A figure stands on the edge, her white hair blowing in the breeze which also stirs the shreds of the Eeee's wing vanes. She wears something like a burial shroud, and her back is to Alptraum, who finds himself in the center of the platform. "My son," the figure says, in the familiar voice of the Goddess of Death, "you have strayed far from me. Stopping the Dark One from returning was appropriate, but mixing with the undead Shadow is a slap in My face." Sunala finally turns her head, so that one white, blind eye is looking back at Alptraum. "Would you defend this action?" she asks.

"Part of what I did was out of love," Alptraum admits honestly as his stomach sink at the question. He doesn't even think much on how he even got here, only that he has to answer. "I'm not going to lie and claim it was not, Mother," he says, "But there were many other reasons as well. One was to protect a county founded by Eeee, our people. It is protected by a powerful woman, but one who's line would have ended had I not. Another was to undo a horrible act of necromancy perpetrated by a dragon called Vorgulremik, who took the souls of others for his own instead of allowing them their proper ends. To undo such, the life expectancy of my body needed to be extended so that I could release those souls from their prison. And the third, and most important to the sanctity of the spirit, was to deprive Amena and her children of one of their greatest weapons. They can no longer control the shadow and use it to circumvent Your will." Alptraum takes a step towards Sunala and draws in another deep bre

Alptraum takes a step towards Sunala and draws in another deep breath. "Perhaps I was in error, but I believed that taking it would allow me to do far more in Your name, such as helping protect that county and release the bound spirits, than leaving it behind for Amena to eventually reclaim. It was never done as an act against You."

"No, but I suspect it was done without Me in your heart," Sunala says. "Love," she says, shaking her head. "Is it greater than Death? What matter if nations, civilizations or entire races fall? Death is all that matters. Or have you given into the temptations of life?" A voice carries on the breeze then; Mave's voice, saying, "In the new world, even Death shall serve Beauty." It hangs between them, like an accusation. "Is that the world you wish for, Alptraum?" Sunala asks.

"You taught me once that Death is not an end, it is change. The death of the old and the beginning of the new," Alptraum says as he finishes the approach and kneels down before Sunala, then bows his head. "Our would changes around us, whether we wish it to or not. People come and go from us. We can either be the bringer of change, or washed away as it comes. The attack on Babel sought to wash you away, as well as your Sisters. I decided I would be an active force of change, Mother, that I would seek out ways to strengthen our people. If our people are strong, their strength becomes ours. It has taken me down paths I would have never imagined. And decisions that were difficult beyond reason." There he pauses to draw a breath. "The world I wish for is one where our people shine again. And I wanted it to be known that it was Sunala's son that helped them shine again. I wanted to be the symbol to bring them back to You. Have all my decisions been right? I do not know; I have become all too aware of my weaknesses because I was raised a mortal. I know I have made mistakes because of them."

"Strength?" Sunala says derisively, turning fully to Alptraum and holding her hands out. "Here! Slap on the shackles then! Make me Rinala again, as that is what you are saying you wish me to be. You strive to help those who are beyond my reach – immortals! You impregnate the daughter of Gorphat, and sire more children with a witch. You are not meant to be a symbol of hope, but one of inevitability. The Barsunala is My enforcer, the one who shepherds souls to oblivion or to the living world on My whim. Is that who you are, Alptraum?"

"If our people fade, we fade with them," Alptraum says, "We are tied to them, Mother. You gave me life as a mortal, and I saw their world through those eyes. Because of that, I am more than just the Barsunala. However, it has never meant you mattered to me any less, that You were not in my heart."

"We are Death," Sunala says. "Our face may change, but We always remain. We are the ultimate truth, the ultimate reality. But you are correct in that you have lived as a mortal. I will correct that next time. Stand before Me."

Alptraum's brow goes up slightly and he swallows. It doesn't help the sinking feeling that grows within him. It takes an amazing effort to stand before Sunala without trembling violently.

"Fear," Sunala says, sounding disappointed. "Shed your fear. Tear away the alien flesh and mortal weaknesses to become My true Son. Or choose to live as a mortal, and be only Nightmare."

"I ask a boon of you, Mother," Alptraum says, "I will be returning to Babel soon. I ask that I be allowed to make my decision then, before your Avatar. Is that acceptable?"

Sunala meets Alptraum's eyes with her own blank ones, and then sinks her hand into his chest. "No," she says, before ripping the Wraith out of Alptraum.

Alptraum screams, grabs his chest and drops to one knee. "So be it, then. I choose the same as you did when you rebelled against Your Father," he growls as he clutches at his chest painfully. "I will walk my own path."

The Wraith and the Goddess turn and walk away, before the breeze simply carries them away. Blood flows between Alptraum's fingers… but then it stops, and reverses. This feels worse than when it was pumping out!

Alptraum winces and curls up, his own claws digging into his chest as if he were trying to squeeze the wound shut with his own hand.

The pain saps his strength, and gives way to a numbness. And then, there is a horrible cracking sound, like a bone breaking, as his right forearm twists unnaturally to dig its claws into the stone – and starts to drag itself away from the bat, trailing a gory umbilicus of muscle and guts behind it.

Alptraum's scream tears into the disturbing silence upon the spire. His left hand clutches as his right arm as the bat looks to where his right hand once was.

The Eeee can only watch in horror as the armored limb grows and changes. Chitin plates break into scales floating on a skin of shadow as new limbs sprout. A head forms, shapeless at first but becoming more like his own – but crueler. In no time at all, Alptraum is faced with a dragon. It's flesh is mostly shadow, with scales that float and shift, but the face is like his own, and also like Vorgulremik's. Its silver eyes meet his… and then Alptraum is looking down, seeing a withered bag of skin and bones that was once an Eeee, connected by a shrinking rope of decaying flesh.

And at that moment, the unthinkable happens. The newly born dragon's lips draw back into a cold, cruel, grin. Its head lifts upward and it laughs, the kind of laugh that turns blood to ice and causes nightmares for a generation. Its head snaps down and in a sickening crunch of bones and decaying flesh, he devours the remains. Shifting, shadowy wings sprout from its shoulders … and it takes flight.

The feeling is exhilarating, until something seems to pull at the wings… and Alptraum wakes up on the floor next to his bed in Castle Sturmandrang, hopelessly tangled up in the sheets! "Cold… " mutters a female voice from the bed.

Alptraum blinks painfully where he lies on the floor "Dagh, what was that?" he wonders, feeling cold sweat practically all over him. He lifts up his right hand suddenly in terror, checking it for changes or worse.

The hand is unchanged, the orb glowing contentedly from the evening's feeding.

Alptraum closes his eyes now and tries to 'feel' the wraith.

The Barsunala is certainly there, although it may be agitated. Alptraum gets the impression of growling.

Alptraum inwardly tries to tell it to calm itself, that they are still one.

The spirit settles slightly, but still seems upset. A naked pink hand reaches over the side of the bed to grab onto the bedclothes wrapped around Alptraum – and starts dragging him back up onto the bed.

"I will soon cloak myself within you," Alptraum promises the Barsunala, "And do works in Her name on the way to Grommit." Of course his attention shifts quickly back to the bed so he can scramble back on it to rejoin Rina. It's not like the ankle chain lets him go very far anyway!

The Skreek pulls some of the blanket free and wraps herself in it while cuddling up close to Alptraum for warmth, and apparently falls right back into a deep sleep afterwards.

Alptraum lifts his right hand a bit and peers at the wrinkled flesh before yawning. As his eyes close, though, there's an unsettling feeling of dread that fills him as he thinks about Babel and the journey there. He tries to shrug it off, as there is no point in worrying about what may come. He will deal with it when it is time.

Daybreak finds Alptraum waking with a start, feeling a brief panic that he can't feel his legs – only to have them wake up a moment later and complain about being wrapped so tightly for most of the night. Igorina is also stirring, making happy noises.

"I hate it when my limbs are tingly," Alptraum mutters to himself. He blinks a few times, then tries to untangle his legs and check them. He takes nothing for granted anymore; he's woken up before in worse condition than when he went to sleep!

Everything appears intact, just before Igorina grabs him. "Mmmm… so eager to leave me?" she mutters coyly.

Alptraum jiggles the leg chain and grins fangily. "You made sure I couldn't, you know," he teases Rina and the nips one of her ear tips. The nightmare of last night is still lingering in his mind, but at least she made him feel a bit better.

"Oh, I thought you might be interested in… breakfast in bed?" the Skreek offers with a wink. "No hurry to check on your crystal, right?"

"No, no hurry," Alptraum agrees qand lips his lips rather dramatically, "So … you tell me just where you want to be bitten today?"

"Surprise me!" Igorina says, presenting all of her choice biting areas. "After this, you'll be stuck with animal blood while you travel, unless you see some farmer's daughter off by herself… "

"You know, I think I'll start with something other than blood, first," Alptraum remarks with a grin. And … so he does by making Rina squirm in numerous ways with teeth, tongue, and lips in very tender areas. It's near an hour before Alptraum gets to his meal and his place of choosing is one the hunter, Snow, taught him. When he is done, he is good about licking the punctures clean, then brushing back down the fur on the Skreek's chest, before he allows her some rest. "I should have you check my teeth before I go," the Eeee now murmurs where he lays sprawled on the bed, "I'm rather fond of them and should take better care of them."

"Oh, that can be fun," Igorina notes with a toothy grin. "I have a special chair for it."

"Will it take long?" Alptraum asks just before he snogs Rina. When he comes away, he has the ankle key dangling on the tip of his tongue. He spits it into his palm, then goes about unlocking his ankle.

"Clever tongue!" the Skreek says approvingly. "Oh, only half an hour, if there aren't any problems. My tools should still be sterile… "

"Then lets go check. By then the Doctor should be awake and we can see how the crystal looks," Alptraum says as he hands back the key.

The room Igorina leads Alptraum to is surprisingly white and well lit. There is a cabinet, a sink, a strange lamp on an arm and in the center is an articulated chair with straps on the arm and leg rests.

"Just have a seat," Igorina says, as she goes to the cabinet and bends over to rummage through drawers. She hasn't bothered getting dressed yet.

"Ah, why are there straps on the chair?" Alptraum asks. The sad part is, he still walks over to it and sits down in it if there was nothing wrong in the world.

Of course it might be the view keeping him calm…

"Because it makes things more fun!" Rina claims, with a cackle. She puts a tool roll on the cabinet counter, and goes about connecting the light to one of those giant clay batteries. It's really bright.

"Be sure to tell me if I have any weird growths, odd teeth, or signs of dragon teeth growing in," Alptraum jokes. He even positions his arms and legs so that the Skreek can strap him in. The bat just might be certifiably insane.

Rina doesn't bother with the straps. She attaches a tray to one side of the chair, and sets various sharp-looking implements. Then she adjusts the chair so Alptraum is laying back and his weight is distributed evenly. It's very comfortable, aside from the bright light – and from Igorina climbing into his lap.

"Uhm … be careful or you just might repeat what happened in bed," Alptraum says with a nervous grin. His futile attempts at blinking the light away end with him just closing his eyes.

"Open wide!" Igorina requests, and then spends the next half hour looking at Alptraum's teeth and gums, and occasionally scraping a tooth or fang. Every time she shifts, or presses forward so her chest is rubbing against Alptraum's it becomes apparent what the straps are really for. It'd be less tortuous if she's actually strapped the bat down.

"Must … not … grope," Alptraum keeps telling himself through the entire procedure. Instead, his claws are making nice gouges in the arm wrests. So far nothing has hurt at least. That has to be good, he hopes.

It helps that the Skreek is wielding sharp objects in Alptraum's mouth – it is a wonderful aid to standing still, although his jaw is aching by the time the woman leans back and declares, "All done! No cavities, but I can tell you've started chewing on solid foods every so often."

Alptraum rolls his jaw, then rubs at it with his left hand for a minute. "How can you tell that?" he asks. "And everything looks Eeee-normal, yes?"

"Yes, normal looking," Igorina says, climbing down and resetting the chair. "Oh, you had some plaque buildup that only comes from chewing food. Vampires wouldn't have that from just drinking blood, but I know they sometimes have normal food soaked in blood, or just normal food in general that they don't swallow."

"I've done it at Draco castle a few times. You make it sound like Vampire teeth are at least easy to care for," Alptraum notes as he gets up from the chair and stretches. "Can I ask you a strange question, Rina?" he asks.

"Just remember to brush them clean after eating like that," the Skreek says, then cocks her head at Alptraum. "A strange question? Well, I'll be the judge of that! Go ahead and ask."

"How old are you?" Alptraum asks and grins.

The Skreek just smiles. "Now that is a strange question! How often do you ask a woman her age? But don't worry, I'm not a teenager!"

"You seem older than you look," Alptraum replies, "That's why I ask. Quite knowledgeable about many things. But … eh! Let's go check on the heart."

"Hehn hehn hehn!" Igorina laughs in that distinctively Igor-ish way. "I can tell you that I have a seven in my age. If you want a second digit, you'll need to come back and turn me into… hmmm, haven't decided on the Eeee or the Sphynx yet!"

"Count on one of them," the bat teases. Alptraum swats Rina on the butt, then runs out of the exam room, laughing all the way!

The Skreek does put on a work smock before they reach the lab. There, Twig is pouring something into the tank with the crystal, where the water is a bit cloudy from bubbles. "Ah, you awa both awake finally!" Twig declares.

"We've been up a while. She was checking my teeth," Alptraum claims as he skids to a halt. He leans in close to the tank, but doesn't touch it. "So … was it a success?" he asks.

"We shall see!" Twig says, and adjusts a dial on one of the devices connected to the tank. The bubbles stop, revealing the heart. It still has some discoloration, but the 'cracks' are now clear of iron, while the rods than hang in the water are covered in dark fuzz. And then Rina gooses Alptraum while he's distracted.

Alptraum squeaks and nearly jumps from the pinch! He casts a glare to Rina, then sticks out his tongue. "Why is it still discolored?" he asks.

"Wesidual iwon in micwofwactuwas," Twig suggests. "The main cwacks awe cleah though, so we can twy the optical ionization pwocess to dwaw the solvent in deepah! Igowina, pwepah the DEATH WAY!"

The Eeee then lets out a maniacal "BWAHAHAHA!" laugh.

"The what? Wait! I'm Death," Alptraum claims. "Well, Son of, but still!"

"It's not really a death ray," Igorina notes as she rolls a device over. It looks like a box with a big tube come out of one side, mounted on gimbals and with some very thick cables coming from it. "Except to single-celled organisms."

Twig brings more giant batteries over, and starts connecting wires between them, the box and the device with all the knobs and dials.

"Oh, well, okay," a mollified Alptraum says. After last night, he's questioning what he is, too.

The device is activated, emitting a strange, half-seen purple light that seems to make the crystal heart glow. "The wemaining iwon will build a chawge fwom the light, and dwaw the solvent to it!" Twig announces.

"You're sure about that?" Alptraum asks and rolls his right hand questioningly.

"It should," Igorina notes. "We've used it for etching patterns in metal with the solvent, and the magnets will help."

Alptraum nods slightly at that. He watches the process before him to see if there is any movement. His left hand rubs lightly on the underside of his right absently, probably just to remind himself it is still there.

"You won't see any change by staring at it," the Skreek points out. "It builds slowly. Give it a few hours! You can leave for Gromit in the morning, right?" Igorina asks.

"Oh, sure," Alptraum agrees, "Is there anything I can help with tonight?"

Igorina gets a mischievous look in her eye. "Well… there's this one thing I could never get Twig to try… " she starts to say, before Twig says, "Would you mind if we zapped you with lightning a few times?"

"Er … won't that kill me?" Alptraum asks Twig. To Rina he mouths the word 'three' and looks at her questioningly.

"Oh no, it can be quite thewapeutic!" Twig says with a fangy smile. Igorina just giggles and winks at Alptraum.

"I'll do what you want," Alptraum tells Twig, "If you do what she wants." He grins.

"In that case… uh… I'd bettah bweak out the booze too," Twig notes, looking nervous.

"Be sure to share it with me," Alptraum tells Twig. "Think of it as payment for letting me mess with her body later … and with enough booze, neither of us will remember it," he adds in Babelite and pats Twig on the back. To everyone, he adds, "And oh, if I get killed … I'll haunt both of you!"