Chapter 8

No Heart was in chains. He was standing still, wearing a regal dark purple suit and his hair was now dark aqua green. He was on the brink of destruction. Professor Cold Heart appeared and placed a bony finger on No Heart's chin.

"Say it. Say it. Say that I'm the great one." he sneered.

"Fuck you." said No Heart.

Cold Heart then slaps No Heart across the face and laughs.

"If I had my way, I'd snap your neck immediately for that insult. Alas, I still need to sire an heir." said Cold Heart.

No Heart tried to break free, but the chains that had him then lowered him down to Cold Heart's feet.

"Tell me. Tell me how I am great and how I'm the ruler of all evil in the land!" he cried like a maniac.

No Heart did not respond and Cold Heart hits his face with his foot.

"You disgusting beast. All you care about is money and sex! Why, you could have all the men and women you could sweat upon in bed, yet you insult me with every shot you have! This will end! I think what I need to do is break your heart in two. I thought I did that with Treya, but apparently there is something else keeping you together. And guess what? I know what it is." boasted Cold Heart.

He then leaves the room, leaving No Heart in chains. After a while, No Heart silently releases himself. But his body was aching. He did not feel powerful at all. Not anymore. He felt human again. Was he human? He did not know. When the shadow chose him; when Cold Heart chose him rather, he felt a power all through his body. But now, that power was sapped away from him. Cold Heart may have taken away the one thing that kept him together. And all his memories came flooding back.

However, when that happened, No Heart pucked. Then he gagged and his body began to shake on the floor. After a while, he rose up. Something happened to make him lose his humanity. Something was clawing in him, as if eating his insides.

Then for a moment, he felt warmth. Something, or someone came into the room and felt his hands. No Heart didn't move a muscle. This warmth… it felt welcoming, but at the same time, if felt like it was killing him. He managed to look down and lo! What was this? A little boy, looking at him with tears in his eyes.

"Nicholas." said the boy. He hugged No Heart across the stomach.

"I thought I was never going to see you again. I searched far and wide for you. I was afraid you left me. But here you are! Oh Nicholas! Come back home! Please." pleaded the boy.

No Heart looked down at the boy and a name suddenly came to mind. A name No Heart has not remembered is so long.

"Elijah." he whispered weakly.

"That's right. Elijah! Come with me!" said the boy.

Just then, a bell rang. A dark hellish bell. Elijah turned around and Professor Cold Heart stood before them.

"Pest! Creature of the good! You will not destroy my evil!" cried Cold Heart.

"You! You took him! I know who you are! You're the shadow! The creature that made lives bad in the city! I've seen what you've done! All the bad you have created! Well guess what!? There are good people who are going to kick your ass!" cried Elijah.

"That won't happen maggot! Once you die, my heir will rule the city and evil will reign supreme! Gone are the days when the warriors of the good fought…." Cold Heart was beginning to monologue when Elijah shouted.

"SHUT UP!" he cried.

Cold Heart stopped and smiled a cruel smirk. He then raised his arms and a dark cloud appeared.

"This will silence you!" he cried. He then pushed his evil cloud towards the boys. Elijah stood in between the cloud and No Heart and stood in place.

Suddenly, his heart began to feel funny. Elijah placed his hand on his heart, which was beating fast. In that instant, he knew what to do. Elijah stood in position, placed his hands together in the form of a heart, and all of a sudden, a large powerful ray of light emerged from Elijah's hands, pushing the darkness of the cloud away.

The ray of light continued pushing for a good long minute until Elijah let go and the light vanished, having eliminated the dark clouds. Cold Heart screamed in terror and in utter shock.

"Tender Heart! It's you!" he cried.

"Yes! I am Tender Heart. And you're going down!" cried Elijah, or rather Tender Heart himself.

Professor Cold Heart pushed his darkness once more, but Elijah pushed it with his own newfound power. Cold Heart decides to let go and walks backwards. He then pulled a knife from his cloak, then stabbed his hand. Blood dripped to the ground and Cold Heart began to say terrible words. Words of hatred, pride, jealousy, and evil.

His body began to shake violently when all of a sudden, his body began to morph. Slowly and surely, Cold Heart was turning himself into a giant dragon.

Tender Heart armed himself with his hands and he quickly shot another ray against the beast. Just then, a few more rays joined in. Tender Heart looked at both sides and saw his friends coming to help him. Cheer Heart, Grumpy, and Bright Heart. They were there, shooting their own rays of light against the creature.

Treya walked in with Beastly and they ran to free No Heart from the chains.

"Nicholas?" asked Treya. No Heart did not respond or flinch. His eyes were focused on the fight, focused on who was winning and who was losing.

Cold Heart's dragon roared and began to breathe fire on the ground. Tender Heart nor his friends flinched. They stood where they were and they continued shooting him rays of light. While this was going on, a lot of emotions were stirring inside Tender Heart. The times his brother suffered, the times he had to find food for him, the times that he and Nicholas spent time together, laughing carefree, escaping the horrors of real life. Tender Heart had to save No Heart. He just had to. And at long last, Cold Heart's dragon form grew weaker from breathing too much fire and he stopped in an instant. That was his fatal mistake. The rays of light were quick to stop him and the dragon fell.

After a few minutes, Cold Heart rose up in his human form, hardly alive. He looked at Tender Heart and scowled.

"You think you won. You have lost little boy. The world will always be a dark place for all." said Cold Heart.

"Wrong. There will always be others who will rise up against you and your kingdom." said Tender Heart.

Cold Heart quickly pulled out what appeared to be a gun and pointed it at Tender Heart. He then pulled the trigger. Within moments, Tender Heart falls and everyone screams in panic.

"YOU SEE! I WILL RULE!" cried Cold Heart. Those were the last words he ever said before No Heart takes control of his neck telepathically and breaks it.

Everyone rushes to Tender Heart's side, who was no lifeless on the floor.

"Oh Elijah! Oh no!" cried Cheer Heart sadly.

No Heart then screams and falls on his knees. He grabs ahold of Tender Heart's body and begins to cry. "My baby brother! No!" he sobs.

Minutes have passed. Minutes that have seemed like hours. After a while, Treya stands up and placed her hands on No Heart's hands.

"I know a way to bring him back." she said softly.

Everyone turned to face her and No Heart quickly asked her. "Who are you really?"

Treya smiled warmly and explains. "My name is Treya True Heart." she said.

The kids began to whisper among themselves. "She's one the first ones." said Bright Heart.

"Then we can save Elijah?" asked Cheer Heart hopefully.

"Yes, if you care enough for him." said True Heart.

"Show us. I can't live without him." said No Heart.

"Then here's what we have to do. Everyone, hold hands and try to stand still around Tender Heart.

Everyone did as they were told and True Heart places her hands on Tender Heart's chest.

"We care. Say it everyone. We care. We care. Tell your loved one next to you that you care. Say it again. Shout it. Help us!" cried Treya.

Everyone repeated the same phrase many times for a couple of minutes when all of a sudden, Tender Heart's body began to glow into a powerful light, then he vanished.

"What happened? Where's my brother!?" cried No Heart.

"Elijah now lies in slumber. He now sleeps in a beautiful garden, one that has been far from Cold Heart's reach; the Forest of Feelings." said True Heart.

No Heart walked up to True Heart and kissed her hands. "Thank you. Where is this forest?" he asked.

Chapter 9

No Heart stood tall at the top of the building. The dark clouds that circulated the city were gone. Cold Heart's power was vanishing. The old man died and so did the power of evil. No Heart on the other hand did not feel that power any more. He felt something else entirely. He wanted to remove the robes, yet he still needed to wear them. He felt like he had to wear them. And he needed to find his brother, in the Forest of Feelings, way beyond the borders of the city.

Cheer Heart and True Heart arrived along with the other kids. Beastly removed his silly looking outfit and Grumpy realized his skin was glowing with the sun.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"I feel like… sunny. So sunny in fact that I feel like I'm a ray of sunshine! Someone I know died and you ask me if I'm feeling something?!" asked Beastly.

"Jesus Christ, you are one ray of sunshine are you?" said Grumpy.

"Funshine Heart. Yes. The name fits." said Bright Heart.

Beastly blinked. "What?" he asked.

"Funshine? Really?" asked Grumpy.

"Why not? He just told a joke." said Bright Heart.

"I like that name. Funshine Heart. Call me that! I like the sun!" said Beastly.

"Oh brother." said Grumpy.

"What about Elijah? Are you sure he's there? In the forest?" asked Bright Heart.

"Yes. I can feel his warmth there. I know he's safe." said Cheer Heart softly and with love in her eyes.

True Heart walked up towards No Heart, his dark purple robes flying into the sky. He did not look like an evil entity at all. He looked more regal. More of somebody that has risen from the dark depths of sin.

"You have a heart. A Noble Heart." said True Heart.

Beastly, or rather Funshine looked up and chuckled. "Noble Heart and True Heart. True and noble to the very end!" he said aloud.

"Yikes. That sounds a little scary." said Grumpy.

"Why did you say the end?" asked Cheer Heart.

"This is the end of this story right? Good wins over evil." said Funshine.

"No. Not yet. There is still one last thing to do." said No Hea-

?

Nicholas.

No Heart.

Noble Heart.

Elijah

Tender Heart

How silly, thought Nicholas. Elijah only had one warrior name. Tender Heart. Nicholas now had two more names. Although one of them will be disowned by him. No Heart was no more. He was now… nobody. Not yet. He was not noble until he had found the lost heart.

Nicholas and his friends left the city. Along the way, they children got to know the older brother of their fallen friend Elijah. They grew to love him and take care of him as if he were one of them.

After what seemed like months venturing into the unknown, outside the city limits and into the wilderness, everyone arrived at the Forest of Feelings.

Upon arriving, Nicholas saw a gate. He walked up to it while the others waited. As he was about to enter, he felt a familiar warmth in his chest. He turned around to see a bear. A large mighty grizzly bear. Everyone else stood there in awe and amazement, but the bear didn't mind them. It walked on four legs and guided Nicholas alone towards the trail.

He turned around to see the others, and they waved at him with hope. Cheer Heart placed her hands on her heart while True Heart blew Nicholas a kiss.

Nicholas nodded and walked into the trail. The forest itself was rich with trees and wildlife. It was a beautiful place. And the bear stopped. He then pointed with his snout where Nicholas should go. He walked forward and up ahead in the forest clearing was a bed, fashioned out of vines and leaves. Little rabbits were hopping about eating vegetation while some beautiful doves were flying into view. And there, sleeping on the bed was Elijah.

Nicholas walked up the bed and saw his beloved baby brother asleep. Nicholas lowered his face towards Elijah's forehead and gave him a kiss. He walked back and Elijah's heart began to glow. Within moments, the forest came alive. And then, at long last, Elijah opened his eyes. He was finally reunited with his brother.

Noble Heart and Tender Heart walked back hand in hand with the group. Their newly found little family was reunited and they lived happily ever after.