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~~The Christmas Day Special + Mon/Wen/Fri Double (page 4 of 10)~~
Parson tried to keep struggling against the shadow, but even that much effort was proving difficult for him. The energy just seemed to be draining out of him. Was his body being turned to glass again? He couldn't tell. Maybe it was just pan-rozum's aftereffects.

Whatever it was, he was losing hope by the second.

But Overra, bless her, was still trying.

'What is this Chaos you keep referring to?' she asked, sounding genuinely curious and quite calm somehow. Hell, maybe she really was both of those things, but Parson highly doubted it.

Reapers were like that, weren't they? Always desperately trying to talk their way out of a situation--and always trying not to sound desperate when doing so. Parson had learned that long ago.

"To attempt to explain Chaos would be doing it a profound disservice," said Morgunov. "All that is not, all that may yet be--even all that should not be. Can you even begin to imagine that? I do not think--"

Morgunov's expression froze, and his mind abruptly seemed to be elsewhere.

Was he sensing something unexpected? Parson's own senses were too foggy to tell.

The Mad Demon turned around just in time to see a pair of open jaws, mere inches from his face. They had been halted by the rainbow shadow, apparently, and when they snapped shut, Parson recognized the silver fur of the giant wolf from earlier.

"Ah," said Morgunov, though he sounded considerably less jovial now. "The Beast of Ardora. Still, you persist. But of course you do, hmm? The Prime Hunt must continue, mustn't it?"

The beast's growl had enough force behind it to make the surrounding shadows tremble.

"Do you even remember anything?" said Morgunov. "Or are you now a creature of instinct alone?"

The growl grew into a snarl, and this time, the shadows shuddered so strongly that the wolf was able to thrash itself free again.