"Huh?" Mario asked, stepping aside while Merlon invited himself inside. His golden eyes immediately locked onto the dimly lit lantern, which was sitting on the small table close to Blumiere.

Upon instinct, Blumiere grasped both the lantern and the book, holding them close. 

Merlon stopped in front of him, then held his hand out as if silently asking Blumiere to hand it over. His eyes were slightly firmer than normal, showing that he was serious.

"Blumiere, please give it to me-"

"Why?" Dimentio asked from the other end of the room, standing himself up and brushing himself off. The grim, depressed attitude towards life seemed to completely vanish, however, he still wasn't his usual self. He didn't smile, but he didn't quite look empty either. "If you didn't notice, we're still kinda using it-"

"Please?" Merlon asked, his expression softening ever so slightly.

Blumiere looked down at the ancient's outstretched hand. "Your hand is shaking," he noted, stalling for time so he could figure out an excuse for why he shouldn't hand the lantern over to Merlon.

"That happens with age," Merlon stated almost too quickly. "The lantern. Please."

Blumiere paused as if considering for a moment, then shook his head no. It wasn't that he didn't trust Merlon, but he needed a solid reason. He didn't know if the lantern was related to the book in any way, but he had a small feeling it was. He wasn't sure why, but the fact that it glowed when he touched it and the fact that he found it the same day the book was found couldn't have been just a coincidence. He couldn't give it up and risk losing something that could potentially be important. Not when this book was his only way back to Timpani.

"I'm not going to take it away from you if you really don't want me to," Merlon assured him as if reading his mind. "I just... I've been thinking about this a lot. I just want to see it."

Blumiere frowned, looking down at the book and the lantern. One was in each of his hands. The lantern glowed brightly, as it always did when it was in his grasp.

Blumiere let out a deep breath, then held the lantern out to Merlon. 

Merlon carefully took the lantern, then held it close to himself. There was a noticeable flash of disappointment in the ancient's eyes when the lantern stopped glowing the second Blumiere let go. 

"Um... Merlon, you good?" Mario questioned, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms, observing.

Merlon nodded, keeping his gaze on the object as if trying to memorize each and every aspect of it. He stayed silent. Blumiere was almost worried that the lantern somehow put the ancient in some sort of magical trance.

"Well, while you're here, would care to explain some things to us," Dimentio asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Merlon paused, then shook his head no, keeping his eyes on the object.

Blumiere and Dimentio both couldn't help but let out a dissapointed, slightly annoyed sigh. 

"Come on, we just want to know why you recognized the lantern and book," Blumiere breathed. "Do you know the author? Can you tell us where they are?"

Merlon paused, then held the dim lantern back out to Blumiere. The former count frowned, then took it, making the magical object glow brightly once again.

"I knew the author," Merlon admitted.

"REALLY?!" Dimentio asked, suddenly teleporting right in front of the ancient. It was as if he had just downed an energy drink. Suddenly, the serious attitude was gone and was replaced with excitement. "Where are they?!"

"I don't know," Merlon calmly admitted, taking a step back. "He's-"

"AHA! So they're a he!" Dimentio exclaimed, acting as if this was some grand discovery, which it technically was. The author being a he did eliminate about 50% of the potential suspects. The jester snatched the book from Blumiere and read through the pages that were currently unlocked. "The only thing of any use that we were able to find in here was a name. Danielle or something. Hold up-"

Dimentio suddenly shoved the book into Merlon's arms. 

Merlon seemed to frown through his eyes, giving Dimentio a confused expression. "What are you-"

"When Luigi first touched the book, a new page unlocked. I don't know what triggers the revealing of new pages, but... I suppose I'm just testing something," Dimentio breathed, suddenly snatching the book back, then scanning through the pages.

Merlon continued to look somewhat lost and confused while Blumiere leaned over Dimentio's shoulder.

February 23rd, Blumiere silently read in his head, looking at the fresh page Dimentio had opened the book to. Last night, I met a mysterious man. His eyes were wide and expressive. They were golden, like rays of sweet sunlight. Something I see so little of here in the dark. At first, I was afraid, but the way his smile shone through his golden eyes led me to know that I had no reason to fear him. He had dimples, which disappeared whenever his smile vanished. This made me wonder... how many people in my life have dimples that I just don't see? I'll remember to keep count. I still haven't the slightest idea what I want to write, but this man shared many amazing stories with me. He called them legends, which means that though they may not be real, they were in some ways born of truth. I suspect that most are metaphors. Still, it was shocking to me to hear about so many stories that have already been written. How do I expect to write anything when the world is already filled with so many tales? Is there even room for another story? Perhaps, perhaps not. The man was quite a strange fellow if I must say so myself. He treated me with the same kindness I used to see from Danielle. He looked at me with his golden eyes, leaning forward slightly. He didn't seem repulsed by my habits or my personality. However, the strangest thing about him was how quick he was to forgive. I, unable to control my words, unintentionally made a rude remark, yet he forgave me without second thoughts. I cannot get my mind off of the question, why? Why would he forgive so quickly? Was it perhaps to make me feel better, or did he simply not care? Quite a strange man indeed. Although I am forbidden from speaking with him, I do sincerely hope I may see him again. Perhaps in another life, that may be possible. A life with no war.

"What is it?" Merlon asked, shakily reaching for the book when both Dimentio and Blumiere drew back, looking back and forth from the pages to Merlon.

Was the author talking about him? 

How much did Merlon really know? Did he help write the book? What was he hiding?

"Well?!" Merlon asked. "What did Marc say-"

"Marc?" Dimentio asked.

Merlon stilled.

Blumiere frowned slightly. Marc... Marc was a name of French origin. Marc, a name of French origin that meant warrior. Not that the meaning of names mattered, but he did like to consider it whenever he heard a new one. Just like how the name Mario technically meant manly, Luigi meant renowned warrior, and Dimentio was a play on the words dimension and dementia.

"Yes, Marc," Merlon quietly breathed, looking down at the ground. "That... that's his name."

"What else do you know?!" Dimentio frantically asked. "If you tell us where he is, we can figure out how-"

"I think we're done here," Merlon interrupted, letting out a breath and holding his hand up. 

Dimentio narrowed his eyes slightly while Blumiere's gaze softened as they both silently wondered why the topic seemed so sensitive. 

"Why was his book in the Underwhere?" Blumiere quietly wondered aloud, looking off to the side in a thoughtful manner. "Is he in the Underwhere? Is that why you refuse to say anything-"

"He's not in the Underwhere," Merlon breathed, pressing his fingers to the side of his head and rubbing his temples through his hooded cloak, acting as if holding a conversation with the two former villains was giving him a migraine. "I hope."

"So where is he then?" Dimentio asked. "Flipside? Flopside?"

"Enough!" Merlon exclaimed, his voice louder and firmer than normal. "I'm not going to tell you where he is."

"So you DO know then!" Dimentio chimed.

"NO!" Merlon shouted, wincing as he did, then taking a small step back. His shoulders were hunched slightly, making him appear smaller. Suddenly, the anger and energy in his voice had vanished. "No... I don't know where he is."

Mario frowned slightly, then walked further into the room so he could get a better look at Merlon's eyes. Merlon's face was always shaded because of the shadows his cloak cast, so the only way to see Merlon's expressions was through his posture, his hands, and his eyes.

The man in red could detect a hint of sorrow. A hint of pain.

"Merlon..." Mario breathed when the ancient held up a shaking hand.

"The town came to a decision early," Merlon stated, raising his head and changing the topic. "About what fate has in store for the two of you."

Dimentio suddenly felt his blood run cold. His muscles all tensed up, making him go stiff. He didn't think the decision would be made so quickly. He thought he would have more time.

"R-really?" Blumiere asked, fumbling with his words slightly. "What did they say?"

Melon took a deep breath, keeping his eyes on Mario instead of looking at Blumiere or Dimentio. It was like he was purposely avoiding their gaze. 

"There were two different decisions. One of them will be allowed to stay. The other will be sent back to the Underwhere," Merlon stated.

Dimentio's breath hitched. He knew exactly what that meant.

"Oh no..." Blumiere breathed, looking at Dimentio.

They both knew what the town had decided from that piece of information alone. This news meant that Dimentio was going to be sent back to the Underwhere alone. It meant that the people of Flipside had chosen to forgive Blumiere, but not Dimentio. It meant that the jester was going to have to go back to spending day after day, sitting and staring at a river while drowning in a feeling of defeat. 

"How will that even work?!" Dimentio asked, his voice quivering slightly. "We can't be apart for too long, otherwise Jaydes will know-"

"I've been reading," Merlon assured him. "Rules regarding life and death. If one of you is in fact able to get to the Overthere, then your punishment and your chains to each other will vanish."

Dimentio began to breathe heavily. He felt a burning feeling in his chest. He felt the panicked feeling begin to take hold of him. Not only did this mean that he would have to go back, but it meant that Blumiere had a limited amount of time to get the forgiveness he needed and get to the Overthere. 

Blumiere rushed to his side, grasping his arm and looking Dimentio in the eyes in an attempt to calm him down. 

"Dimentio, calm down." Blumiere frantically breathed. "We'll figure out something. I won't-"

"Dimentio, you're not the one they voted to send back," Merlon stated.

Blumiere and Dimentio both stopped, then turned to face the ancient.

All the color slowly drained from Blumiere's face.

"What...?" Blumiere asked, his voice small.

Merlon's eyes softened.

"I'm sorry, Blumiere," the ancient breathed. "In three days' time... you will be sent back to the Underwhere for your crimes. Dimentio, on the other hand, will be allowed to stay."

Blumiere shook his head, feeling his heart shatter.

Dimentio stilled. While he thought he would have been hit with a wave of relief, he wasn't. He felt frozen, he felt trapped.

"No..." Dimentio muttered. "No, this isn't right."

"It's what they've decided," Merlon stated, pausing in the doorway and looking back at them. "I really am sorry."

"THEN CHANGE IT!" Dimentio shouted. "He's been trying so hard to change, to the point where it's REALLY ANNOYING! You're Merlon, right?! Surely you have some power! You can see this isn't right, so do something about it! Or are you too busy sitting back and watching everything fall apart around you?"

The ancient winced slightly, then let out a breath and silently turned away. 

"I really am sorry, but my hands are tied," he breathed before walking off and disappearing.

A sharp silence filled the room. Blumiere could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

He shook his head, tears already pooling in his eyes, clouding his vision.

He tried so hard. He did everything he could to make up for all he had done. He spared no effort in trying to be a good person.

Yet it wasn't enough.

Those people still saw him as a monster. They still feared him. They didn't think he deserved redemption. They wanted him locked away in the Underwhere for all eternity. They saw him the way he saw his father. As an unredeemable monster. As someone who didn't deserve the chance to get forgiveness.

Blumiere shook his head, then looked at the lantern in his hands, still glowing brightly. He quietly sniffled, knowing that all the light in the world could never change the fact that he allowed himself to be consumed by darkness. 

He'd never be able to see Timpani again. He'd never be able to be the good person he wanted to be, and he had only himself to blame.

Suddenly, Blumiere threw the lantern away from himself, then ran. That lantern would never be bright enough to keep the darkness within him at bay. It could never change who he was. 

He could never change who he was.

He ran out the door and through the wildflowers, ignoring the beautiful array of colors. He ignored the golden sunlight, streaming through the sky. All he could think about was the slightly chilling mid-afternoon breeze, pushing against him.

It was cold. Coldness and darkness, that's all he deserved. It was all he'd ever be surrounded by, for the rest of eternity.

He felt the tears begin to trickle down the sides of his face, falling faster and faster. There was nowhere to go, no one to turn to, no place to hide.

He was the one who had been trapped. Not Dimentio, him. At the end of the day, he was still the main villain. He was the one who didn't deserve forgiveness. He had been so concerned about Dimentio when he really should have been concerned about himself. 

He felt idiotic and gullible. Did he seriously believe that people would care if he tried to change? Did he think people would notice or have sympathy for him?

He had done too much wrong to deserve forgiveness. That book couldn't help him. 

Nothing could help him.