Author's note : Hey there! Before you read on, I'd like to point out that the specific demon-beast that I describe in the beginning of this chapter and that will appear again later on is quite different than how it appears in the show/games. If you want to see, there's a link to my deviantart page on my profile, where I post drawings of a series I started a while ago, the Demonpedia. Basically, I redraw the demon-beasts of the show in a different/realist way and give them an entry like we would see in an encyclopedia. It's quite fun, so I suggest you go and take a look for yourselves! On another note, I'd like to say that the first chapter of this story has been translated into Russian! The link is again on my profile page for those interested. On that, I won't keep you away from this chapter any longer. I hope you were able to put up with the wait! Next chapter shouldn't take as long. As always, have a good read!


But, one day…

But… one day…

The Darkness of the walls grew.

It engulfed worlds and stars into its nightmarish blackness.

And the Three Whose Hearts Where Linked lost sight of each other.

The Melodious One, the Light, with the Balanced at her side, stood up for us all, with her star and a sword in hand.

Dark Beings appeared from beyond the Walls.

They devoured everything.

And a terrible war began.


While my friends fought to save the worlds of this Universe we cherished…

I hid.

I hid in the Darkness. Afraid.

And I was alone.

Oh, so very alone…


When the giant tail smashed down into the ground, Dragato had to watch from afar as the ice split apart into a million of lost pieces that flew off into the air. Through the dust that rose up at that moment, a terribly familiar beast appeared; rising from the depths of the empty lake of ice, a giant reptile stood from its bed. With its large head covered in frost slowly lifting from the snow, the ground shook at its every step as it walked out of the lake into the open. The wind was rising, and with it, the snow and powder. Together they created a white screen that shielded the beast as its glowing red eyes observed its surroundings. Dragato could not believe his eyes.

"An Ice Dragon!"

He hadn't seen one in ages, even less one this large! The demon-beast stepped out of the lake, each of its steps shaking the ground under it and shattering the ice. The titan of frost and ice walked slowly out of its den and into the open, each of its steps a shattering earthquake. Only a single look at Meta Knight's retreating crew told Dragato what to do. Grabbing his radio while backing away quickly, he called into it:

"Everyone back to the ships, now! We're going airborne!"

As the Ice Dragon looked around itself and growled at the small people running away from it, it leaned forward and roared loudly, freezing gazes leaking out of its massive maw. The ground shook as the Halberd took off, but Dragato waited inside the Lor, even as the other ship took to the skies as well. He grabbed his radio again as Galacta Knight ran up to him, covered in snow.

"Magolor, where are you?"

"I-I'm with them! W-with the pirates!" was the answer as a surprised Galacta started the ship quickly.

"I'm with him, Sir," Blade's voice added, much to their surprise. "We got separated, don't worry about us, we're fine. Just get off the ground!"

"I'm doing it as fast as I can!" Galacta growled.

Through the main screen, Dragato saw the Ice Dragon look up at the sky almost quizzically yet angrily, roaring at the flying ships in rage. Then, it turned its large, scaly head toward them… and roared again, before quickly walking in their direction. Dragato's heart rate picked up at this sight.

"Galacta, do it quicker!" he urged the younger knight.

"There!" he exclaimed as the foreign ship finally obeyed his commands and pushed itself off the ground.

The Lor's oars moved quickly as Galacta clumsily dodged the gaping jaws of the Ice Dragon, who, roaring again in anger, screeched its frost breath in their direction. The ship's shields reacted at the icy touch, but protected them, and they found themselves hovering higher in the sky, out of reach of the titan demon-beast. They rejoined with Hailan's ship, now piloted by herself only. The Halberd was immobile in front of them, wings closed and all cannons aimed at the ground.

"Skwak!" they heard the captain's voice resonate through the Lor's main radio, having quickly found their frequency. "That was too close, lemme tell you that! Next time you wanna negotiate, how about at a nice restaurant or somethin'. Just above a damn Ice Dragon nest just ain't in my plans!"

The main screen was suddenly covered in noise and black dots; then, the same image of the Halberd's deck appeared, only this time, Meta Knight was standing, cape wrapped tightly around his form. His eyes had a strange mixture of red and golden and seemed to… flicker. He was angry, but remained calm and composed.

"Dragato," Meta Knight spoke clearly and darkly. "I have two more of your crew members here, but three others fell into the nest."

"Four," Hailan spoke up. "The Neon isn't here either. She must've been with them. Sir, allow me to go and search for the children. I will see them and find them just fine with my eyes."

"And let you go through an infested nest alone?" the elder Star Warrior answered. "No. Galacta, you're going with-"

"Please," Meta Knight cut him off, his tone almost amused. "Allow me to give you one of my men for this task. As proof of my… reliability. Mace," he spoke into his ship's radio, "go down to the cargo, you'll accompany Lady Hailan into the nest."

"Aye-aye, Sir, goin' there," came the answer with a rough, familiar accent.

Dragato resisted a sigh; yet, he had to admit, they had no other choice. They couldn't start separating into small teams like that. At least, he told himself, Blade and Magolor would see about their crew members taken hostage in the Halberd… He eventually simply nodded his head.

"Hailan," he spoke in the radio, "station the ship onto the Lor's deck, there should be enough space."

"Sir?"

"You'll go down there with one of Meta Knight's men, and once you have found the children, we'll rejoin in the town."

"I saw a tower at the center of the city," Meta Knight said. "There are no buildings around it, you should see it easily from a distance. Let us meet there at sunset."

Dragato nodded. As doubtful as he was of this man and his intentions, he seemed to have thought things through, unlike him. Dragato needed to change that; he was far from proud of himself.

"Got it," Hailan said. "I'm landing on the deck now."

As both Dragato and Galacta watched through a tab that had just appeared on the screen as the smaller ship slowly positioned itself above the Lor Starcutter, Meta Knight chuckled lightly.

"Now," he said. "About this 'collaboration' you spoke of… I must say I am genuinely interested in what you have to offer. How about we head to that tower and… negotiate, per your words? Dee could make us some fine tea, mmh?"

A small orange blur scurried off behind him, squealing in glee. Despite the glare he got from Galacta Knight, Dragato agreed.


The cold seeped through his body like he was made but of lace and bones. The young knight shivered as he raised his head from the bed of snow he was in. He was barely aware of how much his limbs were shaking; he could only feel the cold bite at his skin as it found its way under his clothes and armour and as it clung to his glassy bones. Bun looked around himself, past the frozen bangs of hair that clung to his face. He couldn't recognize where he was, but he knew he was far from where he should be. Shakily, Bun pushed himself off the snow and, hoisting himself against a nearby wall of ice, he watched his surroundings. He was high atop a ledge, high above what he could only call the largest pit he had ever seen. The labyrinth-like ravine spread in all directions, cut in sections by walls of ice sculpted by winds, freezing and slicing winds that chilled him to the bone. From where he stood, he could see most of the tunnels, ledges and pools that constituted this giant nest. There were piles of snow covered stones scattered all around, some rounded by age and others shaped like claws and ribcages sticking out of the walls.

When Bun heard rumbling sounds coming his way, his ears perked up and he quickly slid down from the ledge to the closest lower level, where he ducked behind a low wall of stone. To stop his shaking, he wrapped himself in his white cape, holding his breath. The ground shook, progressively more and more, and he heard a low, thundering growl as the heavy steps went past, slowly. When they went farther away, the young knight turned and looked over the rock wall, only to see the Ice Dragon's tail disappear as it slid away into another branch of the canyon. The steps echoed off the walls for a long time, but Bun didn't loose time listening to them; he quickly and quietly ran to the edge of the ledge and jumped to reach another one on the same level, one that had an outcropping where he would have a better view of the cavern. Keeping an eye on where the demon-beast had gone and listening to the vanishing steps, Bun looked around, up and down the walls, looking for a sign of life or movement.

His lips were itching to call for his friends, but his training told him it was most unwise, not with a beast like this lurking in these halls. Turning around, Bun slid down the outcropping back toward the wall, readying himself for the search for the others. He couldn't stay alone too long; neither could Kirby or Maëlle and the Neon. In the distance, he heard the roaring of engines, slowly vanishing away…


Magolor was shaking. He couldn't stop it. Couldn't control it. His hand was clenched over his chest, grasping at his collar while his other hand grasped his aching side, keeping his cape over it. This wasn't how he had planned things. This was far from how he had planned things. He wasn't supposed to be here! Not right now! He felt a hand on his shoulder from behind him and he whipped around, choking on a gasp. Blade took his hand away, surprised.

"Is everything alright, Magolor?" he asked in genuine worry. "You weren't injured?"

As soon as they had been separated from the others by the sudden attack, the Halcandran had followed the first familiar shape he had seen, but he found it hard to understand how he found himself in here. The pirates had no choice but to allow them in. Blade and himself were now following one of them, the one that held a trident strapped to his back. The strange machine that had been floating around was now hovering all around them, scanning them from feet to toe. Magolor felt naked under its mechanical gaze and only grasped his chest a bit tighter, shaking his head without thinking.

"I-I'm fine, j-just a bit shaken up, I guess… I-Is it really safe for us to be h-here?"

"No worry," the pirate at the front spoke with his heavy accent. "We ain't assholes, y'know. So long as you don't cause trouble, I ain't got a reason to hurt ya, floatin' dude. Same for you, knight. What're your names? They call me Trident."

The pirate turned his head to look at them, waving his hand. Blade only nodded his head, keeping his distance.

"Trident. We are well met. I'm Blade, and this is my friend Magolor. Thanks for your help out there, we wouldn't have made it to our ship in time otherwise."

"Heh, no problem."

They resumed walking, and Magolor didn't say a word, trying to calm his nerves instead. How Blade could keep his cool like this after they were almost stomped by a giant frost lizard was beyond him. His ears twitched when the pirate spoke again.

"Guess you guys wanna see ya friends, huh? You know, Miss Ribbon, that Az guy and that other knight."

"Other knight?" Blade suddenly sounded relieved. "You mean Sword?! Where is he?"

"He's ya bro, right?" Trident chuckled as they turned a corner and headed to an elevator. "Don't worry 'bout him, he's alive. Actually, he wouldn't be if we hadn't found him first. The guy's tough though, gotta admit that. Already itching to get out of bed. You'll see him later, Sir Meta Knight might wanna talk to you guys first."

Magolor's heart skipped a beat or two. Everything but that. He swallowed, grasping his side still, and pulled his collar higher up against his face, pushing his ears back. Hesitantly, he followed Blade into the elevator, still keeping behind the pirate, who turned toward them as the elevator went up. He crossed his arms and looked straight at him.

"Hey, chill, little dude," he said casually. "We ain't bitin'. 'Cept for those dragons though, just don't bother them."

He widened his eyes and backed away until he touched the vibrating wall.

"Dragons?!" he repeated. "What dragons?!"

The two knights stared at him quizzically, but still Trident answered:

"Two dragons we found, one Sir Meta Knight ordered we capture the other day on Neo Star when that dude's brother fell, and another a few days ago when we confronted you guys. What're they called again… Lundy…? Landia? Yeah, Landia. What's up with them? Scared o' lizards, little guy?"

Magolor started shaking again. This was very bad. Very, very bad. He shook his head, just as the elevator doors opened to another hallway. He clenched his eyes shut, already imagining these terrible beasts as they hovered above him, ready to unleash their fire breath on his small form… He shook his head again, raising his hands to grasp his hood and hold it down. Blade walked up to him and again put a hand on his shoulder, only this time the young Halcandran man didn't jump; he looked up at him, trying to hold his breath.

"Hey, don't worry," he said calmly. "Whatever is going on between you three, I'm sure we can sort it out. Come on, let's go meet with the others. You need to sit down a bit…"

Not with them here, Magolor thought angrily as he followed the two knights down the corridor. This was a terrible situation. If he could avoid Landia while he was here, everything would go his way, but if the dragon had told them everything, then it was already prone to failure. Hopefully this giant lizard had kept its tongue still as it usually did… If not, he knew what to do… even though he was reluctant to…

They walked further down the corridor, until they reached a metal door that quietly slid open when they neared it. Inside was a strange room, one that looked like a living room; there were sofas and tables, a fireplace lit up with warming crystals that gave a warm glow to the room, and the back of the room was completely covered in tall windows that allowed one to view the sky. From the sofas, Magolor saw someone stand; or rather, float. When the Halcandran saw the fairy, his breath was taken away. He had heard of her from Kirby. But he didn't expect her to be… like this. When he heard princess, he heard something completely different. The lovely young lady that floated toward them with a large smile stole his heart away when she came to gratefully shake their hands. She went to Blade first.

"Sir Blade!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad to see you!"

The knight took his helmet off his head, gracefully took her hand and bowed down, like a knight ought to do before royalty, holding the helmet under his arm. He smiled.

"And I am glad to see you are well, princess. When I heard about what happened to you, I feared for your life. But I see that I had no reason to worry."

She smiled and giggled lightly.

"We all thought falsely of these people," she said, holding a hand out to Trident, who greeted her with a nod. "They took very good care of us."

She turned her head to Magolor, who, when she did, lost his breath. He started shaking again, but for completely different reasons… His floating hands were twisting his cape almost nervously, and all thoughts of Landia and the Ice Dragon left him. She smiled kindly.

"Hello, Halcandran! I don't believe we have met," she said, holding her hand out to him. "I'm Ribbon, of Ripple Star! What's your name?"

He stared at her hand for a moment, at a loss for words.

"I-I'm… I… huh… M… M…"

He ended up mumbling his name, and he saw her elvish ears perk forward a bit. Her head slightly moved to the side.

"What?" she asked.

"…mmaholhor…"

"Jeez, kid," Trident said in a loud laugh. "Mumble louder, the lady can't hear ya!"

He swallowed again, suddenly feeling his face grow hot. What was wrong with him, he asked himself. He had never had trouble saying his name before!

"M-Magolor," he finally said with a nervous chuckle. "I-I'm Magolor… I-I'm a friend of Kirby's, h-he told me about you…"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Any friend of Kirby's is a friend of mine! It's great to meet you, Magolor!"

Blade looked around the room, noting how empty it was.

"Wasn't there someone else with you?" he asked. "Maëlle's father?"

"You just missed him," Ribbon answered. "He left a minute ago, I don't know where. Don't mind him if you see him and he's a bit… strange. He's been like this since we were taken here…"

"The guy's good though," Trident spoke, making Blade turn to him. "Guess meeting ya dead son'll do that to ya. You guys stay here, I'll go fetch da Lord."

Magolor didn't even see him leave the room; instead, he gladly followed the young fairy when she gestured for the both of them to come and sit on the sofas.

"You guys have a lot to tell me," she said, sitting down. "What happened down there?"

When Magolor sat down as well, he didn't feel relieved; he only felt more determined.


Maëlle was falling with a mountain of snow and broken ice shards. Screaming, she closed her eyes tightly and tried to hold on to her Neon friend, but she lost the sense of touch. Her heart heaved painfully in her chest as she went down a long tunnel of ice, hitting walls and sliding against rough stone. Her cape suddenly stuck on a producing stone bone, halting her fall, but only briefly; her cape detached itself from her clothes and she fell again, spinning in another direction. She lost her voice and only managed to cough and yelp each time she hit something. Finally, her skin screeched when it came into contact with a freezing liquid, and she choked on water. For a moment, her light body was dragged down into the waters by her wet clothes, but her instincts suddenly weighted in, making her kick her legs with force. She moved her stubby arms in all directions, hoping it would get her out of there. She slowly escaped the darkness of the still waters and neared the light of the surface; finally, she emerged, gasping for breath. She paddled clumsily toward the closest platform she could see and threw herself forward, digging her stubby arms in the stones and rollers that gathered there. She painfully pulled herself away from the cold waters and slowly crawled her way up the bank, everything to get away from this cold. But it would not leave her be, and she realized quickly that she was shivering like mad.

'So cold,' she thought helplessly. 'So cold…!'

"B-b-b… b-Bun…?" she called weakly, lifting her pale face up to look around herself. "K-k… Kirrrb-by? L-l-luka…!..."

Her face fell back down; she managed to roll in on herself, trying to conserve the little warmth she had left. She couldn't feel her skin and she couldn't stop shivering. It had never happened to her; she had always lived on Neo Star, in a jungle where it never snowed. She had never once been cold; she felt like she was just going to break into tiny shards. She cried; her tears stung her frozen face.

"P-p-papa…," she sobbed, hiding her face in her arms. "H-help me, papa… mama… La-andy…"

Her head felt light. Her eyes were closed and refused to open, like her eyelids were fused together. Before she could faint, however, she heard a noise… Shuffling near her, steps in the stones. A low grunt, followed by a female voice, rough and filled with growls and whistles.

"Maëlle… We know this one… Let us warm you, child…"


Hailan watched the ships leave with a strange feeling in her heart, one she couldn't really explain. She felt both saddened and relieved to see them leave, especially the battleship.

"Well then, sweetie," a rough voice spoke behind her, "guess we're hafta work together, eh? How 'bout a fresh start, yes?"

She turned her gaze to the pirate that had just joined her in the snow. They were both a good distance away from the nest, and she was glad to see that the Ice Dragon seemed to have retreated back into its cave. She had put on an armour specific to this star, one she had planned on using during this trip; instead of her usual blue clothes and dark armour, she was now dressed in white, from feet to head, with warm fur lining her collar and shoulder pads. With goggles down to her collar, she stared at the pirate, who was dressed similarly with fur and warm armour. He still had his mace attached to his back, along with other weaponry strapped to his sides. She crossed her arms and raised her face, looking as dignified as her bad mood allowed her.

"If a fresh start is what you want," she answered, "you will refer to me by my full title. I do not take too kindly to being called 'sweetie', thank you very much."

"Oh, so sorry, lady!" the pirate laughed as he faked a low bow. "'Course I'll refer to you by ya full title thingy. What do I have to call this pretty face, Miss?"

Keeping her face raised, she stiffened a chuckle and forced her lips to stick to a simple line. She kept her composure.

"Lady Hailany'ma Uhanga is my full name," she said simply. "You may refer to me as Lady Hailan. I believe you are called Mace, correct?"

"You got it, sweetie," the pirate said, straightening himself up. "Oh, sorry. Lady Hailan. Imma be sure to keep that in mind. So, how 'bout we forget what happened in the volcano and dive in this here nest, mh? Hope you like hunting Ice Dragons, sweetie!"

"Can't say I've had much of a chance to hunt some," she said as they both headed toward the nest. "Let's just hope we won't have to face this one, I'd rather not have any frozen limbs."

"I feel ya, Lady."

Upon nearing the giant pit that separated the land, they both ducked on the ledge and looked down into the ravine. Mace whistled.

"That is one giant hole, I tell ya."

Hailan squinted her eyes, trying to detect any form of life that could potentially be the young'uns. Among the whiteness of the cave, she saw a few moving life-forms, distant lights that moved under the ground in different directions. They were but specks of light; she was unable to tell them apart. She groaned.

"Let's go in," she said. "I need to get closer to find them. I fear they may have went separate ways."

"Right behind ya."

The mercenary and the ninja both found the nearest ledge and jumped down, thus beginning their search for their missing crew mates. The snow storm was only beginning…


He was in a strange place. Staring up at a clear, blue sky, he felt nothing. His body was almost nonexistent, and his mind was covered in a deep fog. He was vaguely aware of a distant pain in his chest, but paid no mind to it. The sound of water danced in his ears; what beautiful music it played! Soft, slow tunes, overlapping in waves of bliss. He didn't want it to end. But he blinked, and he found himself atrociously aware of his body. A corpse. He was back to being a corpse. His heart beat weakly in his chest; moving his eyes downward, he could see the tip of a golden hilt producing out of it.

"Oh no… You're definitely not okay… Uh, don't move! I'll, uh, bring you home! Oh gods, is that a sword?! Don't panic Dee, it's fine! You can do it! Just… hold on!"

He blinked again. And he found himself standing, feet halfway covered by moving, warm and transparent waves, streaked with red stripes. Slowly, he turned around, and faced the island he had washed upon. He could feel his blood drip down his body, to his feet, and to the sand underneath. There stood the Waddle Dee, frozen in his tracks; he was holding a strange, hand-made stretcher made of large leaves and roots. The small creature shook in place.

"H-how can you..! How can you stand! H-hey, wait!"

He stepped forward and fell again. Into the Silence and the Darkness.

He suddenly gasped for breath, waking up from a terrible nightmare. Whispers and echoes of voices resounded in his skull, made his heart palpitate in his chest, pumping against his ribcage. He lay there, in his bed, out of breath, for a long moment, until a warm hand on his arm rubbed him and eventually managed to calm him.

"Another nightmare…?"

A body pressed against his, enveloping him in blissful warmth and comfort. He closed his eyes, letting himself relax under this gentle touch.

"Yes… I apologize if I woke you…"

"It's fine," the voice answered softly, now closer to his ear.

Her breath was doubly warm on his face and he smiled, grateful.

"I wasn't asleep anyway," it continued. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head softly.

"No, there's no need. It's always the same thing. Don't worry about it."

"Meta, please. If I don't worry about you, you won't even try to think about yourself. Just let me worry. You continue being you."

He chuckled, lightly, before slightly turning his head toward her. He rubbed his nose against hers, eliciting a small giggle from her. He felt her lips press gently against his, in a soft and chaste kiss that made him forget everything about his nightmare. He opened his eyes, and their gazes met. Her own eyes, gold like honey, were a blessing to him; a guiding light in the darkness that invaded him. They were there to free him of this darkness, the one that came from his own thoughts, his own dreams, his own world. He caressed her cheek, forever grateful for her presence.

"Thank you, Hailany…"


Kirby was terribly confused when he opened his eyes. Slowly at first, he blinked multiple times, confused as to where he was, as to what he had seen, as to what had happened prior to that. Why was he here? Where was this here? Carefully, he slid his arms under his body and pushed himself slightly off the ground, but stopped immediately. He was suddenly aware of a head splitting headache that made his heart thump against his skull, making him feel dizzy. For a moment, he remained there, trying to even his breath, when he realized he was terribly cold. Moving his body slowly, he sat on his rear, holding his white cape around himself to try and warm up. He was covered in snow and had to shake it off, shivering madly. Hugging himself, he looked up, breathing heavily to get his blood to run, and observed his surroundings, confused.

He was in a small cavern of sorts, surrounded by slick and curved walls of sculpted ice. The cavern was cylindrical, like a tunnel that led further away into the underground. Above him, Kirby could see where he had come from; there was a hole of broken ice, probably where he had traversed from above. It was hard to say how far below the surface he was… But in this place, he could hear nothing. Passed his first confusion, Kirby found himself… calm. He still felt like someone was there, hugging him in warm and loving arms… He closed his eyes a moment, a small smile finding its way to his lips at the memory. This person had never truly left him, and that thought alone brought him peace. He opened his eyes again when he heard a noise. It was like a voice, calling from down the tunnel of ice. There was a light coming from the other room on the other side… and like a fly attracted to a light post, Kirby stood up and walked toward it. He wasn't shivering anymore; he was in fact barely aware of his own body. He felt like he was but a dream… fleeting toward awakening… The voices were clearer… They were calling…

"Meta…!"

"Meta…!

"Kir-"

"Meta…!"

"Kirby…!"

The two names repeated themselves, each time closer to each other, each time one sounding more like the other, like they didn't matter. The person in the other room was calling but for one person. The two names were mixed together…

"Meta!"

"Kirby!"

"Where are you, sweetie? Dinner's ready!"

He walked closer… Rain echoed in his ears.

"Oh stars! Meta, Kirby, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it! N-n-no, don't die on me! Come on, hold on! It was an accident! It was an accident…!"

The rain stopped, and music followed; joyful music, the one he would hear in times of peace. The room was just there…

"Alright, one last tankard and then I'm done! Don't give me that look, you should relax too! Sit down, sing, Meta, Kirby! Aw, come on, I know you can sing! You can't hide these things from me, little mister! Not in a million years, haha!"

Kirby entered the next cavern, and found himself on a hill. The sky was blue, stripped with a few puffy, white clouds. The air was warm, and it felt just like home. On the top of the hill, there was a tree. And under the tree, was him. Blue skin, pink skin, purple feet, red feet, white eyes, blue eyes. They were all the same. The look he saw was the same. The child was reading a book, his favourite one, about the story of a great Star Warrior of old and his many adventures.

When he stepped closer, the hill vanished, replaced once more by the ice cave. The cavern was somewhat large and offered many layers of icy steps that headed in multiple directions, all in different, smaller tunnels. Walking forward, Kirby listened intently. He heard another voice, distant and echoing through the caves. It came from his left. He immediately turned and headed there, almost excited.

"Look at this child," the voice said. "Such promises! We'll be rid of Nightmare in no time!"

"Meta doesn't want to fight…"

"Kirby doesn't want to battle…"

"Meta, Kirby hates the sight of blood…"

"They say the GSA's leader herself came to meet him the other day. He said he would go!"

"Oh, such promises! Our Last Hope!"

He entered another dream, and stood in a wide and tall room, a hangar of sorts. In the middle of a crowd of taller people and surrounded by ships ten times his size, he saw himself, with a small backpack on his back, looking around himself in confusion and almost fear. The memory faded, and he found himself in another cave, a smaller one, with only one way to go. Stepping into another room, he heard other voices.

"Hey there! My name's Jecra. I was told we were gonna work together. You're Meta, Kirby, right? …Uh, not the talking type, eh?"

The room he was in now was massive; like a throne room, lined with columns and filled with the heavy smell of incense. Ribbons and colourful silky cloths were hanging from the ceiling in a pattern that made him dream, like a sunset was spread out in the whole room. The throne room was filled with people of a strange, bipedal species, like insects. Before a large throne on which sat the Queen of this land, kneeled a commander, behind whom kneeled himself and few other soldiers. He saw himself look up, and Kirby's eyes saw immediately what caught his attention. On the side of a column, among other maids and servants, stood a Kiridan hybrid. She was dressed formally with silk and jewels. Her golden, honeyed eyes were looking at him. Both he and himself smiled, and she smiled back, shyly. He heard her voice in another memory, but didn't understand a word she said. The incense-filled room vanished, and for a moment, only he and the maid stood, in the swirling waters of memories. They were both washed away, and Kirby brutally came back to his body. Breathing heavily, he ran, from cavern to cavern.

He saw himself, with friends, enjoying the peaceful aftermath of a battle.

He saw himself, alone with his tranquility, in a library.

He saw himself, secretly eating sweets and enjoying himself.

He saw himself, saluting his leaders as he received a medal before a crowd.

He saw himself, slowly loosing his smile, with new scars.

He saw himself, locked in a fierce battle with a demon-beast.

He saw himself, sitting alone at the command of his ship…

He saw himself, in a battlefield, under the rain. He inhaled, ready to find an ability in an object he had seen. A grenade flew at him, and the memory faded in an instant. Only cries and sobs came to him.

"I-I'm so sorry… Please, don't die… Oh Nova, forgive me!"

He saw himself, suspended in darkness…

He saw himself… alone… covered in horrid scars… broken…

"I knew you wouldn't believe me. I can show you. Do you want to see the future? Or the past? Or maybe both?"

He chose both. He remembered. He remembered everything. He could see the future, he could see himself, drowning, and he could see the past; he could see… a strange child. Standing alone in darkness. It stared at him, with its one eye opened. The other was bleeding. The child smiled. And he returned to the present, in an icy cave.

Shivering, Kirby wandered to another one, feet trailing on the ice. Before he could reach the other room, he heard voices again.

"What's his name?"

"…Kirby. His name is Kirby."

He entered the memory. He saw Meta Knight. He saw his other half… He was sitting in an armchair in front of a window, one that allowed him to view the closest nebula. In his arms, asleep, was Kirby. A small child, barely the size of a newborn, sleeping with its tiny hands wrapped around his elder's cheek. Meta Knight's distorted face was at peace, yet… appeared sad. Kirby saw two forms appear, one a tall, blonde man, and the other, a small, round lady. It was Jecra who spoke first.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"We could hide him," the lady said. "We could take care of him…"

"No," Meta Knight said, unmoving as he watched Kirby sleep. "He's not safe here… I know what will happen to this place… I know what will happen to him… He must leave. I've already started to work on an hibernation cradle that'll take him far away from here."

"Meta, please…"

"Stop… calling me like that. Meta is dead."

"That's bullshit like I've never heard it."

"You wouldn't understand…"

Jecra's form disappeared, fading like mist into the memory. Only the lady remained. Her eyes were hurt, staring down. Kirby felt a pain in his chest, seeing her like this. Meta Knight held out a hand and touched her cheek, trying to get her to look at him. He couldn't smile.

"I'm… sorry I said that…"

"It's alright… You've been acting strange since… you came back. But none of what you say will change anything between us, Meta. Whatever your name is now, whoever this Kirby is… I still and will always stand by your side."

She faded as well. Meta Knight was now standing, with Kirby in his arms. He slightly rocked his arms back and forth, making the child giggle and hold out his paws to touch and feel his face. Kirby saw his elder give him an object… a Warp Star.

"Maybe one day… we'll be complete. Maybe one day, you'll understand… Be the light this Universe needs, Kirby… and let me be its darkness. If you're lucky, you'll grow far away from war and pain. If you're lucky, you'll live a long and prosperous life. Just… don't make the same mistakes I did. I know you won't. Maybe we will see each other again… Heh, don't give me that look… We will meet again, Kirby. I promise. Good-bye, my child. Sleep well."

They both vanished, leaving the young Star Warrior alone, in this swirling mist of memories and voices. Fifty thousand years of memories. Fifty thousand years of war, friendships, anger, fear, joy and love, restored in an instant.

When Kirby stepped forward, he jumped into another memory. He walked through a door made of long, dried leaves, into a room dimly lit by a candle and the light of the setting sun piercing through the window. The cabin was small, wooden walls traversed here and there by the branches of the tree it had been built in. There were very few furniture inside… but the only one that got his attention, was the bed of moss and leaves that was in the corner. On it, was Meta Knight. His armour lay next to him, neatly placed against the wall next to a bloody Galaxia. Blood drops were everywhere on the floor, apparently impossible to clean. The knight was covered in bandages made of strange, long leaves, but they were barely able to hide the reddened skin underneath. He wasn't asleep; his white, tired eyes were looking at an object in his hand. Back held against the pillow, his wings were fanned out on either side of him, immobile. Kirby walked closer. He knew what it was he was holding. It was a brooch. On it, the ornamental flower bud, made of various crystals and rare stones, hadn't bloomed. Meta Knight sighed and slowly blinked, rubbing the bud with his thumb.

"Soon…," he murmured. "Soon… I'll be out of here… Once this darkness which chains me is gone, I'll find you… wherever you are…"

His head slowly lifted… and he looked straight at him. Not through him. Their eyes met.

"Kirby… I can feel your sadness… No more tears… for the both of us. Remember… what I said… We will meet again… but not now. I do not wish to hurt you… I am a traitor… a deserter… a demon-beast… I've always been… Please, stop crying…"

He closed his eyes, infinitely tired… Kirby closed his own eyes as well… And when he opened them, he was back in the cave, surrounded not by a cabin in a tree, but by walls of ice. Breathless, Kirby slid against a wall until he was sitting, holding his hands on the ice to try and feel them again. Fifty thousand years of memory had just been restored to him. And he found it hard to believe all that he was understanding; about Meta Knight, about himself, and about the Dark matter… He laughed. A firm chuckle at first that evolved into a full-hearted laugh. He held his heart. At that moment, Kirby was truly happy.

"No more tears… Alright… Hehehe! No more… I'm coming to find you, Meta Knight… Just you watch! Hahaha! Same for you, Zero! Watch me light up that darkness of yours!"