The Laughing Swordsman

After consuming an absurd amount of the dark green liquid, Apollo's body regenerated. His heavily maimed muscles were restored, his fat grew back and skin covered over all of that. As for Apollo's missing eye and lips, they grew back too.

Large amounts of dark green blood cascaded down his body, almost like his skin was a raincoat.

Apollo shook his head, shaking out some of the dark green blood in his hair.

For a few moments, Apollo just remained there, breathing heavily and holding onto the edge of the hexagonal cell.

During that time, something was poking the bottom of his foot. Upon turning to look, he saw it was the light green insect.

Apollo blinked a few times, clearly displeased.

"What do you want?"

The insect blinked a few times and tilted its head to the side.

"Wha- wha-"

Apollo's eyelid twitched.

Was the insect seriously talking?

The insect's voice was high-pitched and soft. It clearly struggled with each syllable, but did it nonetheless.

"Wha- zoo yew wan?"

Layla skipped over and looked at the light green insect with surprise, putting both hands on her cheeks exaggeratedly.

"New friend?"

The insect turned to Layla.

"Nyew fwend?"

Layla raised both hands in the air.

"Friend!"

The insect repeated after her, similarly raising its arms in the air.

"Fwend!"

Apollo looked between the two and felt a headache coming on.

This was probably going to be a little annoying.

...

When Hex had been caught up in the talisman that Willow used, he broke off far from the group.

After being thrown around chaotically in the shadow world, he reappeared in the middle of the vast forest.

His clothes were still dark purple, while two bright purple horns rested on his head. Hex's face was still a shadowy blur, with glowing bright blue light eyes and smile.

He slowly turned around, looking at his surroundings all the while letting out a tiny giggle.

Hex slowly flew up into the air, getting battered by the occasional snowflakes falling from the air. It was as though he wasn't satisfied and wanted to find something he could destroy.

Unfortunately, the only thing before Hex was barren snowy land. He began to fly across the air, not at a particularly fast speed, but it was still faster than walking speed.

After coasting through meaninglessly for quite a while, Hex's giggles gradually began to die down. He gradually came to a stop, remaining still ominously.

For whatever reason, Hex simply remained still for several minutes on end.

Then, without warning, he let out a frustrated high pitched roar. A disproportionately large black claw grew out of his sleeve.

Hex pulled it back and slashed the forest below them.

Large amounts of dark mist shot out from his claws, rapidly expanding in size. 

A deafening thud reverberated throughout the forest.

The dark mist slammed onto the ground, directly tearing apart the trees and ground. The snow scattered high into the air along with a few trees. Strangely long black marks formed in the ground, stretching across the forest like a natural disaster had struck it.

Hex's clothes went from dark purple to blue while the shadow that obscured his face left along with his glowing features. The bright purple horns on his head disappeared entirely and something behind him began to form, materializing in the middle of the air.

It was Blackie who formed within the air, appearing like a shadow. However, it was a little strange since shadows didn't usually form in the middle of the air.

While normally, Hex would have fallen asleep, he was fine right now. In fact, he didn't even look tired.

Hex began falling from the air. His clothes fluttered, especially so for his hood. It prompted him to hold it down with one sleeve.

His speed gradually increased, but that didn't seem to concern him.

Hex's figure began to blur as he descended, then...

A thundering bang resounded.

Hex landed on the ground, kicking up a decent amount of snow. He was in the middle of the carnage previously created by his slash. After looking around, he walked forward, stepping over the fallen trees.

But suddenly, he froze.

"I was wondering where you could have been."

A voice rang out from right behind him. Hex turned around casually, as though it was a friend he expected to be there.

It was an old man hunched over, holding onto a cane and in ragged clothes. He had a fairly long white beard, with frail strands of hair. Overall, this person looked like a dying old man. Put him in the middle of the street with other people and that was the conclusion anybody would come to.

However, the context of this meeting made it a little strange.

After all, it was a weak old man in the middle of a snowy forest. Under normal circumstances, they would be long dead.

The old man chuckled.

"I suppose there are only so many people that could have caused damage like this."

Hex pouted.

"You is annoying."

The old man laughed, before suddenly cutting himself off. He looked at Hex with an empty smile.

"And you have some nerve, kid."

Without warning, the old man's hand shot forward in an attempt to catch Hex's head, but when his hand was a millimeter away, Hex disappeared.

He reappeared a few meters back with a pout on his face.

"Rude."

The old man narrowed his eyes.

"I'd say you are more rude."

He let his outstretched hand fall to his side, almost like he never tried to attack Hex in the first place.

"I had been terribly close to making the world believe The Harbinger of Death was dead. Yet, because of your antics, the mortals think the person of that title has resurrected."

Hex tilted his head to the side.

"Not me fault."

The old man's eyelid twitched.

"And how does that logic hold up?"

Hex scratched the side of his head with his sleeve.

"You dumb."

The air suddenly became heavy.