"ALEX?!" Dimentio cried, bringing his hands to his mouth to amplify his voice. "L?! 21221?! HELLO?!"

After his conversation with the queen, he had come to a decision. He had to find Mr. L and get him out of that maze. He had to give the key to the man in green and help him escape for good. On top of that, he had to find Alex before the queen found him and did whatever she was planning on doing to him.

He had to put the past behind him and be who he wanted to be. It wasn't important what kind of person he was. It was what kind of person he was going to be that truly mattered. He had to show Mr. L that he wasn't the same person who killed him. He wasn't the same person who betrayed him by giving him the mushroom just a few moments ago. He had no idea what the mushroom even did, but he hoped that Mr. L wasn't hurt. He had to try to convince himself that he still had a chance to make this right. He had the key, after all. He could still turn this around.

Seconds continued to tick away, turning into minutes. Dimentio was well aware that Mr. L didn't have much time left to escape. Dimentio picked up the pace, first walking, then jogging, then sprinting blindly past the twists and turns of the maze. He wished he still had a bird's eye view. He felt more in control when he sat atop the wall, looking down upon the man in green. 

He wished he could fly or use magic. He wasn't quite sure what powers he had while he was alive, but if what Mr. L told him was true, then he surely must have been powerful at one point. It would be nice to be powerful once again.

Then again, one doesn't really need powers to be powerful. If anything, Dimentio hoped to become more powerful than before, not by using magic, but by finally fighting for something good. Finally connecting his mind to his heart and working to save someone worth saving. It wasn't the magic within someone that made people powerful, but what they planned to do with themselves. 

"L?! BLUMIERE?!" Dimentio cried, running faster and faster, to the point where his feet ached. He cherished the pain he felt because it reminded him that even if he was a shell of who he used to be, he could still feel. 

And if he could still feel, then in a way, he was still alive. 

"L!" The former jester desperately cried out. "I'M SORRY! I'M-"

He was cut off when he tripped, landing on the floor with a sudden thud. He wasn't used to running, so it wasn't surprising that he had tripped. If anything, it was just frustrating. What was even more frustrating was how hard it was for him to force himself to get back up. A part of him wanted to just stay down and accept defeat. He knew that the maze was enormous and finding L within it would be nearly impossible at this point. He also knew that whatever was in that mushroom he gave the man in green clearly wasn't good. For all he knew, Mr. L could still be unconscious, or worse!

However, he couldn't let himself fall into despair. He had to keep holding onto hope and force himself back up. He didn't have time to stay down. Mr. L didn't have time for him to stay down. Dimentio had to at least find the door. If he could unlock the door, then Mr. L could still have the chance to escape and get back the life Dimentio had cruelly taken from him. 

Dimentio was about to stand himself back up once again when he finally heard a familiar voice. While on most days he wouldn't have cared for the voice, at the moment, it sounded like sweet bells ringing.

"Say, where do you think those gents took the kid?" Blumiere asked, his voice distant, but clear. Dimentio perked up slightly, not paying any mind to what was being said, but instead trying to focus on where the voice was coming from. He brought himself to his feet, then quickly tried following the voice.

"Well... he IS a D-man. Maybe Jaydes just wanted him to report back since my time's almost up. She probably just wanted to review his notes. I hope..." Mr. L breathed. 

"It is rather sorrowful, really," Blumiere stated. "We have lost two of our comrades. I was hoping we'd all make it to the end. But if this is how your journey comes to a close, then I am honored to be by your side!"

Dimentio turned another corner, spotting the two of the, but hesitating before making his presence known.

Mr. L softly smiled, then looked forward. The pair waited in awkward silence, when Blumiere brought his hand to his bandana,  fidgeting with it as if nervous.

"I have a question..." the former count muttered. "If you do not mind. I don't intend on wasting time. I just... it has been bothering me for quite some time."

Mr. L frowned slightly, looking at the former count.

"What is it?" He asked.

Blumiere paused, then folded his hands in front of him, clearly trying to hide the slightly uneasy feeling that was looming in the air.

"So, it has been explained that you knew me and Dimentio while we were alive. So... I was wondering... do you know anyone by the name of Timpani...?" He asked.

Dimentio frowned.

As did Mr. L.

"No. I don't think so..." the man in green trailed off.

Blumiere let out a small sigh, then smiled through his eyes while offering a seemingly carefree shrug. 

"Me neither. Her name has just... been in my head. Or maybe my heart. I am not quite sure. But... when you go back to the living world if you see someone with that name, could you... tell them I miss them?" Blumiere breathed.

"You miss them?" Mr. L asked, slightly perplexed. How could Blumiere miss someone he didn't even remember?

"Very much," Blumiere admitted, scratching the back of his neck and tilting his head to the side slightly. 

Mr. L paused, then nodded, offering the dark soul a confident smile. 

"I'll tell them," he promised. 

Dimentio stayed hidden, thinking over everything Blumiere had said. Blumiere must have been going crazy or something. He had no memories of his life, so how could he miss someone?

On the other hand... a small part of Dimentio used to feel the same way. Sometimes he would get that feeling. The feeling of missing someone. He previously thought that the feeling was nothing more than emptiness, but maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe it was just loneliness. 

Maybe that's why the feeling vanished when Mr. L walked up to the maze's entrance. 

Perhaps that was why the feeling re-formed after he had given Mr. L the mushroom. 

Dimentio nervously swallowed, then stepped forward, clearing his throat. 

He had been scared before, but he had never felt more afraid than he did at that moment. He wasn't afraid of being hurt or getting in trouble. He wasn't afraid of being yelled at. What he was really afraid of was whether or not Mr. L would turn away from him or not. Whether or not Mr. L would even hear him out. (Not that he'd blame the man in green if he didn't.)

Mr. L flinched while Blumiere placed a hand on the handle of his sword, getting ready to draw it should he need to. Both men turned to face Dimentio.

Blumiere immediately let out a relieved sigh and relaxed once he saw who it was. Meanwhile, Mr. L had done the complete opposite, inhaling sharply and tensing up slightly.

Dimentio reminded frozen in place for a moment. He hadn't properly planned what he was going to say or do. He wasn't sure where to go from there. 

He decided to just let his mind go free. Instead of trying to plan out what to do, he allowed his body to move on its own. He shut his brain off, praying that his heart wouldn't make him look too foolish.

He carefully kneeled down, then bowed his head. 

Not even five seconds had passed after he shut his mind off and he had already done something incredibly embarrassing. Dimentio wanted to slap himself.

"I'm sorry," the former jester breathed. "I have no excuse. What I did... that's exactly the kind of thing I did to you while we were alive. That's the exact kind of person I don't want to be. I... I'm so sorry. I don't want your forgiveness. I don't want anything from you. All I want is to help make it right. I want to give you your chance at life back. I want to return the life I had stolen from you." 

He spoke quickly. It was like the words were all pouring out. 

Mr. L stayed quiet. He clenched his fists slightly and raised his chin while taking a small step back.

"Why?" The man in green asked.

Dimentio looked up at him, his eyes soft. 

"I... don't know. I really don't know. I know as a dark soul, nothing should matter to me, but when I'm with you, it's like I'm alive again. It's like I'm somebody instead of nobody. It... you helped make me feel alive, even though I'm the one who took your life from you. I... I have to return the favor. I have to make things right. If I don't... then I'm no different from the person I used to be." Dimentio explained. "I have to do this. If not for you, for me. I... I have to prove to myself that I'm not that person."

"That's not what I was asking..." Mr. L muttered. "Why did you... why did you do it in the first place?"

Dimentio paused.

Was he talking about the mushroom?

Or... was he talking about the execution box?

Did it even matter? He could assume he did both for the same reasons.

"I... don't remember exactly why I killed you if that's what you're asking. But... I assume it was because of the same reason why I gave you the mushroom." Dimentio explained.

"Which was..." Mr. L trailed off.

Dimentio bit his lip beneath his mask, fighting to keep eye contact with Mr. L. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to look away in shame. He had to be brave. 

"I was afraid," Dimentio admitted. "Afraid of what would happen to me if I didn't. Afraid of what I was feeling when I was around you. Afraid of the Queen. Afraid of myself. Afraid of everything. I... I'm a coward, Mr. L. I suspect I always have been."

"No you're not," Mr. L hissed. "You weren't afraid. I saw you! You were smiling when you set that box off! You were laughing!"

"I was HIDING!" Dimentio exclaimed. "I... I can't speak for what I did to you when I was alive, but I think- no. I KNOW that I was afraid. I was hiding my fear. Just like how you hide your fears behind your confident facials. You just hadn't learned my tells. Want to hear a secret, L?"

Mr. L remained silent while Dimentio brought his hands to the facemask that covered his lower face. He slowly took it off, revealing a somewhat terrified expression. His lips were grey and pale. 

Mr. L couldn't help but cover his mouth when he saw scars on his left cheek, labeling him as "D-4913."

"You avoid showing fear through your facials. Well... I ONLY show fear in my facials," Dimentio explained. 

Mr. L frowned, then looked at Blumiere. The former count paused, then reached behind his neck, untying his bandana and revealing a slightly scared expression as well. "D-21221" had been engraved onto the side of his face as well, though Blumiere's numbers were slightly scabbed. It looked like he had picked at it and messed with it, which outlined the numbers with a light red color on his blue skin. 

"I don't hide my fear behind my bandana because I NEVER feel afraid!" Blumiere chimed. "But, I wanted to make you feel less alone, Dimentio!"

Dimentio softly smiled at the former count, then turned to Mr. L once again.

"Listen, L. You don't have to believe me. You don't have to forgive me. You don't even have to like me. You just have to let me watch you leave. I want to see you escape so I can finally feel at peace. Please?" Dimentio asked.

The man in green remained silent, looking back and forth between Dimentio and Blumiere, who was tying his black bandana around his neck, but lowering it so it wasn't covering the lower half of his face. 

"Look, Mr. L! We match!" Blumiere chimed, clearly no longer paying attention to the conversation at hand.

Mr. L couldn't help but smile slightly. Then, he brought his focus back to Dimentio.

Had he forgiven him? Heck no. 

But was he willing to move forward? Was he willing to start healing?

"Okay then," Mr. L breathed, holding his hand out to Dimentio.