"This place is just creepy!" Sora complained. He and his companions were trudging along a dimly lit path lined with human skulls. Ghosts that looked like young women or bony fish would approach, then float away without a word. "I see dead people!"
"Why are the ghosts here avoiding us?" Goofy asked.
"They sense our power," Euterpe explained. "The ghouls only attack weaker opponents."
"They only pick fights they can win?" Donald observed. "How..."
"Prudent?" Polyhymnia suggested.
"I was going to say 'cowardly'," Donald said. "Hey, Sora, did you know I once beat Pete in a wrestling match?"
"You only won because of a lucky punch," Mickey said. "And that was years ago! Stop bragging about it before Pete challenges you again."
"Hey, I only get so many victories," Donald whined. "I'll take what I can get."
"We're here," Clio said. They were in front of a palace made of angular steel and glass smoked so dark that no one could see inside. "Endelphia Palace. The residence of the Queen of the Dead."
"You do the talking," Euterpe said simply. "She's too stand-offish for my taste."
"Yeah, way to not be a hypocrite there," Erato whispered to Riku, who snickered.
"Very well," Clio said, either not hearing or ignoring Erato's comment. "I hope she forgives us for barging in here without an invitation." She walked across a drawbridge over a moat that looked toxic, if the purple water was any indication. The others shrugged and followed her.
"How does the Queen see in this darkness?" Sora whined. The palace was even darker inside the walls than outside.
"She hardly needs to see," Erato said. "She senses the heartbeats of those who come in her palace."
"Gleep!" Goofy cried, jumping. He knocked over a statue or wall sconce – it was impossible to tell which.
"I'm joking," Erato said. "She's just really good at seeing in dim light."
"She must have a higher rod to cone ratio than us," Clio said. "We're here."
"Would it kill her to have a night-light on in her throne room?" Riku asked.
"Oh, believe me," Erato said. "You don't want to see her."
"I heard that!" A feminine yet sinister voice called.
"I meant only that seeing your fabulous visage would overload his brain, Your Highness," Erato corrected.
"Cut the crap, Daughter of Mnemosyne!" said the voice. "Why are you here?"
"We are sorry to disturb you, dear Queen Odette," Clio said quickly. "We need some jewels from your realm. They don't have to be gem-quality. If there is anything you'd like…"
"Well, you've pleased me by at least asking for those jewels," Odette's voice said. "But if you'd really like to get into my good graces, you'll deal with some thieves that have recently trespassed into my realm. They arrived earlier today. I sent a troop of Halja after them, but none returned."
"I find it hard to believe ordinary jewel thieves could dispatch one Halja, let alone multiple Halja," Euterpe interrupted.
"They don't seem to be ordinary thieves, then," Odette replied flippantly.
"So you want us to investigate?" Mickey asked.
"At least get them out of my kingdom," Odette said. "As advance payment, I will give you some crystals. Since you asked so nicely."
"Oh, thank you, Your Grace," Clio said.
Goofy struck a match he found in his pocket, then screamed. A heavy, imposing figure wearing a deep green cloak stood over him. The figure held a silver tray covered with small but shiny purple crystals balanced on one hand, and a scythe the size of Goofy's shield in the other.
"Goofy, it's just a Halja," Euterpe said, taking the tray. "One of Queen Odette's servants."
Donald swung his staff. "Goofy, you dunce!"
"Oww!" Polyhymnia cried.
"Sorry," Donald said. "I was aiming for Goofy's shin."
"You hit me in the chest!" Polyhymnia whined. "It hurts."
"How can it hurt, Poly?" Riku asked. "Your boobs are pretty sizable. So I'd think they'd cushion the blow!"
"RIKU!" Sora cried.
As much as I hate to defend Riku, he's being honest. Poly's breasts look so comfy. I just want to put my head between them and take a nap.
"Oh, shut up, Roxas!" Sora yelled.
"Who's Roxas?" Odette asked.
"Nobody," Donald said quickly.
"I think we'll take our leave now," Terpsichore brought the awkward meeting to a close. "Now let's get out of here."
The party walked out of the palace in a tight huddle.
"That went well," Riku said.
"Are you being sarcastic?" Terpsichore asked. "That was humiliating! And to put that in perspective, I had to give Onyx an erotic dance!"
"Well, we got the crystals," Riku replied. "I don't see why we can't just return to the Gummi Ship."
"We said we'd check out these jewel thieves," Mickey said. "And our dealings with Onyx weren't exactly honorable."
"So what? We've got to re-establish our good karma?" Riku asked.
"Well, you should know that better than anyone," Terpsichore said.
"I already went on my year-long redemption quest," Riku snapped. "Unless making fun of my descent into darkness is going to be a running gag, shut up!"
"Beating you up is already a running gag." Roxas commented through Sora.
"No one's talking to you, Roxas," Riku said. "So shut up."
"Frankly, your performance as the Final Boss in 358/2 Days was so pathetic…" Roxas continued.
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Riku cried. "Sora, you really need to put a lid on that stupid Nobody of yours."
"How is it my fault?" Sora whined.
"Can we stop this little snipe-fest?" Terpsichore asked. "How are we even going to find…"
There was a bright explosion from afar.
"Goofy, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Donald asked.
"I think so, Donald," Goofy answered. "But out of all the possible permutations of seven names, what were the odds we'd get the order exactly right on the first try?"
"No," Donald said. "We follow that explosion!"
And so the party proceeded in the general direction of the explosion.
Polyhymnia ran ahead of the party. A carcass of a Halja was in the middle of the path. She bent down and examined it. "This one's fresh. No rigor. Cause of death was severe burns."
"How can you tell that?" Riku asked.
Polyhymnia pointed to the Halja's cloak. "These scorch marks. This was no ordinary fire spell."
"Sora, are you okay?" Donald asked.
"Um, yes?" Sora said. "Why do you ask?"
"Your face is all pale," Donald replied.
"It's nothing," Sora replied. "It's…" He looked at the dead Halja. "Most of the things I've fought just vanished when I killed them. The Heartless, the Nobodies, the humanoid Nobodies."
"And Poly just made it worse by conducting an autopsy?" Riku said. "I feel a little queasy myself."
"She technically did a necroscopy, not an autopsy," Clio said.
"There's another one!" Polyhymnia said. She got up and ran to another dead Halja in the road. "This one died from severe blows…to the back." She looked sickened. "It was running away. Or floating away."
Terpsichore gestured to more dead Halja up the road. "What do you suppose killed them?"
Polyhymnia walked up to them. "These are obvious. An area of effect ice spell. Some ice crystals haven't even melted yet."
The party continued onward, using the myriad dead Halja as guideposts. They eventually came to a large clearing. Purple crystals of various sizes jutted out from the ground. Two men were standing in front of a basket filled with crystals. One had short light brown hair and wore deep blue robes, as well as round glasses. He was reading from a large book titled Advanced Alchemy for Fun and Profit.
The other man wore a cloak over green and gold armor. He had long dark hair. Upon seeing the party, he smiled warmly and gave a deep bow. "I do not believe we've met."
"We haven't," Riku said. "Who are you?"
"My name is Vayne Carudas Solidor, Emperor of Arcadia," The man said. "It is a privilege to meet the three Warriors of the Keyblade."
"You're royalty? We never would have guessed," Erato said sarcastically.
"I have heard much about you," Vayne continued. "I am pleased to make your acquaintances."
"What is it with these oddly polite villains?" Donald complained. "Guido was jarring enough!"
"Not every villain is rude," Clio said. "Like heroes, villains run a gamut."
"Articulate, well-dressed, and not from around here," Goofy said suddenly. "I know! They're the guys who got that flame thingy from King Oni!"
"Onyx," Donald corrected. "Wait. Them?"
Vayne held out a burning ember. "Yes, King Onyx was so kind to allow us to have this piece of the Sacred Flame."
"But if you got what you wanted," Mickey said. "Why are you still here?"
"Isn't that obvious?" The other man piped up. "To intercept you."
"And you are?" Sora asked.
The man took a step forward and adjusted his glasses. He threw out his arms in a dramatic, or so he hoped, gesture. "I am he who hath entrusted his soul to the eternal vortex of time! Ye know me, and if ye do not, ye shall be made to know me! It shall be engraved on thy very soul! Lezard Valeth! I am the knower of the most obscure arcane secrets! Creator of a world stemming neither from Kingdom Hearts, the World of Light, or the World of Darkness! Discoverer of the Philosopher's Stone, Devourer of Gods, the Transcendental Being, the true love of Lenneth Valkyrie! Look upon me, Warriors of the Keyblade, and despair! For I am the harbinger of your doom! I shall deliver you to the plane of nonexistence, if the plane of nonexistence will take the present from my hands!"
Riku yawned. "Does he ever shut..." He sank to the ground and began to snore deeply.
Goofy was snoring as well. Donald took out his staff to cast a well-placed lightning spell, but drifted off to sleep mid-cast.
Sora curled up on the ground. "So tired..."
No, Sora! You can't fall asleep! Roxas cried.
Lezard was still rambling. "I am supreme! I am god!"
Damn, Roxas said. So boring. Can't stay awake...
Euterpe looked at her sisters. They too were having trouble staying awake. "Stave it off! I beseech you!" She stifled a yawn.
"Can't help it," Polyhymnia replied.
"I'll kick his butt as soon as I take a little nappie," Terpsichore mumbled.
"Have...to...resist," Euterpe said, speech slurring. Her eyelids felt like lead. She staggered forward, toward Lezard and Vayne, drawing her spear. She stumbled and fell face first onto the ground. Her spear fell out of her hand and vanished with a shimmer. With a sigh, Euterpe sank into unconsciousness.
Lezard was still going, seemingly oblivious to the fact his audience save for Vayne had fallen asleep. "Quite frankly, the mere existence of such pitiful 'heroes' such as yourselves is an affront. An affront that I shall soon correct..."
"You can stop now, Sir Lezard," Vayne said, admiration evident in his voice. "Your spell put them to sleep!"
Lezard looked confused. "I don't understand. I have not cast my spell yet."
Vayne nodded. "Oh, I see. The Vaarsuvius technique."
"The what?" Lezard asked.
Vayne shook his head. "Not important." He walked over to the sleeping Euterpe and picked her up. "Why were we ordered to only retrieve this one?"
"As opposed to annihilating them?" Lezard asked. "Her Grace Oblivia wants to test a theory. She set up an experiment before you joined our ranks. Lady Euterpe is lovely, isn't she? But cold. The spell Frigid Damsel is named after her. Let us return to our base. That is the proper course of action."
"I concur, Sir Lezard," Vayne said.
Lezard summoned a darkness portrait and stepped into it. Vayne followed, carrying Euterpe as if he were carrying a loved one. The portal closed after them.
XXX
Urania stood in front of the window in her guest bedroom at Disney Castle. She clutched Melpomene's hyacinth and stared out into the verdant garden below.
Minnie walked up and stood behind her. "Miss Urania?"
"Yes, Queen Minnie?" Urania asked, not bothering to turn to look at Minnie.
"Are you okay?"
"No. I see decay in every blade of grass below, cankers on every rose, and rot in every tree. They're omens, telling me to laugh not, because soon I will be nothing. Like them."
"Why do you say that?" Minnie asked.
"I can only guess," Urania said. She turned around to glare at Minnie. "Why the hell would you care? We've just met. I'm not stupid enough to believe you'd care."
"But I do care," Minnie said. "I can see you're in pain."
"Hmph," Urania said. "And yet you imprison me here."
"Mickey said to keep you here. For your own safety."
"I don't want to know what Mickey thinks. I want to know what you think. Do you think it right to keep me here against my will?" Urania turned back to the window. "Leave me be."
"I won't!" Minnie cried. "You shouldn't be alone right now! You're in danger, and you don't feel right!"
"I'm not alone," Urania held out the hyacinth. "My sister is with me."
"It's just a flower," Minnie retorted.
"You're right," Urania said, placing the hyacinth in a glass vase on a nearby nightstand. "Her heart and soul, everything that made her what she was is no longer here. Your Majesty, do you believe that the bad are punished?"
"Of course," Minnie said. "And every bit of love and kindness you send out into the world will return to you threefold."
"A nice dream, Your Majesty, but alas, only a dream," Urania answered.
XXX
Sora opened his eyes and yawned.
Polyhymnia stood over him, casting a shadow over his face.
Sora sat up and glared at Polyhymnia. "Give me a break, Poly!"
"Sora, you hopeless sleepyhead," Polyhymnia snapped. "Everyone else has already woken up. Well, Euterpe is…not accounted for."
"Huh?" Sora asked.
"She's gone," Polyhymnia explained.
"Gone?" Sora asked. He got up to his feet.
The rest of the party was seated in a circle nearby.
"So you finally woke up," Donald said crabbily. "I wanted to use a lightning spell to wake you."
"Why didn't you?" Sora asked.
"He did it to Goofy and put him in V-Fib," Erato interrupted.
"Not my fault," Donald said. "I'm used to using much weaker staves than the legendary Wand of Apocalypse."
"Never mind," Mickey said. "Why would the bad guys just knock us out?"
"To create confusion?" Riku suggested.
"If they did, it worked," Goofy said. "I'm very confused."
"You're always confused," Donald commented.
"Yes, but I'm more confused than usual," Goofy amended.
"Let's just try to work through this cognitively," Clio said. "Euterpe is missing. Vayne and Lezard got a piece of the Sacred Flame from King Onyx. And it's fairly obvious they were the jewel thieves Queen Odette was so irate about."
"Maybe Euterpe woke up first and tried to chase them down?" Terpsichore suggested.
"I don't think so," Clio said. "It's not like her to just leave us. Erato, can you use your scanning powers to find her?"
"I can try," Erato said. She pressed her palms together and began to concentrate. "I feel her. She's in Castle Oblivion. I can't quite synchronize my heart with hers. Probably the distance between us."
"Well, she's probably okay," Sora said. "We'll storm the castle soon, so let's move on…" He looked at Erato, who looked visibly upset. "Is something wrong?"
"Thalia," Erato said. "I can't feel her presence. At all. No thoughts, no resonance. Nothing. Her soul is dormant, meaning she's dead." She looked at the ground. "We're too late."
"Look, it's not over yet," Clio said. "There's still hope. If we can recover her soul and save Mother, she can be revived. Let's go to Radiant Garden."
"Why Radiant Garden?" Sora asked.
"So Merlin can help us purify these Phozon crystals to perform the Soul Separation," Clio responded.
"Right," Mickey agreed. "We'll set course for Radiant Garden once we report back to the Queen." The party began to walk back the way they came.
"Hey, Sora," Riku said. "I'll bet you three thousand munny that Merlin's going to need a favor and won't purify the crystals until we do it."
"You're on," Sora responded. "Merlin wouldn't do that. Besides, fetch quests in RPGs are so old hat."
"Oh, come on," Riku retorted. "Finding Jane's slides? That whole Olympus Stone BS? Getting the password for Tron? What makes you think this is going to be any different...?"
XXX
"I'm fine with moving on," Kairi said. "But can we revisit the Velvet Room first so I can change?"
"Certainly," Maia said. "I'll work on opening a portal. Let's take this opportunity to stock up on potions and ethers for when we meet Sora."
I like this outfit. Naminé commented. Kairi, why can't you wear more white? It looks good on me...er, you.
"Because white makes me look like a ghost," Kairi replied. "Like the ones that supposedly haunt the pond back home. I've never seen them, but Riku's brothers claim to. But they're compulsive liars. And jerks. Yazoo used to pull my hair all the time."
Doesn't that mean he likes you? Naminé asked.
"Ew!" Kairi said. "No! Where would you get that idea?"
Marluxia said that's how immature men show that they like a girl. Because I didn't understand why Axel was pulling on Larxene's...
"Never mind," Kairi said.
All I'm asking is...would it be okay if you wore some clothes that I pick out?
"Okay," Kairi whispered. "I can't know what you want if you don't tell me. And you never talk about yourself."
Well, perhaps if you showed a little interest!
"Portal's open," Maia called.
"Coming," Kairi replied. "We'll talk about this later, Naminé. Naminé?" No answer. "You don't have to give me the silent treatment!"
XXX
On Destiny Islands, Lulu was leading a party consisting of herself, Wakka, Tidus, and Chappu.
"Slow down, Lu," Wakka panted.
"You're a little out of shape," Lulu remarked, twirling the Mystic Sage staff in her hands like a majorette baton.
"It's the off season," Wakka complained.
"Yeah, I don't walk this much even at work," Tidus whined. "And this thing is hot." He pointed at his garb – a replica of a Ghostbusters uniform.
"Part of me wants to ask why you're wearing that," Chappu said. "And part of me doesn't want to know."
"Anachronism humor," Tidus said. "This is so lame!"
"What's lame?" Lulu asked. "Dispelling a yurei from the Cenote so she doesn't lure any more kids to their deaths? How is that lame?"
"Not that!" Tidus waved his arms. "It's that we were last in Chapter 21."
"And?" Wakka asked.
"It's Chapter 25 now!" Tidus snapped. "Isn't that a bit long? What are the other characters doing that is so important that we get tossed aside?"
"I'm grateful to have 'screen time' at all," Chappu said.
"Ya," Wakka said. "Tidus, remember we weren't even in Kingdom Hearts II!"
"Oh, yeah," Tidus said. "Still, it's ridiculous for us to..."
"In Dickens, plotlines could be suspended for over a hundred pages," Lulu interrupted.
"Huh?" Tidus asked. "I don't get it."
"Perspective," Lulu explained. She stopped. "Here we are. The Cenote. Chappu, you're on."
"What?" Chappu asked.
"Go see if she'll come," Lulu snapped.
"Why do I gotta do this?" Chappu whined.
"Because I'll punt you into the water if you don't!" Lulu said evenly.
Chappu folded his arms. "Fine, but I won't take you to the school dance!"
"Hey! I'm taking her to the dance!" Wakka protested. "We made plans months in advance!"
"I had her first!" Chappu complained.
"I find rigor mortis to be a turn-off," Lulu said in a tone icier than her normal voice.
"Well, screw you, Lulu!" Chappu cried. "I've had it! You think you can get away with anything just because you have the nicest boobs on the whole island! I could have gotten over that you cheated on me without dumping me first, but, but, but..."
"What?" Tidus asked.
Chappu hopped up and down in anger. "The other guy was Wakka!"
"Hey," Wakka said. "I'm right here."
"I cheated on you?" Lulu asked. "You cheated on me! You've been cavorting with that little slut Giselle! Speaking of which..." Lulu waved her wand. "Giselle! I know you're here! Show yourself this instant!" No answer. The lilies on the cenote bobbed in the wind. "If you want a fight, I don't mind!"
A figure rose out of the water. It was a small girl, the same girl in the newspaper article. Clad in an ornately ruffled dress, she walked toward the group, as if the water were solid ground. In one hand, she clutched a stuffed rabbit with a hangman's noose around its neck.
"You don't have to yell," the girl said. "I can hear fine."
"We know what you are, Giselle," Lulu said coldly. "A sorrowful spirit. Death has brought you no peace. But with these spells..." Lulu dug a fistful of papers from her blouse pocket.
"I have a better idea," Giselle said. "Why don't you all take a dip in the pool and we'll play forever and forever. You can meet my big sisters!"
"Big sisters?" Tidus asked.
As if on cue, the lilies of the cenote glowed. Golden vapor rose from each center. The vapor coalesced into outlines of young girls.
"The Lily Girls!" Tidus cried.
"Whoohoo!" Wakka said. "We get to see hot babes!"
"Um, not exactly a sentiment you want to express in front of your girlfriend," Tidus admonished.
Giselle stepped back with a smirk. "Big sisters. These meanies want to take me away! Annihilate them, pretty please?"
The Lily Girls floated toward the party.
"Um, maybe we came at a bad time?" Tidus asked.
"Cheese it!" Wakka cried. All four of the children turned and ran as fast as they could into town.
Lulu clutched her chest once they stopped. "They didn't pursue us."
"That was kind of...embarrassing," Tidus said.
"Better embarrassed than..." Wakka scratched his head. "Wait. What can they do to us? They're dead!"
Lulu shook her head. "I guess it's just instinctive."
"Does that mean we get to go back and fight?" Tidus asked.
"Are you kidding?" Wakka asked.
XXX
Urania was standing on the ledge of the window. The window was wide open, with Urania's back to open air.
"You better come down this instant!" Minnie warned.
"Or what?" Urania said. "All I have to do is fall back. This room's on the sixth floor. I'm sure my mass will accelerate faster than your reaction time. You wouldn't catch me."
"What do you want from me?" Minnie asked. "I just went to get you some cookies." She held up a tray of warm sugar cookies shaped like the Disney Kingdom emblem. "And now you're threatening to jump out of nowhere. Why are you doing this?"
"I don't want to die in agony," Urania said. "If I throw myself, death would be instant. Painless."
"Why do you think you're going to die?" Minnie asked.
"Because I have foreseen it. The gift of prophecy some say is a gift and a curse. But they don't realize it's only a curse." Urania shook her head. "I begged Sora to let me stay with him, and he refused! And with that act, he sealed my doom! I don't want to postpone the inevitable."
"But can't you think of me?" Minnie asked. "How do you think your sisters will feel if I tell them you jumped out the window?"
"They wouldn't care. They left me behind. Screw their feelings!"
"And your father?" Minnie inquired.
Urania hesitated. "He is already dead, and thus beyond caring."
"And your mother?"
Urania paled.
Minnie knew she had hit the right answer. "How would she feel?"
"She shouldn't have to lose two daughters to gravity," Urania said quietly.
Minnie extended her free hand. "Come down. With me. I'll take you to the Hall of the Cornerstone. The warm light it gives never fails to make me feel better."
Urania stepped down from the window ledge and grasped Minnie's hand. "I've always wanted to see it."
XXX
At the same time, Sora's party had arrived at Radiant Garden. They were inside Merlin's house.
Merlin examined one of the Phozon crystals through a jeweler's loupe. "Yes, these Phozon crystals do need to be purified. The soul energy in them must be released and then recrystallized."
"So can you do it?" Donald asked.
"Am I physically able to?" Merlin asked. "Yes. But I need some supplies to perform the rites."
"Such as?" Mickey asked.
Merlin thought a moment. "An orichalcum candlestick for the recrystallization ceremony, polar drops to purify the space, a charm feather to fix the magic in space, and silver threads to rebuild the magic matrices. Those four things."
Riku turned to Sora. "I told you so. Now pay up!"
Sora grumbled and dug around in his pockets for some munny.
XXX
Euterpe opened her eyes. She looked down at herself. Heavy-looking chains wound their way around her wrists and ankles.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Megaera stood in front of Euterpe. She held Euterpe's winged helmet and a hand mirror.
"Where are my sisters?" Euterpe demanded.
"Thalia, Calliope, or the ones with the Keybearers?" Megaera asked.
"All of them."
"Calliope's still here. Thalia bit it."
"Who did it?" Euterpe asked.
"Siguna. Loki's wife."
"Why?" Euterpe asked.
"It was an accident. A very funny one. You'd have to ask Alecto. Now it's my turn to ask questions." Megaera held up the mirror. "Notice anything new?"
Euterpe gazed at her reflection. A golden diadem was on her head. "Calliope's crown?"
"No," Megaera explained. "It just looks like it. It's a state of the art mind control device. And now for a demonstration. Do the Caramelldansen!"
Euterpe immediately stood up and did an odd dance that consisted of her holding her hands to the sides of her head and flapping them while simultaneously swaying her hips.
"Squee!" Megaera cried. "You look so cute!" She pulled out a video camera and began to film Euterpe.
Euterpe blushed. "Why am I doing this? I've never even heard of this ridiculous dance, if it could even be called a dance!"
Megaera shut off the camcorder. "I'll post this footage to YouTube later. You can stop."
Euterpe stopped dancing.
"Kneel before me!" Megaera cried.
"Sure you don't want me to cluck like a chicken?" Euterpe asked. "Bark like a dog?"
"Just do it! And do it now!"
Euterpe winced as she kneeled in front of Megaera. She glared. "You know I would never do this if I was in control of my body."
"Right," Megaera said. "But notice that you're completely aware of what's happening? Most mind control devices leave their victim a witless pawn."
"But you can only compel someone to act against their nature for so long," Euterpe answered. "So when this inevitably ends…"
"You'll tear me to pieces?" Megaera asked. "Yeah, I remember the last time we fought. You ripped my leg off!"
"I wish I hadn't been so merciful," Euterpe snarled.
Megaera placed Euterpe's helmet back on her head, covering the diadem. She then took out a key and unlocked Euterpe's shackles. "Her Majesty wants to talk to you, so come with me."
Euterpe stood up and tried to summon her spear. It wouldn't materialize.
Megaera sensed her confusion. "The Slave Crown blocks any conscious action that our team deems detrimental to our purpose. You can't attack me. Or Oblivia, or any of her executives."
"Of course," Euterpe said. "Why else would you take the chains off? Or for that matter, why would you put them on in the first place?"
"I didn't want to take chances," snapped Megaera. "Now follow me."
Euterpe obeyed and followed Megaera down a dimly lit passageway. She sniffed the air. "Blood. Lots of it. I'd know that smell anywhere."
"Is it because you value blood above all else that you never tire of the sight of it?" Megaera asked. "Or is there another reason?" They were in front of a door. "Go in."
Euterpe swallowed and grasped the doorknob.
"Go on!" Megaera snapped.
Sighing, Euterpe opened the door. It was pitch black. She stepped inside. The door slammed shut behind her. "Megaera?" The smell of blood was thicker.
Bright lights snapped on. Euterpe found herself in a room with sterile white walls. At least, they would be sterile if they weren't covered with brown stains. Her eyes shifted to the center of the room. Calliope was there, still, chained to a large concrete slab. Euterpe ran to her. "Calliope? Is that you?"
Calliope was breathing normally, but her clothes were torn and so covered in dark stains that the original color was impossible to discern. Her hair was tangled and matted. Her skin was pale, but showed no outward signs of injury. She coughed. "Euterpe, I'm happy to see you're safe…well, relatively speaking. I must apologize for my appearance."
"Still the same as ever," Euterpe said. She looked around. There was no one else in the room. Or anything else. No furniture besides the slab Calliope was chained to. "Calamity!" Euterpe called. "I know you're watching! Come out and face me!"
"Seriously?" Calamity materialized on the other side of Calliope's slab. "You know you can't fight me and your sister's not able to help. And you still call me out? And you can't ask nicely? My name is Oblivia, and you should respect me."
"You've never given me reason to respect you," Euterpe responded. "What have you done to Calliope?"
"I have done nothing to her," Calamity answered. "My demon personnel might have cut off a few pieces and watched them regenerate, or burned her with cigarettes and red hot pincers."
"Why would you let them do that? To your own niece?" Euterpe asked in disbelief.
"Proximate answer or ultimate answer?" Calamity replied.
"Both."
"Well, the proximate answer is I'm feeding off both her and Mnemosyne's pain and anguish," Calamity explained. "The ultimate answer is she deserves it."
"No one deserves that!"
"She hurt me!" Calamity snarled. "She attacked me, if you remember. It took me hours to recover. But that isn't all. I wanted to see how well her powers of regeneration worked. If you remember, your mother cast a spell on her that prevents her from dying unless she wills herself to die."
"So you're trying to put her through so much pain she wishes for death?" Euterpe asked. "That's sick, even for you."
"You misunderstand," Calamity said. "I cannot make her wish for death just so the pain will end. She is too powerful for that. This is merely a means of neutralizing the threat to my well-being, as is the mind control you are under. You, Calliope, and Clio are the most powerful of Mnemosyne's daughters. The rest of them are just weak and helpless little girls. Torturing Calliope doesn't give me pleasure. Well, perhaps some pleasure. But the one I really want is Kore."
"Well, good luck finding Kore's soul," Euterpe said sarcastically. "Many have tried. All failed."
"They failed because they didn't know where to look," Calamity said.
"And you're saying you do?" Euterpe arched an eyebrow.
"I've said too much," Calamity said. "Why are you so concerned about Calliope? I can feel your anger. I don't understand you. You hate her, so why aren't you happy to see her like this?"
"I don't hate her," Euterpe replied. "I know my sisters and mother love her more than they love me, if they love me at all. But I don't hate Calliope for it."
"You aren't a good liar, dearie," Calamity said. "You've been jealous of her practically since birth. Think of this as your chance to finally pay her back."
"What do you mean by that?" Euterpe asked.
"Take a stab at torturing her."
"What?!" Euterpe cried. She drew her spear involuntarily and plunged it into Calliope's right flank. Calliope closed her eyes and bit her tongue to keep from crying out, but the pain on her face was visible.
"Good," Calamity said. "Now twist it."
Euterpe grasped the handle of the spear and twisted it ninety degrees to the right. Calliope jerked against her bonds, but still gave no audible sounds of pain. Euterpe then pulled out the spear, dropped it, and put her hands to Calliope's wound to stop the copious bleeding.
"By Kingdom Hearts," Euterpe said, looking at her blood-stained hands. "What have I become?"
"The monster you were created to be," Calamity answered. "You can't kill her, but you can make her cry."
"I don't want to!" Euterpe protested. "I never wanted this!"
"Stop lying to yourself," Calamity said. "Become darkness itself. Become death itself."
"No," Euterpe answered. "I won't give into darkness, or my insecurities! I'm not weak like Riku!"
"Then if you are truly strong, override the Slave Crown and attack me," Calamity said.
Euterpe glanced at her dropped spear. Calliope's blood stained the tip. She tried to reach for it, but her arms wouldn't respond.
"I thought so," Calamity said cheerfully. "Your torture techniques are brutal, but you lack refinement. Torture is an art, and your victim is your canvas." She reached over to Calliope's chains and unlocked them.
Calliope groaned.
"Here's your chance," Euterpe said. "Run!" She took Calliope's hand. It was cold and clammy. "You have to get up!"
"She can't," Calamity explained. "No energy left. She hasn't eaten in days and she hasn't been sleeping well. She might have been able to outrun me, were it not for that blood loss just now. And who stabbed her?"
"Me," Euterpe said softly. "It's my fault." She pulled Calliope off the slab and helped her to her feet.
Calliope wrapped her arms around Euterpe's shoulders for support. She gave Euterpe a kiss on the cheek.
"You're forgiving me," Euterpe said. "But I'm not worthy." Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Stop crying," Calamity ordered. "I'm just going to give you a tutorial in the art of torture. Once you earn a passing grade, you can go meet your other sisters. Won't that be nice?" The door opened, and Megaera walked in, followed by Tisiphone and Alecto.
Euterpe clutched her sister tighter as Megaera, Tisiphone, and Alecto came ever closer. "No! Stay back!"