Notes: The rating for this has been changed to M. If you've seen how War fights in Darksiders you already know why.

Special thanks eliwats22 . We appreciate the feedback! This one's for you.

"And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."

Revelation 6:4

Chapter 3: I Am War

Soul Eater rebounded with a loud clang as Riku slashed at the arm hoisting him up. War's grip tightened, and then in a movement too fast for the young man to comprehend, brought his arm down hard, slamming Riku's head on the floor. Blood smeared against the stone tile as he was raised up again. Soul Eater dissipated, and the world suddenly became out of focus.

All Riku could see were stars. Bright red bloody ones. And then when the world seemed to stop spinning, he stared into white-blue, glowing eyes.
War was only just getting started. His sharp fingertips dug deep into Riku's skull, and then the floor was rushing up to meet him. A fracture appeared in the tile as his head connected with it, getting larger and larger as War repeated his savage onslaught. Again and again. More blood. More pain.

The tile shattered. Blood everywhere. Riku spat out more of it as he tried to push himself up, and War helped him.

In his own way.

He grabbed Riku from the back of the head. Forced him down hard into the mix of gravel and blood and began to drag him, breaking into a sprint impossible for his heavy stature. For the five longest seconds of his quickly deteriorating life, Riku became a human excavator—like the ones you see on a construction site. For five seconds he tasted nothing, smelt nothing, felt nothing but cold stone cutting into his face and dirt and blood filling up his mouth and nostrils. Clogging his windpipe. Making him choke.

Riku was released, and this time after he collapsed on the floor, coughing, he didn't get up. He couldn't. With his boot, War nudged him roughly until he was lying on his back.

Breathing laboriously, Riku stared up, delirious.

They say your life begins to flash before your eyes when you die.

. . .

Kairi was smiling. "Okay, we'll finish it together. I'll race you."

"What?" Riku groaned, looking at Sora. "Are you kidding?"

"Ready? Go!"

And Riku was running as fast as he could, Kairi's laughter trailing him.

Though he lost that race on purpose, he remembered envying Sora's determination.

. . .

A heavy boot plummeted into Riku's chest, pulling him back from oblivion and ripping out a scream before it became stifled by all the blood he was coughing out. His ribs were cracked. One of his lungs had been punctured. There was no doubt about that.

And still War wasn't done.

Three more mighty stomps inched Riku deeper into the ground. Inched him closer to death. Staying awake became the battle now. His body was screaming and bleeding for rest, but Riku fought it.

No,he thought, not like this.

. . .

"Aww c'mon, Riku. You've been hanging out in darkness too long. You gotta think positive!"

"You know, I always figured I was better at stuff than you," Riku admitted.

"Really."

"Are you mad?"

"No, I kinda always thought you were better at everything too."

. . .

Riku focused through his blurring vision and clenched his fists. Soul Eater slowly began to materialize. But even a tiny part of him knew he wasn't going to be fast enough. War wasn't like any of the other enemies he'd encountered. War didn't toy with him like they had, and he definitely did not waste time. He brought down his heel and crushed Riku's arm, snapping the bones in half with an audible crunch. Riku screamed.

"Your persistence is commended," War groused, when he was quieter. He stepped over Riku, his sword pointed and hovering just over his heart. It glinted beautifully as he raised it up high. Beautiful, but deadly.

It descended.

Time seemed to slow as Riku watched haplessly. Death was coming. He let out what he thought was his last breath, closed his eyes and welcomed it.

A familiar bright light seeped through his eyelids, but nothing pierced him. Had War decided to show him mercy? Or had he died? There was the familiar din of steel meeting steel and Riku heard a grunt, followed by a loud boom as something went flying across the room, smashing through the wall. He could taste dust as it rained from the ceiling in the aftermath. Mustering what strength he could manage, he pried his eyes open.

Sora was standing over him, his expression a mixture of things: exasperation, anger, worry, relief…

"It's not that bad," Riku had to force the words out. He couldn't handle the way Sora was looking at him, not right now, not when the stakes were beginning to pile higher.

"Cura," Sora gritted out, waving an arc of healing light over him. He crouched down to help him up.

"I had him" Riku grunted, summoning Soul Eater again. He rubbed his previously broken arm to reassure himself it was still in working order.

"Sure you did."

Riku looked to see what happened. There was a gaping hole in the wall, and others in the eight rooms that followed, leading outside. Their edges were glowing hot.

"Did you—"

"You rely on darkness too much." Sora said.

Riku was awed. That kind of light was usually used to seal worlds. Amazing. And War wasn't getting up—at least, not in the meantime. "You got any more juice for another?"

"It was a fluke, actually."

Damn. "Where's Kairi?" Riku asked. A sudden wave of dizziness overtook him and he swayed unsteadily on his feet with a groan.

"What's wrong?"

"My head…" Riku muttered as Sora supported his weight.

"Here," Sora made to heal him again. Riku stopped him.

"You'll need it," he explained. "If you can knock this guy away, I'm sure you can do a lot more."

"But—"

"No time for that. Now, where's Kairi? We're getting out of here."

"Idiot," Sora muttered before adding, "Kairi's fine, we need to get her and get out of this world."

Riku nodded. He didn't want to even imagine what brutality War could unleash on her. "That's good at least…." He stopped short, staring at Sora.

There was a dark silhouette hovering around Sora's profile. As the latter moved, it moved with him. The reality around it seemed to ripple, like a mirage.

THINK, RIKU

The outline was human…almost. And the harder he stared, the more it seemed to grow. Riku tilted his head up, where the head should be. Yellow eyes. No mouth. It placed black viscous fingers on Sora's shoulders and leered at Riku. Black goo dripped onto his best friend, evaporating with a hiss as contact was made. Sora didn't even notice.

DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE HIM?

Sora looked behind him and then back to him, quizzical. "What is it?"

"I thought—" Riku felt a stabbing pain in his temple and then his vision began to blur as the world suddenly tilted on its axis.

"Whoa there," Sora chuckled, steadying him.

Riku had to blink several times until things came into focus again.

"Better?" he was asked.

"Sora", he said roughly as they hobbled over to Kairi. "Are you sureyou're alright?"

"Quit joking around."

"You're going to have to carry her," Riku decided, while Sora knelt by her. "I'll hold him off."

As Sora tried to wake Kairi, Riku watched him, determined.

I know what I saw.

"It's there." he muttered to himself. He knew what he had seen. Even if he couldn't see it, he could still sense its presence.

YOU CAN'T SAVE HIM

"What's where?" Sora's voice broke him free of his thoughts as he walked over. "Hey, you okay? You've been acting—"

"Sora, look out!"

Pain lanced straight through Riku's back as he shoved him out of the way. He looked at Sora's face, frozen in horror at Riku's chest where the bloodied edge of a gold sword protruded outward. The same golden sword that had belonged to the light warrior. Blood trickled along the steel, dripping onto the tile as Riku fell forward from its weight. The blade clattered loudly against stone after the momentum pushed it out of him.

Riku lay there, breathing hard.

It's over, isn't it?

FOR YOU, PERHAPS

. . .

"Riku!" Sora cried out, rushing to him. He concentrated Curaga on the wound, but it refused to close. Riku meanwhile coughed up blood.

"G-get out…" he sputtered, gripping Sora's arm. He could feel his strength leaving him as more blood pooled in his mouth and around his body. "Y-you…and K-Kairi…"

"No! No… Riku please stay awake!" Sora's voice was shaky. "We still have to get Kairi and get out…Riku please." Tears filled his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. "Riku you can't give up—not now! We're so close! I p-promise…"

"I-If you don't...leave...you'll die...idiot."

"No, Riku! Curaga! CURAGA!"

Why isn't it working!

"You will join him, soon enough," War muttered from the other end of the room. With the back of his fist he knocked the gold armour violently out of his way. Sora glared through tears as the metal clanked and clattered unceremoniously on the floor.

"You are interfering with the Balance," War continued, drawing his sword once more. "And for that you must die, as decreed by The Charred Council. The Third Kingdom is far from ready for the Endwar. And though it would be a waste of such young life, what are a few compared to the lives of many?"

"Sora…" Riku's voice could barely be heard now. "You have to—Kairi…he's too—" he coughed violently, and some of his blood splattered over Sora's face. "Leave…me."

"No," Sora whispered. "We're going home."

"The weapon that pierced your comrade is an Archangel's claymore," War said coldly, striding forward. "It will fester and destroy all things with a dark pulse and though your friend is no demon, he might as well be. I might have missed his heart but he will still die."

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A MONSTER!" Sora yelled. He turned to Riku and tried Curaga again.

Why isn't it—

"He is not an exception." War was almost upon them.

Sora looked at War, angry and for the first time he felt fear and rage mix. He looked back to his dying friend, tears trailing down his face as he held Riku's head to his chest. He could feel him getting colder and colder.

"What am I suppose to tell Kairi, Riku?" Sora demanded through his tears. "Kairi…she'll be so mad…"

. . .

Riku was barely conscious, but he managed to open his eyes a bit. The large transparent phantasm outline he saw earlier was now more visible, yellow eyes watching the approaching enemy with a smile full of jagged teeth. It turned that gaze on Riku and held up a finger to its lips.

Riku could do little to inform let alone consider what he was seeing. He turned to the distraught Sora. He struggled to speak.

"Be… careful…" a sharp pain dug into his insides and he coughed violently, but he soldiered on. It would all be over soon. "I-I don't….k-know what… it is…p-please, be careful… don't ever change…d-don't die here".

Riku's eyes closed.

Sora tried to wake him up, telling him to stop kidding around. No response. Enraged, Sora turned to War, slowly putting his friend down. His black shirt was soaked and glistening with Riku's blood. His eyes, red from tears, for the first time looked upon his enemy with hatred. Always he had fought to protect. Now he would fight to kill. To take back what was ripped violently from him.

He summoned the Keyblade in one hand and reached down and picked up the golden sword that killed his friend with the other. He gripped them both, forcing himself to adjust in an instant to their different weights. Grinding his teeth, he propelled forward in a swift run with both weapons at his sides.

War raised a blood smeared gauntlet in front of him, flexing the sharp claws. His other weapon was brandished behind him, ready to grant death. He heaved to his side, avoiding the archangel's claymore by inches.

The floor was almost split open in Sora's rage. Before War could swing that massive blade of his, Sora's sword sliced through the air in a horizontal arc, smashing into his breast plate. War staggered backward but with his enchanted gauntlet grabbed onto the keyblade, stopping Sora's follow up attack. Scorching heat and light from the blade pulsed, rejecting the adversary's touch. With a curse he let go.

Sora used the distraction to his advantage, and swung the claymore, aiming for War's face.

War landed a kick with his heavy greave, before that could happen, pushing all the air out of his lungs. As Sora struggled to regain his breath, an armored fist bludgeoned him in the face from the side, sending him straight to the ground. Cold sharp steel followed, piercing right through his shoulder, tearing his tendons, pinning him to the ground.

Sora yelled in pain as it surged in his body. The Keyblade disappeared. He let go of the claymore. Let go of everything. The edge of War's blade began to glow a deadly crimson color.

With his free hand War hammered down firmly atop of the sword's pommel, driving the blade further into Sora's shoulder until he severed his arm. Sora's screams echoed through the room and the entire World That Never Was. Vaguely he wondered if his friends from the other worlds could hear it too.

Wondered if they'd come to his rescue if they did.

. . .

"I'm looking for someone," Cloud began. "Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

"You'll find it. I'm searching too."

"For your light?" he asked, rising.

Sora nodded. As he passed, Cloud dropped something in his hand.

A keychain?

"Don't lose sight of it."

Cloud was already at the door when he looked up again.

"How about a rematch some time?" Sora called. "Fair and square, no dark powers involved."

"I think I'll pass."

. . .

"Before I kill you, scum," War's rough timbre cut through his reverie. "What were your motives for disrupting the Balance?"

Sora looked at him with angry eyes. Balance? A heavy boot planted firmly on his chest, squeezing the air out of him, barring his escape.

"Sora!" He yelled. "My name is Sora…..you killed my friend!".

"Sora..." War grabbed him by the throat and lifted him till he was eyelevel.

"Die knowing that your name is known but will soon disappear…..just like your comrade and the woman you think you can hide over there," he gestured to where the tables lay.

NO

Sora was suddenly consumed with horror at the thought of losing Kairi right after Riku, despair and rage took hold of him.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

Materializing the Keyblade, he aimed for War's head. The proximity was perfect. War's head jerked to the side as the blade smacked him on the side of it, loosening his grip momentarily.

It was all Sora needed anyway.

. . .

"Don't worry Sora. If anyone can save your friend, you can."

. . .

From then on, everything was on auto-pilot.

. . .

"When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember? " Sora told her. "I was lost in the darkness. I couldn't find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things—my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then, I heard a voice. Your voice. You brought me back."

"I didn't want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn't."

"That's it! Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that's what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within."

. . .

While Sora landed on the ground, War stumbled back trying to regain his sense from the impact. He ran forward, swinging the Keyblade hard across War's chest. Adrenaline and fear of losing the only other family he had left made him numb to everything else. He swung, again and again. The Keyblade glowed brighter and brighter with every hit.
War suddenly swung his massive sword side horizontally with a grunt and Sora managed to parry in time, throwing him off balance. With another slice Sora knocked his weapon away.

"Hmph," was all War said to this. He thrust forward with his enchanted gauntlet and clenched his fingers around where he had dismembered Sora's arm. Pain overwhelmed him, too much to notice the other fist coming, hard and fast. He was sent flying into a bookshelf.

. . .

"I can't help?" Kairi pouted.

"You'd kind of be in my way," Sora admitted with a laugh.

"Okay. You win." She took his hand and pressed something into his palm. "Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."

"Don't worry. I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

. . .

War, rested his sword against his shoulder and lunged. Midway he brought down Chaoseater, aiming to slice Sora in half. Even if he was a capable fighter, the boy was still human. His skin wasn't evolved from decades of battle and sturdy like the demons of the Second Kingdom. The arc was perfect, the impact powerful but the blade strangely failed to strike, rebounding from an almost imperceptible barrier encompassing him in a sphere.
War struck again and again. The barrier shimmered and rippled, but refused to break.

He could see the boy's weapon glowing in the rubble.

. . .

"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

. . .

"Coward!" War bellowed. "Stop hiding, your weapon will not defend you!"

Sora's Protectga was beginning to wear off. Grunting, he rose from the wreckage. There were flashes of light as War's weapon hammered against it relentlessly. He picked up the keyblade and waited, letting out even breaths.

The barrier finally shattered, fading away into nothing. War moved swiftly to engage him, swinging his blade to land a killing blow.

Sora dodged as best he could, but parrying War's attacks with one hand steadily began to take its toll on him. As War's strikes came at him faster, heavier and harder, there became no more room or energy left to strike back. In his heart Sora knew War had won.

It was only a matter of time now.

. . .

Sora watched Beast as he lumbered past. "And though I am on my own I will fight! I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here."

. . .

Too tired to grip his weapon, the keyblade shimmered and disappeared leaving Sora defenseless. War sliced at him diagonally, cleaving across muscles and tissue. Blood sprayed out from his chest, bathing the floor in crimson.

"N…no….no" Sora said, bleeding out fast.

War sent a kick to Sora's face, breaking his nose while his head jerked backward from the impact. Another kick knocked him onto his back. Sora tried to sit up—

War's sword plunged through his stomach, piercing through into the cold stone floor. He twisted it, slowly, shredding Sora's insides.

Sora's yells were drowned out by the blood in his throat, wrapped in pain.

"SORA!"

He faintly heard his name called out.

War looked up to see a Riku dropping right on him. He had been wide open for an attack.

Riku thrust his hand forward into War's red shroud.

"Take THIS!"

Blue and black energy exploded from his hand. The blast sent War's upper body recoiling backwards, but his feet did not budge. In a chilling moment of clarity, Sora realized that Riku would not be ready for what came next. War's massive hand shot out and clamped tight on Riku's shoulder. In a fluid movement he stabbed straight through his heart. The arm on Riku's shoulder moved to his neck, choking him as it raised him off the ground.

" I have had all I could tolerate from you." War said, with dead calm. He ripped the sword out of his body and let it clatter to the floor.

"Please….no…" Sora begged through the clanging in his ears. "Take me…instead…"

His words failed to reach his own ears. Riku dangled and feebly tried to break free, forcing more blood out from his chest. He started to choke as War's grip began to tense and close, making his eyes bulge.

. . .

Riku noticed Sora's stare as well as the yellow eyes of the black phantasm outline surrounding him.

YOU CANNOT SAVE HIM

In the wake of pure horror on Sora's face Riku just smiled. Feeling the end approach, he mouthed,

"It's okay. Don't die here. Don't—

War snapped his neck. Riku's entire body slackened, relinquished of life.

. . .

"RIKUUUUUU!" The scream was leaving Sora's throat before he even realized it. He tried to get up, but his body refused to obey.

War surveyed the corpse with hard eyes. "You should have stayed down."

He tossed Riku's corpse carelessly aside and bent to pick up his sword.

"Riku…" Sora said weakly.

The corpse didn't move. Didn't respond. Didn't breathe. His eyes were glass as they stared up at the ceiling.

"And now it's your turn," War said. But it wasn't Sora he was talking to. He was walking over to the tables where Kairi was hidden.

"Kairi!" Lying where he was, and desperate, Sora tried several times to manifest the keyblade.

Nothing.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" He began to cry as his body refused to cooperate.

With a kick War sent the tables flying away in chunks. Kairi was still there, lying down sleeping, her breathing strong. Hopelessly unaware, vulnerable.

"It is not like me to kill my enemies in their sleep." War raised his sword. "But as Ruin's incurable poison flows deep within your veins, this shall be a mercy to you."

He plunged it right through Kairi's chest.

Her eyes wrenched open and she screamed, staring at the sword through her chest. She tried to get up but War sank and twisted the blade further. Blood gushed from her mouth, gagging her screams. Unable to scream now, her eyes teared up, terrified.

War stomped on her feet to keep her from moving, crushing them. Though she couldn't scream, Sora heard her. He could see white bone splinters dripping with blood beneath the greaves. He screamed in anguish until his voice was hoarse.

"Riku!" Kairi hiccupped out in tears and blood "Sora! Help me…please…."

She saw Sora staring at her and silently pleaded for him to help.

Sora tried to get up. He really did. But he had reached his limit.

War continued to twist his sword, cracking open Kairi's chest cavity, spilling out her entrails onto the floor around her until her movements ceased. Blood seeped out and pooled around her while he removed the blade and shook the blood free. He was about to walk away when he paused, looking at Kairi. He knelt, and using a free hand closed her eye lids and tucked her arms to her side.

"Kairi…" Sora mouthed, bowing his head. His hand clenched into a fist and he banged it against the tile.

I couldn't save her.

YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF

. . .

As War stood, a loud boom filled the room. Over his shoulder he saw the portal opening up again, black and green demonic energy emanating from it. Small scaly arms with sharp talons began to spring out of the abyss, tearing it wider. A head with horns started to emerge. He readied Chaoseater and waited.

. . .

Sora felt his purpose for existing die as he looked upon his friends. His arm shook as he tried to reach for them. How had all of this happened?

How could—

YOU LET IT HAPPEN

YOU LET THIS HAPPEN

Riku…

Kairi…

THEY'RE GONE, NOW

BUT I'M HERE

. . .

An odd sense of being enveloped came over him as he felt himself slipping away. At the corner of his eye, a black thick shadow emerged and covered Sora's arm. And then it began to spread all over his body. It reached his chest, covering his wounds and slowly approaching his head, almost like a dark cocoon.
In the mist of his consciousnesses, intent echoed in him, an unknown urging telling him to escape.

No,Sora thought, closing his eyes. There's no reason to fight anymore…

The unknown urge continued to resonate within him.

Get up. Fight.

Please, Sora.

No. Sora shook his head in deep resignation. No more…

The room began to grow dark. The lanterns died out one by one. Snuffed as easily as War had done his friends. The portal became the only source of light as it pulsed and hummed. Sora could barely discern the figures emerging from the portal and War standing in front it, ready. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not anymore.

Let them come,he thought, glancing at Riku and Kairi for one last time, immortalizing them in his memory. It's over anyway.

. . .

"Take care of her…"

. . .

The shadow encompassed his mouth, silencing his voice and continued to creep upward until only his eyes remained.

Sora, please fight.

Why should I?

YOU'RE MINE

Sora crumpled onto the ground, defeated. Lying on his side, with his arm outstretched to his friends, he waited for death to reunite them again. Light suddenly erupted from within the portal, destroying the monsters that had arrived prior. And then he saw nothing, only darkness as it enveloped him in full. In the silence he was able to hear his own heartbeat, growing weaker and weaker.

. . .

"Kairi! Remember what you said before? I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you. I promise!"

"I know you will!"

. . .

Riku.

Kairi.

His Destiny.

Sora closed his eyes and gave himself up.

To death.

To oblivion.

To darkness.