I'm back! This new installment (well, this chapter in particular) is set directly after the end of the last one (please go check that out, it definitely will help clear things up). So for all new readers, welcome and enjoy the show! All those tuning back in, I'm glad to see you, too!
Chapter One
Release
"Come on out, all of y'all."
The Dark Box glowed with ethereal light in dozens of colors, so bright that Andrew turned away for a second. When the lights dimmed and he could see properly again, nineteen orbs of light flitted around the box, which condensed into nineteen kwamis in a variety of colors. Grays, greens, reds, oranges, yellows, black, purples, blues, browns, bronze, and a few more.
Vorath almost squealed with delight when he saw his brothers and sisters, racing toward them and tackling a few in some hugs. The assembled kwamis were speaking quickly to each other and Andrew couldn't quite understand them. Another language, perhaps?
"Everyone," Vorath said proudly. "Here is our new Dark Guardian, and my current wielder!" The Dark kwamis murmured to each other, and Andrew could just barely pick out their whispers.
"He's so big."
"He looks like Arcturus."
"I'm hungry, and it smells like he has food."
"Hi," Andrew said. "I'm Andrew." The kwamis murmured to each other again.
"Strong name."
"He kinda looks Greek, but not too much."
"I'm still hungry."
"Okay…" Andrew said, then cracked his knuckles. "I'm not terribly good with putting names to faces, so y'all are gonna have to help me. Who's who?"
A gray wolf-like kwami flew up to his face. "So you're the new Dark Dragon?" it asked in a distinctly feminine voice. Andrew nodded. She stroked her chin with her paw and smiled. "I'm Howll, kwami of Duplication." Vorath floated over to his wielder. "Howll's usually my second-in-command, leading whenever I'm busy or out." Howll nudged Vorath playfully. "It's not a problem, sir. Just doing my job."
"If you're going to keep doing that, Howll, Rackie might think you're trying to steal Vorath from her," a dark green crocodilian kwami said. Then he turned to Andrew. "I'm Snapp, kwami of Incarceration." Andrew raised an eyebrow. "So you're the sneaky one?" he asked. Snapp scowled. "The stereotype that all crocodiles are distrustful schemers is simply untrue. I know a distrustful schemer, but I'm not one myself."
"Yes, Sssnapp, we understand," a reddish cobra-like kwami replied with a hiss. "I'm Naaga, kwami of Repetition, and not a distrustful ssschemer," he added. Andrew nodded. "Good to know. Say, you don't happen to have time-travel powers, do you?"
Naaga paused for a moment, thinking. "Sssort of. I have the ability to go back to a certain point and repeat an action, but unlike my cousin, Sass, my wielder can bring multiple beings back with them." Andrew hummed in interest. "That works."
"Assuming, Naaga, you don't get distracted first," a black-and-yellow salamander kwami added. "I'm Newwt, kwami of Distraction and- ooh, what's this?" she yelped as she noticed the remote for the TV. "A magic wand? No, a cooking tool?" Andrew chuckled. "No, it's for the TV. I use it to turn it on and change channels." Newwt marveled the hunk of plastic. "What's a TV?" she asked. "Is it for spying? Or talking? No, wait, it has to be used for strategy and planning!"
Vorath shrugged. "Newwt was always really hyper," he explained to Andrew. "Sometimes she would be ready to transform, then rush off at a moment's notice to do something crazy. Despite that, she's very competent and can focus when she needs to." Andrew chuckled. "I know exactly who I'm giving her to, then."
"She's been hyper for a while now, Vorath," a black-and-blue gorilla kwami said as he floated up. "Being locked away for five hundred years will do that to you." Vorath shrugged. "I can understand that, Konng, but if she gets too far out…"
Konng shook his head. "I don't think she's going anywhere for a little bit," he said as he pointed to the TV. Newwt was glued to the screen, watching the weather, of all things.
"And now that that is out of the way, allow me to introduce myself to our Guardian," Konng said. "I'm Konng, kwami of Strength, and I'm very pleased to meet you." Andrew nodded. "Nice to meet you, too, bud. You kinda sound familiar."
"That'd be strange," a cheetah kwami said as she floated over. "I'm Streek, kwami of Speed! The fastest kwami alive!" To prove her point, Streek zipped off. Andrew could only barely see her outline as she rushed around the room. A few seconds later, Streek stopped next to Konng. "Fifty laps in ten seconds! I dare you to beat that!" she declared triumphantly.
"Eh, the kid doesn' have her head screwed on tight enough, if ya ask me,'' a gray-and-bronze rat kwami said. "A bit more open space an' she goes completely bonkers. I'm Remmy, by the way. Kwami of Miniaturization." Andrew raised an eyebrow. Remmy sighed. "Ya know, how sometimes animals get smaller when they evolve or sumpthin? I dunno, I ain't a biologist."
"No, I could swear I heard your voice before," Andrew replied. Remmy snorted. "Doubtful. I'm one of a kind, and that means as soon as I'm gone, you all will eventually miss me!" Vorath cleared his throat. "I see that five hundred years did nothing to temper your pessimism, Remmy."
"You can thank the saurians for that!" Remmy replied. "I tried positivity, but that didn' exactly work out for me thanks to a certain raptor gettin' on my case!" The room was filled with the sound of collective groaning when Remmy finished. Andrew could have sworn he heard one of them say, "Shut up, Remmy!"
"Remmy, the only reason Slashh was on your case, and I use the term loosely, was because you shrunk and started whispering into his ear and made him think he was going insane," an elephant kwami said, then looked at Andrew. "I'm Tussk, kwami of Gigantification. You know, how animals get larger over evolution."
Andrew nodded. "I've heard of it. I would have thought of Memory, since… Well, elephants never forget." Tussk huffed. "For your information, elephants do forget some things. I can't remember the last time I was able to get decent rest, for one. Normally I would be offended, but I will let it slide this time."
"Oh, joy," Andrew muttered sarcastically. "Because offending an elephant is a terrible offense." Tussk nodded. "It is, and I won't forget that." As he flew off, Andrew leaned to Vorath. "Cheery bunch you got here, bud," he said. Vorath gave him a deadpan look. "They're nothing compared to what I heard your dad and his siblings were like as kids."
Five kwamis floated over to the new Dark Guardian. "Master, allow us to introduce ourselves," the leader, a beige and brown lion, said. "I am Simmba, kwami of Veneration, and the leader of our humble group." The kwami to Simmba's right, a hawk with white feathers and a red tail, sniggered. "And a complete sycophant," she added. "I'm Screech, kwami of Superiority. I can tell when someone is superior to another, and you seem to be of high society."
"Yeah, yeah, Screech, we get it," a yellow-orange leopard kwami replied. "No need to get a big head. I'm Paardo, kwami of Infiltration, and one of the stealthiest there is." Andrew hmmed. "So you can sneak anywhere and stay undetected? I might have to see that in action," he replied. Paardo beamed.
A gray rhino kwami grunted. "Can we move this along, please?" he asked. Andrew looked at him. "And you are?" The rhino snorted. "Clumpp, kwami of Resilience," he replied. "And please, I would prefer not to leave the Box. I like my rest."
"So you're lazy," Andrew concluded. A reddish-brown kwami that looked like a buffalo or a bison floated up to Andrew's face. "What about me!?" he asked angrily. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about me!"
"I never intended to," Andrew replied. The kwami seemed to calm down a little. "I'm Thumpp, kwami of Provocation." Andrew shrugged. "Fine, but I'll warn you, I don't like it when people lose their tempers with me." To his surprise, Thumpp laughed. "I expected as much. Dark Dragons always have fiery tempers."
"Good, then," a purple-and-green T-Rex replied. "I shall try to make sure my cohorts don't get on your nerves. I'm Rexx, kwami of Manipulation, yesss." Andrew gave Rexx a look. "You're not a schemer, are you?" he asked warily. "I prefer not to have to look over my shoulder in my own bedroom."
Rexx chuckled. "No, sir, I would never. Not to our esteemed Guardian. Although, he might." He pointed to a bright red Pterodactyl kwami with shifty yellow eyes.
The kwami came forward. "I'm Dactyyl, the kwami of Treachery, oh great Dark Guardian," he said, his voice dripping with barely contained ambition. Andrew rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna say this once, pal. I don't like traitors and I don't like backstabbers. Especially when they're gunning for me. So you can put a handle on your ambition, or there will be problems."
Dactyyl squawked. "You misunderstand. My power forces the treacherous to expose their true colors and attempt to seize power. I do not seek it for myself. I just speak this way," he explained. Vorath floated to his wielder's ear. "It's true. Dactyyl has never tried to seize power for himself. His wielders have, but he never has."
Andrew wasn't entirely sure, but he relented in the end. That wasn't going to stop him from keeping an eye on Dactyyl. Maybe keep him in the Box or give him to someone loyal.
A brown and blue Velociraptor kwami flew over to him. "I am Slashh, kwami of Honor," he said in a very distinct rasping voice. "And truly, it is so good to be out of that Box. Five hundred years of imprisonment… the sheer dishonor of it all! No trial, no chance to plead our case… and the worst punishment of all was to be locked with the vermin," he added, a pointing glare at Remmy.
"I regret nothing!" Remmy exclaimed. Slashh growled and leapt towards Remmy, who dodged. The two began to chase each other around the room, Andrew looking on in confusion, the other kwamis groaning in exasperation.
"What happened this time?" Vorath asked Howll tiredly. The lupine kwami sighed. "Remmy pulled another… well, Remmy, on Slashh. This time, though, Slashh's reaction was less than pleasant. The two got into a prank war and roped their respective levels into it. Then Rackie decided she was switching sides and then Slashh got Snapp on his side, then the middle five decided they would join Remmy, then Naaga and Newwt were drafted into Slashh's side. Luckily, the bulk of the war ended… Tussk, when did the prank war end?"
"What day is it?" Tussk asked Andrew, who pulled out his phone and showed Tussk the calendar. "About nine years ago in a few months' time. To the day," Tusk responded. "The war began four months ago, in nineteen days."
"You mean these two have been at each other's throats for twenty years?!" Andrew asked, very surprised. Howll nodded. "They can be so immature at times," she replied. "Part of me just wants to duplicate and pin them both down, but Remmy can shrink and Slashh will wax philosophical until your head explodes. And, you know, horrific catastrophes… though that wasn't much of a problem in the box."
"I don't mind it," a grayish-blue and red scorpion kwami said. "I'm Scrrug, kwami of Loyalty." Andrew looked at Vorath, then Scrrug. "I would have thought Betrayal, considering the reputation scorpions get." Scrrug shrugged. "That's sometimes true, but those Egyptians seemed to like my wielders, and isn't the zodiac sign Scorpio representative of true friends and loyalty?"
Andrew blinked. "Well, yeah, I guess. I'm a Scorpio myself," he answered. Scrrug beamed. "I think we'll get along just fine, boss!"
"Oh, of courszze new Guardian likes Scrrug," a predominantly green-and-yellow hornet kwami with a buzzing voice complained as he flew over. "Nobody careszz about Zizz! All the otherszz get attention, but not Zizz! Oh, why universzze hate Zizz?"
"Sorry, bud, didn't notice you," Andrew apologized. Zizz huffed. "Well, it makes senszze you'd apologize. Zizz is the kwami of Incompetence. Anyone stung becomes a bumbler." Andrew stroked his chin, pondering the kwami's statement. "That could be uszze- I mean useful."
"Is that everyone?" Vorath asked. "I could swear there should be-" he froze. "She's right behind me, isn't she?" he asked, almost terrified. The kwami behind him leapt onto his head, laughing. Andrew could see a blur of dark bronze, black and a red hourglass with at least eight limbs.
"Vorath!" the spider kwami squealed excitedly. Vorath shook her off his head. "It's good to see you, too, Rackie."
Rackie beamed, revealing small fangs. "I missed you, you sly reptile. So, whatcha doing?" Andrew smirked a little at his partner's slight discomfort.
"I guess this is the one?" he asked teasingly. Vorath nodded. "Yeah, this is Araccia, the kwami of Sadism and the one who has a crush on me," he replied, throwing Howll a pained glance. Howll floated over, and it didn't take a genius to realize there was some serious tension between the wolf and spider.
"Vorath, we're still missing one," Howll reported solemnly. Vorath looked around, and his face began to look panicked. "Where's Blobbo?" he asked urgently. Snapp floated over. "Last I checked, it was still in the place he liked to sit in for the past few millennia," he answered. Not wasting a minute, Vorath flew into the Dark Box, Howll on his heels.
"What's wrong?" Andrew asked Snapp. The crocodile kwami grimaced, then turned away. The other Dark kwamis present reacted the same way.
"It's… very complicated," Slashh finally answered. "To say that Blobbo is ill would not do him, or his story, justice. Truly, he is a warrior in his own right, but… you will see, my Guardian."
Almost on cue, Vorath and Howll returned with a third kwami, this one a pale, pale pink and the distinct features of a blobfish. "His name is Blobbo, kwami of Betrayal," Vorath explained. Then his voice cracked. "And because of my selfish actions, he might never recover."
"Don't say that! It isn't your fault, Vorath!" the other Dark kwamis yelped. "The Guardians did it! They never liked us! We should have burned that temple down! Let the bullies suffer!"
"Hey, hey! Time out, guys!" Andrew exclaimed. "What happened?" Vorath looked right at his wielder, golden tears in his eyes. "Guys, he should know." Vorath took a deep breath.
"The concept of betrayal is fairly new compared to the rest of us," Vorath began. "When the first humans betrayed each other's trust, Blobbo manifested. A Miraculous was made for him and he was like the rest of us, at first. Maybe a little paranoid, but never so much that he didn't trust any of us. We were his closest friends and family, and I took him under my wing as a little brother of sorts. He was sometimes mocked for how he looked by other kwamis, but he never let that get under his skin."
"Then he got his first wielder. Everything went downhill from there," Vorath took a breath again, forcing back the tears. "His first wielder used him for evil, and the wielder's crimes were so heinous that everyone agreed the man was to be killed. But right as the Cat hero aimed his Cataclysm, the wielder grabbed Blobbo and forced him to take the brunt of the attack. The Cat holder was able to turn down the intensity, but the damage had been done. When Cataclysm is used on a kwami, the effects are radically different. As we technically have no true physical form, the destruction targets our minds," Vorath explained. "Blobbo deteriorated quickly. From insane blabbering to silence in the space of a few months. He wouldn't speak to any of us."
"It didn't help that the Guardians outright forbade that year's Ladybug wielder from using her fix-it-all power," Rexx added darkly. The kwamis muttered their affirmations. Vorath nodded. "The Order said that Blobbo was too dangerous to be used by anyone, that betrayal was too inherently evil of a power, even though Blobbo was one of the nicest and most compassionate kwamis we knew."
"Certainly more so than that dodo beak-face," Remmy interjected. "I think that was the first time I ever really lost my cool and attacked another one. Glad his animal went extinct, the big bully."
"We begged and pleaded with the Guardians and Tikki, but they never agreed to it," Vorath continued. "Blobbo continued to get worse… and that was one of the reasons we decided to do without the Order. So they wouldn't hurt us anymore."
"I never knew…" Andrew said hollowly. "I knew it had been serious, but…" Vorath nodded solemnly. "I didn't want you to do anything foolish before the right time," he replied, then yelped as Andrew brought him in for a hug. The other nineteen floated over, Naaga and Newwt pulling Blobbo with them.
Once they all broke apart, Andrew cracked his knuckles. "Alright, guys. I know this might seem boring, but we need to set some ground rules." There was a collective groaning. Andrew waved it off. "This is for all of our protection, so my secret's safe and you guys are safe. Rule number one," he paused for effect. "You're not allowed to leave this room without explicit permission from me." A few kwamis grumbled.
"Rule number two: no insults, roughhousing, name-calling or antagonizing," Andrew said, giving a pointed glare at Remmy. "Rule number three: you all are welcome outside the Box, but if someone comes in that isn't me, you have to hide."
"Rule number four: you are welcome to play with any of the model kits and action figures I have," Andrew said. "Just please be sure to put them back where you found them and don't break them. And finally, rule number five: bedtime promptly at ten thirty. Especially on school nights. Capisce?"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
"What exactly does 'capisce' mean?"
A little while later, the other twenty kwamis went back into the Dark Box, Vorath staying out with Andrew. Andrew had offered Vorath the chance to be with his siblings for a while, but the draconian kwami told his partner that he wanted to chat.
"This is going to be crazy, you know," Vorath said. "Adding twenty more kwamis in one house can be stressful. One of your predecessors almost lost his mind dealing with Remmy and Slashh going at it."
"And yet, I have something none of the previous Dark Dragons did," Andrew replied. "Weekends, for one thing, and the best way to learn to deal with rambunctious beings with the maturity of a five-year-old." He clicked his TV on and scrolled to the DVR. "Sitcoms."
"Sitcoms," Vorath replied incredulously, then sighed. "Boss, normally I don't question your judgment, but this is another level of crazy. May I remind you that they are cosmic beings with cosmic powers?"
"I know, Vorath," Andrew replied. "But the sitcoms are not for me. It's to keep them busy and entertained, while simultaneously educating them about the modern world." Vorath gave him a deadpan look. "Then show a more recent one than Full House. The nineties aren't exactly recent."
"I also have plenty of movies for them," Andrew added. "Unless TV turns kwamis to vegetables, we should be fine." Vorath shrugged. "I mean, bad TV almost did for me. So none of that stupidly chaotic animated stuff. Absorption help us all if Newwt gets on Adult Swim. She's always picked up new words fast."
"Or Remmy," Andrew added. Vorath shuddered. "Remmy somehow learned every curse of every language his wielder spoke. And he uses them. Because of course he does," Vorath replied. Then he yawned. "I'm going into the Box, maybe rest there tonight." Andrew nodded. "Good night, bud. I'm going to sleep in a little bit."
Vorath entered the Dark Box, the sensation familiar, yet so foreign. When he got inside, the pocket world was essentially the same. Twenty-one different streaks of color in the ethereal blue sky, various items flung haphazardly around the space. Toys from dozens of time periods on their sides, a few pieces of broken armor, arrowheads, spearheads, sword hilts, chains and wooden sticks everywhere. Vorath could hear Remmy and Slashh bickering, a few others laughing, but all of it was drowned out by Vorath's focus of who he was headed to.
Blobbo sat by himself in a corner, silently. Vorath felt an ache in his heart as he approached. Beneath it all, a dark rage bubbled. He was angry, oh yes, but at whom? Blobbo's first holder? The Order? Tikki? Yes, he was angry with all of them, but he was most angry at himself.
"Blobbo?" Vorath said softly. The blobfish kwami turned his head, but his eyes seemed empty, no recognition in them. Vorath wanted to cry. He wanted to scream, to shout, to go out and destroy something. But that wouldn't fix Blobbo.
"I'm sorry," Vorath said, his voice cracking. "I never should have decided to attack the temple. I should have tried to help make you better." Blobbo turned back around. "I should have gotten my wielders to help you. There were so many things I should have done, and I didn't. I'm sorry, little brother." He gave Blobbo a hug, then floated over to the center of the Dark Box realm and sat dejectedly.
"It's not your fault," a familiar voice said. Vorath turned and saw Howll coming towards him. "Room for two?" she asked. Vorath patted the spot next to him. Howll sat. "I don't know, Howll," Vorath admitted. "Part of me just wants to let it all end, make Andrew give up his powers, so we can all be left in peace."
"You'd never be able to do it," Howll replied. "Your wielders always treated you as family and you've loved them as family."
Vorath sighed. "You're right. I never could. So, you said something about it not being my fault?"
Howll nodded. "It was his wielder for hurting him, the Order's for not healing him, and Tikki's for not stopping to help," she said bitterly. "And even if you got your wielders to help, there isn't much they could do. They weren't as powerful as you had thought. But this new one, Andrew… he's the most powerful I've felt. He could do it."
"Yeah, he could," Vorath replied, then smiled. "Thanks, Howll. You always know how to make me feel better." Howll smirked. "It's what I do best, my little dragon." Then she rose and stretched. "Well, I'm going to sleep. Good night."
Vorath smiled. "Good night." Then he curled up and fell asleep.
The Dark kwamis had been cut off from the kwamis' mental network when they had been imprisoned. They could sense and send cycle communications to each other, but they couldn't send any or receive any. They were, in essence, invisible, nonexistent. But they still felt emotions. And rage was certainly one of them. Vorath's anger wasn't able to be picked up by the Butterfly or Peacock Miraculouses. But those kwamis could sense it.
"Master, may I speak with Duusu for a moment?" Nooroo asked. Gabriel glared at his kwami, but relented. "Five minutes," he said. Nooroo nodded and quickly zipped into Nathalie's room, where Duusu was resting quietly. Though he didn't want to bother his friend, Nooroo woke Duusu, who yawned loudly. "Nooroo? Is it morning already?" Duusu asked, quite confused.
Nooroo shook his head. "Can you feel it?" he asked. Duusu closed his eyes, then grimaced. "Yes," he replied, for once serious. "It's faint, but I sense it. Vorath may have the Dark Box back, but he is angry, upset."
Nooroo nodded. "If only we could find Tikki, or even Plagg," he said. "They could tell their owners, and at least Paris would be prepared if more Darks attack. Dragonus has become a symbol of despair and fear. More Darks would only increase that." Duusu nodded grimly. "Not to mention the threat they pose."
"We can't tell our owners, though," Nooroo added. "I'd hate to think what Master would do if he got his hands on even one of them." Duusu snickered. "Depends on which one. Remmy would annoy him to death." Nooroo gave him a dry look. "I know it's serious, but still. The personalities would clash so badly."
"I need to head back downstairs," Nooroo said, then his gaze caught the sleeping form of Nathalie. "Is she alright?" he asked conspiratorially. Duusu thought for a moment. "She's getting better and she should be fully recovered in a week's time. Why do you want to know?" Nooroo sighed. "Just curious." And with that, he phased through the floor and back to Gabriel in the atelier.
"So, Nooroo," Gabriel began. "How was your… chat?"
Nooroo gulped. "It was fine, Master. Just checking up on Duusu and Miss Nathalie, seeing how they're doing." A nervous chuckle escaped him. Gabriel looked at him, suspicion in his eyes. "Anything… else?" Nooroo shook his head. "Nothing worth talking about, really. Oh, what's that right here?" Nooroo gestured to the piece Gabriel was designing.
Gabriel had the sense Nooroo was stalling, like there was something important he was withholding. But that could be pried out of him later. Gabriel returned focus to the piece, and groaned. The debut of the line was being delayed because of a shipment of fabrics being lost and the Heroes' Day plot causing more inconveniences. Even not counting that, he was behind. Gabriel sighed. Another long week ahead.
Claws. Traps. Ear-shattering noise. A cloud of gas spreading, choking everyone around. And in the middle of it all, a golden dragon laughed sinisterly as he reached for her earrings.
Marinette bolted upright in bed, shaking from her nightmare. So strange. A couple hours ago, she was euphoric, having finally learned Adrien was Cat Noir. Now all she felt was dread. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself back to sleep, hoping to get away from the terrible visions. At least it's just a nightmare, she thought.
Little did she know what was coming.
Yep, I introduced twenty kwamis in this one. Don't worry, the next introductions won't be as clunky, I promise (at least fifteen aren't going to be mentioned again for a while.). So, what do you think is going to happen next? Will Nooroo and Duusu's predictions come true? Are the heroes going to have the hardest fight so far? Or is there something else? As always, be sure to tell me what you think, and stay safe, healthy, and remember, it was Dragonus all along! (This was written around the time WandaVision episode seven came out so jokes about hahaha) Cya next week!
