The Mazkertis Paradox timeline

This is a condensed timeline of the events that occur in the BZPB epic, The Mazkertis Paradox. All events occur in the Original Universe early in the year 150,084 CMT, continuing on from the story arc of the same name, unless stated otherwise.

Atuar Sadiares

 * Duke Nukem leaves Atuar Sadiares aboard a shuttle bound for Supermax 282.

Saskana

 * The Cabana, which is carrying several injured Knights of the Keruvim, a D-Klak from four years ago, Coro, and TPK in addition to its usual crew, continues to orbit the planet of Saskana. The ship is soon boarded by Lalli Cain's ship, which contains Cain, Klak, Nadle, and another D-Klak from three years ago. Klak and Ynot meet and agree that Mazkertis must be stopped at all odds. Upon discovering that the Cabana is also carrying several wounded Knights of the Keruvim, Klak goes to see their leader, Axalara, who is being attended to by Perseus. Sasuken has also collapsed and is being watched over by Coro. Lalli Cain meets Moe and the two D-Klaks from different times in the past meet each other.
 * Sasuken has a nightmare in which a disembodied Kanohi Kraahkan tells him to kill Ynot, ere his Hollow takes over and kills his friends instead.
 * Figlio di Armechio crashes the meeting between Blackout, Malygos, and Rokubungi Gendo on the Divine Providence, which is also orbiting Saskana. To earn a seat at their table, Figlio shows them a hologram that proves that HYDRA knows where the Keruvim is.
 * Black Phantom succeeds in tracking Figlio to the Divine Providence, so he contacts TPK to tell him what he has learned. TPK informs the others on the Cabana of Figlio's location, so they decide to make an entrance.
 * Klak, D-Klak (3), TPK, Perseus, Lalli Cain, Ynot, and Kurenitsu all board the Divine Providence via Cain's ship. In the following meeting, Cain reveals that he is actually working for HYDRA, who, for the moment, are the highest bidder for his services. An argument about this begins to erupt, but Klak redirects the room's focus by reminding them of the threat that the Mazkertis-Ascheron alliance poses to them all. Figlio suggests the others should split into teams to find Mazkertis, while he goes to retrieve the Keruvim himself. Perseus and TPK agree, on the condition that they and their squads accompany Figlio to the Keruvim's location.

Liquid-Metallicon

 * Mazkertis is chased through the streets by Fourteen, Sachiel, Cassius Calm, and John Shepard. Mazkertis cripples Fourteen with a telepathic attack, sending him into a coma.
 * Having previously been put to sleep by Ophelia Valentine, Akzer wakes up in the slums. He considers pursuing Valentine's master, Cassandra Thorne, but reconsiders when he hears an alarm ring, accompanied by a sense of dread, originating from nearby. He hops on a speeder bike and decides to warn Ozar of the danger in the slums instead.
 * Thorne and Valentine sense the dark power in the slums and decide to investigate themselves. There, they join Calm, Shepard, and Sachiel in their battle against Mazkertis. Mazkertis grows tired, so he decides to escape through a portal to fight another day.
 * Akzer returns to the slums with Ozar to find that they are too late. They recover the comatose Fourteen as Calm vows to find Mazkertis and bring him to justice.

Kyras

 * Mazkertis appears in Ascheron's throne room on Kyras, the homeworld of the Republic of Luria. The two villains consolidate their alliance.

The UG

 * Previously, Kakamu had been abducted by DU Monarch and placed in the UG pocket dimension for an unknown purpose. Kakamu awakens, and the two begin to fight. During the battle, Kakamu pulls off Monarch's helmet, which to his surprise, causes the human to suffocate and die due to the absence of air in the room. Soon afterwards, another entity approaches: Dukamu. Dukamu explains to Kakamu that he has been imprisoned there to bait a higher power: User Kon. In the midst of their conversation, Monarch comes back to life, only to suffocate again, which prompts Dukamu to lecture Kakamu on the curse that is immortality. When User Kon arrives just as Dukamu predicted, they charge at each other, but User Kon teleports Kakamu back into the Original Universe before Kakamu can witness their battle.
 * User Kon distracts Dukamu by destroying part of his armour, then creates an air sphere around his own head so he is able to speak into his earpiece. He sends a message to User MK instructing him to open a program on his computer that scans the UG and is capable of extracting the characters he wishes to be extracted. Following Kon's wishes, MK extracts Etende, Micros, Masaharu, and Spanha, who disappear from their stasis pods and reappear in the User HQ. Unfortunately, the computer in the control room Dukamu is in alerts him that people are going missing. Suspecting User interference, Dukamu stops Monarch from dying again by putting his helmet back on and instructs him to subdue the Users at their HQ.

Unknown planet (1)

 * Now finding himself on a random planet, Kakamu vows to solve the riddles that Dukamu had given him, but not before defeating Mazkertis, who is a higher priority. He launches into space, intending to regroup with the Claws of the Phoenix.

User HQ

 * The still-unconscious Etende, Micros, Masaharu, and Spanha are all extracted from the UG and appear behind User MK in the User HQ.
 * Following Dukamu's orders, Monarch teleports into the User HQ with the intention of freezing The Users in carbonite so that they cannot interfere with Dukamu's plans any further. However, User MY teleports Monarch into space before he can do so, and berates MK for allowing "characters" to enter the HQ. User Kon appears next to them, then opens up a separate program on his computer that sends the UG into the far future so that the threat of Dukamu can be dealt with by their characters later. Kon asks MY what he did with Monarch, to which he replies that he sent him into space around the orbit of Conpiom. Kon teleports there to deal with Monarch his own way.

Unknown planet (2)

 * DU Monarch is stripped of his suit and buried alive on an unknown planet by User Kon.

User HQ

 * User Kon leads Etende, Micros, Masaharu, and Spanha onto the roof of the HQ and gives them a ship that will take them to wherever they need to go; all they need to do is say the word. They thank him for his help, but are forced to leave without any proper answers.

XTR-686

 * Now that The Reformed Second Brotherhood of Makuta has been scattered, Shattered Mirror Kakamu decides that it is time for him to lead the remnants of his Shattered Mirror invasion army home. He travels to XTR-686, a planet which is home to a large, Stargate-like device capable of opening portals to other universes (which he had previously built with Dukamu). After establishing a connection to the Shattered Mirror Universe, he realizes that he can use the thought transmitter beneath Stelta-Stal to telepathically contact many of the SMU natives that are still in the Original Universe, so he teleports there.

Stelta-Stal

 * SM Kakamu appears in the TrSBoM's former headquarters beneath the crust of Stelta-Stal. He is immediately attacked by the Rahkshi-Nui created by Xikella, which is now being commanded by Kivalon, who accuses SMK of abandoning them in their hour of need. SMK justifies his actions to Kivalon by arguing that their battle against the Brotherhood of Makuta was unwinnable, and that he now has a greater purpose: leading his people home. He tells Kivalon that he intends to achieve this by contacting them all with the thought transmitter and sending them through the portal on XTR-686, but little does he know that Kivalon has actually been corrupted by Dukamu, who has gained partial control of Kivalon's body. Instead, "Kivalon" suggests that they use the portal to enter the UG and kill Dukamu's army of innocents while they sleep. Disgusted by this idea, SMK attacks "Kivalon" and traps him in a nearby stasis pod.
 * SMK succeeds in using the thought transmitter to contact every surviving member of his former army still in the Original Universe. He tells them to meet him on XTR-686 in three days if they are interested in returning home.

Stouttish Islands

 * The Stouttish Islands are swept by the New York Police Department, who have obtained a warrant to search them for Ross Mandell, a former Wall Street banker accused of theft and fraud who was sighted on the islands a few weeks ago. Tourettes Guy, a Moonbase Alpha Astronaut, and a man named Chris are arrested for failing to comply with the sweep and are taken back to Earth for psychiatric evaluation and treatment. The NYPD find no trace of Mandell, so they withdraw from the islands completely shortly afterwards.

Linkit

 * Sheev emerges from a shipwreck on Linkit and witnesses a large gathering of Agrippa and Sahagin worshipping Leviathan. This display makes Sheev reflect fondly on the days when he had an army of his own, so he decides that he must build a new one for himself as soon as possible to prevent creatures like Leviathan from taking his place. Under the assumption that Leviathan's followers will abandon him if he is killed, Sheev attacks Leviathan with lightning; Leviathan responds by drowning Sheev in a sphere of water.

Unknown planet (3)

 * Koranis wakes up on a cliffside, some time after being knocked unconscious by a strange robot on Mordor. He is greeted by the Great Being Viruel, who shows him that her drones are building a new-and-improved Great Spirit Robot intended to be used to retake some of the worlds that they lost in the Uterio War. As a consolation for the struggles he has endured on behalf of the Great Beings in the past, she offers him a new position as the co-pilot of this new robot. After some consideration, he accepts.

Neo Z'Traa

 * As Caiaphus and Ricochet drag the carcass of a huge-mutated scorpion across the desert, Mazkertis appears from a portal. The two Makuta hide from the wizard as he looks for signs of life; when he finds none, he leaves.

Saskana

 * Half a day after Klak and his compatriots first arrived on the Divine Providence, Kakamu arrives and is welcomed onto the ship. The various diplomats in the room finally agree on a plan: Emperor Sefer Yetzirah will work with Malygos and Toa Bob in tracking Mazkertis; Kakamu and Nadle will go to Hei Fon 4 to warn Zev Raregroove of the threat posed by the wizard; and Figlio will be accompanied by TPK, his droids, and representatives of the Knights of the Keruvim as he goes to retrieve the Keruvim.
 * Baron Alfred Ernst von Budberg has granted Captain Eurobeat, the Full Frontal Fighting Force, Strika, and Niflheim a free stay in a hotel in return for their fight against Mazkertis the day before.
 * Captain Eurobeat tells Strika that HYDRA are responsible for releasing Mazkertis in the first place. She is reluctant to believe this at first, but he proves it by showing her video evidence. As a result, she decides to reject HYDRA completely.
 * TPK leaves the meeting of dignitaries to return one of the two D-Klaks (the one which was taken from four years ago, also known as D-Klak (4)) to the past.

Saskana

 * The individuals that had assembled on Saskana split up and set off on their respective quests.
 * The Manticore (carrying Figlio di Armechio, Lalli Cain, Axalara, Perseus, Moe, Spotter, Coro, and a HYDRA footsoldier) and the Zodiark (carrying Eos and Hassan) set off for Shinar-Karana, the location of the Keruvim. TPK and his droids (Black Phantom, Straxus, and IG-88) join them when they arrive on the planet.

Shinar-Karana

 * As the allies approach the Keruvim, the groups turn on each other and a mighty battle ensues. During the battle, the footsoldier, Hassan, IG-88, Straxus, and TPK are all killed, and revelations are made: firstly, Lalli Cain reveals that his true identity is Ezekiel Carter, a Knight of the Keruvim. Figlio also makes several revelations of his own: that it was he who freed Mazkertis to distract everyone while HYDRA took the universe for itself; that he had been allied with Ozar for some time; that he masterminded the breakout of Tiff Ramson from Supermax 429; and that he intended to dress Ramson up as the Supreme HYDRA to fool people into believing that he was the true leader, while in reality it was he himself. Figlio escapes aboard the Manticore with Turel before he can be brought to justice.
 * In response to Figlio's revelations, Eos severs his ties with HYDRA and leaves the planet aboard the Zodiark.
 * The Knights of the Keruvim decide to return the Keruvim to Vizima instead of using it against Mazkertis, as there is too great a chance that one of their "allies" could try to steal it again. They leave the planet aboard TPK's ship.

Neo Z'Traa

 * Anzu takes Klak to Neo Z'traa via his ship. Klak teleports down to the surface, hoping to find leads as to Mazkertis's whereabouts, but he instead finds Caiaphus and Ricochet. Caiaphus offers Klak his help against Mazkertis, which Klak reluctantly accepts.
 * Anzu receives a message from Etende telling him that she, Micros, and Masaharu are alive, and that they are on their way back. Anzu tells Klak the good news.

Hei Fon 4

 * Kakamu and Nadle meet Zev and several members of the Conquistadores Guild on Hei Fon 4, where they tell them that Mazkertis is on the loose and out for revenge. Zev, Namah, Nu-13, and Prudence Franklin agree to go with them to stop Mazkertis, with the rest of the Conquistadores staying behind as backup, ready to dispatch at a moment's notice.

XTR-686

 * Some of the Shattered Mirror Universe natives who received SMK's message meet him on XTR-686, including Shroom. SMK reveals that he has reconfigured the gateway he built there to lead to the SMU, and begins sending people through.

Unknown planet (4)

 * Mazkertis attempts to recruit Drepp to his cause, but fails. Instead, Raziel finds the wizard and offers to help him erase Klak from history so that F-Klak will never exist. Mazkertis gladly accepts.

Malchior IV

 * An unknown assassin shoots and kills President Howard of Malchior IV at his holiday retreat. The assassin deliberately leaves Alan Skedaddle's fingerprints on the murder weapon so that the investigating authorities will suspect Skedaddle of the crime.

Meme World

 * The Ayy-Lmaliums finish making repairs to the Dong Squad and Wang Gang's ship and they all leave Meme World. Both teams receive a new mission from Lord Zrintch: stealing the Keruvim from Vizima.
 * Terugan captain Ade, hoping to replicate the successes of the Dong Squad, forms her own team of joke characters from Meme World inhabitants with the intention of using them to end the Terugan Civil War. Using the reprogrammed matter converter of Hungry-man's log cabin as a replacement engine for the TSS Jet-Ball II, the ship disembarks for Teruga Prime. (NOTE: This plot thread is continued in the spinoff story Alien Intervention.)
 * The Heckler and The Heller combine into The Heckumvirate to combat Stardust. Their battle is interrupted by Gub C. G. Giy, but Stardust banishes him to another realm and continues fighting The Heckumvirate.

Deep space

 * Genetoes returns to the universe and awakens Eclipse from his hibernation, telling him that they are "needed again".

The Hyperdimension

 * The Chousin begin investigating Mazkertis, using their vast reach to gather information about his plans and their possible consequences. They decide to wait and see if the Claws of the Phoenix and other alliances will be successful before taking action of their own.

Mordor

 * Following the death of TPK, Ganos Lal becomes the leader of the Order of the Great Beings. She invites back many Great Beings who were exiled under TPK's rule.
 * Rather than allow Ganos Lal's restructuring of the Council to destabilize their empire, Huriel and Orion Pax conspire to free Angonce from his prison to rule in her place. They retrieve the damaged Black Phantom from Shinar-Karana and take him to Angonce's cell, where they present him to him as a gift, to aid in revealing Ganos Lal's secrets. Black Phantom, however, is feigning weakness: once he learns what they are planning, he detonates an explosive that seemingly kills them all.

Dekan

 * Boltman and the YONBOTS scan the planet Dekan for anime. Instead, they find a strange ship-like vehicle trapped in a time lock. Boltman destroys the time lock, freeing Peacock, Double, and the We'd Warriors from stasis (although the We'd Warriors hide until they know that Boltman can be trusted). Peacock immediately challenges Boltman to a fight, but he responds by blowing her head off, which prompts Double to transform and try to avenge her friend. However, she is eventually overwhelmed and killed with the help of the YONBOTS. Boltman and the YONBOTS raid the ship of its weaponry and destroy it.
 * Before Boltman and the YONBOTS leave the planet, Wal Wal introduces the Yellow Fellow to the We'd Warriors and thanks him for eliminating Peacock for them. Boltman appreciates this gesture and flies away with his army.

Rhadan

 * The Tiger Youth succeed in overthrowing the regime of Lord Gaon and manage to suppress the efforts of his loyalists. Sinjon Wol, the leader of the resistance, is the nation's favorite to lead their country, but it is not a position he wants.

Dekan

 * Lord Zrintch arrives on Dekan and tells the We'd Warriors that they will not be going to Rhadan as they had thought. Instead, they will be going to the Cooperative headquarters to guard it when Space India publicly applies for membership. The We'd Warriors agree on the condition that they are sent to Rhadan afterwards; Zrintch accepts.

Saskana

 * While looking for a way off Saskana, Niflheim is teleported to a crystal palace at the bottom of the ocean. Waiting for him is User Nif, who introduces himself and proceeds to give Niflheim a long meta-commentary about the Users and BZPB as a whole. At the end of this monologue, User Nif summons Levi (Niflheim's familiar that was left behind when he was thrown into the BZPB Multiverse), and returns her to him. He then informs Niflheim that his purpose now is to kill Mazkertis, because killing is what he does best. He then teleports Niflheim and Levi away and erases parts of their memories; with the only remnants of their visit being the lingering knowledge that they must now kill Mazkertis.
 * (After Chapter 9) Nif and Levi decide to team up with Captain Eurobeat and Strika to find and defeat Mazkertis.

The Void

 * The Heckumvirate's battle with Stardust takes them away from Meme World and into the Void, the space between universes. The Heckumvirate finally crushes Stardust's form into plasma with an orb of energy and returns his remains to the Original Universe.
 * Stardust's remains return to the birthplace of his species: a supergiant red star. Stardust's consciousness is freed from the remnants of his physical form, and added to his species' library of knowledge. Stardust's disembodied voice orders the Stardust Crusaders that they must find and kill Mazkertis.

Cooperative headquarters

 * In the middle of Space India's appeal to join the Cooperative, many Stardust Crusaders appear and ask for the Cooperative's help in finding and stopping Mazkertis. Zrintch tells them that they have the same goal, and agrees to an alliance.

Day 8

 * Mazkertis uses a technique he learned when reading Quolas's mind weeks ago to summon Genetoes and Eclipse. They both agree to ally themselves with Mazkertis to spite the Time Guardians and change the past to benefit themselves.

Alaine

 * Mazkertis arrives at a bar on Alaine and absorbs the life force of several bystanders. K'theenya, who happens to be there at the time, prepares to fight him, but is stopped by Blue, who is intrigued by the wizard. Mazkertis tells Blue of his crusade and Blue agrees to help him, so they both leave together. K'theenya decides to track down Klak to warn him about Mazkertis and his alliance with Blue.

Kalta Thaea

 * Mazkertis gathers established allies Gabriel Ascheron, Raziel, Blue, Genetoes, and Eclipse, as well as more characters who are interested in joining his crusade: the Green Goblin, Osseron Tyrok, Mink, Moonman, and Donald Trump, who is known to them as the "Affluent Man". Osseron, Moonman, and Trump decide not to join Mazkertis, but Mazkertis secures the allegiances of Gobby and Mink. He names his new brotherhood the "Kindred of Dawn", to symbolize a new beginning for their universe and another.

Mariejois

 * Boltman assassinates the leader of the Galactic Government, Kong, because he is an anime character. The future of the government is cast into doubt as a result.

Earth's Moon

 * Boltman's old enemy Moonman watches a news report of Kong's death presented by Neil Matheson, and discovers that Boltman is still alive. Moonman prepares to fight him.

Deep space

 * En route to Vizima, Bill Wilson tells the Wang Gang the story of his first encounter with Bane, which is presented in the form of a flashback sequence.

Vizima

 * The Dong Squad and Wang Gang crash-land on Vizima and engage in an all-out war for the Keruvim with its devoted protectors.

Kalta Thaea

 * Lord Zrintch arrives at the Kindred of Dawn's gathering on Kalta Thaea, revealing that he and Mazkertis are old allies.

The Hyperdimension

 * The Chousin reconvene in the Hyperdimension to share what they have learned about the current threats facing the BZPB Multiverse.
 * Tsunami tells her sisters that she has discovered why the Living Stars and most of the Sha'lythe Sect are missing: they left the Original Universe 2 years ago to absorb their counterparts across the multiverse in order to increase their power for what was to come. Tsunami shares the full story with her sisters via a memory tablet, though the story itself is presented as a flashback sequence within the chapter. In response to this knowledge, Washu and Tsunami decide that they will use the aleph point of the Knowledge Dimension to find the Living Stars, while Tokimi will gather the remaining members of the Sha'lythe Sect left in the Original Universe to tell them what has happened to their masters and warn them of Mazkertis.

Malchior IV

 * Tokimi is teleported to Malchior IV, the last known location of the Claws of the Phoenix, so that she can tell Quolas - the last known member of the Sha'lythe Sect still in the Original Universe - what has happened to his masters. She appears near the white church that The Norman sometimes visits and meets the Turaga. Tokimi tells her of the Chousin's role in protecting the multiverse and asks where she can find Quolas. The Norman tell her that Quolas is not currently on the planet, because he had spent the past few weeks recovering from his injuries on Dominaria, but that he is now on his way back to Malchior IV. Tokimi decides to sit and wait for him.
 * Etende drops Quolas off at the white church with her ship. Tokimi tells him the truth about what has happened to the Living Stars, causing him considerable distress and leaving him unsure of how to proceed.
 * A Lurian spy drone detects the arrival of Etende's ship, which the Kindred of Dawn are aware is a vessel used by the Claws of the Phoenix. The spy drone records the ship's energy signature and universal coordinates and transmits this information to the Galactic Reconnaissance Division, an intelligence organization under the control of the Republic of Luria.

Knowledge Dimension

 * Washu and Tsunami search for information on the Living Stars in the Knowledge Dimension's aleph point. They eventually find an entry that shows the Living Stars absorbing their counterparts in another universe.

GRD base

 * The Galactic Reconnaissance Division receives the information that the spy drone recorded about Etende's ship, including an analysis of its unique energy signature. Moments later, the GRD receives another report from a drone that they sent to the edge of the galaxy: this report contains a scan of a space station that has an identical energy signature to Etende's ship, which is something that the Lurians had never discovered before. Remarkable Silver, who has been assigned to monitor the GRD, calls Gabriel Ascheron and tells him what they have found.

Kyras

 * In response to the knowledge given to him by the GRD, Ascheron decides to take the Assault Shadow to Kalta Thaea to brief Mazkertis in person.

Kalta Thaea

 * Ascheron meets with the Kindred on Kalta Thaea and tells Mazkertis what the GRD discovered. Mazkertis decides to send three Kindred - Blue, Raziel, and the Green Goblin - to investigate the space station while he goes to Malchior IV to confront the Claws himself.

Eclipse Spiral

 * Blue, Raziel, and the Green Goblin arrival on the Eclipse Spiral, the space station that the GRD determined as having the same energy signature as Etende's ship. The moment the station's systems detects their arrival, the Kindred are presented with a message notifying them that someone is trapped on the storage deck and needs to be freed. Blue and Raziel go to investigate the storage deck while Gobby stays behind to try and glean more information from the station's computer. In doing so, he discovers that the station was created directly by the Users using their technology. He comes to the conclusion that Etende's ship is also User tech, which would explain why their energy signatures are the same. He decides to keep his findings to himself.
 * On the storage deck, Blue and Raziel discover a row of stasis pods containing several unfamiliar characters. Blue opens one of them on impulse, freeing its occupant: Ludwig von Todesfal. Ludwig attempts to beat Blue and Raziel into submission so that he can force them to carry him off the station, but Gobby intervenes, turning the tide in the Kindred's favor. Ludwig is beaten and begs for his life; he manages to persuade the Kindred to spare him in return for his assistance and intelligence that could win them favor with the Great Beings. The Kindred accept his offer and take him back to Kalta Thaea to meet with Mazkertis.

Malchior IV

 * Mazkertis arrives in the white church on Malchior IV and attacks Quolas. At one point in the battle, Mazkertis locks Quolas out of the church and launches a telepathic assault on Tokimi, during which he discovers the nature of her existence. Realizing the threat that the Chousin could pose to his plan, Mazkertis searches her mind for a way to eliminate the Chousin, and eventually stumbles upon the fact that, hidden somewhere in the universe is a "Counter-Actor" - someone who possesses the ability to neutralize the Chousin's powers. Just as he is about to leave to the Counter-Actor's location, Quolas breaks the door down and slashes off Mazkertis's hand to prevent him from gleaning any more precious secrets from Tokimi's mind. Klak storms into the church and attempts to arrest Mazkertis, but the wizard opens a portal beneath him and disappears before he can.

Jurai

 * Mazkertis appears in the Juraian countryside; the location of the Counter-Actor according to what he saw in Tokimi's mind. After performing a healing spell on and wrapping his stump in his cloak, he investigates the nearest building, a rather inconspicuous country home. Its occupant, Misaki Raregroove, tends to his wounds - though he does not realize that she is the mother of one of the men he swore vengeance on, Zev Raregroove, until he sees a family photo of them together inside the home. He telepathically searches her mind and discovers that she is indeed the Counter-Actor, though she does not realize it yet. In order to free the dormant Counter-Actor personality, Mazkertis assaults her mind with nightmarish visions, which causes her to snap and transform into the Counter-Actor. The Counter-Actor's first action upon being freed is to destroy her immediate surroundings and launch into the atmosphere, heading to an unknown destination.
 * Outside Misaki's holiday home, September the Observer watches the Counter-Actor's escape. He muses on these events to another, unseen Observer, before stepping into a portal and disappearing.
 * Mazkertis takes several potions and some enchanted wood from Misaki's home before returning to Kalta Thaea.

Kalta Thaea

 * Mazkertis spends several days on Kalta Thaea recovering from the loss of his right hand. A blend of Lurian, Cooperative (especially Lasagan), and abandoned Kalta Thaean technology combined with the magic of Blue and the potions of Misaki Raregroove helps to heal his injury and develop a replacement. However, this new appendage is largely prosthetic and cannot cast any spells. To remedy this, Mazkertis fashions the enchanted wood he retrieved from Misaki's home into a staff capable of channeling magical energy for him.

Days 16-54

 * The Kindred of Dawn are involved in several battles centered around furthering Mazkertis's agenda. Their successful conquests take place in a land of multicolored equines that is conquered quickly, along with other cities and villages across scattered worlds.
 * The Kindred attempt to draw power from Aselia but fail due to the interference of Genis, a boy who is able to unite many magical peoples to overcome the Kindred and force them to retreat.
 * The Kindred attempt to draw power from Kråvenhold, but this too proves to be a mistake, as the hordes of gryphons prove to be tougher than they seemed.
 * Funerals are held for the presidents of three Malchiorian planets, including Howard of Malchior IV. Klak is invited to these funerals, but Blackout and Malygos are not.
 * / A funeral is held for Kong of the Galactic Government. Admiral Akoran Zicks gives an emotional eulogy about Kong, his mentor. Just before leaving, he bumps into Klak, who lectures him on the hardship of death and the strength one must have to fill the void left by it. Zicks thanks Klak for his kind words, but silently rejects his advice. He decides that he will not waste time trying to hold up the Galactic Government in the absence of Kong, especially when so much of it had already become ineffectual in Kong's old age.
 * After Kong's funeral, Zicks tells GGNews that he will hold a meeting of Galactic Government member states in a few weeks' time that will be viewable to the public via an intergalactic broadcast. He secretly intends to use this meeting to announce his decision to formally dissolve the Galactic Government, so that the representatives of its member states will not have to travel far to organize new alliances in the wake of the announcement.
 * A funeral is held for Cutter of the Knights of the Keruvim.
 * Funerals are held for TPK and Angonce, both former leaders of the Order of the Great Beings.
 * Klak meets Sefer Yetzirah at one of these funerals, who remarks to him that all these deaths coinciding with Mazkertis's arrival must be a sign of the end times.
 * The Claws of the Phoenix gain several new members: Cassius Calm, Tezzeret, and K'theenya (who claimed that she would remain on standby until they actually found Mazkertis).
 * The Claws split into two groups to cover more ground. The first is led by Klak and D-Klak, and the second is led by Kakamu.
 * Ynot's allies and Blackout spend time searching for Figlio di Armechio after hearing of his betrayal on Shinar-Karana from Eos, but their efforts are not met with success.
 * Malygos tells the Claws that Dominarian forces had run into several individuals claiming to be affiliated with Mazkertis's new group of allies known as the "Kindred of Dawn". Klak silently suspects that these individuals might have been behind the attack on Vizima and the theft of the Keruvim weeks ago. Unfortunately, the Dominarians fail to apprehend any supposed Kindred members to obtain any new information.

Deep space

 * Garfielf has one last conversation with his former owner before teleporting him back to Earth. He decides that he must find and defeat the other beings of great hunger who might threaten his food, such as Pumkin and Hungry-man.
 * Klak's half of the Claws of the Phoenix, which consists of himself, D-Klak, Cassius Calm, Tezzeret, Anzu, and Caiaphus, try to determine the possible whereabouts of Mazkertis with a map of the galaxy on Anzu's ship. Tezzeret points out that Datrio is a likely world for Mazkertis to target because it is independently ruled and teeming with magical energies. The Claws decide that they will head there and have Anzu and Tezzeret contain Mazkertis with containment field formed by combining their magic.

Datrio

 * Mazkertis arrives on Datrio with Raziel, Genetoes, Minutún, and a few squads of Lurian and Death Vanguard soldiers to back him up. He orders his allies to guard the area while he prepares a powerful spell.
 * Mazkertis has a conference call with two of his most important allies: Lord Zrintch and Makuta Blackout. It is revealed that Blackout had first learned about Mazkertis before the Battle of Saskana, when he was exiled to the Forest of Lights by Malygos. While in the dimension, Blackout was exposed to its temporal energies and received a vision of the future involving Mazkertis and his plans. Rather than fight Mazkertis, Blackout saw in him a new opportunity to seize power in the universe, this time by erasing Klak and other characters opposed to him from the timeline. The blows they exchanged in previous encounters were restrained, meant to keep up the façade that they were on opposite sides. Blackout tells Mazkertis that, as far as he is aware, the Claws do not have any leads on the Kindred.
 * Figlio di Armechio lands on Datrio and confronts Mazkertis. The ensuing battle is vicious and well-fought, but Mazkertis eventually gains the upper hand and slays the Dachori.
 * The Claws of the Phoenix arrive on Datrio just as Mazkertis finishes conjuring his spell: the Twilight Storm, a powerful conjuration that takes the form of a storm-like portal in the sky that releases lightning blasts and armies of shades upon anyone unfortunate enough to be caught underneath it. A battle breaks out between the Claws and the Kindred; with the Claws also attempting to fight their way through the shades so that Anzu and Tezzeret can form a containment spell around Mazkertis. Klak and D-Klak manage to fight their way through to Mazkertis's location, but the other Claws are blocked off by the Kindred, who use their own plan against them by forming a protective field of shadow around Mazkertis. Calm and Tezzeret come to the conclusion that they must have a mole in their ranks, because there is no other way the Kindred would have known what their plan was.
 * The battle between the Klaks and Mazkertis ends when the wizard knocks out D-Klak and traps Klak in a series of nightmarish visions. Klak is overcome by these visions and slips into a coma. Mazkertis, having succeeded in absorbing the energy he needs from Datrio, leaves the planet with the Kindred. The Claws retrieve Klak and D-Klak and, after helping to resolve the crisis with the Datrioan authorities, return to their base on Malchior IV.