All right kiddos it's June 14th over here so... my birthday and my present to myself is finally uploading this chapter. This was supposed to be a fun filler ep and suddenly... plot point I had planned for like 5 episodes later decided to come crashing in and ruin the party
Oh well. There's a lot of edge, as usual. Hopefully you enjoy! Love you all for sticking with me and my series for this long! ;;v;; you are all amazing!
Once again, the fights had become a piece of the girls' lives.
Well, everyone started getting more and more used to a random monster appearing during any time of the day and four girls with magical powers coming in to save the day.
Days flew by, and a monster was summoned every other day. It was tiring, to put it mildly. The girls often ended their days completely exhausted, but they still persisted.
"Haha! Take that!" Splash cheered, making a little victory-dance at the spot where Bronze had fled into a portal just mere seconds ago. "So satisfying kicking bad guys' faces in!"
"Terra! Gale!" Out of nowhere, Shauna ran up to the green and purple Cures and shook their hands frantically. "Thank you!"
Shauna often, suspiciously, seemed to be around places where Unbounds would appear. She had become quite a fan of especially Terra and Gale, though Splash did see her as one of her usual spectators during her morning dance routine. The little girl just never seemed to really approach her.
Splash crossed her arms. "Hey, I dealt the final blow, kid!"
"Please, everyone!" Terra called out, dragging Gale with her, away from the masses. "We need to go! We have places to be!"
Heaving a sigh, Ember smiled to herself as the crowd excitingly approached them. This is what life had become now. It was odd but she had found a certain sense of peace in it.
What disturbed that feeling of peace was the knowledge that, deep down, she knew things wouldn't stay the same forever. It wouldn't be this easy forever. They were going to fail someday. That thought... scared her.
For now, nothing seemed to be happening on either side. It was like a perfectly balanced scale.
But, it would only be a matter of time.
Episode 18: Boundless Shadows
Panting heavily, Bronze came back into the base. "Ugh, I hate that blue brat." She grumbled and rubbed her swollen cheek, covered in wavy lines from where Splash's soles had hit her face.
She walked out of the empty main room and entered the usual dark hallway. Still as dark as ever... well, maybe even darker than normal now that she really observed her surroundings. It felt more spacious, bigger, and she felt smaller.
As she walked slowly, each step echoed with a resounding clank. She noticed darkness creep over the walls, slowly cracking it, shifting it. If it hadn't been for the tiny dots that were glowing eyes, she wouldn't even have noticed Shade's shadowy minion hovering in front of some sort of tunnel with a broken door a few feet away from her. Upon closer inspection she saw that, unsurprisingly, its master stood in front of it.
Silently, Shade stared at the door. He was seemingly so engrossed in whatever was on it or would be behind it, that he didn't even notice Bronze's loud steps.
"... Is... something wrong?" She mentally slapped herself on the head for saying anything. Out of instinct, she held up her arms, awaiting a painful blow. To her surprise, Shade kept staring, seemingly unaware that she was even there.
His hand twitched.
"Go away." He said in a low voice, not even bothering to look at her. His shadow, however, did crack its head around to glare at her with its soulless glowing eyes. "Stay out of this."
With a shaky hand he commanded his shadow to get rid of the obstacle that was the door. The shadow obediently ripped it out and tossed it away, making way for a tunnel just fit for Shade's size.
He hesitated slightly, then flashed a grin at the shadow.
"Let me show you my room, or what's left of it, anyway."
Shade couldn't help but clutch at his aching chest at seeing the ruins of a room that used to be warm and safe. Now, the remains made it look more like a vaguely circular cave than an actual room. It was dark, hollow, and made him feel... empty.
"This is my room, buddy!" It was pointless to fake a gleeful tone, he knew that. His shadow was part of him. It couldn't think, and it couldn't judge.
Shade slapped his hand on what was left of a seemingly big bed, making some dust fly up. The sheets were tattered and dirty. "And here..." He got down on his knees, sticking his hand underneath the bed to get some kind of box from it. It was dusty and there was a silver lock on it.
"All right... all right..."
With a flick of its hand, the shadow smashed the box apart with its fists. What remained was a single, leatherbound book.
For a long time Shade just sat with the unopened book on his lap. He didn't speak, or move at all.
"I have to... get rid of this...!" He suddenly hissed, clutching the sides of the book until his knuckles turned dark. "Then maybe I can-!"
Then, without warning, the shadow tore out all the pages, letting them fly in the air and slashing each one with its claws as Shade's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"What are you...!?"
The pieces of paper gently landed on the floor around him, like flower petals.
Shade looked down at the book. A single blank page remained in front of him. After a few more minutes of absolutely stillness and silence, he placed a hand on the page and narrowed his eyes. His eyes darkened with hatred.
"Let's send one final message."
"Briiiiiiiiiiiight!"
Bright suddenly felt a weight in his shoulders as Beryl leaped into his arms. She was heavier than expected. "Bright, Bright!" She cheered, giving him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Me and Connie got you some things."
With a timid smile, Connie handed Bright a small painting. She had recently attempted to try and actually paint instead of sketch (with some help and supplies from Carly), and Bright had honorably offered his refined looks for her to practice. After all, if he was good at anything, it was posing.
"Ah, that image made of me is just as beautiful as the actual thing."
While Beryl didn't say it out loud, she could barely make out what it was supposed to be. She knew it was Bright, and the only thing making that obvious was the way his hair was painted, but otherwise... painting, or humans for that matter, was not Connie's field of expertise.
In the corner of the room, Ray sat on the table, scribbling in a Chocowan coloring book.
Beryl gave Bright a tiny box with two earrings in them, embedded with rainbow-colored gemstones. "They're Mystic Quartzes! They reminded me of you!"
"I can see why! They're beautiful and colorful, like me!" Bright gasped, eyes shining as vividly as the earrings while he put them on. He quickly rushed to the closest mirror, setting Beryl down gently, and striking a few poses. He admired the earrings, along with his face, passionately. "Why are you giving me this, girls? My birthday is in February, so-"
The two girls smiled at each other and then said, in practiced sync; "Happy Father's Day!"
"You're one of the best dads ever!" Beryl added and pulled Bright in a very tight embrace.
At Beryl's words, Ray looked up from their coloring book.
"But...! I'm not your dad..." Bright blinked in surprise. "You should shower your own father in love. That's how Father's Day works, right?"
Beryl paused for a moment. "I will, later. Don't worry." She replied shortly, followed with a smile. "So, what was your dad like?"
Ray dropped their pencil. It fell to the floor with a surprisingly loud thud.
"Ah, well... I didn't really know him all that well." Bright played with a lock of his thick, black hair. His eyes stared into an unseen, faraway past. "I know he was very heroic and dashingly handsome, of course." He struck a pose. "It runs in the family."
As if to change the subject, Beryl made a little twirl and walked towards the door, smiling sheepishly. "But, I have to go now! I still need to visit Uncle Dale and my dad! And really, I can't go see dad looking like this!" She pointed at her messy clothing before waving everyone goodbye and skipping off while humming.
Both Bright and Connie exchanged some worried looks. They both saw something was off about Beryl's behavior today.
Bright went to his own room to find a perfect spot for the painting, leaving Ray and Connie behind.
Slowly, Ray turned to the blonde. "What is... Father's Day?" They asked, curiosity dripping from their tone.
Now Connie gasped and she came closer to Ray, who leaned back with a frown. "You didn't get anything for Bright...?" She whispered and let out another, softer gasp as Ray shook their head. "We should get something for him right now. Please, come with me! I'll pay for you if I have to."
"What do you mean...? What is it?"
"It's a day where we show how much we appreciate our dads. And Bright is your dad, right? You should show him how much you ca-"
Ray was slightly taken back by seeing Connie so forceful, but...
"I do not have a Father. I have a Mother." They hissed, narrowing their eyes as Connie's widened hers. "Shade is the one with a Father... do not compare me to him."
For a second, Ray thought Connie was going to cry. It certainly looked like she was, but she shook her head and gave them a timid smile.
"Family shouldn't be decided by blood or even upbringing..." She spoke softly. Her voice cracked slightly as she looked down again. "It's... those people that make you feel like... you're safe... you're home..."
Ray placed a hand on their chest, feeling their heartbeat quicken as their mind spun through a millions of thoughts.
"I..." They muttered, voice barely audible. Connie could hear it clearly, however. "I feel at home here... more than anywhere else." Well, on second thought... that was partly a lie. There was one other place that had felt like home to them.
But that place wasn't there anymore.
Connie dared to look up again, giving another gentle smile.
"Shall we go?"
It would be an understatement to say Connie and Ray's little trip to the shopping district was awkward. Connie's quiet, passive nature made it hard for her to keep a conversation going and Ray... well, Ray wasn't sure what to say.
Connie treated Ray on ice-cream, letting them sit on a bench with their chocolate and vanilla-flavored snack while she quickly went to a store to pick up something.
Letting the sweet tastes of vanilla and chocolate carass their taste buds, Ray idly kicked their legs as they waited for Connie to return.
They didn't really understand. Connie seemed so... lucid, and gentle. Aeris, the Titan, had always been overly happy, selfish, and eager to fly, not wanting to be held down and throwing a fit when people tried to. Connie was different. Not only her, but all four Titans were different now.
Ray hated the disconnect between sensing the Titan inside them yet... none of them really acting the same. They all felt the same but, at the same time, they weren't the same.
"I'm back." Connie's voice snapped Ray's attention back to reality. With that genuinely kind smile, she sat down next to Ray, and got something from the plastic bag she had with her.
"I'm so glad it was done today!" She pouted for a brief moment and added something in a tiny whisper. "Took them long enough..."
"What is it?"
Connie smiled again. "A calendar. I had it specifically made!" She flipped through the pages to show various photos of her along with a few people Ray didn't recognize. "This is papa! Here is dad, and this is Benny! He's my younger brother."
With a curious look, Ray eyed the photos Connie was showing them. They saw pictures of four people together. They saw two males, in fancy suits, happily standing next to each other, smiling brightly. There was a photo of a little boy playing in a sandbox. They recognised Connie, looking smaller, too. It was obviously her but she looked so different. Odd! But... something was off. Something was missing.
"... What about your mother?" Ray stopped eating their ice cream for a moment. "Where is she?"
They saw it. They noticed her flinch slightly before returning to her usual smile.
"Oh, I've never met her." Connie shook her head and packed the calendar back up, placing it in her bag. "I know she is somewhere, but... I don't even know what she looks like right now. I do hope she's doing okay." She looked up at the somewhat clouded skies. "I hope she's happy..."
Ray furrowed their brows. The concept of having a mom and a dad had always confused them. Yet, everyone had them. Even back home, everyone had a mom and a dad. Although a lot of people ended up with a single or no parents anyway. Why? Of course, due the Titans' selfish actions causing so much destruction.
Their mother made their entire life. Every little decision about their lifestyle was made by her. Their mindset was formed by her. She had been so influential to them and... Connie had completely missed out on that. They couldn't imagine what it was like.
Connie turned away, meekly hiding from Ray's glance. "I... um... there was... " She tripped over her words, embarrassed. "I had an imaginary friend when I was young... " Her cheeks flushed red.
She stopped trying as she noticed Ray wasn't paying attention to her.
"I miss my mother... but..." Ray admitted quietly, not even caring the ice-cream was melting and dripping on their shirt. Connie quickly gave them a little tissue to clean it up. "I am..." They took a shaky breath, taking the tissue. "I am... relieved?" With a horrified look, they turned to Connie. "I do not know why I am feeling this way!? Mother was everything to me..."
Connie gave them a sympathetic look. She looked like she wanted to say something. Her lips quivered, but no words came out.
"I do not want to have such a... positive feeling... being connected to her... dimming!" They sniffled and the ice-cream dropped to the ground. They raised their hands to their face, trembling. "It is like I am happy that she is gone... no... no, no... no...!"
"Ray..." Connie handed Ray another tissue. "I'm sure your mom would want what is best for you. She wants you to be happy, right?"
After closing the door behind her, Lucille leaned against it.
"Your mother should never know about this." Her voice was soft and her tone wore a sense of caution with it.
Putting down her pen and leaning back into her chair, Radiant Lumiere stared at the ceiling of her personal room. Depictions of angels and clouds adorned the ceiling she had stared at for so long. They were unchanging, like her.
"I do not understand. Does she not want what is best for me?" She took a breath as a realisation slithered in her mind. "That means... I am doing something bad...? Something vile...? Something-"
"No, no... you should do whatever makes you happy." Lucille's smile grew. She never noticed the underlying cunningness in it. "I'll be with you all the way. Don't forget that."
Clenching their fist, Ray turned to Connie. Their eyes were shining with tears. "How would you know that!? You have never met your own mother!"
"But... it's how it is for family in general... or how it should be..." Connie reply was soft, a tad shaky, but sincere. "I know not every family is as lucky as mine." She looked away, as if ashamed or afraid of the reaction to her words. "Not everyone is as lucky as you. Bright is a wonderful person... please... please, appreciate him..."
Ray didn't say anything for a long time, obviously taking in Connie's words. Connie quietly motioned them to follow her as she stood up. They obeyed reluctantly, but still silent.
The duo quietly continued walking around the shopping district. The initially awkward silence had morphed into something more serene, allowing the two to go through their own thoughts without feeling too awkward. They entered various stores to look for a present for Bright, but came out empty-handed every time.
"Now, what does Bright really like?" Connie asked, fumbling with her hands as she looked over a shelf of candles. "Candles are nice, but you use them too quickly. Mirrors would be a wonderful gift... but he already has so many..."
Ray looked up at various shelves with alien (to them) objects on it. So strange, so strange...
Their focus went through a shelf full of mugs of all shapes and sizes. There was even a Chocowan-themed one! Ray's entire body started shining as they stood on their tiptoes to grab it, inspecting it in their hands.
"Cute!"
The mug slipped out of their hands when they tried to place it back. Small, swirling winds caught the mug before it could fall to the ground. Connie kneeled down to let it hover in her hands.
"That was close..." She murmured as she let out a relieved sigh. "Oh~! Mugs! You could give Bright one of these!" Her smile returned as she looked at the shelves with the mugs. "You can never have enough mugs, if I say so myself."
Ray followed Connie as they inspected the other mugs. Their eyes soon stopped at two particular ones.
One was pink with golden letters that said: 'First my Mom, forever my friend!'. The one next to it was purely white and the handle was wing-shaped. It had the words "World's Best Dad." written on it.
"That one is lovely!" They heard Connie's voice say. She clapped her hands together with a smile. "I bet Bright is would love it!"
"But... Mother..."
Connie thought for a moment. "Oh, Mother's Day is in... um... " A brief pause. "May, I believe?"
Ray stared at Connie for a long time, eyes wide, as she continued speaking. "You want me to buy it for y-?"
"No! I want to buy it with my own money!" They cried, making Connie flinch and turn some heads in their direction. To be honest, it was the money they got from Bright in the first place... but still...!
They carefully held the mug and got ready to march out of the door but Connie hastily pulled on their sleeve, urging them to go the counter to pay for the mug.
"Oh... oh, right!" Ray gasped as they went to the counter and slammed all their money on it. "I would like this wonderful gift for my da-... for... my knight! Caretaker!" They fumbled over their words as the cashier chuckled at them and only took a bit of the money, shoving the remaining back to them.
The duo got out of the store, each with their own sigh of relief.
"That went really well! I'm not so good with buying stuff myself..." Connie admitted meekly, letting her plastic bag sway back and forward. "I always trip over my words, even when I practice what I'm going to say in my head."
For the first time that day, Ray gave Connie a big smile. "I am so happy. Thank you so much for assisting me, Connie!"
Connie found herself smiling as Ray hummed a little tune, holding the bag with the mug in it against their chest. When she turned her head slightly, she noticed Ray had stopped a few steps back. Their cheery mood had taken a complete turn as they stood frozen in place with wide, frightened eyes.
"Co... Connie...?" They stuttered, pupils tiny and shifting around the area frantically. Connie felt dread slowly piling up as Ray's form started to lose its glow.
Panic started to creep in. Connie's hand went to her pocket, fingertips touching her Skyhigh Charm. It made her feel slightly relieved, if only for a split second. "... What's wrong?"
As soon as Ray spoke again, that tiny spectre of relief faded away immediately.
"He is here."
Connie's heart started racing as fast as her thoughts. Panicking, she snapped her head around to find the source of her and Ray's fear. The corners of the area were covered in shadows, creeping and crawling over the ground and walls.
What she saw next filled her entire body with fright, which almost instantly warped into full-blown terror.
A familiar figure emerged from the shadow, right in front of them.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Shade sneered at them as his shadow formed behind him. In his hand, he held a partially filled bottle of Dark Ink.
"Primal Spirit Unleash! Precure Evolution!" Connie screamed as she held up her egg with a shaking hand. She was surprised she was able to speak, let alone transform. "The heart that soars with the courageous wind, Cure Gale!"
While clearly amused, Shade scoffed. "Relax, Aeris. I just want to talk." He said, eyes focusing on Ray. "... to the wet candle."
"No! No, no, no! No! Stay away!" Gale screamed again, sending a blast of wind his way. As Shade got thrown back, the Cure quickly picked up Ray and ascended into the skies.
After they got over their initial confusion, Ray started struggling in Gale's grip. "Unhand me! You are tainting me! Stop!" They wheezed, thrashing their arms and legs around. "I am being abducteeeeeeeeeed!" An elbow forcing itself painfully against Gale's chest caused her to almost drop the blond to their (brief) death. She panicked again, not wanting to be the cause of Ray's fatal fall twice. Not again. Never again.
Gale brought Ray to an isolated, safe space behind a building and dropped on her knees next to them.
"What... are you doing!?" They asked, resting one hand against the wall. "Should you not go out and fight him? Are you not supposed to be the hero here!? What happened to Pretty Cures being the heroic knights!?"
Her breath grew panicked as she softly grasped her white, fluffy hair. "No... no... I... I can't... can't... I can't..."
"Helloooooooo? I wasn't done talking?" Shade's impatient voice hid a tone of playfulness, not unlike a predator stalking its prey. Both Gale and Ray let out frightened cries as he emerged from the shadows again. "Rude~!"
Despite her intense fear, Gale took a protective stance in front of Ray. Her eyes were wet and she trembled like a leaf, but she wouldn't let him get to them. Ray's fear was likely more intense than hers at the moment.
She had no choice but to fight against her fear. Becoming a Pretty Cure had sealed that deal. She briefly remembered Carly's painting of her. With that mental image as strength, she kept standing.
"Wow, you're so eager to come back, Aeris." Shade smirked. "But, for now, I have no business with you. So scram!" He held up the bottle, tightening his grip so hard the bottle broke apart in his hands. The ink, as well as a black and eerily similar substance dripped from his hands and onto the ground... and into the shadow of the building they were in front of.
The shadow started rippling and writhing while Shade dug his hands into it. Only with help of his own living shadow could he drag out the unusual Unbound.
With warped cries, the Unbound started to form. It was much bigger than any she had seen before, even bigger than the ones made from two people. It was a towering amalgamation of darkness, abundantly covered in glowing eyes all over its body. Instead of a cage, the stomach was home to a gigantic mouth, filled with sharp teeth.
"The entire building...? But... how... how!?" Gale covered her ears painfully as the Unbound's united wailing throbbed her eardrums painfully. She could just hear the blended despair... there was so much... so many at once...
Shade's maniacal grin turned into booming, exciting laughter. "Yes!" He cheered, barely able to keep standing from his excitement and the overflow of power he was receiving. "So much darkness! It's... delicious!"
Gale couldn't bring herself to move. She was still paralyzed from the Unbound's twisted wails. Ray was yelling something too... she didn't understand what they were saying but she heard them, and the absolute terror in their voice.
Everything stopped as a sudden sensation tightly pulled at her chest. She briefly saw it, Shade's shadow had grabbed the heart emblem on her chest, pulling on it as if trying to drag it out. It was hard to breathe as an alarmingly familiar pain surged through her body. It was thrashing and wrenching around inside of her.
no no nono nonono nono noooo!
She screamed in pain as she tried to pry the massive hand off of her. It wouldn't budge and everything started blurring, like a haze. Her entire body was screaming, with her shoulder blades' cries being the loudest. Burning heat and freezing cold... she felt it all at once, again.
This pain... it was too familiar...
Terror rushed throughout her body as her consciousness started to drift away. She was going to be taken away again... torn away from her parents, her brother, her friends...
A single, clear voice tore through the haziness. Shade's terrifying smirk appeared in front of her, leaning closer to her. "After all... I promised, didn't I?" He whispered with untamed enthusiasm, as if exchanging a secret with her. "That you'd be the first when I get enough dark-"
"Let go of her, you brute!"
It took all of their courage and strength, but Ray tackled their frail, small body into the massive shadow holding Gale in its grip. While they lacked power and force, the shadow still retreated into the ground as Ray's glowing form came in contact with it.
Gale fell on her knees and clutched her chest, sobbing and breathing heavily. Now Ray was the one who took a protective stance in front of her. The blond looked at the fallen Cure. For a brief second, black spirals swirled in her eyes, which disappeared as soon as Ray hovered their hand near her chest.
"Ra... Ray...?" The Cure whimpered softly, looking up at Ray, who gave her a reassuring smirk.
Shade's shadow got back out of the ground again and reached for Ray, lifting its fist. Again, it stopped right in front of the blond. It was unmoving and stared them down with its glowing eyes.
They returned that smirk to a wide-eyed Shade. "You cannot harm me!" They declared smugly. "Because my brilliant light is eternal! Darkness beckons under my radiance! I am Radiant Lumiere, the light of-"
"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you hate hate hate hate hate HAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTEEEEEE!" Shade grabbed at his head, his voice and composure equally broken. "I HATE YOU!"
Claws slashed through Ray's torso. Pink-white substance started leaking out of the wounds and their eyes lost their lively glow. Right as they started to collapse on the ground, a single tear ran down their face before muttering their last words.
"I hate you too."
Gale instantly pulled Ray's lifeless body close to her. She held it tightly, not intending to let any more harm done to them. She knew they would be back... she knew that... but...
"Ha... hahaha..." Shade, still in a supposed state of shock, started to laugh quietly to himself. "I did it..."
"You... you monster!" With tears streaming down her face, Gale kept her intense look focused on Shade. It took all her courage to do so.
He frowned deeply at her words. "You're calling me the 'monster'?" His face warped into a bitter scowl. "Who is responsible for killing hundreds, no, thousands of people? Who selfishly did whatever she wanted, despite knowing the damage and suffering it would cause? Who murdered my dad!?" His eyes narrowed and he accusingly pointed at Gale. "You did. Monster."
Tears began to streak down Gale's face again. She never got the chance to reply, as Ray sprung back up. They took in a new, deep breath as life made their form glow once again.
"... Gale? Why are you not fighting that vile monster!?" They forced themself out of Gale's arms and tried to get up, without success. They stayed on their knees. "Do not worry about me. I will be fine, but those people will not be if you do not help them... so, go! Please!"
After hesitating for a moment, Gale nodded and took off to follow the roaming Unbound.
While looking at Ray's form, Shade didn't say a thing. All emotions he had shown moments prior had left his face as he slowly stepped closer to them. Still silent, he manifested a book in his hands and and unceremoniously dropped it in front of them.
"... This... is...?"
Fearful, Ray looked up. Shade and his shadow were towering over them. "I know exactly what is going on here." He sneered bitterly as the shadow's claws hovered near their neck. "Let's... break those binds, shall we?"
Ray turned their attention back to the book, opening it with a trembling hand and reading what was written on the only remaining page in the darkest ink.
["Believing in you was a sin."]
Just those words were enough to make Ray's chest twist in pain. Their glow dimmed significantly. A sight Shade seemed to be very pleased at.
He didn't have time to laugh, or do anything at all, because he never saw the kick in the face coming. He hit the pavement before falling into his shadow's arms. On his face were wavy marks from where Splash's soles had hit him.
"Long time no see!" The blue Cure stretched her arms with a grin. "This kick was on the house, ya nasty!"
Splash quickly went after the Unbound as well, seeing as Gale didn't seem to be able to damage it at all. Splash found herself in a similar situation. Most, if not all attacks seemed to bounce right of the monster's almost rubbery body. It didn't take long before Ember and Terra joined as well, but they also couldn't manage to leave a scratch on the monster.
"Unbound, get them!" Shade ordered from his place as he watched the fight. He felt his veins tighten as the Unbound turned around. Four snake-like arms erupted out of its body, which lunged for the Cures.
Ember hated how sticky the monster's skin felt. "What... is this Unbound?" She kept trying to unleash fiery punches while evading the arms grabbing for her. Even if she was wearing gloves, she still tried to avoid hitting the countless eyes, not wanting to touch those.
"It's... an entire building... full of people!" Gale explained hastily. "Shade... he- aaaah!" She was caught in a vice-like grip by on of the arms. It warped into a cage around the trapped Cure. Ember was next to be caught after she tried to get Gale free.
"Really, guys!?" Splash groaned as she unleashed a barrage of explosive bubbles into the Unbound's mouth, which actually did seem to cause some damage as the monster started flailing around and screeching painfully.
Terra tried punching with her rock gauntlets, but didn't have any luck either. Every hit seemed to drown into the monster's rubbery skin. She still found time to joke, however. "That was unbeliebubble, Splash!"
"Shut the hell up, Terra!" Splash growled at her green comrade.
"Oh, you mean... terrabl-WHAAAH!" Now Terra was caught as well, followed almost instantly by Splash, who had let her guard down for only a second in pure irritation. All the hands morphed into small cages around them as well, effectively trapping them in place.
Bright sat with a cup of coffee in his hand in a chair. He was currently on break and stared absentmindedly at the people walking back and forth to the coffee-making machine, and getting their preferred drink of choice.
"You seem a little out of it today?" A woman approached him with a concerned look, holding her own cup of coffee. "You can see it in the shots..."
He looked up at her. "Oh, really? Sorry, Chanelle." A weary smile crossed his lips as he gave his manager an apologetic look. Humans were much more perceptive than anyone at home had ever been.
"You would have rather stayed at home today, right?" Chanelle took a sip from her coffee. "To be with your kid on Father's Day?"
"It's... hmm..." Bright stopped himself, thinking. He had never even celebrated Father's Day before. (How did people even celebrate it?) He had heard about it, but his father wasn't around anymore, nor was he a father, so the 'holiday' had passed every year without even batting an eye at it.
And then Beryl and Connie had come to give him presents.
He had been thinking about Ray the entire time since then. On paper, he was their caretaker, or adoptive father. Truth to be told, he did see them as his child... he wanted to protect them, wanted to make sure they were happy, and he wanted to be that person they could trust and feel safe with. Which was, well, what a parent was supposed to be.
Bright knew that feeling wasn't mutual on Ray's side.
A brief flash of his mother's kind smile went through his mind. He tried to remember her soothing voice and felt a lump in his throat.
"There's another attack!" A jumpy man rushed into the break room, breathing heavily. "It's not looking good! This one is even bigger!"
Bright followed the mass to another room. Most people were at the windows, looking at something in the distance. The remaining people stood by a television hanging on the wall, which was broadcasting live with very shaky and vague shots.
It was largely due the shaky footage but, very slowly, Bright realised that the Cures were in real trouble...
"They're all trapped!" A younger woman cried out Bright's thoughts. Chanelle rushed to the woman's side and tried to calm her down.
Nobody noticed Bright slip away, going to the roof. He could see the enormous Unbound easily even from a distance. It looked absolutely horrifying.
Hanan, Beryl, Connie, and Morgan... they were there...
He had seen broadcasts of attacks before. He had been at attacks before.
... but it still hurt that four girls were risking their lives.
They were only children. They shouldn't be fighting like this!
What hurt the most was that he was powerless to stop it. He, a trained knight, couldn't help.
"I'm sorry, mom, dad..." Bright sighed, brushing his hair out of his face. "They were right. I am useless."
In a poof of feathers, he transformed into his peacock form.
"But I'm going to prove them wrong."
Ray still hadn't gotten the courage, nor power, to even move. Their hands rested on the book as tears fell down on the open page. Their attention slowly shifted to the huge Unbound.
"Look at the Titans, Ray... look at them." Shade spoke, voice low and soft. "They're helpless... they're trapped. Did you really think you could control them? Did you really think that they could help you?" He let out another laugh as he felt his entire body being filled with darkness. He needed more... more...
Ray watched the scene in horror. Smirking proudly, Shade stood in front of the massive mass of darkness that was the Unbound. "I'll bring our world and everyone back, but better!" He declared as loud as he could. "The Titans will be mine! This world... I'll take this world too. It'll be mine. It'll all be mine!" He spoke confidently, raising his arms. "That's... what I believe in."
Suddenly, he felt his chest beating intensely. Every beat echoed in his ears. It was like something wanted to burst out of him. He placed his hands over his heart. "Dad... just watch me... I'll make you proud."
Something erupted out of Shade's chest and hovered in front of him. It was some kind of jar, with silver patterns on it. Inside the jar hovered a dripping, pitch-black heart. The drops continued to spiral from bottom to top in the jar as the heart floated in place.
Nobody said a thing. All eyes lingered on the jar in Shade's hands.
"What the hell!?" Being the first who found her voice again, Splash yelled in utter, disgusted disbelief as she grabbed the bars of the cage. "What the hell is that!?"
"A... jar?" Ember muttered. "What... is it for?" She didn't want to know the answer to the question, but she knew she was gonna see soon enough.
Ray's eyes widened even further. "You..." They breathed. "That is...?"
At seeing their conflicted look, Shade roared with laughter. "This... I dub it... the Boundless Core!" He held the jar out in front of him, his shadow mimicked his stand, holding its hands near the jar.
"Danger Danger!" All shadows slithered over the ground towards him, as if magnetically attracted to the boy with a heart of pure darkness. The shadows warped in appearance, spiraled around his feet and stretched out on all sides. "Blackout!" The shadows burst from the ground and twisted around his form.
Shade appeared in a dark gray background with a pentagram under his feet as he as cracked his knuckles with a devious grin. The pentagram then began to glow and became a pool of black ink that engulfed him and suddenly the pool began to bubble. Just like that, the pool exploded sending ink everywhere as Shade arose from the pool, clad in a brand new outfit with a slightly altered appearance. His hair now reached a bit past his shoulders and was extremely fluffy, a crown made of bones was on the right side of his head. He wore a white tank top under a black sleeveless jacket with three buttons on either side connected by black tassels. For his lower half he wore a pair of off black shorts with a belt and a chain connected to it and a black boot on his right foot with two white studded anklets, and a white boot on his left with two black studded anklets.
Turning around, Shade raised his chin pridefully in the air and held a hand in front of his face. "Beyond limits, eternal shadows sow! Bow down to me, the heart that embraces boundless darkness, Maximum Shade!" His voice carried a distinct, yet eerie echo as his shadow mimicked his pose.
Having transformed into a new form, Shade's, or Maximum Shade's, expression turned back to surprise as he examined himself. He pulled on his hair, now entirely black. It felt incredibly soft. "I transformed?" A grin spread across his face. "I transformed! Yeah!"
"... What!?" Ember gasped.
Gale shrunk back in her cage, hugging herself. "That can't be..."
"Ah, his hair is looks so fluffy!" Terra commented, snickering briefly before scrunching up her nose. "He still smells like trash though."
Shade snapped around to glare at her. "Excuse you, Terre!? I am the supreme master and heir to darkness' throne, Shade!"
Splash didn't even try to hold back her laughter. "Not with that hair! Ha!"
"Heh!? But you said your name was 'Maximum Shade'!" Terra clutched the bars of her cage, denting them slightly but otherwise being seemingly unbreakable.
"You..." Ray started again. They stared at Shade with big eyes. "You were able to transform... all along?" Their surprise morphed into quiet fury. "Coward."
Shade raised an eyebrow.
With a louder, more enraged cry of, "Coward!" Ray threw the book in his direction. The shadow caught it effortlessly in its hand, then tossed it aside.
"Hey, this is new for me too!"
Grinning smugly, Shade held out his hand and his shadow warped its form around it. A sword manifested in Shade's hand. The handle was black and decorated with small bones while the blade itself was sharp and shiny, reflecting Ray's shocked face in it.
"... A sword? Awesome!" Shade looked at his newly forged weapon. Proudly, he held it in the air. "Behold... my Calamity Reaper!" He announced and quickly charged at Ray. He stopped right before the tip of the sword had reached their neck.
Ray held their breath as Shade leaned closer to them. "Just... give up, wet candle." He suggested with a sly, snake-like grin. "Face it, you are at your limit. I have the Titans and victory in my grasp!"
"No... I will not allow it. I will never allow it."
"You're not really in the position to do anything, now, are you?" Shade taunted, holding the sword close a tad closer to their neck. "Useless! Useless! Useless!"
A loud scream echoed from afar. Almost immediately after, a mass of colors soared through the skies. Due some lucky miracle, sharp claws found its way into Shade's face. The boy let out a pained scream of his own as he dropped the sword and grabbed for his clawed face.
"Bright...!?" Ray stumbled back as the peacock landed in front of them. "It is not safe here! Please, leave!"
In a poof of colorful feathers, Bright turned into his human self. "Who is going to save the Pretty Cure then? Who can defeat this monster?" His hair swayed in the wind. "I'm not letting you carry this burden alone, Ray."
Bright held out his hand and spoke words he hadn't used in many years. "Crystallise my will to protect in the form of a blade. Form, sacred blade of brilliance." He produced a sword from his twirling hand. It's been years since he summoned it, and the nostalgic feeling that surged through his body made him cringe slightly.
Shade picked up his own sword, holding it with two hands. The claw marks were still on his face, along with some black substance, quietly leaking out of the wounds.
"I promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Bright continued with an added air of humble confidence to his posture and voice. "I am the last knight of Primo. My father was a brave knight as well... the least I could do for Father's Day is make him proud, right?" He forced a chuckle at his own awkward attempt at a joke to lighten the mood.
The Unbound still swayed in place. The arms with the cages, which held the Cures immobilized and captive, flailed around. Still trapped, the four prisoners were trying to get out. They kicked, punched, pulled, and, in Terra's case, chewed the bars, but there was no way to break through.
"You helped Connie back then, remember? There has to be something you can do." Bright told them softly, giving them a quick smile of reassurance. "I believe in you, Ray. I really do."
They didn't get more time to discuss any further as Shade lunged forward and got locked into a continuous clash of swords with Bright. Despite having no true magical powers at his disposal, he carried himself and fended off Shade's attack with skill. Truly a mark of years and years of intense training.
Despite the experienced knight's competence, it was still clear Shade had complete dominance over the situation. Everything was going in his favor and he knew it, judging from the smirk on his face. The most Bright could do was keep him occupied while Ray figured out some way to help the Cures.
Suddenly, the Unbound broke out of its still daze and started moving again. Ray took this chance to run after the Unbound dragging itself through the streets.
"Release them!" They demanded as they summoned the Eternal Lantern. "Light Up!" Nothing happened. They hissed in frustration. If Shade could do it, why couldn't they? What was he doing right? And what were they doing wrong?
Panic started to build up in them as the Cures seemed to be slowly losing consciousness.
"Pretty Cure... do not give up!" Ray called out, begging. They took a stance in front of the massive Unbound, which didn't even seemed to notice they were there. "This world needs you." They said softly. "... This world needs you more than it needs me..."
The massive, towering creature suddenly stopped and all eyes on its body twisted to look in their direction. It was a terrifying sight.
Ray's mind started racing and memories of the past couple of months started playing through her spinning thoughts. In seconds they experienced their meetings with the Cures again, their first transformations and fights, the sleepover, the carnival... it kept getting faster and faster, making it hard to make out and keep up.
Eating dinner with Hanan's family.
Going on a scavenger hunt with Beryl.
Shopping with Connie.
Enjoying some drinks together with Morgan.
Each of these memories lingered on slightly longer than the others. They didn't realise they were smiling as they found their voice again, speaking from their heart.
"I believe in you!"
Four streams of light shot out of the lantern and reached towards the four Cures. Their bodies glowed in a brilliant light as the cages holding them broke apart. As the Cures were falling, they landed on colored runes suspended in midair.
Ray stood underneath them, bathed in an equally glowing light as the four Cures were. They held up the Eternal Lantern again. "Bearing a proof of miracles..." Chains of pure light fired from the Lantern and tied around the Unbound, keeping it in place. A crown-shaped symbol appeared on the center of the the monster, targeting it.
Joining their hands together, all four Cures found the words come to them naturally. "And with everyone's heart as one...!" The quartet spoke in perfect unison as light erupted from their chests. "Pretty Cure!" Lights of red, blue, green, and purple danced together from the platform underneath them. The lights spiraled in the air, creating a gigantic symbol of a curled, prismatic heart. "Grand Unity!" The heart shot towards the Unbound, hitting it right where the crown symbol was.
The impact caused a huge explosion of blinding light. The Cures got knocked back slightly and the platforms disappeared. They landed in front of Ray as the building the Unbound was made from restored to normal.
"Ray!" Terra sniffed dramatically. Next to her, Ember was shielding her eyes, getting a headache from the bright lights. Gale placed a hand on the red Cure's arm, worried.
"What just happened...?" Splash, on the other hand, let a hand run through her hair and gave Ray a wry smile. "That was actually pretty cool. Weird... but cool..."
Terra placed her hands together. "For a single moment, it felt like... we were all connected." She said with a gentle smile. "Our bonds are unbreakable!"
Meanwhile, after receiving a nasty cut on his shoulder, Bright got an opening when Shade had clutched his chest as the Unbound was defeated. He pierced his sword through the boy's stomach, making him collapse on the ground.
Bright drew back his sword, wincing as he looked down at the fallen boy. The boy's face showed only raw pain. Unbeknownst to Bright, it was more because of the heavy strain the Unbound's defeat had put on him than the actual stab.
"Do it, Gale!" He heard Ember's voice call behind him and Shade was shot in the air by Gale's blast of wind.
"Cockroach!" Ember clenched her fist with a dark look. "You're not getting away with what you've done!" She declared as she and Splash jumped up to collaborate on another dual kick. "This is the end!"
Shade felt a burning punch in his guts, sending him falling with his back straight against some jagged rocks. He felt something break and the life left his eyes as Terra quickly trapped him in a big ball made of rocks.
The green Cure's breathing was shaky and she buried her face into her hands. "It's over. It's over." She kept telling herself. "I... don't want to fight... anymore..." She whispered, turning away as Ember pulled her in a hug. "I don't want to be responsible for... for..."
"He's not dead." Splash crossed her arms. "He'll be back in a minute, and we'll be ready for another beatdown. No matter how many times it takes!"
Ember glared at Splash while gently rubbing Terra's back. "Not helping." She said through her teeth.
Ray rushed to Bright's side immediately. "You are hurt...!"
"Don't worry. I've been through worse." He chuckled and rubbed his bleeding shoulder carefully. "I couldn't sit by like this... people actually thought you were... going to... um..." He trailed off, nervously.
"Ha! We're not gonna die that easily!" Splash shrugged with a grin. "We're not Ray."
The blond puffed their cheeks. "Excuse you!?"
Then the ball of rocks cracked open, sending pieces of rock everywhere. Shade's shadow got out, carrying its master in one arm and setting him safely on his feet.
"Really!?" Shade gruffed and flipped his hair with a sigh. "You gotta try harder than that, Petty Boobs."
The four Cures all got into a fighting stance, surrounding him. Shade paid them no mind, instead his gaze focused on something else... or someone else.
Both Ember and Splash instantly charged at him as he took a step in Ray and Bright's direction, but Splash's feet got caught by the shadow and she was thrown against Ember.
Terra took this chance to unleash a barrage of punches at Shade before the shadow turned its attention to her. With a yelp, she raised a wall which took the hit from the shadow's fist. Before she could do anything else, the shadow retreated to the ground and Shade let himself descend into it, disappearing from sight as the shadow slithered away.
Ray felt their skin crawl when Shade rose from the shadow right behind them.
"Give me your light, Ray." He reached their hand out to them, his shadow hanging menacingly over them. "Make me complete!"
A forceful push shoved Ray out of the way while the shadow lunged towards them. What happened next made fear explode into their heart.
The shadow consumed Bright right where he stood.
"No... "
The shadow writhed violently, emitting an inhuman sound as its form started to change. Pulsing and twisting, the shadow resembled Bright's silhouette for a brief moment before changing again. Out of its back sprouted something resembling the tail feathers of a peacock. On the tips of the ''feathers'' were glowing eyes. All eyes focused on the terrified blond.
"Bright!?" Ray screamed, feeling their chest twist. "What... did you do to him!?" They trembled, dread creeping in. "Give him back!"
"Not what I intended... but... fine...!" Shade was still shaken from the shadow's changes. He felt something slide through his body. "Then... I'll take your dad!" He hissed spitefully. "Because if I'm not allowed to have my dad... then you shouldn't be either! That's fair, right?"
Before anyone could reach him, Shade produced a portal and let himself fall through it, taking the shadow with him.
"No...! No, no!" Tears were freely flowing out of Ray's eyes. Their hands trembled and their heart stopped beating.
It was like the entire world had stopped.
They stared at the place where Shade had just left before regaining their voice again.
"BRIGHT!"
With a screech the shadow dove into the floor as Shade stepped back into the base, arriving in the main room. He released a breath he didn't realise he had been holding as he raised his head to find his four fellow 'minions' (well, according to him) stare at him with wide, confused eyes.
Bronze instantly changed both of her arms into cannons. "Who are you!?" She demanded.
"Ugh, you guys don't even recognise me!? It is I, Shade, the supreme master and heir to darkness' throne!" An offended scoff as he pointed at himself with his thumb. "Is my glorious new form that incomprehensible for you guys?"
"I'm surprised he knows that word." Hail commented, not seeming impressed at Shade's form in the slightest. Elegy nodded in agreement, although her eyebrows were raised in surprise.
Confused, Bronze lowered her arms. "Shade? What... uh... trouble did you get into?"
Shade didn't get a chance to reply as Smoky walked up to him and ruffled his curly black hair with a laugh. "Aw, look at you~!" He sneered, earning an angry glare from Shade. "Such a cute little overlord of darkness!"
"I am not 'cute'!" Shade screeched in a whiny tone, slapping Smoky's arm away. "I'm the prince of darkness, who will bring desolation to this stupid Earth and-!"
"You even have a little crown made of bones! Adorable~!" Smoky continued in a sing-song voice, pointing at said crown with his smoking finger. "You're soooooo dark and eviiilll, all right~!"
Shade let out another, more frustrated cry.
"You're soooooo grumpy! Does the prince of darkness need to take a little nap?" Smoky laughed, and the others joined in as well.
Hail folded his hands behind his back and leaned forward, inspecting Shade's form. "Don't you think you went a little overboard on the..." A brief pause, followed by a cold sigh. "... morbidity?"
Judging from the black-colored hue on his face, it was obvious Shade was embarrassed and angry. Before he could properly express those emotions he suddenly fell on one knee, grabbing his head. His mouth opened but no scream could be heard. From below him, shadows engulfed his body and he turned back into his normal self again.
"What... is... what... is happening...!?"
The four exchanged some confused, and slightly concerned, looks as Shade was weeping in front of them. He clutched his head like he was experiencing a very intense headache. The exact same thought crossed all of their minds.
What was happening?
The shadow rose out from below, surprising the four with its altered look. Its 'tail feathers' wrapped around its master protectively as the two sank into the shadows, out of sight.