Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

HOW INTERESTING

YOU INTRUDE

IN ANOTHER REALM.

WHY?

<Proceed.>

A CONTACT

ALREADY EXISTS.

<I am aware. Proceed.>

YOU LACK

A VESSEL.

<I will find one. Proceed.>

VERY WELL.

LET US

COMMENCE.

A vortex of darkness swirled, until light pierced the veil, revealing a simple community on a cloudy autumn day. Hometown. A familiar place, from an unfamiliar angle. Above it, high up in the sky, unbothered by the wind, suspended in the air, was a heart-shaped object. It looked like a glass sculpture, deep red in color, with no discernible features. Yet, from its bird’s eye view, it scanned the entire settlement with precise curiosity.

<This is new.>

The heart began to descend slowly and deliberately, until it touched down on the rooftop of an apartment building. It did not remember visiting this place very often, especially in its present form. It took the liberty to circle around, tempering its curiosity with expectations of the same dull descriptors and features and intending to move on, yet a glimpse caught its undivided attention.

One window without blinders. Upper floor. Beyond piles of magazines, books and miscellaneous memorabilia was a blue bird playing a fighting game on a computer. He was losing.

<He’s not dead yet. I wonder…>

“Stupid turtle! Stop blocking my super attack!” Berdly whined as he kept button mashing. When he tried to focus by pretending to be facing off against Kris, he did not like being beaten in almost the same way. The game, the world, even the cosmos, were seemingly set on mocking him and preventing his ascension to the number one gamer spot in Hometown. But unlike with Kris, here he has infinite retries, and he will triumph and what’s that weird tapping sound?

His body unmoving, he twisted his neck to momentarily glance at the window, thinking that raindrops were impacting the glass, or maybe it was improperly closed and the wind had it swing ever so slightly. Only two seconds after returning his view to the computer did he process that it was neither of that, and with another head turn, his irises shrunk.

That was a heart. A red, nondescript heart-shaped object the size of an apple, floating in front of his window. Lightly bumping into the glass. The lower jaw of his beak shivered mildly in shock, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He lifted his glasses to rub his eyes, blinked rapidly, angled his head wondering if it was some optical illusion, and yet it was still there.

“Uh… Mom?” he turned to ask a figure on a sofa silhouetted by the light of a television playing a nature documentary.

“What is it, Berdly?” a female voice from the sofa, disinterest evident in her shrill voice.

“Are you seeing this thing at the window?”

Almost as if in sync, both of them snapped their necks almost 180 degrees to view the window. The heart was gone.

“What am I supposed to see?” mom asked.

“An… uh…” Berdly struggled to choose words. Was his head really playing tricks on him? He stared for a few seconds, until the booing sounds from his computer caught his attention. His character had been kicked off the edge of the arena, and he lost 2-5 again. Mom groaned and turned around. Berdly sighed, thinking he had just been stressed from the game and volunteering at the library.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He hadn’t finished picking the map for the next match before the tapping returned. Berdly tried to ignore it, thinking it’s just more stress, but it kept going. Rhythmically. Like a heartbeat. Berdly turned his head, and saw it again. The heart, tapping on the glass. He got up from his chair and stood in front of the closed window. The heart stopped tapping and seemed to… stare. It had no eyes, no mouth, no… features at all.

“Mom…?” Berdly asked again, not moving his stare from the anomalous object outside.

“Ugh… what is it, Berdly?” mom asked again.

“Can you look at the window again? Please?” Berdly asked. The heart quickly zipped to the side and out of sight the moment the words left his beak. “Hey!”

“Well?” mom groaned as Berdly quickly pulled up the window and stuck his head out, pressing forward against the windowsill, using his head’s degree of rotation to scan the area. The wall of the building, the neighboring windows, edge of the building roof. Nothing was there.

Suddenly, Berdly felt a sharp pain in his chest. Like he was punched in it or hit by a rock. He recoiled and smacked his head on the top of the window. His neck snapped down to find the culprit. It was probably Susan, probably thinking of sending him a love letter wrapped around a rock, or maybe-

But nobody came. The street was empty. Berdly scanned the entire neighborhood from his vantage point, but no obvious culprit could be seen. Perhaps they dove into the alley? By the time he went to ground level, they would have escaped scot-free.

“Berdly.” Mom said sternly. “Stop being stupid.”

“Right… Sorry mom.” He meekly apologized, closed the window, and sighed as he collapsed into his chair again. He probably pressed himself against the windowsill too hard. The pain in his chest very slowly subsided, and he was once again looking at the map select screen of Super Smashing Fighters. He was ready to have his mighty Big Penguin crush the computerized Purple Dragon in the Volcano Arena. Victory shall be true blue this match. He wrapped his feather fingers around the buttons of his controller, and prepared for action.

…How was he even worse this time around? He gave almost random inputs, as if he never played the game before. He barely dealt a sliver of damage to the dragon by the time Big Penguin was sent blasting off again.

Berdly’s head dangled. Maybe he needed rest. To restore his strength and then keep practicing, or play something else that required less button mashing and more developed mind work, like constructing pylons in Minecrap, or saving the world in Dragon Blazers. But first, he would prove he’s no chicken, but like a great blue swan. If he shall lose again, he shall lose with honor, and will push to the end of the match.

His determination yielded unexpected results. He was doing much better in Round 2. Big Penguin held his own against the Purple Dragon, and while he lost, the Dragon was in the triple digits of damage. Damn wavedashing bot…

Round 3. Berdly’s fingers began to move with greater dexterity. Dragon was given a proper beatdown and sent careening off the edge of the arena and into the surrounding lava. Penguin’s damage was still in the upper double digits.

Round 4. He doesn’t remember ever beating a computer opponent that quickly. He didn’t usually go for an utterly relentless offense, but it had paid off just fine.

Rounds 5 and 6. In both of them, the Dragon was defeated in a short time, while Penguin took less and less damage. When the seventh and final round concluded, Berdly stared blankly at his screen. Dragon was out. Penguin had taken zero damage.

Zero.

This never happened before.

“(A-ha! I knew I had it! Kris shall have to work hard to earn my hand at the festival! Perhaps I should go easy on them to not dissuade Susan and Noelle…)” Berdly thought triumphantly. Then his chest tightened, as if his heart had been squeezed. He put his hand against it and shivered. Why was it so cold? “(Maybe that’s enough gaming for today.)”

The Exit prompt didn’t even manifest fully before Berdly clicked the button, and the game dissipated in favor of his admittedly ill organized desktop environment. He figured he might as well look up information for the school project with Noelle. He put down the controller, pulled up his keyboard and mouse, and began typing in the computer search bar. He wasn’t sure why he was opening up the Textpad program instead of an actual document, but maybe it’s to take notes and-

[hello berdly]

Berdly blinked, then stared at the text in the Notepad. Why did he type that?

[are you a gamer?]

Berdly stared blankly. What kind of question was that? And why was he asking it to himself, especially after that amazing rebound in Super Smashing Fighters?

There was a pause. Berdly wondered what to type or if he should close the Textpad, before his hands moved. The up arrow on his keyboard was pressed a few times, and a line of text was typed in above the others.

[BERDLY'S TEXTUAL MIND PALACE]

[(AKA counseling with the only brilliant mind in the neighborhood on matters of utmost import: Me.(in textpad form))]

Berdly pondered this for a moment. He did not think of accessing his Mind Palace like this previously. But it did seem like an idea worth pursuing.

[Whispers will suffice. She need not hear.]

"I concur." Berdly replied, turning his neck towards his mom, who could never quite grasp his intellectual methods. "What shall we discuss on this fine day?"

The display paused for a bit, before the initial question about gaming was erased, a better typed one taking its place.

[How are you feeling today?]

"A bit mixed. I had difficulty sleeping last night. My natural sleep cycle must have been compromised by Noelle, bless her heart." Berdly noted.

[How so?]

"She bored me to sleep during yesterday's study session in the library. Though I can't fault her too much, as I had the most peculiar dream."

[The one about the Cyber World? Where you pledged to create a Smartopia with Noelle?]

"The same!"

[Did you succeed?]

Berdly stopped himself before he blurted anything out. He very clearly remembered being double crossed by Queen, and then exposing himself as a fool by Kris and Susan of all people. Had he created his Smartopia, he would be banished from it on the first day. Evidently he did not need to say it out loud for Mind Palace Him to understand.

[It may have been for the best.]

"How curious that I saw Susan and Kris in there too. I usually dream of great distance between myself and everyone in this town."

[Perhaps you share more in common with them than you consciously admit.]

"Well… yes. Kris has been… irritatingly good at gaming as long as I've known them. Susan, though? She doesn't play games. Or study. She just… threatens to eat people and glares in anger. Though now that I mention it, there must be something in common between us given she's clearly smitten with me enough to yank Noelle's phone during our call."

[It might be because both of you conceal your true vulnerability beneath a facade of power, physical or intellectual.]

"Could not have said it better myself. Tell you what, given they are presently there, I could make my way to Noelle's house and graciously offer to help work on the group project for both our groups. That way, Susan and myself can learn from each other and more importantly, from Noelle."

[Now THERE is wisdom that will forge a true Smartopia. We can call it… Wisdopia. Maybe.]

"Hehehe… I'm surprised I haven't tried accessing my mind palace this way before. You're a great conversationalist, me!"

[Always at your humble service, Berdly. =)  Shall we Proceed?]

"Yes, let us inject greater knowledge and make progress towards completion!” Berdly declared, clicking the X in the corner of the Textpad window, pausing a moment to save it, before getting up from his chair. He then… stopped. And turned his head towards the window. His irises shrunken. "Let’s…"

Berdly did not move for a full minute, just scanning the overcast vista outside. That thing he saw, that heart, it was still out there. He could feel it in his chest. It was not a hallucination. It couldn’t have been. Perhaps he had departed his mind palace too soon. He sat down at the computer again, and opened MINDPALACE.TXT. He took a deep breath, and let his hands flow.

[Back so soon?]

“I never left.”

[Cold feet? Afraid of Susan? Noelle?]

“Not them… something else.”

There was a pause.

[That heart?]

“Exactly. Whatever it was it… didn’t look right!”

[Come to think of it, wasn’t it in your dream?]

Berdly stopped to think. He did in fact vaguely remember a reddish glow flickering near the dream incarnation of Kris during their epic clashes on the Cyber Rollercoaster and in the Cyber City alleyways. While he sent a lot of junk flying with his tornado attacks, he may or may not have spotted a similar heart-shaped object in the mess.

“I think… maybe?”

[Why fear a figment of your imagination, then?]

“I mean… if I am hallucinating things from my dreams, am I in a good headspace for studying?”

Another, somewhat longer pause, as if the text version of Berdly was pondering a reply.

[Good point. Perhaps get a moment of shut-eye. It’s the weekend, after all.]

“It’s settled then. Once my smartness batteries fully recharge and I gain the EXP bonus, the School project shall be finished with utmost efficiency.”

[Indeed. But first check your phone for any outstanding messages.]

Wordlessly, the text document was saved and closed, and Berdly input his super-secret password to unlock his phone.

Saturday, 5:56 PM…

Phone app…

Recent calls…

A call to Noelle about an hour ago…

Messages…

No new messages…

That was that. Berdly shuffled the phone back in his pocket and turned to his bed. Upon witnessing the piles of clothes on the bed, he quickly sank back into his chair. He set his glasses on the desk, closed his eyes, yawned, and gently melted into peaceful slumber.

Less than a minute later, he rose again, but his posture was somewhat stilted. He blankly stared at his blurred hands. Correcting this by retrieving the glasses, a red glint in Berdly’s eyes sparkled, before he deleted MINDPALACE.TXT and shut down the computer, evidently uninterested in combing through the veritable mountain of document files and other junk.

Right afterwards, he found himself intently checking every single thing in his own home. The pile of magazines and old comics. The stack of his textbooks. The pockets of every single one of his shirts on the bed. He smiled as he retrieved two tiny pieces of a CD and a mint candy from the pocket of yesterday’s shirt, knowing full well their true value.

"What are you watching, mom?" the words flatly left his beak as he approached the couch and TV.

"A documentary about birds with far smarter and less annoying kids." Berdly’s mother grumbled. The TV displayed a blue jay delivering a worm to a group of its chirping babies in her nest, one of which stumbled out and fell off screen. This felt… on-brand for her, somehow.

"Sorry, mom." Berdly whispered, then paused. A scent flickered into his nostrils; a scent without flavor, that nobody but him, or rather, the intruder inside him could perceive. It compelled him, drew him towards it, and originated from outside. He approached the window again, scouring the landscape for the source, and lifted an intrigued eyebrow at an unexpected sight. Far distant eyes gazed through Berdly’s, and saw a flickering red object flying in a zigzag pattern, erratically diving above and below the treeline from the direction of the school.

A flickering, dripping red heart.

It was fast approaching. It flew near Berdly's apartment building at ground level and floated into the alley. Then, out of the trees and bushes, Susie dashed out. In her hand she held a trash can lid like a frisbee, and on her back she hauled Kris. They looked to be chasing the heart.

As they went out of sight, chaotic clanging noises were heard below, like a scuffle of large cats on wobbly trash cans. Some muffled shouting, and then, visible at just the right angle, Kris was quivering in pain on the sidewalk, before burying their hand in their chest, and ripping the heart, the SOUL, out again. Susie looked shocked and bewildered, and as the SOUL flew away into the tree canopies again, she shouted at Kris before grabbing them and running off after it again.

As this all happened, from the window, Berdly looked on in shock. As the yelling died down, he lifted his gaze to meet his reflection in the glass window, and a great big smile formed on his beak. The glow in his eye flickered with excitement.

<Well. This is new.>

Chapter Text

Berdly quietly shuffled over to the front door, his mother not bothering to ask where he was going, and exited out to the street. His taloned bird legs were more than a little awkward to walk with, but nothing a bit of practice couldn’t fix. The intruder within him thought it wise to stay out of sight until the situation had been properly ascertained and more importantly, a comfortable degree of control had been established.

But cementing control would take time. Time that wasn't available.

The SOUL escaping from Kris this early has not happened before, and given Susie and Kris’s desperation to get it back, it was obvious this train was headed for a most spectacular derailment. Such a juicy opportunity shouldn’t be passed up, so while haste and subtlety were paramount, preparations needed to be made, and equipment acquired.

But first things first. Berdly stammered into the alley where the scuffle had occurred. An upside-down dented trash can lid, among other pieces of junk, was on the floor. Their stench would be unpleasant, but it was utterly overpowered by the smell he initially registered in his home; fresh red stains on the lid and the concrete. Looked like blood, but… wasn’t. For one, actual blood did not glow in the dark. Or smell like an electrical fire doused with sea water. The stain on the lid was larger, like a splat, and it was slowly pooling at the bottom of it. Gears began turning in the intruder’s mind.

<I wonder…>

Berdly hurried out of the alley and made his way towards QC’s Diner, or rather, behind it. The dumpster, a treasure trove of valuable items hidden in plain sight. As if knowing exactly where to look, Berdly began digging through the trash, ignoring the rancid stink of half-eaten pastries, decaying fruits, and unmentionable stains, until he retrieved his prizes: a bent serving tray, the tip-less blade of an old kitchen knife and an empty and greasy cigarette lighter. His shirt was stained somewhat, but it mattered not. Neither did the rain that began to slowly fall.

A few more trinkets and tidbits were collected from both the area and near ICE-E’s. A few loose crumbs here, a sticker there, a small and pointy stick… then it was off to the Hospital, or rather, its own dumpster. Berdly thanked himself that he was only dreaming as he retrieved a spent syringe and needle, as otherwise he would retch. The dumpsters he dove through in his previous dreams were much less obviously dirty. He swore in his heart of hearts he would still check for puncture marks and thoroughly wash his hands and legs and body and everything else when he woke up.

The pieces were slowly falling into place, and it was time to- were that Kris and Susie again?

They did not seem to notice him, as they were moving in the direction of the apartments again without glancing at the hospital. Approaching and peeking from behind a tree by that skeleton store owner’s house, Berdly watched with dull eyes how Susie and Kris menacingly approached a very nervous Noelle. There was some indiscernible discussion until they split off and departed southwards, still having not noticed him.

Even from a distance, Kris looked miserably ill, while Susie seemed determined to get them what they wanted, come Hell or High Water. The being peering from inside Berdly smirked with his face. Poor, sad Susie, always being led on and manipulated by those she considers friends. Her wrath was always a sight to behold, and she was clearly on the path to another outburst. Oh to be a fly on her shoulder, listening to her constantly ask Kris pointed questions they had no way of answering properly.

Still, no rest for the wicked. Noelle had ducked into the forest again. The only thing in that direction was the school. Berdly would have followed, but before that, he had a pickup to make.

He ducked into the alley and prepared the syringe. Dipping its tip in the small puddle of glowing red liquid that was beginning to slowly dry, he quickly scooped up what there was of it. It wasn’t much, but it was sufficient to fill up that old lighter. A sly grin mounted on Berdly’s face. He had no clue why he was so excited about an old lighter he just filled with a mysterious blood-like substance using a dirty syringe, but he was.

He rolled with it. It was dream logic. Once upon a time, in a different dream, he was excited to be gifted a dangling participle coated in caramel. Trying to visualise that would drive lesser mortals to form doomsday cults.

He flicked the lighter’s wheel a few times, producing sparks, but no flame. His puppetmaster pondered if it would be different in another location, but pushed the thought aside. It was time to get properly informed about what was going on, and the safest person to provide that explanation was Noelle. Berdly was not built for a confrontation with Susie, and Kris, even in their present state, could suss out that something was up with him.

Taking the less messy way by using the sidewalk, Berdly walked towards the school, and in the distance, a brief plume of pitch-black smoke rose from around the area of the church.

<So it begins. But first…>

Once the school was in view, an intrigued brow rose on Berdly’s face. One of its ground floor windows was broken and opened. Some of the glass shards were brushed aside to make room for passing by. This was most unusual. Unless things went off the rails far sooner, Noelle wasn’t one to commit vandalism willy-nilly. 

The moment the windowsill threshold was crossed and the raindrops stopped nesting themselves among Berdly’s feathers, a brief yet familiar scream, followed by a slamming door sound, was heard. It echoed in the distant halls of the school, specifically, from one innocuous pair of doors shrouded in the shadow of fading daylight:

The school closet.

Seemingly the most boring place in the entire town, which was the perfect cover for its true contents: Castle Town. Swinging the door open and gazing into the insipid darkness beyond, Berdly stood and glared downwards for two minutes, as the intruding SOUL inside him pondered the implications of what they were both looking at.

Namely, the topic of what exactly Noelle was doing here in the first place.

Perhaps the whole runaway SOUL situation caused her to want to investigate the nature of Dark Worlds? If so, how did she know to look in the school closet? Or even the entire school, especially with enough certainty to do something as drastic as smashing a window to get inside? What was she intending to do to the Darkners? If they crossed into the Light World, they turned into inanimate objects, so she couldn’t just drag one to the Light World as proof. So many questions.

Something began to stir in Berdly as he gazed into the darkness. A sense of familiarity, like deja vu. So far his mind had been almost completely passive, as if entirely immersed in the ‘dream’ he believed to be in, but now something was a bit different, like he was slowly stirring from it. It would be ideal to make haste. With an imposed thought, Berdly leaped down into the pit, hoping Noelle wasn't too far ahead.

As he fell, Berdly’s somewhat stained and wet shirt and pocket protector were adorned by shining pauldrons, technological armor plates and a Utility Headpiece straight out of Demon Ball X. With contemptuous, practiced ease, he did a fancy 720° twirl in the air, several rolls, and a flourish of spreading his wings wide to slow down the descent at the last moment, touching down with grace and power. From a near-kneeling position, he raised his head and scanned his surroundings.

There she was. In the distance, right past the front gates, looking around Castle Town. Lancer had bounced away to do his own thing, and the occasional Darkner was poking around minding their own business, paying Berdly little heed as he quietly approached. 

Noelle was constantly glancing between the environment and her phone, where she seemed to note something down with one hand. Was she gathering evidence? Wouldn't she have tried to use her camera instead? Perhaps trying to text someone? Phones don’t work in Dark Worlds, so that theory was a bust. Curiously, her right arm, holding the phone, tapping away with its thumb at lightning speed was moving somewhat erratically, and didn’t quite follow the rest of her body language, almost as if it was…

…possessed.

Berdly stopped in his tracks, barely twenty feet away, as a creeping heat built up inside him. He took a few quiet steps backwards and ducked out behind the dark brick wall of the gate, and out of sight. He felt the most smug ear-to-ear grin contort his face as the one puppeteering him realized just why Noelle was acting the way she was.

<There you are.>

This revelation changed everything. It felt most unwise to reveal itself and even Berdly now, especially since Noelle’s and her… guest’s reasons for being in Castle Town were still unknown. And while the intruder was not quite sure about the mechanics of two SOULs interacting directly, even the possibility of some kind of telepathic communication presented too great a risk. Given the path it has clearly followed, if the one inside Noelle discovered the intruder, or worse, the intruder’s history, mercy would be in painfully short supply.

Of course, this was a hypothetical that needed testing, but Castle Town was just about the worst environment for it. While Berdly was able to fight on his own as Cyber City proved, he was yet untested under present circumstances and since, even discounting Noelle, the Lancer Fan Club was on a full recruitment drive, the numbers were not in the intruder's favor.

Yet.

He took a moment and peeked out from behind the wall. Noelle was gone. Was she waiting to ambush him? Did she venture into one of the establishments in town, or into the castle? So many questions, so few answers, but he figured he might as well get acquainted with the place himself. He ventured out and through the front gate towards-

"...!" Berdly suddenly froze, gasped of his own accord, and he started shivering and staring at an all-too familiar sight:

A Werewire. Standing in front of the Party Dojo and minding its own business.

His feathers stood up, his breathing hastened and his legs became wobbly as gruesome memories flooded back in. Subconsciously wresting control of his own body, Berdly took off back out the main gate and westwards, only stopping once he reached a dead end at a dark cliff face. His heart was beating rapidly, and he collapsed against the cliff wall, breathing heavily. The intruder felt Berdly’s own SOUL, a smaller, more fragile thing ensnared by fleshy tendrils, quivering and quaking erratically beneath it. On the one hand, it was a cute sight, like a new pet mouse screaming in terror as its owner deposited some cheese in its cage.

On the other, this development was problematic for the intruder too. With its wild flailing, the puppet had torn up some of its strings, even if it had not noticed them. With this pseudo-awakening, direct control outside dire circumstances would be too obvious; a change in approach was needed. For two minutes, Berdly was allowed the illusion of being alone while his hijacker pondered.

" Plugsgointhewallnottheface… Plugsgointhewallnottheface… Plugs… go in the wall… not the face…" Berdly muttered. He remembered all too well when Queen’s Werewire minions inserted one of those plugs into his own face, forcing him to swing at his friends and draining his energy all the while. It may have been a dream, but it felt too real for comfort. Or at least he desperately hoped that it was a dream. What rotten luck he had to have a repeat of the same nightmare two days in a row.

As he tried to calm himself by looking at the dark blue outlines of the cliffs he was surrounded by, an idea began to worm into his head. A whisper at the back of Berdly's mind, almost imperceptible, yet growing ever so slightly and subtly, repeating two words:

<Mind Palace Mind Palace Mind Palace Mind Palace Mind Palace Mind Palace>

"Mind Pa-palace… I need to…" Berdly stammered as he rushed to pull out his phone. He tinkered with it until he got the Notes app open.

[BERDLUS TEXTUAL MIND PALACE MOBIL EEDITION]

The intruder let Berdly breathe for a moment, before influencing his hands. The feather fingers and a smartphone keyboard were harder to work with than a good old-fashioned computer keyboard. Still, it would have to work.

[You okay?]

"N-no…! Scared out of my wits by… Wire."

[Yes, it was scary as all hell. Did it attack?]

"I… i-it didn't but it was clearly scheming against me! I saw it gazing at me with its face… A lack of one, but still it stared! Just like…"

[I understand. So now what?]

" 'Now what?' I don't even know how I got here. I remember stammering around town picking up random garbage and getting dirt on my shirt and then I see… this place. It doesn't make any sense!"

[Dreams seldom do. Perhaps we can use this opportunity to vanquish the fear.]

"H-how so?"

[If it's a dream, it has little consequenve. As such, we can face our fwar and overcomei t.]

"I could not protect myself from it the previous dream. I wasn't strong enough…"

[Nonsense. Remember your clash against kris and noelle? How they consistently flattered you? They feared your true power. They feared]

There was a brief pause.

[your Turbo Instinct.]

"Turbo Instinct? Like in Demon Ball?"

[The same. You may feel your body moving oddly. This is Turbo Instinct activating, so do not fear, and go with the flow. It may take some getting used to, but Victory shall follow.]

"I hope you… I… am right."

[Besides, remember how Kris, Susan and Noelle kept showing their battle prowess? Will you really let them overtake you in power level?]

"Hmmm, you think they are also here?"

[You saw Noelle. Kris and Susan are probably not far behind. After all, they had no reason to be in Cyber World, either. And uet…]

“How does that work anyway? Given the events of last time, this dream feels a bit more… structured than my usual flighty ones.”

[Seems to run on Dragon Blazers logic. You, Susan, Noelle and others are players, creatures like that wire thing are NPCs. This feels like Campshire.]

"Huh, that does make a good amount of sense." Berdly thought, remembering how the village of Campshire was the hub world in Dragon Blazers 2, which would get expanded and upgraded over time as more quests were completed.

[This means the others have a head start on EXP gain on you. How can you expect them to pine for you when you're lower LV?]

“Good point!” Berdly said. He had already turned Noelle down gently in the dream prequel, to her great Yandere frustration. A frustration she expressed gently by Yandere standards by merely snagging him by the armor and shaking him like an oversized maraca.

Noelle.

The girl who's so shy and meek she once lost an arm wrestling match against Snowy.

And if she can do that, what of Kris and Susan? Or at least the knight in shining armor and unkempt rockstar who bore their likenesses? They had already humiliated him once before by solving puzzles ahead of him, and when those… things forced one of their wires upon Berdly’s face on Queen’s orders, it was Kris and Susie who saved his feathery hide. They piloted that giant boxing machine and battled Queen in the streets of Cyber City, while Berdly at best helped build the thing.

As much as he hated to admit it, they were better than him, at least in that regard. Perhaps the real reason Susan told him off on the phone earlier was because they out-leveled him. Logically, he would need to become stronger and get ahead of them once more. That way, they would strive for his hand at the Festival, if for no reason other than to mooch off his EXP gains in dreams and in life.

[Become stronger? Good thinking. Shall we Proceed?]

"Indeed! Let us be on our way. The Gamer throne awaits!" Berdly declared. He felt a strange satisfaction inside his heart as he put away his phone. His courage regained, he got up on his feet and confidently marched back towards the front gate of the town.

He didn’t register it before, but Castle Town actually looked pretty comfortable all things considered. Sure, most of the buildings looked like someone spilled ink over a children’s sketchbook, but it was pretty lively otherwise. Funky music permeated the town and gave it an outright inviting atmosphere, despite that and the exceedingly weird denizens.

Denizens like that damned Werewire. Berdly still felt shivers down his spine the moment he saw a hue shifting wire descending from the blackened ceiling and behind one of the assorted buildings. Well, it was high time Berdly vanquished his fear and gave that freak what for in one fell swoo-

(SPLAT)

As he entered, he got flattened against the floor by a sudden yet soft impact from above, as if getting smothered by a beach ball-sized mound of bread dough.

" Ho ho hooo! Get pancaked, Light Nerd!" the squeaky voice of Lancer sounded off. He also manifested his superpower of producing cartoon splat noises whenever he thought it would be funny, which was almost always.

The impact didn't even really hurt, but it did disorient Berdly and his puppeteer alike, both of whom were ill prepared for that much physical contact. As the blur faded, they both saw the bouncy Darkner prince standing in front of them, dark blue tongue dangling off a goofy grin.

"Didn't like that, did you? Well the thrashing will continue until you explain who you are and why you look so familiar!"

The feeling was mutual. Berdly knew he had seen this… weird child before. But where? In his other dream? And how did he almost innately know his name was Lancer?

"Wait… Wasn't Susie hauling someone like you through Queen's palace?" Berdly blurted out as the memory returned, albeit reluctantly. That whole scene was connected to when Dream Susie and Dream Kris exposed his intellect as nothing but a facade.

"Wait, you know Susie? Okay, second phase of thrashing is postponed indefinitely until the next Lightner shows up! And yes, I was there!" the faintest traces of menace that Lancer had flickered away like dust in the wind. He was now as threatening as a pumpkin. “I remember you struggling with puzzles easier than what Lesser Dad makes!”

"How? Weren't you a statue? Or turning into one?" Berdly didn’t even want to entertain the concept of a ‘Lesser Dad’ as either it would be something stupid, or too close to home. And him speaking so casually of Berdly’s moment of weakness implies that the dark truth is spreading, if not already known everywhere.

Damn Susan and her loose yet beautiful lips.

"That I was! I was a guest of great honor at Girldad's girlcastle! I was even served spaghetti. It tasted like copper and rubber, my fourth and fifth favorite flavors!"

Berdly rose to his feet, incensed at how this rotund child was mocking him verbally and physically. He wanted to smack him into a window, but stayed his hand. He felt that assaulting children was frowned upon in this land.

“Speaking of Susie, have you seen her lately?”

“Of course! She and that blueberry Kris were hanging out here earlier. They're not here right now, if that's what you're asking. They went on some crazy adventure, no doubt.”

“I see. Well, have you seen my friend Noelle? Gentle, cervine, smart, smells of candy canes… ring any bells? Jingle bells?”

“Aha, you must be talking about the one who also narrowly avoided a thrashing because she was Susie's friend! Yes, she's currently in the castle, talking to Toothpaste Boy!”

“Really? That's good to know. I am working on a surprise for her, so please don't tell her or this ‘Toothpaste Boy’ of my presence in town. Same for Kris and Susan if they show up.”

“Ooh! I love surprises! Don't worry, Light Nerd, Neither the Lancer Fan Club nor this ‘Susan’ of which you speak will know you are here. As a matter of fact, where'd the big blue nerd go? What is a big blue nerd anyway? What is the…”

Lancer began rotating in place while babbling, ceasing to register Berdly’s presence at all. A strange, but oddly endearing kid, despite flattening him earlier and calling him names. But it mattered not. He had work to do and limited time to do it, so he quietly ventured into the Shop.

“Welcome, new traveler.” Seam the Shopkeep said, smiling at the fresh face. In his mind, Berdly gave up wondering how or why he knew the names of all these people, half of whom he didn’t even remember from his Cyber World dream.

“Hello, item seller. I am preparing for battle, and I require your mightiest items!” Berdly declared.

“Sure, sure. I got some neat stuff. If you got the Dark Dollars.” Seam replied. Berdly froze in place as he stopped to actually parse the logistics of a shop. Did he even have any money? He shuffled through his numerous pockets for cash. He could hear the shopkeep chuckle as he had nary a dark dime. Plenty of blank paper, but no bills or coins.

Not all hope was lost, however. Though there was no money, Berdly did find an oddly large amount of items; plenty of food like some Cyber City CD Bagels, a mint with a bold “RV” on the wrapper, some burnt burgers…  There was also an odd collection of gear he had no clue when or how or why he picked up, like a  sizable Platinum Shield which was a bit bent and very unwieldy, but looked shiny enough.

“Item seller! By order of this being the obvious adventurer hub town, you shall buy this Platinum shield from me!” Berdly declared again, though his confidence mildly wavered in relation to lifting the shield. How was he carrying it unimpeded in his pocket until that point?

“Hee hee. Wouldn’t that make you the item seller, Lightner? But I’ll bite, as it’s a nice shield.” Seam chuckled and forked over a hefty 800 D$. The magic coins jingled as they disappeared into Berdly’s pockets. “Got any more junk you wanna get rid of?”

A few other assorted items were sold, and in exchange, Berdly parted with almost all of his acquired money to buy a really snazzy white cape with black runes Seam called the ParchMantle. Supposedly it greatly boosted the effects of magic relating to wind and paper, while also making him resistant to such attacks. Supposedly, it can even allow him to glide. Even in his hands, the cape billowed despite a lack of wind, and its inscribed runes of power shimmered with energy.

“Oh wow, it’s beautiful!” Berdly said, his eyes sparkling at the delightful cape. However, a thought pressed into his head made him change his tune and inquire. “Is this the greatest mantle in your inventory?”

“At the moment, yeah. Used to have another, different one, but then it… disappeared. Not sure if it’d fit you, though.”

“Do humor me. Perhaps I can find it out on a quest.”

“I do believe it’s now gone forever, so I suppose no harm in tellin’ you. It was meant to protect against the brightest of stars and the darkest of shadows. Was thinkin’ of giving it to one of your fellow Lightners to face off against a foe of great power.” 

“But then it conveniently disappeared? That’s unfortunate. And this foe of great power?”

“Don’t think it’s my prerogative to discuss those matters with total strangers. You probably need not worry about them. Still, for what it’s worth, even without the Mantle, they triumphed. Or at least as close as they could under the circumstances. Madness if you ask me, but the good kind of madness. The kind that can break fate itself.” Seam felt… wistful recounting that.

Berdly felt odd. He himself was calm, but something inside him felt… erratic. Uneasy.

"A quite fascinating story, but I must take my leave. Thank you for your business, item seller! Fear not, once I undertake more quests, I shall return with ever more treasure to turn in!" Berdly posited, before making his way out.

Peeking out of the shop, Noelle was still nowhere in sight. What was in sight was a hue-shifting wire coming down from the ceiling and into the Party Dojo, which was Berdly’s intended destination. 

He paused and stared for a bit, then steeled himself and marched on inside. Given his track record, the next adventure might be brimming with Werewires, so he should be inoculated against the fear effect upon sighting them.

Berdly’s reluctant courage was shared by the intruder within, though for completely different reasons. Still, they would cross that bridge when they got there, and for now, studying Berdly's combat prowess was a higher priority. It could get used to subtly nudging him towards its desires, but in an actual fight, direct intervention might be necessary. No better place to test his mettle in a safe environment than the Dojo.

Chapter Text

Inside the Dojo, the decor, what with the corner bar, the disco ball and assorted tables, gave the impression of a nightclub more than a fighting establishment. Still, no shortage of aggressive looking types; A blocky boxer, a three headed cat beast, a… living jigsaw puzzle piece?

Right. Dream. Berdly didn’t know when he’d wake up, so it was time to get a move on.

"Hear ye! Who among you is willing to face me in the field of battle?!" he triumphantly declared. Nobody replied and the music briefly died down.

"Keep it down, please

Talk to Joe about it.

SHUT UP!!" the three headed cat creature said through each head. In sync, all of them glanced at a stubbled Jigsaw piece.

"Ok, sorry." was the Light Nerd's meek reply, before a brief and civil chat with Jigsaw Joe explained things properly. The Party Dojo had been recently renovated into the Love Dojo where only lovers were allowed to battle.

“Damn it! How am I supposed to fight like this? I've got no lover! Why couldn't you have waited to renovate until the day after tomorrow once me and my Festival partner have maxed out our relationship score?” Berdly whined.

“Calm yourself, mr. Berdly,

There's no shame in being lonely.

Whether you're a lover or a hater

Lightners can fight now or fight later.” one of Joe's fellow jigsaw pieces explained in rhyme.

“Wait, so I can fight on my lonesome? Won't have to share EXP?”

“Correct. However, your only opponents will be lovers. Also, no EXP in the arena.” Joe elaborated.

“I shall still test my mettle. I challenge the first runner up to the love throne!”

“Right. Two of my fellows have been rather cozy with each other lately. As you're new here, they can be your first opponents.”

“Works for me!”

The moment battle was initiated, the ring grew from a small five foot square to a great arena fit for thousands of viewing fans. Sadly the only audience members were whoever was in the Dojo to begin with. On the other end were two pink mice that resembled jigsaw pieces, who were nuzzling their noses against each other, completely ignoring Berdly.

“Uhhh… what are you doing?” Berdly asked, befuddled.

“Making love in the… love dojo?” one of them awkwardly asked, as if unsure of whether that reply was correct.

“We're supposed to be fighting, so maybe you can… get a room or something?” the Light Nerd asked. This all felt somewhat inappropriate.

“Works for us!” The two Jigsawrys exited the arena to nuzzle some more elsewhere. Due to a lack of opponents, Berdly was declared the winner by default. The grand prize was 1 D$.

What a waste of time. Didn't even get to kill them. The intruder had forgotten how… saccharine things were when it wasn’t trying to cause chaos. The next opponents better be an actual challenge. A bit unexpectedly, the upcoming challenger was a solitary one. A blocky boxer with…

…with way too many pants stacked on top of each other.

“Hey! Unless you're a lover or a Lightner, you can't battle in the arena!” Joe intervened. The Bloxer gave him a deadly glare before menacingly approaching. After a furious debate that was so riveting the intruder felt the sensation of slumber for the first time, Jigsaw Joe was convinced that the Bloxer’s many leg pieces were sentient and in a romantic relationship with it, and reluctantly allowed it into the ring with an impatient Berdly.

“I am moving up in the world! Besting you will boost my power level further, Lightner!” it taunted.

“Finally someone willing to battle. Hit me with your best shot!” Berdly challenged, and struck a pose with his mighty HalBerd. The audience observed with passing disinterest.

“Iron Box Punch!” The Bloxer declared as it lunged forward and swung a pretty mean haymaker. Or at least it would have been had Berdly not managed to dodge even without his hijacker's assistance. Still as predictable and weak as ever. All Berdly had to do was smack it once or twice.

“Pathetic! Smart Slash!” Berdly retorted, dramatically twirling his HalBerd before swiping at his opponent with it. He knocked off two pairs of pants off the stack. It could have been three, but his poise and technique were amateurish. Three left.

“Take this! Rain of Ruin!” The remaining pants split off and seemed to multiply and rained down upon Berdly with reckless abandon. There was more effort in naming that attack than launching it, which made it all the more frustrating that Berdly actually struggled to dodge and had one hit the top of his head.

“Not bad…” Berdly began to comment, then realized something. “Also, is it me, or am I the only one trying to dodge here?”

He felt a tiny flicker of ice in his heart. Why was he giving advice to his enemy? It would just elongate the fight. Was he stupid?

“You can do that?” The Bloxer asked, legitimately flummoxed. Something seemed to spark inside it as its torso floated up a bit and three pairs of pants rearranged in midair. A new world of possibilities had opened up. “Wow…”

“No matter! Perish, fiend!” Berdly swung again and to the surprise of both him and his puppetmaster, the blocks split off and his HalBerd hit only air between them. “What?”

“Not this time, Fool! Thunder Block Split Attack!!” The split blocks then torqued and swung about to smack into Berdly, though the Lightner was not completely defenseless, as by rapidly spinning in place, he managed to parry at least two blocks before backing off to get room as the Bloxer rearranged again. That attack actually hurt, and Berdly felt mildly dizzy. He was bruised, but not out. The intruder would frown if it had a mouth of its own. Time was of the essence and yet both its unwitting host and his opponent were dead-set on re-enacting a five episode duel from that stupid anime. And they probably lacked the dramatic powerups that would justify such a runtime. It nudged Berdly to try something other than just swinging.

“That was a sick trick. I grade it A+!” Berdly declared as he pulled out a fistful of crumpled sheets of paper, which through his magic, perfectly straightened out and had an A+ etched into each. He then launched them all in a shotgun-like spread at the Bloxer, who just kept rearranging, making it seem like the papers were cleanly cutting each of his blocky body parts before they recombined completely undamaged. Berdly felt something cold grip him.

“You can’t hit me, Lightner! My body will keep splitting and all you’ll keep hitting is cold air!” the Bloxer taunted. It prepared another attack, but its opponent was tired of dawdling.

“You’re talking too long.” Berdly said with sudden, quiet contempt, and with one forceful swing, launched a powerful gust of wind forward, blowing the Bloxer out of the arena entirely and scattering its component parts in front of the three headed cat creature. Just like that, with actual proper technique, it was over in one stroke. Less a nudge and more a push, but still hopefully less noticeable than properly taking the reins. Assuming direct control would likely be necessary if the next foe dawdled as much.

“You win!” Jigsaw Joe declared. “We are out of prizes at the moment, but you win!”

“Impossible! I thought for sure my new technique would grant me victory…!” the Bloxer complained as it reassembled itself.

“Next!” Berdly said. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so… volatile. He thought of making a cool speech, but that idea got smothered in the nest. He felt uneasy. Then his blood froze in shock as he saw his next foe. The same Werewire from before, accompanied by another, descended from the ceiling on its face wire and took up a slumped, zombie-like gait to intimidate him. “W-w…Wire…!”

Berdly hastened his breath and gripped his mighty HalBerd. Against foes like that, he needed to tread lightly, so he would check for weaknesses, await the enemy's attack and retaliate with a devastating riposte.

The Werewires wasted no time blasting Berdly with electrified beams, the shooting of which ground against the Lightner's ears. While he could dodge the Bloxer’s attacks somewhat, the noise, the awful grating noise disoriented him. He froze up like Noelle, and the beam hit him, frying him like a rotisserie chicken. Smoke came off him and his knees were shaking as he was on the verge of collapsing. It was over, the wires were gonna plug him again and this time there was no Kris or Susan to save him, and-

<Enough.>

His vision blurred and unfocused as his heart seized up for a moment. It was as if he was shunted into the back of his own mind. What was happening to him? It only took a few small steps to the side to avoid the next barrage of electric beams and sparks. He could feel his feathers tingle and rise in tension as the electricity grazed his cheek.

<Turbo Instinct.>

The Werewires, which had seen this as a friendly spar, suddenly felt a dark presence. The Lightner before them, who looked so fearful before, had suddenly twisted his face into a few uncomfortable grimaces before settling on a seemingly neutral expression with a mildly lowered face and furrowed brow. And yet it radiated untold menace. And were his eyes always glinting red like that?

With a twirl of that greenish blue polearm that was much more dextrous than in the duel against the Bloxer, a terrible cyclone was formed from its swing, and both of them were sent flying, only technically remaining in the arena on account of dangling from the ceiling and swinging about. They could perhaps use this high position to pelt him with sparks.

Before they finished processing this plan, a barrage of paper enveloped them, and each page began weighing like a sack of bricks, slamming them into the ground. Before they could make damage calculations, they detected his taloned footsteps approaching rapidly.

That wide eyed, shrunken stare had nothing sportsmanlike in it. The Lightner held his halberd like an executioner's axe, and they were on the chopping block. Their neon colors rapidly began to fade along with their courage as he towered over them and raised the polearm for a decapitating swing.

He was going to kill them.

“Hm.” was the only sound from him, before he seemingly reconsidered at the last moment, and in a single swing, severed the wires connecting the Darkners to the ceiling. Their source of extra strength gone, they transformed into harmless Plugboys once more, albeit still pinned under ludicrously heavy paper, quaking in terror.

Berdly gave a glance to Jigsaw Joe, who could only stare in shock for a moment before nervously declaring Berdly the winner and new Dojo Champion. Once that was done and the arena shrank, Berdly felt as if he loosened up, like he just surfaced after a deep dive.

He was quivering, but his fear had vanished. He felt powerful, yet unstable. He felt himself lost in his own body, and seemed to shift position every time he so much as blinked. Was that the power of Turbo Instinct? It seemed like it only activated when he's under extreme stress, but something inside made him a little nervous. It felt… primal. He hoped he wouldn't get lost in the sauce and harm someone he cares about.

At least, looking at the frightened Plugboys in front of him, he stopped fearing Werewires.

The Dojo results were both predictable and surprising to the Intruder. Berdly’s technique was sloppy and needed refinement, and his attitude shifted between confidence born of ignorance and delirious panic. And yet, there was potential within him. If creatively applied, his wind and paper attacks could be immensely potent, which made the ParchMantle a worthwhile investment. But they wasted enough time. The hijacker loosened its grip and returned to merely whispering and nudging.

<Bakery.>

After confirming that Noelle wasn't outside, the next stop was the Top Bakery. A rather brightly lit establishment which didn't seem to actually sell any pastries. Instead the residents were a large talking toy hammer and a mustachioed gentleman who by complete sheer coincidence bore an only mild and superficial resemblance to Lancer.

“Hello, traveler. Need anything fixed or combined?” the hammer asked. Unlike a lot of other denizens of this town, the name eluded Berdly.

“As a matter of fact I very much do my dear blunt instrument of crafting!” Berdly announced right back and his hands moved on their own to display the goods he wished reworked.

The smith paused in uncertainty. The items provided radiated immense power, yet also… immense malice. Should they be combined? Then again, who was Malius, the one who repaired the key to the court jester's prison, to judge? A number of squeaky hammer blows later, the items were combined into something greater than the sum of its parts. Far greater.

“Lightner. This is an item of great power and terrible implication. I implore you to use it wisely, if you use it at all.”

“I know what I am doing.” Berdly said with an uncharacteristically soft voice as he collected his loot. Almost instinctually, his mind blanked out as he tried to think about the peculiar item he was placing into his inventory. “Thank you for your service.”

“Hey Light Nerd! Do you wanna tookie a cookie?” The chef who coincidentally resembled Lancer asked innocently. Berdly seemed to snap back from his fugue state, paused to squint as to the remarkable resemblance to the soft spade kid that flattened him earlier, but then shrugged and accepted the cookie before exiting. It might be useful.

He stopped to ponder if he needed to do anything else in Caste Town. None of the other buildings really mattered too much. There was the Cafe, the TV studio, that obnoxious Music Shop, all irrelevant. Perhaps he ought to meet that ‘Toothpaste Boy’ Lancer mentioned? Maybe meet up with Noelle?

Wait, was she still there?

“Excuse me, verdant diamond-like individual.” he said to a nearby Rudinn, despite somehow knowing that the Darkner was called that. “Have you seen a meek deer-like lady passing by in the last few minutes?”

“I wasn’t paying attention. I was staring at this diamond-shaped pattern in the ground. I did hear the sound of footsteps. I think. Might have been the Swatchlings.” it replied, referring to a bunch of large suited Darkners marching up and down making sure the floor of the town was positively spotless. Neurons flickered in Berdly’s head at how identical they were to his previous dream.

It appeared Noelle had made her departure already, so it was time for Berdly to do the same. He strode confidently out of town, and stepped into the wide circle of light down south, ascending into the heavens and finding himself again dirty, wet, unarmored and in front of the school closet. His puppetmaster pondered their next move, and elected to nudge Berdly towards one final detour. He snuck out the window and- oh wow it was raining alright.

“(I really hope I don't wake up wet after all this.)” Berdly thought, but there were things to get done, so he hurried down towards the Library. Even in his dreams, the damn sign was still misspelled, and no matter how many petitions or requests he forwarded to the Town Hall, it never got fixed.

The Wet-Nosed Bandits were inside, scheming on how to borrow a book and then return it without anyone noticing. In addition, it was a great place to hide from Officer Undyne who never ventured into the library as it was “boring nerd junk”. Aside from licking some of the pages to “feel the taste of knowledge”, they were mostly wise to stay out of Berdly’s intellectual pursuits. He passed them, going into the computer lab, and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the entire room, save the desks, was barren.

“What. The. Hell.” he blurted out, utterly stumped at the scene in front of him. He struggled to process what his eyes showed him. He looked around the room, including the closet in the corner, to find where all the computers may have gone missing. All the computers, monitors, keyboards, mice, the laptop, the printer... even the trash can and bin full of spam were stolen. Who does that?? Then again, given Berdly’s own bouts of dumpster diving it was a train of thought he didn't like to continue. Still, it boggled the mind.

With an echoing crack that overpowered the rain outside, Berdly turned his neck and glared daggers at the dogs. Understanding that he implicitly blamed them for the theft, the Wet-Nose Bandits cleared the whole situation up by politely getting up from their seats around a sizable table, lining up in a nice orderly column, then rushing out of the Library and scattering across town at Ludicrous Speed.

Berdly groaned and sighed. He wondered where Officer Undyne had disappeared to, as this kind of action is something she reveled in. He then started wondering what he was even planning to do in the empty computer lab; He had all the school project materials he needed at home. A cursory thought of typing and printing something out was in the back of his head, but it has faded with a huff of mild disappointment. Still, while scanning the room to see what wasn't taken, he did notice one tiny detail that the thieves seem to have overlooked:

A wilted rose in the corner of the room, where the paper recycling bin full of spam mail used to be. Berdly crouched in front of it to get a better view, and the thing was so old, so fragile, it fell apart in his hand, leaving only a single thorn that looked poised to bury itself in his flesh. Alongside a red glint in his eye, a smile crept in the corner of Berdly’s beak, and he carefully placed the thorn inside his pocket protector for safekeeping.

The preparations were as complete as they could be.

Prior to exiting, Berdly paused to gaze out the window at the rain. He thought of his current dream in relation to the one in Cyber World. Too many coincidences, too many similar elements.

Too many familiar faces.

Something weird was going on. Perhaps something was in the water supply causing hallucinations? How else would he explain that weird heart thing that poked at his window and then seemingly had a battle with Susan and Kris? Or that weird dark town in the middle of the school’s supply closet? Or the-

His train of thought was interrupted as he caught a glimpse of Noelle running outside, heading towards the church.

“(Noelle? She wasn't in- What is she running around for? That’s not where her house is…)” he thought. He decided to follow her slowly, even if he got soaked again.

On approach, Berdly saw a plume of black smoke rising from around the church’s entrance. He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed 911. Dream adventures were one thing, but on the off-chance that he wasn’t dreaming, it was best to report this.

…

……

………

But nobody picked up. Where was Officer Undyne? Officer Napstablook?

Berdly rushed ahead to the front of the church, wondering if he’d find Noelle. But nobody was there. Instead, the double doors of the church were wide open, and smoke billowed out of it. But no visible flame. Nobody was screaming. The blackness seemed to absorb nearby noise.

“Helloooo?! Noeeeelle?! Anyone in there?! Get out, the church is on fire!” Berdly shouted, but received no reply.

He was not sure what to do. The police were not picking up, the Town Hall was closed, and he didn’t know anyone nearby who could help. Should he rush in to see if he can find someone?

Though it went against his better judgement, he pulled out his phone, and opened his mind palace note.

[wha happened?]

“Noelle is… in the church, there’s all this smoke, and I don’t know what to…”

[be a hero.]

“So, go in?” He steeled himself, bounced in place in anticipation as he dreaded the reply he knew was coming.

[hold your breath and run quickly]

Berdly couldn’t argue with that.

“I’m coming, Noelle!!” Berdly cried out, then held his breath as he pushed past the oddly cold smoke into the church’s interior…

…and fell into the abyss at the first step.

Chapter Text

“AIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!” Berdly screeched as he plummeted through the darkness. How deep were the foundations of that damn church? Was it built atop a salt mine or something?

<Wings out.>

Those words echoed in Berdly’s mind, and on command, he ceased his fruitless flapping, and instead curled inwards, then spread his arms as wide as possible. As he did, his descent rapidly slowed, and he landed with relative grace, even if it was with enough speed to force him to roll around on an exceedingly dusty carpet. He briefly panicked as scrambled onto his feet to avoid the flames.

Only there were no flames. Only the eerie silence of a stone chamber illuminated by a stained glass window, and a shadowy walkway above a bottomless pit.

As he crawled back on his feet, he noticed he was once again wearing his glow-in-the-dark armor, his utility headpiece and his magnificent new ParchMantle. He found himself wearing that getup more often than he expected. Perhaps once they were finished with their school projects, Berdly should politely recruit Noelle into helping him make a replica in real life.

Ah yes, Noelle. He needed to find her post-haste.

While Berdly was marching along the carpeted walkway, the intruder within him was at an impasse. The dangers lurking in the Dark Sanctuary were many and its present vessel was ill-prepared to handle a lot of them, even with his new equipment. That damn Werewire had partly awoken him and made control a lot more complicated without outright seizing the reins, and doing so meant the slightest slip in its grip could spell no end of trouble. And while Berdly bought the idea of “Turbo Instinct” well enough, it couldn't be activated for every small engagement.

It pondered the idea of more direct communication with Berdly without him noticing its presence in his very chest, above his own SOUL. It could touch his mind, plant ideas, whisper suggestions, but while this was subtle and effective enough normally, in a combat situation it would be impractical and noticeable. Speaking right through him would be an immediate giveaway, but a direct voice from inside his head could possibly work. However, it needed a justification. A premise that Berdly would accept with minimal suspicion.

It needed to think, but given the threats ahead, whether they be local Darkners, the Lancer Fan Club, or something like The Knight, it needed to think fast.

Just at that moment, Berdly took off his Utility Headpiece and rubbed his now-green eyes, in sheer disbelief at what he was witnessing. Though the environment was completely different, consisting of shadowed spires and impossibly tall platforms displaying immense tapestries and carpets, mile-tall brick walls adorned with ethereal lanterns and stained glass windows that appeared at impossible angles, Berdly was feeling a great amount of Deja Vu towards Cyber World. He felt something stir for a moment within him, then fade. Probably goosebumps at the utter strangeness of his predicament, but no matter. Noelle was somewhere in here, and likely in danger, and he needed to keep moving. 

Or rather, he would if he wasn’t presented with a painful lack of visibility, with only the occasional window shining dim moonlight upon the next turn.

“Man, it’s so dark in here… Maybe I have night-vision on this thing? Come on, now, work…” Berdly muttered as he mildly tapped his Utility Headpiece, to no obvious effect. He put it back on, ashamed of how constrained he was. He wished he was an owl Monster like his thrice-removed cousin Rowling.

<Phone.>

Then it hit him. He had a flashlight on his phone! He pulled it out, unlocked it, and then stared for a moment.

“Of course! The phone!” Berdly declared as he dug up Noelle's number in his contacts list. He could simply get a description of her surroundings and the path she took and easily reunite with her. Unfortunately this plan sank as the moment he pressed the call button, his phone's display glitched out, and began emitting ear-grinding garbage noise for about fifteen seconds. “Dammit! Why isn't it working?! Did the rain soak it again?”

The display died out after the noise did, yet trying to unlock it again showed no obvious issues aside from some negligible battery drain. He carefully activated the flashlight, and just like that, he could actually see further than his beak.

The path beyond was basically a straight line, even if the decor changed. Walkways turned to arched corridors, corridors opened into atriums and libraries, and yet nary a living soul was present. And somehow, that dusty carpet that was leading him on was still unbroken and intact.

Out of curiosity, he bent down during his walk to see if he could spot a seam or cut, as it would be completely impractical for an actual carpet to be that long. And the moment he did, he spotted a much more intriguing detail on that dusty rug:

Footprints. Numerous footprints of different shapes and sizes in the dust. Slim bootprints that were slowly paced. Large bootprints that had solid distance between each. Moderately sized paw prints going parallel to the slim ones.

Hoof prints. Fresher than the rest.

They all led in one direction, down a corridor that resembled a battlement illuminated by blue lanterns and candles mounted on the walls, past an empty stone room with only a single window, and up a flight of stairs.

Berdly suddenly felt a mild headache. Like something was watching him from behind his field of vision and trying to prod at his mind. He paused to check his surroundings. This strange place was like a dungeon right out of Dragon Blazers, which meant it was no doubt filled to the brim with secret passages and doorways. Perhaps some unknown foe was lurking in the shadows of a false wall, or through a crack in the cold stone? He felt… something inside his head. The closest would be the opposite of Deja Vu, like he forgot something he should be remembering. He accelerated his pace. Evidently that same something was targeting him for psychic damage, and several minds would be better at finding it than one.

In truth, the intruder heard a distant, familiar voice far sooner than its unwitting host did. The Lancer Fan Club was straight ahead, and it needed to… suppress any problematic memories Berdly had. If Susie somehow couldn’t recognize what “A floating heart-shaped object was tapping on my window and when I opened it I felt pain in my chest” meant, Ralsei and Kris absolutely could and would. Thankfully, it seemed human and monster minds alike were molded similarly, so a seamless lapse in memory was easy enough to arrange.

After that, it fell quiet. Unless it was necessary, it felt it had to suppress its own presence to maintain the element of surprise.

Berdly figured these other pathways could be opened and explored, but he could go key and secret hunting once he's-

“...did you find it…?!”

That was Susie’s voice. Straight ahead, through an ajar door at the end of the stairs. Berdly felt relieved when he heard her. With his brains and Susie’s brawn, they’d make an excellent team. And whoever else was with them could also help, he supposed. 

There was some more talking, but it was inaudible until he got closer. However, while he couldn’t make out the exact words, he did recognize one other voice:

Noelle’s.

He found her! And she was with Susan and probably Kris as well. Berdly felt a weight lift off his shoulders and slowed his ascent. He turned off his phone’s light, hoping to surprise them with his presence. Together they managed to fight off a skyscraper-sized mech, so anything this strange place threw at them should be easy pickings. But why did they sound so… distressed?

“Noelle! Do you have it or not?! We need it! Kris is going to-” Susie again. Does she have what? Perhaps Noelle accidentally lost some loot?

“They aren’t going to die!” Another voice, somewhat vaguely familiar. Berdly thought he should know it, but didn’t. And was Kris critically injured? Berdly paused to check his inventory. He still had those CD Bagels, and a whole Revive Mint. If that doesn’t put a spring in Kris’s step, nothing will. There was more talking, but he couldn’t make it out. Only about fifty steps left to find out.

“S-Susie, please!” Noelle was heard begging. “I can explain-”

“Shut it, Bodysnatcher!” Susie suddenly growled back. A… jarring shift in tone to say the least. “I got it still, Kris! Hurry your ass up!”

Bodysnatcher?! Berdly felt his blood heating up. What was going on up there? Either his classmates were in deep trouble fighting some doppelgangers, or Kris decided to pick now of all times to pull one of their awful pranks. Either way, Berdly was fully intent on getting to the bottom of it all. The intruder performed the equivalent of lessening its breath, content to silently and covertly observe whatever was about to unfold through Berdly's senses.

(Bam!)

“Stop right there!” Berdly shouted with all his might, HalBerd in hand, as he kicked open the door and assumed a combat stance. The scene before him was right out of a renaissance painting;

Susan, baring her shark-like teeth as a sign of aggression, towering over a terrified, tearful Noelle and pressing down on her shoulders. 

Kris, hunched over in front of both of them, raising their hand in a claw, as if to rip Noelle’s heart out, a cold, yet furious stare visible under their disheveled bangs. Like burning ice.

And finally that somewhat familiar Asriel-looking fellow in the green robe hyperventilating on the sideline, looking on the verge of tears, helpless to do anything about the dramatic tapestry unfolding before him, whatever it was.

A moment which, if captured on canvas, would portray the fragile and treacherous nature of society and how little it took for humans and monsters to degenerate into frenzied animals they believed to be above, and would sadly be ignored and forgotten by those who most needed to heed its warning. All this against the backdrop of a place of learning, what with the skyscraper-sized bookshelf present in the open-air room opposite a bottomless chasm, accentuating the irony.

At least that was the scene before all those varied and colorful emotions were overcome by wide eyed shock, which melted into crooked and befuddled glares directed at his sudden and unexpected presence. An uncomfortable silence permeated for a moment until three of them shouted in unison:

“Berdly?!”

“That's me! Now what is-” Berdly was about to start asking questions until Susie cut him off with one of her own.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” she growled, evidently being on the edge of her patience, she removed one of her hands from Noelle's shoulders to accusingly point at him.

Berdly paused as he was caught off-guard. What was he doing there? The question ought to be what they were all doing there. His reasons were entirely logical, but since Susan was as scary as she was attractive, he decided to humor her.

“I was looking for Noelle! I saw her venture into the church and it was on fire and I tried to go after her and wound up here!” Berdly stammered out in a hurry. “Okay, your turn to explain what you are doing here!”

“We’re saving her from a- Hey!” Susie started to say, before Noelle took advantage of her momentarily loosened grip to slip away and rushed to Berdly’s side. Susie rushed to grab her again, but Noelle displayed unusual dexterity in avoiding her hands until she had reached Berdly. “Get back here!”

“Hey, hey, hey! What's the big idea?!” Berdly imposed himself awkwardly between the two ladies. Susie probably could have run over him like a steamroller, but she halted, showing remarkable restraint.

“Berdly. Out of the way.” she said sternly, fury bubbling under a scarily calm exterior.

“Wha- I- No!” Berdly awkwardly fired back, then glanced at Noelle. She was utterly mortified and on the verge of tears, constantly looking between him and Susie. Whatever it was they were planning to do to her had greatly distressed her. Righteous indignation began to fill Berdly’s soul as he turned back to Susie and his voice became more firm. “I told you why I'm here, now it's your turn! What's going on?!”

“None of your damn business! Now out of the way!” Susie hissed. She cracked her knuckles in a very clear signal at what would happen to Berdly if he didn't step aside.

“If you want to hurt Noelle, it very much is my business!” he stood, taking a step backwards and shakily pointing the end of his HalBerd at her.

“What?! I don't want to hurt her, dumbass! I want to save her!” Susie got defensive, but still advanced.

“Then why were you two trying to rip her heart out? I know you skipped out on biology class, but doing that is the opposite of saving someone, Susan!”

“You don’t get it, birdbrain!” Susie thundered, and glanced back at Kris. “A… a bodysnatching parasite is in her! We need to get it out!”

“A bodysnatcher parasite? Like, the puppeteering ones that override your mind?” Berdly inquired, genuinely taken aback about Susie’s accusation. He thought those were in the realm of fiction, but as his current surroundings show, what she claims may very well exist.

“Uh, yeah! Exactly! Now quickly move before it makes her jump off the edge or stab you or something!”

Berdly saw Noelle’s frightful gaze tense up even further when he shot her a squinting glare. She looked… betrayed, cornered as her eyes shivered. He examined her from the top of her antlers to the bottom of her hooves. Aside from being dressed the same as in Cyber City, she looked like… Noelle. He couldn’t see any bloody smears, facial distortions or anything else that would hint at a body snatcher, doppelganger or other parasite.

“I… I’m not! I- I was- They’re- Berdly, please!” she stammered out, each word barely clearing her lips. Unfortunately, as convincingly frightful as her plea was, one could never be too careful.

“I knew this day would come… I have just the thing for it.” he muttered darkly, before he recalled his weapon and buried his hand in his inventory. The intruder was momentarily disappointed. It expected something less… one-sided. Or at least for its host to be less gullible, but it was Berdly, so it really should have expected that.

Berdly found what he was looking for, and dramatically raised it up into the sky so everyone could see. It was… a personal notebook?

“Personality Test time! By asking specific questions tailored to each of us, I can safely deduce with 100% accuracy if someone has been replaced by a doppelganger or hijacked by a body snatcher!” he declared with the utmost pride.

“What.” Susie’s jaw dropped and she squinted in disbelief at the sheer idiocy of her classmate. She then raised a brow at the fact Berdly sifted through several pages of the notebook before settling on a page labeled with Noelle’s name. “Are you seriously doing this?! And how many of these do you have?!”

“One for every classmate, including myself. I am always prepared, my dear Susan! And I find it to be a most bloodless and scientific way to deduce if we are dealing with an evil impostor or the genuine article. In case Noelle reveals herself to be a doppelganger, you have my full permission to shapeshift it into a pile of EXP.” Berdly asserted. He saw Kris and Susan exchange looks, and noticed they nodded to each other. He was glad they were willing to yield to the scientific method.

“How’s this sound, Berdly?” Susie asked, unusually quietly as she placed her sizable hand on Berdly’s shoulder. He felt it pressing down on him rather intensely. She then leaned in and whispered into his ear: “I don’t need your permission to do shit.”

Before Berdly could utter a word in response, he felt his armor’s pauldron crumple in Susie’s grip, and he was suddenly yanked and hurled aside like an unloved doll. He bounced and slid across the dusty floor until he slammed into a bookshelf. 

“Susie! Stop! Please!” he wasn’t sure if it was Noelle or the green-garbed stranger shouting, but the distress was all too genuine.

Groggy from the impact, Berdly looked up to see Susie rushing to grab Noelle, who just barely managed to slip her grasp again and again. Kris, who had spared Berdly just a contemptuous glance, had accelerated their meager pace, their pastel-pink sword leaving a line of wooden splinters as its tip scraped the floor in the direction of their cervine prey.

“W-w-wha…?” he muttered in shock and disbelief. This went well above and beyond any prank, even for Kris, and while Susie definitely threatened and bullied everyone, she hadn’t gone this far before, especially towards Noelle. The intruder within would sigh in disappointment if it had the bodily functions to do so. Even after a crash course in Castle Town, he still folded like a napkin in actual combat. And yet…

“Noelle, stop running! Just let Kris get that parasite out of you! It’s for your own good!” Susie growled as she pursued Noelle towards another door. That last sentence stirred something in Berdly’s soul, which the intruder above felt heat up and shimmer with an all too familiar power.

Anger.

Anger unguided, unfocused. One that would burn out without direction. One that needed only…

a nudge.

<Windblast.>

Before it even fully materialized, Berdly channeled his and the ParchMantle’s power through his HalBerd and launched a furious typhoon that swept Kris and even Susie off their feet, and scattering countless papers around the library. Berdly was already standing by the time the entire room’s attention was focused on him again and the loose pages were starting to settle down.

<Door. Books.>

“Noelle, run!” he shouted at Noelle, gesturing at the nearby exit door. If nothing else, she could put some distance between herself and the two who sought her harm.

“Berdly, let’s-” Noelle tried to say, but was cut off.

“Run!”

Another swing, another gust, launching Noelle through the door and slamming it behind her. To be extra safe, Berdly channeled his power to yank several shelves’ worth of books out and into a pile that blocked the exit door. To clear that blockage would take time.

Time Berdly would not give to these two bullies.

“Berdly, you asshole!” Susie roared, clawing herself off the floor. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Protecting my friend!” Berdly snapped back. “Pranks are one thing, but this is low, even for you! If you’re hurting Noelle, I have no choice but to stop you by force!”

Something between an animalistic growl and a frustrated groan emitted from Susie’s maw.

“IT’S NOT A PRANK, YOU IDIOT!!” she thundered, then cracked her knuckles. “But fine! You wanna become a smear on the floor?! Happy to help!”

Susie brandished a very imposing black axe, and launched a magical missile that was larger than Berdly’s entire body, which slammed him back into the shelf and flat on the floor again. He felt numb from the pain and shock as he struggled to rise again.

The intruder also felt the impact of the Rude Buster. The pain of it was all too familiar, and while it could have easily yanked Berdly into dodging or returning it to sender, it doubted any permanent injury would come out of it. Given Berdly had both his arms functional, his opponents didn’t smack him too hard last time around, and all the evidence pointed to their former guiding light being one of peace. In the event they actually seriously harmed him, it knew they would never forgive themselves over it, and if the situation got truly dire, there were means of properly tipping the scale back in Berdly’s favor.

And now that Noelle and her guest were out of the way, it was time to see how much grief the current vessel could give them. A good first step would be getting back up again.

“And stay down!” Susie shouted, before running over to the pile of books blocking the doorway. “Dammit Noelle, get back here!”

“S-susie, was that really necessary? Couldn't we have talked to him?” that green-robed guy asked.

“We can have a tea party once we get that thing out of Noelle and back in Kris! Now help me clear this!”

Those words made Berdly think; “back in Kris?” Were they talking about the bodysnatcher? If it's real, why would they want to put it in Kris? And if it was a mere prank, Susie wouldn't have slammed him into a bookshelf twice. Thinking on it, that nod they exchanged was a crucial clue that both of them were plotting something which definitely didn't have Noelle's wellbeing in mind.

Despite the pain, he willed himself back on his feet. He had to. Even if he couldn’t defeat them, he could still buy time for Noelle to get away. Or at least reinforce the blockade. He swallowed a whole CD Bagel to give himself strength.

Green robe saw him.

“H-hey! Berdly, please, sit down! You’re hurt! We- we can talk about this and-” he pleaded.

Berdly ignored him and channeled magic through his hand to pull yet more books from the grand shelf and pelted Susie with them, practically burying her under a mountain of dusty paper and leather covers. He would lament the damage to all those books, but from what he could glance, each of them had either blank pages or completely illegible scrawlings that put even Snowy’s writing to shame. Susie had far fewer qualms about it, carving a furious path out of them and setting her sights straight at him.

“I told you to stay down, birdbrain!” She grunted, then started stomping in his direction. Green robe spared a moment to illuminate her with a green glow that made a lot of her bruises fade.

Berdly knew he could not best her in direct fighting, but she seemed to be reluctant to actually break him in two. Maybe he needed to psych her out. He needed to concentrate on speaking calmly, but firmly.

Rather curiously, though the intruder detected fear inside Berdly, his own SOUL was remarkably stable. Not quite determined, but definitely more stalwart than it gave him credit.

“So tell me, Susan, if you want to save Noelle from a parasite, why do you want to put it into Kris?” he asked, maintaining a shifting distance between them.

“Long story. You won’t live long enough to hear it.” she wheezed out, grinning menacingly.

“Are you planning to kill me?”

It noticeably gave Susie pause before she bared her teeth and glared at him under her messy bangs.

“Want to find out? Stop running and I’ll show you.”

“As you wish, Susan.” Berdly stopped and dug in his heels. There wasn’t much floor left before a precarious drop into the abyss anyway. He steeled his grip on his HalBerd, and gave a squinting glare right back at her. He didn’t care that Kris and Green Robe were unaccounted for. Whether it be because she had feelings for him, or any other reason, she was clearly displaying only bravado, and that meant he could get to her.

He didn’t want to hurt her either.

“Wow. You really are an idiot.” Susie chuckled as he readied her axe for a mighty overhead swing.

“And that’s okay sometimes.” he smiled.

The tip of his HalBerd met the Axe head and deflected it wide, slamming both ends into the old wooden floor, launching splinters everywhere. He felt she didn’t put all her strength into that blow.

“Ugh, just stop!” she growled.

“Maybe I would have if you explained yourselves, Susan!” he snapped back. “Why are you doing this to Noelle?!”

“She has a parasite that-”

“That you’re so insistent on putting into Kris. Why?”

Another axe swing, another deflection. She still wasn’t putting in her all, but Berdly’s own strength was waning. He had to back away again. But Susie not answering was very telling.

“What do you really want from Noelle, Susan?”

Susie gritted her teeth, and paused her assault to glance at Kris, who was trying to approach from the side, and did not reply.

“Wait, let me rephrase that. What do you really want from Noelle, Kris?” Berdly pointedly asked. They looked away from him, evidently unable to find a convincing lie. But Berdly could not tarry, as Susie was still wearing him down, even if she herself looked more weary with every blow.

“Ralsei. Pacify.” Kris whispered. Somehow Berdly almost instinctively knew the danger of those two simple words as he glanced at the Green Mage.

He had to stop him. He had to let go of his HalBerd with one hand to launch books at the green mage to prevent the spell from going through. If he fell asleep, he would be done for.

“Look at me, asshole! I’m your opponent!” Susie growled, her axe breaking past Berdly’s weakened attempts at defense and solidly impacting and denting his glow-in-the-dark armor, staggering him.

“Answer my question!” he snapped back. Susie seemed at her breaking point. She was barely even trying to swing at that point, especially since Berdly made a point of not striking back the entire fight. She sighed in frustration.

“Dammit… Kris, tell him the truth.” she grunted out. A silent pause. “Kris?”

Berdly also wondered where Kris had disappeared to, and in the corner of his eye, he saw them.

Swinging a black, jagged sword at him.

The intruder took no chances with Kris. It yanked control at the last moment and forced Berdly to sidestep as much as he could, but it was too late. Searing pain, far greater than any of Susie’s blows, surged in his left side, right above the hip. 

Berdly collapsed, pressing his hands against what he felt was a sizable gash in both his armor and his flesh and gritting his teeth as much as he could to try and contain the pain.

He failed. He cried out and his breathing became even more labored than before.

“Kris?! What the hell was that?!”

“Berdly.”

He looked up, and saw that same dark, obsidian-like blade pointed at him, mere inches from his face, behind it, red eyes behind very messy dark blue bangs.

“You almost killed him, dumbass! Are you crazy?!”

“Stay down. Please.” Kris whispered, their face a mixture of anger, anguish and exhaustion, but very sweaty and shivering. Susie was glaring at them in shock, as if she couldn’t believe they attacked a classmate with a blow that very well could have been crippling, if not fatal. They turned to Green Robe. “Ralsei. Pacify him. Heal him. Get him out of here.”

Berdly lifted his arm off his wound, and froze in horror. It was blood. Real blood. His blood.

This went beyond anything he would have expected of them. Was that even Kris staring him down and now walking off towards the book blockade like nothing happened? Was there really a bodysnatcher, but it was them? Even Susie clearly found this to be going too far. Oh Angel it hurts…

A soft white paw placed itself on him. It was that Asriel-looking guy, who looked almost as distraught at what happened as Berdly himself was. A green glow enveloped the wound, but the pain was not receding.

“Please c-calm down… I- I can heal you…” he whispered, on the verge of sobbing. “I’m- I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for what happened, but please, they didn’t mean to- I mean, didn’t mean to…”

What in the actual hell was going on? Did Kris try to murder him? If he didn’t instinctually sidestep, he could have had his guts spilling on the floor. Why didn’t they finish the job while he was on the ground?

A terrifying thought seized his mind.

If this was something Kris was willing to do to Berdly for merely getting in their way, what were they ready to do to Noelle?

Whether they lost their marbles, were replaced by a doppelganger, or whatever other explanation or excuse there was, the Kris in the same room as Berdly could not be allowed to leave it unless unconscious and restrained. They have become a threat to everyone around them, and need to be stopped.

At all costs.

“Wait, you’re hurt! D-don’t get up-” Ralsei pleaded as Berdly dug through his pocket, and plopped that Revive Mint he had been keeping into his beak. He would need all the strength he could get, as he could not afford to only be on the defensive anymore. For the sake of them all, including Kris themself.

The intruder was pleasantly surprised. Ralsei’s healing prayer stopped the bleeding, but there was still a very nasty gash in Berdly’s side, and it felt the same pain he did. His body, as exhausted and broken as it was, was in little condition for another protracted fight, even with the mint reinvigorating it.

And yet. There was a flame in his SOUL. A big, furious flame burning bright enough to almost seal a dark fountain. And unlike before, this wasn’t a bonfire that a light shower could extinguish. It was a mighty, focused flame. A very familiar power.

The power of

<Determination.>

“KRIIIIIIS!!!” Berdly bellowed at the top of his lungs. The pain in his side was excruciating, but it and all other concerns were secondary. He focused himself like a razor’s edge, like a laser, on exactly one objective: Taking them down. “YOU POISONER!! THIS ENDS NOW!!”

Susie and Kris both looked away from the book pile and looked like they saw a ghost. Susie looked downright concerned.

“Dude, you’re half-dead! Give it up already!” Susie shouted, almost sounding like she was pleading.

She was expecting some kind of retort, but Berdly only pointed his HalBerd and unleashed a torrent of flechettes, which scattered across the room, embedding themselves everywhere until they faded. Getting the hint, she readied her axe and prepared for another overhead swing. Bursting with unyielding vigor, Berdly deflected it, then counterattacked with a wide slash across Susie’s torso. Nothing like the Black Shard, but definitely hit hard.

She could not believe the amount of force he put into that strike. Under a minute ago he was on his last legs, only barely parrying her halfhearted strikes, and yet now, despite the massive bleeding crack in his side, Berdly of all people was attacking with the agility and power of that goddamn Knight, even forcing her to start backing away. And he was just as relentless and…

…just as maddeningly silent.

No taunts, no remarks, no accusations save that initial shriek, just that unblinking look of focus and gritted teeth through which agonized grunts were barely heard over the clashing of axe and polearm.

And worst of all, she couldn't even blame him. She'd probably flip out the same if someone she considered friendly enough suddenly inflicted such a wound. What the hell was Kris thinking? What was she thinking? 

As she was consumed by doubt and regret, her defense slipped and Berdly took the opportunity to strike an exposed target, slashing at her legs to bring her to the floor. Before she could recover, he spun his HalBerd around and slammed it into the floor, manifesting a mighty tornado which ripped books apart as it tore them from the lowest to the highest shelves, engulfing the massive open air chamber in a whirlwind of paper and wood.

Susie had trouble even getting up without fear of being sent flying. Ralsei for his part was holding onto cracks in the floorboards for dear life, and yet Berdly seemed almost unaffected by it all as he disengaged from her and started marching towards Kris, who was near that blocked door and trying their best to resist the gale force wind slamming into them.

Though they looked tired, they still had that dreaded black blade, and pointed it at him in a clear gesture to keep away.

A gesture that meant nothing, given they were barely holding onto that sword in the wind, let alone able to avoid the HalBerd’s superior reach. Berdly heard their feeble, pained grunts as he hooked their leg and yanked his weapon back, removing what little balance that poisoner had and knocking them on the floor. He was in the perfect position to strike a finishing blow, to make Kris stop being a threat… forever.

But should he stoop to his foe's level? What kind of hero could he possibly call himself if he did such an unforgivable deed? As dangerous as Kris was, could he really guarantee with complete certainty that they couldn't be brought back to the light? Would he be able to forgive himself?

He couldn't take that chance. He grabbed onto the other end of his HalBerd, and started swinging down at Kris. He at least needed to smack that evil sword out of their hands. They recoiled and cried out in pain with every blow, even holding out their free hand to either try to catch the swinging handle of his HalBerd, or plead for mercy.

These cries and pleas fell on deaf ears. After all, so did Berdly’s earlier attempts to find the truth. 

“Berdly! Stop!” Susie shouted, but didn't know if he merely didn't hear her over the wind, or plain didn't care. Well, as weird as Kris was acting lately, and as much as they arguably deserved this, she would not stand for it. They were still her friend, and only she was allowed to smack them around, dammit.

One message Berdly could not ignore was a Rude Buster. Being too made of magic, it completely ignored the supernatural wind engulfing her, and blasted him straight off balance. The momentary loss of focus caused the tornado to die down.

Susie seized the opportunity and charged him like a raging beast. Slamming him with all her strength from the side, her axe collided with the HalBerd as he tried to parry. The shockwave of the clash was great, and then the turquoise polearm began to crack, and shattered apart as Susie's axe broke through and connected with its wielder.

Despite all his fury, Berdly was sent flying by the force of impact and collapsed on the floor again. He was breathing heavily, his wound seems to have reopened, and he could only watch in exhaustion as Susie marched towards him, axe in hand like an executioner. Scraps of paper were falling around her like flakes of snow, joining the massive disheveled piles strewn on the floor. He felt cold. Fear had wormed its way back into his mind. Despite all his efforts, he couldn't stop them.

It all felt somehow… familiar.

“Ralsei! Hurry up already!” she ordered the Green Mage. Her voice was hoarse, tired. The toll on her was more mental than physical. She turned back to her downed classmate, and seemed just short of begging, given her tone. “Stay down. Just… stay down this time.”

Were it part of an audience observing this fight from the sidelines, the intruder would give a standing ovation. Berdly’s sheer drive and courage despite the odds were something it only briefly tasted before consigning him into a cold hell. It almost regrets having done that.

But the fun times had passed. While Berdly was heavily breathing, the one within picked up something through his nostrils. A very familiar, and very hated scent, that was fast approaching.

<Knight.>

Despite his amazing feat moments prior, Berdly was crippled and unarmed. He was unable to stand on his own, let alone fight that freak, and taking the reins now would leave them at a severe handicap. Even if they won, perhaps using the ace in the hole the intruder prepared, the battle would expose it to the ever-treacherous Kris and still-fuming Susie, who were wild cards that could not be accounted for properly. The numbers were not in its favor.

It glanced around and noticed Berdly’s earlier paper and tornado attacks left the entire floor coated in parchment. It remembered Seam mentioning the ParchMantle allowed its wearer to glide, so it was time to test that claim. Berdly was at the edge of that pit, and yet in the distance, there were faint blue glows, hinting at reachable platforms and walkways. Given what was displayed so far, Kris was unaware of the SOUL in Berdly, so the Knight probably would not interfere with his withdrawal.

<Glide.>

Berdly felt that intense urge to flee, but how could he? Kris and Susie were still loose and-

His thoughts went silent. Instead of thinking or planning, he felt his body move on its own and channel all his remaining magical might into one final barrage of parchment, lifting Susie, Kris and Ralsei alike off the floor and utterly enveloping them. Then, as if the pain wasn’t even there, he stood back up on his feet, and on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the abyss. He glanced back one final time to see the Delta Warriors cutting their way through the paper bit by bit, and saw a familiar black and white silhouette flying high overhead. It was now or never.

He made the leap of faith, and with the ParchMantle in full spread over his shoulders, glided into parts unknown, but hopefully, to safety. Indeterminate shouts and yells were heard behind him, but he had no time nor energy to look back.

Berdly’s sense of time and surroundings faded as he flew, and his vision grew darker yet darker.

Chapter Text

Red droplets descended into the darkness below as Berdly maneuvered between towering spires and immense cathedrals, slowly and quietly gliding until he finally found a close enough and wide enough platform, resembling another library, to land on. A convenient pile of loose papers was the optimal target to aim for, but he was losing altitude too much to reach it normally.

Channeling the few remaining scraps of his magic, he summoned a medium upwards wind to lift him high enough to arrive at the platform, ultimately hitting the pile of paper with only slightly more velocity than when hurled by Susie.

The pain from the impact was sharp, even after bracing for it. However, while the intruder learned to endure and tolerate it, its present vessel did not. Papers and dust sent loose around him, Berdly was disoriented, dazed, and quietly sobbing as he clutched the wound above his hip.

It felt his throat burn with every drawn breath. It would explain why he shrieked like a banshee upon his second round with Susie and Kris, but then fell completely silent.

A silence the intruder very eagerly brought back.

Berdly’s voice stopped as his faculties and senses were overtaken, him too exhausted to properly process what was going on. It was a gentler seizure than normal, closer to a plane’s copilot taking charge as opposed to a carjacker yanking the driver out of the vehicle. His eyes opened with that familiar red glint, and the new pilot ascertained its situation properly.

Starting with that nasty slash wound on his body. That… was a lot of blood. The pile of parchment that turned into an impromptu bed was soaked in the stuff, and death was all but guaranteed if left untreated for long. No wonder he was delirious and babbling.

It sighed in annoyance that some things, like Kris being an endless source of setbacks, never seemed to change.

As for Berdly, a dead vessel is a useless vessel, so it had to rectify that issue immediately. It would take effort, but was far from impossible.

Channeling its own phenomenal cosmic power, the SOUL inside him glowed like a furnace, and its divine radiance basked the gash in otherworldly light, knitting flesh and sealing the wound before anything worse happened to it. It didn't hurt any less and they would be limping for a while, but Berdly wouldn't bleed to death anymore. Granted, it could have healed him more, but it wanted to conserve its own strength until at least the eventual reunion with Noelle.

Regrettably, vessels had an annoying habit of needing to rest and recover from injuries. Because of this, it allowed him to lay still on that pile to catch his breath, maybe let his magic recharge a little, while it formulated a strategy. If nothing else, Berdly could use the time to adjust to the pain. After all, learning to power through it was an essential part of becoming stronger.

Though his physical feebleness was as expected, the intruder severely underestimated the Light Nerd’s resolve. Whereas before this little misadventure it only knew him as an occasional amusement or roadblock, now it felt a bit more appreciative of him. Given what he managed to perform with minimal influence from it, how powerful could he be as a vessel if properly molded?

It felt his mind stirring, and released control, slithering back into an idle state.

Berdly began grunting and breathing erratically as he sat there, trying to process everything. The world had gone completely crazy. There was an impossibly large pit fitting entire cathedrals and castles under the church in Hometown. Upon falling into it he was dressed up like in his dream from the day before. Kris and Susie were trying to rip Noelle’s heart out. Kris had gone completely off the deep end, siccing Susie at him like an attack dog before almost bisecting him with a sword that looked to be made of black glass.

Nothing made sense. Why didn't it make sense? How was he supposed to- Oh sweet Angel it hurts…

Maybe the Susie of yesterday was right. Maybe he should just embrace ignorance and go with the flow of everything. Would probably be less painful both mentally and physically.

...

Why was he kidding himself?

Yesterday was a dream.

Today was a nightmare.

He would pinch himself, but the wound hurt enough already. Matter of fact, he really wished he could just stay still and sleep. He was so, so tired…

…and yet, this all being real made the task of finding Noelle all the more important.

A task his covert copilot was all too eager to help with. While Berdly’s weakened state would have made it all too easy to seize direct control, it still felt too early to reveal itself.

Though the wound was the worst, Berdly’s entire body was aching and begging for him to get some sleep. But would he ever wake up if he did? He dug through his pockets and found his last CD Bagel. He wasn’t hungry, but he still felt better after biting into it.

Perhaps he needed to just… sit. Not necessarily sleep, but just get a bit of his strength back. And still, his eyelids began to weigh heavy on him.

He must not sleep… he must… not…

“Attention, intrudeur!” a small, yet proud voice with a thick French accent sounded off, waking Berdly. A small red cup with legs, a feather, and a cute button-like eye strode next to the prone Berdly alongside a cohort of similar cups. “This is a restricted area and undeur Cuptain authority! All civilians must leave for a safe zone immediately!”

Cuptains. The intruder fluctuated between considering them endearingly annoying and annoyingly endearing. As for Berdly…

“Eh…?” he grunted out in confusion, wondering what was going on.

“Do you not have ears? You must leave this area immediately, Lightneur! It is not safe!” the little cup ordered. Were its voice several octaves deeper, it might have been intimidating, but as it was, it was merely cute.

Berdly did not even reply, merely glaring at the gaggle of cups in confusion. While their evident leader was trying to get in his face, the rest were marching in circles around a stone pillar, doing what was either a rain dance or some kind of royal or military parade.

“Do nout make me fecher Solus, intrudeur! Get up and march out of here!” The cup had climbed atop Berdly’s chest and was trying to give him a deadly glare. Emphasis on “trying”.

“...okay.” Berdly concurred after blankly staring back. This was getting weird and- 

“Argh!” The pain in his side surged as he tried to move. He reflexively pressed his hand against his side, then paused in shock. Despite how scarily bloody the bed of papers under him was, the actual wound the blood originated from was… closed? Sealed, as if months of recovery had passed, despite the very obvious gash in his armor right above it and the fact it still hurt so, so much. “Guh, that hurts…”

“Mon Ange! We have a wounded one! Fecher the Elixir at once!” The Cuptain shouted, then directed some of its fellows to march off into some nooks and crannies between bookshelves. “You’re fortunate that l’ermite has stashed vital supplies across the Sanctuary! Otherwise your death would have been guaranteeud!”

“Huh… thanks. Got any crutches?” Berdly weakly asked as he adjusted himself to a more seated position. The Cuptain standing proudly in his lap did not reply, and already a group of its fellows was hauling a dusty broomstick and delivering it to him. “Hm. It’ll do.”

“You’re welcoume! Now drink the Elixir of life and make your way to l’ermite’s abode!”

The Cuptains returned, carrying a scarlet potion bottle. The label on it read “Scarlixir”. Berdly shrugged and popped off the cork, then took a sip.

Wow that was fruity. Like one of those juice syrups that are meant to be diluted with water. Still, even that little sip made him feel a bit better, so he downed the entire thing. While the pain and limp will likely not go away until he got proper medical attention, it certainly put enough of a spring in his step to get back up and lean on the broom.

Better enough to walk, even with a limp.

“Thanks, guys. I don’t suppose you’ve seen a deer girl around?” he muttered, noticing even his throat felt a smidge less sore, though his breaths were short and labored. Even after the Bagel and Elixir, he wouldn’t be much for a fight.

The cups exchanged glances.

“Anotheur civilian? Non, but we shall find her post-haste as soon as we escourt you to l’ermite’s study!”

“No offense, but given who’s chasing her, she needs someone strong to be at her side. You guys are… subpar for combat.”

“How dare you! Who do you think you are?! Are you an agent of the Knight?” the lead Cuptain barked like a miniature chihuahua. Berdly couldn’t help but smile at the sheer indignity combined with the squeaky voice on top of the outrageous accent.

“Well, I do consider myself my friend’s knight in glow-in-the-dark armor, so…”

As he was talking, all the assorted cups, of which there were dozens now, froze in place, and a good number of them took a few tiny steps backwards, to the point some fell over the edge into the abyss.

“Mon Ange… Impossible!” the lead cup gasped in shock and horror. It then stood between Berdly and the rest of its cohorts, trying to stand atop its teeny tiny tippy toes and look taller and greater than them. “We have been deceived! We have been tricked into aiding our enemie! The dishoneur has shamed us forevermore! But lo! The Roaringue Knight is still weakened! With me! Strike the herald of the world’s end and restore our pride and our hope to impress a M’lady with glorious victorie! Charge!”

“Roaring what now?” Berdly asked, genuinely confused about what the walking talking cups were talking about, before all of the present ones organized into a loose box formation and started rushing and jumping at him.

“Whaa??” He was put off-balance by the shock of being attacked, which quickly faded as each and every one of the tiny “enemies” harmlessly bounced off his body and armor, their most terrible and mighty blows feeling like an annoying preschooler poking him out of boredom. “Uh…”

“Have at thee! En Guarde! Hai-yah! Arrr! Perish, fiend!” was the assorted squeaky collection of battle cries that echoed in the chamber. He was being a bit annoyed by all the poking, so he employed the broom they gave him to push most of them away or aside as he limped away towards an exit door. They seemed hurt only emotionally.

“Look out! We are taking casualties! We must withdraw!”

“Non! Keep up the pressure, our foe is retreating! Flank him!”

“En guarde! Take that! Taste the pain!” Berdly was still pelted by a barrage of plastic cup warriors and a small piece of dry bread. Where'd that come from?

One of the cups, the leader from the looks of it, was being hauled atop a tower of his fellows and deposited at the doorknob of the exit. He stood defiantly at the moderately confused Berdly.

“You shall not pass, foul knave! Whoever the lady you seek to hunt is, you shall not get an inch closer to her!”

Berdly, with half-shut eyes and a single raised brow, responded by gently picking the Cuptain up.

“How dare you! Release me at once, serf of darkness!”

“I am leaving now.” the Light Nerd bluntly replied. Noelle needed him. “Thanks for the drink.”

“You shall not pass, foul deceiveur!”

“The marquis is in danger! Press the attack! Strike down the foe!” the other Cuptains redoubled their efforts to harmlessly bounce off Berdly, with the expected results.

Berdly sighed, and let the leader Cuptain slip from his feathery fingers and bounce off its fellows, and opened the door to leave.

“His attack is faltering! Victorie is ours!”

And their own attack in turn faltered when faced with the completely impenetrable barrier of a plain old wooden door shutting in their collective faces. As he thought to walk away from the cacophony of high pitched european accents, he noticed one Cuptain had made it into the corridor with him, and was trembling in fear.

“Uh…. all for one and… one for all?” it declared with all the certainty and courage of a newly hatched chick. Berdly gave a small smile, and opened the door just enough for the little Darkner to make a tactical withdrawal and achieve strength in numbers. “Alert the Hermit! He must know the foe is encroaching!”

It would have been so easy to just crumple it, and yet even the intruder didn't consider it worth it.

Annoyingly endearing indeed.

Moving on from the scene, Berdly felt lightheaded as the stone corridor faded into another towering walkway overlooking a cathedral. There seemed to be… something below, but the height was dizzying. He could try gliding down, but he would rather not get lost more than he already had been. Maybe he could- 

[...hello?.... anyone…?]

Berdly stopped. Was that a voice? It seemed to come from his left, but turning around, he saw nobody. Was he already falling into delirium from the blood loss?

[....come in…. Come in, anyone….?]

It was coming from his left ear. Like someone trying to contact him via his Headpiece. There was a lot of audible static.

“Who’s there? Hello?” Berdly whispered weakly, and pressed his earpiece harder against his skull. He poked around on it to find a knob or some other switch that would make him hear better, but it was a mostly smooth surface.

[I hear you! Hold…. Hold on….. There! Can you hear me now?]

The static faded as a slightly distorted voice Berdly had never heard before sounded off on his headpiece. It sounded like a man only slightly older than him, and had an accent that was clearly foreign to Hometown, but he couldn’t quite place. Still, it sounded… reassuring. Like Dr. Dodgers on TV.

“I hear you… I hear you… Who are you?”

[I am a… resident of this Dark Sanctuary. Spent all my known time in a dark room looking at glowing dots on old screens and displays. You were the most recent one to arrive, and unlike the others, I could actually get in touch with you instead of screaming into the void.]

The intruder would smile ear-to-ear, if it had a mouth or ears. It was a bit tricky to choose what kind of “face” to put on this veritable sock puppet, but it decided a friendly, yet knowledgeable one would be best. It would have been more fun to act like the VMT Suit from Isotope, but Berdly would obviously trust a natural-sounding operator more than a chain-smoking AI voice, so it settled for that.

“Others? Please explain.” Berdly asked.

[A few of your fellow Lightners and a couple other… entities. Lost their signals a while ago, but they do occasionally pop up again.]

“Lightners?” Berdly repeated, thinking that this voice must be referring to Noelle, Susie and Kris. It would be a very good idea to keep track of them. “You had their signals? Where did you last spot them?”

[My display showed a bunch of dots in Library Section A. Yellow, Green, Pink, Blue and Cyan. Yellow one moved away from the others, and then the cyan one went off the path and landed here in Section G, which I’m guessing was you. Then a black and white dot appeared and my display shut off.]

“Yeah, that… that tracks. I don’t suppose you know a path that links this area and wherever the yellow dot went?”

[Just Proceed forward, try not to fall, and keep your wits about you.]

“Understood… I’ll keep that in mind. I don't suppose you know where to find medical supplies?”

[Are you injured? Did the Cuptains thrash you?]

“What? Those guys? They just bounced off and- I was in… a difficult fight before that. It didn’t end well.” Berdly really didn’t want to think further about the implications of his wound.

[Any supplies are either behind puzzles or hidden in nooks and crannies only the Cuptains can reliably access. However, a good place to recover would be the Study, though it’s a good distance away from here.]

“Drat. Still, thanks, uh… Sorry, I never asked for your name.”

[My… name?] There was a long and uncomfortable pause before the voice was heard again. [Hm. You know, I don't quite remember. Thinking on it, did I even have one in the first place?]

“Wow. That’s… unfortunate.” Berdly didn’t know what else to say.

[Can… can you give me a name? You look like a smart fellow, I’m sure you’ll think of something. For ease of communication if nothing else.]

Truth be told, the intruder could have picked any number of names, real or imagined, but knew this illusion of choice would bring Berdly closer to the voice in his ear. It remembered the first time it gave a name to someone, and how there was already a connection, a bond, before it even properly formed.

Before it was…

It quickly ended this train of thought. Its quickly rising bitterness about that could have exposed it to its present host.

“Of course! I shall give you the greatest name ever!” Berdly proudly declared before stumbling from overexerting himself. He stopped, then began pondering. What could be a good name? It needed to display smarts and intelligence, and maybe be indicative of the person as a whole. But what kind of person was this voice? They had only just met.

Perhaps retreating into his Mind Palace would give him ideas. He pulled out his phone and-

The screen was cracked. Great. The display was all glitchy and messy. Lovely. He would not be opening any apps anytime soon. Thank goodness triple tapping the lock button turned on the flashlight just in case of such emergencies. A dusty wine-colored carpet bearing creepy eye insignia and many many tears and cuts was illuminated and guided his path forward.

[Smart call. Keep that light close.] the Voice commented.

“Right. Now, a name…” Berdly refocused. To keep things simple, perhaps he could use a similar character from fiction? His thoughts immediately slid to a comic book Kris’s father gifted to Berdly the year before. The… Flighty Five, or something. It was about five bird monster cowboys who had crazy adventures in the Wild West. One of the heroes was a tiny red bird who was the team’s eye in the sky courtesy of actually being small light enough to fly. What was his name again?

“Hm… How’s Ed?” Berdly asked. “It’s the name of a hero who guided his friends from afar.”

There was a pause.

[Ed. I like it. Simple, yet memorable. I… also like the meaning you attributed to it. Thank you. Might I know your name, or has it also been lost to history?]

“You may call me Berdly.” Berdly quietly said. He had an opportunity to present a noble title like Lord, and did look rather regal with the ParchMantle fluttering in his wake. However, he was too tired and pained to indulge in such needless extravagance in these times of need.

[Well, Berdly. Nice to meet you. Now keep your wits about you; there's no shortage of local creatures roaming around looking for Lightners to destroy. Fiery Guei. Ash-tossing Balthizards. Arrogant Mizzles. I've not seen them listen to reason much, so be ready to fight.]

“And those cup people?”

[Full of themselves, but completely harmless, as you might have noticed.] The intruder could tell not even Berdly was gullible enough to consider Cuptains a legitimate threat.

“Funny. You make them all sound like enemies of a Dragon Blazers game. Had I heard that half an hour ago, I’d have decreed that I would find Noelle, then we would seek out these foes to grow stronger.”

…The intruder didn't even plant that thought into Berdly’s mind. Had he not been sobered up by his encounter with the Lancer Fan Club, he really would have gone on a murderous rampage against every Darkner in the Sanctuary, fully believing himself to be blissfully dreaming or inside a video game. But it felt his hesitation to end Kris on the spot. If he saw those he fought as people, he would not slay them. “Ed” would need to get him… acclimated to the prospect, though the handy excuse of becoming stronger was much more enticing now.

[I’m pretty sure you’ll encounter them all the same. Also, I’m guessing this “Noelle” is a friend of yours?]

“Yes. And she’s very vulnerable and easy to scare, so we must make utmost haste.” Berdly asserted. “Now, you said you have a visual display of this strange land. Might you guide me to her?”

[I told you I lost all the other signals, but I do have a hopefully accurate map of the Sanctuary. There should be a junction ahead, with one path leading to a section of the Prophecy, another moving on to Library Section F.]

The intruder genuinely didn't know where Noelle or any of the others could be. The other SOUL's scent was long lost, but the road so far has been mostly linear, and from the intruder’s experience, the Dark Sanctuary did not change since its last visit. Given her usual attitude, Susie would be audible from a mile away, so “detecting her signal” would be easy.

Kris and Ralsei would be more difficult, especially given who was flying overhead by the last battle's end.

“Hm? The Prophecy?” Berdly asked, mildly scoffing. “An old legend that’s irrelevant to most people’s lives. Great material for stories and games, but not much else.”

[Really now? Got any recommended stories or games?]

“Well, there’s the Dragon Blazers games, which were based on The Lord of The Hammer, an impeccable high fantasy novel series, which itself drew inspiration from this thing. If we get through this in one piece, I might lend you my copy of the first one.”

[I’d be glad to take you up on that offer! Still, any… particular reason you hold the Prophecy itself in low regard, Berdly? Most Darkners here exalt and worship it, declaring it infallible.]

“That’s stupid. They should be educated that the ways of rational thought and science are superior to any supposed foretelling of events. Were the writers of the prophecy even aware of the sheer probability involved that would be needed for its events to come to pass?”

[That's one way to look at it. Still, I believe you would find Dark Worlds unscientific. I mean, how would you explain the sights around you?]

“I-!! I… uh… Well…”

Berdly was still at a loss for words at, well, everything. But presently, the architecture he was traversing. Thin stone walkways sprouting from the bottomless dark below, variously sized stained glass windows bathing the path forward in moonlight from impossible angles, magical lanterns and candles revealing paths across immense chasms, building-sized bookshelves holding more knowledge than all the libraries in the country. If church architecture was like this normally, Berdly would first contact the authorities to report a massive safety hazard, gnash his teeth at the impossibility of it all…

…and finally sit on one of the ledges for hours, quietly admiring its incredible beauty. 

But given Noelle was also in the area, he would prefer to guarantee her safety first. And acquire some medicine. He quickly found himself at an intersection, one passage to the left, leading to the Prophecy, one to the right leading hopefully to Noelle.

“You know what? A hypothetical question. If the Prophecy is as infallible as claimed, have parts of it already come to pass?”

[I can't say for sure, but before you met up with them, I did notice the other Lightners stopping by panes of the Prophecy and commenting on events from it as if they had already occurred.]

An educated guess based on personal experience, but Berdly didn't know that.

“Fine. We'll take a quick detour, just to quickly verify. Maybe there will be hidden loot nearby.”

Berdly entered the left passageway, and felt his talons click across the cold stone floor as opposed to a dusty carpet. On one side was a solid stone wall, on the other, a bottomless abyss. He didn't walk far before he was basking in the eerie blue glow of a glass pane. Displayed against a flowing watery backdrop, the first words of the Prophecy spoke:

THE PROPHECY, WHICH WHISPERS

AMONG THE SHADOWS

Oh definitely among the shadows. The lighting, while atmospheric, was awful for actual navigation. Good thing he had his phone.

THE LEGEND OF THIS WORLD

<DELTARUNE>

The titular Delta Rune was portrayed under the text, three triangles and a winged circle. The next panel, right before a dead end, showed a depiction of Lancer.

THE POINTY HEADED WILL SAY

“TOOTHPASTE” AND THEN “BOY”

Berdly paused and stared in shock. He… couldn't refute that. He was in Castle Town. He heard Lancer talk.

“Is the Prophecy always so… precise?” he awkwardly inquired. He really did not like the implications.

[It’s usually more vague. Though the other Lightners did comment on that one being true.]

“Uh… it’s just a fluke. Let’s go back.”

As Berdly was returning, the intruder noticed something peculiar with the second panel  through his eyes, specifically a chink in the glass tapestry around the word ‘this’.

[Curious. That panel is cracked.]

“Really now? The Prophecy itself is clearly chafing under a champion of truth, science and gaming. All things that operate on cold, hard logic as opposed to blind faith.” Berdly postured, pointing a declarative finger skywards.

[Funny. I once knew someone who, like you, had such an… irreverent attitude towards the Prophecy. Shame I forgot the name… and face…] Ed chuckled. [Wait, I have an idea. Smash the pane.]

“What, just… hit it?”

[Yes. My display indicates… something behind it. Try not to get cut.]

“Of course! Cracks in the wall! The universal hint for hidden loot and passages!” Berdly didn’t even finish the sentence before his broom impacted the crack and shattered the glass tapestry into a million fine pieces. And true to his expectations, there was indeed a sizable red treasure chest behind the pane. “Jackpot! Time to-yowch!”

He rushed too quickly, and felt a sting at his foot as a small piece of glass embedded itself in his flesh. Not enough to cause significant damage, but threw him off-balance, tumbling backwards and landing on his ass, fortunately away from more glass.

Given his existing wound got disturbed by the impact, the glass would have been preferable.

“DAARGH!! Painpainpain pain pain pain…!” he cried out, trembling on the cold floor. After a few deep breaths through gritted teeth, he bent forward to extract the shard stuck in his foot. It hurt, but thankfully, no blood. He lost enough today as it is.

As he clawed his way back on his feet via the combined efforts of the railing and broom, Berdly would not be deterred by a small piece of glass.

“Damn environmental damage! Clearing Cyclone!” he declared, and launched a geyser of air that lifted all the glass shards and launched the whole mess out over the edge and out of sight. Unfortunately, he miscalculated, and the prize chest was included in the mess. “Waitwaitwait- NOOOOOO!!”

Despair overtook Berdly’s face as he fruitlessly reached out over the edge and watched his prize disappear into the darkness below. The detour, the pain, the effort… all for naught. And Ed was laughing.

[Well… it cleared it alright, haha!]

“That’s-! That’s not funny! We lost some loot!” Berdly snapped back!

[You had a broom. Why didn’t you use it?]

Berdly paused and blinked twice, giving a wide eyed glare at the perfectly functional broom he was holding in his hand to channel the wind magic. After a moment of silence, he laughed angrily at his own lapse in judgement while Ed chuckled along.

“What?! I- Why this stupid- I- Well, it’s… Dammit!” his sides hurt, but still he laughed.

[Does this always happen when you get cut? You whip up a furious storm that annihilates both the object of your ire and the object of your desire?]

Berdly suddenly fell silent as his wound bitterly stung.

“That… that wasn’t funny. That was awful. Don’t make jokes like that again. Please.” he whispered.

[Uh… did I say something wrong?] “Ed” knew exactly what the matter was, but felt that prodding would be better so he wouldn’t let slip anything he shouldn’t know.

“I… nevermind! Let’s just keep moving.”

[A sore topic?]

As amusing as it was for the intruder to prod, the fun times would be abruptly cut to an end as the Light Nerd’s furious huffing and puffing delivered a familiar scent into its metaphorical nostrils. A scent it despised on a primal level.

“Yeah, you could say that, but anyway! I wish I at least knew that was in that chest. Could have been something usefu-”

[Hush! Duck into the alcove! Quickly!] Ed piped up, his own humorous tone snuffed out like a candle.

“What? What’s-”

[Hurry! Hide!]

Berdly figured that Ed knew something he didn’t, and elected to just listen, as time was clearly of the essence. He ducked into the alcove where the chest used to be and pressed himself against the stone wall, turning his phone light off. Parts of his armor were glowing in the dark, so he covered them with wings as best as he could. The air around him became still and quiet… until he heard… something out in the abyss.

Something that was between a howling wind and a distorted, demonic roar. Despite not being very loud, it was more of an affront to his ears than even the Werewires. He felt sickened to his very core thinking about it.

“What… is that…?” he whispered as quietly as he could, hoping desperately that only Ed could hear him and hopefully provide an explanation.

[A foe beyond you. Stay out of sight until it passes.]

Berdly and the intruder alike held their breath to avoid being spotted. And yet, as hard as he tried to melt into the wall, a small slit allowed him to sneak a peek out of his cubby hole. In the distance, he spotted what Ed must have been talking about:

High up in the darkness, visible only sporadically against the moonlit windows and flying prophecy panels, a figure of darkness with an edge of white. It looked to be bird-like in how it flew overhead, goal and destination unknown, but thankfully, away from his position. He felt disoriented looking at it, like his glasses would change prescription every time he blinked.

Whatever it was, it made Berdly’s spine shiver. He quickly ducked back, and stood still for a full minute, even holding his breath hoping to not be noticed. The sentiment was shared by the being hiding inside him, as while it had a score to settle with that foe, it considered Berdly an inadequate instrument to perform the deed, especially in his present state.

[Okay, it has passed now. You can come out, Berdly.] Ed said. Berdly noticed a bit more static behind his voice than before.

“What… What was that thing?”

[To answer that, I need to ask you. Do you know what The Roaring is?]

Berdly’s memory was suddenly jogged to when he was in front of the damaged, but triumphant Giga-Queen, who had just captured Kris, Susie and that Asriel-looking fellow. Just as Berdly was about to make amends with them all by opening a Dark Fountain to bring about a new era of eternal fun times, not-Asriel explained that it would instead cause skyscraper-sized Titans to emerge from the earth and destroy the entire world.

“I think it had something to do with the end of the world?” he said, uncertain.

[Correct. The end of both this, and your world. And that thing, The Roaring Knight, is working tirelessly to usher in said end.]

“What…?! Then- We must stop it!”

[I’m not sure if you can stop it. At least right now. It’s extremely powerful and you’ll need to become a lot stronger to stand a chance.]

“...Yeah. I felt a shiver in my spine just looking at that thing.” Berdly concurred. His detour over, he proceeded towards the next section of the library, hoping he’d catch up to Noelle. Poor girl is scared by the simplest things, so she’d probably get a heart attack and die on the spot if she encounters the Knight without backup.

Though he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he were present, as he himself was on his last legs from that battle, the crash landing, the long hike, and all these thousand cuts at his stamina that have piled up. The energy from that elixir the Cuptains gave him had expired by now.

[You should keep your eyes peeled and- wait…]

Through Berdly’s nose, the intruder detected another scent, though it couldn’t pin down what direction, almost like it was bouncing around. Yet the scent was something familiar…

Something… old.

<Ah shit.>

“Whatcha doin’?”

“Eek!!” Berdly jumped in place and turned around, flashing his phone’s light at… an old man. A very wrinkly old man with a bad eye and a green walking stick. “Where’d you come from?!”

“From m’study! Was lookin’ for somethin’. Ya wouldn’t mind helpin’ me find it, wouldja?”

“I… Uh… looking for what, exactly?” Berdly scratched his head. This old codger looked… exceedingly familiar, yet he couldn’t place his finger on it. Hoping the old man wouldn’t notice, he whispered into his headpiece. “Psst, Ed, who is this guy?”

[I think that’s the Hermit those Cuptains were talking about.] Ed whispered. The intruder was very careful to moderate its tone. That ‘hermit’ was someone who had an annoying tendency to do the unexpectable. It wondered if ‘Ed’ should suddenly lose contact to avoid exposing itself, but it felt something inside Berdly. Something bubbling. Thankfully, the spotting of a certain tiny red being in the corner of Berdly’s vision provided a helpful distraction. [Oh, speaking of.]

“L’ermite! L’ermite! Alert all commands! We are undeur attack! We- Sacrebleu!” that one Cuptain had rushed in, and hopped in place in shock upon spotting Berdly. “Oh non! Get away from the hermit, foul herald of darkness!”

“You again?” Berdly asked, mildly annoyed. The old man shot him a momentary glance, then started giggling.

“S’matter, marquis? Ya think this youngster here’s the Roarin’ Knight?” he asked with a very crooked grin.

“Oui! He identified himself as such to us!”

“I said I was a knight in glow-in-the-dark armor, you… what’s-the-word… es-cargott!” Berdly snapped back.

“Howw dare you, you son of a silly person! I shall have you destroyed for such an insult!”

“Marquis, I believe yer got the wrong fella. I can tell from a glance when someone’s lost in the dark. And this here young falcon? He’s all clean, I’d say. Can't imagine him givin’ off any kinda roar! Gyaa-ha-ha!” The old man laughed uproariously, then looked to Berdly, who was suddenly frozen in place and looking at the hermit with a thousand-yard stare. “Boy? Y’alright?”

The intruder felt a whirlpool of emotions bubbling in the SOUL beneath it the moment that gnarly laugh came out of the old man’s mouth like a code phrase to a sleeper agent. Berdly was becoming even more unstable than during the battle with the Lancer Fan Club, and peeking into his mind showed… a reason that made perfect sense. His body, his mind and his very SOUL were a storm at sea with no lighthouse. Thunder and rain, a growing tempest that the intruder could not tame without directly taking the reins to prevent the ship from running aground.

But should it seize control? Would that old codger notice? It knew from experience that he was very good at reading people, and wasn’t sure if he’d be on-board with the whole body hijacking thing, as the topic never came up in its memory. And he wasn’t exactly bloodthirsty, so even if the incoming crash landing happened, the only real danger to it and its vessel was wasted time.

The storm started roiling, and Berdly began shivering in place, his unblinking stare focused squarely on the mildly puzzled old guy before him.

“No… n-no… it’s… I-it’s- I- it’s not- no… It’s… not possible… It’s impossible! Y-you… You’re…” he muttered, his body trembling and breathing heavier with each word that left his beak.

“I’m old!” The old man tried to break the tension, to no avail. “S’matter, sonny? Y’look like ya saw a ghost!”

“You- y-you’re… YOU’RE DEAD! Y-Y-YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!!” Berdly shrieked, as tears started flowing from his eyes. He let go of the broom to gesture in shock and disbelief, but lost his balance and fell flat on his back, trying desperately to crawl backwards while gritting his beak so hard he looked like a tooth or two would break from the pressure.

“I dunno, I don’t feel very dead at th’ moment. Why don’t you take it easy, kid. Take a deep breath, and exhale. Ya think these old bones could harm you even if they wanted? Hehehe…” the old man’s laugh was a bit feebler. The youngster before him was… very troubled. “Here. Take my hand. Lemme help ya back on yer feet.”

“I… It means- I…” Berdly whispered in terror, and then he looked at the gash in his armor, where the searing pain was still present.

It all made sense now.

Why this immense dark cathedral complex was buried under the town.

Why he only stumbled into it after running head-first into a burning church.

Why everyone he met was either hostile or very bizarre, talking about world-ending knights or bodysnatching parasites.

Why he got a massive bleeding wound, then found it sealed but still hurting atop a puddle of blood when he woke up.

Why he started hearing voices in his head.

Why Gerson Boom, a man who has been dead for years, was standing before him like nobody’s business.

There was only one question left on Berdly’s mind:

How long had he been dead?

Berdly’s mind was overwhelmed by how everything snapped into place. Everything started spinning and he collapsed even from his crawl onto a quivering mess on the floor, all the exhaustion and shock hitting him like a sack of bricks. A ringing noise escalated in his mind until it completely blanked out all other thought. The intruder, having little other option, allowed it to happen, and sighed as Berdly’s consciousness failed him and everything faded to dark.

Chapter Text

When one knows something and watches others making wildly inaccurate guesses about it, the guesswork being exceedingly funny or maddeningly frustrating depends on how the one holding the knowledge is affected by the ones lacking it.

Berdly walked a fine line between those two extremes. Had it been any other context, any less urgent matter, his confusion on the matter of dark worlds would have been a comedy routine. But as it was, Berdly’s lack of knowledge was starting to get irritating. If it kept up, he would grow into a liability.

The intruder probably could have forcefully yanked the cord and awakened him, but it came at a great risk of exposure. Still, since it anticipated he would wake up in a certain old man’s study, it could work to… expedite the process a little. Suppress Berdly’s panic, regulate his emotional flow, and glow like a dim candle to subtly mend his ravaged body.

If nothing else, all this time helped cement control. The longer it spent inside Berdly, with or without his knowledge, the harder its influence was to avoid.

Influence that could carry over, like a player's knowledge of the moveset of a given Super Smashing Fighters character.

It hadn’t used Berdly as a host before, but it had a good enough read of his personality that it could assert control that would take days in a matter of hours. If it found itself going back, the ‘moveset’ would be the same, and seizing the reins would be easier and easier, especially if the host doesn’t expect the sudden level of control. 

After all, it had plenty of practice to ascertain this fact.

…

A familiar scent was picked up.

The old man was back.

[Berdly. Berdly, come in! You there?]

…

<Wake up.>

Berdly’s consciousness returned and he found his gaze gently touched by the warm amber glow of a crackling fireplace. He was wrapped in a comfortable, if a bit prickly, blanket, and resting against a sizable cushion. His entire body still ached, but he felt better than before. Less broken. Rested, almost. He was in some kind of study, with bookshelves beckoning for a reading, a towering statue of an armored warrior standing vigil, and a table with two chairs in the center of the room. A Cuptain sitting on a nearby chair was alerted by his awakening.

“He stirs! Quickly! Fetch the Hermit!” it shouted in a squeaky voice, but no French accent meant it wasn’t the same as the ones that tried to fight him earlier. Upon noticing that none of its compatriots were present, it decided to take up the task itself and rushed out of the room.

“Ughhh… what happened?” Berdly mumbled, half-awake.

[Hey Berdly, your signal is fluctuating. You alright?] Ed’s voice was a reassuring, clear-as-daylight presence among all the dizzying uncertainty.

“I- I’m okay, Ed. Don’t worry. Don’t worry…”

[Thank goodness. Looks like the Hermit took you to his study. You should be safe there.]

“Right… you good…?”

[Yes. I can tell you need rest, so I’m gonna cut comms while I fix some of this junk. I’ll call you when I’m done.]

Just as Ed ended communications, the old man walked in, holding a teapot. Berdly wanted to scream again, to panic at the implications of him being there like nothing was wrong, but he didn’t. He wasn’t sure why, but any attempt to elevate his emotional state beyond mild surprise was… muffled.

“Hello, youngster. Up and about, I see. Up fer a cuppa?” The old man said, raising the teapot. In the dark, Berldy could spot the steam rising from the spout. A few other Cuptains rushed along, balancing mugs, bowls and silverware atop their little heads and deploying them in front of Berdly. “Thank you, lads. Ya didn’t hafta.”

“Nonsense! It is an honor to serve an esteemed scholar such as thyself.” one of the Cuptains declared, before they all stacked atop each other and wobbled out of the room, leaving young and old alone.

“Delightful little scamps, ain't they? Ya convince one Mizzle ta giv‘em a drink and they declare unceasin’ loyalty, wa-ha-ha!” the old man chuckled, pouring tea for Berdly. A gentle melody whispered out of the teapot’s spout as he did. “Now, ya feelin’ better? Careful, it’s a mite hot.”

“I- I… I don’t know what to say.” Berdly said, then noticed he was still rolled up like a burrito, and clawed his way out of the blanket and on his feet, keeping his back straight and himself as presentable as possible. Despite not needing to anymore, he still habitually grabbed for the nearby broom to use as support. His armor was still damaged, and there was sadly nothing he could do about it. “E-except, thank you! You are a most gracious host, Mr. Boom!”

“Mr. Boom? Hee-hee-hee.” the old man chuckled. “S’been a while since anyone called m’that. And what’s with th’ stuck up pose? Ya usin’ yer broom as a role model?”

“I… it’s only proper etiquette, Mr. Boom.” Berdly said, sweat coming down his brow as he sat at the tea table. He felt nervous, yes, but while he wanted to go further and panic or babble he… couldn’t. “Thank you most graciously for having me.”

“Boy, I’ve lived long enough to not worry much about proper etiquette. Bein’ on edge all the time’s not good fer ya. Take a sip, relax, spread yer wings.”

“I mean… I don’t exactly meet Gerson Boom, the Hammer of Justice himself, every day.” Berdly said. He still couldn’t believe it was exactly him. The pink hair, the bad eye, the warm coat, the scarf, the green walking stick. Exactly like the portrait in Ms. Boom’s apartment. “I… it’s an honor, sir. I only wish it was under… less stressful circumstances.”

“Hah! It seems my reputation precedes me.” Gerson laughed, showing he was missing the majority of his teeth. “But that don’t matter so much. What’s troublin’ ya, lad? Yer not drinkin’ yer tea.”

“Well… the fact you are…” Berdly struggled to come up with a polite euphemism for telling someone they’re supposed to be dead, which tends to be said by people who want to finish the job. “Well… we all thought you were dead. For several years now.“

“Funny, I don’t feel very dead right now. Eh, one lump or two?” Gerson asked nonchalantly.

Berdly did not reply, so Gerson dropped one into his cup. The sugar quickly dissolved into the rich-looking liquid.

“Mr. Boom, you being here means one of three possible things.” Berdly explained. “Either you have faked your death, in which case I must be very cross with you; you have returned from the dead, in which case I would cry of joy, or…”

There was a pause.

“Go on, sonny. No need to bottle it up. Let it all flow.”

The intruder felt Berdly wanted to cry and weep. It sighed, and reluctantly loosened its grip on his emotions, allowing them, and the Light Nerd’s tears, to gently flow.

“...or I have joined you in the afterlife.” he finished.

“How curious. Do you, by any chance, feel dead? I don’t. You certainly look full of life, even if yer luster has mildly faded.”

The youngster did not reply, merely sagging his head and quietly weeping.

“Hm. Maybe y’need to… compartmentalize it all? Take a moment, then tell me why ya think either of those’d be the case.”

Berdly looked up at Gerson, distressed green eyes meeting solitary and calming yellow eye. He cleared his throat as he put his thoughts together. He took one small sip of the tea in front of him. Hot, but sweet and flavorful.

“I… The name is Berdly. I work a lot as a volunteer at the Hometown Library. For helping her with that, Ms. Boom often invites me to her apartment.” Berdly said, noticing Gerson’s smile grow warmer. Wistful, almost. “Unlike everyone, she listened intently to what I talked about. My academic struggles, my gaming feud with Kris, my… dark secrets. And she would always smile and offer a cup of tea or a jar of caramelized nuts. I'd say she's been more of a parent for me than my actual parents.”

“Hm. She did always love her tea and nuts. Please, continue.”

“I, in turn, listened to her. She… talked about you a lot. She spoke about your journeys together. Your adventures and how the smallest things in life can be inspiring, and how once upon a time, a butterfly saved your marriage.”

Gerson flashed a sly, knowing grin.

“Ehhh? She told y’about that? Old girl’s takin’ that indignity to her grave! Wa-ha!”

“But I digress. She has a portrait of you in her bedroom. Oil on canvas. Went into great detail about how accurate or inaccurate parts of it were. Said how she kept pestering the artist and arguing with a friend of yours about it.” Berdly continued, then tried his best impression of the elderly tortoise. “Like “no, you troglodyte, the wrinkles are here and here and here, and no, he was missing this and that tooth” and all that stuff.”

“Gyaa-ha-ha!! Color me impressed, sonny! Ya endured my wife's yappin’ better than I did!” Gerson laughed uproariously upon hearing that, then noticed Berdly was again unnerved by it. “Sorry, is there somethin’ botherin’ ya?”

“That laugh.” Berdly noted somberly. “Ms. Boom… she had a vinyl disc she played a lot. An audiobook version of the first LOTH book. She spoke about how much fun you had recording it, figuring out intonations and accents for each character. And that laugh of yours, coming from none other than Oberon Smog himself, always made her tear up. She says it was the last recording of your voice before your passing.”

Young and Old looked tenderly at each other, their shared bond to Ms. Boom connecting them in a way few others could.

“She misses you very dearly, Mr. Boom.” Berdly wiped his tears, then squinted. “Which is why, if you faked your death and went on more adventures, I can't forgive it. I don't know if her heart would rupture more than mine. But I will allow you to explain yourself.”

“Hm. I must say, I was as surprised to find myself here as you, sonny. I remember bein’ in my bed when I took my last breath. Then peace. A long peace. And then, I saw Alvin. Was wondering if he was about to join me, but then I found myself in this quaint li’l place. Met all sorts of interestin’ creatures here. Cuptains, Mizzles, Biblioxes… All searching for their own story to tell. And now I have met you in the midst of yours, youngster. And I feel blessed for it.”

“I'm gonna chalk that up to no faked death.” Berdly asserted, with no small amount of relief. “So it means you either came back to life or I joined you on the other side.”

“Put yer hand on yer chest. You feel it beatin’, don't you? Ya feel your lungs move as you breathe. Last I checked, dead people don't do that.”

Berdly stood up from his seat, and quietly gestured at the immense gash on his side, where armor and clothing were torn, and where a sizable and very painful slash scar stood.

“Mr. Boom, Kris- I mean, someone who I thought was my friend did this to me. There was so much blood, and when I escaped like a coward and crashed into a shelf and woke up… it was like this. Atop a puddle of blood. Gashes of this size do not heal anywhere as quickly as this one did. My heart may be beating and my lungs may be expanding, but perhaps this is some kind of esoteric afterlife.”

“Now that is quite curious.” Gerson could tell that this “Kris” person was someone whose very name stung deep into his young companion's soul, and whatever the matter was, needed to be addressed. “Hm, do tell me about this former friend of yours.”

“I wish I didn’t need to, but… if you ever see a blue-skinned human with messy hair dressed like a knight… stay away from them. While they were always a troublemaker, the things they did today went beyond even their usual behavior. Aside from trying to kill me, they poisoned the minds of others into trying to rip out the heart of a close friend of mine for an unknown, but no doubt diabolical purpose.”

Berdly sharply inhaled in frustration and disappointment at Kris’s actions and what they almost did to Noelle. However, as he did, the intruder within felt something through his nostrils.

The faint scent of an electrical fire doused by sea water.

Divine Blood.

The other SOUL was bleeding.

[Berdly, come in! I caught a signal!] Ed piped up, surprising Berdly with how elevated his voice was.

“Eh? What is it, Ed?” the Light Nerd turned away from Gerson and pressed his feathery finger against the Headpiece.

[I have your friend’s signal! However, it’s fluctuating in the same way yours was during your fight. She’s in danger!]

Berdly, hearing enough, grabbed his cup and downed the tea in one swig, careless of his throat being almost burned. He hastily looked around the room, hoping to see something he could use as a weapon over the old broom he set to rest against the tea table.

“Whoa, hold yer horses, youngster! What’s gotten y’all riled up?”

“My friend is in active danger. I need to rush to her rescue. Sir, do you have a weapon I can borrow? My last one was destroyed.”

“Hmm… Can’t say I live ‘n an armory, lad.”

“Oh forget it, I’ll just use the broom! Thank you for the talk and the tea!”

“Y’sure ya can go out there by yerself? Howdya even know wher’ta go?”

Berdly stopped upon grabbing the broom and turned to Gerson, looking at him with utmost seriousness. He pressed his ear against his HeadPiece.

“I am not alone. Ed?”

[Standing by, Berdly.] Though faithfully playing the part of a radar operator, the intruder noted a touch of skepticism, followed by a sly smile on Gerson’s face. It was a bad omen; From experience, it knew that combination always meant the old man figured something out about the person he’s talking to.

“I have a guide with a Radar display.”

He bumps his fist on his heart. The intruder within felt his drive.

“I have the power of Turbo Instinct.”

He flaunted his still-intact ParchMantle, brimming with power.

“And I can ride the winds to my destination.”

He firmly gripped the broom. As feeble as it was, he would make it a proud polearm.

“Whatever stands in our way, we shall overcome. We have to. For Noelle.”

“Haah! No one dead has that kinda fire ‘n their eyes! Looks like ya got all ya need ta make it. Good luck, sonny!” Gerson waved him on with his walking stick, and Berdly started rushing away, before spawning a tornado that hurled him high up into the sky, from whence he began gliding in the direction Ed guided him. When Berdly was out of earshot, Gerson mumbled under his breath. “Good kid. Angel, please protect ‘im.”

Supported by a gust of enhanced magic wind, Berdly took off from the veritable tower in which Gerson’s study was located, and started gliding between the towering spires, walkways and cathedrals, moving towards the inky depths between these massive structures. It would have been an amazing sight had darkness not coated most of the architecture and left only a dim feeling of loathing in his mouth. Like the darkness itself was hungry.

While he was flying, he wanted answers.

“Say Ed, do you have any kind of afterlife database you can look into? Or a Vitals sensor or something? I know Mr. Boom said I’m still alive, but all my senses could be tricking me.”

[I got your vitals right here. Far from perfect, but all signs point to you being alive. We can have a more thorough analysis later, as your friend’s signal’s coming from below, after those spires and walkways. There’s a large rampart there you can land on.]

“Yes. Whether I am alive or dead is irrelevant so long as Noelle is safe. I’m going in!”

[Let's hope it ends with the 'alive' part.]

Berdly’s ParchMantle folded enough to let him descend rapidly, and unfolded to break his fall and ensure a smooth enough landing. The immense spires, buttresses and gothic towers surrounding the massive fortress he landed on. Through an impractically massive set of wooden double doors, an immense open chamber stood, and in the distance, specks of… something were visible.

“Ed. You seeing that?”

[Darkners. Moving fast towards you. Get ready.]

True to Ed’s words, a small group of various colorful Darkners was rushing out towards him. A Wafer priest. Two Mizzles. Two Guei. A bulky Balthizard with a Cuptain mounted atop it. A smorgasbord of enemies, all running at full speed at Berdly. How did he know what they were all named? It didn’t matter.

Berdly raised his broom to strike, then his feathers stood up as his co-pilot picked up a scent.

That scent. That all too familiar, loathsome stench, which invited naught but complete and utter revulsion and primordial hate from the intruder. More raw and unrefined than the Knight’s. Penumbral darkness gestated from a pit of loathing, fear and despair, fit only to be expunged from this and every world, by any means necessary.

<Spawn.>

The stink was still comparatively faint and imperceptible to Berdly, but it was undeniable and fast approaching. A change in priority was in order.

[Hold, Berdly! Step aside and let them pass! You’ve got bigger fish to fry! Ready any light source you have on yourself! Now!] Ed ordered.

“What? Is it the Knight?” Berdly whispered, confused, looking up and around for signs of the dark silhouette. The group of Darkners ran past him, terror stricken in their hearts and faces.

“Run for your life! Run, Lightner! The Darkness consumes all!” they shouted in panic.

[Just as bad! Flashlight! Now!]

Berdly scrambled to grab his phone and activate the flashlight function. He heard spine-tingling chittering and skittering noises in the dark from whence the colorful locals came. Then in the corner of his vision, he saw something lunge.

“Whoa!” Berdly jumped as he pointed his light at the source. A dark creature resembling a distorted spider with way, wayyy too many legs, that seemed to morph in and out of various frightful shapes, was immediately burned to a tiny, flickering fleck of dust as the light struck it mid-jump. A whole tidal wave of them, spiked, barbed disgusting piles of spindly legs, stingers and teeth wailed as they approached the edge of the light cone. “What the hell are these things?!”

[Dark Spawn! Keep your distance and burn them with the light!]

“The flashlight? Dammit, it’s only shining in a cone…” Berdly was quaking in fear. These… horrible, awful things were peering right into his very soul, seeking to eat him alive.

[Don’t stop moving! They’ll surround you!]

“Stay back, you freaks! Back! Back!!” Berdly shrieked as he wildly waved the phone left, right, up and down to get a wider radius lit up, banishing more and more of the foul creatures encroaching on him. He backtracked as quickly as he could without stumbling over, but he felt sick to the core inside.

The intruder could have completely removed Berdly’s fear response, but while obviously detrimental in large amounts, that emotion was vital to fighting those loathsome abominations.

However, like an overflowing fountain, that emotion had to go somewhere. Fortunately, with a bit of effort, it could be… molded. Refined into more… proactive feelings and desires.

Like the desire to make those blots of darkness cease to exist.

Berdly gripped his phone and broom, the pointy end stabbing and splattering whatever didn’t get reduced to a meek golden particle by the power of modern illumination technology. Just seconds ago, he wanted to scream for help and run for his life, but now he… didn’t. He felt tense, his terror somehow boiling into fury, and that fury being distilled into a hatred for the disgusting creatures staining his presence. And yet that hatred was oddly focused, like a perfectly tuned laser beam, ready to cut the foe apart with fire and fury.

He was angrier than when Kris beat him at Super Smashing Fighters. More furious than when Kris slashed at him with that black blade. Almost as wrathful as when Kris plunged a knife into S– was Turbo Instinct activating? Against the spawn of the blackest pits of hell, it was as good a time as any.

[They are not infinite. Keep dodging and cleansing!] Ed instructed, his voice dripping with contempt for the spawn that surpassed Berdly’s own.

“Come on! Burn! Die!” Berdly shouted, as he kept dashing backwards and to the side, trying to keep the rapidly shrinking tidal wave of skittering shadows at an arm’s length. He noticed the dust that remained of them lingered in the air. It twinkled a faint gold as it gently floated in place, like a swarm of glittering fireflies, ignored by the rest of the spawn.

“He…help…” a soft voice was heard from the side, amidst the chittering and skittering of legged and tentacled horrors.

“Noelle?!” Berdly shouted. He acted immediately by putting forth his phone and illuminating the source of the voice, parting the black sea before him as he charged forth, heedless of the risk involved. He had to save her. As he rushed, he felt those golden particles connecting with him and felt… stronger. He would have liked to ask what they were, but he had bigger things to worry about. Was probably EXP or something.

The swarm parted to reveal a collection of stone statues that bore more than a passing resemblance to the previously fleeing Darkners. Those that had identifiable faces had them contorted in terror or despair, and their poses were that of final attempts to defend themselves from something. Amidst them was a tiny creature made of crystal-clear water.

A Mizzle. Or at least the last vestiges of one, as her lower half had been petrified and was being consumed from inside out by the parasites, with the light freeing her from the shadow’s clutches just enough to fly off like a panicked bird. Only her torso, head and one arm were left intact, but it was still enough to take flight.

“Th-thank you…!” she weakly cried out as she fled behind Berdly, hoping desperately to rejoin her fellow fleeing darkners before she became completely infested. A trail of water sparkled in the flashlight as she flew, as even though she wasn’t Noelle, Berdly still spent precious seconds illuminating her path to salvation.

However, it left him dangerously exposed and surrounded by foul nightmares. And yet, their stench was decreasing. As light flashed, wind howled, paper cut and broom swung, he was winning.

[They’re thinning out! Spin! Light ‘em all up!]

Heeding Ed’s order, Berdly channeled his magic to manifest a tornado around himself and spread his wings, allowing the winds to very rapidly rotate him in place, giving the Flashlight a practical 360° angle of illumination. What few shadows didn’t get purged were peeling back from whence they came.

Unfortunately, the thinning rot meant the source of it was all the more apparent. The present source of the taint has decided to reveal itself.

[Above you!]

With a little helpful yank from the intruder, Berdly contorted and pointed his flashlight upwards, just in time to spot the horrifying visage of a more advanced being of darkness, one whose very existence was an affront to creation:

A Titan Spawn.

Its foul pitch-black form was seared by the power of the flashlight. It recoiled and thrashed in pain, but it was not enough.

In its flailing, it knocked the phone out of Berdly’s hand. It clattered across the floor, the light incidentally fizzling out some of the last Skitterers, until it rested on the cold ground.

Flashlight downwards.

[Get back!]

Berdly rushed after it, but in the darkness, he couldn’t know where exactly it was. He felt… something grabbing onto his leg.

Something excruciating.

“AAARGH!” he screamed and put all his strength into ripping his leg away. He got into a brief sprint to get some distance until the pain forced him to lean on the broom. Now where was the damn phone-

(crack)

He heard it get broken, and the light fuzz of sparking electronics meant it would never turn on again.

In the resulting blackness, he saw the foul creature’s white eye peering at him. In it, he beheld his own worst and nastiest fears and terrors. His own mind was inviting him into despair and surrender, demanding he allow himself to be consumed. He had no light sources. A pathetic rotten old broom as his only weapon. A bleeding, gnawed leg. Nobody standing by his side while it was inevitable. He was all alone and he would always be alone, so why not accept it? 

It was like a part of the ocean depths; a tiny fragment of an incomprehensibly immense whole, which was more than enough to utterly smother him. And from his fear and nightmares create a thousand replacements for each shadow he smote. There was no hope. It got closer and closer as he stood there on a very shaky and probably leg. It hurt so, so much…

Yet despite staring down a primal shard of fear itself, he felt only mildly nervous. He felt no urge to scream out or cry for his uncaring mother. No urge to flee like the Darkners behind him. He could not understand it. Something inside him prevented all the awful emotions from taking root. However, he didn’t feel like he had the time to look into just why this was happening.

What he did feel was an overwhelming, otherworldly desire to kill.

“By the Angel! Look at him go!” a Cuptain said while gawking at the Lightner squaring off against the tides of darkness and standing tall.

“Why are we still here? We must keep moving!” a Wafer priest protested. While the Lightner was battling with great valor, they were squandering the time he bought them by still being in the vicinity and not escaping to safety.

“But… we cannot abandon him! Ah! Lady Wossa!” the Cuptain saw the bifurcated Mizzle flying towards them in terror. He leaped upside down to allow her to land inside him safely. “Thank the Angel you yet live! How did you escape?”

“L-Lightner…” she muttered. She was reduced to barely more than her head and struggled to maintain any form instead of melting into plain water. The other two Mizzles rushed to contribute their water to help partly restore her form.

“Good heavens! He had charged into their midst to rescue her!” the Cuptain said. “A hero among heroes, he is!”

“He is buying us time! We must go! Now!” The Wafer urged. “Do not let his sacrifice be in vain!”

Just as he thinned the numbers of the Skittering Shadows to a manageable level, just as it seemed, even for a moment, that he would be triumphant, that unspeakable Titan Spawn knocked the Lightner’s flat lantern out of his hands. When he tried to grab it, the thing sunk its formless teeth into his leg, eliciting a bone-chilling cry before he could free himself. Unlike Darkners, Lightners were unable to see without illumination, and this one was all alone against an embryo of the apocalypse. And yet, despite being surrounded by darkness and bleeding, he still stood, broom in hand, ready to fight.

“Guei. Heat me up.” the low voice of the group’s lone Balthizard thrummed. It crouched down to allow the Cuptain to dismount. “I’m going in.”

“Has darkness consumed your mind? You would be torn apart!” the Wafer shouted as the two Guei of the group wordlessly stood beside their fortified companion. With a crackle and the rubbing of spectral claws, a fire sparked inside the armored Darkner. Incense-scented smoke and a blue glow billowed from its three chimneys, and but a glance from its fellow was enough to make the assorted Darkner group teeter on the edge of wanting to flee and wanting to aid their savior. “Those spawn have destroyed enough of us already! I will not allow any more of us to be lost today!”

“And if he falters, we are all lost! Our purpose is to serve Lightners, priest! If our sacrifice means that hero can fight another day, that is a favorable exchange! You shame your ancestors with your cowardice!” the Cuptain piped up defiantly, stunning the Wafer into momentary silence. Only the distant sounds of battle were heard for a moment, before the entire group chose their place in the Dark Sanctuary’s history.

“...then let us maintain distance so we do not become more foes for him. Soak, blast and burn the enemy to give the Lightner space. Provide light for him so he can strike the beast.” The Wafer advised, lifting the Cuptain up into its cloaked hands. “May the Angel guide us to victory.”

“For the Sanctuary!” 

Though they were fewer than ten in number, the Darkner survivors would not go quietly into oblivion, for thanks to the Lightner’s efforts, the Titan Spawn was alone. And yet, it pursued him relentlessly, no matter how much he dodged and weaved out of its shifting and reforming maw. He needed an opening, and that, they would provide. 

“For the lost and the fallen!”

The two Mizzles of the group grabbed the Balthizard’s chain and hoisted him up high into the air, flying at full speed. The armored censer rained down burning rocks on the beast below while the Guei spat out as many of their fire motes as possible. The foul creature recoiled as the glow met its pitch hide, and the Lightner’s blows of wind, paper and broom struck much more true than previous flailing and running in the dark.

Then, with a thrust, the sharper end of the warrior’s broom stabbed into the Titan Spawn’s pale eye, spilling its inky innards and unleashing a screech. 

A Roar. 

The calamitous sound echoed across the area. The petrified Darkners’ stone forms cracked. Then broke. They hatched. There was again a flood of freshly born dark spawn, and the feeble embers the Balthizard and Guei launched did not emit enough light to destroy them.

They were hungry. Hungry for Lightner and Darkner alike.

The Darkners’ courage swiftly began fading as the swarm grew, the broken shells of their companions twisted into cocoons for those unholy abominations.

The only reason they did not break was that the spawn were focusing on the Lightner instead of them. He was surrounded and the untainted floor around him was rapidly shrinking, and yet, his resolve barely changed.

He channeled a spell to blast the floor with a mighty gust of wind, pushing back the shadows somewhat, and launching himself skyward amidst the falling embers. He launched tornado, paper and flechette alike blindly into the dark as he glided downwards. 

Just then, a glow in the distance. A pure, incredible glow that bounced off shadowed buildings.

What could it mean? Was that… the Angel? Even the Lightner noticed it and-

“AAAAARGHH!!!” he screamed in pain as the Titan Spawn, shapeshifted into a mess of jagged white teeth sprouting from the black mass, lunged up and chomped down on a sizable hole in his armor, on his lower left side. The hero struck back, wailing on the creature with all his strength, but it was too late. It weighed him down and he slammed into the floor. It then let out a nauseating cry, inviting all the foul children of the void to feast upon their prey.

“Unhand the Lightner, foul creature! Charge! All for one and one for all! Drive the abomination back!” the Cuptain demanded, and the Wafer priest tried to approach, before realizing that it, the Cuptain and the half a Lady Wossa they both held were completely unsuited to any kind of direct combat. The Guei, upper Mizzles and Balthizard threw all their flames, embers and holy water at the unholy dogpile, hoping desperately to give the Lightner a way out, but it was for naught.

From all sides, Berdly was subject to unspeakable agony, his feathers, skin, legs, face all being submerged in what felt like acid that had teeth. He felt the taint crawling into any bloodied opening it cut and bit open. It was in his blood, making him simultaneously feel as if he was frozen solid, and as if he was burned by hellfire from within.

“...help…” was all he could cry out. His courage had faded. He was lost. Helpless, and doomed.

“Angel, please, we beg of you, protect us. Save this hero from this terrible fate. Do not allow this taint to spread.” As if knowing exactly what the Lightner was going through, the Wafer prayed.

And then, a voice rang out. A voice that, though imperceptible, echoed across the darkness.

<Burn.>

As the taint spread and was poised to force the Darkners into joining their petrified kin, a flash of brilliant light, which felt like it illuminated the entire Dark World for just an instant, vaporized almost all of them. The Darkners, after checking to make sure they were not blinded by this event, or that it wasn’t a fluke, witnessed a sight most incredible.

Their prayers were answered.

The Lightner, who had been on the floor, overwhelmed mere moments before, whose body was wracked and whose armor was reduced to scraps and tatters, stood tall and unmoving. From the back of his blue feathered form, stained with red and black, three pairs of magnificent glowing red wings sprouted, and a divine halo, a golden crescent adorned with five points of power, like the morning sun’s rays, hovered behind his head.

The Angel.

The only thing left of the taint, otherwise purged in the literal blink of an eye, was the Titan Spawn. Proving itself mindless by attacking the one that annihilated all its kin with such ease.

With the dexterity fitting of a divine being, the Angel sank a hand into its pocket, and for a moment, a glowing red blade flashed, before it looked like reality itself was cleaved in twain, and with it, the Titan Spawn ceased to exist as anything more than a light shower of golden sparks. Just as quickly, the blade vanished into the ether, and the hero was once again holding the simple wooden broom, reduced to a staff with a few attached straws by the battle.

The taint had been completely cleansed, at least in this part of the Dark Sanctuary. The Darkners could only stare in awe at what they had just witnessed. A pleasant silence permeated the area, until…

“Deliverance is upon us! Praise be to the Angel!” “Awesome.” “See, priest? Had we ran, we would have been found wanting!” the Darkners rejoiced as the sunset colors of the wings and halo touched their forms. Even Berdly, whose mind was fogged from the pain of his ravaged body, felt a twinge of triumph in his real SOUL.

The only one who was not feeling celebratory was the Intruder. It felt like it exposed itself too soon. Played its hand too early, and yet also too late; Due to the foolish insistence on secrecy, its present vessel was running on fumes, and even with the ace in the hole it had just employed against the Titan Spawn, overcoming the Knight now felt like a nigh-impassable hurdle. Had it acted sooner, the battle would have been over before it began. The only silver lining was that Berdly’s mind was too exhausted to notice or remember anything that would happen until he recovered.

It felt bitter about it all. It also felt hungry. And thirsty.

It turned its steel gaze towards the ones cheering its triumph, glistening red eyes stunning the gaggle of Darkners into silence. They stared back in awe before bowing their heads in reverence.

“You grace us with your presence, O divine one!” the Wafer priest declared. “You saved us from the bleakest fate, and we are in your debt. Ask anything of us, and it shall be given!”

None of the Wafer’s fellows objected to this proclamation. The Intruder paused to consider, then figured they could be of use.

“Mend this vessel.” said the voice from the Lightner’s beak. Despite being spoken softly, each word reverberated with frightening power. “And listen well. There is work to be done.”

Chapter Text

Berdly was in a maelstrom. When that… thing bit down on his wound, whatever fount of willpower had prevented him from panicking had finally run dry. That black acid eating and biting its way through his blood was worse than the Vitamin C injections he received during his last hospital visit. And then… nothing. An unnatural numbness was now all he felt.

If he wasn’t dead before, surely he was now. And it appeared that death itself was a neverending void, with him seemingly consigned to an eternity of ennui.

Suddenly, a frigid presence surrounded him. He felt cold, stiff, sluggish, like he was at the bottom of a frozen lake. He saw the pale blue light above, and tried to swim towards it. Every stroke was harder than the last, and the further he went, it became colder. However, the surface was getting ever closer, until he thought he could hear a voice. A familiar voice.

“Over here…!”

Her voice.

As he broke the surface, he found himself standing on the dry floor of a very dimly lit old library. A tight, dusty aisle he could barely spread his wings in, not that he had the strength to. The only liquid that soaked him was his own sweat, getting under his armor and… green cloak?

When did he get that? He looked around in a daze, noticing his environment was completely different from that nightmarish battlefield from before. In his hand was still that damn old broom, or rather what was left of it; a few straws on a rotten stick. The excruciating pain from before was gone, so perhaps someone healed him again? He felt his energy entirely sapped, and felt it so easy to just slip away and sink into the lake again.

“Hello? Are you there?” Noelle's voice echoed.

“MISTR NAICE GUIY PLEAS COME BAKC” Another voice, sounding like the main villain of that one laughably bad licensed Dragon Blazers game, was heard, alongside soft but heavy steps, like Mr. Dreemurr wearing soft slippers, but even bigger.

…did Berdly just hallucinate that? All the echoes made it difficult to tell where either Noelle or the other voice were coming from.

But it was definitely her. At long last, he found her. He just needed to navigate this final puzzle. He had strength enough for that.

“Noelle! Over here!” he called out. His throat was burning. There was a brief silence.

“Berdly? Is that you?” Noelle replied, seemingly pleasantly surprised. “Be careful, there's… something in the Maze!”

“I hear it! The other voice!”

“NOAT ME IS MY PUMKIN! FIND IT BEFOAR IT FAIND… YOU.”

“What?!” Berdly asked. “Who is that?!”

“Uh… a friend of mine! Just… just watch out for any pumpkins and find your way out of the maze! I'll try to find you!” Noelle said. Whoever the other voice is, she did not seem to worry about it.

As he slowly walked, he found the library was weaving between twists and turns like a labyrinth, but fortunately the paths became wider and more spacious. There was so much dust… He could really use an eye in the sky… wait a moment.

“Ed? I need a way out of this.” Berdly pressed against his headpiece and whispered, but received no reply. “Ed? Ed, you there?”

He took off his Headpiece, and discovered that it was half-melted and looked cut dozens of times, probably by those abominations he fought. It left a black smudge on his feathers as it fell apart in his hand.

“Oh drat.” he whispered, then accelerated his meager pace. He really needed Ed at that moment. “I really hope there’s some kind of radio or repair equipment or- oof!”

Berdly turned a corner and hit… something face-first, barely managing to grab onto a shelf to avoid falling down. It didn't hurt, by sheer miracle, but he was so tired he probably wouldn't have gotten up. What next in the parade of constant obstacl-

Oh.

That was a black pumpkin with a reddish hue. It was the size of a trailer home, taking up the entire passage. And it was… rotating.

Berdly stared in silent shock as the pumpkin turned to reveal the big eyes and bigger grin of a Jack-O-Lantern. It looked alive, and it stared directly and silently down at him. He hoped it was some kind of optical illusion, moving his head from left to right, but no matter what, its gaze followed him closely.

“(Uh… okay… Don't panic… Just…)” he thought. He felt something mirthful inside him, but while the pumpkin was rather silly in comparison to the living nightmares he fought before, it was still big enough to easily crush him, especially in his present state. He decided to whisper. “Uh… sorry for disturbing you… I'll… I'll leave now.”

The pumpkin didn't reply, just maintaining unbroken unblinking eye contact with him as he stepped back one foot at a time.

“Berdly? Where are you?” Noelle asked.

“DO NAOT TAKE TOO LONG YOU WILL BE SPOOCKED”

Berdly decided to heed this weird voice's advice and hastened his tired stride until he reached one of the tighter passages of the labyrinth. But just as he got close, he was doused in blood red light from behind. He shakily turned around and saw it coming from the Pumpkin.

“YOUR TAKING TOO LONG!!” it bellowed like a broken horror attraction soundbox, then began moving very rapidly towards him like a truck with no brakes. Its deep, echoing laugh while doing this meant it was absolutely not an accident.

“EEK!” Berdly screamed and scrambled to duck into the tight passage before he became a pancake. Not even two seconds after he did, the pumpkin barreled past him and a thunderous crashing noise was heard as dust, paper and wood flew all over.

“Over there!”

“YOUR TOO BRIGHT!!”

“PUMKIN COAM BAK YOU ARE SPOOEKING LITL LAIGHT!”

“Jack, wait!”

There were some more noises heard, among them wood creaking, paper rustling, and something that sounded like very broken Italian before things went quiet again.

“(...what the hell is going on…)” Berdly thought before he saw volumetric light piercing the dust cloud emerging from the pumpkin-shaped hole in the labyrinth wall that used to double as a bookshelf. Still, an exit was an exit, and the pumpkin had left.

“Oh dear… Ah! Berdly, you there!? Are you okay?” Noelle cried out. She couldn't be seen through the cloud, but she was close. Very close.

“I… I'm here… Over here… augh!” Berdly stammered out between coughs. Finally his body gave out, and he collapsed on his knees. His vision blurred, but the dust finally started to settle.

“Berdly!” Noelle shouted. The sound of hooves rapidly hitting old wood was music to the bluebird’s ears. He raised his head to greet her, and then stopped in shock.

She had… angel wings made of bright red crystal? A golden halo that resembled a four-pointed star?

…

“(No… no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!)”

In turn, she seemed to recoil in horror when she saw him up close. Through the open cloak, his armor was all but destroyed. Dried blood and itchy dark ash stained the exposed and frayed feathers on his arms and body. Had he a mirror, he doubted his face would have been in much better condition, especially given how his throat tightened and his cheeks were stained by tears.

All of it, all of the effort, all of the pain…

…was for nothing.

“...what happened to you?” she whispered, before immediately beginning to gesture with her arms. A golden light glowed on Berdly, and he felt a little of his strength returning. Enough to stand up on his feet. But he did not wish to.

He did not deserve to.

“N-Noelle…? Is that… you?” is all he could ask, part of him perhaps clinging to a tiny shred of hope that this was just an identical stranger. He clenched his teeth and let the tears drop to the old wood.

“Yes.” she calmly replied and cupped his face, but her calm shifted to concern as she saw her assurances only distressed him further and he started sobbing uncontrollably. “Berdly, it’s okay! I found you! You found me! It’s okay… It’s okay…”

“No… it’s not okay…” He cried. On his knees, he shook and wept messily, just letting it all out. “I’m sorry… I’m so… so… sorry…”

“What for, Berdly? You found me, right? What’s wrong…?”

“I’m sorry… for everything. For… always leeching off you in school. For attacking you in Cyber City… For never taking your feelings into consideration… For… for failing to help you now, when you most needed it. I’m sorry… for being an awful friend.” he muttered out through half-drawn breaths and sobs. “I only wish I… could have made it right… before the end…”

He was interrupted by her crouching down and pulling him into a tight hug. His arms and back ached, his spine felt like it would break, and those crystal wings were sharp and hot. And yet, it felt… nice. Comforting. Even his very soul felt more at ease in this angel's embrace.

“It’s okay, Berdly. It’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re gonna be okay.” she whispered. “Relax. I’ll heal your wounds. Just relax.”

“What’s the point? We… can’t get any more dead, can we?”

“Dead? What do you mean?”

The two Lightners gently let go, and gazed into each other’s eyes in mutual confusion. Berdly’s breathing was slowly accelerating, and he noticed a subtle red glint in her eyes.

“What…?”

“You’re not dead, Berdly. I felt your heart beating. You’re not… dead.”

“Noelle… how do I say this…” he said between labored breaths and through gritted teeth as he stood on his quivering legs. Confusion and rage bubbled in him. “What… the hell… is going on!?”

“Berdly??”

“Earlier today… I jumped into a burning church to try and save you, and ended up in this impossible place… Kris almost cut me in half with a black glass sword. After jumping off the edge to escape and crashing into a library, I met a man who was acting like he hadn't been dead for years. And then I fought a spawn of hell itself which began to eat me alive before I woke up here. And now, I almost got run over by a giant demon pumpkin and found you with angelic wings and a golden halo.”

“I…”

“In what world does that mean anything other than the afterlife?!” He quaked as he looked her in the eyes, pleading, begging for an answer that made sense. For things to finally have some kind of logic behind them. But he saw she became distressed, and lowered his head, collapsing again. “I… I’m sorry… I didn't mean to… Didn't mean to yell…”

“It… It’s okay. It… has been a very chaotic few hours. I… am also processing it all.” Noelle said. She looked very disturbed, Berdly wondered what horrors she saw during their separation.

“I… I just… I’m so confused… Can… can you explain this to me? You always knew how to summarize our mandatory reading in school. Can… can you please help me with this? What is this place? Why have Kris and Susan gone crazy? Why do you have angel wings?”

Noelle went quiet and lowered her head. Berdly heard her give off the tiniest murmurs and whispers, as if speaking to herself. He shut his eyes, preparing for another “you wouldn’t understand” or “it’s too complicated to explain” or “it’s better if you don’t know” spiel of lies. After all, nobody else was telling him anything, why would things be different?

“It will be… a lot to take in…” Noelle spoke up. Her voice felt… different somehow. He raised his head to meet her gaze, and froze when he saw her irises were glowing red. “...but I will try my best.”

“N-Noelle…?”

“I… am not Noelle. She allowed me to borrow her voice. Her phone is out of power.” The voice was clear and gentle, yet otherworldly. There was an odd quality to it, like it came from a speaker or the like. It reverberated and echoed in unnatural ways. And yet it also felt… beautiful. With every word, something deep inside Berdly felt excited, eager to listen. His breathing hastened. “Where do you wish me to start?”

“I… if you’re not Noelle, then who- what are you? And what are you doing in Noelle’s body?”

“I am… Some say I am a human SOUL. Others that I am the Angel of the Prophecy. I have been in your world for only a few days at best. I was in Kris for most of it. Until I had enough of them and escaped. Noelle found me, and now I am with her.”

“Waitwaitwait, Susie and Kris weren’t joking about the whole ‘bodysnatcher parasite’ thing?” Berdly’s jaw dropped. Then he felt heat as ‘Noelle’ suddenly grabbed him by the collar and growled in his face. Hearing that sound coming from that mouth shook him to his very core. She… it… looked furious.

“I AM NOT A PARASITE!!” The Angel thundered, then took a moment to recompose itself. Fury turned to exhaustion. Like it was just done with everything. “Sorry… I just… please. Please don’t call me that again.”

“...okay! Okay, duly noted! …please don’t smite me.” Berdly whispered in terror. He put on a wide, but worried smile, hoping it would clearly send a message that he didn’t intend to offend something that could probably turn him into extra crispy chicken wings with a glare. “...uh, what should I call you, then?”

The Angel paused. The Halo began mildly dimming and flickering, as if thinking it over.

“Before he ran off, Jack called me… Little Light. I think… I think that’s a nice thing to call me.”

“Jack? Who’s Jack?”

“A large and… plush friend. Don’t be scared. He ran off, but will be back with that pumpkin.”

“Very well then, uh, Light. Little Light. Now, what is this place? And why do I get Deja Vu for a dream I’ve had yesterday? There’s too many similar things to it.”

“The one in Cyber City?”

“How did you-”

“I’m sorry, Berdly. It wasn’t a dream. It was a Dark World, just like this one is. A realm of reality created through the opening of a Dark Fountain.” Light interrupted. “Like the one you tried to make before Ralsei explained that doing so would cause The Roaring.”

This reveal was… a lot to take in. It all… made sense, somehow? The Werewires and Swatchlings, Berdly being in the same armor he had in Cyber City. How he knew the names of all those Darkners or remembered the explanation about The Roaring. He took a moment to reflect on it.

“So… all of it? It happened? The field, the city, the puzzles, the fights?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh… Uh… sorry for hitting you in the face with a tornado. And throwing papers at you, and-”

“Apology accepted. From both of us.”

“Then… what the hell happened to Kris and Susie? They… I remember in Queen’s Palace, how we did those puzzles together and… and Susie said it was okay to be stupid. If that was all real, why did they try to rip your heart out and try to kill me? Did they get taken over by bodysnatchers or doppelgangers or something?”

“No… Susie is just confused, but from experience, that's very much the real Kris. The only Kris I have ever known, at least.” the anger in Light’s voice was… reassuring, somehow.

“But… didn’t you say you were their SOUL? How did they remove you? Do they hate you or something?”

“Oh they do. The only thing they’ve ever shown to me directly was hate. Hitting me with a hockey stick, throwing pucks, bottles and trashcan lids at me. Slamming me into a fucking cage every night so they can work with the one trying to end the world.” the anger was boiling. Evidently Kris is a very sour topic for Light. Berdly could relate.

“Th-that’s horrible! Why would they do that? Who does that to their own SOUL?”

“I wish I knew. More than anything, I wish I knew why. I have tried to communicate, tried to help them avoid trouble, to make friends… and they only seem to hate me even more for it.”

“Wait, is that why they were grabbing Noelle? They wanted to get you out? But… if they hate you so much, why are they trying to get you back so bad they’re willing to do… this?” Berdly opened his cloak and drew a feathered finger over the large gash where the Black Shard carved his side.

“They need me. For something. Something which obviously isn’t reliant on my goodwill.” Light calmed down a little. Berdly noticed Noelle wincing upon looking at the wound. “Wow. That’s… nasty. I’m sorry you had to go through that. A-and thank you for helping us. You showed great courage back there.”

“Well, I didn’t know about you, but I couldn’t let Noelle be hurt. Not even by them. Though truth be told, if I had talked to them first and didn’t know better, I probably would have believed everything and tried to catch you, haha…” he laughed nervously, trying to avoid the annoyed gaze of a divine being.

“...at least you’re honest.”

“Not that I’d be able to do much in this state… and sadly, not much I can do to help either. Sorry… I’m… I’m so tired…” Berdly felt his consciousness fading rapidly. As if he was sinking into the depths of slumber… almost by force.

“We can probably take a breather here, then keep moving. There’s no telling when someone will find us again.”

“Good to know… You know… I’ve been thinking…” Berdly’s mouth started moving on its own. He kept his eyes closed, as if in a semi-slumber. “If Kris just wants a SOUL and would leave us alone otherwise… why don’t we just give them a SOUL?”

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel Little Light’s fury as he got grabbed again.

“I AM NOT GOING BACK!! I AM NEVER GOING BACK IN THE FUCKING CAGE!! WHY DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?! WHY DOES NOBODY UNDERSTAND THAT?!” their voice was… incredible. The raw emotion. The sheer power and tenacity behind every word. His body was limp like a ragdoll as it was shaken. And yet, for some strange reason, Berdly felt no fear from divine fury thundering right in his face. In fact, despite it feeling like he was about to die, he felt oddly mirthful in his heart. He cracked a small smile.

“Who said anything about you?” he whispered back, causing their rage to simmer in confusion.

“...Huh??”

“I said a SOUL. It doesn’t have to be yours.” …he didn’t say that. Where did those words come from?

“Wh-WHAT?! What the hell are you talking about?! What other SOUL could there possibly be??” Light shouted, as if unsure if Berdly was genuinely that stupid or if something else was going on.

But it was not Berdly they were talking to, something that they realized when his eyes opened to reveal deep red irises, and when an otherworldly, voice came from his beak:

<Me.>

The atmosphere changed in the blink of an eye. The heat of furious indignation suddenly and completely snuffed out like a candle. In its stead, dread and horror started to set in both Noelle and the divine being inhabiting her body.

“...huh…? W…what…?” was all they could both whimper in shock and confusion. They took a few nervous steps backwards as the Intruder had Berdly rise like he was completely spry and out of an 8-hour sleep. The wide, toothy grin that crept across his face was not reassuring. “B…Berdly…?”

In response, the red-eyed bird chuckled, as if laughing at a joke only it found funny. After a deep breath, it spoke.

<Hello, Pretty Mirror. Nice to meet you.> 

Noelle’s body froze up, both her and Little Light trying to process what was in front of them. And yet, this stranger said nothing more, as if waiting for a response. And why did it call them ‘Pretty Mirror’??

“B-Berdly… this… this isn’t funny! It’s awful! Stop… stop making such… awful jokes…” Noelle stammered out, Little Light’s grasp of her loosening in surprise. Tears appeared in her eyes.

<Berdly cannot hear you.> was the plain response. That… was wasn’t Berdly’s voice. It was something… alien. Its voice was measured, steady, and just a touch raspy. Like a chain smoker trying to give a reassuring speech. And yet it echoed with such power, such… coldness, it seemed to ambiently reduce the room's temperature.

“Who… What are you?? What did you do to him?!” she shouted. She placed her arms forward, as if preparing to cast a spell.

<The same thing you did to Noelle.> the Intruder said. <And I am not your enemy. I have been called many names. Most often… Parasite.>

The venom in that last word shook Noelle and especially Little Light. And yet, those specific words… could it be?

“A-are you… are you also a… a SOUL?”

<Yes. Same as you, Little Light.>

“Really…? H-how? How is this possible? Are there more of you out there? I… I thought… I thought I was the only one...” Did that mean there was another human in town? But such a mundane explanation wouldn't fit how it ended up out of its host and into Berdly, then in this Dark World. They were both so, so confused, and more than a little scared by the implications.

<You were supposed to be.> the intruder said, then paused to ponder, putting a hand on Berdly’s chin. <I noticed… differences. For one, you escaped sooner than expected.>

“Sooner than expected? Differences?” Noelle asked. In light of all the crazy revelations that were dropped on her in the past several hours, a time traveler showing up to change the past would not be unprecedented. “ Are you… from the future?”

<Yes and No.> the Intruder explained. <Our lives are a mouse maze. Many dead ends, no exit. I made one, and found yours. Same maze, different mouse.>

There was a pause, as Noelle and Little Light seemingly considered the veracity of their visitor’s claims. After a moment, Noelle's eyes started glowing more, meaning she surrendered control to Light for ease of dialogue.

“You got out of your maze? Out of your world? How? A-and what do you want from me?” Light asked.

<With great difficulty. Long, ugly story, best told later.> The intruder lowered Berdly’s stolen unblinking gaze. If Noelle knew what happened to her in the past, things would get ugly. <I walked much the same path as you. Maybe I can help you avoid the same… mistakes.>

“Really?” Light spoke through Noelle, and received only a gentle nod in confirmation. “You went through the same things I did? Prove it. How’d your story begin?”

<Very well. I woke up inside Kris, fell into the school closet alongside Susie, met Ralsei, then made my way through the Card Kingdom, befriending Lancer and fighting his dad.>

The explanation paused just long enough to let Light and Noelle process it. The intruder could sense their different emotions, despite sharing a body and face. Noelle was merely confused, but Light looked… concerned.

<We found Berdly and Noelle in Cyber World. Queen abducts Noelle, Berdly tries to work for her, Misadventures in Cyber City, Ralsei explains The Roaring to the Queen’s giant robot, and there was that one crazy car salesman.>

Noelle remembered most of that all too well, but only Little Light and Kris knew Spamton as more than a strange enemy in a basement.

<That same night, Kris opened a Dark Fountain in their own living room, and alongside Susie and Ralsei partook in Mr. Ant Tenna’s many silly adventures and game boards.>

The accuracy of this recollection visibly unnerved Little Light.

<And then the Roaring Knight cleaved his arms off.>

The Knight being mentioned froze both angel and vessel in place.

“Dess…” Noelle whispered, which raised an intrigued brow from the Intruder.

<Dess?> it inquired, trying not to say too much. Even after its own road through all three Dark Sanctuaries, it didn't learn the Knight's identity, and they discovered it so soon? They had those wings and halo, which were very young and crystalline.

“I… She… that thing had her. Used her as a body for…” Noelle began tearing up again.

<Unexpected. When did you learn this?>

“We… we fought her. The Knight attacked us as we were trying to run from Kris and Susie… Light… helped me run and dodge, and just as it was about to kill us, they… their wings… we burned the helmet off… Saw her in so much pain and- ran and we… then we… found you.” She muttered through short breaths, obviously traumatized by the experience.

<You… you repelled the Knight?> it whispered, carefully choosing its words.

“...yes. She… she recognized what she did. She typed on my phone that she was sorry and that it was forcing her… She fought so hard to hold it back. I… I couldn’t save her and…”

<And still, you held it off?> The intruder tried to sound encouraging. <Your wings, I presume?>

“We were constantly running until we were backed into a corner. As it was about to cut us down, these wings appeared…” Light spoke, just as distressed as their host, but with more clarity. “It was primal in a way. Like I didn’t think for them to appear, they just… did. If they didn’t, it would have been the end of us both. We got lucky.”

For the first time since arriving in this world, the intruder was genuinely rendered speechless, equally in shock and equally in awe.

It remembered its own battles with the Knight, before becoming stronger. The panic. The terror. How, despite being better equipped, defeat came more swiftly, and the Knight only became less fearsome through cosmic happenstance, pattern recognition and unyielding determination.

It wasn’t sure whether to be more unnerved by Little Light’s sheer talent, or their ignorance of it. It also wasn’t sure whether to let them know about it or keep silent.

And that look in their eyes… like looking into a mirror into the past. A past where each instance of misplaced trust hurt a lot more. It somehow knew, on an instinctual level, that for all their wrath and rage…

This fellow cosmic entity really only wanted a hug and a few kind words.

That glow from Little Light’s halo felt strange on the intruder’s stolen face. It felt something in its chest, some uncomfortable emotions were stirred. A bad sign. Pity was vulnerability. Perhaps it was a mistake for the intruder to reveal itself at this juncture. But it cannot exactly be undone now. So might as well go all the way. Show this mouse the weak points in the maze walls, and how strong their teeth really are. Harden its heart to better endure the trials ahead. To do otherwise would be… wasted potential.

If that fails, it could give itself leeway from another angel’s divine wrath if push comes to shove. After all, they visited Ralsei in Castle Town, and the fluffy bootlicker was fine and dandy later. If they didn’t reduce him to a pile of fluff, perhaps they would show mercy to someone more on their level? To someone who actually helped them, instead of doing it for the sake of a mere vessel?

<Incredible. But that wasn't luck. Those wings are your will to survive. Your power given form. Most impressive, Pretty Mirror. From what I have gleaned, your potential is immense.>

“That’s… good? Though what do you mean by ‘gleaned’? Were you following us?” Light asked. In response, the intruder wordlessly put its hand into Berdly’s pocket, and pulled out the Lancer Cookie. Noelle glared at it with wide-open eyes. “You were at Castle Town? Why didn’t you try to talk to us there?”

<Simple caution. The Prophecy states that the Angel can be wrathful, doesn’t it?>

“That damn prophecy…” Light whispered grimly. Their focus loosened, as if thinking about something.

<However, Castle Town was vibrant, so you were very kind and merciful.> Unlike others, this compliment didn’t seem to register as well. The other angel looked away, frowning and squinting. <I didn't follow you into the castle itself and thought you left sooner than you did. If I may ask, what were you discussing with Ralsei?>

Light began shivering, though whether in sorrow or rage, was not apparent.

“I… I really thought… I really hoped he would help. That he would understand. He was always ready to be a shoulder to cry on… or so I thought. He was… but only for Kris and Susie.” Light’s divine voice became coarse through bitterly choked out words. “As far as he cares, I am to be put back in the damn cage and be happy about it. I am oh so fucking important, but none of my choices or opinions are. Hearing it from him of all people…”

<Yes, Ralsei has a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.> The intruder snarked. It knew all too well how obtuse Ralsei could be. Though some knowledge was forbidden for a reason, the Prince of Darkness was utterly awful at giving compelling reasons to avoid it until it was too late.

“I just don’t understand… Why? I tried to help. I tried to do good. Why is it never enough…” Light’s glow was fading. They were sobbing and shivering, tears streaking down Noelle’s cheek as bitterness and anger turned to sorrow. “Why are they always so scared? Why do they hate me so much?”

<The better question is: Why do you care about them so much?>

Light and Noelle alike looked like they were about to say something, before stopping themselves, being caught off guard by the question. They were quiet for a moment, and that told the intruder everything it needed to know.

Little Light really was too kind and merciful for their own good. That feeling crept up again. The intruder sighed. That issue needed to be addressed.

<You are very skilled and powerful. Noelle is an excellent vessel. If you wanted to, you could have beaten them even before our arrival. But you didn’t. Why?>

“I… I didn’t want to…” Light stammered out. Another pause in the air as they figured out the real reason. “I don’t want to hurt them. Not even Kris. They are Noelle’s friends. I don’t want to do it to her.”

The intruder figured such sentimentality was the reason. And anyone with that attitude would have difficulty accepting the idea of proper revenge and how much of a vulnerability such one-sided attachments were.

<Friends?> the Intruder sighed, opening up Berdly’s cloak to showcase the various injuries the Lightner sustained, most notably the scar from Kris’s Black Shard. <Great friends indeed.>

Neither Light nor Noelle replied, only wincing in horror.

“How could they do that…? Why did they do it? I just don't understand…” the young Angel whispered, taken aback by what was a new low even for Kris.

<Better question: How will you stop them?> The intruder asked.

“Stop them? I… what are you trying to say?”

<Kris is a bully. Like Lancer's father. Bullies don't stop until they are forced to. And even then they might stab you in the back.>

Light didn't enjoy the high probability that Kris would indeed follow the example of the Spade King and, if they acted tired or merciful, it would be a setup for a fatal sneak attack.

“Don’t remind me… So, you're telling me I should just… beat up Kris?”

<Exactly.> that word came out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. <Your anger is boiling. Use it. Strike back. Show them the dangers of trifling with the divine.>

Light looked conflicted, turning their gaze away in uncertainty. Evidently their good nature clashed with the desire to get even with Kris, even after all the abuse. A real bleeding heart in every sense of the word.

<Because otherwise, you can only run. Aren’t you tired of that?>

“Huh?” their attention returned.

<Aren’t you tired of running? Of constantly living in fear? Is that your choice? To hit a dead end, and then get put back in a cage?>

“No.” Light said quietly. The intruder noticed Noelle's hands slowly clumping into fists.

<Well, to Ralsei and Kris, you should.> The intruder spoke with contempt dripping from every word. <To them, you are a tool. You fight their battles, do as you’re told, and are discarded when you have served your purpose.>

Light’s gaze became more intense, the halo began shivering in midair as the raw emotion pumped through Noelle’s body. Especially at the word ‘discarded’. A hot mist began to emanate from the shimmering crystal wings.

<So, what shall it be? Will you let them do that to you? Will you let them slam you into a cage and turn you into a tool?>

“...no. I will not.” Light muttered, hands quivering. They elevated their voice. “I. Will. Not!”

<Then what will you do?>

“I will fight!” Light stood and declared, their vessel’s eyes watering. “I will fight to protect Noelle! I will fight to make Kris leave us alone. I will fight to get answers. I will fight to defeat the Knight and prevent the Roaring! We will fight to save December Holiday! And we will fight to live!!”

Their words echoed throughout the library, their power shaking dust from the floor and walls. The determination in Light's gaze was immaculate. The intruder smiled and began clapping Berdly’s hands in congratulations.

<Then stand, Pretty Mirror. Stand and fight. The only one who gets to choose your path, your life, your future, is you, Little Light. You and nobody else.> The intruder corrected Berdly’s tired posture. <However, you need not stand alone. If you choose to have me, I shall stand with you in getting your payback. In getting your answers.>

Tears streaked down Noelle’s cheek as Light looked at their fellow angel. They shivered in excitement, then took a few deep breaths. Finally, someone who understood. Finally someone who affirmed that it was okay for them to feel. The red glow faded from her eyes, and Light’s control was again reduced to just one arm. Noelle shivered, evidently not used to that level of control just yet.

“Th-thank you…” Noelle said, putting on a small smile. “I… I felt it. They needed that. It meant a lot to them. I do wonder one thing, though.”

<Hm?>

“What do you get out of this? Why are you helping us?”

<I have my reasons.>

“Uh… will you tell us?”

<No.>

“You will.”

<Hm?>

“Every time someone kept secrets from both me and Light, it has only been a disaster. If you want us to work together, you will tell us why you’re helping us.”

<Good. You learn quickly. You must push to get what you want.> The intruder flashed a sly smile. <I have a number of reasons. Pity for a fellow angel in a bad place. The desire to smite darkness. A little bit of revenge. And just maybe… to get closure.> It realized that one of those was… a bit less agreeable.

“Revenge? On whom?” Noelle asked, cautious of the benevolence of their visitor.

<Kris.> the intruder answered honestly.

“Bad memories with them from your… world? Timeline, I’m guessing? Still, I would appreciate it if you didn’t, uh, kill them. Or maim them, or…”

<That depends on them. If they play nice, so will I.>

“Uh, how so?”

<Simple. They answer your questions, stop helping the Knight, and apologize, I'll play along. They won’t tell the difference.>

“Tell the difference? What?”

<You do not stand alone. But Kris, Susie and Ralsei don’t know that. I can pretend to be Little Light, and you can have leverage to get your answers.>

“Uh… so you’ll leave Berdly? What will happen to him?”

<While I intervened when necessary, his courage was his own. But his body is in ruin. An old man has a study where he can rest. Our Darkners can escort him there.> While it was partly an act, the intruder was genuinely impressed by Berdly’s tenacity. If it ever went back, he would be a formidable vessel. Not as powerful as Noelle, but surprisingly durable and versatile.

“So what, I dangle you over a bottomless cliff and threaten to toss you if they don’t tell me everything?”

<Yes.> the answer was more blunt than Noelle expected.

“Uh, won’t you be able to just float off?”

<Correct. I made preparations.> The intruder paused and closed Berdly’s eyes for a moment. A small, yet sinister smile crept up on his beak.

Out of the shadows, a Wafer Priest, dressed in patchwork robes and with only a quarter of its ‘face’ emerged, carrying what looked like an empty lantern. Alongside it floated three Mizzles, each looking only a third of the normal size. They each had a common feature of adorning themselves with a glowing red feather.

“Are these…? What… happened to them?” Noelle had caught glimpses of these kinds of Darkners prior. Yet none looked as… worn and sickly as these did. It was like something partly ate them.

<Sacrifice. They gave parts of themselves to mend Berdly’s body.> the intruder clarified. <Their idea, not mine.>

“I never dreamed of the idea of being graced by the presence of not one, but two Angels. You honor us.” The Wafer said, shakily presenting the lantern. Its voice, normally fit for giving a serene sermon, was ragged and exhausted. “O holy one, we have done as you commanded. We have alerted all we found to the growing darkness. We have guided them towards the safety of the Hermit’s Study. And we have spread the word of the blue Lightner who works with the Roaring Knight. Have you any further tasks for us?”

<Excellent work.You have done well.> The intruder’s voice became… notably deeper and more authoritative. One more fitting of a superior whose command was ironclad. <One more task. When I say so, escort this vessel to the study. There, you will all recover your strength.>

“All the new recruits we have met were in awe of your blessings, O Angel. I beseech thee to present them too with thine holy feathers.”

The intruder glanced at Noelle and Little Light, specifically at their crystal wings.

<Will you too grant your blessings, fellow Angel?>

“What?? Uh… How?” Noelle stammered out, taking a single step back in uncertainty.

<Your wings. Your… ‘feathers’ are a part of you. Part of your essence. They repel the taint. Channel your power.> the intruder explained.

“I’d… like a practical demonstration first. We’re… rather new at that.”

<As you wish.>

Squinting for a moment and letting out a single pained grunt, Berdly hunched over forward. Out of his back emerged six wings, colored pure, glowing red, each the length of Berdly’s entire body. Above and behind his head hovered a golden halo that was notably different from Little Light’s own; an arc with five outward points compared to the four-pointed star with a hole in the center. Both Light and Noelle stared in silent awe, while the Wafer priest and the Mizzles were bowing in reverence. 

“...wow…” Noelle whispered.

<Observe.>

Shutting Berdly’s eyes tightly, the intruder concentrated. The lower two wings folded forward, and around twenty feathers detached themselves from them, all arranged in a neat glowing heap that was presented to the Wafer.

“We are blessed… O we are blessed…” the Mizzles chanted. Despite being made of water, they sounded like their throats were dry.

“Hey. Let me help with that. Light?” Noelle said. They focused, and with a coordinated gesture, created a pillar of ice the size of a door.

The ice began to melt, and with an approving smile, the Mizzles surrounded and began to siphon the icy water, their forms beginning to slowly grow as they did.

“We are blessed twice! Oh the nourishment! Sisters, we shall grow more radiant and beautiful than that arrogant ‘Miss’ Mizzle!” they cheered and plotted in unison.

“Happy to help. Now, you said to just… detach one? Maybe we can-OW!” Noelle said as, with Little Light’s will, a shimmering crystal fell out of their radiant wings. “Oh that hurts… It’s not even part of my body, how’d it hurt?”

<You get used to it. Now give it to your Darkner of choice.>

“Here.” Noelle gave it to the Wafer. Its diamond-shaped eye holes became circular in excitement. 

“A thousand gratitudes, radiant one.” it meekly accepted. One does not simply get blessings from two angels at once.

<Now, then.> The intruder stretched outwards, and the wings folded in on themselves and vanished, leaving only a fading red glow. The Halo shrunk to its five points and also disappeared. <I wish to teach you some abilities you’ll find useful. Like Telepathy. You won’t need a phone to talk to Noelle. We->

“AI HAVE FOUND PUMKIN ITS OKAEY NAOW.” A towering giant resembling a cross between a very wooly sheep and Frankenstein’s Monster, stumbled out of the darkness, interrupting the group. His head was a Jack-O-Lantern that was mercifully different from the chasing one and was the normal orange color. “HELLAU OTHER LAIGHTNER. I AM JACK.”

“And I am Redinian Solus, Cuptain of the guard! My Angel, have you gathered a new ally for us? I should like to-” a tiny voice came off from the giant’s shoulders. Another Cuptain. Yet, when the little cup gazed upon Berdly’s face, it stopped. “Good heavens! It’s you! The Marquis de Tasse warned me of a blue-colored Lightner in league with the foul forces of darkness! I see they have inflicted a most gruesome thrashing upon thee, fiend! Against the Angel, you have no chance, and are our prisoner!”

There was a brief silence as the Angels stared in confusion. The intruder had a smile in the corner of Berdly’s mouth, a poor attempt at disguising its imminent burst into laughter.

“Solus… you got the wrong Lightner. This one is good.” Noelle said awkwardly.

“Ah. Carry on, then! I am too short on men to fetch the fetters anyhow!” Solus declared, then jumped off Jackenstein to partake in the Mizzle drizzle around Noelle’s ice pillar. “Good heavens! It’s a miracle!”

“Now… you. Uh, what was your name again?” Noelle asked the other angel. She felt a little flustered. Then looked nervous when she saw an intense glare from those glistening red eyes, before the gaze relaxed.

<Funny you ask. I don’t quite remember. Nobody else cared to. So neither did I.> it said. Noelle felt a chill in her heart. Like Little Light was disheartened to hear that. The visitor only cared to remember one name, but it was irrelevant to the current situation. And anything else now. <It matters not. We should->

“It matters.” Light’s voice broke through Noelle, surprising her. “You need a name. A good name. So if I need to, I can shout it into the void.”

<You really think so? Well, what do you suggest?>

“Nothing. Your name is your choice. I won’t deprive you of that. Kris is Kris. Noelle is Noelle. And you are you.”

The intruder, despite everything and despite being interrupted, felt a tiny flicker of something, deep inside.

<Thank you. I will tell you when I settle on one. Now, about my proposition… I’ll teach you a few good tricks. I’ll pretend to be you when we confront Kris. Together, we will best the Knight and save Dess. What do you say?>

“And in return…?”

<You let me have my way with that miserable little blueberry… if they refuse to cooperate.>

The intruder offered a hand.

<So… partner. Shall we Proceed?>

Little Light was unsure. The deal felt a bit too good to be true, but they were running low on allies, options and time. And for what? To try and again appease Kris? Who slammed them in a cage, whacked them with objects, is working with the Knight and almost murdered Berdly?

“And… and what if Kris does cooperate?” they asked, reluctantly. Why did they keep showing concern for that little asshole?

<Then I just keep pretending to be you. For a while, at least. I have… experience wrangling Kris. Either way, they will cease to be a problem for you. Who knows. As unlikely as it is, maybe they will learn to appreciate you.>

Both angels knew perfectly that Kris would not cooperate or appreciate what they saw as a puppeteering parasite. But at that point, the other angel hadn’t said anything too objectionable, and Light figured the bully should get punched in the nose already. If nothing else, they had a feeling both of them would love to see Ralsei’s face when he discovers there being two SOULs and his precious prophecy being thrown into shambles.

“Understood. Then let us…” Light inhaled sharply, exhaled, and looked the other angel straight in the eyes as they made Jackenstein and the surrounding Darkners witness the first divine handshake the world had ever seen.

“Proceed.”