Chapter 33: Redemption

"Amazing..." Tails walked up to Blahsprite, examining him scrupulously. "He's like... an apparition, or a phantom..."

"A ghost with spacey powers," Blahsadfeguie introduced. "Ghosts can already manipulate the laws of physics to an extent. You don't need to breathe, you have selective tangibility..."

"And as the Knight of Space..." Blahsprite continued, contemplating his hand, which he suddenly formed into a fist. He hovered backward, phasing through the wall opposite Skaia. Bending over, he held out both hands towards the lab as if to push the entire thing. "Skaian Fist of the Milky Way... Photon Warp!"

It felt like an instant to everyone aboard. One moment, the white light was blinking sheepishly from afar, the next, it had grown into a planet, perhaps even a sun, a blue sphere stroked with white cloud-like wisps, the infamous spirograph blending and shifting in the center. In clear orbit around it were three objects: two smaller planets, one green and luscious, almost earth-like; and any portion of the other that wasn't covered in sinister storm clouds was filled in with dark red. The final object was a golden, pentagonal moon, so close to Skaia itself that it seemed to skip across its surface. Eight tall towers were visible sticking up from the moon's surface.

"We have established orbit," Blahsprite announced, causing most everyone to jump as they were busy admiring the beauty of the Incipisphere.

Blah cleared his throat. "Yes well, dang!" The words were coming back to him, albeit slowly. "That was impressive, is this 'Skaian Fist' anything compared to what I might be capable of as God Tier?"

"Er..." Blahsprite hesitated, as it was part of a sprite's purpose not to reveal more than it needed to about the game. He shook his head, shaking it off. "Heh, traveling at the speed of light is nothing for a God Tier... trust me."

"God Tier?" Broshi addressed. "We get to become gods?"

"Maybe. If you're good enough." Blahsprite laughed, degenerating into a cough. "Ack. Skaia's got me talking like Cody..."

The word 'Cody' hit a sweet spot in Blah's inner ear. He clutched his head with his palm. "Oh crap, I forgot... summoning the Wall of Flesh killed him..."

A moment of silence passed. Guides were as expendable as they came in the game of Terraria, but when it came down to actually having one killed... especially for necessary advancement...

Blah felt a ghostly hand on his shoulder. "And you defeated it in the end. His death was not in vain."

"I wonder... when we get back..." Blah thought. "...do you think there'd be anything left to prototype with? A corpse, or at least ashes?"

Blahsprite shrugged. "I possess knowledge about the Medium, not the Underworld. Personally, I think it's possible... but let's focus on something else for now, hm?"

"Like heading to those planets," Tails aided in changing the subject. "At least one of them has life on it, right? Which means they probably have real food, at the very least."

"Each planet in the Medium belongs to one player of SBURB," Blahsprite explained, "As well as, usually, entire civilizations of reptilian or amphibious consorts. Looks like only 2 players made it here, but..."

"What have they been up to during all this time?" Seraphina wondered aloud. "Are they playing the game? Or are they doomed to wander their own planets, unable to advance without the help of their co-players?"

"Most of the time, you can't even leave your house until you reach the first gate," Blahsprite continued, "Which requires the server player to build it high enough. And if I remember correctly, the two players that entered before I awakened the Wall of Flesh were-"

"Reed and Bellia," Blah followed, nodding. "They were client and server, so Reed should have been able to advance at least a little... but without a server of her own, Bellia couldn't have survived that long..."

"So Reed probably fell soon after that," Hailstorm deduced. "Yeah... I see what you mean, it's doubtful that either of them are still alive..."

"Doesn't mean they can't still be helpful," said Broshi.

"Yeah, they could've left something behind..." Blah agreed.

"And it's not like we weren't going to go to the planets anyway," Blahsprite added. "I'm feeling the need for some fresh, naturally generated air."

"What are you talking about, you don't need air anymore," Hail reminded him.

"Haha... oh Hailstorm," Blahsprite mused, "Questioning me even now... just like the good ol' days..."

"Sooo, are you going to take us to that planet or not?" Pinkie spoke up in an odd fit of sudden impatience. "Please and thank you." She finished with a smile.

"Yes, the anticipation is a bit heavy," Sera admitted.

"Sorry..." surrendered Blahsprite, "but can you really blame me for catching up a little with my friends? I haven't seen them in 5 years after all. You know. Since their deaths." More silence. "Yeah." Blahsprite once again took position as the lab's artificial engine and propelled it towards the Earth-like planet. As they entered the atmosphere, he moved underneath the lab to slow its descent until finally setting it down on top of a hill.

It took Tails a while to remove the door with his welding torch, as it had been hastily fashioned with an air-tight seal for space travel, and when it fell out of the frame, he and the others stepped out into the outdoors after what seemed like an eternity.

It was very much like Earth, even on the surface. The heroes found themselves in the middle of a lush forest, barely disturbed by the newly arrived structure of technology as though nature itself was perpetually carefree and blissful. The trees and bushes were full of small examples of wildlife, from squirrels to birds to deer, all watching the pioneers curiously. A majestic mountain range was barely visible behind the great, flourishing canopy of the trees. This was a planet where nature thrived despite the tragic circumstances involving its creation.

Tails took a deep breath of the air and relaxed his entire body, losing himself in the allure of this new world. Compared to his previous habitat, this was heaven. Blah and his Alpha timeline companions took the liberty of reveling in the ambiance themselves.

They barely even noticed the animals dart away, and the sound of many guns cocking.

"You!" A harsh, scratchy voice quacked in contrast to its surroundings. "State your business!"

The crew found themselves surrounded by their worst nightmare (or close): a squad of about 10 humanoid, wingless ducks in robust military-esque uniforms, each one equipped with a rifle. The majority of them had horns sticking out of the middle of their foreheads, and were more brightly-colored compared to the hornless - a detail that most of the non-ducks missed on account of the guns pointed at their heads.

Everyone reacted by putting up their hands (or hooves), not that that needed to be said. "W-we come in peace! P-please don't shoot!" Hailstorm nervously squeaked out.

"We mean no harm to anyone," Blah began, speaking slowly. "We were forced to land here. This building was stuck in deep space for about 5 years after our home world exploded and this was the first land we came across."

The most decorated of the ducks, a proud and tall green-colored male and presumably the leader of this group, stepped forward, keeping his gun level. His eyes narrowed. "I have never seen your kind before, so we can't be sure of your intent," he stated. "And it appears you have a hostage." He directed his gaze at Tails. "Come over here, young one, they can't hurt you now that we're here."

"Hostage...?" muttered Hail. "D-do you know these guys?"

"Not a clue..." Tails whispered. "I have to play along though..." He ran behind the commander.

There was a pause as Blah searched for a reply, but his thoughts kept going back to the soldiers' species... and singling out Tails, as if they had mistaken him as one of their own. Ducks and foxes...

"No, that can't be right," Blahsprite whispered, just loud enough for Blah to hear. "My sprite mind tells me they're consorts but..."

"Your Blah mind..." Blah whispered back, knowing that both versions of himself were on the same wavelength, as to be expected. "It knows who they really are. And so do I. It all makes sense now."

Blah cleared his throat, looking back to the commander. "We know who you really are, and why you're here - and I can assure you, our arrival is only a coincidence. We are not related to the Disturbance in any way, nor are we affiliated with Eho or his minions."

The commander looked at Tails. "Is this true?"

Blah glanced behind himself at Seraphina. 'Tell him to say these exact words...' he thought, following it up with a message. Sera relayed it directly to Tails in the telepathic equivalent to a whisper.

Tails hesitated for a split second, but drew a deep breath and regained his composure. "I swear on Triff's grace that they are telling the truth." He tried his best to sound sincere and natural.

The commander raised his eyebrows, somewhat astonished by Tails's words. "At ease, soldiers," he sighed, and his squaddies complied, all of them relieved. He looked back at Blah with eyes that conveyed a slight trace of remaining suspicion. "So... how did young, er... what's your name, son?"

"Tails, sir," he answered, only pondering whether that name would seem odd to them after it had already been said.

"Tails..." the commander acknowledged, recognizing his namesake, but ignoring it for now, "How did young Tails come to be in your possession for half a decade? Especially since you claim to have come from a different world?"

"Your world isn't the only one under watch by the Gods," Blah answered, purposefully ambiguously. "In fact... your religions aren't the only ones in the universe either."

There were awed murmurs from the other soldiers. One of the females spoke. "So would his mutation - no offense - have anything to do with being a part of this other world?"

"What, don't you have the odd mutation on this planet here or there?" Tails replied, the slightest bit taken aback.

"Another coincidence," Blah stepped in. "Anyway, I have a question... would anyone happen to know of a fellow named Reed? We came into contact with him a while ago, in fact he helped us find this planet, in a way."

"Reed..." More astonished murmuring. Blah guessed that that was a yes.

"You know of the Page...?" the commander asked.

"Oh... he's a Page..." Blahsprite bemoaned. "Not a good chance he made it alone then..."

"Shush, he used a present-tense verb to refer to him," Blah silenced his sprite. "Of course, he's very important. In fact, it's urgent that we get to meet him immediately. For the sake of all of Moros."

"Well, interesting timing..." the commander said. "He's making a journey to Veiko Peak, a mountain deep within Eho territory. He said that the time was right, and he was to meet his destiny, face to face. Nothing more. What's worse, he is going alone, as he insisted. He had finally caught up with his training... but... we still fear for his safety."

"Huh. Interesting indeed." Blah turned to his friends. "How much do you wanna bet he's on his way to his Quest Bed?"

"After 5 years... sounds about right for a Page!" joked Blahsprite.

"And we can beat him there too. Between the two of you," Blah pointed back and forth between Tails and Pinkie Pie, "we can probably figure out how to take the TARDIS there."

"Are you sure about that?" said Tails uneasily.

"Of course!" reassured Blah. "It has to be something you're capable of building, right? Which means you'd have to have a thorough understanding of it. In fact, you may have even left yourself some kind of instruction manual."

"What's all this talk?" the commander cut in. "Quest Bed? TARDIS...?"

"You and your squad can come with us. It sounds like he might need all of the help he can get."

"But that didn't answer my-"

"Come inside," Blah invited, walking back towards the lab. "I'd explain on the way, but we actually wouldn't have enough time in the trip for even a short version, believe it or not. You'll see what I mean."

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait up!" Pinkie threw herself between Blah and the entrance to the lab. "We can't let them fly with us if we don't even know their names yet! And they don't know ours either! I mean wouldn't it be awkward when we did what we needed to and we said our goodbyes and ran into each other again and didn't know how to greet each other? I don't know about you but I don't like situations like that very much, no siree!"

"Ok, ok, sheesh," Blah surrendered. "I guess it wouldn't hurt..."

"Great! I'll start!" Pinkie took a massively deep breath and proceeded to introduce everyone from her group, including a little bit of information about each of them, her opinions of some of their better qualities, and the occasional barely on-topic ramble. It was such a long speech that Blah felt himself running out of breath just listening to it. The words started to run together after the first minute, and by the second it was reminiscent of white noise. Finally, she began to slow down, a sign that she was ACTUALLY running out of things to say without input from someone else. Blah regained himself in time to register her final phrase.

"...so I guess you could say that we're THYME travelers!" Blah was not sure if he wanted to have paid attention to the set up for that one. Pinkie took the first breath since the beginning of that entire essay. "Ok, your turn!" She had enough excitement for all 17 of them.

Knowing that there was no possible way that they could top that, the duck soldiers simply went in a circle and gave their names, nothing more. On the extreme opposite end of the scale, Blah found this side of the exchange no more memorable than the other. The only name he remembered was Giango, the commander himself. He was pleased to hear that name in particular.

"Nice to meet you all!" Pinkie respectfully replied, hiding her slight disappointment. "Gee, one of these days when we're not saving the world or the universe or anything I'm going to have to throw a party so I can get to know everyone else here too!"

"I haven't been to a decent party in a long time," admitted one of the male soldiers whose name unsurprisingly escaped Blah. It probably started with a 'K'... or their language's equivalent.

"Well, I'm all for partying too," Blah agreed with a yawn, "but I'd just like to find Reed, if nobody else has any objections..."

Hailstorm started to raise a hoof, but Blahsprite grabbed it and pushed it back down to the ground, shaking his head and whispering something that sounded like "you've questioned us enough, haven't you?".

Blah smirked at their act. "Great, then let's get going." He directed everyone inside the lab. Pinkie was the first to dart in, straight for the TARDIS, followed by Blah's original clique, and then the duck squad forming an orderly line.

"Seriously though, how did you know how to handle all of that?" Hail whispered to Blah as they walked.

"I put two and two and two together," Blah said. "This entire planet, Moros, is another one of my own creations, in fact; home to three different species that live alongside each other - the duck-ish Jemento, the fox-like Triff, and the dragonoid Eho, the very same that we fought against not long ago. There's a lot more to it but... I don't want to spoil anything."

"Spoil?" Hail concerned. "If those dragons that attacked us were from a different planet many light-years away, one whose people don't know much about space travel, some background knowledge could be extremely useful for everyone involved..."

"Shut up, we're already in the TARDIS and everyone is staring at us."

Hail looked around the room sheepishly. Blah hastily cleared his throat to redirect everyone's attention. "SO, Tails, Pinkie, would you mind?"

"Well, uh, let's see..." Tails had already started going over the various haphazardly-placed and -shaped controls. "I can't make heads or tails of this," he gave up.

"What do you mean you can't make heads of yourself of this," Pinkie laughed, "You already said that you made it!"

"You had to have some kind of thought process while designing this," Blah tried to help. "Just work backwards, what does this make you think of now?"

"Well, that one looks like a cupcake," Pinkie started, in place of the wrought Tails, "and these doohickeys over here are gumdrops, and that's a candy cane! Look at the colors!"

"Colors..." muttered Tails, walking around the console. "Colors... red, white... green, blue... more blue..." He started working the controls as he announced the colors for them. The TARDIS was firing up. "Orange... and then purple... and red again... got it!" The engine started, and the floor became unstable.

"What is this... are we moving?!" Giango exclaimed.

"Not in any direction you can conceive," Blah answered. "I just hope it's the right direction..."

"I think he's onto something!" Pinkie cheerfully supported, taking a bite out of a colorfully-sprinkled cookie.

The TARDIS went through its rounds and started to settle down. Some new, muffled noises could be heard from outside. Clashing of steel, grunting and shouting. "Sounds like a war..." observed Giango incredulously.

Blah drew his Pwnhammer. "Sure does." He walked to the door and carefully nudged it open to discover that the TARDIS had come to rest on a high ledge of a mountain. On a pass below, he could see several large figures assaulting a single smaller one. The smaller one was defending himself exceptionally well, but was still being forced further up the pass, towards a cave opening at the top. This figure was armed with a thin, cone-shaped, red and black weapon, two long horn-shaped blades protruding from the smaller end and what appeared to be a ring of teeth around the hollow larger end. He wore a dark-green tunic decorated with strange runes.

His bulky enemies, which Blah recognized to be Eho, relentlessly surrounded him, allowing less and less space, but he raised his weapon to his mouth, blades resting against his cheeks and painting them with blood, and played a harsh, terse scale in a haunting minor key. To Blah's astonishment, he realized the weapon was actually a heavily-alchemized clarinet. A shockwave of dark energy surged from the end following the notes, blowing the Eho back and even tipping the TARDIS ever-so-slightly. Blah noticed that all of the Eho that had been hit by the wave were laying on the ground, unconscious and possibly dead.

The warrior finally noticed the movement of the blue box out of the corner of his eye and turned toward it, seeing eye-to-eye with Blah. It was certainly not a look that the human had expected from the typically religious and pacifistic Triff, scars along his face and the blood of his enemies under his eyes like war paint.

"I told you not to follow me," Reed spoke in a dark voice, directed slightly behind Blah, and it was at that time he noticed that Giango had poked his head out as well, unable to hold his curiosity.

"Well, you do look like you can handle things," Blah noted, obviously impressed. "But... to be honest, we didn't come here to help you, we came here to see if you could help us."

Reed squinted. "It's been a while since I last saw a human..."

"Let me guess, 5 years?" Blah guessed.

"More or less." He glanced at his surroundings again, seeing some of the Eho start to move dizzily to their feet. "Not much time to talk..."

"You sure you don't want some help? If the outcome is certain, might as well reach it as efficiently as possible, eh?" Blah held up the hammer that he had been itching to test out since he got it.

"Less work for me," he agreed. "Just... back off when I say the word. It's important I do some of this alone."

"Facing your destiny, eh?" Blah jumped out of the TARDIS and onto the mountain pass next to his new companion. "How long have you been putting it off?"

Reed grasped his clarinet tightly, entering a battle stance. "Far too long."

"Hmph! You said we'd be done with the heroes in an instant, and yet here we are, 5 years later, and our conquest is not yet complete!"

"Heh. You're a little impatient."

"Impatient?! Have you any sense of time?! No sane being would wait-"

"5 years, yeah, we get it. It was 5 years yesterday, tomorrow it'll still be 5 years, it's not changing for another 276 days. I understand. But there's more to our plan than total annihilation."

"As you've said yesterday, and will say tomorrow, and will continue to say! I'm not the only one stuck in this loop."

"If you don't want to be stuck in this loop... well, haven't you always said that you can't be sure of a task's completion unless..."

"Unless you do it yourself. Alright. Fine. You've talked me into it this time. This time, I will take care of business myself. While you continue to sit here. And wait. I will gain everything. And you will have none of it."

"All will be given their fair share."

"Glad we're in agreement then. I'll leave you this barren wasteland, do with it what you will. As for me, I'll talk to you when I've taken my rightful throne over all of Moros. Farewell, for the final time..."

After a few minutes in battle with Reed, Blah began to realize just how much potential a Page had as long as he employed himself properly. That clarinet of his was equal in strength at the very least to his Pwnhammer, as both weapons proved themselves in the heat of battle. Dragons, left and right, slammed and sliced like a fancy fruit salad. Not a single one could land a hit, not even when the firebreathers added a touch of flame to spice things up - Reed's instrument absorbed the flames through the toothy bell and spat them right back as he followed up with a slice to the throat. Not only was Reed a skilled fighter, he was a lethal one, a creed that went against the usual thoughts of what Blah had composed as his race.

Blah recognized a Page of Doom when he saw one. There was no doubt in his mind that he was ready to ascend to God Tier and live up to his fullest potential.

The last of the Eho tumbled off the mountain, taking a mile-long plunge. "Now, I can finish what I came here for... remain where you are."

"Wait, what about what WE came here for?" Blah interrupted. "Now that we can talk..."

There was a pause as Reed contemplated with his back to Blah, facing the peak of the mountain. "I know who you are... you were to be one of us... the Hero of Space. One absolutely necessary to our goal. And you disappeared, along with everyone else."

"Weeeell, that's where things get complicated," Blah continued. "This isn't the Alpha ti-"

CRASH! There was a small explosion behind them that rocked the mountain. Reed and Blah turned around. In front of them was another Eho, scales as black as space, standing about 12 feet tall before them, a wingspan almost as long as he was tall. Thick smoke billowed from his nostrils menacingly. Eho that had both wings and could breathe fire were almost unheard of, except for one legend...

"So... we meet again, Page..." The Conqueror snarled, leaning in on Reed, who remained resolute. "Or at least, until you run away like the coward you are... you should do yourself a favor and see your inevitable defeat through to the end!" He glanced towards Blah. "And it seems your friend finally tired of hurtling aimlessly through space on a chunk of his destroyed home planet! You should be counting your blessings, human... at least now I can end the pain for you! Both of you!"

"You will fight me and me alone, Sihok," Reed challenged. "I'm finished with procrastinating my fate; now, I'm as eager to finish what we've started as you are. This time, only one of us will walk away alive."

As much as Blah wanted to help out his co-player, he understood that this was not his battle - and even if Reed lost, it didn't mean the end. "Can I at least watch?" Blah asked. "I promise not to lift a finger. I just want to see this."

"I don't care," Sihok growled. "Just know that when I'm finished with him, you'll be next."

Blah hustled back to the ledge claimed by the TARDIS, where most of his companions had made themselves comfortable. They hadn't needed to interfere themselves yet either, and if Blah was right, they wouldn't need to now.

There they were, the fox and the dragon, natural enemies (or for this planet, anyway) staring each other down in anticipation of the face-off to end all face-offs. Sihok made the first strike, starving for blood, his claw swinging with enough force to rip any civilian to shreds, but it was soon met with Reed's instrument, and not a second had passed before he had angled around the deflection to strike at the Conqueror's leg. It was an unexpected yet decisive hit that sent the dragon reeling, and already Reed went for a stab to the torso; Blah suspected that he would have aimed for the throat had he been able to reach. However, Sihok's other arm was as fast as the first as he grasped the clarinet tightly, attempting to wrench it from his hands. As the two struggled, Sihok took another swing at Reed's head, which he ducked under as he kicked at his first leg wound. The sudden if temporary surge of pain was enough for Reed to reclaim his weapon; he took the opportunity to put some distance between the two fighters. He climbed to a higher ledge of the mountain, putting him at eye level with the Conqueror.

With Reed now at point-blank distance from Sihok's snout, he unleashed a wide cone of flame, one that would completely engulf the Triff, if it were not for the clarinet's unconventional absorbing ability. The fire was a bit much even for the masterwork clarinet, and the other end produced a rapidly-expanding cloud of black smoke that shrouded both of them. When the smoke cleared, Reed had hopped on top of Sihok and was stabbing at his head. His thick skin and skull protected him from receiving any mortal wounds, but the stabs were still doing visible damage. Enraged, Sihok grabbed the fox by the tail and flung him with the force of a medieval catapult at the mountain cliff. Before crashing into the mountain, Reed had lost hold of his clarinet, which came to rest near the edge of the trail, stopping just before the sheer drop-off.

Reed dropped onto his knees. Judging from the pain in his lower body, he suspected that the impact may have broken some of his ribs. Sihok, his anger spilling over, lunged for the prone, disarmed Reed. But the descendant of Triff would not give up so easily. From his robe, he produced a palm-sized object somewhat resembling a pinecone and threw it in Sihok's path. It burst into fragments, many needles burying themselves between his scales and creating bright white smoke. 'Man, he really had the hang of alchemy,' observed Blah. With the provided cover, Reed scrambled for his clarinet. As soon as it was back in hand, he swung high, tearing the dragon's wing from behind and crushing his chances of using the air to gain an advantage in this fight.

The Conqueror went into a pained frenzy, swiping with both claws like mad, no more than a split second in between attacks. At the same time, he inched forward, driving Reed backward and gaining ground. Some of the slashes hit his robe, which was surprisingly resilient, but he made sure to dodge or block as many as he could. The two were nearing the mountain cave entrance. Blah could swear that he saw a few good opportunities for Reed to get a counter-hit in, but he continued to be on the defensive. It was as if Reed was leading him into a trap. He leaped back a few feet from one last swipe and stood in the opening, awaiting his opponent to follow. Sihok, perhaps blinded by sudden confidence that such a small space would prove to be in his favor, jumped in after him. The fight was completely outside of the crowd's view at that point.

Blah stood up instinctively, but Broshi grabbed his leg. "Better not push it," he warned sincerely. Blah sat down again, disappointed, and waited along with everyone else.

"...well now what," asked Hail after about a minute of silent waiting to see if they would come out again. Occasionally, an echo of the sounds of battle would escape through the mouth of the cave, but it was nothing that gave any indication as to the state of the battle, other than that it was still going on.

"Sera, I don't suppose you could reach in there with your mind or something?" Blah pleaded.

"I'll see what I can do." Seraphina's eyes tightened as she began to concentrate. There was a flash of light, almost like an arc of electricity that connected her head to the TARDIS, lasting about as long as a lightning bolt. Another flash, and then a third, in quicker succession, and then the arc spread to the heads of all of the spectators. A vivid image replaced their vision, the inside of a dark chamber which gradually brightened as their eyes adjusted.

"What the..." Hail was befuddled. He looked around frantically, as the vision was so real he thought for a moment that he had teleported into the cave. He still felt the mountain under him, and heard the gasps of the other observers. "Since when could you do this...?"

"Looked like she communicated psychically with the TARDIS," Blah guessed. "And then it amplified her brain waves?"

"We can discuss semantics later," Tails spurned, focusing on the two clashing silhouettes.

As the image's clarity reached its peak, the chamber in all its detail was revealed to them. The circular room was dimly lit with candles, three statues forming a triangle around what looked to be an altar. Each of the statues depicted one of the three Morosian gods, which assumed the likenesses of their respective races, but the Jemento and Triff statues were in poor shape. A voice was heard muttering a concerned prayer from the back of the crowd. Blah and the others could make out the various wounds on both combatants; the same ones from before, but each warrior had a few new scratches. Sihok had grabbed a huge, cracked, heavy pillar, which forced even the powerful dragon to use both of his arms to carry. Reed held his clarinet out as he backed up towards the wall, against the Triff statue.

"Do you come here seeking sanctuary, mammal?" Sihok teased. "Surely your frail 'goddess' cannot approve of the violent turn your style has taken."

"A bold move, insulting a Goddess in Her own temple," Reed jeered. "Bold, or suicidal."

"Eho's power far surpasses that of His former sister!" hissed the beast. "I myself am the Conqueror, he who was chosen to carry out His wishes, and bring all of Moros to a new era. The weak shall perish, and the strong shall rule!"

"So it has always been - the weak cannot hope to survive against the strong. But your fault lies with your misunderstanding of the concept of strength. Genocide is not necessary for the growth of a world; it is a delusion brought upon by the weak to deny their weakness. You are afraid, Sihok. Afraid of that which you can not grasp. And so, you seek to destroy it, rather than swallow your pride and open your mind."

A fire erupted behind Sihok's reptilian eyes. "How dare you..." he sputtered. Though his rage was overwhelming at this point, he still hesitated, processing the words spoken by the Page of Doom. "Destruction, a sign of weakness... by your logic, you are weaker still! How can you condemn genocide when you are not above it? Yes, you have slaughtered, just as I have. We are the same, Reed." The fox was silent as his adversary looked down upon him. "However, there is one thing that sets us apart... My god teaches discipline and vengeance... qualities that I have embraced with fierce loyalty. The one you claim to follow teaches compassion and forgiveness. Have you not compassion for the lives that you have taken? Forgiveness for them? For me? For yourself?" Reed's head sunk, unable to justify a response. "Perhaps a change of faith is in order. Your kind, and our Jemento brothers, have converted in the past. Eho welcomes those who know their place. It is the natural order: to survive, one must either rule or serve."

Reed's eyes were welded shut, tears leaking from within. He gripped his clarinet tightly, remembering when his instrument used to bring joy and peace instead of only causing harm. He couldn't believe the path he had taken, and the people who suffered because of him. He had told himself that he was doing the right thing, perhaps, as he realized now, in the wrong way. Despite this, he knew, deep in his heart, that Sihok was wrong, somehow, and that joining him would only make things worse. He couldn't risk hurting anybody again. "I will never serve you."

Sihok smirked toothily. "Then I have no need of you."

Reed had met his destiny, and he was not ready for it. The pillar slammed into the side of his head, an unpleasant resounding crack establishing the silence. His body bounced into the statue, the last of it crumbling away as Reed stumbled forward, collapsing onto the altar in the center.

The audience watched the blood trickle from his mouth. The misguided hero had fallen.

Sera allowed the vision to fizzle out, returning everyone's newly blurred eyesight. Blah buried his face in his hands. 'It isn't fair,' he thought. 'He deserves another chance... he only wanted what was best for everyone...'

Blah felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't feel too bad, man..." It was his own voice, Blahsprite. "Tragedies are bound to happen in doomed timelines. Our advantage here is that they can be prevented... we just need to go back to the alpha line and give him a hand..."

Blah looked up at his reflection with anguished disbelief. "You're acting as if that's not a big deal," he stated shakily. "We just watched someone die, someone who was one of the last hopes of this world... it's an alternate universe, yeah, but it has real people who are in real danger. They aren't even aware that they're doomed." He looked down. "And to think, there are billions of worlds like this, falling apart as we speak... each one a different mirror image of what could go wrong... a very real possibility that you may screw up in the same way..."

"Uh... Guys," Broshi uttered, "I don't think it's over quite yet."

"What do you-" Blah looked back at the cave. There was a light inside almost as bright as that of the sunlight outside. His eyes widened. "The altar... Quick, Sera! Show us the inside aga-"

KABOOM. The entire peak of the mountain exploded, sending mammoth chunks of rock avalanching below. The chamber was exposed to the open air, the interior now as wrecked as the exterior. Sihok had been forced onto his back, propping himself up with his arms and staring, mouth agape, at the sight of the figure that floated in the space the mountain used to be. It was clearly Reed, his robes now a dark, grey-green color, a softly pointed hood over his head. His cape flowed with the dark aura that surrounded him. A black symbol was prominent on the front of his garb, a circular shape that resembled a cross between a cog and a skull.

Reed let himself drop to the ground, landing on top of the altar that Blah had finally recognized as his Quest Bed. Sihok was speechless at the Triff's revival.

"I may not know what is best," Reed spoke, his voice now powerful and commanding, "but I know what is wrong. The path to righteousness is paved with sin, and it is only by recognizing your misdeeds that you can walk upon it. And I will start with you."

With a raise of his hand, a ray of darkness shot out at Sihok and blanketed him in death. Inside, he could hear the pleading, praying echoes of a million ghosts, innocent voices brought to death because of him and his efforts. In that one moment, he felt all of the pain he had ever inflicted, simultaneously. Inside the orb of darkness, a second lasted an eternity as regrets began to pile up, weighing down his soul. When the beam faded, there was nothing left of the Conqueror but a pile of bones and a dried pool of tears.

"Your nightmares have just begun," Reed finished. "Welcome to Hell."