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The screen began to flicker into life, showing a medium-sized rectangular kitchen with grey cabinets, fridge and oven cornering two walls with a window shining streetlights from outside. A voice came from behind the camera's view discerning of a soft-spoken Canadian male. "Ooookay...batteries are good...uhmmm...how do you set the timer on this, ah here it is." Numbers suddenly clicked up onto the screen flickering rapidly past themselves, digitised readout on the screen soon settling in on 10/30/3486. The camera cautiously peeked out of the window showing a one-storey business office across the small road amidst the twilight hour, the sun trickling a blood-orange colour across the great river estuary to the sea. A light came glistening down, amber from the streetlights. There were some people heading back and forth, but the sight that attracted him most was the stretch of a city's rooftops heading straight down towards a single glistening wide river with a long iron bridge heading off towards the distance on its right. "Hmmm." The one who was recording started to move into the living room, a rather nicely-sized place with a coffee table, sofa and TV in the corner with two doors. One to the left of the camera's view and one directly ahead which soon came closer as the wielder approached. "Maryyy!" "Aye?!" "You need any help in there?" "Ahm fiiiiine!" said a Scottish female voice behind the door. "Jus' gettin' mah shoes oan!" "Okaaay!" "Nnnnngh...fuckin' heels cannae bother with-there, finally....hokayyyy ahm readyyy!" "Come on oot." The door slowly opened to reveal a rather strange set of clothing upon a female raptor. A wispy-looking cloak shredded into different pieces, strands of white and purple flickering down beside a pair of legs in black fading bottoms with a pale top shirt. Or rather something resembling old cloth wrappings of a young maid supporting a bust as the creature spun deftly upon a pair of white thick shoes with clawed outlines. The camera panned up, showing clear green eyes bristling with feisty energy upon a brown scaly snout. Her neck had an old scar aged upon it that had turned thick and crusty over the years as the raptoress giggled at the viewer. "Sooooo?" "...w-wow. Um...that's very uh...wispy and ethereal, I...I love it." "Hm...dinnae be TOO enthusiastic." "S-sorry, I just...god even when you're dressed as a ghoul you're beautiful." "Pfffft...hhhha ha ha, nice nice, so ah dinnae haftae buy as much makeup then!" "Hhheheheh." "Come oan, gies a look in thuh mirror." She brought the camera holder into the bedroom showing a brief shot of a queen-sized white bed with two pillows and smooth blue duvet in the grey-walled room with a delightful half-circular windowsill in the corner of the room, showing three windows nestling in around it. The focus soon turned towards the darkest corner of the room where a full-body mirror stood revealing both creatures to the viewer. Standing alongside the raptoress, was a male raptor with grey sallow eyes and a strange welted bump on his forehead wearing a rather fanciful-looking outfit of a pirate corsair with blue-and-white banded shirt, a red bandanna, brown pantaloons pretending to be ragged with plastic belt buckle and lastly a pair of black boots. The raptoress smiled widely clasping at the male's hand, his other hand holding up a rather small-looking rectangular device as if about to take a selfie. "Hmhmhmhm, look at youuuu, you look sae handsome!" "I-i guess this...was the right choice after all." "Better than that cheap-arse one, you got a wee bit o' style oan this 'un." "I uh...I guess, I um...kinda do look somewhat dashing." "You shoulda taken the eyepatch though, ah mean it woulda looked guid!" "I'm not sacrificing my depth perception for a costume." "But you bought thuh hook." "It's detachable, I don't need hands to see." "Tch...hhhhhhnnnnn alrigh' lemme jus-oh shit issat thing oan?!" "Um yes, that's why I've been holding it like this?" "OCH f-fuck hhheeheheehehahaha! Ohhhh ahm all over thuh place, arigh' lemme jus'-" "Is this for anyone this uhhhh recording?" "Nawww, jus' wanted tae keep sum memories of us an' Dundee an' aw." "Ah. I see. It's uh...gonna be weird I admit." Their faces changed with a slight look towards each other, but Mary simply smiled as he grabbed his hand softly with shining rings, one apiece. "Come oan, Charlie's waitin'." "Lemme just grab my hook." She left the room with Gerald tagging along behind her as he fitted the camera into the shirt pocket of his costume, clasping it by its attachment before grabbing a hook from his drawer nearby with cup-shaped socket to place his left hand inside of. Traipsing down the stairs as the view slightly shuddered moving from their home to beyond the door, the sound of their shoes echoed throughout the narrow stone stairwell of their apartment building until they were out onto the street. 59 Lyon Street could be seen briefly across the small cobbled road as another scaly creature would be seen. "AHOY THERE SHIPMATE!" "Hehehe, hey Charlie." "What? Gerald come on." A triceratops, green and husky with a pudgy gut and well-defined horns of grey upon his frilled head having most of his body covered up by his own pirate costume with black vested coat and pants with whitened shirt underneath. "No pirate ever goes just 'hey'." "You don't know that." "I've watched twenty-seven different pirate movies and not one of them said 'hey' for a greeting come on, give'r!" "He has a point Gerald," said Mary, "ah nehvurr ken any pirate tha' said that." "Ugh fine," murmured Gerald, "forgive me fer...bein' late, aye wuz busy with mah ship." "Thaaaaat's better, see it's fun isn't it!?" "S-sorry I just...heh, you're right, so uh where are we going?" "Caird Hall jus' doon that ways, but let's heng oot at thuh Wellgate first an' see if we cannae pick up sum lassies ehh?" "M-mary!" "Whuuut?! You dinnae like wummin Gerald?" "He married you didn't he?" said Charlie winking. "I think he already has enough woman to handle what with you around." "Pffffhaha, awww an' ah wuz hopin' tae give mah hubby a wee birthday present fer a threesome." "Make that four, I'll come by with some pizza so you can 'tip me' some other way." "I'm standing right here," said Gerald awkwardly. "...soooo is that a yes or no?" "......no. No it's not." "KHHhhhhhahahahaha!" With a palming of his face he heard laughing from Mary and Charlie until they hugged him tight, pulling him along down the road amidst the various festive signs and windows showing off their most ghoulish trickery. Skulls of various species, hanging pumpkins and squashes along with rather disgustingly plastic accessories involving floating eyeballs and decaying livers. And that was just the anti-drinking advertisements courtesy of the Dundee City Council that they had to bear with on being responsible about their limits to which Charlie simply rolled his eyes over from seeing. Cars still came back and forth, an odd mixture of both wheeled and non-wheeled vehicles heading to and fro from the market up north on top of the hill that the city was built on. A cold Scottish wind came whistling through the down-sloping street as they entered Den's Road, a turning slant that passed by various ethnic stores selling a variety of international food. American delicacies, Polish cuisine, and a small smattering of halal-friendly establishments conveniently set up near the Islamic mosque and the Sikh gurdwara that were side by side. Almost everyone got into the spirit of Halloween, whether it was a fiendish poster offering treats of unsavoury nature or a hanging CPR body from a flagpole, the grim and most gruesome of humours came out of everyone as people went back and forth from the camera's view. Some were wearing costumes whilst others were just trying to busy their daily lives which ended up causing a rather unusual lineup at the bus stop they came to. A dog and chimpanzee wearing space suits along with a wolf dressed as a sassy-looking witch sat next by a horse in a plain old suit who was just trying to get home on the late-afternoon bus. The shopping centre was opposite of the bus stop, a five-door-wide entrance within a tiny plaza where two other store entrances sat on both sides of the mall's main doorways. A frozen foods store to the left and a furniture store over to the right as they headed in, wider open spaces of cream-coloured floor tiles amidst the fast food court to the far left, a library up above with a set of stairs, a few miscellaneous bookstores and pharmacists to their right and the entirety of the mall itself down two floors of escalators in front of them. With time to kill the two pirates and ghostly vision made their way around to look out for any particularly fun deals that could be made, but found nothing of interest. Heading down to the bottom of the mall, they passed slightly more genteel food courts from a coffee shop inbetween electronics stores before reaching ground floor with a toy store, mini-mart and souvenir shops mostly selling tartan-flavoured stationery. There was a look given from Mary between them as they headed out the east exit of the mall. The city was built on a sloping giant hill, causing everything to slant just a bit with each five steps they took as the thoroughfare of the main street came with a wondrous atmosphere of spine-tingling excitement. Every shop was out on its best foot for Halloween, whether it was making pumpkin pies and party crafts at the local metromart, to the fully-dressed employees of the videogame store resplendent as horrifying creatures.

Canines with drooping eyes, felines disembowelling from inside their suits, humans of skeletal pallour and reptiles with grand capes and fangs all of whom traversed the length of the shopping arcade back and forth between bookstores, media places, banks and clothing shops. At one point they even passed the local lucky dragon statue, sculpted somewhat two thousand years ago as a gorgeously fierce copper-green beast whose tail wrapped thickly around a lamppost. The locals called it Duncan, and it was considered to be the protector of Dundee. People patted it for luck, the thousands upon hundreds of hands and claws that had touched it having left a worn groove of dull brass upon the top of its head. Mary did the same too, giving it a kiss despite Gerald's slight grimace of it being possibly unsanitary before they reached the second mall at least half a mile away, known as the Overgate. That was not their destination however for they turned left at the shopping centre's corner-building front to see a grand open plaza full of strange purple and black tents with charming wonders in the form of souvenirs and bizarre decorations. Beyond this was Caird Hall framing the length of their entire view. Resembling a hall of justice with strong lengthly pillars on each side upon a small flight of steps, it had remained for years as a place of both joy and enlightenment entertaining parties, concerts and conferences. Tonight it was an open party, provided by charities raising money for the local hospitals for anyone to attend whilst in costume, provided they could waiver the entrance free in order to do so. Mary, Gerald and Charlie strode across the plaza with curiosity at all the cheap or handmade relics ranging from skeleton keychains to detachable organs one could plant upon themselves to terrify those dearest to them. Livers were sold out in almost an instant next to hearts and eyeballs with kidneys never quite getting the same sort of success as stomachs or brains would with a tidy profit all circulating towards the charity that was sponsoring the entire night. Soon however Mary blurted out with pointing finger: "OOOH, TAROT CARDS!" "M-mary no," said Gerald half-hearted. "AWWW cummon it'll be fun, let's see whut thuh future holds!" "This is gonna be so cliche you know that stuff is never right." "Gerald, ghosts dinnae exist an' neither do vampires, ah ken it's not real but that doesnae mean we can' have fun, it's like horoscopes!" "To be fair," added Charlie, "that one time it said you were going to come into fortune in your horoscope and you found that twenty-pound note-" "Okay that was different," stated Gerald, "that was a pure coincidence and I returned that money to the counter." "Nobody claimed it though, so you were still twenty quid up." "I-ju-...fiiiine we'll do this silly card thing." "YESSS!" The raptoress dragged her husband straight into a red tent with stars patterning across alongside moons in various wax-and-wane cycles with a sign hung above. Madame Asamina it said as the inside showed a rather sultry-looking monitor lizard of darkest brown scales glistening like polish, sitting in front of a red circular table. "Aaaaaaah, welcome my dears." "Hello," said the pirate politely, "nice to meet you." "Are ye open for tarot readings?" asked the ghost giddily. "I am indeed," said the card reader. "Cross my palm with silver." Mary dug out from her pocket a 50p coin as they sat down on the two chairs provided. "Thank you...now...what would you like to ask the cards my dear Mary and Gerald?" They both looked at each other with a fearful intrigue before Mary asked: "......how'd you ken oor names?" "I have very keen hearing, I only do not know the name of your third friend standing outside." "O-oh...right, hhhhahahaha, ohhhh hokay this is gunna be a lang nigh' um...alrigh', whut-" "Don't ask aboot the future," mumbled Gerald. "Huh?" "Are you afraid of the future?" asked Asamina. "Well...everybody is. I just wanted to pick something a little less obvious, like um...is there anything missing from our life?" "Missing?" "Well it...it's all just-" "Thassa good one!" butted in Mary. "Alrigh', we ask ye, is there anything missing in oor life?" "Hmmmmm...that IS a unique question, hahaha...alright then, we shall consult the cards." From one of her hands planted on the table she lifted to reveal a stack of cards before she flickered through them calmly, shuffling them between her hands whilst staring at both Mary and Gerald intently to the point they were slightly uncomfortable until she stopped. The cards were slapped down and spread across the table like a solitaire win, a set of 21 awaiting their verdict as she continued staring from her dark brown eyes with unflinching focus. She brought out three cards without even looking at them, bringing forth an interesting set. The Emperor. The Empress. The Devil. "Ahhhhh...hhhmhmhm hahaha...how interesting." "Ah huh?" said Gerald whilst rolling his eyes. "Whatsit say?" "That you...are in a struggle for control." "Wait, what?" "You desire to control your surroundings, don't you?" She held up the Emperor, a dark violet card of a noble-looking shadow with armour and royal garterbelt. "Is that why you do not wish to ask me about the future, because you know that you cannot control it?" "I-i just wanted to give you something a little interesting ma'am, please." "Hmhm, you already have. Now you...you're very special my dear." "R-really?" asked Mary. "You are a passionate spirit." She brought up the Empress, a rose-stained card showing a black heart suffixed by a crown on top. "You have a powerful influence upon every single thing that you touch...even long after you shall fade away." "O-o-okay...hhhehehehee this is gettin' a wee bit odd." "What about the missing one?" "Huh?" Lastly, she pulled forth the Devil, a wicked deep red smouldering with a horned skull risen between a male and female face. "A slave to their own impulses, violence runs deep within your blood, both of you. One of you manages to resist such temptation well despite your deep obsessiveness...with the past whilst the other simply embraces it. Covets it. Relishes with deep lustre so to answer your question the one thing that is perhaps missing in your life...is stability." "Um, haha, ah think oor lives are pretty stable actually cuz we got pretty nice jobs an'-" "I'm not talking about your living expenses...I am talking about your souls. Let me give you advice because your eyes, both of you...are intriguing to me." The monitor leaned forwards with a grin slanting across her lips like the harvest moon across a bloodless field. "You are both floating upon a raft across the sea. You must find something that roots you to the very spot, like an anchor for the soul or else you shall be forever roaming unfulfilled together, hand in hand always. Hmhmhm...that is all I can give, sorry for any upset, do have a good night both of you." Her smile was honest but it left them both feeling rather chilled to their skin as they left without saying anything. Charlie was outside waiting with arms crossed as he saw the look on their faces. "You alright?" "She was," stuttered Gerald, "s-strangely precise aboot...things." "Oh really? Like what?" "Well...sh-she found out I'm a bit of a control freak for starters and Mary is...rather wild and impulsive." "PFFFT, oh come on THAT'S what she told you?! How much did she ask for that reading?!" "Aboot...fifty pence?" replied Mary. "I coulda told you that, anybody could!" "R-really?!" "One look at both of you and that's anybody's guess, these kind of people are just all cold readers like professional level, they obviously saw you and all your traits like the fact that Gerald's claws are evenly groomed to be the same length as each other and he always has his fingers pretty tightly wound. Of course he's kind of exact aboot things, and then you got Mary who just the feistiest funny girl with how her entire body just moves like she's about to punch something, plus yanno you got scars more than most people should in your occupation!" "Whut?! Ahm a doctor, ahm usin' sharp things an' handlin' bodies every day!" "Well how'd you get that mark on your neck then?" She rubbed the deep scar that could just be seen on the camera's point of view showing where the extra skin had grown straight across the wound. It was lumpy and whorled with blackened lines that wrapped slightly diagonal from the right side of her jaw and down across her throat. "Um...a-acid? Ah had a fight with a gurl back in high school cuz she wuz a racist bitch an' she uh...threw acid at mah face, hydrochloric ah think it wuz?" "And what did you do to her?" "Ah beat her fuckin' face against the wall 'til she wuz bleedin' from a skull fracture, then ah kicked her right in' the cunt across the fuckin' hall." "Did you really have to explain all of that?" said Gerald nervously. "Well he did ask!" "Yeah but, could you at least not sound so happy aboot it?" "Bitch scarred mah fuckin' neck she wuz lucky ah let 'er live!" "But, see," continued Charlie, "that's my point, you take one look at that and think 'hey, this girl musta been in some shit' like come on, both of you aren't exactly hard to read and I'm just some fat nerd." "...huh...yeah uh...ken whut, yer righ', dinnae lissen to that pish Gerald that's just auld sleigh' of hand stuff!" "Y-yeah," added Gerald, "yeah you're...y-you're right, you uh, really nailed that on the spot, thanks Charlie." "No problem," said the fat nerd, "now come on, let's see what freaks are hanging oot at the hall besides us." Throngs of people came slowly like hordes of the undead towards the great Caird hall giving anyone excuse to dress up from the embarrassing dad with full cowboy getup, to the perkiest children with superhero costumes and secret identities. Even their parents had no idea who they were amongst their giggling excitement as families and work colleagues banded together in the greatest auditorium within. Normally it would be for concerts but for now it was a wide spacious floor with tables set up along each side offering drinks, non-alcoholic of course for the sake of the little ones. There were also some games mainly revolving around the classics of apple bobbing, soft velcro darts, ball in the basket and of course the best costume competition with prizes for the top three contestants. Like three stooges bumbling their way through the mixed denizens of Dundee, they arrived inside the hall as Mary almost instantly went straight for the pastry section to grab herself some sausage rolls, all the meat being quorn-based naturally. Charlie joined in whilst Gerald decided to play safe with some finely-wrapped ham rolls still with camera turned on in his pocket, whilst Mary found her colleagues. "ANDY! A-ANDY OVER HERE!" "EYYYYY MARY!" She floated her way across towards three dogs all standing together, two female and one male. A chocolate brown labrador dressed like an Egyptian pharaoh, a dalmatian dressed in a rather slim samurai outfit with one eyepatch on her face, and lastly a border collie in post-apocalyptic rusted armour. They all greeted the raptoress with wagging tails as the pharaoh started: "Niiiice outfit lass!" "Heehee, thanks! Howsit gaein'?" "Braw! We already hit halfway tae the target goal on entry fees alone!" "Aw nice! Sooo uh, are you lot bein' anyone specific or?" "Well ah wanted to try a bit of Anubis, ken. Actually no ahm being Senusret the First." "Ahm Date Masamune," said the samurai, "ken the patch?" "Glad one of us got the right idea," said Charlie nudging Gerald. "What about you Mad Max, what you playing as?" "Aw come on!" cried the wasteland warrior. "That's the fuckin' seventh time someone said that, does ANYONE not know fuckin' history?!" "To be fair," added Gerald, "I don't think anyone got Date Masamune, plus I never even heard of Senusret. Are you the first canine anthro, Hansel?" "YES! Finally someone gets it, Hansel Weber, is it really that hard?" "I don't know, I just thought the connection was right." "I told you to get the nazi outfit," said the pharaoh, "they were on half-sale." "Fuck no!" shouted Hansel. "I HATE leather outfits, I sweat like a fuckin' pig!" "Woah language mate, keep it doon." "Sorry...besides I'd rather be dressed like a badass instead of, yanno, cowards from history. I mean if we were all gonna pick cowards to dress up as we might as well start bein' members of parliament." "Don't...don't do political humour please, it's too early for that." "It's fucking half-six." "I know." "So!" interrupted Date the dalmatian. "How's you Mary?" "Ahm fine!" replied Mary. "Jus' here hengin' aboot, ken there's sum good sausages up there." "Ohhh aye, Greg made 'em!" "Whut, po-faced Greg?!" "Aye he's a fuckin' smashin' cook, what a beast in the kitchen!" "Ah never knew, awwww ah haftae tell 'im!" "You daein' alrigh' Gerald!?" "Whu-...OH," stammered the pirate, "um, yes thank you, how's uh...how's you?" "Ahm great!" "Good good...great party huh?" "Hehehe, aye, love the costume!" "Mary picked it for me...it's nice." "Sooo uh, whut theme you all goin' fer, ah get you two are pirates but why's Mary a ghost?" "Oh uh...um...we-" "Gerald's a lone pirate," said Mary saving him, "with nae memory of his family searchin' fer a purpose in life, whereas I am a spirit who has been wronged and demandin' justice to be avenged before ah picked this sweet kind-hearted corsair to help bring peace to me." "Awwwwwwww," said the dalmatian, "that's so sweeeeet, you should write a novel that sounds nae bad OH that reminds me, Mary, ken whut happened wi' Barry, well-" Gerald softly chewed on his ham roll whilst Mary bantered with her colleagues, looking even more out of place as he made the smallest shuffling away from the conversation that he could as if trying to disappear into the wall. Charlie however came to his side to save his sanity with another topic to keep him company with: "You managed watch that Guns movie I told you aboot?" "Oh, y-yeah I did, Mary watched it too." "Fuckin' masterpiece right? I was in tears from that, what was your fave part?" "Um...th-the part where...the Nigerian kid was on that cliff." "Ohh god I was so afraid he was gonna jump." "Jesus I know, I mean he was...just...edging closer and closer I-i-i almost...hhhhhoh jeez-" "Hahaha, I'm sorry dude, I didn't mean-" "No no it's...fine," murmured Gerald, "it was a really good movie, thank you for recommending it." "No problem," said Charlie smiling, "kind of a shame you an' I don't go to movies together anymore." "I don't...really do it with Mary either." "That's not what I mean, I'm just-...sorry, I just remembered why." "To be fair I...should have known aboot that ending part of Robin Hood, I mean almost everybody knows that one Disney movie." "Well...at least you'll be first in line to point everybody oot the fire doors right?!" "Eheheh, ummmm...yeaaah I think I'm gonna stay in for Bonfire Night." "That sounds good by me, what about fireworks, you alright with those?" "Y-yeah I'm fine with those, I can handle gunshots and fireworks and small banging sounds just when there's a...b-big fire I-i-i-" "Okay okay, just calm down dude. Wanted to make sure before I start bringin' any missile packs to the house." "Please don't." The thick-chested triceratops swung his arm around Gerald's back with a tender chuckle and pulled him tightly causing the camera to jostle against his shirt. Eventually Mary pulled them back into the conversation with the three dogs by asking them: "OY, boys, did you no' have a band back hame?!" "Uhh yeah we did!" said Charlie. "Did Gerald not tell you?" "Naw he did, bu' Sally's no' heard it, she wuz goin' oan aboot karaoke that she did last week an' AH said that Gerald has a wonderful voice." "Ah ken Mary can tell a fib," said Sally the samurai, "so mebbe verify it fer us, did you really have a band?!" "We did," replied the trike, "it was called Bognose, cuz Gerald here's a bluenoser an' I'm a bogtrotter." "Whussat noo?!" "He means," explained Gerald, "that I came from Nova Scotia whilst he's from New Brunswick. It's just slang, you know." "O-ohhhhhh...well, ah admit Bognose isnae a bad name fer a band, ah mean ah heard worse! Whut sorta music you played then?!" "M-more or less progressive stuff, It was really just both of us, Charlie had this keyboard he managed to rig out to play ten different instruments sorta like a fake group, whilst I was just singing." "You win any awards?" "Only two," added Charlie, "We won six-hundred at the Caravan Steakhouse for coming in first place, and then in college I think we got uhhhh...the-what was it again?" "The Nopper Award," replied Gerald smiling, "special award for the best untrained newcomer in a music contest, lot of people thought we were better than most of the professionals." "Only cuz of you, your voice really carried us yanno, my keyboarding is shit." "No it's not, you're great at music! You really understand how to alter your timbre moving inbetween time signatures, like that one time you went from three-four to five-twenty-four, I mean that was great!" "Hhhhahahahaha, god you're such a keener dude." Mary's smile of beaming pride was evident upon the camera's view before they moved on towards the rest of the night. It was only but an hour and a half later that all the children were soon heading out with their families before bedtime as the rest of the adults began turning the night towards more saucy engagements. Gerald gave little contribution as various colleagues of both him and Mary would become part of greater conversation, and it was only until he found his office floor supervisor that he began to veer off from his wife whilst Charlie joined him. "Heeeeeeey Geraaaald, Charliiiie." "Hehehe hey Tom."

They met a rather sharp-looking hyena with an American accent, who had the most immaculate neckfur in existence whilst wearing a rather strangely elegant red-and-black cloak complete with a bronze staff shaped like a cobra. "Nice pirate digs boys, anyone in particular?" "Nah, nice Jafar outfit." "Thanks! I modified my cane to look pretty good at it huh?" "Looks pretty skookum yeah." "Yanno you shoulda gone with Captain Hook, I mean you got half of it right here." "I couldn't find the right costume." "We tried to," said Charlie, "I was gonna be Smee, whilst he was gonna be Hook and Mary was gonna be Peter Pan." "Ohhhh yeah," asked Tom, "your wife here too?" "She's over there someplace," replied Gerald, "found all her friends from the hospital." "Do you two watch...I mean this, just, something that popped into my head but, do you two watch any hospital dramas or-" "Some of them. She tells me which ones are accurate and some which are not which she considers trash, she gets kinda angry when they mix up stuff." "Hahahaha, well I mean we're the same watching legal shows." "I don't watch those. Besides, we're not criminal attorneys, we work in patents, that's different." "Right...heh." Gerald drank from a small cup of orange juice as the hyena rolled his eyes before pulling out a small flask he had stowed away in his folds. "Need something to top you up champ?" "Wha-...T-tom, that's not allowed-" "Oh come on, the kids are gone." "We're driving thanks," added Charlie firmly, "better safe than sorry." "Suit yourself...by the way, you guys ever find that Peterson file?" "Uhhh yeah we did, thought I handed that in." "When?" "Thursday." "What time was that?" "Aaaach I was just leavin', I know I HAD the file, I must not have put it in yet, must be on my desk still." "Get it back to me before the fourth okay Henderson? Campbell." Tom stepped in closer with a sudden slap of his hand on Gerald's shoulder which made it sting slightly. "You know I know almost nothing about you, which is pretty surprising considering how friendly everybody is with me. You're the real epitome of a worker, always keeping your head down never wasting a moment to stop and think, you're like a fucking machine. Heh...almost makes me wanna start undressin' ya just so I can find yer licence number." "Ehhhheheh, yeaaaah I...my parents gave birth to me on a conveyor belt." "Hah! Haha, okay then, I gotta catch up with Donovan, I see him over there skulkin' round, HEY DONNY! Later." Jafar's impersonator walked off from the two saurians who drank calmly from their juice cups, with Gerald softly scratching the side of his face with his plastic hook. "I don't really like him." "He's a fucking dick," said Charlie, "makes me kinda miss Alvin back home, you remember that guy?" "Ohhhhhh jeez, don't remind me of him." "What, at least he was harmless! Sure his jokes were bad but you know people would miss him everytime he got sick and we hadn't heard his puns all that day." "Most people don't use puns for a coping mechanism Charlie." "No...but, you know, different strokes." "You think he would have stopped the puns after he survived the treatment. I'm glad he did though, he's a really nice guy, he always bought me new ink when I needed it." "Well some people just can't give it up, we should probably call in a support group like uhhh...something, Pundits Anonymous." "More like Punonymous," mumbled the raptor, "cuz that way you got the...P.P...thing." The triceratops looked at Gerald with the face of pure disgust as if he had just confessed to having sex with a fish before he slowly turned away. "I'm leaving goodbye." "Wait, wha-Charlie come ooon!" "Nooope that's it, we can't be friends anymore, I didn't sign up for this bullshit." "Wha-ju-nooooo!" "Hhhhhahahahaha...god you are cute." "D-d-don't c-call me that!" stuttered Gerald with bashful voice. "You're not helping when you start blushing like that." "NNNNGHHH!" Charlie simply chuckled away happily whilst Gerald softly laughed with an honest smile. Yet there was something else slightly breaking in his voice as the triceratops gave a slight look of sadness seeing the discomfort more clearly upon his friend's face before asking: "You alright? I mean, I know you're not big on parties bu-" "It's not that...mainly, it's just...just today and everything." "What you mean, did something happen?" "It-...you don't remember what day it is?" The triceratops shook his head in puzzlement before Gerald suddenly spoke deep and rasping with a primal sound in his throat that terrified Charlie. "Cxu-rho-khuu SHKRIEH." "...h-h-hhhoh jesus why do you even-h-how do you...DO that shit?" "They taught us back at the sanctum how to reach back into our language. All the ancient Pangaean stuff, today's what we call 'the Day of Ashen Skies' to...celebrate, no not really it's more like our rememberance for the second trial of our ancestors. First was the Day of Fire's Scream, cxu-lub-cah. Then it was the Ashen Skies, cxu-rho-khuu shkrieh. And lastly...it will be the Coldest Sleep, cxu-hhrr-hrrah, to mark the anniversary of our species' death...until the rebirth in this late eon we stand in. I wish I could forget all of this." "Then stop keeping it alive, fuck's sake I thought we were done with all this." "I know...I'm sorry, I just...h-hate the way my mind keeps thinking things and...trying to correlate all of this, I just wanna forget...I-i just...I just wanna forget." The camera was sent into blackness briefly as Charlie stepped in close to give a firm hug, presenting a very intimate closeup of his huskier midriff as Gerald's voice started to tremble. "I-i...I don't...I-i-i don't wanna remember these names anymore Charlie, I wish my mind would just f-fucking stop doing this to me but it's burned into my head-" "Shhhhh...it's okay...come on, they don't got any power over you now. You're here now, with me, and with Mary. You don't got to give a shit about your parents anymore or whatever cult shit they get up to." "I-i know...I just...I just wish-" "Stop it. Stop torturing yourself, you have a great job and a wonderful wife." "...I don't deserve you." The trike slowly pulled back as his body twitched slightly with a great insult. "Don't. Ever say that to me." "Wh-wh-what?" "You have no right to say what you don't deserve, what the fuck makes you say that dude?!" "You...y-y-you took me along with you, I-i wasn't even the best person you coulda taken with you to Dundee, there were other people." "You're my best friend. I know you, I would have taken you with me regardless of what's happening all with you because you're a great worker, and I knew you would flourish out here without having to hide from your family. I never seen anybody else memorise a fuckin' bank receipt come on you were a shoe-in!" "B-but...but now I'm leaving you...Mary, sh-she's got this job in London a-a-and I'm abandoning you, because...b-because I wanna support her but it's not FAIR to you Charlie!" "What? Is that what this is?! Khhhh! Hhhahaha, G-gerald, come on, you really think that?! I'm not upset about you moving away, we talked about this!" "You're...y-you're not?" "Noooo what, come on dude seriously! I know you love her deeply, trust me, I know you wanna follow her, that doesn't mean we're gonna not be friends anymore, we got videophones for that! We can still talk to each other when you're free, just because you're not gonna be working around the same office doesn't mean I'll just forget aboot you. I know you won't forget aboot me. Heck it's gonna cost cheap to call you since we're all still on the same island right? Come on." His large thick green hands gently pressed above the camera's view wiping away tears from the raptor's face. "You don't owe me nothing. Okay? You're not betraying me, you're not being some kinda hypocrite, I know you. Alright?" "I'm sorry...I-i-i just...I'm scared." "I know you're not great at moving to new places...but you can do it. You managed to come oot here didn't you, look what we did! We became free males living out here with our own places and you landed a sweet-ass lady that loves you to pieces. That's worth following, believe me I would be doing the same." "You sure?" "Positive. Now come on, let's go grab Mary and see if we can't find some real fun aboot this place." "Okay...thanks, bogface." "Shut up bluehead." "Hhhahahahaa."

Heading back through the crowd of strange beasts comprised of at least green, purple, red and brown in their costumed catastrophe, he found Mary in her white-and-purple garments surrounded by several people from his office, whilst narrating the strangest operation she had ever taken part in. "SO, this human comes in righ' with this huuuuge basturd piece o' glass stickin' oot of his heid, an' it's fucked' up eeeeevery part an' signal of his body." "Jesus," murmured one zombie human, "how'd he even survive?" "It wuz real lucky, ah mean it wuz like RIGHT IN THUH FUCKIN' HEID like a KNIFE, SHHHUNK!" She slammed a fist straight into the front of her skull with eyes piercing green in recanting. "An' of course that made it difficult cuz you cannae jus' open 'im up, we had tae extract the glass first, but if we did, we mighta scraped even worse a part of his brain. Sooooo we had tae keep him awake, cover his eyes with protective shielding so nae glass fell oot oan him." "No anaesthetic?" asked a bloody butcher. "Oh god that must have been painful!" "Naw actually, cuz see there's no pain receptors in thuh brain, it's got nae nociceptors to receive pain so if ah poked an' slapped yae aroond thuh heid you wouldnae feel it, it's thuh scalp an' aww thuh skin aroond yer heid that has all thuh pain." "What about a headache though, I mean-" "That's pressure in yer heid from all thuh blood vessels, there's like nine areas of yer heid that have pain receptors like the periosteum, the muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, subcutaneous tissues, eyes, ears, sinuses an' mucous membranes. So this guy's FACE is really hurtin' but if ah tap his brain, as in the ACTUAL brain tissue then he's no' gonna feel it, that's not where yer headaches are." "Ohhhh okay, huh that's neat." "So anyways this guy we had tae open up carefully, an' found that thuh shard went straiiiiight past thuh frontal lobe and temporal lobe, stoppin' just short of-...can ah use you fer a sec?" The raptoress pointed with a claw on one human's skull that just stopped above his eyebrows as he willingly became a practice model. "Riiiiight here...slantin' diagonal, an' he wuz havin' all sortsa problems, we couldnae get a word out of him, he started speakin' Swedish fer sum reason, he's from fuckin' Liverpool!" Pause for laughter at such a strange turn of events. "He cannae see oot his left eye, he wuz cryin' an' laughin' back an' forth which wuz REALLY disturbin' but the worst part wuz...do you know whut the amygdala is? No? It's righ' here." She pointed once again at the same spot on the human's head. "It's whut controls all yer emotions, yer motivations an' also whut memories are most important tae store in. it ALSO controls all yer sexual desires, an' when we tried tae sloooowly extract thuh shard oot of him...vwwwoooooooo-PUH!" Her hand went sliding upwards like a slot machine lever. "Fuckin'...huge, bastard, cock. We all near shat oorselves it came oota NOWHERE like this fuckin' shadow!" "Hohoholy shit!" cried a scaly vampire. "How big was he?!" "Let's jus' say that doctor Matherson wuznae thuh biggest tool in thuh operatin' theatre that day. Twelve. Solid. Inches, an' it wuz a meaaaan throbbin' basturd an' because the shard wuz puttin' pressure on his amygdala, that wuz causin' it to drip like a fuckin' faucet, OH HEY GERALD!" The raptoress finally noticed his most awkward-looking stare as she waved to him. "Ahm jus' tellin' 'em aboot that huge knob in surgery!" "Th-that's fine, carry on! ...ohhh jeez." If Gerald ever wanted to sink into the earth and disappear it was that moment, his shame almost palpable through the camera lens as Mary continued with her story: "We took pictures an' everythin'! Like holy shit it wuz BIG fer a human, ah mean ah wanted tae put a little hat oan it but Matherson said we were puttin' the patient through enough embarrassment, like WHUT EMBARASSMENT HE'S FUCKIN' HUNG JESUS!" Laughter erupted all around her as she cackled with them, feeling a little shameful but enjoying the story too much as they laughed harder and harder with each new sentence mary spoke before one sheep dressed in a witch's cloak and hat piped up with: "W-was he alrigh'?!" "Oh yeaaaaaah he wuz fine, we got it oot nae bather, all his functions returnin' back tae him once the pressure thuh shard left oan his brain began tae swell doon. Wuz a real fuckin' crazy operation cuz his dick jus' wasnae goin' doon, it started to get wet an' hooooooly shit-snrrrrrk...hhhmhmhmhahahhaha, we had tae get sae many towels rushin' back an' forth, one of thuh nurses doon thuh hall wuz shoutin' 'IS SOMEONE BLEEDING BACK THERE' an' ahm shoutin' 'NAW HE'S CUMMIN' ALL OVER THUH PLACE IT'S LIKE A FUCKIN' PORNO SET JESUS GRAB SUM TOWELS!' an' this guy is jus' sittin' there fuckin' ejaculatin' in French to boot like 'OHHHH BORDEL DE MERDE' like ah dinnae ken whut thuh fuck that means but jesus his baws musta been hurtin' hhhhahahaha!" Even her husband was starting to crack up, more for her infectious laugh bawdry as the day she met him rather than the tale itself, whilst Charlie was bursting out with quite a chortle from his thick throat. Eventually the audience turned to the male raptor amidst their cackling with one lioness in deep-scarring leather jacket: "Gerald you never told us yer wife wuz THIS crazy I mean jeez, I swear I'm gonna pop a lung from this!" "Same here!" said the human zombie. "You got any stories like what she's been tellin' us?! Come on you must have something from all the times you had." "Um," stammered Gerald, "I-i-i-um, n-n-not...r-really I uh, um, eeh, not really as active or as been in much excitement as Mary but then I-" "PFFT yes you 'ave!" shouted Mary herself. "Tell them that time we were on thuh train to Inverness, remember, that couple!?" "......oh, r-really? Are you s-sure they wanna hear it?" "AYE go oan, that one pisses me righ' up the wall, this one is great let 'im tell it!" The audience was destroying his soul with the most piercing stares of expectation. He wanted to crawl into his own skin and disappear but Mary nodded behind the crowd silently encouraging him knowing exactly what he needed as he nodded sighing firmly. "A-alright then...well this...was back when I was with Mary, we went up to Inverness, just a small touristy thing, went out and went all over to see the sights, you know, Loch Ness and whatnot, and uh...we were in this...train, the uh line that stretches out from Dundee." "Go oan," said his wife with eagerness. "So I was just there, with my wife and uh, it was pretty spacious, not too cramped but right at one end of the compartment...there was a couple who were um...having sex. Straight out on the seats." He could feel the eyes of the audience soften with confusion as he pushed himself onwards despite a shaking voice. "They were um...actively, engaging with each other like, their pants down and e-everything, and everybody was looking away, staring into their papers really embarrassed, so was I quite frankly. But then they stopped and then one of them starts to light up with a cigarette. And I just walk over to them and just said straight up 'excuse me...but I think you'll find this is the non-smoking compartment'." A brief silence as they contemplated the strange story before a delayed laughter suddenly hit them, sniggering voices turning into snorts of laughter. "Hhhmhmhmhahahaha, HAHAHAHAHHAA, OHO MY GOD! THAT IS SO YOU!" "HHUHUHUHAHA, G-GERALD, GOD DAMMIT, what the hell?!" "No no wait," added Mary, "that wuznae thuh best part, tell 'em sweetie!" A smile came firm along Gerald's lips with confidence as he ended the story fully with: "The guy actually looks at me and then, puts it out saying 'oh I'm terribly sorry I didn't realise', a-as if THAT was the big problem, no no, it's fine, you just wear your pants around your ankles on the train, that's not a problem like WHAT?!" "HHHAHAHAHAHAHAA, OHO JESUS that is great!" Mary smiled back at him as he raised a cup of gratitude to her before she returned the gesture. Soon however the party was turning late, and the three decided to head out before making their way down towards the south street where the fast food restaurant was. "You wanna go grab a gut bomb?" asked Charlie. "Fuck yes ahm sterving," shuddered Mary. "You had three sausage rolls," replied Gerald. "Ahm rushin' back an' forth doon hallways always oan mah feet mister!" "Right, point taken so, shall I pay?" "No no I'm paying," boasted Charlie. "You guys paid for the costumes so I'll pay for your treat." "Really? I mean it's not any trouble-" "Hey, it's on me, my two favourite raptors so come on let's hunt." Sitting inside the fast food restaurant, Gerald politely ate up two plain cheeseburgers with bacon strips, whilst Mary wolfed down an entire pack of twenty nuggets without even stopping once and lastly Charlie settled on the most unhealthy salad ever made in existence. The various sauces alone gave Gerald's bacon a run for their money as people walked back and forth, the monsters feasting at the late-night hour as they sat two tables away from three old hags sniggering to each other as Gerald smirked. "Looks like the thane of Cawdor's gonna have a bad time." "Ugh dinnae fuckin'-nnngh," said Mary growling, "ah fuckin' hate that play." "I know, you told me." "Ah had to dae it TWICE in high school, whut thuh fuck." "Not as bad as Arthur Miller," said Charlie, "remember A View From The Bridge?" "Uuuuuugh," winced the pirate raptor, "that was the most tedious thing to write aboot." "Whussit aboot?" asked Mary. "Italian-Americans arguing and being racist aboot other Italians, basically." "See that should sound fun, but-" "There's plenty other movies aboot the same thing and are a lot more exciting...and involving...and have better dialogue." "Wow, someone's salty." "Not as salty as that salad." "Whuh?" mumbled Charlie. "Seriously that pile of leaves can kill slugs in like half a second." "Hey, I can worry aboot eatin' healthy AFTER Halloween, nobody should be allowed to eat healthy on Halloween." "He's right Gerald," said the wife, "practically illegal by this point." "You're Scottish, eating healthy is a foreign cuisine." "OHO AHM SORREH?!" Gerald almost panicked seeing the sneer in Mary's lip before realising the mock tone of her voice. "YOU come from a country that pours cheese curds and gravy on top of fries!" "Hey that shit's delicious, come on!" "Mah point exactly, so dinnae gimme any shite aboot cuisine mister porky-boy!" "Hhheheheheh, alright, you win, besides you're a doctor I mean you must know all the good ways to eat." "It's no' sae much thuh diet but rather the exercise, you can eat most crap so lang as you burn it aff an' not let it store away in yer fat folds." "I've been taking rounds on my lunch break, walk around a whole forty minutes up to the mosque, straight back doon an' through the Overgate." "That's good! Ahm glad you been daein' it, you go with him Gerald?" "Sometimes," said the husband, "when it's not so dreary." "Bein' inside when it's cald is nae always good fer you, all that indoors air can be pretty bad." "I go walk enough, don't worry." "Hmhmhaha." She leaned over to give a peck on the cheek before Gerald turned it into a full-on kiss of the lips, finishing up their meal before they left heading straight back to their apartment home amidst drunkards that greeted the world of ghosts and goblins with open arms and a terrible song from their smoke-breathing throats. The Wellgate mall had been closed after hours and as a result they had to wind their way back up the steep hill by going a long circling road back to the bus stop. Northwards they went passing the two temples and food shops until back outside Lyon Street. "NNnnnrrrrrrgh," Charlie grunted stretching out, "that was a good night." "It wuz!" cried Mary. "Ah had great fun, thanks fer bein' with us Charlie." "No problem...you uh, got a mickey on you?" "You mean this?" Mary grinned with a small bottle she had stowed away within her spectral folds. "Managed to pick up a few things from bein' with you arseholes." "Hey this asshole managed to down a quart of screech back upriver, I'd like to see you try sometime." "Pfffft, ah dinnae ken whut new world backwater shite they serve up in your neck o' thuh woods but REAL drinks lahk we make 'em'll put sum real hair oan yer chest!" "That would be a sight to see," said Gerald sardonically. "Woah, damn, look at this shit, you hearing this Mary?" "HAH, you got nae right, yer smoother than a baby's arse!" "I like to look clean, what's the problem?" "Hahahaha...alrigh' then, les' head oan in, night Charlie!" "Night Charlie." "Ey-ey-ey cummere." The triceratops grabbed both raptors and squeezed them tight in a thick hug putting their heads on both his shoulders with a heavy pat. "Mmmmm I'll see ya Monday alright? If not before then, nighters." "G'niiight!" Heading back inside their apartment, Gerald was first to slip off his pirate shirt hanging it on the mirror in their bedroom without remembering to take the camera out. The shot from the viewer gave a somewhat-lopsided look at their bed with triptych window alongside it in the opposite corner showing amber streetlight from outside. Gerald had another shirt underneath, a buttoned cotton fabric of soft blue as he sighed with relief. "Hoooo...that was fun." "It wuz, ahm glad we went!" Mary was not so quick to take off her costume as the flowing spectral cloth swept behind her whilst sliding up towards her husband. "Did you have fun?" "Mmmm...I was expecting some sort of carnival, but I guess it was fun telling stories." "It always is! Sooooo whut you wanna dae tonight?" "I dunno...I'm not tired yet." "Mmmwellll...ah can make you tired maybe...mah brave sweet pirate." Her teeth glinted sharply from her lip as she swept her hands around his neck, kissing him deeply. He gave no resistance as he embraced her thick in return, pushing his tongue thick into her mouth amidst whimpering noises from both of their throats. He suddenly became incensed, planting his teeth upon her neck like a rabid wolf before his tongue slathered across her skin. "H-hhhhh...o-ohhhh SUMBODY's f-feisty." "W-well we...h-haven't had any time, to ourselves lately...h-hhhhh." "Mmmnnnngh...r-right...god, Gerald...you wan' maybe 'avenge' me tonight?" "What do you have in mind?" She whispered something into his ear which suddenly set him a frenzy, biting her in such a way that she squealed almost bursting into a giggling fit. "AIIIE! G-G-GERALD, S-STOP-hmhmHAHA! HHHHHAHAHAIII TH-THAT TICKLES!" "You're more a banshee than a ghost with that cute squeal of yours...mmmph!" "AAAAAH! O-OH! Hhhhh...hhhhhoh sh-shit r-righ' there, f-fuck Gerald! ...hmhmhm, yer camera's on." "Wha...oh, d-damnit I forgot aboot tha-" "No no...let it watch." A smile came deviously across her lips like a she-devil, groping her hands right across Gerald's back until squeezing his rump. "Ah said we wanted tae keep sum memories of oor days in Dundee...let's make this one of 'em." "Al-...a-alright...god...this f-feels so kinky." "I know...ah luv it." She stepped back slightly in order to slip off completely her ghostly robed costume with her husband shuddering hotly at the sight of her, obscured by his back facing towards the camera as she kicked off her heels behind her and slipped her jeans down with but two flicks of her wrist. He grabbed her tightly by the hips after unbuttoning his shirt before the two kissed deeply, grinding their naked chests against each other as their eyes closed in passionate gasps that stifled the other's breath. Groans of need burst through inside of them rumbling thick across the air as their cheeks pulsated with their tongues suckling against the inside. "HHHHH! Nnnngh...mmmmphhh..." He pulled briefly away amidst both panting with tongues hanging hungrily before he spoke: "You're the only one that could make me feel like this." "Feel...like wh-what?" "Safe. I always feel...safe, with you Mary."

The camera froze, stopping both within each other's embrace permanently as a raptor's face appeared glinting across the screen of the PDA, flickering, showing purple marks bleakly on his snout. He watched the PDA slowly turn itself off after finishing the recording, a slight wincing sigh coming over James' face as Koopin leaned his head against his shoulder whilst sitting up against the bed's headrest. "Are you okay?" "......I...I don't know." "I'm sorry." "...it's okay. I'm just...not sure how to feel, I mean...I didn't know either of them and it's nice to find out more about them but for some reason I'm just...not as sad as I thought I would be. I feel kinda worse because of that, I want to feel more upset, like this is the fourth vid that I've seen on this an-" "It's alright. Nobody's judging you because you're not crying your eyes out you know? Maybe it's because you don't feel that connected to them. I mean like you said, you didn't know them very long." "I guess...but still, at least I can honour them a little with this." "Right. Heheh, your mom is really a lot like you, I mean her dialect was kinda weird but she was really feisty." "It's Scottish...I think, but...yeah she kind of is, hah. I never thought she'd be like that, especially after hearing she was a scientist, I was expecting more like...someone stuffy and uptight and-" "Like your father?" "...yes." James smirked a little feeling sacrilegious at such a thing to say but continued nervously adding: "He doesn't seem exactly...social." "He's cute," said Koopin kindly, "he looked like a very sweet person just rather shy...I can see why your mom fell for him frankly, the way she looked at him." "It's just weird I mean she's this really wild lady and then he's just...I mean who the hell wears a button shirt underneath a pirate outfit, I mean SERIOUSLY." "Hhhahahahahah, maybe him and Shybert woulda gotten along real well! Speaking of, that is some coincidence with the name Charlie." "I swear I had no idea where that name was from, it just sounds a great name, like you never know a bad guy called Charlie." "That's...truuuuue I guess it does sound like a good name but I jus-oh, h-hang on a bit!" Something beeped inside a drawer on Koopin's bedside table as he leaned over and pulled out what appeared to be a rectangular case, before it flipped open to reveal two polished screens with various icons hovering in a soft spacey background. A small stylus was fitted inside a slot of the device that Koopin used to tap and examine the bottom screen. "The hell is that?" asked FG. "It's a Mailbox 3DS. Koopin doesn't have this, this thing is Koopa-Bloopa's only so he uses his stuff and I use mine. I don't ever use this unless I play the DJ, that way they can notify me. I also made a separate bank account as him at a DIFFERENT bank so that way no money transactions get tracked between us." "Won't they like, trace the signal it's coming from and pinpoint where you live?" "Pffft I'm not famous enough for people to do THAT to me, plus if it ever happens I got friends who are tech geeks, well...I mean, Bloopa has friends." "Heheheh, alright so...what does 'Koopin' use instead of a PDA?" "I got my pager the company gives me, different devices mean I know which face to put on today and not get confused between them." "...that's...kinda creepy the way you say that but also really cool." "Heh, thanks. Had to do something whilst you were out there gallivanting across the universe." "I knowwww, no need to rub it in." "Heeheehee!" The koopa smiled as he read over an email notice and tapped a save icon before closing the device, putting it back in his drawer before James asked: "Sooo uh how long you gonna keep up this DJ thing exactly?" "I'm not sure. Maybe do less stage shows unless I REALLY get paid, I was only gonna do this until you came back but now I got fans and uh...I just don't wanna disappoint any of them." "You don't have to give it up for me Koopin, I mean as long as you're enjoying it, it's like your dream." "We'll see how things go." "Don't they have like an address or something to notify you at? I'm just trying to figure out how nobody's guessed that it's you." "Nope, they only contact me on my 3DS, nobody else knows where I live." "Okay...soooo does this DJ have anyone special in his life?" The raptor sidled up along towards Koopin with a mischievous look which Koopin did not return. "Nah-uh, Koopa-Bloopa is nothing but a solo player and that's the way he always is, only music is his mistress." "I see...that's kinda odd." "It's to make sure that I don't get caught in all the bigger lifestyle and accidentally...get involved with anyone. I-i-i wanted to...stay true to you." "O-oh...heh, that's sweet actually. But then everything about you is sweet, that's why I love you." He kissed upon the koopa's beak softly to make him blush as they smiled to each other. "I'm...I'm just really honoured that you kept up the act so good to make sure that we would be...still together." "And...well I mean I know you'd stay true to me, even if we never really...said to." "I didn't wanna betray you. That would have broken me too much." "I appreciate that. Thank you James." Suddenly a sound came from the front door, a flapping of the mailslot as Koopin jumped from his bed and scurried across the house to see what had just been delivered to them. Charlie was sleeping on the couch and not even caring in his perfect content, his wide shining mouth breathing openly. Koopin came walking back with his fingers trembling as he held a strange-looking letter. Stars dappled across it like glitter always shining an ethereal light as the koopa stared upon his lover with quivering lip. "It...it's time. We have to go."

James had forgotten how strangely pleasant that Shooting Star Summit was in constant ethereal gradients from the deepest indigo to the most heavenly cerulean. The last time he had been here in a state of grief and acceptance of his sin, he had felt as if he were on the edge of the world in its radiant shimmering benevolence. Koopin stood alongside him clutching his hand whilst glancing at the wicked scissors upon James' back, firmly hardening his look as they stepped forwards before the koopa spoke his wish respectfully. "Star spirits...I come with a plea of great importance. A plea for the sake of my friend who now stands beside me. You know that he has suffered a great evil from inside him, and that you have chosen me to be the one who shall repel him. I thank you, eternally for giving me the strength to help others around me, a strength that I alone could not obtain through normal means. But now I must ask for something greater, in order to ease my friend's suffering. ...will you speak to us, please?" "Of course, Koopin Kennidon." The lights began to shine from above, twinkling as seven stars came clustering together out of alignment, pulling themselves closer to reveal all but three of them to be golden yellow, with one blue, one purple and one pink amongst them. Their voices shimmered with the sound of a children's choir, even if only one of them spoke, their forms incandescent to the mortals below them who felt the gaze of the heavens eternal. "We felt a presence several weeks ago of something breaking through into our world across space. It is good to see you again James Campbell, and we now see that your demon has become so much weaker within you." "I'm glad to hear that," said James with esteemed reverance. "I went inside myself, took a great journey to stop him and...I know I could not destroy him alone but I know you spirits can with our wish. Me, my boyfriend, and also those we know." "Your friends and family are aware of this?" "Yes," said Koopin, "it...Shybert took it surprisingly well, we only told him about the demon and not James' origins but...heheh, I guess that's because he's always had a strange mind about things. My parents know of this too now because James...insisted before we came here." "I want no more secrets," said James, "I told them what they needed to know, just that, the real reason why I was so...unappreciative and angry before was because of a curse. And I spent years trying to find a way to stop it, that's one of the reasons I left so I could try and weaken it, crush it, somehow. So, their wishes are with us too even though I...know they must be angry and confused at me for hiding it from them. I know that it wasn't exactly the nicest talk." "I told them that I knew, and that you were so afraid of their reaction to everything and how you were in such a bad place you promised me not to tell them. I think they were more upset we hid this from them." "I know...I feel so terrible for doing that to them, I told them not to forgive me, not to ever forgive me for how I acted back before I left and that I wanted to do everything right, that's why we're here. I'm not here because of myself, I'm here to give Koopin what he deserves, what he wants." "And I'm here not because of me, but because I want to help James with all that he's cursed with so we can...so we defeat this evil thing once and for all." "We have felt these wishes upon you, and whilst they are certainly full of disquiet and trepidation...we can tell you now that these wishes are genuine. If not for you, then for their son to be happy by curing you of this curse. They know in their hearts truly that your love is unquestionable, especially considering you took a great journey to find a cure." "Thank...god," said FG, "I'm...I'm sorry to put you through all this." "Don't be," said Koopin. "We can do this. Together, we'll get rid of him." "We have ascertained that there is more than enough power in the wishes of those few you have gathered to banish the demon. His essence is intangible and though we are not certain if we can fully destroy it, but we can most definitely banish it completely from your body, James." "Good enough for me," said FG, "what do I have to do?" "Stand before us upon the centre, James Campbell...kneel, and brace yourself." The raptor walked forwards to do as he was told, the central dais of Shooting Star Summit a translucent green like a sorceress' gown with claws gently clicking upon the soft sandy feel of the fertile ground before sitting onto his knees. The star spirits twinkled stronger from above as they spoke: "Now, Koopin Kennidon, stand closer to James, spread your arms and open your heart to us. You shall be the vassal for our power to amplify the wishes upon both of you." "What happens exactly?" asked James still uncertain. "Does he force the demon out of me or...?" "Koopin shall be the one to banish the monster from you, yes. When we transfer to him our power to utilise such, he will harvest any and all wishes that are connected to you with good and noble intentions across this land before he grants them with his purest heart to expel the demon from your body, thereby purifying you against his tainted essence." "Why not you instead of Koopin? Sorry I just, sort of wondered how this always works and now-" "We are but simply evokers, we can harbour wishes from the land to gather into one strength but we cannot grant wishes by ourselves. We only offer this power to those of good hearts and kind souls within mortal bodies, for wishes can only be granted and achieved by those who have the desire to do good to others without selfishness. Those such as your friends, family and indeed lovers who only wish the best of you." "Heh...alright...kinda turning into a Christmas miracle but...okay, sure that...that sounds good." The koopa nodded and took a few steps towards his lover. James smiled to behind him with a confident nod as Koopin spread his arms out and opened himself to the spirits. Slowly they began to filter a strange wispy light of solid gold trembling to a shining clear white across the ether of the kingdom's starlit sky. He felt his own wishes, of both him and James resonating slowly from inside of him along with Shybert, Klair and Shelldon echoing back and forth. The most sincere wishes of all became like water trickling along Koopin's back, forming the two arrow marks into a single shining five-pointed star. I only wish for my son's happiness, no matter how it shall come to be. I wish for Koopin's love to be cured of all his sorrows. He does not deserve this, and neither does my son. I hope my friend's boyfriend can be free of that nasty curse. I wish for James to be free of this demon, so he never need suffer again. I want to banish this monster from me...so he can never hurt anyone again. James soon felt the power of something almost-holy creep into his heart, trembling lines to pulsate across his mind and vision as he felt warmth and purity. His lover behind him started to glow with a faint light from the heavens as a beautiful shimmering trace image upon his body. The raptor's breath began to relax, sighing gently as Koopin's heart beat next to him, the power of wishes funnelling deep within as something began to vibrate. Then it pulsed. A deep blackening vile essence that seethed and bled throughout his innermost being. Something wasn't right. "Koopin." He clutched at his heart. The scissors began shivering on his back. "K-koopin, get back. Get back something's wrong!" "Wh-wh-what?" "GET BACK!" Koopin suddenly felt James' arm slam into his chest and knock him down just before the scissors swung out from his back, slicing violently across a few inches from his face before clattering upon the ground where he had once stood. James was suddenly hunched over in a whimpering agony as he forced his hands against the starry sweet silt. "Wh-wh-...wha...what's happening?!" "This is not...no...he can't have hidden this!" "WHAT'S GOING ON!? STAR SPIRITS ANSWER ME!" "Koopin, stay away! He's not weakened yet!" "WHAT!?" "N-NOOOOOO!"

James began shrieking as his hands tightly spasmed in wretched torn voice, eyes quivering between sharpest green and most impenetrable black. The scissors began to shake with frightening pulse of fury, dark indigo breaths tracing across the summit like a foul wind before floating upwards. The blood-tainted weapon started to hover before them as James' body throbbed with the same thickening essence as he gasped and shuddered with hot dry heaving breaths. "He...h-h-h-he...I...I b-beat you for FUCK'S SAAAAKE!" "JAAAAAMES!" "G-G-GET...BACK! HE'S COMING, HE'S COMING!" "NO! THIS CAN'T BE, I THOUGHT YOU SAID-" "He said WHAT?" A hand shot free from the raptor's back, long thin claws of sickening tenebrous state upon a brittle-looking limb like a tree branch rotting upon the ashen moor. Then another hand came free, grasping James' waist and pulling itself free, sinking its fingers inside the raptor's body with a semi-permeable state. The raptor screamed falling hunched forwards as something pulled free from his deepest being, birthing the demon from his back as his eyes began bleeding, droplets of red twinned upon the star summit. Koopin's body shook from the sheer aura of darkness that spoke, a much more deep and soul-scraping voice than he ever remembered hearing in his life. "Did you really think that your happy ending would come so easily?" "N-n-n-...what...wh-what is this?" "I...will NOT be cast away like some PUPPET!" Its head forced free from James' body, a long wicked-looking length almost reminiscent of a dagger with cold piercing eyes beyond any shade of Darkness that Koopin had ever seen. The body half-formed as a shadowy tendril was just as thin and skeletal as it summoned the scissors, blades wide open to suddenly come down upon James' head. "NOOOO!" Koopin screamed from his shining body as the wicked blades sunk into the summit top, forcing James to bow his head completely down upon the ground trapping his neck between the open scissortips. The demon's essence pulled free its long clawed feet before perching upon the raptor's skull, digging its fingers deep beneath the skin sending bumps and slithering coils worming inside James' flesh as the star spirits struggled to comprehend. "I...I-i-i do not understand, what is this?!" "He was weak! We felt his essence to be barely conscious, how can this be?!" "Was he hiding it?! Did he...surely he was not suppressing himself to hide his strength!" "Why would he DO such a thing?!" "Because I am not some whelp of the netherworld as you thought I would be, wretched little blight. You forgot about one event to tell your beloved sodomite, didn't you James Campbell? Or should I say, Oddscar?" "WH-WHAT?!" shrieked James. "F-FUCKIN...BULLSHIT-A-AAAAAGH!" "Your other half's greatest sacrifice...remember all those wretched forgotten souls that flowed throughout your very being? All those hundreds upon maybe thousands of lost spirits trapped within that most accursed anomaly? What did you THINK was going to happen for all those passing so close to me, in but a constant maelstrom of melancholy? Did you really think, that I would have been so weakened to not have pulled away a few measly hundred of them from their final resting place, perhaps almost a THOUSAND!?" "N-n-n-...no," murmured Koopin, "n-n-no we-...this can't be happening-" "That worthless anomaly at least gave me one use, knowing the risk it had to take to channel all of its sorrow through your very heart and close to ME within my jaws of eternity. I knew I could not show my strength regained until the right moment, knowing you would try to take action again to prevent my reawakening so I forcibly suppressed my own strength by a long and well-deserved sleep...when all I needed was but a few hundred souls of misbegotten misery to be REBORN!" "B-b-but," whimpered James, "I never felt you...I-i-i never...I beat you. I-i-i beat you." "A temporary victory that forced me to retire briefly whilst you finished your sordid tasks, it took me little trouble to sleep after engorging myself upon a wondrous meal of lost misfortune from your little reunion with that simpering anomaly. But even this strength that I must force myself to bleed from you now in this vision before you, will set me back by at least forty long years of rest inside of you after this, but it will be well worth it. For if I cannot take your soul, then I shall take your heart INSTEAD!" The demon lunged towards Koopin like a wild beast, slicing across the air with its claws as the koopa guarded himself powerfully with a crossblock of both his arms. But the force of darkness overpowered his shining guard and cracked through punching him hard across the chin and knocking him down as Scissoraptor's essence striked across his face. Its foot wicked with talons came down to try and scar Koopin's face, but he dodgerolled out of the way stumbling in panic despite the few wishes strengthening his body against the evil incarnate. Despite its black misting presence, it was solid enough to feel the sickening flesh of its history drenched in horror and fear as Koopin's body resisted against its evil pulse. His eyes glinted blue with panic pure as the monster suddenly flickered out of Koopin's vision before his next punch could even land as a cold wind snaked past his left cheek, forcing him to duck before a vicious shrieking of claws came tearing across his vision briefly. But before he could turn and counter fully, the demon swerved its body with graceful death and striked Koopin deeply with a darkening triple-scar across his cheek. A deep familiar burning crept into his soul. "A-AAAAAAAGH!" "Yeeees...I know that scream. You have felt that pain before, haven't you Koopin?" "A-a-aaaagh...wh-...wh-what?" "Was it only but a few months ago, when James was lost in the void? You must remember too James, when that anomaly stole you from Ivalice briefly? You felt each other...somewhere out there." Both of them struggled to remember, James' memory feeling hazy from that event but he did remember falling into darkness at one point. Strange euclidean images and a sensation of not being able to breathe. A warm touch from someone's hand reaching out to him in the ever-reaching black infinity as Koopin grasped the scars on his arm unseen from James. "It appears I was not the only one searching for a soul...is that not right my little sodomite?" "I...th-that's none of your...business what I do. I wanted to do something, I wanted to try and find him o-o-or at least know if he was alright! ...I knew...someone who was able to reach into the spirit realm...at least so I could find out if James was still...okay. I-i-i don't...I knew that was you...I felt you...I-i almost had you back to me." "You almost succeeded in pulling him away from me again. But now I will show you what my true purpose shall be starting with this world. Remember our battle James? Remember how I began devouring you, and cracked into your skull to find that most wonderful secret?" James' eyes widened unseen, but his fear was most eminent by a frightened sobbing came from him as the demon's eyes grinned with its sulphurous body flowing straight back towards the bowed raptor's head. "Yes...that cursed spark you always managed to create by yourself, but I never understood how to activate. Until now." Claws thrust deep into James' skull, suddenly causing him to scream a wretched cry as he felt his entire body start to burn a violent force throughout his trembling veins. A frail spark came flickering from FG's claws before exploding by a shocking blue wave that rocketed into the sky. The portal opened against James' will for the first time in his life, and it would be the last before the trembling void of dimensional subexistence began to stretch even wider than ever before. Wide enough that it started to slowly consume the entire top of the Shooting Star Summit into itself as Koopin gasped with horror beyond his comprehension. "Wh-wh-what...what...what's...h-h-happening?" "No..." shuddered James, "h-he...he's opening...he's t-taking us away K-koopin..." "What? ...oh stars no. No." "Hhhhmhmhmhmhmhahahahaha, hhhha ha ha ha ha ha HHHHA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAA! FINALLY! I SHALL BECOME DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS!" The demon forced its own strength into the portal, cackling with an almighty power coursing through its very being as the shadow took full control of James' power to create an open portal, shrieking out to stars across dimensions beyond the far rim. James knew, faintly he knew the same feeling he had always felt everytime he left someplace. But his body was too weak to fight, the Scissoraptor's forceful show of strength as the world began to crack through its sky, a trembling gape that pierced through the boundaries of the Mushroom Kingdom and slowly began to tear the land away from its world. The summit became wrapped within the otherside of existence, beyond all dimensions that they could see as the ground started to crack and ripple underneath their feet. An eternity of spatial rifts as Koopin felt a little piece of his world become torn from its existence. All around him he saw none of the familiar places, the castle and town disappeared beyond a veil that he struggled to even see in its truest form. Shades of starlit trace from other worlds against a bluish-black background as every single colour he had never known shimmered past his face. He could see the colour of sunsets upon alien worlds he would never witness, the colour of a dying creature's skin he would never meet, the colour of waters and deep infinites of oceans that he would never experience. He was in the very rift itself, the one that James now knew to be called Spacetime Seven, between every single point of every single world that he had gone to amidst many thousands more. The summit was now but a circular arena within a fractured cosmic space, the howling constant of dimensional winds shrieking past their ears as the star spirits struggled to call out: "KOOPIN! KOOPIN BE STRONG! YOU HAVE TO STOP HIM!" "HE IS TRYING TO PULL YOU AND JAMES AWAY FROM US!" "WE CAN'T REACH BEYOND THE THRESHOLD OF THIS WORLD, YOU HAVE TO STOP HIM!" "YOU STILL HAVE YOUR WISHES! DO NOT FALTER, YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE STILL WITH YOU KOOPIN!" "SILENCE!" Scissoraptor's voice cut through the gaping void. "Do you see now the power I have always desired from James? His grand ability to transcend into other places beyond your comprehension. Now I am a true destroyer of worlds with this hopeful body, and I shall become Death itself once I have dealt with you, along with your precious little world of saccharine caritas. Your term is over. Your dream has ended and so this shall be the first morning...of your eternal death." "...no." The koopa shut out the screeching winds that passed through existence as he stood firmly defiant. "No. It's not, because I am not going to let you win. I will NOT let you have this. I WON'T LET YOU!" "You desired for so long to see other places little creature, so I shall grant you that wish and have your body cast into this spatial eternity between worlds where none shall ever find you. You shall not be grieved, your soul shall become my feast and your funeral shall remain uncast...forevermore." "SHUT UP! YOU HAVE CAUSED NOTHING BUT GRIEF TO EVERYONE AROUND YOU, YOU HAVE LOST ALREADY! I WON'T GIVE UP, IF I HAVE TO FIGHT YOU A THOUSAND TIMES THEN I WILL FIGHT YOUUUU! _" "Your challenge then I accept. But you will not succeed beyond this hour, Koopin Kennidon. Say farewell to him James. I will await the sorrow that shall force you to take your life away from the emptiness I shall create." "_K-koo-...Koopin...p-p-please...I'm sorry-" "NO! NO MORE APOLOGIES, THAT IS IT! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY TO ME, I'M NOT GIVING IN AND NEITHER WILL YOU JAMES! TRUST ME! _" "_P-please...I'm...I'm trying, I'll......a-a-alright...I'll...I won't give in...please...stop him." "I'm not going to give in. I'm not gonna let ALL OF THIS BE FOR NOTHING! _I WON'T STOP, UNTIL YOU'RE GONE FOREVER! _"

Koopin suddenly charged across the summit top as the demon slithered off of James' body with a creeping darkness trailing behind it like oil. Readying for its first attack, Koopin ducked underneath the tearing strike and instinctively slammed his fist into the creature's necrotic smoke. Whispering fits of cold and rotting black shunted free from the demon at being struck by the empowering fist as Koopin followed with a furious uppercut, not even letting himself think of the horror that now changed the situation as James' weakening body laid submissive upon the centre of the summit. The raptor was struggling between the thickening darkness that was sucking the strength from his body as the demon forced every surge of its own being into attacking Koopin, slashing with violent abandon as the koopa dodged frantically. The first three strikes from left, right and overhead he avoided swiftly, before coming in with a scissor-kick to the creature's sharp slitted face following with a frantic hammerfist to crack both fists down upon the monstrous shade. Shuddering from the brief instant of slight pain by the weaker holy-reminiscent strength that still pulsed from inside Koopin's body, the Son of the Great Father recoiled slightly before slashing hard across Koopin's chest, scraping against his soul as the koopa shrieked with heart-bursting agony. His legs almost stopped frozen from his anguish, but he forced himself to jump back awaiting for the demon's next attack. The Scissoraptor swarmed upon him as but a cloud of darkness, swooping grand claws almost transforming into wings before a shocking slam upon the crumbling summit roof, sending shockwaves of foul tenebrous state along the floor. Koopin hurriedly leapt over each of the shuddering waves before a flying kick burst full of light, stars shattering across the demon's head as tiny sparks of white fluttered from his vision. He followed up with a turning kick using his body's momentum from landing to swing a roundhouse kick powerfully hard into Scissoraptor's sharp piercing skull which made it stagger slightly. But not enough to be put off-guard when the koopa thrust his fist straight into the demon's chest before swiflty dodging with smoke slithering off its body, raking across Koopin's cheek once again with another scar deep onto his face. Every trace of a wound the creature made was just another burn that twisted deep into Koopin's soul as he bared his teeth, gritting fiercely against the pain. "GAAAAAAARGH!" Screaming with tears in his eyes he swung with a controlled force of his haymaker swing, seeing the demon duck underneath before he slammed his boot straight against the monstrous being with a side piercing kick. Stomping perfectly into its skull-reminiscent face, he pushed the creature back before it lunged leaping into the air with clawed feet as if about to gouge Koopin's eyes out with its talons before suddenly disappearing. Koopin braced himself for the next attack, turning quickly in a full circle around him as he kept watch for any shadows across the infinite spatial rift. He watched the scissors still grasping around James' neck firmly to prevent him from moving and decided to help him seeing no sight of the demon's trace, running over to his beloved and grasping the thick ringed handles to try and pull them free. It was burning cold to the touch, with potent pure evil bristling throughout its steel but the koopa resisted, forcing his heart's strength against it as his fingers thickened with the slight aura briefly to try and pull the scissors free from the summit soil. He just barely managed to force them free and uprooted them before the monstrous shade came shrieking once again. "LOOK OUT!" James' piercing scream warned him in time as Koopin swung up the blades in his hand to rip across the creature's face, barely hurting it with its own darkness as the scissors pulled free suddenly from the koopa's grip. The warring shadow of the demon decided to wield its cursed point of origin against the younger Koopin who suddenly dodged rolling to the left upon seeing the scissors swing violently towards him like a boomerang. Whistling across the air they returned hurtling in an arc towards its dark conceited essence who came roaring fiercely towards the koopa. With purified guard strengthening his arms he blocked with his wrists against the scissors as they struck twice within cross-diagonal slash, before Koopin punched fast straight into the demon's face. A brief stagger of surprise allowed him to follow up with a second jab and a furious overhead swing cracking down upon the almost-solid flesh of the vile core being until the scissors came slicing upwards, scarring powerfully across Koopin's jaw as he stumbled to grasp his throat. He felt his heart racing powerfully with his veins throbbing inside his neck but he stood defiant regardless, despite the pain of its unholy essence trickling down his spine and across his flesh. The demon chuckled darkly and stepped back by a small blurring motion, sweeping its arms out wide to suddenly form seven different scissor-shaped shadows that came forming from his evanescent self. One by one they came towards him, an onslaught of shuddering violet blades as lethal as the one true form of rusted steel hiding amongst the swarm. He focused on the correct one, swiftly dodging the first and second by falling to the floor and rolling sharp to his right before jumping back up like a soldier trained. The third, fourth and fifth tried to pincer him as he strafed past the third shining blade, jumped over the fourth that came whirling towards his knees and the fifth that managed to slice into his shoulder with a deep coursing black pain. His body cried out with frightening anguish, salt upon the wounds of his soul scorching black in bits and pieces as he started to weaken enough for the sixth set of scissorblades to come whirling past his leg with a jagged deep gash forcing him to stumble onto his knee screaming out in pain. He gasped staring down at his right leg as a blackened essence creeped into his wound festering like a maggot's corpse being sucked into his body, whimpering as he bit his lip frantically from the spiritually-violent anguish twisting inside of his veins. He struggled to swallow breaths back into his throat as the seventh shadowed blade came whistling towards his face like an axe straight towards his head. Someone screamed next to him almost deafening his ear. "KOOPIIIIN!" James' voice was much closer than expected, the raptor having dragged himself over with silent shrieks of agony in his voice as Koopin was forced to look into his eyes briefly. Green forming pupils were being stifled by black, like a pond becoming stifled by the rotting sewer as the last pair of blades came towards them. The true set of blades that suddenly threw themselves at Koopin with the speed of a flying spear, piercing straight for his head. James, despite all his body being forcefully redirected towards powering the portal to dimensional space, trembled another small blue light from his hand that he threw up against Koopin's face. Cracking sounds almost like bone being shattered would come piercing upon Koopin's ears as he watched James' hand solidify into a potent gauntlet, a raw thickly-coloured culminate of blocks that was slammed against the ground powerfully by the force of the scissors' strength. The blades went spinning into the air from his recoiling guard as Koopin waited for the right moment, bracing his knee to strike the moment they came close. With one brutal crack of his knee straight upwards, shuddering with pure heavenly wish, he slammed against the handles hard enough to cause a trembling of pain throughout the Scissoraptor whose shadow double-bent forwards in harsh gasping sounds before Koopin charged his fist. "EEEEEEYAAAAAAAAARGH!" A solid punch bursting with whitish light, straight into the scissors' central screw sent it hurtling back towards the darkness itself, who simply grabbed it with one thin sleekit hand despite its temporary state of suffering constant streaks of purity from Koopin's strength. But they both knew it was nowhere near enough to even come close to banishing the demon from this state. "Still...a thorn in my side you FILTHY little sodomite." "Don't," gasped James, "ever call him that." "Be quiet. You cannot fight me forever, I can see your spirit starting to tremble with the essence of my corruption. Can you feel it? James knows of that pain too, doesn't he?" Koopin was struggling to keep standing, his body on fire from within as he felt the deepening wounds of his spirit trying to keep steady against the constant pain but he never submitted. He stood fiercely with his left foot pulled back and to the left, his right foot forwards as he put up his fists. James was starting to break at the sight of his dearly beloved trying to fight for him. For both of them and so much more than they could think as he sobbed with frustration on his cheeks. It was in that moment beneath the constant void of eternity across all worlds, that he began praying as he watched Koopin stagger forwards, bravely defiant with wounded leg. "S-s-somebody...p-please...h-help us...please...he's f-f-forcing me to...s-s-stop him...please...s-someone stop him..." The demon watched the koopa hobble close, stronger than before in his insistent determination as the shadow sweeped his blades in preparation to destroy his innocence. He blocked the scissors crashing down upon its head with a weak-glinting light, swiftly guarding with his arm up against the vicious haymaker from the Scissoraptor's shade before retorting with a cross-punching strike. It was a weaker punch than before that only made the demon smile as it slammed its tenebrous knee into the koopa's shell-guarded stomach with soul-piercing strength, forcing Koopin to cry out a panting screech that forced him to dryly vomit and collapse onto the floor. "_ HHHHAAAAAARGHK! HHHHRGHHK! I...w-won't let you...I-i-i'm not...going to..._" He staggered back onto his feet in time for the Son of the Great Father to thrust its blades deep as Koopin suddenly dodged with a stumbling panic, swerving his entire body out to the left as he frantically slammed his elbow from his right arm into the demon's face. It almost lost its balance from surprise but simply switched hands to hold its scissors in before a vicious backhand cracked across Koopin's face, beating him across the summit hill in a harsh rolling crumple. Whimpering tears came blistering from Koopin's face as he pushed himself back up, or at least tried to. The Scissoraptor walked with glistening scissortips in the cosmic light, stars and dimensional rippling sounds that trembled across its steel as the creature stomped its thickening clawed foot on Koopin's chest. The weapon raised itself above its head as Koopin raised his fists wishing everything he could to stop it. The blades came down straight upon Koopin's throat, his eyes paralysed upon the wicked steel that plunged deep beneath his eyes.

My love. My dearest love. A voice he heard he would not recognise. I only hope to see you one day. Love came whispering across his face. I only wish that you...can see our children. "What......WHAT IS THIS?!" Inches from Koopin's throat quivering was a purest shield of light protecting him from the scissors, its rusted tips scarring across uselessly. Please...come back to me one day...my beloved Oddscar. "It...i-it's someone...someone's wish." Koopin's eyes turned wider with sudden strength pulsing into him, his body tensing with light bristling through his eyes before he slammed his fist straight into the demon's smouldering face. The beast shuddered as it pulled back its scissors bracing for another attack upon the struggling koopa who just barely managed to stand back onto his feet. I hope he's okay. He crossed his arms furious against the shrieking blades, another burst of spirit that surged strength back to Koopin minutely. I hope that...James got back home too just like...he got me back home. But it was enough to protect him against that one strike, a simpler voice sweet with innocence as the demon snarled with ruthless sweep to decapitate its mortal foe. Koopin ducked almost stumbling ready to swing with uppercut as a new strength rose itself through another heartfelt voice of maiden's touch. I will always remember you...please be safe, my hero. The strength of his fist was but a tremendous force, blistering with golden sheen as Koopin screamed with righteous born fury that punched a solid hole through the Scissoraptor's essence. Screeching with a gasp of intangible anguish, it staggered back briefly to regain its second wind out of surprise desperately closing up the gaping wound in its lower body. "What...are you doing you wretched little BITCH?!" "J-just...granting our wish. N-not just...mine or James but...all...of us." "Who? Who in this world would even care about both of you?" "N-not just...my world. But other places-" "I-i hear them." James murmured with a pulse of recognition in his eyes weakening with every second. "I-i-i hear them...Koopin...the rift, it's...people I know from...o-other places...I-i know that last one sh-she was still...ohh..." They both almost stared up towards the great beyond of all dimensions as other voices came to him. Whispering hearts from many stars beyond his reach, twinkling and shining through the torn rift as every word that he felt trickling into his being gave him more strength. Every sound, every call from above nursed a wound from within his spirit, strengthening Koopin as his hands began to shake with overwhelming love and friendship. He understood every word no matter how far away it came from, the battle surrounded on all sides by a billion stars and every single colour of existence. May thy heart ring true and at peace, my young pupil. I hope he got away from those aliens. Course he did, the FinalGamer would never give up! YEAH totally, he'll be safe no matter what! I hope he has found a home, just as we have. I know that he has Alestes...I believe in him. "Who is that?! WHO ARE YOU!? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Scissoraptor looked around with vexed confusion, struggling with building wrath as it watched in astonished outrage upon Koopin's slowly healing spirit. Its grand tapestry of marks deep within the koopa's simpler being and kindly soul was now warmed by the strength of many from across the beyond of Spacetime Seven from the smallest wish to the greatest of hope as Koopin felt all the pain and suffering slowly empty from his body. I wish he left us a number to call us at, I just wanna know if he's okay! Fer the last time yer phone doesn't WORK you dummy! But he's gonna be okay, right?! OF COURSE HE'S OKAY! He got us through everything didn't he?! I believe in him! Well...I-i believe in him too! Does he know that we're okay Norem? I'm sure he knows Areh, don't worry. Guy like that doesn't disappear so easily. And if he doesn't reappear, well, blast up the speakers then make him REALLY hear us! ALRIGHT, SOUNDS GOOD! HEY JAAAAMES! IF YER OUT THERE, YOU BETTER NOT DIE ON US THAT EASY, OKAY!? YOU PROMISE!? "He won't." Koopin took a deep breath as he felt his own second wind regained on him by the wishes from beyond culminating into a sense of renewed strength. With all of his deepest pains melting away with the warmth of those in other worlds, he stomped his foot into a battle stance. "I won't let you take away all of this. Not one single wish is gonna be left unfulfilled TODAY!" "Then fulfil MY wish and DIE ALREADY!" The moment the entity struck forth, it was blinded by a sudden rush of streaking light, blurring trace images of Koopin's body following past its vision before the sudden crack of a screaming kick. Starlight flowed past Koopin's leg in a sweeping roundhouse that shattered a piece of the Scissoraptor's skull partly open with a monstrous roar of insufferable fury. Tearing towards the koopa, claws tore almost through space itself in their speed as the shadow striked relentlessly, shredding across Koopin's vision eight, then nine, then the tenth which came in the form of a crunching blow of its fist into the koopa's skull. Crying out with stifling pain that almost shut his brain completely into stupor, he forced his eyes to open against the screaming red that blinded his vision with overloading agony before he bullrushed against the demon. The Son of the Great Father swiftly diminished its presence, trembling by a corpulent shadow across the summit's ground as Koopin focused, watching and waiting for the sound of the creature's submerging state. The scissors suddenly appeared from the darkness of nightly void, crashing down like the guillotine upon Koopin's head. He heard the sound from behind and above him as Koopin backflipped with a violently powerful kick, cracking both feet shining white from his boots hard into the shivering blades. The strength of his wishing might channelled through every part of his body sending a horrendous quivering agony deep inside the monstrosity's influence, hard enough that the shadowy form was forced to reappear from out the ground as Koopin leapt with flying starlight kick. Twinkling lights brighter than children's dreams trailed behind his feet as he whalloped the creature's head twice in a spinning aerial attack. "G-GR-RRRR-RRRRAAAAAARGH! WHY, do you REFUSE, TO DIE?!" "BECAUSE THIS IS MY WORLD, AND NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO US, EVIL SHALL NEVER WIN, EVER! IF I CAN'T STOP YOU, THEN SOMEONE ELSE WILL!" "WRETCHED CHILD YOUR STORY ENDS HERE!" Pulsating with demonstrable aura, the surge of violent hatred became almost tangible as the demon swung his scissors high up in the air, casting a shadow across the summit top. Two long wicked streaks of black covered the ground before striking like serpents upon Koopin Kennidon, jaws of night screeching as he slammed his fists into both of them, boxing away the serpentine fury just before Scissoraptor thrust its murderous claws against the koopa's stomach. I hope he escaped the monsters. "GAAAAAARGH!" Another wish came trickling across the universe, powering a greater shield that forced the demon back as his claws scratched pitifully against solid light. He did Michael. I know both of them did. They looked like monsters to me...but...I guess it doesn't matter what you look like, long as you wanna help people. "ENOUGH OF THIS!" The creature sliced and tore across the shield but it would never break, not until Koopin would pull his fist back and scream with triumphant roar into a bristling uppercut of pure golden wish. The shadow's face cracked even wider open, trembling with brittle scars like an egg as dark fluid poured from its head, claws shaking as it tried to catch its bloodless black spots. "You...y-y-you...RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" Pure unholy rage burned deep within the Scissoraptor's eyes crumpling from its twisted face as claws came flying at the speed of sound, cracking booms across the sound barrier as Koopin blocked against it. The first strike of the demon struck hard against the koopa's arm before twisting Scisso's grip, grappling the wrist almost instantly before headbutting forwards. A stunning pain blinded the beast briefly before Koopin swung his foot upwards in a tremendous axe kick, crashing down the heel upon the dark essence to shatter the head completely through. Screeching agony tore across the universe sweetly as the Son of the Great Father struggled to keep its strength flowing, already upon the edge of its limits to even manifest itself like this with its now-decaying head. Summoning darkness once again, the monster launched an offensive of both scissors and serpents to assault Koopin with an overwhelming force knowing at least one attack will come through. He closed his eyes and focused in belief of all that was good as his hands began throbbing with kindness, another two voices whittling across the spatial rifts back towards FG. He better come back. What, you think someone's gonna forget a freakin' town named after him?! That wuz YER idea! Well it worked didn't it?! The guy's the one responsible fer us all livin' a better life, so I know that he's gonna make it back. You think he got back home safe? I know he did. I'm prayin' fer the scaly bastard no matter where he's at. I...a-ahm prayin' too. He...h-he wuz mah hero. Our hero. His eyes snapped open before the koopa suddenly punched into the ground itself, pulsing with a radiant light explosion that bubbled around his body. Without warning it burst free shattering across the summit as the serpentine darkness became nothing but ash, screaming across the world from such wondrous incandescence banishing all but one shadow entirely from the field of battle. The scissors could not even stand against such purity, screeching from the Scissoraptor's voice echoing across the rift itself at the horrid sensation like the most deepening warmth. "N-N-N-NNNNNRRRRRAAAAA-A-A-A-AAAAAAARGH! YOU! ARROGANT SODOMITE, STOP DEFYING MEEEE!"

But Koopin simply stood back up smiling with honest heart brimming from his beak, his confidence swelling evermore as the demon summoned forth its weapon incarnate to create seventeen trickling shadows of scissorblades from itself. The koopa stood and waited for each and every one of them to strike down upon his body, not moving a single inch of his feet as he took a deep breath and felt another voice, no, two voices once again calling out. How do you know that he's safe Kirie? Because, I can feel his presence...someplace out there. I know that he is safe. He...he never called himself our master, he...I never thought of him as one either. Why not tell it to him? He might hear us amongst those stars somewhere, let us do it together. You...y-y-yeah...yeah maybe, he...he might be out there...James! JAMES CAN YOU HEAR ME?! I-I BELIEVE IN YOU JAMES, I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU! I won't forget you. Never, not even long after spirits pass through the farplane. YOU CHOSE ME BECAUSE YOU BELIEVED IN ME, YOU NEVER GAVE UP ON ME! I'LL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT MY MASTER! YOU WERE MY FRIEND! The shadows came en masse like a bloodless swarm screaming to cover the sky with black eternal violence, against Koopin's fists that shined white as if carrying stars within. He punched every single fearing lance that came upon him, the very touch of his pulsing fist eradicating the darkness itself into but a cloud of smoke, pummelling left, right, duck-and-turn, uppercut whilst all the while moving forwards. Left hook, crossjab, elbow strike, shuffle-feint, not one single inch of vile nether even managed to come close to reaching his pulsing body and spirit. By the time the seventeenth shadow had gone, he was set upon by the Son of the Great Father itself who swung with shrieking scissors themselves in a spinning strike. Koopin dodged the first two swinging turns before sending a powerful gutblow hard through the demon's body, crumpling the beast's essence forwards in doubled pain as he followed up with a stomping strike upon the leg. Roaring its anger against him, the koopa filled with light sent another entrancing uppercut straight towards the scissors themselves with such power that they went hurtling towards the sky. Suddenly Koopin felt the beast's claws latch onto his throat violently fast, shoving its claws deep into his soul far past his skin before its head started to reform with horrifying aberration. A flickering twisting pulse of black vomiting strands almost like hair from its throat, the dagger-shaped skull opened its mouth wide to screech an almighty fury upon Koopin with teeth bristling across the inside of its tongue. He grabbed the sinewy arms and shuddered gasping as he felt the creature suffocate him, ruthlessly choking the life out of him as his eyes burned fiercest blue, staring deep into the monster's throat. From which star do you think he might be travelling, kupo? I wish I knew, I navigate the sea, not the stars. Says the one who travelled from another world! I-i-i didn't plan on it! Neither did you plan on usszh being together. HEY-EY HEY, LOOK! Look bro, a sszhooting sszhtar! OOOH quick, quick Navarro make a wish! Make a wish! Very well...I wish James to return to those he loves in safety. And to us as well one day. That...that's a wonderful wish. Much better than mine, I-i'll wish it too. James! I hope you come back one day! Please come back and say hello, when you can! YOU HEAR THAT YOU MOLLY!? YOU BETTER NOT FUCK UP OR ELSSZHE NAVARRO'SSZH COMIN' OVER! YEAH JAMES! DON'T GIVE UP, IF KOOPIN DOESN'T KICK YOUR ASS FOR THAT THEN I SURE WILL! MAY THE LIGHT OF KILTIA PROTECT THEE ALWAYSSZH! WE ARE ALL BEHIND YOU JAMESSZH! PLEASSZHE, NEVER FORGET! WE WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR CLAN, KUPO! YOU...YOU SHALL ALWAYS BE OUR LEADER! Black arms of sinuous death suddenly snapped free off of Koopin's throat, his hands of thickening white twisting with sudden strength to shatter them like twigs, sending the demon into a monstrous squall of sheer agony. With arms cracked from its brittle-looking essence, it soon suffered the entirety of Koopin's fist deep into its very throat, scraping past the dozens of jagged teeth and punching straight out the back of its newly-formed head. Screeching with unholy wrath, the Son of the Great Father forced the koopa back with a burst of pure darkness as Koopin's feet scraped across the ground with dual streaking lines. "You...is there s-something about this world that makes your species so PESTILENT?!" "For someone who calls himself Death you REALLY suck at this!" "DEATH will be but a mercy to you, you deserve far worse for after I am done with you, I shall make your spirit scream within the shadow of your world's holocaust as I slowly devour you, piece by piece longer than I ever did upon James' wretched soul." "You can throw all the made-up words you want but I've heard better ghost stories than you. You know why? Cuz a real ghost story doesn't have a happy ending, unlike the one I'm going to make RIGHT HERE!" Koopin rushed ahead with burst of speed incensed by the sight of victory as the demon shuddered out of existence with but the briefest sight of the scissors fading into darkness. Suddenly it reappeared by a cleaving blow to sever Koopin in half, but he turned and backed off sharply to kickslam the scissors away from him by a wondrous sparkling boot. The creature transported once again behind its foe, then again and again in constant smouldering of darkness, trying to surprise attack him but always Koopin was ready. Back kick, side kick, he only ever had to turn his body twice to find and disable any attack the monster threw at him as it almost felt like there was more than one Scissoraptor around him. Elbow strike to the left as blades whirled past his head, bootslam to his right upon seeing the broken jaws of darkness, spinkick to behind him at the sound of shrieking blades before slamming his entire arm into the demon's limbless body that now appeared in front of him. Clotheslining the beast hard in a surprise early counter, he wrapped his arm around its neck and threw down the almost-solid state of being to the very floor that crunched brutally underneath. The shadow rearranged itself, slithering back onto its feet as its arms grew once again from its body, painfully so with but a snapping bone and crippling sinew revoltingly twisting out of its stumps as it struck again. The scissors were behind Koopin ready to eviscerate him from behind as the koopa slammed his right arm against Scisso's striking hand blocking him, with light brimming strong until he felt the coldest steel slip sweetly along both sides of his throat ready to sever his head apart from his body. Come back to me soon, okay kid? The scissors snapped shut. But they struggled to even fit as they cracked sharply upon a shield of hope. I know you have reasons to not stay with me...but...I always loved you. I almost died for you once, and I would do it again. Wherever you've gone, no matter who yer out there with...oi always got yer back Jim. You'll always be my friend. Wroth tormented came screaming deep from the Scissoraptor's throat, rage undying against the light of another wish as Koopin grabbed at one of the scissor's tips with his left hand like a sword unsheathed from his back. He swung cracking the ringed handles powerfully against the monster's chthonic skin, a force so strong it made even the scissors screech with agony from within its cruel metal points of origin. For the first time since they had known each other, Koopin no longer felt the cold evil reach of the scissors' touch against his body. He held them firmly by the middle of its body, watching the beast struggle to approach him once again before he shattered one of its arms to a crippled state using the scissors like a club. Roaring with utter vexation it tried to attack with the other arm as Koopin crushed it with another furious strike as the Son of the Great Father pierced him with a stare of unquestionable hatred. "STOP! THIS! IMMEDIATELY!" "What's the matter? Can't take what you dish out, typical...you're just another bully and it's time to put you back where you belong." "I BELONG ON THE THRONE OF EXISTENCE YOU IMPUDENT LITTLE BITCH OF A MALE HARLOT!" "Is that all you have left? Words to hurt me with? I've had worse problems than someone shouting at me because they don't like me, and you're gonna get the worst problem of all." Koopin focused as he felt another wish trembling throughout the dimensional rift, a strange deep voice that though he was not able to recognise clearly was someone that James knew with a light of hope. Ahm sorry. Fer everythin' ah did. His eyes raised up from the ground flickering with a gasp that forced the demon's weakening influence from his body just enough that his pupils returned to him, forest green as pure as the sunlit woods. Ah don' know if you can hear me out there, but...even if we never meet again...ah just want you to know, an' ah hope you hear me...that no matter whut or where we all both be...you will always be mah friend, FG. "H-h-he...he really did...h-he really did make it out there...o-oh god thank goodness..." "WHAT!? THAT FILTH CHRIST-LOVER SURVIVED?! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING WITH MY-A-A-AAAARGH, AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Koopin pulsed his light from the wish inside the scissors deep, fusing them with every force of good that he felt across the universe as the Scissoraptor began screaming of an absolute pain. Fury was gone briefly from its voice which began rising to a crescendo of incomprehensible agony and suffering, a feeling it had not felt since James had managed to succeed against it in the battle for his soul. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! A-A-AAAAAAAAARGH! E-ENOUGH! CEASE...TH-THIS, IN THE NAME OF MY-Y-Y FA-A-ATHER YOU WILL CEASE...THIS POINTLESS-G-GAA-AAAAAAA-AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!" It couldn't even manage to speak without suddenly losing its mind, falling to its knees upon the centre of the summit top as Koopin channelled every single wish that he had felt throughout the great ritual For the first time in centuries, the rust began stripping from the blades to reveal the pure sheen of cold steel underneath, which in turn began trembling with the intensity of power that was violently severing the very sanctum of darkness within the long wicked tips. He understood what he had to do as he called out to the worlds beyond. "EVERYONE! TELL ME YOUR WISH, MAKE A WISH AGAIN FOR ME! TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, I WILL MAKE IT COME TRUE!" "WH-WHAT!? WHAT...WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY BLADES, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! NO! S-S-STOP, DESIST! NO! NOOOOO!" The demon's protests would fall on deaf ears as Koopin raised the scissors up above his head, firmly aloft as the wishes returned to him once again. Whether they were awake or asleep, in strife or at peace, everyone of James' friends felt a sudden sense within their bodies. To reaffirm their wishes once more, shouting them throughout the beyond existence of their worlds until both Koopin and James could hear them. But out of all the voices that came to them, there were five alone who had the strongest hearts within granting the greatest of wishes, that became glistening golden ropes appearing from all corners of the universe. Slowly, the five ropes began to wrap themselves around the scissors as they spoke gently one by one. I shall honour you through our children. The scissors floated up held within the embrace of wish. You will always be my hero...FinalGamer. They snapped open, shivering by fear against their will. You're not just my crewmate...you're my soulmate. With golden strand on each blade, handle and central screw they began to creak. You'll always have a home here...my son. The demon screamed with sobbing agony as blood trickled thick from the scissors' tips. Thank you...for not givin' up on me, FG. The blades shattered free. Broken into five parts like a child's toy as the darkness forming of the Scissoraptor's essence began howling with deepening anguish. "N-NOOOOO, NOOOOOOOOOOOO! MY...M-M-MY POWER...MY SHAPE! MY CURSED SHAPE Y-YOU CANNOT DO THIIIIS!" But in that moment, there was one last wish that Koopin felt from further beyond anything he had ever felt. It was almost overwhelming to him, something that blinded upon his very senses to the point that he could not even comprehend the voices that called to him. It slowly lifted him up into the air as his eyes turned blank with purest white beyond any sense of recognition. There was a voice that sounded like many and yet also as one, but none of which that Koopin knew. It was a voice that him, James and even the Son of the Great Father began trembling from its strength that could change the universe.

IT WAS YOU. WHEN YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE.

"WHAT?!?!"

You were the reason we have come to this place. To end this evil once and for all.

"S-S-STOP THIS! I...I IMPLORE YOU, IT CANNOT END LIKE THIS! N-NOT AFTER EVERYTHING I HAVE WROUGHT, ALL OF THIS! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO MEEEEEEE?!"

You made a choice. Several months ago, You or at least someone amongst You...chose James to continue on his journey.

"WHAT IS THIS FORCE I FEEL, WHO IS THA-......no...n-n-no, wh-who...whose voice is that? This...this cannot be happening...n-nothing can be more powerful than me. NOTHING! NOTHIIIIIIING!"

You could have chosen a different ending. But You chose this, and so You have allowed this resolution to exist. Koopin felt Your wish resonating throughout his body which transcended almost beyond the very boundaries of his reality. He turned slowly towards the darkness and its scissors as he smiled with the words he had been wanting to say to the demon for many years.

"...die monster." He raised his hand flickering beyond every state of colour he could see. "You don't belong in this world...or any of them ever again." "N-NOOOOO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?" Every wish that James' friends had made would not even amount to one-tenth of Your wish. The demon screeched with a weeping face as both its shadow and the five pieces of its cold steel blades were consumed by an almighty force that burst from Koopin's spirit. Flickering from his belly, there came a grand giant beam of encapsulating starlight that bore sheer radiance of a gaping rift deep into the fabric of evil. The one known as Scissoraptor felt a new feeling beyond the pain and sufferance that it now experienced. It was the fear of its own death. It now finally understood the fear that its prey had once felt for this very state of mortality, the idea that one was capable of not existing anymore and beyond that would be darkness. Nothingness. It was horrifying to think for the thousands-year-old demon that it could only scream as a great sorrow broke free within its heartless state, its tears desiccated like water upon the great desert wastes as the pure beam of light shattered through its entire being. Darkness became nothing fragile wisps, a shadow not even allowed to imprint itself upon the ground as a shrieking resonance swiftly echoed across the empty void between stars above. The Son of the Great Father's face was burned briefly into Koopin's memory, a skull with sharpened point like a crooked sword screaming forevermore into the light of Your wish. The scissors' broken shards were sent hurtling across the abyss, deep within the recesses of Spacetime Seven until becoming nothing but a mere twinkling within existence. The world started to breathe once again before the closing rift, with Scissoraptor gone giving nothing to keep the dimensional tear open before Koopin staggered onto his knees the moment that he landed upon the star summit weakly. The wishes of all that had been would soon filter out of his body to return back to whence they came, his body suddenly feeling strangely warm as if a thousand dozen volts had been sent triggering through his veins. His head was starting to swim, gasping deeply from his stomach which almost felt like it was about to vomit. He suppressed his urge before slowly pushing himself back onto his feet, staggering with throbbing thick headache that caused him to squint and shiver throughout his eyes and ears as a voice came from behind him. "...you did it." Koopin slowly turned trying not to move his vision too fast. "You...you actually stopped him." James was looking weak to the point of anaemic as he struggled to stand whilst clutching at his belly harshly, crumpling to fall until Koopin ran towards him by a frantic gait which caused him to fall in turn next to the raptor's gasping state. "J-j-james...are you...d-don't strain yourself, a-a-are you alright?" "I...I am......ohh...hhh-h-h-hhhhhoh jesus...you...you managed to stop him. I...I-i-i don't...I don't feel him anymore. Koopin." He turned gently towards the sweet koopa's weakened look, breathing heavily along with him. "Y-y-you...you...s-saved me. You saved me and I-...oh god K-koopin." The two held each other safe within their arms through a deep sudden embrace, their tears flowing free by an utmost relief as they shook with gentle sounds of meek laughter almost tense with nervousness. Then they began to truly comprehend what had just been as they began to laugh longer, harder, happier until their throats would soon hurt from exhaustion. It was as if they could breathe fully for the first time in years, the taste of freedom from everything now so sweet and pure upon the starry night of the hills in the Mushroom Kingdom. They had no words to offer until the Star Spirits came to speak before them. "You have succeeded...I...we never thought it was possible that the demon could use such a trick." "But you have managed to subvert its plan well...Koopin. You have become worthy of using our power to such great capacity, a rarity for one such as...you...how...was that even possible from such few wishes?" "I don't," mumbled Koopin, "I-i don't...I don't really know, I-i heard some of James' friends in other worlds when he um...that thing opened up the rift. It was trying to escape into other worlds but all it did was let me hear everyone's wishes and......there was someone else." "Who?" "A voice...I don't remember what it said but...it wasn't anything like I would ever hear. It kept saying it chose James. I don't know what that means." "I don't know either," said James weakly, "but whoever it was...I...I-i-i'm really thankful that it did." "I'm thankful too...hhhhhh...hhhhoh...J-james. You're...you're free." "We're both free Koopin." His arm wrapped gently around the koopa's shoulders pulling him close as they watched the starry sky flickering above as if there had never been a gaping shock tearing throughout the very fabric of Koopin's world. "We're both...finally free."