#suenami

The door to the cellar creaked open, a faint glow spilling in from the outside world. The musty smell of dust and mildew was filtered out, a fresh, crisp breeze rushing in as someone stepped inside, their boots lightly tapping against the harsh, concrete floors.

Blixer’s horns flicked in the direction of the sound, and he slowly raised his head.

The magical chains binding him to the room clanked and shook as he tried to stand, his eye glimmering in slight curiosity. He hissed softly as the light assaulted his retinas, having not seen any source of light in days.

For a moment, the light filled him with hope; he hadn’t been outside for a long time. The last time he’d seen Kubix… or any of his family, for that matter, seemed so long ago, although the calendar that he’d taken to writing on said otherwise.

Just three short months ago, he’d been kidnapped by his worst enemy. Just about ninety days prior to today, he’d been forced to say goodbye to his friends, torn away from his life in favor of serving Suenami as the manic shape’s living weapon. His powers were valuable. Although he wasn’t infected with the mutagenic pink virus, he was still a strong shape, and arguably, his sentience made him a more effective fighter. He couldn’t count how many shapes he’d been forced to shatter. As much as it hurt to admit, the more he fought, the less he felt….

As he blinked tears away to clear his vision, the small hiss grew into an aggressive snarl, his gaze focusing on the horrid shape before him. Suenami entered the room, looking a bit less… smug than usual. Blixer narrowed his eye, watching carefully as the other pink shape stepped towards him.

The chains around him did little to restrict his movements, as long as he didn’t try to leave the room, but they were quite cumbersome and heavy, making the effort to move more of a bother than anything. They didn’t even bind him directly to the wall; Blixer supposed that they were meant to break his spirit more than anything… until there was nothing left but the urge to fight.

However, each time Suenami entered, Blixer feared the worst, counting down the days until the manic shape grew bored of the novelty of having captured Paradise’s hero… the days until he was finally infected and turned into a complete monster. With each passing day, Blixer’s will to escape waned, and he found less and less energy to fight.

Exhausted, the small shape settled on just arching up a bit, his horns flicking back as his eye flashed threateningly.

Suenami twitched, but he didn’t seem afraid, staring down at Blix with an unreadable gaze. His eye shone dully in the low light, and Blixer caught what he thought to be a frown curving at his captor’s mouth.

Blixer fidgeted, a bit off put. Few things could make Suenami lose his trademark grin. It was almost as eternal as New Game’s, although the sight of it made the former hero’s stomach turn.

Quietly, Suenami addressed him, “Blixer…” He seemed to flinch a bit when the small shape’s growl increased in volume. It was almost as if he was… afraid. When he continued, his voice was tinged with a desperate, faltering tone. “Please… calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Like I’d…” Blixer huffed, managing to stand… or at least crouch; he hadn’t stood in so long… His eye twitched angrily. “Like I believe that…”

This was the very monster who turned his friends and family into abominations… the very same monster that nearly cost him his life and sanity. And now, this demon expected him to believe a single word that he said? Disgraceful.

Before Suenami could respond, Blixer rushed at him, screeching. He narrowly sidestepped, causing the feral shape to hit the wall with a loud crash. Blixer hissed, standing shakily. He only managed to stand for a few moments before his legs gave out, forcing him to kneel.

Not missing a beat, Suenami raised a hand, creating a barrier around Blixer and trapping the young shape in the corner of the room. Blixer screamed, clawing futilely at the glasslike wall. HIs eye flashed threateningly.

He glared up at Suenami, snarling, “Whatever you’ve come to tell me… I don’t want to hear it!” He shook his head, his hands glowing. “I’m not a monster… I’m not going to keep shattering people for you…”

Suenami stepped closer, his eye starting to glow not pink, but a soft shade of… cyan. Blixer froze, a small whimper escaping him as he stared up at his captor…

The other shape kneeled so that he was at eye level with Blixer, exhaling softly. He couldn’t enter the barrier, but he was just close enough so that the small shape felt threatened.

“I’m not asking you to shatter anyone; I need to tell you something.”

Blixer snapped, digging his claws into the barrier. “Like I have time to talk to you of all people!” He bristled, his horns flicking back as he bared his fangs. “The only shape I feel like shattering right now… is… you!”

Suenami narrowed his eye, sighing. With a snap of his fingers, the barrier around Blixer faded from a toxic pink… into a soft, familiar blue. Blix tilted his head, hissing lowly in agitation.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The small shape snarled, “You’re more powerful? You can use cyan corruption? You-” He was cut off by a sudden, curt yell.

“Blixer, just stop!” Suenami’s gaze filled with a distant fear, a small frown stretching across his face in place of the once mad grin. “Blix… It’s me… Kubix.” The cyan glow intensified, surrounding the once pink ‘villain’ like a peaceful, luminous aura. “This is just a disguise… I came to get you out of here.”

Blixer felt his heart stutter, his eye’s glow faltering as his growl cut off abruptly. He squeaked, scrambling backwards as he stared at ‘Suenami’, his gaze fearful and bright.

“No no no no, you’re not him!” Blixer screamed, panicked. “You’re not Kubix! You can’t be, you-”

The so-called villain sighed, standing. For a moment, Blixer feared an attack, but ‘Suenami’ merely stepped back, holding his arms out to his sides, showing that his hands were free.

“I’m unarmed, Blix. I promise.”

Blixer narrowed his eyes, stuttering, “P-prove it!” He shook his head wildly, tearing futilely at the chains. He could hardly stand, the magical locks draining his powers… preventing him from so much as summoning a cannon without getting shocked. “You’re not Kubix! You’re more insane than I thought you were if you thought this would work!”

‘Suenami’ flinched, taking a step back. He was… genuinely shocked by Blixer’s anger… he hadn’t seen the shape react so violently to anything in a long time…

He sighed, shaking his head. “Alright… If you insist…” The cyan glow spread, becoming so bright that Blixer had to shield his eyes. Blixer felt his heart stop as he heard the oddly familiar voice, “I’m sorry if I scared you… it was the only way to sneak in here…”

Blixer hesitantly opened his eye, squinting to see through the lingering glow. As his eye refocused, his breath caught, and he found himself trying to stand, shaking.

“Dad.” Blixer’s voice broke, the growl completely dropping from his tone as he stared at the square before him. “Dad…” His eye watered, and he began tearing at the chains holding him back, wishing he could exit the barrier blocking him from reaching Kubix.

Kubix smiled sadly. “Don’t worry… I’m gonna get you out of here…” He raised a softly glowing hand.

Blixer’s smile grew, and he shuddered, pausing in his attempts to escape.

“H-how… Suenami has the key…?” He tugged at the chains again. “He locked me here… forced me to shatter shapes for him, Kubix…” He hugged himself, shaking. “I don’t want to be a monster anymore… please don’t let me hurt anyone again…”

“I promise, you’ll never hurt anyone again.”

Blixer’s eye lit up, and for a moment, he looked just like the innocent, happy child that Kubix once knew. However, as his smile stretched to unnatural lengths, the square was suddenly reminded of what happened to him… of what Blixer had become.

“I missed you so much, Dad…” The smaller shape chirped, “Can we go out for ice cream? Or… or fly a kite?” He pressed his face against the barrier. “I know it sounds boring, but… I just want… to be a normal kid again… please…”

Kubix’s gaze softened, his cyan glow dimming slightly, save for the energy collecting in his palms. He smiled at Blixer.

The manic shape continued to ramble, “I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for you… for a while, I thought you weren’t coming, but here you are! I missed you, Dad. I was so tired of being a monster…”

“Hey… Blix… don’t worry.” Something changed in the square’s tone, and Blixer squeaked in slight fear, afraid of the sudden spike in Kubix’s power… specifically, his attack power… Kubix lowered his voice to a whisper, trying to sound comforting but only succeeding in scaring Blixer even more. “You don’t have to be a monster anymore, kid…”

Blixer tilted his head, squeaking, “Dad?” His horns flicked back in worry, and in the reflected light, Kubix could almost see a glint of childish naivete shining… or perhaps, a glimmer of insanity, ready to lash out at any given moment. Blixer frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Kubix hissed, “I knew it was too late…” He shook  his head. “I wanted to believe you were still there, but…”

Blixer scrambled back, his eye wide. “Kubix… what are you-”

Kubix cut him off. “You’ve been stuck here for so long… I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner, bud… we could have saved you…”

Blixer’s eye twitched, and he seemed to falter, his head starting to ache as he tried once again to stand. “Kubix.” His tone became harsh. “You’re right here… you can save me, just get me out of here!” He lashed out, raising a claw and attempting to summon forth his offensive magic. He winced as the magic chains sparked, blocking most of his natural power. “Get me out of here!”

“I can’t!” Kubix snapped. His eyes flashed with a rage-filled light, and he snarled, “You’re too far gone… but you don’t have to be this way anymore… I promise.”

Blixer shook his head, disheartened. “N-no… you wouldn’t hurt me…” His voice grew frantic, his tone becoming shrill and anxious as his horns flicked back, tears welling up in his eyes. “You came all this way just to hurt me?”

Kubix cringed, turning away. He raised a hand, sighing as a familiar, harmful, corrupted energy swirled in his palm. “I’m sorry…”

Blixer’s eye widened, and he let out a ragged scream as the cyan blast hit him head on. He had no time to dodge it, the corrupted energy searing through his body painfully. It tore cleanly through his chest, leaving a gaping hole that, unlike the time he fought Suenami, wasn’t going to heal. He stared up at Kubix in disbelief, shaking, unable to speak for his throat was filling with blood and bile. He let out a gurgling cough, pink liquid rolling down his face.

Kubix kneeled at the edge of the barrier, staring hollowly through him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. His impersonation powers kicked in, pink energy shimmering around him and changing his form to that of Suenami again. The disguised king forced a wide grin, yet his eye glowed with a sad light.

He didn’t want Blixer to spend his last moments feeling so betrayed, so he changed his face, looking as much like that wretched Suenami as he could handle. Blix didn’t deserve to be shattered by his own father, no matter what he’d done...

Blixer’s confusion instantly melted into rage, and he shrieked, slamming his entire body against the barrier.

Kubix winced. He ground out in his best impression of Suenami, “It’s a shame…. A shame indeed.” A bitter chuckle left him as he stood, backing away from the barrier. “You lost your usefulness so quickly…”

Blixer hissed, arching up and clawing at the barrier. He cleared his throat just enough to screech, “Suenami!” He slammed his head against the wall, his horns digging into the glasslike forcefield. “I’ll shatter you... I’ll shatter you!”

Kubix left the room, squeezing his now singular eye shut. His horns flicked back, and his steps became quick and anxious. He mentally begged Blixer to stop screaming, barely able to focus on his own thoughts as the child… no… monster’s cries rang out.

It was for the best, he assured himself. In those horrid months trapped by Suenami, something about him had changed. Blixer was no longer the heroic, childish shape he’d once been. Kubix had watched him shatter innocents in cold blood, having been mentally broken down by Suenami’s torment. He was a threat, and no matter how much it hurt him, Kubix was the best shape to take him down.

He sighed as the screams finally ceased, trailing off into pitiful whimpers. Blixer’s sobs echoed through the building. Kubix felt his heart clench as his son began crying for not his father, but the very monster he’d just been threatening to kill.

“Suenami… please…don’t let me die here…”

Kubix hesitantly peered inside the room, flinching as he saw Blixer. His breath caught, and he ducked back behind the wall, shaking. His transformation dropped, his appearance flickering back to normal as his distress took him over.

The forced, manic smile that had stretched across his face before faltered, curving into a deep, despaired frown.

He repeated a mental mantra, “That’s not Blixer… that’s not Blixer… that’s not my son anymore…” It was the only thing keeping him from running in there and healing, or at least comforting his son… or what was left of him. He shuddered, sliding down the wall until he sat there, face buried in his hands, shaking and crying.

Blixer’s pathetic croons continued to assault his senses, filling him with a dangerous mix of protective anger and regretful, despondent sadness.

“Please… I’ll shatter them all… I’ll break them to shards… don’t let me… don’t let me die… please… not again…”

Kubix shuddered. “That’s not Blixer… that’s not Blixer… that’s… not… Blixer.”

The square kept repeating his mantra, unable to ignore his former son’s pained cries. He forced himself to stay there, practically planted to the spot, until he heard the sounds cease entirely. Hesitantly, he stood, his movements slow and cautious. His eyes dimmed to a hopeless, dull blue, and he looked around, sighing. He glanced in the room, wincing a bit when he spotted the pile of dimly glowing dust and shards. He backed away, his breath catching.

He did this… he shattered his own child once again…. Although, in this case, he was the hero of the situation. He shook his head, closing his eyes tightly. All traces of Suenami’s maniacal infection were gone… every shape that had been infected was cured. Every creature that allied with him was dead… including Blixer.

Kubix took a step back, collecting himself. He sighed.

This is in the same AU of an AU that the other one was.

It finally as a name, “Wonderful Nightmare AU”!

The premise of this comic is that, even after he’s saved his friends, Blixer still lacks his sanity, and he has to consciously keep his emotions in check to avoid lashing out.

He gets frequent flashbacks of the infected shapes, which only irritate him more as he tries to keep a cool head.