"After that time you caught me sneaking up here I'd never thought you'd show me what these rings are." Lucian remained silent as he unlocked the door leading to the top of the tower. "It's been an entire bloom and not once have you even mentioned the roof. Why the sudden change old man?" Finishing the final lock, Lucian pushed open the heavy wooden door leading to the roof and the twelve golden rings. "Depending on how the final battle of this war will end, you may need to destroy these rings." Lukohé shielded his eyes from the light of the sun as he marveled at the giant stone ring that rotated around the top of the tower. The twelve smaller rings were threaded through by the larger stone ring. "So what are they?" Lukohé asked as the golden sand formed stairs one by one in front of him, carrying him up for a closer look. "Do not touch them boy!" Lucian commanded. "These rings are doorways. Each one leads to a different world and each one of those worlds has doorways to the others." Lukohé's eyes widened. "So you mean to tell me that the story of the watchers was true?" Lucian nodded. "Yes, but that is not what we are here to discuss. If Thuren Bahn is victorious his ideals will spread across Hyunda like a plague. To ensure that his crooked will doesn't spread beyond, you may need to do away with the rings using the sand." Lukohé scoffed as he hopped down from his sand steps. "So why don't I just stop Thuren Bahn myself. There's no need to touch the rings. And I've been stuffed up in this tower long enough, I still need to go find Akhkaba since I now know how to turn him back." Lucian's grip around his staff tightened. "Boy! Don't for a second think your status as a Celestial brings you anywhere close in ability to Thuren Bahn! He was the first Celestial to ascend after the Blinding and I watched him climb that ladder on will alone! Yes, you have power now but the book that granted you that power, changed your brother, and annihilated your tribe and did it all in a single night! That man's daughter was in possession of those texts for longer than you've been alive! He is not one you can just simply kill even if you could manage to do so. His immortality is similar to my own. " Lukohé thought to himself for a moment. "So that means Queen Xochi must have a way of subverting his immortality." Lucian's expression saddened. "I'm afraid that the Queen's march is merely a response to the death of her sons at the hands of Corrina Bahn. She may very well be marching to her death." "I can at least go and help them. I sympathize with her loss." Lucian shook his head. "I can't in good faith allow you to throw away your life and all you've obtained in this past bloom. You would need some influence from Fate itself to succeed." At that moment one of the golden rings began to glow. "What's happening?" Lukohé asked, golden sand shifting around his feet in preparation. The ring removed itself from the stone ring it hung around and positioned itself over the tower. It shined brighter and expanded revealing a cloudy image of a woman holding a blood covered child. The image rippled like a puddle of water before vanishing. A few seconds later someone fell out of the ring and landed on the roof between Lukohé and Lucian. "Those chains are really annoying." The man mumbled to himself as he stood up and looked around. The ring returned to its position on the stone ring. "Sahn?" Lucian asked. "Old man Lucian? Ha ha so I'm back on Hyunda? " The man's excitement was palpable. "Hahahaha, to be honest that whole situation was getting out of hand. All that and the world flower didn't bloom once?" Lucian’s face grew puzzled. “Sahn, it's been one hundred blooms since you left.” “Really?” Sahn replied. Lukohé's visible confusion prompted the man to introduce himself. "Shan Juber! It's nice to meet ya kid!"

Later, down inside the tower Sahn searched the book lined walls for a particular tome. "So after all this time Thuren is still at it? It's a shame that it turned out like this.” Sahn roamed around the room running his finger across the spines of the various volumes of books. "Were you at all successful in your search?" Lucian asked, waiting for whatever unpredictable action Sahn would take. "No, the worlds don't connect how we thought." Lukohé had been listening quietly to the two of them speak. "Look I don't know who you are or what you're talking about but we have to find a way to stop Bahn and end this war." Sahn's finger stopped on a particular book. "Hey kid, read through this on the way." Sahn pulled the book from the shelf and tossed it to Lukohé. "If you use the sand in conjunction with a particular formula in that book, I'm pretty confident we can seal up ol Bahny nice and tight." Lukohé examined the cover then looked over at Lucian who had a surprised look on his face. "I hadn't thought of that, but I believe that should work. You must detail your time abroad Sahn." Sahn smiled. "I'll tell you all about it when we get back." Lukohé stood up with a determined expression. "So kid you ever been to Xibalba?" Sahn asked, stepping closer. "I can't say that I have." Lukohé answered, the golden sand beginning to swirl around them both. "It's a beautiful place where the sun is always shining and the birds sing in the morning." "Really?" Lukohé asked, his anticipation grew at the thought. "No. It's a shithole. Ha hahaha." Sahn's laugh echoed throughout the tower as the sand that enveloped them pulled them into the ground. A few moments later they resurfaced along the side of a road.

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The cloudy darkened sky and veil of mist that wafted over the damp muddy fields let them know they had arrived in the territory of Xibalba. But what littered the fields that the road ran through was a sight all too familiar to Lukohé. Fresh corpses were sprawled out all over the field. "This place hasn't changed a bit." Sahn joked, just as a body laying near them began to rustle. Its mouth dropped open and a small wisp emerged from its throat and floated towards the center of the field. "I don't think it's supposed to do that." Sahn whispered to Lukohé who was watching the other corpses go through the same process. The wisps all headed towards the same point. In the center of the field stood a tall gangly figure. Its face was pointed towards the sky and its mouth was gaping as the wisps were being swallowed by it. "Kaba!" Lukohé called out. Impetigo's head jerked in their direction, mouth still gaping so the eyeball in his throat could survey his new targets. "Friend of yours kid?" Sahn asked. "That's my brother." Lukohé answered not taking his eyes off his sibling. Impetigo swallowed his eyeball and let out a shriek that echoed through the gloomy air. The corpses that surrounded Sahn and Lukohé started to convulse violently before they began to clamber to their feet. A shadowy mist uniquely exuded from each corpse through the wound that had ended it. Sahn smirked as the marionette corpses clumsily made their way towards them.