As the Ziegfried entered orbit above the planet, he adjusted the controls and let out a sigh. Looking out the view screen, he could feel his heart grow heavy. Maybe it was fear. Perhaps it was trauma. Either way, he didn’t have a choice. This was where his plan lead and where all his sacrifices ended. Then and now. As he stared, Pandina approached him placing a hand delicately on his shoulder. “When do we make landfall?”

  His voice was so cold that everyone in the room shivered, “You don’t.” She was about to protest when he spoke again, “I understand, but I need you ready with the Fugue Cannon. The fire I left in the engine room should pack enough punch for the plan. Run on minimal power until you see the schism from the Phoenixian Crystal. Once the cannon is fully charged, shoot the monster that will eventually crawl out with everything you have. The backup generator will kick in and give you guys life support until I’m back.”

  Pandina sighed nervously, “Ok, but I don’t want you pushing yourself harder than you have to. We are almost at the end of this.” He nodded. She closed the distance, her perfume filling his senses as she gripped his arm with gentle concern, “Are you sure about this? About us?”

  He shook his head. She deserved his honesty and while pained, she seemed to understand him enough to respect it. Despite that, he clarified, “I can’t be sure of anything right now. But the sooner I get down there, the sooner we can finish this.”

  As he made his way to the hanger he tried to push it down again. The growing sense of dread he felt in the air. It was an instinct that has served him well for so much of his life, so he didn’t intend to ignore it completely, but it was beyond his control at this point. All he could do was get into his craft and take the crystal with him down to the surface. He made sure the pouch was on his person, thankful to be so close to being free from all of this. As he entered his ship, he looked in each room, seeing the last remnants of the thirty girls who had helped his plan succeed. The next generation all consolidated into one entity because of his carelessness. Getting onto the bridge he said, “Phoenix is leaving the roost.” Within moments, the hanger doors opened and his ship was pulled into open space. Putting on his harness and adjusting his trajectory for a safe re-entry, he landed in the same place he had all those years ago. If this wasn’t the spot it was within walking distance of where it likely would be.

  Taking a deep breath, he stepped out once more into the quarry. It felt different out of the golden light of his memories. It was then his blood froze in his veins. “You truly are my favorite customer, Shawn. I honestly couldn’t have asked for more.” He turned to see her silver smile and ebon hair. Her tone was confident and in control and given the circumstances he couldn’t help but feel like a child getting caught by a parent. She paced around him with an odd bounce in her step, “You know, when I first made our deal, I expected you to play nice, stay in the penalty box, and take responsibility for your deal when you got out. I didn’t expect you to find a loophole and force your way back to the world.” He could feel the tone begin to drift towards menacing as her laughter seemed to degenerate some towards a kind of madness. “And then, you took it further and made your own little club dedicated to trying to save everyone. I almost came to stop you too. Almost wanted to say you broke our contract, but then you started playing the villain. Minimizing loss of life while giving win after win to a person you knew was pure evil. A fitting punishment in its own right, I’m sure you agree.”

  “Sounds like it all worked out then.” As he said this, hoping to get a measurement of the situation but the change he got was not a welcome one.

  Her laughter stopped and it felt like his world darkened as her predatory smile pulled his attention. “Hardly. But don’t worry, it will. You see, I’m a merchant and I find follow ups very important with my customers. And who better than the customer who I am most pleased to work with.” She sneered before giving an odd compliment, “You are the apex example of everything I believe.” He wanted to challenge it, but before he could she spoke in a very sinister manner, “That’s why I’m giving you a special gift for being such a great customer. On the house. I'm sure you will appreciate it before the end.”

  Shawn was about to ask when something like talons latched onto his head, a voice from behind him saying, “This font of despair runs deep. Pour it out for me! Give me your bitter tears!” It was here that he realized his mistake. His first visit here there was a figure he had defeated easily. A non-factor. Never got his name and never cared to learn his powers. He had been the first one here this time. He had allowed her to distract him. By focusing on the reality warping Merchant of Despair, he had left himself open to a total unknown. One he should have expected. One he had forgotten in all of his grand plans.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  It’s no wonder she died. He has always been like this. Rushing off with some grand plan and never thinking of the people around him. The people that cared about him. Not the people he has killed in that time either. Selfish. Self-centered. Disgusting. Weak hearted and weak of soul.

  Argenta spoke calmly, “He has been hungry for a very long time. So I made a deal to bring him a feast worthy of him.” She approached Shawn as his darkness was being forced to the surface, “You will overcome this darkness, Shawn. You always do. Fight on, my precious child. Show them the true purpose of despair.” He began to cry sludgy black tears, their marks slowly spreading across his body as they flowed, “That’s right. Let the wounds bleed dry until there is nothing left.” As the darkness poured out from his heart and spread to the world around him, she laughed with satisfaction.

  What was once an abandoned world with an empty quarry and the monuments of a dead society was now engulfed in the despair of a man who gave up everything and retained nothing but his own will. And from it rose a planet of woes. A fountain of despair that slowly began to consume the light of the stars themselves. Agony black beyond pitch and without limit. And as he watched his pain engulf the skies, it grew deeper as he processed that even this was his fault.

  --------

  Anisa woke up and at first she couldn’t figure out why. There was nothing of note. It was quiet in the dark of her cabin. And as she felt a shudder overtake her, she realized that was the problem. It was quiet. She ran to the engine room and saw that the generic crystal that had been used to power the engine had gone dark. Running to one of the view ports, she noticed the lack of stars. She could feel the terror begin to press in on her. The idea that she was adrift in the darkness of space without even a star to guide herself by. And it was as she processed it, she realized where she was. The dark system that Shawn had somehow created. Despair that had overflowed so powerfully that it had consumed an entire system. A despair so powerful that it had even drained the very crystal that powered her engines. A darkness so deep, even the stars themselves could not pierce it.

  “Good. I’m in the right place.” It wouldn’t be long now. Not long until she returned to where it all went wrong. To the place where she died.

  As this thought occurred to her, she couldn’t escape the growing thought that history was repeating itself. She had spent so much of her life trying to bring him back. To save her friend. And it had lead her to the same place. The same end to the story. And she could feel it in her blood that she would see the woman with the silver smile for the first time in over a decade. The woman who had brought Anisa back with a dark deal that changed history. The same woman who cursed Anisa with the knowledge of who she once was.

  It’s a setup. I don’t know what she is after, but she engineered this. So why wouldn’t she be there to watch the show?

  As she thought about this, she went to the fridge and pulled out a sealed container of Pine’s cooking. Grabbing some utensils, she looked over the food only to realize that she had never asked him what he was cooking. She was about to dig into food she had never questioned before. She had eaten this dish so often on her journey but she didn’t ask him what it was made of. As she took a bite of the dish, taking in the earthy and sour dish, every hearty bite savored as though it would be her last, she could feel her stomach filling. As she finished the last bite, she could feel the ship shudder… and began to heat up.

  As it slowly dawned on her what was happening, she punched one of the walls, a secret compartment opening with a lever. She turned it, desperate to believe Gavin had prepared the craft for everything… or at least for re-entry. She was right in her guess but her desperation had thrown away his preparations. She felt the craft stop for a moment but then quickly jerk forward.

  Well, there goes the parachute.

  Running to the boarding ramp, she flipped an emergency release, and transformed before she threw herself out the back of the craft. She wrapped her cloak around herself, hoping that it would be able to shield her from burning up in the atmosphere. She braced herself for heat, for burning, but it never came. She was cold and secure in the darkness that enclosed her. Safe and beyond the danger, though blind to the world around her. It was only when she collided with the ground that she felt her armor and her body jolt painfully. After a few moments of fear and pain, she pulled her cloak back. The terrain around her was nothing she had ever seen, a dark alley in a greyscale city. And she could feel it. His despair clinging to her like a second skin. So she did what she always did. Allowed it to wash over her until the wave had passed, and then she began her search for her friend.