Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kirby and Elfilin were in the mood for some breakfast at Waddle Dee Café. Today's breakfast was pancakes with maple syrup. The pink star warrior smiled as he watched Leongar and Clawroline savoring a breakfast consisting of meats. When Elfilin finished his breakfast, the small chinchilla floated down and sat on Kirby's head, finding himself glad this whole thing was finally over. He might not be whole anymore, but he felt himself starting to recover. His ear was even starting to heal a little. It didn't help that his memories were still scattered and fragmented.

It had only been a couple of weeks since Kirby and Elfilin rescued Leongar. The King of the Beasts had been progressing with his recovery. Really, it has been going better than the small chinchilla could've hoped…having his soul shattered like that was kind of a big deal, but he's been doing really well. Sometimes, he would get a vacant stare, but that's been happening less often. In all honesty, Elfilin was happy for him and Clawroline as they made a really cute couple.

King Dedede was also dining at Waddle Dee Café. Elfilin wasn't sure how to feel about Dedede. He seemed nice enough, but apparently he had a habit of getting greedy or possessed. Although, he heard he was a valiant leader of Dreamland, even going to the front lines to fight for his people when evil threatened Dreamland, so the small chinchilla tolerated him for now. This morning, King Dedede ordered 5 plates of breakfast food. Honestly, that didn't surprise Elfilin. As a penguin of some kind, he probably needed to eat a lot to build bodily fat, so it came out to Elfilin as more of an instinct rather than real greed. At least he was paying for it all, even though the Waddle Dees did try to feed him for free since he was their king.

Meta Knight currently stood atop the pillar of the arena, his cloak wrapped around himself as he stared down at the peaceful little town. Considering the past war he fought in against Nightmare and his army, he initially wasn't a huge fan of such a thing—yet another set of people not ready for the countless evils waiting for them in the universe, the constant attacks that plagued the planet. He'd seen it all as evil beings attempted to destroy Popstar, to rule it, or other more confusing goals. He remembered the attempt he made to prepare them, only to realize how foolish his initial attempt to rule over Dreamland was. Maybe this was what he should've been striving to protect. He just needed to become stronger…strong enough to protect them on his own.

Fortunately, there were those who rose up to the challenge. He pictured Bandana Dee and King Dedede—allies who wanted to protect their people. He pictured Kirby—naïve and a little reckless—yet brave son which he took in during Nightmare's reign of terror—as he drew in allies to defeat Void Termina. Meta Knight pictured everyone else who joined Kirby and the others in their stand against the Destroyer of Worlds. For now, Meta Knight waited for some of those fighters to arrive…another group of enemies turned allies. Like all those who came before, Meta Knight vowed to watch them and ensure they wouldn't turn against them a second time.

Meta Knight was glad Marx didn't tag along as that jester still made him uncomfortable, even though he swore he was on their side now. Magolor vouched for him, however, so the knight couldn't complain too much.

Bandana Dee sat by himself with only a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. All the while, he listened in on the banter between other Waddle Dees and Awoofies at a nearby table. Rumors were getting spread around about a traveling group of magic users. Last anyone heard three of them were arguing over a map and one of them accidentally set it on fire. Apparently, they were trying to find the town, but no one really knew who they were and people were still slightly paranoid. Whoever saw them didn't give them directions.

Kirby finished his breakfast and took a moment to stretch his limbs. Likewise, Elfilin floated and did a back flip. The small chinchilla followed the pink star warrior as he sprinted his way to the main plaza. Little did they know, Meta Knight followed them via the rooftops and tried his best to keep an eye on Kirby…knowing he had the tendency to get into trouble. Kirby and Elfilin paused at the gate and scanned their surroundings. Elfilin blinked twice as he saw three primary colored girls approaching the gate. He wasn't sure why, but they seemed familiar.

"Elfilis?!" the redhead exclaimed.

The redhead ran up and plucked Elfilin out of the air, giving him a big hug. The small chinchilla had no idea what was going on, yet she felt pleasantly warm.

"Poyo?" Kirby gave Flamberge a puzzled look.

"It's our little brother!" Flamberge proclaimed happily.

Everyone else watching got rather nervous and slightly horrified, mostly because this wasn't Elfilis. Kirby was confused—was he mistaken about his enemy?

Hyness followed close behind Fransisca and Zan Partizanne as they made their way closer to the gate. Meta Knight touched down on the ground to greet them. Flamberge released Elfilin from her embrace and bowed at her adoptive father.

"My oh my," Hyness said, comically shoving Meta Knight aside to have a closer look at Elfilin, "well, this is disturbing, it seems you are only a fragment of Elfilis! I can still sense them close by, though. What has happened to you?"

Elfilin and Kirby exchanged confused glances for a moment.

"It's…a long story, sir," Elfilin began to explain.

"Well, we have plenty of time," Hyness assured them as optimistic as possible, "it's been hundreds of thousands of years since we last saw them! I can only imagine they saved billions of species in that time, maybe even had a family of some kind? We'd love to catch up!"

Kirby lowered his face.

"Poyo," he sighed.

Meta Knight brushed the dirt off his cloak and cleared his throat. He went on to explain what he heard from Kirby from his latest adventure, how Fecto Elfilis was captured long ago by the people who used to inhabit this planet and experimented on them. He mentioned Elfilin split from Elfilis during that time and how the ultimate life-form had been imprisoned in the ancient lab long after the people left for another word. He even mentioned all the chaos Fecto Elfilis caused, ranging from opening a portal and influencing the Beast Pack to capture the Waddle Dees as part of a workforce. Meta Knight even added when Kirby fought Leongar, Elfilis went on a rampage and absorbed Elfilin before Kirby fought Fecto Elfilis on the rooftop of the lab. Kirby also remembered that time when after he freed Elfilin, he used his Mouthful power to take control of a semi truck in order to stop Fecto Elfilis from using a summoned vortex to collide Popstar with the planet.

"I-I see," Hyness sighed, "this is significantly worse than when we were sealed away. My poor child is likely traumatized. 30 years…"

The Mage Sisters huddled together and wept over this sad revelation.

"Well," Hyness continued, "there's both good and bad news depending on how you feel about them. The good news is that they're still alive. I can sense them, and not just from their little fragment here. The bad news is that they're currently in a chaotic state…filled with incredible rage. I can feel them, they're in the dimension parallel to this one. We made a tool to help us get there once, but I haven't seen it since we were sealed away. I do believe it's where our masked friend here's counterpart originates from."

All eyes fixated on Hyness.

"Poyo?!" Kirby exclaimed with intrigue in his voice.

"Yes!" Hyness nodded, picking up Elfilin, "on the other side of this dimension is where Elfilis is right now. I'm not quite sure how they managed it in the state you say they were in, but they are there! Now we just need to defeat them and calm them down. I believe you might've taken all of their positive emotions away, and left them with all the rage, sadness, insanity, and other emotional baggage that came with being trapped in that lab forever. I'm not going to blame you for existing or anything so uncouth, but you do need to return some of that to them so they can start making it on their own again. You're a part of them, so you're just as much my child as they are. Now we need to go and solve this mess before it spirals further out of control and they actually manage to get back here."

Elfilin took a minute to process this new information, exchanging a brief glance with Kirby before he nodded.

"Ok," Elfilin proclaimed, "let's do it."

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped and raised his arm into the air.

"Excellent! I'm afraid I'm not a powerful combatant, so I'll likely stay on the sidelines and be ready with a portal after you defeat him. I'm sure that my daughters would like to join you," Hyness replied, "I'm not entirely certain that they're strong enough, however, so please watch out for them."

Meta Knight gave Hyness a nod.

"I'll also be joining alongside some other allies," Meta Knight declared.

"Well then," Hyness advised, "go get everyone who is coming. Elfilis is still trying to break through. We'll need to hurry or they'll likely devastate the area."

"Poyo!"

Bandana Dee showed up a few minutes later, waving at Kirby. Just as they were discussing the battle plans, Meta Knight suddenly noticed the air cracked slightly in the sky above the town.

"They're breaking through!" Meta Knight exclaimed with urgency, "we need to leave quickly!"

Elfilin shook nervously and drooped their ears.

"Oh no," Elfilin whimpered.

"I'm setting up the portal!" Hyness declared.

Hyness raised his arms and a star-shaped portal appeared in the air next to him.

"Quickly!" Hyness continued, "go now!"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

While Elfilin stayed behind, Kirby, Meta Knight, Bandana Dee and the Mage Sisters scurried towards the portal, jumping in without hesitation. Soon enough, they made landfall in a place which seemed far too similar to the rooftop of the ancient lab…where Kirby fought Fecto Elfilis last time. The pink star warrior spotted the recent adversary, their body now a pure white color with red highlights. This chaotic version of Elfilis turned towards Kirby and glared at him.

"My gods," Zan gasped.

Chaos Elfilis hovered in the air staring down at their opponents. They didn't really expect that much backup, but they focused primarily on Kirby. Elfilis twirled their spear and prepared for battle. Flamberge reached into her pocket and pulled out an old boxing glove she found.

"Kirby!" she called over, "catch!"

Flamberge threw the boxing glove. Upon cue, Kirby inhaled it and converted it into a copy ability, transforming into Fighter Kirby.

Seven copies of Chaos Elfilis appeared, slowly circling the group as they all pointed at them with weapons drawn. Just as the copies lunged at them, Kirby and the gang leapt out of the way. Flamberge would parry and block any oncoming spear thrusts from one of the copies. Kirby spun his foot and slid across the battlefield, kicking at a copy tailing Fransisca. She thought fast and launched an icicle at her pursuer.

Chaos Elfilis focused on Bandana Dee, teleporting behind him while their copies kept the other busy. Bandana Dee widened his stance and glanced behind him, defensively suspicious. Unfortunately, Chaos Elfilis lashed out with a stab which actually struck him. The Waddle Dee stumbled and fell over himself, taking a second to recover. One of the copies focused on Meta Knight. Their copies only had so much energy that dealing damage to one would simply disperse it. The copies weren't making it easy for the group, even when Kirby would dodge every projectile which came his way.

Kirby leapt up and slammed his foot down at the copy clashing against Zan. She nodded at him before she swung her partisan at the copy. The pink star warrior threw a smash punch at the nearest copy of Elfilis, causing it to dissipate.

Chaos Elfilis, meanwhile, didn't pay as much attention as Meta Knight honed in on them specifically. Elfilis struggled to fight back, but the veteran knight was far too fast and agile to keep up with. One by one, Meta Knight destroyed the copies. Elfilis became more frantic as they flew away from everyone. With both claws, they clutched their head and let out an angry pained scream, loud enough to the point everyone had to cover their ears.

A large construct of Elfilis appeared towering over everyone. It slammed its weapon into the platform. Kirby, Meta Knight, Bandana Dee and the Mage Sisters thought fast and jumped up, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Elfilis growled angrily. At that point, they went crazy, any grace or skill lost as they started smashing the massive lance construct into the ground repeatedly, and more fiercely each time. Somehow, Kirby and the gang barely managed to dodge each strike. The pink star warrior suspected Chaos Elfilis can't just remain in the air out of harm's way forever. They gotta come up with a way to lure them back down.

"Meta Knight!" Bandana Dee called over, "any ideas?"

"For now," Meta Knight advised, "those of you who can attack at range should do so just in case. I'll fight them directly."

Meta Knight's eyes glowed with strong intent.

"I'll attempt to lead them back down to you," Meta Knight continued, "I'm not sure how well they'll be able to control their construct when engaged in combat."

"You got it!" Fransisca nodded.

Meta Knight flew up and launched himself at Chaos Elfilis, managing to actually get a stab at them. The chaotic life-form hissed angrily at him and clashed their spear against his sword. Neither of them actually made progress as Meta Knight parried their attacks and blocked. Elfilis would try striking back whenever the veteran knight tried to launch an attack. Kirby noticed the gigantic construct dissipated moments later.

Shortly after, Meta Knight appeared behind Chaos Elfilis and stabbed at their back. He teleported and sent Elfilis plummeting into the ground. At that point, Kirby, Bandana Dee and the Mage Sisters surrounded Chaos Elfilis as they slowly got back up, supporting themself with their spear. Up close, the sisters flinched at what happened to their sibling, not able to bring themselves to harm them.

Chaos Elfilis huffed and thrust their spear at Kirby in an attempt to skewer him. The pink star warrior thought fast and blocked the attack. He punched the head of the spear aside before he did a spin kick, striking them in the gut and knocking them back. They lifted the shaft of their spear and struck him in the side in retaliation. Without warning, Meta Knight appeared out of nowhere and stabbed at Elfilis again. Bandana Dee stood by the Mage Sisters, leaning onto his spear in pain. Kirby and Meta Knight locked eyes onto another for only a split second. His father backed off a little bit, long enough for the pink star warrior to unleash a rising break attack which knocked away the spear and subdued Chaos Elfilis completely.

With the spear laying on the ground next to them, they collapsed, trying and failing to get up again. Anything else at that point would be too much to take.

"I don't want to," Elfilis muttered, "not again, not again, not again…"

Kirby, Meta Knight, Bandana Dee and the Mage Sisters gathered around Chaos Elfilis. Their long lost sibling curled up into a tight ball and began sobbing. Soon enough, a star-shaped portal opened up and they could see Hyness and Elfilin on the other side.

"Are you all ready to return?" he called, "hurry up now!"

Kirby led Meta Knight, Elfilin, Bandana Dee and the Mage Sisters as they scurried towards the portal.

"What do we do now?" Elfilin clamored.

"You need to give them back some of their positive emotions," Hyness instructed, "their body should do the rest on their own. And then…they need lots of therapy."

"Ok," Elfilin nodded, "here goes!"

Chapter Text

While Kirby and the gang hopped through the portal, Elfilin floated his way back towards his larger counterpart. By now, Elfilis was unconscious. The small chinchilla perched onto the floor and placed his paws on their head. When Elfilin began to concentrate, Elfilis squirmed, the small chinchilla getting visions of the cruel experiments they had to go through all this time which caused him to grimace. Still, he pushed a fair share of his emotions into his counterpart, with large amounts of anger receding. However, a solid core of anger lingered, still hidden deep within them which he just couldn't remove. Moments later, Elfilis's fur changed color back to turquoise. Elfilin sighed in relief as his large counterpart remained asleep for now. The small chinchilla glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes onto Hyness.

"It seems we've done it," Hyness said, "hopefully, anyway."

Elfilin nodded in agreement and flew over to Hyness.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Elfilin asked, "if not, we can provide you a home."

"I don't," Hyness admitted, "we just got into town. I'll need a bit of time to open a portal back to Dreamland."

"Ok," Elfilin replied, "it looks like my other half needs a place to rest."

"Well, not much of a half and probably closer to a twelfth," Hyness corrected, "you would be the same size if it was a half."

Elfilin blushed as he leapt through the portal. While Hyness went in to retrieve Elfilis, the small chinchilla followed Kirby to the main plaza. Meta Knight called for a few Waddle Dees to find a few available mattresses and a few available blankets. Hyness returned with Elfilis in tow. Kirby and Bandana Dee arranged the mattress and blanket on the floor in Kirby's house, allowing the wizard to place his long lost son on the mattress to rest. Hyness sat alongside Elfilis and gently stroked their fluffy ears. The Mage Sisters made their way inside the house and sat down. Kirby walked up to Hyness while Elfilin perched on Kirby's bed. The sorcerer nodded at the pink star warrior while his adoptive daughters snuggled next to their sibling.

"Poyo?"

"Oh," Hyness replied, "I'm fairly certain I already mentioned it, but they're my child. Not really in a conventional sense, so to speak. But I did create them through the use of magic."

Kirby stared at Elfilis in awe.

"I actually made them before I met my wonderful daughters," Hyness continued, "after that, we were a family. Due to the destruction of our planet, Galacta Knight was sealed away by the magical portion of our society. Those with an aptitude for technology started to fear us and sealed me and my daughters away. Elfilis had already gone out on their mission at that time, to preserve as much DNA around the universe as they could, to help bring back species destroyed by Dark Matter."

The mention of that particular name immediately rang bells in Kirby's mind.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, "poyo poyo!"

"I figured based on what I've heard," Hyness mused.

Elfilin's ears perked up. His counterpart began to stir, so everyone else quieted down. The small chinchilla exchanged glances with Kirby.

"Well," Hyness suggested, "I believe Elfilis might need some rest."

"Yeah," Flamberge nodded.

"Probably," Fransisca agreed.

The Mage Sisters backed away from Elfilis, giving their sibling some space. Likewise, Kirby and Elfilin left the house.

The following few days continued on quietly. Soon enough, Elfilis started to wake up, feeling better than they had in a long time. Zan Partizanne glanced up from a book she was reading when she noticed her sibling's winglike ear twitch. Fecto Elfilis opened their eyes and turned to the side only for everything to freeze for a moment.

"F-Father?" Elfilis gasped softly, quickly tearing up.

They quickly pressed their head to his side and embraced him, crying loudly into his shoulder. Elfilis could hardly believe, being allowed to reunite with their father after all this time. Likewise, Zan Partizanne set down the book and nodded at Fransisca and Flamberge. Hyness couldn't help but smile as he returned the embrace.

"It's all right, my child," Hyness whispered, "you're safe."

"Did I die?" Elfilis whimpered, "is it over?"

Hyness shook his head. The Mage Sisters shared worried glances at that statement, figuring they'll have their work cut out for them if they wanted to partake in the role of therapy for their sibling.

"Your sisters are here, too," Hyness mentioned, gently nudging Elfilis.

Elfilis turned and sniffled a little as they laid their eyes upon their sisters. It didn't take the mage generals long to embrace Elfilis, making a long group hug.

"We missed you so much," Flamberge told Elfilis.

"I-I missed you more. I've been so lonely. T-There is so much," Elfilis stuttered and breathed heavily, "t-there is someone, I-I need to help her. M-My fragment, he has her, I need to…"

Elfilis zoned out as their collective trauma finally caught up to them, now on the verge of a panic attack.

"Wait, her?" Fransisca paused.

Elfilis took around thirty seconds to calm themself long enough to collect their thoughts.

"Y-Yes," Elfilis stuttered, "she helped me when…when…"

Elfilis broke down into tears again. Hyness ran his hand along his child's head.

"I-I met her at the lab," Elfilis continued, "s-she was being tested on and helped me. I promised to help her and kept her safe until my fragment took her."

Zan Partizanne, having listened to what her sibling had to say, placed her hand on her chest.

"Excuse me while I find Elfilin," Zan offered, "he can't have wandered off too far."

Zan left the house to begin her search. Turning her gaze, she spotted Kirby and Elfilin relaxing near the fishing pond.

"Kirby? Elfilin?" Zan called over, "do you have a moment?"

Kirby yawned while Elfilin stretched his limbs and floated from his beach chair.

"What is it?" Elfilin paused.

"Can you come inside for a moment?" Zan requested, "Elfilis is awake now and we have some questions for you."

Kirby leapt off his beach chair and exchanged glances with Elfilin.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Kirby and Elfilin followed Zan Partizanne back into the pink star warrior's house. Kirby noticed as Elfilis nuzzled against their father and purred, almost as if they were relishing in the affection they were receiving for the first time in millennia. The ultimate life-form made a brief glance at Kirby and glared at him.

"Poyo," Kirby uttered.

Elfilis looked away from the pink star warrior. Zan Partizanne let out a sigh.

"Well, we're under the impression that our new little brother has something he shouldn't have," Zan explained, "well, probably a lot of things, actually…the most important being someone significant to his older sibling. And the second is probably a lot of things from his pocket dimension."

"Huh?" Elfilin blurted, "what does that mean?"

Zan sighed and facepalmed.

"Here," Zan muttered, "let me just…"

Zan thrust her hand into the air next to him, her arm disappearing as she seemed to rifle through something.

"There!"

Elfilin suddenly felt lighter weirdly enough and felt like he was producing more energy than before.

"I just detached their pocket dimension from you," Zan told Elfilin, "you should have your own, but you took most of theirs when you left."

Elfilis, having seen what just happened, breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll bring her back in a little while," Elfilis said, "I just…need some more time with my family first."

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged brief glances in a moment of silence before the pink star warrior stepped towards Elfilis.

"Poyo," Kirby offered, "poyo poyo, poyo?"

Elfilis lashed their tail a bit at the pink star warrior's suggestion, still annoyed at Kirby for defeating them in their past battle and ripping Elfilin away from them. Kirby gave Hyness a worried expression.

"Poyo?"

"They're…probably not the kind to trust easily anymore," Hyness sighed, "you probably know more about that situation than I do, and saw more of it than I would want to."

Elfilin closed his eyes for a brief moment and floated closer to his counterpart.

"I know how you feel," Elfilin told them, "but really, Kirby…or rather, we'd like to make it up to you for everything. Maybe if I bring her out for you, would it help a little, at least?"

"I could do it myself, you know," Elfilis teased.

Elfilin folded his arms and shifted his gaze towards Zan Partizanne.

"Perhaps I can come along," she offered, "I'll show you how to awaken her and bring her back to the physical world."

Elfilin floated back to Kirby as they exchanged glances. They turned to face Zan after a few silent seconds.

"Sure," Elfilin nodded, doing an excited back flip, "that would be great!"

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Elfilis huffed once again, not liking the idea of strangers peeking through others' pocket dimensions like that without asking. Though, Elfilis did forgive Elfilin as he was now considered family. They placed their hand on Zan's head and she seemingly vanished. Elfilis offered their hand to Kirby and Elfilin while they looked away. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla thought for a moment before they both grasped Elfilis's hand.

Fecto Elfilis didn't hesitate to pull Kirby and Elfilin into their pocket dimension.

The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla found themselves on a circular platform attached to a dome shaped island by a bridge. The dome consisted of large circular archways converging at the top, but they gave no indication of glass windows. Pillars lined each side of the makeshift bridge. The chromatic patterns in the expansive void were a mixture of pink and red. Large neurons connected by axons appeared in the background, flickering with light and pulsating at intervals.

Elfilin blinked and scanned his surroundings in search of Zan Partizanne. The pink star warrior briefly glanced at the floor composed with cells similar to the platforms in the treasure vortexes he visited. Kirby and Elfilin looked up and gazed at the destination ahead of them: Sanctum Forgo.

Kirby spotted Zan near the bridge and waved his arm at her.

"Poyo!"

Zan glanced over her shoulder and beckoned Kirby and Elfilin to approach her.

"We're not too far from where we're supposed to go," Zan told them, pointing at the dome, "she should be up ahead."

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Kirby and Elfilin sprinted across the bridge and stepped through the archway. At the center, they spotted an egg-shaped capsule. The small chinchilla immediately noticed a human floating inside it with a thick tendril attached to the back of her neck.

"It's her," Elfilin gasped, "it's really her!"

Kirby and Elfilin sprinted towards the egg-shaped capsule and peered closer at the girl inside. The base of the capsule consisted of cells organized in rows and veins dug themselves into the casing. The small chinchilla pressed his front paws on the capsule.

"So Zan Partizanne and Fecto Elfilis were both right," Elfilin sighed, "I never imagined she was with me this whole time."

"Poyo," Kirby agreed.

After a moment of silence, Kirby noticed Zan Partizanne approached the capsule from behind. Elfilin's ears perked up and turned around.

"So how do we get her out of there?" Elfilin clamored.

"Elfilis will open it for us shortly," Zan said, "just give them a moment."

Minutes passed before Kirby and Elfilin noticed a giant eye open up in the expansive void. They felt chills run down their spine as Fecto Elfilis stared down at them. They snapped out of their thoughts when they noticed the cell pattern floor started pulsating rapidly. Kirby and Elfilin turned to face the capsule. In a flash, the tendril quickly withdrew all of its veins and detached from her neck. The liquid drained out of the capsule. The casing disintegrated into particles, leaving the girl floating midair as she gently floated down onto the floor. The dimension started shaking slightly and Kirby got the feeling he should get out of here fast.

Kirby, Elfilin and Zan gathered around the human and carefully examined her while she was fast asleep. The thunder mage lifted her into her arms.

"Come on," Zan ordered, "follow me!"

Zan Partizanne led Kirby and Elfilin out of the dome and across the bridge with the ancient human in tow. Without warning, Kirby whimpered as the ominous voice began echoing across the expansive void over and over again.

"And here we are! Let's meet the ultimate life-form: Specimen ID-F86!"

Kirby, Elfilin and Zan Partizanne barely managed to make it back to the circular platform despite the constant echoes of that haunting phrase.

"What is with these Jamblasted words?!" Zan grumbled.

"Poyo," Kirby stammered.

"Well, they sure bring bad memories!" Elfilin proclaimed.

The dimension still kept shaking, so Elfilin tried to concentrate. Sadly, nothing happened. Zan Partizanne thought fast and opened a small vortex. With the girl in tow, she pulled Kirby and Elfilin through, bursting back out into Kirby's house. The small chinchilla and the pink star warrior panted as they took a minute to rest. Kirby noticed as Fransisca and Flamberge hugged Elfilis as the ultimate life-form muttered that phrase from the ancient lab over and over. Hyness muttered something about necromancy and the things he'd like to do if he knew how to accomplish such a thing.

Zan Partizanne proceeded to lay the ancient human on Kirby's bed while the pink star warrior stepped towards Hyness.

"Poyo?" Kirby waved his arms, "poyo!"

Elfilis blinked twice and lifted their head before laying their eyes on the ancient human. They moved over to her side, still shaken from a flashback they recently had. They sat next to the bed at her side, gently shaking her.

"Vesa?" Elfilis whispered, "can you hear me?"

Not a second later, she made a sharp groan as her fingers twitched. Elfilis caressed the back of her head while she slowly opened her eyes.

"E-Elfilis?" she whispered.

Chapter Text

Bewildered, the young lady scanned her surroundings. How much time has passed since she was assimilated? How did Fecto Elfilis escape the lab? While she acknowledged Elfilis's presence, Hyness, the Mage Sisters, Kirby and Elfilin focused their gaze on her.

"I did it," Elfilis murmured, their voice slowly edging back into panic, "I got us out. We aren't going back. I healed you and I don't need to be in the capsule anymore and it's better now and they won't test on me anymore!"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Vesa's eyes widened and gasped as she noticed Elfilis breaking down into tears again.

"Hey," Vesa stammered, "are you ok? Elfilis? Say something!"

Vesa gently placed her hand on Elfilis's head. It didn't seem to console them.

"T-They need a minute," Flamberge said.

Vesa blinked before turning her gaze towards the Mage Sisters. She then made a brief glance at Hyness who kept his hood up even if his face was much more well lit.

"W-Wait," Vesa paused, "you're their relatives, aren't you?"

"Yes," Zan answered, "I assume they shared their memories with you?"

Vesa nodded as she ran her hand through Elfilis's fur. Zan Partizanne bowed and crossed her arms downwards.

"Bonjam, miss," she greeted, "I am Zan Partizanne, the eldest of my sisters."

Vesa smiled softly and blinked.

"Vesa Krasniqi," Vesa replied, "from Kryejak, Ioskaria."

Kirby and Elfilin shifted their gaze towards Vesa, giving her a puzzled look.

"Poyo?" Kirby warbled.

"Oh yes, that," Zan blurted, "you've been asleep for a long time. Elfilis was sealed away after the…Fransisca, could you take them elsewhere? I don't want to set them off more."

"Ja," Fransisca nodded.

"Good."

Fransisca nudged at Elfilis, gesturing them to head out of the house.

"Elfilis was sealed away after the scientists decided to perform more experiments on them," Zan continued, "actually separating them into two pieces, Elfilin and Elfilis. Before they were sealed away, however, the scientists managed to crack travel via portals, and sometime between now and then, the entire planet's population of humans just…left."

Vesa shuddered as she took a silent moment to process the new information.

"So that means," Vesa gasped softly, "all my friends…and my family…are long dead."

Vesa's eyes locked onto Elfilin. The small chinchilla floated over to her and perched on her belly.

"Vesa?" Elfilin swayed his tail, "that's a nice name."

"You're Elfilin?" Vesa asked.

"Yeah," Elfilin nodded.

Kirby stepped towards his own bed.

"Hi!" Kirby waved his arm, catching Vesa's attention.

"And this is my friend Kirby," Elfilin gestured to the pink star warrior.

"Kirby," Vesa repeated to herself.

Blinking twice, Vesa ran her finger along Elfilin's head. The small chinchilla giggled as he blushed, his tail swaying happily. She turned her head and her eyes locked onto Flamberge and Hyness.

"I'm…terribly sorry I couldn't introduce you to my own family," Vesa said softly.

"Not to worry. It's entirely possible we might not be here either if it wasn't for extreme coincidence, not just the fact that we were sealed away, but that we also managed to show up here right before Elfilis was…I would prefer not to think about that outcome," Zan replied, "when Elfilis was split, they were split emotionally as well, with all of their positive emotions going into Elfilin."

Zan picked up the small chinchilla and rubbed his cheek for emphasis, making him wiggle cutely.

"All of their negative emotions remained in their main body," Zan continued, "leaving them to sit there and stew on them for centuries in isolation, even if their active mind was asleep, their subconscious was still active. They were left a hollow version of themself and their only goal was to reclaim Elfilin."

"And then what happened?" Vesa asked.

Zan took a moment to clear her throat.

"Kirby alongside Elfilin went to stop Elfilis from doing some bad things," Zan added, "and eventually, Elfilis recaptured Elflilin and they reformed into their completed self. Kirby, who had befriended Elfilin, then attacked with the intent to retrieve his friend and kill Elfilis, and he nearly succeeded. Elfilis, however, escaped and with no positive emotions again, became extremely angry to the point they nearly ended the planet. Then we showed up and set everything straight. That is pretty much how things went before we found out Elfilin took you with him by accident."

Vesa let in a sharp inhale.

"I shouldn't be surprised they were hurting so much all this time," Vesa commented, "but this?"

"They were awake for 2 years after you had to leave," Zan said, "apparently, the elevator also had an announcer that's still functional and has been for centuries. It lists out a lot of propaganda and then at the end when the doors would open, it would say the words 'And here we are! Let's meet the ultimate life-form: Specimen ID-F86.' So now, certain words can trigger them just saying that over and over again, sending them into a fit. They had to listen to that on repeat for likely decades, and then on and off for centuries. So, they're severely broken mentally by everything they had to deal with. Honestly, we are just lucky they don't want to die anymore, although I still plan to watch them closely."

Vesa slowly slid off the bed and carefully approached Hyness.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Vesa nodded at him.

"Oh!" Hyness quipped, "it is nice to meet you as well. Let me go get Elfilis, hopefully they have calmed down."

"Uh," Vesa stammered, "I was going to go to them myself, actually."

Hyness blinked as he placed his concealed hand behind his head.

"Well then, I suppose you can come along," Hyness nodded.

Vesa gave Kirby and Elfilin a soft smile before she began following Hyness towards the door. Taking one step along the way, however, sent a chill down her spine as she stumbled. Hyness thought fast and caught her before she could collapse onto the floor. He gently helped her back to her feet.

"Ah," Vesa stammered, "t-thank you, sir."

"No worries," Hyness told her, "take your time and move slowly if you need to. You've been out for a while."

Vesa slowly took her steps as they continued to the door and made their way outside. Ahead, she could see the sunset. They found Elfilis and Fransisca near the pond, the ice mage gently petting her sibling by the side. Clasping her hands and bringing them to her chest, Vesa slowly approached the ultimate life-form. Elfilis made a brief glance at her, but then looked away a second later, far too ashamed to even face her.

Having fully remembered their time with Vesa, Fecto Elfilis felt they hadn't done enough to help her. They may have saved her and healed her, sure, but they also brought her into a world where everything she knew was already gone. They may have escaped and she might be alive, but they failed at everything else, including reuniting her with her family like they promised.

"Uh, Elfilis?" Vesa spoke softly, "can we talk about this…about what happened?"

Elfilis lowered their head in shame.

"I-It's all right," Vesa held out her hand, "I'm not angry."

Fecto Elfilis hesitated for a moment before they nodded.

"I-I can try."

Vesa sat down next to them.

"Your relatives told me what happened," Vesa began, perching her hands on her lap, "I'm actually more upset at the staff at the lab for continuing to keep you prisoner and treating you worse than a mouse even after you saved my life."

Their fur bristled at the thought of the lab.

"I would've thought it'd be obvious," Elfilis agreed, "they would've just killed me if they didn't think they could make money off of me. The tests slowed down a little a-after I helped you. They didn't stop, they just happened less. After they ran out of test subjects, they just started letting people show up to gawk at me and charged entrance fees, spewing propaganda that no one could disprove, about how I was an alien invader trying to destroy the planet, but that they captured me and do tests for the betterment of your species."

Elfilis twitched at the horrifying phrase echoing in their head. Fransisca pet their head more, allowing them to lean into the touch.

"Oh, right," Vesa blurted, "I remember that time one of the scientists told me they actually wanted to use your genes as a step to evolve my species. They seemed intent to do the same on me. But then that sepsis episode happened before they even had that arranged treatment ready."

"Again, I could've done that on my own," Elfilis mumbled.

Vesa took a moment to feel her forehead, her chest and her belly with her hands.

"Well," Vesa assured Elfilis, "I guess my body's just not used to being healthy yet."

"I'm glad you feel better," Elfilis replied, "but, I don't think I will be for a while."

Fransisca continued to stroke her sibling's fur as they both cuddled. Seeing Elfilis finally reunited with their family was enough for Vesa to realize tears were actually welling up in her eyes. She should be grateful she was given a second chance, yet fate still saw them as toys. Remembering she was now in the distant future, part of her wanted to see what became of her world just now. She sniffled and lowered her head.

"I-I," Vesa choked, "I guess I do miss my family after all. I know…I can't go back in time…or even bring them back, but still…"

"I-I am lucky to still have my family," Elfilis sputtered, "i-if they weren't around, I-I don't know what I would have done. I am just happy that they are here."

Vesa leaned in and embraced herself to Elfilis. They whined softly as they leaned into her a little. Vesa nuzzled their cheek as she ran her fingers through their chest fur. Elfilis let out a soft little purr. They placed their arm around her, holding her close. Still, they felt afraid this might be just a dream and they might wake up in the tank again. It was too perfect, despite the flaws. Minutes continued on before Vesa released Elfilis from her embrace and gazed into their eyes.

"Well," Vesa admitted, "if this is supposed to be the future, then I'm not sure if I'd be able to adapt on my own. I don't know how drastically my world has changed. Is it ok if I…stay by your side?"

"Of course," Elfilis nodded, "thank you, Vesa."

Hope seemed to glimmer in Elfilis's eyes, given they had done so much for Vesa. They didn't need to say much else to prove they had still been each other's only friend.

Chapter Text

The following morning, Kirby woke up and stretched his arms before making a brief glance at Elfilis. He smiled at the sight of Vesa and Elfilin cuddling next to them. The pink star warrior remembered Elfilis woke up several times during the night. Hyness had to keep calming them with soft words and sleep spells, considering his child had been having night terrors. Kirby didn't complain much as he would just stay asleep, not wanting to make Elfilis's panic attacks worse.

"We're probably going to need to go back to our home in Dreamland sooner rather than later at this rate," Hyness proclaimed, "I don't want to be a bother and keeping us in such a small place is not easy, especially since Elfilis takes up a quarter of the space on their own."

"Poyo," Kirby blinked twice.

Come to think of it, Kirby and the others would also have to return to Dreamland at some point. Elfilin yawned and opened his eyes, stretching his limbs before he floated to the pink star warrior.

"Morning, Kirby," Elfilin chirped.

"Poyo," Kirby waved his arm.

"Well, I guess I slept ok despite the night terrors my…sibling and I had," Elfilin nodded.

Kirby didn't need to pry much to know the intensity of the connection Elfilin and his sibling still had. The small chinchilla and the pink star warrior noticed as Vesa opened her eyes and sat up. Elfilis opened their eyes and stirred seconds later, blushing softly.

"Ah, m-morning, Elfilis," Vesa said.

Vesa took a moment to stretch her arms.

"Good morning," Elfilis simply replied.

Elfilin perked up his ears and floated over to the human.

"Are you hungry?" Elfilin asked, "we were thinking of getting some breakfast."

"O-Of course," Vesa answered.

Elfilis fidgeted nervously around their smaller fragment, both of them acknowledging the fact they both messed up ever since Elfilin split from them. After all, the small chinchilla did take Elfilis's positive emotions and their friend. They tried to capture and assimilate him. He tried to get Kirby to help him kill them and in a way, they destroyed their corporeal body, even if temporarily. That was all in the past, though.

Vesa slowly sat up while Kirby hopped off his bed. Elfilis stood up, bumping their head on the ceiling.

"Y-You all right?" Vesa stammered.

"I'm fine," Elfilis mumbled, "blunt force isn't really good at damaging me. I've been through worse."

"Well then," Hyness gestured to the door, "right this way!"

Setting foot outside, Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby, Elfilin and Hyness made their way to Waddle Dee Café. Elfilis offered Vesa support as she took slow steps, considering her legs were wobbly at that time. They could see Bandee and the Mage Sisters sitting at a table. Kirby spotted Meta Knight sitting at another table having tea and toast.

Elfilis felt pretty awkward wandering through the town filled with Waddle Dees. They should consider themself lucky the Waddle Dees didn't know their evil fragmented self tried to enslave them since they appeared vastly different. Kirby waved at Bandee and the Mage Sisters. Bandee waved back happily while the sisters simply nodded back. Flamberge gave a small wave. While Kirby and Elfilin approached the counter, Vesa, Elfilis and Hyness sat at a table next to Bandee's table. The ultimate life-form tried relaxing a little, reminding themself they weren't trapped anymore. They had the power to defend themself again: their magic, life energy and body were back to full capacity. They could still feel the power of that strange butterfly inside their soul, making them stronger. Vesa took a moment to read the menu. The first option she laid her eyes on was mushroom quiche.

After a minute, Vesa and Hyness approached the counter.

"Morning, ma'am!" the Waddle Dee chirped, "is there anything you'd like to order?"

"I'd like to try the mushroom quiche," Vesa requested, "and a mocha."

"I'll order some bread for the table and," Hyness added, "some coffee will be fine."

The Waddle Dee nodded at them in approval.

"No problem!" the Waddle Dee chirped, "I'll let you know when it's ready!"

At the same time, Kirby and Elfilin retrieved their breakfast orders and carried it over to a table near Meta Knight's.

"Do we…have any money?" Elfilis asked Hyness and the sisters.

"Well," Zan hesitated for a moment, "we have star coins from Dreamland, but the currency here looks a bit different, so…maybe?"

Vesa fidgeted nervously and placed her finger on her chin upon realizing she had nothing in terms of currency.

"I could synthesize artificial currency?" Elfilis pondered.

Meta Knight, having finished his breakfast, locked eyes onto Hyness. The veteran star warrior approached his table and nodded at him. Meta Knight offered Hyness some money without saying anything.

"Ah," Hyness said, "thank you, Meta Knight."

Meta Knight simply wrapped his cape around himself and vanished elsewhere. Minutes later, the Waddle Dee brought out the breakfast orders, so Vesa approached the counter with the money in hand, which happened to be small ringlike coins of different colors, made of some kind of odd magical metal she didn't recognize.

"Here you go, ma'am," the Waddle Dee chirped, "enjoy!"

"Thank you," Vesa smiled.

Vesa picked up the tray and carried it back to the table, reaching for the slice of mushroom quiche and her mocha.

"These little guys seem so friendly," Vesa mused as she took a bite out of her quiche.

"The Waddle Dees?" Elfilis replied, "they're a species native to Dreamland. A lot of them were brought here when the other version of me opened a portal to Dreamland. I have no idea how it knew where it even was. But it needed labor for some reason, I don't exactly remember why. Plenty of them decided to stay here rather than return with us to Dreamland."

"And yet they didn't freak out when they saw you," Vesa said.

"I look different than what they saw," Elfilis clarified, "I wouldn't even consider myself and that thing as the same creature."

Vesa nodded in agreement. Her thoughts wandered back to the masked knight who approached Hyness for a brief moment.

"By the way, who was that guy in the mask?" Vesa asked.

"I have no idea," Elfilis admitted, "although based on his attire, he's likely one of the Star Warriors, last I heard before I was captured by your people. They were fighting an ancient monster known as Nightmare."

Vesa sighed and tilted her head sideways for a second before taking a sip of her mocha. Hyness sat down next to Elfilis with the coffee in his hands. The ultimate life-form lightly nibbled on a loaf of bread, a small mouth now visible not unlike many of the woodland rodents.

Shortly after breakfast, Vesa, Hyness and Elfilis made their way to the main plaza, where they could see Kirby and Elfilin conversing with Bandee and the Mage Sisters. The pink star warrior turned towards them and waved at them to approach. When Vesa took a few steps closer, Elfilin and the Mage Sisters turned to face the trio. Bandee, on the other hand, widened his eyes in surprise upon glancing at the human.

"Uhh, Kirby?" Bandee pointed at Vesa, "who's that?"

Vesa stiffened and blushed. Elfilis simply narrowed their eyes yet they remained calm.

"Oh, her?" Elfilin paused, perking up his ears, "that's Vesa. She met Fecto Elfilis long ago and they brought her with them into the future."

Vesa slowly approached Bandee as he gave her a bow of respect.

"You're…a Waddle Dee?" she asked.

Elfilis glanced away. Bandee placed his arm on his belly.

"Not just any Waddle Dee, miss," he proclaimed, "you can just call me Bandee. I am the head of King Dedede's Royal Guard."

Vesa blinked and gave Kirby a puzzled look.

"King…Dedede?" she paused.

"King Dedede is the greatest ruler there ever was of Dreamland," Bandee proudly explained, "he's really valiant and not afraid of jumping into action whenever there's trouble!"

"And only ruler," Flamberge interrupted with a snicker, "Dedede apparently just kind of showed up one day and declared himself king. He's nice enough, but he has a bit of a more spotty past as a hardcore glutton and grade-A troublemaker."

Elfilis took this moment to turn around to join the conversation.

"Well, he is a penguin," Elfilis mentioned, "so biologically, this isn't unnatural behavior."

Elfilis and Elfilin exchanged glances.

"Yeah," Flamberge snarked, "well anyway, he and Kirby were at blows for a time and hardcore rivals. Although, that was pretty one-sided, to my knowledge."

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped in agreement.

"Oh, come on, Kirby!" Bandee protested, "you can't just define the King by his shortcomings!"

"Poyo," Kirby pouted.

"He stepped up to the plate to help when it mattered," Flamberge continued, "he used to be pretty arrogant and selfish. Now he's a proper ruler, from what I've seen. I wouldn't mind being his subject at this point. I think we kind of are, aren't we?"

"Well," Zan shrugged, "we do live on his land."

"Anyway, he's an ally now and has grown a lot as a person," Flamberge concluded.

Vesa glanced over her shoulder and gave Elfilis an awkward stare.

"That's one heck of a history," Vesa commented, "don't you think?"

Vesa and Elfilis returned their gaze towards Bandee, Kirby and Elfilin.

"Why don't we show you around Waddle Dee Town?" Elfilin offered.

"I'd like that," Vesa smiled, "thank you."

Kirby, Elfilin and Bandee led Vesa and Elfilis from the main plaza and turned to their right, stopping at a building with a silhouette of a movie camera above the door.

"This is Waddle Dee Cinema," Bandee explained.

"So it's a movie theater?" Vesa clarified.

"I am not familiar with what you're referring to," Elfilis gave Vesa a confused look.

"We produce movies and display them in theaters," Vesa explained.

Elfilis still gave her a confused look.

"Well, a movie is…" Vesa began to explain.

"It's basically the equivalent of a magical portrait," Flamberge added, "but with technology instead of magic and they tend to have sound most of the time."

Vesa chuckled nervously.

"Well, that's one way to explain it," she commented.

Elfilis nodded in agreement, remembering they used to have moving portraits back at Hyness's tower before Galacta Knight destroyed their home planet.

To her left, Vesa spotted a few Waddle Dees on a stage adjacent to the theater as they were in the middle of tuning their instruments. Bandee blinked twice before locking eyes onto the Waddle Dees on the stage.

"Oh," Bandee said, "that's the band Waddle Live. They set up a corner stage and perform some neat music."

Elfilis smiled softly. Soon enough, the Waddle Dees on the corner stage finished tuning their instruments. Elfilis watched them curiously as they stood around. The Waddle Dee band began playing an upbeat catchy tune. To the ultimate life-form, it sounded nice even if they preferred music which was more vocal and melodic.

They spent a few minutes just listening in on the music. After that, Kirby, Elfilin and Bandee led Vesa, Elfilis, Hyness and the Mage Sisters to the door to the weapons shop. This intrigued Elfilis even more, even if their spear was efficient as is. Still, it wouldn't hurt to appreciate other weapons if only for the craftsmanship. Kirby led everyone inside and waved his arm at the weaponsmith.

"Poyo!"

"Good morning, Kirby!" the Waddle Dee weaponsmith waved his arm in response.

Much to Elfilis's disappointment, the weapons on sale were actually copy abilities. Apart from the Ranger, Hammer, Cutter, Sword and Drill, they were all just upgrades for Kirby. The ultimate life-form couldn't see themself using anything other than the sword, hammer and gun on the display. Elfilis and Vesa continued browsing the display as Kirby and Elfilin approached the Waddle Dee weaponsmith and started chattering with him.

Elfilis, on the other hand, may have noticed the fact that Waddle Dee can upgrade copy abilities, presumably as some kind of magic based craft. The ultimate life-form didn't really have interest in anything on display, even when they could sense their own DNA inside that laser gun.

"I," Elfilis said, "am going to head home."

Vesa paused as she watched Elfilis meander out the door. She didn't hesitate to sprint after them, leaving Kirby, Elfilin and Bandee behind as the three sighed. By the time she caught up with Elfilis, they glanced over their shoulder.

"What is it?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa immediately noticed she was sweating heavily as she leaned closer to Elfilis. Her legs were shaking and she had a bit of a headache.

"I-I think I might need a break, too," Vesa admitted.

"Are you ok?"

Vesa didn't say anything, but she embraced herself to Elfilis.

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis made their arrival back in Kirby's house. They both sat on the mattress as Hyness paced around the room. The ultimate life-form was still in the middle of calming down from the revelation that even to this day their powers and DNA were being used to power weapons, technology and everything in between. Who knew if any of the other abilities in that shop also had their DNA?

Vesa, with a worried expression on her face, simply ran her hand through Elfilis's chest fur as she huddled close to them. Hyness noticed his child cuddling back and took some mental notes for later. Vesa inspected her surroundings and examined the furniture decorating the inside of the house; nice looking but mostly spartan other than a few little figurines on a shelf over the fireplace and a few little photos. One of the photos was taken in celebration of Kirby's recent victory, which rather irked Elfilis.

After a moment of silence, Vesa, Elfilis and Hyness all faced each other.

"I guess," Vesa stammered, perching her hands on her lap, "I still have a long way to go before I get used to being in the future."

"How so?" Hyness gave her a puzzled look.

Vesa closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Long ago," Vesa began to explain, "I lived with a chronic illness all my life. From what my father told me, it was because our family was caught in the middle of a disaster. My mother was exposed to the hazards while she was pregnant with me. I was born prematurely, and that's how my illness began to manifest."

"What was the illness?" Hyness tilted his head sideways.

"It was called Intermittent Physio-Forgo Sepsis," Vesa answered, "IPFS, for short."

"I fixed that, however," Elfilis reminded.

"I know," Vesa nodded, "it's just that my body was so used to my illness for so long it doesn't know how to be healthy."

When Vesa gently grasped Elfilis's hand in an attempt to soothe them, she continued to explain the symptoms she experienced, the trips to the doctor she had to take and how she had to carry crutches around her and take prescribed medications.

Vesa noticed as Elfilis twitched slightly from the reminders of their own issues—she could tell it brought them bad memories. They stabbed their leg with one of their claws to stop themself from shaking and to focus harder on what she said. They tried hiding the attempt from Vesa, not wanting to give her discomfort.

"So it wasn't a genetic illness?" Hyness paused.

"No," Vesa answered.

Elfilis sighed.

"I fixed all the genes affected by the direct cause of your illness," they told her, "I repaired your fragile kneecaps and gave you natural resistance to cancers. I adapted your throat in a way you wouldn't choke on food. I prolonged your lifespan…far beyond that of your own species and I repaired your appendix. Finally, you should have a stronger immune system now. Your brain didn't need any corrections, though."

Vesa took a deep breath as she took a moment to process what she had been told.

"Well," she told them, "I'm grateful…for what you did for me."

"You are most welcome," Elfilis smiled at her.

Vesa straightened the hem of her hospital gown. At that moment, Hyness stared intently as a thought popped into his head.

"Oh! I just realized!" Hyness exclaimed, "I'm sure the girls have some spare outfits. One moment."

Hyness left the house. Vesa and Elfilis exchanged confused glances. Seconds later, she examined her hospital gown.

"Oh," she blurted, blushing, "I almost forgot, this is all I have."

Elfilis tilted their head sideways. Vesa smiled and stroked her finger along their snout. Minutes later, Hyness returned with a suitcase and plopped it onto the floor.

"Here you go," Hyness said, "Francisca had this in her pocket dimension. There should be some clothes here in your size."

When Vesa opened the suitcase, she noted all the outfits inside each had some kind of primary color. Most of them were uniforms and turbans like what the Mage Sisters wore. Vesa rummaged through the suitcase and took note of one particular short-sleeved dress with a hem that reached above the knees and a combination of black, white and maroon. She kept digging through the suitcase until she found a cap which had matching colors and a spade patch on the front. Pulling out a pair of ankle-length socks, Vesa spotted some ankle boots with flat heels. Reaching for a black wristband, she stood up.

"Could you step out for a minute?" Vesa requested, "I need some privacy."

"I see," Hyness replied, "I will do so, then."

Elfilis got up and followed Hyness out of the room. Vesa seized this chance to slip out of her hospital gown. Sliding on a camisole, she then put on her dress before putting on the hat, socks, shoes and wristband within a few minutes. She stepped over to the door and knocked on it.

"Ready!"

She waited until the door opened. Elfilis and Hyness made their way back inside the house. The ultimate life-form examined their close friend in her new garment.

"You look wonderful," Elfilis told her.

"Thanks!" Vesa smiled.

Elfilis nodded at her before they proceeded to incinerate her old hospital gown, wanting to remove any reminders of their time in the lab. It didn't help that Vesa shuddered after that.

"Uhh," Vesa stammered, "there should be pajamas in there too, right?"

"I…don't know," Elfilis shrugged.

Vesa took a moment to dig through the suitcase again. She soon found a knee-length nightgown and a pair of flannel pants. She found a few more garments which caught her interest, so she set them aside for later. She then returned her gaze to Hyness.

"Thank you," Vesa gave a bow of respect, "I really appreciate it."

"Ah, no problem!"

Vesa made her way to the door and took a step outside. She blinked when she noticed a package on the ground. Elfilis followed her outside and picked up the package. They noticed the label had the name "Elfilin" on it.

"This package is addressed to my fragment."

Elfilis used their senses to hone in on Elfilin. Vesa followed Elfilis as they wandered through Waddle Dee Town. They found Kirby and Elfilin at the fishing pond. The small chinchilla watched as Kirby held a fishing rod.

"Here," Elfilis said, "this came in the mail for you."

Elfilin perked his ears up and spun around. He blinked cutely as he retrieved the package.

"Thanks!" Elfilin smiled, "are you doing ok?"

"No," Elfilis sighed, "thank you for asking, though."

Elfilin blinked slowly before he opened the package. His eyes lit up when he pulled out a slice of cake.

"Aww," Elfilin chirped, "that's so sweet of Clawroline! I should send her a thank you letter later."

Kirby smiled as Elfilin began munching on the slice of cake. Elfilis and Vesa exchanged blank stares before they sat down by the pond.

"So," Elfilis asked her, "what do you want to do now? You can go anywhere and do anything. You could learn magic, travel across the stars…you could do anything now. I…understand the pain of losing everything to the extent that your planet is no longer what it used to be and any family dead, gone or out of reach alongside your home and civilization. That is a pain I understood before I even came to this planet. You can talk to me, if you need to."

Vesa stared wistfully into Elfilis's eyes just as Kirby reeled in a fish and Elfilin finished eating his cake. She placed her hand on their shoulder.

"Say," Vesa asked, "do you know if they're planning to stay here or is this just a visit?"

"This is just a visit," Elfilis explained, "to my understanding, my father has already made a tower in Dreamland. I hear that at some point, they also reacquired an old Ancient made space station used by our civilization, repaired it and now it's floating in the skies above Popstar somewhere."

"That's pretty cool," Vesa smiled.

"I suppose it is," Elfilis agreed, "the Jambastion station was supposed to be an asteroid farming platform at one point in time. However, before the fall of the Ancients, it was recommissioned into a weapon of war to assist in the fight against Dark Matter. Now, it is mostly empty, I believe. But it is kept around just in case."

Kirby turned his gaze towards Elfilis after tossing the fish into a basket.

"Poyo?"

"It is the space station in your orbit currently," Elfilis clarified, "I believe that at one time you destroyed it and it crashed into the planet?"

"Poyo," Kirby nodded.

"Evidently," Elfilis mentioned, "with help from Meta Knight and his crew, they fixed it and got it back into orbit."

Kirby set down the fishing rod and happily waved his arms.

"Papa poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Meta Knight?" Vesa paused.

"Meta Knight is the masked warrior I mentioned earlier," Elfilis answered, before they gestured to Kirby, "however, I believe this little creature is an instance of a being known as Void Termina."

"Oh."

"To the understanding of the Ancients," Elfilis continued, "Void Termina is the one who created existence as we know it. The way it functions is not an omniscient being or omnipresent, or even good or evil. It kind of just…bounces across the universe, and manifests into either forces of incredible good."

Elfilis shot a glance at Kirby.

"Or incredible evil," Elfilis added, "such as Dark Matter. When it comes into contact with large amounts of a single emotion, it will manifest into a creature such as this one. After creating an avatar, it then leaves and continues to move around the universe. As you can imagine, such a system is not a good one, mostly since negative emotion is more likely to occur than positive, due to the nature of conflict."

Vesa glanced over her shoulder and spotted Meta Knight surveying the entire town on top of the weapons shop.

"This was all documented back home before it was destroyed," Elfilis said, "I imagine that such topics are now lost to time. Luckily, I read almost everything I could get my paws on as a child."

Elfilin's ears perked up after listening to what his counterpart had to say.

"I likely had more interest in magic than even my siblings did," they added, "they chose specific topics to make their own, however I wanted to know everything I could. Many branches of magic that were once documented are now likely lost to time. I still know of them, and due to my excellent memory, I can likely write them down once again and fill the tower library back in Dreamland with copies."

"I'd love to read them!" Elfilin nodded eagerly.

"Poyo!"

"Well," Elfilis said, "the avatar likely would be highly proficient in magic, you likely would as well since I am."

From a distance, Elfilin noticed King Dedede stopping by Waddle Dee-liveries. The king placed a box on the counter and the Waddle Dee stationed at the post office put a stamp on it.

Elfilis soon began to delve into their thoughts. They were curious as to what magics have been lost to time. The Ancients' signature magic of Wish and Dream based spells and artifact creation most certainly would be lost since they were careful never to let that kind of knowledge leave the planet. The weapons the Ancients made were key in fighting against the spread of Dark Matter. NOVA in particular was one of the more controversial ones from what they remembered. They remembered their father ranting about how stupid it was for several hours when they were younger.

Vesa, meanwhile, still had thoughts lingering in her head regarding what became of Ioskaria. Before she could decide on anything, maybe…

"Can I ask you a favor?" Vesa asked.

Elfilis's feelers twitched.

"If it's within my power," Elfilis placed their hand on their chest, "I will endeavor to grant it."

"Before I decide on what I want to do with my life," Vesa requested, "can I show you my hometown, in Ioskaria?"

Vesa made a brief glance at Kirby and Elfilin who gave her a curious look.

"Kirby and Elfilin can come along, too," she added.

Elfilis blinked twice before they nodded.

"I wouldn't mind taking you, if that's what you want," they proclaimed, "I'd really enjoy such a venture."

"Sure!" Elfilin chirped, "we'd love to go!"

"Poyo!"

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis met up with Kirby and Elfilin at the main plaza the next day. The human stared in awe at a large yellow star floating in the center.

"A Warp Star?" Elfilis commented, glancing at Kirby, "well, that's certainly an effective way to travel for certain, another invention of my people. You swallowed one, didn't you?"

"Poyo," Kirby shrugged.

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged a nod before hopping onto the Warp Star.

"I'll just assume you did," Elfilis sighed, "it's likely why you're able to create them so readily."

Vesa slowly approached the Warp Star and brushed her hands along it, noting the smoothness and warmth like condensed light in a way. She couldn't help but smile upon touching it.

"It's…beautiful," she said.

"My people had an excellent aesthetic sense, I think," Elfilis agreed, "most of it was pretty star based. It wouldn't surprise me if many of their artifacts found their way to Popstar if only due to its shape. They could've put a colony there at some point if they had the numbers to do so. However, the Ancients weren't large enough in numbers to really branch out from their own planet."

After a few seconds, Vesa took a step back.

"I don't know if I could hold onto it," she stammered.

Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis.

"Elfilis?" Vesa requested, clasping her hands together, "I would appreciate it if you carried me."

Elfilis couldn't help but smile as their tail swayed excitedly.

"Very well," they nodded.

Vesa took a moment to adjust the backpack she borrowed before taking a step closer to Elfilis, who lifted her into their arms. She wrapped her arms around them. Elfilis pulled out a map, allowing Vesa to carefully read it. Her fingers traced over Winter Horns.

"Ioskaria is two lands west of here," she explained, "it's fine if we just fly there."

Vesa made a brief glance at Kirby and Elfilin and waved her hand at them. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla waved back.

"Poyo!"

With Vesa holding onto Elfilis, the ultimate life-form spread their winglike ears and took off into the sky. Likewise, Kirby directed the Warp Star as it took off into the air. Kirby guided Elfilis as they flew over Natural Plains, Everbay Coast and Wondaria Remains. From above, Vesa could see how nature began taking back the cities which were once populated by her species. Once they arrived at Winter Horns, Vesa huddled closer to Elfilis as she shivered.

"I should've checked for winter gear," she muttered.

Elfilis tilted her a little so their fur can give her more body warmth.

"I could give you fur if that's what you prefer," Elfilis offered.

Vesa shook her head.

"As in fur genes? No thanks."

Kirby scanned his surroundings for a bit before he turned west. Elfilis continued to follow the Warp Star.

"Maybe we could find my house," Vesa suggested, "and even the places I remember growing up, even the Dew Garden!"

"Well then," Elfilis mentioned, "what will you do after we leave this place?"

Vesa sighed and closed her eyes.

"I still don't know what I want to do with my life," she admitted.

"You could live with us if you wish," Elfilis offered, "I'm sure you might find something that'll catch your interest."

Elfilis followed the Warp Star over the mountains. As the flight continued, Vesa immediately recognized the plains dotted with lakes and rivers. She recognized the sea lining the western coasts.

Below, she could see what used to be Ioskaria's capital city. She recognized her hometown of Kryejak up north of that.

"We're here," she said.

She pointed down at what was left of her neighborhood. Elfilis floated down to the ground. They scanned their surroundings and built a mental picture of the town…of what it could've looked like prior to its destruction. The Warp Star touched down seconds later and Kirby and Elfilin disembarked. When Elfilis also touched down, Vesa ran her thumb through their neck mane.

"You mind letting me down?"

Elfilis loosened their grip, allowing Vesa to leap onto the ground. The ultimate life-form felt…funny. They decided to mentally check themself over for any ailments despite the impossibility of it but found nothing again, how odd. Vesa noticed that blank expression and gently grasped their hand.

"Will you be ok?" she asked.

"I'm all right, I think," they answered, "I just feel slightly odd, though scans show I'm perfectly healthy and operating at above average parameters due to the new powers I've acquired."

Part of Vesa wanted to ask what Elfilis meant, but decided to save that question for later. She led Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin along the ancient pavement, moving past the several Awoofies that made brief glances at the visitors. The ultimate life-form did their best to remain at her pace, even if their legs were quite longer than hers. Atop a boulder, a Bernard stared down at the pink star warrior. Kirby and Elfilin responded by waving at the dog-like creature.

Minutes later, Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin arrived at the edge of the ancient town coated in overgrown plants.

"This is my hometown Kryejak," Vesa explained, "most of it may feel like a small town to you at first, but at the time, it was the third most technologically advanced settlement at the time apart from the capital city Tirinkao."

"I see," Elfilis commented.

While Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin began venturing through the abandoned town, the ultimate life-form started mentally feeling for any of their DNA which might be still lingering. They considered working on a spell to lure back any remnants of their DNA during their time here.

Over the course of half an hour, Vesa showed Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin the school she went to, the public library, the confectionery and Kryejak's marketplace. Traversing from building to building was fairly easy considering the streets long abandoned were paved in a way it allowed walking, bicycles and public trams with a street reserved for cars. Passing a rusty street tram, Vesa spotted the familiar building with a faded colorful roof.

"There it is!" Vesa exclaimed, "it's The Rolling Bowl Emporium!"

Vesa let go of Elfilis's arm and sprinted towards the door. Kirby and Elfilin followed her and when they stopped at the door, they stared in awe. Elfilis shifted their body next to her, teleporting from one spot to another instantaneously.

"You want to have a look inside?" Vesa asked, "I can show you where I get the jigsaw puzzles."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Vesa opened the door and stepped inside. She noticed two Awoofies in the lobby playing with old action figures. Elfilis scanned their surroundings, putting their paw on a TV and pulling some piece of their DNA out of it. Kirby and Elfilin began meandering through the toy store and examined some of the ancient toys still sitting on the shelves. Elfilis kept retrieving bits of themself out of a PA system, a coffee maker and an old phone that was lying around. Anger stirred within them over the fact they'd been reduced to a household commodity, used to enhance the technology of an entire civilization. Part of them was afraid of what they'd find by the time they used the spell.

Vesa ventured through the aisle of girls' toys and locked eyes onto the familiar shelf. She crouched down and brushed her hand along a box of jigsaw puzzles which were starting to rot away. When she picked up the box and examined it, Elfilis appeared next to her.

"This is where my father bought me my first puzzle," she said.

"I can empathize with losing everything like this," Elfilis replied sadly.

Vesa nodded and put the box back, standing up.

"When you're ready," Vesa offered, "I can show you the café my family and I like to go to on the weekends."

"I suppose," Elfilis agreed.

Stepping outside the emporium, Vesa led Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin down the pavement, meandering through the roundabout holding a fountain which no longer functioned. To her right, she spotted a familiar building around a few floors tall.

"That's the hospital we went to for my frequent checkups," Vesa pointed to said building.

Elfilis felt their feelers perk up as they sensed plenty of bits of their DNA within that building. Kirby climbed onto a bench to examine the abandoned hospital from a distance.

"Poyo?"

Vesa gave Kirby a confused look. Elfilin hovered in front of her and sighed.

"Kirby's just baffled you take trips to the hospital more often than usual," Elfilin explained.

"Well," Vesa clarified, "it's kinda what my family had to do to manage the symptoms of my chronic illness."

Vesa made a brief glance at Elfilis.

"Though that's in the past," she added.

Vesa took a step back and continued walking along the pavement. Climbing up a slope, she led Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin across the landscape, passing by a couple Mookies hanging out near a tree. Passing by a few more buildings, she stopped at the entrance to a café familiar to her.

"This one."

Vesa led them along the pavement and up the front porch, stepping through the door. Elfilis recognized it due to the time they and Vesa shared a dream back at…Lab Discovera. Their eyes turned slightly red and their fur gained small white hairs as they thought back to it, anger seething more than fear or depression for now. After a moment, their fur and eyes returned to normal. Kirby noticed, however, and approached Elfilis, waving his arms.

"Poyo? Poyo?"

"I'm still not ok," Elfilis told Kirby, staring down at him blankly, "that resurrecting butterfly branded their mark on my soul."

Kirby lowered his gaze.

"Poyo," Kirby muttered sadly.

Vesa approached the counter, not minding the Awoofies sitting at the counter as she examined the menu, noticing all the writings on it could barely be recognized now. Elfilis, on the other hand, deciphered the writing with their advanced eyesight. Elfilin plopped onto the counter and had a closer look at the pastry display.

"This is so cool!" Elfilin chirped, "maybe we can renovate it someday?"

"I don't know," Vesa shrugged, "Ioskaria has plenty of cafés like this one. Usually, they sell different kinds of tea, coffee and even hot chocolate. They even sell cookies and other kinds of pastries. Some of them even offer options for breakfast and lunch."

"We could just build one in Dreamland," Elfilis interjected, "speaking of, what do you plan to do…brother? Will you stay here, or will you come with us?"

Elfilin paused for a moment before he and Kirby exchanged glances.

"You know," Elfilin answered, "I guess I'd love to go see Dreamland for myself. Right, Kirby?"

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Well," Elfilis mused, "the rest of our family will be going. I'm sure they would like to spend more time with you."

Vesa continued to survey the rest of the café, examining what became of the patio through the window. She noticed as Elfilin perched on her shoulder.

"So what are your people like?" Elfilin asked.

"My people?" she paused, "as far as I know, you could say we strike a fair balance between tradition and modernity back in the day. I can't say the same for countries like Redgarica."

Vesa made her way back to the door, glancing over her shoulder and watching as Elfilis began inspecting the technology which broke down over time. She watched as they kept pulling out blue, orange and purple-shifting fluids out of machines they found. Little did they know, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin could see exactly how much the ultimate life-form's power was abused for the gain of the long forgotten people, and how much of them was likely still missing.

A worried expression filled her eyes as guilt started seeping inside of her.

"There are," Vesa stammered, "two more places I'd like to show you."

Chapter Text

Leaving the café, Vesa continued to lead Fecto Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin through the abandoned town. She stopped before what used to be her old neighborhood. Passing a few more blocks, she recognized her house near the forest, which was only one story tall. She sprinted her way to the front porch. Stopping at the front door, she noticed Elfilis stopped by her side, unsure of what else to do other than staying close by in case she needed support.

"This is where my family and I lived," Vesa explained.

Vesa reached for the door and pushed it open. When she stepped inside, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin followed her inside. Much to her surprise, the house had little to no furniture remaining. Moss, vines and flowers began growing in spots which were left unattended. Did her family move away, or did something else happen?

"Vesa?"

Vesa tilted her head towards Elfilis.

"I can show you what these rooms used to be, at least," Vesa rasped.

Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin ventured through the house, the human showing the other three where the kitchen, dining room and living room used to be. Meandering down the hall, she gestured to her parents' bedroom, the bathroom in the middle of the hall, and the laundry room next to the stairs leading into the basement. Finally, she stopped at the intersection which had all the doors leading to her siblings' bedrooms. Vesa shifted her gaze to her left.

"That was where my bedroom used to be."

Vesa stepped through the door. Once they were all inside, she went on to explain where her bed used to be, where her dresser used to be, and even the bookshelf she used to keep her jigsaw puzzles. Elfilis used this chance to reconstruct the image in their head. Vesa stopped for a moment and opened the closet door. She let out a startled yelp as a startled Awoofy jumped out, knocking her to the ground in the process before it scurried away. Elfilis immediately rushed to her side and picked her up.

"I-I'll be all right," Vesa stammered, "thank you."

"That's good to hear," Elfilis sighed.

Part of Elfilis felt angry at the creature for knocking her down like that, but the expression in Vesa's eyes was enough to keep them from retaliating…wait, did they just contemplate incinerating a creature because they mildly inconvenienced someone they cared for? That didn't sound like something they would've done before. That impulsive thought alone began to horrify them. Vesa, having recovered from the little ordeal, examined what used to be her closet.

"This is where I stored some of my formal clothes," Vesa explained, "and my crutches."

"I see," was all Elfilis could say.

Vesa returned her gaze to Kirby and Elfilin as they peered through a hole in the wall. She sighed and took a step back.

"That's all there is to it for my house," Vesa said, "our last stop is the Dew Garden."

Elfilis folded their ears back as Kirby and Elfilin approached the ultimate life-form.

"Let us depart, then," Elfilis nodded, "what direction is it?"

As soon as Vesa led Kirby and Elfilin out of the house, they ventured their way out of the neighborhood. When they stopped at the roundabout, Vesa took a different path. Racing along the hill, they could get a good view of the rest of the town. Eventually, they stopped at an old rusty gate leading into an overgrown forest path.

"Beyond this forest barricade," Vesa said, "is Berovnik Park. There should be a sacred shrine at the hill near the lake. Come on."

Vesa reached her hands for the gate, but it wouldn't budge. Kirby took the hint and approached the gate. Elfilis watched the pink star warrior struggle with it for a few moments, comically trying to push it open and failing. The ultimate life-form pulled the iron bar holding it shut out of the slot. It interested Elfilis in how Kirby didn't seem to be physically powerful when he had no copy abilities or when he wasn't fighting. The pink star warrior made a brief glance at the gate again before narrowing his eyes at Elfilis.

"Poyo," Kirby pouted.

"It's not showing off," Elfilis shrugged, "it's just removing the lock."

Vesa blinked twice before she pushed the gate open. Tilting her head to her left, she sauntered over to the abandoned booth and rummaged through the shelves inside it. She picked up the ceremonial incense burner and stashed it into her backpack. She even checked the shelves for a few more essential items her people used during the annual Elfin Blessings. As soon as she finished salvaging the artifacts left behind, she left the booth and stopped before Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin.

"Ok," Vesa beckoned, "follow me!"

Vesa led the other three through the forest path. When they emerged from the forest path, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin stared in awe at the sight of a vast meadow. The lake beyond the garden bordered an adjacent mountain range. A small hill overlooking the range still had the statue and circular pedestal. But, Vesa noticed plants were growing all over the statue. The small chinchilla focused his gaze on the various different plants which defined the Dew Garden. Although, more plants began growing over the pavement path.

Elfilis glanced around curiously. The garden itself had a bit of mythical vibe to it, even if it wasn't in any real form of magic. Its appearance wouldn't be too different to some magical gardens back at their old home just based on appearance alone. Kirby and Elfilin started venturing along the pavement, occasionally taking a moment to examine the nearest flowers. Among the assorted flowers, seven unique flowers stood out among the entirety of the garden, giving off a faint bioluminescent light. Smiling, Vesa and Elfilis followed close behind. A nearby Rabiroo spotted them as they made their approach before it quickly scampered away. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla stopped at the edge of the lake and gazed into their reflections in the water.

"Wow, this is so amazing!" Elfilin chirped.

"Poyo!"

Vesa stopped at the base of the stairs leading to the crumbling shrine.

"This land right here is deeply sacred to us," Vesa explained, "while it may have been a tourist attraction, even our government had strict policies so tourists wouldn't desecrate it."

"I wonder about that," Elfilis replied.

Elfilis wasn't sure if that was believable, knowing the scientists at Lab Discovera made them, the first alien life-form they ever encountered, into a tourist attraction. The lab even used their DNA and magic in almost every household appliance they owned. Why would they stop there? Anything that could make money was clearly something they would turn into an attraction. Life was also supposed to be sacred, but they threw it away easily without care to run their tests. Where was the line drawn?

Vesa climbed the stairs to get a closer look to the shrine. She frowned when she noticed the circular pedestal had a large crack and several vines covering it. The statue had plenty of missing sections to the point it barely resembled anyone. A large patch of moss covered the base of the statue like how she noticed moss patches on the stone steps. Sighing, she descended the stairs and made her way back to Elfilis.

"Are you going to be ok?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa nodded.

"I don't think the shrine could hold any offerings anymore," she answered, "but considering even my own people aren't here anymore, I shouldn't be surprised at this point."

"We could construct something similar back home if you'd like?"

"No thanks," Vesa shook her head, "was there something else you wanted to do before we head back to Waddle Dee Town?"

Kirby and Elfilin paused and shifted their gaze to Elfilis.

"Not particularly," they shrugged, "although, I'm currently almost finished with a spell that should reunite all my lost matter. The hard part was excluding my new sibling from this, so I isolated the spell from anything containing a soul. I'm…uncomfortable with the thought of parts of me remaining here."

"Poyo?"

"In that case," Elfilin blushed, "maybe we could find a spot for you to pull off that spell of yours with ease?"

"I doubt it," Elfilis lowered their head, "this planet has no magical hotspots that I can sense. I suppose an area with lots of space would be helpful, though. I must admit I am…afraid of how much I'll find. Of h-how much of me has been stripped away."

"Poyo?"

"Can you hazard a guess?" Elfilis continued, "how much raw material would need to be taken from me, to power the technology of an entire society?"

Vesa glanced down at her own hands. Her mind soon flooded with shame.

"I'm afraid of what I'll find when I use my spell," Elfilis added, "I fear it'll be like a flood of matter and shifting colors. They've incorporated me into practically all of their technology, electricity being a thing of the past, my flesh being made into living batteries."

"Oh, Elfilis," Elfilin whispered.

Kirby noticed as tears welled up in Vesa's eyes.

"Poyo?" Kirby called over, "poyo poyo?"

Vesa lowered her gaze. All the medical equipment she remembered being used on her also came from all the tests and cruel experiments Lab Discovera could ever put Elfilis through.

"I never thought how much I benefited from your own suffering like the rest of my kind did," she confessed.

Vesa hugged her arms to her chest and took a step back.

"I-I'm so sorry, Elfilis," she sobbed, "I should've known better!"

Vesa burst into tears, and Elfilin drooped his ears.

"Y-You couldn't have known," Elfilis tried to assure her, "I doubt such things were made public knowledge. My body is likely a new 'element' that was discovered. Or perhaps they made it sound as if I could create it endlessly in a harmless process of some kind, I'm unsure."

Elfilis zoned out a little while twitching slightly. While Vesa did listen to what they had to say, she still didn't lock eyes onto them.

"I-I should find somewhere to perform the spell," Elfilis stammered.

Elfilin floated over to Vesa and perched on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek.

"Elfilin?" she paused.

"Maybe don't worry about it too much, ok?" Elfilin tried to advise.

Vesa lifted her head up and scratched behind Elfilin's ears. The small chinchilla purred as he cuddled close to her. Elfilis snapped out of their thoughts and noticed their little brother on her shoulder. Wait, why did they feel jealous? They knew he was comforting her and not doing anything they would consider wrong. This felt confusing. Kirby stepped closer to Elfilis and waved his arm at them just as Vesa wiped her tears with her arm. Elfilis snapped out of their confused thoughts and shifted their gaze towards the pink star warrior, knowing he was just waving at their legs.

"Poyo?" Kirby reminded, "poyo!"

"All right," Elfilis nodded, "did you have a place in mind?"

Kirby nodded before shifting his gaze to Elfilin.

"Poyo!"

Upon cue, Elfilin leapt off Vesa's shoulder and hovered towards Kirby. The pink star warrior raised his arm into the sky and the Warp Star descended from the clouds. Elfilis shyly opened their arms, still feeling rather awkward about not being used to physical contact. Vesa took the hint and embraced herself to them. Kirby and Elfilin climbed aboard the Warp Star. The pink star warrior then launched the Warp Star into the air. Elfilis held Vesa close as they lifted off the ground. Considering the way they carried her with their arms under her legs and her back, she noticed their cheeks tinted a deep red color over their fur.

"Oh?" she pondered to herself.

Still, Elfilis followed the Warp Star as they flew back over the mountains. They backtracked over Winter Horns, Wondaria Remains, Everbay Coast and Natural Plains. Glancing down below, Kirby spotted a nearby skyscraper. Elfilis floated down to the roof, their tail twitching nervously. The Warp Star touched down and Kirby and Elfilin hopped off.

"Are you ready?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa nodded, releasing Elfilis from her embrace. The ultimate life-form initiated the spell, shivering as they felt how much of themself were scattered around. Before long, a large ball of shifting blue, orange and purple mass began to form, quickly dwarfing the size of a small house. Vesa, Kirby and Elfilis glanced upwards, staring in awe.

"Whoa!" Elfilin exclaimed, "that's an awful lot, Kirby!"

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.

More of the mass started to appear, street lights beginning to flicker and die, buildings having their lights go out…all as Elfilis kept pulling all their DNA out of the technology it was housed inside of. This phenomena caught interest in all of the members of the Beast Pack scattered throughout the land. By the time Elfilis finished in half an hour, the mass became the size of the skyscraper they were currently standing on.

"So now what?" Elfilin clamored.

"I'll put this in my pocket dimension," Elfilis answered, feeling overwhelmed, "I-I think I need to sit down after that."

Granted, the overwhelmed sensation came just from the sheer size and amount of matter that was stripped from them. Vesa sighed and folded her arms behind her back.

"Elfilis?"

"Let me take care of this," Elfilis said softly.

Vesa blinked twice before shifting her gaze towards Kirby and Elfilin.

"I guess we could all head back to Waddle Dee Town," Elfilin shrugged, "I am getting hungry, after all."

"Poyo," Kirby added.

Elfilis finished stashing their mass into their pocket dimension a few more moments later.

"I," Vesa added, "I, too, feel like returning to Waddle Dee Town."

"Very well," Elfilis breathed, "should we fly there, or would you like to just teleport?"

"I think teleportation will do," Vesa answered.

Elfilis locked eyes onto the small chinchilla and the pink star warrior.

"Will you two be coming as well?"

Both Kirby and Elfilin nodded.

"Poyo!"

Elfilis opened a portal which immediately brought everyone on the roof back to Waddle Dee Town. Kirby, Elfilin and Vesa had a hint of green on their faces. Could take them a while to get used to it.

Chapter Text

It took a short while for Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin to recover from their motion sickness. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla made a beeline for Waddle Dee Café. After waving goodbye to the two, Vesa followed Fecto Elfilis back to Kirby's house. Once inside, Elfilis simply laid down on the mattress, simply taking deep breaths as they stared at the ceiling.

Vesa set down the backpack filled with a few souvenirs she collected from her trip to Ioskaria and sat down next to the mattress, huddling closer to Elfilis. Hyness was engrossed in writing runes on some hand-sized rocks. She took note of the nearby large pile of these engraved rocks.

"Uhh," Vesa said, "we're back."

Hyness made a brief glance at Vesa.

"Oh!" he quipped, "I see, welcome back!"

Hyness went back to writing runes on stones. Vesa let out an exacerbated sigh as she ruffled the top of Elfilis's head with her hand. The ultimate life-form let out some soft purrs, their face reddening as she cuddled up to them. After several minutes passed on in silence, she examined the pile of engraved rocks and plucked one out.

"What kind of letters are these?" Vesa pondered.

"Oh, those are going to help me make the portal to Popstar," Hyness explained, "I'm attempting to make a stable portal that will let us travel to and from at will."

"That's…interesting," she commented.

"Yes," Hyness agreed, "it should be done in a few days. I still need to enchant these stones properly."

Before long, the Mage Sisters showed up with several bags of food.

"Oh, hey!" Flamberge chirped, "welcome back!"

Vesa smiled and waved her hand.

"Glad to see you, too," Vesa quipped back.

"So how are you two doing?" she asked.

Zan entered the house while Fransisca simply sat on the roof while reading a book.

"I got as much closure for my old home as needed for now," Vesa answered, "though, I wasn't the only one who got emotionally overwhelmed."

"I see," Flamberge frowned, "you lo— uhm, guys gonna be ok?"

"I don't know about Elfilis," Vesa sighed, "but I'll be fine."

Zan plucked out a bag and rummaged through it.

"Are you hungry?" Zan asked, "we brought sandwiches."

Vesa sat up and nodded.

"What sandwiches do you have available?" Vesa clamored.

"I'm not hungry," Elfilis muttered.

Vesa blinked slowly before she checked the paper bag. She slid off the mattress and picked a grilled chicken sandwich. Grabbing a can of lemonade, she sat at the table and started eating. This gave Fecto Elfilis some space to think. Things should be much better. They should be free, yet they were still shackled by the past. The size of this house somehow reminded them of being trapped like back then. They weren't certain whether thinking about the lab would send them into another fit or not. All Elfilis could do was take a nap for now. Zan and Flamberge sat across Vesa each with a sandwich in their hands.

"So how'd your day go?" Vesa asked Zan.

"I think it went well," Zan replied, "I did some training with Meta Knight. He has some surprising insight on electric magic that I didn't expect."

"That sounds pretty interesting," Vesa commented, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"Apparently," Zan added, "his blade has some lightning based attacks, and he gave me some instruction in weapon-based spell casting. Hopefully, it'll help me cast spells by using my lance as a focus better in the future."

Flamberge took a sip of her orange juice.

"Well, my day has been less interesting," Flamberge replied, "I went around and tried to find people causing trouble so I could get into fights, but I didn't find anything! It's just like Dreamland 95% of the year…"

Vesa took another bite out of her sandwich.

"During our trip to Ioskaria," Vesa said, "I noticed Elfilis was collecting pieces of themself from the machines that were lying all over the place."

"Ah, that," Zan commented, "the exploitation of our sibling's magical powers isn't something we're super thrilled with."

Vesa nodded in agreement as she took another sip of her lemonade.

"You think they might need help at some point?" Vesa asked, "I'm kinda worried about them."

"We've already decided we're going to try to encourage them to open up about it and attempt to work as therapists for them," Zan said, "Fransisca seems to be the best suited for it, oddly enough. Normally, she tries to spend time alone, but she seems oddly motivated to attempt this."

"Yeah, it's weird," Flamberge nodded, "must be all those books she fills her head with."

Finishing up her sandwich, Vesa placed her hand behind her head. A thought trailed back to her time as a test subject back in Lab Discovera.

"I guess my mind is just as much of a mess," Vesa admitted, "maybe not as much as Elfilis, but still."

"I can imagine that it wasn't easy despite it not being as bad as what our sibling had to experience," Zan said, "any other creature would've likely been broken by the experience, but our sibling was made to be resistant to mental illness; so resistant we had thought it was actually immunity. It seems that was rendered incorrect. It's unfortunate we had to find this out at all. The reason they were given such immunity was due to the long isolation they were sure to face in their mission to save as many species as possible from Dark Matter."

Finishing up her lemonade, Vesa focused her eyes on Elfilis, who slept rather peacefully. She stood from the table and stretched her arms.

"I'm certainly not tired yet," Vesa said.

The Mage Sisters finished up their lunches a few moments later.

"I feel like going for a walk outside," Vesa continued, "you interested?"

"I don't mind," Zan nodded.

"I'm going to stay here to keep an eye on Elfilis," Flamberge replied, "you two can go on ahead."

Vesa smiled and knelt next to Elfilis, leaning closer to their ear.

"I'll be back," Vesa whispered, "ok?"

"All right," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa stood up and followed Zan out of the house. She glanced up and waved her hand at Fransisca. The ice mage briefly glanced at the human and waved back. Vesa and Zan strolled through the town and made a brief stop at Waddle Dee-liveries. Approaching the counter, she examined the boxes displaying on the shelf. To her left, a familiar blue rounded creature with a cape and a mask approached the counter and picked up a package with his name on it.

"Ah," the Waddle Dee greeted, "good afternoon, Sir Meta Knight! Your package arrived mere minutes ago."

Vesa blinked twice and focused her eyes on the veteran star warrior next to her.

"Meta Knight?" she paused.

"Thank you," Meta Knight nodded before stashing the package under his cloak.

Vesa stiffened when Meta Knight shifted his gaze towards her.

"Hello," he greeted, "I believe we met before briefly."

Vesa remembered that moment when Meta Knight lent Hyness some money yesterday morning.

"Uhh," Vesa stammered, tilting her head sideways, "I guess?"

"I don't believe that we spoke at all," Meta Knight pointed out.

Vesa placed her hand on her chest.

"Well," Vesa replied, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Meta Knight."

"It's nice to meet you as well," Meta Knight gave a bow of respect, "you should know you aren't the last of the humans in the universe. We do know of another human girl named Adeleine from Dreamland."

Vesa tilted her head sideways and placed a finger on her chin.

"Ehh? Really?"

Meta Knight didn't say anything, but he nodded.

"Oh," Vesa blinked, "do you know where she came from?"

"I have no idea," Meta Knight sighed, "she's amnesiac. Evidently, she came to Popstar to study art, but at some point, she lost her memory."

Vesa gave Meta Knight a slow nod before she took a step back.

"I wouldn't mind saying hello to her someday," she stole a glance from Zan, "you take care, ok?"

"Very well," Meta Knight said, "I will see you another time."

Meta Knight walked away. Vesa and Zan climbed the stairs, smiling as they spotted Kirby and Elfilin at Waddle Dee's Item Shop. When the pink star warrior purchased a Maxim Tomato, he turned around and waved at Vesa.

"Poyo!"

"Hi, Kirby!" Vesa waved back.

Kirby and the Waddle Dee clerk waved goodbye. Elfilin followed the pink star warrior as they approached Vesa and Zan.

"Afternoon," Elfilin greeted, "how's Elfilis doing?"

"They're still resting," Vesa sighed.

"Oh," Elfilin drooped his ears, "so what you doing out here?"

"I just felt like going out for a stroll," Vesa shrugged.

Vesa, Zan, Kirby and Elfilin continued their stroll through Waddle Dee Town, passing by the Game Parlor. They began circling the perimeter of the Colosseum. When they stopped at the entrance, Vesa noticed a poster plastered on the reception booth. To the left of the reception booth, Vesa noticed a penguin creature reclining in a chair. Kirby smiled eagerly and waved his arm at Vesa.

"Poyo!"

"What is it?" Vesa asked.

Elfilin made a brief glance at the penguin before returning his gaze to Vesa.

"It's King Dedede," Elfilin replied, "we're thinking of going up to say hi to him."

Vesa blinked twice before focusing her eyes onto Dedede.

"I-I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Vesa stammered.

Kirby and Elfilin nodded eagerly, leading Vesa and Zan towards King Dedede. The Waddle Dee attendants noticed their approach and waved at them. Dedede spotted the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla.

"Heya," Dedede greeted in a jolly tone, "nice to meetcha!"

Kirby and Elfilin waved back.

"Good afternoon, sire!" Elfilin smiled, "you doing ok?"

"I'm doing all right," Dedede rubbed his back a little, "bruises are still healing, but I've been worse. I should be just fine in a few days, I reckon."

Elfilin perched on Dedede's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. Dedede laughed a little and pet the small chinchilla with his gloved hand, his mellow attitude coming into full display. Kirby glanced up at Vesa and nodded at her.

"Poyo?"

"Oh," Vesa blurted, placing her hand behind her head, "I…"

Still petting the fluffy small chinchilla, Dedede made a curious brief glance at Vesa.

"Uhh," Vesa stammered, giving a respectful bow, "it's nice to meet you, sire. I'm Vesa Krasniqi."

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you as well," Dedede nodded at her.

Elfilin hopped off, flew over and perched on Vesa's shoulder.

"She came here two days ago," Elfilin explained, "apparently, she was one of the inhabitants of this planet in the past."

"Well," Vesa added, "I'm…still getting used to my new surroundings…and my strengthened body."

"Yeah, Meta Knight already filled me in!" Dedede replied, "figured I should be kept informed on the goings on of the situation. Sorry to hear about what happened to ya, if ya ever need a place to go though we'll keep a spot for ya in Dreamland!"

Kirby took a few steps towards Dedede.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby began to explain, "poyo poyo poyo. Poyo."

"I don't remember much from when I got possessed, although I remember a lot more than most!" Dedede rubbed his face, "it happens too often for me not to remember at least some of it, plus I've gotten a lot better at resisting that kind of thing. I'm mostly just confused as to why getting possessed changed my face up so much. As you can tell, though, it's back to normal now."

Kirby made a brief glance at Vesa before he took a few more steps.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby whispered, "poyo."

"Yeah," Dedede whispered back, "I figured as much."

Vesa and Zan exchanged glances.

"Well, I suppose we'll be heading back to check on Elfilis," Zan said.

"Take care, sire," Vesa nodded at Dedede.

"Well," Dedede proclaimed, "I'll see you later!"

Chapter Text

Two days passed. It would only be one more day before Hyness would be finished with preparing the runes. Fransisca was in the middle of studying up on therapy, browsing through the lot of books in her dimensional pocket. To be fair, the ice mage was a bit nervous since she hasn't given therapy before. She figured she'd do ok if she tried her best.

Kirby, Elfilin and Bandee were at the main plaza preparing to depart to explore the ruins of Alivel Mall for a while. Vesa stood at the sidelines of the plaza as the Warp Star floated in the middle. Soon enough, the pink star warrior, the small chinchilla and the Waddle Dee hopped onto the Warp Star.

"Ok," Vesa called, "take care!"

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

The Warp Star took off. Folding her arms behind her back, Vesa made her way back into Kirby's house. Inside, she found Elfilis sitting on the mattress.

"How are you doing?" she asked them.

"I'm feeling better, I think," Elfilis admitted.

Vesa smiled and sat down next to them. Elfilis softly closed their eyes. The moment continued on in silence until Fransisca entered the house.

"Oh," Vesa waved her hand, "hey, Fransisca."

"Hello," Fransisca replied, "I'm here to attempt therapy. This will mostly be you talking about your feelings and experiences."

Vesa and Elfilis shared glances.

"As in for both of us?" Vesa paused.

"Mainly for Elfilis," Fransisca nodded, quoting her book to a degree, "however, I would imagine that you also have some issues to work out, given your shared experience."

"Only some," Vesa agreed, "but I'll save that for later."

"Well hopefully, I'll be able to help," Fransisca proclaimed, "no promises."

Fransisca sat across from Vesa and Elfilis. The human gently grasped their paw.

"We can start when you're ready," Fransisca offered.

"I," Elfilis stammered, "where should I start?"

"At the beginning," Fransisca answered.

Elfilis nodded and inhaled.

"At the start," Elfilis began, "I had only shown up on the planet to refill on supplies and to carry out my mission. I didn't really have much I was low on, but I didn't think there would be another inhabited planet for a while. I decided it would be a good idea to restock and collect samples from some of the more important life-forms before continuing on my journey. I was hopeful that eventually, I would be able to take on Dark Matter at the rate I was advancing. Once I arrived, everything seemed to be going well. I landed in the middle of an empty field so as not to spook anyone by accident and started taking smaller samples of the local flora. After a couple hours, though, I was approached by the planet's military."

Vesa didn't say anything as she listened.

"I attempted to tell them I meant no harm, but they started to shoot at me right away," Elfilis continued, "that…didn't really do all that much, even the tank shells didn't really matter as I snatched them out of the air. They tried this for about half an hour before they noticed it wasn't working and tried diplomacy instead. I was told to surrender from afar with a loudspeaker. I had been overconfident. I decided I was powerful enough to stop anything they tried and surrendered myself to them. As soon as I tried to speak to one of the scientists they brought along for the trip, they injected me with something. I tried to force it out of my body, but at that point, it was too late and I wasn't able to do anything other than struggle."

Vesa frowned.

"Elfilis," she whispered.

"I'm not sure how long I was unconscious after that, but I was quickly taken to a nearby lab. For several days, they tried to take samples," Elfilis added, "at the time, I was too strong for them to breach my skin easily, before they had used a kind of substance that was contact based so it didn't need to breach the skin. Eventually, they just slowly turned up the acidity of the fluid they kept me in, until I was 'soft' enough for them to take samples. It was agonizing for the first few weeks, but I eventually got used to the pain the acid they used caused. Although, my body didn't adapt to it at all. They kept me in the same kind of acid for a long time. Even after they were gone, machines still automatically produced it and filled my tank with it."

Fransisca nodded while a serious expression glistened in her eyes.

"They took samples for a few weeks before finally deciding to move me to a more permanent location where I could be studied further," Elfilis continued, "some scientists argued for testing me much like other animals or species they do tests on, mostly for social behaviors and more humane testing. They shot them behind the building several hours after that. I was apparently at that point a 'top secret' project and there was no room for moral quandary—anyone caught trying to test for intelligence or trying to make things more comfortable for me didn't show up for work the next day. The other scientists quickly caught on, and stopped trying to empathize with me; the ones who weren't there originally bought into the phony stories that I was an alien invader."

Vesa sighed and lowered her head.

"After that, I was sent to the lab where Vesa met me and stayed there for the next 30 years, going through the same routine until they permitted testing with you. And then they tested their new invention that split my soul into 2 pieces…myself getting the half containing my memories of the experience, trauma, and emotional damage…and Elfilin getting my childhood innocence, trusting nature, and most of my positive emotions."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"After the split, my memories became hazier," Elfilis added, "they made me into an attraction for human entertainment. People gathered around to see the alien invader who tried to wipe out humanity, they would say. I wasn't awake most of the time, having sustained too much damage to my soul. Elfilin got lucky and recovered quickly due to being much smaller physically, and not having a large amount of my soul, he was able to escape before they could contain him properly. I imagine that his own memory was fairly hazy and after he escaped, he probably hunkered down somewhere for a few hundred years as his soul finished healing and he became his own entity. I got the dubious pleasure of being trapped and psychologically tortured instead, being forced to listen to the same speech over and over again for centuries."

Elfilis closed their eyes for a brief moment.

"I can't bear to repeat the words myself," they confessed, "but I could show you what I remember about how the tour would go."

Vesa took a deep breath and stiffened her spine.

"Go ahead," Fransisca nodded.

Upon cue, Elfilis flicked their hand. The interior of Kirby's house seemed to shift while Vesa stood up. She and the ice mage scanned their surroundings as the scenery changed into a projection of an elevator, where a crowd of eager tourists stood in anticipation as the elevator made its ascent. Vesa shuddered as music blasted from the speaker.

"Welcome, visitors, to the Dream Discoveries Tour of our science facility, Lab Discovera! On this thrilling tour, you'll be introduced to the ultimate life-form, Specimen ID-F86! From the moment ID-F86 arrived on our planet, it began a campaign of destruction that threatened the native wildlife of our entire world. Luckily, our research team managed to capture it before it could complete its invasion. Once it was contained, our lab began studying ID-F86's spatial teleportation ability—research that laid the groundwork for the planetary warp technology we enjoy today!"

Vesa gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, knowing full well that story the lab made up wasn't true.

"However, 30 years after our research began, a "warp-experiment incident" occurred in this facility. A new life-form, separated from the main specimen, escaped in the aftermath. That new subspecimen has yet to be recovered. In the time since, ID-F86 has shown no signs of activity. It is now kept in a state of permanent stasis within the custom-made Eternal Capsule here on the top level of Lab Discovera."

The elevator came to a complete stop, and the doors slid open.

"And here we are! Let's meet the ultimate life-form: Specimen ID-F86!"

Fransisca and Vesa hesitated while the tourists left the elevator. Before the last tourist could disembark, the vision projection fizzed out and they were back in Kirby's house. The human sighed in relief as she sat back down. The ice mage took a moment to process the information before she jotted down some notes. Elfilis lowered their gaze to the floor, doing their best not to experience another panic attack, clamping it down with their mental control and innate resistance.

"Well," Vesa said, "you didn't deserve any of this."

"I certainly didn't think so. I still don't think so. I didn't get much of a say in things," Elfilis sighed sadly, "I no longer have a primary directive. Dark Matter is defeated, my mission was a failure."

Vesa placed her hand on Elfilis's shoulder. Tears welled up in their eyes.

"My training, planning and growth of power is now for naught. I-I am what you might call an artificial life-form. I was made for a purpose, with directives," they fretted, "I was made with the instruction to defeat Dark Matter, to preserve life in the universe in my body so after its defeat we could rebuild. Because of humanity, most of that DNA has been stripped away, corrupted or just destroyed, the species I could've brought back are permanently extinct. I was trapped, and hundreds of years went by, and Dark Matter was defeated without me."

Fransisca let out a soft sigh.

"My prime directive cannot be changed. Despite the fact it was defeated, I will never feel satisfaction that I have finished my mission until I defeat Dark Matter, and yet, such a thing is impossible now. My thoughts are in a constant feedback loop. I always find myself thinking what's the next step. What new skill should I learn to fight against Dark Matter? I remember it was defeated without me, and that someone else completed my mission. I will always have these thoughts. I will be…incomplete."

Fransisca stood up and approached Elfilis, who looked up.

"Well, you did say this was outside your control," Fransisca replied.

"I know that. But, I cannot rebel against my programming," Elfilis reminded, "I cannot resist it if I wanted to. Now I have no direction, just this need to destroy Dark Matter. I was supposed to be the hope of the universe, an end to a dark age. Now I am purposeless. To describe the feeling would be akin to the worst of human depression. Except, I don't feel the need to take my life, I'm just merely upset."

For a moment, Fransisca thought about Gooey and figured maybe she should keep Elfilis away from him. The ice mage and Vesa shared glances.

"Well," Fransisca told Elfilis, "I'm glad you opened up about what you dealt with. That's all that matters right now."

"Thank you," Elfilis let out a relieved sigh.

Vesa stood up and nodded at Fransisca.

"You're doing great with listening to my friend's problems," Vesa assured Fransisca.

"Well, they are my sibling. I wish I could do more," Fransisca replied, "unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the core of their issues will improve anytime soon. I feel like their panic attacks and PTSD will fade or even vanish entirely with time, but they're right. They were made to destroy Dark Matter, and they likely won't be satisfied until they do so."

"About that," Vesa blurted, "I have a few questions."

Vesa glanced over her shoulder and pet Elfilis's head.

"It'll be a moment."

Vesa and Fransisca stepped outside the house, the human closing the door behind her.

"Do you know if all of Dark Matter has been eradicated completely?" Vesa asked.

"Well," Fransisca shrugged, "apparently fragments of it have popped up several times over the years, small parts of the greater whole that it once was. Most of it is just gone though. If I knew where to search for fragments of it I would tell you, but I haven't a clue."

Vesa took in a deep breath through her nose, straightened her back and closed her eyes, recalling this piece of advice from her father…a technique which helped her cope whenever she was rushed to the emergency room.

"Maybe if we do discover a fragment of Dark Matter or two," Vesa offered, "I say we let Elfilis pitch in?"

"Well," Fransisca fixated her gaze on Vesa, "ideally that would work, but the universe is vast and expansive. The chances of finding Dark Matter, if any of it still remains, are rather slim unless it reveals itself and starts causing problems."

Vesa held up her left hand and crossed her fingers.

"For that," Vesa replied, "let's keep our fingers crossed."

"I find it hard to hope that Dark Matter still exists in the universe, but if only for my sibling's sake, I will hope there is some left."

Once Fransisca climbed back onto the roof of Kirby's house, Elfilis set foot outside. Vesa invited them to relax near the fishing pond.

Chapter Text

The next day passed and Hyness was halfway through enchanting the runes he constructed. Outside, Vesa watched as Fecto Elfilis practiced their combat techniques with their spear. Kirby, Bandee and Elfilin watched on the sidelines. On the other side of the makeshift battlefield, Meta Knight had his sword at the ready. For a moment, Meta Knight and Elfilis lunged and clashed their weapons. Holding their spear steady, the ultimate life-form cast spells at their opponent, magic based projectiles launching at their target. The veteran knight thought fast and leapt out of the way.

Still, Elfilis kept pelting Meta Knight with energy blasts at range, even when he weaved out of the way. The ultimate life-form pulled on their magic a bit more, honing their projectiles to start seeking him. Meta Knight managed to block a projectile with his blade. Elfilis created a half circle in midair, which morphed into projectiles, launching them at the veteran star warrior again. Meta Knight dodged each coming projectile and prepared for a lunge.

Also at the sidelines, Dedede was stretching his arms. As nervous as the nearby Waddle Dees were when they saw Elfilis and Meta Knight clashing their weapons, the veteran star warrior gave them a reassuring glance. Meta Knight made his lunge. Elfilis teleported their lance in front of him, slamming him with the blunt end. While the veteran knight stumbled, he immediately rolled back up, and took to the air.

Flamberge tilted her head towards the horizon. The fire mage spotted an Awoofy from afar, approaching the gate. Elfilis, sensing the approaching company, lowered their spear. Meta Knight also paused in their tracks. He put away his sword and rushed to the gate.

"Meta Knight?" Flamberge asked, "should we do something?"

A few more Awoofies followed close behind along with a couple Rabiroos and a Buffahorn. Kirby and Elfilin raced to the gate. Vesa approached Elfilis and reached out her hand.

"Elfilis?" she whispered.

Fransisca and Zan came to Flamberge's side as they observed the oncoming entourage. Meta Knight stiffened the instant Gorimondo came into view.

"It doesn't look like they're preparing for an attack," Meta Knight observed.

Even Hyness paused what he was doing while Dedede and Bandee came to Meta Knight's side. Elfilin perked his ears up when he spotted Clawroline. His larger fragment, not moving an inch, fidgeted nervously. Elfilis should be relieved the Beast Pack had no hostile intentions, but they still had doubts. Vesa sighed and gently grasped Elfilis's hand.

"It's ok," Vesa whispered, "I'm here."

All the while, Elfilin happily did a back flip when Leongar also appeared in the horizon.

"It's Clawroline and Leongar!" Elfilin chirped, "they're here to visit!"

Elfilis lowered their head.

"I don't want to be here," Elfilis sighed.

Elfilis still felt bad and felt they should take responsibility for all what their other version did to the Beast Pack. Though, the creatures were initially unintelligent and quadrupedal before their other version changed them, so what would happen next was uncertain. Elfilin raced out the gate while Vesa embraced herself to Elfilis. Leongar and Clawroline spotted the small chinchilla and their faces lit up with joy.

"Hi, Clawroline!" Elfilin chirped, "it's so good to see you!"

Clawroline extended her paw and meowed. Elfilin took that as an invitation to nuzzle her cheek, eliciting purrs out of her. Kirby rushed out to meet the Beast Pack. The pink star warrior and Leongar exchanged glances, the former happily waving his arms.

"Hello, Kirby."

"Poyo!"

Leongar let out a soft growl and grinned.

"Hey, Leongar!" Dedede called, waving his hand, "long time, no see! Eh?"

Kirby and Elfilin led Leongar and Clawroline towards the gate with the rest of the Beast Pack following close behind. The penguin and the lion shook hands.

"Dedede," Leongar replied, "I've been doing quite well myself."

Leongar shifted his gaze to Meta Knight, who gave a deep bow of respect.

"I heard you are about to return to the land of dreams," Leongar explained, "so I suppose we'd come here to see you off."

"Yes," Meta Knight agreed, "the portal will remain open, to my knowledge, so people can come and go as they please when it is finished."

Leongar nodded and placed a paw on his chest.

"I'm most honored to hear that."

Leongar's eyes soon locked onto Elfilis, who had their ears folded inwardly in shame while Vesa tried to soothe them with her embrace.

"Now," Leongar mentioned, pointing at Elfilis as they tried to look away, "what do you know about those two? One of them seems…familiar to me."

Meta Knight glanced behind him for a brief moment.

"Well," Meta Knight said, "that's a bit complicated."

Meta Knight went on to give a brief summary of the events which went down. Elfilis twitched their feelers and gave the veteran knight an irritated expression. Vesa turned her head and stared at Leongar and Clawroline in awe. All the while, the rest of the Beast Pack began chattering with the residing Waddle Dees while Gorimondo simply stood by and kept watch.

By the time Meta Knight finished his explanation, Elfilis blushed in shame. Leongar placed a claw on his chin.

"And the Great One hasn't harmed anyone since then?" he clarified.

"For now," Elfilis muttered, glaring at Meta Knight.

Meta Knight chose that moment to vanish. Vesa swallowed a nervous lump in her throat as she released Elfilis from her embrace, though she still stood by their side as the lion approached them both.

"And who might you be?" Leongar asked her.

Vesa sweated nervously as Leongar fixated his eyes on her.

"Uhh, Vesa Krasniqi," she said, "you can just call me Vesa."

Leongar tilted his head sideways.

"Am I frightening you?" he asked.

"N-No," Vesa shook her head, "I'm just surprised you're standing upright, even for a lion."

Leongar let out an amused chuckle, ruffling both Elfilis and Vesa's heads. Elfilis still looked away. The only comfort they could offer to themself was that their previous angered self at least granted the local animals intelligence and accelerated their evolution…not too similar to what they did to Vesa to save her life. Once the lion withdrew his paws a minute later, Vesa took a moment to straighten her hair and put her hat back on.

"A-Aren't you mad at them?" Vesa blurted.

"I should be, but that won't fix the bad that's been done," Leongar shook his head, "as for you, how would you describe your people from long ago?"

Vesa took a moment to think over the question.

"I believe," Vesa answered, "we're probably a mix of saints and jerks. But, I would hold the fraction of people who mistreated Elfilis accountable for what they did."

Vesa shifted her gaze to Elfilis, hesitating as she held her hand just inches before them. As soon as the ultimate life-form returned their gaze, she placed her hand on their shoulder.

"It's ok," she whispered to them.

"Sorry, I…wasn't in control of myself. I barely even remember anything that happened back then…"

"Apology accepted," Leongar purred, "let us move on from this and look forward to what the future gives."

Vesa gave Leongar another bow of respect.

"Thank you," Vesa said.

Leongar nodded before he turned to approach Clawroline. Kneeling in front of her, the leopard gave him an affectionate headbutt. Elfilis sighed in relief. The ultimate life-form and Vesa shifted their gaze to Kirby, Elfilin and Bandee as they were chattering with the Mage Sisters. Vesa took a moment to adjust the straps of her backpack.

By then, Hyness finished arranging the runes. He turned around and approached Dedede.

"The preparations are complete!" Hyness announced, "now I just need to turn it on and we can all head home."

"Thank you," Dedede rubbed behind his neck, "I'm feeling better myself."

"Well, that's good to hear, although I think we'd all rather just head home. It's been an interesting week for me and I'd really like to show my child our new home."

Dedede made a brief glance at Elfilis and nodded in agreement.

"Elfilis," Hyness called over, "do you have a moment?"

Elfilis snapped out of their thoughts and approached the Main Plaza, examining the runes arranged on the ground. A portion of their body liquefied into the form of a dagger which rested in their hand. The ultimate life-form used it to slice open a tear in space, the runes stabilizing the portal.

The Mage Sisters, Kirby, Bandee, Vesa and Elfilin gathered around the Main Plaza and the latter four stared in awe.

"So amazing," Elfilin chirped.

"It's not anything too advanced," Zan shrugged, "you could probably do this if you wanted to and had the skill."

Kirby and Elfilin stepped towards the main plaza with Vesa following close behind. Elfilis stuck their paws into the cut in space and pulled it open on both sides, gripping the fabric of reality as if it were a physical object. Just as the ultimate life-form finished their work, Dedede's Waddle Dee servants showed up with luggage in their possession. Elfilis took a step back. Kirby and Elfilin turned to face Leongar and Clawroline.

"Well," Elfilin said, "I guess we'll be getting ready to leave soon."

The small chinchilla floated over to the nearest resident Waddle Dees who waved at him.

"We'll miss you!" a Waddle Dee replied.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arms.

"You guys do know that we aren't leaving forever, the Waddle Dees aren't going to be far either, plus they won't be able to stay away from Dreamland for long, that is where their King is and they are way too loyal to stay forever. They might make this their home for sure, but they won't stay away long."

"Yeah," Elfilin tilted his head sideways and blushed, "we'll come by to visit sometime!"

As the Mage Sisters and Hyness approached the portal, Vesa watched as Kirby and Elfilin waved goodbye to the Beast Pack high command. Elfilis didn't look back as they stepped through the portal. Vesa glanced over her shoulder for a brief moment.

"Uh, we'll meet up with you in a bit," Vesa called Hyness.

Vesa turned and sprinted towards the portal. Once she was close enough, she jumped in. Her vision went blurry for a few seconds while her body felt strange. Upon reaching the other side, she landed on her knees, her hands planted on the ground. She took a moment to catch her breath. Seconds later, she pushed to her feet and scanned her surroundings. Beyond the horizon, flowers decorated the grassy plains, and the right amount of sunshine came with a pleasant breeze. The hills appeared oddly shaped. Stones which resembled wafer cookies stuck out of the ground. More hills were topped with greenery decorated with yellow stars.

Vesa located the dirt path as her eyes wandered until they locked onto Elfilis, who was on their hands and knees, panting softly. She approached them and knelt by their side.

"Hey," she said, "how are you feeling?"

"A little better," Elfilis breathed.

Vesa tilted their head until her eyes met theirs. She noticed as tears were welling in Elfilis's eyes. Soon enough, the others emerged from the portal and gave an awkward stare. As soon as the ultimate life-form noticed, they let out a panicked squeak.

"E-Elfilis!" Vesa blurted.

Vesa stood back up. Much to her shock, Elfilis had already vanished. Vesa let out an exasperated sigh and turned to face Kirby and Elfilin.

"I-I am so sorry!" she exclaimed.

"Poyo," Kirby reached out his arm.

"Not to worry," Hyness told her, "we could show you where our home is."

Vesa blinked twice, shifting her gaze between Elfilin, Kirby, Bandee, Meta Knight, Dedede and the Mage Sisters.

"So which way?" she asked.

"Erm," Hyness answered, "I think it's this way. Does anyone have a map?"

Flamberge let out an irritated scream.

"Didn't we just go through this?" Zan grumbled.

"Here," Fransisca gave the map to Flamberge.

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver!"

Flamberge let out a sigh of relief, but her anger accumulated into a soft huff of flame which incinerated the map. Vesa covered her ears as the fire mage had another fit. Fransisca snickered and handed Hyness another map. This didn't seem to be the first time this had happened.

Chapter Text

With the spare map in hand, Hyness led Vesa, Kirby, Elfilin, Bandee, Meta Knight, King Dedede and the Mage Sisters down the path. Throughout the journey, Vesa took in the scenery and took note of the unique creatures which passed by. Vesa leaned onto Zan as she did as much as she could to catch up with the others. Along the way, they stopped at a fork in the road. King Dedede led Bandee, Meta Knight and the Waddle Dee servants down one path which probably led to his castle. After Kirby waved goodbye, the others took the other path.

When they stopped at another fork in the road, Kirby spotted his house at a distance. He turned and waved his arm.

"Poyo!"

"Bye, Kirby," Elfilin waved back, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Take care," Vesa added.

Kirby sprinted down the left path, so Hyness led Vesa, Elfilin and the Mage Sisters down the other path. A few hours later, they arrived mere meters before a peculiar tower. Vesa tilted her gaze upwards as she examined their destination from a distance. This tower seemed like one that would be found in a fantasy novel, standing up to four stories tall and extending as wide as a normal house. Elfilin stared in awe as he perched on Vesa's shoulder.

"Such a beautiful place," Elfilin chirped, "I wonder what kind of amazing things lie there."

Vesa nodded and scritched behind the small chinchilla's ear. Her eyes focused on Hyness.

"Is there a place where I sleep?" she asked.

"We can set up another room," Flamberge suggested, "we'll need to make two rooms, probably…unless you plan to share it with Elfilis?"

Vesa thought over the question as she adjusted the strap of her backpack.

"Personally," Vesa said, "I would love it if I could have a room across from Elfilis's."

"Oh," Flamberge prattled on, "well, that works too, I guess. I just thou—"

Fransisca covered her fiery sister's mouth with a gloved hand. Flamberge bit her.

"Ow!"

"What was that for?!" Flamberge demanded.

Flamberge tackled Fransisca. Zan sweated nervously as Hyness ushered her and Vesa inside. The lightning mage took note as the human and Elfilin exchanged confused looks.

"How often does that happen?" Vesa blurted.

"Often," Zan answered, "we're all warriors and siblings here."

Vesa sighed and took a few steps through the foyer. In a way, it felt larger on the inside than the outside. The foyer branched off in several different directions. She took note of a staircase which likely led to a lower level.

"I," Vesa stammered, "I think I'm going to need a map for this place."

Elfilin hopped off Vesa's shoulder and floated around.

"Flamberge burned all the maps accidentally, Francisca enjoys egging her on," Zan sighed, "we might have a copy in the library since Flamberge isn't allowed in there without supervision anymore."

The small chinchilla floated over to the lightning mage.

"And where is this library?" Elfilin clamored.

"It's in the lower levels," Zan answered, "on the left is where our rooms are. Each room over there has a bathroom and shower since Flamberge used to use all the hot water. Francisca kept freezing the water so no one else could use it, and anyone who touches anything I touch typically gets a bad static shock, so now we have our own showers. On the right is the kitchen and also the living room and dining room. Downstairs is the basement, the library, the bottomless pit, and the as of yet unused dungeon. We would have a pool if Francisca didn't stop freezing it…"

"To be fair, dear," Hyness shrugged, "you are an electrical hazard as well, so she isn't the only reason."

Zan facepalmed.

"Upstairs is father's study," Zan continued, "and likely before long, Elfilis would have their own study. Outside, there is a large area for training out back."

"Thank you," Vesa smiled, "I'll see if there's a room available."

Vesa turned towards the leftmost staircase.

"Hold on," Zan paused, "we'll add one for you in a bit. Right now, we should go find Elfilis, they might be here somewhere."

Vesa approached Zan as Elfilin perched on top of the lightning mage's head. She led Vesa down the staircase. Vesa thought it would be better to not keep the library a flight of stairs away from the study, but then realized the mages could just teleport whatever book they needed to them and send it away when they were done. Vesa followed Zan to the bottom of the stairs and down the hall.

They set foot in a large library. Most of the shelves were empty, unfortunately, but there was plenty of room for more books. She remembered this was similar to the library Elfilis showed her in their memory. Elfilin floated over to the table and perched at the edge. Vesa began exploring the library and taking in the surroundings. When she tilted her head upwards to observe the higher two floors, she wondered if there was a staircase.

Vesa ruffled the top of Elfilin's head before she climbed the nearest stairs and made her way to the second floor. She spotted Elfilis as they were in the middle of sulking and yet writing in a blank book, presumably from memory. She let out a soft sigh of relief. The ultimate life-form shot a brief glance at her and drooped their ears in embarrassment. Vesa didn't say much as she walked over to the table and sat down across from Elfilis.

"Hey," she said, "how are you doing?"

"I'm all right," Elfilis told her, "it reminds me of home."

Vesa smiled softly as she shifted her gaze to the single notebook to her right. Soon enough, an idea popped into her head.

"Uhm," Vesa asked, "is there a blank book available?"

"Here," Elfilis offered, "I'll make one for you."

Elfilis didn't hesitate to conjure an empty book and hand it to Vesa.

"Thanks!" Vesa smiled.

Snatching a pencil, eraser and pen, Vesa began writing her childhood bedtime story 'The Elfin Seraph in the Dew Garden'. Fortunately for her, her father recited this story to her so many times she committed the entire story—every single word—to memory. As she wrote out each word in pencil, she visualized the story playing out in her head. By the time she finished writing out the story an hour later, Vesa went back to finalizing the words in ink, taking her another hour. At that point, Elfilis completed three books so far.

Glancing out the window, Vesa noticed the brawl between Flamberge and Fransisca already came to a close with the fire mage unconscious. She closed the book she completed and wrote the title.

"I wonder if this library has a children's section," Vesa said, "after all, this story I still remembered was quite popular with kids back in Ioskaria."

"Not really," Elfilis shrugged, "this is a library for magical study. Although, I believe there is a fictional section."

"Thanks," Vesa nodded, "it'll do."

Vesa picked up the book and stood from the table. She descended to the lower level and located the shelf labeled "Fiction" near the entrance. As she shelved the book, Elfilin appeared by her side which caught her attention.

"Uh," Vesa blurted, "hi there."

Elfilin examined the book on the shelf before locking eyes onto Vesa's.

"Is that a story you made?" Elfilin asked her.

"It's a bedtime story I remember from my childhood," Vesa shrugged.

Vesa's eyes wandered until she located Zan. It didn't take long before the lightning mage turned around and locked eyes onto the human.

"I've been meaning to ask," Zan asked her, "what exactly is your relationship with my sibling?"

Vesa took a moment to think over the question while Elfilin gave her a puzzled look.

"Uhh," Vesa stammered, casually fluttering her left hand, "we're just friends, really."

"You sure?" Zan teased, "that reaction doesn't sound confident."

Vesa couldn't help but huff.

"I'm sure of it," Vesa insisted, "I don't think we're ready for anything serious yet!"

"Take it easy," Zan prattled on, "I'm just curious."

Vesa let out an exasperated sigh before she turned to climb the stairs, leaving a confused Elfilin. Reaching the second floor, she sat down across from Elfilis.

"So," Elfilis asked her, "how are you finding the tower? It seems they did their best to make it as close to our old one as possible."

"I don't think I've seen it in its entirety yet," Vesa shrugged, "but it kinda feels surreal."

"Well," Elfilis said, "exploring it all may take a while after I install the hidden passageways I remember being here. Since father hasn't added them, I'm not sure he knew of them. I'll need to ensure they're placed back where they were."

Vesa made a brief glance at the stack of books next to Elfilis. Carefully, she plucked one out and began reading its contents. The title on the cover read "An Introduction to Magic and Magical Theory". Initially, she couldn't understand the written language. But then, the text seemed to automatically translate itself, the ink on the page wriggling and moving until it appeared in the alphabet she was most familiar with. From there, she studied the contents between turning the page. From what she could gather, it contained instructions on beginner level magic. Part of her wondered if Elfilis made it so she could develop some sort of magic talent.

Maybe save that thought for later. Having read the last page, Vesa set aside the book.

"Elfilis?"

Elfilis focused their eyes on her as they set their book aside.

"Yes?"

Vesa took a deep breath.

"I…I know I should be happy I got to see Popstar for myself," she told them, "it's just there's probably so much to explore here, I think."

Vesa made a brief glance out the window in a moment of silence.

"In the meantime," she continued, "I'm wondering if your dad would be ok if I could settle here. Is it ok if I had my own bedroom, across from yours?"

"I don't mind," Elfilis replied, "I doubt he will, either. Expanding space shouldn't be a huge issue here."

Vesa smiled as she grasped Elfilis's hand.

"Thank you, it's so kind of you!"

"Oh, it's no problem," Elfilis blushed, "mage towers are easy to modify."

Vesa softly closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side.

"Maybe sometime," Vesa added, "we could both check out plenty of places Popstar has to offer? When you're ready, that is?"

"That sounds wonderful," Elfilis smiled, their tail swaying happily, "sure."

All the while, Elfilin felt his stomach growling. He flew up to the second floor and perched on the table, catching Elfilis and Vesa's attention.

"Elfilin?" Vesa paused.

"When's lunch?" Elfilin clamored, "I'm getting hungry."

"I'm uncertain," Elfilis shrugged, "I only just returned…and this planet does not have the same lunar or solar cycle as my home planet did."

Elfilin made a glance out the window while Vesa withdrew her hand and searched for a clock. The small chinchilla and the human spotted a clock on a nearby wall.

"Well," Vesa mused, "Elfilin does have a point. I might as well get something to eat, too."

"I don't see why Elfilin even needs to consume food," Elfilin paused, "he can photosynthesize just fine, I would hope."

Elfilis and Elfilin exchanged glances.

"You can," Elfilis mentioned, "can't you?"

Elfilin blushed and stammered nervously.

"I don't know how," Elfilin blurted.

Elfilis closed their eyes.

"It's supposed to be instinctual," Elfilis explained, "but it seems that much of that biological information is missing from you. Since I consider you my brother now…"

Elfilis reached out and tapped Elfilin on the forehead, passing some of their DNA to him. The small chinchilla could feel a little stronger now.

"Uhh, thanks, brother?" Elfilin said, "you're welcome to join us for lunch."

"I will join you shortly," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilin perched on Elfilis's shoulder while Vesa stood from her chair. The ultimate life-form glanced over at their new younger brother curiously. Still, Elfilis and Vesa descended the staircase and left the library. After returning to the foyer, they made their way to the dining hall, where the Mage Sisters were also serving themselves some lunch. While Elfilis went for something as simple as an apple, Vesa and Elfilin served themselves varied meals before the three sat down across the mage trio.

Vesa felt right at home.

Chapter Text

That evening, Vesa followed Elfilis to the first floor. They meandered down the hallway where there were currently four rooms. Elfilis flicked their wrist and the hallway expanded. She blinked as she took a step. The ultimate life-form placed their hand on the wall and two door frames popped up, identical to the other four.

Vesa approached one door and pushed it open before she stepped into her new room. A full-sized bed, a dresser, a small desk and even her own personal bathroom was efficient enough for her. Elfilis checked their room to ensure they arranged it properly. For now, it consisted of a desk and a large floor-based bed.

Vesa took a moment to close the door behind her, set down her backpack and change into her nightgown. When she sorted the clothes in her backpack into her dresser, she emerged from her bedroom and crossed the hall. She noticed as Elfilis was decorating their room a little, giving it a clockwork theme. She was reluctant to set foot into their room, so she knocked on the ajar door instead.

The door swung open and Elfilis beckoned her to come inside. Vesa set foot into their room and caught a glimpse of the enchanted painting. The ultimate life-form was in the middle of painting the walls through magic, resembling a large clockwork machine of some kind. She took note of their content expression. Not sure what to say at the moment, Vesa sat down by the bed.

"When I'm finished here," Elfilis said, "this will be a large moving painting. I discovered recently upon discussing the Clockwork Comet NOVA, I quite appreciated the design of it and wanted something similar for myself."

Vesa smiled and nodded.

"That's pretty cool," she commented.

"Thank you," Elfilis replied, "I might change it later, but for now, I wanted to see how I liked it."

Vesa stood up and peered out the window. The sun had already set not too long ago and now the moon could be seen in the sky. While Elfilis also noticed, they kept up with their painting. It probably must be their superior vision.

"I suppose," Vesa told Elfilis, "I'll see you in the morning."

Vesa gave Elfilis a gentle embrace. The ultimate life-form blushed, yet they returned the embrace.

"I'll see you then."

Vesa made her way to her bedroom and tucked herself in, nestling into the pillow.

In her dreams, her headspace didn't make much sense for a while. Whatever landscape she's been wandering in seemed to be fused with plenty of locations she recognized from Ioskaria along with the rest of the places she visited from her world. She recognized the small hill housing the shrine from the Dew Garden, but in the middle of the town square. She recognized the hospital only a block away from the Redgarica International Airport. Continuing to wander, she spotted her own school next to the famous statue she saw when her family took a trip to Tirinkao. One block down, she recognized the sculpture at the entrance to Wondaria Park.

She paused at the archway leading to the bridge which Elfilin described during his and Kirby's trip through Winter Horns. Maybe she could find someone at the other side? Vesa stepped through the archway. But when she blinked, the bridge became the hallway she remembered going through in Lab Discovera. Glancing downwards, she let out a sharp gasp when she found herself wearing her hospital gown again.

"And here we are!" an ominous female voice echoed from the PA speaker, "let's meet the ultimate life-form, Specimen ID-F86!"

Vesa grimaced and glanced both ways. What floor was she on again? She ventured down the hall, seeing the large sliding door up ahead of her. She only managed to reach just a few feet closer when the door slid open. She recognized the tall scientist emerging from the underground lab, and she froze in her tracks.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

Vesa refused to say anything as dread lingered in her mind. Dr. Baldwin sighed as he folded his arms.

"Well, come on," he ordered, "you're here to interact with ID-F86, aren't you?"

Vesa shuddered at the mention of that unwanted designation Elfilis was given. She couldn't bring herself to let out a word of protest as she trudged her way to the door. As soon as she set foot into the lab, she recognized Fecto Elfilis floating inside the capsule. The scientists in the lab were working on the next experimental treatment at the chemistry station. Vesa made a brief glance at one scientist only to realize he didn't have a face at all. The tall scientist grabbed her shoulder, eliciting a startled yelp out of her as he nudged her closer to the capsule.

Vesa caught a glimpse of the operating table, only to realize her own father was lying on it.

"What are you doing to my father?!" Vesa demanded, "he's not ill!"

Vesa tried to step towards the operating table, but Dr. Baldwin pulled her back.

"Don't interfere," he warned her, "this is vital to our research."

Vesa shuddered as she remembered the real reason why Lab Discovera invited volunteers for this medicine-related research project.

"He's not ill," she protested, "let him go!"

"Don't worry," the tall scientist insisted, "your father will be fine."

Vesa turned her head towards Dr. Baldwin and glared at him.

"My father didn't volunteer for this!" she snapped.

"Doesn't matter."

Vesa glanced over her shoulder, trying to lock eyes onto Elfilis. The ultimate life-form couldn't do much apart from placing their hand on the glass. She returned her gaze to her father as one scientist prepared a syringe.

"No," Vesa begged, "don't do it."

The scientist didn't respond as he walked over to the operating table.

"Father!" Vesa called, "father, can you hear me? Get out of here!"

Vesa shuddered when her father didn't respond. Instead, he seemed to stare at the ceiling.

"Father, you have to run!" Vesa shouted, "they're going to kill you!"

Vesa tried reaching for the hand still keeping a vice grip on her shoulder. She tried to yank it off, only for some unseen hands to restrain her wrists.

"No," Vesa panicked, "no, don't kill him. Don't kill him!"

As soon as the scientist was just at the operating table, Vesa's father turned his head and locked eyes onto his daughter.

"Vesa," Mr. Krasniqi said softly.

"Father, please," Vesa begged, "no…"

Vesa's eyes widened as the scientist injected the experimental treatment into her father's arm. Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard a bloodcurdling scream echoing across the lab. She wriggled one hand free and extended it, trying to get as close to her father as she could. She watched helplessly as his blood vessels burst out from his skin and patches of skin began melting away. Muscles dissolved and holes began expanding in his organs. She continued to struggle, tears streaming down her face as the remaining organic tissue fell off the skeleton, spilling onto the floor.

"No," she cried, "no. Father…"

"What a shame," Dr. Baldwin said solemnly, "the treatment was a failure."

Vesa lowered her head and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in her bed. Slowly, Vesa sat up and peered at the starry night sky out the window. She felt her chest tighten as her heart pounded rapidly at her rib cage. She breathed heavily as she felt tears blot her nightgown.

"Baba," she whispered.

She heard a knock on the door, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Vesa?" she heard the familiar ethereal voice call out from the outside, "are you all right?"

Vesa slid out of bed and walked across the room. When she opened the door, she saw Elfilis standing in front of her.

"I should've stepped in earlier," Elfilis sighed in shame, "I'm sorry."

"It's…it's my father," Vesa choked, the nightmare still fresh and raw in her head, "the scientists killed him, and neither of us could stop it."

Vesa wrapped her arms around Elfilis.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Elfilis whispered.

Fecto Elfilis knelt as they returned their embrace. She buried her face into their chest fur as she wept in their arms. With one hand, she cupped their cheek. Elfilis glanced down at her with care and lifted her into their arms.

"Are you ok?"

Elfilis sat down, holding her close. Vesa nuzzled their face.

"I'm ok now," she told them, "but some part of me still misses my family."

"Glad to hear it," Elfilis sighed.

Vesa nestled into their embrace, sleep clouding her eyes. She relished in the softness and warmth radiating from Elfilis's fur. She shifted herself to a more comfortable position while she heard Elfilis letting out deep purrs.

"Would you like me to take you back to your room?" Elfilis blushed.

"Please," Vesa answered.

Elfilis stood up and hovered quietly into her room. They gently set her down in bed. Thoughts swam in their head until they noticed Vesa kept a gentle grip on their arm.

"Uhm," Elfilis stammered, cheeks reddening, "should I stay?"

Vesa opened her eyes for a brief moment.

"You can stay with me," she assured them, "it's ok."

"All right," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa scooted back a little, allowing Elfilis to climb onto the bed. The ultimate life-form pressed their muzzle into her neck. She perched her arm on their shoulder and huddled close to them. They purred softly and closed their eyes.

The night continued on peacefully, sliding straight into dawn. Elfilis woke up early, yet they still cuddled Vesa in their arms while the sun began to rise. Several minutes passed before Vesa's eyes fluttered open.

"M-Morning," Vesa mumbled.

Vesa nuzzled Elfilis in the cheek before she sat up. Elfilis sat up seconds later.

"Did you sleep ok?" they asked her.

Vesa took a deep breath through her nose before she softly exhaled from her mouth.

"Much better, to be honest," Vesa smiled.

"Glad to hear it."

Elfilis embraced her softly, even for a brief moment. Vesa peered out the window to observe the morning light.

"I wonder if the others are up," Vesa said.

"I doubt it," Elfilis shrugged, "I could sense Elfilin up and running, however."

Vesa slid off the bed.

"I'm going to change soon," she told Elfilis, "do you mind?"

"M-My apologies."

Elfilis teleported out of her room. Vesa closed the door before she slid out of her pajamas and rummaged for a light blue sundress. Grabbing some sandals, she stepped out of her bedroom. She crossed the hall and stopped at the door to Elfilis's room. The door opened, allowing her to step inside. Vesa examined the bedroom walls which were moving slightly, probably from the enchanted paint as already painted gears were turning rhythmically.

"Want me to wait for you at the dining hall?" she asked.

Elfilis put down the paint brush and shifted their gaze towards her.

"I'll come with you."

"Oh, ok!" Vesa blurted.

Vesa and Elfilis left the bedroom and strolled through the hall, making their way to the foyer. When the two arrived in the dining hall, they spotted Elfilin sitting across from Bandee. She could see Kirby in the kitchen wearing a chef's hat. Elfilis twitched their feelers, not thrilled with Kirby and Bandee just waltzing on in without warning. The small chinchilla perked up his ears and locked eyes onto Elfilis and Vesa.

"Hey!" Elfilin chirped, waving his paw, "morning, guys!"

"Good morning," Elfilis replied, "I appreciate you making breakfast, although I would've preferred that you'd let someone like Father or myself know ahead of time. You're lucky I haven't checked the defenses on the tower yet and updated them to my own standards. Otherwise, things could've ended poorly. Such things are important since magical knowledge is highly valuable to the right people, not to mention magical knowledge of the level kept here."

Bandee sweated nervously.

"W-Well," he explained, "I stopped by Kirby's place a while ago. We got some ingredients for omelettes at Capupu Village, but Chef Kawasaki suggested we make our breakfast elsewhere other than his restaurant."

"I'm not angry," Elfilis asserted, their tone going flat-direct, "I'm just warning you that you haven't been keyed into the wards at all and if I had set them up, things would be…difficult for you—depending on how lethal I decide to make them. I'll likely set them up for paralysis, but going into someone's home when they aren't awake is typically a poor idea—unless it's a robbery, and if I were someone who wasn't so skilled at sensing people, I may have interpreted it as such and used appropriate force. This is just good life advice."

Elfilin drooped his ears.

"O-Ok, bro," Elfilin said, "we'll keep that in mind."

Vesa focused on Kirby as he prepared some of the ingredients. A thought popping into her mind, she stepped towards the kitchen.

"It wouldn't be fair to hand the burden of cooking breakfast to Kirby by himself, though," Vesa mentioned.

Kirby paused what he was doing and glanced at Vesa.

"Poyo?"

"How well can you cook, Miss Vesa?" Bandee asked.

Vesa paused for a moment. After some thinking, her face reddened in sheer embarrassment.

"I," Vesa admitted, "I only helped make a few meals growing up. I didn't get to cook often."

Elfilis pinched the bridge of their snout.

"I'm going to set up the wards," Elfilis sighed, "I'll come back in a little while to collect your DNA, so I can key you all into it."

Chapter Text

No sooner did Elfilis leave the dining hall than Vesa set foot into the kitchen.

"So what are your plans for the foreseeable future?" Bandee asked, "I'm just going to go back to work with the King soon and ensure he's kept safe."

"I haven't thought as much as Miss Vesa did, really," Elfilin sighed.

Vesa walked up to Kirby, who gestured to the ingredients on the counter. Vesa shredded some cheese while the pink star warrior cut up some ham, vegetables and mushrooms purchased from the market.

"Well, you don't need to do anything," Bandee tried to advise, "you can always just stay here and learn magic."

Everyone paused what they were doing when Elfilis returned to the dining hall.

"All right," Elfilis announced, "I'll need samples from everyone, just some hair or something similar will do."

"Ok," Bandee nodded.

Bandee, Vesa and Kirby approached Elfilis. The ultimate life-form started by plucking a few hairs off Vesa's head. They went on to collect a few skin flakes from Kirby and Bandee.

"That's it?" Bandee rubbed his arm.

"I don't need all that much," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis left the dining hall, so Kirby and Vesa made their way back to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients. While the pink star warrior prepared the frying pan, Vesa cracked a few eggs in a bowl. Elfilis returned to the dining hall minutes later and sat down in a chair, watching curiously. As soon as Vesa finished beating the egg mixture, she handed the bowl to Kirby.

"Bandee," Vesa called, "what would you like in your omelette?"

"I don't really mind," Bandee shrugged, "anything is fine with me!"

Vesa watched as Kirby poured a portion of the egg mixture into the frying pan. The pink star warrior would keep an eye on the pan while he gestured Vesa into handing him an ingredient for the filling. As soon as he flipped over the omelette, Kirby added an assortment of fillings before rolling it up.

"So what are your plans for today?" Bandee asked Elfilis.

Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw.

"I plan to investigate the Fountain of Dreams shortly as I recently learned it should be here since this used to be an Ancient station, a place where they would do testing and develop new technology or magic. I want to investigate soon and ensure it's working properly."

Bandee glanced sideways.

"That's…interesting."

Stepping out of the kitchen, Vesa carried a plate of an omelette and a mug, placing it on the table in front of Bandee.

"Your breakfast is ready!" she winked.

"Why, thank you!" Bandee chirped.

Vesa made her way back into the kitchen while Kirby poured the next portion of the egg mixture. They continued on with this method, completing an omelette for Elfilin. When it was Vesa's turn to have her omelette made, Kirby poured the egg mixture into the pan. Vesa waited until the pink star warrior gestured to her to flip over the omelette. She added mushrooms, ham, mozzarella cheese and diced tomatoes. Soon, she rolled her omelette and slid it onto her plate.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped and waved his arm.

"You're welcome," Vesa smiled.

Vesa brought out her omelette with a mug of hot chocolate, sitting next to Elfilis as Kirby went on to make his own omelette. Just then, Fransisca and Zan Partizanne entered the dining hall.

"I set up the ward stone," Elfilis told Zan, "apparently, father hasn't installed one yet, so I took it upon myself to do so. Really, I'm not sure why he didn't, it seems like this planet is under attack often enough that it would make sense to do so."

Zan blinked twice.

"I see," she replied.

Fransisca observed as Bandee, Elfilin and Vesa were eating their breakfast. Kirby made a brief glance at the lightning mage.

"Poyo?" Kirby called over.

"I wouldn't mind one," Zan nodded with a smile.

Kirby nodded and as soon as he finished his own omelette, he went to work making the next one.

"When you're done, you should get the others and sync yourselves to the ward stone," Elfilis mentioned.

"All right," Francisca replied.

"I should get going," Elfilis added, "and find the Fountain of Dreams. It shouldn't be too far from here and it won't take too long to redo the enchantments."

At that point, Flamberge entered the dining hall followed by Hyness. Elfilis made their way outside, using their feelers to sense for the Fountain of Dreams. Their senses pointed them to their left. The ultimate life-form followed after the wispy and ethereal feeling of the dream energy. The flight had them soar over Jam Jungle and then Echo's Edge.

Before long, Elfilis arrived at Rainbow Resort, floating down to the large half sphere island hanging in the sky. Ahead, they could see the Fountain of Dreams. They frowned as they waded through the inch deep water. It may not be an inconvenience, but they weren't a fan of the design choice by whoever was responsible for it. Before long, they stopped just before the fountain itself.

The Star Rod sat on top of the fountain, still glistening with light. With a flick of their hand, a series of runes appeared in the air, working almost like computer code. While examining the runes, Elfilis noticed a lot of them were fading and some were a much darker color than they should be. They quickly started rewriting the faded ones and started purifying the dark ones.

How could they have gotten corrupted like this?

Next, Elfilis checked the fountain for any discoloration. They noticed a dark sand at the bottom, almost silt-like in texture. They couldn't help but wonder if that was why Vesa had that nightmare last night. Elfilis summoned the Antares and poked at the darkened sand a little, eyes slightly narrowed. Its dark presence didn't really have the power to all that much at the moment. Whatever it was, it was feeding on the dream energy of nightmares, and it could likely induce them as well.

Still, they knew it shouldn't just be left in the Fountain of Dreams. Elfilis didn't hesitate as they began to purify the substance, only for it to wiggle and develop a purple and yellow starred pattern. The strange orb retreated from the fountain seconds later. Immediately, they pursued it, which was moving fast for anyone other than maybe them or Meta Knight. Without warning, a thought in their head reminded them they were underestimating the threat.

"Die!" Elfilis shouted.

Their fur turned white and red again and their eyes changed to black with red pupils. With a thrust of their spear, they pierced through the orb entirely as dark fluid sprayed from its wound. The orb shrieked in pain. Elfilis kicked it into the ground and pinned it as they repeatedly stabbed into it over and over. Even after it turned into a puddle of black goo, they didn't stop. The ground underneath shattered, covered in holes.

"Poyo!"

Elfilis didn't respond, still stabbing at the puddle of starry goo that was slowly evaporating and turning to dust. Kirby, hovering on the Warp Star, had a worried expression on his face. He didn't hesitate to descend below. The pink puff hopped off the Warp Star and sprinted towards Elfilis.

"Poyo!" Kirby called out again, "poyo! Poyo poyo!"

Elfilis glanced at Kirby, but only for a moment as they went back to focus on their target.

"Poyo?" Kirby reached out his arm.

Elfilis locked eyes onto Kirby again. They pulled their spear out of the ground, the puddle of black fluid now gone. In some indescribable way, Elfilis felt better like a mysterious weight was lifted off their shoulders. The pink star warrior took in some air before he floated up to the ultimate life-form's eye level. Elfilis half-heartedly swatted at Kirby, their body still burning with white hot rage as memories of their time in the lab kept repeating in their head. The pink star warrior, having maneuvered out of the way, released a puff of air before grabbing onto the ultimate life-form's arm.

With Elfilis still in a trance, Kirby leaned forth and nuzzled their cheek. Not much effect was shown immediately. Though slowly, Elfilis stopped acting on their violent impulses, their fur slowly gaining its color back.

"Poyo, poyo poyo," Kirby assured Elfilis.

Soon, Elfilis dazed and zoned out, not paying attention to the pink star warrior. A few moments later, they felt light-headed.

"O-Oh, that's new…"

Elfilis passed out, falling face first into the inch deep water. Kirby let out a startled yelp as he was flung off and landed into the water. He hopped onto his feet and sprinted towards the unconscious Elfilis, shaking at their shoulder.

"Poyo!" Kirby called, "poyo! Poyo!"

Elfilis wouldn't budge. Kirby sighed softly and simply pushed at their face, trying to turn them over to their back. Much to his dismay, they wouldn't budge. The pink star warrior felt like maybe he should call someone to help them as soon as possible. As soon as he thought of someone he could reach out to, Kirby checked the Fountain of Dreams for a moment. The pink star warrior hopped onto the Warp Star and soared into the sky, making a beeline for Castle Dedede.

When Kirby touched down at the courtyard, he sprinted up the stairs and waved his arms at the Waddle Dees patrolling the large front door. The Waddle Dees nodded and opened the front door, allowing the pink star warrior to sprint his way into the throne room. The king was currently filling out paperwork for new homes to be built in the area, hopeful that some of the Beast Pack from the other side of the portal will decide to make Dreamland their new home.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arms, "poyo?"

"Yup," Dedede nodded, "come on in. I hope it's not another disaster. We just had one of those and I was hoping we'd at least get a year to ourselves."

Kirby nodded and approached the king. Using his limited speech and various body language, the pink star warrior explained to Dedede about how he found Elfilis at the Fountain of Dreams minutes after he finished eating his own breakfast and making breakfast for the others in Hyness's tower.

"Alright," Dedede rose from his seat, "well, let's get going. It sounds like from what you told me, they must have finished off some remnant of Nightmare that we didn't even notice. Honestly, it's probably a good thing he was there."

King Dedede still remembered Nightmare, which was part of what gave him the kick in the pants he needed to become a better person. Kirby and Dedede made their way out of the castle. They rode on the Warp Star to the Fountain of Dreams. Upon arrival, Kirby sprinted towards Elfilis and checked on them. Relieved to find out the ultimate life-form was still asleep, he gestured to Dedede. The king lifted Elfilis into his arms.

Dedede carried Elfilis to the Warp Star, where Kirby already hopped on and was waiting for him. Once the king climbed aboard, the Warp Star took off and arrived at the entrance to the tower. Kirby and Dedede disembarked and made their way to the entrance with Elfilis in tow. It wasn't long before Hyness emerged from the door.

"Oh, dear," Hyness sighed, "bring them inside."

Dedede and Kirby entered the tower and set Elfilis onto a couch on the foyer. The pink star warrior sat on the arm of the couch. Minutes passed until Vesa came downstairs. She blinked twice as she locked eyes onto Elfilis.

"Elfilis?" Vesa paused, "what happened?"

Vesa dashed towards the couch, pausing in her tracks when she spotted Dedede nearby.

"It seems like they tussled with Nightmare a bit and pulled what was left of him out of the fountain," Dedede told her, "from what the marshmallow told me, they kinda had a bit of a fit for some reason and got really mad, to the point where even after the fragment died they was still just jabbing at the ground with their spear."

Vesa and Kirby exchanged glances.

"Will they be ok?" she asked.

"Poyo."

"They should be fine, hopefully," Hyness told her, "this happened earlier when they tapped into this new form as well, remember?"

Vesa gave Hyness a blank stare.

"New form? You mean…?"

Chapter Text

"My," Hyness commented as he examined Elfilis, "this is interesting. It seems like they've actually achieved their primary goal. They apparently defeated some form of Dark Matter. They'll likely still seek out more should it appear, but for now, it seems they've satisfied those conditions. And…you might want to take a look at this."

With a flick of his hand, Hyness made the spell visible to everyone in the area in the form of magical symbols surrounding their body. In the center was a large butterfly-shaped brand on their chest.

"Quick question," Vesa asked, pointing at the brand, "were they born with that or did someone give it to them?"

"Well, we suspect it was given to them by an odd knight Kirby encountered and fought," Hyness answered, "originally, they suspected that Elfilis was killed by the strange warrior, but instead they bonded to them somehow. It's likely that they're still out there somehow, but for some reason they granted Elfilis great power and attempted to have them cause large amounts of chaos and destruction, by driving them even further insane."

"Poyo," Kirby sighed.

From there, Vesa couldn't help but worry about Elfilis.

"You don't think," Vesa paused, "whoever did this…might come after them again, do you?"

"Well, that's debatable, I'm not sure what their plan is with Elfilis. So far, it seems to have just unlocked their Soul form. Heck, we could probably remove the mark and they would still be able to access it. The issue is, I don't know if there are any fail-safes on this brand, and what would happen if it was removed. There doesn't seem to be anything I can see. It just looks like the enchantment is made to unlock that form and not much else. It's simple, however, due to how simple it looks I'm a bit worried it might be a trap. Or maybe this warrior doesn't have much magical knowledge," Hyness explained, "and before you ask, the Soul form of a creature is…well, it's a state that forces your magical energy into overdrive. This typically causes you to become more durable, more powerful, and your magic is stronger. However, without fail, it always induces major aggression, and is typically unlocked when someone becomes so mad at an individual, they have a mental break and their power skyrockets. Typically, this involves a single-minded need for revenge."

Vesa sighed and placed her hand on Elfilis's head.

"Whatever it is," she said, "I bet whoever that being is doesn't have good intentions."

"Presumably not," Hyness agreed with a sigh, "especially since the creature is half Galacta Knight, the being who destroyed our planet."

Silence continued to pass over the course of a few minutes until Elfilin flew into the foyer.

"Hey, Kirby!" Elfilin called over, waving his paw.

Kirby glanced up and waved back.

"Poyo!"

Elfilin flew down the stairs and hovered above his brother. The small chinchilla shuddered at the sight of Elfilis's soaked fur.

"It's," Vesa clarified, "it's been a long morning so far."

Elfilin shifted his gaze to Vesa.

"Kirby," Vesa asked, "do you remember the name of that knight?"

"Poyo! Poyo poyo!"

"Morpho…Knight?" Elfilin paused.

Vesa huffed and stood to her feet.

"Hey," Vesa requested, "if it's not too much to ask, can we at least keep an eye out for Morpho Knight? Whatever information we can get out of it would help greatly."

Vesa made a brief glance at Elfilis.

"Especially for their sake," she added.

The next thing she knew, Elfilis opened their eyes and let out a soft hiss. Using telekinesis, they removed the water from their fur. They opened a window and floated the water outside onto the ground. Soon enough, Vesa, Elfilin, Kirby, Dedede and Hyness focused their gaze onto them.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Are you ok?" Vesa asked.

"Yes and no," Elfilis admitted with a sigh, "I feel better in some way I cannot describe and yet I'm also feeling depressed…something to do with my memories coming back in the heat of the moment."

Elfilin perched on top of his sibling's head. Vesa gave Elfilis a gentle embrace. The ultimate life-form sighed as they wrapped one arm around her back.

"So," Elfilin asked, "when will you be ready to finish setting up that ward stone?"

"I'd like to finish what I started at the fountain," Elfilis replied, "but that can wait."

Vesa released her grip as Elfilis sat up. The small chinchilla hopped off and perched on Dedede's head. The ultimate life-form made their way back to the basement to work on the ward stone, setting in a feature to target malicious intent. They concentrated in writing new protections and runes.

They completed the enchantments within a couple of hours. For anyone else, this might've taken a couple of weeks. With their work done, they ascended from the basement. Upon returning to the foyer, Dedede had already left. Elfilin was chattering with Kirby. Elfilis sat down on the couch, only to notice Vesa sitting at the other end reading a map of Popstar. She made a brief glance at them, giving a smile and closing her eyes for a few seconds. The angelic lancer returned their gaze, wondering if they should confide in someone about what they were dealing with.

"Hey, Elfilis?" Vesa said.

"Yes?"

Elfilis's tail wagged a little as Vesa scooted closer to them. She placed the map in her hands on her thigh.

"It would be nice to visit these many places here," she explained, "I just can't seem to decide which one to go to first."

"I'm sure there are plenty of magical items left behind by my father's people here on this planet," Elfilis replied, "it's shaped like a star. The amount of Dream and purified energy needed for that to happen would be…anyway, I'm not entirely certain this planet would even be able to have this shape naturally."

Vesa noticed Kirby and Elfilin made a brief glance at her and Elfilis, the pink star warrior waving his arm.

"Kirby," Vesa asked, "which place would you recommend?"

Vesa held out the map, allowing the pink star warrior to examine it. After less than a minute, Kirby pointed to a spot at the forest near the drawing of a lake.

"Poyo!" Kirby suggested.

"Whispy…Woods?" Elfilin tilted his head sideways.

Kirby shifted his gaze back to Elfilin.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded happily.

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"I believe I know what species of forest you're referring to," they replied, "they have many offshoot species and are all over the place."

Vesa smiled and stood up.

"Then let's get ready to go!"

That early afternoon, Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin went outside the tower. The pink star warrior led the way on the dirt path, passing by a Bronto Burt at times. As Elfilis followed close behind, Vesa stayed as close to them as possible. The path they took led straight to the lush forest ahead of them.

When they stepped into the forest, Elfilis took some samples from the local flora, realizing the entire forest happened to be named Whispy Woods, not just a solitary tree. Vesa took a few steps ahead of them and examined the woodland creatures simply going about their lives. A Gip perched on a tree trunk while a Tookey pecked at the forest floor.

Kirby walked along the path while Elfilin floated above the ground. The small chinchilla waved his paw at a nearby Sir Kibble. As the four continued their stroll through the woods, Vesa offered her hand to Elfilis. The ultimate life-form blushed as they took her hand. Stopping at a fork in the road, Kirby picked the center path. When the others followed the pink star warrior down the center path, they arrived in a large forest clearing. Vesa stared in awe at the sight of a large tree with a face.

While Elfilis tilted their head sideways and examined the tree representing Whispy Woods, Kirby walked up to the tree and waved his arm.

"Poyo!" he chirped.

Whispy Woods blinked and stared down at the pink star warrior.

"Afternoon, Kirby," Whispy Woods replied.

Vesa exchanged a blank stare with Elfilis.

"I didn't know trees can talk," Vesa commented quietly.

"Well," Elfilis sighed, "most can't. Most plants don't have intelligence. However, through the use of magic, many odd and fantastical things not possible through biology alone can occur."

Whispy Woods shifted its gaze towards Elfilis.

"I see you brought along some interesting friends," Whispy Woods said.

Elfilin tilted his head sideways. With his limited speech and assorted body language, Kirby explained to the sentient tree why he brought along Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis.

"Well, then," Whispy Woods nodded, "it's nice to meet you three."

Vesa felt a chill down her spine, yet she returned her nod.

"Uhh," she stammered, "same for you."

The small chinchilla placed his paw behind his head.

"Thanks for your warm welcome!" Elfilin chirped.

Elfilin floated towards Whispy Woods, perching on its nose. Elfilis relaxed and remained quiet while they relished in the atmosphere the forest created.

"So," Elfilin asked, "what's your favorite season?"

"I enjoy the fall and the spring, one is a season of rest where I start to sleep for the year, leaves fall from my branches and I rest. The spring is when I wake and life returns to the forest. Trying to pick between the two would be impossible since I enjoy them equally."

Elfilin blushed cutely.

"I kinda like all the seasons," Elfilin said, "each of them has something that makes them all wonderful."

"Well, you aren't wrong," Whispy Woods agreed with a smile, "but I tend to miss the winter season as that's when I rest."

Elfilin floated over to Kirby.

"Poyo?" Kirby waved his arms eagerly.

Elfilis meandered to a sunny opening in the forest clearing, letting the sunlight warm up their fur.

"I suppose I have a game for the four of you," Whispy Woods answered.

"Really?" Elfilin chirped.

Elfilin perched on top of Kirby's head as the four listened in.

"For this game," Whispy Woods explained, "you four will split into groups of two. You'll be searching for machinery parts that have been scattered into this forest."

"A scavenger hunt?" Vesa blinked twice.

Even Elfilis found themself intrigued. They wouldn't mind it as it would be a nice change of pace for them.

"Of course, Miss Vesa," Whispy Woods nodded, "the team who finds seven machine parts and comes back here first…"

Whispy Woods sprouted five Maxim Tomatoes from within the leaves. Kirby smiled as his eyes sparkled.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Will win five Maxim Tomatoes!" Whispy Woods continued.

"Maxim…Tomatoes?" Vesa paused.

Elfilis perked up their feelers, intrigued by the details Whispy Woods provided.

"I guess Maxim Tomatoes count as a neat prize," Elfilin replied.

"Maybe gardening would be a good hobby," Elfilis pondered, "with my powers, I could easily hybridize plants."

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances. The pink star warrior offered his arm and the small chinchilla happily did a back flip.

"Well," Vesa shrugged, "I'm not sure why machine parts would be in a forest, but…"

Vesa shifted her gaze towards Elfilis.

"Elfilis," Vesa asked, "wanna team up with me?"

"Of course," Elfilis nodded.

Whispy Woods remained still as Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin gathered at the center of the clearing.

"So you've already chosen your teammates?" it asked.

"Yes," Vesa nodded, "we're ready!"

Whispy Woods closed its eyes for a brief moment as it retracted the Maxim Tomatoes back into its leaves.

"Well then, don't forget to play fair," it announced, "now, let us begin!"

Upon cue, Kirby and Elfilin sprinted down one dirt path while Vesa and Elfilis turned to face another forest path. They set foot down the path and began their search through the woods. While they suspected Kirby might be a creature of luck, Elfilis could count on their enhanced eyesight to find anything made of metal.

Chapter Text

Vesa and Elfilis spent several minutes strolling down the forest path, passing by a few flying Bronto Burts. A downed log blocked the path, but Vesa simply climbed over it. She glanced over her shoulder as Elfilis phased through the log, impressed by the casual display of their spatial magic.

When Vesa continued along the path, she happened to pass by a Grizzo. She remained close to Elfilis as they both kept an eye on the bearlike creature. As soon as they took a few more steps, the Grizzo dashed across the dirt path, zooming past them and scurrying into another part of the forest, which sent a chill down Vesa's spine. Elfilis twitched their feelers as they sensed her heartbeat picking up the pace.

"Are you doing ok?" they asked her.

Vesa took a deep breath before she nodded.

"I-I didn't get hurt, that's for sure," Vesa stammered.

"Glad to hear it," Elfilis smiled in relief.

Vesa continued to follow Elfilis down the forest path. When they stopped at a fork in the road, they spotted a few Twizzies gathering on the ground feeding on the seeds they foraged. When Vesa took another step closer, the yellow birds focused their eyes on her and then flew off. Soon enough, Elfilis spotted a faint sparkle nearby. Vesa noticed as their feelers perked up.

"You found something?" she asked.

Elfilis nodded and wandered over to a metal panel of some kind, which seemed to have come off some kind of machine. Vesa approached them from behind and took a closer look at the panel, which appeared to be a small curved piece of metal. Rust began coating the piece, but there didn't seem to be any real identifying marks on it other than holes where screws might've been at one point. She carefully picked it up and brushed off the dirt.

"Our first find," Vesa said.

"Seems that way."

Elfilis tilted their head as they briefly touched the metal, seemingly almost bio-mechanical as if it was imitating life. Vesa handed the metal piece to the ultimate life-form.

"Let's see if we can find more," Vesa winked.

"Agreed."

After Elfilis stashed the metal scrap into their pocket dimension, they led Vesa down one fork of the forest path. They passed by a pond. She smiled at the site of Blippers swimming along the surface. She glanced down and noticed a pipe sticking out from the ground. She knelt and tugged at it. Elfilis noticed and helped her pull it out of the ground. The pipe seemed more rusty than the other metal piece.

"Good eyes," Elfilis purred.

"Thanks!" Vesa chirped.

Vesa and Elfilis stood up. Smiling, she held up her hand. The ultimate life-form took the hint and gave her a gentle high-five. She brushed the dirt off the pipe before handing it to Elfilis, who stashed it in their pocket dimension. From there, they continued along the forest path. They passed through a tree with a large archway built in it. Elfilis summoned their spear, hoping to ensure the woodland creatures understand they and their human friend were not to be messed with. They passed by a few cappies and a broom hatter when they took a leftward path.

Vesa stopped when she stepped on something hard. She glanced down and noticed a metallic shine underneath her foot.

"Oh."

"Are you ok?" Elfilis made their way closer to her, trying to smell for any blood, "sounds like you stepped on it pretty hard."

Vesa removed her sandal and checked the underside of her foot. Much to her luck, she didn't spot any cuts.

"I'm fine," she assured them.

Vesa crouched down and examined an image of a stylized H on the metal scrap stuck in the ground. Elfilis didn't recognize it as it didn't match any rune work they've seen.

"Huh," Vesa commented, "is this supposed to be a logo or something? I never saw it anywhere on my planet."

"It certainly has the flare I would expect from an advertisement or personal symbol," Elfilis replied dryly.

Vesa and Elfilis didn't hesitate to dig the metal piece out of the ground. The angelic lancer didn't discover much, but it did provide another sample of bio-metal substance. The two continued their venture through the woods after that. Elfilis spotted a large chunk of metal embedded in a tree. They yanked it out and looked over which appeared to be a more intact machine part apart from the others. Vesa didn't need to brush off any dirt this time, but she pulled out a few twigs stuck in the machine part's crevices. The ultimate life-form stashed it in their pocket dimension after that.

"Four down," Vesa quipped, "three to go."

Vesa and Elfilis took a path to the right this time. She immediately spotted a detached drill embedded in a bush. The ultimate life-form pulled it out of the ground, examining it carefully.

"I wonder what that drill was used for," Vesa pondered.

"I'm unsure. It's certainly interesting, however."

Vesa scanned her surroundings and spotted a stray gear on the ground.

"Well, it looks like we're almost done," Elfilis mused, "these last few have been really close."

Vesa smiled as she picked up the gear and handed it to Elfilis.

"Who knows how far Kirby and Elfilin have gotten?" Vesa chirped, "let's get going!"

Vesa and Elfilis continued along the forest path, which soon ran parallel to a river. The ultimate life-form followed close behind, their tail gently swaying side to side. As they meandered along the riverside, they could see Blippers jumping out of the water and splashing back down. Elfilis spotted another piece of metal glinting under the water. Dipping their hand into the water, they pulled up what seemed to be the hand of a clock. The ultimate life-form and Vesa exchanged glances.

"I believe I know where this came from at least," Elfilis commented, "although the idea of a NOVA is concerning. I had only been informed of one of them existing before now. But a second one?"

Vesa tilted her head sideways, giving Elfilis a puzzled look.

"Wait, what is a NOVA, anyway?" she asked.

Elfilis sighed bitterly.

"A celestial body made with magic and machinery," they explained, "meant to serve those it finds with anything they desire. But that's the problem: 'Anything you want' means just that—it cannot reason who is worthy or willing to control themselves in the midst of such power."

Their tail swayed to one side, more fiercely than usual.

"I wonder if someone got their hands on it…" Elfifis thought out loud, their body tense.

"Maybe Kirby knows," Vesa shrugged, "we could ask him about it later."

Vesa spotted Kirby and Elfilin out of the corner of her eye.

"Someone clearly got hold of some blueprints," Elfilis let out an annoyed sigh, "I'll need to track those down."

Kirby paused for a quick moment and shifted his gaze to Vesa and Elfilis.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Elfilis waved their hand in return as they pulled the large clock hand into their pocket dimension.

"Come on, Kirby," Elfilin called, "let's race them!"

Kirby returned his gaze to Elfilin.

"Poyo!"

Vesa gave Elfilis a confused look as Kirby and Elfilin started sprinting down the forest path on the other side of the river.

"I'll bet they've had their fair share of finds here," Vesa mentioned, determination twinkling in her eyes.

"Probably," Elfilis shrugged, "I'm not too focused on the competition, though."

Vesa started picking up the pace of her footsteps.

"Well," Vesa said, "Kirby did say something about racing. Let's go!"

Vesa began sprinting along the forest path. Elfilis lifted slightly above the ground and effortlessly glided above the forest path, keeping up the pace with their friend. A Slippy loitering in the path spotted them fast approaching and hopped into the water. The path led Vesa and Elfilis away from the river to another fork in the road.

"Let's just go this way," Elfilis pointed in a direction, deciding to cut right through the middle.

Vesa nodded and followed close behind. They sprinted for several minutes before they entered the forest clearing, where Whispy Woods stood at the center.

"Ok, we're back!" Vesa called.

Vesa noticed Kirby and Elfilin only arrived seconds before she and Elfilis did. The ultimate life-form, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind.

"Welcome back," Whispy Woods announced, "I sure hope your search was fruitful."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Elfilin concentrated before opening up a vortex leading to his pocket dimension. Vesa glanced over her shoulder and nodded at Elfilis. The ultimate life-form pulled out the machine scraps they found, including the large hour hand which happened to be the size of two buildings stacked on top of one another. Kirby widened his eyes while Elfilin pulled out the next machine part he and the pink star warrior, astounded by the sheer size.

"Whoa!" Elfilin exclaimed, "where did you get something so big?!"

Elfilin set down the sixth machine part he and Kirby found before digging his paw into his pocket dimension.

"I found it in a river," Elfilis replied as they hefted it over their shoulder.

By the time Kirby, Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis laid down each of their findings, Whispy Woods carefully examined them.

"My," Whispy Woods commented, "you seem to have put in the effort to find seven machine parts."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Whispy Woods closed its eyes as the Maxim Tomatoes emerged from its leaves.

"But what matters more is who entered the clearing first," Whispy Woods continued, "and the winner is…Kirby and Elfilin!"

"Yay, we did it!" Elfilin cheered and did a back flip.

"Poyo!" Kirby hopped happily.

Vesa let out a soft sigh.

"Oh, well," Vesa shrugged.

Whispy Woods released the five Maxim Tomatoes, allowing Kirby and Elfilin to catch them midair.

"I'm sure there's some other game we'd probably be great at," Vesa stretched her arms, "but I had plenty of fun today."

Elfilis and Vesa turned their gaze to the machine parts while Kirby and Elfilin stashed their share of Maxim Tomatoes.

"I had a good time myself," Elfilis agreed.

Elfilis shifted their gaze to the sentient tree.

"Now," Elfilis continued, "I need to dispose of these parts and locate any others if they exist. Whispy, I'm sure that if there are other parts, you likely know about them. Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?"

Whispy Woods gave Elfilis a puzzled look as it thought over the question.

"There is more around the forest," Whispy Woods answered, "here."

A piece of bark fell off a nearby tree, a map carved into it from the other side.

"This will show you where to look," the sentient tree continued.

Vesa blinked as she picked up the map and read it. Elfilis took the time to stash the machine parts into their pocket dimension.

"There's no rush to get it done right now, however," Whispy Woods added, "that can wait until tomorrow, or even the next day."

Upon cue, Vesa tilted her head up, noticing the faint signs of a beginning sunset in the sky. Kirby and Elfilin also tilted their gaze upwards.

"Oh," Elfilin said, "it seems we should be getting home soon."

"Poyo," Kirby nodded in agreement.

"I can take us home right now," Elfilis offered, "if you'd like."

Kirby leapt up and turned his gaze to the ultimate life-form.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Bye," Elfilin waved his paw at Whispy Woods, "we'll see you tomorrow!"

With a gentle flex, Elfilis opened a portal which transported the four to the front of the tower, standing in the grass. Upon their return, the ultimate life-form pulled out one of the metal plates, examining the material. Kirby spotted the logo on the metal plate and his eyes sparkled with interest.

"Poyo!"

Elfilis glanced down at the pink star warrior curiously.

"What is it, Kirby?" Elfilin gave Kirby a puzzled look.

All eyes focused on Kirby as he went on to explain that one incident where the Haltmann Works Company invaded Popstar and tried to mechanize the planet leading to the point where he destroyed the Star Dream before it could begin its campaign of destruction. Vesa shuddered as soon as Kirby finished. Elfilis made a serious nod, their feelers twitching in fury over the loss of life on the previous planets affected by President Haltmann's business campaign. Still, they were relieved the issue had finally been resolved.

Elfilin perched on Kirby's head.

"So," Elfilin asked, "have you heard from Susie lately?"

Kirby's gaze lowered to the ground.

"Poyo," Kirby answered.

"Well," Elfilis replied, "I'd like to find this Susie eventually. I need to retrieve the blueprints for the NOVA machine so no one else can repeat it."

"And I sure hope she's learned her lesson," Vesa added with a wink.

Elfilin floated over to Elfilis, waving his paw at Kirby.

"See you tomorrow, Kirby!"

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Vesa and Elfilis watched as Kirby began his sprint down the path.

Chapter Text

Fecto Elfilis, Vesa and Elfilin met up with Kirby at the edge of Whispy Woods the following morning. The ultimate life-form pulled out the map they held onto, beginning to venture into the woods. While Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin followed close behind, they kept their eyes out for anything which could be made of metal.

With keen eyes, the four spotted a few screws and bolts. Elfilis helped them pull out a few metal plates and Vesa brushed the dirt off a rusty hinge. Half an hour in, Elfilin checked the map for any more hot spots. His paw pressed on the spot where the river should be.

"Poyo," Kirby offered.

Elfilin blinked and shifted his gaze to the pink star warrior.

"That'll help," the small chinchilla nodded, "thanks!"

Vesa checked the path ahead of her, noticing a ball of orange and white fur was…digging into the ground for something.

"Oh?"

Elfilis got a closer look at the creature while Kirby leapt into the river nearby. Seconds continued on in silence until the critter popped its head out.

"Is that a hamster?" Vesa gasped.

"I believe so," Elfilis placed a finger on their jaw, "I've assimilated similar rodents in the past, but they weren't as large as this one."

The hamster perked up its ears and turned its head towards Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis.

"Oi oi oi!" the hamster exclaimed, "what's all this, then?"

Vesa felt a chill run down her spine, her brow sweating nervously.

"W-We're just looking for scraps in the woods," Vesa stammered.

"Hey," the hamster gave a confused look, "what's with the shivering? I ain't gonna hurt ya."

The hamster approached her, and Vesa noticed he barely came up to her waist. She examined the hamster for a few moments before she ran her hand along the top of his head. He let out a cute squeak as she scratched behind his ears, his stubby tail wagging.

"This feels nice," he purred.

Vesa placed the index finger of her other hand on her chin.

"Well," Vesa mused, "I shouldn't be surprised to see talking animals at this point."

Elfilin floated over to the hamster and circled him, so Vesa withdrew her hand.

"Hi, there!" Elfilin chirped, "my name's Elfilin. What's yours?"

"The name's Rick," the hamster nodded at the small chinchilla, "I'm just out here preparin' my home for the coming winta! It's a little ways off still, but best to start now before I forget to do it later!"

Soon enough, Kirby emerged from the water with a rusty gear in tow.

"Poyo!" Kirby called over.

Elfilis glanced over as the pink star warrior carried the rusty gear and handed it to them. They quickly stored it in their dimensional pocket.

"Thank you."

"Poyo!"

Rick and Kirby exchanged glances.

"Heya, Kirby," Rick waved his paw, "it's been a while!"

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, "poyo poyo poyo!"

Kirby gestured to Vesa and Elfilis. The ultimate life-form simply nodded at Rick.

"Well, nice to meet you guys," Rick replied, "so what'cha guys up to?"

Kirby, Vesa, Elfilis and Elfilin followed Rick down the forest path.

"We did go on a scavenger hunt yesterday," Vesa explained, "which Kirby and Elfilin won."

"Well," Rick commented, "Kirby has always been lucky, so that tracks."

Vesa quickly noticed the hamster didn't have a clear destination. She borrowed the map from Elfilis and read it carefully. Her finger traced the trail before it pointed at a gathering of trees marked with a hotspot.

"The next spot should be," Vesa paused, "about several meters east of here."

Rick's ears perked up.

"Oh," Rick offered, "I can help if ya need it! I'm real good at digging if that's something you need help with?"

Elfilin happily did a backflip and Kirby waved his arms.

"Sure!" Elfilin chirped.

"Poyo!"

"Great!" Rick gave a wink, "I can go get my other pal Coo and we can see about spotting some of those metal bits from the air."

"Poyo!"

Vesa gave Rick an inquisitive look before locking eyes onto Elfilis.

"I guess some helping hands wouldn't hurt," she shrugged.

"I suppose," Elfilis sighed.

Elfilis wasn't sure why they needed more tagalongs, but then they noticed the smile on Kirby's face. Rick led Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin along the forest path, meandering past some trees. Taking a center path, they made their way to the tree cluster. Once they stopped, Vesa tilted her head up, noticing a wing or two tossing out small pieces out of the hole in the tree. Without warning, a striped fuzzy wormlike creature with big eyes plopped on top of Kirby, whose eyes widened in horror.

"Poyo!" Kirby screamed, "poyo! Poyo poyo!"

All eyes were on Kirby as he flailed his arms and teetered on one foot. While Vesa, Rick and Elfilin stared in mere shock, Elfilis watched with intrigue in their eyes. With a flick of their hand, they levitated the Capiller off Kirby's head and released it on the ground.

"I'm sure you consumed worse," Elfilis retorted with a hint of amusement.

Kirby fell onto his back, dizziness in his eyes. An owl emerged from the hole in the tree, eyes locked onto the pink puff.

"Oh, Kirby," the owl cooed, "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were here."

Elfilis, Rick, Vesa and Elfilin tilted their gaze upwards, focusing on the owl.

"Hi," Elfilin waved his paw, "are you Coo?"

"I am!" Coo nodded, "what do you guys need?"

Vesa took a moment to readjust her cap.

"You see," Vesa explained, "we're searching the woods for machine scraps."

"I can help with that if you want me to," Coo answered, "I'm not quite strong enough to do any carrying, but I can help you spot them if you want me to."

"That's what we're hoping for," Elfilin chirped, "thanks!"

Vesa focused her gaze on Kirby and knelt by his side.

"Hey," she whispered, "are you ok, buddy?"

Kirby stirred before he rolled onto his feet.

"Poyo."

"Well," Elfilis said, "as long as you're doing ok."

Elfilis glanced down at Kirby, confused as to how the pink star warrior could battle gods, godlike entities and creatures which would cause most mortal minds to be driven insane by their mere presence, and yet that particular small insect was what he feared the most. Coo spread his wings and flew down to meet with the others.

"Ok," Vesa smiled, "let's go!"

Coo took off into the sky while Rick led Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin back onto the forest path. Vesa picked another hotspot on the map in her hands. The hamster would tilt his gaze to the sky at intervals, waiting for a signal from the owl. The ultimate life-form stayed close to Vesa, still keeping a vigilant eye out for metal scraps which might not be on the map.

Coo signaled at a spot, so Rick began digging into the ground. Elfilis reached down and helped yank out the metal piece from the dirt. While Vesa and Elfilin brushed off the dirt, the hamster tilted his gaze up.

"Got it!" Rick called.

Coo responded with a hoot. Elfilis pulled the metal scrap aside and inspected it. Interestingly enough, it resembled some kind of robotic arm.

"Fascinating," Elfilis said to themself.

Elfilis stored it in their pocket dimension. The ensemble on the ground continued their journey through the woods, picking out machine scraps the angelic lancer managed to detect. Yet, even as they stashed away each metal scrap, this social activity overwhelmed them mentally, still not used to meeting new people, or even those who weren't direct family or close friends. Still, Elfilis noticed the gentle smile on Vesa's face. They made a mental note to speak with Fransisca later.

They arrived at the edge of a lake minutes later. Coo landed next to Rick. Vesa checked the map again, only to notice the next hotspot is at the center of the lake.

"Oh boy," Vesa sighed.

Elfilin and Kirby exchanged glances.

"Poyo?"

"Yeah," Elfilin nodded, "I guess this calls for some swimming. Right, Kirby?"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded in agreement.

Elfilis bristled slightly at the idea of needing to go into the water. Honestly, water in their fur would be a nightmare, especially when the core of their DNA was based on a chinchilla, a creature with such soft and fine fur to the point it would need to take dust baths. Vesa noticed the discomfort in their eyes, so she gently grasped their hand.

"You don't have to go into the water," Vesa tried to assure them, "it's ok."

Vesa returned her gaze to Kirby as he put on a pair of scuba goggles.

"A-All right," Elfilis sighed and lowered their head.

Elfilis lowered their head, upset at their own uselessness in the current situation. Staring back at the water somehow reminded them too much of…wait. They shivered at the reminder of being suspended in fluid every day, every hour, for years on end. They twitched and took deep breaths. Frowning, Vesa reached out to perch her hand on their shoulder. The flashbacks got bad enough to the point Elfilis dropped to one knee, their eyes staring off into space.

Vesa didn't hesitate as she wrapped her arms around Elfilis, running her fingers through their chest fur. The ultimate life-form couldn't help but blush as they felt her warm embrace.

"It's ok," she cooed, "I'm here."

Elfilis let out a soft whine as they shuddered and leaned closer to Vesa. They both didn't pay attention to the bubbles emerging from the surface of the water. Rick, Coo, Kirby and Elfilin watched intently for a moment until a fish popped out. The pink star warrior's smile widened as soon as he recognized the fish.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

"Why hello, Kirby!" the fish greeted, "what brings you here?"

The fish exchanged glances with Rick and Coo before focusing his eyes on Elfilin.

"And who's this fella?" the fish asked.

Elfilin blushed cutely and waved his paw.

"I'm Elfilin," he chirped, "what about you?"

"My name's Kine! How can I help you?"

Kirby watched as Vesa gestured Elfilis to back away from the lake a little, guiding them towards the nearest tree. When they entered the shade, Vesa sat down next to Elfilis, watching as Kirby used his body language and limited speech to explain the situation to Kine, the fish nodding in response. The pink star warrior jumped into the water and Kine dived under the lake with him. While Elfilin, Coo and Rick stood on the sidelines, Vesa returned her gaze to Elfilis, noticing the tears in their eyes. Though, they began to calm down, starting to release tension. Vesa leaned closer to them and nuzzled their cheek.

Elfilin turned his gaze behind him and hovered over to his sibling and their close friend.

"Hey," Elfilin tilted his head sideways, "are you ok?"

Vesa and Elfilis shifted their gaze to the small chinchilla. The ultimate life-form still had the sensations of being trapped, immobilized and unable to do anything as the scientists tortured them lingering in their mind. Elfilin drooped his ears as mental projections from his counterpart played out in his mind.

"Oh," Elfilin sighed, "do you still need space?"

Elfilis didn't say anything. The small chinchilla floated back towards the hamster and the owl. His presence alone caught their attention.

"Heya, little guy!" Rick waved his paw, "how's it goin'?"

Elfilin glanced over his shoulder for a few seconds.

"My sibling isn't doing too well," Elfilin answered, "bad things happened to them long ago."

"Well, not that long ago if what Kirby's been tellin' me means anything," Rick replied, "mostly just been tellin' me so I know how not to rile him up or accidentally upset 'em."

"Yeah," Elfilin agreed.

Coo tilted her head towards the water just as Kine and Kirby emerged from the lake.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

The pink star warrior held up a rusty vent grate.

"Hey," Coo exclaimed, "that's an excellent find!"

Kine jumped up and did a back flip before splashing back down.

"Thank you!" Kine smiled.

Vesa, having overheard the commotion, shifted her gaze to the others. She checked the map in her hands. From what she could read, there were only a few unchecked hotspots left. She traced the path through the woods until her finger reached the exit at another side of the woods.

"If we take this shortcut," Vesa said, "maybe we can snag the last of these scraps along the way."

Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis and cupped their face in her hand.

"I-I'm all right," Elfilis nodded sheepishly, their tail swishing side to side.

With Elfilis having come back to their senses, Vesa helped them to their feet. They emerged from the shades as Kirby approached them with the grate vent in his possession.

"Poyo?" Kirby held out the metal scrap.

Elfilis plucked the grate and stashed it into their pocket dimension.

"Thank you."

Elfilis and Vesa exchanged brief glances. Neither of them could come up with words to describe the warm sensation they were both feeling within their chests. They both followed Kirby back to Rick, Coo, Kine and Elfilin. The small chinchilla perked up his large ears and floated over to his larger counterpart.

"I'm ready to find more parts when you are!" Elfilin winked.

"Hopefully, we'll be done soon," Elfilis rubbed their head, "I might need to lie down when we get home."

Kirby spun around and waved his arms at the three animals.

"Poyo!"

"You take good care, Kirby!" Coo waved his wing.

Vesa led Elfilin, Kirby and Elfilis down the specific direction in the woods while the latter three kept a vigilant eye for the remaining few machine parts. Elfilis spotted one ahead and ripped it out of the ground. They examined some kind of tablet when they brushed off the dirt. Continuing along the path, the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla spotted the next part. They both teamed up to pull it out of a tree trunk. Elfilis continued along and using their heightened vision, removed more machine scraps from the ground.

By the time the four reached the exit on the other side of the woods, Vesa checked the map once again, noting all the hotspots having been cleared. Elfilin circled around her with a curious expression.

"Is that all?" Elfilin asked.

Vesa locked eyes onto the small chinchilla.

"There should be a shortcut back to the tower, shouldn't there?" Vesa smiled.

"Of course," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa was just handing the map back to Elfilis when she felt her legs wobbling, almost as if she were to fall over at any minute.

"This doesn't make sense," she muttered to herself, "I'd been using my legs with little trouble yesterday…"

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis. They leaned their head a little closer to her.

"Would you like me to carry you?" Elfilis asked, their tone hinting at concern.

"Please," she begged.

Elfilis placed one arm under both of her legs and the other behind her back. They gently lifted her up and held her close to their chest. Vesa perched her arms over their shoulders and rested her head on their chest. Kirby and Elfilin stared for a brief moment before they exchanged glances.

"Aww, so cute!" Elfilin chirped.

"Poyo!"

Elfilis huffed as their face reddened in embarrassment and their eye twitched slightly. Vesa tilted her head upwards, her face also reddening.

"Uh," Vesa stammered, "thanks, Elfilis. You…mean so much to me."

Vesa made a brief glance at Kirby and Elfilin moment, the pink star warrior beckoning them to follow.

"I feel the same way you do," Elfilis admitted.

Vesa smiled as Kirby led Elfilin and Elfilis down the dirt path. They soon returned to the entrance of the tower. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla didn't hesitate to scurry into the tower, leaving Elfilis to make their way through the foyer and down the stairs into the library. They gently set Vesa onto the couch. She leaned her back onto the arm of the couch, letting the ultimate life-form cradle the back of her head with one hand.

"Hey," she pointed at a bookshelf, "you mind picking out a book from that shelf?"

Elfilis examined the shelf for a brief moment before using their telekinesis to levitate a science book off the shelf. Vesa grasped the book as soon as it floated closer. She examined the title "Strange Biology Across the Galaxy". Elfilis sat down next to her as they both began to read it, with Vesa taking interest in creatures like eyeballs with wings and creatures that secrete gasoline and light themselves on fire as a method of defense.

Chapter Text

Fecto Elfilis spent the next month recording the knowledge they held onto into more books for the tower's library. In between those times in the library, Elfilis spoke with Francisca about the issues they were still dealing with.

Whenever Vesa wasn't in the library reading a book from the shelves, she would supervise Kirby and Elfilin whenever the pink star warrior came to visit. Other times, she would watch the Mage Sisters spar in the backyard training grounds.

One day, Vesa was strolling through the tower's courtyard garden. She took note of the different plants in the flowerbeds which she didn't recognize from her own world. The plants which caught her attention the most were the Pop Flowers. She remembered what she read from the book on strange biology earlier this week in regards to such flowers. After gathering magical energy in the air, these pop flowers would pollinate by enticing living creatures to touch them by producing food, star coins and other things when they were wiggled around and opened.

Wanting to test this theory, Vesa walked up to a closed pop flower. She reached out her hand and brushed it along the stem. It wiggled for a moment before a dollar bill popped out while it emitted pollen. Holding the dollar bill in her hand, Vesa gave the pop flower a puzzled look. She didn't expect the flower to talk even if it now opened up in a light purple color. She walked up to another pop flower and tapped on the stem. When the pop flower blossomed with another puff of pollen coming out, a trademarked candy bar she recognized plopped onto her hand. She examined the chocolate bar, recollecting the confectionery shop across the public library her family would sometimes visit.

She snapped out of her thoughts and went back into the tower. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Elfilin as he floated down the stairs. The small chinchilla perked up his ears when he locked eyes onto the human.

"Oh!" Elfilin chirped, "afternoon, Miss Vesa!"

Vesa smiled as the small chinchilla floated over to her in the middle of the foyer.

"Afternoon, Elfilin," Vesa replied, "I must say this tower's garden is quite beautiful."

"Sure is!" Elfilin agreed, "I've been trying to use the powers that Elfilis showed off, but I still haven't quite gotten it unless they help me. It's really hard to control it and my body just kind of turns to goo when I try it on my own."

Vesa blinked.

"Oh," Vesa said, "I see."

Elfilin caught a glimpse of the chocolate bar in Vesa's hands.

"Hey, what'cha got there?" he asked.

"It's," Vesa stammered, "it's a chocolate bar I got from a Pop Flower. I didn't think they'd somehow know a lot about me."

"Well," Elfilin placed his paw behind his head, "it's not really super complicated magic, I think. I'm sure it just connects to what you want in any given moment, or general wants, and depending on how much power they have stored up it changes what they can make. That's what I read in the notebook Elfilis wrote about the plants in the garden anyway. They gave it to me so I'd stay away from the dangerous ones."

Vesa smiled and closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"That's really thoughtful of them," she commented.

Elfilin placed the leather-bound notebook on a counter next to the door before he followed Vesa up the stairs. They both reached the top of the stairs before glancing out the window. From a distance, the small chinchilla noticed a giant beanstalk which seemed to reach the sky.

"Huh, I didn't notice that before," Elfilin proclaimed, "I think I heard someone mention something about it once, but I can't quite remember what…"

Vesa perched her arms on the windowsill as she examined the giant beanstalk. Flowers in full bloom decorated the gigantic vine.

"What'cha thinking about?" Elfilin asked.

The small chinchilla perched on the edge of the window, relishing in the light breeze.

"I don't think Ioskaria had such unique plants like that one," Vesa pondered.

"I certainly haven't seen anything like it," Elfilin shrugged.

Vesa blinked twice as she took a step from the window. She beckoned Elfilin to follow her before she descended the flight of stairs. With the small chinchilla perching on her head, she entered the library. She spotted Elfilis at the table while working on another book. In their hand, they were holding a glass of chocolate milk. Vesa sighed softly as she sat down across from the ultimate life-form, setting the chocolate bar onto the table.

"So how have you been doing today?" Elfilis locked eyes onto Vesa.

"I checked out some pop flowers in the garden," Vesa explained, "when two of them blossomed, they gave me things that were prevalent in my world."

Her eyes wandered to the chocolate bar.

"Including this one," Vesa added.

Elfilis examined the chocolate bar.

"It seems," Elfilis commented, "part of you still desires to return home. I'm familiar with that feeling myself."

Elfilin plopped onto the table and examined the small pile of newly written books. The small chinchilla shared glances with Vesa in a moment of silence. Soon, an idea popped into her head and opened the wrapping of the chocolate bar.

"Would you two like a piece of chocolate?" Vesa asked, "I'll share it with you."

"I really shouldn't," Elfilis slumped their head, "my body hasn't entirely recovered since spending my time…back there. Everything I taste is in heavy extremes right now, and I'm still trying to solve it."

Elfilin sighed before he turned to face Vesa.

"Sure! I'd love a piece," Elfilin chirped.

Smiling, Vesa split a third of the chocolate bar and handed it to the small chinchilla.

"Here you go."

"Thank you!" Elfilin smiled.

Elfilin happily munched on his piece of chocolate. Making a glance at Elfilis, Vesa split the remaining chocolate into two pieces. She held one piece out from across the table while she nibbled on her own.

"I'm saving this piece for you," Vesa offered, "unless you're not interested?"

Elfilis gave Vesa a blank stare in a moment of silence.

"Sorry," Elfilis sighed, "I might want to turn off my taste buds for a bit."

"I understand," Vesa smiled softly.

"Thank you."

Vesa handed Elfilis the piece of chocolate as soon as they shut off their taste buds. Elfilis didn't get much apart from relishing in the experience of sharing food with friends. Vesa and Elfilin savored the sweetness of the chocolate. With the three of them munching on their pieces of chocolate, the human focused her gaze on one particular book. Her face lit up the instant she examined the book's title "Dynamics in Telepathy".

"Oh, that's right!" Vesa blurted, "I haven't been keeping up with my telepathy."

Elfilin perked his ears up just as he finished eating his piece of chocolate.

"Telepathy?" Elfilin paused.

"Well," Elfilis replied, "we haven't done it in a while. Hundreds of years, by my count yet probably less time for you. I'm not sure you would be able to develop the power on your own, though. We'll probably need to start teaching you magic first."

Vesa took the last bite of her piece of chocolate and thought over the offer. She vaguely remembered trying to develop her telepathy during her time in Lab Discovera. She remembered when Elfilis developed a psychic bond back then. Come to think of it, she can't seem to feel the connection anymore. Did she lose it during her time in stasis?

"I might want to borrow that book on the basics of magic, then," Vesa sighed.

Elfilis levitated a book off a shelf and into their hand before they handed it to Vesa. When she opened the book, Elfilin perched on her head as she read through it. The introduction simply explained as to how one would feel for their magic, seeming to involve meditation and trying to reach into their metaphorical core. Blinking twice, she lowered her gaze and ran a finger along her chest.

"So, how do I…?"

"You'll probably need a few hours before you find your magic for the first time," Elfilis told her, "preferably in a quiet room where you can relax."

Vesa continued to read the text as Elfilis finished their piece of chocolate. Their expression hinted they liked the texture, at least.

"Elfilin," Vesa asked, "you explored this place more than I did, right?"

"Yeah," Elfilin nodded, "I've looked around a lot. There are lots of hidden rooms to choose from!"

Closing the book and holding it to her chest, Vesa slowly stood up.

"Do you know of a room that you would consider relaxing?" she continued.

"Well, can't you do it in your own room?" Elfilin suggested, "there are a couple empty rooms in the building I know of, but the heating enchantments haven't been put in yet, so they're still pretty chilly."

Vesa walked around the table as Elfilin jumped off her head. She leaned closer to Elfilis and nuzzled their cheek. The ultimate life-form let out a cute squeak as their chest rumbled with purrs.

"I'll check back with you later," she said.

"Take care, Vesa," Elfilis softly closed their eyes for a brief moment.

"See you later!" Elfilin waved his paw.

Vesa followed Elfilin out of the library and back into the foyer. When they ascended the middle flight of stairs, they checked the hallways ahead of them. She took notice of a lot more doors than she initially remembered. She couldn't help but wonder if the tower had some kind of magical sentience. When Vesa and Elfilin entered a hallway, a nearby door opened and Hyness emerged from that room.

"Oh, hello there!" Hyness blurted, "how are you both doing today?"

Vesa carefully examined the book in her hands while Elfilin peeked through the door. The small chinchilla noticed a telescope inside.

"I remember sharing a telepathic bond with Elfilis back in the lab," Vesa explained, "but I haven't been able to use telepathy since."

"We're looking for some peaceful room," Elfilin added, "she's decided to try learning magic."

"Oh," Hyness offered, "well, there are probably some empty rooms we can use. I'll teach you how to do it just like I taught Elfilis, if you'd like?"

In a moment of silence, Vesa and Elfilin exchanged glances. The human's face brightened with a soft smile.

"I'd like that," Vesa nodded, "thank you!"

"No worries," Hyness gave her a wink, "you're practically part of the family at this point."

Vesa and Elfilin followed Hyness down the hallway. They entered an empty room with a floor which seemed to be made of solid wood rather than individual planks.

"This should work," Hyness smiled.

The wizard pulled out some chalk and drew a large circle on the floor, followed up by some lines and connected it into a large six-pointed star with a shape in the middle that resembled two triangles touching each other. Elfilin touched down on the floor and examined the circle. She didn't recognize the symbol, even if it happened to be some kind of rune.

"Alright," Hyness instructed, "so we'll do this one at a time. You'll just need to sit in the center and try to meditate. I'll try and guide you through the process if needed."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa set down the book and sat in the middle of the circle, crossing her legs and perching her hands on her lap.

"So this runic circle is keyed to a Dagaz rune; which means Awakening, Enlightenment, Invisibility, Incommunicable Paradox, and Nonduality," Hyness explained, "the specific things we have the rune keyed to are Awakening and Enlightenment. This is to assist you in awakening your magical powers."

Vesa took a moment to process this information and nodded slightly. She straightened her back and closed her eyes. She inhaled slowly through her nose. After a few seconds, she exhaled through her mouth. Her thoughts drifted to her happiest moments in her life in Ioskaria. She reminisced on the days her mother would prepare some tavë kosi whenever she came home from her trip to the emergency room, a symbol of triumph for surviving her sepsis episodes. As minutes continued on, her mind drifted to the time her family went on a trip to see the Ethereal Reef one month before she was even admitted to Lab Discovera. She remembered it was a celebration of her older brother's engagement to his future husband. She remembered admiring the marine critters in the tidal pool. She recalled the different kinds of fish she saw in the underwater glass tunnel. Her mind then drifted to the days she would work on a jigsaw puzzle in her home.

When an hour passed, Vesa's mind finally drifted off to the day of the annual Elfin Blessings, where she had been selected to be the Garden Maiden from a raffle her people held. She remembered dressing in the elaborate dress and headscarf before she carried the incense up the hill. She recalled the moment she placed the incense on the circular pedestal and ignited the contents inside before clasping her hands together.

"May the Dew Blossoms flourish in your light," Vesa whispered to herself.

She felt a kind of gentle warmth in her chest slowly filling her body, her thoughts feeling more clear. Vesa didn't hesitate as she concentrated. She felt that she could move it around in her body a little, though it was like trying to cup water in her hands. Keeping her eyes shut, she steadied her hands on her lap. It didn't seem to help much. Within a few seconds, the warmth faded. Her eyes fluttered open and focused on Hyness.

"Well," Hyness praised, "congratulations on unlocking your magic. It wouldn't have been possible on your own planet since there wasn't any magic at all."

Elfilin levitated off the floor and perked up his ears. Vesa smiled at both of them.

"Thank you," she said, "I guess it's a matter of continuing from there?"

"For the most part," Hyness agreed, "it'll require a lot of practice to be able to cast anything of note, although you might wind up learning you have a specialty of some kind that you find easier to use than other kinds of magic. Plenty of people learn they have some kind of niche that works best for them. My own specialty is enchanting for instance, Elfilis's specialty is spatial magic, and the siblings each have an element they can use best."

Vesa stood up and stepped off the circle. She picked up the book and shifted her focus to Elfilin.

"Elfilis should still be at the library, right?" Vesa asked Elfilin.

The small chinchilla nodded. Vesa and Elfilin stepped out of the room, the human glancing over her shoulder.

"I'll see you later," she said.

"Take care," Hyness waved his hand, "I'll just get this chalk cleaned up."

Vesa and Elfilin made their way back to the foyer and made a beeline for the library. Elfilis was still in the middle of writing out more books. Vesa climbed the stairs with the small chinchilla following close behind.

"Welcome back," Elfilis lifted their head, "I can see you unlocked your magic."

Vesa blushed.

"Ah, you noticed?" she stammered.

"It's a matter of my keen sense for magical energy," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa placed the book in her hands on the table and wrapped her arms around Elfilis.

"Thanks, Elfilis," she smiled.

"You're most welcome," Elfilis chuckled nervously.

Elfilis ran their hand down her back. When Vesa released them from her embrace, she picked up another book on magical theory for beginners.

"Is it ok if I borrow these?" Vesa requested.

"Why else would I set them out for you?" Elfilis perked up their feelers.

Smiling, Vesa gathered the books provided, waved her hand at Elfilis and left the library, determined to study further.

Chapter Text

Word spread quickly across the residents of the tower regarding Vesa beginning to unlock her magic. Elfilin even ventured to Kirby's house to announce the great news to the pink star warrior. Over the course of the next week, Elfilis completed filling the library with books, even if there were still a few finishing touches needed.

Fecto Elfilis led Vesa and Elfilin outside the tower at the end of the week, ready to find a spot in the outdoors for Vesa to practice her magic. Flamberge and Zan Partizanne accompanied them as they strolled down the dirt path. When they reached a fork in the path, the small chinchilla spotted Kirby running towards the intersection from another path.

"Hi, Kirby!" Elfilin chirped, waving his paw.

Kirby stopped just in front of Elfilin.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved back.

Elfilis, who had been fatigued from their nonstop work on the library and not having slept for a week, cycled magic through their body and let out a light sigh. Through energizing themself with their power, they felt more refreshed. Considering the nature of their biological structure, they weren't as affected by exhaustion like other organisms. They still would need rest at least every two weeks, though.

Elfilin nuzzled Kirby's face before the pink star warrior focused his gaze on Vesa.

"Morning, Kirby," Vesa placed her hand behind her head.

"Poyo!"

"I've been doing all right this morning," Elfilis closed their eyes with a nod.

Kirby nodded at Elfilis before he scurried up to Flamberge and Zan Partizanne.

"Hello there," Zan greeted politely, "how are you doing today?"

"Poyo poyo," Kirby chirped, "poyo!"

They continued to stroll along the dirt path, beginning to circle the perimeter of the lake where they could see Capupu Village at the other side. The fire mage fiddled with a small leather bag.

"Check this out," Flamberge grinned, "I figured out how to produce Blackpowder through alchemy. Now I'm going to start carrying it around since it makes a great catalyst for fire magic."

When Flamberge reached into her bag, everyone else backed away from her a little. Elfilin took cover behind Kirby while Vesa and Elfilis shared glances.

"Uhh," Vesa blurted, "should I be worried?"

"She doesn't exactly have a history of being safe with…anything," Elfilis muttered.

The ultimate life-form levitated the bags from Flamberge, including one hidden under her shirt and tied to a necklace.

"Hey!" Flamberge snapped, "give those back!"

"I'll give them back when we get home," Elfilis told her, "the magic in Vesa hasn't fully saturated yet, so an explosion like that would be too dangerous for her."

Flamberge grumbled incoherently and folded her arms. Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances before continuing along the path. Vesa, Elfilis, Zan and Flamberge followed close behind.

"So what's Peanut Plains like?" Elfilin asked.

"Poyo," Kirby answered, "poyo poyo poyo. Poyo, poyo poyo!"

"I'm mostly interested in the geology of the Green Greens area," Elfilis replied, "the rock formations that grow from the ground resembling wafers of some kind fascinate me."

"Are they edible?" Vesa asked.

"Poyo," Kirby shook his head.

"I assumed as much. Kirby could probably eat them if he wanted," Elfilis said, "although, I doubt they'd taste good. That hasn't stopped him before, to my knowledge. If I recall correctly, he's eaten things like rocks before for copy abilities. He ate a car recently, and a vending machine. I'm sure there are plenty of other interesting things he has eaten and I'm honestly curious."

Soon enough, they arrived in Peanut Plains. This area seemed more temperate with more stone outcroppings than before. A thin layer of grass covered the ground dotted by plenty of assorted plants. Elfilis let out a startled squeak as the ground gave out from underneath, ending up in a large cube-shaped hole where they stood. Their feelers twitched in irritation over the realization there were rocks which just vanished or couldn't hold weight for long. Anxiety flooding her veins, Vesa dashed towards Elfilis.

"Elfilis," Vesa called, "are you ok?!"

Much to her relief, Elfilis floated out of the hole.

"I'll be alright," Elfilis told her, "though I'm concerned as to how safe this place actually is."

Elfilis made a brief glance at Kirby.

"I'm sure Kirby here is fine considering he's lightweight," Elfilis continued, "but I can't say the same for the weight for everyone else here. My siblings will be alright, but for those of us who need to walk…"

Vesa examined the ground beneath her as Elfilin continued to follow Kirby. She reached out and grasped Elfilis's paw as they continued to walk. For a moment, she gazed into their eyes.

"I-I'm not sure if I can handle combat, to be honest," Vesa stammered, "so I'm having a look at my options for magic that can give great benefit outside of fighting, if that makes sense."

"I understand the appeal," Elfilis nodded, "there are plenty of options for that, runes, alchemy, healing and support spells, magical theory, enchanting, wards, magical cooking, you name it."

Vesa stepped on a weak rock. She barely managed to jump out of the way as it gave out. Elfilis stopped for a moment and squeaked softly, inspecting Vesa for any injury. Having recovered from the initial shock, she nervously inspected the ground.

"Y-You know," Vesa stammered, glancing over her shoulder, "maybe I'd feel much safer if you carried me."

"If you insist."

Elfilis scooped Vesa up into their arms, letting her wrap her arms around them. Kirby, Elfilin, Zan, Flamberge and Elfilis continued to maneuver along the suspicious terrain. When they passed by the base of a mountain, they could see a massive hole in the ground. The pink star warrior spotted a familiar child with a red beret near the hole standing in front of an easel while holding a paint palette in one hand and a paintbrush with the other.

"Wait," Elfilis paused, "is that…another human?"

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped excitedly.

Kirby sprinted towards the human child, who stopped what she was doing and turned her face towards the oncoming visitor.

"Kirby?!" the child warbled.

"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up happily.

Elfilin floated over to the child as she put away her paint palette and paintbrush.

"Hi, Kirby!" the child smiled, "long time, no see!"

The child noticed Elfilin as the small chinchilla circled around her.

"Poyo," Kirby gestured to Elfilin, "poyo poyo!"

"Is this a new friend of yours?" the child asked.

Elfilin nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah," Elfilin nodded, "my name's Elfilin."

The child blinked twice before she extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Elfilin," the child replied, "I'm Adeleine!"

As Elfilin shook Adeleine's hand, Vesa's eyes widened with surprise.

"A-Adeleine?" she gasped.

Vesa's mind immediately recalled that moment Meta Knight introduced himself to her the first time in Waddle Dee Town.

"So Meta Knight was right," Vesa commented, "I guess I'm not the only human here."

While Elfilis set Vesa down, Zan and Flamberge approached Adeleine, Kirby and Elfilin.

"Heya, Adeleine," Flamberge waved her hand, "what are you doing out here?"

"Kirby," Adeleine replied, "remember when you fell down that hole and explored the cave underneath?"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Vesa and Elfilis walked past the hole in the ground as they approached the others. Adeleine tilted her easel, allowing the others to see the progress she made on her canvas.

"It looks neat," Elfilis commented, "so why are you painting the hole in the ground?"

Adeleine blinked for a moment before she shifted her gaze towards Elfilis. The ultimate life-form felt rather puzzled as to why the child gave them a blank stare. The young human soon shifted her gaze towards Vesa.

"Oh?" Adeleine blurted.

Vesa smiled nervously and waved her hand.

"You can call me Vesa," she said.

Elfilis tensed up a little and averted their gaze from the child.

"Nice to meet you, Vesa," Adeleine replied, pointing at Elfilis, "is something going on with your friend here?"

"Elfilis, you mean?" Vesa clarified.

Adeleine nodded. Vesa lowered her head.

"They were…mistreated by members of our kind in the past," Vesa explained.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Elfilis deadpanned.

Vesa gently grasped Elfilis's paw.

"Hey," Vesa assured them, "you don't have to."

"Thank you," Elfilis let out a relieved sigh.

Flamberge approached the hole in the ground and inspected it.

"So what brings you guys out here?" Adeleine asked.

"We're looking for a spot so Vesa here can practice her magic!" Elfilin chirped.

Elfilis placed a finger on their chin.

"We still have a good place for that at home," Elfilis remarked.

Vesa took a moment to survey the landscape beyond the horizon.

"Though, I don't think it would be safe to practice magic on unstable terrain," Vesa admitted.

"There should be a spot with more stable ground not far from here," Adeleine suggested.

Flamberge took a moment to stretch her arms.

"I'll bet you I can find an even better spot down there!" the fire mage insisted.

"What?!" Vesa warbled.

All eyes focused on Flamberge as she swung her arms back and forth briefly.

"Geronimo!" the fire mage yelled, jumping into the hole without warning.

"Sis!" Elfilis let out a surprised squeak.

Kirby waddled over to the edge of the hole while Elfilin circled its perimeters.

"Poyo," Kirby sighed.

Zan Partizanne couldn't help but facepalm.

"The nerve of her," Zan grumbled.

Elfilis, Zan, Adeleine and Vesa gathered around the hole in the ground.

"I hope she's ok," Vesa said.

"She'll be fine," Zan replied, "we're all trained well, and Kirby tackled this place long before he even fought Void Termina. It shouldn't be an issue, and it's unlikely she's gotten really far yet."

Vesa saw flashes of light far down the hole.

"Hey, Elfilis?" Vesa requested, "once we catch up with Flamberge, is it ok if I ask you to…"

Vesa paused to take a deep breath.

"…teach me how to better handle my own magic?" she finished.

Elfilis blushed as they rubbed the back of their head.

"I didn't think you'd ask," they replied, "but…I honestly would love to."

Vesa nodded.

"Thanks!" Vesa smiled, "the sooner we catch up with your sister, the better."

"Poyo!" Kirby raised one arm in the air.

The pink star warrior jumped down the hole with Elfilin following him close behind. Elfilis lifted Vesa into their arms before they began floating down. Zan and Adeleine exchanged glances.

"You wanna stay here?" Zan asked.

"Nah," Adeleine shook her head.

Adeleine took a minute to collapse the easel and stash it away. From there, the lightning mage lifted the aspiring painter into her arm.

"Hold on tightly, kid," Zan instructed.

Zan jumped down, meeting up with Kirby, Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis. The first thing they saw were large amounts of dead and seemingly carnivorous plants, all burnt to a crisp…probably some kind of flower. Elfilin floated around the chamber and surveyed the destruction left behind in the fire mage's wake. The small chinchilla trembled nervously. While Elfilis floated down the hallway, they took notice of a few plants which were left behind. The ultimate life-form didn't hesitate to assimilate them.

Zan took a moment to let Adeleine down before they followed Kirby, Elfilin and Elfilis. The ultimate life-form let Vesa down as soon as they confirmed the fire mage burnt everything around them.

"I'm not sure what creatures we'll find down here," Vesa commented nervously, "but I'll bet Flamberge would've done a great job scaring the crap out of them."

"Probably," Zan shrugged, "she seems to have killed a large number of plant creatures. She wouldn't have done so if they weren't immediately hostile, though."

As they continued to venture through the Sub-Tree area, Elfilin took notice of a Gator scouring for food in the remains. Elfilis attempted to guide the others away to avoid any confrontation. Small-minded creatures like that one tended to be aggressive towards anyone who got too close.

When Kirby led the others into another chamber, they spotted Flamberge up ahead. Birdons fled for their lives. The fire mage appeared to be relaxing a bit.

"Hey!" Elfilin called over, waving his paw.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Flamberge shifted her gaze towards the pink puffball and the small chinchilla.

"Hey guys!" Flamberge waved back, "bout time you caught up!"

Elfilis, Vesa, Zan, Adeleine, Kirby and Elfilin made their approach and paused just a foot before the fire mage.

"What?" Flamberge paused.

"You," Elfilis began to object, "never mind."

Elfilis knew full well nothing they'd say would change the situation. In the meantime, Adeleine turned her head and surveyed their surroundings. Elfilin joined in as he perched on her head. His larger counterpart went on to analyze and assimilate new plant life they could find. Vesa and Kirby exchanged glances.

"Kirby," Vesa asked, "do you know if this cave has a good place where I can concentrate on practicing my magic?"

Kirby thought over the question for a moment before he nodded.

"Poyo!" Kirby beckoned the others to follow him.

Fecto Elfilis, Vesa, Zan, Flamberge, Adeleine, Kirby and Elfilin found a makeshift peninsula surveying an underground lake. Adeleine spotted some Bronto Burts near a set of bushes and pulled out her easel. Vesa sat down at a boulder. The ultimate life-form couldn't help but wonder how the pink puffball would even know a good spot, considering anywhere within the cave seemed to be a magical hotspot.

Zan and Flamberge sat near the edge of the water and watched Blippers swimming underneath the water surface. Kirby and Elfilin decided to play a game of boomerang catch with a local Poppy Bros. Jr. All Elfilis could do was supervise their little brother.

Vesa reached into her backpack and pulled out a book. Elfilis shifted their gaze towards her.

"So what kind of magic have you decided to focus on?" they asked her.

Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis for a brief moment before she went back to reading the book in her hand, examining the diagram of a gust of wind amplifying a weapon.

"So you're looking into temporary enchantments?" Elfilis paused.

Vesa nodded.

"It could be useful in case there aren't any available elemental sources," she answered.

"Support magic is nice, though," Elfilis agreed, "do you have any side magic you plan to work on? Something that wouldn't be strictly useful in a fight?"

"Well," Vesa replied, "I'll be sure to figure out such spells as I go along."

Another minute of silence passed before Vesa closed the book.

"I think I'm ready to give this one a shot," she added.

Chapter Text

Elfilis raised their hand into the air, summoning their spear. Vesa set down the book and stood up, taking a step closer to the angelic lancer.

"So…"

"You probably haven't truly started yet," Elfilis blurted, "my apologies. Typically, younger mages tend to bite off more than they can chew and start practicing spells in their free time, so I honestly expected you to have little experience."

Elfilis closed their eyes softly for a brief moment, flexing their wings.

"If you were a more powerful mage or had more magical energy," they continued, "I would've warned you away from experimentation before you were ready. However, that's only an issue for mages with more mana than smarts. They tend to get themselves killed experimenting too early, but you don't have enough mana for that to be a problem, I imagine."

Vesa and Elfilis shifted their gaze towards the lake.

"Most mages have their mana unlocked at a young age," Elfilis added, "it tends to be easier to just brute force mana unlocking at a young age so it has more time to grow. You don't have that benefit, so you'll have smaller reserves than most. I suppose the first thing to talk about is what happens when you run out. When you run out of mana, you'll face a backlash if you try to use another spell. Your mana will try and pull at other sources of energy to fuel a spell, typically at your stamina first, slowly draining you until you can't move. If you push further, it'll start to drain your soul for power."

Vesa shuddered at the last few words.

"Do you know what happens if you overstress your soul?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa took a moment to think over the question.

"It could kill you," she answered.

Elfilis turned to gaze into her eyes.

"Worse," Elfilis added, "you just cease to exist, no chance of an afterlife, no chance of reincarnation. Nothing short of an act of a deity could save you. This is something to avoid at all costs."

"I…understand," Vesa stammered.

Elfilis gave Vesa a gentle pat on the head, letting her lean forward a little.

"It's a terrifying thought, to just suddenly blip out of existence," they said, "you'll know if you ever get to that point, because you'll feel whatever spell you're trying to cast deeply. I've been told it's a violating feeling…like something is ripping your essence apart at your core. I…somewhat understand the feeling myself."

Elfilis thought of the butterfly-shaped brand on their soul.

"Hopefully," Elfilis concluded, "you won't ever be pushed to the point where you need to risk something like that."

Vesa nodded in agreement.

"I hope so, too."

"Do you know what spells you want to try and have them memorized?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa focused her eyes on the lake again.

"I'd like to practice a temporary elemental enchantment first," she requested, "a water enchantment, to be more specific."

"Water seems to be more geared towards support or pushing others to the side most of the time," Elfilis replied, "but I suppose it'll do."

Vesa approached the water and held out her hands. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Elfilis noticed the spell circle beginning to take shape in her hands. She took a few deep breaths as a small mass of water emerged from the lake. When she opened her eyes, she turned her palms towards herself. The mass of water changed shape. She held out her palms as she allowed the mass of water touch down. She glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes onto Elfilis.

Elfilis rotated their spear. Vesa levitated the water blob until it touched the tip of the spear. She kept concentrating until the mass of water dissipated into mist and swirled around the tip of the spear. Elfilis kept their spear steady as it absorbed the mist. In a matter of seconds, the tip of the spear began to glow. Elfilis withdrew it and examined the water droplets on the blade, closer to a gentle fog. They sensed the water augmented magic was a simple support spell. Vesa focused her eyes on the ultimate life-form, slight weariness taking a toll on her body.

"Did I," she asked, "did I do ok?"

"You did well," Elfilis told her, "there are still things you can work on; but overall, you did a fantastic job. Not many people can cast a spell on their first try at attempting it. Most people barely get a puff of mana to leave their bodies on their first attempt."

Vesa smiled softly.

"Thank you!"

Vesa shifted her gaze towards Kirby. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla paused what they were doing as they saw what she recently did. The Poppy Bros. Jr. even clutched onto the boomerang in his hand.

"Poyo!" Kirby happily waved his arms.

Elfilis returned their attention to the others.

"So," Elfilis asked, "did you have any other spells you wanted to try?"

Vesa picked up the book and flipped through the pages, examining the many support spells it listed. Her finger tapped on a barrier spell.

"Hmm," Vesa mumbled to herself, "maybe for that spell…"

Vesa returned her gaze to Kirby.

"Hey, Kirby?" Vesa requested, pointing at the Poppy Bros. Jr., "can you ask your friend over there to toss that boomerang at me?"

Kirby and Elfilin widened their eyes in shock.

"Poyo?!" Kirby exclaimed.

"You're kidding!" Elfilin objected.

Elfilis twitched their feelers.

"You do realize you aren't skilled enough to make a barrier fast enough to block it yet, right?" Elfilis pointed out, "you took a full ten minutes casting that water enchantment. You might not have realized since you got so focused, but a lot of time passed there. In a couple months or maybe weeks if you're good enough, your casting time will improve dramatically, but you aren't quite there just yet."

Vesa froze in a moment of silence. Elfilis actually had a point. She took a moment to feel for the remaining mana in her body. She only had enough to cast three more spells. The Poppy Bros. Jr. nodded and patted his chest, seeming to have approved of the plan.

"If you can't cast the spell before it hits you," Elfilis advised, "I'll stop it. Right now, it's not safe for you to stop casting even if you fail and can't do it in time. I believe I mentioned rebounds earlier."

"Ok," Vesa set down the book and widened her stance.

Elfilin covered his eyes with his paws.

"I can't look," the small chinchilla whimpered.

Vesa closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest as she began to concentrate. Elfilis stood next to her as they kept an eye on the situation. The Poppy Bros. Jr. shifted his gaze between the two, so he simply held out his boomerang and began waiting. He could've just lobbed the boomerang immediately, but chose not to. Before long, a couple more Poppy Bros. Jrs. showed up, both of them riding on unlit bombs. A third similar figure trailed behind them while balancing on a beach ball.

"Hey hey hey!" he called out.

Kirby immediately recognized the jester balancing on one foot and snickering.

"Who's the dame about to get beaned in the head?" he glanced over at Kirby.

"Poyo," Kirby answered.

"Ok," the jester continued with a creepy giggle, "well, what's she doing here? There aren't a whole lot of humans left, after all. There aren't many places on the planet more dangerous than here. So why are you dragging around the remnants of an endangered species?"

Kirby scratched the back of his round squishy head.

"Poyo," Kirby tried to explain.

"Well, that makes sense, I guess," the jester replied, "they aren't strong in anything but technology. Heck, Shiver Star is still covered in an eternal winter because they wrecked it with that technology."

Elfilis began glaring at the little jester. Elfilin removed his paws and shifted gazes between Kirby and the jester.

"So who's the big guy and little guy?" the jester squinted at Elfilis and their small fragment, "they remind me of Daroach and his crew. But the big one has way too much magic for it to be that easy…not as much as me, but he has a lot."

Elfilin blinked as he circled the jester.

"You mean Fecto Elfilis?" Elfilin gestured to his sibling, "my name's Elfilin, by the way."

The small chinchilla patted his chest with his paw.

"Yeah, I was talking to you guys," the jester snickered, "none of you hold a candle in mana to me and the big guy there. Well, maybe Kirby, but he's special. My buddy Magolor doesn't even have the mana me and the big guy have. He has better control of it than I do, though. I just let my magic do its own thing and then copy the results for later."

"So you're suicidal?" Elfilis gave the jester a puzzled stare.

"Nah," the jester answered, "I'm a minor god of chaos and insanity! Since chaos is my domain, it makes sense I can't be hurt if my spells backfire or go wild!"

Elfilin felt a chill down his spine. Vesa didn't pay much attention to the conversation as she felt her mana stir in her body. Elfilis narrowed their eyes.

"You play a dangerous game, jester," Elfilis snarled, "you're aware there aren't many gods in this universe for a reason, right?"

The jester and Elfilis focused their eyes on Kirby, who responded with a confused look.

"Gods were mostly wiped out by Void Termina," Elfilis continued, "we don't know why exactly. It could've been a whim, or it might've been on purpose. But they're gone for the most part…except for you, I suppose."

The jester made a brief glance at the Poppy Bros. Jr. who still stood his ground and held onto his boomerang. Before long, a large runic circle appeared in the air and a short mage popped out, approaching the jester.

"Marx," the mage called, "what's taking you so long?! I thought you…"

The mage paused mid-sentence and locked eyes onto Kirby.

"Oh, we have company!" he blurted, clasping his hands together, "how's it been, Kirby?! It feels like forever, but it can't have been more than a couple months! How have you been?"

Kirby's face lit up and waved his arms.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Marx, Elfilin, Adeleine, Zan, Flamberge and Elfilis paused and turned their gaze to the mage.

"Heya, Magolor," Marx recovered from the shock in a matter of seconds, "not too often these days that mages can get together like this…especially not so many."

Magolor nodded and blinked before focusing his eyes on the small chinchilla and Elfilis.

"I…you look familiar," the mage squinted at Elfilis.

Elfilis focused their gaze to Magolor for a brief moment before returning their gaze to Vesa. By then, a spell circle started to form in front of her hands.

"Oh, I remember now!" the mage exclaimed, "you were mentioned in some of the notes I salvaged! There were pictures and everything…it's where I first found mention of the Lor Starcutter and how I knew to find it. You're like some kind of living petri dish of different species, right?"

"That's correct," Elfilis nodded, "my goal was to destroy Dark Matter. Unfortunately, I was…out of commission for some time."

Elfilis lowered their head.

"Oh dear," Magolor sighed.

"Yeah," Marx added, "well, monster mash here is busy teaching this human girl magic, I think."

"H-Human?!" the mage paused, shifting his gaze between Adeleine and Vesa.

"Err," the crazy jester replied.

"Well," Magolor snapped, a bulging blood vessel forming on his forehead, "I haven't seen one before, so how was I supposed to know?!"

Adeleine grimaced before giving Elfilin a puzzled look.

"Well," Marx looked away while snickering, "I drew up those diagrams and pictures since you were curious and the Forgotten Land was supposedly home to them. Did you not read them yet?"

"I would have if you showed up earlier on time!" Magolor barked back, although more playfully than in actual rage.

All of a sudden, Vesa's concentration paid off as the spell circle morphed into a magical barrier. At that point, all eyes focused on her.

"Well," Marx commented, "not bad for a first try, though I can see it crumbling at the edges there. See?"

Elfilis noted the mana breaking away at the sides of the barrier, turning to blue dust and vanishing.

"Yes, yes," Magolor added as he inspected the barrier, "it's a bit too brittle."

"Well," Zan shrugged, "it's good for a first try."

Vesa's eyes fluttered open and stared in awe at the barrier she conjured. Turning her head, she gazed into Elfilis's eyes.

"You're doing fine for now," Elfilis told her, "although I suspect it'll only block a single blow for now."

Vesa nodded in agreement.

"Let's test it!"

Upon cue, the Poppy Bros. Jr. threw the boomerang. It flew at her fast and smashed into the shield with pretty damaging force. The barrier shattered into shards like glass. Luckily, it knocked the boomerang off course and bled its momentum, making it land in the grass a few meters away.

"All right!" Elfilin chirped and did a happy back flip.

"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up and down, "poyo poyo! Poyo!"

"Great one, Vesa!" Adeleine called over.

Vesa recovered from the shock and waved her hand at Adeleine.

"Thanks!" Vesa smiled.

"It held together well enough," Elfilis said, "I'm sure it'll get stronger over time."

Marx rolled up on his ball. The mere sight of the jester caused Vesa to freeze in place, her widened eyes focusing on him and Magolor.

"If I had hands," the jester said with a hint of sarcasm, "I assure you my applause would be…it wouldn't be loud, but I would be clapping. So how long have you been practicing? Can't be that long based on your mana levels. You haven't really grown your reserves at all."

"Uhh, Elfilis?" she stammered, gesturing to the jester and the floaty manipulative mage, "who are those two?"

"Two locals of Popstar," Elfilis explained, "the jester is crazy. The floating one is a mage who moved here some time ago based on what I was told. I'm not sure why they're down here, though."

"I'm down here to meet up with some old pals of mine!" Marx chimed in, "Magolor came with me so he would have a nice place to read."

"It feels like being a parent sometimes," Magolor let out an exasperated sigh, "and not in any of the fun ways."

"Aww," Marx snickered with a wink, "but you love me!"

"I do and you're a handful," Magolor responded.

"Wait," Flamberge paused with a confused look, "since when were you two a couple?"

"That actually started after the Void Termina situation," Magolor explained, "we were already friends, we just didn't really get along together too often. Marx and I traded information a few times, and both had information about the Ancients that the other wanted. I wanted information on Intergalactic travel and the Master Crown. He wanted information on NOVA, where and when it would show up, and how to turn it on. We traded info and kept in casual contact through magical communication. After I moved here, we started hanging out more, and only got closer after we all almost died."

"We aren't like…mates or anything yet," Marx added, "or as humans would say 'married', but it might get to that point eventually in the next few months."

Marx hopped off his beach ball and sprouted his wings from his sides, giving Magolor a little kiss on the cheek.

"Well," Zan gave a soft smile, "congratulations, you two."

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances and a fist bump.

"Thanks," Marx chirped.

"Yeah," Magolor added, his blush apparent in the darkness of his cowl, "so far, it's going pretty well so far. Although, I'll say I'm learning a lot more about his spells than I ever wanted to. They are a freaking mess, I swear; looking at them on paper gives me an aneurysm. His spells just chug mana and I can't see how anyone else could reasonably use them. I've been helping him fix the errors in efficiency that they have."

"I can do that on my own," Marx remarked, "but he's a better mage than I am, even if I have more power to throw around."

"What about you?" Elfilis narrowed their eyes on Marx.

The jester retracted his wings.

"Well, I have been living with Magolor on the Lor Starcutter. Before that, I was kind of just living in a hole in the ground I dug using magic. I was doing that even before I obtained godly power," Marx answered a little darkly, "I wasn't happy with my life. These other people might be happy with it, but I wasn't. No one really wanted to be friends with me when I was younger, not when I was so different. I'm not exactly a known species and have no idea who my parents were. Not to mention I'm not exactly sane either. That was enough for people to avoid me."

Marx sat down.

"Eventually, I made a couple of friends; Kirby among them," he continued, "I decided to hatch a scheme after I saw Kirby crack the ground so hard he made a ravine in a martial arts competition. I decided that I was going to become that strong myself! And I had a vague idea on how."

Magolor approached Marx and sat down next to him.

"I heard rumors of an odd structure somewhere here, in the Great Cave. It was an abandoned lab, inside were all kinds of plans and blueprints, old records talking about celestial objects, things I couldn't even fathom at the time! A mechanical star, called NOVA," Marx added, "a literal wish granting shooting star! I began to scheme right away after that, and decided to enlist Kirby in my plans. I needed to get more information though so I contacted Magolor through some…sketchy contacts. I needed more information on NOVA."

Marx and Magolor shared glances for a brief moment.

"Luckily, the lab I found had data on the Lor Starcutter, and where it last docked," Marx proclaimed, "we traded info and that was that. As for Kirby, at the time I didn't really see our friendship as anything but something to use for my own gain, and Kirby was a very useful and gullible tool. I started by convincing Mr. Sun and Mr. Moon to fight, telling each of them that the other was planning to take over their job. And I told Kirby that to stop them he would need to convince NOVA to help. And after that everything just kind of came together."

Kirby shivered nervously, so Elfilin gave the pink puffball a pat on the head to give him some reassurance.

"It was amusing when right in the middle of my plan, Meta Knight tried to subjugate Dreamland though," Marx mentioned, "but soon after that Kirby summoned NOVA, I kicked him out of the way and wished for the power to control Popstar, and it was granted to me. I have never felt such a rush before or after that! But unfortunately, NOVA didn't have the power to grant me my wish entirely since Kirby was still stronger than I was."

Vesa took a moment to stash the book she borrowed back into her backpack.

"Is anyone ready to return home?" Vesa asked, "I think my training has gotten me rather tired."

Elfilis nodded before lifting Vesa into their arms.

Chapter Text

The next day, Vesa sat next to Elfilis on the couch in the library. Vesa took note of the book in their hand, yet she leaned closer to them. Elfilis was almost finished with writing this book of advanced spells.

She recalled how Marx and Magolor interacted with one another yesterday when she first met them. Hearing they were engaged sparked some warmth in her heart, so she'd silently wish them well.

A thought popped into her head as she gazed into Elfilis's eyes. She remembered those times back in Lab Discovera. She cherished the times she spent with them, yet lamented the fact the scientists held her back from giving Elfilis any affectionate touch at any time save for the few occasions she would sneak a head scritch.

Now that the scientists weren't around anymore, Vesa figured maybe it wasn't worth trying to search for a guy the same age and species as her, especially when Marx pointed out the grim reality about her species.

Her heart fluttered when she gazed at Elfilis. She's been aware of how majestic and graceful they had been in action. For some time, she'd been thinking maybe those same traits Elfilis had were why Vesa's thoughts and emotions went much deeper regarding them.

"Vesa?"

Vesa snapped out of her thoughts as Elfilis gazed into her eyes.

"How are you doing today?" they asked her.

"Well," Vesa admitted, "I'm still tired from yesterday's practice, but apart from that, I'm ok."

"That's good to hear," Elfilis curved their eyes upwards in a mouth less smile, "so, do you have any plans for today?"

"I…haven't decided yet," Vesa admitted, "by the way, do you mind?"

Elfilis blinked as Vesa wrapped an arm around them.

"Do I mind wha—?" Elfilis let out a cute squeak, "t-that's fine."

Vesa huddled closer as Elfilis placed their arm around her.

"Well," Elfilis continued, "there are a few things you can do today."

In her head, Vesa counted the days she spent with Elfilis in the lab, in Waddle Dee Town and in Dreamland.

"Maybe," Vesa offered, "we can be more than just friends."

Elfilis paused and fixated their eyes on Vesa.

"What do you mean?"

She noticed as Elfilis blushed and their tone hinted at some kind of interest.

"I admit it's not easy to deal with the fact my relatives are long gone," Vesa admitted, "but really, I don't blame you for that. I guess that sepsis episode ruined our escape plan, didn't it?"

She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"But I'm grateful you saved my life that day," she added, "I've wanted to repay you in some way. I still have yet to adjust here, but when I'm with you, it feels like…I have just enough hope to keep pressing forward no matter what gets thrown at us."

Vesa pulled out the map she held onto and examined it carefully.

"Maybe we can pick a place on Popstar where we can have time to ourselves?" Vesa suggested, "you know, as in a date?"

A minute passed in silence before Elfilis took a deep breath.

"I'd like that," Elfilis proclaimed, "I've had similar feelings for you for a while…even before our escape. Back then, I suppose it must've been from my trauma, or even latching onto the only ray of light in my bleak existence at the time."

Elfilis paused for a moment to gather their thoughts.

"I admit I'm not a social creature," Elfilis continued, "I didn't quite understand what I was feeling at the time. It has only been the past few weeks that I really understood what I felt for you. I didn't say anything i-in case you weren't interested. I didn't want to ruin our friendship or what we already had."

Vesa smiled softly and ran her hand along their head.

"You didn't ruin anything, really," Vesa assured Elfilis as her face reddened, "it also took me a while to figure out my own feelings. I'm hoping we figure out how to make this work—even if I'm still learning magic from you."

Fransisca entered the library which caught Vesa's attention.

"Oh!" Vesa blurted, "speaking of which."

Elfilis noticed and fidgeted nervously. Their tail wagged and their feelers perked up.

"Morning, Fran!" Vesa called over.

Fransisca paused and locked eyes onto Vesa and Elfilis.

"Good morning, Miss Vesa," Fransisca nodded back.

Elfilis took another deep breath.

"We need…relationship advice," Elfilis admitted, deciding to bite the bullet.

After a few seconds, Fransisca let out what other people would consider a squee. Elfilis didn't expect their sister to make this kind of sound. Perhaps this was something she anticipated? The ice mage calmed down after a few moments.

"Ok."

Fransisca approached Vesa and Elfilis, sitting in a lounge chair across from them.

"So, Vesa," she continued, "before we begin, do you have anything you'd like to tell me about yourself?"

Vesa nodded. Over the course of an hour, she went on to tell Fransisca about her family, her community in Ioskaria, the trips to the doctor and her time in Lab Discovera. Elfilis listened to what she had to say and sympathized with her, even if most of it was related to the lab.

"I see," Fransisca said, "well, is there anything you'd like to work on?"

Vesa nodded.

"Apart from the magic I'm still learning and our relationship," she answered, "maybe I'd like to work on my confidence a little more."

"Well," Fransisca advised, "for what I can suggest to you two, try figuring out how to set boundaries and don't be afraid to communicate with one another anywhere it's needed. And…don't rush into things if you're not ready for them. At least, that's all I can give for now."

"Sounds good," Elfilis nodded, "I wouldn't even know where to start with boundaries apart from a few examples."

"I can help you out with that part," Vesa replied.

"Thank you," Elfilis smiled at her, "I'm not used to this, so I'm not sure how it's really supposed to work. I understand that I like you on an emotional level, but I don't really have any kind of experience with this kind of thing other than what I have observed from others. And even until recently, I hadn't given it much attention."

"There are plenty of gestures of affection," Fransisca said, "and plenty of acts of intimacy. For example, you can give a meaningful gift you know would likely put a smile on her face. It can also be doing a favor for your girlfriend when needed. Some acts of intimacy do require consent from both partners."

"I know what you mean," Vesa agreed.

"And don't be afraid to show vulnerability when needed," the ice mage added.

"Got it," Vesa nodded.

"I…had another concern I just thought of," Elfilis confessed, "based on the nature of my being, I can't die. It might not be a problem now, but if we have a relationship, even with magic, you'll pass away one day and…I'm not sure how I would deal with that."

Elfilis began to tense up as Vesa stared in bewilderment.

"I'm unable to age," they continued, "and I'll retain my current form unless someone kills me or something else occurs that results in my unnatural death. Before now, it hasn't really been something I thought about."

Elfilis turned their gaze to Fransisca.

"After our planet was destroyed, I mourned for you and the other two, and for my father, and for our people. I eventually got over it after a few decades. But…you'll also age, and die one day. And I'll still be here…"

"Elfilis," Vesa sighed softly.

Vesa placed her hand on Elfilis's shoulder.

"It's an issue for later, though."

Vesa, Elfilis and Fransisca took several minutes to process their thoughts. After that, the ice mage rose from her seat.

"Well, it was nice talking with you two," Fransisca said with a wink, "good luck on your relationship."

"Thank you," Elfilis smiled.

Fransisca made her way out of the library. Vesa huddled closer to Elfilis once again. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, a stray thought gave her an epiphany.

"That reminds me," Vesa said to herself, "I might want to reserve a spot on my shelf for jigsaw puzzles."

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"I could help you with that," they offered, "or perhaps…I can change one of the spare rooms into a recreation room for games. I believe I can create one particular game I memorized from Shiver Star before it fell."

Vesa took a minute to think over the offer.

"A game room would be great," Vesa nodded, "I'm sure our friends would love to put it to good use."

Vesa stood from the couch.

"Well," Vesa mentioned, "Elfilin and I noticed a giant beanstalk from a window days ago. Is there a place in the garden where we can get a better view of it?"

"Well then," Elfilis stood up, "let me show you."

Elfilis led Vesa out of the library. They crossed the foyer to step out the front door. From a distance, they glanced at the towering plant from a distance. The ultimate life-form might want to take a sample from it at some point. Strolling along the pavement, they circled the fountain and found a raised balcony at the eastern edge of the courtyard. Elfilis pulled up a pair of nearby park chairs before sitting on one of them.

"So," they asked her, "have you thought of where you want to go from your proposition?"

Vesa thought of the question as she sat down next to the ultimate life-form. Tilting her head up, she gazed at the towering beanstalk.

"Say," Vesa pondered, "what do you know of that beanstalk?"

Elfilis placed a finger on their jaw.

"All I know is that Kirby was involved somehow, as usual," Elfilis replied, "and whoever was up there got ahold of one of my people's artifacts."

"Then we might want to ask Kirby about it sometime," Vesa commented.

"Perhaps we'll learn exactly where the artifact is right now," Elfilis agreed, "that's a failed experiment into locating alternate worlds. We found one. But the project was quickly scrapped since the world we found was basically the exact opposite of our own world, a mirror image, an evil copy. Well, not exactly evil. Dark is probably a better word for it…more malicious in nature, but not evil necessarily. Still, the project was scrapped after that and the Mirror we used to experiment with dimensional travel had a cloth put over it and was sealed away somewhere. Apparently now, it has caused two disasters in recent memory, so I should take care of it."

Vesa nodded and pulled out her map. Her finger trailed to the dot marking Rainbow Resort.

"Rainbow Resort," Vesa repeated, "I wonder what that place is like."

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"I flew overhead during my trip to the Fountain of Dreams," Elfilis explained, "it was…colorful, if nothing else. It's an abundance of pink and purple, if you will."

Vesa's face lit up as she clutched the map to her chest.

"You know what?" she smiled, "maybe that could be where we have our first date!"

"I'd love that," Elfilis smiled.

Vesa leaned her head closer to Elfilis's. She nodded at them, encouraging them to press their forehead onto hers. She cupped their face with her hand and her thumb stroked their fur. Their feelers twitched as their chest rumbled with purrs. After a minute, Vesa leaned her head back and gazed into their eyes.

"I'm ready to get the game room set up," she told them, "you?"

"I'll need some time to get the games in order," Elfilis nodded, "but I have some memorized."

Elfilis stood up and led Vesa back into the tower. Once inside, they ascended the stairs in the middle of the foyer. They meandered through the hallway, passing by a few doors and turning at a corner before the ultimate life-form fixated their eyes on one particular door to their right.

"This seems like a good spot."

Vesa opened the door and peered inside. The room didn't have any dust inside despite being empty.

"I think it's the right size," she proclaimed, glancing over her shoulder.

"It should work fine," Elfilis agreed.

Vesa led Elfilis inside the room. They put their hand out, summoning a wooden chair created from the genetic material of trees. They went on to create several more chairs and a large table. Vesa stared in awe as Elfilis created a few shelves. In a short matter of time, they finished furnishing the room.

"This is…amazing," Vesa said.

"Thank you," Elfilis replied.

As Elfilis looked over their handiwork, Vesa made mental notes on potential decorations to add for later. She then examined the empty shelves.

"We might want to ask everyone here what board games they want on the shelves," she told them.

"Well," Elfilis mused, "my sisters tend to focus more on their magic than games, or other hobbies. Flamberge might be interested though, as she's not allowed to start forest fires anymore."

Vesa tilted her head a little and placed an index finger on her chin.

"And maybe we can talk to Elfilin on what board games he'd like to try," Vesa added.

Chapter Text

A couple days later, Vesa followed Elfilin and Zan to Capupu Village. Prior to leaving the tower, Vesa picked out a short light-blue dress with white ruffles at the hem of the skirt. It had pink and white layered ruffles across the chest beneath the thin straps on her shoulders and a pink sash belt with a matching bow wrapped around her hip.

When they arrived at the village, Elfilin spotted Kirby at the entrance to Chef Kawasaki's restaurant.

"Hey, Kirby!" Elfilin waved his paw.

Kirby turned around and waved back.

"Poyo!"

Vesa, Elfilin and Zan approached Kirby.

"I was told this restaurant sells these bento boxes, right?" Vesa asked.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Vesa stared at the building before her.

"I heard about his cooking," Zan mentioned, "he tends to not be the best unless he's doing a specific set of dishes. I won't be buying anything that doesn't seem simple. I'm told Kirby is the only one who tries any of his practice dishes. Really, he's the only one that'll eat them."

Vesa nodded before she stepped inside the restaurant with Kirby, Elfilin and Zan following close behind. The pink star warrior sprinted towards the entrance to the kitchen and waved his arms.

"Poyo?" Kirby called, "poyo poyo!"

Seconds later, a tall orange egg-shaped being dressed in a chef's hat and an apron emerged from the kitchen.

"Kirby?" Kawasaki paused, "what are you doing here? The restaurant's not opening for another thirty minutes!"

"Poyo," Kirby explained, "poyo poyo poyo. Poyo! Poyo poyo!"

"Oh, really?" Kawasaki warbled, "who's the friend you speak of?"

Kirby glanced behind him and pointed at Vesa.

"Poyo!"

Vesa shuddered as Chef Kawasaki locked eyes onto her.

"Oh!" he blurted, "good morning, Miss, uh…"

"Vesa Krasniqi," Vesa told him, "you can call me Vesa."

Zan placed her hand on Vesa's shoulder, giving her some reassurance for her to sigh in relief.

"Well," Vesa stammered, twiddling her fingers, "what options for bento boxes do you have, sir?"

"If you're looking for recommendations, Miss Vesa," Kawasaki suggested, "I can whip up some mushroom and pork cutlet sandwiches with honey mustard and some cucumber slices and rice balls."

Vesa took a moment to process the knowledge before she nodded.

"Seems simple enough. I'll give that a try," Vesa requested, "for myself and my partner."

"Partner?" Kawasaki paused, "as in romantic partner?"

Elfilin happily did a back flip.

"Yup!" Elfilin chirped, "my big sibling is head over…ankle? Yeah, ankle…for her! They don't really have any heels."

Kawasaki clasped his hands together.

"All right," he declared, "I'll get to work on that bento box!"

"Poyo!" Kirby raised his arm.

"Oh?" Kawasaki smiled, "why thank you, Kirby!"

Kawasaki and Kirby entered the kitchen.

"So what kind of stuff do you guys plan to do now that you're dating?" Elfilin asked Vesa.

"Really," Vesa replied, "we're just figuring out the relationship part."

"I'm just curious if you have plans for stuff you want to do in the future is all," Elfilin giggled, "big sibling is a wiz at magic, but they aren't good at most social stuff, I think. They're just way too nervous…"

Vesa, Elfilin and Zan waited for a while. Elfilin sat on a shelf, fiddling with his tail. To stave off the boredom, the small chinchilla started experimenting with his powers which he hadn't tried out yet. He managed to make a little twig grow out of his paw. Half an hour later Kawasaki and Kirby returned from the kitchen, the chef holding a bento box.

"Ok," Kawasaki called, "it's ready!"

"Poyo!"

Vesa stood from the table and approached the chef. She plucked the bento box from his grip. Her hands could feel the warmth emitting from the bento box.

"Thank you!" she smiled.

"Hey, guys!" Elfilin chirped, "check it out!"

Kirby watched as Elfilin happily waved around his twig.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Thanks! I dunno what species it is," Elfilin proclaimed, "but I made it myself!"

Vesa placed the bento box in her handbag while Zan approached Chef Kawasaki. She handed him a couple of small rings with miniature little gold stars in them.

"Thank you," Kawasaki smiled, "you have a nice day!"

"Anytime," Zan nodded.

Zan, Kirby, Elfilin and Vesa left the restaurant and made their way out of Capupu Village. It was only a while before they returned to the tower. Vesa spotted Elfilis in the foyer.

"Morning, Elfilis!" Vesa smiled, waving her hand at them.

The angelic lancer's feelers perked up. Vesa sprinted over to Elfilis and embraced them. Elfilis let out a startled squeak, yet they returned the embrace.

"I got some lunch for the trip," Vesa told them, "you ready to go?"

"We can leave whenever you're ready," Elfilis nodded, "I don't really have anything I need to get."

Vesa released Elfilis from her embrace a moment later before they both focused their eyes on Kirby, Elfilin and Zan. The ultimate life-form couldn't help but blush, nervous about displays of affection in front of others, yet they resisted the urge to teleport away.

"You two have fun, ok?" Zan proclaimed.

"We will," Vesa nodded.

Vesa gently grasped Elfilis's hand, giving them a reassuring smile. The ultimate life-form returned their smile as they led her out the door.

"Should we fly there," Elfilis asked, "or…?"

"I think I can stomach teleportation for now," Vesa answered.

Vesa reached out her arms, nodding at Elfilis and letting them scoop her into their arms.

"If you insist," Elfilis sighed softly.

Elfilis summoned a portal above them and flew into it. The next thing she knew, the space twisted around her in a kaleidoscope of color. When the ultimate life-form flew through another portal, they gracefully touched down on a somewhat rocky area. Objects shaped like stars seemed to have embedded in the ground and cracked. Patches of oddly purple grass dotted the terrain. The light reflecting off the fallen stars made the scenery rather breathtaking. Vesa stared in awe as Elfilis lowered her to the ground. She took note of the tall rocky structures decorated with colorful stripes.

"It's certainly an interesting place," Elfilis mused, "there's no small amount of magic in the air, likely due to the Fountain of Dreams leaking its mana into the atmosphere."

As Vesa and Elfilis strolled along the terrain, they passed by a few residing Waddle Dees. Two of them happened to be sitting down and cuddling up next to each other. Several Bronto Burts could be seen patrolling the skies, zipping between the colorful clouds. Considering her small reserves of mana in her body, she could sense the magic in the air, getting the sensation of a static charge in the air…almost.

They stopped at an ornate bridge and began to cross it. Nearby, a Waddle Doo sat at the edge of the river while holding a fishing rod.

"Can you feel it?" Elfilis asked, "if you were able to sense ambient mana, it would be here."

Tilting her head upwards, Vesa held up her hands and took a deep breath.

"The air is tainted heavily with magical energy generated by the fountain siphoning off energy from dreams," Elfilis explained further, "it doesn't take dreams away, it just skims off the top and absorbs the energy, which it then uses to power the Star Rod and provide more pleasant dreams to those nearby. It sprung a leak at some point though and the mana seems to have seeped into the area over time."

"That's…pretty interesting," Vesa commented.

Vesa and Elfilis continued venturing along the colorful stone pavement which ran between colorful palm trees. Elfilis idly ran their hand over the trees and took genetic samples…just enough to make copies later. Vesa watched several Twizzies perching on the branches of a tree. Soon enough, one Twizzy flew over and perched on her head.

"Oh!" Vesa blurted in astonishment, "why hello, there!"

Elfilis watched curiously with a bit of caution. They blushed, understanding it might be just instincts they never experienced cropping up…instincts to protect their girlfriend. The Twizzy on her head simply gave the ultimate life-form a curious look. That was enough for Elfilis to calm themselves for now. Vesa led her partner along the path, passing by a Kabu circling a Rocky. They both reached the edge of a large lake. A Coner crawled along the sandy shore while a few Glunks sat in the shallow waters. Far ahead, Vesa could see the Fountain of Dreams.

"The area should be safer now," Elfilis told her, "I found some scum stuck to the bottom of the fountain, but I took care of it earlier."

Vesa recalled the morning after she first moved into the tower.

"So that's what happened," Vesa commented.

"Yes. It was stressful for a few reasons, but not due to any real challenge," Elfilis added, "it was upsetting to me since it was corrupting the artifact and ruining the enchantments. It's possible it was even the cause of the leaking mana. But the thing that set me off the most was that it ran away, and I decided to slowly follow it. But then I realized I was underestimating it and went into a rage. The last time I underestimated something, it was your people, and then I became their experiment for several hundred years."

Vesa sighed softly and grasped Elfilis's paw.

"Hey," she assured them, "it's ok. I'm here for you, remember?"

"I know," Elfilis replied, "it's just hard sometimes. Sometimes I'm fine with talking about it; but other times, my emotions flare up. I suspect the reason I don't freeze up or react poorly every time is due to my body being made to resist such effects. Still, such long exposure to such deep traumatic experiences left its mark on me. I…I'm glad you're here, though. If there is only one good thing to come out of the situation, it would be that I met you."

Vesa smiled and nodded in agreement. At that point, the Twizzy flew off Vesa's head and started feeding on the seeds in the patch of grass.

"So what would you like to do?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa fixated her eyes on the Fountain of Dreams.

"Can we see the fountain up close?" she requested.

"We can," Elfilis answered, "though there isn't much room to walk around near it and the surrounding ground is mostly covered in shallow water."

Elfilis gently lifted Vesa into their arms and floated over the water, touching down on a walkway which led to the fountain where they set her down.

"We can approach it from here."

Vesa took the hint and strolled down the walkway alongside the tall space rodent. Elfilis took her hand while they made their way towards the fountain. The Star Rod still perched on top.

"How strange," Elfilis observed, "I hadn't noticed before, but the Star Rod seems to have gained quite a lot of concentrated power. I suspect that it would work beyond its function as a filter now."

Elfilis stepped closer and examined it further.

"Yes," they continued, "this was supposed to filter the fountain's power, but something about it…it functions much like a wand now. It might be the shape, or maybe some kind of variant in the enchantments due to the leaking mana? Some kind of occurrence? How odd."

Vesa tilted her head sideways as she examined the Star Rod, which glowed brightly enough that she couldn't tell what it was really made of. Simply gazing at it gave her warmth in her core.

"What do you know about the Star Rod?" Vesa asked.

"The star on top is made of solidified mana, specifically mana aligned to Hopes and Dreams. It was made by two mages," Elfilis answered, "one of them was a commander for one of our armies who used magic aligned to Hope to inspire his men. It's said that he ignited people's hope for their future and the future for our people as a whole. People's performance in battle seemed to skyrocket and morale was always high in his army."

Elfilis blinked slowly.

"The other mage responsible for its creation was just someone who did parlor tricks and created illusions for children," Elfilis continued, "he was also the person most would go to if they had insomnia or other issues with sleep. He didn't charge for those services and made a living off of donations and goodwill people gave him, he was a popular person and closer to a street performer than a real mage, and yet he was the one who inspired so much.

"Inspired?" Vesa chirped, "how so?"

"He was the person who set us on the path of Dream magic in general as one of the main forms of magic we used on our old planet," Elfilis clarified, "he was responsible for assisting in a few artifacts before he passed away and left behind his magical knowledge. He's kind of a folk hero."

Vesa tilted her head towards the Star Rod for a brief moment.

"Does it have similar properties to that of a Warp Star?"

"Not quite," Elfilis corrected, "the Warp Star is more of an energy construct than anything, powered by positive emotions in general. It also just accepts normal energy. Although, it responds better to positive emotions. The Star Rod wasn't meant to be a weapon at all, honestly. Now it is. I suspect that it is due to Hope for some kind of weapon and its power over Dreams responded to that need. Or maybe, the General involved in its making had some other ideas in mind for future use. It's hard to say. However, the enchantments on it lead me to the former conclusion over the latter."

Taking a step back, Vesa scanned her surroundings. Funny enough, she couldn't seem to find a bench of some kind. It didn't take long for Elfilis to notice as their feelers perked up.

"Allow me," Elfilis summoned a wooden bench, "this place wasn't really meant to be a tourist attraction. There's even a subtle barrier around the place that scares off most people with ominous intentions. There used to be one anyway; it seems the enchantment was likely broken at some point. Before I do, I'll place a barrier over the Star Rod, just to ensure no one runs off with it."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa sat down at the bench, placing her handbag on her lap.

"So how are you feeling?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa locked eyes onto them.

"I'm just happy you're by my side right now," she smiled.

Elfilis blushed and sat down next to her.

"I still feel like I'm kind of dreaming sometimes," Elfilis confessed with a sigh, "like I would wake up back in the lab and this will all have been a fantasy concocted in my unstable mind. I know it's real, I've tested it several times. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that things can be going so well so suddenly."

Vesa leaned closer to the ultimate life-form.

"Wanna cuddle for a bit?" she asked.

"O-Of course," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis wrapped their arm around her and held her close. Vesa set aside her handbag and returned the embrace. She ran her fingers through their chest fur, eliciting soft purrs out of them. Vesa nuzzled their face. She giggled softly when Elfilis gave her an affectionate lick on the forehead, their tail swaying behind them happily. They relaxed in their embrace near the Fountain of Dreams as the sun moved into its peak above their heads. Once time passed, Vesa checked the bento box in her handbag.

"I…brought some refreshments," Vesa chirped.

Vesa pulled out a thermos along with the bento box.

"Oh," Elfilis blurted, "thank you."

Vesa opened the bento box, the sandwiches, cucumber slices and rice balls still fresh. She opened the thermos and poured some water into a pair of portable cups. Elfilis took a sandwich and took a bite out of it. Thankfully, they've been improving on their sense of taste even if some flavors still tasted a bit strong. Vesa took a bite out of her sandwich and relished the savory flavor. Elfilis ate more slowly; just a little at a time. They both would take a sip of water in between a few bites of their sandwiches. When they finished their sandwiches, they went on to share the cucumber slices and rice balls.

Elfilis enjoyed the cucumber slices mostly since they didn't have as much taste. Since cucumbers and rice were both unprocessed for the most part, they could assimilate them in the process. Once they both finished their lunch, Vesa tucked the bento box and thermos into her handbag.

"I wonder if the Fountain of Dreams could amplify the mana inside of me," Vesa pondered.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to try," Elfilis replied, "the fountain isn't made for wishes, though. Perhaps if you hold a dream close to your heart, I think you might be able to see progress in your development of your mana reserves. Don't expect results right away, but it wouldn't hurt to practice."

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis stood before the Fountain of Dreams while they faced each other. The tall space rodent held onto her handbag while she placed both of her hands on her chest. Elfilis plucked the Star Rod and handed it to her.

"Hold it," Elfilis instructed, "don't just hold onto it, though. Hold onto your hopes, your dreams, have the courage to make what you want a reality and be ready to put forth the effort needed to see it through."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa took the Star Rod and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she concentrated. Elfilis kept an eye on the flow of mana as they monitored this little experiment. As thoughts swam in her mind, she could imagine herself back in the school library, reading a book she borrowed detailing historic architecture. She knew Popstar might have historic structures scattered about. Have any of its residents pondered about the ancient structures of the past? Come to think of it, her own world would be subject to archaeological scrutiny. Maybe this could be a bit of a hobby for her or even an option for a career.

Minutes continued to pass on until warmth stirred in her chest. Vesa opened her eyes and made a brief glance at the shallow water surrounding the fountain. Gazing at her reflection, she thought of her family who cherished her growing up, but was now gone. But then, she also thought of the new friends she made after Elfilis saved her life.

At least she didn't have to see those apathetic scientists again.

Her thoughts drifted back to Elfilis. She still wasn't used to life in Popstar, but having them as more than her friend gave her the assurance she needed to press forward, pursue passions as she saw fit, but more importantly, cherish the love she had now. The Star Rod reacted a little, though Elfilis noticed it responded more to her hopes.

"Let yourself dream of your future," Elfilis advised, "what do you want to accomplish? What kind of things do you hope you'll get to do one day? Let these thoughts fill your head."

Vesa nodded as she closed her eyes. For a moment, she thought of her future with Elfilis. Perhaps they wouldn't have to carry out their mission to preserve life alone. Her thoughts then drifted to what she would want to do with her life. Maybe she could try exploring career options until she at least found a few she'd most likely thrive in. The Star Rod glowed a little brighter.

"Keep it up," Elfilis encouraged, "you're on the right track now."

Vesa nodded as she kept focusing on her hopes and dreams. Soon enough, Elfilis sensed her making the connection with the Star Rod in full.

"I think that did it," they told her.

Vesa observed the now glowing Star Rod before she locked eyes onto Elfilis.

"So what now?" she asked.

"I believe that's about it," Elfilis shrugged, "I'll put it back so no one else can get their hands on it. Though, I'll write an exception into the wards for emergency situations."

Vesa nodded and gave the Star Rod back to Elfilis. They put it back onto its pedestal before they grew a stick from their hand. They ignited the stick until it became charred. From there, they used it to start writing out runes.

"If I had more time," Elfilis said, "I'd make some real chalk, but due to the complexity involved, I'm just using charcoal for now. It should be enough to keep out anyone for at least a few years, though I might come back and redo the runes later."

Vesa didn't say anything as she simply watched.

"Rune crafting is a vague and yet also specific art. As long as you have enough mana and are smart enough not to mess up on the meaning and symbology of what you're writing, you can make runes as long as you want and get whatever effect you desire through its use," they added, "of course, the more runes you use naturally increases how much mana is required. For most people anything bigger than a great sword might be too much for them to accomplish. I could likely inscribe something as large as a school bus from your planet before feeling any strain on my reserves of mana. You might be able to inscribe a dagger as you are now, I guess. Over the next year, I suspect you might be able to inscribe a short sword, maybe a katana or something similar if you put in some effort."

It wasn't long before Elfilis finished inscribing the runes, so Vesa followed them along the walkway. A ripple of blue and purple tinted energy flashed over the pedestal in a half circle over the top of it before it vanished. Soon enough, they finished crossing the walkway. Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis.

"I wonder what other landmarks this place has," she said.

"I believe the Orange Ocean isn't too far from here," Elfilis mentioned, "would you like to go there?"

"I'd love to!" Vesa nodded with a smile.

Vesa leaned closer and spread her arms, allowing Elfilis to scoop her into their arms. The ultimate life-form spread their wings and took off into the sky. She held on as they flew past several Bronto Burts. Several minutes passed in a leisurely paced flight before Elfilis touched down on an island. The angelic lancer released Vesa from their embrace. From a distance, she observed a large rocky structure with a waterfall coming out.

"If I'm correct," Elfilis mentioned, "the reason they call it the Orange Ocean is because the ocean takes an orange hue in the late afternoon."

Vesa tilted her head towards the sky, checking the position of the sun.

"It shouldn't be long before I see the ocean's true nature myself," she replied.

"I believe it is likely caused by some kind of mineral in the water, or maybe some kind of algae."

Vesa and Elfilis began their stroll through the island. They passed by a Foley minding its own business while a Broom Hatter swept the ground of its territory. When they reached the edge of a stream, Vesa sat down. Elfilis sat beside her out of the way of any sand. She watched as a Slippy perched on a lilypad. She crossed her legs and perched her hands on her lap.

"This stream kinda reminds me of that creek in the forest my older brother would visit sometimes when he was younger," she mused, "I remember he took us to play in the creek one time."

"I see," Elfilis sighed.

Elfilis's feelers drooped, still empathizing with her lingering grief. Still, Vesa leaned towards them.

"But I guess I can treasure this current moment, at least," she added.

"It's also what I've been doing," Elfilis added, "I'm not sure how much it'll help my tension yet, but still…"

Vesa embraced herself to Elfilis, letting them wrap an arm around her. They simply huddled close until the sun began to set a couple hours later. The ocean began to take on an orange hue. They both rose to their feet and meandered between the trees. Along the way, Elfilis gently pushed branches aside as they followed close behind. When they stopped at the coast of the island, Vesa stared in awe. Elfilis gazed out at the ocean, their large perceptive eyes taking in the details of the tranquil waters. When Vesa peered down, she spotted a large rusty metallic wing which reminded her of a bat wing, jutting out from the shallow waters.

"Huh," Vesa paused, "I wonder if that's the remains of some ancient creature, or…"

Elfilis peered down and examined the submerged wing.

"Oh, that. It's the wing of the Halberd, Meta Knight's ship," Elfilis clarified, "apparently, after Nightmare was defeated, he got it into his head that everyone in Dreamland needed to be prepared for another potential threat and that people were being too lax and lazy. In his paranoid state, he decided that he would force people to prepare for another threat and would conquer Dreamland so that they would be ready for another fight should one come. I assume he thought he was doing the right thing— he was scared for the planet and its people, and wanted everyone to be safe. He also seems to be broken as a person. He has spent too long fighting, and at the time he likely saw everything as a battle. He wanted to protect everyone, but he went about it the wrong way is all."

Vesa blinked twice and shifted her gaze towards Elfilis.

"And where did you hear of that story?"

"It's pretty common knowledge since pretty much the entire country was involved and I had asked my siblings about recent history on Popstar, I wanted to be kept informed of past threats and other similar things."

"Oh, right," Vesa blurted.

Vesa and Elfilis continued to watch the sunset for a while.

"Are you ready to go home?" they asked.

Vesa thought over the question for the moment.

"Yeah, I had some fun spending time with you," she nodded.

"I, too, enjoyed myself," Elfilis agreed, "I'd like to speak with Meta Knight about his attempted campaign someday. I'm curious as to how his opinion changed over time."

Elfilis knelt, allowing Vesa to wrap her arms around them. The ultimate life-form blushed cutely, yet they took off into the sky anyway.

Vesa and Elfilis arrived at the tower that evening and made their way to the foyer.

"Hey," Vesa waved, "we're back!"

Elfilin, who had been perching on Hyness's head, perked up his large ears. The wizard set down his book and fixated his eyes on Vesa and Elfilis.

"Oh, welcome back! I was just working on helping Elflin with his powers. Speaking of, you should really start helping him with it, you are more experienced in their use than me after all. I just know the theory, but Elflin could use a helping hand with it."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances. Elfilin floated towards the two, circling around his older sibling.

"So how'd your date go?" Elfilin chirped.

"I had fun," Vesa smiled.

"I also enjoyed myself quite a bit," Elfilis gave a soft barely visible smile.

Hyness stood from the couch.

"I'm glad your relationship finally took off," Hyness told them, "based on how I've seen you two interact, I was wondering if you would admit to having romantic feelings at some point. I've been waiting to see results since you woke up from your coma! I bought another camera since I lost my old one, so I'll be taking pictures…likely for a big book of photos to look back on."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged confused glances.

"You mean a photo album?" Vesa clarified, "for both of us?"

"Yeah, that's the plan!" Hyness nodded, "I would've loved to capture some of the earlier moments, but might as well start now!"

Vesa and Elfilis noticed as Hyness pulled out a camera and a sudden flash of light elicited a surprised reaction out of them. Vesa gave a dumbfounded expression for a moment, then she scratched behind her head.

"That was…awkward," she commented with a soft laugh.

"I'm just happy to see they've improved so much from how they were described being only a year and a half ago," Hyness smiled with his eyes closed, "they seem to be doing a lot better and more like their old self."

Vesa gazed into Elfilis's eyes and leaned closer to them. A thought quickly popped into her head.

"Maybe we can borrow that camera sometimes?" Vesa offered, "you don't have to be the only contributor to the album, you know."

"Of course! I might even pick up a spare for you sometime if you really want!"

Hyness soon stopped to think.

"Of course, that brings up another matter I have been having some…issues with. As Elfilis and the girls know already, magical research is…well, it's expensive sometimes," Hyness mentioned, "and currently, we don't really have any large means of income and have been relying on selling off small artifacts and trinkets to make ends meet. However, it's not exactly a lot of money. I was thinking Elfilis might be able to help us by writing out old books and novels from back home to sell here. They were quite the avid reader back home and I was hoping they would be able to assist, all we need is to make a magical printing press and for Elfilis to write out the books like they did for the library. It's a necessity if we're going to get the materials needed for proper magical research."

Vesa shifted her gaze between Elfilis and Elfilin.

"Well," Vesa asked, "is there a way I could help you with that?"

"I'm not quite sure," Hyness offered, "I suppose you could help us bind the books and operate the press if you'd like? Due to magic, the process is largely automated other than applying the cover to the pages."

Vesa thought over the offer before she nodded.

"I'm sure this could be a learning experience," Vesa answered.

Vesa offered her hand, prompting Elfilin to give her a high five.

"Sounds like a plan!" Elfilin chirped, "and maybe Elfilis can teach me some stuff along the way about how to do that whole DNA thing!"

Chapter Text

Vesa spent the night cuddling with Fecto Elfilis in their room. By morning, when she woke up, Elfilis was still asleep. Vesa spotted Elfilin sleeping on top of his sibling's head. This felt rather different from when she and Elfilis camped out in Kirby's house together back in Waddle Dee Town. She smiled and stroked the small chinchilla's head with her finger. Elfilin started purring before he opened his eyes. Elfilis opened their eyes exactly at the same moment.

"Oh," Vesa blurted, "morning, Elfilis!"

Elfilin rolled off his sibling's head and plopped onto the pillow, yawning and stretching his limbs.

"Good morning," Elfilis blushed shyly and glanced at the ceiling.

Come to think of it, the idea of waking up next to someone they loved and cared about in the morning had some sort of fond feelings. It had them looking forward to such moments from here on out. Vesa and Elfilis sat up on the floor mattress, the human examining the moving clockwork gears in the wall.

"I suppose there's a little bit of touching up on it I still need to do," Elfilis shrugged.

Blinking, Elfilin floated over to his older sibling.

"What kind of touch-ups?" Elfilin chirped.

"Mostly just finishing the painting in a few places. I could enchant it with sound, but," Elfilis paused, "I don't see any of us enjoying the constant sound of clicking and moving of gears. Although, I bet if you stared at the gears on the ceiling and counted their rotations as you went to sleep it would probably help."

Vesa stood from the bed and stretched her arms.

"I am getting hungry, though," Vesa said.

"I suppose I'll come with you," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilin followed Vesa and Elfilis out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where Elfilis pulled some stuff from the fridge. Vesa found a recipe on French toast and carefully read the directions with Elfilin perching on her shoulder.

"Do you want cinnamon on it or anything extra?" Elfilis asked her.

"I'm fine with just cinnamon and nutmeg," Vesa answered.

"I'll be sure to check."

Elfilis checked the spice rack in the cupboard while Elfilin brought a mixing bowl to the counter. The ultimate life-form found a jar of nutmeg in the back of the cupboard.

"I don't think I tried nutmeg before," Elfilis admitted, "what's it like?"

Vesa scratched her head as she took a moment to think.

"I suppose nutmeg is slightly sweet and savory," Vesa assumed.

Vesa kept studying the recipe before she went on to crack the eggs in the mixing bowl. Elfilis checked the carton of milk before they went on to pour some in a measuring cup. Elfilin handed Vesa the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract, allowing her to measure the ingredients and put them in the mixing bowl. Elfilin grabbed a whisk and began stirring the ingredients. Elfilis heated up the pan while Vesa retrieved a fresh loaf of bread, placing it on a cutting board.

"We'll need to make slices to put this bread to good use," Vesa explained, "not too thick and not too thin."

Vesa reached for a knife and held the loaf of bread steady.

"Though I never sliced bread before," Vesa admitted.

"Oh," Elfilis offered, "then let me help you."

Elfilis held onto Vesa's shoulder in one hand and the loaf of bread in another.

"Thanks!" Vesa smiled.

Vesa began to carefully slice the loaf of bread. Elfilis watched as she slowly sawed into the bread. As she kept making slices, she moved her left hand from the knife as much as possible. The angelic lancer scanned their surroundings to ensure they had all the ingredients. With careful guidance, Vesa finished slicing up the bread.

"Thank you," Vesa repeated.

"Anytime," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis released Vesa from their grip. She went on to check on Elfilin as soon as he finished mixing the ingredients. The small chinchilla blinked and locked eyes onto the human.

"Does this mixture look ready?" he asked her.

Vesa examined the contents in the mixing bowl before she nodded.

"Now all we have to do is to dip the bread into the mixture and put it on the pan," Vesa answered, her smile brimming with a boost of confidence, "I remember my father made French toast a few times."

"Sounds good to me," Elfilis agreed.

The ultimate life-form took a slice of bread and dipped it into the batter before putting it on the pan.

"Should we start adding seasoning?" they asked.

"The only seasonings we put on it tend to be butter and syrup," Vesa shrugged, "though I've seen my little sister add strawberries and whipped cream to hers."

Vesa grabbed a spatula and watched the toast sizzling on the pan. After several minutes, she checked the underside of the toast for a moment. Once she confirmed it was a golden brown, she used the spatula to flip it over. The small chinchilla exchanged glances with his larger fragment.

"Uhh," Elfilin asked, "are you available? I think I could use your supervision as I practice with my powers."

Elfilis placed a finger on their jaw.

"I could help you," Elfilis offered, "anything in particular you want to work on?"

Elfilin took a moment to stare at his paws.

"We could work on internal powers, external powers," Elfilis continued, "manipulation of your own internal and external body, magic, creating life, assimilating life, and more."

The small chinchilla took a few moments to think over the options he was offered. By then, Vesa finished the first slice of French toast, placing it on a plate before she began working on the next slice.

"I guess I could try practicing external powers first," Elfilin answered.

Elfilin perked up his large ears when he heard the dining hall door open. Fransisca walked into the room, giving a light wave. She didn't have her turban on and her eyes had dark circles underneath. Her hair was a frizzled mess.

"Oh!" Elfilin chirped, waving his paw, "morning, Fransisca!"

"Morn…" Fransisca mumbled.

Fransisca didn't say anything further as she entered the kitchen to brew coffee. Elfilis and Elfilin exchanged an awkward stare.

"She's like this in the mornings," Elfilis rubbed the back of their head.

"I guess I'd like to learn about how to make a weapon like yours," Elfilin replied.

"It'll be a bit challenging, so don't expect to get it right away," Elfilis advised.

Vesa flipped over the toast in the pan. Soon enough, Zan and Flamberge entered the dining hall.

"Hey!" Flamberge called over, "morning, Elfilin!"

Elfilin spun around.

"Morning!" he chirped, "how are you doing this morning? Better than Fransisca or Zan, I hope."

Zan gave the small chinchilla a puzzled look. Flamberge sniffed the aroma from the kitchen and shifted her gaze towards Vesa. Fransisca, meanwhile, cooled the coffee in her mug and added ice to it before she slowly sipped at it.

"Hey," Flamberge commented, "something smells good in here!"

Vesa paused and locked eyes onto Flamberge.

"Morning!" Vesa chirped, "are you interested in some French toast?"

"I wouldn't mind at all," Flamberge smiled, "though if you weren't planning on making breakfast for everyone, don't worry about it."

"T-Thanks," Vesa blurted.

After finishing up the next slice of toast, Vesa checked the mixture in the bowl.

"No worries, Vesa," Flamberge replied, "or should I start calling you sis now?"

"Just Vesa will do," Vesa shrugged.

Vesa went on to dip the next slice of bread in the mixture and put it in the pan. As she continued making slices of French toast, Elfilin started placing the pieces of toast on individual plates. Elfilis stood around to help when it was needed. Zan and Fransisca simply sat in silence. Just as Vesa was in the middle of placing her slice of French toast in the pan, Hyness entered the dining hall. Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"Good morning, father," Elfilis nodded.

"How's everyone doing this morning?" Hyness asked.

Elfilin poured some syrup on his French toast.

"Vesa here's learning to make French toast," Elfilin chirped before he started nibbling on his breakfast.

Hyness tilted his head and observed Vesa at the stove.

"Oh, how nice!" Hyness smiled, "it's always great to learn new things."

Vesa made a brief glance at Hyness and nodded at him.

"Thanks," Vesa replied, "there are some pieces of French toast ready to serve."

"I appreciate it," Hyness went to sit at the table with the sisters.

Elfilis cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, taking care of egg shells and so on. Vesa finished her second slice of French toast and placed it onto her plate. She took her plate and a glass of milk to the dining hall table, drizzling it in syrup before she started eating. As soon as they finished cleaning up, Elfilis passed around plates of French toast for everyone else, each plate holding a slice or two of toast. The ultimate life-form sat down next to Vesa with a serving of their own. They didn't drizzle their toast with anything as they gently ate it by hand.

Elfilis led Vesa and Elfilin out into the courtyard after breakfast.

"I suppose I should start with you since you aren't at any risk for causing explosions," Elfilis told their brother, their feelers twitching nervously, "I haven't really had to describe how this works before. This might be harder than I originally thought…"

Elfilin circled around his older sibling nervously.

"You're ironically at less risk than Vesa for things going wrong so I'll try to explain this," Elfilis continued, "it's hard to put it into words that don't require a degree in biology and magical science."

"I'll try to follow along," Elfilin nodded.

"Now to start with," Elfilis asked, "have you ever experimented with your powers before?"

Elfilin took a few moments to process the question.

"I made a stick yesterday," Elfilin chirped.

"So you know the feeling you get from that?" Elfilis clarified, "you should be able to dig deeper, and find an entire mental archive of almost everything I've ever assimilated."

Elfilin closed his eyes and began to focus. His older sibling locked eyes onto Vesa.

"This could take him a while to do," Elfilis told her, "but once he manages it, he should be able to do it mostly instinctively."

Vesa kept her eyes locked onto Elfilin as she sat down on the bench.

"I'll bet Kirby would be proud of him," she agreed.

"True," Elfilis mentioned, "though I'd suspect he'd be proud of just about any accomplishment."

All Vesa and Elfilis could do was watch as the small chinchilla clasped his front paws together, still deep in concentration.

"So how about you?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa took a moment to examine her palms.

"I'm still practicing the spells I learned," Vesa answered, "sometimes."

Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis as they placed their hand on her head. Soon enough, Elfilin wiggled a little, fur bristling as he focused hard on something.

"He seems to have the right idea," Elfilis commented, "or at least he found the mental block that is stopping him."

"So that means…" Vesa said.

Elfilin began to glow as he opened his eyes.

"There," Elfilin chirped, "that should do it. Now what?"

Elfilin and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"Now you should be able to access the DNA of a large number of creatures I assimilated before we split," Elfilis told him, "I lost a good number of the ones I had access to, so you'll likely have the other half."

Elfilin blinked twice.

"Ok," the small chinchilla nodded, "here goes."

Before long, his paw shifted and green virulent slime began leaking out of his arm, landing on the ground in front of him with a wet 'plop'.

"Ugh," Elfilin grunted, sounding disoriented, "this is tiring."

While Elfilin slumped his limbs, Elfilis examined their smaller fragment's creation.

"It's because your magical reserves are still quite small," they told him.

Elfilin gave Elfilis an embarrassed look as they scooped him into their hand, lifting the small chinchilla onto their shoulder.

"So a slime, huh?" Elfilis continued, "I'm pretty sure these did get wiped out in some kind of calamity."

Elfilis watched as the slime slowly hopped across the ground and started wrapping itself around their leg.

"Hehe," Elfilis poked at the slime, "it's trying to eat me."

Vesa grimaced as the slime tried to dissolve Elfilis's leg with a weak acid.

"Uhh, Elfilis?" she stammered.

"It's not too dangerous," Elfilis assured her, "just don't let it jump at your face or it'll dissolve your eyes and eventually your brain if you can't get it off your head. The most it can really do other than that is give you the equivalent of a nasty sunburn with prolonged contact."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, though," Vesa muttered, hugging her arms to her stomach.

"Well," Elfilis sighed, "it could've been worse."

Vesa stood up and approached Elfilis, keeping a suspicious eye on the slime.

"They are extremely flammable, however," Elfilis continued.

Vesa didn't say anything as she observed Elfilin fidgeting nervously.

"What habitat suits this little guy the most?" she asked, gesturing to the slime.

"Mostly large grassy plains," Elfilis continued to poke at the slime, "but with time, they can thrive in any environment."

Vesa and Elfilin stiffened as the slime gave up and withdrew. Elfilis produced some raw meat from their own biological manipulation and dropped it onto the ground. The slime happily devoured it.

"This should keep it occupied for a while," they added.

Elfilin watched curiously as his tail swayed from side to side.

"They reproduce by splitting after they acquire enough matter. Places like grasslands that have easily killed prey animals are ideal, but they can live just about anywhere. We're probably going to need to kill this one. Otherwise, this planet will get a new species, and a dangerous pest. This is its basic form, but its other forms are far more dangerous and deadly. We shouldn't give it the chance to reproduce. Not here anyway. Maybe on a planet without sentient life."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Vesa blurted, "there's gotta be a book in the library about ecosystems or something."

Chapter Text

Fecto Elfilis had the slime securely confined upon Vesa's request. She stood outside the front door with Elfilin perching on her shoulder the following day. She held a book about ecosystems in her arms. From a distance, she could see Kirby approaching the tower via the dirt path. Elfilin perked up his ears as the pink star warrior waved his arm.

"Hi, Kirby!" Elfilin called.

"Poyo!"

Once Kirby entered the courtyard, Vesa noticed Marx and Magolor following close behind. Elfilis emerged from the tower with a large and clear reinforced jar in their hand. The slime inside it wiggled around constantly. Elfilin locked eyes onto Marx and Magolor before he floated over to the pink star warrior.

"I wasn't expecting Marx or Magolor," Elfilin admitted.

"Whatever the reason," Elfilis shrugged, "I'm sure whatever advice they have can be useful."

Vesa walked up to Kirby and casually waved her hand.

"How are you doing this morning?" she asked.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Elfilis hovered towards Vesa, standing next to her and locking eyes onto the jester and the mage.

"Oh," Marx commented, "it's that living petri dish guy."

Magolor sighed with a facepalm.

"How are you two doing?" Elfilis asked.

Magolor took a moment to think, but then Marx rolled on his beach ball towards the tall space rodent.

"We're doing fine, how about you though, big guy? You look like you've got something on your mind."

"I'm not sure why you had the need to come over here," Elfilis answered, presenting the slime in the jar, "but perhaps you might have knowledge of which planet might be best for this little creature."

Elfilis paused for a moment.

"Though," they continued, "I might need some advice. I recently entered a relationship for the first time and I'm not sure how it's really supposed to work. I know how it should work in theory, but I don't want to mess it up; especially since I have yet to be familiar with when to initiate or reciprocate physical contact."

Magolor and Marx shared glances.

"Sounds like you're kinda socially inept," Marx commented, "that's not different from our own relationship, honestly. This is kind of embarrassing to talk about, but you need to hear about it. You probably aren't going to get comfortable being physically intimate in that kind of way until you get to the final step on the ladder if you catch my drift. I mean, that's because you don't really understand the boundaries in place due to your own awkwardness and social ineptitude. That's how it worked with Magolor and I, anyway.

Marx hopped off his beach ball.

"Magolor had the same issues and I pretty much had to do a lot of the heavy lifting on that side of things for a while," Marx continued, "you're gonna struggle to figure out when it is and isn't okay to do that kind of thing and your lady friend is probably going to need to decide for you both when to take the next step, whether it be cuddling, kissing, sleeping in the same bed and so on. But after you get to each point you should be fine to engage in some of those things on your own, or even ask if you have to even if it might be embarrassing."

"I'll try to keep that in mind, too," Vesa nodded.

Marx jumped back onto his beach ball.

"That's good," Marx agreed, "I shouldn't be the one guiding this relationship, though. But it's kinda working out so far, so I guess it's not the worst thing."

"I meant to ask that," Elfilis pointed out, "you seem much more wise than last time."

"Oh," Marx blurted cheerfully, "I let out all my crazy before I got here…blew up a mountain and turned it into a pitch black goo. I dunno what it does but it's best no one touches it. Magolor took care of it, though."

Magolor placed his hand behind his head before he approached Vesa.

"So you're Magolor?" Vesa asked.

"Yup, that's me," Magolor nodded, "we came over since I was told you guys need to take this…"

Magolor made a brief glance at the alien slime.

"…to another planet that's supposedly unpopulated by sentient life."

Vesa offered her hand, allowing Magolor to shake it with his own disembodied hand.

"I could've taken it myself," Elfilis continued, "but I'm still unsure of things. I'm still paying them in magical knowledge and old artifact blueprints we don't need."

Magolor clasped his hands together.

"I can think of a planet or two that'll fit what you need," Magolor offered, "we'll just need to reach it through my ship!"

"That works for me," Elfilis nodded, "I haven't been able to check on any of them in several hundred years and I've been busy lately."

Their feelers twitched when a thought popped into their head. Dark Matter should no longer be a threat, yet they remembered they still had all the preserved species assimilated in their DNA…they should be bringing back those species from extinction. As much as they were happy in Dreamland, they knew they still needed to do their work. Elfilis didn't realize they were hyperventilating, but Vesa noticed their rapid breathing. She thought fast and gently grasped their hand.

"Elfilis?" she softly called out.

Elfilis snapped out of their thoughts and locked eyes onto Vesa.

"I-It's nothing," Elfilis stammered, "just got caught in a recursive loop is all. We can talk about it later."

Vesa let out a soft sigh of relief. Elfilin checked the slime in the jar before floating over to Magolor.

"So, where's your ship?" Elfilin asked.

Kirby, Vesa, Elfilis and Marx focused their eyes on the floaty manipulative mage.

"Well," Magolor answered, "I'll be happy to show you."

Magolor fished around in his robes a little before he pulled out a remote. Pressing on the big red button, a star shaped tear in space opened up overhead as the Lor Starcutter slowly sailed through. Vesa and Elfilin stared in awe.

"Whoa!" Elfilin exclaimed happily.

"Yes, it's impressive," Elfilis agreed, "it's one of many space faring ships we possessed, but almost all of them were lost in the destruction of our planet."

Elfilin turned his head and locked eyes onto Kirby. The pink star warrior happily nodded at him. Soon enough, the Lor Starcutter touched down on the field. The small chinchilla and the pink star warrior sprinted up towards it. Elfilis approached the ship and entered via the gangplank. Everyone else followed suit and once they were inside, Vesa took in the surroundings, staring in awe. It seemed a lot bigger than she thought and she couldn't help but suspect it might've been made for warfare. No matter how delicate it looked on the outside, it didn't feel like a passenger ship.

Magolor didn't hesitate as he approached the main terminal. Typing on the keyboard, he pulled up some coordinates to a distant planet. Elfilin and Kirby stared in awe as the image of the planet displayed on the overhead screen, which appeared to have some strange red and purple dots on it which appeared…sickening.

"Ok," Magolor explained, "so this is a world that should have what you're looking for; plenty of different terrains for them to inhabit. It's got grasslands, icy areas, an ocean, some jungles, a few deserts. There are a lot of different creatures down there too they can prey on. Heck, there are some weirder biomes that I don't want to get anywhere near. So let's head over and just teleport the slime to the surface."

"Yes, it looks good enough," Elfilis nodded in agreement, "it looks like a good place to do other experiments there, too. That way, there's no risk of it being an issue for us."

Vesa placed a finger on her chin as she observed the charts surrounding the planet's map. The planet had several different biomes, the most visible were the two masses of color, one being purple and black and the other looking red like blood. The rest was pretty standard, grasslands, forests, deserts, jungles, and some frozen spots. Interestingly enough, most of the planet was ocean and there wasn't too much land.

"It's all worth a shot," Vesa nodded.

"Sounds good," Magolor smiled, "if you decide to go and take a look around on the planet, please don't bring anything back with you. That purple and red stuff is obviously not natural and I want no part in it."

"Oh man, now he's started," Marx snickered, "you guys have fun with that. And I'm absolutely going to go down there with you and check it out…for, uh…reasons."

"Poyo," Kirby stammered.

Magolor paused for a moment.

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed as he approached Vesa, "I wanted to talk to you about your planet. I heard there was a theme park back there. I was planning on building my own, but re-purposing an existing one would be easier."

"Wondaria Park, you mean?" Vesa blurted, "I…my family visited it when I was 10."

Kirby and Elfilin blinked as they focused their eyes on Vesa.

"Poyo?!"

"Yup," Magolor nodded, "I think that's the one. I'm mostly curious about the location's coordinates so I can get to the planet. I'm probably gonna do some rebranding of the park after I fix it up."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"I'd love to revisit that park afterwards," Vesa nodded, "though, I'll let Elfilis decide on whether they want to come along or not."

"I'd rather not set foot on that planet again for any reason," Elfilis turned their head away, "too many bad memories."

Vesa sighed softly and shifted her gaze towards Elfilin and Kirby.

"Should we be heading out soon?" Elfilin asked.

"Let me initiate takeoff," Magolor mumbled.

The ship shook slightly as it lifted off the ground. The floaty manipulative mage clicked a few buttons and the shaking stopped. Elfilin perched on top of Kirby. Magolor pressed some more buttons and a nearby door opened.

"There are some viewing rooms over there if you want to look outside as we take off," he announced, "should we use FTL travel or just go there via wormhole? If we use FTL travel, it'll probably take about a day to arrive."

"Just open the wormhole," Marx grumbled, "if we're in here for a full day, I'm gonna lose it eventually around them and that can only end poorly for someone. Whoever has that short end of the stick is up for debate, but no one will be happy."

Marx rolled up, sprouting his wings and nudging Magolor away from the console. The jester tapped another button which opened a portal. Magolor brushed some dust off his robes.

"A romantic journey across the stars could've been nice," Elfilis sighed, "but you have a point. I suppose we should get things finished as I'm paying you."

Marx started flying the ship towards the now opened wormhole. Vesa approached Elfilis, leaning closer to them. The ultimate life-form gently put their hand on her head, running their fingers through her short hair. The Lor Starcutter soon entered the wormhole. It felt impossible to try to look outside as they traveled through the dimensional space. Colors she never saw before whizzed by at high speed. Soon, the ship emerged from the other side. Magolor approached the console, nudging Marx out of the way.

"Nya!" Marx blew a raspberry before flying down the hall.

Kirby and Elfilis exchanged confused looks.

"He does that sometimes," Magolor rolled his eyes, "honestly, it's like I'm babysitting half the time."

Magolor tapped on some buttons, and the ship entered the planet's orbit, touching down on the surface.

"Ok," Magolor instructed, "drop off the slime and get back on board. Something about this planet makes my skin crawl…"

Without warning, Magolor spotted Marx outside through the port window.

"Oh, gods damn it," Magolor shook his fist, "Marx, get back here!"

Elfilin floated off of Kirby as the pink star warrior ran up to the floaty manipulative mage.

"Poyo!" Kirby called, "poyo poyo! Poyo!"

Magolor turned around.

"Thanks, Kirby," Magolor sighed, "we'll stay here and work on getting the slime situated. He's in one of his crazy fits, so don't expect him to come quietly if you need to force him to come back."

"Poyo poyo," Kirby nodded, "poyo!"

"Good luck, I guess," Magolor sighed.

"Be careful, Kirby," Elfilin waved his paw.

Kirby sprinted his way to the door just as it slid open. The pink star warrior set foot outside onto the planet.

"I'm mostly concerned since that purple stuff over there," Magolor tilted his head, "I just don't see how this can end well."

Elfilis approached the entrance to the ship and opened the jar, releasing the slime and watching as it skittered into some cover.

"Should we…?" Elfilin swayed his tail side to side.

"I'm sure Kirby can handle it," Elfilis interrupted, "if not, then we have bigger issues."

Chapter Text

Kirby perched on a boulder for a moment and surveyed his surroundings. Marx couldn't have gone that far, can he? As far as he knew, he could sense dark energy seeping from whatever could be at the distance. The pink puffball shuddered at the thought of what could happen if Marx interacted with it. As much as he's forgiven the jester for attempting to take over Popstar, the memory of what went down with Galactic Nova still lingered fresh in his mind.

Kirby jumped off the boulder and started sprinting across the strange terrain. He spotted Marx gliding over the terrain with ambition in his eyes. The jester glanced behind him and gave an irritated glare.

"Sorry, Kirby," Marx called over, "but I have to go! Can't have you get in my way, so try and follow me!"

Marx let out an insane laugh as he vanished in a teleport. Narrowing his eyes, Kirby summoned the Warp Star and hopped onto it. The Warp Star took off and flew across the land. In a matter of minutes, he sensed large amounts of dark energy in the valley.

"Poyo," Kirby stuttered.

The Warp Star made a rapid descent into the valley. When it touched down on the ground, Kirby immediately jumped off. However, Marx was nowhere to be seen. He spotted several large holes in the ground, each leading deep underground and making up a massive cave system. Moments continued on in silence before he heard excited cackling echoing from underground. Taking a moment to examine the depth, Kirby leapt into one of the holes.

Once he landed on the cavern floor, Kirby spotted the shattered remains of some kind of glass round structure, considering the curvature of the shards. He felt uneasy, but it wasn't anything he hasn't dealt with before. Without warning, thousands of screams echoed out all at once, along with the sound of breaking glass. A second orb shouldn't be too far from here.

Kirby braved the loud ghastly noises as he sprinted through the cavern tunnels. When he finally found Marx, the jester already found a third orb. The pink star warrior realized the jester shouldn't be allowed to break this one. The rule of 3 applied in this case, as Kirby had plenty of experience with bigger events after three connected events occurred. His more powerful foes had to be taken down in three phases, some puzzles required three answers and three things had to be broken for something awful to happen. Marx being in his Soul form wasn't helping.

"Poyo!" Kirby shouted and waved his arms.

Marx fixated his eyes on the pink puff for a moment.

"Why not?" Marx cackled, "we both know telling me not to do it is just gonna make me do this!"

With a flick of his wing, Marx threw the last orb to the ground and shattered it. Suddenly, the ground started to shake around them and Kirby started to wonder why these caves were all the same size. The pink star warrior shuddered when he noticed dark purple spots appearing all over the cavern floor. Without warning, a large tube-like being with large external fangs burst out of the floor and into the ceiling; yet it just kept going. He saw lots of eyes embedded into the body, staring at him as it moved.

"Poyo…" Kirby squeaked in fear.

"Oh my gosh," Marx stared in awe, "that is so cool."

The large worm-like creature dove after Kirby. Marx simply perched on the sidelines, giggling to himself as the pink star warrior leapt out of the way. As the giant worm creature kept pursuing him, he would dodge at every swipe and float over one of its body segments. It looped over itself as if it was trying to catch him, trying to corner him in the middle by tightening the loop.

Where was an opportunity for a copy ability when he needed one?

Kirby checked his rapidly changing surroundings for some loose object he could inhale. Soon enough, the pink star warrior leapt for a nearby pot, smashing it open and revealing an unlit bomb. Kirby inhaled the bomb and became Bomb Kirby. The worm-like monster tunneled after him again. The pink star warrior lit a bomb and threw it at the creature. It took the ensuing explosion like a champ, even if it was thrown off a little. A chunk of its body flew off and splattered the wall with green blood. Still, the creature slammed into the pink star warrior.

"Poyo!" Kirby yelped.

Kirby crashed into the ground and slid along a few feet. He quickly got back up. Kirby threw another bomb at the large monster. Another explosion. A displeased rumble in the distance echoed from somewhere in the ground. The creature sped up and started digging faster. The pink star warrior threw another bomb and jumped onto a section of its body, holding onto a spike on the side of the worm's body. The next thing he knew, he was forcefully dragged through several layers of rock and pulled through several walls, only to suddenly see light as the worm emerged from the surface. The creature arched in the air as it started its descent back into the ground. Now Kirby started thinking he had to get to safety fast, especially when the worm started to plunge back into the ground head first.

Kirby released his grip on the worm's spike. He landed safely as the worm tunneled back into the ground, still bleeding thick green blood. He grimaced at the awful rotting smell. He couldn't tell whether or not it was a living creature. All the pink puffball could do was check the ground for any nearby rumbling. Part of him had faith Marx might have a good chance surviving this creature, but he worried about the others still at the Lor Starcutter. He would have to warn them as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the creature's head popped out of a hole nearby and tunneled back into the ground just as quickly, its body still visible as it traveled around. Kirby prepared another bomb. He tossed it at the still slithering body. Suddenly, the worm's head popped out underneath him and snatched him in his jaws.

"Poyo!"

The worm let out an angered hiss as its lower body exploded, separating it into two pieces. Kirby barely managed to wriggle himself free, though he lost his Copy Ability in the process. He shuddered as the dismembered section rapidly developed into its own individual worm. The pink star warrior began sprinting across the terrain. He smashed another nearby pot, revealing an unlit torch. Why were there pots lying around on an uninhabited planet, anyways? He inhaled the torch and became Fire Kirby. He coughed a little smoke and the fire was weaker than expected.

For now, he leapt into the air and turned into a fireball. The large worm tried to catch Kirby in its mouth, but their face caught fire. It let out a screech of pain as the rot on their body slowly spread. It quickly tunneled underground again. When the pink star warrior came out of his fire spin, the other worm slammed into him. He crashed into a boulder. He still held onto his Copy Ability, but exhaustion from the pain was starting to take a toll on him.

Kirby reached into his pocket dimension and munched down on a Maxim Tomato. This quickly healed up his injuries and brought him back to full energy. Seeing that worm split into two was bad enough. He dreaded the thought of the giant worm splitting up into smaller worms as the battle continued on. Still, he spun around and let out a fiery breath. The worm veered out of the way, but its tail caught fire. There seemed to be some intelligence behind those eyes, and that was worrying.

Kirby hopped onto a boulder and checked his pocket dimension, which was rather different from Elfilis's. Of all the things he inhaled, there should be something useful. He sifted through miracle fruit, a variety of swords, a couple staves and wands, destroyed UFOs, mechanical parts, broken glass, and so on. The intensity of the battle meant he could only bring out one. Keeping an eye out on his surroundings, he noticed a matchbox floating among the inhaled rocks. He remembered using these to help light the candles on Dedede's birthday cake. He might've sucked up the matchbox when he inhaled his own slice of the cake.

Having brought out the matchbox, Kirby struck up a match. He quickly inhaled it and his fire quickly grew in power, the small fire on his head quickly igniting into a bonfire. The pink star warrior leapt back into action just as the second worm emerged from the ground, moving faster than the first one. Just as the worm rushed at him, he did a midair cartwheel and ignited himself on fire. The worm hissed, but it stopped and coiled itself. Kirby wheeled after the worm. The flames seared the worm to the point another segment of its body exploded, green putrid blood spewing all over the place.

Coming out of his fireball spin, Kirby turned to face the new segment of the worm. He dashed and turned into a fireball. The new segment exploded when he slammed into it at high speed. He quickly noted the smaller segments were weaker the more they separated. Courage building up inside, Kirby checked his surroundings for the other remaining segments. The largest one remained nowhere to be seen. The other one, however, leapt out from underneath him. Kirby jumped and did a back flip backwards. He only took a little damage from the surprise attack.

The pink star warrior unleashed his fire breath. The worm let out a screech of anger. Kirby rolled to the side, igniting in flames. Another angry screech, and the worm attempted to tackle and consume him. The pink star warrior turned into a flying fireball, moving from the snapping jaws. The other worm tackled him without warning. Kirby panicked as he flailed his arms.

"Poyo!"

With the worm about to tunnel into the ground, Kirby wiggled before igniting himself on fire. The worm hissed, but it didn't let go. The front of its body burned away before it exploded again. He let out a fire breath and tried turning around, hoping to aim the flames at his target. Both worms slowed down as the flames seared them and Kirby freed himself from the jaws. The remaining worms hissed and immediately charged at him. The pink star warrior did another cartwheel and ignited. Each worm he collided with exploded into blood and guts. Smaller segments had lesser intelligence. The smallest one charged at him. It burst into flames upon contact. It screeched as it tried to bury itself to put out the fire.

Kirby kept dodging the smaller worms' dive attacks and burrowing attacks, countering with fire breath at any chance he got. Before long, the pink star warrior finished off the remaining two worms, the fight drawing to a close. He took a few minutes to sit down and catch his breath. When he got back to his feet, Kirby returned to the cavern system to locate Marx. Much to his dismay, the jester already left. He climbed out of the caves within several minutes and checked his surroundings again.

He found the jester relaxing and poking at the dead creature with his shoe. Still in his Soul form, Marx seemed to be tempted to lick it for some reason. Shedding his Copy Ability, Kirby carefully approached the crazy jester. Marx stopped what he was doing and glanced over at the puffball.

"Heya!" he cackled, "it's been a while since I've been in this form! I'm pretty sure last time you killed me!"

Kirby gave Marx a confused look, not recalling seeing him in such an enhanced form.

"Maybe that was a dream," Marx continued, "or maybe it wasn't, or maybe it was a parallel universe, or maybe…"

"Poyo," Kirby stammered, shaking nervously.

"You'll have to speak up," Marx giggled, "I can't hear you over everyone else talking."

Kirby closed his eyes and shook his head, or lack thereof.

"Poyo!" Kirby reminded, "poyo poyo!"

"He's always worried," Marx shrugged, "I don't ever get to let loose anymore…"

One of Marx's red wings rubbed at his head as he started to get a headache. Kirby took another cautious step towards the jester and reached out his arm. He wasn't sure how Marx came back, but he remembered sparing the jester after finding him drifting in space and taking him back to Popstar. When his arm brushed the side of the jester's face, Marx bit down on him, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain.

"P-Poyo," Kirby pleaded, "poyo."

"It makes it hard to want to fight you when you're so nice, you know?" Marx grumbled, "damn it and I wanted to let loose a bit."

The jester's body flickered between his lighter colors and darker intimidating appearance. Kirby tilted sideways, taking note of his visible struggle to calm down from his power high, which seemed more difficult than Elfilis. The pink puff withdrew his arm and sat down. Over time, Marx started to calm down. After a moment, he hacked up some black fog. He didn't seem to have an easy time ejecting the excess mana. He let out a pained whine and coughed up some more smoke along with a bit of broken glass.

"Guh," Marx muttered, "I…I think I need a nap."

Marx fell onto his back, knocked out cold. Kirby stood up and summoned the Warp Star. By then, the jester returned to his normal state, which made it easier for the pink star warrior to nudge him onto the Warp Star. He hopped on and it took off into the air. Apart from the sleepy giggles, Marx didn't make much noise. Soon enough, the Warp Star touched down near the Lor Starcutter. Kirby disembarked and dragged Marx's unconscious body aboard.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Vesa, who had been sitting in a chair reading the book in her possession, tilted her gaze towards the pink star warrior.

"Welcome back," she smiled.

Elfilis glanced over their shoulder, perking up their feelers.

"Nice work," Elfilis said, "I felt the dark energy in the air, but it was far weaker so I assumed you could handle it."

Elfilis frowned at the sight of the bruises all over Kirby.

"Though judging by your appearance," they added, "I may have misjudged a tad."

Kirby sat down to rest for a bit while Magolor turned around and raced towards Marx. With Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin following him, the floaty manipulative mage carried him off down the hall into a small medical bay, placing him on a hospital bed. An overhead machine scanned the jester and a screen displayed his vitals.

"He seems to be doing fine," Magolor observed, "the machine has diagnosed him with extreme insanity and a warning not to let him around other people, but that's normal for him. He's tainted with dark magic, but again, that was true before he did whatever he was up to. The only real change is some magical depletion. He should be fine."

Elfilin nodded before he exchanged glances with Kirby.

"So what happened?" Elfilin asked.

Kirby used his body language and limited speech to explain what he found Marx doing and the powerful monster he had to fight, sparing no detail.

"I see," Elfilis nodded, "I'll probably need to head over there and assimilate whatever is left. Even if the creature is distasteful, it's still my job."

"And what will you do with its dangerous strength?" Vesa asked, "I mean, if it can tunnel through the planet's crust that easily…"

"Not much, I imagine," Elfilis shrugged, eyes wandering to Elfilin, "there are even worse things I could do to destroy a planet, but I still have standards."

Magolor finished studying his boyfriend's vitals and turned to face the others.

"Well," Magolor deadpanned, "that's a lot of new and scary thoughts you put in my head, so thanks for that."

"I can't really help it," Elfilis shrugged, "I was made to be a weapon and living library of every species I encounter…even if said species were intelligent or dangerous."

"Anyways," Magolor sighed, "since we're done here, perhaps we can check out this old theme park next?"

Chapter Text

Once Elfilis returned from taking a sample of the worm creature Kirby fought, Magolor opened a wormhole with the Lor Starcutter's terminal.

"I marked the ground with a small runic circle so I can locate this place again later," Elfilis informed Magolor, "there's a lot of interesting flora and fauna around here."

"Excellent!" Magolor chirped, "we should be clear for takeoff."

Kirby and Elfilin fidgeted with excitement as Magolor flew the ship into the wormhole. The Lor Starcutter emerged from the other side, hovering above Vesa's home planet. Elfilis's feelers twitched as they sensed the location of the lab.

"I'm going to find a quiet place to wind down," they sighed.

As Elfilis turned to leave the bridge, Vesa gave them a concerned expression. The ultimate life-form paused for a moment. She placed her hand on top of their head.

"T-Thank you," Elfilis blushed.

Their tail swaying from side to side, Elfilis gave Vesa an affectionate lick on the forehead.

"I'll be ok," Vesa assured them, "I won't be heading down there by myself, you know."

"I know," Elfilis agreed, "I'll make sure Marx doesn't do something stupid again."

Vesa took a step back, allowing Elfilis to leave the bridge. She headed outside the ship and met up with Kirby, Elfilin and Magolor at the entrance to Wondaria Remains. The three focused their eyes on her as soon as she caught up.

"Hey, Vesa!" Elfilin waved his paw, "you ready to head on in?"

Vesa took a moment to examine the gate, taking note of the ticket booth. She vaguely remembered crowds would wait in line until they got tickets to get inside the park. A couple vines draped over the ticket booth.

"Well," she proclaimed, "let's take a trip down memory lane."

Vesa led Kirby, Elfilin and Magolor through the gate and they ventured through the large circular area where the statue stood in the center now coated in rust, leaves and moss. She remembered her father snapping a photo of her sitting in front of this structure. Kirby remembered standing on top of the rocket for only a brief moment. Climbing up the stairs, she took note of the directory and the wooden cut-out of an astronaut and an alien, which patrons would pose behind.

"Well," Magolor commented, "this place certainly needs a lot of work done. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of theme I want for the place. Maybe just a bunch of stuff inspired by the events that always seem to happen around Popstar?"

"I dunno," Elfilin shrugged, "but I'm sure you'll find inspiration somewhere in here!"

"Probably," Magolor agreed, "I just need to give everything a good look before I decide on what I'm going to do with it. A lot of this damage can be reversed with magic, but I'll need to strip the paint and a lot of the decoration."

Vesa, Kirby, Elfilin and Magolor crossed the bridge and walked under the arch at the other side. From there, they meandered through the park. Passing by a Rabiroo and several Awoofies, the pink puffball took note of the rides that used to be active when he and the small chinchilla initially explored it. Now, none of the rides were functioning anymore. Even the runaway parade cars didn't budge a single inch.

Passing through a gate and climbing a ramp, they noticed a roller coaster car ahead. Kirby and Elfilin examined the roller coaster tracks while Magolor took some mental notes.

"Say," Elfilin asked, "did you ever go on the roller coasters while you were here?"

Vesa shook her head.

"My father wouldn't let me," she explained, "it would've been too much for my body to handle at the time."

"Well," Magolor assured her, "you might get a chance when I get this place up and running again, maybe if everything goes smoothly and there are no unexpected issues."

Magolor calculated the amount of time it would take for him to renovate as he continued mentally drawing up a blueprint. Vesa smiled and folded her arms behind her back.

"Thank you!" she replied, "I'll be looking forward to it."

Vesa, Kirby, Elfilin and Magolor continued to venture through the park, where the human showed the others the various carousels, fountains and so on. After that, they stopped by the tent housing the House of Horrors.

"Well, this one's a bit disappointing," Magolor shrugged, "honestly, we could just have Marx hang out in here some days and scare people. I'm thinking he'll work here Mondays and Fridays on that part, stand up comedy Tuesdays and Thursdays, and do circus tricks on Wednesdays. The park will be closed on weekends to give people time off. Or…I dunno, I'll need to think on the schedule more."

Vesa placed a finger on her chin.

"Maybe if you talk with Marx," Vesa suggested, "I'm sure you two will come up with something you can work with."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded in agreement.

"He can plot, manipulate and scheme," Magolor replied, "but if you actually organize something, his skills just don't seem to fit into place."

"Oh," Elfilin drooped his ears.

"A few of these rides I'm planning on are probably going to have Kirby be a part of them," Magolor continued, "he's just too cute not to be an adorable merchandising opportunity, considering he was involved in pretty much every major event to occur in Popstar's recent history."

Merchandising was one thing, yet Magolor was still enticed by the prospect of fulfilling his dream.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Elfilin seemed to perk back up as he did a back flip.

Continuing their stroll through the park, they stopped at a large Ferris Wheel. Vesa smiled as she clasped her hands together. Her mind drifted off to the moment she rode the Ferris Wheel with her brothers and sister. She remembered being nervous at first, but when she got on, she recalled the fantastic view of the park from up high.

"This Ferris Wheel," Vesa said to herself, "brings back so many memories."

Elfilin blinked twice.

"It does?" he blurted.

Vesa nodded.

"I remember it was said taking a ride on the Ferris Wheel gives a romantic atmosphere," she added, "especially if you ride it at night. The lights make the park even more beautiful looking at it from above."

"I can see that," Magolor agreed, "I guess making it a place for teens to make out and stuff is essential in some ways. Romance is a draw, for sure. Maybe we could set up some nice ambient lighting to give a nice romantic atmosphere. Marx would love to stay out here at night and spook couples who are trying to get frisky on the rides since they absolutely will try."

Vesa couldn't help but burst into laughter at that remark.

"Yeah," Magolor sighed, "people will try and do that thing anywhere, and since the most common race on this planet now consists of dog people, I suspect it'll be even harder than normal."

Vesa thought of inviting Elfilis over to the park once it was complete, but she quickly reminded herself the lab was still there. She doubted the technology there was still running considering the angelic lancer drew in all pieces of their essence from the abandoned machinery. An idea popped into her head; who could she negotiate with to arrange a demolition of the lab? Maybe that could give her partner a benefit of their mental health.

"There's a lot of work to be done," Magolor spoke, "some of these rides are too busted for me to consider using them still. Most of this tech seems so asinine and poorly made. I'm not even comparing it to the Lor Starcutter, or anything. It's like they were expecting magic to fill in the gaps, but there isn't enough magic on this planet to be able to do that."

Magolor started digging through the circuitry of the Ferris wheel's engine and control panel. As he scrutinized the components, he came to a startling epiphany.

"Oh," Magolor blurted, "I think I see where that power was coming from now."

Blinking twice, Vesa sprinted up to the floaty manipulative mage.

"Elfilis, you mean?" Vesa clarified, "I saw them extract their essence from the technology we had here before we moved to Popstar."

Magolor took a moment to process this information.

"Well," Magolor commented, "judging by the fact Elfilis is not a fan of this place, and the knowledge that they were trapped here for quite some time, I'm pretty sure your species largely stopped making things super complex in favor of just using their magic to force it to close the gaps in your tech. This is primitive magitech at best and shoddy work at that. No runes anywhere, just shitty tech and there was likely some kind of biological component to the batteries that let it hold the charge so well if this is the level of craftsmanship involved…"

"Poyo," Kirby sighed.

Elfilin lowered his head and patted the pink star warrior on the head. Magolor continued to rant about how the tech on Vesa's planet was a mockery of any real magic using tech and how he planned to burn the memory from his own mind later, considering how making him look at such tech angered him. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla resorted to tuning it out. Vesa listened in and nodded along, though she kept her eyes locked onto Elfilin and Kirby.

"Really," Magolor concluded, "all of this leads me to believe your species was on a downward spiral anyway. Elfilis was a finite resource in the way they were using them and if they kept at it and killed them, the human race on this planet was likely to fall into anarchy."

"Kirby," Vesa asked, "is that lab still there?"

Kirby and Elfilin blinked and fixated their eyes on her.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Magolor took a moment to interpret Kirby's speech before making a brief glance to the right.

"I can feel the lingering rage filled magical energy saturating the air from the volcano at the distant continent," Magolor said, "the rage, sadness and terror that is saturating with magical energy is enormous. I wouldn't be surprised if people died up there, where spirits, ghosts and shades could form."

Vesa immediately thought of that one moment she saw a fellow test subject die before her eyes back in Lab Discovera. She felt her chest tighten and she could hear her own breath quicken. Magolor soon set down the components after having tinkered with them a little.

"All right," Magolor proclaimed, "I patched this up a bit, but it's going to need actual parts soon before I can either make this magitech more modern."

Magolor paused and shifted his gaze to Vesa, who was still petrified with fear.

"Hey," he called out, "you doing ok?"

Vesa didn't respond, the memory of the fellow patient changing into a mummified corpse lingering fresh in her mind. Kirby and Elfilin cautiously approached her, the pink star warrior waving his arm.

"Poyo? Poyo?"

Vesa glanced around her as she balled her right hand into a fist. She squeezed her eyes shut. With her left hand, she clutched her forehead.

"Our escape plan failed," Vesa muttered to herself, "didn't it, Elfilis?"

Magolor and Kirby exchanged confused glances.

"Escape plan?" Magolor paused.

"Poyo?"

Elfilin swished his tail nervously.

"Uhh, Vesa?" Elfilin stammered, "are you ok?"

After taking a few deep breaths, Vesa opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I-I've seen enough," Vesa answered, "I'm ready to go back to the ship."

"Oh," Magolor nodded, "well then, let's do that."

Magolor recognized such signs of mental issues, having spent years hanging out with Marx. He remembered waking up to screaming, crying, laughing or any other number of emotions at night; mostly screaming and crying, though. He couldn't remember what he was dreaming about, but it never failed to upset him when he had such dreams.

Magolor led Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin on their way out of Wondaria Park. When they passed by members of the Beast Pack, the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla took it upon themselves to wave at the residents. Once they exited the abandoned theme park, they made a beeline for the Lor Starcutter. Once they made it inside, Elfilis immediately emerged from the hallway, their feelers attentive as they examined Vesa.

"Are you all right?" they asked, "you look a little pale."

Vesa shook her head. Elfilis, having cast diagnostic spells, approached her before lifting her into their arms, holding her close. Vesa immediately threw her arms around the tall space rodent and buried her face into their shoulder.

"T-That lab," Vesa confessed, "i-it also gives me bad memories. That patient, the way he died…"

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Elfilis gave her a brief puzzled look, having seen plenty of human test subjects die in a lot of gruesome ways. They nodded at Kirby, Elfilin and Magolor before they carried Vesa out of the bridge. Elfilis entered an empty bedroom where they sat down. After a few minutes of sobbing, Vesa took a deep inhale through her nose and a slow exhale through her mouth, repeating this a few times. She blinked and gazed into Elfilis's eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I imagine that lab is still there on that mountain in Redgarica," Vesa told them, "part of me is thinking someone with malicious intent could search the lab for anything they could use for their own gain."

Elfilis ran a finger down the back of her head.

"Does this mean," Elfilis paused, "I get to turn it into a glass crater? I wanted to before, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to resist the urge to destroy the entire planet if I did."

Vesa took some time to process those words. All the while, she cupped their face with her hand.

"We'll have to consider how we're going to destroy the lab," she said.

Vesa felt the ship vibrate as if it was beginning to take off.

"Orbital lasers," Elfilis suggested with confidence, "we can sort through the rubble afterwards."

Vesa didn't really say much, so she lay down on the bed. Elfilis lay down next to her. In response, she nestled into their embrace. They purred softly as they held her head near their chest mane.

"Let's hope that orbital laser just wipes the lab clean off the map," she mentioned.

"And if that doesn't work," Elfilis added, "then I can do it more than once. Or I could just hold it for a minute or so to ensure nothing is left but dust and ash."

Vesa nuzzled their cheek.

"We might want to ensure any wildlife that's wandered in there is evacuated from the lab first," she reminded.

"I believe Kirby can get the job done," Elfilis gave Vesa a kiss on the forehead.

Chapter Text

A few days after the trip to Wondaria Remains, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin were in the middle of packing food and utensils into a few picnic baskets. By the time they finished, they carried the picnic baskets and met up with Fecto Elfilis in the foyer.

"Ok," Vesa called over, "we're ready!"

Elfilis flexed their ears and glanced over their shoulder.

"I'm glad to hear it," they smiled, their tail swaying side to side.

Vesa stepped closer to Elfilis, taking a moment to adjust her cap.

"Then let's get going," Elfilis suggested.

Elfilin and Kirby shared glances in a moment of silence. The pink star warrior then sprinted to the front door and opened it. Outside, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Bandee and Adeleine stood outside.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Vesa and Elfilis approached the front door.

"Meta Knight," Elfilis greeted with a small nod.

"Elfilis," Meta Knight replied curtly.

Kirby jumped onto Meta Knight, giving him a big hug. He shuddered at first, but he gave his son a couple pats on the back…especially when the pink puffball nuzzled his face. Meta Knight's eyes glowed pink in this moment which wasn't missed by anyone paying attention. Though he could only put up with his child's affection for so long.

"Alright," Meta Knight sighed, "that's enough."

Meta Knight gently pushed Kirby off of him, giving him a pat on the head. The pink star warrior shifted his gaze towards Bandee and waved his arms. The Waddle Dee happily waved back. Elfilis and Meta Knight exchanged glances, the veteran star warrior giving them a silent expression indicating he still didn't trust them. Elfilis showed him a vulnerable side to themself which no one picked up on.

Adeleine waved her hand at Elfilin while Vesa gave Dedede a bow of respect.

"It's nice to see you again, sire," Vesa said.

"It's nice to see you as well, Miss Vesa," Dedede chuckled.

Vesa took notice of Dedede's appearance being rather different, especially since his return to Popstar changing the shape of his beak and his robe didn't have any feathers attached. He seemed more well groomed that way.

"So," Vesa asked, "how far is Vegetable Valley from here?"

"Not too far, if I recall," Dedede answered, rubbing his chin, "although nothing is that far away when using the Warp Star."

Dedede made a brief glance at Kirby.

"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up and down.

"Nice to see you, little guy," Dedede waved his gloved hand.

Elfilin floated over to Bandee.

"Interested in sparring later?" Elfilis asked Meta Knight.

Meta Knight hummed at Elfilis, still draping his arms under his cape. Vesa, Elfilin, Kirby and Elfilis stepped out into the courtyard, walking alongside Dedede, Meta Knight, Adeleine and Bandee.

"Is that everything?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa, Elfilin and Kirby presented their picnic baskets.

"Yup," Elfilin nodded.

"Then let's be off," Elfilis pondered, "now…which direction are we going?"

King Dedede and Kirby nodded at each other, the penguin patting at his chest.

"I'll be traveling with Kirby," Dedede offered, "but I can guide you."

Kirby summoned the Warp Star. The pink star warrior, the penguin and Elfilin hopped on. Elfilis, Vesa, Meta Knight, Bandee and Adeleine followed the three as the Warp Star took to the air. The ultimate life-form carried their girlfriend in one arm and her picnic basket in their other hand.

Once they all arrived in Vegetable Valley, the Warp Star touched down. Kirby, Elfilin and Dedede disembarked. Elfilis scanned their surroundings, their feelers twitching in search of a good spot to set up the picnic. Kirby and Elfilin joined up with Bandee to survey the rolling hills.

Elfilis found a flat area with an atmospheric view and settled there. They gently set down Vesa onto her feet. Kirby, Meta Knight, Dedede, Elfilin, Adeleine and Bandee approached them as Elfilis set down the picnic basket. Vesa opened it and carefully laid the picnic blanket on the ground.

"We should have enough for everyone," Elfilis sat down on the ground, "provided Kirby and Dedede eat in moderation."

Kirby and Dedede shared glances, sweating nervously. Vesa pulled out some plates while Bandee and Adeleine checked the other picnic baskets. Elfilis took in the surrounding view, relishing in the warmth from the sun. Kirby and Elfilin darted into the fields where they began to play, so Meta Knight kept an eye on them. While Vesa and Bandee arranged the utensils, Adeleine took a few steps from the blanket and set up her easel.

Elfilis got up and approached Meta Knight, curiously eyeing the veteran star warrior's cloak. Meta Knight made a brief glance at the ultimate life-form and simply nodded at them. Once Vesa finished arranging the utensils, Bandee shifted his gaze to Dedede.

"Why don't we find a place to relax, sire?" Bandee suggested.

"Sure," Dedede nodded, "that sounds like a swell idea."

While Dedede and Bandee found a spot to lounge at, Elfilis took notice of the strange sword sheathed away in Meta Knight's utility belt.

"What is that?" Elfilis asked.

Meta Knight's eyes wandered back to the ultimate life-form.

"Galaxia," Meta Knight answered with great reverence, "a legendary blade that chooses its wielder. Only those pure of heart can use it. Pure of heart doesn't mean good or evil, however; it means you believe something, down to your core, an unshakable value you hold dear."

Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw. Vesa scanned her surroundings before approaching the ultimate life-form.

"How are you doing?" Elfilis glanced over their shoulder as their tail swayed happily behind them.

Vesa smiled and sat down next to Elfilis.

"I'm doing great," she replied, "I might want to check in with the others in half an hour just in case they're hungry."

Vesa leaned forward as her eyes locked onto Meta Knight.

"That sounds good," Elfilis replied, "so, how have your studies been going so far?"

Vesa examined her palms. As the wind brushed past her hair, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. The mana stirred inside her body, though it still lacked stability. Elfilis flexed their feelers as the spell circle formed on her hands. In a matter of minutes, the spell circle caught some of the wind and began to manifest it. When she opened her eyes, she examined her handiwork, visible wind gusts dancing in her palms.

"I'm impressed," Elfilis commented, "have you practiced augmenting weapons with it?"

Vesa made a brief glance at Elfilis in a moment of silence.

"That depends," she replied, "I might want to test it."

Elfilis nodded and summoned their spear. Vesa stood up with the spell still in her hands. The tall space rodent turned their spear to its side. From there, she levitated the wind gusts onto the spear's blade. In a matter of seconds, a light-green color illuminated the spear.

"This spell you unlocked," Elfilis mused, "it was popular among soldiers for how sharp it made their weapons. Unfortunately, those with bronze, iron or steel weapons quickly discovered their blades covered in damage from the magical wind after the fight. This is why it was only used in large scale battles."

"I think I need to practice that one more often," she admitted.

Vesa returned her gaze to Meta Knight.

"Anyways," she continued, "I think it's been a while since we last spoke, right, Sir Meta Knight?"

Meta Knight blinked and returned his gaze.

"It has," he agreed.

Elfilis put away their spear. A thought popped into her head.

"When Elfilis and I went on our first date," she said, "we noticed a part of your ship in the Orange Ocean. Is that the only ship you have, or…?"

"I'm currently stripping that one for any parts that weren't entirely mangled or destroyed when Kirby came through," Meta Knight explained, "I've rebuilt the Halberd several times at this point, but it regularly becomes a disposable asset. I'd prefer that it wasn't destroyed, since it's expensive and rebuilding it is time consuming."

Vesa placed her hand behind her head.

"Is there an upgraded version right now?" she asked.

"Of the Halberd?" Meta Knight shook his head, "no. If I had the time, I might look into further upgrades. All my time, however, has been split between training, rebuilding and social obligations. I'm almost finished with the repairs, however. It tends to take several years for me to fix it with myself and a small crew of loyal followers."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"Is it ok if you show us around sometime?" she requested.

For a moment, Meta Knight gave them an awkward stare.

"If you wish," Meta Knight sighed, "you'll be supervised during your visit, however, to avoid blueprints or other classified information regarding the structure of the ship or weapons systems from becoming public."

"R-Right," Vesa felt a chill down her spine.

For now, Vesa returned her gaze to Adeleine. The young artist had been making her progress in her newest painting of the mountain range. In the distance, a Waddle Doo could be seen riding on top of a Wheelie. A Rocky sat nearby as Adeleine studied its details. Elfilis had also been examining such creatures, intrigued in how they could evolve in such a way.

Vesa had no means to check the time, but she felt like it had been half an hour now. She returned to the picnic spot and checked the baskets, the food still in good condition.

"Hey, Elfilis?" Vesa called over.

Elfilis perked up their feelers as they approached her.

"Yes?"

"I'm thinking we should ask the others if they're hungry," she told them.

"All right," they nodded, "I'll go around and start letting them know we're setting out the food."

While Elfilis turned to search for the others, Vesa opened the picnic baskets and began setting up the food. She watched as the ultimate life-form informed Dedede, Bandee, Meta Knight and Adeleine. They stopped what they were doing and made their way to the picnic spot. Before long, Elfilis approached Kirby and Elfilin last. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla paused what they were doing and shifted their gaze to the angelic lancer.

"Poyo!" Kirby happily waved his arm.

"We're getting ready to start eating," Elfilis explained, "so I just came to let you both know."

Elfilin did a happy back-flip while Kirby's face lit up.

"Poyo!"

"Yay," Elfilin chirped, "I can't wait!"

As Elfilis turned to make their way back to the picnic spot, Kirby and Elfilin followed them. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla sped past the ultimate life-form, who sweated nervously.

"They sure are eager," they mused.

Kirby and Elfilin arrived at the picnic spot. Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandee and Adeleine were in the middle of serving themselves when they noticed the two guests of honor.

"Hey, Kirby!" Adeleine waved her hand.

"Poyo!"

Kirby stood on the tips of his feet and waved his arms back. Elfilis showed up with a relaxed expression in their eyes. Vesa, having finished arranging the food, proceeded to serve herself while giving her partner a gentle smile. Elfilis sat down next to her, not bothering to get a plate.

"This is nice," they said, observing the others sitting down with plates full of food in their hands.

Maybe next time they had a picnic, they should probably just invite Elfilin, Hyness and the Mage Sisters.

Once Vesa sat down, she took a bite out of a slice of byrek she managed to make earlier this morning. Elfilis rested their back against the nearby tree, looking up at the sky. Dedede happily munched down on a chicken drumstick. Meta Knight simply stuck to a cup of tea while Kirby and Elfilin munched on some slices of byrek. Adeleine also tried a slice of byrek.

"Hey, Vesa?" Adeleine commented, "this is great!"

"Thanks," Vesa smiled.

"So where did you learn this recipe?" Elfilin clamored.

Vesa took a moment to think over the question.

"I started writing my own recipe book," she explained, "I wouldn't want to forget the dishes I remember fondly from Ioskaria."

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"Oh," they commented, "I wasn't aware you were writing anything."

"I only recorded one recipe, though," Vesa shrugged with a nervous chuckle.

As everyone continued indulging in their lunch, Kirby spotted a familiar monster roller skating from the distance. This yellow-orange spherical creature kept its baseball cap on with one gloved hand while holding onto a crayon in the other hand. Its large round eyes fixated on the unattended easel. Elfilis twitched their feelers as they also took notice of the strange creature.

The roller-skating creature stopped just in front of the easel, examining the painting. Kirby recognized the creature but wasn't sure whether he should call to it or not. As soon as Adeleine finished her lunch, she shifted her gaze back to her easel, her eyes widening at the sight of the creature in a baseball cap. She stood to her feet and grabbed her paintbrush and palette. The young child stepped over to her easel and waved her hand.

"Hey," Adeleine called, "that's my painting. What do you think?"

The creature made a brief glance at Adeleine, but it didn't say anything as it returned its gaze to her artwork. Conveniently, Kirby finished his lunch and jumped to his feet. He stood up on the tips of his feet and waved his arms.

"Poyo!"

Adeleine blinked twice and turned her gaze towards the pink star warrior.

"You know this guy?" she asked him.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

The roller-skating creature made a brief glance at Kirby. After waving back at the pink puff, it pulled an easel out of its own pocket dimension with an empty canvas, setting it onto the ground. The creature scribbled on the canvas for less than a minute before presenting a drawing of a Mr. Tick Tock. By then, Meta Knight, Elfilin, Dedede and Vesa focused their eyes on the newcomer. It certainly was about on par with what Adeleine can do. Certainly good for a quick sketch and somewhat realistic with shading, but there were lots of places where there were still white spots that weren't filled in properly.

"Whoa," Adeleine commented.

Elfilis turned their head sideways, intrigued by such an interaction as they couldn't help but smile. Adeleine returned her gaze to her easel. She dipped the paintbrush into the paints on her palette and started painting. In a matter of minutes, she managed to paint an Ice Dragon.

"How's this?" Adeleine winked.

It seemed to contemplate her drawing before painting some more on its own canvas. Turning it to the young artist, it showed off a sketch of a Poppy Bros. Jr. complete with a lit bomb it was rolling on.

"Interesting," Meta Knight mused, "it looks like Paint Roller here has gotten a rival."

"Maybe," Elfilis commented, "but I guess we'll see."

Adeleine went back to her canvas and after a few minutes, she painted a Kracko. Paint Roller examined her sketch and then drew Marx, who seemed to be splitting himself in half and creating a black hole.

"Huh?" Elfilin blurted, tilting his head sideways, "did that guy meet Marx before?"

Vesa shrugged before taking a bite out of a cookie in her hand. Adeleine went on to paint an image of Bugzzy. Paint Roller added onto its existing painting, showing itself holding onto a tree for dear life and Magolor kind of trying to mediate the situation and calm Marx down.

"Poyo?"

Paint Roller put its hands up in an 'eh' gesture, probably meaning the painting was probably exaggerated.

"Oh, ok!" Adeleine replied.

Adeleine examined her canvas before she painted in a few Gordos. Paint Roller proceeded to paint a variety of objects like Galaxia, Dedede's Hammer, Kirby's Sword and assorted food items. By the time an hour passed, both Paint Roller and Adeleine painted as much they could think of as possible before having tired themselves out a little.

"Oh, boy," Elfilin commented, "I wonder who won the competition."

"Does it really matter who won?" Vesa gave Elfilin a confused look.

"I didn't really get the impression it was a competition and closer to a game," Elfilis shrugged, "there's no real winner or loser. All that matters is that they had a good time."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded in agreement.

Paint Roller picked up its easel and stashed it back into its pocket dimension.

"Ok," Adeleine waved her hand, "see you later!"

Paint Roller waved back before it skated off somewhere. From there, everyone else began packing up to leave.

Chapter Text

Vesa waited at the courtyard fountain the next day, staring at the constantly running water. To her right, she could see Kirby and Elfilin taking a nap on the bench. Fecto Elfilis stood nearby, staring up at the clear blue sky. She smiled as their tail swayed side to side and their winglike ears flexed at slow intervals.

"Let me know when you're ready to start," Elfilis glanced over their shoulder, "I'll monitor you and give advice if needed."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

After a minute, Vesa stood up from the edge of the fountain and approached her partner.

"Now I'm ready," she told them.

Upon cue, Elfilis turned to face her.

"Now what do you plan to start with?"

Vesa made a brief glance at the fountain.

"The water augment spell."

Elfilis sat down at the edge of the fountain, summoning a small dagger.

"This should help," they explained, "it's a special kind of dagger I made to help with your training. The runes I put into it will let it change how receptive it is to magical energy."

Vesa plucked the dagger out of Elfilis's hand and carefully examined it. With one hand, she kept a tight grip on the hilt. The fact its blade was too dull to pierce or slice anything gave her some bit of relief. She held out her other hand towards the fountain and began to concentrate. Her mana stirred in her body as a portion of the fountain's water began to rise in a blob-like shape. She levitated the water near the dagger. Soon enough, the blade absorbed the water, letting it shape itself into an edge. She got the feeling she could give someone a nasty paper cut this way.

Vesa took a moment to brush her fingers through her hair, only to notice something peculiar.

"Oh, it's…not even windy today," Vesa said to herself.

"I suppose we can practice casting without a source of an element at hand," Elfilis perked up their feelers.

Vesa somehow got the feeling Elfilis might somehow be annoyed at her, remembering the blessing she got from the Star Rod. How much time did she have left before it ran out?

"I-I'm sorry," Vesa lowered her head, "I should've practiced more often."

"Why are you apologizing?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa stiffened.

"I-I know I was supposed to use the Star Rod's blessing to my advantage," Vesa admitted, "but I guess…I've been keeping that reminder in my head not to exhaust my mana resources too hard."

"I'm not upset," Elfilis tried to reassure her, "it's certainly not ideal. Without the blessing of the Star Rod, you could seriously stunt your own growth and lack the mana needed to perform larger spells or grow beyond what you're capable now. I'm not sure if it's too late or if the blessing will take. Your caution is understandable, but too much of it can be a detriment to your determination and willpower. Thus, it can hamper the blessing since I can't even feel it on you anymore. It might not be too late, but you'll need to continue to practice at least once a day, take an hour or so to use a spell."

Vesa tried to examine herself inwardly. She might be of a race which had no magic, and yet…

"I-I don't know what happened to my determination," she confessed, "or my willpower."

Elfilis placed their hand on her shoulder.

"Well," Elfilis sighed, "luckily, the blessing wasn't a magical promise. Otherwise, this would be a bigger concern and there would be backlash for failing to keep your end of the deal. In this case, you simply won't develop your magic beyond that of a novice should the blessing fail."

Vesa took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Her mind reminded her body it was no longer in a constant state of danger. She no longer had to worry about when the next sepsis episode would hit her.

"I-I'll give it a try," Vesa proclaimed, "I still want to grow stronger."

"I'm glad to hear that," Elfilis replied, "if the blessing doesn't work, we may need to seek out…other methods…of fixing your magical issues. I have some ideas, but this was the one with the least amount of risk involved."

Vesa followed Elfilis through the courtyard garden until they reached a raised platform. She took another deep breath before she turned to face her partner. With the dagger still in her hand, she began to concentrate again, tapping into her mana reserves. At that point, her own magic had yet to learn how to sense anything. Taking deep breaths, she closed her eyes, her mind focusing on the dagger's blade.

Several minutes passed on in silence before she could feel light gusts of wind circulating around her hands. Elfilis noticed she was starting to sweat a little. Still, she kept her spine straight as she continued to concentrate. They summoned their spear and leaned on it a little. A few more minutes passed and the wind gusts she generated intensified in strength. Elfilis quickly noticed she was overcharging the enchantment. They worried she could run out of mana before she could even finish. By then, the dagger began absorbing the wind gusts, amplifying its power. Now the dagger was probably as sharp as it would normally be if it had an edge now.

Vesa slowly opened her eyes and examined her progress.

"D-Did I," she stammered, "did I do well?"

"You did," Elfilis nodded, "but you might've brute forced it at the end there. You probably have some papercuts from the amount of wind you summoned, but otherwise, you did well."

Vesa blinked twice as she examined her hands, taking note of the small cuts around her fingers. No blood seeped out of the cuts, but they felt sore. Elfilis approached her and reached into their pocket dimension.

"Here," Elfilis pulled out a magical candy bar.

Vesa offered the dagger while she plucked the candy bar from their hand. When she took a bite, she watched as the cuts on her fingers healed instantly.

"Thank you," Vesa smiled softly.

Once Elfilis took the dagger from her hand, Vesa leaned closer to them, wrapping their arms around their waist. Already, she was tired from the bit of practice today. The ultimate life-form dispelled the enchantment before stashing the dagger into their pocket dimension. They lifted their girlfriend into their arms and nuzzled her forehead.

"Do you want to head back?" they asked.

"Sure," she nodded.

Elfilis carried her back into the tower, making their way into the living room and sitting down at the couch. Vesa rested her head on their chest. The ultimate life-form purred deeply and pressed their head into the side of her neck. With one hand, she gently scratched the underside of their jaw.

"Elfilis?"

"Mm-hmm?"

Vesa took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts.

"If I still have the blessing," she said, "I want to know how much time I have left with it."

Elfilis slowly closed their eyes.

"I understand you're worried," Elfilis replied, "we can just keep up with your practice anyway. Whether or not it's still there, we'll be able to tell if your mana increases at all."

"Ok," she sighed.

Vesa continued scratching the underside of Elfilis's jaw while she perched her chin on their shoulder. The ultimate life-form purred even more as their tail wagged excitedly. The deep purrs soothed her to the point she held her partner close. Their tail curled around her side.

Kirby and Elfilin met up with Vesa and Elfilis out in the training arena the next morning. The ultimate life-form sat in a folding chair, waiting on standby in case their girlfriend needed any help.

"So what'cha wanna practice?" Elfilin clamored.

Vesa took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"I'm thinking of practicing my water augment spell this time," she answered.

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances. The pink star warrior stood on the tip of his toe.

"Poyo!" Kirby suggested.

Vesa blinked twice, trying to understand what the puffball meant.

"Really? How?"

Kirby took a moment to reach into his pocket dimension. Elfilis watched curiously as the pink star warrior seemed to enter a trance. It took them a few seconds to realize he was astral projecting himself into his own stomach. Minutes passed before Kirby pulled out a peculiar yellow cap with tiny wings on each side. He inhaled it and became Cutter Kirby.

"Peculiar," Elfilis mused, their feelers perking up.

Kirby turned and gave Elfilis a confused stare.

"Poyo?"

"Kirby," Elfilis told him, "we should speak later since I believe I have some training that could benefit you in the future."

Kirby curiously took a step closer to Elfilis as they rose from their chair and approached him.

"After we complete Vesa's training for the day," Elfilis continued, "we can attempt to help you with your own. I'm sure Meta Knight would appreciate the chance to bond with you over some training."

Kirby's eyes lit up at the mention of his father.

"Papa poyo!" Kirby chirped, jumping up and down excitedly.

Elfilis smiled and shifted their attention to Vesa.

"Once your mana reserves increase," Elfilis explained to Vesa, "we can see about upgrading to more advanced spells. We can have Fransisca train you in ice magic. If you have enough skill at that point, you can ask Flamberge and Zan to teach you the more dangerous fire and lightning magic. I could teach you spatial magic if you want me to, but that's even more dangerous since you don't seem to have an affinity for it."

Vesa blinked twice as she processed the information.

"Ok," she nodded, "I'll keep it in mind."

Kirby waddled over to Vesa, seemingly bouncing on his feet as he eagerly waited in anticipation. Like the lack of wind yesterday, there was no source of water nearby to rely on.

"Here goes," Vesa whispered to herself.

Vesa straightened her back, closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Elfilis watched carefully. As she took deep breaths, her mana stirred in her body. Nothing seemed to happen until several minutes later, tiny water droplets began appearing around her fingertips. A soft fog started to appear around her arms and hands, the air getting more dense with moisture. As Vesa continued to focus, Elfilin rubbed his head with his paws, the small chinchilla sensing water droplets in his fur.

"Uh-oh," Elfilin muttered.

Elfilin immediately flew over to Elfilis and buried himself into their chest mane. His sibling let out a startled squeak.

"Sorry," Elfilin blurted, "didn't wanna get wet."

"No worries."

Elfilis held the small chinchilla close and gave him a familial lick on the forehead, causing Elfilin to let out a cute squeak of his own. By then, the water droplets Vesa summoned grew into small wisps of water. Elfilis placed their little brother on top of their head between their antlers. Kirby watched in excitement as Vesa positioned her hands in front of her. Keeping herself focused, she manipulated all the water wisps surrounding her into a water blob.

Upon cue, Kirby pulled the boomerang blade off his helmet and raised it high in the air. Vesa levitated the water blob closer until the boomerang blade absorbed it. The pink star warrior smiled, even if he knew the spell made an alteration to his copy ability.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Vesa opened her eyes and examined her progress.

"So how is it?" she asked.

"Poyo!" Kirby smiled.

Vesa returned her smile.

"Thank you, Kirby."

"You did fine," Elfilis added, "with more practice, you'll do great."

Upon cue, Vesa turned to face Elfilis and approached them.

"Say," she asked, "I wonder if I should practice my barrier spell, or—"

All of a sudden, a plume of fire exploded out from a window higher up and Flamberge landed in the yard on fire, eliciting a startled yelp out of Vesa. The fire mage rose to her feet, small burning flames dotting her hat and her dress.

"I-I'm ok," Flamberge coughed out a small smoke cloud.

"I suppose it would be a good idea," Elfilis responded to Vesa's earlier question.

Elfilis lifted their hand and gathered up all the shattered glass, moving each individual shard back into place and repairing the window.

"Poyo!" Kirby scurried over to where the flames were.

Kirby threw the water enhanced boomerang blade at the small flames on the ground, extinguishing them in the process. Elfilis floated up to the room Flamberge flew out of to survey the damage. Luckily, no books were destroyed beyond repair and the room was mostly scorched pitch black. Maybe she got overeager in practicing a spell? If that was the case, it might've had a rebound since she messed it up somewhere. By the time the ultimate life-form floated back down, the fire mage already finished extinguishing the flames off her clothes. Vesa gave her partner an awkward stare.

"Do I want to know what happened?" Vesa tilted her head sideways.

Elfilis focused their eyes on Vesa.

"This is likely what a rebound looks like," Elfilis explained, "they're essentially magical backlash that can affect the body, mind, and soul depending on what kind of spell you're using. When you're interrupted when casting a spell, or not paying attention, you might suffer a rebound. The level of severity differs depending on the power and kind of spell, but in the worst cases, a rebound can hurt you and people around you badly if you mess up. If you're interested, I could show you a story of two young mages who suffered a particularly severe rebound."

"I see," Vesa replied.

Vesa and Kirby exchanged glances.

"Anyway," she continued, "I hope I have enough mana to carry out this."

Elfilis placed their hand on her shoulder, pausing her in her tracks.

"I suggest you take a twenty minute break and catch your breath," they advised, "this isn't a combat situation, so you can take your time until you're ready."

Vesa gave Elfilis an awkward glance.

"Oh, right," she blurted.

Vesa and Elfilis led Kirby, Elfilin and Flamberge back inside the tower, making their way to the foyer. By then, Kirby shed his copy ability. Vesa and Elfilis made a quick trip to the library, where she retrieved a couple instructional books relating to magic. When they returned to the foyer, they sat on the couch, Kirby and Elfilin gathering around them. As Vesa read through a book she picked out, the ultimate life-form locked eyes onto the pink puffball.

"This is probably a good time to teach you Astral Projection," Elfilis told Kirby, "you seem to be using a blunt and crude method of using it already to access your pocket dimension in your stomach."

"Poyo?" Kirby blinked twice.

"This skill can be taken further and used for more subtle things," Elfilis continued, "such as becoming a spirit temporarily and seeing others while they cannot see you. Attacking like this is impossible, but it'll be quite safe when I teach it to you. Right now, you're pulling your soul along with your consciousness. Taking your soul with you like this is quite dangerous, as you only need to project your consciousness out."

Kirby tilted his head sideways.

"Poyo."

"Learning this skill will likely give you better access to copy abilities in combat," Elfilis added, "alongside other consumed items. You should have some talent at it, considering you managed this much without assistance."

Kirby jumped up on the couch.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded in agreement.

Elfilis invited Kirby to read along on the book on astral projection. Twenty minutes later, Vesa set the book in her hands aside and stood up.

"I'll help you practice in a little bit," Elfilis told Kirby, "but don't do so without me. You can continue doing what you were doing before."

"Poyo!"

Elfilis handed Kirby the book before they stood up and approached Vesa.

"Are you ready?" Elfilis asked, "if you need more time to recover, just let me know."

"I'm ready," Vesa answered.

"All right," Elfilis instructed, "follow me outside. After you cast it, we can test its durability."

Vesa followed Elfilis out the front door and into the courtyard. Standing at the center, she locked eyes onto her partner as she straightened her back. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, her mana stirring in her body again. Elfilis watched as her mana moved into her palms. As she took a deep breath, she focused on not overusing her mana. A few minutes passed, and a magical barrier began to form in front of her. It seemed weak as it wobbled a little.

"That looks pretty good for a second try," Elfilis told her, "are you ready to test its durability?"

Vesa opened her eyes.

"Sure!" she smiled softly.

Elfilis summoned an ordinary hammer and gave the barrier a few gentle taps. After that, they gave it one solid "thwak" and the barrier shattered.

"Looks like it can stand up to one blow with about the force of a simple punch," Elfilis observed.

"So like the first time I cast it?" Vesa clarified.

"Pretty much," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis led Vesa back into the foyer. While she rested on the couch with Elfilin perched on her shoulder, the ultimate life-form began supervising Kirby in his lesson on astral projection.

Chapter Text

Vesa spent the rest of the week practicing her spells each day with Fecto Elfilis supervising her, cycling through her barrier spell, wind augment spell and water augment spell. The ultimate life-form could tell the blessing she had was still lingering.

At the end of the week, Vesa and Elfilis stood out in the training area alone. She kept her gaze fixated on the angelic lancer, her eyes filled with confidence.

"Ok," she told them, "I'm ready."

Elfilis nodded as their feelers perked up. They remembered Kirby's training with his astral projection went well last week, as he could now use up to two other copy abilities he picked out ahead of time during a fight; meaning he'd have those options on standby, so to speak.

Still, Elfilis focused on their girlfriend as she widened her stance, held out her right hand and straightened her spine. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, letting her mana reserves flow freely in her body. She didn't have to worry about the lack of wind this time. Concentrating the mana into her hands, it took her a few minutes before small wind gusts started appearing around her.

Elfilis observed carefully, noticing small papercuts forming even if it wasn't as bad as last time. Vesa held out the dagger in her left hand as she gathered the wind gusts into her right palm. With a gentle telekinetic push, she levitated the wind gust onto the dagger's blade. Soon enough, the dagger absorbed the wind.

Honestly, Elfilis was astounded their girlfriend learned telekinesis on her own, even if the application was a bit crude.

Having completed her spell, Vesa scanned her surroundings and spotted a nearby straw dummy. Switching the hilt of the dagger into her right hand, she did a swipe on the straw dummy. It left behind a mere scratch. She returned her gaze to Elfilis, who gave her a little nod.

"You're doing fine so far," they told her, "you can probably start trying to put more power into the spell now and increase the charge."

"Thanks," Vesa gave them a soft smile.

Vesa handed the dagger back to Elfilis, who put it back into their pocket dimension before she followed them back into the tower, making their way down the hallway. Once Vesa and Elfilis set foot into the foyer, they noticed Hyness greeting Magolor at the front door. They seemed to be having some sort of discussion. Vesa tilted her head sideways.

"Magolor's here?" she paused, "I wonder where Marx is."

"Probably doing something crazy," Elfilis shrugged.

Vesa and Elfilis continued their stroll through the foyer, approaching the two mages which caught their attention.

"Oh, Elfilis!" Hyness exclaimed, "perfect timing. I was just discussing with Magolor the advantages of a teleportation array over a teleportation spell! Tell me who do you think is right?"

Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw as their feelers twitched.

"Yeah, the spell is clearly superior," Elfilis reasoned, "one mage can carry a group of three other people with a spell and can use it at a rapid pace if they have the mana, or even stay on the other side of reality for a period of time and wait."

"Personally, I prefer the spell over an array," Magolor shrugged, "but both have advantages to their use. An array can carry fifty people at a time to a different location, but its downside is that it's more costly and you need to have it prepared ahead of time. It has a chance of failing to trigger and wasting mana if it isn't prepped on both sides as well. However, the teleportation spell allows rapid movement in combat that is hard to predict and skilled users can disappear and reappear nearby minutes after they vanish; allowing for even more unpredictability in combat. However it's also possible for a skilled mage to disrupt the spell and force someone's teleportation spell to miss, or even rebound. That is not possible with an array and an array is much safer. Though, my preference is still the spell since I'm a more combat focused mage as opposed to an artificer or enchanter."

"Good to see you, Magolor," Vesa smiled, tilting her head sideways.

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Miss Vesa," Magolor gave a little nod.

Vesa and Elfilis backed up a little, allowing Magolor to step inside.

"I should've guessed you'd side with him," Hyness huffed in mock irritation, "you're more combat focused, so it makes sense."

With a flick of his arm, the front doors closed.

"All right," Hyness sighed, "anyway, I finished setting up the printing press today, so we can go take a look at it."

Hyness led Vesa, Elfilis and Magolor down the hallway and into another room. Vesa noticed a large metal box with runes all over it has been set up, with a couple of metal plates sitting next to it, welded together into an L shape, and covered in runes. The box had a slot on the side to insert paper into it and another slot where the finished product leaves it. The box also had a spot to insert leather and glue.

Immediately, Vesa recalled when she learned of her people's earlier history of their own version of the printing press, probably during history class. She knew humans didn't have magic available, and electricity wasn't invented yet, so the parts the humans had to assemble were meant to be operated by human hands.

Maybe Hyness being more magically inclined than technically inclined could be considered a bit of a blessing.

"This is incredible," she commented.

"Oh, this was a parlor trick," Hyness waved the praise off, "it was just a bit time consuming."

Vesa and Magolor approached the printing press, carefully examining the details. The human couldn't understand the runes and complex spells littering the box.

"You really overcomplicated this thing," Magolor commented.

"You really did," Elfilis added, pointing to a string of runes near the bottom of the box, "I don't even know why you would add this one."

"This one's a redundancy," Magolor chimed in, "I don't think the press needs redundant functions…"

Hyness comically headed over to a corner of the room to sulk. Vesa sighed, feeling pity in her heart, and approached Hyness, giving him a pat on his hooded head.

"I don't know why there's this apparition," Elfilis continued, "why can it make physical copies of fictional characters? Why would you…?"

Elfilis sighed and pinched the bridge of their nose. The whole printing press felt like a parlor trick. The copies wouldn't have any kind of strength or skill, it would basically be a trick to use at parties. Vesa took a step back and glanced over her shoulder.

"Has it been tested yet?" she asked.

"It has, the main functions anyway," Hyness admitted, "it works perfectly fine, though I suppose it's a little over designed."

Vesa turned on her feet and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Maybe this way," Vesa added, "I could distribute the bedtime story I recorded to the rest of Dreamland."

"I suppose you could," Elfilis agreed.

Soon enough, Magolor finished examining the printing press.

"It seems silly in a lot of places," the floaty manipulative mage said, "but it should work well enough."

"I told you I already tested it," Hyness pouted.

Vesa placed her hand behind her head.

"Yeah, that's all that really matters to me," she admitted.

"You made copies of the book you wanted to put out, right?" Hyness asked.

"Not yet," Vesa shook her head.

"Well," Hyness suggested, "let me know what you're ready."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa left the room and sprinted down the hall. When she entered the foyer, she went down the staircase into the library. She searched the bookshelf on the library's first floor until she found the book title in the fiction section. When she pulled it off the shelf, she left the library and returned to the printing room. Elfilis still sat in the room with Magolor while looking over the runes on the printer.

In fairness, Elfilis noted their father was truly a master of his craft, able to fit so many runes on a single surface. Hyness was a prodigy in his own right while the ultimate life-form was born with the plenty of knowledge of runes that he implanted in them. Still, he surpassed them in skill. It still didn't mean he always applied it in the best way, but when he needed to get serious about it, he couldn't be beat in magical artifice.

Vesa approached Hyness with the book in her hand, holding it out before him.

"I found the book I was looking for," she told him.

Hyness turned around to face the human.

"Oh, good!" Hyness blurted, plucking the book from her hands, "how many copies do you want?"

Hyness inserted the book into the slot. Vesa placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head sideways.

"I'll start with twenty copies," she answered.

"Of course!"

Hyness started up the printing press machine. Vesa watched as it released twenty copies out of its slot over the course of two minutes. She smiled softly as Magolor picked up a copy and flipped through the pages at a rapid pace.

"Looks like pretty standard fairy tale stuff," Magolor commented.

"Yeah," Vesa agreed, "I'm sure someone out in Dreamland would appreciate an old tale preserved from my world."

"Probably," Magolor shrugged, "for historical reasons if nothing else. There are some people down at Capupu Village who are into that kind of thing."

The printing press released the original book from a slot, allowing Vesa to retrieve it.

"So what do you want to do now?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa tilted her gaze towards her partner.

"I'm thinking we can go get some jigsaw puzzles for the game room," she suggested.

Elfilis perked up their feelers and nodded before they stood up. Magolor blinked twice and set down the copy, approaching the two.

"Oh?" Magolor blurted, "I know a place where you can get puzzles!"

Vesa shifted her gaze towards the floaty manipulative mage.

"Go on," she beckoned.

"Well," Magolor explained, "I think I know somewhere you can look if you're interested in puzzles. Capupu Village has a toy store. Probably a good place to start."

Magolor pulled out some sort of tablet, taking notes of some kind. Elfilis's enhanced vision interpreted the new runes their father used and the style of how he was using them.

"Sounds great!" Vesa smiled, "you mind leading the way?"

Magolor sweated nervously.

"Oh no, I can't," Magolor blurted, "I have left Marx on his own for far too long and need to get going. I swear it's like babysitting a child most of the time, since he's absolutely not responsible to any capacity. I'll be pleasantly surprised if I only find a crater somewhere or some kind of 4 dimensional art project. Leaving him alone for more than an hour is never a good idea."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances as she sighed.

"It's not all bad, though," Magolor continued with a slight chuckle, "he's funny and a good person…to an extent. He just has some issues and I'm there for him. When he is around people and loved ones, it's minimized by a lot and he's much more stable. When left alone, however…"

Vesa tilted her head.

"Do I want to know?"

Magolor closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Well," he clarified, "I believe King Dedede technically rules all of Dreamland, but his efforts are mostly centered in Capupu village, where his subjects reside. Marx tried to apply as a Court Jester once, but he was quickly banned from ever entering the castle again after he turned the king's entire wardrobe pink and ran through the halls of the castle with a bucket of paint he enchanted to be endless. The endless enchantment created fluid that existed for a limited time so it went away after a while, but he was still barred from ever going inside again. He tried to plead Jester's Privilege, but that didn't seem to help. Meta Knight dragged him away personally, if I remember correctly. I was busy at the time, so I wasn't involved at all."

"Oh, brother," Hyness sighed.

"All right, you go on ahead and check on Marx," Vesa shrugged, "at least the village isn't too far from here."

"Alright, take care!" Magolor nodded.

Magolor spread out his arms and vanished in a teleportation spell. Vesa and Elfilis shifted their gaze towards Hyness.

"We'll be getting ready to head out soon," Vesa told Hyness.

"Have a great time!" Hyness smiled.

After Vesa grabbed some shoes, she and Elfilis left the tower. They traveled along the dirt path across the plains. Along the way, Vesa brushed her hand along some nearby pop flowers. These flowers ended up giving her the paper currency she still knew.

Once they arrived in Capupu Village, Vesa and Elfilis meandered down the street, passing by some of the locals who took a brief notice of the ultimate life-form. Elfilis didn't bother to react and kept walking beside their girlfriend. The two stopped at the entrance to the toy store minutes later. Elfilis had to duck their head as they followed Vesa into the store. They began meandering down the aisle until they spotted a shelf holding various boxes of jigsaw puzzles. She lit up and crouched down, browsing the images on the boxes. Her partner simply sat back and watched.

Vesa picked out a box labeled 500 pieces and a box labeled 1000 pieces. She stood up and gave Elfilis a gentle smile.

"These are a good start," she said.

"Glad to hear it," Elfilis nodded at her.

Vesa and Elfilis walked back down the aisle and approached the checkout counter.

"Heya!" a cappy clerk greeted, "what do you need?"

Vesa set the jigsaw puzzles onto the counter, the cappy clerk rang them up, a final price appearing on the cash register. Elfilis reached into their pocket dimension and handed over the matching amount of star coins to cover the cost, including a ten percent tip.

"Thank you for stopping by Gengu's Toy Store," the clerk stashed the boxes into a bag, "have a pleasant day."

"Thank you, sir," Vesa smiled.

Gengu handed Vesa the bag.

"Want me to hold onto it?" Elfilis asked.

"I got it taken care of," Vesa shook her head.

"All right."

Vesa and Elfilis left the store and made their way back to the tower. When the ultimate life-form opened the door, Elfilin was at the other side waiting to greet them.

"Heya, guys!" Elfilin chirped, floating around Vesa and Elfilis curiously.

"Hey, Elfilin," Vesa replied, holding up the bag, "we just got some jigsaw puzzles for the game room."

"Oh, that's neat!" Elfilin did a happy back flip.

Vesa and Elfilis entered the tower and made their way to the game room with Elfilin following them. She pulled the boxes out of the bag and put them on a shelf. Her finger traced the box with the label 500 pieces.

"Elfilin," Vesa asked, "have you ever tried a jigsaw puzzle?"

Elfilin tilted his head sideways.

"Nope," Elfilin admitted, "I don't think so. Sometimes, after the whole thing where they absorbed me…"

Elfilis lowered their head.

"Sorry," they sighed.

"I get flashes of their memories of things back at…uhm, you know," Elfilin added, "so I know what they are and remember a little of that, but I haven't tried it personally."

Vesa pulled out the box and placed it on the table, running her fingernail on the seal and slicing it open. After a moment, she handed the box to Elfilis, allowing them to carefully remove the lid.

"Thanks," Vesa smiled.

Vesa opened the box and sat down before she started searching for the edge pieces. Elfilis already saw the outcome of the puzzle mentally laid out for them, mentally running simulations of what would go where. While they merely watched, Elfilin decided to join in on searching for matching puzzle pieces.

Chapter Text

Vesa kept up with her daily magic practicing regimen with Elfilis guiding her. Each time she successfully cast a spell of her choosing for the day, she and her partner would either hang out at the library reading a book together or working on a jigsaw puzzle in the game room.

After another week passed, Vesa and Elfilis waited outside the tower courtyard. While they waited, they felt it was worth passing the time to practice the barrier spell. The ultimate life-form kept an eye on their girlfriend as she crossed her arms over her chest and concentrated.

With her mana flowing freely through her body, she managed to create a stronger barrier in less than a minute. Elfilis perked up their feelers, feeling rather proud of Vesa and confident knowing she has means to protect herself. She smiled at them before she examined her palms.

"Let's see," she said to herself, "I wonder what spell I could cast next."

Elfilis tilted their head to the side. After a moment, Vesa tilted her gaze towards the ground.

"Elfilis," Vesa asked, "what traits would an earth elemental augment include?"

"Earth tends to be a literal solid element, in this case," Elfilis explained, "it's used in both offensive and defensive spells and augmenting different base spells like your shield with it is both good and bad. Good because your barrier will become much more durable, and bad because you won't be able to see anything outside of your barrier unless you have advanced senses, since your barrier will be made of a much more durable material that tends to change depending on your level of mastery and what kind of material you want it to be made from. But such shields are hard to break for most people, but there are…other ways to get around that kind of shield as well."

"Does the element have practical uses as well?" Vesa replied.

"Plenty of earth mages did construction work back home since they couldn't make good foundations for buildings," Elfilis reasoned, "or became farmers since they knew where the most fertile soil was, and could instantly make rows for their crops among many things an ordinary farmer couldn't do. Earth magic can also be used to locate rare metals underground and so on."

"Thanks," Vesa smiled.

Elfilis pulled out a book on magic theory. She plucked the book from their hands. As Vesa went on to read through the book, Elfilis thought back to the many horrific experiments happening around them as the scientists from their girlfriend's planet attempted to harness their energy and biology for their own purposes.

The silence broke when Meta Knight appeared from the horizon. The angelic lancer spotted him as he approached the entrance to the courtyard.

"Hello," Elfilis nodded at him, "it's nice to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too," Meta Knight replied with a nod, "are you two prepared to head to the Halberd?"

Vesa blinked twice before she tucked the book under her arm.

"Uhh, yeah," she answered.

"I, too, am ready to proceed," Elfilis added.

"Very well," Meta Knight advised, "follow me."

Vesa and Elfilis followed Meta Knight across rolling plains along the dirt path. A while passed before they entered a large cave. Once inside, the ultimate life-form and their girlfriend gazed upon the Battleship Halberd docked on the ground. Sword knights and blade knights wandered around, helping move supplies and one of them was doing a little mechanical work on an exposed panel on the outside of the ship, swearing to himself in a heavily accented tone. Vesa tilted her head as she examined the ship's batlike wings and its bow which resembled Meta Knight's mask. Even Elfilis appreciated the design.

"That is so cool," Vesa commented.

"Why, yes, and functional as well," Elfilis agreed, "I can tell from here that the main deck is located in the hole of the mask. However it must have some kind of powerful barrier over it, otherwise that would be a large design flaw."

Meta Knight sweated nervously under his mask, making a mental note to put a barrier over that later. Vesa took notice of a large cannon on top of the ship.

"That is the Combo Cannon," Meta Knight explained proudly, "it can fire two flak shells at once, pulse energy projectiles, and lasers."

Meta Knight, Elfilis and Vesa began circling the perimeters of the ship. Before long, a Waddle Dee in a sailor hat approached the three.

"Sir," the Waddle Dee saluted excitedly, "the Halberd is ready to deploy on your command!"

Meta Knight nodded at the Waddle Dee in acknowledgment.

"We can depart soon," Meta Knight replied, "let the captain know to ready the reactor and engines and prepare the sails."

"Huh?" Vesa blurted.

Meta Knight led Elfilis and Vesa towards the entrance of the ship.

"Are we taking this ship somewhere?" Vesa placed her hand behind her head.

"The plan is to cruise the skies above Dreamland for a test flight," Meta Knight reasoned, "the ship is perfectly safe, even if there was a crash as it can enter a slow glide so long as the wings are even a quarter intact. This is mostly to look for any issues. I scheduled this test flight to coincide with your arrival here."

Once they stopped at the side of the ship, a set of stairs emerged and a door slid open. Vesa and Elfilis followed Meta Knight as they climbed their stairs into the ship. They meandered down the corridor and took an elevator until they set foot into the bridge. She noticed a birdlike creature standing near the steering wheel with a captain's hat on top of his head. When Meta Knight made his approach, the birdlike captain turned around and locked eyes onto him.

"Ah," the bird greeted, "greetings, Sir Meta Knight…and guests."

The bird captain gave Vesa and Elfilis a skeptical stare. Vesa fidgeted nervously, yet she still gave a deep bow of respect.

"I'm Vesa Krasniqi," she replied before gesturing to Elfilis, "and this is my romantic partner Fecto Elfilis."

The birdlike captain cleared his throat.

"I see," he replied, "I was given a briefing ahead of time, but I will be honest…this whole situation just feels weird to me."

"Well sir," a knight in purple armor with a mace clarified in a robotic voice, "it could be because of that time Kir— "

The bird captain snapped his head towards the mace knight.

"Not one more word about him!" the bird captain squawked.

The mace knight nodded apologetically and returned to his duty.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly," the bird placed his hand on his chest, "I'm Captain Vul, the one who will be commanding everyone on deck and only just below Meta Knight on the command structure for the ship. I also do most of the piloting."

Vesa tilted her head sideways with a gentle smile. Elfilis blushed as they gently curled their tail around her side. As she leaned closer to them, Vul and Meta Knight exchanged another glance.

"Do you two need a roo—" Vul began to say.

Meta Knight cut him off by elbowing him. Captain Vul quickly straightened himself before returning his focus to the crew on the bridge.

"I'll start showing you around now," Meta Knight proclaimed.

Vesa and Elfilis followed Meta Knight out of the bridge, walking down the hall and down a long set of stairs. They set foot aboard a trolley, which zoomed along its tracks. When they stepped off, they entered the reactor room. A large machine sat in the middle with a crystal held in place. Generators attached to the walls had Wheelies inside powering the reactor.

"As you can see," Meta Knight explained, "this ship's main reactor relies on not just the Wheelies in this room, but also natural sunlight obtained via the sails which double as fabric based solar panels."

Vesa tilted her head sideways, intrigued that the Wheelies didn't need to eat or sleep. She put an index finger on her chin.

"I suppose that makes sense," she commented.

"Of course," Meta Knight agreed, "the crystal in the reactor efficiently transforms that energy into both magical and electric energy for different parts of the Halberd's functions. It's critical to making the Combo Cannon work. Though, since the last time the Halberd was destroyed, I've installed several electric and magical batteries so the destruction of the reactor won't mean the ship will go down immediately. There will likely be a several hour period where it'll still function properly."

"Good to know," Vesa nodded.

Meta Knight led Vesa and Elfilis out of the reactor room and hopped back onto the trolley. The trolley zipped across the ship until it stopped at its destination, allowing the three to disembark and step through a sliding door. Inside, weapons lined up neatly on shelves and racks on one side of the room. On the other side sat various boxes of cargo. A large area nearby held containers of explosives. Vesa took note of the large seam in the middle of the floor, likely meaning it could open up and drop a payload of either cargo or something more volatile. At the corner of the room, she noticed a large mechanical lobster.

"I wonder if," Vesa mused to herself, "if my civilization was still around today, this ship could take on Redgarica's military."

Vesa made a brief glance at Meta Knight and Elfilis.

"No offense to you, Elfilis," Vesa tried to reassure them.

"None taken," Elfilis replied, "and yes, it absolutely could if we're talking about before they tore me apart to power their technology. Afterwards? A toss up, probably."

Meta Knight cupped the bottom of his mask with one hand. Elfilis and Vesa shared glances as they mentally evaluated how much of an easy victory Meta Knight would have against Redgarica's military. Nothing short of nuking the area would be capable of stopping him and even then he could still phase out and teleport to another area before they could even try.

After a minute or two, Meta Knight led Vesa and Elfilis back onto the trolley. They visited the front deck to examine the wings. All that was left was just the basics. Meta Knight led Vesa and Elfilis into the galley.

"If you need something to eat, ask the chef's and they will see about making something for you," Meta Knight told them, "I need to head up to the bridge and start preparing for take off."

Meta Knight left the galley. With not much else to do, Vesa and Elfilis sat at a table.

"So how are you doing?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa placed the book on the table.

"I'm doing ok," Vesa answered, "it just happened to be a random thought that popped into my head."

"I know," Elfilis let out a depressed sigh.

Vesa noticed Elfilis's fur had bristled, including their tail. Sighing, she placed her hand on their shoulder. They leaned towards her and purred softly. Using her free hand, she opened the book and continued to read through the text. Elfilis let out a soft breath, trying to calm themselves a little more.

"Sorry if I brought up any bad memories," Vesa lowered her head.

"It's alright," Elfilis replied, "I know you didn't mean to."

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis, allowing them to place their arm over her shoulder. She tilted her head up so they could give her forehead a gentle lick. The ultimate life-form blushed as their tail wagged happily. They both shifted their gaze towards the nearby window. Soon enough, they heard distant engines whirring to life. Their large ears twitched and glanced in the direction they heard the noise. They witnessed the landscape outside the window shifting, almost as if the ship began its ascent.

Vesa wasn't sure why, but she couldn't help but fidget with excitement.

Vesa and Elfilis watched as the Halberd ascended from the cave. The ship left the surface and took off into the sky. With the Halberd sailing through the sky, Elfilis and Vesa remained snuggled up together. She went back to reading the book on the table. She went on to study the magical theory as explained in the text.

"I wonder if there's a place on the ship suitable for practicing magic," Vesa said.

"I don't think this ship was made for that," Elfilis admitted, "there is a training room, but I'm sure it's more for real weapons practice rather than magical practice."

"Oh," was all Vesa could say, "I guess I'll learn earth magic later. Maybe it's worth trying to see if I could augment one of the weapons with water?"

"Water doesn't make a very effective weapon unless you pressurize it very heavily like what Fransisca did with her own water gun."

Vesa scratched her head.

"Then," she asked, "perhaps I'll work on my wind spell?"

Elfilis blinked slowly.

"A much better choice," Elfilis agreed.

Vesa grabbed her book and stood up. Elfilis followed suit. They both left the galley and took the trolley. They crossed the armory to get to the training room. They both scanned their surroundings and took note of an Axe Knight and a Javelin Knight in a sparring session. A Sword Knight and Blade Knight were also locked in combat and bickering with each other in heavily accented voices.

She swore one of them was the mechanic working on the Halberd's exterior earlier.

Vesa shifted her attention to the weapon rack nearby. She noted the amount of swords of different shapes and builds, maces, axes, spears and other exotic weapons like chakrams, flails, daggers and bows. Her finger traced along the handle of a mace with spikes on it. The Axe Knight and the Javelin Knight began to take a break when they noticed the human.

"What brings you here, ma'am?" the Axe Knight called over.

Vesa snapped out of her thoughts and glanced over her shoulder. Sword and Blade Knight paused and put their swords back in their sheaths.

"Well," Vesa answered, "I'm thinking of which weapon to augment with wind."

"Well, none of us are mages," the Blade Knight shrugged, "we've got some folks that can do minor magic, not much more than for lighting campfires or spells to help with field triage or making clean water, though."

"I…understand," Vesa shifted her gaze to Elfilis.

"Personally," Elfilis elaborated, "I believe there are a lot of excellent choices. Swords are the most famous cutting weapon, but a mace is also a good option; or a flail, since the sharp bits embed themselves in a target and then the wind will slash at their insides and deal a lot of internal damage. I recommend a crossbow, since the crossbow also does that, but at range."

The other soldiers nodded in agreement before they chattered among themselves. Vesa took a moment to think before she grabbed a crossbow off the rack.

"Oh," the Blade Knight blurted, "perhaps we could set up a target for you, if you want?"

The other soldiers seemed to fidget with anticipation.

"What kinds of enemies did you fight during the war?" Elfilis asked, "do you want me to see if I can come up with a convincing copy for you to unload bolts into?"

The Blade Knight immediately raised his hand.

"Oh!" the Blade Knight exclaimed, "do one of that bastard Yamikage! He was one of the only traitors we had during the war that went to Nightmare willingly. He was turned into a Darkness Beast but got to keep his free will. He assassinated a good chunk of high command before we even learned he defected."

"We never caught him, though," Axe Knight added.

Vesa took a moment to position the crossbow carefully. She set down the book and began to concentrate. Elfilis began to craft a series of magical dummies based on the soldiers' memories. Ironically, they seemed to have a punchable body. Soon enough, Vesa generated wind gusts with her mana and concentrated them into the crossbow.

"Wow," the Sword Knight commented, "if I didn't see you do that magic, I would think he was really here."

Having augmented the crossbow with the wind element, Vesa examined the dummies.

"Bastard killed a lot of our buddies back during the war on his way to join Nightmare as some kind of fucked up gift," the Sword Knight continued, "one night, he just started killing people in their sleep and before we knew what was going, on there were a dozen tents all with their inhabitants slaughtered. Killed most of our command structure at the time too…Gawain, Mordred, Bedivere, Gareth. Fuck."

Vesa tried aiming the crossbow at one of the targets, though she hadn't figured out how to hold it properly.

"Here, let me help," the Javelin Knight approached the human.

The Javelin Knight grabbed another crossbow and demonstrated where to put the fingers and how to grip it. Vesa followed along, shifting her hands to grip the ranged weapon as instructed. She aimed the crossbow at one of the targets and pulled the trigger. The bolt sailed true and nailed the practice dummy in the center mass. Large lacerations appeared on the outside, which seemed good until Vesa realized it was only a wooden bolt. The destruction even a normal bolt could do must be a lot, not even considering the internal damage that was probably happening.

Astounded, Vesa put the crossbow back on the rack before approaching Elfilis.

"That was impressive," Elfilis praised, "it flew straight and right where you pointed it."

"Thank you!" Vesa smiled.

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis as they both locked eyes onto the soldiers.

"I think I got enough magic practice for today," she told Elfilis.

Elfilis proceeded to enchant the bolts, much to the excitement of the soldiers before handing them the quiver. After that, Elfilis led Vesa out of the training room.

Chapter Text

The next week went on with Vesa continuing her practice on her magic. When Elfilis wasn't mentoring their girlfriend, they would take some time to talk with Fransisca, keeping her up to date on their mental state.

Elfilis had been getting rather twitchy, as they've been planning to destroy Lab Discovera for a while. At first, it had mostly been idle chatter, but anxiety tended to creep the angelic lancer's thoughts, wanting to get it over with.

When that day came, Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin left the tower and met up with Magolor, King Dedede, Bandee and Meta Knight at the Lor Starcutter. Vesa took note as her partner's fur was bristling. After all of this, it would at least be cathartic. The pink star warrior scurried ahead and waved his arm.

"Poyo!" Kirby called over.

Dedede, Magolor, Meta Knight and Bandee pause in their chatter and focus on Dreamland's hero.

"Oh!" Magolor blurted, "morning, Kirby!"

"You're ready for the trip, right?" Bandee added.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Elfilis, still tense, made their way into the Lor Starcutter. Vesa sighed as she focused on the others. Without warning, Marx popped out of the ground.

"Wow," Marx commented, "what crawled up their—?"

Magolor put a hand on Marx's mouth before he could finish.

"Marx," Magolor chastised, "I told you that you need to be more understanding and not cause issues while we're here. Otherwise, I'll just leave you at home."

Marx pouted for a brief moment.

"Anyways," Bandee continued, "what's the plan?"

"The plan is to have you guys gather up as many people as you can find," Magolor explained, "Marx will help you find where everyone is with his soul magic. Then, you lead them to a place where I put a…teleportation array. After that, we'll get everyone out."

Elfilin did a back flip.

"Sounds like a plan!" Elfilin nodded.

"Alrighty," Dedede declared, "now let's get going!"

Magolor nodded before he led Kirby, Elfilin, Vesa, Meta Knight, Bandee and Dedede aboard the Lor Starcutter. Once inside, Vesa checked the bridge for her partner's whereabouts. Before long, she saw Elfilis sulking alone in one of the side rooms. Frowning, she sat down next to them.

"Hey," she said.

"Oh," Elfilis blurted, their feelers twitching, "hello, Vesa."

Their fur bristled and their tail swayed nervously. Elfilis should've been in a great mood, confident it would be all over once their task was complete. Yet, they still couldn't shake off this nagging mental funk. Vesa leaned towards them and wrapped one arm around their waist. Elfilis blushed and returned the gesture.

"It's ok," Vesa assured them, "I'm here."

"And I appreciate that," Elfilis curled their tail around her side.

Vesa smiled softly and pressed the side of her head on their chest. Elfilis purred and held her close. They both glanced out the port window, noticing as the ship was taking off now. The Lor Starcutter sailed its way through the star-shaped portal it just made. Soon enough, the ship arrived in the skies above Redgar Forbidden Lands. Elfilis let out a soft breath, their right hand's claws digging into their own leg as they mentally reminded themselves it was just a place; an abandoned place…it couldn't hurt them anymore. Once the Lor Starcutter touched down, Vesa noticed as Elfilin floated into the room from the corridor.

"Ok," Elfilin waved his paw, "we're here!"

Elfilis stared at their little brother and nodded at him. The small chinchilla fluttered his arms excitedly as Elfilis and Vesa stood up. The ultimate life-form wasn't sure how to feel about Elfilin's enthusiasm, which they didn't share with him. Elfilin led Vesa and Elfilis out onto the bridge where Magolor, Marx, Kirby, Meta Knight, Dedede and Bandee were waiting for them.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Vesa smiled at the pink star warrior as she walked up to Magolor.

"So who's leading the evacuations?" she asked.

"Dedede and Marx are going to be leading the team," Magolor explained, "Marx is in charge of finding everyone and Dedede is in charge of deciding who goes where and assisting in evacuation."

"Got it," Vesa nodded in agreement.

Vesa glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes onto Elfilis.

"So where's the teleportation array?" she pondered.

"Gimme a few minutes. I'll make one over at the lab and hook it up to the one on the ship," Magolor suggested.

Magolor vanished in a purple flash of light. Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandee, Marx, Kirby and Elfilin shared blank stares.

"So," Bandee said, "are we moving out?"

"Yup!" Marx chirped, balancing on a beach ball, "do you guys want me to teleport you or do you want to walk?"

"Poyo poyo," Kirby answered, "poyo."

"True," Marx agreed with some creepy giggles, making everyone fidget slightly, "but where's the fun in that? Why would you travel without the risk of your innards becoming outards? Teleportation is fun like that!"

Elfilis shuddered, their feelers twitching in confusion.

"Just because you can risk pretty much any kind of damage without dying doesn't mean everyone else can," Elfilis calmly reminded the jester.

Marx paused before he sighed in disappointment.

"Oh yeah," he muttered.

Vesa chuckled nervously as she and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"Well," she proclaimed, "I'll wish you guys luck!"

"Poyo!"

Kirby led Elfilin, Bandee, Marx, Dedede and Meta Knight out of the Lor Starcutter. Without hesitation, the pink star warrior summoned the Warp star before he, the Waddle Dee and the small chinchilla hopped on. When the Warp Star took off, Marx teleported Dedede and Meta Knight to Magolor's location. Meta Knight brushed some dust off his cape before approaching the floaty manipulative mage.

"Oh?" Magolor blurted, "what is it?"

"Kirby is on his way to the lab," Meta Knight informed.

"All right," Magolor nodded idly, "I assume he won't be too long, so that's not a huge concern."

Meta Knight and Dedede shifted their gaze towards the large entrance to the lab ahead of them.

"Ok, I'll help guide you guys," Marx sat on his beach ball, "I can tell there are between 40 and 50 people inside."

Dedede took a moment to think while he rubbed his chin.

"Well," Dedede proclaimed, "let's get on moving!"

Dedede and Meta Knight made their way into the abandoned lab with Marx following close behind. The sliding front door was left ajar as it didn't function anymore. The jester happily kicked his ball at the door, creating an explosion which sent it flying down the hallway. For a moment, Dedede and Meta Knight had to take cover, only to emerge from their cover once the smoke dissipated in less than a minute.

"Well," Meta Knight commented, "that's one way to open a door."

Dedede and Meta Knight hurried inside the abandoned lab with Marx following close behind. The jester's eyes lit up as they fixated on the veteran knight.

"I didn't think you had a sense of humor!" Marx exclaimed excitedly, "oh, this is great! Now, I can tell you all kinds of jokes!"

Meta Knight shuddered and groaned as he put his gloves over his mask, wishing those words never left his mouth. Dedede checked his surroundings before he gave Meta Knight a reassuring pat on the head.

"Hey, Dedede," Marx inquired, rolling ahead of the two, "why can't you trick an unemployed jester?"

Dedede facepalmed as he and Meta Knight ventured through the empty lobby. Maybe the penguin made the right decision to kick out this lunatic of a jester.

"Because that jester is no one's fool!" Marx continued with a fit of giggling.

Dedede and Meta Knight approached a pack of Awoofies. The penguin stopped just before them and patted on his chest, catching their attention.

"Come on guys, you need to get out of here. We're doing an evacuation right now due to some issues with the lab. It's not super urgent though, so grab what'cha need and let's skedaddle," Dedede instructed, "head out to the front door and we'll get outta here before long."

The Awoofies followed Dedede's orders and prepared to leave the lab.

"Hey, we aren't just making these guys leave their home or anything, right?" Marx pondered, having gained some mental stability.

While the jester began thinking hard about the situation, Meta Knight's eyes wandered until he spotted Kirby, Elfilin and Bandee at the other side of the lobby. The pink puffball returned his glance and waved at the veteran star warrior.

"Poyo!" he chirped.

Meta Knight gave his son a nod and wrapped his cloak around himself. Dedede sprinted towards the pink star warrior while the small chinchilla perked up his large ears and waved his paw at the approaching penguin.

"Ugh, feeling guilty is awful. It's times like this when I regret deciding to be a good guy," Marx yelled across the room, unfurled his wings out and used them to pull his hat in both directions, "hey guys, why is it that I'm the only one who feels like an asshole?!"

Kirby and Elfilin focused their gaze on the frustrated jester. The small chinchilla floated over to Marx, circling around him.

"What? We're basically blowing up the homes of these critters we are evacuating. In twenty minutes, I'm probably not going to care. But right now, I feel like it's an issue," he grumbled, "I hate having morals because ever since I decided to have them it makes me feel bad about the things I do."

"Well," Elfilin replied, "I'm sure Leongar and Clawroline will be more than happy to provide new homes. Clawroline is especially nice when you get to know her!"

"Yeah," Marx frowned, "but why should they need to leave this one? Just because two people feel bad about this place, it needs to become everyone else's problem? I get the idea of taking revenge. Trust me, I do. But this feels…this whole situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Kirby and Elfilin shared worried glances before the pink star warrior walked up to the jester.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, "poyo?"

"Nope," Marx answered, "I only really started to think of the issue after we got here and started forcing people to abandon their homes. I'm trying to be a better person when I can, and this just felt off to me. We're planning on blowing this place up, just to make two people feel good because the place is blown up. Villains blow other people's things up to make themselves feel better. I'm trying to leave that part of myself behind…you know…when I can."

From there, Kirby, Elfilin and Dedede exchanged glances with Meta Knight and Bandee.

"Well," Bandee sighed, "maybe we can wait until Marx gets a chance to talk to them?"

"I mean sure we should talk about it. But what about you guys?" Marx pointed at everyone, "I get that you guys are all trying to help, but this isn't really helping too much. These people shouldn't need to move out of their home for—"

Marx's eyes glowed pink for a moment, which caused Dedede and Meta Knight to shudder. They wouldn't be getting much else from Marx for a while.

"I wonder if there are any other members of the Beast Pack's high command still in here," Elfilin pondered.

"I dunno, maybe," Marx muttered, "I always get the worst headaches when this happens again."

Kirby and Bandee sprinted their way towards the door to the elevator. They searched both directions for a flight of stairs. It didn't take long for them to find some stairs nearby.

Since they couldn't ride the elevator, Kirby led Elfilin, Bandee, Meta Knight, Dedede and Marx up a few flights of stairs. The jester resorted to dismissing his ball and flying up the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, Kirby wandered down the empty hallway. Marx withdrew his wings and summoned his beach ball, proceeding to balance on it.

"You know you can always let me know if you want to hear a joke," Marx mentioned, eyes locked onto a door to a room, "oh, and there's another group in there."

"Poyo!"

Elfilin and Kirby happily hopped up and down before they dashed towards the door.

"Glad that I don't need to deal with the guilt anymore," Marx said to himself, "that was awful. Ok, let's get these people out of here!"

When Kirby and Elfilin entered the room, they spotted a few Mookies, a Jabhog and a few Bernards. The pink star warrior stood on the tips of his toes and waved his arms.

"So, uhh," Elfilin stammered while holding up his little paws, "if you guys could come with us and evacuate the building, that would be great! Please don't shoot at us?"

The occupants shifted their gazes to the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla.

"So would it be ok if you guys could leave the building, please?" Elfilin added nervously.

"Poyo," Kirby replied with great confidence, "poyo. Poyo poyo!"

Elfilin drooped his ears and wagged his tail nervously. The Mookies and Bernards exchanged glances for a moment before they nodded. The small chinchilla let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, he hasn't gotten used to the fact being a part of Elfilis proved he didn't have lungs.

Kirby and Elfilin led the group out of the room, the pink star warrior gesturing them to the stairs. Kirby twirled on one foot and waved his arm at Dedede.

"Poyo!"

King Dedede nodded at the pink puffball as everyone gathered around him. Elfilin simply floated above the pink star warrior, his large ears twitching with anticipation.

"Sire," Bandee asked, "orders?"

"Well," Dedede rubbed his chin, "I'm thinking we should split up. Meta Knight here can probably work on his own. Kirby, Elfilin and Marx can be a group, and I'll go work on tryin' to keep the locals from getting antsy or runnin' off. Wouldn't be good if they wandered back inside or went somewhere else where we can't find 'em."

Dedede's eyes locked onto Bandee.

"Bandee," Dedede proposed, "you can come with me to help keep the peace with the locals, or you can go with Meta Knight."

Bandee took a moment to think over the options. After a moment, he approached the king and gave him a salute.

"You can count on me to assist you, sire!" Bandee proclaimed.

"Then I don't think much else really needs to be said," Dedede gave a wink, "this should be pretty straightforward."

Chapter Text

With a plan made solid, Dedede and Bandee returned to the entrance of the lab. Meta Knight took off in one direction while Kirby, Elfilin and Marx headed in another direction. The small chinchilla floated ahead of the two and listened in for any commotion from the members of the Beast Pack. Kirby huffed as Marx told bad joke over bad joke.

Still, Marx turned his gaze to another door in the hallway.

"Poyo?"

"There's another group in here," the jester sighed in a way which hinted at boredom.

Kirby and Elfilin scurried into the room and spotted a few Sssnackers, three Rabiroos, one Tortorner and a couple Buffahorns.

"Poyo!" Kirby stood on the tips of his feet and waved his arms.

The Tortorner leered at Kirby, its expression giving a hint of nausea. Elfilin made an expression of discomfort and turned away. In a matter of seconds, the Tortorner spat out a Rare Stone which plopped onto the floor. The small chinchilla made a brief glance over his shoulder.

"Eww," Elfilin muttered, "it's one of those neat rocks we found, but now it's all icky and covered in spit and…other stuff. I don't wanna touch it."

Kirby cautiously approached the Rare Stone, his gaze focused on the locals.

"Poyo… poyo," Kirby asked, "poyo?"

After a moment of silence, the Rabiroos approached the pink star warrior. Kirby proceeded to use his limited speech and body movements to explain the order to evacuate the ancient lab. Before long, they filed out of the room, the large tortoise creature taking a while since it was so large and slow. Kirby turned to pick up the Rare Stone and stash it into his pocket dimension.

"Poyo!" Kirby called over to Elfilin.

Elfilin turned around carefully, having already turned his nose off for a bit which was something his older sibling taught him.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked.

"I guess so," Elfilin nodded.

Elfilin's eyes wandered to Marx, who made an uneasy expression.

"Hey, Marx?" Elfilin asked, "you're awfully quiet, are you ok?"

Marx blinked twice.

"Oh, I'm fine," Marx answered, "I was just wondering what that soul fragment was doing inside that turtle thing."

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged surprised glances.

"Soul fragment?" Elfilin warbled.

"Poyo?"

"Yeah, you know," Marx balanced on his ball, "of tall, blue and traumatized?"

Kirby lowered his gaze and thought of the blueprints he found during his travels through the Forgotten Land…of the Rare Stones he found in the Treasure Vortexes. No doubt he already hired the weaponsmith at Waddle Dee Town to upgrade his copy abilities before he even set foot in the ancient lab. No doubt those fragments of Elfilis's soul had also been ripped out of the upgrades which set all of his copy abilities back to normal.

"Yeah, he's kind of a patchwork right now; missing one big chunk," Marx continued, "you and a bunch of little pieces that seem to be just settling in and repairing itself. It'll probably be a few years until their soul fixed the parts that were torn off and put back into them, and a decade or more to fix the parts that are just outright missing."

"Poyo," Kirby sighed.

Kirby led Elfilin and Marx out of the room.

"Poyo," Kirby suggested, "poyo poyo."

Elfilin also took a moment to think over his own existence, almost like it meant his sibling was spiritually incomplete. He never really thought about that too much, yet he still felt bad for his larger fragment.

Still, Kirby, Elfilin and Marx went on to search the rest of the lab. The jester would point to a group of locals and the pink star warrior would persuade them to evacuate the lab. It wasn't long before the entire building was empty, and Marx gave the final confirmation of the vacancy. From there, Kirby, Elfilin and Marx met up with Meta Knight, Dedede and Bandee outside.

"So are we ready to blow this place up?" Marx grumbled impatiently, "I have other things I want to do today and I do not want to suddenly get morals again before we decide to do this."

Magolor shifted his gaze to Marx.

"What?" Marx blurted, "I'm serious! I don't want to feel guilty later and a big explosion might make me feel better."

Magolor facepalmed with a sigh before shifting his attention to the teleportation array.

"Ok," Magolor instructed, "everyone into the magic circle, we're going to teleport you out of here."

Dedede nodded at the evolved animals, compelling them to enter the array. After that, Kirby, Elfilin, Bandee, Meta Knight, Dedede, Marx and Magolor stepped into the array. Soon enough, the entire group became enveloped in white light as the array teleported them back to the Lor Starcutter. Magolor led Kirby and the gang towards the bridge, where they met up with Vesa and Elfilis.

"Blow it up! Blow it up now!" Marx exclaimed, "I need there to be a crater where that building is or I'm gonna freaking lose it!"

Vesa and Elfilis blinked twice and exchanged glances.

"If you do it," Marx insisted, "I'll offer you a bribe!"

Marx grew wings and used them to reach into Kirby's pocket dimension, eliciting a startled yelp out of him as the jester yanked out the Rare Stone.

"Do it!" Marx added, "I need to see it explode so I can go home!"

Elfilis's eyes widened in shock as Marx threw it at their feet. They initially attributed the missing parts of their soul to Elfilin, but the mere thought that there might be more fragments of their soul distressed them on the inside. Vesa gently grasped her partner's hand as she examined the strange shard.

"Kirby," Vesa asked, "do you know where you found it and how?"

"It got puked up by a turtle," Marx interrupted.

Vesa noticed as Elfilis's fur began turning white at the tips.

"Elfilis," Vesa called to them, "stay with me."

Kirby gave Marx the stink-eye.

"I…will be ok," Elfilis lied with a straight face.

Vesa tilted her head sideways, not seeming convinced.

"I'm…frustrated," Elfilis confessed with a sigh, "this…is a piece of my soul. I was convinced I had recovered all of them after we left last time…I seem to have been mistaken. I assumed the void in my spirit was simply Elfilin at this point and that I had retrieved all of my missing pieces."

Their tail thrashed in agitation as their fur slowly changed to white and red. The revelation about this specific violation left them rather angry beyond words. Kirby took a step towards Elfilis with a sad expression in his eyes.

"Poyo," Kirby apologized, reaching out an arm and waving it slowly, "poyo."

Elfilis glared at Kirby.

"Now is not the best time to be telling me this," Elfilis snapped, barely restraining themself.

The idea of the pink star warrior actively tearing parts of their soul away while they were asleep through the portals generated by their affinity for space losing control brought Elfilis to the edge of blind rage. Dedede thought fast and strode over to the tall space rodent. When they spotted the approaching penguin, Elfilis initially thought of telekinetically picking up the king and forcing him to sit down. But of course, they decided against it.

"Can someone get that crazy jester out of the room?" Dedede requested.

Magolor began dragging Marx out of the bridge.

"I will not be silenced!" Marx yelled, "I will be heard!"

Kirby blew a raspberry at Marx. Once the jester and the floaty manipulative mage were out of the room, Dedede returned his gaze to Elfilis, who summoned their spear, gently rubbing their thumb up and down the side of it.

"Now how are you feeling?" Dedede asked.

"Somewhere between absolutely livid and apocalyptic."

Releasing her grip on their hand for only a moment, Vesa reached up to cup their cheek. Elfilis felt a bit of calmness from her gentle touch, the white fur seeming to pause for a moment. Kirby went to chatter with Elfilin. Dedede and Vesa slung Elfilis's arms over their shoulders. The king sweated slightly since Elfilis's arm felt tense and their fingers were twitching in a way which made him distinctly uncomfortable. The human and the penguin led the ultimate life-form out of the bridge and into the lounge. Their fur slowly started to change back, though their rage still lingered as they remained deep in thought. Dedede and Vesa guided Elfilis over to a couch. She sat next to her partner while the king sat across from both of them.

"Elfilis," Vesa whispered.

Elfilis snapped out of their thoughts and focused on Vesa.

"Yes?"

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis, wrapping an arm around them. This affectionate gesture was enough for them to begin to slowly calm down.

"I'll just leave you be," Dedede stood up and turned to leave the lounge.

Vesa cupped Elfilis's cheek with one hand before she planted a kiss on top of their head. The warmth of rage became replaced with warmth of affection, which Elfilis couldn't help but appreciate.

"Do you need more time before you're ready?" she asked.

"I just need a few minutes."

"Ok," she nodded softly.

Vesa perched her arms over their shoulders and rested her head on their chest. Elfilis placed their paw on her back, holding her close. Her fingers ran through their chest mane, eliciting deep purrs out of them. By then, all of their white fur dissipated. After a few minutes passed, Vesa stared deep into their eyes. Elfilis gazed back, no longer feeling any better. Vesa didn't pay attention to Meta Knight as he sheathed his blade and left the room.

"I'm ready to get this catharsis over with," she told Elfilis, "you?"

"I'm not entirely sure it'll even be cathartic for me, personally," Elfilis sighed, "I would be fine with just never going there again. Knowing it exists isn't an issue for me anymore. I think…it might help, but I'm not entirely sure if it'll make me feel better or not."

Vesa gave Elfilis a confused stare.

"I…I don't like thinking about that place," Elfilis continued, "and honestly, I feel like I'm getting better. I haven't had a panic attack in a while, I still get nightmares and flashbacks, but it's not so bad that I'm collapsing anymore, or getting incredibly emotional. I feel like it won't really help me personally, or harm me, to destroy the building."

Vesa glanced over her shoulder, examining the animal refugees in the lounge waiting in anticipation.

"Should we," Vesa pondered, "at least help these guys find new homes?"

"I wouldn't mind that," Elfilis answered.

Vesa stood up from the couch and approached a trio of Mookies who stared at her and chattered in an unrecognizable language.

"Are you," Vesa asked, "are you guys upset with me?"

One Mookie scratched his head while the other two continued to chatter, their voices hinting at confusion.

"If it makes you feel any better," Vesa offered, "we'll talk to Leongar and see if he'll offer new homes for you. Does that sound fair?"

The lead Mookie waved his hands, indicating he wanted an explanation for the evacuation orders.

"W-Well," Vesa tried to clarify, "bad memories with the lab may be one thing, but I'm also worried some villain somewhere in the universe could learn about the lab and ransack it to find what's still there. Maybe the paper documents there might've rotted away over time, but there could still be something any sinister person could exploit. Does that make any sense to you?"

The Mookies tilted their head sideways, almost like they're trying to understand her reasoning. A minute passed before the lead Mookie let out a sound of acknowledgment before they turned to chatter with the Awoofies. Vesa turned to approach Elfilis.

"Do you think the papers in the lab rotted away or are they still there?" she paused.

"It depends on how well contained everything was and if the elements got inside. But I would doubt that much survived. It's a demented miracle that my own containment lasted as long as it did."

Elfilis stood up from the couch and led Vesa on their way back to the bridge. Their eyes wandered until they locked onto the Rare Stone still on the floor. Elfilis went on to pick it up, absorbing it into their body. Already, they could feel their mana levels jump a bit and quickly reach a new maximum. Kirby and Elfilin paused in their conversation and approached Elfilis.

"Poyo!" Kirby happily waved his arm.

"So you ready?" Elfilin chirped, "it felt kinda scary returning to the lab."

"I'm ready to destroy the lab," Elfilis answered, "if that's what's still happening."

"I'll let you do the honors, Elfilis," Vesa shrugged.

Elfilis gave Vesa a silent nod, moving to the deck of the ship. Vesa stayed behind and locked eyes onto Kirby.

"Poyo," Kirby told her, "poyo poyo!"

Elfilin drooped his ears.

"Yeah," Elfilin agreed, "those poor Waddle Dees."

Outside, Elfilis observed the lab from the deck of the Lor Starcutter. For a moment, they thought of whether orbital lasers would be effective in the task. After some mental calculations, they figured the lab's destruction required a more effective method. Their fingers twitched a bit as they summoned a magic circle. The amount of magic focused into a single point by the circle actually caused the air to become a little heavy. A magic circle appeared in the air over the lab. Vesa, watching from a port window, took in deep breaths, anticipating what could happen next.

Before long, the magic circle lit up in a dark purple light and a small black dot appeared in the center. That small black sphere lifted rocks, trees, lava and buildings into the air and pulled them in. The unassuming hole grew as more objects were pulled in until it lifted the entire lab out of the ground, engulfing it in the process, nothing left to be spared. After a moment, Elfilis flexed their wrist and the black hole collapsed into nothingness. Everything that remained of the lab sprinkled out as a large amount of dust particles, pieces of metal scraps and rocks which drifted to the ground or got blown away by the wind.

Vesa didn't give much of an expression while Kirby and Elfilin stared in awe. With the task complete, the magic circles dissipated. By then, Magolor returned to the bridge while the ultimate life-form made their way back inside.

"Well," Magolor commented with only slight surprise, "that was an impressive feat. I'm surprised you decided to use an unstable black hole. Even Marx uses stable ones."

"I assume that's because he can't focus properly enough to restrain it and he would actually risk killing himself if he did lose focus on his restraints," Elfilis shrugged.

Magolor didn't say much as he made his way to the main terminal. The floaty manipulative mage tapped on some keys and the Lor Starcutter took off into the skies of Redgar Forbidden Lands.

Chapter Text

The Lor Starcutter continued soaring above the Forgotten Land. Vesa and Elfilis gazed out the port windows while Elfilin perched on top of his larger fragment's head and Kirby observed the landscape in the human's arms. While glancing up at their younger brother, they sighed wistfully, wishing they could have their childhood innocence back. If only there was a way to show Elfilin—to share it without forcing it upon him…

The Lor Starcutter descended from the sky and touched down on the ground. Kirby hopped out of Vesa's arms and Elfilin followed the pink puffball out of the bridge and King Dedede made his way to the door. Elfilis sat down at the entrance and tried to relax while they began sensing for any more fragments of themself. Soon enough, Kirby, Bandee and Elfilin led the animals off the ship.

Once they continued their trek along the terrain, the small chinchilla continued thinking of the state of his sibling's soul, and by extension his own. He wasn't sure if this had any malignant long-term effect for him or not. He made brief glances at the scraps of the ancient civilization and wondered what his home might've been like so long ago. He remembered only fragments of his sibling's past, but nothing much of significance.

Soon enough, Kirby, Elfilin and Bandee arrived at the entrance to the Beast Pack settlement. The pink star warrior sprinted ahead and waved his arm at the Primal Awoofy on patrol.

"Poyo!" he called over.

The Primal Awoofy perked up its ears and rushed to greet the visitor while Elfilin perched on top of Kirby's head.

"Poyo," Kirby asked, "poyo poyo?"

The Primal Awoofy gave a little nod, scampering off into the settlement. Upon cue, Kirby and Bandee led the animal refugees into the settlement. The Primal Awoofy stopped at the edge of a shallow crater decorated with moss and scraps from the ancient civilization. Kirby led Bandee down the slope, peering at the makeshift huts surrounding a throne made of stone. Elfilin giggled a little as Kirby took him off his head and held him close, the small chinchilla curling up in his arms.

Kirby and Bandee stopped just in front of the throne, Leongar giving them an inquisitive look while he rubbed his chin.

"Afternoon, King Leongar," Bandee greeted.

Leongar perched his paw on the arm of the throne.

"Good afternoon, Kirby," the lion focused his gaze on the pink star warrior, "and Bandee."

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm, still carrying Elfilin in his other arm. The small chinchilla went back to floating on top of Kirby's head.

"We recently evacuated plenty of your subjects from the ancient lab before Elfilis destroyed it," Bandee explained, "they're in need of new homes now."

Leongar tilted his head sideways and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean that place where I got possessed," Leongar mentioned, his tone hinting discomfort, "and had my soul shattered into pieces?"

"Yeah, that place," Bandee nodded.

Leongar stood from the throne, tilting his head up as he examined the animal refugees at the edge of the crater.

"I see," Leongar mused, "it seems Elfilis has the mercy to ensure they survived."

"Well, they really aren't heartless at all," Bandee agreed awkwardly, "they were just kinda insane for a while since…you know."

Leongar climbed up the crater to greet the animal refugees. Clawroline and Gorimondo also showed up to chatter with them. Bandee gave Kirby a nervous look. Elfilin perked his ears up at the sight of Clawroline. After a few minutes of silence, Leongar glanced over his shoulder and beckoned Kirby and Bandee to climb out of the crater.

"Carol," Leongar purred, giving the leopard a wink, "if you will?"

Clawroline returned a wink before she focused her gaze on the pink star warrior.

"Some of the subjects seem interested in moving into Popstar," Clawroline elaborated, "while the others are eager to make settlements in any of our territories."

"I'm not currently authorized to make any kind of agreements, however I don't see that being turned down at all and my lord is open to both trade between us and other similar agreements. I will relay this back to my King as soon as possible. Currently, he's busy with preparing to return to Popstar and dealing with the local settlement."

"Then you're welcome to relay the message to your king," Leongar told the Waddle Dee.

"I'll do that," Bandee gave his best bow, "thank you for your time, your highness!"

From there, Bandee sprinted across the settlement back to the Lor Starcutter. The Waddle Dee entered the ship and approached the penguin king before he relayed the details of their meeting with Leongar. Dedede nodded and patted his chest.

"Sounds good to me," Dedede proclaimed, "I'm sure we can get something worked out."

Bandee and Dedede stepped out of the Lor Starcutter and met up with Leongar at the entrance to the settlement. The Waddle Dee was baffled as to how the lion managed to get to the entrance so quickly. Still, he nodded at Dedede, who exchanged bows of respect with Leongar.

"Welcome back, Dedede," Leongar greeted.

"Mighty nice to see you again," Dedede rubbed the back of his head, "my mind back to the way it was before that whole mess happened."

"Same here," Leongar added.

"Anyway," Dedede replied, "we should start tryin' to figure out what the plan is. Here, let's go find somewhere to sit down and chat about it."

Dedede and Leongar meandered through the settlement. They found an abandoned restaurant and headed inside, taking their seats at a table. The penguin locked eyes onto Bandee.

"You can leave for now. Leongar and I'll talk things out. It's just gonna be boring stuff about laws and immigration, not really something you need to be a part of right now."

"Thank you, sire!" Bandee nodded.

Bandee left the settlement and returned to the Lor Starcutter. He found Kirby and Elfilin at a table in the kitchen.

"So how are you guys doing?" Bandee asked, "things look to be going well on the diplomacy side of things."

Kirby and Elfilin focused their gaze on the Waddle Dee and waved at him.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"We're waiting for our snacks," Elfilin added.

"Well," Bandee replied, "I'm glad things are going well over here. Are there more plans for the day?"

"Not really," Elfilin answered.

"Oh, gotcha," Bandee yawned, "sounds like a good enough excuse to get a nap to me."

When Bandee left the kitchen, Kirby heard a bell ring from the kitchen, so he scurried to retrieve a tray of cookies before bringing it to the table.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Yay!" Elfilin did a happy back flip.

Kirby and Elfilin started munching down on some cookies. The small chinchilla dipped a cookie into his glass of milk before taking a bite. The pink star warrior would munch down on two cookies at a time. Within several minutes, Kirby and Elfilin finished up the entire tray. The pink puffball leaned back and rubbed his belly, smiling with his eyes closed.

"Poyo…"

"Yeah," Elfilin agreed, "those are really tasty."

After a few minutes of silence, Kirby and Elfilin left the kitchen and made their way back to the bridge. They noticed as Elfilis was keeping an eye on Vesa while she concentrated with her eyes closed. In a matter of seconds, she created a barrier strong enough to at least stop a couple of bullets from human firearms. Kirby's eyes lit up as he gazed in awe.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Elfilis perked up their feelers as their eyes fixated on the pink star warrior.

"It's a good start, to be sure," they agreed, "she can at least keep herself safe, if not truly protected just yet."

Elfilin simply floated carefree while Vesa opened her eyes, examining the barrier she created.

"Before long," they told her, "I might be able to teach you a more advanced technique I read about…something you can do after you're able to layer your barrier with a second one."

"That…sounds interesting," she commented.

Vesa's eyes locked onto Kirby and Elfilin.

"So how are you two doing?" she asked them.

"Poyo!" Kirby stood on the tips of his feet.

Elfilin brought his paws together.

"Uhm," he stammered, "I was actually wanting to talk to you about something in private later that I was having thoughts about."

Elfilis blinked twice as they placed a finger on their lower jaw.

"Of course," Elfilis nodded, "we can talk in a little while when I get the chance."

"Thanks!" the small chinchilla sighed in relief.

A couple hours later, Dedede returned to the Lor Starcutter. Magolor, Vesa and Elfilis were at the entrance to greet him.

"Welcome back, Dedede!" Magolor greeted, "how did it go?"

"It went fine. It wasn't perfect, but it was okay all things considered," Dedede answered, "immigration should be fine between both of our countries; however, he isn't exactly educated on matters of state like I am, or how to run a country properly."

"Oh boy," Vesa commented, averting her gaze.

"Yeah, things like trade, politics, and law aren't really something he knows too much about," Dedede added.

Elfilis and Vesa shared glances.

"Does that mean they're new to being a society or something?" she asked them.

"Exactly," Elfilis nodded, tucking in their large ears in shame, "I did only raise them up a few months before Kirby arrived, so that's not shocking to me. At the time, I needed manual labor to keep the machines in the lab powered, mostly since the capsule I was in, ironically enough, was keeping me alive until I fused with Elfilin for a time. The Awoofy were essentially running on wheels to power the machine, but that didn't last long and they were getting upset about it. I had to resort to kidnapping locals from across the stars, which ended up being the Waddle Dees."

"Oh, that part," Vesa blurted.

Elfilis lowered their head.

"Though they may be the first generation of a new species," Elfilis added, "I'll need to create more of a few of them, as one of each isn't exactly a breeding population."

Dedede rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well," Dedede asked, "you wanna talk with them about it?"

"Perhaps I should," Elfilis folded their arms, "I would need to ensure Leon and Carol are at least genetically compatible."

Vesa placed a finger on her chin and took a moment to think.

"I know we're supposed to head back to Popstar soon," Vesa said, "but…Elfilis, are you ok with camping out here with me?"

Elfilis stared into Vesa's eyes for a moment before they nodded.

"I wouldn't mind at all," they told her, "it sounds like a good time."

Magolor clasped his hands together.

"Well then," Magolor offered, "should I provide you two some camping equipment?"

"I wouldn't mind," Elfilis shrugged.

"Excellent!" Magolor chirped.

Magolor and Dedede headed back into the Lor Starcutter. When Vesa and Elfilis stepped back into the ship, the ultimate life-form shelled out some star coins to the floaty manipulative mage. While they waited in the bridge, Kirby waved his arms at Dedede before he led Elfilin towards Vesa. Soon enough, Magolor came back and pulled out a tent from his pocket dimension along with plenty of other camping supplies.

"Thank you, Magolor!" Vesa smiled.

"Anytime," Magolor replied, shifting glances between Vesa and Elfilis, "oh, and I was meaning to ask about your birthday. Mostly, so I have an idea of when to send over a gift."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances in a moment of silence.

"The Halcandran calendar is a bit different than the mirror version of Popstar and this planet," Elfilis answered, "but I just did the mental math, so the closest date would be June 6th."

"And I was born prematurely," Vesa added, "so mine would be October 14th."

"Ah," Elfilis commented, "things like that haven't been a huge problem in places with magic. We honestly had a bigger problem with children of prophecy."

"Well then," Magolor replied, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you! Oh, and prophecies are kind of a big deal and distressingly common in backwoods worlds where either amazing good or horrible evil are happening. It's like some kind of a universal balance keeper. I would be shocked if there weren't five or six with Kirby in them, and if most of his adventures weren't already predicted by someone at some point."

While Magolor wandered off, Elfilin examined the camping equipment.

"Poyo," Kirby stared in awe.

"You guys are going camping?" Elfilin asked Vesa and Elfilis, "can Kirby and I come along, please?"

Elfilis hesitated for a brief moment.

"I suppose you can join us if you want," they sighed.

"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up with excitement.

Vesa smiled softly and gave Kirby a pat on the head.

"So are there any ideas of what you want to do while we're here?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa nodded.

"I might as well make a to-do list," Vesa suggested.

Elfilis closed their eyes for a brief moment. Vesa rushed to the guest quarters and began searching for a pencil and a piece of paper.

Chapter Text

Some time later, Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin left the Lor Starcutter with camping equipment in tow. Vesa managed to make a checklist which she kept in a pocket in her shorts.

"At some point," Elfilis mentioned, "I'm going to leave for a couple hours to improve the intelligence of the locals so they have a breeding population. I've been given the go ahead to follow through with it and Leongar will be there to oversee it."

"Good to know," Vesa nodded.

Kirby and Elfilin watched and waved their arms as the Lor Starcutter took off.

"Did you decide on what you want to do while we're out here?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa handed Elfilis the checklist, allowing them to read it.

"Looks like you have a few things in mind," Elfilis smiled, "that looks good to me."

"Thanks!" Vesa returned her smile.

Vesa observed Kirby and Elfilin as they stood along the shoreline of a lake. As she took a deep breath, she couldn't help but wonder how long before she could take on learning more advanced spells. She anticipated the idea of her partner formally taking her on as an apprentice.

"Say," Vesa asked Elfilis, "what element do you think I might be able to work on next?"

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"If you are lucky," they answered, "it'll be something general or it could be something specific yet useful."

Soon enough, Vesa and Elfilis found a suitable campsite between the Beast Pack settlement and the lake.

"Testing affinities is simple enough, and they are linked to the soul to an extent as well so you might learn something about yourself this way too," Elfilis continued, "although it can be hard to determine what your element says about yourself without a lot of introspection sometimes. Other times like my siblings, it's really self-evident. After discovering your affinity, it can lead to interesting discoveries about yourself in a more physical way. There have been people who used their own body parts as alchemy ingredients for a weapon due to their affinity. It was easy enough to heal but lots of people thought they were crazy until they actually produced results that should have been impossible in practice, if not in theory."

"That's pretty cool," Vesa agreed.

Vesa and Elfilis began to set up the tent.

"Well," Elfilis shrugged, "I can't say I approve of how he did it. He removed a few of his ribs and mixed them with the gunpowder in some bullet casings, and used them to take down other mages who had broken the law, permanently severing their ability to do magic after he shot them. It was a long time ago, but it was a bit of a big deal at the time and not many people approved of his methods."

In a matter of a few minutes, Vesa and Elfilis finished setting up the tent.

"Alright," Elfilis told her, "I'd better get going. I'll be back in an hour."

"Take care," Vesa suggested, gesturing to Kirby and Elfilin, "I'll keep an eye on those two."

Elfilis ran their fingers through their hair before teleporting away. Vesa returned her gaze to Kirby as he pulled out a beach chair and set it along the lake. The pink star warrior blinked before locking eyes onto the human.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm, "poyo?"

To emphasize his point, Kirby reached for a fishing rod.

"Uh, sure!" Vesa smiled, "I might need a chair and a fishing rod myself."

Vesa grabbed two more beach chairs and set them next to Kirby's. Elfilin perked up his large ears as a few Awoofies approached the lake nearby. The small chinchilla settled into one of the beach chairs. Kirby grabbed another fishing rod and handed it to Vesa.

"Thanks."

Vesa settled into the second beach chair while Kirby put on a bucket hat. The pink star warrior demonstrated how to handle the fishing rod, the human following along. He even cast the line and Vesa did the same. Elfilin watched while he started fiddling with a stick he created. The small chinchilla thought of making his own fishing rod, but wasn't sure how to make a reel. He settled for making some string to tie to the stick. He then brought out a barbed bone spike and attached it to the string.

"Hey, Miss Vesa?" Elfilin called, "I made my own fishing rod!"

Vesa paused and tilted her head towards Elfilin.

"Are you sure you don't want us to provide you one?" she asked.

"Poyo?"

"Do we have more?" Elfilin tilted his head sideways.

Kirby grabbed another fishing rod, handing it to Elfilin.

"Poyo!" he chirped.

Elfilin nodded before he gripped the fishing rod, which was a little big for him. The small chinchilla tried swinging and casting a line, barely managing to get it a short distance into the lake. The Awoofies swiped up the fishing rod Elfilin made. The small chinchilla blinked yet he shrugged. The three waited until an hour later, Elfilis teleported back to the spot where they left. The ultimate life-form perked up their feelers as Vesa glanced over her shoulder.

"Welcome back, Elfilis," Vesa smiled.

"They already had some animals gathered for me," Elfilis explained, "so it didn't take as long as I thought it might. I was half expecting to need to hunt down a lot of them."

Elfilis knelt next to Vesa, examining the fishing rods. Without warning, Kirby felt a tug on his fishing rod, so he began reeling in whatever he caught. Soon enough, the pink star warrior pulled up a thick trout.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Nice one, Kirby!" Elfilin cheered, waving his paw.

As soon as Vesa felt her fishing rod tug, she didn't hesitate to reel in her catch.

"Don't catch too much unless you plan to throw it back," Elfilis pointed out.

Vesa soon pulled up another trout, placing it in a bucket.

"I guess one catch will do enough for me," she shrugged.

"Very well," Elfilis nodded, "what do you want to do next?"

Vesa stood up and set down her fishing rod while Kirby and Elfilin continued to fish. She examined the shores until she found a seashell, so she picked it up. For now, Elfilis would simply keep an eye out for any more seashells and Vesa would collect them.

This peaceful moment was suddenly interrupted when the fishing rod pulled at Elfilin for some reason, eliciting a startled yelp out of him.

"Poyo?" Kirby blurted.

Elfilis twitched their feelers and turned their head only to watch as an unseen force pulled Elfilin out of his chair, dragging him into the water.

"Poyo!" Kirby panicked.

"Elfilin!" Vesa gasped.

Elfilis thought fast and used their telekinesis to lift Elfilin out of the water. The small chinchilla held onto the fishing rod. Kirby's eyes widened the instant a Squishy emerged from the surface of the water, dangling on the hook. Elfilis removed the water from the small chinchilla before setting him back in his chair. They released the Squishy back into the water.

"That was close!" Vesa sighed in relief.

"T-Thank you, Elfilis," Elfilin stammered, still shuddering from the incident.

"You're welcome," Elfilis nodded at their little brother, "you weren't in much danger of drowning."

"Whatever that critter was," Elfilin rubbed his head with his paws, "it was really scary."

Elfilis sighed and ran their finger along the small chinchilla's head. They scooped Elfilin into their arms and held him close.

"So what do you want to do now?" Elfilis asked Vesa.

Vesa set aside the seashells she collected while she observed the sun beginning to set.

"I suppose we should get dinner started soon," she mentioned.

Kirby put the recent fish he reeled in into the bucket.

"Do you know how to properly gut a fish?" Elfilis asked.

"I don't," Vesa shrugged.

Vesa observed as Kirby's face turned green at the thought, clearly appreciating the end product and not the process in between.

"I won't force you if you're a bit squeamish," Elfilis told Kirby.

"All the more reason for me to volunteer," Vesa remarked.

"Come on over, then," Elfilis instructed, "it's mostly about explaining what is edible and what isn't, and to keep the meat from getting contaminated by any waste inside the fish. You'll need to be a little careful, especially since we're using a knife to do this."

Vesa retrieved the bucket and approached Elfilis. Her partner created a wooden table. She set an unconscious trout onto the table, standing next to the ultimate life-form. From there, Elfilis began guiding Vesa through the step-by-step process. Under her partner's supervision, she pierced the fish's head. She then proceeded to rinse it. Elfilis was understandably surprised their girlfriend didn't flinch as she proceeded to remove the fins and scales, considering this specific kind of fish was colorful.

Kirby wandered off while Elfilin watched curiously. Vesa sliced open the fish and removed its guts before rinsing its innards. On the side, Elfilis explained to their brother the purpose of the different parts of a fish going into detail and even explaining certain functions of its cells. By the time the human finished gutting it, Elfilis supervised her in the procedure of filleting the fish. Once she got the hang of the procedure, she repeated this whole process for the rest of the fish in the bucket.

"How are you feeling?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa glanced over her shoulder.

"I'm just having an epiphany," she admitted, "you know, about what my people used to do in the ancient past, before we even started a civilization."

"Good to hear," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilin glanced behind him.

"Kirby," Elfilin called over, "we're finished!"

Kirby peeked out from behind a rock and toddled over.

"Poyo," Kirby sighed.

Vesa smiled softly and gave Kirby a pat on the head.

"On the bright side," Vesa told him, "it means we'll be getting a campfire going soon."

Vesa made her way to a spot where she gathered some rocks to form a circle. She retrieved a metal rack and a pan and placed it near the campfire.

"We might need some wood," she added, "you're welcome to make some."

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to find some?" Elfilis tilted their head sideways.

Vesa paused for a moment before she stood up. Elfilin floated over to the table.

"I'll keep an eye out on our dinner," the small chinchilla offered.

"Poyo!" Kirby added, jumping up.

Vesa followed Elfilis into a forest.

"The kind of wood that normally works best is dry, hard wood, like oak," Elfilis explained, "as it burns hotter and longer."

As they meandered through the forest, they kept their eyes peeled for any twigs and branches.

"Of course," Elfilis continued, "you'll want wood that's more fresh but harder to burn if you want to attract or call for help. Examples like from birch trees create a lot of smoke which can come in handy for this regard."

Elfilis and Vesa proceeded to gather branches suitable for the campfire they needed. After a while, they returned to the campsite with plenty of sticks and branches in their arms. From there, they arranged the sticks in the campfire while Kirby and Elfilin watched.

"Now, are you ready for me to show you how to start a fire?"

Vesa nodded. Elfilis summoned some string, dry grass and a thick stick. She watched as her partner placed the grass on top of the branches.

"To start with," Elfilis explained, "you'll want to split the stick down the middle halfway, like this."

Elfilis took a small rock and gently broke the stick down the middle. They handed the stick to Vesa, allowing her to examine it.

"Next, we wedge some tinder into the crack in the middle," Elfilis continued, demonstrating as such on the large branch, "now we put the stick into the crack and wrap this string around it. The branch holds the dry grass and our stick here in place, and then we pull the string back and forth until it starts to smoke."

"Got it," Vesa nodded.

Under careful supervision, Vesa inserted the stick into the branch's crack and wrapped the string around it. She pulled the string back and forth at a rhythmic pace. After a few minutes, Kirby and Elfilin's eyes lit up as smoke started to ignite the grass.

"Keep it up," Elfilis encouraged.

Vesa nodded and accelerated the pace. Soon enough, she noticed the grass started to get a soft orange glow as it started to catch.

"Oh?" she blurted.

"Almost there," Elfilis told her.

Vesa kept up her work. Elfilin perched on Kirby's head. Before long, a small fire started to eat at the dry grass.

"All right," Elfilis instructed, "now we need to dump it onto the sticks and it will start properly."

With careful guidance from her partner, Vesa transferred the flame to the pile of sticks in the campfire. After a few minutes, the fire grew into a proper campfire. Elfilis placed the metal rack over the campfire while Vesa checked for ingredients. While she seasoned the fish, Kirby joined in as he helped prepare a couple side dishes including dough for flatbread. Vesa proceeded to saute the fish with some diced potatoes and vegetables. Kirby used another pan to cook some flatbread over the campfire.

Elfilis watched curiously, impressed that their girlfriend's cooking skill was improving. Within half an hour, the two finished cooking dinner.

"Thanks for your help, Kirby," Vesa smiled, giving Kirby a high five.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

While Fecto Elfilis relaxed against a nearby tree, Elfilin began serving himself, followed by Elfilis, Vesa and Kirby before the four started eating.

"This tastes great!" Elfilin squealed happily.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm at the small chinchilla.

Shortly after dinner, Vesa brought out packages of graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows. She, Kirby and Elfilin placed marshmallows on skewers before they roasted the marshmallows over the campfire. Once they finished, they assembled the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers into s'mores. Elfilis didn't need to eat any s'mores, though they simply enjoyed the smell of marshmallows and burning wood from the campfire. Vesa was content to eat one s'more, though Kirby and Elfilin went on to make more s'mores.

As evening progressed into night, Kirby, Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis entered the tent, nestling into the futon. The human snuggled in her partner's arms while the small chinchilla and the pink star warrior huddled close to the both of them.

"Hey, Miss Vesa?" Elfilin said, "thanks for inviting us to go camping with you."

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arms.

Vesa gave Elfilin a soft smile.

"You're welcome."

As much as Elfilis was glad the tent was large enough for everyone to fit inside, it still didn't help that the discomfort from Kirby and Elfilin's presence made it difficult for them to enjoy sleeping in a tent. Vesa cupped their face with her hand and nuzzled their cheek, their tail swaying a little.

"Maybe next time," Vesa told Elfilis, "we can go camping by ourselves. Is that ok with you?"

As Kirby started drifting off to sleep, he held Elfilin close.

"I accept your offer," Elfilis nodded with a soft sigh.

Vesa smiled as she fell asleep in her partner's arms.

Chapter Text

It had only been two months since Fecto Elfilis and Vesa moved into Dreamland. As far as the ultimate life-form knew, their mental powers had been improving in recovery to its optimal state; something they had yet to get used to.

That morning, Vesa met up with Kirby and Elfilin in the tower courtyard.

"So, you two are running errands today?" Vesa asked them.

"Yeah," Elfilin nodded sheepishly, "we don't know exactly when we'll be back."

Vesa shuffled her feet, gently grasping the small chinchilla's paw.

"You two stay safe, ok?" Vesa advised.

"We will!" Elfilin chirped.

"Poyo!"

Vesa waved her hand as Kirby and Elfilin raced down the dirt path, disappearing into the horizon. Sighing softly, she turned around and made her way back into the tower. She met up with Elfilis and Fransisca at the training arena.

"Morning, Fran!" Vesa waved her hand, "morning, Elfilis!"

Elfilis and Fransisca paused in their banter and focused their gaze on Vesa.

"Good morning. I assume Kirby and Elfilin left?" Elfilis raised their brow.

"Yes," Vesa nodded.

"Are you ready for today's lesson?" Fransisca waved back.

Vesa nodded.

"Well," Elfilis instructed, "I suppose I should start with the simpler part which is putting an element into your spell. It's the scaling up of that elemental spell which is trickier, so let's start with the basics."

Fransisca moved to the sidelines. Upon cue, Vesa concentrated until she created a barrier a minute later.

"Now it gets a little more complicated," Elfilis continued, "do you remember how you materialized water into your temporary enchantment spells?"

"I do," Vesa answered.

"It's a similar process to this," Elfilis added, "but due to the fact it's ice and not water, it's going to be a little more challenging."

Elfilis and Fransisca shared glances for a brief moment.

"My sister here will guide you the first time," Elfilis finished.

Fransisca stood from the bench and approached Vesa. The ice mage placed her hands on the barrier. The human felt a gentle tug on her mana flowing in her body. Vesa took a deep breath and concentrated again, materializing water in her palms. As the human coated the barrier in water, Fransisca concentrated her hands. The water grew colder until it solidified into a thin layer of ice.

"Thanks!" Vesa smiled.

"No problem," Fransisca replied.

As they continued on, it wasn't long before the barrier solidified even further, strong enough to stop a spell from trying to breach it. Having completed the spell, Elfilis, Vesa and Fransisca examined her progress.

"It looks pretty good," Elfilis said, "it'll take some time to get to that level on your own, but you have an idea of what to do now, right?"

"I do," Vesa nodded.

"Good," Elfilis returned their nod, "then let's drop this barrier and have you try it on your own this time."

"Ok," Vesa replied.

Fransisca took a step back as Vesa dissipated her current barrier. The human concentrated her mana again to create a new barrier. Holding out her hands, she closed her eyes as she summoned water wisps. Elfilis watched carefully as their girlfriend coated her magical barrier in water. From there, she focused her mana into dropping the temperature of the water. As she was doing this on her own, this process took much longer. Tiny ice shards would form in the water every few minutes. Vesa took care to avoid overexertion as the water solidified into a thin fragile layer of ice within fifteen minutes. While Vesa opened her eyes, Fransisca and Elfilis approached her to examine the augmented barrier.

"Well," Fransisca commented, "it should be durable enough to withstand a basic offensive fire spell, though it would melt afterwards."

"I concur," Elfilis agreed, "although it would be a basic fire spell, it certainly wouldn't stand up to anything Flamberge could do, even if she was trying to hold back."

"Thanks," Vesa smiled at them, "I appreciate the feedback."

"Anytime," Elfilis blinked slowly, "it's best to know the limits of your abilities currently, as it's a good idea to know what you're capable of."

Vesa dissipated her barrier.

"Now are you ready for your next part of the lesson?" Fransisca asked.

"Sure," Vesa nodded.

"All right," Elfilis replied, "next, we'll work on the temporary ice enchantment. Soon, we'll move onto more permanent enchantments. Since you already have a slight grasp on ice magic and how the enchantment process works, I expect this will be fairly simple, if not slightly tiring."

"Got it," Vesa nodded.

Elfilis summoned their spear. Their girlfriend took this as a cue to concentrate. Within a few minutes, Vesa created wisps of water which danced in her palms. She focused on dropping the temperature of the water blob while the ultimate life-form angled their spear, allowing her closer access to its tip. Again, Vesa took caution to not overexert her mana reserves as ice shards slowly began forming.

Within half an hour, the water in her hands completely solidified into ice shards. Vesa pushed the bundle of ice shards onto the spear tip. When the spear absorbed the ice shards, the blade became coated in icy barbs.

"Oh, wow," Fransisca blurted.

"Yes, it is a good try," Elfilis added, "but the barbs render the weapon impractical."

Vesa stiffened and lowered her head.

"And," she stammered, "how do I fix that?"

"You'll need to remelt the ice and try again," Fransisca suggested, "eventually, you'll be skilled enough to move the ice as if it's still water, but you're not quite there yet."

"O-Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa held out her hand and focused on adding temperature to the icy barbs. Within several minutes, the ice melted, but she kept a firm hold on the water. With a wave of her hand, she smoothed out what used to be barbs. Once she finished, Vesa concentrated on removing the temperature until the water solidified into ice again.

"Nice job," Fransisca nodded.

"Indeed," Elfilis agreed.

Vesa let out a sigh of relief as she perched her hands on her knees.

"Thanks," she took a deep breath.

Elfilis smiled and placed their hand on her shoulder.

"This seems like a good time for a break," Elfilis mentioned, "what would you like to do?"

After a few minutes, Vesa stood upright and tilted her head, locking eyes onto the giant beanstalk.

"Perhaps we can have a closer look at the beanstalk?" she requested.

"We can do that," Elfilis nodded.

Fransisca blinked twice.

"Wait, the Dreamstalk?" Fransisca clarified.

Vesa and Elfilis paused and focused their eyes on the ice mage.

"That's how I've heard it referred to as before," Elfilis replied, "I only plan to acquire samples and show my girlfriend. To my knowledge, there's a bit of danger involved with it."

"Ok then," Fransisca advised, "do keep her safe, will you?"

Fransisca and Vesa shook hands.

"My sisters and I have errands to run as well," the ice made added.

"Have a good day," Vesa smiled.

Once they parted ways with Fransisca, Vesa and Elfilis left the tower and began traversing the dirt path through the fields of Dreamland, passing by the occasional traveling Waddle Dee and a few Bronto Burts. Within an hour, they arrived at the base of the Dreamstalk. Vesa took a few steps closer and brushed her hand along the plant. Elfilis floated up and took a large chunk off the Dreamstalk, using their powers to repair the damage they made after a few moments. The tall angelic lancer observed in intrigue over the odd magical energy flowing through the plant and the fruit it produced.

It didn't help that they discovered enough magical energy from the Dreamstalk could forcibly activate someone's Soul form.

With their work done, Fecto Elfilis floated back to the ground and offered their hand. Vesa took a few steps towards them, allowing them to scoop her into their arm while she perched her hands on their shoulders.

"Ready to go up," she told them.

Holding Vesa close, Elfilis spread their winglike ears and slowly floated up the Dreamstalk. When they ascended into the clouds, they both laid their eyes upon a series of islands floating in close proximity to the Dreamstalk. The ultimate life-form touched down on an island flourishing with colorful plants. They meandered through the fields and admired some colorful flowers with interesting shapes they passed by. Vesa brushed her hand along the stem of a pop flower. The pop flower deposited a sandwich into her hand, so Vesa and Elfilis stopped for a brief moment for lunch. A Chip could be seen frolicking in a nearby bundle of grass, playing a game of tag with a Birdon and a Waddle Dee.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vesa spotted a strange short figure with floating hands, some kind of budding flower in place of hair and a skirt made of grass. As she observed the creature foraging in the field, she tilted her head to the side and placed a finger on her chin.

"Hello?"

The creature paused for a moment and turned to face Vesa and Elfilis.

"Oh?!" the creature gasped, "where did you two come from?"

Elfilis blinked curiously.

"We're from the surface," Vesa explained, "we simply came here to visit."

The short creature took a moment to circle both Elfilis and Vesa.

"Ohh," the creature chirruped, "are you perhaps a resident of Dreamland?"

"We are not," Elfilis corrected, "but we do live here now."

The creature took a moment to process the information before she nodded.

"Well," she proclaimed, "if you're here to visit, I guess I'll do the honors to introduce you. Welcome to Floralia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Elfilis could only nod.

The Floralian took a moment to gather her basket.

"I'll just need to get these berries to the rest of my kind," she suggested, "and then we can show you around."

Vesa's face lit up, smiling as she clasped her hands together.

"That would be great!" she nodded.

"Ok then," the Floralian gestured, "this way!"

Vesa and Elfilis followed the Floralian through the forest. They jumped back onto the large vine and continued climbing up, passing by the other floating islands along the way. Soon enough, they reached the top most island and meandered their way to the town at the base of the palace in the center. While they strolled down the streets, other Floralians made brief glances at Vesa and Elfilis. A Spynum examined the newcomers for only a moment before lowering its bow.

When they stopped at the gate to the palace, two Lanzers hopped off their posts to greet the Floralian.

"Halt, travelers!" the Lanzer ordered, "state your business and purpose of arrival."

Vesa stiffened nervously and exchanged a brief glance at Elfilis. The Floralian bowed her head.

"My apologies," the Floralian said, "these two are just visitors."

"I," Vesa added, "I'm Vesa Krasniqi."

"And I am Fecto Elfilis," Elfilis towered over the Lanzers, positioning their body to intimidate them.

"A-Anyways," the Floralian continued, "is Taranza available?"

The Lanzers paused for a moment and exchanged brief glances.

"We'll inform the Floralian Council," the Lanzers replied, "then we'll see."

One Lanzer nodded at the other one, who stepped through the gate. Vesa simply shrugged as she took a step back, having calmed down from the initial startle. She gazed into Elfilis's eyes and offered her hand, allowing them to gently grasp it. They calmed down as their chest rumbled with deep purrs. Several minutes later, the gate opened again, and a Floralian with pink petals on her head and a pendant with a rose zircon in it emerged.

"Thank you so much for waiting patiently," the Floralian greeted, giving a bow of deep respect, "my name is Yatzil, the current head of the Floralian Council."

Elfilis gave a slight nod while the lesser Floralian took a moment to explain how she met the human and the ultimate life-form.

"Well," Vesa clasped her hands in front of her, "nice to meet you, too. Really, we were just checking out this place."

"So you're curious?" Yatzil clarified.

Yatzil gave the fellow Floraliana pat on the head.

"You're dismissed," she said, "I'll take over from here."

"T-Thank you, ma'am!"

The local Floralian waved her hand at Vesa and Elfilis before she left.

"Anyways," Yatzil continued, "I'll show you where Taranza is. I'm sure you have some stories to share with him."

Yatzil led Vesa and Elfilis through the gate. They ventured through the corridors and took a few flights of stairs until they arrived at the observatory. When they set foot inside, Elfilis noticed a spider-like creature with silver hair and orange horns with yellow tips as he fiddled with a telescope. When Yatzil cleared her throat, the spider magician paused and turned around.

"Oh," he said, gesturing to Vesa and Elfilis, "afternoon, Miss Yatzil. Are those visitors?"

"It's nice to meet you," Elfilis nodded, placing a hand on their chest, "I am Fecto Elfilis."

The spider magician took a moment to adjust his cape before he approached Elfilis.

"I am Taranza," the spider magician replied, "I must say we haven't had visitors since the death of Queen Sectonia."

Elfilis sensed a deep lingering sadness within Taranza as he mentioned that.

"I can't imagine that you would have many due to how far out of the way most people need to go," Elfilis shrugged, "climbing a plant like this would be a challenge for anyone not able to fly."

Taranza shared glances with Yatzil and nodded at her, allowing her to leave the observatory.

"Anyways," Taranza continued, "all I can do for now is preserve the fond memories I have of Sectonia…before she became a corrupt tyrant."

Taranza returned to maintaining his telescope.

"Anyways," he added, "maybe it was necessary so the Floralians could be free. I wonder how Kirby is doing these days."

Elfilis twitched their feelers as a reminder rang in their head.

"Kirby is doing well, to my knowledge," Elfilis replied, placing a finger on their lower jaw, "he's been coming around to visit us pretty often. Also, while I'm here, I wanted to ask about the Dimensional Mirror."

Taranza paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"Mirror, you said?" he repeated.

"Uhh, yeah," Vesa nodded, "what they said."

Taranza adjusted his scarf with one hand while he scratched his head with another.

"I'll show you where it is."

Chapter Text

Taranza didn't hesitate as he led Vesa and Elfilis towards the vault. Once the spider magician opened it, he took a step inside and examined the Dimensional Mirror sitting in the corner covered in white cloth.

"I wonder what could've been if I never took this," Taranza said to himself.

Elfilis stepped into the vault and removed the cloth, carefully looking over the runes which seemed to have degraded, or were tampered with.

"Well, do you have plans for it?" Taranza asked Elfilis, "the sooner I get rid of this mirror, the better."

Elfilis locked eyes onto the spider magician.

"I'll fix it," Elfilis answered with a frown, "the changes in its function are too great for it to be anything less than sabotage. The device was originally intended to allow entry to parallel universes…mainly the Mirror Dimension. But now, it's been changed to instead show toxic fantasies and cause feelings of inadequacy."

Elfilis produced ink from their finger and drew a seal on the glass of the mirror, temporarily ceasing its functions.

"I suppose you can have it," Taranza folded the white cloth, "I'm sure you might have some much better use for it."

"I will," Elfilis agreed, "and I'm sure you'll want to start looking into the source of the sabotage."

Taranza took a moment to process this information before he nodded.

"Of course," Taranza proclaimed, "I'll be happy to assist you with this investigation, for Sectonia's sake."

Taranza glanced over his shoulder for a brief moment as Vesa smiled softly. Now that Elfilis took a much closer look, they suspected the sabotage of the enchantments was deliberate. Elfilis picked up the mirror with both hands. They looked it over for a few seconds before stashing it into their pocket dimension. Taranza led Elfilis out before he closed the vault.

"Is there a way we can stay in touch?" Vesa asked Taranza.

Taranza placed a gloved hand on his chin as he thought for a moment.

"I suppose I'll create a messenger fly of sorts," Taranza suggested, "that way, we could keep each other in the know."

"That could work," Elfilis nodded in agreement.

"Excellent!" Taranza smiled.

Taranza, Vesa and Elfilis meandered through the palace until they reached the gate.

"Maybe next time you two visit," Taranza continued, "we can talk about where you two came from?"

Vesa scratched her head, giving an awkward expression.

"Well," she admitted, "it's a complicated story, but I'll keep it in mind."

"Certainly," Elfilis added with a nod, "I enjoy speaking about my home."

"Then you two have a wonderful afternoon," Taranza waved his six hands.

Vesa and Elfilis waved back before made their journey through the town. Leaving the floating, they started their trek back down the Dreamstalk. Elfilis simply floated down along the Dreamstalk carrying Vesa in their arm. By the time they returned to the surface, the sun was beginning to set over the horizon. Elfilis gave their girlfriend a gentle lick on the forehead before setting her onto the ground.

"I…was actually meaning to give you something," Elfilis said, "but I got a little distracted. Here."

Elfilis reached into their pocket dimension and pulled out a silver bangle with a star-shaped amethyst attached to it.

"I figured that since you aren't skilled to make your own pocket dimension," Elfilis continued, "so I imbued this with one. I'm sure it'll do."

Vesa's face lit up as she smiled, slipping the bangle onto her right wrist.

"Thank you, Elfilis!" she chirped.

Elfilis returned their smile and dropped to one knee, allowing Vesa to wrap her arms around them. After a moment, Elfilis began flying back home with their girlfriend in their arms. During the journey back, Elfilis spotted the Warp Star out of the corner of their eye as it flew towards them. Kirby and Elfilin rode on the Warp Star with seemingly frantic expressions on their faces.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Elfilis slowed down and simply hovered midair. The Warp Star soon stopped just inches from them.

"Kirby? Elfilin?" Vesa paused, "you're back already?"

"Hey, Elfilis?" Elfilin called over, "could you do us a favor? We need some help."

Elfilis twitched their feelers with curiosity. They didn't have much planned at the moment, so it wouldn't hurt to be helpful.

"I suppose so," Elfilis asked, "what do you need?"

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances for a brief moment before returning their gaze to Elfilis.

"Magolor was supposed to deliver a package to Waddle Dee Town today," Elfilin elaborated, "but he hasn't shown up yet. Even Kirby was wondering if he got lost."

Elfilin fanned out his ears for a bit.

"Anyways," Elfilin continued, "perhaps you can locate him and open a vortex to guide him? He would really appreciate it!"

Vesa placed a finger on her chin and raised her eyebrows.

"Did Magolor say he was delivering a package?" Vesa clarified.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Elfilis took a moment to process the information.

"I can track him in a moment," Elfilis proclaimed, "I memorize the magical signature of every mage I encounter specifically for targeted teleportation…except for Marx. His magic gives me uneasy suspicions."

"Ok then," Vesa agreed, "we're on our way."

"Thanks, Elfilis!" Elfilin chirped.

"Poyo!"

Kirby waved his arm, gesturing Elfilis to follow him. The ultimate life-form followed the Warp Star as they soared over Dreamland. They weaved past a flock of Soarars along the way. As soon as Kirby spotted the portal, the Warp Star descended onto the ground. Once Elfilis touched down on the ground, they followed Kirby and Elfilin through the portal, making landfall in the main plaza of Waddle Dee Town.

As soon as Elfilis set Vesa onto the ground, Kirby and Elfilin hopped off the Warp Star. Without warning, loud popping sounds echoed from all over the town, causing Vesa to freeze in her tracks as she gave Elfilis a confused look.

"Surprise!"

"Ehh?" Vesa warbled.

Vesa looked up and stared in awe as decorations were arranged neatly all over the buildings of Waddle Dee Town. A banner was attached to the roofs of the cafe and the weapons shop with the words "Happy Birthday Vesa". Elfilis quickly reminded themself the sound came from party poppers. Kirby waved his arms at the Waddle Dees who chattered back. Vesa noticed Hyness, the Mage Sisters, Meta Knight, Dedede, Bandee, Marx and Magolor were also awaiting their arrival. The Lor Starcutter sat at the outskirts of Waddle Dee Town as colorful decorative lights flickered on and off. Vesa let out a sigh of relief before she tilted her head towards Elfilis.

"Happy birthday," Elfilis blushed.

"I guess I almost forgot to keep an ear out for birthday wishes," Vesa chuckled nervously, "but this'll do."

Vesa and Elfilis approached the crowd. Kirby spun around and happily waved his arms, gesturing them to follow. Chef Kawasaki had set up a booth where he would make okonomiyaki for the guests. Elfilin floated over to his larger fragment, giving them a gentle affectionate headbutt. Elfilis allowed the small chinchilla to perch into their hand. While Marx was putting on a performance to entertain the Waddle Dees, Bandee was playing a game of bean bag toss. Elfilis wasn't sure why, but they were both fascinated and horrified by the idea Marx could juggle without his hands.

Waddle Dee Café displayed various foods such as chicken skewers, corn on the cob, takoyaki, corn dogs, soft pretzels, shaved ice, ice cream sundaes, assorted cookies and their signature Car-Mouth Cakes. They even distributed drinks such as lemonade, milkshakes, smoothies and fruit punch.

When Vesa and Elfilis stopped just before Magolor, he gave them a bow of respect.

"I'm so glad you two could come," Magolor smiled, "wanted to make sure you'd show up on time."

"So," Vesa tilted her head sideways, "about that package."

Magolor took a moment to reach into his pocket dimension and pulled out a wrapped present.

"I hope you like what I got you," Magolor chirped.

Vesa plucked the package out of Magolor's hands and tore off the wrapping. Opening up the box, she stared in awe at the sight of the Neichel single album she recognized from so long ago.

"I can't believe it!" she gasped.

"That's not all," Magolor quipped, "there's more underneath."

Removing the CD case, Vesa noticed a CD player which seemed to be in optimal condition.

"Thanks, Magolor!" Vesa smiled.

"What can I say?" Magolor shrugged, "I found these while surveying the Forgotten Land and gave the device some serious renovations."

Vesa set her present from Magolor onto a table probably reserved for her and Elfilis. She shifted her gaze towards her partner, noticing as they held a package covered in blue and pink wrapping paper.

"So, I got you something, too," Elfilis told her, their cheeks reddening, "I only learned about the party the other day, but I was planning on giving this to you for a while, anyway. I didn't really learn about the significance of birthdays until just last night."

"No worries," she reassured them.

Vesa took the package and didn't hesitate to unwrap it. She pulled out a sky-blue robe with silver embroidery in floral shapes around the hem of the robe and the sleeve cuffs. When she tried it on, it fit perfectly to her size and she could feel magical energy emitting from it.

"I was preparing this robe for your official apprenticeship under me," Elfilis explained.

Smiling, Vesa wrapped her arms around Elfilis.

"Thank you!"

"No problem," Elfilis smiled softly, "the robe is meant to protect you much more than you're currently capable of. The enchantments, however, are highly modifiable and can be changed if needed. It's meant to help defend against most physical attacks."

Elfilis scooped Vesa into their arms, allowing her to nuzzle their cheek. The ultimate life-form nuzzled back as they purred, only for a flash of light to snap them out of their thoughts for a moment. Turning their heads, they spotted Hyness holding the camera.

"Oh," Vesa blurted, giving the mage an awkward stare, "afternoon, Hyness."

"Good afternoon, Vesa!" Hyness replied, "I hope you're enjoying your birthday! I see you already opened your present. Personally, I'm enjoying this holiday myself. It's my first time experiencing it, but I have nothing but good things to say about it!"

"You could say I appreciate it just as much as you do," Vesa agreed.

Elfilis set Vesa onto the ground.

"Glad to hear it," Elfilis purred.

Vesa clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head sideways.

"I wonder what they have in store for us," Vesa said.

Vesa and Elfilis began meandering through Waddle Dee Town. They noticed as Kirby and Dedede were playing a game of Whack-a-Mole while Elfilin floated on the sidelines cheering for the pink star warrior.

"Get him, Kirby!" Elfilin cheered, "you can do it!"

Vesa watched as Kirby and Dedede smacked mole dolls with their hammers whenever they popped out of any of the holes. Elfilin glanced over his shoulder for a moment and floated over to Vesa.

"Hey, Vesa!" Elfilin chirped, "I also got something for you."

Elfilin pulled a package from his pocket dimension. Vesa took a moment to unwrap it, revealing a soft navy scarf.

"Aww, thanks," Vesa smiled, "at least I got something for winter weather."

"It looks nice," Elfilis shrugged.

Moments later, the current game of Whack-a-Mole ended with Kirby being the winner. Dedede may have given a brief annoyed expression, but his eyes immediately softened. The king gave the pink star warrior a pat on the head before he shifted his gaze towards Vesa and Elfilis.

"Well," Vesa commented, "that game sure looks fun."

"So," Dedede offered, "you want to try it?"

Vesa placed a finger on her chin for a moment. She nodded.

"I'll offer moral support," Elfilis replied.

Dedede handed the mallet to Vesa and went on to activate only one Whack-a-Mole booth. She kept her eyes on the holes as a couple mole dolls emerged. When she struck one with a mallet, the mole doll lit up and retreated into the hole. While Elfilis watched from the sidelines, Kirby and Elfilin waved their arms cheering for her. Vesa may have missed some of the mole dolls, but it didn't take long for her to get the hang of the game.

Once the round came to an end, Vesa and Dedede checked the score on the overhead screen of the booth.

"Hey, not bad," Dedede commented.

"Thank you, sire," Vesa gave a bow of respect.

Vesa set the mallet back into its holster and waved her hand.

"Take care!" she added.

While Dedede waved his hand in response, Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin continued venturing through Waddle Dee Town. As the sunset was in full swing, Vesa stopped to try out a game of bean bag toss. She then led the others to the food stands. She stopped at Kawasaki's stand and examined the okonomiyaki on the flat hot surface.

"Oh!" Kawasaki blurted, "afternoon, Miss Vesa. Are you interested in trying out some okonomiyaki? I have one almost finished?"

"I would love to," Vesa nodded.

Elfilis stood back, wary of Kawasaki's subpar cooking skill and silently preparing a spell to remove most common poisons just in case. Kawasaki lifted a finished okonomiyaki with a pair of spatulas and deposited it onto a plate, drizzling it with sauce, mayonnaise, dried bonito flakes and seaweed flakes.

"There you go," Kawasaki said.

"Thank you," Vesa nodded.

Once Vesa got a plate of okonomiyaki, she went on to serve herself a chicken skewer and a glass of lemonade before she sat down at her table. Elfilis sat down across from her while Kirby and Elfilin set off to serve themselves some food. Even with Elfilis examining her with their enhanced eyes, Vesa took a bite out of the okonomiyaki, savoring its surprisingly excellent flavor.

"Ok, I admit," Vesa told them, "this one's pretty good."

"I wish I could believe you," Elfilis joked.

Vesa made a brief glance at Kawasaki, wondering if she should see if she could test her own telepathy now.

"Well," Vesa thought, "I didn't taste anything suspicious."

"That's good to hear," Elfilis spoke into her mind, "though you're thinking at me but not projecting your thoughts properly. No one else would be able to hear you unless they were also using telepathy."

"I guess I still need more practice," Vesa admitted with a shrug.

Kirby and Elfilin sat down at a nearby table each with a plate of food. They both didn't hesitate to chow down.

"Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out," Elfilis replied, "we can work more on it later."

Once Vesa finished her meal, she and Elfilis went on to chatter with the other guests. She happily accepted the gifts Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandee, Adeleine, the Mage Sisters and Marx offered.

Once the sunset made way for early evening, the Waddle Dees at Waddle Dee Café brought out plenty of Car-Mouth Cakes.

"Attention," the Waddle Dee Café manager announced, "we bring you a special order of Car-Mouth Cakes for this wonderful celebration for our guest of honor!"

The celebrating Waddle Dees immediately congregated near Waddle Dee Café, eyes focused on Vesa in some kind of eager anticipation. She took the hint and picked out the first Car-Mouth Cake with candles on it. Elfilis wasn't interested in participating, even if they couldn't help but admit the cakes were pretty cute and well made.

"So," the Waddle Dee Café manager, "are you ready to make a wish?"

Vesa nodded before she blew out the candle. The Waddle Dees waved their arms happily and chittered in excitement. From there, the remaining guests lined up to get their own Car-Mouth Cake, including Kirby and Elfilin. Vesa and Elfilis sat back down at their table. She took a bite out of her cake, relishing in its sweet flavor.

Elfilis was at least happy Vesa was enjoying herself. Her happiness mattered a lot to them.

Chapter Text

Elfilis met up with Fransisca in the library the following morning. They both sat down in lounge chairs facing each other.

"So," Fransisca asked, "how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing…ok," Elfilis admitted, "I'm still not pleased with Kirby over his part in stealing the fragments of my broken and at the time still mending soul. However, it has been long enough that I'm starting to simmer a bit more."

"I see," Fransisca nodded, "how well have you fared in your interactions with your brother?"

"I feel like they're going well," Elfilis raised their brow, "and you don't need to talk about him like he isn't your brother, too."

Fransisca let out a half-hearted chuckle.

"But I suppose it's going alright," Elfilis continued, "I don't feel the urge to assimilate him back into my soul anymore. My own healing will take time, but I might've recently found a shortcut…maybe. I'm not entirely sure if I should attempt anything with it, however. Currently, I'm a little over three-quarters who I used to be, with Elfilin being my remaining quarter. I might be able to mix myself with this new idea. The Dreamstalk has some peculiar fruits that seem to affect the soul, so I feel like it might be able to assist my recovery decades ahead of schedule."

Fransisca raised her eyebrows as she kept taking notes.

"So when did you go to investigate the Dreamstalk?" she asked, "yesterday?"

"Yes, just before the party," Elfilis nodded, "I'm hopeful that this will assist in my own self repair. However, I'm aware it's also risky on the highest levels. To test it, I would need to find someone else with a shattered soul willing to undergo the treatment, and I would never shatter the soul of another being on purpose. Currently, the plan I could think of is to experiment a little in small doses."

While Elfilis thought back to Leongar, Fransisca took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Well," she asked, "do you feel comfortable talking to our father about it?"

Elfilis twitched their feelers and placed a finger on their lower jaw.

"I plan to," they answered, "it's not something I planned on hiding at all."

Fransisca nodded in agreement.

"Then I'm sure to hope your endeavor goes well," she said.

"I hope so, too," Elfilis sighed, "because I dread to think of the consequences of it not going well."

After a moment of silence, Fransisca gave Elfilis a gentle pat on the head, eliciting soft purrs out of them.

"So," Fransisca suggested, "why don't we schedule our next session a couple weeks from now?"

"Thank you, sis," Elfilis nodded, "take care."

Elfilis and Fransisca left the library and parted ways. Elfilis made their way to the training arena where Vesa and Flamberge were waiting, the former clad in her apprentice robes.

"I see you are dressed appropriately," Elfilis commented with some mirth in their voice.

Vesa smiled sheepishly and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Thank you," she said.

Vesa and Elfilis made a brief glance towards Flamberge.

"So are you ready to start?" Elfilis asked, "this should be fairly easy for you."

"I'm ready," Vesa answered.

"Great!" Flamberge chirped excitedly, bouncing on as the grass around her started to blacken at the tips, "so first things first, I'll help you out by demonstrating the spell!"

Vesa watched as Flamberge put her hands out and ignited one of the fires. She held herself back even if it was clear she wanted to rush the lesson.

"So," Vesa clarified, more to herself, "that shouldn't be hard."

"Hopefully, it won't be," Flamberge elaborated, "the spell can be scaled up for more effect. The more magic you push into it, the bigger the fire can get, but it can get harder to control. It can be used as a weapon and it works as a just in case tool."

Vesa put one foot forward and held out her hand, aiming it at an unlit brazier as she concentrated her mana. Flamberge took a step back as Vesa took a few deep breaths, clearing her mind. Within a few minutes, tiny embers started igniting from her fingertips. Those tiny embers slowly grew into a small flame in a matter of a minute. Elfilis perked up their feelers as they sensed something odd.

"Enough," Elfilis instructed, "you did the spell properly, but it seems that whatever your affinity is, it's interfering with your spell."

Vesa snapped out of her thoughts and extinguished the flame in her hand, tilting her head towards Elfilis.

"You're burning a lot of mana doing that," Elfilis reminded her, "and you'll tire yourself if you keep pushing it."

"Is it because I'm not used to it yet?" Vesa lowered her head.

Elfilis approached Vesa and took a moment to examine her.

"I'm not sure," they admitted, "part of me is assuming your affinity might be fighting against it."

Vesa lifted her head and gazed into her partner's eyes.

"You can still learn it," Elfilis continued, "but it'll certainly be harder."

"Ok," Vesa nodded slowly, "are we still continuing the lesson, by the way? It would be a bummer if we ended it early."

"We can," Elfilis answered, "I suppose this is a good segue into discovering your affinity."

Elfilis placed their hands on the ground and grew a table, pulling out a deck of cards from their pocket dimension.

"The process is pretty simple and slightly esoteric in nature," Elfilis continued, "it helps figuring out more simple affinities. Though, the more complex an affinity is, the harder it is for this method to work."

Vesa walked up to the table and picked up a card, carefully examining it. The instant she noticed the label "Death", she quickly put it back down. She didn't know anything about Tarot cards, but it sounded bad to her.

"This kind of magic, divination, was debated back home," Elfilis added, "but it's one of the best ways to find an affinity. The meaning of cards is obscure at times, and I hope I'm not too rusty at divining the present and sometimes the past."

Elfilis took the card Vesa pulled, putting it back into the deck and shuffling the cards. Vesa placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head sideways.

"Now, are you ready?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa thought about the question for a moment before she nodded.

"Then let us begin."

The world around them suddenly seemed to grow quiet, birds no longer chirping, the wind seeming to stop blowing all together, and the light from the sun seeming to get less intense. Elfilis drew the first card and laid it on the table.

"The World," Elfilis said, "it means fulfillment, harmony, completion, integration, travel and unity."

Vesa blinked slowly as she examined the card before her. Elfilis pulled out another card and set it in front of her, which had the image of a stylized Star.

"The Star," Elfilis continued, "the symbol of hope, renewal, creativity, inspiration, generosity and healing."

Vesa raised her eyebrows upon hearing the last word. Her mind immediately recalled the decision she made during her final day in Lab Discovera, while never being able to see her family again was the price she had to pay, it was still the reason why she was still alive and why she had been healed.

The next card Elfilis drew and set on the table, which read "Tower", faced them this time.

"The Tower," Elfilis fluttered their feelers anxiously, "this card represents intense and sudden change, release, painful loss, tragedy and revelation. It is reversed, however, which means resisting change, avoiding tragedy, a narrow escape, delaying what is inevitable."

Elfilis began to get a small headache. Vesa lowered her head, examining her palms. Her partner pulled another card.

"Temperance," they said, "the card representing balance, moderation, good health, cooperating with others, and finding solutions."

Vesa glanced over her shoulder, exchanging a brief glance with Flamberge for a few seconds.

"All right," Elfilis let out a soft breath, "we are finished with this deck. We still have another one to draw from, however."

Elfilis pulled out a second, larger deck and started to shuffle the cards.

Vesa glanced around in search of a chair. Elfilis created one in a matter of seconds, so Vesa sat down across from them.

"Now let's start," Elfilis proclaimed.

Elfilis drew a card from the Minor Arcana.

"The three of Pentacles," Elfilis continued, "a card meaning teamwork, focused effort, and mastery. It's looking more like your affinity is something centered around support of some kind."

"Oh?" Vesa blurted.

Elfilis drew another card.

"The nine of cups," Elfilis stated with intrigue, "meaning wishes coming true, fulfilled dreams and prosperity."

Vesa perched her arms on the table, staring with keen interest. Elfilis pulled another card, the headache starting to get worse.

"Seven of cups," Elfilis continued, "meaning an abundance of options, choices and opportunities."

Vesa noticed the discomfort in Elfilis's eyes, and her face made a worried expression. They drew again.

"King of wands," they added, "meaning protective, innovative, inspiring and magnetic."

Vesa shifted her hands until her palms lay flat on the table, ready to soothe Elfilis if needed.

"Ok, that's all of them," Elfilis's voice cracked slightly, making a sound which was almost like static.

Vesa and Flamberge winced slightly as they heard the crack in their heads.

"Are…you all right?" Vesa asked.

"I'll be fine when we finish here," Elfilis tried to reassure her, "channeling the planet through your mind when you don't have the appropriate talent for it is…stressful."

Vesa let out a soft sigh while Flamberge approached her from behind. The fire mage offered her hand, allowing Vesa to gently grasp it.

"Here goes," Elfilis muttered to themself.

Elfilis began to channel the planet again, trying to figure out what parts of each card were applicable to their girlfriend, which parts weren't accurate, and what was vaguely true. At that point, they felt parts of their fur start to turn back to its liquid state. Soon enough, they seemed to have come to a conclusion, but the dark spots in their vision brought them to the verge of passing out. The world around them seemed to come back into focus as they suddenly fell over onto the table, eliciting a startled yelp out of Vesa. Flamberge examined her sibling for a quick moment, liquid more visible on the surface of their body and their face resting in a puddle of their dripping biomass.

"I think they'll be ok," Flamberge told her, "they're just strained, and their body is giving out a little. They just need some time to rest."

"O-Ok," Vesa stammered.

As Vesa slowly approached her partner, Flamberge noticed Elfilin flying into the training arena with an envelope in his paws. The fire mage silently gestured him to shoo for now. The small chinchilla drooped his ears and sighed as he turned for the door. Vesa took note of the envelope in his paws.

"I'll be with you in a minute," Vesa told Elfilin, "is that ok?"

"Ok," Elfilin nodded sheepishly before heading back inside.

Vesa turned towards Elfilis, exchanging glances with Flamberge.

"You wanna help me get Elfilis to their bed?" she asked the fire mage.

"Should we use gloves?" Flamberge mentioned, "they're kinda sticky and gooey all over the place."

"Do you have some?" Vesa raised her eyebrows.

Flamberge took a moment to reach into her pocket dimension and handed a pair of gloves to Vesa, allowing her to slide them on.

"Oh, wait," Flamberge blurted, "I have a better idea!"

Flamberge scooped up Elfilis and placed them in her pocket dimension.

"But how?!" Vesa warbled, "how did you manage that?! They're larger than you!"

"Well, the better you get at it," Flamberge mused, "the more things you can put into it, and the bigger those things can be. Technically, Elfilis is probably bigger than the planet, given that most of their biomass is kept in their pocket dimension, so if we're going by your logic, there's probably nothing that they can't pocket."

Vesa gave Flamberge a puzzled look before they left the training arena. They made their way to Elfilis's room. The fire mage withdrew Elfilis and set them onto their bed. After that, she shook her hands around a little.

"Eww, so sticky," Flamberge muttered.

Flamberge lit her hands on fire to get rid of the goo on them.

"Maybe I should've let you wear the gloves instead," Vesa remarked, folding her arms.

"Maybe," Flamberge still shook her hands a little, "it's always gross to be covered in another person, ick!"

Vesa somehow got the unintentional mental reminder of that one time when Hyness and the Mage Sisters went crazy for a while and wrecked havoc until Kirby put a stop to them. Vesa crouched near the bed and her eyes softened at the sight of Elfilis still resting.

"Please take care, Elfilis," she whispered.

Vesa left Elfilis's room with Flamberge following close behind and wandered a little until she found Elfilin in the foyer.

"Elfilin?" Vesa called over.

The small chinchilla perked up his large ears and floated towards Vesa.

"H-Heya," Elfilin replied, seemingly uncertain as to what happened, "seems like things aren't going great?"

"I think it'll be a while before Elfilis wakes up," Vesa shrugged, gesturing to the envelope, "what you got there?"

Elfilin checked the envelope still in his paws before handing it to Vesa.

"Well," Elfilin explained, "Magolor told me he was inviting us to his and Marx's wedding. He said you, Kirby, Elfilis, Hyness, Fransisca, Zan, Flamberge and I are all invited."

Vesa opened the envelope and took a moment to read the invitation.

"Oh," Vesa commented, "that's two months from now."

"I guess we have some time, then," Elfilin giggled nervously, "I dunno why, but for some reason, I thought it would be sooner."

Vesa smiled softly and scratched behind Elfilin's ears. The small chinchilla let out a happy purr, leaning into the touch.

"Well," Vesa suggested, "while we wait for Elfilis to wake up, why don't we do a jigsaw puzzle?"

"Sure!" Elfilin chirped, doing a back flip, "that sounds fun!"

Vesa led Elfilin to the game room and grabbed a jigsaw puzzle box from the shelf.

Chapter Text

Fecto Elfilis finally stirred and opened their eyes the next morning. They noticed their arm had been reduced to a puddle. They let out a soft hiss of pain and slowly regenerated the parts of them which were missing using their stored biomass. After that, they went on to clean up the puddle of themself in the bed. Once they finished, they noticed Vesa fast asleep next to the futon while laying on a blanket decorated with pillows. Instead of trying to wake her up, Elfilis pulled their futon closer to her before laying back down.

Several minutes passed before Vesa groaned and opened her eyes, slowly sitting up.

"Good morning," Elfilis said as they sat up, "how are you doing?"

Vesa blinked twice and gazed into Elfilis's eyes.

"I wanted to keep you company last night," she admitted, "are you ok?"

"My body is still sore," Elfilis sighed, "but I'll be fine in a short while."

Vesa sat on the futon, leaning closer to Elfilis. They purred as their tail swayed side to side.

"I have a general idea on what your affinity might be, I believe," Elfilis told her, "it's likely something close to support or assistance. I think its application is rather broad and uncertain. But, it means you'll have difficulty with any spells meant to attack others."

Vesa gasped softly in awe upon this revelation.

"So that means I must've hit the right mark when I started learning that water augment spell," she commented.

"Yes," Elfilis agreed, "so far, the spells you've learned have mostly been support based. It makes sense that only now are we having issues. The next spell I'll teach you is going to work much better at keeping you safe, I believe."

Elfilis concentrated until their nails began glowing faintly in a blue color.

"This spell is called the magic scalpel," they continued, "a useful technique meant for medical use, but it's also dangerous if you want it to be. It lets you selectively cut anything you touch as long as it is organic in nature. Usually, it's meant for performing surgery without breaking the skin to prevent bleeding. A skilled user can use it in ways which can be lethal."

Vesa examined her hands as she took a moment to process the information.

"Is there something I can use to demonstrate it on?" she asked.

"I can create a fake body if you want?" Elfilis offered.

"Perhaps something with internal injuries," Vesa suggested, raising her index finger.

"I can do that," Elfilis nodded, "what do you want me to make?"

"Let's see," Vesa pondered, "are there any wildlife animals you assimilated on my planet when you first arrived?"

"I have several," Elfilis answered.

"Even a rabbit?"

"Yes," Elfilis nodded, "what kind of injuries do you want to try healing? You won't be able to heal it with just the scalpel spell, you'll need some real healing magic to do that. It would need to be alive."

"Perhaps some basic cuts will do. I mean, I want to know if I can handle healing spells first before I try that scalpel."

"To practice a real healing spell, you'll need a living creature. The only spells that can be used to heal corpses are considered necromancy. Necromancy back home was…frowned upon. It wasn't illegal, however it was a difficult thing to practice since no one wants their family members being dug up and used for practice. Not to mention there are a few things that it can be used for other than battle of the worst kind. There were necromancers, however, who could make a living by preparing corpses for burial, making them look nice and healing wounds, that kind of thing."

"Which is why I was going for a living creature anyway," she agreed.

Elfilis nodded before they spawned a living rabbit and placed it on the bed, making sure its brain was intact. Vesa examined the rabbit carefully, but realized it lacked a soul, hence its brain activity was fake.

"Now let me show you a basic healing spell," Elfilis said, "this one is meant to be used up close rather than at range like most healers like to do in combat."

Vesa watched as Elfilis's hands took on a green glow, sparkles dancing around the hands.

"Here," they continued, "feel what I'm doing."

Vesa reached out her hands until her fingertips touched theirs. The sensation of the spell gave off warmth and comfort, almost relaxing if it weren't for the small jolt of energy she got like a small adrenaline rush meant to keep her on her feet.

"Now try it yourself," Elfilis instructed.

Vesa withdrew her hand and focused her eyes on the rabbit as she concentrated her mana reserves. It took a few minutes before her mana channeled into her hands, which emitted a green sparkling glow. She hovered her hands over the rabbit's small lacerations. The wounds slowly started to knit themselves together, which seemed harder even when she had a vague idea of what she was doing. She recalled the science classes she took growing up apart from her own medical history.

The wounds finished closing in a matter of minutes. Vesa let out a breath of exhaustion and sweated a little.

"You did well for a first try," Elfilis told her, "though it seemed like you were brute forcing the spell a little."

Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis.

"I'm not really sure why it's hard to kick the habit," she admitted with a shrug.

Elfilis lowered their feelers.

"Oh, it seems you misunderstood," they frowned, "brute forcing a spell is essentially giving your magic an intention and forcing it to work. Technically, you can do anything as long as you have enough magic to brute force a spell with the effect you want. However, having knowledge as to how to achieve the effect you want certainly helps. Technically, all magic spells are 'brute forcing' it in a way since we're ordering magic around to get results, but we typically call it that if you aren't using the spell formulae, a spell circle, or a focus to make it happen. I feel like this is my failing as a teacher personally since I didn't give you a spell circle or have you study it in a book."

Elfilis closed their eyes softly.

"At some point, you'll be able to do spells without the circle and experience no major drain," they continued, "but for now, it's probably best that I teach them to you still."

"At least I appreciate what you're doing for me," Vesa smiled.

Elfilis returned their gaze to the rabbit.

"And I enjoy teaching you," Elfilis nodded in agreement, "honestly, my sister Zan would be the best option to teach spell circles to you."

Elfilis scooped the rabbit into their arms and reabsorbed it.

"So," they asked her, "do you have any other plans for today?"

Vesa took out her map from her pocket bangle and read it carefully, her finger tracing on the northwest section.

"Bubbly Clouds?" Vesa said, "I wonder what that place is like."

"It's in the sky, for one," Elfilis explained, "I recall seeing it a while back during my first flight to the Fountain of Dreams."

Vesa stashed the map into her pocket bangle.

"Then, can we go see it?" she requested.

"That sounds fine to me," Elfilis nodded.

After breakfast, Vesa and Elfilis left the tower and meandered through the courtyard. Up ahead, they could see Elfilin chattering with Kirby.

"Ready to go?" Elfilis asked, "it seems Kirby and my brother have similar plans…again."

Elfilis wagged their tail as they eyed the pink star warrior. Elfilin happily hopped onto the Warp Star, and Kirby flew it up into the sky seconds later. Vesa smiled at Elfilis and nodded at them.

"Let's go," Vesa proclaimed.

Elfilis scooped Vesa into their arms. They spread their winglike ears and took off into the sky. Soaring above the lands of Pop Star, they made their way to one of many areas of solid clouds existing in Dreamland.

Upon arriving at Bubbly Clouds, the first thing Vesa noticed was orange, green and purple bubbles decorating the white clouds. Pillars with red and white swirls topped with star ornaments dotted the area. Seemingly large bubbles with colorful swirls floated in the sky.

"I wonder how much of this is made with magic and how much is constructed by the inhabitants," Elfilis commented, "most of it seems natural."

Elfilis touched down on one of the clouds, setting Vesa onto the surface. She glanced down and shuffled her feet, amazed the cloud underneath didn't give way for her unlike the clouds she knew about on her planet. Elfilis scanned their surroundings, their feelers fluttering from the sensation of dream based magic. As she examined a tower from a distance, she slowly tread along the cloud, sidestepping a couple wiggling bubbles.

"It's probably a good idea to be careful where you step," Elfilis told her, "the clouds may be solid, but there are holes in the cloud cover."

"R-Right," Vesa stammered.

Vesa scampered towards Elfilis, grasping their hand with hers. Elfilis enclosed their fingers around her hand as they wandered around. A bunch of Noddies perched on a platform as they napped. A Kabu could be seen annoying a nearby Scarfy. Vesa's eyes wandered until she spotted Bandee on another cloud in the distance standing next to a telescope. He didn't seem to mind the UFO circling him curiously, which actually intrigued Elfilis as it seemed to be bio-mechanical.

When Vesa and Elfilis reached the edge of the cloud, she took notice of a circular balcony holding a pool, with water flowing from a cloud above it topped with an imitation tree decorated with colorful bells.

"That looks beautiful," Vesa gasped in awe, "I'd love to go check it out!"

"Of course," Elfilis smiled.

Elfilis swayed their tail as they gently lifted Vesa into their arms. The ultimate life-form flew across the sky and reached the platform. Once they touched down, Elfilis set her onto the ground. Vesa approached the pool and observed a Waddle Dee relaxing in a beach float. A flock of Bronto Burts flew above them in a zigzag pattern. She spotted an ornate gazebo nearby. She glanced over her shoulder and beckoned Elfilis to follow her. When they set foot into the gazebo, they fixated their eyes onto the rainbow ahead.

"This rainbow," she mused, "it looks amazing up here. Even more so than the ones I've seen back on my planet."

"Indeed, it does."

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis, allowing them to place their hand on her shoulder. She could feel her heart racing as her face reddened with excitement. She snaked her arm around their waist, their tail wagging happily. Vesa turned until her body was facing theirs. Elfilis knelt to pull her into a gentle embrace. She noticed her partner's face also happened to redden.

"Hey, Elfilis?"

"Yes?" Elfilis raised their brow.

Vesa tilted her head up, gazing into their eyes.

"Have you…ever kissed anyone before?" she asked.

Elfilis took a moment to think as they blinked slowly.

"No," they admitted, "I've never been that close to anyone."

"Me neither," Vesa replied, "but I think I've seen how it goes in my world. Do you want me to show you?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Elfilis nodded slowly.

Upon cue, Vesa cupped their cheek in her hand, tilting her head to examine their face. When her eyes located a small mouth on Elfilis's lower jaw, she leaned in and pressed her lips against theirs. Elfilis purred as they kissed back. Vesa closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her alien partner. Elfilis wrapped their winglike ears around her and held her close.

When Vesa and Elfilis broke off the kiss for a moment, they gazed into each other's eyes. They continued to purr and nuzzled her face.

"Not bad for a first kiss, huh?" she mused.

"Of course."

Vesa closed their eyes while Elfilis licked her face. After a moment, she pulled them into another passionate kiss. They squeaked a little and their feelers twitched. Still, they gently cupped the back of her head. As Vesa and Elfilis kept their lips locked together, her tongue brushed along the inside of their mouth. Elfilis let out a confused squeak for a moment, yet they enjoyed the sudden sensation. They returned the gesture, their lightly barbed tongue licked hers.

A minute passed before Vesa and Elfilis broke off the kiss. The ultimate life-form unfurled their ears. Smiling, Vesa placed her hand on their head. They blinked softly, their face still red. Vesa and Elfilis turned their heads, noticing as Kirby was participating in an Air Grind race against a Waddle Doo, a Sir Kibble and Elfilin in the distance. Elfilis didn't really say much, still dazed from their first kiss.

Vesa and Elfilis sat down at a nearby bench and took a few minutes to rest. Once they both calmed down, they stood up.

"I wonder what kind of unique creatures this place has," Vesa said with a shrug.

"Well," Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw, "magic saturated areas like this one tend to have a variety of unique flora and fauna, if that's what you're looking for."

Vesa smiled at Elfilis as she led them out of the gazebo. They gave her an affectionate headbutt before scooping her into their arms.

"I don't think I say it enough," Elfilis confessed, "but I'm blessed to have you in my life."

Vesa stared in awe upon hearing those words. Her heart fluttered in warmth in a matter of seconds the instant she realized what Elfilis meant.

"Ah," she blurted, "thank you, Elfilis."

Vesa rested her head on Elfilis's shoulder. After they nuzzled her cheek, they began soaring through Bubbly Clouds, both of them doing some sightseeing and observing the residing wildlife.

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis congregated in Hyness's study the following day. Hyness observed as his child brought out the Dimensional Mirror and set it onto the floor.

"The mirror has been visibly tampered with," Elfilis explained, "though I can't think of anyone who's currently still alive other than us who would've been able to mess with it to this extent."

Hyness approached the mirror and examined it.

"It is heavily damaged, indeed," Hyness agreed, "but it can be repaired. Although, I feel we'll need some assistance. I can feel it's damaged on the other side as well."

Hyness felt the runes with his hands, his yellow eyes glowing with thought.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at," Elfilis frowned.

"Oh, right!" Hyness exclaimed, locking eyes onto his child, "you never met him, did you?"

"Met who?" Vesa warbled.

"I believe we referred to him as Dark Meta Knight at the time," Hyness clarified as he began repairing the mirror's runes, "he comes from the Mirror Dimension, and he's learned to travel between mirrors even without the help of the Dimensional Mirror to assist him. We'll need his help to fix it. If we were just making it for the first time, we wouldn't need to worry about this since there would be a copy of us on the other side. However, since the perfect reflection was broken upon our people first interacting with the mirror world, that's no longer true."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"So," Vesa asked, "how do we reach out to him?"

"Meta Knight probably keeps tabs on him," Elfilis replied, "I'm concerned as to whether or not the real Meta Knight would want to help us with this. Though, it seems clear they're both opposites of each other."

By then, Hyness repaired a quarter of the mirror's runes.

"If Meta Knight doesn't agree to help," Elfilis continued, "we may need to find Dark Meta Knight on our own. Honestly, stopping the project may be for the best if he disagrees."

"Ok," Vesa nodded, "let's go!"

"We should ask Kirby for ways to bribe him," Elfilis agreed.

"Take care, you two!" Hyness waved his hand.

Vesa and Elfilis made their way out of the tower. The ultimate life-form's feelers perked up as they scanned their surroundings. Soon enough, they pointed their finger in a direction to a dirt path to their left.

"This way."

Vesa followed Elfilis along the dirt path. After traveling for around half an hour, they spotted a familiar dome house up ahead sitting next to a tree. She noticed Kirby perching on a branch.

"Well," Elfilis suggested, "you should talk to him."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa approached the tree. Once she was mere feet close, Kirby opened his eyes and glanced down at her.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

"Morning, Kirby," Vesa waved back, "do you have a moment? We have a favor to ask of you."

Kirby blinked before he hopped out of the tree.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, standing on the tip of his feet, "poyo poyo?"

"W-We're looking for someone that goes by Dark Meta Knight," Vesa explained, "does that ring any bells?"

Kirby gasped before he jumped up.

"Poyo!"

"On the day of my surprise birthday party," Vesa continued, "Elfilis and I explored the Dreamstalk and we met this spider named Taranza who gave us this Dimensional Mirror."

Kirby blinked twice.

"Poyo?" Kirby pestered, "poyo poyo. Poyo?"

"I'm not sure," Vesa admitted, "but I was told Dark Meta Knight could repair the mirror from the other side. You see, Elfilis noticed its runes were tampered with and Hyness is having a look at it. And as why we're approaching you…"

Vesa clasped her hands behind her back.

"Can you help us persuade Meta Knight to find Dark Meta Knight for us?" Vesa requested.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded, jumping up and down.

Vesa approached Elfilis with Kirby following close behind. The pink star warrior didn't hesitate to summon the Warp Star. Elfilis scooped their girlfriend into their arms. The Warp Star took off into the sky, so the ultimate life-form spread their winglike ears, flying after it.

Soaring above Dreamland, Kirby surveyed the land below. It seemed to take a while, but the pink star warrior spotted the familiar navy round figure perched on top of a building. The Warp Star made a quick descent. Elfilis also began to make their descent and landed nearby. Kirby hopped off the Warp Star and approached Meta Knight.

"Papa poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Meta Knight turned around, locking eyes onto his son.

"What is it?" he asked.

Using his body language and limited speech, Kirby went on to explain how Vesa and Elfilis received the Dimensional Mirror from Taranza and that Hyness needed Dark Meta Knight's help repairing it. Not surprisingly, Meta Knight turned away, grimacing at the memory of his encounter with his mirror counterpart.

"Poyo," Kirby sighed.

Kirby reached into his pocket dimension. Soon enough, the pink star warrior pulled out a lollipop before holding out before Meta Knight.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Elfilis and Vesa watched curiously as Meta Knight gave Kirby a blank stare. The veteran star warrior quickly snatched the candy and pulled it under his cloak, seeming like a brief flutter. Elfilis raised their brow. A moment of silence continued on until Meta Knight sighed at the sight of Kirby's eager grin and pleading eyes.

"Fine," Meta Knight grumbled, "I reserve the right to properly deal with him should he attempt a double cross."

Meta Knight flicked up his cape lightly, showing off his blade for a moment.

"Poyo!" Kirby happily jumped up and waved his arm.

"Thank you, Sir Meta Knight," Vesa smiled.

"Don't thank me until we are done," Meta Knight replied in an irritated tone.

Kirby hopped back onto the Warp Star as Meta Knight's cape changed into bat wings. Meta Knight, Elfilis and the Warp Star simultaneously took off into the sky. While they soared above Dreamland, the veteran star warrior took the lead. Kirby watched as his father veered towards the mountain range. When Meta Knight began his descent, the pink star warrior and Elfilis followed suit. The veteran star warrior touched down at the base of a mountain. Elfilis landed a short distance nearby and approached him.

"So what can we expect when we enter?" Elfilis asked, "should we expect a fight right away?"

Elfilis set Vesa onto the ground while Kirby disembarked the Warp Star. Meta Knight took a moment to think before he nodded.

"All right," Elfilis replied, "I'll be ready then. I assume you'll want to take point?"

Meta Knight gave Elfilis another nod.

"This way," Meta Knight beckoned.

With Elfilis, Vesa and Kirby following close behind, Meta Knight began his tread up the mountain. The ultimate life-form brought out their spear.

"You should stay back," Elfilis warned Vesa, "this battle is beyond your skill level."

"Uh, ok," Vesa stammered with a nod.

Vesa remained closer to Elfilis as they continued their hike. After a while, Meta Knight, Kirby, Vesa and Elfilis stopped at a cavern entrance.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked.

"Yes," Meta Knight asked, readying his sword, "he's here."

"My own senses seem to reflect right off of him," Elfilis added, their feelers perking up.

Elfilis glanced over their shoulder, their eyes gazing into Vesa's.

"You should get away from here," Elfilis insisted, "it's likely he'll attempt to bring the fight outside."

Vesa took a moment to scan her surroundings.

"Where should I hide?" she asked Elfilis.

"Take cover in some trees or even a separate cave," Elfilis suggested, "if you're able to see the sky, then you aren't in a good spot."

"Got it," Vesa nodded.

Vesa took a step back and checked her surroundings again. Once she spotted another cave, she immediately darted for it. Elfilis got into a stance, taking a position behind Meta Knight. Kirby reached into his pocket dimension again and pulled out a sword, which he inhaled and became Sword Kirby.

Meta Knight led Kirby and Elfilis into the cave without hesitation. They meandered through the tunnel until they arrived in a cave chamber. Ahead, Kirby spotted a figure resembling Meta Knight but his wings were tattered and his body was black; not to mention his sword was silver with seven blade branches instead of gold with five blade branches.

"Poyo!" Kirby called over.

The figure spun around and glared at the three with eyes that were more of an orange than yellow, something about them giving off the impression he was perpetually scowling. The slash on the mask right where his left eye was made the difference just a bit more stark. Not surprisingly, Dark Meta readied his sword, aiming it at the pink star warrior.

"Prepare yourselves, fools," Dark Meta Knight sneered in a slight raspy tone, hinting of a harsh edge.

The mirror counterpart twirled his sword around, slashing himself two times and now there were three of him. Elfilis froze, having the sneaky suspicion they might be unprepared. Meta Knight widened his stance while Kirby readied his sword.

"Be ready for anything," Elfilis warned, angling their spear downward and crouching a little lower to the ground, "they share the same power!"

Kirby took notice that the other two knights had a blue and a yellow-orange tint respectively. The three dark knights charged at the three. The copy charging at Elfilis flew right over Kirby and made a stab at them. The ultimate life-form batted his sword away. The copy summoned a mirror and threw his sword into it. The sword zipped out of a puddle and stabbed at Elfilis in the thigh, forcing them onto their knee.

Cheap trick.

Kirby did a back flip dodging the orange copy's swing of his sword. Elfilis watched as the other Dark Meta Knight copies attempted the same trick, but the pink star warrior and his father thought fast and parried the attack.

With the blue copy's sword stuck in their leg, he spun around and created a Mach Tornado. The sword ripped out of Elfilis's leg while they were flung into the storm of blades. They flinched at each collision from sharp projectiles. In the midst of slight humiliation, an idea popped into their head. They concentrated until the fur on their hand took on a more metallic appearance. They recuperated and thrust their hand forward, gripping the blue copy's mask and sinking their claws into it. Elfilis internally smirked at the sight of the copy's surprised look. They dropped their spear and smashed him into a wall.

Kirby charged up for a moment before he spun his blade at the orange copy. He jumped over the pink star warrior and spun in the air like a buzzsaw. Using telekinesis on their spear, Elfilis smacked away the copy. The blue copy sped towards the ultimate life-form and tried cutting into their leg again. They barely managed to make it halfway before Elfilis turned their leg into metal. They kicked their other leg into the ground around them, disrupting the blue copy's footing and forcing him to retreat a short distance away before he tripped.

Meta Knight sidestepped three swords which Dark Meta Knight summoned from mirrors. The veteran star warrior dashed forward and lunged at his mirror counterpart. Really, Meta Knight had no issues dancing around the dark warrior, as he surpassed Galacta Knight in skill. Elfilis recalled their spear to their side even if it wasn't a good weapon for battle in a confined space. They made a brief glance at the cavern entrance.

When the blue copy glanced backwards, Elfilis surged forward, abandoning their traditional form and morphing into a mass of virulent turquoise goo. The blue copy made a brief glance at Elfilis and widened his eyes in shock. Elfilis quickly overtook him and buried him in their biomass, taking some DNA samples in the process yet making sure not to maim him permanently. The ultimate life-form returned to normal and leaned against the wall, mending their injuries to their normal body.

With Meta Knight biding his own time, Kirby jumped up with an upward slash and attacked with a sword dive. Unfortunately, the orange copy saw this and put down a sideways mirror right where the pink star warrior was going to land, jagged and sharp like shattered glass. Meta Knight spotted this and launched a sword beam into the mirror, causing it to break into magical dust. The projectile hit the orange copy head on and launched him into a wall.

But it seemed the orange copy wasn't done yet as he staggered back to his feet, putting down a mirror in front of Kirby and himself, smirking beneath his mask. Without warning, both mirrors began to glow and Kirby cried out in pain, Dark Meta Knight visibly recovering energy. Kirby collapsed onto the ground, looking worse for wear.

"Poyo," Kirby cried weakly.

Elfilis's eyes softened and their feelers drooped at the sight of the dazed pink star warrior. Meta Knight clashed his sword against Dark Meta Knight's. Kirby struggled to get back up, grabbing his sword and glaring at the orange copy. The orange copy raised his sword, but Kirby quickly countered with an uppercut. After recovering from the blow, the orange copy smirked under his mask, making a brief glance at its original counterpart. It pulled its cape around itself and vanished. Dark Meta Knight pulled his own cape around Meta Knight and himself before vanishing. Soon enough, three Meta Knights appeared with no visible differences.

"Poyo?!" Kirby warbled, his voice on the edge of panic.

Kirby tightened his grip on his sword and aimed it at the Meta Knights, eyeing them carefully. All three copies stared at each other before they started to fight each other, confusing Kirby even further. The pink puff wasn't sure whether or not to step in. Still, if he couldn't get words out, he could at least watch for any unusual quirks from any of the copies. By then, one of the Meta Knights started using its cape to dodge a few attacks, seemingly in pain. Both of the other Meta Knights moved in on the other. With them distracted, Kirby charged at the two copies, leapt up and slashed one of them with his sword.

Meta Knight clashed with Kirby for a moment, intercepting his strike. The other two Meta Knights leapt at the other, trying to skewer him. Meta Knight broke out of his blade lock and slashed one with a powerful strike, breaking the illusion. While the orange copy was stunned, Meta Knight grabbed it and kicked it away with one of his sabatons before parrying a strike from the other one. Kirby leapt at the second copy from behind and slashed at it. The copy's illusion dropped, revealing himself to be the original Dark Meta Knight. Meta Knight flew over to the orange copy and flourished his sword in a twirl, about to execute it on the spot.

"Poyo!" Kirby yelped.

Meta Knight glanced back at Kirby for a moment before he kicked the side of the copy's head hard enough to knock him out.

With the fight drawing to a close, Kirby approached Meta Knight. Dark Meta Knight propped himself up on his sword and attempted to lunge at the pink star warrior. All of a sudden, Elfilis teleported in and grabbed the base of his wings, holding him up in the air as he flailed his sword around. Kirby and Meta Knight paused before turning to face Elfilis with confused looks.

"Unhand me at once," Dark Meta Knight snarled, "you miserable rat!"

"No," Elfilis smirked, "I don't think I will."

Elfilis couldn't help but snicker.

"You wretch!" Dark Meta Knight yelled.

Meta Knight's eyes glowed pink with a slight chuckle, even when he held his hand protectively over his wings.

"You will cooperate with us," Elfilis threatened, their eyes giving off a menacing glow, "or I will lock you in a room with Meta Knight and you'll get to decide who the better version is."

Chapter Text

Vesa had been resting in a different cavern chamber for some time. While she nervously waited for Elfilis to show up, she read through an instructional book on magic with a flashlight active.

The peaceful silence broke when she heard chirping sounds from within the cave.

"Huh?"

Vesa placed a bookmark and stashed the book into her pocket bangle. She kept her ear out for the source of the chirping while holding onto the flashlight. Soon enough, she spotted a juvenile bird of sorts half her size.

"O-Oh?" she blurted, "hi there, little guy."

Vesa took note of the red vest the bird wore, which didn't seem to make sense to her. She noted feathers were starting to replace its yellow fuzz. It chirped again as it examined the newcomer. She tilted her head sideways, and the bird imitated her gesture.

"Are you lost?"

The bird shook its head. Vesa gave the young bird a confused look as it turned around and flew farther into the cavern chamber. She didn't hesitate to follow it, only to gasp when she saw a large nest in front of her. The juvenile bird hopped into the nest and chattered with the other two birds. When Vesa looked up, she stiffened at the sight of a much larger bird with white feathers on her body and red feathers on her head. This bird, likely twice Vesa's size, wore an armored vest secured with a sapphire brooch. The bird's mohawk bristled as she spread her wings, displaying her rainbow feathers tipped with metal feathers, giving her a piercing stare.

"I," Vesa stammered, "uh…"

Vesa took one step back as the large bird leaned her head forward, carefully examining the human and tilting her head sideways. Vesa tried to keep her breathing steady as she lowered the flashlight. The bird let out a call which reminded her of an eagle's back at her home planet.

"I-I was just hiding out in here," Vesa tried to explain, "I'm waiting for my friends."

The large bird didn't say anything in response. She felt the large bird projecting a sensation of ease towards her, with an undertone of caution. From what Vesa could interpret through this mental projection, the mother bird could tell she wasn't a threat. That gentle warning still lingered, so she suspected she shouldn't try pushing her luck. The bird then let out some melodic chirps as she remained in her nest, keeping an eye on the human.

"Ok," Vesa nodded with a soft smile, "good to know."

Vesa simply sat down by the nest. She turned off the flashlight before stashing it into her pocket bangle. Minutes passed as she listened in on the curious juvenile birds chirping away. The seemingly peaceful moment continued on until…

"Poyo!"

Vesa lifted her head as she spotted Kirby enter the cavern chamber, almost as if he was searching for someone.

"Kirby?" Vesa paused.

The large bird shifted her attention towards the pink puffball and chirped. When Kirby returned his gaze, his face brightened with a smile and he waved his arms happily.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Vesa stood up while Kirby scampered towards the nest. Soon enough, while the pink star warrior chattered with the juvenile birds, Meta Knight and Elfilis entered the cavern chamber.

"Elfilis!" Vesa exclaimed.

Vesa sprinted towards her partner.

"Did you subdue him?" she asked.

"Yes," Elfilis nodded, "he's currently unable to do any harm so long as we keep his blade away from him and you keep your distance. Meta Knight will be holding onto both Galaxia blades for now."

Elfilis made a brief glance at the large bird, who gave them a similar mental projection.

"I just didn't imagine I'd meet a bird larger than I am," Vesa shrugged, "until now."

"I'm aware of many birds of similar size," Elfilis replied, "but like most creatures I assimilated prior to my capture…"

Elfilis lowered their head in sadness. Vesa sighed and gently grasped their hand. She shared a brief glance with Meta Knight.

"Dyna Blade is an endangered creature who migrates to Dreamland from elsewhere every year," Meta Knight explained, "I imagine Dyna Blade migrates from either Nature's Navel or Vocal Volcano."

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"I personally don't care much for the subject," Meta Knight shrugged, "but I made a point to look into it after certain events transpired."

"What events?" Vesa paused.

Kirby turned around and hopped out of the nest, scurrying towards Vesa.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby explained, waving his arms, "hungry babies poyo. Poyo, poyo poyo."

"Not the event I was referring to," Meta Knight raised his brow, "but I suppose that's also true."

Dyna Blade gave Meta Knight an amused look for some reason. The veteran star warrior returned his gaze, no longer having any quarrel with the bird. Kirby waved his arm goodbye at Dyna Blade with a smile before he left the cavern chamber.

"Ok, take care!" Vesa called over to Dyna Blade.

Meta Knight and Elfilis exited the cave with Vesa trailing close behind. The veteran star warrior dragged along a disgruntled Dark Meta Knight by the cape. Once they met up with Kirby outside, Vesa made a glance at Meta Knight's mirror counterpart. He glared at her while his hands were tied behind his back. Kirby didn't hesitate to summon the Warp Star before he hopped on. Elfilis scooped Vesa into their arms. Meta Knight proceed to tie some string to Dark Meta Knight's leg and took off into the air, dangling his mirror counterpart underneath him. Kirby and Elfilis exchanged glances before they took off into the sky. During the flight, the ultimate life-form watched with amusement as Dark Meta Knight flailed around and shouted swears at Meta Knight.

After a while, Kirby, Meta Knight and Elfilis arrived at the entrance to the tower. The pink star warrior disembarked from the Warp Star before leading Vesa, Meta Knight and Elfilis through the courtyard. The veteran star warrior paused to think, realizing he's been acting like a bit of a jerk despite his slight catharsis. Once he landed, he untied his mirror counterpart. Dark Meta Knight gave a grumpy expression as he followed the others through the main entrance. Elfilis led the others through the foyer, making their way back to Hyness's study.

"Hey, we're back!" Vesa called.

The wizard glanced behind his shoulder, approaching Dark Meta Knight.

"Ok," Hyness declared, "here's a visual representation of the runes I need you to write on the mirror on your side."

Hyness handed Dark Meta Knight a detailed drawing of the mirror covered in runes with precisely drawn visuals of what he needed.

"It doesn't have to be perfect," Hyness continued, "it just needs to work once, then I can fix it when I move to that side."

Dark Meta Knight took a moment to examine the schematics.

"Hmmph," Dark Meta Knight huffed.

Dark Meta Knight immediately stepped into the mirror. All Vesa, Kirby, Meta Knight and Elfilis could do was wait. Before long, the mirror counterpart returned from his trip.

"It is done," he told everyone, agitated yet resigned.

"Excellent!" Hyness praised, "now I shall do my part."

Hyness entered the Dimensional Mirror. From there, Elfilis released the binds on Dark Meta Knight's magical power.

"My blade," Dark Meta Knight demanded.

Meta Knight sighed before reluctantly handing his mirror counterpart his silver Galaxia. Dark Meta Knight took a step towards the mirror before giving Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Meta Knight an intimidating gaze.

"You have all made a powerful enemy this day," he warned them.

Vesa shuddered as Dark Meta Knight reentered the Dimensional Mirror. The human hugged her arms to her chest, so Elfilis placed their hand on her shoulder.

"I wouldn't worry too much, he isn't strong enough to pose much of a threat to me," Elfilis tried to assure her, "he might be able to do temporary damage to my physical body, but he cannot defeat me. At most, I think he would attempt to use you as a hostage. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person to kill without reason or even particularly blood thirsty. He seems to appreciate a challenge more than anything, but he does it in pursuit of power."

Several minutes later, Hyness emerged from the Dimensional Mirror.

"All right," Hyness proclaimed, "the mirror should be repaired completely from the other side now."

"Thank you!" Vesa gave Hyness a smile.

"Either way," Elfilis commented, "I'll start preparing the tower for mirror based magic attacks should he decide to return, even if his attacks won't likely be direct."

Hyness approached Meta Knight and Kirby. Elfilis didn't hesitate as they got to work.

"I thank you for bringing Dark Meta Knight here," Hyness told Meta Knight.

Meta Knight made a mere glance at the wizard, but he didn't bother to respond.

"Anyways," Hyness continued, "you're dismissed."

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped before he darted out of the room.

Meta Knight also left the study with Vesa following close behind. Elfilis draped cloth over the Dimension Mirror and Hyness went on to create additional rooms for a makeshift prison for Dark Meta Knight.

Once Vesa and Kirby arrived in the foyer, she opened the door, allowing Meta Knight to step outside.

"I'll see you soon," Meta Knight drawled as he walked through the courtyard, making his way onto the dirt path.

Vesa and Kirby waved goodbye before the pink star warrior darted into the dining hall.

"What?" Vesa blurted, "you're hungry already?"

Kirby paused and glanced behind him.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Vesa sighed and followed Kirby into the dining hall. When they entered the kitchen, they found Elfilin rummaging through the pantry.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

Elfilin paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh, hey guys!" Elfilin chirped, "I was just looking for something to eat. I can do photosynthesis now, but I think eating is still better."

Elfilin went back to searching the pantry. Kirby joined in while Vesa simply grabbed a bagel, spreading some blueberry jam on it before heading to the table. Elfilin eventually found a bag of dried apple slices. Kirby picked out a package of strawberry shortcake. While the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla sat near Vesa, Elfilis and Hyness entered the dining hall several minutes later.

"Oh!" Elfilin perked up his large ears, "heya, Elfilis!"

"Hello," Elfilis simply replied.

Elfilis started carving runes on the frame of a nearby window. Hyness soon emerged with a cup of tea in his hands. When the tall space rodent finished installing the runes in the dining hall windows, they sat down across from Vesa.

"I'll be back shortly," Elfilis told her, "I need to do the other windows."

As Elfilis stood back up, their smaller fragment finished eating the last apple slice. Elfilin immediately raced towards his sibling just as they turned to leave the room.

"W-Wait a minute!" Elfilin blurted, "can I talk to you for a moment?"

Elfilis paused and locked eyes onto the small chinchilla.

"Of course," they nodded, "you can come along."

Elfilin glanced over his shoulder as he and Kirby waved goodbye. The small chinchilla followed Elfilis out of the dining hall while Hyness sat down across from the pink star warrior. Elfilin followed his larger fragment into the living room, watching as they started engraving runes into a window.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Elfilin let out a slow sigh, lowering his head.

"I've been thinking a lot," Elfilin admitted, "ever since that day the lab was destroyed."

Elfilis listened carefully, their feelers twitching.

"When I first met Kirby," Elfilin continued, "when we went on adventures together, I didn't think much when we explored the treasure vortexes."

Elfilin drooped his large ears and hugged his arms to his chest.

"When I think about where I came from," he added, "I feel like a heavy burden just for existing."

Elfilis blinked twice as they twitched their feelers.

"Well, you were ripping apart my soul at the time. I don't hold much animosity towards you for that," Elfilis assured him, "you wouldn't have been able to do it on your own, from what I understand of the mental challenges I concocted at the time to protect myself. Most of them required abilities you just didn't have the power to access. Kirby was uniquely suited to pass any trial I threw at him at the time."

Elfilis finished engraving runes into one window, so they started working on the next one.

"I'm recovering more of my memories as my soul slowly heals itself, and with the information I gained recently regarding these vortexes, I'm remembering more about them. I mostly blame Kirby for what happened there, but even my anger at him is dwindling by the day. The longer we talk about these subjects, the more I just want to put it behind me, to not think too hard about it," Elfilis sighed, their eyes glazing over slightly, "I don't blame you for existing, I'm mostly upset through the process of how it occurred. You're what remains of my childish side, my innocence. You are pure of heart, you don't have the memories of the experiments and torture."

Elfilin blinked as his tail swayed side to side.

"You don't have my programming that forces me to kill Dark Matter wherever I see it, and urges to explore the stars to save and assimilate creatures," Elfilis continued, "you don't have a brand on your soul that intensifies all the anger you feel and makes you lose yourself to insanity. You are a pure spirit…untainted by the world, don't let what has happened to me drag you down. Things even now are getting better, I am recovering, I have someone who I cherish with the entirety of my broken soul. Things are going well, better than they have in centuries."

Relief flooded Elfilin's mind. The small chinchilla gave his sibling an affectionate headbutt on the cheek.

"Thanks," Elfilin chirped, "maybe one day when I grow up, I could help you bring back those species you went out of your way to save?"

"Doing it wouldn't be easy," Elfilis nodded, "in theory, you might be able to piece the DNA smoothie of information we currently have together, but the experiments ruined almost everything I have access to, aside from simple creatures and simple life forms like that slime I made, and things I obtained from the Forgotten Land. Almost every creature I could've made is nearly impossible to recreate in its entirety now. Theoretically, you might be able to do it, but it would take a lot of time. I wish you luck if that's what you plan to do."

Elfilin nodded with confidence brimming in his eyes.

"Sure! I might as well get some more practice while I'm at it."

Chapter Text

Vesa, Fecto Elfilis, Zan Partizanne and Elfilin stood outside the courtyard two days later. As the weather outside started to get more chilly, Vesa opted for a warmer garment underneath her apprentice robes. Elfilis was able to maintain themself with their fur and body heat. All the while, Elfilin circled the lightning mage.

"So," Elfilis shrugged, "I suppose we should start with some examples."

Zan simply nodded and placed her hand on her chest.

"All right," Zan told Vesa, "to start us off, take these books and look over the theory."

Zan pulled a few books out of her pocket dimension and handed them to Vesa. The human took note of the bookmarks in each one.

"Spell circles are like magic calculators and regulators," Zan continued, "they'll help channel your magic properly for specific spells, and they help a mage do the precise calculations needed to cast their spell safely and without a rebound."

Vesa didn't hesitate to flip to the bookmarked pages in each book, taking some time to study the text, mostly consisting of diagrams of different spell circles and legends showing the meaning of certain symbols. After a while, Vesa closed the last book.

"Ok, I think I'm ready to get started," Vesa proclaimed.

"We'll see," Zan replied, "I doubt you'll get it on the first try unless you have a photographic memory."

Elfilin floated back a little while Vesa and Zan took a few steps out into the field before facing each other.

"The first step is to imagine the circle in your mind," Zan instructed, "and from the outside in, attempt to make the spell circle from memory. Start with a circle and proceed from there."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

Vesa handed the books back to Zan before she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Elfilin fidgeted nervously while his older sibling observed quietly. Vesa took steady deep breaths as she began to picture a circle in her mind. Several minutes passed and a light particle started drawing a circle in front of her. By the time she finished drawing the circle, Vesa opened her eyes.

"That's a good start," Zan praised, "now you just need to finish the inner circle."

Vesa nodded and concentrated again. As she imagined what she could include in her inner circle, she thought of the elements she mastered so far. Holding up her hand, her mana reserves allowed her to draw the inner circle she had in mind, though it took a few minutes. As soon as she finished, she took a moment to recall the water symbol in her head. After a moment, she went on to draw a stylized water droplet inside the inner circle. She paused for a moment after that, allowing Zan Partizanne to analyze the spell circle.

"It looks good," Zan commented, "now you need to do the calculations and write them out for the circle's outer layer."

Vesa nodded as she thought of the symbols she studied, taking moments to recall each one in her head. As minutes passed, she barely managed to bring a few symbols into the spell circle. Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw. Vesa sighed as the spell circle began to stagnate. Zan Partizanne backed away a little. It wasn't long before a soft crackling sound echoed as a crack grew right down the center of the spell circle which forked off slightly in a few directions. It started to wobble slightly before a small harmless explosion shattered the spell circle, its magic escaping back into the atmosphere. Vesa flinched at the sound similar to that of a small firecracker.

"Oh dear," Elfilin drooped his ears.

"Not unexpected," Elfilis commented, "it takes most mages at least four hours of study to memorize a spell for short time use. For longer term use, you normally need to study a spell circle for at least a few days. The more experienced a mage gets, the easier it gets to master it. It may be even far easier if you manage to pick up a photographic memory, or better yet, your magical control becomes so excellent that you don't need a circle to cast one."

Vesa simply nodded at Elfilis while Zan handed the books back to her.

"Still," Zan told her, "you did good for a first time. Some styles of magic require spell circles that are more advanced like mine, due to how unpredictable lightning can get. While yours has 20 different symbols, mine has 70 for even my basic spells."

"I'll look into this further," Vesa nodded, "thank you, Zan."

"No problem," Zan smiled, "try to memorize a couple of them and we can try this again in a few days."

"Ok," Vesa waved her hand, "see you later!"

Zan turned to make her way back into the tower. The human simply sat on the ground while Elfilin perched on top of her head. She opened one of the books and flipped to one of the bookmarked pages. She took note of additional examples of some of the more complex spell circles, plastered with warning signs written on sticky notes. There were circles with three layers, four layers, overlapping circles like venn diagrams, circles which resembled pentagrams, six pointed stars, nine pointed stars and even circles which had the script written on a square tucked inside.

While Vesa continued to study the books she'd been given, Elfilin perked his head up when he spotted Adeleine from afar. He blinked twice as he noticed a much smaller girl with fairy wings floating next to the young artist. This smaller girl's short pink hair had a red ribbon on top. She wore a long sleeved red dress with a white frilly collar and her blue eyes sparkled as she smiled. The curious small chinchilla hopped off of Vesa's head and sped forward, catching Elfilis's attention.

No doubt, Fecto Elfilis immediately recognized the small humanoid creature as a fairy, one of the many races the Ancients handed down items to or power in hopes they would assist in the fight against Dark Matter. They remembered the fairies helped with the creation of the Love Love Stick among other few projects which were a collaborative effort.

Elfilin stopped just inches from Adeleine and waved his paw at her.

"Oh!" Adeleine blurted, "hi, Elfilin!"

"Hey, Adeleine," Elfilin chirped, pointing at the fairy, "is that a friend of yours?"

The fairy blushed as she made a brief glance at the small chinchilla.

"Y-Yeah," the fairy nodded sheepishly, "my name's Ribbon."

Elfilin did a happy back flip.

"Nice to meet you," Elfilin smiled, "I'm Elfilin, Kirby's new friend!"

Ribbon gasped in awe upon hearing the familiar name.

"So how's Kirby?" she clamored.

"Well," Elfilin placed his paw behind his head, "he's probably napping away somewhere."

Ribbon giggled.

"So typical of him," the fairy mused.

"Well, come on!" Adeleine gestured, "the tower's not far from here."

Adeleine continued to walk down the path with Elfilin and Ribbon following close behind. Once they reached the gate to the courtyard, Vesa tilted her head up.

"Adeleine?" Vesa paused.

Ribbon made a brief glance at Elfilis and fidgeted nervously. Vesa closed the book and stood up.

"Oh, right," Adeleine clarified, "Vesa, this is Ribbon. Ribbon, this is Vesa and Fecto Elfilis."

Ribbon floated over to Vesa and Elfilis and waved hello.

"Nice to meet you," Vesa said, "what brings you here?"

Ribbon locked eyes onto Elfilis.

"I heard there's a printing press shop in Hyness's tower," Ribbon explained, "is it open?"

Elfilis blinked slowly.

"It's not much of a shop," Elfilis answered, "but you are free to use it if you wish."

"Thanks!" Ribbon smiled.

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"Well," Vesa told Ribbon, "we might as well show you where it is."

"This way," Elfilis instructed.

Vesa, Elfilin, Ribbon and Adeleine followed Elfilis back into the tower. Crossing the foyer, they ventured through the hallway until they set foot into the printing press room. Vesa locked eyes onto Hyness as he was in the middle of operating the printing press. The wizard paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh!" Hyness exclaimed, "greetings! It has been some time since I've spoken to a fairy. How are things going back on Ripple Star?"

Ribbon circled the printing press before she nodded at Hyness.

"It's been doing well," Ribbon answered, "even better since Kirby defeated Dark Matter and saved the planet."

"Oh yes," Hyness replied, "I heard of that. I'm glad that was resolved finally. However, I can't say I'm too cheerful despite it being over, too much was lost before it happened for me to feel joyful."

Ribbon sighed softly before she flew over to a shelf holding books which were copied using the printing press, ranging from various magic tomes, copied from just paper and onto a proper cover. Her eyes wandered until she noticed a thin book. The fairy pulled it off the shelf and examined the title "The Elfin Seraph in the Dew Garden".

"Huh," Ribbon commented, "I wonder if this is a newly written story."

Vesa blinked twice before she approached Ribbon.

"A-Actually," Vesa corrected, "that's a bedtime story from my childhood long ago. I recorded it as soon as I moved here."

Ribbon took a moment to flip through the pages before her face brightened.

"I actually like this one!" Ribbon chirped, "maybe I can share it with my friends when I get back to Ripple Star!"

Vesa smiled and clasped her hands in front of her.

"How much is it?" Ribbon clamored.

Vesa placed a finger on her chin as she thought for a moment.

"What currency does Ripple Star use?" Vesa asked Hyness.

"Small gems, last I checked," Hyness answered, "gemstones are rather easy to make with magic, but the currency is given a magical 'stamp' that never goes away. And since fairies in general are almost all pure of heart, counterfeiting isn't even an issue at all, even if there are steps in place to prevent it regardless."

"Then I guess this book is worth 10 gemstones," Vesa shrugged.

Ribbon nodded before reaching into her pocket dimension, pulling out the amount of gemstones.

"Here you go, then."

Hyness accepted Ribbon's payment.

"I appreciate it," Hyness replied, "even if we'll make plenty through other means."

"No worries!" Ribbon nodded, clutching her new book in her arms.

Ribbon and Adeleine left the printing press room.

"Take care!" Vesa waved her hand.

"See you later!" Adeleine called over.

Vesa shifted her gaze back to her partner as they were fiddling with the printing press. She simply waited for a moment until Elfilis paused and glanced behind their shoulder.

"Hey," Vesa asked, "you want to head over to the library?"

"If that's what you wish," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis and Vesa left the printing press room and made their way to the library with Elfilin following close behind. While the human and her partner sat down on the couch, the small chinchilla perched on top of the balustrade of the second floor. Vesa flipped to a bookmarked page and went back to studying spell circles while leaning closer to Elfilis. The ultimate life-form purred softly and nuzzled into her face. Vesa giggled softly before she cupped their face in her hand, running her thumb along their jaw. They closed their eyes as their feelers twitched gently.

Setting the books aside, Vesa leaned in and brushed her nose along their snout, noticing as their tail swayed from side to side. Elfilis placed their hand behind her head. She leaned in to give them a soft kiss. Their purrs intensified as they gently wrapped their arms around her, holding her close. Vesa perched her arms over their shoulders while keeping her lips locked onto theirs. Elfilis brushed their tongue along the insides of her mouth. Moaning softly, Vesa returned the gesture.

Once they broke off the kiss, Elfilis gave Vesa a gentle lick on the forehead. She smiled before picking up one of the books. She perched on their lap, nestling in their arms while she went back to studying spell circles.

Elfilin stretched his limbs, tail swaying side to side before he floated over to a nearby bookshelf. While he browsed for a book to read, his eyes laid upon a strange looking moth half his size perching on the side of the shelf.

"Hmm?"

The small chinchilla carefully examined the moth, taking note of its silver body, black eyes, white fuzzy antenna, a white neck mane and a pair of colorful wings in a strange pattern of white, teal, yellow and light blue. Elfilin examined a book title and with all his strength, he pulled the book off the shelf. He let out a disappointed sigh as the moth flew off the shelf and out of the library.

Still, the small chinchilla shrugged. Maybe he can wait to see if the moth came back so he can introduce it to Kirby later. With the book in his arms, Elfilin flew down to the first floor and sat in a lounge chair. Placing the book onto the chair's arm and opening it, the small chinchilla started reading.

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis met up with Hyness in his study the next day. The human simply sat on a lounge chair as she kept studying spell circles in a book she brought with her. At the moment, Elfilis created a simulation which allowed them to explore the different versions of the Miracle Fruit, ranging from eating it, injecting it, drinking its juice and even consuming its pulp. Hyness waited patiently, eager to know if his child could come up with fruitful results. Elfilis sat down next to Vesa as they continued the simulations quietly.

Once several minutes passed, Elfilis opened their eyes and tilted their gaze towards their girlfriend. By then, they finished running simulations of potential apocalyptic results.

"Find anything interesting?" Vesa asked.

Elfilis let out a soft sigh.

"For the most part, the results are promising," Elfilis explained, "but the result of a potential failure could cause my soul to combust and the explosion…would likely be powerful enough to leave a crater that'll reach the center of Popstar."

Vesa noticed as her partner shuddered at the idea. She gave Hyness a worried glance.

"As you know, souls are kind of a big deal," Hyness reminded, "they are literally what makes you—you. If your soul is destroyed, then all that is left for you is darkness; no afterlife, no future. Not even a NOVA would be able to bring you back to life as anything other than a braindead living body. You wouldn't know anything after that, you would simply cease to exist."

Vesa immediately shuddered.

"It's a scary thing to think about for mages who are so in touch with the world around us, we take in more of life and sense more," Hyness continued, "we have a greater understanding of the universe on a fundamental level. As your studies progress, you too will likely start to feel the breath of life and feel the world around you more in depth. And one day if you're unlucky, you might feel a soul suddenly get extinguished; the core essence of a living creature suddenly snuffed out. There are no words to accurately describe the feeling, just that it isn't pleasant to experience on any level."

Vesa lowered her head and placed her hand on her chest.

"I already know that's a possibility," she acknowledged, "yet, getting back to Elfilis here, I'd like to confirm if there's some safe way to experiment with the Miracle Fruit."

"Probably not without resorting to putting others at risk for the same fate we wish to avoid ourselves," Hyness answered, "we could scry the possibility, but none of us really possess the talent of foresight or reading the future. Elfilis can do it to an extent with tarot cards, but not in the way that we need. We need something more conclusive or it's too big a risk. There is the potential to use evil creatures to test it with, but meddling with souls in any way is never fun."

Vesa closed the book in her hands and stood up.

"Elfilis," Vesa asked, "what do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know," Elfilis admitted sadly.

Vesa and Hyness shared glances.

"I'm sure there's something useful we can find in the library, right?" Vesa clamored.

"We don't have any books on soul magic," Elfilis replied hesitantly, "that kind of magic is…taboo, to say the least. It's worse than necromancy and it's looked down upon. There are exceptions made if your affinity limits you to that kind of magic, but it's not something anyone likes and only morally corrupt people ever really used it."

Hyness sighed and lowered his head.

"Soul magic is both complex and taboo for a reason," Hyness added, "it's terribly dangerous to the caster and anyone you're trying to affect with little exceptions. Only a master can use something like that and not fear any risks."

Vesa couldn't imagine what plan she would agree with, so she embraced Elfilis. Dread seeped into her mind at the thought of losing the being she loved.

"If nothing else," Elfilis tried to assure her, "we can always let my soul heal naturally over time. It might be worth using small amounts of the fruit over a period of a few months."

Vesa closed her eyes and nuzzled their face. Elfilis let out a soft purr, their tail swaying from side to side. They returned the embrace and ran their hand down her back. Hyness was about to pull his camera out of his pocket dimension, but soon spotted Kirby and Elfilin as they played in the hallway. The wizard floated outside, his gaze fixated on the pink star warrior.

The instant Hyness emerged from his study, Kirby paused and turned to wave his arm.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Hello, Kirby," Hyness asked curiously, "what brings you here?"

Elfilin glanced over his shoulder and floated towards Hyness.

"Oh, right," Elfilin blurted, "Kirby came here to visit. We're playing tag right now."

Kirby reached out his arm and tapped the small chinchilla's side. Elfilin let out a startled giggle.

"Poyo."

"Aww," Elfilin joked, playfully sticking his tongue out, "now I have to chase you around!"

Elfilin blinked before he floated to the door to the wizard's study for a brief moment.

"We're not interrupting anything romantic these lovebirds are doing, are we?" Elfilin pondered.

"Just a little," Hyness shrugged, "it should be fine, though. Right now, we were just having a bit of a heavy conversation. Luckily, it seems to have passed for now."

Elfilin floated back towards Kirby as they exchanged confused glances.

"Currently," Hyness continued, "we have a potential method of healing both you and Elfilis. However, we just don't have enough information to make it work yet. Currently, the potential results, while optimistic, are too unknown and could potentially result in their soul exploding and putting a hole through the center of the planet that you could fly another smaller planet through."

Elfilin couldn't help but shudder.

"That sounds worse than trying to collide Popstar with Vesa's world," Elfilin bleated.

"P-Poyo," Kirby uttered nervously.

"Probably," Hyness nodded in agreement.

Elfilin drooped his ears and perched on top of Kirby's head.

"Poyo," Kirby asked, "poyo poyo? Poyo?"

"We were investigating the unique properties of a unique kind of fruit found on the Dreamstalk," Hyness answered, "apparently, it can affect the soul in interesting ways and we're trying to figure out if it could potentially assist in repairing their soul. However, the potential for its power being more than their soul can contain in its current state is higher than we would like."

Kirby's eyes brightened and he eagerly jumped up and down.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, "poyo!"

Elfilin gave Kirby a puzzled look.

"M-Miracle Fruit?" Elfilin paused.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

"Why yes," Hyness agreed, "that's the name we were given for it."

By then, Vesa and Elfilis tilted their gaze towards the door and stood from the lounge chair. When Kirby spotted them approaching the doorway to Hyness's study, the pink star warrior sprinted towards them.

"Poyo," Kirby waved his arms, "poyo poyo? Poyo! Poyo poyo!"

Elfilis fluttered their feelers as they locked eyes upon the pink star warrior.

"I suppose we could do that," Elfilis agreed, "I would ask how you know about it, but you apparently get into all kinds of trouble, so I can't say I'm surprised."

"Poyo!" Kirby smiled.

The following day, Kirby led Elfilin, Vesa, Elfilis and Hyness down the dirt path until they reached the base of the Dreamstalk. The pink star warrior didn't hesitate as he hopped on and started scurrying up the giant beanstalk.

"Hey," Elfilin protested, "Kirby, wait up!"

Elfilin started floating after Kirby. Elfilis lifted Vesa into their arms and lifted off into the air. Hyness followed close behind, though rather slowly. The pink puffball slowed down a little, allowing the small chinchilla to catch up. From there, they all continued their climb up the Dreamstalk, moving past the floating islands until they arrived at Royal Road. They strolled down the street until they arrived at the gate to the palace. Kirby happily waved his arms at the two Lanzers.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

The Lanzers exchanged confused glances before they approached the pink star warrior.

"Hey," one Lanzer pointed out, "is that Kirby?"

"Poyo!" Kirby stood on the tips of his feet.

"Well then," the other Lanzer offered, "wait here while I inform Taranza, all right?"

Kirby nodded before the Lanzer made its way into the palace. The others simply waited until the familiar spider magician emerged from the palace several minutes later.

"Why hello, Kirby!" Taranza greeted, spreading his arms wide, "long time, no see!"

"Poyo!" Kirby gestured to Elfilin, Vesa, Elfilis and Hyness, "poyo poyo, poyo!"

Taranza made a brief glance at Elfilis.

"Oh," Taranza blurted, "welcome back, Elfilis! I assume you repaired the mirror?"

"It was a bit of a hassle," Elfilis nodded, "but it has regained its original function. Whoever wrecked it didn't know much about magic, but they knew enough to figure out how to change its function from its original purpose and cover their tracks a little."

"I see," Taranza replied, "right this way, please."

Taranza led Kirby, Elfilin, Hyness, Vesa and Elfilis into the palace, making their way into the spider magician's study. Once inside, Elfilis set down Vesa.

"So," Taranza asked, "what brings you here this time?"

Elfilin perched on Taranza's desk.

"We're about to experiment with the Miracle Fruit," Elfilin explained, "and perhaps you'd be willing to help us."

Taranza blinked twice, reminiscing on that moment he tossed a Miracle Fruit to Kirby when the pink star warrior confronted Sectonia just as she was about to take over Dreamland.

"For what reason?" Taranza paused.

Elfilis sighed and lowered their head.

"My soul is currently closer to a stained glass window held together with duct tape than a regular window, fragmented into thousands of little pieces and sloppily stitched back together," Elfilis explained, "I have little experience with soul magic and a normal recovery will take decades. I suspect that the Miracle Fruit has the potential to work as a cure or maybe a slow fix. But, I also have a reason to believe a failure would result in the destruction of myself and this planet on a fundamental level."

Taranza couldn't help but stiffen at the thought. Still, he reached for a bookshelf and pulled out a book on the Miracle Fruit.

"Well," Taranza sighed, "extra precautions will have to be made if we're to conduct this study. I know Kirby is able to consume the Miracle Fruit and handle its power with no trouble, but still."

Vesa made a brief glance at Kirby.

"So what power did the Miracle Fruit give you?" she asked him.

"Poyo," Kirby answered, "poyo poyo. Poyo."

"No idea what that means," Elfilin shrugged, "but it sounds pretty neat."

Taranza handed Elfilis the book on Miracle Fruit. They flipped through the pages, mentally cataloging the knowledge inside at speeds other living creatures wouldn't be able to. Elfilis handed the book to Vesa, allowing her to study its contents while Taranza stared at Hyness.

"I don't think I got your name," Taranza said.

"The name's Hyness," the magician replied, "one of the last of the Ancients. My daughters and my child are also the last remnants of our society. You know…other than him."

Hyness thought of the certain planet busting knight.

"And I'm Elfilin," Elfilin waved his paw, "Kirby's best friend!"

Elfilin floated off the desk when Hyness looked him over for a brief moment.

"Hmm," Hyness pondered, "we should probably start training you in magic as well, and maybe some of our customs if you want."

Elfilin placed his paw behind his head.

"I mean," Elfilin mused, making a brief glance at Elfilis, "it sure wouldn't hurt to know what customs you got."

Elfilin floated over to Kirby.

"Right, Kirby?" Elfilin clamored.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

"Most of them are magic related," Elfilis pointed out, "so we'll need to work on your magical education first. Sometimes, it can be hard to distinguish between what we find customary as opposed to just normal magical practice if you aren't paying attention."

Elfilin took a moment to think before tilting his gaze towards Vesa.

"Did I…ever awaken my magic?" Elfilin asked Vesa.

Vesa gave the small chinchilla a puzzled look.

"I can't feel for other people's mana reserves," Vesa objected.

Taranza cleared his throat, causing everyone else to focus their gaze towards him.

"Anyways," Taranza reminded, "we'll need a safe controlled environment for our experiments on the Miracle Fruit."

"There are isolated planets where there is no animal life and only plants exist," Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw, turning their gaze to Elfilin, "as for you, you don't need to awaken your magic. Your body was a part of me once, so your magic already exists. You likely tapped into it quite a bit when you and Kirby both hit me with a truck."

Elfilis gave Kirby an annoyed look as they looked back on that memory.

"Poyo," Kirby sighed softly, still feeling bad for Elfilis.

"Well, here's the plan," Taranza offered, "I can check the available planets you're looking for on my telescope and I can let you pinpoint which one to conduct our studies on. Does that sound like a deal?"

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances as they took a moment to think over the offer.

"We can travel there directly," Elfilis suggested, "I've been to all the planets I have in mind in the past, so it wouldn't be a problem."

"Wonderful!" Taranza clasped his hands together, "then we shall schedule a trip to a planet of your choosing. I might need to pack up."

Chapter Text

Vesa, Fecto Elfilis, Kirby, Elfilin and Zan Partizanne gathered at the training arena the next day. The human took a moment to adjust her apprentice robes.

"Are you ready?" Elfilis asked their girlfriend.

Vesa gazed into Elfilis's eyes and nodded.

"Let's hope it works this time," she added.

"Well, you should have less issues now," Zan agreed.

Elfilin perched on top of Kirby, both of them watching in anticipation. Vesa closed her eyes and concentrated her mana reserves. In a matter of seconds, she drew the outer and inner circles before adding a water symbol. She took a few more minutes to add in the symbols. By the time she completed it, the spell circle began to glow. When Vesa opened her eyes, she made a brief glance at some withered plants to her left. With a flick of her hand, the spell circle hovered above them. In a matter of seconds, the spell circle began to rain on the withered plants, everyone observing as the plants soaked in the water.

"You've done well," Elfilis told her.

Vesa glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Elfilis.

"Thank you!"

Elfilis placed their hand on Vesa's head.

"I'm considering letting you use a spell book," Elfilis mentioned, "personally, I consider them to be a bit of a handicap. However, they can be used as both a magic focus, and if enchanted properly, it can hold spells and store them for later."

Vesa examined her palms as she thought over the offer.

"I'll think about it," she told them.

Zan Partizanne nodded at Elfilin, compelling the small chinchilla to hop off Kirby's head before floating over to his sibling.

"Well," Elfilis continued, "it's practical to have a focus even if you don't use it most of the time. There are all kinds of focuses that a mage can make use of, ranging from weapons, wands, jewelry and so on."

Vesa simply cupped their face in her hand as she proceeded to brainstorm what she would want. Elfilis purred softly as they shifted their gaze towards their little brother. Elfilin lifted himself off of Kirby, his eyes glistening with curiosity.

"Now," Elfilis told the small chinchilla, "it's time to start your lessons."

Elfilis pulled a book out of their pocket dimension titled "An Introduction to Magic and Magical Theory". The ultimate life-form placed the book down, allowing Elfilin to start reading through the text. The small chinchilla took some time to study the nature of mana reserves.

"Sure seems like an awful lot to memorize," Elfilin commented.

"So you don't have a perfect memory?" Elfilis raised their brow.

"Well," Elfilin clarified with a shrug, "I can remember things, but I don't think it's as perfect and complicated as yours, anyway."

"I suppose that makes sense," Elfilis sighed, "you're only a part of my soul, so it's likely you didn't take much of any of my programming with you. The mind and soul are linked just as much as the body and mind are in most other creatures. But, since you developed your own mind, it seems our connection is lessening and your soul is developing into something new. Eventually, the link between us may be broken and you'll have completed your transition into an entirely new existence."

Elfilin placed his paw behind his head, giving a hint of a sad expression.

"It's a bit weird to think about it sometimes," Elfilin admitted, "in some ways, you're my dad. In some ways, we're the same person. In my own thoughts, I prefer to think of you as a brother. This whole situation is just sad and wacky."

Elfilin went back to studying the book's text. The small chinchilla grimaced as he looked over the consequences of exhausting his mana reserves.

"I gotta admit," Elfilin added, "just not existing anymore once your soul gets overstressed? That sounds really scary."

Vesa knelt next to Elfilin, giving him a pat on the head.

"I was told I would feel it if it ever got to that point," she replied, placing her hand on her chest.

Elfilis began to zone out, staring into the sky.

"It was largely what contributed to my current state and your existence," Elfilis added, "the experiments stripped away my mana and flesh to the point my soul splintered. My soul might've been powerful, as anyone else would've perished in my place."

Elfilin floated up to their older sibling and nuzzled their cheek, purring softly. Elfilis didn't react, however, which worried the small chinchilla.

"Uhh, Elfilis?" Elfilin stammered.

Elfilis simply twitched their tail. Kirby gave a worried expression as he pattered towards the ultimate life-form.

"Poyo?" Kirby called over, waving his arm, "poyo?"

Nothing happened. Elfilis continued to relive their experience in Lab Discovera in their head, expression unchanging. Zan Partizanne approached her sibling while Vesa grasped their hand. Elfilis twitched their tail a little, but not that much. Elfilin sighed and perched on top of Kirby, anxiously waiting over the course of a few minutes. Soon enough, Elfilis blinked as their fur bristled in discomfort.

"S-Sorry about that," Elfilis stuttered, still dazed.

"Elfilis, it's ok," Vesa reminded, "we're here for you, remember?"

Vesa didn't hesitate as she wrapped her arms around Elfilis.

"T-Thanks," Elfilis mumbled.

Elfilis went limp in Vesa's arms, just needing a moment to relax. Zan Partizanne leaned in and gave her sibling a pat on the shoulder. Her other hand clenched tightly on her spear. Elfilin floated off of Kirby. While the pink star warrior stood back, the small chinchilla floated over to Elfilis, circling around them.

Several more minutes passed and Elfilis came back to their senses, returning the embrace Vesa was giving them.

"I think I need to go lie down," Elfilis said, holding their head a little.

"Ok," Vesa agreed.

Zan Partizanne sighed before she picked up the book on the ground. Elfilis wandered back inside with Vesa following close behind. Once they arrived in their room, Elfilis went to lay down on the mattress. Vesa removed her apprentice robes and hung it on a coat rack before she sat next to her partner. Elfilis jumped a little in surprise.

"Ah," Vesa blurted, "I thought you might…want some company?"

Elfilis perked up their feelers slightly.

"I don't mind," Elfilis blinked.

Upon cue, Vesa laid down on the mattress, nestling closer to Elfilis and eliciting a soft sigh out of them. She cupped their face in her left hand, her thumb stroking their soft fur. Her right hand gently stroked their neck mane. The ultimate life-form fidgeted a little. Vesa perched her leg over their thighs, brushing her nose along their muzzle. Their tail softly twitched behind them.

"Elfilis," Vesa whispered.

Elfilis placed their hand behind her head, causing her face to redden. Vesa leaned in and brushed her lips along their mouth. The ultimate life-form purred as they held her close. She gave Elfilis a passionate kiss. They folded their ears around her, their fingers gently running through her hair. She closed her eyes as she rested on top of them. Elfilis let out a surprised squeak, their cheeks reddening.

For a brief moment, Vesa pressed her forehead against Elfilis's. The angelic lancer brushed a few stray locks of hair out of her eyes. She gave them another kiss, their lips locking together. Elfilis let out a soft little mewl, their fur bristling a little yet they eagerly kissed her back. Vesa gasped softly as their large hand brushed along the back of her neck.

"Y-You alright?" Elfilis asked gently.

Vesa gazed into their eyes.

"I'm ok," Vesa assured them, "your hand is just soft."

"I see," Elfilis uttered.

Elfilis gave Vesa a little lick on the nose and pressed their forehead on hers. She rested her head on their shoulder. The ultimate life-form purred softly, holding her close.

Back aboard the Lor Starcutter, Magolor laid on his bed in his quarters. Holding a datapad in his hands, he checked the progress he made regarding his upcoming wedding and the renovation of the abandoned theme park.

Granted, juggling between these two tasks had been a bit of a hassle. The silence broke when Marx wandered in, peeking through the door frame.

"Heya!" Marx called out, "how are you doing? Is the planning going well?"

Magolor set down the datapad and sat up, turning his gaze towards his fiance.

"So, whatcha up to?" Marx clamored.

The jester climbed up onto the bed and rested on his 'stomach', kicking his feet behind him. Magolor sighed and placed his hand on Marx's head.

"I'm just working on the planning still, are there any reasonable additions you want?" Magolor deadpanned, "I don't want to diverge too far from something normal. Anything you want to add that won't cause anyone to bleed from the eyes?"

"Hmm. Well, what are my options?" Marx frowned, "I can't really think of anything that you wouldn't immediately reject."

Marx really felt bummed out that his favorite things were off limits, such as eldritch monsters, demons, magical combat or even 4D ice sculptures.

"Well, there are a lot of options, if that's what you want," Magolor mentioned as he scrolled through his datapad, "we could do something more formal, which is what I'm leaning towards; maybe something that's more traditionally magical which wouldn't be bad either, or we could do something a bit more silly if that's really what you want. Although personally, I would prefer one of the first two."

Marx blinked twice.

"Formal?"

"Like suit and tie stuff," Magolor clarified, "or in my case, I'd be wearing formal robes. Though knowing you, you'd probably go in a dress just because you thought it would be humorous."

Marx let out an amused giggle.

"Well, I'm doing my best not to be silly when I can!" Marx protested slightly, "I promise, this is important!"

Marx turned over on his back and sat up. He let out a little yawn, his little fangs showing for a moment, scooting a little closer and snuggling into Magolor's side. The mage closed his eyes softly and pulled the jester closer. Marx let out a cute noise, a light blush appearing on his purple cheeks. For a brief moment, Magolor peered out the window. Considering how late at night it was, he could see the lights in the sky glowing with color.

Magolor remembered they stopped at Shiver Star as Marx wanted to explore it, curious as to how almost all of life was scorched from the planet in only a few days.

"Say," Magolor offered, "there are some auroras going on outside. You wanna see it?"

"Sure thing!" Marx chirped.

Magolor and Marx hopped off the bed.

"Also," Marx added, "we probably shouldn't tell either of the humans about this place, if only because it would be extra depressing."

As Magolor led Marx out of their quarters and down the hall, he thought of Adeleine for a brief moment.

"I mean," Marx pondered idly, "maybe we could tell them. It would just need to be handled carefully, I guess."

"I'll think about it," Magolor replied.

Soon enough, Magolor and Marx disembarked the ship. The jester looked up at the sky. Above them, dancing lights of blue, green and violet illuminated the night sky—almost like a celestial ocean arranged in a large oval ring.

"It sure is pretty," he commented, staring in awe.

Magolor nodded in agreement.

"So," Marx asked, his voice having a hint of embarrassment, "what are the plans so far? I'm not really good at planning things anyway, so I'll leave it to you."

Magolor took a moment to think.

"I plan to have it take place in one of a few possible locations that I'm debating on," Magolor answered, "either we could do it on Popstar, Dreamland specifically, or maybe we could do it in the clouds over Dreamland. My other idea is that we could do it at the ruins of Halcandra."

Marx listened in as he brought out his beach ball and began balancing on it.

"That sounds fun," Marx chirped, "Landia will probably be there too, and given the magical significance in the area, I can see it being a good spot to exchange vows."

Magolor chuckled nervously as he blushed. Marx edged closer again, giving the mage a lick through the shadows of his cloak, causing him to let out an undignified squeak.

"M-Marx," Magolor muttered, flustered.

Magolor somewhat returned the gesture by embracing the jester.

"Hehe," Marx mused as he continued to snuggle up to his boyfriend, "so the guest list is done, I think, but who's invited?"

"Well, Kirby is invited to start off," Magolor began, "Dedede and a few minions of his choosing, like Meta Knight and Bandee, are invited since they helped me out before. Hyness, the Mage Generals, Elfilis and Elfilin, and even Vesa are also invited. I considered inviting Adeleine, but we don't really know her that well. I also decided not to send one to Gooey, not that I think he can read, but because nothing good can come out of bringing Elfilis near any kind of Dark Matter. Whispy Woods declined since he's rooted to the ground. Daroach got an invite along with his crew since you got along pretty well during the Void Termina incident. That's pretty much everyone."

Marx grinned as he sprouted his wings. He took a moment to stretch them for a bit.

"So, you considering your favorite flavor for the cake?" Marx clamored.

"My favorite flavor is vanilla," Magolor admitted.

Marx rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's not exciting. Why not try something like red velvet? I haven't had it before, but I heard it's pretty good. You only got one wedding, after all! We should spend a bit to make it really nice!"

"Well," Magolor pondered in deep thought, "I suppose we have the money for that. If we do end up spending a lot, then we'll need to take money out of our research funds."

Chapter Text

Taranza arrived at the tower courtyard at the end of the week. Fecto Elfilis, Vesa and Kirby met up with the spider magician shortly after his arrival. They were all sitting outside where Elfilis set up a little table and some chairs. The ultimate life-form felt rather nervous, but their continuous simulations improved and they got some new information beforehand.

"So," Taranza sat down across from Elfilis, "are you ready?"

"As ready as I can be, I assume," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa and Kirby shook nervously in their seats as Taranza pulled out a glass.

"No need," Elfilis declined, "I can manually force my body to produce the substance in low quantities internally."

Taranza blinked in a moment of silence.

"Oh, all right," Taranza blurted, stashing away the glass.

"Let's begin," Elfilis proclaimed and sat down.

Elfilis started producing the Miracle Fruit's juice within their body. As far as they knew, this was a make or break point. At least they took a preemptive measure to teleport themself into space should anything go horribly wrong. Vesa shuddered while Taranza examined Elfilis carefully. Two minutes passed and their fur started to melt slightly in places. The human tried to keep her breathing stable, so Kirby offered his arm, allowing her to grasp it.

"Poyo," Kirby whispered to Vesa, "poyo."

Elfilis could feel the Miracle Fruit's juices filling in the cracks of their soul. Vesa could see white fur starting to creep up their side, their soul reacting to the Miracle Fruit's powers. Kirby blinked as he thought of how the Miracle Fruit affected him when he ate it. Well, he knew of the powers it granted him, that's for sure. He took note as Elfilis sweated intensely. He couldn't imagine how painful this process could be for them.

The white fur continued to spread, red markings appearing on Elfilis's hands. As stressful as it was, Elfilis didn't feel any rage at all. Vesa slowly closed her eyes for a brief moment as she brought her other hand to her chest. Soon enough, they changed to their white and red coloration completely, showing a content expression. As Taranza kept his gaze on the ultimate life-form, he began taking notes.

Elfilis could feel the repair process speeding up, yet they could sense the energy emitted from the fruit was also growing unstable.

"H-Hey," Taranza called, "perhaps we can stop for now."

Even if Elfilis couldn't hear Taranza as they were too deeply focused, they still immediately cut off the production of the Miracle Fruit fluid in their body, having come to the same conclusion. Vesa and Kirby let out a sigh of relief. Elfilis continued to work until what was still inside them was used up, their fur remaining white. They opened their now black and crimson eyes, glancing around and examining their hands. They felt intense power flowing through them, and their rage was much easier to handle. The burning pain in their soul also lessened by a significant degree. Still, they noticed this form was pulling on their mana reserves, so they focused for a moment and their fur started to turn back to its normal turquoise color.

"Elfilis?" Vesa whispered.

"I'm alright," Elfilis reassured her, "well, rather worse than good, but still better than I have been. We'll need to do this again later after I've recovered a little bit from this."

Elfilis still felt the extra power they gained from repairing their soul, sensing they could channel their mana better.

"I might as well agree with you on that," Taranza nodded.

Taranza stood up from his chair.

"Still," Elfilis added, "I doubt the Miracle Fruit could compensate for the personality traits I still have yet to recover."

For a moment, Elfilis thought back to Elfilin. Vesa and Kirby stood up from the table, the pink star warrior waving his arm at Taranza. The ultimate life-form gave the spider mage a polite nod in thanks and started to clean themself up, reabsorbing the leaking parts of their body and regaining their solidity.

"I'll check back in next week," Taranza said, "you three take care."

"See you later!" Vesa smiled.

Taranza turned to leave. Kirby scurried his way back into the tower as Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"I'll need to test my abilities soon," Elfilis said with a pleased tone, "if anything, I might be getting closer to my old peak in terms of power."

"Until then," Vesa clasped her hands behind her back, "are you fine with just going out for a stroll with me?"

"I wouldn't mind at all," Elfilis smiled, their tail wagging happily.

Smiling, Vesa took a moment to adjust her cardigan before she offered her hand, allowing Elfilis to grasp it. They immediately departed the tower courtyard, strolling along the dirt path. The crisp autumn breeze blew along some red, yellow, orange and brown leaves. Several Chips bounced around in the grassy fields in sync with a nearby Bouncy. A couple Nruffs raced against one another. At a nearby pond, a Driblee poked at a Coner on occasion. A Grizzo was foraging for food from a distance. A flock of Bronto Burts flew above them as they were migrating for the upcoming winter season.

Passing by a nearby tree, Vesa took notice of a couple rodentlike creatures, one blue and one green. The green rodent was standing on a branch as it tried to reach for a chestnut. A Gordo could be seen circling the tree. She peered carefully as the green rodent grabbed onto the nearest chestnut with its mouth, yanking it off the branch. Elfilis also examined the rodent with mere curiosity, as it had no visible limbs. This reminded them of the Waddle Dees as those creatures didn't have a mouth, yet they could speak and eat.

Unfortunately, the green rodent lost balance and fell off the branch. It collided with the Gordo on the way down before crashing into the ground. Its pained cry elicited a startled yelp out of Vesa. She scurried towards the tree while the blue rodent stayed by its friend's side. Vesa paused in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder as Elfilis approached her, their expression hinting at pity.

"Do you think you could heal it?" Elfilis asked her.

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Vesa answered.

Vesa stepped closer to the tree and knelt before the two rodents. They made a brief glance at her and winced in fear.

"It's ok," Vesa cooed, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The green rodent closed its eyes and whimpered in pain. Vesa carefully scooped it into her hands and examined its injuries. The blue rodent fidgeted anxiously while she concentrated her mana into her hands. Green sparkles started dancing around her fingertips and enveloped the green rodent. She watched as the particles closed up the rodent's injuries. The spell repaired the gash from the Gordo's spike. In a matter of moments, the green rodent opened its eyes as it felt rejuvenated. Vesa checked on the rodent one more time, relieved she managed to heal it completely.

Glancing up at the human, the green rodent let out an astounded squeak before jumping out of her hands, giving its friend an affectionate headbutt. Vesa smiled softly as both rodents returned their gaze towards her and let out happy squeaks.

"You're welcome," she said.

The rodents jumped up and down before they hopped away. Vesa stood to her feet and returned her gaze to Elfilis.

Elfilis examined the Gordo closely, astonished that aside from its eyes, it was invincible to just about everything. They couldn't figure out exactly what it was made of, even if they could tell it was alive. What could its shell be made of? Some kind of flawless metal? The ultimate life-form prodded at it, only to realize they couldn't take a sample from it. The Gordo gave Elfilis a puzzled look as they pulled out a microscope and examined one of their spikes. Its entire body was covered with a field of some kind that might be the cause of its invincibility rather than the metal it seemed to be made of. It didn't tell them much as they couldn't sense any magic coming from the creature.

"This is ridiculous and perplexing," Elfilis pouted to themself.

Elfilis blinked twice before they returned their gaze to their girlfriend.

"Did everything go well?" Elfilis asked, their tone giving off a mixture of excitement, awe and annoyance at once, "I apologize, I'm a bit distracted by this creature. At first, I assumed the eyes were a point of weakness, but even then they're immune to injury."

"Well, the rodent should be fine now," Vesa answered, "it became more energetic when I finished."

Vesa tilted her head to her left, watching as the two rodents disappeared into the grass.

"Ah, good," Elfilis mentioned, "you likely gave it too much mana, though. That would explain the energetic state. This happens when you overdo a healing spell. It's useful for combat situations when you need someone to return to battle right away. You're basically filling them with the equivalent of an adrenaline shot."

Elfilis moved away from the Gordo and stashed away the microscope. Vesa blushed while the ultimate life-form placed their hand on her shoulder.

"So what do you want to do now?"

"Maybe we can stop by the lake," Vesa suggested.

"It shouldn't be too far from here," Elfilis agreed.

Vesa and Elfilis made their way back to the dirt path and continued their stroll. When they reached the shore of the lake, they sat on a boulder at the edge of the sand. Across the lake, they could see Capupu Village from a distance.

"So what are you looking to learn next? Any particular spells or new disciplines you would like to focus on? Your affinity for magic is fairly broad and has a lot of potential, so there are many avenues you could try."

"I guess it would be worth a shot to see if I could learn a spell circle to amplify my fire," Vesa shrugged, "for practical reasons outside of combat, that is."

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"Well, fire is fundamentally a dangerous force," Elfilis mentioned, "so I doubt you'll be able to do much with it. There are currently ways to improve its use, but it's still fire. Your ability to use it will still be minimal unless you're willing to risk burning half of your magical reserves in order to cast something larger."

Vesa didn't say much as she examined her palms. She leaned closer to Elfilis, allowing them to place their arm over her shoulder. The ultimate life-form purred and held her close. Smiling, she rested her head on their chest as they rubbed her back. She giggled softly as they wrapped their tail around her waist. She ran her fingers through their neck mane. Elfilis leaned in and gave her forehead some gentle licks, nuzzling their forehead into hers. Vesa sighed with content as she wrapped her arms around her partner.

After a moment, Elfilis went on to groom her hair with their tongue, their tail swaying softly. Vesa tilted her head up and gave them a soft kiss. Elfilis pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She perched one hand on their shoulder and cupped their face with the other. They stared into her eyes, their large glowing ringed eyes giving a hint of shyness in their gaze.

"You know," Vesa mused, "you're pretty warm."

"I could say the same for you," Elfilis purred.

Elfilis rubbed their cheek into her shoulder. Vesa closed her eyes for a brief moment as she nestled in their embrace. As they gazed upon her, they could feel the warmth in their metaphorical heart becoming more vibrant. Perhaps the repairs made to their soul from earlier might've allowed them to connect with their affection better…allowing them to identify it easier.

The tranquil moment continued on until the sun began to set. When Vesa tilted her head towards the lake, she stared in awe as the sun's colors reflected on the water. She blinked twice when a thought popped into her head.

"Oh, that's right!" she blurted, "I promised Zan I'd show her how to make tavë kosi. We should be getting home soon."

"Then, I suppose we can head back."

Getting up from the boulder, Elfilis led Vesa back to the tower, where they met up with Zan Partizanne at the dining hall.

"Zan," Vesa called, waving her hand, "we're back!"

"Welcome back," Zan replied, shifting her gaze towards Elfilis with an expression of concern, "how are you feeling, Elfilis?"

"Better than I've felt in years," Elfilis admitted.

Vesa activated her pocket bangle and pulled out her recipe from her pocket dimension. Granted, she still hadn't finished recording all the recipes from her memory, but she flipped to the page holding the tavë kosi. She didn't hesitate to hold the book before the lightning mage.

"Let's see," Zan said, "we should have the ingredients we need."

"Awesome!" Vesa chirped.

Vesa glanced over her shoulder, smiling at Elfilis.

"Do you mind helping us out?" she asked them, "you can learn this recipe, too."

"I suppose I wouldn't mind," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa, Zan and Elfilis made their way into the kitchen and from there, they followed the recipe to create the tavë kosi, which they served to the others in the tower for dinner.

Chapter Text

Vesa spent an hour in her next therapy session with Fransisca the following morning. Once she finished, she made her way to the training arena. Once outside, she noticed as Fecto Elfilis was in the middle of practicing a spell. She took a moment to adjust her apprentice robes before she stepped towards her partner.

"Good morning," Elfilis glanced over their shoulder, "are you ready to start today's lesson?"

"I'm prepared," Vesa nodded.

Elfilis turned to face her and fanned out their winglike ears, sensing her reserves were recovering from the atrophy from not having magic at a young age.

"So what do you want to learn today?" Elfilis asked her, "we could learn a new magical discipline if you want."

Vesa took a moment to examine her palms.

"What options for a focus do you have?" Vesa asked.

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"Well, there are plenty of options," Elfilis reached into their pocket dimension, "I obtained most of them from defeated enemies so they wouldn't be able to fight me as effectively if they got back up."

Elfilis laid out a ruby amulet with a necklace chain, a yellow tome full of blank pages, a wooden staff that seemed to have grown from a tree, a variety of different wands, a cane with a sapphire on top and a set of gloves with gems embedded into them. Vesa examined each option until her eyes locked onto a particular wand the length of her forearm with a rather ornate floral design on its head and its shaft had a twisted texture. She didn't hesitate to wrap her fingers around it.

"An interesting choice," Elfilis mused, "but it seems to fit you well enough. If you want, I can make you something custom so long as it's made of biological material. Other than that, I could simply edit this one to fit your needs better."

Vesa took some time to figure out how to handle her new wand with both hands while Elfilis stashed the remaining focuses into their pocket dimension.

"I'm sure I'll manage," Vesa assured Elfilis, "I'm eager to give it a test run."

"Very well," Elfilis nodded, "it'll likely take a couple hours of practice to get used to it."

Vesa took a moment to examine the wand in her hands. She blinked twice as she noticed its primary gem glowed.

"This wand has a spell set into it," Elfilis commented, rubbing their lower jaw, "I can remove it if you want and put something else in. It seems to be a pretty basic beam spell; a lightning based attack used by novice mages."

Vesa smiled and shook her head.

"Actually," she corrected, "I think it's worth learning in case of emergencies."

"You might as well test it out a little and see if it works for you," Elfilis replied, "if not, I might just put the scalpel spell in it."

Vesa scanned her surroundings in search of a training dummy. Elfilis placed their fingers to the ground and grew a wooden dummy from the soil like a strange looking tree.

"Thanks!" Vesa chirped.

"Anytime," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa aimed her new wand at the wooden dummy and began to concentrate. She transferred some of her mana into the wand until its main gem flickered. The head of the wand shot out a whip consisting of electric particles before she swung it at the wooden dummy. Once the particle whip dissipated, the dummy sustained some small scorch marks on the spots which the electricity touched directly, but otherwise intact. Vesa examined her handiwork for a brief moment before she shifted her focus to her new wand.

"I guess this spell will do," she said.

"Good," Elfilis nodded, "glad to hear it."

Elfilis twitched their feelers as they tilted their head towards the sky, staring off into the distance as they noticed a large shape began to pick up off the ground. Vesa tilted her head sideways, giving them a puzzled look. She turned her head in the direction her partner was staring.

"Looks like Meta Knight has finished all his preparations," Elfilis mused, "I assume he'll have the Halberd patrolling the skies of Dreamland for the foreseeable future."

Vesa didn't say much as she stashed her new wand into her pocket dimension. After a moment of silence, Vesa and Elfilis made their way back into the tower. As they ventured down the hall, the ultimate life-form's feelers twitched as they sensed someone enter the wards from the outside. They extended their superior senses to identify the visitor and turn off the barrier around the entrance. Elfilis rushed down the hall, so Vesa began to sprint alongside them. When they set foot in the foyer, they both noticed as Elfilin and Kirby greeted King Dedede.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, waving his arms.

"Hello, sire!" Elfilin squeaked happily.

Elfilis approached the king and held the door open.

"Good afternoon, sire," Elfilis greeted.

"Good afternoon to you all as well," Dedede replied cheerfully but with a hint of dread, "I've got some important news about the kingdom going forward!"

Vesa slightly tilted her head sideways for a second before she took a few steps towards the front door.

"Oh?" she blurted, "what news?"

"I'm setting up a council of advisors for myself, to help with decision making an' to keep me informed of what's goin' on at a local level," Dedede explained, "I was hopin' to get some of ya to help me out on a magical level, for advisin' me on decisions of a mystical nature and to help me figure out when an issue is likely to involve magic in some way."

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances while Vesa scratched her head.

"I hope your endeavor goes well," Vesa replied.

"I hope so, too," Dedede agreed, "but I was hoping that a few of ya would be interested in a more permanent position…somewhere a bit more near the castle and close at hand in case of emergencies."

Vesa tilted her head towards Elfilis.

"Should we call over the others?" she asked.

"Probably," Elfilis nodded, "a court mage is a highly appealing position for almost any mage, even in our society. A large part of that is because as a court mage, you have access to large amounts of wealth; and wealth can be used to further research easily by obtaining rare materials or hiring people with skills you need for whatever you are working on."

Elfilis turned their head away.

"If I didn't let them in on it," they added, "they would probably get mad."

Elfilin raised his paw.

"Ok then," Elfilin declared, "I'll go get the others!"

Elfilin didn't hesitate as he flew off. The others simply waited for several minutes before the small chinchilla returned with Hyness, Fransisca, Flamberge and Zan Partizanne following close behind. From there, Hyness led everyone into the library, where they all sat at a table.

"So, what exactly are you offering?" Elfilis asked.

"I'm offering access to a hefty amount of money for your services," Dedede clarified, his voice hinting a boost of confidence, "a free home with whatever specifications you have in mind within reason, access to researching any magical items you can find in the treasury so long as you can identify them properly and catalog them, and you'll get additional pay whenever you can lend worthwhile assistance to me on matters of importance or magical relevance."

Elfilis raised their brow, noticing Dedede was really nervous about going into full politics.

"Wow," Flamberge commented, "that's a heck of a lot."

Zan placed her hand behind her head as she thought of the offer.

"That's not even getting into the influence or political power of such a position," Elfilis pointed out.

"Of course," Hyness nodded.

"I don't see us turning down such an offer at all, honestly," Elfilis added, "but we'll probably need to end up drawing straws or something."

Elfilis glanced at the other four fully fledged mages in the room. Hyness didn't seem interested, but the Mage Sisters were certainly thinking about it. After a moment of silence, Flamberge raised her hand.

"So," Flamberge clamored, "who's going to bring the straws?"

Elfilis quickly made a simple wooden cup with three sticks in it, all appearing the same height. They held out the cup. Zan, Flamberge and Fransisca exchanged glances for a brief moment.

"On three?" Fransisca asked.

"On three," Zan nodded.

"One," Flamberge began.

"Two," Fransisca fixated her eyes on the cup.

"Three!" the Mage Sisters barked in unison.

The Mage Sisters reached in and grabbed a stick each. Flamberge pulled out a stick the size of a hotdog. Fransisca pulled out something closer to the size of a baton, but Zan pulled out a stick something closer to one side of a ladder. The lightning mage grimaced as the stick kept going while she pulled on it. Vesa noticed as Elfilis let out a soft snicker.

"Poyo?" Kirby stared in confusion.

Elfilin tilted his head sideways when he heard Elfilis's snickers grow into an amused chuckle. The ultimate life-form quickly calmed themself. Still, Dedede gaped at the size of the stick in Zan's hand. It wasn't long before the lightning mage noticed Elfilis made another amused chuckle.

"Juh? Elfilis?" Zan blurted.

Elfilis immediately stopped and blushed in embarrassment, turning their head away.

"Are you…doing ok?" Zan asked.

"Better than I have been in a long time," Elfilis admitted.

"Hey," Flamberge mused, "it seems we're getting the old Elfilis back sooner than I thought!"

Elfilin perked up his ears.

"W-We're getting a bit off topic here," Elfilis stammered, "we can talk more about that later."

Zan returned her gaze to the stick in her hands.

"It seems my stick's the largest," Zan commented, "so…"

Dedede patted his chest with one hand.

"Welcome to the team, girly!" Dedede laughed, shaking her hand, "now that that's out of the way, what exactly are you looking for in terms of accommodation? Depending on what you want, the Waddle Dees can whip something up in a few days to a week."

Zan smiled at the penguin king before she took a moment to think.

"Probably something small to start with," Zan began, "we can do a lot of the additional construction on our own. Just a tower is fine for now."

Dedede nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Hyness asked, "now that's all settled, what else is there?"

"Well, right now," Dedede clarified, "we're in the middle of a harvest if anyone wants to help out. It would certainly be appreciated and depending on how much you can help, you'll be paid for your work."

Vesa immediately stood from her chair.

"Sign me up!" she declared.

Kirby also jumped up and down on his chair.

"Poyo! Poyo!"

"I'm not sure if you're exactly cut out for that kind of work, Vesa," Elfilis pointed out, "Kirby can at least use copy abilities to make up for his lack of physical strength, but you haven't built up your stamina to the point you'd be capable of helping for more than a couple hours."

Vesa folded her arms.

"I'm sure I'll manage," she insisted.

"I won't stop you," Elfilis shrugged, "I'm just informing you."

The Mage Sisters exchanged glances before they shrugged.

"I will assist," Elfilis proclaimed, "just direct me where you need me and I'll help."

"Excellent!" Dedede smiled.

Everyone soon filed out of the library.

"My knowledge of actual farming is lacking," Elfilis said, "but I have an idea of what I'm supposed to do. I'll need some instruction just in case when you're ready to start."

"I'm sure the farmers there would show us how it's done," Vesa assured Elfilis.

It wasn't long before they exited the tower and began strolling down the dirt path until they arrived at the outskirts of Capupu Village. They could see the Waddle Dees and cappies busy with the harvest. Elfilis watched with their enhanced perception to figure out how they were harvesting. Kirby immediately sprinted over to the farmlands, catching everyone's attention.

"Hey," a cappy commented, "is that Kirby?"

Kirby happily waved his arms at a nearby Waddle Dee before he approached a tool rack. Vesa approached a nearby rice paddy, noticing it had already been drained of water. Several cappies and Waddle Dees were in the middle of harvesting the rice stalks using sickles. Elfilis pulled out their spear and ran their hand over the blade, the normal sharp tip slowly extending into a blade as they waved their hand through the air. Their spear morphed into some kind of scythe which still retained its colors of purple, yellow and aquamarine. All the while, Vesa approached the nearest cappy.

"Excuse me," she asked, "but is there anything I can do to help?"

The cappy paused in his tracks and locked eyes onto the human.

"Well, you can help tie up these stalks and place them on the drying rack if you want?"

"Sure!" Vesa nodded.

Vesa watched as Elfilis moved in and swung their scythe to reap a bunch of rice stalks at a time. While Kirby grabbed a basket and raced to help some Waddle Dees harvest some vegetables, Vesa grabbed some pieces of twine before she started gathering rice stalks, tying the ends into a bundle. The cappies stared at Elfilis warily.

As Vesa made bundles with the twine, she went on to carry the bundles of rice stalks onto the nearby wooden drying racks. With Vesa and Elfilis excelling at their tasks, Kirby would fill up a basket of vegetables he plucked up before he placed it among the other baskets. From there, the pink star warrior would fetch another one while Elfilin simply floated alongside him. It didn't take long for the cappies to get used to Elfilis's presence as they found enjoyment out of harvesting. Of course, with plenty of rice stalks coming from Elfilis, Vesa went on to keep up with the effort of tying them into bundles and placing them on drying racks.

By the time an hour and a half passed, the rice paddy had been emptied. Elfilis shifted their scythe back into a spear and stashed it away. Kirby had also finished helping the cappies and Waddle Dees with harvesting the vegetables, so he went on to help Vesa carry the rice stalk bundles to the drying rack while she continued tying the bundles. The ultimate life-form went in to assist with transporting the rice stalks and laying them on the ground. A few more cappies also pitched in to help tie up the rice bundles and place them on drying racks. By the time another half hour passed, all the rice stalk bundles were resting on the drying racks.

"Thanks for your help, Kirby!" a nearby Waddle Dee smiled.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, waving his arm.

Elfilis let out a small yawn while they sat down under a tree. Vesa approached the nearest cappy.

"So," Vesa asked, "what happens next?"

"Now we wait a few weeks and then we'll start to thresh and hull the rice," the cappy explained, "the rice should be done drying tomorrow."

"Then I'd like to help with the threshing and hulling," Vesa requested.

"Thank you," the cappy smiled, making a brief glance at Elfilis, "we'll take any help you're willing to give. The harvesting has been quicker this year than it has in a long time."

Chapter Text

Two days have passed since the harvest. Since then, Zan Partizanne has been packing up. Fecto Elfilis made a bunch of knick-knacks for their sister, primarily going on the assumption those inexperienced with magic or lack it would get a sense of awe when they'd wander into a room full of magical doodads, making any mage appear more impressive.

Once Zan Partizanne finished packing up, she, Vesa and Elfilis left the tower. The human took a moment to adjust her scarf while walking alongside her partner. The ultimate life-form was carrying an ornate wooden cabinet which would fit well in their sister's office. The three ventured along the dirt path, making brief glances at some nearby critters foraging for the winter. Passing by the lake, they arrived at the edge of Capupu Village. Vesa noticed as a couple cappies carried firewood to some sort of destination. She simply shrugged as they meandered through the village.

When Vesa, Elfilis and Zan passed by Kawasaki's restaurant, the human spotted a spherical figure with a mustache and a chef's hat nearby. The ultimate life-form also happened to notice the newcomer, but didn't show interest in getting involved. They pressed onward until they reached the courtyard of Castle Dedede. Back in the distance, they could hear loud swearing as Chef Kawasaki bickered with the round old man.

"Juh?" Zan blurted, sharing a glance with Vesa, "do I want to know what this man's problem is?"

"He didn't even call us over," Vesa shrugged.

"It's probably some kind of teacher-student ordeal," Elfilis sighed.

Vesa, Elfilis and Zan Partizanne reached the palace doors. The Waddle Dees guarding the large front doors nodded at the visitors before they opened the palace doors. Once the three set foot inside, they made their way to the throne room. Ahead, King Dedede sat upright in his throne with Bandee standing nearby. As the guests made their approach, the Waddle Dee walked over towards them.

"Hiya!" Bandee chirped, "glad to have you working with us, Miss!"

Zan nodded and gave a deep bow of respect.

"Bonjam," she replied, "it's a pleasure to work with you, Sire."

Dedede smiled as he stood up.

"And it's nice to have you working for us, girly!" he winked.

Dedede walked over before he and Zan shook hands.

"Alright," Dedede gestured, "we got somethin' set up for ya, just follow me!"

Vesa, Elfilis and Zan followed Dedede down the hall while a squad of Waddle Dees accompanied them. They reached a spiral staircase and climbed the steps. Soon enough, Dedede led the visitors into an empty tower, complete with three different floors connected by a staircase. The lightning mage immediately began to examine it.

"We weren't using this tower much, anyway," Dedede explained, "the most use the tower got was back during the robot invasion thing. Anyway, we had some Shotzo stationed up on top of the tower during that time, but they didn't really do much."

After a moment of silence, Zan nodded and returned her gaze to Dedede.

"This will work perfectly," Zan gave another bow, "thank you, Your Highness."

Vesa smiled while Elfilis set down the cabinet.

"This is full of," Elfilis glanced at Dedede for a split second, "magical tools. I made them for you the other night since I thought they would be handy to have in your office."

"Ah," Zan blurted, placing her hand behind her head, "jamanke, Elfilis!"

"No problem," Elfilis replied.

Zan Partizanne immediately began to unpack and arrange the furniture in her new homestead. Vesa and Elfilis followed Dedede out into the hallway. The way back to the entrance seemed quiet, almost as if the king couldn't come up with a topic for a conversation. When they reached the foyer, Bandee stood at the door and waved his arm at Dedede.

"Bandee?" Vesa paused.

"So Kawasaki and his…master? Maybe?" Bandee informed, "they're currently in the courtyard for some reason. Just thought I'd give you a heads up."

Dedede raised his eyebrows before he made his way to the doors and pushed them open. Outside, Kawasaki and the older chef stood at the bottom of the steps. Kawasaki lowered his gaze in embarrassment while his mentor made a stoic expression. Vesa and Elfilis caught a glimpse of the two before exchanging puzzled glances. The penguin king descended the stairs to greet the two chefs.

"So what's all the hubbub goin' on down here?" Dedede asked.

The older chef simply gave a bow of respect.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highess," he greeted, "I am Kawasaki's old teacher. Clearly, I haven't taught him properly and he'll need reeducating…which is why we are here."

"Osaka-sensei," Kawasaki muttered in chagrin.

"I am not your Sensei until I can successfully teach you, boy!" Osaka reminded bluntly, "if you have learned absolutely nothing from my lessons, then clearly I haven't been teaching you properly!"

Vesa blinked twice as she tilted her head sideways. Dedede rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right," Dedede drawled, "well, why don't we take this discussion inside?"

Osaka and Kawasaki followed Dedede back into the castle. Once in the foyer, Vesa made a brief gaze at the older chef. Elfilis perked up their feelers when they noticed their girlfriend started following the three. They all set foot into the banquet hall, standing before the archway to the kitchen. It only took Chef Osaka a second to notice Vesa was tailing them.

"What is it you want, girl?" Osaka barked.

Vesa stammered as Dedede, Bandee and Kawasaki fixated their eyes on her.

"Ah!" Vesa blurted, "well, I assume you're a talented chef, right?"

"Right now, I'm not so sure," Osaka grumbled more to himself and started to walk off again.

"Why'd you ask?" Bandee pondered.

Vesa twiddled her fingers nervously as Elfilis stood next to her.

"Well," she tried to explain, "I have yet to record the next recipe from my home country…before my planet was abandoned. I'm still learning how to cook and I wonder when he would be ready to offer some techniques for me to learn…"

Vesa paused to take a deep breath.

"That way," she continued, "I'd be ready once I finish writing down my recipes."

To prove her point, Vesa pulled out her cookbook from her pocket bangle, showing Dedede, Bandee and Kawasaki the few pages of the recipes she recorded so far. Clearly, she had a long way to go.

Meanwhile, Osaka was still figuring out where he went wrong in his training of Kawasaki. He taught him exactly as he was taught when he was a young lad; consisting of a large amount of self study, followed by correcting mistakes where he finds them, and then criticizing the finished product. When Kawasaki left his tutelage about six or seven years ago he seemed to be doing pretty well at the time. His food wasn't 4 or 5 star just yet, but none of it was entirely inedible like it was now. Osaka pulled out a pipe and a match, huffing under his breath as he lit the contents of the pipe and began to smoke.

All the while, Vesa held onto the book in her hands, allowing Kawasaki to examine the recipes on each page.

"My," Kawasaki commented, "I've never seen dishes like these before."

"If this is a cooking lesson," Vesa told Kawasaki, "maybe I could join in."

"I," Kawasaki glanced at his teacher, his expression uncertain, "I guess I don't see why you couldn't?"

Vesa made a brief glance at Elfilis, who simply shrugged.

"Whatever the case," Vesa assured Kawasaki, "I'm sure it'll be worth it."

Vesa shifted her gaze to Dedede and Bandee.

"Right?" Vesa smiled.

"Don't bring me into this, girly!" Dedede groaned with a facepalm, not looking forward to what would come next.

Vesa sighed and stashed the cookbook into her pocket bangle before setting foot into the kitchen. The Waddle Dees staffed there were focusing on Chef Osaka. He bopped a Waddle Dee on the hand with the side of his frying pan.

"Keep an eye on your boiling water!" Osaka scolded, "people get hurt when you aren't paying attention to your workplace!"

While the Waddle Dee nervously returned its gaze to the pot on the stove, Vesa stiffened at Osaka's loud voice.

"Oh boy," she muttered.

Osaka went on to pace around the kitchen, chastising the Waddle Dees for how they were storing their tools, and even how the dishes were being cleaned. He even pointed out expired meat in the freezer being stored with the good meat.

"He sure reminds me an awful lot of Randell Godfrey," Vesa mused to herself.

Kawasaki gave Vesa a puzzled look.

"A master chef in Stradan," Vesa clarified, "he had his own TV shows when humans were still on my planet."

"I believe he's just serious about his job, is all," Elfilis replied with a soft hum, watching Osaka get into his element.

Kawasaki gripped his apron nervously. Vesa adjusted the collar of her shirt as she checked the pantry. The abundance of ingredients seemingly overwhelmed her, ranging from rice to flour and potatoes. There didn't seem to be canned food like she would remember in the grocery store back in Ioskaria. As she rummaged through the shelves, Osaka made a brief glance at her and Kawasaki. It didn't last long as he quickly broke eye contact. Vesa pulled out her cookbook again and tapped her finger on the page holding the qifqi recipe.

"This pantry should have the ingredients we need for this one, right?" Vesa asked Kawasaki.

"I dunno," Kawasaki shrugged, "I haven't ever been to the palace kitchen before. The king put a ban on me from going anywhere near it. Honestly, this is the first time I've even seen this place."

"You liar!" Dedede yelled while comically flailing his arms, "you broke in here a few weeks ago!"

"I wanted to admire the place a little," Kawasaki blurted sheepishly.

"You get to be in here just this once while your master is here to keep an eye on ya," Dedede insisted.

Vesa tilted her head sideways and gave Kawasaki an awkward expression. She turned towards the pantry and grabbed a bag of rice, salt, pepper and a bottle of olive oil. She placed the ingredients on the counter before heading to the cabinet and grabbing a few eggs.

"Well, I have some stuff to do," Dedede sighed, "I can't stick around for too long, I have a lotta' stuff on the metaphorical back burnah' right now; like that whole advisor thing and recruitin' other members for the cabinet."

Dedede pointed to a pair of Waddle Dees in little waiter uniforms.

"You two," Dedede instructed, "make sure Kawasaki doesn't touch nothin' until his master gives the say so."

"Wanya!" the Waddle Dees nodded happily.

Dedede nodded at Elfilis before he and Bandee turned to leave. Vesa checked the cabinets for a saucepan. She grabbed one and filled it with water at the kitchen sink. When she walked over to the stove, she set the pot on the burner next to the one the Waddle Dee was using. Vesa paused for a moment and checked the recipe in her book when Osaka passed by. He simply peeked over at what she was doing before moving on to chastise someone else. Kawasaki paced around while Vesa waited for the water to boil.

"How am I gonna make it up to him?" Kawasaki lamented, "just about the only thing I can cook properly is rice."

"I…never cooked rice before, actually," Vesa admitted.

Osaka paused and blinked twice upon hearing those words.

"Well, you can't do much worse than me," Kawasaki replied, "I don't know what my problem is… When I was working for my master, my cooking seemed fine. It wasn't perfect or great, but it was above average. But in just a few years, I have turned into such a failure…"

Vesa turned her gaze towards the orange chef for a brief moment.

"Hopefully," she tried to assure him, "we could figure out what went wrong and come up with solutions…that could lift your spirits, I think."

Vesa returned her gaze back to her heating pot.

"Maybe," Kawasaki said sadly.

Elfilis fluttered their feelers at the sight of Kawasaki's expression, suspecting there might've been a curse. Vesa carried the bag of rice to the counter next to the stove and searched the cupboard for measuring cups.

"So it's your first time doing this?" Osaka clarified as he walked over, "you certainly know your way around a kitchen at least."

Vesa stiffened as soon as she grabbed the measuring cups when she spotted Osaka.

"W-Well," Vesa stammered, "I'd explain to you about the illness I used to have growing up, but we'd be here all day."

Vesa scooped some rice into a measuring cup, even if the water hasn't started boiling yet.

"I don't care what your past is," Osaka said bluntly, "I'm just complimenting you, is all. You're doing well so far, keep it up."

Elfilis rubbed their lower jaw, a little annoyed at Osaka's comment, but silently acknowledged he had a point. The master chef and Kawasaki soon exchanged glances.

"So I've heard," Osaka grumbled, "not great things."

Kawasaki gulped nervously.

"I think I've lost my touch," Kawasaki teared up a little, "anything I make seems to just turn out awful. I have no excuse, I-I'm a failure…"

"No, I'm the failure," Osaka corrected, giving off an aura of sadness, "somehow I missed something, somewhere in your teaching, the failure belongs to me."

As Vesa continued to follow along the recipe, Elfilis approached the two chefs.

"This drop in skill sounds…unnatural," Elfilis commented, "are you certain there's no cause for it?"

Osaka and Kawasaki paused before shifting their gaze towards Elfilis.

"What are you saying?" Osaka asked cautiously.

"I'm saying that he might be cursed," Elfilis clarified, "in a more literal sense than you both assumed."

Osaka and Kawasaki both stiffened at the thought.

"I can remove it," Elfilis offered, "though I would like to let my apprentice have a crack at it first. I doubt anything can go wrong, but if it does, I'll be on standby to help."

Kawasaki scratched his head.

"So what you're saying is…I might not be a bad cook?"

"Oh no, your cooking is awful," Elfilis made a sardonic comment, "it's so bad I have to wonder if you use arsenic as a spice."

Kawasaki lowered his head.

"Maybe it could be that this curse is taking away your knowledge," Elfilis added, "you may need to relearn everything if it's as malicious as I suspect."

Osaka let out a thoughtful hum.

"Well," Osaka reasoned, "if you can help him, then I would be more than willing to re-train him. He's still my student."

Time continued on as Osaka began basic cooking lessons in the kitchen. All the while, Vesa continued to follow the instructions through the recipe she had at hand with a few tips the nearby Waddle Dee offered her. By the time Vesa finished her qifqi, she arranged them on a plate. She made a brief glance as Elfilis used their senses to prod Kawasaki, trying to locate the curse yet not having any luck so far. Vesa carried the plate over and set it down on the kitchen table, eliciting a curious eye from Osaka.

"Are you finished?" he asked her.

Vesa simply nodded.

"It's a recipe from my home planet," she clarified.

"Very well," Osaka came over, "did you want me to try one and judge for you?"

"Yes," Vesa answered.

Upon cue, Osaka took a qifqi and tried a bite.

"It's not bad," he commented, "I fear you've slightly under-cooked the rice, however."

Vesa took a deep breath and her face reddened with an awkward expression.

"I…understand, sir," she stammered.

"It's not catastrophic at all, or I would've had some more choice words," Osaka continued, "you also aren't a professional like these people here are, or I would probably be complaining more. But for someone who is doing it as a hobby and not as a job, it is fine."

Vesa let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you!"

Vesa returned her gaze to Elfilis as she sampled a qifqi herself. The ultimate life-form continued prodding at the uncomfortable Kawasaki, their hands and the rings on their eyes glowing slightly.

"There," Elfilis announced, eyes narrowing at the nasty source of the orange chef's issues.

"Oh?" Vesa blurted.

"He is cursed for certain," Elfilis told Vesa and Kawasaki, "come with me."

Elfilis made their way out the door. Vesa handed the plate to the nearest Waddle Dee waiter.

"You mind sharing a sample of these with Dedede?" Vesa requested.

The Waddle Dee nodded before darting off with the plate. Vesa followed Elfilis, Kawasaki and Osaka.

"We could find a spare room here or set up a room back in my home in ten minutes," Elfilis continued, "but this curse is quite…lively."

"I'm sure teleportation would bring us closer," Vesa answered.

Chapter Text

Elfilis led Vesa, Osaka and Kawasaki down the castle corridor.

"Honestly," Elfilis said, "it would be best to do it in a more professional environment since I have no idea what will happen if I try to pull it out. It could be nothing. It could try to emerge and kill Kawasaki. It could turn into a creature of some kind and attempt to kill people indiscriminately. It could try to jump into a new host. Any number of things could happen. If it were a low level curse, I wouldn't be so worried. But, this was made by someone who knew what they were doing, and is thus highly dangerous."

Vesa couldn't help but shudder.

"It's located in his stomach lining," Elfilis continued, "so it's likely something he consumed directly."

Vesa focused her gaze on Kawasaki.

"Do you remember any odd dish you came across?" Vesa asked.

Elfilis concentrated their mana and immediately teleported Vesa, Osaka and Kawasaki with them. Vesa scanned her surroundings, not recognizing the place in the tower she visited before. Was it some sort of dungeon?

"This place is the best spot to fix the curse," Elfilis explained, "if it does end up turning into something, we can imprison it here and try to study it."

Kawasaki took a moment to think back about possible causes. Vesa placed a finger on her chin.

"So how does curse removal work?" she asked.

"It is a delicate procedure that for someone like you who is inexperienced with such things, you would probably need to do surgery to remove it properly," Elfilis explained, "I'm much more adept at this kind of thing, however, as Dark Matter was known to possess victims. As such, I have a heavy knowledge of breaking curses and exorcism.

Kawasaki sweated nervously.

"Curses can be broken in a number of ways. If the curse has conditions for it to work, you might be able to find a loophole," Elfilis continued, "stronger curses tend to have loopholes or conditions like that as by adding weaknesses and minor flaws, its core function can be strengthened. However, this curse isn't like that. This curse has one specific effect and seemingly no others. I assume it has loopholes in most cases. I can tell this curse was made by someone with a lot of experience and it's locked down tight. In cases like this, you need an advanced curse breaker like myself, or you need to remove the afflicted area entirely, regenerating the area afterwards if possible. I should be able to remove it with only minor potential issues. However it may take some time. I recommend finding something to do while I work as this will take a few hours."

Elfilis directed Kawasaki to a bed to lay down before they pulled out some chalk and drew a ritual circle around it. Vesa and Osaka sat down in a pair of nearby chairs.

"Well," Elfilis warned, "if you are in for a long haul, then I recommend some ear plugs since there will be a lot of screaming."

"Uhm," Kawasaki asked nervously, "can I still back out?"

"No," Elfilis shook their head, "besides, you're going to be asleep and I'll numb your pain receptors. However, you're likely going to be sore and unable to eat for the next few days and if the curse doesn't turn into a monster, you'll likely be vomiting black sludge periodically for the next few days."

Elfilis didn't hesitate as they started to sedate the orange chef.

"Hey," Kawasaki protested sleepily, "w-wait a sec—"

Vesa stiffened and checked her pocket bangle while Kawasaki passed out. Elfilis went back to writing runic symbols on the floor and even on the walls and ceiling. After some rummaging, Vesa found some earmuffs Fransisca offered her some time ago.

"This likely won't be pretty," Elfilis insisted, "this is your last chance to back away. There won't be blood, but he'll be in a lot of pain even in his sleep."

Osaka sighed before he stood up and left the room. Vesa slowly stood to her feet as she slipped the earmuffs on. Elfilis started wrapping up preparations, lighting some incense and pulling out some ink, lifting Kawasaki's apron and painting a rune just above his stomach where they intended to work. Vesa stood idly by as she checked her pocket bangle for a book related to her studies in magic. She ended up finding a book related to rituals.

"Hang in there, Kawasaki," Vesa whispered.

Elfilis pressed their hand against Kawasaki's chest and she could already tell the earmuffs were well made, as she couldn't hear a thing despite the screaming. Vesa sat back down and clutched the book to her chest. She couldn't see much apart from Kawasaki thrashing on the table and the lit up ritual circle. The lit incense's smoke seemed to swirl gently around the room in the shape of the circle as Elfilis continued.

All Vesa could do was read through the book in her hand to pass the time.

Not much changed for a while other than Kawasaki vomiting up black tar-like fluid as Elfilis assumed he would. The ultimate life-form cleaned it up with careful application of magic, storing the fluid in a large mason jar. Even Vesa grimaced at the sight of the ghastly fluid before she went to turning the page.

"Stubborn," Elfilis muttered to themself.

Elfilis did their best to carefully scrape the curse away from the orange chef. Vesa sighed as she noticed Kawasaki sweated profusely. Once an hour or two passed, a thick smoke started to emerge from his mouth, the ritual circle glowing again and pulling the smoke into the circle itself, the chalk turning a dark glowing red. Elfilis pushed Kawasaki and the bed out of the circle once it was finished and remained inside the room, waiting to see if the curse would take a physical shape. Vesa took the hint to leave the room. The last thing she wanted was for whatever the smoke was to notice and possess her instead.

It wasn't long before the creature did take shape and immediately tried to leap out, only to slam its head against a magical wall formed by the ritual circle. It clawed at the wall fruitlessly, trying to escape. Elfilis calmly approached it and grabbed it by the neck…a four-legged creature seemingly made of solid shadows with no visible eyes and its legs long and spindly like a spider. Its claws on each of its legs were clearly meant for rending flesh apart. Elfilis didn't even flinch as the creature weakened in their tight grip. After a moment, Elfilis broke the circle and exited the room, dragging the whimpering living curse with them to a cell. The ultimate life-form threw it inside and shut the cell door, while Vesa and Osaka stared in disbelief.

"He should be fine now," Elfilis informed, wiping some black goo off their hands, "he'll need to be retrained so he doesn't repeat any mistakes, but that should hopefully take a month or two."

Chef Osaka made a deep bow in response, rather speechless.

"Ah, you are most welcome," Elfilis continued.

Vesa stepped towards the entrance to the ritual room and made a brief glance at Kawasaki, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully now.

"Probably best not to wake him," Elfilis reminded her.

"Right," Vesa took a step back.

"Now I'm going to need some rest," Elfilis told Osaka, "when Kawasaki wakes up, you can tell him he can head home. He can drink as much as he wants, and at most, I would suggest you provide him with non-solid foods like soup or yogurt."

Elfilin left the tower the next day and ventured towards Kirby's house. The small chinchilla waited outside the door and waited until the pink star warrior opened it and set foot outside.

"Morning, Kirby!" Elfilin waved his paw.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arms.

"So what do you want to do today?" Elfilin asked eagerly, floating around his pink friend in circles.

Kirby took a moment to think.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, "poyo!"

"Ok!" Elfilin did a back flip.

Elfilin snickered internally, as he remembered figuring out how to change his fur color the other day. The small chinchilla followed Kirby as they traveled down the dirt path to Capupu Village. After about a twenty minute walk, they both spotted what appeared to be a large purple snail with a green shell also making his way to Capupu Village. The snail pulled a sled full of luggage with a rope. Kirby and Elfilin shared puzzled glances.

"Do you know this guy?" Elfilin asked.

"Poyo," Kirby shrugged.

The large snail seemed to ignore the both of them, even as he moved slowly compared to them considering the weight of the luggage. Elfilin floated over to the sled, blinking as he swayed his tail side to side.

"Uhh, hello?" Elfilin paused.

"Heya, squirt," the snail huffed, pulling the sled with effort, "whatcha need?"

Elfilin perked up his ears as the snail focused his gaze on him.

"You need some help?" Elfilin asked.

The snail immediately noticed Kirby stepped towards the small chinchilla.

"Well…ngh…I don't think you two would be much help here, but thanks for the offer," the snail tugged the cart ahead a little more, "besides, someone's coming to help out already. Shouldn't be too much longer…"

Elfilin placed his paw behind his head. Before long, the sound of a horn honking echoed across the village and Dedede pulled up in a jeep of some kind. Apparently, the local Waddle Dees have developed experience in mechanics after the Haltmann invasion and this was the result. Kirby and Elfilin blinked twice before rushing towards the jeep, examining it carefully.

"Whoa," Elfilin exclaimed, "that's so cool!"

"Poyo!"

"Thanks!" the penguin king chuckled, "I had this in the works for a while after the eggheads started getting' interested in the robots. That mage girl we hired says she's gonna take a look at it too eventually and see if she can't figure something out."

Kirby and Elfilin locked eyes onto Dedede as he disembarked the jeep.

"Sire!" the snail exclaimed in relief, "oh thank gods…"

"Here," Dedede offered, "lemme help ya with that."

Dedede helped haul the snail's luggage into the jeep's trunk with his incredible strength.

"You know him?" Elfilin warbled, floating over to the king.

"Yup, he's a childhood pal'a mine," Dedede explained.

"Nice to meetcha kids," the snail greeted, still a bit out of breath, "name's Escargon."

"Hired him on as a member of my advisors," Dedede added, "everyone else is a bit too friendly and up front. As much as I like bein' that way, I also need someone who can help me with other ideas of more questionable morality."

"Wait, that's what I'm here for!?" Escargon exclaimed, "I knew I was supposed to be your advisor, but I didn't know I was gonna be the local scumbag!"

"Well it's what you're good at!" Dedede laughed heartily, "I had most'a that knocked out'a me a while back, so now I need some expert opinions! Besides, the castles a lot nicer than where you were stayin'."

Dedede gave Escargon a clap on the shell while the snail just grumbled to himself a little. Kirby shrugged before approaching Escargon and offered his arm.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Nice to meetcha, kid," Escargoon sighed, shaking Kirby's arm, "oh, momma's going to be disappointed."

Elfilin floated around the snail.

"My name's Elfilin," the chinchilla chirped, "and this is my friend Kirby!"

"Well, it was nice to meet you kids," Escargon joked, "I need to get this stuff back to the castle and help his highness. Hopefully, I can help him make some good policy decisions. Although, since I'm apparently here just to make the selfish decisions, I suggest raising taxes. Cappies have had it too good for too long."

Dedede and Escargon hopped into the jeep. Kirby and Efilin didn't hesitate as they both hopped into the back seats.

"Oh yeah," Escargon commented, "you guys were also coming this way, weren't ya?"

"Poyo!"

"You guys are welcome to come along for the ride, no worries!" Dedede smiled.

Dedede began driving the jeep up the streets of Capupu Village.

"Sire," Escargon asked, eyeing the king's crest on the steering wheel, "what even is this logo you're using? It looks like a rabbit and you're a giant flightless bird."

"What'cha mean?" Dedede jested, "it's a peace sign, like two fingers makin' the symbol!"

"I don't see it," Escargoon bickered, "I think you need to get your head examined."

"Well, your first comment ain't true anyway!" Dedede joked, "I can fly! Heh, not so flightless anymore!"

The drive lasted a while until the jeep arrived at the castle courtyard.

"Oh," Dedede paused, "sorry boys, did you need to get dropped off in town?"

"Nah," Elfilin answered, "we'll just play Hide and Seek here. We're off to decide who's it and has to do the counting."

"Poyo!" Kirby added.

Kirby and Elfilin disembarked the jeep. Escargon waited until the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla disappeared into the gardens.

"Hmm," Escargon asked Dedede, "so that little pink thing's Kirby, right?"

"Yup, that's him," Dedede nodded.

"And he's some kind of little prodigy hero?" Escargon rubbed his beard.

"Mmhmm, whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Maybe," Escargon suggested, "we could help train him up some more? I dunno, it's just that he looks so soft and puntable. Doesn't look like he can do much at all. I'm not super confident in my chances with that little marshmallow being our only line of defense other than this Meta Knight guy I heard about."

"Well," Dedede remarked, "we've got those mages and the Waddle Dees, but I get your point. Kirby's a tough nut to crack, so I don't think he'd get womped too easily. Then again, them enemies we've been fighting have only been getting' stronger."

"So my thoughts are trying to train him up a bit," Escargon clarified, "get him ready to fight whatever the next big problem is. I want that little gumdrop to have a six pack before I'm comfortable trusting him to save the planet."

"Well, how would we go about doin' that?" Dedede thought carefully, "it's not like we can just summon a monster for him to clobber."

Chapter Text

The rest of the week continued on with Vesa practicing with her wand and learning a new spell circle. At the end of the week, Taranza returned for a visit. Kirby, Meta Knight, Elfilin, Vesa, Fecto Elfilis and Taranza gathered at the courtyard. The small chinchilla fidgeted nervously in his chair.

"Alright," Elfilis asked, "are we ready to get started again?"

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on the procedure," Taranza nodded, "I'll let you know if something goes wrong."

Elfilin gave Kirby a worried look.

"Good," Elfilis replied solemnly, "we can get started."

Elfilis made a brief glance at Meta Knight, who seemed poised to take action in the event something went wrong. The veteran knight returned his gaze and simply nodded. Elfilin folded his ears inward and tucked his tail beneath him. Kirby gave the small chinchilla some gentle pats as Elfilis started producing the Miracle Fruit's juices in small doses.

This time, it was more of a burning sensation than a soothing one. Now the healing was just more painful than they realized it was last time. Vesa, Meta Knight and Taranza watched intently as Elfilis swished their tail. Their fur started changing colors quickly and it wasn't long before they entered their soul form once again. There wasn't any magical build up and they didn't seem to be having issues just yet. Still, Meta Knight kept a vigilant grip on the hilt of his sword.

Elfilis kept their eyes shut and continued to keep the dosage of the Miracle Fruit's juices steady. They worked on guiding the power towards their soul, doing what they could to fill in gaps, rips and tears in their own spiritual form. Elfilin huddled closer to Kirby. Elfilis kept up their work, their fur slightly bristling at the pain like pouring alcohol on an open wound. Taranza cast a diagnostic spell. Much to his relief, nothing seemed to go wrong yet.

Vesa checked her pocket bangle before pulling out a book and a pencil before she began to dwell in her thoughts, hoping to recall any tidbits of history of her home country. It wasn't long before Elfilis's fur started to melt slightly, the light reflecting off the biomass. Kirby stiffened and stared intently.

Soon enough, it had only been half the time the process took last time. Elfilis was certain they needed to stop soon, considering their body was hot to the touch. At that point, Elfilin peeked through the nick in his right ear. His larger fragment started easing back a little and after a few moments, they opened their eyes. The small chinchilla shuddered at the sight of their small red pupils. Moments passed and Elfilis's fur began to solidify. They let out a soft breath and their fur slowly started shifting back to its natural color.

For some reason, they had an anxious thought their fur wouldn't change back, but they weren't sure as to why. Meta Knight closed his eyes for a brief moment in relief as he released his grip on the hilt of his sword. The veteran warrior wrapped the cloak around himself and stood up before heading off. By then, Elfilis's furs completed their transition to their original colors. Upon cue, Elfilin unfolded his ears.

"That's it?" Elfilin paused.

"Of course," Elfilis nodded, "I suspect I'll be fine in a few years. The scars will linger on my soul, but they'll eventually fade."

Taranza beamed upon those words.

"That's wonderful news!" he cheered, "this has allowed me to gain a better understanding of the Dreamstalk."

Elfilis nodded with a soft smile.

"I'm glad to assist you," Elfilis acknowledged.

Taranza began packing up before he followed Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin out of the courtyard. The spider mage floated through the gate while the pink star warrior waved his arm.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"I'll see you later," Taranza waved back.

Taranza turned to travel down the dirt path. Vesa took a moment to adjust her scarf and jacket.

"So, what's next?" Elfilis asked, "if you don't have anything else in mind, I'll probably go feed the demon beast."

Elfilin and Kirby gave Elfilis a blank stare.

"Poyo?"

"I identified the creature as such the other day," Elfilis explained, "I should've mentioned it earlier. More specifically, it was a demon beast of the gluttony category as it consumed memories of Kawasaki's cooking."

"So that explains why Kawasaki had a reputation," Elfilin commented.

"Maybe after we feed this demon beast," Vesa suggested, "we can stop by Castle Dedede and say hello to Zan. Is that ok?"

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, waving his arms and standing on the tips of his feet.

"I wouldn't mind," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis led Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin into the tower and descended the stairs to the dungeons. Once they arrived at the cell, the pink star warrior and the small chinchilla stared in awe at the sight of the demon beast. The creature moved back and forth inside of the cell, marks on the walls where it tried to claw its way through the stone. The minimal scratches indicated their ineffectiveness at destroying whatever magic was reinforcing the cell. Elfilin shivered rather nervously.

"There's no need to fear," Elfilis assured their little brother, "but I suggest you not try sticking your hand in."

"Ok," Elfilin nodded sheepishly.

Elfilis teleported into the cell and stuck their hand to its head. The demon beast tried to claw at them, but relaxed quickly. The creature lowered its arms, sitting there for a moment as the ultimate life-form placed their hand on its head and "fed" it. Once they finished, the creature curled up in a corner after Elfilis pulled their hand away. With their task complete, they teleported out of the cell.

"Are you ready to leave?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa nodded. Elfilis led her, Elfilin and Kirby up the stairs before they all exited the tower. As they ventured down the dirt path, the small chinchilla huddled closer to Elfilis for warmth. They blinked yet they simply let him snuggle in their neck mane. Upon arriving at Capupu Village, they continued their stroll down the street. Interestingly enough, Elfilis spotted Dedede arriving into town the same time they did, happily showing around a small family of four around the town and introducing them to some of the citizens. Elfilin and Kirby shared glances when they took notice of the two children accompanying their parents.

"Huh," Elfilin commented, "first Escargon, and now these new fellas. I wonder if they're new here."

"Poyo," Kirby agreed.

"They're probably meant to be members of the king's new council of advisors," Elfilis hummed.

Elfilin emerged from Elfilis's neck mane before he and Kirby scrambled over to the penguin king.

"Uh, Kirby?" Vesa blurted.

Kirby and Elfilin approached the king, which caught his attention as the pink star warrior waved his arms. The family also focused their eyes on Kirby and the small chinchilla.

"Poyo!"

"Whatcha need, lil guy?" Dedede asked, his voice with a hint of stress, "kinda in the middle of somethin'."

"We're just here to say hello," Elfilin waved his paw.

"Why don't you kids go play with them?" the wife suggested, "your father and I will stay here with the king and continue the tour for now."

Elfilin did a happy back flip. A young girl approached Kirby and the small chinchilla while her younger brother followed close behind.

"So who are you two?" she asked.

Dedede led the new cabinet ministers as they continued the tour.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"This is Kirby and I'm Elfilin," Elfilin added, "so what's your name?"

"I'm Fumu," the girl greeted, "and this is Bun."

Elfilin perked up his ears as he circled the new kids.

"How are you flying?" Fumu pondered, "with the hole in your…wing? Not to mention you aren't flapping them at all."

"They're actually my ears," Elfilin corrected, "I just hover."

Kirby, Elfilin, Fumu and Bun began strolling through Capupu Village with Vesa and Elfilis staying close by.

"I mean, there isn't any upward lift, so I don't see how you're airborne at all," Fumu added.

"Just don't think about it so hard, sis," Bun shrugged, "you'll get a headache."

Bun made a brief glance at Elfilis.

"So is that your dad over there?" he clamored, before pointing to Vesa.

Elfilin gave Bun a puzzled look.

"No?" Elfilin paused, "technically, Elfilis and I are the same person. It's complicated."

"Poyo poyo," Kirby added.

Fumu and Bun gave Kirby a confused stare.

"I didn't catch that," she sighed.

"Me, neither," Bun added.

Elfilin floated over to Elfilis.

"I mean," Elfilin stammered, "I guess he's kinda like either my older sibling or my parent in the ways that matter? But I also have another dad if that's the case. It's weird and complicated."

Elfilis ran their finger along Elfilin's head.

"You are making this sound strange," Elfilis turned to the kids, "he's a split off fragment of my own soul, created when some…unfortunate events occurred. I'm his parent, sibling and everything in between. We're both the same person on a fundamental level."

"Oh," Fumu proclaimed.

Vesa knelt and gave Kirby a pat on his head.

"Your family's weird," Bun commented eloquently.

Fumu clapped her brother on the back of his head.

"Hey!" Bun yelped, "what the heck was that for?!"

"That was rude of you," Fumu scolded him with a glare, "and you need to apologize."

"Fine," Bun groaned, "sorry, that was rude."

Vesa simply gave the boy a nod.

"Apology accepted," Vesa said.

Vesa led Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin through the streets of Capupu Village with Fumu and Bun following close behind.

"We're heading up to the castle if you two plan to come along," Elfilis told the kids.

"Really?" Fumu gasped.

"We're going to visit Elfilis's sister," Vesa clarified.

Elfilis placed a finger on their lower muzzle.

"To my understanding," Elfilis told them, "you two are likely to live in the castle. I can't imagine your home wasn't luxurious in some manner."

Bun grinned upon hearing those words.

"Well, it was nice," Bun cheered, "but this is a castle! We're gonna live in a castle! How cool is that?!"

Fumu didn't say much, but sighed dreamily as she thought of a knight in shining armor coming to her rescue in a pinch. Elfilin perched on top of Kirby's head while Vesa and Elfilis led Fumu, Bun and Kirby up the streets, passing by Kawasaki's restaurant along the way. The restaurant had a sign hung up reading "Closed Until Further Notice". Elfilis was certain it would be a while before Kawasaki could finish rehabilitating his cooking skills.

Leaving Capupu Village, Vesa and Elfilis led Kirby, Fumu and Bun along the dirt path up the hill until they reached the castle courtyard. The castle was noticeably different, mostly because one tower was now higher than the others. It didn't help that birds which flew too close to the tower would get zapped with stray arcs of electricity, leaving them with mere light singes in the feathers. Elfilis made a mental note to ask their sister to tone down the defense mechanism she made. When they approached the large doors, the Waddle Dees nodded at them before pushing the way open. Bun sprinted ahead and stopped in the middle of the foyer, scanning his surroundings.

"Hey!" Fumu called as she ran after her brother at the same speed, "slow down!"

"Right this way," Elfilis gestured to a corridor.

Fumu and Bun paused to shift their attention to Elfilis. They followed the ultimate life-form, Vesa and Kirby into the corridor. As they ventured through the corridor, Elfilis silently sent a magical signal towards Zan Partizanne's barriers, as if to inform her of their impending arrival. Elfilin lifted off of Kirby's head only to perch on Vesa's shoulders.

Before long, they came up to a door which seemed to be locked with a steampunk styled lock held in place by magic, steam and pressure. Kirby tilted sideways while Fumu and Bun exchanged glances. Elfilis focused their mana reserves to undo the lock. With a hiss of steam, the door unlocked and opened while Elfilis pushed it aside and walked in. When Vesa, Kirby, Fumu and Bun followed the ultimate life-form inside, they noticed Zan Partizanne at a makeshift balcony from a short flight of stairs.

"Ah," Zan paused, "you are here."

Zan Partizanne stopped what she was doing and descended the stairs.

"And you brought guests," she added.

Fumu whispered to herself about the door, trying to figure out how it worked with just her eyes.

"So how have you been doing?" Vesa asked.

Vesa offered her hand, allowing Zan to shake it.

"I'm doing fine," Zan answered, "I have greatly increased funding thanks to the job and I've been assisting in unraveling the tech the Waddle Dees recovered from the invasion a couple years ago."

Bun began exploring the tower.

"Oh, cool!" Bun chirped, "you're an actual mage?!"

"Mm-hmm," Zan nodded, making a brief glance at the young boy, "I practice lightning magic."

Elfilin hopped off Vesa's shoulder while he and Kirby also began exploring the tower.

"You should tone down your electrical barrier you have outside the tower," Elfilis suggested, "it's knocking birds out of the sky. I think you've made more than a few enemies that way."

Zan sighed and placed her hand behind her head.

"Well, it was there to deter people like Meta Knight from coming in through the window," Zan pointed out, "enough mages pulled that stunt back home that I wanted a deterrent. Plus, I feel like he'll end up brooding on top of the tower and overlooking the town if I don't."

Vesa lowered her head.

"I still worry for the birds, though," Vesa insisted.

"They seemed fine," Elfilis replied, "though you do have a point. You might need to come up with a less hazardous alternative to keep out intruders."

Zan sighed again, yet she nodded.

"So, any projects you've been working on?" Elfilis asked.

Zan led Elfilis and Vesa up a flight of stairs while Fumu examined the objects on the shelves.

"Not really, it's mostly been looking over what the king needs for now, there hasn't been enough time just yet," Zan admitted, "I plan to go through the treasury and search for cursed items and the like soon."

Vesa nodded and leaned back against the wall, reaching into her pocket bangle and pulling out a book.

"So how is the apprenticeship going?" Zan asked her, "I haven't been gone long, but have you picked up any new spells?"

"I've been practicing my spell circles," Vesa shrugged.

"Well, you should be advanced enough now to start picking up some more spells more easily," Zan offered.

Elfilis blinked twice, reflecting on how they've been occupied with other affairs, not giving them enough time to train their girlfriend much. Still, Zan Partizanne's words were enough to catch Fumu's interest.

"Spells?" Fumu paused, "as in magic?"

"Yes, we are mages," Zan clarified, "basically, the equivalent of magical scholars. My sibling here, though, could be classified as a warlock among other things as well though, given that their skill mainly revolves around combat at a large scale. Mages tend to focus on research above other things and tend to be suited for fighting one on one battles."

Fumu ascended the flight of stairs.

"Vesa has been Elfilis's apprentice for quite a while now," Zan added.

"It's only been a few months," Elfilis elaborated, their feelers perking up, "it certainly feels like longer."

Bun, Kirby and Elfilin stopped to gather around Zan as Fumu approached her. After a minute, the lightning mage floated off the ground and moved to sit on a shelf where they couldn't reach her. Fumu paused, before she took a step back.

"So when do you plan to sift through the treasury?" Elfilis reminded their sister.

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis returned to Castle Dedede the next day with Kirby and Elfilin accompanying them. Along the way to Capupu Village, they ran into Marx and Magolor, who were traversing towards the intersection from a separate path.

"Oh!" Vesa blurted, waving her hand, "morning, Magolor!"

"Good morning, guys!" Magolor waved back.

Magolor and Marx joined up with the others as they all traveled down the dirt path. Entering Capupu Village, they meandered down the streets.

"So how's the wedding planning going for you?" Elfilin asked.

"So far, things are going well!" Magolor chirped, "the entire thing isn't going to cost much either. Some people Marx used to work with were willing to sponsor almost the whole thing, in fact."

Kirby gave Marx a puzzled look as they turned a corner.

"Poyo?"

Marx rolled on the beach ball as he followed the others close behind.

"Yeah," Marx admitted happily, "I used to do work for them for a while. Though, after the boss came down with a nasty case of death, the company dissolved and I was left to my own devices!"

They passed by a library, where Vesa noticed an elderly mailman Cappy depositing some envelopes into a nearby mailbox.

"On my way out," Marx continued, "I snagged as many documents as I could, including the last known location of the Lor Starcutter. Magolor and I became magical pen-pals after trading the document in exchange for information on Nova."

Elfilin placed his paw behind his head.

"But yeah, I guess they are kind of responsible for my creation," Marx added, "I'm kind of the result of heavy experimentation, dark magic, purified madness, and fusing two creatures together. Although, that last part is how kids are normally made, I'm pretty sure, so I'm not that different."

Soon enough, they exited Capupu Village. Elfilis led the others up the hill until they arrived at the entrance to Castle Dedede.

"Good morning," Vesa waved to the Waddle Dees, "is Zan Partizanne available?"

The Waddle Dees nodded before opening the door and ushering the guests inside. They waddled off towards the tower with Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby, Elfilin, Marx and Magolor following close behind. They stopped at the entrance to the tower and waited until the mechanical door opened. Inside, Zan Partizanne glanced at the visitors from her desk while fiddling with some sort of magic reader, a kind of device that would let a novice see magic on the visible spectrum.

"Welcome back," she greeted.

Vesa nodded and stepped inside.

"So how are you doing this morning?" she asked, "I hope to practice my telekinesis today."

"I'm doing fine," Zan muttered, "just…thinking about some old memories. I don't want to talk about it."

Elfilis twitched their feelers.

"I understand that feeling," Elfilis replied.

Zan put away the device and approached the entrance.

"Ready to get to work?" Zan asked Elfilis.

"I'm ready," Elfilis nodded.

Zan Partizanne emerged from the tower, closing the door behind her. The thunder mage led Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby, Elfilin, Marx and Magolor down the hallway.

"So what's this about treasure?" Marx inquired, rolling a bit closer.

Zan narrowed her eyes at the jester.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about, jester," she snapped.

Marx pouted and blew a raspberry.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Magolor assured her with a nervous chuckle.

Turning at a corner, Zan led the others to the entrance leading to the throne room. Once inside, they noticed Escargon, Bandee, Meta Knight, Sir Parlam and Lady Merim gathering around King Dedede. Fumu and Bun simply stood on the sidelines.

"It looks like they're having a meeting," Zan whispered, "we'll go in quickly and inform the king before leaving to do our jobs."

Zan Partizanne turned her gaze to Magolor.

"You," she pointed at Magolor, "keep the jester here and out of the way."

Magolor sighed and nodded.

"I will," he proclaimed, "we'll wait until the king's available for discussion of our wedding venue."

"Very well."

"Oh, come on!" Marx whined, "can't we just have the discussion with the king now?!"

Zan pointed at the jester.

"The answer is no," Zan narrowed her eyes, "wait…your…turn!"

Marx blew another raspberry at the thunder mage, causing the crafty mage to sweat nervously.

Zan Partizanne led Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin into the throne room, approaching the king's side. Sir Parlum ranted about the lack of a proper meeting room while the two kids stared in boredom. Meta Knight didn't do anything more than just make a brief glance at the lightning mage. He nodded at her, so Zan made her approach to the treasury, where Sword Knight and Blade Knight stood at attention. The two knights stepped aside, so Zan opened the door and entered the treasury. Kirby and Elfilin stayed behind while Vesa and Elfilis followed the lightning mage inside. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla turned to sprint towards Fumu and Bun and started chattering with them.

Zan Partizanne didn't hesitate as she immediately got to work.

"Let's see," Zan said to herself, "where to start."

The large room they stood in had been organized. Large chests filled with gold stood neatly in one section. Shelves holding golden objects were secured on the walls. Various paintings adorned the walls, mainly consisting of penguins or other birdlike beings. Several jewelry cases sat on a table. An umbrella stand at a corner held staves, canes and umbrellas. Several weapon racks lined up another section, covered in swords, daggers, axes, a couple bows and a morning star. Elfilis fixated their eyes on a glass case with an artifact they recognized. They remembered having a hand in its construction, splitting a star into three separate ones with their spatial magic, even if the rest of the artifact was derivative of the Star Rod. How did it end up here?

As they inspected the treasury, Vesa kept her hands clutched to her chest while huddling closer to Elfilis.

"That's the Triple Star, isn't it?" Zan mentioned, approaching the case and inspecting it from outside the glass.

"I believe so," Elfilis nodded, their feelers perking up, "it's amazing how so many of our powerful artifacts find their way here."

Elfilis lowered their head.

"Honestly," they admitted, "I consider it a bit…frightening."

Elfilis began thinking of why these powerful weapons were showing up. There could be endless possibilities really. Perhaps there might be an oncoming time when the planet would begin drawing in any means to defend itself, or maybe higher powers were at play?

"And you don't have the means to make more of them these days?" Vesa tilted her head sideways.

"We could make more," Elfilis corrected, "but such a task could take several years, even back home. Here? It would probably take at least a decade to make something of middling quality. We simply don't have the proper tools or manpower to make them."

Elfilis paused for a moment.

"Back at home," they continued, "there were several nearby stars we would siphon power from. They didn't provide much actual power, but the symbiology is essential for giving something like this the power of the star."

Vesa placed a finger on her chin. Her eyes wandered as they examined the contents on a nearby shelf. Several different chests, boxes and different artifacts lined the shelf. She lowered her head and examined her palms. Meanwhile, Elfilis began detecting various cursed items, like a red spear which radiated with bloodlust. Vesa noticed as her partner's feelers perked up.

"Elfilis?"

Elfilis blinked and focused their eyes on her.

"Yes?"

"Is there a table here we can use to sort out cursed artifacts?" she asked them.

"I can make one," Elfilis advised, "although you should probably stay back and not touch anything."

"Not even telekinesis can protect me?" Vesa paused.

Elfilis shook their head before they produced a table. The ultimate life-form glanced at a lamp, and used their superior senses to confirm a malicious djinn kept inside. Vesa sighed in disappointment before she settled near the entrance. Her partner twirled around the cursed spear a little, sensing the semi-sentience radiating from it, eager for bloodshed. As much as it was a good weapon, made from some kind of magical wood and enchanted with runes, they figured it would reject a user deemed too unskilled. They put it back on the rack and began working their way through a jewelry box filled with cursed rings. Elfilis went on to break curses on each ring, including one particularly malicious curse which slowly corrupted the user over time and clouded their mind with greed.

Zan, observing her sibling doing their diligent work, jotted down notes.

After an hour passed, the table held a large pile of different artifacts which have been repaired, though there were some which Elfilis didn't have the resources needed to fix completely without destroying them. They might want to ask the king's permission to take these artifacts home for study or secure them in a safer location. For now, they decided to simply leave the spear behind, leaving behind a note warning anyone to not touch it.

Elfilis nodded at Vesa before they both followed Zan out into the throne room. By then, Meta Knight, Sir Parlam and Lady Merim had already left. Kirby and Elfilin were playing a game of hide and seek with Fumu and Bun. Bandee approached the entrance to greet Marx and Magolor.

"Hey hey hey, it's you again," Marx asked, "I think you were also part of that whole giant alliance thing we all did, right?"

"That's right," Bandee saluted, "so what brings you here today?"

"We're here to do wedding stuff," Marx explained, "I wasn't really paying attention."

Magolor placed his hand on his chest.

"To be more precise," Magolor clarified, "we'd like to check in with Dedede on the venue for our wedding."

"Oh yeah, that stuff."

Bandee nodded and gestured the mage and the jester into the throne room.

"Right this way," he advised, "and do behave yourselves."

"No promises," Marx remarked in a singsong voice.

Marx and Magolor followed Bandee into the throne room, approaching the penguin king. Escargon gave the jester a bewildered look.

"Sire? I didn't think you had a court jester," Escargon gave Dedede a confused look.

"Yup," Dedede snarked, "just hired one the other day and his name is Escargon."

While Escargon folded his arms, Marx narrowed his eyes.

"Hey! I was a great court jester, you know?" Marx griped.

"For all of four days before you started causing mayhem!" Dedede reminded, pointing at Marx.

"Oh, wow," Magolor gasped, "that long?"

Magolor was rather impressed as far as Marx having control of himself and not doing things impulsively went. Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances while Zan Partizanne placed her hand under her chin. Magolor took a deep breath.

"We decided to have our wedding on Halcandra," Magolor declared, "it has some emotional significance to me and it was the place I really turned myself around for the better."

Elfilis twitched their feelers, reluctant to ever return to Halcandra and wanting to keep their home in their memory as it was.

"Halcandra?" Escargon paused.

Elfilin peeked out from a pillar.

"It's the home planet of the Ancients," Magolor explained, "they're largely responsible for most of the more important magical artifacts that currently exist. If my guess is right, then they might've even been the first people to arrive on Popstar."

Fumu and Bun also paused in their game of hide and seek. It didn't help that Kirby tagged Elfilin.

"Well, that's certainly interesting," Escargon commented, "what's the area like? If the planet is destroyed, is it even possible to hold a wedding there? It doesn't sound like it would be able to support an atmosphere or even have gravity at that point."

Vesa, Zan, Elfilis, Magolor, Dedede and Bandee gazed at Escargon in slight shock.

"What's with the looks?" Escargon barked, "I do astronomy as a hobby!"

"Well," Bandee mentioned, "the king, Sir Meta Knight, Kirby and I have been to Halcandra before."

"So how was it?" Escargon asked, "freezing, I imagine, unless the planet's core was still warm enough."

"Well, it was fine when we went last and I can't imagine it changed much," Magolor answered, "the ambient mana in the air is working as a kind of pseudo atmosphere. For anyone without magic, going there would be fatal for sure. Of course, all of you have magic enough that it shouldn't be an issue, even if you can't use it. The air might feel a bit humid and thick, is all."

"Good to know," Vesa blurted.

Dedede raised a brow, perching one hand on the throne's arm.

"Well," Dedede shrugged, "there are worse places you could've picked, I guess."

"Excellent!" Magolor clapped his hands together, "now we can focus on the decorations and the food!"

Kirby's eyes lit up upon hearing the last word in Magolor's sentence.

"Poyo?!" Kirby couldn't help but drool from his mouth.

Marx's eyes also lit up for similar reasons, being just as ravenous as Kirby.

"Uhm," Magolor stammered, "Marx?"

Marx snapped out of his thoughts.

"Anyways," Magolor continued, "thank you so much for your audience, Your Majesty."

"Same here," Marx added, "something something."

Zan and Dedede exchanged nods before the lightning mage gestured Vesa and Elfilis to follow her out of the throne room. Kirby and Elfilin led Fumu and Bun as they followed suit. As Magolor turned to leave, Marx paused for a moment.

"By the way," Marx smirked, "I brought back a souvenir."

Reaching into his pocket dimension with his wing, Marx pulled out a brochure and handed it to Dedede. The penguin and the snail gave the jester a puzzled look. Escargon opened his mouth, but…

"What is it?" Marx interrupted before Escargon got a chance to ask, "it's a pamphlet."

Marx glanced at Dedede like he just asked the dumbest question, making the king even more glad he fired the jester.

"Holy Nightmare Enterprises, huh?" Dedede muttered.

Dedede opened the brochure and read through it. Escargon also got a brief glimpse of the contents, but he still grimaced as the jester made creepy giggles.

Chapter Text

Vesa, Fecto Elfilis, Zan Partizanne, Kirby and Elfilin stopped at the entrance to the tower. The pink star warrior waved at the human just as Fumu and Bun managed to catch up. Vesa turned to face the kids.

"Hey, kids," Vesa waved her hand with a smile, "Kirby and Elfilin didn't give you two too much trouble, did they?"

"No, they've been just fine," Fumu answered, standing a little straighter.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped as he waved his arms, "poyo!"

"I'm glad you two enjoyed yourselves," Elfilis added.

Elfilis glanced at Kirby, Elfilin, Fumu and Bun. Fumu shuddered a little at the sight of the strange pattern in Elfilis's eyes, as it seemed intimidating. Zan Partizanne reached for a book from a nearby shelf.

"So," Zan asked, "how much have you experienced regarding telekinesis?"

Vesa took a moment to think.

"I was only able to levitate a few small things here and there," she shrugged, "and maybe use it to imbue a weapon with wind."

"Well, that's not much, but it's a start," Zan replied, "the principles between levitation and telekinesis are similar, but contrary to popular belief, they're different spells. Levitation is simple and almost anyone can do it as long as they have enough magical power. Some people even do it accidentally when channeling their energy."

Zan flipped through the pages for a moment before handing it to Vesa. The human examined the title "Meditation and Power: Why Your Power is Making the Rocks Around You Float".

"The title's a bit wordy," Zan continued, "but it gets the point across."

Vesa nodded before sitting down in a nearby chair to read. While Elfilis stood by her side, Bun let out a sigh.

"It's really boring in here," he bemoaned, "I'm heading out."

"We'll catch you guys later!" Elfilin proclaimed, waving his paw at his larger fragment.

Bun, Kirby and Elfilin left the tower.

"Magic and other various energy sources have the power to make things float if there is enough energy in the atmosphere," Zan continued, "telekinesis is essentially a controlled form of this phenomenon. Levitation is similar, but your focus needs to be internal rather than external. It should be pretty simple for you, I'd imagine. It's not flight, but it's rather close. Flight is much more complicated if it isn't hard coded into your species like it is for me and my siblings."

"Good to know," Vesa simply nodded.

Vesa went back to studying the book's text while Fumu browsed a nearby bookshelf, examining the titles related to magical theory, electric magic, physics, machinery, engineering and so on. Elfilis gave Fumu a curious glance. It wasn't long before she picked out a book on magical theory. Zan blinked twice as she tilted her head sideways.

"Hey, kid?" Zan called over, "did something catch your interest?"

Fumu shifted her gaze to the lightning mage.

"It's just," Fumu paused, "all of this magic. I knew on some level it existed, but it's never felt so real. It's just so different, it doesn't follow the normal laws of physics at all! Yet, some of this stuff in here contradicts that and says it can work with physics to make different things happen."

Zan nodded in agreement.

"I guess I'm just curious as to how it all works," Fumu added, "there has to be some rules to it; otherwise, there wouldn't be so much complex information in this book."

Fumu checked the book's title while Vesa closed the book in her hands.

"Hey," Vesa interrupted, "if it's not too much to ask, can we set up a spot for levitation practice?"

Zan glanced over her shoulder.

"Let's head outside and we can do it there," she suggested.

Vesa smiled and stood to her feet.

"Can I come, too?" Fumu clamored.

Vesa glanced over her shoulder.

"Sure!" she chirped.

"You may if you wish to," Zan added with a nod.

Vesa and Fumu followed Elfilis and Zan out of the tower and down the corridor until they reached the castle courtyard.

"Alright," Zan told Vesa, "you know what you have to do?"

Vesa nodded, handing the book back to Zan before she scanned her surroundings for nearby loose objects.

"The external manifestation of levitation is small pebbles and other things floating into the air," Zan continued, "it can be directed in a sort of push that will fling things around. It's a handy trick for removing large amounts of dust in the air, or for throwing enemies off of you when you're being pressured in combat. However, using it that way is taxing on your reserves unless you focus it in one direction; even then, it can certainly be costly to throw around. Only mages like Elfilis, Magolor or Marx can use it consistently in battle, but they have enough magic to use other tricks that would be more effective. For mages with lower reserves like us, we need to get more creative."

"Got it," Vesa agreed.

Vesa slowly closed her eyes, beginning to concentrate her mana. Elfilis perked up their feelers as they watched their girlfriend extending both hands, letting the mana flow into her fingertips. A few pebbles on the ground jolted without warning. Vesa continued to concentrate for a few minutes before the first pebble started to float into the air. Seconds later, more pebbles began floating. She opened her eyes for a brief moment.

Vesa took a deep breath. With a flick of her hand, the floating pebbles began gathering together. Elfilis raised their brow in mere interest. As far as they knew, their girlfriend wasn't internalizing it correctly. Perhaps her affinity had something to do with it?

All the while, Fumu stared in awe as Vesa drew in the pebbles and willed them to orbit around her, almost like she was forcing everything around her to move into the air other than herself, and the rocks began forming an odd shield of debris and rubble.

"Whoa!" Fumu gasped.

"It's certainly an interesting expression of her ability," Elfilis frowned, "even if it's not quite what we're looking for."

Vesa paused as she lowered the pebbles to the ground.

"Huh?" she blurted.

"You don't seem to have the aptitude for this spell," Elfilis clarified, "I would hazard a guess and say most spells you attempt to cast on yourself likely won't work."

"As in," Vesa pondered, "I can't float?"

"Not unless you put a lot of effort into it," Elfilis admitted.

Vesa sighed with a shrug before she stepped towards Elfilis, wrapping an arm around their waist and eliciting a blush out of them.

"You still did a good job," Elfilis added, "that kind of effect could come in handy."

"Thank you!" Vesa smiled.

Elfilis gave Vesa a little nod and a smile.

"So what are your plans for today?" they asked her, "got anything in mind? We still have a while before it gets dark."

Vesa released Elfilis from her embrace.

"Hmm," she said, "let me think."

Vesa began pacing around a nearby bush. All the while, Fumu had been thinking of what she recently witnessed.

"Can…can you teach me how to do that?" Fumu requested, turning to Zan.

The lightning mage blinked twice, taking a moment to think in silence.

"I…I can," she answered.

Vesa paused as she and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"Oh?"

"I'll get you some books so you can get started," Zan nodded, "you should probably inform your parents that you'll be working under me."

"Ok!" Fumu agreed.

Fumu sprinted off, leaving Vesa and Elfilis by Zan Partizanne's side. The human gave the lightning mage a gentle smile.

"Zan?" she said, "thank you for today's lesson."

"It was no trouble," Zan rubbed her forehead in embarrassment, "honestly, I feel I may have gone a bit far since Elfilis is meant to be your teacher."

Elfilis sighed softly and placed their hand on their sister's head.

"It's fine, I fear I'm not the best at teaching," Elfilis assured her, "besides, you're going to have your own student here soon, so you need the experience. We might even be able to do joint lessons."

"Thank you, Elfilis," Zan chuckled nervously.

While waiting, Vesa and Elfilis took a stroll through the courtyard garden.

"So, have you made up your mind yet?" Elfilis asked.

Vesa placed her finger on her chin.

"I would love to just head back and do a puzzle with you," Vesa suggested.

"That sounds good," Elfilis smiled.

Just when Vesa and Elfilis stopped at a fountain, Fumu returned with Sir Parlam and Lady Merim following close behind.

"Greetings!" Sir Parlam waved his hand, a concerned expression on his face apparent, "I must say the idea of my daughter being taught something as dangerous as magic concerns me quite a bit."

Zan floated over to Sir Parlam and nodded at him.

"I can assure you I'll do my best to ensure no harm befalls her," Zan told him, "and so long as she doesn't attempt anything too advanced without my knowledge, I can assure you she'll be fine."

Fumu tilted her head sideways as she took a moment to think.

"I won't do anything I haven't had approved of by you," Fumu added, "I promise."

Vesa took a step back from the fountain and turned her gaze towards Fumu.

"Well then," Vesa smiled, "I wish you luck!"

"Thanks!" Fumu chirped.

Parlam and Merim exchanged glances with worry in their eyes, but in the end, neither of them could ever bring themselves to refuse the training. Sir Parlam offered his hand, allowing Zan to shake it.

"Well…I suppose we are entrusting our daughter's safety to you for the time being," Sir Parlam begged, "please take care of her."

While Lady Merim offered her hand to Zan Partizanne, Vesa returned her gaze to Elfilis just as they stretched their winglike ears. They went to stretch their arms next before they returned their gaze to their girlfriend.

"It looks like things are all wrapped up here for now," they asked her, "ready to leave?"

"Yes!" Vesa nodded eagerly.

Vesa stepped closer to Elfilis, allowing them to scoop her into their arms. Her partner blushed as they took off. After several minutes of flight, Elfilis touched down at the entrance to the tower. They lowered Vesa to the ground before they both headed inside and made their way to the game room. She searched the shelf before picking out a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle. She plopped the box onto the table and opened it before sitting down. Elfilis resorted to making a larger chair for themself before sitting across from her, having realized there wasn't any furniture in the room their size. The thought of having dismissed some things prior to repairing their soul had them frowning. Vesa was rummaging for edge pieces when she noticed the expression in their eyes.

"Elfilis?" Vesa paused.

"Sorry," Elfilis sighed, "I was just noticing a few things that didn't cross my mind until now. Really, I wasn't concerned with almost anything other than you, father and my sisters. I had far few wants for myself aside from wanting the others to be happy; even finding new ways to combat Dark Matter."

Vesa placed her hand on their shoulder.

"I know I'm happy right now," she assured, "especially with you."

"T-Thank you," Elfilis stammered.

Elfilis leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss. Vesa giggled softly before she and her partner returned their focus to the puzzle. Elfilis analyzed up to fourteen possible solutions in a mental simulation, considering not all the pieces were right-side up and some were overlapping. Thinking of how they would only have one working train of thought at a time back in the lab made them pity Elfilin a bit, as they were positive the small chinchilla didn't seem to notice how he'd been stunted mentally.

Vesa checked the image on the box as she tried testing edge pieces to determine which ones locked in perfectly. She smiled when she got two matching pieces latch together. Elfilis also started matching puzzle pieces together. Sometimes, they would try matching up some of the latched pieces Vesa worked on to add to the puzzle further.

Even with Elfilis going out of their way to match their girlfriend's pace, this puzzle should keep them occupied for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

Dedede and Escargon spent the next morning in the throne room. The penguin king overlooked the pamphlet while the snail paced around the room with a phone in his hands.

"So sire, this seems really shady and I'm almost convinced this is a scam," Escargon cautioned, "that little jester didn't exactly seem to be a paragon of honest intentions."

"Well," Dedede shrugged, his eyes expressing skepticism, "it couldn't hurt to give it a shot at least once."

"Yes, it could!" Escargon snarked back, "if this is a scam, you could lose money in a way that's financial harm!"

It seemed that Escargon and Dedede were questioning the morality of getting involved in something as heinous as using a monster summoning service. The snail gave the penguin the phone and he checked the pamphlet for the phone number.

"Well," Dedede frowned, "it won't hurt much."

Dedede immediately went to dial the number. On the other side, someone picked up almost immediately.

"Hello," the voice greeted over the phone in a polite tone, "this is Holy Nightmare Enterprises! How can I help you today?"

King Dedede stiffened. He could practically already feel the man's hooks in his wallet. That man's voice sounded like it belonged to someone who either worked in the movie industry, a big celebrity or the scummiest car salesman. The penguin and the snail shared glances in a moment of silence, remembering the earlier exchange they had in regards to Kirby's preparedness for more dangerous threats.

"We wanted to ask about what exactly this whole thing is about," Dedede explained, "we were given a pamphlet talking about this whole service, but I had some more questions."

"Well, that's not a problem, allow me to ease your worries," the man smiled over the phone, "first of all, who am I talking to today?"

Dedede took a moment to clear his throat, preparing to put on an air of self assurance. Since having been beaten by Kirby so many times, he started refreshing himself on his old attitude down to a perfect mask; that arrogant tone and easily upset attitude suitable for this kind of thing.

"This is King Dedede of Popstar," he proclaimed, "ruler of Dreamland."

"Well," the salesman chuckled over the phone, "nice to meet you, Triple D. What questions did you want to ask?"

"I wanted to ask you what kinds of things these Nightmare Monsters are for?" Dedede continued, adding a fake cruel tinge to his voice, "I have a pest I need disposed of and I'm hopin' you guys have the answer."

"Oh, that's our specialty, sire!" the salesman crooned over the phone, "I have the feeling that this is the start of a wonderful and profitable partnership."

After that, the discussion of payment was arranged.

"We will have the summoning device sent to you right away," the salesman continued, a pleased tone in his voice, "if it's not there within the day, then we'll give you a discount on it."

Dedede and Escargon let out a sigh of relief.

"Hope we get your call soon, Triple D!" the salesman declared, "have a wonderful day."

The salesman hung up, leaving Dedede and Escargon to share a glance.

"Well," Dedede commented with a shrug, "that was—"

Without warning, a strange robed figure with an eye symbol on its hood teleported into the throne room with a massive box.

"Delivery for a…King Dedede?" the NESP asked, looking up at the penguin.

"Uhh," Dedede stammered, his forehead sweating nervously, "yeah, that's me."

The NESP pulled out a clipboard.

"Great! Just sign here."

The NESP handed the clipboard to Dedede. The penguin king looked over the document, not seeing anything strange about it. He signed it and handed it back.

"Ok," the NESP announced, "we can have this installed in twenty minutes."

A couple more NESPs and a few Gims showed up with hard hats and tools. Dedede and Escargon watched as they opened the box and pulled out the device's components. The penguin's eyes widened in shock as they started to rip the floor around his throne apart.

"Hey!" Dedede demanded, "what you think you're doing?!"

"That's where the device is going to be installed," the NESP explained, holding up some blueprints to the castle, "this room is perfect for it and it's secluded, since there's only one way in."

Dedede shuddered and narrowed his eyes at the sight of the blueprints.

"And where did you get those?" he barked, "give those back when you're done!"

Much to Dedede's relief, none of the secret passages in the castle, installed by the Waddle Dees, were listed in the blueprints. The Waddle Dees were the only ones who knew where all of them were and as far as Dedede knew, they haven't stopped making them. The penguin could only keep watching as the NESPs and Gims began assembling the device.

Meanwhile, Fumu waited outside the entrance to Zan Partizanne's tower.

"Ok," Fumu said to herself nervously, "this is it."

She might have talked big game yesterday, but she still had concerns over how dangerous magic could be. At the same time, it was also interesting especially for a young child like her. Fumu had a talk with her parents last night, she was more aware of what she was getting into. As much as she still wanted to learn magic, she now had her excitement tempered.

After a moment, the mechanical door slid open and Zan Partizanne emerged from the tower.

"Welcome," Zan greeted, "come right in. We can get started with the basics. Before that, though, have you had breakfast?"

Zan was just as nervous about teaching someone magic as apprenticeships were a big deal back in Halcandra. It was a little deeper than just being a teacher in most cases, as it normally ended up with the apprentice joining the family; maybe not in a literal sense every time, but there was a close bond between teacher and student usually.

"I did," Fumu answered.

Fumu followed Zan into the tower.

"Good to hear," Zan told her, "we'll figure out your affinity…that way, we can decide how best to teach you. Some affinities could have issues with our lessons, so it's best to figure out what you are best at, and how to direct your training. I don't have my sibling's power of divination, so we'll be using some specialized equipment instead to hopefully glean something of the true nature of your power."

"Got it," Fumu agreed.

Fumu and Zan set foot into the tower and gathered around a crystal ball sitting inside a large bowl.

"I need you to prick your finger gently," Zan instructed, "just enough to draw blood, but not too much."

Zan pulled out a small blade and handed it to Fumu.

"This blade will heal the cut right after it's made and is enchanted to be painless," she continued, "it will draw blood and there will be no wound left behind."

"Good to know," Fumu breathed.

"The crystal ball here will tell us what the 'shape' of your affinity is more or less," Zan added, "but sometimes, the details can be a bit hazy."

Fumu held up her hand while her other hand held the blade. Taking a deep breath and shutting her eyes, she gently drew the blade over her finger, not feeling any pain even when she instinctively flinched. She let out a sigh of relief when a couple drops of blood filled the bowl.

"Ok," Zan announced, "we can begin."

Zan put her hands on the crystal ball and channeled her mana. Fumu put down the blade. Before long, a shape started to appear in the foggy glass of the ball; a five-pointed star with soft curved edges instead of sharp ones.

"Oh?" Fumu paused.

"This is…" Zane's breath hitched slightly.

There was only one thing that it could represent…the core magic of her people, no less. Fumu gave Zan a blank stare. The thunder mage took a moment to clear her throat.

"It's an affinity for Dream," Zan clarified, "or what was essentially the core and most important magic of my people before we were all wiped out. It's one of the four greatest magics that we currently know of."

At that moment, Fumu's face brightened.

"I expect you have a bright future ahead of you," Zan continued, "I have a lot I can teach you, although you'll specialize in Artifice. Luckily, that's something I'm quite proficient in."

Fumu couldn't help but smile.

"I," Fumu clamored, "so what can you tell me about dream magic? It sounds like it's about sleeping and invading people's sleep."

"It's not just about the dreams you have when you sleep, although it pretty well could be," Zan corrected, "it's also about making dreams come true, it's about fighting back nightmares and monsters, it's about protecting the mind from doubt. Dreams are a versatile branch of magic since there is so much it can apply to. Its main use, however, is in the creation of tools that'll be used for the protection of yourself and others. The downside is that they can never harm another person unless they have ill intent for you or others. The tools will only harm if the person they are being used against is trying to harm another first. Or in more rare cases, is so evil and vile, and their soul so black and tainted that the power of these tools will function anyway, seeking to end the threat as they will surely cause harm in the future, as their soul is too black for redemption."

Fumu nodded slowly.

"And no one else has been seen with Dream magic?" Fumu asked, "unless Kirby counts?"

"Not since my entire race was wiped out," Zan shook her head, "it is one of four great magics…heart, soul, dream and dark being the big four that govern the universe as a whole. None are good or evil entirely, but they all certainly lean in one direction or the other. Heart and Dream are usually considered good while Soul and Dark are considered evil."

Zan Partizanne took a moment to recall that moment she and her sisters traveled to collect the scattered Jamba Hearts.

"As for Kirby," she continued, "he doesn't have much of a potential for magic. He can certainly use it, but not unless he uses a Copy Ability. If I were to guess his affinity, it would likely be Heart."

Fumu raised her index finger into the air.

"So why Heart?" Fumu mused.

"Heart is essentially the magic of friendship and understanding," Zan answered, "he has that in spades and people tend to just gather around. After fights, no one ends up dead most of the time unless they're legitimately evil, so that's probably one of the best indicators."

Fumu blinked twice and smiled softly, taking some time to jot down notes.

So when do we start doing practical work?" Fumu shot a glance at Zan, "I'm pretty excited to get started whenever you feel I'm ready."

"Well," Zan shrugged, "let's make sure you have the basics down before we get started on helping you sense your own magic properly. Here are some books on the subject, since I get the feeling you're more of a visual or auditory learner."

"No worries," Fumu replied.

Zan browsed the bookshelves and plucked off books one by one before handing them to Fumu. The young girl sat down in a lounge chair and opened the first book from the stack. All the while, the thunder mage went back to work on one of her own personal projects. The magical batteries on her desk weren't anything new, but she was using subpar materials compared to what she had access to on Halcandra. Fumu carefully studied the text in each book and each page, memorizing as many details she could sink into.

Chapter Text

The following day, Fumu and Zan Partizanne met up with Vesa, Fecto Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin in the field between Capupu Village and Castle Dedede. The human made a brief glance at Zan's young apprentice and waved her hand.

"Morning," Vesa called over.

Zan stopped just before Elfilis and nodded at them.

"Good morning," Elfilis said with a light nod.

"Same to you," Zan replied, "I've considered taking up your offer on joint lessons."

"I can tell," Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"Before that, though," Zan mentioned, "there's something I need to talk to you about as we plan what we're going to do for the lesson."

Vesa tilted her head sideways while Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw.

"All right," Elfilis nodded, "right this way."

Elfilis led their sister down a short distance to the point Vesa and Fumu weren't within earshot. The two girls went on to chatter with Kirby and Elfilin while they waited.

"I just checked Fumu's affinity yesterday," Zan explained, a hint of excitement in her voice, "I was expecting it to be harder to decipher and that we might need your help, but I recognized its shape right away. She has an affinity for Dream. I'm sure you know what this means."

Elfilis gazed in awe, both surprised and elated with the revelation. Perhaps this could be the chance to begin rebuilding some of the Ancients' greatest wonders. Thankfully, Elfilis memorized many of the blueprints even when they lacked the power to make the old tech themself. Vesa may be just as promising in her own merits, but Elfilis kinda wanted Fumu to succeed in her training. Perhaps with enough nurturing of her powers, this could be a chance to rebuild their society, repairing a lot of damage done to their history. It wouldn't take a day, but a new Halcandra would come into reality eventually.

Elfilis and Zan didn't say much else as they both returned to the others. Vesa paused in her conversation and glanced over her shoulder.

"So it has come to my attention that Fumu has essentially the primary magic of our entire race at her disposal," Elfilis announced, "which is both amazing and makes things a bit complicated. We'll still be focusing this lesson on Vesa since she already has the basics down and is moving onto more advanced theory and application of magic."

"Oh?" Vesa blurted.

Elfilis locked eyes onto Fumu.

"Fumu," Elfilis continued, "you'll likely be focusing on the basics for at least a year, considering you're still young, but if you have a prodigious talent for math and science, it should come in handy for your advanced lessons later. That isn't to say we can't still teach you spells that are more your speed."

Fumu nodded in agreement, acknowledging that her journey to mastery wasn't going to be easy.

"Ok," she told them.

Elfilis approached Vesa while Fumu came face to face with Zan.

"I'm so excited, Kirby!" Elfilin chirped, hopping up and down midair, "are you?"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Elfilis gave Elfilin and Kirby a puzzled look for a brief moment. While Zan Partizanne started teaching Fumu the basics of how to start feeling for her magical energy, Elfilis returned their gaze to Vesa.

"What do you want to start next?" they asked her.

Vesa pulled out her wand from her pocket bangle.

"I think I found a spell circle for a healing field," Vesa told them, "I'm ready to test it out."

"I assume you mean the Triage spell," Elfilis replied, "alright then."

Vesa nodded with a smile before she held out her wand and began to concentrate her mana reserves. She began to draw the outer and inner circle before she went to add in the calculations. After that, she added the symbol to the circle and raised it into the air. Elfilis gave her a pleased expression as their girlfriend got the spell right the first time. They made a mental note to talk with her about it later, wanting her to know how they felt. As the spell circle rained down soothing magical particles, Kirby blinked twice as he got warm and fuzzy feelings all of a sudden. Still, the pink star warrior giggled as Elfilin gave him an affectionate headbutt.

Meanwhile, a certain grey rodent donning a red hat and red cape let out a sigh of relief, having made it inside the treasury.

It hadn't been super high on his priority list to get the Triple Star back, but it has certainly been important, for it was one of Daroach's best weapons against evil. As much as his cane was a perfectly fine magical focus, the Triple Star now served as excellent protection against cursed artifacts. After all, he's had ample enough time to recover from his possession from Dark Nebula. This dashing rogue for Squeaks everywhere found getting into the treasury rather easily if he blew a big enough hole in the wall to just fly right in.

Daroach began searching the treasury, examining each artifact and treasure while passing by. The prior explosion kicked up some dust into the air. Once the leader of the Squeak Squad found the case holding the Triple Star, he simply smashed it with the butt of his cane and pulled the artifact under his cape. He cast a speed spell on himself and zipped out. Honestly, he expected resistance, but no one showed up…just how he liked it. Now he just needed to find a place to lay low to buy him time to cast a long range teleport spell.

Daroach surveyed the forest ahead of him. With Doc doing some reconnaissance overhead, the escape went smoothly. Daroach found a small cave and went inside to prepare his escape back to their hideout.

"Too easy," he smirked to himself.

A little while later, the Waddle Dees were scrambling as Dedede investigated the scene of the crime. The penguin king examined the destroyed wall with an intense feeling of annoyance. He was at least relieved none of his other treasures were taken, but had a suspicion only one person would go only for the Triple Star. He wasn't sure where the Waddle Dees got it, but he remembered they presented that fancy-looking wand to him one afternoon while he was nursing some wounds given to him by Kirby over probably some bout of rivalry. It was a shame he couldn't get to it before he was possessed by a Jamba Heart, even if he kept it in case a being of darkness showed up again.

While Escargon was interviewing a nearby Waddle Dee, Meta Knight examined the broken glass on the floor. Glancing outside, the veteran knight threw his cape aside where it vanished and spread his wings. He took off through the hole in the wall to chase after whoever did this. After a minute passed, Escargon slithered towards Dedede.

"Sire," Escargon told him, "I can't find anything other than shattered glass and plaster."

Dedede returned his gaze and scratched his head. The silence broke when Bandee scurried into the treasury, holding a blood red spear.

"Sire! Sire!" Bandee called, "we think we found something!"

Dedede and Escargon shared a glance with Bandee.

"Well, speak up, lad," Dedede ordered, "what did you find?"

"There's something up with the clouds," Bandee explained, "there's something floating up there, but we can't really tell what it is. It might have to do with the break-in."

Dedede poked his head out of the hole and squinted, spotting the clouds which sparked with green lightning. Even when green lightning wasn't something that would set off mental alarms in Dreamland, the sky was getting rather dark. Dedede and Escargon shared another glance.

"Looks like it's gonna rain soon," Escargon grumbled, "that shouldn't hurt our ability to track whoever took that star stick."

Dedede nodded in agreement with a grin.

"We could give that monster summoning device a test run," he hummed, "Meta Knight doesn't have to be the only one to catch the thief."

Back outside, Vesa was in the middle of practicing a variation of her barrier spell. Elfilin perked up his large ears as he tilted his head upwards, examining the green lightning in the clouds. Fecto Elfilis remembered hearing an explosion some time ago, but heard no screaming. Kirby shifted his gaze between Vesa and Fumu as they were in the middle of their lessons.

"We should probably go check that out," Elfilis frowned, glancing at Zan.

"The clouds, you mean?" Zan paused.

Both Zan and Elfilis examined the green lightning dancing in the clouds.

"Well, that doesn't look natural," Zan commented with a hint of annoyance.

Both Zan Partizanne and Elfilis brought out their respective spears, which caught Kirby's attention.

"Poyo?"

Elfilis made a brief glance at Kirby before they shrugged. They spread open their winglike ears. Vesa paused in what she was doing.

"Huh?"

The magical barrier Vesa was casting shattered to tiny pieces, eliciting a startled yelp out of her. Elfilis glanced at their girlfriend for a moment, relieved she was ok. Elfilis and Zan immediately took off into the sky. The ultimate life-form wasn't a fan of the thick polluting smog filling the air. They noticed Zan was already getting slightly light-headed from the lack of oxygen from the high altitudes. Elfilis pulled her back before she could fly further into the clouds.

"You should head back," Elfilis advised with a frown, "passing out in the air wouldn't do you any good."

Zan Partizanne slowly nodded.

"Be careful, then," she rasped.

As Zan Partizanne made her descent down the sky, Elfilis continued their flight. The smoke made it far difficult to see, but when they followed the sounds of machinery, they came to an odd sight. Inside what appeared to be a cloudy creature, they noticed a rodent with a mustache and glasses tapping on a keyboard before metal spikes jutted out from the sides of the cloud. This mechanical cloud creature charged at Elfilis. They blinked before they simply put out their hand. The mechanical creature slammed directly into their open palm, stopping in its tracks. All of a sudden, Elfilis heard the crackling of a speaker coming to life.

"Uhm," an elderly voice on the other side stammered, "I don't suppose we can talk about this?"

Elfilis narrowed their eyes as electricity arced over their body, ignoring the burns they're sustaining and the static electricity bristling their fur.

"We can."

They tightened their grip on the machine. Elfilis exerted their power as they started pulling it out of the sky. The rodent inside the cockpit started to panic and started charging up some sort of apparatus. Soon enough, Elfilis emerged from the clouds and descended towards the ground. Kirby and Elfilin looked up before sprinting ahead. Elfilis twitched their feelers as they sensed a spatial fluctuation. When they peered into the cockpit, they huffed in disappointment as the pilot of the robotic cloud was gone. As soon as Elfilis set it onto the ground, the cloud dispersed which revealed more of the machine. The small chinchilla circled around it while Kirby blinked twice.

"Poyo?" Kirby paused, "poyo!"

"You don't say?" Elfilis raised their brow.

Vesa shifted her gaze towards Kirby while Fumu was still concentrating to find her mana within her.

"Poyo," Kirby explained to Elfilis, standing on the tips of his feet, "poyo Daroach, poyo. Squeaks poyo. Poyo!"

Elfilis nodded along, making a mental note to look into the Kracko creature later.

"Squeaks?" Vesa paused.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

"What are they like?" Elfilin clamored, floating slightly above the pink star warrior.

Kirby took a moment to think. He took a minute to use his limited speech and body language to explain his encounter with Daroach and the Squeaks. Once he finished, Elfilin perked up his large ears.

"Really?" Elfilin blurted, "you went after them because they took your cake?"

"Poyo," Kirby admitted with a shrug.

Vesa placed a finger on her chin as she thought over what she heard.

"You beat up the king for no reason?" Elfilis swayed his tail with an inquisitive look.

Kirby gave an embarrassed expression, his eyes hinting at guilt.

"Poyo," he sighed.

"Yes," Elfilis agreed, "that does seem a bit short sighted of you. But then again, you did have some prior experience with Dedede committing a similar crime, so I think you get a pass so long as you apologized."

Kirby nodded.

"Do you think the Squeaks were behind that explosion at the castle?" Vesa asked.

"I'm assuming that the one in the sky was meant to cover the escape of whoever blew up the wall," Elfilis answered.

Vesa began circling the machine, her hand tracing in search of a hatch.

"Well," Vesa mused, "if they're not going to ask for this machine back, maybe we can make some good use out of it?"

Elfilis flexed their feelers.

"I'm sure Zan can find a way to do so," Elfilis replied, "given that they used electric attacks. Let's see if we can find a way to use the teleportation and maybe one of us can get sent directly to them."

Kirby grinned and raised his arm.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"Me, too! Me, too!" Elfilin added, flapping his arms with excitement.

"You can go," Elfilis pointed at Kirby.

The ultimate life-form shifted their finger towards Elfilin.

"You stay here," Elfilis chided, "unlike Kirby, you lack combat experience in general and whatever power you do have is either missing or buried in your psyche so deep that trying to find it would probably split your soul apart if we used magic. Not even your pocket dimension and your basic telekinesis might not be strong enough to protect you."

Elfilin pouted with a sigh.

"Fine," Elfilin grumbled.

Soon, Vesa found a hatch and started turning the valve. She pulled the hatch open and peered inside. After checking the width of the opening for a moment, she turned her head towards Kirby.

"You ready to go?" she asked.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded eagerly, jumping up and down.

Vesa took a step back, allowing Kirby to climb inside the machine. Elfilis sealed up the hatch again before they backed away. Elfilin peered inside the cockpit and waved his arm at Kirby. The pink star warrior pulled a lever which activated the built-in teleporter. Elfilis felt the spatial fluctuation as Kirby teleported away. They suddenly let out an annoyed huff upon realizing they forgot to put a tracking spell on him. Oh well, perhaps Kirby could at least rely on his luck.

Chapter Text

Kirby arrived via a teleport pad before hopping off. The pink star warrior stepped out of the chamber and meandered through the corridor, passing by the vehicles in the docking area.

Kirby gasped in awe as he bore witness to one of the largest caves he has ever seen, and he ventured through the Great Cave before. Though, a cavern was probably more appropriate for a cave this size, as the Great Cave consisted of a large series of tunnels and different caves which went to many locations. Peering ahead, the pink star warrior noted the plentiful amount of lights like a tiny society existed right under everyone's noses.

Kirby didn't hesitate as he scampered down the cavern slope. Misjudging his grip on the cavern floor, he slipped on the wet rocks. He yelped as he simply bounced off the rocks, tumbling down the slope. He landed flat on his face at the bottom of the cavern.

"Poyo," he grumbled.

Staggering back to his feet, Kirby glanced around the back alley. He proceeded to sneak around a little and look over the place. The buildings he examined were either carved right into the stone or made of smoothed out rocks. As much as it was lively, he noted the condition of this underground city, especially the lack of anything valuable, gave indication it was impoverished. He saw food more often than not, but even then it was more scarce than at the surface. He floated onto a building and scanned his surroundings on the rooftop. He spotted patches of land where farms were set up. The lack of light and poor soil, however, was enough for him to figure out the civilians here didn't have much luck growing crops.

Kirby continued to wander along the rooftops while occasionally glancing at the Squeakers down below going about their lives. Much to his dismay, there weren't any large buildings which would give away a headquarters. The Squeaks seemed to be making the best of this dreary and depressing kind of life. The pink star warrior floated down to the cavern floor and started wandering down the streets. Maybe Daroach could be hiding in one of those buildings. Part of him thought of searching one by one, but there were far too many buildings to be that time efficient. Then, he wondered if getting spotted would probably catch the attention of someone important.

With a plan in mind, Kirby walked up to a Squeaker.

"Poyo?" Kirby waved his arm.

The little mouse turned to face him, its eyes widening before it squealed and ran off. Kirby shuddered for a brief moment before he continued wandering the streets. Ten minutes passed before a rodent with a metal gauntlet viciously clawed him without warning. Kirby yelped in pain as he struggled to push off the assailant. Making a brief glance at his attacker, he immediately recognized the sunglasses and red cape Spinni wore.

"Poyo!" Kirby cried, "poyo!"

"There isn't anything to explain," Spinni growled, "I hate to do this, but no one can know about this place. Stay still."

Spinni stepped on solid air and leapt above Kirby, lashing out with a ninja star. No doubt, the Squeaks might've reassessed their tactics in preparation for another confrontation with him. With no time to even inhale the projectile, Kirby tried to jump out of the way. The ninja star dug into the ground, and Spinni yanked it back, catching it in his caw. The pink star warrior had a brief moment of relief in his mind, horrified at the thought of the ninja star being yanked out of his mouth.

"I need you to stand still," Spinni growled, his tone hinting annoyance.

Kirby shifted his stance as he considered resorting to dodging for now.

"Poyo!" Kirby insisted, waving his arm, "poyo poyo!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Spinni retorted, "I'm still going to have to ask you to stop breathing."

Spinni dashed at him again, getting in close and not giving him space to breathe. Kirby went on to dodge the speedster's attacks and occasionally parry a strike with his arms. He had a difficult time moving around in the narrow alleyways as is. The pink star warrior checked his surroundings quickly, wondering if there was a possible option for an escape. Spinni also eyed the ladder to the roof, and was considering baiting the pink star warrior into climbing. Kirby spotted a few nearby loose rocks, an abandoned dagger and some broken glass.

Kirby jumped back and inhaled the dagger on the ground. Soon enough, he became Ninja Kirby. Spinni frowned and threw the massive throwing star into the wall behind Kirby, twisting the wire around the gauntlet before jumping into their air. He retracted the wire and pulled himself directly at Kirby, lashing out again with his claw. Kirby shouted while the speedster rodent left another set of claw marks on the pink puff.

Kirby dashed towards Spinni and swung a katana at him. The speedster parried the blade with the back end of his claw. He moved inward towards the pink puff and grabbed him by the arm. With a press of a button on the gauntlet, the throwing star yanked itself out of the wall and started hurtling towards Kirby. Spinni kept his arms locked in a death grip.

"End of the road," he told Kirby coldly.

Kirby squeezed his eyes shut and grumbled incoherently as he flailed his feet. Time seemed to slow down as the star flew at them both. Spinni pinned one of Kirby's feet to the ground with his own paw. The pink puff shed his copy ability. He let out a huff of breath before he began to flatten himself like a pancake. Spinni widened his eyes as his living shield deflated himself enough for the star to miss. The speedster also attempted to move, avoiding serious injury by a hair. Though, he ended up getting a nasty cut on his side while the star tore up his cape a little.

"You ruined my scarf!" Spinni hissed, "you're going to bleed for that!"

Spinni paused before he launched another attack. While keeping a firm grip on Kirby's arms, he had another idea pop into his head. The speedster rodent pulled out some wire from his pocket dimension and tied Kirby's feet together.

"Now you're my prisoner," Spinni declared with a sly grin, "maybe we won't need to kill you. After all, you wouldn't be able to fight Daroach in your current state."

Spinni thought of adding duct tape to take away Kirby's ability to inhale, but realized he would need to find some, so that would have to wait. Spinni proceeded to tie Kirby's arms together next before he started dragging the deflated star warrior along the ground. The Squeak Squad's speedster felt a boost in pride, sure he had every advantage in the book. He could still kill Kirby if he wanted to, but capturing him was just enough to satisfy the mouse's ego.

Spinni passed by a few buildings while nearby Squeakers glanced at the defeated Kirby in restraints. The speedster rodent found Daroach's home and set foot inside.

"Boss!" Spinni called over, "check it out!"

Spinni waited in the front hall until Daroach emerged from a set of stairs leading to a basement floor. The leader of the Squeak Squad scratched his head as he approached his subordinate, his eyes locked onto the restrained pink puff.

"Well," he commented, "Daroach can't say he's not impressed that you not only got him, but also managed to capture him alive. Both are commendable feats."

Seeing a potential avenue for a truce, Kirby started reinflating himself. By the time he finished within a few seconds, the wires wrapped around his feet made him fall over.

"Well, Daroach knows someone is getting a raise," Daroach commented.

Spinni stood a little taller upon hearing those words.

"Go get Doc, would you?" Daroach ordered, "Daroach needs Doc to set up some better accommodations for our friend here, as well as getting him some medical treatment."

With a quick nod, Spinni darted off. Daroach picked up Kirby and took him upstairs, untying the pink puff when they reached the second floor. The Squeak Squad leader gestured to a chair and sat back in his own seat. Kirby climbed onto the chair without hesitation.

"Daroach is conflicted, my pink friend," Daroach told Kirby, "on one paw, you helped him find treasure in the past and have been an excellent listener for when Daroach ranted. On the other paw, you caused a big issue that Daroach will now need to deal with."

Daroach leaned back and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Never let it be said Daroach is without mercy," he continued, "this place is meant to be kept a secret. I trust you to be a good person to your core, so allow me to explain why this place needs to be hidden."

"Poyo," Kirby nodded.

Daroach frowned before he got up and poured himself a small glass of vodka he retrieved from a cabinet.

"This city is small and poor," Daroach elaborated, "but it's where almost all the Squeaks make their home. Daroach is sure you figured out why we have little success growing our own crops here, yes?"

"Poyo," Kirby nodded.

Daroach sat back down.

"Our parents and grandparents before them, and so on, used magic to help grow the crops better, letting the crops pull nutrients out of the soil at a greater speed and allowing them to grow faster and healthier. However, this ruined the soil in most parts of this area over time," Daroach added, "we had no choice but to import goods from other places to feed the many mouths that exist down here. But…what could we export? Rocks? Useless soil? This cavern has no natural ore veins down here, either. What we have here is a crisis. This is why the Squeak Squad has to steal and sell stolen goods on the black market. From there, we trade money for food to provide for the many people of this city. Can you imagine the fury the people we stole from would rain down on us should they learn of this place? They'd come down on this place harder than the hangover Daroach is sure to have after tonight."

Kirby blinked twice before he let out a sigh.

"We cannot leave this cave," Daroach clarified, "many of the magical artifacts Daroach steals serve to maintain the barrier around this place; to keep the city hidden, protect it from earthquakes and the many fights that happen above ground."

Daroach gave an annoyed look as he took a sip of his vodka.

"Without the barrier, we would all be dead many times over from various planet shaking incidents; some instigated by you and others caused by other forces."

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, "poyo poyo?"

Daroach raised his eyebrow as he understood how Kirby witnessed Elfilis's power to collide planets with one another.

"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad for us as it mostly affected the surface," Daroach agreed, "but you see, this is why we need to keep this place a secret. Otherwise, everyone here could be killed in what would literally be a genocide. Doc has been trying to come up with more legitimate means of income or even some kind of machine to fix the soil, but none of us are good at business and nothing has worked so far. Storo is attempting to learn how to become a high class chef, but that wouldn't be enough to pay for an entire city. It might help pay for the food he eats, though."

Kirby scratched his head as Daroach downed the rest of the glass in one go. From there, Kirby took some time to think over the situation. He really couldn't help but feel bad for the Squeaks despite some of the skirmishes he got into with them. He knew Elfilis would be expecting some sort of feedback to his venture, but already decided against giving away the location. If that was the case, then what should the pink star warrior tell Elfilis? Was there some way he could provide help to these poor rodents? This could be an indication there wasn't an easy answer to the problem, especially when the Squeaks were skilled with theft, magical talent, combat, brute force attacks, agility, scientific knowledge and large numbers. He reckoned the Squeaks had a large network of spies who'd report to Daroach the instant a single Squeak learned something interesting.

Kirby closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby said, "poyo."

"Daroach would say he appreciates that," Daroach sighed, resting a paw on his face, "but Daroach would appreciate you not having been here at all more."

Kirby couldn't help but shudder.

"The locals are going to be afraid now, for you being here could easily signify our worst fears have been confirmed; that we're soon going to be under threat," Daroach warned Kirby, fidgeting with his cane a bit, "you haven't exactly made many friends today, I'm afraid. The Squeaks are going to be up in arms over this, and there will likely be some that'll attempt to go after you. We aren't the only Squeaks capable of fighting, as there are plenty of more capable Squeaks who'll come for you after this. Our way of life has been placed into jeopardy over this, and they'll do anything to ensure our secret stays safe. Daroach isn't the leader of this city, we have no real leaders here. He may be the closest thing to one, but Daroach can't stop others from coming for you."

Daroach cleared his throat for a brief second.

"The point is I can't stop them from coming for you," Daroach continued in an ominous tone, "I can state my opinion that you won't cause trouble anymore, but not all Squeaks are as noble and dashing as I am. We're simply the most popular group of thieves here and people tend to value our opinions, but there are plenty of other small gangs around here who'll gladly try to finish what Spinni started. They don't have the same morals that the gang and I run do. They'll use every dirty trick in the book to keep you quiet, and they may try to target those close to you to make you give yourself up. I'll try to plead in your favor, but expect some nighttime visitors in the near future…and keep your loved ones close."

At that moment, Kirby trembled with worry.

Chapter Text

Later on that day, Doc managed to patch up Kirby. From there, Daroach led the pink puffball out of his house.

"It's time for you to sneak out of the city," Daroach told him, "you were already spotted, so there will be people looking for you. I'm doing what I can to keep my own name out of people's mouths right now so I don't get implicated in your escape. Spinni is currently talking about how he nearly defeated you, leaving you battered and bloodied before you got away from him. He has people looking in another location entirely. I'm going to try and sneak you out through the Great Cave. You know about it?"

"Poyo," Kirby nodded.

Daroach draped a large patchwork cloak over Kirby. He then pulled out a knife and handed it to him.

"If anyone gets too close," he instructed, "subtly brandish it. It'll make people less likely to look at you too closely. If it's another gang, you need to run from them. Our gang may be the most powerful, but there are some heavy hitters down here."

Kirby nodded with a determined look in his eyes.

"The main thing is don't make eye contact," Daroach added, "one last thing…"

Reaching into his pocket dimension, Daroach pulled out a can of spray paint. He shook it up and sprayed him until his body was a blue color, though the pink star warrior coughed a little.

"That should help disguise you a bit better, but don't let people get too close to you," Daroach continued, pointing his claw to a large neon sign with 777 on it, "the entrance to the cave is on the other side of the slums, next to that gambling den. And if anyone tries to get you to buy something or gives you a bag full of colorful candies, don't eat those. Are we clear?"

"Poyo," Kirby nodded.

Kirby turned and surveyed his surroundings, mentally calculating the safest possible routes.

"I need to get going and monitor the situation with the other gangs," Daroach proclaimed, "I think I can talk down some of them, but the others…there are other gangs that will come after you for this. Stay safe, my pink friend."

Daroach teleported away. Upon cue, Kirby scampered through the nearest empty alleyway. He stopped for a moment to hide behind a dumpster, checking the streets. Everything seemed clear save for some normal Squeaks wandering around. The pink puffball snuck along the street, making a beeline for the next empty alleyway. He checked the alleyway for a second and when he reached another street, he checked his surroundings again. Thankfully, he didn't find any gangsters nearby. He checked the casino sign from a distance, calculating how many blocks he would have to sneak through. He continued venturing the slums, keeping his distance from any passing Squeak and averting his eyes at all costs.

Getting closer to the casino, Kirby spotted some gangsters nearby. They didn't look nearly as pleasant as Daroach with dirty fur and a more aggressive demeanor. They weren't as well equipped, save for switchblades. Among the four of the gangsters, one of them was juggling a couple of cartoony-looking bombs, wearing a pair of sunglasses and bright pink gloves. The pink star warrior kept his distance and darted through the alleyway, hoping the street would be clear enough for him to sneak behind the building across the casino.

As he crept around, however, he heard something roll to a stop next to him, glancing down a pair of white eyes painted onto one of the bombs the Squeak had been juggling. The fuse vanished into the hard-shelled explosive. Kirby's eyes widened as it exploded.

"Did you see that?" the sunglasses wearing Squeak laughed, "I nailed him!"

Kirby staggered back to his feet, shuddering when he realized the explosion burnt the cloak to ashes.

"Listen up, pal!" the Squeak snickered, tossing one of his bombs up and down in his hand, "the name is Mouser, and I'm gonna get a pretty penny for bringing you in!"

Kirby didn't bother to look his attacker in the eye as he made a run for it.

"W-What?!" Mouser shouted, "hey! Get back here and fight me like a man!"

Mouser immediately chased after Kirby. The pink star warrior didn't dare look backwards as he kept sprinting, his eyes focused on the entrance to the cave. He heard more explosions behind him, the clink of the bombs hitting the pavement behind him. Adrenaline flooded his body as Kirby moved past the casino, getting closer to the cavern entrance. Mouser kept up his pursuit with short distance explosions continuing on. The aggressive Squeak growled and reached into his pocket dimension.

"That's it!" he yelled.

Kirby tensed as Mouser pulled out an odd explosive device with a wind-up key, eyes and feet. The Squeak turned the key and once he finished, he dispatched it after him. The pink star warrior accelerated his sprint, barely making it through the entrance and setting foot into the Great Cave.

"Dammit," Mouser growled, "I can't follow him through there…"

The walking bomb didn't catch up to Kirby as it exploded far behind him. The pink star warrior found himself in an area of the Great Cave he hadn't seen before, seeming more like a normal cave than he was used to. With only the knife in his possession, Kirby started meandering through the area in search of a possible exit. Even when the area seemed mostly barren, he got a strange feeling to the air. It could probably be dust, but he couldn't help but feel like something was off about the area. As tired as he was, he decided against taking a nap for now.

Kirby continued scoping possible branching paths in the tunnels. Before long, a soft beeping sound echoed and the cave flooded with light. A large screen materialized in the air, a large crack moving through it originating from a lower corner. The pink puff scrambled to a cavern wall before tilting his gaze upwards.

"Poyo?"

He recognized the screen from the mysterious magic machine he fought the previous time he was here. It flashed some rather eerie text:

[Game Over: Continue?]

[Yes]

[No]

Kirby gave the screen a puzzled look and tilted his head sideways.

[Yes]

[Computer Virus summons: A Fallen Foe]

[It's Holo Defense !]

[Holo Defense summons Holo-Doomers!]

[The summon is making Summons? Oh, what Irony.]

[The joke falls flat.]

The screen shook for a moment before a familiar opponent appeared. He recognized the Holo Defense API he fought back when the Haltmann Works Company invaded Popstar. Kirby made a brief glance at the knife in his possession, wondering if he could get a copy ability out of it. The two large holographic creatures similar to the ones which held Energy Spheres from his adventure to repair the Lor Starcutter appeared, letting out screeches as they flew towards Kirby.

[Twin Holo-Doomers use tackle!]

[Computer Virus has received a lawsuit!]

Kirby inhaled the knife and became Ninja Kirby.

[Kirby became a Ninja, believe it!]

[Computer Virus is piling up lawsuits!]

The Twin Holo-Doomers slammed into Kirby's side. The pink puff grabbed at one of the Holo-Doomers. It screeched and tried to throw him off, but it failed to do so.

[Kirby is hurt!]

[Kirby grapples with Holo Defense 's Summon!]

Kirby slashed the Doomer with a katana and leapt off. He slammed his foot into the other Doomer, sending it flying into the ground.

[Kirby lashes out with his Katana!]

[The Holo-Doomer [1] takes 34 damage!]

[The Holo-Doomer [2] has been Foot Stooled! Is this a competitive match?!]

Kirby dodged a projectile one Holo-Doomer spat out before throwing a few kunais. The Holo-Doomers both charged up fireballs, even when flinching at the damage.

[The Twin Holo-Doomers start charging up a blast!]

[Holo Doomer [1] takes 10 damage 3 times!]

Kirby quickly entered a defensive stance.

[Kirby raises his defenses!]

The Holo-Doomers took turns unleashing a fiery blast attack. Kirby flinched as the blasts struck him, but recuperated quickly.

[Kirby is engulfed in flames!]

[Kirby defends against the inferno!]

Kirby leapt up and swung down a fan, conjuring a barrage of cherry blossoms which he flung at the Holo-Doomers. One of them screeched as it exploded.

[Holo-Doomer [1] is defeated!]

[Kirby finds 50 gold and 100 experience.]

[Kirby leveled up! Kirby gains 3 free stat points.]

[Holo-Doomer [2] is enraged! Attack is doubled!]

The Holo-Doomer charged at him recklessly and slammed the pink puff into the cavern wall.

[Holo-Doomer hurts itself in a powerful charge and takes 12 damage!]

[Kirby takes 30 damage!]

Kirby plopped to the ground, but got back to his feet. He sprinted towards the Holo-Doomer and slashed it with the katana.

[Holo Defense recalls Holo-Doomer [2].]

[Holo Defense takes damage equal to its summons and is badly hurt!]

[Holo Defense summons Holo-Kirby!]

The creature vanished and a green holographic projection of Kirby appeared in its place. It seemed different, as something about this version himself was just…off. Kirby fidgeted nervously, wondering what this hologram would do next.

[This version of Kirby is brought to you by: Master Hand!]

The hologram charged at Kirby, bursting into flame and smashing into him.

[Holo-Kirby uses Fire Charge!]

Kirby crashed into the cavern wall, losing his copy ability in the process.

[Kirby loses his Ninja skills!]

[Holo Kirby grapples Kirby!]

[Holo Kirby punches Kirby 3 times!]

[Holo Kirby uses Air Drop!]

Kirby flinched as his green doppleganger grabbed him, punched him repeatedly and slammed him into the ground. The pink puffball struggled to his feet, now in far worse condition. He checked his surroundings, hoping to find some hiding spot to recuperate and prepare a counter attack.

[Holo-Kirby is looking to punish Kirby's poor recovery and take a stock!]

Kirby spotted a few loose rocks nearby and quickly inhaled them.

[Kirby transforms into Stone Kirby! Defense up!]

Holo Kirby dashed closer. Now that the pink star warrior had the Stone Copy Ability, he actually gained thicker skin in exchange for being a bit heavier than normal. Holo-Kirby opened his mouth and Kirby felt the heavy pull as the copy attempted to inhale him.

[Holo-Kirby uses Inhale!]

Kirby thought fast and leapt up before he changed into a sturdy heavy stone, slamming down onto his doppleganger.

[Kirby uses his Down special to punish Holo Kirby for his failed Inhale attack.]

[Holo Kirby takes 24 damage!]

[The crowd cheers!]

The doppleganger went flying, smoke now starting to sizzle out. From there, Kirby would change back and prepare himself for a brief moment. He then leapt up again and hurdled down as a heavy stone. The doppleganger tried entering a defensive stance, but Kirby's attack broke it easily, leaving it stumbling around in place. The pink star warrior repeated his action which finished off the doppleganger, sending it flying off into the distance with an explosion.

[Holo-Kirby is defeated! GAME!]

[Holo Defense takes damage equivalent to its summons collective damage!]

[Holo Defense is defeated!]

[Computer Virus takes damage equivalent to its summons collective damage!]

[Computer Virus is defeated!]

[Kirby gains 200 Exp]

[Kirby obtains several lawsuits!]

[Kirby gains several nerfs in the next update!]

Kirby let out a heavy sigh of relief before shedding his copy ability. Though, he was rather baffled that this Computer Virus came up with a few new tricks, even as it retreated into the darkness. He continued venturing through the cave until he found an exit. When he stepped outside, he surveyed the landscape of Peanut Plains. He summoned the Warp Star and hopped on before he took off. He flew across Dreamland as the sun began to set at the horizon. It didn't take long for him to touch down at the courtyard to the tower. He disembarked the Warp Star and made his way to the door. Before he could even knock, the door opened, revealing Elfilin from the other side.

"Kirby, you're back!" Elfilin chirped, doing a happy back flip.

"Poyo," Kirby waved his arm weakly.

"Thank goodness you're ok!" Elfilin cried happily, "I was so worried about you!"

Elfilin immediately embraced Kirby and nuzzled his face. The pink puff giggled a little and returned the embrace. Kirby walked into the foyer with the small chinchilla still in his arms. Vesa and Elfilis emerged from the staircase to the library when they spotted the pink star warrior.

"Kirby!" Vesa exclaimed.

Vesa rushed towards Kirby while he released Elfilin from his embrace. The human knelt by his side, examining the pink star warrior's wounds.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her tone hinting concern.

"Poyo," Kirby reassured her, "poyo poyo, poyo."

Vesa sighed. She glanced over her shoulder as Elfilis approached her from behind. The ultimate life-form took notice of the light burns and cuts as he was still drenched in blue paint.

"You look like you got roughed up quite a bit," Elfilis commented with a soft hum.

"O-One moment," Vesa blurted.

Returning her gaze to Kirby, Vesa concentrated her mana until her hand generated soothing green sparkles. With a soft wave of her hand, Kirby felt a soothing wave fill his squishy frame as his wounds closed up.

"Poyo," Kirby waved his arm at Vesa.

"You're welcome," Vesa smiled.

Kirby then shifted his gaze towards Elfilis.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby told them, "poyo."

Vesa blinked twice.

"Why?" she asked, "what happened?"

Elfilis twitched their feelers at Kirby's mere mention of Daroach. They felt uncomfortable as they remembered the leader of the Squeak Squad tried to woo their sisters.

"Poyo," Kirby muttered, "poyo…"

Elfilin fidgeted nervously as his tail swayed side to side.

"Uhm," Elfilin stammered, "ok?"

Kirby took a few minutes with his limited speech and body language to explain that he learned of the grim situation the Squeak population was living in and the details of their struggles. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a bit.

"Poyo poyo. Poyo," Kirby concluded, "poyo poyo. Poyo. Poyo poyo."

Elfilis blinked as they raised a brow.

"Presumably, yes, if the people they are dealing with are as bad as the black market back home was," Elfilis replied, "ours was probably worse, if I'm being honest. Mostly because we dealt in magic more than this planet does. The people weren't any worse than here, I'm guessing; they just had access to more dangerous things."

Elfilis recalled there were plenty of people who wanted to channel the power of Dark Matter. They remembered the Ancients weren't able to destroy the Master Crown easily, which was why it was entrusted to Landia. Still, Vesa felt horrified at the prospect of a sentient race of rodents being exterminated to the point one particular thought lingered in her mind.

"This doesn't seem fair to anyone," she said to herself, "not to Kirby, not to us, and not to even the Squeaks."

Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis.

"It's certainly a tragic situation," Elfilis agreed, "my opinion on the matter is that the best course of action is to let whoever wants to leave do so and set them up somewhere else…probably Dreamland. If they agree to abandon their former home, then Dreamland would probably be willing to offer protection from other countries. Besides, I doubt these other people would be able to take on a full kingdom, not with us backing them. A sufficient show or threat of force will likely be enough. And we can always offer to pay back a certain amount for damages. We are some of the best mages on the planet, so I'm sure we can come up with some objects of monetary value that will be worth enough to pay off their debt if we must."

Vesa nodded with a smile.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

"We'll just have to see when Daroach is ready to negotiate," Vesa added, making a brief glance at Kirby, "until then, is there a kind of soap that removes paint?"

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis headed for Capupu Village the next day with Kirby and Elfilin accompanying them. She noted her partner had been antsy for some reason. She made a mental note to ask them what they wanted to do later—maybe she could come along and help out with their magical experiments when needed.

When they stopped at the line of storage houses, Vesa waved her hand with a smile.

"Morning!" she called over.

One of the Cappy farmers locked eyes onto Vesa and waved back.

"Good morning, ma'am," he greeted, "are you here to help thresh the rice?"

Vesa nodded.

"Of course," the Cappy nodded, "right this way."

The Cappy farmer led Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin inside the storage house. While the tall space mage examined the rice stalks piled on a straw mat, Vesa took a moment to examine a nearby senbakoki. She took note of a basket underneath it. She then glanced at the other Cappies as they threshed piles of rice stalks at their stationed senbakokis. Having gotten the idea of how the process worked, Vesa didn't hesitate as she immediately went to work threshing handfuls of rice stalks at a time. Her partner also proceeded to help her out, separating the grains from the stalks with their biological powers.

Elfilin spotted a moth perching on a nearby wall, he immediately recognized. He soon let out an excited squeak.

"Kirby!" Elfilin chirped, flapping his arms, "it's that cute moth! Come look! Come look!"

Kirby blinked twice before approaching the small chinchilla.

"Poyo?"

Kirby stood on the tips of his feet as he carefully examined the moth on the wall. A moment of silence went on until the moth flew and perched on Elfilin's head. The small chinchilla giggled as he floated down to Kirby's level.

"What do you think?" Elfilin clamored, "you think it's cute?"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Kirby and Elfilin proceeded to wander the storage house with the moth chilling on the small chinchilla's head. Meanwhile, Vesa built up a rhythm as she grabbed a handful of rice stalks as thick as a few pencils and ran them through the senbakoki's iron-jagged teeth. Once the basket was full half an hour later, she scanned her surroundings until she noted a couple Cappies carrying baskets of threshed rice grains to one of the few large mortars at the other side. Elfilis zoned out and allowed their body to carry out the repetitive motions of separating the grain.

Vesa picked up her basket and carried it over to one of the mortars. She carefully poured the rice grains into it before she returned to her stationed senbakoki. She took a moment to check the rice stalk pile next to her. Vesa then made a brief glance at her partner's basket. Elfilis didn't actually notice their basket was overflowing. She thought fast and swapped baskets, placing the empty basket under her partner's senbakoki. She then poured the rice grains into the nearest mortar before she went back to threshing.

By the time another half hour passed, Vesa and Elfilis finished threshing their piles of rice stalks. From there, the Cappies started hulling the rice with large pestles. Elfilis allowed their eyes to refocus now that their work had been completed. The tall space mage led their girlfriend to the Cappy farmer at the entrance. At the same time, Kirby and Elfilin paused what they were doing before they scurried to the entrance. Elfilis made a brief glance at the moth still on Elfilin's head, realizing it wasn't a species they've seen before. After a moment of contemplation, they decided to ignore it, mostly since their little brother grew fond of it.

"We finished our part, sir," Vesa informed the Cappy.

"Thank you so much!" the Cappy cheered, "your help is appreciated. I can get you some pay as compensation for your work after it gets bought by the local store and King Dedede."

Vesa smiled as Elfilis placed their hand on her shoulder.

"Ready to head back?" Elfilis asked her.

"Of course," Vesa nodded.

With a gesture from the Cappy farmer, Vesa, Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin left the storage house and ventured through Capupu Village. Along the way, Vesa noticed the strange moth on Elfilin's head.

"Oh?" Vesa blurted, "where'd you find that little guy?"

Elfilin floated over to Vesa, clasping his paws together.

"It was hanging out at the storage house," he explained, "can I keep it?"

"No," Elfilis shook their head, "you need to release it back into the wild. Maybe if it were something larger and easy to take care of, but that moth will likely be dead in a few days or a few weeks."

Elfilin drooped his large ears.

"Aww," he pouted.

Kirby sighed as the moth hopped off the small chinchilla's head and flew off. Elfilis simply shrugged. Still, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin followed Elfilis down the pavement, even when they exited Capupu Village and began strolling down the field.

"So," Elfilis asked, "do you want to walk back or just teleport home?"

Kirby shrugged.

"Well," Elfilin placed his paw behind his head, "Kirby and I are thinking of exploring out here a while."

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis, hugging their left arm.

"I'm ok with teleporting home," Vesa told Elfilis.

Elfilis took a moment to think.

"Actually," Elfilis suggested, "you should come home with us, Elfilin. It's not exactly safe to be out on your own right now, even with Kirby. There are potentially assassins out there, so it would be best if you were kept close and out of harm's way."

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances while the small chinchilla shivered anxiously. Before Elfilin could even make a decision, Vesa suddenly felt an unusual gust of wind, so she covered her face with one arm. Elfilis saw what happened with their superior clarity. Before the wind even began to dissipate, the tall space rodent pressed their leg against one of the ratlike mobsters. They pulled out their spear, glaring at the other five which just showed up, their eyes giving off an eerie purple glow.

Vesa pulled her wand out of her pocket bangle without thinking, stiffening her spine as she stood her ground, almost as if she was trying to be vigilant. Elfilis didn't say a word as they pulled a cloth from their pocket dimension and wiped the blood off the tip of their spear, their foot not having left the still warm body of the ratlike gang's comrade. Kirby stepped backwards while he scanned his surroundings. One of the Squeaks gave Elfilin a fierce stare, sending a chill down the small chinchilla's spine. Vesa beckoned Elfilin to come to her, so he burrowed under her jacket. His older sibling stared at the Squeak intensely and tore his mind apart, causing him to collapse, bleeding from his ears, eyes and nose.

Kirby jumped towards Vesa and Elfilis and entered a defensive stance. The remaining Squeaks shivered with fear as their eyes fixated on the space warrior mage.

"You can leave," Elfilis warned, "but if you don't, I'll kill you. It's your last chance to escape with your lives."

The renegade Squeak gang shared nervous glances in a moment of silence. They clearly had an objective, yet having seen what Elfilis did was enough to stop them in their tracks. Kirby tensed as he wondered how they'll respond to the threat from the space warrior mage.

Elfilis wanted them to stay, wanted them to fight. The space warrior mage wanted to send the rodent assassins home, broken and battered as a warning. They projected their own feelings outwards towards the frightened rats, wanting them to see the eagerness Elfilis had to kill them if that was what it took to protect those close to them. They transmitted all their deadly thoughts to the intimidated Squeaks in detail in under a second. The surviving four Squeaks slumped, admitting defeat. Elfilis kicked the body under their foot towards them, letting them catch the corpse.

"Leave," Elfilis barked, narrowing their eyes, "I will not offer mercy a second time if you return."

The rogue Squeak gang immediately scurried away, leaving Kirby to let out a sigh of relief. Elfilin popped his head out of Vesa's jacket.

"Are they gone?" he asked sheepishly.

Vesa stroked Elfilin's head with her finger.

"That was close," she breathed.

Elfilis let out a soft breath, relieved they didn't need to kill anymore of the rogue rodents than they already have. Vesa zoned out, unsure what to feel of what she just witnessed. Kirby was used to this violence, though he was known for killing off creatures too irredeemable or even non-sentient. Glancing at the blood on the ground, the ultimate life-form quickly cast a spell to clean up the carnage.

"Ready to head home?"

Vesa nodded.

"Elfilin," Vesa asked, "will you be ok?"

Elfilin gazed into Vesa's eyes, shaken by what just happened.

"U-Uhm," Elfilin stammered, "I think so. I-I think I just need to lay down."

Kirby approached Elfilis while they scooped Vesa into their arms. The ultimate life-form stared at the pink puff in confusion.

"Poyo," Kirby asked, "poyo?"

Vesa blinked twice.

"If you want to," Elfilis nodded.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Elfilis closed their eyes softly before they teleported back to the tower, taking Vesa, Elfilin and Kirby with them. They set down their girlfriend upon arriving in the foyer.

"You three go eat," Elfilis mumbled, "I'm going to improve the defenses on the tower some more."

With Elfilis leaving the foyer one direction, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin made a beeline for the kitchen.

Aboard the Halberd, Dedede's summoned Nightmare Monster darted from shadow to shadow, moving carefully and taking measures to not be seen. He kept a keen eye out for the captain's quarters, suspecting that was the most likely place has what he was looking for. Running through the ship gave him a bit of nostalgia for some reason, feet making no noise despite his speed. The familiar faces and the ship's interior reminded him of the old Star Warrior vessels.

Yamikage didn't need to waste time checking every single door he passed by. He headed directly to the main deck, knowing it shouldn't be too hard to slip by any of the crewmembers there. From there, he continued along his path in the shadows.

Little did he know, he tripped a silent alarm without noticing. Yamikage soon stopped at the door to the captain's quarters.

Elsewhere, the soldiers on the ship began arming themselves, communicating via radio and organizing themselves to hunt down the intruder. Based on which alarm they knew was tripped, they figured the dead end hallway full of rooms wouldn't have any escape routes. Sword and Blade Knight led the squadron down the hallway.

"Everyone search the rooms," Sword Knight ordered, "be quiet and don't let them know we're here. No one goes alone, everyone takes a partner."

The other soldiers saluted quietly. Sword Knight and Blade Knight didn't hesitate to pair up.

"We'll check the Capt'n's quarters," Blade Knight said, a hand on his sword.

The apprentice duo silently approached the door left ajar. Sword Knight gestured to Axe Knight and Mace Knight to join them as they slowly opened the door. Peering inside, they spotted a long familiar face snooping in one of the drawers.

"That's—" Mace Knight almost blurted.

Axe Knight shushed him by gently stepping on his foot so as to not let their armor clink loudly. They shared a glance for a brief moment before Mace Knight split off to inform the others.

Yamikage continued to rummage through the next set of drawers. Sword Knight slowly entered the room, his sharp blade starting to glow with energy. He began to charge up an attack only Kirby and Meta Knight were skilled to use in the past. The traitor had his back turned, thus it was the right time to strike with a Blade Beam. The apprentice warrior raised his sword. He brought it down, sending a beam of energy through the air. It sliced Yamikage's back without warning. He should've been able to respond quickly, but his age caught up to him despite Nightmare's aid and power fueling him now. He hasn't seen real combat in a long time.

"Gah!" Yamikage scowled, "you bastard!"

Yamikage turned around, red eyes narrowing at the familiar knight.

"You're one of Meta Knight's little fake knights, aren't you?" he growled, "one of the two bandit pets he adopted."

Blade Knight stood back while Sword Knight gripped the hilt of his weapon with both hands.

"We turned our lives around and followed Sir Meta Knight out of a feeling of obligation and a desire to change," Sword Knight objected, "we didn't turn to banditry because we wanted to. Sir Meta Knight gave us a chance to be better and we took his help. You turned your blade on your allies and slaughtered dozens of us before running away in the night. Who are you to judge us, you traitorous bastard?! You were one of us! We trusted you and you killed off most of the round table…not in honorable combat, but when they were asleep…when their blades were undrawn!"

Sword Knight leapt forward, slamming his blade down. Yamikage pulled out a kodachi and kept the apprentice knight's sword at bay.

"We were destined to lose!" Yamikage yelled, "I made the right decision, turning on you was the best decision I made! I spent the last several decades alive, stronger than before, faster…I didn't die out in space, or in a ditch or on an alien world! I lived like a king!"

Yamikage pushed Sword Knight's blade to the side and nicked his armor.

"How do you sleep at night," Sword Knight growled, pulling himself back into a stance, "knowing you betrayed your brother in all but blood?!"

"Like a log," Yamikage smirked.

The renegade ninja let out an angered swear as a Laser Ball floated in the doorway, having just blasted him in the eye. The ninja threw a kunai at the floating ball. It blasted the projectile, the molten metal hitting the floor with a hiss as the Laser Ball retreated backwards and out of the way.

"You will pay for that," Yamikage hissed.

Yamikage charged at Sword Knight. The apprentice went low with his blade, the ninja taking another large hit. Yamikage's mind raced for any ideas when he realized he couldn't escape. Mace Knight returned with the rest of the squadron.

"So that's how it is, huh?" Yamikage scowled, "well, if I'm going to die here, I'll take you all with me!"

Yamikage reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out a belt of live grenades, all of their pins missing. Sword Knight and Blade Knight shuddered.

"Move!" Sword Knight yelled.

Blade Knight kicked a few of the slower ones down the hall a bit as Sword Knight rushed out the door and slammed it shut before Yamikage could follow. A massive explosion ensued, the door coming off its hinges and sending Sword Knight flying into a wall. His armor became heavily dented and shattered in places from the force at which the metal door came off its hinges. Ears ringing under his helm, he tried surveying his surroundings. Struggling to stand, he used his blade as a crutch.

"I-Is everyone alright?!" he yelled.

A brief moment passed before Blade Knight came into his line of sight.

"We're fine over here," he reassured his friend, "it looks like you're the only one who was seriously hurt."

Blade Knight helped Sword Knight to his feet.

"Let me go in and take a look," Blade Knight continued, "if we're lucky, he didn't survive the explosion, but Nightmare's monsters are tough."

Blade Knight glanced at the open doorway. He examined the charred remains of Yamikage.

"Well, he's dead," Blade Knight shrugged, "I just wish he didn't have to die in here. Meta Knight doesn't really have anywhere else to stay, does he?"

"Well, Sir Meta Knight would probably just be happy it's his blood littering the carpet and not ours," Sword Knight replied, "still, someone should go let him know."

The knights gathered in a circle.

"1, 2, 3," Sword Knight proclaimed, "not it!"

"Not it!" Blade, Axe and Javelin Knight jumped backwards.

"Not i—" Trident Knight blurted, "oh, damn it!"

He wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

Chapter Text

Vesa spent the next morning continuing her magic lessons with Fecto Elfilis in the tower's training area, mostly practicing with the scalpel spell on a dummy and strengthening her barrier spell. When the lesson ended for the day, she made a quick lunch for herself in the kitchen. After that, she found the tall warrior mage in the library.

"Elfilis?" she called over.

Elfilis was going over a few books, adding some additional notes to them regarding some specific topics when their feelers perked up.

"Hmm?" they asked, "what do you need?"

Elfilis glanced over their shoulder while Vesa approached them. She fidgeted nervously while she placed her hand behind her head.

"Was there anything you wanted to do today?" she clamored, "I'd like to tag along."

Elfilis tilted their head upwards.

"I've been putting off some things for a little while," they admitted, "yesterday, I reinforced the wards, so they should be good for a while. Earlier, considered placing landmines further out from the house."

Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw.

"They seemed to be meant for Kirby, so I decided against it," they continued, "since he often comes down that path. I kept the landmines; they might come in handy someday."

They closed their eyes for a brief moment.

"But yes," they added, "there is something off planet I've been meaning to look into eventually. In regards to that planet we explored a while back, I wanted to see how the slime is adapted to the local ecosystem and do some more investigation of the alien life there."

Vesa's eyes brightened as Elfilis shelved the books in their hands.

"Will I need to pack up for the trip?" she inquired.

"If you want to," Elfilis answered, "we can teleport there and back, but at this distance, making a portal would probably be more efficient. We shouldn't be there for more than five hours."

Vesa smiled upon hearing her partner's answer.

"Ok then," she proclaimed, "I'll meet you outside."

Vesa took some time to grab her shoes and jacket before she met up with Elfilis out in the courtyard.

"Did you bring food for yourself and anything else you might need?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa activated her pocket bangle and showed her partner a bento box, along with a few pieces of equipment.

"Also," Elfilis added, "last time we were there, I detected an odd corruptive pathogen which can affect your health. With long term exposure, it could potentially turn you into a zombie of some kind."

Vesa couldn't help but shudder.

"It shouldn't be a problem," they told her, "but I'd rather you not inhale it at all."

Elfilis reached into their pocket dimension and pulled out a face mask, handing it to Vesa.

"Thank you," she smiled.

Vesa didn't hesitate as she put on her face mask.

"Ready to go?" Elfilis asked.

"Y-Yes," Vesa nodded.

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis, allowing them to scoop her into their arms. They held her close and with their spear, they carefully sliced a hole in space, a tear in reality forming in front of them. Vesa held on as her partner entered the vortex. The location on the planet they arrived in was still familiar, as the plants in the area had green hues. Still, Vesa noticed plenty of slimes running around; green and blue ones at a first glance. Elfilis carefully lowered her to the ground, even if she still stayed close to them.

Elfilis glanced around a bit more, curiously inspecting the slimes and prodding at them. The tall majestic rodent took small samples to compare from last time. All the while, Vesa examined the nearest strange plants.

"Oh," Elfilis perked up their feelers, "that's an interesting flower."

Elfilis picked one of the flowers in question and inspected it. They noted it only bloomed during the day and seemed to grow rapidly. This could be useful for creating a variety of potions. Awe transformed Vesa's face as she approached the flowers. They reminded her of dandelions— they were more vibrant and didn't become fluffy when they spread their seeds around. She returned her gaze to Elfilis, not hesitating as she continued to follow them.

As far as the ultimate life-form knew, the slimes were kinda small; about the size of a human hand. Elfilis figured that since that wasn't a healthy size, they should introduce some more animals to keep the slimes fed. Elfilis shared a glance with their girlfriend before they knelt to the ground and concentrated.

The tall warrior mage changed the DNA of the rabbits just so they would have enough genetic diversity when they'd breed. Elfilis placed the rabbits a short distance from the slimes, hoping the creatures would take well to the world. Vesa watched the rabbits scamper around while her partner stood back up.

"Hopefully," Elfilis told her, "adding rabbits to the ecosystem will help make a more healthy food chain."

Vesa nodded when she placed her hand behind her head. Elfilis continued to move around and looked over the slimes, some of them trying to eat various rocks among other things. They found a purple variant of the creatures, but they weren't filled with corruptible energy of the odd parasitic life-forms nearby in the wasteland. While she continued to follow Elfilis, Vesa noticed they had a troubled expression.

"Elfilis?" she paused, "is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," Elfilis shrugged, "I'm just curious as to the odd coloration of this slime. They seem to be adapting well. This one has an odd form of camouflage to make itself look like it fits in the corrupted area nearby, yet it also isn't corrupted at all. I suspect that may not be the case for all of them, however."

"Ah, I see," Vesa sighed.

Vesa and Elfilis continued to stroll along the terrain. The tall majestic rodent continued to take flora samples in their travels, interested in the many different plants which mostly had potential for dyes or potion ingredients. Vesa scanned her surroundings, wondering if she could spot more animals than just the slimes or rabbits. Of course, there wasn't much save for the exotic insects and maybe birds flying around. This made sense as there were two large masses of corrupt material slowly engulfing the planet. For some reason, Elfilis noted sunflower roots were extremely effective at fighting off the ever encroaching mass of taint. Was it some kind of magical phenomenon? They couldn't figure out the cause yet.

Vesa tilted her head upwards, gazing upon the sky. Well, it was rather blue and cloudy like on Popstar or her own planet. A random thought soon popped into her head.

"I wonder if Kirby and Elfilin are doing ok," she said to herself.

"They'll be alright," Elfilis answered, "I put a tracker on Elfilin so even if he's kidnapped, I can just go get him quickly. He's still at home right now, so I assume things are going well."

Vesa sighed in relief.

"Ah, well," she stammered, "part of me couldn't help but think if there was no other way to cause unnecessary deaths yesterday…or were they necessary? The way that Squeak died was rather…beyond overkill."

"Well, I suppose that depends on your view of the situation and the 'what if' scenario," Elfilis explained, "in that moment before I started fighting and spotted our assailants, I already prepared for such a response ahead of time. In that moment, there were several things they could've been there for."

Vesa swallowed a nervous lump in her throat.

"They would've either killed Kirby, kidnapped one of his loved ones, or made threats," Elfilis continued, "I think that they likely either came to make an attempt on Kirby's life, or to kidnap Elfilin. Likely both. Elfilin is the weakest of us all and he wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight. If they were particularly smart, they might've murdered him. They obviously didn't take me into account before striking, however, and paid the price for their arrogance."

Elfilis lowered their feelers briefly.

By killing two of them so effortlessly, I broke their spirit and resolve to fight by showing the gap between us in power," they continued, "they'll likely not return to fight us again unless they have some kind of sudden boost in confidence, or if they're forced to. Even at risk of death, they might not come back to fight. Now they've returned to their home and likely have spoken of their encounter, making other people less likely to try the same stunt. And by taking their bodies home with them, I have located the Squeaks home city, and if need be can go there and retrieve anyone they do kidnap if I have to."

Elfilis wondered if they should destroy the city, but decided against it, knowing the situation the Squeaks were still in.

"I doubt they were there to advertise a school bake sale or hand out cookies," Elfilis shrugged with a little dark humor.

Vesa lowered her head.

"I-I see."

Elfilis blinked twice.

"I see that you are…uncomfortable with what I did," Elfilis noted, "I don't enjoy killing, but I did it to keep you safe. My primary directive is to destroy Dark Matter, and I was trained at a young age to fight. I'm expected to kill if it's needed to protect myself and to protect others."

Vesa gave Elfilis a confused look, but leaned closer to her partner a moment later.

"I'm not mad at you, though," she assured them.

Vesa wrapped her arms around Elfilis.

"I'm glad to hear that," Elfilis sighed in relief.

Elfilis lifted her into their arms, allowing Vesa to nuzzle their cheek. They let out some happy purrs before pulling her into a kiss a moment later, nudging her face mask down for a bit. Vesa perched one hand on their shoulder and cupped their face with the other. When they broke off the kiss, she put her face mask back on and scanned her surroundings in search of a place to sit. The tall space rodent found a fallen log from a nearby tree and sat down on it.

Vesa felt a soft breeze on her face as she rested her head on their chest. Elfilis gently rubbed her back as their body rumbled with soft and gentle purrs. She ran her thumb along their cheek. The tall space rodent sighed as they blushed.

After several minutes passed, Vesa released Elfilis from her embrace as they both stood up from the log.

"Anything else you wanted to do?" Vesa clamored.

"I wanted to go take a look and see how the different pathogens infecting the planet are spreading and take some samples. I should be immune to any corruption from it but I plan to take it slow just in case. The odd corruption is almost mutagenic in nature, killing its victims and then mutating them into something more powerful post mortem and I want to ensure it doesn't spread much further."

Vesa hugged her arms to herself.

"R-Right," Vesa nodded.

"We can also just spend the day together here," Elfilis mentioned.

Vesa scanned her surroundings, her eyes locking onto the plants in the field. Not much of them seemed to have any significance, though Elfilis took interest in a series of mushrooms, bushes that resembled blueberry bushes and a large number of trees dotting the area.

"Let's see," Vesa said to herself.

Vesa rummaged through her pocket bangle, only to realize she didn't have any baskets with her.

"You can just put them directly in your storage if you're looking to take them with you," Elfilis suggested, "I also made a list of different plants I observed if you want to take a look. I haven't gotten the chance to explore underground or in the other various locations, but I made a comprehensive list of the ones I recognize. I'm curious as to how they ended up here, but I wouldn't dwell on it too much as we likely won't get answers."

Excitement glowed in Vesa's eyes.

"Alright then," Vesa proclaimed, "let's get foraging!"

Vesa followed Elfilis around the field as they set off to collect some samples of plants. The tall space rodent pointed out the various local flora. The human examined the mushrooms before she crouched down and plucked one off the ground. Elfilis perked up their feelers while they examined the mycelium around the fungus, which seemed to stretch out far and wide in thin strands, covering almost the entire grass root network of the plains.

Vesa collected a few more mushrooms before examining the flowers and herbs standing among the grass. Elfilis prodded at the slimes a bit, as they couldn't help but find it endearing when the little blobs tried to melt their own body. They would still make sure to keep the slimes away from their girlfriend.

Vesa shifted her gaze towards the Dayblooms. She carefully picked one before stashing it into her pocket bangle. When she turned, she noticed a dozen slimes clinging to Elfilis's body. They didn't mind as they considered the creatures fun to mess with. Vesa still couldn't help but fidget nervously with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Don't worry about me," Elfilis assured her, "I'll be fine."

Vesa sighed softly before she continued to forage the plains. She got input from the partner on which plants were suitable ingredients along the way. Several minutes later, Vesa checked her pocket bangle again, satisfied that she collected enough plants and mushrooms to call it a successful forage. Come to think of it, Vesa noticed the various fruits and vegetables she recognized from Popstar and the Forgotten Land. She still thought the universe was that bizarre with such consistent details. She stepped over to Elfilis, keeping her distance as slimes still clung onto her partner.

"So when we get back," Vesa asked, "where should we store the ingredients?"

"We have a room set up for an alchemist lab," Elfilis suggested, "we just haven't had a need to do anything with it yet. I've been working on getting the materials we'll need, as most of them are something I already stored away in my own pocket dimension. We just need to prep the room first. I can make a place to store and preserve the ingredients. If you want, that is something I can teach you. Alchemy is likely to synergize well with your affinity."

Vesa took a brief moment to think over the offer.

"Well," Vesa proclaimed, "I guess it would be nice to see alchemy in action sometime."

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis stood outside the throne room of Castle Dedede the following day. The tall warrior mage spent early in the morning doing the research they needed on the Squeaks, even creating a large poster board detailing the situation. The momentary silence broke when the large doors opened and Bandee stepped into the hallway.

"Right this way," Bandee gestured, "Sir Meta Knight isn't here right now. He was pulled away for some kind of urgent personal matter he had to attend to."

"Thank you, Bandee," Vesa smiled.

Vesa and Elfilis followed Bandee into the throne room. They walked along the carpet until they stopped just before Dedede. Vesa gave him a deep bow of respect while Elfilis gave a respectful nod.

"Afternoon, Your Highness," Vesa greeted.

"So why don'tcha both tell me about what this issue is?" Dedede raised an eyebrow, "I don't really have a perfect idea of what we are dealing with here, aside from the fact that Kirby made em' real mad somehow."

Elfilis reached into their pocket dimension and pulled out the large poster board.

"I've taken the liberty of visiting the city myself and taking pictures," Elfilis reported, "as well as getting an idea of both the political situation, economic situation, and the personal reasons of the attacking force."

Elfilis set down the poster board, allowing Dedede to examine the contents.

"Okay, so it's almost like a large slum? No real government other than a buncha hooligans, Mafia and Yakuza types," Dedede commented, "well, calling them Yakuza is probably insulting to Yakuza, if I'm being honest…"

Vesa blinked twice. The moment continued on in silence until Dedede cleared his throat.

"Anyway, I think I have a good understandin' of the situation now," Dedede proclaimed, "we can probably lend some aid and even let them take a few plots of land for themselves out here, open up immigration to em' if they want to move. Send supplies down there. First though, we need to deal with the gang problems. I know their type, they will horde supplies for themselves and make the common folk pay em' for it."

Dedede made a brief glance at the poster board.

"Anything we donate over there is jus' gonna end up feedin' those gangs instead of who we want to help," he continued, "we need Daroach to take charge down there. Maybe give the supplies to him to hand out. But before anything official other than that can get done, someone needs to take control down there."

Vesa nodded in agreement, sharing a glance with Elfilis.

"Elfilis?" Vesa asked, "you have any ideas?"

"My thoughts are that Daroach needs to solve his own problems," Elfilis suggested, "this situation is not something as easy as going in and killing the—"

Elfilis took a moment to pause and collect their thoughts.

"Well, it is that easy, but that wouldn't exactly be the best solution," Elfilis continued, "Daroach needs to take control down there and either become the biggest crime boss there, ensuring that he's effectively the government all on his own. Otherwise, we can go with that first thing, although that wouldn't exactly endear the Squeaks to us at all and would be a large point in tension between us. Killing a few of them? Not a huge deal, but killing the entire gang based society and delicate house of cards they have down there? That wouldn't end well."

Dedede rubbed his chin as he took a moment to think.

"Well, if you end up meeting with Daroach, feel free to offer our services when he decides to take over. He likely has something in mind," Dedede suggested, "if he needs to fight, we'll be ready to lend aid and provide after battle support and medical attention, I won't send any of my people to fight his war, but we'll offer supplies, medicine, doctors and food as needed. We can help support his city in the months afterward as well, but it'll be on loan and we will be expecting payment in return when he can provide it without crippling his city."

Vesa rested a hand on her hip.

"Good to know," she replied.

"Yep," Dedede gestured to Bandee, "we can offer a whole lot in terms of that kind of assistance, but Waddle Dees aren't exac'ly fighters for the most part, with some exceptions."

Bandee stretched his arms.

"Our more capable warriors might not even be in the double digits, if I'm bein' honest," Dedede admitted, "myself, Meta Knight, Kirby, Bandee, Zan, and potentially yourselves if you're feelin' like you have an obligation to assist."

Dedede scratched his head.

"Hmm, there is a few more, but I'm drawin' a blank right now," he added, "our strength as a country is more about the few powerful individuals who live here than a collective strength like most countries. Meta Knight has trained a lot of capable warriors, but they're a drop in the bucket compared to other countries' armies. Dreamland is in an awkward situation with that kinda thing. Luckily, none of the other countries are warlike or interested in invading. Otherwise, we might have a problem—not to mention we're in the very center of everything, landlocked by several other nations."

Vesa tilted her head sideways.

"I suppose that's all we need to know," she shrugged, eyes locked onto Elfilis, "right?"

"I suppose so," Elfilis nodded, "I'll go visit Daroach and let him know the situation. I'll be subtle and he'll be the only one aware I'm there. I'll ensure he knows everything you told me."

"Then that settles that," Dedede proclaimed, "you're dismissed."

Elfilis stashed the poster board before they led Vesa out of the throne room. They meandered their way out into the courtyard. Vesa quickly buttoned up her jacket upon setting foot into the chilly outdoors. To her left, she noticed Zan Partizanne and Fumu just as they began the young girl's magic lesson.

"Is there anything you'd like me to teach you today?" Elfilis asked her.

Vesa took a moment to think.

"I wonder how runes work," Vesa replied.

Elfilis nodded.

"Runes themselves are based on how old the language is and if they were used by a magical society," Elfilis explained, "they are more powerful depending on how long mages have used them. Each rune can be used in different ways depending on their meaning and symbology. They can be chained together into full sentences and grow more complex. Though the fewer you use, the more powerful they can get. The same combination of runes can mean two different things depending on the interpretation and who's reading them."

Vesa and Elfilis sat down on a bench. The tall warrior mage created a large plate of bone.

"Here," they offered, "I'll use this to show you how to inscribe a rune. It's simple to practice, but harder to master."

Elfilis drew a rune on the plate with their finger, not scratching into the surface as they let their magic draw the shape. The light blue energy lingering on the surface quickly caused the bone plate to begin rotting and turning into dust. She felt a chill down her spine. Vesa quickly searched her pocket bangle and pulled out a book on runes. She flipped through the pages until she identified the rune she saw just now: Jera.

"My interpretation of this rune when I activated it was Decay, the completion of the bone plate's cycle. If I used this on a living thing, it would harm them greatly," Elfilis continued, "but, since it would be directly applied to a living creature, it wouldn't be as effective unless they were a willing target. If a person does not want this effect to occur, it might not happen depending on how strong they are compared to you, and how well they understand runes. Your opponents' understanding of the subject matter actually makes your attacks weaker if they don't want them to take effect, and they can even counter the spell outright if they wanted to. We used these before, remember?"

Vesa took a moment to reminisce about the runes she saw when Hyness set up the portal between Dreamland and Waddle Dee Town. She even recalled the circle Hyness created for her when she first awakened her magic. She remembered the ancient mage using runes to create the printing press and even repair the Mirror.

"I remember," Vesa told Elfilis.

Vesa returned her gaze to the book in her hands. Flipping a page, her finger traced the rune Algiz.

"Algiz means protection," Elfilis clarified, "a higher self, divinity, teaching and spiritual connection. It's useful for making enchantments since spiritual connection makes it a good conduit for mana, and it can link certain spells together."

Vesa nodded with a smile.

"I'd like to try this one," she proclaimed.

"Well," Elfilis replied, "its protection aspect allows you to strengthen barriers and physical objects with it, consenting people can even get a measure of protection with it themselves. It would be most effective against non-physical attacks when applied to a person; mostly things that affect the soul or mind."

Vesa took a minute to memorize the symbol before she closed the book.

"For now," Elfilis advised, "you'll need to use solid surfaces. With practice, you'll be able to write the rune on the air itself."

Vesa glanced down at the bench she and Elfilis were sitting on. Concentrating her mana, her finger drew the symbol on the bench.

"Don't mess up the shape of it," Elfilis warned her, "or it may not take effect or could rebound."

Vesa nodded, even if she kept concentrating. Soon enough, she finished drawing the Algiz rune, mesmerized with its glowing light blue energy.

"Seems like you did pretty well for a first attempt," Elfilis commented.

Vesa gazed into her partner's alien eyes.

"Thank you," Vesa smiled.

"I'm more than happy to help."

Almost immediately, Vesa sensed the safe feeling emanating from the rune.

"This bench is certainly safe from being destroyed by certain amounts of physical force," Elfilis remarked, "I'd say probably the equivalent of a large boulder would be needed to break it."

Vesa tilted her head.

"What kind of person would want to break benches, anyway?" she asked.

Elfilis simply shrugged. Vesa glanced over her shoulder. Zan was currently holding out a leather tool belt filled with different interesting objects; most of them covered in runic carvings and made of material Vesa didn't recognize. Fumu studied the runes on one of the objects in her hand while she had a book out. Vesa fixated her eyes on one rune which reminded her of the letter 'r'. She took a moment to flip through her book before she stopped at Laguz, a rune which represented water and symbolized intuition, emotions, flow, renewal, dreams, hopes and fears.

As intrigued as Vesa was, she didn't feel like interrupting the lesson Zan Partizanne was teaching. For now, she went back to studying the pages in her book. Soon enough, her eyes took interest in the rune Kenaz.

"Torch, controlled energy," Vesa recited to herself, "passion, creation and transformation."

"It also means fire, knowledge, and the light within," Elfilis added, "it can be dangerous if used improperly, but it has many useful applications. For example, think of lighting campfires or candles, countering magic based attacks by controlling the energy of your opponents' spells."

"Am I currently able to get some kind of use out of this rune?" Vesa asked.

"It can be used as a source of light, and it is also used a lot in making tools," Elfilis answered, "but countering weaker spells or energy-based attacks shouldn't be something you'd have too much trouble with. You'd need to get used to redirecting that energy, though, and any attacks you direct back at your opponent would likely lose potency."

Upon cue, Vesa stood up from the bench and picked up a nearby rock.

"Maybe we can go look for a room and turn off the lights," Vesa suggested, "you have any ideas?"

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," Elfilis nodded.

Vesa took some time to gather her book while Elfilis stood to their full height, stretching their limbs. The tall space rodent scooped their girlfriend into their arms before they teleported back to the tower courtyard. Stepping back inside, they wandered through the hallway until they found a small room. Elfilis closed the door behind them while Vesa studied the rune, taking some time to memorize the symbol on the page. Minutes later, she closed the book.

"Ok," she told them, "I'm ready."

Upon cue, Elfilis flipped the lights off in the room. Vesa stiffened for a brief moment at the sudden darkness. Still, she held up the rock in her hand and carefully drew the symbol onto it. Her partner watched as the rock started to emit light. She gasped in amazement as the rock illuminated the room. She wanted to cherish the wonder of the discovery she made in mastering her magic. Returning her gaze to Elfilis, she smiled. They smiled back, appreciating her enthusiasm for her achievement.

Chapter Text

Later on that evening, Vesa was getting ready for bed, so Elfilis kissed her good night. After that, they left the tower. The tall space rodent teleported down to the underground city where the Squeaks lived, not wasting time to find their way to Daroach's house. Once inside, Elfilis sat down and waited. Some time passed before the leader of the Squeak Squad entered the room. When he locked eyes onto the ultimate life-form, he didn't flinch in the slightest.

"Evening," Daroach greeted.

"Good evening," Elfilis replied, "hopefully, this will be a quick conversation. I need you to take charge down here. If you don't find another solution of some kind, I might need to make decisions I don't want to be forced to make in order to ensure the safety of those around me."

Daroach narrowed his eyes, yet he sat down across from Elfilis.

"I understand that I'm not exactly in a position to bargain here, but it won't be easy," Daroach told them, "the situation down here is strenuous as it is, so taking over would be rough. We could absolutely do it, but there would be lots of internal resistance from members of the other gangs after we fully take over."

Elfilis perked up their feelers and frowned.

"So long as you ensure that we're no longer targeted in the local attempts to kill Kirby," Elfilis proclaimed, "I'll allow you as long as you need to fix the issues down here, but something has to be done or I will need to take personal action to ensure that there are no more threats towards my loved ones."

Elfilis didn't want Daroach to get the wrong idea. Daroach placed a finger on his chin.

"I think I…might be able to do that. I'm not sure I'll get everyone dumb enough to do it," Daroach said, "but we can probably ward off most of them. If anyone tries, though, feel free to kill them. It won't be anyone from my group."

Daroach and Elfilis exchanged glances before the grey rodent extended his hand. The tall space rodent shook his hand, hence solidifying the deal.

Vesa sat down at the dining hall table the next morning with a bowl of oatmeal in her hands. As she ate her breakfast, she watched as Fransisca entered the kitchen and emerged with a cup of coffee. She also watched as Flamberge grabbed her breakfast. By the time Vesa finished her espresso, she noticed Hyness didn't show up yet. Didn't he usually come to the kitchen to grab his coffee at this time? Sighing, she made her way back into the kitchen and brewed a cup of coffee. Holding the cup steady, she stepped out of the kitchen and wandered the tower hallways until she found the door to Hyness's study.

"Come in," Hyness hummed.

Stepping inside, Vesa noticed the room was a cluttered mess of papers, half finished projects, runes and blueprints. There were several cork boards on the wall with what appeared to be conspiracy theories pinned together with red yarn. She made a brief glance at a drawing of some kind of large hulking behemoth creature with a birdlike mask on its face. Adjacent to that picture was another one of a giggling sphere which looked like oil on water with several colors mixing together. Its face reminded her of Kirby, if not rather unsettling. Similar pictures plastered on the wall in some places on top of the wallpaper. She took note of some writing in another language she recognized from some books in the library.

"Uhh, sir?" Vesa paused, "I got you your coffee."

Hyness paused and set aside his runework.

"Oh, thank you!" Hyness smiled, "it's very appreciated."

Vesa smiled as Hyness took the cup from her hands.

"You're welcome," she replied.

Vesa returned her gaze to the cork boards, studying the papers pinned to it. Most of the notes sounded rather crazy to her for some reason.

"Kracko has kids?"

"Underground city full of mole people?"

Vesa noted a sticky note pinned to the side of the post she read.

"Close enough!"

"Meta Knight some kind of monster?"

"Marx is half Scarfy?"

"Are the sun and moon of Popstar alive?"

Vesa wasn't sure who Kracko was, and she figured Hyness might've gotten close to accuracy with the second theory she read. The rest of them seemed like ramblings of a madman. Several other cork boards littered the floor but they were too hard to see in the dim lighting. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a drawing of a dark blue blob creature which had eyes with pupils which spun asynchronously and it stuck its long tongue out.

A series of runic lines without any magical enchantments were written above the picture. She even took note of a sticky note attached to the image save for a couple words blotted out heavily with ink.

"Gooey: An orb of…which has become filled with positive energy rather than negative energy and is a friend of Kirby."

"Gooey?" Vesa commented, "I don't think I've heard of this creature before."

"Don't talk about him around Elfilis," Hyness warned, "speaking of which, they're not here, are they?"

Vesa checked her surroundings before she shook her head.

Hyness sighed in relief. With a flick of his hand, the door closed before he went back to pacing around the room.

"Oh good," he warned her, "Elfilis isn't allowed near Gooey. Otherwise, they would kill him without any hesitation, and potentially anyone who'll try to stop them, even us. Gooey is made entirely out of Dark Matter, and you know Elfilis has a prime directive to destroy all Dark Matter. Their prime directive does not include keeping us safe or not killing anyone innocent, so our safety in such a situation is actually not in their top priority."

Hyness took a moment to adjust his hood.

"You must remember they're like an organic machine almost; they cannot ignore their directive like that," Hyness continued, "I'm currently trying to override it, but now that they're not in their growing phase anymore, it's immensely more challenging to alter them in any way. If their soul wasn't mostly repaired now, I wouldn't have even considered it and would've sent Gooey to Ripple Star instead."

Vesa felt a chill down her spine as she took some time to process the new information she was given.

"I," she stammered, "I see."

Vesa approached Hyness.

"It's certainly not a pretty scenario to think about," Hyness continued, "which is why I've been trying to come up with different ideas to circumvent that. Now that Gooey is theoretically all that is left of Dark Matter, I'm trying to remove that part of their programming."

Vesa picked up a document and began studying its text. Really, the text consisted of a large string of runes she wouldn't be able to start deciphering. She noted the diagrams of Elfilis, with some various sketches of some kind of incubation tank. Runic symbols she hadn't seen before dotted the diagrams. She saw sketches of a young Elfilis which appeared similar to Elfilin, but with stubby horns and a body which looked closer to what they were now.

"Well," she asked, "is there anything I could do to help?"

"I'm not sure," Hyness shrugged, "I can't think of anything you can do right now that'll be helpful. You would need to have a mastery of runes on par with my own, knowledge of alien anatomy and cellular biology or have the ability to sever or change fundamental parts of the soul without killing them."

"Oh."

Vesa placed the document on the desk.

"It's certainly a grim situation," Hyness continued, "I'm hoping to get this resolved soon, or we'll have to send Gooey somewhere he can be safe while we continue to work on the issue. It's the most we can do for him without the need to kill Elfilis…not that we could really do it if we tried."

Vesa slowly nodded. Really, she could yearn for any outcome that wouldn't result in needless deaths, especially for Elfilis.

"Ok then," she proclaimed, "I'll be counting on you."

Vesa wrapped her arms around Hyness.

"No problem," Hyness replied, "it's just the right thing to do. After all, they are my child, so it's my job to look after them."

After a moment of silence, Vesa released Hyness from her embrace.

"Ok," she announced, "I'll see you later!"

While Hyness went back to his research, Vesa stepped out of his study and meandered down the hallways. Soon enough, she found Elfilis in the alchemy lab. She noticed as they were setting up the equipment, double checking everything and ensuring they were prepared for a possible lesson.

"Morning!" Vesa called over.

Elfilis made a brief glance at Vesa as she entered the lab.

"I finished setting up the lab so we can start making some potions," Elfilis informed, "due to the magical effects of the potions, they won't really work as effectively the stronger you are, but they'll be handy to have around.

Vesa approached the table and sat across from her partner.

"This potion is rather simple to make," Elfilis continued to explain, "most of these plants are remarkably easy to mix together into a workable potion. You could use a pestle and mortar, mix the plants together in a bottle."

Vesa took a moment to examine the ingredients before her. One of them resembled a corrupted weed, another one looked like it was smoldering heat, and a few more herbs were rather new to her. She picked up the herb which looked like a simple leaf.

"I coined that one Deathweed," Elfilis told her, "its effects when ingested on its own are a highly potent toxin. When carefully crushed into a paste, however, it can be made into a powerful magical reagent."

"Got it," Vesa nodded.

Vesa placed the Deathweed into the mortar before she proceeded to grind it with the pestle.

"Make sure it's a fine paste before you do anything with it," Elfilis suggested, "it should have an almost purple and creamy look to it."

Vesa gave Elfilis a glance of acknowledgment before she kept on grinding the herb in the mortar.

"One moment," Elfilis muttered to themself.

Elfilis fetched a jar from their pocket dimension filled with glowing yellow dust and set it down next to a glass bottle filled with water. Vesa kept herself focused on her task until the herb started becoming a paste.

"When you're done," Elfilis told her, "scoop it into the glass bottle."

Vesa nodded as she continued to grind the paste. Several minutes later, the herb finished its transition into the fine paste she aimed for.

"Once you add it," Elfilis instructed, "pour some of this star dust into it."

"Ok."

Vesa scooped the paste into the bottle before she took a pinch of star dust from the jar, sprinkling it into the bottle. Elfilis plucked another herb from the table and handed it to Vesa.

"Now add this one which I call moonglow," Elfilis told her, "just the glowing flower on the end, though."

Vesa took a moment to rip the flower from the stem before she deposited it into the mortar. She went to grind it with the pestle. Elfilis watched carefully as their girlfriend focused on the task. Several minutes passed and she managed to finish grinding the flower into a paste.

"Now you just need to mix it all together," Elfilis continued.

Vesa scooped the moonglow paste into the bottle. She grabbed a glass rod before she stirred the ingredients into the water. In a matter of moments, the potion quickly started to take on an almost glittery dark purple color, gaining a pleasantly sweet smell in the process. Once she confirmed the ingredients in the mixture dissolved into the liquid, Vesa took out the glass rod.

"That looks good," Elfilis told her, "this should be a potion that'll boost the magical power of the person who drinks it temporarily…probably for a few minutes, but it's still a potent advantage."

"Thank you!" Vesa smiled.

Vesa picked up a lid and closed the bottle, holding it in her hands.

"Potion making is complicated to explain," Elfilis replied, "but that's the basics of how to follow the recipe."

"So where do I put this?" she asked.

"I'll put it into a fancier vial later."

Vesa set the bottle aside before she checked the small rack for more herbs. She made an astounded expression, considering Elfilis could produce just as much herbs as they needed.

"So, what potion did you have in mind next?"

Chapter Text

It was only the first day of November and it would only be a couple more days until Capupu Village's harvest festival.

Kirby got invited to meet up with Rick, Coo, Kine, Nago, Pitch and Chuchu today, so Elfilin, Vesa and Fecto Elfilis would be accompanying him.

Kirby led the entourage along the dirt path while Elfilis kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings for any potential danger. While Vesa walked close behind her partner, Elfilin perched on her shoulder. Soon enough, they set foot into Whispy Woods. They continued to venture along the dirt path until they arrived in a clearing with a large tree stump in the middle. They settled at the tree stump and waited as the tall warrior mage observed the vast amount of trees. A few minutes later, Vesa spotted a cat half her size from the corner of her eye as he arrived from one of the paths. Next, Kirby tilted his gaze up as a small light green bird descended from the sky.

"Poyo!" Kirby happily waved his arms.

Elfilin perked up his ears as Coo flew in while carrying Kine in his talons. Elfilis watched the cat curiously, their feelers perking up.

"Hi, Kirby!" the bird greeted as soon as he landed on the tree stump.

Seconds later, Rick arrived with a pink adorabilis wearing a red bow in tow. The creature in question fixated her eyes on Kirby and squealed in delight, floating over to the pink puff and tackling him in a squeezing embrace.

"Kirby!" she chirped, "I missed you so much!"

Rick stopped just before the tree stump with a sigh while Coo deposited Kine.

"How are you doing, Rick?" Vesa asked.

Elfilin hopped off Vesa's shoulder and circled around the cat.

"I've been worse," Rick answered, "really, things have been pretty good lately overall. There are a lot more of them mousey fellas hangin' around now, though."

Kirby flailed his arms until the pink adorabilis blinked and released her grip, settling onto the tree stump.

"Ok, ok," she sighed, "I was just so excited!"

The bird and the cat gave Elfilin a puzzled look while Kine nodded at the small chinchilla.

"Are these also your friends?" Elfilin clamored.

"Yup," the cat nodded, patting his chest with his paw, "the name's Nago."

The bird flapped his wings.

"And I'm Pitch," he added.

Elfilis leaned in and examined the pink adorabilis, intrigued by the difference from different octopi they encountered. The adorabilis noticed the tall warrior mage was gazing upon her and she huffed.

"What are you staring at?" she snapped.

Coo fluttered his wing nervously.

"ChuChu," Coo chided, "be nice to our guest."

Elfilis was quick to note ChuChu's temperament, so they sat down with Vesa sitting next to them.

"I'm merely curious as to how you're floating," Elfilis said, "as that is not an ordinary biological process that most creatures of the Octopoda genus are capable of."

"That's a secret," ChuChu remarked with a wink.

Kirby turned to face Kine.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, "poyo poyo?"

"Mine, you mean?" Kine clarified, "we finished building our shelter for the winter. It's quite roomy for when we spawn this upcoming spring."

Elfilin perked up his tail.

"Really?" Elfilin blurted.

Elfilis lowered their head with a soft sigh, even when they understood most mages liked to protect their personal magic. Pitch tilted sideways with his eyes fixating on Elfilin.

"So who's this newcomer?" Pitch asked.

"Just another alien from another planet," Coo answered, "we get enough of them that it's not a shock."

Elfilis could tell Coo was only making sure the other animals in the forest didn't get too paranoid about them in particular, even if most of the animals had some idea of who they were based on rumors.

Well, whenever said animals weren't busy helping Kirby, foraging or building nests, that is.

"Oh," was all Pitch could say.

"The name's Elfilin," Elfilin extended his paw.

"Nice to meet you, kid," Pitch extended his wing, shaking the small chinchilla's paw.

With introductions out of the way, everyone else gathered around the tree stump, with Kirby sitting between ChuChu and Elfilin. Elfilis created chairs for whoever wanted them.

"So," Kine asked, "what did you have in mind today, Kirby?"

Kirby took a moment to think as he rubbed his head. During a moment of silence, Vesa checked her pocket bangle and reached for a box full of 750 jigsaw puzzle pieces. When she pulled out the box, Kirby's eyes sparkled as he smiled with excitement.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, "poyo!"

"You said this was a get together, right?" Vesa mentioned, "I thought I'd bring along something for those who enjoy puzzles."

While Vesa set down the box, ChuChu gave Elfilin a death glare.

"He's mine," ChuChu hissed.

Elfilin felt a chill down his spine. He gave his sibling a worried expression, but they pointedly looked away as if they weren't involved. The small chinchilla and Kirby exchanged glances, the pink puff simply shrugging without a word. As soon as Vesa opened the box, she, Kirby, Elfilin, Rick, Nago, Coo, Kine, Pitch and ChuChu started grabbing at puzzle pieces. Elfilis simply sat back, comfortable with just observing the activity.

While the others were busy figuring out which puzzle pieces matched together, ChuChu was too distracted as she was constantly squinting at Elfilin. The pink adorabilis was also rubbing right up next to Kirby. The pink puff didn't seem to mind the attention as he mindlessly worked at the puzzle. Elfilin just floated above the tree stump, unsure of what to do. Vesa was busy matching whatever edge pieces she could find when she fixated her eyes on the small chinchilla.

"Hey," she called to Elfilin, "wanna help find some edge pieces?"

Elfilin blinked as he turned his gaze towards Vesa.

"Sure!" Elfilin chirped.

Elfilin floated over to Vesa and started hunting for edge pieces. The small chinchilla would pluck whatever edge piece he could find, even from others' piles of puzzle pieces. He then helped Vesa link up the edge pieces until they managed to assemble a makeshift frame for the puzzle half an hour later. Upon cue, Kirby, Rick, Coo, Kine, Nago and Pitch would maneuver pieces they assembled so far into the makeshift frame, trying to link with the edge pieces and relying on the picture on the lid for reference.

The peaceful moment was interrupted without warning when a yellow bird flew in and perched on top of Kirby's head, eliciting a puzzled look out of him.

"Poyo?"

ChuChu narrowed her eyes.

"Hey!" she snapped, "get away from him!"

ChuChu reached her arm out and swatted the yellow bird like a pest.

"Hands off, girly!" the bird argued.

The yellow bird flew off Kirby's head and started pecking at ChuChu. The pained squeal from the pink adorabilis caused Vesa to snap out of her thoughts and focus her gaze on the visitor.

"W-What's going on?" Vesa warbled.

Elfilis tilted their head sideways.

"Quit it!" ChuChu yelled.

The pink adorabilis swatted at the yellow bird some more, but he was undeterred. By then, Elfilin, Pitch, Coo, Rick, Nago and Kine paused what they were doing upon hearing the commotion escalate. The small chinchilla shivered nervously and tucked his tail beneath his feet. Pitch took a moment to examine the yellow bird tormenting ChuChu and his eyes seemed to twinkle.

"Tokkori?!" Pitch exclaimed.

Tokkori paused and glanced behind him.

"Pitch, you stay out of this!" he snapped.

While Tokkori floated down onto the tree stump, Pitch put down a puzzle piece he was holding before he flew over to stand before the yellow bird face to face.

"What are you staring at me for, huh?" Tokkori demanded, eyes narrowing at the smaller green bird.

Pitch spread his wings and pushed his chest outward.

"I thought you weren't going to show up," Pitch pointed out.

"Pfft, I changed my mind," Tokkori remarked, "felt like hanging out with Kirby anyways."

"Yeah, right!" ChuChu barked, "you were just here to harass Kirby!"

Tokkori snapped his head at ChuChu.

"You were the one that smacked me!" Tokkori squawked, "if anything, you should be the one getting a talkin' to!"

Elfilin tilted his head while ChuChu's face reddened in anger. Elfilis leaned closer to Vesa.

"He does have a point," they whispered to her.

"Ahem," ChuChu sneered, "you need to stay off of Kirby! Got it?"

Tokkori made a brief glance at ChuChu and laughed.

"Nice try, girly," Tokkori mocked, "but I ain't one for gettin' intimidated easy! Not unless they can follow through, that is! You don't got the guts to hurt a fly!"

Vesa sighed as she facepalmed. Pitch leaned forward, pressing his head on Tokkori's. His eyes flamed with irritation at his rival's audacity without needing to say anything. After a moment, the yellow bird hopped back once and glanced at the puzzle on the tree stump.

"What's this?" Tokkori remarked, "a lousy puzzle?"

"Mind your attitude, jerk!" Pitch snapped.

"You and that girl there started this mess!" Tokkori pointed at ChuChu.

The girly octopus glared at the yellow bird and stuck her tongue out at him. Kirby let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, at least I don't escalate things and make 'em worse!" Pitch snapped back at Tokkori, "I get that she started it, but that doesn't give you an excuse to flaunt this brashness of yours!"

"Poyo," Kirby called out to Tokkori, waving his arm, "poyo!"

Tokkori snapped his head towards the pink puffball.

"What's everyone gangin' up on me for? It's not like I started it!" Tokkori demanded, hopping around in irritation, "I just showed up here and got attacked is what happened!"

Kirby and Vesa shared a brief glance.

"Nuh-uh," ChuChu remarked, eyes narrowing at Tokkori, "you were hurting Kirby!"

Vesa shook her head in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter who did what, ChuChu," Vesa scolded ChuChu, "that doesn't mean you can escalate it further. Remember?"

"That annoying yellow bird is the one escalating things around here!" ChuChu pointed at Tokkori, "not me!"

"I'm not! I'm arguin' my point! I didn't do nothin' but show up here!" Tokkori protested, "tell me what I did aside from defend myself verbally and be properly mad about the situation and I will apologize!"

"Good grief," Pitch grumbled.

Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis as she scratched her head.

"If you want me to say something about what just happened," Elfilis shrugged, "you're probably going to be waiting a while."

By then, Tokkori and Pitch hopped around the tree stump while spewing insults at one another. It wasn't long before Coo groaned and hopped in between the bickering birds. He flicked at both of their heads with his wings lightly, which stopped them from what they were doing.

"You two need to stop and apologize," Coo scolded.

The owl fixated one eye on ChuChu.

"And you," Coo pointed his wing at the octopus, "need to apologize for agitating Tokkori here!"

"Sorry," Pitch mumbled.

"Sorry," Tokkori sighed, looking away while folding his wings.

"No!" ChuChu objected in a childish tone.

Vesa and Elfilin gave ChuChu confused looks.

"Why not?" Elfilin paused.

"Because he shouldn't have touched Kirby," ChuChu insisted.

Kirby sighed again and waved his arm at ChuChu.

"Poyo…"

"Maybe we should just move on?" Elfilis interjected politely.

ChuChu glared at Elfilis while Vesa twiddled her fingers nervously.

"Well, go on," Vesa persuaded, "it only takes a second or two."

ChuChu remained stubbornly silent. Kirby fidgeted nervously, torn about what to do. Silence continued on until Coo sighed in disappointment moments later. Still, the owl returned his focus onto Tokkori and Pitch.

"Now you two need to get along, ok?" Coo reasoned.

"I can try," Tokkori proclaimed, his anger slowly starting to cool off, "but if you guys decide to gang up on me again, all bets are off!"

"I will if he does," Pitch added.

Without saying anything, Tokkori flew off.

"Well," Elfilis commented with a deadpan tone, "I feel like that could've gone better."

Vesa took some time to check for some of the puzzle pieces scattered around the tree stump while Pitch and Coo returned to their spots. Vesa, Kirby, Elfilin, Rick, Coo, Kine, Nago and Pitch went back to working on the puzzle. ChuChu, on the other hand, didn't bother to reach for a single puzzle piece.

"Man," Nago mused, "you two sure fight a lot, don't you?"

"We just have conflicting personalities," Pitch replied after a moment of thought, "it's why we have a mutual clash."

No one else had anything to say. A minute later, Rick paused as his stomach growled. The hamster casually patted his stomach.

"Hey, Kirby?" Rick paused, "when's lunch?"

Kirby turned his gaze towards Vesa.

"Poyo?"

Vesa glanced back and blinked twice.

"Oh, right!" she blurted.

Vesa reached into her pocket bangle and pulled out a bento box. Kirby, Elfilin, Rick, Coo, Kine, Pitch, Nago and ChuChu stared in awe as the human opened the bento box, revealing delicious sandwiches.

"Thank you, Vesa!" Elfilin chirped, "you're the best!"

Vesa giggled as she placed her hand behind her head.

"Well, Kirby did help out a little," she mentioned, "right?"

"Poyo!" Kirby agreed, happily waving his arms.

Nago reached for the first sandwich and sniffed at the ham inside it. Pitch tore his sandwich up before he began pecking at the pieces. ChuChu took a sandwich for herself and munched on it, still huddling up next to Kirby. Rick grabbed his sandwich while Coo picked up two sandwiches, handing the other one to Kine. While Vesa served herself a sandwich, Kirby and Elfilin reached for the two remaining sandwiches.

Elfilis simply watched as everyone ate, relaxing with their legs crossed. Their eyes shut as they relished the silence of the forest and the gentle rustling of the leaves.

Back at Castle Dedede, Escargon watched in anticipation as the king pressed on a button on a remote. A TV screen emerged from the wall and began displaying the customer service salesman from Holy Nightmare Enterprises.

"How can I help you today Big D? Need another monster?" the salesman greeted with a big grin, "sounds like the last one we sent didn't go too well."

Dedede sighed softly.

"That problem I had a while ago resolved itself," Dedede clarified.

"Oh, really? Well, that's fortunate and I'm happy to hear your issues worked themselves out. It's a shame about Yamikage, but he had outlived his usefulness anyway," the salesman mused, "the bill for Yamikage's services has already been sent over. Since he perished working for you, we've taken some money off of the bill due to his inability to solve your problems. On a brighter note, what kind of monster are you looking for today?"

Dedede and Escargon exchanged glances in a moment of silence, the king giving the snail a wink. The salesman pulled out a piece of paper.

"Well," the salesman continued, "we have several deals going on right now for monsters you can get at a bargain. These are monsters that have certain requirements that must be met in order for them to properly do their jobs."

The salesman turned the paper around. Dedede and Escargon examined the images ranging from the familiar Kracko to a ghost-like creature. The king soon fixated his eye on a small red octopus.

"That red one looks pretty shrimpy compared to the other two," Dedede said, "why don't ya tell me about em'."

The salesman raised his eyebrows.

"Well," he explained, "this little creature is called Octagon—"

"Like the shape?" Escargon interrupted with a frown.

"Yes, it's a bit of a poor name," the salesman agreed, his grin turning sinister, "even the spelling is the same. Don't worry, the person responsible for naming it has been fired."

"Probably out of a cannon," Escargon muttered with furrowed brows.

"Is this the kind of Demon Beast you're looking for?" the salesman asked.

"I dunno," Dedede insisted, "why don't you describe it to me a bit?"

"This little critter is a grower," the salesman answered, "they will eat and eat, and when they are done they will grow to enormous size, even gaining pyrokinetic abilities in the process. I should warn you ahead of time that its size will likely be an issue if you plan to keep it long term. It could grow larger than your castle in record time, not to mention it can reproduce rapidly. I don't want to talk you out of a sale here, but I also want to do business with you long term, and that would be much harder if your planet was suddenly overrun with giant monsters. This Demon Beast was originally made for warfare purposes and planetary conquering. I'm not entirely sure it will fit your needs; but if you want it, I can give it to you for really cheap."

Dedede took a moment to think. He wasn't sure if it was worth putting his own people at risk just to select a Demon Beast to challenge Kirby.

"On second thought," Dedede proclaimed, "I'll settle for the Kracko."

Chapter Text

Vesa and Fecto Elfilis accompanied Kirby and Elfilin to Capupu Village a couple days later. The human stared in awe at the sight of a decorative arch at the entrance to the town. Pennant banners in colors of yellow, orange and red draped along between the buildings. Venturing down the pavement, they noticed the resident cappies set up booths in the town square while Chef Osaka set up an outdoor grill. Kawasaki was still in the middle of relearning his cooking skills, so he took on the duty to help his teacher in moving ingredients from packages.

While the angelic lancer observed the culinary teacher and student sharing such a nostalgic bond through the relearning sessions, Kirby and Elfilin noticed as a few cappy kids scampering down the pavement, checking out the festival games. Hyness browsed the masks displaying at one stand while Flamberge and Fransisca were casually strolling. The fire mage paused when she spotted Zan Partizanne nearby while Fumu and Bun were wandering through the village.

"Hey, sis!" Flamberge called to the thunder mage, waving her hand, "over here!"

Zan blinked before she tilted her head towards her fiery sister.

"How have you been doing?" Zan asked, "things have been busy lately."

Fumu and Bun stayed close behind, the younger brother staring in awe at the spear Zan carried. When Flamberge approached the lightning mage, she made a brief glance at the two children.

"Who are the twerps?" Flamberge inquired, "the girl is your apprentice, right?"

Bun huffed in annoyance.

"Hey!" he called out, "you take that back!"

"And my point is proven," Flamberge shrugged, her eyes glittering with amusement.

Zan took a moment to adjust her hat.

"Their parents are busy," Zan explained, "so I'm accompanying them to the festival."

Fumu made a brief glance at Kirby and Elfilin.

"Oh, I see," Flamberge mused, playfully nudging her sister, "I thought you got paid to do magic stuff, not look after kids. I don't envy your job, though; I remember what we got up to as kids."

"So many fires," Zan shivered slightly.

"I know," Flamberge winked, "our childhood was great."

While Vesa and Elfilis stopped by a ring toss stand, Kirby turned to face Fumu and waved his arm.

"Poyo!"

Kirby scampered towards the kids with Elfilin following close behind.

"Oh, it's you again," Fumu greeted.

Fumu couldn't help but notice how short Kirby was compared to her, almost as if he could pass as a younger brother.

"Hi, Fumu!" Elfilin waved his paw, "hi, Bun!"

Bun waved back.

"Hey guys!"

Fumu, Bun, Kirby and Elfilin ran off, leaving Flamberge and Zan to chat by themselves for now. From there, the four browsed the games on each booth. All the while, Vesa nodded at the cappy hosting the ring toss game.

"Hello," Vesa smiled while waving her hand, "how much is each round?"

"There aren't any prizes so it's free to participate. This is just for fun."

Vesa double-checked the booth, noticing it didn't display any souvenirs.

"Oh, right," Vesa blurted.

The cappy reached into some drawers and handed two bundles of rings to both Vesa and Elfilis. She noticed how hers were red and her partner's were blue.

"Feel free to play as long as you want," the cappy proclaimed, "but you might need to take turns in case someone else wants to play."

"Ok," Vesa nodded.

The cappy set up the game on his end, several bottles arranged with numbers on them. Vesa gazed into her partner's eyes.

"I'll show you how it's done," she told them.

With one ring in her hand, Vesa aimed carefully before she tossed it at the arrangement of bottles. The ring snagged the neck of the bottle labeled 40 points before sliding down. She noticed as Elfilis stared intensely at the rings in their hand. They seemed to be concentrating so hard on…something.

"You want to go next?" Vesa asked.

Vesa took a step back.

"Of course," Elfilis nodded.

Elfilis tried to focus carefully before they threw their ring, but it missed and landed a foot away from the stand, their face reddening in embarrassment. Vesa frowned, remembering her partner had impeccable combat skills. She caught herself wondering why she expected the angelic lancer to make an accurate throw, even more so than her.

"Uhh," she stammered, "is something the matter?"

"I-I'm fine," Elfilis stuttered, one eye locking onto their girlfriend.

Vesa sighed as she placed her hand on their arm.

"Hey," she cooed, "you don't have to worry too much about winning or losing. It's just about having fun, ok?"

"I know," Elfilis told her, glancing away in shame, "I'm being rather foolish."

Vesa took a moment to examine the two rings left in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she aimed and threw one which landed at a bottle labeled 20 points. Elfilis took a moment to relax any restrictions they placed upon themselves before aiming one ring at a 30 point bottle. Vesa smiled as her partner's ring snagged hold of the bottle and slid down.

"See?"

"I-I see," Elfilis agreed.

Vesa returned her gaze to the stand. She aimed the last ring in her hand and threw it, though it missed and landed next to a table corner. Elfilis threw their last ring and hit another 30 point bottle. Their girlfriend placed her hand behind her head.

"You did pretty good," she complimented.

"Thank you," Elfilis sighed in relief, "I still feel like I messed up."

By then, Elfilis had been processing on their devotion to Vesa, and how far they were willing to do anything for her. They found themself rather horrified at the disturbing patterns of thoughts of killing, destroying or any other horrific acts just for her. They weren't sure if this way of thinking was normal for them.

Vesa leaned closer to Elfilis and stroked their head with her hand, snapping them out of their thoughts.

"Wanna continue looking around?" she asked.

Elfilis gazed into her eyes.

"That sounds good," they said.

Vesa smiled before she waved her hand at the ring toss cappy.

"Have a good day, sir!" she chirped.

"You too, ma'am!" the cappy waved back.

Vesa noticed a sudden flash of light out of the corner of her eye. When she turned her gaze, Hyness tucked the camera into his pocket dimension. Elfilis couldn't help but smile at their father's antics before they gazed into their girlfriend's eyes. The rings circling their irises pulsated with faint light…almost as if they were looking into her soul. Vesa and Elfilis casually strolled through the streets, ambient sounds of laughter and the smell of freshly cooked treats wafting through the air.

To her right, Vesa noticed as Kirby, Elfilin, Fumu, Bun and Adeleine stood in line in front of a booth hosting one of the games. She checked the sign labeled "100-Yard Hop" above the booth. The small chinchilla perked up his ears and glanced behind him.

"Hey, Miss Vesa!" Elfilin called over, "come over here and check it out!"

Elfilis perked up their feelers as they turned their gaze towards their little brother. Vesa approached Elfilin with her partner following close behind.

"What is it?" she asked.

Elfilin pointed to the booth nearby.

"Kirby's going to play this cool game with Fumu, Bun and Adeleine here," Elfilin chirped, "you wanna come watch with me?"

Vesa tilted her head.

"You're not playing?" she paused.

Elfilin sighed and shrugged.

"Sorry," Elfilin admitted, "this game requires four players only."

"Oh."

Vesa locked eyes onto the booth just as Adeleine was in the middle of speaking with the cappy.

"So who's going in?" the cappy asked.

Adeleine took a moment to think. She glanced over her shoulder, noticing as Fumu, Bun and Kirby waited rather nervously.

"Let's see," Adeleine answered, "Kirby, Fumu and Bun would like to join, too!"

The cappy nodded and gestured Kirby and the cabinet minister's children to approach the booth.

"Ok," he instructed, "hold out your hands, please."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded, holding out his arm.

Fumu, Bun and Adeleine held out their hands, allowing the cappy to place stamps on their hands. When the cappy stamped Kirby's arm, the pink puff waved his arms happily.

"Have fun, kids!" the cappy smiled.

"Thanks!" Bun waved his hand before turning towards Fumu, "come on, sis!"

Kirby and Bun raced into the field. That was when Vesa noticed three long lines made from chalk ran down the field with rows of circles filling up to four columns. Fumu and Adeleine followed after the boys and positioned just behind a line drawn perpendicular to the columns. Some circles were replaced with obstacles like water puddles, banana peels and patches of dirt.

Elfilis sat down at the edge of the street, not really having interest in the game in question.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?" they asked.

Vesa returned her glance while Elfilin perched on her shoulder.

"I'm fine watching Kirby racing with the others," she replied as she sat down next to Elfilis.

Elfilis, Vesa and Elfilin watched as Kirby, Fumu, Bun and Adeleine exchanged fierce competitive glances. The cappy hosting the booth pulled a flag from underneath and stepped out to overlook the course. The small chinchilla happily flapped his arms as his tail swayed side to side.

"Go on, Kirby!" Elfilin cheered, "you can do it!"

"The rules are simple," the cappy announced, "you can jump one space, or you can jump two spaces ahead. You need to be careful to avoid obstacles, since if you jump into an obstacle you will need to go back to the space you jumped from."

Kirby, Fumu, Bun and Adeleine readied their stance as the cappy raised the flag.

"3. 2. 1. Begin!"

The cappy swung the flag down. Kirby, Fumu, Bun and Adeleine began hopping down the makeshift track. Elfilis watched intensely as the pink puff jumped from spot to spot, leaping over obstacles and timing his jumps wisely. Fumu focused on timing her jumps while Bun didn't hesitate to jump two spaces at a time. Adeleine focused on avoiding obstacles considering Bun made the mistake of falling into a water puddle. Fumu barely managed to avoid a banana peel. While Elfilis leaned onto Vesa, she smiled as Elfilin flapped his arms with great enthusiasm.

Soon enough, Kirby reached the finish line first. Fumu came second and Adeleine finished in third place. Elfilis gazed with intense intrigue, surprised Zan Partizanne's apprentice might have supplied her stamina through her magic somehow. Bun groaned just as he crossed the finish line last. It didn't help that he was drenched from several water puddles he fell into.

"H-How did you do that?!" Bun exclaimed.

While Kirby hopped up and down happily, Adeleine and Fumu gave Bun puzzled looks. In fairness, Bun knew his sister usually preferred to sit under a tree and read books.

"Well," Adeleine complimented, "you did great, Fumu."

"Thanks," Fumu stammered, "that was…weird."

Fumu was wondering how she did it, even if she was happy she beat her own brother. Elfilin flew over to Kirby and circled around him happily.

"You did it!" Elfilin chirped, "I knew you would win!"

"Poyo!"

Adeleine and Fumu shared glances before they shook hands. All the while, Bun placed a finger on his chin.

"I guess I just need to try harder," Bun said to himself.

Kirby, Elfilin, Fumu, Bun and Adeleine left the track and met up with Vesa and Elfilis just as the two stood up.

"Can we get some food?" Bun clamored, "I'm hungry!"

"I don't see why not," Elfilis shrugged.

The angelic lancer tilted their gaze towards their girlfriend.

"What do you want to eat?" they asked her.

"I'll have a look first before I decide on anything," Vesa answered, "this way."

Vesa beckoned Kirby, Elfilin, Fumu and Bun to follow her as she and Elfilis meandered through the festive village until they stopped before a row of food stands. The Cabinet Minister's children stared in awe as they checked the signs of each food stand. Kirby and Elfilin made a beeline for the stand displaying grilled corn-on-the-cobs. Vesa browsed the stand where the cappy was grilling squid on sticks.

"Afternoon, ma'am!" the cappy smiled, "how may I help you?"

Vesa blinked twice.

"May I try out some grilled squid?" she requested.

"Of course," the cappy nodded, "one sec."

Vesa reached into her pocket bangle while the cappy offered a piece of grilled squid on a stick.

"Here you go."

"Thank you!"

Vesa exchanged some star coins before she retrieved her grilled squid. She noticed as Kirby and Elfilin were already munching down on their own grilled corn while Fumu and Bun stopped at the okonomiyaki stand. Elfilis didn't bother ordering anything as they were neither hungry nor had much of an appetite. This made sense considering their instincts to assimilate life-forms when the need arose.

Bun took a moment to examine Chef Osaka, who was in charge of the okonomiyaki stand. Apart from putting some flair into his cooking and making it look more dramatic, he was just focused on making quality food.

"Hey," Bun paused, "do I know you from somewhere, mister?"

Chef Osaka raised an eyebrow.

"I certainly don't remember you," Osaka grumbled.

Fumu cleared her throat, causing Bun to jump a little.

"Can we have some?" Fumu requested, ignoring the chef's rough attitude.

"Sure, kid," Osaka nodded, believing street food should be sold cheaply, "that'll be three coins each."

After the kids each made their payment, the famous chef whipped up two okonomiyaki before handing them to his customers.

"Thanks!" Bun chirped.

Osaka didn't say much as he went back to cooking, still grumbling softly to himself. Fumu shrugged before she and Bun strolled along and stood next to Kirby and Elfilin before they started eating. Once Vesa finished up her grilled squid, she checked her surroundings for a stall selling drinks. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a familiar birdlike call from the distance.

It wasn't long before the quartet of birds showed up, the three fledglings managing a bit of flight on their own even if it wouldn't be long before they needed a break. Vesa tilted her gaze upwards and gasped in awe upon laying her eyes upon Dyna Blade. The gigantic bird made her slow descent to the outskirts of the village…as distant from the festival as possible. Elfilis twitched their feelers as they also observed the majestic bird watching her hatchlings join her on the ground. The cappies paused for a moment as they all caught a glimpse of Dyna Blade.

Kirby, having just finished eating his grilled corn-on-the-cob, stared ahead curiously. Many of the villagers chattered among each other in excitement.

"Uhh, Kirby?" Elfilin perked up his ears, "why's Dyna Blade here?"

Kirby locked eyes onto the small chinchilla.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, "poyo poyo!"

Elfilin tilted his head sideways.

"Migrating?"

Chapter Text

Dyna Blade proceeded to preen her fledglings as the festival continued on. Vesa and Fecto Elfilis kept Kirby, Elfilin, Fumu and Bun in close proximity as they ventured towards a stage where they noticed competitors were listening in on the host speaking some kind of poem before they'd swipe at some cards on the floor. Vesa noticed as Bandee was among the competitors participating in the game. Fumu's eyes flickered as she watched the game with keen interest. Elfilis looked away, not seeming interested in a game that was unfamiliar to them.

Fumu approached the booth to request to participate in the game while Bun glanced over at another nearby game stand. Elfilin perked up his ears as some cappies shuffled out of the way, allowing King Dedede to stroll down the street with Escargon following close behind. Kirby blinked twice and turned around.

"Poyo?"

Kirby took a couple steps ahead when the penguin king shifted his gaze towards the pink puff.

"Heya, Kirby," Dedede greeted, "how're you enjoying the festival?"

As Dedede continued to walk, Kirby sprinted towards the king. Elfilin made a brief glance at his larger fragment before he flew after the pink puff to catch up.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

When Elfilin caught up with Kirby, they simply strolled next to Dedede even when Escargon gave the small chinchilla a puzzled look.

"You could say we're having lots of fun," Elfilin smiled.

"It's swell to hear that," Dedede replied, "right now, we're on our way to enjoy some more of the festivities ourselves."

Elfilin swayed his tail side to side.

"That reminds me," Elfilin mentioned, happily fluttering his arms, "you should've seen Kirby at the 100 Yard Hop race!"

Escargon raised his eyebrows.

"What'd he do?" he snarked, "eat the obstacles?"

"Not really," Elfilin shrugged, "he sure is a great jumper."

With Dedede and Escargon seemed to be deep in thought, Kirby and Elfilin didn't pay attention to a pamphlet falling out of the king's robes and fluttering off in the wind before ending up on a nearby rooftop. Meta Knight, watching the festival from above, noticed the pamphlet and rushed over to the rooftop. His eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar logo.

"Nightmare," he muttered, "someone in Popstar must be dealing with him."

Meta Knight didn't hesitate to crumble up the paper and with a soft burst of magic, he disintegrated it to dust. The masked warrior wandered off, determined to find the suspiciously crazy jester.

After a couple hours passed, Dedede, Escargon, Kirby and Elfilin reached an opening in the village where they could see Dyna Blade clearly. Elfilin made a brief glance at the Ferris wheel before returning his gaze to the pink puffball.

"Whoa!" Elfilin chirped, "is that a Ferris wheel?"

Kirby tilted his head, or rather his lack of head, to the side.

"Can we go on the Ferris wheel, please?" Elfilin begged, clasping his paws together.

Kirby took a moment to think before he nodded.

"Poyo!"

"Alright," Dedede nodded along, "that don't sound like a bad idea at all."

Escargon gave Dedede a nervous glance.

"But sire…"

"Don't worry about it," Dedede reassured, giving the snail a playful smack on the shell, "it'll be all fine."

Elfilin happily fluttered his arms.

"Thanks, Dedede!" Elfilin chirped, "you're the best!"

Elfilin and Kirby sped towards the Ferris wheel and waited until they hopped onboard. Dedede and Escargon followed close behind as they climbed into a pod, the machine slowly lifting them into the air.

"Sire, we need to summon that Kracko you bought," Escargon hissed with an irritated tone in his voice, "why are we wasting time up here?"

"That's what we're here for," Dedede snarked, pulling out a jar filled with a dark fog and small bolts of lightning, "we'll let him loose once we get him to the top. We should be far enough from the festival, after all."

Still, Dedede frowned a little. When they reached the top of the wheel, Dedede opened the jar and the clouds inside vanished.

All the while, Elfilis watched as Vesa participated in a game where she had to tilt a box in order to navigate a metal ball through a maze. Nearby, Fumu watched over Bun as he participated in another game. She tilted her head upwards, gazing at the clouds in the sky. She shuddered as the sky turned dark without warning.

"Something's not right," Elfilis muttered to themself, "clouds don't suddenly appear like that."

Vesa paused and shifted her gaze towards Elfilis.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Elfilis gazed into her eyes. Their feelers twitched in alarm as the clouds started to flash with lightning.

"The sky doesn't just gain clouds suddenly, or get so dark so quickly without outside interference," Elfilis clarified, "we should start getting people out of here just in case."

Vesa checked her progress on her game and set down the box.

"Fumu?" she called, "could you get Bun over here?"

Fumu blinked and turned her head towards Vesa.

"Uhm, sure," she nodded, "is everything ok?"

Fumu checked the sky again, confirming her answer. She didn't hesitate as she sped off to retrieve her brother. Vesa noticed as the cappies shuddered with fear.

"Is there shelter nearby?" Vesa asked.

Elfilis stiffened when they felt tiny raindrops begin pelting their head. At the same time, Bandee gestured to the Cappy hosting the card game to take shelter before he sprinted towards the angelic lancer.

"If there isn't," Elfilis replied, "I can make shelter, but considering what I have in mind, I don't know if we have enough time."

Elfilis locked eyes onto Bandee.

"No need," Bandee proclaimed, "I know of the places we can take shelter!"

"How far is it? I'll escort you all there before I go aid Kirby."

An immediate gush of wind caused Vesa to cover her face with one arm.

"This way," Bandee gestured, "we have some underground bunkers!"

Upon cue, Vesa and Elfilis went on to help Bandee guide any terrified Cappies out of harm's way.

All the while, Elfilin shivered in fear as the pod he and Kirby sat in rattled rapidly.

"Uhh, Kirby?" Elfilin stammered, "what's going on? I'm scared!"

Elfilin hugged himself closer to the pink star warrior. Kirby glared up at the dark angry cloud. He recognized Kracko, but something seemed off. He knew the sentient cloud could be a bully sometimes, but has never been blatantly evil. Kracko simply swirled slowly in the sky, a bloodshot eye staring down at the four people riding the Ferris wheel. Escargon hugged Dedede's side as his head sweated with fear.

"H-Hold me, sire," Escargon squeaked, eyes widening at the sight of the twisted black cloud.

Dedede simply narrowed his eyes at Kracko while keeping a protective hand on his advisor's shell. Without warning, the sentient dark cloud shot a thunderbolt at the Ferris wheel. Kirby's eyes widened in horror at the sheer immense power of the thunderbolt. He quickly grabbed Elfilin and jumped off the side of the Ferris wheel before the bolt struck where he was standing, shocking the whole contraption.

Dedede grabbed Escargon and smashed through the side door of the pod, pulling the snail onto his back in mid air and inflating himself. He let his body make its slow descent to the ground.

"Oh dear lord, oh gosh! Momma, I'm sorry I didn't listen! Oh, why did I come here," the cowardly snail babbled to himself.

The wheel let out an ominous creaking noise before the bolts holding it in place snapped and flew off. The large machine fell to the ground and rolled away, eventually picking up speed and disappearing from sight.

The loud noise from the Ferris wheel roused Dyna Blade's attention as she sheltered her chicks from the rain. She narrowed her eyes at the Kracko hovering in the sky.

Kirby held onto Elfilin as he dived towards the ground, inflating at the last moment. He scurried into a nearby home and set down the small chinchilla. Surveying his surroundings for a brief moment, the pink puffball inhaled a nearby kitchen knife, a green cap appearing on his head and a sword in his hand. Frightened by the loud thunder, Elfilin slinked underneath a table.

"Kirby," Elfilin bleated, "please be careful."

Kirby made a brief glance at the small chinchilla and nodded.

"Poyo!"

Kirby dashed out of the house and sprinted out into the field. Kracko didn't wait long enough to start taking shots at Kirby, bolts of lightning slamming into the ground around him. He was at least thankful the rain would extinguish any fires from the electricity's searing heat. Still, the pink puffball leapt and dodged electric bolts which came his way.

Kirby slashed the air, creating sword beams and launching them at the Kracko since he hasn't taken any damage yet. It would be a while before he gained enough experience with the sword to work past this handicap of his.

Kirby soon noticed as Kracko shot two vertical bolts of lightning. The bolts slammed into the ground around him, with one barely managing to hit his blade. He quickly realized he might need to switch copy abilities. The pink puffball quickly jumped to avoid another thunderbolt. He checked the festival stands from a distance for any objects which might grant him a new copy ability. His eyes locked onto Dyna Blade's while he had a worried expression for her chicks. The pink puff gestured with his arms. Dyna Blade lifted one of her wings, a feather firing out like a throwing knife before it embedded itself into the ground. He shed his copy ability and coughed out the kitchen knife. He inhaled the feather, turning into Wing Kirby.

Kracko unleashed a large double beam attack in a circular motion. Kirby leapt up and flew after it, dodging the beam flails. He unleashed a barrage of feathers which seemingly never ended. He flew around and took shots at Kracko's vulnerable eyeball, making it wince and crackle in anger. The sentient cloud expanded its body. Kirby thought fast and flew out of the way.

Multiple bolts of lightning fired down from the sky almost constantly. Kracko seemed to have sacrificed aim for sheer numbers as one bolt struck Kirby, knocking him out of the sky. The pink puff managed to recover just before he made impact on the ground.

Kirby took only a few seconds to breathe just as the barrage of lightning bolts died down. He noticed as Kracko appeared a little worse for wear, its cloud density lower than it was a while ago. Even as a fair amount of pain lingered, Kirby was still emboldened. Watching as the sentient cloud dove down and began charging at him, the pink puffball leapt up. With the flick of an arm, Kirby shot a row of feathers.

The cloud winced as the feathery projectiles struck it, its eyes closing in pain. The majority of Kracko remained in the sky, but its main body crashed into Kirby. The pink puffball skidded along the ground before coming to a halt. It didn't take long for him to confirm Kracko detached from the clouds in the sky completely. Kirby charged at the cloud while spinning. He did a backflip and slammed down onto its eyeball.

The cloud crackled with anger and pain, its body slowly fading away into water droplets and evaporating after several moments. Kracko would reform elsewhere eventually, but it's no longer an issue. Kirby touched down on the ground, determination flickering in his eyes. Likewise, the rain came to a stop and the clouds began to disperse.

Elfilis was the first to emerge from the bunker, flying all over Capupu Village to survey for any possible casualties. They fixated their eyes on Kirby just as he shed his copy ability. The pink puffball tilted his gaze upwards and waved his arm at the tall angelic rodent.

"Poyo!"

"Is everything taken care of here?" Elfilis called over.

Kirby nodded. Elfilis propped up a teetering stand with their psionics, moving a large branch from a nearby tree to prop it up. When Vesa and Bandee emerged from the bunker, Elfilin emerged from the house and floated down the streets in search for Kirby. When the small chinchilla reached the edge of the village, Kirby turned around and scurried towards his friend.

"Kirby, you're ok!" Elfilin chirped, tears of joy flowing from his eyes, "that was so scary…"

Kirby spread his arms open, allowing Elfilin to hover closer and nuzzle his face. Elfilis made a brief glance at the two and nodded slightly before they proceeded to begin rudimentary repairs of the area, reinforcing collapsing structures and keeping them from falling apart. Thankfully, most of the village was intact. All the while, Bandee and Vesa gestured the hiding cappies to emerge from the bunkers. Elfilis noticed the Ferris Wheel was missing, but brushed off the thought for later. The cappies soon returned to the town and the festival resumed for a while.

Before long, the festival was nearing its end, so everyone gathered at the edge of Capupu Village. Dyna Blade just finished preening her youngest chick's feathers. Elfilis sat down on a sturdy branch of a large tree, staring down at the rest of the festival and keeping an eye out for further threats. Vesa carried Elfilin in her arms while Kirby, Fumu, Bun and Zan Partizanne stood next to her.

"Dyna Blade," Fumu commented, "she looks amazing."

"She's totally pretty," Elfilin added.

Bun crossed his arms behind his head.

"What's so great about this huge bird, anyway?" he sighed.

"I enjoy bird watching so this is an interesting and exciting festival for me," Zan replied, "birds are such interesting creatures, they don't require any magic to fly. I find it fascinating that they operate purely on physics rather than magical assistance. However, I do think that Dyna Blade may be too heavy to fly, so there might be some magic at work in her case."

Fumu made a glance at Zan with awe in her eyes.

"If I'm correct," Zan continued, "I think large portions of Dyna Blade's feathers are made of metal. I can feel their conductivity.

"That's pretty cool," Vesa smiled softly.

A couple minutes passed before Dyna Blade tilted her head towards the sky and spread her wings. They all watched as the majestic bird flew off into the sky with her chicks, briefly blocking the sight of Zan and the others as they flew overhead. Excited murmurs swept across the crowd as a soft breeze blew through the village. With that, the festival drew to a close, so the cappies who were hosting the booths began to pack up. Vesa brushed a few stray hairs out of her eyes.

"Elfilin," Vesa asked, "are you ready to head home?"

"I think so," the small chinchilla nodded, still a little shaken up from earlier, "I had a good time despite everything that happened."

Kirby happily jumped up and down.

"Poyo!"

Zan Partizanne made a brief glance at the castle in the distance.

"That reminds me," Zan proclaimed, "I should take the cabinet minister's children home."

Vesa smiled and waved her hand.

"Ok then," she chirped, "I'll see you later!"

Zan gave Vesa a bow of respect before she gestured Fumu and Bun to follow her.

Chapter Text

After disembarking from the Lor Starcutter, Marx and Magolor made their way to Wondaria Remains. They noticed Susie was waiting for them at the entrance to the abandoned theme park. The jester's fiance meandered forward and waved his hand.

"Hey, hey, hey! Nice to see ya again! Been busy ripping off the middle class?" Marx called over, giggling and rolling around on his ball, "maybe deforest a few planets?"

Susie sighed and facepalmed.

"You know that I don't do that anymore. Now that my father is gone, I have no interest in such things," Susie objected, "in fact, I'm going to planets he previously abused for their resources; doing what I can to repair them and fix what went wrong. It's a slow process, though…"

Magolor sweated nervously and gave a bow of respect.

"That's good to hear," Magolor replied, "now, was there something you wanted to discuss?"

Susie nodded before glancing over her shoulder.

"Nope," Marx snickered, "she just came all the way out here to the boonies to take in the scenery and then take the scenery."

Magolor quickly turned towards his fiance.

"Marx, cut it out," he chided, "remember your exercises."

"Fine," Marx mumbled, "it's not as fun, though."

Marx started to calm down a bit, cycling his magical energy through the air before pulling it back to him. The grass under his ball began to visibly wilt as his corrupted magical energy seeped out into the world around him. The jester pulled in the mana within the air, cleaning his own mana temporarily.

All the while, Susie returned her gaze to Magolor.

"I heard you wanted to renovate this abandoned park," Susie told him, "did I guess right?"

Magolor placed his hand behind his head.

"Yeah, that's the plan anyway," he nodded, "I've put a lot of thought into it and it will be cheaper just to fix it up rather than build from scratch."

Susie clasped her hands in front of her.

"You don't have to renovate the park on your own, you see," Susie proclaimed, "I'll be more than happy to help you with the project. With my help, the park would be pristine."

Marx and Magolor's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"But in exchange," Susie advised, "you'll have to do a favor for me."

Marx and Magolor shared a puzzled glance, taking a moment to think.

"Hmm, I dunno," Magolor replied, "I kind of wanted this to be a bit of a personal project, honestly. I guess some help wouldn't hurt though, like raw materials and things like that, or replacement parts that I might need. Magic is good for repairing rust or lifting heavy things though, so I shouldn't need too much manual labor."

Upon cue, Susie pulled a datapad out of her pocket dimension. When she activated it and flashed it to Marx and Magolor, they stared in awe at the blueprint on display.

"This is really interesting," Magolor mused, "I only understand about half of this; it's not exactly my area of expertise."

"You see," Susie elaborated, "this is a blueprint for an Armoroid, a kind of robot that can be turned into a copy ability should Kirby inhale it."

Susie turned off the datapad and stashed it into her pocket dimension.

"I have the means to produce them en masse," Susie continued, "but I'll need to study Kirby's biology for a bit to finish working out exactly what I'm going to need for this to work. His copy abilities are versatile, but oddly specific…like when Kirby inhales a Sword, why doesn't it instead make him Metal? It's strange since it doesn't seem to operate on any scientific basis; so it's more than likely a magical one, or something in-between that I just don't have the information to understand yet."

"So you want us to wrangle him up and deliver him to you in a cage?" Marx smirked, a hint of a snicker in his voice.

Magolor huffed, a bulging blood vessel forming on his forehead.

"Marx," Magolor scolded, furrowing his eyebrows, "we are not catching him like a wild animal!"

Marx snickered while he balanced on one foot.

"I dunno," Marx winked, "I think we could catch him with a cardboard box, a stick and a slice of cake."

Susie sighed and lowered her head.

"You don't have to go that far," Susie insisted, "you can just tell Kirby I'm offering to arrange an appointment with him and tell him where to meet me. Simple as that."

"You sure?"

Both Magolor and Susie gave Marx a blank stare.

"Man," Marx groaned, "you guys are just no fun."

Magolor returned his gaze to Susie.

"Not to worry," Magolor assured, "I'll be sure to tell Kirby about you when we come across him."

Susie nodded in approval, clapping her hands together.

"Ok then," she winked, "it's a done deal!"

That following morning, Kirby stepped out of his house to stretch his limbs. When he turned his head towards the tree next to his house, he noticed Tokkori perching on a branch, preening his wings.

"Morning, kiddo," Tokkori mumbled.

"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.

"Whatcha' up to this morning?"

Kirby took a moment to think. His mind drifted to when he saw Kracko stronger than usual. How did that sentient cloud get so powerful? What could've possibly happened to Capupu Village if he wasn't able to take Kracko down? He recalled the two copy abilities he had to use during the fight and questioned the possibility of not being able to create a sword beam if he wasn't at optimum health.

Kirby snapped out of his thoughts and began surveying the surroundings. Surely, there would be some blade and a kind of training dummy lying around, right? Well, he didn't have such things at his home for himself, but he recalled Magolor had rooms which let him use any copy ability he wanted, complete with a training dummy. Actually, it seemed kind of odd that he had rooms like that at all. That could be something the pink puff could look into later.

Kirby began his stroll onto the dirt path. The Lor Starcutter couldn't be too far. While he darted along the path, the pink puff kept an eye out for any unusual disturbances to the terrain, reminding himself to steer clear of any traps the rogue Squeak gangs might've set up. Much to his relief, he didn't find anything. Perhaps Daroach might've had something to do with stopping any traps? When Kirby reached a fork in the path, a soft gust of wind caused the grass to sway.

Tilting his gaze towards a nearby cliff face, he spotted Meta Knight staring into the distance and overlooking Dreamland. Kirby scurried towards the cliff with excitement in his eyes.

"Papa poyo!" Kirby called over, waving his arm.

Meta Knight glanced over at Kirby, giving a hum of acknowledgment, still unsure of how to treat him. When the pink puff stopped just at the base of the cliff, he maintained his gaze upward.

"Poyo?"

"I do," Meta Knight nodded, "come and sit with me."

Meta Knight stepped aside a little. Kirby took in some air and floated his way to the top of the cliff face, sitting down next to the veteran knight.

"Poyo," Kirby began to explain,fluttering his arms a little, "poyo poyo. Poyo. Poyo poyo poyo."

"Well, it seems to happen to quite a few of your foes," Meta Knight commented, "you should not be too shocked."

Kirby nodded in agreement as he looked up to the sky.

"Poyo," Kirby pondered, "poyo poyo poyo? Poyo poyo?"

"Magolor has already done this, Elfilis did as well," Meta Knight pointed out, "Void Termina did so, and many others as well, many times in the middle of combat with you."

"Poyo," Kirby nodded again in agreement.

Kirby and Meta Knight shared a glance.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby added, "poyo? Poyo poyo…"

"Have you finally decided to take your training seriously?"

Kirby took a moment to think over the question.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby answered, "poyo."

Meta Knight closed his masked eyes for a brief moment.

"I will teach you," he replied, "but I will not accept you quitting your training now. If you wish to learn under me, you must commit to it. You understand me, my son?"

Kirby may have shivered a little, but that really didn't deter him. As much as he loved taking naps and eating food, he also thought of the friends he made throughout his entire journey of life. Part of him thought the next major threat could be around the corner at any time. The last thing he wanted was for the next threat to overpower him and harm all of his loved ones. Standing to his feet, Kirby placed his arm on his spherical body.

"Poyo," Kirby proclaimed.

Meta Knight had skeptical thoughts swim in his mind. The last times he tried to train Kirby, the pink puff would lose interest and stop. However, the veteran knight won't relent this time. He'll have to come in the dead of night if that was what it took to push Kirby to better defend himself. Meta Knight stood up moments later.

"So be it," Meta Knight declared.

The veteran knight walked a short distance away before swiftly turning around and unfurling his cloak. He threw a sword between the two of them.

"Defend yourself!" he warned.

Kirby took the hint and leapt at the sword in front of him. When he inhaled it, it manifested into his copy ability.

No use backing out now.

Meta Knight charged into action, his Galaxia clashing against Kirby's sword. He attempted to use the prongs on Galaxia to disarm him. Kirby wouldn't budge, tightening his grip on the sword. Meta Knight stomped on the pink puff's foot, forcing Kirby to lose his grip. He twisted his wrist and wrenched the sword away from him. The sword went flying. In a bit of a panic, Kirby tried leaping out of the way. The sooner he got the sword back, the better. Part of him thought of inhaling the sword, but decided against it. He wouldn't risk losing his copy ability again.

Another swing from Galaxia from the corner of his eye, Kirby jumped and did a backwards somersault. His lack of muscle memory would usually render him prone to clumsy errors, not being as coordinated without a copy ability; but the somersault still moved him away from Meta Knight's swing. He jumped again; this time, towards the sword on the ground.

Having barely reached it, Kirby grabbed the sword instead of inhaling it. The pink puffball struggled to grip the hilt…even more so to keep himself from manifesting his copy ability again. Meta Knight seemed to ease up a little. Kirby tried swinging the sword, but the movements appeared more like he was flailing around with it. The pink puff tried positioning his feet and aiming his sword, mentally calculating the chances of landing a hit on his opponent. Kirby grew rather more frustrated as his battle instinct without a copy ability was abysmal; except for when he could spit inhaled projectiles or even slide into an enemy with enough momentum.

How could he be this helpless? He's defeated powerful foes before and he remembered some times in his past where a few notable enemies forced him to adjust his strategy, even for a little while. The last foe he remembered, Necrodeus, tried to kill him after splitting him up into weaker fragments.

Kirby gazed into his father's eyes, wondering what kind of advice he could ask for in terms of practice. After a moment, the pink star warrior swung his sword down. Unimpressed, Meta Knight lowered the Galaxia, pausing combat for a moment.

"Your issue is you have no control, nor ability to access your power," Meta Knight insisted, "what you need to do is train, something that hitherto, you have refused to do. We cannot wait until something that can't be undone occurs, whether that be your own death, or that of someone else."

"Poyo?" Kirby paused.

"Up until now," the veteran knight continued, "we've been lucky that fortunate situations have allowed you to prevail when otherwise you should've fallen, such as when Marx made his wish on the comet NOVA, you should have floated in space until eventually perishing, Marx could have easily taken over Popstar should the fragments of star power you had collected not assisted you. If that hadn't occurred, everything would've been over."

Kirby couldn't help but shudder.

"Not to mention when Nightmare attacked Dreamland, Dedede had broken the Star Rod and created a temporary fix," Meta Knight added, "then you defeated him and remade the Star Rod when he tried to stop you. Nightmare was freed from the Fountain of Dreams at that moment. If Dedede hadn't sent you after Nightmare, then he would have been free to restart the great war all over again, plunging the cosmos into another horrifically long war. The first war was long enough that we don't have records going back to the start of it."

Kirby rubbed his head with one arm, remembering the menacing face of Nightmare looming over him on the moon. Still, a particular thought crossed his mind.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, "poyo?"

For some reason, Meta Knight stiffened.

"Yes," Meta Knight admitted, "a war that lasted a really long time. I was a high ranking general in that war before you defeated Nightmare. The battle was nearly lost before you killed him. I was posted here on Popstar on the orders of Sir Arthur to defend the planet should Nightmare's forces appear. So as not to disturb the population I took a position under King Dedede and acted as a subordinate to him. I was unaware of Nightmares personal appearance on Popstar, but after the fact I believe that he was attempting to gain power through the Fountain, trying to corrupt it and use it to enhance his powers over the unconscious mind. After you killed him, however, most of the powers he granted his minions were depleted and the tide was turned quickly."

Kirby stared in wonder as he sat down.

"Arthur is still fighting off the remnants of Nightmare's forces with the remaining Star Warriors," he continued, "I've kept in contact with them and the fight is still ongoing. At this rate, it'll likely never truly end. Nightmare's forces covered a large swath of planets; many have turned to banditry and piracy to get by. We're doing our best to keep the peace still. I've taken up a permanent spot here in an effort to aid and protect you, as I think you're likely the key to bringing peace to the stars one day."

Meta Knight stared off into space, his yellow eyes dimming for a brief moment.

"I'm an old warrior Kirby," he sighed, "I've had a long time to practice my craft. I've been a drill instructor, and a mentor, but I have never been a father. Things like this do not come naturally to me. I never expected to have a child at all. It should be entirely impossible. I was a creature made by Nightmare, a failure. There are no other creatures of my species, Kirby. Not even you are a member of my species. We are vastly different, and yet you've taken my form."

Meta Knight glanced over at the pink star warrior.

"You are my child in the ways that matter, however," he concluded, "I doubt I can give you the proper affection and care you need. I'm jaded and have fought for far too long. Battle is something I've grown up with from the days after my creation, it is all I have ever known. Peace is something that is hard for me to cope with. It's almost impossible for me to not seek out ways to challenge and improve myself. Seeing you waste your potential is something that is hard for me to bear."

Loosening his grip of the sword, Kirby waddled up to Meta Knight and gave him a gentle pat on the head.

"Papa Poyo," Kirby cooed.

Meta Knight gave Kirby a confused stare.

"Poyo stronger, poyo?" Kirby offered, "return favor, poyo? Little joys, poyo? Poyo?"

"It's not so simple," Meta Knight confessed, "I have tried to relax for a long time, Kirby, but war has been my whole life. I have managed to find peace for short periods of time, however with each new threat I am put more and more on edge. Just when I start to calm down, another threat emerges from the shadows of the infinite cosmos. I'm not used to speaking so…liberally…about myself and my history, so I apologize if I seem out of sorts."

Meta Knight shuffled over to a tree stump and sat down.

"With all the fighting that constantly surrounds us, I find little ability to calm myself," he continued, "I'm constantly training or finding new ways to combat unseen threats, to prepare for whatever our next battle may be, as they are certainly coming. It feels like I'm still at war. Only now, I'm not leading anyone; only attempting to prepare the planet for every new threat that comes our way."

Kirby sighed before he sat down next to his father.

"Poyo poyo," Kirby replied, his arms drawing the shape of a training dummy, "poyo."

Chapter Text

In a quiet morning at the tower, Vesa sat across from Fransisca in the library. The human flipped through the pages of a book she was still in the middle of filling in. To their right, they could see Fecto Elfilis and Elfilin sitting across from one another at a table as the small chinchilla studied a book provided to him. It only took her a minute before she stopped at her latest entry.

"So I assume you made progress?" Fransisca asked.

Vesa glanced at the ice mage and smiled softly.

"I'm almost finished with the historical origins of a cultural custom of Ioskaria," Vesa answered, "you understand that a nod usually means yes, right?"

Fransisca gave Vesa a puzzled look.

"Why do you ask that?"

Vesa placed her book on her lap.

"In Ioskaria," Vesa answered, "it's the complete opposite. To be fair, my father told me the meanings were different from outside Ioskaria."

Fransisca scratched her head at the thought of someone meaning yes when they shook their head and someone meaning no when they nodded.

"Well," Fransisca requested, "is it alright if I read the entry?"

Vesa smiled before she handed the book to the ice mage, already flipped to the specific page.

"Several centuries before I was born," Vesa explained, "there used to be the Tamrion Empire which occupied several countries, including Ioskaria. It's said when the empire conquered my country, the Tamrions wanted to convert my ancestors to their religion. Those who declined were killed."

Fransisca felt a chill down her spine as she read the text.

"Oh dear…"

"The survivors at the time caught on," Vesa continued, "so they swapped the head gestures. This time, when they nodded, they still meant no but it spared their lives."

"And how long did the Tamrion Empire last?" Fransisca asked.

Vesa took a deep breath.

"For less than seven centuries," she answered.

After Fransisca handed the book back to Vesa, the human closed it.

"That's quite an interesting origin," Fransisca commented, "what will you be working on next?"

Vesa smiled softly as she closed her eyes.

"I'll be recording the custom of Xhiro next," she answered with pride.

"I see, well let me know if you need anything," Fransisca nodded, "I'll just be here writing some records of Halcandra's history. It seemed like a good idea after hearing what you were doing. It'll mostly be of the more recent history before its destruction. Most of our history before that point is already recorded here in the library thanks to Elfilis rewriting much of it by memory, or just adding books he already had in his pocket dimension."

Vesa couldn't help but smile as Fransisca pulled a book out of her pocket dimension.

"Now," Fransisca continued, "before we end the session, was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Vesa paused for a brief moment. Part of her mind flashed to one of the days where she had to stay home from school when she was sick. She could remember her mom keeping an eye on her once in a while as she tended to domestic matters in the house. She remembered the times her siblings would come home from school and show her some notes they retrieved from her class that day. She remembered the evenings when her father would come home and do a jigsaw puzzle with her after dinner.

Vesa didn't expect the memory to give her some feeling of sadness in her heart.

"I'm…still dealing with the times I feel home sick," she admitted, "even with the home and friends I have now."

"That's natural," Fransisca replied, "I still feel homesick quite often myself. I don't particularly miss my own birth family that much and sometimes I feel guilty for the times I'm happy about their ultimate demise."

Fransisca blinked twice.

"I apologize; I'm getting a bit off topic," she blurted, "what you're feeling is not uncommon, we all have feelings like that; my sibling and sisters too. Father doesn't mention it, but I think he's actually happy about our civilization's destruction. The people who sealed us away were our own neighbors and acquaintances, after all. They feared what we were capable of, what Father was able to create in Elfilis, and so they sealed us away inside and abandoned us, only to perish when Halcandra was destroyed. Some say it was probably by Galacta Knight. Although, I have been considering potential… alternatives…to that theory."

Vesa tilted her head sideways.

"Alternatives?"

"Well, it has recently come to my attention that a dark artifact belonging to one of our foulest mages was discovered by Magolor a short time ago," Fransisca explained, "we were unable to destroy it, and so we placed it in the care of the dragon Landia. However, I fear that somehow it may have caused some of the events that led to the destruction of the planet. It's nothing more than idle speculation as I have no proof. But during one of our chats, Magolor mentioned his experiences after being bested by Kirby, and it started to get me to think a bit more about things."

Fransisca placed her hand on her chin.

"I plan to investigate more soon. I want to return to the place our planet was with Elfilis. Allegedly, Magolor was pulled through a portal and into an alternate world with signs of an ancient civilization. It's possible that large parts of Halcandra ended up there."

Vesa thought over what she heard as she stashed her book into her pocket dimension.

"Well," Vesa proclaimed, "I'll catch you later! It was nice talking to you."

"I'll see you later," Fransisca shook Vesa's hand, "if there is a path to another dimension that was opened near there, then Elfilis will find it."

Standing up from the lounge chair, Vesa climbed a flight of stairs and met up with Elfilis and their smaller fragment at the nearby table. The angelic lancer locked eyes onto her as they perked up their feelers.

"How'd it go?" Elfilis asked her.

"It went pretty well," Vesa answered.

Vesa sat down at a table end while locking eyes onto Elfilin. The small chinchilla happily waved his paw at her.

"That was pretty short, though," Elfilis pointed out, "did you get everything you needed to talk about done?"

"I did," Vesa assured him.

Vesa checked the stack of books on the table and reached for one titled "Elemental Barriers". Elfilis simply nodded as they dropped a silencing ward they had surrounding themself. Elfilin took a moment to stretch his limbs.

"Are you ready to practice?" Elfilis asked him.

Elfilin locked eyes onto his larger fragment as he nodded.

"I'm ready to give it a go!" he chirped, doing a back flip.

Vesa stood up as she clutched the book to her chest.

"Very well," Elfilis proclaimed, "It's best we do this now. I can feel that our souls are becoming less the same with each passing day. Since magic is connected to the soul, the longer we take to teach you this, the less familiar my own experience will become to you. Right now, you have something of a magical equivalent to muscle memory that can aid you in this. It's how you know how to fly, and also how you managed to aid Kirby in initially defeating me several months ago. I imagine it's also how you were able to rip my soul to shreds in little crystalline chunks."

Elfilin lowered his gaze for a bit and sighed. He and Vesa followed Elfilis out of the library, climbing the stairs to the first floor. Taking a turn down the hall, they stepped out into the training area. Their fur bristled as their thoughts still lingered at the past a little.

"Sorry. I won't lie and say that I'm still not mad, but I don't blame you for it," Elfilis drawled, "I'm mad at the event in general. Having your soul torn to shreds isn't exactly something you get over easily. Especially not when you have experienced several lifetimes of torture and isolation even before that."

"Yeah, I know," Elfilin shrugged.

Gazing into their little brother's eyes, Elfilis ran their finger along the top of his head.

"Alright," Elfilis declared, "let's get started. Now that you have a little bit of magical knowledge and have been reading the primer books I gave you, I'll start teaching you how to cast a spell like how I was taught."

Elfilin followed his larger fragment to the center of the arena.

"You're able to feel your own energy, correct?" they asked him.

Elfilin placed his paw on his chest, taking a moment to feel for his mana reserves.

"I think so," Elfilin nodded.

"Well," Elfilis mused, "you are able to operate with your pocket dimension, so I would hope you had some idea of how you're doing it."

Elfilin nodded in agreement while Elfilis conjured their spear.

"Focus on that energy," Elfilis instructed, "I'll attempt to help you channel it better."

Elfilis used their spear to carve some temporary runes into the ground, forming a runic circle. Elfilin didn't hesitate as he began to concentrate his mana. Once the angelic lancer finished forming the runic circle, they noticed the energy exploding off of the small chinchilla, radiating off of him like a soft blue fire. Elfilin held his paws out, focusing on the energy he was emitting.

"Just get a feel for it and when you think you can push it back down, then we can start."

"Ok," Elfilin nodded.

The small chinchilla closed his eyes and continued to concentrate. Elfilis sat down and rubbed their head gently, calming themself from the minor anxiety episode. Elfilin kept up his focus until the runic circle beneath him began to react, fading away and burning up some of the dirt. Elfilis took a moment to redraw the circle. Their little brother went back to concentrating until moments later, light particles began to dance in his paws.

"Push it down and back into yourself, just hold onto the feeling of controlling it for now," Elfilis instructed, "then we will practice a simple space spell. You might still have my affinity, if not then we will need to experiment a bit. If we can't figure something out then we can get your affinity tested tomorrow."

"Ok," Elfilin nodded.

Vesa noticed as her partner sat on their spear which floated midair sideways. Elfilin went back to concentrating as he pushed the magical energy back into himself. Elfilis perked up their feelers as they stood back up.

"Good," Elfilis praised, "now I will teach you a simple space spell."

"Yay," Elfilin fluttered his arms, "I can't wait to try it!"

"Alright, allow me to demonstrate."

Elfilis put their hand out and Elfilin soon sensed something changed in his immediate surroundings.

"Ehh?" Elfilin paused.

"I just removed all the oxygen in a ten-foot radius around you," Elfilis informed their brother, "this is handy for suffocating people and forcing them to either pass out or die. But I'm sure you don't have a need to breathe."

Elfilis let the air back in slowly as their eyes glowed. When the tall space rodent put their hand out again, Elfilin heard a sudden loud bang ringing in his ears.

"Ow!" he yelped, "what was that?!"

Elfilis kept their eyes locked onto the small chinchilla as his eyes began to spin with dizziness.

"That was air rushing back into a total void at high speeds, creating a large noise," Elfilis explained telepathically, "your hearing should come back in a moment. However, you shouldn't do this to anyone who can't regenerate their eardrums. I only did it to you since you can, and you have a pain resistance above that of most creatures."

Elfilin simply nodded as he rubbed his ears.

"All you need to do is focus on your mana and imagine absolutely nothing in front of you," Elfilis continued, "not just nothing, but absolute nothing. No air, no gas, not even light if you can. Just empty space. A total vacuum of space in its purest form."

"Ok," Elfilin nodded.

Having memorized what his larger fragment demonstrated, Elfilin closed his eyes and began to concentrate. The mana in his body reacted quickly like when he had to close the massive portal between the Forgotten Land and Popstar. This spell should be smaller this time and he wouldn't have to worry about passing out, right? The small chinchilla went to thinking what it would be like to be in the vacuum of space. With just enough concentration, Elfilin created a small bubble around him, expelling all of the air. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head towards his larger fragment.

"You're doing well so far," Elfilis praised, "keep it up."

Elfilin nodded and went back to concentrating his mana, hoping to cause a reaction from the bubble he encased himself in. After a moment, he released the mana and the bubble burst, allowing air back in. The small chinchilla immediately covered his ears. Not a second later, he heard a loud bang burst his eardrums, his fur bristling in shock. After a moment, he quickly healed the small damage. While rubbing his ears, Elfilin shifted his gaze between Vesa and Elfilis.

"How did I do?" Elfilin clamored.

"You did good, you struggled a bit more than I expected though in some places," Elfilis told him, "so I do feel we should check your affinity."

"Thanks!" Elfilin chirped.

"You have a natural affinity for magic, as do I," Elfilis continued, "father made sure we would be smart enough to make connections and deductions most people would be unable to in short amounts of time. You may not be able to sense it or feel it, but you have a powerful mind that fills in many of the blanks in spells for you, memorizing spell circles and applying them as needed. It can get to the point where you no longer need a circle, as we can control the mana to such a fine degree that we can create the effect almost instantaneously. This is much more costly to do, but it's possible. I wanted to tell you this because I want you to understand we are a species made for combat—magical combat primarily. Despite my use of a spear, I'm more proficient in the use of magic, the spear merely compliments my existing skills."

Elfilin tilted his head.

"Magic will come easily to you when it comes to your affinity, and other closely related ones will also come with an unnatural ease compared to that of most people," Elfilis added, "we have a bit of an unfair advantage. This was obviously on purpose as I was made in a lab in order to be a perfect being, something that would be capable of fighting Dark Matter and preserving life. I just want you to understand this so you don't get a big head over it, getting an ego is almost always a detriment."

"Ok," Elfilin nodded slowly, "I'll keep that in mind."

Vesa smiled as she watched Elfilin nuzzle his larger fragment's cheek.

Chapter Text

Elfilin floated over to the front door at the foyer the next morning. The small chinchilla pushed it open just as Vesa emerged from the dining hall with a cup of coffee in her hands. Her eyes lit up as she saw Kirby waiting at the steps.

"Oh!" Elfilin chirped, waving his paw, "morning, Kirby!"

"Hi!" Kirby waved his arm back at the small chinchilla.

"Vesa was learning to make pancakes this morning," Elfilin pointed out, "you want some?"

"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up and down.

Vesa smiled as Kirby locked eyes onto her.

"Well, come on over," Vesa beckoned, "there's plenty to go around."

Vesa led Kirby and Elfilin into the dining hall. While the pink puffball served himself some pancakes, Vesa went to sit back down next to Fecto Elfilis. They both shared a glance as they each took a bite of their own pancakes. She took note her partner had been trying to get back to eating regularly, almost as if they wanted to fit into the family structure the Mage Sisters and Hyness had better.

When was the last time Elfilis spoke with Fransisca, anyway? Maybe they should figure out a time to hold their next therapy session. When Elfilin and Kirby sat down nearby with their breakfast, they wasted no time as they started eating.

"So how are you doing?" Elfilin asked.

"Poyo!" Kirby answered, "papa training poyo!"

"That's interesting. I'm glad to see you're finally getting a proper education in sword fighting," Elfilis glanced over, "I recall that you had obtained a knock off copy of his power and skills."

Kirby gave Elfilis a confused look.

"Poyo?"

Elfilin placed his paw behind his head.

"Well," Elfilin told Kirby, "I had a magic lesson yesterday."

"It went well all things considered; not as well as I hoped, but still a good result," Elfilis added, "it's likely he doesn't have my magical affinity. I doubt you particularly care about the specifics however."

Elfilin twitched his ears as he took a bite out of his pancakes. Likewise, Kirby picked up a whole pancake with his fork and gobbled it up. Vesa raised her eyebrows at that sight. Elfilis, on the other hand, simply ate slowly in a polite manner. Their tail swayed as the sweetness from the syrup gave an odd sensation. Well, the taste of things weren't as horrifically strong as it used to be. Still, it was an improvement from several months ago.

"I wonder what got Kirby inspired to take up training," Vesa pondered.

"Poyo," Kirby tried to explain, "Squeaks poyo, Kracko poyo."

"Honestly, I personally would've expected you to take things seriously sooner," Elfilis commented, "from what I understand at one point, you even got cut into four separate copies by Meta Knight's darker counterpart from the Dimensional Mirror…or that time the entire world was apparently turned into string and cloth. I'm sure there are other examples. Had you taken your training seriously things like those events might not have even happened. Had you been able to use a sword like Meta Knight or to a similar level of natural skill, and carried a blade with you, then the first event might not have happened, as you could have bested him in a duel, or at least held him off well enough to not get refracted into four copies."

Kirby simply narrowed his eyes at Elfilis, his expression hinting at not being amused. He then went back to eating another pancake. Elfilin locked eyes onto his larger fragment for a moment before he shrugged.

"Well," Elfilin assured Kirby, "I'm sure we'll train together sometime, right?"

"Poyo?" Kirby paused.

"Experiencing combat against physical weapons is a skill any mage should endeavor to learn. All too often mages fall in battle because they don't know how to deal with close quarters combat, or panic when they are forced into a physical confrontation. So it would be a valuable learning experience."

Elfilis took a sip of their tea.

"While I'm sure Kirby has plenty of experience fighting mages or other ranged attackers, it would still be good for him to pick up the skill naturally for sword combat," they continued, "learning to use a blade to deflect projectiles is a good technique to learn. Most magic can be deflected by blades as long as the spell is a single object and not a constant beam or explosion of some kind. Things like magical energy spheres are commonly reflected back at mages. It can quickly become a game of hot potato as a mage and fighter deflect the magic orb back at each other until one of them is taken out or thinks to move out of the way. Surprisingly, a few mages or fighters remember that's an option."

Vesa thought over what her partner said as she scratched her head.

"We do have training dummies available, right?" Vesa reminded them.

Elfilis nodded.

No sooner did Vesa step out of the dining hall after breakfast than she heard the doorbell ring. She dashed across the foyer and opened the front door, noticing Marx and Magolor standing outside.

"Oh," Vesa blurted, "morning, Magolor. What are you and Marx doing here?"

Magolor clapped his hands together.

"Hi!" Marx interrupted, "do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savio—"

Magolor pulled the jester's hat over his eyes and stuffed his bowtie into his mouth. Vesa gave a blank stare as Marx tripped and fell backwards, struggling to free himself. He soon sprouted his wings and used them to pull his hat up and his tie out of his mouth.

"Sorry about that," Magolor sighed, "now where was I?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Vesa spotted Kirby and Elfilin emerging from the dining hall.

"Go on," she persuaded.

"Is Kirby here?" Magolor asked, "we checked his house, but he wasn't home so we thought to check here."

Vesa glanced over her shoulder. Upon cue, Kirby sprinted towards the front door. Vesa took a step back as the pink puffball waved his arms.

"Hi!" Kirby chirped.

Swaying his tail side to side, Elfilin stared curiously as Elfilis entered the foyer.

"Hi, Kirby!" Magolor smiled, "mind if we chat for a bit?"

Kirby nodded.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked the floaty mage.

"You know I actually haven't been told my lines yet," Marx reminded, straightening his bowtie, "so I have no idea."

Elfilin floated over to the front door, stopping midair next to Vesa's left.

"Well," Magolor mentioned, "remember Susie?"

Kirby blinked twice.

"Poyo," Kirby answered, "poyo?"

"Well, apparently," Magolor explained, rubbing the bottom of his face with a gloved hand, "she has been working on something she wanted your help with. I think it has something to do with those robot things that you ended up fighting when you were helping me get the parts for the Lor back. Like those floaty mechanical creatures. I think she was fiddling with them and wanted to see if you could get a new copy ability from them now."

"Oh yeah," Marx interrupted, "that's right, I remember now! Aren't you in serious debt to her now over the whole theme par—"

Magolor cut the jester off before he could finish his sentence.

"Shush," Magolor scolded, glaring at him.

Magolor slowly glanced back at Kirby.

"Don't worry about that," Magolor assured, "he was talking about something else."

Kirby placed his arm behind his round head.

"Poyo?" Kirby insisted, "poyo poyo?"

"Nothing too extreme," Magolor clarified, "she just wants to test if she can create artificial copy abilities. Apparently, the fact that a Waddle Dee was able to manage it irritated her and she wanted to take a crack at it to see if she can do the same. To be fair, it was using exotic biomaterial and the soul of uh…"

Magolor made a brief glance at Elfilis, who stared down at him with a slightly annoyed expression in their eyes.

"A tall and irritated looking squirrel!" Marx chimed in.

Vesa grimaced while Elfilis twitched their feelers.

"Marx, can you not?" Vesa grumbled as she facepalmed.

Elfilin and Kirby shared glances.

"So," Elfilin asked, "what do you think?"

Kirby took a moment before he nodded at Magolor.

"Poyo!" Kirby answered, "poyo!"

"I wish I couldn't, but being blessed with this kind of wit," Marx rambled, "it's my job to share it with the world! Kind of like how I almost shared my iron fisted rule with the world before Kirby—"

Magolor once again cut him off by placing his gloved hand on his mouth.

"One, you don't have hands, so that analogy doesn't work," Magolor reminded, shaking his boyfriend back and forth, "two, you didn't have a plan beyond wishing to rule Popstar, other than to cause as much chaos as possible. Three, stop trying to mess with the planet busting super weapon!"

Once the jester started getting dizzy, Magolor released his grip and returned his gaze to Kirby.

"Anyway…we can leave in a few hours if you guys are ready," Magolor continued, "I'll bring the Lor around and we can all leave to go see Susie at Haltmann's head offices. I think they actually set up a location here in Popstar, but I don't think it's well staffed. I'm pretty sure it's just here so Susie can say to any investors that they're doing work here."

Vesa placed a finger on her chin and tilted her head.

"Elfilis?" Vesa paused.

"Yes?"

Vesa closed her eyes for a brief moment, recalling the day Whispy Woods hosted the scavenger hunt.

"Are you thinking of meeting Susie?" she mentioned.

"It's certainly on my mind," Elfilis nodded, glaring at the jester, "I would prefer to meet in private, however. I don't trust the Jester to not interfere."

Vesa shuddered as Marx stared at her partner. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and gazed into Elfilis's eyes.

"In that case," Vesa proclaimed, "I'd also like to come along."

Vesa didn't hesitate to grab her coat, scarf and boots before she followed Kirby, Elfilin and Elfilis out of the tower. Crossing the field, they met up with Marx and Magolor at the gangplank to the Lor Starcutter.

"Well, go on," Magolor beckoned, "what are you waiting for?"

Kirby led Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis up the gangplank and made their way to the bridge. Elfilis floated up towards a shelf near the ceiling and began to settle in. Elfilin floated after his sibling to join them, perching on their head. Vesa and Kirby sat down in some nearby seats while Marx and Magolor entered the ship. The floaty mage glided towards the main terminal. He started typing as he brought out the coordinates on display. Without warning, Marx started snickering as his eyes began rotating in his own head in opposite directions. Irritated, Magolor glanced over his shoulder.

"Marx," Magolor groaned, "can you knock it off? I'm trying to concentrate!"

Kirby stood up and toddled towards the jester, waving his arm at him to get his attention.

"What can I do for ya?" Marx asked.

"Poyo poyo?" Kirby clamored, "poyo?"

Marx raised his eyebrows upon hearing that question.

"Ooh, sure!" he crooned.

While Marx rummaged through his pocket dimension, Magolor pressed a few more buttons on the console. Soon enough, the Lor Starcutter lifted off the ground and took off into space. Marx pulled out a board game and sat down to play with Kirby. Elfilin watched as he swayed his tail side to side.

"Hey, Elfilis?" Elfilin blurted, "uh, this is a bit of an awkward question, but…what exactly is our relationship? Are you like my big brother? My dad? I've been thinking about it a lot and I don't really know what to think."

Elfilis gave their smaller fragment a puzzled look.

"I will be honest, I'm not entirely certain either," they admitted, "until recently, I had been considering you as a splintered fragment of myself. But now, we're almost entirely two separate entities, so I suppose it's technically more accurate to call me your father in a way…"

Elfilin blinked twice as he glanced down at Vesa, who pulled a book out of her pocket bangle as she began to study healing magic.

"In that case," Elfilin pondered, "would Vesa…be considered my mom?"

Elfilis immediately blushed.

"I suppose she could be if she wanted that kind of relationship," Elfilis stammered, "things like this are…difficult. My own father is also sort of your father. Or maybe he would be a grandfather? This is a bit complicated…"

Elfilin sighed, yet he lifted himself off Elfilis's head and nuzzled their cheek. The small chinchilla giggled when his larger fragment returned the gesture.

The flight continued on for a few hours until a space station came into sight. Elfilis peered out the port window, holding Elfilin in one arm as he slept. While Magolor guided the Lor Starcutter closer to its destination, Vesa closed the book in her hands and stashed it into her pocket bangle. She watched as Elfilis descended from the ceiling. Likewise, Kirby stood up and stretched his limbs before he walked towards a nearby port window. Moving closer and closer to the space station, the Lor Starcutter entered its hangar and touched down.

"Ok, everyone," Magolor announced, "we're here!"

When Magolor opened the door leading outside, Elfilis propped Elfilin onto their shoulder before heading out the door, taking care to duck as they crossed the gangplank even when their large ears brushed along the sides of the door. Vesa and Kirby followed close behind as they set foot into the hangar. When Magolor and Marx emerged from the ship, Vesa took a moment to survey her surroundings. Ina way, it reminded her of a warehouse, with forklifts moving supplies from place to place and loading them onto other ships. Small drone-like people glided around in the air as they went about their tasks.

"Oh," Magolor blurted, looking up at the drones, "those are the guys you fought when you were helping me! We were just talking about them."

"Poyo," Kirby agreed, glancing upwards at the drone who waved at him.

Magolor led the others through the hangar until they reached a large sliding door at the other side. They waited until it slid open, where Vesa spotted a vague humanoid with detached hands, blue eyes and long pink hair.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Kirby," she greeted.

Recognizing Susie, Kirby's eyes lit up as he scampered towards her with excitement.

"Poyo!" he chirped, waving his hand.

Elfilis noticed some parts of the woman's body seemed mechanical. They suspected Susie might've sustained injuries in the past and had new synthetic parts grafted onto her body. They weren't actually that familiar with this style of technology, really. Perhaps Zan would look into this tech later?

"It's nice to see you too," Susie smiled, clasping her hands together, "I have quite a few tests scheduled for us to do!"

Magolor floated towards Susie, who handed him a bill with the word [VOID] stamped on it in red. Vesa gave the floaty mage and the jester a confused look as they turned to leave.

"Now," Susie continued, "I've been working on a Copy Ability based on the powers of some of our robots that we make here and want to see if you can make use of it."

Susie walked back into the building, gesturing to the others to follow.

Chapter Text

Vesa, Kirby and Fecto Elfilis followed Susie down the corridor. The tall space rodent cradled in their arm as they peered through a large glass window for a brief moment. Through the window, they observed a display of the history of the company, including many different awards for various achievements; likely from whatever planet Susie and Haltmann originally came from. Elfilis spied a little memorial plaque for her father. Their feelers perked up when they spotted a small fake replica of the Star Dream on the side towards the back.

They stopped at a door for a moment, waiting until it slid open automatically. Susie ushered them into her office and approached her desk. Vesa scanned the room and sat in a nearby chair.

"I didn't prepare more than one chair here, unfortunately," Susie mentioned, "I wasn't expecting more guests. However, feel free to sit in the lobby for now if you want to sit down, or stay if you feel like it. If anyone else has something to speak with me about, you can talk to my secretary and schedule an appointment. If you want, I can talk to you when I go on break in a couple hours. Until then, I'll be speaking to Kirby and conducting a few tests. If you plan to stay for the next few days while I do these tests, then I can have accommodations prepared for you."

Susie sat down at her desk and started to type something out on a computer.

"T-Thank you, ma'am," Vesa blurted.

"It's no problem," Susie replied, her eyes still focused on the computer.

While Kirby stood in the middle of the room, waiting in anticipation, Vesa glanced over her shoulder at Elfilis, who only shrugged in response. The angelic lancer approached her and placed Elfilin onto her lap.

"I'll go wait in the lobby and speak to her secretary, you can come with me if you want," Elfilis told her, "it sounds like we might be here a couple days. If you want, I can drop you off back home and we can stay there for tonight and come back tomorrow morning."

Vesa shook her head.

"I may have been surprised a little," Vesa proclaimed, "but I think I'll stay here, too."

Vesa stood up from the chair, cradling Elfilin in her arms.

"Alright, I will set up an appointment. Just let me know if you need anything."

Vesa nodded before following Elfilis out of the office. She glanced over her shoulder for a brief moment as Kirby waved his arm at her and climbed into the chair. Making their way to the lobby, Elfilis took a number from a ticket machine before they sat down. They noticed nine drones each holding a ticket number, which they found amusing. Vesa sat down next to Elfilis, who glanced over at her in response.

"I'm just waiting to see her secretary now," they told her, "I'll see about booking us a room somewhere on the ship."

Vesa simply nodded as she ran her finger along Elfilin's head. All they could do now was wait as drones got called one by one. Before long, a voice calling Elfilis's number prompted them and Vesa to rise from their seats and approach their desk. The person expecting them appeared to be a busy woman with hair slightly frazzled and a large pair of glasses on her face which seemed like high tech lenses.

"H-Hello," Vesa said.

"H-Hello," the receptionist greeted, "nice to meet you both! just one moment please."

Vesa nodded as the receptionist typed something out on her computer and quickly wrote something on a book on her desk.

"Alright," she proclaimed, taking a moment to adjust her glasses, "what can I do for you?"

Vesa and Elfilis shared a brief glance before returning their gaze on the secretary.

"My partner Elfilis is seeking blueprints of a Galactic Nova," Vesa began.

"Oh yes, I believe Miss Haltmann has already approved the deletion of those files," the secretary replied, "the only remaining copies of the blueprints are physical ones that I was instructed to give to you."

The secretary didn't hesitate as she searched through a filing cabinet. A moment later, she pulled out a massive folder filled with papers.

"This should be the entire set of blueprints for the project."

Vesa gave a puzzled look while Elfilis took the folder.

"How did she know?" Vesa whispered to Elfilis.

Elfilis shrugged while they stashed it into their pocket dimension. They returned their gaze to the secretary.

"I appreciate it," Elfilis told her, "please inform Susie of my gratitude."

"Of course," the secretary agreed, "have a great day."

"Thank you," Elfilis nodded, "you as well."

Elfilis and Vesa turned to leave, meandering through the ship. While the human stayed close behind, the angelic lancer perked up their feelers as they surveyed their surroundings for a possible living area. When they climbed up some stairs leading to a catwalk, Vesa kept Elfilin on one hand and used her other hand to support herself on the stair rails. Elfilis glanced around curiously as they continued venturing through the massive station, occasionally passing through teleporters to cover great distances quickly.

Once they exited the eighth teleporter they came across, Vesa checked the sign on the wall nearby pointing to a hallway for guest rooms. Smiling, Elfilis lifted her into their arms and gave her a kiss on the forehead, their tail swaying happily. Strolling down the hall, the tall space rodent checked each room they passed by. Soon enough, Vesa's eyes locked onto the ninth door to their right and pointed that direction. Elfilis took the hint and tapped on an adjacent panel, the door sliding open for them.

Inside, the room appeared tall enough to provide extra wiggle room for Elfilis's antlers. It had a wall-mounted TV screen, a bathroom near the entrance and a bed farther in. While the tall angelic lancer surveyed the surroundings, they took note of a schedule on the wall which displayed the times breakfast, lunch and dinner were served. A wall-mounted phone and a list of dial numbers sat beneath the schedule. Elfilis set down Vesa. She approached the bed and placed Elfilin onto a pillow. She glanced over her shoulder, gazing into the ultimate life-form's eyes.

"Is it safe to use your teleportation ability in this station?" she asked them, "I might want to grab some clothes back in my room."

"It would take more spatial distortion than this to make travel unsafe for me." Elfilis shrugged, "the teleportation hubs they set up here are safe, from what I can tell."

Elfilis summoned their spear and cut a hole in the air.

"A portal is more stable for long distance travel like this and less tiring," they continued, "they tend to have a fixed range of energy consumption since we're connecting two points in space. The distance is irrelevant in most cases; so depending on where you want to go and how far it is, teleportation and portals can change in what is best for any situation."

The tear in space soon stabilized into a star-shaped portal.

"I can hold it open for at least half an hour," they added as they sat down on the bed.

"Good to know," Vesa nodded.

Vesa didn't hesitate as she jumped through the portal, making a graceful landing in her bedroom back at the tower. She spent a few minutes grabbing a few set of clothes and a comb before she quickly returned to the portal. Upon cue, Elfilis shut the portal behind her. Vesa took some time to sort the sets of clothes she picked out into some drawers. Just then, Elfilin rubbed his eyes as he stirred awake. His larger fragment glanced over the small chinchilla while they reached for a remote on the nightstand, turning on the TV and scrolling through the different channels.

"Uhh," Elfilin blurted, "are we there yet?"

"We arrived half an hour ago," Elfilis told him.

Using their telekinesis, Elfilis levitated Elfilin and placed him on their lap, gently stroking his fur. The small chinchilla glanced up at his larger fragment before scanning his surroundings.

"Where's Kirby?" he asked.

"He's with Susie right now," Elfilis answered, "they're running some tests, to my knowledge. We might be here for a few days, but I'm sure he'll come back here in a few hours."

While Elfilis watched an advertisement showing the different uses for a semi-organic metal alloy, Vesa sat down next to them. The advertisement ended and a show about a heroic Birdon and his adventures began displaying.

Meanwhile, Kirby had been taking a nap while Susie was wrapping up her work on the computer.

"Alright," Susie proclaimed, "test number one."

Susie pulled a deactivated drone out of a wooden crate, the body empty and no AI inhabiting it. By then, Kirby yawned and opened his eyes.

"Here, try to eat this," Susie instructed, glancing over at the pink puff, "this is test number 1. We have many more depending on how this goes."

Upon cue, Kirby hopped off the chair and inhaled the drone. The next thing he knew, he noticed a mechanical suit of armor draping him. Was this some kind of copy ability?

"Looking good so far," Susie said, pulling out a remote with a red button, "let's put its abilities to the test, shall we?"

Susie pressed the button, causing the room to split down the middle. Different aspects of it shifted and changed, slowly expanding the room into a different configuration—a large empty box with white walls, only for several red and white targets to appear on the wall. Kirby focused his eyes on the targets, trying to feel for what kind of powers he could grab from this new copy ability. After a moment of silence, he readied a built-in blaster cannon and fired a single shot at one of the targets. The target turned green and the wall panels turned back to white.

Kirby's eyes glimmered with anticipation as they focused on the next red target. He charged up his cannon and fired a laser energy blast. Susie took notes as Kirby fired on targets, idly jotting down her observations of his performance and comparisons to the natural abilities of the drone he absorbed. Once Kirby turned the last target green with a barrage of weaker cannon shots, he shifted his gaze towards Susie, wondering what she had in store next.

"As for our next test, I want you to see if you can interface with our computer systems," Susie told him, "I doubt you will be able to, but this is important information to have."

Kirby approached Susie as she turned towards a control panel and began taking notes. The pink puffball examined the machinery before him as he tried figuring out how to link the suit with the network. He tried plugging the suit into the slots on display.

"Please don't do that!" Susie blurted, "that's the wrong type of cable for the hole and not how it works, so please don't mess with the equipment."

Kirby let out a groaned sigh before pulling away from the device. Susie wrote the test off as a failure in her datapad.

"Next," Susie continued, "I'd like to see how long you can sustain flight. The drones here have a limited fuel source and need to be refueled after sustained use, so I would like you to see how long you can fly, to see if you have a fuel source at all, or if it runs on your own energy, or even something else entirely."

Kirby nodded and tilted his gaze upwards. In a matter of seconds, the suit's jetpacks lifted him off the ground. Upon cue, Susie turned on a stopwatch in her hand. Kirby, familiar with the flight from his Wing, Cupid, Beetle and Jet copy abilities, thrust himself backwards as he continued to hover.

Glancing downwards, Kirby waved his arm. Blinking twice, Susie rifled around in her desk for a moment before tossing him a tablet. The pink star warrior didn't have trouble catching the tablet this time. Still hovering, he took a moment to examine the tablet's contents, only to find a few games on it and a video streaming service. Stashing it away, Kirby began flying around the room. Susie kept an eye on him as she took notes and listened to some of her music playing through her headphones.

Kirby had a blast flying around until a couple hours later, the jetpacks sputtered out the last of its fuel. He yelped as he plummeted to the floor, landing on his backside.

"Well," Susie commented, "that's fairly conclusive."

Kirby staggered back to his feet and rubbed his head, having shed his copy ability. He glanced up at Susie just as she finished jotting down her notes.

"Well," she commented, "that was a successful day of testing. Come back tomorrow and we can perform some more."

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, waving his arm.

Susie waved back just as Kirby turned and left the room. He meandered his way through the station until he set foot in the hallway leading to the guest rooms. He stopped at one particular door and waited until it slid open. Inside, Vesa held the phone in her hand while she read the list. Elfilin tilted his head towards the door and floated over to the pink puffball.

"Hi, Kirby!" Elfilin waved his paw, "are you hungry? Vesa's ordering dinner."

Kirby blinked twice before he smiled.

"Poyo!"

Kirby happily waddled into the room. Vesa paused for a brief moment and tilted her gaze towards the pink star warrior.

"Hey," Vesa greeted, "how did the appointment with Susie go?"

"Poyo!" Kirby answered, "poyo poyo!"

"Ah, I see," Vesa commented.

Vesa returned her gaze to the list while Kirby stepped closer.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, waving his arm, "poyo poyo?"

Vesa took a few seconds to process what Kirby told her before she nodded.

"Ok," Vesa proclaimed, "I'll see if I can order some paella for you."

While Vesa proceeded to place dinner orders, Elfilis reclined on the bed, their tail curling up around their side. They pulled out a book to read, taking a full twenty seconds to read a page. Normally, they would read the whole book in this time frame, but they wanted to enjoy life as much as possible, considering their immense power at their disposal. Once Vesa finished placing the orders, she sat down on the bed while Kirby hopped into a lounge chair. Elfilin perched on the arm of the lounge chair while he and the pink puffball chattered with each other.

"Dinner should be on the way," Vesa told Elfilis.

"Ah, good," Elfilis gave her a nod as they turned a page.

Smiling, Vesa laid down next to Elfilis, perching her head on their shoulder. The angelic lancer purred as they placed their arm over her shoulder. She perched her hand on their chest. Their tail swayed as they softly licked her forehead. They placed a bookmark before setting the book aside.

The quiet moment lingered until half an hour later, the door slid open and a waiter stood outside with a cart holding food. Kirby's mouth salivated as he hopped off the lounge chair.

"Evening," the waiter greeted, "your dinner is here. I hope it's to your liking."

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped.

Vesa sat up before slipping off the bed to grab a plate of a lamb chop and mushroom couscous.

"Thank you, sir," Vesa smiled.

"Anytime, ma'am."

Kirby and Elfilin grabbed their meals before scrambling to the table. Once Vesa set down her meal, she took a moment to grab a plate of stuffed eggplants, handing it to Elfilis. The tall space rodent sat down at the table while Vesa waved to the waiter, who nodded and made his departure. Kirby gulped down his bites of paella while Elfilin nibbled at his kebab. Sitting next to Vesa, Elfilis slowly ate their stuffed eggplant. Keeping up their polite table manners was easy enough for the ultimate life-form to savor the experience.

Chapter Text

Vesa, Fecto Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin left the guest bedroom the next morning. Vesa stood closer to her partner while Elfilin and Kirby led the way. Keeping an eye on the pink puffball, Elfilis rubbed their eyes a little, having gotten used to sleeping at night for quite a while. Meandering across the station, they stepped through the teleporters to get closer to their destination over a great distance. Using their spatial power, Elfilis aided the teleporters so they used less energy.

Soon enough, they stopped at the large sliding door leading to a medical lab. They didn't hesitate to set foot inside. Susie sat at a desk with another creature of her species in a lab coat.

"Uh," Vesa greeted nervously, "m-morning, Miss Susie."

"Good morning," Susie replied, tapping away on a tablet, "or for what counts as morning this far out in space."

Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances. Nodding at the small chinchilla, the pink puffball approached the desk.

"Hi!" Kirby waved his arm.

"Hello, Kirby," Susie replied, "it's good to see you again. I hope you all slept well."

Susie turned her gaze towards the doctor.

"It's nice to meet you all," the doctor greeted while giving a respectful bow, "I'm Doctor Blameworthy, and I'll be administering the tests today."

Upon hearing the name, Elfilis narrowed their eyes in suspicion. Vesa blinked twice and tilted her gaze up to meet with their eyes.

"Elfilis?" Vesa paused.

"Yes?" Elfilis returned their gaze, staring into her eyes.

"You…seem tense," Vesa commented.

"I-It's nothing," Elfilis blurted, "just me being a bit ridiculous is all."

Elfilis locked eyes onto the doctor while Susie stood from the desk.

"Alright then," Susie beckoned, "right this way."

The door behind Susie slid open, so Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin followed her and the doctor into the lab. The tall angelic lancer glanced around, their fur bristling slightly at the old memory of similar labs back on the Forgotten Land. Vesa held out her hand, allowing them to grasp it. Elfilis blushed yet they gently squeezed her hand in an affectionate gesture. As they strolled towards an examination table, Elfilin floated over to a cabinet containing assorted medical instruments. Coming to a stop, Susie focused her eyes on Kirby.

"Go on," Susie beckoned to the examination table, "don't be shy."

Kirby paused for a moment before taking a few steps closer and hopping on.

"We simply need to scan your body for any dried skin or any biological material and we can test that," Dr. Blameworthy elaborated, "we'll be doing an x-ray as well. Aside from that, we might also do a few physical tests."

"Poyo," Kirby blinked twice.

Elfilin glanced behind him.

"Physical…tests?" Elfilin blurted.

"Most likely testing for flexibility and automatic reflexes," Dr. Blameworthy added, "seeing how his eyes react to bright light among other things. We'll stop once he starts to get uncomfortable, all he has to do is ask."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.

"O-Ok," Vesa replied.

Susie pulled out a datapad while Dr. Blameworthy approached the cabinet. Elfilin moved aside while the doctor opened the cabinet. He pulled out a stethoscope along with a few other basic instruments before he proceeded to record Kirby's vitals. Vesa focused intently at the procedure, reminiscing on the days when her father would frequently take her to the doctor's office for these kinds of check ups…more frequently than any other child.

"Interesting," Dr. Blameworthy mumbled to himself.

Once he finished, Dr. Blameworthy returned the medical instruments.

"So does anyone know why he seems to be almost entirely hollow inside?" he asked, "he's like a large rubber ball, but the only thing on the inside is an endless amount of joy and optimism."

Kirby and Elfilin shared confused glances.

"I-I have no idea," Vesa admitted with a shrug.

Elfilis perked up their feelers in mere interest.

"He has an internal pocket dimension that stores everything he consumes so long as it isn't a living thing," Elfilis explained, "any living creature is immediately pushed out somewhere else within a several mile radius around him. My specific affinity is how I know this, and I'm familiar with his anatomy already."

Susie paused in taking notes and focused her gaze on Elfilis.

"If you have any questions you need answered, you can ask me," Elfilis continued, "but I haven't delved into his genetics as they stopped making sense on a physical level."

"Well," Susie mused, tilting her head and placing her hand on her chin, "you seem to be pretty knowledgeable about Kirby."

Elfilis placed their palm on their chest.

"I am knowledgeable about the biology of any creature I come into contact with for even the briefest of instants," they added, "though I wouldn't dare copy Kirby's genetics considering his Copy Abilities tend to alter his body to whatever he may need; the complex magic and divinity woven into his very being make it even harder and less advisable to attempt something like that."

"Then perhaps you would be interested in assisting us in our research?" Susie asked.

"I can write up a report on his biology for you," Elfilis answered, "I wouldn't attempt to look into his DNA however as it would be incomprehensible anyway, and if you attempt to dig into it magically you might face significant backlash, or morons attempting to gain some kind of power from it, only to have it end up backfiring on themselves and everyone else."

"That would be really helpful," Dr. Blameworthy smiled, clapping his hands together, "thank you!"

Elfilis nodded in approval.

"I will have it in your office by the end of the day, is there anything else you need from me?"

"Not much else, but thank you," Susie closed her eyes with a smile, "we'll go on ahead with the physical tests."

Dr. Blameworthy nodded at Kirby, prompting him to hop off the exam table. Elfilis took a moment to create a wooden chair before sitting down. Kirby nodded at Elfilin, who waved his paw at the pink puffball. The small chinchilla floated over to Vesa, perching on her shoulder.

"Ok then," Vesa offered, "you want to study your magic a little more while we wait?"

"Sure!" Elfilin chirped.

Smiling, Vesa sat down in another chair and pulled a book from her pocket bangle. She flipped the pages to the beginning of a chapter. Tilting their gaze towards her, Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"Whatever you wish to learn," Elfilis offered, "I will help however I can. That goes for both of you."

Vesa returned her gaze and smiled.

"Thank you, Elfilis!"

"So what are you interested in learning?" Elfilis inquired.

Vesa placed a finger on her chin while Elfilin studied the text. All the while, Dr. Blameworthy instructed Kirby through essential stretching exercises.

"Well," Vesa mentioned, "I could go for practicing telekinesis. Elfilin, what about you?"

Elfilin tilted his gaze towards his larger fragment.

"How about those cool barrier spells you taught Vesa?" Elfilin suggested.

Elfilis stood up while Elfilin flew off Vesa's shoulder.

"Let's start small, then," Elfilis advised, "there are many options of barriers available to you, and you may even be able to create barriers of pure magical energy without a need for a spell just due to the sheer amount of mana you have compared to Vesa. It's not energy efficient, but it would be a strong albeit brief barrier. It isn't something I would use as I have better, albeit more complex barriers."

Elfilin took a moment to think as he scratched his head.

"I guess that sounds good," Elfilin nodded, "I'm not super experienced with this stuff still so something that can help me with blocking strong attacks would be nice."

"The downside to this aside from its cost is that it can't be used at long ranges or too far from you. It acts as more of a personal barrier rather than something you can give to others or move too far. The mana you use disperses into the atmosphere fairly quickly after you cast it," Elfilis added, "basically, this spell is just expelling mana with a lot of force, so it could even be used as an attack if you were so inclined."

Vesa set down the book and stood up before she began rummaging through her pocket bangle for objects for her next telekinesis lesson. Elfilis proceeded to demonstrate as they pushed a small gust of pure magic from their palm, concentrated enough to the point it became briefly visible as a soft blue mist. The small chinchilla watched intently as his tail swayed side to side.

"Give it a try," Elfilis instructed, "I'll give you mana if you need it."

"Ok, here goes!" Elfilin chirped.

Elfilin didn't hesitate as he began to concentrate. The small chinchilla's mana flowed to his paws as he held them out. A couple minutes later, Elfilin started generating a gust of pure magical energy. All the while, Vesa finished picking out a few empty jars and set them on the counter. She reached for a different book on telekinesis and flipped to the page relevant to what she had in mind.

"You'll need to force it out in a burst for a shield," Elfilis told their smaller fragment, "for an attack, you can push it out harder or pressurize it heavily."

"What kind of attack barriers can I make?" Elfilin clamored.

"One is good for pushing people away," Elfilis clarified, "the other is good for inflicting nasty cuts that can inflict an ailment called Mana Burn."

Elfilin tilted his head while blinking.

"Mana Burn?"

"It forces your mana into their body; while not deep enough to do any real harm, but it'll prevent them from being able to use their magic as easily. Stronger enemies wouldn't be affected as much, but against weaker enemies? It can be devastating. It might prevent them from using their inherent abilities that could otherwise be a problem. Mana Burns don't usually linger for more than a few minutes so if you inflict it on someone, use that moment to escape or fight back harder."

"Ok," Elfilin nodded, "let's see what I can do from here."

While Elfilin proceeded to pressurize the particles in his paws, Vesa looked over the schematics of the telekinesis spell described in the book. She surveyed the room until her eyes locked onto Susie.

"Excuse me," Vesa called over, "Miss Susie?"

Susie blinked and returned her gaze.

"Yes," she replied, "what is it you need?"

Vesa made a glance towards a cabinet while the doctor continued doing physical tests on Kirby, with Susie taking notes.

"Do you have liquids I can borrow?" Vesa requested.

"Well," Susie answered, gesturing to a sink in the office, "there's a sink right over there you can use."

Vesa stepped towards one of the cabinets.

"I appreciate it," Vesa added, "but water's not the only kind of liquid I'm looking for. I'll need a few more types."

Susie placed a hand on her chin.

"We have different chemicals, oils and fluids you can use," she mentioned, "go and ask one of the drones. I would prefer not using the chemicals in here since they're used for medicinal purposes."

"Ok," Vesa nodded, "will do."

Vesa stepped out of the office in search of a drone. Just then, the particles in Elfilin's paws condensed a little further.

"You're on the right track," Elfilis encouraged, "keep going."

Elfilin felt a burst of confidence as he concentrated harder. At that point, it seemed like he was firing a blast of blue smoke out of the ends of his paws. The hissing sound echoing across the room compelled Kirby to pause what he was doing and focus his eyes on Elfilin.

"You're doing good," Elfilis praised, "now stop for a moment and push it out rapidly; not as a stream, but as a burst of energy."

"Ok!"

Elfilin raised his paws up and pushed out the condensed mist in a short burst, which came off as a slight breeze to Elfilis's fur.

"You need to put more force into it," Elfilis insisted, "force it out of you harshly. It's much less likely for mana to hurt you if you push it out."

"O-Ok," Elfilin replied, "I'll try again."

While Elfilin went back to concentrating, Vesa returned with a drone following close behind carrying a few containers of assorted liquid. Elfilis would keep a watchful eye on their little fragment while they approached Vesa.

"Hey, Elfilis!" Vesa waved her hand with a smile, "I got some liquids for my lesson."

"So what is it you're looking to learn today?" Elfilis asked, "I don't believe you told me yet."

Vesa focused her eyes on the empty jars.

"I want to see if I can levitate liquids into jars," she explained.

Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw.

"Ah, well," they commented, "I can see several uses for learning to levitate water or other fluids, such as a Water Prison, or compressing water tightly around an enemy and lifting them into the air. It's a powerful water based attack, but it's difficult to pull off. Masters of the technique can do it without touching the water, but the closer they are in contact with it, the easier it is to pull off. Many people who use this technique need to remain in constant contact with the water to keep supplying it mana, leaving them fully stationary and open to attack. It can be useful against a single opponent or for holding onto a hostage for a couple minutes if needed."

While Dr. Blameworthy nudged Kirby to return to his physical tests, Vesa plucked a container from the drone's grip and read the label.

"Let's see," she muttered to herself.

Vesa removed the lid and held the container parallel above the floor. She waved her free hand in a circular motion until some vinegar began to emerge. Focusing her eyes on one empty jar, she molded the vinegar into a shapeless blob. Concentrating the mana in her hands, she levitated the vinegar towards the jar, watching as the contents flowed inside. By the time she finished, Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis, who gave her a nod of approval. Her smile brimmed with confidence, so she shifted her gaze towards the drone.

Just then, Elfilin finished condensing the magical particles into a mist and pushed it out in a stronger burst. Elfilis perked up their feelers as the burst of mana knocked over the containers of chemicals, spilling them over the floor and eliciting a startled yelp out of Vesa. Elfilis thought fast and grabbed all the chemicals with their telekinesis, pulling the remaining chemicals into the air and into their pocket dimension. They took note of the contaminated chemicals on the floor and nodded to Susie before they went on to dispose of them. Vesa blinked twice before she gave Elfilin a confused look, the small chinchilla lowering his head.

"S-Sorry," Elfilin blurted.

"T-That's alright, Elfilin," Vesa tried to reassure Elfilin with a nervous laugh.

Vesa shifted her gaze towards Susie, who returned the glance from her tablet.

"Anyways," Vesa asked, "is there a place where injured people get treated?"

"Normally," Susie explained, "it's either here or in the trauma ward, but we don't typically have many injuries here. When we do, people tend to just want whatever part of them that's critically injured replaced entirely with an upgrade. It's kind of part of the culture of how our species developed over time. As we got more advanced, it just became efficient to replace things to improve yourself if the opportunity arises. This also brought people who don't need that kind of thing, and there's a whole black market for that kind of surgery now. They would market to plenty of people who feel like they need to fit in, or people who are suffering from mental issues. Sometimes they just go to shady people to get that kind of thing done, or even injure themselves to get things replaced. It's honestly a bit horrifying. This kind of thing has been something debated heavily lately as to whether or not it should be allowed for anyone who wants it or just people who need it, but people are split down the middle on the subject."

Vesa placed her hand behind her head while Elfilis ran their finger along the top of Elfilin's head.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt for me to check it out anyways," Vesa proclaimed.

Chapter Text

It wasn't long before Dr. Blameworthy finished the physical exams for Kirby.

"Well," Dr. Blameworthy commented, "he's perfectly healthy, I think. It's…hard to say since most of his more critical anatomy is essentially impossible to see."

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped as he jumped up briefly.

"To be fair," he insisted apologetically, "I can't really say for sure, but I would say it's a safe bet."

"That's…understandable," Vesa agreed.

Kirby stepped towards Elfilin.

"We'll be using the data we gathered to work on the copy ability," Susie told them, "until then, you're dismissed."

"Of course," Elfilis warned, "I still advise you to exercise caution."

"Noted," Susie nodded.

Fecto Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin left the doctor's office. Making their way into the lobby, Vesa checked the station's directory. While examining the map, she took note of a hair salon in the northwest sector. Running her fingers through her hair, she realized it grew to at least reach her shoulders since she was awakened from her stasis.

"Vesa?" Elfilin paused.

Vesa snapped out of her thoughts and glanced over her shoulder.

"Uhh, perhaps we could visit some places in the station after we visit the trauma ward?" Vesa suggested.

Elfilis raised their brow as they curiously examined the directory.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Elfilis replied.

Vesa smiled before she went back to searching the directory. She soon pointed at the location of the trauma ward, which wasn't far from where they were standing.

"Maybe if we took a left from here," Vesa mused.

Vesa tilted her head in said direction and started her stroll. Elfilis, Kirby and Elfilin followed close behind. The angelic space rodent would nudge her in the correct direction as they traveled, considering the maze-like structure of the station. It didn't take too long before they stopped at the door to the trauma ward. Stepping inside, they noticed there weren't a lot of people in there. Maybe the three patients present didn't seem to be critically injured and one of them resembled a nurse taking a nap in one of the patient beds. Disappointed, Vesa let out an exasperated sigh.

"Just great," she grumbled, "how else am I supposed to strengthen my healing magic?"

Kirby gave Vesa a puzzled look.

"Poyo?"

"I could injure myself and allow you to practice your healing that way," Elfilis suggested, "if you wish."

Vesa couldn't help but shudder upon hearing those words.

"Actually," she protested, "I'd rather you didn't."

"A-Alright," Elfilis sighed.

Kirby and Elfilin let out a sigh of relief, so Vesa wandered through the trauma ward, checking on the people still present while Elfilis just stood there. When she passed by one of the patients, he gave her a confused look.

"Do I know you?" the patient asked.

Vesa shook her head.

"How are you doing, sir?"

"Uhm," he blurted hesitantly, "fine, I guess?"

Vesa noticed the confusion in his eyes, considering she didn't wear any kind of uniform to indicate she was a staff member of the station.

"Alright," Vesa said, "take care."

Vesa approached the other patient; an older woman who sat up upon cue.

"How about you, ma'am?" Vesa asked.

"Are you with the hospital?" the second patient inquired, her tone hinting at confusion.

"N-No," Vesa blurted, lowering her head.

"Well then, what is it you need?"

Vesa regained her composure and clasped her hands together.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she queried, "I am learning healing magic."

The old patient blinked twice.

"Ah," she mentioned, "well, I came in here for a fractured bone in my hand. Do you think you could help with that?"

Vesa felt a boost of confidence in her mind.

"Of course!" she smiled.

Vesa took a moment to examine the old lady's hand, locating the fracture with her index finger. She noticed as Elfilis approached her from behind.

"This might be the first time I repaired bones," Vesa admitted.

"There wasn't an opportunity to do so before," Elfilis added, "if I remember."

Elfilis knelt down while Vesa concentrated her mana into her hand. Green sparkles danced around her fingertips while she focused on the bone fracture. Holding the hand gently, she drew her index finger in a circular motion. The old lady seemed to relax as the soothing sparkles went to work burrowing into the hand and repairing the bone. Once the green particles dissipated seconds later, the old woman took a moment to flex her hand.

"Thank you dear, that feels much better."

"You're welcome, ma'am," Vesa smiled gently.

Vesa and Elfilis stood up just as the nurse stirred from her nap.

"Let's go before we cause any problems," Elfilis advised her.

Locking eyes onto her partner, Vesa nodded quietly before she and the angelic lancer nudged Kirby and Elfilin out of the trauma ward. After stepping through the door, they continued to rush down the hall. Turning at a few intersections, they set foot into the commercial district. Kirby and Elfilin climbed into a nearby bench while the human made a beeline towards a nearby directory. With a finger, she located the hair salon on the map, which should be a few stores north of her. Vesa glanced over her shoulder as Elfilis remained close to her proximity.

"Well," Vesa asked, "is there anything you'd like to check out while we're here? There are plenty of stores to choose from!"

Vesa stepped aside, allowing the tall space rodent to read the directory.

"I don't know," Elfilis admitted, drooping their feelers, "I'm not sure what I would even need from here."

Vesa sighed softly as she turned her head towards Kirby and Elfilin. She raised an eyebrow as the small chinchilla perched on top of the pink puffball.

"Maybe after I check out the salon," Vesa offered, "we could see if we could find a store for science equipment?"

"I don't think they would have anything I'd be interested in," Elfilis shrugged, "it's been said that after a certain point, science is indistinguishable from magic. Well, that isn't entirely wrong since after a certain point most societies typically fuse both together. I imagine my magical equipment is likely just as good if not better than theirs."

Vesa frowned at the thought of Elfilis being left out even when they were accompanying her. She beckoned her partner to follow her as they meandered through the hall, making their way to the entrance to the hair salon. Setting foot inside, Vesa checked the lobby for any other customers awaiting their appointment. With Elfilis standing at the entrance, she approached the receptionist's desk.

"Hello, ma'am," the receptionist greeted, "did you schedule an appointment?"

Vesa blushed.

"N-No," she admitted.

The receptionist nodded slowly.

"Well, we currently don't have anyone scheduled for the next couple hours," the receptionist told her, "so if you want to you can still come get your hair done."

"I would really appreciate it," Vesa nodded with a smile.

"Alright," the receptionist replied, "we have several different things we can do for you."

The receptionist pointed to a list on the desk, prompting Vesa to read the details of several different options of hair treatment.

"I would like just a haircut," Vesa requested, "not much else, other than that."

The receptionist nodded and turned her gaze towards the computer.

"Ok, wonderful," the receptionist grinned, "that'll be 20 newbucks."

Vesa paused when she realized that she didn't have the currency the people at the station accepted. She glanced over her shoulder, locking eyes onto Elfilis nervously. The tall angelic lancer took the hint and approached the desk, catching the receptionist's attention.

"Do you accept items of equivalent or greater value?" Elfilis asked.

Elfilis didn't hesitate to pull out an ornamented broadsword covered in gold and silver embellishments.

"Uhm," the receptionist stammered, "we do now?"

Vesa gave Elfilis an awkward stare.

"This weapon has no meaning to me other than its monetary value," Elfilis elaborated, "I carry the weapons of fools and slain warriors as things to trade on other planets. They are useful for that as their value is readily apparent. Gold and jewels are also things I have, but are not as easy to spend as you would need to have someone prove that they are real, which can be annoying. This is much simpler, and I have a lot of them."

The receptionist took a moment to think while Vesa scratched her head.

"We do have a pawn shop across the salon," the receptionist pointed out.

"It's fine, just take it. I have been alive longer than your species has existed. I have plenty."

The receptionist sighed and nudged the ornamental sword aside.

"A stylist should be on their way soon."

"Thank you for your time," Elfilis gave the receptionist a nod.

While Elfilis went off to sit down in a chair, they closed their eyes and their mind wandered while they set to work organizing the contents of their pocket dimension. Vesa took a step away from the desk and waited until a hairstylist set foot into the lobby a minute later.

"Afternoon, ma'am," the hairstylist greeted, "why don't you come this way?"

Upon cue, Vesa followed the hairstylist to the nearest vanity station, where she sat down in a chair while the stylist draped a smock cape around her.

"So how would you like your hair cut, miss?"

Vesa took a moment to think.

"I'd like my hair cut off by at least an inch and a half," Vesa requested, holding her hand parallel to the back of her neck, "same for the bangs."

"You got it, miss," the stylist nodded.

Soon enough, the stylist went to work. Over the course of an hour, Vesa relaxed as the stylist combed and trimmed her hair until it was back to the length it was when she was admitted to Lab Discovera. The stylist handed Vesa a mirror for her to hold while she spun the chair around until it faced away from the mirror on the wall.

"So," the stylist asked, "what do you think?"

Vesa took a moment to examine her reflection, noting how her hair now reached halfway down her neck and her bangs trimmed just above the eyes.

"This is exactly what I've been looking for," she smiled, "thank you!"

The hairstylist took the hint and removed the smock cape before brushing excess hairs off Vesa's neck. Vesa stood up and waved her hand at the stylist.

"You take care, miss," the stylist winked.

Vesa sprinted towards Elfilis. The ultimate life-form perked up their feelers and opened their eyes before standing up.

"So what do you think?" Vesa clamored.

Elfilis blinked while they ran their fingers through her hair.

"You look beautiful," they told her.

"Thanks, Elfilis!" Vesa smiled softly.

Elfilis placed their hand over Vesa's shoulder as they both walked out of the salon.

"Now we gotta go check on Kirby and Elfilin," Vesa paused, "they might've wandered off somewhere."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Elfilis shrugged with an amused expression on their face.

Vesa didn't say much as she and Elfilis wandered around the commercial district. For a brief moment, they stopped in front of the pawn shop. They took a moment to step inside while noticing a customer was in the middle of exchanging a toaster which he probably didn't need anymore. Once he finished the trade, he left the counter. The clerk shifted his gaze towards Vesa and Elfilis.

The tall angelic lancer returned their gaze, noticing the clerk seemed unnerved by their unblinking stare and large glowing eyes. Elfilis shifted their glance away, not wanting to cause discomfort. The clerk cleared his throat seconds later.

"Do you two have anything to trade in today?" he asked.

Elfilis paused as they and Vesa exchanged glances. The tall angelic lancer pulled a bar of pure gold out of their pocket dimension and placed it on the desk.

"I'd like the equivalent of this in cash," Elfilis requested.

The clerk blinked twice while he examined the bar of gold in front of him.

"This is pretty pure, it's just under 24 carat."

The clerk took out a high tech monocle and held it over the bar of gold.

"I can give you a good price for this," the clerk continued.

Sure enough, he set a large stack of bills on the desk.

"Feel free to count it," he added, "something tells me that you don't particularly care, however."

Elfilis nodded and handed the dollar bills to Vesa, allowing her to stash them in her pocket bangle.

"Thank you, sir!" she smiled.

"Have a nice day," Elfilis added.

The clerk waved them off while Vesa and Elfilis left the pawn shop. They set off to venture through the corridor until they reached the food court. There, they found Kirby and Elfilin surveying the food stands lined up along the circular wall. The small chinchilla perked up his ears when he spotted Vesa out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey!" Elfilin called over, waving his paw, "we're over here!"

Elfilis took a nearby seat while Kirby and Elfilin scampered towards them and Vesa.

"How have you two been doing?" they asked.

"Kirby and I are trying to decide where to get our lunch," Elfilin explained.

"Poyo," Kirby agreed.

"I gathered that," Elfilis remarked with a deadpan tone in their voice.

"Well," Vesa mused, "now that we're here, I guess I'll pick something for lunch, too."

Vesa examined the food stands for a brief moment until one eye spotted a pizza booth.

"How do you guys feel about pizza?" Vesa asked Kirby and Elfilin.

"Poyo!" Kirby chirped, jumping up and down.

"Pizza?" Elfilin gave Vesa a confused look.

"It's a dish originally developed by humans presumably," Elfilis replied, "it's hard to say since, like a lot of things, somehow certain concepts and ideas are universal. It's hard to say who invented it first, much like a lot of things."

"You never had pizza before?" Vesa paused.

Elfilin shrugged.

"Well," Vesa mentioned, "my hometown in Ioskaria had a pizza place my family would dine at sometimes."

"I find that I prefer plain cheese," Elfilis added.

Vesa placed her hand on Elfilis's shoulder, eliciting a blush out of them.

"Ok, I'll keep that in mind," Vesa turned her gaze to Kirby and Elfilin, "as for you two, would you like to come pick out your pizza?"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded eagerly.

"Sure!" Elfilin chirped, "I'd love to try some."

"Thank you," Elfilis smiled.

Smiling, Vesa led Kirby and Elfilin towards the pizza stand and browsed the menu. The clerk greeted them with a smile.

"Welcome! What can I get for you today?" she greeted.

"I would like one slice of pepperoni pizza," Vesa requested, "and one slice of cheese pizza."

Vesa shifted her gaze towards Elfilin.

"Elfilin, what would you like?" she asked the small chinchilla.

"If Elfilis likes plain cheese," Elfilin said, "then I guess I probably would, too."

"Ok then," Vesa returned her gaze to the clerk, "make it two slices of cheese pizza."

The clerk nodded and glanced at Kirby.

"What about you, little guy?" she asked him.

"Poyo!" Kirby clamored.

Vesa's eyes widened in shock.

"You want a whole pizza?!" Vesa exclaimed, "really?!"

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

The clerk burst into laughter. Vesa and Elfilis shared glances.

"I don't see why you're shocked," Elfilis pointed out, "he could probably eat them out of their stock and still come back for seconds."

Vesa blushed while Kirby pointed at the toppings he wanted for his pizza. Once she added the drink orders, she made the payment. They waited a few minutes before the chef brought out their lunch orders, so they took the lunch orders and returned to the table. Vesa handed Elfilis a slice of cheese pizza and a cup of ice water before she took a sip of her lemonade.

"Thank you," Elfilis smiled before they slowly started eating their slice of pizza.

Kirby and Elfilin sat down, the small chinchilla nibbling on his slice while Kirby gulped down a slice of his whole pizza at a time. Elfilis eventually finished their pizza a short while after Vesa and Kirby did. They still had to wait a little longer for Elfilin to finish his slice. After clearing off the table, the four set off to venture through the commercial district, where Vesa took note of what stores she would shop at the next time she came back to the station.

Chapter Text

Fecto Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin returned to Susie's office the next morning. Elfilis pulled a report out of their pocket dimension and held it out, allowing Susie to pluck it out of their hand. She then deployed a drone for Kirby to inhale as he then became Mecha Kirby. Elfilin watched as Kirby set foot into a simulation room, where one wall had a window for Susie to observe the testing she arranged for him.

Elfilis simply sat and watched, having groomed themself efficiently earlier and relishing in their soft and fluffy fur. Vesa took some time to survey the office they were standing in. The office appeared pretty boring as it lacked artistic decorations of any kind. She took note of a bobble head of Susie on the desk, a holographic screen which made up her computer. A poster plastered on the wall had a cat hanging from a tree branch with a slogan in a language she didn't recognize. The cat in the poster was smaller than the cats she's seen in her past, but with small horns coming off its head.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vesa spotted a photo frame at the corner of the desk. In the photo, an egg-shaped man with tousled purple hair and a mustache complete with cyan eyes and disembodied limbs dressed up in a snazzy business suit stood with pride. She shifted her gaze towards Susie, who kept a tablet in her hands as she continued to observe Kirby. Picking up the photo frame, she read the text spelling out the man's name and confirming this was indeed Susie's late father. The woman in question glanced over her shoulder for a brief moment.

"Ma'am?"

Vesa stiffened and put the photo frame back down before she backed away from the desk.

"S-Sorry," she blurted.

Susie sighed and returned her focus to the session. All Vesa could do was approach Elfilis and stand by their side, both of them watching as Kirby fired his blaster cannon at moving targets. The tall angelic lancer nodded at her, while their eyes read the tension in Susie's posture.

Several minutes passed and Kirby finished the testing session when he twirled around, levitated into the air and unleashed two blasts of fire and electricity from his gauntlets and cannons. The pink puffball then made a graceful landing, causing Elfilin to do a happy back flip.

"This is a guaranteed success," Susie commented, "I believe that's most of the things we needed to check. All that's left is seeing if you improve by using it for longer periods of time."

Kirby turned towards Susie and waved his arm.

"Poyo!"

"I'll provide you with some spare drones to take home with you," Susie added, "we have also been experimenting with one of the many Copy Ability Essences that seem to be littering Dreamland now, and are attempting to integrate the ability into it."

Kirby shed his copy ability and set foot back into the office.

"Does that mean we get to go home now?" Elfilin clamored, his tail swayed side to side.

Susie nodded.

"You are free to leave whenever you are ready," Susie advised, "but we'll be moving the space station soon, so sometime within the next 48 hours would be preferable."

Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances in a moment of silence.

"O-Ok," Vesa blurted, "we'll get ready to leave."

While Susie waved her hand to dismiss them, Vesa and Elfilis led Kirby and Elfilin out of the office. They returned to the guest room where Vesa grabbed all of her items from the bathroom and the drawers, stashing them into her pocket bangle. Elfilis also took a short amount of time to clean up any stray fur from their bed and Elfilin's bed, making sure no trace of their genes could be collected.

"Uhm," Elfilin asked, "should we book a ride or something?"

"I can take us back," Elfilis offered, "give me a few moments."

Elfilis took out some stones, wrote some runes on the back and added in a few portal anchors. Vesa took a step back while Kirby and Elfilin watched in awe. The ultimate life-form tossed the stones out into a circle as a portal opened up in the air.

"Everyone through," Elfilis ordered, "this is quite a distance from Popstar, so quickly!"

Vesa nodded and sprinted before she jumped through the portal. Kirby followed suit while Elfilin simply flew through the portal. Elfilis followed through after them, and set foot into Dreamland. The portal shut off seconds later, closing off the other side. Vesa took a moment to straighten her hair and adjust her beret. A brief cold breeze was enough to remind her to button up her coat. Elfilis let out a soft breath in exhaustion. Kirby and Elfilin turned to face the tall angelic lancer and approached him with concerned expressions in their eyes.

"Poyo?"

"It's fine," Elfilis assured Kirby, "I'm just a bit tired."

Elfilis looked over themself as parts of their fur were beginning to liquefy from the amount of strain they were under for a brief period. Elfilin perched on their shoulder and nuzzled their face. He regretted it seconds later when a part of his larger fragment's melting fur dripped onto him. Startled, the small chinchilla tried to rub off the liquid, only for it to melt into his own body. Elfilin hovered a short distance away from Elfilis, still shuddering from the sudden sensation of the biomass fusing with him. He noticed as Elfilis happened to grimace at what just happened.

"S-Sorry," Elfilin blurted, tucking his tail between his feet.

"It's not painful," Elfilis assured him, "it's just uncomfortable."

Elfilis began putting more mental focus to keeping themself from falling apart. Vesa sighed as she sat down next to them.

"Maybe," she offered, "maybe we could rest here for a bit?"

Elfilis shook their head as they rose to their full height.

"I can get us home from here," they corrected.

Vesa stood up as Elfilis pulled her, Kirby and Elfilin through a quick teleport. Soon enough, they arrived in the foyer.

"I'm going to lay down," Elfilis sighed, "let me know if you all need anything."

Vesa nodded just as Elfilis trudged their way to a nearby bathroom. She focused her gaze on Elfilin and Kirby, the small chinchilla perching on top of the pink star warrior.

"So," Elfilin asked, "what will you be doing, Vesa?"

Vesa took a moment to think as she turned her head towards the stairs. She remembered how to reach Hyness's office from there. Come to think of it, how far along was he with the device he brainstormed a while ago? Perhaps with what experience she had from her apprenticeship, she might offer some help seeing it through to its completion. She recollected her conversation with Hyness regarding Gooey. She counted herself lucky she didn't meet the creature in person, but she had a sneaky suspicion that luck might run out.

"I," Vesa told Elfilin, "I'll go look for Hyness and check on him. What about you two?"

"I guess we can go outside and just relax?" Elfilin shrugged, "I still feel kind of...I dunno, icky?"

"Poyo," Kirby cooed.

Vesa smiled as she took off her coat and hooked it on the coat rack.

"Alright," she advised, "you take care and stay safe."

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.

Vesa made a beeline for the stairs while Kirby and Elfilin scurried out the door and through the courtyard. The small chinchilla levitated himself above the ground and took a moment to stretch his limbs.

"Say," Elfilin requested, "can we go hang out at your house?"

Kirby raised his arm in the air and stood on one foot.

"Poyo!"

Kirby and Elfilin scampered along the dirt path across Dreamland, passing by a broom hatter in the middle of sweeping up fallen leaves on the field. Taking a fork in the road, they could see Kirby's house up ahead. They sprinted the last stretch of the path until they reached a close proximity to the house. At that moment, Kirby spotted Meta Knight standing on the chimney.

"Papa poyo!" Kirby chirped, eagerly waving his arms.

Meta Knight took notice of his child and his eyes glowed pink for a brief moment. Elfilin perked up his large ears slightly as the veteran knight leapt off the chimney and landed gracefully in front of them.

"Oh!" Elfilin blurted, "uh, good late morning, Sir Meta Knight!"

"Good morning, Elfilin," Meta Knight nodded at the small chinchilla.

Elfilin blushed cutely while he placed his arm behind his head.

"So what brings you here?" he asked.

"I was waiting for Kirby to return to figure out where you all went," Meta Knight clarified.

Kirby and Elfilin shared befuddled glances for a brief moment.

"Poyo," Kirby mentioned, "Susie poyo?"

"I do," Meta Knight answered, tightening his grip on his cape concealing his lower body.

Elfilin swayed his tail side to side and clasped his paws together.

"Well," Elfilin explained, "Marx and Magolor showed up at the tower a few days ago and told Kirby Miss Susie set up an appointment for him. They let me, Vesa and Elfilis tag along for the trip to her great space station."

Kirby nodded as he waved his arms methodically.

"When we got there," Elfilin continued, "Susie ran some tests on Kirby, and it turns out she was working on a cool new copy ability for him! She needed to do a bit of a medical exam to figure out how to synchronize the new copy ability."

"I see," Meta Knight narrowed his eyes slightly and flashed green briefly.

Little did Kirby know, Meta Knight couldn't help but worry about the potentiality of Susie having collected Kirby's DNA samples. For a moment, the veteran knight's mind flashed to the time when Susie captured him and experimented on him, making him into some kind of machine. There was no way Meta Knight could ever trust Susie after that whole incident.

"Poyo?" Kirby paused.

Meta Knight snapped out of his thoughts and returned his gaze to his son.

"Are you ready to continue your training?" Meta Knight asked.

The veteran knight drew out an ordinary sword and threw it into the air, the blade lodging itself into the grass. Kirby blinked twice and nodded.

"Poyo!"

Kirby grabbed the hilt on the sword and pulled it out of the ground. While he didn't change into his copy ability, he tried figuring out how to pose the sword properly. Elfilin backed up a little with a nervous expression on his face. Meta Knight threw his cape back, revealing himself fully as his sword was drawn in a flash of golden light, soft green and gold sparks jumping off the blade as he seemed to have kicked the training up a notch from last time, using more of Galaxia's power than before. As soon as he revealed his armor and blade, his cape moved in front of him and he vanished. Kirby quickly recalled how Meta Knight handled his sword and tried imitating the position himself.

Kirby felt Meta Knight before he saw him. The veteran knight appeared behind him and swiped his blade just inches from the pink puffball's skin. The electricity coming off the blade zapped him painfully. The veteran knight placed his hand on Kirby's head and flipped over him, kicking him and launching him a distance away. Elfilin shuddered as the pink star warrior crashed into the ground.

"Kirby!" Elfilin panicked.

Elfilin frantically floated over to Kirby just as he was slowly staggering back to his feet. Meta Knight didn't bother to wait as he slashed several sword beams towards the pink star warrior. The small chinchilla flew out of the way to avoid an oncoming sword beam. Kirby saw the sword beams coming and rolled to the side as the projectiles landed on the ground kicking up dirt. He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the dirt particles. A brief moment later, Meta Knight seemed to vanish at pure speed before grabbing the pink puffball roughly. His wings sprouted and flew into the air with Kirby in his grip. Meta Knight tackled him to the ground, causing a huge plume of dirt to erupt around them.

"Do not flinch back," Meta Knight warned, "fight your instinct to do so. You leave yourself open to any number of attacks that way. A moment like this is one an enemy will use to deal a powerful blow if they can."

Kirby stared intently back at Meta Knight while he kept holding onto his sword. What was the veteran knight going to do next? Meta Knight took a step back, spinning his blade in his hand as his eyes narrowed. The veteran knight lunged at Kirby, the Galaxia aiming directly at him. The pink puff could feel the blade barely prick him as another electric shock hit him. Startled, Kirby swung his blade and clashed it against the sword before him. Meta Knight pushed into a sword clash as the Galaxia continued to emit electric sparks. Intimidated by the reflection in the veteran knight's mask, Kirby tried to push back. Without warning, Meta Knight made the little puffball's mistake known as he used the prongs of Galaxia to catch Kirby's blade. With a sharp twist, he disarmed the pink puff and kicked him back into the ground. Meta Knight stood tall as he pointed his sword over his defeated apprentice.

"You shouldn't try to force me back if you're on the backfoot; you need to deflect my blade away from you. You're at a disadvantage, so trying to push me back will not work."

Meta Knight sheathed his blade and held out his gloved hand. Kirby pushed himself up on his arms and gazed back at the veteran knight. After a moment of silence, he grabbed his hand, encouraging Meta Knight to help him to his feet.

Meta Knight found himself wondering if he maybe took it too far. This was partially how he trained his troops, mainly due to how rough things were at the time. There was no time to train gently at that time, as it was do or die. Troops were needed on the field as soon as possible as it was like a meat grinder out there, troops dying on both sides en masse. It was the largest war Meta Knight was involved in and entire planets would be dedicated just to producing weapons for the war effort. When faced with total destruction, any alternative was preferable.

Meta Knight snapped out of his thoughts and gave Kirby a simple nod. Elfilin, who took refuge on a tree branch, floated back towards the pink puff. The veteran knight picked up the discarded sword and propped it up against Kirby's house.

"I'll see you later for further training, Kirby," Meta Knight said, glancing over as his eyes flashed pink momentarily.

Kirby and Elfilin watched as Meta Knight pulled his cape around him and vanished into thin air. The small chinchilla returned his gaze to the pink puff and circled around him.

"Are you ok, Kirby?" Elfilin asked.

"Poyo," Kirby shrugged.

"Aren't you even upset with him?" Elfilin insisted.

Kirby shook his head. Elfilin sighed as he and the pink puff walked into the domed house.

"Well next time, we should do even more to beat him!" Elfilin suggested, "we could maybe try training more with Elfilis, I don't think you have done that at all yet. Maybe they can teach you some tricks?" Elflin says as he hovers around the pink star warrior."

Kirby tilted sideways as he thought over the suggestion. He recalled the first time he fought Elfilis on top of the helicopter pad to rescue Elfilin.

"I mean," Elfilin continued, "now that they're more in control of themself, it might be worth trying to fight them again in a training exercise. I'm not old or strong enough to do anything like that yet myself, but you might be able to learn something from them."

Kirby gave Elfilin a nod of approval.

"Poyo!"

Chapter Text

A month passed since Fecto Elfilis, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin returned from their trip to the Haltmann space station and snow started to fall over Dreamland. As she honed in on her magic skills under Elfilis's supervision, she wondered what winter holidays were celebrated on Popstar. She also kept track of the upcoming wedding ceremony for Marx and Magolor, which should be a week from now.

At the moment, Vesa sat out in the training arena while Elfilis was in a therapy session with Fransisca at the library. She watched as Kirby swung his sword at a training dummy, trying to perfect an upward slash technique. Elfilin waved his paws in encouragement while he nestled in Vesa's navy scarf. The pink puffball whacked the dummy with his practice sword, doing his best to use the stances and techniques Meta Knight showed him before. In between attack techniques, he adjusted his grip on the sword.

At least half an hour passed until she spotted Elfilis out of the corner of her eye as they emerged from the door. Elfilin perked up his ears and waved his paw at his larger fragment.

"Hey!" Elfilin called over, "how'd your therapy session go?"

"I don't know," Elfilis admitted.

Elfilis sat down next to Vesa, glancing over at her and trying to relax a little.

"Well," Vesa returned her gaze, "I hope you got a chance to tell Fran what you needed to tell her."

"I believe I did," Elfilis confirmed.

Vesa smiled at Elfilis before they both focused their eyes on Kirby.

"I never actually handled a sword before," Vesa confessed, "so I have no clue if Kirby here is making progress."

"He seems to be doing okay," Elfilis pointed out, "his stance is a bit sloppy, but he seems to have the general idea."

Kirby paused for a moment and focused his eyes on Elfilis upon hearing their comment.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded as he waved his arm a little.

While Elfilis waved back, Kirby returned his focus to the training dummy and went back to practice stabilizing his grip on the sword.

"I've been thinking," Elfilis mused, "Kirby has great magical potential, but he has so much magical energy I don't think he would be able to use it in any way other than just to force it out of his body in a brief blast of mana, similar to what I have been teaching Elflin."

Elfilin perked his ears up.

"Really?" he blurted.

"Maybe when he grows in age," Elfilis continued, "he would be able to use it better. But with his Copy Abilities, I feel like it would change things. Perhaps he could learn it in his base form. I feel like if he did, then all his Copy Abilities would gain a variant of that skill…specifically the ones that use magic. Those I feel would change the most."

Vesa scratched her head.

"I guess so," Vesa agreed.

"It's something to consider," Elfilis placed their lower jaw in their palm, "it's never a bad idea to have more options in a fight."

Another several minutes passed until Kirby paused to rest. Elfilin emerged from Vesa's scarf and flew over to the pink star warrior.

"Hey, Kirby," Elfilin chirped, "you think you're making progress?"

"Poyo," Kirby answered.

"Good to hear," Elfilin winked as he happily flew around Kirby.

While Elfilin and Kirby continued to chatter, Vesa stood from her seat.

"Say," Vesa asked Elfilis, "would you be up for stopping by the castle and saying hello to Zan?"

"I would love to," Elfilis answered with a small smile.

Elfilis stood up before they followed Vesa through the tower corridor leading into the foyer. Leaving through the courtyard, they started traveling along the dirt path leading to Capupu Village. When they began passing through the town streets, Vesa noticed as some of the residing cappies were in the middle decorating the buildings.

"I wonder what they are doing that for," Elfilis said to themself.

Vesa offered her hand, allowing Elfilis to grasp it.

"I believe my world had a holiday we generally celebrated back then during the winter," Vesa mentioned, "across many countries there, we call it Christmas."

Elfilis perked up their feelers.

"Ah, I see," Elfilis asked with keen interest, "what's this celebration about, specifically?"

Vesa took a moment to think as they continued meandering through the streets.

"Well," Vesa tried to explain, "we would usually decorate our own trees, bake some fresh treats like cookies and pies, and we exchange gifts."

"Oh," Elfilis commented, "we had a holiday quite similar to that."

Vesa's eyes lit up with pique interest.

"Really?"

"Of course," Elfilis nodded, "it sounds similar to Yuletide; a twelve day long holiday celebrating the winter solstice…a time of magical power."

Vesa gave Elfilis a soft smile.

"That sounds amazing!" she chirped, "I guess I'll be looking forward to it."

Soon enough, Vesa and Elfilis reached the other side of Capupu Village and continued along the path leading to Castle Dedede. Passing through the courtyard and stopping at the large door, she nodded at the Waddle Dees guarding the door.

"Excuse me," she called over, "we're here to see Zan Partizanne. Is she available?"

The Waddle Dees gave Vesa a blank stare for a brief moment before they nodded back at her.

"Of course," one of the Waddle Dees answered, "come on in, wanya!"

The Waddle Dees didn't hesitate to open the large doors, allowing Vesa and Elfilis to set foot inside. As they meandered through the corridor, they took notice as Waddle Dees decorated the castle's nooks and crannies with tinsel, lights and the occasional wreath. Soon enough, they stopped just at the entrance to Zan Partizanne's tower, only to notice Fumu was also there waiting with a book in her arms. If anything, Elfilis couldn't help but notice as the tower seemed to have more mechanical upgrades.

"Oh," Vesa blurted, casually waving her hand, "morning, Fumu!"

Fumu paused and gazed back at Vesa.

"Good morning to you as well, Mrs. Vesa," she nodded.

Vesa scratched her head.

"I don't think we're married, yet," Vesa pointed out.

Just then, the door opened and Zan Partizanne stood in front to greet them.

"I assume you're here for your magic lesson, right?" Vesa asked Fumu.

"Of course!" Fumu answered.

Elfilis and Zan Partizanne exchanged glances before the lightning mage gave them a bow.

"Bonjam, Elfilis," she greeted.

"Good morning, sister," Elfilis placed their hand on their chest.

"Well, come on in," Zan beckoned, "I'll prepare the tower for the next lesson soon."

Zan led Elfilis, Vesa and Fumu into the tower. The cabinet minister's daughter took a moment to adjust a brown robe she had been given over the course of her apprenticeship.

"So how have you all been?" Fumu asked, "it's been pretty quiet for me aside from my training. Kirby hasn't been around in a while either so I guess you all must have been pretty busy. Normally, he comes out to play with my brother and I, as well as all the Cappy kids."

Vesa clasped her hands behind her back.

"I believe Kirby started training in combat with Sir Meta Knight last month," Vesa mentioned.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two floating spherical figures, one blue and the other pink with a yellow bow, as they flew around the room sorting books on the shelves.

"Wait," Vesa paused, "who are those two?"

The spherical figures paused and floated over to Vesa.

"We're Lololo," the blue figure waved his hand.

"And Lalala!" the pink figure added.

Elfilis perked up their feelers and folded their arms.

"We work for Sir Parlam's family now!" Lololo explained.

"Yeah," Lalala replied, "he took us in after we lost our castle a few years ago."

Vesa tilted her head.

"Well," she smiled, "pleased to meet you two."

"Nice to meet you, too!" Lololo said.

"Now if you will excuse us," Lalala let out an exasperated sigh, "Fumu's brother came in earlier, got curious and started digging through the books."

Lololo and Lalala nodded back at Vesa before they went back to their chores. Vesa pulled a book from her pocket bangle and flipped it to a page detailing one of the enchantment spells.

"What are you up to?" Elfilis focused their eyes on their girlfriend.