Gene gets up, he doesn't speak, he only glares. He approaches Manny... and walks right past him. Everyone is confused, myself included. Uhhh... Gene? Ya still with us man?

"Come out," he demands, "I know you're here Reaper."

A man with a scythe melts out of the darkness of the back corner of the throne room.

"Hello," he smirks, "false king."

"Let's get to the point," Gene retorts, "in the words of my late brother...

PUBLICATION IN PROGRESS."

This phrase, Manny's heard it before. He suddenly collapses from a splitting headache and has a flashback.

Edgar stands before him, rage in his eyes, a pen in his left hand.

"You," he growls, "you tell my brother to kill himself. You've messed with the king, now you face God!"

Edgar attacks. The flashback ends.

Wake the Hell up!

Manny opens his eyes to Marcie slapping him in the face. Reaper is long gone.

"Every damn time," Gene mumbles, "hey, Manny OK over there?"

"I'm fine," Manny rolls to bluff, as the implications of his vision disturb him. Could the readers, could he, have really killed Edgar?

He gets nineteen.

"Yeah," he replies, "I'm all good."

"OK," Gene replies, "Reaper fled, so I'll have Nathan track him down."

Gods dammit.

"Until then, Marcie, my advisor, Silkress has fallen. You are to replace her. I offer you a wing in my palace, and anything you require."

"Great!" Marcie smiles, "I'm on team Gene all the way!"

"Hey," Pheonix speaks up nervously, "can we talk?"

Gene looks at Pheonix, silent for a moment.

"Nah," he replies.

He rolls to manipulate location, and he's gone.

Pheonix seems kinda hurt by this. Meanwhile, Marcie is walking up to Manny.

"Hey," she smiles, "since this is an intermission, wanna hang out for some filler?"

Actually, you'll be able to do two of these three things, but I need to speak to you if I can. It's... important.

Phoenix looks at the throne. They stare at it, thinking and then quickly walk away towards the cemetery.

Manny has a choice to make...