Once Moondancer regained her composure, she turned to the others. "So...are we ready?" she managed to say. "I...I don't think we have any options...but this last door."
"We don't," Larice confirmed with a buzzing to his voice. "But are you ready?"
"What?" Moondancer gasped in shock.
"What's going to happen through that door..." Alinivar began. "It's going to be rough, no doubt about that."
"We decide together, boing," Col. Saturn continued.
"That we would wait until we were sure you're ready," Zarbol concluded. "We want to be sure you can handle it. We...we're not sure we can, but we don't really have a choice anymore. But we don't want to take that away from you."
Moondancer managed a soft smile. "Thank you, all of you." She turned to face the door. "I'm...I'm not ready. But I'm pretty sure I'll never be, if all I do is wait here until I am."
With that said, the group passed through the final door.
Behind the door was a white path like what had been in Giegue's Magicant. However, where that path had still been bright, this was now shadowed. The black void of the world beyond the path was dotted with red. A bestial snarl echoed over and over through the entire area. The red glow filled the world and faded away in a pattern like breathing, that matched the snarling of the beast. The group moved slowly, terrified of what they were seeing.
Before long, they reached the end of the path...where a crimson rift in space pulsated like a wound, flexing like a maw. Within the rift, Giegue could be seen inside some sort of machine. As the sight of him became clearer...he opened crimson eyes that had neither heart nor soul in them, only fury.
Before any of them could react, Giegue immediately began unleashing waves of offensive PSI at the group, ruthlessly attempting to break them down and destroy them as best he could. With no other option, the group was forced to bring their own power to bear as they struggled for some sort of defense. Alinivar, Col. Saturn, Larice, and Zarbol positioned themselves between Giegue and Moondancer, hoping to protect her somewhat from what was happening. Moondancer focused her PSI on trying to protect the others...and calling out to try and reach the one they fought. "Father, please stop!" she called despairingly. "Why are you doing this?"
Giegue did not respond. As far as any of them could tell, he couldn't even hear her words, let alone understand them. The endless waves of PSI that Giegue unleashed slowly pushed the group back, wearing down on their resources...until two Niiues suddenly rushed into the chamber.
Giegue stared at them, tilting his head back and forth in confusion. His power seemed to weaken.
"We're here to help," Niiue spoke up encouragingly, "as much as we can. I don't know how it's possible, but here in this place I feel as if I can actually attack him."
"If we can push him back," the other Niiue added, "there might be a chance."
"Push him back," Moondancer murmured softly as she stepped forward. "I...I can do that..."
The group continued to unleash their PSI against Giegue. When Niiue unleashed his powerful PSI and it connected, Giegue flinched back in surprise. When Moondancer's PSI struck at him, he...hesitated. Each time the attacks from the two Niiues and Moondancer hit, Giegue's assault faltered. The group pushed forward. It seemed like somehow, they just might win.
The two Niiues combined their energies, unleashing a devestating white blast. Giegue seemed to fade out of sight.
"Did we...win?" Alinivar gasped in surprise.
"No," Moondancer spoke up. "I can still feel him. He's...somewhere."
"We both made it?" one of the Niiues asked in surprise. "That's a relief. And you are right, Moondancer. That was merely a guardian, shielding his innermost self." As the two Niiues settled to the ground, the one speaking turned to the other. "You know what to do now, other me. I'll send the messengers back." He moved to Zarbol and Moondancer's side.
"What's going on?" Moondancer demanded in confusion, desperate for an explanation.
"Moondancer," the other Niiue began carefully. "It's time for me to tell the others everything, so they can understand what's going on. Because the four of us will be diving into the Maelstrom before us...to buy you two time."
"Time for *bzzt* what?" Larice demanded. "What will happen *whrrr* to Moondancer and Zarbol?"
"I'm the messenger," Zarbol spoke up softly. "That's what the Apple told me. There are youths who...have the potential to change the destiny Giygas has created. I'm supposed to tell them of what happened, to start them on their journey. If...if they traveled alone, Giegue would have no hope of salvation. But if Moondancer goes with them...there's a chance this will all have been worth it."
"Using the Zexonyte, I can send them both through time," the Niiue standing beside Moondancer and Zarbol explained. "Ten years in the past...that's where they need to go."
"Ness...Paula...Jeff...Poo..." Moondancer spoke softly. "They...they're the ones..."
"That's right," the other Niiue explained. "But if we try to send them now, Giegue will feel it. He'll stop them. So in this place, where only love stands between us and the great beyond, we're going to buy time. I wish we could do more...but our fate's already written."
"I think you may be surprised," Alinivar spoke up. "There's more to us than even the Apple thinks. Love may be all that keeps us from oblivion...but it's hope that keeps us moving forward."
"...never lose hope," Moondancer added, her voice lifting. "That's what the Apple said to me."
"Then keep hoping, boing!" Col. Saturn called out firmly. "Into jaws of Death, party level 600, zoom!"
"We'll track down what's left of him," Niiue confirmed. "We can only hope that things work out."
Larice turned to Zarbol and Moondancer. "Goodbye, friends."
"Good luck boing!" Col. Saturn added.
"...I'm not going to lose hope," Alinivar spoke firmly. "I'm going to keep hoping that we'll all survive and see each other again. So I'm not going to say goodbye. Just...until next time."
With that, Niiue warped Zarbol and Moondancer away, leaving Niiue to lead Alinivar, Col. Saturn, and Larice into the heart of the Maelstrom.