Archive of Our Own ^beta

Eyes. Mouths. Noses. Everything that belongs to a face floats endlessly between a sea of pink and purple. A tiresome sight to those who have traversed this place a thousand times.

The Otherworld is an eerie place, though it's nothing for the adventurers who have seen it all. Eyes, mouths, noses; they have fought too many monsters and rescued too many faces to be fazed anymore. Yet the sky has no borders; there will be no end to the wave of faces. It will keep on coming until he is stopped.

"How many more faces we have to rescue before we fight the darker lord?!"

The dark-haired pop star has an annoyed glare on his face. More than half of the party is sick, some physically and some psychologically; the rest staying at the inn to take care of them. He is the only one nice enough to accompany their leader in another journey through the warped dimension of faces. 

"What if The Darker Lord doesn't release the faces once he's defeated?! This is just a precaution, we have to rescue as many faces as we can!"

The current Hero of Miitopia, who has now taken the mage job and can wipe every single enemy with one mega explosion spell, is as relentless as ever. The mecha goblins are no match at all for them. The pop star didn't need to accompany them, really, but it's a consensus that going out alone is still dangerous. The pop star is simply keeping an eye on them.

Though, with the pop star's constant sour expression, the mage would rather not have him tag along.

"Just say that you're scared." He says bluntly. "You don't want to face him , right?"

The mage stops walking. 

For a moment they were reminded that had it not been for them, the Great Sage wouldn't have been up there. Miitopia wouldn't be in terror—well it would, but at least not as big as right now with The Darker Lord doing just whatever he wants.

"Couldn't you feel his power?" 

Back then, at the Dark Lord's castle, the memory was still fresh on their mind. Every adventurer can sense a strong magical presence. The Darker Lord was brimming with it, just standing near him would be enough to make someone tremble. 

The mage turns to face their teammate and states firmly despite the shakiness of their voice. "Do you think we're actually gonna be strong enough to defeat him? We need to get stronger." 

As if they weren't The Hero of Miitopia. And as if on cue, another group of meteorites ambushes the party of two. As if they want to test how strong the mage really is.

The two adventurers get to their battle stance but the pop star's gaze is fixed to the mage's bright eyes. An exasperated sigh flows out of the pop star's mouth. 

"How much stronger should we be?"

The mage is silent. 

With a swing of their wand, they cast a lightning spell that instantly defeats the three monsters. They turn to light; the formerly attached faces flow up high, proceeding to find their true owner with a thank you towards their saviors. The pop star didn't get a chance to sing anything, as the show is already over.

He still has something to say.

"Five thousand." The pop star pauses, staring with frustration towards the party leader as he continues, "You're keeping count too, right? We've freed five thousand faces in total."

Each of the party members is capable of scouring the area solo with how strong their individual capabilities are at this point, even the cleric. Especially the mage, the head of the pack, who has to be present in each battle and thus having the highest experience compared to anyone in their party.

" Answer me . How much longer?"

Silence stays, not a single word is out from the mage's trembling lips.

The pop star keeps his stance. None of them move, both waiting for the other to act. 

"... I can't do it."

The mage wishes that their teammate would just leave ; leave them alone to be consumed by the darkness in their own heart.

Despair is present in their small voice. Their legs feel weak and they helplessly fall on their knees, before they sob while clutching their staff. The pop star's expression softens but he stands his ground, his pity unable to overshadow the frustration.

"Why not?" He asks again. He didn't expect his voice to come out shaky.

Through tears, the mage stutters. "I can't… f- fight, The Great Sage."

Without realizing, the pop star has already kneeled in front of his friend. Hand on their shoulder, he lets them cry for a while. It's not like the pop star never noticed that their leader has been hoarding some unknown fear that they never tell any of the party members about, and it stops their progress for a few weeks now.

But this can't keep going on.

The pop star gathers his voice, trying to sound as soft as he can despite his rough voice. 

"We're not fighting him. We're freeing him." 

The mage still hesitates.

"Are you just gonna watch while his body is being controlled against his will?" 

But someone has to get them to move. Someone has to lead them, the party, through their destined tale.

"I thought out of all of us, you care about The Great Sage the most."

The mage's breath slowly goes back to a normal pace. 

And the first sentence they utter is a question. "Can you… fight someone you love?"

To the pop star, that is a stupid question.

"If that's what I have to do to save them, I'll do it."

He wants to say that someone he loves will listen to him, reason with him, and would never truly fight him. If they do, then it's not the same person he once knew. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring them back to their senses. 

"And I know you would too. I heard you say to Dominic that you're willing to fight your friend ." He pauses, letting his thoughts wander for a second. "Just, I don't know what's stopping you. When we've come this far."

This far, on top of the tallest peak of Miitopia. Just beneath the throne of the Darker Lord, just another step towards the finish line. 

They have been stalling, as if they, the mage, don't want to win. 

"You're right. It's… not just this."

With their sleeve, the mage wipes their tears. They gather their strength to stand back up, using the staff as support.

"It's you guys."

Their voice turns firm. With their bright eyes that are lightly swollen, they gaze at their teammate. Worry is written as clear as crystal on their face.

"I don't want this to be over. This journey gave meaning to my life, and I don't know what I would do when Miitopia gets back to being boring again."

The mage turns, staring at the sea of endless faces. Memories flash in their eyes. The lonely start of their journey before the pop star was sent to their aid. How heartbroken they were when their friends were taken away. Three times of having to start alone, and when they thought it would be all over, that damned blue wisp took the person they look up to the most. They had cried too back then, when they realized that The Great Sage sacrificed himself for their safety.

They can't shake the fear of loneliness away.

"What were you doing before this, anyway?" 

The pop star can't help but ask. He stares at the mage's back; their small figure had to carry the burden of an entire land's hope. Throughout the journey they seem like they have been having fun, as the will to help everyone, to save the world, purely came from their heart.

"I don't remember at all." The mage says bitterly. "I was… I was never anything, I think. My life was hollow."

The Hero looked vulnerable, full of fear. The pop star hates the sight.

Ever since the party noticed that their leader is stalling their final battle, the pop star has felt on edge. As the first teammate to join their party, he had the closest bond with their leader. Despite their personalities clashing, they work together perfectly in battle. Yet the pop star decides that he doesn't like getting attached, and in return the mage has never really shared anything personal with him.

He had sensed the fear in their eyes from a mile away. But never once he tried asking what's been bothering them so much.

"We can continue adventuring as a party, right?" The pop star says, once again resting his hand on the mage's shoulder. "I don't think I'm going back to my life before this either."

The mage's eyes look dull, still staring to the sea of faces instead of returning the pop star's gaze.

"What can we do, though? Aside from some quests…"

For a moment, he considers taking the mage's hand. He refrains.

"We can travel the world. And we don't stop until we reach the ends of this world."

Another silence fell. The words that came out from his mouth were… something. 

"Then?" Their voice is still hollow.

He didn't mean to say that. What's there at the end of this world, anyway? As far as the two of them are concerned, there's an infinite number of faces stuck here, and an endless sea surrounding Miitopia. Is there anything?

They won't know if they don't proceed.

"Surely when we get back, Miitopia would have another villain stirring up troubles." 

With an easy pull the pop star manages to take the mage's staff, as the grip they have on it is pretty loose. It makes the mage look up to stare at the pop star in disbelief.

"If there's none, you can be one." He says with a laugh, pointing the staff towards them.

The mage looks at the pop star like he has grown another head. The latter has a playful smirk on his face, quite uncharacteristic for someone stubborn like him.

Right. That blue wisp was about to enter their body. Had The Great Sage never stepped in, it would've been their fate. They, the mage, would have been up there above the clouds, watching over Miitopians and waiting for the perfect time to strike a thunder of fear towards them. 

Not in this story. In this tale, they're the one with a nauseating lump of fear inside their chest.

Maybe in the next one. Just maybe.

"Wouldn't that be a poetic tale, huh? The savior of Miitopia becomes the villain…" The mage snickers at the thought. "Well, you better be prepared for when that happens."

The Great Sage's face flashes in front of their vision. How gentle they were; how the probably most well-known traveler in Miitopia turned into a body of light radiating malice. With a silly hairstyle. The mage imagined themself as the darker lord; but they can't come up with a look.

"I told you, I'm willing to fight my friend if it means I'd knock some sense into their stupid little head."

The pop star offers the mage their staff back. On his face is a smile most sincere that the mage has ever seen adorn his face. 

And with it, for just a moment, every fear from their heart seems to fade. As if his smile bears the hopes of their teammates, their allies, and all of Miitopia, all the people who believe in them. 

"What else are you waiting for? Surely five thousand faces freed is enough as a training to defeat the darker lord."

Silence.

The mage looks down on their staff. Its silver color glinting beneath the glowing ground, lightly reflecting all the purple and pink of the sky in this realm. This staff too carries hope, that their power can overcome their fear. Of failing, of loneliness, of disappointing those who believe in them.

Seeing his friend is still faltering, the pop star casts another affirmation.

"You're strong, leader. We won't lose to that Darker Lord and his stupid hairstyle."

It's the least he can do, after all he's here to support them. To aid their journey, walk alongside them, and bear the burden they have too.

The glimmer of hope seems to reach the mage, as they finally circle their finger around the staff, holding it firmer. They nod at themself, a noise of affirmation slips out of their lips. 

"I'll talk with everyone else."

Seeing the renewed spirit in their eyes, the pop star's gaze softens. The mage looks determined; a more fitting look for the Hero of Miitopia. The two then continue the journey back to the inn with the mage preparing a new strategy for entering the next area that they have been fearing so much.

The hero hopes, really hopes, that the five-thousand-first face is The Great Sage's.