Zalan twitched on the floor, overwhelmed in physical and psychological pain. The Transfer Table cracked and split in two, collapsing on itself. The Artifact had degraded and slowly began to turn to dust. Zalan looked at it as he convulsed involuntarily. He couldn’t even steal his power back if he wanted to. It was truly gone.

“This is incredible!” Morloch said, amazed by his newfound Elemental Power.

Morloch threw several bolts of lightning into the ceiling, doing a jig as he did so. He laughed, excited at the visual. He tried to imbue his hands in lightning, then jumped back as he electrified himself.

“Oh! I see! I will have to work on that! But what energy!” Morloch said, chuckling to himself.

He made his way around the decaying table and looked down on Zalan. He beamed at him, nudging him with a kick.

“Did you see your wrist?” Morloch showed off the discolored scar on his own wrist. It looked much worse off, having been created and recreated through many uses of the Transfer Table. “That new scar covers your Elemental ability when you summon your stats on your wrist. Your power has been forever corrupted by the Transfer Table. And because it was a conscious decision, it counts as self inflicted. Try as I might, I can not get it off.”

Zalan shuddered in pain and betrayal, unable to steady himself. He was reeling from the shock of the loss. He couldn’t stop his limbs from trembling. He felt like he’d been amputated somewhere in his mind. Something was torn away ruthlessly. He felt lobotomized. Violated to his core.

“I like to share that with all my students after they grant me their power willingly. And you know, this was the hardest time I ever had to get power,” Morloch said. “Not many people know this about me, and it is somewhat difficult to keep so many secrets.”

Morloch reflected on his own words for a second, then became fueled with glee and fired more lighting at the ceiling.

“Five Elemental Powers!” Morloch exploded, crying to the heavens. “Do you hear me Aetheria! I am an ascended being!”

Zalan felt the Homeseeker’s weight in his pocket. He still had the chance to get himself and Rep away from the Island of Remains. He no longer felt like he had a choice in waiting to gather others. There was no way he would go back for Captain Buttonwillow and the crew. He and Rep had to get off the island. Immediately.

Morloch turned his gaze back to Zalan, as though reading his thoughts. He watched him writhe on the ground, powerless. The former mentor then turned to look at Rep, who similarly was mostly unmoving. Morloch nodded to himself in satisfaction.

“I am sure you already understand what must happen now. I can not have those with my secrets running around telling others. I would lose my reputation as a man and instructor. Let them assume what they will about my students, but never the instructor,” Morloch announced.

“Let him live,” Rep croaked.

“No, no,” Morloch shook his head. “It must be done. As much as it pains me to do this to my best student. And also to you, Rep.”

“You said you wouldn’t kill us if I gave you the power,” Zalan said, knowing it wouldn’t change anything. He just wanted Morloch to know that his reputation was already broken.

“Perhaps if you gave it to me the first time I asked!” Morloch snapped, his emotions in a frenzy. “I had to put his life on the line just to get you to listen to me! No, you never met your end of the deal, so why should I?”

Zalan looked upon Morloch casually approaching him. Rep cried out, trying to call Morloch’s attention. But he was too far, unable to do anything to slow him down. Morloch’s smile grew deadly certain as he looked down upon Zalan. Zalan felt like everything was wrong about the situation. This wasn’t how his story was supposed to end. He was supposed to take on five Monsters of the Mindscape and end up at home. He still had a life to live. He had to visit his mom.

“You can’t kill me yet,” Zalan said. More pleading than saying.

“You are in no place to tell me what I can not do,” Morloch said coldly, raising his less injured arm. Sparks danced on his fingers.

Zalan had the thought cross his mind that he would be killed the same way Fran died. Overwhelmed by lightning. He ran his hand into his pocket, hoping to activate and throw the Homeseeker to Rep in the moment before he died. Just because he couldn’t use it, didn’t mean Rep had to die as well. Rep was trying to move toward him. He dragged himself desperately, trying to protect him, even at the end. It made him think of all the moments in which Rep protected him in this realm or allowed him to focus. Zalan blinked in thought, remembering the last time Rep protected him from Leviathans.

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“Fine then. Smite me. If you can,” Zalan said.

Morloch’s smile stretched, then stuttered to deterioration. He blinked in confusion. He lowered his hand, hesitating.

“One moment,” Morloch said quietly. He turned his back to Zalan.

Zalan knew he had said exactly the right thing. Morloch had been so desperate for him to learn how to call lightning from the sky. He had been prodding him to gain the ability for weeks. Perhaps since the moment they met. Now that Morloch had it at his fingertips, he had to try it himself. Zalan had taken one last lesson from his former mentor. He learned how to manipulate him.

Morloch went to the hole in the ceiling and reached his hands up to the sky. After a second of embarrassment, no lightning crashed into the chamber. He grumbled to himself in frustration. He threw his arms higher, flinching as one of his arms stung in pain. His open palms turned into fists and they shook, trying to grab something he couldn't reach. He threw his arms to his side, angry.

“Zorgon! How do I bring down the lighting?” Morloch demanded. He wouldn’t look at him, far too concentrated on the hole to the sky.

“I was mostly only able to do it with my eyes closed,” Zalan admitted. He was shuffling, moving as fast and quietly as he could.

Morloch closed his eyes and focused. He breathed deeply, putting all his effort in calling upon energy above him. He waved his arms vigorously, as though searching in the air above his head. He would have felt humiliated had all his faculties not been distracted by the task at hand. He threw errant blasts of lightning, trying to get a feel of what he was searching for from above him. The wind picked up around him, brought on by his pulling at the mind muscle for his Elemental Powers. Zalan could see from the back that his face had gone red with strain.

Morloch took in a gasp of air and let out a single sharp laugh. He looked excited. He pulled both arms down and a stream of electricity crashed down from the sky, echoing thunder around the room. Zalan frowned, disappointed to see Morloch figure it out in a matter of seconds. Zalan had curated that power for so long, just for it to fall into his hands.

“Yes! Yes!” Morloch said, pulling another shard of lightning through the hole atop the chamber. It crashed into the same spot as earlier. Morloch looked at the scar on the floor with wide eyes and a look of fulfillment. “It is everything I dreamed of and more! Imagine how the Elementals will react!”

To Zalan’s shock and surprise, Morloch wiped a tear from his eye.

“Now then, prepare for my smiting,” Morloch said casually, making an about face to look at Zalan.

Morloch stared in confusion. There was nothing by the ashes of the Transfer Table. He smiled wryly and looked around, ready to chase his prey. He didn’t have to look long, locating Zalan next to Rep. They clasped one another’s forearms. They both breathed powerfully from exhaustion. They had used what little remained of their energies to scramble toward one another.

“Brothers in arms until the end, eh? You wish for me to smite you at the same time? I have no problem with that. It makes my cleanup easier,” Morloch said devilishly.

His smile wavered as he noticed a faint glowing surrounding both Rep and Zalan. The shine was black, enveloping them in a growing power. Morloch first shielded himself in a wall of sand, thinking they had found another Artifact to blow up in his face. Then realized that he recognized the glow from before. A humming sound began filling the chamber. Morloch tore down his protective shield in rage. He had seen this before at the Elemental Rage Tournament.

The Homeseeker had been activated.

“No!” Morloch screamed. “I need that!”

“Come on, faster,” Zalan whispered to the Homeseeker as it prepared their escape.

Morloch sprinted, but heard the sound crescendoing to the point at which it would warp them out of existence. Morloch howled in frustration and threw his bleeding hand forward, blasting every Elemental Power he had a grasp over toward the duo.

Spiraling tight to a point like a javelin, fire, wind, sand, water, and lightning darted toward Rep and Zalan. Morloch stopped running, putting his energies into redirecting the powers enough to ensure they wouldn’t miss. Zalan could see how much he was holding back before. He intended to kill them with this single blow. It spun like a deadly drill. It looked like it could tear a hole right through them.

“Come on!” Zalan shook the Homeseeker desperately.

Morloch screamed with murder on his tongue and desperation in his wide eyes. The deadly helix of powers rushed forward. It reached the point of contact.

Rep and Zalan blinked out of existence with a loud pop.

Zalan fell back hard on the cot of his bed, clutching the Homeseeker close to his chest. He was back in Journey House, far away from the Island of Remains and Morloch the Manipulator. He slowly felt around his body, feeling numb without his Elemental Power. But he had all of his limbs intact. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he warped away without an arm.

“Rep, you okay?” Zalan asked, too exhausted to get up and check.

He heard Rep breathing loudly from his cot, sounding more out of breath than Zalan. But any sound coming from Rep brought him mild comfort. At least he was alive.

“Rep, do you know if I can get my power back?” Zalan asked desperately.

He felt naked without his Elemental Power. Even in the safety of Oriton, he felt on edge. It was the first thing on his mind.

“Rep?” Zalan asked again, raising his head to look at him.

Rep lay back on his cot, breathing erratically with wide eyes. His hand clutched at something in front of his chest. He didn’t look like he’d heard Zalan for some reason. Zalan jumped up, realizing something was wrong. As soon as he got a better view, he covered his mouth in shock and disgust.

There was a large, bleeding hole in Rep’s chest. He had been hit by Morloch’s attack just before they warped away.