Phoebe’s eyes burned but held no warmth. She stared at me like a robot locking onto an enemy. Was this a nightmare? I wished it was.

  “Phoebe, are you in there…? You have to fight it. Remember who you are”, my feeble words rang hollow. It was easy for me to say when I had only gotten grazed. She had taken the full brunt of Hex’s attack… because I had failed to stop him.

  All at once a wrenching pain shot through me, grief and fear mixing together. Ghosts can’t cry- and in moments like this, I wished I was human.

  A bee suddenly flew down into the chamber. “Her Divinity requires your presence immediately”, it commanded.

  Hex and Phoebe quickly turned to me. “[[Holy Beam]]!”. It stabbed at my heart to see my former friend attacking me, but I quickly phased underground where the light could not reach.

  “It’ll take too long to convert him”, Hex sighed. “Servant, carry Phoebe. She can’t fly”. The bee wrinkled its antennae, but complied. They rose out of the tower, heading towards the palace.

  I emerged from my hiding place. Should I chase after them? And could Phoebe still be saved? My thoughts turned back to Hex. When he was first stung, the effects were comparatively mild… he was enslaved, but still himself. But now, it was like he had lost his identity. Clearly, this mind control magic progressed over time.

  I gritted my teeth. One thing was clear- if there was any chance of rescuing Phoebe, I needed to act now. The risk of getting caught didn’t matter. I couldn’t lose my best friend. So I snuck out after them.

  Queen Buzzbuzz sat on her throne, as other bees fluttered into the hall before her. “It seems that everyone is here”. She glanced at Chief, who nodded.

  “Very well. I’ll keep this short”, she began. “The other cities have refused to surrender, and are forming a military alliance as we speak”. Muttering spread through the hall, quieting as the queen continued. “Ordinarily, I would order the invasion of another city. However, we sustained great losses last time, and…”, her eyes narrowed, “my subjects are less loyal than I expected”.

  A bee came forward, one of her advisors. “Your Divinity”, he bowed, “with all due respect, war is unlike us. Violence and murder is the province of the dirtbound. Your gracious desire to liberate them from their plight touches my heart, but I’m afraid that fighting them over this does not serve the hive”. A chorus of agreement sounded.

  Queen Buzzbuzz looked over the crowd with suspicion. “Perhaps you’re right. In which case, we’ll need something else”. The muttering quickly turned to confusion. “A trump card. Some kind of weapon, perhaps…”.

  Hex floated forwards. “Your Divinity, I have an idea”. The rest of the room looked at him with surprise and open distaste. “My scientists invented a weapon that can destroy whole cities. They are stored on the Moon, but we can fly there and transport them back”. The hall erupted with anger.

  “Settle down, settle down. I think it’s a brilliant idea”, the queen praised. “We can end this conflict without any casualties. This is exactly why other races could help better the hive”.

  “Your Divinity!”, another advisor shot into the air. “This… this demon is not one of us! Surely you don’t intend to use such a horrible weapon?!”. “Hear, hear!”. “He’s evil!”. “Let’s just end this conflict now!”, a voice wailed.

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  “End it now?”, the queen laughed. “It’s too late for that. The moment we invaded Mechadream, other cities took notice. No, the only way out is through”, she scanned the crowd, meeting each of their gazes. “Don’t worry. I won’t use these weapons on any… populated areas”.

  A stunned silence filled the palace. It was Chief who spoke up first. “Queen Buzzbuzz… what on Earth are you saying? I thought the invasion of Mechadream was troubling enough, but this…”. He shook his head even as the queen stared at him in shock.

  Emboldened, the advisor who spoke up first rose into the air. “…You’ve sided with the dirtbound. I had hoped the rumors would prove false, but it seems your sympathy has… corrupted you. You’ve tried to heal the darkness within humanity’s rotten heart, but it has now taken root within your soul. You’re a traitor”. He gulped as he said the last line. Despite the excitement, the room fell back into silence.

  Queen Buzzbuzz slowly closed her eyes. “No more speaking in riddles. It’s refreshing to hear what you really think. So I’m sorry, Advisor”. She motioned to Hex, and a shard of glass tore the bee in half. His legs thrashed about wildly at first, but they soon slowed as if he were swimming through honey. The crowd didn’t react. This sort of thing wasn’t possible. Bees never murdered each other. Except for the White Bee… their minds naturally turned back to that crisis and how strange it was. Queen Buzzbuzz exploited the chaos, ordering them to abduct human heroes for a secret project. With a start, some of them realized that this was no descent into madness… they were only now seeing her for who she truly was.

  “Superweapons? Heaven? We’ve already done this plot”, I busted into the hall before turning to my friend. “Phoebe, can’t you see that this queen is evil? You too, Hex! Don’t you remember Lucina’s death?! Didn’t that teach you both the dangers of extreme beliefs? Answer me!”.

  Hex was unfazed. Phoebe hesitated. “I’m sure Queen Buzzbuzz can answer…”.

  “NO! I want YOU to answer me, not anyone else! Come back, Phoebe… Was adventuring with me really that bad?”. My voice choked up.

  “That’s not fair”, tears fell from Phoebe’s cheeks. “You have no idea what it’s like. This honey takes my pain away. I have no reason to be an adventurer anymore, not after what happened. It’s better to have purpose here instead. I’m sorry, but I’m happier this way”.

  “So you just want to forget? Even about your sister?”.

  “OF COURSE I DON’T WANT TO FORGET!!!”, a raw scream tore through her. “But I still remember her, don’t I? This just helps… it makes everything bearable”.

  “Hey, Chief Enforcer!”, I turned to Hex. “Cxffs!”. He blinked, uncomprehending. As I suspected… he had forgotten his mother tongue.

  “You see? Hex is gone already. He no longer exists. This magic doesn’t just make you forget the bad things… it makes you forget everything. So remember! You’re not a servant of the hive, you’re an adventurer! You travel around with a goofy ghost sidekick and a dangerous slime pet! You can be reckless sometimes, but you’re courageous and always want to do the right thing! You’re my friend, Phoebe Darkbane III!”.

  The hazy golden fog in her eyes dissipated as they returned to a sharp blue. She ran over and hugged me, tears pouring out. “I’m so glad… to have you as a friend…”. “Don’t mention it. You’ve saved me before too, after all”. She wiped away her tears and looked around. “Um… why is everyone… frozen?”.

  As if breaking out of a trance, I suddenly took stock of my surroundings. She was right. All of the bees were frozen in place like statues. Then clapping echoed through the hall.

  A shadow emerged from behind the throne. “I have to hand it to you, Count Boogula! You sure do put on one hell of a performance!”. That familiar smugness… those horns… it could only be one person… “Now then, time for the final boss! Jingle Jack is back on the attack!”. I couldn’t see him, but it didn’t matter. He could only be wearing that crazed smile.