The Rio the Darkness Saga Remastered

Rio the Darkness 1

Chapter 7: Fight against Vadin

Hello everyone, we are back with the final chapter of Rio the Darkness 1. Because of this lengthy chapter, I will not be doing an author's shout out. Just so we're clear, when I begin publishing the Rio the Darkness 2 remaster, it will be here and not on a separate story, hence the title. Have fun and enjoy the final.


After spending most of his life indoors, Andre was not accustomed to flying at long distances. Devoting his life to searching answers for the Darkness and isolating himself out of the public eye would leave this effect. Now, nothing was going to stop him from saving Blu. It was one thing to lose the Darkness, but to lose a friend as well was too much.

Finally, he arrived at the Blue Tree Berrini Hotel. Why the brotherhood decided to set up camp in such a public building was unknown, but that did not matter. There were better things to priorities. He landed on a building opposite the hotel, taking a few seconds to catch his breath and gather himself.

Placing one wing against his head, Andre begun to concentrate once more. "Blu, I'm here, where are they keeping you?"

Between grunts, Blu struggled to release an answer. "Somewhere…On the top…In an abandoned area…Hurry!"

Catching his breath, Andre resumed flight and begun frantically searching around the area for a way inside. Locating an open window, he flew inside and jumped into cover behind a box. Immediately, he could see the familiar faces of the brotherhood guarding the area but were doing a poor job of things. All the while, he kept telepathic contact with his blue macaw friend.

"They're taking it! Hurry..." Blu grunted.

"Hang on, won't be long," Andre reassured as he slowly moved behind cover, knowing he could not afford to fight them head on. Nearby, a couple of brotherhood members were talking amongst themselves.

"Where is brother Vadin?"

"He's inside the hotel attic, finishing off that pathetic host."

Raising a small grin, Andre avoided them and begun heading towards that direction. Judging by his surroundings, he was inside the penthouse suite. Judging by its state, it had not been used in a while. No wonder Vadin decided to make his home here.

"Hurry...I... I can feel the Darkness leaving my body," Blu pleaded, his voice weakening.

Andre entered another room and ran around the penthouse suite living room, trying to avoid the brotherhood. His presence remained unnoticed for now as the brotherhood chatted amongst themselves.

"I cannot wait to taste the Darkness, brother Vadin promised that all of us shall drink from the siphon. And then when we grow stronger, Lord Nexus will lead us to a new salvation."

Encountering a single brotherhood member from behind, Andre quietly placed his wing against his head, channeling a small amount of energy that knocked his foes unconscious.

"Brother Vadin will save us all. Brother Vadin will lead us into a new era of Darkness."

Realizing that there were too many to avoid, Andre knew he had to change course. Locating an air vent at the top of the wall, he climbed a pipe into the vent and begun to run as fast as he could without making noise. His talons didn't cause too much noise to notice each time they hit the metal.

He was in luck. The vent had lead him into the bedroom. Below, he spotted the familiar face of Vadin and two of his men, along with the iron maiden that Blu was no doubt suffering inside. The dark essence trailing out into the siphon furthered proved this. Unfortunately, the air vent exit/entrance was blocked off by bars. Andre gripped onto the bars, spying into the room.

"Ah, there you are. Why they got you in there? Little dramatic, isn't it?" Andre said before shaking his head back into reality. Noting the weakened state of the bars, Andre began the process of trying to break them quietly. "Right, hold on, Blu! Almost there!"

One of the brotherhood members was growing too impatient, fighting the desire. "I can't take it anymore, I want it now!"

"Almost there..." Vadin reassured calmly.

Blu couldn't fight anymore. The pain, combined with both physical and mental torture and his desire to be free left him weakened. With one more cry of pain, all his inner power exploded, creating a small shockwave that scattered throughout the room. In the process, it extinguished the flames surrounding the iron maiden, freeing him from further suffering. As he felt the monster leave his body, the Darkness had one final warning to give.

"Reclaim me, Blu! Or your friends will suffer FOREV-E-E-E-ER!"

Finally, it was over. The Darkness was trapped into the siphon, completely free of any host. To make certain, one brotherhood member opened the iron maiden, watching as Blu collapsed stomach first, weakened and barely alive. His feathers were shredded, his eyes filled tears and small burn marks across his body. The Darkness had prevented full harm, but now without it, he could not be healed.

Vadin grinned in satisfaction and reclaimed the now trapped Darkness within the siphon. "Yes! We have the Darkness. The siphon's power is now complete!"

"No! Give it back to me!" Blu demanded as he weakly outstretched one wing.

Vadin only chuckled to his empty threats. "Your time with the Darkness is over. You had your chance. And like every bird who ever contained the Darkness before you, you've failed. Come brothers, it's time to enjoy the fruits of our labor."

"What should we do with him?" one of the brotherhoods asked.

"Leave him in there to rot and suffer," Vadin simply replied and begun walking away.

Before long, the three birds were out of sight, leaving the blue macaw to meet his fate. Losing consciousness, Blu could feel the world around him slipping away, his life beginning to flash before his eyes. His memories were as clear as day, racing around his mind.

"Oh, hi. Hi. My name is Blu. You know, like the cheese with the mold on it, that smells really bad."

"Birds! Birds need flying. Flying is... err... freedom, and, and not having to rely on anyone. Don't you want that?"

"Not all birds fly! There are ostriches..."

"Ooh! Is it hot? I... I think I'm... I'm sweating! I didn't even think that was biologically possible. I get... look?"

"Jewel, I- "

"Jeez, you look like a roasted turkey."

Blu's eyes squinted to the unfamiliar voice in his memories. That's when it dawned on him he was no longer dreaming. Opening his eyes ever so slightly, a yellow blur stood beside him, placing both wings against his chest.

"Don't you dare go dying on me!" Andre demanded as he turned Blu onto his back, checking for any signs of life. Though heavily injured to the point of near death, he was not about to give up. Placing both hands against his chest, Andre begun to channel any remaining power he had into his blue macaw friend.

Moments passed as Andre continued pass along his very life essence into Blu, draining himself of his own energy. Though the process was very uncomfortable and aching, he could feel the process taking effect. Blu's injuries begun to heal, his shredded feathers returning and burn marks clearing up. With one final wave of energy, Andre fell back in exhaustion.

Releasing a loud gasp of air, Blu bolted up right as his strength came back to him. He inspected himself carefully, never more relieved to see his injuries had healed. "The Darkness! Andre, they took the Darkness!"

"Yeah…I saw," Andre confirmed while holding one wing around his stomach. Feeling lightheaded, he sat against the bed and rested for the short time they had remaining. "Oh, and you're welcome, by the way."

"I'm sorry, but Vadin has the Darkness in the siphon, we have to get it back," Blu said with determination.

Andre, however, had a better idea. "Or we could just go to Vegas and take a vacation, we're free!"

Blu exclaimed in disagreement. "No! If Vadin has the Darkness trapped in that siphon, he could take over the world. I got no choice: I have to get it back!"

Andre only shrugged with a sigh of disappointment. "Oh well, freedom was fun while it lasted."

"Where's Jewel?" Blu questioned after noting his loved one was nowhere to be seen. "Is she here?"

Andre shook his head. "No, I left her back at my home. She'll be safe there. Look, we got bigger problems to worry about. How we gonna get the Darkness back from Vadin?"

Suffice to say, Blu had not considered how he was going to go about it. Even with Andre's help, it was going to be difficult. However, he was not going to just sit here and let them use its power for evil purposes. "I don't know, but we have to try. I won't let them win. I have an idea, but it's risky."

In response, Andre struggled to contain a chuckle. "Considering the circumstances, I'll take the risk. What is it?"


Vadin stood on top of a table, holding the siphon in wings for all his men to gaze upon. "Here it is, brothers, we have the Darkness!"

His announcement was met with uproars of cheers. Dozens stood before him below, eager to taste some of the Darkness' power for their own agenda. They made this well known to their leader, expressing their desire.

"We must taste it!"

"We need the Darkness!"

Vadin chuckled to their desperate pleas. "Soon my friends. For as long as the Darkness is trapped in here, its power will keep regenerating. There is more than enough to go around for all you."

"Vadin!"

Everyone turned towards the direction of the new voice. At the end of the room stood no other than Blu, completely healed of any injuries that he had sustained. The brotherhood was astonished to see him alive, but none more so than their leader.

Vadin's eyes widened in amazement, almost releasing his hold on the siphon while doing so. "H-H-How?! He's healed?! Impossible! You couldn't have freed yourself, you couldn't! IMPOSSIBLE! What are you?!"

For the first time ever in his life, Blu stood without fear. He begun to march towards the brotherhood without limitations, standing tall. He continued doing so until he stood only a foot away from the small army before him. "Vadin, give me the Darkness back."

His threats appeared to dazzle Vadin, but not for the right reasons. The brotherhood leader shook off his confusion to Blu's survival and regained his calm composer. "You certainly are a tough one to dispose of, no doubt. I grow tired of this. Brothers, kill him now!"

Every brotherhood member present raised their weapons, ready to attack. Seeing that it was time to act, Blu jumped backwards as a small blue blast shot past him from the distance. The energy missed every member present, instead colliding with a large clock in the corner.

One brotherhood member chuckled. "You missed."

"Oh, did I?" Blu retorted.

Turning around in confusion, they came face to face with gigantic clock now falling directly towards them. With no time to move, they all muttered: "Oh no."

The clock collided on top of ever brotherhood member, thinning their numbers down with great effect. Only a few remained as they took up defense positions, preparing for further attacks. From the corner of the room, Vadin watched with frustration as a familiar bird joined Blu, standing beside him. "You!"

"I still got it," Andre cheered and held out his wing for a high-five. Deciding to humor him, Blu returned the gesture as their wings touched.

The confusion and frustration of Blu surviving still left Vadin in a predicament. Nevertheless, he glared towards the duo. "You were more dangerous than I thought. Still, you are weary. That magic of yours cannot last. Do you think I cannot sense your energy dropping?"

Busted. Andre was hoping that would not see through his weakened state. Chances of fighting off the rest of them were slim. Even if he could defeat the brotherhood, there was zero chance of defeating Vadin as well.

Seeing their nervous expressions, Vadin grinned. "Just as a I thought. Tell me: has someone like yourself ever experienced anything akin to real fear?"

Their silence told him everything he needed to know.

"No? I didn't think so," Vadin replied as he aimed the siphon towards them, intending to take them out with one blast. "Allow me to show you the true- OUCH!"

The sudden sharp and painful object piercing past his wing broke Vadin from his concentration, causing him to release his hold on the siphon while doing so. Examining his right wing, examined the damage that had cut into his wing. "Who dares?!"

"We do."

More new voices entered the room. Everyone turned towards the ceiling to see a blue macaw, a canary and a red-cardinal standing before them, determination written all over their faces.

Blu was never more relieved to see his loved one standing before him. "Jewel!"

Jewel couldn't hide her happiness to see him alive. "Blu, you're okay!"

"But how?" Blu questioned as to how she could have travelled here so quickly in her condition.

Instead of explaining with words, Jewel spread her wings and jumped from her position, soaring through the air without a care in the world. She landed beside Blu and smiled.

"You're flying!" Blu noted the obvious.

"Nothing was going to stop me from saving you, Blu," Jewel replied with upmost honesty.

Outraged at these interruptions, Vadin finally snapped after being pushed to his breaking point one too many times. "You miserable languishers! You insignificant speck of feculent scum! How dare you!"

Pedro scoffed to his insults. "How dare us? How dare you for hitting me with those fancy words!"

Nico nodded in agreement. "You said it."

Vadin growled, but then it dawned on him that he no longer had his weapon. Quickly, he prepared to dash forward and reclaim the siphon. That was until a loud chant distracted him.

"Grande estrondo!"

Remembering this attack, Vadin made haste to speed forward and reclaim the siphon. He successfully retrieved, but Andre was not aiming for Vadin at all. Predicting this, he had instead shot towards the siphon, knowing Vadin would have got to it before his blast could reach him in time. The blast knocked Vadin into a nearby wall, hitting hard enough that he created a large dent.

Andre panted in exhaustion as he lowered his wings. "Don't just stand there, get the siphon!"

Without another thought, everyone charged towards the siphon to reclaim it. Blu, Jewel, Andre, Nico and Pedro were against four brotherhood members, giving them a small advantage with numbers. One brotherhood picked it up first, only to be kicked aside by Jewel as she reclaimed it.

Grasping it tightly in her talons, she lunged upwards and tricked two brotherhood members into hitting each. Quickly, she tossed it towards her friend. "Blu, catch!"

Blu joined her in the air with his talons raised. Their brief victory was short-lived as a fourth member caught it first, intending to take it back to Vadin. Knowing that would be doomed if he did so, Nico and Pedro grasped onto his legs in a desperate attempt to stop him.

"Release me!" he demanded and shook his talons to kick them away. While distracted, Andre appeared before him and clawed him across the stomach, causing him to release the siphon that dropped towards the ground.

"I got it!" another brotherhood assured and had his wings spread to catch said item. His victory was robbed as Jewel caught it again, flying away as they gave chase. Two of them chased her to reclaim it before it was too late.

As one of them got close, his vision was compromised that caused him to panic and lose control. Nico and Pedro kept their wings over his eyes to block his field of view. "I can't see! I can't see!"

In a matter of seconds, he collided into the wall, knocking himself unconscious in the process. The second brotherhood member caught up and grasped Jewel's throat mid-air, forcing her to stop while he used his free talon to try and pull it from her hold. "Give it to me!"

With her throat grasped, Jewel could not respond to his demands. Nevertheless, she kept a firm grasp on the siphon. In one attempt to break free, she punched him in the stomach, but he tolerated the hit with little effort.

"Get your wings off her!" Blu demanded as he tackled himself into the brotherhood member, causing all three of them to fall in separate directions. While the blue macaws landed safely, the brotherhood member hit his head against the table, knocking himself into submission.

With no one left standing, the siphon collided with the ground. The remaining two members stood and stumbled forward to claim it. Their intentions were destroyed as Andre picked up the siphon first.

"Nice try, boys," Andre chuckled and held out his free wing towards them threateningly. The others joined him shortly afterwards, basking in their victory. While keeping an eye on the brotherhood, he offered the familiar object to his friend. "I believe this belongs to you."

Blu outstretched his wing to accept it. As he got halfway to doing so, the sudden yells of his loved one broke him from his thoughts. Ever turned to see Vadin had returned, only now he had a hostage. He held Jewel in front of him, one wing tightly around her throat while the other was pressed against her head.

"Let go of me!" Jewel demanded as she raised her wings to pry herself lose.

"ENOUGH!" Vadin screamed and forced everyone to hold their positions. "You just couldn't play along, could you?! You couldn't just surrender the Darkness! Give me the siphon or the girl gets it!"

Blu would love nothing more than to attack Vadin for threatening to hurt his loved one, but one wrong move would cost her. He turned towards Andre for advice, but the look on his eyes told him it was no use. What would be do? Surrender and let Vadin destroy all or refuse and lose his loved one?

Jewel could feel the heat emitting from Vadin's wing, knowing he was not bluffing. The rush of fear and anger begun to pump her adrenaline as she opened her beak wide. "I said… Let…me…GO!"

With one swift motion, she bit harder than he ever has into Vadin's wing. He released a cry of agony as he loosened her wing. Not only did she bite hard, but she bit into his already injured wing from Nico's earlier attack. Now without any leverage to hold him back, Vadin was open to attack.

Further enraged, he threw his free wing towards Jewel. "Mal CHAMA!"

The familiar purple energy of flame burst from his wing, directly towards Jewel. She froze in fear as the attack closed, acknowledging she could not survive. Jewel closed her eyes and braced for impact. She felt the heat of the flames collide. However, she did not feel any agonizing pain like she expected. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw Blu standing in front of her with both wings spread and smoke emitting from his body. It was not long before he collapsed onto his back.

"BLU!" Jewel shirked in horror, immediately jumping to his side as she inspected the damage.

Taking an attack so powerful left Blu with second-degree burns. His feathers were shredded and his body burned. Judging from his appearance, his life was drifting away with ever second.

"Blu, stay with me!" Jewel pleaded as she held both wings around him, cradling his injured body.

With her back turned, Vadin raised his wing to finish the job. That was until Andre stood in front of him in a protective manner. Without hesitation, Vadin dashed forward and punched Andre in his lower stomach, winding him long enough to kick him down. Before he could continue, Vadin suddenly felt both his legs being held. Learning down, he spotted the familiar faces of Nico and Pedro. In an act of bravery, they tried to stop him (or at the least, slow him down).

"Release me, peasants!" Vadin demanded.

Now that Vadin was temporally restrained, Andre knew he had one chance to end this right now. He had little to no power left to cause any more damage, but they would not get another opportunity to do so. Standing directly in front of the evil macaw, Andre stretched his one wing and placed it against Vadin's chest.

"This is the end for you," Andre said with confidence and determination. Slowly, he channeled every bit of energy he had remaining, intending to end this with one shot. "Grand-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e…ESTROND-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!"

From his one wing, his most powerful attack yet was released. The energy blasted directly against Vadin's chest, launching him towards the opposite end of the room yet again. This time, Vadin did not collide with a wall. Instead, he smashed through the window and collapsed towards the busy streets below. That blast may not have killed him, but the impact below would no doubt finish the job.

Nico reclaimed his bottle cap, placing it on his head. "And stay out!"

The remaining brotherhood members stepped away in fear as Andre threatened them as well, flying away out of the destroyed window. With no more threats lurking, everyone returned to Blu.

Jewel fought back to hold tears as she felt her mates life slip away. "Blu, you risked your life to save me again and…And I took you for granted. Blu, I was wrong, you do care about us and would put your life before us. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you."

Though weakened and on the verge of death, Blu mustered a smile as he raised his wing and held her own. His voice was gravel from the attack, but he spoke all the same. "Jewel…I didn't…Get the…Chance to tell…You…I…I love you…Too."

Those were the words she needed to hear for so long. Their faces closed as their beaks nuzzled, eyes closing as they embraced the others company. Their reunion was short lived as Andre stepped to the side, wielding the siphon within his wings.

"Jewel, we can still save him," Andre reassured. "The Darkness can heal him, but we have to do it now."

A small part of her remained hesitant, but if it meant saving Blu, then Jewel was willing to go that path. She nodded as she stepped away, allowing Andre to continue. Without another thought, he slammed the siphon within Blu's stomach. Upon impact, an explosion of dark essence surrounded the area, engulfing Blu in its power. Everyone stepped back, placing their wings over their eyes to shield out the blinding light.

Seconds passed until the shockwave cleared. Everyone uncovered their eyes, focusing their gaze towards the same direction. Blu remained in the same position, but now there was no sign of any injury as before.

"The host returns."

Blu's eyes snapped open, jumping onto his feet like an athlete. He raised both wings and examined himself, feeling both the presence of the Darkness and any remaining pain fade away. "It…It worked!"

The second he was free, Jewel leaped forward and embraced Blu was tight as she could, never wanting to let him go again. Blu returned the gesture, the feeling of warmth of his loved one felt more soothing. Not only were they reunited, but their love had never been stronger.

Now that Blu had time for his mind to settle, he leaned back slightly and placed one wing gently against Jewel's face. "Your eye, what happened?"

"Don't worry about me," Jewel reassured. "You're safe, and that's all that matters to me."

The sight of the blue macaws expressing their love left Nico and Pedro admiring them. Andre, while feeling similar reactions, stepped forward with his own announcement. "So, is it over?"

Blu nodded. "It is. We can trap the Darkness and then go back home."

"Back to good-old Rio!" Pedro agreed enthusiastically.

With no more words to exchange, everyone turned towards the opened window and prepared to leave. Their moment of happiness suddenly turned into one of horror as Andre released a gasp of pain. At the side of his hip, a blade stabbed through and left him with both internal and external bleeding. Andre dropped to the ground, hitting with a sickening thud.

"ANDRE!" Blu yelled at the top of his lungs.

"NO!" the others exclaimed in horror.

As Andre fell, he revealed the familiar face of Vadin, now wielding a blooded-blade within his talon. There was now a large burn mark in the center of his torso from that last attack and multiple cuts across his body, no doubt from smashing through the window. Although heavily injured, he was very much alive.

Blu's sadness turned from one into anger. Like Rico, Andre had sacrificed everything for a stranger and Blu did nothing to return the kindness. Now further enraged, he turned towards his friends. "Everyone leave! I'm ending this!"

Jewel opened her beak to protest but changed her tone shortly afterwards. Against the likes of Vadin, she could do little help and would more than likely be a distraction than help. She followed Nico and Pedro into another room, leaving the two birds of power to fight.

Now alone, Vadin glared towards the blue macaw with full hatred. This time, there would be no running or stalling. Only one of them was leaving this room alive. "Years ago, Blu, there was another host of the Darkness. His name was, Joyce, a blue macaw just like you. He begged for us to get the siphon for the Darkness, he was desperate to get rid of it. He promised us the Darkness if we found it. The journey was long, and it took us almost two decades. But we found the siphon. It was too late, Joyce had already perished. Therefore, the Darkness went to his next of kin."

Blu raised an eyebrow to the point he was trying to make. "It's past down to next of kin…That means…Joyce…Was a part of my family…"

"From the time that has passed, he was your grandfather, no doubt," Vadin agreed. While they were speaking, he refocused his gaze towards the siphon. He dashed over and reclaimed it, still powerful enough to use his speed. "The siphon was designed to contain the Darkness and can destroy anything apart of it, even the host, Blu. I tried to handle this peacefully, I gave you the chance to be free. You forced my hand, it cost you that traitor and the kid."

His words were beginning to anger Blu further, causing him to shake his wings to try and contain his inner rage. With a small growl, he powered up and allowed the dark essence aura to surround him. "You killed Rico, you killed Andre, you hurt my friends. I will never forgive you for that. I'm going to end this."

Vadin frowned to his threats. "So be it."

The pair of macaws stared towards each other as they prepared to attack. With the Darkness reclaimed, Blu knew his chances were high, but Vadin was far more experienced and had years of combat training and knowledge of magic. This placed both macaws on equal strength.

Vadin outstretched one wing and begun firing small blasts of energy. "You wanna play that game? Fine by me."

Blu moved across the room to avoid the blasts, but Vadin's aim was frightening accurate. A few of them collided, causing Blu sharp pains that broke his concentration. Quickly, he used his super strength to lift a box and tossed it towards Vadin.

Unfortunately, he missed as Vadin dashed behind Blu and whacked him to the ground. Now defenseless, Vadin raised his wing and begun unleashing multiple energy blasts into him. Vadin acknowledged he could not kill Blu yet, but he wouldn't need to. All he needed to do was subdued him and reclaim the siphon again. Refusing to give up, Blu raised his wing and slammed away Vadin into the wall.

Vadin growled as he stood upwards. "Bad mistake."

The two charged towards each other with Blu throwing his wings forward to try and punch him. Vadin deflected his wings with ease, using his superior combat training to dominate him. In close quarters, Blu stood no chance. Vadin punched Blu twice in the face before kicking him backwards.

As the gap between them increased, Vadin raised his wing and fired more energy blasts. Refusing to fall for the same trick twice, Blu grabbed a piece of broken wood and used it blocked the attack. He continued doing so before throwing the object forward. Vadin dashed out of the way but was not quick enough to dodge a direct punch from Blu. His super strength almost dislocated his wings.

Growing desperate, Vadin reclaimed the siphon to use a blunt object. Blu was one step ahead and grasped it. Both macaws held it close in their talons as they took to the sky, trying to pull the object from the other.

"Give it to me!" Blu demanded, trying to pull the siphon from Vadin's grasp.

"Never!" Vadin responded.

Raising his wing, he fired another energy blast into Blu's face, causing him to let go of the siphon and fall onto his back. "Mal chama!"

Before Blu could get back up and make a recovery, Vadin fired his signature attack directly into Blu, setting him in a blaze of flames yet again. Though this was perhaps the third time he was set on fire, it did not get any easier to tolerate. He tried to fight back while the agonizing pain left him paralyzed.

"Does it hurt, Blu? If you only accepted my offer, all of this could've been avoided," Vadin reminded while he continued burning the blue macaw further. With his free wing, he lifted the siphon in the air, preparing to finally finish off what he had started. "Goodbye Blu."

Blu closed his chocolate brown eyes and waited for Vadin to kill him and end his life once and for all. Was this it? Was this the end for Blu? He will never get the chance to see his wife, his companion, his friends ever again. The Darkness however, was not too pleased with these results.

"This...Macaw...may not...have...my POWERS!"

Blu's wing raised without a single though, releasing a swarm of darkness flies that surrounded Vadin that knocked him off his concentration.

"Get them off!" Vadin screamed, waving his free wing around to swat the flies away. In the process, he ceased his attack on Blu and dropped the siphon simultaneously.

"Blu! End this! FINISH I-I-I-I-I-I-I-T-T-T-T-T-T-T!"

Both determined and encouraged by the Darkness' words, Blu bolted up and charged towards Vadin just as the brotherhood leader burned away the flies. While stunned, Blu punched his wing into Vadin's talon, dislocating his leg and preventing him from running anymore. As Vadin released a cry of pain, Blu raised his wing and punched him directly into the ceiling, hard enough that a small part of the roof caved in.

Vadin fell back down limp and landed onto his belly with a loud thud, dropping the siphon while doing so that rolled into Blu's direction. Weakened and outclassed, Vadin desperately tried to crawl back to the siphon.

Blu looked down at the siphon that was next to his dark grey talons.

For the first time, Vadin did the one thing Blu would have never expected to see: fear. Vadin outstretched his wing and pleaded with him to stop. "No! Don't give it to the Darkness! Please! It will destroy us all!"

Blu ignored Vadin and extended his right wing to pick up the siphon. He claimed the item of power in both his wings and examined it. At last he had it, much to the Darkness' enjoyment.

"Ye-s-s-s-s take the siphon! Give me it's pow-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-r!"

As Blu was about to use the siphon, he was not expecting any more resistance from the brotherhood leader. How wrong he was. Though he only had one good talon and multiple injuries, Vadin mustered his last remaining strength to dash forward and grabbed the siphon.

"You are nothing! You are not worthy! The siphon will consume you, torture you, send you straight to hell!" Vadin screamed as they wrestled for the object.

As Vadin said the word 'Hell', Blu pushed Vadin off the siphon and whacked it off his head. Before Vadin could get back up, Blu once again hit the siphon into him a second time, knocking him back to the ground and causing Vadin to scream in pain and rage.

To ensure that he would never harm anyone again, Blu raised one wing and concentrated hard, allowing all the emotions and anger he held towards the brotherhood to increase his power. Within seconds, the familiar black hole emerged nowhere and begun sucking everything in its path.

Vadin held onto the floor for dear life, but it was hopeless to resist against the heavy gravity. "Do not think this is over! YOU WILL PAY!""

His strength finally faltered, and he lost his grip. Vadin fell into the black hole and disappeared, his screams echoing as the black hole begun to close itself. It sealed itself shortly afterwards, leaving no trace of the brotherhood ever occupying this room. It was finally over, the long fight against Vadin and his men gone without a trace.

Blu never felt more relieved to feel a moment of closure. That was until he was beginning to feel rather lightheaded, realizing he had used the maximum amount of energy he had mustered. Exhausted from both physical and mental energy, Blu fell and collapsed, the world around him disappearing.

The last thing he remembered was the familiar yells from his friends.


Suffice to say, this was probably the most peaceful Blu had felt since this whole ordeal had begun. Not many would be grateful for falling unconscious in the middle of nowhere. Though his body slept, his mind was more active than ever. Even in his dreams the Darkness would not leave him to rest.

"You betrayed my gift, Blu…"

"...Blu...wake up...You're safe now...Blu...Blu!"

Slowly, Blu opened his eyes after being unconsciousness. For how long he was asleep, he was unsure. Upon opening his eyes, Blu was greeted with a huge headache. The blinding light of the moon also forced him to cover his eyes for a short while.

Before long, Blu removed his wings once his eyes adjusted to the light. To his pleasure, he was greeted by the beautiful smile of his loved one sitting beside him. That's when it dawned on him that he was lying on her lap while they were aboard a moving object.

"You're awake," Jewel greeted softly as she stroked one wingtip through his head feathers. "How are you feeling?"

Blu blinked his eyes a few times, making certain this was not a dream. Once he could confirm that this was reality and not a dream, he leaned up with the help of his loved one. "I'm…Better. What happened?"

"You tell us," Jewel responded. "When we found you, you were passed out. You've been out cold for a couple of hours. But it's okay, we're on our way home now."

Blu studied his surroundings, noting the busy streets surrounding him, the busy chatter between locals as cars honked their horns. Looking down, he realized they were riding on top of a bus once again in the early hours. As the sounds around him became less noticeable, he realized he could no longer hear the voices of the Darkness in his head, its presence no longer within. "The Darkness."

"Is gone," Jewel confirmed as she lifted her free wing, revealing a small bag beside them that contained the siphon within. "You're free now."

"That's right," another familiar voice spoke, leaving Blu to look up in surprise.

Blu's eyes widened in surprise. "Andre?! B-B-B-But I saw Vadin kill you."

"Please," Andre snorted with a small laugh. "You think I spent a lifetime studying magic to not know how to defend against a little tiny blade. While I unconscious, I used the last of my strength to hold myself together. Good thing I didn't put anymore energy into my last attack, otherwise there would have been no energy left to do so. Relax."

Blu never felt more relieved that the nightmare was finally over. From the corner of his eye, he could see Nico and Pedro speaking with a couple of other birds riding the same bus, oblivious to their friend finally regaining consciousness.

Right now, he did not mind. All he wanted to do was go back home and rest. Gently, he examined his mate's injured eye that was not as bad before. "I'll get you something for that eye when we get home."

Jewel gently pushed his wing away. "It's just a little swelling. All I want is to finally be free. My wing's healed, Blu, I can fly again! We can finally be together and spend our lives in the jungle."

Instead of being met with enthusiasm, Blu replied with caution. "Not quite, Jewel, I'm happy you can fly again more than anything in the world. But there was still a week to go. I want to be sure you can fly and not injure your wing further. Is that okay?"

Suffice to say to say, Jewel was not surprised he would say this. She missed her freedom more than anything in the world, the feeling of soaring through the air was but a mere dream. Nevertheless, this did not kill the mood. Instead, she smiled in agreement. "If you were any other bird, I wouldn't have given it two thoughts. But for you, Blu, anything. I think I can cope with another week, as long as you're by my side."

Blu returned the smile and leaned forward to peck the side of her beak. "Always. I'm with you to the end."

It was safe to say that Rio had certainly been full of surprises since Blu had first arrived. Taken out of his comfort zone, getting kidnapped, chained, caged and close to death on more times than he could count. But no matter what happened next, Blu would not let these events discourage him from spending his life here.

He could happily say Rio was his home now.


Whoa, what a chapter, that left me tired just proof-reading. Thank you for reading, everyone, but this was just story one of a six story arc. Believe me, it's going to get more crazy from here. The journey is far from over. Stay tuned for Rio the Darkness 2 remastered which will be here in two weeks from today.

As a bonus feat, I'm going to list down the main differences between the original and remastered version of Rio the Darkness 1. I could list every single one, but we'd be here for too long so I'm just going to list the notable differences. Here we go.

The original begun with Blu and Jewel already in the jungle. In the remaster, they are still recovering in the aviary.

The Darkness serpent heads and demon arms no longer exist in the remaster.

The Darkling no longer exist in the remaster.

Rico was killed off earlier in the remaster. His death was also different.

Nico and Pedro were absent in the original.

The group steal a car to get to Andre in the original. They catch a bus in the remaster.

Jewel stays within the aviary in the original. She joins Blu in the remaster.

Rafael has a more active role in the remaster.

Johnny was defeated last in the original. He was defeated early in the remaster.

Blu and Jewel were injured in the original at the end. They are perfectly fine in the remaster.

Vadin is introduced earlier than before, finding Blu before they found him.

The Angelus is already mentioned in the original. She is never mentioned within the remaster.

The Darkling saves Blu from the club in the original. Blu escapes after Rico's death gives him strength.

Andre used a gun in the original. He uses his own limited magic in the remaster.

The fight sequence with Mauro and his gang is cut from the remaster.

The fight between Blu and Rico is cut from the remaster.

Blu dies at least once in the original. He never dies in the remaster, only coming close.

Andre lives a garage in the original while he lives in a hotel attic in the remaster.

Various music has been removed.

The narrations from beginning of certain chapters are removed.