The decision had been made. The other Travelers had dispersed to find spirits able and worthy to take up their cause. Press had gone to find the mysterious spirit whom they hoped would be able to sway Saint Dane. Bobby, however, had held off on seeking his own replacement. He knew that he had a difficult task ahead of him. He had to find a spirit who would act as a counter-balance to the diplomatic side of their mission. That was important – but he had something else to deal with, and he sensed that this couldn't wait.

He wasn't the only one who had stayed behind. Elli Winter was lingering as well, looking as though she needed to say something. Something that she was too afraid to express to the group. Bobby walked up to her and waited for her to start speaking. He'd gotten the feeling earlier that he knew what she was contemplating, but she had to be the one to approach it.

After a long silence, she spoke. "Pendragon. I think you know what's on my mind."

Bobby was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I know what you're wondering, and the truth is, I have no idea. It's possible, but…" He trailed off, looked at her with concern. She was still looking down at the ground, and he couldn't tell what she was feeling. Fearful? Hopeful? Or was she beyond that?

She continued without looking up. "Saint Dane came back. We thought that he was gone forever, but somehow he returned. We do not know how, or why, but if there is a way for it to happen once, is it truly inconceivable that it could happen again?" Bobby didn't know what he believed, but he knew that she needed to hear something positive. Besides, for all he knew her hopes may not be unfounded. For both of their sakes, he hoped it wasn't.

"I'll look. I'll ask questions, and I'll keep an eye out. If there's anything to be discovered about it, I'll let you know right away." She finally looked up. Her eyes were tired, but they held something that he hadn't seen in a long time – a spark of hope.

"Thank you, Pendragon. That is all I needed to hear." She looked up at the sky, wondering what would come next. They both knew what tasks lay ahead of them, but he knew that she would have an added motive to take up the fight again. Not for her sake, though. It was never for her sake.

As he made to leave, to find the spirit who would replace him as lead Traveler in the fight against Saint Dane, he turned back to Elli and said, "If it's possible for her to come back, I believe that she has the strength to do it. If she's out there, we'll find her."

Elli smiled at Pendragon as her corporeal form faded, leaving only the cloud of light and energy that was her now-natural state. Soon that was gone as well. As Bobby sped over Solara, he realized that his words were more than mere comfort. At some level, he believed that was he said was true.

If there was a way for other spirits to return as Saint Dane did, it was possible that Elli's daughter had returned as well.

If Nevva Winter was out there, they would find her.

Saint Dane stood in the swirling darkness that was his own twisted version of Solara. "So it begins again. Hatred begets hatred, and so the cycle is begun anew. They will learn of their mistakes in time." His eyes flashed white for a brief moment, and then returned to their typical blue. "They believe that there is no good, no bad, that there only is. But I know better."

He sighed, looking out at the dark wasteland before him. It reflected his state of mind, and embodied the emotions that festered inside.

Saint Dane's hatred ate at him, sharpening his mind and strengthening his resolve. He looked forward to the coming battle, if only to see the despair on the faces of those who had wronged him. He would see them beg as he had begged. He would watch them fall as he had fallen. And if they returned as he had?

He relished the idea of watching it all again.

"You have worked so hard to rebuild Halla, to return it to its 'rightful state,'" he said softly. "So resplendent. So resilient. So…flawed."

He held his hand out in front of him, palm down. The worlds of Halla appeared before him; the worlds that he knew better, perhaps, than any other. He knew their histories, and he knew their people. He understood the subtle laws that governed each one, understood the balance that existed between them…and knew how easy it was to break. He studied them closely. The plans he had devised were ready to be implemented; only one thing was missing.

"The power that once was," he said, repeating those words he had spoken so long ago, "Will no longer be." He flipped his palm face up, bringing the eight planets that had been revolving below him to eye-level.

"The game begins again," He said while curling his fingers, bringing the worlds closer together. The planets began to swirl alarmingly fast, boundaries weakening at his touch. Far away, earth began to crumble as stone walls collapsed in on themselves. Across the territories, holes were being drilled into the very fabric of time and space, dark matter crusting their walls as they flung themselves far enough to reach into eternity.

Saint Dane's face creased in concentration. His form flickered briefly as he focused his entire being on the task at hand. "Send your Travelers. Come what may, I will not be denied a second time." His form winked out once more, then came back into focus as he stood, watching the completion of the project that would mark the beginning of the new war…and the end of Halla.

"Because this is the way it was meant to be."