn't," Lorraine said. "But I do still care about you. If you beg for your life, I still might take mercy on you alone."

Kumatora gritted her teeth, sucking in a breath of sweet air.

"You know that I can't say yes to that."

Lorraine's expression grew dark. Kumatora once again saw the primal anger that lurked behind her eyes. The formerly sweet air turned bitter, and Kumatora nearly choked on it.

"There's a big difference between can't and won't, Kuma," Lorraine said. "You're a spirit brought back to life, you know. That's what all Osohe are. If you die…"

"Then I fade forever," Kumatora said. "But why the psych should I care? The afterlife sounds boring anyways."

"…" Lorraine looked into Kumatora's eyes, and nothing but emptiness remained in her expression. "Prepare yourself."

Lorraine fired a laser beam at Kumatora. She had seen Diana dodge those during her fight against Lorraine, but Kumatora took the full brunt of the attack. She let out a scream, nearly falling flat on her face. She checked her psionic aura and found it almost fully depleted. She couldn't take another attack like that.

"Life-"

Before Kumatora could finish manifesting the power, Lorraine became a blur as she darted by and knocked her away. Kumatora landed on her feet and nearly fell on her rear before balancing herself. She lunged forward and slammed a palm into Lorraine's face.

Lorraine reeled back, and Kumatora could see blood dripping down her nose. Lorraine looked at her bloody hand and her gaze slowly shifted towards Kumatora. Her knotted eyebrows and puzzled expression gave off the air of someone who was irritated rather than infuriated, which Kumatora found far scarier.

"…Goodbye," Lorraine said.

She fired off a barrage of lasers, each one hitting harder than the last. After the fourth one, Kumatora sank to her knees before falling on her face. Her cheek scraped against the hard rocks on the shore of the pond. She heard footsteps in the background, and looked up to see Lorraine standing over her.

Despite Kumatoara's past experiences with her mother, she expected some sort of reaction out of Lorraine. Triumph, regret, anger… just something would have been nice. But Kumatora looked up at her mother's face and saw the same, empty eyes as before.

Lorraine held a glowing, white sword and pointed it right at Kumatora's head. Still, no expression crossed her face.

What would it be like to have a normal mother? Kumatora thought, One who would at least feel something if she tried to kill her own child?

Kumatora gasped and wheezed, trying her best to maintain her glare.

Senaka, Giygas, whatever her name is… Maybe she could have been that person for me.

"One last chance," Lorraine said, her voice booming yet monotone.

"Never," Kumatora said. "You know that I'll never surrender to you."

A flash of regret finally crossed Lorraine's face, just for an instant. Maybe she did feel something for Kumatora. An illogical hope welled up inside her chest. People always talked about the bond between parent and child. Based on her status as an Ancient, Lorraine couldn't feel emotions in the same way that humans could, but maybe she-

Lorraine drove the sword into Kumatora's chest.

Kumatora gasped as her vision flashed with pain. She felt herself lose control of her body; even lifting a finger seemed like more than she could manage. The life fled from her body, fled from her senses.

I'm dying, Kumatora thought. Killed by the woman I called mother for my entire life.

"You… still won't win," Kumatora said.

It took all of her energy to get those few simple words out. Kumatora did her best to force a smile despite the searing pain in her chest where Lorraine stabbed her.

"Oh?" Lorraine said, sounding slightly amused. "Why is that?"

"Because all along…" Kumatora coughed. "I've just been stalling for time."

After that last bit of exertion, Kumatora closed her eyes and exhaled on last time.

No… regrets…

Darkness.


Been a while, hasn't it? :) Not sure if anyone's still following this weirdly complicated fic that doesn't have much to do with Earthbound, but I thought I'd throw up these last few chapters.

I hope you all have a wonderful day :)