"That's why I'm here. It's why I asked you not to do anything with Dawn. She's... well, the key to saving everything. Which is kind've ironic if you think about it."
It's making jokes now?
"Dawn's dead. She's not the key to anything anymore."
"Actually, she's still The Key, or at least her blood is. It can still be the catalyst that saves everything, if we use it in time."
B can't help but ask.
"In time?"
"It's like I said, reality is off balance. More and more dimensions are coming apart the longer it goes on. But we can stop it, if we're willing to take the chance."
Of course.
"And there it is, the catch."
"It's not a catch, so much as a consequence. What we do could have unpredictable results. The only thing we're sure about is that it will fix the problem. Beyond that, we don't really know."
Wait...
"But aren't you supposed to be the Powers That Be? How can you not know what will happen? You're supposed to know everything."
"Everything under their control, yes. But the power of The Key is beyond even us. Wrath was right when he said that The Key existed before he was created. It also predates The Powers too. They don't have as much control over what came before them. All they can do is manipulate how The Key is used, they can't destroy it or eliminate it. What The Key's energy does though is anyone's guess. Dawn could control it because she was moulded from it. The monks were hoping that by giving it conscious thought and giving it to a slayer, Dawn would learn to use the power wisely if it ever manifested. But there's a reason why Glory's plan to go home ended the world. She couldn't force it to do what she wanted and open up one way to the one place she wanted to go. Only use it to open the portal."
"And you have a better plan?"
"We can use Dawn's blood as a catalyst to reset existence. Give it a total reboot that isn't constrained by the wish Buffy made or anything that Dawn ever did."
B has an idea.
"But... can't we just reverse the wish? Summon the vengeance demon who did it and reverse the effect?"
"Sadly no. What Dawn did interrupted the spell the demon cast. Even if we wanted them to, they couldn't do it. Magic itself has been thrown off."
It looks over at Pike as he sleeps in the hospital bed.
"Even if Willow can come up with a way to save Pike, there's no guarantee it won't go horribly wrong. Any spell she casts could end up killing him as much as helping him. Not to mention what it could do to other people."
I look over at Pike.
We might kill people if we try to save him?
"What happens if we reset? Do we remember what happened so we can avoid it?"
It doesn't respond right away.
"There's no way to know for sure. The Key's energy is too chaotic to control for sure. But... probably not."
Seriously?
"So we could do this and make all the same mistakes?"
Again it takes a moment before answering.
"The other option is for everyone and everything to go out of existence... permanently. I know which one I'd prefer."
She's kinda got us there I guess. Probably wouldn't be the best thing if we didn't try to stop it.
My focus turns to B and hers comes to me. We just watch each other for a moment.
"What do you think B?"
She doesn't respond right away.
"I think we have to Faith. We can't just let existence disappear if we can stop it."
The Cordy thing stands up.
"Great, well since you've got your answers, then I can ask my question... will you help me save the world?"
After staring at each other a while, we both get up to our feet, trying to stand firmly despite everything.
"We're in."
It smiles back.
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