Chapter 3: Renewal

A scream distracted them (it sounded a little donkey-ish, strangely enough) and Eiko caught sight of a little boy scampering away. She gaped for a moment in complete shock.

"That—that's impossible… Nobody lives here. Riku, this place should be all dead!"

"You didn't imagine it, if that's what you're thinking. I saw a kid just now too, so there must be someone living here despite the impossible. Why don't we go see?"

He led the way and Eiko trailed him, still dumbfounded. They passed through more green trees until there was a hint of clearing ahead. Excited voices came from there and when they got closer they could see a couple mud brick houses with flat roofs and straw doors. But the people who had gathered rushed on them immediately.

Riku's Keyblade was there in a flash and he thrust his other hand behind him to warn Eiko to stay back. All the inhabitants of this place were anthropomorphic with horse-like appearances, though others had scales and walked hunched over like giant reptiles. Some even had features of both.

"It's them!"

"A summoner?"

"You banished the barrier, didn't you?"

"Have you rescued us?"

"We've been waiting for you!"

"Are you from Madain Sari?"

"Will you save us?"

As their words registered, Eiko realized they weren't trying to attack. She placed her hand on Riku's arm and he looked back at her, coming to the same conclusion.

"It looks like they know about you," he said as his weapon vanished. "You did say you were a summoner from Madain Sari, right?"

"Yeah." She was still confused and not sure what to say even though everyone seemed to be expecting something.

A stately man with hooves on his feet and an equine face approached and the crowd quieted as they drew back respectfully. "Welcome to Heart of the Forest," he bowed graciously. "We have not had visitors in nearly thirteen years, so I hope you forgive them. Please come this way."

Finally given direction, they did as they were told. Riku noticed the flowing river beyond a small field of assorted vegetable plants but he couldn't stop to observe it or the ones working in it because the horse-man went at a clipped pace.

They headed toward a larger collection of brick houses, probably the village proper, and everyone who saw them instantly broke out into chatter and tried to ask them questions which their guide warded off with a wave of his staff. They followed at a distance, especially the children.

Windows and doors opened as they passed, revealing bright eyes and hopeful faces, but the man continued to lead them forward until they came to a rudely cobbled square where a well and a trio of statues were set up. No one was there and even the children had stopped following.

At last he spoke. "I am the Elder of this village. Ever since the barrier was constructed permanently to protect this place from becoming like the rest of the forest we have been unable to leave. You have freed us from our prison and allowed this place to become our home willingly once again."

"A permanent barrier…" Eiko murmured to herself. "Of course… The eidolon I sensed was set up to keep the town from being overrun by the stoning spell three years ago…but in order to use an eidolon, there had to be summoners here."

"Yes," the Elder replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "All three of our summoners sacrificed themselves for it."

Eiko gaped at him, not sure whether she'd heard right. "What? Three of them?"

The Elder indicated the statues beside the well and she looked, though still stunned at the revelation that there were more survivors from her hometown. The carvings were all one-horned people were touching an object, heads bowed but their shoulders squared defiantly.

"So you made this to honor their memory," Riku said.

"No. It is them."

Eiko ran forward and gazed disquietly. Two were women and the other was a man, and the object they all touched was an iron ore.

"That explains it… This is the eidolon Golem. He can only block physical attacks which wouldn't have helped against the stoning, but they were able to use him as a medium to absorb the spell into themselves to save the village and the surrounding area. It also trapped everyone here." She stared at the statues, almost as though trying hard to recognize them. "Who were they?"

The Elder pointed to each as he named them, "Patris and Erime were married, and that's her sister Kerii."

"Besides me and Dagger, these were the only other summoners who escaped…" she trailed off sadly. "It would have been nice to…"

Riku stepped forward, seeing the pain written all over her face and wanting to direct her thoughts away from what was lost. Before he could say anything, however, there came a cry for help nearby.

Eiko and Riku were running toward the commotion instantly and within half a minute found the source. There was a high-pitched screeching and the young man summoned his Keyblade just in time to slice the head off a plant-monster. Two children were on the ground crying while a teenager with scales and a horse tail sat on the ground trying to move his leg unsuccessfully.

Eiko used her Keyblade to cast Stona and Heal, then she turned back to her companion. "They're not safe here anymore. That's just the first one. Who knows if more might show up or if those two guys will. What should we do?"

By then the Elder had arrived and started to thank them for their aid but Riku stopped him. "Everyone must leave. Tell them to take nothing except their families. It might be too late even now."

He saw the urgency in their eyes and the dead creature on the ground. Waving his staff he began to call everyone to find their families and head for the old river path leading out of the forest.

"It is only three miles to the rim of Evil Forest from here."

"Go and keep running unless you hear from us. If we can't stop those things, they'll still be on your trail," Riku continued. He looked over at Eiko and added, "She'll make sure you make it out safely."

Eiko's eyes flashed for an instant, but then she looked at the villagers calling to one another in a panic. Without a word she nodded.

"Good. We need to split up to let everyone know."

The young man headed for the field to warn them there and the Elder went toward the houses on the outskirts, but Eiko slipped into the trees when they weren't looking. This isolated place reminded her of Madain Sari. Its sheltered people, their unique attributes, and even the impending doom stretching its dark hand toward them…

What could she do? What could one little nine-year-old girl do?

Eiko's fists clenched. She wasn't just a girl. She was a summoner. Now it was a matter of deciding on the best course of action. She would do what Riku said. She could make sure they got out safely, but in her own way.

She didn't think it wise to summon a powerful eidolon. Her grandpa had warned her that if she ever summoned one too strong or one that did not respect her, she could easily lose her life.

The young child knelt behind a tree and quickly emptied her pouch to look through her store, pushing aside Kjata, Bismarck, Pandemona, Salamander, and Hydra. She couldn't be sure they would give her authority over them. The only ones left were practically harmless: Remora, Siren, Kirin, Sylph, and Moomba. Then of course she had her usual eidolons: Carbuncle, Fenrir, and Phoenix.

Phoenix… Was it possible she could be the answer?

She didn't have time to think this through. Riku was right about abandoning the village, but she suspected that if the caped men came and saw the stoned summoners, they would destroy them. She couldn't bear to let that happen.

Her short, purple hair flying, the little girl made her way to the boundary between the living vegetation and the petrified forest.

The village was situated in a higher area and she could see down into the trees below. As she stood observing, the flicker of moving things began to tickle the far edges of her vision. The Nobody-creatures would be at the village soon. It was now or never.

She pulled the Keyblade from the strap at her waist and also a shimmering feather out of her pouch. With a deep breath and a wave of the weapon, she said, "Phoenix, I have a job for you."

The giant firebird appeared in a burst of golden feathers, her wings dashed with yellow, red, bright green and violet, her peacock-like tail waving softly back and forth as she hovered in place.

Eiko bit her lip, suddenly uncertain. She couldn't be sure what would happen. If things went badly…

She made her decision and called out boldly, "Restore the forest. Bring the dead wood back to life!"

Obedient as always, Phoenix gave a musical call and soared away. Her tail brushed treetops and they grew green. The new life traveled down their trunks, spreading everywhere. After a full sweep over the forest she disappeared.

Quickly, before Phoenix's spell could reach the roots, Eiko pulled out a pearl and spoke to it.

"Siren, I never met you but Grandpa told me about the power of your voice. Please come."

The response was immediate. A blond woman in a long flowing dress of creamy blue and green, reminiscent of ocean waves, appeared. She lifted a harp into her lap as she knelt on the forest floor, seeming to know what was expected of her. Her song began, and the summoner could not be sure if there were any words, but the images in her head were of growing things, gathering of sunlight, gentleness and protection; the way plants should be.

Eiko was so distracted by the song that she failed to realize someone had appeared behind her until he reached down and grabbed the back of her neck. Her Keyblade fell to the ground as she was lifted off her feet. A large tomahawk flew end over end through the air until it landed with a heavy thunk dangerously close to the woman. Siren gave a startled gasp before she faded out of sight.

The man holding Eiko didn't say a word, but he also refused to loosen his grip. His hood had fallen back and she saw that he had dark brown hair and an expression between unconcern and disgust.

"Who are you?" she cried, trying again to pry one of his fingers loose. They were like iron!

She could see the monsters nearby scuttling to and fro restlessly, apparently waiting for a signal to proceed. The other man was nowhere to be seen.

"You may call me Lexaeus, but I doubt that information will be useful since you will be dead soon. If you were using that music to get these creatures to put down roots and grow, then you're mistaken. What you forget is that they never were plants, and Nobodies don't care much for music either." But he paused a moment, thinking of his cohort Demyx.

During that instant Eiko reached for her weapon, wishing she had it. There was a flash of light and it was in her hand. Reacting with pure instinct, she swung it back into the man's face.

He stepped back in surprise and she slipped away. For a moment the summoner felt elated as she realized he was not following.

Then the earth exploded beneath her feet. Eiko shrieked as she went flying, but someone caught her—only to slam her to the ground, face-up. Every wisp of air burst out of her lungs at the impact and she lied there frantically attempting to draw in air, only getting the smallest amount beneath the weight of his hand on her chest.

The string securing the pouch of stones to her waist snapped as Lexaeus plucked it off, staring at it with the first hint of interest he'd displayed yet.

"These must be what Vexen wanted. The auras are—"

"Help!" she managed to scream at last.

As her weak voice echoed, something heard her. It lay in a dark place, almost lulled to sleep by Siren's song, but the outcry brought it into awareness once again. No longer contaminated by senseless greed and insatiable hunger of Evil Forest's former master, the true heart of the forest was cleansed and ready to defend the little creature that had returned its life.

Vines shot out of the trunks, snaking down into the ranks of the Nobodies. They screeched in their high-pitched voices as a hundred were crushed within seconds. The dozens that were left scattered everywhere, only to fall prey to more vengeful vines.

But then the forest gave off a feeling of tiredness. Trees were not meant to move so freely. Sleep deeply…eat earth…drink water…sleep…

Their movement ceased less than a minute later, leaving only a few plant-spiders, all of the villagers, and four human-like people untouched.