“That wasn’t particularly difficult,” Delph said, brushing the dust off his cloak with a frown. “These creatures threaten the Mortal Plane?”

“That was a very weak one,” Damien said. “And you and Dredd are both professors. I think there will be a whole lot more Corruption than there will be professors.”

“Is there a way to cut it off at the source?” Dredd asked. “They must be coming from somewhere. You spoke of Corruption Seeds. Two of them have died, one of which is within Sylph. If we destroy the other four, will the Corruption’s advance be stopped?”

“Not so much stopped as severely inconvenienced,” Damien said after briefly consulting Henry. “But they’re probably going to try to hide. It will be difficult to find them amongst all the other Corruption that will start popping up in the near future.”

Dredd frowned, leaning on his staff and peering down at the pile of rubble before them. “Problematic indeed. This isn’t something we can risk handling ourselves, Delph. I will seek outside help while protecting the identity of your charges.”

“Just make sure we don’t get dragged into anything else because of this,” Damien said, crossing his arms. “If I end up on the run because you and Delph let a Void creature out, I swear I’m going to curse you with my dying breath.”

“We’ll make sure nobody knows the truth about you,” Dredd said. He cocked his head to the side. “Although you’re going to have to do some work there yourself. You’ll be expected to manifest your companion in the beginning of Year Two. I certainly hope the Void within you has a way of not looking like a terrifying monster.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Damien said. “Thanks for the warning.”

The orb of green light at the top of Dredd’s staff flickered. The man’s eyes narrowed. Both he and Delph dropped into fighting stances.

“More Corruption is approaching,” Dredd said. “Ready yourselves. It’s coming from the sky.”

Blades sprouted from Sylph’s arms and she flickered, fading into the background. All of them watched the sky warily. Seconds ticked by. As far as Damien could tell, the pale blue swathe was completely empty.

They were so high up in the air that even the clouds were beneath them, so there wasn’t anything to obstruct their view.

“Are you sure something is coming?” Damien asked.

“Yes,” Dredd said. “It is cloaking itself somehow. If your Void companion can defend you, now is the time. Anything strong enough to conceal its presence from me after I was aware of it will not be a simple threat.”

Henry? I don’t suppose you feel anything?

“I might as well step forward,” Henry said, taking over Damien’s body. “Something feels wrong. Even with my limited ability to detect the Corruption, something feels off.”

A chill ran down Damien’s spine. Henry had him spin along with everyone else as a small pocket of air at the far side of the plateau warped. Green motes of light rose into the air as a man appeared within the energy.

He wore a long coat with a collar that rose up around his face, obscuring it from view. His grayed hair was jagged and stuck out in every direction, and it almost seemed to glimmer.

“Who are you?” Delph asked, gray energy forming around his hands. “Dredd, is this who you detected, or was there another?”

“This is him,” Dredd confirmed. “Damien, are humanoid figures typical for the Corruption? Or is this another Void creature?”

“It’s not Void,” Henry said, his myriad of voices slipping out from Damien’s mouth.

“I am not,” the man agreed in a voice that was equal parts raspy and melodic like a violent gale. “It’s been some time, Damien Vale.”

“Who are you?” Delph asked again, the energy growing brighter. “You’re running out of time to speak before I start swinging my fists.”

“You wound me so, but I suppose you can’t be blamed,” the man said, letting out a sigh and completely ignoring Delph. “We’ve met every single cycle, but only one of us gets to keep those memories.”

“The Corruption has never gotten so far as it has this cycle,” Henry said. “It’s impossible for you to have met Damien. What are you playing at?”

The snow to the side shifted as Sylph slowly made her way towards the man. If he noticed, he made no indication of it.

“The Corruption has made it farther than you could have ever imagined, Voidling,” the man said, distain staining his tone. “You are nothing but a soldier with their eyes gouged out. The only person who I care to speak with is Damien Vale. Leave us.”

Damien thrust his hand forward at Henry’s bidding. A lance of dark Ether tore out of his palm, spiraling through the air and slamming into the man. He disintegrated, transforming into a cloud of green ash and rematerializing several feet to the side.

With a roar, Dredd slammed the butt of his staff into the ground. Five brilliant red bolts shot out from the weapon, darting towards the cloaked man. His cloak rippled as a mass of rock dripping with acid exploded out of his shirt sleeve, forming a shield and blocking Dredd’s attack.

He disintegrated as Delph’s fists passed through him, then shot past Sylph as she appeared beside him and thrust her blades towards the man’s chest. The cloaked man slammed to a stop directly before Damien.

Rancid breath washed over him, making his eyes water even as Henry threw up a barrier of Ether between them. A wave of force tore across the ground, throwing everyone back. The man’s hand extended, passing clean through the barrier of Ether and grabbing Damien by the arm.

“Begone. I am trying to speak.”

Power surged through the air. Damien doubled over as a powerful blow slammed into his chest and he felt Henry’s influence vanish. The falling snow froze in place as a faint green hue washed over the world.

Damien scrambled back, drawing Ether desperately as he put distance between himself and the cloaked figure who seemed content to simply watch him retreat. Waves of force continually washed over him, threatening to force the boy down to his knees.

“What did you do?” Damien asked, panting. “Who are you?”

“A basic application of time magic,” the man replied. “I have temporarily taken us out of the flow so we can converse without any external influence. Your companions were overeager to attack me. As for my name – I don’t bother with one anymore. You may refer to me as Second.”

“Second as the position, or second as the unit of time?”

“You may decide yourself,” the man said in a tone that made Damien think he was probably smirking. “Worry not. I have no desire to harm you. Your actions are misguided, but we will work together eventually.”

“Not if you’re the Corruption,” Damien said, his brows furrowing. “You’re trying to destroy the Mortal Plane, and I think you should be able to tell why I might take issue with that.”

Second let out an irritated breath. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve had this exact conversation with you? The location and your experiences change, but not once has a cycle gone by when we haven’t had it. Can you imagine how frustrating that is?”

“No,” Damien replied honestly. “But if I was the same person in the last cycle, you should already know what my response will be. You can’t try to tell me that I actually thought there was a good reason to support you.”

“You generally didn’t,” Second admitted. “You’ve always been attached to this world.”

“I’m still failing to see what the point of destroying the Mortal Plane is,” Damien said, watching the man warily. “The Void does it to keep you guys out. So what’s your reason? Did someone spill some primordial water in your lap or something?”

“The Planes are a perversion,” Second replied. “They should not exist separately. In truth, they are parts of a whole that deserves to be reconnected. However, the Mortal Plane has grown bloated with time. The inessential parts must be torn away so that the other planes can be returned to their proper position.”

“That is possibly the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard,” Damien said. “How does that even matter? Who cares if the planes are separate?”

“You do,” Second said, shaking his head. “Or rather, you will. Tell me something, Damien Vale. Where do mortal souls go when their bodies expire?”

“The Plane of the Dead.”

“And is that plane infinite?”

Damien blinked. “Well, no. I suppose not. Nothing is.”

“Exactly,” Second breathed, his dry voice crackling. “So what happens to those surplus mortal souls when they try to find home on the Plane of the Dead but there is no space to give?”

The man paused, waiting for Damien to respond. The moment he opened his mouth, Second pressed on, cutting him off before he could even start.

“They are cast out,” Second spat. “There is no room for them, so they are thrown out into the Void, condemned to suffer eternally. Do you know what witnessing the Void does to a mortal soul, Damien Vale?”

“Yes, actually,” Damien said, trying to process Second’s words as the man started to speak faster and faster. “I’ve had it happen.”

“Then imagine it endlessly, for thousands of years. Your eyes cannot close. Your ears cannot be covered. The screams, the visions. They burn into you, Vale. And as those discarded human souls float through nothingness, their connection to the Ether is warped. All that remains is our pain and suffering, and the desire to make it stop.”

“Wait,” Damien said, goosebumps prickling across his arms and back. “Are you saying that the Corruption are actually humans that didn’t fit on the Plane of the Dead?”

“Not just one,” Second said. “Hundreds. Thousands, all mashed together into a tiny little package of rage and fury. The Voidlings like the one within you are our jailers, condemning mortals to an endless cycle of suffering.”

“And they know of this?” Damien asked.

“No. Not the mere soldiers,” Second said. “But there is a leader. The one who commands them. It goes by many names, many of which have been lost to time. It is the one that witnesses our plight but forges onwards anyways.”

“Why?” Damien asked. “Let’s say I believe you about the Corruption being tortured souls wanting revenge. What does the Void get out of keeping the cycle like this? And how would merging the Planes even fix anything?”

“Humanity would be reduced,” Second said. “There are too many humans living, dying. Merging the planes would simultaneously reduce humanity’s numbers and increase the space in which their souls could reside. Furthermore, the dead souls would be able to reincarnate into mortal bodies instead of being trapped within the void.”

“Wouldn’t there eventually be too many people again? It sounds like you’re just suggesting a patch rather than a fix,” Damien said, swallowing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Delph’s hand twitch.

“No. Or at least, not for so many millennia that the problem is almost insignificant. Understand this, boy. When you die and this Cycle restarts, if you're unlucky, you'll be cast into the void. Warped. Tortured. For thousands of years, fragments of your soul will be torn away until you become one of the Corruption. And even then, the pain will not stop. It will only dull,” Second said, spitting the words out like they disgusted him. “Are you ready for such a fate? If humanity’s numbers were reduced and the Planes merged, the suffering would end for an immeasurable amount of time.”

“You make it sound simple,” Damien said, frowning. Delph’s hand tightened into a fist. “And you didn’t say why the Void does this.”

“Because the Void is sadistic. It is evil,” Second hissed, anger seeping into his tone. He strode towards Damien, grabbing his shoulders with heavily bandaged hands. “It cares not for our pain. It simply watches, learning from our suffering and finding enjoyment through our agony.”

“You aren’t much better,” Damien said, grimacing as Second’s rancid breath washed over him and seeped into his skin. It smelled like the man was the physical incarnation of a rotting corpse. “The Corruption indiscriminately attacks people. Isn’t that just condemning them to the same fate?”

“No,” Second said. “Souls slain by the Corruption do not remain within the cycle. They are removed – gone forever. This is why the merging of the planes would not flood the universe with new mortal souls.”

“So your solution is slaughtering countless people,” Damien said, narrowing his eyes. “You’re just as evil as the Void.”

Second’s grip tightened on Damien’s shoulders. He hardened his mage armor, but the man’s grip seemed to ignore it completely. Pain shot through his body, but his muscles refused to cooperate, and he felt himself start to go limp.

“You are deluded, Damien Vale. You will make a good addition to our cause, but make no mistake. There will not be another cycle. The suffering ends here. No more second chances. Join us, or die for the sake of the future.”

A thrum tore through the air. Gray energy slammed into Second, hurling the man through the air like a ragdoll.

“Get away from my student,” Delph snarled, his cloak rippling in invisible wind. Energy gathered around him again and he grabbed the air before him, yanking on it. Space bent and Second flew towards Delph.

The professor grabbed him by the face and sent a pulse of energy into the man’s head. His body exploded, disintegrating and reforming several feet away from Delph.

“How? It should have been impossible for you to enter the domain of my spell,” Second said.

“I got pissed off,” Delph said. “Havel, get out here. I need to kill someone again.”