EiznekCm Household
Nerehc landed in the front yard of his house with Egroeg and AlyakAm in tow. "I sent a text message to my girlfriend." He told the siblings. "So expect a sudden Apparition. 3… 2… 1…"
"DISRESPECT!" Neither of the three were startled by the witch's sudden appearance. "What can I do for my boy toy today?" Sipa asked with a bright smile.
"These two wanna meet their Positives." Nerehc replied, gesturing the gloomy-faced duo. "I'm not sure if Cheren's in his room, so I need you to open a portal if he isn't."
"Okay, sure." Sipa shrugged. "Think I'll chat up my own Positive while we're there. Tell her that I'm a changed person!" She raised her arms happily.
"The other day, you magically switched a person's face with their butt." Nerehc reminded as they entered the house. He heard a pot boiling in the kitchen, so assumed his mother was there.
"For poetic justice reasons." His girlfriend contradicted. They made it to Nerehc's room and faced his mirror. Sipa jiggled her wand and called, "Dimentio Flippow."
The mirror became a portal to the Posiverse. "Now remember guys, you're allowed to cause mayhem in their world, just let people know who you really are after a while." Nerehc instructed.
"Of course." AlyakAm replied. "We'll take it to our hearts like Numbness Serum."
"Now, I'm not sure if Cheren's people are still uncomfortable with the Apocalypse, so just-" Nerehc and Sipa were stabbed in the hips by syringes. They both collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
"I must say, it is quite fun drugging people." Egroeg said as he and his sister entered the vortex.
"Do not try anything to me." AlyakAm told him. "I've memorized all techniques and can drug you during your breath."
Somewhere dark (Play "Old Doll" from Mad Father.)
"Nnnnmm…" Nerehc still felt numb in every part of his body as he woke up. It was pitch-black in here, so he took off his sunglasses to see. "Where am I… Hello? Sipa? Egroeg? AlyakAm?"
The padding of sandaled footsteps against the floor rang across the space. Nerehc saw the girl emerge. Aquamarine hair, a dress depicting a shadowed graveyard under a night sky with yellow moon, and a wide mouth and purple eyes that gave Nerehc the chills. Her face was in stitches, and had a dark-pink coat with a burned crown attached to the lowered hood. She held a doll of himself. "Hello, Nerehc!"
The boy raised a brow. "Um… hi?"
"It's nice to meet you!" Her peppy attitude was clearly forced. "My name is Ragus. This is you. Isn't you pretty?" She grinned and held his doll by both arms.
"Are you a fan of me?"
"Not me, in particular. But my master is! She's an exceptional fan of yours. Her name is Medusa!"
"Oh. You mean like the Positive Asudem?"
"Well, Asudem is a myth. Medusa is real. Lots of things are real, actually. Like the end of the world."
"You mean the Apocalypse."
"Yes. You must know the story. The Goddess of Light, Palutena, is responsible for finding the Seven Lights. Medusa, Goddess of Darkness, however… must seek the Darknesses."
"Yeah, what's your point?"
She glided closer to him, not moving her legs. Her wide, creepy face was inches from his. "Medusa needs people to find the Darknesses. She can't physically do it herself. Gods cannot interfere with mortal affairs, even under doomsday. That's why… she's asking you."
"But Sanula told me the Positives were going to find all the Keys."
"That's not true. All the Keys are Positives… but only you Negatives can help us find some of them. Because since the beginning, your kind has bathed in darkness. It should therefore be up to you to seek the Darknesses."
"Things have changed, Ragus. I'm changing the Negaverse into one with light. You can tell Medusa that."
"She very well knows. But Nerehc… surely you all want to survive. Lady Medusa wishes to find the Darknesses. She wishes to help you. I can take you to her. But only if you promise to do everything she says."
"And what if I don't? What if I don't go with you?"
She stayed silent for a second, her head slanted sideways. "Then… your world is doomed. You can try to figure everything out… but not without a goddess's hand."
Nerehc looked at her thoughtfully. "…She would really help? Help save everybody?"
"Of course. Medusa loves mortals."
Nerehc wasn't sure what to say. …Clearly, this was some kind of dream, he and Sipa were just knocked out. Still, it could also be a vision. Just how far was Cheren in finding the Lights—they only had a month until summer really began, could they locate twenty people in time? "…Alright." Nerehc decided. "I'll see what she has to offer. But I expect her to help us make progress."
Ragus grinned wide. "Thank you, Nerehc! Lady Medusa appreciates it!"
She took Nerehc's right (dominant) hand and plopped her doll onto it. She closed her eyes and glowed blue with energy, much to Nerehc's fright. ". . . Wh-Wh-WHOOOOOOAAAAA!" Nerehc shone brightly, Ragus's grin looked more vicious in the light. A soul-sweeping sensation overcame him. The darkness turned white.
The moment it all disappeared, Nerehc fell. Ragus looked down at him with her grin. …He slowly stood up. Never had Nerehc been more calm. …He opened his sharp, snakelike green eyes, smiling wickedly. "Thank you… Ragus."
"My pleasure… Lady Medusa." The Nerehc doll dangled lifeless and motionlessly from Ragus's hand.
Nerehc and Ragus came up out of the basement of the former's house. As they headed for the front door, they were caught by Lehcar EiznekCm, who had walked in from the kitchen. "Oh, Mother!" Medusa said with Nerehc's voice, pushing up the sunglasses to hide her snakelike green eyes. "This is my friend, Ragus. I invited her over for-"
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Lehcar asked Nerehc, cocking a brow.
Medusa's (Nerehc's) heart jumped, wondering if she'd been caught. "Er… I'm-"
"Because I don't like random kids sneaking in my house and taking my stuff. NOW, GET OUT!!"
"WHOOOA!" Medusa and Ragus were flung out of the front door, which Lehcar slammed shut. The two rubbed their heads as they stood up. "That wasn't the response I expected." Medusa said.
"You're telling ME!" proclaimed Thanatos's perky voice.
The God of Death wobbled over in the very fat body that belonged to Eigaoh Nagillig. "I can't understand how a vegetarian stays fat as an adult, yet his Positive eats meat and is skinny as a mantis!"
"Lucky for you, that body is still prettier than your own." Pandora said negatively, coming over in Ikuk's body. "This woman is so small-chested. Sigh…" (she actually says the word).
"This guy's shirt doesn't even work for his belly!" Thanatos said, indicating his big belly sticking out. "Look! When I push my front in, my BACK pops out!" He pushed his belly under his shirt, then his back belly popped out. "But when I push my back in, my FRONT pops out!" He pushed his back in, and the same happened. "What's up with that??"
"The gods keep track of our Gigai ever since our commingling with the Thirteen Darknesses over the years." Medusa reminded. "We'll only be able to get work done by possessing these bodies. Now, shape up, you two! Our first order of business is to gather the Six Demon Saints."
"Awww, look at you giving orders like a grown-uuuuup." Pandora cooed, leaning forward and folding her arms on Nerehc's head. "You're so adorable."
"Stop it, Dora!" Medusa flailed Nerehc's arms and pushed the woman off. Ragus giggled.
"Fine. So, why are we concerned about the Demon Saints when we're supposed to be finding the Darknesses?"
"There's nothing we can do about the Darknesses for the moment. Not until Ragaj Gnik and Bill Cipher get done doing what they're supposed to. However, since we've come to know the Darknesses across the years, especially their powers, it's going to be Hell when all those people are suddenly together. We can use the Demon Saints to keep them all in line. And not only that… one of the Darknesses will need the power of the Demon Saints to help him."
"Also, we're purposely not saying the names of the Darknesses for secrecy's sake." Thanatos informed. "You understand, don't you, Ragus?"
"I certainly do!" Ragus beamed.
"Then let's get started." Medusa clapped hands. "I propose that we search for Lucifer first. Last I heard, he was Ganondorf's horsy, but he's mostly been doing work in Mexico. We'll enter there from Ocixem, since the gods don't look in here often. Ragus, those people will not be able to bother us while they're in their dolls, right?"
"They most certainly shouldn't." Ragus smiled brightly and held the three dolls of Nerehc, Eigaoh, and Ikuk. "However, Lady Medusa, I have a small query: who is Nerehc?"
"?" Medusa cocked a brow. "Nerehc is this boy. The one I'm possessing right now."
"I assumed as much, but for some reason, I don't seem to know who he is!"
"…Interesting. But you remember those two adults just fine?" Medusa indicated Ikuk and Eigaoh's bodies.
"I do."
"Hmmm… Well, we'll ponder over it later. Although this makes me wonder what the Coincidence Factor had in store for Cheren."
"Sorry for disturbing you, Miss EiznekCm." a girl's voice said inside the house.
"You're just lucky you're more tolerable than other kids. NOW GET OUT." That's when Sipa came flying through the window.
"Ow!" Sipa hit the grass outside. She shook her head and looked up at the possessed Nerehc and his group. "…Who are you weirdoes supposed to be?"
Dream World… (Play "Piano #1" from Mogeko Castle.)
Nerehc woke up with a fuzzy feeling in his head. He saw that he was wearing a purple jumpsuit with a three-swirl symbol on the chest. "Am I in… the Dream World?"
He was gazing up at a huge, grayish castle under a pure blue night sky with stars. There were statues of what looked like stuffed animals, and it seemed that many stuffed animals were happily roaming this place. "Well, I'm somewhere. I…" He held his head, and the fuzzy feeling seemed stronger than ever. "I am… Who am I? What's my name… I can't… remember. …" He looked up at the castle. "Maybe… someone in there will know."
Stage B-5: Night Castle
Mission: Find out who and where you are.
Act 1
Nerehc (for now, we'll assume that's his name) sprouted purple flames from his shoes and skated across the stone bridge over the moat. Stuffed toys were floating carefree in the water, so he wouldn't disturb them. He skied around some statues of the animals and followed a right route, where a blue strip of carpet led between castle walls. The road forked ahead, so Nerehc followed a right path, which led to a dead end. There were crates and barrels stacked around, so he sliced them with the glowing white sword he apparently had. He found peppers and bags of potato chips, and figured he'd take them with him.
Nerehc skied to the left route of the fork, going up some stairs that ended at a ledge over the moat. There were several towers standing around and more stuffed toys floating in the water. Nerehc could grind on a rail on his left, to a spring that propelled him to another tower. He Wall Kicked off, flew to another tower with Rocket Boost, and repeated the Wall Jumping until he set foot on a new path. He glided up some winding stairs to reach the top of this short tower. Using his weightless rockets, Nerehc leaped across a series of small pillars across the water, getting to a castle wall and gliding up some stairs.
The path reached an end before a drop, in which the castle wall on the left had a series of branches going up. Nerehc grabbed and swung around each one to propel himself higher. He landed on a new path that led to a chain, which Nerehc grinded across to reach another path, and skied along until some stairs brought him to a ground above the wall. Plushies were sitting at tables and drinking tea, all wearing bright and happy faces.
Nerehc decided to approach a pink rabbit and blue hippo plushy. "Um… Can any of you tell me where I am?"
"You're in Night Castle." The rabbit replied.
"The castle made by Ragus." The hippo followed.
"Everyone's happy here."
"You'll be happy, too."
Nerehc looked at a statue of the smiling, hooded girl with a stitch face. "Ragus…" Her appearance was foggy in his mind. "Do any of you know where I came from?"
"We're all from the other world." Rabbit replied.
"That bad world." Hippo said.
"Ragus helped us escape."
"We live in this world now."
"You'll like living here, too."
"Er, I'm not sure I'll fit in… I'm not a toy like the rest of you."
"You'll become one once you get adapted." Rabbit replied, sipping tea. "I wonder what you'll be. A monkey, maybe?"
Nerehc looked at the statue again. "Can I meet her? Maybe she can tell me who I am."
"You can go in the castle to find her. But by the time you do, you won't care anymore."
"Yeah, well…" Nerehc looked to the castle entrance far across the chasm. "That'll depend."
Nerehc skied past the café and jumped some platforms up around a tower, then grabbed a zipline to slide to a small pillar. From there, he used his rockets to glide to a further, shorter pillar. Then, he could only glide to a platform just over the surface of the moat. The stuffed animals looked as carefree here as any of the other ones, floating in the water. But rather than swim with them, Nerehc used his rockets to glide just over the surface. He found a set of branches leading up to a foothold on the wall below the castle entrance.
Nerehc swung up these branches, but to get higher up, he had to climb a long, dangling blue drape on the left of the foothold. He reached a new ledge, which led around the wall to a path consisting of in-and-out platforms. Nerehc jumped the platforms with timing, and once at the following foothold, he viewed a stairway of gargoyle statues in which spikes sprouted on their heads every few seconds. Nerehc nimbly jumped the statues when the spikes were down, arriving at the ground before the castle entrance.
The gate was completely black inside, like when you enter a loading zone in a videogame. However, when Nerehc skied through the black entrance, he was still outside, now overlooking a long stairwell down that he didn't see before. He glided down, and then up an even higher stairwell, before viewing the majesty of the Night Castle's distant entrance. With nothing obstructing his path, Nerehc skated over. A yellow crescent moon hung in the stars above the castle. This world was really pretty, Nerehc thought. If all those toys had a point, he could get used to living here. Maybe he would decide if he got to view the inside of the castle. After arriving at a short flight of stairs, Nerehc skied up to and entered the castle gates. (Play "Mirror Room" from Sonic Adventure.)
Act 2
The interior walls were brick and gray like outside, with a red carpet leading down this candlelit passage. Nerehc entered a foyer room with candlelit chandeliers, skating up some stairs before turning left into a hallway. The hall seemed empty at first- "YAH HA HAAA!" a jack-in-the-box popped out of the floor. Nerehc sliced it in half with his sword before skiing further- "YAH HA HAAA!" Two more jacks came from the wall. He beheaded them and continued. "YAH HAH-!" The next jack-in-the-box hopped over to Nerehc, so he slashed it perfectly down the middle.
The hall ended over a passage with a checkered floor, with platforms that had skinny baggy stems and waddled around on little crow feet. When Nerehc jumped down on one of these platforms (which was called a Buyoon), it shook around before flinging him back up on the starting ledge. Nerehc had to jump over these Buyoons quickly. When one was too far away, he simply tried to skate across the floor, but the Buyoon's top was too high to jump, so it kicked him to the start. Nerehc simply Wall Jumped across that floor to reach its top.
The passage led up some tall stairs, each of which had Buyoons. Nerehc had to Wall Jump to get high enough to land on them. At the end, Nerehc could safely land on the checkered floor of a bigger room. He tried to skate to some stairs, but some of the floor panels rose up to block his path. Nerehc had to solve a maze of rising floor panels. One route led him to a box containing some bacon, but eventually, he made it to the staircase and skied up. He glided down a hall that seemed to twist rightward, so in the following room, Nerehc was standing on the wall with the checkered floor standing vertical on his left.
Nerehc couldn't stand on the floor, only the wall he had shifted gravity on. He jumped up some cube-shaped platforms along the wall opposite the floor (the ceiling), then he glided to some further platforms to get into an opening on the other wall. There were big stuffed bats with crazy, wide-mouth faces flapping around this twisty hallway, which looped up and rightward before bringing Nerehc to the room's ceiling. There were black holes around the ceiling in which huge, peach-colored hands reached out in attempt to grab Nerehc. He avoided these Ragus's Hands and skated up some short stairs, into the next twisty passage. Ragus Hands reached out from every direction, but Nerehc avoided as he made it to the right-side-up checkered floor.
Nerehc saw only blackness at the end of the next passage, but by the time he was there, Ragus's huge and frightening image appeared. In fact, there were many Ragus'; Nerehc was in a hall of huge mirrors that bore hers and his own reflection; except Ragus was nowhere in sight. When Nerehc shifted left, then right, her illusions disappeared, so only Nerehc's reflection moved with him. The mirrors depicted holes in the floor that were otherwise unseen, so Nerehc avoided them, and also crossed the holes with invisible floors. Nerehc had to Wall Jump the mirrors over a long hidden chasm—seeing one of the mirrors was actually a spike wall in its reflection, Nerehc took care to avoid that.
The mirror hall brought him to a longer, straight passage where the mirrors depicted invisible platforms. Nerehc jumped up these platforms, having to wait for a moving one that shifted up, and from the higher platform, glided to further ones. He then had to Wall Jump some vertical invisible platforms before he made it to another corridor.
This passage appeared to grow bigger, and bigger, and bigger as Nerehc skied down, until it was so wide that he couldn't see the walls or ceiling. Even the floor was starting to become invisible in the growing darkness. Nerehc just kept skating and skating… until he apparently reached the end of an even tinier hall. The door was smaller than his fingertip, so he couldn't possibly enter. He bent down and cracked it open with his finger… then magically, he phased through the wall into a normal-size passage. Nerehc continued until he encountered another mirror. (End song.)
The boy inside the mirror was floating in midair, limbs drooping, asleep. The boy looked just like him… except he was wearing golden clothes, with a symbol of a "C" and a small 'x' between its endpoints. Nerehc slowly reached to touch his sleeping "reflection"… but the mirror disappeared the moment his fingers made contact.
Nerehc entered a living room that was behind the mirror. There was tea at a table between two couches, a painting of Ragus, and some drawers. "Mmmm, hello, Good Chum." said a stuffed penguin wearing a top-hat and monocle, sitting on a couch.
Nerehc raised a brow. "You look like a character from a really cool Posiverse show."
"That's funny." The penguin said with a British accent. "I'm actually a character from a crappy Negaverse show. Please, do have a seat."
Nerehc shrugged and sat in the couch opposite. "So, do you know anything about this Ragus chick?"
"Ol, I met her after our studio got burned down by an angry mob because our show was so crappy. She told me she could bring me to a happier world, and lo, here I am. Few months o' bein' here, I turn into this old thing. Shore is better than being in that smelly world." He was emphasizing his long "O" words. "More peaceful here, you know?"
"But how does she do it? Magic?"
"Oh, I here she's some sort of… spiritbender, what give you. She can bend peoples' souls outta their body and put them in her little stuffed hoodilywinks."
"Do you mean her toys?"
"Don't criticize my way of tolking. Then, I surmise she puts our souls into slumber like her toys, ergo we are in a dreamland. So, how did you end up being here?"
"Actually…" Nerehc touched his head, "I don't even remember. Not a thing. Zero, zilch."
"Well, you must have been pretty miserable, given you agreed to Ragus's proposition. Might as well enjoy life here."
"I don't really feel I should without knowing who I am. Can you take me to where Ragus is?"
"Oh, if she's awake right now, then I conjecture she is asleep here. I can take you to her bedchamber 'fore she awakens."
"Sure. I'll like that."
"Let's enjoy our tea first. You musta come a long way."
"Not as long as your O's, dude." Nerehc remarked before drinking tea.
Naihcalappa Mountains
The members of the Order of Black Lotus held their hearts in sorrow: one of their most beloved members, Little Aunt, met her end at the talons of a robotic owl. Now, the coffin was descending into her grave, dug next to Oitnemid's. "And so, we bid farewell to Little Aunt, who would always show concern for others' well-being above her own." The Man With the Blue Eye spoke. "At least now, she will be able to look over us from the serenity of Spirit World. Farewell… Auntie."
After the funeral, Ydnew Llevram returned to her house, her blue eyes baring their usual scowl. "Can't imagine what a bitch her Positive musta been."
"Hey, Yddy. Hey, Yddy. Hey, Yddy."
"What?" Ydnew asked through gritted teeth.
There was a red praying mantis on the back of her hair, but with the head of a bear. "I'm a Man-Bear." Yeoj transformed into a scarf around her neck. "Hey, Yddy. Hey, Yddy. Hey, Yddy."
"WHAT?"
The end of that scarf was a big tongue drooping saliva on her dress. "I'm a scongue." He transformed again. "Hey, Yddy. Hey, Yddy. Hey, Yddy."
"WHAT?!"
He was over her head as a part-hat, part-lizard, and part stapler. "I don't know, anymore! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Ydnew grabbed, threw him on the ground, and stomped Yeoj forcefully. "Do you ever get tired of being a fuckin' IDIOT?!"
He turned into red goop on her foot. "How do I get tired? I have no respiratory tracks."
"YDNEEEEWWWW!" Nil and Niyus Gnofieb dashed in, tripping on each other. "Yddy, why aren't you come to the afterpartyyyyyy!" Nil whined.
"It's not a party, dummy!" Us yelled. "It's a… after-funeral!"
"Dad said I could come back. He knew I was bored." Ydnew replied. "Besides, why are you here?"
"We were bore, tooooooo." Nil moaned. "Besides, the grown-ups are talking."
"They said the Apocalypse is gonna happen." Us frowned. "Is this true?"
Ydnew looked down solemn for a moment, then looked at a window to the cloudy sky. "That's what they keep saying. But I… still don't understand. How would it happen? And… how would we stop it." She touched her forehead. "My head feels fuzzy for some reason…"
"Awe, I know what'll unfuzz it." Yeoj said, turning into a bird with a duck's bill before flying on Ydnew's head. "What do you get when you combine the names 'Yeoj' and 'Ydnew'?"
Ydnew made an aggravating sigh. "What?"
"YDEOJ! HAAAAAA HA HA HA haaaaaaa! Hahahahahaaaaaa!"
Ydnew warped him with spacebending, shrinking him to dot size. …He morphed bigger into a frog on her shoulder. "That doesn't work on me. Oink."
"Ugh. If I wasn't worried about my Positive, I would kill myself already."
Outside, Blue Eye was overseeing the after-funeral from a mountaintop. "The fault is mine." Red Eye's deep voice said, materializing from the wind. "I guided the Sector V children to Candied Island, ensuring Big Mom's doom. I did not want your friend to die, but she could not live…"
"I was expecting something to happen when you told me of the crisis regarding Big Mom." Blue Eye replied in his higher voice. "I was afraid to tell her… but at least now, I can focus my worry on the Apocalypse. What is it… that you plan to do, exactly?"
"Eventually, the Twenty Keys will come together and open the gate to the New World. Then, we can make a world that is to everyone's liking. But I fear the forces that may intervene. It is my goal to make things as easy for the chosen ones as possible…"
"And that's destroying your world's leaders, isn't it?"
"Yes. The World Government will be a great liability to the quest. So I must destroy all people who are affiliated with them. I personally do not want to harm the Head President, since she is a close relative of the Unos, but only time will decide her fate. At least, during the span of this month, my acquaintance will be pushing the training of my daughter." Red Eye smirked to himself. "I want to meet her at least 15 days before the Apocalypse, halfway through this month."
"Considering the reckless way you chose to 'raise' her, I'll be surprised if your daughter turns out like you wanted."
"Oh, I'm sure she will. In any case… I believe I will go to Oceana in my world. According to rumors, the Fairy Princess that lives there hails from the legendary Moon Planet. I really want to head there…"
"Why?"
"All in good time, my friend." Red Eye turned around, about to leave. "…Hm hm hm." He chuckled. "You know, if you still want to determine who raises their daughter better… I guess the Opposite Law will see to that." He turned his exposed left eye to Blue Eye. "Because by the end of this month, I expect my daughter to be as powerful as the other kids."
Outside EiznekCm House
"Haaaaaaaahhh!" Sipa's eyes sparkled with purest delight. "I…I never thought… that I would have the honor of standing before one of the Six Demon Saints!" The Ganonist bowed before Medusa, who still inhabited Nerehc's body. "Lady Medusa, if you desired a vessel, my body would've been all but yours!"
"It's all right, this one felt more available." Medusa smiled passively. "His head's a little empty right now. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sipa. Any person who follows the dark arts is a good friend to me."
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." Sipa blushed, standing back up. "But I feel I don't deserve it, considering… Well, I've kinda been slumping a lot."
"Slumping, you say?" Medusa cocked a brow.
"Well, I… A while back, my Devil's Wand was stolen from me by this other wizard. He showed me visions of… some things I did with it. For some reason, I was really afraid, because… dooming my soul to eternal damnation… didn't look as great as I thought it would. I…I didn't know what I expected it to look like. All I ever thought about was serving Ganon and torching my own soul… I don't understand why I began to feel differently."
"Hmm…" Medusa looked at the body she was possessing. Whatever force was causing everyone to forget Nerehc was affecting his girlfriend, too. Medusa needed to seize the chance. "A Devil's Wand… It's a rare sight for a child to wield such an item. How did a weapon with so dark a core choose you?"
"I got it for my -5th birthday. It was after my grandfather conducted a dark ritual where… he took a small piece of my soul and gave it to a demon called Lucifer. Then, Lucifer gave me a piece of him in return. That's how my magic abilities developed."
"So, you are acquainted with Lucifer." Medusa said with a perceptive tone. "Then it was convenient that we found you. Hm… Old Black Feathers always loved children. He found their souls to be most delicious, especially when consumed with despair. You see, we are actually trying to locate Lucifer. If you share his essence, then perhaps you can help us find him in Posiverse Mexico."
"The Posiverse? Well, I would be happy to serve you, Lady Medusa!" Sipa smiled brightly. "But why do you wish to find him?"
This question brought another one to Medusa's mind. "Sipa… do you know what's going to happen this month?"
"Uh… Something's going to happen?"
She doesn't remember that, either. Perhaps because Nerehc told everyone… "Never mind. We'll get into the details as soon as we locate Lucy."
"Yaaaaaawn." Ragus made a yawn, but her tone and expression maintained that quiet, still vibrance. "I apologize, Lady Medusa, but I feel weary. I wish to rest and visit my toys in the Dream World."
"You're dismissed, Ragus. Thanatos, carry her."
"Why am I her piggy ride?" the fat god asked as Ragus lay on her back and closed her eyes, still smiling.
"Because you are a pig." Pandora remarked emotionlessly. "That's the end of the sentence."
"Oh, fine." Thanatos picked the child up off the ground and put her over his back. "If I was in my normal form, I could just become a luxury train."
"We'll take Nerehc's DNK ship he used to fly here." Medusa decided. "I don't think his Dark Portal could cross to the Posiverse. Sipa, we'll rely on you for that once we make it to Ocixem."
Night Castle
Nerehc's new penguin friend didn't remember his own name, so Nerehc decided to call him Pennington. Still, he remembered a lot more than Nerehc did; the boy wasn't sure of his own name, nor anything else. He hoped Ragus would have answers for him.
Pennington led him to the castle's grand bedroom, where a girl was asleep on a bed with green curtains. The blanket was a night sky with stars, complimenting for Ragus's dress. "That's her." Nerehc knew on instinct. "Can we wake her up?"
"Not like this. She must sleep in the real world."
Nerehc approached and moved the curtain aside to have a better view of her. Ragus's purple eyes came open, and she sat up at a 90° angle. "Hello, visitors!"
Nerehc jumped back, startled by her sudden waking. "Ragus?"
"Oh, my new toy! You're the one Lady Medusa describes." Ragus kicked off her bed, her bare feet hitting the checkered floor. She approached him with her creepy smile. "Nerehc…"
"Nerehc? Is that my name?"
"That's what Lady Medusa calls you. But I have no idea who you are, 'Nerehc.'"
"You don't know who I am? Do you know anything about me?"
"No, I do not. Which is funny, because I knew plenty about my toys before I decided to make them what they are. After a short time being here, they begin to forget who they are themselves. Like Mr. Penguin." Ragus gestured at the stuffed British bird. "I have no idea who he is. It doesn't matter to me, though. As long as they're soft and snuggly enough to hug to sleep every night!" She hugged herself and swayed happily. "You're especially peculiar, because I forgot you right away. I can only guess something happened to your Positive."
"My Positive? What do you mean by that?"
"Hmm… I don't remember that, either. I lose track of things when I have fun."
Nerehc looked at Pennington, then back to Ragus. "Why do you do this to people, anyway?"
"It happened 12 years ago… Our house got set on fire and burned me to death. Father was so upset that he made a lifeless doll out of my remains. He pleaded the gods to give his baby girl back. Only Lady Medusa listened. She collected my soul and put me back in this unaging body. Then I became a spiritbender. I'm not sad, anymore. I don't feel pain. I thought other people would like this feeling, too. Do you like being happy, Nerehc?" Her head slanted.
"I'm not happy, I'm confused! I don't know who I am, where I come from, what I do…"
"Then… do you need… to know these things?" Ragus approached him slowly. "Nerehc… do you know what being 'confused' means?"
"I…" Nerehc touched his forehead. He remembered nothing about himself… In fact, he wasn't sure what anything was. He never noticed… how soft his head felt. He didn't know what the word 'soft' meant, the word just came up.
"Whoever you were… Nerehc… then forget about… Nerehc…" Ragus stood two inches from him. His mind only focused on her soft voice. His eyes were turning dull. "Living without sadness or conflict… is bliss… The only way to forget it all… is to forget yourself. Let your mind… and body… gray…"
Nerehc's body morphed into a wooden stick puppet that collapsed on the floor. Ragus picked it up by the arms to look at the head's two holes. "Aww… I expected something… fluffier. I guess… he really remembers… nothing. I could always sew a body on him. I wonder what he should be? A monkey? A platypus? Maybe I'll… improvise."
A dirty building in Miracle City
In a hotel that was as run-down as this, you would be surprised even a single mirror was still in one piece. This very mirror was used as the portal for Sipa, Medusa, and her cohorts to climb into the Posiverse. Thanatos had trouble squeezing his fat body through, then he reached in to grab the still-slumbering Ragus.
"It took forever to find an active mirror in Disaster City." Sipa moaned. "Which is ironically one of the most beautiful cities in the Negaverse. Are you sure the gods wouldn't notice us like this?"
"There's a reason this city is called 'The Gods' Blind Spot.'" Medusa remarked. "There's too much negative energy here. Alright, Sipa… help us locate Lucifer."
Sipa held her Devil's Wand with both hands and took a breath. "Point Me Lucifer." Instantly, the wand thrusted to her right.
The group left the building and followed the wand's direction out of the city. The sky was red as the burning sun set. They walked for miles across the desert sand, sweating under the heat. Thanatos tugged on Eigaoh's clothes, which felt stuck to his skin. "I bet now you expect me to make some 'spatula' joke."
"Yes, but since you're inhabiting the Negative, I expect you to actually make it good." Pandora remarked. "Medusa, are you really sure about trusting this little twerp?"
"She has a Devil's Wand." Medusa reminded. "It was crafted by demons and only listens to wizards who made connections with demons. I know only one other person who possesses one and is still alive. But he probably won't be willing to help us. Sipa, however, she's very cooperative. Isn't she?"
"I sure am, Lady Medusa!" Sipa turned to them with a big smile. After facing forward, she frowned, feeling more nervous as they drew closer.
After the sun went down, they went from hot to chilly. The clothes soaked from sweat didn't contribute to this. The gods didn't like being human at all. Eventually, the Devil's Wand led them to a cave inside a huge rock that looked like a small mountain. It was dark, but Sipa didn't bother lighting it with her magic. Instead, the girl got to her knees, placed the wand horizontally on the ground before her, and folded her hands. "O Angel of the Black Wing, the one banished by Arceus… I beseech thee, allow us to speak to you."
The cave turned so black, even the entrance was invisible. A pair of red eyes appeared on a black mass, whose body was only implied by purple streaks. Lucifer spoke in a dark voice. "You better not be here to make fun of me, Medusa."