A/N: Wow, I'm finally back and getting into writing again. And my first order of business is to make a new story... a rehash of the massive oneshot I made a couple of weeks prior to today. After I had the errors in my story pointed out to me, I saw that I had made quite a few mistakes. So I've decided to remake the fiction into a chapter story with the fixes implemented as I go along. Enjoy!

P.S.: I am going to delete the old Of Chimeras and Ghosts after posting this story, so for those who are still interested in it, you can find it at forum (dot) starmen (dot) net under the Writing section.

Prologue: Taking Responsibility

"Dad!? Boney!? Princess!? Mr. Duster!? Where are you!?" he cried in frantic concern. At first, this cave was filled with mysterious, eerie and beautiful purple glow that came from some of the rocks he was standing on, and from a massive amount of rocks down below. Just a few moments ago, he was with all of the people he was calling out to.

That is… until he pulled the final, golden light-bathed needle from one of those rocks at that time. It was absolute terror for the young savior then, the purple light having faded almost immediately after the flash of light that commonly accompanied the pulling of a needle. When that light had subsided, he was only aware of two things; the sudden, infinite darkness that had replaced the purple-glowing cavern, and a massive earthquake that seemed to last for an eternity. He had been smart, knowing where he was and could possibly stumble and fall to his death, so he planted himself to the cold and invisible ground.

Now the massive tremor had subsided, though the darkness had not left his view. He could still see nothing, and was now concerned for his companions. "Lucas!? Are you alright!?"

It was a voice that Lucas could never forget, the voice of his own father. And it was very close by. He turned his head in its direction. "Dad!? Where are you!?" he shouted back.

"Walking towards you, I think!" came his father's reply. He then heard the stomping of his father's boots on the rocky surface, an attempt at giving the blonde an indication of where he was. When he heard the boot step right beside him, he reached out a hand towards the source of the sound. "There you are!" he said with a relieved sigh.

"Dad… thank goodness." Lucas breathed out, relieved as well as he tried to get his heart to stop racing. "But… where's Boney? And Kumatora? And Duster?"

The first question was answered when he heard the barking of a dog, along with the running of feet along the black ground. Quickly he could hear Boney's breathing near him. "I'm over here!" came the voice of a female, undoubtedly Princess Kumatora since she was the only girl among the group. Her voice was much further away than Flint's was. "I don't know where Duster is though…"

"I'm alright! I think I'm really close to an edge though…" was the thief's reply. He was a greater distance away than Kumatora, it seemed.

"Geez, does anyone have a light or something? I can't see a thing!" Kumatora yelled.

"Hold on, hold on, let me see what I have…" Duster called back. A shuffling was heard, presumably the sound of him rummaging through his items; it would be difficult to find something in the darkness, but it sounded like he was trying. "Alright, I think I got it!"

The group's hopes lifted at little, but were quickly dampened when they were not met with any visual stimulation, but instead a very shrill ringing that was made louder by the echoes of the cavern. Everyone screamed in agony and covered their ears. "Damn it Duster, not the Siren Beetle!" Kumatora roared in obvious disapproval over the loud noise of the mystical thief tool. The shrill ringing then stopped, and Boney growled at Duster, equally aggravated at the mix up.

"I'm sorry! But finding the right object in complete darkness isn't an easy task!" Duster apologized.

He could hear Kumatora groan. "Well, this is one hell of a world reset. It looks more like the Dragon turned all the lights out!"

Lucas was also going to apologize to the former Princess of Osohe, since he had pulled the final needle… when he realized he could suddenly see a very faint brown. "Hey… I think I see Boney!" he said with a renewed hope. Slowly the colour became more defined, and the area around the leg was starting to gain a grey-like complexion. "Yeah, I do! The light's coming back!"

"Hey, you're right! I can see my hands!" Kumatora said in awe.

"…Oh my God…" came Flint's voice in a state of disbelief. "Everyone, look up!"

All eyes were directed towards the roof of the cave… or at least, where the roof of the cave should have been, which was now as massive hole that spanned for miles. Instead, a massive patch of black was visible against a dull-grey background. That background was what was supplying the light. "What… is… that…?" Lucas said in fright and surprise.

As if a reply to his question, a loud, earth-shaking roar erupted from the patch of black. Everyone braced themselves against the ground. "It's… it's…" Duster repeated in a loss for words.

"The Dragon!" Kumatora shouted in utter disbelief.

No one knew what to do or how to react to this. Although it was speculated that the seven needles scattered across Nowhere Island had sealed the Dragon and its incredible power under it, it was still difficult to believe that a creature this enormous could actually exist. But now, they could not deny that they were in the presence of the mythical beast.

As the rumbling from the Dragon's roar had ceased, the massive patch of black began to move. It was slowly inching forwards at first, but within a brief moment, its speed had increased drastically and it was out of their view. They could now see that the dull-grey background that was behind the dragon was, in fact, the sky. It was covered in dark-grey, ominous-looking clouds. "Wow… the sky looks rather depressing…" Duster commented. Regardless, the Dragon's exodus from the scene had allowed the bleak light of the sky to fill the cavern. This came as a great relief to Lucas, who got to his feet. He looked down the rock path to see Kumatora sitting on the middle of it on her knees, and Duster a little further down at the edge like he had predicted. Seeing his earlier prediction of being near the edge come true was more than enough motivation to scramble away from it and onto safer ground.

"The Dragon's rising must have erupted the volcano." Flint theorized as Kumatora and Duster jogged over to him and Lucas. "Considering that the island could have been torn apart when it broke free, I think we're lucky to be alive right now."

"Huh. Kind of rude for it to fly off without even a 'thank you…'" Kumatora said with a scoff.

Lucas looked at her in silent agreement. The Dragon was freed thanks to all of the trials that he had went through; the loss of his mother, battling the Pig Mask Army and Porky… his own brother dying in his arms… a sense of overwhelming urgency dominated him when the memories of that dreadful battle resurfaced. Without a word, he spun on his heel and sprinted over to the impression of the ground that the final needle was once jammed into. Everyone looked at him in confusion until they say where he was headed… the body of his brother. He slowed down as he approached him, his eyes briefly drifting to the battle gear that he had thrown away when he was himself again, and fell to his knees at his side.

"Claus…" he breathed out, his hand slowly caressing the back of his brother's head and moving it so he could take a good look at his face. It looked calm, almost serene… now the disaster was averted, Lucas had taken full notice that his brother had, in fact, passed on. And it tore him up inside. Tears began to well up in his eyes, and he buried his face himself in the black jacket of his brother and began to cry.

Everyone crowded around the twins, solemn expressions on their faces. Flint was the only one who could really understand his son's pain, while the others only wished that they could. "Losing his Mother when he was only ten, and his brother dying in his arms… poor thing…" Duster muttered.

Kumatora looked at Lucas for a moment while trying to fight back her own tears, then shook her head away from the sad sight. "I wish I could sympathize with the kid… I grew up without even knowing my real parents… and I thought I had it rough…"

Boney trodded over to Lucas' side, letting out a whimper as he looked at his master in his darkest hour. Flint walked up to the opposite side of his son, kneeling down beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Lucas… I'm sure if Claus were still with us right now, I'm sure he'd be thanking you…"

Lucas sniffed before looking up at his father, his eyes red. "Thanking me…?"

"Yes, thanking you…" Flint said. "He was used like a toy by Porky, forced to do unspeakable things… I'm sure he's happy where he is now, at your Mother's side…"

Lucas simply looked at his father for a moment, then back at Claus as he thought about what he had said. Being his twin brother, he knew Claus better than anyone. He was outgoing, carefree and courageous… if he'd had any control over himself, Lucas was sure it would be tearing him up inside. "You're right…" he admitted. "If Claus was himself, he… he would've tried to stop Porky… he would've fought… tried to make up for all the things he did…" he said, slowly rising to his feet. Flint looked at him with an unchanging expression, wondering what he was doing.

Lucas walked over to Claus' weapon of choice that he had dropped, the Thunder Sword. He bent down, grasping the hilt of the golden weapon and picking it up. He could still feel the power burning through this weapon. "Lucas… what are you doing?" Duster asked, slightly concerned.

"What Claus would've done if he had the chance…" Lucas replied cryptically, standing over the helmet that Claus had taken off. He picked it up briefly, only to set it back on the ground in its upright position. "This helmet… this was what Porky used to control him… to force him to hurt all those innocent people…" He slowly raised hilt of the sword above his head, remembering all of the trouble he was subjected to at his brother's alter ego, the Masked Man. "Claus… this is for you!"

And then he drove the sword down with as much force as he could muster. The powerful weapon cleaved through the helmet and hit the ground below it, causing a surge of electricity to and a wave of force to spike from the point of impact. When the energy had subsided, the helmet was blown to pieces, its scattered fragments charred from the electric shock. Flint was concerned for his son's safety, but when he saw him standing there perfectly unharmed, he remembered that electricity didn't effect him because of the Franklin Badge that was pinned to his shirt.

Lucas breathed hard, the brief rush of adrenaline that had consumed him leaving as quickly as it had came. He let out a long sigh, attempting to calm his nerves before looking at the blade that he was holding. He then turned to his father and asked, "Dad… is it okay… if I keep this?"

Flint was slightly surprised at this question. "Why do you ask?"

"This sword…" Lucas began. "…was the only thing Claus had that wasn't mechanical. I want something… to remember him by… something to help me protect Tazmily…"

Everyone was silent for a moment, with Flint in a state of contemplation. "I admire how bold you are Lucas, but what are you going to protect Tazmily from? With Porky gone, there won't be any more Pig Masks…" Duster explained.

"…But there might still be Chimeras." Kumatora countered. "And if the Dragon does reset the world like it's supposed to, there could be new trouble. You never know."

Flint thought about his son's proposition, taking what Kumatora had said into account as well. Finally, he spoke. "You would be taking on a big responsibility, Lucas. You've seen that protecting people isn't easy, and you will have to learn to control the power you're holding. Are you sure you can do it?"

It was Lucas' turn to think. It was true, this sword had the potential to protect many things as well as destroy them. Although… he was not controlled by an evil dictator like Claus was. He didn't want to use this weapon for evil. "I want to try…" he answered. "If not for me or the other townspeople, then for Claus…"

For a tense moment, his father looked at him with a stern expression. But then, his mouth curved up into a smirk. "You've grown up, son… alright, you can keep the sword. But just remember that you'll have to toughen up. I'll be working you hard."

Lucas' face lit up, and he nodded. "I know. I promise I won't let you or Claus down." he said with determination, his tone of voice a noticeably happier one.

Flint's smirk became a grin. "That's what I like to hear." He looked around for a moment, as if looking for something. He found it in the form of his cowboy hat, which he promptly dusted off and placed back onto his balding head. He gently picked of Claus' body and carried him in his arms and said, "Well, everyone… let's go home."

Kumatora smiled. "About time, this place isn't as inviting since it stopped glowing." she said.

Duster sighed. "I have to say, home never sounded so good…"

And so the group of heroes turned from the former site of the final Dark Dragon Needle, their destination the town of Tazmily. Flint waited for his son to come up beside him, and he smiled. Lucas had faced more trials than anyone in this dreadful journey, overcoming the death of his mother and brother, overthrowing an evil dictator and saving the world.

He had never been more proud of his son.

A/N: I have the first chapter done already, so it will be posted shortly. Stay tuned!