I had to hold a hand over my mouth to keep any noise from escaping. Count Bleck was HERE. HE WAS IN MARIO AND PEACH'S CASTLE! Worst of all, he had apparently found Timpani first. Based on what I could see, Timpani had been shown to a guest bedroom of sorts for the night. It was foolish to stay here, but she probably did it on the off chance that my friends and I would come back.
She must be worried sick about all of us...
Also, how could I tell that it was Bleck and not Blumiere? I knew it was Bleck because even though he clearly cleaned himself up from being imprisoned for so long, his extremely paled skin and fiery red eyes gave it away.
After hearing Uncle Luigi's storytime, I shuddered upon seeing Count Bleck's true appearance. He stood tall and proud, his smile crooked no matter what intention was behind it. Fancy cloak, top hat, and monocle, yes, but he was still missing his staff with the blue gem Luigi told me about.
It appears that Maastor is still holding onto his father's staff.
"What is he doing here..?!" I harshly whispered under my breath, trying to focus on the issue at hand.
Timpani looked upset, to say the least, so it was safe to assume she didn't invite him here or something. She had on a nightgown and her white hair was slightly messy, so she was probably getting ready for bed when this started. She was currently standing beside a bed, glaring across the room at the intruder.
Count Bleck on the other hand looked extremely calm with little to no emotion on his face at the moment, despite standing in front of an upturned desk with a lamp shattered on the floor. He was standing across from Timpani, the bed being the only obstacle between the two. Bleck seemed to have teleported inside the room, so Timpani had most likely knocked over the desk either in self-defense or simply from being startled.
After all, it's not every day you see an evil version of your husband break into your room.
"I don't have it," Timpani stated, narrowing her eyes into a glare directed at the Count.
Bleck tsked in response, his hands folded behind his back. It seems that I came in about mid-confrontation.
"It was not a question of whether or not YOU have the items, Count Bleck reiterated, it was whether or not you KNOW of their whereabouts!" Count Bleck exclaimed.
Timpani scoffed, briefly lifting a hand to move some hair from her face.
"Why should I even tell you? You already sent that poor boy, Dimentio and Mr.L's son, on some wild search to find them!" Timpani retorted, lifting her voice. "Is that not enough for you?!"
Count Bleck narrowed his visible eye in return, leaning forward and pressing his hands onto the bed so he didn't lose his balance as he did.
"Is it SO MUCH for you to imagine that Count Bleck wants to ensure our child's future?! Count Bleck has already told you and he will tell you again, Count Bleck NEEDS the Chaos Heart and Dark Prognosticus to help our son!" Count Bleck shouted.
I'm not gonna lie, watching this felt like watching a divorced couple argue over their kid. Except in this case, Timpani doesn't really know what he's talking about.
"MY son, Bleck! He is Blumiere and I's son! I do NOT want you involved in ANYTHING with my son's life if THIS is how you're going to go about things!" Timpani exclaimed.
Both of them were brimming with rage, both of them most likely having already planned these arguments for the other for years. While Count Bleck was an embodiment of Blumiere's hate, rage, jealousy, and all other negative things, Timpani was a mama bear with her oldest child in danger.
"I was fine when Blumiere got upset once or twice and you accidentally came out a few times every other month but KIDNAPPING MY SON?!" Timpani yelled, her face turning red. "He is NOT. YOUR. CHILD!"
Count Bleck rolled his eyes before standing up straight, glaring down at Timpani with at least three feet of height on her.
"Deny Count Bleck to be his father, FINE. But with how horribly Count Bleck has seen you treat him, Count Bleck REFUSES to let it go on any longer!" Count Bleck spat, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You may be Count Bleck's wife, but Maastor is Count Bleck's flesh and blood!!!"
He might as well have slapped her across the face with that one. Timpani was FURIOUS that he could even think to say such things.
"NO, YOU AREN'T!!!" Timpani screamed at him.
"You said your wedding vows to Blumiere! For better or for worse, correct?! Well-" Count Bleck held out his hands, a smug grin on his face. "COUNT BLECK IS HIS WORST, DEAREST TIMPANI!!!"
With a flame in her eyes, I watched Timpani climb on top of the bed, standing up so she met Bleck at his face level.
"HIS NAME. IS. MARCUS!!!" Timpani shouted at his face.
Bleck remained silent as Timpani breathed heavily, her chest visibly rising and falling while her face was an angry red. With a deep frown, the Count reached forward and took Timpani by the chin with his gloved hand, leaning her forward so their faces were only an inch apart.
"Admit it, dearest. You just don't want to believe what Count Bleck is saying as truth," Count Bleck spat, lifting his other hand to lightly graze her flustered cheek.
Timpani curled her lip at him, trying and failing to pull away from his touch.
"So what if I don't? Maybe I don't want my son to turn out like a certain psycho who was locked in The Underwhere..." Timpani muttered through grit teeth.
"Your son might be a saint, but Count Bleck's son is nowhere close thanks to you," Count Bleck retorted with an evil grin.
Before I even knew what was happening, Bleck suddenly pulled Timpani in and their lips met each other in a kiss. The Count moved his hands down to her waist while Timpani held onto his shoulders, both of their eyes closed while they pressed against each other. They looked like they had kissed each other many times in their lives, but I could tell that Bleck was merely mirroring Blumiere in this passionate embrace.
"What in the worlds am I even watching and why can't I look away..." I thought to myself as my eyes felt like catching on fire.
I was about to retreat into the hall to go find help to take care of Bleck when I accidentally leaned too far forward into the door. Quickly trying to catch my footing, I cursed under my breath as I stumbled inside the guest bedroom with the Dark Prognosticus in my hands. Both Timpani and Bleck turned to look in my direction and I froze, feeling like a statue under a spotlight. The two of them seemed confused and shocked about me being there, most likely for different reasons, but they apparently didn't care that I had just watched them make out...
"Uhhh... hiii..?" I trailed off with an awkward smile.
Count Bleck's eye gravitated to my chest and I followed his gaze, paling when I realized what I was holding.
"The Dark Prognosticus!!!" Count Bleck exclaimed, pointing at me.
His eye narrowed and I turned as fast as I possibly could in an attempt to sprint out the door. Bleck was faster - MUCH faster. In the blink of an eye, the Count used some kind of magic super speed to slam the door closed in my face. He reached for the book and I dropped down to the floor, letting his hand pass over my head.
"Give it to Count Bleck!" He shouted.
I hugged the book to my chest and barrel-rolled underneath the bed, hoping to get out of his reach. After all, I was small, so I could fit in places like this!
"NOPE! Not gonna happen!!!" I replied.
I had hoped that my little trick would buy me at least enough time to think, but I was wrong. Before I knew it, Count Bleck had used his magic to toss the bed aside like it was made of cardboard! He glared down at me on the floor, making me shudder in fear.
"N-no fair! You can't use magic when I don't have any!" I told him.
Count Bleck ignored me and stormed over to where I was lying on the ground. He leaned down and grabbed the book, grunting as he tried to pry it from my grip.
"Hand it over, boy!" Count Bleck spat.
"Best two out of three!!!" I exclaimed.
We were stuck in a match of tug-o-war when Timpani suddenly punched the Count in the face. Bleck stumbled back in shock, holding his injured cheek as he let go of the book. I gawked as Timpani breathed heavily, her face heated.
"I'm sorry... But you also kinda deserved it," Timpani breathed.
Count Bleck wiped the corner of his mouth, leaving a small stain of blood behind. He growled under his breath, glaring at both me and Timpani now.
"Count Bleck asked nicely," he started, "but now he will TAKE IT!"
Timpani and I took a step back as dark magic ignited in his palms, casting a black glow on the walls and his clothes. Before either of us could move, Bleck lifted his hand and Timpani was thrown to the other side of the room. She landed in a chair and was instantly tied to it with some sort of magic rope that the Count materialized.
"You stay out of this!" Count Bleck told her in a scolding tone.
I felt as all the color drained from my face when the Count looked my way again. He took a step toward me and I took a step away from him, my back now up against the wall. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't too far from wetting myself right now.
"Last chance... Hand Count Bleck the book," Bleck spat.
With a gulp, I meekly shook my head "no".
"I'd rather NOT....." I stated with a sheepish smile. "S-since I'm kinda defenseless here, can I maybe get a five-second head start to run away or-?"
Count Bleck lifted his hands and summoned a dark magic projectile, casting it at me. I yelled in surprise and curled up into a protective ball, turning my head away from the blast. I gripped the book, awaiting my final breath with eyes shut tight. I waited for the finishing blow, my entire short game flashing before my eyes. Any moment now and-
"DJ!!!" Timpani called out. "You can do MAGIC!?!"
I paused, peeling one eye open to confirm I was still indeed still alive.
Turning my head, my eyes went wide at the sight. Surrounding me, I had what appeared to be a translucent cage that crackled with purple electricity.
"N-no. No, I can't..." I warily replied to Timpani with a cracking voice.
No, no, no, no, no, NO, this can NOT be real. I don't have magic! I never have!!! Never ONCE in my life have I ever shown ANY promise when it came to magic!
Yet, there it was surrounding me, a protective barrier that was quite clearly NOT from Count Bleck because it was protecting me FROM him.
Bleck seemed to be extremely frustrated to the point of being flustered as he tried over and over casting his dark projectiles at me. I watched in awe as the black magic simply dispelled as soon as it hit the cage surrounding me, turning into nothing. Count Bleck screamed in rage, now trying to catch his breath from all of the energy he just wasted.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Count Bleck exclaimed.
Hesitantly, I got to my trembling feet, looking around the inside of the box I was now inside of. It looked nothing like the "execution box" Uncle Luigi had described to me, so that was the only thing keeping me from full-blown panicking.
"I'm just as confused as you are, man," I replied, too stunned to even consider taking this seriously right now.
I arched an eyebrow and tapped at the wall of the magic cage, amazed that the purple electricity touched my finger and yet did nothing to hurt me! Placing my palms on the barrier's walls, I was beginning to feel like one of those mimes pretending to be trapped in an invisible box, except this was for real.
"Uhhh, Timpani, how do I get out of this..?" I asked.
Looking over at Timpani - who was still tied to the chair - for help, she just gave me a shrug.
"You're asking me like I know how to use magic!" Timpani protested.
"I've never used magic before either!!!" I retorted.
I squeaked with a flinch as Count Bleck tossed another sphere of black magic, this time actually leaving a dent in the cage. Steam might as well have started coming from Bleck's head as he seemed a liiiiiiiittle bit upset. I felt like I was on a timer as I set down the Dark Prognosticus, frantically looking around to see if there was some sort of trick to this.
"Calm down!!! TIME OUT! Let me just figure this out!" I frantically exclaimed, making a T with my hands.
I don't think Count Bleck knows what a time-out is. He just kept hammering at the magic barrier with his projectiles, which was NOT helping me think! This was getting ridiculous - Bleck was just gonna smash through at this rate! He'll just take the book from me!
"Um-! UH-!!!" I stammered, wiping sweat from my face.
Without a second thought, I grabbed at the interior of the magic barrier, and my hands phased inside of it.
"DJ, what are you doing?!" Timpani questioned.
"I DON'T KNOW! I'm just spitballing!!!" I shouted back.
I gripped at whatever I could and yanked back to the point where I fell back onto my butt. Landing on the ground with a "THUD", the cage was gone, but I still had something in my hands. I looked into my clenched fists to see something that looked sort of like the ropes that were keeping Timpani tied up right now.
"Now what, Timpani?!" I frantically exclaimed.
Count Bleck readied another magic projectile, glaring bullets at me while on the floor.
"Hand over the book!!!" Bleck demanded.
"No!" I spat. "HA-!"
Not having anything else to do, I took the strands in my hands and tossed them at the Count. I mean, what else could I do?!
Much to my - and probably his - surprise, the stuff wrapped around him and seemed to constrict, binding him in place. He let out a shout as he tried to toss it aside, but it wouldn't budge.
"HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!?!" Count Bleck shouted at me.
I quickly shrugged and snatched up the Dark Prognosticus, holding it close.
"I. DON'T. KNOW. OKAY?!" I yelled back. "Maybe I would if you stopped freaking me out!!!"
The magic ropes tying the Count down surged with the same purple electricity as before, sending a jolt into his body. He shouted in pain and I could only wince in response.
"S-sorry!!!" I apologized.
Bleck scowled and writhed against the restraints, trying to break free. Not having much of any sort of plan, I ran to Timpani and set to work trying to untie her, setting down the book as I did.
"You don't know what this magic does?!" Timpani questioned me.
"NOPE! I haven't had any magic before about a few minutes ago!" I replied with a nod. "And- got it!"
The ropes holding her to the chair fell away and vanished upon hitting the floor, leaving nothing behind. Timpani stood and quickly brushed off her arms, letting out a breath as she did.
"Thanks for that," Timpani said with a chuckle.
I smiled back, but the quick reunion was interrupted by a loud "SNAP". Turning my head, I could see that Bleck had broken free and the magic that had tied him down was gone. Timpani got into a defensive position, stepping beside me. She didn't seem to know whether she should be the one defending me or vice versa.
"Any other new tricks to test out, DJ..?" Timpani whispered.
"Uh, maybe?" I offered.
Count Bleck made one of his magic projectiles and formed a fist with the hand holding it, wielding it like a boxing glove of some kind. He brought his fist down on me and I reacted by blocking. I was expecting to feel some sort of backlash from that because of his black magic, but NOPE.
Turns out I have my dad's Thunderhand too! Except mine looked purple and green instead of JUST green.
This made Bleck even more furious at me as he tried to take another swing. I grinned and blocked with my other hand, using the same electric magic to protect myself.
"This is getting absurd!!!" Count Bleck spat.
"Hey, YOU are the one who decided to attack ME, okay?!" I retorted.
The Count huffed in response and pushed me back, making me stumble and fall into Timpani with a yelp. We both tumbled to the floor in a mess of tangled limbs, grunting as we tried to get off of each other.
"Count Bleck may have started the fight, but no matter," Count Bleck told me between heavy breaths. "Count Bleck has what he wants."
I arched an eyebrow as Bleck evilly grinned ear to ear. He smugly revealed from inside his cloak the Dark Prognosticus. I must have dropped it when I blocked him!!!
"The book-!" Timpani cried.
Count Bleck laughed as he took a big step back, clearly basking in his cunning. (I'm a CHILD for Grambi's sake, what do you expect from me?!)
"BLEH HEH HEH HEH! Count Bleck enjoys the looks on your faces, but he must be going. Count Bleck doesn't want to keep his son waiting," Count Bleck stated. "Just one more item to give Count Bleck and he will return your father, Dimentio Jr."
Bleck smirked and waved the Dark Prognosticus in front of our faces to emphasize this. I frowned in response, earning another chuckle from the Count.
"Tick tock," Count Bleck hissed. "And don't you even think that our conversation is over, dearest Timpani..."
With that, a thin line was drawn around Count Bleck in the shape of a box and then he was teleported away, leaving nothing in his place. Timpani and I finally got to our feet. All we could do was stare, gawking at the messy room that the Count left behind. After a bit of the initial shock wore off, Timpani turned to face me.
"DJ, I am SO sorry that this happened to you. I don't know HOW you managed to get the book, but now it's gone again..." Timpani sighed. "This is the last time I take my eyes off of you, apparently. I talked with Mario for five minutes and you guys were all long gone!"
I gave her a sheepish smile in response, rubbing the back of my head.
"Ha, um, yeah, I can explain..." I paused, letting out a breath. "Well... uh, I met my Uncle Luigi, and he sort of explained to me everything that happened before I was born."
Timpani tilted her head in confusion, probably not understanding what I meant.
"He... He told me how my parents had died. Both of them," I elaborated.
Her expression immediately melted after that, looking at me with pity.
"Awe, DJ..." Timpani trailed off.
I lifted my hands, awkwardly grinning to show that I was all right now.
"I'm okay! Honest! I just... Uncle Luigi showed me the book and I had a bit of a panic attack," I explained. "I ended up here because of that, so it's kinda a good thing, huh?"
I laughed a little at this, but Timpani didn't share the humor.
"By the time I came to thinking rationally, I was already stumbling in here with the book..." I sheepishly admitted.
Timpani sighed, taking a step up to me and gently patting my head, messing with my hair a bit.
"I'm just so glad that he didn't hurt you," Timpani stated. "It's already horrible enough that he thinks he can get away with kidnapping your father and my son."
I paused when she said this, curling my lip into a frown. Even Count Bleck had tried to explain to Timpani that Marcus had this severe disorder that technically did make him Count Bleck's son too. Of course, she didn't listen. HE is supposed to be a bad guy, so she probably assumed that he was lying.
How long before she actually realizes that Marcus, Rudy, and Aqua aren't technically her only children?
"DJ? DJ, what's the matter? You're staring at the floor an awful lot..." Timpani pointed out.
Looking up from my shoes, Timpani was giving me a concerned face. I suppose if she wouldn't believe Count Bleck, I can try and convince her. After all, her not knowing/acknowledging Maastor's existence is what started this whole mess I'm going through. I would NOT want this crap to repeat!
"Mrs.Timpani, I'm going to take you back with me to meet up with my friends, but I have ONE condition," I told her.
She arched an eyebrow in response, crossing her arms at me.
"What kind of condition..?" Timpani asked.
"You need to listen to Marcus whenever he tells you something's wrong! If he says that he's not Marcus, then believe him! His 'mental illness' is a lot more than just that!" I exclaimed.
Timpani appeared a bit taken aback, and a little scared and worried about what I had just requested of her.
"DJ, what-?"
"It's my final offer," I interrupted. "Deal?"
She looked at me for a moment, probably trying to determine whether or not I was joking with her. After a second, she sighed and bobbed her head in a nod.
"Alright, fine. I will listen to Marcus," Timpani agreed. "But I don't know what you have going on here..."
I smiled as she folded her hands behind her back, glad that she was ready to listen.
"Awesome! Let's walk and talk on the way to my friends. I need to get Toady from the hall," I explained, pointing to the door.
Timpani laughed a little as we both started towards the exit, her mood being very much improved now.
"Haha!" Timpani cheered. "I'm going to be honest, I'm a little surprised you're not freaking out because-"
I ground my heels to the wooden floor, gasping as the realization finally smacked me in the face.
"HOLY FREAKING GRAMBI, I HAVE MAGIC POWERS!!!!!" I yelled.
-----
(Note from DJ: Back to my father's POV!!!)
I had managed to fall fast asleep shortly after that argument or whatever one would classify it as. The point being, it felt like bliss to my tired body. I had forgotten what it felt like to be in the real ALIVE worlds and feel things. However, I will admit that being tired was not something I had missed, ah ha ha. The sensation of a nice rest was one that I did enjoy feeling again, however.
Although the rest itself was rejuvenating and amazing, the dream itself that accompanied it was a nightmare that was on a whole other level. The talk of my son and all of the idiotic and erratic choices of my past decided to come together and visit me in the form of a horrid - but thankfully imaginary - sight.
In my mind's eye, I could see Super Dimentio again, a beast that I haven't seen in its true form for years. I would like to admit that I had almost wiped that image of the monster I created from my mind, but it has clearly come back to haunt me. Mr.L was there in my dream, he was angry at me, that much I could tell within the dream.
It became worse after that. Everything from Mr.L being mad at me, to the chaos that encompassed the being known as Super Dimentio, and also DJ. My son became a topic used to torment me in my nightmare. I was reminded of almost every wrong thing I had done to even have my son.
Even if I did tell DJ about my past, I never want him to know about Super Dimentio. The boy just shouldn't know. It's for his protection. Both physical, emotional, AND mental protection.
He doesn't need to know about how that creature affected the very course of my life that led to me having him in the first place.
Thankfully, my nightmare was abruptly put to a halt when an out-of-place noise woke me up.