Chapter Text
The Black Beast wandered through the starry void, following a road he'd never seen before. His wolf-like paws padded along as he ran, sensing something calling him in the distance.
He paused when his path was stopped by a shard of the past which showed a vile woman with dark blonde hair cursing a child in order to use them as a tool. Not wanting to watch it again, he swiped his claw -- his hand -- at the shard and shattered it on the witch's shocked face, then kept moving into a more... surreal location.
The path of light he stood on shifted into one of stained glass that ended at a column topped with the image of a young man with blue hair and a giant key in one hand, and his other placed on his chest, gripping a blue and orange star. The terrain around him depicted the ocean tides striking the rocky orange cliffs, and he saw faces behind the young man's head, while the border of the image depicted keys, hearts, and symbols he didn't recognize.
The Black Beast jumped off the column into the void, before landing on the side when gravity shifted as he saw a familiar fiery dragon rush past him, compelling him to give chase.
As the Great Dragon serpentined through the darkness, the Black Beast saw the creator of his universe pass through bearer after bearer of the Dragonflame, each generation passing that power onto the next before the dragon went from the legendary Bloom to a fairy with golden horns and long, peach-blonde hair.
"Can I really live up to Mom's legacy? What if I mess this up?"
The Beast watched as the fairy was surrounded by a golden light before he caught something in the shadows: a young man with red hair was being led away from the light by a twisted reflection of Bloom. He followed the pair, watching as the young man was consumed by darkness stemming from his parents, his face resigned to his fate as he sank beneath a dark ocean.
"My sister, my parents, all eyes are always on them. I wish I could join in all the fun."
The Beast briefly hung his head, his purple eyes staring out at the dark ocean before it started to boil. Sensing danger, he bolted away as a twisted parody of a Phoenix burst from the depths, chasing after the beast as destruction followed them. Boulders started rising from the ground as the Beast used them to aid in his escape, leaping from stone to stone as he passed a knight in ornate black and gold armor who held a blade wreathed by the Dragonflame.
"To protect Eraklyon is my duty, and I refuse to let you destroy my home and those I love!"
The Beast looked back just in time to see the knight charge at the Shadow Phoenix, before the ground beneath him shifted and launched him away from the battle. He found himself falling through a looking glass into a moonlit forest with rusted weapons and armor sticking out from the undergrowth. The Beast glanced around as he cautiously started padding through the new area. He soon found himself surrounded by colorful flowers that resembled the sun before he looked upward at the moon.
Or rather, the giant mirror overhead that had a girl with long brown hair fused to the frame as reflections of the cheerful Stella of Solaria appeared on the glass.
"As a Fairy of the Moon, I cannot let myself outshine Solaria's Sun. I have to reflect my family like the perfect daughter should."
Cracks started to appear across the mirror's surface as gravity shifted again, the Beast rapidly rising towards the mirror as it shattered, surrounding him with shards that morphed into white flower petals as he got moving again. He heard music ahead of him, and he rushed forward, his body moving to the beat as the path below him showed a young man with black hair and headphones heading in the opposite direction.
The Beast kept moving, his cat-like ears twitching as he ran through a tunnel made up of pages of sheet music. After emerging through the light at the end, he found himself on a wooden bridge by a sea that was colored by the rosy sunset. He saw that ahead of him was a woman with long black hair holding the hand of a little girl, both reaching out for the beast. He moved quickly to catch up with them, only for the bridge to fall away and drop him down a pit lined with numbers and circuitry.
As he made his unwanted descent, he caught glimpses of a different world: one where giant keys could combat the darkness as he recalled that platform he saw before. He saw that same teen with blue hair struggle alone against a figure in a black, hooded robe before his opponent vanished, and the young man became chained up inside a glass flower.
"I can't let the strongest heart of each world fall to Darkness, even if it means going it alone, I will protect everyone! I promised... I promised..."
The beast had no idea what this meant, much like the other words spoken in this strange journey, and continued his descent into the computerized shaft as he spotted a doll ahead of him on a round platform. The green paths of light soon turned pink as a heart shone beneath the blank doll, and he watched it turn into a teenage girl with long silver hair and brilliant green eyes. She waved at the beast before she sprouted heart-shaped wings from her back and flew off towards the boy with the key, and broke him free from his prison.
"Though my Heart is made of code, I still have one. So, I will do as my Creator wishes and learn how to be a person, and I will try to help others as well."
He reached a paw out to the pair as his path shifted, brutally throwing him into a computer room where a young woman with purple and blonde hair and a robotic arm was typing away at a holographic keyboard while she paid him no attention. The Beast saw the figure look at the display before her and saw his face and the boy with headphones. The metallic hand reached the image of the boy before dropping to the owner's side, and the girl let out a breath as she lowered her head in shame.
"Rhythm, even if I have to suppress my emotions in the process, I will save you."
The Beast let out a small whine as he moved to rub against the woman, only for her to disappear in a burst of snow and ice as the scene changed once again. He now saw a forest of trees that had pink crystals growing in the roots and trunk, with flowers that seemed to be made of the same material growing along the branches. He was mesmerized by the sight for a moment, before he paused and saw snowflakes start to fall from the sky, followed by a tall witch with long white hair walking into the forest. He growled at her, but she simply walked past him as he saw the woman was followed by a young woman with short white hair. Though the beast trailed after them, he saw the younger of the two break away from the witch to follow a new road filled with light, while the older woman smiled before she turned to face the Darkness with a frown.
"If you wish to take over Dyamond, you're going to have a bad time. Even if it kills me, I will defend my home and my daughter as its Queen!"
He looked toward the Darkness ahead of them and saw three things appear within it: an inferno, a cold light, and the skull of an ancient dragon. Before he could act, he was sucked into the void and witnessed the three things take on the form of witches.
The Inferno became a red-headed punk in leather with spikes on her jacket while the Beast noticed a sliver collar on her neck just before it shattered and her right arm became one with the flames.
"I'm a simple witch. I like to kick ass and burn shit, and right now? I'm going to kick your fucking ass for pissing me the fuck off!"
He dodged a punch as the Witch of the Inferno turned away from him and towards the cold light, which had turned into a witch with short black hair, and mostly white clothing that wouldn't look too out of place on Zenith. The shining witch merely raised a shield around herself before blasting the Inferno away and turning to face the purple shadow of a witch with long hair that had appeared behind the Witch of Light.
"I don't understand why people like someone who fell to Darkness, so I will focus instead on my goal to cleanse the Magical Universe of your taint."
He watched the witch deliver a blast of light to the shadow before it morphed into a shining crystal effigy of a woman with a face twisted in agony. He found this horrifying and charged at the witch while the skull flew off elsewhere, only for him to have to dodge a bolt of lightning coming from a crystal that reminded him of a casket. Unfortunately, he also had to move when a curved sword tried to slice off his long, fluffy tail soon after. As he turned to face his new assailant, he growled as he looked at the masculine figure made out of opaque white stone. He charged at the threat, claws swinging as he got the thing in the face before he once again shifted into a new location.
He shook out his body before he looked around and saw he was now in a cavern filled with painted walls and ancient bones and artifacts. He carefully padded along as he spotted a light ahead of him, keeping an ear out for trouble after the recent attempt on his life. Soon, he smelled flowers along with baked fruit, urging him ahead as he rushed towards the light. When he reached it, he found himself suddenly underwater before he swam to the surface and saw himself surrounded by an ominous tower, a pink castle-like structure, and a tall building that reminded him of a fountain. As he swam to shore, he also caught a glimpse of a woman in a white cloak that vanished into a swamp before he reached land and shook himself dry. He felt a breeze for a moment before he looked up and saw a dark-skinned fairy with long blue-gray hair flying overhead, the young woman laughing as she did a loop and headed towards the pink castle.
"Mom's giving me much more freedom than she did growing up. So, why not see what the universe has to offer?"
The Beast chased after her, only to be slammed back when he reached the gate. He felt his body crash through a wall before he finally stopped and found himself in an entirely new location. It looked like a hallway lined with pictures showing things ranging from a regal-looking black dragon to a pile of treasure in an underwater cave. As he walked along, he also saw that the wall was also decorated with weapons that looked well used but also shared a symbol he wasn't entirely sure of- some sort of cross.
He passed by a pink scythe, a set of bright yellow knives with turquoise accents, a hand of silver cards, and strangely enough, a blue sitar hanging on the wall. He paused and looked at them as he wondered who used them before he felt the hallway start to sway, making him realize he was on a boat. He ran further down the hall until he reached a set of stairs leading up onto the deck and rushed out to see an amazing sight.
He was certainly on a boat as he thought, but the waters around it sparkled like gems while giant crystal spires emerged from the water and refracted the sunlight into a dizzying array of colors. He saw a young man in brown and green fly through the spires with a sparkling trail behind him before the Beast looked ahead and spotted someone.
A young woman with tear-shaped wings on her back and long, wavy dirty blonde hair tied back into a low ponytail. From the back, the Beast thought she looked like a pirate as he padded closer before she shifted slightly to look over her shoulder with a citrine-colored eye and smile.
"You know something? I get to experience two different universes thanks to my parents. I've lived my whole life in my dad's universe so now? Time to see what adventures I'll get in Mom's."
He let out a growl before standing next to the pirate fairy, and the pair looked over the crystal waters before them, just waiting to be explored.