That scene replays in his eyes, over and over. The commander slumps over, and the evil in the Flame Lord's eyes becomes more and more intense with each repeated action. He remembers what the Flame Lord said: Screw up, and you end up like him…
"Not like I have much choice anymore," Luke mumbles under his breath as the Aetherium essence from the portal envelops around him.
"Are you okay, sir?" one of the soldiers asks.
"Not really," Luke says, "I never imagined I'd achieve my 'dream' like this…"
"I'm sure you'll do fine, sir," the soldier responds.
"I don't know if I can do what I was asked of…"
As the portal dissipates, Luke and his army find themselves on a barren planet.
-------------------------------------------
"Do you think Luke is alright?" Alice asks.
"He's fine," Cameron responds, "Any son of mine should be able to handle such things." he pauses for a minute before continuing. "And if he can't, I have plans for that." The Flame Lord holds a darkened, defiled gem to the window. "I have plans."
"What do you plan on doing with that?" Alice asks.
The Flame Lord gives a sly smile at the question. "You'll see," he responds, "You'll see." the Flame Lord's eye twinges slightly.
Late at night, the Flame Lord sleeps in the royal bedroom next to Alice. A dream begins to manifest in his mind as he tosses and turns. The Flame Lord finds himself in a dark void, with a mirror image of himself on the other side.
"I… I have control?" The Flame Lord says to himself.
"Not for long," the mirror image says to him. As he says this, chains form around the Flame Lord as his mirror image self approaches, "We're in your mind, and I still hold dominion over you here."
"You won't for long!" The Flame Lord yells, struggling against the chains; they tighten with each movement until he can no longer move.
"I'll keep you here, in case I need you to venture… there," The mirror image shudders.
That's it… the Flame Lord thought to himself…
"And don't get any ideas," the mirror image says, "Remember, we're in your mind… I can hear your thoughts. Your mind is an open book to me, and I have read every chapter. But now, now it's MY turn to put ink to paper."
"You won't be able to do anything!" The Flame Lord yells, struggling against the weight of the chains holding him down, which pull harder in response.
"I'm tired of your incessant talking," The mirror image says with a grin.
The Flame Lord feels his mouth seal shut and can no longer talk.
"Back to business," the mirror image starts, "starting with kingdom renovations…"