The characters' lore:

First, I need to clarify that the Lightner protagonists in this story are not Kris, Susie, and Ralsei, but rather others that I don't know if I can show.

• JoyCommanders (main antagonists):
  They were conjoined twins, always bound together to entertain the Lightners. These two brothers hated being stuck with each other, and they believed they could serve a greater purpose than simply entertaining or being “jesters” (as they described themselves). They were convinced they held more power than the Lightners and deserved to be respected or even feared.

  When the Lightners neglected them, the brothers somehow managed to separate, and soon began a dictatorship within the Dark World. However, because of their differences, each of them ruled over separate parts of it.

  The two are locked in a constant war to decide which brother will claim absolute control of the Dark World. At times, they declare temporary truces to pursue goals of mutual interest.

  When rumors spread through the streets that the Lightners had returned, the JoyCommanders caught wind of it and tried to set aside their differences, forming an alliance against the Lightners with the goal of annihilating them, ensuring the Lightners could never “return to power.” Still, this alliance is dysfunctional, neither brother can tolerate the other, and they spend more time arguing and fighting amongst themselves than actually plotting against the Lightners, often sabotaging their own plans in the process.

  Blue JoyCommander (Drama): Pessimistic, solemn, and obsessed with order. He always believes everything is doomed, and grows outraged whenever things don’t go his way. Cold, punishing, and relentless, he seeks to impose absolute obedience.

  Red JoyCommander (Comedy): Cheerful, mocking, and chaotic. He views everything as a spectacle, even cruelty, and gives contradictory orders just for amusement. He delights in improvisation and humiliation, reveling in the chaos he creates.

• Weird Lightner (recurring boss and comic relief):
  This is a Lightner who died after being crushed against a clock. Upon coming into contact with the influence of the Dark Fountain, he returned, fused with the clock, taking on a form more reminiscent of his ancestors, grotesquely oversized.

  This Lightner acts purely on instinct, seeking to consume what he instinctively believes to be the “blood” of the Dark World’s inhabitants.

  Although he may appear terrifying and violent, he can actually be pacified, and on many occasions ends up saving the protagonists from danger.

  Example: when the Lightners face a terrible threat, the Weird Lightner may swoop in and carry the danger back to his lair—mistaking it for food.

  His weakness lies in the clock he protects. Striking that clock gradually drags his form back into the present, making him smaller and smaller—until he’s reduced to the size of an ordinary mosquito.

• Rei and Tails Doll:
  just npcs

• Bootleg (secret boss):
  Ever since the JoyCommanders began their dictatorship, they started to marginalize or punish anything they considered to be against their rule, anything different, or simply anything they didn’t like.

  Bootleg was seen as an anomaly by the JoyCommanders: imperfect, with a face that reminded them of the games beloved by the Lightners, and a taste for music they deemed “infernal.” They hated him, almost with the same passion they reserved for the Lightners themselves.

  The brothers hunted Bootleg down until they finally captured him, tearing away parts of his body and scattering them in secret.

  The Lightners will first stumble upon his head, which guides them to recover the rest of his body, so that he may become whole again and…

  (His story remains unfinished.)