Previously on Battle for Beyond, an unsatisfying win against The Architect leads the non-native members of the group to realize that they can’t leave Polakott until they win the competition. Leila is confronted by the reality that she might once have been a leader of the contest, and that part of her — and her memory — has been lost. Nikhil and Sestia vow to bring down the competition and free Polakott, while Nikhil’s sister, Malini, recounts for him the legend of the three gods who jealously created the realm: Sahengaria, Nassavani, and Aagshni.

Battle for Beyond episode 5 recap

Disclaimer: Battle for Beyond contains mature themes and may not be suitable for all audiences.

In the fifth episode of Battle for Beyond, the group splits before being able to fully rest. Sestia and Leila follow Nikhil, who discovers a satchel containing his sister, Malini’s, broken tiefling horns. They each in turn are forced to confront their pasts inside The Looking Glass, a shadowy mirror realm that swallows them whole. Lenore and Ekon accompany Murdina to a beautiful grotto for a tea party, invited by Kyshaar’s pet fish Polodio, who was thought to have been killed by Nikhil. Polodio emerges in a horrifyingly large form and is attacked by the group, aided by the appearance of Nikhil and Leila. Sestia remains trapped in a pleasant memory, unwilling to let go.

No rest for the wicked

The five members of team Treez Nutz (minus Nikhil) are back in their darkened quarters. Leila holds a crown in her hand, removed from a newly appeared chest. It feels familiar, but she has no memory of it. Her hands tingle, and she is beset by a brief vision of herself in the commentators’ box, peering down at Filendaar the fire genasi as he stands victorious in the arena. Leila tucks the coronet inside her robes and returns to bed.

Nikhil returns from his conversation with his sister, Malini. He fakes a few yawns, subtly saying the names of the gods who helped create Polakott, while trying to gauge Leila’s reaction upon hearing them. Leila remembers nothing, and Nikhil mistakes the confusion on her face for a look of attraction. Nikhil admits to Leila that, while he is interested in exploring a sexual relationship, he was actually trying to see if she would react —or possibly explode — upon hearing the gods’ names. Nikhil recites each god’s name and purview again. His nose begins to bleed with the effort of remembering.

When Leila hears the names — Sahengaria, Nassavani, and Aagshni — she once again sees herself in a vision: She asks to find some sort of enjoyment and fulfillment in her duties and hears a voice respond, “It is done.” Leila tells Nikhil that the names feel familiar, yet not so. Nikhil thinks he feels the same, but Leila says that his is a different problem: He just needs to show empathy and to engage in others’ desires that are not his own. Nikhil asks if this is Leila’s way of trying to sleep with him, to which she responds with an awkward kiss.

Kyshaar subtly gets Murdina’s attention from the doorway, and Murdina sneaks away. “Something strange has come to pass,” says Kyshaar, and she wants Murdina’s opinion. She asks whether Murdina can speak to other scaled beings like her, before leading Murdina down the hall.

Meanwhile, Lenore is in a deep slumber, and a dream comes to her: She is still in their quarters but sees a baby crawling on the ceiling. Its head twists around, black ichor spewing from its mouth as it taunts, “I know what you did. Let your poisoning hand be the one that burns!” She awakens suddenly, and the white scaled gauntlet that brought her to Polakott has changed in color, imbuing her with a feeling of greater power.

Kyshaar leads Murdina into a damp grotto full of colorful algae and phosphorescent fungi, which reminds Kyshaar of Murdina — misunderstood, strange, and beautiful. Kyshaar explains that she often comes here to think. However, she now thinks she hears her fish, Polodio, who had been killed by Nikhil’s incompetence. Murdina hears it, too. Murdina and Polodio speak Primordial with one another. He says she is nice and invites her and her friends to a tea party. Murdina is endeared by Polodio and asks what happened to him.

“It was that tiefling,” Polodio explains, "That evil tiefling.” Murdina wonders how Polodio would feel about Nikhil attending the tea party. She has to believe there’s good in him somewhere, no matter how deep. Murdina scoops Kyshaar up into her arms and carries her back to the room.

As Sestia contemplates casting guidance on Leila to reduce the awkwardness of her kiss with Nikhil, she notices that her spellcasting focus feels different, almost hot against her chest. Sestia pulls off her sweater to fish out her Star Shard Amulet but realizes that the heat is actually emanating from a coin given to her by Filendaar. Examining the coin more closely, Sestia sees the familiar profile of her now-lost lover, Tovayu, on one side, but flips it over to see herself and Tovayu together in profile, foreheads touching. This image is new, and Sestia runs out of the room — topless — and directly into Murdina, who is returning with Kyshaar.

Murdina asks Sestia if she is alright, and Sestia shows off the coin, explaining that the image of her and Tovayu wasn’t there before. Kyshaar interjects to ask Sestia for tea for the party. Sestia darts back into the room to retrieve her sweater, and Murdina hugs her, saying, “Whatever you need, we’re here. I’m here.”

Sestia tries to deflect attention over to Leila and Nikhil, who remain in the midst of an awkward romantic encounter. Sestia loudly wakes Lenore, and finally, Ekon cannot handle the chaos in the room. He sits up and unleashes his frustration on the group, informing them that he has been trying to sleep this entire time. Murdina begins to tell the group about her encounter with Polodio, “Kyshaar’s fish who Nikhil murdered.” Nikhil contests that it’s not fair to call it murder, especially since Polodio is still alive. 

Ekon expresses his desire to close his eyes and go back to sleep. Murdina invites the group to Polodio’s tea party, which causes Ekon to bolt upright and unleash an impassioned rant about the absurdity of losing sleep for this, especially during such an important competition. Ekon storms out, shouting, “Let’s just go have the tea with the fish!” He grabs the Void Staff, his spellcasting focus, and realizes that the staff’s texture has changed into that of fireball-fused sand, and is accompanied by a note that reads, "A little help from a friend."

As Nikhil grabs his things to leave, he notices a satchel beneath his pillow that wasn’t there previously, pulling from it two tiefling horns, pink in color. He immediately flies out of the room, in search of his sister, Malini. Leila takes off in pursuit. Sestia notices that something is very wrong, and shoves into Murdina’s hands a bag full of tea leaves before dashing after Nikhil.

Splitting the (tea) party

Malini is the only person Nikhil has ever been close to, and he knows exactly where she would be. He flies directly to the balcony outside of her bedroom, assuming that whoever cut off Malini’s horns would be waiting for him there. He activates his Divine Sense. As Nikhil approaches, he sees a figure huddled atop the balcony.

Meanwhile, as Murdina and Kyshaar reenter the grotto with Ekon and Lenore, Murdina hears Polodio gurgling pleasantly. They call out to him. Lenore peers into the water and notices two eyes peeking above the water’s surface, larger than one would expect for a fish. Murdina also notices a soft, almost comforting divine glow emanating from Polodio, before he calls out, “Huggies!” and comes bounding forward and out of the water. Murdina, already running for the embrace, continues as though nothing is unusual. Lenore, Ekon, and Kyshaar are horrified by the creature they see.

Back on the balcony, Sestia arrives in the doorway in time to see Nikhil approach a crouched figure. It is Malini, sobbing. Nikhil’s Divine Sense picks up something from an object on the balcony floor: a looking glass. Nikhil asks Malini what happened. She explains that she peered into the mirror and saw another version of herself, which reached out and took her horns.

Nikhil heals Malini using Lay on Hands and promises that they’ll find a way to reattach her horns. Sestia uses druidcraft to create a breeze that carries her scent into the room, so that Nikhil knows she’s there without interfering. Nikhil asks Malini if she knew the mirror was magical, or whether she had used it before, but Malini doesn’t even remember where it came from. She also tells Nikhil that the mirror said they didn’t have the power to defend themselves. She saw them both die, saw Nikhil lose. Nikhil comforts Malini, before stabbing the mirror with his lance.

As the glassy surface of the mirror cracks, the edges become jagged and the fabric of reality itself opens up, consuming Nikhil and his lance entirely.

(At the break, the entire party reaches level 7.)

Confronting demons

Nikhil falls through viscous darkness inside The Looking Glass, landing in a mirror-filled space that reflects images of his best and worst moments. Nikhil has not had many good moments in his life, and he realizes that he always doubles down on his poor treatment of others, because it is easier than reflecting and changing.

He finds himself in a memory, at a time when he and Malini were teenagers. Malini had just finished writing Nikhil’s research paper and was worried that if he didn't pay attention he might be stuck peeling potatoes in a kitchen somewhere. Nikhil recalls having left Malini to hang out with his friends. Realizing that he can’t change the past, Nikhil shouts “Hey!” when his younger self begins to leave.

Nikhil’s recent experiences have changed him. He is no longer an Oathbreaker paladin but one upholding the Oath of Devotion. With his Sacred Weapon active, he calmly says, “This is gonna hurt, but that’s a good thing.” He stabs the younger Nikhil through his heart. Malini, who was poised to insult the teenage Nikhil, sees her now-older brother looking back at her, and appears confused. Nikhil apologizes for all the times he lashed out at others instead of turning the other cheek. He gently tells the young Malini, “I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry I didn’t stay. I’m really sorry I didn’t help, and I didn’t try.”

He vows to treat her better, no matter what. The floor beneath him opens up and swallows him into darkness, and he finds himself plunged into icy cold water.

Meanwhile, Lenore sees a strange creature galloping out of the water, with Murdina running to embrace it. She casts water walk on herself and Ekon, and also casts sanctuary on Ekon, telling him, “This time, try not to get smashed to death.” Leila, having just seen Nikhil and Malini pulled into a mirror, dives after them.

Lelia finds herself on a thin metal bridge with a scene beneath her, and steps off into the darkness, feeling the entire world rotate around her. Ahead, she sees a piece of her memory that she has been missing. She turns around and tries to walk away into the darkness but feels the coronet in her robes — heavy, warm, and electric — and turns back to face the memory.

She sees her past self communing morosely with what appears to be a distant star, and hears a voice emanate from that point of light: “You are no longer amused. You have grown weary of your duty.” Multiple voices echo from the celestial body, bickering with one another over her fate. Past Leila wants something new, something with purpose, and is transported to a new room. She now stands folding towels for warriors she no longer recalls, with an exuberant expression that starkly contrasts the sullen mood of before.

Leila is asked by her past self whether she’ll be entering the competition, or watching. The present Leila turns around and sees two doors: one leading to the spectator booth and the other to the arena. “What do you ask for when you have everything?” she says, before pulling open the door to the arena. She is suddenly submerged in deep frigid water, and finds herself drowning.

Polodio asks Murdina why her friends want to hurt him, and Murdina’s eyes glaze over as a crown of frost appears over her head. She is charmed under a crown of madness. Murdina brings Polodio some tea, who responds, “You’re my best friend. I would die for you.” Murdina replies, “And I will die for you,” and turns around in a ready stance, prepared to defend Polodio.

Sestia, having seen Nikhil, Malini, and then Leila swallowed up by the gaping maw of The Looking Glass, prepares to turn and walk away, thinking that this isn’t her fight. But she considers the warmth of the coin in her hand and realizes that this is the moment to help others instead of getting her wish. She tucks the coin away, whispering to it, “I’m gonna learn the lesson from your legend." She draws her sword and jumps into the mirror.

Sestia finds herself in the memory of Tovayu leaving. She asks him not to leave, telling him that they’re safe where they are. “Happiness is a risk you take, Sestia,” Tovayu tells her. “That’s what makes it worth it.”

Tovayu says they need to walk away together, but Sestia says she already has everything she wants: “I have my research. I have you.” Tovayu likens their current state to sand slipping through her hands, and he wants to go "find the beach," with or without Sestia. One lifetime with her isn’t enough. He wants many.

Sestia pleads with Tovayu to stay through the night so that they can talk about this later. Tovayu concedes, saying with a smile, “I don’t want to fight with you.” He leaves to fetch honey for their tea, and Sestia is relieved to have postponed making a decision. Part of Sestia knows that Tovayu is actually going to leave in this memory, but she wills the memory to make him stay. He does. She takes psychic damage.

“Oh baby, there’s a storm brewing,” warns Ekon back in the grotto. He is still vociferously unhappy that this fight couldn’t have waited until morning. Ekon casts ice storm over Polodio, positioning it so as to avoid hitting Murdina.

Nikhil is loving Ekon’s fury. Remembering that honesty is the first tenet of his new oath, he calls loudly, “Hey Polodio! I lied. I killed your ass on purpose.” He marks Polodio with Hexblade’s Curse, then strikes true with his lance twice, using Divine Smite on both hits. Polodio fails to maintain concentration on crown of madness.
Lenore walks out onto the water, casting spiritual weapon and critically hitting Polodio. In response, Polodio lets out a shriek, stunning Lenore and Murdina.

Leila breaks the surface, climbing onto a luminescent lily pad. Shining with radiance, she commands Polodio to cease his attacks at once and return to the darkness, using her Channel Divinity Order’s Demand. Polodio is unaffected. The lure on Polodio’s head flashes brightly in turn. Lenore and Ekon both take psychic damage, and Ekon is compelled to move toward Polodio. Murdina hasn’t seen Polodio attack anyone and doesn’t realize she has been charmed by him, so she calls to the others to stop their assault while spreading her wings in front of Polodio, granting him half cover.

Back in The Looking Glass, Tovayu returns with honey. Sestia has a vague feeling that she’s forgetting something, but no longer realizes that this is a memory. She settles in to have tea with her beloved, perfectly happy in the moment. As she descends further into the illusion, she continues to take psychic damage, unaware that she is dying…

Tune into Battle for Beyond

Battle for Beyond airs every Friday at 4 p.m. PST on our YouTube channel. The mini-series will air for six consecutive weeks from its premiere on Friday, November 12.

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Cameron (@CameronRPowell) is a Discord moderator for D&D Beyond. He is a real-life bard who accidentally dumped Charisma, and has played Purloque the loxodon cleric on Dice, Camera, Action!. When he’s not behind the DM’s screen, he enjoys hiking Icelandic volcanoes, knitting, and creating his hundredth unused character on D&D Beyond.