Fallen Stars: A New Age

Act 1 - Chapter One: The Prelude

Dreamland was a peaceful realm.

It was, as its name implied, a land of dreams. Sweet, sweet dreams, visions of peace that cradled its inhabitants kindly. The people were living a perfect dream; no war, no fear, nothing.

But…

As gentle as a dream could be, one knew just what kind of lie it truly was.

A façade.

He knew; the brighter the dream, the darker the nightmare.

It had been twelve years since Nightmare had fallen.

His destroyer, Kirby, was now known as Nightmare's Vanquisher; the Saviour; the Dreamer; the Bearer of Hope. The names kept coming as the years went by, each more creative than the last, but luckily the sheer amount of praise never went to Kirby's head. No, the boy was fine. He was at peace and he was allowed to grow at his own pace, something rare for one of his kind. Their species obviously grew much slower than the Dreamlanders; as they became adults and well into their lives, Kirby was still but a child. He was young, yes, but for his age, he was smart. Growing under the education of a species who grew faster obviously quickened his own knowledge, but, most agreed that Kirby naturally had exceptional learning capabilities.

Needless to say, Kirby was loved by the Dreamlanders. He was loved, cherished, and cared for by all who surrounded him. However, there was one person Kirby truly wished to impress, and that person just so happened to be the hardest person to read in all of Dreamland – no, the whole galaxy!

This person, as always, was by himself.

Alone on the beach, he was long gone into a much different world. Drifting off in a land of dreams, all he did was stare ahead. His gaze was lost into this calm sea, upon which the sun reflected like a perfect mirror; its warm rays spread out on its serene surface in a wave of a million diamonds of fire, burning softly back into embers. He was lost into the drifting sea of his mind.

He was, to say the least, tired. Time was a strange concept. Some said it moved in a straight line, never to be toyed with, never to be disrupted by those living in this realm. But he, he knew it was something else. Much like the sea he was looking at. It appeared calm, beautiful and poetic, but under its surface, it was a deep and dark well of spinning currents and branching paths, each intersecting into the others, easy to break. Like the mind, it was a fragile thing; easy to play with too.

He was so very tired, indeed.

Lost in thoughts of darkness, his mind was all but a toy; a shield, perhaps, was the better term to describe him. An invisible and unflinching shield.

With the end of their training coming sooner than they would think, Sword and Blade had taken in a new trainee, an apprentice for the both of them to teach to. It came as a surprise to the villagers when Bun, who, after ten years of home-schooling and attending a college in a neighbouring country, couldn't decide what to do with his life, and thus came to the knights. He told them – and therefore everyone he knew – that the knights inspired him, that, with knowledge of chivalry and the art of the sword, maybe he could do something for the world as well. After all, he added, weren't they looking for the next generation of warriors? Why wouldn't he be part of it? Why would he not, indeed?

After much consideration and many discussions with Bun's parents, who worried deeply about the repercussions such a path would make, Sword and Blade accepted, and on this day forth, Bun became an apprentice. This change in the knights' routine was a sudden but welcomed one; with his companions busy with Bun, Meta Knight could be by himself, and sort through his personal mess of a mind.

As for Bun's sister, Fumu, many agreed that the years had drastically changed her. From a somewhat controlling, bossy, authoritarian girl who spent her days worrying non-stop for her family and the town, the years that followed Nightmare's fall softened her, in an odd way; while she became more understanding and caring, and perhaps more patient toward her friends and companions, her mind sharpened even more nonetheless. Her plans became clearer; to open a school – an official one – in Dreamland for the first time, a school that would be there to stay and would ensure the education of the future generations.

She knew that the Dreamlanders were somewhat far behind many other countries of Popstar in terms of education and advancements, and the only way she saw that would change that for the better, was to install a good educational program. For five years, she left Dreamland to visit other countries and enrich herself, and now that she was back to her home, her plans were already advancing, yet still not perfect. Luckily for her, she was not alone, and the encouragements came from many good parties in town, mainly from the mayor and the elders.

King Dedede, when he lost his precious demon-beast dispenser, became bored out of his mind. Truly bored. He wasn't done with playing tricks on the villagers in the slightest, but the more he went, the more the villagers noticed; his tricks seemed… lacking, in comparison with all the imaginative pranks he used to pull on everyone. Over the years, some things changed, some didn't. The taxes were as high as ever, the king still wasted his fortune on useless toys and gadgets he would test out on the villagers or his subjects immediately after, and, of course, he still proclaimed Kirby was his great nemesis and, to the boy's surprise, Dedede often liked to remind everyone that he wouldn't let 'the pink hero' dethrone him. Kirby was surprised, as he absolutely had no plans in doing such a useless thing, but he was getting so used to the king's senseless blabbering he had grown quite used to ignoring him. Despite all this, the king was rather calm; after all, it seemed like he had abandoned all plans to get rid of Kirby, and instead resorted to simply complaining in his face. If anything, despite everything that could still be changed, the king was somewhat… kinder, especially toward his subjects. More protective, many would say. After all, the villagers were whispering among each other, Escargon was growing old…

Yes, time was moving in Dreamland. This dream was changing the life of those directly affected by it, in ways only one with a sharp eye could truly notice.

Despite the years that flew by and the moving people, the sea was still the same. A mirror, an endless mirror, into which he could see time itself; yet, he could do nothing to turn the clock back. They were set on this path, like a friend told him many, many years ago, and he could do nothing but stand tall, and accept it. After all, this sea was so beautiful at this hour… He might as well enjoy it, despite how hot the sun was.

Under the mask, his face was slightly burning, but not enough for him to be uncomfortable. The waves of the sea reached up to his feet, submerged them for a few seconds, then receded back into the waters, only to repeat thirty seconds later. This mix of cold and warm felt refreshing for him and his conflicting thoughts.

"Sir Meta Knight?"

His mind felt lost in a thick, heavy fog, and he had to blink multiple times to get out of its restraining grasp. Cape held tightly around his round form, he turned his amber gaze to his right. Coming his way, were his apprentices, Sword and Blade.

"Sir," Blade started as he and his brother saluted him briefly, as per usual.

He nodded as greetings, and his eyes traveled on each of them for a short moment. Shortly after Nightmare's defeat, Sword and Blade had judged the villagers trustworthy enough to reveal their faces to them in public, and had now taken a habit of walking around without their helms, sometimes without armour, as peace, Meta Knight had once said, signified that they could also rest. After all, he had added, he should be the only one to carry such a heavy load. To please their lord, they had agreed.

Ever since they had saved the villagers by revealing the unfinished Halberd to the world, the three of them noticed that the townsfolk were more open to them; they would salute them when going through town, sometimes even coming straight to them to converse. It was a nice and welcomed change; although, truth be told, no one could expect to one day see the overlord's mysterious face, for his mask was one he had firmly melted on his skin, and would never take off in public. Just because I have to hide, doesn't mean you two need to, he had told his apprentices. And now, the result was a satisfying bond of trust between them and the villagers.

"Have you finished already?" the elder knight asked his companions, voice low and husky.

"Yes Sir," Sword answered promptly. "We actually finished our patrol an hour ago. We took Bun to a small training session after since he was up for it. There's nothing unusual to report, as always."

"The king has been pretty quiet lately," Blade added, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "He hasn't done anything in a while, but, other than that, he seems pretty normal."

Meta Knight gave a short chuckle, turning back to look at the sea, eyes half-closed.

"I don't mind the quietness, for a change. Just keep an eye on him. How did Bun do, today? Is he showing progress?"

"He did pretty good," Sword said, nodding in synch with his brother. "He's got a lot of energy to spend lately, so he's been working well."

"He still just needs more training with a sword," Blade said. "He can't hold a stance right and he gets disarmed easily, but I feel he compensates by being a good dodger."

"Heh, can't argue with that," his brother chuckled. "He's a fast little kid, Sir. You'd be proud!"

The elder knight slowly nodded his head soundlessly, and his companions could just tell he was smiling behind that mask.

"I'll watch next time you train. I just… needed to get out, today."

"Do you… feel better?" Sword cautiously asked him, arching his eyebrows worriedly. "Your coughing, uh… got a bit worse this morning, didn't it?"

The blue knight shook his head dismissively, holding his cape tighter around him as the waters rose a bit higher than his feet, reaching to his hips and sending cold shivers up his spine.

"Don't worry about me," he told them as if an order. "How about you two go back? I suppose you remember that you promised your best cooking tonight."

At those words, Blade snickered and rubbed his gloves together, making his brother laugh.

"It's already in the oven! It should be ready in about thirty minutes max."

Meta Knight nodded his head.

"Then I will join you in thirty minutes. Go on ahead now."

They both saluted their leader, called "Sir!", then turned around and left, leaving a smiling knight on the beach. He chuckled again. Talking with them always filled his darkened heart with warmth… How much they had grown, these kids…

Before heading back to the castle, he decided to turn back and head for town. A good walk around the shades of the trees and the houses would maybe help clear the fog in his mind.

At the same moment, inside the castle, Bun was heading back to his home, completely covered in dirt and mud. Stretching his arms above his head with a yawn, he thought about how he needed to think of a better way to roll out of the way and dodge the mud at the same time. Right now, his technique lacked… a bit of everything. He consoled himself by thinking that, at least, he was quick, and at least Sword and Blade had told him that themselves, so he was in the right direction. Now, he was heading back home, ready to dive straight into the shower.

However, as he was making his way through the castle hallways and walked past the throne room, he had to stop, for inside, he heard the sudden ruckus of glass breaking, followed by the king yelling, quite loudly.

"Idiots! Don't drop it, it's all we got left! You'd better hope none of 'em are broken, you morons!"

Bun was surprised by such wording, for even though the king could get rather spicy when triggered, he usually didn't directly threaten his subjects like that.

"Now, now, Your Majesty, I'm sure they're all fine. I'm actually fairly surprised you knew we still had those… I know I forgot. Especially after last time's fiasco. That was years ago!"

"Of course I'd remember!" the king answered matter-of-factly with an indignant slur in his voice. "What do you think I am, a goldfish? No, you don't waste good demon-maker like that!"

Bun had to bite down on a gasp to keep quiet. Demon maker?! They still had some?

"It is called Grand Esker Demon-Beast Formula, thank you…"

"It don't matter! Now all of you get that mess cleaned, and you lot, get those samples back to Escargon's lab. And don't break any!"

His heart palpitating, Bun immediately ran behind a pillar, hiding just in time to see a group of six Waddle Dees, two in the lead with four behind, holding a large wooden crate on their head, something tingling inside with each of their synchronized steps. Taking a deep breath, Bun, without a second thought, quietly followed behind them, making sure that no one saw him behind.

Kirby was as happy as one his age could be. He was lucky to have everything he needed; as Hero of Popstar, after all, he was privileged. If he wanted food, furniture or goods, all he needed to do was to ask, and the Hero would receive. However, despite it all, Kirby was a humble young man. In exchange for goods, he would offer his services all around town, as he didn't have money to pay with. Instead, he contented himself in helping around the community, in many diverse little jobs, keeping him quite busy.

This evening, Kirby had eaten at Kawasaki's restaurant after helping the chef all day, and now the little pink puffball was completely full. Walking out of the establishment, he waved Kawasaki goodbye with a wide, shining smile.

"Thanks for the meal!" he called back to the happy chef. "You're getting better with that recipe. You'll soon be able to put it up on the menu!"

"Aah! You think so?" Kawasaki smiled, overjoyed. "Thank you! Come back tomorrow, I'll test some more things! You helped me enough today, so you won't have to work for a while. Take a break!"

Kirby agreed to come back, even though he didn't feel the need to take a break, and wandered away into town, content in mind and body. At this hour, the town was getting quieter as people went back in for dinner, and the few cappies Kirby crossed paths with greeted him kindly, as per usual. And as usual, Kirby only smiled at them before continuing on his way. In fact, he was glad to see the streets so empty and quiet. It was actually rare that he got to be alone…

For a second, Kirby stopped walking. In the distance, at the end of the street that lead straight into the main plaza, he could see the setting sun, casting its soft rays upon the town and lengthening every shadow. The contrast was so sudden in Kirby's gaze, he remained standing there for who knows how long, just staring. Something in this sight… was mesmerizing. Melancholic too. A strange sorrow then took over him. The shadows were darkening, the light fading…

Slowly blinking his eyes, Kirby snapped out of his small trance, slightly confused. With a small chuckle at himself, he rubbed his face with both of his hands and resumed walking, as if nothing happened. He did, however, feel slightly tired now…

When he arrived in the main plaza, that he thought to be empty at first, his smile came back, almost instantly. Now that was a happier sight! Meta Knight was there, sitting on a bench in front of the great tree that adorned the plaza. With his cape partially covering his arms yet not entirely wrapped around him, the knight was staring at an object in his hand, eyes glowing a soft, thoughtful green. Smiling at the thought of a late afternoon talk with his mentor, Kirby trotted over to him.

Even when he sat down next to the older man, Meta Knight didn't react to his presence, and Kirby took a moment to look at what he had in hand. It was an old looking brooch… Shaped like either a leaf or a flower petal, it was humbly decorated with clean and shining jewels and beautiful golden trims shaped like sprouts and flower buds. Meta Knight's thumb kept rubbing over its surface in an automated gesture, and only when Kirby leaned in closer to get a better look did he snap out of his dreamland and turn to him. Eyes glowing back to their usual golden hue, he sounded surprised, in a somewhat pleased way.

"Oh, Kirby," he spoke. "I didn't notice you there."

Kirby smiled right back at him.

"It's fine, I just arrived. How are you doing today, Sir?"

Meta Knight gave him a small nod, turning his head to look ahead at nothing in particular.

"I am doing well, thank you for asking. How about you?"

The younger of the two nodded right back, his smile growing.

"I'm doing great! I've just been doing the usual, you know, helping around everywhere and stuff. It's pretty great…"

He marked a pause here, turning to look at the knight, and gestured toward the mysterious object he was still holding.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

As if surprised by the question, Meta Knight looked down at the brooch and gave a dismissal wave of his hand before putting it away in his cloak.

"Oh, it's nothing," he answered simply. "Just a trinket."

Kirby smirked. A trinket, uh? He wasn't really the type to wear trinkets… but he let that go for now. Somehow, his mentor sounded… odd. Tired. For a moment, they simply sat there, in a pleasant silence, watching the sun set over the horizon. Kirby was actually simply glad to be here with him. Every time he spent time with his elder, he was just overtaken by a balm of serenity that helped clear his mind, and that was an effect no one else in town had ever had on him. Truly, compared to everyone else he knew, Meta Knight was unique, in his own, mysterious and unexplainable ways, and he was glad to be able to call him a friend.

"Sir Meta Knight?" Kirby eventually asked.

"Yes?"

"Uhm, I don't mean to sound, uh, like I'm impatient or something, but, uh… Do you remember when you told me we would rearrange my training schedule so that I could actually train more? Uhm, it's been two months since then and, uh… still no new schedule."

Meta Knight's silence had his heart beat a bit louder in his chest for a moment, but the sigh he heard from the knight soon after slightly appeased him.

"Oh, I know, and I apologize for that," the knight answered. "Truth be told, I was a bit more busy than I thought I would be when I told you this, and it simply went over my head."

He turned his golden gaze to him, making Kirby look back.

"Listen," the knight began. "Tomorrow, come to my quarters, and we will arrange this schedule. There are many things I have yet to teach you, so it would indeed be wise to get to it as soon as possible. I hope you forgive me for being so late."

Kirby couldn't stop that smile from stretching his face in a wide grin.

"Really?! Yes!"

Finally, he would be able to get back to a proper training! The small sparring sessions he had from time to time with his mentor were fun, yes, but compared to Bun's rather intense training, his seemed… lacking. Of course, he had been right to assume Meta Knight was busy, but now he couldn't help but be excited. Tomorrow couldn't come quicker! Good thing he was given a break from Kawasaki!

However, Kirby lost his smile when he heard a sudden cough, followed by a dozen more. They were raucous, husky, broken; and each and every one felt like a stab to his heart, and he flinched. Meta Knight had to raise his hand to his visor as the coughs made him bend forward, and when his coughing fit finally passed, he simply acted like nothing happened and nodded his head, clearing his raucous throat.

"Yes," he answered before visibly swallowing and taking a deep breath. "I'm sure you've been waiting for a while for this. Why did you not ask me sooner?"

Kirby frowned. Always trying to change the subject, as usual. Typical Meta Knight.

"Uhm… I don't know, I didn't want to sound pestering or anything. What have you been doing to be so busy lately?"

For a moment, Meta Knight remained quiet, marking another pause in their conversation.

"Well, as you know, I resumed working under Sir Arthur's orders, and let's just say that they keep me rather occupied. It is nothing to worry yourself over."

He gave a sigh…

"At least not yet…"

Those words had been spoken silently, in a soft, tired whisper. It took Kirby a moment to register them, to understand them and assimilate them. And it made his eyes widen slightly, before he turned to look at him. It dawned on him how tired his elder actually was… His eyes, with their slightly faded glow, were half-closed, his head hunched forward a bit, as if in deep thought, and that slur of fatigue in his voice that made it huskier than usual… Kirby arched his brows worriedly.

"Are you sick?" he asked kindly, voice softened by his feelings of concern. "Maybe we don't have to train so soon…"

Meta Knight lightly shook his head, quickly gathering himself up and raising his head to look at him with a deep sigh.

"Don't worry about it, Kirby. It's just a cold. I'll be fine soon. Just come to my quarters tomorrow, and we'll talk about it. Besides, sick or not, you need that training."

Kirby raised his shoulders nonchalantly, saying:

"It's not like I'm in a hurry or anything. Nightmare's gone, and we haven't seen a demon-beast or those one-time villains around here in over five years. We got time, don't we?"

He smiled at his elder, who appeared to be smiling back.

"Of course, you are right, but keep in mind that we never know what else might come our way, and there is much knowledge about your powers that we have yet to tap into. Truth be told, I do believe you should be old enough to reach the next phase of your training as a Star Warrior."

Kirby's interest suddenly rose and he smiled brightly. Next phase? What sort of phase could it be? Before he could question him on that subject, the knight gave a strained sigh and slid down the bench to the ground. He wrapped himself in his cape, an habit that, for once, looked very welcomed for the knight, and turned to him.

"For now, I am afraid I must take my leave," he said with a nod of his head. "Remember, come to me tomorrow, and we will work on this schedule."

Kirby's smile widened a bit and he stood up as well.

"Okay! I'll be there! See you tomorrow, Sir!"

And on these words, Meta Knight turned and began walking down the road, on his way to the castle. For a moment, Kirby stood still, watching his slowly shrinking form as the rays of the setting sun cast their final lights on him. As he watched, however, Kirby's eyes began to close… His eyelids became heavy all of a sudden, and he had to blink a few times and rub them to pour life back into them. He was more tired than he thought after this long day of work, he told himself. A good night's sleep would be just perfect right now.

Turning away as well, Kirby walked down another street, toward the sun, toward his sweet little house, unaware that behind him, his cast shadow stretched unnaturally, blacker than ink on the ground…

The Waddle Dees carried the crate of tingling bottles all the way across the castle, and Bun followed them along, testing out his stealth skills. He was terribly curious as to what the king planned to do with this – or if he would use the serum at all – but Bun was also worried, for he well remembered all the disasters that occurred and could have happened with this back in the days.

The small creatures soon began to descend into the castle's underground floors, and Bun waited for them to be farther down the stairs before following behind in the shadows, trying as best as he could to not make a single sound. Of course, as the king had ordered, the servants were heading toward Escargon's basement lab, a place he hadn't heard of in a long time. As far as he knew, Escargon hadn't done an experiment in a long time, probably due to the lack of demon-beasts to test it on. He hadn't suspected them to have kept samples of this terrifying demon maker serum… But why? Did Dedede still want to make demons of his own? Powered up Waddle Dees, maybe? More toys to make up for the boredom? Whatever it was, he couldn't let this go. This stuff was dangerous!

At the end of the spiral staircase, the Waddle Dees carried the crate across a small, cold hallway, at the end of which they entered a door. They left it open as they went in, so Bun quickly and quietly went in after them, ducking to the side to hide in a dark corner of the dusty room. He silently waited for their senseless blabbering and the squeaks of their feet to leave the room, and when the door finally closed behind them, he left his hiding spot. The room was dark, so he quickly went to turn on the lights. It was obvious that no one had come here in quite a while…

Dust had settled on every piece of furniture, and the computers hadn't been used in so long that they were covered in protective plastics. Every other piece of electronic was turned off and hidden behind more plastic. It looked like Escargon hadn't planned on coming back here in a long time… Because of how little the room had been used in recent years, the sudden arrival of the crate among the furniture made it stand out so much from the rest that Bun stood still a moment staring at it, surprised at how not-hidden-at-all it was. The Waddle Dees had just put it there, on the ground near an empty and dusty office desk. There wasn't any lid on it and Bun could easily take a look inside the crate at its contents. There were nothing else but what first looked like wine bottles; but Bun recognized the reddish colour of the serum and its thicker texture that differentiated it from wine, and he counted the bottles. Eleven. From what he had heard earlier, one of them must have broke in the throne room…

And so, with this in mind, Bun lifted the crate with a grunt and held it on his shoulder, before turning his back on the room and heading back outside. When he closed the lights and closed the door behind him, he didn't see the eye that stared at his back, hidden in the shadows…

"This is the current situation as I know it, sir."

A groan came from the wide screen implanted in the wall. In the Knights' appartment, the lord, his apprentices and their own apprentice were all gathered in front of the screen, where a concerned Sir Arthur had his arms crossed with his eyes closed in thought. Currently, the great general was far away from Popstar, in a place where all the remaining Star Warriors could contact him. Of course, after Nightmare's defeat, he and Meta Knight established this contact link so they could keep each other informed of everything going on on their end.

"This is most troublesome, Meta Knight," Arthur said over the screen, opening his misty purple eyes. "How many samples of this serum are in that crate? Do you know if they have more?"

"There are eleven 750 ml bottles," Meta Knight answered calmly, nodding his head at the crate that sat on the table before them. "From what Bun has told us, the twelfth sample broke in the throne room while they were attempting to move it. I do not know if there are more, but considering Doctor Escargon himself had forgotten about these, it is unlikely."

"I see," Arthur said with a nod. "For the moment, I want you to get rid of this serum safely, but keep a sample for us to study. Next time I send someone to Popstar, they will retrieve it. For now, I need you to keep your eyes open for anything that may seem strange. Keep an eye out specifically for demon-beasts that may result from reckless use of this serum. Understood?"

Meta Knight nodded, saying quickly:

"Yes, sir."

"Also, Master Bun?" Arthur added, making the young man lift his head and stand straight. "Excellent work out there. Keep your eyes peeled, young soldier!"

Bun couldn't stop that huge grin from stretching his face, and he gave a solid salute, calling:

"Yes, sir! Thanks, sir!"

Arthur offered them a salute of his own, followed by a quick and humble bow for his old friend Meta Knight, and the contact was cut off right after, leaving the screen blank. For a moment after the screen went dark, Meta Knight stood there, wrapped in his cape, as if lost in thoughts, but when Sword spoke, he turned around.

"Sir, do we proceed like last time with the serum?"

The lord nodded his head, answering:

"Yes, do so. I will leave things in your care for tonight. Remember to leave one bottle untouched. Hide it carefully."

"Understood, sir."

"How do you get rid of this?" Bun questioned, looking over to the crate. "You can't just throw it away, right?"

"No, we can't," Blade answered, taking a bottle in hand to look at the content through the glass. "If this thing gets out and pollutes rivers outside, who knows what horrible monstrosities would spawn out of this."

"The first time the king and Escargon used it," Sword continued, "we took a sample of our own and experimented on it. Turns out, it reacts to a specific mix of chemicals and turns completely inoffensive. With the proper mix, it becomes simple water."

"Whoa," Bun marveled. "Does it work on people or animals who were poisoned by it?"

The two subbordinates looked at each other before giving clueless shrugs.

"No idea," Blade said simply.

"We're not foolish enough to test it out on ourselves," Sword laughed. "The good thing is, at least we can make it not dangerous at all and just get rid of it safely. Come on, we'll show you how it's done. Also good job out there!"

As Bun laughed shyly, trying to act as humble as someone like Bun could, Meta Knight turned around with a smirk and headed straight for the balcony doors. However, as he grasped the handles of the double doors, he paused, then turned around back to the trio gathering around the crate.

"Bun."

The young man looked up at him.

"Do not tell Kirby of what you found."

Bun appeared surprised, but nodded his head all the same, giving a brief salute.

"Um, yes, sir. But why? Shouldn't he know about this kind of stuff?"

Meta Knight shook his head briefly.

"Tomorrow, Kirby starts his new training. He does not need to worry himself with this with what's to come. Am I clear?"

Although he didn't seem sure, Bun still shook his head positively, answering:

"Yes, sir."

With one last nod of acknowledgement, he opened and closed the doors behind him and went on to perch himself on top of the blocks that lined the edge of the balcony, leaving the other three inside. As he took a comfortable standing position and set his gaze toward the heavens, the knight not only thought about the serum problem, but also about the day after. Perhaps… Kirby was ready for this kind of training… After all, the child was proving much stronger than he thought, and he was certainly impatient to learn more. Maybe it was the right time for this… If only this blasted night could be over already…

But alas, he could already hear them… empty voices… carried through the stars… he was so tired of hearing them…

He just needed to focus.

Focus.

Focus…