Everything comes to a head as the final clash between the dark forces and the heroes reaches its climax at last. Mystery clouds the truth behind this battle, yet with unwavering resolve the Protectors push onward to triumph.
But defeat comes in many...
No introduction for this afterword; I'm gonna hop right into this one and save all the important stuff for last.
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Chaos: KayCee's reclamation of the mantle of "Peace" was tied to my desire to bring the Fish of Peace back to the havens. She'd already shown redemptive qualities in "Dreams", so I paid them off in the return of the havens' beloved nature spirits. This chapter also features Michael and Gabriel's first appearance since the Holy War—but this time, they're dishing out mercy instead of judgement.
Bad Luck: Jack and Jill's secret wedding takes place at the Safe Haven Observatory—a callback to their first official date in "Half-Blood".
Rise: Not much going on in this chapter, just another secret wedding and some touching convo with Safiya and Ferrus.
Doom: Now THIS was fun. I was really looking forward to introducing Dove as an actual Exorcist within the bounds of Hazbin/Zoophobia canon, and since the former show was finally released, I finally got my shot. Characters like Sera, Adam, and Lute step onto the scene, with a flashback of Vaggie's unfortunate fate on the side, all while highlighting Dove's growth and transformation from a brutalized Xirxine experiment to a terrifying and deadly Exorcist named "Doom". However, like Vaggie, she has been disillusioned by an encounter with a "demon", and is now questioning the motives of "heaven" and the truth of "hell".
Remnant: We meet back up with the alternate version of Liam in this chapter, along with his fellow agents and their combat mentor, Kai-En Khan. Before I say anything else about this, allow me to offer another reminder for y'all to go read Varkhan's "Into the Medranoverse" story if you haven't already. Dude is crafting a masterpiece for real.
Anyway, we see that Liam and Val are still grieving the original Zeon's death, and are struggling to accept his clone as their new teammate. Zeon also mentions wanting to see their universe "brought back to life"; interpret that as you will.
The three agents manage to subdue their mentor by working together, but in all honesty, Kai went easy on them. This version of him isn't a 21-year-old whippersnapper; this is a seasoned vet whose power has grown exponentially over the years, putting him on par with the mightiest Neokind in the Haven Realm.
Blacksdale: Surprising revelation here: the world of "Blacksdale" actually exists, and was merely a parallel dimension that Cthylla transplanted the Haven Realm into temporarily. The citizens of Blacksdale are suffering the repercussions of her interdimensional tampering, and the road to recovery isn't going to be a short one.
Huntress: This just sets up Artemis's arrival in the First Haven. Nothing to see here.
Monster: Just a little more insight into Mal's "game" is shown in this chapter. Can you read the cards?
Part I: The concept of multiple "beginnings" to this story has been covered slightly before in "Assistance", when the team sent to retrieve Draconis discusses who's to blame for the current state of the world. In truth, there is no singular beginning, as Cameron realizes once more in this chapter. Multiple stories were funneled into a single thread, resulting in the present dilemma. The real question is, who did the funneling, and who wrote the stories?
