You know the drill by now. Let's just jump straight into it.

Chapter 43

The Bonds that Tie us

I pulled back the tent flap and walked inside, expecting just to lie down quietly. Instead, I was met by a dozen or so people, all sat around laughing and smiling. Well, Nightmare wasn't laughing. He was sat in the corner, watching with a look of mild amusement at best.

"Ah, there he is!" Lord Grant smiled brightly, walking over to me and wrapping an arm around my neck. "The crazy son of a gun!" He pulled me over to a chair and sat me down. I felt a rush of embarrassment hit me as several eyes fell upon me.

I looked up at Lord Grant, frowning a little. "What have you been telling them?"

"About how you argued with Deusolbert." Eugeo sighed a little.

"Sept always exaggerates these stories, especially when he's had a few drinks." Golgorosso laughed.

I let out a sigh. "All I did was tell him how I felt. I mean, look at Ishkan. He's now working with us because we talked." I leaned back a little in the chair. "I don't think peace with the Dark Territory is impossible. And I hope everyone will begin to see that once we're fighting alongside the Pugilists…including the people of the Dark Territory."

Kirito let a small smile slip. "I don't think it is either. After all, there's not much difference between the people of the Human Empire and the Dark Territory."

Eugeo nodded, looking down at the ground. "Both sides have their good and ugly sides. The Human Empire has several corrupt nobles who abuse their power."

"It's so weird…" Tiese said, smiling a little. "We've been taught that the Dark Territory is full of monsters who only want to kill us."

Kirito began drawing in the dirt with a stick. "To them, we're the monsters. Both sides are taught to hate and fear the other side of the Gate. It's all the make this Final Stress Test possible…to make A.L.I.C.E and finish this world."

"I don't like how you phrased that…" Sortiliena gave him a nervous smile.

I shook my head. "This world will never be finished… I wouldn't allow it." Everyone except Kirito and Nightmare looked at me in surprise. I looked at my blackened hand, slowly curling the fingers into a fist. "I…I made a vow to someone once… That I would protect everyone in my sight for as long as I lived…because…" Tears threatened to sting my eyes, so I cut that short. "I want to protect everyone I can in Underworld. So I'll never let anyone try and harm it."

Everyone remained quiet for a few moments, then a small giggle came from behind me. I turned to see Holly standing there, tears in her eyes, but a huge smile on her lips. "You were right…you haven't forgotten his dream…"

I gave her a sad smile. "I would never…"

Nightmare sighed, getting up. He headed out the other side of the tent. Several of us escorted him with our gaze, but no one said anything to stop him. I hesitated before standing up, giving Holly my seat. "Good luck." She gave me a smile.

"I'll need it." I followed Nightmare's path.

He was stood at the edge of the moon barrier that separated us and the Emperor's barge. I approached him, but stopped a small distance away, not wanting to disturb his thoughts. Despite that, he turned slightly towards me, showing me the scar that I had left when I sent my sword through his right eye. "Shouldn't you be spending time with your fiancé?"

I walked up to him, standing by his side. "Shouldn't you be out of Infinity?"

He let out a small sigh, looking up at the stars. "There's nothing for me back there now. And even if there was, my real body is dead. I am part of Infinity now. The same as this world." He kicked a loose rock towards the barrier. It bounced off it, flying towards him. He caught it easily and started throwing it, like it was a tennis ball bouncing off a wall and catching it.

I looked down. "There were people waiting for you to go home Garret…"

"And that's another thing that's been bothering me…" He continued throwing the rock, slowly increasing the force he was throwing it with. "Did my father tell you my name?"

I gave him a sad smile. "No… It was Cocoa…"

He froze, the rock bouncing off his chestplate. "What?"

"It was Cocoa. She was the one to send me into Infinity to save you…"

He looked me in the eyes, as if to try and decern if I was lying. I just looked back into those dark green eyes. They looked…scared. Scared that I was telling the truth. I felt bad knowing it was the truth…knowing everything he had gone through and believing that Cocoa didn't even know his name, when in reality, he was the person who kept her going, and regretted not being strong enough to stop him from doing so many terrible things…all for her.

After a few moments of staring, tears formed in his eyes. "H-how…? She never…" A few of those tears dropped.

"Cocoa always knew everything you did for her…but she never knew how to say thank you." I hesitated for a moment, before gently placing my hand on his shoulder. "I…I wish I could've told you sooner…"

Some more tears dropped from his eyes, his forehead coming to rest on my shoulder. It felt strange. The last time I properly saw him, we were fighting. Him to destroy Infinity and me to protect it, him to protect Cocoa and me to protect him. Now I was comforting him. It was this moment…he was no longer Nightmare to me… Just Garret, the person behind the mask, the real person who always was under that armour.

I gently patted his back. After a few moments, he stood up straight, sighing a little. "That annoys me…"

"What does?" I gave him an amused look.

"Being weak in front of you of all people."

"Garret…just because we've fought each other doesn't mean we can't move past that." I looked him in the eyes. "You came here…even though you could die…"

"So did you."

I looked to see Leafa standing there. She walked up to both of us, trying to smile, but her eyes betrayed her sadness and fear. "What do you mean?" I looked at her, frowning a little.

"I…I didn't want to hide this from you…even though Holly wanted to." She looked down. "Anyone who is entering Underworld through a Soul Translator could die if they lose all their HP."

Garret frowned a little. "What do you mean?"

"Something happened to them when the Ocean Turtle lost its power. I would be fine, because Terraria has high regeneration…but…" Her eyes became wet. "…you, Kirito and Holly…you could all die…"

I stared at her for a moment, frozen in fear. "That means…"

"It's The Land Beyond all over again…" Garret finished for me.

I gripped my forearm, squeezing it a little. For a moment, I let fear take over my mind. But I wasn't the same person as I was back then. "No…it's not…" I looked at Garret and Leafa. "No one is going to die. My vow to protect Underworld isn't just meant for the people of this world. I'll keep you all safe too."

Garret shook his head. "You can't promise that. This is war."

"I don't care if it's war or a pillow fight."

A few moments of silence passed before Leafa burst out laughing. We both looked at her, confused. "Sorry, it's just…it's such a strange example to use." She wiped her eyes, smiling. "Don't worry Light, I feel the same way as you. I'll help protect everyone, because that's what my brother wants too."

Garret nodded a little. "It would be boring to live in a ruined world. And…I need to find some way to talk to Cocoa…tell her how sorry I am…"

I just smiled. I was glad Garret and I were finally working together towards a common goal. It felt good…after all the pain and suffering we had caused each other. I gently took both of their hands and pulled them back towards the tent.

Everyone inside was smiling again as Lord Grant was telling stories of the battle. I sat next to Holly. Garret finally joined the circle, pulling a chair next to me. Holly looked at me in surprise, questioning me with her gaze. I smiled a little, saving the questions for later.

For about two hours, it was just smiles and laughter. I found myself with a book in my lap, helping Luna revise her Fencing Stances, and for some reason, Tiese and Ronye joined in. The three of them seemed to get on really well. Leafa was keeping Kimiko, Kirito and Eugeo fascinated by sprouting flowers inside the tent out of nothing. And Lord Grant was keeping everyone else entertained with his stories. I began to wonder if he would make a good bard with how he twisted the stories of war into epic tales of heroism.

By the end of the evening, Bercouli finally came back with Alice. Everyone fell silent immediately. "I've organised a team to go into the Dark Territory." He looked around the room. "Obviously, we want Holly to get there as soon as possible in the morning, before the sun rises. That will maintain the barrier between the Dark Territory's remaining forces and our supply unit. However, I do wish the barrier to be opened slightly, so we can filter the enemy through and whittle down their forces, so less will come after you." He looked around the group. "Kirito and Eugeo, you both will be joining Sheyta and Ishkan on the forward guard and lead the way to the World's End Altar. Light and Holly, you'll be flying with Leafa and Renly in the rear guard. Alice will be in the centre of us."

"You're not going with them commander?" Lord Grant asked.

Bercouli shook his head. "My mind needs time to rest. It will be best for me to remain on the defensive with you all rather than having to think on my feet in an offensive."

I looked over to Kimiko and Luna. Luna had a look of worry on her face, while Kimiko looked hurt. I moved my head to tell her to come outside with me. She did so, and as soon as we were outside, I looked her in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…I feel like I've been replaced…" She looked down. "This Holly…did you become friends with me just because I reminded you of her…?" She seemed afraid of the answer.

I put my finger under her chin, making her look into my eyes. "Kimiko…no matter how similar you look to anyone, you are your own person, with your own unique soul. Don't ever say you've been replaced by anyone, because no one could replace you." I took her hand in mine. "Besides, the memories you and I share…they're ours. No one else can have those memories."

She gave me a sad smile. "Then why…since she's appeared…you've barely even looked at me… You only looked at her…" A few tears dropped from her eyes.

I pulled her into a hug. "I hadn't seen Holly in several years…" I began to think. "How about once I get back from the World's End Altar, you and I go back to Vetal? Just the two of us."

Kimiko's eyes met mine, a small glimmer of hope in them. "You would really do that?"

"Of course." I smiled at her. "I still want to spend time with you. After all…you were my best friend…"

Fresh tears dropped from her eyes, but they had the same sparkle of joy that her eyes wore. "It…makes me so happy to hear you say that…"

Somewhere deep in my soul, I felt a warmth, almost like the other Light was still there, beaming with joy at me saying that for him, like he regretted never saying it. I let out a sigh of happiness, putting my hands on Kimiko's shoulders and holding her at arm's length. "Now, let's get some rest. We all need our energy for tomorrow."

"Yeah." She smiled. "By the way, I don't think anyone told you, but we're all sharing the same tent tonight."

I froze for a moment and sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to get comfy…" I let her lead me back inside.

Already, Kirito and Eugeo was asleep in a corner. Kirito was using Eugeo's arm as a pillow, while his other arm was occupied by Tiese. Ronye was snuggled close to Kirito's side, while Leafa held his hand, falling asleep. Lord Grant seemed content with sleeping in a chair, his head leaned back and snoring, his fingers barely keeping a bottle in his hand. Golgorosso seemed to be taking bets on how long he would hold on to it.

I looked over to Holly and Garret. They seemed to have made a space which Holly prompted me to sit in. I walked over, sitting down between them. Kimiko and Luna lay down there too, Luna claiming my stomach as a pillow. Kimiko just lay down beside me, next to Garret. I gently wrapped an arm around Holly, and she used my arm as a pillow.

A few minutes of silence passed. I stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take over. Unfortunately, it didn't want to come quickly. I could hear Kimiko and Luna's soft breathing, confirming that they had managed to fall asleep.

"Light?" Holly's voice come from my left. I looked to see her sapphire eyes staring at me in the darkness. "Um…I want to ask you a favour…?"

"What is it?"

She raised her hand, her gauntlets removed. On her left ring finger was a silver ring with a ruby in its frame. I recognised it immediately. "Once we get back to the real world…can you put it on yourself?"

I smiled, unsure what to say for a moment. "I…I take that as a yes?"

"Of course it is…"

"Then I will put it on your finger and never let you take it off again."

Holly looked at me with pure joy. "Thank you…"

A low chuckle came from my right. "Even when taken halfway around the world, you two managed to find each other again…"

I looked at Garret. "We'll make sure you can see Cocoa again. I promise Garret."

He closed his eyes, sighing a little. "I can see her whenever I wish." He placed a hand on his heart. "She's always right here…" More tears of happiness threatened to drop from my eyes from hearing that. It was at this peaceful moment that sleep decided it couldn't wait any longer.

You'll both live…you'll all live…

At the toll of midnight, time slowed in Underworld, becoming identical to the real world. The two worlds, once separated by time, could now become one.

Oh that was wonderful to write. I've grown to love Garret more and more over the past few months (thanks to my wonderful wife). She's been so motivating for me to turn him into a much more loving person. Unfortunately, a lot of the cast will not be seen again in this story. They'll be seen in a future story, once Nightshade ends. So...say goodbye to Kimiko, Luna, Lord Grant, Ronye, Tiese, Sortiliena and Golgorosso. Kind of wish I did more with Sortiliena to be honest :( And yes, this story. I plan there to be two shorter stories. One is the Epilogue, and the other...well, that would be spoilers. But either way, you'll have to wait a while for those, as after Nightshade, I'll be focusing on No Land Beyond.

But now, we enter the final part of Nightshade! And we're still on track to end around Chapter 50. The Dark Territory will have a number of challenges for our heroes to overcome, and I can't wait to show them to you. But...that will likely take a while, as I'll be taking a small break. I won't say much. I don't want to spoil anything :)

Reviews:

blackbutterfly1313: I'm glad you're enjoying it. And I really hope you liked the Garret scenes in this chapter too. He's a bit more in line with how you know him. Don't worry sweetheart, Yasenka will always be the one to hold the key to Light's heart 3

kazukimirato: His reasons were explained in the chapter, and elaborated more in this chapter. I will be bringing Eugeo to the real world, not because I wanted to do it for Eugeo fans, but it felt right for this story.

Pokopo: Welcome, and I'm glad you've enjoyed :) Don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy now

I can't wait until the next chapter. Prepare for thrills, chills, and ki- Oh...

Until next time, Stay Cool