A great, brilliant, blinding, bleeding darkness loomed over the small gathering of Matterborns. Standing in the center, directly opposite to that enormous presence, were two particular Matters. A taller one, with miscolored, purple fins and a misaligned eye. A shorter one, with more eyes than necessary. Shivering, paralyzed in place by fear. Two more pairs of Matters flanked them, one pair on each side.

And at the forefront of it all, Zero floated above them. The colossus hung down, as if chained loosely to an invisible ceiling. His piercing, bloodsoaked eye pinning the two anomalies down.

He did not speak. He only thought his will, and the other Matters understood.

'This anomaly has not improved in the seven years I entrusted you with it.'

The taller Dark Matter nodded without hesitation. 'That is true. I have been unable to repair it, or even make it behave in a mock manner.' He then shifted slightly, deliberately avoiding Zero's gaze. 'I understand if you are disappointed.'

'I am not disappointed. I gave you an impossible task. I had little confidence you would succeed.'

The Matter grimaced. Then why was he given the task, he had to wonder? But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Zero picked up on it.

'I wanted to ease my boredom. Watching you struggle to make something useful out of this disgusting waste of resources was interesting, for a while.' Zero's gaze shifted more directly to the small Matter. 'But I tire of wasting your time. You have better uses.'

The taller one nodded once more. 'Thank you for your consideration. Your grace knows no bounds.'

Zero's lower eyelid ticked up slightly in the closest approximation of a grin he could wear. It was always satisfying knowing that his creations held such polite, undying loyalty. He taught them so well. But the 'smile' quickly dropped. 'Good. Now, dispose of it. Take it far away from here and remove its pitiful existence from my reality.'

The Matter hesitated this time, though even he wasn't sure why. Thankfully, this uncertainty clouded Zero's comprehension of it as well. The Great Eye dismissed this hesitation as a minor distortion. Moments later, the taller Matter shook away the reluctance. 'Of course. It will be accomplished, with certainty.'

'Excellent. Make it quick. I am utterly sick from being connected to this thing.'

With that, the Matter roughly grabbed onto the arm of the small one and began dragging him away, out of sight of Zero. The small Matter squeaked and whined as he tried to pull back, unsure of what was happening but knowing that he was in trouble. But the tall Matter's grip was too strong to resist. He pulled the small one along with little effort required. After getting far enough away from the others, it unfurled its fins and soared into the air, the smaller one trailing behind him.

After a few minutes of flying through the dark abyss, avoiding unseeable, unknowable obstacles that the small one still couldn't comprehend, the two landed on the very outskirts of the dark core. Pitch blackness gave way to a brighter form of the abyss, dotted with stars and pulsating with light. It was difficult for the tall one to look at for too long, but the small one's eyes widened at what he considered a beautiful sight. He rarely ever got to leave the dark core like his sibling did, so he couldn't help but be amazed every time he got a hint of the outside space.

But it wasn't to last. He was quickly reminded of why they were here once the two landed on a more 'solid' mass of darkness.

'This is as far as we go. I imagine you'd want to have a pleasant view before you die. Though I can't say I share the same opinion of this bright hellscape.'

A harsh 'whooshing' sound cut through the air as the tall Matter summoned his blade. It tilted up, pointing directly at the small one's throat. With a choked whimper, he flinched back, nearly nicking his chin against the sharp point.

'Goodbye.'

The shivering child cracked open his mouth, attempting to tear forth a plea for salvation or forgiveness. He knew no one ever listened to him when he Thought, but maybe verbal words would somehow save him?

"H- heellllllp- no- diii-ee…!"

The taller Matter twitched slightly, and tilted his head. 'What do you think you're doing?'

"Do-oon't- die..!" 'Please! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! I want to keep seeing the stars! I'm sorry, I'm sorry I can't be good!'

'It's not up for debate. No matter how hard you try, you will never be like us. It is better that you do not exist at all…'

"G- go…! Don't die!" 'I don't wanna die! I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared!'

'That is exactly why you cannot continue to live. We do not feel fear. We do not Feel at all. I am relieving you of this burden that Matters like us should never experience.'

'But I want to keep feeling! I want this! I can go, I can go! I don't want to hurt you! I just want to live- I'm sorry living makes you unhappy- I'm sorry-'

The taller Matter slowly lowered his blade, in the closest approximation to shock he could feel. This sibling was… apologizing? Apologizing for making them unhappy, merely for existing? Curious… He… did not wonder where this would lead. He did not suddenly feel a strange pain in his chest. This thing… if he could just make this sibling go away, far away from here, then he wouldn't feel this weird pain anymore, right?

For some reason (again, he wasn't sure why), he felt as if killing this sibling would not make the pain go away.

'We… are not unhappy. We cannot feel unhappiness. We cannot feel anything at all,' he lied. 'You needn't apologize for existing. You did not make yourself this way. There is… only one way to resolve this…'

He tilted his sword around, this time tapping it against the child's back. He yelped in surprise, stumbling forward. He really was such a pathetic existence.

'Unfurl your fins and listen to me closely, because I am only going to say this once.' The child whirled around, eyes widening at the shift in the Matter's mental tone. But he did obey, summoning his spiraling orange fins.

'If you move far enough away from the dark core, your connection to Zero will snap. It will be as if you had died. You are never to return to us, or else you will be erased, as you were meant to.'

The child leaped towards his elder sibling in some weird attempt of showing gratitude. The Matter backed away in disgust, shoving the child away. After a moment of tense silence, the taller Matter leaned in close, glaring at his young sibling.

'This is the only chance I am giving you, so you better take full advantage of it. Never ever ever stop fleeing from us, because your existence will inevitably be rediscovered. You must never stop flying. If they destroy your wings, then run. If they break your legs, then crawl. You must keep pressing on, keep living in fear, and keep pushing your pitiful existence to the limit until you are destroyed.'

The child nodded vigorously, his body still trembling, but a newfound determination entering his eyes. One last time, the elder Matter pointed with his sword, out towards the distant abyss of space.

'Now go.'

With little more ceremony, without even a goodbye, the child flew away, leaving his sibling behind. Within a few minutes, he could no longer see his home.

When the Rainbow Sword cut through Dark Matter Blade's vulnerable, unarmored form, he felt, for the first time in his life, pure, unbridled fear. Rage. Terror. Sorrow. As he fell through the air, that voidborn child stared at him with pitying eyes, but an undeniable determination. Knowing what had to be done but not relishing in it. Perhaps that was an even crueler fate, understanding that even his enemy hadn't wanted this. He truly was a failure on all fronts.

His rapidly dissipating body fell through the air. Like a stone sinking in water. Yet the child got to float away, back home, back to their life. That life full of joy, and friends, and love that he utterly despised. Envy flooded his veins once again, that someone once again got what he had so desperately wanted.

But that was his fault for wanting it in the first place. He wasn't sure why, he wasn't sure how, but this star had managed to make him feel something beyond sadistic amusement or mild irritation. It left him with a longing that he could not understand.

And now it would kill him.

He remembered what that young sibling of his had said, so long ago. A hint of amusement rang through him at the irony of it all…

'I… I don't want to die. I want to keep living..! I want to keep seeing! I want to keep feeling!'

But it was too late now, wasn't it? His body was already half gone… There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no way to fix this. His head swung around lazily, taking in every last surrounding he could in what he believed to be his final moments. His gaze fell onto the top of the castle…

To the man whose body he'd just abandoned. His thoughts started clouding over as his own dark body grew frailer and frailer.

Hm… He still had a slight foothold in there… a- and if he lay low enough, he'd be able to rest within his heart without anyone noticing! He wouldn't- he wouldn't stick around forever, and he wouldn't take him over, because he'd just be beaten again- But he'd just hide inside the king's heart for just a little bit- just a bit- he'd just need him for a bit, that was all! And then he'd come back and- and- and-

And he wasn't entirely sure WHAT he'd do when he came back, but what matters is that he wouldn't die! He didn't want to die- this was the best option- this was the best-!

There was so little of him left now- he didn't care about the consequences anymore! It was now or never, he had to make his decision and live with it!

'I WANT TO KEEP LIVING!'

As the last remnants of his body drifted away, a singular speck of darkness stayed in reality. It was pulled along with the summer breeze, twisting and turning, dodging the gazes of those gathered on the castle roof. Finally reaching its destination, it rested on top of the still-unconscious king's chest… and softly absorbed into his body.

...

For a very long while, it was as if the Blade was in a dreamless sleep. He'd just barely avoided death, yet he could not do anything with this newfound life. He drifted silently and peacefully within the king's heart, for a few months.

What initially drew him from unconsciousness was the presence of another Dark Matter. Again..? How had they found him? Were they looking for him? Well, regardless, their presence must have inadvertently given him enough extra Darkness to solidify into some semblance of a person. Excellent. From here, he could perhaps grow strong enough to escape. Oh! Maybe he could even communicate with this new Matter possessing the king and figure out a way to assist!

But it wasn't meant to be. Blade found himself unable to reach out to his sibling. Being trapped within Dedede's heart also meant that he was intrinsically trapped in his consciousness. Like a matryoshka doll of existences. A Dark Matter trapped within a man trapped within his body that was being puppeted by another Dark Matter. Blade couldn't even contact Dedede himself, let alone the other Matter, he was so deeply integrated and isolated. But being unable to communicate within anyone was not the worst part of this whole scenario.

No, the worst part he found out very quickly after waking up to this little one-sided deal. The worst part was… how every single emotion of Dedede, every single thought and idea and feeling… He could feel them as well. He felt the king's agony at watching his body ripped open. He felt his fear of being looked down upon by others, and his desperation to hide his true emotions. He felt his love for his subjects, his friends, his family. He felt his anger and hatred, his care and worry, his terror and anxiety. He. Felt. Everything.

And, at first, he utterly despised it.

When he'd first attacked Pop Star, he'd met his first brush with true emotion. He envied it, thinking it was something he wanted. He considered the idea that having a heart would be a good thing. But he knew better now. This was disgusting. This was painful. How could creatures like this stand being people? Being alive? How could this king stand existing in this reality, when it was so horrible to feel? To be?

But with nowhere to run, Dark Matter Blade could do little more than sit in his isolated crevice of darkness and stew about how much he hated feeling these things. And with nowhere to run, he inevitably grew more and more open towards these feelings.

Some things aren't too bad, at least. This love that the king felt towards others? That was… alright. And it was CERTAINLY amazing feeling pride when others returned that love to him. And even if this fear and pain and hate was difficult to experience, Blade could at least feed off of it and solidify his form a little more, even if he couldn't actually use it. Even if it hurt… he had to make the most of it.

And he started pitying the man he was trapped inside. This near constant fear of being destroyed without warning… the paranoia clawing through his skin? The unbearable delusions. The sleepless nights. The mood swings. The secrets. The nightmares. The self-destruction.

As time went on, he wished more and more that he could end his misery, in the only way he knew how. He'd recognized for a while now that he couldn't affect the rest of the man's heart. He'd been unable to speak to him, unable to influence his emotions or his body. It was a purely one-sided relationship. So he knew the only way he'd be able to take this body over is if Dedede died. Initially, he didn't care how it happened or when. He was a patient creature.

But… it hurt so much, didn't it? Oh, if only the king would end his life so he could cease his suffering. That's what Blade would have done if he were in his position. Hell, he was already half-experiencing all these same things, and it was leaving him a broken, angry, distraught mess! The fact that King Dedede was able to keep persisting was as admirable to Blade as it was saddening. If only the man could die, so he couldn't keep feeling these horrible things anymore… It would be a mercy! It would be love! If Blade had any modicum of control whatsoever, he would have killed him by now! He would've made him see the light, and realize that he didn't need to keep suffering anymore! He would take the king's place and relieve him of these burdens.

And he'd come so close! When he grabbed Meta Knight's sword, Blade was mentally screaming with a mix of his own emotions and the king's. Such an overwhelming cacophony tore through his body that he knew, one way or another, that his had to be the end! He'd surely be unable to bear it for a second longer!

But he was stopped. The knight stopped him. The knight loved him. The knight promised he'd be alright.

And when they returned home, Blade's head was still spinning. Spinning with thousands of conflicting thoughts and feelings. The mixture of love and hate and fear being forced upon him. The utter heart-sinking failure, the realization that he'd perhaps never be free again. The realization that it WOULD NOT END. The king had been so close to freedom and then he just GAVE UP. He could have ended it! This wouldn't be fixed by pretty words; not really! Love, family, friendship?! That wouldn't reverse all the damage the king had suffered! It hadn't saved him then, and it wouldn't save him now! And it certainly wouldn't fix the Matterborn's problem! Blade's soul had been so excited, so elated that these horrid emotions would be over, that when all his hopes came crashing down, his mind lost all rationale and completely ground to a halt.

How can someone be so loved and feel so much love, and simultaneously be filled with such disgusting, filthy, self-hating, self-destructive emotions?! How can he still choose to live a life like this in a body and mind like this?! How can he STAND being alive!?

Well Blade, at the very least, couldn't stand it any longer. If he was going to be feeling horrible, tortuous emotions, then he would do it on his own terms. No more of this man. No more of his feelings. Whatever plan he'd initially had was over and done with- he couldn't wait any longer! Not like this! No more planning! No more thinking! He didn't want it anymore!

And so, in the dead of night a few days after returning from the New World, Dark Matter Blade decided, rather on a whim, to eject himself from Dedede's body. From his home of five years.

...

If he were in his right mind, Blade would have laughed at the irony. Remembering the first time he encountered the king, and stole his body… and here he was in the exact same place, reversing that decision. But his thoughts were far too clouded and scattered to notice.

Blade's 'body' flew along the edges of the dark core he was trapped in, gathering his will to escape, albeit frantically. He slammed against the surface of this self-made trap, trying to crack open the soul tumor he'd trapped himself in. 'Get out- GET OUT! GET ME OUT OF HERE!' His form wriggled around like a dying animal as he threw himself against the edge, over and over. Small cracks were starting to form in the metaspace.

SLAM. SLAM. SLAM.

He'd get out for certain! He'd never again let such a horrid torrent of conflicting empathy destroy him again! He'd! Revoke! This! HELL!

CCCCCRRRRR-AAACK!

Something within him, within the king, within the linked souls SHATTERED. Like a broken window showering glass onto you. A confused laugh escaped Blade as beams of light began streaming into the mindscape. Freedom was within his grasp! He could end this hell! Without any consideration, he flew up, into the light, into the world.

Writhing. Reconstituting. Reforming. Solidifying.

Blade's head flipped upwards, backwards, his hair and cape trailing behind him. Air flooded his lungs, darkness flowed through his veins once more. His body spun and twisted and flung through the air until he hit something. That something ended up being the bed canopy. His head cracked against the solid wood, catching his body awkwardly and completely shifting his momentum. The rest of his body twirled like a top until his head slid away from the canopy post and he finally sprawled across the floor. He cringed from both the pain and from the total loss of stealth. Hopefully the king's deep sleep habits would work in his favor.

Before he could finish that train of thought, the utter weight of EXISTENCE suddenly crashed down on top of him. The horrifying realization that his body was still far too unfinished flooded him. Dammit- DAMMIT! No, no no!

He'd been able to give himself a comprehensible form, but it was fairly hollow. Nothing held him together. Reality flooded in to fill the space, making him feel as if he was being torn apart from the inside- his body would surely either dissipate or collapse in on itself- he'd miscalculated- he SEVERELY MISCALCULATED-

'No- what do I do- what do I do?! I- can't survive long like this! Damn it all- I could still- NO! I'm NOT going back! I WON'T GO BACK!'

He'd find a way. He had to! Come on, think, think!

Ah- Gooey! Gooey could- could sustain his darkness as a fellow Matterborn! He might not do it willingly, but Blade could always threaten him, yes? Ugh- it was his only chance- where else on this damned planet could he find a source of Darkness?

The Matter forced himself to his feet, his body still curled in on itself, and stumbled over to the window of the chambers. Damn the king, he'd actually wised up and closed it. The decorative fabric he used as hands struggled to twist the handle open and he had to force invisible extremities into his already strained reality, but he finally managed after about 30 excruciating seconds. Practically slamming the window open, he threw himself from the room like it was on fire.

His body dive bombed to the ground for a few seconds before he summoned enough strength to unfurl his wings. He flitted around loosely, more like a dying insect than a person. But at least he had a goal in mind.

Knowing everything that King Dedede knew, Blade understood exactly where to find Gooey. The boy almost always slept over at Kirby's house. And of course, he knew exactly where Kirby's house was. That didn't make flying through the night sky as his body disintegrated any easier, but he could hold out as long as he knew his destination. He could persevere! This was nothing! This was NOTHING.

He could feel his fins wavering. He could feel the hollow inside of his body grow colder and colder. Come on! Just a little longer! The small, dome house slowly poked itself over the horizon. He'd been able to hold on for five years! He was almost there!

The moment he reached Kirby's house, Blade practically crashed through the door, breaking the hinges as he flung it open the wrong way. His body gave out and he collapsed to the ground. No- no you're almost done! He forced himself up with invisible arms and crawled forward.

Though Kirby stayed in deep sleep like always, Gooey had snapped awake at the catastrophic sound caused by Blade's entrance. The boy jerked upright and instinctively held his hands up, prepared to shoot dark lightning at a potential intruder. But what he saw was far more baffling.

"S… sibling?! Blade!"

Blade cringed at the sound of Gooey's voice. But he knew this was inevitable. He didn't have time to care about it right now!

'H- heLP! Bo-dyyy- EMPTY. BRokeN- FFFFFFFix- fix- neeEEED helllll-p-' Even his thoughts were shattered and distorted. He was barely able to formulate 'words.' Only emotions slipped through to Gooey's mind.

"I… how… get here?" The boy then shook his head. No, he didn't need to speak right now. It was better if they weren't heard anyway. 'What are you doing here?! What happened to you?'

'E-EEmpty- help- help please- please- I'm beggggggging you- I'LL KILL YOU I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T- I'm sorry- I'm sorry- STOP IT STOP IT-'

Gooey's face twisted up in a mix of emotions. It was thoroughly disconcerting the way his sibling oscillated between pleading and threats as his body distorted and flickered. Even more so the fact that he was pleading with an angry tone and threatening with a desperate one. But… he was a good boy. Gooey was a good boy. So he would help someone if they were hurt… He could ask what happened later, he supposed.

Gooey rolled back his sleeves, slipped out of bed, and kneeled on the ground, reaching for his sibling's head. Blade flinched away on instinct, but Gooey simply waited for the cowering animal to relax. He cradled his elder sibling's face.

'Okay… I'll help you. It's gonna be alright. You understand?'

'Hhhhhhh….. Sssssstoooooooop…'

Gooey smiled slightly, though he wasn't sure why. He began expelling Darkness out of his body, through the tips of his fingers and into his sibling's body. He could already feel the weight in his hands increasing.

'I thought you wanted me to help you? Did ya change your mind?'

'Hhhuuuurrrts…. Diiiiiie… don't want to diiiiiie….'

'I'm not letting you die.'

'You're… killing me.'

'I'm not. You didn't kill me, right? I'm not killing you either. So don't think that.'

'Don't… think that…'

Blade's body twitched and convulsed as he solidified more and more. He began to actually feel like the weight he looked. Gooey could also feel his thoughts growing more coherent, though he was obviously too tired to 'speak' much anyway. The boy felt a weird pride in his chest at the fact that he was acting like the older sibling for once. He was a big boy now!

After a few more minutes, the Darkness stopped flowing freely. You cannot fill a room beyond its limit, or it'll create a black hole. With that, Blade's whole body suddenly gave way. His eye shut, his hair slowed its constant drifting, and he fell from Gooey's grasp. The boy, for his part, also felt exhaustion wash over him. He'd given forth a lot of himself to sustain Blade's unstable form. But at least it was over now, and he'd feel better in the morning after breakfast! Kirby always made so much food, so he wouldn't want for much.

Gooey titled his sibling's body so that he was lying on his back, then lifted his head to place a pillow beneath it. He then walked over to a nearby rocking chair, pulled off a quilt, and draped it over his sleeping form.

"Good dreams… have good dreams."

With that, he moved himself to sit back against the bed. Not on it, and certainly not in it. No, if he sat on the bed, he'd fall asleep. And he wasn't planning on sleeping tonight.

Because he had to keep watch on his sibling. He couldn't let anything unfortunate happen, after all.

Gooey stared at Blade constantly, without blinking, for the next eight hours. Until the sun rose.