The next morning, Kun'nuk'kles awoke to see the sheer cliff in front of him. It was rather depressing, really. He knew what he had to do, and exactly how to do it. First, he tied the sack with the Chaos Emeralds in it to his back, and stuck his staff in it. Then, he punched the rock face. His knuckles penetrated, and gripped. And so, he started climbing the sheer cliff, punching the rock and pulling himself up. It was actually fairly quick, at about fifty feet a minute. About ten minutes later, he came to the top of the first platform. There were at least three more platforms of equal or greater size between him and the top of this mountain.

He grunted, and started on the next. When he reached the top of that one, he flopped on the solid rock and groaned. His muscles were screaming… he was a Wizard! He wasn't built for this sort of thing. But using magic to get to the top would ruin the element of surprise… he would just have to tough it out. But what use would it be if he was exhausted when he got to the top? To hell with surprise! But… another five minutes of rest was in order.

When he felt fully rested, he pulled his staff from the sack on his back and began a chant. "Ak'kun leoht! Geolokk anthegravim! Floating platform! To the top of the highest peak!" he shouted, and a shaft of light from his staff struck the very ground he was standing upon.

There was a groaning in the rock below, and a huge cracking sound, as if the very air had been rent asunder. And then, it started to rise, slowly, but more quickly than he had been climbing. So, he waited. It got colder, but his fur kept him warm, for the most part. But it would soon be intolerable… damn. He was going to have to cast again. "Ak'kun leoht!" he chanted. "Meterok effaci summi! Personal!"

With that, his staff pulsed, and the air directly around Kun'nuk'kles's body got warmer and thicker, as he was comfortable. And then, he waited. Finally, he came face to… whatever… with the host of Chaos Violet. "Greetings, Echidna Wizard," it said in a voice that wasn't quite right. "I've been expecting you. We shall not fight immediately. We're going to have a little chat before that happens."

Kun'nuk'kles blinked. This was not what he had been expecting. Of course, he hadn't been sure what to expect, but even so. "Very well," he ventured cautiously. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Oh, this and that… the nature of Chaos, the reasons you have for Binding the Chaos Spirits, little things."

"The nature of Chaos? The nature of Chaos is Order, hidden in patterns within patterns," Kun'nuk'kles answered.

"Not what I was referring to. I was talking about the Chaos Emeralds, and what they are capable of."

"I really have no idea about that, I'm afraid."

"I know. I wasn't going to ask you about them, I was going to TELL you about them."

"Then tell. I would dearly like to know."

"Very well. Long ago, there was an ancient race of people, who managed to tap the Power of Chaos. This power was too great for them to handle as a whole, and so they split the Chaos into us, the seven Chaos Spirits. Each of us has an attribute of enhancement: Strength, Speed, Agility, and so on. I myself am Strategy. But they still were not able to use our Power. And so, they used a myriad of spells in order to Bind us to the forms of gemstones. But they still could not use our power. And so, they made an eighth Emerald, much larger than the others, to serve to control and unify our Power. And it worked. But then, something happened, and the eighth Emerald shattered, and we were freed. The ancient race died as a result, because they had lost their chief source of energy.

"So you see, you are not the first to Bind us to Stone. However, you are doing it much more efficiently than the Ancients, using only one spell for all of us. But that alone will not save the planet from destruction. You will need the eighth as well, but I do not know how you could possibly achieve it."

"I see… well, I'll burn that bridge when I come to it. But I wonder… what was it that killed off the ancients? Was it that blue hedgehog that became as the sun, and as the rainbow?"

"I do not know. Possibly it was. There are none left who can tell of it."

"Interesting… but if you understand WHY I want to Bind the Chaos Spirits, why do you still want to fight me?"

"Because I want to find out if you are WORTHY to Bind us, Wizard. But first… why are you Binding us?"

"To stop the planet from ending."

"No, no… perhaps I phrased that wrong. Why are YOU, Kun'nuk'kles, Binding us, as opposed to another?"

"Because I'm the best at what I do. I am the Wizard of the Island of the Gods' Messengers, and I am the most powerful Wizard on Mobius. It falls to me, because no one else stands a chance of succeeding," Kun'nuk'kles explained.

"Don't you think you're being a little arrogant?"

"It's only arrogance if it's not true."

"Aptly said. Well, shall we commence our fight, Kun'nuk'kles?"

"But of course, Chaos Violet. Begin!"