Rick looked at the thick black tube in the sleeping woman's chest. The tube was surrounded by a glowing red magical lock. If Rick just pulled the tube out, the red lock would flash. It would sound a massive alarm. If the alarm rang, the Emperor would instantly know Rick had escaped the ice. The Emperor would send a wave of absolute deletion magic down here to destroy the entire ward. Rick had to be perfectly quiet. He had to be a ghost. He reached into his dark gray coat. He pulled out a single, thin silver acupuncture needle. "No explosions," Rick whispered, his brown eyes filled with intense, cold focus. "Just surgery."Rick knelt down beside the sleeping woman's bed. In the real world, the battle was reaching a terrible climax. The giant, ten-foot-tall Emperor of Rot held Luna high in the air. His massive, gray hand wrapped completely around her throat. "You are so fragile," the Emperor sneered. His toxic purple eyes burned with cruel joy. "Your Ghost Doctor is dead. I crushed

Sitting in a large, comfortable wheelchair in the dark corner was a man. The man was not comatose. He was awake. He wore a perfectly clean, very expensive green coat. He had short gray hair. His face was covered in deep wrinkles, but his eyes were bright, sharp, and full of cruel intelligence. Rick recognized him instantly. It was Doctor Aris. The corrupt High Healer. The man who had sold the souls of the scavengers to the Emperor in exchange for immortality. But Doctor Aris was supposed to be in the real world. Ash had sucked the magic out of him. He had turned into a frail, helpless old man on the laboratory floor. "Surprised to see me here?" Doctor Aris chuckled. It was a dry, rasping sound. "When the little girl stole my youth in the real world, my physical body collapsed. But my mind is tied to the Emperor's network. My consciousness fled down here. I am the Warden of the Silent Ward."Doctor Aris patted the thick black pipe next to his wheelchair. "You have been very busy

The ground beneath their boots shook violently. The Iron Citadel was falling apart. The massive, thick metal walls of the Vault of Flesh groaned. Huge iron beams bent in half like cheap plastic. Dust and sharp pieces of black stone rained down from the ceiling. Rick stood in the center of the shaking room. He held his wooden staff in his hand. The bright, emerald green light glowed intensely at the tip. "The fortress is collapsing!" Luna shouted over the deafening noise. She shielded her face from the falling dust with her left arm. "The foundation is destroyed! We have to get out of here!"Rick looked down at the floor. The Emperor of Rot, the giant gray monster with the broken metal mask, lay in the dirt. He was completely defeated. His toxic purple magic was gone. He was just an empty, broken shell. "Leave him," Auditor Isaac yelled. He adjusted his cracked silver glasses. His ruined white suit was covered in gray ash. "Without his stolen magic, the falling rocks will bury him

"Yes, Isaac?" Sterling beamed. "I did not destroy the Shadow Lord," Isaac stated calmly. Sterling’s smile froze. "What?"Isaac raised his hand and pointed back up the hill. He pointed directly at the man in the torn, dirty gray coat. "The Ghost Doctor destroyed the Shadow Lord," Isaac announced clearly. "The Ghost Doctor broke the Mother Seed. The Ghost Doctor saved the world."The ten thousand silver guards shifted nervously. They looked at the glowing green staff on the hill. Sterling’s face turned bright purple with sudden, violent rage. "What are you saying, Isaac?!" Sterling screamed, gripping the edge of his flying ship. "Have you gone mad?! That man is a terrorist! He is spreading a parasite! He is trying to destroy our profits!""He is not spreading a parasite," Isaac said. His voice was like a sharp, cold scalpel cutting through a terrible lie. Isaac turned around. He looked at the thousands of refugees. He looked at the silver guards. Isaac reached into his pocket. He

Luna ran up the hill. She threw her arm around Rick’s neck, laughing and crying. Ash stood next to them, smiling her tiny, quiet smile. Isaac stood a few feet away. He watched the celebration. He pulled his cracked silver glasses off his face. He dropped them into the dirt and stepped on them. He didn't need them anymore. He saw the world perfectly clearly now. Rick walked over to him. "You just threw away your entire career, Isaac," Rick smiled softly. "You are officially an unemployed man in a dirty suit.""I am," Isaac nodded, looking down at his ruined clothes. "I have no money. I have no tower. I have no official title."Isaac looked up at Rick. The pale gray eyes were warm. "But I have never felt richer," Isaac whispered truthfully. "What will you do now?" Luna asked, stepping up beside Rick. "The city needs a new leader. They need someone to rebuild the hospitals correctly. They will follow you, Isaac."Isaac shook his head. "I am not a leader," Isaac said softly. "I am just