"Baal…," Aaron groaned weakly, his voice barely a whisper in the vast emptiness.
"Let go."
"And now you beg for mercy," Baal sneered, his fingers tightening around the throbbing organ.
"But there will be no mercy for you whatsoever."
He dragged the heart free with a wet, ripping sound, triumph blazing in his eyes.
"It's not real! I'm not Aaron!"
"He is right. Look again," Baal heard a soft whisper from behind him, the words slithering into his mind like ice.
"Huh?" Baal paused abruptly.
Cold beads of sweat formed on his furrowed brows, trickling down his darkened skin.
He stared scrutinizingly at the Aaron before him, his third eye narrowing in suspicion.
The halo above his head pulsed erratically.
"X…" Baal muttered speechlessly, realization dawning like a bitter dawn.
His hand wasn't clutching Aaron's heart at all.
In reality, it held the glowing core of X, pulsing faintly with fading mechanical energy.
Baal turned slowly to see the real Aaron staring at him.
