Chapter 6: The Search for "D."

Saturn crossed her arms up against her chest and bobbed around in place. She had a wily upside-down smirk and staunch, narrowed eyes as she proclaimed, "You got a whooooole lotta nerve showing yer face around these lands pardner!"

She tapped a spot on her wristband and the bungie cord snapped all the way down to a pouch on her back with enough force to make her start spinning around.

She landed perfectly on her feet and started stomping on over to Mew with the same smirk and tenser brows, using aura to make steps and close the distance height-wise. She plowed her face directly into his and wiggled her nose.

"So what dastardly deed are you planning THIS time my NEMESIS?!" She turned her head to the right and widened her eye further than is should've gone, "Didja find another empire to collapse into chaos? Or maybe ya wanna go causing trouble in another society?! What wicked thoughts lie behind your vacant, heartless eyes HEATHEN?!"

"...Good to see you haven't changed Catherine." Mew said with a lofty sigh after.

Saturn whipped her head back to bellow out a brief laugh and then proclaimed, "Only my allies can call me that! Villains must abide by the rules and let the name 'Saturn' burn into their unjust hearts!"

Riku slowly blinked twice and leaned in at Mew to whisper, "Brother...?"

Mew leaned back and whispered, "No Riku there isn't another way."

"Actually I was going to ask...Why is she calling you a villain?"

"BECAUSE!" Saturn bombastically hopped down directly in front of Riku and not-so-subtly "nudged" Mew in the hip, "THIS wild and unruly adolescent went and killed my boss Gravitus, plunging the planets he ruled into a state of chaos once word got out!"

Riku dryly looked down at Saturn and then gave a puzzled look at Mew, "Isn't Gravitus...?"

Mew rapidly slid a finger along his throat a few times, biting his teeth down on the last one. Saturn meanwhile faked a sniffle and shook her head.

"He was a great man who fought the good fight against injustice all across the universe. We had so many ideas for the future. Peace could've been a reality..." Saturn stiffly turned herself around until a fierce sideways glare penetrated Mew's face, "But now its just the opposite! Noel, Seth and the others are doing what they can out there to clean up the mess YOU made, but even we ain't got enough manpower to protect hundreds of planets!"

She turned the rest of the way and closed her eyes, "And then I came here to get Gabriel's assistance only to find out you trampled through this place like a bull in a china shop! Do you have no guilt? Do you have no shame?! Where is your honor, nemesis?!"

Mew endured the fiery lecture of justice in hopes he'd be able to get at least one word in edgewise, "Then why are you still here?"

"Oohohoho I bet you'd LIKE IT if I turned tail and ran eh?" Saturn's haughty laugh filled the empty space in the Pyramid, "No dice buster! I see the hearts of the people at their lowest and know I cannot look away! For that is what it means to be a heroine of JUSTICE!"

At this rate this would go on forever. Mew looked up at his brother with tired eyes and silently mouthed "Help me". Riku pointed at his chest, Mew nodded back, and Riku proceeded to tap Saturn on the back. She spun around on the spot.

"Yes?!" She said excitedly. Her eyes froze wide-open and she pinched the side of her glasses to give them a quick adjustment, "Hang on a nanosecond."

Her eyes narrowed to the thinnest point where she'd still be able to see and she leered back at Mew, humming all the while.

Riku laid a hand on his hip and remarked, "I'm sorry about the troubles you're dealing with, but I'm sure it wasn't my brother's intention to cause that."

Saturn perked up and suddenly laughed to herself, "Twin brothers, duh! For a second there, I was very very very very very slightly dreading that I was dealing with a multiplying miscreant!"

She then settled down a bit, at least for her, and remarked, "How noble of you to defend your wicked brother. But it doesn't matter what you say. For that man feels NO SHAME for what he's done!"

"Duh," Mew mumbled, "Gravitus was a power-hungry madman, I made the right call."

"SEE?!" Saturn quickly whipped her right pointer finger into Mew's chest and jabbed him a few times.

"Brother..." Riku sighed, feeling like they just lost progress.

"Ahem," Gabriel let out a brief, blunt cough and then laid his arms across his chest with his eyes closed when the others had their eyes on him, "Catherine, they came here for your aid. At least hear them out first."

Saturn fluttered her eyelashes and then turned her backs to the others and walked a few steps away, "You're right what am I thinking? I had briefly lost my way...consumed by the presence of PURE EEEEEEEVIL!"

Mew tucked his hands deep in his pockets and rocked his head to sigh. Saturn then spun back around and waddled on up to Riku with a smile.

"You though? Looks like you got your heart in the right place bucko! So, whaddya need?" She reached up at Riku's stump of an arm and slowly rubbed it around, "Maybe I could...give you a hand?"

Her glasses started fogging up and that along with a subtle chuckle left Riku feeling more uneasy than her touch. Yet he fought strongly against her advance to focus on what needed to be done.

"We need a ship that'll take us to the planet Genestasia."

Saturn pulled back and went "Oh ho HO" with deep, throbbing intrigue, "That old planet eh? Been a long time since I stepped foot there! If ya don't mind me asking, why is your justice guiding you there?"

"That'd be because of me." Mr. Reality stepped up and Saturn turned her full attention onto him with a rare look of surprise.

"Oh wow a Picasaru! I don't think I've ever seen your kind off your planet!" Saturn reached her hand out but the moment Mr. Reality moved his hers retracted and she curled her lower lip.

"Oh my GOD you don't have any arms!" She hastily dropped on her knees and ripped open the center of his cloak, "Or legs or body or organs!"

Before Mr. Reality could even blink she had gotten ahold of one of his hand and squeezed the palm. The fingers wiggled around on their own, "But your hands and feet move around anyways!"

"A-And that's kind of the problem..." Mr. Reality spoke up.

"Problem? What problem?!" Saturn proclaimed, engorging herself on inspiration as she fiddles around with the alien's hand, "This is really cool!"

"AHEM!" Gabriel coughed louder. Saturn tilted her head back and could feel the man silently glaring at him through closed eyes.

"Oh fine fine advancements in the field of floating limbs can wait I GUESS..." Saturn let go of the hand and inquired with blatantly forced interest, "So what seems to be the problem here?"

"Well..." And thus another person learned about Mr. Reality's predicament.

"Oh. Oooooh that IS a problem." Saturn remarked after having to prop her falling glasses back up.

"I should have realized you had those powers from the start..." Gabriel remarked, "Your conditions match how the old Elemental Overlord described them."

Mew glanced back and asked, "Oh, you saw these powers in action before Gabriel?"

"Not personally. But...that can be a story for another time," The samurai took a few steps towards the alien and bent on one knee before him, "I must commend your bravery...To have to bear such a power all on your own."

"I hadn't even heard of those kinda parasites until now!" Saturn proclaimed, quickly whipping up a flat holographic screen over her wristband and typing in all the information at blinding speeds.

"So you understand why we need that ship?" Mr. Reality remarked.

Saturn dispelled the screen with a blunt flick of the wrist and proclaimed, "Absolutely! I'd be more than happy to let you borrow one!"

"But what I don't understand is..." Gabriel stood and glanced beside himself in worry, "Why that world?"

"Ummm, well..." Mew rubbed the back of his head and tried diverting his eyes.

"Mew..." Gabriel's stern voice coerced a response out of Mew immediately.

Mew wagged a couple fingers towards himself and Gabriel walked over to they could talk in peace. Saturn gave him the stink-eye and customary "I got my eyes on you" hand gesture at the same time.

"Auris said I could pull 'D.' out of the place Justek threw him in if we go there."

Gabriel crossed his arms and let out a deep hum. After some thought he came to a conclusion, "I don't know the full extent of your plan here but I'll trust your judgment. You've earned that Mew."

"Just..." Gabriel relayed a heavy, heartfelt bit of advice to Mew, "Curb your expectations going forward."

"O...kay?" Though Mew didn't get it Gabriel wasn't about to get a chance to stick around and explain it.

"Hey nemesis! Stop bugging Gabriel and lets get a move on! I want to get this repair job wrapped up so I can go help my team deal with the angry Aggrocrocs!"

Mew leaned past Gabriel and shouted "Yeah yeah I'm coming!" and then started to head over when Gabriel put a hand on his left shoulder.

"I know she can be a little burdensome at times, but her heart is in the right place."

"I can tell," Mew whispered back, then cracked a smile going forward, "I'll show her that mine is too...Someday."

After Mew got back with the others and waved Gabriel goodbye Saturn edged away from him and then used her aura to craft a square platform under their feet. Then she lifted them up through the holes in the Pyramid until reaching her floor.

"Alright next stop...My personal space station, the Orbotronical!" Saturn glided her hand over her wristband and a little panel shot out towards the portal in front of them. It briefly wobbled but its appearance didn't change.

Saturn walked straight through the portal and after Mew's reassurance the three of them headed through too. The trip was brief and dropped them off in a new location than the planet Mew had first met Saturn the person on.

The first thing Mew noticed, and how could he not, was the tingle of electricity running through every square inch of the metallic floors and walls.

The space they were in was more wide-open than the area of twenty football stadiums put together, taller than the tallest Earth structure times three, and seemed to go in a complete loop. The center of the room was protected by an unknown domed kind of glass with a large round elevator stretching up and down. Running along the sides of the room were many different kinds of ships sealed behind that same glass.

Right now they started at the biggest ships that took up the entire wall with their height but going further down the ships got increasingly smaller. Mew could make out containers so small that the ships inside could fit in the palm of his hand. Round ships, square ships, ships shaped like arrows, others in an infinity loop, there was a ship for every want and need.

Tragically there weren't any windows to see the rest of the station with.

"Welcome to my ship!" Saturn bellowed in pride as a pair of tiny mechanical limbs brought her droopy lab coat down in her path. She thrust her arms into the sleeves and put it on without stopping a second. She even kept her stride going while walking backwards to focus on her guests.

"I built this beauty when I was only waist-high and its been my trusted partner ever since!" Her guests' eyes swiveled around the room and she got a mild blush in her cheeks, "Yes yes your breath is taken away but please, don't be afraid to shower me with praise for my brilliance!"

"Brother, look..." An uneasy Riku guided Mew's attention to the biggest ship locked up in here. A certain, pure white ship that the two of them had JUST gotten off two days ago.

"Isn't that...?" Mew muttered.

"That has to be the ship Justek used." Though just to be certain, Mew started wandering over to take a closer look.

One of those small mechanical hands suddenly came down and backhanded him across the face, followed by another joining in to flail away at his body. Mew slowly backed away and bumped into Saturn, who proceeded to run her chin up his chest after he turned around, and propped her fists on her hips.

"And just whaddya think you're doing troublemaker?!" She said at double her speed.

Mew glanced back at the ship and inquired, "Where did you get this ship?"

"GET this ship?" Saturn's eyes nearly bulged outta her sockets and she flung her head back all the way to her butt to laugh, "HAHAHA!"

She thrust it back into Mew's chest and swung a finger into his face, nearly missing an eye, "I MADE it!"

Mew's forehead scrunched up and as he muttered to himself "Oh my god of course..." Saturn's eyes went cross and she said, "Huh? What's the big idea? Ya need a little belief pounded in your blasphemous head punk?!"

"That's not it..." Riku stepped up to the plate, thank god, and sorted things out. It was more time being spent expositing but hey, this would probably be the last of it for today.

Saturn was left tapping her bare feet on the ground and remarking, "Ah, so that explains both the space-time anomalies that were cropping up all over the darn place AND why one of my ships suddenly vanished outta the blue!"

She then tossed a sneer at Mew, "Boy you're the kinda doom magnet that life insurance sellers LOVE, ain't ya?"

And the shade didn't end there, "I bet you're also the one who tossed the parasites into that poor alien's head to begin with!"

"I mean technically speaking..."

Saturn drooped her head slightly and sighed, "And after he helped me figure out how to traverse black holes...The nerve of him to go and steal MY ship! He could've at least dropped by and said 'Hello!' Ugh! Bad guys...They used to be so easy to figure out."

She waved one hand back and hopped along further into the garage, "Alright follow me, your ship is down in the medium department."

A short walk later Saturn snapped her fingers at the doors and the second from the bottom one in the current column pulled out of the wall and hovered down to the floor on four little energy-ring projecting jets. The glass then slid back to reveal a sleek triangular ship with rectangular front window, and a thinner back compared to its protruding front. Four jets, and enough space to fit three people. Of course, Saturn had to decorate it in her favorite colors, glowing purple and jet black.

Presenting the Sagittarius Arrow Mk IV! Capable of traveling to any location five galaxies away in under a day or you get your money back! It comes equipped with fresh water output, a fridge that teleports in new food for fresh stock, and a Serta© mattress perfect for sleeping away those lonely nights!

She eyeballed her company left-to-right in an almost robotic way and remarked, 鉄o, which one of you folk are gonna be piloting my precious baby?

She staunchly glared at Mew and proclaimed at the slightest hint of movement, 哲OT YOU!

I mean...Do ANY of us even have experience with a spaceship? Mew waved his hands out at his buddies and Riku closed his eyes to think deeply.

I was on one briefly during my travels but I never had to pilot it...

Actually, I have experience. Mr. Reality raised a hand and took the others by surprise.

H-Huh? Really? Mew spat out.

Sometimes we have to deliver what we mine to worlds without their own spaceships. I piloted them a few times in my younger years in a model similar looking to this one, He waved a hand to Saturn and asked, 的f you could just brief me on the controls I know the ship will handle just fine.

Saturn cracked a cat-like smile and purred in delight, 的 like this one.

She then crossed her arms and proclaimed, 釘ut don'tcha worry what's left of your head about it! You just gotta be prepared to take control on the .000001% chance the auto-pilot fails.

After consulting her multifunctional wristband for a moment she pressed a button and the back of the ship opened up so a ramp could slide down.

I punched in the coordinates for Genestasia and a trip back to here! So you're all set to go whenever you're ready!

Thank you for your assistance Saturn. Riku remarked.

Aww don't mention it! But please in the future, call me Catherine! Saturn smiled and had light pink cheeks.

And what makes him any different than me? Mew impatiently remarked.

Better looking, better manners, hmmm... Saturn propped herself forward and proclaimed with a wily glare, 的sn't an agent of chaos?!

Mew's eyes slumped shut and with a heavy sigh he waved his hand down and murmured, 鏑ets get going...

As the three of them made their way onto the ship Saturn hollered out, 溺ake sure your brother doesn't touch the controls!

Mew had never slammed a door harder than he did then. The cube then carried the ship back to where it had been originally parked but turned around to face a door.

The ship levitated in place and faced the vacuum of space trying to suck it out. The engines flared with blue sparks, and before any of its passengers could blink it zipped out as a cyan bolt of light.

Saturn stuck behind a little while and murmured to herself, 滴uh, I didn't get that brother's name. I'll have to remember to when he gets back!

Some time later the trio of travelers have settled in to the ship pretty well. For as fast as they went, with the light of the stars bending into unrecognizable rays outside the window, it was like they were completely still. Mew sat down on a hovering cushion and spun it around, while Riku sat still in his, and Mr. Reality took a look at the control panel.

The inside had dynamic lighting and a warm, cozy atmosphere perfect for lounging around in. Mew floated over to the fridge and plucked out a soda can. It was made of a metal he wasn't familiar with, but it sure did contain the cold beverage as best as the stuff on Earth.

"'Monosur' eh?" Is what he got out of the unintelligible symbols on the can. He popped it open and chugged down a good chunk of it at once. There was a lot of popping going on in his mouth and the liquid slid down his throat like slime.

"Well it 'sur' is delicious!" Mew wiped some excess onto his sleeve.

"Wait, let me take a look at that..." Mr. Reality floated up and squinted at the can, "Oh. Ms. Saturn likes this type of drink? That's...interesting."

"You're looking a little pale buddy. What's wrong?"

Mr. Reality leaned in close to Mew's ear and whispered. Mew recoiled his seat back a few feet and proclaimed, "I'm drinking THAT from a WHAT?!"

Mr. Reality nodded his head and Mew sat there, stunned in the same position for a good ten seconds. But with a gentle shrug of the shoulders he raised the can and kept sipping.

Mr. Reality's face trembled and he sank down onto a nearby seat.

"So how long until we get there?" Riku inquired.

"The ship's saying a couple hours, barring the possibility of space debris in the way." Mr. Reality remarked.

"Well since we got time to burn," Mew crushed the can against his forehead and tossed it back, leaning forward with his hands hovering over his knees, "Why don't we get back to some of that brotherly bonding Riku?"

"Sounds good to me. I'd like to learn more about your...interesting friends." Riku said with a slight chuckle.

"I wouldn't call them friends per se," Mew rubbed the back of his head and glanced aside, "At least not her. She's too much even for ME."

"She mentioned a 'Gravitus'..." Mr. Reality murmured.

"Is your world one of the hundreds he controlled?" Mew inquired.

"No, but I heard his name in passing quite often from our employers. He was the ruler of a hundred worlds?"

"Seems so..." Mew sighed.

"I wonder if we have our priorities straight here..." Mr. Reality started scratching the side of his helmet.

"I mean you heard her right? Word must've spread so fast because Gravitus had been broadcasting his battle with me and Kairi. Doesn't matter which worlds are good or bad, anyone who watched that footage is going to think I'm the enemy." Mew surprised even himself with that observation.

"I think you're exaggerating brother." Riku pointed out in his defense.

"I don't think so Riku. I got involved in a gladiator match during all that and millions of aliens across hundreds of races bet against me. The title 'Elemental Overlord' isn't very popular out there..."

"No...its not." Riku muttered under his breath.

Mew slapped his knee and perked right up, "Ah and besides! I bet they'll be able to handle it. If they ever need our help, we'll help! Simple as that!"

After he sat down he looked at Riku and said with a big smile of anticipation, "Now come ooooon, I wanna hear all about your adventures Riku!"

"Easy there brother, they aren't..." Riku went from a smile to a minor frown, "That exciting..."

Mew had to stop and recollect why Riku was feeling so down. "Oh yeah..." He sat up straight and gave him a brief nod, "Sorry, we can talk later."

"No no," Riku shook his head and held his hand out, refusing to be pitied, "Maybe...this is the perfect time to get this off my chest."

Riku sat upright and lifted then lowered his shoulders, letting out a long quiet sigh. He looked up at Mew and said, "In the naivety of my youth I wandered onto the first planet I happened upon. As it turns out, it was Hyrule."

Mew crossed his arms and felt uneasy remarking, "That was your...first world?"

Riku gave a terse nod. Mew then tried to inject a little positively alongside his curiosity, "Well...what was going on at the time?"

"It was the Hero of Time's era. I arrived right around the end of the seven-year time jump."

Mr. Reality headed off to do something else behind Riku's back. Mew nod attentively and asked, "How did it feel going to a video game world?"

Riku's expression soured and he turned away for a moment. He raised his head and then somehow, managed to smile, "Breathtaking. The wind of the fields against my face. The heat of Death Mountain, the moist depths of the Water Temple...The world felt so alive brother. Even under Ganondorf's rule, Hyrule's beauty refused to give in."

"And Link...Watching him adventure on in person was inspiring. He fought with courage and heroism against all odds..." Riku's skin turned a shade paler and his body trembled, "And...he died for it. But that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me."

Mew let him have a short break before mustering up the courage to ask, "What exactly happened Riku?"

Riku gripped the side of his head and remarked, "My presence there grabbed Ganondorf's attention right away and we fought for a bit. I had intended to use Light Form to finish him off but because of my inexperience I accidentally went Dark Form. And that allowed him to steal the power of darkness from me."

"But you got it back right? Cause your Chaos Form requires both elements."

"I did but...I was a second too late. After a long battle against the King of Darkness and his bestial form Ganon, Link was set to deal the final blow...Unaware of what would happen next."

"The intense darkness Ganondorf carried was enough to awaken the shard of Demise's power sealed within and allow it to possess the incarnation of his malice. And then, try as he might, Link just...just didn't have enough strength left to fight back the Demon King reborn."

Riku suddenly clasped a hand over his face and a massive tremble shook through his body, "I...I still sometimes wake up to the sight of Demise's shadow hoisting Link's impaled body, set against the roar of red lightning...While all I can do is flee to save my own pathetic skin."

And that was from his first time out as an Elemental Overlord. Mew felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Had he spent even a little more time showing Riku the ropes, this wouldn't have happened. Riku would be happier, and maybe, he would still have his other arm.

"Riku, I..."

"I know Link forgave me for that but...Will I ever be able to forgive myself?" Riku tightly closed his eyes and shook his head.

Suddenly Mr. Reality put a hand on his back and woke him up. Then in a gentle voice the alien remarked, "The first step is to keep talking about it. Never keep it inside. It'll destroy you...and those you love."

And just as soon as he'd returned, the alien floated off. Riku pulled his hand down slowly and Mew scooted closer to him.

"He's right you know. You don't have to bottle it up anymore Riku. You got me now!"

... Riku had a "deer in the headlights" look for a little bit before finally cracking a smile and saying, "Y-Yes, you're right. And...I do feel a little better already after talking about that."

"Good to hear!" Mew slid away and gave his brother his space.

Riku then stared at the floor, his eyes narrowing. He pulled his head back and murmured "Actually" before setting his sights on his brother to say, "I think I have an idea for what to do about 'D.'"

A couple hours later and the ship finally exited the speed jump a few hundred miles over their destination. Mew, comfortably leaning back with his arms at the back of his head, let out a "Hoof, finally!" and hopped up.

"You'll have to continue that story about Kirby later Riku"! He then made his way over to the window, his eyes wide with anticipation.

The homeworld of the original Elemental Overlord, Genestasia. Looks pretty barren from up here. The planet was a big brown rock with a lot of clouds covering over it that made it hard to pick out the finer details.

"We'll be entering the atmosphere in ten seconds. We should probably brace ourselves." Mr. Reality forewarned, which for once Mew took to heart and he sat right back down, creating some vines to act as seatbelts.

The ship rocked around but none of the heat surrounding the vessel got inside. Quickly penetrating the clouds, the trio were welcomed by...

"What the...?" Mew's enthusiasm was shot by the confusion he felt looking down.

A terrible scar fissured the land at least a hundred miles long. A snowy mountain had collapsed into it, dragging a mix of magma and ice down with it. The half of mountain that remained was impaled with tree roots.

A large crater beyond the scar was big enough to fit a certain floating city of the Aurians, but now it was flooded over, half of it frozen in the midst of forming a tidal wave. Splotches of blood mixed in the ice, while the front of an elephant-like skeleton the size of a skyscraper protruded out of it, the rest of its body still perfectly preserved.

Parts of a floating city had impacted the surface like meteors, burning down a huge, bountiful garden. The roots that remained had grown out of control and ensnared the stone. Another fissure revealed itself further out, but a giant crystal had grown through it, the tip barely seen on the surface. A few skeletons rested around where the tip had emerged, all broken in half at the waist.

Millions dead, the skies darkened purple, and nature in chaos was forever to be their first impression of this world. Left with more questions than answers could provide, Mew shook his head and backed away, reflecting on Gabriel's words.

"What the hell happened here? Its like...the aftermath of a war."

That probably sums it up perfectly brother, Riku remarked, "If this is the Elemental Overlord's world, then this is where the battle with the Dark King took place."

Mew tried to feel the planet itself. The scars ran deep. And it was still hurting to this day. With a tight bite on his lower lip he then glanced beside the window as the ship ran parallel with the planet's surface.

"This doesn't feel like a warzone. Something much, much worse happened here."

"Hopefully this doesn't hurt our search." Mr. Reality remarked.

The ship slowed down on approach to a grand city full of decayed silver buildings either caved in or toppled over, deprived of their once glorious shine. In the very back of the city was a big hole where the Light Temple obviously once stood. The ship stopped and settled down on the outskirts of the city, releasing its door with a hiss.

Mew and Riku stepped out. Mew looked back and said, "You should stay here buddy, just in case something tries to attack the ship."

"I'll do my best. Be careful out there." Mr. Reality stepped back in and shut the door.

The air on the planet was a smidge toxic but nothing a little wind work couldn't handle. After rounding the ship Mew and Riku stepped over the rubble of the former front gate and headed straight towards where the Light Temple used to be.

"oooooo" The wind could be described as hollow, carrying the whispers of the dead land around for those who'd dare step foot in here again.

Mew had a chill in his legs as he had to pay attention and avoid stepping on any bones. There were a few torn apart moldy books along the way that confirmed that Auris had said about the Light Tribe being religious...But nothing that explained HOW this massacre happened. Unlike the other locations, there wasn't any signs of the other elements tearing the place up. It was like something, or someone, came and wiped the city out in a single blast.

"Feel anything?" Mew remarked.

"Nothing good," Riku shivered and slowly pulled his leg over a whole skeleton draped in a dusty robe, "Maybe we'd have better luck in Light Form."

"Oh, good call." After slapping his forehead Mew drew his sword and pulled the white trigger, going into his angelic garb at the same time as Riku.

Immediately Mew's brows flinched and he glanced straight up ahead, "There we go! I'm feeling something in the middle of where the temple used to be!"

They flew towards the growing sensation and stopped, hovering in mid-air.

"I think this is it." Mew reached his hand out and flattened his palm. Riku did the same, though his hand twitched slightly.

"Hmmm?" Mew noticed, but Riku didn't say anything as he turned his head forward and remarked, "Are you ready?"

"Not really. But whatever, we didn't come here for a vacation!" Mew flexed some light energy into his palm and Riku did the same. They concentrated on the energy source and started to force open a massive swirling void of pure white. It started as big as them, but slowly grew to be three times their size.

"Ghhh...!" Riku grunted while Mew took to this task like a breeze.

"Uhhh, Riku?" Mew looked to his brother and saw that white sparks were spurting out of his arm, forcing it to spasm and loosen his grip on the vortex.

"H-Hurry and pull him out brother!" He focused on the task at hand and gave Mew the chance he needed to stuff his arm deep inside the Void of Radiance. The burning brightness was negligible in this form, thankfully.

A black hand latched around Mew's wrist and held on so tightly it pinched a nerve. Mew recoiled with vigorous force and fell out of the sky, dragging the black shadow down with him. Riku pulled out and the rift shut.

Mew tumbled down the street, covering himself in a thick layer of dust that sent him into a brief coughing fit. He planted his hands on the ground and rose up, with the black hand letting go and flopping to the ground. The figure it was connected to coughed as well, raspy and sounding very close to death.

The dust settled fast and Mew saw a strange insect man lurched over in front of him. They had a moth shaped head with beady yellow compound eyes and a pair of fuzzy moth-like wings, the edges a blend of yellow and red while the inner pattern was black. His body was loosely bandaged up like a tattered robe and his arms were thin, hairy, and somewhat prickly. His hands had three long, sticky talons attached while the thimble legs were deprived of feet. His skin was formed of a hundred scars wherever their fur didn't cover it.

"Whoa..." Mew fluttered his eyes in surprise, "I didn't think there were multiple people imprisoned in there!"

The bug man flinched and slowly creaked their head as Mew smiled and said, "How long were you trapped for bug guy? Or...girl?"

"...You?" The bug's first word carried a familiar rasp to it that, like it or not, was never leaving Mew's head again.

With a swelling laugh as they rose off the ground by their deviled wings, the bug looked to Mew with its many eyed gaze and muttered, "So the host returns...A flame to the moth."

As his eyes bulged and his mouth drooped, Mew could only mutter the bug's identity in surprise, "D.?!"

Next Time: Lightened Dark