Thuren's hands were still in the air from his bravado so Xochi took the opportunity to attack. This time however Thuren was able to keep up with her speed and caught her blade with his bare hand. A small reality tear appeared and a tar like tentacle slithered out and around Xochi's waste and lifted her into the air. She let go of her blade to summon the scarlet flames and burn the tentacle until it released her and retreated back into the tear. Xochi fell back down into the clearing in front of the palace. Thuren dropped Notus and turned his attention to Sahn who was staring up at Suma's eyes wriggling around through the tear. "Beautiful isn't she?" Sahn ignored him. "So this why you're acting so weird?" He asked. Thuren chuckled. "You've always been a fool. This is the power to change the world! To bend everything and everyone to my liking." Sahn finally looked Thuren in his eyes. "No, this just seems messy. You've lost yourself and that's no way to do anything. Anyway, I have a better idea to change the world and stop all the fighting and killing. You could be a part of it." "Hahahaha!" Thuren laughed. "You of all people want to stop the fighting?" "Just the senseless stuff. You know that one down there wants revenge for her sons. Did they have to die?" Sahn asked pointing at Xochi. "I'm not always privy to the whims of my daughters but they carry out my will without question so I let them have their fun." Thuren responded. "Hmm. I have a daughter now too. Happened when I was looking for Kasella." "Did you find her?" Thuren asked in a hopeful tone. "No." Sahn replied. "So what is that thing?" He asked. "The future." Thuren answered. "Not mine." Sahn said adamantly. "You plan to stand in my way?" Thuren asked. "Yeah, it's looking like the plan." Sahn answered. "Then you can die with the old world." Thuren threatened. "I'll fight you for it." Sahn offered with a smile. "You'll lose." Thuren replied. Suddenly several small reality tears opened around Sahn and the tar tentacles shot out at him. Sahn dodged the first few but one managed to wrap around his ankle. He phased into the astral plane and returned with his fist cloaked in not-air and punched the tentacle. The part of the palace under the tentacle was blown away but the tentacle received no damage. Sahn spun and avoided the tentacle when it tried to counter, he made his way to Xochi's sword and picked it up. Four tentacles lunged at him and once again he phased away. In the astral plane a shining gallant silhouette of a person was holding Notus alongside him. The silhouette bore no features but Sahn could feel it smile at him. He smiled back and returned to the material plane and sliced the tentacles to pieces. "Your tricks are impressive but are you done playing games?" Thuren asked while several small reality tears opened behind him. Sahn charged at Thuren and the tentacles shot at Sahn but right before they made contact Sahn tossed Notus into the air and vanished. Having covertly made her way back atop the palace Xochi at the same moment Sahn vanished, grabbed Notus in mid air and slashed a crescent stream of flames down on the tentacles incinerating them. She dropped into the cloud of smoke ash and flames to conceal herself. After a quiet few seconds two crescent flame slashes emerged from the cloud aimed at Thuren. He jumped away to avoid them only to find himself in the path of Xochi's blade. Her distraction was successful and her grip tightened at the anticipation of the final blow. A reality tear opened behind Thuren and a tentacle began to emerge from it but with a clean strike Xochi decapitated him before the tentacle could interfere.

Amongst the rotting trees Impetigo's body lay broken and covered in mud. Slight twitches in his legs and fingers gradually turned into full spasms as his limbs cracked and popped correcting themselves. Impetigo stood on new more human-like legs and feet, his entire body had a more subdued more human-like appearance. It seemed the essence he absorbed from Suma and Thuren had led him to undergo a type of evolution. Now fully capable of coherent thought, Impetigo understood what fueled his desire to devour souls and decided to finish what he started with Thuren. A shadowy vapor poured from his mouth and washed over his naked body and soaked into the ground of the dead land.

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"We need to find a way to close that rift." Xochi said while slicing numerous tentacles that were still breaching through small reality tears. Suma was still attempting to pull apart a large enough Tear for her to fit through. "We could ask Thuren." Sahn suggested. "Don't be ridiculous, I already ended him." "Does he know that?" Sahn asked while pointing above the palace. Thuren's headless body floated, arms outstretched like it was welcoming an old friend. "What is this madness?" Xochi's blade ignited and she leapt up the palace walls and launched herself at Thuren's body. Suma let out a screech that sounded like a thousand voices screaming at once and reached through the rift she had pried open and attempted to grab Xochi. Xochi halted her advance in an attempt at defense when a torrent of scarlet flames engulfed Suma's arm. Suma screamed in pain and retracted her arm, in response hundreds of smaller tears opened up all around the area but were suddenly sewn closed by golden sand. Lukohé and Mul rode atop Xtabay's head while her serpent form slithered around the palace so Lukohé could close the tears with his sand. "What's this now?" Sahn said to himself grinning at the sight. Balls of fire dripped from Xtabay's wings quickly igniting the dead forest that surrounded the palace. Mul jumped off Xtabay and landed next to the queen. "The sisters were defeated but they got away. We couldn't finish them." "That's fine, at least you took them out of the fight." Xochi replied "Where's his head?" Mul asked looking up at Thuren's body. "I cut it off but it didn't seem to stop him." Mul pulled Eurus from its sheath and a cool breeze blew from the east. Sahn joined them on the palace roof. "Greetings young warrior." "Uhh hi." Mul greeted in return. Sahn looked him over. "You're Terrabeian aren't you?" "Technically." Mul answered. Sahn's grin returned. "What tribe?" "Mine." Xochi interrupted. "Focus." She added as several tears opened around them. Lukohé gracefully commanded the sand from atop Xtabay's head like a conductor leading an orchestra. He managed to close all the rifts in the air but noticed more open up closer to the palace. "Okay this isn't working, we need to seal the big one. Xtabay, it doesn't seem to like your fire so get me close and keep it inside the rift!" Xtabay couldn't reply, instead she reared her head back suddenly almost throwing Lukohé off of her and spewed an intense stream of flames at Suma. The flames pushed her all the way back into the rift. "Good." Lukohé said, and he raised both his hands into the air. He weaved the sand in and out of the rift like he was sewing reality itself back together. Suma could do nothing but wail, held back by the heat from Xtabay's chaotic flames. With Suma's reality tear sealed up, all the others closed as well. "They did it." Mul said. "Yes, now we just have to deal with him." Xochi replied, staring up at Thuren's body. "Lukohé can seal him up with my help, we just have to get him down from there." Sahn explained. Suddenly black tar began to bubble from Thuren's neck. Black ooze dripped down his body as one large bubble grew where his head should be. Mul whispered to himself in disbelief. "There's no way." They all watched in sickened amazement as the bubble solidified and Thuren tore it apart to reveal his head regrown.