Ray focused, and Desmond appeared before him in an instant.

Whoops. That was a bit of a miscalculation.

He'd originally only meant to stand in for Desmond for three, maybe five years, but he'd gotten a little carried away and let it run on far longer than planned.

The real Desmond now stood before him with a face full of stubble, nothing left of the commanding presence he'd once carried.

"You—it's you!" Desmond said the moment he recognized him.

He knew exactly who this was. The "new Kessle