The projectile startles Alex, he grinding his teeth, "NO! We can't leave unless we all have at least someone bringing us all together! I'm here and good, but we need to have the dragons and passengers have at least one body connecting us all! Bad things will happen if we don't!"
He goes on, tapping the metronome again... it seems louder... the ticking audible above this ruckus...
"As death is to birth, time rules us all,
the swinging of a pendulum, though it sweeps, never to fall.
Seconds march on, no never stop,
No power on earth, can hope ever top!"
At this point, balls of silver outlined by a maroon lining seem to be surrounding Alex, a determined look in his eyes, he looking dead ahead, taking out the journal again.