Chapter Twenty-Four

MR. V

Master Yen Sid kept his eyes trained on the skies out beyond, a pained look flashing in his eyes as he did so as the sky before him changed from an ink blackness to a raging scream and vicious claws locked with one another as something erupted from the volcano beyond them. Mr. V joined him at the window to see two bodies in the sky locked together by their hands, a male with long white hair whipping violently behind him and a woman who was covered in such a hot flame that it was all black. Flashes of silver and gold sparks flew off of them as they spouted things in that demonic tongue that Mr. V would never understand. He did not have to understand what they were saying to know that the woman was screaming some sort of curse at him as her eyes flashed a dangerous gold.

Ferocious angry words were thrown at one another, the man laughing in mockery and the woman screeching like a bird of prey in her fiery anger as she thrashed about. It was while their hands were still locked in place that Mr. V was able to see that the woman was Ms. Scatter, no Ashe as they called her here. He almost didn't recognize her without the red glasses, the tight bun, and the strict office attire she always wore. Here in this moment where she roared angrily at the man she fought with, her hair was blown back and flapping behind her, the low cut black dress which he saw her transform into the first time she ever shifted in front of him, and angry flecks of gold in her eyes. The flecks of silver, however, were dying away as more gold took over, and Mr. V's stomach nearly dropped as he watched the silver light that surrounded Ashe dim away.

It happened in an instant once the gold completely took over, the man got the upper hand and flung her into the volcano. Had Mr. V blinked he never would have seen how Ashe disappeared into the mouth of the volcano, not even crying out for help. It was quiet, too quiet, and the only thing that Mr. V could hear was how his heart pounded in his chest, demanding that Ashe somehow rise up and continue the fight. She couldn't go out like that. She just couldn't. The man laughed in victory then propelled himself down to the earth and started causing some sort of trouble. Whatever the man had done, though, Mr. V hardly noticed for his eyes were locked on the volcano, willing her with his mind to somehow rise up from the volcano. He clenched his hands open, closed, open and sweat seeped from his pores as Ashe Scatter did not rise from the volcano. He licked his lip, it felt chapped and his mouth felt dry, "Where is she?"

Yen Sid grimaced as his unblinking eyes stared at the volcano. "Give her a moment."

If it weren't for his concern of Ashe's condition he would have glared at the old sorcerer, would have said something, would have broken the window to dive into the volcano and tried to do something to help her, but his eyes were locked onto the volcano as the fiery light within went from orange embers, to fire red, to a scorching white light as the lava shot into the sky in the shape of a giant bird with its wings flared out wide. In the very center, just barely visible, was the outline of the woman in the skull of the bird as it glared at the world around it. Somewhere deep within him Mr. V hoped that it was Ashe Scatter merely rising from the ashes to continue her conquest with the man that hurled her into the volcano, but the firebird released an ear-piercing screech, and something within him broke as he watched the bird rise up from the mouth of the volcano to go as high as it could before diving down upon the earth.

Everything that was once green and rich with life was immediately consumed by the firebird. Humans, animals, the mythical creatures that resided there as well, and the man she had been chasing – everything was swallowed up by the firebird and left in a perpetual sea of lava and fire in her wake. Wails and screams were snuffed out as quickly as they were released from the creatures that made them and the world was hushed. The strange magical walls, invisible to the naked eye, now visible as the lava burned through them, were torn down and the sea of cries continued as more were swallowed up by the firebird.

"No." Blood pumped in his ears as his heart pounded, a hand clamped over his mouth to keep from crying out to stop her as Mr. V dropped his cane. "N-No, this can't be it. She'd never –" He now understood the severity of what she had meant when she had shattered her Realm as everything was consumed by fire. "This can't be all! How did everything go back to normal?" Mr. V swallowed hard and turned to the sorcerer. There's gotta be something more to this, how else did -"

"I had to step in." Yen Sid said sternly, frowning at the burning world before him as a slightly younger version of himself rose up from the horizon, chanting in an archaic language. The fire and lava froze where it was at and slowly but surely managed to withdraw itself from the point it had reached to make its way back to the volcano. "Ms. Ashe Scatter broke the balance and order that maintained this world in her attempt to save it."

The world around them shifted slightly as they now stood in the shadow of the slightly younger Yen Sid repairing what he could of the world. Though he was able to force the lava back into the volcano from whence it came, he could not, however, undo all of the damage it had caused. Trees, rocks, and most of nature had been devoured by the fires of the firebird, however, there were strangely molded rocks that littered the entire surface of the Realm. Bodies, Mr. V noticed as he continued to stare, bodies that were touched by the volcano and encased by the lava left behind their mold and shape like a statue.

Mr. V had opened his mouth to say something, to ask what happened next, but Yen Sid held his hand up to silence him as the scene changed again to Varuo nudging her awake as she lay in a pile on the dirt. Something was shared between them before Ashe let out a cry of pain and clutched her head as strange screams erupted from her. Varuo let out a whine and moved to touch her, to nudge her, but a voice called out to him to stop him. The younger Yen Sid floated over to them as he slowly followed behind the receding lava. Varuo stood defensively in his hellcat form before Ashe, hissing and glaring up at the sorcerer approaching them.

"I am Yen Sid." He spoke softly, a pained look of anguish on his face as he spoke. "I am the Sorcerer who keeps the balance between Realms."

Ashe let out another cry and Yen Sid moved around Varuo to get to her. "What are you doing!" Varuo lashed out as he continued to puff up, though Yen Sid did not seem too perturbed by him.

"I am trying to see what can be done." He answered calmly as his wise old eyes looked over the curled up form that Ashe was as her fingers still clung to her head. "Not only has the Firebird used all of her strength, she has absorbed a demon as well. . . and it appears as though the battle is still going on for her." She let out another pained cry, unclear eyes opening wide and looking frantically around her as Yen Sid held his hand out about her head to sooth whatever conflict was running amuck within her skull. "Astaroth is a stubborn one."

"What do you mean?" Varuo stepped closer, peering down at his master's pained form.

"She has absorbed Astaroth and is currently fighting for control over her own mind." He explained but kept his focus on Ashe. "But since this was not how the story was supposed to go, I will have to take action. . ."

Varuo said something in the demonic tongue, his fur puffing out as he hissed and cried out with a whine.

"It would take too much time to explain." The younger Yen Sid heaved a heavy sigh, and he almost seemed to age upon the spot. "I will have to scrap this story and start again. . ."

Mr. V freezes at his words and dared a glance at Yen Sid who still had yet to remove his eyes from the memory. The memory somehow seemed to drone out as the sorcerer turned his head to look at Mr. V.

"Astaroth, the demon who she was engaged to, was never supposed to be a part of the tale of the Firebird," he sounded tired as he spoke, as if he had aged on the spot of the memory. "Technically, neither was she."

"Wait, what?" Mr. V shook his head in disbelief.

"I only allowed her to be here for as long as she had because at the time this Realm was so young and needed to grow and decide what it wanted to be," Yen Sid sighed heavily and clasped his hands behind his back as his eyes never left the scene before them. "However, Ms. Ashe Scatter proved to have outgrown this Realm and had to find another Realm to live in while I fixed this one."

"You mean to tell me," his hold on his cane tightened, "you're the one that kicked her out of this place?"

"I had no choice Mr. Valentino." Yen Sid's voice was firm, final, and painfully thick with regret. "She shattered this Realm because she was far more powerful than I had anticipated her becoming."

His voice didn't sound quite like his own, like it was very far away. "You forced her to leave."

"As long as she stayed in Fantasia in the state that she was, she was a danger to herself as well as what little remains there were of the Realm." Yen Sid said sternly as he clenched his hands tighter behind his back. "I had to remove the demon from her mind while I could before it was too late and get her far enough from Fantasia where he couldn't control her anymore."

The more that Mr. V heard about this fiancé, the less he liked him. What kind of sick and twisted bastard would use someone he was supposed to marry like that? For what purpose would that serve? Had Prince Naveen not been the cause of Tiana getting turned into a frog, he would have done away with him before he dared to offer to buy her restaurant for her. This Astaroth fellow, demon, whatever he was, didn't deserve a lady like Ms. Scatter.

"You're tellin' me the fiancé," Mr. V pointed in the direction of the volcano, "was the one that caused the Firebird? And he used her to destroy this Realm?"

"I wish that were as simple as that." He grimaced again and shut his eyes tight. "The short of it is, yes, he manipulated her and the pact they made to gain control over the Realm. However, whether she realized it or not at the time, Ashe was the one who caused the destruction of the Realm on her own as it was she who became the Firebird."

Mr. V opened his mouth to argue, to prove that the kind hearted soul that he worked with every day, that threw her heart and soul into everything she did was not capable of destroying anything she dearly loved. He shook his head, not willing to face the truth of this. "No. . ."

"Her wrathful feelings she had for Astaroth and that strong desire to destroy him with her own hands caused all of this." Master Yen Sid spoke firmly, agitation rising in his voice, his large eyebrows furrowing as he looked down at Mr. V. "She managed to severely wound Astaroth, but only enough for him to be bound to this world thanks to their oath they made. It just so happened she destroyed the Realm with it."

The memory slowly shifted, the burning scene around them completely fading to black as they went somewhere deeper, darker, and hotter underneath all the earth's crust. Deep deep down where the shadows get tangled and get bigger, Master Yen Sid's memory dragged them down to the strangest of prisons that he'd ever seen. They had to be at the center of the planet, or somehow very close to it, for even though it was a memory, the traces of heat felt so real. They continued until they came to a giant fragmented magenta stone sitting in the center of the room. Angry waves radiated around itself, the center of it desperately trying to grasp at the fragmented stone pieces that floated nearby, only to haphazardly shoot them farther away. It gurgled and coughed as it was trying to repair itself but couldn't.

Any semblance of patience was gone as Mr. V glared at the powerful sorcerer who kept his eyes forward. "What is this?"

"This is the core of this Realm." He answered simply as a younger version of himself stepped forward, placed his hand on the core and chanted his ancient texts. It was slow, painstakingly slow, and the core vibrated with pain as Master Yen Sid tried to assist it in piecing it back together.

He'd never seen anything like this before. He heard about the cores of the Realms, the Heart of the Realm some called it, read about it in a few texts on his journey to open his program, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. It would appear that the tales of Atlantis were much closer to understanding such vast and ancient powers than the rest of the world credited them; too bad they were cursed with forgetting all the knowledge they were able to attain. Still, he anticipated the core to be something less, sickening or frightful to look at. It was like a ticking time bomb, it either needed to have a wire cut to be relieved of its building pressure, or it needed to explode.

"Why are we here?" Mr. V gulped, a slight shake of his head as he just couldn't look away from the angry glowing magenta core. It pulsed, almost as if it could feel his repulsion.

"To show you why Ms. Ashe Scatter had to leave." His hands clenched behind his back, a wince of pain as he watched the magenta core of the Realm practically screaming to repair itself.

Again, Mr. V could hardly believe what he heard or what he saw. Even though everything before him told him how much of a threat Ms. Scatter was, it made little to no sense with her kinder nature she showed. "She wouldn't –"

"She wouldn't willingly hurt the Realm like this." Yen Sid sighed as though the weight of the world somehow weighed on him. "But she did, all in an effort to save her friend."

"How?"

"As I said previously, it wasn't safe for her or the Realm." The sorcerer glared at the magenta core as it slowly pieced itself together, whimpering vibrations each time a new piece closed the gaps. "Ms. Ashe Scatter was destined to be the greatest being this Realm created, however, she was too powerful for it. When she lost control of her powers after taking on the role of the Firebird too soon, the Realm tried to stop things and received a terrible backlash from the very being it had created to exist in its Realm."

Mr. V's brow furrowed, a terrible distaste for discussing Ashe like a thing rather than a human. "Why would it make her so powerful if it could not contain her?"

"Once she properly came of age, her purpose to this Realm was to purge the planet so that the Realm could have a chance of rebirth and healing every century." A dark look passed Yen Sid's face. "However, when she made the oath with the demon and allowed him entrance into the Realm, it caused quite a few issues to say the least."

"What do you mean?"

"Astaroth is a powerful being from the darkest pits of hell that uses cold blunt truth as his weapon, which makes him more powerful than any liar known to man." Yen Sid glowered as the core continued to put itself together and it looked as though something was trying to break free from the shell. "He came to this Realm in the hopes of making it his own, not caring of the cost so long as he had a thing of his own. Ms. Ashe Scatter was the tool he needed to get in the Realm, and she was the tool he needed to undo it as well."

"Did he know?" He couldn't even imagine what Scatter would feel if she were with them now, listening to the grim story that Yen Sid told him. Even though it was her story, it didn't feel right, like it wasn't really hers. "Did he know how powerful she was?"

"I doubt it." He scoffed. "She was still blossoming and had yet to reach her full potential." Mr. V's eyes widened at this but remained silent. "Regardless, he used her to get into the Realm, used the truth to hurt her, which in turn hurt the Realm. However, things didn't go very accordingly for him."

Mr. V didn't have time to ask before a tooth gnashing scream erupted from the core as it spat out a strange being. It was human in its shape, but as it came to life again, it was clearly not a human. Thin as a bone, pointed prongs lining its back, long white hair and glowing blood red eyes glared at the younger Yen Sid as its claws dug into the earth and he roared loudly.

Its mouth opened, or semblance of a mouth as it was still morphing and refiguring itself, and lines of slime opened where the mouth would be. "What have you done?"

"I have undone and repaired some of the damage you've done to this Realm, demon." The younger Yen Sid roared back. "What right had you to claim this Realm as your own?"

"None other than want." He scoffed; it struggled to pull itself from its sluggish mass and clawed its way forward. "I have worked tirelessly for years with no reward for my truths, so I took this virgin Realm!"

"With having the knowledge of such truths, even you should have known better, demon." The younger Yen Sid shook his head, his nose curling in disgust. "Even if you were able to enter this Realm and be allowed admittance, you should have known that it would not have been enough to attain it as your own."

"Then how does the Keeper of the Realms do it?" He hissed, as his body solidified more and he had a solid torso.

"It is nothing I am allowed to share, and you know that is the truth." He narrowed his eyes, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "Even if you're no longer whole, you can smell the truth."

"Aye, Keeper, I can." He gargled a little as his legs were finally solidifying and he grew in height. "That does not excuse the fact that I am still here and have attained some place here."

"I do not see how, not after what you did to it." The younger Yen Sid huffed, "I should drag you back to the pits from which you came."

"I'll only come back." He scoffed as his feet crackled into solidity. "Thanks to that wench I now have a place in this Realm, unless she dies, I will always come back."

Yen Sid seethed, his nose wrinkling and his teeth gritting. "What did you do?"

"I merely made an oath with the girl." He chuckled darkly and rubbed his wrists free of the pink film that covered his naked form.

"What?"

"Very weak minded that girl." He tutted and rolled his eyes, "She has too big a heart to realize that she should not have been willing to sacrifice the whole Realm for the sake of one friend."

"What were the exact words used for this oath, demon?" Yen Sid demanded, the power he held surging around him and causing his blue cloak to billow around him.

"That I not cause harm to her one and only friend in exchange for marriage." His smile curled like a snake as he chuckled gleefully. "Had I known it would be so easy to destroy this Realm to attain it, I would have made my threats earlier to incite her delicious fury."

"You caused all this!"

"Though I may have incited her anger, it was she who caused the harm to this Realm, Keeper." Astaroth corrected with a wagging finger. "You know that I cannot tell a lie, Keeper, therefore you should not be blind to the truth." He laughed and ran a hand through his long white hair. "Though I suppose I should thank her, now that she's destroyed the world and no longer appears to be here, I can now take control of it."

"You cannot truly believe that I will allow that, demon." Yen Sid's voice was dangerously low as blue and white electricity crackled around him. "You have incited the devastation of this Realm and will therefore suffer the punishment that comes with it!"

Whatever plan Astaroth had was quickly diminished as the younger Yen Sid pointed his hands at the demon and the crackling electricity that danced at his fingertips captured the demon like a python with its prey.

A cry of gnashing of teeth and anguish echoed in the cave in which they stood but faded quickly as Yen Sid pulled them away from that memory. The wise old sorcerer panted heavily, as if it were too much for him to remember, painful even. Mr. V stood to the side and made sure to keep his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself. No matter how many questions he wanted to ask, after witnessing him torturing a demon, he would not berate or harass him with his questions yet. The old sorcerer took several gulps of air before turning to Mr. V. "I won't apologize for the anger in which I displayed in my more youthful days." Yen Sid spoke and sounded older than he already was. "However, I could not allow his deeds to go unpunished and chained him to this world like he wanted."

Still trying to process everything he'd seen and heard, Mr. V could only wait until the old sorcerer before him was ready to speak again. Ms. Scatter was the most capable partner he'd ever had in his career and had the opportunity to work with and seeing these details of her past made him regret not evaluating her even more highly. Mr. V said nothing as he allowed the old sorcerer to regain his breath and his balance as he properly continued this tragic tale.

"Astaroth has been in a dormant state all these years since." He grunted and held his hand to his chest while taking slow deep breaths. "Had Ms. Ashe Scatter tried to stay here, she would have been swallowed up into the core of the Realm and would have vanished into the depths of space, never to be seen or heard from again. Between this Realm and the demon who she made the pact with, neither were powerful enough to contain her or her ability as they thought."

"So . . . you sent her away?" Mr. V huffed in disbelief and his hand running through his dreadlocks as his mind tried to process it all. "To fix everything?"

"Yes, else all three of them would have been lost and you'd never come to the knowledge of this tragic story." The old sorcerer nodded his head and rubbed the back of his neck as though he were physically exhausted as well.

Though he understood that, it wasn't enough. Not for the way she left, not for all the fear she had in her eyes when she left. Mr. V scoffed, his lips curling in a snarl. "Then what? You sent her father after her to drag her back here? To what, punish her for what she's done? Do you even know what she's gone through since she left this place?"

"Not in the slightest." Yen Sid shook his head and his face seemed to age on the spot as though the years of rebuilding this Realm were suddenly catching up with him. "I could never punish her for the evil doings that demon tricked her into. She's been punished enough."

"Then why?" The shadows around him fidgeted anxiously as his emotions and thoughts tangled together. "If Ashe had suffered and been punished enough, why didn't you come get her yourself?"

"Being the Keeper of the Realms is far from a position that I deserve, but it not something I can so easily or freely cast aside to retrieve a single girl to bring her back to her own Realm." Yen Sid's gaze finally left the disappearing sea of memories and glared at Mr. V.

"Why did you send Chernabog after her?"

"I hadn't planned for Chernabog to frighten the poor girl the way he had, nor had I anticipated her running here like she had." It was at least a small relief to know that this all knowing and magnificent sorcerer could still somewhat be taken by surprise. But it wasn't enough to soothe the righteous anger burning in the pit of his stomach. Not after how much she worked, how hard she worked, after everything she did, she did not deserve to live a life of regret and full of fear for the day she'd be punished for her crime. Mr. V wanted to say she was blameless, the memory showed to him was a testament to the truth, and though it was an accident and something she couldn't control, she'd still been the cause of it. "In hindsight, I should have sent Veta, she probably would have been more of a welcome sight than her hulking father." He spoke thoughtfully, as if realizing his mistake. "However, Veta is not a villain nor an anti-hero nor anything that thrives in the theories of villains. She wouldn't survive in the Anti-Realm, nor would she have been allowed to step foot in it."

In hindsight that would have been the better of the two to send, however the older Keeper before him was right. Princesses, princes, and do-gooders of the light did not do well in the Anti-Realm without being tainted or killed. Even still, there had to have been some better alternative. For the Keeper of the Realm to be as old and knowledgeable as he was, he had not made very many wise decisions recently.

"She was terrified about the Fantasia Realm ever becoming known by me or my associates, let alone anyone else after what she had done." Mr. V's voice rose, his temper flaring as he tried to rationalize this situation and understand it better. "She blamed herself for everything that had happened here and thought that thing was going after her to kill her!"

"Though Chernabog is not the most doting of fathers, I knew he would not harm his daughter." Yen Sid's brow wrinkled to the point he looked angry. "I sent him to your Realm with a letter of invitation to come back to the Realm if she wanted it. Besides, he was the only one who I could extend to that Realm that could survive the travel between the Realms."

"From what I've seen this place doesn't look like it has recovered at all!" Mr. V hadn't meant his tone to be so snarky, nor for the angry venom to rise up in his words, but the anger that resided within him as desperately trying to rear its ugly head. The shadows were prickling like static all around him, waiting for the opportunity to give into that shock. "Why would she want to come back here after everything she's suffered?"

Yen Sid frowned gravely at Mr. V and waved his hand, the sea of memories in which they stood dissipated at the motion. The walls of the office in the tower returned to Mr. V's vision and both Veta and Chernabog stared at the two individuals in the center of the room. The room, though stagnant spun for Mr. V and he had to fight the wave of vertigo that flipped his stomach as his feet regained their footing. He was certain that the old sorcerer could have done a better job of making sure he wouldn't feel so sick after that, though he supposed that was his way of getting back at him for his little outburst.

The hint of a smirk lingered on the old sorcerer's face as he watched Mr. V cover his mouth and swallow hard and eased himself back in his seat. Yen Sid spoke calmly but pointedly as he reclaimed his seat at his desk, "What you've seen today, Mr. Valentino is the aftermath of Ashe meeting the man who started the destruction of this Realm the first time. When Ashe returned to the Fantasia Realm, Astaroth woke almost immediately from the volcano and started causing destruction and summoning fire gremlins to set everything they touched aflame. I had not anticipated his awakening, however, when Ashe arrived in the Realm, there was a massive change throughout the Realm. A ripple to the order that caused everyone to fear."

"You're really telling me you're letting her fight this demon, again?" Mr. V's voice rose as his emotions did. "And you're not doing anything to prevent it from happening?"

"Though I am the Keeper of the Realm, it is for the Realm to decide their fates." Yen Sid exhaled sharply through his nose. "I know it is difficult to comprehend, Mr. Valentino, however, if Ashe truly wants to stay here, she has to defeat Astaroth."

Mr. V snatched his top hat from his head and slapped it down in his chair. He began to pace, his body having too much energy within itself and needing to move or he would combust with anger. He was barely able to keep the shadows at bay and could feel them giggling with evil intentions ready to burst from the seams. He needed to calm down, he knew that. From the little power the old sorcerer had shown him in only a short time, he knew better than to strike the man or dare to think a malicious thought of him. However, there was little that could be done to ease his nerves when he was aware of the dangers his partner fought in for such a precarious position. He pointed to Veta and Chernabog as they glared back at him, "If you're as omniscient as they proclaim, then why would you make her go through the trial of fighting for her place to be here?"

He couldn't be bothered by their glares as he stared down the old sorcerer before him. When it came to the matters of the finer details that made up the Realm and the stories that resided in, there was much that he could forgive and pretend he understood. However, putting Ms. Scatter's life at risk for the slim possibility that she would win the fight with the demon who's fate she's intertwined with was inexcusable.

"She has done more than enough." Yen Sid admitted with a grimace as he explained. "However, due to the pact she created with him, only one or the other can survive this in order to break the ties to this Realm. She was an original resident of this Realm, but she allowed an outside force to come in and inhabit the world. If she is to reclaim her place in this Realm then she is to get rid of the evil that she allowed here, or let it become the Firebird in her place."

His temper flared as he groaned in aggravation and dragged both of his hands through his dreadlocks. It was the rule of things, that he understood, but it was a rule that he could very well have done without at the moment. There was a position to be filled and the original occupant of this Realm had the choice to stay or leave, but with the battle to the death to decide the final outcome. His eyes were hot with tears, his heart screamed in aggravation at this Realm and the laws that it abided by. "This is insane."

"Quite sane, Mr. Valentino." Yen Sid's tone was low at this comment. "I know this is far from an ideal situation, however, if this Realm is to properly heal itself and right itself into a flow of time again, it must choose its Firebird. You've already seen what's happened to the core, only one can stay."

Mr. V froze, his feet glued to the spot, his heart stopping as a chill washed over him. In an instant the anger that was there was quelled into submission as the sorcerer's words echoed in his ears.

Only one can stay.

He couldn't believe his ears. He had to be stuck in a strange dream, a nightmare; the pain in his chest denied him of that fact.

What would happen if she did manage to break the bond?

He still had to be against that brick wall Chernabog had him pinned to and his brain was suffering from the lack of oxygen.

What was to happen to her if she were to win?

Wanting to verify the words that he just heard, his brown eyes flicked to the green woman who sat by the blue poppy flowers. Pain evident on her face, Veta turned away in shame with tears in her eyes.

What if she couldn't break the bond?

He looked to the stony demon king who did not dare look at him. Chernabog's tightly crossed arms were tightened as he dug his claws into his skin and glared at the floor.

What was to happen to her if she were to lose?

It was an equivalent exchange of fates, hands, and choices, and no matter how unfair it seemed it was one of those fair yet unfair rules that should not have made sense.

Only one can stay.

He slowly shook his head, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to deny what was evident before him and try to reason some alternative way out of this. From the way the entities in the room avoided his glances, save for Yen Sid who gave him an empathetic look, it was apparently the only way in this Realm. His voice was just barely a whisper as he fell back in his seat and looked at the sorcerer. "What's so special about the damn thing? Why would she want to be the Firebird?"

"You've already witnessed what Ashe did with the power of the Firebird." Yen Sid's chair scraped the floor as he stood and walked over to the fireplace. "The one who possesses the powers of the Firebird is the most powerful one in the Realm, but at the cost of hibernating every two centuries."

It sounded as ridiculous as becoming a genie to Mr. V. Granted with all the powers in the cosmos to grant three wishes, then to sleep or drift away until it was time to reappear. The Firebird would be the most powerful being, but only ever make an appearance once every two centuries to burn the world, then what, to sleep again? Was this position really worth it to her? Was this what she really wanted?

His brow furrowed and his anger was slowly resurfacing. If this was her choice, if this was what she needed to get her Happy Ending, he had no right to meddle in it. It didn't mean he had to be happy about it, though. He opened his mouth once, then shut it as he gritted his teeth. His mind whirled, trying to think of another possibility, looking for a loophole with an alternative solution, but he couldn't see one. He bit tongue hard in concentration and felt prickles down his spine as he was forced to accept that these were the only two outcomes to this Realm. Iron tasted his mouth as he forced his tongue to work again. He gulped hard to get rid of the taste of blood, and the air grew difficult to return to his lungs to breath again. "So what now? She either kills or is killed? Then what, she just dies?"

"She will either become the Firebird or she will be expelled from this Realm again." Yen Sid placed his hand on the mantle of the fireplace. His fat knuckles turned white with the force in which he held the bricks. Those brown eyes full of wisdom stared at the small flames in the hearth, uncertainty and dread waiting there. Hearing this, though, there was a slim chance for hope.

"What do you mean expelled from this Realm?" Mr. V ran his hand through his hair, hoping it would shake some sort of thought in his skull to find the loophole he needed. "As in she will be kicked out again?"

"Essentially." Yen Sid's brow furrowed as he stood straighter, a thoughtful look coming to his face. "However, if she fails to break the bond with Astaroth and he should overpower her, he will essentially devour her."

Mr. V grimaced at this, but it was something he could work with. "So all she needs to do is break the bond?"

"Yes." Yen Sid nodded slowly, his frown deepening on his face. "Though it will be difficult – "

"Sure, everythin' in life is difficult." He waved the speech to follow away. "But what does she need to do to break the bond?"

Yen Sid finally looked at Mr. V as though he were slowly catching onto what he was looking for. "Originally when Ms. Ashe made the pact to marry Astaroth, he was not to harm Veta in exchange."

"And did he?"

"No." He shook his head and winced, "Begrudgingly it was Ms. Ashe herself who harmed her when Astaroth made her believe that he had."

"Did he lie to her?" It was almost laughable to know how scatterbrained Ms. Scatter was in the end. Pretty though the green woman was, he could not see her value nor Scatter's willingness to sacrifice everything for a friend.

"No, but he did not correct her assumptions." Yen Sid scolded as if he could read his thoughts, though as to which girl he was referring to remained closed. "Do not mock the girl, Mr. Valentino. Astaroth is master manipulator of other's weaknesses and vulnerabilities as he will not tolerate lies nor can he lie himself as he is an abuser of the truth. He can withhold the truth, but he cannot lie."

Mr. V groaned a curse and grabbed the back of his chair, his nails digging into the fabric. That eliminated a few possible loopholes. He needed to think about this carefully. "If he didn't lie to her, then how can she break the bond with him?"

Yen Sid stroked his long beard and hummed to himself as he thought long and hard. "She will have to face the truth of what it is she has done and accept it."

"What?" it was sharp and quick full of irritation as his nails tore through the fabric of the chair. "What sort of bull–"

"You will refrain from cursing in my presence, Mr. Valentino." Yen Sid warned as he returned to his desk. "I understand you're upset, and your emotions are justified, however Ms. Ashe has yet to accept that she caused the damage."

Mr. V could hardly believe his ears. After everything she's done and said, all she's ever done was blamed herself for destroying her world like this. "You're really trying to tell me she hasn't accepted it as her own fault?" He scoffed and laughed darkly as he stood and slammed the chair on its side. Chernabog and Veta stood from their positions, ready to intervene, but Yen Sid gave them no signal to act and they remained where they were. "She's done nothing but blame herself for everything that's happened to this place!"

"Not as much as you may think, Mr. Valentino." Yen Sid spoke calmly as he watched Mr. V begin to pace again. "Though she blames herself for what happened, she still blames Astaroth for starting it. She has not accepted it as fact because she's blamed it on the oath and that Astaroth was the one to cause the fires."

"He manipulated the truth to coerce her into doing the actions."

"But she could have withheld her actions or withdrawn from the battle rather than take on the Firebird." The never-ending calm that oozed from Yen Sid annoyed Mr. V to no end as the man spoke with sound reasoning. The Keeper was speaking from a logical point of view and not the emotional one of why she acted out in which she did. Had she not taken on the role of the Firebird to consume Astaroth then she never would have destroyed the Realm, nor would she have been forced to leave her Realm. "Every time she blames Astaroth for what she's done rather than keeping her emotions under control it counts as a lie and only strengthens Astaroth."

"But that's not –" Mr. V cursed again and stopped in his tracks. "After everything he did –"

"I understand emotionally why things happened, Mr. Valentino." Yen Sid spoke reassuringly, but it did nothing to reassure him of the situation. "No matter why it was started, Ashe is still the one guilty of destroying the Realm. However, in order for her to overcome Astaroth, she must acknowledge what she's done. Once she admits the truth, their bond will break, and she can do whatever it is she wishes with him."

Mr. V opened his mouth to argue, but quickly closed it and bit his tongue hard as the words failed to come to him. No amount of arguing, no matter how passionate he felt to defend Ms. Scatter could be enough to prove the old sorcerer wrong. His left hand balled into a fist at his sides, shaking fury, while his right hand held his cane tightly. He hated to admit it, but from what was shown to him through the memories, the old sorcerer was right. The only way Ms. Scatter, Ashe, could survive this was to admit the truth if she had any hopes to defeat Astaroth or else she was to be defeated herself.

An ear-splitting shriek off in the distance made them all turn their heads to the balcony to watch a black glittering streak dive through the red sky.

Author's note:

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

Guys, I finally broke through the few plot holes I kept twisting my ankles in. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this story and proceed in writing the other stories I have planned for the Disney Villain Recruiters. Thank you so much for your patience and the kindness to wait. I hope to continue making something you will enjoy reading.

Please remember to leave a comment or a review and share your thoughts with me. I love getting feedback from my readers and would love to know how to better improve my writing. If you like it enough, please share it on your socials.

Thanks for coming along the journey with me, stay tuned!

Ko-fi/SarahtheWriter.