Rain had begun to fall.
Carter slammed his attack into the ground near the stampede. The shockwave scattered people like leaves in a hurricane.
Behind him, DA appeared. Helicopters and jets instantly pointed their spotlights at him. DA raised his hands.
> "Calm down! I'm not evil!"
Carter narrowed his eyes.
> "What are you doing here?"
DA's tone was grim.
> "I'll kill them all… They burned my house."
> "…And?" Carter asked.
DA clenched his fists.
> "And… my PS5."
Carter blinked.
> "You're… serious right now?"
DA took a deep breath, stepping forward like he was about to announce a royal decree.
> "Do you understand what they've taken from me? Hundreds of hours—gone. My platinum trophies… gone. My save files—obliterated! My Elden Ring character, level 238 with maxed stats—deleted from existence! I had one quest left in Skyrim after ten years, Carter. Ten years!"
Carter rubbed his temples.
> "…This is not what I expected today."
> "They didn't just burn a console, Carter. They burned my soul. And now, I will rain upon them a vengeance so petty and so disproportionate that historians will call me a cautionary tale!"
Before Carter could reply, Ron teleported behind DA.
> "Yo, DA man! Why weren't you picking up my calls? Anyway—need your help. World of Dark Souls."
DA turned slowly, his face unreadable… and BAM! headbutted Ron like a goat defending its turf.
> "AAAGH! WHY?!" Ron staggered back.
> "That's for ignoring my texts about lending me your charger. My PS5 might still be alive if I'd charged the controller in time."
> "…T?!"
> "Everything traces back to the charger, Ron. Everything."
Ron groaned.
> "Look, I need your help. I'll explain on the way."
DA tilted his head.
> "Magnifying glass?"
> "If I use it, they will know."
DA folded his arms like a wise sage.
> "Then maybe… before we go, you should visit your wife's grave."
Ron frowned.
> "You could've just said that instead of pausing like you're in a some kind of sage ."
> "Where's the fun in that?"
The rain thickened. Ron teleported to the graveyard gates—only to find someone standing before Dream's grave. A tall silhouette. Ron approached, and the figure turned.
It was Dr. Thomas.
Their eyes locked. Ron lunged, grabbing Thomas by the throat and slamming him against a tree.
> "What the hell are you doing here?!"
> "Calm down, Ron… I'm not here to fight. I just came to see my daughter," Thomas said quietly, almost mournful.
Tears blurred Ron's vision as rage boiled inside him. He punched Thomas hard in the face.
> "You killed her—knowing she was your child! Where were you when she was trapped in that dimension?!"
> "I'm sorry, Ron… I had no choice."
Another punch.
> "Sorry?! After everything you've done?"
> "Ron, we can fix things. Everything can go back to normal."
Ron loosened his grip.
> "How?"
Thomas's voice hardened.
> "Join me. Together we'll be unstoppable. Kill the Watcher, and we can bring her back. Then, as my son-in-law, you'll be my successor—successor of the World of Dark Souls… and of Black Sorcery."
Thomas extended his hand—the exact same gesture he once gave to Ricky Racon. Only this time, the rain fell harder, and it was Ron standing before him.
Ron stared at the hand.
> "Really? We can bring Dream back?"
> "Yes. Trust me… one last time. For the one you love most."
Thomas muttered something under his breath.
> "What?" Ron asked.
> "Talking to myself."
Ron slowly shook his hand—his eyes flashing red, then back to normal.
> "Thomas… I need that box you took from the Brothers."
> "Follow me."
They teleported to the World of Dark Souls.
In Thomas's mind:
Too easy to bring him back to my side… unlike that other one.
He remembered Ricky Racon—how he stared at the offered hand… then walked away without a word, leaving Thomas seething.
With Carter, DA, Future Lia, and others holding the line, Hero Town was saved.
World of Dark Souls
Ron walked behind Thomas, spotting Yardy and his forces in the distance. But then—Skelly.
> "Didn't Thomas kill him?" Ron thought.
Skelly's knowing stare pierced him.
They entered a tunnel. On the other side—an entirely new world. Thomas 1 led Ron to a destroyed throne room, where Thomas 2 sat slouched upon the throne.
Their faces were different, so Ron didn't recognize him.
> "Long time no see," Thomas 2 said.
> "Do I know you?"
> "My real name is Wulkranoth… but you know me as Dr. Thomas."
> "…You're joking."
> "I'm the real Thomas. The one you know is only my second half."
Ron's eyes widened.
> "So all this time… he was just a fragment?"
Wulkranoth smiled.
> "Oh, and there's someone here who wants to meet you."
From behind the throne, Dream stepped forward.
Ron froze—then narrowed his eyes. Something felt wrong.
The illusion faltered. Dream vanished.
> "I'll kill you," Ron said, his eyes burning crimson.
Even Wulkranoth flinched—it was the same look Ricky Racon once gave.
Thomas 1 appeared, holding the box.
> "Ron, don't be angry. He was testing you."
Ron now stood between Thomas 1 behind him, Wulkranoth ahead, and Yardy's forces at his sides.
He drew the Blade of Vengeance. Flames ignited.
BOOM!
The entire room exploded.
When the dust cleared, Ron hovered in the air—red eyes, blade of Vengeance in hand.