Chapter 38: Hatred and Emptiness

It had started with a twinge of pain.

When the red-capped boy claimed his first Sanctuary, the resulting pulse of psychic energy rippled through time and space, finding its way to Giygas. He felt the boy's power increase, and the sensation burned in his mind for just a moment. Confined as he was, there was nothing he could do to impede his enemy's progress but relay orders to his subordinates from a distance.

The boy- Ness- then reached his second Sanctuary. Then his third. And then his forth. With each place he claimed, his power was channeled through the Earth. The stronger his potential became, the more pain Giygas suffered. His perception of reality began to warp, flashes of his past and the tormenting memories biting into him at such a rate that not even the Devil's Machine housing his steadily breaking mind could keep them at bay.

"Maria…"

His mother's face was the only thing he held onto even as his sanity splintered apart. If he concentrated hard enough, for a few precious moments he could almost see her warm smile, feel the gentle embrace she would hold him in when he was barely a tenth her size. She was forced to raise him, he later realized, but not once did she ever seem unhappy. Her loving care for Giygas remained in his memories for his entire life, even when he was tasked with invading Earth to stop her husband from threatening his race.

George and Maria, his family, also proved to be the source of all his anguish, many years later. His plans came to a halt at the hands of a young child in a red cap, the great-grandson of those two. It was he who'd begun Giygas's downward spiral into madness a decade earlier. He, that wretched human...

What was that boy's name again? He couldn't remember. The name was lost to him when he finally had a chance to attack Ness himself. Pokey had arranged to make him vulnerable, and Giygas confronted him using the body of... someone. It was such a recent event, and yet the pain he felt during it bored a deeper hole in what remained of his mind. He'd been defeated once again, forced to retreat for a second time. This loss had taken with it yet another sizeable chunk of his dwindling sanity.

And now, Ness had claimed a fifth sanctuary. Agonizing pain tore through Giygas, wiping away his thoughts of world domination and revenge on that boy from years ago. He didn't care about his people, or his home planet, or the memories of Maria. The Devil's Machine groaned around him at his surge of anger, feeding off his pain as Ness grew stronger. His mind was nearly gone, there was nothing left for him anywhere.

Nothing but his all-consuming hatred for this new boy in a red cap.

"Prince Poo! Answer me!"

His eyes shot open and he slumped forward, resting his hands on his knees where he sat. An aged man with tanned skin stood before him, his wrinkled face contorted into a frown. Like the Prince himself, he wore simple white robes which hung loosely around his arms.

"Are you all right? What did your vision show you?"

He wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead.

"Darkness, Master. I sensed a great evil stirring somewhere out of reach. Do you feel it too?"

The older man nodded.

"I do. This world is in grave danger, young Prince. It is time for you to complete your training so that you may help defend it."

He stood up from his red-cushioned throne and stretched his legs out.

"I'll prepare myself immediately, Master. What do I have to do?"

"Your final test is upon you. Go forth and meditate at the place of emptiness. Only then will you be ready."

Poo gave him a bow before stepping down from the throne's pedestal and setting off. The golden allure of his palace's rooms and corridors did nothing to distract him from what needed to be done. Such luxuries, he had long since learned, were worthless to a ruler who was unable to protect his people. With the completion of this last task, he would be ready to lead the eastern kingdom of Dalaam through the dark times ahead.

The weather couldn't have been better suited for the occasion. In the early morning sun, the Prince's domain glowed before his eyes. Soft pink clouds hovered all around him, coating the mountaintop landscape with a refreshing coolness. Just walking down the hill from his palace gave Poo an assured feeling. Citizens passed him by on the path, greeting him and sending well-wishes his way like normal. He would always respond with a smile and wave, but not say anything more. Today, his focus was on his final task. All his years of training had hardened him for this moment, and he would succeed no matter what it cost him.

At the lowest point of the path he came to a branch in his route. To his right was a sacred cave, only accessible for those deemed worthy by the spirits of his ancestors. To his left was his destination: the place of emptiness, a spire-like rock formation where Dalaam's sages frequently meditated. It was here that his training would come to an end.

"This is it. On my honor, nothing will stop me."

Another old man waited in front of the place of emptiness, clutching a wooden cane in his spindly arms. He was dressed in worn, ragged gray robes, stroking his bushy mustache with a thoughtful hum as Poo approached. They bowed to one another.

"Welcome, young Prince. Have you come to seek enlightenment?"

"I have. This is Mu, correct?"

The sage cracked a smile.

"Right you are. Mu, the place of emptiness. At its peak you will endure Mu Training, and should you succeed then you will be ready to protect the Earth. Your mind must be cleared of all disruptions, Prince Poo. Are you ready?"

"Yes. I accept this challenge."

"Ho ho! A challenge, you say? I can see your fiery spirit in your eyes… very well, proceed."

Stepping aside, the old man gestured to a rope hanging down from Mu's top. Poo took one final moment to brace himself before climbing up it. He sat cross-legged at the peak and closed his eyes, feeling the world slip away into emptiness.

"I'm ready."

Through the low, droning hum which had overtaken all sound, he could hear a deep voice.

"Poo… I am the embodiment of your lineage, the spirits of Dalaam's rulers fused into a single being. You have come to this place seeking Mu Training. Here, you will experience emptiness. Your life shall be rendered empty as well. Do you accept your fate?"

He nodded his head, though his heart rate had increased very slightly.

"Then let us begin. Open your eyes so that I may see the future King of Dalaam's resolve."

Everything was pitch black around Poo, other than the white outline of a bearded, stern face. The apparition was bald except for a long ponytail, much like his own.

"First, I will break your legs," it said. "You will lose the use of them. Without the ability to walk, will you continue onwards?"

His throat tightened, but he remained steadfast.

"I will! Even if I have to drag myself along the ground, I won't let any harm come to my people!"

A strangled cry escaped his lips when he felt both of his legs snap at the knees simultaneously. Poo dropped to his rear end in shock, his mouth still half open.

"Well said. The fate of Dalaam is in your hands, young Prince. Will you protect it even without the use of those hands?"

Straining to ignore the agony in his legs, he shouted back at the spirit.

"I… I will! My hands may break, but my resolve-"

First he realized that he could no longer feel his hands. Then the pain of sporting two stumps just below the shoulders overtook him. A ragged scream tore from his throat as his vision blurred.

"You assumed I would break them? I did more than that, as you can see. Now, your legs are shattered and your arms have been removed. A true ruler must adapt when situations do not result as he anticipated."

Poo had fallen onto his back, unable to push himself upright without hands. The spectral face loomed over him, almost smirking.

"Young Prince, you are losing a significant amount of blood. Does this not concern you?"

"I… am not afraid…" he somehow managed to croak out.

"Impressive," it grunted. "Very well, let us continue. Next, I will remove your ears. Can you say with confidence that you will listen to the needs of Dalaam's people even while deaf?"

Every nerve in his body was on fire, but still he nodded, gritting his teeth in anticipation for what would come next.

"Prove it."

The hellish agony reached both sides of his head, and again he screamed. He couldn't hear himself, no matter how loudly he cried out. If the spirit was saying anything, it too was lost in the abyssal silence. His vision flashed red before him, and he felt his own blood pooling around his ruined body. He didn't know how he was still alive, but that was the least of his concerns.

"Your legs, your arms, and now your ears have been lost…"

A series of words floated before his face, emanating from the spirit's mouth.

"This is the means by which I must communicate with you. Having suffered so much already, do you care for the loss of your eyes as well? Does the thought of eternal darkness frighten you, Prince? Without eyes, without ears, you will not be aware of what occurs in your kingdom. Do you still believe you can protect Dalaam?"

He felt his mouth move, weakly groaning "yes," but he couldn't tell if he was actually saying anything.

"Hmhmhm. Let us find out."

Poo didn't see it coming, or indeed see anything. The world had vanished altogether, replaced by the worst pain yet. He was on his back, completely helpless before the spirit and unable to tell what was going on around him. His life, stripped away piece by piece, was swiftly coming to a close in the most torturous method possible.

"You have reached the end. Your legs, your arms, your ears, and your eyes are useless now. Mu, emptiness, has found its way to you- for you are nothing, Prince. Your mind, the one lingering aspect of your ruined self, will soon fade as well."

He could neither hear the spirit nor see its words floating in the air. It was speaking directly into his head, its booming voice more forceful than his decreasing heartbeat.

"Are you afraid? Are you sad? Lonely? With the destruction of your mind, you will lose all of these sensations. Shall I take that as well, Prince Poo?"

The urge to speak found its way past the suffering he'd experienced, and he felt words come to his lips.

"No."

"…no?"

He wasn't sure if he was speaking in a whisper or shouting as loud as he could, but either way he knew the spirit could hear him.

"My body is gone, but Dalaam needs my leadership- just as I need the support of my people. The physical form is only a shell and may be destroyed, yet the mind and soul of a determined ruler will never truly die. For the good of my kingdom, and for all those who look to me as their leader, I won't let my mind be lost."

Everything was quiet as he finally succumbed to blood loss, his consciousness blurring until it was snuffed out altogether.

"…wisely spoken. You have completed your training."

And then he was sitting cross-legged again, squinting to open his eyes in the sudden brightness on his face. The sky, still a deep blue, stretched for as far as he could see. His legs weren't broken, his arms remained attached to his body, and the gentle sound of the wind reached his ears.