"You've come back," said the voice from nowhere. It sounded almost like a whisper, but Sai could still hear it plainly over the roaring of the waterfalls around the Timeless Altar.

  "I have," said Sai from the entrance to the chamber.

  "And you brought the token," said the Eldritch One.

  Sai blinked. The robed werewolf had not been behind the altar when he'd entered, but now it was. It grinned at him, its teeth gleaming. "I did," Sai said.

  "Well, hand it over," said the Eldritch One, holding out a hand. "I'll add it to the bomb."

  Sai pulled the Timeless Token from his pack, walked up to the altar, and handed it to the Eldritch One.

  "And you brought the star," said the Eldritch One.

  Sai blinked. He'd been standing right beside the werewolf, but now he was back at the entrance. "I…" he stuttered. The token wasn't in his hand anymore. But why would it have been in his hand when he'd been asked for the star? The Eldritch One grinned at him, its teeth gleaming. "Wait," Sai said. "What just happened?"

  "Well, hand it over," said the Eldritch One, holding out a hand. "I'll add it to the bomb."

  Sai frowned at the werewolf for a moment before pulling the Fallen Star from his pack, walking up to the altar, and handing it to the Eldritch One.

  "And you brought the shell," said the Eldritch One.

  Sai blinked. He was back at the entrance again. "We just did this," Sai said. But he knew the shell was still in his pack. "I…" he stammered. Why did his head hurt? The Eldritch One grinned at him, its teeth gleaming. "Wait. No?"

  "Well, hand it over," said the Eldritch One, holding out a hand. "I'll add it to the bomb."

  Almost in a daze, Sai pulled the Echoing Shell from his pack, walked up to the altar, and handed it to the Eldritch One. "Alright," said Sai. "You have it all. Now stop it with the time skips and answer my questions."

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  "It is done," said the Eldritch One.

  Sai frowned. "I haven't asked anything yet," he said.

  "But your escape is secured regardless," said the Eldritch One.

  Sai's jaw dropped. "I can escape?" he asked.

  "You have completed my tasks," the Eldritch One said. "Take this." It spread its hands, and on the altar rested the conch Kunago had provided. The seal of the Eldritch One looped along its side, and from somewhere deep within its spiral, something dark gleamed.

  Sai stared at it, not breathing. He started breathing again quite quickly when he tried to pick it up. "Ow!" he cried, jerking his hands back. "It stings to touch it!"

  The Eldritch One's eyes glittered within its hood. "It is compressed temporal destabilization and has the power to unmake reality," it said. "So yes. I suppose it would be uncomfortable for material creatures to touch."

  Sai gaped at the werewolf. "What am I supposed to do with it then?" he asked.

  "Put it in your pack?" the Eldritch One said. "You don't have to carry it with your hands."

  "I don't want it unmaking my pack either!" Sai shouted.

  "It's fine," the Eldritch One assured him. "The shell is keeping it mostly inert."

  "Mostly?" Sai asked.

  "Kunago shares a bit of my power," admitted the Eldritch One, "but he's still only a demigod."

  "That's not reassuring!" Sai shouted.

  "It's always been fine, so it will be fine," said the Eldritch One. "Just put it in your pack." Sai glared at the werewolf before taking several deep breaths and shaking out his hands. Then, as quickly as he could, he scooped up the time bomb and shoved it into his pack. "Thank you," said the Eldritch One.

  Sai watched it sit in his pack, waiting for everything else inside to disintegrate. "I still don't trust it," he said.

  The Eldritch One's eyes glittered. "You take it to the Clifftop Forest to a blank face of the void mountains," it said. "There it exploded, allowing the impending passage to appear in your timeframe."

  "There are a lot of blank faces in the void mountains," said Sai. "How will I know if it's the right place?"

  The Eldritch One grinned its impossible smile. "You'll know," it said.

  "And how do I even work the thing?" Sai asked the blank wall in the passage near Anzu's still-pristine corpse. He blinked, looked around, and growled. "This is not a healthy way to deal with people you don't want to talk to!" he shouted at the wall.

  "Grrr…" said Cuatete.

  Sai sighed. "Well, come on," he told the raptor. "We have to figure out where to use this thing." He adjusted the shoulders of his pack. He couldn't feel the time bomb through the leather, but he knew it was still there. "The Clifftop Forest is across the canyon spur near Somber Tune. So I guess we're headed northeast." He sighed again, but then he laughed. "And then out," he said. "I'm going to make it out."

  "Chirp!" said Cuatete, and the two of them headed for the exit to the cave.