The Origin Ch03: Royal Rumble

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Marethyu Malcolm Tent, Priapus, Beans, Old man of the mountain

The Guild of Gamers: The Origin

Chapter 03: Royal Rumble

– Shiro –

"Err, little help? We don't mean any harm," the girl says as I stare at them in bemusement. I set those snares to trap wolves, not two idiots and a fucking reindeer.

"Care to explain why you're in my realm? We've had more than our share of invaders," I say, a glowing orb of magic hovering above my open palm as I look them over. The girl is cute, a redhead with her hair tied in two braids that are currently hanging free due to the fact that she's hanging upside down, bound in tight ropes. She's dressed well, wearing a rather expensive-looking blue dress (which she is desperately trying to hold up with one hand since gravity is making it fall down, revealing glimpses of her porcelain legs as she struggles to stop it from falling and exposing far more). Despite her best efforts, I do get a glimpse of the forest green panties she's wearing as she desperately tries to push her dress back up, unable to see us due to the way it hangs over her face. She's even wearing a fucking cape, seemingly of high-quality material, the magenta garment hanging upside down from her shoulders. . 

The man is less interesting. He is some rugged outdoorsy type (but not outdoorsy enough to notice the snares, apparently), wearing clothes far more fitting for the cold outdoors, which gives me an idea of the kind of environment they've come from. He's handsome, in a rough kind of way. 

But what's the deal with the reindeer? Is it a pet, a familiar, or just emergency food? It's been a while since I've had meat, reliant on my apple orchid for food.

"We had to flee through a portal; there were a load of ice monsters chasing us," the man explains, struggling with the ropes before he notices me watching him and goes still.

Ice monsters? Lovely.

Making a decision, I cancel the magic on the ropes and watch the trio fall to the floor. I am nice enough to catch the girl because I'm a gentleman like that, but the guy and reindeer are shit out of luck.

"Shiro, what's going on?" Jasmine asks, making me mentally sigh. I just told her to stay inside the walls; was that simple command so hard to follow? 

"What's going on is that my home, which is already a mess I need to deal with, is becoming an interdimensional dumping ground," I sigh, rubbing my forehead as I place the girl down. 

The portal glowing in the distance makes me scowl; because that's two portals to dangerous worlds that are just sitting on my fucking lawn.

"Come on, we aren't safe here. You can explain how you ended up tied up on my front lawn after we get behind the walls," I say, making the girl nod gratefully despite the embarrassed look on her face.

– Princess Anna –

Sitting in the modest home, she listened to the mage explain everything.

"This curse, could it affect people?" Anna asked desperately, making Shiro pause and nod.

"It can affect damn near everything, so yes. I take it you know someone you think is under its influence?" Shiro asked, making her nod rapidly.

"Elsa, my sister. She ran away when she lost control of her powers, but when we found her… she was different, and there was this purple mist around her. I could see it behind her eyes; they used to be pure blue, but I could see some weird purple light in her eyes," Anna explained, her mind racing. 

She'd been right; it hadn't been Elsa. She knew her sister wasn't that cold. It was fate that she stumbled into a mage's home, someone who was already studying the curse.

"Can it be lifted?" Anna asked desperately, her heart soaring as Shiro nodded.

"Theoretically, I'm already working on dealing with the curse affecting my Valley, and I'd need to see this Elsa to say for certain," Shiro explained.

"Wait, why is this our problem? We need to focus on taking down Jafar and freeing Agrabah," the other girl said; Jasmine had been watching them with a growing frown. 

"Elsa has frozen the entire kingdom of Arendelle; if the curse isn't lifted, then countless people will die," Anna retorted. "Is this Jaffa truly more important than that? We need to-"

"Jafar is an incredibly powerful and evil sorcerer with a pet genie that can grant wishes, and he's already sending his minions to attack the Valley," Jasmine countered. "We-"

"Girls, stop squabbling," Shiro cut in. "Quick question, Anna. Can you fight?"

"I- no," Anna admitted.

"What about you Jasmine, any hidden combat talents?" Shiro continued, making Jasmine go to speak before she shook her head. "What about you? Do you have the first idea of how to use those muscles?"

"Fighting's not really my style," Kristoff admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Great, so when you all keep saying 'we need to do this' and 'we should do that', what you actually mean is Shiro needs to do this," Shiro said, a frown on his face. "How strong is this Elsa?" 

"She froze an entire kingdom and has an army of ice monsters," Kristoff deadpanned, getting an unamused look from her. "What? We just watched her kill two dozen men in seconds, including your fiance. It's kinda hard not to bring that part up."

"Honestly, she still sounds considerably less dangerous than Jafar. He wished to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and now that's something I've gotta deal with," Shiro sighed, rubbing his forehead. She got why he was annoyed; his world was dealing with a curse, and now he had two other girls bothering him to help with their problems. "Look, for now, you can crash here, even if space is becoming an issue. I have two beds for four people, so someone is gonna have to take the couch. Girls, you can share the big bed, and I'm not sleeping on the couch in my own damn house. Blondie, you take the couch, and I'll look into a fix tomorrow because it is late; I'm tired, and now I have to prepare for an army of snowmen attacking my world," Shiro grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sharing a look with Jasmine, she decided that Shiro was probably right. She didn't really want to share a bed with a stranger, but she'd rather it be another girl instead of either Kristoff (who smelt of Reindeer) or Shiro, pretty as he might be.

And honestly? She needed the rest, as she was mentally and physically exhausted. She watched as Shiro headed out of the house with an annoyed frown on his face.

"Where's he going?" Kristoff asked, making Jasmine scoff.

"To secure the walls, reset the traps you wandered into, and make sure you haven't led an army of ice monsters into his home," Jasmine pointed out, a slight scowl on her pretty face.

Jasmine was undeniably beautiful and very exotic, with caramel skin and interesting clothes that really didn't cover much of her curvy body, but Anna frowned back at the other Princess.

They both needed Shiro's help, and she wasn't willing to wait for Shiro to handle some super-sorcerer and his genie before they tried to save Elsa. Something told her that Jasmine was thinking the exact opposite. They both needed to be first, and the race was on.

– Princess Jasmine –

Shiro was leaning towards helping Anna first, she could tell. Sure, this Elsa sounded far less dangerous than Jafar, and their plan to seal the portal and hopefully keep Agrabah trapped in time was a good one, but she was not going to let some nobody from a frozen land show up and distract Shiro from their goal.

She needed Shiro to save Agrabah, not this Arendelle. Anna fell asleep quickly, long before Shiro returned from whatever he was doing; she must have been exhausted, given how quickly she collapsed. The other guy, who smelt of animals and carrots, took longer as she watched, drifting off after checking on his pet.

The sight of them together made her miss Rajah, but she shook her head and focused as she heard the door open. Shiro walked it, the dim moonlight being the only thing illuminating him as he headed to her bed. She kept her eyes mostly closed, peeking as he changed into a simple pair of cotton bottoms and got into the bed with a barely audible groan.

Her heart pounded as she considered her plan and tried to talk herself out of it. She needed to ensure Shiro stayed focused on Agrabah; she knew he planned to secure this part of his home first, but she wasn't going to risk him being swayed by Anna.

She still didn't know what kind of relationship they'd had before her memory loss, but she quietly slipped out of the bed (rolling her eyes at the loud snoring coming from Anna). Looking to make sure both newcomers were asleep, she made her choice and snuck closer to Shiro as she undid her top with slightly shaky hands, dropping it. Her breasts jiggled slightly in the cold night air, caramel nipples hardening at the breeze. For Agrabah, she reminded herself.

Shiro didn't move, she'd wasted enough time that he'd fallen asleep, and she lifted the quilt from the bottom of the bed and slithered into it. Moving slowly, she moved up until her head was resting just above Shiro's covered crotch. 

Hesitant hands slowly pulled down his bottoms, and while she could barely see anything under the quilt, she felt it as his manhood sprung free and slapped against her face. He was already hard, a large phallus pressing against her cheek as she shuffled the quilt down the bed until it was only at his waist, letting her see what she was doing.

Icy blue eyes locked with hers as she pulled the cover back, Shiro staring down at her in confusion as he blinked the sleep from his eyes.

"What-" Shiro started, whispering, but his words were cut off as she leaned forward and took the tip of his thick cock into her mouth, letting out a light gasp as her lips formed a seal around the head of his manhood.

The taste felt weird but strangely familiar, making her more convinced that she'd done this for him before she'd lost her memories. Her head amateurishly bobbed up and down, her tongue pushing and rubbing along his shaft as she tried to replicate the act she'd only ever read about before. Their library in the palace had some filthy books that her father didn't think she knew about, and she tried to remember what she'd read as she pleasured the mage who saved her life and would save Agrabah.

Her inexperience was clear, with gagging and slurping sounds making her worry that one of the others would wake up and see her in such a shameful state. She reminded herself that it was better to do this for Shiro willingly rather than do it for Jafar with her mind clouded by his powers.

A part of her was excited; the princess of Agrabah was pleasuring a stranger while two others slept in the same room; it was so taboo and sinful that she couldn't help but find it tantalising. She knew that her ass was sticking out of the sheets at the end of the bed, basically being presented by her odd position as she tried to bring Shiro to completion. Anna wasn't going to distract him from what really mattered with her sob story about her sister.

It was sad, true enough, but her sister wasn't in danger. She was the danger, while her father could be killed at any moment when Jafar grew tired of humiliating him. The thought made her speed up her amateurish service, her tongue trying to wrap around his phallus as one of his hands rested on her head.

"F-fuck, Jasmine," Shiro groaned, trying to be quiet as she reached up and fondled the hefty balls with one hand. Shame and excitement filled her body, a shameful dampness forming between her thighs as she pleasured Shiro. She hoped he understood that this was (maybe) her first time; she wasn't one of the girls at the brothels selling her services to any man who could pay. No, she was selling them to just one, trying to buy his service with her own.

Focused on her goal, she failed to notice when an obnoxious sound stopped; Shiro's hand threaded through her hair as he guided her to take his phallus deeper.

– Princess Anna –

That slut.

Her face burnt bright red at the sounds coming from the other bed, Jasmine noticeably absent from the bed they'd been sharing. Rolling over very slowly, she watched as the moonlight lit up the other bed, the quilt moving up and down over Shiro's waist.

If that weren't enough, the sounds and the way Jasmine's ass was sticking out of the end of the quilt would have certainly given the game away. Shiro groaned, pleasured sounds filling the room as Anna glared at the harlot. She knew exactly what this was about; Jasmine wanted Shiro to help her first, even though Elsa was being controlled by this curse. Helping Arendelle first was the obvious choice, plus Elsa's magic would help them against Jakar or whatever he was called.

Peeking as she watched Jasmine pleasure Shiro, unable to really see anything from her current position, she frowned deeply. Jasmine was already ahead of her just because she had been here longer and knew Shiro better, but now the bitch had secured a much bigger lead.

– Shiro –

I have to admit, I suspected that Anna's arrival would push Jasmine to try and secure my help against Jafar first, but I didn't see this coming. Soft brown eyes look up at me from beneath the quilt as she tries to pleasure me, doing a surprisingly good job for someone so clearly inexperienced.

Her movement allows me to catch a glimpse of the bare caramel breasts, surprisingly large for a Disney Princess. I've seen them before, of course; I had her unconscious while I was removing unnecessary memories for a while, and I'm only human. I didn't fuck her, I couldn't risk her noticing she wasn't a virgin anymore since her hymen was intact (I checked), but I certainly enjoyed her mouth and breasts. It was just my reward for saving her.

But I have to say, it's better when she's a willing participant. I decide not to mention that I can see Anna peeking at us, wide blue eyes peeking from over a pillow as she attempts not to get caught (unsuccessfully); Jasmine doesn't need to know we have an audience for her first performance.

First of many, if I have my way.

The slurping and sucking sounds coming from her get louder as she speeds up, and I desperately try to hold back my climax to drag this out as long as I can. Her throat constricts around my shaft as she tries to take it all, not quite managing before she gags and pulls back. She'll need more training, clearly. 

Still, as she finally pushes me over the edge, I grip her hair, pushing her head down and audibly groaning as I flood her throat with my seed. Her chocolate-brown eyes widen as her hands beat against my thighs slightly. I can see she's offended at a princess being treated so roughly, but as I release her and she pulls back, she bites down her words.

Gasping, she wipes the last strand of my cum from her chin and licks it clean, trying to look sultry as she sits up. The moonlight leaking in through the window illuminates her perky breasts, her chocolate nipples erect and on display as she pants.

"I don't remember if I ever properly thanked you for saving me, Shiro, but I thought my actions could speak louder than my words," Jasmine says, her tone sultry and seductive as she stands up. Shimming her pants down, she kicks them off the bed and kneels over my cock.

She isn't quite sitting on me, but it's a close thing. 

"I wanted to give you more than my throat," Jasmine says, touching her pussy as she spreads the puffy outer lips to reveal the delicate, untouched flower within. "But as a princess of Agrabah, I can't just give you what you deserve."

Sitting down, she traps my still-hard cock underneath her, gently grinding her hips as the dripping slit drags along my shaft.

"I have responsibilities, but the saviour of Agrabah could ask for anything from my father," Jasmine says enticingly, her suggestion clear. "He's always trying to marry me off, and the saviour of Agrabah would make a perfect suitor for me."

As she speaks, she grabs my hand and lifts it to her breast, moaning lightly as I immediately start to knead the supple flesh. Her face is burning, but her tanned complexion makes it harder to see in the dark of the night.

She goes to speak, but another moan catches her off guard as she starts to enjoy grinding against me a little too much, her spread lips leaving a trail of her arousal along my shaft.

"I hope this is thanks enough, for now," Jasmine moans breathily, her hips speeding up as she approaches her own climax. Her eyes widen as my hand teases her nipple, my other hand moving to play with her curvy ass, kneading and groping the bountiful offering.

– Princess Jasmine –

As her traitorous hips bucked wildly, she tried to control herself, well aware that a single slip would see her maidenhead taken by the manhood she was currently pleasuring herself against.

It wasn't supposed to feel this good for her; just meant to entice Shiro, but she couldn't stop the moan that filled the room. It was a miracle that neither of the other two had awoken to the sounds of the pleasure filling the room, but she was in too deep to stop now.

She was offering him a concrete prize for defeating Jafar: her. Hands resting on his chest, she sped up her desperate grinding as he played with her far too willing body, his hands groping and teasing her to her climax.

"T-think about it, Shiro," Jasmine whined, trying to stop herself from screaming in pleasure. "As the saviour of Agrabah, you could have anything, the finest concubines in the land warming your bed every night, our bed. As my lover, you'd be the next Sultan; my father would be thrilled to have such a powerful and wise man as a son-in-law."

Defeat Jafar, and he gets a kingdom and a princess as his prize. Her pride roared at the idea of her being something to be won, but she couldn't stop now. 

"Are you enjoying feeling my virgin pussy on your cock?" Jasmine asked, hips buckling as she gripped the sheets beneath them. "I can feel you twitching from my royal service, Princes have begged for my hand, and here you are, with my pussy rubbing against your cock."

Despite how wrong this was, she couldn't help but fall into her role, so different from her boring life within the palace. Shiro's body betrayed his enjoyment, making her feel powerful as she rubbed herself along his length.

Her own body shook from the sensation. She was not unused to pleasure, with so much time on her hands in the palace; it was only a matter of time before she turned to self-exploration, but she would be lying if she said this wasn't the most pleasure she'd ever felt. His experienced hands toyed with her body, and she had to remind herself to be careful not to slip and impale herself on his phallus.

A part of her wondered how it would feel, dirty thoughts crossing her mind as her entire body shuddered, a low moan slipping out of her, only muffled by her hand, which she desperately slapped against her mouth. 

Her arousal made her seat very slippery, and not wanting to risk giving up the 'grand prize' so easily, she moved further down again and took him into her hands. Moving her mouth back to his glistening shaft, she placed a series of featherlight kisses along it, licking and kissing his manhood to help him reach his climax. Her hand shakily stroked him, growing more confident and smooth as she felt him pulse in her grasp.

Placing her lips back around the tip, she watched him with an unbreaking stare as he came, swallowing every drop of the hot, sticky cum he was unleashing into her waiting mouth. 

"Damn," Shiro sighed, panting slightly as she felt a burst of pride. She did this, and she could see the appreciation in his gaze. "I needed that."

His words didn't help her work out if this was her first time with him, but she just gave him her best attempt at a sultry smile as she slipped out of his bed, utterly baring everything for him as she gathered her clothes.

"Good night, Shiro, try not to dream of me too much," Jasmine teased, face burning as she fled back to the double bed, dressing again as she got under the covers.

"Slut," Anna whispered, making her jump at the harsh sound before she snorted. They both knew Jasmine had gained the advantage, and Anna was just sulking at falling even further behind. Her missing memories still weighed heavily on her mind, but she could make this work without them.

Going to sleep, she swore to herself that Anna wasn't going to delay the mission to save Agrabah.

– Shiro – Next Morning –

Slipping out before anyone but Kristoff was awake, I leave the man to his reindeer as I head out. These portals are becoming an increasingly dangerous problem. 

I can close the portals, theoretically separating the world from our timestream, but it would take a considerable amount of Dreamlight magic to do so. Dreamlight magic isn't like my normal mana; it's a tangible thing I need to gather for spells, and I don't produce it naturally.

I've been harvesting the thorns to gather them, cleansing them of the curse and gathering the purified magic for my own ends, and I can do basically anything with it. I can use it to create things out of nothing, such as Jasmine's bed and wardrobe, and I have plans to use it to expand our food sources as well.

I simply don't have enough to close both portals, and even if I do then what's to stop another portal from opening and dropping a new and exciting problem in my lap? 

Jasmine wants me to deal with Agrabah first, despite the fact that closing the Agrabah portal is our best chance to save the city since we're just not ready to fight Jafar yet. She's as impatient as you'd expect from a sheltered princess.

What I can do at the moment just won't cut it, as much as it infuriates me to admit it. Anna and Jasmine are basically useless in a fight, Kristoff is equally awful despite his muscles, and my best ally in a battle is a fucking reindeer. 

So, personally I think our best chance is to close the Agrabah portal and try to take down the empowered Elsa. If I can cleanse her like I have been doing with the thorns, I can recruit her to my cause, and then we'd actually have a second mage. 

Studying the rifts, I scowl to myself. There are an infinite number of worlds out there; Jasmine doesn't realise that her Agrabah is just one of an infinite number of copies, each slightly different from the next.

Which means there's an infinite number of worlds that could open up a rift in my world and throw their problems at me. Countless worlds have already been destroyed, scattering their remnants throughout the multiverse-

Huh. Well, there's an idea.

Consider me mildly impressed.

It's doable, right? 

It is. 

Smiling slightly, I get to work as I continue to study the portals (and, through them, multiversal magic). See, I've been looking at this all wrong. The devastation that's happened to so many worlds isn't a problem.

It's an opportunity.

– Later –

"So, you two plan on staying here then?" I ask, making Anna nod rapidly, even if Kristoff looks less sure.

"We are; the only thing on the other side of the portal is a bunch of murderous snowmen, so we can't exactly go home, and you're our best shot at ending the eternal winter," Anna says, face burning slightly as she gives Jasmine a light glare.

Feat Achieved: Have three princess residents in the Valley

Reward: Prince Charming Class unlocked

…wait a fucking second.

Looking at our gathering, all the inhabitants of the Valley grouped up in front of my apple orchard. Jasmine makes one. Anna, that's two.

"Kristoff, you are male, right?" I ask, making him blink. "And not a princess?"

"I… yeah?" Kristoff asks, and I don't bother asking the reindeer if it's secretly a Disney princess as I sigh to myself. "Why?"

"Royal blood is powerful and magical. My magic can sense that we have three female royals in the valley. Do you see the issue?" I ask, making them all pause before their eyes widen.

"Another one?" Jasmine asks, clearly frustrated. Yeah, how do you think I feel?

"Is it Elsa? Has she followed us?" Anna asks, but I shake my head. 

"No, I have my familiar watching the portals. They're close enough, and the meadows are clear enough that she can see both from her perch. Nobody else has entered yet. Which means that somewhere in the Valley, there's another damsel in distress waiting to drop her problems on me. Probably in one of the sections sealed by the thorns, which isn't a good sign."

— ??? –

The corrupted wolf charged at her, but with casual ease, she loosed her arrow and watched it fly, striking the beast right between the eyes mid-pounce. She frowned; the forest was becoming increasingly hostile, and she still hadn't found a way through the thorns. 

But Shiro had returned to the Valley, memories of a white-haired boy who barely reached her chest flashing through her mind. She'd forgotten the Valley, but returning here brought them all back.

Tucked in her bag, the orb glowed slightly. She wasn't Merlin; she didn't understand all the magic that governed this place, but she remembered the orbs and their importance. Another growl made her glare, nocking another arrow with a fierce look. Shiro needed her, and she didn't fail her friends. 

– Shiro –

I'll try to find out where they are later, but for now, I don't have time for another deadweight.

"I'll look into that later, but frankly, if we are to do this, we require a plan of action. I can temporarily close one of the portals, separating from our timestream, but I don't have enough energy to close both. Whichever we leave active will continue to be an active threat that we will have to deal with," I explain, seeing the blank look in Anna and Kristoff's eyes.

Do I need to make a leaflet titled 'So you're lost in the multiverse'?

Taking a moment to explain the plan 'me and Jasmine' agreed on, I wonder what terrible crime I did to deserve this fate.

"Anyway, the main issue still remains. I'm still regaining my magical knowledge. I cannot take on Jafar or Elsa as I am, and none of you can fight," I continue. "This may very well be one of the last safe bastions in the multiverse, so my main priority has to be stopping the spread of the curse here and gaining a true foothold so I can start reclaiming this Valley from the curse. That said, I have had an idea of how to increase our chances but it will require you to trust me.

"What are you planning, Shiro?" Jasmine asks, making me give her a small smile.

"I've explained the multiverse to you, but one thing I didn't mention is that there are an almost infinite number of versions of each of you. There are countless Agrabahs, most with their own Princess Jasmine, who is both you and yet not. Same for Arendelle and you, Anna," I explain, apparently poorly, given their confused looks with a bit of existential crisis mixed in. "The point is that countless worlds have already been destroyed entirely by the curse, and when a world is destroyed, items and people of particular importance can leave a remnant. My idea is simple: I want to use you as an anchor to call on one of those remnants."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Anna admitted helpfully, making me facepalm.

"Okay, let me put it this way. Jasmine, you can't fight, but that doesn't mean that no version of you can. What I want to do is simple: using you, I want to reach out into the multiverse and find a remnant of you that can fight. Then, I call on that remnant and grant her experience, her talents, to you. I won't lie and say this has no risks, but we simply don't have the time to train you to become a fighter when the enemy is already at our doorstep," I say, watching her hesitate. "The fact is that I alone cannot save Elsa or free Agrabah. I wish I could, but until I regain my full powers, I need allies. So far, I have two sheltered princesses, some random guy that Anna found and a reindeer. The reindeer is the most useful, if only because he can work as emergency food."

I ignore Kristoff's alarmed shout, going to speak again before a warning from my familiar distracts me.

"Fuck, we have company from Agrabah," I say, making Jasmine's eyes widen.

"More guards?" Jasmine asks, watching as I frown deeply.

"No, not guards. In truth, I'm not sure what they are," I admit. "But they're coming this way."

– Princess Jasmine –

They all rushed to the walls, and she immediately saw the strange, horned humanoid figures that had caused Shiro's alarm and confusion. The distorted black figures rushed towards them as Shiro leapt into action.

Despite his declaration about not being strong enough, he was anything but weak. His snare traps captured several of the strange creatures and wasted no time, summoning a set of swirling blades which sliced the captured ones up.

She felt useless, just watching as Shiro fired down at the invaders from the wall, tossing orbs of blue light down and striking several of the creatures as they tried to climb the wall.

They were weak, which made her let out a sigh of relief as a frowning Shiro made short work of them, leaving one alive, which he captured in the conjured ropes.

Examining the creature, his face turned from frowning to outright scowling as he looked over the distorted mockery of a human.

"What is that thing?" Anna asked, and for once, she agreed with her fellow princess.

"Some monster of Jafar's, no doubt," Jasmine growled, but Shiro shook his head.

"This isn't Jafar, and I fear that Agrabah is in greater danger than we realised. This is one of your subjects, Jasmine, a commoner from Agrabah, I suspect," Shiro explained, making her eyes shoot wide open as she stared at the creature. Even now, it was trying to break free of its bindings and gnaw on Shiro. "This poor fool has been consumed entirely by the curse; everything good about him has been devoured, leaving only the bad. I think I'll call them… the Heartless, those who are too far gone from the effects of the curse to be saved. If these came from Agrabah, I suspect Jafar has deeply fucked up in some way. They weren't under his control; I wonder if he's even still in control of the city?"

Had Jafar tried to control the curse himself, accidentally unleashing it in his arrogance? Her city was being consumed by this abominable curse, and she could do nothing? 

"Wait, could that happen to Elsa?" Anna asked, fear making her tone tremble.

"I suspect so. As I said, without examining your sister, I can't say anything for sure. That said, if she is being affected by the curse, then it will slowly eat away at the good until all that remains is… well, that," Shiro said, gesturing to the rabid creature. "I suspect a powerful soul like Elsa's would create a far more dangerous Heartless. I don't even want to consider what would happen if something more powerful, like the Genie, got corrupted."

"You need to seal the portal to Arendelle," Anna declared, making Jasmine's eyes widen. The discovery of the Heartless had changed things. "I mean, Jasmine wants to see to Agrabah first, right?"

The bitch. This morning, they were fighting over which kingdom they should try and save first, both wanting their homes to be prioritised. Now, they both wanted the exact opposite. 

"Jafar is far too strong for us to challenge; we should focus on dealing with this Elsa first," Jasmine countered. She wanted Agrabah freed immediately, but if the curse was progressing this fast then it was best they go with their original plan. Seal the city away and buy themselves time to get strong enough to deal with Jafar. "Besides, we already planned to seal the Agrabah rift, right Shiro?"

Shiro just sighed, rubbing his forehead as he looked between them both in annoyance.

"I have research to do; if you two can not kill each other before I get back, that would be lovely," Shiro sighed, looking up at where his owl was perched. It hooted once and flew toward the rift to Agrabah. She went to speak, but he cut her off. "I will try and make sure your father is fine. I need to know what the hell is going on in Agrabah, things weren't this bad when I last had my familiar check." 

She gave him a grateful nod, watching as he levitated the Heartless further into the meadows beyond their walls.

Turning, she gave Anna a glare, seeing the challenge in Anna's gaze. Oh, it was on. 

— Bonus Scene — Merlin 

"You think all of this is coming from a single person?" Maleficent asked, a frown on her face. The villainess wasn't his ideal ally, but when the fate of the entire multiverse was at risk, he could not be so picky, and she was undeniably powerful. Her expertise in breaking curses would be instrumental in the coming trials. "A mere boy, capable of affecting the very multiverse in such grand ways?"

"Ha, there's nothing mere about young Shiro," Merlin scoffed, stroking his beard with a thoughtful frown. "Even as an untrained youth, he created an entire world out of his imagination alone, the Dreamlight Valley. His power, one we dubbed Dreamlight magic when he was barely a babe, is powerful indeed. I've never met anyone else capable of using it, and this curse radiates it. Once upon a time, I spent my days trying to train him in how to safely utilise his mighty power."

Mickey frowned, remembering the tiny white-haired child they knew.

"And why exactly did you stop training him?" Maleficent asked, her tone accusatory as a single eyebrow raised at him.

"It was not so simple, I'm afraid. Young Shiro made the Valley in his dreams as an escape from a… most dreadful home life, and with his desire for companionship, he reached throughout the multiverse and pulled many people into the Valley, myself included. As he grew, he found himself needing the Valley less, and I suspect he believed he imagined the entire thing. Without him returning to the Valley in his dreams, I had no way to reach him anymore," Merlin explained. The Valley was Shiro's sanctum, and his power protected it from any intrusions. Once Shiro stopped wanting his 'imaginary' friends, he simply could not reach Shiro anymore. "His power was almost entirely instinctual, altering the very fabric of reality to match his desires. For something like this to have happened… why, I can only ruminate on the mindset Young Shiro must have been in to cause this. Something truly dreadful must have occurred to cause his powers to run wild like this."

"Oh boy, I sure hope Shiro is doing okay," Mickey added, a concerned frown on his face. Mickey was one of the many guests to the Valley, called to brighten up the dark dreams of a very troubled young boy. Something terrible had happened to Shiro; he'd bet his beard on it.

Shiro had dark impulses, even as a child, but they had been working on it, and many of the companions Shiro had called upon were helping him get them under control before he'd drifted away. Had those urges returned as he reached his teenage years? Time was not so simple when you dealt with the multiverse, but he suspected that Shiro would be either in his late teens or early adulthood by now.

"Then we must find this Shiro. This curse has taken on a life of its own, but if he is the source, he may be able to take control of it and rein it in," Maleficent said, making him nod in agreement. "We cannot restore any worlds in this state; the curse has consumed too much of them. Until we can slow the spread of this curse, nowhere is safe."

"On that, we can certainly agree," Merlin said, running a hand through his beard. "I suspect he has returned to the Valley; it was always his place of safety, and should something tragic have happened, I believe his power would have returned him to the one place where he could feel safe."

"I take it that it will not be so simple to reach this Valley?" Maleficent said, making him chuckle.

"It most certainly will not; the Valley has no set place in the multiverse. It used to be connected to Shiro's birth world, but if Shiro has retreated into it, then it could be moving throughout the multiverse with no anchor," Merlin explained. "That said, Mickey and I have a connection to that place. It won't be enough with just the two of us, but if we can find enough of Shiro's former compatriots, then I believe we could use that bond to return to the Valley."

And yet, with the curse running wild, he suspected a great many of the Valley's former residents had forgotten it ever existed, given the nature of the Night Thorns, which radiated corrupted Dreamlight magic. Worse still, he'd forgotten Shiro for the longest time. He suspected that as Shiro grew up and decided he didn't need his imaginary friends anymore, his power had removed their memories of him and banished them all from the Valley. The memory block was no real challenge for him once the sight of this Dreamlight magic served as a reminder, not that he had only lost memories.

On his bookshelf, a picture stood of a smiling Merlin standing next to Mickey. It had been there for years, but it wasn't until he remembered Shiro that the figure between them reappeared in the frame. A young Shiro grinned at the camera, waving to whoever had taken the photograph. Before, there had been an odd space between him and Mickey, the curse having altered every record of Shiro from his notes and mementos. 

He suspected many of Shiro's former friends and mentors had suffered the same fate, but even he could not remember all the others he had met during his time in the Valley.

This would be quite the undertaking, but with the curse slowly consuming the multiverse, they had to find Shiro once more.