Gabe's heart ached to be in a hurry, but he knew he had to take time to himself now. Seygo had waited this long, as much as it pained him he knew she would have to wait a bit longer. If he went out into the world like he was now, he might not be able to control himself. Anything could set him off, especially if he found Seygo dead it would start the domino effect, The insanity would grow, and then grow, and then grow. Soon instead of a seed it would be a tree, one that he couldn't keep secret. One that he couldn't control. And he absolutely couldn't let that happen. Not ever. So he went back to Sisfar's Treasure store with Colin and Melnar and locked himself in the Treasure room. There was a reason he chose this room to be to himself for a while, but he hopped it didn't come to that.

For six days he meditated, walked around, and even sung songs to release his pent up anger and frustration at being disfigured so effortlessly by the Titan Archdevil, to release the hold this maddness was taking on his mind. But he didn't go into his soul room, he couldn't. It wasn't that he was scared of him, no he was far from scared of the small hateful Beast now. But he knew that if he went in there the pain and suffering would resurface like a tide and his anger would get the best of him. Just thinking about the monster made his neck heat up with rage. He wanted vengeance, he wanted to make the beast suffer to torture it the same way the devil tortured him. But he knew, he knew in the depths of his soul that to do that he would have to give in to the insanity. Which would hand over control to something else again. Which wasn't an option. So he didn't cultivate, he let the Heavenly quality Giant's tear around his neck do that for him. Instead he tried to clear his mind when he meditated, but he kept coming back to the horror. The blood, the pain, the laughing. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but sometimes he could still hear the laughing. The demons watching him like he was a Burning man standing on the street. Just cackling. Eventually the feeling of rage would just overwhelm him and he'd have to stand up and hit something. Not hard, he had to hold back, had to keep himself subdued. Even an inch in this situation could cause him to burst. These past six days had been doing the opposite of helping him. It seamed like he just couldn’t fight this thing. The more he thought of ways to help his mental state the worse it seamed to get. The more he tried to control the anger and madness, the more it pushed back. Perhaps with more time he could get free. With counseling from a healer, a lot of hard work, and mind calming tea. But he didn’t have that kind of time. So he continued trying to push it out quickly.

time passed slowly, his actions stayed under his control but the insanity never went away. He even tried sleeping but his mind found no rest. He worried he was weakening each day, his emotions were high. And with the urgency of Seygo's situation Knawing at him he felt like he was being selfish. "Agahagahagaaghagab!!!" He roared at it, his mind just couldn't be fixed. It couldn't! "Why don't you give me something I can fight!!" He yelled. And keeping control with as much mental strength as he could he let out his emotions, tears streaming down his face, he kicked the reinforced wall. It hurt, but was nothing to him anymore. He kicked it again, and again. Until his toe snapped. He laughed at the small inconsequential pain that shot up his leg and channeled just a little bit of energy into his foot it popped back into place easily and wouldn’t take to long to heal. But the insanity didn't budge. Even with his emotions calming down his mind was still holding it at bay he thought, he was staying strong just like his dad. He began to sing… almost against his own will. And just stared at the wall blankly. Smiling…. because the pain in his toe was calming him down. “Mixing mixing mixing, the Docter and the nurse. If you give a penny to them they would take your whole damn purse.” memories of his Father drunk and dancing around filled Gabes vision. “The baker and the seamstress will take their pay and go, but when to stop their money taking the healer doesn’t know. They’ll rob a sick man blind while he’s laying down in bed, they’ll rob a blind man’s sight back till the moment he is de…” Gabe stopped himself. What was he just thinking…? what was he just doing… he looked at his hands holding a sword and swinging it toward a pile of Teleport scrolls. He stopped himself just before he destroyed them. He dropped the sword and clenched his teeth. "Alright, alright. I'll do it." He didn't have the time to fix this on his own. Wounds like this took years to heal for normal beings, sometimes they never did. He believed he might be able to fix it if given enough time, but who knew if he had any to spare now. Seygo was waiting for him. It was funny, if she was here he wouldn't have to do this. He felt as if just one hug from her could make it all right again, his hurt, the pain, the suffering. Her softness could just wash it away. Tears filled his eyes, how easy it could be. But she wasn't here, and the only thing he had left was the pearl in front of him. To solve his suffering he would foolishly take on even more suffering. but this thing had made him insane and then healed him, all in a breath span so maybe it would break him again and put him back together the right way. He'd promised himself he wouldn't subject his mind to that kind of punishment again, but if it could heal him, if it could fix his insanity in time then it would be worth it. Whatever twisted game he'd be forced into playing this time not withstanding. He reached out his hand and his fingertips hovered over the edge of the sphere. If he hadn’t thought he was going crazy before he knew for certain that he was completely insane now. He laughed a manic and hateful laugh. "For Seygo. To Death's gate and through." He said swallowing real fear and putting his hand down, grasping the object with his whole palm. Immediately the room around him disappeared and he cursed, he kind of hopped it wouldn’t take him back. His last thought was about healers robing blind men back to sight. Wasn’t that just the funniest thought. A familiar Demonic laughter filled his mind like they found his joke funny before he faded away.

Everything Gabe knew was forgotten, all his memories, all his knowledge. It was replaced with the memories of being a poor farmer with no Channeling talent, and a close knit family. It was very detailed and if he tried to remember anything pacific he would be able to recall it easily. He opened his eyes and stood on a wooden pear looking out over nothing but pitch black darkness. All around him was darkness, he made a complete circle but the pear was a dead drop off into the darkness in ever direction he looked. He felt odd, not fearful but trusting. He just believed everything he saw was real. This wasn't a dream or illusion it was real life, just how things were. Finally after coming to terms with that and finding no way off the pear except to plummet to his death a Scale appeared in the distance. A balance, like a merchant would use to measure the amount of produce at the market, or his mind noted like an Alchemist might use to make measurements for a recipe. But he didn't know how he knew that. He just looked at the Scale as it got closer and closer and he realized it was the size of a building, and on each side were people. Scared looking people. They looked at him and the scale stopped coming closer. Screams of fright sounded and he felt for them. On the left side of the scale was about two dozen women, children, and babies. And on the right stood a single shabby looking man. There was no way to reach them, no way for them to come to Gabe and when he yelled hi at them no'one would answer.

"Hello there Gabriel." A deep and vibrating voice sounded from the murky darkness. "Make a choice, who shall die a painful death. The one man, or the many?" Gabe's eye rose. "I can't chose that!!!" He yelled. "No'one should die!" The voice laughed. "You have ten minutes to decide, or they all will die." Gabe knew his words were true some part of him was unable to doubt anything he had just been told. So without any unbelief he thought over what he should do, the very idea of it giving him the shivers. But rather then make that kind of decision he decided to get away from this sick twisted game, not willing to be party to it, he leaped off the pear and into the darkness taking whatever fate may come. But as soon as he blinked he was back on the pear. Feeling the time tick by and trying to think quickly. He tried three more times, once with his eyes closed but he couldn't escape. he was forced to make a choice at the very last second, right before everyone died. "The one." He said regretfully but not feeling good if everyone died just because he couldn’t make an easy choice. The voice didn't answer, the One man all alone on the scale and looking terrified just disappeared. Gabe didn't dare move, didn't dare breath he'd just sentenced a man to death. Why did he do that!! Why was he being forced to do that!! He was in shock until a woman appeared in the man's place. "No! No! Please no!" The voice spoke again the same question and he yelled at it to quit this but it didn't stop speaking. He waited till the very last second and knew that if he didn't speak they would all die and he would be responsible. "The one." He said again and it felt just as horrible as the last time. As the woman disappeared he wondered why? Why was this happening.

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Four more times, four more times and once with a child. Gabe kicked screamed, yelled, closed his eyes, closed his ears, even tried to kill himself in ever way he could. But he couldn't escape there was no way out of it and if he let the Time run out they would all die, he knew that for certain. It was instilled in his heart. Just like his memories of his family. Finally another lone man appeared on the scale and again he waited until the last second, tears still streaming down his eyes from the horror of this Ugly awful thing he was doing. He hated himself a little more each time. "I'm sorry!!" He yelled to the man but got no response, none of the people did anything but scream or look afraid. Not once did Gabe think these weren't real beings, he was unable to even question if this situation was real. He had to make the decision thinking everyone was alive until he killed them. "The one." He said at the last. But this time something different happened. Instead of the man disappearing he did. He felt himself fade away and smiled with glee it was finally over. Untill... "agahagahaaggaaaaa!!!" His whole body was pushed into a furnace against his will. The pain of being burnt to ashes instantly from the feet up struck him as familiar for some reason before he died in agony. Then he opened his eyes and found himself on the right side of the scale, looking across to the people on the other side. They watched him with fear, knowing he had the choice to end them. The voice spoke again. "Choose, the one or the Many." It became instantly clear that Gabe was the one who would suffer. He smiled and ran to climb up the scales ropes but hit an invisible wall. All around him was unbreakable Walls of energy. He couldn't even leave his five by five prison. He flinched when the last second came and shouted his answer before they all died. "The one!!" there was no way he would sentence others to death if he didn’t have to. Immediately he faded out and was placed inside a coffin, where the darkness completely surrounded him. Soon his air supply ran out and his Head became dizzy, he started to hallucinate nightmares before he passed out. Not really caring or scared to die just wishing the suffering away. He woke in the same spot he'd left, this time there were less people on the other side. "Good." He thought. People were getting free... or killed. But at least it wasn't his fault. The walls were still around him and the voice spoke again. It only ever spoke once now, whenever he yelled back at it or asked what this was it stayed silent. "The one." He said not waiting for the last second this time.

He Appeared in a room made of wood with no door, and a man with thick toned Mussels grinned evilly at him. The man was tall and had long hair tied in a knot on the top of his head. The man grabbed him by the head and began to beat him to death. Gabe tried to fight back but his body was too weak to do anything, and he didn't know how to fight. Pain shot through him with every punch and kick until he was on the floor rolled into and ball and being kicked repeatedly. He bit his tongue yelling and screaming for the man to stop but he never did. Until Gabe felt one last bolt of pain in the back of his head, and opened his eyes to find himself back where he was, breathing heavy, and sweating. What was this? Who was doing this. His heart ached, his mind retracted from the pain, and he was left wondering why this was happening to him.

Thirty times. the next thirty times Gabe chose himself, always waiting until the last second now, and getting more and more fearful each time he spoke. He was killed differently every time. Once with the big man who Gabe nicknamed Sally because he deserved a sissy name and had long hair, slicing him apart piece by piece with swords. Another time with Sally drilling into his bones and face with a crude hand cranked drill until the pain caused him to pass out. It was all suffering, and all horrid. But well worth not having to sentence the other people to death he thought. They were thinning down now, one less on the other side of the scale every time he was tortured and killed. He never asked how he was still alive, and never questioned that it was all real and these people were on the edge of horrible deaths. Somewhere along the way the women and children turned into regular poor looking men. And the number got down to Four before it stopped it was ether Gabe or these four other people. Gabe was always out of breath now, the pain causing him to always be emotionally on edge, always wondering what his next death would be like. Fear tried to creep in but he didn't let it, he wouldn't be afraid not of pain, and not of death. Not enough to control his decisions anyway. Soon Sally began to take body parts that wouldn't come back. Gabe would open his eyes from his new death and find his arm missing, or his fingers gone off his hand. “why is this so familiar?” he asked with sorrow in his voice as he looked at his body. With just four ugly looking men on the other side of the scale he kept making the same choice. He laughed, he already counted himself dead. This sick game could only end one way, with all of them dead and gone. But he'd be darned if he killed anyone himself. Not after how it felt before when he had sent even a child to it’s grave. This pain was a small price to pay, even when they touched one of his deepest fears like losing body parts, or drowning in Black muck as Sally pushed down his face with a meaty strong hand. Finally with only elbow stubs, and lasting pain in his mind the Scale finally made him reconsider, something he thought would never happen. The last Death he'd went through involved Sally sawing off his head with a dull knife. It had hurt and was bloody, and had made him want to vomit when he came back to life. Then he saw him, Sally the cruel bastard from hell was on the other side of the scale. The Bastard looked terrified. The four other men with him stood way back as if they knew who he was. Gabe snarled. "it’s You!" He shouted cursing the man with every curse he’d ever heard spoken. Sally just stared wide eyed and shaking. Gabe could have his revenge right now, just one word. "Them." He knew the scale would understand. He knew Sally would die. But so would the four men with him, the four innocent men who never harmed Gabe at all. Gabe couldn't do it, he couldn't. and time ran out. "Me." He said and faded again. Sally's evil grin was the last thing he saw before he appeared in a cave, his arm trapped under a rock. It was nice to have his arm back, his other one was still gone. Then Salley walked into his vision with that same dull knife from before and Gabe flinched.

The scale went on, with Sally staying but the men with him disappearing on by one. "Do it kid!! Kill me! I dare you!!" Sally began to chant. Grinning and taunting as if he didn't think Gabe had the guts. Gabe might be going slowly insane from the constant pain, but his moral compass hadn't broken yet. He waited however, with bated breath. he waited for the time when he opened his eyes from his death and found the Bastard alone on the otherside. Then he'd do it, there would be nothing stopping him. Sally was a twisted and corrupt soul, he would be better off dead, the world would be better off without him. If he could just get the Prick alone. The number of men dwindled down to one, Just Sally and that one man who looked passive now at beast and put his nose up at Gabe as if he was certain he would not be the one to die today. "This will be the last one." The deep voice sounded speaking for the first time in a while. And Gabe's heart leaped for joy, but also felt anger about this stupid game. His mind split in two. Part of him excited it was over, and this would be it, the last time he would die. Gone from this world forever probably. The other part was in rage that he couldn't take his revenge on Sally, the man had killed him in so many cruel ways Gabe couldn't count. All involved unequaled and unspeakable anguish. Gabe snarled when he realized this was also part of the test, part of this moronic game. Was it god who was doing this? A demon? He didn’t know and didn’t care. He began to scream, yell, roar at the injustice of it all! He kicked the energy field around him, and beat against the wall with what was left of his arms. Snarling and drooling, letting the insanity that had so long been caged up in his head out. And this tiger would never go back in, he had from the very first choice he made started down the path of madness and had only barely held it back until this moment. But he didn't care he would be dead soon anyway. The insanity that was let go was surprisingly powerful, stronger then he thought it would be. And That was it, he'd lost all control. He went berserk for nine minutes and then looked across the scale to the snob who looked old like he might die soon anyway, and Sally who just watched him daring him to do it with his glaring eyes. The insanity and rage Gabe felt was telling him to say it, the old man wasn't worth it. If he chose Sally and vengeance he might even get to live, after all they would die and he wouldn't. But he couldn't, he still had enough mental strength to understand what he would be doing. He'd be selling his soul for vengeance. And Sally would certainly be the winner, because he would have successfully changed Gabe’s heart. His cruelness would have affected Gabe and in a way controlled what he did here. Gabe hated being controlled. "M... mmm... m... maaa..... ME!" Gabe shouted, his sad little elbow stumps banging the Invisible cage wall.