Leonardo's eyes darted around frantically, hands shaking. "Non! Non! Mon dieu! My brush, it's gone! Someone... they stole my brush!"
Jang groaned, rubbing his temples. "We don't have time for this! The shadows could catch up at any moment!"
Leonardo flailed, spinning in circles. "It's not just a brush! It's my soul extender! Without it, I cannot paint barriers, I cannot control... anything!"
Olive, however, had stopped in her tracks. Her wide eyes were fixed on something small and delicate fluttering in front of her. "A... a butterfly?" she whispered, her fear momentarily forgotten. Its wings shimmered in colors that seemed almost alive, reflecting the surreal glow of the Dark Web around them.
Callie called after her. "Olive! Don't wander off!"
But Olive took a hesitant step forward, entranced. "It's... so beautiful..."
Jang groaned. "Of course. Now she's distracted by a butterfly in the middle of a nightmare world."
Leonardo's panic intensified as he glanced down at the floor. "...And I cannot... I cannot protect her if she drifts away! Without my brush—"
"Olive!" Callie called, grabbing her sister's arm, but Olive wrenched free, following the butterfly's delicate flutter.
Jang ran after her. "Come back here! Now!"
Leonardo sprinted alongside them, hands waving wildly. "Do not! Do not trust the butterfly, it may be... a predator in disguise!"
The butterfly led them through twisting corridors of living paint, over warped staircases and walls that stretched and contracted like breathing. Each step echoed unnervingly, making the chase even more surreal. Finally, the butterfly hovered just outside a small, quaint cottage that seemed impossibly out of place in the chaotic web of colors. Smoke curled gently from a crooked chimney, and the walls were painted a soft, comforting yellow, almost glowing with warmth. Olive stepped onto the porch, still captivated by the butterfly. Jang skidded to a halt beside her, out of breath. "You... you can't just follow things that flutter, Olive! We don't know what's inside!"
Callie came up behind them, hands on her hips. "Yeah, and don't even get me started on that butterfly. It's probably another one of this place's tricks."
Leonardo stopped, breathing heavily, eyes scanning the cottage. "Sacré bleu... it is... peaceful. Too peaceful. And I... I still do not have my brush..."
The butterfly landed lightly on the railing, wings shimmering. Olive crouched down, smiling faintly. "It's okay... it just wanted me to see it..."
Jang's jaw tightened. "Fine. But one wrong move and we leave. Together."
Callie nodded. "Agreed. But... maybe we can see if there's someone inside. Maybe... a clue."
Leonardo groaned. "I will never forgive anyone who touches my brush..." He muttered under his breath, staring at the cottage like it might consume it.
Olive stood up, brushing herself off. "Come on... maybe this is okay. Just for a moment." And with that, the group hesitantly stepped toward the cottage, unaware of whether it was a sanctuary, or another trap waiting in the shadows of the Dark Web.
The cottage smelled... like a garden had exploded. Every surface, every nook and cranny was covered in flowers, petals, pollen, and strange glowing fungi that hummed faintly. Leonardo stepped in first, still flailing over his lost brush. "Mon dieu... it is a paradise of flora! And... and... my brush..."
Olive's eyes widened as she spotted something moving in the corner. A tall, thin figure emerged, wings shimmering like stained glass. Its arms were long and delicate, fingers ending in tiny leafy tips. Its head tilted curiously, and glowing antennae twitched in excitement. "Oh!" the figure exclaimed, clapping its hands. "Visitors! I wasn't expecting company! You must be... humans! Or human-adjacent!"
Jang froze, sniffing violently. "Humans... human-adjacent... oh no. No, no, no..."
Callie blinked. "Who... are you?"
"I am Metamorphosis!" the figure said, bowing flamboyantly. "Curious, chaotic, and entirely obsessed with flowers!"
Olive tilted her head. "You... like flowers?"
Metamorphosis's antennae quivered. "I adore them! Petals, stems, pollen, blossoms! Oh, Mandible is my dear, dear friend—he understands my... peculiar tastes."
Leonardo perked up. "Ah, Mandible! Oui! The bug man with impeccable taste! Friends of friends, how... delightful!"
Jang sneezed violently, stumbling backward. "Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Pollen. Flowers. Allergens. Why is everything... alive?!"
Metamorphosis clapped again, unfazed. "Oh, but it's perfect! Look at these marigolds! These violets! These, oh, my poor dear pollen clouds... so much beauty in a single breath!"
Jang's sneezing grew uncontrollable, eyes red and watering. "I... I cannot... breathe... it's killing me... do you have... anything... antihistamine...?"
Olive and Callie tried to hand him a small bottle Leonardo carried, but Jang sniffed it suspiciously.
"Remedies do nothing here!" he wheezed. "They... they mock me... they are pollen's army..."
Metamorphosis floated over, fascinated. "Oh! A human struggling with flowers! Delightful! Your suffering is... inspiring!"
Leonardo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oui... I am surrounded by chaos, lost brushes, and now... someone who enjoys watching a man die of allergies. Perfect."
Callie tried to stifle a laugh as Jang sneezed again, stumbling into a hanging garland of luminescent petals. "Dad! You're stuck!"
"I... am... a human victim!" Jang wheezed. "Trapped... in... floral hell... I hate... everything!"
Metamorphosis twirled, antennae glowing. "Oh, come now! Smell the lilacs! See the glowing hibiscus! Observe the pollen grains dancing in the sunlight—or whatever approximates sunlight in the Dark Web!"
Jang gagged, waving his hands in futile defense. "I... cannot... I refuse... get me... out... of... here..."
Leonardo groaned, dripping paint onto the floor. "At least... it is not the shadows... yet... but, mon dieu, it is a second form of torment."
Olive giggled nervously, ducking behind Callie. "He's... uh... really funny, Dad. Just... maybe... try not to die from allergies."
Jang shot her a glare through watery eyes. "Funny?! This is death!"
Meanwhile, Metamorphosis had begun pointing out rare flowers, humming gleefully, and occasionally drifting upside-down from the ceiling beams like a hummingbird. Leonardo tried to paint barriers to stop him from knocking over some rare orchids, but the cottage seemed determined to ignore physics entirely. "Come, come, touch this one! Smell it! Isn't it divine?" Metamorphosis exclaimed, dangling a violet so close to Jang's face that another sneeze was inevitable.
Callie grabbed Jang, pulling him away while Leonardo muttered curses in French under his breath. Olive followed, clutching her rabbit. "I think... I think he likes us!"
"Yes!" Leonardo gasped. "He is... chaotic... but... he is a friend! A friend of Mandible! That counts for something!"
Jang wiped his nose, glaring at every petal. "Count for nothing! I hate flowers! I hate pollen! I hate this cottage! I hate... everything!"
Metamorphosis floated toward them with a giggle, antennae waving. "Oh, but you will stay, yes? Sit! Relax! Observe! Smell! Feel the beauty of life and decay intertwined!"
Jang groaned, muttering something about never trusting Olive's choices again, while Leonardo facepalmed. Callie rolled her eyes, and Olive, well, she was quietly delighted by the eccentric butterfly man and the explosion of colors around her. For a moment, the horrors of the Dark Web were paused... replaced by sneezing, glowing flowers, and the utter chaos of a friendly, if extremely eccentric, butterfly man.
The cottage, for all its chaos, had a strange warmth. The flowers hummed faintly, light drifting through the glowing petals, and the air felt oddly soft compared to the twisting hallways and lurking shadows outside. Olive sat on a cushion in the corner, hugging her rabbit to her chest. Her gaze drifted toward the glowing walls, and her small voice broke the quiet. "I... I miss them."
Leonardo paused mid-spray of paint, brush hovering in the air. "Miss who, little Olive?"
Olive swallowed, voice trembling. "My friends... Patch-Eyes, Twitchy... Mandible... Tracker... Stumpy... Crab Claw... Bruise Bloom... Mother of Color... Melody... Vein Glory... Roadeater... The Lord of Death... Soldier 28... Deep Blue... They were... they were there with me before... before everything got worse."
Metamorphosis floated closer, wings gently brushing the tops of the glowing flowers. "Ah... friends lost, companions of the soul... yes. I understand. Their absence... it hurts, yes?"
Olive nodded, tears brimming. "It's not just that. It's... it's my fault. If I hadn't... if I hadn't trusted... if I hadn't been careless... they wouldn't be in danger. The Collector... he's still out there, and... and my mother Han, she's... she's part of it. She... she made me come here. She... she let this happen."
Leonardo's brush clattered to the floor, and he knelt beside her. "No, non, Olive. You are not to blame. The Dark Web... it is a place of chaos, deception, hunger. It would trap anyone. You... you survived. You are brave beyond your years."
Olive shook her head, sniffling. "I don't feel brave. I feel... small. I feel scared. I keep thinking... what if I fail them? What if I can't get them back?"
Metamorphosis hovered closer, soft light from his wings bathing her in gentle glow. "Sometimes fear is not a weakness. It is a reminder... of what is precious. Your friends... your mother... they are precious. And you... you carry the courage to fight for them, even if it feels impossible."
She hugged her rabbit tighter, looking between the two of them. "It's... it's so hard. I keep thinking about my mother. Han. I remember... the hospital. The red eyes on the TV. The way she laughed when... when she trapped Dad and Callie. I can't stop thinking about her. I can't stop thinking about how everything is my fault."
Leonardo's hand hovered over a blank canvas. He murmured, softly, "Perhaps... painting is not only for beauty. Perhaps... for sorrow, too. Perhaps we can capture the grief and turn it into courage. Pain into action."
Olive's small voice whispered, "I just want them safe. I just want my friends... and my family... to be okay. I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me."
Metamorphosis settled down beside her, wings folding gently. "And that... that desire, that care... it is what makes you strong. Even in a world filled with shadows and monsters, your heart beats for others. That is more powerful than any fear."
Leonardo nodded, voice gentle. "Yes. Even here, even in chaos, you can be the light. You can be the one to guide them back. And we... we will help you. You are not alone."
Olive leaned her head against his arm, closing her eyes. "Thank you... both of you. I... I needed to say it out loud. I needed someone to... to hear me."
The room fell quiet, save for the faint hum of flowers and the gentle glow of Metamorphosis's wings. For the first time in what felt like forever, Olive allowed herself to feel the weight of her fear and grief, but also the faint stirrings of hope. "I... I'm scared," she whispered one last time, voice trembling. "But... I have to try. I have to... save them. Even if it kills me."
Metamorphosis's antennae twitched softly. "Then we will help you, little Olive. Every step of the way. The road is dark... but not without light."
Leonardo retrieved a fresh canvas, laying it in front of her. "And sometimes... we put our hearts into paint, and the world bends just enough to show us the way."
Olive reached out, placing her small hands over the blank surface. A tear fell onto the canvas, but it shimmered, catching the soft glow of the cottage. "I'll do it," she whispered. "I'll save them... and I'll save Mom, too."
Metamorphosis and Leonardo exchanged a glance, the strange, chaotic butterfly man nodding gently. "Then," he said softly, "let us prepare. The path will not be easy... but together, we can face the darkness."
Olive hugged her rabbit tighter, drawing strength from their words. Leonardo clapped his hands, paint-stained fingers glinting in the soft glow of the cottage. "Ah! Enough sadness! Time for... happiness! Delight! Joy!"
Olive tilted her head, unsure. "Happiness... now?"
"Oui!" Leonardo exclaimed. "Behold, the creation of cuteness beyond measure!"
He twirled in a dramatic arc, flicking his brush across the canvas. Bright yellows, oranges, and subtle browns splashed onto the blank page. Within moments, little ducklings appeared, wobbling on the floor with tiny quacks and flapping wings. Olive's eyes lit up, and a smile broke across her face for the first time in days. "Duckies... oh my gosh! They're... alive!"
The ducklings waddled around her, bumping into her knees and nibbling gently at her shoes. One hopped onto her lap, nuzzling against her chest. Olive laughed, clapping her hands. "This is... this is amazing!"
Callie and Jang froze in the doorway, staring at the scene. "Wait... what... what is happening?!" Callie exclaimed. "Are those... duckies? Alive?"
"They... they just... came out of... the canvas?" Jang's eyes widened. "Leonardo... what the hell?! This is insane!"
Leonardo twirled his brush one last time, ducklings quacking in chorus. "Not insane, cher Jang! Art alive! Joy incarnate! Witness the power of creation!"
Jang pinched the bridge of his nose. "I... I cannot. I... I hate this. I cannot deal with duckies... alive... in the middle of this... chaos!"
Olive giggled and hugged one of the ducklings. "Come on, Dad... they're cute! Look at them!"
Callie sighed, smirking despite herself. "Fine. I admit... they are kind of adorable. But only kind of."
Leonardo bowed dramatically. "Ah! I have served my purpose! Smile restored... morale raised... sadness vanquished!"

The cottage's chaotic magic settled slightly as Leonardo moved to prepare dinner. Despite the weird flowers and glowing fungi, he managed to create a small, cozy meal on a low table. Plates of steaming vegetables, bread, and odd but oddly tasty creations appeared, each decorated with colorful flourishes that seemed to pulse gently with life. Olive sat on a cushion with her ducklings waddling nearby, smiling faintly but still thoughtful. Jang cautiously approached the table, sniffing suspiciously. "Alright... I'm still allergic, I'm still terrified... but... we have to eat something, I guess."
Callie sat beside him, reaching for a plate. "It's actually... not bad. I mean, considering the circumstances."
Leonardo hovered nearby, hands clasped, eyes sparkling. "Bon appétit! Eat, enjoy, and restore strength! The Dark Web waits for no one, and we must be ready!" The group ate, occasionally glancing at the glowing, wiggling ducklings as they waddled between the table and the walls. Olive laughed quietly as one hopped onto her shoulder, pecking gently at her hair.
Jang muttered under his breath, waving away a floating pollen petal. "I... I do not want to get attached to duckies that come alive, but... okay... they're kind of cute..."
Callie rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. "You're ridiculous, Dad. Just... enjoy the moment. For Olive's sake." Olive's smile grew, a warm light in the otherwise strange, dangerous world around them. Even if only for a little while, the laughter, the food, and the ducklings reminded them that moments of joy could exist, even in the heart of the Dark Web.