Phew, here we are with another (technically two) chapters. Chapter 13 second part is a tiny little bit that I wanted to make separate from the first chapter for a few reasons, the biggest one being that I really wanted to end the chapter on two different lines. So now I'm having two chapters that end on those two lines. Problemo solved. :)

Anyways, this chapter is long, but it's where the story really heats up so hopefully you have the patience to read it all the way through. I hope it's worth all the time I spent building up the Nowhere Islands. *crosses fingers*

Review response: asamiruria: Ah, the guest name sounded like something Tofu would do. ;) And hey, short reviews are better than no reviews. :D Phew, I'm glad that the apocalypse scenario came out well. Turns out there aren't really any gases that could be amassed in large quantities and also kill its victims instantly so I had to go for a slightly less climactic, realistic gassing scenario. To think that World War 1 was basically all like this... *shivers*. And I'm also glad that my depiction of East-Asian powers came out well. Writing about other cultures poorly is an easy way to look like a racist lol.

Yes, I did my best to make Namiko's argument compelling... or at least as compelling as it could be for an apocalypse scenario. And yeah, there's no easy solution irl to the overpopulation and habitat exploitation problem. I mean, it's great that medicine allows people to live for longer than ever before... we just need to find a way to deal with overpopulation. I was talking to my dad about it and he suggested that countries should impose a limit on how many kids each family could have, and I felt obliged to tell him about how the Chinese Government tried that and some of their people would KILL THEIR BABY GIRLS so that their one "allowed" child would be a boy. Ugh. Although on the plus side, studies suggest that one of the best ways to cut back on the global population growth rate is to educate people, especially young women, in developing countries. Apparently, education makes people have fewer kids and have them later in life. And learning stuff is super cool anyway, so it's really a win-win situation.

Hmm... it depends on what you consider a "happy ending" to be. The characters won't end up exactly where they want to be, but I'm planning to end on a hopeful note. :)

Ninten looked up and saw the wide-open sky, colored a soft purple with wisps of pink and orange knitted in. A gust of wind passed over Ninten, and the sunflowers by his feet rustled in the breeze.

Sky. Wind. Sunflowers.

Ninten was out of the cave.

"He-" a yawn cut off the voice behind him. "Hello."

Ninten turned around to see Ana smiling at him, the triumph in her eyes overriding the dark circles underneath. Ana plopped down into the sunflowers, running a hand over the flower's fuzzy stamens.

"Ann." Ninten felt a grin come to his face. "I never doubted your abilities, but…"

"But?" Ana smirked.

"But I didn't think you'd bust me out of that cave it so soon."

Ana yawned again, waving her hand in dismissal. "It was a disgrace that it took me so long. Whoever was trying to trap you in there was good."

"Well, I'm just glad to have a friend who's better."

"Aw, you flatter me," Ana said in her oversaturated, sarcastic voice while batting an eyelash. "Anyways, I want to talk more back in Ness' dorm room before some other data file can trap you. Coolio?"

Ana didn't look like she was worried about Ninten getting trapped again. In fact, after her cheery smile faded it was hard to notice anything about her other than her constant yawning and bloodshot eyes. Ninten felt himself tear up whenever he looked directly at Ana's eyes—strange how he had never been able to suppress the instinct that told him to cry when he saw blood.

"Sure," Ninten said. "We can take a break for the night, if you want."

"Nah, I want to hear what happened. But first…" Ana pointed over to the waterfall sprite in the distance. "You remember that little fucker?"

Ninten blinked, taking a moment to listen to the sound of the water splashing down into the sunflower fields. That noise did sound familiar.

"You thought the waterfall sprite was suspicious, right?" Ninten said.

Ana nodded. "Locked. I can't get into the code of the Nowhere Islands, but I can't even access the waterfall file normally. I can view a few of its properties and see when it was last altered, but I don't really know what's inside."

"Yeah, now I remember." Ninten looked at the glistening light refracted through the cascading water. "Sorry that I forgot."

"No, it's not that." Ana frowned. "That's the only file other that's been changed in the past two days. I mean, we accessed a few files, but I'm obviously excluding those."

"So someone else was here?" Ninten said.

"I ran a diagnostic test of the psyspace's memory usage," Ana said. "The file with the waterfall sprite makes up more than 99% of Lucas' psyspace memory."

Ninten cocked his head, wondering if he had heard Ana right.

"So whatever's in there…"

"Has more code than the rest of his entire psyspace a hundred times over," Ana said. "That includes the Nowhere Islands V-game, the cycling environments, everything. The waterfall file is probably the largest I've ever seen in my life."

Ninten raised an eyebrow. "Any idea what it means?"

"Remember what Claus said about Lucas dumping off a massive data file after he went missing? It looks like we have the one."

"And can you think what kind of file Lucas would want to download to his psyspace while away?"

"Not in the slightest. But tomorrow, I'll try to break into the file and see what's inside. It's large enough that it must mean something."

"I… probably distracted you from working on this, didn't I?"

Ana waved a hand in dismissal. "Making sure you're safe is my first priority, Ninten. You're never a distraction."

"Really?" Ninten smirked. "Never?"

"Okay, sometimes you ask me stupid physics questions, but we all get a few of those." Ana stifled a yawn. "We should probably get out of here before my fatigue becomes contagious."

Right as Ana said that, Ninten felt a yawn coming and couldn't quite force it down, letting the hot air escape from his mouth. Ana laughed and gave him a triumphant look.

"Point taken," Ninten said. "I'll meet you back in Ness' dorm."

Ana nodded, and then snapped her fingers before vanishing a moment later. Ninten shook his head, forcing himself not to laugh. If she thought that her dramatic exists from psyspaces were funny, Ninten would never be able to stop her from acting like a magician performing a magic trick whenever she logged off the psyweb.

Ninten closed his eyes and forced his consciousness outside of Lucas' Magicant.

Every time Ninten left a dorm room, he wasn't ready for quite how small it would be when he got back inside of them. As he started awake and looked around at Ness' baseball posters and Lucas' landscape photography squeezed onto the walls of the room, it struck him again that freshmen really didn't have that much space to live.

Ana was sitting up on the rug in the middle of the rooms between Ness' and Lucas' bed, resting her head on a metal bar that was a part of Lucas' bedframe

"That looks comfortable," Ninten said.

"I regret letting you have the chair," Ana said. "Seriously, what kind of dorm room only has one?"

"This one, apparently." Ninten looked over at Ness' empty desk. "I guess Ness isn't here much."

"Dorms these days…" Ana shook her head. "I am so glad to be out."

"You could try to be an RA and live on campus for free if you like it so much," Ninten said, trying to hide his smile.

"Don't you dare mention me living on campus ever again. I am traumatized." Ana sat up straight. "Fuck. It will probably be uncomfortable again when I lean back on the bedframe again."

"So how did you get me out?" Ninten said.

"Another mindscan," Ana said, frowning. "The person who I needed to imitate seemed… pretty cold. Although I guess they would have to be, if they wanted to trap your consciousness inside. It still shouldn't have been possible to keep you locked in there, by the way."

Yeah, and it shouldn't have been possible for the Nowhere Islands V-game to exist in such detail with lifelike characters. At this point, Ninten might have believed Ana if she told him that Bigfoot was real.

"So what happened this time in the game?" Ana said.

Ninten explained what he saw, and Ana manage not to drift off to sleep by the time Ninten was finished. He considered that a moral victory.

"Whoever made that V-game must have the same feelings for North Korea as your great-grandparents," Ana said.

Ninten frowned. Kim had tried to wipe out human civilization, but his sense of wit and seemingly genuine desire to erase pain meant that he wasn't a faceless enemy. The real leader of North Korea would have made for an easier, shallower villain.

"But I'm sorry you had to go through that," Ana said. "I'm glad that Liu was willing to help you make it a little less painful."

"And I wish that Zhang and Park had at least tried to follow Liu's lead by transferring their minds into their psyspaces," Ninten said. "Chlorine gas kills pretty slowly. They still had hope."

"Sometimes, fear makes people lose hope and do stupid things," Ana said. "I think that's true anywhere."

Ninten nodded, looking around again at Lucas' landscape photographs hanging on the walls. A cluster of pink and purple flowers in a green meadow reminded him of the natural beauty and surreal colors of Lucas' Magicant. Ninten had only spent his time going through one V-game, one tiny part of Lucas' digital database. He wondered if the rest of the Lucas' Magicant was so fleshed out. It couldn't possibly be.

"And sometimes, being obsessed with V-games makes people do stupid things as well," Ana said. "Did I ever tell you about the time my mother confiscated my V-games because I was screaming my lungs off in real life each time I got a game over?"

"I think that happens to a lot of kids."

"I was seventeen at the time."

"…Oh."

"Don't judge me, Ninten." Ana crossed her arms and held her nose high in mock superiority. "Hmph. V-games aren't supposed to be fun, you know. They're about getting good and making you angry."

"I've heard some people say that seriously before."

"Wait, really?"

"Well, a lot of people say that good V-games aren't always fun. I'm not sure what kinds of games they like to play."

"Maybe games like the Nowhere Islands," Ana said with a laugh. "You certainly seem to have your hands full."

"Speaking of which…" Ninten couldn't force himself to meet Ana's gaze.

"You want to go back into the game," Ana said, "Even though I just got you out."

Ninten nodded.

Ana sighed. "You know, I was expecting this to come up before now."

Ninten looked up to see Ana leaning back to close her eyes. As she rested her head once more against the metal bedframe, she cracked a smile.

"I don't blame you," she said, "And I get why you want to go back in. But I feel like I have to bring up some of the cautionary points. You know that whoever trapped you inside Lucas' Magicant might try to again."

"I know, and I would feel terrible if you had to bust me out again." Ninten bit the inside of his cheek. "And in most cases would just listen to you and stay away from anything dangerous."

"But the Nowhere Islands are special, huh?" Ana's eyes flickered back open. "If it were up to me, I would wipe the memory of Lucas' Magicant from our minds. We didn't really find anything there, and that V-game legitimately scares me."

"If you really feel that way, then I wouldn't want to cause more trouble," Ninten said. "You've already done so much for me, and I do appreciate how you rescued me from being stuck in that cave. I won't-"

"Ninten." Ana rolled her head over on the bedframe to look at him. "Do you know why I wanted to finish busting you out of that cave tonight?"

Ninten opened his mouth, and then closed it and shook his head.

"I wanted you to be free," Ana said. "I wanted you to make an actual choice on whether or not you wanted to go back into the Nowhere Islands V-game. I'm not going to take that freedom away, Ninten. This decision is yours and yours alone."

"I…" Ninten grinned, fumbling for the right words. "Ana. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Now I really owe you."

Ana laughed. "You know it's not a competition, Ninten."

Ninten looked back over at Lucas' desk and felt out around him for the warmth of Lucas' psyspace portal.

"Ana," he said. "What if… I do get stuck in Lucas' Magicant again?"

"Then I'll roundhouse kick my way in there and bust you out," Ana said. "Again. Because that's just the kind of friend I am."

Ninten laughed. "Well then. I'll keep that specific image of you roundhouse kicking someone in mind when the Nowhere Islands V-game shows me the next genocide or whatever."

"You had better." Ana raised a fist and made a mock punch towards the portal to Lucas' Magicant. "But for now I am tired, and I should at least get a couple hours of sleep before I literally collapse. Wake me up if anything interesting happens, all right?"

"Uh… are you sure that you don't just want me to let you sleep through the night?"

"Nah." Ana yawned. "I… just need a little bit. Sleep is for the weak."

Ana flashed a halfhearted grin and yawned again, closing her eyes.

"I think you might be weak, then," Ninten said. "Because you look like you really need some sleep right now. I won't keep you up."

Ana grunted. She opened her mouth to speak, but rolled over and plopped down on the rug instead.

"Good night, then," Ana said. "And good luck."

Ninten took a deep breath, closing his eyes and reaching out towards the heat-radiating psyspace portal in front of him. At the last moment, he turned back to look at Ana lying down on the carpet. She already looked like she was sleeping.

"Ann?"

"Yeah?" she kept her eyes closed.

"Thanks again for everything. I don't know what I would do without you."

Ana smiled. "I think you're about to find out."

Once inside the Nowhere Islands V-game, familiar words made of shaky white letters appeared in front of his floating consciousness.

WELCOME TO THE NOWHERE ISLANDS,

AND THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT THIS FAR.

YOU HAVE EXPLORED THE ISLANDS ON YOUR OWN,

AND YOU HAVE SEEN WHAT YOU NEEDED.

BUT LET ME REITERATE.

THE NOWEHRE ISLANDS ARE THE FUTURE, AND THEY ARE THE PAST.

THEY ARE REAL,

AND THE PEOPLE INSIDE ARE DOOMED WITHOUT YOU.

ONLY YOU CAN HELP THEM, NINTEN.

ONLY YOU CAN STOP THE CYCLE OF SUFFERING.

AND THIS TIME…

YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE.

BEST OF LUCK.

Only one chance? Why did the game wait until now to tell him about-

Ninten took a deep breath. Better to focus on where he was and what he could do. He looked around in the same glass box as before and saw a comet flying above, leaving behind its icy trail. When he looked at the walls, he saw that only the door made of red glass, and the trapdoor on the floor had vanished as well.

And standing by the red door was a boy wearing a black uniform shirt and orange pants who refused to meet Ninten's eyes.

"Hey, Claus," Ninten said. "Anything I should know about this playthrough?"

"I'm…" Claus shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what you had to see. For what you had to do." Claus sighed, looking up at the stars. "And I'm sorry for what you're going to do."

"Claus?"

"You know that the world isn't fair, right? My-" Claus cut himself off and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry that the game's only going to give you one shot. But some people don't get second chances."

"Some people?" Ninten cocked his head.

"I…" Claus bit his lip. "I guess I shouldn't use myself as an example. This is my second chance, really."

Ninten frowned.

"But it's a second chance that's built on lies," Claus said, "It's one that isn't real. And if I'm being honest here…" Claus released a nervous laugh, "I was never really given a first chance."

Ninten reminded himself that this was just a V-game, and that anyone who was aware of the larger framework of the game could still consist of digital code. But even in his mind, the words fell flat. Claus was here, and Claus was real.

"I really shouldn't be talking about myself," Claus said. "You probably don't care."

"No, I do."

Ninten walked over and put his hands on the glass wall closest to Claus, looking out at the orbs of fire blazing in the distance. He twisted his shoulders to look over at Claus, whose gaze was still directed at the transparent floor.

"Claus, I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't care."

"Yeah, I know that Ana busted you out," Claus said. "But I'm just one person out of thousands in this V-game. And you're just in here because you want to find Lucas, right? I don't think my own problems are really worth your time."

"Hey," Ninten said. "I only have to save one person to break the cycle of suffering, right? Every person matters."

Claus flinched, and then looked at Ninten with wide eyes.

"What did I say?" Ninten asked.

"Oh… nothing."

Claus took a deep breath, and amazingly enough, a smile came to his face afterwards. Not one of his wry or humorous smiles, and not a sad or apologetic one, either. His smile still carried a twinge of sorrow with it, but his expression looked genuinely upbeat, genuinely happy.

For the first time, Ninten could imagine Claus as the boy he met met playing with the Dragos on Mt. Oriander.

"You know," Claus said. "You might have a real chance."

"Claus. What happened? What did I say?"

"I…" Claus chuckled, the sadness in his eyes returning. "I can't tell you. But I am rooting for you. I know that doesn't help, and I'm sorry."

"Claus." Ninten looked the younger boy in the eye. "I know you're doing all you can. I know that you're cheering me on from the sidelines. So there's no need to apologize. And I don't think I've ever thanked you for everything you've done."

Claus frowned. "I'm just doing my job, Ninten."

"If so, then you should be damn proud of your job." Ninten grinned. "I'll do my best, Claus. I'll try everything I can to break the cycle of suffering. And if I do manage to win, it will be due to your effort as much as mine."

Claus laughed, turning away. "Never change, Ninten."

"I only got to where I am now my changing. I'm going to keep learning, Claus. I'm going to keep growing. And the next time I see you, I'll be better."

Claus smiled to himself. "Do you have your Franklin Badge?"

Ninten nodded.

"Make sure you clip it on before you walk into the red door," Claus said. "Trust me on this one."

Ninten shrugged and pulled the Franklin Badge out of his pocket. He ran a finger down the smooth marble surface, his sense of touch mapping out the lightning bolt engraved in the center. Ninten flipped the badge over and noticed for the first time the clip-on diamond hook in the back. Ninten attached the badge to his shirt right over his chest.

"Anything else you're allowed to tell me?" Ninten said.

"Good luck." Claus looked back at Ninten and shrugged. "And no matter which way your playthrough turns out, I'll miss you."

Ninten nodded, and for the first time it really hit him that Lucas' life could depend on Ninten's ability to win a V-game. Talk about pressure. Ninten wondered if soldiers or police officers ever got used to the thought that their actions could determine whether innocent people live or die. He couldn't imagine that they did.

Ninten took a deep breath, holding his hand up to his throat by reflex. He shook his head and took a moment to close his eyes and collect himself. If he was going through the same impulses as when he had an asthma attack, it probably meant he needed to calm down.

The next few moments in the darkness lasted an eternity. Afterwards, Ninten opened his eyes and looked at the door made of red glass in front of him. He looked back at Claus, who flashed a grin.

"You can do it," Claus said. "I didn't think I would ever say those words, but here I am. If anyone's going to end the cycle of suffering and beat the game, it's you."

"Thanks," Ninten said. "I know I can win here. And I will win. I'll win for the people of the Nowhere Islands, and I'll win for Lucas. He could be out there right now, waiting for someone to find him. I can't let him down."

"I like the attitude." Claus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please, Ninten…"

"Yeah?"

"No matter what happens, don't lose sight of all the good you've done. It means a lot to me, and I know the people created in the game appreciate it as well. If you take your passion for helping people over to real life, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll change the world."

Ninten smiled, but a few of Claus' words nagged him. Claus had just implied that he wasn't one of the characters created with the V-game, which was consistent with what Claus let slip last playthrough about him and others "creating" the V-game themselves.

But he could worry about Claus later. Right now, Ninten was going to go in, save the Nowhere Islands, and find Lucas.

He grabbed onto the glass doorknob, pulled, and thrust open the red door. He closed his eyes as light flooded his vision.

"Good…" Claus' voice sounded distant. "Goodbye, Ninten."

The stones beneath Ninten's feet radiated a dull glow as sounds of ambiance echoed from further within. Back in the Cave of the Dark Dragon, but this time when Ninten looked up or out he couldn't see walls or the ceiling. He could almost imagine that the darkness above was a black sky, an eternal night.

And Ninten was here to bring daylight back.

Ninten took a deep breath. Only one chance to make it right. Only one chance to save the Nowhere Islands. Only one chance to save Lucas.

Ninten heard what sounded like someone's voice deeper in what seemed like an arbitrary direction among the endless darkness of the cave. Ninten shrugged and walked off towards the noise. It couldn't hurt to check out the sound. He trusted in the game's text after his last playthrough. Sooner or later, he would find the Masked Man and the final needle.

And when he did, it would be time to settle the score one way or another.

The glowing stones grew dimmer and dimmer, until they eventually faded into darkness. But as the black threatened to consume Ninten entirely, he spotted a pulsating purple light on the ground ahead.

And in the middle of the rings of purple light was a golden, sword-like object embedded into the ground that must have been the final needle.

In the dull purple glow of the area around the needle, Ninten made out three figures. As he got closer, he could make out Kumatora's pink hair. One of the other two figures activated a plasma sword and raised the blade up to the sky. Lightning cracked through the air, illuminating the Cave of the Dark Dragon for a single moment.

And in that moment, Ninten saw Lucas' tear-stained face and the Masked Man's emotionless expression.

As the cave returned to dark, leaving spots in Ninten's vision, Lucas and Kumatora slumped over on the ground. Lucas made and attempt to stand up, and the Masked Man pressed his plasma sword up against Lucas' throat. Lucas made a whimpering noise that echoed throughout the cave.

Okay. Now or never. Ninten let out a shout, using Quick Up on himself and running towards the Masked Man. He succeeded in making the Masked Man look over, and the plasma sword dropped away from Lucas' neck. The Masked Man raised his plasma sword to the sky and Ninten could see a spark of electricity at the tip.

Ninten forced himself not to close his eyes.

The Masked Man fired off a bolt of lightning. It took Ninten a few moments of hearing the cracking lightning without feeling pain to realize that the Franklin Badge was absorbing the bolts like a lightning rod. And more than that, it was firing lightning bolts right back at the Masked Man. The Masked Man grunted in mild surprise and staggered backwards, regaining his balance a moment later.

Thanks for the tip, Claus. Ninten gave his Franklin Badge a thank-you pat.

Ninten ran up to Lucas and Kumatora to see Lucas looking at him in wonder and Kumatora chuckling.

"I'm still not sure if you have the best timing," Kumatora said, "Or the absolute worst timing."

"I guess we'll see," Ninten said, running forward at the Masked Man.

"Wait," Lucas said. "Ninten. That's Claus. Please… please don't hurt him."

"Looks like I don't have a choice."

Ninten steeled himself as Claus darted forward in long, graceful strides. The Masked Man's sword became a blur as he drove the plasma sword through Ninten's chest. Ninten came face to face with the Masked Man, his own chest blossoming in pain. Ninten slammed a knee into the Masked Man's groin and shoved the Masked Man away, using the extra space to heal himself up.

"Ninten," Lucas said. "Please. He's my brother."

"I…" Ninten risked a glance over at the last needle. "How about I heal you and we try to run over to the needle as quickly as we can?"

He didn't wait for a response before dashing back to where Lucas was lying limp on the ground. Ninten used Super Healing to breathe life back into the fallen boy, and Lucas staggered to his feet.

Ninten heard a spark of electricity as he looked back at Claus. The Masked Man raised his plasma sword once again, firing a bolt of lightning towards Ninten and Lucas. Ninten's Franklin badge reflected the attack once again, but he heard a desperate scream and looked over as Lucas fell to the floor once again. This time, his eyes were closed and he didn't even twitch.

Unconscious. Yes, Lucas was unconscious, not dead. He couldn't be dead, not with the entire hopes of the Nowhere Islands riding on his ability to pull the final needle.

Ninten looked over to see Kumatora slumped over next to Lucas, unconscious as well. He didn't have time to contemplate the consequences of his actions before the Masked Man barreled at him again, the plasma sword leaving burn marks in the black ground as the Masked Man took long strides towards Ninten.

Ninten darted out of the way, looking around for a weapon that he could use. After circling around the Masked Man, Ninten picked up the baseball bat next to Lucas and held it in his hands. It would do him little good against the might of a plasma sword, but he supposed that it was better than nothing.

Ninten spent what felt like hours backing away and circling around the Masked Man, looking for an opening. But with each step he took, Ninten became more and more certain that the Masked Man wasn't even going to give him another opportunity to get near. And while Ninten's muscles screamed in pain from the exertion and became sluggish, the Masked Man only seemed to get faster. As the battle drew on, the Masked Man started to land stray hits on Ninten. Then the stray slices turned into direct hits, and Ninten's pool of psychic energy bled dry as he used more and more of his PSI to heal himself.

Ninten's heart sunk into his stomach. Just because he was losing slowly didn't meant he was losing any less decisively. The Masked Man's every step was graceful, and his every slash was methodical. Ninten couldn't hope to fight someone who never faltered.

The next time Ninten darted out of the way of the Masked Man' plasma sword, the Masked Man lunged forward and slammed his shoulder into Ninten's chest, sending Ninten stumbling and falling to the ground.

Ninten's vision swam. He used the last of his psychic energy to heal himself and his senses returned. He scrambled to his feet and his gaze grazed past Lucas' limp body on the floor.

"Please. He's my brother."

Ninten studied the grey screen in front of the Masked Man' eyes. Ninten didn't know the details about what had happened to Claus, but the world leaders from last playthrough suggested that it was quite feasible to wipe someone's memories. The Masked Man wouldn't remember Lucas or Ninten.

And without Claus' memories, without the experiences that Claus carried around with him, could the boy in front of him really be the same person who play-fought with Dragos and grinned as he tried to drag Ninten into the play group?

Ninten used all of his energy to leap out of the way of the Masked Man's next slash. He had tried to force himself to see the Masked Man and Claus as the same person, but maybe they weren't. Maybe there was nothing left of Claus, and the Masked Man was a completely separate person with a completely different way of thinking and a completely separate identity.

"When you boot up the game the next time, Claus won't recognize you," Isaac's voice echoed in his mind. "He won't remember what happened. Because for him, it really didn't happen."

Isaac hadn't known, of course, that Claus would alter the game so that the characters kept their memories from Ninten's previous playthroughs. But in a way, the pigmask had been right. Claus didn't remember Ninten here, and he probably never would.

And Ninten, believing Isaac's words and knowing that Claus wouldn't remember him, sacrificed his own life to make sure that Claus escaped the Drago Plateau alive.

Why had he done that?

And even though Ninten didn't understand, he would have sacrificed his life for Claus again. And again. And again. Ninten had known that Claus would lose his memories, but he hadn't cared.

"Let's say you were trapped in this game forever," Claus' voice echoed in his mind. "And another version of you started running around the Nowhere Islands, unaware that the entire thing was a simulation. Does that other version of you… have a claim to being you?"

"I don't think so," Ninten heard in his own voice, "But he still might be Ninten."

Ninten looked at the Masked Man, studying the boy's blank expression. Maybe memories and experiences weren't everything. Maybe the Masked Man could still be Claus, even if he was a different Claus than Ninten knew.

And if he was still Claus, then Ninten could save him again.

Ninten dropped his baseball bat, hearing it clatter to the ground. The Masked Man hesitated, raising his plasma sword slowly.

"I'm not going to fight you," Ninten said. "I don't care if you're not the same person I saved at the Drago Plateau, Claus. You're still human inside."

The Masked Man darted forward and stabbed Ninten. Pain blinded Ninten's vision, but through the agony Ninten forced himself to smile.

"I believe in you."

The Masked Man stabbed Ninten again.

"I believe in you."

The Masked Man stabbed Ninten again.

"Claus…"

The Masked Man stabbed Ninten again.

"Your name is Claus. Do you remember who you are?"

The Masked Man hesitated before unleashing a roundhouse kick on Ninten's side. The sting of his foot was somewhat dulled by the fiery pain of Claus' previous stabs, but the force of the kick sent Ninten tumbling to the ground. Ninten looked up to see the Masked Man standing over him, holding the plasma sword up to Ninten's throat.

Ninten had no psychic energy, a sliver of health, and no strength left in his body.

But he couldn't give up now.

"Claus, please. Lucas needs you. The whole world needs you." Ninten coughed. "I need you."

Claus' expression remained motionless.

"Can you really do it? Can you kill someone who's helpless in front of you?"

"I've…" the Masked Man croaked out the word. "I've done it before."

"I died for you once, Claus. I'd do it again. Kill me, if you really have to."

The Masked Man frowned, pulling his plasma sword away from Ninten's throat.

"You," Claus said, "Make absolutely no sense."

"Claus." Ninten sat up. "Are you-"

The Masked Man silenced Ninten by swinging his plasma sword back around, halting it an inch before it sliced Ninten's head off. The Masked Man' face trembled, and a moment later he deactivated his plasma sword. Ninten stared at the Masked Man, too scared to breathe.

"I can't…" The Masked Man looked over at the last needle and reached out. "You shouldn't have done this. You shouldn't have-"

The Masked Man jerked his head back over to look at Ninten.

"Shouldn't have done what?" Ninten said.

Claus took a step back.

"Claus, you can tell me."

"You shouldn't have reawakened my heart. The reason I submitted to the pigmasks in the first place was so that I could-" He looked back over at the needle. "I have to pull it. They programmed that urge into me. I can't fight it."

The Masked Man took a step towards the final needle.

"Claus."

"This is it." The Masked Man took another step. "This is the end."

"Claus pulled the last Needle, passed his heart onto the Dark Dragon, and nothing happened."

"Claus' heart wasn't really good or evil. It was just empty. So the Dark Dragon didn't destroy the world, and it didn't save the world. It just did nothing."

Kumatora had spoken those words to him in Saturn Valley. And in the context of those quotes, it made sense why Claus had submitted to the pigmasks and became the Masked Man. He had emptied his heart on purpose, so that when he passed his heart onto the dragon he wouldn't destroy the world.

And now Claus' heart had returned.

Ninten stood frozen for a moment, trying to reach out and speak but finding his lungs and body encased with ice. The Masked Man took another step towards the final needle.

If Claus pulled the last needle now, the world would end.

"C-Claus." It took all of Ninten's willpower to get that single word out.

The Masked Man turned back and looked at Ninten, tears running down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Ninten," the Masked Man said. "I'm sorry. There's no other way."

"There has to be. It can't end like this."

"I'm sorry." The Masked Man turned away.

"Claus. We'll find a way. We'll work through this together. We're friends, right?"

The Masked Man froze in place.

"Friends?" he said.

"Yes. We're friends, and friends lean on each other."

"Friends." The Masked Man said the word slowly, as if testing out how it sounded.

"We can find a way to save the world together. As a team. I know we can do it."

"No," Claus said. "We can't."

"There has to be a way."

"There isn't."

"We can find a way."

"We won't."

"Claus…"

"Just shut up." The Masked Man' body stiffened. "You can't kill me, Ninten. Nobody can. And I can't stop myself from… from…"

The Masked Man reached out, his hand trembling as he took another step towards the needle.

"You have to fight it, Claus."

The Masked Man took another step towards the needle.

"You know what will happen if you pull the needle, right?"

The Masked Man took another step towards the needle.

"The world will be destroyed."

The Masked Man took another step towards the needle.

"Everything will be destroyed."

The Masked Man halted in front of the needle.

"Claus, please."

The Masked Man reached out towards the needle.

"The world is going to end!" Tears streamed down Ninten's face. Why couldn't he just see?

The Masked Man flinched, his shoulders tensing.

"You don't have to shout," the Masked Man said.

Ninten broke down into hysterical, sobbing laughter. He didn't have to shout. He didn't have to fucking shout. When the world was ending, no less! Of course, Ninten was the silly one for shouting and making a big fuss. After all, it was only the entire world on the line. No big deal. Ninten never needed one of those in the first place.

"Why do you care so much?" the Masked Man asked.

"I don't-" a sob cut off Ninten's sentence. "I don't know."

The Masked Man grabbed onto the needle and tensed his arm muscles.

"But I do know," Ninten said, "That I died for you once."

The Masked Man hesitated.

"I do know that I would die for you again."

The Masked Man took his hands off the final needle.

"And I do know that I will not go out quietly. I will scream my head off for this beautiful planet. It deserves that much, at least."

The Masked Man turned back towards Ninten.

"You said that you can't stop yourself from pulling the needle," Ninten said. "But is there anything I can do to stop you?"

"You'll do… anything to stop me from destroying the world?" the Masked Man said.

"Yes." Ninten wiped away his tears. "Anything."

After a moment's hesitation, The Masked Man took off his helmet and tossed it aside, revealing a face with soft cheeks, a small nose, and blue eyes almost identical to Lucas'. His bright red hair was the only noticeable marker that differentiated him from his twin.

"Then," Claus said, activating his plasma sword again, "I guess there is a way."

This time, Ninten didn't flinch or freeze. He looked at the plasma sword hissing in Claus' hands and then up again at Claus' face, trying to read the boy's expression.

It wasn't hard. Claus gritted his teeth, and tears streamed down his face as his shoulders slumped over in defeat. He looked up and his eyes gave Ninten an apology that no words ever could.

"What do you need me to do?" Ninten said.

"Stand perfectly still." Claus pointed his plasma sword at Ninten.

So this was how it ended. Ninten didn't know why Claus would keep fighting now, but he couldn't be angry looking at Claus' tears and desperate eyes. Claus said that there was a way to save the world together, and Ninten was ready to accept whatever Claus had in mind. Claus took a step towards Ninten, keeping his plasma sword pointed at Ninten's chest.

"You'll do it," Claus said, a single tear trickling down his left cheek. "You'll really do anything to save the world."

"I… I will."

"Then maybe," Claus said, "There is something in this world worth saving."

Claus raised his sword up to the sky.

"Goodbye, Ninten."

Ninten realized a moment too late what was happening. He opened his mouth to shout, but no words came out.

The top of Claus' plasma sword cracked with electricity, and the static cracking in the air was enough to make Ninten's hair stand up. Claus lowered his sword and pointed it at Ninten's chest.

"You died for me once," Claus said. "You would die for me again."

Claus fired a succession of lightning bolts at Ninten. Once again, the Franklin Badge drew the lightning close and directed it back at Claus. Lightning continued to pour out of Claus' sword as his body jolted and spasmed from the reflected electricity.

"Now…" Claus croaked out, falling to his hands and knees. He managed a grin, and in that moment Ninten was back on Mt. Oriander watching Claus play-fight Dragos. "Let me die for you."

Claus took a deep breath and fired one last lightning bolt. The electricity bounced off of Ninten's Franklin badge, and the reflected bolt struck Claus one more time. Claus' body spasmed once before falling still.

The entire world fell silent.

"No." Ninten ran up to Claus' body on the black ground. "Claus, you can't…"

Ninten checked Claus' pulse. Nothing. Ninten cradled Claus' head in his arms, squeezing his eyes shut and trying not to cry.

"I died for you once."

Tears streamed out of Ninten's eyes.

"I would die for you again."

Ninten cut off a sob.

"But all this time, I never thought…"

Ninten looked out at the last golden needle, and at the dull purple light coming from the ground nearby.

"I never thought that you would die for me."