The entrance to the lab was hidden behind a collapsed sheet-metal gate at the edge of the ravine. Rusted fencing curled around broken stone, half-swallowed by creeping vines. Cullen pushed aside a sheet of scrap and uncovered a dented metal hatch with an old biometric lock. He knelt and placed his hand on it. There was a pause, then a beep, followed by a long mechanical hiss as the hatch unlocked, gears grinding as it slowly lifted open. A blast of stale air greeted them.
They descended a long set of stairs, Leo carefully bracing himself between Daisy and Cullen. At the bottom was a long hallway of concrete and old pipes, lit intermittently by flickering yellow lights. A door creaked open ahead, and the space beyond yawned into a cavernous room filled with half-finished inventions and dusty tools.
It was a sanctuary of controlled chaos. Tables cluttered with blueprints. Shelves stacked with gears, wires, and mechanical limbs. A giant chalkboard filled with scribbled equations took up the far wall. The smell of oil, copper, and time hung in the air.
Leo looked around, wide-eyed and said, "It is like walking into someone's brain."
Cullen exhaled deeply.
"Yeah. My father's. Wild, brilliant, messy bastard."
Daisy moved through the space slowly, eyes scanning rows of prototype cybernetic limbs and worn notebooks. She paused at a dusty photo pinned to a cork board, Cullen as a teen, grinning beside a tall, wild-eyed man in goggles and a lab coat, and she was in the photo too, as a dog.
Leo sat down gently on an old stool near a metal workbench. Cullen pulled out a box of small wheels, tossing a few aside until he found one labeled Mark VII l. He turned to Leo with a gleam in his eyes.
"Alright. Let's give you an upgrade."
For the next hour, the lab came alive. Cullen moved like a man reborn, soldering tools in hand, goggles over his eyes, sleeves rolled up. Sparks flew as he carved out a socket mount for Leo's damaged cybernetic leg joint. Daisy handed him tools without being asked, effortlessly in sync with his rhythm. Leo mostly stayed quiet, watching them with a mixture of admiration and disbelief.
"You know," Leo said after a while, breaking the silence, "I never thought I would get this. A second chance. I thought I would die in that other lab."
Daisy looked up from the data pad she was using to run diagnostics on his remaining leg.
"You are not in that place anymore."
He nodded slowly.
"I know."
Cullen tightened a bolt with a click.
"Well, you were kind of a pain in the ass at first."
"Still am," Leo said with a grin.
"Yeah, but you are my pain in the ass," Daisy added, giving his shoulder a gentle nudge.
They laughed together, quietly, sincerely. It was not a loud moment, but it was real. Cullen finished connecting the last data lines and patted the new wheeled leg with pride.
"Alright. This baby is ready. Plus, it glows when you are moving fast."
"Seriously?" Leo raised a brow as he asked.
Cullen smirked.
"Style matters."
Daisy stepped forward and helped guide Leo as Cullen attached the leg, locking it into place with a hiss and a whir of servos. Leo flinched slightly then his eyes widened.
"Whoa. That is… smooth."
"Try standing," Cullen said, watching closely.
Leo pushed himself up. Slowly. Carefully.He stood.Then he shifted his weight, and the new leg responded perfectly, balancing him with quiet, responsive grace.
"Oh," Leo whispered. "This is, this is incredible."
Cullen smiled.
"Told you. Dad made magic here. I just borrowed some."
Leo turned in place once, then again, the wheel shifting slightly as it adapted. He looked between them, serious now.
"I owe you both."
"No, you do not," Daisy said, stepping closer. "You earned it back yourself."
Cullen gave him a firm nod.
"But if you want to repay us… keep fighting with us."
Leo smiled, eyes glinting with renewed purpose.
"Yeah. I can do that."
"What do you think they are doing at Wayland Woods?" Daisy asked.
"I do not know. Resting maybe," Cullen replied.
- -
The sky had turned overcast by the time Albus and Blanchette found a quiet clearing at the edge of the woods. The smell of ash still clung to their clothes, and the silence between them was heavy, not awkward, but reverent. Grief had no need for words. They chose a spot beneath a tall pine tree where the ground was soft and untouched by fire or footprints. The roots ran deep, strong, like the memory they wanted to honor.
Adolfo's body was laid out gently on a stretch of linen Albus had carried from the house. His expression was peaceful, the pain of battle faded, the rage of the beast long gone. His arms rested over his chest, and Blanchette had placed his hat across his heart. Blanchette knelt by him and did not move for a long time. Her hands trembled as she brushed a lock of dark hair from his brow. He looked older in death, or maybe it was that he had lived so much in such little time.
"He really did change," she whispered, not looking up. "I do not think he believed he deserved a second chance… but he fought like he did."
Albus, digging the grave slowly and methodically, said nothing at first. Every clump of earth that left the shovel felt like a small ritual. One scoop to honor his bravery. Another to bury the pain he carried. When the hole was finished, Blanchette stood and helped lower him in. Neither of them spoke as they covered him with earth. The sound of dirt striking linen was dull, final. Blanchette swallowed the lump in her throat and clenched her jaw.
When the last of the soil was packed, Albus placed a stone at the head of the grave. He pressed his fingers to it, and a soft golden light etched words into its face, glowing briefly before fading into permanence:
Adolfo.
Cursed. Redeemed. Hero.
Blanchette knelt again, her voice low. "Thank you… for everything. For showing me you were more than what the curse made you."
She reached into her coat and pulled out a small, singed silver pendant, the one her grandmother used to wear. She buried it just at the base of the headstone, a final gift to the man who had tried so hard to make peace with the monster within.
Albus stood beside her.
"His fight was not just about survival," he said quietly. "It was about meaning. He found his when he stood between us and death… and he did not run. He saved someone he loved."
A breeze swept through the trees, stirring the pine branches above them. For a moment, it felt like the forest was holding its breath. A silence that was not empty, but full.
"We will carry his memory," Albus said. "In every fight to come."
They stood there a while longer, side by side, eyes fixed on the stone.
Blanchette whispered, "He would have liked it here."
And in the silence that followed, it almost felt like he was still standing beside them. Watching. Smiling. Free.
A while later, Albus is back at the clearing behind his house. The birds were hushed, the breeze still. The tall grass bent only slightly, as if wary of the tension that now filled the air. Albus stood in the center of the glade, his fists clenched at his sides, his voice trembling with anger and grief.
"Father!" he shouted toward the sky. "Answer me!"
The stillness stretched before him like a wall, and just as the silence grew unbearable, a gentle shimmer of golden light began to ripple across the air. The veil between realms parted like water, and from it stepped the King of Light.
"You let him die," Albus said.
The King of Light studied him, his face calm and unreadable.
"I felt the loss. I am sorry."
"That is not enough!" Albus snapped. "He was the strongest of us. And some creature with a pumpkin for a head just killed him! I could not do anything to stop it! Anything!"
The King's golden gaze did not waver.
"That creature," he said, "was not of the mortal realm. Its essence was drawn from the Night Vault, a realm sealed centuries ago."
Albus blinked, his anger momentarily chilled by confusion.
"The Night Vault? I thought it was locked. Dead."
"It was," the King said. "But the King of Darkness must have found a magician. A living vessel strong enough to reach into that cursed realm and pull out what should have remained forgotten."
Albus's chest rose and fell.
"So what now?" he asked bitterly. "We wait until the next monster shows up and kills another one of us? Until the Darkness finishes what it started?"
"You know I cannot leave the Realm of Kings," the King said gently. "My power anchors the balance. If I leave, it will unravel. But you…"
He stepped forward, resting a glowing hand on Albus's shoulder.
"You can return with me. Train in the light. Harness its full force. There is more to your power than you have begun to understand. Let me show you, and you will return not just stronger, but ready to face whatever alliance the Darkness makes."
Albus looked down. The weight of his friends, their grief, their wounds, their graves. He clenched his jaw.
"And what if I leave and more people die while I am gone?"
"You will not be gone forever," the King replied. "Time flows differently between our realms. Days here may be only hours there, but the knowledge and strength you gain may save everyone."
Albus nodded slowly, his heart caught in a storm of duty and emotion.
"I will do it," he said. "I will come with you."
Then he raised a hand, as if halting himself.
"But not yet."
The King of Light raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because Cullen, Daisy, and Leo are still out there. When they return, they need to hear what happened. They deserve that I tell them I will leave."
A quiet moment passed between them.
"I will not go until I know they are safe," Albus finished. "I owe them that."
The King looked upon him, not with disappointment, but with the faintest smile of pride.
"Then I will wait," he said. "But not forever. The Darkness moves swiftly, Albus. And soon, it will not crawl. It will run."
With that, the golden veil rippled again, and the King stepped back into his realm, fading into brilliance. Albus stood alone in the glade, the echo of his choice still warm in his chest. Can his friends survive without him? Who will lead them?
A day later, the afternoon sun painted the trees of Wayland Woods in warm gold as the familiar sound of wheels rolling against dirt and boots crunching through grass echoed near Albus's house. Blanchette was the first to hear it. She stepped outside with cautious hope in her heart, and sure enough, down the path came Cullen, Daisy, and Leo.
Cullen looked worn, grease still smudging his arms and shirt from long days in the lab. Leo walked beside him, a newly crafted metallic leg clicking softly beneath his black tactical suit, its wheels polished and responsive. Daisy strolled on the other side, her coat flowing in the breeze, a smile curled. They barely had time to greet Blanchette when Albus stepped out of the house. He looked different, quieter somehow, like his heart was being held together by strings of light.
"You are back," he said with a faint smile.
"We are," Cullen replied, frowning slightly at Albus's tone. "What happened while we were gone?"
Albus nodded slowly. "Come inside. I need to tell you something."
But Blanchette shook her head.
"They should hear it here. Where the sun still shines… it is sad inside."
The group gathered near the porch, surrounded by tall trees and soft wind. Albus's eyes lowered for a moment.
"We were attacked." he said. "It was… the hardest battle we have ever faced."
Daisy looked to Blanchette, reading the sorrow in her face.
"A creature came… a man in a pumpkin mask. He killed Adolfo."
The air dropped several degrees. Cullen stepped forward, shocked.
"What…?"
"He saved Lillian," Blanchette said, her voice cracking.
Cullen stared at the ground, fists clenching once, just once, before he nodded.
"Where is she now?" Cullen asked after a pause. "Where is Lillian?"
Albus looked away.
"She left. After we buried Adolfo. She just… walked off. Did not say where she was going. I do not know if she is coming back."
Silence settled again, heavier this time. Then Albus drew in a breath and stood straighter.
"There is more. I spoke with my father again… the King of Light."
Cullen raised an eyebrow.
"Did he tell you more about the darkness?"
Albus nodded.
"Yes. It is moving faster than we thought. That pumpkin-masked creature was not just another monster, it came from the Night Vault. "
"We faced one like that too. Moth Man," Daisy added.
"That place was sealed long ago, but now… the King of Darkness has allied with a magician. We are running out of time," Albus continued
"So what do we do?" Daisy asked quietly.
"I am leaving," Albus said.
They all turned to him, stunned.
"I have to go to the Realm of Kings with my father," he explained. "To become stronger. To learn what I need to defeat what is coming. I will return… but for now, I need all of you to keep this world safe."
"Without you and Adolfo?" Cullen said. "We are not exactly an army."
"You do not need to be," Albus said, stepping forward. "You just need to be a team. Stay together."
He looked to Cullen specifically.
"And I need you to lead them."
Cullen blinked.
"Why me?"
Albus smiled faintly.
"Gut feeling."
Cullen scoffed but nodded, jaw tightening with purpose. Daisy placed a hand on his shoulder, and Leo stepped forward beside him.
"We will hold the line," Cullen said.
Blanchette looked at Albus.
"How long will you be gone?"
"As long as I must be," he replied. "But not a second more."
Then, without fanfare, he embraced each of them. When he stepped away, golden light began to shimmer around him. The trees rustled with ancient energy. And then he was gone, carried into the light. The others stood there in the clearing, four souls against the darkness. But still, together.