"Your Majesty," said a shadow spy, "if I may say so...you need not make this journey personally."
Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc, who was having a spaulder fitted to her left shoulder, replied. "The fate of our kingdom - nay, the entire world - is at stake this day. I shall not sit by and wait for news when I am perfectly capable of offering my own aid. My honor as a queen and as a Keyblade Master bids me so."
Once her spaulder was strapped into place, Queen Mirellia pressed her hand against it. In a flash of bright light, her body became covered in a suit of Keyblade Armor. King Mickey... she thought. I pray this armor you have given me will serve me well.
Queen Mirellia held out her hand, calling upon her Keyblade - Permafrost. She stepped out of her personal tent, clenching the weapon in her hand.
The soldiers in the camp immediately stopped what they were doing upon her arrival, turning their undivided attention to their queen.
"Today," said Queen Mirellia, "we go to war. Pope Biscas T. Balmus of the Three Heroes Church has been murdered in cold blood by a dark wizard named Jafar. With his death, the Three Heroes Church and its followers have been left without a leader. We must eliminate Jafar and rebuild the Three Heroes Church to be stronger and less prone to such infiltration."
"Right!" the soldiers all said in unison.
"We leave posthaste!" declared the queen. "Cavalry, move out!"
Horses whinnied as the queen's cavalry company set off for battle.
Queen MIrellia looked down at Permafrost. "Master Yen Sid..." she said quietly to herself, "may your lessons guide me in this trying time."
BGM: You're Only Second Rate (Aladdin 2: Return of Jafar) - Metal Cover by Jonathan Young
Jafar conjured a massive meteor of burning stone and hurled it at the party.
Filo leaped into action. "High Quick!" A powerful strike from her foot was enough to break the meteor into smaller pieces. The heroes had an easier time dodging the falling rock.
"Filo, I have an idea!" Aris said as Filo landed back with the group. He climbed onto her back. "Head for Jafar!"
"Roger!" Filo charged toward Jafar once more.
Aris vaulted off of Filo's back, white lightning crackling as he shifted into his Fierce Deity form. The Master Sword was replaced by the mighty Fierce Deity Sword once more. He raised the helix-shaped blade and slashed at Jafar with all his might. Even as a genie, Jafar could not entirely withstand the power of the dark god whose form Aris had taken.
Jafar cackled, his voice echoing through the walls of his ethereal dark palace. "Weakling."
He summoned a blast of wind and knocked Aris away. The Hylian was forced to return to his normal form temporarily.
Jafar looked over his shoulder. "Bishop!" he roared. "Tell those idiots to pray harder! I must acquire more strength for my cause!"
"B-But, sir!" cried the bishop. "Almost a third of your servants have already given the last of their mana to you. Their lives may be in danger if they give any more."
"Your life is going to be in danger when I'm done here if you fail to obey your god!" Jafar demanded. "Do as I say at once!"
The bishop reluctantly turned to the masses. "Brothers and sisters, our almighty god requires more prayers! Give him all your mana and sacrifice your life if necessary!"
More mana flooded Jafar's genie form.
"How can he just throw away all their lives like that?" said Raphtalia.
Sora clenched his jaw. "He's just the type to do something like that. I know Jafar well enough."
"Guys, look!" Ness pointed upward. "The mana's building up in here! It's gonna reach the top of this...palace thing soon!"
"That must mean he's preparing some kind of huge attack!" Itsuki reasoned.
"Wait!" Motoyasu realized. "I...I just remembered something."
All eyes were on him.
"Back home, before I was summoned here," said the Spear Hero, "I read stories about genies. And I think that's what Jafar is now. Genies can only be summoned by rubbing an oil lamp!"
"Which means Jafar has an oil lamp he can be sealed in!" Filo added.
"Yeah, that's right! I remember now!" Sora agreed. "Jafar does have a lamp!"
"Alright, we have a new plan, then!" Aris announced. "Forget Jafar! Get to the lamp at all costs!"
"But, then again," said Sora, "Jafar knows about his lamp. He'll probably do whatever it takes to defend it."
"Then I'll just have to power through." Aris's body crackled with white lightning.
End BGM
Raphtalia looked worried. "Wait...you're going to use it again?"
Aris nodded. "It has a high success rate. I'm sure that won't change."
"Alright. I trust you."
Aris closed his eyes, concentrating his mind on all of the hatred he could muster.
He opened them. He was surrounded by a dark void.
"T̷̢̤̦̫̋̒Ḩ̵͍̪̦̆̍͂̚O̸̖̼̎̋̆U̷̱̇ ̴̲͗H̶̢͗͌͘͝Ã̷̛̘͇͋̚T̸̰̪̤͎̈́H̷̛̹̬͗̿͘ ̴̰̅̅̌M̸̡̛̯̫̒̏̊A̸̼̥̺͛D̷̰͊͊Ȩ̵͌ ̸̛̠͕̤͓T̵̲̠̓͜H̶͖̃́E̴̻̬͒̚ ̶̩̤̄R̷̦̣̭̮͛͂Ỉ̷̗̬Ǵ̴̺͎͙̯Ḫ̴̥͌̐̕Ṭ̸̞̖̻̐͝ ̴͖͙̪̲͑̂̅C̸͌̈͜Ḧ̶̛̠̮̬́͑O̷̩̐̅I̴̹͎̩̊C̸̱̾̈́̀Ĕ̶͍̝̝̮̓̅͠ ̶̝̙͒́̽͘T̸͔͉̄O̸̺̩̤͐̋͗̅ ̵̹̈́̄R̷̪̯͗͌E̶̘̺̯͘L̶̻̲̖̽E̶̢̼̟̣̍Ả̴͇̲̈́́S̴̼̍̐̓̓Ĕ̶͚̅̕ ̷͔̔͒̕M̴̛̯͖̳͑̈́̃Y̸̖̐͝ ̸͕͉̖͚͆͛̕P̸͇͂̈́O̶͈̮̅́͝W̵̡̡͙͉̏͊̌E̵̲͕͍̋̇̓͠R̸̢̛̳͛̓ͅ,̸̱̻̱͔̃̇͝ ̸͚͍͈̓̆̿̈́ͅB̴̰̻̯́O̷͖͑Y̶̛͔̏́,̵̹̥̟̆" a familiar voice crooned. "L̴̖̜̤̈È̵̯̬T̶̨̛̒̓ ̷̙̯̓̓̊T̸̡͚̤̼̊H̶̱̓͒̕͝Į̸̉̕N̸̞͔̞͌E̸͈̳̬̊ ̶͍̈́̍Â̸͖̱̇N̶̞̪̖̈́̂̔ͅG̸͍̬̊̌̈̔E̷̺͍͙͂̏̐̕R̵̝͌ ̵͓̭̳̳̈́̀̕F̸̞̩̬̲̄́Ḽ̵̡̪̃̌͝O̸̟̅̌W̶̜͋̀̕ ̴̗̯͐T̷͓̲͘͜H̵̙̖̖̲̄̂͝R̵͇̒ͅÓ̴͙̳Ṷ̷͛̓̀͠G̴̨̖͘Ḫ̴́̐́ ̷͕̳̌̑̇T̴̛͍͕̣̽̈́̏ͅH̷̭͙̜̞̎͠Ḙ̴̺͉̋̈́̚͜Ę̷̦́͘ ̸̫̐A̸̠̓̀Ṋ̶͖̽̈́̈́͌D̸͙̤͈͒̆̄ ̴̫͖̿T̷̰̖͇̏̒Ǎ̴̹̹̦̹͋̓̊Ḳ̷̛Ė̶̯̫̺̂̕͝Ţ̸̼̍̊H̸̳̟̞̤͋ ̸̲̀͊͊C̵̹̫̑Ȯ̷̹̜̖͂́͝N̴͔̞̓̍T̶̼̪͈͊̑R̶̜̻̬̖͋Ō̷̱̑͊̽͜L̵̼̫̓̾̽̊.̵̬̙̿̀̈͝ ̶̛͖̼̿̀̈́T̷̯̽͆͐͗Ḩ̸̛̉͝Y̶̰̫̊͊̂̏ ̷͙̯̘͒͂́S̵̳͙̟̮̏̉͂̎U̴̺̒F̴̖̜̍̀F̷̧̋̄͜͠Ḛ̵͙̹̥̇Ȑ̶̗Ḯ̴̤͓͈̠͝N̷̥̟͗̌Ĝ̶̨̹ ̵̛̙̚S̵͖̊̈Ḥ̸̠̌̇͝Ȧ̴̺̥̥̬̐͑L̸̗̂̃Ḷ̸͓͛̿͗ ̸͔̮̓̎̈́͐͜E̶̪̦̜͐͌̀̚N̶̹̼̂̀D̸͎̜̏͊̄ ̴̙̉͐̂S̵͓̫̻̈́Ǫ̵͚̜̦̓O̶̗̬̓́Ñ̵̡͎͍̍͆̊.̴̤͉̩̖̀̈̅"
"No!" Aris cried.
It was for naught.
White lightning engulfed his body, crackling all over. His armor shifted form, becoming black as midnight as his hair became a pale white. His eyes became voids of white as red markings appeared on his face.
"You won't control me..." Aris strained. "I'm not letting your anger overtake me this time...!"
"M̶̳̬̩̉̐̑͆Y̸͕͖̞͐͜ ̴̐̆̀̍ͅA̶̛̻͎̺̔̇̋N̷̻̳̟̄͠͝Ǧ̷̫̭͛̈́̚E̸̲͂̓̈̔R̵̢̧̬̱̈́͝͝?̶̢̟̋̊͆̉" the voice laughed. "Ņ̷͚̳͂̏̈́͜À̷̛̻͍͐͘Y̴̲͊̈́̈́.̸̯̒̆ ̴͓̱̿̌Ṫ̷̨͓͓̀̂͠H̷̼͐Ī̶̡̢̟̂̈́̉S̸̞̚ ̵͔̫̇̈́͆̆F̶͙̘͔̾͛̋̂Ȕ̴̙̦R̶̡̘̦͓̈́̈́̕Y̵̤͓̥̆̏ ̶̙̆̊̔͝W̶͚̲̜̕E̶̢̩̜̫̎̐̀͒L̵͇̟̣̦͗̃͘͘Ḹ̵̢͉̙S̷̙͐̈ ̷̞̭͉̎̈̚͝ͅỬ̴̪͍͘͘P̴̻̫̀̉ ̶̤̹͎̩͑̄́F̴͈̖̼̮̄̅̍̚R̴͚̭͈̜͑Ỏ̶͙̙̘͝M̸̫̥͑̀̚ ̴̪̪́̔͛W̷̪̬̾̏ͅỈ̷̯̜̦̯͐͝T̵̲͚̤̈̇̐H̶̰̪͂Ḯ̵̛͉̀N̸͖̩̔́̆̍ ̴͓̈̔͐T̵̨̪̿͘H̶͉̝̄̈̕Ī̵͍̥̫̻̓͆N̸̻̜̘̂̓̏͘E̷̳͚̟̟̿ ̸̼̟̀̌̌̒O̸̭̺̮̝̍̾Ẅ̶̞̗́N̸̢̟̐̂ ̸̺̦͌͗͘H̶̆ͅE̸̥͛A̸̧͇̙̔̾̓̈́R̴̨̰̥̮̀̄͝T̸͚͇̀̀͒,̷̮̝͉͑̐̕ͅ ̴̖̜̈́̊̈́́B̷̝̣̱̮̌O̶̡̭̼̘͊Ỷ̷̰̉̚̚.̷͓̀"
Aris saw memories playing out before him, as if on a myriad of television screens.
He saw Malty framing him for attempting to rape and kill her, and succeeding despite Aris's wealth of evidence.
He saw the wanted posters scattered everywhere, demanding that the 'Devil of Hyrule' be captured and brought to justice.
"T̸̳̓̕Ĥ̶̻̹̓̚Į̷̞͂N̶͙̓E̴̯̭̺̳̐̿̎ ̵̰͔͆̐Ā̷̱͖̐N̵̢̩̹͇̐͋͝G̸̡̟̊͆̒È̵̹̭R̸̡̪̄͝͠ ̷͇͌̾̌Ḭ̶̱́̕Š̶̺̖̜̜ ̷̨̼̥̹̈A̸̮̩͌͗̈́̀ ̸̞̖̒̐̊R̵̳̍̐̕Ë̴͇̩́͝S̴̢̟̦̽Ụ̵͈̫̬̇͊͝L̶̝͔̹͝T̴̥͚̓̏ ̵̺̺̦͠͝F̷̻͎͈̏Ŕ̸̰Ǒ̷̢̬̪M̶̗̲͋ ̶̛͈̺̱̬̅Ṫ̴͎̣͜H̸̛̜̯̱̍É̴̜̇̚͝ ̸̛͙͔̳͈̓͋G̸̛̳͈͖̮͊̒R̷̨̝͆I̴̖̱͚͒̇̔Ḗ̷͍̑̍V̴̼̐̉̅O̵̯̻̙̅̈̇Ṵ̴͑̏́̕S̴̫̭͖̫͆̽ ̴̨̹̹̅̉I̶͕̞̤̋͆̃Ň̷̠J̸̡̰͕̗́̄́U̸̱̤͉͔̾̾̚S̴̨̝͙̼̍̕T̴̨̰̭̍̑̌̍Í̸̳̮̐C̷̗̓̀͝Ë̶̠̋̕S̷͔̠̆̈́̂͝ ̸̥̩͓̗̐̋͒F̷̤̿̆͋O̴̡̝̥͒̃̊̀R̵̪̭̖̆̚C̷͈̾Ē̸̥̲̞̲D̵͕͔̜̣̆ ̷̦̠͂Ṵ̶̧̈́̎̀P̷̗͗́̚ͅO̸̗̿͘N̸̗̩̠̥̊͗̌ ̴͍͉̫͖̆͌͠Ṱ̵̥̿̽H̶̳͇͍̀͘͝ͅE̴̱͕͐͌̈́͘E̷͎̼̤̿,̶̜̝͙̈́͝" crooned the Fierce Deity. "O̷̢̡̺͇̽̀̾F̶͇̋̉̏ ̶͓̲̐̆̚T̵̛̰̏̊̓H̷̥̐̎̊E̶͖̍ ̷̛̬̠͍̑H̵̛̩̱̜̠̃Ȧ̸̙̭̪̍T̸̬̽ͅR̵̻̗̼̞͌E̴̞̕D̸̻̖͑̋̆ ̶̟̞̈̿̉A̵͕͗͆̚͝N̵̙͑̊͘D̵͇͋̌́͠ ̴̡̭͉͂H̵͓̹̘͛̅U̵̘̱̻̯̅M̸͖̟̽̽̌I̴̞̺̘͝L̶̖͈̦͛͋̔I̴͉͈̺̳̿͆Ȃ̴̛̛̮̼ͅT̷͔͙̘̃I̵̦̣̪͂O̴̭̣̅̈́Ǹ̵͙͎͉̼́̚ ̶̨͎̦̳̒̋̐T̶͉͗̎͊͝H̸̭͖̪̮̍Ŏ̴̯̩͛̒U̸̮̺͗̆ ̷̨̗͑͘̚H̶̬̬̘͒̆́́͜A̷͔̓̈́̑ͅS̸͕̋͂T̷̤̳̭̍̆̍̚ ̸̺̣̅̏̀͜B̵̨̤̰̖͂͒Ȩ̸̗̌̐Ẽ̵̬̠͓̫̽̚N̴̖̠̄͊́ ̷̘̓S̸̛̺̍́̿U̴͚͍̩̐̓̓͑B̷̯͓͕̮̎̃J̶̙̈́̑̎͑E̸͖̻̝͉̍͊C̷̼̈̊̀T̸̟̰̍̔E̸̛̖̬͌̓D̶̫̯͖̎̇̈́͝ͅ ̸͙̥̆T̸̼̽̐͛͠Ö̶̖͉̳̠́ ̶̧͍̼͗͆B̸̲̓̿E̴̤̮͎̫̐̀̈͆F̵̨̚O̴̱͔̣̯̅͛͠͠Ŗ̵̥͈̎̀̈́É̵͍̀ ̶̜̙̞̭͒T̴̡̞̭̲̋̓̓̑H̵͙̳͕̾͂̈́͘Ě̸̘̞͎ ̶͙̎̓̓̀M̴̢̧̳͙̓Ạ̸̙̣̺͊S̸̨͎͎̎̉̐Ś̷̡͒̍́Ȩ̷͈̫͖̈́̈S̶̮̞͓͘.̶͕̙̤̭͊͂ ̴̥̄O̷̱̎F̵̱͖̅ ̸̛͙̮̰͔͋̉͘Ṭ̶̂͝H̵̡̭̱̘̿̄́͒É̸̲̯ ̸͍̰̀P̵̨͓̎͊̕͠E̸̺͖͂̂R̵͙̦̪̱̊͝S̶̻̳̾́͘͠E̵̙̐͑̃C̶̤̘͖̔̋̔U̴̫̬͎͙̒T̷̝́̉̒Ḭ̶̬͑̈́Ȍ̷̻̜̖Ň̶̟̓ ̵̧̰̫̲̆͝W̸̤̆͒Ȑ̷̭͐̒̃Ȏ̸͛̚ͅU̷̢̘̽G̴̮̠̘̈̋Ḫ̴͇̘̃̆͝ͅT̶̤̙̈́ ̶͚̈U̶̧͒͝ͅͅP̷̞̦͋O̵̢͈̰̥͐Ņ̵̘̬͈̿̉͋ ̸̼̮̮̅T̵̨͙̮̪͒Ḧ̵̰̠̭́̌̒E̶̥̥͑͊̑E̴̦̲̻̾̏ͅ.̸̦͂͠ ̶͍͇̰͗̋͗́B̸͚͎͙̙́̾͑̕Ǔ̶͙̹̥͂̔T̵͍̒ ̴̖͙͍̀̕A̸̧̢̺͙̋͋̕B̶̼͓͛͝Ó̷̦̲͒͂̚V̷̖̜͆Ę̶̳͗ ̷̢̹͂̂̃͝Â̴̞̱̕L̸̮̀̓ͅL̵̥̯̯̊̊͝,̶̢̖͚͙̋̆͌͊ ̴̧̙̅̇͑̃Ȉ̷͙̬̞̐̏Ț̶̜͈̑̅̕ ̶̩͙͙̔̽̕͘Ị̵̡̈̔̚Ś̵̨̮̭̀͂̍ ̵̙̱͛̇̚A̴̻̼̿ ̷̜̱̒̽͊͝R̷̢͍̪̀́̈́E̸͙͇̚S̵͖̤̩̈́͜Ǔ̶̟̥̤̔̔̚L̶̨̟͈̒T̴̡̙̭͊̿ ̸̰̮̆́͌̕Ȏ̸̥͎͌̈́F̴̜̞̯̈́̈͌ ̴̪͝Ț̶̩̯̂̀̊H̶̹̜̥̤͋̄̕͝Ȅ̶̛̳͕ͅ ̶̡̣̞̄͜Ȧ̸̫̫͈̂Ğ̸̨̘͈͛̍̊O̵̝̤͇̾̿͋͆Ń̸͖Y̴̭̤̥̿̌̆ ̴̟̞̈́̕Ẅ̵̬͉͇̲́̿R̵̢̲̓Ơ̴͚̑̑̈U̶͇͂G̷̖̗͐͘H̷̗̘͠T̵̼͚̠͓̉̽̽͗ ̴̛̤̯͔̟͑̀̕U̷̺̼̲̬͠͠P̸̬̑Ő̸͕͙̇N̸̳͇̜͐͐͑ ̷̪̀̀͜͜Ṯ̵̥͙̆͊̈́H̷̛͓̪̲͙̓Y̵͈̣͕̎̑̓̆ͅ ̸̛̀͌̄͜Ḧ̸̡̱́͐Ỏ̴̓̕͘ͅṂ̴̥̑͝E̷͖̋̐̋͝L̷̗͙̓͆̽̍Ả̴̹̭̿̓͆N̵̦̭̍̽͠D̷̩̀̀̾.̵̯̲̤͑̕"
Aris's new armor finished taking form.
"Ä̷̧̤̤Ḷ̴͗͝L̵͖̦͖̿͑͊̿ ̴̧̥͔̈̅O̴͈̕F̵̨͉̰̲̈͛͒̏ ̶̳͗̇͋̃T̸̻̔Ĥ̴̨̲͕̙͘Ä̶̘̺́̐́Ṱ̵̟̯̘̑͂̈́ ̴̥̟̮͎̌̏̿Ŗ̶͔̮͆̇̈́̇A̶̛̟̣͒G̴̣͙̿̕E̶̻͚̺̬̒́͑̚ ̸̰̜̇Í̸͔̤̔͊S̴̘̮͋̀ ̸̠̻͐͑T̷͕͇̂H̶̨͉̭̦̽̐̒Í̷͙͗Ǹ̵̤̥͝Ę̴͉́ ̵̝̭͆O̶͕̯͒̄Ẃ̵̫̩N̷͎̈́͗̑͘,̴̧̱̞̀̈́ ̶̳͊͝H̸͙̐̚Y̶̡̬̯͛L̸͍̗̫̀͂̄͝I̵̮͓͆̃̿̓ͅA̴̗͎̪̍̂N̶̹̑̀̃͌,̷̹̜̠͎̔̃͋" boomed the Fierce Deity. "N̷̮̑̂͛Ō̷̳̭̮ͅW̵̦̰̋̽,̵̲̳̊̔ ̸͔̘̓̐̋U̸͔̠̽͌̍͗Ṅ̷̨̝̈́L̴̨̘̤͕̇͂͒̄E̸̛̖̞̞͆̾͆A̴̡̜̞͇̅S̸̳̥͛̂̑H̷̯̺̠̏͂̉ ̶͉͎̉́͌̔E̷͍͈̓̊̾̈V̵͖̖̪͒̀̇̒É̷̞̿̚R̷͔̽Ÿ̸͖͉̤́͜ ̵̧̛̯͒̊͝O̷̤̾̉̔͘U̸̝͗̑̿N̵̫̾̋̒Ċ̵̳̠̭Ḛ̸̒̈́̔͠ ̷̙̽Ö̴̹͖̼͈́͊F̵̩̍́̆ ̵͍̻̱͙͒̿Y̵̧̼̋O̵͓͔͈͈͋̏U̶̦͍̰̎͝R̸͙̮̈̒͊̚ ̷̟̑̀̈́R̷̛̻͕͂Ī̷̟̝̤̭̍̾G̴̨̻̖̲̐́H̶͎̠̄̅̎T̸͉͆͠͠E̴̬̻̍͜O̴͇͎͒̐Ŭ̶͙̃͝ͅS̴̘̖̊̋̈̍ ̵̲͆̽̌̓F̶͕͌́͂Ư̸͔͇͂͝Ȑ̴̰Y̴̯͖͛̈́ ̵͎͙͊͘̕U̸̢̼̳̺̅́̆̕P̴̣͓̂̋̑ͅO̸̜̹̫̔̑Ņ̵͂ ̷͈͓̅́T̷̤̤̪̈́Ḥ̶́̽̃̈́O̵̤̜͑̍͝S̸̬͙͋̇́͒ͅE̵̢̻̍͑̌̿ ̴̡̨͑̽̇͑Ẉ̴̢̧̻͊H̷̙̟̤̒̄O̷̧͔̫̫͋ ̴͎̜̝̌́̓͘D̷͉̽A̸̱̱̘͖̾͌͘Ṛ̶̢͙̆̚͝Ê̵͍͍ ̶̓̿̈́͌ͅS̵͙̳̦̆́͑͜T̵̢̩̹̮̓̉͑̕Ǎ̴̧̱̺̗͗͘N̵͍̓Ď̶̫̒̈́͝ ̵̛̙A̴̪͍͚͔̒̂G̸̯̻͂̈́́̾A̷̧̯͌Ȉ̷͈N̶̙͍̭̓S̷̢͍̓̂ͅT̴̢̂̾̋̓͜ ̸̡͛͂Ţ̵̝̌̅H̴͙̝̳̓̃͌̕Ę̸͈̙͍̽̉Ë̴͉̲̺̞̑̅͠!̶̡͕͛̇ͅ"
"P̶̯̎̄Ŏ̶̩̗͕̩͠W̵̹̍̂̔E̵͖̔̾̈͂Ŕ̶̜͖̦̘̊.̴̌̀ͅ.̸̫͉͖̠́.̷͖͈̖̲̄́́" Aris snapped out of it. "Don't!" he chided himself. "He's...attempting to corrupt you!"
"I̵̧̛̻͋͗T̵̠͛͌͘ ̴͇̼̇T̷̡͎͛̀̆A̸̺͋̆͘͝S̷͚͍̺̍͠T̷͎͈͚͌̚Ë̵̼͇̫́͊D̷̨̠͖͛̓͋̈́ ̴̭̍͑S̸̯̦̉̓W̵̛͎Ẹ̸͇̦͉͝E̸̘̻̼͆̈́͗Ṭ̷̡͈̖̌͝,̸̤̺̫̑̈́̍ ̸̨̱̦́͘͝D̵͔͒̊͘͠I̴̬̭͑̏̎̒D̸͔̹̐̒̓̕ ̴̰̦͈̃̚I̷͓̼̟̅̂͝T̵͖̻͇̖́͋ ̷̢͚͇͍̓̑͑N̶̯͐̅̄͘O̵̟͇̍T̵̟̝̲̭̒̔?̷̡̮͚̗̔͂̈́̅" the Fierce Deity jeered. "T̷͖̝͛͝H̸̦͛̃E̵̗͐ ̶͓̅A̵͗͛͜B̷͎̔İ̵̡̿ͅL̸̛̹I̴͎͛̚T̶̘̬̈́͌Y̸̦̆ ̷͕̼͒T̵̘̕O̵͇͕̓͒ ̵̼̿̆M̵͖̉͜A̴̫̣͌̾K̸͍͇͆È̵̩͜T̴̗͉̉Ḧ̶̟́ ̵̲͊͒E̵̹̔͝V̷̝̖͝E̶̖̳͘Ȓ̶̞̉Ÿ̶̩̠̔ ̴̬͓̈́͒S̷̆̅͜Ỉ̸̧̞͋Ǹ̶̲̠͐G̴̢̣̃L̶̮͎̎E̶̯̲̕ ̶̠͊Ọ̵̽̄N̷̻̼̔͐E̵͘͜ ̷̼̬̓͂O̶̩͆͝F̵͙͗͠ ̵̝̎̑T̶̠̉Ḫ̷̗͊I̸͎̲̿N̷̲̩̓E̴͇͌̆͜ ̷̰̋A̴̲͋͠D̴̩̬́V̷̢͐̀E̷̖̿̕ͅR̵̢̫͘S̵͚͛A̶̼̣͌R̶̺͋ͅI̶͕̊E̵͔̓Ṣ̵̛́ ̵̣̓S̴̞̲͗U̸̥͆͂͜R̴̺͎̿R̴̪̓́Ë̵͈̆N̶̘̿ͅD̸̮̒͗Ě̵̡̬̔R̷̻̓̈́ ̵̯̠̍T̶͉͍͝Ö̷͕̙́ ̷̘̓T̷͍̓H̶͎́͒Y̴̫͕͑ ̵̙͋̎M̸̢͙̈̑Į̵͖̓͛G̸̺͛H̵̬͋Ț̷͋!̴̗̓͆ ̸̳̮̆L̵̺̭̈́̆E̸̤̊̓Ț̵̘͑̓ ̶̬́͜T̵͖͊Ḩ̵͝À̵̝T̷̨͠ ̴̻͒R̶̠̹̋̈́A̸̡̭̋G̴̤̝̒́Ȇ̷̤̼ ̴͖̹͑̎C̷͇̘̀̂Ȯ̸̢̟͝Ñ̵̰̼͠T̷͚́̐R̶̠̆̅O̶͔͎͑̕L̵̙̉͠ ̴̘͆͘T̴͚̔̏H̸͙̩̊Ḛ̵̂E̷̦͌!̸̤̿̐ ̴̼̒F̴͖͚͊I̴̜͋Ģ̴̣͗H̷͍̉T̵͙̭̚ ̸̬̈́̌E̷͔͋̾V̵̞̣̆E̵̢͆̋R̷̟̒Y̴̤̼̎̐T̸̲͇̆H̵͉̳̽I̴̢̻̓N̵̞̜͐G̶̝̤̃̕ ̴̛̗́T̶̲̤̐H̷̠̹̽͊A̷̜͂T̵̬̹̈ ̴̰̱̍͐Ṡ̵͉͇T̶͎͚̄̐A̴̧̗͘N̸̦̟͂͋D̷̢̗̈́͘E̷̢̻͠T̴̫̒H̷͖͔̒̕ ̷̰̀̾I̷̘̹̋N̶͈͘ ̶̱̔Ṯ̸̎̑H̷͕̤́Y̶̻̆ ̸̗̂̍W̷̛͈̰A̴̧͋Y̶̙̓̈!̷͙̰͆̽
"I̶͙̺̾͒'̷̲̈́L̶͕̅L̸͉͔̽ ̴͙̓D̸̨̡́̚E̷͚͐͊Ś̸͙̬̾T̷͖̬́̇R̷̗̰̄͝O̶̟͗͊Y̴̨̞͒͝ ̴̤̙̆͘T̵̯̈́H̶͙̥̉E̵̼̋M̸̹̼̓̇ ̵̩͔̾A̶͎͊̑L̵̢̯̀̆L̴̺̉̏!̶̜̝̔" Aris was in over his head now. His eyes flared white.
Everyone watched as Aris changed forms, becoming wreathed in black armor and white lightning.
He slowly stepped forward, toward Jafar. No one could stop him.
Motoyasu looked intimidated. "I'm...starting to think he might actually have just become some sort of demon now."
"Í̷͎̈́'̴̟͆L̵͍̯͐͐L̵̡̟̾ ̴̝̠͐̌D̴̗̂E̸͚̤͆̒S̸̡̭̊͝T̶͔̀R̶͉̻̂̕O̴͈̜̅Ý̸̖͉̆ ̷͍͌I̸̪͝T̵͎̏̀ ̴͈̚͝Á̸̬L̴̟͐̑L̴̡̔.̴̡͎̊.̴̭̝͂̍.̴̳̈́" Aris said to himself. "I̵͍̪͝F̴͉̙̀̾ ̵͉̊̊I̴̩͓̿ ̷̟̋̚Ć̴̘̜A̸̡͗̽ͅN̷̪̈̽ ̵̗̀͘D̶̘͎̔̋Ǫ̶̟̽̋ ̶̯̣͊T̸̖͑͜͝H̸̦͌̇A̸̳̩͘T̸̡̹̀̆,̴͍͔̾͝ ̸̛̯͒Ä̶̡́͆Ļ̸̕L̵͍̜̽̿ ̶̟̅͗W̸̺͛̕I̶͇̿L̵̗͘L̵̫̈ ̴̤͑̚B̶̭͛͐Ê̵ͅ ̴͆͆͜O̸̟̍͋V̶̫̓E̶̾͜R̶̟̎̈́.̵͠ͅ ̵̤͑T̵͍̲͘H̵̯̪͒̊Ỉ̶̦͝ͅS̸̠͕̚ ̷̨̊̂P̴̡͆͘O̸͇̗͊W̶̱͈̉̽E̵̹͊R̴̦͂.̸̻͎̌.̸̜̇̚.̷̮͛̈I̴̢̒ ̴͓̥̾́W̸̳̊I̵̳̍̓L̸̯͕̄͂L̵̢͚̑ ̸͔̝̈̀U̷̬̓S̴̨̈́Ė̸̜̚ ̸̮͝Į̵͐͝T̸͎̓̌ ̴͎̓T̶͕̙́̍Ọ̷́ ̴͇̈́B̶͈̔͠R̶̟͑I̷̹͌N̵̛͕̣G̶̨̜̓ ̷̳͝D̷͖̿̽E̴̲̺̐S̷̻̥͘T̷̨͕̃͊R̷̠̞̆̃Ȕ̵̩͔C̷̮̓̋T̷͔͛͗I̴͕͒Ö̵̭́͑Ǹ̸͙̹͗ ̶̠̲́T̷̥̣͠Ǒ̴̞͛ ̶̩̙̋́Ȧ̵̼̃L̶̛͔̞̿L̴̡̤̄̾ ̸͕̆W̶̖͛̊H̶̰͝O̵͓̜͌̏ ̸̮̎S̸͕̓T̵̘͕̾̚A̵͈̋N̵̬͛̈́D̷͖̃ ̵̧̪̓͠Ạ̶̞̀̏G̶̱͚̏̏Á̵͔̒I̷̤̞̎̂N̸͖̽͌S̴̜̬̀T̶̡̫̓ ̷̩͋M̸̠̬̾E̶̯̕͝.̵̱́̀"
"No! Don't!"
A voice rippled through the darkness. His leg seemed to be caught on something. He attempted to shake it free.
"W̴̭̅H̴̥̹̋̕O̴̜̽͊ ̶͕̖̈́̓D̵̗͒̃A̴͇͛Ȓ̶̖͚͛Ȩ̴̥̏̈́S̶̘̘̈́̍ ̴͖͂̈́T̴̝́̑O̸̡̲̊͗ ̸̢̱͑S̷̫̽T̶͔͙̉̽Ö̸͉̙P̸̤̬͌ ̸̥̺̽͝Ḿ̶̳͈͗Ḙ̴͌̿!̶̱̟̅͌?̷̛̮̦" he roared.
A young girl's voice responded. "Papa...do you really hate everything...?"
BGM: N's Farewell - Pokemon Black/White
"We're your friends, Aris," said a young woman's voice.
"Your family," said that of another. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
The former young woman continued, "When I first met you...I was terrified, but also...in awe. Everyone else had treated me like an object, and after my desperate attempt to escape my chains, I thought it would be the end for me. But...you came along and saved my life. You protected me, you cared for me...taught me how to survive and fight. That's why I vowed to always stand by your side to the bitter end. And I'm going to keep that vow, even if it means rescuing you from your own darkness."
The second added on. "We have known each other for our entire lives. We survived when our homeland was massacred, and lived on as the last of our kind. Despite our separation, we stand together once more. And like Raphtalia, I'll continue to stand by your side."
The little girl who had called him "Papa" spoke next. "You hatched me, and you've raised me from the day I was born. You gave me my favorite wagon, my dress, my hairpin, and all sorts of great things. Everything I love, Papa...all of that came from you."
A youthful boy took his turn. "I've been to countless worlds, and I have to say...this one has been the source of my greatest adventure yet. Even after I got separated from Kairi, you and your friends took me in and I became one of you. You're my friend, Aris. And I know I always say my friends are my power...but now, I want to be your power."
"Just like you did with Sora, you took me and Melty in pretty much the moment we asked," said a younger boy. "I've had a lot of fun traveling with you and the others, Aris. Even now...now that Melty's missing...I'm sure we'll be able to rescue her. But first, I'm going to help rescue you."
"Even after I made the mistake of working for the enemy," said a fairly older male voice, "you just forgave me without even saying so. I've always felt like I'm just...here. But now that I see you in danger...even by your own doing...I still want to help. Because you pulled me out of a bad spot. I'm gonna do the same for you."
A bright light blossomed before Aris. Several figures emerged from it. Raphtalia, Loretta, Filo, Sora, Ness, and Cloud.
"Th-That's right!" said Aris. "I've been on a great journey with the closest of friends. All of you...are people I care about...that I love...that I silently swore to protect with my life."
"We all know one thing about you, brother," said Loretta. "We know that no matter what happens to you, you'll continue to fight for us, just as we fight for you."
"We'll all fight for you," said Sora. "To the bitter end."
"You saved my life the day we met," said Raphtalia. "And even though I returned the favor against that Two-Headed Black Dog...I'll do it again as many times as I have to."
"I will, too!" sang Filo. "I'm gonna gobble up all those bad feelings until you're only happy, Papa!"
"So no more frowning!" Ness cheered. "This party runs on happy faces!"
Everyone approached Aris, wrapping him in a group hug.
Aris closed his eyes, tears welling up in them.
He opened them. Reality surrounded him once more.
"E-Everyone..." he cried. "Thank you..."
Raphtalia clung tight to her hero, burying her face in his chest. "You're okay...I'm so glad you're okay..." she said tearfully.
"You okay, buddy?" asked Sora. "That was way too close."
"I'm...I should be alright," said Aris. "I'm so sorry..."
"Don't you apologize," Loretta chided. "You only let yourself get so close to the darkness because you wanted to restore light to this world. But you don't have to do that alone, brother."
"Right," said Cloud. "We're in this together. My own friends back home all taught me the value of teamwork. So we're all working together here."
"Now, if you're back from almost becoming a dark god," said Ness, "think you could come up with a plan? We are kinda in the middle of something here."
"Oh, right."
Everyone let go of Aris.
He turned to the other three Cardinal Heroes. "Gentlemen, I'm going to require your assistance. Please." He bowed before them at the waist.
All three of them looked surprised.
"Are you sure we can win this?" said Ren.
"No, I'm not sure," replied Aris. "But that doesn't mean we're not going to try."
End BGM
A light flashed up above. The mana had reached the top of Jafar's dark palace.
"Oh, that is touching," the genie crooned. "Truly it is. I'm terribly sorry, but I must interrupt this heartwarming moment." He pointed a finger at Aris. "I will destroy you all, starting with you."
A beam of darkness shot from his finger.
Aris swung the Fierce Deity Sword, dissipating the beam.
Jafar raised an eyebrow. "Still standing, are we? I suppose taking the form of a god would allow you to withstand the power of another."
BGM: Solaris (Phase 2) - Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
"Power always comes at a cost, Jafar," Aris said firmly. "For example...your power as a genie came at the cost of those you seduced to your darkness. And your miserable life alone will not be enough to avenge them."
Without warning, the heroes began their assault.
"Thunder Shot! Wind Arrow!"
Itsuki rained down a barrage of powerful arrows on Jafar's dark barriers.
"Air Strike Javelin!"
Motoyasu hurled an apparition of his spear.
The attack pierced the dark barriers and struck Jafar's abdomen. "Got him!" the Spear Hero cheered. "Aris, get in there and finish him so we can grab that lamp!"
"I'm on it! Filo!" Aris called.
"Right!"
Aris mounted the Filolial and rode into action.
"No!" Jafar cried. "I will not be imprisoned for a third time!"
He sent a barrage of flaming meteors at his charging opponents.
"I've got them! Wind Arrows!" called out Itsuki.
Ness provided aid. "PK Flash!"
A salvo of arrows and an explosion of psychic energy destroyed the meteors.
Aris raised the Fierce Deity Sword and fired discs of crackling lightning at Jafar.
"That did it!" Ren cheered.
"I'll go for the lamp!" said Raphtalia, rushing after Aris.
"Me too!" said Motoyasu. "Chaos Spear!"
He sent a volley of projectiles at Jafar.
Jafar rose from the crackling lightning, muttering an incantation.
A dark barrier appeared and reflected Motoyasu's projectiles. The Spear Hero barely defended himself. Aris had to fall back with Filo in tow.
End BGM
Motoyasu got to his feet. "That's one of my spear's best skills, and he just reversed it like it was nothing!"
Jafar growled. "Fine, then. I will toy with you no longer. It is time I truly harness the strength of my palace!"
He fired a bolt of darkness into the center of the ceiling.
BGM: Burn in Despair! - Undertale
The walls of the dark palace came to life. Beams of dark energy sprayed from the walls, peppering the heroes.
Jafar's laugh echoed through the chamber.
"Wh-What is this!?" Filo cried.
"Some kind of illusion!" Itsuki exclaimed. "That's gotta be how he's attacking us from all angles!"
"It is too late for you to emerge victorious," Jafar sneered. "All that is left now is despair. Such strength...only to be crushed under the weight of your own crumbling minds."
"Everyone, keep your-gah!" Aris's words were interrupted when an arrow struck his left hip from behind.
"Aris!" Raphtalia cried, only for an arrow to wound her shoulder. "Ngh!"
Aris ran over, yanking the arrow from his body and treating Raphtalia's wound.
He looked over his shoulder at Jafar.
"When I am finished annihilating you," crooned the genie, "nothing will remain - not even the smallest speck of ash."
End BGM
From outside, a voice echoed. "Gigafrost!"
A massive prison of ice suddenly engulfed Jafar's lower half. "What!?" the genie yelled.
"Hurry!" exclaimed the voice - that of a woman. "Now's your chance! Finish him off!"
Aris found himself consumed by the Fierce Deity once more. "F̶̭̺͌́O̷̼̭̿͝O̵͚͋L̸̜͓̅̒I̷̡͐̓S̶̫̪͗H̵̩̺̿͘ ̸̢̈M̴̪̙̒O̴͍͇̓̆R̵͂ͅṬ̸̺̍́A̶̱̓͠L̵̜̅,̴̛̺͎͝" he seethed, "I̸͉̎́ ̸̩̬̎Ș̶͂E̸͖̥̿N̵̞̈͂T̸͔̈̄É̵̯N̶̞̍͝ͅC̸̛͔È̴̞ ̸̻̣͗T̶̙̈H̵̟͛̆Ḙ̴͚͗̏E̴̡̬̅̕ ̴̭̀̄T̴͎̼̈͛Ŏ̶̱̳ ̴̘̈́̈Ç̸͔̔̓A̴̰̦̍̈́Ș̶̤̈́Ţ̴͎̉͆ ̴͔͊͝T̸͍͐H̴̞̀Ẏ̴̭ ̷̺͂̆S̸̗͋Ć̷͙͗R̷̺̣̐E̵̞̗͛̀Å̸̗M̷͍͠S̴͔̤̆̀ ̸̏̊͜U̷͈͒͘͜P̷̪̉O̷̠̣̍͌N̴̲̻̈́ ̶̡̂͜T̸̢͖̀̓H̷̹́E̶̗͖͛͐ ̵͎̱͒̎H̶̤̪̔̓E̸̹̒̅A̵͔̝̿V̶̛͜E̵̥͗N̴̰͓͂S̶̬̍͘͜ ̶̟̘́Y̴̱͐̚Ö̴͇̝́̈́U̷̗͌ ̶̹̏D̶̜́̍A̸̩̾R̴̩̾E̶̘̭͛̍ ̸̪̓̋A̷̞͉̿̿Ţ̴̈T̵̳̃̀Ȅ̵͎M̵̱̑̾P̴̲͇̄T̵̝̚ ̶͎̒͠T̷̡̘̕Ó̶̟̙ ̴̢̚Ĉ̸̦̤O̵̞̓̔N̵̯̔Q̸̝̓U̸̘͝͝Ë̸͎̗́R̷͍̬͒͐.̴̬̳̂̾ Ț̵̉Ḧ̷̤̣̾E̶͍̬͊͂ ̷̫̹̿P̵̘̞̈́̾O̴̙̲͆Ẇ̴͉E̸͙̺̊R̶̖͐̍ ̸̺͒̂ͅO̵͓̒̎F̷͓͙̍̽ ̸͕̠̈́T̸̼̝̄Ḫ̶̇̎Ȩ̶̨̀ ̸̮̄̍G̶͍̯̀̆O̶͇͐̌D̵͈̹̚ ̴̱̈N̶̯͂A̶̠̔M̵͈̕Ê̶̯̈D̸͇͆͆ ̷̪̏Ò̴̱͚͘N̷͉͍̆͊Ì̷͎̈́ ̸̝̏S̷̯̈́̈́Ḥ̶̎͒A̵͍̞͋L̶̩̩͊L̶͎̈́͝ ̶̰̹̀͒O̷̺͘B̸̡̰̆L̵̦̀I̸͔̾T̵͙́͋͜E̵̬̽ͅȒ̸̩Ą̷͑Ț̵̳̈́̚E̷̢̡̎͝ ̵̹̉̕͜T̵̟̈́́H̴̟̏̾E̷͔̿͗Ĕ̷̗̘̈́,̶̹͘ ̸̖̠͗́Á̶͎́N̷̯̲̉D̵̳̏̑ ̶̦̫̐͋M̷̝̔À̵̳͜K̸̖̅̌E̴̡̋̔ ̶̥̇T̵̙͌͜͝H̴̻͛Ō̶͈̫̈́Ȕ̷͉̲ ̸̞͋̽S̶͍͌Ě̶̲̩̑Ȑ̸̥̯V̴͈̭̋̓Ē̸̙̬T̴̝̄̚H̶̭̖͒̿ ̷̬͆̽͜A̶̳̹̾͋S̴̢̅͆͜ ̸̮̞̾̈́A̷͇̤͊Ṋ̴̓͝ ̴̙̈Ǒ̴͙ͅF̴̢̫̒F̵̻͠Ë̶̛͉R̴̘̝̀I̶͓͊͌N̵̜̗̕G̷̬̏ ̸͔́̎T̵͕͍̑̊O̶̡͙̅ ̸̛̣T̶̲̈H̵̱̔Ḛ̸̡͑ ̸̤͛͝ͅG̴̟̈̓O̶̩͈͂͛D̸̩̦̾Ś̴̛̝͔,̴̞̀͂ ̸͔̈́T̸̙͍̔H̶̺͔̋A̵͔̦̿͘T̶̲͎͊ ̴̛̠̹T̸̩͙͂H̷̱̏̈́É̶̫̝Ÿ̵͙́͛ ̷̛̚͜M̵͇͎̒I̶̤̜̓̽G̸͉̍̇H̸̠͛͠T̷̡̍͂ ̸̘̉͛È̸̆ͅN̶̙̖͋̎J̶̤̓̕Ȏ̸͎͙Ŷ̶̤̰͋ ̸̰͝T̸͇́H̸͍̾Ë̶̟ ̸̟̓͊S̵̫̋Ơ̴͔̋Ŭ̵̧̝N̴͙͠Ḋ̵͙̚S̶̲͂͜ ̶͙̙̈́Ồ̴͍F̴̳̓ ̵̤͈̓̏T̷̯̈́H̷̱͇͆Ẏ̸̨̍ ̵͔͍͌Ș̴̰͐̄C̷̺̥͛R̷̮͎̾E̶͚͌́Ă̵̦̟͌M̷͚̆S̸̮͑!̵̬͋͠"̴̙̈́͠
Aris began to hover into the air, lifting his hands as a giant orb began to take shape above him. "M̴̫̩̂͘Õ̶͚̻Ö̷͈́Ņ̶̭̽͊ ̸͕͆O̸̙̬̍́Ḟ̵̥͙̆ ̷̪͊̕M̸̳͑À̵͈̇J̵̦̼̌O̷̢̭͑Ṛ̴͑̚Â̸̤͊͜!̷̪̮͑!̵͚̌!̵̝͑"
The orb above him finished taking shape, forming a small moon with a horrifying, grimacing face. The moon was hurled toward Jafar and crashed into him with a great explosion - one that also greatly harmed Aris.
"Now, get the lamp!" Motoyasu cried.
Itsuki rushed forward with help from Filo and grabbed Jafar's lamp, holding it up. "Remember this, Jafar!" he declared. "You're a genie! Which means two things! Phenomenal cosmic powers..."
Jafar's body began to funnel into the lamp as he screamed in both fury and agony.
Before long, all that remained was the lamp itself.
"...and a tiny little living space," Itsuki finished.
"So...did we win?" said Ren.
All around them, Jafar's ethereal dark palace began to disappear.
With Jafar's sealing, the remaining bishops, priests, and nuns snapped out of their hypnosis. "My god..." sobbed the head bishop. "What have we done...?"
A horse's whinny echoed through the area. The queen's soldiers had arrived. The queen herself sat on her armored steed atop one half of the border wall, holding her Keyblade. "This battle is finally over," she proclaimed. "Followers of the lost Three Heroes Church! Accept your defeat and surrender at once!"
"Guess she finally got here." Itsuki slid back into the bottom of the crater, Jafar's lamp in hand.
A voice suddenly wailed, "Aris!"
The Cardinal Heroes looked over.
Aris's badly wounded body was surrounded by his friends, who all looked terrified for his life.
"Come on, don't die on me now!" Raphtalia cried.
"He's badly burned..." Sora cried. "Even Curaga couldn't heal all that..."
"Did...Did he really just..." Ness had tears in his eyes.
"Papa..." Filo said through tears.
Raphtalia clung to his burned body, sobbing into his cloak.
"The Swordsman Shield Hero will live," declared a voice, "I assure you."
Queen Mirellia stepped toward them, her weapon at her side.
Sora gasped. "A...Keyblade...?"
The queen drew closer, kneeling down to Aris's level. "I'm terribly sorry I failed to arrive sooner, Sir Aris Atreides.
Aris struggled to open his eyes. "Are...you..."
"I am Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc, Swordsman Shield Hero," said the regal woman. "Sovereign ruler of Melromarc...and Keyblade Master."