Kim inhaled sharply at the blow, but felt nothing. She looked down at where he had struck her, but there was no blood, no mark. Her eyes seemed a little cloudy, but other than that, she felt fine. She started at Ron's Howl, and ran to his side, placing a hand on his sobbing shoulder. She couldn't feel him.

"Ron! Ron! What's wrong? Ron! Ron?" He wouldn't respond, his focus drawn to the heap he now cradled in his hands. With a gasp, Kim realised that the heap was her.

"What's…what's going on?" she asked the room in general.

"Nothing much. You're dead. So, are you ready to go or what?" said The Prince behind her

"Dead? But, but I didn't feel anything. What did you do?"

"I separated you're 'soul' from you're body. It really was the simplest thing to do, in the circumstances. I doubt that you're physical form could have coped with the journey anyway, and the chances of you dying now from glancing at the unknowable is severely reduced."

"But, but I'm dead! You…you…what am I going to do now?"

"Nothing much. Come with me, see unspeakable things, come back, go on with you're life."

"You mean this is only temporary?"

"Of course! You didn't think… well, what would be the point in that?"

"But we gotta tell Ron!"
"No! You thought he died, and now he thinks you're dead. I want to gauge his reaction. I want to see if he's going to go to pieces like you did"
"OK, first of all, no I didn't! second, look at him! I've never seen him this bad."
"Yes, but wait, it gets better!"
Ron's howl turned into a roar as he leapt to his feet. "Where are you , you coward! Do you think we're just toys that you can break without worrying about the consequences? Face me!" he roared again, and collapsed next to his lovers body. The floor beneath them began to grow liquid, and enveloped them both, then settled back into solidity.

"where have you sent him? What have you done to him?"
"Oh, there'll be time enough to explain all that later, come, come, we must depart."

The world around them began to seep into grey and then darken to black. Kim looked around. She was alone in the void of space.

Ron shook his head, shaking of the tail end of unconsciousness, just in time to see The Prince strike his partner, and watch her body hurtle across the room to rest, crackling with strange energies. His breath stopped in his throat, and he collapsed beside her. No pulse. No breath. She was dead. The rest was a blur of grief and pain and anger. All he remembered was the feeling of cold as the liquid floor drank them in. Darkness swam across his eyes, and the next thing he felt was the rain fall on his head, and the mud begin to soak into his clothes. He stared into the storming sky, and let the cold precipitation wash his face. He sighed deeply, and lifted the still form of his lover into his arms. He had a duty to perform, one he hoped never to have to do. He began to walk, stumblingly, almost falling in the wet, slippery mud, but stopped himself. No. she would not touch the ground. Angels do not touch the base clay. He looked into her face, into her still staring eyes. So perfect, so green. He raised two fingers and closed them, unable to cope with the accusations he saw therein. Tears fell down his cheeks, and he hung his head in pain and shame. He had failed her.

The Doctors Possible sat in their drawing room, he with a pipe and newspaper, she doing a crossword puzzle at the small table. She looked out the window, and clucked her tongue. "Oh dear, look at that rain. The kids will get soaked. I hope that they're mission is somewhere indoors."

"Hmm. I'm sure that they'll be fine. Kim's smart, she'll have taken precautions."

"I hope so. I really hope so." Said her mother, a worried look on her face. "But they're both so young, and impulsive, and who knows what might have happened." She sighed.

"It's not that bad surely! So they'll get a little cold, maybe the 'flu."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, the rain!" she laughed a little awkwardly. "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"Well, what were you thinking about, hmm?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing, doesn't matter" she blushed a little, and started at the sound of the doorbell. "Maybe that's them now" she got up, to answer the door, relieved that the conversation could be cut short. She opened the door and gasped. Ron looked into her eyes, tears streaming down his face and his lower lip began to tremble. Kim lay limp and open eyed in his arms.

"Hello?" shouted Kim. "Drakor, where are you? I, uh, I don't know what to do here…on my own." She sighed, and look around in the void. She noticed a small speck that seemed to be growing larger in the distance. No. Not larger. Closer. Soon, it had become clear what it is. The Earth hung before her, blue and green and brown, spinning in space. A strange mist whirled around it, becoming solid. A large, black serpent emerged, coiling around the earth, it's head poised ready to strike. It's cobra like hood spread wide. Kim gasped. From the void she could hear the sound of a multitude weeping and wailing. The volume increased in intensity, until it was deafening. The Earth, serpent in tow, faded from view, replaced with people, stretching out as far as the eye can see, in all directions. Young, old, fat, thin, black, white. All people were represented. They turned and faced her and smiled. Their eyes were hollow and black, like The Prince's. They opened their mouths and spoke, as one.

"Greetings, Kimberley Anne Possible, welcome here, to the last shell protecting the world from The Perfected. There is no going back now, you understand. This is merely a stylized representation of my form, or, rather, what I represent. The serpent was the threat I represent to all living things, this form represents the small part of me that lies in the heart of every living thing, that drives you all on to great and terrible things. There is only one step left, and that's viewing the true form. Just giving you a heads up."

"Where, where am I?"

"Beyond the Grey Borders, Past Lord Scaithes Domain, Through the Gates of Searing Sorrow, at the Dawn of the Dark Sun"
"Uh-huh. And that's supposed to mean something?"

"Not really, but if you were learned in such matters you'd be in a foetal position by now. So much of this is lost on you I guess. Tell me, what is it like to see things in only three dimensions? Don't you find it drab?"

"No…why, how many do you see in?"
"Countless, my dear, countless! I can see every event unfolding in time and space as if it were occurring before me. it is really most wonderful, you must try it. Anyway, I suppose it's time to part the final veil. Don't say I didn't warn you!" the figures' mouths opened then, wider than humanly possible and darkness began to pour from them. Soon a black fog had enveloped her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no noise would come. She was completely absorbed by the hungry night.

Ron…? Omigod! Kim! Kim, please, answer me! Ron, What happened?"
"We…we had to go stop him. Kim said so, we had to, but he. He was too powerful. He toyed with us, told us that we should thank him for everything, that he was a god! And, so help me, I think he is, but a god of death. He made Kim depressed, made her want to kill herself, then took it all away as if it was nothing. Then, when she attacked, he knocked her around like she was a ragdoll. He knocked me out, made the rock I threw at him strike me. I don't know what happened in the moments I was out, but I woke up to see him strike her on the chest. She was hurled across the room to land at my feet. There was no pulse, no breath. It should have been me!" he broke down, sobbing again. Kims mother turned away, unable to look at her daughters lifeless body, the colour drained from her face in shock. Her husband came to her side, tears streaming down his face, to comfort her, but she brushed him off. She did not want to be touched now. She slowly began to sob, the terrible keening of the heartbroken mother. Ron collapsed even further into his despair, tears stinging his eyes red. Amidst the sounds of weeping, a scream forced them all to their senses, to take note. A loud shrill constant wail that came from the room they were in. Ron noticed it first, his proximity to it's source being a deciding factor. He looked up, bleary eyed, and saw Kim, hands clenched into fists. Her eyes had snapped open, and she screamed loudly to the heavens.

"Kim! You, your alive! She's alive!"

She fell silent again, soon enough, with no sign that anything had passed her lips. A quick scan for cerebral activity soon confirmed that, though there was no external sign of life, and, indeed no life signs at all, there was still something inside that could be called alive, there was still life in Kim Possible. Their sense of relief was marred only by one of fear and foreboding.

Kim opened her eyes, and thought that maybe she hadn't. She soon realised, however, that the darkness was outside her head. Well, at least there was ground beneath her feet this time. She stood up, and waited, hoping that her eyes would soon adjust. In time they did, and she saw black walls of dark stone, and on the floors, shimmering gold pieces. She walked forward, towards the sounds of chanting. The sounds grew louder and became more distinct.

"Praise to thee, Dark One, Praise to thee, oh Bringer of War. Grant us your gifts of ambition, grant us your power, grant us your magic. Take from us our mortal frailty, oh Transfigurant Master, and give us your glory!"

"she walked onwards. Soon, she came upon the chanters, beings of great and terrible visage, all with eyes bound tight, so as to reveal nothing of the outside world. They crowded around what, at first sight, seemed to be a vast empty throne. Above the throne an indistinct black shape hovered. She squinted, peering closer. She could make out two pairs of vest black wings, spread out into the distance. One pair like a birds, an angels feathers cast in black, the other, distinctly draconic. She edged closer to see more clearly, driven by some unknown urge. She could see clearer now, the strange, familiar black armour, the terrible spiked gauntlets folded across the figures chest. Something was different, however. Where once skin could be glimpsed where the armour did not join, now a strange black light poured forth, concealing what light should reveal, like a gold ring painted with thick black oil. She looked up, towards it's face, and gasped. The features were those of Drakor, but it's angles were sharper, more clear. The skim was darker, and Kim was terrified to realise that it was not really skin anymore, no longer flesh, but rather, the absence of flesh, the loss of the material. She realised that she beheld, here, before her, the animate void. At his brow twin horns, antlers, grew, and his hair, once pale white, was now black and floated as if buffeted by unfelt winds. His crown towered now, with many terrible, sharp peaks. From his eyes, black on a black background, burning dark light poured, and as he looked down on his worshipers, and smiled, it poured from his mouth also. One of the chanters seemed to shake, and, screaming that he must look now upon perfection, he ripped off his bandages, gazing upon the dark form of The Prince. Eyes wide with rapture and wonder, he fell to his knees and, as his eyes bled, died with a look of joy on his face. Drakor's eyes fell upon Kim, and he smiled again.

"Who are you, child, that you come here with eyes unsheathed to look upon the only truth in the universe?"

"Uh, Kim Possible, remember? You brought me here, didn't you?"
"Hmm, mayhaps I did, little human, hold, I shall inquire" he seemed to look into the distance for a moment, then nodded and smiled "ah yes, I remember now, that little backwards earth. You serve me by not serving. So, was the trip everything you thought it would be? You have made a journey few have survived and fewer still have returned from."

"It was…weird. So is this the Plane of Darkness?"

"Not quite. This is my realm, Malisnuth, the Plane of Transcendence, which borders the Plane of Night and my material realm, Arkadee. In fact, it borders all things, but it is mostly through those two that I receive visitors such as yourself. It is from here that most of my influence spreads, from here that change is permitted to spread throughout the universe. Here, I am supreme, even more so than ususal." He chuckled a little, and reached down, plucking Kim up between two fingers. She struggled ineffectually, until she was brought to eye height and saw, in the pits of his eyes, the death of a thousand stars, the fall of a thousand empires, the decay of a thousand worlds and the promise of corruption. She saw her life played out from odd angles, saw all she new to be true and real fall away into dust. In the eyes of perfection, she saw her soul laid bare, her life's work exposed as empty and hollow. She shivered and looked away, unwilling to be drawn into the dark pit that his eyes lay as guards to, the deep, black crevice of her own insecurity. She pushed against his finger with her hands, and screamed in pain as her fingers slipped beneath the gauntlets, to touch his perfect form. She pulled her hand away, looking down on it to see her fingers blanched from cold and contracting in pain. He laughed at her confusion.

"Ah, I see that you have trouble comprehending. This is not unanticipated. Allow me to explain. My true form is composed of limitless possibilities, and the essence of three concepts, opposed to each other. One: I represent the forces of creation at their peak, the power to create from the aether new and wondrous things. Two: I am change at it's most perfect, evolution to new and greater forms. I bring greater awareness of the universe, and your place in it, while granting greater understanding of yourself. Three: I am destruction and death, the ending. I cut the bonds that tie you to this life, and allow you to go on to the next. I reap from the living their memories, their ambition, their hopes and leave hollow husks in place. I separate the body into it's component particles and scatter them to the four winds. All these things I encompass, ad all these things are ever active within me. Unfortunately, the universe itself finds it less than comforting, and rails against me, and, in my presence, Quails and warps, eventually breaking apart and giving way to nothingness. While this may seem a desirable, at it's core, it is a disappointment, for, without the aether, without primal chaos, creation is in truth impossible, and without further creation, there is no hope for change or destruction. It is stagnant, dreary. . So, to maintain some semblance of reality, I close myself off from reality slightly, hold myself apart beyond great borders, that are here represented by the thin black membrane on my form. If I were, say, to allow this barrier to separate, all of reality would be absorbed into the void in a matter of days. Slowly at first, but in the final hours time itself would unravel. By touching me, you felt beneath, to the burning cold of the void. It is a sensation that will live with you forever." He placed her down, gently, and ascended once more to hover above the throne, regarding her. He nodded, satisfied. "Yes, I can see why I chose you. I must say that I have exquisite taste"
"What the hell do you mean by that? Don't you even remember 'choosing' me?"
"A side effect of my form is that interaction is extremely limited. I'm forced to operate through aspects of my personality, intrusions into your crude little world of my incredible will and intellect. While they are certainly all me, and I have access to all that they have learnt and know, it occasionally takes me a while to find the particular aspect that I'm referencing at any one time. It can be a little distracting, omniscience."

She looked at the worshipers. Several more had joined their fellow in removing their blindfolds and gazing at their God, and, as before, had died with red tears in their eyes and a smile on their face. "Why do they do it? Don't they know that they'll die?"

"Of course, but that doesn't stop them. You see, once something is forbidden, it becomes more desirable. Also, I planted a suggestion in each of them that makes looking at my form the most important thing in the world to them, even though they know I have forbidden it, and that it will destroy them."
"That's…monstrous!"
"Perhaps, but it is also the first step on the paths of ascension. Self denial, and survival at all costs, even at the expense of your hearts desire. Those that die do not deserve to live, to serve the Empty Throne. Those that survive are well on their way to evolution of form to something other. I could just as easily reach down and reshape them to my whims, but where would be the fun in that?"
"I still think it's wrong. I don't care if the eventual outcome is to their benefit. The ends do not justify the means"

"Foolish child, to chide a God on moral grounds! The ends Do justify the means, and sometimes the means themselves are enough of a reason to do something. Sometimes, the act of doing is enough and the task does not matter. Sometimes, your journey leads you back to your house, other times to vast and ancient empires. You do not know until you take that first step." He leaned down to her, and smiled. "And now, I think, perhaps your journey takes you home. You have much to think on, and, I feel, it is time to return". He stopped, frowned, and looked over his shoulder. He sighed, and turned away. "One moment, it appears I have matters to attend to." A strange crackling sound became apparent, and four distorted circles appeared on a nearby ridge. Out of these crackling gates poured what seemed, from this distance, like a thousand vast black ants. As they edged closer, it became clear that, whatever they were, they were humanoid, and bore a striking similarity to the prince himself, that these were the "svartalf" he spoke of. All wore blindfolds. They arrayed themselves along the ridge, bows drawn. One stood up, and, with a loud clear voice, spoke:
"For the glory and honour of the Spider Queen, destroy the traitor! Death to he who sullies her name and reputation! Death to the False God!" at his command, a volley of arrows fell upon The Prince and his servants. Those that fell on Drakor shattered or were absorbed into the void, while those that fell on his worshipers struck true, killing them by tens and hundreds. Drakor sighed, and raised a hand towards the archers. His wings beat once, twice, three times, and a bolts of black lightning danced upon his form. He clenched his fist, and brought it down violently. The sounds of wailing and tears could be heard, and a vast terrible black mist descended upon them, whirling and twisting. It soon dissipated, and the archers were left, drained, aged, dead. Drakor reached down, plucking the leader, their commander who had stood outside of the mists influence, lifting him high. A stream of epithets, accusations as to Drakor's parentage and character, followed.

"Silence mortal!" and he pressed his vast thumb against the creatures mouth and rubbed. The creature screamed no-more, its mouth erased as if he were naught but soft, malleable clay. He continued to work at it's flesh, shaping, breaking, reforming.

"So, servant of the spider goddess, you would oppose me? Why? When I can give you such gifts!" He laughed, raucously, violently, all the while reforming the hapless mortal. He split its arms at the elbow, so that each arm ended in three. He reshaped its legs and spine, giving it a more bestial stance. He remade its skull, elongating it, giving it sharp teeth and mandibles, giving it eight eyes. Finally he was done, and placed his new monstrosity to the ground, where it lay twitching in shock. The prince turned his attention then to the corpses of his attackers, scooping them up in one enormous hand. He spat into his palm, clenched his other hand over the top and pressed down, hard. A sickening, wet, cunching sound could be heard. Kim looked away, unable to stomach anymore, and, for once, glad that she was currently dead, and couldn't empty her stomach. She finally mustered the courage to look back, and saw, to her disgust, the fruits of The Princes work; a wet, slimy mass of flesh and bone in the shape of a grotesque eye, it's surface composed entirely of faces, mouth still open in pain. She looked up into the face of The Prince, and noted his lips were moving, that, eyes closed and hands in a complex series of bizarre gestures. He held one hand over the mass, and a blast of darkness pulsed into the form. The mouths began to scream, their eyes wide in pain as eight bone shards, dripping with blood and meat erupted from it's base, sickening parodies of a spiders legs.. Drakor smiled, and drew a clawed a hand in the air, tearing a hole in reality. He plucked both the warped forms and hurled them through the void, with a cry of "Best wishes to your Spider Queen!" and chuckled, closing the portal behind tem, and turned back to Kim.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, human child, you must return now. You have loved ones who wait for you, and the Realms beyond the Grey Borders are not for one such as you. Go now, little one, with my blessings upon you." He reached down, taking her up in one hand, and breathed on her, gently, bathing her in black light. She felt herself slipping away, and the darkness once more enveloping her.