A few minutes later, General Gong is the next to visit Rob; the general has with him a fresh outfit for the hare.

"I would wish you a 'good morning', but I'm afraid I have nothing but bad news for you," Gong informs.

"Lilac already told me about Maria," Rob nods. "Whatever news you have can't be worse than that."

"The Elemental Crystals have been taken."

"…except maybe that."

"We underestimated the enemy," Gong admits. "While we kept the Jade forces out of the Palace, it's clear some of their elite fighters found their way past the lockdown."

"The Grand Masters are resourceful," Rob admits. "This may sound odd coming from me, considering what they've done, but they'd make excellent Scarves."

"I know you have more pressing concerns on your mind, but I must insist on a full debrief," Gong continues.

"Very well, let's get it over and done with," Rob sighs, sliding out of bed; he accepts the fresh outfit and dresses quickly.

An hour later, in a private room elsewhere in the infirmary, General Gong finishes debriefing Rob. The Magister is also present; all three are sat around a small table.

"Put simply, a third of the city is in ruins, my friends are broken, drugged, or dying, and all five Elemental Crystals are in the hands of an arrogant, manipulative, homicidal maniac," Rob summarises. "Put even more simply, we've lost."

"Do not allow your sorrow to cloud your judgement," the Magister advises.

"Oh, cram it up your backside!" Rob snaps.

"How dare you-" Gong starts angrily; he falls silent at the Magister's signal.

"Let him speak his mind, general," the Magister requests.

"Why?" Rob retorts. "Hoping to hear some amazing wisdom or something?"

"That is a hope, yes," the Magister confirms.

"Well, you're out of luck. I mean, it's not like we know where Aquila's taking the-" Rob pauses as he suddenly realises the answer is obvious to him; resting his head on the table, he strikes the back of it several times with his fist, repeating "I am so stupid!"

"I'm afraid I don't follow," the Magister prompts.

"Isn't it obvious? The Kakusareta Kyuden on Tenshijima!" Rob exclaims. "'It doesn't get any visitors, making it a perfect place to set up a secret base.' That's what Danny said when we first laid eyes on it. And it's where we found Serpentine. It's the only place that- Hanna will be there too! There's still hope!"

Though the Magister's face cannot be seen in the shadow of his hood, it's clear he is smiling. "That is what I was waiting for."

"I don't follow," Rob replies, confused.

"'There's still hope'," the Magister quotes. "As long as you have hope, the battle is not lost."

Rob eyes the Magister with amused suspicion. "You did that on purpose. You knew if I continued, I would realise I already knew the answer."

"Sometimes it's better to be the guiding hand on the path to enlightenment."

"OK, can we stop with this spiritualistic nonsense?" Rob requests. "Yes, it worked this time, but it's also really annoying; it's part of why I left Shang Tu all those years ago."

"As you wish," the Magister capitulates. "If you'll excuse me, I need to attend to other duties."

Once the Magister has departed, Rob speaks up again. "I want to see my friends."

"Very well," the general agrees.