The Third Trial: Fizzling Embers of Hate

As the Grey Ghost came to, the King was tied up beside him and was being forced to watch as Kelstone used mind control on Sam. Even though his body was weak, the King watched as the Ghost began to bend the chains. His mind was overwhelmed by the sad look on Sam's face.

"LET HIM GO!" Yelled the Ghost, his heart pounded within his chest. He'd never felt this way about anyone. Kelstone walked up to him and was going to slap, but grinned as he turned to Sam. He handed Sam a blade and slapped him.

"If you love me... kill him." 

The words resonated across the Banshee's land. Even the King was speechless as his son marched towards the Grey Ghost. However, something about humanity's hero had changed. Inside his mind, the vestiges watched as the Ghost made a single request.

"You want us to do what?" Exclaimed John Henry with a look of panic.

"I want you to break me, and I don't mean softly. Use this body, but don't lay a finger on Sam."

"Child, he's gonna fucking kill you and us by extension."

"I DON'T CARE! NO HARM WILL COME FROM THESE HANDS! I LOVE HIM!" 

Lemuel and Jesse Brown walked up to him and nodded. "We're in. And you can count the 332nd and VF-32 in as well." Said Jesse. Lemuel looked at John and the others. "Are you so blinded by your own feelings of pride that you can't see this young man, the one who gave us a voice again... is asking for us, all of us, to help him?"

The others looked down before John F. Kennedy spoke up. "If we are aimed at the moon, then let's show this bastard what we're all made of."

As Sam approached the Ghost, the wellspring of vestiges took over his body. John Henry's strength easily snapped the chains. Lemuel and Jesse Brown's control of the mind allows the Ghost to dodge Sam's attack and knock the blade out of his hand. He pulled Sam in for a hug and whispered something into his ear that had the prince drop to the floor. Once Sam was in the King's care, the vestige-controlled stood up and looked over their shoulder with a glare that froze hell over in a split second. As John Henry took over the Ghost's mind, the vestiges collectively spoke. It was a simple phrase spoken in French, but only the King and Dr. Sue understood its significance.

"Dans la mort, mon cœur est à toi... mon amour." As the words left his lips, he tackled Kelstone out of the Cathedral and began the mile-long fall from the heavens. 

As the two fell, Archie spoke to Dr. Sue. "What did he say? What did that mean?" Before Dr. Sue could answer, Sam looked at Archie and the King spoke. "It was of your surface world's French language. It directly translates to "In death, my heart is yours... my love."

Archie rushed over to the edge where the Ghost had tackled Kelstone out of the Cathedral. "We have to help him! Please, he's the last of us, the last of my line. Please, if not for me then..."

Sam stood up and leaped after him followed by the Illiniwek Squad. "Who are..."

"Just consider us your escort! Now, we gotta rescue him... from himself. Kelstone isn't the danger! It's the Grey Ghost! His allowing the vestiges full control of himself! 

Meanwhile, the Ghost and his vestiges were crushing Kelstone in every way imaginable. In freefall, Kelstone had no real defense against the Ghost's continued onslaught. Heemeyer had taken over control and was using the anger that he had left over from his rampage in Granby, Colorado. The Ghost's ability to tap into his body's flow state made things far easier for the vestiges to succumb to their more primal rage. 

As they hit the side of a building, the Vestige Ghost ripped Kelstone's battle armor apart with his bare hands. Kelstone used his ability as a mind-walker to shift into the Ghost's head while his body fought to defend. In the Ghost's mind, however, Kelstone found something truly odd.

The various versions of himself were in a battle for survival against the Ghost of Ottawa version. "Please, Ghost! We don't have to fight!" yelled the child version of the Grey Ghost. 

"You are in my way." The Ghost said as he lunged toward the child. However, the college version of the Ghost intercepted him. 

"WE ARE ONE IN THE SAME! STOP ATTACKING US! IS THIS WHAT GRANDMA WOULD WANT!?"

"THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?!" 

The young man in a Heemeyer hoodie, black-faded jeans, and short-styled hair shoved the Ghost back away from the others.

"This aggression has to end, Ghost. Being angry at the world, more specifically at ourselves, isn't healthy.

"WE LET THEM KILL ALL OF US! ONLY YOU SURVIVED! BECAUSE OF MY SACRIFICES! NONE OF YOU COULD STAND UP, STAND IN MY FUCKING SHOES! I TOOK THE PAIN! I TOOK THEIR GLARES!"

The college version of himself sighed and held out his hand to him. "We can work together... to ensure that..."

The kid version of himself noticed Kelstone. "You aren't supposed to be here." He said as he began to hover in the air. Vantablack armor attached to him as he knocked Kelstone out of his mind. 

As he came to, the kid version usurped control of his mind. Mimicking the characters he'd seen in cartoons and movies, he grabbed Kelstone by the neck and slammed him into the building. However, Kelstone overpowered the kid's moves with ease and pinned him down. 

"I am going to rid this universe of the insane parasite known as the Grey Ghost!"

"HEY! IF YALL ARE DONE FIGHTING! GREY GHOST: MANIFEST AND DIVIDE!" Yelled the Kid. In a fury of American-themed smoke, the Grey Ghost vanished. Like an animated action film of the 1980s, the Grey Ghost has split into three versions of himself. The Kid, dressed in armor akin to that of his favorite main lead in the reruns of the original G1 series. The hot-rod armored kid rushed forward and knocked over Kelstone. 

"Are you two coming? Or am I gonna do all the work?"