Paradox's Request
Taking her hand in his, Paradox didn't wait so much as a second before pulling them from their spot. Quicker than she could blink, the world around Namine disappeared and was replaced by what had to have once been an office building. The place hardly looked orderly or very safe anymore, rain had definitely long begun to enter the building, eating holes through windows and less thick areas, but it was still much more whole than any of the buildings she'd seen so far.
"This office was build a bit earlier than the average ruin around these parts." Paradox stated as he took a seat on a desk, completely relaxed while Namine carefully observed ever inch of the interior. "Back then, buildings were designed to last, rather than the modern versions and methods. Every substance that was used to construct it is thicker, better quality. This place is perfectly safe to reside in for another two weeks, so don't worry. It is after the small hurricane of acid rain that will then appear that this place will finally fall. But by then, you will be long gone, so it's of no issue."
"So, we are completely safe here?" Namine asked, turning her attention to out the windows, staring warily out at the land. The clouds were quickly descending upon the area again, promising more deadly rain, but that was far from the thing on the forefront of her mind right now.
"Oh yes, my dear. There will be no monsters here for a while either." Paradox answered reassuringly. "Where we were before however, is another matter entirely. The ending to your fight will no doubt have already attracted at least five other beasts to the corpse's location. The smell of such large portions of blood will have them come like a moth to flame."
"They're like sharks?"
"No, they will simply be hungry and see it as an easy meal." Paradox shook his head, moving to join her at the window. "As I'm sure you can tell, most life here has been extinguished. And no herbivore has any chance of survival here. The plants were the first things to die. So, everything that any creature can eat to survive also happens to eat them."
"So all that remains here are monsters?" That didn't sound good. Actually, she'd prefer it if there were no surviving creatures. Predator monsters were extremely dangerous not matter the circumstances or powers the individual had and these ones were somehow completely shielded from her telepathy.
"Mutants is more accurate, actually." Paradox answered, completely unphased. "That would have once been nothing more than your average earthworm. Almost every creature that's still alive was mutated by the conditions and adapted to them. The rest are humans."
"What?" Well that was a surprise. Namine could do nothing more than just stared stunned at Paradox for a full minute. That is, until her mouth went into overdrive as all her questions made themselves heard. "There are still humans around here? How could they live through this? Why wouldn't they go somewhere else? Why can't I sense a single one of their minds? I couldn't even feel that mutant's when I was right on top of it! Are they the one's that caused this?"
"Yes." Paradox stated bluntly, his face growing serious as he butted in. "The humans are responsible for this. This is a world with no magic of its own, outside that very basic essence that allows it to exist. The world's keyhole was long locked, and with it was all of its magical power, so this world thrived solely on technology. However, the people cared far too little for the damage they did in the name of progress and greed and the seemingly eternal acid rain was the result.
"Humans still live here because there is nowhere else for them to go." He went on gravely, turning sad eyes out over the city. "There are places that have been spared of this for the most part, but they are far too far away for most people around the world to reach. Drinkable water has become drastically scarce and even those who have a decent supply could never carry it to these safe places, even if they did know that they existed and where to go. If the rain and mutants didn't kill them beforehand, they would long die of from the lack of water before they reached safety. As to how they live, the people of this city have gathered into a couple dozen factions, each one holding a supply of drinkable water and trying to keep it safe from both the rain and the others trying to steal for their factions. Naturally, the number of humans left is not great, especially since they too must hunt for their food and that means getting into battle with mutants."
"They eat the mutants?" Namine stared at him like he'd grown a second head at that. "But they're..."
"Oh, they are contaminated and poisonous for the most part, but some parts of them are still safe to eat. I doubt they taste well though, but as long as you survive, that's all that matters." Paradox shrugged, completely waving the whole thing off. "Now I believe there was only one other question asked?"
"Yes, how are they avoiding my telepathy?" Namine nodded as she closed her eyes, trying again. Sure enough, there wasn't the slightest trace of mental activity within her range, other than Paradox, but then, even he was coming out fuzzy.
"Does this help?" Paradox simply smiled knowingly as he moved her hand to his head and sure enough, just as her fingers brushed his temple, his mind's presence came through to her perfectly clear. Or at least as clear as Paradox's ever did. Naturally, a man who was sane simply because he got bored of insanity after a few thousand years of it was hardly ever going to be the clearest mind to touch.
"You've advanced very far, Namine." His words once again had a serious tone to them, but this time there was also an undeniable warmth and pride to it too as she opened her eyes to see his proud face. "You have faced many trials over these last few months and have grown amazingly with each one. Your spells have grown stronger and more adaptable, as has your physical strength and skill, even more than I anticipated. You have also developed your mental prowess so much that you managed to regain all your memories on your own. However, you have yet to truly understand the nature of your mental powers and it is because of this nature that you are having trouble now."
Namine could only stare at him in complete confusion. The nature of her power? She'd never even questioned it. Her power was pure light magic. True, telepathy couldn't be coming from that, for it was another entirely, but she'd never worried much about where it came from, only the links in which it could create. Paradox stayed silent for a moment, allowing her to take it all in before pressing on with a chuckle.
"You my dear, are destined to be known as the Memory Witch. That was the first aspect of your mental powers you ever discovered and what the Organisation deemed a desirable asset, if you remember clearly. You remember all you could do with that, don't you?"
Namine could only nod as Paradox reclaimed that knowing look he was so frequently wearing. He was right, when she was first created, she discovered that she could alter, see and remove the memories of others, though never to a Nobody. But that wasn't all. During a run-in with the wrong crowd, before Xigbar had captured her, she had removed the memories of a gang member, making him forget he was a gang member, and as a result, had erased him from the mind of the gang. That didn't end well for him, the gang turned on him as another target and gave Namine enough time to escape. She'd never questioned how she'd done that. In time, her ability to read minds was discovered and she wrote it up to a simple, unconscious act of telepathy in a time of great peril. But the truth was, no matter how many times her mind came to that being the only possible conclusion, she could never truly believe that she'd touched a second mind at all.
"Telepathy is simply a scratch of the surface to your real power. An easier, indirect route. For you see Namine, what you truly do is touch the hearts and souls of others." Taking her by the hands again, Paradox guided her away from the window and into a chair just moments before the platter of rain on the windows began anew. "You touch and can manipulate their very essence, including the chains or imprints that attach their hearts to others, regardless of how strong or weak those chains are. What you can do, goes far beyond the minds of others. If you were to truly dive in to this power, you could influence entire natures of those around you. That is what truly makes you special and dangerous."
"And how does that affect this situation?" Namine asked, growing extremely uncomfortable, wrapping her arms around her. She'd always known this, in part, of course, though she never wanted to explore it. To mess with one's heart and soul themselves...it was a perversion far worse than entering one's thoughts and mental state. She'd never wanted power like that, she doubted there was any right way to use that kind of power.
"Put simply, it is reacting to a presence that is smothering out the others." Paradox answered, staring amusedly out into the distance with surprising focus. Following his line of sight, Namine just managed to follow to a tower she could barely make out before he turned his attention back to her. "As I told you, this world has no magic of its own beyond its core. However, another magical power has come from another world besides yours. A few types have actually, but it is one that causes you grief. One that currently has a total of three sources in this world, though all originate from the same being."
"How is that possible?" Namine asked, confused and very intrigued. "Was the source split in three? For it to mess with my senses this badly-"
"Each piece must be very powerful." Paradox finished for her. "And that they are. The original source is a girl with enormous power that obeyed no laws, not even the universal laws of magic. Unfortunately, when her power was awakened, the process was interrupted and as a result, her soul was shattered."
Her blood ran so cold in her veins that it felt like ice as those words registered in her head. That was the worst thing that could happen to a person and the biggest reason why she'd never explored the full extent of even her telepathic ability, let alone that power's true nature. To shatter a soul...it was a fate worse than death. The body may continue to live, but only in a comatose state, like an empty shell. The shattered remains of the soul would never find peace or afterlife. What consciousness the broken soul would maintain would be eternally thrown through chaos and torments unknown to anyone alive. To put simply, it was the total, absolute destruction of a person. Becoming a Heartless was a better option!
Seeing her face paling and her body shaking, Paradox moved right to her immediately, pulling her close. Collapsing into his chest, Namine just rested there, accepting the comfort he offered. "Do not worry Namine." He muttered softly, gently rubbing her back. "This case is unique. The damage is repairable. In fact, the girl has managed to reclaim a number of her soul pieces already."
"What? Really? How is that possible?" Namine gasped, immediately ripping herself from his embrace to look him right in the eyes with her wide, astounded ones. "The way you talk, it's clear that the soul not only shattered, but the pieces left her body! How could you possibly put it back together?"
"The nature of her power came into play." Paradox answered, giving her a small grin. "Remember, it is a great power that defies all laws. The pieces of her essence each turned into a feather, every one of them holding parts of her being and power. They have the power to increase the powers of those who obtain them or warp reality as the holder wishes. However, when they are near their true owner, they are drawn back and reunite within her. Unfortunately for her, there are many and they are scattered across the dimensions, even through time. However, with the help of the Dimensional Witch and her companions, retrieving them has gone very well." He added merrily, brightening up again, as per usual.
"So, Yuuko's involved in this." Namine mused with a frown, biting her lip. That only made her wonder what other sorrows this girl may have endured. She held no ill thoughts for the Dimensional Witch, but the very nature of her power and its demands for immediate balance was costly, especially for one who needed the power to frequently and freely move across the dimensions. Such a power was very rare to come by, the most common users being the rare Keybearers. Even Namine struggled with such a move. Paradox had great difficulty with it too, a fact that meant that his presence here was quite a significant one. The price for such a power for this group would have been a steep one.
"You would be amazed how many things that amazing woman assists with." If Paradox noticed her less than happy reaction Yuuko's name, he didn't show it as he pressed on just as happily as ever. "But that's beside the point of this tale. As I have said, each feather is very powerful and is a fragment of a soul, something your power touches, feels, and through that, their minds and magic. Coming from three overlapping sources, it is smothering your senses, to the point of drowning out all others. The only way to bypass it while this is the case will be to touch them. Though your gift never needed it, physical touch is always a great way to sharpen and focus one's senses and abilities."
Both of them fell into silence after that, simply listening to the rain and the groaning of metal as all the answers sunk in to Namine's brain. For a moment, she wasn't sure why she was bothering to take it all in. The giant worm and every detail Paradox had informed her of this world only encouraged her to leave even sooner. A new method had even presented itself now. Paradox was from her home world, where Gohan, Gwen, Kim and the others were waiting for her to find them again. He could take her home with him, end her problems.
But, logic was quick to remind her that if that was his intention, they would already be gone. She loathed to even think it, but considering that they were still there, that Paradox was telling her so much about this world... "You're not here to take me home, are you?" She asked sadly, turning back to look up at him. That which she dreaded was immediately confirmed as he stared right back, his face devoid of any emotion.
"I could do that. If that is what you wish." Paradox started slowly, immediately lightening Namine up with pure joy, before raising a hand. "However, if I do so, the one you care about most may never be by your side again."
"The one I...Roxas?" She was on her feet before she'd even realised that she was getting up as just who he was implying registered in her brain. She couldn't believe her ears, couldn't restrain hope and happiness suddenly surging through her veins, regardless of how unlikely this was. After all, Roxas was gone, reabsorbed into Sora. There was no way for her fellow Nobody and brother to come back. Except...
"Technically, yes, but it is his true self that can be returned to you. Ventus." Paradox answered, his smile returning as excitement poured over her face. "Though Roxas simply was Ventus with amnesia and a different, weaker body. You will notice some differences in his personality as his true self re-emerges, but he will be the same at his core. I can assist you in finding him, reviving him."
"How? Let's go!" Her bag was back over her shoulder in an instant. Going home could wait. Even if his memories were different, if his personality was altered, Ventus was still Roxas. She came to her new home world with him. The only thing she would love more than returning home was returning home with him.
However, all her excitement immediately disappeared as Paradox shook his head. "Hang on Namine. I'm afraid it's not that simple. I myself cannot help you alone. The route to Ventus is a tricky one and you will need the help of many to successfully travel it. I will of course, help you all I can. But first, you must work here to gain the aid of another."
"What do you mean?" Namine was definitely confused now. "I don't know much on the state of Ventus, but I do know that it's magic that can help him and nothing else. How could anyone in this world help me?"
"Consider it a request from me. An act of valour." Paradox grinned. "The girl in search of her feathers. Her name is Sakura. Like I said, she is on this world at this moment and so are her companions. One of them, a teenage boy with an origin similar, but different, to yours and Roxas' is about to lose himself. I'm afraid that there is only a small window of opportunity to save him from a very dark fate and the only one that can save him is you. So what do you say, Namine?" Paradox asked, once again chipper. "Will you help to save this boy?"
That wasn't even a question worth asking. If Paradox wanted to save him, that alone was enough for her to agree to help him. She wasn't one to turn her back on those she could help. And if doing so would help her on her way to finding and awakening Ventus, then all the better. Whatever it took to help this boy, she would do it.
"Tell me what I need to know."
AN: Well, that's chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it. And thank you for the reviews and stuff too by the way, as usual, I really appreciate it.
