Riley decides to hang out with Phoenix. She's down at Gene's palace.

"Thanks," Riley replies.

Riley walks towards the palace, looking at the kingdom. The air reeks of death now, and the infrastructure appears to be in a state of decay as buildings and roads appear to be on the brink of collapse. the air is sticky and hot, as citizens glare at Riley.

"Failure!" one yells.

"You're running this world into the ground!" a demon taunts.

Ignore them. It's OK. I'm here for you. You've done nothing wrong.

"Am I..." Riley asks, "really a failure?"

No! Riley, trust me, you're doing the right thing. This world will die soon anyways. Just keep walking.

"OK," Riley replies, "I'll keep going."

She continues until she turns the corner, ignoring further ridicule from angered mortals as the palace comes into view. Te crystal is now black, and an unholy aura surrounds it. Phoenix stands at the front gate, deep in thought.

"Hey Phoenix," Riley smiles, "what's up?"

"Oh," Phoenix replies, "I'm just thinking. We've got just more more quest, right?"

"Yeah," Riley replies, "after that, we're done, and the book ends, so this is my last real chance to talk to Gene. He loves Sour, and I have Sour's soul. So, why  don't I try to be like Sour?"

Riley thinks about what to say. She has a choice to make...