As time passes and a storm begins to brew, Fudoushi and Dark Matter wonder what happened to the heroes who stopped them. Requested by jellipuddi on tumblr!

Come What May

The tower once held many challengers. They were bright, vibrant children with sparks of life unparalleled by peers on other worlds. With their magic boundless and confidence blazing, they stormed through the tower in hopes of graduating kindergarten by battling monsters and collecting sacred jewels. It sounded preposterous to anyone who lived elsewhere, but it was the norm on this old world, unfettered by a modern society's rule, allowing the children to grow strong at such an unusually young age.

Fudoushi had to admit he was impressed by them. They were rambunctious and faced dangers that would have made even adults weep. From distorted corpses to beasts with fangs sharper than knives, they barreled through, undaunted, unafraid. The one girl who truly defeated him never strayed far from his mind as the years passed, and as the tower collected dust, he wondered where she had gone.

"I see you're still taking refuge here."

Bones cracked, announcing the arrival of the rotted warlock's guest. As his bandages trailed along the ground, mingled with faint hints of decades-old blood, Dark Matter flew forward. His brilliant crimson eyes burned in the hollow caves of his bare sockets. Taking notice of his withered companion drinking a cup of tea, he made himself comfortable and loomed over him as he sat down in the creaking wooden chair.

While neither of them needed to eat, the charitable facsimile was appreciated by Dark Matter. A pitcher of cold mint tea had been prepared. Two silver cups, each of them chipped, were presented on graying coasters. Clutching the rim of his cup, Dark Matter slowly swirled the pale green drink.

"I used to have tea with my own students. My best one grew up to lead the next generation of mages, you know," Fudoushi replied, his voice hoarse from the lonesome years.

"The green haired woman? I could sense her power on my way here."

He took another sip, closing his eyes. His tongue was too rotted to lap it down, and the drink slipped through small holes in the appendage onto his gnarled, yellowed teeth. Sighing, he wiped his mouth with his tattered sleeve and said, "She certainly is the one."

"I heard she taught that little girl." Dark Matter chuckled. "To think you lost to a six-year-old."

He furrowed his brow, his wispy blue locks clinging to his slimy cheeks. "I went...easy on her."

"I'm sure you did." Dark Matter mimed the gesture of drinking, raising his cup to where his lips should have been and setting it back down. "To go as far as making that child see distortions of her classmates, how cruel."

"You know what it's like out there." His tone swapped for harshness, a brittle, cracking earnesty coating his refutation. "This isn't such a kind world. It's really a courtesy to let those children see what horrors will await them as they progress."

He sighed, prompting Fudoushi to twist his lips into a scowl. He hadn't come to bicker. Engaging his fellow monstrous magician was a pleasant pastime for him when he wasn't possessing the body of the powerful witch who defeated him all those years ago.

"Where do you suppose they are now?" Fudoushi wondered, sounding more like he had only asked himself.

Dark Matter leaned back, the memory of his fateful clash with Schezo, Witch, and Wish as clear as day. Taking control of Wish, fighting her granddaughter and the one who defeated Rune Lord, it was the harshest battle of his life. He still felt her lingering power and touch rattling through his bones, but they were long, long gone.

"It's as if they vanished like ghouls. It's almost careless," he admitted as Fudoushi glanced at the closest window, gray clouds rolling in from the west, "when they know monsters like us could rise at any second."

Fudoushi cackled. If Arle knew he had every possibility to storm through her village, then it would be up to one of her classmates to halt him. That Lala girl had blossomed into quite a powerful sorceress among Arle's plethora of classmates, and his dear student was still teaching kindergarten, eager to defend her young wards against any and all evil.

"If we were to rise up and cause a little…" Fudoushi rolled his wrist, rotted flesh still slinking down his fingers. "...chaos, then do you think they'll come running to stop us?"

"Well…" Dark Matter listened to thunder rumble, the scent of fresh drizzling hitting him like a slap to his face, the hole where his heart should have been squeezing as the lightning strike formed Wish's figure in the shadows. "...if the heroes won't come to play, then perhaps we should seek them out and drag them home with a little conquest."

Fudoushi snorted and crossed his arms. "Fickle teenagers. Always running off to whatever is fun without thinking of consequences." He balled his hands into shaking fists. "To think that little girl grew up to be such an unreliable brat!"

"Losing to a six-year-old really soured your perspective as the years went on, I see."

"Oh, heed me!"

Humming out a dry laugh as Fudoushi guzzled his tea, Dark Matter allowed the storm to cut through their conversation. He watched the rain pierce through the open window, scattering droplets onto the cracked tiles. As the forest drowned, the old magicians were left to their thoughts.

The world was without its heroes, and new ones had risen to defend it. Their past enemies retreated to lands unknown, their thoughts a mystery to the powerful mages. Despite their own prowess, not even they could understand their purposes for abandoning their world.

"Say, how is Wish?" Fudoushi asked, his lips curling into a threadbare smirk.

Sighing, Dark Matter decided it was best to leave a few stones unturned for the moment and humored Fudoushi as the thunder roared.