Me: After what must've been the longest wait in existence, CHAPTER 25 IS FINALLY DONE! *cheers explode from nowhere*

Rendan: He actually went out and bought a cheer track for that...

Zero: Sad. *they both nod*

Me: Okay, there really isn't any excuse for my prolonged absence, but I'll do my best to explain. College and work. There, I think that settles it.

Rendan: In reality, it was the long hours at college and a demanding and erratic work schedule which only recently became more constant. You should be concise, man.

Me: Bite me, I'm tired. Anyway, I hope this chapter was well worth the wait. Anyone wanna jump down this one?

Rendan: I guess I'll do it. Azard doesn't own Silent Hill, or any of its established creations, or Hey Arnold. They are the respective properties of Konami and Craig Bartlett. Azard DOES, however, own the OCs, the puzzles and monsters he's created, and of course the plot.

Me: Thank you, Rendan.

Rendan: No problem.

Zero: Read and enjoy!

Chapter 25: The Guardian's Power

Arnold watched on, confused, as Helga kept her distance from the trio. Arnold backed away from her, hurt in some small degree, to give the girl some room to gather herself. He turned back to face Lila and AJ, hoping that one of them would have some kind of explanation. Lila's expression showed only concern for Helga's well-being while AJ's eyes had hardened into a glare. They flicked toward Arnold as the combative boy gave him a small nod, as if he should know who was responsible. The sad thing is, he did know. He knew the Guardian was behind this. Arnold began to grind his teeth as he seethed.

'Damn him!' Arnold thought. 'Damn him to the fiery pits of Hell!'

"Now that's not very nice," the mocking voice of the Guardian responded. "I don't think I've done anything horrible enough to warrant a trip to Hell. Well, maybe certain acts I've done in self-defense, perhaps, but certainly nothing too out of the ordinary."

'Don't play your bullshit game with me!' Arnold shouted in his thoughts.

"Bullshit? Wow, seeing your friend in this state is really bringing out the fury in you, isn't it?" The Guardian continued. "It makes me wonder if you're truly as unaware of the situation as I suspected. Then again, I didn't read too deeply into your mind. Keeps me on my toes regarding you and I like surprises."

'You still toy with me,' Arnold mentally spat. 'Come and say that to my face!' Arnold smirked victoriously at what he assumed was the Guardian admitting defeat in some small way by remaining silent. A moment later, however, that illusion was shattered.

"Very well," the Guardian began. "Step out of that room and speak with me." Arnold gulped. Then again, he should've known better. The Guardian never backed down from anything, let alone a challenge from a kid. Swallowing a breath of air, Arnold began a slow stride out of the room, passing by AJ and Lila who both stared at him with concern.

"Keep an eye on Helga," Arnold said. "I'll be right back." The two nodded and Arnold stepped out of the room, leaving the door untouched behind him. He looked around at the foggy room and spotted the darkened figure of the Guardian standing in the corner. It was as if the shadows emanated from him that kept him unseen.

"Now that you're here," the Guardian started as he walked up to Arnold and stared at him dead in the eye, "I LIKE SURPRISES." Arnold blinked, unsure of what to make of that. The Guardian took a step back. "You didn't specifically say what to say to your face, so I more or less just went with my favorite." The Guardian walked back to the wall and leaned against it, his fingers intertwined in front of him on his chest. "Your move."

"What did you do to Helga?" Arnold queried.

"I ventured into her mind and found something disturbing," the Guardian casually replied. "At that point I confronted her and sought to make her face it head on. When she refused and attacked me, I forced her to face it. That's all."

"That's all?!" Arnold shouted. "She's practically catatonic! What did you show her?"

"I showed her a version of herself, admittedly older by a few years, and certain events that were sure to unfold alongside the possibility that you and your friends, barring her of course, do not survive your encounter in Silent Hill," the Guardian replied with a shrug. "I must say she's truly messed in the head."

"Shut up! You don't know her!" Arnold declared. He turned around and looked back into the room. He took some relief in that Lila had at least been able to approach Helga. She gasped audibly as Helga probably told her what happened.

"That's where you're wrong, Football Head," Helga's voice called from behind him. Arnold jumped and whirled around, only to find Helga, or was it, standing in the Guardian's place. "I've learned enough about you to perfectly mimic anyone in your little group. Even you, Arnoldo. Don't you get it? I can be — anyone I choose to be, for any length of time." During the small pause, Helga's body dispersed in what could only be described as a small burst of shadows and Otherworldly corruption, leaving the Guardian once more there, speaking in his normal voice. "I'm not limited to one form like you are." Another burst, and this time Lila stood before him, staring with that innocent smile of hers. It was spot on. "Isn't that just ever so interesting, Arnold?" Again, the voice that came out of that… thing's mouth sounded exactly like Lila.

Arnold's blood turned to ice. He could imitate and impersonate any one of them at any given time. How many times had he done it before? Had he done it before? Was it possible that everything they thought was real was just a manifestation of the Guardian's will?

"You… what are you, exactly?" Arnold nearly stammered. The Guardian, still disguised as Lila, faced the ceiling and sighed.

"Sometimes I wonder the same thing," he replied softly. Arnold blinked, unsure what to make of this uncharacteristic change in behavior but figured it was only because he was mirroring Lila's own insecurities. Arnold wasn't unobservant, he knew they were there as few as they were. The Guardian turned to Arnold, forcing his eyes to fill with tears. "What am I, Arnold? Sometimes I'm lost and ever so confused. What are my feelings telling me? Why did you spurn my affections but then come back saying otherwise after you said you didn't feel that way about me? Why do you toy with me, Arnold? Why are you ever so cruel?!" Arnold flinched backward, his eyes locked onto the sobbing vision of Lila before him. "Why is it, that when I find someone I can rely on, that I find someone else I can depend on, that I can trust, why do you push them away?! First Arnie, now AJ, why are you so against me trying to be happy?!" The voice had gone from sad to almost downright hysterical. In all of this, Arnold was surprised that none of the others could hear this, especially since the door was… barred shut with barbed wire. They probably could hear, but were obviously unable to do anything. The crying finally slowed. "Is that how it is, Arnold? Are you ever so horrible to say that if you can't have me… no one else can?"

"N-No! That's not—!" Arnold began to deny.

"But it is, isn't it?" The Guardian queried, still using Lila's voice and appearance. "Even now you secretly pine for me, even if you don't admit it. Using your best friend's sister and her own affections for you just to be able to spend time with me? It wasn't even about her, ever, was it? It was me. Always me. I'm some kind of drug to you and you're not satisfied until you get your fix. You must face the ever so obvious truth. I'm your White Claudia."

"That's not true!" Arnold denied with full force.

"But it is," the Guardian assured him, now back to his own form and voice. "For one so observant you're one of the best candidates for the obliviousness awards. Either you're not noticing these things…" the Guardian paused, the shadows that covered his eyes departing so they could stare with relentless accusation at the blond boy in front of him, "or you just don't care. That's it, isn't it?" Arnold backed up slightly, his eyes widening in fright. Was what the Guardian suggested true? No, it couldn't be true! Not now, not then, not ever! Arnold's resolve steeled and he faced the Guardian down, his eyes narrowed into a hateful glare. Despite this, however, the Guardian seemed to smile as the faint outline of one could be seen through the shadows. A burst of energy later, and Helga stood before him again.

"I don't get you, Football Head," the Guardian began anew, once more in Helga's voice. "You're such a good guy and it's pretty obvious you'd go for the cute, nice, ones. It only makes sense, right?" The Guardian was slowly whittling at Arnold's resolve by using the tone of voice Arnold had rarely heard from Helga, the tone she used when she was at her most insecure. "I mean, how does someone like me stack up to someone like Lila? She's nice, I'm not. She's got a good family, I don't. Her father would probably treat you with a great deal of respect, mine obviously doesn't. What is it, though? Does Lila have the skills that I do? Can she sit down and write beautiful poetry from a singular muse, her creativity bursting forth endlessly as if the very cosmos themselves resided in her mind?" The Guardian made a small show of sighing. "I guess it all comes down to that, doesn't it? You like her because she's nice. Sure, I'm not as nice as she is. I'm not as polite. But you! You're so out of your mind for this girl that the only reason you ever hang out with any other girl is if they remind you of Lila! I didn't forget the costume party, Arnoldo. You spent time with me because I looked and acted like Lila, but the minute I stopped, the minute I took off the costume because I felt uncomfortable being who I'm not, and you didn't want anything to do with me anymore. At least I don't deny someone because they're being themselves you hypocrite!

"Sure, I agree with you on some things, Football Head," the Guardian continued. "I don't trust that AJ character. I just don't. Something about him doesn't sit right with me. But I'm starting to think my problems with him are a bit more practical than yours are. He comes out of nowhere and helps us along. That alone can be pretty suspicious, especially thinking about where we are. The knowledge that the Order also converts their children only makes his appearance all the more suspect. It's likely he's leading us into a trap."

To Arnold, the only thing he could hear was the sound of something getting smashed as his resolve took another devastating blow. Not yet done, the Guardian proceeded onward with the verbal assault, still damnably disguised as Helga.

"You, though," the Guardian paused. "Maybe the only reason you don't trust him is because he's all but got Lila wrapped around his finger. She trusts him implicitly. The funny thing is, though, I've never seen him do anything with it. Sure, he leads her around, he protects her, but I've never seen him tell her that she can't do something. She's holding his knife for crying out loud! How do you think she got it in the first place? I'm one hundred percent sure he gave it to her! Could he be slowly attempting to turn her against us? It's possible! I wouldn't discount it, but only because I don't know the first thing about the kid! Other than the fact that he was apparently a candidate to become the monster we're fighting. I didn't trust him because everything he did, his appearance, was so suspect. You, however, you only didn't trust him when you realized Lila cared for him."

"It's not like that!" Arnold vehemently shouted. "He and I have put our differences to the side for now."

"For now," the Guardian mirrored. "Truth be told, Football Head, you still hold that animosity in you. It's eating at you and consuming you. Why don't you just face him down? Kill him and we won't have to deal with him anymore. I'll even lead Lila away so she'll never find out. You can even lie and say a monster killed him. I'll go along with it. The only difference is, my reasons for being okay with it make a hell of a lot more sense than yours."

"Shut up! Shut up! I'm not going to do that!" Arnold cried.

"Why not?" The Guardian's voice changed again. This time it was… Arnold's head shot up and spotted AJ standing before him, his katana sheathed at his waist. Another trick by the Guardian. Still, this newest form filled Arnold with far more dread. "This is a form I was able to take longer than anyone's. A form I could copy, thanks to how long he's been here. Don't you wonder how long you could've been traveling with me? If, just maybe, he never actually lost his life at the hotel? Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe, as a potential truth, I took his place on the second floor, collapsed the way up and stranded him on the first level. Maybe I played you all in the hotel and he needed something convincing to make you believe he didn't just abandon Lila with me. Poor bastard tried to get to us, but I just had to stop him at every turn and move things forward. Did I do all that? Or was what you saw the truth?"

Arnold fell to his knees. The likelihood that the Guardian could've been so close to them, in disguise no less, was frightfully high. The worst of it was that he could feel his resolve ever draining. Lessening more and more as the seconds crept on by. The sensation of his very will to live slipping away. Was it possible they were played from the start? Was it possible, nay, probable, that the Guardian had taken AJ's place for nearly the entire venture thus far? Had he been with Lila since the separation up until the hotel, only to be replaced by the real person in the Order hideout?

"Why?" Arnold queried. The Guardian tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. Arnold's breaths slowed as he managed to stop the draining sensation, at least for now. "Why would you protect Lila, then? You obviously don't care for us, so what would make you defend one of us for so long?! It doesn't make sense!"

"Who said I had to make sense, Arnold?" The Guardian queried. "I live in and all but rule over Silent Hill. The eternal paradox. I don't need to justify anything that I do. I don't need a where, a when, or even a why. I do it just because. I will tell you this, however. I have big plans for the lot of you. Plans that have been years in the making, and you're my keys to seeing it to fruition. To do that, however, I need you all alive for now. Maybe I'm keeping you alive to see my plan through. Maybe I'm doing it for fun, to see how far you'd last without any help when I decide to stop, assuming I ever started in the first place. Maybe your companion isn't even real, but a manifestation of my will brought to life to serve but one purpose." Arnold's eyes widened as the Guardian suddenly laughed. "The completion of my plans. Haven't you wondered why he never seems to be around when I am? Why he never—?"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" AJ's voice shouted over the Guardian's as he, somehow, cut through the wires separating the rooms and charged in, katana drawn, and lunged at the Guardian. The Guardian, reacting quickly, drew his own blade and clashed with AJ's. The two glared hatefully at each other as their blades began to clash, sparks flying from the blades every time they met. One pushed the other back while the Guardian let his darkness loose and engulfed the two completely, obscuring them from sight. Lila and Helga entered the room, though Helga was far more reserved, and helped Arnold to his feet. As soon as he was standing again, Helga wrapped her arms around him and cried, sobbing into his shoulder. Arnold wanted to tell her that this wasn't the time for such action but could do nothing to stop her. Lila watched the darkness, listening intently to the sounds of struggling.

Suddenly, the darkness vanished as one AJ was sent flying into the air and landed with a crash on the ground while the other stood there menacingly, a wicked grin etched onto his features as he advanced on the fallen boy, his katana held in front of him. Helga, hearing the thud, turned and spotted the scene before her. Two AJs. She knew one of them had to be the Guardian. It wouldn't make sense otherwise. She drew her pistol and trained it on the standing boy. Strong as he was, AJ wouldn't be able to fight the Guardian on equal terms. Not on his own, anyway. She couldn't touch the monster with a gun so how was he supposed to do so with a sword or his bare fists? Still, with him distracted on the fallen boy, she could probably get a cheap shot in on him, consequences be damned. She survived once, she could do it again. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger, getting a satisfactory cry of pain but a second after the gunshot sounded. The standing visage of AJ dropped his sword and fell to one knee clutching at the spot she'd hit, which was his left shoulder just shy of the vest.

"Got you, you bastard," Helga spat. Following that comment, Helga heard something she never expected to hear. Laughter. The fallen AJ laughed loudly as he stood up and retrieved his blade, his laugh becoming more maniacal as his visage was quickly overtaken with shadow and left the Guardian in his place.

"If I'd known it'd be that easy," the Guardian laughed evilly, "I'd have done that ages ago! You shot your own companion thinking it was me!" Helga dropped her gun. That bastard… he'd purposely allowed himself to be knocked over, knowing that they'd never expect someone as powerful as he to ever lose the upper hand. Arnold helped to steady Helga, keeping the mortified girl on her feet, not noticing a flash of red race past them. "Ah, sometimes the simplest things truly are the — HRK!" The Guardian cried out in pain, catching everyone's attention. Arnold and Helga stared in shock as the Guardian all but doubled over, Lila standing in front of him with the knife buried into his stomach, her right hand gripping the now bloody weapon tightly while her other kept a firm grasp on the Guardian himself. With a quick motion, Lila pulled the knife from his stomach and drove it in again, getting another gasp of pain from the Guardian.

Again and again, Lila drew the knife from her target before driving it back, her otherwise sweet and cherubic face twisted into one of rage that promised the slowest and most painful death imaginable. Lila pulled the knife once more, ready to stab the bastard in the throat and end him for good, and lunged. Unfortunately, just before the knife tasted sweet flesh, the Guardian disappeared in a burst of Otherworldly corruption and appeared further away from the girl, looking unharmed. Apparently, he had healed himself rather quickly.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed," the Guardian said in a tone that sounded strangely like admiration. "Now I know what it'll take to get you to act." Lila raced forward again, intent on plunging the knife into his blackened heart. The Guardian stood his ground and waited. Once Lila got within striking distance, she was suddenly pulled back and tied with barbed wire that came from the floor, lifting her into the air. Being grabbed as suddenly as she was, she dropped the knife on the floor as she dangled about in the air, helpless. Despite this, however, her face showed no fear, only fury. "Hm, what to do, what to… DAMMIT!" The Guardian shouted as he was forced to jump back. AJ had gotten back to his feet and grabbed his katana, rushing forward and attacking without any reservation, completely ignoring the immense pain in his body and the steady loss of blood from his shoulder wound. "I helped you all that time ago and this is how you repay me?"

"Sadly put, it's your fault we're in this mess in the first place," AJ growled. "The Order was behind everything, and you're meant to be their puppet. Whether you are or not, I think you're the reason I'm still here, the last thing that truly ties me to Silent Hill. To escape… I HAVE TO KILL YOU!" The Guardian stared at the katana wielding boy as said boy rushed in again. The Guardian hummed and held up his katana in his right hand, letting all see as the blade shifted in a mass of Otherworldly corruption. Gone was the sleek and shine of polished steel and in its place was a hellish rendition of Pyramid Head's blade. The blade itself was as wide as the one wielding it and was as long as the Guardian was tall, maybe even a bit longer. There was no back to this blade, one side being sharpened to an edge while the other was terribly jagged, reminiscent of a mutilator's saw, only even more demented. AJ swung the katana down and clashed with this atrocious abomination of a weapon, only to get a resounding CLANG as the weapons collided.

For a time, no one blinked. Everyone stared as AJ remained clashed with the Guardian, the former glaring hatefully at the latter while the latter's expression remained ever unreadable. The Guardian moved his sword wielding hand across his body slightly before swinging it in one fluid motion. The force of the swing was enough to knock AJ clean out of the clash and send him skidding across the ground nearly to the opposite side of the room. Not willing to be deterred, AJ stood again and rushed toward his target, his arm poised to swing the blade to cut the Guardian's head clean off his body. He never got close. Before he reached striking distance, the Guardian swung his left hand as if he were backhanding the person in front of him. Barbed wires shot from the floor, curled together to make a large ball, and slammed into the attacker's torso, hitting hard enough to send the boy flying into the far wall of the room, knocking the katana clean from his grip and nearly shredding his vest. AJ struck the wall, hard, and slid down to the floor.

Arnold acted next and raced forward, his bat held tight in his grip, and managed to land a hit against the back of the Guardian's head, the impact punctuated by the sound of aluminum striking flesh. The Guardian, however, barely moved. His head dipped only a little as he raised it and turned his gaze to face his attacker. Arnold shuddered and took a step back in time to catch a brutal punch from the Guardian that took the air from his lungs. Helga, retrieving her gun, figured to do something desperate. She took a cartridge of her ammunition and pulled out the vial of Aglaophotis.

'Logic doesn't apply here, so maybe hope might,' Helga all but prayed. She popped the cork on the vial and poured the substance into the cartridge, coating each bullet with the liquid. 'Hopefully this doesn't make them unusable.' Helga stared, more than a little shocked, as the bullets all seemed to change their color from gray to crimson, the Aglaophotis coating the bullets and remaining there. Smirking at what apparently worked, she thanked Silent Hill's lack of logic or overall fucked up logic, Helga picked up her gun and removed the cartridge already in, making sure to chamber the round, before she loaded her new corruption killing bullets. 'Let's see you dodge these you son of a bitch!' Helga raised her gun and fired. Unfortunately, the Guardian saw her moving and jumped out of the way. Helga growled. One bullet wasted and she couldn't afford to waste any.

Arnold remained keeled over for a moment, but found himself unable to move when a scarily familiar feeling returned to haunt him. The sensation that would occur when the Otherworld shift was approaching. The Guardian raised his hands, palms facing the ceiling with his fingers curled upward, and the siren began to sound, tearing up the world around them and calling forth the hellish Otherworld.

"I gave you all a chance," the Guardian said in a deadly low voice. "Now you're going to pay for disregarding and spurning my mercy." He readied himself to attack but found himself face to face with AJ once more on the attack. To his surprise, however, AJ didn't immediately charge him, instead swinging his blade and cutting through the barbed wire that held Lila suspended in the air. She hit the ground with a thump but managed to squirm out of the barbed wire, cutting her otherwise pristine skin and tearing her clothing some, before grabbing the knife near her feet and readying herself to attack again.

"There's only one problem with that," AJ muttered. "We've got you outnumbered!"

"So did the cultists," the Guardian commented in a chilling, evil, tone that nearly stopped the hearts of the four kids. AJ shook himself free of the fear and charged forward, followed shortly after by Arnold and Lila. The three of them attempted to engage the Guardian at close range to no avail. The shadowy figure danced through and around their attacks with nary a care. Even with that massive blade, he wasn't slowed in the slightest. Once an opening presented itself the Guardian swung the blade, smacking Arnold and Lila aside with the flat of it and once more engaged AJ in one on one combat. Helga readied her gun but hesitated. If she missed again and hit her comrade, well, that wouldn't do her psyche any favors, especially given what she just went through. Instead, she kept her aim focused on the Guardian and her finger rested on the trigger, ready to squeeze at a second's notice.

The two clashed briefly before the Guardian exploited his strength and, using the massive sword to parry the katana, pulled the blade back and drove it through the stomach of the boy in front of him. AJ stopped short with a gasp for breath. His eyes widened in shock and what could be assumed to be pain as they looked down and spied the blade sticking out of his gut. Arnold, Helga, and Lila could also see that not only did the blade go in the front, but it was also sticking slightly out of the back. The Guardian had all but run him through. AJ, his body responding to the shock, dropped to his knees as the pain overcame him and his body stopped moving. His eyes remained wide, staring at the figure in front of him again. With a quick tug, the Guardian dislodged the blade from the boy's torso and let him fall over onto the floor, turning his attention to the other three.

"N-No way…" Arnold stammered. He took a step away from the monster before him, his grip on his weapon loosening with each step taken. Helga, even, lost her grip on the pistol and let it hang at her side, her fear of the being in front of her once more rearing its ugly head and rendering her immobile. Lila, surprisingly, was the only one that didn't back down.

"You monster…" she all but whispered as her hands balled into fists, her grip on her knife tightening. The Guardian turned his head to face her, his shadowed eyes focused entirely on the redhead. "YOU EVER SO HORRID GODDAMNED MONSTER!" Lila, in a rage, raced forward, swinging her knife at the Guardian in the hopes of landing a blow. Alas, it was not to be.

Faced with an enraged girl swinging a weapon, the Guardian knew his strengths outweighed hers. She was a novice with the weapon she was holding while he had intimate knowledge of his blade and how to use it. She never had a chance to begin with. For every swing Lila would execute, the Guardian would respond in turn by simply moving his blade in the way of her knife, letting the smaller blade collide with a clang each time. Still, though she seemed to be making no headway in her battle, her eyes held no sign of surrender. Arnold, snapping out of his fear-induced state, regained his grip on his bat and charged in again.

The Guardian, not wanting to deal with the Football Head, shoved Lila back far enough that he could swing the blade and once more struck Arnold with the flat of it. The impact was hard enough that it sent him flying through the air. Arnold flew back and crashed into Helga, both kids being knocked out by the single attack. Lila managed to recover but, instead of charging ahead mindlessly, stared down the seemingly omnipotent creature before her.

"Three down," he spoke. "Is that really it? Is that all the challenge you four can provide me?" He turned toward Lila and began a steady approach toward her. "I need you alive to serve my purpose, and this marks the second time they've spurned the mercy I've shown. It's the first time for you, though, isn't it?" Lila said nothing, opting to glare hatefully at him. The Guardian returned her glare with an emotionless stare as he stopped less than a foot from her. His eyes ventured back to the one he'd stabbed. Reaching into the shadows, he procured a first-aid kit and tossed it toward her. "Use it on him, and use it quickly if you want him to survive. He still has a long way to go if he wants to escape and something tells me you'd prefer to help him in said endeavor." Lila looked down at the first-aid kit briefly before her eyes shot back up to the being before her.

"Why are you doing this?" Lila asked, her tone finally conveying something other than fury; it was sorrow. "Why must you torment us like this?!" She'd heard it a few times from Arnold, but she'd much rather hear it straight from the demon's mouth. Despite her slowly crumbling fury, she still managed to maintain a strong grip on her weapon, just in case the Guardian attempted to attack again, though at this point she was unsure what she could do alone.

"I've told Arnold a few times already. I'm here to do whatever it is I damn well please," the Guardian explained. "I don't need a reason to do the things that I do. In this case, however, there is a method to my madness. I'm using my power to force you all to face your innermost darkness so that you may have a chance at escape. If you continue to deny that which is a part of yourself, you'll remain trapped here, forever. I'm bringing that darkness out of you so you're forced to confront yourself and overcome it, or be consumed by it, as I've done with so many others who've failed. Not all human beings strive to better themselves without a push, Lila Sawyer. I'm here to supply that push. Why do you think I haven't done too much to you, yet?" Lila shuddered.

'Yet?' She thought fearfully.

"You strive to better yourself and, when you must face your darkness, you will face it with your head held high," the Guardian continued. "The others, not so much. They only face change when there is no other option and, even then, sometimes they'll enact their own change to counter the unwelcome changes in their lives. Helga's done it, even Arnold's done it, even if his changes were for someone else's benefit. They have darkness within them, as do you. Your darkness, however, is far greater than either of their own, even combined. As you continue your quest to free your father, you will come to understand and face that darkness. How you face it, however, is up to you." Lila took the time while the Guardian spoke, since he seemed to be distracted, and raced over AJ's prone form while grabbing the first-aid kit from the floor. She checked his pulse, faint but still there, and opened the kit, taking great relief as she saw his wounds heal, though he still remained unconscious. Turning around, she was surprised to see the Guardian followed her movements. Seems he wasn't as distracted as she thought.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Lila queried.

"I'm telling you this," the Guardian began, "because I won't ever have to tell it to you again. You don't need the push that I give the others. When you've had to face change, you've always faced it. This will be no different and you've made a big step in that today. That's why I tell you. That's why I don't torment you as much, if at all. You don't need a shove to face what changes may come, and the same will be true for your darkness. You just need to decide for yourself when that time comes. Will you accept it as a part of yourself or deny it ever existed in the first place? The choice, and your fate, is in your own hands." Lila continued to stare at the figure before her until the siren once more sounded off in the distance. Her vision soon went white.

As she opened her eyes, she and her friends were back in the Fog World, back in the same room they'd been in when the first shift occurred. The biggest difference? The Guardian was nowhere in sight and there was nothing left that remained of his presence. Well, nothing except Arnold and Helga knocked out in a pile on one side of the room and a new, large, gash in AJ's vest. She reached into her dress pocket and removed the health drink inside, the one she'd had since nearly the very beginning, and pulled off the top to take a drink. To her surprise, there was nothing inside of it, not even a liquid. Even so, she felt the pain in her body leave her as her wounds sealed.

Lila sighed and sat down in her place, knowing that she'd have to wait until the others woke up before she could really do anything else. She'd try her hardest to protect them, it was the least she could do, but she knew for a fact that if she left them, it was very likely that they would die. She sat back and pulled up her knees in front of her, hugging them even while the knife still rested in her hand. She could do it. She'd have to. To her immense relief, however, she wouldn't have to deal with it alone. Within moments AJ began to stir and opened his eyes again.

"You're alive!" Lila almost squealed. After seeing him get pierced like he did, even she had doubts anyone could survive that. She crawled over and threw her arms around him, hugging him as though he'd disappear if she let go. Tears began to well up in her eyes and fall, wetting his clothing. He let out a light chuckle and returned the embrace, albeit gently.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alive…" he said, almost somberly. "For the time being anyway. How did I even survive that? I was sure I was as good as dead." Lila released her embrace and looked at him, a smile on her face despite the tears in her eyes.

"The… Guardian," she began, almost unsure of how to explain what happened. "He gave me a first-aid kit to use on you so you'd survive." AJ sighed and shook his head. "What's the matter?"

"I just wish I knew what he was thinking. He doesn't owe me a damned thing so why would he just decide to spare my life? It doesn't make sense and I doubt he'd do it for whimsy's sake."

"He said that…" Lila paused, "well, he said that he does whatever he wants and doesn't need a reason for any of it. It seems as though he'll do anything he wants to just because he can. If he chooses to spare our lives, then I'm thankful for it, but I doubt he'll stay his hand if we continue to fight him like this."

"No, he certainly won't," AJ agreed. "To be honest, he probably should've killed us all right then and there." His right hand rose up and rubbed the spot where Helga had shot him. "Still, I've got to give him credit. He knows how we think and how to manipulate the situation to better serve his needs."

"She didn't do it on purpose," Lila defended.

"I know she didn't," AJ replied. "She was trying to hit him but got me instead. The Guardian simply planned on exactly that and played the situation so that it occurred. I feel bad for her, especially considering what the Guardian must've done to her before."

"It was ever so horrible," Lila admitted. "I don't know what I'd do if he did that to me. I think… I think I'd be a broken person if he did. The fact that Helga was able to regain her bearings, even for an ever so short moment, well, it says that she has incredible inner strength."

"I think this entire group does," AJ pointed out, "or else we wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting anything done here. Yeah, for some of us it's obvious, I'll admit. That doesn't mean that someone doesn't have it because they can't show it at will. Sometimes it takes something big for that to occur but, once it does and they harness it, they'll be capable of amazing things." AJ turned and smiled at Lila. "You've shown a bit of your own, you know. If you learn to control it, you'll be a force to be reckoned with." He paused and laughed. "As if you're not already just that!" Lila smiled back at him.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Eh?" He queried.

"For believing in me," Lila elaborated. "It's no surprise that I'm… not exactly the strongest out of everyone. I'm timid most of the time and I only know how to take command in ever so specific situations. But, despite all that, you never once believed I was weak. Only that I needed training to bring out the best in me. Arnold and Helga, they don't say it, but I know that they must think I'm a liability. Ever since we got here I've been in the back, hiding while everyone else did the fighting."

"It's not really who you are," AJ added. Lila stared at him. "You're not the type of person who takes command and tells everyone what needs to be done. You more or less prefer to go with the flow. There's nothing wrong with that, but for now, you need to become a leader. You need to become stronger. It's not weakness to be afraid. Being afraid is what defines bravery. It's facing the things that we fear for a reason that's above ourselves that makes someone brave. In that respect, Lila, I'd dare to say you're one of the bravest people I've ever seen here, especially since I saw what you did to the Guardian." Lila's eyes widened.

"I… I'm ever so a-afraid that I'm not sure what came over me," Lila stammered out. "For one moment, I just… exploded."

"Well, whatever it was, it proved my point that you're the most dangerous person of our group," AJ continued. "That's why you were able to actually hit him. He never expected it. He's in all of our minds except for yours for some reason. He can't predict you as well as he can predict us. Call it an advantage, but the more he sees you fight, the better he'll get. If we can keep you from fighting, you can be our trump card."

"Do you think it can work?" Lila asked.

"Who knows?" AJ responded. "It's worth a shot, I think." Lila nodded. "Well, nothing to do now but wait until these two dodos wake up." Despite herself, Lila giggled at the comment.

"That's not nice."

"So? You still laughed," AJ pointed out. Shaking her head, Lila sat down next to him. It was like that they would wait until their companions would awaken. Still, in this hellish town where nightmares becoming reality was a regular occurrence, Lila could argue that how she felt in this one moment was where she felt more at peace with everything than in a long time.

Me: There's the chapter.

Rendan: So we're getting more of an insight into the Guardian's abilities, as well as his method.

Me: Something like that. For all they know he could be flat out lying to them.

Zero: You know, though.

Me: Well duh, I'm writing this ya'know. Would be sad if the writer didn't know what was going on.

Rendan: True.

Me: Anyway, I'd like to give out a personal thank you to my fans who never gave up on me, the ones that stayed favorited and believed that I wasn't dead. I'm not dead folks! Not yet, anyway. So! With that in mind, I have a question for you all, one that you can either answer in PM form or in a review, but, please, in the case of the latter, PLEASE WRITE THE REVIEW FIRST BEFORE RESPONDING. An entire review should not revolve around a response to a question, at least that's what I think. So, here's MY question. What do you think of how things are unfolding? What do you think of the characters? Is the Guardian proving to be a threatening foe and what do you think of the group members themselves? I know there's some hate for Lila which, believe me, I get. Not everyone likes the "little miss perfect" type of person. If you'd like to, ask me a question and I may just respond to it at the end of next chapter. Hell, I might even offer a comment to your comment. I don't know yet. Silent Hill gives me the freedom to do whatever I want, Just Because. Of course, if you respond via PM, please let me know if I have permission to put your PM at the end of the chapter so I can respond to it.

Zero: Will that do it for this time?

Me: Yes, I think that'll do it. Oh! And so I set the record straight. I don't think I'll ever be doing a 'Monster Dictionary' on the Guardian himself. Maybe I will, but I don't know yet. So, yep, that's it everyone! Again, a big thank you to those that have stuck by me and this story, and I hope I continue to impress!

Rendan: Be good and be safe everyone!

Me: We're outta here!