So this is the last official chapter (aside from the epilogue) of MSGO: Gathering of the Departed aaaaand it only took me three whole years hahahahaa

"M-t-r Ma-"

Huh?

"-aster Marik."

"Who's there…?"

"Master Marik, it's me, Odion. Are you alright? You collapsed."

Odion? Malik raises a hand to drag it through his golden hair -or rather his host's golden hair. The blood vessels in his head are throbbing insistently, threatening to burst with any sudden movements. Nonetheless, he can't just lie there; he needs to figure out what happened in the Inbetween. He needs to find Lorna… and maybe even Zorc.

He groans, allowing Odion to hold him by the shoulder and help him up into a sitting position. He finds himself in Marik's bed, covered very loosely by the bedsheet, which he throws off of him as soon as he becomes conscious of how hot and suffocated he is underneath it. "Odion, did Marik tell you what has been going on?"

Odion knows who Malik is; he had been the first to realize that a third personality had manifested in his brother's head. His gaze hardens when he realizes just who he's speaking to; it's only a small relief that he's speaking to the one who doesn't harbor a desire to murder him. "He has given me a vague idea of what occurred in the other realm. He says it may have had something to do with Ra sparing me."

Malik stares at him in confusion for a moment before breaking eye contact and looking into his lap with a tired laugh. "Oh, yes. You were unconscious, too, last I saw you." He sighs and says, "Well, things may not have gone according to plan. Do you know what happened to Lorna? Has she also woken up?"

Odion averts his eyes, fixing them idly on the Millennium Rod sitting on the bedside table. "Mai and Bakura are awake as well. As for Lorna, however, I cannot say. The Pharaoh and his friends returned about half an hour ago, but she was not awake then. She is likely in the infirmary."

Malik shudders, his entire body seizing and then relaxing. This is to be expected, of course. She would have to wake up soon, though. That blast should have destroyed them both, but Malik came back, so Lorna will definitely wake up. She has to. "I have to…"

"I would not advise you to visit her, Malik."

"What do you mean?" Malik shot back.

Odion's face is as impassive as ever. Malik doesn't think he's ever seen the man show any emotion at all, and especially not when Malik is in control. It's no secret that Odion would prefer Marik being the only person in control of his own body. "The Pharaoh and his friends still do not trust you. I don't think the girl trusts you either. If she wakes up, she will blame you for this."

"But I-"

The older man decides that it's a good time to drop the subject then, moving on to something else. "The other two -Zephyr and Sun -have disappeared. Their bodies have not been found."

"... What?"

Odion shifts in his seat, placing his hands in his lap and facing Malik again. "Master Marik and Ishizu were the last to see Sun, and the minute they left her alone, she was gone. It was the same for Zephyr. There is no evidence of their existence anywhere on the blimp."

"You don't think they died, do you?" Malik asks, almost forcing the words out of himself.

As complacent as ever, Odion replies, "I'd think you would know better than I would, Malik." The last word sounds forced and reeks of animosity.

Malik huffs in disbelief, feeling cool sweat pooling at his hairline and running down his back. Did they truly die in the Inbetween? He recalls the state he had left Sun in -unconscious in a cave with an arrow in her eye -but he can't remember what happened to Zephyr. He can only think of Serenity, who certainly played a role in putting Sun in that cave; there was no way he could let her know about this. It would crush her.

"I… apologize. There's nothing more I can do," the doctor announces, his voice faltering under Joey's steely gaze.

He balled his hands into fists, watching the doctor recoil and slink back against the wall. "The fuck kinda doctor are you?" he all but howls, making the poor man jump out of his skin. "You gotta make her wake up!"

"Joey, lay offa him," Tristan grumbles. He's sitting at a chair beside the infirmary bed, hunched over, refusing to meet eyes with anyone. "He said there's nothing he can do."

Joey whirls around in a flash, his fingers clamping shut around the top of his friend's shirt, tugging him up so they can face each other. "And you're just okay with this?" His accusation is like a slap in the face. Tristan instinctively turns away.

Lorna's face is a tranquil mask, eyes shut like they've been glued down, her lips dry and puckered. The only color in her face are the dark freckles scattered across her cheeks and nose. Tristan's eyes fall on her small form, covered in a light colored sheet, watching for the rise and fall of her chest. "How can I be? She's not breathing."

The doctor, still standing idly with a distraught and disoriented expression on his face, shuffles towards the door. "I'm very sorry for your loss," he mumbles and Joey's eyes dart to the side, scrutinizing his movements. "I'll just leave now and give you some space."

As the man slides through the door, three other people, Yugi, Téa, and Duke, take his place. They all drag themselves forlornly towards the pair, who are still gripping each other's shirts.

"Is she… going to be okay?" Téa asks quietly, her voice partly hesitant and partly fearful of what she already suspects to be true. "What did the doctor have to say?" Her question, though heard, evaporates in the heavy air as though fallen upon deaf ears. The knot in her chest tightens; anything would be better than the loss of voice in their two most vocal friends. It becomes tighter still when she feels Yugi's hand slip into her own and squeeze.

Duke had known the girl for less than a day, but the looks on his friends' faces made the sight of her unbearable. He feels out of place, having only accompanied Téa and Yugi because he had been offering them support while they waited for a word on Lorna's condition. This is what they had all feared.

"Oh," Téa chokes out, covering her face with her hand. "No…"

"She's not dead."

All eyes are on Joey. He had relinquished his hold on Tristan in favor of leaning over the bed and taking one of Lorna's hands in his own bandaged fingers.

"Don't be a fucking moron!" Tristan snaps, trying to sound forceful and commanding, but managing to sound only angry and hurt.

"She's not," Joey insists, trying to send some of his own body heat into her frozen fingers. "I know it. She can't be. Not yet."

"Don't make this about you!" Tristan argues. "It's not about you! You don't know anything so don't make this worse than it already is! It's over, alright! Just stop!"

Téa sucks in a deep breath and steps forward. "Stop fighting, you two!" she all but screams. In a softer voice she stutters, "I can't take this. Just… please, stop."

"No," Joey says stubbornly. "I can prove it to you."

Tristan groans, tugging on Joey's arm to pull him away from the girl. "No, he can't. I get it -We get it. You cared about her. We all did, but you need to stop making this harder for all of us. Just go to your room and let us just… mourn."

Joey's free hand curls up and digs into the flimsy bed, pressing in so heavily that anyone would have think he was trying to make his hand come out from the other side. "No. She's alive. She told me so herself."

"Joey," Yugi's voice cuts in after what felt like hours of silence. His throat feels scratchy and dry, but he can't let this go on any longer. "That was then. This is now. We have to face the truth. Maybe Tristan's right. Maybe… you need to leave."

Joey recalls the conversation he had with Lorna before the blimp changed its course. She can't die if she's already dead, right? So this must mean that somewhere out there, her soul is out there somewhere and it's trying to find its way back. He has to believe in her. He just wishes the others weren't so quick to give up on her. "Fine." he mumbles, relaxing his shoulders and straightening his posture. He turns around and faces Téa and Yugi, both of whom look uncomfortable under his heavy stare. "If you want to give up on her, then maybe I should leave." He walks briskly across the room, his shoulder brushing against Duke's as he does.

He clings to the walls as he trudges along towards his room, his mind running several possibilities where she'd come back, not alive perhaps, but certainly well. She doesn't deserve this. She never even had a chance. He feels pressure building up in his very core, like magma slowly shifting and churning in his heart. His hand moves of its own accord now, slamming knuckles-first into reinforced aluminium wall to his left.

"Joey," a voice calls out to him, holding on to courage like a little boy -but the worry in it breaks through. "Were you just at the infirmary?"

Before him stands Marik, or rather the one he knows as Marik. His form is rigid and anxious, arms against his abdomen like they're trying to keep something down. This only jerks Joey's molten center into a fury. Marik's back is slammed against the wall before either of them know what they're doing. Joey's eyes bore into Marik's violet irises, his hands clutching bunches of the younger boy's shirt. "You bastard."

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Marik grunts. He looks at the fierce brown eyes, searching for some sort of explanation for this seemingly unprovoked attack. That's when he finds exactly what he's looking for, and his alarmed eyes go dark. "Is Lorna okay?" he asks, his voice down to a guttural murmur.

Joey scoffs, slamming the boy against the wall before unclenching his hands and taking a step back. "Like you don't know…" he snarls before stomping away in the direction of the main lounge.

"Joey, wait!"

He stops in his tracks, waiting for the end of that sentence.

"I really don't know what happened. But I can tell you what happened while you were in Noah's world -"

"Noah's world? You weren't there."

"I wasn't," Marik agrees, then takes a tentative step forward. "And neither was Lorna."

The control room is dark save for a luminescent fifty-inch monitor mounted on the wall. Feedback buzzes lightly from the wall-speakers, filling in the awkward silence between two very different men, staring each other down -one amused eye versus two deep blues full of irritation.

"What do you want, Pegasus?" the billionaire asks crisply. "It's not exactly a good time."

Maximillion tilts his head slightly with a sly grin, his hands stroking the arms of his chair idly. The one eye twinkles mysteriously when he speaks. "Ah, yes. A death on your blimp. What a positively grim affair! I can only imagine it wouldn't be very satisfying to duel a King of Games in mourning."

Seto inhales a sharp breath and his eye twitches in vexation, the corners of his lips sinking lower and lower with each passing moment. Did Pegasus really think that Yugi would be on his mind at a time like this? "I plan on postponing the semi-finals," he admits, not even bothering to hide the contempt in his voice. "Unlike you, I duel fairly."

Behind him, a woman shifts uneasily, lurking close to the wall and trying not to emphasize her presence. Ishizu frowns her eyes meeting the single brown eye that isn't obscured by Maximillion's long silver hair. The man's eyes immediately shift back to Kaiba.

With a knowing expression, Pegasus mumbles bitingly, "Oh, I'm sure you do, Kaiba-boy." He folds his hands over his lap before speaking more directly, his face and voice now devoid of all humor. "Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"

There is a pause as Kaiba contemplates the idea of ending the call and doing away with the smug face on his computer screen; however, his curiosity gets the best of him. He'd entertain him -for now.

"I'm listening."

Mai, Serenity, and Ryou sit in silence in the lounge, each looking in a different direction and saying nothing. It's hard to find the words for what they experienced, but they don't need to speak to know that they're all thinking the same thing.

Just when it seems like they'll be sitting like that forever, a disgruntled Joey marches into the room, making a beeline for Ryou. The smaller boy gets to his feet, startled by the intensity in Joey's eyes and the depth of the scowl on his face.

"Is everything alright, Joey?" Serenity pipes up, turning her eyes up to her brother.

He meets her gaze briefly before facing Ryou again. "I need to speak to him. I need to speak to Zorc."

An icy spike slides down Ryou's throat and lodges itself between his lungs. That name is one he has no desire to hear. "You can't, Joey."

It is then that Serenity sees something other than fury in her brother's eyes; it's desperation -the very same kind she saw when Mai was forced into a coma by Marik in her duel against him. He's terrified and deep in her soul, the part that connects her intimately to Lorna, she knows why. It's not that she can feel Lorna -rather, it's that she can't. Not anymore.

"What's going on, big brother?" she whispers, searching desperately within her being for a way to make her brother's pain go away.

"Bakura," he speaks unfeelingly. "Let me talk to him. Now."

Her heart flutters anxiously upon hearing this; she hates hearing her act so callous and uncaring. "J-Joey…"

Ryou shifts uncomfortably under Joey's heavy gaze. He feels like a caged animal, unable to escape, waiting to be slaughtered. "I'm sorry. Joey, Z-" He pauses. "He isn't there. I can't find him."

"Can't find him?"

"I can't feel him. He's just gone," he replies, his voice half-uncertain and half-apologetic.

The words drill a hole into Joey's throat, snapping his vocal chords. Gone. The only being who could possibly have any idea what happened to Lorna's soul is just… gone. "That can't be…" he utters, his shoulders tensing up. "He can't just be gone…"

"Joey!" Serenity cries out, managing to snag her brother's attention. "What's going on?"

His breathing is heavy and broken, like he's forcing himself to breathe through a windpipe full of jagged glass shards. His eyes dart around the room like he's a mouse in a room full of elephants. "I have to go," he moans, turning on his heel and racing out of the room.

Is she really…

Dead? Yes.

The culmination of everything he had ever felt in the four years leading up to his death is crumpled, balled up into one giant mass, and jammed so tightly into the top of his throat that he couldn't breathe even if he wanted to. Four years he has (had) known her. Four years he stayed up well into the late hours of the night so she wouldn't feel the time difference.

It's like he's floating several feet in the air, watching a tragedy unfold before him, and he's the fool standing alone in the final act, trying not to self-destruct. "No…" he breathes, an incoherent sound, but it's all he can say without opening the floodgates.

For what it is worth. I am sorry for your loss. This is certainly new -Ra apologizing for anything. Malik doesn't answer.

"It's all my fault," he gasps. He hasn't seen her yet. Yugi and his friends are still huddled around her like gargoyles atop a cathedral, shielding her from evil. It's too late for that now. It's not even fair. He is the one who loved her –still loves her. He is the one who has four years of memories with her. He is the one who deserves to be at her side, but he's not even allowed to have that.

"What do you mean?"

He twists around and catches sight of a small girl. "Serenity?"

"How is it all your fault?" she asks and he finds himself unable dispense enough energy to even process her words. "You're Malik, right? Not Marik. And you were in love with her."

"What?" he grunts, feeling the color slide down his face, like paint running down a canvas in pouring rain.

She smiles sadly at him and reaches for him hesitantly, placing a delicate hand on his forearm. "I think she loved you, too. Someone tried to take that away from her, but a feeling that strong doesn't just go away."

"Why are you telling me this?" he hisses. "How do you even know any of this?"

"I had a feeling… And it's stronger when I look at you. I can't explain it."

Malik scoffs. "I'll explain it for you. She hated me."

"Don't say that," she pleads. "Maybe she just didn't understand her feelings…"

"Why do you even care?" he retorts. "Aren't I the bad guy?"

She shakes her head. "I don't think you are. You're just trying to do what you think is the right thing."

He sighs and looks up at the ceiling, letting his hair fall away from his eyes. "Why are you even talking to me?"

She bites her lip and retracts her hand. "I want to help you."

He shoots a curious look at the girl. "What about your brother? He's just about ready to kill me on sight."

"I have to do this. I can't let Joey stop me."

Malik can't help the thousand ton block that drops on his chest. "No."

Her hands connect behind her back and she straightens her back, trying to emphasize her height. "I won't let you stop me either. Besides, I think you need me."

It is then that he can't help but think that those earnest green eyes are now the closest he's ever going to get to Lorna. It feels entirely selfish, but his resolve weakens and he nods. "Fine."

The speakers on the wall pop to life all at once, broadcasting loud static before the voice of the Battle City announcer captures their attention.

"Attention, guests. Mr. Kaiba requests your presence in the main hall. Please make your way over at your earliest convenience for a special announcement."

Odion frowns upon hearing the announcement. He had been laying down in his bed, toying with the Millennium Rod, his fingers tracing the intricately carved orb at the top. Malik seems to be the only incarnation of his brother that has no desire to possess the rod and harness its power interestingly enough.

He drags himself off of the bed and out the door. His boots beat rhythmically against the ground as he watches his shadow glide across the walls.

As he rushes through, he crosses paths with a pair of suits carrying box large enough to fit a couple of grown men and passing through in the opposite direction. They don't even spare him a glance, likely too absorbed in getting whatever that crate contained from point A to point B as soon as possible.

The main hall is occupied by nearly everyone he had encountered on the blimp, and in the center of the mess is Seto Kaiba and his younger brother, Mokuba. They all appear to be waiting for something to happen, giving each other questioning glances, silently sharing their thoughts.

That's when the television mounted on the wall lights up with a face nobody in that room has a desire to look upon. The man grins smugly and waves one of his well-manicured hands towards the camera.

"Good evening, folks! Missed me?"

Maximillion Pegasus. Odion narrows his eyes. He has never met the man and nor does he have any intention of introducing himself, but he has enough sense to know when a man simply exudes dishonesty.

Another scan of his surroundings, tells him that Yugi isn't present, and it strikes him as odd that Pegasus would simply disregard his absence and continue, but Odion finds himself indifferent to the so-called King of Games, although the Pharaoh inhabiting his Puzzle is a different story altogether.

"What a wild ride this has been!" he enthuses, gesturing with his arms like an excited child. "I, of course, got to watch the whole thing from the comfort of my own home and I must say I was quite impressed by the duels, the drama -the whole shebang!"

"Pegasus!" Seto scolds, his brow casting shadows over his eyes. "I believe you have a point to make, or I wouldn't have allowed this."

Odion smirks, crossing his arms. So Kaiba is in on this? It's strange to think that the boy could even stand to allow for Pegasus to show his face at a KaibaCorp event.

"Alright, alright, Kaiba-boy!" Pegasus huffs and then shrugs. "I'm sure you must all be wondering why I've called you all here. You see… KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions have forged a glorious alliance -"

"-a temporary one -" Seto corrects, looking like the mere idea of an alliance makes him sick to his stomach.

"We've decided to work together on something called Project Ulysses. Sounds exciting, right?" he gushes, his wide grin seeming out of place to an audience who have barely even begun to mourn the loss of a friend. "Now, this is where you all come in. A select few have been chosen to help us set Project Ulysses in motion. I've been able to reach most of the participants, but four particular participants have been quite hard to get in touch with."

Pegasus pauses and the present company begin to exchange glances, each expressing wonder and shock. There is no doubt that everyone in the room is silently speculating as to whether it's possible to be one of the three people chosen by Maximillion Pegasus to participate in Project Ulysses.

"And these are…"

Odion's eyes dart towards the hallway door, which slams shut as Yugi finally shows himself. He carries himself stiffly as he makes his way towards his group, all of whom had also turned around to watch him enter. The Pharaoh certainly knows how to make an entrance…and just in time for Pegasus's big announcement.

It's no surprise that the people indicated by the billionaire are already standing together, glaring at the television screen almost like they already expected their names to be called out.

"Ryou Bakura, Marik Ishtar… and Serenity Wheeler."

It's also no surprise when Joey leaps out of his group and shakes his fist at the announcer. "Hey! My sister ain't goin' nowhere with the likes o' you!" He's like an unrestrained wild animal, thrashing and howling uncontrollably. At some point, Tristan and Duke each grab an arm to stop him from yanking the television off of the wall and throwing it at the nearest person.

"Joey, stop!" The voice is soft, but penetrates the growth of hysteria and tension like a silver bullet.

His sister has stepped away from her group and is staring her brother down sternly. "I have to do this. I'm going."

"Like hell you are!" he argues, struggling against his captors. "You're not goin' anywhere with that lowlife," He glares at Malik, "or that slimeball!" He scowls at Pegasus. "I'm sendin' you back to mom's place as soon as this blimp touches the ground. Do I make myself clear?" He finally shakes off Tristan and Duke and takes a step towards his sister. She stands her ground, but his shadow eats her up completely.

"Wait!" a high pitched voice interrupts the argument. Everyone's eyes turn to Mokuba, who has raised his hand to silence Joey. "That was only three. Pegasus, didn't you say there were four people you needed?"

Pegasus's eyes twinkled mischievously and he shrugged sheepishly, looking like a boy caught in a lie. "I did say four, didn't I? Simple clerical error on my part. The fourth one among you has been pardoned on grounds of… extenuating circumstances." He interlaces his fingers and rests his hands on top of his lap.

"Wait? Extenuating circumstances?" Tristan protests. "Who are you talking about?"

Seto tenses and glowers knowingly at the man on the screen. Pegasus doesn't make simple errors; no, this man mentioned the fourth person with unabashed intent to shake the group. "Drop it, Pegasus."

Pegasus's mouth forms an O as he places a hand over his heart in offense. "Why, Kaiba-boy. I believe the young man asked me a question. It would be rude not to answer." Seto's spine is now one word away from snapping under the tension. "The fourth participant is the deceased Lorna Beck." It's hard to believe that Maximillion Pegasus is a living, feeling human being at this point. The way he delivers his answer makes it sound like he'd never been happier to remind them of something they'd rather not think about, and nobody can even say a word, immobilized as they are in watching him. "A curious girl… and an even more curious fate, wouldn't you all agree?"

Malik sucks in a shaky breath, and turns his head sharply like something distant to his left has just caught his attention. He can still feel the heat that had radiated from his hands and the weight of her body on him in that penultimate moment. Had he really been the last thing she saw before she died? Had her last memory truly been of Malik killing her?

"If you have nothing to add, then I suggest you leave, Pegasus," the younger CEO snaps, his voice calm and his eyes directed unwaveringly at the television screen.

Pegasus tilts his head up in amusement. "I do have better things to do, so I will take my leave now. Just remember your end of the bargain, Kaiba-boy."

"I will."

"Very well then!" Pegasus says cheerily. "Have a wonderful flight, everyone. And to Ryou, Marik and Serenity: I will give you a couple of hours to get your affairs in order after the blimp lands and then I will ask you to head to KaibaCorp headquarters, where a private jet will be waiting to take you to San Francisco." He smirks and waves his hand at the camera. "Ta-ta for now!" With that, the screen goes black.

Nobody feels like saying anything for a while after he's gone. Everything is just happening too suddenly. Yugi can be found at the far right with his friends, eyeing Marik with suspicion. Whatever happened in the Virtual World can't possibly be the end of whatever he has planned for him and the Pharaoh. It's also clear that he can't be trusted with Joey's sister, but for whatever reason, Serenity is loitering by his side, almost like she's hiding behind him.

"Wherever he's takin' her, I gotta go," Joey finally breaks the silence that had fallen over the group, his voice barely above a murmur. He considers Bakura for a moment, whose lips are moving soundlessly beside Serenity's ear. "I know Bakura's our friend and all, and he's goin' with her, but he's also got that shady side that I don't trust."

"I know what you mean," Yugi replies, but a closer look indicates that it's Yami speaking. "We know Marik is dangerous -he still has Ra. What could Pegasus possibly want?"

"Well, whatever it is," Tristan begins, "I don't think it's gonna be sunshine and rainbows. I think we all oughtta go with 'em. Just in case."

"That might be a problem," a small voice interrupts them. They find Mokuba lurking meekly to the side. "I asked my brother about it because I knew you guys would want to go with her, but Pegasus made it clear that he wants them to go alone. Something about there not being enough room for everyone…"

Joey narrows his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? Pegasus's manor is huge. Just how many people is he inviting?"

"I… uh… I dunno," Mokuba stammers, waving his hands in front of him. "I don't know anything about this project and I don't think my brother knows a lot about it either."

"And I'm supposed to believe Kaiba agreed to work together on this thing with Pegasus on blind faith alone?" Joey asked incredulously. "Nah, he's gotta know something."

Mokuba shook his head morosely. "I-I'm sorry. All I know is that Pegasus asked my brother to do something important before we left the island. When I asked Seto what it was, he got very quiet, like he didn't wanna talk about it or something."

"Well, if Pegasus is holding something over your brother's head, you've gotta have some idea of what it might be, right?" Duke presses, crossing his arms over his chest and raising one hand to toy with a strand of his hair.

With a long sigh, Mokuba replies, "I wish. I don't like Pegasus pushing him around like this."

Duke shuts his eyes in contemplation briefly and when he opens them, he has a suggestion. "Guys, I've met with Pegasus before –or amicably, at least –when I pitched him my idea for my game. I think it would be worth it to try and convince him to at least let one of us come along to look after Serenity. I mean, it's a longshot, but I'll see what I can do."

Joey nods briskly. "Thanks, man."

Ishizu crosses one leg over the other as she watches Seto Kaiba mull over a file on his desk. "So you believe now; is that it?"

He scoffs, but doesn't deny it. "Any luck tracking down Sun and Zephyr?"

She gets to her feet and takes a couple of steps towards him. Her hands trace over a photograph in the file attached to a CV -Sun's CV. "My contacts haven't gotten back to me yet."

He scowls, letting out a low growl as he flips through the papers. "This woman was a fake the entire time she worked here. How could I overlook something like that?"

"She had me fooled as well," she admits, wistfully recalling the woman she called her friend. "I don't even know who she is now…"

He clenches his fists, feeling his face heat up. "To have a woman like that infiltrate my company and steer my blimp right into the Big Five's greasy hands -"

She doesn't let him finish that sentence. "I don't believe the Big Five were the ones who brought her to you. I'm not sure what Sun's motivations were, but clearly, she has done what she came to do or she wouldn't have disappeared like this."

"I told Pegasus I'd agree to his charade on the condition that he let you accompany your brother," he informs her. "I don't know what he's planning, but you need to tell me everything."

She ruminates for a moment, her thoughts still featuring Sun. "I won't let you down."

With a prompt nod, he leans into his microphone. "Roland, please let the guests know that we've just entered Domino City. Make sure they've packed all their belongings and are ready for landing."

So that's the end. For now. Still a lot of unsolved mysteries -I KNOW, but this isn't REALLY the end ;) And yes I'm the kind of asshole that puts plot twists in the last chapter. (and I've saved the best twists for the epilogue :D because I'm that kind of asshole)

I've set it up to have a sequel because I DO have ideas for a sequel. However, it may take a while for it to go up because I'm gonna try to focus on other writing projects for now.

Sooo stay tuned for the epilogue and I'd just like to give a special thanks to the people who have been with me for all these years.

First up: Aqua Burst 07 who has LITERALLY been with me since chapter 1 and whose reviews and inputs were always very much appreciated.

As well as: Shadowclanwarrior who has also been following my story since 2013. Godd the things I put you through tbh

LeafeonLover -also a very loyal reader whose reviews always put a smile on my face, and who I probably betrayed by killing Lorna. Sorry 'bout that. She's in a better place now; I promise.

Mentioning GeminiLady21 for being a fucking nerd. You know what you did and Papyrus never forgets. I've got a BONE to pick with you.

And tbh there are so many other people I want to mention. People who discovered MSGO near the end, people who didn't make it to the end, people who were only there at the beginning of the story... idk so many. But I don't wanna have to pick favorites. But thank you all so much for reading and for reviewing and for giving me the motivation to write 40+ chapters and over 170k words. I know it was a looooong time coming but I'm just a bit proud of myself. Thank you for laughing at my dumb jokes and for liking my OC. And thank you for rooting for Lorna (even though ahahah you saw how that turned out -sorry) and trying to figure out my messed up story line. Thank you even if you realized later on that it's not your cup of tea. It's amazing that any of you actually took time out of your day to open up my story and read it.

Now, uhhh, go on now. Get out of here before I actually get emotional.