What Must Be Done (Klonoa)

"You felt it too, didn't you, Klonoa?" Guntz cut in. "Her will to keep the world's dreams away from Nahatomb… it felt stronger than the rest of ours combined. It must've used up a lot of her strength."

"He's… right…" Lolo said, still in my arms. "I had… no other option… Nahatomb… he was too strong… the amount of dreams… you would've… needed to send… to stop him… the strain… would've killed you… so…"

"So that means you're…" I stopped myself. A wave of dread rushed through my veins faster than Janga's poison did. "No… no, you can't! We promised! We promised…"

"Klonoa…" she cut in, with a weak smile on her face. Her voice was gone; she was now speaking in whispers. I had to lean my head in to make out what she was saying.

"Thank you…" she continued. "You've been… such a good friend… all these years…"

She tried to grab my shirt – at least, wherever she thought my shirt was – as though to pull me in an embrace. Realizing, I sat her up and pulled her in instead; she wrapped her arms around my back and rested her head on my shoulder. I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks.

"But what are we gonna tell your parents?" I whimpered. "And your fellow priestesses? And Popka? And Chipple?"

"Just... tell them…" she whispered, "that I died… defending… their dre…"

She fell silent. The silence hung in the air for what felt like a good while.

"Their dreams, right?" I asked her, her head still on my shoulder. "Defending their dreams?"

Lolo didn't respond.

"I doubt they'll take that well; do you?"

Still no response. Her arms fell off my back.

"I mean, if you found out I died defending your dreams, you probably wouldn't take it well either, would you?"

Still no response. Even through her dress and my gloves, I could feel her skin getting colder.

"Lolo… are you still…?" I leaned her back a bit so I could see her face. Her eyes were rolled back into her head, and her mouth hung slightly open.

The wave of dread continued to grow.

"No… not now… Lolo?" I tore off one of my gloves and pressed my fingers to her wrist, seeing if she still had a pulse. She didn't.

"Lolo!?" I pressed my ear to her chest, listening to see if she was still breathing. She wasn't. I didn't even hear a heartbeat.

"LOLO!?" She still didn't respond. My voice seemed to echo throughout the base.

The echo eventually faded, giving way to a somewhat raspy voice behind me. "Kehehe… such a shame, ain't it?" it mocked. "You went through hell and back to save your lady, and look how she turned out!"

I turned to see who it was. Guntz and Pango were no longer there… instead, I saw a tall, cat-like figure with lavender fur, just barely illuminated by the stars. He wore a purple coat and top hat, and a long, striped scarf around his neck. Three long, red claws protruded from each of his sleeves.

"Hold on… Janga!?" I shouted, still filled with dread. "I thought Guntz killed you!"

"He did, dipshit – I'm just in your head. Though I have to admit, no one's ever survived my poison before… for that, I salute you." He kneeled.

"Save it! What do you want now!?"

An older, more authoritarian voice came from behind him. "The same thing I want… to knock some sense into you, boy!"

The voice's source stepped into the starlight… a more robust figure in a green hat and coat, and a metal claw in place of his left hand.

"Garlen!?" I retorted. "But we've already foiled your plans – there's nothing more you can do!"

"Correct. Though, I don't believe it would be necessary, anyway. Sure, your lady's dead, but… 'tis a small price to pay, for the one thing you've always wanted."

He tapped the front of his hat, prompting me to take off mine. My attention was drawn to the gold medal pinned to it, glistening in the starlight.

"You mean my hero medal?" I asked him. "I mean, I already had it before…"

Almost as in response to my retort, the medal once again shone as bright as the stars themselves.

The wave of dread rose once again, beyond its apex.

"Congratulations, hero." Janga mocked. "Your journey's finished, your goal was for nothing… what now?"

I hesitated. "W-well… I was gonna celebrate with Lolo, but…"

"Nohohoho…" A higher-pitched voice from behind the two cut me off. "Good luck with that!"

I groaned. "I swear to God, if Joka's here too, then…!"

I stopped myself, as the third voice's source stepped into the starlight. Sure enough, it was a small, clown-like creature with a red, ever-present smile.

"Go on, finish your sentence." he said. "If I'm here too, then what?"

"T-then…" I stammered. "…Then I'm out! You're all dead, you can't hurt me anymore!" …Right?

"Indeed." Joka retorted. "You've already fulfilled your purpose, though… so how 'bout we leave you to it?"

Janga and Garlen nodded in agreement.

"Fine, then!" I snapped, before looking down at Lolo again. "You've done…"

Only… she wasn't in my arms anymore! In fact, her body was nowhere to be seen!

Instead, I found I was holding one of Guntz's pistols…

"You know what must be done…" the three villains said in unison.

I considered shooting them, ending their taunts once and for all… but they stepped back into the shadows before I had the chance…

Now, I was alone again… my heart began to race… my thoughts seeming to chase after it…

Do I know what to do? Was my adventure… was Lolo's sacrifice… really for nothing?

The words still echoing in my mind, I just barely noticed… that I was slowly raising the pistol…

No… it couldn't be for nothing! If it weren't for us, the world would've been stuck in an eternal nightmare! So, who knows what else we can accomplish!

…Wait… who does know? Lolo, Guntz, Pango and I were the only ones who knew exactly what was going on… who directly witnessed the fight… now she's dead, and all three are nowhere to be seen…

I felt the pistol's barrel pressing under my chin… my heart's pace quickened…

But I swore we could hear the voices of our friends and loved ones in there… and everyone else who succumbed to the nightmare mist… did I imagine it?

No, I couldn't have… Lolo's voice was among them… and she remembered fighting back… but she can't tell her side of the story anymore…

So if their voices were real… once they woke up… would they just think it was only a dream? Would they not remember the kind of danger they were actually in?

Would our deeds… be forgotten?

My finger now rested on the trigger… my heart beating faster than ever…

I sighed…

If they wouldn't remember our deeds…

If Lolo's sacrifice really was to be forgotten after all…

If the only people who remembered it were now gone…

…Then there's no reason to go on…

With that thought, I exhaled…

Hang tight, Lolo…

…closed my eyes…

I'll be with you soon…

…prayed that the pistol was loaded…

We can remember our deeds together…

…braced myself…

Forever…

…and pulled the trigger.

BANG!