(A/n: Trigger Warning: this chapter contains suicidal thoughts in the later half)

Chapter 26: Dire Straits

Stan and Chris

Stan is making his way to the backyard after pointless attempts at knocking on the front door. Not only could he not hear anything from inside the bungalow, but it seemed Kenny couldn't hear outside of it either.

Before heading to the back, Stan pondered what Kenny was about to tell him before he fell silent.

Try...

Try...

Trrryyy...-

A light bulb shines over Stan's head. Kenny was going to tell him to try and throw a projectile at the door...or something along those lines. Stan was about to do just that, but quickly opted not to. He didn't want to hit Kenny by accident. So, he checked the window. Peering through the cracked and frosted glass, he was able to make out Kenny's figure as well as a child's, but that child's body got engulfed in a black mist. Stan banged on the glass to get Kenny's attention—to remind him to flee instead of engage the enemy—however his view of the inside got obscured in darkness.

"The Being Of Darkness Casted A Nullification Barrier Over The House," Chris said. "Surely, You Know What It Does From Its Name Alone."

Stan glared at the window. "Yeah, I have an idea as to what it does." Chris was just too lazy to explain in full detail. A Nullification Barrier was slightly different from a normal barrier, it's an advanced spell that also negated any attacks from both inside and outside, however the object that it's protecting could not be harmed. The barrier's durability depended on the caster's magical strength. Therefore, Stan's strength alone most likely could not damage the bungalow. "So Kenny won't be able to teleport out, fucking great."

"It Wouldn't Have Been Possible The Second He Entered The House."

Stan wasn't going to leave Kenny here by himself, thus he went to the back of the house to find an entrance or create one if need be.

"Best Watch Your Step."

"Oh, so now you're worried about me?" Stan already knows to be mindful of all the junk on the ground anyway.

"There's More Than One Enemy There, So I Would Naturally Be Worried About You."

Stan stops, his eyes widening slightly. "What?"

The once well-concealed entity decides to make its presence known. Majority of the darkness in the snow floats into the air in front of Stan, bundling together to create a big solid sphere. He sees small bubbles rapidly forming in the middle of it, gurgling like water.

Thinking something is about to emerge out of it, Stan wordlessly summons his weapon in one hand—a sheathed katana. Its saya is a dark blue color, the tsuba of the katana is round and gold, and the handle is blue and black.

Slowly, the big spherule creature begins to split apart where the bubbles are at, revealing a large mouth full of sharp pearly whites.

"Wha-what the hell is that?! Is it a Being of Darkness?" The circular blob chuckles at Stan's scared mien, which then alters into a scowl.

"Finally," it says in a guttural voice, its smile broadening expectantly. "Finally, finally, finally."

Stan gets into a stance—his posture hunching slightly as he bends his left leg and slides his foot back, bending his right leg in the process. He holds his saya close to his hip with one hand on the handle of his katana in preparation to draw it out.

The entity's smile drops. "I'd rather you don't put up a fight."

"Why? Afraid you'll lose?" Stan taunts. He pulls his katana out a little, its sliver blade glinting without any light.

The solid blob chuckles again, its smile returning and spreading wide. "No, it's because I'm veeery hungry, and I don't want to work up even more of an appetite." It opens its mouth, and a black forked tongue darts out at Stan. He dodges to the side, shutting his eyes when the force of the tongue strikes the ground, and the impact sprays bits of snow and other debris on his face. The tongue comes for him again. Sensing its fast approach, he gets back into his previous stance while gripping his saya tightly, and with a quick flick of his other arm, a small part of the tongue is sliced off. Stan sheaths his katana.

The spherical creature bellows in anger, and its severed tongue retreats into its mouth. "You bastard, you'll pay for that!" It opens its mouth again, and a red bead of light shines in the center. It flies out towards Stan like a bullet, but gets effortlessly deflected by another fast swing of his blade, flying past the monster and obliterating some rusty car parts.

"How weak." Stan opens his eyes halfway. "Let me show you a real attack."

The blob grits its teeth. "Such arrogance."

Stan concentrates on his magical energy, not letting the monster's next projectile attack deter his focus. Gripping the handle of his katana firmly, his body emits a hazy red aura with blue sparks of static. The instant his enemy fires at him again, he whizzes from its sight, completely avoiding the magic missile.

"What?!" The blob searches frantically around the vicinity, but is unable to find the human anywhere. "Where the hell did he go?!"

"Dark Arts of Nature..."

The monster goes rigid. "That voice...He's...!" It turns upwards and gasps.

Stan is hovering right above it, his aura gone and his sword out of its sheath, which he's holding in his other hand. The blade is suddenly blue and there's air visibly swirling around it. The pupils in his sapphire eyes are red.

"Descending Wind."

He drops down, cleaving a blue line in the middle of the blob. He stands up and takes a few steps back, his katana's blade reverting to silver. He smoothly slips his katana back into its saya, then a vertical burst of air splits the monster in twain, but no blood gushes out and it stays afloat.

"Impressive. Your Swordsmanship Has Improved," Chris says.

Stan can't help but smile at his Inner Guardian's sincere compliment. "Thanks." He started practicing using a sword after he learned Self-Invigoration. His mother first informed him of the Dark Arts, which was a technique the Queen of Darkness created, then she taught him how to wield a curtana and a few techniques of the Dark Arts that she knew. Afterwards, he learned more about the sword from Chris—who was an experienced katana wielder—and took a liking to the Japanese sword more. He felt more badass using it, and it was much lighter to brandish unlike the sword his mother always used. Once he got the hang of wielding the katana, he developed his own Dark Arts spells from then on, like they came naturally to him.

"But Unfortunately, Your Battle Is Far From Being Over."

Stan narrows his eyes as he watches the separated halves begin to effervesce and expand, as if they are... His eyes widen. The bubbles on each half are regenerating, quickly producing a new body. Now, there are two blobs.

The grinning monsters share a short, giddy laugh. "Surprise, surprise! Now there are two of us," one of them says.

Stan refuses to show any nervousness. He glares at them. "Great, which means you're gonna be twice as annoying to deal with." His witty remark makes the blobs laugh. They have identical voices, so it's going to be very difficult to identify the real one, and he doesn't want to risk making a third blob appear. "What the hell should I do?" Although he asked himself that question, he's really hoping Chris can offer him an answer. He's forced out of his pondering when he has to evade the assault of two tongues. A sharp piece of metal scrapes his cheek, making him wince. A small string of blood slowly oozes down his skin. He wipes it off on his sleeve as he plants his feet on the ground, only to dodge the tongues again. But they don't relent even for a second after that. Stan grits his teeth. "Damn it, they're not giving me any chances to attack."

"Stop jumping around and let us eat you!" A blob growls impatiently. It tries to ensnare Stan with its tongue, but he leaps away.

"Oh, I just realized that we'll have to share our meal once we capture him," the other blob says.

"Damn, you're right. Well, I'm starving, so I'll take his top half."

"What?! No fair, I'm just as hungry!"

"Too bad. I claimed that portion first."

"Not if I...-"

Stan can't believe these creatures are casually arguing with each other whilst continuously attacking him. It pisses him off knowing that they're not taking him seriously, that they think their victory is assured. He'll make them regret being overconfident. After dodging both tongues that were aiming to wrap themselves around his ankles, he swiftly gets behind the blobs and unsheathes his katana, preparing to cut both of them in a single horizontal slash.

"We don't think so!"

A long, dark limb shoots out of the blobs, catching Stan completely off guard. They each seize his wrists and lift him up several meters off the ground. Laughing triumphantly, the blobs turn around. "Finally caughtcha," they say.

Stan grits his teeth, sweat rolling down the side of his face. "Cheating bastards." He tries his damnedest not to cry out when a tongue stabs him in the shoulder, causing his grip to weaken on his saya. The tongue goes back into the blob's mouth. Droplets of blood paint the mostly white and black snow. His pupils return to their original black color. He doesn't react to the searing pain, he won't give these things the satisfaction of seeing his face writhing in agony.

"His blood is pretty tasty," the blob on the right says excitedly.

"How dare you get a taste before me." Another tongue pierces Stan in his other shoulder, his hold on his katana loosening. More blood droplets color the snow. He refrains showing that he is in immense pain. "But you're right though. Now that we've sampled him, it's time to feast." Both blobs bring Stan closer to them. "Don't forget, his upper half is mine."

"Yeah, yeah."

Stan is now fearful of how the situation is progressing. "C-Chris, help me out!"

"...Stanley, I'm Afraid You're Going To Have To Find A Way Out Of This Yourself, Or Wait For Kenneth To Defeat The Being Of Darkness. Those Creatures Cannot Be Killed Unless It's Taken Care Of First."

The saya and katana drop helplessly to the ground. "...Are you fucking serious...? You're gonna leave me to die here too...?" Stan succumbs to despair before Chris can reply. He doubts Chris is even going to answer him. Was this something Stan should've anticipated? "Yes," he thinks subconsciously. Chris didn't bother to help him earlier when he ventured into the crow monsters' nest after all, didn't warn him either. Whatever predicament he lands himself in, he's expected to get out of it on his own. That's what Chris told him once before.

"Oh, would you look at that? He's given up!"

"Good. It's about time he's accepted his fate."

The blob on the right releases Stan's wrist while the one on the left opens its salivating mouth. Another limb stretches out of the blob that's about to eat Stan, and wraps around his waist, letting go of his wrist in the process.

"You Needn't Look Hopeless. I Won't Let You Die, Stanley."

Stan feels his consciousness slipping away. He knows what Chris is about to do even though he didn't ask for permission. But he lacks the mental strength to deny him. "You're...an asshole..." Stan's eyes close and his head slumps forward.

When his upper half is inside of the blob's mouth, his eyes snap open. There is a bright red light and the blob screams. It flings the teen back. He lands on his feet, his head still angled down.

"Hot, hot, hooot!" The blob screams. The interior of its mouth resembles boiling tar.

Its counterpart frowns angrily at the black-haired human. "So it seems you still have some fight left in you." The noirette raises his head, putting the blob's senses on high alert. His eyes are a teal color. "There's something off-putting about his magical energy all of a sudden."

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Furiously exclaims the other blob. Streams of inky liquid are leaking in between its fangs. It charges at the motionless human as it opens its mouth as wide as it possibly can.

"Wait, you fool!" Its other half shouts.

Chris smirks. As soon as the blob is close enough, it explodes.

Kenny

The wispy aura enveloping the Being of Darkness bursts. Kenny's glare merely hardens as his hair and shirt sway in the short-term gust. This Being of Darkness is wearing a sleeveless hooded cardigan, which is different compared to what Kenny has seen them normally wear.

"Alright, let's not waste time with any chitchat." Another difference is its accent. None of the Beings of Darkness' Kenny fought had a Southern accent like this one does. He watches the B-O-D raise its hands out in front of it, and produce two grey lights from its palms. The lights dim as they take the shape of full-sized pistols in the Being's hands. Even though Kenny can't see them clearly due to the lack of lighting, he knows for sure that the guns are black, and their appearances are anything but normal.

"Yuna," Kenny says in his mind.

His Inner Guardian comprehends what to do. "On It."

A white glow emerges around his left hand and a black glow on his right. They fade away, showing his hands encased in leather gloves with small spikes embellishing the cuffs. However, despite the white radiance that once surrounded his left hand, there is a black glove covering it, and his right hand has a white glove instead.

"Heh, bringin' fists ta a gunfight, huh?" The Dark Being points one of its pistols at the teen. "You were betta off makin' a sword, ta betta yer chances, at least."

Kenny nearly scoffs. He shakes his head. "Nah, usin' swords ain't really my thing."

At the slightest movement, a loud gunshot shatters the momentary silence. Kenny dodges the bullet that was aimed at his head, and swiftly moves behind the Being of Darkness. He attempts to punch the back of its head, but it spins around to block his fist with its pistols. The force of his strike sends the Being skidding backwards, the couch stopping it from going any further. Kenny closes in on it once more, ready to deliver more punches. The B-O-D fires a quick shot at Kenny's head, who ducks it, and retaliates with a jab to its stomach. It connects, hard. The Being coughs up a bit of purple blood. "Y-you sonuva-" Kenny follows up with a punch to its face, however his fist doesn't hit anything. In that instant, he remembers these things lacking physical faces.

He gets kicked in the gut.

He falls onto his back with a grunt, quickly rolling over when the Being of Darkness starts shooting at him. He rolls underneath the dining table. A bullet pelts one of its weak front legs, and the table threatens to topple over. Kenny rolls behind the table and gets up on one knee, he breaks off one of its hind legs by chopping it. He stands up hurling it at the Being of Darkness. The table collapses, staggering awkwardly to the floor. A bullet splits the wooden limb in two, but what comes next shocks the Dark Being. A big, bright, colorless orb was also thrown. Having no time to evade it, the B-O-D has no choice but to challenge it with its own projectile. It crosses its arms, pointing one pistol at the Orb of Light and the other at Kenny, who snuck into its blind spot. Both guns go off simultaneously.

Kenny's magical orb is thwarted while the teen himself narrowly evades a bullet going through his skull, unflinching at the stinging pain erupting on his forehead. He's experienced worse injuries than a meager graze. He grabs the Being of Darkness' wrist, yanks it down the instant the trigger is pulled, and uses his other arm to jam his elbow down on its arm, breaking it. The scream that follows sounds infuriated rather than pained. Kenny's goal is to keep the distance between them short, giving his opponent no openings to fire away again like it did two minutes ago. He'll win for sure if he continues with this strategy. However, he notices that the Being of Darkness hasn't let go of its gun.

"Alright...now yer startin' ta piss me off." The Being's body begins to secrete a red mist.

Kenny doesn't budge, the heat the aura is giving off feels surprisingly nice. He didn't expect the Being of Darkness to become a sore loser so quickly. That's definitely a good thing. He decides to anger it some more with provocative words. "I would be getting mad too if I was this weak."

The B-O-D growls similar to an enraged beast. "Shut the fuck up!" Its aura becomes so intense that the heat starts singeing through Kenny's glove and melts the sofa. Letting go of the Being of Darkness' wrist, Kenny moves away, although reluctantly. He inspects his glove, glad that it's not burnt. He shakes his hand to cool it off. "Aah'll admit Aah fucked up takin' you lightly, but now Aah'm about ta make you feel the same regret fer stirrin' up a hornet's nest."

Kenny isn't intimidated by its threat. "You also fucked up when you impersonated my little sister," he retorts.

The Being faces him with a grin. "It would've worked longa had Aah made the disguise look olda, but oh well. You wouldn't have gotten this upset if Aah had appeared as yer mom or Kevin."

"I would've been just as pissed, you jackass," Kenny snaps. "But I honestly wouldn't have cared much if you had disguised yourself as my dad." The man was nothing but a liar and a drunk.

His last statement makes the Being of Darkness chuckle. "Well lemme tell ya a little secret then." It raises the arm Kenny broke at the teen, aiming the barrel of its pistol at his forehead once again. Seems its aura healed it. "Aah am yer dad."

A bullet soars through the cool air towards Kenny's stunned form. Fortunately for him, Yuna comes to his rescue, protecting him with a transparent shield. He doesn't even flinch when it cracks.

The Being of Darkness frowns at the intervention as it lowers its arm. "Tch, Aah fergot you have an Inner Guardian."

"Kenneth, You Must Snap Out Of It."

Kenny tenses, coming back to his senses. Oh, he's mad now. Not only did the Being of Darkness fool him by pretending to be Karen, but it just tried to deceive him again with a boldfaced lie. He's disappointed at himself for his temporary state of carelessness.

"Looks like you don't believe me." The B-O-D smiles. "Aah don't mind providin' you proof. After all, Aah wanna see you suffer not just physically, but mentally as well."

"That's too bad cuz I know you're not my dad," Kenny says. He moves around the shield and rushes for the Being of Darkness. He doesn't have the time nor patience to entertain this nonsense. Stan is out there waiting for him, and they need to hurry back home.

"Oh, but Aah am."

Kenny goes taut. Just now, he heard his father's voice. It may have been more than a decade ago when he saw him last, but the pitch and tone of Stuart McCormick's voice has been engraved into his mind ever since he was able to fully cognize the voices around him. But should he believe that this monster is really his father based on its voice alone? He has his doubts since it flawlessly mimicked every detail of his little sister. Perhaps it's also good at imitating voices as well. Even if that is likely the case, hearing his father's voice evokes unforgettable memories in his mind. He will never forget the way his father would always curse and holler at him, Karen, Kevin, and their mother almost every day, didn't matter if he was sober or drunk. He would also argue with their mother, too stubborn to admit his wrongs, and would be out of the house every single day, giving off the false impression that he was working. Just remembering how much of an insufferable prick of a father he was in the past reignites Kenny's ire. The man rarely ever acted like a caring parent, and whenever he did, Karen would receive most of his affection. Not that it made Kenny jealous or anything, Karen deserved nothing but love for always being a sweet little angel in spite of the hardships they faced. But it is rather surprising that their father got transformed into a Being of Darkness. This is a new discovery Kenny will have to apprise the others on once he and Stan return home.

"...So what if you are?" Kenny firmly clenches his left fist, compressing the flexible material his glove is comprised of. "Did you think I would change my mind about killing you?"

"Aah was at least hopin' you'd feel a deep sadness somewhere in yer heart that would've left you immobilized. That way," the Being of Darkness points its gun at Kenny once more, the scarlet luminance of the aura highlighting its underworldish features. "Aah would've granted you a quick an' painless death."

Kenny's eyes burn with a strong emotion. A white aura illuminates around his tightly clenched fist. "Glad we're both dead-set on killing each other, dad."

The Being of Darkness' smile broadens menacingly. "You know the sayin'—like father, like son."

A single gunfire commences the second round of their battle. Kenny cranes his neck to the side to avoid the bullet, losing a few strands of hair, then thrusts his fist right for the B-O-D's abdomen. His aura makes contact with the sweltering heat of the red aura, his fist slowly but surely going through it as if it is trying to force its way through an impregnable airstream. The very high temperature doesn't faze Kenny or his aura in the slightest for they are being fueled by the hatred he has towards his father and his desire to put an end to this fight.

"Whoa-ho there!" The Being of Darkness morphs into a shadow and slinks away. Taken aback and unable to stop himself, Kenny stumbles forward, crashing into what's left of the couch. He blenches with a hiss. Fuck, that was extremely hot! He feels a draft against his stomach. Looking down, he sees a hole seared into his shirt. With an annoyed huff, he turns around seeing the Being of Darkness standing in front of the hallway. "How 'bout we make this more interestin' with a game of tag?" It purposes.

"I'll pass," is Kenny's immediate and monotonous response. They never played that even when he was a child. No amount of begging swayed his father, instead it only aggravated him.

"You ain't got no otha choice, boy, unless you want yer friend ta be mincemeat."

The threat makes Kenny's heart race. He glowers at the Being. "What the hell do you mean by that?" And why did Yuna never tell him that Stan was in danger?

"Gave 'em a pet ta play with ta keep 'em company. Aah wonda if he's havin' fun with it."

Kenny now realizes that he can't hear anything going on outside, not only that, but the house isn't riddled with any bullet holes.

Strange...

Other than that, Kenny deems that the outward silence isn't something to worry about. Stan isn't one to get bested by just one creature, especially considering he dealt with a bunch of crow monsters all by himself earlier. "I think Stan already took care of your 'pet'."

The Being shakes its head. "Hate ta break it ta ya, but that's highly unlikely. The only reason you cain't hear shit out there is because Aah put our little home in a Nullification Barrier."

Kenny knits his eyebrows together, confused and a little concerned. "So That's What It Was..." Aware of her host's confusion, Yuna begins to explain. "It's an Advanced Spell That Blocks Out Inward And Outward Attacks. No Matter How Strong The Attacks Are, If The Caster Is Just As Powerful, Then The Object They Chose To Protect Cannot Be Even Slightly Damaged." Makes Kenny wonder how the Being of Darkness wasn't able to impair the bungalow under its own incantation, just the furniture, which is even more perplexing. "I Believe This Spell Has Been Seemingly Interfering With Our Inner Aura Detection As Well, And It's Likely Shrouding My View On Stan's Current Position."

Kenny purses his lips, his concern for Stan's safety intensifying. "Thanks for the info, Yuna." To think a former, human drunkard could execute such a high-level spell, it's rather abstruse considering it was done by Stuart McCormick—a no-good, selfish, lying bastard. Kenny shakes his head, a pained and angry frown on his face. He needs to kill this thing before he recalls any more unpleasant memories. He clenches both of his fists. "Fuck you and your game of tag." He charges at the Being of Darkness.

"Fine, we can play anotha game." Its aura quickly fades away as its body dissipates into smoke, then it disappears.

Kenny stops and looks around for the Being, but doesn't see or sense it anywhere. His remaining patience is nearly at zero. "I don't have time for this shit." "Show yourself, fucker!"

Yuna protects him from an unsuspecting bullet in a colorless barrier. The crack indicates that the Being of Darkness is behind him, but the moment he turns around, another bullet hits the barrier from a different direction.

The B-O-D cackles. "Ya gotta find me first!" Two more shots are fired at the barrier. "Whatcha gonna do? That barrier ain't gonna last fereva."

Kenny keeps his composer. "Yuna, can you sense where it is?"

"No, That's Why I've Put You In A Barrier."

Kenny knows that the Being of Darkness is moving around, the only issue is locating it. The tricky bastard.

More bullets rain down on the barrier in every possible direction.

"Ngh. K-Kenneth, My Barrier Won't Be Able To Last Much Longer."

Kenny tenses. "I know, but I don't know what to do." He feels like a mouse caught in a trap all over again. He managed to free himself from the first trap because he already knew it was one, although he wasn't fully prepared to face the hunter that was in hiding until it revealed itself, but now the hunter has captured its prey in an even bigger trap, figuratively speaking. This time, it's a cage—it's a cage so small that no matter where Kenny goes, the Being of Darkness will find him in an instant. He cannot escape.

The sound of the barrier shattering startles Kenny.

"Kenneth, Behind You!"

One second.

It only takes one second for Kenny to feel immense pain blossom throughout his entire body, first originating in his chest. He doesn't scream or cry out, his body has long since been accustomed to experiencing pain of this magnitude. A line of blood runs down to his chin from his slightly agape mouth. His vision dims, his hazel eyes darkening to a brown color. He falls forward as his eyes slide closed.

"S...shit..."

Leopold

Airy particles sting his nostrils with each inhale. He coughs more than once, then groans, his body aching. The surface he is lying on is hard and cold. Squeezing his eyes, he opens them slowly. He coughs twice.

Mustering up some strength in his arms, Leopold pushes himself up. The first out of his five senses to function as intended is his hearing, his ears pricking up at a stomach-churning noise. He stills, now on his knees, the rest of his senses alerted into working properly, despite still being disoriented. He looks for the source creating that disgusting racket since he already knows where he is, or was rather crudely thrown into, and spots it instantly.

Across from him is a monster with a humanoid figure. Is it a Being of Darkness? Something tells him that it's not, but he has never seen one before, so he isn't sure if he should trust the feeling or disregard it. He can just barely see the creature since it's practically the same color as the clouds covering the whole sky. The entity is faced away and squatted down, but based on its size despite its bony frame, Leopold gets the notion that it is pretty tall. A large crater is separating them. The rancid stench that's souring the air tells Leopold that the monster is currently eating something. But that's not the only thing generating such a revolting smell. There are bones littered nearly everywhere, not just from animals, but from humans too. Most of the bones were licked clean while some others have bits of flesh stuck on them, rotting away.

This attic has been turned into the monster's den.

Leopold stands up, grimacing in pain as he slings an arm around his waist. His lungs are still recovering from the pressure of the tentacle, it's a little taxing to breathe but he tries to keep his breathing faint. He thinks about what he should do. The monster hasn't noticed him yet (surprisingly), so perhaps he should take this opportunity to attack it? He will have to kill it in one blow though. The possibility of failing makes him greatly anxious. But he can't stand or stay here, he needs to get back to Tweek. He weighs his options, and decides to risk killing the...Being of Darkness? Perhaps its death will have a positive outcome on Tweek's parents.

Leopold closes his eyes. "Relax...Concentrate," he wills himself. His fast heartbeat starts slowing down, only to speed up again when he hears commotion outside. Seems Tweek's battle against his parents has begun. He needs to hurry.

Opening his eyes while taking his arm off from around his waist, Leopold channels some magic into both of his hands. The entire area lights up in a blue glow. The monster proceeds to guzzle up its meal without a care. He extends his hands towards the oblivious thing, pressing his fingers together, the tips of his thumbs touching each other. He doesn't voice an incantation spell as a wide blue beam launches from his hands.

The monster's head jerks upwards like it has just detected a threatening presence. The beam blasts through its torso, creating a hole in the wall.

But the unexpected happens.

Leopold sees the gaping injury close itself, then two big green eyes lock onto him. What an unsettling stare, but Leopold can't look away. It's like he's paralyzed. The monster stands up turning its body around without moving its head. It is indeed tall, just as Leopold suspected.

"More...food?"

It spoke slowly in a low and throaty voice.

Even though it is cold, Leopold can feel a bead of sweat forming near his hairline, his heart feeling as though it's about to beat out of his chest. He is beyond nervous and afraid, but if he doesn't want to be this monster's next meal, then he's going to have to fend it off. He braces himself to fight for his life.

Tweek

Tweek never thought a day would come where his first fight back on earth would be against...his parents. The hatred they've been harboring towards him didn't just change their physical appearances, but their feelings as well. They no longer see him as their precious son. He accepts their ill will wholeheartedly. He is to blame for their deaths, after all. He believes the only way to atone for his sin is by sending their souls to the afterlife. So they can rest peacefully.

Tweek dodges a tentacle that was trying to stab him in the abdomen, getting a cut on his hip. The pain he feels is well-deserved, but he doesn't express any discomfort. Another black appendage comes for him. He dodges it completely and shoots a green orb into the house, hoping to deal lethal damage to one or both of his parents' bodies. When the orb goes in, it disappears into the darkness, taking Tweek aback.

One of his parents' dark red eyes narrow. "Nice attempt," his mother says, mocking him. "But don't bother trying again. You won't hit us."

Tweek goes back to evading the tentacles one after the other. What his mother said has to be a lie, unless she implied that they would simply dodge his every attack. If so, then he'll need to unleash a barrage of Orbs of Darkness' to limit their mobility. However, he can't find any safe openings. The longer he keeps dodging, the faster his stamina drops. His injury is throbbing, and he's perspiring in the brumal weather, small sweat droplets flinging into the air with every evasive action.

"They're gonna tire me out at this rate."

After leaping away from an oncoming tentacle, Tweek conjures up a barrier to block the other one. It fractures a little bit from the forceful strike. Tweek takes this chance to catch his breath and examine his wound. It's not deep, but constantly moving about made it seem as if it is due to the amount of blood he's lost. He hovers a palm over the cut, about to heal himself when his barrier suddenly breaks into shards.

"You're not allowed a moment to rest!" Says Mrs. Tweak.

Tweek doesn't panic, until a tentacle wraps around his waist when he tries to jump back. "Shit, the other one was a decoy!" He didn't expect this kind of strategy. The tentacles have been attacking him sequentially, not once going after him at the same time. He feels foolish for dropping his guard, Raven would be ashamed of him. She's repeatedly warned him and Leopold to never let their guards down for even a second whenever they trained with her, otherwise their defeat would be eminent.

Tweek is not frightened by the thought of losing his life right now, on the contrary, death never scared him after his parents were killed. At one point, he yearned to join them in Heaven. They were benevolent people, so he believed for a fact that they were up there watching over him even though he was in a realm that wasn't a part of earth. Raven was naturally observant of his self-harming behavior, noticing how he would intentionally leave the barrier to expose himself to the realm's Dark energy or when after he gained a Magical Core, he would overexert himself during training—physically hurting himself with spells. She warded off those maleficent tendencies with nonstop benign words and heartfelt embraces. It's thanks to her that he no longer yields to such thoughts and stopped doing those harmful things to himself, and he will forever be grateful towards her. Seeing his parents as they are now makes him glad to still be alive, because he wouldn't have reunited with them had he died one day in the past. He's also very thankful to have Leopold, the boy has always been by his side, being nothing but a positive ray of sunshine. So, although Tweek is unafraid of death, he must not ever die. He will continue to live for Leopold's and Raven's sake.

He feels the tentacle gripping him tightly, but he appears inexpressively calm. "I hope you're hanging in there, Leo. I'll try to end this soon, so we can go back to Raven...and your Inner Guardian."

Ignoring the bitter feeling, he closes his eyes, focusing on the mystical energy within his Magical Core. He needs to get out of this tentacle's vice-like grasp, so he thinks of a spell that doesn't require him to use his hands (since he's unable to) to help free him.

"What the hell is he doing?" Mrs. Tweak asks.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't let him do whatever it is he's about to do," Mr. Tweak says.

"Let's squeeze all of his organs out," Mrs. Tweak says, she and her husband snickering evilly at the idea.

The black appendage starts crushing Tweek. He grits his teeth, silently enduring the heavy pressure against his body until he finally comes up with a spell, or rather an ability. An ability that he didn't even need to think about because he's used it a few times after learning it: Teleportation Dash. Visualizing where he wants to teleport to, he disappears in three streaks of green light out of the tentacle's confined hold and ends up in front of the door.

"What?!" His parents' eyes widen at the abrupt transition.

Directing some magic into his hands, Tweek sticks them out as they emanate green auras. He smiles through his exhaustion, it's small but strongly conveys his remorse, grief, and discernible content. "I hope you both will forgive me after this."

"W-wait! Please don't do this," his mother begs.

He stiffens, a frown developing on his face.

"Yes," says his father. "At least...before you kill us, can you listen to my proposal first?"

"N-no, d-don't l-listen ta whatever he has ta say..."

Tweek's arms start shaking. "Sorry, Leo. I know you warned me not to, but...they're still my parents. I would feel bad all over again if I don't hear him out before I..." He lowers his arms, the auras fading from his hands. "Okay, what is it?"

His parents' eyes look appreciative. "We will forgive you if..."

There is a glimmer within the darkness inside of the house. Then a brief glint appears across the middle of Tweek's throat. His eyes enlarge as blood sprays out of the laceration and trickles down his neck.

His parents' eyes narrow gleefully. "You die just like how we did," his father finishes saying.