CHAPTER 29: SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

The life of Penelope Sanchez has not been a simple one, having been nothing but a rollercoaster of changing events. Moving from Boston to Plainville, things seemed to be easy enough, already making friends with a boy named Rudy Tabootie, a child who loved art and all things strange. Soon enough, Penelope found that there was more to Rudy than being a simple artist. Possessing a magic piece of chalk, Rudy had access to a different world where everything erased on chakboards become real and alive in a realm called ChalkZone, and he had brought Penelope to join him in this world.

Going on many bizarre adventures in the world known as ChalkZone, the two began to grow closer and closer with each passing year, their ages bringing about different and new feelings for one another and their many adventures solidifying those emotions. Where the two began as best friends, they started to become more than that, and the two had ChalkZone to thank for it. However, before these emotions could develop their relationship further, Rudy was broken at the hands of Skrawl, and Penelope was banished from ChalkZone.

With the world believing Rudy to be dead, Penelope was sent to therapy for several years, all in an attempt to drive the concept of ChalkZone from her mind. Eventually, it managed to do its job and Penelope managed to let go of ChalkZone, but never could she forget Rudy. Even after going through a marriage and bearing two children, never could she forget him, and it was this that cost her a husband, for better and worse in some ways.

After moving back to Plainville to give her children a new start, the young boy and girl found the magic world of ChalkZone, and brought back the long-lost Rudy to the real world. While their reunion had a very rocky beginning, mainly because of Rudy suffering the trauma of isolation and losing his ability to draw. Upon finding his talent to draw once again, the two quickly found their place as a couple once again, finally taking the next step in their relationship after a delay spanning years.

However, this repair of their relationship was only a side-task of a greater mission. Upon the rediscovery of ChalkZone came with it a quest to find the Golden Chalk, a strain of chalk capable of making anything drawn with it real. After taking a long trek across the strange world of ChalkZone, the group had acquired the Golden Chalk, and brought it back to the resistance group known as Calcite to defeat the genocidal rampage of the Chalk King.

Arriving back at Calcite's headquarters, the group quickly found themselves stuck in a battle against the forces of the Chalk King, coming for the Golden Chalk. While the battle was long and hard-fought, the fight had its ups and downs. After many pushes from both sides, the tides finally turned for the worst when the Chalk King arrived and murdered King Mumbo Jumbo, destroying the head of Calcite. Making demands to have the Golden Chalk brought to him, the Chalk King took Penelope captive as a bargaining ticket for his plans.

Now, chained and bound within a cell in the Chalk King's fortress, Castle Chalkenstein, Penelope has been revealed something interestingly new about the Chalk King that no one else had discovered. The entirety of ChalkZone was already shocked with the revelation that the Chalk King could draw with chalk as if he were a human, but Penelope has now been given a piece of information that both explains this phenomenon as well as raise even more questions.

The Chalk King is, or, at least, was, a man named Christopher Wolfe. While rumored for years to be an aide to the Chalk King, having been rejected and scorned by the Zoners, Penelope finds that the two are one and the same person. How this fact is true is another manner, one that she intends to find out.

"I... I don't understand. You're a Zoner, but you used to be a person. I've never seen anything like that before." Penelope said.

"None of you ever lived in this place as long as I have or did what I've done. I've spent my entire life here, and currently spend my afterlife here as well, and I've found that there's much more to this place than any of you could ever imagine." The Chalk King said.

"Then how could someone like you want to destroy a place like this? You used to know the beauty of ChalkZone, but you lost your way."

"How do you know anything me or who I am? You've never even met me before today."

"Call it a mother's instinct. Biclops told us about you, how all you wanted was some friends and someone to love before you went on your conquest. I'm a mom of two kids and we just moved, I get that better than anyone."

"Oh, really? Do you also get the idea of being completely alone? Being in a world where no one else is like you, no one else you can connect with in a special way, somewhere where you're completely and totally alone, with no way else to find the companionship you seek?"

Having spent her time without Rudy within a mental hospital and unable to make any friends after leaving, as well as having her husband leave her, Penelope was perhaps the only person who understood this feeling more than anyone.

"I've lived in that world for about 15 years, and I've tried hard to find friends and love. I might have gotten two great kids out of it, but it wasn't what I needed. But I have it now." Penelope said.

"Oh, well, how terribly beautiful for you. I suppose that this is the part where you tell me that it's not too late for me, how I can be a good person once again if I'd only tried to find my own love?" The Chalk King asked.

"I don't know about it being too late for you, considering what you've done, but you can still at least try."

"You think I haven't? If Biclops and the clowns at Calcite showed you anything about me, then you should know very well that I did try."

"They told me that when you couldn't work it out, you tried creating your own women to have your way with. Every time you'd try to have them, they'd just erase on you, so you could never keep just one, leaving you unfulfilled in a relationship."

Feeling a simultaneous instance of annoyance and amusement, the Chalk King let out a scoff, seeing that Penelope did not know anything nearly close to who he was.

"Then Biclops clearly didn't tell you anything at all. Nothing important, anyway. Fine, then, I'll tell you a little about myself. After all, we've got nothing better to do than get to know each other until they show up with another piece of Golden Chalk." The Chalk King said.

Taking his piece of chalk that he had saved since the Battle of Barney's Impenetrable Forest, the Chalk King drew a television in front of Penelope, adding a VCR to the side. Upon finishing the TV and VCR combo, the Chalk King drew a video cassette, displaying its title: 'Life and Death of Christopher Wolfe'. With the VHS tape complete and the TV ready to play, the Chalk King placed the tape in the VCR, starting the film.

"I hope you really do appreciate the little film I'm about to display for you. Drawing isn't quite easy as a Zoner." The Chalk King said.

As the TV screen's black-and-white static turned to a solid black, the dark faded out to begin the film as it played. Like with all VHS tapes, the video was preluded with a series of outdated commercials for companies that went out of business years ago and advertising films that have already been re-released constant times in better quality, as well as a mandatory FBI warning against piracy and several film production logos. Agitated with the unnecessary fodder interrupting his film, the Chalk King drew a remote control and fast-forwarded past the extraneous videos.

"Damn commercials. Cost of making it all realistic, so it seems." The Chalk King said.

Upon passing the advertisements and logos, the Chalk King progressed the tape to the beginning of the film as he intended to start it at. As the film opened, the camera showed a view of a young baby in a crib, happily babbling and making different sorts of infantile noises. Accompanying the film was a narration provided from the Chalk King, explaining the events as they unfolded. A narration coming from the VHS, mind you, not a commentary directly from the Chalk King.

"Once upon a time, a young boy named Christopher Wolfe was born. Like many children just months after their birth, he had a very happy disposition on life and didn't have much of a consciousness to use or think with yet. As those things came later in his life, the only true concerns of the young boy laid his being fed, changed, and put to bed." The Chalk King narrated.

The view on the camera changed to a toddler Christopher drawing with a set of crayons and paper, aiming to create his first work of art. Using his still-developing motor skills and minimal brain power, Christopher aimed to create a picture of him with his mother and father, all as one happy family. Unlike many children who draw at this age, Christopher aimed to put as much detail and nuance in his drawing as he could, showing far more skill than a typical child of his age.

"Right at the beginning of his life, little, young Christopher showed immense interest as well as skill in art. Before he could even learn how to walk, Christopher taught himself how to use crayons, pencils, markers, and other utensils to create his own works of art. While many of his works were primitive and simplistic, they all showed vast, hidden, untapped potential." The Chalk King said.

Upon finishing his drawing, the toddler Christopher took his picture and began crawling towards his parents to show off his new creation. Unfortunately, although the young Christopher was more than eager to show his parents his drawing, neither were very receptive to view it.

Starting with showing the picture to his mother, the young Christopher pulled on his mother's leg, trying to gain her attention. The mother's attention, however, proved itself very hard to obtain. Rather than pay any attention to her son, the mother spent much of her time talking on the phone, endlessly chattering about asinine topics that only bored middle-aged women would care about.

"So, Becky, did you see that last episode of Hector's Hospital last night? I know, right? I never even knew that condition existed. Hey, you don't suppose Shelia's got it, do you? Oh, you!" The mother said.

"Ma-ma? Ma-ma?" Christopher asked.

The baby Christopher continued to call his mother and pull on her leg, hoping to get her attention. Becoming annoyed with her son's call for attention, the mother tried to shoo off Christopher, as if he were a bug on her leg.

"Not now, Christopher. I'm talking on the phone." The mother said.

Not swayed by the notion or her words, Christopher pulled harder on his mother's leg, now beginning to deliver slight pain to her leg. After giving out a light wince, the mother decided to remove Christopher from the room altogether.

"One second, Becky, I'll be right back. Christopher, what is wrong with you? I already fed you, and you don't need to be changed yet. Go back to your toys and stop it." The mother said.

Ridding herself of her son's interruptions, the mother set Christopher back in his place, subsequently returning back to her room to continue talking on the phone. While disappointed with his mother not seeing his drawing, Christopher thought that perhaps his father would be available to see it.

After making a long crawl to his father, Christopher began tugging on his leg for attention. Having come home from a hard day of work, his father was sitting on the couch and focused solely on the television, sipping on a glass bottle of beer as he watched a game of football. Far too preoccupied with his relaxation from work, the father could not be bothered either to see his son's drawing.

"Da-da? Da-da?" Christopher asked.

"Not now, son, the game's on, and I just had a big day. Go on and play with your toys." The father said.

Once again, Christopher was not willing to give in to indifference. Giving another hearty pull on his father's leg, pulling on some leg hair as he did so, the father's attention was caught by an unexpected sensation of pain, leading him to get up from the couch and place his son elsewhere.

"I told you, boy, the game's on. I swear, if I miss the big win, you're gonna be real sorry. Now, play with your little toys and shut up. I've got 50 bucks riding on this game." The father said.

Placing his son back with his art supplies just as the mother did, the father returned back to the couch, continuing to watch the football game. Having made it back to the couch in time, the father managed to see his preferred team land a score, giving an enthusiastic shout as he watched his team achieve victory.

"Yes! That's what I'm talkin' about! That's how you play a game! As for you, Dave, you've got 50 bucks to pay up." The father said.

Alone and unappreciated, the young Christopher began to cry, not having either of his parents see his picture. Continuing to ignore their child, the father turned the TV volume louder and the mother shut the door to her room, both blocking out the sound of their son's cries. Although his tears were all made in vain, this fact did not go into the mind of the young Christopher, and the child continued to cry for the attention he was never given.

"Sadly, neither of his parents recognized his potential. Far too busy with their friends and their football, never did they have any time in the day for their one and only son. Left with nothing but his own art, Christopher suffered through a lonely first few years of life, never having a good set of parental figures." The Chalk King narrated.

The film cut ahead to show a slightly older Christopher in preschool, continuing to draw various sorts of pictures. Sitting alongside his pictures were two drawing of his mother and father, allowing him to pretend that the two were there with him, supporting him in his art. Creating a fantasy for himself with his own art skills, Christopher found a substitute for the love he never had, becoming asocial to the rest of the world.

"The young Christopher began to indulge himself in his own little world, pretending that he had two very loving parents and many friends. For a while, Christopher was happy in this little world. However, there were many nosy people that tried to force their way in his world." The Chalk King said.

Taking notice of Christopher's drawings, another child in the preschool found himself impressed at his art skills, wanting to meet and know the young Christopher. Attempting to start a conversation with Christopher, the boy sat across from him at his table and introduced himself.

"Hi. I'm Will. What's your name?" The boy asked.

"Go away." Christopher said.

"Why?"

"This is my world. You're not allowed."

"Why not?"

"Because you're not a real person. You don't really exist. Only people I draw exist."

"What are you talking about?"

Trying to find an answer to his questions, the boy named Will reached out for one of Christopher's drawings, wanting to look at it more closely. Not wanting anyone to touch his drawings, Christopher swiped away Will's hand.

"Don't touch my friends! They belong to me!" Christopher said.

"Friends? Those are drawings." Will said.

"Drawings are real. You're not real."

"I just wanted to look at the-"

Will again reached for one of the drawings, but was again met with resistance. Rather than simply swiping away his hand, Christopher now tackled and hit Will, angrily attacking the boy for only wanting to see his drawings.

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH! YOU CAN'T TOUCH MY FRIENDS!" Christopher shouted.

With a swift intervention from the teacher, the fight was quickly broken up, with the preschool teacher taking Christopher out of the room. Not able to be without his art, Christopher fought back against the teacher, desperately trying to reach his drawings.

"NO! MY FRIENDS! I NEED MY FRIENDS!" Christopher said.

Managing to break free of the teacher's grip, Christopher scooped up his drawings and held them closely, not allowing anyone to get near them. Seeing the young Christopher grab at pieces of paper so closely and treat them as if they were real, the teacher was left extremely confused by his behavior, not ever having seen a child act like he had before.

Moving forward in time again, the film showed a slightly older Christopher, still surrounding himself with his drawings. Instead of being at the home where he previously was with his parents, he now was shown in a different home with two other adults tending to him.

"After a meeting with the child's parents, and a subsequent call with Child Protective Services, the teacher managed to remove the young Christopher from his home and find him a new one, residing with a family named the Wolfes. By this time, the child's perception of reality was quite different than what others had. See, when Christopher talked about 'real' and 'not real' with his drawings, he had began to immerse himself so much within his own little fantasy with his drawn parents and friends that he lost his ability to connect to other people at all, only able to find it within the people he drew for himself. The Wolfes, however, did make valiant efforts to change that." The Chalk King said.

Sitting on the floor and continuing his drawing, Christopher created another picture to surround himself with, creating the friends and family that he never had before. In the real world, there still existed the Wolfes, more than ready to give Christopher the love and attention that he desired, but it seemed to be less than wanted in the eyes of the boy.

Both of his adoptive parents were very loving and caring, but the mother, Melissa Wolfe, was undoubtedly the most passionate about tending to a child. Trying to show interest in Christopher's obsession with his drawing, Melissa kneeled down to his side and watched him draw, taking note of all his skills and details put into his art. With his current drawing, Christopher drew another person among his collection of people drawings, growing his collection yet again.

"That's quite a beautiful picture, honey. Where'd you come up with it?" Melissa asked.

"It's not a picture. It's a person. I make people to be my friends." Christopher said.

"You know, Christopher, these aren't real people. They're just pictures. There are all kinds of real people out there, and I bet they really would like to be your friend. I know I would."

"You're not real. Real people don't leave me. None of my friends leave me."

"And neither will I. These pictures, they are very good, but there's only so much that they can give you. You can give them all your time and attention, devote everything you have to them, and maybe you'll feel happy or fulfilled, but they don't love you like we do. Drawings are just drawings, but people can give you a whole lot more."

Melissa began to lightly rub her hand on Christopher's back, trying to evoke a positive reaction from him. Having given perhaps one and the first sense of physical comfort from another human being, Christopher felt a strange sensation of warmth in himself, a warmth that brought him a sense of calmness and traquility he never thought possible.

Realizing that he could not receive this sort of feeling from his drawings, Christopher began to set his pencil down, pausing on his activity of drawing. With this simple action, Christopher felt ready to accept the first instance of love he ever was offered.

"Okay. I'll try." Christopher said.

Enlightened to see her adopted son welcoming and accepting to love and kindness, Melissa gave Christopher a hug, rewarding him for making his choice. Upon receiving the very first hug he had ever gotten in his life, the warmth began to overtake Christopher completely, leaving him nearly overwhelmed at the emotion. Without any sort of thought in his mind, Christopher held onto his new mother as tight as possible, wanting to keep the emotion that the hug brought him as long as possible. Having a new start in connecting with others, tears began to fall from Christopher's eyes, bringing his mind to the real world for good.

"So, with Melissa Wolfe's little act of kindness, Christopher began making many attempts to connect with others, starting with the kids at his school. While little Christopher was very determined to try to seek out that beautiful, sacred warmth that he craved, many were not quite interested in his friendship, and he was left to deal with this fact the hard way." The Chalk King said.

Progressing forward again in time, the film showed Christopher at school, standing alone in a room full of several other children scurrying about the classroom, making friends with one another and playing games together. While overwhelmed with the sheer number of other children to meet and talk to, Christopher was not ready to give up right away.

Making his selection among the other children, Christopher chose to meet a blonde-haired girl, playing with a fire truck. Swallowing his anxiety and making his first steps towards making a friend, Christopher approached the girl. Upon reaching the girl, Christopher found himself at a complete loss for words, not knowing how to start a conversation with the girl.

"Uh... Can I help you?" The girl asked.

"I... Uh... I'm Christopher." Christopher said.

"Oh, well, I'm Darla. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, uh, nice... to... meet you too."

Again finding himself having nothing to say, Christopher stood in place, not having any means of continuing the conversation. Darla, growing awkward from the uncomfortable silence, attempted to pry further into Christopher, wanting to know more of him.

"So, uh, did you want something?" Darla asked.

"I... Um... I came to..." Christopher stuttered.

"What's the matter? Haven't you ever talked to somebody before?"

"Uh... Actually, no. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"What do you mean, you don't know what to do? Don't you have any friends?"

"No. I was... kind of hoping... maybe... you could be my friend."

"Oh. Well, maybe."

"Why 'maybe'?"

"Well, friends usually talk or play to know more about each other, but you seem to lack a little on talking."

"I don't really know what to say. What do friends talk about?"

"Friends usually talk about things they like."

"Like what?"

"Well, I like to play with cars. My parents say it's something for boys, but I don't really get why. I see my mom use a car all the time, what does being a boy or a girl have to do with that?"

"Heh. You're right."

"What about you? What do you like to do?"

"Uh... I like to draw."

"Oh."

"Do you like to draw?"

"Not really. I like having things I can move or touch more than making up things."

"Oh. Okay. I'm sorry."

Mistaking Darla's dismissal of art as dismissing of him, Christopher walked away, believing his offer of friendship to be rejected. Conversely, Darla, never intentionally sending such messages, was left confused at his reaction. While his expression of disappointment was a distressing one to Darla, the fun to be found with her fire truck was more important in her juvenile mind; complex emotions not yet settling into her head.

"And, so, many attempts such as this later, Christopher quickly found that there were no friends for him. At least, none besides his adoptive mother and father. They were still very loving, but he found no such love at school. For many of these years, Christopher was bullied for his art skills; still drawing his many creations and beings, his art skills never dulling for a second." The Chalk King said.

Moving forward to several years in the future, to a point when Christopher was 6 or 7, the film depicted the young boy at a small table to himself, still drawing as he always loved to do. Using his pencil and paper, Christopher began creating a picture of a giant running nose, taking inspiration of the idea from a hilarious event a few days prior when his adoptive father had a rather large line of mucus hanging from his nostril.

However, as he began drawing his creation, he found a boy named Bruno Bullnerd, a well-known school bully, standing before him. Acting out his self-imposed archetype of petty harassment and violence against others, Bruno took the paper from Christopher, holding it up and inspecting it in an exaggerated and tongue-in-cheek manner.

"Hey, give me my drawing back!" Christopher said.

"What's this? A running nose? Who'd draw something stupid like that?" Bruno asked.

"It's not stupid! It's supposed to be funny!"

"Oh, you think this is funny? Well, then, you're gonna think this is hilarious!"

Pressing one finger against his nose, closing one nostril, Bruno let out a sharp exhale, firing a large load of mucus straight onto Christopher's face and shirt. Both angered and disgusted at Bruno's antics, Christopher took one of his pencils in his hand and approached his bully with it, intending to use it to stab him with it.

Before Christopher could stab Bruno with the pencil, a teacher entered the room, spotting the act before being able to see the events leading up to it. The teacher, an anti-art fanatic named Mrs. Tweezer, immediately ran up and separated the two, taking Christopher's pencil away.

"Hold it! Just what do you think you were trying to do with that pencil, young man?! In what world is it acceptable to stab another student, much less with a writing utensil?!" Mrs. Tweezer asked.

"No, you've got it wrong, I was-" Christopher tried to say.

Taking a note of a piece of paper lying on Christopher's desk, Mrs. Tweezer picked it up, inspecting it more carefully. Looking at the abstract depiction of the olfactory organ, Mrs. Tweezer's approach to the young Christopher began to worsen in an instant.

"What is this?! You think this is funny, young man?!" Mrs. Tweezer asked.

"I... It was a-" Christopher tried to say.

"You should know better than to draw strange and bizarre things like this! Mountains that leak mucus are not real, therefore, we do not draw things that are not real! You kids have such vile imaginations; next thing, they'll stop family tradition and all children will be devil-worshiping, drug-injecting maniacs! You are coming with me!"

Taking the young Christopher in hand with an iron grip, Mrs. Tweezer began dragging the boy into another room for his punishment. Despite desiring nothing more than to pointlessly bully the young child not a few seconds earlier, a sense of regret began to come over Bruno; the act of being punished by Mrs. Tweezer being far worse a fate than anything he would wish upon another.

In another room of the school, Christopher was brought into a small room with nothing but a chalkboard; no one and nothing else to accompany him. Mrs. Tweeer, beginning her punishment for Christopher's harmless crime, handed him a box of chalk sticks, giving him the tool he needed for his penance.

"You are to write the phrase 'Fiction is Bad' exactly 400 times on this blackboard. If I see so much as a trace of anything that is not a part of that sentence on this board, you will be in big trouble. Do you understand?" Mrs. Tweezer asked.

Before Christopher could protest to his punishment, Mrs. Tweezer left the room and locked the door behind her, leaving poor Christopher to do nothing but serve out his punishment for a twofold miscarriage of justice; a wrongful accusation with his quarrel with Bruno Bullnerd and a wrongful crime which should never exist for a child.

Having no choice and nothing else to do in this room, Christopher pulled out a piece of chalk and began his punishment, beginning to draw out the instructed phrase on the blackboard. What he did not immediately notice, however, was that the stick of chalk that he pulled out was emitting a bright and sparkling glow, making this particular stick different from the rest.

As Christopher began his drawing, something interesting happened in the middle of his punishment. Upon completing the 'O' in 'Fiction', the circle began to emit a shining bright light through to the other side. Never having seen such a phenomenon occur on a blackboard before, Christopher took a peek through the hole, looking to see what laid on the other side.

Looking through the hole, Christopher peered through to see what laid on the other side of the blackboard. Upon looking through, Christopher was met with a bright and colorful world on the other end, practically calling him out to create and draw on the other side. Taking the magic chalk and making himself a large doorway to walk through, Christopher replied to the invitation with a physical and enthusiastic 'yes', leaping through to the other side of the blackboard.

Entering the strange world beyond the blackboard, Christopher had become the first person within Plainsville to discover the world of ChalkZone. Taking in the sights of the world around him, Christopher found himself mesmerized and barely able to speak looking upon the beings of this world. Around him were beings of strange and impossible creatures and products of human imagination; such as a pair of sunglasses with a reflection of the beach in its lenses, a pair of nunchucks walking around like a Slinky falling down a flight of stairs, an assortment of glasses all containing different brews of teas descending from black and pu-erh down to yellow and white.

While he was more than amazed at the strange new world he had found himself in, the loss of his drawing still upset him greatly. However, thinking over the situation he was in, Christopher began to think of an idea. If this world was comprised entirely of chalk, could he simply draw with his chalk to create anything he wanted? Taking his chalk in hand and approaching an empty spot away from others, Christopher tested his theory by beginning his sketch.

Moving his chalk against the air, lines where his chalk ran over began to imprint on the air, creating lines of chalk as if they were drawn on a blackboard. Continuing his work with the magic chalk, his creation began to near its completion with every motion and movement, the vision in his head becoming not simply a drawing, but a reality here and now. As Christopher continued his work, many Zoners began approaching and observing the creation unfold as he worked, never having seen a creator in ChalkZone, much less create before their very eyes.

With the last line drawn in his creation, the sketch came to completion as a real and tangible object, becoming the very idea that Christopher had envisioned in his mind. Having finished his creation and gathered an audience, Christopher proclaimed the new landmark he had brought to ChalkZone, declaring the first work in a line of many more to come.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Mount Runnynose!" Christopher said.

As just as the neverending stream of water flowed through the nostrils of the giant nose made of rock, the crowd of Zoners all cheered on the accomplishment of the new creator, hailing this new creator as a being of great power. In this one moment in time, Christopher had finally found the praise and welcomes that he had always sought out, becoming more than fulfilled in this moment in time.

There was, however, one Zoner that did not cheer along with the others. As soon as he made his presence, the other Zoners immediately stopped their cheering, all bowing before him as he approached. This Zoner was king of all of ChalkZone himself: King Mumbo Jumbo. Standing face-to-face before Christopher, King Mumbo Jumbo laid eyes on one of the first humans he had seen enter ChalkZone in several years, taking good note of the boy.

Christopher, beginning to feel slightly threatened, backed away in a cowering motion, not knowing himself to be safe against the large turtle. Aiming to make himself appear less threatening to the boy, King Mumbo Jumbo gave a warm smile to the child, ensuring him of his safety.

"That's quite a creation you've made there, young one. Did you come up with that all on your own?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked.

"Uh... Yeah. I did." Christopher said.

"I'm King Mumbo Jumbo. What's your name?"

"I'm... I'm Christopher."

King Mumbo Jumbo and Christopher shook each other's hands, creating an official start to their friendship. The Zoners, more than happy to see their king accept and welcome the young boy to their world, all gave loud cheers and shouts, elated to have a child of great talent in their world.

While Penelope could not see herself feeling any sort of empathy for the man who murdered King Mumbo Jumbo, there was no denying that she began to feel some sort of pity for the Chalk King. Where she only previously knew him as some kind of monster, seeing the Chalk King not only as a human, but a human child, resonated with her as a person and a mother.

"And with a simple scribble on a chalkboard, this punishment turned out to be a blessing in disguise. With the magic chalk granting him access to ChalkZone, Christopher had found the fantasy world he had always dreamed of living in. For many years of his life, he spent his time in ChalkZone, creating all sorts of strange and fantastic places and creatures. With his efforts, ChalkZone grew to the large and beautiful place that it is now, filled with sights such as the Candy Cane Forest and the Wait 'N Sea and creatures like Buttonflies and Accordion Worms. Unfortunately, while he made a life for himself within ChalkZone, others did not know of his affairs, and believed him to have no friends or to be a lonely boy. His adoptive parents specifically held these beliefs, attempting to change him as they saw fit." The Chalk King said.

The film progressed further again, to a point when Christopher was around 10. Now, Christopher was shown in his room, surrounded by 5 different chalkboards, all surrounding him and all sharing different drawings of potential Zoners and landmarks in ChalkZone. Frantically cycling through his chalkboards in a revolving manner, Christopher spent time on each drawing for a few seconds before moving on to the next, all in a quick attempt to let out all his ideas at once.

In the middle of his massive artistic outlet, Melissa entered the room, checking on her adopted son. While she was more than impressed and proud of his artistic skills at work, his prolonged periods of time spent in his room alone with his chalkboards was more than concerning, as he spent little to no time around others other than attending school, an activity in which he spent even less time and attention on day by day.

"Christopher? Still at your drawings?" Melissa asked.

"Yep. I've got even more ideas by the second. This one's a polar bear named Lars, this is a robot named Crainiac, this is a flock of flying pencils, and this Generic Man and Major Brand, and these are all just the first few things I've thought of today." Christopher said.

"Honey, I know that you love to draw, and you're really very good at it, but don't you think you should be going out to do something, or maybe try making some friends?"

"What for? I'm happy right here doing this."

"I know, but... Do you remember what I told you when you first came to us?"

"No, what?"

"I said that you can give these drawings all your time and attention, but they won't love you back. People can love you back, all you need to do is try to go out there and meet someone."

"I've tried that. None of it worked. I'm happy here; nobody ignores me, nobody hurts me, they're all right here for me."

"But none of them are real. You need to try to talk to other people."

"I'm talking to you right now, aren't I? Why can't that be enough?"

"Because I won't be around forever, or be able to care for you all the time."

"Then I'll just take care of myself on my own after that. Now, mom, I'm trying to draw. If you're not going to watch, can you please let me get back to work?"

While all she wanted was to stay beside her newly adopted son and to find other people to have as friends in his life, it was clear that Melissa would have no such luck doing so today. Leaving Christopher as he requested, Melissa left the boy to his own devices to be in his own world. Feeling defeated after her attempts to reach out to Christopher failed, Melissa sought shelter in the arms of her husband, Harold Wolfe.

"I just don't get it, Harold. Nothing we've been trying works. All he wants to do is surround himself with those chalkboards and chalk drawings." Melissa said.

"He's obviously still not right after his parents treated him." Harold said.

"We're his parents, Harold."

"You know what I meant. The point is, he's not going to get any better like this. I think we should take him to see a doctor."

"He doesn't need a doctor, what he needs is love. He didn't have that before, and we can give it to him now. If we start taking him to doctors and have him all drugged up, then he's not going to make it far on his own."

"He's not making it far now. He hasn't made any friends, he doesn't talk to anyone, and he barely passes in school. If we're supposed to be his parents, then we should take care of him. That means getting him the help he needs."

While Melissa was not one to believe in hard-edged methods for bettering anyone's mental state, there was no denying that Christopher was suffering from something that they could not heal on their own.

"And they tried their 'help' several times, sending little Christopher to many doctors and psychiatrists, trying to get him to open up to others, but none of them could make any progress. Each and every time, they would be told the same thing; saying that nothing was wrong with Christopher, he simply valued art more than people. They didn't know that Christopher was playing them, leading them to believe that ChalkZone was nothing more than a fantasy of his creation, and thus never suspected a thing. In the real world, he was merely Christopher Wolfe. In ChalkZone, he was a god, and was treated as such by the Zoners. However, as Christopher began his journey into manhood, certain particular... urges began to arise. As like many young boys of this age do, he sought out to find a partner to let these urges out with. For once, Christopher finally began seeking out others, inadvertently obeying his parents' wishes." The Chalk King said.

The film progressed to Christopher in his teen years, around 14 years old. While standing in the hallway of his school, Christopher took notice of a certain girl at her locker, retrieving her items for her next class. This girl had a slim body, soft skin, long, blond hair, a pair of pert breasts, a slender but shapely bottom, and generous hips; but none of it measured up to the smell.

While the physical attributes were all very appealing to Christopher, what could not escape his mind was the smell. Taking a deep inhale of the girl's scent, the smell filled his mind and flooded his thoughts with many pleasantries. The smell was hard to describe even for an artistic person like Christopher; the smell seemed to be a mix of silkiness and softness, if such adjectives could be applied to a smell.

No longer simply standing by and observing his target, Christopher approached the girl, more than ready to make this girl his own. Making his way to the girl, Christopher approached and stood before the girl, gaining her attention. More than adjusted to the near godlike praise that he had received in ChalkZone, his approach was like that of a being of high power; expecting and presuming.

"Oh, uh... Hi. Can I help you?" The girl asked.

"Hi. I'm Christopher. What's your name?" Christopher asked.

"I'm Mindy. Uh, nice to meet you."

"You've seen me before. I've been noticing you for a while. You're very pretty."

"Oh, I think I remember you now, you're that guy who likes chalk. Look, I have a boyfriend, I'm sorry-"

"I've seen him. He doesn't compare at all to what I can give you."

"Excuse me?"

"Your boyfriend's, what? A guy who wants to go to college to become some software engineer, buy some house, and live like a simpleton? I can give you more than that. I can create anything your heart desires, no matter how ridiculous it may sound. Where I'm from, I'm a god."

"Okay... Look, I don't want to be hard on you because you clearly aren't all there, but that's not gonna happen. Could you please just go now?"

"I don't think so. I said that I want you, and I always get what I want."

Christopher reached his hand around to the Mindy's backside, gripping her buttocks tightly in his hand. Not taking kindly to his unwarranted action, Mindy slapped Christopher in the face, subsequently running away as quickly as possible. While the girl might have escaped from him, the thrill and excitement of having touched her and gotten close did not, lingering with him for a long time to come.

"One colorful meeting with her parents and Christopher's later, some disciplinary action was taken, and the boy was not to step a foot near that school again. Not that it really mattered to him, anyway. Of course, it mattered very well to his parents, who sought fit to talk with him about his actions." The Chalk King said.

The film cut to Christopher in his room with both of his adoptive parents, sitting across from him with very disappointed looks upon their faces. While Christopher was more than able to feign apology and concern, he did not do so here, having genuinely regretted disappointing those who cared for him.

"I can't believe you would do something like that, Christopher. How did you even get the idea to do that?" Melissa asked.

"I'm sorry, mom, I don't know what I was thinking. I just... I just really liked her, you know? I never felt like that before." Christopher said.

"It's more than normal for guys to like girls like that, son, but you can't just do something like that. It takes a lot of time and energy to meet and date a girl, and you can't just take one that's already got someone. Just going up and grabbing them is not right." Harold said.

"Look, I'm really sorry, okay? I just... You're always saying that I should try to meet someone and make some friends. I tried it, but it didn't work. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I really tried."

Feeling more empathy on her son, Melissa sat beside Christopher on his bed, laying her arms around his shoulders. Carrying some responsibility for the events that took place that day, Melissa tried to reassure Christopher over the manner, trying a different approach to the issue.

"Christopher, that's not the way to do these things. I'm sorry, I should have been more clear with you on how this is done, maybe you wouldn't have been misled like this." Melissa said.

"I just don't know what to do. You always say to try to meet or talk to people, but you never told me how." Christopher said.

"I can show you how. If you really don't know how to talk to girls, I'm right here. You can always talk to me."

Melissa held Christopher more tightly, giving a light kiss upon his cheek. With his adolescent urges still not satisfied and misreading the words and actions of his adopted mother, Christopher began to do something that no one could have found to be a reasonable action lest they had the twisted mind of Christopher himself.

Misreading his adopted mother's words as a romantic proposition, Christopher held onto Melissa and began kissing her on the lips, bringing a state of shock to both of his adoptive parents. Shocked and disgusted by his taboo action, Melissa pushed himself off of Christopher, backing against the doorway.

"Christopher, what on Earth do you think you're doing?!" Melissa asked.

"You said you can show me how to treat girls. I'm ready, show me now." Christopher said.

"What?! That is not what I meant! That is just wrong! I am your mother!"

"I'm adopted."

Not having found the fulfillment that he was looking for, Christopher began to approach Melissa, having his lust completely focused on his mother. Harold, not allowing his wife to be treated in such a way, rushed to Christopher and grabbed him from behind, trying to secure him down and calm down from his actions.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Christopher asked.

"I oughta be asking you that! You don't do that to your mother! That's sick!" Harold said.

"So? You do it with her, don't you?"

"That's not the same thing! Do you seriously not understand that? Are you out of your mind?!"

"Let me go, old man!"

Fighting back against his adoptive father, Christopher ran Harold against a wall, releasing his grip over his arms. Having his father against the wall, Christopher began punching Harold in the face, not pulling a single punch.

"YOU DARE TREAT ME LIKE THIS?! I'M A GOD! ANYTHING I WANT, I CAN CREATE WITH NOTHING BUT A PIECE OF CHALK! YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME BUT DIRT UNDER MY FEET, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Christopher shouted.

Not tolerating the various punches landed in his face, Harold forcefully pushed Christopher off, sending him through the bedroom door and out in the hall. While his action was only meant to make Christopher stop punching him, it had inadvertently sent him tumbling down the stairs to the bottom of the house. Realizing his mistake, Harold began rushing down to the base floor, with Melissa following him.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the two found Christopher laying on the floor, covered in bruises and shaking heavily from the abuse taken from his tumble down the stairs. While his offenses were great and appalling, the state that Christopher was left in was worse than either of them could imagine, such a punishment not fitting the crimes.

"Oh, god, Christopher, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Harold began to say.

Harold reached out a hand to try to help the injured boy, but Christopher swatted it away, not wanting any help they could offer. With this miscommunication led to a horrible event, the love that Christopher shared with his parents quickly dwindled to nothing, taking away his only emotional connection to the real world.

Having no more reason to stay in the real world, Christopher ran out the front door to the house, fleeing from the Wolfes as quickly as he could. Not wanting to see the confused and distressed boy run away and be lost on his own, Melissa and Harold began to run after him, hoping that they would catch up to him and reason with him to come back.

While the parents were more than physically able to keep running after their adopted son, Christopher possessed something that would make him disappear from the real world forever. Taking his magic chalk from his pocket, Christopher drew a circle against the sidewalk, creating a portal to ChalkZone. Hopping through to the other side, Christopher erased the portal from behind him, leaving no evidence of his escape.

The Wolfes were not eager to give up their search, but their hope began to dwindle with each passing second. After hours and hours of searching, the two finally came to the realization that Christopher was gone, and he was not coming back. Having felt like they failed their adopted son, Melissa and Harold turned to each other for comfort, both suffering a loss and defeat unmeasurable to anything else in existence.

In the world of ChalkZone, Christopher was welcomed with open arms by the various Zoners just as he always was, but their cheers and praises were all met with quickly stopped and turned to cries for concern, seeing him in such an injured state. Paying a visit to King Mumbo Jumbo, Christopher sought to gain medical assistance, having his many wounds treated.

"My word, Christopher, I can't believe this could have happened to you. How did you become injured so heavily?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked.

Knowing that if he told the truth of how he had accrued these bruises and injuries, Christopher thought over the consequences of revealing the truth. Where he would once be praised as a great being by the inhabitants of ChalkZone for his many great creations, they would now look on him with disgust and disdain, knowing of how he acted towards his own parents. Thinking of the best lie he could conjure, Christopher thought of a way to cover up his injuries.

"It was my parents. They've... They've been doing this to me for years. I've been coming here to try to get away from it, but they just don't stop. This time, they... They threw me down a whole flight of stairs. I managed to get away, but it all still hurts. Everything still hurts." Christopher said.

Never having heard such disgusting tales (tall tales, unbeknownst to him) in his life, King Mumbo Jumbo found his composure hard to control, feeling himself ready to break down over the creator who had brought so much to ChalkZone.

"I... I can't believe this. That's... just... awful. I'm so sorry, Christopher. I can't believe anyone would seek to harm such a pure soul such as yours." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"Please, King Mumbo Jumbo, can I stay here? I don't want to go back." Christopher asked.

"Yes, of course. You can stay until we find you somewhere new to live, I'll see to it-"

"No, I mean forever. I want to live here in ChalkZone with all of you."

"A human? Living in ChalkZone? That's... really not something we've ever done, Christopher, we've no idea if it-"

"Please. I've given so much to this place, I deserve to stay with my creations. Besides, even if I went back, it wouldn't be any different. I don't have any friends in the real world. Nobody loves me. They all hate me. I'm nothing to them. Here, I'm somebody. I belong here."

While King Mumbo Jumbo still had his own objections to the idea of a human living in ChalkZone, he could not deny that his friend needed his help here and now, and he could not find the strength to turn him away. Giving out a heavy sigh, King Mumbo Jumbo took Christopher's hand in his own, giving his blessing to allow him to stay.

"Very well. You're right. You've put so much work into ChalkZone, you deserve to stay." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

Knowing that he would forever find his safe haven in ChalkZone, Christopher gave a smile, no longer left with the attachments of the real world to hold him back.

With the past few minutes of the video, Penelope began to feel remorse for the Chalk King, believing that he had simply a bad start in his life that led to the events that unfolded to make him what he now was. Now, seeing him commit such unspeakable acts, Penelope found herself somehow even more disgusted to look upon the Chalk King than before.

"So, in order to find yourself a place to stay without any consequences to what you did, you lied to King Mumbo Jumbo?" Penelope asked.

"Of course I did. If you were in my shoes, would you have told the truth?" The Chalk King asked.

The film then played a montage of Christopher trying to date various Zoners, all in an attempt to find a life partner. Despite seeming to get so far and making great progress in many areas,

"With King Mumbo Jumbo and the Zoners believing his little tall tale, Christopher was allowed to stay in ChalkZone. While his connections with the real world were long gone, his lust certainly did not leave him. With the assistance of King Mumbo Jumbo, Christopher sought out to date any Zoners that were human enough, hoping to find some sort of match. Alas, he could not find a partner. When holding a position of heightened importance where others see you as a god, finding an equal feels like degrading yourself." The Chalk King said.

The film then showed Christopher drawing a human-like woman, one in a shape that he envisioned for his own desires. Making this one with more curves and a more shapely body, Christopher spared no attention to detail ensuring that his fantasy would come to life as he desired. With his drawing completed, the woman came to life before Christopher's eyes, immediately submitting herself to him as he was expecting. From there, Christopher slowly began undressing the woman, ready to fulfill the desires that laid to fester in his mind for many years, turning into many horrid, perverted thoughts without a proper outlet.

"For a while, Christopher began creating his own women to fulfill his... human desires. As each experience was consummated, the... produce of the act would erase each of his women, forcing him to draw another one each and every time he desired release." The Chalk King said.

Learning the fact that the Chalk King had created women as resources for his own desires, Penelope found herself barely even able to continue watching the film, no longer able to even look the Chalk King in the eye.

"You never wanted to find an actual partner? You just drew Zoners just so you could treat them as toys? For that?!" Penelope said.

"What else was I to do? Besides, in hindsight, I admit it barely did much for me, but that was then."

"Of course it wouldn't do anything for you. If you actually were looking for a real relationship, then you wouldn't ever find it with women you can just throw away."

"Who said that was the problem? Disposable women are no issue to me, but everything I created was less than a woman. I could make anyone from Marilyn Monroe or any number of the Bond Girls, but none of them were real women. It may have been years since I've seen the real world, but I never forgot what a woman looks and feels like. The soft and smooth skin, the silky hair, the soft and tender curves, the sweet and entrancing smell; everything. Well, at least, as far as they'd let me get near them. The problem was that these creations were just chalk. No skin, no smell, no feeling; just dust." The Chalk King said.

The film progressed further to a fight between Christopher and the many occupants of ChalkZone, with King Mumbo Jumbo leading the fight against Christopher. Where many Zoners were fighting back with many unorthodox objects like fruit pies, rubber bands, slingshots, and all manners of cartoonish weapons, Christopher possessed the most valuable weapon in his arsenal: the magic chalk, capable of creating anything he needed to fight back with. Having a weapon of great power in his hand, the Zoners were less than a match for Christopher, the latter having the power to end the fight any way he chose.

"As time progressed on, Christopher's status of being seen as a god by the Zoner quickly dwindled down to nothing, and the boy became an enemy in the eyes of the populace of ChalkZone. King Mumbo Jumbo, seeing the primal activities he had been in indulging in with the chalk, creating his women and telling his lies, no longer saw him as a friend." The Chalk King said.

"For years, Christopher Wolfe, I thought of you as one of the greatest creators in ChalkZone. Clearly, I was mistaken to consider you a friend and a pillar of my kingdom." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"And why is that? Did the idea of someone more powerful than you existing in your kingdom pose a threat to your throne? Are you truly more paranoid than you appear?" Christopher asked.

"Your lies and your twists will not work on me, Christopher. I know you have lied about your parents, and how you have used the chalk to fulfill your sick desires with those poor women. You are a sick man, and I made a poor decision in allowing you to stay. I, as king of ChalkZone, no longer declare you welcome in my kingdom."

"How very inspiring, Mumbo Jumbo. But, tell me, what makes you think the words of a king mean anything to a god?"

Using his chalk to conjure up one of the most deadliest creations that he could concoct, Christopher drew a swarm of bats, releasing his new weapon against the Zoners in his battle. While the Zoners were confused as to why Christopher chose to release a swarm of bats against them, their confusion was quickly turned to fear as they soon found out why. With each bite from the bats, their bodies began to expand and inflate like baloons, rising up to the sky. King Mumbo Jumbo, confused as to what was happening to his subjects, watched in fear as the Zoners all helplessly rose to the sky.

"What is this? What have you done?" King Mumbo Jumbo asked.

"You like it? I call it Baloonemia, and these critters Baloonemia Bats. Within a few more minutes, these Zoners will all pop just like baloons, and this little battleground will need to be cleaned up with a mop. The only cure is soda pop, and the only way you can control them is with this." Christopher said.

Christopher drew a flute, holding it up for King Mumbo Jumbo to see. As Christopher played a light tune, the Balloonemia Bats all began swarming around him in a serene manner, the music calming them down. As the Balloonemia Bats were placated, drew a can of soda pop, holding the can in one hand and holding the flute in the other.

"Now, you have two options. You can either take the soda and save these few Zoners, or you can take the flute and lead the bats far away from here. Keep in mind that while you might be able to save these Zoners, you won't have any way of controlling the bats, and you'll have an epidemic of Balloonemia on your hands. On the other hand, with the flute, you'll have to isolate yourself, keeping the bats away from your precious Zoners. What's it going to be?" Christopher asked.

While neither option was particularly appealing to King Mumbo Jumbo, he knew that while both options would suffer some losses, the option with the flute would be the lesser of two evils. However, when one evil is greater than the other, it does not make the other good. Knowing that choosing the flute would result in the deaths of his subjects, the king halfheartedly chose the flute anyway, keeping the future of ChalkZone in his mind, as a king would.

"I figured you would go for the noble sacrifice. Fine, then. Here you go." Christopher said.

Christopher tossed the flute at King Mumbo Jumbo's feet, sending the Balloonemia bats along with it. To avoid being bitten by the bats, King Mumbo Jumbo began playing a tune on the flute, placating the bats and ending their attack. Christopher, having the king in a situation impossible to escape, gave a smile as he watched him helpless to solve the situation, sipping the soda he had drawn.

"Well, then. I hope you enjoy playing the flute, because you're going to be doing it for the rest of your days. So, I guess this is goodbye, Mumbo Jumbo. I think I'll go off to start my own little kingdom, free of people like yourself that seek only to limit what I can do." Christopher said.

"Creators were never meant to use ChalkZone for their personal gain. You have violated what made ChalkZone so special and sacred a place." King Mumbo Jumbo said.

"My dear man, if there's one thing I've learned in my life, there's only one absolute truth. Nothing is sacred."

Wandering off into the wilds of ChalkZone to find a place to build his own kingdom, Christopher began walking away from the destruction he had created, not even looking back once. King Mumbo Jumbo, needing to draw the Balloonemia Bats away from any highly-populated areas of ChalkZone, walked off in his own direction, continuing to play his flute as he walked.

As the effects of Balloonemia began to take full effect on the Zoners, King Mumbo Jumbo tried place his mind only on the sounds of his flute, blocking out the sounds of explosions and gore occurring in the battlefield behind him. With no way to rule his kingdom any longer, King Mumbo Jumbo decided to return to his temple, giving himself a way to trap the bats and protect ChalkZone for as long as he could.

"As King Mumbo Jumbo was left trapped in his temple, Christopher wandered off to find his own new spot of land, finding a place to build his own kingdom where his word was law. Creating a fortress known as Castle Chalkenstein, Christopher had found the rule and the leadership that he sought out, finding the joy in his life that he had always wanted. However, it seems that all good things came to an end. Being stuck in a place where everything was made of chalk, even the most exciting things like his women and even simple tasks like eating and drinking began to lose their luster. With so much sensory deprivation piercing into his mind, his life began to turn from ruling over paradise into a living purgatory of dullness. One day, Christopher decided to end the purgatory in the only way he knew how." The Chalk King said.

The film showed Christopher in his castle, rocking back and forth on the floor, crying and frantically pounding on his head in a pained and tortured affair. No longer able to take the pain of his own life, Christopher sought to end it. Taking his chalk and drawing a .357 revolver, Christopher drew the very last item he would ever create, taking the revolver to his head.

With a simple squeeze of his finger, the trigger was pulled.

Although the bullet was made of chalk just as everything else he drew was, it functioned just like a real bullet. Passing through his brain and destroying countless nerves and neurons that composed his being, Christopher died by his own hands, ending his trite and terrible life in a pathetic and cowardice manner.

"What he did not seem to know, however, was that, when a human dies in ChalkZone, they don't completely go away." The Chalk King said.

Within seconds of dying, something bizarre and impossible happened, something that Penelope never knew could ever be possible even in a land like ChalkZone. Christopher's body began turning from flesh and blood into chalk, making him appear just like a Zoner. As the transformation from flesh to chalk completed, Christopher's eyes opened and a sharp inhale of air entered his lungs, signalling a sign of life from the once-human being.

Not believing himself to be alive once again, Christopher rose to his feet, immediately rushing to a nearby mirror. Looking at himself in the mirror, every part of himself was turned to chalk, no part of him human any longer. Unable to believe the transformation that occurred to him, Christopher let out a loud and horrified scream, unable to believe the transformation that turned him.

With this last frame, the video ended, the videotape ejecting itself from the VCR.

"And, so, that was the day Christopher Wolfe died and became me." The Chalk King said.

After watching the complete travesty of events that led to the creation of the Chalk King, Penelope found herself barely able to think clearly or comprehensively any longer. Feeling a shred of her own humanity leaving her as the video ended, a churning began to muster in her stomach, leaving her feeling nauseous and disgusted.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up. I don't even know what to say to you." Penelope said.

"Who said that there's anything to say? This place is all just one big fantasy, a great big work of art for me to draw all over or erase as I please." The Chalk King said.

"And you decided that the solution to all your problems was to declare war on ChalkZone and turn it into some photorealistic image?"

"Of course not. You really think I care about making ChalkZone more realistic? I got the idea from the Nazis and their idea for an 'Aryan Nation' nonsense. I don't believe in any of it, I just find it hilarious watching all these stupid little Zoners rally up to a cause like this so easily. More importantly, it makes a great fantasy. I get to play the part of the great leader destroying the enemy; a story worth telling again and again for all time."

"You... You committed genocide on so many Zoners... FOR FUN?!"

"I sure did. After so many years, I figured this place out. It's all just a big fantasy. It's all just a blank canvas for me to do whatever I please, and I like my fantasies very dark and very violent. Anything you can imagine, you can create here. So, living as long as I have, I figured it was time to stop trying to make some sort of perfect little world and just go destroying as many as I could."

"I can't even believe you. How can you be such an awful person, if you even count as a person anymore? How can you not feel any sort of remorse or pity or guilt for what you're doing?"

Needing to reveal more than just his face to answer this question, the Chalk King threw his cloak aside, revealing the rest of his body. Like his face, his entire body was made of chalk, just like that of a Zoner's, but he still retained most of his human features, as if he were a rotoscope of a human being. Seeing his face move like that of a rotoscope was already unsettling enough, but, viewing the rest of his body in such a state, calling Penelope shocked would be an understatement.

"Look at me. My entire body is made of chalk. Everything that was part of me is gone. My skin, my bones, my organs; everything is chalk. It's been years since I've felt anything. My sense of touch is completely gone. Do you know what it's like not to have a sense of touch?! To not be able to fell warmth or cold, to feel a simple breeze of wind, to enjoy a hot meal, to not even feel the softness of a blanket so you can sleep?! I haven't even slept since I turned. My mind won't allow it. I was so, so close to finally turning all that around, but your little bastard son TOOK IT ALL FROM ME!" The Chalk King shouted.

"What?" Penelope asked.

"Your son. He destroyed the Golden Chalk. While I've been having so much fun over the years, there still lies the issue of not being real anymore. I might still be able to draw, but all my senses are completely gone. I might want to destroy this goddamn place, but I also want to feel the sweet victory of doing so with it, especially after I start my next fantasy."

"So, you want to destroy ChalkZone for fun, then you want to make yourself real with the Golden Chalk again? Even for someone like you, what else could you want after that?"

Drawing Penelope's attention to a nearby wall, the Chalk King drew a circle against it. As the circle completed, a portal to the real world opened, connecting to an abandoned warehouse. Inside the warehouse were thousands of boxes filled with sticks of chalk, with various Chalk Troopers handling the materials.

"Isn't it obvious? Once I destroy ChalkZone, what's next to destroy? The real world. And, once I get the Golden Chalk, nothing will be able to stop me in doing so, and I'll have a whole new fantasy to live out." The Chalk King said.