... As soon as Susie and I walked back out of the black doors of the school, it was time to start searching for the new entrance to the Dark World. It's worth noting, but at the time I had completely forgotten I had my backpack on. That'll be important later.

Just outside the door, we turned to each other and I told her, "I think it's the best idea to split up, for now. We can cover a bigger area if we aren't both looking in the same place. if Either of us finds something, we phone each other and meet back here. Last time we got too close to the entrance, it didn't let us walk away."

She nodded and gave me a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan to me. Or at least, I don't have a better one."

I nodded and folded my arms. "Remember. We don't need to check the whole town, according to the message. We just need to look west of the school. Anything else will be a waste of time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Alright." I pointed to myself. "I'll check around the school, in the woods and the library."

"Librarby," she corrected with a slight smirk.

... I just rolled my eyes with a sigh. "Librarby. Whatever." Then, I pointed to her. "You check the hospital, the police station and..." I paused and squinted, troubled by the fact that I didn't really know what was beyond that. I folded my arms with a groaned and closed my eyes. "... A-anything beyond that, within reason. If we end up having to go much further out, We'll just go together." I opened my eyes and hid my troubles behind I business face. "Alright?"

She seemed to tilt her head at the fact that I took so long responding, but she eventually nodded with a shrug. "Yeah, sure. But I'm not about to go all the way to the beach unless I have to. That's a half a mile out."

I rubbed the back of my head and groaned. Beyond that roped off road was a beach I hadn't recalled... Needless to say, my lack of memory was starting to become an increasing problem... I just shook my head and turned it back up to Susie. "Alright. Then we'll search there together. If we end up having to, we'll just meet at the road block."

Having heard enough, the dragon girl nodded and turned away, already walking off. "Don't mess around!"

I nodded as she walked off and into town... I began to turn around to check the right side of the school when...

"H-hey. Hold up!"

I perked my head at the voice that came from somewhere behind me, immediately turning around to see who it was... On the other side of the school's entry wall, right around the corner, there stood... a very sorry looking Berdly. He looked like he'd just had a panic attack and previously gotten done crying. His eyes were red and some of his feathering was messed up.

I blinked, a bit surprised to see him, then fully turned to look at him with a pitying frown. "Holy crap. Berdly, you look like a mess. Are you okay...?"

He just shook his head in frustration while I was talking and walked up to me in a hurry. "Just shut up and listen to me. I still don't like you two, but I don't have a choice. I need you!"

I blinked into a suspicious narrow, turning my head... Letting up with a sigh, I shook my head and held a hand to my hip. "I'll hear you out, but I can't make promises. A lot's going on right now."

He glared into me and shook his head before he shot his arms outward. "Yeah, well too bad! A lot's going on with Noelle too and I can't fix it, because I screwed up!"

Noelle's name caught me right off guard, making me visibly winced. With my head tilted down, I narrowed my eyes into him. "What happened?" I couldn't help the urgency in my tone.

... He hung his head and frowned, before slumping his shoulders. "...I-I was a moron. I... I hated that she was friends with you guys- more Susie- a-and I blew up on her. Bad... I got so mad... a-and I slapped her. A-and-"

"You did what?!" The words were spat from my mouth before I could get a handle on my outrage. I had taken a step in on him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, much to his frightened gasp. I could hardly stop myself when I forced him back and into the door of the school, pinning him against it as I glared daggers into his face. "Why? Do you have any idea how messed up she was feeling already?!"

He glared right back, but it was a frightened thing. "Of course I do! That's why I was trying to protect her from Susie! Because Susie's a freak!"

I could not be madder. First, he tells me he hurt Noelle, then he calls my only other known friend a freak... But I calmed myself by taking a deep breath and releasing his shirt as he fell to the ground, grunting as his rear hit the concrete.

I turned my back on him and was about ready to walk off... But I decided against it. "You do, huh...? Yeah, right..." ... I turned my gaze down on him and narrowed it further, giving him a nasty look. "Listen to me very carefully. I don't much care for you right now, so what you're going to do is tell me where Noelle might be and then, you are going to follow me while we look for her. Then, when and if we find her, you're going to apologize to her. I don't know what could have been that bad about Susie that you took it out on Noelle, but as far as I can tell, she did NOTHING to deserve a slap to the face."

The bluejay stared up at me for a long moment, glaring... Before it all melted into a frown as he bowed his head. Slowly standing back up onto his feet and dusting himself off, he looked at me as I turned back around to face him. I asked a one word question. "Where?"

He turned his head and looked at the woods right on side of the school, pointing it out. "She ran into the woods... I don't think she really knew where she was going. She had her eyes closed..."

I nodded and stepped back from him, before turning around and waving him on to follow. After that, we both walked into the woods together... I had a thought when my anger cooled enough... This was one of the potential places where the Dark World Entrance could have been... I felt my face break out in a cold sweat, paled by the idea. If Noelle had ended up stumbling into the Dark World, there was no telling what could happen to her...

... To break the tension while we were walking through the forest and looking for her, I had the curiosity to ask Berdly, "Why do you hate Susie so much?"

"... I don't know how you could of forgotten, but you obviously did."

My thoughts on that moment? [Yet another thing I don't remember.]

"She broke my wing."

This did make me stop. My eyes blinked wide and it felt my heart skipped. I turned around and glared at him. "Excuse me? Susie can be pretty mean, but she never went passed knocking someone out!"

He glared right back at me. "Yeah, well tell that to the guy with a permanently messed up wing. Me! I didn't get hit on the head, asshole. She broke my wing!" He emphasized the point by lifting his wing and pointing out the odd dent in it.

I stared at it in shaken disbelief... Then I shook my head and re-firmed my brow. "Susie wouldn't do that! Not without being provoked. You said something to her that set her off!"

He winced back and dropped his arm a bit, before shaking his head in vehement denial. He then glared me down. "It doesn't matter! Who breaks someone's arm for... f-for taking up for themselves! Everyone knows she did it on purpose, so don't even say..." He caught a mocking tone as he went purposefully cross-eyed under his glare. "Uh, well she would never mean to do it~! That's not Susie~!"

My glare further softened as I stared at the ground, hands clenched into shaking fists. I was searching my mind for some comeback or rebuttal, but I couldn't think of one... I didn't appreciate the mocking, but I was no longer as firm about my belief that Susie didn't do what he said...

I turned my head away from him and frowned for a second... before I made a soft glare back at him and shook my head. "I still think you provoked her. And knowing what I do about that mouth of yours and your temper, you'll have to excuse my skepticism." Truthfully, I had only just learned about that temper, but it was applicable.

He scoffed and folded his wings over, looking away from me. "Yeah, whatever. I didn't say anything worth breaking a guy's arm over..." ... He turned his head back to me a cocked a brow as I began to turn back forward and walk, much to his surprise. "H-hey! Wait up! You aren't about to leave me alone here!"

I shook my head and kept my eyes forward, looking out for Noelle or odd shadows. "I don't have time for this and neither does Noelle. We can talk about this more later. With Susie. I wanna here her side of this, as well."

He went wide-eyed for a moment in stutter, then spat out, "S-screw that! I'm not about to go anywhere near that psycho!"

"EITHER WAY, we need to fi-i-..." I stopped dead in my tracks as I spotted... exactly what I didn't want to see...

I got bumped into from behind by Berdly, grunting as I went stumbling forward a little. I turned to his fallen over form and glared... But I shook my head and took a breath before looking forward with sweat rolling down my cheek. "Berdly... Don't come any closer... Look ahead and don't run away..."

The bird monster cocked his brow and squinted at me like I was crazy. Eventually, he did what I said and looked beyond me... The woods ahead had faded from Autumn's colors to grey and then to black. The trees themselves were mere outlines at that point and a slowly creeping hole in the dirt just barely visible in the middle of it all could be seen...

He gasped and quickly scrambled back from the scene in fear. Eventually he came to stand up and shiver from the sight laid out before him. "W-wh-what the actual f%!* is that...?! W-what happened to the woods?!"

... It wasn't just the trees and ground. I turned my head up, following the darkness up from them and found that the air above the tree line was just as darkened, unnaturally. Even when I was staring at the sun through the darkness, it was a pale light at best... And it was spreading, even if at a snail's pace. The area it blanketed was already as wide as a baseball field...

In a dead serious tone, I said, "Don't go any closer. If you get anywhere near that, I don't think you will be able to back away from it."

He looked at me like I was utterly insane, slowly shaking his head as he backed further away. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm telling you, but first... be quiet for a second. I need to make a call..."

He scowled at me, an eye practically twitching before he threw his wings out and shouted, "Who could you POSSIBLY need to call right now?! We need t-"

"Shut UP!"

The bird let out a yelp and held his hands up in front of himself.

... I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, before inputting Susie's number and hitting the call button. I held it up to my ear as it began to buzz... Finally, it connected, much to my relief. "Oh, thank god it works. Susie, I found the en-" Suddenly, my ear was assaulted with this horrible, high pitched and scrapping static as I winced enough to grunt and pull the phone away in a hurry!

Even with it away from my face, I could hear that static coming and going clearly enough. It was as if someone was talking on the other end, but the audio was just too messed up to understand.

I dared not put that back up in my ear, so instead I just held the receiver up in front of my mouth. "I can't understand you, Susie! Just listen! It's in the woods! Understand? Come to the woods beside the school! Okay?"

-click!-

I looked down at my phone in confusion... The call was just ended... I cursed under a breath, frustration written across my face... My first thought was to go back to the school and wait for Susie... However, as I was turning around, I came to freeze as I thought about Noelle... She could have fallen into the Dark World...

"Hello?! Earth to Kris! What just happened?!" ... Berdly's voice gave me an idea, but he wasn't going to like it.

I turned and looked at him with a stern grimace. "Berdly... Listen very carefully."

He seemed to clam up with a scared frown.

I though about my next words carefully... Then, I told him, "I need you to do exactly as I say without asking... a single question... Alright?"

He looked like he had several question and all of them had him apprehensive. Still, even though he had to swallow, he nodded and listened. I don't know what he was thinking, but at least he wasn't shooting me down.

I took a deep inhale, before sighing it back out and closing my eyes for a moment... Then, I explained the plan. "I need for you to run back to the school and wait there for Susie."

Struck by outrage, he shook his head and blurted, "No freaking way! I am not going near her!"

I scowled and shouted, "We don't have time for this! Noelle's life might well be on the line! And Susie is the only other person that can help for sure!"

He furrowed his brows at the mention of Noelle. " ... B-but what about the teachers? The police? This isn't a job for us kids!"

In a harsh whisper to myself, I asked no one in particular, "Did I NOT say 'without asking a single question?'" ... I shook my head and walked toward him. Then, my hands grabbed him by the shoulders as I stared him in the eyes, much to his fright. "I don't have time to explain everything to you and quite frankly, I'm betting you wouldn't believe me. My reason for needing Susie is that I don't know if anyone but us can defend ourselves in that place."

He squinted at me with a shaking head. "What makes you two so special?!"

I narrowed my eyes further and told him, "We've handled being in one of these before."

He squinted like he usually does. "Prove it!"

With a fed up groan, I pushed him away and onto the ground as I shouted, "I said I don't have the time for this!" It left him surprised and startled.

Turning my back on him, I refaced the darkness as he picked himself up and I started to walk closer. His eyes grew wide. "W-wait, you're really going in there?! It looks like the literal definition of Black Hole!"

I stopped and groaned, before turning my head and looking at him. "Yes. I am. Leaving this here isn't an option, even if Noelle isn't in there. So, I'm BEGGING you to just LISTEN to me." Then, I looked back at the darkness and paused in consideration... What if we failed? Or if I got stuck somehow? Then, there wouldn't be anyone else left to stop up the Fountain... So, I added on to my request. "... After you get Susie to come here... keep this in mind. If we aren't back by tomorrow- heck, maybe even tonight... you might just have to tell the authorities."

With that said, the bird monster just stared at me with that nervous furrow in his brow... " Y-you... You're actually serious...!"

... I nodded my head. "Yes. I am. I made a promise I intend to keep... I'm only going to tell you this one more time. I need you to do what I said. Go back to the school, wait there for Susie and tell her what's going on. I don't care how long you have to wait for her. You wait there and tell her. Noelle's life might just depend on you doing exactly as I say... if she really has ended up in... there..." Turning back to face the the darkness, I finished with, "Consider what you have to do life or death. Maybe not even for you, but someone you care about. Okay? Because it might well be. And I hate to put that on anyone, but I can't think of a better motivator."

After I had said my piece, he bowed his head and shook it as he shook all over. Swallowing, the bird shut his eyes for a moment and mumbled... something. Then, he raised his head back up and glared at me with his feather fists balled. "F-FINE! I-I'll do it! But you know that library fee you owe? W-well... DOUBLED! And I'd better get it for any hospital bills this earns me!"

I rolled my eyes through a chuckle. "Deal?"

He started to take steps back with a weakening glare. "G-good!" ... He suddenly whirled around and took off running, shouting, "You'd better bring Noelle back out if you see her!"

... When Berdly was finally gone, I started to walk forward into the darkness. It didn't take long before I was making that first step into the colorless, slowly expanding abyss. It took even less time to walk into the light-less void. I took a last look all around me. No light. Even the sun was nearly gone, a very murky light somewhere above the dark sheet overhead.

... This was different from the first time I had been in a place where Darkness spawned. Before, there was a clear light visible to lead me back to safety. However, when I took a look back, I saw only more darkness. I couldn't tell what was outside or inside the cloak of dark...

Though, as I turned back to the barely visible hole I was approaching, I noticed something else. Looking down and at myself, it was as if I was still being hit by the light. My body was fully visible, as was my every color...

It had never occurred to me, by the same thing had happened when I fell into the Dark World that first time. We had our color and were fully visible, even though there was sparse lighting at best, then no lighting after we got shut in.

I don't know the reason and I can only theorize it's because we don't belong to The Dark... Yet, after we fell in, the both of us went through some drastic changes. I don't know what all decides it. I just know that when the both of us got back to the Light World, everything equipped and all articles of clothing we had on were gone and replaced by a small wad of junk... or changed into something else.

Susie, having been equipped with Jevil's Tail, actually grew a tail that fit her species to some degree. That's right. She previously didn't have one. I can only guess it's because Jevil was some incarnation of pure chaos. Though... Never mind. That will come later.

... Either way, back to what I was doing. I was about to take my leap.

Looking back up at the hole, I took a deep breath and calmed myself as much as someone about to take a plunge into a bottomless hole could...

My legs hesitated at first... I was understandably scared, despite the fact that I had done this before. The first time was involuntary, after all.

Then... I jogged... and then ran ahead, full speed. In my mind, it was the best way to power through any fears. Closer and closer the hole drew. I was almost at the lip before I knew it. And then...

The ground beneath my feet gave way. I gasped as my eyes grew wide and I suddenly fell forward into the dark abyss.

I tumbled down into the blackness and let out a scream, the feeling of my stomach doing flips in mid-air acrobatic routine!

... And I spiraled through that darkness for an unclear period of time, until I was almost used to the feeling of nausea.

I could no longer see my own light after a time, like a flame going out...

And then...

-BOOM!-

... I woke up with a groan, my everything sore, but nothing broken or messed up... Forcing myself to sit up, I sighed hard and groaned yet again, rubbing at my side. "Ugh... How many times.. do I have to fall a couple hundred feet in one week...?"

... Looking at myself, I noticed I was wearing that armor again. The silver and leather armor encased me in a simplistic design that allowed for full range of movement. A hard, shining breast plate, small, round pauldrons over my shoulders, a pair of silver gauntlets with leather grip that only truly covered up my hands and wrists, and two silver plated armored boots. Other details included an over-the shoulder pink and blue cape that had been torn away around my elbow, nothing covering my arms and a body suit of black leather covering everywhere else up to my neck and down into my boots.

... Though, something WAS different this time. I had a small Satchel bound to a red belt around my waist. A lemniscate (∞) was painted over it's belly. It was in the same place where I usually drew my sword and took out any other items. (Or put them away.) And that would be over one of my pockets, but that's beside the point. (Don't ask me how I fit an entire cake in there- I-I don't know. The Dark World's weird.)

Checking inside, I found much of what I had the last time I was in the Dark World, plus a whole lot more. Some items looked like armors. Others looked like weapons. Still others seemed to be unknown consumables. Though, my sword was not inside. Checking my pockets, I could feel the hilt inside my left one. I left it there for now. Probably should have looked at it, though.

My skin was blue, yet again because of the nature of the Dark World. And my hair now also carried a very dark tint of blue as well. I previously chalked it up to the poor lighting, but that wasn't the case.

... When I started thinking about my changed appearance, I somehow trailed off back to the reason I came here. Noelle. I needed to find her.

I pushed myself up and onto my feet, my metal armor clicking and clanking against itself a little. Then, for the first time, I looked around and took in my surroundings.

An autumn forest of massive proportions and gargantuan flora. A dark-trunked tree was a colossus. A mushroom was my size. A single blade of moss growing off of a tree was a mushroom. The only flora that was normal sized was the grass, which was faded yellow in color. Huge, autumn color, arrow-shaped leaves lay scattered all over said grass from the trees. There was no way to see the sky passed those trees with orange leaves too full to let it through.

Blue fire flies lit the area a little bit, even if I could see well enough without them. There was only one clear path due east. Though, I could hardly call it as much. It was only a path because the trees seemed to be leading me that way. They were packed unusually close together, otherwise. I'm sure that if I had to, I could squeeze through, though.

Regardless, I didn't take that chance.

Instead, I chose to follow the path, unfamiliar with this place.

This was definitely not the "Kingdom of Aces," as Ralsei called it in his message. It was probably the "Autumn Vale" he spoke of. (I mean, pretty obviously, considering the look of the place.)

...

I squinted down at the ground at a leaf with a bucket's worth of water in it... ... ... I realized pretty quickly that it didn't just have peculiarly mirror-like water within it. There was also... a glinting silver light shining above both.

Approaching it by pure habit, I reached out with my armored hand and grasped it as I felt the mysterious energy of this place shine within me...

What does that feel like? Well, it's like a wave of relief washing over you and a surge of renewed vigor. Any injuries I had before touching these sparks of light were also wiped away. That meant the bruises from yesterday while fighting the King of Spades and Jevil suddenly evaporated right off of my body.

I took a deep breath in relief and sighed, stretching in place. "Oh man, that feels good! Weird Sparkles of Light, I have missed you guys!"

After my little relief exercise, I went about walking further through the dark, autumn forest. The further in I got, the more perplexing that place became. Creatures here weren't just odd. They were weird. At one point, I thought I saw a head-sized beetle with leaves for wings and diamond shaped nostrils that glowed one color and then another where eyes should be. In another moment, there was this rabbit the size of a small hill- except it was reptilian and covered in thick, armor-like scales and jagged points that would suck to get "poked" by. It had splintered horns pointing up from it's head, inward. Blue in color, it looked at me with it's blacked-out eyes and blinked, sniffing the air.

I went on edge and reached into my pocket, drawing my sword... But I quickly grew confused when I saw it. It was full metal instead of wood, now, and there was a black substance coating the blade. It was also a more refined shape. I cocked my brow for a moment, then I refocused on the "rabbit," hoping that the sword still worked the same if it turned out hostile...

... Lucky for me, the creature seemed to quickly lose interest and hop away, it's bounds heavy thuds against the ground as it soon vanished passed the trees...

I blinked, then sighed in relief, before saving up my sword back in my pocket and moving on.

Moving on further, the path wound to the right, then it split. one path went straight ahead and looked bigger, but the other curved jagged to the left and was thin. I groaned through irritation and folded my arms. "Great... And which way did Noelle go, I wonder..."

... The large leaves, no matter their size or shape, were still just autumn leaves. When someone someone steps on an autumn leaf, it gets ripped or torn easily because of frail brittleness. And that's what I saw. A bunch of scattered autumn leaves as big as a piece of paper that had multiple tears and holes put through them, all in the wide path.

Nodding with that rational, I began my way down the straight and wide path.

-chi-ka-chi-ka-chi-ka-chi-ka-chip!-

Gasping sharply at the crunch of leaves on side of, then to my left, I whirled left as I caught sight of something moving too quick to follow behind me! I turned around again and tried to catch a clear sight of it... But by the time I had, It had already climbed off of the path beyond a large tree root...

I stared wide-eyed at the spot where it disappeared, firmly placed on high alert... I reached into my pocket and pulled my sword back out purely for precautionary reasons. Then, I made a low shout out to my unknown stalker. "Hello...?! I-I come in peace! I'm just looking for a deer monster!"

... No response other than the ambience of falling leaves wafting down through the air...

... Deciding it was a better judgement that I leave, I cautiously backed my way down my chosen path while watching my surroundings. Then, I turned around mid-walk and started to navigate forward, on guard for any imminent attacks. I was so alert that the falling leaves were enough to draw my attention and the tiny critters- I found out they were some sort of tiny cat-like creatures upon inspection- were the only new living things I found any time I looked.

Still... Every now and then, I'd feel a pair of eyes peering into my back...

... I snagged a foot with a grunting gasp and fell forward! Thankfully, I caught myself before I went smashing into the ground... And then, I hummed in question at what I saw. Stone. mixed in with everything else... I turned my attention up again as I pulled myself back up a bit. Parts of the path's grass, dirt and leaf taken form began to show a very, very worn down stone walk-way. It looked older than the dirt itself and was utterly ravaged...

I suddenly remembered I was potentially being tailed, so I quickly righted myself and readied my sword again, eying my surrounding areas while taking taller steps to keep from tripping...

That wore on me quickly, however. I was going way too slow. Noelle was probably still out there somewhere and she needed help. So, I started to jog the path. the trees seemed to be leading me through the path's many twists and turns as if they were walls. I encountered more signs of fallen civilization along my way, too. Fallen pillars completely coated by moss. a broken archway on my right totally overgrown and draped by greenery. I moved passed it... but quickly stopped when I looked up from the path and realized this was where it ended. The trees had totally barred the straight way forward, having twisted together in a gnarly fashion to ensnare a sort of stone structure. It could have been a church or it could have just been an upper-class cobblestone home... Either way, there was no way to enter with the roots having totally grown through it's door and windows.

... I dreaded it, but I had no choice but to turn back and look for a different way...

Walking back, I turned my head and looked down the arch way, then stopped as I realized it hadn't been blocked up. And so, I jogged inside and began to follow down it's ancient and decrepit length.

It was darker inside than it was outside. It also felt colder. The floor and ceiling was cover in mildew and small moss. Parts of it had crumbled outward and pieces of it's roof had fallen down into the walk-way, but I could navigate it with some stepping around. I was actually oddly thankful for those breaks in structure. It was surprisingly... or maybe unsurprisingly brighter outside than it was inside. There weren't any light sources, after all. Just molded, unlit torches that were either on the ground or mounted to the wall. Either or, they were like this structure. Abandoned...

After a while, the way forward through the archway suddenly ended. Though, A break in the wall led out. Obviously, that was where I left.

Back outside, the forest seemed to catch a less greeting atmosphere filled with a mist. Almost a fog, but I could see through it... I could see through the tree line in places, now, though all that awaited overhead was a black sky. I couldn't see any black geysers or anything like a Dark Fountain. Not yet.

Redirecting my eyes back forward, I looked around while I continued on, clutching my sword's handle with an iron grip. If it were still a wooden sword, I would have worn grooves.

In the mist, I could see figures ahead... or so I thought. When I jogged up to them, it turned out to be nothing but a bunch of pillars that had yet to fall over or were broken in half... I shuddered to think of how the latter happened. I had seen a creature I was certain could have done it, but it was too big to fit through the archway.

-Snap!-

I oh'd loud as I whirled around at the distant sound of something snapping. Though, I saw nothing but the pillars and the way I'd come... I hadn't realized I was sweating bullets until then. I let my sword fall to my side as I sighed and wiped my face off with my cape. I felt pathetic. Here I was, meant to be rescuing someone and yet getting spooked by everything around me. [Being alone make things a hell of a lot worse when you re lost in the Dark.] Those were my thoughts...

... And then, I thought of how terrified Noelle had to have been if I was feeling this. Any time I had doubts or worries, that one thought made me suck it up. And so, I did. I sucked in a lung of air and readied my sword again, before turning back around and continuing forward...

"A human..."

Gasping, I stopped again and began to frantically search for who said. ... But I saw no one...

My brow quivered and I was getting frustrated. I directed a shout up and said, "Hey! I know you're out there, so stop messing with me already!"

... But nobody came out. I searched around as much as I could, but there weren't any movements beside the mist on the air wafting by...

I could hardly think straight. Apprehensive of everything that moved, I was definitely getting a very clear vibe. Something didn't like that I was there... I pressed on anyway. Whether wanted or not, I just had to find my friend. Then, I needed to search out the fountain and seal it. That was what I kept at the forefront of my mind, trying to bury my fear.

... Further on, the mist got thicker. the trees were still clear, as were the crunches my boots made going through Autumn leaves. There was no way I could hide from an enemy in any way. That was for certain. Though, that was the thing. If there were an enemy or at least something that I could label dangerous that was in clear sight, I might have felt less afraid...

When I took another turn, I stepped in something that made a splash. Turning my attention down, I realized it was only water.

-Shi-shi-shi! Shi-shi-shi-shi!-

Down around me came very arrow heads shaped much like the leaves of this forest! They splished and splashed and embedded themselves into the ground just beneath the water at my feet, much to my gasping surprise! I immediately whipped my head up to see figures that stood on two legs clinging to the tree line! I couldn't see them clearly, but they obviously didn't care for me. The first thing I saw them all do was whip an arm out as that sound from before returned... as did the arrowheads flying right at me!

I immediately went on the run as I used my sword to swat one of two away, the rest coming to splash down into the water! I didn't know where I was going and I didn't care! All I knew was that I was under attack!

As more arrows sailed swift my way, I zigged out of the way, then zagged away from several other. I had to use my sword to beat away one that nearly nailed me in the chest. At this point, a sword was superfluous. I needed a shield!

And that's what I gave myself while I ran, holding my sword out as it flashed with a light and transformed into a kite shield, just as it had always done before when I wanted to DEFEND. And I definitely wanted to defend!

Wearing the shield over my arm, I soon came to hold it over my head while I serpentined my way around the arrowheads. Though, the plink against my shield mixed with the shudder that sent through it told me I was still in danger loud and clear!

I looked ahead and spotted the path of tree splintering down the middle. Cursing my luck, I didn't have time to pick one! I just swerved left, narrowly avoiding several arrowheads to the back that instead sunk themselves into a tree!

As I ran down the path, it opened up further. Not only did the water start to get deeper, but attacks began to come from more than just the treeline. They came from in between trees from left to right! I could no longer just run through them, since my legs were getting bogged down in the water. I chalked it up to adrenaline that I wasn't totally spent, but now I was using that shield for real!

I guarded left, swat right! Arrows came from all over at me and I had no choice but to guard against them in any way I could! They splished in the water just around me each time I deflected or guarded against them.

But it was inevitable. One finally got through my shoddy defensive and stuck me in the unoccupied arm! "Augh!" I reached around with my other arm's hand and went to pull it out as multiple others fell around me and narrowly missed. When I grasped it, the weapon suddenly shined before fading into non-existance, something that I wasn't unaccustomed to seeing, but it confirmed that my attackers were using magic to attack.

-Shi-shi-shi-shi-shi!-

Gasping back into focus, I turned around and held my shield high as an arrow shot right passed my line of vision, but regardless landed a glancing slice through my cheek, much to my fright! I held the shield higher as several arrows found themselves plinking off of out, bouncing into the water and evaporating!

I could feel the water's current growing stronger on my legs as I backed up. The attacks were no longer striking from anywhere but behind and they weren't letting up! I grunt against them as my arm started to hurt from all the hard vibrations!

"C-crap!"

... It was my only hope. I had to try reasoning. So, I shouted, "Please, stop! I don't know wh-who you are- ugh! But I am not your enemy!"

... The arrows kept coming! They wouldn't stop!

At this point, my arm was ready to give out, utterly numbed by all the hits my shield was taking! I just kept backing up as I brought my injured arm to help brace against the endless stream of attacks as I backed up again... And suddenly... my foot fell, me going down with it as I yelped!

-Splash!-

I had fallen into the deepest part of this body of water- apparently a river of some kind- and been swept tumbling away in the current. It took everything I had to right myself again and swim up. I emerged at the top of the water and gasped, coughing out the little bit of water that forced itself into my throat, but the current suddenly dipped and I fell back under!

I tried again to right myself, but instead, the water did it for me and I ended up coming back up, gasping in another breath of air right before it forced me under again.

This process felt endless and I'm almost one-hundred percent sure that I just gave in on trying to hover on the face of the water, letting this body of water carry me away like a glorified ragdoll...

I didn't know many things. Up from down, left from right, where I would end up or what mess was waiting for me when I got there or even where Noelle was, if she was even here...

... All I can remember last is getting snagged on something by the wrist, then looking up and seeing a blurry, darkly colored figure... And then, passing out when my head fell with a sigh... ... ...

... ... ...

You ever got that feeling when you arrive at the party and someone ALREADY wants you to leave?

Yeah, I guess that's how Kris feels here, huh?

Either way, I decided to work my butt off to get this chapter out tonight at some point... n ;;; I just didn't think it would be f! $ing 2 AM before I finished the accursed thing! Over half of this was written in one sit-down! I need help!

That said, I am sure that some errors slipped through the cracks of my sleep-deprived watch, so if you chance upon them, be sure to let me know.

Another thing. Don't expect the next chapter for a few days. Going hard on this one has left me to re-evaluate the prospect of trying to get it done way too fast. It leaves the eyes dry and the throat drier. Sooo, I think I'll be taking a small break from writing tomorrow.

But yeah. This happens to mean you need to wait an extra chapter or so in order to see Dark World Noelle. I did that for a reason, too.

Why would they magically meet up just like that merely because they fell into the same hole? They didn't fall down together like Susie did with Kris. For all we know, Noelle could have ended up anywhere in Autumn. That's not exactly good for her, but it's realistic. And beyond that, I doubt even she would just sit there and wait for Kris to fall down and join her.

She's a smart cookie. A frail one, but smart. That said, who knows what I'll come up with in the end!

Anyways, enough of my ramblings. The tireder I get, the more I talk. And I definitely don't want to start spoiling stuff.

And so! I vanish!