The Horrorverse, Part 12: Nobody’s Hero

Year 2008 (Play "Auras" from Hunter X Hunter. )

I was born with a rare skin condition. Ever since I was young, I looked like a scarecrow.

An 8-year-old John C. Fright was at the playground. One bully grabbed him while another threw birdseed on his face, then he opened a cage and released two crows as they pecked him mercilessly.

It was a dark era for children. A time of hatred and discrimination. And yet, there was one pure heart among this sea of darkness.

A soccerball came flying and struck the bully holding John, knocking him out. The boy was able to shoo the crows away as he looked up at his savior: he was a charming boy of 19, with black hair, pants, and a brown sweater.

He was my brother… Joe Fright. He always looked to me with kindness, and was the only one who gave me hope.

"Don't let them get to you, John." Joe said as he was driving his brother home. "Kids like them just don't understand that some people are different from others. But some day, they'll understand."

But I had other beacons of hope. Other sources of entertainment. That came in the form of newspapers and YouTube videos. There was a group that was quite popular.

John was reading a newspaper titled, The Kids Next Door Strike Again: Turnip Farm Destroyed! It had a picture of the old Sector V. "Hey, Joe, are the Kids Next Door really as bad as the adults say?"

"To be honest, I don't think they are. I heard that turnip farm was using dangerous steroids. A kind that makes plants grow like you wouldn't believe and even attack you. You never hear about the Kids Next Door attacking police stations or stealing babies from hospitals, though. I feel like they're… unrecognized heroes."

"Do you think…you think I could be one?"

"Well, if you wanna be, go ahead and ask 'em." Joe smiled. "There's a giant tree a few blocks down."

Alas, I was afraid to go close to it. Afraid to approach them because of my appearance. Yet, I would always look at that tree with hope. Believing it may just be the gateway to new adventures and new friends. John Fright gazed at Sector Q's treehouse with a smile.

Little did I know that the KND had a dark side. And I was staring right at it. It was only a few days after when I learned the truth. The day I learned what true fear is.

Joe was driving his brother home from school on a sunny and pleasant day. They heard a siren, and Joe looked back to see a cop. "Oh, come on! I was going one mile over the speed limit." Joe begrudgingly pulled the car over. He rolled the window down as the cop approached them. He was slightly obese and his expression was nasty.

"Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?"

"I was speeding?"

"Yes. Any faster and you could've run someone-"

"Yeah, yeah. Look, just take a look at my license so I can…" As Joe reached into his pocket, the cop took a glance at John. The sight of his face made the cop startled for a moment, and when he looked down at Joe's hand in his pocket, that brief spark of fear got the best of him.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" In a split second, the cop grabbed his gun and shot Joe dead.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" John quickly kicked open the door and bolted up the street.

"Hey, kid, wait!" the cop called.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP, MY BROTHER'S BEEN KILLED! SOMEBODY!" His instinct told him to run to the giant treehouse. Coincidentally, a girl was walking out of the house, by the name of Gwen Tucker. "HEY! Are you a Kids Next Door operative?!"

"Huh?!" Gwen whipped around at the shorter boy, grossed out by his face.

"Please, help!" John grabbed her shirt. "My brother was killed by an evil police officer! You gotta do something before he-"

"GET OFF ME, YOU FREAK!" Gwen kicked him in the face and ran away.

As I lay there, the spot where her shoe made contact began to burn my scarred face. I was falling into a sea of despair. In one fell swoop, my two beacons of hope were lost. All I felt was fear. But when I look back, I realize that the cop and the operative made their decisions solely based off of fear. I laughed at how easily fear could manipulate a person's mind. But in time, the Kids Next Door seemed to forget that fear. It was like the event never happened.

Twenty-three years later, people from all over the universe cheered for the KND as they played in the Field Day tournament. People from Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule, Sweetopia, everywhere came to idolize these valiant, powerful heroes. Lost among the crowds was Affright. His rage was so strong, it could be felt by emotionbender Harvey Harper.

They had forgotten what it means to be afraid. They had been blinded by their own power and strength, fooled into thinking they had erased all fears of the universe. But I would prove them wrong.

Affright opened the cage in Tivan's museum and took Horror's Hand. Its eye shining, Affright was forced to relive his tragic memory a hundred times in one minute. Finally, the soul that inhabited Horror's Hand appeared before him in the darkness.

"The Kids Next Door betrayed you… You depended on them, and they hurt you. …I was hurt, too."

It turns out, the spirit of Horror's Hand was the first son of Darkrai the First. His power was so great that the Nightmare King feared him. At that moment, we felt a special bond. We both understood how it felt to be betrayed. And so… he decided to help me in my quest. (End song.)

Current time

Nolan, Danika, and Jack were returning to Earth on the latter's UFO. "Nolan, if Affright's on Nightmare Land, shouldn't we head there and get it over with?" Danika asked.

"The three of us aren't gonna be enough, Dani. We need Darkrai to heal Haruka, and then possibly heal the Kids Next Door. They'll be far more capable in stopping him. Not to mention the matter of clearing their name-"

The ship trembled suddenly. "Uh-oh! We're being attacked!" Jack yelled.

"SURPRIIISE!" A group of five green ships were pursuing them, commanded by The Riddler. "You didn't think you would destroy my Holo-Riddler and get AWAY with it, WOULD YOU?!"

"Dammit, Nigma, we beat you fair and square!" shouted Nolan.

"LIAR! There's no WAY you could've solved them all! I'll make you pay for humiliating me! Robots, activate the Nigma Beam!" The five ships charged green lasers and fired them at the UFO simultaneously.

"Riddle RIDDLE Riddle RIDDLE Riddle RIDDLE…" The inside of the ship started flashing green as question marks blinked around the room.

"None of my controls are responding!" Jack panicked.

"The Nigma Beam is also known as my Glitched Controller Attack. Have you ever experienced a game controller going faulty, forcing the character to only move in one direction? RIGHT when I was at a hard level, too."

"Don't worry! I was steering us toward GUN's base! They can help us fight them."

"This sure brings back memories." Danika said, pulling the two into her shadow. "Hold your breath, boys."

She carried them out of the ship with a Shadow Glide, letting the saucer crash in the forest. Danika set them all on the ground several meters away from it. "Sigh… I couldn't trouble you fellas for a ride later, could I?" Jack asked.

"LAFFY TAFFY!" A black head with a big, munching mouth and bat wings hopped up to Sandman, but he punched it away, and Danika sliced it with her daggers. Hundreds of Nightmares appeared to be crossing the forest. (Play "Alpine Skyline at Night" from A Hat in Time!)

"Where are they all heading?" Dani asked.

Nolan gasped. "The base!" The trio bolted through the forest, attacking any Nightmare in their path until they were in view of GUN H.Q.. Soldiers and robots were bravely fighting the invading monsters, but to their misfortune, Possessor Nightmares were taking over the robots. The Sandman's attention was drawn to the two figures marching to the front entrance: a man dressed like a scarecrow and a pink cloud of gas.

Commander Gunkan was there to greet his visitors, darksabers drawn. "So, you've finally decided to show yourself."

"Howdy, Brett! It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Caesar said perkily. "Remember? When Vergo betrayed you? After he got Darian York killed? And I laughed JUST like THIS! SHURORORORORORO!"

"Gunkan… how kind of you to gather the Kids Next Door in your base." Affright said. "Now, I can destroy them all!"

"I'll NEVER let you hurt them!" Gunkan ran forth and swung his blades at the mastermind, but Affright blocked with Horror's Hand and then thrusted the palm in Brett's eyes. It flashed, and Brett was trapped in a nightmare. Alas, Affright was met with a surprise punch to the side of the head. He fell several feet away before recovering to see his attacker.

"Don't count me out of the party."

"Sandman… No, I was expecting you to show up just in time. It's time for the Horrorverse to enter its next phase!"

"Danika, go inside and protect Dillon and the kids." His wife nodded and used Veil to slide past them and into the base. "Jack, Brett, let's finish this once and for all!"

Nolan ran up and swung punches at Affright, who countered with his superior left hand. The hand flashed and turned him into a flock of crows that flapped past Nolan and reformed. Jack latched his Soul Robber onto Horror's Hand and tried to yank it off, but the hand sent a scream into the goo, blowing the flubber up like a balloon and popping it. Affright ran up and grabbed Sandman by the neck, forcing fear into his mind. Nolan tried to tug it off with the Chi-block Gauntlets, but to no avail. "The chi of Horror's Hand cannot be blocked. I'm sure you must know what it is now."

Gunkan applied Haki to his swords as he tried to strike Caesar, but the cocky clown floated just out of his reach. "Shurororo! Time for the fireworks!" The clown drew out a missile launcher and fired, but Brett swiftly dodged them. The missiles exploded into pink gas.

"Is that Bang Gas?!"

"SHURORO! What's wrong, Brett?! Don't wanna have a tree stump growing out of your back again? I know someone who would like a whiff!" Caesar fired the missiles closer to Sandman, and Affright chucked him into the cloud.

"NOLAN!" Gunkan ran to him, but quickly stopped. A vision of himself walked out of the gas, a mutated tree stump with a face growing on his back. Just the thought of going near that gas filled him with terror.

Jack Skellington jumped into the gas and came out with Nolan in his arms. "Your gas has no effect on me!"

"Cough! Hurk! ACK!" The Sandman clasped his head.

"Nolan, hang in there! Whatever damage he's done, we can fix it!"

"And Brett, I think you may have misunderstood." Affright said. "When I said 'destroy the Kids Next Door,' I didn't mean physically. I meant mentally." He raised Horror's Hand and flashed its eye.

Inside the base, Danika was slithering around the prison wing in search of her son. Meanwhile, the fear-induced operatives were shaking more frantically than ever. "Sapphire, what's happening?!" Ruby asked when this happened to Sector KB.

"This isn't good, Ruby!"

Danika emerged beside them. "Hey, do you two know where Dillon is?"

"He was in his cell with Zach and Maddy until a while ago." Sapphire replied. "I think he was-"

They jumped when the aforementioned cell blew open. Sensing an incredible power brimming within, Maddy Murphy stomped out of the cell, cloaked in Haki Fury. The Mad Conqueror faced the three with pure madness in her eyes.

Outside, Nolan came back to his senses and ran to attack Affright again, but the villain easily dodged his fists, spun around, and was suddenly holding Dillon by the neck. "You thought he was still inside? I have your son right here. Come one step closer, and I will end his-"

Nolan KICKED Affright through Dillon, sending the former flying back as Dillon disappeared. "I can see through your tricks, Fright."

"Can you really? Or is it thanks to the power now inside you?"

"Look, Nolan!" Revan was dangling the Chi-block Gloves in his fingers. "I swiped these off you! Just kidding, we both know you threw them off yourself."

"Yes, Nolan… I know he is there. Revan Bane Sidious." Affright spoke. "Not just in your fears… his essence is literally inside of you. And you have him to thank for it."

"Shurorororo!" Nolan looked up at Caesar. "Aww, you're too kind, Affy."

Nolan used the Poltergust to suck Caesar down and grab him by the neck in his Haki hand. "What did you DO TO ME?!"

"It was three years ago." Caesar grinned wickedly. "Revan Bane came to me in his Inferius form. He brought me his corpse, and gave me a very special request. A request… to convert his brain into a Devil Fruit!"

"A… Devil Fruit?"

"SHURORO! YES! A Devil Fruit that would not only gift one with psychicbending, but would cause one's mind to completely morph into Revan's! That's right, Nolan… Jack Spicer shrunk himself with the fruit, snuck into your house while you slept, and tossed the delicacy right into your snoring mouth. You are the proud host of my Revan-Revan FRUIT!!"

Nolan violently punched him in the face. "The cure. NOW!"

"Are you serious? Well, okay." Caesar grabbed a syringe of liquid Bang Gas and injected Nolan in the neck.

"AAAH!" Nolan pulled away and yanked it out, his head overcome with pain.

"NOLAN!" Brett desperately ran to his aid with his own syringe in hand. "Don't worry! I have antidote right-"

Nolan sent him several meters away with a single punch, the antidote hitting the ground and breaking. Gunkan recovered and watched as Nolan threw off his hat and crushed his mask in his hand. His mismatched eyes glared at Gunkan like a predator in the night, his teeth stretched wider than ever. "Miss me… Brett?!"

"N-No…" Brett fearfully got to his feet. "It can't be you…"

Revolan conjured a Psycho Sphere and tossed it, Brett knocking it away with his darksaber. Revolan grabbed debris from fallen robots and hurled them at his foe as Brett ran toward him and cut through them. Revolan formed a bubble shield, but Brett cut through with Haki, and he tried to swing at Nolan when he grabbed the sabers in his own Haki hands. "It's you, isn't it?! REVAN!"

"So, you REMEMBER ME!" Revolan kicked him back. Before he could retaliate, Brett's neck was taken by a psychic grip.

Inside, Angie McKenzie tried to restrain her son with stone arms, but Anthony punched his mother in the face and broke free. When Eva tried to restrain her daughter in water arms, Melody used bloodbending to bend her mother's arms behind her back, then bend her back. Luvbi blasted Melody down the hall with an air gust, but she was quickly attacked by her daughter.

"Hang on, why isn't the rest of Sector V here?!" Matthew Dimalanta questioned.

"Never mind that, we have to catch them!" Danika shouted.

Outside, Revolan had risen Gunkan to the sky by the neck. "You always were jealous of me, admit it! I was the greatest bender in the KND and you were nothing!"

"Nolan… please… don't do this… ack…" Brett gasped.

"Nolan is DEAD! It's just Revan now, and you better accept that!" Revan forced Brett to drop his swords and grab the gun from his pocket. Despite Gunkan's attempts to resist, he aimed the gun at his own neck.

"Stop!" Jack ran to Nolan, but Caesar fired another Bang Missile, which curved and hit Jack in the chest, carrying him across the distance.

"You didn't stay by my side!" Revolan continued. "You hated me, just like all the others! You were glad when I died, but how about NOW, HUH?! Do you finally understand that you can NEVER get rid of me?!"

"You… betrayed us… Revan… You were our friend… we would have stood by you… but you chose not to stand by us. But I… enjoyed every moment we had together. I wish we could've had more adventures together. And I'm sorry… if we made you feel like you didn't belong…"

Revolan had nothing to say… and tears leaked from his eyes. Affright glared, aimed Horror's Hand, and unleashed a brief, "AAAH!" The scream startled Revolan, who flexed his fingers, and the psychic grip caused Gunkan to pull the trigger of his gun. (End song.)

The Kids Next Door had come stampeding outside, the parents still desperately trying to control their rampaging kids. Danika gasped for breath as she made it outside, having to stop. She looked up and nearly lost her breath: Brett Gunkan was suspended in the air, his arms hanging limp as the gun dropped to the ground. It seemed like Nolan's hand was positioned as though he were holding him.

But that grip immediately ceased when it sank in. Gunkan's dead body dropped and landed like a ragdoll. "SHUUUUUROROROROOOO!" Caesar circled around the air like an open balloon. "YOU DID IT! You actually did it! At last, DARTH GENIOUS IS REBORN! AAAAH HA HA HA HA!"

"Nolan…" Danika ran to her husband.

"We've accomplished what we needed to." Affright said as winged Nightmares swooped down to carry the operatives. "It's time to leave." He raised Horror's Hand as a giant demon bat grabbed him in its talons.

"But what about Revan?!" Caesar asked, flying after him.

"If he's truly awakened, he'll join us before long. It's time to show the world what the Kids Next Door really are. Starting in Cleveland, Virginia!"

Nolan stared at his hand. He could not believe what just happened… he mentally told himself it was just a vision… but the evidence lay dead before him. Gunkan was dead… and the murderer was… "Nolan… what happened…?"

"…I killed him…"

"You… W-Was that… psychicbending?"

"Nolan?" Matthew heard. "A psychicbender?"

"And he… killed…" Eva couldn't understand.

"…Danika… where's Dillon?"

"He…He wasn't in there…"

"…I've failed." Nolan turned toward the base, his shoulders drooped. "I've failed my son… I've failed everyone…"

Vanellope jumped out of his watch. "Dad, it wasn't your fault! He was controlling you!"

"No, Vanellope. I…I'm done now. I couldn't defeat him… and I couldn't control myself. The rest is up to you." He continued walking.

"Nolan, where are you going?" asked Dani, heartbroken.

"I'm locking myself away, so I won't be able to hurt anyone else. Face it, Danika. I'm nobody's hero. …Not anymore…"

No one said anything or attempted to stop him. Nolan entered the base and didn't look back. "…Sigh, there's nothing we can do." Matthew said. "We have to go after Affright. He's going to Cleveland."

"He is right. Let us make haste." Luvbi agreed.

Danika looked in Nolan's direction once more. She sighed, choosing to leave him to himself. "He just needs a moment…"

Cleveland, Virginia

Two hours had passed, and chaos spread to all corners of the city. Chris Uno was blasting Combustion Beams at buildings with no clear direction, and Sheila Frantic was squashing GUN tanks with giant Sun Fists. Anthony was sinking buildings with earthbending and Wendy and Fybi were destroying houses with tornadoes. "Do you see now, people of the world, the true nature of your valiant heroes?!" Affright announced from a dark stage. "These heroes have saved your worlds! And now, they will be your conquerors! Your only chance to survive is to fight them! Benders and metahumans were once prosecuted for their powers! We must revive that ancient tradition, lest you all be reduced to rubble!"

"SHUT THAT BROKEN MOUTH OF YOURS, you ugly crow!" a woman's voice echoed in the distance. Affright turned with pure astonishment to see a fleet of walking pirate ships. Emperor Mandy stood on the keel of the flagship.

"A-A-Affright! It's Pirate Emperor Mandy!" Caesar stuttered. "What's she doing here?!"

Mandy jumped onto the street and approached the mastermind. "I'm getting sick of hearing your little poetry spiels! The eternal night you made is ruining my sleep schedule! I tolerated your little dominion this long, but here is where I draw the line. The only Emperor of Fear is ME!" She unleashed a deafening scream, but Affright countered with a beam from Horror's Hand.

The villain became crows and reformed behind her, swinging a punch that she blocked with her sword. She looked him in the eye with a Scare Stare, but the face of the shadowy imp came out of his and stared back. Mandy flinched, and Affright succeeded in knocking her to the ground. "You know, Your Highness… I'm actually feeling really confident around you. Now, that's unusual. Why, I'm so confident that I feel like singing."

"Oh, gee." Mandy sighed. The music played, and Affright began.

"It's true, I haven't always been this fab'… I was a joyless little boy once."

The Boogey Pirates exchanged confused glances. "Now I know I'm as proud as a crab… because I'm TERRIFYING!" The image of Malladus sprouted from his form, the demons ducking in fear. "Did your parents say, 'There's nothing in the closet! It's all in your mind'?" Mandy got up, sword drawn. "Sorry, but I have to make my own deposit: YOUR PARENTS LIED! What's in there was SCARY!"

Mandy cast a storm of Fear Spheres from her body, but Affright swiftly dodged them all in his dance. "Like a demon straight from the bowels of Heck! What a wreck, seeing something so SCARY! I will choke you like a rope around a neck!" He grabbed Mandy's neck. "Just a sec! Don't you know?" He spun around with her in hand. "Kids are DUMB, DUMB, DUMB, believing everything we TELL THEM!" He tossed her away. "The hell 'them. …Now, here they come, come, come," The operatives were lured in by the glow of his hand, "to the one thing that will sell them! And kill them!"

Affright grabbed Aurora Uno by the neck. "Watch as I FREEEEZE YOU!" Her body turned pale and stiff. "Now I'm going to SQUEEEEZE YOU!"

"ENOUGH!" Mandy cut his hand with her sword and freed Aurora. "Your battle is with me! Unless you don't have the guts for it!"

"Hm hm hm… You talk a big game… but I can see how small you really are." Affright raised Horror's Hand and drew in the life force of some surrounding Nightmares. His body glowed red as he grew twenty stories high, donning a torn cape that resembled the Grim Reaper, and the deepest wrinkles of his decrepit skin brimmed an eerie yellow. From his view, Mandy and all her loyal demons were insignificant. He could feel the slightest bit of worry in her heart.

"Well, well, well… Lord Mandy's having trouble with her look." Mandy backed away as the giant marched toward her. "How quite absurd for an Emperor." Mandy growled and fired giant Fear Spheres that Affright smacked away. "Oh, what a terrible performance, need a hand?" Affright pinned her down with a finger. "Get it? You don't SCARE ME like you used to, man!" And he flicked her away with the other finger.

Mandy turned into her Fury Form, growing to Affright's size as she clashed her sword against his gauntlet. "Yet, I have to give you credit for your style… the terror in your eyes!" The hand's eye flashed, blinding Mandy briefly as Affright punched her back. "But next to me, there's really no denial." Affright pulled her up by the hands. "You cannot HIDE! …From me, I'm too SCARY!"

Affright danced with Mandy, who was unable to break free. "Like a Boogeyman awaiting a tasty meal. What's the deal? My deal is I'm SCARY!" He hurled Mandy across the town, crushing several GUN tanks. "Send your armies, but they NEVER will prevail! They will fail! Mandy, man." Affright grabbed her by the legs and swung her around. "You can try, try, try! But you can't expect a Yonko… to beat a scarecrow!" He slammed her headfirst into a building, and she fell to the ground. "Now, you will die, die, die!" He stomped her face. "As it's time for me to tear apart… your aching heart!"

Mandy shrunk down to her normal size and form. Affright's body turned black, but his eyes and mouth brimmed red. The eye of Horror's Hand shone on Mandy as it displayed an illusion: her parents angrily kicked her young self out of the house, and the kids of Endsville booed at her.

"FAR from the ones who abandoned you, seeking," he picked Mandy up and held her for all the Boogey Pirates to see, "the LOVE of these demons, who MADE you their captain! You TRIED to be FEARED… but I'm afraid you just aren't scary, dear! MANDYYYYY!" Affright threw her in the air. "Have another taste of my HANDYYYY!" He smacked her across the town. "You're not SCARY! Soak it in 'cause it's the last you'll ever see." He marched up to her again. "C'est la vie mon ami, I'm so SCARY! Now I'll kill you, so prepare your final plea! Just for me…"

Affright grabbed Mandy in Horror's Hand and began to drain her. "You never were that scary… You wish you were nice and… SCAAAAARYYYYYYY!"

A Gas Bomb came flying and struck his arm, forcing Affright to release Mandy. Affright realized the culprit was Matthew Dimalanta, and with him were Eva, Luvbi, Angie, and Danika York. "Sigh… why do they never give in?"

G.U.N. H.Q.

Nolan had locked himself in a cell, giving himself peace and solitude. But no amount of contemplating would erase what he had done. Everything he's done tonight was all for nothing. The villains escaped from their cells… Affright was controlling the Kids Next Door, destroying everything in their name… and what was the Sandman? He saved nobody. He was nobody's hero. (Play "Sleeping Beauty" from Sleeping Beauty.)

A distant, gentle singing echoed in his ears. Looking up, the cell had turned dark, and a passage opened in the back. Nolan stood and slowly walked down the passage. To his right was the chorus, composed of Brotherhood villains. To his left, his young self stood upon a balcony, lifting Revan skyward and throwing him over. And as Nolan walked, he felt himself devolving into his youth. The only thing that ruined the illusion was the missing wheelchair.

Nolan approached a beauty in a blue dress, alone in the middle of the vast ballroom. The beauty discarded the dress and turned, Revan's normal clothes underneath. With a stoic expression, Nolan took Revan in his arms and danced. "Do you finally understand, Nolan? The world doesn't need heroes, anymore. EVIL is the way to go now!"

Nolan said nothing, keeping his eyes down. "Look, Nolan, it won't be so bad, I promise. When we get out, I'll treat you like you own the world. It will be beautiful. No more pain, no more sadness, no more fear…"

Nolan said nothing still. Revan furrowed his eyes and SMACKED him. "I am SICK of you IGNORING ME! ! I did all this for YOU! I came back as a zombie, dug up my corpse, and had Caesar convert it into a fruit all so we could be together! So, the two of us could reclaim what we deserve! I did so much for you, and you won't even give me a smile!"

"… … Brett is dead."

"Yes, we established that."

"…I killed him."

"Technically, I did. You know, out of spite. But sure, take the blame."

"…I killed Brett."

"Yes, you killed Brett. You also killed me, why don't you mope about that?"

"…Brett is dead, because of me."

"Ugh, YES! Brett is dead! Saying it a million times isn't gonna bring him back!"

"…Brett is dead… I feel so terrible…"

"I, GET IT! Brett is GONE, and he's NOT coming back! You killed him! There's no denying it! You're a terrible person! S-So…So… SNIFF." Revan's eyes began to water. "Why is this HAPPENING to meeee?!"

"Because Brett was your friend. He was my friend. And we killed him. We should be ashamed."

"Sniff, b-but I don't feel ashamed at all! I hated him! I wanted to kill him! So, why am I feeling this way?!"

"I may have your brain, Revan… but we have my heart. No matter how many people you kill, your feelings will betray you. You'll feel so guilty that you won't be able to do it. And deep down… you know what you're doing is wrong."

Revan's tears were streaming like a waterfall. "I don't need you t-to tell me how I feel! What do you know about me?!"

"Revan… you're more than just a hallucination. You're the darkness in my heart. And all darkness has light. You've always been a part of me, Revan. That's why, when I feel guilty, you feel guilty."

"Sniff . . . sniff . . . WAAAAAAAAH!" Revan had never felt these many emotions before. "Sniff, sniff, I killed Brett! Brett was my friend, and I killed him! What kind of person am I?!"

"We're just a couple of worn-out old men." Nolan smiled and hugged him. "Trying too hard to keep up with our kids. But our time in the spotlight is done, Revan. We tried too hard, and we ruined everything. It's over for us."

BOOM! They jumped at the sound of an explosion. Exchanging glances, the two rushed down the corridor, Nolan growing back into his adult self. When he returned to his cell, it had been opened. He was aghast at seeing the group of people who had come to see him.

Jack Skellington was the first to approach. "We've all been overcome by fear at some point, Nolan."

"We've all made decisions that we regret." Nagisa followed.

"But you can't forget you have friends to help you." Misaka said.

"And we'll stick by you, no matter what!" Crystal declared.

"But you must admit, this is one hell of a rescue." Sebastian said charmingly.

The five comrades that fought beside Nolan throughout the night were all together. Seeing them all like this filled him with a new sense of hope. …But they were not alone. Carol Masterson and Midna walked in behind them, and with them was… "So, Dad, you up for one last hurrah?" asked Dillon.