Many hours later, Jayden woke up—only, he wasn’t in his room. He was in some kind of interrogation room with one-way glass, a table, and a vent above it. He was chained to a chair. Glancing around, he mumbled, “Damn Jackson,” before spitting on the floor.

The door opened, and Jack walked in. He was still wearing the same clothes, but his mask was gone. His skin was pale, and a white scar ran down the left side of his face.

Jayden’s eyes flared with anger. "YOU GODDAMN JACKASS!!"

Jack sneered. "SHUT UP! Now listen, I’m here to question you. And you better answer, or you’re gonna regret it."

He paced around Jayden before stopping. "What’s the main ingredient in a philosopher’s stone?"

Jayden spat on the floor again. "Like hell I’m answering to a douchebag like you."

Jack laughed, then drew a red circle in the air with a triangle, saying calmly, "Inferno Overdrive Ultimas."

A red fire beam shot out, engulfing Jayden and the chair. Jayden screamed in pain as the flames surrounded him, while Jack just laughed. After a few moments, Jack stopped and asked, "I’m i a douchebag now? Will you listen now?"

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Through gritted teeth, Jayden growled, "NEVER!" and spat again. Jack’s face twisted into a grin, and he fired the beam again.

Jayden’s screams filled the room, and in between cries of pain, he shouted, "I’LL TELL YO—" but the pain cut him off. Jack stopped the fire, and Jayden, now breathing hard, whined, "It’s… Red mercury, sulfur, and copper."

Jayden lied about the copper, but hid it well. Jack grinned, satisfied. "Perfect! I’ll make sure to tell the boss."

With that, Jack left the room. Jayden was in agony, barely able to move, until he heard the sound of bolts being removed. He looked up to see Aiden in black clothes, climbing down through the vent.

“Aiden?” Jayden said loudly, his voice hoarse.

“Shhh,” Aiden replied as he worked quickly to pull a rope down and climb into the room. He pulled out a bronze knife and started cutting the chains. Jayden was finally free.

"Why are you here?" Jayden asked, rubbing his wrists. "And where even are we?"

“We’re way off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, on Swains Island," Aiden whispered.

Jayden blinked in disbelief. "What?! How the hell did Jack bring me here? We were in the freakin’ Alpines!"

Aiden shrugged. "I don’t really know, Jay, but we need to go. Now, climb the rope."

Jayden climbed into the vents, with Aiden following close behind. As they crawled through the tight space, Jayden started humming Y.M.C.A.

Aiden frowned. "Why are you humming Y.M.C.A?"

Jayden grinned, not stopping. "It makes me feel better when I’m scared."

Aiden rolled his eyes but kept following. As Jayden led the way, Aiden kept asking every few minutes, "Do you see an incline yet?"

After what felt like hours, Jayden finally said, "Uhhh, is there supposed to be a dead end?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "What? No. It’s straight—there shouldn’t be a dead end."

Jayden paused. "Well... there’s a turn. Want to go through there?"

Aiden hissed, "NO! That’s just asking to die."

But Jayden, being Jayden, ignored him and took the turn anyway. He kept crawling until—"THUD!"—he fell through the vent and landed in… a throne room?

He looked around. The room had a golden throne with bloody scenes carved into the backrest.

A voice from behind him said, "Well, well, well! Look what we have here!" The voice sounded disturbingly familiar.

It sounded a lot like Jayden…