Chapter 15: Partition ~Final Chapter~

Dimentio

The black smoke enshrouding the captives cleared, and their movements ceased. They coughed and opened their eyes. Fawful sputtered and spat, shaking.

Dimentio chuckled. 'How was story time?' he asked them mockingly. No one answered. 'Speechless? I don't doubt it.' He turned away. 'I've improved much over the years.'

'Improved?' Mimi exclaimed with disgust. 'You were great back then!'

'Pah!' the jester spat. 'Back then I was a pathetic, love-driven human. Now...now I am Dimentio, the Charming Magician!' He bowed.

'Well, you got what you deserved!' Mimi shot. 'Your face is revolting.'

Dimentio tensed in mid-bow. He straightened up, staring right at Mimi. 'I aim to change that very soon...' he breathed with controlled fury. 'Just as I shall wipe all worlds off the face of existence!'

'And how do you plan to do that?' Blumiere asked.

Dimentio's mouth curled into a sly grin. He stuck out his arm and pulled up his cuff. 'Nothing up my sleeve...' He spun his hand and the Dark Prognosticus appeared in it. 'Voila! It's magic!'

Everyone's eyes widened, aside from Fawful's, which were full of hopelessness. 'The Dark Prognosticus?!' Blumiere gasped.

'Yes!' Dimentio cried. 'The Dark Prognosticus! The ancient prophecy of the Tribe of Darkness!' He teetered on the spot. 'And my greatest achievement. I am quite the author, wouldn't you agree?' He laughed.

Mario jerked in his chair. 'You're not getting away with this!' he yelled.

'Oh my, how cliché,' the jester mocked. 'I am afraid that, yes, I am most certainly going to get away with this.' He opened the book to the middle of the spine. 'Starting with the most pressing matter.' He ran his finger down the centre of it, dark magic flowing from the tip. 'As the author of this dark prophecy...' Dimentio cited with excitement. 'I hereby...break the seal!'

A whirlwind of dark energy blasted out of the book, filling the entire room and pressing the captives against the back of their chairs. Dimentio's jester costume whipped in the wind, his mask cracking with the force. His hate flew right off his head, his black and white hair being assaulted by the strength of the energy. He had an extremely insane smile on his face, eyes widened. 'After all this waiting...it's finally broken...' he whispered to himself. ' He tightened his grip on the book. 'FINALLY! COME FORTH INTO THE WORLD ONCE MORE!' One more pulse of energy and a great beam of dark light (if you could call it light) burst from the book, colliding with the ground below with a huge explosion. The captives shut their eyes as they felt the force of it. When it all cleared, a person was kneeling on the floor.

He was fairly tall, and fairly muscular, his black hair sleek on his head. Two yellow eyes glowed in his sockets in contrast to the black everything of Castle Black. He sat there, panting and sweating. Not to mention...he was completely naked. No hair was on his body whatsoever.

'EW!' Mimi shrieked, and shut her eyes once more.

'Ah, whoops!' Dimentio chuckled. He snapped his fingers and the same, regal clothes he had worn to the Mushroom Kingdom's Halloween party appeared on the exposed figure kneeling on the floor. He stood up slowly, testing out his joints.

'It's been a while since I've been in the form of the living...' he muttered to himself. 'How awkward...'

'Greetings from the otherworld!' Dimentio called.

The figure turned, and gave him a small scowl. 'Hello. It certainly has been a very long time...Dimentio.' Blumiere struggled against his bonds, teeth clenched. They turned. The figure gave a look of surprise and recognition. 'Blumiere!' he said. 'How long has it been?'

'Not long enough,' the prince growled.

'Oh, I disagree.' He smirked at him. 'Blumiere...I've waited one thousand, five-hundred years for this moment. You're completely helpless, locked in chains. Ha ha ha!' He laughed coldly. 'How sweet vengeance is! Come now, why don't you greet me! We're flesh and blood, after all!'

'I will never acknowledge you as my father!' he spat.

'Hah! Dead to my own son.'

'Ahem!'

He turned to face the jester. 'And then there's you...'

'Yes, and then there's me. So nice to see you again...' He narrowed his eyes, smirking, and said, in a barely audible whisper: '...my father.'

Everyone went quiet. Blumiere choked on whatever he was about to say. Timpani's face went pale. 'Your...your f-father...?' Blumiere sputtered.

'Ah yes, my father! Say hello to Ganter, my dear half-brother!'

'G-Ganter...but...your name is Esteban...' the shaken prince muttered.

'Ah, I remember that alias,' Ganter said. 'After my body changed, as you can see, I found it fitting to change my name as well. Esteban really fit, in my opinion. Means "crown" in some language somewhere.'

'HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!' Blumiere roared, unable to believe any of this.

'Ah, what a tale to tell!' Dimentio said.

Dimentio walked down the steps to the dungeons, a spring in his step, the dark book he had written held in his hand, blood coating his costume. His mask was on his face now, and he was giggling to himself. He went down into the prison cells, which contained a few very unlucky people. He went right to the end, where a very old looking man, his dark beard ragged and unshaven, his clothes nothing but rags, sat in a corner.

'My, my,' the jester said. 'What an unpleasant sight.'

The old man shifted. 'Who are you...?' he muttered.

'Come and see.'

The man shuffled forward. Dimentio walked up in front of the metal bars, a grin on his masked face. 'I have never seen you in my life...' the man said.

'Oh, I think you're very wrong about that.' He chuckled. 'I must say Ganter, you really have changed.' The man's eyes widened at the mention of his name. Dimentio turned and took a few steps away from the bars, taking the mask off of his face. 'The last time I saw you, you were healthy...and quite angry, if I recall.

'Who are you?' Ganter asked.

'You disappoint me. I would have thought you would recognize your own flesh and blood.'

A sharp intake of break from Ganter gave the jester the confirmation he needed. 'Dimentio...?'

Dimentio spun around and pressed his face against the bars, his hands gripping them, an insane smile on his face. 'Yes! Say hello to your son, father!'

'What have you done to your face?!' he exclaimed.

'Everything dark magic can do, father,' his son answered. Ganter shivered. 'Yes, I have dwelled deeper into magic than you could ever hope to. Elemental magic! Dimensional magic! Dark magic! So many different kinds. Don't I look...perfect?'

'Why are you here?' Ganter huffed.

'Why, for you of course!' He waved the book in front of his face. 'See this? The source of my dark magic supply. It needs a vessel.'

'A what?'

'A vessel. Someone to seal it's power. To make the prophecy come true. If you agree...then I shall make you the vessel.'

Ganter was intrigued. 'What does it involve?'

'Well...I split your soul in half, and put one half in here. The other remains in your body.'

'You...' Ganter was horrified. 'You split apart my soul?!'

'Yes. There are benefits, however. Firstly, you cannot fully die. If you die, then all of your consciousness is transferred into the other half of your soul. You may be released, but only by the person who sealed you. That would be me. Until either this book is destroyed, or you are resurrected and then you are killed again, you will not die. Also...because your soul is part of this book, you will be given dark magic to use at your command. You will look like me, in time.'

Ganter weighed his options; for one, he had a new, more powerful form of magic he could use. He would have dark blue skin...odd, but not exactly bad. He would never die. Not to mention Dimentio would break him out of the prison cell. 'Very well, I shall be the vessel.'

'Perfect!' the jester exclaimed. He snapped his fingers and the cell bars were blasted off of their places, crashing in heaps. His father had weaved to avoid them.

Ganter lumbered out. 'You've changed, Dimentio.'

'Yes, yes I have.' He stretched. 'And all for the better as well. I was such a weak little child before today.'

Ganter stretched as well. 'I heard something going on upstairs.'

'Ah, right, that was the painful and bloody massacre of the entire castle, caused by yours truly.'

Ganter's leg support weakened. 'You...you killed them all?!' He was utterly shocked; never would he have possibly imagined that his son could do such a thing.

'Oh yes. Every. Single. One.' He laughed.

Ganter took a step back. 'You're insane!' he exclaimed.

'Ah, I'm afraid you're wrong. The whole world is who's insane. All the worlds! I'm the only sane one, striving for the perfect world.' He turned to his father. 'And you will join me. All it takes is one pledge, one commitment, to this book.'

Ganter swallowed. 'Very well...' He clenched his fists. 'I hereby declare that I, Ganter, shall be the vessel for this book of darkness, for now, and for all eternity, until the seal is broken.' He held his breath. Dimentio held his.

Nothing happened.

'Hm,' Dimentio muttered. 'Odd.'

'Why did nothing happen?' Ganter demanded.

'Hmmm...' Dimentio felt something from the book...a desire. He held it out. 'It wants to speak with you.'

Ganter was surprised. 'To speak with me?'

'Yes.' He held it out further. 'Hold this.'

Ganter hesitated for a moment, then took the book from Dimentio's hands...and screamed as a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, sounds, and images assaulted his mind.

'Ever since that day, my fine father has rested in the Dark Prognosticus. When you erased that dimension, Blumiere, you only killed half of him. The other half still lived.'

'Heh,' Ganter snickered. 'And to think that I lived long enough. So much time in captivity...it's a wonder I didn't take my own life, like my sons. How weak they were...'

'What a choice you made. If you had refused, I would have left you there to die...or killed you myself. But no, you were the king of the Tribe of Darkness! One of the advantages of being on my side.' He stared hard at his father. 'And now, we have a most pressing matter to address!' He snapped his fingers and Ganter appeared near him, suspended in mid-air. He flailed his limbs, unaccustomed to flight.

'Wargh!' he yelled, then steadied. 'Wha...what matter?'

Dimentio smiled coolly. 'The matter of my curse.'

Ganter wasn't following. 'Curse?'

Dimentio gripped his mask, took it off, and let it fall to the floor.

Everyone's blood went cold.

'By night...I don a human's face,' he said. 'By day, a horrible distortion of my own, perfect image...' He looked at them all, and they all looked at him, terrified. 'But! In Castle Bleck, in the centre of the Void, where day and night do not exist, I am THIS!'

His face was two things at once. The right side was his pale, human face. The left side was the dark blue, disfigured monstrosity that he was during the day. In the middle of his face, in a vertical line, the two sides were shifting, converging, changing, as if both sides were fighting each other for complete domination of Dimentio's visage. 'See what I've become?!' he demanded, turning back to face a very disturbed Ganter. 'Do you see what comes of those who murder in our home world?! A dreadful curse, meaning either dead, injury, or something else to the person. The only way to break the curse...' His eyes bore into Ganter's. 'You must perform the Ritual of Exoneration!'

'You...you want me to do that?'

'But of course. You don't think I would continue to live like this, do you?' He snapped his fingers and Ganter was standing on a dimensional platform. It moved towards the jester. He snapped his fingers again and a very sharp knife appeared in his hand and pulled up his sleeve, taking off his glove, exposing his left, dark blue wrist. His fingers were more like claws you would expect on a demon from the Underwhere, the nails a dark shade of white and sharpened to points. 'You know what to do.'

He tossed to knife to his father, who caught the handle. He looked at the knife nervously. 'You need to want to do this, Dimentio,' he said.

'Ah, but you do want to! Because if you don't, you won't be king, as you used to be. Not to mention, you will die.'

Ganter swallowed; he was right. He pulled up his own sleeve and drew the blade across his skin, cutting open the surface. He winced with the pain, and handed the knife to Dimentio. Dimentio did as his father did, though showed absolutely no reaction to the pain, laughing silently as he thought of what was going to happen. Ganter put the cut over Dimentio's and squeezed it, a few drops of a very thick, black substance dripping into Dimentio's open wound; the blood of the Tribe of Darkness. The jester moved his other hand over his cut, sealing it with dark magic, repeating the action on Ganter's.

'I Ganter, the father of Dimentio, state by this double offering of blood that Dimentio be freed from his burden, and be forgiven for his crimes.'

'I, Dimentio, son of Ganter, accept this forgiveness, and ask to be freed from my burden.'

'By our blood offerings, let exoneration shine upon the cursed!' they both recited at once.

They stopped, the Ritual complete, and waited.

A painful twinge went through Dimentio's heart and he gave a lurch. 'Urk!' he grunted, and sank to his knees, clutching his chest. Everyone held their breath, some hoping that the ritual would cause his death, others hoping the curse would be negated. He shook, sweating, eyes squinted shut. His hands gripped the pillar's top, and he smashed his head into it. He screamed in extreme agony, pain blasting through every fibre of his being. He felt his features changing, shifting, bubbling. He shuttered, and collapsed on the pillar, not moving. Everyone looked. Ganter jumped onto another pillar, just in case something dangerous happened.

With the pain gone, Dimentio pulled himself to his feet. He looked at his hand and arm; both were dark blue, but they were human-like, as opposed to demonic. He looked in the reflection on the sleek, black floor; his face was back to the way it had been all those years ago, when he had looked in the mirror and seen the change in his face, wearing his mask to hide it.

'The curse...' he whispered. 'It's gone...' He looked up. 'Ah ha ha! What a wonderful day it is!' He looked upon them all. 'Gaze upon the face of perfection as your games end, Heroes! And Fawful as well.' He made to wave his hands.

'Wait!' Blumiere shouted.

Dimentio glared at him. 'What?'

Blumiere smirked. 'You know, I'm also of the Tribe of Darkness,' he reminded him.

'Yes, and?'

'By blood, I naturally have access to dark magic. Not a lot...but certainly enough to cancel out yours!'

The chair he was in dissolved into nothing, and the chains that bound him snapped and disappeared. His sceptre flipped into his hand, and he gripped it tightly, his multicoloured cape flowing from the release of energy. 'NO!' Dimentio yelled. He hadn't even begun to consider that Blumiere could use dark magic without the Prognosticus, and now that he was free, everything was in jeopardy. Blumiere passed over each of the Heroes setting them free. He stopped at Fawful, hesitated for a moment, then set him free as well. The Bean boy got up and snarled at him.

'I was not needing the help from the one who is you!' he shouted.

'Yes you're very welcome,' the dark prince said sarcastically. He left him.

The Heroes all stared up at the two villains. 'Ah ha ha. What a surprising twist. Interesting manoeuvre, Blumiere.'

'Enough of this prattle!' Ganter exclaimed. 'Blumiere, because of your betrayal, I shall send you to your grave!'

Blumiere waved his sceptre. 'Well... Esteban...or should I call you Ganter? Whatever the case, I'll finish the job I started years ago as Count Bleck!' A moment of mental pain passed through Blumiere at the memory of Bleck, but it passed quickly.

'Come on guys, we're going to finish Dimentio once and for all!' Mario proclaimed.

An explosion threw them off. Fawful ran right in front of them all and faced Dimentio, his massive teeth in the biggest snarl anyone had ever seen. 'Dimentio!' he screamed, furious. He pointed a tiny finger his way, his tracker glinting in the light of the strange torches. 'You will pay for the betrayal of the one who is me! Fawful will send his anger for the mustaches and the Bowser at you! YOU WILL BE BEATEN LIKE A NAUGHTY EGG!'

'Ah ha ha! Oh Fawful, why bother trying to compare to me? You can't win.' He snapped his fingers and the tracker on his wrist broke to pieces.

'Pah!' Fawful spat as his own tracker gave a loud beeping sound. 'You are having much wrongness!' He pressed a button on his tracker, and a machine flew into the room and onto his head.

It was made of very sturdy and strong metal. The main part that rested on Fawful's cranium was a clear, glass sphere, with a metal top and bottom. The bottom had comfortable padding in it to allow Fawful no discomfort, and the top had a grey, flexible tube sticking out of it, the other end connected to what head essentially a metal mouth the upper "lip" red, the lower one yellow, with sparkling, white teeth inside it, which looked very sharp. On the upper lip was two white "eyes." Connected to the sides of the bottom of the sphere were red rods, made of some kind of retractable metal substance, with a silver rocket head on the end of each. The helmet snapped it's jaw, blinking now and then.

'I HAVE HEADGEAR!' Fawful screamed at the top of his lungs. 'And now I will have the exterminating of the jester of stupid!'

Ganter hopped off the pillar, facing his son, and an extravagant sceptre, not unlike the one Blumiere had, appeared in his hand. Blumiere stared back at him. 'En garde, my worthless son.' He pointed the sceptre at him, the black jewel glinting dangerously.

Blumiere pointed his own sceptre at him. 'En guard, my dead father.'

Dimentio faced Fawful, floating down to the ground. 'Very well, my little Beanish friend,' he said. 'It is time to finally see which of us is the more capable villain.' Sparks of magic danced from his fingertips. Fawful's Headgear snapped it's jaws. 'And now we must duel, like two shining knights jousting on armoured horses!'

*Smiles*

Fawful immediately fired an energy ball from his Headgear, and Dimentio shot a block of magic in response, the two exploding in midair. The jester warped behind Fawful, who's Headgear immediately spun around and caught him by the throat in its strong jaws. Fawful turned around to face Dimentio.

'Feel the fury of the Headgear Mk. III!' he shouted in the jester's, dark blue face.

Dimentio was still grinning. 'I...don't...think so...' he gasped, snapping his fingers. Fawful was thrown several feet backwards, the Headgear losing its grip. Dimentio brushed himself off and teleported in front of the Beanish boy. 'Hello!' he exclaimed, warping out of the energy ball's path, behind Fawful. 'Oh dear, what awful aim.' The helmet's head spun around and tried to smash itself into the jester's, but he warped away from that too.

'Grr...' Fawful gritted his massive, white teeth. 'I have much annoyance...' The rockets on his Headgear started, and he was suspended in the air. 'Dimentio! Come and fight Fawful with fairness!'

Dimentio warped several feet in front of him. 'Ah ha ha! Do you really think your machines can stand up to...magic?!' He warped away, and four more of him appeared.

'Fawful has much certainty,' the boy answered. 'Headgear...ATTACK!'

He rose up and the head of his helmet spun around, firing energy orbs galore, exploding into the walls, smoke billowing everywhere. All the jesters, imitations or not, dodged all the shots. 'Like I said before,' they all mocked. 'Awful aim. Awful Fawful. Ah ha ha!'

Contrary to Dimentio's expectations, Fawful gave an insane laugh of his own. 'HAHAHAHA!' The Headgear slipped off of his head, and floated on its own. Fawful pulled out a blaster and his platform warped in. He jumped on it.

'How many of those do you have anyway?' Dimentio snorted.

'Many,' answered Fawful simply. 'Now...have preparations...for THIS!'

Blumiere slashed weapons with his father, who was grinning. 'I've been waiting years to have my vengeance on you,' he jeered.

'I don't think that will happen anytime soon, Esteban,' his son challenged.

'For the last time...it's GANTER!' He shoved Blumiere back and continued attacking with his sceptre, which Blumiere countered with his own.

'I'll, call, you, anything, I, want, you, spawn, of, Jaydes!' he yelled, timing his words with each block. Thinking about it, he thought Jaydes might be offended by such a remark. 'No offense to the Queen of Death, of course.' Ganter stuck out his hand and blasted Blumiere off of his feet with a blast of dark energy. He crashed painfully on his back. He stood up slowly.

Ganter rose up into the air, feet dangling, looking very awkward. 'Come and fight, my son!' he challenged.

The prince took to the air too, looking far more comfortable than his father. 'Tch,' he chuckled. 'Is the air not your forte?'

'Shut up,' Ganter snapped, and shot off towards him. The two beings of darkness struck with their sceptres, sparks flying. Blumiere stuck his hand in the other's face, a dark blast blowing up in it. He touched ground in pursuit of his father, dashing at him with red energy blocks around him, smashing right into him.

'Bleh heh—!' he stopped, slapping a hand to his forehead.

'Old habits die hard, Count Bleck?'

Blumiere put his hand down slowly, his yellow eyes glaring menacingly at the man he used to call father. So menacingly, in fact, that Ganter took a step backwards. 'I...' he whispered, his voice a quiet, murderous calm. 'Am not him...anymore!' An explosion of darkness threw Ganter against the black wall, sinking to the ground, sceptre out of his grasp. He struggled to his feet. 'NEVER make the mistake of calling me that!' Blumiere roared, gripping the former king by his collar. 'I am Lord Blumiere! Nothing more, nothing less!'

Ganter did the simply approach to freedom and punched him in the face, the both of them falling to the floor. He got up and grabbed his sceptre, holding it defensively. 'It's not over yet, Bleck.'

Blumiere glared. 'You've crossed the line now,' his voice shaking with anger.

His father smirked. 'Come and try me.'

Fawful zoomed about on his platform, firing shots from his blaster, while his Headgear acted on its own, with its improved AI, firing energy balls. Dimentio ducked, weaved, and countered with blocks of magic, laughing all the while. 'And here I thought you had something challenging!' he taunted.

Fawful grinned, sending his platform right at Dimentio. He warped away and Fawful jumped right off, the Headgear clasping back onto his head. He turned the platform around remotely, and fired a bunch of shots. When Dimentio reappeared, he dodged the shots, but the platform ran right into him. Fawful flew around and plucked Dimentio off (with much difficulty, given his lack of strength) and dropped him, the Headgear jets reversing and sending him down on the jester's stomach, knocking the wind right out of him, though he never lost his smile. He stood up, clutching his stomach, gasping and wheezing, laughing all the while. 'Okay...' he breathed. 'I must admit...that was quite something.'

'I HAVE FURY!' Fawful screamed. 'Your defeat has certainty, like the tastiness of chocolate cereal!' Fawful looked thoughtful. 'Now that Fawful is thinking, he has not had chocolate cereal in a time of longness.' He licked his lips. 'Fawful will get some chocolate cereal when he is done conquering the world.' His Headgear gnashed it's teeth and Fawful grinned. 'And that will start with the destroying of you!'

'You have...a lot of drive!' Ganter gasped. He was slowing, he was tired...and Blumiere was not.

'I'm also faster, stronger, and younger than you are,' Blumiere mocked.

'And you'll also be dead very soon.' Ganter kicked his son in the shin, spun around and smashed the sceptre out of his hand, bringing his own to Blumiere's throat. 'Any last words?'

Blumiere looked up at his father, emotionless. 'You fight dirty.'

Ganter grinned. 'I know.' He pressed the jewel harder up against him, and he fought back a cough. A few drops of thick, black blood dripped from his neck...one of the drops freezing in midair, then vanishing.

'I do...have one thing to say,' Blumiere said.

'Yes?'

'There's a short, crazy Beanish boy heading straight for you.'

'What?'

Fawful, flying backwards in an attempt to further attack Dimentio, smashed right into the back of Ganter, the sceptre flying out from under Blumiere. He grabbed it and broke it over his knee, picking his own off the ground. He rubbed his throat, thick, black liquid smearing on his fingers. He frowned; he let his guard down. He looked up at the groaning figure that was Ganter. He walked up to him. 'You lose, father.'

'Not as badly as you might think,' he replied.

Dimentio tapped Blumiere's shoulder. He turned around and Dimentio brought his fist across the side of his face, empowered by magic. Blumiere was hurled to the ground, blood spraying slightly from his neck. All the blood froze, and everyone stared at it. Dimentio waved his hand, and the blood collected above his open palm. 'The blood of the Tribe of Darkness...of my half-brother...' he muttered. He took out the knife again and slid it across his wrist. 'Of me...' He walked over to his father.

'Dimentio?!' he exclaimed. 'What is the meaning of this?'

Dimentio smiled, and chills went down Ganter's spine. 'The blood of me, my half-brother...' He grabbed his father's shoulder and shoved the knife into his heart. Ganter gasped and sank to his knees. 'And the blood of my father.'

'D-Dimentio...' he groaned. 'We were...allies...we were...family...'

'Oh shut up. You treated me like a dog! And allies? Pah! You would have stabbed me in the back at the most opportune moment!' He grinned. 'Though I suppose that's where I get it from.' He twisted the knife, taking delight in his father's pain. 'For all the abuse...for all the pain...for all the hatred...and even in the very end...I still loved you.' He jerked it hard to the side. 'What a fool I was.' He pulled the knife out, the black blood joining with his and Blumiere's. 'But now...I shall no longer be such a fool. Ah ha ha.' His father's eyes were clouding. 'Jaydes should have a spot for you in the Underwhere, don't you think?'

'I...hate you...' he moaned.

Dimentio's grin widened and the knife disappeared. 'I know Ganter, I know. Ciao.'

Ganter moved a little in protest...and was still.

Everyone was quiet for what seemed like the millionth time in a few moments. He turned the them all, the Heroes all finally stepping forward. 'You killed my father...' Blumiere said, shocked.

Dimentio smiled. 'You're welcome.'

Mario punched the air. 'Alright guys, let's-a go!'

'Enough,' Dimentio commanded calmly. 'You're all misguided.' The Dark Prognosticus appeared in his hands, and he opened it to the middle. The black blood hung over it. 'You know Fawful, I really must thank you.'

Fawful was surprised. 'Thanking me? Why?'

'You gave me quite an idea. My original plan was simply to conquer all dimensions the old fashioned way...but then you told me something of much importance: the Prognosticus' link to the Void and the Chaos Heart.' He was still ignorant. 'I thought the Chaos Heart was gone for good...and I know the Void still exists, there was just nothing to drive it into the other worlds. BUT! You told me you saw the two things in your visions the book gave you, and that made me think; perhaps they are still linked!' He looked at the ball of black liquid. 'The blood of its author, and the only two remaining relatives...I believe it would be a good enough sacrifice, don't you?'

Everyone finally got what he was talking about. 'EVERYONE!' Mario yelled. 'GET HIM NOW!'

'Too late!' Dimentio shouted, and the blood plunged into the book.

The resulting shockwave through all the Heroes, former minions, Fawful, and Dimentio up into the air, falling to the floor with many thuds. Dimentio rose up, taking in the view as a large, black heart rose out of the Prognosticus; the Chaos Heart. 'Ah ha ha!' Dimentio laughed. 'The Chaos Heart is mine! And now...it is time to make me truly perfect!' The Heart rose above him.

'Dimentio!' Mimi called. 'Don't do anything stupid!'

'Ah ha ha! "Stupid?" I don't think so. Love is useless.'

'What are you talking about?'

'Ah ha ha. I will do the one thing I've been yearning to do: eliminate love from my body. The dark energy will be able to put up a wall around the emotion...and I will no longer feel it.'

'THAT'S CRAZY!' Mimi protested.

'I've been called that many times, girl, and it hasn't fazed me. Now...' He looked up. 'Chaos Heart...make me HEARTLESS!'

The black object descended into the jester, numbing him to the core. He felt nothing. Then all of a sudden, an enormous pain took over. He screamed, the pain unlike anything he had ever felt.

'DIMENTIO!' Mimi screamed. After all this, she still loved him, and believed there was good in him, and he was just going to block it out.

He looked at her, straight in the eyes, and his heart swelled with love, combating against the darkness. It wasn't enough, however; the Chaos Heart's power pushed against it, setting up a wall. Dimentio's pain intensified, and he screamed even louder. Everything numbed again and all his senses stopped. He just hung there, emotionless. Then everything came back, and he sank to the ground.

He didn't move, he just felt. He...felt no different. It was exactly the same as before. He looked up at Mimi...something was wrong. He saw her, but...something was missing.

That was it! He didn't feel anything! He looked at her, and just saw her as a person! There was no love! He closed his eyes and thought of Rosabella...nothing. The same applied. He stood up...it felt so odd, so different, so...

His entire body was shaking, his eyes were wide, his mouth open in shock. 'I...I...' He had no words. 'It's...gone...all the feelings...all the love...is gone...'

Slowly but surely, Dimentio's mouth curved into a one-sided grin.

'Haha...haha...ahaha...ahha...' He threw his head back. 'AAH, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!' he cackled insanely. 'AHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHA!' Everyone was shocked, horrified; even Fawful, who was a villain himself, had never heard anything so...scary. 'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!' He jumped up in the air, sparks of magic flying everywhere. 'I'm FREE!' he screamed, staring straight at Mimi. 'I can look at you...I can think of her, and NOTHING! No love, no feelings! I'm free! Ahahahahahahaha!' His eyes bore into hers. 'And now I'm going to do the thing I should have done ages ago!' He flew directly at Mimi, cackling wildly. 'CIAO, MIMI!' Mimi shrieked and covered her face in knee-jerk defence, and yelled out in pain as she hit the floor of the castle painfully, rolling, both hearing and feeling a magical blast. She shook and opened her eyes; Dimentio had Fawful gripped by the throat, and he looked near death. He had taken the attack for her. His glasses were cracked, one lens had fallen right out, and he was already covered in bruises.

'M-Mimi...' he choked. 'Make...with the...escaping...quick!'

'You little Beanish brat,' Dimentio snarled, though the effect was different on a smiling face. 'You've been a thorn in my side for far too long.' He put his hand back. 'Ciao!'

A sharp, red Rubee collided with Dimentio's head, and he let go of Fawful. 'You better let him go right now!' Mimi demanded.

'And what are you going to do about it?' he mocked.

Mimi smirked and tilted her head sharply to one side, a sickening crack issuing from it. It spun around a few times, resting upside down. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a grin, her green head expanding. Six long spider legs burst out of her head, chunks of her hair stuck on them. Her body, now limp, hanging off of her shoulders to one side, was lifted off of the ground. 'MIMIMIMIMIMIMIMIMI!' she laughed, a cold, distorted, monstrous version of her usual, childlike voice.

Fawful nearly had a heart attack, jumping up and running as far away as possible from the huge thing, and hid behind Mario, to his extreme shame. 'Wh-WHAT IS THAT?!' he screeched.

'Mimi,' Mario answered simply. 'True Mimi.'

'I have fright!' he exclaimed. 'I had ignorance!'

'So did we, at first,' Mario replied.

'Everyone!' Mimi called. 'Let's take this creep!' Everyone, save Fawful, jumped to her side.

'Very well,' Dimentio sighed. 'Your funeral.' They all jumped into a brawl.

Fawful was simply an onlooker; the Mario Bros. jumped and dodged, Peach did the same, Bowser punched, clawed, and breathed fire. Blumiere attacked with his sceptre, Mimi shot Rubees, O'Chunks punched and stomped, and Nastasia...well, she really did nothing, though she tried to punch and kick. Physical fighting wasn't her forte; hers was in brainwashing. Fawful's eyes travelled to something else; the Chaos Heart, now out of the jester's body, hung in midair, spinning slowly. He pressed a button and his Headgear, though mildly damaged, rested on his head again. He flew silently over to the Heart, and looked at it. It was just a black heart, though he could feel the energy. It surpassed even the Dark Star, and that had been raw evil itself. He outstretched his hands; if only he could just use it...

He shook his head. He wasn't going to meddle in dark objects, not anymore, not after the Underwhere that was the Dark Star.

'You!' someone barked. 'Get away from that!' Blumiere jumped and knocked him away, much to Fawful's pain.

Dimentio turned, suffering a blow to the head, and saw Blumiere near the Heart. He flew over towards him. 'That Chaos Heart is MINE!' he yelled.

Blumiere didn't even think. He just brought his sceptre up, and brought it down on the Chaos Heart.

Another shockwave of dark energy was released as the Chaos Heart split into two halves, shifting unstably. Lightning crackled, the dimension shook.

'You...' Dimentio said, gaping. 'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!'

A stronger shockwave went through everything as the one of the halves shot at Dimentio, smacking into his chest and throwing him, becoming one with him. He hit the ground and stood up, dazed. The other half shot towards the only other person with enough dark energy for it to really sense.

Fawful blacked out the moment it hit him.

Dimentio

A freezing, yet burning sensation was taking place inside his heart, and he clutched at it. 'The C-Chaos Heart...' he gasped. What had happened? A powerful, dark object, simply broken in half by a sceptre?! It couldn't—he gasped again as his heart beat, and he knew the Chaos Heart was inside him. But the other...he looked at Fawful. The other carrier of the Heart was Fawful; how unlikely. 'Well...no matter. I am still the true owner of the Chaos Heart, and that is how it shall stay!' He grinned, calling on his half of the Heart, which glowed black in his chest. 'One half of the Heart...' He looked at Fawful again. 'And Fawful's unconscious. What a stroke of luck!' He snapped his fingers and Fawful's half glowed in the Bean boy's chest. He snapped again and Fawful's body gave an involuntary jerk, then rose into the air. Dimentio rose up as well. 'HEROES!' he shouted at the figures picking themselves off the ground, Fawful speaking at the same time, his voice empty and soulless, his teeth arced in a large, toothy grin, his eyes staring out at them all, his head lolling to the side like a possessed doll. 'Your days are numbered!' The Chaos Heart has been created! And now...all shall end! Ah ha ha!' He saw Blumiere glaring at him as he remembered saying those very same words. Dimentio flung his hands up into the air, smiling widely. 'Open your mouth, darkness!' he cited loudly. 'Consume everything and destroy all worlds, as told in the prophecy! Ahahahahaha!'

He felt a massive surge of power fill his body. Sparks...no, flames of magical energy, fuelled by the Heart's power, burned from his hands. He swung them, seeing the black fire light up the air. He clenched his fists, looking at Fawful. 'Now...' He stuck out his hand. 'RELEASE!'

Fawful's body was engulfed in the energy, and Dimentio himself was almost overwhelmed. He yelled with glee as he felt the dark energy blast out, seeing the other half doing the same, spreading out the far reaches of the Void. Tremors shook the dimension. Walls cracked, torches blew out, pillars felt over, chunks of the ceiling fell. All the Heroes were running for their lives.

'MAMMA MIA!' Luigi screamed at the top of his lungs, running around wildly.

'Fools...' Dimentio said, the flames still alight. 'There's no escaping.' One more blast caused him to stop all movements as the Void was finally torn in the dimensional fabric. He shook his head. 'And so it begins, the end of all worlds!' Fawful's limp form crashed to the floor with a thud.

'Everyone!' Mario shouted through all the noise and commotion. Everything was being destroyed, and the Void was back. Could things get any worse? 'Come here!' Everyone, all the Heroes, all of Bleck's former minions, ran over. Mario took out his Return Pipe, holding it aloft. 'Now, take us back to—' He stopped.

'Mario?!' Bowser growled. 'What are you waiting for?!' Mario's eyes settled on Fawful. Bowser looked and groaned. 'We aren't leaving without him are we?' Mario shook his head. Bowser immediately ran over, picked up Fawful, and ran back.

Mario smiled. 'Thanks Bowser.'

'Don't mention it.' Bowser grumbled. 'Really, don't.'

Mario held his Return Pipe aloft again. 'Okay, take us to Flipside!'

Dimentio stared, and saw Mimi look in his direction, tears filling her eyes. He just smiled, feeling no reaction to the sight. 'Ciao,' he whispered. They all spun around and disappeared in a great light.

Dimentio was walking. Everything was quiet and still. The only things he heard were the sounds of his footsteps on the floor, his own breathing...and the harsh beating of his heart. His new heart...

Half of the Chaos Heart rested in his body. The second half was with Fawful. It mattered not, however; the Void would still destroy, and even if Fawful still had his half in the end, and he survived, Dimentio could just kill him anyway.

'Soon...' he breathed. 'So very soon...I shall be king...' He stopped, one of the three things he could hear coming to a halt. 'No...not a king...' He laughed quietly, bending down and picked up his mask, putting it snugly on his face. He was quite attached to it now. 'A God...the God of my perfect world...ah ha ha...'

The End...

Next: A Broken Heart