Lady (Y/n)'s mind was blank, she couldn't think anymore. She was hoping she fell asleep on the way here and this was a bad dream she'll soon wake up from. The King of Spades laughed and it sent a shiver down her spine, snaping her out of her daze, which confirmed to her that unfortunately, this really was a nightmare come true.
"Wife, are you that speechless that you won't run into my arms upon seeing me again?"
His voice was different, it didn't sound quite right, like his throat wasn't finished yet. But the words were undeniably his.
"Wh... What happened to Arnold?" she uttered.
"He's still in there. In a deep sleep. It's only a matter of time before his consciousness disappears. His soul's energy will be the push I need to be fully reborn."
"He's just a boy..."
"Which made him easy to control."
"He's your son." she frowned, not liking how he spoke about him.
"Which makes him the perfect vessel. And I have you to thank for."
"Me?" her eyes became wide open.

"When I watched you spend time with this pest, I first believed you had betrayed me. But you were still faithful. You've solved my murder, you've made the King of Hearts fall in love with you so he would follow you and leave the kingdom. You made the boy trust you, more than anyone. I've seen you through his eyes, he thinks the world of you!" he laughed. "And you abandoned him. Left him behind, for me to pick up. You believed in me, our bond of love made you see the truth: I've always been here, close to your heart and mind."
As he spoke, she shook her head in horror, covering her mouth with her hands.
"And now, I can destroy everything this little vermin and his bloodline have created." he pointed at Wally. "I will make the three kingdoms pays for what they've done to us!" he extended two arms. "Come to me, dear, let the first thing I feel again be your warmth in my embrace."
She kept covering her mouth, paralyzed.
"Sweet flower, you're still in shock."
He stepped towards her and she instinctively stepped back. They both stopped when Wally stood in front of her.
"You will not lay a finger on her."
"You're standing between us. Move, or I'll remove you."

"N-No."
He looked at her.
"No?"
"I'm not... Let Arnold go!"
"...You have betrayed me."
Out of fear, she held Wally's sleeve, making him look back at her. He held her hand before staring back at the King of Spades.
"I should've known." said man shook his head. "Your innocent mind was easily swayed when I wasn't there, when I was focused on the boy. You believed his pretty words and empty promises, yet you know what he's done! What did he tell you? He spoke of me, didn't he?" his form began to twitch, becoming unstable. "That little brat, always the victim. Blaming everyone but himse-!"
Wally took out a dagger and threw it towards a wall where the end of a rope was, tied into a big knot. Upon hitting it, the knot undid itself and one of the chandeliers fell down in the middle of the room. He quickly embraced (Y/n) and turned away from the thousands of glass shards that flew everywhere.
"We have to get everybody out, now." he ran out of the room, still holding her hand.

The shattering of the chandelier allerted other guards who they saw running over.
"Ring the alarm!" Wally exclaimed. "Evacuated the castl-"
Just then, the entire castle shook. The pipes groaned and moved the walls, making painting and decorations drop down.
"Aww, the land's little golden boy wants to save everyone." the King of Spades' voice echoed within the walls. "How heroic. Let me help you with that."
The floor began to move up and down like waves. The walls cracked, black liquid seeped out. Wally pulled (Y/n) closer. His eyes darted around, quickly thinking while also dodging every bit of ceiling crumbling down. Screams began to be heard all around the castle, the guests shaken awake and panicking. Soon enough, everyone began to run out of the castle.
"My Lady." he held (Y/n) by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You have to get out of here as well."
"What will you do?" she placed her hands on top of his, ready to not let go of them if he plans on staying and fighting alone.
"There are some things I must retrieve. Get everyone to the training grounds, the farthest away from the castle. I'll see you there."
He planted a kiss on her forehead. This quick act would've made her blush if her mind wasn't occupied by the horror of their situation.
"Go."

And with that, they went their separate ways.
"You heard the King." (Y/n) told the guards. "Get everyone out! Check every room! And be careful with that black ink, who knows what it can do!"
She ran out to lead the way. Now that they were outside, she could see people being pushed out the doors by the castle itself, even out of the windows. Thankfully, magic was used by the sorcerers to catch them before they hit the ground. Now that everyone was gathered in one place, people started to look for their friends to make sure they were alright. Julie and Frank were holding hands to not lose each-other. There were some injured people – for which the castle's healers have set up an infirmary area – but no apparent deaths.
It didn't take long for people to see that the Lady of Spades had come back. The crowd began to surround her, asking if her return had anything to do with what was happening and what had become of the King of Hearts.
(Y/n) sighed. Now she had to deal with this on top of it all.
"His Majesty went further into the castle because there were 'some things he must retrieve'. So he said. The two of us came back because we wanted to prevent...this from happening." she looked down. "But we were too late..."

"And what is happening exactly?!" "I thought the castle of Hearts was the most secure place in the land!" "Now it's turning against us!" "This is a nightmare!"
The crowd panicked.
"If this isn't dark magic, I don't know what it is!" "It is dark magic! I can feel it!" "It corrupted the castle!" "The King of Hearts jumped right into his death then!"
This twisted (Y/n)'s heart in pain. Everything that happened was her fault. Her meeting the King, her ignoring Arnold, and now putting Wally and everyone in danger.
But she had to calm the crowd down. Having it turned against her would have dire consequences. She kept herself from crying, casting all worries aside for a moment, to think of something to say, and she took a deep breath.
"The King of Spades."
Everyone fell silent. She looked up at them with a grave expression.
"As it turned out, he faked his own death."
There were loud gasps.

"And he's been planning this from the shadows ever since. The wave of Spades plague was a diversion to get his Majesty out of the Kingdom."
"A diversion...?" "The Spades plague is no mere tactical chip!" "Yeah you can't make a plague! No matter how powerful you are!"
"And yet, it's true."
Everyone turned to see the King of Hearts walking over and standing beside Lady (L/n). She sighed, relieved to see him in one piece.
"We came back as soon as we learned. Sadly, we were too late."
"So he's inside the castle right now?!" the crowd panicked even more.
"Those who want to leave can." he said. "This goes without saying: the Shuffling is canceled." he smiled.
This was enough for almost every guest to leave, only a dozen or so remained, including Catherine and Gwendolyn. They and (Y/n) rushed over to each-other and hugged.
"(Y/n)..." Catherine sobbed. "We couldn't... We couldn't find Arnold."
"He wasn't in his room." Gwendolyn whispered.
(Y/n)'s heart ached and she tightly closed her eyes.
"We'll find him." she said.

"My King!" Miss Partridge rushed up to Wally, accompanied by Barnaby.
"I believe now is the time to discuss strategy. Guard, gather whoever is available."
"Yes your Highness!"
"My Lady?" he turned to (Y/n).
She looked at him, then at her two friends.
"(Y/n) no." Catherine held her hand. "You're not a soldier!"
"It's okay, Catherine." she placed her other hand on top of hers. "You two should get to safety."
"Not without you." Gwendolyn shook her head. "And not without Arnold."
This was surprising. The Countess and the Marquis always bickered. (Y/n)'s confusion seemed to be apparent.
"He's a teenager, all teenagers are a pain in the ass. But he is just a kid."
(Y/n) smiled.
"Then we must make sure he comes back."
She patted Catherine's hands before joining Wally and the others on top of the small hill.

Julie was crying and began to apologize to (Y/n) as soon as she saw her.
"(Y/n). Wally, Frank and I killed your King." she harshly whispered. "This is all our fault. And we didn't do anything to help your kingdom because we hated that guy so much we didn't think his kingdom was all that good but then we became friend and we learned about you and your culture and I'm so sorry and I can understand if you hate us now and-"
The Lady's eyes widened. All three royals were in on this after all? She glanced at Wally.
'He took the blame...'
She sighed with a small smile and held the Queen's shaky hands.
"Julie. It's okay."
Julie loudly sniffed, making her snot come back up her nose.
"Really?"
"Yes. My King was... not a good man. And you did what you could to save – not only yourselves – but a lot of people in the future."
"That was...the plan anyway." Frank mumbled, rubbing his arm.

"You knew about this too?" she turned to Barnaby and Poppy.
"Y-...Yes..." the sorceress slowly nodded.
"I think we can save that conversation for another time, can't we?" Barnaby looked over at the castle.
"The important thing now is to destroy the King of Spades once and for all." Wally said, facing it.
Under the bright moonlight, the castle of Hearts had a dark aura all round it. Black tendrils began to form out of the ink that was within its walls, like blood. Everyone looked at it for a moment.
"Something doesn't add up here." Frank spoke up. "Why did he push everyone out? Surely he could've just killed us. Why do you think that is, Miss Partridge?"
Everyone looked at her, except (Y/n) and Wally, who kept staring ahead.
"W-Well first I would need to know what really happened."
Everyone looked at Wally and (Y/n), the latter of which took a deep breath.

"He's Arnold's father."
"Huh?!" both Frank and Julie exclaimed while the other two had their jaws on the floor.
"What?!"
"Lady Starlet, with all due respect, shut up!"
"L-Ladies, we agreed we'd be quiet!"
Everyone looked over to see Lady Starlet, her friend Jeremiah, Mr. Dear, Catherine and Gwendolyn, all hiding behind boulders and trees not too far away. Now that the group knew they've been spotted, Sally rushed over to the others.
"Oh I do deeply apologize, kind royalty and dear friends!" she joined her hands and looked at them with puppy dog eyes. "I simply meant to understand what you were planning to do, as I – and my companions – were deeply worried for, not only your safety, but your mental well-being! As I'm sure you are as shaken as the rest of us!"
"And I do apologize for the foul language I used." Catherine said. "However, I must say. When someone is commenting on every sentence another one speaks like it's their own style of punctuation, it gets frustrating!"
"Yeah, welcome to the club." Jeremiah smirked. "You will not get used to it."
"You'd be a really lousy spy, that's for sure." Gwendolyn said.
Sally loudly gasped, offended.

"I-I-I tried to stop them, your Highnesses!" Eddit shook, clenching his hat in his hands. "But th-they wouldn't listen! And we promise to not tell a soul about what we heard!" he crossed his heart.
"Of course of course- After I get some details!" Sally pushed him away. "A secret prince?! An illegitimate son?! Could this explain your motherly behavior towards him, milady?"
"He's not mine." (Y/n) said sternly, shivering at the idea of doing anything... child-making, with that man.
But she was relieved. It would seem that the group has only heard one of the two big secrets that have been shared here.
"Arnold told you that?" Gwendolyn asked.
"Yes."
"...That explains so much." Catherine's gaze wandered, replaying all the time she spent with Arnold, now with this context.
"It doesn't explain this though!" Frank pointed at the castle.

"The King of Spades has been corrupting his mind ever since we got here." (Y/n) said. "I didn't know... I didn't see it. And now the King is using his body to... 'be reborn', so he said."
"Reborn?" Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. "But you said he wasn't dead."
"He wasn't. Not really." Wally said. "He left a part of himself behind, and it has infected my home. He's only a fragment of what he used to be, in terms of power."
"A fragment you say...?" they looked at the castle, feeling the amount of magic coursing within its walls.
"But using the Marquis' body, taking over his soul..." Poppy thought out loud. "He could absorb his mana as well. And that young man is already very strong."
"H-Hold your horses please!" Eddie lifted a shaky hand. "Please excuse me but this is all so confusin' for me. So, is the King of Spades the castle, or the young lad?"
Everyone looked at Poppy, who looked at the castle for a moment. She asked (Y/n) and Wally if they saw the possession and they told her what they've witnessed. It sent a shiver down their listeners' spine.

"So..." the sorceress took a deep breath. "Right now, he is both."
Some people of the group frowned, confused
"His soul is in the process of being transferred from the castle to the Marquis' body. But such a thing doesn't just happen by itself. You would need some kind of third party..." she glanced at the King, knowing he would know the answer to this.
"Tree bark from the Dark Forest." (Y/n) answered for them.
Everyone – besides those who knew – gasped.
"How could he have gotten his hands on such a thing?!" Frank asked.
"Oh I knew he could stroll in there like a walk in the park!" Catherine frowned, her fists clenched. "That man is scarier than any evil creature!"
"I-I-I-..." Eddie gulped. "Agreed!" he nodded with big movements.

(Y/n) thought for a moment.
"That would explain why he pushed everyone out." she said. "He wants to complete this soul transferring ritual before doing anything. He'd want to look...presentable, I suppose."
There was a moment of silence.
"So wait, the solution would then be to destroy the bark, which would stop the ritual, correct?" she asked Poppy.
"That would be one way of doing it, yes. But..."
"It's too risky." Wally said. "With the ability to move the castle, who knows where he hid it. Also, doing so in the middle of a ritual, the consequences could be devastating. It could create an explosion powerful enough to destroy the entire castle, with everyone inside." he paused, facing her. "There are simpler solutions-"
"If you're referring to the option of killing Arnold, I believe that my stance on the matter is obvious." she gave him a cold look. "No harm will come to him, he is as much of a victim as you and I."
Wally didn't argue. But, even with this new context, in the back of his mind, he knew that corruption happens when already existing feelings are amplified. Arnold is the son of the King of Spades, and he inherited not only his father's powers, but also his pride and anger. In Wally's mind, it would only be a matter of time before the boy grows up to be just like his father. Who knows if he's even immortal as well...
But looking into (Y/n)'s eyes, seeing her certainty, he couldn't say any of this. He sighed.

"What would happen if we destroy the tree bark, Miss Partridge?" he said without looking away. "Best case scenario, without an explosion."
"W-Well..." she looked away. "The ritual would abruptly stop, the castle would turn back to normal and so the soul that inhabits it would naturally dissipate."
"What about Arnold?" (Y/n) asked.
The almost pleading look on her face shattered Poppy's heart.
"That...That depends. If we're not too late, when the ritual stops, he would have to fight this 'parasite'. If his mana is strong enough, he could perhaps reject it."
"And it would only be a fragment of a fragment of the King's soul! Perfect!" she clapped her hands once. "Time is of the essence then, we must think of a strategy to get inside, fight the King, find the bark and destroy it before it's too late."
"We'd be fighting inside the enemy!" Frank said. "I'm sorry (Y/n), but I just don't see any way around this. How would we even get in?!"
"I can get us in."
Wally's eyes widened.
"I'm sure I can convince him." she added, nodding.

"(Y/n) no!" Catherine protested. "You'd just be in danger!"
"If you're going, we're going too." Gwendolyn pointed at herself and her friend.
"No, if one of us three has to be in danger, it's going to be me." she looked at the three royals. "You know how he fights, I know how he works. If he takes complete control of Arnold, he'll take everyone down. Not just you and your Kingdoms."
"He would sometimes say that he 'played our game' and played by 'our rules'..." Frank said, his gaze wandering.
"I don't like this game." Julie mumbled.
"Whatever rules he was referring to, they are no more." (Y/n) sternly said. "We don't have time for sentimentality right now. The whole world may be at stake here. Those who can be useful to whatever plan we'll come up with goes inside, the rest stays here where it's safe."
With her commanding tone, the group agreed.
"Before we move on from sentimentality, however." Wally spoke. "May I have a quick word alone with you, my Lady?"
"Um, alright. But please, we must be quick."
The two of them walked away from the group. They saw Wally handing her something. Which both Julie and Frank recognized, and it led to a big revelation that they had to be silent about for now.

"After we killed the King of Spades," Wally quietly spoke. "we noticed he had an envelope with him. It wasn't in his handwriting, so we read it, only the beginning, then we stopped. For we quickly understood who wrote this and who it was addressed to. He had spoken of a 'future queen' and how her parents hid her away from him... And how he made them pay for it. After he did that, he must've found this letter and took it for himself. I kept it all these years, believing with melancholy that I would never know who that woman was. And that I could never give her this letter." he smiled, there was a bittersweetness to it. "I was wrong. I believe this is for you."
On the envelope was written 'To my daughter'. It was her father's handwriting. (Y/n) opened it and read. Her tears began to flow down her face with only the first sentence.

'My dearest, daughter. I'm sorry. Your mother and I realized that this life – chosen for us by someone else – wasn't a true way of living. But we realized that too late. We were arranged into marriage by the King. We might not have loved each-other the way your favorite characters in books do, but we do treasure you more than life itself. Being the first daughter born under the (L/n) name, we knew the King would take it as a sign from the spirit. So we hid you from him. But you are no bird in a cage, holding you back would only strengthen your resolve. That's my daughter right there!'

(Y/n) chuckled and covered her mouth. The tears wouldn't stop.

'Of all the creatures you found in the woods, you found the most dangerous of all. And your mind has been conditioned to adore him, just like mine, just like my father's, and like his father's before him, and so on. I'm sorry we couldn't tell you the truth right away. When you came back with him and he announced that you would get married tomorrow, and when we saw how happy you were. Your mother and I thought you were too far gone, and that we wouldn't have time to change your mind. Tomorrow, we'll go see Home, for you to say goodbye, and your mother and I will ask it to keep you within its walls, to protect you, while we confront the King. There is no doubt in our mind of what he'll do to us. We don't care. He will not have our daughter. He will not put you in another cage. I hope that this will make you see his true colors. Mourn us for as long as you see fit, but please, take our death as your key to freedom. Hear my dying wish, dearest, go out, see the world for what it is, make a true name for yourself. I know you, you're a brilliant woman! Smart and compassionate, it's in your nature to help others. I know your love for our Kingdom is pure. Even if you can't go to the royal court, you'd find a way to help the people. Whatever you choose to do from now on, just be safe, be you. We love you. We love you so much. I hope our ghosts will get to watch you, because you're going to be... And it will be beautiful.'

One would think he didn't find the right words at first and wrote a different sentence, but (Y/n) knew he was just being poetic. 'To be', to live. She chuckled again, thinking her father was still a dork even in a moment like this. Then her face twisted in sadness and grief and held the letter close as she sobbed. Wally hesitated, but eventually hugged her.
After a moment, she sniffed and stepped back. She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Thank you." she exhaled.
"Anytime, anywhere."
With that, they went back to the group. She put the letter back in the envelope and gave it to Catherine, making her promise to keep it close until this is over.
"Alright." she said with a serious expression. "Step one: come up with a plan..."

Frank, Eddie, Sally, Catherine and Gwendolyn stayed behind. (Y/n), alone, went up to the front door.
"My King?"
The windows twisted and slowly turned into eyes, staring at her. He looked like a grotesque, unfinished copy of Home. She was scared, but she tried to not show it.
"I'm so sorry for the way I acted." she joined her hands together, speaking in a softer manner, like a child asking their parents for a favor. "I was shaken, I couldn't believe it was really you."
"It is me." a voice echoed.
"I-I see that now, this power... Who else could it be but you." she smiled, her eyebrows furrowed. "Please let me in. I wish for us to be reunited at last. My time without you felt like an eternity."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes, of course. I left these pests behind."
She paused, her smile faltered.

"[The King of Hearts is hiding somewhere behind me. The Queen of Clubs is using her magic to enter one of the higher floors in the western wing. The royal sorceress in entering through the garden, accompanied by the jester. And the playwright's butler is going through the servants' entrance. They plan on destroying the load-bearing walls of the castle first before getting to you. The King of Hearts has his legendary sword, he plans on using it against you.]" she said, not trying to be quiet, since no one but him could understand what she was saying. "[I told them I could get them in by deceiving you, but please believe me, my words are true. I could never lie to you.]"
A moment passed. She could hear her heart beating like a drum.
"My sweet flower." he spoke again. "[I could feel their presence as soon as they approached me. And you didn't miss a single one.]"
Her eyes widened.
'He asked if I was alone as a test.'
"[How could I ever doubt you?]"
The doors opened. The place was illuminated by fewer candles. More black ink covered the walls and floor, always moving, like breathing mud. (Y/n) gulped.

As soon as she stepped in, Wally jumped out of his hiding spot and went inside with her.
"Now let's go, my Lady." he grabbed her hand.
She looked at him, knowing she didn't have a lot of time to talk. So she just said a simple:
"Sorry."
"What?"
Just then, black tendrils came out of nowhere and grabbed Wally's limbs, dragging him away as he called out for her. She turned away from him. From one of the many black puddles, an eye formed and looked at her.
"What about the others?" she asked.
"I'll lock them all up somewhere, I'll properly kill them once I'm fully reborn."
"Then you must concentrate on the ritual above all, my King!"
"As if I haven't!"
There was a laugh, coming from somewhere in the castle. The throne room probably...

Wally was thrown into a dark room, devoid of light. He couldn't see anything.
"Wally's here!" Julie exclaimed.
Of course, being born in the Clubs Kingdom, she could see in the dark almost as clearly as day.
"Hey butler?" he heard Barnaby. "You're a moon guy, can't you glow in the dark?"
"Moons don't generate any light!" Jeremiah exclaimed (clearly, this wasn't the first time someone has made that remark). "They reflect the light of the Sun!"
"That doesn't sound right." Julie said. "When it's night, the Sun isn't here, yet the Moon is shining."
"It's 'cause-" they groaned. "You Earth people's knowledge on astronomy sucks!"
"Julie." Wally said. "How is the room? Could you describe it for me?"

She looked around and gave him as much detail as possible.
"East tower, second floor, last door to the left." he said. "If the door is behind me, then..."
He blindly walked in a certain direction, accidentally kicking Barnaby and apologizing for it. Then he reached a hand out and placed it on a surface. There was that muddy liquid, but under it was glass.
"Did you hear that Jeremiah?"
"Roger that." they said. "And while we're at it, I also have a secret. My real name isn't Jeremiah." they paused. "It's Jerry."
There was a moment of silence.
"I...I see." Poppy said.
"I like Jeremiah better." Julie bluntly admitted.
"It does have a nicer ring to it." Wally nodded.
"You sure Jerry isn't just your nickname?" Barnaby asked.
"Cool, awesome." they folded their arms. "Glad to make an impression."

"Is everybody ready?" Wally asked.
"Yes!" everyone agreed.
"Then it's on to step two."

'Step one: come up with a plan. Step two: forget that plan – because it will be our bait – and come up with a better one!'

Meanwhile, back on the training grounds, Sally has been staring up at the night sky even since group one has entered the castle.
"Look at all these constellations." Frank spoke. "It would be a beautiful night, if it wasn't under these circumstances..."
"They'll come back, your Highness." Eddie smiled, standing beside him. "Alive and well."
Frank looked at him, and held his hand. Eddie gasped and looked ahead, suddenly very tense and his face as red as a tomato. Suddenly, everything seemed possible.
"Let our bloody colors wave." Sally said without looking away. "End in either victory, or in a grave."
"Isn't that a line from Henry VI?" Gwendolyn asked.
"He got it from me, and I made it better- Five minutes has passed! Space, people! A little space please."
Everyone took a couple of steps back. Sally closed her eyes and concentrated, her head began to glow brighter.

'If we enter from different directions, he'll be sure to regroup you all into one room.' (Y/n) said. 'That way, he'll think he's foiled your plan.'
'But what if he locks you in the basement?' Frank asked. 'How would you get out? How would we get the signal?'
'Teleportation crystals could help.' Wally thought out loud. 'But surely he would sense their magic and take them from us.'
'Maybe we can help with that!' Sally exclaimed, wrapping her arm around Jeremiah's shoulders and pulling them close. 'The thing about us, people of space, is that we are made from space dust. Every one of us is made of magic! You could say we are walking crystals!'
'Oh! That's amazing!' (Y/n) beamed. 'The King doesn't know anything about the people of space! Miss Starlet, Sir Jememiah, you could be our ace in this plan!'
'Ohohoho of course!' she puffed up her chest, relishing in these praises while Jeremiah looked away, flustered.

In the dark room, Jeremiah started to glow. The ink all around them started to twitch and it quickly started to cover them, trying to prevent whatever spell that was cast from working.
"Arh! Ew ew ew!"
Thankfully for them, they disappeared in a puff of glowing golden dust. And appeared in front of Sally.
"Speak friend!"
"East tower, second floor, last door to the left."
"Roger that!" the two of them turned to the castle. "If the big dipper is right there, then the East should be..."
"That one!" Frank pointed.
"Indeed! Archeeers!!!" she turned towards the soldiers. "Here is your target!" she pointed. "All the windows of the second floor! Fire like your arrows are made of the strongest steel!"
"They are!" someone said.
"All the better then! Fire!"

The archers launched their arrows, some normal, some made of magic. With this concentrated attack, every window of the tower's second floor all crashed open. They watched as group one all jumped out the window. The Queen of Clubs used her magic and summoned a giant vine for her and her companions to ride around the castle.
"Now, onward soldiers!" Sally pointed forward. "For justice! For freedom! And for the future!"
The soldiers cheered and ran towards the castle's front door.
"Gosh I love Earth!" she beamed. "Let's go Jeremiah!"
"You are too happy for such a situation!" Catherine exclaimed, watching the two space people run towards the castle.

Meanwhile, (Y/n) was making her way to the throne room, feeling eyes constantly on her, forming and deforming as she walked passed them. Suddenly, she heard the shouts of the soldiers.
"We're being attacked." the King said. "And the pests have escaped."
For a split moment, she hesitated. What if it didn't work? What if the King was able to stop her the moment she acts? What if the plan failed?
'Better die trying then.'
She clenched her fists and ran as fast as her legs could take her.

'Priorities?' Catherine blinked twice.
'Right now, he must focus on the ritual. If we add the soldiers at the front door, plus group one,' she pointed at Wally. 'plus me-'
'I refuse to leave you alone with him.' Wally said.
'I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice, your Highness. Don't worry though, with all of these distractions, he'll be destabilized. Which would make the work easier for some of us.'
'And that would all depend on his priorities.' Frank said.
She nodded.
'Well, number one would be the ritual for sure.' Julie said.
'I have my legendary sword, which is a powerful enough weapon to destroy him.' Wally said. 'So his second priority would be us.'
'Third is the battalion at the door. So in last place, it would be me.' (Y/n) pointed at herself.

'Are you sure about that?'
Her and Wally exchanged a look.
'I'm certain.' she nodded. 'To him, I'm just a small weak woman without magic. He wouldn't think there is any risk in me running around.'
'We have to find a meeting point then,' Poppy said. 'for us to reunite.'
'Actually...There is something I'd like to do before that.'
Everyone looked at her, confused.
'Not everyone was able to leave the castle.'

The place she looked for was on the other side of the castle. But thanks to Wally and Julie, she was able to find a secret passage that led to a cave underneath the castle, illuminated by small candles. It turned into a slide at some point, which she fell into with a surprised cry. But once she was at the bottom, she quickly stood back up and kept going onward.
She heard noises that made her stop in her tracks. The pipes groaned. A breeze coming from behind made the candlelights go out. She turned around.
"[Where are you going?]" his muffled voice sent a chill down her spine.
A bit farther away, something crashed through the wall and a wave of black ink started to flood the cave. (Y/n) began running again.
'I thought he wouldn't bother with me!' she panicked. 'Was I wrong in the priority order?!'
The answer was no. He was just more powerful than expected.

Meanwhile, group one was making circles around the castle. Black tendrils were trying to catch them.
"Hang on tight!" Julie exclaimed.
Her vine swiftly dodged the attacks. Whenever one came too close, the other passengers would hit it with their magic. However, the ink would always reform itself, except when Wally was using his legendary sword. They'd sometimes try to get back inside the castle, but then they'd get attacked and would back off. But this was just an act, the reality of it was that they couldn't move on to the next step before (Y/n) finished her rescue mission, or else the timing would be off.
It took everything in Wally to not just go back in, find her and stay by her side. Knowing that she was alone filled him with anxiety. Barnaby placed a hand on his friend's head, covering half of his face in the process.
"Eyes on the prize, bud!"

(Y/n)'s vision now stripped away, she kept a hand on the wall as she ran. Despite the tunnel being in a straight line, who knows, it could take a sudden turn. The sound of running water behind her made her panic. Knowing that being careful was slowing her down, she decided to opt for recklessness and began to run blindly in a straight line.
Finally she bumped into her destination: a wooden door. Her nose was bleeding now, but that was the least of her problem. She tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Not even bothering to turn around to check, she hit the door with her shoulder, putting all her weight into it. She could feel the door moving with each hit. Julie did say that it hasn't been used in a long time. She wanted to kick, but her dress was restricting her movements. Without time to think of property, she quickly crouched to grab a hold of the edges of her dress with both hands and ripped it. She then kicked the door open and almost leaped out of the cave. She came out of a secret hidden door, which she quickly shut and pushed the nearest furniture to block it. She heard the wave's impact, a puddle started to form below the door – which made her quickly step back – but nothing more.

As she was told she would be, she was now in a hallway on the floor below. She went to a broken window, now without glass, and looked out. The soldiers led by Lady Starlet and Jeremiah were still at the front door, trying to break it open. She saw group one, still riding this giant vine like it was a giant snake. Because they knew where she'd end up, the group knew where to keep their eye out for her. They quickly locked eye contact and (Y/n) started making specific hand gestures. It was a code that they came up with before going to battle.
"Less stalling for time, more offense!" Barnaby exclaimed.
"Okaaaaay!" Julie sang.
Wally wasted no time. He wanted to use his most powerful spells, but he knew that destroying parts of the castle would risk hurting (Y/n), even if she was on the other side of it.

'Now we must think of an attack plan.' Wally said. 'Me and Julie have trained together for many years and we know a good amount of attack formation.'
'Oh yes yes yes!' she beamed. 'We have the Rose of Fire, the Double Eagles, the Green Dragonfly, the BFTKA-'
'But we've yet to see any of you fight.' he addressed Poppy and Barnaby while Julie kept listing names. 'We must get a general knowledge of your skills and methods so as to not step on each-other's toes.'
'Uh, before you go any further on this plan.' (Y/n) spoke up. 'I believe it's important to ask... Your Highness, there might be the possibility that your castle will be in very poor conditions after this... Are you alright with that?'
'Right.' Barnaby nodded. 'We could be careful and focus on that black ooze rather than the structure itself.'
Wally looked at his castle, the home of the Darling family since the birth of the Land of the Four Kingdoms. The history of this place filled entire libraries. The memories held here were precious, no matter how happy or painful they were...
'He corrupted my home.' he said. 'It needs to be set free.' he turned back to the others. 'Castles can be rebuilt, it's all right.'
Julie and Frank exchanged a sad look, the latter of which patted Wally's shoulder.

Now that group one and two were going all out on the offense. (Y/n) started her search.
'Third one on the left corridor.' she repeated Wally's words.
She opened the door. The quarters were relatively intact, minus of course the walls bleeding with black blood. She rushed to the rooms, all were empty except for one. For a short silent moment, she looked at the body of the now deceased mother of the Count of Rummoli. She had recently succumbed to her injuries and has been placed here in her chamber, ready to be sent back home in the morning.
A rumble shook the entire castle, which snapped (Y/n) out of her thoughts. She opened the window and saw the sorcerer and guard below, looking up at her. She turned back and huffed, preparing herself as she rushed up to the body. It has been cleaned, the patches of melted skin have been hidden with bandages.
"Excuse me, ma'am." she quietly said as she picked up her body, not without difficulty.
With heavy but quick steps, she went to the open window and let the body fall down. The sorcerer used a spell to slow down her fall so she could be safely retrieved by the guard.
"Go!" she shouted.
They nodded and ran away. Barnaby noticed them and saw her waving at him.
"Package secured, guys!" he told the others. "It's time to bring the house down!"

Group one spotted where (Y/n) was and jumped through the window to reunite with her. Julie hugged her tight.
"You're hurt." Wally noticed her bleeding nose.
"I ran into the door. I'm fine." she said while quickly wiping off the blood, which left a red mark across her face.
While this was happening, group two finally managed to open the front door. Sally was the first one to squeeze through. Everyone was inside the castle now.
"Nuisance, all of you." the King's voice echoed. "Do you really think your pitiful battalion would be enough to stop me?"
"The number matters not!" Sally exclaimed. "What matters is the ardor and the fire that drives them!"
"All just pretty words. While I am the equivalent of an army."
As he said that, in the entrance hall, the ink began to change. Puddles began to bubble up, chunks of it fell from the ceiling and took another form. Humanoid beings stood up, some with eyes, some with multiple limbs, all of them terrifying. The shouts of fear from the soldiers were heard by group one.
"Let's go." Wally said before they ran out of the room.

"Ha!" Sally exclaimed, still smiling. "Like that's gonna stop us! Your reign of terror ends today!"
"What can you do? You're no real warrior, you're an actor."
"You want to see real?" she asked as Jeremiah came in and stood beside her. "We'll show you real!"
The two beings from space, made of magic itself, concentrated and combined their forces. Sally's head began to glow, her light bouncing off of Jeremiah, who looked to be glowing themselves because of it. They joined their hands and together, they shot a beam of pure light through a couple of those ink beings. They stood there with a clean hole in their chests before melting down.
"Come on, soldiers! Glory awaits! Against darkness, light shall prevail!" Sally exclaimed. "No such thing as invincibility, let's remind his Highness of that!"
As the soldiers began to fight, group one made their way through the main staircase. The ink beings would form all around them, but it was a slow enough process that the group could easily run past them. They could hear the King's voice through those beings, taunting them.
"If... If these are extensions of him," Poppy panted. "then it must take a lot of concentration!"
"This is good then!" (Y/n) said.
"Let's split his focus even more!" Julie smirked. "We're like viruses, destroying him from the inside!"
"If that's the case then the immune system is kickin' in!" Barnaby said.

Finally, they've reached the staircase. The castle shook once more, the pipes groaning like an animal's roar. More ink demons crawl from the floors below and up.
"Be careful friends." (Y/n) gave Poppy and Barnaby a worried look.
"Don't worry about us lady." Barnaby cracked his knuckles. "We party animals will bring the house down!"
"You already said that." Poppy told him as the group split into two, with her and him going downstairs and the others going upstairs.
"Yeah, but no one laughed!"
"Now isn't exactly the time for laughing, Barnaby."
"It's always time for a good joke! Would you rather I be a stick-in-the-ink!" he laughed.

'There are two possible places where the tree bark could be.' Wally said. 'The throne room, or the basement below it.'
'We could split our group into two once we're reunited.' Poppy suggested.
'Meanwhile, we will spread discordancy throughout the first floor!' Sally said, her chest puffed up.
'Is there a possibility that he'll possess one of us?' Jeremiah asked.
Hearing this, (Y/n) crouched down to tap a stick of wood.
'He's already possessing Arnold though.' she said as she stood back up. 'Can such a thing happen? Possessing two people at the same time? It sounds very energy-draining.'
'It is.' Poppy nodded. 'And considering the state that he's in, this would be too much of a gamble for him.'
'Still, in the chance that we end up facing the possessed Marquis,' Sally said. 'do you have any advice for us? Any warnings.'
(Y/n) thought for a moment.
'The Eclipse War happened more than fifty years ago. I don't believe the King had a lot of opportunities to fight or get any training done. Especially since he... He hasn't had a body for a year now.'
'That doesn't change anything.' Wally said with a grave voice. 'Expect the unexpected and never let your guard down.'

"That is unexpected alright!" Sally told no one in particular. "But this actually works to our advantage, now we have clear targets!"
"Sure, but it's not easier!" Jeremiah exclaimed, his back pressing on hers. "He keeps popping out more of these freaks!"
"Just keep fighting!" she said as she fired a small meteor shower. "He is bound to grow tired eventually!"

As they agreed to do, Julie led the way, (Y/n) was behind her and Wally watched the trio's back. The number of ink demons increased, at this point, fighting was inevitable.
"I-I must remind you..." (Y/n) panted. "I'm no fighter!"
"Don't worry, we'll protect you!" Julie looked back at her with a smile.
"Leave it to us." she heard Wally say behind her. "Whatever happens, keep running."
"I trust you two!"
"Woohoo! Friendship wins!" Julie said as she jumped into the air and pressed her foot (she was wearing her boots) on the face of an ink demon that was right in front of her.
She landed on her feet, reducing the monster into a puddle of black mud, and kept running. The trio kept running through the hallway, coordinating their speed so that they kept up with each-other (both Julie and Wally slowed down for (Y/n)). The King and Queen fought off any ink beings that came across them, making sure none of them even touched the Lady.

"(Y/n), get on my back!"
Julie slowed down so that (Y/n) – not asking any questions – could leap forward and wrap her arms around her neck. Now she could see the horde of monsters blocking the way and running towards them. Julie went to the wall and started to crawl up, almost to the ceiling. While the two ladies successfully avoided the monsters, Wally was still on the ground and sliced his way through like a knife through butter. Once the obstacle was gone, Julie went back down and (Y/n) let go of her once she landed. The three of them went back to their original formation and kept going.
This went on for a while. Julie and Wally moved in perfect harmonious synchronization, as if they could read each-other's thoughts. At some point, a projectile was thrown at them. Julie made a noise and hunched over to dodge. Wally knew what that noise meant, so he kicked (Y/n) in the back on the knee to make her fall back, knowing there was very little time to spare. He dodged the projectile and called Julie's name. As he did, right before the Lady could hit the ground, Julie summoned a vine that grew out of the tiled floor and pushed (Y/n) so she could stand back up. She was shaken and confused, but again asked no question.
The trio has been running for a while now, and (Y/n) realized that they haven't turned around a corner yet. In this moment, she felt a sens of déjà vu.
"We're going in circles!" she exclaimed.

Wally looked back. The hallway was endless, with no doors, the same decoration every five meters or so, only the monsters were different. His eyes narrowed. Him and Julie were so focused on fighting the ink and protecting her that they haven't noticed.
"It happened to me before!" she continued. "He must be distorting space!"
"Not really." Wally said. "Rather he takes a small space and traps us inside it. He repeats it over and over and creates a pattern. To escape..."
He looked at the wall and traced a small circle in the air, a bright red line – which was actually concentrated fire – appeared in the wall making a much bigger circle.
"We simply break the pattern."
With a small but sharp pushing movement, the line exploded and the wall crumbled down, leaving a clean circle-shaped hole. Suddenly, the space around them distorted back to normal. Wally grabbed (Y/n)'s hand and pulled her with him through the wall.
"Come on Julie."
Said woman saw monsters coming from the front and behind. She jumped, making them crash against each-other, and with a giggle, she grabbed onto the wall and swung through the hole.

The two best friends quickly went back to their previous formation, with her in the front and him in the back. The trio went on. An ink demon fell from the ceiling and Julie summoned a vine. It came in by crashing through a window (Wally swung his cape to protect (Y/n) from getting any cuts) and it sliced the monster into two. But then it turned into two monsters, reaching their arms towards (Y/n) as she ran past them from underneath. It was only when Wally used his legendary sword to slice them both that they melted away.
"They're getting stronger!" Julie said. "I'll have to give it my all!" she huffed.
"He must be focusing more on us." Wally said.
They knew that this brought good news and bad news. The good news was: that way, the soul transferring ritual would slow down significantly. The bad news was: these ink beings will grow more powerful. (Y/n) was worried for Miss Partridge and Barnaby.

The duo made their way down to the basement. Barnaby had the great idea to use his magic claws and his Clubs instinct to dig their way down.
"Been a while since I did this." he said. "I thought I'd be rustier than that!"
"Are you sure this isn't your dog intuition?" Poppy asked, following him and shielding her eyes from the dirt.
"If that wasn't coming from you, Partridge, I'd be insulted."
Finally they fell down from the ceiling of the first basement. Barnaby landed on his feet and Poppy gently flew down. There was no light so she summoned a small sphere of light. They could now see that they were surrounded from every angle.
"You animals." the King's voice echoes. "You came from a dark empty cave, and that is where you shall die."
"That's nice." Barnaby said as both him and Poppy walked in a circle backwards. "But no thanks, we'll just see our way out."
"There is no way out."
"There was a way in, gotta be a way out then. Ya dig? I know I do!"

"You keep making jokes." the ink twitched, probably annoyed. "Do you laugh in the face of death? Or are you just that stupid as to not understand your situation?"
"Oh I do get it. I know you're the type of guy that loves it when people are scared of 'im. And I'm not gonna give you that satisfaction." he smirked, then went back to his goofy smile. "Even if you put us in quite the inky situation!"
"I will silence your nonsense."
"Boy my mother wouldn't like you."
The ink quickly closed in on them. But Poppy said a quick incantation and a small magic circle glowed on the ground, around both her and Barnaby. It grew bigger, generating a dome of light that then expanded outward, pushing the ink up to the walls and giving them more space to move forward.
"When?!"
With the gust of wind the spell created, Poppy's robe floated a little bit, revealing that she wasn't wearing shoes. She traced that magic circle with her talon while she was going in a circle.

"You foul creature! I will-"
"Fowl?! That's a good one!" Barnaby laughed.
The ink shook in anger. The duo dashed forward, fighting off the ink as they made their way through the basements. Poppy was swift and would let herself be chased but only so she could spot an opening and strike in the most effective way possible. Barnaby meanwhile was 'messier'. He made a small circle with his index and thumb and blew out a big bubble which then became rigid. He hopped on top of it and rolled his way through. He blew a smaller bubble, and hit it so that it'd hit one of the monsters in the head. The bubble trapped its head inside and then exploded into smaller bubbles that went through the monsters nearby.
Barnaby and Poppy were very different on a lot of levels, however they trusted and respected each-other, and so would stay out of each-other's way. The duo went on.

The door ahead was covered in a wall of ink. Julie searched in her pocket and pulled out a red seed.
"Go Felicity!" she exclaimed as she threw it.
The seed was absorbed and crushed. Red thorns grew at a great speed throughout the ink and flowers bloomed out of it.
"(Y/n), duck!"
The two ladies hunched over, giving Wally a full view of what was ahead. He conjured small fireballs and aimed for the flowers. They caught on fire, which spread throughout the thorn bush. Julie then controlled the thorns, and by extension both the fire and the ink, moving it all out of the way. She then leaped forward, with her feet first and broke down the burnt door.
The pipes groaned, a lot louder than before, it shook the castle so much that the trio had to stop and steady themselves.
"You parasites!" the King's voice spoke throughout the castle.
"You inserted yourself into my house." Wally said.
"Says the dude who lived here for a year without even paying rent!" Barnaby laughed.
"You're the one who poisoned your own land and by osmosis your own people!" Sally exclaimed. "Your intimidation tactics shall not work today!"
"You suck!" Jeremiah let out, frustrated and tired of the non-stop fighting that's been going on. "I don't even know you!"

The pipes groaned again. Over to where Julie, (Y/n) and Wally were, part of the floorboard collapsed. The trio quickly stepped back. They looked behind and saw another horde of ink monsters approaching.
"Do we have to jump down?" (Y/n) asked.
"We're too close to the throne room to suddenly be so far away." Wally said.
"Yeah, not happening!" Julie summoned a vine and made it coil. "Hop on!"
Wally picked up (Y/n) bridal style and jump on top of the vine, which retracted to build momentum then shot the two of them in the air. They flew over the pit and landed on the other side.
"Julie!" (Y/n) called out.
"You guys go ahead!" she smiled. "I'll keep being a thorn in his talon over here!"
She summoned two other vines, which wrapped themselves around her arms so that she could use them as whips. Wally put (Y/n) down.
"Let's go." he gestured her to go ahead.

Having to be the one in the lead was terrifying to her, but Wally refused to not have her within his sight. The fact that they were now one person short didn't diminish the group's level of power. In fact, Wally was displaying more of his power in order to compensate. (Y/n) – despite being scared – did not feel any less safe.
They arrived at the ballroom, which looked devoid of ink. The throne room was closer than ever. The room looked safe to go through, still (Y/n) knew to not let that fool her. It might have been her sense of urgency in that moment that made her not notice the trap that has been laid for them. Through the floorboards, a small puddle of ink seeped out. Once she set foot onto it, it sank and she fell down. She watched horrified as the ink turned into a hand. The puddle grew bigger and several humanoid monsters came out of it. Wally – without missing a beat – decapitated the monsters and cut off the 'hand' that was holding her back.
"Apologies." he said before wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up.
He spun around before launching her to the end of the room. She let out a loud shriek, but before she could hit the ground, he used magic to soften her fall and make her land on her feet. The ink began to slowly flood the room. Wally faced it and took off his cape.
"Go on." he told her as he tossed it away. "Go save him."

(Y/n) didn't like this. She believed she couldn't do much on her own, but she wouldn't be much help to him in combat either. The ink was creeping closer. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she knew this would put the King of Spades over the edge.
"Be careful, Wally!" with these words, she quickly left.
Wally pursed his lips, thinking there would be plenty of time to be happy later.

He was alone now. The ink kept flowing slowly. Too slowly. It even went back when he took a step forward.
"Young king." the voice echoed all around him. "How do you feel?"
Wally kept a tight grip on his sword. He observe the ink from every angle. Sometimes an ink monster would appear and he would immediately strike it down. But because of that, he progressively moved to the center of the ballroom.
"How do you think your bloodline would feel?"
His eyes fell on a painting of his mother. Black ink flowed down her eyes, mouth and neck.
"You have destroyed everything they've built."
Another ink monster appeared and he struck it down. This time, his back was to the painting.
"You truly are the parasite of your Kingdom."
The painted queen became distorted. And slowly stretched out of the frame, like something was behind the canvas and trying to get out.
"You haven't changed a bit. Your heart is full of hate. Your hatred of me is what drives you. It is the reason behind everything you've done, behind the calamity that is incoming."
The queen's hands reached out to him, long fingers with extra knuckles.
"I should thank you." the voice now came from behind him. "Unfortunately, I hate you as well."

Wally spun around, and for a moment, his heart tightened by the sight before him. When one of the hands grabbed a hold of his head, digging its nails in the back of his head and neck, he snapped out of it and cut off the hand, then sliced off the entire painting. The monster dropped on the floor, limp. Wally breathed deeply, calming down his fast beating heart.
"You're wrong." he stood straight. "It's not hatred that drives me, not anymore. Not for a while now. It's my will to protect my people, and the people I care most about."
"Delusions delusions."
He was now surrounded by ink monsters.
"Go on. Show me your fire."
"I'll show you something better." he got into a stand.
"Oh?"
"I'll show you that your beliefs are wrong." his expression was still neutral, but there was venom in his voice. "I'll show you the void of death."
The King laughed.

The fights all around the castle have become more intense. Our heroes started to grow restless while the ink monsters kept coming, still going strong.
Poppy and Barnaby finally reached the basement beneath the throne room. Barnaby reached the door first and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. He quickly used his magic claws to break it open.
"Barnaby," Poppy shouted. "wai-"
A wave of black ink flooded out of the room. Thankfully, Poppy managed to trap both her and Barnaby inside a shield dome. They could hear the King's laughter. The entire basement was submerged by the ink.
"We have to get out of here!" she said.
Barnaby started to dig down, but his magic dissipated. He chuckled lowly.
"I'm sorry, Partridge." he said. "Seems I'm out."

Poppy's eyes darted around, thinking quickly. The dome started to shrink and she pressed her hands on it to pour more of her magic into it.
"Barnaby, inside my left pocket, there should be a blue root. And in my right one, there's a small round box."
He looked up at her, confused.
"...Hurry up!"
"Yes ma'am!" he quickly searched her pockets.
He has never heard her this loud before.

(Y/n) stepped into the throne room. The wall at the back was completely covered in ink, at the center of which was the tree bark, surrounding it were flat stones with symbols written on them. Those were the parts of the basement's floor, ripped away and brought up here. The Lady didn't have any knowledge of this (Wally gave her a shortened version of the story), but she figured it was for the soul transferring ritual. Where the throne once was, there was now a big hole filled with black muddy ink.
In front of it was the King of Spades, his back facing her. For a moment, she stood there motionless, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence, but he didn't.
'As we suspected, he's too focused on what's going on throughout the castle.'
She looked around. The soldiers' bodies were still there, being consumed by the ink, she spotted a sword on the ground and gulped. She could take him by surprise.
'But Arnold...' she looked back at him.
Still, if she was to face more ink monsters, she must use every tool at her disposal. She carefully walked forward, avoiding stepping on the glass shards from the fallen chandelier.
"Heartbreak."
Suddenly, a tendril of ink grabbed her waist and lifted her up.

"It truly is a pain unlike any other." the King turned around, watching her struggle. "Out of anyone here, you are the only one who hurt me."
At that moment, (Y/n)'s hopes and courage flew out the window.
'What were we thinking? What was I thinking?! Coming here on my own!'
The King made a small wave. The tendril moved and next thing she knew, she was flying across the room. Her body slammed against a puddle of ink, which might have softened her fall, but it still hurt a lot. It knocked the air out of her. She coughed and tried to quickly stand up, but she was grabbed again.
"Now look at what you're making me do."
She was thrown across the room again, this time, she fell on the tiled floor. Some of the glass shards cut her. She's never felt such physical pain before and it filled her head. She couldn't think clearly. She could only think about how painful this was and that she wanted this to stop so bad. She began to cry.
"What you're feeling right now is but an ounce of what you've put me through." he sounded sad. "And look."

Images began to form in the ink, things that the eyes would see throughout the castle. She saw Sally and her battalion, standing close together in a formation as they became cornered. She saw Julie, fighting off the ink monsters but getting exhausted and almost losing one of her arm because of it. She saw Barnaby and Poppy, trapped in a dome inside a black river in the dark basement, their own shelter slowly closing in on them. She saw Wally, trapped in a ballroom that was converted into some sort of arena. His glamour spell was gone and he was in bad shape, with monsters coming at him from every angle. A particularly large monster attacked him and he tried to block it with his sword, which broke upon impact. Her eyes widened. Such a thing wasn't supposed to happen. This was a legendary sword! With no time to waste, Wally kept fighting using other means like his raw strength and magic.
"It's only a matter of time before they all die." the King said. "This was all just a minor setback to me."

(Y/n) looked at these images. Her heart bled for what her friends were going through. But rather than drowning in sorrow, this instead lighted a fire inside of her.
'What they're going through right now is nothing compared to my situation.' she sniffed. 'They need me, my people need me. I'm so close to ending this. Giving up now would be just as good as killing them myself. I just need to think...'
It was then that she noticed something on the ground nearby. Her eyes widened. She saw a tendril forming and quickly grabbed the object before she was taken away. This time, she was dropped right at the King's feet. She crawled away just a little bit and stared up at him.
"You are...so small." his voice softened. "It was one of the things I liked about you. But you seem to have forgotten that about yourself."

Her heart beat like a drum. She was scared. So scared. She stood up, steadied herself, and raised the dagger that Wally threw when they first got here, pointing the blade towards him. A moment passed. His laughter echoed throughout the room.
"Come now, little one. You and I know that you don't have the guts." teeth began to appear one by one, forming a twisted smile. "You know I can't die. But go on, you know where to strike."
Her eyes narrowed. She only had one shot at this.
"[You have been dead for a long time.]" she said. "[You've failed us.]"
With that, she threw the dagger towards the tree bark. Time seemed to slow down as it rotated in the air. The King looked at it go and didn't look bothered at all.
The dagger hit the tree bark with its handle, making a dry noise. It then fell into the pit and disappeared from view. (Y/n)'s heart sank as the King laughed again.
"This is wood from the Dark Forest!" he exclaimed. "Even if you were successful, you wouldn't have left a dent!" he laughed some more. "I want to punish you for your petulance, but this is too funny!"
Her mind was blank. Her legs gave up on her and she fell to her knees, her head down. This was over.
'I was wrong.'

But she wasn't. Here's something the King of Spades forgot, or maybe he didn't know. An object filled with magic doesn't make said object sturdier than any others, unless of course the magic within it is defensive. And that goes for ancient magic as well. That's why Wally's sword broke so 'easily'. When (Y/n) saw it happen, she began to put those pieces together. She thought it was either that, or the King was really strong. And given that the ritual seemed to have been put on pause, she took a gamble and went with her theory.
Wood from the Dark Forest is still wood. That tree bark comes from a small cottage that has been there for centuries. It has been dead for a long time. Not only is it dead, but it's rotting. Rotten wood is very fragile, the magic it's been filled with isn't physical in any way. Because it came from the Dark Forest, any one that has handled the object was very meticulous and careful. But with the smallest hit...

There was a crack. Both the King and (Y/n) quickly looked up, eyes wide open, to see a fracture forming in the tree bark.
"What?"
It began to shake. And it broke in half. (Y/n) shielded her head and closed her eyes.
"Wait!" he reached out a hand and the ink covered it in an attempt to contain it. "No-"
The sound of an explosion resonated from within the ink, which expanded as it contained the explosion. The wall of ink collapsed, the stones fell, and all of the ink, throughout the entire castle, came flooding in and into the pit. (Y/n) held her breath and grabbed a broken tile that was still affixed to the floor. She kept her eyes closed and could feel the current pulling her in, but she held on for dear life.

The others were in a similar situation. Sally and her battalion held onto each-other like a chain (although because they were the nearest to the entrance, this passed more quickly than the others). Julie jumped on a chandelier and wrapped her arms and legs around it. Wally stuck the broken sword into the floor and kept a tight grip on it. As for Poppy and Barnaby...
"The King's soul is retreating!" she rejoiced.
"We're not out of the pickle yet, Partridge." Barnaby said after having ground the petals of a flower. "What's next?"
"Sprinkle the flower on the stone."
He sprinkles the petal fragments on a small now-red stone, the size of a ping-pong ball.
"Crack open the root."
He did just that, a golden liquid came from inside and he poured it on the stone.
"Now eat it."
"Uh..."
"Do it!"
Still hesitant, he picked it up and, with a whine, tossed it in his mouth. To his surprise, the stone now had the texture of a small delicious cake. He hummed in delight. Once he swallowed, his eyes widened. All of the hair of his fur stood up and he huffed smoke of of his nose. This was a tonic stone.
"Ohohohoho boy!" he conjured his magical claws, they looked brighter and bigger than before. "That hit the spot!"
He began to dig at an incredible pace. Poppy panicked and grabbed onto his tail before he would be out of sight. And the two of them successfully fled the scene.

(Y/n)'s face began to turn blue. Fortunately, the last liter of ink went away and she was allowed to breathe again. She took deep breaths and moved her wet hair away from her wet face. She looked up, the King was gone. She stood up and looked around. She was alone...
Just then, the castle shook, but it wasn't like the last times. The ink, the King's soul, was literally within its walls just a moment ago and now that it was gone, the castle began to collapse.
"Everybody out! Out!" Sally exclaimed. "We can celebrate our victory once we're out!"
"Wally?!" Julie jumped down and made her way to the throne room. "(Y/n)?!"

(Y/n) rushed to the pit. The ink was still there, but its volume went down little by little.
'If he's not in the room then...'
The ink was pitch black, although it looked more like water now. She could see a faint light, but nothing else. There was no telling what could happen to her if she jumped in. But she did.
It wasn't cold, it wasn't warm. She held her breath and dipped her head in with her eyes open. The water was being absorbed by the light, which might be the broken tree bark or the magic circle, it was too far to see. What she could see though, were silhouettes. The soldiers.
'He must be here too.'
She began to swim towards the nearest one. It was one of the dead soldiers. As much as she wanted to bring their bodies out as well, their armors were heavy and at least they didn't risk drowning. She swam back up for air and saw parts of the ceiling falling. She managed to dodge one and took a deep breath in before going back down.
In the faint white light, she spotted familiar light pink hair. She swam as fast as she could to reach him. She grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him up with her. Once she reached the surface, she wrapped her arms around his chest. She was horrified to see that half of his face was still covered in ink, and from it was still an eye that wasn't his, looking at her. She pressed her ear against his chest... She heard a heartbeat. She put a hand over his nose... She felt a faint breath. She sighed and looked up. The ceiling was getting farther and farther as the water went down. She looked down. The faint light was getting closer.

Whispering a prayer, she swam towards the pit's wall, thinking it would minimize the risk of getting hit by rubbles. She then started to try and wipe off the ink. But it was glued to his skin.
"Arnold?" she shook him. "Wake up! You have to fight him off!"
He wasn't responsive. Her heart tightened and she slapped him.
"Arnold! Please! Hear my voice!" her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have made promises I couldn't keep! I put so much expectations on you, I got your hopes up a-and you were hurt! But I couldn't see- I wouldn't see! I'm sorry! I care so much for you..." she sniffed. "I love you Arnold. Please... I'll never forgive myself if you don't wake up. Please wake u-!"
A piece of debris fell on her head and she fell unconscious. The two bodies slowly drifted apart from each-other. Arnold's eye opened, but his eyelid felt heavy. He tried to whisper her name before the two of them sunk into the water.
Just then, they've reached the basement. The black water was absorbed by the engraved symbols of the magic circle and completely disappeared, along with the faint light.
It was around that time that the collapsing had stopped. Thankfully, any debris that collapsed into the pit would be heavier than the two of them. So, (Y/n) was laid on her stomach on a big piece of wall, her head upside down while Arnold was on the ground, on his back. A moment of silence passed. Welcomed silence, considering the chaos earlier. Then, Arnold began to shake and groan. His hands shook, as if he was trying to move them. Eventually, he managed to roll around on his stomach and he tried to lift up his head.

As frantic footsteps were heard in the distance, (Y/n) regained consciousness. She coughed out some of the black water.
"(Y/n)!" "Lady (L/n)!" "Milady!"
Everyone ran inside the basement Poppy and Sally leading the way with their magic lights, and rushed up to her. Barnaby – him and Poppy covered in dirt – helped her down the debris and made sure she could stand.
"Oh no!" both Sally and Julie cried, each taking one of her hands. "You're bleeding!"
Indeed, she felt a wound, along with a bump on her head. She took a moment to get her bearings back.
"Where's-"
They heard loud coughing and turned to see Arnold, surrounded by soldiers but still keeping a certain distance from him. (Y/n) gasped and began to rush towards him, but Wally – who's been keeping an eye on him ever since they arrived – raised his arm to block her way. She watched, anxious, as the boy slowly got on all fours, one of his hands closed into a tight fist. He was tense, he shook and twitched. Eventually, she puked out black ink. It was disturbing to see and hear, a lot of people looked away. (Y/n) felt her heart ache.

Finally, he sat on his knees, panting, exhausted. One of his arm was still black, the sleeve gone as if it was ripped away. The guards began to close in on him, one of them took out handcuffs, but Wally stopped them.
"My Lady." he looked at her. "What do you think?"
She kept her eyes on Arnold. She lowered Wally's arm and walked towards him, the soldiers stepping out of her way. She sat on her knees in front of him and reached her hands to cup his face in them. She gently tilted his head upwards so that she could see him. He looked at her, scared and exhausted.
The part of his face where the ink was remained black also. But those were his eyes. He was conscious. She smiled and leaned closer.
"My sweet boy." she whispered, her voice full of relief.
His eyes widened. Tears began to overflow and his face twisted as he cried. She embraced him, shedding tears herself. He clung onto her with his good arm, the other one numb, and apologized, over and over.
The others watched, some were shocked by this turn of events, others were also crying.
Once Arnold's voice started to give out, (Y/n) pulled away, patting his back and gently shushing him. She took a hold of his hand and stood up, facing the King of Hearts.

"I... I know how corruption works." she said. "I know that he is not entirely innocent. But," she shook her head and shrugged. "I cannot find it in my heart to blame him. Maybe no one here is to blame. Like you said," she gestured towards Wally. "ultimately, the one at fault was the King of Spades. And he's gone now, gone for good." she looked at Arnold, then back at him.
Wally looked unfazed. She sighed.
"I know... I know that you-" she quickly glanced at Julie. "are the most affected by what happened. I understand. But you must know this: hate is easy. So easy that nothing good can come from it."
Julie looked at Wally, not even she could decipher any emotions on his face.
"If you punish someone for the crime of others-"
"Stop."
She felt Arnold squeeze her hand and quickly looked at him. His voice was dry and weak.
"Let me... Let me speak my..." he tried to stand but fell unconscious.
"Arnold!" (Y/n) quickly got on her knees and held him before his head could hit the ground.
"Get him to a doctor." Wally addressed one of the guards. "Let's leave, before the castle caves in even more."

"What's gonna happen to him?" she asked.
"He seemed to want to defend himself, I shall give him a chance to do so. As soon as he recuperates, of course." Wally looked around. "I believe we should all be looked at by a healer."
The group made their way out, the guard carrying Arnold rushed ahead to quickly get to the infirmary. (Y/n) watched them leave, worried.
"He'll be alright, my Lady." Poppy patted her shoulder. "It seems you've saved him just in time, and he's rejected the King's soul, he's a strong young man."
She sighed and placed a hand on top of hers.
"I must know," Wally spoke. "what were the King's last words."
"...They were cowardly." she smiled.
Wally, satisfied, smiled too, along with Julie.

They stepped out of the castle – a staple of the Kingdom of Hearts, its royalty's power and wealth, half of it caved in – and walked back to the small hill. Their friends who stayed behind came running and hugged them tight. Catherine and Eddie were crying while the others demanded to know what happened. While they began to walk together back to the training grounds, the sunlight began to peek through the horizon. (Y/n) looked over to watch the sunrise. She smiled faintly and breathed a sigh.
"Guys come on!" Julie jumped up and down. "We did it! We won!" she shook Frank by the shoulders.
They began to cheer, congratulating and praising each-other.
"Of course we did!" Sally puffed up her chest. "Good always defeats evil! That is a true rule of nature!"
"I like that rule!" Julie beamed.
"By the stars I am brimming with inspiration! Jeremiah, fetch me paper and ink once we get to the infirmary!"
"Do it yourself." they nudged her with a smirk. "The Shuffling's over, I quit."
"Are you feeling alright Barnaby?" Poppy asked him. "That tonic stone might have been too strong."
"Just a little tummy ache, I'll live." he patted his belly before ruffling (Y/n)'s hair. "Not bad for a lil Lady!"
She giggled. Just then, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned towards Wally.

"I'm sorry I left you to venture on your own." he said.
She smiled and hugged him tight. He let out a small 'ah' of surprise.
"Thank you. Thank you thank you."
"Anytime." he hugged her back. "Anywhere. Anything."
"...The feeling's mutual."
They pulled away, but kept their arms around each-other. They looked into each-other's eyes, so absorbed in this moment that they didn't notice the others were silently staring... Julie was shaking, she couldn't bear the wait.
"Kiss!!!" Julie shouted, as if she was in a theater audience except she was right beside them.
(Y/n) yelped and quickly stepped back, tense.

"Julie!" Frank put a hand over her mouth. "Give them some privacy!"
She licked his palm and he quickly let go with a shriek.
"As if you weren't looking too!" she pointed.
Sally sighed with a dreamy look.
"Saying out loud what we think in whispers..." she whispered.
"I- That's not- I-I could never!" (Y/n) shook her head, her face red and sweating. "I mean one doesn't simply just kiss a King – Not even another King can do that – What I mean is! Even if I want to I couldn't!"
As she began to ramble, Wally tilted his head while the others looked at each-other, wondering if she knew that she just had a slip of the tongue there.

"After all it's not even clear to me if the feeling is mutual and-"
Wally turned her head towards him and kissed her. Everyone was stunned into silence, Julie clenched onto Frank's jacket while he shook his hands. Sally did the same thing with Jeremiah. (Y/n) was tense, but she eventually relaxed, closed her eyes and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him. This was different, she thought, this was nice. They pulled back and looked into each-other's eyes, once again disregarding everything and everyone around them. The two of them felt their hearts sparkling with joy. Wally broke the silence.
"Will you marry me?"
Julie, Eddie, Sally and Catherine let out a scream.