Vanilla Reaper
Chapter 2
-Fire-
"Don't you want to know what the cicumstances are?"
Riku felt his surroundings darkening, a sleep overcoming him and the last image coursing through his mind that of the three women calling themselves sorceresses. When he awoke, he found himself yet again in a strange bed. But unlike the sterile white hospital room he was taken to, Riku was surrounded by rich red velvet walls, a spacious bed and cascading drapes of matching color. He looked down, finding his upper half devoid of clothing and legs encased in warm silken black sheets. The room reeked of taste and wealth, something far from normal to the life he grew up in. It also told him quite clearly he was nowhere near home.
Fresh clothes had been prepared for him, left on a drawer made of rich, sleek wood. He lifted them into his arms, donning the form fitting v-neck maroon shirt and skin tight black pants darker than any abyss. Riku peered at a mirror resting on one of the velvet walls, his form tall and hair perfectly in place despite waking not long ago. He was incredibly at ease and it was scaring him.
"Sora…"
Riku had been presented with a wish by the women in lavish clothing, a wish to have anything he wanted granted, but at the sick cost of Sora's life. It was never supposed to happen. There was no possible way for Riku to have known that their simple outing, a night where they wanted to enjoy but a simple dinner as a reward for all their hard work, could have ended so tragically. Wishes and strange sorceresses aside, Sora had died in an accident. A car had hit him, ending his life in one quick instance. And who was to blame?
He continued looking at himself in the mirror, the realization already fully seeped in. Riku should have let the thief go. Sora's hands on him, pleading to simply leave the matter rest and to go on home, it was a simple decision he should have made, but Riku thought otherwise. His stubbornness was blinding his sense of judgment and ended up taking matters into his own hands. Looking at it now, Riku couldn't help but be sickened by the thought of how trivial it was. A material item like a wallet could be replaced, a person couldn't. His direct actions led to Sora's untimely death.
By a strange twist of fate, Riku unknowingly initiated a magical ritual that summoned the sorceresses. A white rose was stained by Sora's blood, a life having been lost in the process. It was the catalyst to bring them forth to offer up a wish. He could have anything he wanted, possess riches, power, the world itself, but Riku wanted none of that. It was his fault Sora died, it wasn't just a sense of righting his actions, what he considered to be his sinful mistakes. Riku simply wanted to embrace Sora again and tell him everything was alright.
"Don't you want to know what the cicumstances are?"
Barefoot, Riku left the sanctuary of the room. The hallways were long, wide, and the ceilings incredibly high. Various forms of artwork decorated the walls, metal suits of armor lined up in perfect order every which way he turned. Riku continued along aimlessly, slowly picking up on just what kind of place he was occupying. Moonlight crept in through large color stained windows, cool breezes passing between white marble pillars separating him from the halls and an open, darkened garden. When he came to a set of gargantuan sky-high doors, the idea was firmly cemented in his mind. Riku was within a castle structure. The problem with this affirmation was that there weren't any castles in Destiny Islands.
Riku laid a hand on the surface of the monstrous doors, a bit of force added to his touch. To no surprise of his they remained as they were. Such a thing couldn't possibly be moved by his measly strength alone. He turned his head, hair wafting delicately. There were lights slowly appearing in the darkened garden he passed. Riku walked across the hall, hands resting on the marble banister overlooking the space.
"What are they?"
They were like threads, long tendrils of coiling green light swirling about. They were seeping into the ground, the air, disappearing and reappearing. Yet they remained within the squared off enclosure, never coming any farther than where Riku stood. Their eerie green glow saturated everything before suddenly, the threads disappeared entirely.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Riku felt his skin prickling, turning in the process to come face to face with the sorceress donning a yellow robe. She smiled at him, bowing her head slightly as if apologizing for the sudden intrusion. Riku never took his eyes off her.
"I see you're up," she said delicately. "You've been sleeping for two days now."
"Where am I?" he asked, remembering her name as Fabula.
"That will be explained later, right now I need for you to follow me."
"I want to know what's going on first."
"Do not disappoint me and say you have forgotten, Riku. Do your words mean nothing after what you said?
"I'll do it. I'll do anything to have him back."
Riku gritted his teeth. "Of course I remember. I meant what I said."
"Then follow me."
He did so in silence, walking a few steps behind her as they journeyed deeper into the castle grounds. They passed several corridors and halls before coming to another set of doors, Fabula performing a flick of her wrist and they began creaking open. Riku peered inside, the room dimly lit.
"Please step in."
Riku did so warily, too many unexplained things had happened and his nerves were on edge. His footsteps echoed loudly, the room just as cavernous as the rest of the majestic building. Slowly, as if waiting specifically for him, lights began to brighten, illuminating the space.
"Well, well, looks like the little prince is finally awake."
The words were cold, sarcastic, Riku already knew who they belonged to. Three armchairs were set before wall upon gargantuan wall of books. He was standing inside a library unlike he had ever seen. And sitting comfortably in these armchairs were the other two sorceresses, Ultimecia, and the one that taunted him, Edea. Riku felt his nerves fraying further. Fabula walked past him to take her seat, hands resting delicately in her lap. Ultimecia waved her claw-like hand, another chair appearing from thin air.
"Sit, Riku. There is much we need to talk about. How are you feeling?"
"Tired, but other than that I'm fine," he responded. "I don't remember Destiny Islands having any castles. Mind explaining where I am?"
"We are far from your little world."
He followed the words, Edea holding a long finger underneath her lip. "So this is a different world?"
"Indeed," Edea continued, "the stars you see lining the night skies are all separate worlds, infinite and ever expanding. Destiny Islands, this castle we inhabit, they are but two in a swirling sea."
'I've never heard of such a thing," he said.
"Typical," the woman in the intricate headpiece muttered, "a backwoods world such as yours wouldn't have a clue."
"Now, now, Edea, you're being quite rude," Ultimecia followed, yet her voice was peppered with insincerity. "It's not entirely his fault for not knowing."
"Well, now he does," she replied, " if he's going to be able to keep to his contract."
Contract. There it was, Riku still had no idea what he'd agreed to when he signed the parchment. He looked at the tip of his finger, oddly enough no wound to speak of was there. Seeing as how the conversation was dawdling between the sorceresses, Riku felt he needed to speak up.
"What do you want from me?"
Ultimecia and Edea stopped their little bickering, their eyes along with Fabula's gaze concentrating on the silver haired man. The most demure of the three, Fabula, perched an elbow on the armchair rest and laid her hand underneath her chin.
"The ritual initiated a contract, one where we were to grant you a wish. As I have explained before, Sora was the catalyst in creating it. We are able to bring back someone from the dead, our powers are capable of doing that. But you wanted to bring back the very person involved in the ritual. This is a limitation we are unable to break."
"She, Ultimecia," he said looking over at the horned sorceress, "said there was a way around it. I want to know what I have to do."
"It's actually quite simple," Edea interrupted, deciding it was her turn to speak. "However, you being able to carry it out is where I have my doubts."
Riku was getting tired of being led around in circles. "Are you going to tell me or not?"
The sorceresses exchanged glances, Ultimecia rising to her feet. "What is required to grant your wish, as Edea so elegantly put it, is quite simple. We need three hearts."
Riku blinked a few times, the words not registering. He placed a hand over his breast. "Hearts?"
"Three to be exact," Ultimecia reminded, holding up her fingers. "three hearts are required to bring your beloved Sora back to life."
"And how exactly am I supposed to get you three hearts?"
"It was all in the contract you signed," Edea chimed in, "Or were you too busily engrossed in something else to have bothered reading it?"
She clearly did not like him, it was beyond apparent that Sorceress Edea held some sort of contempt towards the 21-year old. She did ask him if he wanted to know what the circumstances would be, regardless of whether or not Riku liked the way he was being treated he was offered the option. Still, it didn't make her condescending manner of speaking any easier to take.
"Fabula?"
Edea called for her attention, the woman in purple and yellow flicking her wrist and the rolled up parchment Riku had seen before appearing right in front of them. It unfurled on its own, immediately zooming over to where Riku sat. The language was still something he had never seen before, yet to his great surprise, he was able to read it.
"I, Riku, of perfect health and mind do completely and irrevocably agree to the contract set forth by the Sorceresses. One wish is to be granted to the patron upon the completion of the demands listed in the following paragraphs. Failure to comply in accordance and to the complete specifications of the Sorceresses may in turn extend the amount of demands required for the patron's wish to be fulfilled.
The patron is required to offer half of his heart…"
Riku's eyes shot up, the smiles on Ultimecia and Edea quite apparent. "Half of my heart?"
"Keep reading," Edea instructed.
"as collateral to borrow power from The Sorceresses in order to accomplish his tasks."
"What? You didn't think we'd completely leave you out to dry?" Edea replied, "How else are you going to do what we ask of you if you do not possess the power to traverse worlds?"
Riku peered down the parchment, only to find that he was unable to read any further. Something told him this was being done on purpose. There was over three-quarters of the scroll left full of writing, it couldn't have stopped there. And Riku knew without a second thought, asking would get him nothing.
"This doesn't say anything about the three hearts."
"Oh did I say three hearts? Silly me, how kould I have made such a mistake?" Ultimecia tittered. "What I meant to say is the first thing we need is three hearts."
She waved her hand, a few more lines of wording now legible to the silver haired man.
"The patron is required to collect three hearts for The Sorceresses belonging to individuals he has deemed unworthy of the lives they have been given. Children are strictly forbidden, as their conscious and sense of individuality are not fully developed and thus, cannot be judged."
Riku fell into silence. Slowly, things were beginning to make sense. He was stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. The contract he was holding was reading like a laundry list. Riku had his hands on his knees, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping onto them. He felt his face growing hot, a sense of frustration engulfing him.
"Is this making sense to you?"
He looked up to catch Edea's eyes, golden honey orbs slanted in pure amusement. Riku was gritting his teeth.
"So I'm your errand boy?"
Edea's grin couldn't get any larger. "Don't say it like that, makes it sound cheap."
"More of a…kollector," Ultimecia added producing a glass of wine from thin air, "a harvester, a-"
"A reaper."
Fabula's voice rang clearly. "Think of yourself as a reaper, Riku."
If there was anybody amongst the three that Riku felt he could trust just an inkling more, Fabula seemed to be the case. She was vastly different than her companions. Fabula appeared delicate, sincere, her words clear and never laced with sarcasm or sense of belittlement towards Riku. However, they always say the quietest and most demure turn out to be the most twisted. He would have to keep that in mind.
"Seems Fabula has taken a liking to our guest," Ultimecia echoed.
The woman in yellow looked to her companion. "You know well enough Ultimecia, do not tease me."
Ultimecia merely fitted the glass of wine in hand to her lips, golden eyes locking onto Fabula.
"My, seems like the air has gotten thick around here. Why don't we move on, we can't leave Riku to stand around doing nothing. I'm sure he wants to get going," Edea expressed getting to her feet. "As the contract states, you are to offer half your heart as collateral for the power we will lend you. Ultimecia, will you please do us the honor?"
"Of kourse."
"Wait," Riku put up a hand, "I want to ask one thing."
"What is it?"
He looked to Edea, sucking in a breath. "Once I complete the tasks in the contract, my wish will be granted. Sora will be brought back, correct?"
"That is entirely up to you," the woman in black responded, "basically, it's a matter of time. It can be quick, it can be excruciatingly long, it all depends on how you work."
Silver hair fell over his face, eyes peering through the strands. "I will get it done."
Edea chuckled, "Well, that is left to be seen. Shall we continue?"
With a slow nod of his head, Ultimecia's glass of wine refilled itself and floated from her hand.
"Take a sip, Riku."
The wine carried towards him, his long white fingers grasping the stem of the glass. He lifted the brim to his lips and tipped it back swiftly. Riku was expecting to taste the slightly sour, bitter taste of wine. But it wasn't wine.
"Brace yourself."
A dark, swirling mass erupted beneath his seat. Riku's bare feet plunged into the abyss, holding him in place as tendrils of black surrounded him. His entire body was hot, his lungs gasping for air. Riku's mouth was gaping open, saliva lining his lips and threatening to spill. He could hear flapping, feel a cool breeze settling over his heated body. They grew louder, thunderous, and quite ominous. Riku was heaving, sweat building around his neck. That's when he saw it.
"Is this the offering?"
A black anthropomorphic lion with a silver mane was peering down at Riku, long leathery wings carrying it off the ground. A series of fuchsia colored crests lined its head, giving off the impression of a crown. Large claws, protruding blades jutting from its arms added to the menacing vibe it was emitting. It was truly a monstrosity.
"Griever, you are to take only half of his heart," Ultimecia ordered, acknowledging the creature by name, "from this moment on, you will be at his side."
"His heart…it reeks of weakness."
Riku's silver brows narrowed, his breathing becoming less ragged and stressed. He eyed the winged creature, Ultimecia shaking a finger.
"You do not have a choice Griever, he has taken your blood in him. You must junktion yourself to him, lend him your power."
"And all I get is half of his scrawny heart? This is an insult."
"Hey!"
Riku was struggling to stand straight, his limbs hanging as if the black abyss was holding on him by a strong, gravitational pull. He gritted his teeth, flared his nostrils as he attempted to stand. The blackness around him was still coiling, yet Riku wasn't going to give. With whatever strength he had, Riku looked up.
"I'm not backing away from this, I made my choice. Judge me when you actually see what I'm capable of."
The looming lion and sorceresses all watched him, slowly gathering imaginary strength as he stepped out from beneath the swirling mass of black. It was the first time Riku could see their faces struck emotionless, not even Edea's sarcasm could show. He held a hand to his breast, his fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt by the fistful.
"So take half my heart, and shut the hell up!"
"You've brought a fiery one, my lady Ultimecia. As you will, I will junction myself to the silver haired boy. But should he falter…"
"He is well aware, Griever. He already knows the konsequences for failing his tasks."
Griever performed a single flap of his giant wings, his looming body hovering over Riku. The lion's eyes bore no pupils, just two slanted orbs of yellow. He gulped the lump in his throat, his ashen-like lashes closing. Riku wasn't sure what to expect, but if it was pain, it couldn't come close to his sense of loss. He kept saying it under his breath, in his mind, and in the very heart he'd be losing part of.
"I'm doing it for him…"
He felt an inward ripping, an emptiness hollowing, and in its place a euphoric rush of dark power.
"You are crueler than I would have thought."
Riku walked out onto the porch, the night air crisp. While Destiny Islands was a country of year round hot summer weather, the nights were refreshingly cool. He was still holding onto the winged sword, the blade ravaged in thick, drying blood. Riku brought the handle towards him, only to swipe at the empty space in front of him, flinging the blood off.
"Careful how you handle that sword. It is my wing you are using."
His long sleeved white shirt was spotless and sticking to his every muscle, his black pants studded with an assortment of buckles. Riku caressed his hair, wiped at his brow and sent the sword in hand away with a flick of his wrist.
"The contract stated I needed three hearts belonging to individuals I deemed unworthy of the lives they were given. It never said they couldn't by my good for nothing parents."
There was a series of very deep, gruff chuckles. Riku peered over his shoulder, Griever's presence directly behind him.
"I must say, you didn't bat an eye. She reached out to you, only to be cut down. Don't you feel any remorse? I can understand the man, what a sorry excuse for a human being. But I did not sense the same with the woman."
"What do you care?" Riku spat out, "you didn't grow up in this household. You weren't beaten every day for simply being there. My mother could never stand up to him, she always went along , justifying it with whatever pretty words she could come up with. And those words…the way she talked to me, I swear they were worse than the actual beatings. Imagine being a kid and being told you will never be worth anything."
There was a passing breeze, sending long strands of silver hair into his face. "It's them that were worthless."
"There is still one heart left to collect. Have you set your eyes on a target?"
"I've had my target the moment we stepped down in Destiny Islands. Let's go."
With a ripple of black light, Riku was gone.
"Junction?"
The winged lion nodded its heavy head, mouth eternally set in a wide grin lined with sharp teeth.
"It is a system where you are linked to myself. You are able to call on my power, use my abilities, and allows you to "draw" magic from people and natural sources in whichever environment you may travel through. By taking my blood into your body as you have, the link is initiated. It is what has filled that void where half of your heart should be. I will be holding onto it."
Riku was back in the room he had awoke in, once again sitting in bed. Griever stood at the edge of his bed, explaining the specifics of how their bond would work. He couldn't explain the tingling sensation coursing through his body, it was like electricity. Was this the power they spoke of? Riku looked at his hands, his fingers, turning them over and back again wondering if anything more had changed.
"Are you some kind of demon?" Riku asked carefully.
"I have been called that, yes. But I prefer the term "Guardian Force." Demon gives off a negative connotation, and while my form may be described as demonic, devilish, I am far from a wild beast."
"How'd you get tied up with those sorceresses? You weren't exactly happy when you saw me."
Griever let out a growl.
"That is none of your concern. Now, if we're done with the questions, I will teach you how the essential "draw" ability works. This is vital, as magic will be an integral part to your offenses and defenses. The entire castle is built on many pools of natural resources. Place a hand above the ground to your side."
Riku held his arm out, hand facing the ground.
"Now, concentrate on a single point. Call to it in your mind, pull it upwards and into your very body."
He closed his eyes, taking a mental image of the ground. Riku concentrated on the very center, felt something ringing in his ears. He willed it towards him, called it with silent words.
"Open your eyes."
Riku gasped, a series of blue and purple lights flying from the ground and spiraling into his body. He looked around, slightly confused and astonished at the same time. There was an image in his mind, the word forming.
"Fire"
"Fire"
They said it simultaneously. "How do I know it?" The silver haired man asked.
"Your junction with me. I know of Fire, and thus so do you. Try using it, aim your hand at something in this room and say its name aloud."
He pinpointed a painting on one of the walls, one that he didn't particular find appealing. Riku followed Griever's instructions and held his hand outwards, concentrating on the painting.
"Fire."
The square burst into flame, red and orange hues soaking up the room. He watched it fall to the ground, burning into nothing but a charred black mess. Riku was rewarded by a loud, booming laugh.
"I hated that painting too."
"This is incredible, I could feel the surge going through me and then-bam! It burst into flame. Is this how all spells works?"
"More or less, yes. However, did you feel anything change?"
Riku thought for a moment, the image of lit candles appearing in his mind. One of them was snuffed out.
"There's one less…"
"Exactly. When you draw magic, its done in random increments. Use them all up, and you can no longer use that spell. You are limited to 100 of each spell, you can't draw any more than that. This is the limitation the junction system places on you."
"Are there many magics out there?"
"Yes, there are even spells I have yet to come across."
Riku fell back against the pillows on the bed, hair spreading out and over the edges. "I want to leave as soon as possible. With this kind of power, I know I can do it."
"You're getting ahead of yourself. I taught you a basic ability, I have yet to see if you're even capable of combat. I do not need to know of the tasks in your contract, but I can tell you right now, your journey won't be an easy one. You will need to know how to fight. Magic alone will not bring you closer to your goal."
"Then teach me," Riku drew out, voice deep and threatening, "teach me how to fight. You must be getting something out of this as well, otherwise what would be the point of you being at my side? If you want me to succeeed," Riku paused for a moment, "…then you know you can't refuse."
Griever reached towards one of his leathery wings, claw taking a hold of it. It began to warp, purple and black light eminating.
"Cheeky brat. Fine, I will do so. But I must tell you one thing."
The lion's wing disintegrated, particles carrying over to where Riku sat. They began pooling together, swirling as a ripple warped Riku's hand. He could feel it, a solid object materializing in his grip. It was heavy when it appeared, long and forming a scaly wing from the hilt onwards. He was holding onto a strange looking sword, colored in blacks and deep reds. An eye on the hilt seemed to follow Riku's movements, a little odd, but then again, what wasn't odd about any of this?
"My training won't be easy."
He was running through the alleys, legs carrying him as fast as he could. The man didn't dare look back, all he could do was barely keep up his pace. His frame was large, heavy, yet surprisingly agile despite his size. But it wasn't a time to be admiring his capabilities. Right now, the only thing on the man's mind was trying to get away from the giant monster of a lion looming dangerously close.
"What the fuck do you want!"
He was breathing raggedly, his pace letting up just a bit. The man knocked over piles of empty boxes, trashcans, anything he could on his run that would hinder his attacker's progression. It was too bad luck wasn't on his side. He turned sharply down another alley, his eyes growing in terror when he met a brick wall.
"If you want money, I'll give it to you, just let me go!"
He was rummaging through his backpocket, whatever contents carried within spilling out and jingling on the dirty floor. Sweat was soaking through his clothes, air in his lungs hot and threatening to suffocate him.
"Please! Just leave me alone!"
Footsteps, he could hear the footsteps coming. The man was clutching onto his head, his body balled up tightly against the wall. He remained in that position for a few long moments, the sounds falling into silence. Hesitantly, the man lifted his head upwards to find that there was nothing there. He disgracefully allowed a smirk to play on his lips, thinking he was fine.
"Heh, figured they'd lay off," he gloated, dusting his knees, "fucking whackos think they have something on me-"
There was the heavy fluttering of wings, a silver haired man appearing right in front of him. Riku lifted a hand, the image of a lit candle being snuffed out by a gentle exhaling breath.
"Fire."
The skies lit up, screams echoing out from the alley. Riku watched with arms crossed, eyes watering.
"I hope they don't care if your heart gets charred a bit," he mused, "but I couldn't let you go without suffering. Afterall, you were the one that started this all."
The ogre-like thief fell, his voice no longer carrying out. Griever made his presence known, standing over Riku's smaller frame.
"That makes three hearts."
~00000~