Rick emerged victorious from The Realm twice. Is his luck about to run out? After multiple trips in and out of The Realm, Rick is becoming a part of it—a direct connection point has formed in his brain. He’s now slipping back and forth in his dreams and has become linked to The Realm and its creator in ways no one anticipated. That link is an asset in terms of what Kurodar is planning . . . but it’s absolutely detrimental to Rick personally. If he doesn’t destroy Kurodar and The Realm quickly, he’ll be completely absorbed by them. But destroying The Realm will mean destroying Mariel, and Rick is still torn by his love for her and his love for Molly. How can he lose either of them? Meanwhile, there’s still a traitor in their midst. So even if Rick figures out what he needs to do, actually doing it will be exponentially more difficult.