Spectacular World

The Daughter

The air smelled of salt. The sand felt nice on his feet. Jack took a moment to roll his pant legs up. He dipped his hand into the water and raised it above him, allowing it to drip down onto his red hair. The sun cast down from above, feeling great on his skin, and he couldn't help but smile.

He felt so good.

He hadn't felt this good in years.

His heart didn't ache.

Not right now.

He walked along the beach. That was all that it was. Just a vast set of sand and a sparkling ocean. Something he had all to himself. Though he wasn't alone, that would have been sad, and this was a moment of peace.

"Papa!"

He spun around and opened his arms wide as his daughter landed in them. He fell back into the sand, hugging her tightly. He couldn't really get a good look at her. It was all so blurry, but it was enough. Even knowing this was fake, that it was the swords doing, he relished the moment for a bit, feeling her in his arms once again.

"Papa, where did you go!" She whined.

"Papa had to leave for a while... He- He'll be leaving again soon..." He felt his voice crack, and his arms grew tighter.

"But I want you to stay!"

"I do, too."

"So then stay." A new voice responded. He looked up, and for a moment, he saw her. It was all so blurry, hard to make out, but he could see the dress she wore. A snow-white one. Her hair was long and red, falling down her back, and her hand outstretched towards him. "Stay just a bit longer. It's nice here."

She was right there. He just needed to take the hand, and he-

"Cut it out."

All at once, the pain was back. He felt his body change. His hair became red, his eyes lost their spark, his heart filled with pain, and he wanted in that moment to make the pain stop. "Ah, you're no fun." The voice of Avalon filled his head. The man didn't seem to be with him. Jack no longer stood on the endless beach. Rather, he was nowhere. Sort of. A blank white void. A place outside of time and space, waiting for the sword to take him to where he needed to go to tell the next part of the story. "Did you have a nice dream?"

"I'll kill you." Jack gripped the handle of the sword.

"Don't forget about our little price. You'll have to pay me back for letting you use Story Maker." Avalon's voice was all around him and Jack craned his neck, feeling the bones in it crack.

"Yeah, yeah." He raised the sword, upholding it out in the air. "Enough stalling. Take me to her. You said I have it 'till midnight. That's less than an hour. I'll take her down before time is up."

"I've missed you."

"When I see you in person again, I'll carve your face off."

"Yeah, you're slowly becoming your old self again!"

"Avalon-"

"Alright, alright. One super glitched up Lord, here we come!"

***

By now, the castle had been mostly reduced to a melted husk of its former self. The three of them all stood on the only floor that wasn't filled to the brim with lava. It shook and would give out soon. Cinder rested on her knees, staring up with wide eyes.

"Battery?"

Battery stood behind Wish, his sword going through the back of the girl's head and out her mouth. The villain tried to turn her body and swing at him, but he spoke too fast. "Send her into the sky." There was a loud pop, and Wish's yell came from miles above as the girl dropped. "Hey, Kid. You doing okay?" He teased.