So here's my newest story. Even though I put the idea for this story on my profile page, I've pretty much accepted that no one ever reads my profile, so I decided to give this story a shot.
I must warn you first, however. This story is villain centric, with rarely any interactions with purely good characters. It is also very dark. There will be lots of death and despair involved, so it is not one of my typical stories.
This is also unlike my other stories in another fashion. Although you *can* read it without prior knowledge of the series in question, a more fulfilled read can be attained by those who have played Dissidia Final Fantasy.
So read on, and hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it.
A massive expanse of translucent violet tiling could be seen as far as the eye could see in any direction one cared to view. No structure of any recognizable pattern could be seen in this world of darkness. The only things that broke the emptiness of this wasted realm were the pillars of exquisite architecture that dotted the landscape in a seemingly random fashion.
The amount of ambient power in the air was significantly higher than the other realms that made up this conglomerate world. In fact, streams of visual arcane energy could be seen slowly swirling through the air in a lazy manner.
The area was devoid of all indigenous life, as there was no form of flora anywhere to be found. The entire landscape was seemingly manmade, yet how it was done was a mystery to all.
The air began to shimmer in a small area on the floor, marking the first sign of movement apart from the energy still floating overhead. Chunks of a crystalline substance materialized out of the air, fusing to one another. Eventually, a construct was formed out of these crystals. The shape of this construct was identical to a man whose features indicated a hard life lived alone, complete with a scar near his left eye. The crystal man slowly held out its hand, where another smaller construct formed. This one started off thin and long, with more features being added every second.
One edge of the newly formed construct flattened and sharpened until it was akin to that of a blade, while the other broadened and formed a blunt edge. The end closest to the crystalline man's hand contorted and twisted until it formed a handle similar to a revolver, complete with a loaded gun chamber. The barrel of the gun fused to the forming crystal blade, until the man was holding a unique weapon known as a gunblade.
With its new weapon, the construct wandered aimlessly through the empty expanse of tiling, searching for a purpose to its sudden existence.
The life of the construct was numbered in seconds. A uniquely designed sword colored golden and encrusted with gems and tassels near the end zoomed out of an opening hole in the air and came to a halt in front of the crystal man. The sword hovered there for a split second, and then it viciously slashed through the very center of the construct, shattering it into shards of crystal from which it was made.
The black portal from which the sword had emerged grew wider, rotating in midair. The golden sword slowly floated back to the portal, from which a large figure was emerging.
The newcomer was impossibly tall; he was most likely taller than the tallest human. He was completely covered in bulky armor that was colored a mixture of cyan and gold, with traces of royal violet. The suit of armor was unique in that the helmet grew out of the breastplate, effectively eliminating that standard weak spot. There was nothing but a dark slit in the helmet where light was allowed to pass through, so that the man could see what was in front of him.
Like his sword, the man's armor was encrusted with gold and violet orbs and gems, giving the man an otherworldly appearance. Two golden spikes jutted upwards from the shoulder plates of his armor, with many smaller spikes forming secondary weapons along his arms.
"Manikins…" the newcomer spoke in a deep, grating voice. He walked out of the portal, each step creating a metallic sound from the impact of armor and tile. The gems and tassels rattled and clinked as he walked, showing that this warrior was confident enough to announce his presence. "They are a waste of space."
"Kome now, Exdeath," another, female voice with a distinct accent sounded. The form of a shapely woman faded into existence not far away from the armored man. Her hair was long and silver, complete with two horns spreading out from her head. She was dressed in a revealing crimson dress that possessed two decorative wing-like attachments extending down from her shoulders. "Surely you don't deny their usefulness as tools?
"Ultimecia, the first to arrive as always," Exdeath greeted the new arrival, his voice betraying a degree of grudging respect for the woman. Ultimecia acknowledged his greeting with a nod. She walked elegantly to his side, gazing out upon the endless tiling, where more crystalline "manikins" wandered endlessly in search of a purpose.
"Tell me, what do you think of this 'plan' of the Emperor's?" Ultimecia questioned, her earlier query concerning the manikins going forgotten in light of the new issue.
"Hmm…" Exdeath mused, turning his head to follow a swirling ribbon of arcane power. His helmet made it impossible to read his emotions, but it seemed that he was thinking about the witch's question.
"His last plan failed to take into akkount the strength of the Kosmos warriors. Although ingenious, it failed to end the cycle," Ultimecia continued, walking forward. Exdeath followed her movements warily with his visor. "Do you believe that this one will do what the last kould not?"
"Indeed, the warriors of Cosmos were stronger than usual that time around, but in the end, both parties failed," Exdeath agreed. "No matter how much strength one claims to have, one cannot kill a god. At least not permanently."
Exdeath strode away from the pulsating black portal, which closed behind him as soon as he was no longer in its proximity. Once he reached Ultimecia again, he gazed directly at her, a gaze that she eagerly returned.
"I believe that the Emperor was wrong to hinge his plan upon the death of a god. I do believe, however, that his new approach of escaping the cycle entirely is worth trying." The armored warrior finally spoke his opinion. Ultimecia crossed her arms and nodded in understanding.
Both of them were soon alerted to another presence entering the barren landscape. Exdeath and Ultimecia turned their heads to see two more figures stride out into view.
The first figure looked similar to Exdeath in the manner of how his armor covered his entire body, even including the helmet growing out of the chest plate and seeing out of a small slit in the visor. Unlike Exdeath, the newcomer's armor was colored pitch-black. The helmet possessed two horns jutting into the air on either side of it for decoration, and a long flowing cape colored black and red descended to the ground behind him.
The second figure was hunched over, dragging a large, triangular sword on the ground behind him. A faint screeching sound could be heard as the tip grated on the tiled floor. He was also wearing armor, though this time it was colored a dark grey. A navy blue cloak cascaded over his shoulders. His helmet, unlike Exdeath's was a separate piece, which fully covered his face. A small V-shaped visor revealed two yellow points of light, which were assumed to be his eyes.
"My, if it isn't Garland and Golbez. I didn't think either of you would bother koming," Ultimecia observed, loud enough for the two newcomers to hear. The one with the large sword just scoffed and kept walking their direction, while the other seemed to be curious.
"And why is that?" the man in black armor questioned, a hint of suspicion evident in his deep voice. Exdeath chose this moment to speak up.
"Golbez. I agree with Ultimecia: I didn't expect you to be here due to your…dabbling with the other side," Exdeath interjected. The accusatory tone in his voice earned a smirk from the witch, and a silence from Golbez.
"Now now, Exdeath, don't antagonize the poor man. I'm sure we'll need his kooperation in this skeme of the Emperor's," Ultimecia scolded the warrior lightly, who grunted and turned his visor away from Golbez.
The way Golbez's body was standing clearly indicated newfound hostility towards Exdeath, if one was looking for it. However, Garland stepped between the three of them and began to speak.
"We do not have the luxury of fighting amongst ourselves any longer," the knight growled. "The Emperor's plan requires complete cooperation from every one of us warriors of Chaos."
"Really? Even Sephiroth?" Ultimecia questioned, becoming intrigued at the notion. There was a silence from Garland. "If I recall correctly, he refused to go along with the Emperor's last plan."
"That is because all Sephiroth cared about was returning to his own world. That is why he guided his nemesis to victory at his own expense." Garland corrected her. Ultimecia's expression didn't change as she waited for the knight to continue.
"I wasn't aware that this plan would arrange such a thing," Golbez stated. The mage glided softly towards the group to join in the conversation. It seems that Garland's words had interested the stoic man.
"It is true. Should we be successful, all of us will be able to return to our own worlds…in a way." The knight continued.
"Then I am anxious to hear what he has to say," Ultimecia affirmed. There was a silence as the warriors of Chaos arranged themselves inside the clearing.
The tranquility was shattered as the faint sound of cursing could be heard in the distance. Ultimecia, being the curious woman, decided to take a look at the new arrival, while Exdeath did not bat an eye. He recognized the voice easily, and thus did not feel the need to look.
"Interesting. I thought he would be too busy with his own affairs to lend us his assistance," Garland marveled. Exdeath grunted and turned his head to see Ultimecia speaking with the new arrival.
"All I gotta say is this better be important! I was in the middle of something. Damn punk ass Emperor and his cronies giving me crap," complained the newcomer. Exdeath saw a man, probably the most normal looking out of all of them, walking with the witch towards their gathering.
The man wore nothing but a pair of black shorts that possessed an orange sash over his right leg and a red bandanna around his head. For armor, he wore a metal gauntlet over his left arm. Other than that, he was completely shirtless.
He looked clearly disgruntled, his long dark hair hanging irregularly over his bandanna and over his face, as if he had been engaged in some strenuous activity that had messed up his usual style.
"Surely you also wish to escape the cycle, Jecht? What better way of doing that than cooperating with us?" Ultimecia asked of the man. Jecht brushed his hair out of his eyes before replying.
"Not really. This whole conflict shit don't bother me. I just like to fight," Jecht grunted in annoyance. "And I really don't like that Emperor prick."
Ultimecia and Jecht entered the clearing. Jecht adapted an expression that betrayed his surprise. He glanced around to see the group of warriors all gazing at him with expectant expressions.
"Right. What're all you guys doing here? Won't those Cosmos guys get suspicious if we all run around in the same place?" Jecht queried. He stalked away from Ultimecia and propped himself up against a pillar. He let out a sigh and stretched out his right arm before returning his gaze to the other warriors. Exdeath looked like he was going to respond, but he was interrupted by the sound of something whizzing through the air extremely fast.
The warriors tensed and weapons were readied as the newcomer drew closer.
"Wait. The manikins are not taking notice. The newcomer is a warrior of Chaos." Garland warned. His words served to relax the other warriors. Exdeath grunted and lowered his sword back to his side.
Jecht peered around his pillar, but it was only a moment before he scoffed and turned back to the front.
"It's Kuja. I can see that black thong from here," he informed everyone with a wry grin on his face. His joke went unheeded, earning disdainful looks from the others. Jecht grunted in annoyance. "Humorless bastards."
"He was tasked with informing Sephiroth and Kefka of the meeting place, was he not?" Ultimecia recalled. As Kuja came into view, the warriors moved to accommodate him.
Kuja, at first, could be seen as one of the more flamboyant members of the warriors of Chaos. Kuja could be seen smiling triumphantly. His untidy silver hair flowed backwards in the air behind him, contrasting nicely with his white and black robes made with a fine silk flowing around him as he flew.
"Great, that blasted clown is coming too?" Jecht demanded, though his question was clearly rhetorical. He made as if to leave, but the second he turned, he came face to face with another new arrival. Tentacles with toothed mouths and eyes hissed and snapped at him, causing him to recoil, even as he jumped slightly in surprise. "Damn, woman, give a guy some warning!"
The woman in question spared him little more than a disdainful look before she glided past him to meet with Garland, who walked forward to meet her.
"Cloud of Darkness. It is good to see that you chose to join us as well," Garland greeted her politely. The woman grunted.
"We were very busy making sure the warriors of Cosmos did not draw any closer," the Cloud replied. Garland nodded in satisfaction.
"That's nearly all of us. With the addition of Kuja," the knight continued, just as the mage in question floated down gently to the ground to join them. "That leaves Sephiroth and Kefka, along with the Emperor himself. You did inform them of this place, Kuja?"
"Do not worry, the actors shall not be late for the show," Kuja assured the knight with a smile. There was a sense of relief that swept through the clearing.
"Convincing Sephiroth to come must have taken some doing. I am impressed," Ultimecia complimented the mage, who acknowledged the compliment by flipping his hair back and smiling again.
"Yeah, we all know that Kefka would have been easy to convince," Jecht muttered to himself. "Speaking of which, no one answered me about the Cosmos warriors. Isn't this meeting a bit conspicuous?"
"Fear not," Kuja announced, and he twirled through the air until he was floating on his side just in front of Jecht, who grimaced at his proximity. "There is an army of manikins between us and them."
"At the very least, we will have some warning," Exdeath elaborated. Jecht grunted in response to the explanation. He seemed to be disappointed.
Ultimecia, who could be considered the more social of the warriors of Chaos, stepped delicately back over to Exdeath. The armored warrior shifted slightly to allow her room, and then turned his helmet slightly so that he could get a view of her.
"It seems to me that you may have the most important role in the plan, considering how the Emperor invited you personally," the witch mused aloud to him, though her words were loud enough to attract the attention of the others. Exdeath didn't respond at first as every eye in the clearing turned to him.
"Indeed? Perhaps you could shed some light on the subject, Exdeath," sounded an unfamiliar voice from the outer edge of the clearing. The warriors turned to see another new arrival walking purposefully into the area.
The most distinct thing about the newcomer was his sword. It was significantly longer than any sword possessed by any of the warriors summoned to this world. Relatively speaking, it was twice as long as the sword that Exdeath possessed.
The next thing that would be noticed would be the man's hair. It was silver, similar to Kuja's only it was straightened and tidy. It was longer than Kuja's, stretching down to the man's waist. It contrasted nicely with the man's silver shoulder plates, which rested upon a long black coat.
"Sephiroth," Exdeath greeted the man, his voice unreadable. The man nodded slightly in return. Sephiroth strode towards the rest of the warriors and stood near Golbez and Garland, who moved aside to give him some room.
"I see Kuja convinced you to join us," Garland observed, turning his helmet to face Sephiroth.
"I do not recall being convinced of anything just yet," Sephiroth corrected the knight sharply. Garland glanced at Kuja warily, but the mage remained unaware of the knight's scrutiny.
"Then tell us why you have come," Golbez rejoined. Sephiroth turned his gaze towards Golbez, his expression unchanging.
"Curiosity, perhaps," the soldier replied simply. Golbez did not seem to be satisfied by the terse reply, but he said nothing more.
"That leaves Kefka and the Emperor himself," Ultimecia summarized. Exdeath grunted impatiently, his grip tightening on his golden sword. Over near Kuja, Jecht also grew impatient. The man stuck his sword in the ground and began shadowboxing. Kuja watched with boredom on his face for a minute, and then he floated over to Ultimecia.
While they conversed, Jecht dimly began to hear the sound of faint explosions in the distance, followed by peals of maniacal laughter. The man shut his eyes and let out a grudging sigh. He grabbed his sword and relocated over towards Ultimecia and Kuja.
"Please," Jecht started, an irritated expression taking over his face. Ultimecia and Kuja turned towards him, growing curious at his sudden plea. "One of you distract me so I have an excuse not to talk to that."
Rather than fulfilling his wish, Ultimecia and Kuja walked around him and started looking for the source of the explosions that were increasing in volume ever so slowly. Jecht groaned and moved towards Exdeath.
"It appears that Kefka is drawing near," Ultimecia called to the other warriors. Kuja scoffed and returned to the clearing, leaving Ultimecia alone to greet the crazed clown.
"Manikins, manikins, EVERYWHERE!" Kefka screeched, bounding into view in the distance. The clown, dressed in overly colorful robes consisting of every color known to mankind was playfully skipping through a crowd of manikins. Every so often, he would snap his fingers, or gesture flamboyantly, after which a burst of powerful magic would erupt forth and destroy whatever it was the mad clown chose to target. "Have a FLARE! Another Holy, coming right up!"
"That utter fool," Exdeath growled to himself. Jecht propped himself up against the same pillar Exdeath was standing in front of. The man predictably found himself agreeing with Exdeath's sentiments.
"One could admire his enthusiasm," was the only positive thing Kuja could possibly say about one of his least favorite comrades. Jecht snorted in amusement at the deadpan joke.
Kefka entered the clearing by performing a backstroke in midair, earning him several scoffs and askance glances. When the clown reached the center, he suddenly corrected himself and struck a pose.
"Ta-da! Sorry I took so long, I was busy TORMENTING one of Cosmos's dear warriors. I'm SURE you all know just how entertaining that is!" Kefka announced. While his poses and random acts of destruction went ignored, his mention of one of Cosmos's warriors gained the attention of the other warriors.
"You defeated one of the warriors of Cosmos?" Garland questioned sharply, being the first to address the clown. Kefka promptly did a strange little twirl on the spot so that he was facing the knight.
"Not in every sense of the word, you see. Ooh, I just love messing with their precious little minds you see. Every little time they lose, they forget me! It's just so tragic…and yet SO GREAT!" Kefka attempted to explain.
"So in other words, he got his ass beat, so he said something clever at the end," Jecht muttered to Exdeath. That one earned a grunt of amusement from the warrior.
"Perhaps this meeting can come to order, now that you've destroyed several of the manikins I worked so hard to gather," Kuja snarled at Kefka. The clown, polite as always, blew a raspberry at the mage and waggled a finger at him. Kuja scoffed and turned away.
"He has a point, however. The Emperor is not yet here," Golbez pointed out. The Cloud of Darkness floated near Golbez, her feet never once touching the floor.
"Indeed. We are concerned that he may not appear," the Cloud confessed to the other warriors.
"We cannot stay here forever waiting for him. No doubt by now Kefka's rampage has alerted the Cosmos warriors to our presence," Exdeath asserted. His claim earned nods of agreement from the other warriors.
"That does it. I'm leaving," Jecht declared suddenly. He pushed away from the pillar and walked away from the clearing. The other warriors watched him go, perhaps contemplating whether or not they should do the same.
As Jecht walked, the air around him began to feel strange. It was almost as if the air was thinner than usual. When he became aware of this phenomenon, Jecht turned around to see if the other warriors were experiencing the same thing. However, he couldn't see anything amiss over where he came from, so he decided to right himself and keep walking. He stopped in his tracks when he saw what was in front of him.
An imposing man stood there before him, dressed in a violet and black royal robes that swayed gently, suggesting movement only a second previously. The man wore a golden circlet on his brow, contrasting with the pale white of his hair. His hair was long, but tidy. It was slicked back behind his ears, giving the man a regal look to him. His dark eyes bored into Jecht's, who instinctively took a step back.
"Leaving so soon, Jecht?" the man inquired softly in a silky smooth voice. Jecht shivered despite himself, and then he let out a curse.
"Son of a bitch! That's twice now you people have given me a heart attack!" the man exclaimed. His yells gained the attention of the other warriors, who instantly became silent the moment their eyes fell upon the robed man. The man stalked past Jecht regally, heading for the gathered warriors. Jecht let out another barely concealed curse and turned back around.
"This party has not yet started. Surely you don't wish to miss out?" the man said again to Jecht without turning his head. Jecht just grunted and followed him in annoyance.
Garland was the first to greet the regal man. The knight moved towards him, dragging his sword behind him as usual.
"Emperor Mateus. We were waiting for quite some time," Garland started politely, but there was a distinct hint of dissatisfaction in his voice that the regal man clearly picked up on.
Mateus walked past Garland, acknowledging the knight's greeting with a wave of his hand, the golden bracelets and rings present there rattling as he did so. As he walked, the Emperor slowly levitated up off of the floor so that he stood tall above the rest of the warriors. This was most likely so he could address the other warriors all at once.
"I apologize for the wait, ladies and gentlemen," Mateus began politely. There were nods from the rest of the warriors as they accepted his most likely insincere, but nonetheless polite apology. "I assume you all wish to know why I've called you out here?"
"I would indeed. All you told me was that your plan involved escaping, rather than ending," Ultimecia was the first to speak. The Emperor was incredibly polite, despite his title. When she spoke, he gave her his full attention, and waited to speak until he was sure she was done. "Yet I find myself curious."
"How does this plan involve the Rift?" Exdeath rumbled. Mateus's gaze moved to the warrior's instantly, nodding in recognition.
"Ah, Exdeath. I appreciate your presence here. This plan cannot succeed with out you," the Emperor addressed him, his lips curving into a small smile.
"So get on with it already! What the hell am I doing here!?" Jecht called up to Mateus. The Emperor's gaze turned into a frosty glare as he addressed Jecht's rude words.
"All in good time, Jecht. Please curb your tongue lest you disturb me further," Mateus admonished lightly, though his tone was as hard as iron. Jecht cringed slightly, and for good reason. The Emperor was possibly one of the strongest out of everyone gathered here, save for perhaps Garland.
"Allow me to speak plainly. I, through chance, have discovered a way to escape the confines of this empty world." Mateus began. There was an air of concealed shock among the warriors at his words. They had been fighting in this endless cycle for many years, perhaps more than they could even remember.
"I'm sure many of you have witnessed a strange figure dressed in crimson appearing in this world at random, correct?" The Emperor continued.
"That's true. I had to fend off this individual when he appeared in the very Seat of Madness, where I stood conversing with our lord, Chaos," Garland revealed, drawing attention to himself. "He had a certain fixation with my weapon."
"I may have experienced such a thing," Sephiroth admitted, speaking up for the first time since he arrived.
"Gilgamesh," Exdeath identified suddenly. The Emperor noted his words, turning his head to view the warrior with a curious look on his face.
"You are acquainted with this individual?" Mateus queried. Exdeath nodded slowly.
"He was one of my generals, before I was summoned here by Chaos. I sealed him in the Rift when he betrayed me," Exdeath related. The Emperor smiled at his explanation, as if the warrior's words had confirmed his suspicions. Exdeath suddenly realized what the Emperor was getting at. "You mean to use the Rift as a means to escape?!"
Shock rippled through the ranks. Sephiroth appeared particularly interested by this, as did Garland and Jecht.
"That is precisely what I plan. If this 'Gilgamesh' you speak of possesses the ability to transport himself to different locations at will, why shouldn't we be able to imitate it?" Mateus responded. Exdeath stabbed his sword into the ground in a rare expression of anger.
"The Rift is not someplace you can just enter and exit! To enter it without a clear destination is suicide, clear and simple!" Exdeath protested vehemently. Mateus's smile did not vanish. Instead, he produced a large tome from his robes. Exdeath let out a short breath as he saw it.
"I see you recognize this, Exdeath. This is where I determined that such a course was possible, if dangerous." The Emperor explained. The other warriors glanced at the book without understanding, but Exdeath was surprised enough to walk towards the Emperor, who lowered himself enough to hand the book to the approaching warrior.
"On the Nature of the Void." Exdeath recited the title of the book for everyone to hear. "An ancient tome written by a brilliant researcher who was the first to successfully travel into the Interdimensional Rift. How did you come to find this?"
"Surely you remember the copy of the Dimension Castle that is present in this world? While it is not the true Rift, the most likely explanation suggests that some elements from the true castle were copied as well," Mateus explained abstractly. Exdeath nodded slowly, and then he returned his attention to the tome.
"So we're gonna escape this place through some portal or another?" Jecht interjected, completely not understanding anything that the Emperor and Exdeath were talking about.
"You are correct. The book states that once a portal to the Rift is opened, the walker transports himself to his destination by orienting on a source of great power. It makes sense that Gilgamesh would be able to deposit himself in the Seat of Madness, due to Chaos's immense power," Mateus affirmed.
"Then what do you wish me to do? I can indeed feel many thousands of power sources while traveling through the Rift, but it is dangerous to pursue those unfamiliar to you," Exdeath questioned. The Emperor appeared to think for a moment.
"If we provided you with our power as a point to anchor yourself, could you find a place outside of this world for us to inhabit?" Mateus demanded. The nature of the Emperor's plan then became clear to the other warriors in the clearing. Jecht threw his sword to the ground.
"Well I'll be damned," he remarked. Exdeath shut the tome and clutched it against his side. The warrior remained silent for a good minute as he thought about the Emperor's request.
"This is your plan? How does this return me to my own world?" Sephiroth snapped, joining the conversation.
"There's no guarantee that this plan will even work. This whole thing is a waste of time," Kuja sneered, agreeing with Sephiroth.
"It sounds intriguing. Perhaps it would be better than the mindless killing we've been repeatedly doing," Ultimecia commented.
"I agree with Kuja. We should accept our fate, rather than endlessly rebel against it," Golbez inserted. The Emperor ignored everyone's opinions, instead remaining silent while waiting for Exdeath's reply.
"If you exert enough power to give me a reference point, I will explore the Rift for you," Exdeath finally decided. The warriors ceased citing their opinions and stared at Exdeath in anticipation.
"Excellent. While you are exploring, I shall explain the second, more important phase of my plan to the others in preparation for our eventual escape," the Emperor continued.
"Shouldn't I be present to hear this plan as well?" Exdeath asked suspiciously. Mateus laughed at his suspicion and floated down beside the armored warrior.
"Worry not. I shall inform you of your future role upon your return," The Emperor assured him. The armored warrior was silent once more.
"Right. Like I've been saying since the beginning, won't Cosmos's warriors notice if we start blasting our power out like a lighthouse?" Jecht reiterated.
"I told you, there are…" Kuja started, but Jecht didn't let him get any farther.
"I KNOW there are a bunch a manikins running around, but who's to say a few of them won't break off and engage us directly?" the man pressed. Despite his reasonable suspicions, Exdeath was already beginning to open a portal to the Interdimensional Rift.
"Oh, I just hope they do…I'd love to give them a good SMASHING!" Kefka butted in, clapping his hands rather excitedly. Jecht gave him an extremely exasperated look.
The air around Exdeath began to twist and roil. It was like the sky was a sheet of transparent plastic, and some cosmic being was pressing down in the center. Eventually, a divot formed in midair in front of Exdeath. It grew deeper and deeper, and finally ruptured and formed a tiny, black hole in the fabric of reality.
The warriors watched in awe as the hole appeared to rotate, pulling more of reality with it as it did so. The hole continued to grow in size until it was large enough to encompass Exdeath's form.
Jecht inched closer to the portal, until he was standing just behind Exdeath. The man peered around the armored warrior until he was staring directly into the Rift itself. Jecht couldn't help but marvel at the sight he saw. A roiling tunnel of a strange black substance extended out as far as he could see. Occasionally, the twisting darkness would reveal glimpses of alternate realities. Jecht could have sworn he saw a hole open to a vast desert for a fraction of a second, before it too was devoured once more by the shadows. He shook his head in wonder.
"Stay back, Jecht. The Rift is not merely a place one can stroll through," Exdeath warned, pushing Jecht back with his clawed hand. Jecht scoffed in disbelief, but did as he was told.
"Kefka, would you do the honors?" Mateus asked of the clown, who promptly danced over the Emperor.
"Of course! You don't mind if the area is a little…damaged…do you?" Kefka responded, a devilish grin crossing his heavily tattooed face.
"Show some discretion," Mateus replied with a hint of humor in his voice. Kefka reacted to the Emperor's response by laughing like a child who had just been given some candy.
"Oh goody! Stand back everyone! Wouldn't want to…accidentally…destroy you too, now would I?" the clown declared. The other warriors of Chaos wisely moved away from the crazed harlequin, knowing that this area of the landscape would most likely be irreparably damaged after Kefka's eminent display of power.
Kefka continued to belt out his maniacal laughter. As everyone watched, an aura of powerful magic burst forth from the clown, spiraling into the air to form a pillar of multicolored flames.
"Sure, ask the clown to exert his power, that's such a great idea!" Jecht muttered to himself as he took refuge behind a group of clustered pillars. As the man watched, the tiling cracked and shattered in the area around Kefka. The cracks quickly spider webbed outwards. The pillars closest to the clown shattered immediately, sending fragments flying outwards.
"That will be sufficient to ensure my return," Exdeath affirmed, seemingly unaffected by the raw power coming from Kefka. Mateus nodded in satisfaction.
"I bid thee farewell, and good luck in your search," the Emperor finished. Exdeath grunted in response, and then the armored warrior stepped inside the portal, which soon closed behind him.
The Emperor approached the warriors who were taking refuge from Kefka's exertion with a satisfied look on his face.
"Now, I have other matters to discuss with you all," he began.
The moment the portal closed, complete silence fell over Exdeath. He walked through the tunnel of roiling shadows seemingly unfazed.
Exdeath could feel millions of latent power sources scattered throughout the Rift. It was impossible for him to tell which one of them would lead him to an alternate plane, or a world outside of the cycle.
He did, however, sense the bright power being exerted by Kefka, fairly close by. It was intense, far stronger than any of the nearby sources, so the warrior was not worried about finding his way back.
He suddenly began to feel many other power sources that were familiar to him congregating on Kefka's position. He recognized them as the warriors of Cosmos. It seemed that they had finally begun to notice the gathering. Exdeath was not concerned. Although the warriors of Cosmos were able to defeat each and every one of them during the previous cycle, he was confident that they would not be able to defeat them when they were working together.
The shadows that rotated around him suddenly transmogrified into a roaring crimson inferno. Unconcerned, Exdeath walked through the burning wall of flames in his way and found himself in a barren, volcanic wasteland. Massive super volcanoes the size of continents spewed out fire and ash, devastating the landscape around them. The ground was scorched black by the constant flames that ravaged the countryside. It was a land that never existed; a future that had never come to pass.
Almost as soon as it had appeared, Exdeath saw everything around him melt and dissolve, as if the volcanoes had been part of a cosmic painting that had suddenly been immersed in water. The colors split and blurred, reforming themselves into shadow once more.
Time as man knew it did not exist inside the Interdimensional Rift, so the amount of time that passed before the shadows split once more was indeterminate. Exdeath had barely been walking for a few minutes in normal time, but for all he knew, he could have been walking for centuries forward or even backwards in time.
Though any normal person who entered the Rift would end up lost in time forever, Exdeath was not normal. He retained his spatial perception as he walked, and was able to enter and exit at will. He could still feel Kefka's power.
The shadows split and peeled away to reveal an ancient city street. Everywhere Exdeath looked, the buildings he could see were broken down and neglected, as if they had been abandoned for a very long time. As Exdeath watched, the buildings shimmered, and he could faintly see the outlines much larger buildings. The architecture of the faint buildings were the same as the ones they overlapped, only they were much more complete. Shadowy forms of people coalesced into existence, walking around the city aimlessly.
Exdeath realized he was walking through the city's past, present, and future all at the same time. Out of curiosity, he focused on the city's present time, and soon found himself in a bustling city square.
His appearance in the square attracted the attention of the passerby, though their reaction was little more than curious glances. Exdeath wondered why they weren't frightened. He soon realized that his appearance was similar to that of a knight, and he could see other knights dressed in different armor striding throughout the streets around him. It appeared this city never made it out of the iron age.
Satisfied, Exdeath allowed himself to fade out of the city, returning to the mix of times in the broken down city. Although the city looked normal, Exdeath knew that it was still in the Rift, locked in time forever.
The warrior soon found the city melting away into shadow once more like it had never been. Returning to the task he had been assigned, Exdeath searched for a source of power other than Kefka's that stood out.
Exdeath released a grunt of shock when he came across a source of power greater than even his own. It was not in the direction of Kefka's power, so it must be in another dimension of its own. It was not Chaos's, or Cosmos's, as it was much less incredible, but it was still formidable. Perhaps even more the Mateus's vaunted strength.
He decided that it was worth investigating, so Exdeath reoriented on that power and began moving through the Rift towards it. The shadows that formed his pathway moved faster as Exdeath himself sped up his pace.
The shadows split away faster than usual, and Exdeath found himself hanging in midair above one of the more stable regions in the Rift. These regions were those that were sucked into the Rift through the actions of man. They did not change and twist in time as the other places he had seen so far, but they could be walked on as if they truly existed.
Exdeath grunted and swiftly concentrated a tiny portion of his power under each of his boots, holding himself in midair. He slowly began to descend to the ground. He cast his gaze around and found himself in some sort of forest. Why man had chosen to seal this place up was beyond him, but it should make for easy travel.
Exdeath touched down on the grassy undergrowth in a clearing he discovered. Looking around, he could see no exit to the forest in sight, but he did not need eyesight to find his way forward. He could still feel that strong power source, and it was there that he chose to move.
The warrior stepped into the trees, choosing the easiest paths in the foliage. As he moved, Exdeath became aware of something strange happening in this forest. As he walked, appealing passageways in the forest would present themselves to him, while others would suddenly become overgrown with vines and therefore become impassable.
Out of curiosity, Exdeath halted his momentum and turned his head. More vines were growing at an extreme pace, intertwining with roots and thorns to block him from returning the way he came. He came to the conclusion that this forest was predatory, herding its victims to the heart of the forest through pleasant passageways, and then devouring them there. This was the most likely scenario in Exdeath's mind. He laughed at the futility of anything trying to devour him.
The warrior moved again towards the power source, only to discover that the forest was not keen on him moving in that direction. The gap that he had chosen to traverse closed up with vines and roots even as he moved towards it, while another path opened up nearby. Exdeath halted in place, his right hand rising.
"Your attempts to hold me are futile, forest," Exdeath spoke, his voice breaking the oppressing silence that hung over the forest. A bright light formed in Exdeath's right hand, coalescing into the shape of a small orb. The orb grew larger and brighter, until it covered his entire hand. With a grunt, the warrior thrust his hand forward and threw the orb at the path that was blocked to him.
To Exdeath, his exertion at creating this orb was minor. However, any other being would find the sheer power he had just released insurmountable. Thus, when the orb collided with the vines blocking his way, a massive explosion ensued, instantly vaporizing not only the vines, but every single tree in a medium radius around his target.
A loud, inhuman screech echoed through the forest, pain and loss evident in the sound. Exdeath laughed in derision at the sound. The forest should not have been foolish enough to block him.
The scream soon turned furious, and Exdeath could hear rustling in the undergrowth. He could hear growls and hisses emanating from the foliage around him, indicating the presence of predatory creatures nearby. Completely unconcerned about the imminent danger, the warrior strode through the newly created path.
"Monsters…your way of avenging your pain? Ridiculous," Exdeath remarked as the growls turned into roars. A massive wolf-like creature burst out of the foliage and lunged at the warrior, its mouth open and claws outstretched, the intent to kill clear in its mad yellow eyes.
Without even attempting to dodge, Exdeath continued to walk. However, his golden sword left his hand and levitated in midair. As the wolf drew closer, the sword zipped forward and sliced the monster in half. The blood from the kill splattered forth, coating the left side of Exdeath's legs. Although annoyed, Exdeath knew he could just clean it later.
The death of one monster drew out the rest. Several monsters of many different species emerged from the foliage and threw themselves and the warrior. Exdeath continued to walk steadfastly forward, not slowing his momentum for anything.
Another wolf-like monster assaulted him, only to be blocked by the floating sword and sliced into pieces before it could get any further. Large bats and several variations of insects all attacked him at once, intent on gaining revenge for the wounds inflicted by Exdeath.
Exdeath laughed derisively at their efforts. He now understood why mankind had sealed away this forest into the Rift. Presumably, this forest had preyed upon their species for quite some time, leading to its current fate. Since time was skewed in the Rift, there was no way to tell how long ago this place was sealed.
The warrior continued to walk, but his sword began to spin around his body, deterring the smarter creatures from attacking and slicing up those too close to retreat.
The speed of his sword increased rapidly as he willed it. Powerful winds began to form as a result, shredding anything that came to close. The winds eventually became visible as a rotating tornado that surrounded Exdeath's body. The warrior continued to laugh as he watched his magic suck in the attacking monsters and annihilate them.
Exdeath now had some peace, so he allowed his tornado to fade away, the golden sword slowing to a crawl and floating back to the warrior's hand.
The trees ahead of him grew thin, allowing some light from outside the forest to slip inside. Exdeath was able to catch brief glimpses of a strange structure that lay just outside the forest.
The warrior cut his way out of the forest's last defense, until he was finally standing under the sky once more. It wouldn't be accurate to say there was a sun. Light simply filled the air with no tangible source; it was just another facet of the Rift one had to accept.
Now Exdeath could get a clear view of the structure in front of him. Its layout was similar to a shrine, though what it was dedicated to was beyond him. The only other clues to its purpose were the strange angelic statues that were set up in two parallel lines stretching forward from where Exdeath stood.
The warrior stepped forward carefully over the carved stone tiles. The sound of his heavy armor colliding with the stone echoed off of the walls nearby, which were crumbled and neglected.
Still following the power source, Exdeath walked through an arched doorway and into a small room. Inside, there were an arrangement of crumbling pews facing a shattered altar, which had a small bowl made of tarnished silver sitting atop it. The remnants of once glorious tapestries hung on the walls in tatters. All in all, these constructions suggested to Exdeath that this was once a place of worship.
Exdeath noticed another door situated behind the altar. The power source was still further, so he strode down the aisle between the pews. The first things he noticed were the multitudes of human skeletons lying in various positions on the pews. The warrior halted, curious enough to take a look at one of them.
The skeleton he chose to inspect was charred nearly beyond recognition. Judging by the burnt and broken state of the pew it was lying against, Exdeath could tell that this individual was killed while in worship. The fact that it was killed through fire was odd, since the warrior could see nothing in this room that would burn other than the tapestries, and they showed no signs of fire damage.
Exdeath considered magic as the cause of death, but he couldn't recall any fire magic that would cause this much damage to the skeletal structure beyond the usual charring. In fact, each bone he cared to look at was fractured and mutilated, which was uncommon for fire magic. His only conclusion remaining was some type of new magic, similar to his power over the Void.
All it took was one cursory glance over the rest of the bodies to determine they shared the same cause of death. Satisfied, Exdeath continued down the aisle. He climbed up the stairs to the altar, but didn't linger long before moving out the door.
He was now in an interior hallway that extended out into blackness, the torches on the wall long since gone out. Exdeath sighed and formed another orb similar to the one he had used earlier to escape the forest. The light from his power lit up the path in front of him.
All of a sudden, Exdeath felt Kefka's power dim, almost to the point where he couldn't feel it anymore. The warrior grew alarmed, and turned back the other way. If need be, he would rush back to the other warriors if his way back was threatened.
Exdeath focused, and was able to sense a few very dim pinpricks of power near Kefka's declining one. They were the warriors of Cosmos that he had sensed earlier. It appeared that their presence had distracted Kefka from doing what he was tasked to do.
Soon, the warrior felt Emperor Mateus's power begin to fluctuate; this was a symptom Exdeath usually associated with those currently fighting. The incursion of Cosmos warriors was enough to force even the Emperor into fighting.
Thankfully, it wasn't very long before Exdeath sensed a new source of power. This time, however, it didn't belong to Kefka. The clown's power was now fluctuating, while Sephiroth's now was the most prominent. Exdeath relaxed. Now that Sephiroth was serving as his return beacon, he could continue.
Exdeath continued his walk down the dark passageway. He noticed several other rooms branching away from the main passage, but they did not interest him. As long as the power source he was seeking remained in front of him, then that was the direction he would travel in.
Eventually the passageway terminated at another arched doorway, a rusted iron door engraved with an eagle motif barring the way forward. Curious, the warrior wondered if this was where the power source was located. If that was true, he could open the portal to the world in which it resided.
Exdeath moved forward and attempted to open the door. To his surprise, the moment his hand moved near the door, he felt something change in the air around him.
Instinctively, Exdeath crossed his arms in front of him and summoned up his own magical power to create a spherical barrier that was nearly unbreakable. His instincts were proven right when the door released a powerful blast of magical energy directly at him.
Exdeath grunted when the energy broke upon his shield like water. It only lasted for a few seconds, but there was enough force behind the blast to push the warrior back by a foot. His armored boots were forced into the stone floor as he did so, gouging out a path as he attempted to remain in one spot.
When the magic had dissipated, Exdeath let his barrier disappear. Intrigued, he walked up to the door and realized that it must have been enchanted by a powerful mage to have released such a powerful blast.
"A cunning trap," Exdeath mused aloud. He again moved his hand near the door, assuming that the trap was now spent. As he suspected, the door did not emit any more magic, offering him no resistance when he pushed it open.
Inside was what appeared to be a small bedchamber, complete with a writing desk, wardrobe, a small chest near the desk, and a small chandelier possessing burnt out candles. The only really noticeable anomaly was the lack of a bed.
Instead of the four-poster bed Exdeath would expect to be in such a room, there was instead an ornate sarcophagus lying in its place. Such a thing was out of the ordinary, so Exdeath decided to examine it further.
It was not the source of the power he was feeling. However, Exdeath was certain that the best place to open the portal to the new world was not far. In fact, he could feel it just outside of this room.
Exdeath leaned over the sarcophagus, as he had noticed ancient writing carved on the lid. The writing was unclear, but Exdeath could tell that it had a ritual meaning, as it was superimposed upon the carved image of a strange, cloaked figure. Behind the cloaked figure was a split picture of the sun and moon merged together.
The warrior grunted, and straightened. It was time for him to get moving. However, there was no further exit from the room, which didn't make sense to Exdeath considering the strength of the trap that had been set in place to deter him.
The warrior turned to leave. He planned to find another way out of the building that led in the direction he wanted. As he neared the exit, he suddenly became aware of another new power source, only this one was much nearer in proximity and much clearer. That kind of clarity in his senses meant that the source was in the same place as him.
Exdeath heard a crashing sound from behind him, and that was all it took for the warrior to act. He instantly warped away from the doorway, narrowly avoiding a blast of darkness that was directed at him.
Exdeath reappeared near the desk, his sword already levitating in midair and ready to fight. Without moving, the warrior gestured his arms aggressively, and his sword shot forward and unleashed a series of vicious slashes and cuts at the figure that had just attacked him.
The figure wielded a staff and a blade of some sort, both of which were moving too fast for Exdeath to get a clear look. The second it came under attack from Exdeath's golden sword, it turned and wielded its weapons expertly, blocking the strikes sent its way. Exdeath eventually withdrew his blade in preparation for another attack.
This gave his opponent time to step back and release another wave of darkness at him. Undeterred, Exdeath manipulated his sword up in front of him. His blade began to spin in a circle in front of him. In the split second before the blast hit, Exdeath infused his weapon with his own magic. The combination of the weapon's path and Exdeath's magic formed an intricate crimson crest in the air in front of him.
The darkness crashed into the crest immediately after it formed, though it was not as destructive as its wielder might have wished. In fact, Exdeath was completely unharmed. Exdeath exerted his power, and the darkness was sucked into the center of the crest. There, the warrior converted it into his own magic, and added some of his own reserves to the blast.
"Prepare for the afterlife!" Exdeath roared, and then throw his hands down in a swiping motion. The crest dissipated and released all of the energy it had collected from the dark blast back at its owner.
The figure was unable to react in time to Exdeath's counterattack, and took the blast directly in the middle. The resulting explosion knocked a massive hole in the back wall of the chamber; beyond that was the outside of the shrine. The figure was borne through the wall and into the ground outside, where a large crater formed from the impact.
Exdeath wasn't willing to give up the offensive just yet, and so he warped himself down to the field even before the smoke cleared from the impact, orbs of light forming in his hands as he did so.
With a grunt, Exdeath released the orbs he was holding and hurled them into the dust where the figure had landed, causing subsequent explosions. The warrior stood stalwart, gazing into the dust and smoke and waiting for his opponent to emerge.
"You needn't bother hiding, worm. I can sense your power," Exdeath warned his opponent, despite the fact that he couldn't see him. "Show yourself, unless you plan to flee."
The power Exdeath sensed inside the dust did not move an inch, and as the smoke eventually cleared, its dark form was revealed. Exdeath uttered a cry surprise upon finally seeing its details at last.
The figure that had attacked him possessed a humanoid form, yet that was where the similarities ended. The figure, similar to the bodies found in the altar chamber, was completely skeletal. Unlike the other skeletons, this one was wearing a maroon robe that was filthy, pockmarked with holes, and possessed shredded ends. It also wore a rusted iron helmet that revealed its eternally grinning face.
For weapons, the staff it had used looked to be merely a gnarled tree branch, but it was black in color and cleanly polished. Its sword was also black, with a red gemstone embedded in the pommel.
"Interesting. Perhaps the main reason that this place was sealed into the Rift was because of you," Exdeath spoke to the skeleton, though he doubted it could understand him. The skeleton responded by flaring its robes and dropping its jaw in a feral roar. It then proceeded to charge head on at the warrior, its sword outstretched.
"A tortured soul, perhaps?" Exdeath thought aloud even as he brought his sword to bear. The skeleton wasn't even able to reach him before it was forced to contend with the warrior's golden sword, which cut and slashed at it as soon as it reached it.
"Fear not," Exdeath assured the skeleton. The warrior walked up to the figure and grabbed his sword, continuing to fend off its mad assault with ease. With his free hand, Exdeath formed another crest, though unlike the last one, this one was much larger and was colored mostly white, with shapes of blue, yellow, and green intertwined with one another within the crest. Then, he withdrew his sword to behind the crest. The skeleton saw this as an opportunity, and tried to run forward for the kill. "For you, the true death approaches!"
With one last roar, Exdeath stabbed his golden sword into the middle of the crest. A stream of white light erupted from the other side of the crest, engulfing the skeleton and throwing it backwards at a high speed. With a screech, the skeleton ignited into white flames and disintegrated as Exdeath watched.
"All things begin from and return to the eternal Void. You were no exception." Exdeath at last spoke, and then he began to move forward towards the power source he had originally been tracking. It was at the end of this clearing, which was not much further away.
"Now, I must complete my task," Exdeath finished. He reached the end of the clearing, which was marked by a sudden cliff that dropped off to a watery mist, which no doubt led back to the mélange of time and space that made up the rest of the Interdimensional Rift. However, the power source he had sensed was directly on him.
From there, it was a simple matter to open another portal, though Exdeath was uncertain as to where he was going to end up. The warrior walked through his newly opened portal.
This time, as he walked through the twisting and roiling tunnel of shadow, there was a light at the end. The eventually grew until Exdeath was now standing on the other side, finally out of the Rift.
The warrior could do nothing but stand in shock at the sights before him. This was certainly not the world of the cycle anymore, as he had never seen anything of the like in that world.
He was standing on a hard, rocky surface that was colored black. It was marked with a variety of white and yellow dashed and solid lines that had seemingly no meaning, at least to Exdeath. The warrior looked around to see lush green trees and grass on one side of the black surface, while on the other was a white fence. Beyond the fence were several structures that were similar to the homes of the villagers back in his original world, which he could dimly remember from before the God of Discord summoned him.
Despite the fact that the structures appeared more advanced that what he remembered, Exdeath realized that this could only mean one thing.
He had escaped the cycle. The Emperor's plan was going to succeed.
All right, I'm done. What do you think? I confess to taking a few liberties with the characters, such as Jecht's and Ultimecia's. They just don't speak enough in the game for me to truly understand their characters.
Exdeath will be a main character for a little while, but then the story focuses mostly on the Emperor. Speaking of which, I used the appearance of the Emperor's second alternate outfit, the one with the purple black robes and white hair. It is also the one from the playstation port of FFII. I just like that one better.
The scene with the Lich (yes, I'm calling it a Lich) is NOT filler. It is in fact foreshadowing for what is to come. It was not simply a battle I threw in there to make Exdeath look awesome. Despite the fact that he is awesome.
I also think I went a bit overboard with my description of the Rift. The Rift always interested me, so I decided to take a few liberties with it, hence overlapping times and discarded futures.
Anyhow, leave a review and tell me what you think. The story will soon depart from Dissidia's storyline, but it provided a decent place to start.
Keelah Se'lai,
The Proud Quarian,
Terran34