Even with the guardian dead, the group did not want to take their chances of potentially getting cornered by another one. Considering it took all four of them to take down the metal beast, they had a hunch that it would take them and the rest of the Umbrellas to battle the next. They rushed into the elevator, looking over their shoulders, swearing they heard heavy footsteps. But with the coast clear, they all took a deep breath as the doors closed, and they descended back into the lobby.

With a small ding, the doors opened, the same golden light that filled the halls also filled the lobby. As they reached the check-in counter, a familiar face poked his head out, seemingly anxious and scared that someone was trying to hunt him down. "Klaus?!" Luther's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Surprise!" Klaus sheepishly smiled before his hand went to the back of his head. The group of four embraced him, just as the rest of the family entered the lobby.

"How'd you get out? We thought you died?" Allison questioned. "If only," Klaus groaned. "You okay?" Viktor asked. "I think so," Klaus replied. As he looked over his shoulder back to the other siblings, Viktor saw the cuts and bruises on Luther, Sloane, and Ben, blood staining the gravity girl's forehead from the gash she received from the guardians sword. "You like hell," he commented. "Why don't you try killing a guardian?" Five said. "We just did," Allison looked confused. "So did we," Ben spoke up.

"I told you to stay in the-" Diego began to lecture Lila but was greeted with an immediate slap across the face before she pulled him in for a quick kiss. "I love you," She grumbled. "Klaus, I thought you were dead," Sloane placed a hand on his shoulder, confused as to how he was able to come back and find them. "Yes, I'm alive and amazing despite Dad's attempt to bash my brains in, but tearful reunions later. What you guys need to know right now is that... Dad killed Astrid. And he locked me out of that tunnel, and he rang that stupid bell!" Klaus pointed to the monocle as he stood near the revolving doors. Reginald had no remorse for his actions, and just his posture and smirk alone proved it. "What's your plan, old man?" Five questioned with annoyance.

His family followed right behind him, just as angry as he was. Reginald responded by saying they had no time for explanations and that he was getting close to resetting the universe. "You killed Astrid!" Sloane shook with rage. "I had no choice. You refused to come together as a team! She was a small sacrifice I was willing to make," Reginald defended. Everyone took their verbal jabs at the old man, confronting him about how he sent them into hell for his own selfish benefits.

"There were never seven bells or Norsemen. You brought us to die!" Ben could feel the rage burning him from the inside out, wanting to end the monocle right then and there. "That's not so. Somewhere in this hotel is the key to resetting the universe. We just need to find the sigil!" the old man insisted. "I don't care about your sigil! None of us do!" Luther spat. "You sick monster, how dare you? How could you do that to her?"

"If you all agreed to go into Oblivion in the first place, rather than acting like a bunch of stubborn mules, maybe she'd still be here! But she's not!" Reginald glared. Luther shook his head in disgust before turning back to the group, their ramblings about the other guardians overshadowing the realization of who was behind his little sister's murder. "We barely survived that guardian with his stupid helmet and his sickle!" Diego exclaimed. Viktor turned around at the mention of yet another guardian. "Our guardian had an axe," he stated. "Ours had a sword," Sloane added. Diego and Lila looked at each other, both of them saying there was one more left.

Three guardians, two of them had fought back against the group, but with no trace of the third one, who knew when and where he would strike. "Guys, I found the sigil! It's in the-" Five's voice echoed throughout the lobby. Suddenly, a loud shatter came from the ceiling, gathering all of their attention as the guardian fell toward the ground, throwing his sickle in Five's direction. A bloodcurdling scream erupted from his lips as the sickle took his left arm clean off before landing, shaking the foundation of Hotel Oblivion to the core.

Everyone's eyes widened to the size of saucers as the guardian focused his attacks on them, swinging at Klaus first, slicing him through the stomach, and then throwing two small weapons at Diego and Lila, both of whom were able to dodge them swiftly and land on the ground just as they lodged into the wall. The guardian spun the chain of his sickle above his hand before the blade made contact with Ben just as he released the last of his remaining tentacles, all of which were immediately chopped off, leaving him a groaning and bleeding mess on the floor.

Luther looked up to the balcony, catching the harsh silhouette of Five as he struggled to wrap a tourniquet over the stump of his arm. But while the others may not have been able to prepare for the attack, Luther immediately swung into action, jumping over and ducking as the sickle hurtled towards him. When he was able to get just close enough, he tackled the guardian to the ground, punching him in his unkept and rotting face, his rage and devotion were the only things that fueled every punch. And if the opportunity presented itself, Luther wouldn't hesitate to show the old man who was really in control. With Astrid gone and most of his family gravely injured, nothing and no one was going to stop him from doing what should've been done a long time ago.

But while the guardian struggled to push the Ape-Man off of him, the metal beast seemed to remember he had a slight advantage, as Luther had forgotten the guardian still had a hold of his weapon. And with a swift swipe, Luther gasped, his gaze shifting to his bleeding arm, the air threatening to vacate his lungs as he tried to move it, feeling every inch as the gash tore through his skin, reaching the bone. With him distracted, the guardian threw Luther off, sending him crashing into one of the glowing pillars. 

Getting up from the ground, the guardian stepped over the unconscious bodies of Ben and Klaus, solely focusing on the last Umbrella that was still standing, Sloane, while Reginald hid himself behind a pillar like the coward he was. As the guardian was about to deliver one deadly blow, Sloane raised her hand, her palm glowing white and pulsing as she concentrated on stopping his movements, pushing his armor into his body just as she did with the sword-wielding guardian.

But as she could feel her powers quickly wane, the guardian moved back into position, ready for the attack. But then, a low growl and the whisperings of a hundred shadows made the conscious siblings and the guardian slowly turn around. With her eyes pitch black, smoke forming in the corner of her eyes, and a long black blade clutched in her fists, Astrid shrieked as she charged towards the guardian, raised the blade over her head, and struck the guardian in the center of his skull, the blade cutting coarsely through his body until he lay on the floor severed in two, with cockroaches making their desperate escape from the body they once controlled.

"Nobody hurts my wife, you son of a bitch," Astrid spat on the ground, dropping her blade as she went to embrace Sloane. "You... you're back!" Sloane's eyes filled with tears, this time ones of joy. Resting her head on Sloane's shoulder, Astrid caught a glimpse of Reginald coming out of hiding, also unable to believe what he had just seen. "All those years, Astrid and I stayed loyal to you, you threw her out into the streets to die, and you wasted my life on the moon, and for what? To use us on this stupid mission?" Luther glared, having just finished applying his own tourniquet to his still-bleeding arm.

"You did have a purpose. I left you to guard the most precious thing in the universe," Reginald answered. "And what was it?" Luther inquired. But rather than giving a straightforward answer, Reginald's response was just as ominous and cryptic. "You'll soon understand, you all will," As Astrid and Sloane pulled out of their long embrace, the two pressed their foreheads together, savoring this reunion for as long as possible. Astrid rested a hand on Sloane's cheek, wiping away some of the blood. Suddenly, Astrid's hand slowly started to fade away, causing both women to look bewildered and frightened. Astrid could've sworn she must've found a way to break through the barriers between the void and the living world. But now, she was being forced to return.

"Ast?" Sloane's breath hitched in her throat. Out of the corner of her eye, Astrid could see Klaus's hands glowing blue, his body quivering with the remaining breath left within his body. "Klaus?" Astrid gaped. "I can't... hold on... much longer..." he strained. Even if they didn't have forever together, at least Astrid and Sloane had a chance to finally say their goodbyes. "I will love you forever," Astrid's voice faded into a whisper as the rest of her body also faded, leaving Sloane alone and heartbroken once more. "As will I..." the gravity girl whispered, committing the last peaceful image of her wife to her memory. This moment of mourning was soon interrupted, as the sounds of growls grew louder and louder with every passing second. The guardian's body began to mend itself back together again, the cockroaches retreating inside the armor as the guardian stood up, ready to finish what had been started.

"The sigil is on the lobby floor. It's in the stars," Five's voice once again rang out as he peeked over the balcony, gesturing to the stars imprinted about ten feet away from the group. "Children, find a star on the sigil. Stand on it!" Reginald instructed. "Ben, now's your time, boy!" The Hargreeves looked at each other with hesitancy, but one by one they made their way to the sigil. Allison tried to step on one of the stars, but Reginald was quick to stop her. "Seven points? We're the seven bells?" Viktor questioned.

As the group stepped on the stars, the ground underneath them glowed white, there was only one star that hadn't been lit, and that was Five's. The time traveler limped down the staircase as the guardian closed in on them. "Number Five, quickly!" Reginald gestured. Allison's eyes darted between Five and the last remaining sigil, almost as if she was contemplating stepping on it despite Reginald's orders. Without a second thought, Five blinked over the group. As soon as he made contact with the star, a jolt of blue electricity came out of the center star and spread through their bodies before flying into the air, making contact with the guardian. He swung back and forth the more electricity fried him, and within five seconds, the final guardian fell to the ground, dozens of cockroaches exiting his body. 

Loud whirring and clicking filled the room as the Umbrellas and Sparrows were engulfed in blue light, unable to move any part of their bodies. The Hotel Oblivion crumbled all around them and turned into thin yellow lines. Reginald walked over to a round table, which spun and built a holographic dome around him. He pressed a few buttons and moved numbers and words around, while the Hargreeves groaned at pain and the bright lights blinding them, Allison looked at them in shock, knowing that this was not what she agreed to.

"This wasn't a part of the deal. You're hurting them!" She looked over at him. "I can't stop now," Reginald said, continuing to stare and work on the holographic dome. "It'd shut down the machine," "What machine? I don't understand!" Allison blinked with confusion. Reginald explained that the hotel was a façade, that they were stuck inside a machine in another dimension. "Whoever created the universe built this place,"

"What does any of this have to do with them?!" The Rumor yelled. The monocle pressed a button, and Allison could feel herself about to vomit as her siblings let out bone-chilling screams of agony. "The particles inside their bodies are the only things that fuel the machine," Reginald finished. Five looked over to Allison, his voice was hoarse. "He tried to kill Klaus. He killed Astrid, and he won't stop until we're all dead!"

Despite her pleas to stop, Reginald would not listen to Allison. The sounds of screaming continued behind them, and the sibling's lungs ached for air. Five was right, their father would not stop until every last one of them was dead. The more the machine extracted the Marigold, the more pale they became, their faces turning a sickly gray. As Sloane unwillingly continued to look up at the lights shining down on them, she swore she could feel her eyeballs catch on fire. As much as she wanted to look away, her body was working against her brain.

"STOP!" Allison's eyes glowed yellow, her screams directed toward the dome, but Reginald was far too engrossed in solving this conundrum of a machine repair. It felt like all hope was lost, that no matter how hard Allison begged and pleaded for her sibling's lives, it fell on deaf ears. Off to the side of the dome, she caught a glimpse of Astrid's blade, and she snuck around the dome to grab it, as she slowly crept behind the old man, the sharpest edge cut through his skull as she slammed it down onto his head.

 The lights hovering above her siblings shut off and they fell to the ground trying to catch their breath. Allison gasped as Reginald's body slumped towards her, his brains and dark green blood staining his blazer, and the ground underneath him. Dropping the blade, Allison's eyes returned to the dome, where a red glowing pulsed, inviting her to push it, and possibly get them out of their current predicament. "Allison... Allison, don't touch that button. We don't know what it does!" Five warned. "Allison, stop!" Viktor called out, as his sister continued to reach her hand out.

Viktor stood up from the ground, his face still gray, but with the familiar blue glow of his powers, he looked more human, rather than a rotting corpse. "Don't make me do this!" Viktor pleaded. "Do you trust me?" Allison asked. Slowly, Viktor's powers faded, and he fell onto his knees with a defeated look. What other choice did they have? Be stuck here forever? Or push the button and find out where they would go next? "Viktor, what are you doing? Stop her!" Five insisted.

With a grateful smile, Allison turned back to the button, and with a single press, everything went pitch black.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Two elevator doors slowly opened, leading them into what appeared to be a garden. They looked around at all the greenery, only able to be seen by the dim streetlights. As they stepped towards the center, they could see a metal mold of Reginald's head along with a plaque that read, Obsidian Memorial Park. Graciously donated by Sir Reginald Hargreeves on the 1st day of October 1989. "Well... this just got a bit more interesting," Lila chuckled. "Is it just me, or do I feel different?" Luther questioned, reaching for his arm and searching for the wound. But as he touched his arm, something was off. "Holy shit, guys!" He looked at the rest of his body, it had turned back to normal, no longer the torso of a humanoid ape.

The injured Umbrellas and Sparrows looked down at their wounds, shocked to see they had been healed. Diego regained his lost fingers, Five's left arm reconnected with his body, and Sloane's cuts and bruises had been healed. But Sloane's mind began to wander. If their wounds had been healed, and they all made it to the new timeline, surely Astrid must've followed them! "Has anyone seen Astrid?" Sloane asked, a hopeful look spreading on her face. But as the others looked around, also wondering if their sister had made it, they saw no sign of her. Or Allison.

Five took notice of the leafy paths that lay before them, and Ben asked where they were now. "The Hotel. At least what's left of it," Lila responded. Five looked down in realization, Reginald had reset the universe. "Hey, I don't care about any resets. I want my wife back. Where is she, Five?" Sloane growled, grabbing Five by his suit. "I know you're anxious to see Triddy again, but take your hands off me," Five spoke calmly. But Sloane jerked Five towards her. "Not until you give me an answer,"

Realizing he'd had to blink his way out of the grasp, Five closed his eyes and tried to teleport over to where Diego and Lila were standing. But when his eyes opened, he was still being held by Sloane. He tried again, but still nothing. "Something's wrong," He muttered. "That's right. You're about to get your puny ass kicked!" Sloane snarled. "No, you dingbat. My power, I can't blink," When Five said that, they all tried to summon their powers to no success.

Klaus could no longer summon ghosts, Diego could no longer throw knives with precision, and Sloane could no longer rise above the ground. "Aw, does this mean I'm mortal again?" Klaus said disappointed. "How do we get them back?" Ben inquired. No one answered, there wasn't any way they could think of to get them back. Part of who they were had been snatched away. And all they were left with was their mortality and each other.

"I gotta... I gotta go find my wife," Sloane shook his head, taking off down one of the leafy paths. "Sloane, wait!" Luther called after her, following her down the path, while the others headed in their own directions.

TO BE CONTINUED...