Host

Summary: Sofia was under the impression that things were getting back to normal, but that couldn't be further from the truth. What begins as a normal outing with her partner and tiny Strawbaby quickly and drastically changes gears when she becomes the unwitting host for a determined and restless spirit. (Collab with MarionetteJ2X)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nana and Tanya belong to MarionetteJ2X.

A/N: Final chapter! Prepare for a showdown and some pretty heavy, emotional, and (most likely) unexpected stuff! 😉 And of course, a resolution. Also, keep an eye out for Sofia's birthday story TODAY—hopefully, lol! :D Our princess will be 19 in my stories! O.o *claps happily* Yay! Lol! Happy Birthday, Sofia! 😊

Chapter 10: Contested

"Stand back, Cedric," Tanya warned as she held out her arms.

"I want to help you," he argued, trying to move closer to her. He blinked in surprise when she whirled toward him, holding the end of one of the gauntlets directly at his face, hovering only mere inches away. He swallowed nervously. "You… You don't scare me."

She smiled wryly. "I don't intend to. I mean to keep you safe. Although I do not know you well, your princess does. And she has asked me to make sure that you do not get hurt. And if that means using force, so be it."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Isn't that counterproductive?"

She turned back around, her hands extended before her once again. "Just appease Princess Sofia, please, and stay back."

Cedric sighed. "Fine." For Sofia's sake, he'd stay out of the way as much as he could. But should Tanya appear as though she needed help, he wouldn't hesitate to jump in. For whatever reason, he felt protective of her, although they'd only recently met a few days ago, never mind the fact that she was a dark product of the mostly defunct Never Realm. She wasn't Sofia, but she'd been working with her, and while she wasn't Nana either, she definitely had a similar background. Perhaps that was his soft spot now…

Tanya lunged toward the creatures, quickly kicking a few of them down into submission. Another creature, one that was half coyote and half zebra, tried to ensnare her with its teeth, but she powerfully punched the experiment across the mouth and knocked out all of its teeth (and fangs). She then finished the job by kicking it and splitting its body in half, killing it.

Another experimental creature tried to capture her in a powerful set of chains, the likes of which were now wrapped around her neck, starting to choke her (which Cedric took notice of and was about to stop if she didn't do something). Tanya coughed a few times before quickly grasping the links, willing some of her powers to act like a stream of electricity, pulsating along the length until it zapped the creature and fried it to death.

The physical combat with the creatures continued until the former Never Realm member realized how tired she was growing. No, how tired Sofia's body was growing. She needed to wrap this up.

She unleashed a forceful blast from the Deathbringer, fully eliminating about half of the failed experiments at once, their ashes absorbing into her gauntlets' orbs soon after. While there were really no memories or ideas to collect, this was the best way to keep the remnants contained. She unleashed another blast, completely destroying any of the rest of them on the spot, again absorbing their ashes.

"Oh, Tanya," a saccharine, chiding voice called out as a cloaked cult member phased into existence, followed by several others (in total, there were approximately twenty Vilisators present). The man beneath the hooded cloak had the same shade of purple eyes as Tanya, as did the others beginning to surround her and Cedric. However, this man seemed to have deathly white skin, his veins as black as midnight and his dark lips forever in a permanent sneer or smirk.

"What do you want of us, Vadim?" the woman demanded, snarling at the clear leader of the group. "Is it not enough that you killed Victor, simply because he wanted to protect me from the likes of you?" She could feel her anger welling up within her, her eyes practically glistening with both tears and an eerie glow. "That you killed me, thereby forcing me to search high and low for a willing host to house my spirit so that I can get my revenge?" She fisted her hands, causing her gauntlets to glow brighter. "And I will be getting my revenge. I swear to you."

"That is an interesting claim for an experiment," Vadim derided, noticing how the woman seemed to be growing even angrier. "You were not born, Tanya. You were created. Created to take orders, to do our bidding, and to destroy." He nodded discreetly toward a few of the other members, who slowly inched closer toward the duo on all sides. "And while I may not be able to kill you again, you have brought me two perfect substitutions: a powerful princess…and a sacrificial sorcerer."

Cedric cried out in pain as one of the cult members stabbed him in the side with a sharp gauntlet of his own, twisting the weapon a bit before pulling down, practically ripping the sorcerer's side open. When the weapon was retracted, he fell to the ground, blood seeping from his wound and his eyes wrenching closed as he began breathing shallowly.

"CEDRIC!" Sofia's voice came through, despite the fact that Tanya was fronting for the time being. When her eyes closed and then reopened, something occurred that had not happened yet: the right eye was purple…but the left eye was blue. Both girls were now in charge.

While Cedric lay in a critically injured state on the ground, the Amulet of Avalor around his neck began to steadily glow.

"You will pay for that!" Sofia yelled, lifting her left hand and summoning the same sword she'd previously beckoned forth.

Tanya quickly lifted her right hand, gripping the end of the sword. "Princess Sofia, keep a steady mind," she warned, trying to talk some sense into her host. "I realize you are angry, and I am as well, but we must be smart about this. We can both get our revenge."

The princess scowled, lunging forward and swinging the sword, striking two members at once and breathing heavily. "I'd rather just destroy the rest of the Never Realm."

The spirit finally sighed and nodded, reaching out with her right hand and smiting the two members, collecting their ashes in the pulsing red orbs on the Deathbringer.

Vadim, the leader of the Vilisators, smirked and laughed darkly as he and the remaining members began hovering around them, as if taunting them. "If it is a challenge you want, allow us to oblige." He yelled forcefully as he held out a glowing orb of energy, hurling it toward Sofia and Tanya, who dodged it quickly. "You will not be so lucky next time!" And again, he and his fellow cult members began charging against the girls, who set to slicing and smiting the members as best as they could.

And as they did, the Amulet of Avalor glowed even stronger.

Back in Enchancia, Wormwood and Nana were in Amber's and Desmond's room, but the couple had stepped out for just a few minutes to take care of some business, leaving the bird and the little girl on their bed after telling them not to move.

They'd obeyed up until now, when both of their necklaces began glowing immensely, before falling into a strong pulsation pattern.

"Something is wrong," Wormwood told the girl, frowning as he glanced toward Nana, who stared at him with her wide green eyes. "I'm willing to bet… Cedric and Sofia need our help. But…how do we even find them?"

Nana gasped in awe as her necklace lifted up from its spot and began hovering in midair, tugging at her neck. She looked down and noticed Wormwood's necklace doing the same thing. Since she was so little and didn't have much force to fight against it, she felt it pulling her off the bed. She grabbed the bedpost and slid down it before following her necklace's summons toward the door.

Wormwood grunted as his own necklace tugged at his neck harshly, guiding him in the same direction. "All right, all right!" he snapped, flying after the strawberry girl. "I'm coming!"

The necklaces led them both outside, and noticing that they seemed to be heading in the same direction Cedric and Sofia had gone a few days ago, the two unlikely friends exchanged knowing silent glances.

Nana swiftly hopped on Wormwood's back and held on tightly as he lifted into the air, flying as quickly as his wings would allow him to go.

Once they arrived in the forest, Tanya and Sofia were still fighting against the cult members (mostly either kicking them with brute force, using the Deathbringer to fully eliminate the enemy, or some sort of combination of both).

Wormwood landed next to Cedric, who was clearly very badly injured. "Cedric…" He carefully nuzzled his friend's cheek to get him to stir, but it didn't seem to help. He was still silent and unmoving.

Nana hopped down off the bird's back and rushed over to her guardian's side, her little hands covering his wounded side as best as she could. She'd not seen that much blood before…She whimpered as she looked around her, noticing just how much of that sticky red substance she was now sitting in. Did he even have any blood left in him? With that panicked thought, she concentrated all her powers on the sorcerer, her tears flowing freely down her face as she did so.

"What do we have here?!" one of the members cackled as he turned toward the newcomers, those creepy purple eyes practically beaming with excitement. "More prey!" He held up a hand to attack.

Wormwood gasped, instinctively brushing his wing against his necklace, which activated and somehow covered him, Nana, and Cedric in a protective shield. Despite the situation, he sarcastically remarked, "That'll come in handy when I see a child with sticky fingers approaching." He shuddered at the memory involving none other than Prince Corban, before turning back toward Nana. His eyes softened as he noticed the girl seeming to grow weary and possibly weaker. "Hang in there, little one…"

Nana glanced toward him, nodding, before returning her attention to her guardian.

"Tanya, there!" Sofia called as her body shifted to the left, and together they used the sword to take down three more members at a time, including the one who'd tried to attack Nana and Wormwood. "Are there anymore?"

"Just one." Tanya turned back around, facing the slowly clapping Vadim. Her brow furrowed as she clutched her end of the sword, her wrist flexing a bit in the Deathbringer gauntlet. "You…"

"Me," the leader jeered, slowly beginning to walk toward the princess and her resident. "You've successfully eliminated the Vilisators. Congratulations. You must be proud." He leaped forward, tightly grasping Sofia's neck, beginning to choke both girls. He grinned as they struggled to breathe, both trying their best to free themselves from his grip. "You know, usually I'm the 'kill with magic' type, or 'the bloodier, the merrier' type… But there's something special about literally taking someone else's very life into your own hands…and making it disappear forever."

"Sofia!" Wormwood called out in anguish, trying to deactivate his barrier around the three of them. Nothing was working. "Ohh, hang on, Princess! I'll figure something out!"

"Y-You're forgetting one thing," Sofia struggled to say as she gasped for air.

"Oh, really," Vadim chortled lowly, leering at the two (in one) before him. "And what might that be?"

Tanya spoke up this time, her alto timber sounding more serious and dangerous than ever, "Even death cannot stop me from avenging my master, and the love of my life." With the leader distracted by her words, she snapped his wrist backwards, smirking in satisfaction as she heard the crunch of the bones as he screamed in a very human way. She then kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. She stood over the last member of the Vilisators cult, her hands extended toward him. "I wish I could rip you to shreds. I wish I could drain every last ounce of blood from your body, grind up your bones, smash your organs until they explode, and section off your limbs to feed to the wolves."

"And why don't you?" he challenged, though he could tell that he was shaking due to his injury, not to mention having the wind knocked out of him.

"Because Victor taught me better than that… And doing that to you would smear his name and message, and it would make me no better than you." She glared down at him, her eyes flashing only purple now, as Sofia had taken a backseat. "And I am not you. I may not use that method, but I swore my revenge, and I shall have it." With one swift swing, she lowered her sword, the powerful item slicing clear through Vadim's body and instantly converting it to ashes, which she yet again absorbed in the Deathbringer.

It was over. All over…

Cedric slowly began stirring as he felt a familiar warmth against his side, and as he opened his eyes, he groaned. "What happened?"

Nana, relieved that her healing magic worked, threw herself at her guardian and hugged him tightly. She cried softly into his robe, sniffling as he tenderly rubbed her back and tried to soothe her fears.

"It's all right, Nana," he whispered, kissing her head as he steadily rocked her. He then noticed Wormwood sitting nearby, his feathers coated in blood. "Wormwood! Are you all right? What happened? Why is there blood all over you?"

The raven blinked at him. "It's…your blood, Cedric…" He turned and looked away, trying not to allow any overwhelming emotions to well up within him (and failing miserably). "Those cult members, um… They evidently showed you no mercy, and…"

Cedric's gaze softened as he listened to his familiar.

"If it weren't for Nana, you'd probably…be gone." That reality was overwhelming for some reason. Wormwood realized then and there how much he'd actually miss Cedric if he were to… He gasped when he felt a hand gently stroking his feathers. He blinked up at Cedric, who just smiled at him.

"It's all right, Wormy…"

Wormwood smiled with a bitter laugh. "…I both hate and love that nickname now…" He shook his head as Cedric chuckled. "I'm…glad you're all right, Cedric. Just…don't do anything stupid like getting in the way of a dangerous cult again."

The sorcerer scoffed. "Right. Like I had a choice…" He returned to comforting his charge before slowly standing to his feet. He winced as he did so. Nana may have healed him to the best of her ability, but he could still feel the wooziness, the original cut, and the stickiness from his blood on him. He disregarded that and waved his free hand toward Sofia, who was staring ahead. "Sofia!"

The princess didn't respond. Instead, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. And this time, the markings on her body and Deathbringer disappeared altogether. When she opened her eyes once more, they were entirely normal again. She turned to her side, smiling as she saw the spiritual form of Tanya beside her. "Tanya…"

Tanya looked exhausted, and she even seemed to be in pain as she slowly but surely began to disappear before their very eyes. She didn't even seem to have the strength to speak anymore…

"W-What's going on?" Sofia asked, though she wasn't sure if anyone would hear her. She gasped as she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned, seeing Cedric there. He looked worse for wear, but he was alive. She threw her arms around him, trying her best to avoid his injury, and placed several kisses on his cheeks and forehead, causing him to blush but laugh at the same time. "I'm so glad you're all right," she shuddered out in a tired sigh, holding him gently.

Cedric smiled before unlatching the amulet around his neck, returning it to its rightful owner, clasping it around Sofia's neck. "There… That's better." He gently caressed her cheek as she giggled.

She then noticed Nana reaching over to her, and she smiled. "Nana? How did you get here, sweetie?" She looked up as she saw a familiar dark bird flying around them. "Wormwood?" She gasped in realization. "You carried her all the way here?"

Wormwood shrugged as he landed on Cedric's shoulder. "I didn't have much of a choice… Our necklaces practically pulled us here." He nodded toward the amulet around the princess's neck. "I think it was your amulet that led us here."

"They're connected?" Cedric asked in shock.

"They are now…"

After their brief exchange, the quartet turned back to Tanya, watching helplessly as she slowly continued fading away.

"This isn't fair," Sofia told them, her voice thick with emotion. "She barely got a chance to live, and now she has to die?"

Before she could say much else, they watched as the Amulet of Avalor activated, along with Wormwood's and Nana's necklaces, making Tanya's spirit stable for the time being. However, Nana's necklace was slowly beginning to absorb Tanya's spirit, little by little. No one was sure how or why, but…

Suddenly, the air around them started to change, and a new presence—both familiar and unfamiliar—began surrounding them. It wasn't malicious at all, either. In fact, it felt like they were all being hugged by something warm and comforting.

The Enchancian group exchanged glances before looking back toward Tanya, who'd begun sniffling and crying, evidently recognizing whatever presence was surrounding them.

Not long after, another spirit appeared before them all. He had soft blue-green eyes filled with kindness, jet-black hair, a dark tunic and slacks, and matching shoes.

Tanya seemed to forget that she was in pain (or that she was being pulled into Nana's necklace) as she darted toward the other spirit, breaking the pull of the necklace and laughing in disbelief as she wrapped him in a hug. "I cannot believe it," she sobbed into his tunic. "Victor…"

"Victor!" The others were clearly surprised. Tanya's deceased master and love? The one she wanted to avenge? The one who was enveloping her in the warmest of hugs?

Silence washed over them all until Tanya began speaking, her voice projected from Nana's necklace instead of her spirit form now. "I am forever grateful for everything you all have done," she began calmly, the necklace pulsating every time she spoke. "Princess Sofia, I am sincerely honored and humbled that you allowed me to work with you, side by side." She smiled gently toward the other girl, who nodded with a sweet smile. "I will never forget you for that. And Cedric, your kindness and cautiousness meant the world to me."

The sorcerer nodded, though he was actually trying to hold back any tears. Tanya had truly grown on him the last few days, and he didn't really want to see her go so soon. But…

"Little Nana and Wormwood… You two have been true heroes…" She sighed as she leaned against Victor. "But I have never felt so exhausted in my entire existence. I believe I need to gain some energy before I can communicate with you all again."

Victor smiled toward his love, hugging her gently, though he recognized that any pressure on her body might be too painful. "I am so proud of you, Tanya," he murmured, his hands playing with the hair tied to either side of her head. "You were so brave defeating the last members of the Never Realm."

Tanya blushed modestly at his praises before he turned his attention toward the Enchancian crew.

"I offer you my sincere gratitude for looking after my Tanya."

The other spirit had been about to say something when another wave of pain shot through her, making the others reach out toward her in concern.

Victor held her securely. "She will not last long in this world," he explained to the confused quartet. "She's different from a normal human being, although she does possess human qualities. A human soul is no different from Tanya's. However, once she disappears, you will all forget that she even existed."

Sofia seemed to be astonished, her mouth dropping open. "What?"

Cedric frowned. "I've heard about situations like that…"

Victor nodded. "It is the one downside to Tanya's whole being. She is fated to be forgotten…"

"Cedric," Sofia mumbled, latching onto his arm on his unharmed side. She felt tears welling up as Nana crawled up and sat on her shoulder.

"It is fine," Tanya finally announced, shaking her head. "I will accept this fate. Even if I lived like a normal human being, no one would ever accept me as I am…"

Victor sighed, gently stroking her hair as she leaned against his shoulder and cried before wincing from her pain.

Sofia was about to step toward the spirits, but her amulet suddenly began glowing. She turned toward Nana and Wormwood, noticing that, once again, their necklaces were glowing. "We really are connected…"

The light from each of the necklaces created one beam of light, all pointing straight at Tanya. Victor had to step back, and he smiled. He knew what was happening.

The others stared in awe as magic surrounded Tanya, enveloping her.

Tanya gasped, feeling her pain completely disappear. She blinked as Victor, who was now slowly fading, hugged her again. "Victor…?"

"This magic will give you a second chance of living without the cult's interference, my love…"

She gaped at him, her purple eyes watering. "But… I would have to live without you, would I not?" She shook her head as he sighed and nodded. "Victor, no…"

"I will still be with you," he told her, "but you won't see me. I just want you to have a good life. Promise me that you will live it to the fullest…for me."

Tanya sniffled and nodded. "I… I promise." She nearly sobbed as he lowered down and kissed her softly on the lips…for the first and final time.

Sofia held her hands to her heart, blushing and sighing in content, while her partner flushed and looked elsewhere, uncomfortably fidgeting a bit, though he was happy for the spirits' reunion. Meanwhile, Wormwood and Nana looked toward Cedric and Sofia before exchanging glances with each other, smiles on their faces.

Victor smiled at Tanya as they parted and then at the others as he continued fading. "I am very grateful to all of you for taking care of Tanya." He then whispered to the woman before him, "I love you, Tanya…" With that, he disappeared.

Tanya's spiritual form suddenly morphed into a glowing orb with the combination of pink, purple, and green gradient colors swirling around her. It then began to move toward Nana, and the orb was soon absorbed into Nana's necklace. It pulsed there for a bit before calming down.

"Wait…" Wormwood frowned. "Didn't we just hear that she was supposed to get a second chance? How does living in Nana's necklace constitute a second chance?" He rolled his eyes. "Read the fine print, people."

As if on cue, Nana's necklace reacted, and out of it appeared a much smaller version of Tanya. She looked to be about eight years old. Her snowy white hair was down, reaching just past her waist. Her ears were still pointed and partially obscured by her hair. Her eyes were still purple, but she now possessed whites of her eyes instead of the darkness. She also still had those purple lines running down her arms and legs, and the markings on her face as well. Her long-sleeved plum colored dress with little white designs reached just past her knees. She wore a silver necklace around her neck, bracelets on her wrists (which were actually the Deathbringer, still in the original color of silver, black, and red), and silver anklets on her ankles above her bare feet (which Victor had apparently left as a gift prior to leaving; they would be able to help her jump high, deliver strong and swift kicks, and run faster than she already could).

"A-Are you…?" Sofia asked nervously, kneeling next to the little girl. "Tanya?"

Little Tanya smiled gently, nodding. "I am!" She giggled happily, sighing. "I am free, Princess Sofia!"

"Just…Sofia," she corrected, laughing softly. "If you're going to be with Nana a lot, there's no need for formalities." She winked. "You're family now."

Tanya blinked at the princess's words. "Family…?" She tilted her head. "What is that?"

"Oh, boy," Cedric groaned, rubbing his temple. "I think we're going to have a lot of work to do…"

*Epilogue—sort of*

Adjusting to life with Tanya wasn't as difficult as they had assumed it would be. She was able to go in and out of Nana's necklace whenever she wanted to. However, there was a catch: she was only able to be in a child form most of the time. If a battle ever ensued and she needed to be part of it, she could turn into her adult form.

Living in Nana's necklace was like having her own bedroom (in the strangest of ways, of course). Also, since she was now predominantly a child, she did have a few childish antics. She loved to play with Nana and any other children. No longer a spirit but rather a living and breathing person, Tanya was able to start her life over, as promised. She also had a benefit of living in Nana's necklace: she was able to understand what Nana wanted to say but couldn't—sort of like acting as a voice for her whenever she needed it. So whatever Nana couldn't say, Tanya would say for her.

One night, Sofia had just finished reading Nana (and Tanya, sort of) a bedtime story when she heard a knock at her door. She smiled. "Come in."

Nana beamed and waved happily as she saw Cedric walking inside, maneuvering over to the girls. She giggled as he leaned down and gently hugged her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Ready for bed then?" he asked playfully, receiving nods from the other two. He blinked. "So… Tanya doesn't sleep out here?"

Sofia shook her head. "No…" She gently tapped the strawberry girl's necklace. "She stays in here."

"Oh, I see…" He sighed. "Still trying to get used to these new changes." He smiled softly as the princess laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing…" She shrugged. "It's just… Do you remember when I played that game with you a long time ago, where we predicted our futures? You know, jobs, homes, children…?" She gently gathered Nana into her arms as he nodded curiously. "I said I thought…" She blushed. "I thought two would be a good number." She laughed. "I technically do have two now, as a guardian." She smiled mischievously as she poked his chest. "Actually, we have two children."

He blinked before blushing modestly. "Sofia…"

She grinned, leaning toward him playfully. "I do remember telling you that we would always be together, no matter what. Looks like I was right." She then sighed, smiling softly. "It's unconventional, and even a little confusing sometimes, but…" She shrugged. "I think that works for us. Don't you?"

Cedric nodded, chuckling softly. "For us, yes…" He then winced a little bit, rubbing at his side. "Hmm."

Sofia frowned. "Let me see." She carefully untied his robe before slipping it down his arms, allowing it to pool behind him. She then gently pulled his shirt up a bit, her finger tracing down his side, where both magical and physical stitches were. She noticed that he jumped when she traced it and she glanced up at him. "Does it still hurt?"

He nodded. "Y-Yes… But…it's getting better, little by little."

Sofia smiled, lowering his shirt again before helping him tug his robe back on. "Glad to hear it." She leaned forward, hugging him, sighing happily as he returned the affection. "Good night, Cedric."

He chuckled before kissing the princess's forehead. "Sleep well, Sofia." He reached over and ruffled Nana's hair, causing her to giggle softly. "You too, Nana." He even carefully tapped the necklace around the little girl's neck. "You too, Tanya."

"Thank you, Cedric," the former spirit's voice came from the necklace, sounding sleepy but happy. "Good night."

Cedric finished his evening routine before heading back to his own room. The girls settled down and drifted off to sleep.

Tanya, in her own little room inside Nana's necklace (as hard as that might have been to fathom), reclined on her comfy plum-colored bedding, a smile etched across her face. She was happy. For once, she was really and truly happy. She missed Victor, for sure, but he'd given her a gift: a chance at a new life to experience new things, to have new adventures, to have (What was it that Cedric had called it?) a family… That sounded nice. She'd never experienced having a family before…

As she drifted off to sleep, she pondered what sorts of things awaited her in this new life.

She didn't know it yet, but the real adventure had only just begun.

The end

PS: Everyone explained the situation to the rest of the Enchancian crew, so they wouldn't be upset for Nana and Wormwood leaving without warning. lol And things went back to relatively normal, including the guards going missing every now and then again. ;p You know, Cedric's favorite running gag. :D Anyway! I hope y'all enjoyed this. I will try my hardest to get Sofia's birthday story out today! :) Wish me luck. Haha.