"Kyde, Kyde? KYDE!" A voice came from above me. "KYDE!"
I looked up, opening my eyes. "What is it now?" I moaned. "I'm sleeping."
"Well your not now. Get up." She walked over to the door. "We have things to do."
I moaned, "People to save, things to kill. If people want to keep their hearts then they can fight for it themselves." I pulled the covers over my head and rolled over.
"Some 'Protector' you are." She walked over to my bed, threw the covers off my feet, grabbed them and started to pull.
I grabbed the top of the bed, "You can't make me!"
She proceeded to pull harder, "Get up!"
"No, Mommy No!" I yelled.
"I'll de-pant you!" she started to grab the bottom of my PJ pants.
I let go of the top of the bed to grab my pants and we both went flying. She hit the wall first then I hit her causing a loud crash, and a huge mess to go with it.
"Look what you did!" she moaned.
"What I did? You pulled!"
"You wouldn't let go!"
"Well du!"
"Why are you always like this in the morning?"
"I recall a very tired Tai after-"
Tai cut me off; "Alright, alright!" she pushed me off her.
I got up and walked over to my bed that had my clothes on the bottom. "You can at least let me get dressed."
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Tai was waiting outside as I walked through the door, "Now we can go."
She was leaning up against the wall, her arms crossed, she nodded. We walked off towards the bailey. The defense mechanism was working properly; people were still in their beds asleep. Oh how I envied them and Tai was bright as the noon day sun in the early morning. How could she be so happy so early in the morning?
We walked into the bailey and looked out towards the old castle. The castle hadn't seen any life for two years. Except for the Hollowhearts that now roamed the place. That's what the defense mechanism was for, but it wasn't installed that far out. That's what Tai wanted to do today, and for the next few days. She wanted to install the dang thing and she volunteered me to do it with her.
"You ready?" she asked me.
"I have a choice?" I mocked.
She just sighed and walked down the stairs to the Hollowheart infested trail to the castle.
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I guess I have some explaining to do, first off me and Tia. We have been together for what I think three years. I don't keep track anymore. We traveled the worlds together, saving people, defending worlds, defeating the massive Hollowheart that was eating worlds. That was a fun one… Anyways we lost track of each other for about a year, and what happened we kept to ourselves. We didn't know each others story and that was ok, it was personal. We meet back up here, on this world, in Glittering Garden. Odd name for a world that is infested with Hollowhearts more than any other world that I've come upon since we defeated the massive Hollowheart.
Now onto the Hollowhearts. Hollowhearts are creatures that don't have any hearts so they prey on people with hearts. Weak hearts not so much, but strong hearts are often the target. Even though they can't use the hearts they take for their own they still take them to try and fill up the emptiness. The emptiness inside them is shown by the hole in their chest that goes all the way threw them.
There are also others that have no hearts, but they look human. They are called Anarces's and they have no hearts, no feelings, and no emotions. At least they aren't supposed to, but there is one… we'll get to that later.
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"What?" I asked looking at Tai.
"I said, it's odd. There aren't any Hollowhearts."
I looked around; we were half way to the war plain. Where we along with our friends fought immense amounts of Hollowhearts of many different kinds. A place usually haunted by vengeful Hollowhearts is now empty. "Your right."
"What do you say we hurry up to the War Plain?"
I nodded, and we started running down the trail. The whole way there was just the blue ground. Nothing happened that would usually happen, like the long fights, tiring battles, anything that would grow annoying. Except the annoying nothingness that would never end.
We came upon the war plain, and it was empty. We stopped at the edge and looked at each other. I looked down and kicked a rock; it landed a few feet in front of us. Nothing. The rock landed in the dusk and showed no life.
"You getting that feeling?" Tai asked me watching the rock.
She meant the empty feeling, like we were alone. Not the feeling that you get in the Hollowhearts grounds. I just nodded in reply.
"Let's go." She started walking.
I followed her, scanning the area for something, anything.
The war plain was a long stretch of nothing but dirt with high rock walls on all sides and only two ways out and in. One the other side of the war plain there was a ledge that yet another fight had taken place, but it was won like the last one. Beyond that ledge was the castle, but it was a little ways off still, now you could see it much better now.
The others had tried to fix it up but the Hollowhearts drove them out. Leaving it only partially fixed and mostly looking like trash. In that castle we had both gained and lost and we remember everything that happened that day.
We stood at the edge, looking down at the canyon that separated us from the castle. It was empty of Hollowhearts and that place was like a mating place all year long! All the way to the castle was empty.
"Well I guess this will be easier than I thought." Tai shrugged.
"Ya, but let's just go for a closer look." I winked and I jumped down the cliff side into the canyon. I used my feet to skid down the side, crouching down, my arms out for balance, I was almost flying. If I hit a rock I would be…
I could tell Tai was right behind me without looking. I could hear her shoes skid down behind me and there were rocks slowly passing me. When I came to the bottom where the incline met the canyon floor I immediately jumped forward so Tai wouldn't slide straight in to me. This caused me to almost land on my face because of poor balance, I'm not that graceful.
Tai, who had landed on her feet and not her hands, was standing behind me laughing.
"If you don't shuddup I'll kick your butt back up there." I said standing up and brushing the dust of me from the trip down.
"I would like to see you try, but right now let's just get the job done. Then you can attempt to kick my butt." She walked past me. "Didn't that one guy say that there was an entrance around here but they could never get in because of the Hollowhearts?" she started to examine the other side of the canyon. "I don't feel like climbing all the way up just to find a way in up there."
"That goes for the both of us." I moaned as I searched the canyon wall. "His name was Ter and yes he did mention an entrance somewhere around here, but remember, he only saw it once."
"Ya I know, but I thought that was because the Hollowhearts were so thick they covered it."
"Well do you see any Hollowhearts? Or any entrance?" I asked sarcastically.
She ignored my remark and kept looking.
I just shrugged and went up to the wall, placing my hands on it and feeling around. Nothing but smooth canyon wall… 'Wait, the other side wasn't smooth.' I started to think to myself. 'So why is this side smooth?'
I felt around and noticed that the smoothness stopped at a spot that felt and looked like the rest of the canyon wall. I felt to the other side and it was the same. I stepped back and saw that the smooth part was on only one spot and was in the shape of a circle. Just the way that Ter described it.
"Find anything?" Tai yelled.
"Ya I think I did." I replied.
Tai walked up behind me, "So what is it?"
"Notice how it's smooth right there." I said outlining the edges with my finger.
She nodded then cracked her knuckles, walked up towards the wall and examined it for a moment. Without warning, of course I knew it was coming, she punched the wall. She held her fist there, "… Ow."
"Well you punch a wall and expect it to not hurt?" I sighed and walked up to the wall.
"I don't see you doing anything." She said rubbing her hand.
"I found it didn't I?" I leaned against it and pushed, and pushed, and pushed…
"Wonderful job." A sarcastice tone was all she wanted me to hear.
I stepped back and kicked the wall over and over, "Will. You. Just. OPEN!" I yelled and as I tried to kick on 'open' the wall disappeared and there was an opening. Making my foot got flying into the air and my face into the ground.
I could hear Tai step right next to me. "Eating dirt again?"
"Be Quiet, and help me up." I murmured into the ground.
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The halls intertwined, there was no light, and it was to quiet. Where there would be no breathing room because of the Hollowhearts was complete emptiness. There wasn't even the sound of a small rodent scratching its was across the stone. I had a necklace that gave light in the darkness, that's just one of its many uses. It was a purple crystal that gave a soft blanket of pail light over the blue rock.
As I lead the way we found tons of things that we had never seen before, like pictures of a huge Hollowheart that seemed to be attached to a man. Then a man standing alone and then two others were standing together. It seemed to tell some untold story, if so why were the Hollowhearts watching over this place and why are they gone?
The story seemed to be that there were this group of people, I wasn't sure how many, that were fighting this monster, which Tai and I thought was a Hollowheart, and many of them fell. Then two, or maybe more, stood up to this monster and… it stopped. Of course it stopped! It just leads on and on then stops!! Wanting to know more we walked on, the halls slowly got brighter and brighter, it seemed that we were walking up hill, where was this place leading us?
Just like hitting the surface of water we stepped into a large room with colored windows very close to the top. The rest of the way down was riddled with pillars and stairs and such. It looked like a gathering room where balls and such were held. There were no balls or parties in this place, only the echo of our foot steps.
"What do you-" I started.
Tai cut me off by placing her hand in front of me to make me stop walking and look at her. She was looking over towards the left, unwavering. I looked and I understood why. There were a group of people, and they were just standing there. You could see through them but not so much that you couldn't tell what they looked like.
'A hologram?' I thought, 'No, this place can't support a hologram like this. It would be too noticeable with all the equipment needed for this.'
In this group of five they all had weapons that were different then the others, and all were indeed very different for the other. The tallest one had red spiked hair that went down past his shoulders, he also had some marks on his face on his eyebrows and cheeks. He had Chakrams that were silver and red, a black coat that fit him perfectly for fighting.
The next was a silver haired boy, his hair also went past his shoulders and his long bangs covered the upper part of his face. His weapon was a sword that was thin and long. He had a fighters outfit on, showing his strong arms and figure.
The other boy had short, brown, spiked hair. He had a small sword that seemed to have some kind of magical attribute to it. He looked like the 'hero' out of the group, his clothes being casual and comfy.
The other two were hidden and seemed to be hidden in shadow while the three boys were ready to fight, and the opponent appeared from the sky. The monster that was on the walls with a dark man attached to its front, like he was the mind of the beast, controlling its every move.
"Tai, what's going on?" I asked to her in a whisper.
"Memories," she didn't even look at me, "this place holds the last memories of those that fought hear long ago."
"Why didn't anyone know about this?"
"I'm not sure, it's something that was recorded but destroyed by the looks of it. The pictures in the halls, that's the only record left."
The battle started, the red head's Chakrams lit on fire and he threw them at the beast. The silver one ran towards it with the brown haired one. The other two were still hidden in shadow. They called each other by name when using battle attacks together. It seems that the red head was called Gazutõ, who seemed to be an Anarces. Then the silver was called Rety, and the brown Kyne.
The battle raged on for a while, and Tai and I just stood there watching. We were helpless and could only wish to aid them. The monster, which was confirmed to be a Hollowheart by those fighting and which they also called Humot, was vigorous. Without ceasing it stayed up and fought back with twice as much force as the three against it. While the two stayed in the shadows, calling the trios names when they fell.
Then with one grand attack from Humot the three fell and stayed down. Gathered in a cycle, from the attack, they laid. Humot gave a laugh that shattered my mind, and swallowed my heart. I could fell the darkness that once inhabited this place, and it made me feel weak inside. While Tai didn't move an inch from where she stood when we first started to watch.
The two from the shadows stepped forward, but they were still clouded from sight. Almost like their features were hidden but their form was still there. Their voices rang out as they ran towards those who had fallen, but one of them sounded familiar to me. They knelt beside them and seemed to say something, like a good-bye but also an apology, and then they seemed like they were saying something about seeing each other again.
They then stood and faced the Hollowheart, almost identical swords appearing in they're hands. One purple, black, and silver; the other gold, silver, and black. Power enveloped the area around them making gold and purple streaks in the air.
"Ready Ariel?" one said to the other.
The other nodded, "Ready, Elizabeth."
Light glowed around them revealing their true figure. I nearly gasped but I instead covered my open mouth with my hand. The looked just like Tai and I. The one called Ariel looked and sounded just like Tai, that's why I thought it familiar, and the one called Elizabeth looked just like me. Also their swords were very close in resemblance to ours.
They lifted their swords into the air and made there tips touch above them. Light radiated from where they touched and the light grew. Both looked up at Humot and joined hands. Before they did anything else they disappeared, like they were never there.
"What happened?" I said through my hand.
"They didn't win." Tai said.
I removed my hand and looked at her, "How do you know that?! We didn't see if they won or lost. How can you be so sure?"
"Look!" Tai yelled as she turned to face me, "You know as well as I do the attack they were going to use. Do you see the after affects of that attack?"
This shocked me, yes I knew that attack. It was the very same one that Tai and I used, it was our secret. The attack would have left deep gouges in the walls, but there was none. 'What could have happened to them before they finished their attack?' "Do you mean that they were us?"
Tai only nodded.
"Then what…" I started.
The ground started to shake slightly and what ever was loose vibrated or fell to the ground. Causing dust to rise where they landed, I covered my eyes to protect them from flying objects that would have broken apart as they crashed.
"Kyde!" Tai's voice called to me.
I removed my hand and saw her pointing up; I followed her hand and coughed from trying to gasp. A laugh rang out as the shaking started to subside. It was the same laugh that I had been listening to just moments earlier. It gave me the same feeling of having my stomach stabbed through.
"Can you see it?!" Tai yelled.
"Humot…" I whispered as I stared.
The Hollowheart dropped down from the ceiling smashing into the floor. The landing made my ears ring and my feet give way and my knees hit the ground. The Hollowheart was massive and was indeed the same Hollowheart that we had seen before. It floated above the ground supported by four strong legs. Its body looked like that of a bull and it had a small tail. Its head had two horns and between them the same man. The man had the mark of the Hollowheart on his upper body and so did the Hollowheart itself. A whole the shape of a heart in its chest that leads to the darkness of its soul.
With all the claws and fangs it almost looked like a Behemoth! It was also close to the same color! As a matter of fact it was a Behemoth!
Humot looked at us and smiled, "Finally you two have come back to your fate." His voice echoed through the large room
"Correction. I've never met you and I don't believe in fate." I said getting to my feet.
"Don't try to trick me. I know who you are, and you're not getting away from me this time! Protectors of light and dark!"
I looked at Tai, "So which on of us is light or dark?" I joked.
"I'm obviously dark."
"What why are you always dark?"
"Because you always have a sunny disposition."
"Well I'm the one with the dark colors on everything. I should be dark."
"Just because your colors are purple, black, and silver doesn't mean that you're dark."
"Well Miss gold, silver, and black you can't exactly count for dark."
"Colors have nothing to do with it."
"Ya it does!"
"ENOUGH!" Humot yelled causing the windows up high to shake.
Tai looked at him, "Can't you see were talking here?"
"You both protect light and dark, as sisters." Humot was confused, "Now let this continue!"
"Sisters?" I asked, "Were not even related!"
"Quiet!" he yelled again. "Elizabeth and Ariel, Sister Protectors. Now let's get on with it!"
"And… what now?" I scratched my head.
The Behemoth opened its mouth and a ball of energy formed inside it.
"Scatter!" Tai yelled as she jumped to the left.
The Behemoth jerked its head and the ball went flying, and towards me! I couldn't move, my legs were jello. I just braced myself and moved my arms up in front of me, attempting to block. The blast hit right in front of me but it didn't hit me, as I looked up I was looking at a form again. The person looked at me, it was Elizabeth. She was holding back the blast with her sword.
"What the Hell are you doing?! Get up and fight!" she yelled at me.
'Do I really sound like that?' I thought, "What am I to do?! I don't get what's going on!" I yelled. My arms were still up shielding me from the massive amount of force that tried to blow me over.
"It's time to finish what we started!" She removed one of her hands from her sword and held it in front of me. "Together we are one, apart we are lost."
I reached out my hand to grab hers, I nodded.
Elizabeth smiled, and then she started to glow. My sword appeared in my hand and I swung it at the ball forcing it back. When I opened my eyes again Elizabeth was gone.
'What happened?' I looked around. "We are one." Rang through the air. 'What about Tai?' "They have already joined, the same time we did. Now join together!"
I nodding to myself I ran towards where I thought Tai had been thrown. Sword in hand I didn't notice that my clothes had changed and my sword. I jumped out of the way of another energy ball skidding when I hit the ground, on my feet… I kept running.
"Tai!" I yelled after dodging another one. "If you ditched me I swear I'll kick that arse of yours all the way to the moons!"
Right then something hit my butt and I went flying forward, and doing a face plant right into the rock.
"Say that again." Tai said walking over to me.
I jumped up, noticing her change in dress and weapon but said nothing. "I said I'm going to kick your butt next time you do that!" I picked up my sword, "Now are we going to just stand here or are we going to give this guy something?"
"Like a can of whoop ass?" she smiled.
"Then lets go!" I yelled running off towards the middle of the room.
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We fought for a long time, and we were still no better then him and he no better than us. We gave and received blows, the ends seemed far. Tai and I had joined with our 'past' and learned what happened at the end of the battle.
Right before they could start their attack Humot started his final attack. Knowing that there was no way to finish their own attack they quickly switched to a new one. This wasn't exactly an 'attack'; it was more like death, a two bladed sword. Where if you do something there is a backlash. By sealing Humot away they too would seal themselves away, and their friends.
Before Humot could release his final blow they used it, sealing Humot to this room. Sealing them and their friends and sending them into time, the future. This is where they could have a second chance to be free or find themselves again.
Tai and I found ourselves again, but would it be enough to finish this fight?
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The Behemoth crashed its foot down on top of me; I could only hold it up with my sword and both hands. The fight had been going on for a long time, and I was growing tired.
"Tai!" I cried. "I'm not sure I can hold this for much longer."
She had been thrown into a wall right before I ended up in this, "If we could get close to each other it would be easier!" I heard her voice.
She was right, Humot had been keeping us apart ever since we started. He was giving us no chance to combine our strengths and fight together. He was either trying to tier us out to finish us off easily or he was doing this for his own amusement. That just made me mad, both of them.
I gathered energy in my sword and forced the Behemoth of me, then trying to stand I fell forward. I was loosing energy and fast, I tried again and ended up slipping again, but I caught myself and ran off. Stopping behind a fallen staircase, breathing heavily.
"Kyde!" Tai yelled and a loud crash followed.
My heart jumped and I climbed the rubble to see over it. When on top of it I could see the whole room past all the fallen debris. The Behemoth had her pushed up against some fallen stone with its claws.
I jumped off and ran for her, and as I jumped up to slash the leg I was thrown back by another leg. I crashed into some or the wreckage and I was held there by the Behemoth. We were stuck.
"I'm growing tired of playing around. Now I'll end this and continue to rule over this pitiful world and all the rest!" Humot laughed as the Behemoth opened his mouth wide, ready to shoot another energy ball, only much worse than the first.
I looked at Tai, she was looking at me. I still had grasp on my sword but was slowly loosing it. I waited, hoping she was able to do it. As my heart felt like it was going to burst from the pressure she nodded. I tightened my grip and let out the energy I had built up inside myself, pushing the Behemoth back as Tai did the same. The Behemoth was thrown back onto its back; this gave us the time we needed.
We ran to each other, grasped hands, raised our swords and put them together. Purple and gold streaks surrounded us as our energy started to combine. The gravity around us gave way and things started to go flying around us.
Humot had summoned the Behemoth to its feet, and then started his final attack.
The tips of our swords started to glow and pull in the air around it.
Humot had a giant ball of dark energy above him; the Behemoth had its head up.
"Apart we were lost…" Tai spook, and her voice echoed.
"Now together we are one…" I continued.
Tai and I brought down our swords and pointed the glowing tip at Humot. The swords hummed as the ball of gold and purple grew.
"Sister Protectors…" We said, then pulled apart our swords and held them high. "Twilight Dragon!" The ball of energy that had been floating in front of use expanded and formed into a dragon. Not a real dragon just the form of one.
Humot threw attacked, "I won't let you finish!" the ball came flying towards us.
"GO!" we thrust our swords forward and the dragon took off.
The two energies collided making a huge force wave that crashed into the walls, creating deep gouges in them.
"Don't give up!" We called to our dragon.
The dragon made a loud cry and pushed forward, breaking his dark orb and crashing into the Behemoth, into Humot. Everything seemed to burst as the explosion from the crash commenced. A great light engulfed the area and Humots screams faded away.
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"Elizabeth? Elizabeth?" a voice called, "Elizabeth!"
I threw my pillow at her and sat up. "It's Kyde, remember."
Tai held the pillow in front of her, "Ya sure whatever, let's go. We have to find our friends remember?"
I stretched, "Ya, ya I remember." I stood up as Tai left the room. Throwing on my clothes I sighed to myself. The opened the door, closing it behind me. I looked at Tai, "Ready Ariel?"
"It's Tai, remember. Now com'on let's go. Gazutõ, Rety, and Kyne are waiting for us!"
"Ya, ya whatever." I smiled.