Organization XIII…
Organization…
Organization XIII…
XIII…
XIII…
Nobodies…
Nobodies…
No right to 'be', yet we 'are'…
Come back…
Back…
Come back to us…
You're part of this, Aanyx…
Part of this…
Number XVI…
XVI…
Aanyx…
…The Twilight Morph…
I woke this time to a sudden sense of falling, letting out a yell that sounded something like "Gwagh!" as I rolled off the bed and onto my skates. "Oof, painful…" I groaned, rubbing my stomach as I pulled my hair out of my face.
"Well, at least you're as graceful as always…" A familiar voice chuckled. The face flashed through my mind, followed by thousands of memories as everything snapped into place. My head shot up to look at a boyish face, a pair of seaweed-green eyes identical to my own staring back at me worriedly. "DEMYX!" I cried happily, scrambling to my feet and enveloping my older brother in a hug. "Took you long enough." Axel teased. "Yeah, well, excuse me for being brainwashed." I rolled my eyes, still hugging Demyx tightly.
"Speaking of which; would you care to fill us in on exactly what happened?" Demyx asked.
The grin fell from my face, "…It was a trap—all of it. What I thought was Saïx saying I needed to be killed off was actually Riku with a voice changer."
"Riku?"
"He's working with someone—someone that's trying to bring Sora back. He had to lure me away from the Organization, and bring me here. I think the idea was to get Sora's emotions to respond within Roxas—Riku must have found out that we're friends."
"Or his employer did, at least." Axel corrected.
"What happened then?" Demyx asked worriedly. "We fought—Riku and I. In a world I'd never been to—Outer Rim, connected to the Underground Tunnels. Steam-powered technology, if I remember correctly. But as soon as I started to beat him, someone got me from behind, and I blacked out. Next thing I know, I'm an ordinary girl going to High School. It was like my real life never existed—like I was always normal.
"But I still never fit in. My so-called mom is never home, the only friends I made here apparently hate my guts, and Roxas is somehow thrown in the middle of it all." I leaned back onto my bed, lost in thought as I stared at the ceiling. "This has got to be a fake town."
"Right again. Riku's employer made it to keep you and Roxas here, according to Intel."
"And really keep you here. We've already tried to take you out multiple times."
"Well, now that I remember everything, can't I just morph a door or something?"
"That's the thing—part of the town's system is holding back your powers—probably to keep up the 'normal' façade."
"What about with Valenteen?"
"Sheer willpower—which, by the way, I should thank you for, because that was our ticket in."
"Is there a way to get them back?"
"Well, there is one way…" Demyx trailed off. Axel glanced at him, "But last time she did that, he—"
"But she's gotta be ready for it now, right?"
"What am I ready for?"
"The Chamber of Waking." Both chorused. I swallowed, "Is that the only way?"
"Unless you can somehow shut down the system…"
"Then let's do this. Shoo." At their questioning raised eyebrows I added, "I've gotta get dressed, don't I? No powers means no metamorphosis, and I am not about to give either of you a show, so wait in the kitchen. While you're in there, do us a favor and make breakfast. I'm gonna need all the strength I can get for this…"
The Chamber of Waking. The only way to access the world is through undisturbed meditation. It's a place where everyone with some power must visit when they're ready. I suppose you could call it a spiritual journey to hone the powers you're given…
I could remember all too well what happened last time I tried to take the journey—not too long after I'd joined the Organization, actually. I obviously wasn't ready…If Jareth hadn't saved me…
Shuddering, I changed quickly into a t-shirt and jeans. After a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, Axel created a portal of Darkness that lead to the top of the clock tower. "A clear view means a clear mind, right?" Demyx said in explanation. I nodded, sitting on the ledge and crossing my legs. "I am Aanyx, Twilight Morph, Organization XIII's number XVI. I call upon Her Darkness, Her Lightness, and Kingdom Hearts Himself; I ask that you watch over me as I descend into The Chamber of Waking…"
The moment the words left my mouth I felt myself being pulled away, lifted high into the air as though flying in Neverland. In a flash of light I was teleported, gone from this world as I left my body behind.
I felt a soft, cotton-like fabric drape over my body as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark. My heartbeat raced in anticipation, loud in the silence of the world.
Looking around cautiously, I took a wary step foreword, making the floor erupt into thousands of doves. The floor gave an eerie glow, illuminating what I was now wearing.
It was a simple, low-neckline dress with wide sleeves that drooped all the way to the floor. The top portion cut off just below my ribcage with two chords of the same forest green fabric that criss-crossed over my exposed abdomen before tying in front at the waistline of the skirt. A sheer over-skirt parted all the way down the middle, flowing and grey like smoke.
The floor, I now noticed, was actually a large circular platform made entirely of stained glass. Within the large circle sat another circle, divided into sixteen parts, followed by another thin circle, and then another, this one filled with eighteen smaller circles, each holding a crown outline, four slightly bigger circles, holding Nobody symbols, and two circles bigger than the four overlapping the rest, containing the heads of myself and a man with long black hair, red eyes, and pointed, shark-like teeth—my creator and worst nightmare, Ikxe. In the very centermost circle sat my Somebody—Anya by name, with darker hair than mine and no bangs—a dark red flower in her hair and an evil glint in her sea-green eyes.
I tread carefully, worried my weight would cause the glass to shatter. It didn't, so I scuffed my shoe against Ikxe's face. Stupid prat…
"There holds no peace within the worlds. Run all you want; there is no escape for you. Your journey will soon begin—A Twilit Journey from light to ever-lasting darkness. For you are but a sliver of the universe, and as such you belong to me…My dear little Princess…" I gulped, spinning on my heel as the ground began to rumble, Ikxe himself rising from the glass. His long black hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, crimson eyes gleaming as he slowly walked towards me. He wore a sort of general's uniform, a bronze-hilted cutlass strapped to his waist.
I folded my arms over my midsection, steeling my gaze and refusing to tremble, "Hello again, Ikxe. Or are you calling yourself something else now?"
"Dear Princess. Won't you return home to me?"
"I do believe that I flew off from your little nest." I said, pretending to think about it as we simultaneously began to circle like lions. He growled in his throat and lunged toward me, but I spun out of the way, keeping up the cool façade, "Temper, temper. And you wonder why your big brother doesn't speak to you anymore."
"Silence! You are mine! I made you!"
"And you're a deranged psychopath. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I've got other demons to conquer. Ta."
"You can't save him, Aanyx." I froze, spinning back to face his triumphant grin. "That boy is destined to fall into Darkness—just like the rest of your pathetic friends."
"Then I'll bring them back." I stated simply, "You gave me this heart born of darkness, didn't you? It makes me stronger than you, because I not only have one, but it doesn't stop me from doing this." To demonstrate, I snapped my fingers, causing a portal of Darkness to open below his feet. "You will return to me, I garuntee—" Ikxe called as he fell. I breathed a sigh of relief and sunk to my knees, "One down…"
You handled him well, child. A motherly voice said, echoing all around. But remember that you can't bluff your way out of everything. Prepare yourself, and climb the stairs once you are ready. I closed my eyes, steeling my mind, and made my way up the staircase that had appeared.
This second platform was in the same design as the first, the two character circles holding Xcaiyet and Kat (another creation of Ikxe and the Organization's No. XVII) while the center held myself, clad in the same dress I now wore.
The moment I stepped onto this platform, a set of three pedestals rose upward, each carrying a weapon. The left-hand carried a shield, the middle a sword, and the right-hand a staff. Each was simple in design, the only décor an artfully placed Nobody symbol.
The choices you make will resound in those around you. Choose well. A new, masculine voice warned. Unsure of what else to do, I walked up and plucked the shield off its stand. It fit perfectly over my arm, warmth radiating from it as another feminine voice whispered through the air.
The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?
"I…I don't know…" I admitted, replacing the shield. I next gripped the sword, the image of a bloody battlefield racing through my mind with the second voice's words.
The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?
"Terrible destruction? I don't think so…" I quickly replaced it, grabbing the staff instead. My heart lurched, hands burning as though the staff was poisoned. The third voice once more spoke, and I had to strain to hear her over the loud hiss as my body rejected the magic.
The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?
"The only wonder this holds is that it hasn't ruined my hands yet!" I set the staff down on the pedestal, unable to hold on any longer. My hands felt raw, and I rubbed them on the sides of my dress as though to rid them of the magic. The movement was somehow soothing.
I looked from one weapon to the next before calling my whips to hand, looking at each of them in turn. "What if I don't want to choose any of these? Why can't I stay with my whips? What, do I have to go with the theme or something? Okay, how about this;" Kicking the staff to the ground I placed my whips on its stand, picked them up, and declared, "The power of the Aanyx. Determined stubbornness. Whips to do my bidding. Is this the power you seek? Yes."
A trio of chuckles met this, the masculine voice once more speaking. Determined stubbornness indeed, my child. Very well, your path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?
"Now that one's easy—the magic."
So sure of yourself?
"Look, if you are who I think you are, then you already know that my body can't handle any more magic. I push my limits with the two spells I know as it is. I'm not going to give up friendship, nor courage. Those two have kept me going many times. But the power of the mystic would only destroy me from the inside-out."
Even at the sacrifice of inner strength?
"If that must be tied to magic, then I'll use my willpower instead. Inner doubt or no." The first voice returned once more.
Very well spoken, my child. We are almost through—but the door won't open just yet. First, you must answer three questions. Steel your mind, and head upstairs.
I didn't wait this time, instead marching straight up the stairs. I was therefore surprised to see Demyx, Jareth, and Xemnas standing in a semi-circle. Keeping with trend, I stopped at Demyx first. "What do you want out of life, Aanyx?" I looked down in thought, noticing this floor had only two circles—a large Nobody symbol surrounded by eighteen roman numerals. Some were scuffed out—those we lost in the Castle Oblivion fiasco.
Finding strength in the image, the answer came to me, and I looked my brother square in the eyes, "Unity. I want to have a home to go to, and know that I'm wanted there. A home that doesn't have to have an issue between those of Darkness and those of Light."
Is unity so grand? The third voice asked. I ignored her, turning instead to Jareth. "How now, little one?"
"I'm kind of surprised to see you roped in this, Jareth." I grinned at the Goblin King, who offered a pointed one in return. "The three of us are the only ones whose authority you respect, and let me tell you it is an honor the real me shall possibly never know. Now then, little Aanyx; What's most important to you?"
"Now that's a little trickier. But the fact is, you ask me any of these questions five years from now and my answers could be totally different. So I suppose I have to think of the here and now…" Once more, images of life in the Organization before it was torn apart flashed through my mind, and I couldn't help but shrug, "Call me single-minded, but I'm gonna go with home. A home that guarantees a sense of belonging—one that is every definition of the word."
Is home that important?
"It is if you're an outcast…" I muttered in response to the second voice's question before turning my attention to Xemnas. "What's my question, Superior?"
"Simple, Number XVI. What are you most afraid of?"
"Most afraid of? To be honest, I don't think I can answer that. Part of me wants to say loosing what I've worked so hard to keep—My brother, Roxas, Xcaiyet and Kat—but part of me has a fear I'm not sure I can put words to. 'Shattered' comes to mind…But shattered what, I can't say. Reality, maybe? Dreams?"
Is that so terrifying?
"Yes. It must be, because my mind refuses to think on it."
Very well then, little one. Are you ready for the final test?
"I came here ready for it." I nodded, summoning my whips as I looked around for a staircase. What I didn't expect was the floor to shatter beneath me, enveloping me in darkness. I didn't fight it, feeling a strangely comforting warmth spread through me as that first voice continued to speak.
The day you face your final test is both far off and very near.
But don't be afraid.
And don't forget…
There is no good or evil.
There is only power,
And those weak enough to corrupt it.
The choices made now and hereafter
Will take you down your Twilit Journey…
...And it is not an easy road...