Hi everyone, I hope you are doing well! As of right now, I am updating the old chapters, adding in details that I may have missed and slightly changing some paragraphs that didn't fit my taste anymore. I encourage you to read them again, since the situations are rather different and it will affect the rest of the story.

Anyways, I'll leave you with this new chapter! Read and review, remember ;)

Yours truly, Circle of J.

/!\ Warning: Bad ending (because nothing ever ends well in my fictions x)) /!\

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Kid Icarus series. The deities mentioned are taken from Greek Mythology, remastered the way I imagine them. What I own, on the other hand, is the plot.

Kid Icarus: Heirs of the Light

Chapter 10: Stone-formation

Under the cloak of the starry night sky, Dark Pit took a deep breath when he felt his foot sink in the mud. The fresh scent of the trees, of rain, of a nearby river filled him with nostalgia. The sun had been swapped with the moon this time though, which made it a lot less luminous than it had been in Pit's and Magnus' company, so many days earlier. The silver light from the moon cast its glow on the water current, giving a strange, yet bewitching feeling to which Dark Pit had trouble resisting. The leaves of the trees, whistling with the slight evening breeze, sang their dreamy song in his ears, though he managed to snap out of his trance and walk further into the woods. Anything could be lurking in the shadows, since darkness had taken over the landscape.

Pit had been walking in front of them ever since they had walked in the forest, and gasped at every little thing—even as insignificant as a bird squatting over his head to fly to another branch. His twin had never once glanced away from him, for he observed every one of his movements and loved to meet those glistening blue eyes when they happened to cross his red gaze.

Pit soon turned towards his two friends, ran up and pulled Dark Pit by his wrist. He led him to a tree that he liked, though it had nothing special to itself—but maybe he was skeptical since he was accustomed to the sight of them, working for Viridi all the time—and started ranting about the color of its trunk. Dark Pit admitted that he had barely listened; he was too focused on the fluctuations of Pit's sweet, adorable voice in his eardrums.

"Pittoo—"

"It's just a tree," Dark Pit shrugged. After he said that, he leaned against the tree and stared right into Pit's eyes, which glimmered with a strange mix of curiosity and fear. Raising an eyebrow at his cryptic expression, his darker twin glanced at Magnus, who hadn't waited for them and was walking further in the woods. "How about we don't waste time, Pit-stain?"

"Can I?" Pit dared to asked, though he seemed hesitant, and Dark Pit's eyes widened when he understood what he meant.

Dark Pit walked up to the tree he thought he recognized when he thought back at the flashback he just had. Resting his hand on its trunk, he closed his eyes and breathed in through the nose, letting the soothing feeling of Pit's presence flow over his sorrow. Even though it was shallow, unreal, it yet felt so true, so sincere… Dark Pit ran his hand along the trunk, sensed every inch of it, imagining it to be his twin's body. Without realizing it, he had stepped closer to it, only inches away from kissing it. His eyes still shut, he let his fantasies drown him—drown him faster than a swirl of water would have. "Oh Pit… I miss you…" he whispered under his breath. His heart lightened, his lips distorted in a smile, and he could hear his twin's voice echoing in his mind.

"You usually never let me touch you," Pit remarked, running his hand on Dark Pit's torso. Of course the dark angel—who had always been repelled by the idea of being physically close to someone—was tensed. Nonetheless, he allowed it for some reason he wasn't really sure of himself. Pit's touch felt so light, so sweet, so intoxicating—he couldn't get enough of it. In spite of his paralysis, he yearned for the light angel's swift brushes against his skin. "It's not so uncomfortable, now is it Pittoo?"

"Oh no it's not…" Dark Pit whispered, answering to his angel's voice that only he could hear. Keeping his eyes shut, oblivious to the sad, bleak reality of the world around him, he ran his hand along the trunk of the tree and inhaled its scent with delight. He could sense that of Pit, and his cheeks flashed red instantly. His fingers brushed against the soft skin he could feel under them, and he eventually sighed and decided to face the cold hard truth: he opened his eyes and stared right at the tree in front of him. "Now I wish it was real, too…"

Pit chuckled and poked his nose. "Sometimes, it feels like you and I live in a different reality," he said, though he had not stopped chuckling. Dark Pit frowned, puzzled, and wanted to ask what his twin had meant, however he had no time to do so. Pit noticed his curious eyes and continued all by himself: "You only see the dark side of things, when all I see is the light."

"Maybe because you're stupidly optimistic?" Dark Pit suggested.

Pit pouted and bit his lower lip, before he looked right into Dark Pit's ruby eyes. "Or because you're all gloom and doom?"

"Aw, sounds cute when you say it."

The light angel's wings fluttered up and he joined his hands, ecstatic. He jolted off his bed, pushing the light, velvety blankets off of him, and his eyes twinkled. Dark Pit smirked at the view, feeling his heart jump up when he met those sapphires, but he didn't have time to step out of the captain's room before Pit asked: "Oh! Pittoo! That means you think I'm cute?"

"I do, I really do," Dark Pit replied. His normal self, on the other hand, had said: "Nah! Why'd I ever think that, stupid?", but the dark angel refused to listen to him. Instead of focusing on his past self's attitude towards Pit, he darted a look towards the map he held in his hand. He peeked at it, looked at the location of the pink cross, and started walking again without looking behind. He could almost feel Pit staring at him, but knew that he was nothing but an illusion. His steps led him to two different paths, and he couldn't remember which one they had followed. Until a memory struck him, and he could see Magnus walk to the left with his precious light angel, joking around about something he was unable to hear.

Dark Pit decided to follow them, trusting that his mind was not tricking him, and soon arrived at the spot. He could picture Pit sitting on the ground, playing with a wooden stick, whereas himself and Magnus were arguing. "Don't ever touch me!" he heard himself scream at the human's face, very loudly despite the distance he kept from his illusions. In the background, Pit stood there, a few steps away from them, staring at them both with a glimmer of worry in his blue eyes. He had that serious expression; those slightly frowned brows, the barely noticeable parting of his lips and his clenched fists. Granted with such a new and unexpected perspective on the scene before him, Dark Pit could truly see the masterpiece his precious little Pit used to be. What beauty, what elegance he had… he thought to himself, and he couldn't help but crack a smile—even though he'd hate to admit it to himself, and even more so to Pit.

It was movement that caught his attention. Dark Pit witnessed the light angel sitting down, as if he watched a real life movie, and walked past his past self and Magnus to look at the wooden stick Pit was playing with. It didn't appear to have anything particular to itself, until his twin turned it around and saw a strange marking on it. He tried brushing it through his hair, but Dark Pit wanted to hold him back to look at the mark. He attempted to grab the wooden stick from his hands, however his hand went right through it. Nothing but thin air.

The dark angel sighed and sat down next to Pit. "You know, at that moment, I had really wished you'd talk to me instead of Magnus," Dark Pit said to his lighter self, whom he was imagining next to him, based off of his memories of him.

Pit didn't look at him; he kept playing with the stick in his hands as though he had never heard him at all. Then Magnus suggested settling there, and the light angel's wings fluttered up as he sprung to his feet. Suddenly, Dark Pit had an idea—even though it'd get him far from his main objective: he was going to follow Pit in the woods, to see how and when the wolf had arrived to terrorize him. Maybe he'd learn a thing or two from the event. When Pit ran towards the deep woods and away from his past self's view, he completely vanished from existence.

Dark Pit frowned and stared back at his own self. Of course, these were still his memories. If he didn't see where Pit headed, he couldn't see him now… For a moment, he had managed to lose himself in the heartwarming memory of Pit, and to forget that those visions were illusions from his mind.

"Gods, wish I had followed him in there now," Dark Pit sighed.

His eyes caught something that shined in the grass, and he narrowed them to see it clearer. The stone. It was unlike the other stones, even though it didn't light up anymore. It almost looked like a simple piece of glass amongst the grass, next to a worn out fire pit. He went forward and picked it off the ground, rubbing it on his tunic to clean it. Well, it wasn't perfect, but at least he was able to make out the mirror shape on its bottom. Dark Pit examined the necklace from up close, trying to find a way to light it up. "Maybe there is a switch, after all."

He smirked as he thought of another option, much more cliche. He felt ashamed at the idea of doing it, actually. But if he had to, he wouldn't hesitate one second—for Pit's sake. "If I whisper 'I love you' to the stone, you think it'd work, Pit?" he asked his lighter self, though he did not hope for an answer. He cringed internally, since he'd never said those words to or towards anyone in the past, and braced himself when he stared into the stone.

"Well, us!"

"There's no us, Pit." Dark Pit frowned and looked off, ready to walk away and lock himself up in his room. Pit's smile was a weapon so strong that it hit him right in the heart, and he couldn't accept that. The dark angel pushed his lighter half away from him, took a few steps back, then eventually he turned away and was about to run off to his room. Pit sighed sadly, catching his attention, and he held a few tears from falling. "What, isn't that true? You left without a glance behind."

"I said I was sorry about that!"

"Still, I don't have to forget about it for that matter. And please, on Zeus' name, don't start crying, Pit. You're a grown up now, aren't you?"

Pit looked off to the side, obviously hurt even though he'd grown used to his twin's occasional snaps, but Dark Pit convinced himself that he couldn't care any less. He snorted, turned his heels and walked off to his room. However, he hid behind the door to the hallway, curious to hear if Pit would say anything. He was not disappointed, for the light angel approached the door from behind and rested his hand on it. He could hear him sob, whimper like a toddler who had been refused a hug—comparison that he found very accurate when he thought about it—as he whispered quietly: "You don't know how much I love you…"

"You don't know…" Dark Pit began, tears flowing down his cheeks as he remembered those words—the last he's ever heard Pit say before the incident at the Sanctum. "You don't know how much I love you too, Pit…"

For a short moment, there was no reaction whatsoever from the jewel. It disappointed the dark angel, who had hoped those stupid movies that Pit watched so often would come to reality. He eyed at the stone, desperate, and wrapped his fingers around it, as though this would awaken it. Still, nothing. "Maybe this thing's really fucked," he whispered in defeat, before he dropped it to the ground. He had barely enough time to turn back: the stone started shimmering once again, and the dark angel blinked in response to the increasingly blinding light. He looked back at it, a hand covering his eyes until they accommodated to the sudden purple glow. The grass that surrounded the necklace smelled more and more like it was burning though, and that did not invite Dark Pit to take the stone in his palm.

Despite it all, the dark angel's eyes widened and a smile spread across his lips. He crossed his arms, amused, and wiped the tears off his cheeks. Ironic, it worked! he thought, shaking his head lightly. Aphrodite was such a romantic soul… for the Goddess of Love and Lust and all. Dark Pit didn't let his thoughts wander any farther and leaned in to pick up the glowing necklace. Surprisingly, it didn't burn him, even though he jerked back when it touched his skin for the first time. Once the heat seemed to have significantly dropped down, Dark Pit wrapped the chain holding the pendant around his right wrist. He tightened it so that it would not fall off so easily—even during his daily battles—and gazed at the stone as it dangled from left to right, shining as bright as his love for Pit.

This time, he would tell him everything. He couldn't hold back, he desired Pit too much to deny it. His body was sore, craving his touches, kisses, yearning for his affection. He would go deaf if he didn't hear the angel's voice pretty soon. He would go blind if he didn't meet his sapphire, magnificent glistening eyes in the next hour—he knew it was all true. This time, it was time. "I'm coming for you, Pit," Dark Pit promised. He then looked into the sky, determination in his eyes, and enveloped his fingers around the stone, which hanged just loosely enough to rest in his palm. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes. "Palutena, do you hear me? Can I come over?"

No answer.

Strange, but maybe she hadn't heard him yet. So he decided to try his luck again, maybe this time she'd be fully awake or disposed to answer his request. He called out to the Goddess of Light, smiling when he thought about all he'd have to say to Pit if he was there, if he wasn't dead. He was fed up with fighting his own feelings, he wanted to tell him everything, to express his admiration for him. He wanted him to be aware of his undying love for him. Dark Pit took a deep breath, bracing himself. "Come on, Palutena. What's taking so long?"

"P-Pittoo, what a surprise!" the Goddess answered, in panic despite the tranquil vibe she tried to convey. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. H-Hang in there, alright? I'll be picking you up in one second!"

"Uhm, you think you're talking to Pit or what?" Dark Pit snarled. Did she really think she could trick him? "I'm not stupid, in case you're wondering, and you're out of breath. So, tell me: what the fuck is happening up there?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and putting his hands on his hips. He could easily decipher Palutena panting, and he wondered if something wasn't happening with Pit. He smirked at his own dirty mind, despite the slight hurt he felt in his heart at the thought itself. "Maybe I can give you a hand, I'd sell my staff to Hades just to see you make out with Pit."

"O-Oh!" Palutena reacted, and she seemed really surprised. Genuinely. "At least now I know what you're into!"

"Come on! Don't tell me you've never thought of it—I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

"No, only four months ago."

"Don't get smart with me."

Once again, it took her a minute or two to answer him. He really started to wonder about what was going on with her—maybe she didn't want to talk to him? He snorted at the thought; oh, he'd not doubt it for one second. They didn't have the best relationship in the world. Though usually, in spite of their quarrels and constant disagreements, she always agreed to bring him into Skyworld to visit Pit. What was different this time around?

Palutena's voice stirred him away from his thoughts. "Pittoo, I'll be honest with you: I really don't think it's wise to pull you in."

Dark Pit's eyes lit with curiosity. "Now now, you know you made me curious. Why wouldn't you want me to come?" The dark angel stood still, waiting for her answer and thinking about harsh come backs that he could throw at the Goddess of Light. He liked to predict what he'd say, since that would spare him the effort of actually being involved in their boring conversation. However, Palutena never replied—much to his amusement. "Backing out?" he scoffed, then he clicked his tongue. "I'm disappointed in you! What, you don't want me to see Pit anymore because you're afraid I may be a threat to him again?"

"Go home, Dark Pit. I can't let you come to Skyworld, I'm sorry—Yes, that's a good choice, Pit. Just be careful out ther—"

Silence.

…

What the hell? he asked himself, on the verge of snapping.

However, after a deep breath, he was able to repel it. "Aaaaaand just like that. Got it," the dark angel sighed, rolling eyes. Their connection had seemingly been interrupted out of nowhere. Stubborn as ever, Dark Pit called out to the Goddess, insisted that he really wanted to come, and waited until she was ready to pull him in. Though, he noticed that the sky was getting… significantly darker as minutes passed. Minutes during which he stood in silence, the cold wind beating up his face and freezing him on the spot. Dark Pit grew worried—and mostly tired of waiting around—and narrowed his eyes, trying to see if there was anything threatening in those scary-looking clouds. There wasn't anything special though, he examined the situation from afar and nothing in sight. "You guys aren't getting better with communication, I see."

"Look at the sky, Pittoo!" Palutena finally screamed in his ear.

Connection reestablished! he thought to himself, and he raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Don't you see them?! Do you need a new pair of eyes?"

He was almost deafened by the shrill voice that erupted in his eardrums. He winced and crossed his arms. "Well there isn't shit in those black clouds, I've looked, mind you." Dark Pit sighed, getting seriously annoyed. Nonetheless, he let a smirk spread across his lips when he added: "Though I wouldn't say no to a brand new pair of blue eyes. Seems to me that I've always liked them better."

"Really, Dark Pit?"

"You walked right into that one."

Palutena groaned in anger, which only made him laugh under his breath, but she went silent again. Tapping his foot on the ground, he waited for her to talk, and ended up growling when she didn't. Dark Pit shot a glare at the pitch black clouds lingering in the night sky above his head. He shook his head when his eyes caught movement in the clouds. He frowned, only to see that hundreds of Monoeyes and Komaytos spewed out of them and headed directly towards the sky. "Shit, fuck! Skyworld!" he realized, a little too late. "Palutena, warp me in! I can help you out!"

"Dark Pit, go home, I —Pit!" she screamed in his ear, and her voice started shaking. "Pit, let me see!"

"What in the Underworld is going on, Palutena?!" Dark Pit called her out.

"It's—Pit! No! I can't—No! Please, not you!"

"WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH PIT?!" the dark angel panicked, his voice shattering, strangled in his own throat.

"Trust me, you'll pay fo—"

Despite him waiting, the Goddess of Light never continued her sentence. Dark Pit's heart felt like it was about to explode, because he was concerned something might have happened to Pit—concern that was strengthened by the sudden pain he felt in his chest, which had nothing to do, for sure, with his pouding heart. He gulped and insisted: "Palutena! I have my bow, you have to let me in!"

Nothing.

"Come on, please, don't make me beg! LET ME IN!" he tried to yell louder despite how painful it was, considering he had broken his voice; all to no avail.

Dark Pit gritted his teeth, cursed his bad luck, and thought about the stone he held in his hand. "You can only use it once. […] It's a one-time gate." That was what Aphrodite had told him. One time, one travel. His brain started to hurt, as he considered using it to go to Skyworld before it was too late—if it wasn't already. But on the other hand, he… he really wanted to go back to his dimension someday as well, and that was the only access to it… Could he really choose to sacrifice his wish, the object of his daily prayers in the past? Could he really… become a part of this dimension where he never fitted in? He'd lose everything—his mother, his… temple… Er, well, everything he had ever known would be wiped out of existence!

If he took that decision, if he used the jewel to head back to Skyworld, it would be over and he'd never see his mother's face again, he'd never… feel whole again, not fully. Wasn't it too big of a deal? Could he really accept sacrificing this much? He… He loved Pit, but did he love him enough for that? And what if Pit didn't love him the way he thought he understood it? What would become of Dark Pit if that was the case?

The dark angel was now shaking from head to toe, as rain started pouring from the sky. "Pit needs me, he needs me, he needs me! But… I can't pay that high of a price…" No, he… He couldn't resolve to use the necklace. Plus, even if he did want to do it, he'd have no way of coming back from Skyworld afterwards, since if the Goddess of Light was in trouble… She would not grant him the Power of Flight; which meant he was going to be stuck in Skyworld until he somehow… freed Palutena… who would be imprisoned in another realm… When he thought about it, that was all beyond stupid and ridiculous. He shook his head, cursing at himself for even considering it in the first place.

Refusing to use his stone, all options considered, Dark Pit looked back at the sky and called Palutena. The skies became darker than they'd ever been, and suddenly, something fell at the dark angel's feet—something that was not a droplet of water. It was a Centurion, dead already, turned into… "Stone?!" the dark angel jerked up, his wings stretching in horror. He stepped back, shaken by what he just witnessed, and thought again about his options… "Viridi is out, not an option… Pit can't make me fly, since the poor idiot can't fly himself, and Palutena doesn't respond… What is there left?!" he panicked, thinking out loud while his heart raced in his chest.

"Think, Pittoo!" Pit screamed at his ear while he held his twin's hand, backing off since several monsters from Zeus' army had gathered around them, preventing them from running off. Dark Pit squeezed his hand to reassure him, glared at the soldiers heavily armed, and his eyes scanned his surroundings. Panic had not yet taken over him, but Pit… he was trembling like a leaf, probably convinced that this time was the end.

But it wasn't going to be, because Dark Pit still had a service he could ask a certain God of Travel…

"Of course!" he cried out when realization hit him, face palming and shaking his head. How stupid could he be? For a moment, he thanked whatever God had arisen this flashback to give him the answer he was looking for, then his eyes focused on the pitch black sky. "Hermes!" he called out, at the top of his lungs. He wasn't too thrilled by the idea of contacting the God of Travel and Communication, but… what choice did he have? Skyworld was in danger—No, I don't fucking care about that! Pit was in danger, and that was were the dark angel drew the line. Medusa had overstepped her ground. She thought she had the right to take what was his property, what had been destined for him all along away from him while he was stuck on the Overworld… Stupid snake, he'd soon make her regret ever coming up to the land of angels.

"Oh, Dark Pit! Now I didn't expect to hear from you!" Hermes answered from the Heavens.

The angel cringed at the mere sound of his voice. He hated him ever since he betrayed him: he had worked up Dark Pit in order to earn his trust and loyalty, and when he had needed him the most, he had turned his dark angel into his personal puppet to do his dirty deeds. At the last minute, when they were caught in the act, Hermes had claimed that Dark Pit had wanted to do it on his own account. Thus, he hadn't been blamed for stealing the sacred fire of Zeus' Mount Olympus—the dark angel had taken the full responsibility on his shoulders. Needless to say, he had been banished, but he didn't want to be under Hermes' control anymore anyways, so it didn't matter to him. Out of pride, he usually claimed that he had decided to stop working for Hermes, that it was his decision. They would never know the truth, so, he had the right to twist it however he wanted to.

Dark Pit snarled at the memories creeping up in his mind, but he took a deep breath to soothe his ironically burning rage. He had to rely on him this time, it was a one time thing. He swore it to himself, in the name of all those he loved… "You know what, I really didn't miss you, jerk."

"Now that hurt! No, just kidding, wouldn't want you to worry there. In fact, I have heard about you a lot recently in the Pantheon. You're the angel from the other dimension!"

"Huh-uh." Dark Pit crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the ground, already losing patience with the God. "Well? You owe me one, remember?"

"Uhm, I have no clue what you're referring to, young angel."

"I'm sure those still apply in different dimensions," Dark Pit certified. "Now you must do something for me, that's how trading works."

The God Hermes sighed, defeated. Yes, he was quite aware of what his counterpart had done to Dark Pit in his original dimension. Now, he wasn't proud of him, but he had no way of changing anything. What happened in parallel worlds was not to be dealt with. However, since… Since his other incarnation had done such a number on the dark angel, he supposed he indeed owed him a little payback. The dark angel raised an eyebrow, waiting for the verdict, and Hermes sighed once more. "What do you need, angel?"

"The Power of Flight, no less," Dark Pit said, sounding cold and detached in spite of the deep fear that moved him within. He prayed to Zeus that he'd make it out on time to save Pit… Though he could already feel himself become numb; not a good sign.

"Don't you think that's a tad bit of a lot to ask?" Hermes asked him.

Dark Pit shook head and eventually clicked his tongue, about to snap but miraculously managing to suppress it. "If you could hurry your ass up, that'd be great, there's someone waiting for me!" he demanded. Suddenly, he felt heat in his feathers and watched them grow in size, become sharper—almost in the shape of blades—and he was lifted from the ground. He flapped his wings and noticed with delight that he himself controlled his path this time around. Sounded like way more fun than with the two Goddesses… The dark angel looked towards the sky in triumph and flew around for a bit, appreciating the wind beating against his feathers and brushing through his hair. "That took you way too long, now I'm off."

"Dear Zeus… You can be glad my incarnation in your dimension owed you a favor, otherwise I'd never allow you to talk to me this way!" Hermes groaned from the Heavens, in a somewhat threatening tone, however Dark Pit only shrugged it off. "This version of the Power of Flight that I have granted you will wear off in twenty-four hours, starting now. Make sure you get everything done before that, because then, don't even dare calling me."

"Like I would anyways! I'd rather die in Hades' privates than talk to you again," the dark angel smirked as the God sighed. He could very much imagine him shaking his head. "Anyways, I won't thank you, since that's only fair. Plus, I'm supposed to be somewhere right now."

"Whatever shall I say… Good luck, angel. Make sure you don't die."

"Not your problem. Now scram." He felt very satisfied that Hermes never replied. Dark Pit flapped his wings in excitement and flew towards Skyworld in the blink of an eye. Time to deal with whatever was happening up there; twenty-four hours should be more than enough to get things done. After all, he had his trusty Silver Bow, what threat could pose those creepy Underworld monsters? To be true, Dark Pit had never felt as free as he did at that moment in his entire existence, and the feeling overwhelmed him a little. But he'd never give it up for anything. "Time to wipe out bad guys!" he called out to the Heavens.

Soon, he set his foot in the gardens of Skyworld, amongst the dead picotees and peonies. It seemed like someone else had stepped on those before him… Oh well. No time for that.

Immediately, he was attacked by two Monoeyes, that he quickly took care of with one slash of his blade. When his eyes wandered around, his heart jumped up and his skin turned pale: everything was dark, almost like it was in his own dimension. The palace looked pale, its vivid golden roof barely even looked silver. Dark Pit took a look around, wondering if he wasn't back in his home world, only to find more Centurions on his way to the palace—all had been turned to statues, of course. "Nice decoration. I've gotta say, they have poor taste in design."

The angel hissed when he was attacked from behind by yet another Monoeye and, thanks to his sharp reflexes, he grasped the hilts of his Silver Bow's sword. Before the monster had time to attack again, Dark Pit had clicked them together and was aiming a shot at its eye. "Goodbye!" he snapped at it, and a fully charged purple arrow pierced right through the enemy. It exploded and turned into thin air, just like these illusions he kept having of Pit and himself back in the city of the Overworld. Leaving that thought aside, Dark Pit walked closer to the palace, already impatient to have a talk with Pit and his precious Goddess. He had several things to say to Palutena, for she got him to worry enough to ask for Hermes' services… He cringed when he caught a sight of a crowd of Monoeyes in the distance, closer to the castle. "This place's infested with these things," he muttered.

He dashed towards the enemies and made his way through the crowd with swift, precise cuts in their eye. In less than a minute, they were all gone and Dark Pit could catch his breath. "Where's your Goddess now, monsters?" he bragged, then he began walking towards the palace for what would be the last time. He was soon close enough to make out two very recognizable figures that stood in front of the doors of the palace: they guarded it, one having two swords in his hands, to which he held on tightly, and swinging them at the enemies, and the other pointing her staff towards an invisible, possibly taller threat already far away from Skyworld. They both stood still, staring at a common entity they had been fighting together amongst a horde of Komaytos…

"Pit! I'll give you a han—Wait…" Dark Pit gasped, choking on his words. His voice shattered within his throat, and his hands started to tremble—just like the rest of his body. He trailed his right hand to his chest to feel his insane heartbeats, the stone glowing in his clenched palm. He wanted to call them out once more, but he merely managed to pronounce another word before his voice completely died out. Too late, he thought to himself, his eyes glued on what stood before him.

The two heroes were now buried under a coat of stone that turned Dark Pit's stomach.

To be continued…

Updated: 02/11/2019