Sometime in the past...

Dozens of them stood out in the field, looking around in silence. Intake was one of them. He stared out across the field at his fellow villains. They all came from different teams and different cities, but there was one thing they all had in common.

They weren't part of teams. Not anymore. Every villain he looked at, Intake realized, was a villain who had survived having their team be destroyed. Guys like Red Raptor, Axe Hand, and Driver. He was part of that as well. His days as a member of the Bad Timers had long come to an end after all.

They all just stood there awkwardly, seemingly not knowing what to do. They had all simply been brought here by an unknown force, but there also wasn't anything better waiting for them back in the real world either. The place they were in was a field. At least, that was the only way it could be described. It went on for seemingly ever, stretching out in all directions, and was perfectly flat. No hills, or bumps, or anything. There also wasn't any grass, dirt or resources you'd normally see in the ground. Instead, it was just stone. Hard rock that was smooth and yet soft.

When they had first been transported into this strange place, they had tried to escape. None of them had worked together, and in fact, a few of them even killed one another. After a few hours of the constant fighting that got old, they wandered, and they walked, all of them going through whatever this place was. It had been literal hours that they walked, and the only reason they all stopped now and waited was because they finally found something in this endless field of flat ground.

A stage stood before them. One made of wood that had been put together clumsily that held a single man. A man in a lab coat. Harrison Avalon stood before them all, the older man looking out at the crowd of villains. He had a sly smile on his face and had been simply staring at them all in silence for what seemed like forever. Intake had debated attacking the man and ripping him apart, but he decided against it after watching another villain try it. That villain had instantly burned to ash as fire appeared at his feet and turned him to dust.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here." Avalon finally spoke up after the smell of ash became too much to bear. Grumbles came from all the villains, and one stepped forward.

It was a villain named Aqua Ring. A low-tier guy was dressed in civilian clothes. He looked annoyed and glared up at Avalon. "I was at my house chilling when I suddenly got transported here. I'll just cut to the chase: What do you want?"

Avalon hummed, and his eyes traced over the many people he had brought here. "Well, I used my power to bring each of you here because starting today onward, this will be your new home."

"Excuse me?" A woman named Madam Vine asked, making a face. "Our new home? I think you got a few screws loose there, buddy."

Avalon chuckled a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, sorry, but I'm being serious. We're in a realm created by a powerful Super. It's a near-endless stretch of land, but it doesn't have anything in it. It'll maybe take a few hundred years, but with all of your help, I'd like to transform it and change it into land people could live on."

An ice-based villain named Glacier scowled. "And why's that? You know you used to work for the Hero Branch, but I heard you actually were on our side. Working for the Emperor. Now that he's gone, it makes me wonder what side you're really on."

"Oh, the Emperor isn't gone, not anymore," Avalon said casually, catching many of them off guard. Intake looked through the crowd he was in and spotted dozens of nervous-looking faces.

"Are you saying the Emperor is back?" Madam Vine asked, her face paling a bit.

Glacier snorted. "He's lying."

Avalon's smile never faltered, and the man just shrugged. "Maybe, but does it matter? I brought you all here with my power, and I'm the only one who can get you out of here. Some of you were rotting in prison, others were trying to escape the criminal life, and some still were wandering aimlessly, not knowing what to do. For you all, I've given you a new purpose, and while you are here, you will help. One way or another."

A villain from the crowd stepped forward. It was a tall man with four arms, each one strong enough to tear a car in two. "I won't be standing for this." His name was Stein, but that didn't matter for very long. "I'm not about to do what you say, so you might as well just send me back-"

The smell of ash was back as Stein exploded in a wave of intense fire. It had just appeared on him, coming from seemingly nowhere, and was so hot and intense the man didn't even have time to scream. One second he was alive, and then the next, ash was blowing in the wind, the fire fading away as if it had never been there.

No one else disobeyed Avalon after that.

The scientist clapped his hands together, his smile growing. "See, some of you aren't needed, so I made sure to bring a bunch of you, in case something like that happens. In all honesty, I just need one villain with rock powers, one with fire, one with water, one that can create life, one that can control plants, and one that can mess with the weather or air. I brought a bunch of you, though, so you could all have fun and help out. Please don't make me cut down the numbers. Because I will."

Glacier nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "O- Okay. Let's just say we'll hear you out. What's in it for us? We do get something, right?"

"Of course, I told you the Emperor was back, didn't I?" Avalon asked, cocking his head to the side. "Sixteen years ago, during the war, he conquered every villainous gang and forced them all under his thumb. He'll be doing that again, so here's a good deal for you. Help us out here and create this world, and you can live in it. When the Emperor sets out to conquer Earth, you can stay here, away from the danger, and not be turned into a soldier."

"Is that all?" Red Raptor called out from the back of the crowd. "Kind of a lame reward; surely you have something better."

Avalon shrugged slightly. "Well, that's just the reward for helping to create this world. I'll let your new queen explain what she'll give you if you help her out and play her game."

Intake frowned. "Game?" Mutters went through the crowd, and they watched for a moment as space seemed to bend and twist and shift as Avalon used his powers, twisting reality itself. Then, in a quiet 'pop' a figure appeared next to Avalon. Intake felt his eyes go wide as he stared at the new figure. "Y- You're! What the hell are you doing here!"

He wasn't the only villain who reacted that way. Any villain from Oleander all glared up at the new person who stood on the stage with Avalon. A young girl with hair the color of the sun and fiery red eyes. Cinder smiled down at all of them.

"Hello." The girl said softly. Her voice carried across the field. "In a few days, a game will be held here. Time moves differently here, so we've been tasked with helping create the board for this game. Also, I'd really like it if you all helped me cheat at it. There's a nice reward for those who do."

Present day...

Intake shook his head, the image of that girl fading from his mind. He found himself back in the present, standing in the cave he had created, his crystal and rock body still growing as he kept a hand wrapped around a boy's leg.

"You guys did mention Cinder, did you not?" Intake grunted out. He looked down at the hero who was facing him. Metal Ronin, of the Oleander Sub Enforcers. He recognized the boy, though he really didn't care. "Well? Answer me, brat. Before I eat this one." Intake dangled Kyle above his mouth and opened wide.

"Stop!" Metal Ronin screamed out, and his suit hummed, firing out a wave of lasers that blasted out of his shoulders. Intake grunted and stumbled as some of them slammed into him, and he dropped Kyle. The boy screamed as he fell, but before he could hit the ground, Metal Ronin blasted forward and caught him. "I got you-"

The ground rose up suddenly, and Metal Ronin felt it smash into him, causing him to grunt out. He twisted his body and threw Kyle toward the hole in the cave wall he had created. Kyle hit the ground hard and screamed out, likely breaking an arm.

"Run, Kyle!" Metal Ronin screamed out.

Kyle gritted his teeth and tried to stumble to his feet, clutching at his arm. "R- Right. You don't have to tell me twice!"

Intake lay on the ground, from where he had been blasted, and made a face. He rammed his elbow down into the ground and shook the entire cave. His power flared up, and everything in the cave seemed to twitch. Large, jagged spikes thrust out of the stone walls, impaling outward in all directions. They moved as if they were alive, the stone bending and growing like spiked branches on a tree.

"Since when can he do that?" Metal Ronin grunted and swung his sword out. The energy saber glowed with a bright blue flash as he split dozens of the rocky limbs apart. The debris rained down around him, and he wasted no time. In an instant he turned around, part of his suit's back opening, revealing a large thruster that fired out a wave of fire. It rocketed him forward, and he looped an arm around Kyle's waist, dragging the boy with him as they made for the exit.

At the other end of the cave, Intake stood back up, his arms folded casually as he watched the boys leave out of the hole in the cave Metal Ronin had caused earlier. In only a few moments, they'd be able to fly out of the ravine they were in and get above ground once more. Despite this, Intake didn't do anything. He just watched the two make their escape, the crystals along his body pulling themselves back in.

Steam blew out of Intake's nose as he stopped holding his breath, and all the spikes in the room pulled their way back in. The ground rumbled, and the cave began to shake as all the damage that was caused began to undo itself, as if by magic. The hole Metal Ronin had blown into the wall to enter sealed shut, and the two boys escaped the underground just in time, as the entire ravine collapsed in on itself, and the ground swallowed it all up, leaving Intake alone.

Or at least, he'd normally be alone...

"Why did you let them go?" A voice called out on the other side of the cave.

Intake grunted and collapsed down into a throne he had created from rocks. "I didn't."

"Like hell you did. You let go of that brat you had and allowed the hero to grab him and drag him out. You could have given chase or collapsed this entire place, but you didn't. You just watched them leave. Why?"

More steam blew out of Intake's nose, and various blue and green gems began to grow across the stone that made up his flesh. Two eyes, forged from metal, took shape, and he glanced around the cave he was in. It was wide and dark, not connected to any entrance or exit, now that he had collapsed it once more. It was a simple square structure that he had formed deep beneath the ground. He, as well as another villain, had been tasked with creating the mines and mountains that were in this fake world. He had hated every second of it, especially because of who it was that was giving him the orders, but he had obeyed. At the time at least. Once the world was truly able to hold life, he had been quick to hide beneath the ground in this makeshift cave he had formed.

It was able to burrow through the land, shifting and moving spots, never staying anywhere for very long. It also constantly sent an echo-like feedback to him, letting him know if anyone was nearby. That was how he knew those two boys were above. He had taken a bit of interest when he learned they were players, but it wasn't until the mention of Cinder that he really started to focus.

Despite opening his cave up and dragging one of them down, though, he wasn't able to learn much before the one in the suit escaped with the other boy. He was prepared to wait in the dark, alone once again, yet he knew he had a visitor. Someone who was spying on him.

"Why don't you go ahead and come out? I'm sick and tired of hearing you scutter around, you bug freak." Intake grumbled.

The sound of metal on stone tore through the silence, and then, slowly, someone stepped out of the darkness. The first thing Intake noticed was the man's legs. They were longer than they should have been and forged out of metal, glowing softly with some sort of black light, likely being made out of some Mental-based tech. The next thing Intake noticed about the stranger was the outfit he wore. The man was dressed in thick brown armor that was shaped like the body of a cockroach. Or maybe that was the man's skin, and he had a shell? It was hard to tell if he was a Super or a monster, and quite frankly, Intake didn't really care either way.

"Do you know who I am?" The man in the bug suit demanded.

Intake blew out a puff of smoke from his mouth and nose. He had absorbed dozens of tobacco leaves and coated the inside of his mouth in them, constantly smoking now, by turning his teeth metal and snapping them together to make a spark. "I couldn't give a rat's ass who you are. Why the hell are you in my cave?"

"Enlightened Cockroach." The man stated in a blunt tone. Wings grew out of the villain's back, and he lifted a few feet off of the ground and flew closer to Intake. "You might not know me, but I know you. You're Intake. Former member of the Bad Timers, right?"

Intake cocked his head and took note of the strange-looking bug man. "And what if I am? I'll have you know, I was only ever part of that group because Polaron forced me to be. I used to commit crimes in whatever city I wanted when I wanted. Then, one day, while I was out in the Wastelands, that metal bastard found me. He was always insane, thinking we monsters needed to form together and create a new group like in the old days of the Emperor. I think he just wanted to be the new king. Forced me to join up with him. Worse yet, the prick refused to let me be second in command, giving favor to that fire bitch. Even Mars King was ranked higher than me, despite the fact I was second only to Polaron."

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"That's exactly why I find it odd you just let those kids escape." Enlightened Cockroach made a face as he stared at the other monster. "You're loud and brash and not the kind to let them walk out alive like that. That was also a player. All of us villains had been offered a reward if we could manage to kill one, you know. So, I'd really like to know why you let them escape."

Intake let out a soft snort, more of that smoke puffing out of his lips. He blew a ring in the direction of the other villain, but Enlightened Cockroach quickly dodged it and flew back a few meters, suddenly on guard. "I ain't the smartest knife in the cookie jar; I'll be the first to admit that fact. That said, I ain't dumb either. I could tell you've been snooping around my area. You've been using me to get around this world, sitting in here while I move my cave around, looking for the right moment to jump out of here."

Enlightened Cockroach frowned and glared back at the other man. "If you knew I was here, why the hell didn't you say anything sooner?"

"To be honest, I was waiting for you to fall asleep so I could devour you." Intake let out a deep chuckle. "I was going to stomp you out till your brains splattered the floor, then I would have gobbled you up, bones and all until you were melting in my belly. Before I could, though, I ran into those two boys. You want to know why I let them go so badly? Only one is actually worth anything."

Enlightened Cockroach gave a light nod. "We were told to take out a player, and if we could manage to do that, we'd win. They never said anything about the bodyguard."

Intake gave a grin and folded his arms. "Exactly. See, I knew while I was busy dealing with that tech guy, you'd likely swoop in and take out the boy. 'Course, I could have simply killed the boy when I had the chance, but they said something I found interesting, so I decided I'd just let them go."

Enlightened Cockroach let out a sigh and shook his head. "So, in other words, you just let them go because you didn't want me to get the kill? How petty can you be?"

Intake lazily shrugged. "I just didn't want to give someone like you credit like that. After all, you're like me. Someone who escaped the slaughter of their entire team."

Enlightened Cockroach's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he shot a look back to the villain. "So you do know who I am?"

"Part of the Skull Boys. Last I heard, your entire team got wiped out by Oleander's newest protector." Intake let out another deep belly laugh. "To think that blind bitch actually became that strong. I see why we were sent after her in the past. Avalon must have wanted to prevent her from becoming a key player in the future. Or maybe he knew we'd always fail and was just stringing us villains along." Intake's smile faded, and the villain's shoulders slumped down a little. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

Enlightened Cockroach landed on the ground, his wings pulling back into his body. "You're unbelievable. You know, you really have no ground you can talk on about me losing to Paragon. After all, I heard you lost to Cinder. I guess that's why you've hidden underground like this. The one in charge of us is-"

"It ain't Cinder." Intake grumbled, and his throne cracked a bit as his fingers dug into the arm of it. "That chick ain't Cinder. Trust me. The real Cinder is here, though. That's the other reason I called out to you."

Enlightened Cockroach raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? You mean we aren't going to fight?"

"Maybe later. I have a job for you right now, though."

"What sort of job?"

Intake looked down at the bug-themed villain and gave a faint smirk. "See, now that I know the real Cinder is walking around here, that changes things. I was just going to sit by and watch this disaster fold out and maybe kill a player or two if the chance came up, but with her running around, I have a different way to spend my time here. She has always been involved since the beginning. The first hero that got away. First, she ran to that damn man, then she and the man ran and hid behind Ocean Empress, and then later still, she somehow managed to defeat me. She's always pissed me off." Intake gritted his teeth, flames pouring down his mouth as it kicked a wave of sparks. "That's where you get involved, buggy. See, one thing I learned about Cinder is that she usually gets others involved with her. Quite the selfish bitch she is, dragging them all down to hell with her. If she's here, then there's a good chance the others she surrounds herself with are here as well."

Enlightened Cockroach hummed and rubbed his chin. "I see. So you're saying that Paragon is here as well? Basically a team-up, huh? That's what you're asking me to do?"

"No. I'm not asking you to do anything. With you, I know I'll be able to get one step closer to ripping Cinder apart with my bare hands." Intake squeezed his hand into a fist, crystals jutting out of it like claws.

Enlightened Cockroach glanced back to the taller villain and shrugged. "Sadly, I think I'll have to say no to your offer. I assume what you're asking is for me to help you slay Cinder, and in return, you help me slay Paragon, but if I'm being honest, that simply sounds like a foolish plan, Intake."

"Oh? Do you not hate Paragon? She did take your legs, did she not?" Intake smirked and looked down at the metal legs the villain now sported.

The other villain shuffled a bit and awkwardly rubbed at the metal that was attached to his lower half. "Yes. She did. And that's the issue. These legs are Mental-based tech. I'm not a Mental-user, so they have an extremely short battery. Just walking around is no issue, but getting into a fight, they'll likely die and run out of battery before the battle ends, especially with a foe as strong as Paragon. You're correct that I do hate her. I absolutely despise that woman for taking my comrade's lives away so casually, but at the same time, I'm not a fool, Intake. You lost once to Cinder, just as I lost to Paragon. Those two both fought the Beast, and together, they even managed to beat it. Teaming up with you wouldn't be enough in my mind to beat monsters like that."

Intake leaned forward on his throne and gave a half grin. "I don't blame you for being scared. Unlike me, you're still mortal. If I offered to change that, though, would that put your mind at ease?"

Enlightened Cockroach narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced back at the other villain. "What the hell does that mean?" He had been tense ever since the talking started, but now something in him was telling him to escape. He ignored it, though; after all, he could always generate his bugs and make his getaway, escaping through the roof.

"Don't you find it weird how I'm here?" Intake questioned.

Enlightened Cockroach stared back at the larger villain and took a nervous step back. "We were all recruited by the false Cinder. Forced to work for her. I assume it's the same for you?"

"Not exactly." Intake stood up, and Enlightened Cockroach only truly realized just how big the other villain had gotten. Intake's head now brushed the roof of the cave, the man standing at over twenty feet tall, more and more jagged crystals and metals fusing with his body. The massive villain took a single thundering step forward, and the entire cave shook. "See, I was in Nightshade. Cinder beat me up real good. She and her little girlfriend. I had power, more than I thought I'd ever have, yet I still lost and had that amazing strength stripped away from me. It wasn't long before they threw me in prison, and since I didn't obey Boy Genius, they placed me in a cell with a villain everyone fears." Intake stared down at the bug-themed villain, whose face had turned pale. "Doesn't that make you wonder why I'm standing here?"

Enlightened Cockroach went to move, his wings jutting out, but it was as if the stone itself had come to life. It wrapped around his legs, keeping a strong grip on his lower half and not letting go. He raised his arms, and a swarm of cockroaches got ready to blast out, but the stone kept creeping up his body and soon covered his upper half as well, freezing him in place and leaving just his head to hang out.

He grunted and tried to fight the stone embrace, but it was stronger than rock should be, not cracking at all. This wasn't a power Intake had. It was something else. Something more...

"L- Let me go, you freak!" Enlightened Cockroach hissed out and looked back up, only for his face to turn even more pale when he saw Intake's face.

Intake dropped to his knees and stared down at the trapped villain. "I told you. I wasn't asking for your help. With you, I'll have a better chance. Team up? Nah. I call it intaking." Intake opened his mouth as wide as he could and began to bring it down around Enlightened Cockroach's head.

Enlightened Cockroach felt his eyes go wide as his head was placed into Intake's mouth. "W- Wait! Stop! I'll help you! There is no need to go this far, I'm of more use to you alive than dead-" Intake bit down.

A horrible crunch echoed around the room, followed by a splattering noise before it eventually faded into a soft splatter. The body of Enlightened Cockroach twitched a bit before it began to break apart, the stone melding with the rocks on Intake's flesh. The villain grew a bit taller and wiped his face clean before letting out a soft burp. He glanced down at his hand in silence, watching as it seemed to shiver, and then a cockroach appeared in the center of his palm.

A moment later, though, the villain stopped and twitched, letting out another soft snort. "Oh, one of Golark's orbs was destroyed? Even though I put it so far underground in the lava." Intake rubbed his chin, more of the roaches beginning to drip down his body as the bugs climbed their way out of hundreds of cracks that formed along his flesh. His face twisted for a moment, forming into a smile. "For that to happen, a Super would need serious fire resistance. So, I guess that's where you are, huh?"

Intake's cave began to shift and mold its way through the ground, heading to its destination. The monster reached down for a moment and patted his belly as it rumbled.

"Don't worry, buggy. Once I'm done with Cinder, I'll be sure to kill Paragon, just for you."

Intake let out one last, deep belly laugh.

***

It was a dream.

Alexander Lauren was sure of that fact instantly. He was dreaming. It had to be a dream because otherwise, it would have been way too strange.

He was back at the sea, sitting on the boat he and Marcus used to sail in. His feet dangled off the side of it, and in his hands, he held a fishing rod, casting a line out. Next to him wasn't Marcus, nor was it any of the people he used to work with. Instead, the person who sat next to him was someone he had only seen once.

It was a man with long black hair and golden eyes. One who wore a priest's suit and normally clutched a tome. Lucifer held a fishing rod he had created out of his Dead Virus and cast his own line out at sea. As soon as it came in contact with the waters, the ocean bubbled and twitched, and hundreds of dead fish floated up.

"Did I do it wrong?" Lucifer asked, confused.

It was so weird to see that Alexander knew then and there that this was a dream. He laughed. He couldn't help himself. He just laughed and laughed and laughed. It was so funny for some reason. As if seeing the big bad Lucifer as a bad fisherman was the funniest thing in the world to him.

"Why are you laughing?" Lucifer questioned, now even more confused.

Alexander wiped a tear from his eye and gave a lazy half-shrug, a sly smile on his lips. "I don't know. It just feels a little odd, I guess. Seeing you act so... Human. It's just funny."

"Funny? I used to be human, you know." Lucifer stared out at the sea, and his line seemed to twitch and come to life, wrapping around a dead fish. He reeled it in.

"That's cheating." Alexander made a face and shook his head. "You can't use any powers." He pulled his own rod back and cast his line out again, wrapping it around another fish and dragging it in. When they both got their fish, they compared the size. "Damn. Yours is bigger." Alexander clicked his tongue.

Lucifer held his fish, and it glowed and began to turn to dust as the Dead Virus devoured it. "Whoops."

Alexander snorted and laughed once again. "Seriously. Why can't the real you be this silly and goofy?" He sighed and fell back onto the boat, staring up at the sky. "Instead, you're all evil and edgy."

Lucifer stared down at the water, watching as it began to bubble and change, turning into a sickly red. "How much longer do you think you have?"

"I dunno." Alexander frowned. "Does it matter?" He sighed and turned over, not wanting to look at the villain anymore. "I fought you off pretty well, you know. I'm sure the real you is pissed at how strong I am. I, a mere human, survived so long against your virus. I consider that a win. Even if it is still killing me." Alexander closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's only a matter of time, though, isn't it? Even if my body has been fixed, my soul hasn't. In the end, you still managed to win. You got your hands around me."

Lucifer stood up and took a step off of the boat. It wasn't an ocean anymore. The water was shallow, barely ankle-deep now. "You still haven't told anyone yet, have you? How do you think they'll feel when you die?"

"Seriously, why am I dreaming of you?" Alexander facepalmed. "Why couldn't it be a cool dream, like me teaming up with Golden Weaver or a sexy dream of my wife?"

Lucifer walked out across the red water and looked down at something that was beneath the sea. He reached down and pulled out a small metal orb in the shape of the pod. Alexander's eyes half opened, and he stared at it, feeling an uneasy sensation go through him. It was the same Pod his daughter had come from. He was sure of that fact.

"Put that down," Alexander said weakly, though he knew Lucifer wouldn't listen to him. The villain had no reason to fear him. After all, Lucifer had already won.

"What do you think it will do to her?" Lucifer asked calmly. "Do you think it will destroy her? Will it break her? Will she cry? Will she beg me to let you free? I wonder if she'll fall into my arms if I promise I'll let her be with you again."

Alexander's eyes snapped open fully, and he sat up, glaring at Lucifer. "Don't you dare touch her!" He roared, but it simply didn't matter. As soon as he stood up, he realized he wasn't standing on the boat anymore. He looked down, finding himself standing on paper. He was in a book. A massive tome. "Wait!" Alexander looked up just in time to see the book close on him.

Lucifer held the Pod in his hand, and then it glowed and began to turn to dust as his Dead Virus shattered it. Then Alexander woke up.

He knew right away he was back in the real world. The color just looked different compared to how it had moments ago, and he felt like he was actually in his body once more. He breathed heavily, gulping down air as if his life depended on it. He was shaking, and he could feel tears in his eyes, but he wiped them away and forced his heart to settle.

When it finally did, he took note of what was above him. He wasn't outside, but he also wasn't in the cave. Instead, he found himself staring up at the roof. He was in a bed, and as he sat up, he noticed he was in a new pair of clothes. The same sort of outfit Nikos wore. It was a brown tunic that was pretty itchy, but he ignored it and looked around, startled. It looked almost like some sort of bedroom. There was an old wooden chest at one end of the room and a wooden desk, but other than that, the room was mostly empty.

Before he could even think about moving, the door to the room he was in opened, and someone stepped in. "Dad!" Alexander was relieved to see his daughter. She was dressed in the same clothing as him, and her hair was tied back a bit. She was also carrying a plate of what looked like food, but he only got to see that for a second before she placed it on the stand and pulled him in for a tight hug. "You're awake!"

Alexander grunted a bit and rubbed his daughter's back, giving a faint smile. "Yeah. I'm up. Sorry for the scare."

Hope pulled away and looked down at him. He could tell her eyes were studying him, her senses no doubt on full blast. He wondered if she could see the cells that made his body up. If she could, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it; after all, it wasn't his body that was damaged now. Finally, that look she had faded, and she turned away slightly.

"What happened, Dad? You just collapsed?"

Alexander rubbed the back of his neck, forcing the bad dream of Lucifer out of his mind. "I guess I got a little more beaten up from those golems than I thought." He chuckled and tried to ignore the pang of guilt that hit him as he straight-up lied to his daughter's face. "I feel a lot better now, though!"

"You do?" Hope looked back at him and cracked a relieved smile.

"Yep! You bet! I'm telling you, I just took a bad blow from the fall! Those guys were constantly blowing up and shaking; I bet I hit my head or something! Now, though, I feel like I can run a marathon! Oh, but, uh, don't actually make me do that." He chuckled.

Hope giggled and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll remember to not have you do any running." She looked back at him, her face settling slightly, some of the stress that had been present in her fading away. "I'm glad you're okay, Dad. We don't have someone like Paragon to come and heal you if you get hurt."

Alexander smiled back and reached up, placing a hand on his daughter's head. "I won't scare you like that again. I promise."

Hope held his hand and sighed. "Thanks."

"So, where are we exactly?" He asked awkwardly.

Hope's eyes widened slightly, and she sheepishly turned away. "Oh, right. You were knocked out when we got here. Well, after you collapsed, we put you on Lycaon's back and made it to the village."

"The village? You mean Nikos?"

Hope stood up and smiled down at him. "Yep! We've officially made it to Pine Tree Village!"