Jackie and Paul sit in the sand quietly, Jackie's anguished breaths penetrating the silence.

"What the fuck is going on?" Yells Jackie. Paul looks at her, shocked. "Why is it that every day shit like this happens!? Why!"

"Jackie, calm down! We won't figure anything out by screaming at the sky!" Paul shouts. He sits back down and contemplates their situation. "Why did those two purple freaks come out of nowhere to attack us? Why are they after us?"

"Does it matter? They-" Jackie is cut off by what sounds like a sonar ping above them. The sound is loud enough to hurt their ears. As they look up, they see something hurtling out of the sky towards them. "...Demos?"

"The fuck?" Says Paul. "It's a guy!" Paul jumps out of the way as the falling man nearly crashes into him.

"Demos! What the hell is going on!?" Asks Jackie frantically. For the first time Jackie can really get a good look at him now that he's not clouded in his mysterious aura. He's tall and bald, with jet-black skin and glowing blue veins. He looks up at Jackie with luminous eyes. "What in the... what are the chances I... end up here?" He spits out as he holds his side in pain. He is bleeding some weird substance profusely.

"Who the hell is this, Jackie?" Paul asks.

"...He gave us our powers," says Jackie. "For some reason, only Phineas and I remembered when he came to us."

Demos chuckles. "I like dramatics. I suppose appearing to you wouldn't have mattered much if I was just going to erase your memory, huh? That is... weird though. I have no idea why you can remember me." He clenches his teeth in pain again.

"What happened to you anyways?" Asks Jackie.

"I saw that... man... was about to kill Billy. I couldn't just sit by. I tried to stop him... but..." Demos trails off.

"...So they really are all dead."

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"Insects," says Leviticus. "Why do they not simply tell us where their friends left?"

"Perhaps they truly didn't know," responds Winter. Steam bellows from his joints. "Leviticus, please. It's not too late. We don't have to..."

Leviticus swings around at impossible speeds and holds a black-tipped spear to Winter's head. "If you suggest it one more time, I will slice this spear effortlessly through your brain. You know I can. I'm not sure why I can't get you to stop saying that." Leviticus's hand twitches. "He will, though. He will fix everything."

"There's nothing to be fixed!" Shouts Winter. "We are killing without reason! What will he do if we bring him back? Start another mad crusade? Surely you know how many lives he will needlessly take! How many billions will suffer because of him!"

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Leviticus lowers the spear. "Innocent souls are still being drawn by trans-dimensional magics. As far as I'm concerned, the cost in life is worth it." Leviticus walks around the room a bit before noticing something through the goggles. "Interesting..." He opens Winter's chest cavity and takes the scrying mirror from inside. "Mirror, where did the flux rift this residual energy is from lead?"

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"Long before I obtained godhood, long before I was even born, there was a man. A foul, depraved magician whose madness drove him to the senseless slaughter of quadrillions of people across the universe. These men, these things, I believe, are servants of that man. Their aura perfectly fits the stories passed down by my predecessors." Demos scrunches his face in pain once again as he finishes his story.

"Predecessors?" Asks Jackie.

"Yes... there was a god of sufferance in this reality before me... who passed down his mantle. In fact, I only obtained this power a week before giving you yours," says Demos.

"This is... all fucking insane," says Paul. "All-powerful wizards? Gods? This... I consider myself to believe in logic and science rather than myth and magic. I don't think I can process this..."

"So what can we do?" Asks Jackie. "How can we possibly stand up to them? To stop them from..."

"The man known as Phineas," says Demos. "Their physical defenses are nigh-impenetrable. We've all seen that. Although I can grant powers to others, I cannot grant them to myself. If we can reach Phineas, he might be able to subdue them. If you choose to go, leave me behind. I can regenerate from my wounds. Rest assured I will be alright."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Asks Jackie. "Let's fuck them up, Paul."

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Phineas stands in the raised office, looking through the glass at the machine he has just finished constructing. "And you're sure it will work?" He asks the engineer next to him.

"Yes, sir, quite sure. As long as you have the power source defined in these plans. Although I'm not sure where you could even find such a unique form of energy. I can scarcely comprehend your math myself." As Phineas listens, he hears the telltale sound of one of Paul's portals opening behind him.

"Well, Paul! Have you reconsidered?" Phineas asks. When he turns around, however, he sees a bloodied Jackie and Paul barely walking through the pinkish disc. "I'll take the 'fuck you' I got from reading your mind as a no. Engineer, leave us." The engineer's eyes roll back and he walks out of the room. "I... see a lot has happened to you two."

"We're not here for chit chat. Help us or I'll turn you to ash," says Jackie. She glows a bright orange. Phineas snaps his fingers and two latching collars are shot on to Jackie and Paul. A small army of men in black ballistic equipment run into the small office and restrain Jackie and Paul.

"I was expecting this to happen again. Just holding you with my mind takes a lot out of me, and Paul has to be conscious for this. Sorry."

Jackie realizes she can't use her fire. "What the hell did you do to us!?"

"Relax. As soon as the collars are off you'll both be back to normal. Paul, I really am sorry about this. You see, about a year ago, I was running a similar experiment to this, and..." Phineas hyperventilates for a moment before catching his breath. "...My daughter... she went through. All I had to remember her by was this." He holds up a small strand of hair. The men push Paul into a glass chamber, and Phineas places the hair into a tiny compartment attached to the machine. Jackie looks it over. The main apparatus is circular, with several glass-encased tesla coils sticking out from the side.

"There's not time for bullshit!" She shouts. "They're coming!"

Phineas laughs. "That might be the most desperate bluff I've ever heard. What imaginary boogeyman could I possibly have to worry about!"