"When we say reality, what do we really mean? In the 1800s, the best 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 believe we rode on the back of four flying turtles or on the horns of a White Buffalo," The man of the tiny television spoke as Luther watched with interest. Klaus reached over to one of the pizza boxes resting on the coffee table, seemingly bored with the program and only caring about the food.

But when he bit into his slice of pizza, he tasted the chunky and sweet texture of pineapple. The one thing he couldn't stand on a pizza. "Why would you put this on something so delicious?" He mumbled. "You know, when we think about it, we are just tiny specks of sand in a desert full of other sand," Luther said, not paying attention to his brother. "It's a garnish for cocktails at best. I guess the real question to ask is, why is it on my pizza?"

"Klaus, are you even listening?" Luther turned away from the television, picking up on his ramble. "Yeah sure, we're insignificant in all things, blah blah blah. Sorry, I'm not a stoned undergrad sitting in freshman philosophy," Klaus threw the half-eaten slice into an empty box, crossing his arms as he laid back on the recliner. Out of the corner of his eye, Luther could tell something seemed a bit off. Everything surrounding the makeshift living room was sand for miles.

"Wait a second, where exactly are we?" the Ape-Man questioned. "We're dead, man. Welcome to my hood!" Klaus answered, swallowing the last of his beer. Luther's eyes widened, hoping that the junkie was playing some trick on him. But the more the words echoed in his mind, he remembered how he died, and how he left everybody, including his new wife behind. "I... I'm dead?" He stuttered. "Yeah, and I'm so glad to be here for your first time 'cause it's kind of a weird feeling," Klaus smiled.

Luther rested his hand against his forehead, trying to accept what had happened, but every time he thought about the circumstances, the more freaked out he became. "Oh my god, Dad killed me!" he gaped. "Oh my god, he killed me too! A lot," the junkie said. Luther grabbed his hand and pulled him close, his eyes the size of saucers with realization. "He's an alien!" "We're trying not to use that terminology here. And I know, it's whoa PC, but you could say he's British," Klaus explained.

But Luther shook his head, claiming what he was saying was true, describing that he was a bug person from outer space and how Reginald had stabbed him with what appeared to be a mantis arm, curved like a blade. "Oh god... Klaus! You gotta go back and warn Sloane and the others!" the Ape-Man insisted. "Non Posso, I'm done with the other side. I belong here," Number Four said as he took in the sunshine beaming down on him.

"All my life, I've been a loser, I've been a freak. I've made mistake after mistake, but all that was a sign. It was a sign that this is my home." Luther scoffed at the explanation, and he fought back the urge to knock him to the ground. "So wait, you're gonna turn your back on our family? What about Dusk? Don't you care about her?" Klaus immediately stood from his seat and stormed over to him. "Of course I do! But everybody dies eventually. They'll be here soon enough!" 

Luther shook his head, turning his gaze back to the still glowing television. And before Klaus could see it coming, Luther swung his head back, punching him in the jaw and sending him flying backward. After a few seconds, Klaus got up and started laughing. "Nice try, big guy! But there's no pain in the void!"

The Ape-man ran towards him, but this time, Klaus was quick to make his attempt at an escape. "Listen to me, I'm not going back down there to get slapped around!" the junkie insisted. "You are so incredibly selfish! You know that?" Luther growled. "Relax, big guy! You'll have all the time in the world to get over it!" Klaus sprinted over one of the sofas, nearly crashing into the TV.

Luther reached over and grabbed him, throwing him towards a wall of dirt and grass. But instead of making impact, Klaus mysteriously disappeared. Still fueled with anger, but concerned, Luther ran through the invisible portal, appearing in a cornfield near a barn. "I had to die a million times to figure that out!" Klaus chuckled. Without warning, Luther picked him up by the throat and threw him towards the barn. 

Once again, it was another invisible portal to someone's idea of heaven. Landing on the ground with a bouncy impact, Klaus looked around to see he was now in a giant bouncy house, off in the distance, kids were having a birthday party. The portal opened up and Luther fell right next to him. "Hey, buddy!" He smiled. Luther let out a snarl that almost resembled a wolf, and Klaus tried to run, but Luther grabbed at his leg, making the junkie giggle at his ticklishness.

"You may not be able to feel pain, but I can throw you through walls for all of eternity, Klaus!" Luther threatened. "No! The void is my house! It might be a bouncy house, but it's mine!" Klaus insisted. The Ape-man stumbled as he tried to stand up on the inflatable. Having exhausted all his anger, he hoped that somehow, his next statement would get through to Klaus. "You don't wanna help the family, fine. But the love of my life is walking into hell, so is yours," He pleaded.

"I don't even know if I can. Who knows where they even went!" Klaus sighed. Luther placed his strong hands on Klaus's arms, seeing the fear in his eyes. "Klaus, you said it yourself! You're the King of Death!" Luther spoke. "That's a bit too fancy, how about the Prince of Darkness?" Klaus said, a side smile forming. "Okay fine, Prince of Darkness. Bottom line is, I believe in you, brother," Luther's hands went to the junkie's face, and Luther said with a smile. "You can do anything,"

His brother's words of encouragement really gave Klaus the strength to warn his family of Reginald and once again reunite with his phoenix. You can do it, Klaus. You can do it! His inner consciousness chanted. "Yes, I CAN do it!" He nodded, feeling much more confident.

~~~~~~~

"Gather up, children! Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath, the real work can begin," Reginald declared, stepping back onto the ground level from the left staircase. "Let me guess, the myth of the eight bells?" Five questioned. "Exactly! Someone's been paying attention!" the old man nodded. "Okay, so we find the bells, then what?" Diego asked.

The monocle shook his head, claiming that the eight bells he mentioned were a metaphor. He flipped his booklet around so everyone could see sketches of a star and an array of lines, dots, and squares all connecting. "So, a sigil?" Dusk queried. "Correct! The sigil is the key to the eight bells. Once we find this symbol, we're one step closer to resetting the universe," Reginald nodded.

"What do we do when we find it?" Dahlia asked. Reginald paused as he looked over at her. "I don't know." Confusion spread across everyone's faces. He was their key to fixing this mess. And the said mess could not be fixed if they didn't know what their next course of action was. "We're here because you said you have a plan!" Viktor folded his arms across his chest. "I do! Up to a point," Reginald admitted.

Well, I guess we're gonna be stuck in this place forever... Dusk stared at the ground, biting her tongue to prevent words of regret from spewing out. "Finding the sigil is our only way out of here and the best chance we got to resetting the universe," Allison spoke up. The Hargreeves twins looked over at her, their eyes narrowing at the same time. "Funny how you and Dad are on the same page again," the raven said, with a hint of venom. 

Viktor could see the tension from a mile away and had to break it. "Where do we start?" He asked Reginald. "We split into groups. I will go with Allison, Sloane, and Dahlia. Ben and Five with Viktor, Dusk, and Victoria," the monocle instructed. "No, we want Allison," Dusk furrowed her brow. "Ben for Allison," Victoria added. Five joined in with his sister and girlfriend, noting that since they trained together, it was only fair they stuck together.

Allison rolled her eyes, saying that she didn't want to do that. But Viktor insisted on the matter, claiming it sounded reasonable and fair enough. The Rumor opened her mouth to speak, but when a good enough excuse was unable to come out, she caved into the pressure. "Splendid idea! Allison, you can go with the Umbrellas. Sparrows stick together. Everyone takes a different floor," Reginald instructed. 

"What about us?" Diego asked. "Nobody needs to hear your endless bickering, so you're a duo. Everyone meets back here in half an hour." With that final statement, everyone separated into their groups, and took the elevators, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of the sigil.