Hello everyone! If you're reading this the last chapter either got some considerable recognition or I just felt like writing some more. (probably just the second one) I'll be continuing the story from where it last left off.

And apologies for the Calus and Titan story point thing, that was actually COMPLETELY COINCIDENTAL haha. Also I hope whoever's reading this enjoyed the finale of ToH as much as I did. All I'll say is it was phenomenal and I won't be able to get over it for months to come. Anyways, let's get into the second chapter!

"When my Loyalists crossed beyond the aether, I watched their ship slowly disappear into nothingness. I stared into what appeared to be a portal for hours on end, waiting for my Loyalists to return. The first hour, I did not worry for their well being. The second hour, I became skeptical. The third hour, I began to fret. I turned around, "What if they didn't come back?", I asked one of my councilors. He came forth to me and pointed back towards the portal "There they are, Your Greatness." I turned back around to see their barge, unscathed, glorious as ever. Nothing out of the ordinary. They docked and walked over to me, then bowed. I asked the Centurion what his squad had found while they were beyond. He presented to me a large broken horn, not unlike any I had ever seen. I laughed in his face for bringing me such a meaningless trinket. Yet when he told me the origin of this ornament, I was simply taken aback. I needed to see for myself." - Calus

Chapter 2: Depths of a Sick Mind

"I see you were sent here, by me. How intriguing. If I may ask, what did he send you here for?" Emperor Calus asked the children.

"Well, he wanted to take back control of his ship again. This exact ship I think. And he said we needed to establish a link of some sort for him to do that." Luz said, still in the hand of a Loyalist soldier.

"Ah, yes. The Egregore link. I never understood what could be so intriguing about an infection. Though there are many things I do not understand now, but I know they will be realized sooner or later. I will not bore you with my own revelations. I shall take you where you wish to go, but I would like to invite you all to view my forces in the Gauntlet first. It is one of my favorite recreational activities to watch aboard this ship," Calus suggested to everyone.

"The..Gauntlet? What's that?" Willow asked.

"Come with me and you shall see how truly entertaining it is. First, we must go through the Castellum to get there. I truly do hope none of you have a fear of heights. Not that it matters, we are in space after all." Calus clapped and summoned a barge to take them to the Castellum. On the barge was a Cabal with armor similar to the others but with wings and wore a different type of helmet. They all boarded the barge and sat down in the overly large seats that were meant for the Cabal. "Centurion, take us to the Castellum will you? I wish to show our guests the glory of the Gauntlet," Calus ordered. The centurion nodded and piloted the barge upwards.

"Alright, this guy seems way different from the other version of himself. Why is he..so happy and not mean and rude? Usually the inner version of yourself is supposed to be a reflection of yourself but this doesn't seem like the case at all," Amity told everyone. "Also, I would just like to add that these guys are massive, so let's try not to displease or make them mad in any way. I don't wanna get turned into abomination goop." She added as she examined the centurion piloting the barge, seeing how truly large the Cabal was.

"Well maybe this guy has more inner versions of himself? He did seem to be a bit…split when we were talking to him in the real world. Also, can we talk about how his mindscape isn't actually a mindscape? Or at least the ones we're used to?" Gus asked.

Calus overheard the conversation, "You need not whisper of my mind with each other. For any questions you hold, I will answer as adequately as possible. There are exceptions of course. I advise you to not, how do you small ones say it? "Push your luck." Now, to answer your question about my mindscape being different from yours, well. The obvious answer is that we are both very different in terms of our biology and the vast difference between all our species. You Witches and Humans are none but the same, except one is with magic and one is without. But the real reason is that my mind is so twisted yet well protected and my thoughts and memories concrete. It is probably why I have asked you to venture into the depths of my mind as I would never be able to bear the trauma I have gone through in my past. Though I am Cabal, and my mind may be powerful, it has been rent asunder by prolonged exposure to power and a want, not a need to gain more of it. So is the mind of any emperor," Calus explained.

Soon the barge came to a stop at a higher location. Everyone exited the vessel and were greeted with a large, golden door with portrayals of Calus's face and likeness all around.

"Wow, this guy is like, super in love with himself. This is both insane and impressive at the same time," Amity said to her friends.

"Well he IS super full of himself. He talks like it too," King added.

Calus turned around to them with a displeased face. "The claims you make of me are quite presumptuous. However, if you were in my place, would you not place the likeness of yourself everywhere to be constantly reminded of both your inner and outer beauty?" Calus asked as the giant door opened. "We draw closer to the Castellum young ones. Just beyond this hall of memorabilia we will be within one of the many hubs of this vessel," Calus explained as he began walking.

Everybody looked and nodded at each other and started walking behind Calus. When they entered the hallway behind Calus they were greeted with a dimly lit room with hints of gold all around it. Gold and marble columns filled the room along with several doors that held golden busts of Calus in the center of them. They followed the emperor through what seemed like an opulent maze until they finally reached the Castellum. What they saw was immaculate, an almost fully gilded area bustling with several Cabal and Psions walking around, there was no roof whatsoever and the darkness of space filled the top of the area. Around each side of the room were three doors that they assumed just led to different parts of the ship. But the most eye-catching part of the area was the giant statue of Calus in the middle that was nearly identical to the one in the Demon Realm. Around it was a beautiful green fauna and trees, almost in complete contrast to the fungus that surrounded the original statue.

"So you just have a bunch of the same statue laying around here?" Luz asked while looking up at Calus.

"Yes, though I've grown quite tired of seeing the same ones over and over again. So I've commissioned my architects and designers to make new and improved ones that fit me better," Calus responded. "Now, I welcome you to the Castellum. All of these doors are the entrances to somewhere glorious. To our left is the entrance to the royal baths where my soldiers bathe in their revelry." Calus walked down a set of stairs to a lower area with a large door guarded by two Cabal. "Here is the entrance to the Gauntlet, where my soldiers hone their skills, where the revered go to be entertained and where guests aboard this ship go to be challenged should one wish."

Willow stepped up and asked, "So it's just an arena where people fight?"

"Do not compare it to the simplicities of a meager arena. It is so much more splendid." Said Calus as he led them onto a lift. Looking above there seemed to be a long way to go, and all they could see was a round ceiling encrusted with gold. "Ahh, I can feel the thrills my soldiers exude already!" Calus exclaimed.

As they got higher, everyone could hear the sound of booming gunfire echoing down the lift chamber. It was frightening to the kids but they didn't avoid the Gauntlet because of it. "I was thinking of the Gauntlet as somewhere your soldiers just competed against each other in games?" Gus asked, shaken up a little from the sounds of the gunfire.

"In the Gauntlet, my little nescient friend, anything can happen," Calus responded. Suddenly the lift stopped at the top. "Welcome to one of the many pleasures of this glorious ship."

The gunfire stopped as soon as the lift reached the top and all the participants in the Gauntlet stopped and stared. There were at least six of them. The Witches all gawked at the splendor and beauty of the arena. Its gilded walls, the giant blue torches complemented with a gold and marble finish all around. Giant columns made of marble and a purple substance all around. The most eye-catching feature was the obstacle course that circled the entire room. At the sight of the emperor, they all raised their weapons in the air and stood there, just like the Cabal at the entrance of the Leviathan. It was some salute of some kind.

"Friends, soldiers, Loyalists. These are our esteemed guests. They journey to reestablish a link with the Egregore to my mind in the material realm. It is our burden to get them to their objective as hastily as possible. My mind is a dark and twisted place, I do not doubt. And our friends here wouldn't survive even a minute in it without help-" Calus announced before he was interrupted.

"Wouldn't survive a minute? I think we'll be just fine without help from your 'Loyalists', your majesty." Willow said out loud to Calus, offended by his statement of her and her friends.

Calus laughed heartily at the little Witch's retort. "Of course, child. As I was saying, they will need your help to traverse the depths of my mind if I am to reconnect myself with the Leviathan. But I will not choose any Cabal, no, no. You will battle for my favor. You are all memories of my past, but please. Remind me which of you are the most capable amongst my forces. The weak shall be culled from my psyche." Calus told the memories of his Loyalists.

They all nodded and gathered into teams of three on either side of the circular arena. They readied their weapons and prepared for battle. They knew they were going to dissipate from the mind of Calus if they failed and the memories of them lost forever. But they are Cabal, they thought. They laughed in the face of death, even if it meant never being remembered again.

One of the Cabal, a young but decorated Phalanx turned to another, an esteemed Gladiator. The Phalanx tried to make small talk to the Gladiator, "Maybe we will see each other again when the emperor becomes one with the Leviathan once more. Eh, Gor'tuk?"

The Gladiator chuckled, "Perhaps, Eratl. But I am afraid loss will have us exiled from the Leviathan when the emperor returns. But we will have to win this battle first."

A third voice spoke to the chatting Cabal with a commanding tone. "Both of you, quiet. Focus on the battle in front of you. Or there will be no future for any of us outside of this mindscape."

"As you command, Centurion," Gor'tuk responded. The Gladiator clanged his blades together while watching the Phalanx ready her shield, and the Centurion readied his Bronto Cannon.

The team on the other side of the arena was also ready.

"Oh it is just such a delight to see my warriors ready to fight for their emperor. Even if it is for something so trivial," Calus said with a sense of ecstasy. A shield activated around the middle of the arena where the lift was so as to not cause harm to Calus and the Witches. "Now my little Witches, you will witness the true glory of the Gauntlet." Calus signaled for both the teams to battle.

Gor'tuk was the first to rush forward letting out a battle cry as he ran towards his opponents. He first attacked a distracted Legionary who was caught admiring the majesty of Calus. He ran his blade through the abdomen of the soldier, and watched his body fall when he dislodged it. He shook his head in disappointment, that even knowing the Legionary's death in the mindscape meant nothing, he'd probably be killed in the same way within the physical realm.

Eratl faced another Phalanx. She placed her shield down and raised her slug rifle over it and fired at her contender. The other Phalanx did the same, and they seemed to be at a stalemate with no end, until she lowered her shield and pushed forward, blocking the flurry of shots from her opponent. As she got closer, she shot the middle of his shield, staggering him and charged at him with her own shield and bashed him with it, sending him flying onto the ground and knocking him out of the battle.

Their last challenger was a Colossus, a legendary beast handler from before the exile of Calus. Valus Urlgor was not to be trifled with, as his war beasts were just as ferocious for blood as he was and Calus adored him for that.

Calus clapped in delight seeing that the battle was about to come to a close. "Have you all ever experienced such a clash before on your Boiling Isles?" He yelled out in excitement.

"No, we've never seen anything like this. But we've seen our fair share of conflict back home. A little bit too much for our ages." Luz told Calus while staying completely focused on the battle.

The Centurion stood forward, staring down the beast handler. "Valus Urlgor, lay down your arms. Join us in our journey so that we may accelerate our way out of this limbo."

"I do not wish to battle you, Khuun. I remember you being young, untested. A newly appointed Bracus. I'd hate to embarass you in the emperor's own mindscape with such a reputation." Urlgor told the young Khuun.

"Spare me your pleasantries, Urlgor. I know of your legend, your prowess and love for beasts. We would gladly take you as an ally to face this head on," Khuun countered.

"Perhaps I will take you up on your offer. I invoke the ways of the old Empire. I challenge you to a Rite of Proving, Bracus Khuun. To submission or death for either party. You may anoint a champion in your place and take the coward's path. Or you can battle me and my war beast yourself and prove you are fit to lead a legend, if not lead at all." Urlgor yelled out.

Khuun looked at both his sides. Gor'tuk and Eratl both looked at him expecting him to say something in response. Khuun stayed silent.

"Well? Do you accept the challenge? Or will you be left behind when the emperor returns, Khuun?" Urlgor asked tauntingly.

Khuun looked down, and looked back up at Urlgor. Thinking of Cabal who disgraced their names before their careers even started, he finally responded. "I accept your provocation, Valus. But how will we continue without our bells?"

"A Rite can be enacted even without our Bells of Conquests. It is not traditional. But we will make do. So long as there is a sole victor."

Khuun nodded in response.

Upon hearing about the bells, Luz had remembered the Bell of Conquests Calus gave her and figured she could ring it to start the battle, but remembered had she rung it, they would be taken out of Calus's mind.

Calus was surprised, he hadn't seen a true Rite of Proving for decades, millenia even. But he was more or less intrigued, and so were the Witches.

Urlgor summoned a war beast to his side. A right he earned in a Trial of Beasts long ago. He unslung his weapon and aimed it at Khuun.

Khuun shook his head and entire body, readying himself. He took out his Bronto Cannon and aimed it at Urlgor.

Gor'tuk raised his blades and hit them together, starting the battle.

Urlgor clenched his fist into the air and fired a flurry of tracking missiles out of the pods on his back. He then ordered his war beast to attack the young Centurion.

Khuun dodged most of the missiles, but the few that hit blinded him but didn't cause too much injury, although his temporary impairment of his vision opened him up to be attacked by the war beast, taking a bite to his arm and dropping his cannon.

The beast started to slash relentlessly at the Centurion, knocking him over. Urlgor simply watched as it happened. He didn't want to kill the young Cabal, but he knew he had to teach him a lesson of being strong if he ever wanted to be a true leader and warrior.

Khuun deployed his wrist blade and slashed at the wild beast, taking a slash at its throat and stomach. His hits killed the beast. He thought himself victorious and stood up, until Urlgor hit him with the butt of his weapon, knocking him to the ground again. Urlgor pointed his barrel down to

Khuun's face. "I do not yield. Death would be more desirable."

"Cabal laugh in the face of death. But it is the coward's path to ascension." Urlgor extended a hand to Khuun and pulled him up. "You have much to learn. I will be sure to take you under my stead when we return to consciousness, Bracus Khuun. Now, we must establish the Egregore link and we can finally get back to the glory of battle and conquest."

Khuun nodded at Urlgor and placed a fist on his chest in respect.

"Did that just…?" Amity said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I think that just happened." Gus said, answering her question with widened eyes.

Calus looked disappointed not seeing any blood being spilled, but was nonetheless satisfied with the outcome. The shield around the middle of the arena deactivated and Calus walked out to all the Loyalists, applauding them. Each clap seemed more opulent and loud than the last. "I am pleased with all of you. You have all proven your worth for this mission. But the time for pleasantries cannot continue any further, time is of the essence. I will grant you passage to the depths of the Leviathan, the root of the mycelial Egregore network. You all will travel to the Kingdom of Sorrow. Where Gahlran retreated to when the Crown of Sorrow took control of his mind."

"What's a Crown of Sorrow?" Luz asked.

"I will tell you as you journey through the Leviathan. But you must go now. I will not be with you physically. But I will communicate with you psychically." Calus stated.

Meanwhile back on the abandoned island, Lilith was inquiring Calus about his history, journeys and how he got to the Demon Realm in the first place.

"So, tell me. How did you even become emperor?" She asked.

"I overthrew a corrupt government that had plagued my people for years. The Praetorate, they called themselves. Sniveling and conniving insects they were. What I did to them they deserved. They stole from and hurt the people of the Cabal Empire. But once I overthrew their horrible regime. I was instated as emperor of the Cabal Empire and all its worlds and colonies. I regret not taking them out of power any earlier." Calus responded.

"I see. So did your people see you as a hero for this? A god of some sort? Or were they spiteful?"

"Oh, Lilith. For every one person that loves you, there will always be ten more that despise you. I can assure you that I am certainly no exception to such recitation. I had millions of followers. I returned the riches that the Praetorate had stolen from my people, I gave citizenship to those the Cabal had conquered previously so that they felt like they were truly a part of our Empire. I was a symbol of peace and prosperity for the Cabal, a new era dawned upon us. But there were those who were resentful towards me. Why? My only guesses are as good as yours. Jealousy, hatred, anger, a want for vengeance. I paid no attention to them, in hopes they would become better and grow to love me and my regime. How ignorant I was. I should have dealt with them when I had the chance."

"You know, when I was head of the Emperor's Coven I used to think our emperor, Belos, was a good person. I thought he wanted to help us progress our society and banish all evil and those who would do wrong by the Boiling Isles. But after he tried to petrify my sister. I saw him for who he really was. A tyrant. And unfortunately, we both lost our magic because of his actions."

Calus listened carefully to her, but those last few words that came out of Lilith's mouth 'I saw him for who he really was. A tyrant,' resonated with Calus in some way. He did not hear Lilith. He instead heard the voice of his daughter, Caiatl, and how she thought of him in the same way. He decided to say nothing of it and kept engaging in the conversation.

"Ah, Belos. I have heard of him through Shadows. Though I have never met him myself. I assume my arrival here was greatly before his time as emperor. I assure you, were it me in his throne, I would treat all Witches with the same respect as I once did the Cabal. Once I am free of my prison, I shall send some of my forces to help remove him from power. It is the most I can do for you helping me."

"Oh no, no. That's fine, you've already been through enough, your majesty. We have it all under control. For now at least." Lilith responded.

"Oh! I insist! My Cabal would be most ready to fight for those the great emperor Calus deems friends. After all, it would be unfair to leave you all so defenseless, hopeless, and so lost. I just couldn't bear to have the guilt on my consciousness."

"You're too kind, your majesty."

"Excuse me for straying from our previous conversation, Lilith. But did you mention that you have a sister? If so, what is her name? I am simply curious."

"Oh, well, her name is Edalyn. We call her Eda for short. Why do you ask?" Lilith asked while scratching her head.

"Your names just sound…familiar. Your name alone did not ring a bell, but after hearing the name of your sister. Suddenly a memory has been unlocked in the back of my mind. I remember two voices. The voices of children, yes. For some time I still felt a connection to my Leviathan before I was completely severed from it. I heard and felt most things, and I did not see anything. But your two names I vaguely remember being yelled within the halls of my Leviathan, multiple times. I felt you wriggling around my innards. How unpleasant. But that begs the question. What were you doing inside my ship? And what did you take from it?" Calus asked, demanding an answer.

Lilith was shaking, nervous. She started to pull on the collar of her shirt. "N-nothing, Calus. We didn't t-take anything from your ship. We just liked to explore it. I swear on the Titan your ship remains the same as you left it, I presume."

"Hmmm. I shall believe you, for now. If I return to my ship and find it to be pillaged, then the wrath I shall inflict upon this realm shall be dire," Calus said in a foreboding tone. He then started to laugh. "I only joke, Lilith! My riches are plentiful. Even if you did take anything, it could be easily replaced."

Lilith laughed nervously along with Calus. "Yeah, what a relief am I right?"

"Of course. I had and have never intended to bring any harm upon your people."

"Thank the Titan for that. Say, do you know how Luz and the others are doing? It's been a while and I thought they'd be out by now."

"Yes, them. If their progress is something that you would like to view. Then peer into this twisted mind and focus." Calus opened a sort of connection between his mind and the real world. Lilith could hear and see what was happening within his mind but wasn't able to interact or talk to anyone there. She saw Luz with all her friends and Calus, along with four other Cabal.

"We understand our assignment, Emperor Calus." Bracus Khuun said.

"We will return victorious, your majesty. We will make the Loyalists aboard the Leviathan proud with our success. We eat the mountains, we drink the seas." Valus Urlgor added, putting a fist on his chest.

"Remember that this is no simple conquest. For what happens here, will be remembered and the effects mirrored in the physical realm. That is why this is the most effective way to reconnect me with the Egregore network. And for you, my little Witch friends. Unlike my Cabal, death is unfortunately a drawback of your presence here, for instead of connecting your consciousness with mine, your physical bodies were transported inside. But these brave Loyalists will make sure that is not a problem for you." The mind Calus explained.

Everyone except for the Cabal gulped in fear of their lives. "How long will this take?" Willow asked.

"It will not take long, I assure you. I will try to send you as close as I can to the heart of the Egregore infestation, as the Kingdom of Sorrow is a rather clouded part of the Leviathan that only clutters my mind. And to the Witches, do not forget the Bell of Conquests if you ever find yourself in dire need of escape. My Loyalists. If you hear a noise in the dark, shoot first. Good luck, fight well." Calus put a hand up to his head and opened a swirling orange and black portal, the other side of it couldn't be seen, it could have led anywhere but Calus had no reason to betray them and send them anywhere else.

One by one, they all stepped through the portal, with Luz going in last. When they all came out of the portal, they were met with a large opening that led into a hallway with a door shaped like a triangle, or the mouth of a Cabal. They were all at the bottom of a few sets of stairs with bones,helmets and gold encrusted riches all over the room.

"The Menagerie. We're in for a hell of a battle up ahead. But if we're lucky, the emperor's memories of Gahlran and his Hive are repressed," Urlgor told everyone. "Witches, prepare yourselves for the path ahead. We will cover you from the front and from behind." He readied his weapon and held it with both his hands. Khuun, Eratl and Gor'tuk all readied themselves.

"Do you guys really eat mountains and drink seas?" Gus asked, looking up at Urlgor.

The Colossus sighed heavily. "This will perhaps be longer and more perilous than anticipated. Let us go forth. To glory."

They all walked forward up the stairs.

Calus had closed the connection between his mind and the real world. "As you have seen, your friends are safe with my Loyalists. And I can assure you, no harm will befall them."

"You mean to tell me if they…die in your mind, then they'll be gone forever? You have to take them out of there!" Lilith took a step forward to the statue of Calus.

"They are being protected by some of my best warriors, Lilith. You needn't worry about their well being, I promise. "

"Alright, I guess I'll believe you. But I'm on to you, Calus." She took a step forward, but was forced away by the Egregore surrounding the statue.

"It is all for a good cause. This will make history for both our people."

"It's getting late, I should get some rest. Hopefully the children will be done by time I wake up." She laid down on the ground, using a makeshift blanket made out of leaves to cover her body and shut her eyes.

"Yes. Hopefully." Calus said ominously.

And that's the end! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I apologize if it may seem slow and convoluted at the moment. But things will pick up in future chapters, for sure. And sorry for the long wait, if there was anyone that was waiting. School has been an obstacle in my way of finishing this. But the year is almost over and I'll hopefully be able to get more chapters out sooner. I'll see y'all next time.