((Collab between Rex, Double, and Letter Bee))

The man with the hockey mask sighed before he reached down and unstrapped his hockey mask from his pant loop. He placed the hockey mask over his face while saying, “I’m trying to save you, but it seems you’ve chosen your path.” A red circle with lavender symbols appeared next to him before his weapon rose up from it. It was a six foot scythe that looked to be an amalgamation of bones and steel. The handle was a mixture of a spin and metal with a skill at the top. The skull’s mouth was open in a silent scream as the scythes blade protruded from it. Ruby red diamonds were in the skills eye sockets and its teeth were amethyst colored. The man in the hockey mask took the weapon and spun it before letting it rest on his right shoulder.

“bout damn time,” Viper stated just as Drake was teleported next to Tocsax. 

The man in the hockey mask smiled as he saw Drake and chuckled, “Speak the devils name.” Drake’s eyes fell on the man wearing the hockey mask and he glared at him. There was no hello to Tocsax, or witty retort towards the man in the hockey mask or viper. There was only a crackle of thunder that rumbled the earth and shattered some of the glass around them. 

The man in the hockey mask suddenly swung his Scythe and as he did: Drakes Blade Blue sword collided with the Scythes blade. And eruption of crackling thunder and sparks of lightning came from the collision. The man in the hockey mask chuckled as he said, “Is this how you treat an old friend?” Drake snarled as he pushed away from the man in the hockey mask. Drake flipped through the air before landing next to Tocsax.

“You’re not my friend Nails,” Drake hissed just before he disappeared again and another loud crackle of thunder erupted. Nails sighed before he swung his Scythe again. Once again, Drake’s blade collided with the Scythe’s blade.

“So predictable,” Nails mused before he grabbed Drake by the collar and pulled him towards him as he brought his knee up and slammed it into Drakes stomach. Drake gasped as he felt the air escape his lungs. Nails then flung Drake towards Tocsax. Drake hit the ground and skidded until he stopped a few feet in front of Tocsax.

“What happened to you Drake? Where’s the Bounty Hunter that would do anything for the Credits?” Nails questioned. 

“Drake started to slowly get up as he hissed, “Shut up.”

“Where’s the murderer who killed countless people?” Nails asked. A smile formed on Vipers face. She knew what Nails was doing and she seemed to enjoy it.

“Shut it,” Drake hissed again as he started to get to his feet, but fell back down to his knees from the pain in his abdomen. 

“Where’s the monster that burned down that Orphanage?” Nails yelled. Drake’s heart skipped a beat as the vision of the burning building once again flashed in his mind. That was the napping point.
 
“Shut up!” Drake roared as his eyes changed to blood red. His shadow exploded from the ground and changed into the snake head tendrils. Their roars sounding like the screams of tortured souls. However, the tendrils began to change. Along their backs grew green spines and from their temples grew a green horn. 

“There it is,” Nails said with a smile. The snake head tendrils shot towards Nails, but a large red circle appeared in front of Nails and bones quickly shot out of it. They connected into an eight foot cobra skeleton. A lavender glow appeared in the cobra’s eye sockets just before the cobra skeleton was engulfed in flames. It quickly wrapped around Nails just before the snake head tendrils reached him. The tendrils slammed again the cobras flame body, but it did not budge. As the tendrils tried to break through the snake’s defense, Nails mocked, “You’ll have to do better than that.”

Drake, however, didn’t hear Nails mocking him. All he heard was the shadow Nexus in his mind: Rip, tear, kill, murder!  The tendrils slammed even harder against the snake’s body as a tendril in Drakes shadow slowly slithered up towards him. It began to fuse with his right hand as the shadow started to crawl further up his arm.

Tocsax knew he had to do something. But what can he do that won't sound melodramatic? He didn't want to be false, but at the same time...he wanted to help Drake. That much, at least, was genuine. Looking at Nails with hatred, Tocsax, his eighteen-year old body standing straight, would shout:

"Drake isn't the person he was before! And he will never be if you don't try and make him! So you, man of Chronos, just leave off!" And with that, Tocsax looked at Data-Ascot, then said:

"Please, cast Pain Link, now!" Data-Ascot didn't quibble, and, with his Keyblade, cast as spell on Tocsax and Drake, a spell that connected the two of them with an invisible, shimmering thread. This link, one of Data-Ascot's specialties, would allow the sharing of pain and even painful memories between those connected; an impractical spell to cast in the middle of battle...except when an ally is suffering from both magical corruption and mental trauma.

Tocsax would then will himself to absorb Drake's emotional pain and see his memories (no, he wasn't going to take away those, just the pain), and Drake himself would feel said pain receeding, to be replaced by a feeling of calm and trust, trust that came from Tocsax. The Nobody was trying to take on the bounty hunter's suffering, no matter how briefly!