We got back to the throne room and I was shocked to see that the palace was already somewhat rebuilt! They still had a long way to go but it was coming together! People were lifting the rubble and sand and fixing the palace, piece by piece.

Once inside the palace, we locked Kevin in the mud room and enforced it with magic, then reunited with Zenit.

“Oh thank god you guys are safe! While you were gone I’ve started rebuilding the palace!”

“Yes! We noticed! You guys are doing a great job!”

“So, tell me about your journey.”

“Well, it’s a long story.” Me, Stephanie and Zoe took turns telling the tale, while Berry piped in wherever applicable. Crystal and Dave took over when it was their turn.

“Oh wow! That is incredible.” Zenit said.

“Yes, the only problem is what do we do with Kevin.”

We decided on taking turns talking to him, I went first.

“I know you're going to be the bad cop or whatever but let me explain my side first.” Kevin spoke before I even had the chance to.

“It started like this: it was the prank, I had a fake knife that Dave had given me and also for some reason my hand moved on its own and I brought a real knife too. I wanted to go ‘hand’s up!’ But then my hand moved on its own and I stabbed you with the real knife. Me and Dave both went and tried to save you but it was too late. Dino one except me had actually seen it happen so there was no one to prove me guilty, but I was guilty. I don’t know why I did those things but there was a voice in my head, telling me, no, forcing me and making me do all the bad things I had ever done after I killed you. I had known about the magic world for quite a while when I started doing these things. I was a trusted general under Zenit and Berry but the voice made me go against them and betray them. They locked me up and that is where you come in. When you guys freed me my inner voice started back up again. I was planning on telling you while I was still in control because I was still disoriented, but that didn't work. When you guys were leaving I rushed over to help Zenit while I was still in somewhat control. He had almost burned up from all of your power! Like jeez you guys are strong! I helped him up then my bad voice told me to kill him now that he was done using him. I tried my best to resist him and pushed him away, trying not to move and kill him. I stumbled away and fell into the darkness. I woke up tied to the same pole thing that you guys were tied to. They were about to burn me but I think the voice told everyone that I was the leader and how to obey my orders, suddenly, I was king. After healing and resting for many days…” in between sentences, Kevin would randomly start twitching and blinking. Just as he trailed off, Kevin took out a sword faster then the flash and stabbed me in the stomach. He had thought that I let my guard down but we had envisioned this happening. His sword banged harmlessly against the armor underneath my clothes. I looked at Kevin, his face was sad and sympathetic.

“I’m so so so sorry, the voice made me do it.” Only then did he realize that I was not dead or hurt,

“Oh thank god!” Kevin breathed a sigh of relief.

“I tried so hard to warn you but my body was not listening to me.” I realized that his irregular movements were because he was trying to warn me.

“So anyways, after healing and resting,” Kevin resumed his story,

“The grip of what I did started loosening, I thought that the voice was getting weaker or that I was getting stronger but after a few hours Berry walked herself in and the grip on my mind began again. I tried my best to be nice to Berry but sometimes I couldn’t. I discreetly talked about order 66 a lot, hoping that you or Berry would catch on. And that is where you guys came in. Once you guys were near, the person or thing controlling me grew stronger and stronger, until I couldn’t even choose what food to eat.”

Kevin regularly tried to stab me, bite me and other crazy things, but I could tell he was trying not to. Once he was done I nodded.

“Thank you, Kevin, for your explanation. I must get going now, I will be back soon.”

I stood up stiffly and left the room, closing the door behind me. I returned to everybody and told Kevin’s story. They listened, spellbound. When I was done, everybody was silent.

“So, do you think that Kevin is actually good?” I asked.

“I don’t know, his story sounds quite plausible, as I was controlled and manipulated too. My controller didn’t speak in my head though. My body just moved on its own. But also, how did he speak in all of our minds? We still need to know that. And how easily he got to be king? That is just too easy.” Zenit put in his opinion.

“Yes okay, hmm. Also, if he is lying then he is a very good actor, as he seemed visibly relieved when I didn’t die.”

“You what! What do you mean didn’t die?” Zoe was shocked.

I realized that I hadn't told them about the interruptions yet.

“Ya, he kind of tried to kill me a lot?”

It suddenly hit me. I trapped Kevin in a wind wall and sucked his weapons to me. I turned around and ran towards Kevin. When I opened the door, he was banging his head against the air wall, trying desperately to get out.

“This is my chance!” He muttered under his breath.

“Stop!” Berry shouted. Only then did Kevin look up and realize that we were all there.

“Oh, I uhh, the voice made me do it!” Kevin scrambled to come up with a reasonable explanation for his behavior. I didn’t know whether or not to believe him. He had said that the voice controls him but why does the voice not control what he says? Like if what Kevin is saying is true then the whole plan of whoever the voice is is ruined. I don’t think that the voice is that dumb as it has plotted many difficult schemes before. On the other hand, I didn’t even know if there actually was a voice, or was Kevin just trying to save himself?

“Umm, I don’t believe you.” Berry was upfront and blunt about it. I trapped Kevin in an air wall and got ready to suck his air away if he did any wrong moves.

“No no no no no, you’ve got me wrong. How could I? Your friendly neighbor who shoveled your driveway for only 200 dollars do any such thing like lying? You have got the wrong person!”

“Oh ya? But how do you explain the voice letting you talk? You just leaked all of his secrets and he doesn’t care?” Zoe spoke my thoughts exactly.

“No, uhh, he doesn’t know! I cover it up so that he won’t know!”

“As if.” Crystal’s calm voice returned. “And how did you manage to cover it up when he controls you?”

“I uhh- it’s a secret. You don’t need to know.” Kevin hastily attempted tonpatch his plot holes up, and poorly at that. As he spoke, he lunged at Berry with his fist out stretched, only to bang against the air wall I had put up, and fall to the ground, writhing in pain. I sucked some of the air out of his lungs and he fell limp. Zoe tied him up to the shoe rack in the mud room.

“So what do we do now?” I asked everyone.

“Well, I think that he is lying but there is a small chance that he isn’t. I don’t want to kill him just yet, in the case that he is good.” Zenit answered.

“That is true, but how can we find out if he is telling the truth or not? Also what do we do with him in the meantime?” I mused aloud. “Wait! Berry, can you control Kevin and make him spill the beans?” I perked up at the sight of a solution.

“I don’t think so? When I controlled him last time, I couldn’t free his memory’s or what he knew.” Berry sighed.

“But maybe,” Crystal said, smiling. “Stephanie and I have made a truth potion.”