There was something wrong with Kevin’s island. The mobs were still. Magma slimes relaxed by pools of lava, not so much as bothering to hop as we flew over them, and there wasn’t a fire elemental in sight.

His glass house was intact, and two figures waited in the portal room. They were too far away to make out any details other than that one was taller than the other, but the fact that anyone was there was ominous enough. I used my knees to guide Noivern to the side, taking us in a wide circle around the base, well beyond its protective dome.

“Kevin,” I said. “Who the balls is that?”

“No,” he said. “It’s not him. It can’t be him.”

Unhelpful, and really cranking things up on the ominous scale. Astaroth darted before us, then matched our speed, flying backward beside Noivern.

“Leave this place.” He said. “They are hiding their Presence. But I fear whoever it might be.”

Where else could we go? Regardless, I turned Noivern around. That was a warning that could not be ignored. As soon as the base was at our backs, half a dozen fire elementals rose around the edge of the island in the direction we were headed. They weren’t throwing fireballs at us, but the implication was obvious.

“Can you control them?” I called to Astaroth. They were his element, even weakened, he should have been able to at least get them out of the way. My potion of resistance had long since worn off, and if Noivern got cooked, so would we.

“I’m sorry,” the phoenix sailed. “He is too strong.”

Whoever was by the portal was swinging a massive aetheric appendage around. I guided Noivern back.

“Don’t!” Kevin said, pressing himself against my back. “We can still run.”

“You going to tell me who that is down there?”

“He gave me my eye.”

Wonderful.

“Well, it looks like this is him playing nice. He’s standing somewhere we can see him, so it’s not an ambush. Let’s play nice too and see where this goes.”

“Are you insane?”

“You sound like my psychiatrist.” I’d eaten enough beets and carrots on the way back to restore my health, so we could fight if we had to. Making a break for it through the line of elementals was still probably the smarter move. The truth was, I was tired. Seeing the leviathan had taken something out of me. Coming back to Bedlam had felt necessary, but it also felt like a mistake. I was out of my league.

If this was the entity who had given Kevin his eye, I doubted he would kill us. Maybe he’d just do something worse instead. Even if we did manage to get away, which I didn’t think we would, we would be stuck in Bedlam for who knew how long. The adventures of Kevin and Will, buddies forever, needed to come to an end. Plus, I didn’t like the idea of this mysterious entity getting to decide where I could go. I was stuck between being fatalistically resigned and stubbornly determined, and both versions of my mind were saying the same thing.

“William,” Astaroth said, “what are you doing?”

“The portal is right here. One way or another, I’m going through it.”

Astaroth whistled sorrowfully but continued to follow us. Kevin made a choking noise.

We landed, and the magma slimes made no move to harass us. The runic barrier had been deactivated, so we could walk right in. Noivern had some trouble squeezing in the front door, but I felt better having the huge beast behind me.

Both men were dressed in tan cloaks. The larger of the pair was otherwise covered in bandages like he thought he was Makoto Shishio and the other had on a chain shirt as shiny as any elven Mithril. The smaller guy was relatively young, at least by appearance, maybe in his twenties. Handsome, lean—there was something familiar about his eyes.

I had my sword out, and Kevin was clutching his as well, but they were both unarmed. Not that entities as powerful as they probably were would need swords to beat us. The fact that they were veiling their Presence suggested they had a lot of it to hide.

Kevin drew in a sharp breath as we entered the chamber. “You…” His weapon was trembling in his hand. Astaroth, who had latched onto the back of my armor when we came into the building, shrieked.

He stretched his neck above my head and launched a bolt of fire at the bandaged man.

His young companion stepped in front of the attack and took it. The skin of his handsome face was seared away, revealing musculature and bone beneath, then instantly regenerated. He didn’t even flinch. Noivern hissed and retreated a step into the hall.

“Don’t fight,” the young man said. “We could have killed you already if that was what we wanted.”

“Who are you?” I asked.

I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS

The glass house trembled. It was the bandaged man who said it, but he wasn’t talking from his mouth. His voice was just…there. And it was huge.

His companion touched his shoulder, a worried expression crossing his face. “I will speak. You must not draw attention to yourself.”

Astaroth dropped off my back. Tiny flames rose and fell along his feathers. “We are lost,” he said.

“Not lost,” the young man replied, smiling kindly. “Found. You should never have run from us, Astaroth.”

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“I wanted to be free,” the phoenix lowered his head.

“If he’s Walter White,” I said, “who are you?” This situation should have had me more freaked out, but it didn’t come as a complete surprise, and at this point, I was just done. Whatever happened, happened. I was still getting through that portal. It wasn’t active anymore, but all that took was a little blood.

“I don’t know that name, but you do not have to call him the One Who Knocks if it displeases you. He was Calcion, once. And I am Prem, his son.”

“His…son?”

“Adopted, of course,” Prem said wryly. “My blood father was a hero, like you. Though he has since been taken by the Forge.”

Those eyes. God. Damn. Was this Fladnag’s kid? That was so messed up.

“I did everything you asked,” Kevin pleaded. “Look, I even brought Will to you, just like you wanted.”

Calcion turns his blind gaze upon Kevin, and the former dark lord’s trembling was obvious even through his armor.

DID YOU

That voice made my ears ring. I looked at Kevin. “You knew he would be here?”

“He did,” Prem said.

“Why even send the demons then?”

“My father cannot move freely in this realm without drawing attention from other great entities. He is veiled. And we did not trust that Kevin would fulfill his end. He has never been a reliable partner. “You were planning to leave through another portal, were you not?”

“No,” Kevin protested, his voice breaking, “I was going to do what you asked.” He took a step forward. “I’m on your side, I was always on your side. Please—” The bandaged man blinked like an Enderman, appearing in front of Kevin.

YOU HAD EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS

He reached for Kevin’s face, and the steel visor boiled away like liquid. Kevin screamed, and I tried to slash the bandaged arm, but Prem intervened. He moved with supernatural swiftness to grab my wrist, pushing me back with his other hand. He was stronger than me, stronger than any demon. I felt like I’d lost my attributes to the Curse of Weakness again.

Noivern surged forward to protect me but froze at a glance from the man who held me.

The bandaged man plucked out Kevin’s black eye, and Kevin dropped to his knees, wailing. Astaroth shuffled back from us both, keeping his head bowed.

“Don’t fight,” Prem said. “You aren’t in danger. He was living on borrowed time.”

Kevin’s wail cut off and the One Who Knocks placed his other hand against his cheek. Black veins spread across Kevin’s exposed skin, and he stiffened, a violet flame sprouting in his now empty socket.

He smiled.

“The pain is gone,” he said. “All of it.”

IT WAS YOUR FREEDOM THAT PAINED YOU

“Thank you,” Kevin said, disturbingly earnest. “This is what I always wanted. I feel…real.”

“Wait for us outside,” Prem said, half turning to Kevin. “You are not needed for this.” He let go of me to take a step back. Kevin hopped to his feet, and then looked down at his still-armored right hand, flexing it cautiously. A wide grin spread across his face, and he left the chamber without looking back.

“What now?” I said. Even if the One Who Knocks, Calcion, couldn’t melt orichalcum like he had steel, the slimness of my chances was becoming increasingly clear.

“My father prefers willing partners to joyous slaves,” Prem said. “If you accept his gift, you are free to return to Plana.”

“His gift?” I said, my eyes drawn to the wet black orb held between the bandaged man’s thumb and forefinger.

“I think I knew your father,” I said. “All he wanted was to get you back. He was willing to do awful things to do it, but I understood his motivation. Did he know you were a—what did you say? Willing partner?”

“I don’t know the man whose blood I share,” Prem said, “Calcion is my father. Calvin was just a man with the wrong idea about the nature of the universe.”

It really was Fladnag’s son.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“He perceived the universe from the perspective of mortality, as you do. So many useless attachments. Calcion has taught me better. As I can see you have surmised, the eye is the gift. Kevin failed to make use of its full potential. We have high hopes that you will do better.”

“I won’t take it,” I said, “I saw what that did to Kevin. The taint was bad enough, with that eye, what would I become?

“You don’t want to turn into a monster,” Prem said, “that is understandable. My father can give you whatever form you choose. He can help you control the influence of Discord before it begins to control you.”

“Isn’t he on Discord’s side?”

“Calcion serves no one but himself. And he will not ask so much of you. Everyone you love, every soul on Plana, can be kept safe. Ruining that Realm is not his goal.”

“Gremory said something like that. He wants to pass through, to kill Mizu, is that right?”

“He wants to survive. The darkness of the void is not quiet, and there are dangers even to an entity as great as him. But yes, my father has a personal grudge against the blue goddess.”

“What happens if he kills her? Won’t all the realms in her sector, or whatever you call it, be consumed?”

“Not by Discord,” Prem sounded so understanding, so reassuring. It had to be an act. “The Hierarchy is more negotiable than you imagine. All the realms under her protection would fall to my father, and he would keep them stable. Calcion was not born in Discord, but on one of the worlds in the blue goddess’s dominion. He served them, once, and then fell to the void. Once he returned, he was in no mood to serve. The Hierarchy despises anything outside of their control, but they would prefer to cede a portion of their territory to him than allow it to fall to chaos.”

“I won’t turn Plana into Bedlam.”

“You will have an opportunity to transform the world however you choose.”

“What about the demons? If I take that eye, will he just call them off?”

“No. Multiple possible outcomes would be acceptable to him, and others would be unacceptable. The demons who are already on Plana will continue to fight for control of the realm. If you defeat them, we will consider you worthy of being the master there.”

I looked at the portal, wondering whether I could get around Prem and bleed on the obsidian fast enough to launch myself through and back to Plana. The bandaged man let the hand with the eye drop and raised the other. A golden sphere appeared upon his palm.

SENSE IT

His words fell on me like the pressure of an ocean. I let my Presence extend, and with it, touched the sphere.

It was Gastard—the soul of my friend.

“He’s your hostage. Your adopted dad seems to do a lot of that.”

“You say that like it means something,” Prem shrugged. “Of course he does. Survival is what matters. You should feel the same.”

On some level, that was hard to argue with. They weren’t just stronger than me. Even if I did manage to get by them and back to Plana, Gastard would be in the hands of the enemy, and he would never come back. The templar would have told me to leave him behind, I was sure. But he wouldn’t have left me behind. The kind of loyalty he had shown was something I could never repay.

“What do I have to do?”