The last thing Redson recalled was having dinner with his family. All was well. He should have known better.
Before he knew it, he was on the defensive, watching helplessly as both of his parents were taken by mysterious, shadowy creatures. He had tried vehemently to fight against them, but it wasn't long before he was taken alongside them. The very last thing he had seen before his vision went dark was a strange ink scroll, laying nearby on the ground.
RedSon groaned lowly as consciousness gradually returned to him. He was... laying on the floor?
Pushing himself off of the floor and onto his feet, RedSon glanced around frantically, his eyes darting around anxiously. He didn't recognize his surroundings at all. In fact, the very sight of them sent a chill up his spine.
Redson tried to hide his fear, but it quickly spilled over when various puddles of ink began to form on the ground around him- familiar silhouettes rising from the puddles with shining blue eyes that glared at him.
He clenched his teeth and stood his ground, fire swirling between his fingers. Too his horror, however, the flames did little to damage the ink- he watched with wide eyes as it regenerated in mere seconds.
He tried to run- running for what felt like hours, only to end up right back where he had started. The ink people taunted him as they sauntered closer and closer, taking the forms of people he cared for, people he knew, people he hated- and people he feared.
His fear of failure, his fear of abandonment, his fear of becoming obsolete... all taking the form of one, huge, terrifying monster- and it began rushing right towards him.
RedSon's jaw dropped open in terror as their arms morphed into projectiles, aiming right at him. He instinctively took a defensive position.
Embers swirled around RedSon's hands as he attempted to parry the attack just in the nick of time, but the fire simply died the moment it made contact with the ink, no matter how bright it burned. The ink pushed through his attack, sending him flying across the room. His hair whispered and flared largely, hot flames with rage and fear.
Swallowing the very pride that often got him in so much trouble, he scrambled back onto his feet and ran in the opposite direction once again, as fast as his legs would carry him.
He tried and tried to find his parents, but they were nowhere to be found- in fact, the strange building appeared entirely void of other civilians.
Only after passing the same set of staircase multiple times did he realize that he was truly running in circles.
For once, RedSon wished that MK and his friends were here with him- they had rescued him countless times before. He regretted letting his ego and pride get in the way of accepting the help that he needed. But it took a true near death experience to realize that. He swallowed hard- ashamed.
The fire demon watched in horror as the ink monster shifted into terrifying caricatures of people he knew, all while getting closer- The Demon Bull King, Princess Iron Fang, The Lady Bone Demon, MK, even Mei-
RedSon shuffled backwards until his back hit a wall, closing him in as the ink drew closer, torturously slowly. RedSon squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, preparing for whatever fate this creature had in mind for him, until- a flash of blindingly bright light flooded the room, and the monster screeched in agony before retreating.
Once the light faded, Redson finally turned his head to look, a gasp escaping him as a group of all too familiar heroes stood before him; MK and his friends.
Mei chuckled, not seeming the slightest bit annoyed to see him; rather, relieved. She approached him with a smirk on her face, kneeling down and offering a helping hand.
Despite all of the horror that he had just faced, Redson felt his pride and anger beginning to bubble up- but he managed to keep it from bursting, merely swatting Mei's hand away and standing up on his own.
He glared ice cold daggers at the group, but his expression quickly softened when he saw how disheveled the group of friends appeared- Redson took a quick glance at his surroundings, deeming it safe to speak when nothing looked out of place.
Mei was already sitting on a set of stairs nearby, waving at him and inviting him to sit down next to her. He huffed, begrudgingly accepting her offer.
RedSon sighed, crossing his arms and averting his eyes- but he still sat down, begrudgingly, next to Mei. Mei smiled a wide, warm smile, slowly placing her hand over his.
"It's okay. Everyone is afraid of something."
Redson narrowed his eyes, mulling over the recent events for a moment before jerking his hand away- although there was no real heat or venom behind it. He shook his head, "Not me. I'm not supposed to be afraid of anything."
MK appeared suddenly, seemingly having materialized out of thin air behind him and making him jump. Mei, on the other hand, didn't even flinch. His voice was as loud, energetic and optimistic as ever. He couldn't help but grimace a little, given how it clashed so hard with the current situation at hand.
"C'mon, you don't really follow the rules of villiany, do ya?"
Redson's gaze began to wander as he forced himself to listen to MK talk, his entire body stiffening in surprise as his gaze landed on a large puddle of ink that he knew hadn't been there but a moment ago.
Eventually noticing how on edge Redson suddenly was, both Mei and MK followed his gaze, their blood running cold in sync at the sight. As if realizing it was being perceived, the puddle started to bubble, multiple figures beginning to rise from it.
All three of them jumped to their feet in tandem, the rest of the group swiftly joining them at their sides. Redson, Mei and MK exchanged glances, simply nodding at eachother in understanding.
Now this was going to be interesting.
