I've just recovered from a severe case of writer's block so don't kill me if this is shittier than usual

Luna's eyes fluttered open, and three blurry little faces stared back at her with anxious looks.

"Wh-what?" she muttered weakly, rubbing her eyes. "Why are you staring at me like that...?"

Ferris practically collapsed in relief. "Oh, thank the Tree you're alright..."

"What? What happened?" Luna asked urgently, but she immediately sat up when the memories hit her full force. She was lying in a stone cave with glowing mushrooms, and she could see the two pieces of the Tree of Life propped up in a corner. She felt her side, but there was no wound. The pieces were safe, and there was Lili, Verdan, Ferris-

She froze. "Where's Kinn?"

Verdan hesitated. "I-I... she's... still up there..."

"WHAT?"

The green-haired teenager flinched. "I-I don't know! The last time I saw her was when I carried you down here and she was holding down a Corrupted - h-hang on, Luna, where are you going?"

Luna had scrambled to her feet and rushed outside the cave, recklessly throwing herself up the nooks as she desperately climbed the near-vertical cavern. "Luna, wait! You can't go up there now! It's still too dangerous!" she heard Lili shriek. But she didn't care. Kinn was still up there with that monster. Who was he, again? A Corrupted version of Cyan? Luna paused for a second before climbing again as she remembered the Corrupt's response to Kinn's horror. Maybe not. Maybe he was just lying to destroy their hopes. He could be some sort of Corrupt doppelganger. There was absolutely no way in Paradise that a Guardian, one of the most powerful beings who walked this earth, could ever get Corrupted. The idea is preposterous, and she refused to believe it. She'll try to find out about Cyan's safety later. Right now, the one thing on her mind was Kinn.

Finally, Luna reached the ground where it was a lot more horizontal and broke into a sprint. The cavern where they slept was right around a particular corner. She sped right, left, turned right in a fork, and eventually reaching the corner leading to the cavern...

...and found it empty.

The discarded sleeping bags still littered the floor, and the only signs of struggle were the blast mark on one wall and strange, deep knife marks on the other that seemed to suggest that a dozen sharp objects had, somehow, been driven into the rock. But no one was there. And most importantly, Kinn.

"KINN?" she yelled as loud as she dared, but there was no response. Unable to believe it, she ran towards the mouth of the cave, where outside, the heavy storm continued to rage. There wasn't a single sign of life anywhere, and it was simply impossible to look for anything or anyone through the black shadows of the trees in the heavy downpour.

She refused to give up now. She frantically searched through the empty caverns, checking every single cave near the main sleeping area, but there were only blue dimly glowing mushrooms and the occasional strange insects. It was obvious that, whatever happened to her, she wasn't hidden in any of the caves around here.

Luna dropped to her knees.

First Neptune. Then Blixer and Cyan. And now Kinn. If Kinn died, Luna would be the only Caretaker left to protect and guide the remaining three Guardians. And that would be a burden too heavy for her to carry.

No, she thought desperately. I can't lose another one. She can't be dead, can she? She couldn't be. If she was, she would've felt it in her very soul. But Paradise was vast and looking for people here wouldn't be easy, especially with every single Corrupted hunting them down at that moment. There was no doubt that they would all be killed on sight. Trying to look for her without a plan would be a death wish.

Luna's hands found their way to her head and she gripped her hair tightly. What am I going to do now?

Verdan, Lili, and Ferris entered the cavern carrying the two pieces of the Tree only to find Luna crouched on the cave floor while clutching her head.

"Luna..." Ferris's voice was barely audible. "Luna... what happened...?"

Luna's voice trembled. "They took her," she said, not even looking at them. "I don't know what they're doing to her, but they took her."

Silence as the remaining three Guardians' eyes widened. The shock of realisation hits them straight in the face.

Kinn. Their Caretaker. Guilt clawed at their stomachs. They heard her screams. They should've gone back up here and rescued her. But no, they didn't, they just let her get taken away from them.

Ferris let out a quiet sob. "T-this is our fault..."

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the three flinched as Luna grabbed a propeller and struck the cave floor. They backed away when she whipped her head around to face them because for a second they thought she was about to go wild on them for not attempting to rescue Kinn, but she didn't. The look in her eyes was unsettling, however. It was an intense mix of sorrow and rage, but also unmistakably determination. Whenever she gave them a look like that, they knew she meant business - but something about that look told the Guardians that she wasn't angry at them.

"Alright, I've had enough," she snarled. "Whatever or whoever bastard Corrupted Blixer and started this has done enough. We're going to look for Cyan and Kinn, Purify Blixer somehow, and bring an end to this second nightmare."

The three were taken aback, but it was the best plan she could come up with at that moment and they couldn't have agreed more. But the question was-

"How?" Lili asked.

Luna continued as she stood up. "They could be anywhere, but my gut's telling me that they're in the Tower. The only problem is trying to come up with a plan on how to break inside."

Verdan shook his head. "No, that won't be a problem," he said determinedly. Anything. Anything he could do to not repeat his mistake. "We've got flight, speed, and agility. We would've had strength, but Cyan's not here."

"We've also got brains," Ferris beamed as she wiped away a tear with her sleeve, cheering up a little as she slung her arm around the modest basketball player's neck. Verdan smiled.

"Breaking in would be a piece of cake," Lili reassured the helicopter girl. "Really, the only problem would be walking in that downpour. This is our fault in the first place anyway. If we hadn't just stayed there doing nothing, Kinn would probably be here with us right now. You're right, we have to do this."

Ferris raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you're talking about her as if she's dead."

Lili's eyes widened. "Wh- No, I didn't mean that! I mean-"

"I know," Ferris laughed, "only joking."

Seeing the normal conversations popping up between them again made Luna smile. It made her feel slightly better, as if everything was alright, even though it wasn't. And she felt even more determined. "Alright then," she finally grinned, a sight that made the other three smile as well. "We're not gonna let this catastrophe destroy our normal lives, are we?"

She stepped towards the mouth of the cave, where outside, the dark pink rain continued to pound the earth with its powerful, unnaturally coloured frozen fists. It was going to be freezing, but no matter how cold it was going to be, it was never going to dampen the four's spirits.

"Let's rescue our Square and Cube."

oOo

Everything was so, so cold.

Kinn's whole body was so soaked and frozen that she could barely take another step forward, and Crimson had to carry her over his shoulder as if she was a sack of potatoes. He didn't seem to be cold or drenched to the bone at all, even though his hair and clothes were wet. He kept walking forwards as if the weather was warm and sunny.

Eventually, through the endless stream of water that flowed over her eyes, Kinn saw the grass turn slowly from a dark, dull grey-blue to pink, like something was illuminating it. Her stomach twisted with dread as she realized what might be illuminating the grass. And just as she expected, when she twisted her body around, she found her gaze meeting the seemingly infinitely tall Corrupted tower, a massive, glowing pink block reaching high above the clouds, decorated with upside-down white triangles on the sides.

When Crimson stepped in front of the tower's mahogany front doors, they swung open, providing the two an entrance into protection from the relentlessly pouring rain. Kinn was freezing and completely drenched to the bone in the rain, but to her surprise, when they stepped into the tower, she was the complete opposite. Dry and warm, as if she'd never stepped into the rain in the first place. The tower must've had really strange protection against the rain. The sight of the tower's interior simply took her breath away. Everything was so pink it hurt her eyes, but she was still in awe. She had never been anywhere so luxurious. The highly polished marble floor. Tall granite pillars. Rich, soft tapestries and curtains. Rows of pink candles. She would've loved to stop and admire every single detail, but Crimson's voice reminded her that she wasn't here for the luxuries.

"Fresh is waiting for us right upstairs," he said, lifting Kinn off his shoulder and relocating his iron grip on her left wrist. Kinn swallowed.

She didn't have time to admire the decorations this time as they walked up the stairs as the only thing in her mind was fear. Fear of meeting Fresh and what he would do to her and her friends. She and Luna hadn't even seen the guy, only Cyan and the others had. Maybe he looked like his Corrupted self last year? Or maybe Rulers of Corruption had a somewhat more upgraded look?

Once they've climbed the staircase, Kinn shook in fear whenever they pass a door. She had no idea which room had Fresh inside it, and for all she knew it could've been any of them. Was it the one on the left? Oh, it wasn't. What about that in the middle? Please, please don't let it be that one- oh thank the Tree it wasn't, they turned around a corner. Not the one on the right, either. And it couldn't be that one, it's-

Crimson shoving open a door Kinn didn't expect to be correct snapped her out of her frantic thoughts, and seeing the tall demon standing in the middle of the room practically scared her shitless.

The Corrupted version of Blixer was different from "Ruler of Corruption" Blixer.

His horns had grown in size. His left eye was back somehow, and upon closer inspection, the scar over it still existed. He looked a lot more confident - and of course, crazier than the last time Kinn saw him Corrupted, with that wide, insane fanged grin and twitching left eye. Upon seeing Crimson, a delightful, expectant look surfaced in his eyes, but when he saw Kinn, it was more of a look of mild confusion and interest. He eyed the two like a hawk as they walked closer, particularly Kinn, and she found herself unable to look into those electric pink eyes.

But then Kinn noticed he was wearing a large crown upon his head, and her eyes widened when she realised that the stolen piece of the Tree was stuck onto it. She felt anger surge through her veins. How dare he. How dare he steal the piece and attach it to his crown like a trophy for himself? How arrogant of him. How selfish of him. She felt her hands twitch with fury as she craved to close them around his throat.

Fresh seemed to notice the anger boiling in Kinn's pearl black eyes, and before she could do anything stupid and rash like trying to kill him out of nowhere, he spoke. "Crimson."

"King," Crimson replied shortly, giving a quick, respectful bow.

"Good to see you're okay," he smiled. He didn't sound too genuine. "I suppose everything went well?"

"Well..." Crimson broke eye contact, rubbing his neck guiltily, "I found her," he gestured to Kinn, who seemed to be calming down a little. "But I... didn't find the pieces. But-"

Fresh raised a finger, and Crimson, face flushed, fell silent. There was a dangerous smile on the demon's face, and his voice was just the same as his expression. "Crimson, Crimson," he tsked. "Didn't I tell you that you either get the pieces... or suffer the consequences?"

Crimson's face paled. "W-wait, no!" he blurted out. "I can explain! Kinn is just as valuable as the pieces!"

"Oh, really?" Fresh mused, tilting his head to the side, still smiling dangerously. "This better be good... Alright then. Make it quick."

Just by seeing how Crimson's eyes dart downwards for a second, Kinn knew he was extremely relieved. He cleared his throat and regained the confidence to look Fresh in the eye again. "The Lycanthropes found them hiding in a cave," he began slowly, choosing his words very, very carefully. "When I caught up, only Luna and Kinn were there. I wounded Luna, but Kinn tackled me. And you see, she shouldn't have had the power to do so..."

Fresh raised an eyebrow, and Crimson continued slightly hastily.

"What I'm saying is, she may have the power we need to defeat the Guardians and help us claim the two pieces."

Anger surged through Kinn like wildfire. "I'll never do any such thing!" she snarled, balling her fists. "The Guardians are my friends and I will never betray them!"

Fresh chuckled. "Looks like your little friend needs some convincing."

Kinn frantically tried to yank her arms away when Crimson gripped her wrists like handcuffs. "Let me go!" she snapped, but Crimson didn't budge.

"I'll do something about it," he said tonelessly to Fresh, ignoring the struggling Cube.

"She's all yours," Fresh replied, waving a hand. "But it better work."

oOo

Pink shackles encased her wrists to chains connected to the wall, but there was no use in trying to break free. The boiling anger she felt when Fresh was near her mysteriously disappeared, and fear returned to her senses. What the hell was going on with her? She never let anger get the best of her, let alone snap at her enemies. No, she usually knew better than to do open her mouth or do anything stupid. What she would normally do in situations like these was stay quiet. Don't stare. Shut your mouth. Stay calm.

But she did the complete opposite earlier, and it was scaring her.

Now, bound and trapped with no way out, the only thing she could do was look up to stare at her assailant.

Finally away from Fresh and his death threats, Crimson seemed to have dropped his serious attitude and regained his usual, flirty, confident demeanour. Now, Kinn could only see the man that attacked her in the cave about an hour ago, and of course, it was terrifying her.

"I've been wanting to have a good, private talk with you ever since you pinned me down earlier," Crimson began, honeyed voice filled with interest. "Do you have any idea how strong that would make you?"

Kinn didn't respond.

"You were impossibly strong," he said, taking a step closer. "And I must say, I'm intrigued... even if my king isn't.

"Can you show me your wrists?"

Kinn's eyes widened in surprise. What did he want? Slit her wrists out of nowhere? But of course he wouldn't do that. He did say he wasn't going to kill her. And after that conversation with Fresh, why would he ever betray his own words?

There was no warning in his tone. It merely sounded like he was interested. So, slowly, Kinn took her arms from behind her back and extended them cautiously.

Crimson examined her wrists with a surprisingly gentle touch. As he traced his finger over her soft skin, Kinn spoke, though barely audible. "What do you see in me?"

Silence for a moment as Crimson stopped. "I don't see. I feel," he murmured. "And I feel... Corruption. Power."

Kinn froze. Corruption? Preposterous. She was a Caretaker, a being of the second-highest Purity. Corruption was non-existent in her veins.

And yet here Crimson was, tracing her wrists as if he could absorb what was under her skin.

"What are you talking about?" Kinn finally responded. "I'm not a Beat."

"No." He paused. "You're one of a kind."

Then suddenly a smirk tugged at his lips, the sort of smirk that offered nothing but bad news. It sent a shiver down Kinn's spine.

"Halfbloods aren't really rare, but strong Halfbloods are," he began. "They're hidden in plain sight, and trying to spot a Halfblood in the middle of a crowd of ordinary, everyday people is near impossible. A Halfblood's strength depends on their will. If their will is weak or ordinary, they would act just like a normal Corrupted citizen. But if the Halfblood is, let's say... a close friend to a Guardian..." he smiled, "...they would be considered a strong Halfblood. Tell me, Sweetheart. What separates a Beat from a Shape?"

Kinn swallowed. She couldn't really tell where this was going. "Their physical features."

"Precisely. A normal Beat is easy to spot because of their physical features. But a Halfblood... the only thing that separates a strong Halfblood from a Shape is their blood."

Suddenly, with absolutely no warning at all, she felt Crimson's grip on her wrists tighten, and before she could react, there was a searing pain on her right wrist where Crimson's glass shard had cut through her skin. Warm blood leaked through as the wound pulsed in agony.

But it wasn't the wound that made her eyes widen in terror. Not Crimson's giddy smile, not his weapon, not even the pain. But the blood.

It was pink.

Kinn could hear the blood pounding in her ears. It can't be. This must be a hallucination, a lie, a trick of the light. But Crimson's triumphant expression destroyed every doubt.

"You are a Halfblood."

🔹🎵•~•~•~•~•~•🎵🔺

Yep this is the great reveal everyone

Hope you enjoyed despite the whole chapter written while I was having writer's block