Kirby and the Rod of Darkness
Chapter 29: Help From Halcandra
The Lor Starcutter sailed through Another Dimension in search of Shadread and Mirrobo. Magolor, Taranza, and Susie kept an eye on the map during the journey. "No sign of Shadread so far," Magolor observed.
On the other side of the room, Spider Kirby was entertaining himself by bouncing up and down on a big spiderweb. "Whee!" he said to himself, "Sometimes I just can't resist bouncing on my webs! Good thing I'm not a bug."
Some time had passed when something familiar finally showed up on the computer screen; it was a small round robot hovering around an area filled with machinery. "Wait a minute, isn't that Mirrobo?" Taranza pointed it out upon noticing it.
Magolor looked closely. "It sure is!" he replied, "It appears to be in Egg Engines on Halcandra. What's it doing there?"
"I don't know," Susie said, "but if Mirrobo is there, it's possible Shadread isn't far away." And so the Lor flew to Egg Engines and landed there. Susie and Taranza headed outside to check the place out. Magolor started to follow them, but then he noticed Kirby still bouncing on a web and not paying any attention. He hovered over to him, grabbed him, and took him outside.
The Lor had landed not far from where Mirrobo was last detected. It was an outdoor area containing a long straight path. Egg Engines was visibly made up almost entirely of machinery, with multiple factories and mechanical flowers scattered around. The sky was a dark purple color and Halcandra's volcanic features were visible off in the distance. As the four visitors walked along the path, they saw no inhabitants aside from the occasional Halcandra Dee and Halcandra Burt passing by. Of course, Susie was especially impressed by it all. "This place is fascinating!" she marveled, "I wonder who built it?"
"Some Halcandra natives who used to live here, probably," Magolor said in reply, "I think they've long since abandoned it, though."
Kirby, meanwhile, wasn't exactly interested in the scenery. All he could think about was how much he'd wanted to continue playing with his bouncy web. That was why his expression brightened when he caught sight of a spring in the middle of the path. He eagerly dashed over to it and started bouncing on it, but he only got to do a few jumps before he suddenly stopped in midair. He looked up to find that Mirrobo was right above him and had grabbed him! He quickly tossed spiderwebs at the robot, wrapping it up and causing it to drop him.
The pod containing Mirrobo fell to the ground and Taranza, who came over with Magolor and Susie, picked it up and hurled it against the nearest wall. The impact caused Mirrobo to be released, but it teleported away before anyone could attack again. "It got away," Taranza sighed, "No sign of Shadread yet, either."
"He must not be here," Magolor decided, "I guess we should go back." But the moment everyone turned to leave they suddenly saw Landia descending in front of them. Magolor froze at the sight of the dragon he'd once antagonized.
However, Landia did not seem angry as he landed. "Do not be afraid, Magolor," he said to the startled mage, "While it is true that you betrayed your friends and stole the Master Crown...you also atoned for your misdeeds, making amends with those you betrayed and destroying the crown, so no one would succumb to its power again. That was very noble of you."
"Th-thanks," Magolor stuttered, still a little nervous. He was both surprised and relieved that Landia wasn't angry with him.
"I saw the four of you come to Halcandra," the four-headed dragon continued, "so I approached you because there is something I must tell you. Shadread is still alive, but he is no longer in Another Dimension."
This information was somewhat surprising to hear. "We came here because we suspected he was still causing trouble," Taranza said, "But...if he's not in this dimension, then where is he?"
"I am afraid even I do not know his current location," Landia replied, "but I can still sense his presence somewhere out there."
Kirby looked a bit disappointed. "I wish we knew where he was. The Dream Rod's been stolen again, and I bet he's the one behind it!"
There was a brief pause before Landia spoke again. "The ancients who lived on Halcandra long ago crafted the Dream Rod. Because it is filled with positive energy and has the ability to summon a hero's friends in times of need, the forces of evil are no match for its power. Shadread knows this, and that is why he has stolen it."
Magolor found this piece of information quite interesting. "So the ancients did create the Dream Rod!" he said, "I had a feeling that might have been the case-their work is so fascinating, after all!"
"Yes," Landia answered, "The ancients were a highly advanced civilization. They made numerous treasures and machines found throughout the universe, such as the Dream Rod and Dream Palace, the Star Rod and Fountain of Dreams, and the Lor Starcutter."
Susie hadn't said a word throughout the whole conversation. At the moment she was struggling with her emotions and the questions she had deep inside. "They were the ones who built Star Dream," she finally spoke somewhat softly before raising her voice to a normal level, "That terrible computer robbed me of my childhood, erased my father's memories, and in the end it killed him! Why would anyone create something like that?" Tears began to fall from her eyes as she finished speaking, but she wiped them away the best she could.
It was true-Star Dream was responsible for all the trauma Susie had experienced. Struggling to survive for years in Another Dimension, being treated as nothing more than an employee by her own father, failing to bring him to his senses before it was too late...it was all Star Dream's fault, and it was just so awful!
Landia placed one wing around the upset girl comfortingly. This was a gentle side of him which no one present had ever seen before. "I am so sorry," he said to her, "Words cannot express how difficult that must have been for you." He looked up again and continued, "All of the works of the ancients were crafted with good intentions. However, some of them were left unfinished, which is why they did not work as they were meant to."
The dragon proceeded to explain. The inventions he'd previously mentioned were all completed, so they worked for benevolent purposes; but there were also three others that were incomplete. These were the mechanical comet Galactic Nova, Star Dream, and the Master Crown.
The former two were designed to grant righteous wishes, but they were not given any knowledge of right and wrong. Because of that, Nova would grant any wish without exception while Star Dream instead took control of its users and erased their memories. The Master Crown was intended to give heroes limitless power so they could defeat villains, but instead it gave this power to anyone who wore it while also causing insanity. That was why star energy from multiple planets was required to summon Nova. That was why Landia, the only one who could resist the Master Crown's effects, once wore the artifact at all times. Fortunately Kirby had destroyed Nova and Star Dream and Magolor destroyed the Master Crown, so they wouldn't be causing trouble again.
Magolor and Taranza were fascinated by the information they'd just heard about. Kirby, on the other hand, was more interested in bouncing on the spring some more. "I understand now," Susie said, having calmed down, "We didn't know Star Dream was incomplete when we found it."
All of a sudden another four-headed dragon flew over to the group; he looked just like Landia except his scales were navy blue and his eyes were bright yellow. Kirby was so surprised, he landed on his head on the ground instead of on the spring. "Wh-wh-what?! Another Landia?!" Taranza exclaimed. Susie and he stared at the newcomer in disbelief.
"I am Parallel Landia," the dragon introduced himself, "I come from a different area of Another Dimension. I know where Shadread is. If you follow me, I will show you." Landia nodded, letting the others know they could trust his lookalike. He wished them luck before they went back to the Lor, boarded it, and set off after Parallel Landia.
The travelers flew through a dimensional rift. "I'm sorry I got so upset like I did," Susie told her friends during the ride.
All three of them were very understanding. "Don't be sorry," Taranza replied, "Like you've told me before, everyone needs to grieve sometimes. All of us will always be there for you." Kirby and Magolor agreed.
This response made Susie a little bit emotional. "Aww...thank you, everyone." She pulled the others into a hug.
A few moments later, Parallel Landia and the Lor emerged from the rift. They'd arrived at what appeared to be a village containing a small shop, a large bulletin board, and a Gem Apple tree, with numerous houses visible in the background. "Hey, I recognize this place!" Magolor said upon seeing it on the map, "This is the Dream Kingdom!"