"Transformation" Post #18 by Misery Loves Fanfics

I needed to continue this thing.

I think people kept getting stuck at the "grave mistake" am I right? I dunno if it's true, but I did have a hard time with it. Got it going in the end, though. The ending of the segment is not quite a cliffhanger, but it's still open-ended, so I hope it works okay.

*****

Ben sobered up at this. "What…kind of 'grave mistake'?"

Bellicus made a face at him. "What other kind is there? It's a grave mistake!"

"You know what I meant!" Ben snapped. "What is the mistake?"

"It seems we'd forgotten one fine detail about this being." Serena's expression was mournful. This was something serious. "And now it may be too late to fix things."

"What's the detail?"

"Serena and I were not always one being," Bellicus explained. "At one time, we were two separate entities; myself controlling time and Serena controlling space." The usual anger in Bellicus' expression now seemed directed inward. "We were making our own decisions then; and things got done. We clashed, but things still got done."

"And then we decided to compromise," Serena said softly.

"We thought if we put our heads together, we would make a being more powerful than anything in the universe. We would be a god."

"But because we are so different, we could never agree on what to do." Serena sighed. "And things were left to the rest of the universe to take care of. We have not made a single decision since we joined together."

Ben was stunned, but this still didn't answer what that "grave mistake" was. "So…I'm guessing that the result of this is that 'grave mistake' you were talking about?"

Bellicus nodded. "Yes. Since we were put into the Omnitrix, it has become more crucial for us to make a decision, since we have been provided a voice of reason."

"Are you saying," Ben started slowly, his brain carefully working out the answer, "…that…if I don't help you guys come to a decision, then the universe is going to fall apart?"

Serena sighed sadly. "That is what we believe."

Ben groaned. "Oh, man…I feel like my head is going to explode. Can this get any worse?"

Serena and Bellicus looked at each other. "Well…"

***

One week ago, 30 years in the future

"Wait a moment, Vilgax," Ben said. The alien growled low in his throat and turned around.

"What is it?"

"There's one more thing I forgot to mention. You'll have to watch out for Kevin." Ben smirked. "He's not going to let me go easily."

Vilgax made a sound that could easily be likened to a cat coughing up a hairball as he turned around again. "You disgusting humans and your trivial 'romance'…" he grumbled as he walked away.

"Y'know, Benji; it's times like this I wish you didn't know me so well."

Ben turned around to smile at Kevin leaning against the doorframe. Kevin was scowling.

"I've had a lot of time to get to know you," Ben answered. "All of you."

Kevin scoffed. "Figures. The whole world's in ruins except for you and me and your family and you want to change it."

"I want to fix the damage I caused," Ben said calmly.

"I'm not gonna let you die to do it," Kevin told him matter-of-factly. "I've told you before that I'd sacrifice the whole world before you. That still applies now."

Ben smiled at him still, his eyes sad and loving. "Are you going to do something stupid, Kevin?"

Kevin scoffed again. "Whatever I do can't be any dumber than what you're doing right now." He turned and walked out of the room, going the way Vilgax had gone. He was going to go back in time himself and make sure that Ben did not disappear.

And Ben knew it, too.

So Kevin had to wonder…why Ben wasn't trying to stop him.

*****

Take the wheel, RoseRosa!