- Cade Foster, I'm here to prepare you for the fight of your life. We have much to talk about."Xevallah
While fleeing Gua agents through a forest, Cade is somehow transported to another dimension. Where he meets a mysterious humanoid, Xevallah, that claims to be the last of his race. But before Cade can leave, he has to learn that the fight for the survival of Earth is not only physical but spiritual as well.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: "Hate, like anger, is an impediment to the warrior."
- Armor-Piercing Question:
- Cade says he'll need an army to defeat the Gua. Xevallah points out that he had an army - the Raven Nation - and asks how that worked out.
- When Cade insists he's avenging Hannah, Xevallah points out that Cade already killed the Gua who killed her, so hasn't he avenged her already?
- Finally:
Xevallah: Can you forgive them, Cade? Can you forgive your people for being blind? Can you forgive all the wrongs done to you? Can you forgive yourself for allowing this to come to pass?
Cade: Yes. - Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: The only other survivor of Xevallah's people was one Michel de Nostradame.
- Call-Back: Xevallah, the alien who saved Cade as a child in "Shadowland", appears to teach him how to defeat the Gua.
- Earth All Along: To make a point about Cade learning to forgive the Gua, Xevallah shows Cade a vision of what Cade takes to be Xevallah's homeworld. It's a barren, ruined, depressing place, but Cade doesn't get the point. And then he finds a soda can...
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: Xevallah makes a case for humans being worse than Gua.Xevallah: Humans are the only species I've ever encountered that make massacring their own kind a matter of course! Genocide has become the planetary pastime.
- I Ate WHAT?!: Xevallah gives Cade food and drink. When Cade says it's unlike anything he's tasted before, Xevallah says that's unsurprising; he just ate "the blood and heart of a great Gua warrior." Cade is horrified and becomes very sick, which Xevallah says is him being "purified" of the spiritual poisoning of the last few years.
- It's Personal: Xevallah sees this as Cade's problem, and why he'll lose: his anger with the Gua over losing Hannah and Jordan are an impediment. He can't fight the Gua if he's busy fighting his own demons.
- The Needs of the Many: Cade wants to return to save Eddie. Xevallah asks if Cade is willing to sacrifice his teachings for one man.
- No Kill like Overkill: Xevallah's account of his species' invasion definitely qualifies. Apparently the Gua sent a hundred thousand to conquer one thousand locals who weren't even hostile.
- Pocket Dimension: Cade is pulled into a Quantum Pocket so he can learn from Xevallah. Although it could also be Cade's mind.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Xevallah, although he says his people didn't have a word for war until the Gua came along. Presumably they were fast learners.
- Timey-Wimey Ball: Cade is pulled into the Quantum Pocket as he and Eddie are running from Gua agents, and he spends the episode freaking out over Eddie's safety. However, Cade is returned to Earth at the moment he left, and handily saves Eddie.
- Visual Pun: When Cade learns something, he's given a stone that melts into his hand. He's absorbing the lessons.
- Virtual Reality: Some lessons are communicated by scenarios played out as illusions. In the first, Cade sees Eddie shot by a masked Gua operative. He chases the shooter, only to realise it's Joshua. He turns away from Joshua and shoots another Gua sneaking up behind him, and Xevallah congratulates him on passing the test; he put aside his anger to see the real danger.
