Truth by Death

**Truth by Death** is the sixth act of The Fire In The Sky. This act follows Klein Klemens in his time on The Consequence, as he attempts to find his way back to the Mortal Coil in order to stop the Nefarious Seven from destroying the galaxy.

## Part I: Klemens is Not Death

Klemens arrives in the Consequence. He meets Rasmus Balmore. The two immediately argue, but are able to set aside their differences once Rasmus notices the Cork. Rasmus takes Klemens to their camp, the Orchard, where they are struggling to survive. They've been attacked numerous times by Ronnie the Red and his men.

Klemens takes matters into his own hands at the camp and he is able to help them fortify their security. Klemens is distracted by fairies in the woods and is not able to protect the camp. Ronnie attacks while everyone is asleep. He kills Rasmus, sending his soul to the Relentless Black for eternal damnation.

Klemens, feeling guilty, swears vengeance on Ronnie. He treks to the Flame, Ronnie's camp, in order to silence Ronnie once and for all.

## Part II: Morningstar

Klemens, still mortal, finds himself suffering from fatigue while traveling through the woods. He is found by recently deceased Roy Garrick and Anais Morningstar. The two are able to feed Klemens in exchange for information about his origin. Klemens explains that he originally ventured to Ka to stop the Nefarious Seven from destroying the galaxy. Anais knows one of the organization but Roy does not. Anais and Roy agree to help him on his journey if he will attempt to bring them with him when he returns to the Mortal Coil.

After days on the road, the three arrive at the Flame Station. They kill most of the inhabitants, but Ronnie is nowhere to be found.

Ronnie's brother is at the camp. He discloses that Ronnie has ventured to the lighthouse on the southeast coast to search for the Great Light. The Great Light is the only thing known to open the gateway between the living and dead, but a creature protects it.

They venture to the lighthouse. Ronnie is nowhere to be found. They trick the creature and activate the Great Light. Nearby, Ronnie commends his brother for tricking the three to doing his dirty work, and he races to the portal.

## Part III: Eye of the Beholder

On his way to the Eye, Klemens finds Alvera in the woods. She was recently assaulted by Ronnie the Red. Klemens, using the Cork, locates Ronnie's soul. After a bloody battle, Klemens kills Ronnie.

The group navigates the volcanoes surrounding the Eye. They eventually make it to the grand portal but know very little about it. Alvera tells Klemens that they shouldn't jump to act, and she reminds him of his mistake that killed 200 people back on Omega.

A man appears to the group. Alvera identifies him as Jacob. He tells them that the dead souls can enter here and be teleported to Ka, so that they may have another chance at ascending to Kai. He tells them that the Eye only opens once every century, and after taking three people it will close.

Alvera, using her Sight, realizes that Jacob is not who he claims to be. He turns out to be The Man in Black, the strongest dark force in the universe. Klemens and the Man in Black battle around the Eye. But, Anais, unable to resist the pull of the possibility of life, jumps into the Eye. The island shakes. Anais floats out of the eye and the group watches in horror as his body is pulled apart and he is sent to the Relentless Black.

Klemens gets the jump on the Man in Black. He forces him into the Eye, but knocks Alvera in as well. The Man in Black suffers the same fate as Anais, but strangely, Alvera does not resurface.

Klemens is distraught. Roy is speechless.

## Part IV: The Mysterious Island

The story continues with Klemens rushing back to the lighthouse to attempt to reactivate the Great Light. He nearly crosses paths with Attalia, Rem, and Erol.

The perspective shifts to Alvera, who finds herself back on The Island. The Dark Man is sitting on a stump nearby. He claims that he's been waiting for her to wake up for a long time. He introduces himself for the first time under his true name: Walter Paddick. He is afraid that if he spends too much more time on this plane, that his soul may be stuck here. He implores Alvera to help him find a way out. She tells him about the Eye. He recalls the legends about it, and figures that since the Consequence is a mirror to the Island, that there must be a portal just like the Eye somewhere on the Island. Alvera tells him that the water in the Eye was black, and he states that there was a similar lake that he found near the old campsite. The two travel to the campsite and find the lake. The lake is also in the shape of an Eye, just as the one in the Consequence, but this one has a pupil. The pupil has a diamond shaped hole that extends down for about two feet. Walter realizes that the Cork must be placed in the hole.

The true Jacob finally appears to Alvera. He tells her that killing the Man in Black has sparked a great imbalance in the afterlife. Rekrad will soon crumble, along with the Island. He tells her that he will help her return to the Mortal Coil, but not Walter. She agrees. The two vanish and Walter screams in fury.

Klemens arrives at the lighthouse just as the sky begins to darken. it darkens until it is completely black, and the crust of Rekrad begins to crack, exposing pits of lava below. Klemens nearly falls into the lava, but Roy saves him. Once saved, Roy makes Klemens promise to find a man named Cebo upon returning to the Mortal Coil. Klemens insists that Roy can come with him, but Roy has accepted that he will die on Rekrad. Roy reveals his secret to Klemens about being born female. He tells Klemens that he has always wanted to be a warrior and be strong, but now he is scared. Klemens tells Roy that he is an excellent warrior. He promises to help him return to find Cebo.

Alvera arrives at the Consequence once more. Jacob tells her that they will need to take the Cork from Klemens, and use it to activate the portal. He tells her that the only way to take the Cork is to kill Klemens, and Alvera declines. Attalia, overhearing, insists that they must do anything they can to return to the Island in order to save her children. She, Rem, and Erol venture out to find Klemens before Alvera can stop them.

## Part V: Klemens v. Runehartz

Klemens is confronted by Attalia and Rem. He fights them alongside Roy. Roy takes Rem, and is able to kill him. This sends Rem's soul to the Relentless Black. An infuriated Attalia kills Roy. Attalia then overpowers Klemens and takes the Cork, but it returns to Klemens immediately. Attalia can't bring herself to kill Klemens due to their history. Alvera arrives and insists that Klemens can just come with them to the Island, but Jacob reveals that that would be impossible because his soul is too tarnished. As Walter hinted at in Part IV: Klemens has spent too much time on a plane extremely close to the Relentless Black, and this has trapped his soul on the Consequence forever.

Jacob tells Alvera that she must kill Klemens and return to the Mortal Coil, or else the Nefarious Seven will have everything they wanted. It was their plan to destroy the planes of afterlife in order to simplify life and death. Once the Island and Rekrad cease to exist, then Ka and Kai will follow. This will cause any being that dies in the Mortal Coil to immediately be cast into the Relentless Black. This means that all the Gods that have influence in the Mortal Coil will lose their power, and nobody will be able to stop the power of the Nefarious Seven.

Klemens does not want to die. Alvera does not want to kill him. The young Erol begs Alvera not to let his family die apart. Alvera sees all of her travels with Klemens, and all of the people they've helped and hurt. She sees her adventure up to this point, and realizes that on some level - she loves Klein Klemens.

Jacob insists that they are running out of time, and tells her that once she has the Cork, she must jump into the water of the Eye and meet him, Attalia, and Erol back on the Island. The three vanish, leaving Alvera with Klemens in the woods.

Klemens finally relents. He tries to give Alvera the sword, but it returns to him again. She begins to cry, realizing that killing him is the only way that she can return to the Mortal Coil with the Cork and stop the Nefarious Seven. The two share a final conversation. Klemens tells her about Roy, and his last wishes that she must now carry out.

Klemens lies on the ground. Alvera sits on top of him and drives the Cork into his heart. She cries for some time on top of his body, and then buries him. Klemens is the first person Alvera has ever killed.

She returns to the Eye, and gets in to the water with the Cork. She finds herself on a destroyed version of the Island and realizes that time is almost up. Attalia, with all of her children, is ready to go to the Relentless Black. Alvera says her goodbyes, and then puts the Cork into the Eye.

Lights shoot out of the eye. Jacob watches from afar, and then burns out of existence. Walter jumps out of hiding and grabs onto Alvera, and both of them disappear as the final plane of afterlife is destroyed.