Phew! I did a lot of editing on this one; I'm trying to make these last few chapters really good. :)
Speaking of that, I still need to put in a lot of work on the next two chapters. Some of the moments that should be powerful simply... aren't, and I'm trying to find ways to change that. My plan is to get ch. 29 out on Wednesday and ch. 30 out on Friday, but I make no promises.
Also, talk about homosexuality... is that even controversial here? xD So many fanfics have same-sex pairings that I'm not really concerned. Should I be? Er... yeah, religion pops up a bit in this chapter too (it's actually related to the homosexuality talk). Still, other fanfics talk about religion and stuff, so I'm not too worried...
Review Responses:
PK Love Gamma: Haha, I think that we all say stuff like that every once in a while. ;) I get what you mean with Jeff. He's actually the character that I'm most disappointed with.
A Fan: Yeah, the parrying an axe with a bat is kinda dumb, but that's how it works in Earthbound, so... yeah.
Yeah, that's how action scenes work. :( I don't really like writing them all that much, but I felt that a confrontation between Kumatora and Ness was just bound to happen. You're right, I did say that I try to add emotion to my combat scenes, and I didn't really do that this time. I wanted to, but it wouldn't really make sense. Both Kuma and Ness utterly reject the validity of the other's beliefs, so a lot of it boils down to them yelling at each other. x.x
Did you notice the "Work in Progress" thing? I try to update that whenever I make an edit, which usually ends up being once a day.
JustMe. Hi: I'm glad that you enjoyed the victory. :)
Yeah, Voice was one of those characters (along with Ness) that just kinda popped out of nowhere. I was worried that he would be... too abstract, so I'm happy that isn't the case for you. :) No Lucas POV in this chapter, sadly... :(
SMF: Yup, I mentioned that Claus was standing next to Ana. I'm kinda sad that it will be done soon, but I'm honestly kind of relieved. I love writing, but this is by far my biggest project, and it does drag on for quite some time. It doesn't help that my favorite part is the actual writing and there isn't much of that left to do.
Still, I'm thinking about updating this after I'm done with random side stories (flashbacks, glimpses into the future). I already have one sorta written out, but it's not that good. xD
And yes, that is Lucca that you are seeing. :)
Can I hang onto something from my past life? Thinking about my mother, father, and brother brings only pain.
Maybe… if I can find only sorrow in thinking about those that I love, I can find joy in thinking about those that I hate.
Porky… you have ruled so much of my life. I suppose that it is only natural that you will rule my thoughts as well.
"How…?" Kumatora asked in a human voice, taking a step back in shock and blinking as if she were trying to wake up from a nightmare. "You! I saw you die in the gutters of New Pork! My visions… are never wrong."
"You said that I would die yesterday, yes?" Ana asked smugly. "I think that means that your vision was wrong."
"No…" Kumatora whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "Was I wrong all along? Is the world not destined to burn like I was told?"
Claus felt a pang of sorrow upon seeing Kumatora so pained. He wanted to do something to help, but he didn't know what would.
"Yup," Ana said simply. "You were wrong. End of story."
"I…" Kumatora's face paled. "I have to believe that the void gives me strength. I have to hang onto what I know… the world will end because your emotions make you weak…"
"If you think that, then we should fail without your intervention," Ness said coolly.
"Yes…" Kumatora whispered in wide-eyed realization. "Yes, that's right… it was supposed to be a test. I shouldn't have interfered."
"Well, now that you see the truth, we can just go on our ways, right?" Claus offered hopefully. "I mean… there's no reason to keep fighting, right?"
Kumatora shook her head.
"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I have done," she whispered darkly.
A wave of fear oscillated through Claus' body.
No, did she…?
"Did you kill Poo and Dr. Andonuts?" Claus asked carefully.
"What?" Ness exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. "Poo… is dead?"
"My… father is dead?" Jeff asked weakly.
Kumatora said nothing, remaining as still as a statue.
"Did you hear me?" Claus asked gently, fearing the answer.
"I…" Kumatora let out, her voice shaking. "I didn't kill them, but I caused their deaths. That was not what I was referring to, though."
What could possibly be worse than that? Claus thought.
Ness' mouth opened in shock.
"Oh man," Ness said in wide-eyed horror. "Claus is going to kill you for that. I might not even be exaggerating."
Uh-oh.
"What is it?" Claus demanded, feeling that he might explode from not knowing.
Kumatora remained silent.
"Just tell him," Ness said softly. "He's going to find out eventually."
Kumatora nodded and gulped, her eyes staring at the ground with such intensity that Claus was surprised that she didn't bore holes into the golden floor.
"I… kidnapped Lucas and brainwashed him," Kumatora admitted darkly.
The room fell silent.
No.
It can't be possible.
Lucas… isn't really brainwashed, is he?
Claus's vision turned red. He could only see red… could only see blood…
Claus felt an overwhelming rage. With the world in front of him still appearing as a blanket of crimson, Claus walked up to Kumatora, feeling her body pulse in front of him. He raised his stick above his head to strike her, anger exploding from his heart and into the rest of his body. Claus almost felt like someone else was controlling his body like a puppet.
"No!" Ana shouted. "The damage has already been done! Please, Claus, remember what we talked about! Please…"
Claus hardly heard her words. Strings appeared on Claus' arms as he pulled his stick back further and gritted his teeth in agony.
What the hell is happening? He wondered in vain. Am I… really doing this? Are these strings real?
Claus tried to look around him, but his head was locked in place, showing him a sea of red. In his peripheral vision, Claus saw waterfalls around him that poured blood into the never-ending sea, splashing maliciously.
I'm insane, Claus thought. Lucas' brainwashing drove me insane. Now I can only see a world filled with blood.
"Please," Ana whispered desperately, her words ringing in Claus' head. "Can't you see how terrified she is?"
Terrified?
Claus' vision gradually returned to normal and he saw that Kumatora was cowering beneath him.
"I'm so sorry!" She begged. "But… no, that's not right. I'm not sorry at all, which is what scares me. I… still can't feel anything."
Claus dropped his stick, horrified at what he had been about to do.
I… what the hell… I don't even know…
"Kumatora!" Claus shouted in worry. "Are you… all right?"
"Why do you care, Claus?" Kumatora demanded. "Can't you see who I am?"
"I see who you can be," Claus said softly. "I see who you will be. Life isn't over yet, Kumatora. I'm sorry that I almost attacked you. Please… drop that terrified look. It doesn't suit you well."
Kumatora snorted.
"You expect me to just stop showing what I… wait!" Kumatora's eyes lit up. "I felt annoyance there! I felt something! I… had forgotten how good life can feel, even if I am annoyed with you."
Kumatora's human eye shot wide open as she examined the room around her, taking in all of the curious faces that examined her. A single tear came to Kumatora's eye, running down her face as she adopted a sorrowful look that had been hidden under her mask of zeal the entire time.
"It's… beautiful," Kumatora whispered. "Life… is beautiful. I see now what you mean when you said that, Claus. I cannot describe it, but something about your inefficient complexity appeals to me."
"See?" Claus encouraged. "We'll get you back to your old self! Just you wait!"
Kumatora broke into a half laugh, half sob.
"So optimistic…" she said in disbelief. "That can be a failing point, Claus. What happens if reality fails your expectations? You don't know how hard it is for me to feel anything."
"Hey," Claus said, putting his hand on Kumatora's shoulder and looking into her deep, azure eye. "There's no harm in trying."
"What if I kill you?" Kumatora asked harshly. "What if you let me get close to you and I end up murdering you?"
"Well, that'll be a pity, but I'm willing to accept that danger if it means that you could be made whole again!" Claus exclaimed enthusiastically.
You don't know just how strong you are, Kumatora, Claus thought. The fact that you can even try after what you've been through makes me so happy…
"I'm not worth it," Kumatora said in self-loathing. "I… can finally see who I am now that my visions have been proven to be uncertain. I… adopted insane beliefs and wouldn't even consider the fact that I could be wrong, which kept me from catching myself before I ruined the lives of so many others. I should just kill myself right now. That way, I can't hurt anyone else."
"No!" Claus responded as a reflex. "No… please, you can't!"
"You sound like a child, Claus," Kumatora said sadly, shaking her head. "It's okay. I know how much I will lose in death. I'm willing to accept that if it means that I won't hurt anyone else."
"I wouldn't recommend that," Ana piped in. "I talked with Ninten's ghost, and he said that he wished that he had stayed alive and tried to overcome his brainwashing on his own."
Ana tried to blink out the tears that came to her eyes, but they ran down her face all the same.
"See, now I'm getting super emotional about it," she said with a wry laugh.
"Was Ninten your boyfriend?" Kumatora asked Ana. "Is that why he meant so much to you?"
"Ninten? No, he's gay. But that doesn't mean that I can't care about him. I loved him like a brother."
Kumatora nodded, seeming slightly perplexed as to how Ana could possibly care so much about someone that she wasn't romantically attracted to.
"Oh, wow," Ness said. "I didn't know. That Ninten was gay, I mean."
"Yup," Ana said. "It surprised me too. I think that it made him embarrassed and he was trying to keep it under the cover."
"Err…" Claus started. "This is probably a dumb question, but what's 'gay?' Doesn't that just mean 'happy'?"
Ana gave Claus a flat look, her face seeming to say: "Come on, really?"
"I swear, both you and Lucas must have lived under a rock," Ana said. "Being homosexual or gay means that you're romantically attracted to the same gender that you are."
"Oh," Claus replied. "That's… weird."
"Is it, though?" Ana asked, "How do we define 'weird'? It just means something that's different. What's weird to us could be completely normal to somebody else."
"I guess…" Claus conceded, feeling somehow uncomfortable.
"Claus' sentiment is shared among many people small towns like Onett," Ness said sadly. "There are a lot of people who consider homosexuality strange and see it as something that should not be openly discussed. Unfortunately, many of these people try to discriminate against gays."
"Why?" Claus asked. "I mean… I still think that it's a bit strange, but there's no point in trying to ruin someone else's life."
Ana smiled in approval.
"If only there were more people like you, Claus. Some people just can't possibly accept that there are things outside of their narrow world. Others use religion as an argument against homosexuality as a principle with the same breath that they claim that they're spreading love. Hypocrites."
"How do they justify that?" Claus asked, feeling uncomfortable about Ana's harsh tone towards religion.
"Well," Jeff started, "Homosexuality kind of contradicts the whole 'god made men and women to marry each other and reproduce' thing."
"Oh," Claus replied.
"Heh, you should hear Paula go off about that," Ness said with a shiver. "She gets scary whenever someone mentions religion as a vehicle to oppose homosexuality. She always says something like 'these people are looking for an excuse, so they use religion to satisfy their own fixed principles and use that to oppress innocent people,' in a voice that can instill fear in a heart of iron. I guess it's natural, because religion means so much to her. She must feel awful when someone else is using the religion that she loves to discriminate against people."
"Paula?" Ana asked with a snort. "How was she scary? She always seemed so nice to me."
"Dude, you do not want to mess with Paula when she's mad," Ness said, legitimately looking terrified.
Ana laughed.
"It's so funny how you boys try to show off by acting strong and then get terrified so easily," she said with a superior smile.
"You don't understand," Ness said. "Jeff, help me out here."
"Paula does get scary when she discusses subjects that she has had negative experiences with, but getting into an actual fight is far more serious," Jeff responded. "I am forced to agree with Ana on this one."
"See?" Ana asked. "You're getting scared over something that's not a big deal."
"Hmph," Ness muttered. "You don't know true terror until you see Paula get mad."
"I've been meaning to ask this for a while," Claus cut in, "But how do you all know each other?"
"Oh, it's actually a pretty funny story," Ana said with a smirk. Ness blushed.
"Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo were on their journey to find the eight melodies and absorb the power of the eight sanctuaries," Ana started. "Their journey took them through New Pork City, where Ness saw me being chased by one of the boys at my school. Ness probably thought that he was a knight in shining armor, as he charged right in and bravely tackled the boy that was chasing me."
Ness coughed uncomfortably.
"We were playing tag," Ana explained. "The boy chasing me was 'it.' I think that he got a few bruises…"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Ness exclaimed. "I was dumb and you made fun of me plenty right after it happened. Can we move on now?"
Ana laughed.
"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, "But you and Claus both get so defensive when I make fun of you. It's so rewarding!"
"I'm glad that you're entertained," Ness muttered wryly, provoking another laugh from Ana.
"Why do you humans reminisce about the past?" Kumatora asked in a way that killed the mood. "I mean, why does it matter how they met?"
"We look backwards because the past gives us our identity," Ness responded. "After all, we humans are nothing but flesh and memories, perhaps with a divine touch sprinkled in. As there is nothing psychologically defining about someone's flesh, we humans look to our memories to provide guidance. I will admit that some of us get stuck in the precarious webs of the past, not being able to look towards the future, but it is equally as dangerous to ignore those webs altogether. They can save your life by restraining you when you are about to walk off of a cliff of extremism without knowing it."
Kumatora blinked.
"Do you have a response like that to every question that I can ask?"
"I told you already," Ness answered with a smirk. "I think a lot."
And you also can't talk without overusing metaphors, it seems, Claus wanted to say.
"I… see," Kumatora said, seeming unsettled. "It seems that there is much that I still have to learn about the nature of humanity."
"Don't feel like you have to talk about it the way that Ness does," Jeff piped in. "After all, pretty much everyone here knows that he tends to overanalyze things," he finished with a playful wink.
"Guilty as charged!" Ness responded with a contagious grin.
"Interesting," Kumatora mused. "So this friendly banter of yours helps to build stronger bonds?"
"Well," Claus replied, "I guess it does, but that's not really the intent. We're just trying to have fun."
"Have fun…" Kumatora whispered. After a pause, she broke out into a chuckle. "It surprises me how abstract that idea seems…"
"Don't worry!" Claus exclaimed. "We'll get you back to your old self before you know it! All that you have to do is focus on improving."
"It still boggles my mind how little you hate me for what I did," Kumatora whispered darkly. "Why do you think that I'm worth it, Claus?"
Ana, Jeff, and Ness walked forward and gave Kumatora a supportive smile.
"Of course we don't hate you!" Jeff exclaimed. "Do you think that we are truly so blind to how you have felt? Even at the school, you were resigned and bitter. That's not natural for you, Kumatora. I can see glimpses of who you really are."
"Heh," Ness said with a casual shake of his head. "Jeff is correct. Underneath your metal shell, you have a heart of flesh like the rest of us do. You need to leave your protective shell of close-mindedness like a hermit crab seeking a larger home. You need to protect yourself with emotion rather than cold logic. Trust me; that will give you the drive that you need to surpass who you have ever been before."
"And it's even bigger than that," Ana piped in. "You're a symbol, Kumatora, a symbol of how New Pork's suffering cycles to cause even more pain. By making you whole, we show the whole world that New Pork's cycle of suffering can be broken by the power of emotion!"
"See?" Claus asked. "We're all in this together."
"Thank you," Kumatora whispered softly with enough gratitude to encompass the world. "Thank you Claus. Thank you, everyone."
See? Claus thought. You're already on the right track, Kumatora! You'll be whole before you know it!
Suddenly, a patch of the floor right in front of the vacant gold throne opened and a cage-like elevator appeared from below. A boy in a crab-like machine stepped out.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the boy wheezed in a tone that indicated that he couldn't care less if he was interrupting something.
"Porky," Ness said evenly, staring intently at the tyrant's closed eyelids. "Why do you look so old? You are the same age as I."
Porky coughed in a frenzy, managing to clear his throat after about 30 seconds.
"I am so old, Ness," Porky wheezed. "I discovered how to travel through time. I have been traveling through the past for thousands of years. How did you think that I had built a city like this?"
"Honestly, I hadn't," Ness replied sharply.
"And you wonder why I've always hated you," Porky said scornfully. "You always look down on other people, Ness. You never expected me to do anything, did you?"
"No," Ness replied honestly.
"That is why I am here, stuck in this cycle of pain," Porky wheezed with a low growl.
"What?" Ness asked, startled by Porky's assertion. "You're the ruler of the world. How can you feel pain?"
"I feel NOTHING BUT PAIN, NESS!" Porky shouted as loudly as his puny voice would let him. "And it's because YOU failed!"
"What?" Kumatora asked. "I never heard about this before."
Indeed, all of Ness' friends seemed perplexed. Ana looked at Porky skeptically like how a teacher would regard a troublemaker at school. Claus snarled at Porky, looking like he was about to fly into a rage. Jeff's face betrayed no emotion, but his bazooka was calmly pointed at Porky's crab machine.
"You failed to save the world, Ness!" Porky wheezed. "That is why I am here! It's all your fault!"
"Maybe it was because you tried to stop me!" Ness exclaimed reflexively, getting defensive as a result of Porky's accusatory attitude. "If you had just minded your fat little business…"
"There you go again with the petty insults, Ness," Porky chided, "But I don't care anymore. Tell me, Ness, didn't you know that regular people like me would be twisted by Giygas' evil reach?"
Ness felt a sinking feeling enter his body. He had known that.
"Doesn't that mean that it wasn't really me but Giygas who was opposing you?" Porky continued.
Did it? Ness wasn't so sure… it seemed like Porky should take at least some responsibility.
"It does," Porky stated. "And after you failed, I had to take it on myself to save the world."
"You?" Ness asked incredulously.
"Your heroic superiority disgusts me, Ness," Porky wheezed. "Yes, I tried to save the world. And I succeeded!"
No, that's not possible, Ness thought. Had Porky really saved the world when Ness had failed? That made Ness feel sick to his stomach.
"How did you defeat Giygas?" Jeff asked suspiciously. "Only we were supposed to have the power to kill him."
"I'm glad you asked," Porky wheezed. "Because I didn't kill Giygas."
"Wha…" Ness didn't know what to say.
"If you didn't defeat him, where is he?" Ana demanded.
"Isn't it obvious?" Porky asked wearily. For a few seconds, a nauseating darkness filled the transparent capsule in the crab machine that Porky sat in, obscuring any view of the child tyrant. "Giygas… IS… IN… HERE… WITH… ME!"
No, Ness thought. It can't be.
Ness' legs almost forgot how to hold the rest of his body up. His knees started to buckle.
"Giygas has been in there with you for thousands of years?" Ness asked in sympathetic horror.
"Not so quick to judge now, are you?" Porky affirmed.
Porky… how much pain have you truly experienced?
The least that Ness could do was pity him.
"Oh, boo hoo," Claus said viciously. "Nice sob story, freak!"
"Claus!" Jeff exclaimed in alarm. "Can't you see how much he's suffered?"
"Can't you see how much suffering he's caused?" Claus replied, silencing Jeff.
"Porky is just like me, but even more lost," Kumatora rasped. "Pain twisted both of us into people that we normally would have hated. If you were willing to muster some pity for me, then you should give him the same courtesy."
"But…" Claus fumbled. "This is Porky! You know, the source of all of our problems?"
"Giygas is the one to blame," Ness muttered, "And Giygas is just a physical manifestation of zeal."
Ness had worked that out in his head after he had failed. At first, he had assumed that Giygas represented strife and defeating him would bring humans into a utopia. But that wasn't right; there would always be strife in this world. Those under the influence of Giygas simply caused additional strife because of their zeal, a malicious mixture of eagerness and single-mindedness that turned friends and neighbors against each other. Defeating Giygas… would stop Monotoli's industrial regime and the Happy Happyist cult, but they wouldn't stop ordinary squabbles.
Utopias simply didn't exist.
"So, are we going to put this tub lord out of his misery?" Claus asked. "If we pity him, then shouldn't we end his suffering?"
"It's not possible," Kumatora answered darkly. "Look at his machine closely."
Ness followed the order directed at Claus and saw that there was some kind of… transparent goo that was smothered on Porky's crab robot?
"That gel is psionic," Kumatora explained.
"No!" Jeff and Claus exclaimed simultaneously, faces betraying horror that was only the tip of the iceberg compared to what they must have felt.
"What?" Ana asked.
"Is it the gel that makes him virtually invincible?" Claus asked timidly.
"Not just virtually," Kumatora responded darkly. "He's covered in a psionic gel that makes him literally invincible."
"I guess… my father did a better job with that then he thought," Jeff said sadly. "It's so sad… his last creation on this world will throw us into hopelessness."
"What's more," Kumatora continued, "The gel wears off slower than carbon-14 decays."
Ana gasped, Jeff's eyes widened in shock, and Ness and Claus were completely lost.
"It takes over 5000 years for half of a sample of carbon-14 to decay radioactively," Ana explained in horror.
Oh man, Ness thought. That's a long time.
Ness was forced to face the reality of the situation. Even if he and his friends won and saved the world, Porky would still be around to wreak havoc wherever he pleased for thousands of years. That… hardly seemed like a victory.
Porky broke into laughter that eventually devolved into a coughing fit.
"Yes…" Porky wheezed. "You cannot kill me. You cannot stop me. No matter what, you lose."
"Why do you want to destroy the world?" Ness asked. "If you wanted to save the world before, why destroy it now?"
"This world is mine to do with as I please!" Porky exclaimed. "I saved the world, so it's mine now."
You're dead wrong about that, Ness thought but didn't voice his opinion.
"Still, why destroy it?" Ness asked.
"I… am afraid that Giygas will take control of me," Porky wheezed. "If I kill everyone, it won't matter who influences me! I'll finally be able to give in. That will be nice…"
Hmm, Ness thought. So does "destroying the world" only mean wiping out all of the life forms on it?
"But…" Jeff sputtered. "That doesn't make sense! If Giygas were to take control of you, he'll have you destroy the world. You're doing exactly what he wants!"
"I think that Giygas is manipulating him," Kumatora said heavily. "Porky resists Gigyas' direct attempts to control him, but just barely. After thousands of years, it can be hard to maintain one's sense of self. Giygas has subtly pushed Porky to end the world on his own, accomplishing its destructive goal without alerting Porky that he's being controlled."
"Oh man," Claus said. "That's terrifying."
"Life can be," Kumatora said simply.
No kidding, Ness thought. What would it be like, not to be able to even know when you were being twisted into someone malicious and pathetic? Ness shivered. Porky… I'm so sorry for every bad thing I've said about you.
"Still," Porky wheezed, "I will enjoy watching you struggle to save the world. The final needle is below this tower. This elevator that I came out of leads down there. If you can beat the warriors that I stationed there, the last needle will be yours! So go on and struggle! I will enjoy watching you suffer, Ness, just as you suffered in Magicant!"
Hm… so the sound stone's placement was Porky's doing? Ness wondered. That makes more sense than Samba actually finding it.
"Yeah right!" Claus shouted. "Like you'd actually let us pull the needle if we win! This is obviously a trap."
"Maybe it is," Porky wheezed and stepped back onto the elevator, riding it down into oblivion. The elevator reappeared after a minute, empty and scarily inviting.
"We're not actually going to take that thing, are we?" Claus asked.
"Do we have any other options?" Kumatora replied.
"So you're in this with us?" Jeff asked.
"I… guess," Kumatora responded uneasily. "I'll work with you and see how this plays out."
Well, Porky didn't seem to mind that Kumatora was having second thoughts… Ness thought. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice.
"Kumatora is right," Ness said, wanting to act swiftly. "We don't have any other leads at the moment. Maybe Porky is actually sincere. It would inflict more pain on us if we were closer to achieving our goal before failing. Besides, Porky just implied that he directed me towards Magicant so that I would suffer more, even though I became far stronger by visiting that place. I think that so long as we squirm and squeal, he'll be willing to risk his plan."
Claus conceded the point with a shrug and a few grumbles. The five kids stepped into the cage-like elevator and sent it flying down the shaft.
Just what will we find below? Ness asked himself.
Claus stepped out of the elevator in a place that he didn't recognize. The ground was made of black stone, although purple puddles formed in the miniature valleys of the landscape. The sun didn't shine down here; Claus could only see dark in every direction that he looked. Still, there was somehow enough light for him to make out his dreary surroundings.
The land that he stood on was shattered and fragmented with a void extending downward into infinity around the cold stone of the earth.
This place creeps me out, Claus thought uneasily.
He could hear otherworldly noises from further inside, making the place seem remote and somehow quiet.
"Wow, talk about dreary," Ana said in wonder, breaking the silence.
"We shouldn't dally here," Kumatora asserted, not seeming to notice the dark atmosphere. "We need to panic if we want to play into Porky's game. Otherwise, he might decide to end this."
Claus nodded, a chill running down his spine. Ness and Jeff looked equally unnerved.
Ana and Kumatora walked forward, halting after a few seconds when they realized that the others weren't following.
"Hurry up!" Ana shouted. "We don't have time to sit here gawking at the dark scenery!"
"Right," Claus replied, blinking back into the present. He jogged forward, Ness and Jeff following hesitantly.
It continued like that for some time. More shattered land split by chasms, more openings into the void, more unearthly noises that put Claus on edge.
"Wait," Kumatora said suddenly, motioning the rest of them to stop. "There's someone ahead. I can hear breathing."
Who could it be? Claus wondered, feeling nauseous from anticipation.
Slowly, the group of teenagers walked forward until they could see a person on his hands and knees, panting heavily.
"Father!" Claus shouted, his heart leaping out of hope and terror.
The man looked up. It was indeed Flint.
"Claus," Flint said, his voice betraying a fearful pain that Claus had never heard before.
That scared Claus more than it should have. His father… afraid? The notion seemed laughable. But here he was on his hands and knees, terrified by something ahead.
"What is it, father?" Claus asked, rushing over and kneeling on the dark, stone floor next to Flint.
"Claus," his father repeated. "Lucas is ahead. He's been… brainwashed. My son has been turned into a monster."
The sheer amount of pain in those words broke Claus' heart.
"It's okay," Claus comforted, putting a hand on his father's shoulder. "We can pull the final needle and the dragon will return Lucas back to normal."
Will the dragon help Lucas, though? Claus wondered. Or will death be his only way out?
If Claus was forced to kill his brother, he wasn't sure that he could do it.
"Claus, be careful out there," Flint cautioned. "I can't bear to lose both of you."
If I fail, the world ends and I'll die no matter what, Claus thought but said nothing.
"Are these your friends?" Flint asked, looking at the rest of the teenagers.
"Yes," Claus replied. "This is Ness, Jeff, Ana, and… Kumatora."
"A cyborg?" Flint asked.
"Yes," Kumatora replied. "I am a killing machine that is trying to learn how to feel."
Don't say that! Claus sent to Kumatora. He's already worried enough…
Sorry, Kumatora replied. I cannot read other people's emotions well if I do not even understand mine.
…It's okay.
Claus heard metallic laughter from above. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of light that made him feel woozy. He balanced himself and turned back to see Flint crumple to the ground.
"No!" Claus shouted, taking his father's pulse. Thankfully, he was still alive.
"Claus…Kumatora… I owe you much," a distant voice rasped. "Even in death, you gave me purpose."
Who was that?
Another cyborg flew down from the oblivion above, metallic plating covering most of his face. A total of eight trumpets flowed out of his nostrils and mouth, two of them spitting fire like a jetpack, keeping him levitated. His legs were fully made out of steel. Claus almost didn't recognize him.
"Fassad!" Claus shouted. "You died! Twice!"
"And now… I am back," Fassad rasped metallically, each word coming out strangled. "I am back for revenge, puny child."
"Leave him to me," Kumatora said with a heavy sigh. "We are both created to destroy. If we destroy each other then we cannot harm those who actually live."
Those words tugged on Claus' heartstrings. He wanted to deny every word, but… they were true, in a way. If Kumatora wanted to join the good guys, she should start with fighting those who were more robot than human. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about remorse.
"But… are you going to be okay?" Claus asked.
"She will not be alone," came another emotionless voice.
Claus looked behind to see Paula and Lloid. Both of them wore neutral faces.
"We have decided to assist you," Lloid continued, "And we will try to overcome our brainwashing. Taking down this atrocity… will be a good way to start."
"Paula, you were… brainwashed?" Ana asked, concern drowning out all other emotions in her voice.
"Yes," Paula replied evenly, "And just like our cyborg friend here, I am trying to learn how to feel again."
She offered a smile that seemed forced.
Oh man, Claus thought. Paula used to be so kind and sensitive… how much does the world lose when someone like her is reduced to a shell of their former self?
"Paula, will you be okay?" Jeff asked.
"I… think that I am back to normal, at least in my morals and psionic strength," Paula replied. "Do not fear, Jeff. If I go astray once more, I will listen to Lloid. He had been brainwashed by his parents, so he knew that what we were doing felt wrong. So long as I show restraint when Lloid feels that we are lapsing back into zeal, I should be all right."
"You should go," Kumatora told Claus. "The clock ticks. The last needle is our utmost priority."
Claus nodded and bounded to his feet, feeling a sense of regret at leaving his father unconscious.
He would want me to continue if he knew what was at stake, Claus told himself.
"Traitors," Fassad rasped. "I will kill… there will be blood."
Claus tore himself away from the conflict and sprinted forward, Ana, Jeff, and Ness following him. After a couple minutes, Claus saw the golden needle, radiating a holy light. For a second, Claus was frozen in awe, unable to force words out of his mouth
"That's it!" Claus finally shouted. "Let's go!"
The masked man flew up from oblivion and landed on the cold, stone floor in front of them, baring his orange sword emotionlessly.
"I will enjoy watching this," came a strained voice from below.
Porky hopped up onto a nearby ledge, coughing and laughing.
"Lucas…" Claus whispered to the masked man. "Is that really you?"
"Well," Ness said, his eyes narrowing in determination as he looked Claus in the eye. "This is it."
"Let's save the world for those who haven't suffered like we have!" Ana exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.
"It's time to prove that we are worthy of this world as humans and not robots," Jeff said with a rare smile on his face.
Claus nodded, surprised that he was able to feel determination in the heavy world around him.
"All right, let's fight like hell!"
The masked man charged.
