Something stirred in Lynn's heart, and he said:
"This is some kind of punishment. He told me before he died."
The flames in Constantine's eye sockets flickered as he rasped:
"It may indeed be a punishment, but it also closely resembles another situation I've seen. At least, I've rarely seen the power of Chaos used solely to torment someone rather than kill them."
Lynn said hesitantly, "Then you mean..."
Constantine looked up and said:
"Do you know how those King Beasts became Jailers?"
At those words, all the Origins around them were deeply shaken.
Even Azephala opened her bewildered eyes, kneeling there in a silent daze.
Clown's mouth fell open.
Those words had left him profoundly shaken as well.
Lynn also stood there in disbelief. "Are you saying..."
The Soulfire in Constantine's eyes flickered as he rasped, "I can't be certain. I only think it's similar. The terrifying thing about Chaos is that it can annihilate everything in our Material Universe. Anyone touched by even a trace of it will sooner or later perish, body and soul, and turn to dust. So why has she been able to endure until now?"
"But in a sense, this may indeed be a punishment. After all, we cannot fathom that being."
"I'm merely offering one possibility."
"I mean, if she really can withstand this constant disintegration by Chaos and finally awaken, might she become an anomalous existence between Chaos and Orderliness, just like those Jailers? Might she become a..."
"Jailer?"
Everyone shuddered at that moment, instinctively turning their eyes toward the Clown Doll.
Clown stood with his mouth open. Only after a long while did he say evasively:
"I... I don't know... My transformation was extremely unusual. I never went through the process the other Jailers did. Besides, the operation to transform someone