DA stared at Ron, then suddenly stepped forward and headbutted him.
"AAAGH! Damn you, why?!" Ron yelled, holding his forehead.
"Congrats on your victory—and for taking a beating," DA replied, unfazed. "May I come in?"
Ron nodded, letting him in. DA sat on the sofa, expecting food. But trying not to look eager, he added, "Thanks, Ron. You didn't have to go through the trouble of feeding me."
Ron returned carrying a tray. DA's eyes lit up at first, expecting a meal—but then narrowed as he saw what was on the tray: the Black Heart Diary.
DA stared at Ron in silence.
"I'll tell you everything again," Ron said. "But first—why didn't you show up at the location I gave you? Ohh… you were getting beat up by that 'Stranger Above All,' huh?"
"Stranger Above All?" Ron repeated.
"That's his title," DA said. "He's someone you do not want to mess with. One of the strongest beings to ever exist."
"You know him? Is he really that strong?"
"I've met him. Twice, maybe. He's ruthless. A cold-blooded, murderous psychopath. The fact that you survived him—that's more impressive than becoming a billionaire as a teenager."
Ron was about to respond, but DA cut him off. "Show me the diary—and that note you found on top of it."
Ron hesitated, then handed both over. DA read the note, then burst out laughing like a madman, pointing at Ron.
"Hahaha! 'Ancient Fool'? That's what I used to call a certain someone!"
"Come on, DA," Ron said, annoyed. "Just tell me about the diary."
DA leaned back and spoke with the tone of someone who knew far too much. "This diary… it belonged to Black Heart. The last page was written 800 years ago. You can only read it once every 24 hours."
"Tell me something I don't know, you old man. Unlike you, who just naps around, I'm actually busy." Ron folded his arms.
DA's expression turned serious. "The last page… was written on the very day you went into slumber. And the first page was written the day your parents met—when they were teenagers."
Ron's eyes widened. "Tell me more."
DA closed his eyes. "I'll tell you what I know. The rest… you'll have to discover by reading it yourself."
Ron nodded as DA continued. What he heard left him stunned.
---
Meanwhile...
Locki sat beside the unconscious Carter. After checking to make sure no one was nearby, he leaned over and placed a hand on Carter's chest. A faint light glowed—he was using a healing technique Aurora had taught him.
Carter stirred, groaning.
"Hey, legend. You awake?" Locki smiled. "You won the battle against that king. Then some guy came and folded you like paper."
Carter slowly opened his eyes. "That guy… he wasn't even trying."
Locki nodded. "There's a being in the bottom layer of the multiverse—his power's off the charts. He is called Mr Gonzalez.He created the Crack of Scenarios... and a place called the Void of Boxes. He's the strongest being to ever exist."
"And the guy we fought?"
"His son."
Carter sat up slightly, shocked. "Mr. Gonzalez…? The Void of Boxes…?"
"You've heard of them?"
"When Ron and I rescued Future Lia and Dream from an unknown dimension, Lia told me they were trapped there by someone she couldn't remember. That dimension exists outside all layers of reality—just like the Void of Boxes."
Locki raised a brow. "Then how did you even enter that kind of place?"
"I don't know," Carter said. "Ron just said he needed to save someone… his wife."
"And how did Ron know someone was trapped there? Especially his wife?"
Carter paused. "Good question… But there's one more thing. When we entered the dimension—thanks to Rad's powers—that place recognized Ron."
Locki looked at him, stunned.
"So Ron knew someone was trapped there… and the place recognized him," Locki muttered. "I think Ron has some deep connection to that dimension."
Carter hesitated, then spoke. "What if… it was Ron who trapped them there in the first place?"
"All the evidence points to that," Locki said.
"But not our Ron," Carter added quickly. "He was more surprised than me. I think it was a future Ron. Future Lia said I died in her timeline. It sounded like we were… lovers."
"Then maybe Future Ron trapped them to protect them," Locki reasoned. "If you were dead in that future, maybe Ron did it to save Lia."
"You might be right," Carter said. "Ron would never trap Dream—his beloved wife. That place recognized him… because he'd been there before. Maybe I told him to save Lia before I died."
"Now that I think about it, what happened to Future Ron?" Carter spoke.
"Maybe he didn't survived. Because if what happened was big enough to make Ron trap Dream and Future Lia outside the macrocasm. That might be a dangerous threat." Locki spoke.
---
On a distant planet...
Black Heart sat by a bonfire, roasting a fish. He looked up and smirked. "Oh? I didn't expect to see you here."
He stood and offered the fish. "Welcome, Dr. Thomas."
Dr. Thomas didn't take it. "Why did you kill two Beyonders? You know the consequences of messing with them."
Black Heart just sat back down, picking up another fish. "How's the Watcher? Oh wait—I forgot. He dumped you… no, folded you. Slammed your other half into dust."
Dr. Thomas's eyes flared with rage. He lunged, grabbing Black Heart by the throat. "Don't ever mention my other half again, or I'll kill you."
Black Heart smirked. "Raising your hand against the one who saved you? If it weren't for me, your entire race would be dust."
"I never asked you to save me!" Thomas yelled, raising his fist to strike.
"Too late," Black Heart said calmly.
Suddenly, a deep but calm voice echoed from behind.
"Thomas? What are you doing?"
Dr. Thomas froze and turned.
A figure stepped forward, holding a glowing stone.
"Take it," the figure said.
Dr. Thomas's eyes widened. "The Stone of the Puppet Master…"
"Consider it a gift," said the figure. "
Dr. Thomas spoke, "Thank Mr Gudango Gonzalez, the son of Mr Gonzalez."
So that 'Stranger above all' was none other than Mr Gonzalez's son, Gudango Gonzalez.
(Pronounced: "go," "dang," "o.")