WARNING: These next two chapters will go into big, endgame spoilers for Legend of the Seven Lights.
Unknown Location
His eyelids opened to a ceiling of bright white. He sat up and looked around. The walls were white, the floor was white, his bed was white, and his shirt and pants were white. "How many times have I woken up in some strange random place…" Nerehc Onu asked himself. "At least I remember who I am this time. What was I even doing…" He climbed off his bed, his bare feet touching the posh white floor. It felt as cold as he expected it to, but it also felt odd in some way he couldn't explain. "Wait… I dove into the Sanzu River to rescue Ganondorf. And then…"
Nerehc caught a whiff of something from down the white corridor. It smelled like tea. Nerehc followed the scent to a room with a small white table and steaming teacup. The back of a strange man in white clothes was facing him. "And they said no one could escape the Sanzu River. Well… now I have someone to attest to that." The man faced Nerehc. He had blank white eyes and red tribal makeup on his face. "Don't I?" He smirked.
"Did you save me?"
"I saved what I could. Your body was already dead by the time I found you. This is a little hidden place in the Spirit World for spirits like us. Some call it Limbo."
"And who are you?"
"I'm Knil. K-N-I-L. It sounds like 'Kill,' that's why the 'K' isn't silent. Of course, you probably know me as the Fierce Deity."
Nerehc gasped. "The Fierce Deity Mask?! Cheren told me that was destroyed by King Andrew!"
"Thank God for that." Knil stood and clenched the air in his hand, grinning wickedly. "I was the strongest warrior in all Eluryh. Slaying demons was my passion! And that annoying Mask Man wanted to keep me prisoner in that mask! If it weren't for my Positive's descendants, I would've died of boredom."
"You don't sound that different from your Positive."
"No… Link was a man of justice. He fought demons for the good of the world. I kill them out of pleasure. And my dream has been to slay the Six Demon Saints. But because of what you did, all the Saints were absorbed into Ganondorf's body."
"Ganondorf? So, he escaped… Hold on, what date is it?! What happened with the prophecy—the Twenty Keys?!"
"Oh, you're too late for that… The universe was destroyed by that monster, Lord English. The survivors are on a gigantic ship to the New World. From what I understand, somebody shrunk all the planets to carry them on this ship. This resulted in connected worlds like the Negaverse and Spirit World being shrunk as well. Heh… what's with kids in this universe being so damn lucky?"
"So, the DNK—my friends… they're all safe? I have to go back to them."
"It isn't that easy. When I rescued your spirit, it had trouble attaining a form. You kept blinking in and out of the Spirit World, as if the universe didn't know where you belonged. It's an anomaly that sometimes happens between Positives and Negatives, when one has prolonged life or comes back to life. That's what happened to Cheren. He achieved the God Tier and returned to life."
"But how can Cheren survive without me?"
"Because gods and spirits don't need opposites to keep existing. But Cheren's methods are foreign to our universe. That's why it isn't sure whether to mark you alive or not."
"Could I come back to life if I wanted? Can the Grim Reaper restore my existence?"
"He might be able to… but it wouldn't do you any good. Your Triforce of Power was already taken by Ganondorf. He also took your mother's half of it after Lord English killed her."
"WHAT?!" Nerehc would've lit on fire had he still had his bending. "I have to go back right now!"
"Aren't you listening? If you wanted revenge on Ganondorf, you can't do a thing without your bending. That's exactly why… I know you'll team up with me. When King Andrew broke my mask, my soul was distorted. I barely had enough strength to save you. I only look whole in this Limbo. But if we tried, we could mold our energies together and become a whole being."
"That sounds absolutely disgusting, and I don't wanna be a part of it."
"It's not disgusting! At least… not as much as it sounds… If you don't, you'll spend the rest of your existence in here, eventually to be forgotten. You'll watch helplessly as your friends fight for their lives, only to lose without you."
"Sigh… If we did, what's the catch? Does one of us have total control or do we both take turns?"
"Well, because of my position as a lifeless mask these past thousands of years, my willpower is a little shorthanded. You might be in control… maybe… All I want to do is slaughter Ganondorf and Lord English. I know you want their destruction, too… so you're the only one I have to bond with."
"Whatever. So, how do we do this?"
Knil guided Nerehc to Limbo's exit, a tall archway of light whiter than the chamber's décor. "The minute we step outside Limbo, your spiritual body will blink in and out between realities while mine will simply scatter like mist in the wind. During that time, I will attempt to will my essence into yours."
"It just gets more disgusting the more we talk about it." Nerehc shook.
"Then let's quit talking and do it." Knil went forward first. "Besides, there are worse situations like these."
Negaverse
The DNK had been briefed on the current situation with the shrunken planets by Cheren and Nebula. Needless to say, everyone was concerned, but they trusted that it was necessary and they would survive. With the unfortunate death of Nerehc, Sicnarf assumed the role of Supreme Leader. "I know our lives won't be the same without Nerehc, but we have a duty to keep moving forward." he announced to everyone. "Complete your missions responsibly as if Nerehc were still here. Because he's still relying on us." With these words to carry them through trying times, the DNK continued their everyday lives, balancing between missions, training, or simple casual activity.
Eelyah the Road-Maker
Eelyah Nagillig seemed the most troubled by everything and took her emotions out on her hometown. Dnalevelc was still in reconstruction after the Anarchists' attack, and her destructive tendencies weren't helping at all. Akurah sprayed gas to put her to sleep, with Eitra's hamsters to carry her back. Apparently, Eelyah didn't feel satisfied with making and breaking her own sculptures anymore, so they decided to call her Positive, Haylee to the Negaverse, for her to build things for Eelyah to break.
"Eelyah, why do you enjoy breaking things, anyway?" Haylee asked her instead. "Didn't you all promise Nerehc to help make the world a better place?"
"Eelyah always like breaking. Breaking fun because world already broken. Breaking get less fun when world get better. It don't make Eelyah happy, anymore."
"Then instead of breaking things, maybe you should learn how to build or fix things?"
"Eelyah don't know how."
"Then I'll take you to watch me. Come on, let's go downtown and see if they'll let me help with the reconstruction."
They ventured downtown, with Eitra making sure Eelyah stayed under control. Haylee was allowed to saw up some wood, along with other activities, but none of it sparked anything in Eelyah. Eelyah nonchalantly glanced over and saw a cement truck about to pour some into a pit a few yards away. …Her eyes widened in terror when an oblivious, 4-year-old boy wandered out of an alley and fell into the pit. "Eelyah, hey!" Eitra yelled when his sister suddenly pranced up the road.
The child had fallen into a puddle of cement, and the truck threatened to drown him completely. "ME SAVE YOU!" Eelyah bravely jumped into the pit, but with the cement incoming, the girl instinctively raised her hands in defense. The kids and other workers looked into the pit with worry, and the truck-driver was told to stop. To their astonishment, the cement appeared to be floating via Eelyah's bending. They wanted to admire this, but hurried Eelyah to climb out of the pit with the child. They heard a woman shouting and calling the boy's name, so the group reunited the family and explained what happened.
Haylee and Eitra were equally surprised, having never heard of an earthbender that could bend cement, though the idea wasn't unusual. Just as well, Eelyah easily cleaned herself and the boy by bending the cement off. Getting an idea, Haylee asked the carpenters to let Eelyah help. Using her new ability on purpose proved to be a bit more tasking; she had to use fluid motions like a waterbender to control the cement, and then will it to harden when necessary.
They left town so Nosam could help train Eelyah on fluid bending, and after a few days of perfecting it, they returned to the construction site. Repairing roads and sidewalks proved to be much faster with Eelyah's cementbending, and with her previous skill in sculpting, she was able to shape things as necessary. Eelyah would spend the next several months helping with such construction projects, developing her skill for combat use, and kicking her destructive tendencies.
Tiny Squad
The horde of tiny kids that were previously aiding the Little Dads refused to be taken home to their parents or back to Raseac's farm, preferring the comfort of DNK Arctic Prison. Sicnarf decided that if they were going to stay, they oughta make their selves useful and train to become operatives, in which they would have their own treehouses to live in. Fortunately, with their enhanced strength, their tiny bodies were on par with those of normal cadets and training went smoothly. While many of the cadets divided amongst various sectors, the team consisting of Dnis, Ylla, Narod, Ubnok, Uzu, and Oyib became Sector TG, with a Lilliputian-sized treehouse, ships, and equipment.
Their treehouse was based in Dnaleci, since Sector -IC had gone "defunct." The band was enjoying their new lives as DNK, having undertaken a few missions and received a housewarming party from Sector -V, including Lorac. Eirik bonded with Ylla, making more loud music, Nosam got Narod to bend chocolate sculptures for Lorac, and the tiny kids began to feel like equals.
"Hey, there you guys are!" a voice called. The group turned to find Ydnew Llevram. The air grew tense as Sector TG readied to fight the Black Lotus agent, believing she was here to take them back to Raseac's farm. In light of that, Ydnew wanted to apologize for what Raseac had done to them, explaining that she was always against his farm project and the same might've become of her if she wasn't Itaav's daughter. To make up for not helping sooner, Ydnew brought them the antidote that would restore their normal sizes. After a small discussion, they decided they had already gotten used to their sizes and the advantages that came with, so they held off on her gift.
"At leasth we won't have to worry about Ylla getting any louder." Yrrah remarked, twisting a finger in his ear. "OOF!" The tiny in question jumped and punched him in the nuts.
"Come to think of it, Ydnew, have you considered joining the DNK?" Arorua asked. "You seem pretty strong and you've helped us a lot."
"Hmm… it wouldn't be a bad idea." Ydnew replied. "The Black Lotus seems okay with you guys, anyway… heck, maybe I will. It's not like our battles are really over, right?"
"And you know what, I'm gonna sign up, too!" Lorac declared, standing proudly. "I'm super motivated to start my own sector of master thieves! Heck, maybe I can join you guys."
"We don't need some giant girl who doesn't bathe!" Dnis retorted, pinching his nose.
"Fine, your loss! Just sign me up for Arctic Training and I'll show you what I'm made of."
"I'll bring a camera to show everyone the great Lorac's techniques!" Nosam exclaimed.
"As creepy as that is, it would help me market myself and show potential thieves what kind of skills I look for."
"Maybe I should start my own sector, too." Ydnew thought aloud. "But what kinda people would I want…"
A Mary Time in the Posiverse
Sector -W7 were terribly stressed after that awful month, and another morning began with their regular routine of throwing insults at each other. This time, Asia grew sick of the negativity and decided they should take a trip to the Posiverse. Sipa's magic opened a portal in one of their mirrors, and the group was soon reunited with their Positives.
Asia was happy to discard her heavy clothes and stretch her wings in pretty blue skies. She excitedly collapsed on a fluffy cloud, squeeze-hugging it with all her might and grasping the fluff with her toes. The clean air was so refreshing and addicting that Asia couldn't stop gasping, each breath making her heart dance. Aisa flew up to her via Jet Dials, giggling at her antics. "At least you kicked that neat-freak obsession."
"There's no need for it in this kind of air! I mean, Water -7's gotten a bit cleaner, but it's still not the same as this."
"We're girls of nature through and through!"
Down in town, Mocha was glad to finally meet her Negative, Ahcom, who gazed up at the giant with admiring eyes. It was hard to believe such a strong and dependable version of herself existed! Mocha made her promise to overcome her own limitations and become an admirable person, too.
Chimney and Yenmihc were chilling on the treehouse balcony, the former cracking open two sodas with her teeth and tossing one to Yen. Yenmihc made the offer that, since Chimney is the more open-minded one, if she would like to take her team as well so Yenmihc could find a better one. "Nyah, you got the wrong idea." Chimney remarked. "Those girls drive me crazy every day. I couldn't stand to have more of them. Except Aeinchan, she's cuddly! That's what's cool about you, you ain't afraid to speak your mind. But if you hate 'em so much, why didn't you leave already?"
"I already did once before. But that was before Nerehc brought down the DNKG. Figured if there was hope for him, there was hope for these idiots. But I still hate them."
"It's up to us to better these girls!" Chimney raised her soda in cheer. "Let's do a cross drink!" Yenmihc eye-rolled and wrapped her arm around Chimney's as they chugged their drink.
Apis and Sipa met in the former's room. Sipa asked if Apis had any love interests, but she hadn't found any aside from The Man Himself, wagging her holy book. It was clear Sipa was still upset over Nerehc, yet the fact Cheren was still "alive" made this all the more confusing and stressful. "Personally, I'd like to think this 'God Tier' business is Arceus's little gift for Cheren for being such a good boy." Apis said with a smile. "But Arceus also knows the Posiverse and Negaverse must be equal: no Positive should live without their Negative. So, you have to have faith that He plans to bring Nerehc back as well!"
"Or maybe Arceus plans to take Cheren back after this whole quest is over. Until then, He has no reason to bring Nerehc back."
"Why is that any reason to lose faith?!"
"Because we're just an afterthought for the gods! And Cheren is basically a spirit person who's allowed to pal around in the Posiverse, he's basically dead! He gets a special privilege just like the rest of you, but no matter how much we do in our world, we get nothing!"
Apis could understand her reasoning and why she was so upset. "Well… I think Arceus loves Nerehc just the same as Cheren. He would give Nerehc a 'privilege,' too, we just haven't seen it, yet. I agree, it's not fair that we get Cheren and you don't get Nerehc… so, just pray that you get to see Nerehc at least one more time. And if and when he comes back, make sure you're living happily."
"Sigh… I want to, but…"
"Let's do it now. Let's pray for Nerehc's return." Apis took both her opposite's hands. She closed her eyes with a blissful smile. Sipa closed her eyes as well, still frowning.
When April and Lirpa got to talking, the former was curious if she had a cousin named 'Yram.' This led to them discussing each other's secret pasts, and how Mary was currently in Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. When Lirpa explained that Yram was still trapped in the Graffiti Alley, April conceived a solution: bring Yram to Foster's just the same as Mary. Since they couldn't simply "steal Yram's painting" as she had none, they decided to bring Sunni Chariton all the way to the alley, which she could use her psychicbending to keep Yram in a stable form while they traveled to the Posiverse and made way to Foster's.
The Foster's Friends happily welcomed Yram into their family, and Mary was super-duper excited to have her own identical twin sister!! "If you call them identical." Yenmihc remarked. ("Tsk-tsk.")
"I have an idea!" Mary beamed. "Since there's so many of us, let's all play Hide-and-Seek!"
"No fair, you know this house better than me!" Yram argued.
"I'll show you a perfect hiding spot, Twin Sister!"
"Mochan's it!" Chimney pointed. "She can't hide, so she can find!"
"I'd better start counting!" Mocha laughed.
Hide-and-Seek lasted about an hour; it was easy to get lost in this house and so hard for Mocha to find everyone. Yram had spray-painted images of herself around the halls to confuse Mocha and Yenmihc fogged the area around her spot with gas clouds. Aeincha and Ahcniea were especially difficult to find, like tracking two specific ants from Mocha's perspective. Ultimately, those two won the game, and Aisa sensed that Ahcniea was lost within Mocha's hair all along, apparently searching for the perfect weak spot in her scalp. "I'll become the strongest operative once I learn how to control this giant!" the surgeon said deviously.
Afterwards, everyone went outside to have a water balloon war, where Chimney and Yram ganged up against Mary, Chimney preferring Yram a lot more than the Positive.
Night fell before they knew it, so the visitors had to leave. Yram begrudgingly thanked Lirpa for bringing her to this sweet new house. "Plus, I don't even gotta be in the same dimension as you!"
"Yeah, thank goodness." Lirpa remarked. "But maybe sometime, I'll bring Bi over to visit."
"Sounds a'ight to me!" Yram thumb-upped.
Nega-W7 returned home, their hearts feeling lighter after a fun day, and proud of the kind deed they had done for Yram. As Sipa relaxed in her bed that night, she folded hands over her heart, praying for Nerehc and hoping her thoughts will reach his soul.
Hcaz Has a Rival
Hcaz made a flight to Arctic Base, boasting after having captured 20 villains in under an hour. The nearby cadets praised Hcaz's talent, to which he replied, "To be fair, most of these were fodder minions, but results are results."
"Yeah, good results for a toddler!" a girl's voice taunted. At that instant, an even larger net of villains was shoved into the room, and a girl in a black police uniform was mounted on it, her slanted eyes sharp on Hcaz. "This is a real load: 53 baddies, half an hour."
The cadets' eyes shot open with greater admiration. "And who might you be?" Hcaz asked.
"Name's Okam, Numbuh Yes Star. I say 'yes' to every mission and guarantee perfect results. I only just graduated, but I'm part of the Global Patrol Ops same as you."
"I see. Well, you'll do the DNK proud."
"Glad to hear you say that, because I've been assigned to work with you and Yddam. Since you're my 'superior,' I thought it best to at least show you what I can do, but apparently, I did too much. Is 20 villains really the best you can do?"
"It… felt like enough to suffice?"
"Pfft. Boy, this is going to be a pleasure." Okam rolled her eyes in sarcasm.
Though Hcaz didn't appreciate her tone, he accepted Okam as his partner. To test her combat strength, he invited Okam to a separate room for a sparring match—it ended with Hcaz's neck in a choke-hold, Okam relaxing on him with a smirk. Hcaz then yelled, "Now you have to fight me and Yddam!" to which Yddam sheepishly said, "I surrender. Don't hurt me."
"I don't get it. I heard you were one of the best operatives, but I guess I'm just better than you." Okam said. "Tell you what, you can still be in charge and leave the hard parts to me."
"Fine! You wanna make this a contest, then I'll show you how good I am!"
The two researched and determined a good underground hideout where lots of thugs were gathered. Afterwards, "WHACK-A-VILLAIN BEGINS NOW!" both came charging in with giant wood hammers, bashing every baddie they could while Yddam kept score. The game ended with 43 in Okam's captivity and 32 in Hcaz's. "Fine, so you're good at beating people up! I bet you can't pilot worth a crud!"
Accepting his next challenge, the two found an enemy base with lots of fighter aircraft, boarding their own craft and shooting down as many ships as possible. Yddam counted up 61 for Okam and 50 for Hcaz. After bringing such a big load of captured villains to Arctic Base, Sucram stated, "Congrats, you're both freaking great at your jobs, TAKE A BREAK!! There's so many villains here, I can hold a garage sale!" He cut open a net as beaten villains came spilling out, flopping like fish.
"Eh, sure, why not?" Okam asked. "I think I already made my point~"
"Meh, whatever!" Hcaz whined. "It's my turn to clean the Newbase, anyway."
"'Bet I can clean it better!"
"JUST TRY IT!"
They wielded mops, sprays, and cloths like ninja tools, sloshing cleanliness in each and every corner. Some unfortunate operatives (such as Ininap) became mopped up in the mopping, resulting in their bodies becoming shining and blinding. An evacuation was called, and the ops who managed to escape were blinded by what had become of Newbase, so shiny and clean that it was devoid of color. "YOU TWO ARE SUSPENDED!" Sicnarf shouted. "Don't come back until you learn how to control yourselves and kick that stupid rivalry!"
"Peh, I can do that in a heartbeat!" argued Hcaz. He turned to Okam and said, "Okam, I acknowledge you as the better operative. Let's stop fighting and learn to work together."
"I'M SO SORRY, HCAZ!" Okam cried and dropped to her knees. "I got carried away! I just admire you so much that I wanted to be strong like you! Please, let me continue to be your partner!"
"I-I should be asking you that! You're so strong that I'm lucky to be your partner!"
"I wouldn't be so great if you hadn't inspired me!"
Both stood and saluted to Sicnarf, "WE WILL DO OUR VERY BEST!"
"Eh… it's a tie?" Yddam questioned.
Sicnarf face-palmed, "Ugh, suspension lifted. Now go and unclean the Newbase!"
"YES, SIR!"
Nega-L, New Heights!
The members of Nega-IC decided to move to Sol Selegna and convinced their families to as well; it wasn't very comforting knowing a bunch of villains used to gather in the Gnik house, even if that business was over. Ikus, however, remained in Dnaleci, refusing to leave her volcano home, but the Sand Walker family promised to look after her.
Ikuyim, Alol, and Yrret merged with Sector -L, since only Ydolem and Nollid were occupying it. Naturally, Yrret volunteered to carry all their belongings with psychic and organize them in the treehouse as requested. "If there is anything more I can do, please do not hesitate to order me as necessary!" Yrret saluted humbly.
"Please, Yrret, I've already forgiven you!" Ikuyim giggled.
"I haven't! Paint my nails, bro!" Alol ordered.
Ydolem spared a giggle at his demeanor… but then frowned. She excused herself and headed downstairs to her house. She knocked on the door to Ynnad's room and was welcomed in. "Sector -IC has finished moving in. I would be happy if you would join us."
"I told you I'm not coming back. I just want to live the rest of my life in peace. I was wrong about Nerehc, I was wrong about Aluben… I just don't even want to try, anymore."
"But I need you, Ynnad. With Nerehc gone, things will only be harder. I would like my brother beside me, supporting me and my team."
"Sigh… now isn't the right time, Ydolem. But I've cast a spell to alert me if you were ever in danger, so I'll be there to help if something bad is happening. Okay?"
"Hmm… Okay, Ynnad. I'll see you tonight." She left.
After spending a day settling in, and voting that Ikuyim would be the main leader with Ydolem as vice-leader, Ikuyim decided their first activity as a team should be to explore a mountain! They decided on a lovely and towering mountain, parking their ship at the base and using their abilities to escalate the peak. Ikuyim was naturally built for climbing and left a wide gap between her and her friends. "Hurry up, guys, I keep thinking you're ants!!"
"I should've voted for Ydol." Alol gasped.
"I enjoy her spirit." Ydolem smiled.
One can't forget that in the Negaverse, animals have a greater vendetta against humans, not out of hunger or hatred, but simply sport. The group was attacked by Yllib goats, eagles, bears and other things, and it would appear they were of a reasonable Power Level. No doubt training was also one of Ikuyim's intents. The bears were durable against Ikuyim's rocks, so it took a few strong hits until they were down. The eagles were swift in the air and would slash them with their talons at whipping speed, so Yrret's psychic was needed to trace or grab them. Nollid's magic was helpful in either and any situation, but Alol was only good at shooting her Butterfly Gun (a pink gun that shoots homing energy butterflies).
As for Ydolem, she used basic shadowbending attacks against the animals, but her attacks were remarkably weak, so her teammates had to finish her battles. "Not much of a powerhouse, are you?" Yrret asked awkwardly.
"That used to be Cire." Nollid chuckled. "Sadly, he changed sectors 'cause he and Ydol didn't get along very well."
"Yes. Sigh, it seems everyone leaves me eventually."
"Ah, don't be so sad about Ynnad!" Alol consoled. "He's probably just embarrassed about betraying his friends and getting his butt whooped!"
"If you ask me," Yrret began reprovingly, "Ynnad has a duty to atone just the same as I, Yenmihc, or the rest. Perhaps you should ask him to paint your nails or give you a massage."
"I think you developed some weird habits." Nollid replied.
"WHOA!!! Guys, check it out!" Ikuyim yelled with mouth agape.
Understanding her astonishment, they noticed a black, alien-like pirate ship hovering partway above the mountain. Armored aliens slid down on ropes and entered a cave. "What're they…" Ikuyim wondered aloud, while Yrret decided to fly up for a closer look. There was roaring and fighting from within the cave, and it sounded like the aliens were fighting a bunch of bears. Yrret would watch as the aliens dragged out…
"Good Lord! It's some kind of cluster of bears!"
"A cluster of… A Multi-Bear?!" Nollid exclaimed. "Those are extremely rare! What're they doing with it?"
"Given their brutish nature, something akin to poaching."
"Let's go help it!" Ikuyim declared, swift on her feet as she raced up the mountain, using earthbending to launch her way up to where the pirates were. "Hey, you! Leave that poor thing alone!" The pirates turned their laser guns on her, Ikuyim raising a stone wall in defense.
Her teammates joined her and battled the strange pirates, who proved to be just a bit stronger than the animals. They were able to take a few pirates down, but then one of them drew a Dark Pokéball and threw it, releasing a Rhydon. The Rhydon's earthbending was able to overpower Ikuyim's, and it seemed immune to Nollid's magic. The kids were too exhausted from their venture, and the Rhydon then threatened to crush Ydolem with a boulder.
A blast of magic destroyed the boulder, originating from Ynnad's wand. "You got yourself in trouble on purpose, didn't you?"
"Oh, Ynnad!" Ydolem joyfully hugged her brother.
"Save it and let's get outta here!" Ynnad ushered them to retreat.
"W-Wait, they're taking a rare creature!" Nollid yelled.
"You don't wanna pick a fight with those guys, just run!"
With the Rhydon readying its next attack, the kids decided to escape, running and jumping down the mountain path as fast as possible. After going about halfway down, the pirates finally stopped chasing, and the kids watched from a safe distance as the ship flew away. "Phew… who were those creeps?" Ikuyim asked.
"Did you see their symbol?" Ynnad magically drew an image of a skull-and-crossbones featuring a pterodactyl's skull. "Those were Meta-Beast Pirates. They're one of the most dangerous organizations in the universe. I know that was only a small crew, but I was alerted the second Ydolem got in a fight with them. If you had stopped them from taking that bear thing, they would've called for more pirates, and the whole DNK might've ended up in a war. But since they've let us go, they probably decided we're not worth it. At least, I hope."
"They're really that dangerous?" Ydolem asked. "Hmm… then I suppose we would've gotten ourselves killed if not for you."
"Sigh… don't get the wrong idea, I'm still not ready to come back. But considering you're with Ikuyim, you'll only end up putting yourself in more danger."
"Haha, he knows me so well!!" Ikuyim beamed.
"Yeah, so you'll keep having to get yourself involved." Nollid said. "Why don't you just come back already?"
"No. He doesn't have to." Ydol replied, taking a firm stance. "I'm sorry to trouble you like this, Ynnad. I promise to get even stronger so your alarm will go off as little as possible."
"Promise or not," Yrret said scoldingly, "you still have a duty to your sister AND your team-"
"Yrret, massage my leg." Ikuyim flexed her right leg.
"Yes'm!" He was quick on it!
"Heh heh… Either way, why don't we all head home now?" Ynnad asked. "You guys look beat after hiking up this far."
"No wonder you didn't wanna come…" Alol huffed in exhaust.
Meet the Under Army
The King Dutchman was normally the only stable structure in this junkyard of a universe, but today, it seemed the back half of the ship was enveloped in a giant bubble of darkness.
Bill Cipher watched as Pope Werdna walked out of a room, his arms and legs in working order. "It took a good year and then some, but 'seems Zeref was finally able to sap that Death outta your body." Bill remarked.
"It would've been ideal to have met my permanent end… but so long as there are those still defying their fate, I cannot be allowed mine."
"A real go-getter, you are! You'll fit in perfectly. Let's get you introduced to the gang."
Bill led Werdna down the corridor, to a set of double-doors. The Pope's eyes veered to a shelf on the left wall, on which a yellow flower grew happily in a pot. It certainly popped out from the dank décor of this pirate ship. In fact, a face popped on this little flower as it moved. "Oh, hello, Mister. Are you a friend of Bill's?"
"Ah, Flowey! Perfect timing." Bill said. "This young man is Werdna. He's gonna lead the Under Army."
"Oh! That means we'll be friends. I love making new friends." Flowey smiled innocently. "It means I get to share my friendliness pellets." Five white seeds emerged from the pot and flew to Werdna.
The Pope extinguished them with a gentle wave of Death. "Nice try."
Flowey's cute, friendly smile became vicious and monstrous. "A step up from the naïve little twerp, I see. Yeah, you're the kinda guy that would kill in a heartbeat. Working under you is gonna be fun."
"You'll really hit it off!" Bill beamed. "And if ya think Flowey's fun, why don't you meet the others?" With that, they proceeded through the double-door; as soon as it opened, noise flooded their ears, and Werdna ducked a giant Darkball that came flying. A group of dangerous-looking people were aimlessly fighting each other with bending or other powers. They were inside a massive gymnasium within a black and purple dimension of darkness. "Pope Werdna, allow me to introduce the Under Army!"
A large, bearded man in a robe conjured a tiny sun and threw it. "Hailing from the country of Amestris, Father is a god of alchemy who can create objects on a whim, though in our world, his power translates to matterbending."
Father had thrown the sun at a woman with ghostly white skin and hair and a black robe. She smacked it away with ease and spawned an array of dark hands from a puddle of black goo around her dress. The hands lunged at Father, who sliced them away with a conjured sword. "From the world of Remnant, this darling is Salem! We had already stolen some of her Grimm a while ago, but it took a bit of effort to actually get in touch with her. She can create Grimm with ease using her darknessbending, and to top it off, she is immortal in her own world! Top that with her magical prowess, we got ourselves a real Negatar."
The second man to come was thin with pale hair and a wrinkly face, wearing only black clothes. "Tomura Shigaraki from the 'Ultra Hero World.' He's a metahuman who can make objects or people Decay with a touch. He contains traces of Death Chi as the basis for his power, though he can't mold it in a way deathbenders could."
By slapping his hands to the floor, the entire room turned to dust except for his foothold, but Father quickly willed the room to re-solidify. Werdna glanced to the ceiling as a blue, digital figure seemed to materialize: he seemed to resemble a large human with a bald head and no distinct characteristics, aside from the code decorating his body. Neon wings formed on him as the being flexed his limbs and blew everyone down with a shockwave. "That's Tabuu, a rogue Program from the Smashverse. He can trap people and places in his Subspace dimension, but otherwise he needs computers to communicate. Not that he's one for conversation."
"Are you saying we're in his dimension right now?" Werdna asked, calling attention to the darkness beyond the gym.
"Yeah, that's Subspace. It's the only way he can be part of the crowd."
A storm of swords stabbed into Tabuu with bullet speed, having been cast by a silver-haired woman in a black military uniform. Tabuu forced the swords out and blasted laser bullets at the woman, a psychic shield protecting her. "That's Altair, an Imaginary Being from the Realm of Creators. She gains limitless power from fan ideas, and can even edit reality in a similar manner to Lord English. But because the 'idea' of her doesn't exist in this world, we had to make some adjustments: we tracked down all of her biggest fans and had Zorc turn them into cards, which she keeps under that coat. For a while, I was afraid she wouldn't accept the job offer, but turns out, she kinda wants to destroy her universe, so we cracked a deal."
The gym shook violently as a giant, silver robot landed behind Altair. His feet could flatten tanks like pancakes, and his armor shone in the darkness. His eyes glowing a murderous red, he locked onto Altair with a particle beam cannon. "Twentieth Movement: Factor Mimic." Altair flew away and conjured a clone of the robot, who socked the original in the jaw, but he recovered and destroyed the fake with a headshot.
"That's Megatron, the ruler of the Decepticon race. He's pretty much our brute force boy. After all, you're not Multiversal conquerors without at least one giant robot."
There was an ominous orange glow from beneath the edge of the gym, and a tremendous, flaming eye rose from the depths, skimming around in a panic. "EVERYONE, STOP FIGHTING! S-Stop! I dropped my contact lens when Megatron punched me, I-I-I can't find it! Just… everyone stand still and I'll sort this out."
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Father complained, conjuring a giant lens out of nothing and throwing it onto the eye.
"Ahh, thank Eru." The eye sighed with relief before setting fire to the whole gym. Salem cast Ice Magic around to douse it, while Tomura performed a mighty leap up to the eye, touched the lens, and converted it to dust-size shards. "AAAAAAHH! DAMMIT!"
"And that would be Sauron." Bill smiled in disbelief. "He's the life of the party, but he keeps losing things. Poor thing couldn't even find his One Ring, but we gave him a decent replacement. …And lastly, you already know Flowey."
Werdna looked down, seeing the little flower hop between their feet, almost struggling to carry the weight of his pot. Judging by his expression, the flower seemed really nervous to scoot into the middle of this conflict. If even a normal human could kick him around or squish him, what business did he have around these monsters. "Uh, excuse me? Guys?"
Salem conjured a swarm of Grimm bears and sent them at Tomura, who stamped his hand to the floor and sent the Decay to kill them all. Salem jumped to prevent her dress from becoming dust, then shot fireballs with magic, Tomura dodging. "M-Miss Salem, Mr. Shiga-something, I-; o-oh my." Flowey blushed and shirked when Altair floated directly over him, disallowing himself from viewing up her coat. She and Father were shooting swords at one-another, but Tabuu still desired to finish his bout, grabbing Altair from behind with his whip and slamming her into the floor. However, Tabuu felt the force of his own attack when Altair transferred her pain to him.
"E-Everyone, if I could just…" Flowey was ignored as Megatron stomped past him, bouncing the flower in the air. The robot shot a laser at Sauron, who dodged and blasted a Combustion Beam, Megatron flying backward, but Tabuu caught his ankle in his whip, whirled, and smashed Salem under his weight. She lifted him up with one arm and pushed him off, then punched a Dark Arm uppercut at Father. "HEY! I said, EXCUSE ME!"
Suddenly, everyone was snared in giant bramble tentacles. The space above cracked as Flowey's enormous visage burst out. "That's more like it." He said with his cute and friendly smile. "Now, as I was saying, Bill has a new friend for us."
"Thank you, Flowey." Bill and Werdna walked to the center. "Everyone, this is Werdna, the Pope of Death. He's going to be your leader. I'd like to have a meeting to discuss our future plans, so could we halt the exercise and set up a table?"
"What kind of plant is this?!" Salem asked, struggling.
"In my world, monsters can become invincible if they eat a human soul." Flowey replied. "And I ate six of them, so I'm basically a god. OBEY ME!"
"Yeah, so uh, that table?" Bill asked.
"So be it." Father huffed, conjuring a round table out of nothing. Flowey set everyone into the seats and returned to his tiny form, bouncing to the middle. Sauron also conjured a suit of black armor to take his own seat.
"Now then, folks: in about a year's time, our battle with the Seven Lights will begin. You'll be helping us from behind the scenes by entering the Negaverse and battling the Daring New Kids. You guys are some of the strongest people in the multiverse with the shared interests of complete and total destruction."
"You expect me to work with these puny humans?!" Megatron growled.
"'Puny humans'?" Altair remarked with a smile. "You realize that you probably originated as a children's toy in some universe, which makes you the puny one."
"No wonder he's so easy to toss around." Salem replied, sharing her smile.
"Honestly, I share his sentiments." Father replied in a calm, cold, uncaring voice. "Humans have as much value to me as insects. Don't you agree, Tabuu?"
". . . . . ." Tabuu's stare was firm, blank, and passionate.
"I must admit, I am a sucker for the silent types." Altair said.
"Hey, I was a silent type, too!" Sauron argued. "But then Bill was all, 'Ooo Sauron, you should talk more, you have a great personality.' I don't even remember what my real form is, how can I express who I really am?"
"Perhaps you haven't met the right humans." Tomura said to Father. "In our world, there's a pitiful few who are cursed without talent. They fear us so much that they enforce 'laws' and created 'justice.' The look on their faces when you all arrived, it was priceless."
"But doesn't your master possess far more powers than you?" Salem asked. "Why wasn't he invited?"
"All-For-One wished for me to go in his place while he stayed behind to keep All-Might's successor in check. He told me to think of this as an… internship."
"Then it's clear that you're the 'bug' among us!" Megatron stated. "We'll leave you in our dust!"
"I think you got it backwards, buddy!"
"Hey hey, chill out, guys." Flowey consoled. "Even if we're different, we're all friends, right? And we all just wanna destroy everything, right? So, why can't we work together?"
"Suppose that we could," Father replied, "what does our great 'leader' have to offer?"
"Do you know the philosophy in which a leader draws power from his team?" Werdna asked. "Well, Bill has told me of a way we can apply that literally."
"You'll have to find your own fans." Altair said, drawing cards from her coat. "'Cause these ones are stacked."
"Oh my gosh, this is the craziest dream I've ever been in!" a girl squealed, rubbing against her card prison. "It's like I'm really being smooshed against Altair's chest~"
"What I mean is, Werdna is a deathbender." Bill explained. "He acquires power not just from committing murder, but by seeing death unfurl before his eyes. Between the eight of you, you've killed many, and you can kill many more in the time we have left before the final battle. Every person you kill soaks your soul with their blood. I want you all to destroy as much as you can and share your tainted hearts with Werdna. In time, his powers will be able to awaken anew. Then there will be nothing the Negatives can do to stop you!"
"Hey, I can't even drop a ring without someone taking it, no way am I sharing my heart." Sauron said.
"It's a figure of speech, silly. Flowey, show 'em how it's done."
The flower attached vines to them all and attached a center vine to Werdna's heart. Black chi coursed from the eight and flowed into Werdna. The Pope sighed and meditated calmly. "Indeed… I feel it… I feel the cries of millions of people… as they breathed their last."
"I guess some people just love the Genocide Route." Flowey smirked. "Especially you, Salem and Father."
"But it was the gods who destroyed the first world, not me." Salem inferred.
"But it was you who led them to their fate." Bill corrected. "Whether directly or indirectly, people have died for your sakes. And Lord English will grant you your ideal worlds if you complete your mission. And since you're already here, you really don't have a choice because the boss can write you out of existence if he wants, but you don't gotta worry! Like Flowey said, we're all friends, right? ?"
"I've got nothing better to do." Altair returned the cards. "So I might as well create 'nothing.'"
Flowey hopped on her shoulder and cheered, "Me, too! I love erasing games!"
"Just know that you're all beneath me." Megatron stated.
"Well, you lot are a step up from the fools in my homeworld." Father said. "And you, Tabuu?"
"… …" The Program gave the slowest, yet firmest, NOD.
"I think that nod is good enough for all of us." Bill said, his heart touched. "Under Army… begin your quest for total Oblivion!"
The nine members raised their hands and sent a burst of chi to the sky, a force that might have wrecked the Dutchman were they not in Subspace. Little did they know that a masked agent, one of the guards outside, listened to everything.
…
The agent's report was sent to his leader, Mal Masque of the Army of Abominations. The man in question had revealed the Under Army's identities to Zedekiah and Sir Reginald inside the IDA's flagship. "Altair and… Flowey?!" Those two names startled Reginald the most. "The Negatives couldn't possibly defeat those monsters!"
"Even if they are forced to adhere to the Gameverse's rules," Zedekiah said, "those eight are incredibly dangerous. They'll need our help…"
"Now, don't go doubting our little Negative buddies." Mask smiled. "All they're really lacking is the proper knowledge. If we can at least inform them of the Under Army's abilities, I'm sure they can work up a miracle."
"This is the Negaverse we're talking about, you know? Between them and their Positives, they've always been… less fortunate. No Firstborn, no Chosen Ones, it's their fate."
"So, it's 'law' that the Negatives have to live in misfortune." Mask's eyes sparked giddily. "But in the lawless chaos Lord English is committing, that just flips itself around! Those Negatives will turn destruction into a miracle!"
Six months before the Voyage's End
Mask was proven right before he even expected. The first person to find out was Sipa. She casually returned to her treehouse room and opened the closet. "Hu—NEREH-!"
Nerehc clamped her mouth shut. "Shhhh… For the next hour, I'm all yours."
They shared the most magical, most inseparable kiss in the universe. Sipa's tears dripped along their mouths. She was sniffling, trying to sob, but found herself unable to let go. It lasted for 10 minutes before Asia walked in on them, mouth dropping at the sight for multiple reasons.
Next, Nerehc flew into Sector -V's treehouse. "BROOOOOO!" His siblings squeezed him to death, Eirik's joyful scream deafened him, Eitra and Eelyah beat him to a pulp, and Nosam drowned him with tears. He flew to Sector -W, and "COUSIIIIIIN!" Ynohtna wouldn't stop hugging, while the others breathed the biggest sighs of relief. Next was Sector -L, "DUUUUUUUUDE!" Ikuyim and Alol dog-piled him, Ydolem's shadow softly choked him in a hug, and Yrret was extremely eager to wash his clothes, Nollid shaking his head in cringe.
At Sector -JP, Uzuy and Ururu hugged him first, Nirak sanitized him before shaking his hand, Amadok dropped to her knees and thanked the spirits, and Atnij sung a song of victory. At Sector -SA, the four girls caught him from all sides and smothered him with kisses. He also learned about new sectors: he found Sector -$'s van and landed on the hood, the driver stomping the brake with a shock. "N-Nerehc?! I don't believe it!" exclaimed Lorac. She introduced him to her new teammates, the most notable one being an angel boy named Leic Spirithive.
He then went to Sector -MG to surprise Ydnew's new sector. "AAAH! INTRUDER!" Revilo screamed, shooting a Dark Beam at Nerehc, while a muscular mouse named Lihp punched him in the crotch.
"W-Wait, guys!" Ydnew stopped them. "Is that… Nerehc?!"
"Okay, that's enough surprises." Nerehc grunted.
Once everyone had gotten accustomed to Nerehc's return, a meeting was held at DNK Moonbase. He explained his fusion with the Fierce Deity and that it enabled him to return to life from Limbo. "I'll admit, I'm as surprised as you all by this whole thing, and I don't know if this will last. When this Voyage ends, I will join the Positives in their battle with the Thirteen Darknesses. Cheren will need me to face Ganondorf, anyway. I would ask you all to join me, but I sense danger approaching this world. I don't think The Thirteen will leave our world untouched. So, can I trust you all to defend our world when the time comes? I plan to come back alive, so I want my world to still be here when I get back!"
There were ecstatic cheers of agreement all around! Whatever the circumstances, they were so happy to have their leader back and were willing to do anything he asked. Whatever it was The Thirteen planned to throw at them, it would fall before the power of their devotion to Nerehc!