Chapter 2
From the moment the Master Crown was on Magolor's head and he felt that initial surge of power, he was distantly aware the crown's will was right there with him, flowing through him as the power did, gratifying him with indulgence. Magolor certainly didn't care at the time, as he believed he could easily command over it if needed be. But what he didn't realize was that he was reveling so much in his newly acquired abilities, basking in the glory of mightiness, that he never paid attention to the fact that the crown was clutching his cranium like a blood-sucking jellyfish, thirsty and ravenous. Its influence was a cold poison being poured into the stream of his thoughts, killing the good, feeding the bad.
With arms spread in his new form as his mind was slowly, calculatedly being pulled deeper into corruption by the crown, he felt a new, wonderful urge to do more than just get revenge on the Sphere Doomers. With all this power, he should use it! And what better way to use ultimate power than to reign and destroy? To make absolutely everyone pay for what he had to suffer through? No one could stop him. The universe was now a field to flex his authority. If anyone might try to fight back, if anyone might even dare to think to question his rule...he would silence them...forever!
"Welcome your new overlord!" he thundered giddily, maliciously, to those four who no longer mattered to him. What were their names? That wasn't important anymore. They were just obstacles to be eliminated now.
Magolor entered Another Dimension, and those Sphere Doomers immediately sensed his power. They quivered.
"You all are going to take orders from me, starting NOW!" he shouted authoritatively, his voice seeming to boom across the entire dimension in ripples. "Eliminate my enemies, or I'll destroy you all myself!"
The Sphere Doomers rallied up, and before long, Kirby, his friends, and Landia were traveling in pursuit. The feathered swirling beasts all converged, jaws wide, flying and racing to be the first to destroy the company. Magolor felt a sadistically joyous welling in his chest, utter gratification in being able to command over the Sphere Doomers that had agonized him for so long, and relished in watching them die for his whims. It all felt so, so good.
And yet...a desire for more festered inside him.
When the group was starting to gain ground after mowing through so many Sphere Doomers, Magolor flexed the power of the crown again, using it to turn even the Lor Starcutter into a subject of his rule. He was so focused on manipulating its every move, that he never realized its corruption was mirroring his own, reflecting the darkness that was quickly overtaking his heart and soul. The Master Crown wriggled in delight.
And when it finally came to battling against them himself amid the blue and purple miasmas of the dimension, Magolor channeled the crown's power even more, tapping so much into it that it was beginning to throb like a slowly beating heart on his skull. The more he opened its power to him, the more its will flowed, eagerly learning of his body, anxiously seeking ways he could be better warped to suit itself as a proper host. But Kirby and his friends continued to be a pain, dodging his attacks and wearing him down. Those surges of good feelings he had were crumbling into hatred towards the pink puffball, appalled that something this small and weak-looking was getting the better of him when he had access to limitless power.
In frustration, Magolor forced more of the crown's power into himself, causing dark static to crackle around him like angry, thrashing lights, his eyes glaring and deepening in their red hue. A hideous roar reverberated from his mouth. Had it not been for the Master Crown's influence, he might have caught on to how monstrous he sounded, but he was much too glutted on power and hatefully enraged to even consider it as being strange. The destruction of these four creatures was the only thing dominating his thoughts now, and he was fighting obsessively to meet that end, holding nothing back, throwing everything he had at them.
Then, it all went horrifically wrong.
With Magolor was at his limits, Kirby put him under the sharp blows of his ridiculously enormous sword, each slash cutting down stronger than the previous one. This was the moment the Master Crown had been carefully setting Magolor up for. He tapped so much into the power of the crown that its will had well invaded every recess of his being. He was too physically and mentally weak to even try to resist it. There was no chance for him to command over it now. It was far too late.
He felt a pain akin to being immolated alive as golden hexagonal runes and black fire exploded over his body. There was nothing but white, fading away into nothing but black. There were sounds like thunder striking.
Magolor couldn't see anything. He was aware he still had eyes, he blinked them, but there was only darkness. His body felt different. There was a sensation of metal wrapping around himself, reaching like tentacles and gripping like claws. The runes behind his hands changed, a different force guiding them. But these things weren't the worst of it all. He soon realized his mouth was open, and he couldn't close it. It was fixed into a dripping smile, a smile that didn't reflect the silent terror welling up in him. It mounted further when he realized he couldn't close his mouth because there was something inside it, something forcing it to be wide open. It was a spherical object he could feel moving on its own, independently, moist and smooth. Something bulbous on the object rolled under his lips.
Fear made his senses shudder and shook him to his core as the horrifying realization settled in.
This was a giant eyeball.
In the blind darkness, feeling his body moving to the will of the crown, feeling the eyeball's iris darting in his mouth, Magolor only had his panicked thoughts left.
I don't want this anymore! I don't want this anymore! Make it stop! Make it end! I wish I never touched the crown! I wish I could take it all back! I don't want this anymore! Help me, help me, anyone, please, help me, end it, make it stop, I don't want this anymore, I don't want this anymore, I don't want this anymore!
Magolor screamed. His eyes flashed open, sweating rolling down his face from under his hood. His little heart beat in his chest so hard, it was nearing painful. He gasped for air and clutched his chest, silently commanding his body to calm down. Slowly, slowly, the beats stopped pounding, until they were thumping at a gentle rhythm. He looked up and noticed Landia was still there. He was still sitting on the mattress in the abandoned house.
"You fell unconscious again." one of the heads spoke.
Magolor felt a great sense of relief at this news. The nightmare had indeed been stopped.
"Landia..." Magolor started, still subtly quivering from the memory. "I'll..I'll do anything to make it up. Anything at all. I'm just grateful to be me again..."
One of the heads brought up the plate of meat dumplings, and placed it on the mattress as it had for the pail of water. A nose nudged it towards him. For a moment, Magolor looked at the food and Landia in confusion.
"You need to eat." Landia stated flatly. "You're still weak. You'll keep passing out if you don't get your strength back."
At this information, Magolor sighed lightly and nodded softly. He picked up one of the dumplings in his gloved hands. By now, the steam was gone, the only heat remaining was a bit of warmth in its center. Nonetheless, he brought it to his mouth, opening, and then quickly shutting as a twang of fear plucked his heart. His mouth. The eye.
"The Master Crown is gone now, Magolor. Its presence is not with you anymore." he heard a dragon say.
Soothed by these words, he tried again. He opened his mouth, and carefully placed the dumpling inside. He chewed meticulous. There was only food in his mouth. He chewed at a faster pace, his body sagging in relief. Magolor brought the plate closer to himself, and started eating the rest of the food hungrily, his appetite returning as the stress eased. Once the plate was cleared, he pushed it away from himself again, and placed his hands over his now filled tummy.
"Thank you." he said, looking drowsy. The last item was now handed over, the frayed blanket. Without questioning, Magolor took the blanket, and noticing its fragile state, wrapped it carefully around himself. Although he was fully clothed, the extra warmth was well welcomed.
"For now, all you are to do is rest and recover," explained Landia. "How you will make this up, is something that will be discussed when you are in a normal state of health."
Magolor nodded sleepily. He rolled and landed his head on the exhausted pillow, quickly slipping into a proper, restful sleep.
