CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT: THE VOID

---

Zach was in an abandoned building, that was shining a bit bight.

Everything around him was brighter than normal.

"What the hell?" Zach asked as he looked around, wondering where he was.

"Zach" a voice said and Zach turned around to see Klaus "Klaus, what the hell are you doing here?" Zach asked as the two approached each other.

"Where are we?" Zach asked as he looked around "Am I dead?" he asked and Klaus nodded "So am I?" he asked "How?" Zach asked "Reginald" Klaus said "Reginald killed you?" Zach asked "Well, he have done it many times. But this time he lock me out so I could get kugelblitz" Klaus said "But why would he--" Zach stopped himself, "Oh my god. Reginald killed me too" he said "He did?" Klaus asked and Zach nodded "And he also killed Luther" he said before he looked back at Klaus "My mom, my dad. My sister?" he asked "Luna is kugelblitz. Both your parents are broken but they are okay, for now" Klaus said "Are they okay?" Zach asked "For the most part, I think so. But I think right now, they are really hurt and broken that you are dead" Klaus told him.

"Did he killed you too?" Zach asked "Well, I killed myself, but he was the case of it" Klaus said.

"We have to go back and warn them. They are walking straight into a trap" Zach said "They are gonna be fine" Klaus said as he walked past Zach "Where are you going?" Zach asked "Come on" Klaus said before he grabbed his hand and dragged him with him, and suddenly they were transformed to different afterlife.

Zach looked around to see that they were in a dessert "Where are we?" he asked "The afterlife" Klaus replied and Zach looked forward to see Luther sitting on a chair  in a small living room.

"Luther" Zach said before he approached Luther who was watching TV while eating pizza.

"What's wrong with him?" Zach asked "Sometime, it takes time for the mind and soul to realized that the body is dead" Klaus said before he also sat down.

"Be patient Zach. Sit down and have some pizza" Klaus said and Zach let out a sigh before he also sat down.

"When we see reality, what do we really mean? In the 1800s, the bets minds of the age theorized we live in a clockwork cosmos. In the quantum Age, time and space are suspected to be a holograph. Ancient people believed we rode on the back of four flying turtles or on the horns of white buffalo. These ideas beg the question, will we ever know the shape of reality? Or, odder still, does it have a shape other than the one we give it?" the man in the Tv said. 

"Wow. Makes you feel tiny, huh?" Luther asked "I'm bored" Zach said "Why would you put pineapple on pizza?" Klaus asked as he picked up a piece of pizza while he leaned back in the chair.

"You know, when you think about it, we are just tiny specks of sand in a desert full of other sand" Luther said "I mean, it's a garnish for cocktails, at best" Klaus said "And that's inside solar systems. Inside deserts of galaxies" Luther said "I guess the real question to ask is, why is it on my pizza?" Klaus asked the last words out loud.

"Klaus, are you listening?" Luther asked "Yeah sure. We're insignificant in all things, blah, blah, blah. Sorry, I'm not a stoned undergrad sitting in freshman philosophy" Klaus said and Luther looked around.

"Wait a second. Where exactly are we?" Luther asked "We're dead" Klaus said "Finally you notice something, how long did that take you. Three hours?" Zach asked "Wait what?" Luther asked.

"We're dead" Klaus said again and Luther looked at him "Welcome to my hood" he said

---

The elevator's bell dings before the door opened and Reginald stepped out with Natasha, Five and the others behind him.

They all entered the lobby which had orange pillar instead of blue

"It's magnificent" Reginald said as they entered the lobby "You guys should've stayed here. This placer is way nicer" Ben said "Lila and I barely got out alive last time. Remember" Diego said "But I'm here this time, and the numbers are in our favor" Ben said.

"Yeah, like that is gonna help" Natasha said sarcastically "Well, whatever, it was, it was strong, fast, and super pissed" Lila said while Diego lead them all to the reception's desk.

"Alright, so, whatever you do, do not ring this bell" Diego said and pointed on the bell on the receptions' desk "Unless you wanna lose a finger or a tentacle" he said and looked at Ben when he said the world 'tentacle' which cause Ben to roll his eyes.

"I'll take my chances--" Sloane said "So will I" Natasha said and was about to walk closer to the desk but Lila put herself between the bell and the two "Don't!" she said "Get out of our way" Sloane and Natasha said and Lila shook her head "To take out this thing, we need to be in the right state of mind" she said "State of mind? Do you mean, am I angry?" Sloane asked before she nodded "Yes, I am angry. I wanna kill whatever it is that hurt Luther" she said as she was raising her voice while trying to hold back her tears.

"And I wanna kill that thing that killed my son" Natasha hissed in anger as tears was running down from her eyes.

"Luther, Luna and Zach isn't the only ones that's gone. We lost Klaus too. I'm angry, okay? We all are. But we have to be smart about this" Viktor said "Yeah. When the time is right, we'll act" Lila said while Five started walking over to the hotel's doors which shine a strange white.

Diego then saw Five walking over to the hotel's doors "Don't even try it Five. Doors won't let you out" he said "So, what, we're stuck here?" Allison asked as Five walked back to them.

"This place is a test and a trap and a means of salvation, all at once" Reginald said "Does anyone know what that sign says?" Viktor asked as he pointed at the sign next to the bell that was writing in a language that none of them understand.

"Yeah, it says 'Do not ring that bell' That's what that means" Diego answered "We get it, Diego. Bell bad" Five said as he walked back to them.

"What do we do? Does anybody know?" he asked as Reginald walked away from them before he pulled his notebook out of his jacket.

"Reggie?" Allison asked as she looked at Reginald who was standing in the middel of the lobby with his notebook, flipping through the pages "Reggie" Allison said.

"I'm hungry. Does anyone fancy an unagi roll?" Lila asked before she was walked towards the bar "How can you possibly eat at a time like this?" Ben asked her and she turned to him "I don't know. How can you be a dick at a time like this?" she asked "Oh, you'll--" but Ben was cut off by Diego "Hey!" he said as he walked over to them "Back off, all right?" he said to Ben before he looked at Lila "She's eating for--" "Strength" she finished his sentence before he could expose her being pregnant to the rest of the family.

"In these trying times" she said before she looked at Diego "Diego, can you come with me for a second?" she said as she grabbed his arm before the two walked over to the bar, away from the others.

---

"We....I'm dead?" Luther asked confused "We are. Took you long enough" Zach said "We are dead" Luther said "Yeah, and I'm so glad that to be here for your two first time 'cause it's kind of a weird feeling. It's like waking up from a really vivid dream. But don't worry. Because it's all gonna make sense really soon" Klaus said. 

"Reginald killed us" Zach said "He killed me. Dad killed me" Luther "Oh my God. He killed me too. A lot" Klaus said "He's an alien. He's---" Luther started "We're trying not to use that kinda terminology here. And I know, it's whoaPC, but you could just say he's, British" Klaus said "No, no. I mean, he's a real alien. He's like a...bug person from another planet" Luther said.

"Why did he take him so long to realized it?" Zach asked  "It will take a moment to really function in the afterlife, dying can be hard for the soul" Klaus said.

"Good that Luther is caught up, we have to go back, they are gonna walk into a trap" Zach said again "We can't" Klaus said "We need to go back and warn them. What if he kill my parents?" Zach said as he stood up from his chair.

"Oh my God...Klaus" Luther said as he got up "You gotta go back and warn Sloane and the others" he said "Non posso. I mean, I'm done with the other side" Klaus said "Excuse us?" Zach and Luther asked out loud. 

"Yeah, I belong here. All my 'life' I've been a loser, I've been a freak, I've made mistake after mistake after mistake, but all of that was a sign, you see. It was a sign that this is my home. It's where I'm meant to be" Klaus said as both Zach and Luther looked at him in frustration.

 "You have the ability to go back and save them, and we don't. So use that 'cause home is where the heart is" Zach said.

"But this is my home. My heart is here" Klaus said "This shitty place?" Luther asked "Come on. I meant in the ethereal, silly, with you two and all our..." Klaus said and looked around to notice that there was no other than the three.

"Ghostly eternal pals" he finished "Where the does that leave us?" Zach and Luther asked "Eating pizza and watching cool documentaries with moi forever" Klaus said "So wait. You're just turning your back on your and Luther's family, on my parents, who is also your family?" Zach asked as he pointed his finger at him.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. They'll be here soon enough. Everyone dies eventually. Am I right?" Klaus asked "Mm" Luther said with a nod "Yeah, I mean we're dead, right?" he asked "As the Dougie, baby" Klaus said before he laugh "As the Dougie" he said as he started moving his body like he was dancing.

"Yeah" Luther said as he was following his movements in a mocking way.

"So what happens if I do this?" Luther asked before he swung a punch at Klaus causing him to let out a grunt as he roll backwards and out of his chair.

Klaus let out a groan as he rub his cheek before he got up and started laughing.

"Nice try, big guy, but there ain't no pain in the Void" Klaus said as he started dancing again.

"What about this?" Zach asked as she swung a kick at Klaus' face. Hard enough to knock someone out.

But nothing happen other than Klaus just started laughing. 

"Yeah. Take your best shot" Klaus said "Challenge accepted" Luther said as he pointed his finger at his brother.

---

"I can't believe you were just gonna blurt it out" Lila said "I'm sorry, alright? But maybe we should tell them about the baby" Diego said "No. Beside Natasha knows" Lila said "She knows?" he asked and she nodded "Yeah. And she is not gonna tell anyone. Beside I'd like to get through the mission before you throw a gender-reveal party" she said "Yeah, but imagine--" "Can you pass me the soy sauce, please?" she asked, cutting him off and Diego gave her the soy sauce.

"I don't get it. Like, we're with the people that loves us the most, okay? So why wouldn't we tell them? Huh? Things suck right now. And it would be nice to give the family something to fight for" he said "Can you shut up and eat your fish?" she said and he smiled "Okay. Okay" he said and kissed her on the cheek.

---

While Natasha was sitting on the couch trying to wipe the blood off her hands with a rage, Five and Viktor was sitting in the corner.

Five was wiping the last remind of Zach's blood off his hands while he was sobbing quietly.

"I'm so sorry about Zach and Luna, Five" Viktor said "I knew that we were gonna die, but I was hoping that we would be together in the end" Five said as he was looking down at his hands.

"I never got to say goodbye, I failed them both. I was so stupid and broken that I forgot to blink back and get Luna, I should have taken her when we heard the scream" Five said before he drop the rag and ran his fingers through his hair "It's okay to fall apart a little bit Five, they were your kids" Viktor as a tear ran down from Five's eyes.

"I failed them again even so I promised them that I wouldn't, but I did. It's my fault, I shouldn't have left either Luna or Zach out of my sight" he said "Five, I know how you feel, but you have to be strong for your kids. You still have Natasha" Viktor said "I know" Five said before he took a deep breath.

"I think Reginald killed my son and Luther and Klaus" Five said "What?" Viktor asked and Five nodded as he could feel the anger in him boiling up.

"No, he wouldn't do that" Viktor said as he shook his head "The Guardian killed Luther and Zach" Viktor said "I don't believe that. Zach is a train killer and assassin, so why would he even go in there. He was brave at the wrong time. Why didn't he just walk away. I will tell you, it was part of Reginald's plan, kill Luther, use him to bait and then lure Zach in which he did" Five said before he took a deep breath.

"It's like Reginald said. Once is incident, twice is coincidence and three time ain't gonna happen 'cause I'm not gibbering idiots" Five said "Well, we can't be sure he killed Klaus, Zach or Luther" Viktor said "You serious? This is his modus operandi. We've seen this before. Have you forgotten how we all came together in the first place?" Five asked "Dad's funeral" Viktor said "Exactly. He pulled this on you rubes before, and he's doing it again now. He knew about how I time traveled, that I didn't listen to him and that the first time I did something went wrong. How...." "How would he know that unless..." Viktor trailed "We can't trust him" Five murmured.

"Come on, Five " Viktor said "No. He lost the vote to come through the tunnel, yet here we are" Five said "Are you really sure that he would kill Luther and Zach?" Viktor asked "I think he could kill Zach, Luther, Klaus, and the rest of us without breaking a moral sweat. He has no remorse for the lives he is taken. Reginald only saw us as weapons of varying usefulness, and only cared about what benefits, if any, we would provide him. He was a cold and emotionally distant parent to us. He emotionally abused us. When we were kids all we ever wanted was for him to love us and he fed us to the wolves...He never cared if we lived or died, as long as it fit in with his plans. He never loved us. He had so little love, that he treats people like objects. Especially us, because for him we were just things, objects for him to use in his plan" Five said before he took a deep breath "And what's worse I think Allison is involved in this plan of his" he said "No. No" Viktor said with a scoff as he looked over at Allison who was sitting with Sloane by the stairs, cleaning the blood off their hands.

"I hate to say the things everyone says" Sloane said "Mourning in cliché is the last thing you need to worry about" Allison said and Sloane let out a sniff "I know everything is ending but I thought we'd be together when it happened" she said while sobbing "I didn't even get to say goodbye" she said and Allison grabbed her hand "I got to say goodbye to my daughter...and my husband. But it wasn't enough. Feelings are just...They're too big for words. Luther loved you to the moon and back" Allison said and Sloane chuckled "You made him so happy" Allison said and Sloane let out a sob.

"No, she...she was with Sloane in the tunnel" Viktor said as he looked back at Five "I'm not talking about Klaus" Five said.

"Luther and Zach?" Viktor asked before he shook his head "What? No, she would never do that" he said "She's been unraveling since we got to this timeline" Five said "Yeah, she lost her daughter" Viktor said "And she killed Harlan" Five said as he looked at Viktor "Why would she kill them. She would never do that?" Viktor asked "This Allison would" Five said.

"Even if you're right. I can't imagine they're just gonna come clean if we confront them" Viktor said "I agree" Five said before he looked over at Natasha.

"Don't tell Natasha. If she finds out hell will break lose and once she does. You shall be careful what step you take and what you say to her" Five said before he turned his head to look at Viktor "When Natasha is in her killer, angry or this mood right now, no one can stop her" he said "Not even you?" Viktor asked "Sometimes, but not all the times, she almost cut off my finger one time when she was in her full killer and anger mood cause she was really pissed off. I tried to calm her down and I almost lost a finger. I still have it, 'cause my reflex was fast enough" Five replied "Are you scared of her?" Viktor asked "Sometimes, when she is really mad and is in her killing mood" Five answered "I don't get it, you have dealt and survived three apocalypses but you are scared of your own girlfriend" Viktor said "You would too, if you knew what she is cable of and what she can do to someone. Remember she spend more time in The Commission than me, she almost lost her humanity and emotions if it wasn't for me" he said before he got up and walked over to the couch where Natasha was sitting.

"Here, let me" Five said as he took the rag out of her hand and he started cleaning the blood off her hands, tears was running down from their eyes.

Both Natasha and Five saw their kids' laugh and smile in their mind.

The scars and the wounds
I wear them proud like tattoos
Reminds me that I lost you
Reminds me that I'll Be living this life so patient
Until I see you again, it's war we're facing

"It's my fault" Natasha cried "No Love, it's not your fault" Five said "I know that everything was ending but I thought that the four of us would be together when it happened" she said while sobbing "We didn't even get to say goodbye" she cried and Five let out sob "And Luna. She died alone" she said said as tears was running down from their eyes.

"At least there was no pain, she was fast asleep. But I failed them both" Five cried, his voice breaking.

Natasha then pulled up a picture before looking at it. It was a picture of Five, Natasha, Zach and Luna all looking at the camera while smiling.

"Love that picture" he said and Natasha started sobbing again.

Five then took a deep breath before he put her face in his hands as he turned her head to look at him.

She could see that tears was in his eyes also, and he was just as sad and in pain as she was but he was able to control it.

"They are in a better place now, honey" he said as he stroke his thumb down her cheek "We can't let their death be in vain, if we do this, they can rest in peace" he said "I don't know how to live with this pain" she cried "Neither do I. But we have to live, we know that both Zach and Luna wanted us to live and that's what we are gonna do" he said.

"I love you" she said "I love you too" he said before they rested their forehead against each other "They will always be with us" he sob.

I know that if I die, my only choice is still defending

"Don't leave me too" she said "I wouldn't, never" he said before the two wrapped their arms around each other.

No matter what they say
My love for you is greater than their powers
And their armies from above

---

Luther was chasing Klaus around trying to punch him "Come on, man. Listen to me. I'm not going back down there to get slapped around and there's nothing you can do about it" Klaus said "You are so incredibly selfish. Do you know that?" Luther asked "Yeah, did you ever think this isn't just about you? You can save them, warn them before it's too late" Zach said.

"Just relax. Don't worry. You have all the time in the world to get over it" Klaus said as they both stopped running.

"You are fucking unbelievable" Zach said before he grabbed Klaus' shirt.

"That's it" Luther said before he let out a grunt as he lifted Klaus up and threw him into the side of a mountain but they just heard Klaus giggled as he phases through it.

"Yeah, I should have warn you about that" Zach said "Shit" Luther said  "Come on" Zach said before the two ran through the mountain appearing in a different afterlife.

The two looked around the field off grass "Come on" Klaus said while Luther looked around confused "I had to die, like a million times before figuring that one out" Klaus said but then Luther grabbed his throat "Again?" Klaus asked while choking.

Luther lifted Klaus up "Yes, again" he said and they both left out a grunt as Luther threw him towards a barn's wall.

But just last time, he just phases through it and Zach followed after him, phasing through and landed on a bouncy castle.

"This is someone's idea of heaven?" Klaus asked as he looked around.

But then Luther pashed through again, landing next to Klaus.

"What the---" "Hey buddy" Klaus said with a smile and Luther looked at him "You" he said "No" Klaus said as he tried to crawl away "Get back here. Get back here" Luther said as he grabbed Klaus' foot which cause him to giggled "That tickles" he said with a smile.

 "Can you boys stop fighting, you may be dead, but you are adult. And if you two don't stop fighting, this heaven will turn into hell for you two!" Zach said out loud and Luther let go of Klaus.

"You may not feel pain, but I can throw you through walls for all eternity, Klaus" Luther threated as he pointed his finger at him "You will never get a moment of peace and quiet. I will never stop" he said.

"No, no, no, no, no" Klaus said as he stood back up "The Void is my house. It might be a bouncy house, but it's mine" Klaus said "You don't want to help the family, fine" Luther said as he also stood up.

"But the love of my life is walking into hell" Luther said "And my parentes is also walking into hell, into a trap, and they don't even know it, so help us with helping them" Zach said.

"I don't know if I can. I mean, who knows where they even went" Klaus said "Klaus, this is your house" Luther said as he put his hands on Klaus' shoulders "Yeah" Klaus nodded "You just said it" Luther said "Yeah" Klaus said "You...are the king of death" Luther said "Oh, that's a little grandiose. i mean, I prefer to think of myself as...the Prince of Darkness" Klaus said.

"Whatever" Zach and Luther said "I believe in you, brother" Luther said before he put his hands on Klaus' cheek "You can do anything" he said.

But then the three looked to the side to see a punch of kids looking at them "Oh hey" Klaus said "Hey" Zach and Luther said "Sorry for crashing your party" Klaus said before the two brother looked back at each other.

"Okay, fine. Oaky. Listen, we'll do it" Klaus said and Luther removed his hands from his face "We'll try, okay?" Klaus said "Okay" the two said.

"Also, just like on a motivational scale of one to, like, Braveheart..." Klaus said "Yeah?" Luther and Zach nodded "...This was like half a Rudy" Klaus said "All, right, notes later, Pal. Notes later" Luther said "I thought you could probably do better" Klaus said.

"Okay, how did you do it last time?" Zach asked "I just woke up" Klaus said "Yeah, but did it just happen or do you have to think about something?" Zach asked.

"My body" Klaus said "Then do that. Picture your physical body, how it feels to actually be in your body, think of your five senses, memories, the people you're going back to. The people you love" Zach said "Okay, I will try" Klaus said before he looked at the two.

"I will go back and warn them, save them, and then kick Reginald's ass" Klaus said "That's the sprit. Tell my parents that I love them, I proud of being their son, and I will always be with them. Tell them that I will take care of Luna" Zach said "I will" Klaus said.

---

Allison followed after Reginald up on the second floor "We need to talk" she said "I'm quite busy. Can it wait?" Reginald asked "No, it can't. Luther, Zach and Klaus, did you kill them?" Allison asked "There's a guardian lurking in the corridors of this hotel. We have to defeat it for this mission to succeed. What benefit would I gain killing three members of our team?" Reginald asked "Answer the question" Allison said "I believe I just did" Reginald said "If I find out you're bullshitting me, old man, the deal is off" Allison said "I can assure you I will keep my side of our agreement, and I expect you to do the same" Reginald said.

Then Ben walked up to them and Allison walked away, angry bumping her shoulder into Ben as he walked downstairs.

"What was that all about?" Ben asked "That's none of your concern" Reginald said "Not my concern? We're here now, in the Hotel Oblivion. Just like you wanted. I made that happen" Ben said "Don't be ridiculous. Allison killed Harlan, and I united the families. What did you do, Number Two?" Reginald asked before he walked downstairs.

"Gather up, children" Reginald said as he walked down the stairs "Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath, the real work can begin" he said as they all walked over to him.

"Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath, the real work can begin" he said "Ah, the myth of the seven bells, eh?" Five asked as they all gather up "Exactly. Somebody's been paying attention" Reginald said as Five put his hands in his pockets.

"Okay, so we find the bells, then what?" Diego asked and Reginald shook his head "No, no, no. The bells are just a metaphor for this" Reginald said before he turned his book around and showed the page to the others.

As soon as Natasha and Five saw the sigil, they match it with the tattoo that Five have inked into his chest.

"The sigil" they said "Correct, Number Five and Natasha. The sigil is the key to the seven bells. Once we find this symbol, we're one step closer to resetting the universe" Reginald said "What do we do when we find it?" Sloane asked "I don't know" Reginald said.

"I'm sorry...You don't know!? What the hell do you mean 'You don't know'?" Natasha asked "Excuse me? We're here because you said you have a plan" Viktor said "Yeah, what exactly is your plan?" Natasha asked "I do have a plan" Reginald said "A full plan?" Natasha asked.

"Up to a point" Reginald said "Great. So we'll just stay in the hotel forever, staring at the walls and eating bad sushi" Lila said sarcastically

"Finding the sigil is our only way out of here and the best chance we have of resetting the universe" Allison said "Funny how you and Reginald are on the same page again" Five said.

As Allison didn't respond and she only glare at Five, 'cause him to get more suspicious of her.

"Okay, uh, where we do start?" Viktor asked "We'll split into groups. I will go with Allison and Sloane. Ben and Five with Viktor. Natasha goes alone" Reginald said.

"No, we want Allison" Viktor said "Ben for Allison. We've trained together, so it makes more sense if we take Allison" Five said as he pointed between himself, Viktor and Allison.

"Yeah. No, thanks" Allison said "Why not?" Viktor asked but Allison didn't answer.

"Splendid idea. Allison, you go with the Umbrellas. Sparrows, stick together" Reginald said.

"I want my girlfriend too" Five said and Reginald looked at him "We are partners in crime and have being that for almost two decades, we trained and work together so it makes sense, beside I can't focus without her not with me" he said "I will be fine Five. I can do this" Natasha said and he looked at her not really happy about this.

"I will be fine. I promise, you don't have to follow me all the time even so you promised. It wouldn't be long and then we are together again" she said "Just be careful" he said "I will, I promise. You know me" she said before she gave him a quick kiss.

"Everyone take a different floor. We must find that sigil" Reginald said.

"What about us?" Diego asked him "You're duo. Nobody wants to listen to your endless bickering. Now, spread out, leave no stone unturned, and meet back here in 30 minutes" Reginald said as they all started to split up.

Five let out a secret whistle causing Natasha to turn around before she replied with a secret whistle and the two sent each other a nod before walking each way.

"This is total waste of time" Ben said  "Did you hear that? He called us a duo. I think your father is starting to grow on me" Lila said.

Ben, Reginald and Sloane made their way to the elevator but Reginald stopped when Ben and Sloane entered.

"I forgot my journal. Go on. I'll meet you on five" Reginald told the two.

Before the Sparrow could answer, the elevator door closed and Reginald turned to look at the bell on the receptions' desk.

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