Lucifer's cave
"You're one for pleasant greetings, Lucy." Medusa remarked. "Still feeling sour about You-Know-Who?"
"I was not pleased to be cast into your shadow, Medusa." The black mass that was Lucifer spoke with malice. "When Malladus, that wretched usurper, scolded me for my failure… I felt utter disrespect. I felt less than demon. I wanted to crush him. I wanted to crush Uncle Malladus in my own two hands. Why did he find love and I could not?!"
Lucifer began panting. The three gods could feel the emotion in his voice. "I can't get over it. I still want her. I still love her. I still love… ELLEN WICKENS! I am a disgrace to my kind to love a mortal! But I cannot abandon these feelings. I cannot stomach mortals who feel love for other mortals. I want a mortal to love me! If I were loved like Malladus was loved… I could become more fierce."
Sipa was still bowing on the floor. Medusa surmised that, being in the presence of such a great demon, she was in no position to speak. She would be on the floor like the lowly human she is, and let the two Demon Saints speak. Medusa walked closer to the evil spirit. "But Lucy, you did crush Malladus. If it wasn't for your rambling about Ellen, Malladus never would've chosen to fall in love with a mortal. Malladus doomed himself when he transferred his own life force to his descendants. It is because of you the Uno Family exists!"
"That doesn't please me! It is only Malladus, scattered into tiny pieces. But I do not care for him. He is not the one…"
"We know that. We know who the one is. Because we want him too, Lucy."
Lucifer looked at the possessed boy with inquiry and hatred. Medusa smirked and stepped closer. "We need the Six Demon Saints to rescue him from the Sanzu River. He's one of the Thirteen Darknesses. You know who I'm talking about, don't you? The Devil Reincarnate himself. Ganondorf Dragmire!"
There was a reaction in his eyes. "Ganondorf… I've spent many a year with that man's crotch on my back. The only reason I served him was because I felt my father's presence inside him. I thought, if I served him, I would get to see my father, Lord Demise, again. And the only reason I wanted to see him… was so I could DESTROY him! I, Lucifer, the King of Black Magic, would be Emperor of Hell."
"But Grim Reaper is the king now." Pandora mentioned. "Why don't you crush him?"
"Because… he is stronger than me. He destroys my kind… Hollows and Arrancar. Even now, I struggle to hide from the Spirit Kids Next Door. The only one who could destroy him… is Demise. Yes, I do wish to rescue Ganondorf. But I wish to destroy him after. I cannot do that in this state… I need to appear stronger before him. I want love… I want to be… MARRIED."
The statement took Medusa by surprise. She looked at the girl who was still bowing. "Married? Then… Sipa will do."
Sipa gasped, her head flying back up as her eyes showed terrific shock. "L-Lady Medusa…"
"Yes, she is a perfect match. And a very devout Ganonist. You would love to be wed to one of the Royal Demon Saints. You even have part of each other's soul."
"Huuur, yes… She does…" Sipa felt a chill in her spine when Lucifer touched a single, sharp finger to her gently. "A soul… so dismantled and poisoned… Perhaps it is what I needed… all along… Feelings of hatred… and LOVE…"
"W-Well, it… does sound wonderful." Sipa stuttered, forcing a smile. "But my love is for Ganon! I couldn't betray…"
"The only way you will be able to see Ganon…" Sipa looked up at Medusa, "would be to do what he says. Besides, a kind of two-sided love like this is what our Bad Lord would want."
"Yes… I cannot possess a human vessel, unless we are joined in unholy matrimony. Allow yourself to be mine… Give your love to me, Sipa… and we will both get to see Lord Ganon again. Isn't this… what you wanted?"
Sipa felt the darkness around her grow. She was swallowed in despair… and didn't know why. I was raised to love… no one but Lord Ganon. I burned my soul and many others… all for his sake. I loved nobody else. So why… do I feel this way? Why am I so afraid to speak his name? Why am I afraid… to be near these people? These… demons?
"Sipa…" A hand touched her shoulder. Sipa looked up into the eyes of that boy. Those snake green eyes… of the boy whom Medusa was possessing. "Marry Lucifer for us… For everything that is the Demon Realm… you will want to do this."
Maybe these feelings were what Sipa was seeking. Her mind a haze, fear shrouding her heart… these were what she gained from serving Ganon. This was the path she wanted. She should follow it… to the end. "Yes. I do…" She looked up at the black demon. "I will marry you, Lucifer."
"I get to design the bridal dress!" Thanatos raised his hand eagerly. "I don't know if you know, but I make beautiful bridal dresses."
"The wedding shall take place tomorrow at negative noon." Medusa said. "And as for a location…" She looked at Nerehc's right hand. "I believe this amnesia epidemic can work to our advantage."
DNK Moonbase
The DNK has been leaderless for almost a year, but given their uncaring natures, it didn't feel very different from how things normally were. Annaira, Atnort, Beewv, and Avakam had no idea why they were here on Moonbase. Ininap and Sicnarf remembered bringing them here, but had no idea why they would ever want to, given their actions in the past. "S-Sicnarf!" Ininap stuttered, pointing at the balcony window. "Th-There's a ship coming!"
"What?" Indeed, a S.U.B.L.O.O.C. was flying full speed at the glass wall. All of the operatives ducked out of the way before it smashed through, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.
The three to step off the vehicle were Medusa, Thanatos, and Pandora in their human vessels. "Since this is the Negaverse, we land ships through the window, right?" the Goddess of Darkness inquired rhetorically.
"Isn't that Eirik's mom?" Sicnarf asked. "What're they doing here? And who's that boy?"
"You don't need to know the story behind this child." Medusa said. "Just that he is the vessel I specially chose for my operations. Destructively Nefarious Kids, I am the Goddess of Darkness, Medusa!"
"Medusa?" Atnort questioned. "Is that s'posed to be the Positive Asudem?"
"Yes, and NO! Asudem was only a myth, but I'm the genuine creator of Darkness. My associates and I need these human bodies to hide from the gods. Not that the gods often look here, I suppose. Now, you must be wondering why I decided to show myself in this weathered old treehouse. The answer is simple: I am taking over the DNK as Supreme Leader!"
"SAYS WHO?!" Beewv shouted. "If you're a goddess, you must be WAY under -13!"
"Actually, even though I'm my sister's 'Negative,' I still go by Positive numbers, which means I am far over -13." Medusa smirked. "And even if I wasn't, this body is still within age requirements. Besides, it's not like your organization has any real order. Ask yourselves this… what outstanding things has the DNK accomplished in the past years?"
The base fell silent for a moment, thinking. "Um…" Ininap stuttered, "Ah-I seem to recall, we made friends with… the Nimbi DNK."
"And we… beat up those DNKG." Yddam remembered.
"Whoever said you were friends with anyone? And who was it that ultimately destroyed DNKG's leader?" Medusa asked.
They fell silent again. True, no one in their leaderless group officially made a friendship pact with any other DNK, and they had no idea how DNKG leader, Aluben ended up destroying herself. "Their leader destroyed herself of her own accord." Medusa finally stated. "And in time, the same will happen to the lot of you. Because this realm is and always has been a world of darkness! The Negatars were the embodiments of this dimension's very darkness! That's why the gods look away from this world, and why I, the Goddess of Darkness, choose to walk among you. Destructively Nefarious Kids… help me locate the Thirteen Darknesses. With them, we will establish dominion over the universes, and shun the gods in the way that they have shunned us!"
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Hcaz spoke up. "What's this about Thirteen Darknesses?"
"Oh, right, they don't remember that, either." Medusa said to herself. "All will be revealed in good time, my friends. I wish for you to elect me your leader. If you do, I have a marvelous proposal: I have drawn up, and will sign the official Demon-Negative Alliance Treaty!" Medusa whipped out a contract with dark symbols.
"Demon-Negative pardon me??" Sicnarf questioned.
"The demons are the 'Negatives' of the spirits, therefore it is in our best interests to sign a pact with them. Their powers combined with ours will make us formidable."
"B-B-But why w-w-would the demons c-c-cooperate with us?" Ininap shuddered at the idea.
"This is all ridiculous!" Sicnarf shouted. "You expect even a leaderless organization like us to follow the ideals of a dark spirit like you?"
"Don't you understand anything?" Medusa spoke. "The one to destroy DNKG leader Aluben was the overabundance of darkness that consumed her. It was ME! The one who manipulated those two brats," she indicated Ininap and Sicnarf, "into bringing the former DNKG operatives here, regardless of their misdeeds, was my dark essence manipulating them! I am the Supreme Leader you were always missing, but was always here, and I am the one who will make your Negative kind rise! And besides, I am not the only one who favors the Demon-Negative Alliance. Sipa, Lucifer, come out."
The young Ganonist that many of them knew and feared stepped out of the ship with a forced smile. The operatives raised their weapons when a vicious wolf with red eyes followed her. "Don't you irksome worms point those weapons at me. I am Lucifer of the Six Demon Saints. I possessed this wolf I found in the desert, but I am not to be underestimated. And this child has agreed to become my bride."
"As part of the Demon-Negative Alliance, a marriage between a Negative and a demon will be established." Medusa explained. "And Lucifer, as a Demon Saint, can establish the alliance by signing the treaty. That's only if I become your leader. However, Lucy plans to marry Sipa, anyway. If the Negatives and demons are not aligned, he will have every position and power to destroy you if he pleases. Because once Sipa is his bride, their powers will become one! Now, wouldn't you want someone like that on your side?"
"Y-You're… blackmailing us…" Inap stuttered.
"Goddess of Darkness." Medusa shrugged. "I like everything black. Still, let's assume that I keep Lucy under control… the benefits to my leadership weigh heavily in your favor. It's a very easy decision to make, I would say."
The operatives were all looking at each other. The DNKG kids didn't seem to care what happened to this organization they didn't like. But Sicnarf, suspecting Medusa to play unfairly, made the decision for them. "We'll let you be our leader… for now."
"That's a smart decision. We will have this place clean and have the wedding here by tomorrow at negative noon. Or would that be midnight?" Medusa thought aloud. "Sigh, I never understood the differences between time in these worlds."
Sector -W7 Treehouse (-8:00ma)
The news about Sipa and Lucifer's supposed wedding spread quickly, and everyone was feeling either excited or worried. When Nega-Sector W7 heard the news, Asia, the black-winged Nimbi obsessed with cleanliness, offered to help Sipa prepare. "Okay, Sipa, I'm done putting it on." Asia said to her friend. "You like it?"
Sipa stared at herself in a mirror: she was clothed in a black wedding gown, in which the collar had devil horns attached. Sipa turned and stared at all sides of her. "I look like a real Demon Princess! Oh, Asia, I'm so happy my dreams are coming true! Marrying a real Demon Saint, I'll have a position of power in the Underworld! Maybe one day, I can shed this mortal skin and become a true demon!"
"Sipa, you were always kind of messed up in the past, but… is this really what you want? Giving up your entire free will to some monster? Do you even love Lucifer?"
"HA ha ha! Are-Har you kidding, Asia?" Sipa chuckled, sporting a forced cheerful grin. "Of course I love Lucifer! A disciple; nay, a son, of Lord Ganon himself. I could just feel the evil radiating from his soul! I can only imagine what he'll do to me. How my soul is going to look after he's finished sucking it. Maybe I'll change into a dementor, and lose all my feelings, and-"
"Are you even LISTENING to yourself?!" Asia's shout startled Sipa, but the latter still bore a vibrant expression. "I sewed a dress and helped you get it on, but I can NOT understand how a girl is so okay with DESTROYING herself! Do you really value Ganonism more than your own existence?! Do you honestly want to do this? Sipa, look at me and say, with utmost truth, you want to marry Lucifer."
Sipa looked at her, her eyes still wide and her mouth a grin. Asia saw the bags under her eyes. The aching feeling at the corners of her forced smile, the deep fear and doubt in her dark eyes. Asia, a person who didn't tend to notice things well, sensed these things clearly. "…I don't." Sipa frowned, and Asia felt the truth in her voice. "I'm afraid… Asia… I really don't think… I want to do this."
"So why are you? Is that Medusa lady forcing you to?"
"N-No… Er… I mean… I don't know!" Sipa fell to her knees. "I thought I could help the Demon Saints by doing this. I thought… this fear in my heart was what I was seeking. I've…I've been afraid of the Underworld for weeks. I don't know why I began feeling this way, but I hate this feeling! I really hate…" Tears began to form. "Isn't this despair, and this hate… what our world is made from? Shouldn't I… wish to feel this way?"
"Sipa… I think you're completely confused. Your grandpa forced you to worship Ganon, so you grew up thinking it was the correct path. I think that, deep down… you really don't want to do any of it, anymore. You're afraid of disappearing. You don't want this."
Sipa clasped Asia's baggy pants and pulled herself to them, soaking the clothing with her tears. "I'm really scared, Asia. I want to back out of it, but I dunno…"
"No, no, it's okay." Asia smiled and patted Sipa's hair. "It hasn't begun, yet. You don't have to do it. You don't have to do anything they say."
"Then… sniff." She looked up at Asia's eyes. "Whaddo I do?"
"We'll go up there… and tell them to call this off. We'll send the memo to every other DNK sector, and get them all to protect you if those monsters try anything."
"Why would the other sectors wanna help me? Why would they… care?"
"…" Asia thought for a minute. "I don't know. I just… feel like they will."
Night Castle
Ragus fed her new toy a plastic bottle of milk. Ragus couldn't decide what animal skin to sew on the lifeless puppet… In the end, she chose to make him a platy-pony-cardinal-lion-iguana-froad. The result was too hideous and too hard to remember to want to describe. Ragus already forgot the original name of this person… so now its name was Nosrednug.
"…It's my father's fault I'm like this. He wanted me to be beautiful forever, so he converted me into a living doll. I'm still angry at him. But it doesn't bother me. Because Lady Medusa said she would kill him after this wedding. I can't wait for that. …" Ragus looked at the ceiling. "It's sure to begin soon. Whatever force is causing everyone to forget you… I hope it lasts for just a few more hours. …I guess I'll go back up there."
Moonbase
It was -11:55ma. Every DNK sector had gathered in the audience chamber, viewing the stage where Medusa, Ragus, and Lucifer stood. The massive chamber was filled with a dead silence, and everyone was impatiently waiting for the bride to make her appearance. "She's just gonna turn it down, right?" Yllas whispered to her teammates.
"Shhh!" Ynohtna hushed her.
"Lady Medusa, my father will be killed after this, right?" Ragus asked her mistress.
"Sooner than you think." Medusa smirked. "I sent Pandora and Thanatos down to Asorsserd to do the deed. Hope that gives you something to look forward to."
"It does, My Lady. …Oh! The bride is coming."
The right stage door opened as Sipa walked in with Asia at her side. She looked both pretty and scary in her black dress, holding a bouquet of dead grey flowers. They stopped three feet from Lucifer, who still possessed a black desert wolf. Sipa's expression was morbid. "My bride…" The demon hissed. "You look beautiful…"
"A girl needs time to prepare, even in this world…" Medusa commented. "But better late than never. In three more minutes, I will join you two in eternal matrimony. If either of you have vows, you had better speak now."
"I have a few things to say…" Sipa spoke lowly. "Ever since I was little… my deepest dream was to burn my mortal soul and become a small piece of the Underworld's darkness. And with every sin I commit… I felt my soul steadily decaying away." It was -11:59. Everybody's hearts were racing from the tension. "And now… when I'm only a couple words away… from losing myself completely… to a demon as renowned and… feared as you…"
Lucifer hissed through his grinning, drooling fangs. Sipa's lovely dark form reflected in his glowing red pupils. She looked so… delicious…
"…I realize…" Sipa resumed, "…that all I really want, more than anything… is…"
Ragus let the lifeless doll dangle in her hand. The soul which this doll was inhabiting was asleep. The person inside was no longer what he used to be, but a hideous amalgamation of Ragus's creation.
. . . . The motionless toy shone, and its distorted body began to wobble. The froad and cat legs transformed into human legs in purple pants, the fish fin and octopus tentacle became human arms and hands, and the platypus nose retracted. Whatever this creature was, it became a brown-haired boy with sunglasses and dark-yellow eyes.
The minute the clock struck -12, it felt as though a light went off in everyone's minds. Suddenly, they had weird memories of an alliance with the Nimbi DNK, how their acronym stood for the "Daring New Kids", and some hogwash about a "happier" Negaverse where everyone's nice to each other. And all these ideas were because of one boy whom they clearly remembered as their Supreme Leader.
"NEREHC!!" Sipa screeched after her moment of awestruck silence.
"What?!" Lucifer shouted.
"Ragus, what's going on?!" Medusa shouted.
"I'm as confused as you are, Lady Medusa!" Ragus replied with her still smile and tone. "Out of the blue, I seem to have memory of Nosrednug's real identity!"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Sipa whipped out her Devil's Wand and struck Lucifer.
"UOOOH!" The black wolf died, and the dark energy left its body.
"YOU!" Sipa aimed the wand at Medusa's possessed body. "LET NEREHC GO!"
"Better do what she says!" Sicnarf ordered as a troupe of guards trained their weapons on the goddess.
Before Medusa knew it, the whole of the DNK audience were scurrying down the stairs and jumping on stage, surrounding her and Ragus from every direction. "Grrr. This isn't what was supposed to happen!" Medusa growled. "If it'd just been another minute, I would've had everything I needed to…"
"LOOK!" Ikuyim pointed excitedly. "That girl's holding a Nerehc doll! I bet the real Nerehc's trapped inside it!"
"Accio DOLL!" Sipa aimed her wand, and the Nerehc doll flew into her hand. "NEREHC!" She shook it frantically. "Are you in there?! PLEASE WAKE UP!"
Night Castle
"Damn it! I have to get out of this place!" Nerehc stated impatiently, trying to stomp Ragus's sleeping body. However, his foot phased through her like she were a ghost. "How do I wake this chick up?!"
"I'm not sure if it will work," Mr. Penguin said, "but since we're in a Dream Realm, you might wake up if you die."
"Hey, you're right!" Nerehc drew his sword and aimed it at his chest. …He hesitated for a second. "Sure hope this works!" He shut his eyes and slowly moved the sword's tip to poke his chest. …Poke.
Moonbase
"YAH!" The doll jumped out of Sipa's hand and on the stage floor.
"YEEK!" Ininap and Yddam were startled and grabbed each other. The operatives backed away in fear when the doll pushed itself up on its feet.
The doll's beady yellow eyes looked around at all the familiar faces. "Sipa! Sicnarf! Ydolem!" Nerehc's voice spoke happily. "You guys…" He skimmed their bodies up and down. He was only as high as their feet. "…are really tall."
"N-N-Nerehc…" Ininap crouched on all fours and crawled to her master like a curious puppy. "Y-You're a… doll?"
Nerehc looked at his stubby hands and the knees he had trouble balancing on. "Huh… So I am. Anybody have any idea how I got this way?"
"They're getting away!" Yddam yelled when Medusa opened a dark portal.
"Until next time, you fools!" Medusa pulled Ragus in with her.
"STOP!" Sipa grabbed the Nerehc doll and dove after them.
"AAAAH!" She, Ragus, and Medusa tumbled onto the floor of the first bridge, close to the hangar. "ENOUGH!" The Dark Goddess kicked Sipa off and got onto Nerehc's feet, drawing his sword and holding it to his neck. "Back away or I'll cut this boy's neck! I'm curious to see where Demise's spirit will go if he dies, anyway."
"Sipa, throw me on the sword!" Nerehc's doll yelled.
"Huh? Okay. NNNN!" Sipa hurled the little doll across the air, and his stubby arms wrapped around the Devil Sword's white blade.
"Huh?" Medusa stared confusedly at the doll. The way he hugged the sword was adorable…
"GHIRAHIM!" Nerehc called. The white sword flashed, and the diamond-skin Demon Lord leapt out.
"Yaaaaaawn." Ghirahim stretched his trim body. "It's about time I was called out. I was getting a little tired of everyone saying 'Who's Nerehc' all the time." He turned to said boy with a devious smile. "Still, my master… you have seen better days."
"You listen to ME, you hopeless servant." Medusa aimed the sword at him while the Nerehc doll was still hugging it. "The body I'm possessing is the one that houses Demise's soul. I am the one you answer to, not Nerehc!"
"Hmmm…" Ghirahim held a hand over his eyes, still smiling. "And so I'm faced with the conundrum… who do I listen to. It's true that the body Medusa is inhabiting is the one that bears Demise's energy… However, the body truly and officially belongs to Nerehc. The true one that has conquered both Devils and taken their power. Tell me, Medusa… could you defeat them?"
"You know this bitch couldn't!" the Nerehc doll yelled. "Just kick her ass so I can get my body back!"
"Don't even think about it!" Medusa smacked the doll off and held the sword to the body's neck. "It's true that I need Demise's powers to revive Ganondorf, but if they retreated inside Lehcar or one of her children, I can easily persuade them to work for me!"
Ghirahim zipped up to her, kneeling to her face level as he licked his lips. "But will I… work for you?"
"Ouch! Ghirahim, you're standing on me!" The Nerehc doll squirmed under the demon's foot.
"There they are, they've over here!" Sicnarf and the operatives scurried onto the bridge to surround the villains.
"You're not going to get away!" Hcaz stated firmly. "You're overstepping your boundaries as a god. Ininap is praying to the other gods as we speak; they'll be here pretty soon and see what you're doing."
"Hm hm hm hm." Medusa chuckled, keeping the sword by Nerehc's neck. "You 'Daring New Kids' think you're so strong because of your loyalty and dedication to your leader. Nerehc may be leading you Negatives to a path of light… but this very path will destroy you! The Apocalypse will come at the end of this month, and your kind will never survive without MY assistance!"
"You…" Yddam's fists trembled, and a nervous sweatdrop trickled down her face. She was wearing her Fishman Karate gloves. "J-Just… what do you want?"
Medusa's snake green eyes looked at her, making Yddam step back in fright. "My child… don't you know who I am? I am Medusa. The Seeker of the Thirteen Darknesses. The one who is destined to unite the Darknesses, and help the Negatives to find and awaken them! Only I know the identities and locations of each of the Darknesses. The universe will only be saved if they, along with the Seven Lights, are awakened. And the only way you can see for that to happen, is if you listen to me."
The Negatives stood silent with hesitation. Medusa could read their mixed expressions of anger and contemplation. They wanted to attack her for stealing Nerehc's body… but they also thought she could be right. They knew little about the Twenty Keys… so helping Medusa achieve her selfish gain may be their only chance of learning this knowledge.
The operatives looked at the smooshed Nerehc doll, who was back on his feet after Ghirahim got off. He slouched on one knee, but he faced up at Medusa. Even though his beady eyes showed no expression, Medusa could feel him glaring. "A god like you wouldn't even care about us… if the Apocalypse didn't affect you!!"
The operatives exchanged quiet murmurs. Medusa narrowed her eyes. "A Goddess of Evil would relish in our destruction!" Nerehc shouted. "The despair of trillions of souls, feeding her with power! The power to create her own era of darkness. The Apocalypse would be a buffet to you, but it's not! Because the gods are in danger of dying, too! This Apocalypse is more than just the destruction of all life. It's the destruction of anything and EVERYTHING we ever cared about! Isn't it?"
Medusa bit her (Nerehc's) teeth. If Ragus could make any other expression, it would be a quizzical frown. "That includes our existence." Nerehc spoke further through everyone's astonished murmurs. "Our souls, the gods." Even the former DNKG felt anxiety from this knowledge. "The best we know is that only a handful will survive if it happens. This 'Will of Sixes' that Cheren mentioned. But even those people won't understand a thing, even they won't know if they'll survive. …And you don't either. That's why you need us… don't you?"
All eyes were on Medusa, including Ragus's. The goddess looked at the floor with anger in her eyes. She stuck the sword into the floor and knelt down. "I…I'm really not sure what's going to happen. I was told… that Palutena and I would clash at the end… and the winner would decide if the New World is controlled by Light or Darkness. It may be her influence getting to me… but I wonder… if this very prophecy is true. Can I really trust this… Bill Cipher."
The Negatives looked confused. They haven't heard that name before. And it was during this moment of confusion that the dark spirit lurking above seized his chance. Medusa glanced up and smirked, seeing him closing in.
"AAAAHH!" A dark energy seeped into Sipa's body, and the girl began squirming.
"Sipa, what's wrong?!" Nerehc ran up to his girlfriend.
"Given the horrid state your soul is in, I may not NEED to marry you to take over your body!" Lucifer's monstrous voice sounded.
"NO! STOP! Get out of me! Get out of my head!!"
"I'll help!" Ragus skipped up to Sipa and aimed her hand. "Sleep!"
Instantly, Sipa's eyes turned dull and shut as she fell on her back. "Sipa!" Nerehc jumped up on her chest to study her face. "Whaddid you do?!" he yelled at Ragus.
"I have the power to control souls." Ragus said with her creepy smile. "Even lay souls to rest. My powers may be limited to contracts… but dark or weak souls like Sipa or Lucifer's are within my limits. At this moment, they are fighting in Sipa's dreamscape. The winner will become the new owner of the body."
"Are you kidding?! Sipa, wake up!" The doll smacked his girlfriend's cheek, but dealt no pain. "Don't let him control you, just wake up!"
"Even if she could hear you… Lucifer could easily overpower her, anyway." Ragus said. "If you were in there to help, the outcome may be different. I can use my power to transport your soul into Sipa's body, Nerehc. If you are able to save her, I will allow you back into your real body while Medusa leaves. However…" Her smile seemed to stretch wider. "If you are successful, then you must follow Lady Medusa's instructions from now on. You must listen to what she has to say."
"Mmmmnn… mmmmnn…" In her sleep, Sipa was biting her lip and sweating. Her body lightly shook from the struggle taking place inside her. Nerehc couldn't bear to see his girlfriend this way. He couldn't imagine how she may have been suffering. "We will." he said firmly.
"You can't be serious!" Ynohtna yelled. "Even if your reasonings are true, trusting someone as evil as Medusa is-"
"BUT." Nerehc spoke louder to make him silence. "You must only give us instructions, if those instructions will help us find the Thirteen Darknesses, and ONLY the Darknesses! If any of your instructions are irrelevant to the cause, whether it's burning a town or saving a puppy, the contract is off. Got it?"
"…It's a deal." Medusa smirked.
"Good. Now send me in."
"As you wish… Prince Nerehc." Ragus approached and used her power to remove Nerehc's soul from the doll. She placed him inside Sipa's head, and put him to sleep as well.
"I wish I could be a doll," Nosam Atnalamid spoke with heart-shaped eyes, "then my lovely Lorac will cuddle with me as she sleeps, as I keep her safe from nightmares. Miss Ragus, could you perhaps do me such an honor?"
"I kinda hope Sipa's head explodes from all this." Akurah remarked.
"Three souls fighting inside one body, something like that would happen." Asia said. (Play "Hazardous Highway" from Kingdom Hearts II!)
Stage B-8: Death Highway
Mission: Stop Lucifer from taking Sipa's soul.
Nerehc immediately found himself skating down a red, vertical road, whipping past black buildings on either side. The road curved up at the bottom, so Nerehc's rockets began to skate across a flat ground, and he gaped at the view of the horrific dimension. It was a black city suspended above a blood-red sky. There were giant gravestones with deathly skulls, and giant whitish-blue, ghostly flames. "THIS is Sipa's dreamscape? !" he questioned. "More like a nightmare-scape!"
Nerehc skied across the road that swooped down, up like a hill, then down again as his speed increased. At the bottom, Nerehc zipped up a ramp that flew him to a Spring Pad on a floating piece of rubble, which bounced him around a series of Spring Pads before he finally landed on a path within a part of the dark city. Piles of bones rose up and became Stalfos, which charged over to attack Nerehc. When one Stalfos jabbed its blade, Nerehc leapt overhead, swung his sword, and beheaded that Stalfos and the one behind it. He then stabbed them both from behind, and dodged the remaining one's sword. When the third Stalfos swung its blade down, Nerehc bashed it upward with his own sword before slicing the Stalfos across the chest.
Nerehc ran out of the alley and to the city square, where bone piles lay around a fountain of red water (to level down on grossness, he called it water). Each of these Stalfos sprouted to life, but Nerehc wouldn't bother fighting them. Instead, he jumped into the fountain's center, which propelled him up so he could collect a Fire Soul. Nerehc ran further down the street until some springs bounced him on top of the roofs. Fire Keese swooped around, but Nerehc cut each of them with one slice. He had view of the fountain square from this rooftop route, which would lead him to a grind rail. However, a gravestone blocked the rail's base, sending Phantom Embers (green flames with yellow eyes) at Nerehc. Nerehc cut through each Ember as he approached the grave, then cut it to pieces.
Nerehc boosted across the rail as it swirled down, then turned straight as it led him between floating buildings. He had to jump between two rails as parts of buildings blocked parts of them, but once out of the midair alley, the rail swerved around numerous floating structures. It dropped Nerehc on another red highway, and the boy skied ceaselessly when a gigantic spiked tire with rockets began chasing him. A spring bounced Nerehc to a parallel road, where he had view of the skull on the wheel's side. Another spring bounced him back on the road, so he kept running from the tire.
The Death Tire launched rockets that forced Nerehc to dodge left or right, and when he saw a bump coming up on the road, he had to jump. The tire was steadily catching up, but when Nerehc saw a smaller road that curved left, he seized the chance to take it while the wheel kept rolling the bigger road. Nerehc's road zipped up a hill, with springs that launched him to a series of floating platforms. Nerehc cut away the Red Bubbles that were mindlessly bouncing around, and at the end of these platforms, he used his rockets to glide over to another city area.
Redeads were positioned around the ground, and their high-pitched screams froze Nerehc in place. One of the zombies quickly limped over to begin choking the Demon Prince, who stabbed its head with his sword to get it off. Another Redead limped over, but Nerehc set his sword aflame and chopped it. There was a Fire Soul in a right corner past some Redeads, but not wanting to waste time with the zombies, he stayed close to the left wall to avoid them and go down a city street. Nerehc jumped up some boxes, then Wall Kicked his away across the parallel buildings to avoid the Redeads down below. Once past the zombies, the road turned left, leading to a wide dead-end alley with a well. Nerehc bypassed the Redeads before they could turn to face him, and jumped down the well.
He was suddenly grinding across another rail, inside a pitch-black interior where he couldn't see the way. Another rail appeared beside him, and when a gravestone popped up on his current rail, he jumped to the other, then switched back-and-forth when gravestones kept trying to surprise him. The rails brought him to a bigger underground graveyard, where Nerehc hopped across numerous rails, avoiding the stones popping up and the routes that would lead him into a death pit. He noticed a Fire Soul above a rail far to his right, having missed the route it led to. The last rail brought Nerehc through a tunnel, leading him outside as he skied across a lake of red water. He saw another Death Tire whoosh across a highway overhead. At the end of this lake, Nerehc bounced on some springs that would land him on a downward highway—just after the Death Tire sped down.
Nerehc was chasing the tire this time, and it made great distance ahead of him. The tire was dropping mines on the ground, but Nerehc could whip the bombs with his sword and fling them against the tire. At the bottom of this slope, Nerehc began to chase the tire across a wider road with many holes. Nerehc avoided the holes, but made sure to keep in position with the bombs so he could hit them against the tire. Once the tire sustained enough damage, it sped out of control and drove off the edge. Nerehc could now run through a city street at the end of the path—the entrance would've been blocked by the Death Tire if it were still active.
The city path was mostly straightforward except for a few crates Nerehc had to dodge. Once he was through, he arrived at a chasm area with giant skull torches that sprouted fire every few seconds. They were scattered around, so Nerehc jumped to the ones that were closer. The torches continued across the chasm as the path shifted left. Nerehc chopped down Red Bubbles that bounced over and threatened to ignite his torches. He made it to a wide area and jumped the torches to a far left corner so he could collect a Fire Soul. Afterwards, he jumped back and landed on a path on the left of the chasm.
The path directed up and around the wall above the giant torches. At every step, a gravestone releasing Phantom Embers blocked his way, so Nerehc chopped up each one. At the walkway's end, Nerehc skied into a tunnel, which brought him to a steep narrow slope. A spring bounced him to another highway, where he was chased by the first Death Tire again. He dodged two missiles and jumped three bumps before a spring bounced him to the other road, where he was behind the second Death Tire. It dropped bombs that Nerehc whacked with his sword, exploding them on the tire three times before it spun out of control. Nerehc ran onto a wider path, going around the spinning tire and running ahead of both. Nerehc looked back, and gaped when an enormous Ghost Rider flew down from the sky on a motorcycle. The cycle attached itself to both Death Tires and chased Nerehc.
Strips on the front tire caught fire and burned a trail toward Nerehc, so he dodged to a segment of road that wasn't burning. After a few easy dodges and jumping road bumps, the Ghost Rider's motorcycle boosted, the bike tilting back as the front wheel was uplifted. It smashed back down, but Nerehc was now underneath the bike, between both wheels. The bike was moving faster, threatening to smash Nerehc with the back wheel. Since the front was dropping bombs, he batted the bombs into the front to do damage. However, he allowed some bombs to pass and hit the back wheel, and soon, the rear wheel popped off its hinge. The slanted backside dragged along the ground and would burn Nerehc if it caught up. Nerehc hit more bombs into the front wheel until it blew off.
The Ghost Rider activated the bike's rockets and chased Nerehc from the air. He released rows of fireballs that singed spots on the road, forcing Nerehc to maneuver between the diagonal rows. Nerehc boosted to get away from the Rider, going into a city, and when the giant skeleton tried to maneuver down, his craft bumped along the buildings and exploded. His flaming skull flew off, munching loudly as it chased Nerehc, but the boy sped through a tunnel that the skull wouldn't fit into. The tongue was chasing Nerehc like a snake, so with a look of disbelief, Nerehc jumped back and pierced his sword through the limb. With that, he kept running through the city until he overlooked a near-vacant, floating field. (End song.)
Nerehc saw the back of a girl wearing a black dress, with dirty blonde hair. "Sipa!" he called, recognizing her. "Sipa, can you hear me?!"
"I'm afraid she can't…" Nerehc looked up at the source of the dark voice. His body was skinny and black, with boney feet and sharp claws. He had a cracked skull mask that looked like a demon's, with horns, and he slowly flapped down with black feathered wings. "Her soul has gone past its limit…"
Nerehc gasped. "Are you… Lucifer?"
"Yes. I am the Royal Demon Saint, who ate a piece of Sipa's soul long ago. And now… I will devour the rest and claim her body. Perhaps in a physical form… I can attain love…"
Nerehc clenched his teeth with malice. "SIPA, SNAP OUT OF IT! Don't let him take you, run away!"
"…" Sipa slowly turned around. …The second her milky eyes faced Nerehc, broken areas with blood appeared on her body. Her left hand was missing, the front of her right foot was missing, the top left of her head… She looked less like a living, human being. "Sipa…"
"Has destroyed her soul with all of the sins she committed." Lucifer knelt down and softly grasped both of Sipa's arms. "Any human with moderate intelligence can protect their soul from me… but she is more than susceptible. There is no saving a soul like hers… not unless she becomes one with a demon like me."
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Nerehc blasted a jolt of lightning that struck Lucifer's head and knocked him back. Nerehc skied up to his girlfriend. "Sipa, he's wrong! It's not too late to save your soul! You asked me to repair it, didn't you? Well, I will! You just have to trust me!"
"It isn't a matter of trust!" Lucifer hissed. "No amount of regret or repent can save this girl! She could not survive in Heaven OR Hell! She is doomed to fade away into nothing!"
"Sipa… please talk to me." Nerehc grabbed the girl's right hand, staring directly at her eyes as his own leaked tears. "Say something! Anything!"
"Haaaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Nerehc kept his eyes sharply opened, hoping to witness some response from Sipa. But his tears made this impossible. He sniffled and let his head sink. …Nerehc felt something wet and gooey touch his right hand. It was the bloody stub on Sipa's left arm. He looked up agape when Sipa leaned forward and put her head against his chest. "N…N…Nerehc…" Bloody tears leaked out of her eyes. "Please… save… me…"
"Sipa…" Nerehc put his finger under her chin and lifted her head up gently. He pressed his lips against hers. Sipa closed her eyes and allowed the embrace to transpire. The pain she was feeling in her soul felt weaker. The feeling she had lost when Nerehc went missing… she remembered what it was… the most beautiful feeling ever…
"What a horrible touching moment." Malladus Uno's thundering voice spoke as the Demon King's torn-in-half spirit poked out of Nerehc's back. "Why don't I spare us all this display and heal her myself? I can bandage her soul, but the 'good deed' business will be up to her. It shouldn't be as hard as curing my wife's Candy Virus."
"YOU!" Lucifer shouted. "Uncle… Malladus?!"
"Oh, Lucifer!" Malladus looked up with a casual smile. "I almost forgot you were here. Now I told you not to sneak out of the house, didn't I?"
"Don't tell me… Is Father in there, too?!"
"Oh, he's asleep right now. I'm afraid you'll have to talk to him another time."
"NOOOO! Father, COME OOOUUUT!" The Black Demon lunged at them. (Play "Vs. Malladus Part 2" from Zelda: Spirit Tracks.)
Nerehc slashed his blade lit with violet flames and blew Lucifer back. "Keep him busy while I treat this girl." Malladus said, sprinkling Sipa with a dark energy from his hand. Nerehc nodded and faced Lucifer with determination.
Boss fight: Lucifer
The Demon Saint crawled up to Nerehc on arms and legs, and when the boy suspected him to attack, Lucifer rolled to Nerehc's right and SWIPED his claw, scratching the human's face and knocking him back. Lucifer coughed Dark Balls at the Malladus soul, but Nerehc batted them away with his sword. The Demon Saint flew overhead and coughed a rainbow of Dark Balls, which Nerehc bonked away with a vertical spin attack. Lucifer flew far away along the ground, circled around them, and coughed Dark Balls, but Nerehc stylishly batted each one away. Angered, Lucifer shot up at whipping speed and slashed his claw, but Nerehc ducked before stabbing Lucifer in the skull.
He pulled the sword out as Lucifer flapped away. He swung his wings and launched bladed black feathers, which Nerehc blocked. Lucifer spun vertically with his wings sticking up, flying at Nerehc to smash the boy to the ground with them. Bullet-speed, he zipped to the opposite side from Sipa, but Nerehc shot a jolt of lightning that pushed him back. Nerehc got to that side and rapidly swung his blade when Lucifer unleashed a storm of furious claw-swipes. When it stopped, Lucifer suddenly tornado-spun and whipped Nerehc away with his devil tail. The demon focused his sights on Sipa, but Nerehc kicked on his rockets and flew at him, pushing Lucifer away.
"Grrrr!" Lucifer grabbed Nerehc and smashed him to the ground, applying more pressure in the hopes of splattering him. Nerehc lit his sword on fire and cut the monster's arms, scaring him off so Nerehc could stand. Nerehc got up and swung his flaming sword to send fire waves, which Lucifer blocked with his wings. The wings caught fire so Lucy could launch the feather spears with extra power. Nerehc spun his sword to block some, but he got scratched and scorched, and his weak moment allowed Lucifer to fly up and grab him in his claw. "I'll bite off every last ounce of flesh until I see my father again!"
"Expelliarmus!" A spell blasted forth and sent the Demon Saint whirling away. Nerehc turned and gaped at the spell's caster: "SIPA!"
His girlfriend wore a proud smile as she aimed her wand, black bandages around the severed parts of her body. "Didn't take much time at all." Malladus said coolly. "You should've seen Amy's Candy Virus."
"Nerehc, let's kick this bastard out of here!"
"You got it!" The boy and girl stood side-by-side with their weapons ready. The Demon Saint spun around and released feather arrows in every direction, which rounded like missiles and closed in on the kids. "Protego!" Sipa projected a shield to protect them, while Nerehc whipped other feathers away with his sword. Lucifer landed, and with his wings in a straight horizontal position, Nerehc grabbed Sipa and flew skyward—the Demon Saint zipped across with bullet-speed, and would've skewered them with a successful attack had they not dodged. Nerehc spun like a drill and shot down to pierce Lucifer's back.
Nerehc and Sipa landed on the ground and readied for Lucifer's next attack. The Demon Saint stabbed his claws in the ground and sent a scratchy trail to his opponents. While it did nothing at first, a sudden energy shot out of the cracks and scratched them. Lucifer flew up, gripped both kids by the neck, and flipped upside-down as he hurled them back. When the Demon Saint flew at them again, whipping around to slice his devil tail across them, Sipa called, "SECTUMSEMPRA!"
A white slash whipped across the air and sliced Lucifer's tail clean off. Nerehc seized this chance to fly up and chop off Lucifer's right wing. With his left wing standing up, Lucifer spun like a wheel and began to saw around the field. Different parts of the ground stuck up at different heights, so Lucifer took cover on a higher one next to the kids'. Feather arrows shot down to them from every direction, and they only had a few seconds to block them. Nerehc jumped up to view his enemy, but quickly ducked when Lucifer slashed his wing.
Nerehc looked at his girlfriend and nodded. He lifted her up so she could aim her wand in Lucifer's direction and yell, "Reducto!" An explosion burst from the ground, so Nerehc grabbed his friend and flew up, hoping Lucifer was distracted by the blast. Suddenly, the Demon Saint zipped up above them and kicked them down, but Nerehc regained composure and set Sipa on the ground before flying up. Lucifer smirked and vanished in a blink, appearing below Nerehc and flying down to Sipa like a hawk. Sipa readied herself, but Nerehc merely warped in a Dark Portal beside his girlfriend. He thrusted his sword up and stabbed Lucifer's skull. (End song.)
Lucifer stopped completely, and the kids' hearts raced with anticipation. The demonic skull slowly cracked… it would crumble any second. "…Heh heh heh. Killing me… is something that could only happen in dreams."
The kids gasped when the skull broke, and the demon's dark soul began to ascend. "Oh, well. Perhaps I'll find a different wife. I know we'll meet again soon. After all, Sipa still has my soul in her. It is with that soul that she can command a Devil's Wand. So she will be grateful. …Prince Nerehc…" The boy narrowed his eyes at his own name. "Medusa has already interacted with the Darknesses in the past. According to her, they come from the Original Worlds. I do not know what she wants your people to do… but I look forward to watching."
Moonbase
"Uuuuuhhh…" Sipa moaned awake with a sickening feeling in her head. "Heehee… I guess I need to visit… the Soul Doctor, huh, Nerehc?" She grinned weakly and picked up the Nerehc doll on her chest. "…Nerehc?" She shook the doll lightly. "Nerehc, are you in there?"
"No. I'm over here." The Negatives directed their attention at the human boy. He had yellow eyes behind his sunglasses once again. "I guess Ragus switched me back after all?"
"Nah, Medusa ditched your body and left with her." Hcaz explained. "You fell like an old rag doll."
"She didn't even wait to see if I would save her? That sucks."
"To be fair, it was a -10% chance that you would." Arorua figured.
"Hey, I'm the Negative Fi here." Ghirahim remarked.
"So do we just wait around and wait for Medusa to give us instructions?" Atnort asked.
"That's the best I can think of. Wait, whaddo you mean 'we'?" Nerehc cocked his brow at the alien.
"Look, we were a little skeptical at first," Beewv said, "…but you're kinda starting to sell us with this Apocalypse business."
"And we figure we don't wanna be wiped off the plane of existence…" Avakam followed.
"Plus, we're surrounded by a bunch of people who like you anyway, so…" Atnort shrugged.
"We will consider ourselves your allies." Annaira sighed. "But I want the right to bloodbend someone every few hours!" The operatives glared at her. "…Once every day."
"So is Lucifer gone?" Asia asked.
"For now, it looks like. Hey, do any of you guys know what an Original World is?"
"Hey, look out there!" Ynohtna pointed at the glass wall.
The moon was glowing a mystic white. A small light rose out of its surface and floated close to the window. A beautiful, majestic white bird, with wings and a head shaped like crescent moons, materialized. "Oh, look! She received my call!" Ininap beamed.
"It's the Moon Goddess, Cresselia!" Ikuyim gaped.
"Sorry I'm late, Dialga and Palkia were arguing over trading cards… Did you children need something?" The crescent bird asked.
Nerehc gasped with realization. "Actually… you CAN tell us a few things!"
...
"Is this true?" the majestic moon bird, Cresselia asked with an echoing voice. "Medusa was causing chaos in this world? Using your body as a disguise?"
"My cousin feels terribly violated!" Ynohtna shouted. "He's going to need therapy, stitches, and all that stuff that's awesome in this universe! Ahh!" Nerehc kicked him away.
"Listen, Moon Chick, you know about the Apocalypse that's coming up this month, right?" Nerehc asked the spirit rudely.
"Oh… You are aware."
"Yeah, I have a couple questions: first, when did you gods plan to tell us about something like this?"
"Hmmm… It was our intention, but we didn't know the correct time. The Apocalypse is beyond the gods' control. We did not know when, or even if, the Twenty Keys Prophecy would be unveiled by some other means. Even Dialga did not know… and it resulted in many fights between him and Palkia. And guess who had to work THOSE out. Me. Perhaps we were mistaken, keeping the secret. With only a month until it is time, we wonder if the prophecy will still transpire."
"I was told about the prophecy from a person called Sanula. Said he comes from the First Dimension. He said that the Apocalypse would happen when the Space Gate crumbles apart in someplace called the Netherverse, and then the moons would explode. Would the Moon Goddess know anything about that?"
"Yes. She would. I created the moons as the primary locks and gateways leading into the Netherverse. I regulate the supernatural energy projected by the moons. But Palkia's powers are stronger than mine, so if his Space Gate explodes, my moons will not withhold. Children, I'm sorry I do not have more knowledge to divulge unto you regarding this matter. But I promise to inform the other gods of Medusa's-"
"Before you do," Nerehc intervened, "know that we've already accepted her help. She seems very knowledgeable on the Thirteen Darknesses, so we have no choice but to rely on her guidance."
"Do not let her deceive you. True, Medusa has this knowledge, but she-"
"-Feels like the only god who hangs with us more than any other god in this world. I hate to say it, but in the Negaverse, rules are a little backwards. Medusa might get in trouble for messing with people in the Posiverse, but in here, she can do whatever she wants. …Not that we would let her, of course. Only until we find the Darknesses."
"…The tides are truly changing. In a time like this, even I'm not sure if ancient rules still matter. Perhaps this was part of the prophecy. But I strongly caution you, children."
"Got it. One last question, Moon Chick: what are the Original Worlds?"
"The Original Worlds are dimensions that are said to have been created long before this one. Even we have never seen them, for they were designed by other gods. We have always believed that Arceus – or perhaps a different deity entirely – designed this world based on fragments from those Original ones. We called this phenomenon the Dimensional Fusion. People, locations, energies in this world have an original parallel from those worlds."
"Did they come before the 'First Dimension'? Or after?"
"The First Dimension is so named because Arceus created it before this world, or any of the others under his eye. However, even we do not know when the Original Worlds were born. We do not know if Arceus was the ultimate creator or not."
"Even the gods don't know…" Nerehc mumbled softly. "…Do you know if there's any way to get to those worlds?"
"30 years ago… one man has. Dialga and Palkia sensed it through a series of tremendous rips through the Dimensional Byway. His name was Stanford Pines. I did not ask them how he did this."
"A Positive, huh? …Well, thanks. You don't have to stay, anymore."
"The Tides of Time are changing, my children. Make sure your boat remains steady… or you will be destroyed." The goddess flew into a glowing white portal and vanished.
"…Do all these gods leave with a metaphor?" Nollid asked.
"So what are we going to do now, Master Nerehc?" Ininap asked.
"Hold on!" Sipa spoke up. "Before all this happened, weren't we bringing Egroeg and AlyakAm to the Posiverse?"
"Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about them. Are they even here?"
"We haven't seen them all since yesterday!" Alol answered in her perky attitude. "Probably blew us off like a couple-a airheads!"
"I wonder if they're meeting their Positives right now?" Nerehc said. "I guess we should go check on them."
"Maybe you should rest." Nollid suggested. "What with Medusa turning you into a toy and violating your body…"
"Huhuhu." Nerehc shuddered. "I wanna lie down just to get that idea out of my head."
"Sorry. I'll just fly to Dnaleci and make a portal to its Posiverse to look for them. Any of you guys wanna come?"
"Meeee!" Ikuyim jumped over to him. "I'd love to visit my Positive!"
"Alright, you guys go ahead and do that." Nerehc figured. "As for the rest of us… I guess there isn't much to do but wait for Medusa."
Symphonia; Bald Mountain
Medusa, Thanatos, and Pandora approached the dark mountain where dementors roamed. The mountain whose odd shape was in actuality the folded wings of the Song Demon, Chernabog. Pandora was in her god form, a black and blue flame with a face and halo. The Goddess of Chaos unleashed a beam from her mouth that exploded the mountain.
"Chernabog wakes up once a year on La Melody Extravaganza." Medusa recapped. "But until then, he must rest to recover his energy, robbed from him by the Three Goddess Bells. If he were to awaken before the one-year mark…"
A shadow appeared in the smoke. It was shaped like a baby with horns and small wings. Chernabog crawled out… the terrifying demon had the appearance of a baby. An adorable face with chubby cheeks, and his innocent glowing eyes made him look cuter. He crawled up to Medusa, who was the size of a doll compared to the big winged baby. Medusa smirked as she proceeded to finish her sentence: "He's going to be very cranky."
Medusa decided to flick his young nose. Cherny felt the slight tinge of pain. "Buu buu bu…" Tears welled up in his shiny yellow eyes. The cranky demon cried out his feelings. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The earth around Bald Mountain cracked, and any mortal within ten miles went deaf.