Reiss thrust open double doors, entering the theatre. A place that took after Earth movie theatres. This place would allow crowds to gather and watch any memory Reiss chose. The alternative was to walk through every door in the mansion.

The theatre was an extension, or a hub, if you will, of every memory. It was the place that layered a memory over his eyes when he thought about it.

In the [Memory Mansion], one format memory took were separate rooms in which to enter. Crystalized memory was the other. The latter could be inserted into a movie player and would then play on the big screen.

"None of you have seen the enemy, and my words are just words. You may believe me or not, but seeing things are different. William, you have seen a play have you not? Jesters and actors?"

"On occasion."

"You all have seen paintings of people or landscapes?"

Stiff nods all around.

"This theatre is like if you were to have a level 60 [Painter] create an absolute image. Then at level 80, that same [Painter] gained the [Moving Image} skill. Then try imagining that image moving for hours, no two seconds the same. This is a moving picture where the crowd watches as if they were watching a play. Each '[Actor]' would be around level 40, but since everything you are about to see is real, that point is moot."

The analogy worked for them. Nelson blanched. Gideon was fascinated.

"Such a thing shouldn't be possible. No one has ever reached level 80. The highest level [Painter] in existence was Senior Lang at level 52. He created immense murals depicting scenes of battles where the scenes moved, and you could hear the cries of battle. His audience cried upon glimpsing his work for meer moments."

"All well and good for Senior Lang. He doesn't hold a candle to this. The Earthbound use these movie theatres daily, all for entertainment. My memory theatre is a step up. The sound is immersive, and it allows you to smell as well."

Marcine looked skeptical, and Lionel actually seemed excited by this motion.

"I made sure to leave taste and touch out. Having you taste bile or feel the extent of my wounds would be needlessly cruel."

Gideon shook his head in a furious nodding motion, clearly unwell at just imagining it. Cray seemed... disappointed?

"If you would like a private viewing of any of these events with every feature on, let me know, Cray."

Cray was always the one who preferred action instead of words. Scratching the stubble on his chin, Cray grunted in acknowledgment.

"Alright, that's enough theatrics from me. Take a seat and look ahead. I will start the first movie. Please try to refrain from making excessive noise while the movie is playing."

They always chattered while watching. It was a pet peeve of his.

As the captains escorted William to the centermost position, the others naturally took positions around him, as if shielding him with their bodies even here. Gideon squeezed his squat form into a cushion between Quinnerva and Krom. Quinnerva reluctantly set her shield aside so it didn't rub against her back or didn't block the view. Cray was the odd man out as he sat in the top corner on overwatch.

Krom was on the outskirts of the group, even if he still sat next to them. He was pleased to see no one present was intimidated by his size. The fact that the imperial crown would hire him was still bouncing around inside his mind. Krom was always the one to go with the flow of things. So, instead of panicking or trying to process all that has happened since this morning, he shoved a fist into a pocket and retrieved some burnt crispies to snack on.

Reiss smirked as Krom was the only one to grasp the right mood for a theatre. Looking away, he moved to the projection room.

Reiss spent most of his first day back internally debating whether or not to show them the usual sequence of memories. It began with a nuke, then a magical explosion second only to a nuke, then a dark implosion. Each shattered the Captial and the Palance of Dreams. Then on it went to show the various races' attack methods and ways to best them. It was a purely strategic film meant to scare the viewer and then get them thinking about countermeasures.

After a fierce internal debate, however, Reiss constructed something with a bit more... personality. Shoving a sparkling prismatic gem inside a projection device, Reiss started the movie.

=

Two oversized eyes blinked adorably. A round furry creature with short spindly arms and legs wiggled in Reiss' grip. A purple and pink striped munchkin that cooed softly. It smelled like strawberries.

Reiss shook the cartoonish creature up and down rapidly, his hands becoming a blur of motion. The large violet eyes rolled back in its head.

Setting the creature down gently, it attempted to walk. It was only about three feet high as it twirled dizzily, its eyes rolling in its head as it tried to wander back to a gaggle of its brethren. The others waved their short arms animatedly, coaxing their friend back to them. They blew raspberries.

Several long and dizzy moments later, the creature successfully rejoined the group of its vibrantly multi-colored friends. It shook its head vigorously, orienting itself. It turned back to Reiss, jumping up and down while waving its arms in gleeful goodbye.

Reiss' hand waved back.

*Splat*

The group of Luddles transformed into a gory rainbow of colors. A massive blocky foot lifted away, taking chunks of sparkly Luddle bits with it. Reiss lolled his head back. Gazing up, and up, and up. Sixty feet tall, an icy cold blue, made of smooth angular blocks, the new creature wielded an icicle club longer than its arm.

Reiss cried out as the club came screaming towards him. The image turned black.

=

"Luddles and Ice Giants. You will see more of them. Calm down. Just watch until the end."

=

The scene changed. Reiss walked down a busy street as humans passed by each other in massive numbers. The cacophony of noise, traffic, and city life reached his ears. Complex machines covered in shiny metal puffed out smoke and shone with fluorescent light. Dozens of the machines rolled down an asphalted road on rubber wheels. The surrounding architecture rose into the heavens and scraped the sky. Metal and glass. High up above soared a metal bird that roared as it passed by—the smell of sulfur.

An explosion rocked the city's foundation as body parts flew. Screams and cries of panic as pedestrians shoved each other out of the way, fleeing for their lives. A baby carriage wheeled to a halt, no sound coming from within.

Cut to war in the streets. A blockade of armored vehicles with armed men in uniforms holding the line against dark, demonic figures as black as night. They screeched and howled as they charged forwards with abandon. The humans aimed their weapons. A cacophony of pops and sparks caused the charging horde to drop like flies, pieces of them exploding outwards.

A hulking, furry demon the size of a bus charged, bowling over its allies as it cleared the distance. The slobbering beast shrugged off the firey human projectiles, crashing into and trampling the blockade like it was made of paper-mache. A boom and the creature collapsed in on itself as a heavily armored vehicle rolled into place. It fired at the gawking horde of demons, tearing them to pieces. A sonic boom resounded as metal birds weaved carnage through the angular streets, carpet bombing the demons to ash.

Darkness. Reiss walked in darkness. There was no light, only shadow. In replacement of light, red and blue shadows served. Highlighting objects and hulking figures. A creature with mouths spread all across its torso, constantly shrieking, passed him by like he didn't exist. Its breath was fouler than a goblin's arse. Another demon wrapped in jangling chains floated towards a display of cages to peruse the wares. Inside the cages, huddled in the corners, were humans. Outlined in red shadow, they whimpered and cried—children shivering in feces. A nearby demon with a goat's head chopped a child in two and served it raw to another like a street vendor. Reiss yacked, losing whatever contents remained inside his stomach.

He wiped his mouth and turned towards a new destination but was interrupted by glowing orange eyes. The view followed toppled to the ground along with Reiss's severed head.

A cold wasteland. Tundra. Snow and ice. Mountain peaks made the wind shrill. Moving dots on the horizon marked the inhabitants of this world, visible for miles; they were giants birthed and sculpted of ice.

Reiss hugged thick furs to himself as he trudged through the snow, ignoring the howling wind that deafened him. Leagues away, an avalanche crashed down a mountain and drew the attention of all the world's inhabitants. The mountain of ice crumbled as a titan's finger scooted over the rubble. Reiss followed the digit up. He traced it to the sky where twin blue suns flared with activity. The cosmically large head angled itself and seemed to pinpoint the intruder in its land. Reiss heard a cracking noise and found it was his hand that cracked like glass. It didn't stop. More sharp snapping and Reiss shattered. The remnant of his eye watched as the titan glanced away. The howling wind was all that remained. Then it, too, died...

A meeting.

William sat across from a tall furry creature with a snout. The gnoll blew out smoke after inhaling from a pipe. Reiss held in a cough as the smoke wafted towards him, overwhelmed by the overbearing scent of cinnamon. Across from Reiss was a strange man who looked like a pear wearing a wetsuit. A few other obscure races were sitting with the Gnoll Delegation and sharing worried glances. Quinnerva stood nearby, eyeing the pear as the [Emperor] slapped his knee.

"Then, we are in agreement?"

William's voice.

"Yes."

A scratchy, robotic voice emulated the language. It came from the pear-shaped figure.

"It is so."

The gnoll rumbled.

Relieved, Reiss sighed through his nose as William and the Gnoll shook hands. Then everything fell apart as the ground vibrated with innumerable howls. William perished with a spear through his heart. Reiss heard Quinnerva scream as she charged forward. The pear pointed a small device and her cry ended as her head popped like a watermelon.

The tent collapsed as Reiss retreated, running from a losing fight. Outside, Nelson appeared, clinging to Reiss. The young man tried to outlive the arrows sprouting from his back. Reiss pushed him aside, avoiding the next barrage of arrows. Cray fired back into the furry sea before dropping as an arrow took him in the eye. Gideon already laid dead on wet ground. A dozen spears just skewered Charles. A hole blasted its shape into Reiss' torso. Absently looking down, he tried to cover it with a hand. The sticky, squelching sound queued the collapse to his knees. The last vision Reiss had was a horde of millions that shifted across the vast plains like brown grass. Canine howls of pain and sorrow carving his eardrums.

Then all was peaceful.

Countless trees supported a canopy high above. Some spanned wider than mountains and taller than skyscrapers. Eldens flew through the trees like flocks of organized traffic with the support of innate magic. The entire area smelling strongly of sap and wildflowers.

Reiss walked along the ground next to a thin Elden woman with prismatic purple hair. Lizzy meandered through the crowd, getting hostile stares from adults and children alike.

"Do you ever mind the stares?"

Lizzy tilted her head in puzzlement.

"Why would I? I am the strongest. Even if I killed the Queen, I still saved the world from extinction. They can hate my genius all they want, but they can't deny I'm their savior. I finally became the Hero I always wanted to be."

Lizzy beamed brightly, puffing out her chest. Her accent sounded strangely like the Irish from Earth.

"Besides, they are staring at the Aurelian walking beside me. It doesn't help you look like an Earthbound. Qorxau, every last one of them."

She spat, cursing humans.

"I still don't know what that word means."

"You don't need to. It is a curse like any other. You always want to know everything. Can't be happy with just walking next to a pretty lady, could ya?"

Reiss poked her in the side.

"Hypocrite. Who is the one who always needs to dissect and examine anything new?"

A shout of pain cut off Lizzy's reply. Looking off to their left, they saw a teenager collapse, crying hoarsely. The duo rushed over; Lizzy arrived and set the man on his side. Shivering and covered in sickly purple veins, the cerulean leylines running along his skin were pulsating weakly.

"Plague."

Several more shouts and cries reverberated off acoustic tree trunks as civilians ran away, mothers taking flight with their clumsy children. Lizzy's purple eyes glowed as the magic leylines on her skin thrummed. Magic poured through her them and down to her hands, supplying the dying teenager with ample mana to survive the night.

"It's okay. He is still in the early stage. I can heal him. I just have to–"

*Wham*

Reiss looked off to the left as a crumpled and bloody corpse crashed near them. A soft whimper could be heard as the small child cowered in the broken arms of his deceased mother.

*WHAM*

Another fell nearby. Another broken form.

"No!"

Lizzy cried out as bodies fell from the sky. A macabre rainfall as Eldens dropped like gnats. Their bodies painted the ground in splatters of oozing blood. It soaked the roots of ancient trees, the lush green canopy mutating into a menacing crimson. The stench of death, gore, and bodily fluids permeated the air through a thick layer of ozone. Surviving Elden children were crushed by adults still falling.

Bugs.

Lizzy started convulsing, dropping the man she was holding. Reiss rushed to support her. The magical leylines across her body bled a sickly green, turning black with malformity. Reiss held her in his arms, not knowing what to do.

"...humans. Earthbound and Orilsi. Demons, too. Qorxau..."

Her normal stream of cursing came out strained and throaty. Tears dripped onto Lizzy's face, curving down her cheeks as if they were her own. Reiss couldn't stop shaking.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lizzy. I didn't expect this. This–this has never happened and, and... I don't know what to do. What do I do, Lizzy? No, you can't die. No! Please! Please. NO! Not again. Don't leave me again."

His voice quivered as tears continued to fall. Lizzy's body was ashen as she mumbled her last words.

"Hah. Hahaha... Thwarted again, huh? Do me a favor, Reesy?"

Reiss' vision was hazy and unclear as he tried to blink tears away; his nodding kept switching between yes and no. No, don't go. Yes, of course, anything.

"Show that Qorxau of an [Emperor] this moment. I think he needs a laugh."

The picture swam and shook. Reiss crumbled as Lizzy's eyes lost their light.

The scene blinked out of existence.

=

"Greetings, your majesty."

The throne room. An arrow sprouted from his chest. Fade to black.

"Your majesty, I-"

His head fell to the floor. The perspective rolled.

"[Emperor], I have requested an audience to-"

Lightning. The smell of his own charred flesh.

"WILLIAM!"

The executioner's blade.

Reiss sat on a grassy prairie, looking up at Aurelia's night sky. The stars hung in the heavens, twinkling a message. Crickets chirped and fireflies danced in the night. Looking down, Reiss twirled a flower between his fingers. A Winter Sprite lay in his hands. Frost glittered off the flower, mimicking the stars above. Faint sounds of children playing and giggling could be heard.

The scene cut strangely. Fizzling out.

Reiss stood before a mirror. The long white hair wasn't what he was used to. It felt strange as it tumbled down his back. Heavy as it weighed against his head. The weight of his failure. A mass of sins.

Tired, his eyes appeared ancient, and the white hair made him look old beyond his years, even as he sparkled in stardust.

"Fools."

His mouth moved. Reiss sighed and adjusted himself as he leaned against the nightstand. Slowly, he inched forward. Looking deeper into his own eyes.

"You didn't believe me. I've shown you the truth countless times. Been called a liar or a charlatan. Executed and killed. I've fought your war alone. Well... If you still don't grasp the situation, you Qorxau FUCKERS!"

Spit landed on the mirror.

"Then maybe watching your precious Empire get blown to smithereens will convince you."

Reiss smiled happily.

Cut. Back in the fields, staring at the Winter Sprite.

Reiss removed his eyes from the majestic flower, looking out at a city countless miles away. The distant night lights glittered against the starscape background. It felt like hours before the motion picture changed. Reiss saw a miniscule speck fall.

Crickets fell silent. The fireflies stopped glowing. The birds flew.

A Flash of White.

Reiss shaded his eyes as a billowing mushroom cloud of fire and death reach higher and higher. After a minute, the shockwave hit him and he rolled backward. Clutching futilely onto the grass, the force of air carried him into the sky.

Landing with a thud and a wheeze, Reiss rolled over onto his back. With a shuddering, wet gurgle Reiss aimed his gaze up and saw the night turned to day, a tree of orange fire blooming miles into the sky. Air whistled past him as it tried to return where it previously inhabited.

Cut. Reiss was still smiling.

"And again."

Reiss was flying. Propelled forward by magic, he flew toward the capital like a rocket, trying to make it in time. The chill of the night air frosted his fingers and made his nose runny. Ahead, the capital exploded in light. Fire washed over it in a tidal wave, moving from one end to another, gaining traction and oxygen. A horizontal landside of fire blew away the capital. Rubble came showering in his general direction. Reiss dodged left only to be crushed by a castle tower.

Cut. Reiss grinned maliciously. He spoke erotically.

"And again."

Reiss just passed the gatehouse. It was noon, and the commoners walked the streets trading goods and delivering supplies. White noise made Reiss rub one ear. Then scattered shouts turned the world dark. At the center of the Palace, an orb of abyssal darkness expanded. Reiss spouted curses before grabbing a nearby child and bolting away. The cut-off screams of terror told Reiss he was losing ground. Fast. Only when things stabilized, silence reigning, and when Reiss landed ten miles distant holding an unconscious child did he turn around. Pitch black darkness seemed to gyrate a dozen feet away. In absolute silence, the orb retracted in on itself, fading away. With it, everything it had touched. When it popped out of existence inaudibly, a perfect crater remained.

Cut. Snickering uncontrollably, Reiss pointed at his reflection. The laughter went on for minutes until Reiss practically snorted his last words.

"You should see your faces! Aah... Let's have one last time, just for good measure. JUST in case you fuckheads don't get it."

Reiss laughed evilly. The picture of a villain. Cut to black.

Color slowly returned as Reiss strolled forward.

"William?"

"Guards!"

In the throne roome, the [Royal Guards] charged Reiss. A wave of his weapon and they became a scarlet mist. A deranged look could be seen on the reflection of his weapon.

"What! Who?"

Quinnerva charged forward without fear. [Shield Bash]. Reiss split her down the middle. The pieces fell to either side of him with a wet squelch and clank of metal.

"Cray!"

Arrows shot towards Reiss as he strolled through blood and guts. The arrows clinked off like toys.

"How rude, Cray. Weren't we friends?"

Reiss could see Cray fumble his next arrow. The action halted as the top of Cray's head separated from the rest. The corpse crumbled to the floor.

"What are you!?"

"Ah. Gideon, old pal. Come here, give me a hug."

Electricity bounced off Reiss as Gideon unloaded his magic weapons. Reiss scratched his head and looked sad as fire licked his face.

"I thought we were friends? Why do you all keep attacking me?"

A snap of his fingers and a black hole appeared. Gideon's form twisted, his body breaking and atomizing as he disappeared into a swirling black hole.

Nelson broke down. Lima shook, sobbing. Reiss dispatched Marcine and Lionel as an afterthought. Charles roared, a whip of fire snapping.

"Who do you think you are!"

"I've told you. I am your friend. Why do you insist on killing me? Why did you torture me, Charles? IT hurt so... so much. I think I went a bit insane. No hard feelings, though. I came back to make sure we are all still friends. We are still friends, aren't we, Charles?"

Reiss' voice was innocent as he trampled the Captains' corpses.

"You're a madman."

"Oh, of course. I am very mad. Mad indeed! And you still don't remember... do you? Why don't you die and try again?"

A sonic boom preceded Charles' body being pinned to the throne. It toppled in a mess of rubble.

"What... What do you want?"

William was on his rear.

Nelson was mumbling to himself and Lima had a far-off look. They weren't attacking him, so he let them be. Reiss sighed and spoke dejectedly.

"I've come back again, and you still don't remember. Why don't you remember? I remember! Every. Single. Time."

Reiss banged his head for emphasis. Falling silent and stone-faced, he grabbed William by the collar and dragged him away through the carnage.

A high-pitched scream made Reiss look back as Lima fired an arrow at him. Her head snapped back as the same arrow was redirected.

"Why did you do that, Lima? WHY! You were my favorite. Always the nice one. You even served me tea! ...Poisoned, yes. But I was thirsty! I still drank it. Did I thank you? I don't think I managed to thank you. Thank you for the delicious tea, Lima."

Nelson collapsed, unresponsive among the massacre. William shook with emotion, unable to do anything against the crazed man.

"Hm... Lets go. We'll miss the show."

William didn't struggle as he was dragged like a dog out of the throne room. Reiss took him to the tallest tower overlooking the capital. Letting him go. William slumped onto the stonework. He breathed a question.

"Why?"

Reiss didn't respond; instead, he looked out into the distance. Civilization rippled across the land. A city. Houses. Markets. Farmland and rolling hills continued. Far off mountains decorated the skyline. The normal people went about their day as if nothing was wrong. As if the world wasn't going to be invaded. As if they weren't all about to die.

"Why did you kill them? What have we done to you?"

Reiss clicked his tongue, turning back to the [Emperor].

"William. That is why. You have proven my point. You don't remember. You keep repeating your silly... little... mistakes."

Reiss poked him in the head.

"I am at the end of my rope. I don't know how to get you to listen. So. I've decided. In order for you all to listen, to take me seriously, and take this invasion seriously. I need a healthy amount of fear."

"Fear?"

"Yes. Respect and fear. Respect me because I have fought for your Empire dozens of times. I have spilled my blood for you. Died for you. I have committed genocide. For you."

Spreading his arms out wide in a grand gesture, he bellowed.

"Fear me because I can do the same to Aurelia! Fear your people because they can do the same to you! Fear the invaders, for I cannot stop them all, even with all my power!"

"Now watch. Behold the annihilation which Aurelia faces."

"[RUINATION]!"

Reiss gazed outward. He could hear William's movement as he tried to sneak up on him. It didn't matter. Reiss watched the orbs of cataclysmic fire begin popping off. First, the mountains crumbled and disappeared in red-orange color. Then the hills followed. The plains, the cities, the farmland all disappeared in flowers of fire. There was not an inch of land spared in any direction. The explosions came closer and closer, growing more audible. The sound of displaced air signaling the end of the world. The ground trembling. The capital whimpering.

A dying world.

Calamity wrought by his own hands.

Reiss' voice was erotic and deranged as William stabbed him in the back.

"Behold! William. I have used my penultimate skill just for you."

Reiss chortled and gurgled as he fell over the balcony.

The sword didn't end his life. No... Reiss' last vision as he plummeted, as a flash of fire incinerated the capital and the world shattered... was the expression of despair written across the [Emperor]'s face.

=

Reiss reappeared. The mirror across from him.

He sat collapsed in a rickety chair, in a run-down inn, in a world he no longer loved. Reiss swirled a glass of wine in one hand. A sip. Then a swallow. Followed by downing the entire glass.

Reiss was old and tired again. Dejected and depressed. He waved a hand dismissively.

"That iteration was number 319. If any of you were wondering."

More silence as Reiss refilled his glass with more cheap liquor.

"I never thought I would do something like that. I was saving that skill for my last iteration since I can only use it once. A skill to destroy a world. Hah! How meaningless."

Reiss downed the glass and threw it. Taking the bottle in hand instead. He gulped down the liquid.

"Iteration 318 might have been my worst life by far. It broke me. I don't know if you could probably tell. I went mad and killed Aurelia."

Reiss' viewpoint changed to looking inside the empty wine bottle.

"This is iteration 365. My final life."

Reiss set the bottle down on the dresser and folded his hands over his lap. He addressed himself and the crowd still watching. His tone changed with each declaration, past iterations temporarily taking over.

"This life. No one will die."

"Not my loved ones."

"Not Aurelia."

"Not any of the otherworlds."

"We will sue for peace"

"Forge every alliance possible."

"Even if we must fight small wars and skirmishes."

"Aurelia will act as the policing force of all ten worlds."

"We will be unconquerable."

"Immovable."

"All will live equally. Yes. All."

"And none of you will refute my words."

"Not because you have seen what I am capable of."

"You will heed me because..."

A deep breath.

"I am level 100."