Phew we're getting close to the end. After this chapter, I anticipate four more (which means it's probably going to be more like six in reality). But hey, at least I'm actually updating these days. :)

This chapter unfortunately isn't quite as plot-heavy as some of the others (although maybe a bit more than last chapter). I hope that these chapters don't come off as being too slow, but I will say that I feel like most of the info in here is necessary. Trying to reconcile the hopeful and whimsical nature of Mother 3 with some of the realities I'm dealing with can take a lot of words, and at least in my mind it's worth devoting a lot of time to. Otherwise, the story just feels weird.

Anyways, the mistreatment of the people of the Nowhere Islands by the American Government discussed last chapter is based off of something that actually happened in the modern day, namely the Abu Ghraib prison. The details of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse are quite a bit more gruesome than what I put in this story (I left most of it kind of vague for a reason), so be careful if you go looking it up. Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm not pulling this stuff out of my ass. Well, not always. :)

And I'm also excited to share the story's climax and ending with you. I have some cool scenes planned out in my head, and I hope they sound just as cool once I actually type them out. :) *crosses fingers*

All right, I think that's enough of me talking. Have a great day! :D Oh and Happy New Year's!

So many unanswered questions.

"Ninten?" Claus said, frowning. "Is everything okay?"

Ninten looked up at the pigmask—no, the American military building in front of him. Lucas still had his hand place on the steel door, his eyes closed and the corners of his mouth tilted upwards in a smirk. It almost looked like his body was there, but his consciousness was away in an entirely different Magicant.

But of course, Lucas was just a consciousness now. If he traveled to a different data file, he would fade away from this one.

"Ninten?"

"Sorry, Claus." Ninten shook his head. "It's just a lot to take in."

"I understand," Lucas said, his eyes still closed. "I just thought that you should know who we really are before you jump back into that V-game."

Ninten's stomach lurched. Oh, right. At least the Nowhere Islands V-game couldn't possibly show him anything worse than what he had already seen.

Right?

"I should probably give you a bit of a run-down about the V-game itself," Claus said. "You know, being a moderator and all."

Claus flashed an uncertain smile, and then glanced at the American military building and shuddered.

"Right," Ninten said. "Let's get out of here."

Claus' shoulders relaxed. He nodded in thanks and started to walk away, a little too briskly to match his casual, hands-in-pockets posture. After a moment, he looked back at Ninten and Lucas.

"You two can go on alone," Lucas said. "I don't think Claus wants me around for what he has to tell you, anyway."

Claus' cheeks flushed, but he made no move to deny Lucas. After a moment of silence, Ninten turned away and followed Claus away from the military camp. After a couple minutes of walking, the redness in Claus' face started to fade away. Eventually, the ashes of the town square came into sight, and Claus grimaced.

"I know I should probably just get on with business," Claus said, "But I was thinking of a place that I wanted to show you. Although, you're probably being chased by cops in the real world at this point, huh? You probably don't want to help me relive my silly childhood memories."

"So far as I know, I'm just like any wanted criminal," Ninten said. "I don't think that the cops have my trail, so I have nothing better to do with my time than hide in the forest like this. I would love to see any place that you want to show me."

Claus' eyes widened.

"I, uh, okay. It's right this way, then."

Claus pointed out past to a dirt path past the town square. As he and Ninten walked through the village along the cobblestone streets, Claus kept his gaze down on the ground. A gust of wind sent black ashes flying, and some of the specks stuck to Claus' plaid shirt. Ninten covered his mouth and nose until the breeze passed, and then coughed. Even though he knew that he couldn't get asthma inside a Magicant, his heart pounded in anticipation.

After walking through the remains of the village center, the path transitioned into a concrete road. Claus walked to the side and placed a hand on the metal railing, letting his fingers slide over the steel as he walked forward. Out in the distance, Ninten saw the sparkling sea, with shifting waves that went up, down, up, down. In the horizon, the sea merged with the cloudless sky, and the sun's rays beat down on Ninten as ash floated by on the air.

Claus followed the railing as it made a turn to the left, and he walked down a set of steps to arrive at a small patch of beach. Ninten looked to the right, spotting a larger beachfront with overturned beach chairs and parasols that had gaping burn holes. He paused for a second, and then followed Claus down to the smaller shore without the remnants of destruction.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, Claus was sitting down on the sand, leaning back with the support of his arms and hands. He stared out at the sea and didn't make a move when Ninten sat down next to him.

Seeing him on the beach like this, it came to Ninten's mind again that Claus really was just a child. Other people Claus' age would be running on the shore, building sand castles and splashing in the water under the gaze of the sun. But Claus kept looking out at the water, his gaze locked in place and his expression stiff.

Claus had been captured and broken down when he was just a child.

Claus had watched his village burn when he was just a child.

And Lucas had brought him here all the same, knowing the pain that Claus had suffered.

"You've probably seen beaches before," Claus said. "And I don't really know why I expected this one to look special. Lucas and I spent so much time playing here that I assumed it would look magnificent. But of course it's just water, sand, and salt."

"If this beach was a part of your childhood," Ninten said, "I'm glad to see it."

Claus finally looked away, sitting up straight and shaking his head.

"Maybe the steel and the concrete are just ruining it," Claus said. "When we played on the beach, we didn't have those fancy umbrellas or chairs. We had to walk up the hill to our house with sand up our swim trunks instead of sitting down in a car and waiting for someone to take us exactly where we needed to go. This might sound strange, but I liked it better before the Americans brought us their modern conveniences."

"I think I can see why." Ninten looked out at the ocean. "I lived in a rural town until I was about your age. We even called it 'Podunk' as a joke. There are some times I can't help but look back fondly on those days. Life was so simple."

Claus nodded.

"But most of the time, I'm glad for my psyspace and psyweb access in the city that we moved to," Ninten said. "And sometimes when I want to go back to my past, I can boot up some countryside scenes in my psyspace. It always struck me as ironic, but I think that it was a good exercise. Technology is a tool, and while some people use it to overwhelm our lives, we're using it right now to keep you around so we can look out into the ocean together."

Up, down, up, down. Ninten took a deep breath and let himself get lost, just for a moment, in the rhythm of the waves.

"I'm not sure if our ancestors did the right thing when they tried to run away from technology and progress," Claus said. "I don't know if what Lucas said about infant mortality and disease were true. I'm certainly not advocating that we live without modern medicine. But I enjoyed my time here in Tazmily without all of your modern American gadgets. I really did."

"Well, don't let us take that away from you," Ninten said. "If you want to live this way, there's nothing to stop you from-"

Oh, right. It was so easy to forget that Claus, sitting right next to him now, was dead. And yet Claus' help had been the key factor that allowed Ninten to find Lucas in the first place.

Could someone really be dead if they kept on taking actions that affected the living?

"And Lucas felt that way once, too," Claus said. "He would wake up each morning with a starry look in his eyes. He would stare at a drop of dew on a leaf for minutes while I tried to drag him away to do something more fun."

"The wingbeat of a butterfly and the veins of a maple leaf, huh?" Ninten said.

Claus smiled. "I did take some inspiration from Lucas when I first said that line. But look at where he is now."

"It seems like he doesn't really care about your feelings."

"Well, there's that, but I think part of it's my fault for not speaking up," Claus said. "It kills me to see him acting so stiff and cold. He was my little brother, you know. The pigmasks, uh, Americans discovered his psychic powers before mine, but I volunteered to go through their experimetns in his place."

"Oh, wow." Ninten grimaced. "That must have been awful for you. I'm sure that Lucas appreciated it, even if he's not showing any gratitude right now."

"I think he hated me for it," Claus whispered.

Ninten flinched. "But why?"

"When the Americans finally let me go, I behaved the way Lucas is acting right now. Blunt. Tense. Aggressive. He told you about how I would wake up every night screaming, but what he didn't say was how he was always the first one to come running and comfort me."

"That's sweet."

"It was. But every time he came into my room during the middle of the night, his eyes always told the same story. He wished that it was him in my place, Ninten. He couldn't bear the thought that I was hurting for him, and his expression grew more and more haggard every night. Because even through all of his help, I was getting worse. Some days, I wouldn't come out of my room. I ended up breaking a desk in half when my psychic powers went out of control."

"I don't think that means he hated you."

"He did." Claus hugged his knees. "He hated me for making him feel guilty. And I don't really blame him. That's probably why he left."

Again, Ninten had to remind himself of how young Claus was.

"You mean when he went off to try and pray for the Dark Dragon to save the world?" Ninten said.

Claus nodded. "I think that I was the one who pushed him over the edge. He probably thought that he was just making things worse for me, when in truth he was the only reason that I could keep myself from falling apart entirely. I remember that he gave me another look on the day that he left, a look that said 'it should have been you going out on an adventure like this.' That was the last memory I have of him."

"Right, because the fire…"

Claus shook his head. "That's what I told Lucas, but the truth is that I couldn't handle it after he left. My mom was amazing, of course. Patient, helpful, loving, everything I could have wanted. But she wasn't Lucas. She wasn't my other half. She wasn't enough." Claus hopped up to his feet. "That was what I felt worst about. That she poured so much of her heart out for me, sacrificed so much to take care of me, believed every day that I would get better, and then I crushed it all."

Ninten swallowed a lump in his throat. "Is it okay if I ask how?"

Claus walked backwards and leaned on the metal railing of the staircase. He looked down at the sand, then up at the sun blazing in the sky.

"Sure," Claus said. "It's a simple explanation, really."

Ninten nodded and took a deep breath.

"One day," Claus said. "I walked out the door, put a gun in my mouth, and pulled the trigger."

Claus said the words so casually that Ninten had to repeat them in his head before realizing what they meant.

"Oh my gosh," Ninten said. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it must have felt like."

Claus shook his head. "Even if I hadn't killed myself that day, I would have died in the fire anyway. Or I would be living as a war prisoner back on the Nowhere Islands right now. Neither option appeals to me much. I'm just sorry for what I did to my mother, and I'm glad to have a second chance."

Ninten nodded. "Even if life inside a dark V-game can get a little hopeless and repetitive, I'm glad that it's at least something for you."

Claus flashed a weak smile. "You can take credit for part of that. When I talked with you under the stars inside the glass box, it reminded me of… well, not my life before the Americans and their experiments. I don't know if I can ever go back to how I was in Tazmily. But you reminded me of how I was in the start, being in the Nowhere Islands V-game. When I still had hope that I could set things right."

Claus sighed, and sat down back on the beach. Even with his legs crossed, he continued to hold onto the metal railing with his right hand.

"But win or lose, I'm assuming that this is going to be your last time in Lucas' Magicant?" Claus said.

Ninten paused. "Is it bad if I say yes?"

"I guess it would feel a little bit like when Lucas left me to go off on his adventure." Claus sighed. "But you have to go, don't you?"

"I can't really say yes if it's going to make you feel like killing yourself again."

"Oh," Claus' eyes widened. "I didn't mean in that way."

"Then what did you mean? How else did you feel when Lucas left you?"

"I dunno. Just… sad, I guess. Alone."

"Then I can't leave you."

"But you also can't stay. You have your own life to live, don't you?"

"I think you're a part of my life now, Claus. Maybe I won't be here all the time, but I think I could find ways to stop by and visit every so often. How that sound?"

Claus looked over at Ninten, his eyes widening.

"You would actually do that for me?"

"Of course. That's what friends are for."

"Friends." Claus laughed. "With a dead person."

"That doesn't matter to me."

"I think it would matter to anyone."

"One of the people closest to me is also dead," Ninten said, "And has been for half of my life. We still keep in touch."

"Ooh." Claus eyes twinkled with curiosity. "Who is it?"

"My great-grandmother," Ninten said. "Her name is Mary."

"Married to that George person who wants you arrested?"

Ninten paused. He supposed it made sense that Claus knew that George was his great-grandfather, so the question hadn't exactly come out of nowhere.

"Yeah," Ninten said. "Every time George scolded me, I would start crying and she would rush over and hug me. It was easy to share all of my secrets with her when I was already sobbing."

"How young were you when this happened?"

"It never really stopped, actually."

Claus raised an eyebrow. "Even the sobbing?"

"I still cry in front of her sometimes. George, not as much. Instead of crying the last time I was angry at him, I said that I wish he were still alive so I could strangle him. It felt pretty good."

"And… does that have anything to do with why the police are currently pursuing you?"

"Probably. I still don't regret it."

Claus smiled. "I get it. If you always do what other people want, you'll eventually give up all the pieces of yourself. I sometimes wish that I had screamed more often." Claus looked up at the sky. "Or cried. If I showed my body that I could get my emotions out on my own, maybe it wouldn't have taken all of my feelings away from me. And then maybe we could have met for real."

"You mean, with both of us alive?"

"It's a stupid dream," Claus said. "Like I told you before, I was destined to die in a fire or live my life out as a prisoner anyway. Although in that way, maybe we're not so different. I just sometimes wonder… if things had turned out a little differently, do you think that we would could have been friends in real life?"

Ninten looked into Claus' eyes. Scared, but also tense and determined. Better to tell the truth now when Claus was strong enough not to look away.

"I think if you had come to America," Ninten said, "Or if I had come to the Nowhere Islands, you would have made friends with someone else. Were you listening in when Lucas and I were talking back by the waterfall in the forest?"

Claus hesitated, and then nodded.

"Then you must have heard my friend Ana. How did she seem to you?"

Claus bit his lip. "I don't really know. I guess she seemed stressed."

"Yeah, she does get stressed, and I think it's understandable as to why she does. But if you saw her in our day-to-day lives, I think you would find that she's a lot more fun and outgoing than I am. Oh, and she's also smarter and more attractive, if you care about that. She'd make a better friend than I would if we had normal lives."

Claus cocked his head, paused in thought for a moment, and then laughed.

"You know, I must have played out that question a hundred times in my head, wondering how you would respond," Claus said, "And each time, I didn't picture anything close to what you just said."

"Uh… sorry?"

"Oh, no. Don't apologize. Do I look like I'm mad at you?" Claus beamed.

Well, no. Not really. But out of all the responses Ninten could think of for what he just said, grinning was not the one that came to mind.

"I think you're right, in a way," Claus said. "Not that you're boring. I'm sure that you're just as much fun as Ana."

"You haven't seen me at a party. I hide away in my own shell like a turtle."

"But the reason you're such a great friend is that you sit down and have a nice heart to heart with me instead of stressing out about your own situation. Think about it. Every second you're wasting makes you more likely to get caught by the police, right? And you're not really getting anything done by talking with me."

"Why would I agree to go into the Nowhere Islands V-game again if I didn't want to help people like you?" Ninten said.

"Uh, because we've told you that your life depends on it?" Claus laughed. "We're only friends because you shine under this sort of pressure. Most people would only think of themselves. So I'm glad that I got to see this side of you, even if it means I have to be in a pretty desperate position."

"Trust me, Claus. That isn't what I meant. I'm pretty terrible under pressure."

"You saved the other Claus back in that game." Claus held a finger up. "You saved my mother." Two fingers. "You saved Lucas and Kumatora, twice." Three, four. "And then you saved me. All in life or death situations for yourself."

Claus held up an open hand, all five fingers extended up. "Yeah, terrible under pressure."

"If I had been better, I could have found a way to save more people without needing to die each time."

Claus snorted. "I guess that's true. You're so heroic that it's honestly a little bit annoying. Always having to sacrifice yourself in some noble attempt to save a bystander."

"Heroic?" Ninten frowned.

"And true heroes are obnoxiously humble and don't ever accept compliments about them."

Ninten opened his mouth, and then closed it. If he continued to deny the statement about him being a hero, he would just be playing into Claus' argument. Certainly Ana would find a way not to look like a fool in this situation, but anything that came out of Ninten's mouth would probably result in Claus laughing at him.

"But I do admire how much you care," Claus said. "And if we are actually friends, then I should probably keep an eye on you. I'm probably not supposed to, but I'm going to enter the V-game with you."

"Aren't you always in the V-game?"

"No, I'll be in the V-game with you. Not just watching along."

"Won't that mess up the story of the game or whatever?"

"Well, that's what you're supposed to do anyways." Claus grinned. "So I'd call that a win. I can't just abandon you to the mercy of the Nowhere Islands after you said that you'd be there for me."

"You don't have to help me if it will put you in danger. I don't know if there's someone overseeing you, but it sounds like you can't generally go around doing whatever you want in the game."

"If our places were reversed, would you break the rules to help me out with the V-game?"

Ninten paused, and Claus looked at him with a knowing smile. Of course Ninten would help Claus, no matter the cost.

"Right," Claus said, as if reading Ninten's mind. "Because that's what friends do. You would go into the V-game with me, so I'll go into the V-game with you. Any objections?"

Ninten kept his mouth shut.

"Good," Claus said. "I should probably prepare, then."

"Prepare for…?"

Claus hopped to his feet and stretched his arms up to the sky with a groan. He jumped up onto the railing and tried to balance his feet on the thin metal tubes. After a couple seconds of wobbling, he fell back onto the sand with a thud. He raised his hand, smiled, and gave Ninten a thumbs-up.

"For the game, silly," Claus said. "It looks like my balance skills could use a little more work."

Claus dusted himself and stood up.

"I guess I have one last question for you," Claus said. "If you do keep visiting me, then you're going to keep getting older and older while I stay the same. You'll get a job, and then probably have kids. And even when you grow as old as my grandfather Alec, I'll still look like I'm thirteen."

The words faded off into silence, until the only sound Ninten could hear was the crashing of waves on the shore.

"That's not a question," Ninten said.

"Will it be weird?" Claus said. "Will you feel strange growing old and dying while I just stay here?"

"I don't think it will feel weird for me," Ninten said. "But what about you?"

Claus blinked. "Me?"

"How will you feel, watching me grow old, knowing that one day I'll die and leave you alone again?"

"Alone…" Claus looked down at the sand.

"I'll try to stay with you for long as I can," Ninten said, "But we all have to leave this world eventually."

"Of course." Claus sighed. "I guess I'll deal with it when the time comes. We have more pressing issues to worry about. Thanks for the chat, Ninten. I'll let my mother brief you on everything she knows."

Claus offered a dramatic bow and then snapped his fingers. The next moment, thin air replaced his body, leaving Ninten alone with the seaside winds and crashing waves.

"Claus, wait."

Ninten ran forward to the spot where Claus stood moments ago, sticking his hand out into the wind. He twisted his hand to feel the breeze on his fingertips and then balled his hand into a fist.

"I don't know if I was ready to say goodbye just yet."

"It's okay," came a voice behind him. "For Claus, that was not a goodbye. It was a 'see you soon'."

Ninten whirled around to see a brown-haired woman in a red dress emerging from the sea. When she stepped onto the shore, her clothes and hair looked perfectly dry.

"I don't think I ever got a chance to thank you," Hinawa said, "For saving my son."

Ninten took a step back. "Is that… actually you?"

"And I apologize for trying to stand in your way inside the V-game. Although in my defense, if you had abandoned Lucas' Magicant when I told you to then none of this would have happened."

Hinawa walked further inland on the sands. She held herself the same way as the Hinawa from the burning forest and Mt. Oriander did, composed and confident yet somehow warm and inviting. She didn't look as stiff as the actual Hinawa who played the pigmask colonel and who told Ninten that he hadn't beaten the V-game after Lucas passed his heart to the Dark Dragon.

Hinawa passed by Ninten and only halted to sit down on the concrete steps. She hung onto the metal railing with her right hand as the wind sent her dress flapping.

"I assume that you could tell the difference," Hinawa said, "But I was the pigmask Hinawa at Saturn Valley and the judge who talked with you and Claus by that waterfall in Lucas' Magicant. But I've seen everything that you've done."

"Uh, you have?"

"In the game, of course," Hinawa smiled. "I haven't been stalking you for your whole life. I'm sorry for putting on my stern face in front of you. Oh, and trying to kill you in the game."

"Right," Ninten said. "That. It's fine."

Hinawa raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, I understand now why you tried to stop me. Things would be a lot simpler if I had never found Lucas' body."

Hinawa nodded. "They would be."

"But I'm glad that I did," Ninten said.

"You are?" Hinawa frowned.

"I'm glad that I learned the truth about you, Lucas, and Claus. I'm glad that I was able to see what actually happened to the Nowhere Islands. And I'm glad that I got to talk with Claus again."

"Well." A slight smile came to Hinawa's lips. "I suppose that's good. And I suppose that I should give you the run-down on the Nowhere Islands V-game before night falls."

"What time is it?" Ninten looked down at his wrist by instinct.

"A little after seven. But it's a warm evening, so your body's not in any danger back in the real world."

"Oh yeah, we should probably get things moving."

"I was the one who came up with the idea that George could be stopped by playing the Nowhere Islands V-game again," Hinawa said, "Although really, I don't have many leads to go on."

"And you passed that information on to Lucas?"

"Despite his long, roundabout stories about his past that were designed shock and disgust you, he does want to help. He's… never been good at just saying what he means, you know."

Ninten nodded, thinking back to when he saw Lucas and Claus playing with the Dragos on Mt. Oriander. Maybe Lucas' strange tangents meant that he just wasn't quite ready to open up for real. If so, he had certainly kept Ninten captivated by the truth behind the Nowhere Islands long enough to stall for Hinawa to take over.

Or maybe…

"Lucas thought that I would need to know the past about the Nowhere Islands," Ninten said. "Why?"

Hinawa looked away. "He wanted to prepare you for the fact that there's not going to be a happy ending for the Nowhere Islands. I think he was afraid that you would try to save the world again when you need to burn it down."

Burn, burn, burn. For a moment, Ninten's mind went back to the Pigmask Mothership, where he looked down at a sea of flames spreading across Saturn Valley, eating up grass and houses alike.

And then Hinawa in her pigmask colonel suit, taking steps that clanged off the steel floor of the Mothership, looking at Ninten with eyes colder than ice…

"Were you being sincere, back then?" Ninten said. "Or did you only want to stop me from finding Lucas?"

Hinawa looked up at him. "As a pigmask, or as the judge that refused to let you beat the game?"

"Both."

Hinawa sighed. "Keeping you away from Lucas was my primary goal, of course. I didn't want his secret getting out, and I didn't want a nice boy like you getting involved in our mess. But it's easier to twist the truth than make up a lie from scratch."

"So you do want to see the world burn."

"I want to see my world burn," Hinawa said. "I want to see the Nowhere Islands V-game end entirely."

Ninten frowned. "But why?"

"I'll admit that your compassion for V-game characters is endearing," Hinawa said, "But those characters are still just lines of code. I'm not attached to any of them. And I don't think that the real spirits trapped in the game like me are worth saving, either. Seeing my island fall under pigmask control again and again and again doesn't make me feel alive, Ninten. I think I'm still dying, just more slowly. Eventually, I'll crack like Fassad and Isaac."

I'm still dying, just more slowly… The words echoed in Ninten's mind, but in a different voice.

"Have you ever talked to Lucas about those feelings?"

Hinawa shot Ninten a wary gaze. "Don't you think it would be a little weird to burden my son with my own insecurities? Besides, Lucas only died a few days ago so I haven't gotten many chances to speak with him." Hinawa paused, and then her eyes lit up. "Oh. You mean he feels the same way that I do. Did he tell you?"

Ninten nodded. "You can always come here, to his Magicant, right? Maybe you can work your feelings out together as the years go by. And I think that Claus might be willing to help as well." Ninten cocked his head. "Although I guess you're always in his Magicant anyway, since the Nowhere Islands V-game is here. Well, you know what I mean."

"Actually," Hinawa said, "It turns out that the V-game isn't in Lucas' Magicant at all."

"Wait." Ninten blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, it's easy to create an output device. Watch."

Hinawa stood up, her red dress swaying in the breeze. She squeezed her eyes shut and reached a hand forward, taking a deep breath. Ninten felt a warmth radiating from Hinawa's hands, the same kind as a pyspace portal, and Hinawa's fingers started to twitch. Moments later, the same dragon-and-islands sprite that Ninten had seen so often back in the sunflower fields popped up into existence above the stairs in front of Hinawa's hand.

"The actual game is being run inside an entirely different Magicant," Hinawa said, "And believe it or not, that's where George is drawing his power from."

"How do you know this?"

"You'll just have to trust me. If you destroy the Nowhere Islands V-game, then George won't be able to hunt you down and arrest you anymore. You can go on living your normal life."

"But won't you and everyone else inside the game go away?"

"The characters inside the V-game certainly will. There's no doubt about that. But they're just lines of code, so I hope that you won't stop to think of them when you could be saving yourself."

Hinawa looked over at Ninten, raising an eyebrow as if daring Ninten to challenge her. Ninten nodded, saying nothing in reply. Better to give as little information away as possible.

"And as for the moderators like us," Hinawa said, "There's a chance that we'll be able to escape by hiding in Lucas' Magicant. We are real people, after all."

"But only a chance," Ninten said, "Because the data that makes up your spirit has to be stored somewhere?"

Hinawa hesitated, and then nodded. "If the data coding our spirits was located inside the V-game, then we would disappear along with the Nowhere Islands game."

"Which seems rather likely. I mean, where else would they store all that data?"

Hinawa shrugged.

"So by blowing up the V-game, I could be killing you and Claus."

"Along with Fassad and Isaac. But remember that we're already dead. I think that we would all appreciate if you ended this farce of an existence we have. I was telling the truth after Lucas pulled the seventh needle, you know. The only way to end the cycle of suffering is to let us die for real."

"I can't accept that."

Hinawa sighed. "I was afraid that you were going to say that."

Ninten walked up to the dragon-and-islands sprite floating in front of Hinawa and ran a finger over the black scales on the dragon's underbelly.

"Even if there's a small chance that you'll all die, I won't let myself destroy the Nowhere Islands V-game. Especially not when Claus is going in there to help me."

"Going in…" Hinawa crossed her arms. "Please don't tell me that Claus is entering the Nowhere Islands V-game with you."

"He did say that it was against the rules, and I tried to stop him. But then Claus asked me if I would go in there to help him if our roles were reversed, and I felt like I had to answer truthfully."

"By the Dark Dragon." Hinawa shook her head, not quite able to mask a smile. "Of course you did. Of course you both said that you'd be there for each other until the sun burns out."

Ninten raised an eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Claus was such a sweet boy," Hinawa said, "Always offered to help me carry water up the hill to our house with that sunny little smile on his face. Always asked his father if he could help shear the sheep. Always watched as I spun the wool, looking at the fabric with wide eyes. And in the end, that sweetness was his downfall. After volunteering for the American experiments in Lucas' place, I don't think I ever saw him smile again. When he came back three years later and six inches taller, his posture was so stiff and his eyes were so cold that I was scared of him."

"I'm sorry. Lucas told me the same story."

"Claus was innocent, yet always aware of what other people were thinking and of how to make them feel better. But in the end, his weakness was that he cared too much and tried too hard to be nice. He opened himself up for the world to see, and the Americans took the opportunity to crush him. And I see a bit of that old Claus in you, Ninten."

"Uh… thanks?"

"That wasn't a compliment." Hinawa's eyes narrowed. "It was a warning. If you get a chance to destroy the Nowhere Islands V-game, you need to let it burn. Because if you don't, George will hunt you down and break you down the same way that he-the Americans broke down Claus."

The same way that he broke down Claus? Before Hinawa had corrected herself, she was almost implying that Claus being reduced to a shell of his former self was George's fault. At this point, it wouldn't surprised Ninten if George had stuck his grimy little fingers in this whole mess.

"I do know a bit about your past," Hinawa said, "About who you are. I know that you are George's most dangerous tool, but also a failed weapon. I think you're one of the few people who can take him out. He gave you the power that he meant to use for his own ends, but now it's in your hands. Don't waste it just because you're thinking about me or Claus."

"I've never been just his tool," Ninten said. "And I'm going to save the Nowhere Islands again. Claus and I will figure it out together. I'll find some way to keep living, even if I have to dodge the law for the rest of my life."

"They're going to destroy you." Hinawa's gaze turned into a glare. "Do you think I haven't heard these words before? When Claus was packing up to leave for the American military facility, he wiped Lucas' tears away and promised that everything would be okay. He looked me in the eye and said that he would come back and help me bake more omelets. He said that we could forget that he ever left and go back to the way things were. So how do you think it felt when I heard a gunshot one day and ran out of the house to see my own son lying limp on the grass?"

"I'm sorry for what happened to you and Claus," Ninten said. "But I do think he's getting better. At least he has some hope to hold onto."

"He's dead." Hinawa grabbed onto Ninten's wrist. "And if you keep going down this path, you'll die an early death as well."

Ninten sighed, looking out at the ocean, at the waves that went up, down, up, down.

"Thanks for your concern," Ninten said, "But I think I'll be okay."

"No." Hinawa yanked him towards her. "Look me in the eye."

Ninten gulped and stared at Hinawa's iron expression. Her lips tightened as she pulled him even closer.

"You kids are all the same," Hinawa said. "Warn you about the dangers, tell you what happened before, and you still think you're invincible. Tell me something, Ninten. Give me one reason that you'll succeed where Claus failed. What do you have that he doesn't?"

"I have a rich family," Ninten said, "And my family has powerful connections. It would be a shame not to use them."

Hinawa's grip relaxed slightly.

"I know that Claus never stood a chance," Ninten said. "What could one kid do against an entire military squad from one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world? I know that when Lucas journeyed off the pray to the Dark Dragon, he was never going to fix anything. You were all alone on a largely uncharted island, so of course nobody was going to hear you scream. But people might listen to me."

Hinawa pursed her lips. "So you want to be our benefactor."

"I want to do whatever helps," Ninten said. "I know it's not an ideal situation for you, but especially now that Lucas is dead you'll need help from Americans to spread the word of what's happening on the Nowhere Islands. I promise that most of us are just regular people."

"I didn't mean it like that." Hinawa shook her head. "It's just… you're a good boy, Ninten. You should pretend that this whole mess never happened to you. Let it burn, and move on."

"I'm sorry, but that's the one thing I can't do." Ninten placed a hand on top of the dragon-and-islands sprite. "I'll try to make sure Claus has a friend in the years to come. I'll try to be here for you and Lucas as well, if you ever need anything from me. And I'm going to save the Nowhere Islands again."

Hinawa's body tensed, and Ninten braced himself from tightening his grip on the dragon-and-islands sprite that Hinawa had created. No matter what she said or did, he wouldn't let her tear him away from another chance to help the people inside of the V-game.

But insteads of lunging or shouting at Ninten, Hinawa started chuckling. She sat down on the steps and looked up at the cloudless sky, squinting her eyes as she basked in the sunlight.

"I guess the choice is yours to make, and if I really can't stop you I shouldn't waste any more of your time," Hinawa said. "Although trying to save the Nowhere Islands again is quite ill-advised."

"I know."

"But you're still going in to try and protect a world with no hope."

"I am."

Hinawa smiled. "Best of luck, then. You'll need a miracle to save the world while still weakening the power that George draws from the V-game, but if anyone can bring us a happy ending, it's you."

Ninten relaxed his grip on the dragon-and-islands sprite. "Thanks."

Hinawa's expression turned concerned. "And take care of Claus, all right? He's still my baby boy."

"I think," Ninten said, "That we'll both be taking care of each other."

As Ninten poured his consciousness into the V-game sprite, the last thing he saw was Hinawa waving goodbye to him.

Alone. Black. Empty. Consciousness floating in space.

Again.

And then, as if nothing had changed from his first few playthroughs, white words started appearing inside the emptiness, transmitted directly to Ninten's mind for him to read, before fading away into the black.

NINTEN? WHAT WOULD POSSIBLY MOTIVATE YOU TO COME BACK?

…

YOU KNOW THAT HINAWA DELIVERED ALL OF THESE LITTLE MESSAGES TO YOU, RIGHT?

THIS ISN'T HER.

…

GO AWAY.

THERE'S NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU HERE.

IF YOU WILL YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS OUT OF THE GAME, IT WILL TAKE YOU BACK TO LUCAS' PSYSPACE.

I'LL GIVE YOU SOME TIME TO TRY IT OUT.

…

…

…

NINTEN?

PLEASE DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU ACTUALLY MEAN TO GO BACK INTO THE WORLD OF THE NOWHERE ISLANDS.

…

OH.

HINAWA MUST HAVE TOLD YOU.

BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY THE WORLD. YOU CAN WATCH IT BURN AGAIN AND AGAIN, BUT THIS PLANET WILL NEVER TRULY DIE.

THAT IS ITS CURSE.

…

IT'S HOPELESS.

THE COPS ARE CHASING YOU, NINTEN.

RUN.

RUN FAR AWAY, WHERE NOBODY WILL EVER FIND YOU.

GET YOUR PARENTS TO HIDE YOU AWAY. YOU STILL HAVE A WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF YOU.

…

FINE.

I GUESS IT'S EASIER TO KILL YOU MYSELF AND SEND YOU BACK TO LUCAS' MAGICANT.

LET'S PICK UP RIGHT WHERE YOU LEFT OFF SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED WHEN LUCAS PULLED THE FINAL NEEDLE.

I'M DOING THIS SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE SOME WORLDS THAT CAN'T BE SAVED. DEATH AND DESTRUCTION WOULD BE A MERCY FOR THE NOWHERE ISLANDS, BUT THIS WORLD CAN ONLY DIE IN OUR MINDS.

IT CAN ONLY DIE IF WE RUN AWAY AND FORGET.

THAT'S WHAT I DID, AT LEAST.

BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO GIVE THE NOWHERE ISLANDS A HAPPY ENDING.

NOTHING AT ALL.

The world materialized around Ninten. The first thing that he saw was Lucas' body lying limp on the ground while Kumatora stood over him with a worried look on her face. The walls and floor glowed with a hazy purple light, illuminating Kuma's pink hair while leaving the rest of the scene under a dull filter.

Back in the cave of the Dark Dragon, then.

Ninten looked over to see Claus' body lying on the floor, laser sword sheathed and pigmask helmet off. While Lucas' body looked several years younger than the real-life Lucas, Claus in the game looked the exact same as the boy Ninten had been chatting with just minutes earlier.

But this Claus was dead. He had died for Ninten.

Ninten reached down to his chest and felt over the smooth stone of the Franklin badge.

Nin…ten…?

Ninten blinked. Cave ambiance, perhaps?

Can you… hear me…?

Ninten looked around for the direction of the sound. He turned towards Kumatora after hearing her gasp. Lucas' body twitched once, twice, and then his eyes opened. Kumatora reached out with a shaky as Lucas brought himself to his feet. Lucas looked at Kumatora, and then Ninten.

"Lucas," Kumatora said, rushing forward. "Are you okay? Did you pass your heart onto the Dark Dragon?"

Lucas flashed a sad smile at Ninten and started to draw in PSI power. The coldness in his blue eyes couldn't possibly belong to Lucas.

Ninten's heart skipped a beat. He let out a shout and ran forward.

Lucas shook his head and turned back to Kumatora. "PK Love Ω."