When they realised that Prochorus had leapt into the void after them, it was already too late. They were already surrounded by darkness, suspended by nothing. The only way out was to Face Prochorus himself.
They all glared at each other in horror.
Then the music started.
A drum beat started playing, and the four of them knew that it was leading up to something. Something big that they probably wouldn't like.
Out of nowhere, four spiked walls surrounded them in quick succession, trapping them in place.
Then, the wall at the bottom suddenly disappeared as waves of thick, pink magma formed, crashing onto the sides.
And then Prochorus suddenly emerged from the sea of pink like Aphrodite's birth. The four didn't even have time to react before the boy started prancing around, twirling with his hands raised in the air. He leapt accordingly to the beat, but with every step he took, pink foamy particles started rising into the air, forming a chaotic web of snow that kept on rising and rising. It was like Art of War, but much, much more chaotic with the snow rising a bit too fast for their preferences.
Then, he leapt up, rolled his knees up to his nose, and dive-bombed into the lava.
None of them were expecting the sheer height of the Tsunami caused by him, rising up to unprecedented heights. None of them managed to dodge it. Limbs were lopped off as they frantically flew around, eyes scanning the perimeters for any danger.
And there was.
Water splashed everywhere as a figure leapt out of the lava, rebounding off walls and ready to steamroll the four to death. It was shaped just like Prochorus, but just different. The Corrupted Prochorus had light pink skin and a torn up Black Shirt underneath a ragged, torn pink jacket, but the Prochorus' that leapt out of the water were completely pink. Skin, shirt, everything. Everything was pink. It almost seemed to glow a pink aura, like it wasn't even a physical entity, more like a projection than anything else. The only thing that wasn't pink were his eyes, which bled black liquid, a stain of ink on its otherwise pure pink form.
Huh. Pretty easy enough.
But suddenly, another appeared out of the water. An exact carbon copy of the first one, with the exact same movements, appearance, everything. This was definitely not the real Prochorus. And the two of them, together, started ricocheting off the walls at alarming speeds and extreme unpredictability.
Then came another.
And another.
Four Prochorus-like silhouettes danced around like balls in a game of Pong, in such an unpredictable manner that even though they focused on as many as they could, they'd always end up losing another limb. It was Chaos.
And just when they thought that was gonna be the end of it, they heard a loud splash come from behind them.
While Lumina was staring confusedly at what could've caused the splash, she felt something bang into her.
"WATCH OUT!" Pi screamed as she tacked her sibling, propelling the two shapes out of the way of a falling, pink Triangle that descended from the spiked ceiling. It splashed into the lava, with waves echoing through the magma. She looked over and saw that Quin was having the same issues.
"This is just like Dubwoofer Substep." Lumina said, eyeing the roof for the next Triangle about to fall, while also being conscious of the four Prochorus' bouncing about like hyperactive children. Another layer of beats were added, which the Triangles dropped down accordingly with. After getting through Dubwoofer Substep, at this point all four knew how to handle the falling spikes from the ceiling. But with the four duplicates, things proved a bit harder.
After a little, the beat started ascending into an Allegro. This can't be a good sign. Tetra swore the Corrupted started swinging faster.
But then they stopped.
All four of the mindless duplicates dropped back into the water.
And a larger, feral-looking boy emerged, sharp teeth glistening in the light.
To their surprise, his eyes were no longer black and bleeding. They were human-like, with a pink iris. Kinda like Barracuda's.
He gave himself free will?
Usually those who are gifted with Free Will only get it from Fresh. No one else. But this boy, this little shit, somehow manage to give himself free will. And not only this, but those who are gifted with Free Will completely forget any and all events that happened while they were not gifted with free will. Mordecai didn't know that (Y/N) smashed a mug against Fresh's head until Fresh told him and if they ever get purified, everything that happened during the period that they were corrupted, free will or not, will be erased from their memories.
This kid remembered everything that happened from the moment he fell into the lava to now. This was no ordinary boy.
"What a BE-AUTIFUL DAY~" The Corrupted yelled joyously. Someone's in a good mood. His clothes were ripped into rags, but he seemed really, really happy.
'Prochorus?' Tetra blurted out, staring at the Boss right in front of them. It was definitely Prochorus, he shared the same face, just different colour schemes.
"Prochorus? Naaaaah, don' like the sound of that." He smiled. Fangs bore themselves in a wide grin as he eyed the four upperclassmen. "Too Formal. Y'know what I feel like callin' myself now, you guys?"
'What?'
"Lycanthropy"
His smile seemed to widen, before raising his hands up in the air. Where did that New York Accent even come from?
And the last thing they expected him to do was swish his hips back and forth like a Hawaiian girl.
His arms moved so fluidly, so poetically over his head, that it sort of rivalled the dancing abilities of Lumina herself.
(A/N) It is worth mentioning at this point that Lumina, Quin and Pi all like to dance. Lumina likes Contemporary, Quin likes Breakdancing, while Pi likes Hip Hop. Tetra, unlike the others, can't dance for shit, but is an awesome parkour artist, as well as musically talented. They planned to work as a DJ at the nearby Nightclub once they graduated. Same place where Quin works as a Bartender. I just haven't found the appropriate time to break this out to you, dear reader.
Any other person dancing like that would've made the four of them cringe so hard they'd vomit, but Lycanthropy's movements had such a professional and experienced aura to it that at this point, they just stared, impressed. It was even perfectly in sync with the music!
But they didn't realise that there was a train of gigantic cannonballs that started leaping out of the water in a glorious arch, right at them.
Quin and Lumina managed to get out of the way in time, while Tetra and Pi not-so-lucky. Screams of surprise filled the air as they reacted too late, and Tetra dragged Pi out of the way with the one arm they have remaining left.
But as the four had just gotten out of the way, Lycanthropy leapt into the air, high up like a wild cat. He did a full 360 mid-air, only to leap back into the Corrupted water, causing more arches of Corrupted, spiked Cannonballs to rise up in beautiful curves into the air, originating from the spot Lycanthropy dived into. This time, all four of them were prepared, so they dodged accordingly. Dancing to the beat, Lycanthropy did it yet again, this time the arches rose much higher.
A moments of calm was experienced, though this was more of a "Calm before the Storm" kind of Calm, since a spiked ceiling descended down from the top. This couldn't be good.
Then, from two points opposite to each other, two pure pink Duplicates, still with their bleeding black eyes, leapt out of the opaque lava. They flashed white for a split second, before exploding in a brilliant pink fireworks show that emitted an echo of pink dots that flew out in all directions. Then came another two. And finally, finishing up their routine were a trio, and that was the only one that Lumina couldn't dodge. Before she knew it, she lost her physical form and was helplessly flying away into the abyss. Quin saved her at the last second, but as their attention returned to the battle, they only saw a figure floating high in the air, bobbing his head to the music as corrupted circles crept along in lines just like a caterpillar, appearing one by one and inching along. Then a high pitched PEW echoed through the void as ten lasers spread out in all directions, stopping them in their tracks.
Then Lycanthropy suddenly dropped like a weight, almost as if a 50 ton bowling ball was just dropped into his hands. But he just landed on the surface of the lava, standing on top of it no problem. He kept dancing, waving his arms above his head, as glowing duplicates of him leapt out of the magma, only to explode and release a shockwave of pink dots.
"You like my Backup Dancers? They all look exactly like me." He smiled. Y'know? I was in the theatre club. I auditioned for the main role in the school musical, but I didn't get it! It feels bad, y'know? I hate bein' looked over. I strive for the centre of attention, it feels awesome! Just simply awesome havin' people gaze upon you in awe, shouting your name as you're smothered with roses. Bein' just another face in the crowd hurts, y'know? And now that I've got this entire stage to myself, GAZE UPON THIS BEAUTY ALL YOU WANT! C'MON, BOYS!" He cackled. But of course, neither of the four were even listening. They were too busy trying to survive the sheer number of corrupted dots trying to kill them.
"I've seen you guys around school. Maybe except Mr. Green over there, obviously, but still. You guys are practically famous! You know what they say about y'all, right? No Genitals. Badass dancers. Explored caves, got yourself into adventures and shenanigans. You even beat up Austin, that guy is crazy strong! I wanted to be like you, popular like you, admired like you, praised like you. So pay me. Some goddamn. Attention."
That last part he said through clenched teeth, as a ceiling of Spikes started descending. They all knew what was going on.
So as Lycanthropy pranced around the perimeters, hand on hip and free hand waving in a fabulous dance, smaller duplicates of him, his "Backup Dancers" rose up from the magma, exploding in a fireworks show yet again in an effort to kill them.
But there's something, something that neither Lycanthropy or the Quartet knew.
And something that Barracuda did, though she failed to voice.
The thing with Boss Battles, is that every Boss is alive. Every boss can control the Corrupted matter in each level with absolute ease, they can transform it to their will. Lycanthropy, not being educated on this fact by Fresh, was oblivious to the fact that, like normal humans, Bosses have a certain limit. A limit to how much energy they can summon to control the Corrupted matter. Barracuda finished her boss battle with a large ranged attack because she knew that this way is probably the most effective way to hit the four, to concentrate her leftover energy into such a high density attack that it'll prove impossible for any normal human being to dodge.
And right now, Lycan didn't have much longer until all his energy ran out.
The magma, the Duplicates (Or "Backup Dancers" as he calls them), the Ceiling, everything in-between, it was just so chaotic and so energy draining that the Boss battle had to be cut short. Lycanthropy did feel extremely tired, but he paid no attention to it. After all, he was only fourteen, so the energy he would have would be extremely low when compared to someone like the young adult Barracuda or the immortal Fresh due to his age. Fresh would have a crap ton of energy for his boss battles, so much that nobody can even hold a candle to his power. He was the king of the Corrupted, after all.
He planned to leap into the magma to charge another attack.
But the moment he did, he blacked out.
And the four siblings were ejected from the void. They all screamed as they felt themselves flying, realising that they were probably falling down the side of a cliff. Their hearts lurched as they grabbed bits in the cliffside for stabilisation, straining their already sore muscles. It felt like their biceps were being ripped apart. But thankfully, they didn't fall too far. They climbed back up, only to see an unconscious body of a small boy lying down in the magma, face on the floor as a tired sleepiness was on his face. Just like Barracuda, he was knocked into some sort of coma. Is this what happens to bosses after they use up all their energy?
But nonetheless, the Level was completed, so a triangle should appear, right?
A small, white triangle the size of Tetra's palm appeared, and like a magnet, it floated over to the Larger, Pink, Corrupted Triangle that hovered above the magma.
A soft, melodic song started playing once it collided, and a bright flash of white light flooded the vision of the four of them, blinding them and turning their world white. When everything cleared, they all sighed in relief the moment they saw that the gigantic part of the Tree of Life was no longer an eyesore pink, but rather its natural, calming shade of white.
R-Reaching out
A glow started to increase in brightness as beams of pure, white light started emitting itself from the Triangle, like it was a beacon. Triangular, glowing particles started to float off of the afterimage of the Triangle. Then, it angled itself properly, before it suddenly dropped into the pool of bubbling magma and the boy inside it.
Rainbow Road
The moment it did, a sudden blue light filled the vision of the four siblings, blinding them yet again. But this time, they also felt a gale force wind sweep them off their feet. When they opened their eyes, there was a pillar of pure blue light rising from the pool of Magma, as it turned from Magma back to crystal clear, spring water. And for a split second, They all made eye contact with a pair of wide, pure, uncorrupted and innocent green eyes.
And then they fell off the mountain.
The four of them started screaming as the G-Force suddenly hit them in the face, organs being squeezed against their throat as they fell down what felt like 200 meters.
They saw some Corrupted, but shortly after, colour returned to their bodies. Colour returned to their skin. They all seemed confused, but if they had to guess, the water was what purified the Corrupted.
Suddenly their world went dark as they all of a sudden couldn't breathe. When they opened their eyes, it stung, and they knew that they hit the water.
But on closer inspection, the pink colour was fading away. It was like if a cloud of pink mist was retracting its long tentacles of Corruption, and slowly the water purified itself.
Quin started hearing a muffled screaming.
He didn't even have to look at where it was coming from to know instantly that it was Tetra.
The four of them didn't know how to swim, but Tetra was the only one who was actively afraid of the ocean. So no doubt that it was Tetra who was screaming.
What Tetra was't expecting, was a pair of warm hands clasp around their waist as someone dragged them along. They swore they could hear a familiar voice say "I gotcha." Tetra was them pulled onto a shore, where they were left coughing and spluttering for the second time within 30 minutes.
"Ye good mate?" An eyepatched Merman smiled at him from the water.
'Yeah... I'm fine... Thank you, Neptune...'
"Aye, I'm just doin' what a merman's born t' do. Ye seemed t' be a landhubber, scared of me sea and all, so I got ye. Methinks the others c'n ferry themselves here easily."
'Neptune, none of us can swim.'
"What."
'Neptune, none of us four can swim. I may be afraid of water, but the other three can't swim either-'
Before the Merman could let Tetra finish their sentence, Neptune whispered a harsh "Shiver me Timbers" under his breath before he dived back into the depths to retrieve the other three, who were thrashing about in the ocean trying desperately to stay afloat. They looked like cats who were randomly dropped into the sea. One by one, they were all saved.
'None o'ye Urchins can swim?' Neptune pointed a condescending webbed finger at the four of them, once they were all assembled on a bit of rock, all soaking wet. 'None o'ye?'
"No..." They all replied in a shameful unison.
'Arr, ye disappoint me.'
"Neptune, how old are you?"
'Sixty-four.'
Silence.
'Well, in Merman years, me age in Human years be... Erm... Twenty-one.'
"Oh. Phew."
'Now, anythin' I can do for ye?'
"Hey, Neptune," Lumina said. "You know that Pink Bastard who Corrupted Mt. Clearwater and half the world, right?"
'Aye.'
"Do you know where he might be?"
'Aye, I do.' The Merman smiled. 'While ye landhubbers were in there, I did some explorin'. Turns out he made a tower higher than any thing I've ever seen in the west. Want me to take ye there?'
"Duh!" Lumina smiled. "but first, we need to do something."
'Do what, Lumina?' Quin asked.
"WE HAVEN'T HAD PROPER CLEAN WATER IN ALMOST A WEEK AND NOW WE DO, WHAT DO YOU THINK?"
'ROGER!' Quin responded. The three of them scrambled back into the cave, all thirsty and prepared to drink a years worth of water.
When they came back out to their ferry, they were all happily filled to the brim. The moment they saw the first spring, they all practically leaped into it, greedily drinking up the precious nectar. It tasted sweet and refreshing, happily satisfying their chapped lips and dry throats. Oooooh my god it was the best thing ever. The cavern, which had previously been so unbearably hot, was now cool and refreshing. They all plunged their heads in, a cool bliss filling up their insides.
Seeing how the Water managed to purify the Corrupted, Lumina felt her heart soar as she dragged Barracuda's unconscious body over to the now purified sea, throwing her body in it to see if anything would happen.
But Barracuda just stayed limp. Not a single bit of pink started to disintegrate. It was just pink. Nothing else.
So her mood was shattered.
Suddenly, Tetra called their siblings over, and the three of them gathered around what Tetra held in their hand.
The triangle that had purified the Mountain had now shrunk in size, now to the size of Tetra's palm. You wouldn't even tell it was once part of the Tree of Life this way. Tetra decided to keep it in their pocket, in case it proved useful. Though, Lumina was still very bummed out at the fact that Barracuda couldn't be purified.
She did seem to forget all it when the four of them set off, riding Neptune's back across the seas. The wind in her hair triggered a beautiful, soaring feeling deep in her heart, causing her to call out in a childish "Woohoo!" And this time, Quin and Pi joined in. Tetra, however, just stayed silent as they clutched Pi's waist in fear.
As time went on, they all finally saw what Neptune was talking about.
A gigantic pillar, a gigantic tower stood in the horizon, piercing the sky with a bright pink. It almost seemed to glow, and they knew they were near. At the base of the tower, was a series of buildings. Gigantic, thick chimneys pumping thick black cotton candy out of them littered the place, and there were a couple of gigantic tubes, supposed sewage pipes that lead to the ocean. Is this some sort of industry?
But then, Quin pointed out something on the horizon, precariously close to the gigantic pipes. It entered the pipe system, into the Industry of the man who corrupted the world.
It was a shape clutching a fallen tree. A light blue dot.
And Tetra's heart soared the moment they recognised who it was. And they screamed his name with an intense, deep mix of desperation and passion.
"TRIST!"