Shade Grimstone had no clue why or even how he had gotten to this... place.

He had spent hours drilling Draxx about it, yet the centuries year old demon that inhabited his mind apparently had no bloody clue.

Of course the locals weren't able to help. The concept of hell and demons eluded them, they did have magic though, entirely useless magic but magic nonetheless.

He has interrogated just about anyone who would stop and talk, which was just about everyone he encountered. By the 9 lords below, surely at least one person could be rude, but no, they all insisted on being falalala-fucking intolerable. Shade took a deep breath consoling himself. He had to find out just what he was doing here and find a way back.

He had defeated Grimlax the risen but no doubt he still had minions back home trying to wreak havic. He couldn't risk them hurting Aunt Lena or Mav, or... Well that was about it, the rest could go burn for all he cared.

Which was just about what he wished he could do to all of the little sweet individuals that surrounded him.

Apparently the world, as far as the locals knew, was made out of just about every cute and childish thing possible. There were 5 kingdoms total, Robot Land, Blanketopia, Candy Kingdom where he currently resided, The Fuzzy forests and Barbie world.

When he'd asked about the political situation, the answer had frightened him to the core. Of course there had been everlasting peace. Of course nobody had ever bothered to assassinate anyone. Of course wars were based in pillow fights and competitions of skill and of-fucking course they were all functional democracies with no kind of tyranny what-so-ever.

The whole thing was just intolerable. Did it really have to be all good? Like seriously even the food was fucking amazing, and apparently nutritious despite being composed entirely of candy.

Shade had pretty well lost it after the fourth day of it all. So he fired a fireball at a candy cane tree to the dismay of the townsfolk and the veritable joy of Draxx. Of course the demon had told him to burn a person next but he'd long learned to tune the dark thoughts out.

The worst part was, immediately after witnessing the destruction, the town in it's entirety had organised an adhoc feeling circle around him, attempting to get him to disclose his frustration. Unfortunately to their lack of understanding the last therapist he had come to with any form of issues had turned out to be the spawn of Beelzebub and the dredging up of some pretty bad memories had caused him to literally fly away and sulk.

Which was what he was doing now.

Kicking at a loose rock candy pebble, Shade muttered to himself. He really shouldn't be mad, but the whole thing was just too much. Maybe when he was five this would have been the best thing ever, but then he remembered his mother had been sucked into a portal to hell when he was 5 so maybe not even then.

It wasn't like he was incapable of understanding niceness, or tolerating it but....

Shit. He was incapable wasn't he. The thought ht dawned on him. He'd gotten so wrapped up and used to the grim dark world that lay beneath, that he actually balked at the idea of talking about his feelings, or receiving a hug.

When was the last time he'd hugged Aunt Lena, or not attempted to squirm away from her when she tried? When had he last disclosed all the shit he had to deal with?

Fucking hell, he finally realised, the breakthrough of the century dawning on him. He had to fly back to the town, say something, thank them maybe, no that was too far, but at least see if there wasn't something to learn from them. Maybe that was the answer, he had to learn to be nice again before he could return back home? That was how all the sappy kids shows worked right? He heard Draxx groan but mentally flipped the bird. He knew what he had to do now.

.......

As he flew back towards the town on wings of pure shadow, Shade actually felt embarrassed. He wanted to apologise, to explain his behaviour, to ask them forgiveness. It almost twisted like bile in his throat, but it was, how would his Aunt put it... Ahh yes, "the right thing to do".

He was practising the words in his head, how he should say it, and then he heard the screams, not of joy, but terror and pain, an unfortunately familiar sound. Followed by the smell of burning sugar and the sudden feeling of heat as he approached.

He could see the smoke, clear as day now, of course the sun never set in this land either. The clouds of thick pungent smoke billowed up from burning houses engulfed in roaring, green, flames. Not hellfire he thought, but faerie magic.

He landed with a thud, summoning cola from the town well and balling it up as he muttered a brief spell and enchanted the liquid before him.

He shot concentrated streams at each house, dousing the flames, screaming shrilly as they died down.

It took him thirty minutes, but eventually all threat of the flame was gone and he was able to assess the damage.

It was a massacre. Everyone lay dead, Candy Cane Colin, Lollypop Lorry, Minty Marvin. Decapitated, split open, cracked and burnt, their sugary syrup blood soaking the sugar grass and turning the dirt to mud... cake.

He wheeled around at the sound of a snapping twig, his black eyes landing on the sight of a heavily injured Cadbury bunny. The Baron, Carollus Cadbury, a stream of steaming cocoa flowing from a wound rent in his side.

He was weak.

"Carollus, who did this to you?" he asked holding the old man tentatively.

The Chocolate Bunny's voice was ragged, speaking in between coughs that spluttered wet cocoa powder around him.

"I.. don't know dear boy. I... have never... seen such... we possess no word for it.. but it is deep and dark...." he shook his head, a single melted tear falling from his beady eye as he looked at the devastation.

"They were.. dark, wearing armour.. harder than Jawbreaker. Their eyes- they glowed, a million different colours... and-and they seemed to fly, on wings like crystals. Their leader... A woman.. she had long black horns, a crown of them, deep golden eyes, and skin like the whitest coconut. She is... angry"

Shade nodded, his suspicion growing.

"Please dear boy, I grow.. weaker by the second...please save them"

"Save who?" Shade asked.

"She took them... The children and the strong... Those she did not kill.. She put them in bindings... She tied them to some kind of cart. Please... I"

Shade nodded, his eyes growing wet. "I will Baron, I will save them, I promise."

The Baron nodded, smiling weakly.

"I'm sorry... our hugs weren't enough. We only... Wanted... To help."

"They were Baron, they WERE. " He wanted to tell him, tell him everything, his realisation, his desire to learn, to try, but it was too late. The Baron had breathed his last.

For a moment, Shade held him, weeping into the warm chocolate. When he stopped, he found his arms and clothes covered in sticky melted chocolate.

He attempted to scrub it off the best he could, but it held on remarkably well.

Shade stood up, finally, he had made a promise he intended to keep. One he would've if not for the blow to the head he received then and there.