Shadoo turned away from Blumiere, pointing the glowing staff at Dimentio with a killer look in her dark void-like shadow eyes. She swung the staff for his legs, tripping the boy and making him fall to the ground. 

She laughed, readying a magical burst of energy that was being concentrated at the tip of the staff. 

"Ciao, Dimentio," She grinned when Blumiere suddenly grabbed her staff and pulled it to the side, making her miss her mark by a mere few inches.

Dimentio winced, then got to his feet, rushing over to Blumiere and grabbing his arm, teleporting him back up to the top of the cliffside.

Timpani gasped as soon as the two of them appeared, throwing her arms around Blumiere and breathing a sigh of relief. 

"Blumiere!" Wh-what's going on?!" She cried out, pulling back and pressing a hand to his forehead. "Are you hurt?! What happened-"

"No time for sappy reunions," Dimentio huffed, looking somewhat annoyed despite the fact that he was internally panicking. "You humans all need to get out of here while me and Blu-"

"What?! No, no way I'm losing you again!" Timpani cried, clinging to Blumiere tighter. 

Blumiere felt his heart flutter, but the warm feeling didn't last long.

Shadoo suddenly emerged above the cliffs, her form having changed drastically. With each ounce of power she gained from holding that staff she was growing to look and feel more and more like her old self. 

Dimentio clenched his fists, putting on a brave face and stepping in front of Blumiere and Timpani. "Fine. Whatever. You two run! I'll handle this-" 

As if on cue, he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a row of dark projectiles coming from the side. He flew into a nearby tree, then slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"DIMENTIO!" Blumiere cried out. He held Timpani tighter as the two of them gazed up at the large shadow monster looming over them.

Timpani squeezed her eyes shut and buried her head in Blumiere's shoulder, trembling slightly. She had read stories and tales about things like this, but she never thought she would see someone so powerful in person.

"How do we stop her?!" Timpani cried out.

Blumiere shook his head, gazing up at the large beast. "I-It is impossible. Last time, she was only stopped because a Pixl sacrificed themself to take her down."

"S-Sacrifice?!" Timpani asked, sounding somewhat terrified.

"Yes. But... I don't think that'll be necessary. She was at her full potential back then." The boy explained.

"You mean this ISN'T her full potential?!" 

Blumiere shook his head no, squinting at the blue staff Shadoo was still holding. 

His father's staff. The staff his father stored half of his own power in so he could better channel his magic.

That was it!! 

He carefully let go of Timpani, turning and offering a soft smile. 

"Wait for me?" He asked.

She gave him a slightly confused expression. What did he mean by that? Was he going somewhere?

She bit her lip and nodded, taking a few steps back, then rushing over to Dimentio's side. She pressed her fingers to the unconscious boy's neck to check for a pulse. Luckily enough, he was still alive. Just sustaining a few minor injuries.

Blumiere nodded at her, then took a deep breath, feeling all his power surge through his veins. True, he hadn't used magic in a few days, but he had to do this. 

He took a deep breath, then sprinted off the edge of the cliff, praying that he would be able to levitate and catch himself in the air before falling to the ground and dying. 

Luckily enough, he was able to catch himself. He let out a quick breath of relief, then rushed to Shadoo, diving for the staff. 

He was able to grab ahold of the handle. The two continued to wrestle over the magical relic for a few moments, grunting as they did so.

"You brat, get off!" Shadoo exclaimed. "What are you-"

Blumiere suddenly ripped the staff from her grip, smirking at the shadow monster for a moment, then allowing the levitation spell to cease. He suddenly plummeted down the cliffside, falling faster and faster with each second that passed.

"BLUMIERE!" Timpani cried out, looking over the cliff with wide eyes.

Blumiere clutched the staff as he fell along the rocky edges, bringing it back, then swinging the end with his father's blue gem against the cliffside while he fell, shattering it.

"NO!" Shadoo cried out, slowly getting smaller and smaller. "YOU FOOL, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Blumiere smirked up at her, then waved his wrist, catching himself just before crashing into the ground. The tide had risen, so he was floating a good few feet over the water, feeling the ocean spray as it splashed against the rocks. 

He grinned, then dropped the remaining pieces of the staff into the ocean, allowing them to be washed away forever.

Shadoo let out a frustrated cry, then slowly fell down, the power allowing her to fly disappearing. "No- NO!" She cried, plummeting down the cliffside. Blumiere could only watch as she fell into the dark, violent ocean, creating a large splash as she did so.

He winced slightly, turning away and averting his gaze while she cried out, fighting against the riptide that was pulling her out to sea, away from view.

The boy let out a sigh of relief, then floated back over to the woods just outside of his Tribe's center, shakily lowering himself to the ground.

. . .

With Shadoo being swept away and the staff being broken, all of the spells she had cast were undone, including the one on Blumiere's father.

Dimentio did eventually wake up, shoving Timpani back and gagging while she pressed a cool cloth to his forehead, complaining about being touched without permission before teleporting back town to his tribe, where everyone happily welcomed him, their leader, and Blumiere back.

Still, as days passed, Blumiere couldn't help but sit along the coast and longingly look up at the cliffside. Timpani did the same, spending most of her hours waiting atop those cliffs, looking for Blumiere.

Dimentio stood next to his leader, holding his hands behind him and looking down as the leader's expression softened upon seeing his heartbroken son stare so longingly at a world that was not his own.

"He really does love her, doesn't he, Dimentio?" Blumiere's father asked quietly with a somewhat gentle tone. As he spoke, for a moment he almost sounded exactly like his own son.

Dimentio continued to look out at Blumiere, slowly nodding. "Well, it's like I always say, sir. Children have got to be free to lead their own lives."

The tribe's leader raised an eyebrow, then looked at Dimentio with a small grin. 

"When have you ever said that?" He asked with a slightly condescending tone.

Dimentio shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I suppose you just weren't listening," He replied, knowing very well that he was a liar.

Blumiere's father lightly chuckled, placing a hand on Dimentio's shoulder and longingly looking out at his son. His smile slowly faded and he let out a sigh.

"I suppose there's just one problem, then," he breathed.

Dimentio raised an eyebrow and turned his head to his leader, cocking it to the side slightly.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

The tribe's leader sighed, then looked down, wiping away a forming tear. 

"How much I'm going to miss him."

The teenage boy's eyes lit up slightly. He stayed behind and watched Blumiere's father walk up to his son. And though he couldn't quite hear what was being said, he could see the excitement and joy in Blumiere's eyes. Dimentio tried not to get too emotional when the father and son tightly hugged each other.

Yes, they fought at times, but there really was love there in that relationship. 

. . .

Timpani sat atop the same cliff, a saddened expression on her face. It had been a few long days, and Blumiere had still yet to return. Yet still, she wasn't giving up hope. She was going to wait, even if it took years. She would wait for him-

"Timpani...?" A voice whispered behind her.

His soft, kind, gentle voice.

The girl whirled around to see him. Blumiere, standing tall. His skin was still as blue as the ocean. He didn't look quite like the human boy she thought he was, but somehow this looked better. This looked... more natural.

"It's you..." she whispered.

Blumiere smiled, bowing his head slightly. "It's me," he answered.

Timpani let a tear fall, then quickly ran into his arms, hugging him tightly and laughing. Blumiere smiled and picked her up, spinning her around, then setting her back down, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her left ear.

. . .

"You may now kiss the bride," Merlon smiled, when Timpani reached forward and grabbed Blumiere's collar, pulling him into a kiss. The crowd of both humans and tribesmen all cheered for the union of the two.

Timpani pulled back and smiled at all the people of her village, who were whistling and clapping for the beautiful wedding, uniting the two groups who had been separated for long enough.

Blumiere's father wiped a tear off his own cheek while Dimentio cheered and clapped louder than the rest of the tribesmen combined.

As the ceremony came to a close, Blumiere ran up to Dimentio and tackled him with a big, warm hug. To his surprise, Dimentio finally hugged back, smiling and chuckling.

"Thank you," Blumiere whispered, slightly teary. 

"For what?" Dimentio asked with a light smirk. "Saving your life or helping you get the girl?"

Blumiere shook his head, pulling back and looking Dimentio in the mismatched eyes, offering a gentle smile.

"For being my friend."

The nobleman stilled, then offered a soft smile. A smile much different from his usual smile. A smile more genuine.

A friend...

He had a friend. A REAL friend! After all those years of being an outcast, after all those years of being labeled as the overachieving weird kid, he was finally no longer alone.

"Anytime, Blu," Dimentio whispered.

Blumiere beamed, then turned his attention to his father, who was holding his arms out.

As if on cue, the blue boy ran into his father's arms, latching around him and burying his face in the older man's shoulder.

"I love you, Dad," Blumiere whispered.

He pulled back, looking at his father with glassy eyes and the biggest smile. Blumiere's father lightly sniffled, then wiped his own eyes.

He couldn't remember the last time his son said that to him.

Blumiere's father looked over at Timpani, who smiled and bowed her head at him. He softly smiled in return, bowing his own head before turning his attention back to Blumiere.

"I love you too, Blumiere." He whispered, taking a step back.

Blumiere smiled, then ran up to Timpani, picking her up and spinning her around once again, pulling her into a kiss.

The sun shone brightly over everyone, united at long last.