It's still coming after me!
No time to admire the scenery now!
Stunning.
It's Cortez!
Cortez!
Cortez' watch stopped. Oh, God...his heart! That's what Brian said Cortez called it, his heart.
His heart has stopped. Cortez is...dead? I can't...believe that. It doesn't make sense, because...because... (deep breath)
He's gone. They all die! God damn...I can't... Everybody I love dies. Everybody I...love.
Uh, this wasn't such a good idea.
Hey, uh, you wanna try discussing things over a hot cup of mocha instead of all this killing April business?
Guess not. Well...help!
You been keeping some rough company, serita. Better be more careful in the future, no?
Where have you been?
What, you were worried?
Yes! No. I mean, I was scared you were...you know... Dead.
So you care about me? Ave Maria purisima! What am I going to do now without you telling me to get lost?
Don't joke about this, Cortez. I've been in a lot of situations these past few days where I could've needed your help, but you weren't there.
Perdoname. Forgive me, serita. I've been indisposed. When I finally managed to escape my prison, last night, I began looking for you. You left an interesting trail, I must say.
What do you mean?
For one, the Border House -- most of Venice, for that matter -- was under guard. There seemed to be some question as to how you managed to escape the Vanguard agents...
Magic.
So I thought. You been picking up a few pointers in Arcadia?
I'm turning into quite the girl scout. It's amazing how resourceful you can be when you're in a bind.
Ay, si. I've noticed.
How did the Vanguard capture you?
With a small army. And with the help of a very dangerous man... Gordon Halloway.
I met him. Not the most personable guy in the world, and he could really do with some sun.
Gordon is a...creature of pure logic. He was split in two halves when he was a child, one bound to Stark, the other to Arcadia. The victim of terrible Vanguard experiments, I'm afraid.
That's him. His magical and chaotic half, untethered. What some people would call his soul. Gordon would've been Guardian had the Vanguard not destroyed him.
Have you told me everything I should know, Cortez?
About...?
About this. About everything that's happened to me in the past, say, week?
I've told you all I can tell you.
Yeah, sure. You know, I overheard a conversation between you and your friend, Father Raul, and then McAllen--
Jacob McAllen? He's here?
He was. He released that...mutant freak on me, so that I'd tell him where the gateway to the Guardian's Realm is.
Ay Dios mio, we must get you away from here. He's a very dangerous--
The Chaos Vortex, right?
I heard the story. Can he still be Guardian?
The Vanguard believe so, but if he did become Guardian, he would twist and corrupt the Balance to his own benefit. What the consequences would be, I fear to even think.
Why, if it isn't a family reunion.
"He seized the dragon and bound him for a thousand years." Free at last, brother? Teeye'ssa iut ay'yin'ess?
The Balance will cease to be, brother. The Scales will topple and the old walls will fall. The Age of Dragons is imminent, whether you join us or not.
Are these worlds of mortals so important to you that you forget who you are?
There is still time. You are blood of my blood, kin to my kin, you are immortal Dragon, and our destinies weigh the Scales of the Universe.
Oh, well. I will not miss your sarcasm, brother. It always felt a little...strained. Tabas!
I could smell your hand in this, brother. Isut aesa yen-yisss. Ss'iat! The Vanguard? Was this the extent of your originality?
If you had to meddle in the affairs of mortals, would it not have been prudent to show a little subtlety?
Kee'ssey...I didn't picture you walking amongst men, in a man's body and with a man's name. McAllen. The Balance must not have dealt you and yours with the best of hands.
Join you? You symbolize all that I despise. You hate and fear these mortals so much, you bring on chaos to destroy them.
But you will only succeed in destroying yourself. Our time will come, eventually, but not by your doing.
I never forgot who I am. That crime is yours alone, brother, Oaasee'yss.
Where do you get all those clich駸? "Kin to my kin"? Doesn't it ever bother you that you sound like a badly written play?
