Back in the lab, Agate walked into the hospital bedroom where Soshi was. Soshi looked at him angrily, roused from his slumber. Agate felt something was off.

"Are you here to condemn me too?" he asked.

"No, I'm just glad you're back. I'm also glad to see your tongue followed suit."

"Don't mock me. I've hit rock bottom. My ring is gone, my power is mostly gone and whatever is left of it is slowly killing me."

"What?"

"Yeah. They said I have cancer. I might never see any of my family again."

"I heard no such thing. Speaking of family, you never really told us much about them."

"...And that's on purpose." Soshi said. That was the only reply he could

"Were they pleasant?"

"Usually. Rembrandt thinks he can be a rockstar, though."

"Rock star? Like a musician?"

"That American garbage isn't music."

"Could you show me on a map where the Americans are? I was never sure if they were really real."

"Yes." He manifested a map on his wrist stump which Agate grabbed.

Agate looked at the map bewildered. Soshi got the location of their island completely wrong. There was no way this was Soshi, but he didn't feel like provoking whoever this was. "Where do we live on this map?"

"You see the archipelago next to the David Peninsula? We are currently on the island right off its coast. Goiky Island. The Americans own all of Magna America and we own all of Atlantica, Atlinia, and Olania. There is a dispute over Crown Isle because the Americans support a puppet state there, a French one, while we administer it as a satrapy."

"This kingdom is extremely large, is it not?"

"Yes. and if we let the Americans do what they do, it won't be extremely large soon."

"Why didn't you teach your son it's immoral then?"

"My career has kept me stuck here instead." Soshi threw up his hands in frustration.

"...Didn't you resign?"

"I don't remember that."

"The real Soshi resigned. Who are you?"

"It's a miserably small world. You can guess."

"I'm done with this."

"I'm sure you are." the imposter said before snapping his fingers. There was no time to process the event, as the lights went out, and all noise went silent.