- About a Month Ago -
You pace back and forth through the halls. If your calculations are correct, the heroes should be fighting O'Chunks for the final time right around now. Your plans are set.
You walk through the mirror hall, slightly uneasy. Things would never be the same once this was done, but you had to do this. For a better world. For a perfect world. You're going to melt away everything and everyone that have ever wronged you.
You can finally be at peace and be happy. You-
"Whoa!" Nastasia says, running into you dropping a lot of papers. They splatter onto the ground. She immediately sighs and kneels down to pick them up. "My apologies, Dimentio," She starts. "I wasn't watching where I was walking."
You cast her an almost dirty look, but put on a forced smile and shrug it off. "No worries! It was but a simple mistake."
"Yeah," She nervously laughs, before quickly darting off. However, she seems more on edge than usual.
"Nastasia," you ask. "You seem uneasy. Are you perhaps feeling unwell?"
She freezes and turns to you. "Huh?"
"You seem somewhat nervous. What could the reason be? Surely you're not doubting the count, are you?" You press.
"Oh, no no no," She immediately replies. "I just... I'm just..."
"You're just what exactly?"
"I'm just... afraid," She admits, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Ah," you say, slightly shocked that she'd admit such a thing. "Was it something I said?"
"I'm not afraid of you. I'm just... afraid."
"Hm, well do tell why."
"I can't." She says, before sighing and turning away. "And besides. My fears don't matter. Sometimes we have to be brave to help the people we care about."
"Oh?" You say, stepping closer. "Then tell me, how do you plan of being brave when you're clearly terrified."
"Being brave isn't the absence of fear," She quickly replies, beginning to walk away. "When you're unafraid, you're not being brave. You're only being brave when you ARE afraid, but you're standing tall regardless."
"Hmm," You murmur, as she disappears around the corner. "Coward." What you hate about Nastasia is that she knows what's going on. SHE is aware of the Count's filthy plans to eradicate everything. But, instead of stopping him she blindly supports him to the end of the line. She'll never be brave enough to stand up to him. She's a coward in your eyes. A true coward. Who is she to speak of bravery?!
You always see her as a coward, until your last moments with her. Then, is when your perspective changes.
Once the heroes have defeated Count Bleck, you prepare to strike the final blow for them. You ready a deadly projectile and aim it right for the wounded man.
However, once it is thrown, the assistant spots you, making eye contact for a brief moment, then stands in the way of the projectile, taking the blow for the count.
"Wow," you quietly whisper to yourself. "Now that, was brave."
- Present Time -
The next night you wait for sleep to nearly take you, still curious as to if it was all a dream. The doll of you sits with its back to the wall of the cave, just staring at you. You furrow your eyebrows below the mask at it, then without thinking, you stand up to get it.
You take a look into its eyes. The yellow gems match the gems of the alternate Bleck's eyes from that dream you had. How peculiar.
Go back...
"Huh," you say, looking behind you. "Hello?"
You know the voice was in your head, but it felt like it was real. Regardless, you suppose there wouldn't be any harm in checking that door again, right?
You slowly set the doll back down, then walk. Its eyes seem to follow you as you leave, but you know that this isn't the case, because it's only a doll. The dark often plays tricks on people's eyes.
You slowly walk down to that same area. The fog is lower than before, but it looks thicker. Your movement is slow and cautious until you see the door. The fog is parted in front of it. You beam, then sprint over and skid to your knees to open it. Once the door is open, that magical glowing tunnel reforms in front of your eyes. You smile and immediately crawl in without even giving it a second thought.
You crawl through and push open the door on the other side, finding yourself back in the inner sanctum. You smirk and look around.
"I knew it wasn't a dream," You say.
You hear the distant sound of humming and follow it to the kitchen, where Bleck is preparing more food. He smiles and turns to you as soon as you walk in. "Welcome back, My King." He says with a smile. You lightly smile and wave a hand.
"Would you go fetch Nastasia? I bet she's as hungry as a pumpkin by now," He says, causing you to stop and stare at him. "Since when did you use similies?" You question.
"Oh, we all use them occasionally in this world," He says. "Now go on. Nastasia is waiting."
"You mean... the alternate Nastasia," You correct.
"The better Nastasia," He says. "She's out in the garden."
"Wait," You start. "Since when did we have a garden-"
"Shhh," He interrupts, handing you a croissant. "Go on. It's down the hall, just outside around back."
You question how there could even be a garden here. You've always liked the idea and have found gardening fascinating but in Castle Bleck?! It was impossible. There was zero sunlight.
You step outside the back of the palace, gently closing the door behind you, then turn and gasp.
Outside, there's a bright yellow moon above, littering the sky with sparkling yellow stars. And below, you see a bright beaming forest of exotic plant life.
"Whoa..." You murmur, stepping out into it all. There's a small river with a wooden bridge going over it, and as you step inside the whole forest seems to light up. It's not green like a regular forest but filled with cooler colors like blue and purple. There's some red and green as well.
A few small bluebirds fly up to you, then circle you. You twirl around to watch them, then they fly off into the night. As you walk, the ground you step on seems to glow. Though it is nighttime, it's not dark. The stars and the glow of the forest make everything come to life.
And then, there she is, riding on a... large praying mantis?
You cock your head as Nastasia rides towards you on the large contraption. As she gets closer you can see that it's merely a machine. Not an actual bug. "Heyyyy," She says, voice way more laid back than you're used to.
"I love your garden," You shout to her, holding your hands up to your mouth so you can project your voice.
"OUR garden, Dimentio," She corrects. She drives the strange machine over the bridge and right up to you, then hands you a bouquet of purple and blue lilies.
"Well," You start, looking down at the plants she gave you. You love lilies. "Bleck said to inform you that it was time for dinner."
"Alright. But first, hop on Your Majesty! There's something I want you to see!" She holds her hand out to you, with the warmest smile on her face. Without even hesitating, you take her hand, and she pulls you up behind her onto the contraption.
Then, she pulls a lever, making wings appear, and you begin to fly above the whole forest.
It has felt like so long since you've been able to fly. You forgot how much you loved the feeling of not being chained down to the ground by the bonds of gravity. The two of you fly into the sky, the soft breeze blowing against your masked face, through the cracks, and onto your skin. You smile at the familiar feeling of being weightless, and can't help but feel at home.
"I can't believe all this," You mutter as you fly in front of the bright moon.
"Bleck said you'd like it," Nastasia smoothly says with a smile. "Why, he knows you like the back of his hand."
You lightly laugh, noting the simile before you look down at the forest.
You've missed the freedom that came with flying. Your heart can't help but feel full now that you're back in the air.
______
You are served breakfast for dinner. Over-medium eggs with french toast and syrup, as well as a side of oatmeal and bacon.
Nastasia digs in as well on the other side of the table.
While you eat, Bleck interrupts with some news.
"Oh, by the way, your bodyguard wanted to invite you to his performance after dinner!"
"My bodyguard?" You question.
"Yes. Your bodyguard. He's been working really hard, waiting for you."
"Alright..." You murmur.
"Your assistant and I will clean up," Bleck says. "While you and your friend head down the castle to see him"
"My friend?!" You ask, even more so confused.
Bleck smiles when you hear a soft knock on the door. "Ah, he's just on time," Nastasia says. Bleck stands up and slowly walks over, swinging the door open.
And who is waiting there? Why, an alternate Mr. L.
Your excitement disappears, and you let out a small, slightly annoyed groan.
His appearance is slightly different from the annoying, talkative L you know. He's got yellow eyes, a soft smile on his face, and no burn marks anywhere. The scar on his neck, completely gone. He also has slightly better posture. He's not wearing that welding helmet, but his old green hat again. He looks overall tidier. More well-rested.
"Another Mr. L," You say, slightly annoyed. "Great."
You step towards him and cross your arms. "Hello, L," You sarcastically add.
He doesn't say anything. He just waves and stares at you, a happy look on his face.
"Uh, hello?" You ask again.
Bleck giggles and walks behind the alternate Mr. L, grabbing his shoulders and beaming at you.
"I thought that you'd like him more if he spoke a little less. So, I fixed him for you!"
You give them both a confused glance. He fixed him? That's possible?! "So..." You start. "He can't talk at all?"
"Nope!" Bleck chimes.
You bring your attention to the alternate Mr. L. He just offers a shrug, smile not fading from his face. "Hmm," You say. "I like it!"
"I knew you would!" Bleck excitedly beams, gently pushing the alternate Mr. L towards you. "Now run along. And have fun!"
The alternate L bows, taking his hat off with his right hand and holding it out to his side. You can't help but feel respected. You've always liked the idea of people bowing down to you. After a moment, he stands himself back up and puts his hat back on.
That smile never faces from his face. It looks like a genuine, happy smile. Just looking at it makes you want to smile as well. It's a rather nice smile, you note. All his teeth are perfectly aligned, and a beautiful pearly white color. You wonder if the real Mr. L has a smile like this too. You never really thought to check. You make a mental note to check the next time you are unfortunate enough to run into the idiot.
He tilts his head to the side and holds out his arm, signifying for you to take it. You pause a moment, just looking at it. The cloth wrapped around his arm is completely gone. There are no burn signs on him at all! It's shocking. You feel like it was less shocking to see the differences in the Alternate Bleck and Nastasia since you haven't seen them since you died, but you've seen Mr. L fairly recently, so looking at all these flaws fixed on him felt strange.
"Go ahead, take his arm," Bleck says, interrupting your train of thought and gently pushing your arm to his. You chuckle, then link your arm around his. Bleck lightly laughs, then pushes you guys out of the room. The two of you start walking down the halls as Nastasia and Bleck clean up.
Mr. L has that permanent happy look on his face. "You're cheerful," You observe. "I mean. considering you can't say anything."
He just keeps that smile on and shrugs, walking at the perfect pace for you. His legs are longer, so you notice that he takes fewer steps, but it still has this rhythm that you find satisfying.
"Uhh, it didn't hurt, did it?" You ponder aloud. "When he-"
He immediately directs your attention to the large doors in front of you, pointing at them, not allowing you to finish that thought.
But the lively glow coming from the cracks of the door distracts you from what you were planning on saying anyway. "Whoa," You murmur.
You exchange glances with him, then together, the two of you push the doors open.
Inside, where there would usually just be a big empty room, there's what looks like a circus! You gasp in amazement and look at all the bright lights illuminating the room.
"Whoa..." You mutter again, slightly louder while stepping forward.
It's decorated with streamers in a perfectly organized fashion. There are trampolines and poles everywhere. Two seats are placed near the center of the room. Mr. L slowly holds out his hand, gesturing for you to be seated first. You lightly smile at him, then sit yourself down. The chairs are incredibly comfortable as well. He waits a moment, briefly looking behind himself, before sitting down right next to you.
Then, spotlights show a tightrope above you. You look up to see, wait a minute...
O'Chuncks?! He's walking on the tightrope!
But no way! That clumsy oaf could never do such a thing.
Old fashioned Scottish music plays as he gracefully jumps off the tightrope, grabbing onto another line and ziplining down to the ground. Then, he takes a bow.
"Welcome, My King," He says, his Scottish accent still present, but not nearly as strong as it used to be.
Suddenly, a whole bunch of small white mice come running through the room. You gasp as they gather in front of you almost like some sort of small military. Once they're in form, they wait a moment, then begin to dance around to the Scottish music. They all wore small outfits. Some even played small drumsets. It was unlike anything you have ever seen.
They all moved into different formations, like a marching band. O'Chunks, their conductor. It was incredible. The amount of brain and dedication it must have taken to train all these small creatures.... just... wow.
For the final trick, O'Chunks held out his arm, and they all went hopping into his shirt, seeming to just completely disappear. Once he was done, he took a bow.
You immediately clap and stand up. Mr. L does the same.
"Thank you, thank you!" O'Chunks says. "My King, and his companion!"
"I loved it! I wasn't aware you were even capable of such things," You say. "It was so... so... Amazing!" You say.
"Thank you, My King. You and your friend are welcome to come anytime!"
______
Mr. L silently walks you back to your room. The whole time, you don't stop commenting on how amazing this world is. There's something interesting to see every day, and the wonders never stop.
He just smiles and nods, listening to you speak. You excitedly grab his arm and gush about how while you were alive Castle Bleck was never this perfect. You speak about the food, the shows, the garden, the sky, everything!
And he listens.
It's nice. To have someone listen to you.
It's late, so he walks you to your beautiful room, where Blumiere and Nastasia are already waiting.
They welcome you inside and make sure you have everything you need to sleep. Then, you tuck yourself into the comfortable bed and close your eyes.
"Wait. Before you go, would you like me to fix that for you?" Bleck's voice asks once you're about to drift off. You open your eyes. "Huh? Fix what?"
"Your mask and clothes," Bleck says, holding a hand over you. "They're torn. Would you like me to fix it?"
"You can do that?"
"Of course, my king!" He chuckles. "Anything is possible in this world! After all... we're in your perfect world."
A warm feeling fills you.
He smiles that warm smile and hovers his hands over you. As if by magic, you feel the cracks in your mask heal. The rips in your clothing sow themselves back together. By the time he's done, you take a look at yourself and place a hand on your mask where the cracks used to reside.
It's all gone. It's almost as if you never even died.
"Whoa..." You mumble. Bleck beams then stands up and turns off the light. The other two follow him.
"Sleep well. We'll see you soon...." He murmurs.