Aruun looks slightly more cheerful.
'My staff!'
He turns to the others, looking hopeful.
'If we just jump in the circle, we'll be taken straight to where the staff is. Shall we go?'

'Right behind you, Aruun.'
Kuja smiles viciously and pushes Aruun into the circle, before jumping in himself.

Aruun screams in a high-pitched way as he falls into the circle. He lands in the cave quite hard on his front. Sitting up and rubbing his sore chest, he mutters something about being able to jump in the circle himself. He then makes his way towards the staff and takes it.
'Finally, I've got you back.'

As Aruun grabs his staff a figure draped in shadow steps out from behind him and as the shadows fall from him, he is revealed to be Mystyk. He has one black katar on his right hand, he moves silently behind Aruun and puts his right arm around Aruun's neck, the blade of the katar just slightly past Aruun's skin. As he does this shadows start slithering up Mystyk's legs from the floor and across his arm onto Aruun. As the shadow veils them both, it melts into the floor. They are both gone.

In a new location, far away, two shadowy figures step out from the shadows in the corner of an empty room. It is a cellar. Numerous kegs are around and the smell of ale is strong. Mystyk pushes Aruun away, and asks:
'What is that staff, and what is it for?'
He stands very imposingly, but he puts his katar away. It seems to meld into his arm under his sleeve.
'Now talk!'

'Aruun! Damn it!' Kuja snarls. 'Where did he go now? Oh well, let's try locating him again. This better work. Mind to mind... soul to soul... show me where I have to go... eye to eye... so I can see.. show me where I have to be. Eye of Hawk!'
[Damn. We need him. He's the only one who knows where we're supposed to be going.]
He casts Eye of Hawk once more, annoyed at having to keep track of people like this. The circle of light glows on the floor again, eventually revealing Mystyk and Aruun's location.
Again, he jumps into the circle to track them, leaving the spell open for anyone else who decides to follow them. Upon arrival, he looks for Aruun and Mystyk and spots them. He sneaks along behind some crates and watches the scene for a while, silently, assessing the situation.

Aruun backs off from Mystyk, his antennae flat against his head, looking quite terrified.
'I... I don't know! It was our reward for solving the Sphinx's riddle. It's got some runes engraved into it and it's made of enchanted metal, but I really don't know what it does.'
He continues in a tiny, barely audible, squeak of a voice.
'Please don't hurt me...'

I sneaks into the portal and as soon as he emerges on the other side he delves into the shadows. Quickly assessing the situation, I plans his move.
[Stupid kid, far too gullible and weak.]
I silently skulks around to the left of Aruun. I draws his sword and dives, grabbing Aruun out of harm's way before facing Mystyk with his sword outstretched.
'Calm down kid. Now Mystyk, I believe it's your turn to talk!'

Mystyk looks I in the face, as he does this shadows begin to rapidly crawl up his body.
'Not good enough.'
As the shadows cover his head and entire body, they drop to the floor and the room is dark. The shadows are all around. Mystyk's voice comes from an undeterminable location.

'Who are you people? Why are you after my treasure? Who sent you?'
The air in the room grows cold, as Mystyk awaits his answers.

'That's a nice trick but I can control light as well as darkness, so I'm afraid you're going to have to do better.'
I's left fist glows a brilliant white, illuminating the entire room.
'Tell me your purpose and I shall tell you mine, Mystyk.'

Aruun covers his eyes, too frightened to speak, hoping that the situation doesn't get dangerous.

As the light illuminates the room, oddly shaped shadows are formed from the shapes of the ale-kegs. Some characters see a shadow out of the corner of their eye, which is moving to escape the light, behind the shadows of the barrels. But it makes no particularly threatening moves. Sounding somewhat thoughtful Mystyk says:
'You people... got letters too, didn't you?'
After a brief pause he answers for himself:
'Yes, I see what's going on here... we're being manipulated. Someone is using us...'
He trails off.

'Finally he catches up. Congratulations, Mystyk. We figured that out a couple of hours ago.'
Kuja comes out from behind the crate and sits on it.

Aruun seems to find his voice again.
'If we are being manipulated, what proof do you have? Yes, we've been told what to do, but haven't we been rewarded for doing so? We got the staff, and Kuja... you learnt more about yourself. Isn't that something you wanted?'

'Hm, I suppose so, but I shall treat it with mixed feelings.'
Kuja sits in his arrogant, haughty way on the crate.
'Do we know if we have to go anywhere else? If so, where is the letter? If not, then expect me to leave you.'
[But not before I kill you all. Especially you, Matsuki. And you too, Urema.]

Aruun looks apologetic.
'Um, we have yet to hear from our mysterious correspondent...'
No sooner than the words left his mouth, there is a crackling sound and a piece of parchment appears in the air. It flutters into Aruun's hands.
'Oh, never mind.'
He reads from the letter.
'I do hope you're all enjoying yourselves. You've got a new friend to play with. If you want to continue, find the place that shows only yourselves. You won't be disappointed. That's all it says. These clues are getting more and more baffling...'

'Right, well, that's sorted that out. A place that shows only ourselves? Something with mirrors in it? Or am I being too literal?'
I looks at Mystyk with a mix of detest and respect.
'Probably Kuja, I'm guessing it has something to do with looking into our souls, so far nothing is as clear as it seems.'
I walks over to one of the kegs and pours some beer into his hip flask and drinks it.
'Hmm, not bad, a little weak. Cheap though'

Aruun takes out the map once again and scans it quickly. Something catches his eye.
'Oh, there's a carnival in Sol's Pass. Maybe they have a hall of mirrors? That might be the place we need to go.'
He pauses to think for a moment.
'That's if we all still want to cooperate. We still don't know who this person is, or what this is all leading to...'

As I stares at the barrel's shadow which he thinks Mystyk is hiding in, Mystyk steps out of the shadows and dematerialises behind Aruun. He takes a brief look at the map and says:
'Well, from what I understand, you obviously haven't been trapped so far, so what's to say this one won't be? I'll be with you until you get there, once we're there, I'm going alone. Don't think you've got another member to your band of merry men.'
Mystyk treads quietly up the stairs in the corner of the room, behind the barrels and places his hand on the door. He pushes forward slightly and takes a peek through the gap. After assessing the situation, he steps through the door and sits next to a very drunk fellow who seems to be too rich for his own good. Mystyk makes some small talk with the man. Where he lives, how rich he is, what his trade is, normal talk.

I whispers to Aruun.
'He may be a good thief but he's probably the... fifth most anti social person I've ever met.'
He then smiles and speaks to the rest of the group.
I'm staying, no matter how annoying you all can be. It's nice not to have to worry about the 'balance of the universe' for once, and we've not come this far to turn back, guys.'

Kuja shrugs noncommittally.
'I'll come with you still. You need someone with some half-decent Magick with you. And someone to make the group look good too.'

Aruun looks slightly offended by Kuja's comment about Magick.
'Ok, until we find a reason to pull out, we'll continue on.'
He looks towards the stairs.
'Perhaps we should wait for Mystyk?'

'Perhaps Mystyk should keep up with us' I sneers.

They stand there in silence for a moment, before Aruun realises how pointless it is to be doing something like that.
'We won't get anything done just standing here and talking about Mystyk.'
He dashes upstairs and searches the upper floor for Mystyk. After a few moments of looking, he concludes that he must not be there. He returns downstairs by sliding the banister and informs the others of Mystyk being absent. They decide to carry on their way. By using Kuja's portal, they return to the temple and fetch Matsuki and Urema. Aruun studies the map and they follow its directions to the carnival.

After some walking, they reach the carnival. It seems to have been abandoned for quite some time. A chilly wind sighs through the broken rides. The wooden stalls are weather-beaten and plagued with rot. The largest building, near the rear of the carnival, is dilapidated. The paint is beginning to flake off once bright and exiting rides. They walk around the dead carnival, images of forgotten joy surrounding them. An old merry-go-round stands to one side of the carnival. The faded horses now look almost sad. Sat on one of them is the strange child with the sock puppet. He is watching the group walk through the carnival.

'Urgh, what a creepy run down place. I said this area was a dump, I was right.' Kuja shudders.
[Damn weird place. The quicker we get out of here, the better.]

Urema seems a little sad, as he walks with the others.
'I was afraid by myself... Matsuki wasn't much help, he just sat there, muttering, I didn't think he was very aware of what was going on.'
He quietens down a little.
'Next time, don't leave me...'

'Matsuki never knows what's going on. I think he lives in his own little world.' I sighs. 'Anyway, you can defend yourself quite well so there's no need to be afraid. Although this place gives me the jibblies.'

Aruun looks apologetic.
'Sorry Urema, but I really didn't have much choice...'
He glances around the lonely carnival, looking slightly saddened.
'I wonder what happened to this place? Why is it abandoned?'
They muse on his thoughts for a moment, before continuing through the carnival. They reach the run-down building at the end of the plot. An eroded sign is half-fallen off the wall. Written on it in faded lettering is 'Hall of Mirrors.'
'This must be it. Um... there's always been something a little dangerous... or scary... in the places we've been told to go before. Shall we go in?'

'I suppose we should go in, if we must.'
Kuja thinks about something for a while.
'Hmm. Urema, you ought to keep up if you don't want to be alone.'

'I'm sorry...' Urema says quietly, as he looks up at the Hall of Mirrors.

[What's with all the apologising?]
I shakes his head.
'It's said that you should never stand between two mirrors, but so far nothing bad has happened when I have, although judging by our track record something will this time.'

Before the doorway, shadows gather and rise up forming the shape of Mystyk. As his shape reaches completion, he stands there a moment looking quite cocky, and then walks up to the group.
'Hello,' he says 'I've been following you all. Are we ready to go?'
He continues standing in front of the group for a second, and then walks back towards the door to the Hall of Mirrors.

'You've been following us? Well... I suppose that doesn't matter. We're all in the same boat.'
Aruun leads them into the Hall of Mirrors. It is a dark and gloomy building. Around them are many dusty mirrors, contorting their faces in grotesque and unnatural shapes. Aruun shudders palpably.

'Urgh, I don't think I like this place. It's creepy and I don't like these weird mirrors. The sooner we get out of here, the better.' Kuja moans.

They walk on through the building, past rows and rows of the unnerving mirrors. Aruun suddenly stops in front of one of the mirrors.
'No...'
Instead of his reflection, he is faced with a large, muscular man of his race. He has a brutal, spiky haircut and a grin as broad as his shoulders.

'Ruunie-boy!'
He steps out of the mirror and approaches Aruun, clapping him hard on the shoulder.

Aruun backs off from him, looking slightly scared.
'Noon... What are you doing here?'

The man called Noon smiles.
'I'm gonna beat your scrawny ass. You need to be taught a lesson for running away from home like that.'
Noon takes off his belt and hits it against his palm with an obvious purpose.

Aruun backs into the wall, whimpering. None of the others can see what is frightening him, however.

I wanders forward through the mirrors and stops dead. Stood on one side of him is a large lizard wearing studded leather armour with two claw katars constructed from his own bones, the other is a young Elvan woman with two tonfas.
'Dreadli, Pious no... you're dead I know that, I killed you both.'
The lizard known as Dreadli steps forward and bares a mouth of sharp teeth.
'Kein I, sind wir sehr viel lebendig.'
Pious leans on the mirror behind her.
'Gabe will crush the Gods.'
I tries to remain calm but is clearly aggravated and walks back to the group with the two others following.
'If you were alive you would have killed each other long before you found me.' He sighs. 'What next, are Herraignous and Kallam going to appear?'
I walks up to the group talking to himself.
[This is the place that shows only myself, and they were part of my life for so long, damn these tests... it has to be a test.]

Mystyk watches the pair, clearly in a state of confusion.
'What are you two babbling on about?' he says in an annoyed manner.
He turns to look around for the problem and as he does, he is confronted by a large mirror, inside the mirror is the head of the black Dragon that he killed many years ago. It slithers out of the mirror so that the head is in front of Mystyk, with it's neck leading back to the mirror. Mystyk isn't entirely sure what's going on.

'Ah, greetings slave,' the Dragon grumbles in a guttering sort of speech. 'You always were the kind I could draw into my curse.'

Mystyk, hearing this is clearly very angry. From inside his robes he pulls out his Dragonfang, and on his left arm grows a black katar.
Mystyk yells 'You'll regret that! I'm nobody's slave!'
Just as he is about to leap forward he looks around and realises something.
[Hmm... these must be illusions, everyone is seeing them. What kind of trickery is this? I must remain calm.] Mystyk then hides his dagger and the katar moves back up under his sleeve. He continues to stand in front of the Black Dragon, clearly angry, but trying to control and not act upon it.

Then, from a mirror flanking the one from which the Dragon protrudes, a woman steps out, Mystyk looks at her, almost in a daze. She is about 30 and is quite beautiful. She looks at Mystyk clearly in a state of grief.
'Arlos, this was all your fault.'

Mystyk, on hearing this, falls to his knees. 'N... no. I... this was the Dragon's doing!'
She replies 'No, you should have done more to help.'
Mystyk, unable to listen to more of this, turns and walks away, into the midst of the group, he can't stand to hear his mother talk this way, but he can't help but wonder if she was right.

Urema has been mostly looking down and keeping quiet, but in amidst of all the uncertainty around him, he sees a strange reflection in one of the mirrors. The reflection looks a little like Urema, just with brown hair and glasses. He looks a lot older too, by around 50 years.
'Who are you?' Urema asks.
'You don't remember?' The reflection replies. He does not venture out of the mirror; he merely lowers his head a little. 'It has been a few years, I'll admit... and your condition was very severe.'
'I don't understand. Who are you?'
'I am professor Soumei Urema.' The reflection replies, in a calm voice.
Urema looks confused, but before he can ask the reflection anything else, it vanishes. Urema shakes his head and rejoins the rest, but remains quieter and looks like he is deep in thought.

Kuja looks around at the others, slightly bewildered. He walks away from them a little, watching his reflection distort in various mirrors. He approaches what must be the end of the row of mirrors, as there are two adjacent to each other. He pauses by the more normal of the two mirrors to sit and brush his hair and replait it. He turns his attention back to the others, then back to the mirror. In the mirror behind Kuja, a figure materialises. He is middle-aged man with silvery-grey hair and he is dressed in a lab coat. He steps out the mirror and picks Kuja up by his arm.

'There you are. I ought to watch you more carefully. I can't have you wandering off here, there and everywhere.'

Kuja turns around to look at the figure and nearly screams in surprise. He stares at him in disbelief at the man; Alexander, his father.
'You...! Let go of me!' He pulls his arm from Alexander's grasp. 'It can't be you... What are you doing here?!'

'I came to find you. I said, I can't let my little creation wander off. Now, come here. I need you. Your time is running out rapidly. You must fulfil your purpose as my weapon… my puppet...'

Kuja screams a little and covers his ears. His eyes and hair flicker a fiery red and he drops to his knees.
[No.. not again.. this has happened before... please.. not again...no...]
Kuja puts one hand to his forehead as a stabbing pain hits him there- when he removes his hand, there is blood on it as it trickles out the symbol on his forehead.
He closes his eyes tight; his nails lengthen to claws, his teeth into fangs. His hair becomes fiery red, tangled, wild and pulls itself out of the ribbon. On his body, thick red fur sprouts and small red skeletal wings appear on his back. He stands and opens his eyes that are now the same red as his hair. He turns to look at Alexander, who backs away, with cold death in his eyes and an indeterminable but clearly angry expression on his face. His voice becomes cold and harsh.
'NO... NOW... DIE...'
Kuja raises a hand and powerful shockwave emits from him, smashing most of the mirrors around him. The figure of Alexander shatters away too.

'Haben sie angst? Wünschen sie torte?'
I steps away from the group and his body turns monochrome and a black aura surrounds his blade. I thrusts it into the floor sending out dark shockwaves that shatter the surrounding mirrors, the images of Pious and Dreadli shatter.

Aruun's eyes are still full of panic, fixed on the figure of his older brother as he slowly advances towards him, brandishing his belt like a weapon. Aruun's antennae twitch as he hears the splintering glass as Kuja and I destroy their mirrors.
'You're not real... You're not real!'
He ducks around Noon and drives his staff through the mirror. It explodes into millions of reflective fragments around him. Noon's image flickers and fades away.

Mystyk, after having gathered his thoughts, turns to the others and tries to get their attention.
'These are illusions, someone is either trying to draw us from our goal or test us. Believe what you want, you must all stay strong to prevail. Steel your hearts to whatever you are seeing, and ignore them. And you.' Mystyk turns to look at I. 'stop destroying everything, it's hardly impressive.'
He looks around, seeing that people are starting to calm down, he starts to proceed forward.
'Come.'

Still inside the building, an enraged Kuja turns to face the rest of the mirrors and waves a hand at them in one fluid motion; an unseen shockwave spreads out from him once again. The mirrors shatter into thousands of shards and a wave of fiery explosions spreads out from him; the building not only ignites but starts to crumble and break apart. Unsatisfied with this, he bursts out the building via the roof and decides to take this destruction outside. Upon the rest of the carnival he sends wave after wave of fiery explosions which set the dilapidated stalls and rides ablaze and renders the ground into smouldering, fissured rubble. He stands in the centre of the destruction- he looks like he could be admiring his handiwork or plotting his next move, it's difficult to tell.

Aruun clambers out of the burning debris, coughing and spluttering. He stares at Kuja with wide, fearful eyes, his robes stained with his own vivid blue blood.
'Kuja...? Kuja, you must stop this!'
He runs in front of him in an unusual act of bravery and holds out his arms.
'Kuja, please stop!'

Kuja turns to look at Aruun, his eyes cold and his voice harsh.
'DON'T INTERFERE... LEAVE… ALONE.'
He sends a powerful shockwave of Magick at Aruun, forcing him backwards and pushing him over.

Hurried incantations can be heard inside the building.
'Light come forth and guard me. Daybreak Deflection! Veil of darkness protect me. Atramentous Aegis!'
I bursts out of the burning rubble, his hands and face cut but his clothes are relatively unscathed. His body is darker than usual and a faint white glow surrounds him. A feeling of grim determination and anger washes over the group emanating from I.
'Aruun are you all right? Be careful that's not Kuja! Urema, Aruun, Matsuki, we need to stop him, if we knock him unconscious I think we can get the real Kuja back... I think. Mystyk if you can let go of your arrogance for one minute, I wouldn't mind your help. Are you all with me?'

A grunt comes from Mystyk, he clearly isn't too happy with the prospect of helping anyone right now.
'Ugh, fine. I'll help, if you induce darkness, I will be able to shadowport above him and bring him down. I dunno, block out the sun or something.'
Mystyk turns and moves to stand with the group, when he reaches them, two black katars extend out from under Mystyk's sleeves. They have a slight black glow around them. He looks to I expectedly, awaiting his next move.

Aruun brushes himself off and stands up.
'I'm ok. I'm more worried about Kuja...'

A large pile of debris glows with a red energy and is tossed away. Urema, it seems, has gotten over the fear of using control. He is bleeding, covered in cuts and bruises but he seems okay. His eyes, rather than their usual red and brown, are now glowing a bright red. He holds out his arms and levitates over to the others.
'I'm not afraid…' He repeats. 'I'm not afraid.'

'Gods, your will is absolute, grant me the power to fell those who stand before me, grant me the power of Judgement!'
Nothing happens.
'The time to strike is nigh!'
I leaps at Kuja, flying through the air trailing dark energy. I hits Kuja in the chest with the full force of the charge before jumping off of him, somersaulting elegantly in the air and lands softly
'Huh! Solar Strike'
Several white orbs fly out from I's hands and travel towards Kuja, exploding upon him and clouding him in dust.

The dust settles and Kuja doesn't move from where he was stood. He looks a little scratched and bruised. Still enraged, he waves a hand in I's direction and the ground beneath I bursts upwards in thick, rough, earthen tendrils. They coil around I and tighten, binding him tightly and constricting around him. He glares at I with cold, angry eyes. With one hand, he draws his claws across his own skin, scratching it deeply. He flings his arm in the air, throwing his blood up with it. His blood transforms into thousands of razor sharp needles that rain down upon I.
Around a third of the needles are blocked by the effects of Daybreak Deflection, another third splinter harmlessly on I's body due to Atramentous Aegis. But the remaining needles shred I's clothes and skin. Blood pours down I.
'Splode... Bright Blast!'
A large white explosion radiates out from I, releasing him momentarily from the tendrils. I leaps backwards thrusting and stabbing at the tendrils until he free and the tedrils are nothing more than rubble!
[Gods answer my call!]
'Come on guys, I know we can take him.' He gasps. 'We'll just have to work together.'

Urema's eyes glow, and again he begins to float into the air, carried by the unseen force. His voice echoes slightly as he speaks.
'I'm ready.'

Mystyk begins walking towards Kuja. Quietly confident, he isn't afraid, he knows what he has to do. As he moves closer to Kuja, he pulls out a fang-shaped dagger from his robes he holds it up and yells.
'Pitch!'
Darkness creeps in from everywhere. The sun, high in the sky, seems to do nothing to cease it. Mystyk, somewhat smug right now, smirks a little and then shadowforms into the ground.
'In darkness... I have free reign.'
When all is black, and silent, it begins. The Dragonfang cuts Kuja from numerous angles, subtly working a poison into his system, one intended for incapacitation. After Mystyk has felt he has done what he needed, he stops. Light returns to the scene, but Mystyk does not.

Aruun looks like he has no intention of joining in the fight. Instead, he looks worried and frightened, as if fearing for Kuja's safety.
'Kuja...'

As Mystyk cuts him, Kuja roars with pain. He looks around for Mystyk to attack him. On seeing that he isn't anywhere to be seen, he settles on sending some more fiery explosions through the ground at people instead. It becomes obvious when the poison starts to take its toll on him, as the randomised Magick becomes less and less frequent and his breathing quickens. Eventually, he stumbles forward and collapses onto the ground, unconscious.

Aruun, slightly panicky, runs over to Kuja and kneels down next to him. He glances at the wounds, whimpering.
'Don't die, please don't die!'
He places his hands over Kuja's body.
'Regenerative forces that dwell in the white realms above, I beseech you. Restore my ally with your blessed light! Healing Aura!'
Circles of white light shine all over Kuja, attempting to heal his wounds.

Urema's eyes and voice return to normal and he returns to the ground.
'Come on Kuja...'

'Ungh..'
Kuja twitches a little and whines softly, his form gradually changing back to normal; his hair returning to its soft purple. His eyes are blue once more and the fur, claws, wings and fangs disappear. He stays lying on the ground for a while, before getting slowly, slightly weakly, up and sitting where he was instead. He says nothing and avoids eye contact with anyone else.

Aruun looks very relieved that Kuja appears to be ok.

A small figure clambers over the debris and approaches them. It's the kid with the sock puppet. He wipes his dark hair out of his face with his sockless hand.
'What a mess. Why did you blow up my carnival?'
He speaks as the sock in a high voice.
'Someone was in a bad mood.'

Kuja glares at the child and the sock puppet
'You would have been too, if you were me. Now leave me alone. Go away.'

The kid does not seem upset by Kuja's less-than-friendly greeting, and continues to smile pleasantly.
'You shouldn't tell me to go away. That's not very nice.' He then adds enigmatically, 'Especially after what I've done for you.'
Aruun turns to the child questioningly.
'You said your carnival... this place is yours?'

'Oh yes.' He replies. 'My parents bought it for me.'
The kid looks sad for the first time, his face falling slightly and his socked hand dropping to his side.
'I'm very lonely. No one was around to play with me, so it was very empty. Playing alone in it just made me feel even more lonely, so I left it.'
The big grin returns to his face and the sock puppet springs back to action.
'But that doesn't matter now, because I have you all!'

Kuja looks vaguely like he feels sorry for the boy, but he stays silent and keeps on avoiding looking at anyone. He seems to have taken great interest in a pebble on the ground.

'You sent us those letters...' Urema says. 'Just so you could have someone to play with?'

The kid smiles even more widely.
'That's right. We all had fun, didn't we? You liked playing with pets, didn't you?' He continues, adding emphasis on to the words as if they are of grave importance. 'It was fun, wasn't it?'

'I am no pet of yours, and you shall not hold me here!'
There is a bright flash of light and a grey aura surrounds I who is smiling.
'And the Gods have [finally] granted me the power of Judgement, so do not try anything funny kid!'

'So, we were being used after all... I thought so.'
He clenches and unclenches his fist, internally debating whether or not to hurt the kid.

The kid frowns.
'Used is such a harsh word...' He gestures to I. 'I prefer his word, pets.'
He smiles at I.
'Ok, if I'm not holding you here, why are you still here? Why didn't you leave in the first place?'

Kuja considers this for a moment before getting up and starting to walk away.
'It's true I don't have to be here. So I'm going.'
[I really, really need a cup of tea.]

'I did not leave because if you are indeed the one who sent the letters then you must be the master of the Leviathan, Dragon, Sphinx and the creator of that twisted hall of mirrors, thus your appearance belies your power. You were lonely and so were most likely to keep us here for your entertainment. Am I wrong?'

Aruun watches Kuja go, debating whether to stop him or not. In the end, he decides to stop him and grabs hold of his arm.
'Wait, Kuja. Don't you want to hear the whole story?'

The kid continues talking to, his sock puppet nodding.
'You're quite right. The Leviathan, Dragon and Sphinx are all my pets too.'
He pauses for a moment to kick at the debris scattered around them.
'I liked the hall of mirrors. It was funny. I'm lonely and all I wanted was some friends.'
His coal-black fringe falls over his eyes again, but they are quite visible through his hair, as they are lit with a frightening gleam. His voice becomes icy.
'You're going to be my friends and like it.'

Kuja does not protest Aruun stopping him. He turns around as the child carries on talking.
'Hmmph, I'm glad you liked the Hall of Mirrors, because I certainly didn't.'
[Was it obvious?]
He pauses for a moment to reflect on things.
'You know, there are better ways to getting people to be your friends than force, bribery and lies.'
[I feel vaguely sorry for this kid.]
Very quietly, to himself, he adds, 'I know what it's like to be alone like you…'

'I am sure not one among us has not suffered loneliness at one time or another. You need to meet other people, friends cannot be forced to like you, I will not be forced.'
[One wrong move kid and make friends with the power of Judgement!]

Kuja nods.
'I'm with I. I will not be forced into doing anything.'

All cheeriness from the kid seems to have evaporated away. His hair appears to crackle with anger.
'I can force you if I want. I don't want to be lonely anymore! I won't be lonely anymore! You will be my friends forever!'
He raises his socked arm. It opens its 'mouth' and lets out a screech, as if it is a living creature. Several long, silky strings, like spiders' thread, shoot from its mouth. The threads bind themselves tightly around the wrists of each of them, stringing them up like insane marionettes. The kid makes a large jump to on top of a tall piece of broken building and gives the strings a hard yank.
Grinning crazily, he says, 'Dance, my little pets, dance.'

'No!'
Kuja pulls at the strings like a madman.
'I am no ones puppet! I am no ones to be used!'
His eyes flicker fire red, his anger seems to threaten to go critical once more.

'NO! Kuja calm down, we do not need a repeat of earlier, let me handle this!'
I relaxes in the grip of the strings, his voice sounds distant.
'The Gods have answered my call, they have given unto me their power, now feel their wrath and behold the Judgement of Vallhallen and Naeyth!'
Two giant grey ethereal figures appear either side of I. They are dressed as a king and queen. The figures fly towards the kid and both strike him at once, sending out a colossal explosion that sends the party flying backwards.

Kuja gets to his feet, the anger in his eyes has died away.
'I... I'm sorry. Sometimes I just lose it. Heh, like you hadn't already guessed.'
He looks over to where the kid is, or was.
'Is he dead?'

I collapses backwards onto the floor.
'Heh, if he isn't I doubt he'll be able to put up much of a fight, although neither can I. Phew, is everyone else alright? I probably should have warned you before I did that.'

'I hope he is. Little bastard. I won't tolerate being used like that.' Kuja scowls.

Urema places his arms behind his back again.
'I still feel a little sorry for him. He was just a child, after all.'

The kid is lying perfectly still in a crumpled heap on the ground. Aruun glances over at him, eying him with some small sympathy.
'Now that this is all over, what are we all going to do now?'

'Neither his age nor his motive can excuse his actions.' He coughs. 'And I think we should head back to the tavern where this all began. I need a drink.'
[Stupid kid, if you were lonely there were better ways to find friends, but now it's too late...]

'Me too. I need tea.' Kuja smiles.

And so, they all make their way back to the tavern. A gentle breeze whispers over the kid's body. The sock on his hand seems to twitch ever so slightly.