(whirr)
(Ding) (Ding) (Ding) (Ding)(Dam) (Da-dum)... Da-dum!)
(Several years earlier)
Several years earlier… a mage named Oz… a human born with a curse… This curse is called Blood Stained Stars. He was born on a day known as the Blood-Star Day, a day when the stars bleed… so people saw him as a harbinger of misfortune… cast out, abandoned by his parents… alone in the forest… full of rage and hatred… he created the dark grimoire Necromancier… This book is filled with curses and creatures… but the most feared of them was the Kraken… The Kraken… was born from multiple curses… The Kraken… sleeps deep beneath the lake… But for centuries it lay dormant after Oz's death… The only way to awaken the Kraken again… is if someone uses the Necromancier… again!
(Ding) (Ding) (Ding!)(Dam… (Da-tum) (Da-dum!)
Fiona: "Ugh… hahh…"
The Kraken's tentacles… everyone nearby looked up…
Fiona: "Hahh…"
(Meanwhile, in the Ainsworth family manor)
Elizabeth: "What… is happening?"Daisy: "No… idea…"
(Dong!… (dong!)(Warning!)
Loudspeaker: "Warning, warning… to all residents… please evacuate toward Forrestwood, there is a bunker there… I repeat, please evacuate to Forrestwood… there is a bunker there…"
(Meanwhile)
Remy: "Hmm. What do we have here… you're right, Casper… something is wrong…"Casper: "Hmm."
These two gentlemen are well-known private detectives—Remy, 28 years old… long black hair and a gentleman's hat… Beside him is Casper, his right hand… a vampire… 323 years old.Trelawny: "Well, what do you know… So the Necromancier really has been found…"
(Meanwhile)
Dorothy: "Hehehehehe… hehehehe… I didn't think it would be this easy. Who would've thought we'd pull it off so easily…"
She held the Necromancier in her hand.
Dorothy: "Let's have some fun… how about I use my magic… Hehehehe…"
Multiple doors opened—in houses, in locks, even where there weren't any… they opened, and the Namesis emerged.
(Screams!)
Fiona: "What is going on… I need to… get away from here, fast!!!"
She ran. Fiona felt… fear… more than usual…
Fiona: "Hahh…"
She ran and ran until she heard a familiar voice…
Daisy: "Fiona!!! Over here!!!"
It was Daisy. Fiona hurried to her.
Daisy: "What's going on?"Fiona: "I have no idea—no time—we have to hide, now…"
They hid in the manor… locked the doors, shut the windows, and nailed boards across them.
Grey: "Can't we get a single day of peace in this kingdom, damn it?!"Fiona: "Hahh…"Elizabeth: "Fiona."
She held Fiona's cheeks.
Elizabeth: "Are you alright?"Fiona: "Yeah… I'm fine."Elizabeth: "What… is happening…"Fiona: "Hahh…"Daisy: "The doors… they're out there—just like back in Snowline, Oliver—when that giant Hand followed me, Fiona, and you."Grey: "What?"Oliver: "Damn it, what is going on?!"Fiona: "It's the Kraken…"Grey: "What?"Elizabeth: "What is that?"Fiona: "A creature from the Necromancier… but… why is it here and awake?!"
(Crash!) (Crash!)
The windows shattered.
Namesis: "Got you."
A few spirits—taking the form of objects… a chair, dark hands emerging from the chair.
Fiona: "Namesis…"Grey: "Well… those are just lesser ones… not the strong kind!"
(Crash!)
(Patch!) (Patch!)
Fiona: "Ugh…"Grey: "Ugh…"
A creature—2.5 meters tall, black eyes, long claws, a dark form…
Grey: "Ugh… a Namesis monster!"
Namesis… there are several types. The common ones—those that control objects… then those that also control objects but can combine them, forming a powerful monster out of things… then there are Namesis Monsters… unlike the others, they are strong, with flesh and blood… There are also Namesis Humans people infected by Namesis but those are rare.
Namesis Monster: "Rooaaarrr!!!"
It slammed the ground; dark spikes erupted ,dodged.
Oliver: "Miss Elizabeth!"
He lifted her onto his shoulder.
Fiona: "Ghhh…"
She drew something from the hat… a pistol.
Fiona: "They're strong… and too many. We can't beat them alone…"Daisy: "Tssssss…"
Daisy transformed.
Daisy: "Dark Lady…"Grey: "We've got no choice but to fight. Fiona… how do we stop the Kraken?"Fiona: "We have to deal with the user of the book… only then… can we stop this…"Grey: "Can't we just tear the book up?"Fiona: "No… that's a bad idea. If we do, the creatures could be set free…"
Wizard Oz ensured the Kraken is controlled through the book… The beings in the Necromancier—Kraken… Nosferatu, Lupin, Saci, Leprechaun, Krampus—these are creatures of the Necromancier.
Grey: "Hmm."Fiona: "Why are you staring?"Grey: "You can shoot?"Fiona: "Yes, of course…"
She dropped her staff and began fighting.
Grey: "(Sweats)… Huh?"Fiona: "I can move just fine without the staff… it's only for when…"
She showed her foot—her right foot was made only of shadow.
Grey: "Ugh…"Daisy: "Oh dear…"
(Bang!)
Daisy: "Alright then… hah!"
(Crash!) (Crash!)Namesis Monster: "Rooaaarrrrrrr!"Oliver: "Stay with me, Miss…"
Elizabeth: "Hhh…"
Jane: "Hahh… then… where are the Frankenstein siblings?"Daisy: "I sent them on a vacation. They've been working for months straight."Grey: "Why don't I get one?"Elizabeth: "Because you never work?"Grey: "That's not true."Daisy: "Well… it kind of is."Grey: "Dude, focus on the fight…"Fiona: "This is pointless… Even if we defeat these Namesis, more keep coming… We need to find the one using the Doors."Grey: "And how do we do that?"Fiona: "Ghhh… huh!"
She looked at the Door.
Fiona: "Distract them."Grey: "What—what are you planning?"Fiona: "I'm going inside the Door."Grey: "Are you crazy?!"Fiona: "Got a better idea?"Grey: "No…"Fiona: "Then that's that!!"
They drew the Namesis away. Fiona sprinted toward the Door.
Fiona: "Haaaaaa!!!"
And jumped! A red-and-black tunnel!
Fiona: "Ugh!"
(Bong!)
Fiona: "Wha—!"
She looked down—no floor, just a long drop.
Fiona: "Hahh… damn!!!"
She grabbed the doorknob.
Fiona: "No… no…"
(Bong!)
Fiona: "This is it… aaaaaaaaarghhhh!!"
And she fell.
(CRASH!)
Dorothy: "Well now?"Fiona: "Oof… thhh… thhhh…"
She stood.
Dorothy: "You're that detective."Fiona: "Huh?… Ugh!!!"
Dorothy held the Necromancier… so it was her. Fiona's eyes hardened.
Fiona: "Hey… so you're the one using the book."Dorothy: "Mhm."Fiona: "And you're the one who attacked us? Oliver, Daisy, and me?"Dorothy: "Bingo."Fiona: "Hand over the book."Dorothy: "Nope."Fiona: "Then I'll have to use force."Dorothy: "Hehehehe, go on and try."
Multiple doors appeared; hands reached out from them.
Dorothy: "My Door ability is really useful, don't you think?"Fiona: "I only have to hit you… Then the Kraken is gone."Dorothy: "Hehehehe… Then attack me—if you can."
The hands lunged at Fiona; she dodged.
Fiona: "Ghhh…"
She grabbed a plank; it transformed into a weapon.
Dorothy: "Huh."Fiona: "Mr. Herold's ability… hehehe…"
(Bang!) (Bang!)
She shot at the hands.
Fiona: "But… I can't hit her when there are this many…"Dorothy: "You poor, poor girl… Don't you see? You don't stand a chance…"Fiona: "Why did you wake the Kraken?"Dorothy: "Why… for our mother's sake, of course."Fiona: "Hmm?"Dorothy: "For Rapunzel…"Fiona: "This really is strange… What does she have to do with it?"Dorothy: "Revenge… because they took our mother away from us… hehehehe… When I was a child, my parents cast me out… But Mother, Rapunzel, cared for me and even fed me her… warm milk… She slept beside me… stroked my hair…"
She cupped her cheeks.
Dorothy: "She treated me like a daughter… like I mattered… I never mattered to anyone… hehehehe… But they took her from me when she was banished for defying the Family of Death… Did you know Death's name is Redues?"Fiona: "Hmm… Actually, yes… Death is called Redues—everyone knows that—born of humans' fear of death."Dorothy: "Exactly…"
Dorothy laughed.
Dorothy: "You know, I love your eyes… and your voice… so much… soft like a narrator's… your eyes… green and beautiful… like a true princess… like Cinderella…"Fiona: "Cinderella?"Dorothy: "Hehehe… Cinderella is also known as the Ash Princess… born from ash… but your hair is white… hers is long and blonde, and yours is… well… medium…"
Fiona: "I'm not here to chat… give me the Necromancier… Oz's grimoire of darkness—you know that, right?!"Dorothy: "Oz… Of course I know… hehehe…"
More hands grabbed for Fiona.
(Bang!) (Bang!)
Dorothy: "Pointless, my dear…"Fiona: "Ghhhh…"
(Meanwhile)
Remy: "Hmm."
(Aaaaaaaarghhhh!!)Casper: "That looks really bad."Remy: "No, no—mademoiselle, you forgot your handkerchief!"Unknown Woman: "Let me go! I don't have time for your flirting!!"
She ran.
Remy: "What a shame… who knows, maybe she'll spend a night with me if I save her."Casper: "Remy…"Remy: "What is it… Don't worry, Casper—we'll find a way to defeat this Kraken…"
(Patch!) (Patch!)
Suddenly they felt a dark aura… a powerful one.
Remy: "Ugh."Casper: "Huh?"
They turned—an adult man in a suit, a symbol on his shoulder.
Remy: "That symbol?"Casper: "Ah… I've heard of them—Dark Umbrella Organization…"
He took out something… a puppet.
Remy: "Ugh."
They hid.Casper: "His name is on the other arm… Trewlony."Trewlony: "One… two… three… Dark… Ash… I call to you… raise a barrier of your dark ash and keep the people safe… By the power of the Night Princess… Holle… you have it… protect us…"
Ash poured out of the puppet and formed a barrier around the kingdom… of ash…
Trewlony: "Good… now the people are safe…"
But—
(Aaaaaaaaarghh!!)
Remy: "Ugh."Casper: "Huh?"
A puppet was attacked.
Remy: "But…"Casper: "Don't tell me this spell only protects the humans."Remy: "So the puppets don't matter to him… even though they were once human."
He left the area. Remy and Casper stepped from hiding.
Casper: "Dark Umbrella, huh…"Remy: "(Grins!) Hahahahaha… now that's something—we saw them with our own eyes…"
Trewlony: "Hmm… I see."Remy: "Ugh!!!"Casper: "Huh!!!"
He was suddenly behind them.
Trewlony: "Don't worry, I won't harm you. I only want to ask one thing… Have you… ever… ever seen a woman with white hair and green eyes…?"
He handed them a photo.
Trewlony: "Her name is Fiona Household…"Remy: "Hmm… no. We haven't."Trewlony: "Hmm… If you see her… either call us at 542431… or kill her on sight and bring her body to us."Remy: "Hmm… Why kill?"Trewlony: "She betrayed us."
He left the street.
Remy: "Hmmm…"Casper: "I don't understand…"Remy: "Fiona Household…"Casper: "You want to find her?"Remy: "Hmm… nope, not now. Let's find the Necromancier first."
(Meanwhile)
Fiona: "Hahh… urk…"
She lay on the ground, bleeding.
Fiona: "Urk…"Dorothy: "My goodness… I told you already—this won't work."Fiona: "Give me… the book…"Dorothy: "Declined…"
She strolled toward her; the hands gripped Fiona's neck.
Fiona: "Urk…"Dorothy: "I think I'll kill you now… hehehe."
The hands squeezed…
Dorothy: "Hhh…"
(Splutch!)
Dorothy: "Huh…?"
Her hand dropped to the floor.
Dorothy: "Aaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"Clown: "Hmmm…"
It was the Clown. He was holding Fiona by the arm.
Fiona: "You?"Clown: "Hello, dear."Dorothy: "My arm… my… armmm… urhhhhhhh…"Fiona: "What are you doing here…"Clown: "I told you I'd help if you were in danger…"
(Patch!)
Bella: "Hello, Fiona."Fiona: "Ugh…"
He set her gently on the ground.
Clown: "Well… here's the thing—just as I was about to go find my brother… boom—tentacles everywhere… and Namesis…"Dorothy: "You… you're the Clown."Clown: "Hmm? Hh"Dorothy: "You're… also… an enemy of Mother…"Clown: "Hmph…"
He walked toward her.
Clown: "Hahhh…"
He crushed her foot with his fist.
Dorothy: "Urk… aaaaaaaaaaaarghhhh…"Clown: "Tell us… what we want to know… Fiona is the only human I won't harm… the rest I don't care about. Tell me… what you want… or how to stop the Kraken."Dorothy: "Hhhhh…"Clown: "My Invisible Hands will crush you."
Invisible Hands is a Clown ability—only he can see them… these hands ensure everything shatters or tears apart when the Clown uses them… the truth is simply that when his hands move, the invisible hands move too. They call it Invincible Hand!
Dorothy: "The Kraken… can't be stopped through the book."Clown: "Then how?"Dorothy: "Ghhh… You… have to defeat the Kraken itself or… seal it…"Clown: "I see…"
He was about to kill her, but Fiona grabbed his hand.
Fiona: "No… please…"Clown: "Hmm? She tried to kill you."Fiona: "I don't care… she's practically a kid…"Clown: "She's nearly a kid, but not a child—Rapunzel was banned a hundred years ago, which means she's over a hundred."Dorothy: "Hhh…"Clown: "Or…"Dorothy: "No… Rapunzel… cared for me… in the Dreamers…"Clown: "That actually makes sense… she is the Witch of Dreams…"
Fiona: "Don't kill her… please…"Clown: "Fine."
He lowered his hand.
Clown: "Alright then—I'll handle this tentacled freak, the Kraken… and you, Bella, get Fiona to safety."Bella: "But… isn't that dangerous for you?"Clown: "It is, actually… I may lose a lot of power… but still… don't worry."
He cupped her cheek.
Clown: "I just got you back—do you think I'll allow myself to die…?"Bella: "Hehe… be careful, William."Clown: "I will… and you, Fiona—your friends are surely worried. Go back to them."Fiona: "Thank you."
He ruffled her hair.
Clown: "No… thank you, Fiona. Because of you… I've seen there really are some good people… worth saving…"
Fiona: "Hmm."
Bella hoisted Fiona onto her back.
Fiona: "Whoa…"Clown: "Alright—get her out of here… I'll handle the rest. As for her… we'll just leave her—she'll manage…"
Bella and Fiona set off—Bella carrying Fiona on her back as they went through the Door.
Dorothy: "Hahh… hahh."Clown: "And you there… you might die—do you want my blood?"Dorothy: "Hhhh…"Clown: "Oh dear… can't even think straight. Come here."
He held her, opened her mouth, and poured his blood from a bottle.
Clown: "Drink, it's fine…"Dorothy: "Urk…"Clown: "I know, I know—it tastes awful, it's blood after all…"
He let her down… not very gently.
Clown: "Well then… I'll be on my way. Hmm, I'll take this."
He grabbed the Necromancier and stepped through the Door.
(A few minutes later)
Kraken: "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…"Clown: "Heeey!!!"
The Clown shouted as he appeared.
Clown: "Boo… that was close…"Kraken: "Rrr…"
Suddenly its form changed… into a human-like shape, but with tentacles.
Clown: "Creepy… who are you?"Kraken: "My name is Zeldores… I am the Kraken…"Clown: "That you're the Kraken is obvious—you transformed before my eyes."Zeldores: "And you are the Clown… one of the Guardians… hmm… a puppet of Death…"Clown: "Hahh… can't deny it, to be honest…"
Zeldores: "Hmmmm…"Clown: "Listen… can you just go back to sleep for a few centuries… and stop bothering these people…"Zeldores: "What… the Clown… cares about the well-being of humans?"Clown: "Oh, boo… how boring… isn't it?"
The Clown shrugged.
Clown: "I'm a clown. Of course I care about others' well-being… I'm a clown."
Zeldores: "They gave you that name because you use bizarre powers."Clown: "Eh, I just use a hammer that crushes things and sometimes balls… not much more… Long story short—that's because I wear the clown nose… and the trinkets too…"
Zeldores: "Show me what you can do, clown."Clown: "Hey, come on… no need for that. I'm not in the mood to get my butt kicked—just go back to sleep and I can finally spend time with Bel— I mean, have fun… (cough)… That's all…"Zeldores: "Silence."Clown: "(Sweats)… Oh boy… are you jealous because I have a woman?"Zeldores: "Women do not interest me at the moment."Clown: "Oh… 'at the moment.' Hey, how about you come back later, and I'll get you some lovely ladies… Don't worry—just tell me what they look like."
He took out a notebook.
Clown: "So… bust size? Hair color? Chest measurement?… Hips?… what exactly?"Zeldores: "Hhhhhhhh… brown hair."Clown: "Hey, you can answer after all… that's neat… brown hair then…"Zeldores: "She should also scream and cry."Clown: "(Sweats)… You know what… um…"Zeldores: "And taste good."Clown: "Hey, listen…"Zeldores: "I want her liver."Clown: "Dude… not for eating…"Zeldores: "Oh…"Clown: "Is food all you think about?"Zeldores: "Hmm… actually, yes."Clown: "(Sweats)… You know what… I'm done. Let's fight and get this over with…"Zeldores: "Hmm."
The tentacles stirred.
Zeldores: "At last… I would have preferred to face a stronger Guardian… like Beatrice, or Holle… perhaps your brother, the Jester."
Zeldores looked toward the kingdom.
Zeldores: "These humans are worthless… why do you protect them?"Clown: "No idea… though… you'll kill innocents too."Zeldores: "There are no innocents."Clown: "(Sweats)… Actually there are—children… families…"Zeldores: "I don't care… I only do what my master Oz!! wanted of me… to kill humans!!!"Clown: "Hahh… looks like we really do have to fight…"Zeldores: "Show me what you can do."Clown: "Alright then… if you insist."