Oh wow. Thanks for the new reviews (Joy, I'm on someone's favorites list.). I'm so sorry it took so long to update, but I had complications on a description in this chapter. Then I was distracted by my friend's Digimon fic (which is really really good.), among other things. Ari asked for it, so in this chapter we'll learn a bit more about Chuya. (You know, Ari, you've gotta be one of the most dedicated Riku fans I've seen. You ever thought of writing a sequel fic, since you love 'em so much? I'm sure it would be good.) Also, the action/adventure will really start.
The previous chapter's theme was Bother from the Spiderman soundtrack, and before that was Destati from the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack. This chapter's theme is Korn's "Did My Time".
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the original stuff...
Eclipse Realm
Chapter 3: Did My Time
It took the irritating rays of the sun beaming through the window to wake Riku from the most peaceful, dreamless sleep he had enjoyed in a long time. He growled and grabbed a fistful of the blanket covering him, yanking it over his head while he buried his face deeper into his soft pillow...
Then he paused, realizing that it wasn't his pillow, and he wasn't in his room. In fact, he wasn't even in a bed. The hardwood floor was nothing like the comfort of his bed, back on the island...
Pushing away the homesickness that started to bubble up, he sat up, throwing off the blanket but narrowing his eyes to protect them from the aggravating light. Maybe it was because of the rest, but in any case he could think a bit more clearly today, and he didn't have to strain to remember how he ended up in the floor with a sore back.
He had left, fought with was in the darkness, returned at dawn, and... Crap. He hoped he didn't scare the girl too badly.
"No, not just some girl," Riku told himself, pushing up his pale bangs as he placed a gloved hand on his forehead. "Her name is Chuya, and there's something different about her." Speaking of Chuya, where is she?
He stood up, turning away from the window and stretching his arms to pop his back before he gathered up the cover Chuya must have given him. He almost laughed, but only succumbed to a small smile as he thought of how she must have felt. He personally would have been dismayed if a total stranger came out of no where and just collapsed on him. But she must have taken it well, and was courteous enough to make him as comfortable as he could be on the floor.
Riku tossed the folded-up blanket and the pillow on the small sofa as he passed it. Judging from how bright the sun was, he guessed it was about noon, so Chuya must be awake.
"Chuya?" He called out softly, so that she wouldn't be alarmed when he poked his head into her room.
Nothing. Her bed was made up perfectly, and she was no where to be seen. Maybe she was just outside, but something made him feel that all wasn't well...
Riku's body went rigid, and he stiffly stepped out of Chuya's room. He extended his right hand, and his Keyblade appeared as he whirled around and swung it in an arch...
...And he wasn't surprised at the blade that met it in a shower of sparks and magic. Riku at once searched the face of his assailant, and saw that it was a woman. There wasn't much to see of her. She was wearing a violet cloak that only revealed black gold-trimmed gauntlets on each arm, and that was only because of her raised weapon. Half of her face was covered by side swept black hair that fell to her shoulders before curling outwards. Riku was glaring directly into the one hazel - no, golden - eye he could see, and she returned that piercing stare just as fiercely.
They held that position for a few moments, then the woman closed her eyes and sighed before taking a short leap back. She calmly stood up straight and sheathed her weapon, and wasn't startled in the least when she opened that ochroid eye to find Riku's Keyblade a hair's breadth from her short, pointed nose.
"As you can see," the woman said in a low, smooth voice, "I have no intentions of fighting you. Lower your weapon, Keyblade Master."
"Tch." Riku didn't like the idea of listening to a stranger, but it was obvious that she had no interest in fighting him. Silently, he lowered his arm, though he still kept his Keyblade in a tight grip at his side.
"Before you bother asking, my name is irrelevant at this moment, and no, she has not been harmed."
Riku's turquoise eyes widened only for a moment, then narrowed and sparkled dangerously. So, she...
"Yes, I can read minds. Now that we've got that established, come with me." The woman turned with a slight wave of her violet cloak and strolled to the door, opening it with no regard for Riku as he had to turn his head away from the light.
She looked back at him, and an eyebrow arched slightly in interest. "So you really are sensitive to the light."
No shit... Riku thought disdainfully, a penetrating gaze aimed at her through slit lids as his eyes began to adjust.
"No need to be to so vulgar." The woman tossed her hair as she exited the small house.
Riku hesitated, then followed suit, closing the door behind him. He was starting to severely dislike this woman, who had just come out of no where and demanded his presence. She must have felt the hole he was trying to burn into her back with glaring eyes, and she began to respond to the thoughts running through his head.
"I hardly think it's just that you be bitter with my appearance when you are not of this world. Yes, I am aware of other worlds out there, as I am aware that you wield the Keyblade."
"Then we can cut the small talk," Riku said acidly. Even though she was in front of him, he could see her nod.
"I'm sure you have sensed the importance of the girl."
"Her name is Chuya. Why don't you call her that?"
Riku's tone caused the woman to pause and turn to him. "Chuya is the name given to her, but it doesn't define who or what she is. It is only necessary because as humans we have to address her by something." Returning her eyes to look ahead of her, the woman continued, regaining her pace. "But if it will cease your vexatious bewailing, then I shall call her by the name designated to her. For your sake."
Riku ignored the insulting sarcasm of that last comment as he pondered over what she just said. When she had turned to face him, the passion in her eye and words led him to think that she must have thought much more about Chuya than her words led him to believe. She didn't seem to be scolding him, but rather scorning whoever named Chuya. With anyone else, it would have sounded like they were defending a close friend, a relative... or a lover.
Due to the thoughts racing through her own mind, the woman didn't read Riku's current thoughts, instead saying, "Rowena, you shall call me."
"Rowena..." Even her name sounded strong, suggesting that Riku had much to be aware of. Regardless, he proceeded with the conclusions he came up with about Chuya. "I'm aware that Chuya knows magic, as most people in this land must. Someone put her to sleep last night, I'm guessing-"
"Yes, that much is true, but no, it was not of my doing."
Riku was starting to get annoyed. "I'd appreciate it if you would knock before entering my mind." With no reply, not that he was expecting one, he went on. "So who wanted to keep her quiet? Is Chuya the daughter of a high mage or something? What does she know that she can't tell me?"
"Don't misjudge for a minute that the people of Nevaia are fools. You think that because you wield the Keyblade that my people will mistake you for a savior and pour out their hearts to you, share our knowledge? We are well aware of the legend of the Keyblade. And those of the inner circle, myself included, know that you are the one that can bring ruin to this world."
Riku held his tongue. In the past, he would have never stood for a comment like that against him. But now, he knew he deserved every word, and that it was true.
"At any rate, what Chuya knows is none of your concern. It just so happens that her fate and yours have crossed paths."
"So, where are we going?" Riku noticed while he was sure they were walking that though they had started towards the massive tree were he first met Chuya, somehow they were headed towards a forest. Where had it come from? While he had been in the tree, he had only seen waves of flowers for as far as his sharp eyes could see in the light.
"It was an illusion." Rowena suddenly answered for him. "No one knows that Chuya lives out here, or that she even exists."
"Except for this inner circle and yourself," the teen added.
Unexpectedly, Rowena threw Riku a grin over her shoulder. "Aren't you a clever boy."
They entered the forest shortly afterwards, and as soon as they did Riku could feel it again. The forest was alive, not just the fauna and flora, but the air, the shadows...
"You feel them, don't you?" Riku could see Rowena place her hand on the hilt of her sword sheathed underneath her cloak. His own grip tightened on his Keyblade. "They exist wherever the faintest shadow lies."
"What exactly is 'it'? I had an encounter with them last night, and I know they aren't Heartless."
"The Elder will answer that and your other questions once we reach our destination."
"Which would be...?" Riku didn't like being led blindly.
"The holy shrine of Nevaia, Anavrin. That is where Chuya is." Rowena didn't initiate any more conversation, instead setting her thoughts on the boy behind her.
Being in the darkness so long must have enhanced everything about him, from his senses to his wits. He was still cautious of her, and wisely kept his weapon in hand. Rowena didn't need to read his thoughts to know what he was meditating on. She knew he was wary of the ever-present darkness, and her ominous presence. Also, Riku was also thinking of Chuya, of why such an important person was left on her own in the middle of a field. And what was to become of him now that he was in a new world. Anyone in his position would have had the same thoughts.
The raven-haired warrior frowned slightly as she made her way through the woods. Riku was cautious of her, but the forms in the dark were what disturbed her. They were drawn, yet repelled, by Riku. They must be drawn to the darkness in his heart...no. To the darkness that he was. Yet his hatred towards the same force he let himself become were what kept "them" at bay.
Interesting.
Riku breathed a quiet sigh of relief when they exited the woods a few minutes later. The darkness was off his back, for now anyway. His apprehension lessened enough so that he no longer needed his Keyblade and it disappeared in wisp of dark smoke. He noticed they were now walking along a dirt road.
"... Why are we taking so long?" Rowena's snort of contempt was his only reply, so Riku made himself clear. "I don't mind the exercise, but I know you didn't walk to the cottage, and Chuya didn't leave that way as well."
"How observant of you. Yes, we have a faster means of transportation."
"So what the hell are we waiting for?"
Rowena halted and turned around to Riku, with a mixture of surprise, annoyance, and sternness on her elegant features. "You have no reason to be so hasty. Chuya is in good hands. She has not been harmed."
"Then why was she taken? She only found me, that's all." Riku balled his hands into fists. "There's no reason for her to be punished for that! I---!"
"Quiet!" One harsh look, and Riku was silenced, but he still scowled at her angrily. "Chuya is not some mage-girl that you happened to encounter! Your appearance has set the wheels of her fate in motion once again!"
"And what exactly is her fate?" the pale-haired teen asked in an eerily tranquil voice. Riku's azure eyes widened substantially when he had a sudden suspicion. "... Is Chuya a... Princess of Heart?"
"Far from it," Rowena answered with equal placidness. "But similarly to the princesses, she is involved with the hearts of worlds."
"But if she isn't a Princess of Heart, and I doubt she's a Keyblade Master, then who is she?"
"The correct question would be what is she."
The Keyblade wielder narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'what is she'?"
Instead of answering his question, Rowena turned her face up towards the expansive blue sky and brought two fingers to her lips. She emitted a shrill whistle before looking at Riku again. "You may ask her herself when we arrive at Anavrin."
Riku frowned in both frustration and confusion. He didn't like how Rowena kept dodging his questions, though it was a clever act on her part, and he couldn't understand what she had whistled for.
"You'll see soon enough."
"Stop doing that," Riku growled.
Rowena just chuckled, a low quiet laugh that would have made any other person shudder, but Riku was no ordinary person. "You have every reason to keep your guard up, but you can relax once we reach the holy shrine." Riku noticed she shifted her weight to her other leg, and Rowena crossed her arms in a gesture of relaxation. "Now, tell me, what do you think of Chuya?"
"Why do you care?" Riku glared at her, but when she merely raised a thin eyebrow he sighed. He knew what that meant, and he decided he might as well tell her something before she probed his mind. "Chuya is nice. A bit too nice. It's unnatural how naive she is for a human, and it kinda gives me the creeps. She acts like a child, though..."
"You can tell she's much older than her actions say?"
"Yeah." Riku nodded. "How old is she?"
"How old do you think she is?"
"She looks to be my age, but hell, I don't even know I am now. I'd say she was about sixteen, but since this a world different from the ones I've seen, she could be hundreds of years old."
"A wise theory. But," Rowena's eyes narrowed in concentration for a moment, then she continued, "She would be seventeen years old, based on the calculations of your world."
"And how old is she by this world's calculation?" Riku placed one hand on his hip, finally a bit content that he could have a straight conversation with this woman... Wait a second...
Did she say Chuya would be seventeen? What did she mean by that?
"In due time, Keyblade Master." Rowena ignored Riku's piercing stare and directed her golden gaze to the sky.
Riku followed her glance, and in the distance he could see a small sphere of light headed in their direction at a rapid speed. In a few moments, the ball of light stopped to float above their heads. Rowena extended an elegant hand, where the glowing entity landed.
The greenish-white luminescence faded away to reveal a little dragon. The shape of the mythical lizard's body reminded Riku of Maleficent's dragon form, though the tiny creature was no where near as menacing. It was really only about half as big as his fist, with its long tail, wrapped around Rowena's wrist and lower arm, and neck making up most of its length. It was covered in bright, emerald colored scales all over its body, with an olive underside. Its wings, each one about as long as its body, were of a lighter verdant color, and were feathered and birdlike rather than leathery and batlike. Gem yellow eyes stared into Rowena's matching pair.
"I trust she arrived unharmed, Seikyou?" Rowena asked the dragon. It nodded, then gazed over at Riku. The teen was surprised at the intelligence his eyes - somehow, Riku just knew it was male. He was a bit unnerved at what he saw in those golden depths.
"...Why is he staring at me like that?"
"He is curious about you. Yes, Seikyou, he is the one. She must be ready. Let us depart."
Seikyou spread his wings, and a soft greenish glow enveloped him, then Rowena, and last Riku. Before the teen could protest or question what was happening, all three figures phased out of existence.
It was the oddest feeling. For just the briefest of instants, Riku felt like he had just dissolved into minuscule particles of energy and was being transported over a great distance. He knew it was happening, because he had felt this way before. It had been of his own power and energy, but it felt similar to when he had traveled across the worlds...
Just after he confronted Sora at Neverland... Kairi cradled in his arms...
When he materialized again, he found himself outside of what must have been Anavrin. Riku could feel the intense magic emanating from the shrine, and had to hold back an involuntary shudder. It reminded him of Hollow Bastion. Since he was standing just in front of the entrance, he couldn't see much of the shrine, save for the several columns supporting the roof, which was somewhere up in the shadows. He couldn't even see very far into the hall he was outside of.
For a holy shrine, it sure seemed foreboding.
The place Chuya was being held at... where she had been taken.
"Save your meditation for a later hour."
Rowena's voice and the clicking of her heels against the stone ground brought Riku out of his contemplation, and without hesitation he followed her into the sanctuary. Inside, the hall consisted of nothing more than a royal purple carpet that extended down the passage, trimmed with golden floral designs. Tall, gold candelabrums lined the inner sanctum, supporting the only source of light Riku could see. The blue flames cast eerie shapes on the walls, sometimes illuminating paintings on the walls of long forgotten heroes and gods, paying tribute by giving them ghostly appearances.
Riku still felt apprehensive about this place. Even Hollow Bastion was cheerier. A holy shrine? Hell, it looked more like a place for practicing dark arts, or the ideal spot for a devil-worshipping cult.
"Your guesses aren't too far from the truth," Rowena said quietly. Her voice was monotone, but Riku could guess that her expression was probably dark.
Soon the pair arrived at a cathedral-like door. Though it was closed, Riku could sense a powerful magic beyond the doors. It was coming from one person...
"Chuya is inside this room."
Riku's eyes widened. All that energy was coming from her?
"You want to see her, do you not?" Rowena knew what the answer was. Riku was going to question Chuya about what was happening. Even though he knew of the heavy shroud of mystery surrounding this girl, she was the only person in this world he even came close to trusting.
The doors began to open of their own will. Riku glanced back at Rowena briefly, but wasn't too surprised to find her gone. Seikyou fluttered past him into the inner sanctum, and Riku turned his turquoise eyes forward to find a long-haired person in a dress, kneeling in front of an altar of dozens of radiant candles. Riku watched in awe as the candles glared a fiery scarlet, in the next instant a soothing blue, then a mystical green, and then a soft violet. All the while, he could feel her magic flare, sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, but controlled.
Seikyou swooped around to hover in front of her face, and it was only when Chuya noticed the little dragon that she spoke, letting the candles fade into a normal pale yellow glow. Her voice was soft, but inside the silent temple Riku didn't have to strain to hear her.
"Seikyou...? He's here?" A quiet squawk from the green lizard, then she stood, her hair swaying slightly as she turned around to Riku.
He was amazed at the change in her, physically and mentally. The physical change he noticed first. Her hair was loose, freely hanging down to about a foot above her knees. Two braids that framed her face held the long locks away from her eyes, only her bangs free from the plaits. Her neck and shoulders were bare because of her red-violet strapless tube top.
The top just covered, which Riku couldn't help but admire, a nicely developed bust, and a deep maroon corset snugly fit around her waist, with a silver lining and oval decor.
Her sleeves were similar to the rest of her attire. They started at her shoulders, the same red-violet color, and each faded into a white that was mostly covered by a shorter maroon sleeve, with two sterling silver zippers on either side of her arm, that faded back into the previous color to end in a bell shape over her hands.
Her dress was white, interrupted by red-violet designs of two disks lined vertical between two crescents above a star-like pattern made of thin diamond shapes, that gradually faded into the rich berry color of her top. Two silver zippers, which were open about three-quarters of the dress, allowed her the freedom to walk unhindered and exposed her legs.
The gown stopped just short of her ankles, each with a silver-buckled white belt wrapped around them to secure her shoes. They were like sneakers in their design - maroon soles and matching tongue with a sterling zipper, and silver streaks below triangular red-violet shapes on a white background - but the heels were slightly raised.
Chuya surely wasn't dressed like some common girl, and she didn't feel like one either. She still had the disposition of a child- he could see that plainly etched in the way her dusky eyes stared curiously at him- but she didn't seem quite as innocent as before. There was something else buried underneath her calm exterior, almost melancholy, but he couldn't be sure...
She smiled a polite, yet unemotional, smile at him. "We meet again..." Chuya paused, stepping over to Riku with the grace of an apparition, and halting in front of him, hands folded and held down in front of her and head tilted to the side. "Riku, was it?"
A slight nod was his only reply, and for a while the two simply stared at each other. Riku was trying to see what emotion Chuya was holding deep inside of herself, and Chuya was merely in quiet awe of his eyes, which faintly glowed without help from the candles.
The two teens were interrupted by Seikyou, the tiny dragon at Chuya's side suddenly, squeaking softly as he landed on her shoulder.
The girl closed her eyes, bringing up a hand which Seikyou nuzzled affectionately. "Seikyou tells me that you had some difficulty getting along with Rowena," Chuya stated softly.
Finally, Riku spoke. "... You can talk to him, too?"
"I've known Seikyou all of my..." She paused, opening her eyes and averting them to the dragon, then went on, "For as long as I can remember."
Riku chose this moment to cut straight to the chase. "Chuya, what's going on? Why have we been brought here?"
She turned her eyes to the stone floor. "... The wheels of our fate are in motion again."
Riku frowned, then brought a hand under Chuya's chin, lifting her face to meet the icy glare of his eyes. "That's the same damn thing Rowena said. What is it?" His voice was low, quiet but demanding. "What does your fate have to do with mine?"
Chuya wasn't unnerved by the ice in Riku's tone and glare. What did she have to be afraid of? She sighed, closing her eyes again, and answered calmly, "That is not my question to answer. Seikyou is getting upset. Please move your hand."
Looking at the dragon, Riku could see him bristling, and he also saw that he had changed his colors. His verdant coloration was replaced with various shades of silver and gray, and his eyes were clouded and stormy. Acknowledging his expression, Riku removed his hand, and Chuya raised her eyes and walked around him and through the doors.
"Where are you going?" Riku snapped, turning around sharply to follow her. He did not intend to sound so rude, but he was not about to lose the only person he could talk to.
"I haven't seen you eat since we met, and Rowena most likely didn't give you time, so you must be hungry," Chuya responded.
Riku opened his mouth to protest, as food was the furthest thing from his mind, but a growl from his stomach silenced him. Come to think of it, he couldn't even remember when he had last eaten. Even though he had a high tolerance for starvation, he couldn't go without food at all.
Chuya led him to another door that opened into a small bedroom. It must have been a guest room, since it wasn't too lavishly decorated. It was only furnished with a bed with stark white pillows and a wine-colored quilt and a small round table with two chairs. A silver platter that held various fruits, meats, breads and cheeses sat upon the table.
Sensing Riku's apprehensiveness, Chuya sought to ease him. "I prepared the food myself. I'll join you again when you are done to talk to the Elder. Enjoy." Without another word, she left, closing the door behind her.
Outside, Chuya leaned back against the door for a moment, then started down the hallway, preoccupied with thoughts of what was to come rather than the mysterious boy she encountered just barely half a day ago.
She didn't notice another presence nearby, even when Seikyou left his perch on her shoulder, until a voice spoke up.
"Does that boy not interest you?"
Chuya halted, then turned around to face Rowena, who just seemed to materialize from the shadows. Leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed and golden eye closed, her calm appearance betrayed her racing thoughts. With her cloak shed, her attire was revealed. A sleeve-less black garment covered most of her body and was similar to a kimono, except that it cut low over her ample bust and was slit to a high point on her thighs. The black garment was lined with gold trim, with the figure of a red dragon reaching up from the bottom of the front flap, tied securely around the waist with a scarlet sash. Her thin high heeled boots were black leather with pointed silver toes and extended up to mid-thigh, silver plates covering both knees. Her arms were clothed with finger-less gold trimmed black gauntlets that covered her arms to her elbows, a red arm band that circled around her right bicep and two golden bangles around her left. A black, spiked collar encircled her slender neck, the finishing touch to this warrior's dark ensemble.
Most were intimidated by Rowena's dark atmosphere, but Chuya was used to the maiden warrior. "Reading my thoughts again, Rowena?" Chuya required with a false smile.
Rowena pushed herself off of the wall, walking over to stand in front of Chuya, staring at the younger girl with something akin to lust as she intimately traced the outline of her heart-shaped face with long, elegant fingers. "I hate it when you smile. So disingenuous, yet I can't helped but be transfixed by how innocent it makes you look." Rowena's voice faded to a murmur as she took gently took hold of one of Chuya's braids, bringing it to her lips.
"You say that quite often," Chuya said, her smile not faltering. "Sometimes using different words, but I suppose you always mean the same thing."
"Yes." Rowena rubbed the soft plait of hair against her cheek before letting it drop, placing one hand on her hip as the other toyed with some loose strands of Chuya's hair. "Tell me, what are your thoughts on the boy, Riku?"
"I haven't really thought of him much. But he's nice, I guess, and quiet. He doesn't seem to like the darkness very much. And he's heavy. Riku is very different from any other person I've seen, not that I have seen many people," Chuya concluded.
"More than you know..." Rowena released Chuya's hair, looking directly at the girl with surprise in her golden eye. "What do you mean 'he's heavy'?"
"After I woke up, he fell on me. Strange place to fall asleep."
"... I see." Rowena had probed Chuya's mind, understanding what had happened. She stroked Chuya's mahogany locks for a moment, then crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Go to the main altar. The Elder is waiting there. Speak with him, then Riku will join you."
Chuya nodded, then turned and continued her way down the passage, disappearing into the distant shadows. Rowena's shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh. She was relieved that the boy's presence didn't stir any alien feelings in Chuya. Not that any would have been, but with the most powerful Keyblade Master around her, anything was bound to happen. Mentally, she chided herself for being so paranoid, especially with the thought of anyone touching "her" precious Chuya.
The dragon, once again verdant with topaz eyes, cooed softly.
A low chuckle escaped Rowena. "Yes, Seikyou, I am truly foolish."
Riku stopped counting the minutes that passed, his lean form laid out on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head. Having finished off most of what Chuya had prepared for him, he took this down time to contemplate his future.
He clearly remembered what his intentions were when he separated from King Mickey. He knew the darkness needed to be closed off, him with it, if necessary, but he needed to figure out just how he was to accomplish that. He didn't know if the barriers between the worlds was down or not, nor did he know the locations of his once friends...
Sora, no doubt, must be looking for him and the king, but what of Kairi? Did she make it back to the islands safely? Worse yet, he needed to know Ansem's whereabouts, since he couldn't feel him inside of him anymore...
And then there was himself. What had happened in the time between when he separated from King Mickey and met Chuya, and how much time had passed? Could he still control the Heartless?
His thoughts were interrupted when Rowena entered the room without even bothering to knock.
"It is time."
Leading him to another intricately designed cathedral door, Rowena left Riku to face the Elder alone. The room was larger than the room he had found Chuya in, and the only room that had a source of light, a white glowing orb somewhere at the top of the dome-shape ceiling. The sudden transition from shadowy darkness to bright luminescence did irritate Riku's sensitive eyes, but he was gradually getting used to the light. It wasn't long before he was able to get a bearing on his surroundings, examining what was around him as he stalked down the aisle.
Like the inside of a church, a carpet led all the way down an aisle, lined on both sides by kneeling cloaked figures, and stopped at the foot of a small series of steps that led to the only faces that could be seen in the room. Seated beside a throne on a large plush pillow was Chuya, hands folded in her lap, and in the throne at her side was the Elder.
He wasn't a very big man, wrinkled and shriveled with age, but he was still a living symbol of wisdom and strength, clothed in the long white and gold trimmed robes of a bishop. Long and snowy white perfectly described this man's mustache, beard, eye brows and pulled back hair.
Despite his age, his voice was loud, low and booming, as he stood, spread his arms, and spoke.
"Keyblade Master, I, the Supreme Elder Aelgar, welcome you to this land, Nevaia!" His voice echoed for a moment towards the summit of the shrine, then he continued, lowering his arms. "I have heard much of you, young Riku, and have anxiously awaited your arrival."
"You can cut the crap, Grandpa," Riku snapped, halting a few feet from the foot of the stairs. Dramatically, he summoned his Keyblade in his right hand and swung it in an arch as he spoke, pointing it at Aelgar. "I've got questions, and I know you have the answers, so spill it. What the hell am I doing here? And don't give me that 'wheels of your fate' bullshit."
Raising a wrinkled hand to silence the murmurs of outrage that came from the clerics, Aelgar looked sternly at the pale haired teen. "The time has come for you to determine your destiny." Aelgar folded his hands within the folds of his large sleeves. "The answers you seek can be found by you and you alone. In order to fulfill your dreams, you must go to the place of perpetual night, where towers of steel are forever steeped in the shadows. There, you will get a glimpse of the other side of the mirror."
"...Is that it?" Riku lowered his arm, his Keyblade gone in a flash of dark light. "What about Chuya? Everyone keeps saying our fates have crossed paths. What does her fate have to do with me?"
Bushy eye brows came together in a frown. "You wish to open the door, do you not? You will need her to accomplish that."
"Why? What can she do?" Riku glanced briefly at the girl mentioned. Her eyes were closed, and her face passive, so it was impossible to read her expression. Looking back to Aelgar, he continued. "Chuya is not a wielder of the Keyblade, or a Princess of Heart. How will she open the door?"
"That will be revealed when the truth is necessary. Now, to aid you in your upcoming confrontation." Aelgar spread his hand, and when looked down at his left hand Riku was speechless at what materialized in it. A Keyblade, one of light, with a paopu fruit decoration hanging from the end...
Sora's Keyblade... Oathkeeper.
Not many edits needed to be made here. But my niece was just here, so if there's any strange text here I'd like to be informed.
Reviews are appreciated.