Between each explosion of understanding, Hou could feel the time stretching. The time between explosion and awakening, whether this was a good thing was unknown.
Each time he awoke, he felt a pull to stop. To give up his crazed plan of trying to convert them to understanding. Surely the boy, who seemed so knowledgeable of it all, surely he had already tried.
They seemed so steadfast too, why would they ever give in to Hou's delusional hope. They made sense, he knew it too.
If that boy didn't come down and offer an alternative, he might've done it, he might've let them go. If the two side were opposite eachother, Hou was in the middle and each argument pulled him closer.
But just a slight nudge to the side of hope ignited his burning desire for rebellion. He's done it before, he'll do it again. Fight for what he thinks will be best.
But in the end, Hou always realised...he was fighting for these people. The people of the False World...they killed, they robbed, they weren't all good people. But also they lived, they lived, he had met many a people there that deserved to live.
Why shouldn't he try to bring out that side, this was Hou's advantage. His knowledge of people, his understanding of their lives, his compassion for their woes....
"They want to save people, I want to save people, we are friends turned enemies by conflicting opinions; but opinions are not set in stone. If I could be swapped either way, they could too!"
***
Hamar thought, why had he done all this. While watching the figures lash out while chained up, his mind went to a different place.
Why is he doing any of this? He was a normal man...he lived by the sword, and when he was protecting someone he had his arm cut off. Still, he persisted.
He continued to swing his sword minus one arm, and he continued to protect. He didn't even remember how who it was, it was so long ago.... But he swung his sword for them and lost and arm, and continued to swing.
Then he met Hou, he regained his arm, he regained his potential to be something, to be someone... He continued to swing, to protect...
His life flashed by his eyes, all the while he swung his sword to protect. Sometimes he cut down those he would call evil, other times...he cut down those that were a danger.
There was a difference he spotted, good men can be a danger, and bad men can be helpful. His morality was strong but above his judgment, he put the facts of people.
Then, in the end, he became a leader. Someone that had a responsibility to protect, nothing different than what the was doing since the start.
Except, Hamar thought, except that now he wants protecting for some vague reason of 'being good'...
His mind seemed to clear, he realised, 'It was some sort of effect from their emotional powers, life resonance? Make me replay my life...'
Hamar shook his head and drew his sword, "I see now, I was conflicted. I said sacrifice was for the weak before...I was wrong, sacrifice is for the strong... And you are the lamb out to slaughter."
***
Hou raised his head, "Again."
***
Hamar brought forth a new emotion and it's corresponding power.
Martyrdom.
Hamar's skin started to crackle at the surface, he felt the strain in his consciousness grow. He shifted his fingers' grip on his sword, then his grip grew stronger.
He poised himself in position. He took a sharp breath. He held it, while swinging towards the two imprisoned blobs of black blurry mass.
For a moment, he felt the blur vanish and he saw their pain. It might been an illusion from his cracking consciousness, it didn't matter; it was real to Hamar.
***
The two parties wavered, Hou and the remaining three figures stood in their awoken stupor. Hou was delirious, almost unable to think but again he raised his fist, "Agai–"
He started to fall.
Then the figures moved, they dashed over to Hou. Causality flared in each one.
Hou, in his state, felt the fluctuations, "So this is how I die... After an attempt to convert our enemies, at least Hamar is left. And they're still trapped in the world for now..."
***
Hamar felt his powers grow, while his consciousness weakened at the same time. He ignored the pain and delerium, it was time to end it.
With a kick on his feet, he burst forward. He swung his sword in a single defined arc, though behind it a phantom version of himself turned and vanished as it ended.
The blade swept through the two figures, the mindscape ended. Hamar opened his eyes, he saw their forms turn to dust.
All went to black.
***
Hou, instead of feeling the sweet nothingness if death as he had expected, felt a cushioning force. He strained to open his eyes, "I-I'm alive?"
The figures carried him, all three, "We have... Decided to join your cause. This is a rebellion against our race, do not take our loyalty lightly."
Hou laughed, while tears flowed from his eyes. He did it. Then he felt something shift.
Something intertwined with his consciousness had been cut off.
Hamar!
"The rest of you! You weren't too Hamar, right?! We need to go there, right now!" Hou, despite his damage, felt a lucidity he should not have had. The worst thoughts came to his mind, 'He's dead.'
'He can't be. We...he can't... He just can't' his tears didn't stop, he screamed again, "NOW! HE NEEDS HELP! HE CAN'T BE–"
The damage to his consciousness finally overcame his fear, he fell asleep. Darkness overcame him.
***
Zhou Tian turned, awakening his l from the mindscape, "WE DID I....T" he words trailed as he saw Hamar's flaccid body hurtling itself to the ground.
He shot down, using his Causality flagrantly to catch up. Then he caught him safely, or what was safe for a dead body.
Zhou Tian had seen dead bodies, but this was different. With his power, he could sense something acutely.
This wasn't just death, complete annihilation.