Storage space - Jamiekeyblade123 - Kingdom Hearts (Video Games) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter 1: Storage space

Chapter Text

Angie was screaming again, and Donna knew from experience what that meant. The doll maker had learned over the years that Angie screaming in her sleep could mean only one of two things: either Mother Miranda was calling for a meeting or her son got into the dolls again.

Donna sighed in annoyance as she heard Angie keep screaming for her. Mother Miranda was calling to remind her of the meeting later today. The things she dreaded most about these monthly meetings were the freezing morning snow and the endless conversations of her siblings that always put her to sleep.

As Donna slowly walked through the basem*nt of the massive house, she didn't bother changing or cleaning up, she just wanted to finish that phone call and be done with today until the meeting.
Before the doll maker fully left the basem*nt, she gazed around her workshop. A few old books and papers littered the floor, while various doll parts almost completely covered the surface of a massive table that stretched nearly the entire length of the room. But the only item that caught her eye, in the mess of plastic arms and legs, was a colorful purple kimono. Donna's fingers brushed the fabric gently, and a small smile rose from her previously down-turned lips.

The soft fabric of the faded kimono was covered in a layer of dust, and Donna brushed some of it away, right into Angie, who was holding a picture of a little fox that had been drawn by the unsteady hands of a child. The drawing was also covered in a thin layer of dust with two painted handprints, one black and child-sized and the other from Angie's own hand. Both were still bright and visible from where they rested next to the fox on the page, despite its apparent age. Donna looked at her friend; the doll must have looked through one of the dusty books next to the kimono, judging by the look of her hands. The doll looked at her with a smile—well, well, as close as a doll can get to one. Donna's fragile smile broke as she wondered: How long had it been since she lost her beloved child?

How many years would she continue to suffer alone? Cursed to be trapped in this village?
How happy she had once been before everything, but maybe that's why this world of make-believe and childlike wonder was all she had. Maybe that was why she still thought of love—the sweet embrace of a family. She could remember them clearly, even through the thick fog blanketing her mind. It was a dark and stormy night when her first love approached her home. The tender feeling of his hands and the sweet moments of happiness with the gorgeous man as his soft blue eyes met her cold gray. The passion of those lustful nights as she poured her heart and soul into him.
It wasn't long before a child came, and with the new addition, the doll maker's life was happy. A loving husband who had family elsewhere, and her beautiful baby boy who looked just like her. Angie stopped being the terror roaming the house and eventually became peaceful. Those sweet moments of tea and cakes and the late nights with a book as her handsome little bird helped her learn how to read and write.

Donna just wished he didn't leave that night. It was their child's first birthday, and he had decided to venture out into the snowy village. That night was one of many assaults on Donna's heart. The only thing Donna learned of the murder was that he had been stabbed and that his body had burned by fire. Mother Miranda had woken her up in the middle of the night, and Donna rushed to see his body upon learning the truth. The only thing about her husband that was still intact was his purple kimono. Donna could only watch as the cruel woman gave her a dark look and walked away, leaving her to bury the body of her husband. Donna never asked if Miranda knew; she never asked her anything ever again. She stayed silent until only those who she truly cared about ever heard her voice.

The second time that Donna opened her heart to another was years after she had to let her son go. She didn't want the blue-haired woman to take him away, but she had to let it happen. He had been found, and for the third time in Donna's life, she felt dread. The villagers had come to fear her, if not outright hate her. A man had left her estate and died, then a child went missing and was never heard from again. She had become cold, acting like she was when her parents died.
It took the near death of a woman slowly dieing of blood loss from the lycans for Donna to remember what it was like to love, to feel a connection to someone other than Angie and her dolls after she lost her husband and child. Donna was curious about the new person in her life. She'd later learn that this woman was named Norie or, as Angie called her, Butters.
Everything was different! Each day brought her a new form of excitement and understanding of the outside world! Brilliant things like smartphones and movies, Donna wanted to know more about these new things, this new person. Norie was friendly and beautiful, and she made Donna feel like she was alive again.

The hole in her heart after losing her husband and child was filled for a while. Her siblings found out and acted like family, even to her. She was happy again, until that horrible day when Donna answered the phone. It was a cold winter's day, and she could hear the anger and malice in Mother Miranda's voice. She had found out about Norie. Her voice felt like an ice pick taken straight to Donna's heart as she told her Norie's fate. Her friend was dead; Heisenberg had killed Norie by tossing her in the cold river.

After that day, all Donna did was hold her ear to the phone, pray and hope Norie was safe, waiting for her voice to come through the receiver, and tell her that everything would be alright. But nothing ever came through, and she was alone. The village had nicknamed her the Marionette of Hell, as anyone who entered her estate would die, and their screams echoed throughout the house once their minds were lost. Those that dared to venture in were lost to the madness of the grounds, claiming to see things, but Donna knew better. They killed themselves in panic and fear of the nightmares she showed them; they hated her, and all she wanted was to be alone with Angie. She fell deep into her depression, letting herself and the once beautiful, cursed estate fall to pieces. Donna walked over to the phone, her mind clouded in thought as she held the device to her ear like she used to, hoping for a sign of happiness.

"Donna, earth to Donna. Wake the f*ck up, mother Miranda is talking." Angie shouted, snapping Donna out of her thoughts.

"Donna, are you there?" Donna could hear Mother Miranda clearly through the phone's earpiece. As usual, her tone was cold, distant, and full of disgust for Donna. Miranda wasn't her mother; she was just a Ruler. Hellbent focused on reviving her own dead child rather than focusing on the so-called "children" that she had already taken in. Hell, Angie and her were better mothers, and they didn't even get to enjoy their child's life after the age of four.

"I'm here, Mother Miranda. Was there something you needed from us?" Donna whispered, trying to hold herself together. She just had to think of what Norie did for her and remember all the good times with your little bambino. You're different from before; you're not a failure.

"I was calling to remind you that we have a meeting today. I've almost obtained the vessel, and it will soon be time to revive my beloved Eva. I would like all of my children to be there. Furthermore, I expect you both to arrive on time." Miranda hung up, leaving Donna in silence. A few minutes passed after the phone call, and the feeling of panic fully sank into Donna and Angie's minds.

Today was the day. When Mother Miranda would show for the last time she didn't love them, for f*ck's sake, she'd probably kill them herself. All the signs were there, and Donna knew it. Moreau would be worried, Alcina would either panic over her daughters or slaughter her whole castle, and Karl would probably fight her and die trying. If Donna was lucky, Miranda and Karl killed each other as well. Donna would have said she didn't want that, not wanting to be abandoned. But she knew long ago that her dream family—that excitement she once held for Miranda and her siblings—was a complete lie. Today had to be the day she stood up for herself and as her brother Heisenberg once told her, "Kill that bitch." It was the only way to make her real family whole again.

Donna looked next to the phone at a hand-drawn picture of her, Angie, and her little boy. The dark-clothed family looked happy; her child even had some small writing above him in different colors saying, May you walk beyond the valley of death no more. Donna quietly set down the phone, smiling. Angie was cackling, feeling a level of excitement once felt only when playing with Donna's boy or Norie.

"Oh this is going to be fun, how are we gonna do it
Donna? Are you gonna get a weapon? What about the child? We gotta be smart about this; after all, I doubt everyone who cared about us would wanna see us dead." Angie said it quietly. Donna knew this was a big deal; just the seriousness of Angie's tone was enough for her to realize that this was her only hope of seeing them again.

"First, we need guns and medical supplies from the Duke. At least, we'll possibly have a fighting chance against Moreau. I don't know how we'd even deal with Alcina or Heisenberg." Donna hugged herself; she hated her siblings, who were each powerful and loved by Miranda in their own twisted ways, and Donna was treated like nothing. Just a girl from a cursed family with only the abilities to make dolls come to life and cause people to see things.

"Do you think it's a child from the village?" Angie suddenly shouted, trying to change the subject and hoping to keep her best friend rational enough to plan. She hated it; normally, Donna was the rational one, and she was the mad child of the house.
"Keep it down Angie, we'll figure something out, besides If needed we'll make a new plan." Donna said as she picked the talking doll up, it was almost time for the meeting and Donna knew this meant seeing the Duke as well.
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Donna was filled with apprehension while walking to the meeting with Angie in her arms. They walked down to the elevator, and she turned around only for a moment to see the roaring waterfall that was next to her house. The thundering roar of the falls reminded her that she was the only one left. Why was her family cursed with death and tragedy? First her sister died from an unknown illness, then her parents died by jumping off that accursed waterfall. That day was the day she broke, and she had stayed that way until Miranda's so-called gift. Later, at the cost of her eye and even more of her sanity, she gained a friend in Angie. Angie was the rock that kept her going, and if it wasn't for her best friend, Donna didn't know what she would have done. Most likely something drastic; after all, her mental state never recovered after the loss of her family. Why not add more trauma and misery to her life with the gift of Miranda, also known as the Cadou, a parasite implanted into the head?

Donna gazed with her one good eye into the waterfall, transfixed, as the visions and ghosts of her past danced within the rushing water as she thought of those she'd lost. Mom, Dad, Norie, Robin, everyone that she loved was connected to that waterfall in some way.

"Donna, you're thinking about them again?" Angie asked, pulling on the doll maker's sleeve of her mourning garb.

Donna let out a soft sigh, turning away from the cliff next to her home and staring at the silent manor. Donna gave it one last look before entering the old elevator with Angie, the doll quickly pressing a button to go down.

After leaving the elevator, the doll maker looked around as they traveled through a graveyard on their way to the Duke's shop. Donna gazed at the tombstones covered in flowers and dolls as they passed them by.

Donna kneeled next to the biggest grave of them all, and looked at the tombstone. She had made sure her little sister had the biggest memorial to her passing. Claudia Benevento had been more than a sister to Donna; she was like Donna's guardian angel for the entire childhood they'd spent together, all the way up until the day she died.

Donna placed her hand on the cold stone. Removing part of her veil, Angie looked at her, letting the much needed moment between sisters happen.
It was a little farther to the Duke, only the remnants of their garden, and the valley ringed by broken dolls that littered the trees, so Angie decided to move from Donna to look around. They were surrounded by endless gray tombstones and wilted yellow flowers, with the only things not covered in grime or decay being Claudia's grave and those towards the center. The ones kept clean were for maids and family members, and Angie walked around the snowy graves, seeing the names of the dead.
Eevee, Hodor, Caroline, Arya, Ishira, and only a handful of maids that they managed to give a proper burial to. It was always so horrible to visit this place before every meeting. When Donna was praying for her sister, Angie sometimes pondered what would happen to them after they moved on. Would they be buried here with their family and loved ones? What would happen if they weren't? Not wanting to linger on those thoughts, Angie quickly returned to Donna.

Donna lifted her hand from the snowy grave after noticing that Angie had returned from looking at their friends and family. As she stood, Donna wished the Door of Memories and her elevator weren't next to the graveyard. It made the tragic sight of her land even more miserable. Sighing, Donna picked up Angie, and they started again up the stairs to the old garden.

An old building greeted them upon arrival, alongside rusty fences, old lamps that had run out a long time ago, a dilapidated tool shed, a rundown greenhouse in the distance, and the old gardener, long since dead, with only his body and scattered tools to mark his ever-being here. Vines littered the once-beautiful area, and dead flowers were everywhere. The only life in the cold and wilted facsimile of a garden were the yellow flowers, a gift of Miranda's madness. Anyone who smelled them would be under her control, forced to see hallucinations and dreams, or whatever she wanted.

The gardener's house was in a state of decay; rotten wood lay inside and a giant hole in the side from when a Urais DRAC passed through her land, bringing death and destruction in its wake. Donna walked away, hoping it would never return.
The rest of the journey was in silence; no words were spoken as they walked past the rest of the old garden, the old bridge, or the doll-covered forest. Not once did they talk. There was no point in words. The ruined land was just another victim of Donna's pain, and it felt best to leave it unspoken until a better time.

Silently, Donna opened the door that led away from her forest of hanging dolls and mist and out to the village. The big wooden door that connected her land to the rest of the village was the same as Moreau's door, their house symbol hanging above Mother Miranda's symbol on each side of the giant doors. It was a reminder not only of her status as a lady, but also of the fact that Mother Miranda controlled her, and anyone who dared to enter would only know suffering. Donna turned to the left of the doors to see the duke's shop, and a horde of people suddenly came into view. Everyone looked at her with eyes filled with fear and deep hate. Donna sighed as she looked out at the hateful crowd. It was the only way to the meeting.

The Giants Chalice was an odd thing in the village; the only things Donna and Angie ever learned about it was that the chalice had been around since the early days of the village, and it had the Umbrella Company logo on it, and yet it lay in the center of the town's marketplace, its purpose unknown to Donna, or anybody in the village. Only Miranda knew the answer.

The town was lively and full of people unaware of the death and suffering they'd soon experience as the Lycans would feast, ripping through their entrails and gorging on the flesh of their many lives. Children would die brutally, families dragged, slaughtered, and changed. Even in death, they'd never feel peace. Lord Heisenberg and Lord Moreau would take the living and dead for their own means, while Lady Alcina used the rest as food. But for now, they shopped at the Duke's store and chatted with each other or left to work at Karl's factory to her right, rarely ever to be seen again.

Donna held Angie closer as her shoulders dropped, to the point where she almost held her beloved doll like a child would after a day of yelling and sorrow. She couldn't save anyone; she couldn't even save herself, most likely. This was to be her only shot at seeing her child again. This wasn't just revenge for her life, her family, and Norie. This was her wake-up call to that bitch's game.
Donna had known everyone would die, leaving the Lords to play or rot unless an outside force intervened. But she didn't know if that was possible. Norie was probably dead, the blue-haired woman with the odd sword was probably living a happy life with her daughter, and Donna only had Angie and memories of the past chaining her to this village of shadows.
All Donna had was Angie and soon a couple of guns; going in gun blazing would probably fail, but Donna loved underdog stories, with Cinderella being a personal favorite. And today, she was her own Cinderella, with Angie as her foul-mouthed and murderous mouse, ready to aid her in finding her little prince before the final hour was upon them.
"Are you ready Donna? We gotta see the Duke and make a move." Angie reassured her friend, floating ever so slightly in Donna's arms. Angie wasn't laughing and she spoke quietly with all seriousness in her voice as Donna needed all the courage and motivation she could get. This was facing her family and an army of monsters straight out of a horror movie.

"I have to try for everyone. We can't let their suffering and deaths go in vain." Donna choked out. Trying to hold back some bile, she walked closer to the Duke's emporium. The villagers were watching her with looks ranging from fear and disgust to anger and hatred. She wouldn't blame them; because of her family, they live in fear of death, and they prayed to a psychopath with a twisted mother complex. They acted like everything was fine, but deep down, they wanted to see her and the others hanged or killed with their homes ransacked. Donna could see just how much they hated her. She was the reason all loved ones died after all. The amount of wives, daughters, and sisters who've died due to her "family'' was untold. She could have made an effort, opened her mouth to Miranda at any point, but it would have been fruitless. The bitch would have only let the madness continue. She'd have sent more of them to die at that slaughterhouse of a village.

Donna hated being attached to people. It felt like a gunshot to her chest to see a maiden chosen from the village come to serve her; it was like counting the days till their deaths. Those who entered for greed and blood would die, screaming into the night as their nightmares chased them, going crazy at the sight of blood-soaked fingers clawing into their souls. Donna would miss some of them; some of her maids, or friends, as she called them, were innocent, only dying due to Mother Miranda deciding she was too happy. After all, it's so much easier to kill them like pigs in the slaughterhouse than to give them freedom or a new start.

As Donna thought even more about the past, she wondered how many nights—how many nights did she cry until her eye was bloodshot, lying to her son and saying things like, "The maids are simply going to Castle Dimitrescu, going to take care of her big sister for a while!" Only to tell him they died serving her? Those were the unfortunate ones; they'd be worked to death with no hope for peace or a burial, with only blood and wine as their fate for their work. Those who died under House Benevento were given a proper burial and a tombstone to join her sister's and workers' graves. The families sent letters that she wrote herself, with more than their wages folded within the pages. It's what made Donna the most respected and haunting lord until her husband's death.
Donna shook herself out of her reverie and walked a little while longer before abruptly coming face-to-face with the Duke. The Duke was a friendly person; he was always kind to her and even those she cared about, for a price, at least. Donna didn't know if there was more to him beyond his need for money, and she viewed him more as a salesman than a friend. But some things made her hate him—not the happy look nor the great service, but the power the man held. Miranda dubbed him the unofficial fifth lord of the village, a man who was anywhere and everywhere at once.

The thing that made Donna hate the man, in addition to his power, was the fact he would never help beyond buying and selling. He never saved people unless they had money, trade, or work. The man was like a sinister extortionist. One moment, he'll watch you with kind eyes; the next, he'll turn his head and watch you suffer.

How Donna envied him, a man free to do whatever he pleased. He didn't have to worry about the blood on his hands as long as he kept up a smile and offered goods to the needy and those crazy enough to fight a battle that was foolish to anyone lacking common sense.

"Hello, Duke," Donna whispered to the large man. It had been years since she physically talked to him, as she was far more comfortable letting Angie do all the talking, but it was a discomfort she'd have to deal with if she wanted to talk to her son again.

"Ah, Ms. Beneviento, Ms. Angie. Welcome to my humble shop; if I may so humbly ask what the occasion is, if it's just window shopping, please look to your heart's content." The Duke laughed as he lit up another expensive cigar.

Donna looked around for a moment. The shop was full of odds and ends, from bullets and herbs to the smallest shiny gem, he had a bit of everything. Angie immediately jumped onto the large man with a joyful look in her eyes, reminiscent of a kid in a candy store, or in her case, a killer prepared to slaughter their helpless victim and love every second of their demise.

"Hey Duke, how much for that one?" Angie pointed at an old gun that looked well taken care of, if Donna's knowledge of old movies was anything to go by. The revolver looked cheap, but it could probably help with lycans and definitely any person in the village. Her siblings were another story, as they'd be too tough for a simple piece like that.

"Why is the Handcannon PZ? I'll admit, for whatever you're planning, I'd recommend something stronger. As a friend, please, Donna, tell me what's this about?" The Duke asked softly, and the grand chuckle was gone, leaving only a devastated expression behind. Donna took a breath as she prepared to speak to the man. Her throat felt strained, as it would be the first time in years going beyond a whispered word to Angie, let alone talking to another person. The many people in the area did not help at all, but Donna tightened her hands and finally forced herself to speak.

"There's someone that I've lost, Duke. The only way to be with my child is the death of my family." Donna declared to the salesman. The anger in her voice was a surprise to the man.

The Duke took a puff of his cigar as he spoke. "I've seen many things, Donna. I've seen children slaughter each other for survival, hunters who fight with nothing more than their own souls and the surrounding men. I've seen the darkest parts of mankind. This village is full of cruel horrors; you know this better than anyone, Donna. You wish to be with your child, so maybe we can work together. A simple exchange, if you will."

"You see, I have some information that could help you and Angie on this journey. All I ask is that any treasures you come across be offered as trade. I am a businessman, after all. So, Donna, if you are both serious about this, I will gladly be at your service." The Duke beamed, rubbing his hands together.
"Why are you doing this, Duke? This isn't like you; you're normally all about money and sh*t. Why ask us for treasure? We're f*cking rich; why would you want us to gather treasure from this hellhole?" Angie snapped, pointing her finger at the large man.
Why! Isn't that the question? It's funny; I remember a lot of things. You see, I was once a boy, strong and powerful, and I loved the people I cared for—my little den of kittens. However, I was young and foolish. In my youth, I did many things to help others: I helped teach a generation to fight, I hunted, I understood life, I saw people smiling, and there was peace in our time. However, as you know, peace is only as good as you let it be. I failed to help my children win an unwinnable battle. In the wake of defeat, I gave up on fighting; this mound of flesh and misery is my punishment for letting them down. Now that I only focus on coins, if I can't help people the right way, I can help them try to help themselves. It's a foolish way of approaching a problem. But what can you do?" The Duke chuckled slightly, taking his cigar and putting it out. Donna stared nervously at the Duke as the hulking man leaned down to look at her. As he moved out of the way, she saw a large cracked mask on the wall behind him.

"Please, pay that no mind. Is there anything else you'd like? The meeting is almost upon us." The Duke said, trying to change the conversation away from himself and back to the deal at hand.
Donna decided to let the man have his secrets as she pointed to a few smaller things around his shop. A couple green herbs, a first aid bottle, a fully automatic pistol, and some ammo. She had to be light and unnoticed like always. Outside of survival, one thing caught Donna's eye. It was a small pink and cream colored fox plushie with a small silver mask over the yellow beads that served as its eyes.

"What can you tell me about the plush?" Donna spoke up, looking at the soft doll-like figure with deep interest. The soft-looking fox was eye-catching and demanded her attention, like a flicking string to a kitten.

"That was created based on a legendary warrior; rumor has it that she was a crafty fighter in battle, and a lover of children. A symbol of happiness and knowledge that would guide those to safety and peace." The Duke beamed, picking up the small figure.

"Is it for sale?" Angie giggled, wanting to hold the little fox. Her porcelain hands scratching at the Duke's shirt with a childish desire for the cute object.

"Yes, it is. But why would you like this Donna, if I may ask." The Duke raised an eyebrow at the toy.
"It reminds me of a happier time." Donna smiled, thinking back to a picture of a pink fox on her floor. The memory of her son dancing to a soft piano song from her record player. Donna loved seeing his smile; it warmed her heart. Her child, ever so kind to her, always plays with the dolls, making them feel like real people. She could remember him telling her about the drawing.

"She reminds me of something I've dreamed about." A child's voice said. Donna didn't know what it meant, but she giggled and patted her son's black hair. "Maybe the next dream you have you'll get to meet your mysterious fox, my little bambino." Donna whispered, hugging the boy.
After grabbing the toy and the rest of her items, Donna and Angie thanked the Duke and started walking towards the meeting. The gun felt heavy on Donna's hip. She had never used a gun before, and it didn't make the fact that Angie slipped the revolver in her dress any less worrisome. Before she got too far, though, she remembered something and quickly turned around to ask the Duke a question.

"Tell me, Duke, what kind of information do you have?" Donna asked nicely, staring softly at the merchant underneath her mourning veil.

"Why? We've got visitors in the village today. I'm sure they'll be quite surprised. That's all I can say Donna, you'd better get going." The Duke whispered.

"Oh! And Miss Benevento, to answer your earlier question, the reason for the treasure is simple. This village is doomed and I simply don't want precious items destroyed by your family drama. Just thought I'd let you know." The Duke said, giving the doll maker a small wave.
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The rest of the journey was uneventful; the snow was kicking up harder, so a blizzard was likely; the villagers were preparing for the worst, and Donna was lucky to avoid most of them while making her way through the center of town. The old church bell ran longer than normal, and the Angel and Demon gate was open. Angie jumped down, running through the small wine cave towards the shrine. Donna pulled a lever, and a secret passageway opened to show the way to the dark, depressing church.
The rundown church was dark and in ruin; the only light in the large space came from the cracks in the ceiling. She stepped out of the tunnel to see a horde of Lycans watching her. Their mouths were drooling with a mix of blood and saliva. Donna had once felt pity for the previously human creatures, but nothing stayed human in this village. You are either a monster or a victim; that was the order of Mother and her siblings.

Angie gasped, noticing that, for once, they were the first ones here. The doll laughed, wishing she had a photo of the moment. Only for that childlike enjoyment to be dashed as Alcina showed up.
The tall woman didn't even look at them, and Angie suddenly wished it was like old times. She missed Butters, the excitement, the weird conversations about the outside world, and the fact that it made Donna happy. Norie felt like her little bambino and the excitement he brought to the old house. The sweet feeling in her doll heart seeing him sleeping cuddled next to Donna. Those were better times; it was like a good dream before the nightmare that is reality kicked in. Donna wished things were better; she prayed her son would return to her and that Norie was safe and sound. But the nightmare continued
She knew her little bambino would be safe. This village wasn't safe for him, so the blue-haired woman said she'd take him somewhere Miranda couldn't grab him. So all that remained were Donna and Angie, forced to be the lords of the village.

Angie gripped her dress in anger. She wanted to take that magnum, blow the tall vampire's brains out, and make Donna happy again. The mistress of Castle Milf had taken Norie from her and acted like it was an accident. That was when they realized everyone was different, colder, crueler, and even more heartless towards them.
Donna sighed. She hated seeing them; it was like looking into a photo album or a home movie. But It was vividly reminded that everything that was built was death and the suffering of each other. Alcina, holding a glass of wine, swirled the blood-red liquid that was most likely from another maid she'd killed.

"Don't worry Donna, this glass wasn't from one of your little maids, although their time is coming soon. Oh what wonderful vintages will come from them." The tall woman smiled, taking another sip from her glass. Donna gripped the gun tighter. She wanted to do it. She wanted to blow her sister's head clean off. Her words cut deeper than a knife to her heart. They were still alive, some of her maids didn't die. Alcina was a cruel woman and was enjoying her suffering. Donna looked up to the oversized woman.

"What would Clara say to all of this? Surely your staff must hate you, big sister." Donna said, speaking through Angie in her loudest tone possible.

"You dare shout at me doll, I outta slice you to ribbons and string you over my fireplace! As for you Donna, Clara is dead. She sadly was a poor vintage, but I'm sure she'll make a lovely dinner." Alcina shouted, standing tall above her, giant claws suddenly against her neck. Donna could feel the long sword-like claws on her neck as Alcina slowly pulled away from her, a shiver running down her spine. Alcina had been about to kill her. She was cruel, sure, but never had Alcina actually threatened her and tried killing her! Donna tried to breathe as Angie jumped onto her lap, trying to calm her down.

Donna felt nothing and heard nothing; she couldn't hear Angie's voice, until a loud clanking sound rang out. Karl Heisenberg, the youngest of the lords and the one Donna feared almost as much as Miranda and now Alcina. Donna's eye snapped open, looking through Angie and seeing her brother swinging his hammer at Alcina. An army of lycans fell from the roof as a horrid voice spoke.

"It's time for both of you to stop; Mother will be angry with us." The ghoulish fishman spoke. Donna looked at her older brother and saw foul-smelling vomit dripping from his mouth.
He was dragging the body of a man behind him, the beige jacket he was wearing was covered in red and green stains, and a river of blood was flowing from his left hand, which looked to have lost a couple of fingers. He looked like he'd been through hell.

"Hey freak, what the hell, I almost had that bitch." Heisenberg boomed as metal scrap rose from the ground, electricity jolting around him like a small storm, only for it to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Oh please, like you could hurt me with that puny thing." Alcina joked holding onto the oversized hammer like it was a toy. Donna blocked out the banter and got up to linger on what the man was wearing around his neck. The realization made Angie jump and run to the man just to make sure.

He smelt of blood and wine, and yet he was alive. Clearly, he was an outsider, but what made Angie jump was the same thing Donna noticed: the man had a black and white scarf wrapped around his neck. The scarf was torn, blood-soaked, and looked like it had once been made with the utmost importance.

Angie looked at the figure, and the only thing running through her and Donna's minds was one thing. How did this man get her son's scarf? The question lingered as Donna's hands trembled beneath her sleeves, wanting to grab her pistol but fighting against it. Looking at the scarf again, tears formed in her good eye. That one question spawned more that wouldn't leave her alone.
Where was her son? Where was Sora?

—--

Donna was nervous, this outsider had Sora's scarf, what happened to her son? She had to know, her mind was racing as her heart beat faster. Donna looked at the man, he was unconscious, meaning her powers would still work on him. Angie and she were covered in her yellow flower pollen, so she could affect people at least in theory. Normally the person would see an illusion and things would go wrong.
However there was something Donna never told the others, her gift worked on people when they were asleep. They just needed to breathe in the pollen, and she'd control their dreams. It was risky, pulling a plan like this next to her family, if they noticed, she'd be dead. But Donna was willing to take the risk, she needed to find her son, and now he was god knows where in the Mad Village. So she put Angie right next to the man, as she quietly returned to her chair, and began pulling the strings in the man's mind.
"I'm coming, Sora. Just give me a little time." Donna thought to herself, as she felt the blonde's dreams, looking to the morning, if this worked, she'd be inside his head.
—------------------------------
Ethan woke up in a panic, looking around the blonde-haired man was confused, the last thing he saw before passing out was a man with an oversized hammer, and a man who didn't seem human.
Ethan looked around to see his house, no bullet holes, no kids in danger, nothing. Just the silence of the large house, a small fire already burnt out, and multiple wine bottles lay around him. The blond wished whatever he saw was a nightmare, bought on from a night of drinking to dull the pain. Ethan proceeded to grab a couple of empty bottles and slowly walked into the kitchen of the empty house. His eyes paused for a second at the coffee table, to see a picture of his wife holding their six-year-old daughter Rose.
A couple of tears rolled down his face, as the man remembered that night, the horror of Louisiana creeping into his mind as visions of their demise still fresh in his head. Ethan thought he'd be over it, it had been three months since the death of his family.
Sure he saved a few lives, and he was a hero to some, but at the cost of his daughter. He was stupid, naive, and heartbroken. Ethan gripped his left hand tightly as the crackling of glass was heard, until a loud crunch was heard. As multiple shards of glass embedded into his palm, as the reminder dropped to the cold floor.
"sh*t" Ethan cursed as he rushed for the first aid kit, fishing out a green bottle of some foul liquid, some gauze, and tweezers. Ethan slowly pulled the glass out, as he felt the stringing feeling of his hand. Ethan kept touching swears out, the pain was immense, nothing as bad as a chainsaw to the arm or leg. But it hurt like a son of a bitch.
Just as Ethan removed the last of the shards, and showered his hand in the medical liquid that smelt like a mix of mint and household moonshine. A cracking sound could be heard. Ethan quickly snapped forwards to see a figure in front of him. They were dressed in black and held a doll wearing a white wedding dress. Slowly Ethan's eyes widened as the realization kicked him like a boot to the face.
"It wasn't a dream" The man quietly spoke, as the figure moved closer to him. The only thing between them was the broken glass. Ethan's mind was racing, as he looked around for a weapon, quickly grabbing a butcher knife from his knife rack.
"I don't think he'll listen to us Donna, are you sure about this? I know he has to know about Sora, but still is it right to poke an almost dead man's mind for information." Angie said as she looked at the blond-haired man. He had a look of fear in his eyes and was wildly swinging the large knife around desperately, as his breathing was rapidly getting faster until he ran at them sliding on the broken glass. Quickly hitting the floor with a thud passing out from the pain.
A minute later the blond passed out, leaving nothing but silence to remind me. The only thing Donna could do was clean the glass, and drag the man onto a chair, so it was decided to look around until the man woke up.
The bottom floor was lifeless, and a few pictures and furniture littered the area, with a giant TV in the corner. The living room looked like it was once in great use until recently, however, one thing was known as Donna brushed her hand amongst the numerous bottles and dusty photographs. The man was grieving, deeply in fact. Causing Donna to immediately realize, he had lost his family.
A couple of post-it notes on the fridge, a few children's drawings, and a postcard, with a picture of a farmhouse.
Dulvey, Louisiana, was written in big red words, showing a gator with a beer in one hand and an axe in another. It sounded American from what Norie would mention of the place during one of the first conversations of the place. The postcard showed a farmhouse with a woman grabbing at the gate. Mommy's part of the family now was written in what looked like blood.
Donna gently put the cards on the dining room table, as she noticed Angie returning from the storage room, holding what looked like bananas and a bag of oranges.
After finding nothing that could tell her about the man, The pair began the search upstairs, with Angie's first thought being played with the old music box, as she quickly turned the key and let the soft tune play as a man and woman in wedding clothes danced. Donna would have smiled if the thought of a dead family didn't play in her mind. Quietly they ventured through the house, the shower room was full of pills and a couple of cleaning products, and the first room in the hallway, had a locked room, so Donna tried the second room, as the doorknob slowly opened, a figure bolted out, they were dressed in a yellow flannel shirt, and gray pants looking like they were in their 50's.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in this boy's head?" The man said with a southern accent, as his fist was raised ready to punch her.
Donna looked at the man and quickly ran back downstairs, she booked it to the kitchen, as she was panicking looking for a weapon. This wasn't supposed to happen, never in her history of venturing into people's minds, nor did she ever imagine their dreams would attack her. A hand quickly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her, as the man turned to see her. He was holding the knife and looked serious.
"Tell me what is y'all doing in this boy's head? Answer me seriously, and I'll leave ya be!" The man said as he looked over to see the blond on the couch.
"We're looking for any information about our son," Angie said, floating in front of the man.
"Ok, now try again with your actual voice, it'll make things feel more from the heart." The man said, pointing towards Donna.
Donna softly bit her lip, as she looked at the man, stern eyes gazed at her, and she felt her feet shaking, quietly she removed her veil, letting the man get a look at her face, tears rolling down the side of her face, as a massive mound of mutated flesh covered her once gray eye.
"I just wanna find my son, I don't wanna hurt anyone. I just want to save my son, and that man knows the answer. He has my boy's scarf wrapped around his neck." Donna choked out as she felt her voice crack and strain, her hands shaking as her veil hit the floor. She was supposed to be stronger than this, if she couldn't mentally deal with a man's head, how was she supposed to face her siblings?
"I see, well then. I'm guessing we got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry for treating you with all this hostility. But I had to make sure you wouldn't hurt Ethan. Wouldn't want the reminder of the family to die in his sleep ya hear." The man said rubbing the back of his head as his right arm gently put the knife on the table.
"Please allow me to introduce myself to try and make it up to you, Ethan should be waking up anytime now. The name's Jack, Jack Baker." The man offered Donna a small smile.
"Ok Jack, what the f*ck are you doing in this Ethan guy's head, and do you know where our bambino is?" Angie asked, putting her hands on her hips, as she floated onto the kitchen table.
"You see it's complicated, but the best answer I can give you is I don't know. After Ethan and my brother killed me, I woke up in Ethan's head. I guess I'm kinda like a ghost, but I don't feel like one. I can't affect the real world and only Ethan can see me.
So I don't have an answer, as for your kid. I'll wake Ethan up and get things moving, it's his dream after all."Jack said, rubbing his beard, as he walked over to the blond man and started shaking him.
"Ethan, Ethan, it's time to wake up in the dream world, I guess. Come on now, the only way to get out of this horror movie bullsh*t." Jack said as Ethan's eyes darted open, as his body soon followed, as he quickly looked around the giant room to see the woman in black and a doll.
"What the f*ck is going on here Jack?" Ethan shouted as he was confused, only for a knock at the door to interrupt his thoughts.
"If you want the answer, Ethan, we gotta let the kids in. It's the only way to get out of here, and I'm guessing it'll put the ladies' minds at ease." Jack said, placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder, before taking a sit on the couch.
Ethan was nervous, he wasn't sure if letting kids inside was a good idea, f*cked up dream, or not. But it wasn't like he had any other choices. So he put on a smile as he quickly turned to look at the figure in black, as they quickly put back on the black veil off the floor.
"Hey, will they be able to see you?" Ethan whispered to Donna and Angie. Not sure how this would affect a dream of the past. This felt like a horror movie and a crazy video game love child if you asked him.
"We're about to find out," Angie said, as Donna looked at the door with bated breath, she was scared, what would Sora look like? What were his friends like? What caused them to enter the village, and where were they? Donna thought as those questions assaulted her mind, as Ethan slowly opened the door.
Quickly three teenagers entered the house and at that moment, Donna's eyes watered, she could see him, her little bambino was in the same room as him. As she ran to the door to get a better look at him.
He had grown taller, his eyes soft and kind, with a small smile on his face holding onto a girl's arm. His hair is still black as the night sky, with slight hints of purple from Robin's side of the family. It was slightly spiky like someone put a little hair gel to keep it out of his eyes. He was wearing a black zipper jacket, with a white t-shirt poking out slightly, his pants were a soft red color and looked a little baggy, and his shoes were purple with black highlights.
Next to him were two girls looking around the same age, one had long pink hair that barely touched her shoulders. The first girl had a green sports jacket and an orange shirt that was pressing against her figure, she had some black shorts. She seemed like she was from somewhere warm, and judging by the girl's looks at Sora, she was smiling. Donna smiled softly, her son had a friend, maybe even a girlfriend. It made the doll maker happy, knowing a small part of her son's life was filled with happiness after leaving the village.
Lastly, Donna noticed a blond-haired girl, she was shaking with her teeth chattering, and she was rubbing herself trying to get any source of heat. She wasn't a fan of the cold, and given the morning snow was heavy and thick, she wasn't in for a good time. Before Donna could wonder how they got here, the kids started speaking.
"Thank you for opening the door, it was freezing out there," the blond girl said as she desperately tried grabbing Sora's jacket. Only for the teen to take it off and hand it to her revealing a scarf, it was the one she made him all those years ago.
"Here you go Evie" Sora's soft-spoken voice said to the blond as Donna's heartbeat, his voice was polite and soft, like Robin's.
Angie just laughed for a second as she could immediately see the situation forming. Sora and the pink-haired girl had feelings, but the blond was either clueless about them or was so into some love-struck fantasy, that she didn't care about the pink-haired girl in the room.
"Guys we should have introduced ourselves, it's not right to leave the man hanging. I'm sorry for that sir, Evie can be a drama queen sometimes, my name is Yugure Yuyaraki, and these are my friends Sora, and Evie Shiho." Yugure said pointing at the blond and black hair teens respectfully.
"Thank you for letting us inside, mister," Sora said, nervously, not sure what to call the man.
"You don't have to thank me, and it's Ethan. Besides, I can't have you guys dying of hypothermia can I," Ethan said, rushing to find some extra blankets from one of the drawers nearby. A moment later Ethan returned with a handful of blankets, as he guided the teens to the couch, with Sora stuck in the middle of the two girls. Donna giggled softly seeing her son looking all flustered being trapped between the two girls.
Angie could only laugh and pound her hands on the coffee table like she was at a comedy club. She wished she had tears, it was priceless to the doll. Her little bambino was either in harem trouble or someone was nervous about one of the girls. Angie thought as she put one of her arms on her chin, grinning at the delight of it all. Forgetting the reason for entering Ethan's dream/mind, f*ck it she calls it a crack house in a minute.
"So where did you guys come from? What happened, and um Sora was it, are you related to a blue-haired girl that wears a kimono and has a suit of armor, I believe their names were also Sora and Evie?" Ethan said, trying to keep things on track, plus he knew Donna, and her doll would want answers. As he quickly looked at her inside the kitchen, clearly able to hear them, but nervous enough to be scared by the thought of a conversation, even if it was a past version of her son. Wait why was Ethan feeling so casual about this dream paradox mindf*ck anyway, nothing made sense?
Sora looked at the man like a deer in highlights, he didn't like being the center of conversations, it was the one thing he got from mom that felt like a blessing and a curse. He was perfectly happy in quiet moments or a quick question. But put him on the spot and he'd free up or not know what to say.
Sora was speechless, as his lips quietly kept mouthing things, as his body started to freeze. Until Yugure wrapped her arms around his chest, letting the warmth of her arms give him a sense of peace, as Sora looked at the pink-haired girl, and a soft smile formed on his lips underneath the scarf.
"We came from a place called Destiny Island, although I guess it's more of a city than an actual island," Sora said, scratching his head steeply.
A soft pat on the back from Evie, led Sora to continue, feeling thankful for his friends. It felt like his mom, comforting him, and keeping him going despite the feeling of being nervous and scared of others.
"As for the second question, the blue-haired girl is one of my adopted sisters, her name is also Sora, the same as my other sister, so it makes conversations odd, but I guess Sora is a popular name on the island. Something about a Dandelion leader who was with a foreteller. But we're still leading that in school, at least we were until summer came." Sora said, taking a breath as he could feel his throat drying out from exhaustion.
Donna wrapped her arms around the imaginary boy, the feeling of accomplishment, and overwhelming joy, as she desperately wanted to hug him, to tell him just how much he had grown, from the sweet boy she raised. It brought tears to her eye, and she could tell Angie was happy jumping in awe at the leaps and bounds, Sora had come from being unable to talk to the kindest of maids, to attempting a conversation with a stranger.
"I'm guessing you asked the kids if they had one of them key swords, didn't ya Ethan '' Jack piped up, as he took a sip out of a Duvley Crew beer bottle.
The thought was interesting to Donna and Angie, sure Ethan already knew and Jack was either new to the conversation or was placing along to help the Dollmaker catch up for later issues. Nevertheless, Donna looked at her son and his friends, as they raised their hands, Yugure was first as she raised her fist and flexed her arm, nothing appeared as she grinned slightly.
"I'm more into good old fashion beating people up, so I could care less about a keyblade," Yugure said with a cheerful grin, as she turned to the blond-haired girl, who quickly flashed her keyblade off, spinning it like it was a toy. The blade was golden with black highlights on the hilt, it looked more akin to a board sword than an actual key, except for the chain being black with a blackened heart at the end.
Lastly, was Sora, the teen quietly kept his arm out, as after a quick spark of light, a handle appeared for a split second before the rest of the blade could be formed. The teen looked sad at the current event and sighed before putting back on a small smile.
"Still not ready yet for a keyblade yet, but I'll get there," Sora said, raising his fist in the air for a second, as he quickly dropped it, and readjusted his scarf.
"How come it didn't work?" Ethan asked calmly, as the teen seemed a little sad, if not disappointed in the fact he could summon the magical sword.
"Well you see, we don't know? To be honest, some of the few keyblade users left on the island believe in the heart motel theory. So it's possible that Sora's keyblade is still forming because a second heart is healing, at least it's a thought even if it sounds confusing and like a mental headache." Yugure said, crossing her arms together as she was thinking of other possibilities.
Sora looked at his friend, as gently smiled beneath the black and white scarf. He didn't know what he would have done without Yugure, ever since they met at Radiant Garden, Sora always felt a sense of peace and happiness around his kind-hearted friend.
Donna looked at the pair and felt relieved at the fact that Sora had a true friend for so long, it made the idea of her speaking to her son and the busty teenage girl all the more manageable in her mind. The feeling was warming her heart, and it felt like the heat was skyrocketing throughout the room.
Until Donna realized that it wasn't her, as Jack was already bolting for the window, looking through the curtains to see a pair of men. One was dressed in black and had a rifle in his hand, while the other had blue flames rising from his hair.
That feeling of unease, exploded was Donna as she ran in an attempt to shield Sora from the hail of machine gun fire, only for her to fall through her son, as the impact hit her, she was a ghost in this case, she never physical was able to hug her son, it was all in her head. As the bitter feeling of dread sank in, this was the moment when Ethan and the others would be thrashed into the Village.
Donna quickly grabbed Angie, as she saw Ethan trying to fish through a duffle bag in the side closet, only for him to quickly grab what looked like a homemade flamethrower and a saw from a hardware store. Evie summoned her keyblade, and she tried blocking the torrent of bullets, as sparks hit the oversized sword, Yugure was hiding in the back of the kitchen with Sora, as they flipped over the kitchen table and Sora held a knife in his hands.
The feeling of fear was echoing through the room, and as the flaming man, laughed a moment later the bullets finally stopped as the mysterious dou entered the destroyed living room.
"Ah, out of ammo, and we were just getting to the good part here, come on." The man said in a voice that felt like a salesman, the other man dropped his rifle and pulled out a semi-automatic pistol. He didn't shoot yet, as he looked over to Ethan and Evie.
It was when the flaming man started creating blue flames from his hands, did the man's face hit Ethan like a rock.
"Chris, what the hell, the f*ck is wrong with you? Who is the hothead?" Ethan snapped as he traded glances with the trenchcoat-wearing man.
"Hot head, You're looking at the god of the dead here you mortal fool. I gotta burn you alive."Hades yelled as his blue flames burst outwards, as the house started catching on fire.
"Keep it cool, Hades. Ethan, you messed up the plan, now I've come to put an end to you." The bearded man said as he pointed his pistol at the blond.
"What plan, Chris have you lost your f*cking mind? What would Claney or Rebbeca say about this?" Ethan asked as he charged at the man, with his circular saw, swung it wildly, only for Chris to block it with a Karambit knife, and tossed a flash grenade.
"You don't have to worry about them, we've already taken care of them, as I took you, you messed up for Eveline, and now I've been working to clean up the mess," Chris said, tossing the saw into the table, shattering the power tool, and creating a large hole in the table, exposing Sora and Yugure.
Evie tried attacking the muscular man, but in an instant, his fist connected with her face and the feeling felt like she was banging her head against a hard place. Sending the teen to the ground, gasping in pain, from what was probably a broken nose, as blood poured down her face.
"What the f*ck, do you punch boulders for a living?" Evie yelled as she gripped her face as the painful feeling wouldn't go away, her mind in shock at the man's strength to cast a cure spell.
Ethan quickly snapped, as the kids were in danger, Donna, Angie, and Jack couldn't affect things, so at least the timeline was still on track from what he assumed, so they meant he'd use the flamethrower and attack Chris only for the god to act as a shield and save Chris leading to the house being blown up.
"f*ck it!" Ethan cursed as he grabbed the flamethrower off the ground and turned on the homemade weapon. In an instant, red-hot flames burst out of the nozzle and attempted to burn Chris. The man needed to be stopped, but sadly Hades blocked the fire, and plumed it outwards everywhere, as it blasted through the upstairs, the front, and the basem*nt, as the realization hit Ethan again, the psycho was gonna hit the gasoline, wood and breaker box in the basem*nt, and blow the house up.
"We gotta run, before that bastard kills us all" Ethan screamed, as he booked it for the kitchen to grab the kids, Evie cast a blizzard spell, reinforcing the table momentarily as Yugure started grabbing hold of the table, and in an instant of insane strength broke through the side of the house, everyone running into the cold, dark woods, as Chris started firing his pistol and Hades shot fireballs at the group.
Donna looked at Sora, the panic in her eyes as her son was trying to dodge gunfire, as it barely avoided him, as pistol rounds gazed at his scarf. Her son's eyes were scared as he didn't look back, only looking at Evie, who held Yugure's hand as the girls dashed ahead with a small fire spell, pointing out of the keyblade as a flashlight. The group didn't stop until they made it to a cabin, the morning snow was ramping up, and after a moment of silence, they were free from fear, as they hid in the basem*nt.
The only person who was unsure of the upcoming danger was Donna as she looked at Ethan, they were gonna head into the village, and the feeling of sorrow kicked in, her son was gonna get attacked by Lycans.
—----------------------
Meanwhile, Chris and Hades were watching the burning house, as a figure approached from behind, and the soft crunch of the snow made them turn from the flaming building.
"Oh it's you, what do you want, they got away already." Hades said with a sense of hatred for the newest member of the villain's group.
"What can't a man just watch a fire burn, it's beautiful at night, don't you think so Miranda." The mysterious figure chuckled, as the figure of Chris Redfield, slowly transformed into an army of crows and, reformed into a blond woman wearing a golden mask, with six black wings rose, giving the woman a fallen angel look as she smiled darkly.
"It's almost time, soon I'll have my revenge, and my beloved Eva, Maleficent can have her princess of heart, but soon the vessel for my child shall be in my grasp," Miranda said laughing ominously as she watched the house of Ethan Winters burn, the day of death had begun.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Donna was tired, and as she turned her head slightly back to see her son, Sora was starting to get tired. She had hoped the kind man at the diner wasn't too far away. It had been roughly a few weeks since the Kizuna family had helped her defeat Mother Miranda. They had given her the chance at a new start in America, and for that, Donna was truly grateful.

She was curious about America and the new life that her family was about to embark on. Donna would admit she would be forever grateful to Terra, Aqua, and the Duke for this opportunity. She had enough training to obtain American citizenship and even helped her bring one of her former maid’s motorcycles. Duke had gotten her a job as a rookie cop in a town called Raccoon City. Donna was thankful for the endless hours of planning, and lycans she had killed in the village to get to this point. Donna sadly had to start nights and go from the basics, but then again, Donna would make sure the months of study and understand as much about American laws as possible, she really couldn't believe that her plan to leave the village with Sora and be normal worked, it still felt like a dream sometimes.

Granted Donna, and her son weren't normal either, but they still looked human beyond the cadou that covered the doll maker's eyes. She simply had a pistol and shotgun and a desire to save her son; no key swords, magic, or otherworldly powers, except for her flowers and weaponized dolls. Donna would have admitted that she was grateful to the strange family, and she would have probably died for Miranda if they hadn't helped. Thanks to Terra and Aqua, she dared to fight against her fears and defeat Mother Miranda. Donna smiled as she looked at the speeding car in front of her. It was so strange seeing a new world, full of color, culture, and wonders to behold. Sure, it probably wasn't as crazy as the Kizuna’s world-hoping lifestyle, but she was excited to see what her new life had in store for her.

Donna knew she would have to thank the Duke for helping her understand how to get a license and citizenship. She’d have to thank Aqua for the training on her key blade glider; it was the closest thing to a motorcycle for her to use. It was a surprise to learn how to drive a bike. Aqua’s bike felt lightless and felt like, if she wanted, she could have gone beyond her worldview. But on an actual bike, it was heavy, powerful, and fun to go down endless streets and roads. Donna could only smile as Sora, and she was enjoying every second of this life.

“Mom, are we almost there? I am tired, and I can feel Angie getting restless in the saddlebag. Hopefully, Mister Jack’s house isn't too far!” Sora yelled, holding on tightly to his mother's jacket. Donna was beginning to wonder the same thing. As she looked at the gas tank, her bike was running low on fuel, and the kind man said he had gas and a guest room for her and Sora to stay in, so it wasn't like she could say no and risk walking through the wilds of America.

Donna was nervous about this, but the man had a wife and two kids with him, so he couldn't have been bad. Maybe she was still nervous about this. What if Miranda didn't die, and she was taking the form of Jack? No, Donna knew she killed her; she gave into her inner monster, killing the witch with the help of Terra and Aqua! She couldn't live in a world of fear and worry; she was the lord of house Benevento; she was a friend to her maids, and she knew that if she could talk to them—to a family of buff cat people with magic keys—then she could talk to a family in Louisiana. Hell, how was she going to downgrade her job if she couldn't be vocal with others?

Donna knew she'd have to thank Jack and his family for the room and gas. She was a little tight on cash, thanks to the Duke still in the process of selling and storing her resources from her manor in the village, and the new apartment that he bought her in advance had taken up a good amount of her income. Sure, she was the poorest lord out of the four, but she didn't expect the exchange rate from lei to cash and coins would be so drastic in her wallet. So she took Jack on his offer; it was probably the only good rest she’d get before the nineteen-hour drive to the apartment, maybe twenty-plus with restroom breaks, food, and filling up the gas tank on the car.

“Mom, I think I can see it!” Sora said, pointing at the giant manor that was in the distance. Donna smiled at the sight of the oversized building; it reminded her of home, sounded by trees, hidden from the world, and peaceful, the feeling that no one would bother her without a reason. The baker's estate gave her that feeling as she kicked the stand of the bike, taking Sora off, to watch her beloved seven-year-old jumping for joy at the New journey for the night.

“Oh good, you kept up nicely! Well, come on now, let's get you set up with a room. I bet this little one is ready to drop at a moment's notice.” Jack said, looking down at Sora, watching the young boy let out a hearty yawn, making the man laugh for a second as Marguerite exited the family car, smiling at the sight of the young child and his mother.

“Jack, why don't you and the lovely family head inside, I'll put on some tea, and check on the kids,” Marguerite suggested, closing the door to the family car, and heading over to the main gate to the baker's estate. Jack clipped his hands in delight at t the mysterious family visiting his place for the night.

“That's wonderful; it'll feel like one of those beds and breakfasts I heard about.” Donna said, grabbing her bike with a big smile, as the Beneviento family followed alongside the bakers to their giant estate. Little did Donna and Sora know that this meeting was only the start of their journey fighting evil in this twisted fairy tale of a world.

Chapter 3: Storage 3

Chapter Text

Ayane had thought her life to be perfect after the death of the wicked sea witch, nearly fourteen years ago. Now it was time for the princess of the sea to experience the world beyond the vastness of her sea, and the lands above in an attempt to save her kingdom.

Chapter Management
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Chapter 1: Beyond the happy ending
Chapter Text
Ayane was excited as she looked up; she could almost feel the sea breeze from the human world against her skin. Today was their cousin's birthday, one of the granddaughters of King Triton, the princess of the land and sea, Melody! Ayane could only feel excitement as she slipped on her priceless jewelry and earrings; she had to look like a princess that was as beautiful as the sea itself. Ayane just grabbed and attached several bands, rings, and beautiful treasures, as well as her mother's old purple shell crown, to hold her hair together.

Once Ayane was decked out, feeling like a queen of the sea, she quickly swam out of her bedroom, racing down the levels of the castle, until she spotted a familiar crop of brown and blond hair. She could only grin as she swam as fast as possible until she embraced her parents in the tightest hug possible. Ayane loved her parents; her mother was Princess Andrina, one of the daughters of Triton, and the next princess in line to be queen after the rule of Princess Attina once the orange-tailed mermaid took over once her grandfather was done. It made Ayane laugh a little at the thought of her father becoming more than a prince of the sea; he would be a king, stronger than the seven seas, and more powerful than the evil sea witch Ursula had ever been when she was alive.

It had been fourteen years since the death of Ursula, twelve years since Melody had been born, and roughly eighteen years since Ayane had been born, nowadays the only evils of the sea were the lobster mobsters and Ursula's foolish sister, Morgana. The day the ultimate sea witch died due to her aunt Ariel and her parents, did the sea feel peaceful, at least that was what Ayane had thought, not knowing that soon her peaceful life under the sea would be changed forever.

What's the rush, Sweetie? Shark got your tail; you look like you're excited for something big. Did Ebony and Amber get more new jewelry for you to try, or did you finally find that special seahorse you wanted?” Sora said, patting his daughter on the head and flashing her and his beloved wife a grin, only for Andrina to give her husband a long and passionate kiss on the lips.

“Dad, that's next week. Today is the day me and Ebony are going to meet Melody and take her swimming through the ocean as a birthday present. So we'd probably be back late. Though I'd give the best parents under the sea the love and hugs they deserve.” Ayane said, flashing her parents' signature grins, as Andrina laughed, looking down at her daughter. It was funny to the princess; it had felt like yesterday when she had seen her husband's grin when he had arrived from another world and into her arms. He had given her the best treasure of all: a loving family that sparkled like the most priceless of treasures, a loving daughter that was as caring as she was beautiful. A princess whose heart was just as strong as her love of the sea. Andrina looked at her darling husband once more. Oh, oh, how she loved him. Sora was special—the merman from another world who gave her the same taste of adventure that her sister Ariel had. At first, Andrina was nervous about the idea of liking the teen, but it had only taken them a few days to be more than friends, and quickly the family came into existence as the Kingdom celebrated the birth of a new princess and the future king and queen of the sea.

But for now, they just wanted to enjoy their lives—the peaceful life of excitement and adventure, watching the sea turtles swim, and exploring the vastness of their kingdom. Ariel had the land to explore and love when she didn't want to return to the sea, but Andrina knew that her husband belonged to the sea; its beauty was more worth it than anything the land above had to offer. Ayane had felt the same, only watching the Humans from afar while the merfolk and humans were at peace. It was not a marriage of love, but of saving the human prince's life and defeating Ursula. All that mattered was the friendship between land and sea; if that meant one day the war would bring Bloomer another of their underwater homes desired to be of the land, they would honor it, as they were of King Triton's blood, and would always have the sea's best interest in mind.

“Sweetie, I hope you, Melody, and Ebony have a wonderful time. Just be careful if any humans try to do anything funny, but in all seriousness, have a good time, make sure to show Melody more of what the sea has to offer, and if you see Ariel, tell her that Daddy wants her to come over for dinner; it's been a month and that feels like too long,” Andrina said, letting go of her daughter and back into the arms of her husband as she smiled at her daughter. Ayane quickly embraced her parents with one last hug as she swam off quickly to find Ebony, leaving the purple-tailed merfolk alone in the giant hall of the castle.

She's growing up so fast; maybe we should have a little more fun since the day is young. I want to go seahorse riding, my beloved. I hear my sister Adella's husband has opened up a new shop and has some new horses just waiting to be ridden. We can drag Arista and Alana with us; it'll be fun.” Andrina let out, swimming up a little to reach her husband's neck as she embraced herself in Sora's muscular stature.

“Only, if afterward we can find that one seaweed pasta place that you liked so much, I've been craving more of it since you took Ayane there for her birthday last year. Besides, I know you've been more romantic lately, so I figured I'd give my princess something to enjoy before things get better later.” Sora said, smirking, as he gripped his wife, gently rubbing her hair, as the delight of later sent them racing off to get to what was hopefully a good day full of passion and happiness.
—-----
Ayane could feel the weight of her jewelry holding her back from racing to find Ebony; she was most likely in Sebastian's class, Ayane could understand the need for knowledge even though, in honesty, she thought Sebastian was a boring teacher, the crab tended to drag on with his lecture, and some of the topics didn't seem interesting to the princess, who wanted to learn about the philosophy of crabs, or how long it would take for a clownfish to run from a shark. She'd rather listen to her aunt Arista's choir, and go dancing with Aunt Adella. Heck, she'd gladly study under Aunt Attina if it came to running the palace and how to improve the MER-society, like how they could use the Trident to increase the supply of food, land, and jewelry within the kingdom.

The moment Ayane swam to the outside of the crab's building, did she see her cousin, Ebony? A mermaid of royal descent like her, only she had a long raven-haired color, as black as the darkest trenches that lurked in the ocean. An orange fishtail, that told the whole kingdom that she was the daughter of the future queen of Atlantica, Attina. Ayane was excited to see her cousin again. The second-oldest princess was almost like her mother in every way, but with the bonus, the mermaid was quick to see things more magical. Off the top of her head, Ayane knew that her father's keyblade and Melody were the biggest cases of magic that broke the stupid idea of law and order within the world. Sure technically potions existed and were used from time to time, but the key blade and her youngest cousin were honestly the biggest uses of magic within their kingdoms. Because outside the wishing star and the magical talking cave, magic that wasn't from a mystical source was considered limited to the merfolk compared to the humans above, they quickly discovered the art due to a man dawning in a black outfit.

Suddenly the doors slammed open, and as Ayane looked onwards to see her cousin rushing over to her, she was engulfed in a hug that pressed her jewelry deeper into her skin. The blond teen loved being hugged, but honestly, she wondered if people remembered that she was covered in bits of expensive treasures that would mark her skin if they pressed too hard.

“I see you're doing okay, Ebony. Is class over? We're supposed to surprise Melody with her first trip to the sea and go exploring.” Ayane declared, pushing her cousin away from her as she quickly fixed her jewelry, calmly checking each piece to make sure it was perfect. Ebony could only laugh as she swam higher and higher, heading towards the surface world. Ayane followed behind a moment later, as the princesses felt their hearts racing at the thought of meeting Melody for the first time in years, since the day the younger teen had been born to her aunt Ariel and her wife Gabriella. It was the day that Prince Eric of the kingdom above took a maiden as his wife and chose to unite the kingdoms, allowing the redheaded mermaid and her family to live between land and sea if they wanted. This made Ayane wonder how that had affected Melody—did the young girl feel happier with the sea or the land? How did her people's lives affect her? Ayane needed these answers as much as she wanted to befriend her cousin.
“Oh yeah, thankfully Sebastian was quick, and Aunt Aquata had to take over for Aunt Arista 'cause she went with your mom and dad to hang out, so that class was quick today. So we're all good to hang with Melody, race ya.” Ebony let out, swimming faster towards the surface, leaving Ayane to play catch-up with her cousin. Ayane simply smiled as she swam, trying to catch up to the younger, more energetic mermaid. Today was going to be a good day, even though the blond princess didn't notice another mermaid had been watching her.
—----
Aphrodite looked upwards as she watched her beloved mermaid; soon the seas would erupt, the darkness of all would be reborn, and the masses of all would falter. Soon the princess would be needed to protect all; soon she'd be ready for the guardians, and then the most beautiful of the thirteen would show all why she was one of her best warriors.
“Soon, you'll be ready; I promise Ayane, you'll save them, their friends, and their parents. I will make sure that you are granted the happy life that you deserve. Just suffer a little, and I will make sure you feel no pain ever again. First play with the princess, then we'll see how the Ooze affects you, as I know you will be one of his salvations, just like my beloved son and friends.” Aphrodite whispered as she watched the fish around her stop, feeling a darkness looming near.

Something felt off as the fish stopped swimming; the surrounding darkness kept coming closer until it had surrounded the kingdom, leaving the green-skinned mermaid in a kingdom that felt like it was built in the abyss. The only light that was shining in the abyss was her radiance. Aphrodite knew something was lurking inside the darkness as she summoned her version of the Trident from light.
“Silent, words aren't needed in the abyss, Mermaid. I won't be long; I come to see the light you covet and am curious to see what fate will befall them. I have already met Liliana, and now that you've changed the android to something different, what are you playing as a goddess?” It declared, walking over to Aphrodite as the mermaid's eyes widened, that the monster had known of One's change over Hateko, as well as the fact that he had been seeing her guardians. Hateko could feel her anger rise; she wanted to take her Trident and blast the skeleton to dust, but she couldn't. It could only be slain during the key blade war, or else all reality would be destroyed by the deal it made with The first Kay long ago.
“I see that you are the mother, the friend, the traitor, and the one to forge the path to the future. So pick your guardians now, so that I may give forth my blessings of glory. So I suggest you speak now, or forever lose your mermaids into the ether. After this, half of her sisters shall die by my hand, so goddess of love, how much do you love your family over your own and the kin that respect you?” It let out, walking near, almost as if the sea wasn't bound by its might. It was almost like the matter was meaningless. Furthermore, it just walked through the blackened sea as if it was mere ground and nothing more.

“I pick Ayane, Liliana, Hateko, The busty ninja, Sorraku, Sora Kizuna, Inkling Sora, Ooze Sora, Six, My Child, Yume, Seven's Beloved, Sora Beneviento, born from desire, and lastly, the marvelous hero. Those are my champions, oh mighty darkness who lurks beneath all. I hope your champions are strong, as I don't plan on losing once I claim the right to protect all.” Aphrodite declared, morphing her mouth into a smile, showing the multiverse threat that she wasn't going to be afraid of the monster; she'd use her guardians to destroy it with all the hope and grace of the world.
It just looks at the grin of the mermaid. As the darkness began disappearing and the blue ocean water and sun that shone above returned, Aphrodite continued to smile. She stood her ground against evil so vile since the siren queen; now she had to wait for the thirteen to meet, and then it would begin, as a clash greater than the key blade war would arise, and her rule would become reality. After all, a queen needs a kingdom and subjects to protect from the sinister shadows of the beyond.
“As Darkness appeared upon the light, so just shall the light become a must!” Aphrodite said, as she raised her Trident, glowing in light as she left the multiverse as one of the beloved mermaids, that it was time to gather the light

Chapter 4: Broken rebirth, hearts, fate

Chapter Text

Aqua Kizuna was a small-town girl, at least from what the villagers would tell you, Father Orizont was the only thing keeping the blue-haired girl in control, acting as the village's priest and being the only form of compassion to the teen. Orizont had gotten a job at Moreau’s Reservoir many years ago, and he had hoped the Duke would help in getting Aqua a job with him, knowing his daughter had her mother's supernatural strength and desire for combat, she would be more suitable for Lord Moreau. Aqua loved fighting if she wasn't shooting Lycans with her shotgun; she was battling drunks at the local bar, and the rare time she fought Lord Heisenberg was for the hell of it. But that was only one side of the villager's story; she had her mother's heart of gold, and willingness to befriend anybody outside of Alcina’s castle or Mother Miranda herself.
Aqua was cold, and as she blew into her hands, her brown gloves did nothing to protect her hands from the cold, harsh winds of the mad village. She quickly looked around the Duke’s square as the other villagers made their way to work; her father was almost off of work, and they had planned on meeting the Duke to see if he could help her get a job at the Reservoir.

“I'm sure he'll be here soon, Ms. Kizuna. Orizont is a strong man. If his faith in you is strong, then I know he’ll survive the journey back here." The Duke said he was attempting to give Aqua some comfort as she felt her fingers dig into the wooden stock of her shotgun. She wanted to charge into the horde of people and drag her father to the Duke herself. Every day it was the same nightmare: Aqua would see her father dragged off to the factory or reservoir, just like how Mom was taken to the castle; she would never see them again and be all alone in the cold village. Some days were painful living in the mad village, but the day before the workers' pick always made Aqua nervous. Each year, she dodged the ultimate bullet, but this year was different. Every eighteen-year-old was ordered to work for whichever lord chose them. Aqua could feel the stare of the castle ruler looking above her, making her hope that her father had some luck with their lord.

I hope you're right, Duke! I can't lose him, not after Mike. I still have so much to learn from him, and he’s my only chance at not being forced into working for Lord Alcina.” Aqua said, muttering the last part of her sentence under her breath, the Duke hearing every bit of it but staying silent, as the sounds of heavy footsteps could be heard within the villagers.

“Aqua, good that you're with the Duke; I was beginning to worry that you had forgotten about our meeting today!” Orizont boomed as his footsteps echoed across the half-frozen ground of the square. Aqua looked up to the man she had called father; his dark brown hair flowed under his helmet. It was funny to the blue-haired girl that everyone in her family would end up with long hair at some point in their lives; it was the reason why she and Orizont loved her mother Miko so much; she was so beautiful to see despite being the town’s doctor and maiden. She had taken on the role after the death of Beneadetta Beneveinto, and most of the Beneveinto family had died. Aqua would have liked to say she was happy for her mother, but like every other maiden with good looks and a family, it didn't last once Alcina claimed her to work for her and those vile daughters of hers last year.

Duke, you're looking well! Making sure my little girl is fine under the watch of Mother Miranda’s eyes, I hope!” Orizont said, fishing out a bag of lei from his right pocket, wasting no time pointing at different types of meats, vegetables, and items. The Duke nodded happily at the father's spending, knowing that Orizont was the strongest man in the village outside the lords and Lycans. Duke liked the tall gentleman; his years of hard work and determination for his family and village never wavered, leading to them becoming friends after the loss of Miko.

“Why, Aqua has been doing well; we were just talking about tomorrow! She’s worried about Alcina, and if you talked to Lord Moreau about her joining you for a job in the reservoir.” Duke said, handing Orizont some coins and thanking the man for his business. Aqua grabbed the sack of food from her father; this was probably the last meal she would have with her father, so the family was planning on having a good night. Aqua didn't see the look in Orizont’s eyes; as he looked beyond the Duke, the man knew the harsh truth of the matter. Lord Moreau had told him that he wasn't taking his daughter; Alcina had already asked for the teen before he did.

Orizont sadly knew the bitter truth: the only way to save Aqua from going to the castle was for him to see another lord, and offer more than he had to them for the chance to save his daughter from her horrid fate in the castle. Orizont knew he had two options: Lord Heisenberg was unlikely due to taking strong men, and he didn't care about the villagers, so he was impossible and probably asked a higher price than the other lord. Besides, he commented that Aqua would be the best form of entertainment at the castle during the Vampire’s next dinner between the lords, so he was off the table. Meaning he had one option left, and it was the most risky option outside. Betraying his faith in Mother and running into the Lycan’s domain, he would have to visit the doll maker.
“Aqua, please go home and start dinner. I have one last thing I must do. I'll be home by the time dinner is ready. Once we've eaten, then it will be time to talk about tomorrow." Orizont commanded, and his voice boomed, making Aqua jump for a second. Orizont never spoke to her with that tone, the tone used for those with whom he had a great deal of importance. Aqua blinked at her father for a second, then ran back to their house by the cemetery and Luiza’s fields.

“Orizont, I know what you're planning; do you think she'll help? I know that you'd give anything to save Aqua, but tell me, is it worth going there? She is still heartbroken after their deaths; she just killed the gardener and any staff that even breathed near her, let alone talked to her. So please tell me that you have a plan or something to sweeten the pot.” Duke whispered, but Orizont didn't listen to the merchant as he walked over to the door to the Beneveinto lands. Donna Beneviento was the only option he had left; even if it meant death, he would save his daughter from the fate of the castle. Orizont fished out a bag containing a ribbon, a photo, some blue hair, and his family’s treasure, a blue diamond ring. He was willing to give up his wife’s most valuable treasure, all for their most prized thing of all.
—---
Orizont opened the door to the lands of the Doll maker, he looked around, walking through patches of dead grass, vines, and brushes. The sight of hanging dolls greeted him, as the thick fog that covered the land made him walk slower. Normally he would be terrified; he could feel it when he took a breath of the cold, dead air. It was like a sense of dread and misery had overtaken him, telling him to go back or die, but he had to keep going; Donna was his only hope, even if it was unbearable.

Aqua’s life was on the line, by Mother Miranda's grace, he would make it to Donna. Even if he died in the process, Aqua would be saved, he would make sure that the vampires never got their bloody hands on his child. He decided to follow the fresh footsteps that pressed against the snow, someone had heard him talking with the Duke, and Orizont knew that it must have been Donna, it couldn't be anyone else as she had no staff to use, and her dolls footsteps were too small to be buried under the never-ending snow.
—-----
Orizont made his way deeper into the cursed lands, the old rope bridge, and the lingering feeling of death and dredge in his stomach, none of it was stopping Orizont, as he etched closer to Donna. That was until he arrived at the gardens, and a figure looked at him, standing in a field of yellow flowers.

“Miko! So the rumors are true; you have her gift, and yet seeing her again both curses and blesses me with the sight of my wife. Why did you take her form? It brings me no comfort to see her again; all it does is drive the wound in deeper. Reveal your true self to me, Donna; it's time for us to chat. I know you could hear me speaking with the Duke!” Orizont spoke, looking at the features of his wife. Her long blue hair that rivaled the sea, the pure white outfit that looked like snow, and the soft grin on her face that Aqua had mastered to warm his heart even in the coldest winter.

“Orizont! Why are you here?” Donna said Orizont felt his heart skip a beat, the dollmaker sounded like his beloved wife, she had truly become a copy of Miko. But Orizont had to stay strong; Donna was his only hope at saving Aqua, so he took a deep breath, seeing Miko gave him a little hope, so he just hoped that things would be okay.

“I have come to bargain with you, my lord! You are the latest in the Beneviento household to take up its head. I simply wish to ask for mercy upon my daughter; Lord Moreau can't claim her under his roof, as that foul demon in the castle has eyed my Aqua. The only way for her to find mercy is for another lord to claim her; as you know, each lord gets a maiden alongside any villagers. I humbly ask that you save my daughter from Mistress Dimitrescu. Please, I'm begging you, save her from the fangs and the pain. I have lost my wife to that woman; I can't bear to see my daughter go through the same fate.” Orizont said, planting his face near the snow and placing the bag of items in front of him as an offering to the doll maker. Only for a hand to be placed on his shoulder, Orizont looked up to see the face of Miko. She was smiling, but he didn't know if it was Donna’s smile or a lie to give him hope.

“I am that desperate to save her! I would gladly die or be enslaved to you, or Lord Moreau, just to keep her safe!” Orizont whispered to the lord, his fingers burning in the cold snow. Donna looked at the bag, seeing all the family money, Miko’s treasured, and a photo of Aqua. Donna sighed as she snapped her fingers. She hated seeing families suffer at the hands of Miranda; she may have been a lord for a year and utterly hated the idea of seeing, let alone talking to, people, but just this once, she would see why the village priest was fighting for his daughter.

“I will see about saving your daughter under two conditions. The first is that if I save her, she will serve under my rule for six out of the seven days of the week; the seventh day will be for her to be free. She will clean the manor and garden until they are workable, and lastly, she must become mine and Angie’s friend. If she is to work for us, she must play with us till I am happy and the allotted hours have been figured out. She will be given pay, but be warned: if she misses a day, or I am unhappy with how she performs, you'll both wish that I hadn't saved her from the castle. That is my first condition; the second is one that I would do unless I found it necessary. Angie and I are coming with you to dinner!” Donna declared that, as Orizont’s eyes widened, he was speechless.

Donna, in the year that she had been a lord of the village, had never gone beyond her doors, unless it was for the monthly meetings or the workers' pick. So the idea of having a lord over, let alone the shyest one of the bunch, was something Orizont had never thought possible, but it was to save his daughter so he would make sure that Donna was taken care of. He just hoped that Aqua would be okay, not just with her in his house but working for the Lord.

“I hope you are in the mood for Bird, and Beast Pilaf, with bread, I wasn't planning on a lord coming over when I planned dinner with Aqua, last night. So it'll be simple, but Aqua can cook a bit, so hopefully things will be to your liking.” Orizont let out, standing up, his hands were shaking under the weight of Donna’s gaze. She didn't speak, didn't move, it was like she was looking into his soul, ready to claim it for the stupid meaning of a simple meal.

“Why, that sounds nice! I just need to get Angie, and I'll be over by the time it's ready!” Donna whispered, gently parting her veil so that Orizont could see her sad smile in between the illusion of Miko disappearing, and the silhouette of a mourning garb taking her place. Orizont nodded as he ran as fast as he could back home, he didn't bother to think about how Donna knew where he probably lived, or the idea of her being in the same room as Aqua, and the nightmare that would become. He’d have to break out the wine and make sure the house was clean. But for a moment he smiled, for the first time since Miko was taken, just for tonight there was a chance for his daughter to be saved.

Orizont just hoped that things would go well, after all, it was only the beginning of his daughter's future, he just prayed that things would end happily.

-------
Orizoint was nervous about dinner, it was already a tough pill to swallow that his daughter would possibly end up working for those vampires. But he just hoped that tonight would be perfect, as he watched the Doll maker following silently behind him, her doll Angie was a few trees behind them, as the father made his way through the dark village. The howls of the lycans didn't help make Orizont's nerves any better, he didn't know whether Donna ordered them to kill him, or if his mind was just thinking of the worst scenarios.
"Something on your mind?" Donna said, asking the father barely raising her voice above a whisper, even in the harsh snow, Orizont could tell what she had said, it had taken him years of working in the harshest conditions under Lord Moreau to hear even the tiniest whisper in even the cruelest snowstorm.

"I'll give it a shot, shall we hurry, I doubt Aqua will wait once dinner gets cold, and tell your doll to come closer, the snow is already scary enough at this time of night." Orizont said, walking deeper into the dead trees and fresh snow, Donna following behind him, as she started to wonder what Aqua was like, and was she the one to help heal her broken heart.

“I'd never admit this to Aqua, but I'm worried about her. I'm terrified to think of tomorrow and watch the horror on her face as that vampire bitch drags her to the castle. I prayed every night for as long as I could to Mother Miranda, to any gods, even the fabled goddess of light, that she'd be saved from that oversized woman. Not only that, but I just don't know what I'd do if this dinner fails, and tomorrow the worst comes." Orizont said that as he looked up at the snow, the only things he had left were Aqua and the snow that his wife loved, so why did looking at it hurt more than usual? Was it his wife's way of judging him from beyond the grave, or whatever wine bottle that Alcina poured into her greedy hands.
"Have you tried telling her the truth? I imagine the weight of everything is tearing you down. I know the feeling every day, I wake up and wonder why me and Angie are still here, it has been a year since the death of my family, and Miranda took me into her family, but I don't feel happy about it. Likewise, I still wake up screaming in the night, looking at the maids that I killed. Sometimes I find myself looking into my parents' eyes, they stare at me with eyes of hate and disgust for what I've become. I still wish that I could tell them I'm sorry for my actions, but I know that I can't change the past only to affect the future in my own way. So after dinner, tell her how you feel, and I'll see about taking her tomorrow if Miranda lets me." Donna said, whispering to Orizont as she felt her hands burn as the cold winds and snow assaulted her mourning garb. They needed to get moving before she froze to death.

—-----
Aqua was getting worried about her father as she took dinner out of the oven to cool. She knew her father was up to something; she just didn't know what, he never went to see anybody in the village after Miko had been sent to the castle. Maybe he was visiting Moreau in some crazy attempt to save her ass, and it was taking longer than he had expected.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait too long as she heard the sound of the front door opening, and the thunderous footsteps of her father were felt throughout their tiny household. Aqua let out a small sigh as she began setting the food down on the family dining table. She hoped that their guests would like the meal, the last time she even cooked for anyone was for Elrena and her father, the event wasn't the best, but then Elrena had gotten drunk right before coming over, and her father dragged her back home. Maybe tonight will be different. Aqua just did as her father told her whenever a guest was over, put on a smile, looked decent enough to be human, and made sure that the house and food were done before they arrived. Thankfully the house was done, and things were looking good as Aqua watched her father enter the kitchen, giving him a small smile, watching the tall man pull out a chair for their guest, and then signaling them to enter the kitchen.

It wasn't until she saw the family's newest guest that Aqua realized what had taken her father so long. She saw a figure dressed in black holding a doll dressed in a tattered wedding dress, and Aqua couldn't believe what she was seeing. Donna Beneviento, the fourth lord of the village, and her doll Angie were in their kitchen, about to eat a meal with Orizont and her. Aqua felt the need to rub her eyes, she started to wonder if this was real, why Donna would be in her house, and why her father invited the one lord who had no involvement in her life since childhood. Was Donna the person she went to see about, saving her from Alcina's gasp? Aqua wondered if her friend was even enough, or if she even remembered her only visit to the manor.

"Welcome to our house, please let me get you a drink, and some food, Ms. Beneviento! Aqua said, as she felt her voice starting to crack under the weight of her nerves. Aqua could only look at the Doll maker, she could only imagine those lifeless eyes of Donna staring deeper into her soul, she just prayed that her lord would show some mercy towards her tonight. Aqua rushed to grab a cup and the tea kettle, everything had to be perfect, but Aqua could feel everything shaking. She was scared, it reminded her of that fateful day when Miko brought her to house Beneviento as a child.
You don't need to try that hard! Just serve us something decent and tell us about yourself, and we'll see if it's worth saving your ass!" Angie declared, floating over to Aqua, watching the teen like a hawk. Orizont took a seat, keeping quiet, as it was now up to Aqua to save herself.
—-------
Donna was interested, to say the least. She could tell that Aqua was like everyone else in the village, afraid of her power and the lives that she had wrongfully taken, but she still tried to be kind. Despite all the fear she was facing in these quick few moments, Donna could see there was more to the blue-haired girl in front of her. She even agreed with Angie that Aqua simply needed to serve her something decent and tell us even the most basic things about her. Thankfully, she was halfway through all of Donna's needs for the teen. She could tell by looking at the simple feast of buttered bread and the Bird and Beast Pilaf that Aqua could cook, and judging by the smell, it was going to be the first good meal she had since her parents died. Silently, the doll maker slid part of her mourning veil to the other side of her face, allowing Aqua to see her dead gray eye. Donna grabbed a spoon and started eating the smallest bites known to man, and then she ate more, enough until the plate was done, and the tiniest of smiles could be seen on her face.

“Aqua, thank you for the food. I don't think I've ever had something that good in a long while, so now that I know you can cook, please tell me a little about yourself. What do you do for fun? Why should I take you into my manor? I ask this because I don't just want a cook or a cleaner; I want a friend to experience all of my joy and sorrow together." Donna said, wiping off some butter that had been stuck to her lips as she waited for Aqua to respond to her question. Donna knew what she said was true; she didn't care about Aqua being good at housework; she just needed someone to make her feel like she mattered in the cold village and silent manor that she called home.
—------
Aqua was surprised, to say the least; she hadn't expected Donna to eat her food, let alone compliment her, the only thing she had left was to talk about herself, but she didn't know what to say. What could she say that she was from a family of more spiritual importance, that she had a crush on Elrena and got rejected in a heartbeat, that she loved to watch the snow because it reminded her of Miko, the first time they danced together?

"I guess I like the snow falling, and I like the smell of chocolate. Sorry, I didn't think I was meeting you tonight and going to have a conversation. Um, I like to practice hunting, as I know that the Lycans are a big issue in the village, and it makes food a little more difficult to get outside of paying the Duke. I have been working out, and I tend to head into the forest to hunt for deer and rabbits; it's the reason for the best part of tonight's dinner. Father gets an amount from the Duke, and I'll hunt and provide the rest of whatever is needed." Aqua let out a feeling of warmth coming from inside her chest. She didn't know why she was feeling embarrassed and yet full of happiness to have someone to talk to—that, or it was heartburn from eating dinner quickly, so Father and Donna would be waiting.

"I see, I guess Orizont should be happy to have you as his daughter, while I am in no need of a hunter, I will admit that the lycans are getting out of hand. We'd better get going, I think I heard enough, and tomorrow is going to be a big day for the both of us, so please rest Aqua. Hopefully tomorrow you'll be under my house, and then we can truly continue this conversation at a more peaceful time. Let's go, Angie; we got a long walk ahead of us." Donna said, standing up from the table, grabbing Angie, and making her way out into the harsh snow and winds that plagued the village. Aqua and Orizont were silent. Aqua had barely spoken, but Donna made it seem like the one moment she used was more than enough to justify her wanting to take her to the creepy manor. They could only hope that it was enough to make a difference and that Donna would be able to pull it off.

"So why did you decide to rush things? She was trying to speak, and from what you said, dinner was good," Angie shouted as the pair made their way to the gates that led to the house of Beneviento.

"Aqua wasn't speaking for herself; she wasn't acting like the normal person that Orizont and Moreau made her out to be. I can tell that the fear of our presence and the looming feeling of Alcina's castle have made her feel broken; she was unable to speak normally. However, if we can save her from the castle, I will make her open up, one way or another. Angie, I think she is the one; I could feel it. Aqua might be the one to truly bring us happiness. I know we only met for a few minutes, but I believe that she is the one, and I don't know what to do if she is the one. I didn't think about it when I was talking to Orizont, or even at the dinner table, but I think I have met Aqua before, as a child. She was with Miko the day before Claudia died; I believe we played in the snow, and I was happy." Donna declared as she looked up at the falling snow that she had made up her mind that tomorrow Aqua would be saved, and she would not lose another friend to the castle and Alcina's sinister temptations over her maids.

"Well then, let's get home before you freeze your ass off; I'd rather not see our new blueberry be together with a frozen Moldsicle," Angie yelled as Donna began running deeper into the forest. She wanted to see that moment again—the girl in white dancing in the snow, watching the blues of her hair swiftly act like a paintbrush against the whites and grays of her broken world. Donna wanted to feel that feeling again—the day she was truly happy—and then have even more if the gods would let her.
—---
"I must say, are you sure that the Dollmaker is the best choice, surely I can do better to create our savior." Kay whispered as she watched the pitch-black Dollmaker run over her old bridge, through the hills of graves and dolls, nearing the gardens of house Beneviento.

"I think it's romantic, the shy Doll maker who longs for love and compassion, with the blue-haired bombshell that will fight for her love, as soon as she feels safe again, I think they are perfect for each other. This will create one of the most romantic Sora's ever, even if the tragedy is a little too much for me. Trust me, Five as a mother and romantic at heart, this is the best you're gonna get, so embrace the beauty that lives in this dark world." Six declared, smiling at the start of what was likely an ever-blooming romance.
"I hope you're right, now let's go home, this world is just too cold," Kay said, holding her white cloak tighter as she summoned a portal of light, running through it to the warmth of their castle in a place in between all.

“Weakling, live in the ocean for once in your life; the cold feels normal to us merfolk. Heck, even the waters of Destiny Island were nothing compared to this place; you need to lighten up before One kills us all. Why am I the only one to see that romance and friendship are the keys to saving us all?" Six whispered as she pulled out a locket. Her blue and yellow eyes gazed upon a picture of her sitting between two giant mermaids. Six wanted to cry, but she couldn't yet. Her family wasn't free from the foolishness of her sisters; they were going to get everybody killed.

"I guess it's up to me to be the hero, fine sisters, if you want Sora's, champions, hope. I'll give it to you, but I will make sure that you'll never see them succeed, only those of love and romance shall be allowed to live in our paradise." Six, no that was a codename for the sisters, Kay was too simple for those who knew of them by religion and travel. The day that her plans would go into action, Six would return to the name that was given to her by her Son, she would be known by her true name, Aphrodite.

—-----
Aqua could only look at her father, she didn't know what to say or think at the moment. She wanted him to speak, comfort her after her nervous dinner with Donna Beneviento, and the possibility of this being the last talk they would have before her eventual death at the castle. But Orizont just stood silently, as he rubbed his black beard, he was in his own headspace at the moment, and this made Aqua scared.

Orizont wasn't one to keep his thoughts hidden, when Miko died, he declared to the village that he was going to fight a lord just to feel human again, and the man ended up in front of their house the very next day, Orizont had fought Karl Heisenberg right outside his factory until the priest was nothing more than a weaker man forced to be bedridden for a week due to his thoughts.
"Aqua, if they take you, I shall go through the front door and fight Alcina, and her daughters, just so you can run. I promise you that, with all my being, you will be safe. I know I failed you as a father, but just know this. Furthermore, I will always love you, and in the case that Donna can't come through and save you, please know that I am sorry for not being there when Miko died or when Elrena broke your heart. But I have always loved you, and no matter what, I know that the gods will make sure your aftermath is the most important thing you could ever want.

"We should go to bed, tomorrow is either a big day of work or our last day in the village, finally to be returned into Miko's arms in a place more warm and heavenly than the most beautiful parts of our village." Orizont declared as he exited the kitchen, leaving Aqua alone to tend to the dishes and realize that her father had just attempted to apologize to her for all the things she had wished for him to do ever since Miko had died last year. Aqua could feel her eyes starting to water as she began to clean, she didn't know what to think about her father or how the events of tomorrow would be, she just hoped that tomorrow was a good day.

Chapter 5: Ooze and pain, beyond

Chapter Text

Kairi didn't know what happened after the World of Destiny Island fell into darkness; all she could remember was having a splitting headache, and holding Sora in her arms as they were sucked into the orb in the sky. The next thing Kairi knew was that she was falling into an ocean and passing out from the pain. The weather in this world felt different from the warm and tranquil Destiny Island. The surrounding rain felt like she was in a hurricane, and the waves were relentless as she was getting battered and pounded by the rough waters, as in an instance she was under the waters.
—-----
"Hey, little girl, are you ok?" A voice called out as Kairi opened her eyes. Her eyes were woozy as the Auburn girl tried to come to her senses. Kairi noticed two people in front of her: a woman in a blue diving suit and a heavy-set man in more tactical gear. Everything felt weird when Kairi tried to stand; it felt like she was on a boat, and her view of the world kept spinning like she had been spun around one too many times for her liking.

"Where am I?" Kairi said, looking at the duo beside her. As she looked around, she noticed the rough ocean beneath her and the sight of a giant ship next to her.

"You're on the Queen, Zenobia. It's an abandoned ghost ship, and our next mission, little girl, um, what is your name?" Parker said, looking down at the girl in front of him. She couldn't have been any older than fourteen, and she raised some questions to the pair as he nodded over to his partner, Jill, who had just picked open the lock to the ship.

"Hey, little girl, what my partner is trying to say is, how did you get out here? Where's your family? Are you okay?" Jill Valentine asked, examining the girl's pulse and wondering if it was wise to call to take an unarmed girl into the Zenobia; after all, the copter wouldn't be back for at least another hour or more due to the weather.

"My name is Kairi! I don't know how I got out here; one second I was with my best friend, Sora, and then our island got attacked by weird monsters, and then it was sucked up out of nowhere. I'm not sure what I can do to help, but I don't want to be alone out here." Kairi said, looking at the BSAA agents. She could feel the rain continue to soak her clothes; her skin was freezing, and she'd probably get a cold once this was all over.

"Parker, let's move! Kairi, we've got to go inside this ship, so we can find another member of ours, so do as we say, and everything will be okay." Jill told the group, quickly handing the teen a pistol with one clip full of bullets, making the girl look at her with a look that screamed worried.

"But I've never used a weapon before outside a wooden sword. Why give me a gun?" Kairi asked the brown-haired woman, who looked at her with a serious look on her face.

"Because if things go south, and we're unable to protect you, you'll be able to protect yourself till we can get to you!" Parker told Kairi, pulling out a shotgun from his pack. Jill almost pulled out her gun, but instead looked over to Kairi, who was doing her best to understand the weapon.

The handgun felt heavy in Kairi's hands. Jill helped her with her stance, gripping the weapon, and reloading quickly. It was a good idea, in Kairi's opinion; she needed some training with the weapon, and once she felt ready, the trio entered the old ghost ship. After all, who knew what was lurking inside the Zenobia, whether it was human or something else?
—-----------
Sora was nervous, as he watched the blonde-haired woman in the wetsuit in front of him. She had been looking at the white stuff that was leaking from the vent for a good minute, and in Sora's opinion, she wasn't liking it as much as she was.

"So why are you having to do this again?" Sora let out a cry, asking Racheal. As the blonde turned to look at him, Sora turned her head, trying his best not to look at her assets and the nice smile she had.

"I've got to find out what's going on in this place. Well, that's what my boss told me. Although I'm betting it was just a cover-up for something more secretive that my partner Raymond is looking into.," Racheal said, showing the spiky-haired teen the mysterious white substance that had coated her gloved hand.

"I guess there's nothing we can do about it?" Sora let out a sigh, saying that he probably wouldn't be able to find Riku and Kairi in this giant ship, let alone the fact that he didn't know how big the world was going to be. However, before Racheal could respond to Sora, a noise could be heard from the vent. Rachel and Sora quickly backed up as a white monster popped out of the vent. The monster groaned, walking over to them and raising its spiked, massive arm at the duo.

Racheal fired several shots into the monster, and Sora hit the thing a few times with his key blade. The monster fell to the floor, quickly moaned, and turned into a mess of ooze and blood on the floor. However, the celebration would have to wait, as several more ooze-like creatures started to come out from everywhere—the floors, the vent, through the door they had entered from.
—--------
"f*ck!" Racheal shouted as she grabbed Sora's left arm and ran with all her might, gripping her pistol tightly, as they ran through hallways upon hallways and an unknown level of stairs. Racheal, had to get away from the monsters and protect Sora. Sure, the kid had a strange sword, and they were together. But that didn't matter. With the monsters appearing around every corner and hallway they entered, Rachael fired the last of her handgun bullets, tossing her gun at one of the monsters in fear, as Sora ran towards the elevator in the middle of the hallway, rapidly pounding the button, wishing it would come faster.

"Come on, Come on, Come on!" Sora said, ready to hit the elevator with his keyblade, as the monsters came closer, surrounding him and Racheal, As the doors finally opened, Sora, and Racheal quickly booked it inside and slammed a button to take them down to an unknown floor. They thought they'd be safe inside the small metal box, but that was a lie. One of the monsters appeared behind them, swinging its arm towards the group, hitting Racheal in the leg, and Sora in his chest.

"Ah!" Sora yelled, grabbing at his chest. Blood was running down his stomach and onto the floor. The doors opened, and Sora rammed his key blade into the monster's face, giving the duo enough time to limp away. The pain was unbelievable; blood continued to drip from Sora's wound, and Racheal wasn't holding up any better, as her leg was giving out of her, slowing the pair down as they rushed through a door, hoping to find somewhere to hide, even if it was for a minute, only to find a rundown medical bay with destroyed cabinets and shelves, a large vent, and a glass window.
—------------
Hold on, Sora; I've got some medical supplies and painkillers. We'll fix you up, and then get out of this horrible ship," Racheal said, fishing out a bottle of pills and gauze from one of the hip pockets on her wetsuit. Placing them on the ground, as she rested the teen against the wall, Racheal didn't want to say it out loud to Sora, but they were f*cked. Those monsters were everywhere, and Raymond was on a different part of the ship, and the radio was broken when that monster slashed into her leg.

"I don't want to die, Racheal!" Sora wheezed as he started to cough up blood, making the blond woman panic even more. She had to hurry, grabbing some of the pills and placing them into Sora's mouth, but the teen could barely swallow them; the pain was too much for him to handle, spitting the meds out in an instance. As the sounds of more monsters echoed in the room, Racheal quickly noticed that multiple monsters were in the room. Quickly picking up Sora to try and run or fight, Sora screamed as the pain of standing felt like he was being cut by razor blades and poured with seawater and lemons.

"sh*t!" Sora cursed, tears rolling down his face as more blood poured onto the floor. The key blade felt shaky in his hand, falling to the ground in an instant and returning to his right hand in a flash of light. He was going to die; they weren't going to survive another fight with the monsters, let alone escape this room, even if they killed them all.

"Sora, what was your home like?" Racheal said, making Sora look at the woman with a look of confusion and sadness. She was probably asking him about Destiny Island, hoping to find some comfort in their death, Sora gave her a sad, yet bloody smile.

"It was nice, surrounded by a clear blue sea, and beautiful sand; it was warm, and the people were the best. Everyone made the days when I was miserable all the more soothing to deal with. My Friends Riku and Kairi and I were going to build a raft and set sail to find other worlds during our summer vacation. What a fun vacation this turned out to be. First, my home was destroyed by ant-like monsters, and now I'm about to die from these things. "Sora said, letting go of Racheal, only for the woman to grab him and hold him against her chest.

"At least you can say, you got to meet a pretty woman during your vacation, and if you'd like, I'll be your mom, for a moment. If it gives you any comfort before we die?" Racheal whispered as the monsters raised their massive arms, ready to strike the pair down.
"Thank you, Mom!" Sora said, raising the key blade to protect him with the last of his strength, only for the monsters, or oozes, as they were dubbed by Racheal. They grabbed hold of Racheal, Sora could hear her panting as the Ooze choked her, opening its mouth to reveal its tongue, sticking the slimy thing into her mouth, and then proceeded to toss the blond into the glass window as blood exploded from Racheal's skull and back. Sora wanted to scream; he wanted to kick the Ooze holding him, but he couldn't, as multiple Oozes held him down, with one of the monsters looking at the key blade in his hand.

Sora tried to scream, but the monster's slime and thick flesh stopped any attempt at screaming. Their tongues were inside his stomach, and one of the monsters put its tongue down his throat, causing Sora to vomit out slime and blood. However, his death wasn't going to be as quick as Racheal's, no one of the monsters had a different idea to improve upon their ranks. As it took its massive, spiked arm and slammed it against the key blade, breaking Sora's hand in an instant, as the teen's vision started to get hazy, as Sora could hear footsteps in the distance, and the next thing Sora felt was his back hitting something hard, and the sound of snapping and pounding lingering in his mind was the last thing Sora, could see as he opened his eyes, as the image of Riku.

--------

Kairi had a bad feeling about the ghost ship. Jill and Parker started to lead her into the ghost ship, and for some reason, Kairi didn't know why she had a sinking feeling in her stomach. For some unknown reason, things weren't right, like a part of her heart was being torn in two, but he had to be strong, and she had to find Sora again. The first room looked a mess and was littered with trash and papers; it was like a bomb hit the room. The deeper they went, it didn't look any better, as if each room was more damaged and spooky than the one that came before it.

Kairi kept whispering to herself that it was just a ghost ship. Everything would be okay. She just had to think of this like the stories Sora’s mom would tell them as kids. The endings were always so happy and not scary in the slightest. Sure, the brown-haired woman was clearly lying, but it was a nice thought, and Kairi currently needed nice thoughts. Jill and Parker quickly opened a door and quickly checked the room, signaling for Kairi to follow.
—----
The next room on the ship was much bigger and looked like a quick storage room. But then again, it was a giant ship, so it could have been a side room. The ship was massive, and combing the place was probably going to take hours, to days even.

“Kairi, stand back, please! Jill let out a fancy-looking machine as Kairi looked down to see her feet covered in white, cold slime. Kairi quickly jumped onto a nearby suitcase as Jill scanned the mysterious goo.

“Looks like we've got company; this goo matches those giant creatures from the beach!” Jill stated this as she quickly put the scanner away and drew out her handgun.

“Jill, Kairi! I found some blood; it looks like we're not alone on this ship.” Parker said, kicking the door open. As the trio moved deeper into the next part of the ship, the deeper they went down, the more things felt for Kairi as her head started to hurt. She had hoped it was just the ship violently turning through the storm, but her head was still pounding. Jill quickly stopped her.

The group stopped in a giant hallway with an elevator that would likely take them down to a lower level of the ship. Jill immediately grabbed a green herb in pill form, handing the pill to Kairi. As Parker started hearing things, he started to check the open elevator, only to look at a nearby vent that had blood dripping. Seconds later, more noises could be heard, louder, as whatever was in the vent started thrashing, heading deeper into the ship.

“Jill, Kairi! Something is in the vents!” Parker yelled as he pointed his gun at the vents, and the sounds of banging could be heard throughout the hallway.

"It looks like whoever is in the ship, is also having trouble with whatever is lurking in the ship.” Kairi let out, holding her lucky charm closer to her chest, as Jill and Parker looked at the vent, shooting it once. As a body fell from the vent, its body was gushing with blood, and Jill quietly noticed that the man’s right arm had morphed into a large, slimy mass.

“Hopefully whatever is on this ship isn't too bad! Maybe we'll be lucky to get zombies, what do you think, Jill?” Parker responded, looking over to his partner, he knew that Kairi must have lived a pretty normal life, if not a sheltered one if she never heard of zombies, based on their meeting up top. So the best idea was to slowly ease the young girl into the issue, and then possibly give her a weapon.

“I hope you're right, Parker, but Zombies don't have slime, so possibly Lickers could be lurking in the ship. “ Jill added, as the trio headed deeper into the ship, doors were blocked with fallen shelves and boxes. The further they made into the giant hallway, the more slime was pouring from the vents, making Jill think it wasn't a Licker or any regular zombie.

“So, what's a Licker?” kairi whispered, curious about what the possible monster would be like as the trio made it to the outside of what looked like a cafeteria.

“Well, in simple terms, a Licker is a zombie that's become more animal-like; its brain is exposed, and it can't see. Its hearing is strong, however, flashbangs can overpower its limited sight. The best way to fight a Licker is a large hallway, a shotgun, or something acidic to hurt the skin since it's all exposed skin, muscle, and bone. Hopefully, that answers your question, Kairi, please let me know if you have any more; after all, these moments of silence might be the only ones we get tonight.” Jill stated, watching the Auburn-haired girl nod, that she hoped Kairi would be okay. It wasn't right for a kid to have to deal with a B.O.W. issue and have to fight through it.

Jill could still remember the night that Rebecca Chambers came to her apartment after the Spencer estate, how the youngest star member couldn't sleep alone knowing the things they had dealt with. Jill knew that if things got ugly, then she’d have to take more drastic measures to keep Kairi alive. She wouldn't let the young teen become like Rebecca, and even herself had in those days after the incident. The sleepless nights, the nightmares eating away at you, the feeling of helplessness as the higher-ups controlled every second of your life till the lid was blown open.

“Kairi, after we're done in the cafeteria and kitchen, I am going to teach you how to use that firearm I gave you. I don't want you getting hurt if we get separated down the line, ok?” Jill declared, readying her handgun. Parker gave the brown-haired woman a thumbs up. It was time to delve deeper into the ship, and little did they know it was about to get a lot worse.

“I'll do my best, Jill!” Kairi shouted, giving the Bsaa agent a mock salute and readying her fist for whatever was down the line. Jill smiled for a second. Kairi truly was the group's Rebecca, and in all honesty, it was something needed for the group. Someone to keep the party happy and supportive, knowing they have something to protect.
—--
Kairi, just to let you know! We weren't the only units the Bsaa sent to this ship. Soon, the specialists in this kind of work will regroup and join us; the reaper will liven things up a bit.” Parker declared, telling the teen, hoping that things would go smoother when Dr. Death would be known to the girl and make this job more manageable.
—---
A few minutes later, Kairi, Jill, and Parker entered the cafeteria. The large room was littered with trash and other forms of debris. Kairi assumed that the crew must have been in a panic, and things went bad. But the question then arose as the group went deeper: where was the crew, or what was left of them, given the dead body from earlier?

“Jill, I see a power box; I'll go check it out. Why don't you start helping Kairi with her gun?” Parker said, running over to a fuse box that was next to a vending machine. The box was busted open, with wire sparking and spilling out, and Parker could see more slime from earlier. Something was close, and he didn't like that; the trio only had a few handguns and some herbs. They'd have to get lucky and wait for the reaper if they were going to make it out in one piece.

“Kairi, the first thing I want you to do is follow my lead, ok? First, check to see if the safety is on or off. The second thing is to pull the mag and check to see how many bullets are left. If the gun feels heavy, it's mostly full; if it feels light, that means it's empty. Once you have the gun loaded and the safety off, make sure your hand has a good grip on the gun, point to what you're attempting to shoot, and pull the trigger.” Jill demonstrated to the teen by clicking the safety on and off a few times, then proceeding to eject the magazine from her pistol and dump the bullets onto a nearby table, quickly reloading the gun with speed.

Kairi was in awe at the sight before her. Jill was like a blur, as in an instant, the gun was loaded and pointed at a painting in the distance. Jill pulled the trigger, and a loud bang could be heard. Kairi couldn't believe how fast it was, how the bullet had hit the painting, and how simple Jill made it look.

Kairi quickly looked at her gun, took the safety off, and quickly checked the magazine; it was full, so she slid the clip back into the gun after a few seconds of figuring it out. She aimed for the same painting as Jill, carefully looking in front of her as well as down the sight of the gun, where a scope could be attached. Gently, gently, she pulled the trigger as the bullet left the chamber, and the feeling of recoil was sent through her hand. Kairi looked in excitement as the bullet hit the wall near Jill’s bullet, causing the teen to smile. It wasn't perfect, but it was good for the first try.

“Good job, but remember to keep count of your ammo and take your time shooting, or you might hit me or Parker. Kairi, that was good. I must say you could be a good shot with more practice and training.” Jill said, complimenting her new student. Kairi smiled, rubbing her hand, after putting the gun away in her purse.
“Good, Kairi has some training; now then to the kitchen; I think our slimy friend must be inside.” Parker let out, as the group looked at the kitchen doors, carefully entering the room, Kairi quickly grabbed her gun, ready to provide backup if needed.

When Jill, Parker, and Kairi entered the kitchen, they quickly noticed things weren't right. A dead man was grabbing at the grate in the center of the kitchen; his arm was covered in blood and slime, and half of his arm was stuck inside the disgusting mess below. The rest of the kitchen was a nightmare—sinks full of black liquid and rotten meat, empty cans on the floor—no one was inside the kitchen, but Jill suddenly noticed something shining from under the grate, ordering Parker to help her lift the grate after removing the dead crew member with Kairi’s, so the man’s arm would cause any problems.

“Kairi, help Parker support the grate, I'll use my scanner and see what's down there!” Jill asked, grabbing the scanner from her hip, and checking the hole, as Kairi groaned, helping Parker hold the heavy metal up.

“What is it, Jill?” Kairi yelled, as the teen groaned, knowing that whatever was down that hole probably wasn't a good sign.

“It's an arm, and it had a gun! Looks like our dead friend was attempting to save someone before something got him.” Jill declared, as a moaning sound could be heard, Jill quickly turned around, as Parker and Kairi dropped the grate, and pulled out their guns aiming at what seemed to be a monster rising from the kitchen floor. The monstrous humanoid had long pointy teeth and spikes coming out of its arms and legs. It had a long tongue-like tentacle that it extended quickly roaring, as the creature swung its spiked arm at Jill, who proceeded to duck down, Parker began uploading on the creature, and Kairi added to the gunfire a second later after regaining herself as the gun shook in her trembling arms.

Jill raised her handgun, pulled the trigger, and unloaded a few shots into the monster's face, as it moaned in pain, his body fell to the floor, quickly turning into a pile of blood and slime. Jill and Parker quickly reloaded their weapons, while Kairi shakily tried to reload her gun, that monster was her first fight and first kill. She thought the idea of play fighting and then getting a weapon would be fun, but seeing it in real life was something else.

“Kairi, I'll be ok! You can breathe, the monster is gone and you did well.” Jill said, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder, smiling at the auburn-haired girl, as she took the girl from the girl's arms, helping her reload for the next time.

“I know you're scared; the first couple of times are always the hardest, but just remember We're here with you, so you don't have to be scared. So put on a brave face, Kairi! Together we are unstoppable, and these monsters won't stand a chance.” Parker declared, making the teen smile as she put on her best smile for the group. They were right; she had to be strong to survive, to save Sora.

“Alright, I'm ready! Kairi shouted as Jill handed the girl back her firearm.

“At least now we know what happened to the crew; hopefully Chris is ok!” Jill let out, making Kairi wonder who Chris was and what was with the odd monster. They had unloaded probably ten shots into the ooze, and the creature only died after Jill shot it in the head. Suddenly a thought quickly entered Kairi’s mind: if there were more of these things on the ship, then was Sora also here, and if so, where was he?
—----
Meanwhile, on a helicopter, a masked man dressed in black looked at Queen Zenobia. Hunk wondered what the others were getting up to. But that wouldn't change the mission: Kill any hostel threats, regroup with the Bsaa units, and locate and extract Chris.

Hunk pulled out a photograph; he had a feeling things would be rough, just like that mission in Florida. His red lens of the gas mask looked down to see a woman; her blond, wavy hair covered her eyes, but she smiled next to the reaper, no fear when death looked her in the face. Hunk slipped the photo back into his pocket as he raised his LE-5.

“Rachel! It looks like your angel of death has returned!” Hunk let out, as the pilot gave him the signal, that they'd be landing soon and then the body count would truly begin.

------

The weather had gotten worse when Hunk arrived at the ghost ship; the red lens of his eyes shielded him from the harsh rain. The grim reaper looked around the outside of the ship as it tossed and turned violently in the storm. Hunk knew the mission would be an interesting one; the government only sent him if it was a life-or-death situation or the targets were of the utmost importance.

“Jill, Parker, come in! This is Hunk; do you copy?” Hunk commanded as he pressed his comet, receiving only static, knowing that the weather would make it more difficult to communicate with the others. So Hunk started running. He knew that it was a ghost ship, but he had seen worse during his time in Spain. Quickly, the grim reaper made his way to the front door, kicking it while holding his gun tightly in his hands and looking around the first few rooms that looked like someone was in a hurry.

"It looks like whatever happened here was only the beginning!” Hunk declared, looking at what seemed to be an ooze sack that had been cut open as its sticky slime coated the room. It could only mean that whatever monsters were on the ship had fought Jill, and that more were spawning at an alarming rate.
—--
Hunk quickly kicked another door open, and as he saw it, a bioweapon that was tall and humanoid was surrounded by what seemed to be walking bean-shaped creatures that were shaking violently. Hunk raised his gun, shooting a couple of shots into the beans, first watching as they exploded with only a few bullets each, letting Hunk know that those monsters weren't to be messed with in close quarters, while the taller monster simply moaned as it slowly limped over to him compared to the beans quicker attempt at running at him. But Hunk didn't even bother to shoot the ooze as it raised its spiked arm. Hunk simply ran around the creature mid-swing and placed his arms around the creature's slimy neck, twisting it like it was a piece of candy. Hunk could feel his fingers twitch as the feeling of breaking a neck entered his mind, reminding him of how easy it was to kill monsters just like that chainsaw man when he teamed up with Leon to save the president's daughter.

But he couldn't stop; more monsters moaned as they started to rise from the floor beneath him, meaning it was time to run again. Hunk quickly made his way down numerous hallways, until he arrived at a massive room with elevators, and more branching paths, as he heard the sounds of gunfire in the distance. Deciding to run towards the sounds of gunfire, as it would either lead him to a survivor or an enemy unit that might have answers.
—--
Hunk ran through the old-looking café as the sounds of moaning grew louder. He was right outside the kitchen, listening to the sounds of the ooze dying. He could hear Jill inside as she was speaking to what sounded like a teenage girl.
Hunk quietly opened the door, looking down at the bloody remains of one of the oozes he had killed just moments ago. Quietly, he gazed around the kitchen. Jill was comforting the Auburn-haired girl; Hunk could tell she was new to this whole thing and was probably the first time using a gun. Parker was used to the monster and tried to understand it by comparing it to the similar monsters that were on the beach a few days ago.

“I see you're still in one piece; have you found Chris and Jessica yet? Who is the girl? Is she a survivor of this ship?” Hunk said, raising his voice, sterling the group, quickly lowering their guns as the reaper walked over to the next door in their path

“Hunk, give us some warning next time, we nearly shot you, and to answer your questions. No, we haven't found the others, and Kairi here was drifting in the ocean, so we had no choice but to bring her along, she’s holding her own, so she won't get in the way!” Parker stated walking over to the grim reaper, he started opening the door while Jill stood behind to keep Kairi safe from the rear, not knowing if or when more monsters would appear.

“Hunk, have you seen any more of those monsters, or my friend, Sora!” Kairi whispered to the mysterious soldier, as he finally got the door open, proceeding to turn and look down at the teen.

“I have not seen anyone living but you guys, if your friend is alive he must be deeper down with Racheal. I've seen more of these bioweapons, they appear to be growing in numbers, and some have been explosive, so we need to take care going forward.” Hunk declared, taking a moment to reload his LE-5 and toss a knife at Kairi’s feet.

“She’ll need a backup piece in a place like this! Now let's move before those ooze-like monsters pop up!” Hunk said, walking through the door to find more abandoned hallways littered with trash, broken glass, and papers. Kairi could feel the wind hitting her as the group walked by the broken windows, Kairi started to remember when her island was being attacked by the weird shadow monsters. How they chased her, tearing through the islanders and anything to get ahold of her only to be saved by Sora in the end when Riku was taken by the puddle of darkness growing under his feet. It made her wonder if Sora was ok, she didn't know if she could keep going with the group knowing that she was keeping up the brave face, and attempting to be a gun-toting hero just to find her friend so that they could return home one day.

“Kairi, are you ok? I know this is hard, but you have to believe that your friend is ok, I know what it's like to be worried about others. Chris needs me to find him, so that we can get back to protecting people, I'm sure that Sora would probably feel the same way about you. So no more sad faces Kairi, those will only slow you down, and I still stand by what I said. You're a good shot and honestly have the making of a good soldier. If you want to be one, just take it slow and think about what's going on around you before jumping to conclusions.” Jill whispered to the teen, making Kairi smile just a little, she needed that speech, she had to be strong and knew that Sora wouldn't want her to be sad about this crazy adventure. He’d probably want her to enjoy the craziness while trying to find him.

The weather had gotten worse when Hunk arrived at the ghost ship; the red lens of his eyes shielded him from the harsh rain. The grim reaper looked around the outside of the ship as it tossed and turned violently in the storm. Hunk knew the mission would be an interesting one; the government only sent him if it was a life-or-death situation or the targets were of the utmost importance.

“Jill, Parker, come in! This is Hunk; do you copy?” Hunk commanded as he pressed his comet, receiving only static, knowing that the weather would make it more difficult to communicate with the others. So Hunk started running. He knew that it was a ghost ship, but he had seen worse during his time in Spain. Quickly, the grim reaper made his way to the front door, kicking it while holding his gun tightly in his hands and looking around the first few rooms that looked like someone was in a hurry.

"It looks like whatever happened here was only the beginning!” Hunk declared, looking at what seemed to be an ooze sack that had been cut open as its sticky slime coated the room. It could only mean that whatever monsters were on the ship had fought Jill, and that more were spawning at an alarming rate.
—--
Hunk quickly kicked another door open, and as he saw it, a bioweapon that was tall and humanoid was surrounded by what seemed to be walking bean-shaped creatures that were shaking violently. Hunk raised his gun, shooting a couple of shots into the beans, first watching as they exploded with only a few bullets each, letting Hunk know that those monsters weren't to be messed with in close quarters, while the taller monster simply moaned as it slowly limped over to him compared to the beans quicker attempt at running at him. But Hunk didn't even bother to shoot the ooze as it raised its spiked arm. Hunk simply ran around the creature mid-swing and placed his arms around the creature's slimy neck, twisting it like it was a piece of candy. Hunk could feel his fingers twitch as the feeling of breaking a neck entered his mind, reminding him of how easy it was to kill monsters just like that chainsaw man when he teamed up with Leon to save the president's daughter.

But he couldn't stop; more monsters moaned as they started to rise from the floor beneath him, meaning it was time to run again. Hunk quickly made his way down numerous hallways, until he arrived at a massive room with elevators, and more branching paths, as he heard the sounds of gunfire in the distance. Deciding to run towards the sounds of gunfire, as it would either lead him to a survivor or an enemy unit that might have answers.
—--
Hunk ran through the old-looking café as the sounds of moaning grew louder. He was right outside the kitchen, listening to the sounds of the ooze dying. He could hear Jill inside as she was speaking to what sounded like a teenage girl.

Hunk quietly opened the door, looking down at the bloody remains of one of the oozes he had killed just moments ago. Quietly, he gazed around the kitchen. Jill was comforting the Auburn-haired girl; Hunk could tell she was new to this whole thing and was probably the first time using a gun. Parker was used to the monster and tried to understand it by comparing it to the similar monsters that were on the beach a few days ago.

“I see you're still in one piece; have you found Chris and Jessica yet? Who is the girl? Is she a survivor of this ship?” Hunk said, raising his voice, sterling the group, quickly lowering their guns as the reaper walked over to the next door in their path

We’re approaching the showers; be careful, Kairi! I hear more of those oozes nearby, and you better be ready for anything." Hunk said as the group made it up a flight of stairs, standing only a few feet from the shower hall and locker room. Parker and Jill entered first, Kairi took the middle of the squad, and Hunk took the back to protect Kairi in case those monsters tried to ambush them from behind.
—------
It had taken only a few minutes for the group to be in the center of the showers; ice-cold water was bursting from the damaged pipes, and the sounds of ooze were fading, making Kairi wonder what was going on. These strange monsters didn't seem like the kind that begins to be scared; if anything, they seemed different the closer the group etched towards the medical bay. Like, did they have a plan to ambush them in numbers where it would have been easier in the tight halls of the showers?

“Something is wrong; I don't like it!” Parker whispered, grabbing his blade from his hip. Kairi could only nod; it was almost like those black shadows that Sora fought on their island. They were unpredictable and yet dumb as rocks, to the point that any traps were from bad luck rather than any meaningful attempts at hurting them.

“In any case, we should still proceed as planned; these monsters could still try and pop up out of nowhere, so getting to a more open area is necessary.” Jill added, gripping her pistol tightly as the group was silent. The only things they could hear were the sounds of water and the harsh weather raging outside. Little did the group know the moment they arrived at the medical bay would be the beginning of their problems aboard the Queen Zenobia.
—---
The first thing Jill noticed was blood. She quickly raised her pistol and signaled to the others that someone had been murdered, as Hunk grabbed hold of Kairi, making sure the teen didn't rush into the medical bay. Her eyes were focused on that room, and her mind raced, hoping that it wasn't Sora, Kairi just wished that it wasn't the worst possible outcome of this horror show her life had become. Maybe Sora was on a different part of the ship or drifted further into the sea, hopefully on dryer land. Kairi could feel a stabbing feeling in her stomach, quickly growing as the group made it to the outside of the medical bay.

Hunk took out a shotgun from one of the many side packs he had, while Parker did his best to keep Kairi together, knowing that the girl was starting to lose it. He decided it was best to keep her close to him if she wasn't, so that he could make sure she didn't do anything too rash. Kairi’s mind was getting the best of her, and Parker knew that if the blood on the other side of the glass was her friend, then she’d most likely pass out. Jill silently turned the knob, opened the door to the medical bay, and walked inside as the rest of the group followed with Kairi in the back, just in case it was Sora’s corpse.

Jill looked over at the massive puddle of blood that littered the floor of the medical bay. The bodies were fresh, and judging by their injuries, they were definitely victims of those ooze-like monsters. The blond-haired woman had her head smashed against the walls and looked like she had been through hell. But the one next to her made Jill’s heart skip a beat, as she rushed over to Kairi shielding the teen but was too late, as Kairi could see it, see Sora’s body.

“Sora, oh god, no!” Kairi screamed as tears rolled down her face. Kairi ran next to the teen, shaking him, hoping that he wasn't dead, hoping that he was just near the point of death or unconscious. She gently touched his cheek, but he never responded.

Kairi didn't know why, but she decided it was best to hug her friend, knowing that he must have been fighting to see her again, fighting to protect the blond woman from the oozes, but they were probably outnumbered. Kairi felt her hand rub against something cold as she looked down to see Sora’s key blade, making her want to vomit. The blade looked like it was ramming straight through his right arm up to the elbow. Kairi quickly backed up from Sora at that moment, looked around the medical bay, found the closest sink, and began throwing up at the sight of her friend.

"It looks like these monsters are more powerful than I gave them credit for. I think it would be best if we stayed here for a moment, as much as I hate the idea of being next to the dead. If those monsters return, we’d need more room; besides, we might as well learn what the FBC and Kairi’s friend were doing on this ship.” Parker said, walking over to Kairi and watching her as she sobbed into the sink, standing shaky.

“Kairi, why don't you tell us who Sora was? Maybe it'll give us some way to help comfort you in this painful time.” Jill whispered, gently rubbing the teen’s back as she let Kairi break down, watching the never-ending tears and fits of forced coughs escape the girl. Kairi turned her head, looking at Jill, as she planted her face against the brown-haired woman.
—---
Sora could hear her, the tears she shed, and the bright light of her heart that warmed him despite the cold feeling he was enduring. His body was in pain, unable to move. As he listened to her suffer, he wanted to make somebody pay, and as his mind tried to connect the dots, he knew those oozes—the ones that killed and infected him—and his new mother would have to die. Riku was another one to make suffer; he destroyed their island, families, their chance at seeing other worlds, and feeling like life was perfect.

He could feel the parasite inside his body; it was pulsing and worming its way inside his body. Soon, Sora would be less human than he ever thought possible. He could feel his body changing as his cold skin felt slimy, and his teeth sharpened as a desire for flesh and blood started forming in his mind. He watched Kairi as she left the comfort of the tasty morsel standing next to him. Sora could smell her; she smelt as wonderful as the pretty blue-haired woman who visited their island all those years ago.

“Sora was my friend, he was my best friend, alongside Riku. We lived in a different world called Destiny Island. It's funny how Riku joked about our idea of the raft killing us at sea. But here we are Sora, trapped in a ship full of monsters and you were the first of us to perish. I feel like this has been the cruelest form of irony to enter our lives.

“I hope that you're in a better place. I don't know if that's possible, but I hope that you and this woman next to you will be okay in the afterlife, and one day I'll see you again. I'm sorry, Sora. Not only that, but I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to save you on the island or on this ship. But I promise you that I will get stronger and make sure that no one else has to suffer the same way you did.” Kairi declared, leaving her friend. The group took one last look at the dead bodies, changing their minds about camping in this cruel room as they carried onward to the ghost ship.
Sora felt tears rolling down his face as spikes grew from his body, flesh, and bone shifted around his keyblade until the blade was one with his arm. His left arm was splitting in two, the pain was unbearable, but Sora could only lay in the cold puddle of blood as he heard Rachael coming to life. Soon they would be together and soon things were gonna die. Sora didn't know if he’d be able to stop himself or his mom from feasting upon Kairi and the others, but he hoped that he had enough light to keep the beast inside of him from killing his friend.

“Momma, it hurts! It hurts!” Sora moaned as the teen stood up off the floor, rushing over to a journal that was nearby. Rachael shifted towards the book, quickly writing something down, as the pair screamed and moaned in pain.
—--
“Soon, you'll be perfect to be one of the thirteen.” A voice whispered behind the blood-stained glass from the outside of the medical bay. Kay looked at the hideous-looking monsters as they embraced, feeling the smallest bits of humanity linger before another tragic fate would befall them.

Chapter 6: Desire 1.5, Bonds of mom and son

Chapter Text

Angie was screaming again, and Donna knew from experience what that meant. The doll maker had learned over the years that Angie screaming in her sleep like this could mean only one of two things: either Mother Miranda was calling or her son got into the dolls again.

Donna sighed in annoyance as the doll continued to scream. Mother Miranda was calling to remind her of the meeting later today. She'd always dreaded these monthly meetings, not only because of the endless and tiring discussions with her siblings, but also because of the frigid morning snow and the horrible cold it brought. Donna slowly walked through the basem*nt of the massive house. She didn't bother cleaning anything up; she just wanted to finish that phone call and be done with the meeting.
Before the Dollmaker could fully leave the basem*nt, she gazed around her workshop. Old books and papers littered the floor while various doll parts almost completely covered the surface of a massive table that stretched nearly the entire length of the room. But the only item that caught her eye in the mess of plastic arms and legs, was a colorful purple kimono. Donna's fingers brushed the fabric gently and a small smile rose from her previously frowning lips.

The soft fabric of the faded kimono was covered in a layer of dust as Donna brushed some of it away, right into Angie, who was holding a picture of a little fox that had been drawn by the unsteady hands of a child. The drawing was also covered in a thin layer of dust with two painted handprints, one black and child-sized and the other from Angie's hand. Both are still bright and visible from where they rested next to the fox on the page, despite its apparent age. Donna looked at her friend. Angie must have looked through one of the dusty books next to the kimono, judging by the look of her hands. Angie looked at her with a smile—well, well, as close as the doll can get to one.

Donna's fragile smile broke as she wondered: How long had it been since she lost her beloved child? How many years would she continue to suffer alone? Cursed to be trapped in this village?
How happy she had once been, before all the death and the horrors of her life, but maybe that's why Donna's world of make-believe and childlike wonder was all she had. Maybe that was why she still thought of love—the sweet embrace of a family. She could remember them clearly, even through the thick fog blanketing her mind. The dark and stormy night when her husband approached her home. The tender feeling of his hands and the sweet moments of happiness with the gorgeous man as his soft blue eyes met her cold gray. The passion of those lustful nights as she poured her heart and soul into him.

It wasn't long before Sort came, and with another new addition to her life, the doll maker's life was happy. A loving husband and a beautiful baby boy who looked just like her. Angie even stopped being the terror roaming the house and eventually became peaceful. Donna loved the sweet moments of tea and cakes and the late nights with a book as she helped her handsome little bird learn how to read and write. Oh, how she truly loved her husband; he was the perfect thing to let her be human and let her be a good mother to their child.

Donna just wished he didn't leave that fateful night. It was Soda's first birthday, and he had decided to venture out into the snowy village in an attempt to find a way for them to escape. That night was one of many assaults on Donna's heart. The only thing Donna learned of the murder was that he had been stabbed and that his body had burned by fire. Mother Miranda had woken her up in the middle of the night, and as Donna was the town's doctor momentarily, Donna rushed to see his body, learning the horrible truth. The only thing her husband still had intact was his purple kimono. Donna could only watch as the cruel woman gave her a dark look and walked away, leaving her to bury the body of her husband. Donna never asked if Miranda knew; she never asked her anything ever again. She stayed silent until only those who she truly cared about ever got to hear her voice.

The second time that Donna had opened her heart, It took the near death of a mysterious blue-haired woman slowly dying of blood loss from the lycans. Donna was curious about the new person in her life. She'd later learn that this woman was named Aqua, or, as Angie called her, Blueberry.

Donna didn't want Aqua to take Sora away from her, but there was no choice; Miranda had nearly found out about them, and she couldn't let Sora be found, so she had to let him go. Far away with Aqua, someplace Miranda would never find him. After that day, Donna's life was dreadful. Deep down in her heart, every day her life would feel worse; the once warm eyes that shone like gray diamonds had grown cold, dead, and completely lifeless.

The villagers had come to fear her, if not outright hate her. A man had left her estate and died, and news of her letting an outsider into her house, letting her leave, and in "Mother," endless compassion crushed her heart by sending countless people to her estate. Tales of her cruel murders spread across the village like wildfire.
Villagers would warn the poor unfortunate souls of their demise; it was always the same, for the most part. It's all a game, Donna would tell herself as she cried to sleep every night. They were simply playing games, and it got out of hand. They simply wanted to be scared; they knew their lives were pointless in the village, and they must have thought if they died on her land, it would be a mercy compared to the other lords, right?

Donna had been nicknamed the Marionette of Hell, as anyone who entered her estate would die, as screams echoed throughout the house once their minds were lost. Those who dared to venture in were lost to insanity, claiming to see things, but Donna knew better. They killed themselves in panic and fear of the nightmares she showed them; they hated her, and all Donna wanted was to be alone with Angie. Only falling deeper into her depression and anxiety, letting herself and the once beautiful, cursed estate fall to pieces. Donna walked over to the phone, her mind clouded in thought as she held the device to her ear like she used to, hoping for a sign of happiness.

Donna didn't know why she would gravitate toward the phone. Maybe it was the day she held on with bated breath. The day her son would call her, the day Sora would arrive to free her, the day she would have to come clean with her guilt, how could she explain to him all the deaths She and Angie caused over the years? Would Sora ever forgive her, even if she could never forgive herself for all the pain she caused?

"Donna, earth to Donna. Wake the f*ck up, Mother Miranda is talking to us." Angie shouted, snapping Donna out of her thoughts.

"Donna, are you there?" Donna could hear Mother Miranda clearly through the phone's earpiece. As usual, her tone was cold, distant, and full of disgust for Donna. Miranda wasn't her mother; she was just a Ruler. Hellbent focused on reviving her dead child rather than focusing on the so-called "children" that she had already taken in. Hell, She and Angie were better mothers, and they didn't even get to enjoy their child's life after the age of four.

"I'm here, Mother Miranda. Was there something you needed from us?" Donna whispered, trying to hold herself together.

"I was calling to remind you that we have a meeting today. I've obtained the vessel, and it will soon be time to revive my beloved Eva. I would like all of my children to be there. Furthermore, I expect you both to arrive on time." Miranda hung up, leaving Donna in silence A few minutes passed after the phone call, and for the first time in so long, emotions fully sank into Donna and Angie's minds. It wasn't sadness or anger; it was something more; it felt like excitement. Donna took a couple of moments to figure out why she was excited, and the realization hit her like a truck.

As a small glimpse of light shone through the cold stare of her eyes. Today was the day Mother Miranda would confirm for the last time she didn't love them—the day they would be cast aside for a new child to replace them. All the signs were there, and Donna knew it. She could only wonder in some form of twisted delight as she tried to picture Moreau being worried before he was gutted like a fish, as he turned into a mess of vomit and disgust, Alcina would follow Miranda's orders in an idiotic notion that she was loved by the cruel dictator of the village. Donna wondered if Alcina would panic over her daughters upon knowing they'd probably die in the end. Would the castle be ripped to pieces or would Miranda just use her powers to drag the little sh*ts into the cold? Lastly, Karl probably fights her and dies trying. If Donna was lucky, Miranda and Karl killed each other as well.

Donna would have said she didn't want that, not wanting to be abandoned. But she knew long ago that her dream family—that excitement she once held for Miranda and her siblings—was a complete lie. That illusion of happiness died long ago, long before Robin, Sora, Aqua graced her home or any of her maids tried to show her any attempt at compassion before their bittersweet deaths.

Today had to be the day that she stood up for herself and, as her brother Heisenberg once told her, "Kill that bitch." It was the only way to make her real family whole again. Donna had to kill Miranda and the others; it was the only way to make up for the horrible mistakes of her actions.

Donna looked next to the phone at a hand-drawn picture of Sora, Angie, and her. The dark-clothed family looked happy, her child even had some small writing above him in different colors saying, May you walk beyond the valley of death no more.
Donna quietly set down the phone, smiling. Angie was cackling, feeling a level of excitement once felt only when their "Playmates" came over or Sora wanted to play hide and seek.

"Oh this is going to be fun, how are we gonna do it, Donna? Are you gonna get a weapon? What about the child? We gotta be smart about this, after all, I doubt Sora would wanna see us dead." Angie said it quietly. Donna knew this was a big deal; just the seriousness of Angie's tone was enough for her to realize that this was her only hope of seeing them again.

"First, we need guns and medical supplies from the Duke. At least, we'll possibly have a fighting chance against Moreau. I don't know how we'd even deal with Alcina or Heisenberg." Donna hugged herself. She hated her siblings, who were each powerful and loved by Miranda in their twisted ways, with Donna being treated like nothing. Just a girl from a cursed family with only the ability to make dolls come to life and cause people to see things.

"Do you think it's a child from the village?" Angie suddenly shouted, trying to change the subject and hoping to keep her best friend rational enough to plan. She hated it; normally, Donna was the rational one, with Angie as the mad child of the house.

"Keep it down, Angie; we'll figure something out; besides, besides If needed we'll make a new plan," Donna said as she picked the talking doll up. It was almost time for the meeting, and Donna knew this meant seeing the Duke as well.
------------------------------------
Donna was filled with apprehension while walking to the meeting with Angie in her arms. They walked down to the elevator and she turned around only for a moment to see the roaring waterfall that was next to her house. The thundering roar of the falls reminded her that she was the only one left. Why was her family cursed with death and tragedy? First, her sister died from an unknown illness, and then her parents died by jumping off that accursed waterfall. That day was the day she broke, and she had stayed that way until Miranda's so-called gift. Later, at the cost of her eye and even more of her sanity, she gained a friend in Angie. Angie was the rock that kept her going, and if it wasn't for her best friend, Donna wouldn't know what she would have done. Most likely something drastic; after all, her mental state never recovered after the loss of her family. Why not add more trauma and misery into her life with the gift of Miranda, also known as the Cadou, a parasite implanted into her head?

Donna gazed with her one good eye into the waterfall, transfixed, as the visions and ghosts of her past danced within the rushing water as she thought of those she'd lost. Mom, Dad, Claudia, Robin, and everyone that she loved were connected to that waterfall in some way.

"Donna, you're thinking about them again?" Angie asked, pulling on the doll maker's sleeve of her mourning garb.

Donna let out a soft sigh, turning away from the cliff next to her home and staring at the silent manor, Donna gave it one last look before entering the old elevator with Angie, the doll quickly pressing a button to go down.

After leaving the elevator, the doll maker looked around as they traveled through a graveyard on their way to the Duke's shop. Donna gazed at the tombstones covered in flowers and dolls as they passed them by. Donna kneeled next to the biggest grave of them all and looked at the tombstone. She had made sure her little sister had the biggest memorial to her passing. Claudia Benevento had been more than a sister to Donna, she was like Donna's guardian angel for the entire childhood they'd spent together, all the way up until the day she died.

Donna placed her hand on the cold stone. Removing part of her veil, Angie looked at her, letting the much-needed moment between sisters happen. It was a little farther to the Duke, only the remnants of their garden, and the valley ringed by broken dolls that littered the trees, so Angie decided to move from Donna to look around. They were surrounded by endless gray tombstones and wilted yellow flowers with the only things not covered in grime or decay being Claudia's grave and those towards the center. The ones kept clean were for maids and family members, and Angie walked around the snowy graves, seeing the names of the dead.

Eevee, Annie, Caroline, Arya, Ishira, and only a handful of maids managed to give her a proper burial. It was always so horrible to visit this place before every meeting. When Donna was praying for her sister, Angie sometimes pondered what would happen to them after they moved on. Would they be buried here with their family and loved ones? What would happen if they weren't? Not wanting to linger on those thoughts, Angie quickly returned to Donna.
Donna lifted her hand from the snowy grave after noticing that Angie had returned from looking at their friends and family. As she stood, Donna wished for the Door of Memories, and her elevator wasn't next to the graveyard. It made the tragic sight of her land even more miserable. Sighing, Donna picked up Angie and they started again up the stairs to the old garden.

An old building greeted them upon arrival alongside rusty fences, old lamps that had run out a long time ago, a dilapidated tool shed, and a rundown greenhouse in the distance, and the old gardener, long since dead with only his body and scattered tools, marked his ever-being here. Vines littered the once-beautiful area, and dead flowers were everywhere. The only life in the cold and wilted facsimile of a garden were the yellow flowers, a gift of Miranda's madness. Anyone who smelled them would be under her control, forced to see hallucinations and dreams, or whatever she wanted.

The gardener's house was in a state of decay; rotten wood lay inside, and there was a giant hole in the side from when an Urais Drac passed through her land, bringing death and destruction in its wake. Donna walked away, hoping it would never return. The rest of the journey was in silence, no words were spoken as they walked past the rest of the old garden, the old bridge, or the doll-covered forest. Not once did they talk. There was no point in words. The ruined land was just another victim of Donna's pain and it felt best to leave it unspoken until a better time.

Silently, Donna opened the door that led away from her forest of hanging dolls and mist and out to the village. The big wooden door that connected her land to the rest of the village was the same as Moreau's door, their house symbol hanging above Mother Miranda's symbol on each side of the giant doors. It was a reminder not only of her status as a lady, but also of the fact that Mother Miranda controlled her, and anyone who dared to enter would only know to suffer. Donna turned to the left of the doors to see the duke's shop, and a horde of people suddenly came into view. Everyone looked at her with eyes filled with fear and deep hate. Donna sighed as she looked out at the hateful crowd. It was the only way to the meeting.
The Giant Chalice was an odd thing in the village.
The only things Donna and Angie ever learned about it was that the chalice had been around since the early days of the village and it had the Umbrella Company logo on it, yet it lay in the center of the town's marketplace, its purpose unknown to Donna, or anybody in the village. Only Miranda knew the answer.

The town was lively and full of people unaware of the death and suffering they'd soon experience as the Lycans would feast, ripping through their entrails and gorging on the flesh of their many lives. Children would die brutally, and families dragged, slaughtered, and changed. Even in death, they'd never feel peace. Lord Heisenberg and Lord Moreau would take the living and dead for their means, while Lady Alcina used the rest as food. But for now, they shopped at the Duke's store and chatted with each other or left to work at Karl's factory to her right, rarely ever to be seen again.

Donna held Angie closer as her shoulders dropped, to the point where she almost held her beloved doll like a child would after a day of yelling and sorrow. She couldn't save anyone; she couldn't even save herself, most likely. This was to be her only shot at seeing her child again. This wasn't just revenge for her life and her family, but also for the victims in her hands. This was Donna's wake-up call to that bitch's game. Donna had known everyone would die, leaving the Lords to play or rot unless an outside force intervened; sadly, Donna only had Angie and memories of the past chaining her to this village of shadows. So she was on her own, no Aqua, no Sora to help her out, she had to fight her own battles for once.

All Donna had was Angie and soon a couple of guns, knowing full well going in gun blazing would probably fail, but Donna loved underdog stories with Cinderella being a personal favorite. And today, she was her own Cinderella, with Angie as her foul-mouthed and murderous mouse, ready to aid her in seeing her little prince before the final hour was upon them.

"Are you ready Donna? We gotta see the Duke and make a move." Angie reassured her friend, floating ever so slightly in Donna's arms. Angie wasn't laughing and she spoke quietly with all seriousness in her voice as Donna needed all the courage and motivation she could get. This was facing her family and an army of monsters straight out of a horror movie.

"I have to try for everyone. We can't let their suffering and deaths go in vain." Donna choked out. Trying to hold back some bile, she walked closer to the Duke's emporium. The villagers were watching her with looks ranging from fear and disgust to anger and hatred. She wouldn't blame them; because of her family, they live in fear of death and they prayed to a psychopath with a twisted mother complex. They acted like everything was fine, when deep down, they wanted to see her and the others hanged or killed with their homes ransacked.

Donna could see just how much they hated her. She was the reason all loved ones died after all. The number of wives, daughters, and sisters who've died due to her, let alone her "family'' was untold. She could have made an effort and opened her mouth to Miranda at any point, but it would have been fruitless. The bitch would have only let the madness continue. She'd have sent more of them to die at that slaughterhouse of a village.

Donna hated being attached to people. It felt like a gunshot to her chest to see a maiden chosen from the village come to her; it was like counting the days till their deaths. Those who entered for greed and blood would die, screaming into the night as their nightmares chased them, going crazy at the sight of blood-soaked fingers clawing into their souls. Donna would miss some of them; some of her few who survived long enough to be called maids, friends as she called them, were innocent, only dying due to Mother Miranda deciding she was too happy. After all, it's so much easier to kill them like pigs in the slaughterhouse than to give them freedom or give her a chance at happiness once more.

As Donna thought even more about the past, she wondered how many nights—how many nights—did she cry until her eye was bloodshot, lying to her son and saying things like, "The maids are simply going to Castle Dimitrescu, going to take care of her big sister for a while!" Only to tell him they died serving her? Those were the unfortunate ones; they'd be worked to death with no hope for peace or burial, with only blood and wine as their fate for their work. Those who died under House Benevento were given a proper burial and a tombstone to join her sister's and workers' graves. The families sent letters that she wrote herself, with more than their wages folded within the pages. It's what made Donna the most respected and haunting lord until her husband's death.
At least when her son was still around, Donna was happy, despite living in fear of Miranda and the whole damn village. She would treat her guests like people, but once the things that moved her strings were cut from her life. There was no point in compassion or in love; in this cold, winter village, only death could be found. She was broken for so long and had embraced death; killing others may have been wrong to her, but it wasn't like she had a choice, living under Miranda's rule. It hurt so much to look at the men and women of the village, seeing their angry looks as they silently cursed at her, weapons drawn as their hands shook in fear.

Donna shook herself out of her reverie and walked a little while longer before abruptly coming face-to-face with the Duke. The Duke was a friendly person; he was always kind to her and even those she cared about, for a price, at least. Donna didn't know if there was more to him beyond his need for money and she viewed him more as a salesman than a friend. But some things made her hate him—not the happy look nor the great service, but the power the man held. Miranda dubbed him the unofficial fifth lord of the village, a man who was anywhere and everywhere at once.

The thing that made Donna hate the man, in addition to his power, was the fact he would never help beyond buying and selling. He never saved people unless they had money, trade, or work. The man was like a sinister extortionist. One moment, he'll watch you with kind eyes; the next, he'll turn his head and watch you suffer. How Donna envied him, a man free to do whatever he pleased. He didn't have to worry about the blood on his hands as long as he kept up a smile and offered goods to the needy and those crazy enough to fight a battle that was foolish to anyone lacking common sense.

"Hello, Duke," Donna whispered to the large man. It had been years since she physically talked to him, as she was far more comfortable letting Angie do all the talking, but it was a discomfort she'd have to deal with if she wanted to talk to her son again.

"Ah, Ms. Beneviento, Ms. Angie. Welcome to my humble shop; if I may so humbly ask what the occasion is, if it's just window shopping, please look to your heart's content." The Duke laughed as he lit up another expensive cigar.

Donna looked around for a moment. The shop was full of odds and ends; from bullets and herbs to the smallest shiny gem, he had a bit of everything. Angie immediately jumped onto the large man with a joyful look in her eyes, reminiscent of a kid in a candy store, or in her case, a killer prepared to slaughter their helpless victim and love every second of their demise.

"Hey Duke, how much for that one?" Angie pointed at an old gun that looked well taken care of if Donna's knowledge of old movies was anything to go by. The revolver looked cheap, but it could probably help with lycans and any person in the village. Her siblings were another story, as they'd be too tough for a simple piece like that.

"Why that is the Handcannon PZ? I'll admit, for whatever you're planning, I'd recommend something stronger. As a friend, please, Donna, tell me what's this about?" The Duke asked softly, and the grand chuckle was gone, leaving only a devastated expression behind. Donna took a breath as she prepared to speak to the man. Her throat felt strained, as if it were the first time in years she had gone beyond a whispered word to Angie, let alone talking to another person. The many people in the area did not help at all, but Donna tightened her hands and finally forced herself to speak.

"There's someone that I've lost, Duke. The only way to be with my child is the death of Miranda and her family." Donna declared to the salesman. The anger in her voice was a surprise to the man.
The Duke took a puff of his cigar as he spoke.

"I've seen many things, Donna. I've seen children slaughter each other for survival, and hunters fight with nothing more than their souls and the surrounding men. I've seen the darkest parts of mankind. This village is full of cruel horrors; you know this better than anyone, Donna. You wish to be with your child, so maybe we can work together. A simple exchange, if you will.

"You see, I have some information that could help you and Angie on this journey. All I ask is that any treasures you come across be offered as trade. I am a businessman, after all. So, Donna, if you are both serious about this, I will gladly be at your service." The Duke beamed, rubbing his hands together.

"Why are you doing this, Duke? This isn't like you; you're normally all about money and sh*t. Why ask us for treasure? We're f*cking rich; why would you want us to gather treasure from this hellhole?" Angie snapped, pointing her finger at the large man.

"Why! Isn't that the question? It's funny; I remember a lot of things. You see, I was once a boy, strong, and I loved the people I cared for—my little den of kittens. However, I was young and foolish. In my youth, I did many things to help others: I helped teach a generation to fight, I hunted, I understood life, people smiling, and peace in our time. However, as you know, peace is only as good as you let it be. I failed to help my children win an unwinnable battle. In the wake of defeat, I gave up on fighting; this mound of flesh and misery is my punishment for letting them down. Now that I only focus on coins, if I can't help people the right way, I can help them try to help themselves. It's a foolish way of approaching a problem. But what can you do?" The Duke chuckled slightly, taking his cigar and putting it out.

Donna stared nervously at the Duke as the hulking man leaned down to look at her. As he moved out of the way, she saw a large, cracked mask on the wall behind him.

"Please, pay that no mind. Is there anything else you'd like? The meeting is almost upon us." The Duke said, trying to change the conversation away from himself and back to the deal at hand.
Donna decided to let the man have his secrets as she pointed to a few smaller things around his shop. A couple of green herbs, a first aid bottle, a fully automatic pistol, and some ammo. She had to be light and unnoticed, like always. Outside of survival, one thing caught Donna's eye. It was a small pink and cream-colored fox plushie with a small silver mask over the yellow beads that served as its eyes.

"What can you tell me about the plush?" Donna spoke up, looking at the soft, doll-like figure with deep interest. The soft-looking fox was eye-catching and demanded her attention, like a flicking string to a kitten.

"That was created based on a legendary warrior; rumor has it that she was a crafty fighter in battle and a lover of children. A symbol of happiness and knowledge that would guide those to safety and peace." The Duke beamed, picking up the small figure.

"Is it for sale?" Angie giggled, wanting to hold the little fox. Her porcelain hands scratched at the Duke's shirt with a childish desire for the cute object.

"Yes, it is. But why would you like this, Donna, if I may ask?" The Duke raised an eyebrow at the toy.

"It reminds me of a happier time." Donna smiled, thinking back to a picture of a pink fox on her floor. The memory of Sora dancing to a soft piano song from her record player. Donna loved seeing his smile; it warmed her heart. Her child was ever so kind to her, always playing with the dolls, making them feel like real people. She could remember him telling her about the drawing.

"She reminds me of something I've dreamed about." Sora said, giggling in delight. Donna didn't know what it meant, but she giggled and patted her son's black hair. "Maybe in the next dream you have, you'll get to meet your mysterious fox, my little bambino," Donna whispered, hugging the boy. After grabbing the toy and the rest of her items, Donna and Angie thanked the Duke and started walking toward the meeting. The gun felt heavy on Donna's hip. She had never used a gun before, and it didn't make the fact that Angie slipped the revolver in her dress any less worrisome.
Before she got too far, though, she remembered something and quickly turned around to ask the Duke a question.

"Tell me, Duke, what kind of information do you have?" Donna asked nicely.

"Why? We've got a visitor in the village today. I'm sure they'll be quite a surprise. That's all I can say, Donna; you'd better get going." The Duke whispered.

"Oh! And, Miss Benevento, to answer your earlier question, the reason for the treasure is simple. This village is doomed and I simply don't want precious items destroyed by your family drama. I just thought I'd let you know." The Duke said, giving the doll maker a small wave.
—--------------------------
The rest of the journey was uneventful; the snow was kicking up harder, so a blizzard was likely. The villagers were preparing for the worst, and Donna was lucky to avoid most of them while making her way through the center of town. The old church bell ran longer than normal, and the Angel and Demon gate was open. Angie jumped down, running through the small wine cave towards the shrine. Donna pulled a lever, and a secret passageway opened to show the way to the dark, depressing church.

The rundown church was dark and in ruin; the only light in the large space came from the cracks in the ceiling. She stepped out of the tunnel to see a horde of lycans watching her. Their mouths drool with blood and saliva. Donna had once felt pity for the previously human creatures, but nothing stayed human in this village. You are either a monster or a victim; that was the order of Mother and her siblings.

Angie gasped, noticing that, for once, they were the first ones here. The doll laughed, wishing she had a photo of the moment. Only for that childlike enjoyment to be dashed as Alcina showed up.
The tall woman didn't even look at them as she walked proudly over to her massive seat, taking a generous sip off her wine glass, and taking a puff from an expansive-looking cigarette. A moment later, her eyes finally looked down at the doll maker in the corner.

Angie gripped her dress in anger. She wanted to take that magnum and blow the tall vampire's brains out and help get Donna closer to being happy again. The Mistress of Castle Milf, was always so boastful of her status and pride. It was sickening to the Doll, even more so to the Doll maker. Oh, how they hated the oversized bitch; the constant reminders of her wealth, and devotion to Miranda, were like nails on a chalkboard. But the thing that made Donna and Angie hate her was the vampire's daughters. The never-ending reminder that She wasn't with Sora, in a happier place. Donna would admit that at one point she enjoyed Alcina's girls, but over the years, even with her mental health in ruin, she realized that she just couldn't stand those fly f*cks.

It was like choking on bile, every time they were together, the constant buzzing, the oh-so-fake smile Donna put on her face to please them while Angie talked to her. Donna hated everyone alive in the village. Quickly Donna thought of a funny idea since everyone was gonna die today at some point. Why not insult and piss off her "Family" it be a treat seeing how they reacted to her outburst.
Donna decided to start with Alcina to be the first of her siblings to be hurt, sure Alcina was probably not the first person to kill today, but Donna had to kill her. It just felt right for all the years of suffering listening to her daughters, the constant verbal ice pick to her heart would slowly be fixed.

"Hello there, You oversized wine-drinking piece of ass. Hey, Thunder Thighs, have you sat on anybody yet, or are you saving that for Heisenberg?" Angie yelled at the massive woman in the loudest voice possible to piss her off. The plan to anger the tall lady worked, as Alcina quickly rose and pointed her long talons toward Donna's neck. Donna could feel the long sword-like claws pressing ever so slightly against her neck as Alcina's blood-smelling breath panted as she slowly removed her long fingernails away in anger.

"You dare make those comments towards me, Donna. "I am the only family member to show you any love and compassion, under our mother's rule." Alcina yelled in anger as her wine glass shattered in her hand, being crushed by the tall woman's pure strength. Donna was beginning to regret her plan, that was until a foul-smelling substance that looked like vomit landed right next to Alcina and her. Donna quickly looked over to the entrance of the cave to see another of her siblings, Lord Moreau.

"No, you can't fight now; both of you have to stop, Mother will be angry with us." The Ghoulish Fishman Moreau cried out, limping into the foul altar of their "Mother". Donna looked at her older brother, and as usual, his foul-smelling vomit dripped from his mouth. The hideous look of his outfit, the sad look in his eyes, and the way he worshiped Mother Miranda, it was sickening. Donna at one point had respect for the man, but after losing Sora, she saw Moreau for who he truly was, just a man who was the ruler of filth and ugliness.

Sure, Sora would have told her it was wrong to judge people like that, and Donna never judged people; her playmates had respect even in their death and suffering, and Aqua more than had her respect. For f*ck's sake, the dead maids that lay beneath her grounds had more respect and dignity than that of Moreau, her "family," and that bitch of a mother.

"What are you doing here, Ugly? I thought this was a family meeting, not a trip to the zoo." Angie said, yelling at the hunched-over man. Angie hated the fish man; he was ugly, useless, a pain in the ass to listen to, and worst of all, he hated his love for Miranda. It was gross; it was a problem, not an illness or a mental thing.
Angie hated Moreau as much as she hated Heisenberg, and speaking of the devil, she could hear the clanging, of metal; that cigar-smoking, show-off, overblown madman was here—and from the sounds of it, she had another victim for the others to play with, probably in another of those stupid death games.
Donna could see the red tip of his cigar, as the noise of metal scraping the stone floor of the room, the strongest of the lords had arrived, Karl Heisenberg.

"I found an outsider, he was standing outside the door to your place, Bitch. You really need a better way of getting food. Oh, this is a surprise, The Moranic Freak and the Ugly Ass Psycho Doll are here before Miranda, oh and I guess you're here too Donna." Karl chuckled briefly, opening up the cage of metal to reveal a man.

The man had short brown hair and was wearing a black hoodie with a beige jacket on top. He was covered in red and green stains, and a river of blood was flowing from his left hand, which looked to have lost a couple of fingers. He looked like he'd been through hell. This made Donna curious, outsiders never lasted long in the village, unless she was given any, as maids or prey. This man looked like he had fought the Lycans.

"I see you've brought fresh prey" Alcina said, walking closer to the unconscious man. Angie and Moreau followed close by, as Karl slammed his hammer, cracking the ground, and making several Lycans howl.

"Back off freaks, it's up to Miranda to judge him, speaking of which." Karl shouted as a murder of crows flew into the area, and with a sinister laugh, Mother Miranda, the head of the lords and ruler of the village, had arrived.

"My children, it is time for the meeting to begin; please take a seat, we shall deal with our guest shortly." Mother Miranda said, raising her arms, as a baby was rising from the ground on a large vine made of mold.

"So that is the child; you spoke of Mother." Alcina said this as she saw Miranda grab the child. The baby cried as she glowed with light. Donna and Angie were speechless as the baby glowed so brightly that it was like they were being bathed in pure light, as Miranda laughed.
A second later the crying had stopped, and all that remained of the baby were four containers.

"My children, as the ceremony is tonight, I am giving you each a piece of dear Rose. Even if some of you don't deserve her. Nonetheless, I accept all of you to bring your pieces to the Giant's Chalice before the ceremony; is that understood?" Miranda boomed as her eyes looked at the pieces of Rose.
Donna was angry; another child had to suffer at the hands of Miranda. At first, her mind thought it was a child from the village, but that was stupid. Miranda had killed any child below the age of five long ago. So, of course, it was a baby—a poor, defenseless baby. Donna could feel Angie; she was furious, and desperately wanted to grab the hand cannon. Donna quickly lowered Angie's arm as Miranda walked over to her, the bitch was silent and had a disappointed look on her face.

"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice, Donna; you too get a piece of Rosemary. You'd better bring her or else; after all, you can do better than f*cking Moreau, can't you." Miranda whispered into the Doll maker's ear.

"Where am I?" A voice spoke as everyone turned their heads to see the unconscious man wake up, shaking his wrist as the metal handcuffs jangled.

"Who the hell are you freaks? Where's Rose? Where is my daughter? I swore to God if you hurt her." the man screamed, as tears began running down his face.

"Ah, Mr. Winters, I've been waiting for this moment for so long. Allow me to introduce myself and my children. After all, you are the one to make all this possible." Miranda smiled as she walked around the rundown church handing out flasks to Alcina, Heisenberg, and Moreau.

"Mother Miranda, where's our flask?" Angie yelled impatiently as the blond-haired woman snapped her head back in frustration. As she continued to smile, transforming into a woman with long black hair, a white dress with a floral design, and a motherly smile.

"I'm making sure things go perfectly, Angie. So while Donna makes her dolls, you can play hide and seek with Mommy's precious flask from the man over there, after all. You'd be dead in no time if you fought him. Mommy needs to make sure the bad man can't hurt you, and I wouldn't want my sweet little girl to get hurt again.

"Remember, I punished all those nasty maids who tried to hurt you last time, I let your beloved big sister teach them a lesson, now Donna, please let mommy handle this, so this man can burn like that horrible outsider in the purple kimono. Ok, sweetie, so shut the f*ck up now, or I swear to God, I will personally toss you over that f*cking waterfall myself." The woman said as her smile turned dead serious as she transformed back into Miranda.

"I'm sorry about that, Ethan; sometimes you have to take more extreme measures with the kids, you hate the most. Now than Alcina, Moreau, and Heisenberg, Waste of space. Why don't you tell me why you should have Ethan here to play with?" Miranda commanded as all the lords, except Donna, rose from their seats.

"I believe I should have him, Mother; I will give you a Lycan, I will do anything you ask of me." Moreau laughed as he walked up to Ethan, as his foul breath made the man want to vomit.

"Well, then, now that the ingrate's turn is over with, give the mortal to me. Mother and I shall ensure the man's suffering is most assured, and as you all know, my daughters love entertaining foreigners.

Furthermore, I shall deliver to you the finest cup of his slaughter blood. I can make the most of the man thing if given the chance, Mother. It would be a greater pleasure than the bread and circuses Heisenberg could offer." Alcina grinned as she looked down at the man; he was quiet, looking around the room. Alcina was pissed as she extended her long talons, stabbing the stone wall behind the man. Mother Miranda raised her hand, forcing the tall vampire to return to her seat.

"Now, Alcina, I still haven't heard from Heisenberg and Donna. Donna, Angie, anything you have to say." Miranda asked, looking at the Dollmaker for a glance before looking over to Heisenberg.
"Give him to me, and I'll put on a show we can all enjoy; after all, wouldn't it be more entertaining to see Ethan here, have a chance at survival, at revenge for his daughter's fate, a test of endurance, of quick wit, and well, the chance at his bloody end?

"It would be a lot better than Fish for brains, making some piss ass lycan, before eating it, or whatever sh*t Donna probably make him do, ya gonna do another stupid bullsh*t game to get poor Ethan high off his ass. That just wouldn't do, let's not forget Lady super-sized bitch over here, probably just cut his dick off in that castle of hers and call it a day." Heisenberg chuckled, as Alcina rose, ready to argue with his reasoning, only to be stopped by the stone-cold look of Miranda.

"I've made my decision; some of you were more concerned with the value of your ideas, and what you'd bring to me, and I have decided, Heisenberg, that the man's fate is in your hands." Miranda grinned as Heisenberg summoned his hammer off the ground. In an impressive feat of strength, the large hammer was held above the man's head. Just as Heisenberg was ready to let the games begin, a bullet was heard, and the gunshot made the lycans roar, as everyone looked around until they saw her, they saw Donna Beneviento holding an old-looking revolver.

"Miranda don't you dare make him go down into that death trap of a game. I swear to god, I'm not gonna let you hurt another innocent life." Donna screamed as she held the Handcannon, ready to fire at Miranda.

"Oh, Donna, why are you always disappointing? It would have been smarter to stay silent and wait for a better time, good thing Karl told me of the guns you were packing." Miranda chuckled momentarily as she snapped her fingers. As the other two lords rose, Alcina, with a look of excitement, saw Donna's suffering. Moreau let out a hefty laugh before coughing.

"You know of our plan." Angie asked as she attempted to pull the pistol out of Donna's outfit. Only to be stopped by Heisenberg, as soon as she touched the gun.

"Mother, do you want me to kill them?" Karl asked, looking deeply at Donna through his black sunglasses. Turning his head to see Miranda, nodding for a second.

"Is it my call on her death, Mother." Karl said, looking at Miranda, who was silent. As the magnetic man laughed, as Alcina tried to respond, only to be drowned out by the horde of Lycans howling above.

"Lycans, and Gentleman, we thank you for waiting, and now let the games begin. For tonight's performance, The man who survived the horrors of the Baker Estate, none other than Ethan Winters. Also, we have a special contestant in our game: The Former lord of House Beneveinto, the Dollmaker Donna Beneveinto, and her f*cking loud-mouth doll Angie.

"Now Donna, if you want any chance at survival, I'd recommend taking those guns of yours and shooting a Lycan or two, and I'm not talking about those forearms of yours. Now get ready 'cause it's showtime." Karl boomed as he started counting down.

Donna quickly grabbed Angie and ran after Ethan, as Alcina took a shot at slashing at her, only for Angie to hit her in the face with the Handcannon leaving the countess unfazed, Donna noticed Ethan had jumped into the dark tunnel. As she stood at the edge of what was most likely certain death, she looked back at her "Family" and smiled, removing the black mourning veil from her face, showing them a big oversized grin, and the cadou on her left eye.

"I swear on my Son and my dead Husband. Angie and I are gonna kill every last one of you." Donna yelled as Angie and she jumped after Ethan into the game of death.

Today was the day Donna Hikari Beneviento would be free from this village of shadows. No longer would she be trapped in this cruel village, not when the light of freedom was so close.

--------

Donna's heart was pounding, she could feel it deep within her chest as she dropped down the small hole. The large grin she held was quickly fading as she held her pistol in one hand, and Angie in the other. She was worried about her chances in this cruel game, sure she had Angie and Ethan, but Karl made sure anyone who entered would die.

She had to catch up to Ethan, she had to survive Karl's psychotic game. The sounds of howling could be heard as Donna noticed that all the wooden pathways ahead held countless caged Lycans. The group howled as one of the growling beasts had finally caught up to a still-chained Ethan, roaring as it bore down on him. Donna quickly ran towards them in a desperate attempt to help him get uncuffed, when Angie noticed several more Lycans had dropped down from an opening behind them.

Donna gasped as she tried to avoid all the clawed arms and torches of the lycans, each one howling and roaring, clamoring over each other to get to her and Ethan. The only light sources around them were a few hanging lanterns on the ceiling and the long tunnel felt endless to Donna. She ran faster, a quick thought coming to mind.

"Angie, take the Handcannon and shoot the Lycan and Ethan's cuffs." Donna commanded, while handing the porcelain doll the firearm, hoping that Angie could land a shot on the attacking Lycan, just as the creature finally launched itself at Ethan.

"We're right behind you, Ethan!" Angie laughed, as she escaped Donna's arms, took the pistol, and flew over to the lycan. Its claws were inches away from Ethan's face.

"Hey ugly, eat this instead!" Angie shouted as she pulled the trigger, the bullet taking out the lycan. Black blood and chunks of flesh and bone shot out of the wound, temporarily painting the area with shining viscera. A second later the Lycans body crumbled, turning into mold, and the crazed doll quickly turned her sight to the rusty iron cuffs Ethan was wearing.

"Oh Karl, what is with you and cuffs? Anywho! I'm just gonna shoot these chains off, ok?" Angie remarked, looking at Ethan who simply nodded and stilled while Angie shot wildly, breaking the cuffs with a bullet.

"Jesus Christ, next time let Donna shoot, you nearly took my arms off!" Ethan gasped out, feeling his arms, as the numbing feeling of the cuffs started to go away. The brown haired man had noticed the dollmaker had caught up to him and the insane doll, unfortunately, so we're the Lycans behind her.

"We need to hurry, the Lycans are coming. Ethan, it would be best to stick together if we're gonna survive this place." Donna spoke as they continued to run while Karl's voice began booming out of a speaker.

"Looks like Karl is starting to give into his radio announcer hobby." Angie sarcastically commented knowing just how much Karl loved the sound of his own voice nearly as much as Alcina. At least Karl was decent at making things lively.

"That's right, run for your lives, it makes the game all the more enjoyable. After all, it's not often I get a three-for-one deal." Karl's voice rang out. As the Lycans thrashed in their cages with wild abandon, only getting more vicious when the old wooden planks and locks buckled and snapped. Karl's laughter echoed as the beasts burst out and began roaring towards the fleeing group. This only added to the surrounding swarm of beasts, with the front and back of the path being overtaken in a matter of seconds, leaving only a boarded up pathway as the only option for escape.

Ethan ran first into the thin planks of wood, quickly breaking them down and opening up the path to see that a large cavern lay ahead. Some of the lycans behind them began turning around, rushing back into pathways, while the front of the pack edged closer, actually wanting the group to venture into the cavern.

Quickly Ethan jumped down, Donna following a second later with Angie floating behind. The group took the chance to breathe and noticed a light at the dark end of the cave. However the momentary peace was dashed, as the group noticed Lycans climbing the spikey walls of the cavern to the higher ledges, their howling making the group run faster.

"Please tell me that's the way out?" Ethan panted as they bolted for the tiny gap that was bathed in light. The Lycans above them began shooting a rain of arrows from their bows, with even more filling the area as they climbed the walls, and it didn't help that a large thud could be heard, announcing to everyone that the giant monster known as Urias had arrived. Ethan had a look of fear on his face at seeing the large bearded creature again and to say he was nervous of the Santa looking monster was an understatement.

Urias let out a mighty roar, readying his massive hammer, as the surrounding lycans roared for one of their kings. The great lycan stepped closer, as its body shifted, getting ready to unleash a massive swing of its hammer that would turn any normal human into paste.

"I'm guessing you've met Urias before?" Donna asked rhetorically. Ethan slowly started to back away as the large creature rushed forwards, forcing Donna to quickly pull out the Headcanon PZ, aiming for Urias and pulling the trigger, only for an empty clicking sound to be heard.

"Damn it, Donna, how the f*ck are we out of ammo?" Angie asked, yelling at her friend only for Ethan to grab the two of them, jumping off the side of the walkway, as Urias swung his hammer at the group, its massive weapon nearly hitting them.

"Brace for impact, we're going down." Ethan shouted as the trio fell into a deep hole. Hitting the winding dirt slope with a thud, making Donna groan in agony as her back had been hit with a ton of bricks, her mourning garb offered her little protection against the rough, bumpy dirt, as rocks, and branches littered the path. Ripping into her outfit like it was nothing, as her hands couldn't bear the pain of the downward assault, causing her to let go of the Handcannon in the process.

Ethan only feared anyone better as his thick jacket, and hoodie protected his back from the numerous cuts and bumps, as the man grunted as he still felt a great deal of discomfort going down the dirt slope. The fall felt never-ending, as the only one not suffering was Angie, who was floating above them, as they made their way down, until Ethan noticed the end of the slope as he was sent flying out of the hole hitting the hard ground. Donna came out a second later, as she flew further than him, Ethan noticed her back was covered in cuts, and the thin fabric of her mourning garb was in pieces. She would definitely need a new outfit once this was all over.

Donna's first thought was to rub her back, the stinging feeling of her wounds were relentless, as Donna looked at her hand, noticing blood coating her hand. She quickly stood up and rushed over to Ethan, handing him a familiar-looking bottle of first med fluid, Ethan nodded, as he poured the bitter medicine onto the dollmaker's back, making the cuts heal up and the painful feeling on her wounds go away.

Angie quickly looked at the hole, hoping the Handcannon would fall out and into her arms, only for nothing to fall afterward. Turning around in anger, as the doll's eyes lingering at the sight in front of her, quickly returning to the duo.

"Hey guys, we better run!" Angie yelled, as she pointed to a giant metal cell in the distance full of lycans. They were howling, and Ethan noticed they were looking up, as the man saw something that made his blood run cold. The whole ceiling was encased in spikes and was starting to give way, threatening to crash down onto the group at any second.

"I still have my pistol, Ethan, come on I think we're close to the end." Donna declared, pointing to another set of boards. Ethan rushed for them, bashing right through. Donna quickly grabbed Angie and followed a second later, as they noticed that the tunnel they entered also had spiked ceilings and cages full of Lycans.

"You're all still alive? Impressive, Ethan. I guess the stories about you are true, definitely strong, and not one to give up. And Donna, I'm surprised you've lasted this long. Even that Ugly-Ass-Psycho-Doll is still in one piece and that's saying something." Heisenberg chuckled as the group had made it to the final obstacle in their long path to freedom.

Quickly jumping down into a small lifeless room that had an incline and tracks on the walls, Angie had quickly noticed skeletal remains littering the floor. This room from what Donna could remember of Karl's previous games was the last major room where people would die,so Donna and co bolted for the exit. Now wanting the madman above to activate his death trap only for her hopes to be dashed as a giant thresher had dropped down from the pitch black ceilings and slowly approached them.

"What the f*ck!" Angie cursed, her jaw dropping, as the giant death trap was large enough to cover the whole room.

"Oh, you didn't think I'd let you get away, did you? Gotta keep Moreau and Lady Supersized Bitch entertained! So, now it's time for the beautiful and blood-soaked grand finale! Hahaha!" Heisenberg laughed, as the thresher began spinning.

"I'm gonna turn you into fresh American and Italian ground beef!" Karl declared, as the man's smile was probably growing by the second at the thought of the violent death he was about to create. As the thresher was inching closer to the group as the downward slope of the room helped the large device move faster in an attempt to kill Ethan and Donna.

Donna hurriedly looked around the small room, noticing a nearby corner that just might work. She grabbed Ethan's arm, and recalled Angie back to her side, running for the small corner and ducking down for dear life as the spiked thresher was only a couple of feet away from them. The sound of its blades scraping and ripping through bone and earth could be heard. It only took a second for the thresher to scrape against the wall in front of them, sparks flying everywhere, the death trap spinning rapidly against the stone wall of the small room as everyone screamed, covering their ears to hopefully block out the horrible sound. Thankfully, the thresher had started to slow down, its blades losing momentum, before finally stopping, laying against the damaged far wall.

"Too close, Too close!" Ethan panicked as his claustrophobia kicked in, plus the ton of adrenaline from the near-death experience working its way through his system. Not wanting to stay in the cramped space for much longer, Ethan crawled his way out of the corner and into the newly barren room, thanks to the thresher that had nearly killed them. Ethan looked around, seeing how if it wasn't for that corner, he would have been ground beef, noting the skeletons were now nothing more than bone dust and dry caked blood on the floor.

Donna grabbed hold of her chest, it felt like her heart was being hit by a sledgehammer. She desperately looked around for Ethan before seeing that Ethan had crawled underneath the thresher. Donna momentarily followed behind the man, Angie floating over the muddy floor, keeping close to Donna. This was hell, the doll maker could feel it as her chest ached from the fear she had just felt. She had nearly died. She couldn't die yet! Not until she knew Sora was ok!

"That stupid cigar-smoking, magnetic, f*cking asshole. I swear when I get a bigger gun, I'm going to shoot him in the dick." Angie proclaimed before she launched into an angry rant in Italian that Ethan couldn't understand. Donna did and was fully in agreement with the doll.

"I'm gonna f*cking kill Karl when this is all over." Donna declared as she stood up, breathing heavily, turning to see the giant device that gave her a near-death experience. Wanting to kick the giant killing machine but turned away before she broke something.

"We'll focus on killing your f*cked up family later, right now let's get out of this hell hole," Ethan responded as the group ventured even deeper into the underground tunnel where more spiked traps rested. Littering the tight corners of the halls, more skeletons continue to lay pinned beneath more traps, some clearly missing limbs as if they'd bled out years ago in a desperate attempt to be free even if ripping limbs off was the only way.

"Be very careful, we don't know if these things will go off!" Ethan spoke out, cautiously moving between the room of traps not knowing they weren't active. After a moment of moving around the room of spiked traps, the group approached a door. Ethan opened it, slowly raising his Lemi handgun, Donna having her M1911 ready, they walked through the mysterious wooden door, unsure of where they would end up next.

—-----

To Donna's surprise, the trio had made it back to Alcina's storage room. The room was littered with countless barrels of wine, fruit, and probably blood. They had made a full circle. Ethan ran, checking the entrance, and returning a moment later with a sad look on his face. Donna turned her head back for a moment, as she realized the death game had an actual way out, Ethan and her were the first people to escape the twisted game.

Donna quickly ran over to a nearby lever and pulled on the switch to the gate to the castle, as Ethan looked at her and Angie, the brown-haired man seeming to have something on his mind. But was unsure of how to speak to the pair as they looked back at him.

"I'm guessing there's no other way out then?" Ethan asked, letting out a small sigh as Donna looked at him. She had to tell him the truth, and he most likely had questions about her and Angie.

"I'm afraid so, Ethan! The only way to escape and save your daughter is through Alcina's Castle. But before we deal with her, and the oversized headache it'll become, what questions do you have? About the village? About me or my siblings?" Donna asked her new teammate, as the only way they'd survive the other lords was to get closer as a team.

"I guess I'll start with just, who are you, people? How do we save Rose? And just why are you doing this, after all, aren't you the Marionette of Hell?" Ethan responded as he pulled out a small pocket knife, shakily holding it in his left hand.

"Are you gonna be ok, eight fingers?" Angie said, noticing the man's attempt at holding a knife. Letting out a slight laugh when Ethan gave her a shaky wave with the knife.

"If I'm gonna hold a shotgun or rifle, I need to make sure my left hand can handle the recoil. After all, I don't know what kind of gun training you have." Ethan said before dropping the small knife, only for Donna to pick it up and give it back to him.

"I've never used a gun before this, Ethan, so to be honest, me and Angie have been lucky with our shots outside of Alcina's big head. In terms of who we are, simply a Doll and Dollmaker. Monsters trapped in this mad village, and we just want the same thing you want, to see our child again." Donna conveyed, pointing to the cadou on her face, a sad smile lingered for a second, only for her to turn away to look at the castle.

Ethan looked at the cruel deformity on Donna's face, the dollmaker looked human enough even with that parasite on her face. Sure it was monstrous, and definitely added to the creepy goth look Donna had going for her. But Ethan still didn't know the whole story. He had to press on and know more. After all, the hag warned him of Donna, only it just didn't make sense.

"So what happened to Rose, and why did the old hag warn me of you, rather than your family? Sounds like you've done things worse than killing people." Ethan asked, noticing Donna's hands shaking. He had definitely touched a sore spot as tears started falling down the sides of Donna's face.

"The reason for that cruel nickname is due to my powers, and the villagers fearing them. I can make people see hallucinations, and see whatever I want as long as I have a special flower. I didn't want people to enter my home, and I didn't want people to enter my life after my son left me. I was so mentally weak and afraid of Miranda that I killed people. I made everyone hate me for taking lives, as I used to take women from the village like Alcina, the only difference is I let them go home, I was kind and respectful to them. I showed them kindness and compassion, even Sora made their lives a joy to experience.

"But in the end, I killed my friends, because, without my son, I have nothing to live for in this world. My mentally abused brain couldn't take it anymore, so I made the village suffer for my pain and misery. I didn't want to kill them, but I couldn't stop them from coming to my home. Some of the villagers wanted me dead, and the rumors of me kept forming." Donna whimpered as hot black tears rolled down her face. Quickly rubbing them away with a torn sleeve of her mourning garb.

"Be wary of the Marionette of Hell, she'll take everything you hold dear, be wary of her doll's laughter as it will be the last thing you hear. Bathed in darkness she waits, do not wander through her forest, its foggy woods will leave you scared in an instant.

"If you see things that aren't there, you better start running, as if you face your fears, you'll see her, bound by a black mourning garb and veil, the Marionette of Hell will add you to her piles of the dead. So don't step foot into her land, unless you crave death."Ethan sang as he remembered Elrena's song, he could definitely see where Elrena and the other villages came from, even if he hadn't experienced Donna's powers she was clearly also a victim in her own right.

"Ethan, let me ask you this question since we're on the topic of lives and family. What makes Rose so special to you, that you want to take on the lords of the village, and the psychopathic ruler that controls them, with your only weapons being a small pistol, a knife, and a murder-happy doll with her broken Doll Maker?" Donna cried out as deep raspy breaths formed.

"Sorry, I need a minute to calm down, I'll stop talking now." Donna whispered in a raspy voice, looking over to a stunned silent Ethan. He was unsure and struggling to think of what to say to the Dollmaker, but he was willing to try. Donna was clearly unwell, and mental, but was still trying to improve as a person. So maybe Donna could be saved, she had been working to be better this entire time after all, and actions spoke louder than words.

"Rose is special to me. She is my daughter, and I would do anything for her. To protect her, to help her when she's sad, to talk to her when she has a bad day, I love my daughter, and I imagine you feel the same way about Sora. Even if you did horrible things and killed people, even at the end of the day, you have the chance to make things right, and to be a better person to raise your son." Ethan said, smiling at her, and walked over to the Dollmaker and put a hand on her shoulder, making the woman look at him.

"Donna, it'll be ok. We'll save Rose, and once the other lords are dead, you'll get to see your son. I'm sure everything will be ok." Ethan said, trying to be optimistic, as Angie floated up, laughing at the pair.

"What's so funny?" Ethan asked the floating doll as Donna laughed softly, the sad look on her face quickly grew into a smile. More tears fell, this time from joy, and Donna held her stomach as all the laughter hurt.

"You reminded us of Aqua, and it's so funny how close you came to giving one of her speeches about her friends." Angie giggled, while Donna rubbed the tears from her eyes.

"Who's Aqua? Is she someone important to you?" Ethan asked, wondering just who this person was to make the crazed duo laugh at his attempt at a heartfelt speech.

"Aqua was a friend we saved from death many years ago. She claimed to be a warrior from someplace beyond the village, just like my beloved Robin. Although Angie likes to joke about her being an Alien. She had blue hair and this beautiful outfit that looked like a mage if they were eaten by a corset. She had this odd sword that looked more like a magic wand." Donna remarked, as she tried striking a pose of what Aqua looked like with her keyblade

"It's funny, she had no memories when we found her, but she always kept messing with her odd sword, and kept getting into locked doors and cabinets. It was funny how much trouble her and Sora got into." Angie added, as her favorite Blueberry and Cinnamon Roll were a blast to watch.

"Aqua was the first person to see Sora after my husband died, and after she took him away, I never saw her again." Donna explained, smiling at the remembered goofiness, yet beauty of the young girl. Seeing Ethan's face shift from confusion to a look of awe.

"She sounds like a character out of a Square Enix game or a medieval cosplayer." Ethan joked, trying to make sense of Donna's mysterious friend. Making Donna look at the man in confusion, as she had never heard of things like cosplaying or Square Enix.

"So back on the topic of what should we do about Rose. I saw that Miranda woman turn her into light and then these weird jars. Do you know anything or if she'll be ok?" Ethan begged, he just wanted to know if she was ok, but Donna knew she didn't have the answer to that question.

"I honestly don't know, though I wish I did. What happened to Rose is something Miranda never told me, not even Moreau knew what her plan was. Maybe the Duke will know something, as he hears everything, as I don't think Alcina or Karl would tell us. The Duke's the only one who might know what can be done. After all, he mentioned when an outsider -aka you- showed up, so he has to know something. His carriage is just beyond the grape field." Donna suggested, Ethan nodded, going along with her plan to meet the Duke. Hopefully, he was still on their side, and not an enemy. As the group ventured through the storage room and up some steps, the bitter, cold wind grew closer, and the pounding snow was soon in sight.

—---------------

Donna moaned, the snow was picking up, the blizzard was nearly upon them, and it was probably going to be in full effect by the time they made it to her house, let alone Moreau's Reservoir. Ethan was looking at the cold, dead fields, at the corpses of Alcina's servants laid in the fields like macabre scarecrows. It was sickening, and judging by the look on Donna's face, she either didn't seem to like the scarecrows or the idea of entering the Giant castle, just as much as he did. The only one excited about the upcoming events was Angie, probably because of killing the tall Vampire and the sick jokes she would make.

"You know, I thought I had left this madness back in Louisiana, but I guess after mold monsters, demented family members, and another creepy place where death circles around me, I'll take what I can get." Ethan said, taking a long breath as he walked towards the Duke, with Donna and Angie quickly following behind.

—-----------

A few minutes later the group had arrived at the carriage of the Duke. Ethan was interested, to say the least, as the villagers he'd met spoke kindly of the mysterious man before their unfortunate deaths. His curiosity was met with nervousness as Donna continued to stare at the large castle. She knew things about the owners and the tall woman, and Ethan had to know what they were.

"Donna, what is with that castle? Please tell me what to expect, I'd like to know so we can plan." Ethan appealed calmly as Donna began rubbing her neck, gently being reminded of Alcina's ruthless talons encircling it during the meeting Angie floated up to Ethan ready to answer his questions.

"Let's give Donna a minute, she's still nervous over Alcina's attempted assault. I'll answer your questions about Milfzilla and her fly kids, just give me a second. Hey Duke, are you gonna listen to us all day or are you gonna get in on the conversation." Angie let out, turning suddenly from Ethan to the carriage. The large doors opened up, as a massive wall of flesh pooled out. Ethan looked up to see the tall, imposing figure of the Duke.

"I must say things have changed for the worse. I'll admit I wouldn't have expected Mother Miranda to remove you from the equation so soon Donna. Her knowing of poor Robin, and even using the form of your dead mother to drive the wound deeper. She is a cruel woman, I'm just glad that you and Ethan have survived Heisenberg's sick game." The Duke grandly declared as he pulled out a small box holding a very expensive cigar, at least, that's what Ethan thought it was. Lighting the cigar and taking a nice strong puff, the jolly man turned to see Donna lost in thought, so he turned to Ethan, rubbing his hands and ready to do business.

"Oh, Mister Winters! Good evening! You may address me as The Duke, Humble Merchant, Masterclass Weapon Connoisseur, and a pretty decent cook if I do say so myself. I will sell or get anything for you for the right price. If I may humbly ask, would you care to take a look at my wares? Donna please come over too when you feel better, I have some new items, and something you'd like to have Donna." The Duke grinned and his smile prospered at Ethan's face grinning like a kid in a candy store, Donna silently turned at the sound of her name, finally noticing him, as Angie flew around desperately trying to find the Duke's mysterious item.

Ethan liked the Duke's wares, to say the least. Pistols, shotguns, magnums, to small things like baby food or a pack of gum. The only things left on his person he had on him were a small pocket knife and the Lemi handgun from an old man in the village, and a small amount of lei he had gained from killing a few lycans. The only downside was he was low on said lei, and they needed a couple of herbs and a lot of bullets if they were gonna fight Alcina.

"Hey Donna, do you and Angie have some extra money, I don't think I'll have enough for that shotgun." Ethan inquired of the Dollmaker as he gazed at a pump action shotgun, himself being three thousand lei short of his desired weapon.

Donna stood at the Duke's shop motionlessly, as the Duke pulled out something from behind him. The item the Duke was offering, she wanted, no, she needed it. The man's price was a big one, as Donna pulled out a large bag containing over 2 million lei, and handed it to the Duke, as he handed her an odd-shaped sword, wrapped in cloth, the first thing Donna noticed was the chain at the end of the sword was colorful as yellows, blues, and pinks sparkled, with a gem looking like an eye dangling at the end. The sword's hilt had a large golden fox head in the center of a gorgeous pink and gold handle that held it nicely. The blade was like a magic spiral that started as a light pink, and slowly led into a cream and almost sky-blue color. The teeth of the blade was a cloud with a pink heart in the middle, with a symbol that reminded Donna of Aqua's straps.

Donna smiled at the keyblade. It was like a piece of Sora was still with her, as she remembered one of the stories Sora told her. His favorite being of the fox masked warrior that Duke based his plushie off of. The keyblade was something Donna knew was important, after all, Robin had said the keyblade was a tool to bring happiness to those who wield it. This weapon was her salvation, her chance at happiness.

Donna was clearly lost in thought, she was enjoying the new, yet oddly shaped blade, as Angie suddenly floated over to Ethan, handing him a small bag of lei with the money needed for his gun. Angie quickly turned to look at Donna and the familiar sword she was holding.

"Duke, where did you get this sword?" Angie whispered as it caught Ethan off guard on the fact the doll could whisper, as well as the fact that the Duke stopped smiling. Plus the brown-haired man was curious, the sword looked like a Disney toy that kids and teens at Comic-Con would use pretending to be RPG characters.

"I've had it for many years, I couldn't care to count how long it's been, but from what I remember I found that blade next to the spot where I was defeated by my greatest friend. I don't know what happened next as the battlefield was bathed in light, and, well, our earlier talk made me realize it was time for me to let this treasure go." The Duke said as he tried lighting another cigar, tossing the half-smoked one onto the snowy ground.

"The only thing I had left of her was that blade. She had vanished without a trace, you see, so I wondered the world looking for my friend, but alas, my search was fruitless, so Donna, if it wasn't for your interest in that plushie, I probably would have kept that sword, but that's not what Ava would have wanted. So please take care of her blade, please use it to see Sora again, show me what a new warrior of light can do." The Duke requested, pulling out a tissue from within his carriage and lightly dabbing away his tears, hoping that Donna would honor Ava's memory.

"Thank you, Duke, I will take good care of Ava's sword. And Ethan, I'm sorry for my silence earlier. I don't like this castle or its owners as you can imagine. You wanted to know who we're up against? Alcina Dimitrescu, oversized ruler of this castle, she can't be killed by normal means, and the only way to kill her is with a weapon called the Dagger of Death's Flowers." Donna said as she grabbed a case from the Duke, handing over more money to put the blade and more items including more ammo, herbs, and a new outfit that she'd put on once they broke into Alcina's castle.

"The dagger is the only way to weaken Alcina long enough to kill her outside of a rocket launcher as her healing factor is quite overpowering. Sadly, the strongest weapon in this village that's not Ava's sword is a grenade launcher or the stake magnum, and you need more money for that." The Duke summed up, Donna simply nodded, as Alcina was a relentless foe who would chase them for as long as possible to kill them for Miranda's favor.

"The only easy part of the castle will be her daughters, they hate the cold, and with enough cold will f*cking die, and make it easier to avoid the walking dump truck." Angie said giggling at her attempts at demoralizing the tall woman, knowing Alcina's daughters would be more of a threat than the tall woman due to their numbers and swarming-fly bodies.

"So we just need to open a window to kill a daughter, is that what you're getting at doll?" Ethan asked, tilting his head for a second, laughing ever so slightly at the idea that the cold would kill one of the daughters. Angie made them sound like cheesy 50s movie monsters. But he'd roll with it and see what happens. After all, he had used a circular saw to tear through mold monsters in Louisiana, so anything was possible in his book.

"Alright then, I guess we better head into the castle, so Donna, any advice on how to avoid Alcina?" Ethan asked while readying his shotgun as in his mind, it felt like an impossibility to get around a family of monsters if his adventure in the Baker house was anything to go by. As Jack and Marguerite were the only pains he had to avoid, thanking Lucas for staying in one spot, with the molded that roamed the house being the only real pain beyond the bakers.

"Just don't stay out in the open for too long, and don't let them catch up to you. If we stay silent, they won't know we're inside and we can solve Alcina's puzzle, and get your piece of Rose back." Donna answered back as she put the keyblade, and other small items into her attache case, letting Angie ride on her shoulder, as the mad doll readied the M1911 pistol in her arms, as Donna mentally prepared herself to deal with Alcina and her messed up family.

"Just wait a little longer, Bambino! Momma will be with you soon. First I have to defeat the cruel mistress of this unspeakable castle, and I'll be one step closer to seeing your smile once more." Donna whispered, as the group stood outside the ominous doors of the giant castle, the feeling of lingering dread loomed over them. Not knowing that above the castle doors, a pair of eyes mercilessly watched over the group. Ready to let the hunt begin, and feel the blood of fresh prey wash over them.

-------

The first thing Donna and Ethan felt when they stepped through the entranceway of House Dimitrescu, was an overwhelming feeling of heat. Ethan had to take off his heavy jacket, leaving his hoodie as his only protection from harm. Donna herself felt like she was boiling alive in the tattered remains of her mourning garb. Despite the torn clothing letting small amounts of air in, it didn't help much as the castle still felt like an Oven.

"I knew Alcina liked the heat and that her daughters needed it. But this is insane! I feel like I'm cooking from the inside." Donna commented while releasing Angie to roam freely around the room. Angie moved over to a side room somewhere on Donna's right and stuck her head in to see that it housed the elevator to one of the castle's many rooftops. Sadly there was barely any cold air, the warmth of the castle made certain that the harsh winters of the outside wouldn't harm the monstrous family inside.

Ethan looked at the castle log, seeing the Duke was quite the visitor and understanding that the Lady was big into business and dealings, and less into actual social visits, and Ethan thought it made sense. The four lords hated each other, so they didn't visit each other often. Flipping through earlier entries dated years back, he saw a large number of random names and that Donna's name came up a bit, Heisenberg's once or twice, Miranda's a decent amount and nothing of the ugly fish guy. The only other thing of interest in the room beyond the book was a few expensive bookshelves, with the centerpiece being a large painting of three happy, normal-looking women, who must have been Alcina's daughters judging by the nameplate on the frame.

"So have they always been monsters, or were they human once?" Ethan asked, noticing Donna walk over to the guest book and cry a little. Some of the names in that book must have been important to the Dollmaker. While this was happening, Angie was on a rampage consisting of destroying everything the oversized bitch loved. Starting with any glass she could get her hands on.

"They used to be human at one point, but their corpses were used by Alcina to make the creatures that she calls her daughters. This was years ago, well before Sora, and when I was probably a teenager, but I'm not certain. I didn't care about my daily life until Robin became a part of it. Moreau was once a decent man, who's now some mentally damaged fisherman, Alcina has always been a power-hungry monster, except shorter. Karl was nice to me, and quite funny when he was a kid." Donna said, combing through the guest list, the Duke was in the castle, so they'd have safety if Alcina tried coming after them. But one name was erased, and crossed out to the point of it being unlegible, Donna knew that it wasn't Alcina, as she loved mentioning anybody who entered her castle during meetings. Which meant one of the other lords was over, and if so puts a big wrench in their plans. The question was which lord would not want Alcina to know they had entered the castle, or was this a trick to mess with them?

"One of the other lords is in the castle with us, so we're gonna have to be careful moving forward Ethan!" Donna whispered as she waved for Angie to return. Ethan readied his shotgun and Donna pulled out her handgun as a light began shining through the door to the foyer of the castle, and that meant anyone could be in there.

—---------------
Silently, the trio stepped through the hallway, Donna watching the door like a hawk trying to gauge who was in the room. Angie had decided to float on ahead just to make sure the Duke was in his shop, and to get another angle of the lobby.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here, a couple of rats crawling through the Bitch's castle! Oh, this is gonna be fun!" Karl Heisenberg shouted, making Donna and Ethan turn around to see the hammer-wielding man behind them.

"Karl, what are you doing here?" Donna asked as the lobby door slammed open to reveal Alcina poking her head down to see what was making all that noise disturbing her peaceful fireside evening.

"Donna! Ethan! I see, you're still alive, and Karl you were the crossed-off name in my guest book. This lives up to the evening! Daughters, we have guests, please put them up!" Alcina boomed, as the sound of buzzing could be heard, then laughter, with the flies now feeling the room. The next thing Ethan and Donna knew, three blonde-haired women were surrounding them.

"Mother, you could have told us, Auntie Donna, was also coming." Bela commented looking at the tall woman.

"Uncle Heisenberg is here as well, at least it's not Uncle Moreau." Cassandra said, thankful that Moreau wasn't here, It would be impossible for the carpets to get clean, and it was like comforting a child in her opinion.

"Hey I like Uncle Moreau, We get to watch those old romance movies, and he's not that bad once the smell is gone." Daniela commented, trying to defend her favorite uncle only to fall on deaf ears.

"I'm sorry for not telling you, Bela, but everything will be explained in due time. Now grab Donna, and Ethan, Daniela, Cassandra, take them to the sampling room, Karl do follow, I'm ready to be done with you, that horrible smell is ruining the atmosphere of my castle." Alcina commanded, as the daughters, pulled out a pair of sickles stabbing them into the legs of the pair, pulling them across the castle hallways, through doors and rooms, down a flight of steps even until they arrived at the sampling room, the last thing Ethan and Donna saw before passing out from the pain, was Karl entering the room, grabbing their weapons, and suitcases.

—------------------
The first thing Ethan felt when he woke up was a thrilling pain in his hands, his eyes snapped open, noticing how he was dangling up in the air, looking up to see his hands were stabbed with a pair of hooks. Donna was tied to the giant-sized bed, as Alcina, and Karl looked at them.

"What's the f*ck is this?" Ethan asked the oversized woman, as Karl attempted to light up a cigar, only for Alcina to slice it in two with her talons.

"No Man-thing is allowed to smoke in my castle, As for your questions, Ethan winters at the moment this conversation is about family, so consider yourself lucky for now, We'll get to Rose in a moment.

"Donna, why didn't you tell me, you had a child, Sora was his name wasn't it? So where is the little Beneveinto?" Alcina asked Donna who was shaking as the daughters swarmed around her.

"What was the point? You never cared about my life, besides you'd tell Miranda, he'd be killed or used in some experiment like my sister, like my maids. I could have told you at any point over these ten long years, but I didn't because you are a vile, cruel, monster, who derives pleasure from my misery and torment. You sent your daughters to my home to make me remember that every day of my life was hell without Sora. Do you think me looking after other people's kids helped me when I couldn't see my bambino once he turned four years old?

"Besides I don't know where he is, hopefully someplace, as cold and dead as possible so that you and your fly f*ckers can't touch him." Donna yelled as the daughters held her down, swiftly punching Donna in the face, for daring to bad mouth their mother.

"Don't you dare insult Mother like that, you miserable dollmaker, if you speak to her like that again, I will rip the teeth from your mouth and make you feel every moment of it!" Cassandra declared, grabbing her sickle from her gown, and pressing the hot steel next to the cadou on Donna's face, causing Donna to scream in pain, white hot tears rolling down from her good eye as screaming could be heard across the castle.

Karl quickly raised his hammer, and slammed it through Cassandra, as her bodies quickly turned into flies, and the screaming stopped. Electricity surged through the room, with countless pieces of metal scraps floating inside the room, as an electric current danced around the daughters and Alcina.

"All right shows over, now Bitch, call off your daughters, it's time for me and Donna to have a little chat, so all of you f*ck off." Karl shouted, as Alcina groaned, and walked away, The daughters obeyed, walking off to a different part of the castle.

"Now that that's over with, let's talk about your son, Donna. I'm sure you'd be interested in what I have to say. Oh right, loose ends." Karl said raising his hand, as electricity jolted up to the hooks in Ethan's hands, The hooks moved upwards through Ethan's hands, as the blond fell to the floor, blood pouring out of his wounds, quickly ran to a bottle of first aid fluid that Alcina had on a table for some reason.

"I set you free Ethan, now go back to the Duke, That ugly ass psycho doll, and your sh*t is in his room. I made sure to put them there, so that bitch couldn't get to them." Karl said, pointing Ethan to the door. The man angrily nodded, knowing Karl was in control, and he was defenseless at the moment, so fighting one of the three lords was likely a suicide attempt.

"Now then, Donna, Ya got a kid, Sora was it," Karl said asking Donna, Karl took off his sunglasses and placed his hammer on Alcina's giant-sized chair. Donna looked at the man with a look of fear, and anger. Sora was safe, but that part of her mind was worried about what Karl was about to say.

"What if I told you, I could bring him to you! You'd have to do something for me, and well the kid will have to suffer for a bit, but save the trip, and f*cks with "Mother" for a bit." Karl declared, Donna could feel the venom in his voice when he said mother meaning Miranda.

"How could you even bring him to the Village, and why should I help you? You tossed me and Ethan into that death game, I already said I was gonna kill you all. So what would be the point of this outside of giving me my son?" Donna asked, shaking her arms vigorously against the straps of the oversized bed holding her down.

"Look Donna, I'm doing you a favor, and it would be in your best interests to listen to my offer. You get your kid back, I'll make the kid grab the flask that Miranda put in your manor, I'll even untie you. It's a good deal for you and Ethan, all I ask is that once you've killed Lady Super Sized Bitch, and the Moronic Freak, just be rational on what I have to say once you come to my factory to kill me." Karl said, raising his hand, pulling out a few pieces of scrap metal from his coat, launching them through the leather straps, freeing Donna.

"I'll talk to Ethan about it, but how would you even get to Sora, he's not around these parts. Besides, do you even know what he looks like?" Donna asked, looking over at Karl grabbing his hammer, and heading out the door, to another set of rooms full of fancy furniture and pictures that had no interest in paying attention to.

"I know he'll look like you, black hair, gray eyes, probably depressed out of his mind, am I close?" Karl said sarcastically, making Donna wanna punch the man, he thought Sora, would be depressed and probably like her, was he that stupid, Sora was always happy, he was the only source of happiness in her life after Robin died, even more so after she lost all her maids to Mother Miranda, and Alcina. Oh how Donna wanted to kill Karl the moment she got a gun or her keyblade, but she couldn't not until Sora was safe by her side.

"But to answer your question, I'm using the Duke, turns out fat*ss can travel to other worlds, and he'll take me to get Sora and bring him to the Village," Karl said, making Donna stop, the weight of what Karl just told her, it hit her like a swing from his hammer. Donna quickly ran to the Duke's room, she was pissed at that man, she had to know why, why didn't he take her to Sora, at any point in the past ten years of her life.

—---------------------
Donna was furious when she entered the Duke's room, Ethan had his shotgun, and Angie was playing with one of the four famous ball puzzles of the village, but Donna only saw red, as she looked at the Duke, his grin, that f*cking grin that seems all peaceful and happy, yet so sinister if you read through the lines.

"Duke, I'm only gonna ask you this once, why the f*ck didn't you take me to Sora, why did you tell me that you could travel to other worlds, why are you taking Karl to get Sora of all people." Donna yelled, grabbing her keyblade from her suitcase that was lying next to Ethan, and pointing it at the Duke.

"So Heisenberg told you his plan, look Donna, the reason why I couldn't tell or help you was because of Miranda, she has the power to travel to other worlds as well just like me, I knew Sora would be in great danger, and as a friend I couldn't let your son be taken and hurt by Miranda. That is why when Karl asked me about Sora after the meeting of the lords, I came clean and decided he was the only one who could pull this off." The Duke said looking down at Donna, acknowledging the anger in her eye, the keyblade shook in her arms, only for the Duke to notice the keyblade had stopped shaking, as Heisenberg entered the room.

"Karl, Duke! I wanna make a new deal, take me and Angie with you to get Sora. I need to make sure he's okay, I have to tell him, I'm sorry for not being in his life for the past ten years, I need to protect him before Miranda gets to him." Donna declared as Ethan looked over to Heisenberg.

"Is it possible for me to go as well, or should I stay here and attack Alcina's castle?" Ethan said readying his pistol, Karl only laughed at the two parents in the room.

"You guys are funny, I'll give you that, Look it wouldn't make sense for both lords of the village and Ethan to grab the kid. So here's the new deal, Donna, you and Angie get the kid, I'll hand you my flask, I get winters here, and do whatever I want in killing these reminding bitches, and I get to live in the end, that's my counter offer." Karl said, lighting up one of his cigars, grinning at the thought of Miranda's plans crumbling, and thinking of just how fun it would be crushing the oversized bitch once and for all.

"Donna, are you sure about this? What if Sora doesn't remember us, or what if we don't fit into his new life, You're still in your torn mourning garb, plus the cadou is still visible on your face." Angie spoke up, worried about how this new and mysterious world would react to their image, after all, they looked like something out of a twisted fairytale.

"I still have my new clothes in my suitcase, and I'm sure the Duke has a bandanna I can buy to cover up my cadou, so outside of Sora seeing it, I won't scare anybody. Ethan can work with Karl to kill Alcina or Moreau once I have Sora, we can kill the other lord, and defeat Miranda once and for all, I get my son, Ethan gets his daughter, Karl gets to live, Duke gets treasures from the village, it's a win for everybody." Donna said, gripping Angie's dress, as she looked at everyone, who looked to agree with the plan.

"Come on Ethan, We'll head to my factory, I got some things that help even the odds! Good luck getting your kid Donna, Just make sure you get your ass back here to finish the job; after all, if Miranda has been through other worlds, who knows what, or who she's been with?" Karl told the dollmaker walking out of the room, and into the lobby with Ethan following closely behind.

"Close your eyes, Donna, things are gonna get crazy!" The Duke whispered to the Dollmaker, as the temperature of the room felt colder, and strange noises could be heard, Donna's body felt heavy and weightless at the same time, little did she know she was traveling to another world with Angie and her stuff.

"Sora, I'll be there soon little Bambino, please be safe!" Donna whispered, as the sounds of the ocean, and birds began entering her mind.

—-----------------
When Donna awoke, the first thing she could see was the ocean, As the cold feeling of water hit her, she noticed waves, she was in another world, a world full of light and happiness, she was in Sora's world.

Chapter 7: Sawing through the pain , 13 days till romance

Chapter Text

Liliana didn't know how she ended up in this cold, dead cell. She had no clue as to where she was, or even who she was. The most she could remember was the amount of swearing she did and the feeling of a rag on her mouth.

"Hey, asshole, let me the f*ck out of this cell, where the f*ck are you, hey do you hear me?" Liliana screamed as she grabbed at the metal bars holding her cell together, wishing she could calm down. She decided it would be a better use of her energy to check her newfound clothing that was placed on her: a white shirt, red baggy pants, a belt, and a pink and black jacket. There was nothing major like a photo, jewelry, or weapon on her person, so she could rule out owning anything before that cloaked f*cker took her from that nice island she remembered.

Although that raised a few questions in her mind, as she scratched her Auburn-colored hair, she felt how spiky it was. What was she like before this cell? Did she have friends and parents? What happened to that nice little island? She had to escape this sh*thole and find out, as she proceeded to kick the bars with all her might. Stopping only momentarily to look around, finding only an ungodly-looking toilet and a bed frame that was nowhere near sleep-able, knowing damn well this psychopath wouldn't have tossed in a mattress.

"Come on, Liliana, you are a fourteen-year-old girl, trapped in a cell, and it's about f*cking time to get out of this f*cking cell, and f*cking, beat the sh*t out of that asshole." Liliana wailed as she grabbed the worthless bed frame and bashed it against the bars until a snap could be heard.

Liliana quickly glanced through the frame to see the bars of the cell were broken. A smile quickly rose on her face as she tossed the frame to the side, well more so against the toilet, breaking the porcelain sh*tter, causing death to her living conditions, deciding it would be better to explore, as she stepped over the reminding bits of metal still pointing upwards.
—---------------
"Ok, now that I'm free and that toilet is dead, it's time to figure out where I am and what I can use to defend myself with." Liliana said as she looked down the long, dark hallway, walking slowly, her fist ready to punch anything in sight. Thankfully, the next couple of minutes were uneventful—just more empty cells, a few lanterns on the walls, and more hallway.

"At least I won't die of boredom!" Liliana said to herself, trying to figure out more about all this and herself. It was just odd; she probably did nothing to warrant some sick bastard taking her, and that means the guy just wanted to hurt her for some deranged reason. A few things she came to understand about herself: she had a foul mouth, like swearing felt so natural to Liliana, so either her childhood was growing up in a dysfunctional crack house, and she ran away, or she just loved to say f*ck, sh*t, bitch, and other copious amounts of curse words like they were going out of style; she liked putting her arms behind her neck; for some reason it felt nice; and the playful feeling her long hair brushing against her skin, was just a feeling of bliss for some reason.

The most she could remember of the island was this cute little raft that the spiky-haired boy, his "girlfriend," who looked almost like her, and this silver-haired teen had made. The weather was warm and comforting, and then it all turned black as these black monsters attacked the place, and the hooded f*cker came and took her ass to cell hell, and now she was here.

"Where did those other kids end up? Were they my friends, did I know them, or am I going f*cking mental?" Liliana pondered, realizing the irony of her being trapped in what was probably some rundown nut house/prison. So she could take an educated guess that she was in another world, recalling the girl and boy talking about it, and that meant there must be a way out of this place, and that meant freedom.
—---------------
It had felt like an hour to Liliana as she continued to look at the dead cells, only to find nothing—no weapons unless she wanted to use another bed frame—and her mind continued to keep laughing at her for not grabbing the toilet seat or lip. But f*ck no, she wasn't going near those unholy spawns of Satan. Thankfully, a door was straight ahead, which meant another ward, or hopefully the entrance. Besides, the bed frame would have been too big to fit through the small metal door anyway.

Silently, Liliana opened the door, mentally swearing at the creaking sound of the door, hoping her kidnapper wasn't near her. As she walked through, realizing that this was a laboratory, and judging by the tube, beakers, and surgical tools this lab was using recently, she could assume the f*cker was going to cut her up and play with her insides, the thought making Liliana want to vomit. Quickly holding back her vile and grabbing a hacksaw, like hell was she going to be someone's meat puppet for their science class?

"Ok, I got a weapon, and have made some progress; now what can I learn about my tormentor?" Liliana uttered as she started combing through notes and old books, which felt like mostly gibberish to the teen. The books were just some madman's ramblings about the human heart, sh*t like transplants, and more medical sh*t. All those books did was put her more on edge; her fruitcake was going to stuff her into someone else, or vice versa. Oh, like, hell was she going to let that happen, tossing the hacksaw to the side and grabbing a handful of knives off of a surgical table, hoping the knives would be more useful than a hacksaw?

"God, why couldn't I have found a chainsaw." Liliana muttered, proceeding to look at a pair of bloody metal tables in the center of the room, not liking the feeling in her chest as she continued to look at the aftermath of something probably violent and f*cked up.

“I see you found my laboratory; you were quite creative to use the bed as a means to escape your cell; I will admit, you're the first one to do that out of all my experiments." A voice declared, making Liliana jerk around in an attempt to find the source of the voice, only for no one to be in the room, her head snapping up to the ceiling as cameras, speakers, and a sickening black substance were glued to the ceiling.

"Who are you? What the f*ck do you want with me, you sick, twisted f*ck?" Liliana yelled as she raised her fist against a nearby wooden door to the next room, knives held in between her fingers to make her strikes hurt the mysterious figure.

"My name is of no importance to you, Liliana Darkbloom! All you need to know is that you are the key to opening the door to the darkness, so know that you may run, you can hide, you may fight me, but I will open the door, and when I do, Kingdom Hearts shall cleanse this world and every other world into darkness. So enjoy your freedom while you can; after all, you won't live long enough to enjoy it!" The voice said, making Liliana drop her knives and quickly grab at the doorknobs and violently turn the handle, running out of the room, like her f*cking life was on the line, as the next room only had an odd device that looked like it had a ray of light in the red center.

"f*ck it!" Liliana screamed as she ran into the portal of light. Sure, sure, she might die from this, but it was a risk she'd take. Like, like, hell was she going to end up helping some psychos with a need for genocide?
—---------
The first thing Liliana felt was the light burning, as it felt like she was on fire. The light was hurting her skin; it didn't feel like the calming sunlight of the island; it felt like she was traveling through the very sun itself, at the speed of light. This wasn't normal; that psychopath must have done something to her. Liliana knew he must have done something to her if he called her his experiment.

"f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, sh*t, f*ck muffin." Liliana cursed as she felt herself moving faster through the light until she was sent flying out of the beam of light and landed on something hard, quickly passing out from the pain, as her body felt like it had hit very hot, hard metal.
—-------------------
"Hey, are you ok, hey kid, you gotta wake up." A voice called out to Liliana as she opened her eyes closely, noticing someone was in front of her. Causing her eyes to dart open, she attempted to send a right hook at the unknown person in front of her. Only for her fist to be caught as she jolted up onto her feet.

"Hey, easy. I'm just making sure you're okay. Do you know where you are? Are you hurt, what's your name?" The man asked Liliana; his tone was worried, and he didn't sound like her crackhead psycho, making Liliana take a breath and look at the man. He was wearing a white button-up shirt, black pants, and a pair of sneakers. He had blond hair and brown eyes. Liliana quickly patted herself down as she watched the man grab something out of his car, so far she had a bad case of sunburn from this world's heat and an empty stomach. So outside of that, she was safe for now; the question was, for how long?

The blond man returned a second later, with a bottle of water, a stick of jerky, and a half-used bottle of cream. Making Liliana look at the man silently, he looked ok, even if this was way out of her comfort zone, if she even had one. Liliana quickly grabbed the water and meat snack and consumed them like it was her last meal, probably in her opinion of the past few hours, as the blond man rubbed some of the cream against her skin, making Liliana goan momentarily from the stinging feeling.

"Hey, it'll be ok, just some cream with aloe vera to help with your sunburns. You look like you've been out here all day; my name's Ethan, by the way, Ethan Winters." Ethan said, making Liliana feel a little more comfortable about being around the unknown stranger, even though she knew it was a stupid idea. But for now, willing to ignore her stupidity, she needed food, water and hopefully some answers, and Ethan didn't seem like a bad person.

"Hello Ethan, do you happen to know where I am, and why my back feels like it was hit with a f*cking sledgehammer?" Liliana asked, kindly handing the man her trash, as she quickly noticed the damaged car hood and silently cursed to herself, realizing she must have fallen on the man's car.

“I guess I fell on your car, my bad." Liliana said nervously, feeling like a total dumbass and a jerk for breaking the man's car and taking his food. However, Ethan didn't look angry or nervous, continuing to be concerned about her. It was an odd feeling that Liliana didn't know what to do except ask the man.

"Why, aren't you mad at me, Ethan? I damaged your car?" Liliana asked, slowly lowering her head in shame. Only for Ethan to raise her head and give an honest look on his face. Making Liliana wonder what the man was gonna say, she wished she had kept that hacksaw or grabbed one of the f*cking sh*tter seats.

"Well, for one, you're a kid, and I shouldn't be mad over you accidentally breaking something you had no control over. After all, I saw you fall out of the sky, and you looked hurt. So don't beat yourself up over my car, I make enough money to get it fixed after I'm done here. Besides, I don't even know your name yet." Ethan stated as he went over to his car, pulling out a half-melted popsicle from his ice chest and handing it to Liliana.

"My name is Liliana Darkbloom, and thanks for not being mad and for the food. So what brings you to this place? It looks like a sh*thole if you ask me." Liliana said, quickly eating the melting orange cream treat and honestly enjoying the moment. This was definitely making her day of prison and torment feel a tad bearable, but then again, she still had the rest of the day to deal with; after all, she was in a new world; what could go wrong?

--------
Liliana was interested in Ethan's reason for coming to an odd place named Dulvey, Louisiana. The blond-haired man told her he was looking for his ex-wife; she had gone missing for three years, and the moment he got news of it, he booked it to this dry, humid, swampy place. Probably made his girlfriend worried about him. But Liliana didn't mind following him up the long dirt road to the Baker Estate.

It sounded fun in her mind. Ethan told her people had gone missing, the family had gone missing a while back, and the house was most likely abandoned, so she'd see some creepy stuff and go sightseeing, and Ethan would get to move on with his life and then visit his girlfriend. Donna was her name if the letter was said correctly in the blondes' car. Liliana had high hopes for this mission—to take her mind off of her psycho kidnapper and think of a f*cking plan, as she had no clue as to how to get to another world, let alone come up with the money to do things.

“Hey, Ethan, what do you think I should do after this is over, and we find Mia?" Liliana asked the blonde, taking a sip of water and putting the bottle in her jacket. She thought about taking it off, but the heat wasn't too bothersome for her to deal with. Maybe it was the cause of being part of the island, or she liked the heat? But watching Ethan fight the mosquitoes and mounds of sweat coming off of his shirt and forehead was priceless, in her opinion.

"I'm not too sure. You haven't mentioned your parents, and you don't look too likely to return to them, so I could drive you as far as I can. I doubt Mia would mind the company at the hospital. Besides, I can't just leave a kid alone out here; it wouldn't feel right." Ethan responded as he swatted a mosquito that had landed on his arm. The duo arrived at the front gate, and Liliana was excited as she grabbed at the old, rusty chain and lock. They were going to have to go around the side, so there was more exploring and mysterious things to uncover.

"f*ck, I was hoping to go through the front gate and get this over with quickly. I guess the city must have closed the gate off after the Bakers disappeared and the countless other people over the last three years." Ethan said, as he tried to peek into the front yard, that yelling hello probably wasn't an option.

"Hey, Ethan looks over there; I think it's a Van. He looks all old and f*cked up!" Liliana said, running over to the old, rundown van in the distance. Ethan caught up to Liliana as the Van got closer, and the haunting feeling that something bad was going to happen slowly made its way into Ethan's mind. Maybe this was a bad idea; maybe Mia was dead all this time, and the locals were just f*cking with him? But Ethan had to know the truth. Donna told him that if he couldn't move on with his guilt, then he'd never move on with his life.
—---------------
Liliana was in awe of the run-down van. It seemed to have been abandoned for a good while, probably a year or two at most, based on the amount of dust, rust, and damaged equipment littered around it. The main entrance of the van has a smashed window, so either someone was living in the old estate or a drunk came by.

"Ethan, this is so weird—camera equipment, blue tarps, and coolers. It looks like this stuff has been here for ages." Liliana said, calling the blond man over as she pulled the sliding door of the van open, getting hit with a horrible smell that smelled like death and old tuna.

"I think I'm going to throw up! This is f*cking disgusting." Liliana said, gagging at the insides of the van; it was littered with trash, half-eaten food, and maggots. Liliana saw something and quickly grabbed a piece of paper out of the filth, just as Ethan arrived at the van, quickly shutting the door and trying to hold back his vile.

"Ok, this says Episode seventeen of The Sewer Gators. Gators, sneak into a Louisiana ghost house! So I'm guessing whoever these guys were, they've been gone for a long time." Liliana said, looking at the van again and scratching her head at the odd mystery. First Mia tells Ethan to come to a ghost house, and now a van belongs to a TV show.

"I'm guessing we'll find out once we get inside the main estate!" Ethan said it optimally, grabbing the paper from Liliana and turning it over to find the words "Join us" written in caked blood. Ethan showed Liliana the mysterious words, and they didn't sit right with the pair. This felt like they were walking into some horror movie bullsh*t, like Evil Dead meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Louisiana-type stuff.

“Guess we might have company inside?" Lilliana whispered as they walked over to some fencing. It had an opening, and with the barbed wire they'd have to crawl through, Liliana got to her knees and began crawling under the wire. Ethan followed behind her a minute later after he noticed a sign reading, accept her gift. Ethan dove under the wire, and the pair had made it into the Baker's property.
—-------------------
Liliana and Ethan decided to run for a minute, as the endless amounts of wildlife overtook the old dirt path. The neverending buzzing of the mosquitos was starting to piss Liliana off, and after the van, the pair wanted to get to work quicker. Suddenly Liliana stopped moving, causing Ethan to stop and look at the teen.

"What's wrong Liliana?" Ethan said asking the girl, As her eyes looked over to the clearing, suddenly Liliana ran over to the clearing turning her head at a dirt hill.

"I swear I saw a guy in a yellow checkered jacket walk right by us!" Liliana said, touching the dirt hill and looking around to find nothing—no hiding spots, just trees and a swamp. Ethan placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I think we should get inside. The heat is starting to get to us; besides, if that guy's real, maybe he'll have some answers; maybe you just saw a homeless man walking by." Ethan stated that as the duo kept moving until they saw an army of crows picking and eating at the body of a dead, rotting horse, its body had been hacked open, and muscle and bone were sticking out. Liliana could only vomit at the sight of the poor creature. As she turned away to avoid seeing the disgusting thing, the next thing she saw made her blood run cold, and her stomach felt like it had been hit with a hammer.

"You must be sh*tting me, Ethan; what in the ever-living f*ck is going on around here?" Liliana yelled, grabbing the blond man from the horse and seeing the ghastly sight of countless horse legs and bodies tied up together with saws and ropes forming some macabre, psychologically f*cked up form of modern art. The only way, though, was going under the ropes supporting the sickening, rotten, centerpiece of the trail. Liliana just kept mentally swearing as she and Ethan crouched underneath the horse ring, and Liliana knew things were about to get worse if the van and horses were anything to go by.
—-----------
The duo kept moving through the path, and Liliana kept saying the word sh*t over and over again; her mind couldn't stop thinking about all those poor horses, and the sickening art that those poor things became. She just wanted to be done with this Mia sh*t and book it to someplace happier; screw her kidnapper, screw this house, she just wanted a normal day. More dead crows littered the pathway until Liliana, and Ethan noticed smoke, right near the guest house.

Quickly, Liliana and Ethan jumped down the small hill, spotting a brown handbag, among a burned pile of clothes, trash, and other random objects. Ethan quickly grabbed the bag, digging through its contents until he pulled out a burned driver's license.

"It's Mia's! She was here at some point, so she could be inside the guest house." Ethan questioned, dropping the bag and license, as Liliana looked at the creepy swing that was moving by itself despite there being no wind at the moment. The outside of the house looked rundown, with vines growing all over the outside, and paint faded and peeling. Quickly Liliana ran onto the pouch following Ethan, as he opened the door into the dark rundown house.

—------------
"Ethan, this place gives me the creeps; can we just find your ex and get the f*ck out of here?" Liliana said as Ethan pulled out a flashlight from his pocket, shining the light throughout the hallway. Liliana quickly grabbed at the door handle, only for it to be locked, causing Liliana to scream f*ck. She could only move towards them, spotting a metal shelving rack, old dusty photos, and broken parts of various walls and ceilings, with god knows what inside the walls.

"I think I see a kitchen; guess we came through the back entrance; let's see if we can find a way to the main house!" Ethan said, looking at a cabinet with a locked chain. Liliana followed close by, looking at the bright light of the outside as the sounds of a storm could be heard in the distance.

"I hope we'll be done before the storm hits, I don't have any rain gear on me!" Liliana declared, following Ethan into the old kitchen.
—------------
The first thing Liliana and Ethan noticed was the vile smell throughout the kitchen, as dirty dishes littered the sink, and piles of garbage littered the large kitchen. Ethan checked the microwave to find a dead crow that had been demolished, and he painted the microwave black. Liliana looked at the large pot on the dining room table, opening the lid, to find some ungodly gumbo full of rotten meat and co*ckroaches crawling out of the pot.

"f*ck!" Liliana screamed as she quickly brushed away the roaches that had crawled into her arms. She hoped the refrigerator would be a better sight as she opened the handle. It turns out the fridge was caked in mold, slime, and smelt like a sh*thole as Liliana slammed the door closed, exciting the kitchen, as she found a hallway with stairs that probably led to the upper levels of the house.
—------------
The second floor of the guest house is small, only housing a large collection of mannequins and a desk with VHS tape on the side. Liliana decided to grab the tape, maybe shed, find a player and get some answers about this f*cking nightmare.
Ethan had just arrived as Liliana had descended the stairs. Holding the tape close to her person, Ethan flashed an antique coin as the pair walked through the hallway, spotting a tipped-over dresser that was massive, old smaller dressers in need of repair, and many clocks and pictures until they found an open door on the right. Ethan went first, holding his flashlight; Liliana followed close by, as the only light in the room came from a TV that was mysteriously on. The room had a large piano, table, chairs, and papers covering the floor, with a burnt-out chimney in the distance, but that wasn't what made it creepy; it was the near-pitch black that surrounded them that made Liliana feel scared.

Ethan began combing the room, noticing a fuse board on the wall and a few pictures of Mia, on the table; she was here somewhere. So Ethan decided to dig through more papers while Liliana watched the TV and its VHS player, quickly popping the tape into the device and hitting play.
—-----------
"Boo!" A man jumped out of the camera, and as Liliana jumped, the man said it was June 1, 2017. So this tape was made roughly two months ago, and the camera and name were Claney Jarvis; he seemed to be the one controlling the footage.

"So these guys must have been the sewer gators!" Liliana whispered as Ethan walked up right behind her. As they walked, the group of Claney, Peter, and Andre talked about the show and their lives. One was a news anchor, one was a lawyer, and Claney used to be a cameraman for a company called Terra Save. Pete was complaining about Claney to Andre, which made Liliana sad. She didn't know why, but she felt connected to Claney.
The gators continued to talk about filming their episode, and as Claney remained silent, Liliana knew the other two didn't care much about the mysterious cameraman. The more the tape moved on, the more she got worried about Claney. They had entered the guest house, and made it to the disgusting kitchen in the dead of night, but only the light of Claney's camera shone through the haunted guest house.

Things had gotten interesting to Liliana, and Ethan as the asshole named Andre began talking about the baker family, making Ethan remember that guy at the gas station talking about the whole family going missing during a big storm that hit the area only three years ago. The Gators had mentioned Jack Baker, who was the head of the family, his wife Marguerite, and their two kids, Lucas and Zoe. This caused Ethan to wonder if they met Mia before everyone vanished three years ago.

As Pete kept rambling about the show, and him getting dirty, Claney was looking around the kitchen, finding the same disgusting soup, on the table, and trash on the floor, plus cobwebs all over the ceiling that added to the creepy vibe of the house, until Pete noticed that Andre had gone missing, leaving just Pete, and Claney alone in the kitchen. They could only venture deeper into the dark, silent house, walking ever so softly, as they were scared sh*tless at this point. It had only taken them a minute for them to arrive at the same room that Liliana and Ethan had just entered. Andre rushed into the room, tripping on the big leather chair.

Claney had decided to mess with the fireplace, fingering a handle, pulling it, as part of the wall began opening up, revealing a crawl space and a ladder down to the basem*nt of the guest house. Pete entered first followed by Claney, as the scummy anchor told Claney to go first, as the cameraman climbed down the wooden ladder. Claney quickly turned around and found Andr, standing motionless looking at the house's brick wall. Claney slowly walked over to the man, grabbing his shoulder, as blood dripped from Andre's mouth, he was stabbed into one of the guest house's water pipes. Andres's body fell into Claney, making the cameraman scream, as the tape began glitching out, as the silhouette of a man could be seen in the distance as the tape ended.
—-------------
"Jesus f*cking Christ!" Liliana cursed as she pressed her hand against her mouth. She had just watched a man die, and Claney was possibly next. Quickly, Ethan rushed to the fireplace, opened the wall, and started to walk through the hole.

"Ethan, what the f*ck are you doing? You saw what happened to Andre and Claney. It's too dangerous to go down there; we don't even know if that murder is still down there." Liliana whispered to Ethan, and as the man went into the crawlspace, Liliana quickly followed. She didn't want to be alone after watching that tape in the dark.

"It's the only way to get to Mia, so I have to keep going. Besides that, it was months ago. We don't even know if that man is still living here or has moved on. I know you're scared, Liliana; I'm scared too, so if you want to take a moment to rest, I'll wait with you till you're ready." Ethan said, looking at the Auburn-haired girl. She was scared out of her mind, and they both needed a moment.

Little did they know that that moment of safety would be their last for a long while, as the mystery of the Baker Estate slowly got closer to being answered.

-----
Something had been bothering Liliana for a good minute as she descended the old ladder into the basem*nt of the Baker's guest house. Once her feet touched the ground, Liliana pulled out the Sewer Gators tape from her jacket pocket, something about the tape didn't sit right with the girl.

When Ethan finally made it down the ladder, well, thanks to the ladder breaking halfway through, he let Liliana giggle at his pain for just a second, then offered him a hand, which he took. The basem*nt was dark and sinister as Ethan shined his flashlight across the room, the light stopping on some bloody pipes where Andre had been killed in the tape.

"Ethan, I realized something was wrong with the tape!" Liliana said, looking at the scratched-out paper on the side of the tape. She decided to peel the paper back as her eyes widened. As she grabbed the tape, Ethan quickly bent down to pick it up, and Liliana started to cry.

"What's wrong Liliana?" Ethan asked his partner, as she pounded his hands against the broken ladder. Loudly saying sh*t, sh*t, sh*t over and over again.

"The tape has been tampered with; someone messed with the audio, and is f*cking with us!" Liliana stated, bringing the tape closer and showing Ethan the words on the tape underneath his flashlight: "Clancy's sh*tty job." Someone was messing with them and was attempting to cover their tracks, at least in a bad way. Making Liliana more pissed off, whoever was living here was hurting the poor camera named Clancy and was f*cking with them.

"Come on, Ethan, deeper into the basem*nt we go; let's get those f*ckers, and get your ex back; whoever is behind this is going to pay!" Liliana said, running deeper into the basem*nt. Ethan quickly followed, nodding in an argument with the teen. Someone was going to pay; first, they'd find Mia, report the tape to the cops, and catch the f*cker for ruining the lives of three guys making a semi-interesting ghost show that was probably fake.

Liliana stopped moving once she came to a giant area that was flooded. The water looked murky, and in her honest opinion, she didn't want to go in, not knowing if something would attack her and Ethan. But the flooded basem*nt didn't stop the blonde. As he walked into the cold water, walking through the water without hesitation, Liliana slowly stepped into the water, hating the feeling of the cold against her skin and clothes. She enjoyed the cold of the beach, but this felt unbearable as the water was reaching her head. Slowly, they crept closer to a point where they'd have to put their heads underwater to progress with their mission.

A moment later Ethan made it through the murky water, waiting for Liliana to get out of the water.
"So, Liliana, how did you know about the tape, it seems like you know something about cameras and stuff." Ethan said as the teen pulled herself from under the water. Quickly, Liliana ran for dry land, swearing at the fact that her clothes were smelly and wet as she took her jacket off, and tossed it over her shoulder.

"Well, my friend's dad was big into photography and filming, and we used to watch her work on editing and the different types of ways to get the images to look right, so I could tell the tape was altered due to the film doesn't look compressed, as the footage looked more digital, so it could be editing easier if it's quicker to make different cuts to show people; we just happen to get an edited cut of the footage! One where Clancy's name was replaced with Claney?" Liliana explained as she looked back at the water, thanking whatever god above that a dead body wasn't inside to scare the sh*t out of her, and Ethan.

"I guess that makes sense, Come on let's get going!" Ethan said, looking at the wooden door in front of them.
—-------
Ethan was the first to enter through the door. His flashlight shined through the narrow hallway, illuminating the dark room in a matter of seconds. A light shone in the distance, making him run over to the light and spot a woman inside the cell!

"Liliana, it's Mia!" Ethan let out, looking around the room for anything to break the chains, holding the handmade cell together. Liliana was more interested in how the woman was still alive; something was off. Who has a cell in the basem*nt of a rundown guest house, and what was the reason for Mia to end up inside her prison? Also, if she was imprisoned for what must have been years, how come she wasn't malnourished, or was someone feeding her?

Ethan quickly returned with a pair of bolt cutters from around the corner, breaking the chains that held his ex in the small cell. Liliana would admit that she was a little jealous of Mia's living conditions—a decent bed, no sh*tter from the bowels of Satan's asshole. She seemed more like a sad guest who just needed to sleep off a hangover, instead of a prisoner for some psycho. Sure there was patting on some of the walls and trash in the corner, but it looked better than her cell after a landslide.

"Mia! Ethan whispered, making the black-haired woman jolt up off of the bed and onto her feet, looking around the room. She was definitely on something or scared sh*tless if the twitching look in her eyes was any indication to Liliana. Ethan, however, was busy asking her questions that she didn't know or was hiding; she was more busy thinking about escaping the basem*nt. Liliana agreed with the woman that they needed to get to higher ground and get to the cops, or some real firepower, if they were going to deal with whoever lived there on the main estate.

"You shouldn't be here; it's not safe; Daddy's coming; we got a go now," Mia said, panicking, making Ethan more nervous for his ex, but Liliana decided it was best to check the table where Ethan, found the bolt cutters, finding a note that had a lot of people's names with dead, lost or turned written on both sides, thanking whoever the god of this world was that Clancy was just lost, so he might still be alive.

"Mia, you've been gone for three years. You have to tell me what's going on!" Ethan asked his ex, and they stood next to Liliana, gazing at the narrow, dark hallway in front of them. Liliana could see it in Mia's eyes; the woman looked like she didn't know time had passed, which meant she must have been drugged or seduced for the past three years, if her attempts at understanding Riku's dad were anything to go by.

"Was, I have been gone for three years, Ethan I thought I sent that message to stay away and move on with your life. Please tell me you did that, but then why would you come back for me?" Mia said, asking the blonde, as the trio entered the dark passage to god knows where.

"I did move on. It took a while, and the online girlfriend I have, had a lot of conversations to move on from the fact that you've been missing in my life for three years. I almost did move on, at least until I got your message, and Donna told me this, while stupid was probably the only way, I could fully move on. But yeah you've been gone for three years, Mia what happened?" Ethan said, now asking his ex what happened again despite her being on something or suffering from memory loss, as the group made their way through another room that had a dirty medical bed that made Lilliana's skin crawl for some reason.

"Mia, how do you know where you're going?" Ethan asked as they ventured deeper into a room with an old couch and a side room. That was a question Liliana wanted to know as well; after all, there's no way Mia could have been a prisoner if she could freely understand the layout of the guest house; something smelled like sh*t, and it wasn't Mia. Liliana had to keep her guard up; things still didn't make sense in this place.

"The family used to bring me this way for dinner! That's how I learned how to get through this place; being stuck here for three years has its advantages." Mia whispered as she checked a wall, panicking about something being gone, before sinking into herself on the couch. Liliana decided it would be best to pull Ethan into the side room, which was more like a giant closet, as things felt nothing sat right with Mia.

"Ethan, something is wrong with your ex! She's definitely on some kind of drug or something. This is well beyond standard fear of being locked up in levels of sh*t here!" Liliana whispered as she stuck her head out to see Mia motionless on the couch.

"I know, Mia seems off, but once we get out of here, she's in a hospital where she can rest away from whoever kept her here. I'm sure things will be ok." Ethan said, as a scream could be heard, making the duo look to see Mia was gone, and a large hole in the wall was made, causing Ethan to run up the stairs. Liliana quickly followed, swearing up a storm in her head, the bitch wasn't just on a sh*t ton of drugs, she must have been on some serious redneck level roids to pull a literal Kool-Aid man on the f*cking wall. Although Liliana wished it was just the wall being old and rotted on the inside, there's no way Mia could have superhuman strength, right?
—----------
"Where'd she go?" Liliana whispered, looking over at Ethan, as the blonde ran through the hallway, checking the bathroom, but only finding two first aid bottles.

"She wasn't in the bathroom, and the rain isn't helping me hear her, so Mia could be anywhere throughout the guest house!" Ethan said, handing Liliana one of the bottles, as a knocking sound could be heard from the door leading to the basem*nt.

"I didn't close the door, so how did Mia get around us to close it, without us hearing a damn thing?" Liliana whispered, her eyes widening, wondering how Mia could have made her way through the floored area of the basem*nt, and well, the whole damn basem*nt, with a broken ladder to circle to f*ck with them. Was Mia superhuman, because if so, then Liliana wished she had a f*cking weapon or at least a gun to shoot the bitch? She signed up for a mystery adventure and to put some psycho away, not fight the living embodiment of a redneck she-hulk.

"I'm going to go down there; stay up here, got it!" Ethan said as Liliana nodded and grabbed a wooden drawer from a nearby small dresser. If Mia came upstairs, then at least she could hit her in the head, so she and Ethan could make a run for it.

Liliana could see Ethan, who was slowly walking down the stairs. The staircase looked pitch black in front of them, and the sounds of Mia channeling her inner Grudge weren't helping; it only made the pair feel more scared. Ethan took a few steps forward, then he stopped. His heart was pounding in his chest. Mia was crawling up the stairs towards him, and suddenly in an instant, she was standing next to him. Her skin was looking paler, and she seemed to be a lot crazier.

"Ethan, get the f*ck out of there! Your ex looks like a f*cking psycho!" Liliana screamed, however, it was too late, as Mia grabbed hold of Ethan, sending him flying up the stairs, and into Liliana, knocking the drawer out of her hands.

"f*ck!" Lillian cursed, quickly getting up, alongside Ethan, noticing that Mia was running at them with a knife in her hand, moving like a rabid dog with tunnel vision, proceeding to stab at Ethan's arms multiple times, as the blond could only block the painful cuts. However, it wasn't enough, as Mia stabbed through the blonde's left hand with the kitchen knife, just as Liliana grabbed one of the tables in the room and hit Mia in the head with the wooden object.

Ethan quickly took his right hand and yanked the knife out of his hand. Liliana poured some of the medical liquid on his wound, making the injury heal almost instantly as they looked at the unconscious form of Mia. Tonight was going to be a sh*tshow if anyone else on this property was just like Mia.

"Ethan, your ex is f*cked up!" Liliana said as she walked over to Mia, the dark-haired woman. She was thankfully on the floor, out cold like a sack of potatoes. However, the moment of peace was quickly dashed as Mia's eyes opened, and she stood out.

"Get out! Leave me alone; you've been a bad girl! I don't want to hurt them, anyone?" Mia yelled as Ethan walked closer to Mia and Liliana, only for Mia to grab Liliana's wrist and slam her through wooden walls, destroying it, causing Ethan to run over to the teen, who had grabbed an ax from the wreckage.

"Ethan, stand back; I'm going to bury this hatchet right into the bitches, f*cking head!" Liliana screamed, running at the super-powered being, swinging the ax rapidly into Mia's arms and neck, only for the raven-haired woman to keep going forward, delivering quick stabs that thankfully missed Liliana, leaving her wide open, as Ethan got behind Mia in an attempt to catch her off guard, so Liliana could get more hits into her. The plan was working slowly, as whatever was making Mia into the murderous version of Wonder Woman only lasted so far. The woman was slowing down, just long enough for Liliana to swing the ax with all her might into Mia's head. As blood sprayed, her body finally stopped moving. As Liliana grabbed the ax and started swinging even more blows into the corpse of Mia, she had to make sure. Mia had to be dead; if she was this powerful, then who knows what anyone else would be like?

"Liliana, it's enough; she's dead!" Ethan said, grabbing hold of Liliana's ax. Liliana quickly looked at Ethan, dropping the ax, and whimpered. She was afraid this was becoming too much for her. They needed to get out of here; they needed better weapons or some f*cking alcohol.

"Oh boy, look what you've done to my baby girl!" A voice called out, making the duo look at the basem*nt stairs. A man in his late fifties was standing at the entrance, holding a chainsaw in his hands.

"You'd better run, or else! You're f*cked!" The man in the yellow checkered shirt said, walking slowly over to Liliana and Ethan, pulling the cord of his chainsaw, that Jack Baker had finally arrived in the guest house. The question was: could Liliana and Ethan survive the head of the baker's household, or what would be left of them once the chase was over?

--------

What the f*ck!" Liliana shouted as the man known as Jack Baker etched closer to Liliana and Ethan. Ethan quickly bolted for the ax that Liliana dropped, scooping the bloody weapon up and running to the door that connected to the guest house. Liliana quickly followed as Jack started to chase them. His laugh echoed through the halls of the old guest house. Liliana didn't want to get near that man, let alone fight him. If Mia was hard as sh*t to kill, what was the psycho hillbilly with a ducking chainsaw going to take to kill?
—----
The rooms began to feel narrower, and Liliana could feel her heart racing as she held Ethan's hand. His insane laughter at Jack continued, and the motor of his chainsaw roared as he rammed the saw's blade through the wooden door that separated them; it wasn't unlocked. The psycho just wanted to show them that he was out of his f*cking mind or watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre too many times.

"Liliana, head for the attic; I'll try and hold him off till you can escape!" Ethan yelled, turning around and brandishing the axe that killed Mia, ready to fight Jack long enough for Liliana to hide in the attic. Liliana looked at Ethan like he was crazy. There was no way that he'd be able to fight a chainsaw-wielding psycho alone, but Liliana knew nothing would change his mind; hopefully, she'd find something in the attic and save Ethan.

"You better not f*cking die on me, Ethan! If you do, I'll find Donna and make sure she slaps the sh*t out of your corpse." Liliana yelled as she ran up the stairs to the second level of the house, surprised that the ladder to the attic was open despite the power to the guest house being off. Quickly, Liliana bolted up the ladder to the attic, not focusing on the mannequins and empty boxes; she needed a weapon to save Ethan.

"Come on, Liliana, that psycho must have a gun, or another ax, chainsaw, sh*t, even a rusty pipe would work?" Liliana whispered to herself as she ran through the narrow hallways of the attic. The deeper Liliana made her way through the attic, the more restless she felt. What if Ethan was already fighting that fruitcake or getting cut up? Would she be able to fight the leader of the bakers with no weapons?

Liliana made her way into this last room of the attic, quickly spotting a ladder that would most likely take them outside if they could escape Jack. Liliana quickly ran for the ladder, it was small and not strong enough for both of them to go up at the same time, but it was doable. They could make a run for it and hide till a new plan was formed.

"Now you could do that, but I wouldn't advise going up that ladder. Momma will catch you, and she doesn't take too kindly to unwanted guests." A voice let out, making Liliana jump, turning around to see a hooded man crawl out from a pile of mannequins and boxes against the wall. The figure wore a sickly green hoodie and had darker skin like Jack and Mia, but the thing that made Liliana not like that man was the look in his eyes, the look of pure insanity, and the joy on his face, like he wanted to kill her in the worst ways possible and enjoy it.

"What should I do then?" Liliana asked the unknown man, hoping that if she could buy some time, Ethan would come any second, and they'd knock this freak out, and have time to run from Jack.
"Well, you can run, climb that ladder, and head outside. But Momma is nearby and kills you. Or I can knock you out, take you, and whatever is left of Ethan, to dinner. See if you can survive my family and our house; now that sounds like better odds to me. After all, the only weapons in the guest house are being held by yours truly, Daddy, and Ethan, so unless you can dodge a bullet and get a killer right, I'm holding all the cards." Lucas Baker declared, pulling out a handgun from his hoodie pocket and pointing it at Liliana.

------
Ethan, Ethan, Ethan! Here, piggy, piggy, piggy! I'm done huffing; now it's time to start puffing." Jack yelled, letting out a loud burst of laughter, as his chainsaw finished destroying the wooden door. Ethan looked at the mad smile on Jack Baker. The man was grinning with a level of insanity that wasn't normal, even for psychos.

"f*ck it!" Ethan shouted, throwing his bloody ax at Jack Baker, hitting him in the face, as he quickly ran up the stairs to help Liliana find an escape route. He wasn't dying in this place; a bigger weapon was needed to kill Jack, and that meant going to the Baker household, where the other members would likely be. It was a foolish idea, but the chances of him fighting a madman with a chainsaw while protecting Liliana were suicide. Even if he did beat Jack, there was no way he'd walk away without losing a limb. Donna wouldn't like him showing up with an arm or a leg missing.
—---
Ethan quickly bolted up the stairs, and the sounds of the chainsaw grew louder as Jack kept up with him, Ethan hoped Liliana had found an exit or was close to one.

"Ah, come on, boy! I'm not going to hurt you much; this will be over in an instant. You'll be part of the family in no time; it's what our baby girl wants. You are going to love little Eve once you accept her gift, and I welcome you properly to the family, son!" Jack declared that as Ethan ran through a door, spotting Liliana, she wasn't moving, and it wasn't till Ethan entered the room that he saw a hooded man with a pistol.

"Lucas, I see you got the other one! Good, they'll go nicely with that silver-haired kid we found earlier. You knock out the girl; I'll take Ethan, and then grab Mia." Jack let out a chainsaw as Ethan attempted to grab Lucas, but instead, the leader of the baker family grabbed hold of his shoulder and delivered a nasty right hook to the man's face, knocking him out instantly.

"You f*cking bastards!" Liliana yelled as Lucas walked up to her, alongside Jack. A stabbing feeling could be felt in Liliana's neck as she felt sleepy, quickly dropping to the floor. The last thing she saw was Ethan's unconscious face, as a pair of black boots suddenly appeared, kicking her in the face.
—----
When Liliana woke up, the first thing she noticed was the lack of Ethan, or the Bakers. Everything was different; the guest house was gone and replaced with a cave. It felt familiar to her, and she quickly realized it was the cave that Sora, Riku, Kairi, and she must have played in. So this was the island that she must have lived on.

"Am I dreaming? This feels so f*cking real!" Liliana whispered to herself, and as her hand rubbed the walls of the tiny cave, the mysterious wooden door was gone. The only noises she could hear outside were the salty wind and the ocean waves. It made Liliana want to go outside and see if anyone else was in her dream. Maybe she'd find her mom, dad, or Sora and the others. It might be a nice experience before she wakes up to whatever insanity the Bakers have planned for her and Ethan.
—------
The sunlight on Destiny Island was more intense, as Liliana quickly covered her eyes with her hands. She knew the world was bright, but this was insane. But once her eyes adjusted to the bright sun, the endless blue skies and puffy white clouds did look breathtaking. Almost as beautiful as the blue waters that surrounded the play island, like what could have gone wrong to send her to some asylum, crack house gone wrong.
Suddenly, Liliana felt her heart start to race as she saw some familiar faces sitting on the giant, weird tree in one of the smaller parts of the island. The sight of Spiky Brown and Auburn-colored hair made her excited; it was Sora and Kairi. The sight of them made Liliana smile; they were just part of her dream, but it was nice seeing some familiar faces.

I bet those lovebirds are looking deeply into their eyes, ready to make out. Riku's probably jealous that they're getting more romantic than he and Selphie are right now." Liliana whispered as she quietly made her way over to the tree, doing her best to not ruin the moment. She wanted to curse at whoever made the wooden walkway to the tree; the boards were so noisy, it was unreal. The adults of Destiny Island must have been against teenage romance and thought of these f*cking boards.

Thankfully, Liliana's silence paid off as she looked right behind her friends; at least she hoped they were her friends, and this wasn't her mind treating itself to cope with whatever sh*t house life she had. Liliana quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as she looked at Sora and Kairi. They just laid against the tree motionlessly, and it was starting to freak Liliana out a little bit.

"Guys, I knew you heard me coming, so drop the cold shoulder act; it's not funny. Where's Riku, and the others? Sora, Kairi, answer me already; this isn't funny anymore. Bullsh*t dream or not, I am still here." Liliana yelled, shaking her friend's shoulders, until she held their skin and touched her hands. Suddenly Liliana stopped moving as her mind was freaking the f*ck out, Sora and Kairi's skin was freezing, and that didn't seem right given a tropical island at the beginning of summer.

Liliana quickly let go of her friends, and she quickly ran to the other side of the tree to take a look at them. The moment she saw their faces, her blood ran cold. She could feel her fingers shaking in horror at the sight of Sora, and Kairi made her want to scream. Quickly, Liliana covered her mouth with her hands as she looked down at Sora and Kairi. Liliana wanted to scream, cry, and f*cking curse till her mouth got sick of the word, f*ck! Sora and Kairi's faces made Liliana want to wake up to the nightmare of the Bakers already. Sora was missing his right eye, and Kairi was missing her left eye. But that was the worst of it, as their stomachs were cut open, with guts and other organs spilling onto the white sand. Sora's heart was in Kairi's stomach. Kairi was missing both of her arms. Each of them was missing a leg and an ungodly amount of skin from their bodies.

"What the f*ck!" Liliana said, falling to hold back her vomit as she started to puke, as her brain finally was assaulted by the smell of their dead, rotting bodies. Liliana's mind was going into overdrive as she started to run away from the corpses of her friends. She wanted to wake up; this was too much for her to withstand, as she looked at one of the numerous trees and ran headfirst into it, hoping that the pain would wake her up and that she'd escape this hellhole for the more southern hellhole with Ethan and the hillbilly squad. She didn't want to see Sora, and Kairi again, let alone think about where all the missing skin, organs, and limbs went.

"That won't work, Liliana; it won't let you leave! Not until you know it's pain and suffering." Sora and Kairi said in unison that as Liliana quickly got up to see her friends, making her want to go home badly, Sora and Kairi's bodies were walking towards her, held by strings made from intestines and bones. They continued to etch closer to her as the smell of rotten flesh and spoiled fish assaulted Liliana's senses. The more they spoke, the more Liliana felt like she was going to choke to death from the smell.

"It is painful, isn't it, child? To know that you couldn't save them and that this game is nothing more than deadly fun at your expense. I wonder what you will do once the truth is revealed." It let out as Liliana turned around, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. It was a skeleton-like being with haunting blue eyes made of fire; its bones were sickening ash black, like it was burned well beyond the bone to become a symbol of malice incarcerated. Furthermore, it had six black bones where the wings would have been, and they were encased in red flames. Whoever or what this monster was, it was not something to be messed with, and Liliana knew fighting it would be a suicide attempt in the making.

"Speechless, I know, child! I have become the stuff of nightmares, but alas, you do not need to feel my wrath until the thirteen are gathered. Be blessed, my number two. For the reckoning shall be upon us one day! Now sleep; I shall return you to your world of slaughter and misery. I hope your journey is enlightening, my little dark bloom." It said that as Liliana's eyes grew hazy, and her body quickly vanished from the dream world back to the world of the living.

"Kay, that is number two out of your thirteen, First Hate, and now little Liliana, hopefully, my Doctor, will find suitable warriors for our clash." It whispered as the bodies of Sora and Kairi turned to ash, It looked down at them as ash blew against the grains of sand of its old home. One day, the goddesses of light would pay for destroying its life, and the love it desperately craved with Sora.

-------

Ethan felt like sh*t, as he sank in and out of consciousness; his head felt like it was on fire, and his body twitched in pain, but he couldn't move. As the blond opened his eyes fully to see a macabre dinner table in front of him, Liliana was still unconscious and, thankfully, wasn't bound to a chair like he was. Although the more Ethan looked around the f*cked-up dining room of the bakers, the more he didn't like what was coming, eying the rotten and sinister feast of molded meat, beer, and god knows what was plated on the table.

Ethan could feel his arms scraping against the rooms that held him down as he swayed side to side in his chair until the sounds of footsteps could be heard, making the man stop like a deer in headlights, as the door opened as Jack Baker entered the room, followed by his wife, their insane son Lucas, and Mia, plus what looked like a teenage boy with a bag over his head, as the insane family took their seats at the table ready to feast.

“Grandma, don't go scaring that young girl once she wakes up, you hear?” Marguerite declared, causing Ethan to jump in his seat at the sight of the nearly dead-looking woman who appeared out of nowhere next to Liliana and the mysterious teen.

"Ah, come on, ma! I doubt she’d be any worse than Zoe; besides, I doubt these dumbasses will survive for that long!” Lucas said, tossing pieces of food at Liliana and the bagged teen, who began moaning as he gasped for air underneath the makeshift trash bag mask. Marguerite stood up for a moment and walked over to the teen, proceeding to remove the bag from his head. Ethan could see the teen panting and gasping for air, as if he had been tormented by that mask for a good while. The teen had long silver hair, a yellow shirt, and big blue baggy pants with a couple of belts on his sides, like he was part of some edgy K-pop phase in his life, and his green eyes were terrified as they dazed across the room until they stopped at Liliana.

“You’d better behave yourself, boy! If you make a peep, I'm knocking your ass out again; we're going to have some more fun!” Jack yelled at the frightened teen as he got up and walked over to Ethan, who was looking for an escape route or weapon. He had to find a way out; he had to get Liliana out of this place before these psychos hurt any more than they already did.

“Ethan!” Mia moaned as Ethan quickly snapped to see his ex-wife, her gray skin still flaky and caked in blood from the attempted murder that Liliana had caused in her attempt to kill the woman. Ethan kept trying to look away from the woman, as part of her skull was caved in and bits of brain matter and blood dripped from her open skull, making Ethan want to vomit. Mia should have died, but she was still alive and healing, letting Ethan at least know that Mia and the family were infected; whatever virus was inside of them had done more than bring them back to life; it had meant them more than humans; they were truly monsters worse than the horrors of Raccoon City, and that made Ethan even more worried. The bakers weren't mindless zombies; they were still humans to some degree.

“Now, don't get up sweetie, you're still weak! You need yuh suppa, Marguerite spent all day cooking up this feast, so y'all better eat up, or else Daddy’s gonna get mad. You won't like me when I'm mad, or else you're f*cked!” Jack declared giggling a little bit at the idea of chasing and killing the newest guest to join his family for dinner. Quickly grabbing a spoonful of sh*t and attempting to ramp it in Ethan’s mouth, causing the man to vomit it out on the table, hacking and groaning in pain feeling the sickening taste of rotten meat, and parts unknown coat the inside of his mouth. But all this act did was piss Jack off. As the man’s sinister grin faded rapidly, in one instance, Ethan could feel a sharp knife being pressed against his cheek. Lucas Baker got in close to see the craving for the blond’s flesh as he bumped into Liliana.

Suddenly, Liliana screamed as her arms swung rapidly in the air, hitting the table, Lucas, or anything in her path. At first, Lucas smiled, seeing the utter insanity in front of him, seeing the unconscious teen having the worst night terror possible, being one second away from Jack decking the living sh*t out of her, and him making the auburn gal his next plaything. That was until a flash of light came out of Liliana’s hands, as two long key-like swords began slicing through the table, and Lucas’s right arm looked like it was made of butter. The swords were odd to everyone in the room except for one, as they watched Liliana swing a blade that was yellow with a silver blade that looked more like a club. Plus, it had a blade that looked like it was made of flowers and had different colors, giving it a feminine quality compared to the club-looking blade.

Ethan could only watch as Liliana’s blades got faster, and her screams only grew in agony. She was in pain, and he couldn't do anything about it, still being tied up. He was surrounded by the bakers as he watched Jack walk up to Liliana, grab her by the hair, and slam her through what was left of the broken table, sending dinner crumbling to the floor.

“Boy, you betta start explaining that sh*t before I kill this girl for destroying this perfectly good feast!” Jack yelled, grabbing hold of Ethan’s neck and slowly choking the man, until the sound of a doorbell started to ring, causing Jack to release his grip and allow Ethan to breathe for a moment. As he walked, Lucas grabbed his dismembered arm and Grandma. Marguerite took Mia, swearing several curse words under her breath that could rival Liliana’s foul mouth.

“You three wait right here; I'm going to come back for all of you real soon!” Jack declared, running out the door and letting Ethan feel a moment of safety as he took another shot at getting out of the chair. Thankfully, after a few more swings, he hit the ground, breaking the chair with a thud. Quickly, Ethan stood up, running over to the teen, untying their bounds, and checking on Liliana.

“Liliana! You have to wake up, please; it's me, Ethan. Please wake the f*ck up; they're going to be back at any moment." Ethan whispered, gently slapping the teen’s face, looking at the silver-haired teen grab hold of her hands, rubbing them as if he knew what was going on.

“It's no use; she’s fighting for her life in the Station of Awakening; you'll have to carry her until she can fully tap into the power of her key blades or be a step closer to obtaining one. I recommend we move quickly; Jack will be nearby, and I don't want to be forced to endure another one of their disgusting dinners.” Riku said, pulling out a small pocket knife from his pockets and handing it off to Ethan, who took it angrily and had a look on his face that screamed this conversation wasn't getting dropped any time soon.

“Kid, the moment we're safe from that madman, you're telling what the hell is going on with Liliana and whatever a key blade is got it, and please tell me you have something to defend yourself with other than a f*cking pocket knife?” Ethan declared, grabbing Liliana and holding her over his left shoulder as he looked out the door to see if Jack was nearby.

“The name is Riku, and to answer your question, I have a weapon! Now let's get to the garbage. I think the family has a vehicle still there." Riku whispered, running over to the stairs leading to the baker's garbage. Ethan quickly followed, hearing heavy footsteps echoing in the distance as he watched Riku pull out a bloody-looking blade of a hacksaw from the inside of his hip pocket that had been made to look like a long bread knife as he started cutting the yellow tape that was locking the power box to the garbage door.

“We have got to hurry; Jack will be around the corner in a moment, and I'll hide in here with Liliana. You need to get the keys from Jack; he'll have them on a table nearby by the door to the main part of the house.” Riku whispered, raising the door high enough so Ethan could get Liliana through to safety.

“You want me to play chicken with a f*cking psycho! Fine, but he better have the keys, or else I'm tossing your ass out here, so you can find them!” Ethan said gently placing Liliana inside the garage, with Riku following behind, Ethan held his breath as the sounds of Jack’s footsteps made him sound nearby.

“Ethan! Ethan! I know you slipped out before we could finish our little supper. Please come out; I'll only rough you up a little bit, as only the kids are still at the table. They have to eat; Suppa is the most important part of this family, and they need our little girl’s gift!” Jack shouted, swinging his shovel freely and letting out a laugh as he walked by the garage, heading into the kitchen, and giving Ethan his chance to dash the keys.
—--
Quickly, Ethan bolted out of the questionable safety of the group's hiding spot in an attempt to get the keys. He had to hurry as he was halfway across the hall, spotting what looked like a pair of keys on the nightstand. Suddenly Jack bolted out of the walls like a Southern demonic version of the Kool-Aid man.

"I thought you could slip out before dinner was done after that girl ruined my feast. Boy, you're in for a world of hurt; now you wait there for a moment.” Jack declared that as Ethan looked around the wreckage of the storage room that must have been connected to the kitchen, he saw a hatch that could get him to someplace safer. Ethan watched Jack walk over to the keys, grab the hatch key, and toss it at his feet.

“There you go, boy, that's the key to the hatch, I know you wanted it, but I'm keeping these keys here. Ya got a nice car, and now you get a choice: run for your life and pray that I don't find them kids, or run and take me to your hiding spot, and I'll take the silver-haired kid, little Eve has been wanting him ever since he played with that cameraman. So what's ya gonna do, either way, you're all f*cked!” Jack said, running towards the blonde, as Ethan quickly turned around and started running.

Ethan had to hurry, as he held the hatch key tightly in his hand, he had to get to the hatch and give Jack the slip. That monster couldn't get his hands on Liliana and Riku, so Ethan ran, faster than he had ever run before, as he bolted into the kitchen, hearing the sounds of Jack’s footsteps, the pounding of his shovel hitting the floor and walls, as he bolted to the door, quickly diving onto the floor, inserting the key into the hatch lock, and turning it as he pulled on the hatch door, opening it just enough to where he could crawl inside, and hoping that Jack wouldn't follow him inside.

“Here’s Daddy!” Jack yelled, hitting the kitchen door with his shovel and breaking the door down. Jack let out a crazed laugh at the sight in front of him. Ethan was faster than he had realized; maybe this outsider would be fun—well, almost as much fun as that cameraman or the girl who nearly killed his baby girl.

“Oh, f*ck this!” Ethan yelled, crawling into the crawlspace, Jack’s laugh echoed in the background as he bolted through the crawlspace, grabbing an interesting coin that was on a lawnmower.

“Have fun down there boy, I'll see you real soon!” Jack yelled, hitting the floor, as Ethan got hit with dust from every swing that assaulted the old wooden floor of the Baker Estate. Ethan hoped that the floor wasn't going to give in and let that madman or his weapon get him. The last thing he needed was to die in a crawlspace before he got a chance to save Liliana or even get to meet Donna. Ethan shook his head. He had to stay positive; he needed to be brave and stop these psychos; it was the only way to make it out of this place alive. So he moved quicker until he found the exit of the crawlspace, finding himself in what looked like a laundry room full of dust and black mold.

Ethan took a quick breath as he heard a phone ringing. Looking around, he saw a phone on the table. Maybe whoever was on the other line could send help or know of some way to make this nightmare more bearable before the night turned into Ethan's must-die time. Ethan took a deep breath as he picked up the phone, placing it against his ear, ready to listen to whoever was on the other line.

“I'm impressed, Ethan; not many people can outrun Daddy, and keep all their limbs attached! Maybe you and the kids can pull this off.” The voice said Ethan could tell they were feminine, and judging by the daddy comment, the person on the other end was the other baker child, Zoe.

“Zoe, what do you mean by pulling this off?” Ethan whispered, as the mysterious woman was silent for a minute, then started mumbling something to herself.

“Look, Ethan, I can't give you all the details or put it easily. But my family is infected, and I can't leave the property until I can get this sickness out of me. The others are too far gone to be saved, so please, Ethan, kill my family; it's the only way any of us are going to survive the night.” Zoe said, breaking down over the phone. Ethan could hear the woman crying, breaking something that sounded like a mirror, and stabbing something; he could hear her screaming something on the other end.

“Die, Eve, just f*cking die!” Zoe screamed as Ethan heard the sound of the phone going off, leaving him with the sound of silence as the real horrors of his journey were just the beginning.

“That's it, Jack; I'm taking you down, and then it's the rest of your f*cking family,” Ethan whispered, pulling out Riku’s pocket knife. As the phone started ringing again, causing Winter's head to jump at the sudden ringing of the phone, he could only hope that Zoe was recalling and that she was going to be okay. He needed her to be okay mentally if they were going to tackle her crazy family.

“Zoe, are you okay?" Ethan spoke softly into the phone, as the sounds of breathing could be heard on the other side.

“Ethan, I'm glad you're still alive! I hope that Liliana is okay. I can't talk long, but know that I got hold of someone who can help you with your problem at the baker's house, so please be strong for me. Not only that, but I love you, my knight in shining armor,” the voice said over the phone, making Ethan feel tears run down his face. It was hers. The first time he heard her voice, the only one he loved after the disappearance of Mia, it was his mysterious friend to whom he sent countless letters: Donna.

“Donna, is that you?” Ethan whispered as he felt his heart rate spike for a minute thinking about the dollmaker on the other end.
“Yes, it's me! Look, Ethan, I don't have much time before the Lord of my village demands it of me. Look, please save Liliana; she is the only way to save both of us. So please be safe. I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll try and call if I get another chance.” Donna whispered, and as the phone clicked, making Ethan hang up the phone, his hands started to shake.

“Donna, don't worry, I'll get out of this madhouse with Liliana, and then I'm coming for you.” Ethan declared, looking around the laundry room and finding a couple of herbs that looked like they were imported from the Arklay Mountains or maybe some crack house from Spain. Either way, he knew that if he was going to take on Jack, he’d need a gun or maybe whatever those key blade things that Riku mentioned Liliana using in her unconscious state.

“All right, Jack, if you want some fun, I'll give you the best time you ever had!” Ethan yelled, opening the door, ready to face the insane family that lay ahead of him.
—-------
Liliana felt like hell. As she opened her eyes, the only thing she could see was a teenager looking at her like she mattered to him. But she didn't know why, but her head was aching, and her heart felt like it had been hit with a f*cking hammer. The last thing she could remember was fighting Lucas, and then nothing; it was like her brain couldn't connect the dots or didn't want to remember seeing something terrible. The only thing she could remember was seeing her islands and her friends. But nothing else was coming to mind. But the silver-haired teen next to her looked familiar; those green eyes sparkled like gems as he looked at her like he cared about her, but his face was a different story. It looked curious, like he was studying her for some unknown reason.

Liliana hoped that Ethan was nearby, as she had so many questions, and yet one question still lingered in the back of her mind: who was Rebecca, and why did she feel important to her, and her friends? She didn't know why that name lingered in her mind; maybe she was a friend or Sora’s mom. But Liliana knew one thing: someone was going to f*cking die soon.

--------

Sora could feel his consciousness slipping away, as the key blade user could feel the keyblade being plunged into his heart. Sure, Donald and Goofy would have told him it was hasty, and his mom would have called him a fool and something insulting or maybe foolish akin to his uncle, but it was the only way to save Kairi, and stop Ansem. Sure options were limited, but when an evil mastermind takes over your friend and threatens to plunge the universe into darkness, what else could Sora have done?

Donald and Goofy were trapped behind a magic barrier; Mom still didn't have her heart, leaving her an empty shell, and his aunt and uncle were fighting an army of heartless monsters with their friends. Sora could only attempt to stop the madness known as Ansem from developing even further. So rushing into fight Riku was the best idea he had, as they had literal minutes on the clock before the universe would sink into the abyss and untold suffering would happen.

Although Sora was confused at what was happening, it was like he was sinking deeper into an ocean of colors, only able to spot little things from his journey, like Ariel's cave, or the clock tower in Neverland. Sora's expression quickly turned from sadness to confusion, as the deeper he fell, the older and bizarre memories started to appear. Seeing his family fighting being captured to save his aunt Serah, fighting the monstrous Galaeth as he loomed over them, casting doom, giving Sora his first near-death experience, to the grander moments of his childhood like a cocoon being held in the sky, Mom becoming Etro's champion, and then a symbol of death for centuries.

The memories didn't stop until Sora landed on a stained-looking platform; it was a massive circle and had beautiful artwork of him and his parents; Mom was smiling, and Dad was holding them tightly in a hug, while other images showed a variety of weapons and outfits he and move wore, but the last image caught Sora's attention of it being him and a girl who looked like she truly loved him; her face was covered but they were dancing above a city, as the sunset bloomed against the night sky in unity.

"What is going on here?" Sora whispered to himself as he shook his head: Why was he seeing all of these memories like his life was flashing before his eyes? He stabbed himself with the key to return hearts, so his was probably fading. But did his death have to hurt, seeing everything knowing he wouldn't see any of it ever again, he would have been happier with the fact that Mom and everyone were okay, that his sacrifice saved the universe, and that Ansem was defeated once Mom beat him since she was stronger than he was.

"I brought you here; sorry if the memories were a little overwhelming. I thought giving you something to focus on would be better than drifting to me in the dark!" A voice called out, making Sora quickly turn around until he saw a person floating over to him. Sora could only see the figure's eyes sparkling like priceless diamonds made of the grandest sapphire and golden amber known to mankind. Her smile was soft and full of compassion and excitement; her blond hair flowed like it was being carried by magic; and it had cute blue lines running through it, making the blue appear like the blue sky engulfed by the beauty of a calming sunset. The dress she wore was insane, like a galaxy was covering her form, despite hiding the beauty that was her face—the face of an angel, whoever this girl was made Sora's heart flutter at the sight of her. Even the white cape she wore made her sparkling dress shine even more, like she was the embodiment of beauty in all of creation.

"What do you mean you brought me here, who are you?" Sora said, asking the unknown teen in front of him, doing his best to hide the blush on his face in his mess of pink hair, knowing that if his aunt saw him, he'd be called a cherry blossom in no time. The girl just kept smiling, until she put her hand on his face making Sora gasp softly at how warm her hand was feeling like a burst of warmth and endless light was being poured into his being. Her skin was soft to the touch and was softer than the softest pillow, Sora couldn't tell if he was dreaming or losing it in his last moments, and he was seeing an angel by his side.

"My Name is Kingdom Hearts, But you can call me Kay! It's easier, and as to the reason I brought you here. Well, I need your help with things, and I think you know about the princess of hearts, right?" Kay spoke softly as she removed her hand from Sora to tighten the little blue heart piece that held her cape together. Sora watched Kay slowly. He wasn't sure If he could talk to her; he was getting lost in every detail about her, to the point that words felt meaningless before her. But he took a breath, ready to answer the teen, doing his best not to be lost gazing at the hearts in her eyes.

"I know of the old princesses of heart, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Alice, Aurora, Mom, and Kairi!" Sora stated as his tone grew sadder, noting off the last two princesses, saying their names made his heart sting a little as he wondered what would happen to them and what Kay was getting at she placed her hand on his shoulder as Sora turned to see Kay's smile, it was so bright and pure that Sora couldn't help but smile, even if he didn't want to at the moment.

"It'll be ok, Sora. I know you have questions and are worried about them. But I'm here to give you a second chance at saving them again." Kay whispered, gently rubbing Sora's shoulders, doing her best to relax the teen, so things would go smoothly. She wished this was as easy as her sisters made it out to be.

"What do you mean second chance, aren't I dead?" Sora asked, doing his best to hold back his tears, while he spoke to what was his goddess of Light, and Balance if the notes from Ansem and that insane Doctor he fought inside Monstro were anything to go by. Granted the most he could remember from the intense rambling of science, death, and multiverse talk was the notion that Kingdom Hearts wasn't just a giant heart in the sky but a group of beings whose focus was their prince or princess of balance to protect their universe, and bring happiness to all around them, as well as protect them from harm. At least that's what Sora took it at face value, as it sounded insane, but then again, here he was talking to Kay, a literal being created from the first Kingdom of Hearts during the age of fairy tales.

"Technically, you aren't dead; your body is being split into about two to four different beings with their own lives, but you, being my Prince of Light, allow me to yank you from space and give you time to figure out what needs to be done to save the universe. If I hadn't taken you, you would have become heartless, then saved by your Mom and Kairi, then died fighting Ansem on the thirteenth day.

"So I would have been saved, but I'd still lose in the end. I guess that dream I had all those years ago is coming true. The day after that dream, I got a mysterious outfit with a note that read, "Life would fade in the thirteen days, but the Prince of Light shouldn't fear, as his goddess shall guide him to the ones who shall help him save his universe." I didn't know what it meant, and Mom wouldn't tell me, outside of the fact that it was like when she had to save the world in thirteen days. So I'm guessing that I'll have to find these thirteen people and stop Ansem from destroying everything." Sora said, summoning his key blade, only for nothing to appear, causing Sora to look on in fear. As the Kingdom Key was gone, he couldn't feel its connection anymore.

“Kay, what happened to my key blade?" Sora wondered, asking the teen, as his hands started to shake, his mind racing with questions as he quickly pulled his Mom's sword from behind his back. He sighed for a second, knowing he wasn't defenseless and knowing Mom would have been worried if he had gotten hurt.

"Well, when your body was split into different pieces, the key blade was taken as well, so once we get you back to Destiny Island, I'll help you forge a new key." Kay declared, giving Sora a little thumbs up to ease his worried mind. Kay quickly saw Sora's face morph from worried to a more calm look, making her want to giggle at how quickly her little prince of light could change his emotions so rapidly. His smile was something she had dreamed and heard about, but seeing it up close made Kay realize she wanted to see that handsome smile often.

Kay didn't know why she liked seeing Sora's smile. Maybe it was how simple and clean it was knowing that it was pure, as pure could be. Maybe it was the fact that she had feelings for the teen, but she couldn't understand why beyond the fact that some part of her heart desired a connection with the spiky-haired teen next to her. She truly didn't know why but she wanted to know more about these feelings, maybe if things went better for this timeline, she'd be able to connect with Sora on a deeper level, but sadly that would have to wait till things were done.

"Wait, what do you mean, Destiny Island? It was still lost in the darkness when the Heartless attacked. How would we get there or even get me a new key blade?" Sora yelled, wondering how they'd get a key blade in the first place, let alone make it to Destiny Island when it was trapped away in the Realm of Darkness. Sora wasn't sure how it would be possible for him to get there, even with the help of Kingdom Hearts by his side. He knew from people like Caius that you need more than power; you need the means to travel and not be overtaken by the darkness, or else you'd lose your sense of self completely.

"Sora, tell me, have you heard of time travel?" Kay said, asking her dearly beloved. Sora only nodded at Kay's question about time travel. Sora knew what time travel was; after all, he had to travel with his aunt to many points in time to save Mom. The level of insanity they created was something else, so the thought of using time travel again made Sora wonder what the changes would be to the timeline.

"Yeah, I know what time travel is; I've done it before. How we're going to save Mom and everyone, going back to before Destiny Island was lost, and messing with the flow of time." Sora whispered, knowing that messing with time was a serious thing and that fate didn't like it when the flow of time was altered. He didn't know if things would play out the same or if they could really make changes, like Mom coming with him or even something minor like the route they'd take. Sora sighed, scratching his head, hating how time travel gave him so many different questions of what if. But it was the only way, and heck, it wasn't like the current timeline was going to get any better.

"Alright, let's travel through time, Kay!" Sora said, grabbing Kay's hand and making the goddess smile, seeing her Prince of Light ready to face the danger without a moment to waste once he understood what was needed. Silently, Kay started to glow as the surrounding platform started glowing with light. This time things would be better with balance and faith; light would defeat the darkness, and a new dawn would bloom across the universe.
"My Dearly Beloved, be strong; I shall guide you! Always beside you, together we shall fight them hand in hand." Kay whispered as looked at Sora. As they closed their eyes, their bodies started to feel the flow of time circle around them.

-----

When Sora opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the sunlight on Destiny Island again. Sure, he knew Kay would have been able to take him back in time, but part of him felt like it was too good to be true. Maybe it was nerves after all; his journey with his Aunt Serah was a lifetime ago, and things can change over time. He wasn't scared of the future because time travel was as changeable as fate. It was just another thing that could be messed with, leading to things getting better or worse.

But Sora hoped that with Kay by his side, things would be better. He wanted to see what his future held and what adventures his family would have once Ansem and the Door to Darkness were stopped. However, he was just as curious about what his goddess of light was like. What were her intentions beyond helping him and being friendly? The most he knew of Kay was basic things like how she was part of Kingdom Hearts and that she had others, whom she called family. Sure, that was interesting, but Sora needed to know more if this partnership was going to last; he generally wanted to know more about his goddess and if her sisters had a part in all of this or a part of his life.

Sora looked at the small rowboat that he had left by the small wooden dock. Maybe the boat ride could help him understand the pretty blonde and dive deeper into her plan; maybe he could understand the multiverse a little. Just enough to make sense of the idea and what other versions of him would have done or been like in the first place. Maybe Kay could also explain to him why his heart was beating faster than normal when he was around her; it couldn't be romantic feelings already; they had just met a few minutes ago.

“Sora, take off your shoes and feel the sand! It feels so lovely; I can't believe how warm and soft this island could be.” Kay told the teen as he let out a smile, taking off his shoes and letting the warm sand brush against his feet. Sora could only smile as he looked at Kay. Seeing the goddess feel the warmth of the island and the enjoyment it was bringing her made Sora’s heart flutter. Oh, how he hoped to ask her out one day, once the universe was saved and things were peaceful again. Sora wondered for a second why he
The sandy beaches felt peaceful as Kay could feel Sora gently picking her up in his arms. The Goddess of Light wanted to laugh at the pure bravery of her beloved knight. He was risking his life and pride to save her from the evil, beautiful sand that would ruin her dress as it brushed the sand of the island.

"Oh, My hero already!" Kay whispered, gently planting her lips against Sora's cheek, watching the dust of red quickly appear on the teen's face. Kay looked at her dearly beloved; he was falling for her charms, and, to be honest, Kay was feeling the same in her heart. She was falling for Sora, her Sora, she had to admit she was loving this time together. The universe was still on half of the first day to go, and that meant they had plenty of time to enjoy the first day and figure things out.

Kay was even happy to see the small rowboat, which meant she could have her first boat ride. Maybe it would have a romantic moment like when one of her sisters told her of the time Sora and his girlfriend shared their first family photo on a boat, or like the story where Sora and his mom were at the beach in Twilight town, having the time of their lives after the mother's husband cheated on them.

But Kay knew they'd also have to talk about the future and what to do with the other days. So Kay took a deep breath and sat down in the boat as Sora grabbed the oars and slowly pushed the boat into the calm blue sea that surrounded them. It would take roughly twenty, maybe thirty, minutes to arrive at the actual Destiny island with the boat of them on the tiny rowboat. So Kay took a deep breath of the salty air and prepared herself for what was bound to be an interesting conversation.
-----

“So Kay! Why did my universe end thirteen days into my journey, and how is this chance going to be different? I mean, you being here to help and me knowing what's to come might help; maybe saving Mom would be possible. But after today, we'll be at twelve days, and it feels like we won't have time to get enough people to stop Xehanort.” Sora asked, looking at the goddess as he quickly rowed through the clear blue sea, watching Kay’s arm gently brush against the water, causing Sora to feel his heart flutter a little more at the beautiful sight.

“Well, if we can save your mom from Ansem and the heartless, then we can travel faster with her ship, rather than go through Traverse Town, and fight with Donald, and Goofy to get to the chosen places. Don't get me wrong; I know the dog and duck probably meant a lot to you. But given how powerful this version of Ansem is, I am surprised that you were strong enough to fight him with the help and time given. But then again, you are my Prince of Light, and I know this time things will go better!” Kay said proudly as she placed a hand on Sora’s heart, feeling it's beat, still strong, and ready for anything. Maybe it would be possible to find a more romantic option with her prince once everything was safe.

“You're right, Kay, this time things will be better, and with Mom and Aunt Serah, but won't we need more people to help fight Ansem? He was even more powerful than Caisus, he was almost as powerful as Xehanort when Mom fought him. Did you have people in mind to help beat him or give us a chance?” Sora wondered what the plan would be if they only had twelve days, and that wasn't enough time to find people and work on training him how to relearn the key blade and the various spells it held.

“I had a few people in mind; granted, I couldn't take the strongest people from this universe, and go to Ansem. It would probably be all reality in the process, so I picked people who were either pure of heart or had enough powers and skills to help us get strong enough to beat Ansem, as a team.” Kay said, listening to Sora as he took some deep breaths for a second. Kay smiled, seeing her beloved nerves feeling more relaxed; they didn't need this level of stress on the first day.

The first day was meant to be easy for them; Sora and his Mom were the first of the possible thirteen on her list of people to beat Ansem. They were the first on her list, for the reason that one was the Prince of Light and the other was not just a princess of Heart, but Light was Etro’s Champion and a god of death. So she would be strong enough to help with any issues, but if Kay was being honest with herself, She liked the tales her sisters would mention of Mom’s relationship with Sora going above and beyond to save him from harm, and it sounded too good to want at least one mom of Sora’s.

Despite her list containing about two or three of the princesses needed to open or seal the door inside Hollow Bastion, The hard part of the day was getting Lightning on board and then being able to accept Night of Fate happening, letting the world fall to darkness, letting Kairi get taken, and Riku starting his journey into the darkness. Kay knew this was the hardest part of the day. It wasn't the monsters or villains that worried her; it was Sora’s mom and what she would say to her about all of this.

“Hey Kay, what are the others like? Other versions of me, that is.” Sora let out a scream, shaking the goddess out of her worrisome thoughts as she quickly placed a hand on her chin. This caused Sora to smile for a second. Knowing Kay was probably nervous about meeting his mom, Sora decided to see if she would open up about any other versions of him. Help keep Kay relaxed enough so he can help her talk to Mom.

“Well, what versions would you like to know about? Some are men, some are girls, and some are more different in their approach to helping others. I guess it depends on what you want to know. But I'd be happy to talk about every one of them if you'd like!” Kay said, grinning at Sora, causing the teen to be speechless at the sight of her smile. It was like the sun had exploded in his face, and he had found the perfect sight to have a final moment.

“I guess, starting with one of the mer ones, I think that would be interesting to hear about. Were they like Ariel, or something much different?” Sora said, wondering how differently a life as a mermaid would have changed him or her. But were they humans first, or did they start life under the sea?

“It's funny, actually; only three versions of you are merfolks. One was born a princess of the sea, a friend of yours, Ariel. She was the daughter of one of the redhead’s sisters. Sadly, my sister hasn't told me much of her life as yet, so I don't know much about her compared to the other two. You see, my sister, who handles their universe, is a romantic. She loves seeing romance and loves talking about it. Treating the two universes like they are the best, let's just say her versions of Sora are heavily into romance.” Kay said, knowing that her Sora thankfully wasn't as crazy for love as the mermaids, or the one that was so love-crazy for Rikku.

“So some of me are from other worlds or other times! That sounds a little crazy, but I guess anything is possible. So what other crazy versions are out there, do I have any kids or crazy things like superpowers besides the keyblade? I wanna know Kay, what are some of the weirder or darker versions of me or the kids?” Sora said, rubbing his hands, as the sight of the Destiny Island town was getting closer, meaning they were probably having a conversation or two since arriving at his house.

“I guess it can't be helped. I know a few that would mentally destroy you, but before we start diving into the darker tales, Know that I was going to wait for your mom, so you both know what the risk of not only this failing, but how you losing your mom, would cause untold dangers for this universe. But Sora, are you ready to learn about the versions of you that had kids and powers, so I won't stop your curiosity.” Kay whispered, watching her knight nod, as she took a moment to think which kid or universe was the best to ease Sora into all of this information.

“I’ll only tell you of a little kid, the one my sisters have dubbed the Darkest one. A girl born from an unholy experiment by Ansem, the seeker of Darkness! Liliana Darkbloom, to be frank, was the darkest, and most violent of your kids, from her birth to the first time I met her, roughly an hour before her assault on her Ansem. Liliana was cruel to those who fought her if they weren't her friends or someone she could understand. She'd kill them without mercy or compassion, once she got angry enough to face them.” Kay whispered, knowing the seventh sister wouldn't be happy, Sora knowing of Liliana this early could be dangerous if things got to the point. Kay hoped her sisters had faith in her and Sora to not send their warriors, the chaos would be more monstrous than even Ansem.

“I'm guessing she's not one to mess with! So what happened to her parents? I'm guessing I must have been gone, or something bad happened to make her so violent.” Sora said, looking at Kay with worried eyes. He didn't know why, but he hoped Liliana was okay and that things weren't too bad in her universe. As the boat gently hit the sandy beach of Destiny Island, the boat ride was over, but Sora knew this conversation would return with Mom and Kay.

“Well, we're here! Don't worry, Sora; I'll make sure to go slow and work our way up through the plans and stories. But finish talking about Liliana; her parents were used in an experiment to create her. She's the reason one of the people needed to stop this version of Ansem. I wanted to save this part for after meeting your mom, but our second world is the home of one, Donna Beneveinto, and her doll.” Kay declared, gently grabbing Sora’s hand as the teen walked up to his beachside house, giving the door a few knocks. As the door flew open, a flash of pink hair was in front of the teen’s face.

“Hi, Mom! I'm home early, and I think we need to talk!” Sora let out, watching his mom's smile, quickly becoming more stern and serious, her pale blue eyes looking at her son, and the being known as Kingdom Hearts. Claire quickly moved away from the door, moving the deadbolt from the door, allowing the kids to enter. She would have to put the kettle on. Claire knew this day would be bound to happen; it had been ten years since she had aided Aqua and her friends against Xehanort. Everything was too peaceful, even with no sight or mention of the key blade teens.

“Come on in; I'm guessing if you brought Kingdom Hearts to our doorstep, time travel must have happened, so once I get us some tea, we'll talk about what's going to happen.” Claire told the teens as she headed for the kitchen that tonight was going to be an interesting night, to say the least.

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Kay was a little nervous as she waited for Sora’s mom to return from the kitchen. She could only lay on what was probably the softest couch possible next to her beloved prince of light. The first thing Kay smelt when she entered the seaside home was the smell of cinnamon and honey, which quickly came to mind. She wasn't sure what to expect from this meeting. Sora's mom was not just a princess of heart, but one of the thirteen and a goddess in her own right. Kay could feel her beloved hand gently grab her as Sora slowly walked Kay over to the kitchen, giving her enough time to get a feel for the house and what it meant to the pink-haired family.
The goddess of light and balance was surprised at the sight of the rustic living room and all the cute little plants, pictures, and drawings of faraway memories. Kay felt like she was looking through different points in time. As they gently walked to the kitchen, more photos and drawings became known to her: a sphere in the sky, a city that screamed warrior's pride, and a family consisting of a pink-haired woman and her son, as well as a dark-skinned man with green hair. They were smiling and happy. The photos of a giant city felt magical as Kay looked at how the family was happy with the city name written on the back of the photo, Midgard.

Looking at the two pink-haired family members made Kay wonder what it would be like to be part of this family compared to her sisters. They seemed so happy and full of love, and Kay knew that it was because of that love that they fought against fate to keep that connection going. It was so different to see a normal yet abnormal family compared to her sisters. She wondered if they truly were as connected as she had thought. Kay wished that this day wasn't just a long conversation about the fate of this universe, her sisters, and the insane lives of the numerous Soras that graced the multiverse, but rather just a day that felt normal. A soft hand to hold, a beautiful sunset, and a happy day feeling like a real family. Kay’s thoughts were quickly broken as Sora headed into the kitchen, hugging his mother. Kay could only smile at the sight of that hug. It was as wonderful to see in person as she thought—not hiding in the distance or viewing some magic artifact, but something more special.

"Sora, it's a good thing you came home early; breakfast is almost ready! We're having Cinnamon rolls covered with honey and mint tea!" Lightning said, looking over at her son and letting out a smile, knowing that this was probably going to be one of the hardest tasks she ever had in her life. So she did the only thing she could to make her son and what was probably his future girlfriend feel more comfortable as they learned of this new insanity to enter their lives. After all, time travel is one thing if Sora has forgotten to get Serah a present or if the universe is dying again due to higher beings acting like cruel dicks to her family. But the fact that time traveled and one of the fabled thirteen goddesses of light, balance, and the multiverse was in her house meant that the future was taking a different turn.

“Mom, is the tea almost ready, this is gonna be a long conversation, and I was hoping that Kay wasn't gonna get too scared by you,” Sora whispered as Claire smiled gently, rubbing her Son’s pink hair, revealing the tiniest hints of dark green that made Claire feel the resemblance of her husband, the way that he worried about her, and how others would view her more serious nature on the surface.

“It'll be ready in a minute; I'm just waiting for the rolls to cool down, and I wanted to get a better look at your new girlfriend!” Lightning whispered, showing her son a cheeky smile. As she watched his face grow red at the mention of the great Kingdom Hearts being his girlfriend, she looked over to see Kay’s face turning red as she tried hiding her face in her dress, and cape.

“Mom, she's not my girlfriend yet! We only have thirteen days to save the universe before even the chance of her being my girlfriend can happen.” Sora yelled as his face transformed into a tomato, watching the grin on his mom’s face grow even more at the fact that Sora confirmed it. Sure, the fact that the universe was going to die again was a pain, but now she had a reason to know more about this issue.

“Ok, then you and Kay go sit on the couch while I bring the snacks; we've got a lot to talk about. Oh, and Kay, if you return after thirteen days, just know that I will use every fiber of my being to drag all of your sisters to the wedding.” Lightning said, feeling more excited by the minute. This felt like the time she and Rand faced that one winged angel, just so Sora could see how they still had it. Oh, how fun it was to watch that chicken die and be nothing more than a memory. But now things were looking a lot better than being a stay-at-home mom, who happened to be a god that helped redo the universe.
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Sora and Kay sat on the couch quietly, as the sound of cups, plates, and laughter could be heard. Sora just looked at Kay, as her face still looked like it was still pretty red. But now they knew that they had feelings for each other and that Mom was going to plan something crazy even though they hadn't even had a first date, unless a boat ride talking about the multiverse counts. Heck, they hadn't even had real conversations about where to live or when would their daughter Laputa be brought into the world. It all seemed so crazy, but Sora honestly hoped that this crazy romance would be possible after the thirteen days were over. Kay just smiled at the thought of being appreciated, and quickly involved in the Farron family, she had thought her sixth sister would continue to joke about it forever. Kay watched Lightning make her way out of the kitchen, the soothing smell of the tea helped calm her down, only for Kay to notice Sora shaking.

“Ok, Sora, let's start from the beginning of your journey since I'm guessing something happened to me, and the others! What happened to you after you arrived at the play island?” Lightning said, placing a cup of tea in Kay and Sora’s hands and watching her son’s hands tremble at the mention of the islands. Claire knew that her son never felt fear, not unless it was something terrible; he wasn't scared when the universe was ending or when he watched her fight Xehanort.

“They returned to Mom, he returned to the island, and started destroying everyone! I watched everything burn to the ground as the heartless arrived to claim what was left of the living.” Sora whispered to his mother as the cup of tea in his hands fell onto the floor.

“You don't mean Xehanort, Sephiroth, and that mad Doctor!” Claire let out, feeling her fist tighten at the thought of those monsters returning after all this time. It had been years since the death of Aerith, years since Rand sacrificed himself to defeat Xehanort, and only a month since that Doctor threatened her son. Claire stood up, hugging her son. She knew that destiny was cruel, but to think that all of their worst nightmares after moving to the paradise of Destiny Island would follow them and torment her son. It made the pink-haired woman pissed and ready to return those monsters to the depths of whatever hole they crawled out of.

“Mom, I thought I saw her again; I saw Aerith when Sephiroth returned; she saved me; I was so scared that I left Donald, and Goofy to face that man, and as I ran with Aerith far away, I didn't stop until I was eaten by a giant whale. The pain didn't stop; I could still see his face when even the Doctor was fighting a monster that looked like something out of a horror movie.” Sora said as his voice cracked that the last remnants of the kind-hearted teen were gone; all that was left at that moment was the aftermath of a journey of pain and misery. Sora had hoped to be strong enough to put on a smile, letting people know that he was fine, but in reality, nothing was fine.

“I guess now this journey is going to be twice as hard as the first, Sora. Can you look at me?" Kay said, placing her hands on Sora’s cheeks, letting the teen feel a sense of warmth as he was surrounded by the people who cared about him.

“I promise, while I live and breathe, I will do everything in my power to keep you happy, you will only have to suffer as much as the world gives you. I made sure that our journey was as simple and doable as possible. So no fake smiles, no tears, you have me, your mom, and soon others by your side, so don't cry or feel fear my dearly beloved. Be strong and I shall guide you, always beside you!” Kay said engulfing her prince deeper into a group hug Sora let out a few tears, as a small smile formed.

“I'll try!” Sora whispered as the pair held onto Sora, they would let go of him until the conversation was over, and Sora knew that they still had a lot to talk about. The only thing Sora could see was his mom and Kay's eyes. It was like he was experiencing an untold level of happiness, the beauty of Kay's eyes only helped to make the painful memories of the past feel like memories at least for a moment. Plus seeing his mother's eyes always made Sora feel like everything was ok, that the adventures, the people they met, everything was still ok even though they were on the ultimate time limit again.

"Kay, who are the people we need to defeat Ansem? I wanna make sure that we can do this, so please tell me, so that my son won't have to suffer alone." Lightning said, wondering just how badly that Angel, and madman hurt her boy to the point of him being a broken mess. It wasn't right, Sora's life was supposed to be filled with happiness and a sense of peace after the death of Rand, the collapse of Radiant Garden, and Midgar.

"Well for starters, my sisters have been forming a team from across the multiverse. I decided to do something similar, you see Ms. Farron this universe has been trying or been forced to end itself a few times. Your battles against Sephiroth and both cases of the thirteen-day time limit made us wonder if it was possible to replicate, and try and save as many universes as possible. My sisters felt the need to use versions of your son, and any possible child to save people, but I decided to try something different. The friends, and people around Sora matter just as much as any daughter or form of Sora. So I picked people who could help Sora grow strong enough to stop Ansem, and truly make a difference in their own lives. You know, being more than a small part of something bigger!" Kay declared, smiling at the upcoming adventure and hope for the universe, she knew this could work, all that was needed was people and for her beloved to be happy.
I guess that makes sense, so who did you have in mind?" Claire said, letting go of her son and the goddess to take a sip of tea, wondering if her sister, Snow, and the others were involved or even their friends from Midgard

"First, I have you guys. Sora is obviously the main piece of the team, and your mom is strong and could definitely help make the journey easier, as well as keep the team in check. The third and fourth in the group are Ms. Yuffie and a man named Ernest! Ms. Kisaragi was too good not to pass up, and Ernest will be of help in trying to get the others to join us more normally. Let's see if numbers five and six were interesting, I think because they seem to be the most magical out of the group outside of us and the Midgard support. Five is a Half-Genie named Shantae, and number six is a Lamina named Tuki. She's one heck of a merchant and should be able to supply us with things, plus, how could we say no to a snake woman?

"Number seven and eight are from a creepy village; Ethan Winters, and Donna Beneviento are going to be interesting, Ethan goes above and beyond for family, so, of course, he'd save the universe, and Donna could be helpful in Hollow Bastion when we have to deal with Riku's attempt at stealing the key blade from Sora again." Kay declared, smiling at the list of people so far, she only had twelve people planned so far, but the party was meant to make Sora's job easier. She didn't put too much thought into how everyone would work as a team, maybe she should have listened to Hateko more closely rather than getting lost in the idea of meeting Sora and going on an adventure with him and his mother.

"Does Ethan, Donna, or Ernest have any powers? I'd assume that the genie would have something, and the Lamina probably won't fight much, but what about the others? Do they sound more normal than the likes of Yuffie, or even Sora?" Lightning let out, rubbing the back of her neck as she tried wrapping her head around the bizarre list of people so far. The most she could come up with was her, Sora, Yuffie, and Shantae fighting, and Tuki giving them enough potions and supplies to go to war, but the biggest question was the others; they sounded like normal people that haven't experienced the universe-ending stuff that her, Rand, and Sora had dealt with. Lightning hoped that Kay had a good reason behind picking them, or at the very least picked them because whatever skill they had would truly benefit her Son in defeating Ansem.

“Well, Ethan had survived getting his limbs cut off, and fought a monster made of mold, and one of my sister's warriors, Liliana, spoke highly of him, as did Donna. Donna can make illusions, and mess with people's minds, so that could help in blending in, or at least stop Maleficent, or any possible issues that could happen. Plus, she does get gun training from what the other champions have mentioned to the versions of her that lived. Ernest is just a funny guy who gets tossed into crazy hijinks and comes out perfectly fine, plus we need someone to keep spirits high." Kay said, her grin growing even bigger, nearly rivaling Sora's. She was feeling excited at the thought of everything, to the point where she started bouncing up and down in delight, rocking Sora in her arms like she had won the jackpot.

"Kay, What do you mean, the versions that lived?" Sora whispered, making Kay stop for a second, as her smile quickly dimmed. She didn't like bringing this part up in conversations whenever she met a version of Sora, his kids, or his parents. It was a cruel reminder of fate, that the Dollmaker was destined to die in most universes beyond a select few.

"Donna's life isn't a happy one, honestly I didn't want to bring this up because, in most cases, Donna dies and is left to rot in her manor. I picked her so that she could live, and give another version of her some form of happiness like one who adopted Liliana with Ethan or became a cop to protect her son after the downfall of her village. Originally, Donna didn't have any reason to be a part of the group beyond my want for her happiness, but the more I thought about it, her powers were the one way to save you from stabbing yourself with the keyblade, as well as the Riku bit from a second ago." Kay let out, gripping hold of Sora tighter, she couldn't bear the idea of losing him, even if it made Roxas, Xion, and Namine possible. She needed him; someone else could make them, Sora was too important to her to see her suffer and temporarily die for five minutes to appease the laws of the universe.

"I understand, Kay! I'll make sure to get Donna for you, and make sure that I'll never perish on your watch, I promise, both you and Mom will never have to see me go through that again." Sora let out, gently rubbing the goddess's long blond hair, as his eyes got lost in the endless beauty of her dress. Sora knew that it would be a big deal if anyone else knew about his first death at the hands of the key blade, so he had to make sure that a second time wasn't on the cards. He owed it to Kay and his mother, to be strong and keep them happy, no matter the cost.

"Okay, who are the other people? I think we should move on to a happier topic. Why don't we talk about your sisters and their significant others over dinner? I can't remember the last time I had dinner when the islands were engulfed in darkness. It's funny, the last time Sora ate anything was when his mom cooked a bowl of rice with grilled chicken. Sora didn't feel like eating until the Ooze in Monstro forced something down his throat, and even then, he spent most of twelve days resting in Yuffie's bed, barely hanging on to dear life under the weight of all the pain he endured with Donald and Goofy.

"Number nine, ten, eleven, and twelve are Aqua, 2B, Cloud, and Tifa! Cloud and Tifa had more muscle to help fight, same as 2B, and Aqua. The last time I was told Aqua was a princess of heart just like Lightning, so it is smart to keep them close so Maleficent does get them." Kay said, watching Lightning's eyes widen at the fact that Aqua was still alive after the battle in the keyblade graveyard. The pink-haired woman's mind started racing with more questions like how she survived, what she had been doing, and what happened to Ven.

“Sora, what did Aqua look like when you saw her in Hollow Bastion?" Lightning whispered, gently touching her son's shoulder. She had to know what happened, and she promised that she would be there to protect them, to offer them a safe place to live after the death of Erquas. Lightning hoped that Aqua was okay; she was the only one who had the best chance at living through the final battle, due to Terra getting taken over, and Ven being in a coma right before the X-Blade had blown up.

"She was sleeping in a pod, so I don't know what she was like, but she was wearing a black outfit with a skirt, and I found a big sword that must have been her's in the castle library. So I'm guessing things didn't go the best for her. She had a black cloth over her eyes and looked like some kind of soldier rather than the mage she saw all those years ago.

"So She's alive at least; good, maybe we'll be able to save her, and then understand more about what happened to Ven. Kay, after dinner, we'll leave. My ship is on the other side of the play island, so where are we going first, it'll help us plan a better course of action." Lightning said, standing up, as she looked down at the goddess and Sora. Tonight was going to be a big night, and they'd need to be prepared, both physically and mentally, and understand that after tonight time was the most important thing that they had.

"The first place we're going to is Byerville, home of Ernest, and the first of our twelve remaining days. Sora, I bet you'll like it, the town will be celebrating Halloween, so we'll get to have a little fun before the harder worlds happen." Kay said, holding her beloved's hand tightly, as she watched his smile grow at the thought of Halloween, and a more peaceful journey with his mother, and the most breathtaking person he had ever met.

"That sounds perfect; I'll look forward to it. What do you think, Mom?" Sora let out a sigh as his mother entered the kitchen, grabbing some pork and breading. Claire turned to face her son, she gave him a big smile, letting Sora know that everything would be okay. This would be a new start, he wouldn't have to see that Angel till later; Mom wouldn't be taken by the heartless, and he had Kay next to him to give encouragement and fun stories until it was time to leave. Sora let out a small smile. Today was going to be a good day