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A shadow fell over Magnus's face when he heard Kiki's question. "I....don't want you to do this Kiki," he told her. "You're worth more than this. This STUPID idea to purify the world by killing everyone - almost everyone in it. Don't you want more than that? And don't make any mistake, there IS more than that, because that's low. It's the lowest you could set the bar. It's ugly. It's weak. It's stupid," he continued. "And I don't want you to..." Die? Kill me? Go? His thoughts bombarded him with possible answers, but his voice trailed off before he could give one.

Magnus grit his teeth and looked up quickly, his eyes widening slightly with anger as he heard Kiki's response. "It's not about me not liking them!" He yelled back. "If- if you wanted to do something I didn't like but I didn't think was wrong I would...I would support you in it! But this isn't that! It's not that I WANT to die Kiki! And I...." his voice grew softer and his eyes returned to normal though it was clear he was still angry. "I don't think I could...kill you. And that's why....and if you do this....it's not just me who'll die. You'll lose yourself as well. I've SEEN what happens when people go after power Kiki!" His voice raised again, but this time it was passion and conviction rather than anger. For the first time in his life he was letting out what he really felt regardless of whether or not it was "proper". "It doesn't matter how good your intentions are! Or what you plan to do with it! If you're willing to do anything for it then....even if you reach it, you'll never get what you want! You'll only lose everything. That's all that purifying the world will do for you: cost you more than you can pay."

Magnus shook his head. "You do want power. Power to reshape the world in your own image. How many people have gone after that? And how many people have gotten it? The world is still a messed up place Kiki. But maybe that's the way things are supposed to be right now. Maybe that's what makes us stronger and able to grow. If messed up things hadn't happened to me....I wouldn't be here with you now." Magnus had just revealed a hint to a vulnerable part of his past, though Kiki may or may not have realized it. "And you wouldn't be here either, would you?" He walked around her so they were face to face again. "Isn't there anything else you care about Kiki!? Do you care that it would kill me? Do you care that people would suffer? That the world would be empty? That you would be all alone!?"

Magnus listened to Kiki carefully. She was right about one thing: he was having trouble understanding why she would want something like this. But there had to be a reason. An understandable reason. Somewhere. "You do want to reshape it in your image. Empty. Alone." He shook his head slowly. He had to think. There had to be some kind of c***k in her seemingly impenetrable armor of single-mindedness. There was more to it than this. Magnus was positive. He stopped suddenly. Her last two sentences. She'd just said something that didn't fit. "You want them to suffer." He repeated slowly. "What does that have to do with peace? If you want things to be pure so badly, what would be the point of making anyone suffer? That doesn't seem like it would help much." It was personal for some reason. It had to be. You didn't want people to suffer unless you had some kind of personal reason for it. By running into wall after wall, he'd taken at least one step towards the truth. Kiki's desire to purify and empty the world was more than just an abstract concept. There was a personal reason for it as well.

She was definitely trying to cover for something. "You don't need to make people suffer to get what you want," he pressed again, wanting to keep the crack open while he still could. "Since when have you cared about good and bad being present? I thought you just wanted peace and the world to be purified and empty?" He was staying on this train of thought, wanting to push Kiki as much as he could, hoping for another crack. Even a tiny one. He felt like he was in a battle. Perhaps he was, though it was entirely different than the one they had just finished fighting together. This was a battle of ideals. And he had to win. He had no other choice. If he lost here....if he backed down.....it could cost Kiki everything as well as himself.

Magnus took a small breath as he heard her answer. She'd practically closed the c***k. Still, she had muttered something before she began talking to him. "People what?" He asked as he looked at her calmly. It was a straw he had to grab on to tightly. Maybe his only chance to keep pressing forward. "What about people? They need to suffer or you want them to?" He wasn't done. "And if you truly don't care about people, then why would you even consider suffering bad? What's bad about it to you?" Magnus could tell she was in pain but he couldn't stop now.

Magnus heard Kiki's answer. He was close. He walked forward until his face was inches away from her and asked one simple question.

"Why?"