Previously, on the last Author's Notes...
Play Final Fantasy XII OST- Esper
Hades: See you all next time!
Titano Man: WTF?! Hades! What are you doing here?!
Show Start!
Hades: Oh, I thought that I would just drop by to say hi.
Xion: Shouldn't you be bothering Pit or something?
Hades: Normally, yes. But I've been growing bored of that lately so one day I was scrolling through the fan fiction archives looking to see what atrocities you so called 'authors' created when I found this little gem. I have to say. You have the potential to be a halfway decent writer.
Titano Man: Wow. A half compliment from Hades? That doesn't happen often.
Hades: But then again, most of what you've written had bored me to tears. And I didn't really like most of the characters you've made up. Frankly your character development is worse than that god awful Twilight series!
Titano Man: Aaaaand there's the Hades we know and love to hate. And my self-esteem has taken a severe hit. *sigh* Somebody roll the disclaimer! I've got a Troll to deal with. *goes to closet and grabs his recently purchased Sword of Trolls Bane*
Karly: Titano Man XIII does not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Final Fantasy in general, Pokémon, or anything else that he decides to put into this story. The only this he does own are all of the OCs that appear in this story with the exception of Shinryu Verus, who belongs to The Unknowing Herald.
Hades: On with the show!
End Theme
Final Kingdom Arc 1 Kingdom Hearts Academy
Narrator: When we last left our heroes... W-what?! What are you doing in here?! No! Put that down!
There were sounds of a struggle for about a minute before everything went quiet...
Hades: *Ahem* I'll be acting as narrator now so I'll be the one announcing the themes and scene changes, okay? Now, when we last left our heroes, the third and final part of the massive, school wide test had begun and the entire student body had been left to fend for themselves in an abandoned, decaying city called Fortuna. As everyone split off to take their own route towards the goal marked on the maps given to them, Karly, Xion, Terra, and Shin grouped together and made their way through the abandoned city. But when they stopped to rest for the night they encountered, much to their shock and disbelief, legions of the undead and Heartless! Will they escape the cold grip of death? Or will they join the walking dead? I think we all know the answer though. Anyways, read on to find out!
Play awesome anime opening!
The scene opened to a dark alley-way within the abandoned city of Fortuna. Three figures were seen running through it as fast as their legs could carry them as they ran for their lives. The air around them was filled with terrified screams and the growls of the monsters that wandered throughout the city as they hunted their prey.
As the three stopped to catch their breaths the scene froze and the episode's title appeared.
The Demon's Trial
"I think we're safe now." one figure said in a male voice.
"W-what we're those things?!" another figure asked in a terrified female voice.
"I don't know, but I ain't sticking around to find out!" the third figure said in a male voice before he started to leave the alley.
"Wait!" the first boy said chasing after the other boy.
"W-wait for me!" the girl said frantically as she ran after the two.
The trio left the alley and entered a darkened street.
(You can tell something's going to happen because of the change in the lighting.)
(Damn it Hades! Shut up and stop spoiling the story!)
The two boys walked by what looked like a store. They couldn't tell what was inside because it was pitch black in there.
"Guys I don't think that we should go this way!" the girl said worriedly as she glanced around the area.
The two boys stopped in front of the store's large front window and looked back at the girl.
"It's okay. This street's clear. We should be fine." The first boy said reassuringly.
"O-okay..." the girl said biting her lip.
Just then the window the boys were standing in front of broke outwards and an undead ghoul reached and grabbed the first boy.
The girl screamed from the glass suddenly breaking.
The boy screamed as he was dragged inside of the store.
"Oh shit!" the second boy said before he turned tail and ran away towards an alley-way across the street.
"Wait! Don't leave me!" the girl screamed as the other boy ran off.
"You're on your own, I'm outta here!" he said before disappearing into the dark alley. Moments later a terrified scream was heard coming from the alley before everything went quiet.
Moments later the sounds of tapping and metal scraping across the ground started coming from the alley and was progressively growing louder.
Tears cascaded down the girl's face as she shook from fear.
Within moments a terrifying creature that wasn't a Heartless or a Zombie lumbered into view.
The creature looked to be covered in a series of burlap sacks stitched together all over its body. Its left arm was that of a marionette and it had peg legs on both legs. It also had an executioner's hood stitched onto its head. But its most terrifying feature was the giant blade grafted onto its right elbow. And the most terrifying thing about it... The blade was covered in blood... Fresh blood.
The creature looked at her and began to make its way towards her. Moving on wobbly legs as its giant arm-blade scraped across the ground behind it.
That seemed to wake the girl up. She immediately turned around and ran down the street in an attempt to get away from the monster.
As she ran she looked back to see if the monster was now chasing after her at a surprising speed. Because of this she failed to notice a manhole cover in her path lift up and be pushed to the side.
As she ran by the open manhole, hands shot out and grabbed her ankles, causing her to trip and fall down.
She screamed in terror as she was being dragged towards the hole in the ground.
The girl clawed at the ground in an attempt to save herself, but she only succeeded in breaking her nails and making them bleed.
She released one last scream as she was pulled into the hole and into the dark underground.
(And that's another new resident for the underworld.)
(And the award for the most heartless comment goes to...)
(Now, there's no need to be so stiff!)
(I hate you...)
With the people who are actually important!
Play Kingdom Hearts OST- Night of Fate
We find out heroes, more or less, in a perilous situation.
Before them were a group of Heartless comprised of Wight Knights and Search Ghosts, and behind them was a hoard of the living dead.
(My... I wonder how they'll get out of this?)
"What should we do?" Terra asked worriedly as she looked between the Heartless and the encroaching horde of reanimated corpses.
"I'm thinking!" Shin said trying to come up with a plan.
They were trapped in the middle of an open area surrounded by hostile monsters. Oh, and only one of them had a means to defend themselves.
Fantastic...
"Xion, what are our chances for survival?" Shin asked the girl.
Xion did the math in her head for a moment before she replied. "I'd say that we have a 33.33, repeating of course, percent chance of survival." she said with crowbar in hand.
Shin took a moment to process the information.
"Okay I think I have a plan. But I'm going to need everyone's cooperation for it to work." he said getting nods from Xion and Terra. "Alright, first I'll make some noise to distract the Heartless and lead them towards me. Terra, you'll then use your magic and take out as many as you can, got it?" he asked getting a nod from said girl. "Xion, you'll hold off any Walkers that get too close' okay?" he asked getting a nod in return. "Now Karly I want you to-" he said as the brunette walked up to the group with a four foot long lead pipe that she somehow got a hold of in hand and turned to face the Heartless.
"Okay, let's do this! LEEROY JENKINS!" Karly shouted as she charged towards the group of Heartless, plowing straight through the creatures and running into the alley behind them earning incredulous looks from her party members.
"Did... Did she just run in?!" Shin asked in disbelief.
(Apparently she didn't hear the plan.)
"Is she insane?!" Xion cried in shock.
(I'm going with yes.)
"Karly, stick to the plan!" Terra shouted as she, Xion, and Shin ran after the apparently suicidal girl.
(Does she actually look like one to follow a plan?)
The rest of the party managed to make it pass the Heartless before they were able to recover and they disappeared into the alley.
End Theme
Meanwhile Elsewhere!
Play Kingdom Hearts OST- Thirteenth Discretion
Our perspective now shifts to what looked like a dilapidated, abandoned cathedral.
Within the cathedral three figures had just finished off a small horde of monsters.
One of the burlap sack monsters from earlier suddenly collapsed onto the floor.
Standing over the now unmoving body was what looked like a young man wearing a long-sleeved, hooded white coat sheathing a katana. The boy wore his hood up, completely hiding his features from view. He stood at roughly 5'6".
"Nya, those Scarecrows are quite weak, huh?" A girl dressed in a white coat similar to the boy's only more form fitting said as she stepped into the moonlight that was coming from the broken skylight above them. The only thing that set her apart from the boy was her figure and the white porcelain, cat-themed mask that she wore on her face. She stood at 5'4".
"They're gonna have to do a lot better than that to take us down." the hooded boy said causing the girl to giggle.
"But you have to admit..." a female voice said from within the shadows of the lightless cathedral.
Footsteps could be heard walking towards the duo.
Another girl wearing a long, hooded, white coat that hid all of her features stepped into the moonlight. She stood at around 5'8".
"They really outdid themselves. Zombies, Heartless, and Demons, oh my!" she said before giggling. "What next? Ghosts?" she asked jokingly.
(What's this? Foreshadowing perhaps?)
"Knowing the people in charge, they probably set that up too." the boy said as he turned to look at the hooded girl.
"Hey, how much longer until we get there?" the masked girl asked as she looked at the boy.
"We still have quite a ways to go. Since most of the direct routes have either been blocked off or destroyed, we'll have to take an unconventional route." the hooded girl said as she pulled out the map they had been given.
The map showed a large island in which the city they were in rested. The destination marked onto the map was well outside the city nestled deep within the nearby mountains.
"That doesn't sound too hard." the masked girl said with her hands on her hips.
"Come on. We should find a place to rest for the night." the hooded boy said walking towards one of the doors on the side of the room.
"Yeah, I'm tired." the masked girl said following the boy.
The hooded girl followed the two with a yawn.
(Oh, I'm sure that these three will be important later on!)
Back with the plot!
We now find Karly, Shin, Terra, and Xion within what looked like an old abandoned home.
They were panting from all of the non-stop running they had been doing since they were ambushed by those Heartless and the Zombies.
They were all resting in the living room trying to recover from the ordeal they had just gone through. Xion and Terra were sitting on an old couch while Shin leaned against the wall next to the window to look out for any monsters.
"It looks like we're safe for now. Is everyone alright?" Shin asked as he regained his breath.
"Yeah." Xion said with a nod as she finally regained her breath. She looked to Karly, who was leaning against the farthest wall from the front door and the windows for support. "What the hell were you thinking?! You're running in like that could have gotten us all killed or worse!" she asked with her hands on her hips and a frown.
"What you did was reckless and irresponsible! What do you have to say for yourself?!" Terra asked in a scolding tone as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Plot armor." the brunette said with a shrug.
The ravenette and the Mage stared at the girl incredulously.
(I feel your pain girls. There have been many times that I couldn't get my way because of that basted armor.)
"It doesn't matter anymore. We're still alive and that's all that matters." Shin said diffusing the situation.
Karly then let out a yawn. "Man, am I tired. What time is it?" She asked as she rubbed her tired eyes.
"I think I saw a watch or something in this bag. Give me a second." Shin said pulling off the survival pack the proctors had given him and sitting on the floor.
He rummaged through the bag and pulled out a small digital wristwatch.
He pressed the small button on the device and the screen lit up.
"It around nine." he said before strapping the watch to his wrist.
"Huh... I thought that it was later than that." the brunette said rubbing her tired eyes.
"We should get some sleep. We'll get moving in the morning." the only boy in the group said crossing his arms.
One of us should take watch so we aren't ambushed by any of those monsters." Xion said as she looked at the boy.
"Good idea. I'll take the first watch. Xion will go next. Then Terra will take watch and Karly will take the last watch." The brown-haired boy said as he stood back up and shouldered the survival pack.
(I bet Karly will fall asleep as soon as her turn starts.)
"Maybe someone should check if it all clear upstairs?" Terra suggested while looking at the nearby staircase.
"I'll go check." Xion said getting up from her seat and moving to the stairs. She pulled out the crowbar and quietly crept up the stairs.
The wood creaked under the girl's weight after not having been stepped on for a long time.
Several minutes went by, the sounds of the creaking floorboards above them was the only indication that their friend was still alright.
After another few minutes Xion returned downstairs and rejoined the others.
"It's all clear." she said putting the crowbar back through the belt loop.
"That's good." Shin said with a nod. "We wouldn't want to run into any ghouls here. Okay girls, find a bed and get some rest. We'll leave and start making our way through the city around 18:00 hours. I'll wake you up in a few hours Xion." the brunet said while looking at the girl.
"Alright. There's also a bathroom upstairs with running water. So we can take a few quick showers in the morning." The ravenette said before she released a yawn.
"That's good news! I don't think I would survive without at least taking a shower." Karly said with a grin.
"Alright you three go on ahead and get some rest. I'll be down here keeping watch." Shinryu said gesturing for the three to head on upstairs and get some shut eye.
The girls nodded and Xion pulled out the crowbar and gave it to the boy before she and the other girls went upstairs.
Shin sat down on the couch and kept watch on the windows and door.
Meanwhile elsewhere!
Standing atop the roof of a house situated where Karly and company were staying, a figure clad in dark clothing and a hood watched with interest.
"Impressive... They're either very skilled or very, very lucky to make it this far." the figure said in amusement as they watched the building. "They might actually prove interesting to watch." they said before pulling out a small bag. "These children and the others that had caught my interest could prove to be useful. But for now, only time will tell. I shall leave them a gift." the figure said as they held up the bag. "Show me just how strong you can be." they said before disappearing from sight.
(Oh how mysterious!)
(I swear to God, Hades...!)
Several hours later!
It was now dawn and Karly was down in the living room watching out for any monsters.
Well she would be... If she wasn't already in a deep sleep on the couch...
Not ten minutes after her shift started she had fallen asleep on the couch.
(Called it!)
The brunette snored softly as she lay upon the couch. A thin line of drool hung from the corner of her open mouth. Her hair was messy and clumped together.
The first light of dawn shone through the window and slowly made its way to where the girl slept.
As soon as the light touched her, her face scrunched up and her eyes fluttered open.
"Ugh...! What time is it?" the brunette said tiredly as she sat up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around. She then noticed where she was. "This isn't my room..." she said tiredly before scratching her head and letting out a yawn.
She then remembered the events that had happened so far and scowled.
'Stupid teachers making us take this stupid deadly test! As soon as this is over I'm going to find the guy who came up with this idea and punch him in the face!' she thought irritably.
She stood up and her foot bumped into something on the floor.
The girl looked down and saw a large backpack lying at her feet.
"Huh? A bag?" she asked picking up the object.
Karly examined the backpack and noticed a piece of paper attached to it.
She removed the paper and examined it, flipping it over to find a note.
Good morning! I congratulate you and your friends on making it this far. I've been watching you all for a while. And I must say I am impressed. So I thought that I should give you all a gift to make things a little easier for you. I have also given your friends upstairs a map with a highlighted route that would lead you to the destination within a day or two. Only lesser Heartless and Demons come out during the day so it's best that you leave immediately. For once night falls, things will become all the more dangerous. Good luck to you. I look forward to seeing you all grow in strength.
Sincerely,
A friend.
Karly arched a brow at the letter but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
She looked through the backpack and noted several of the items inside.
There was a first aid kit, a few food rations, and lastly several sources of illumination such as four packs of matches with four matches each, four flare sticks, and four flashlights.
She raised an eyebrow at the peculiarity of the items but then shrugged it off.
With that done she looped the backpack over her shoulders and went upstairs to check on her friends.
She reached the first bedroom and opened the door to see both Xion and Terra waking up.
Xion was rubbing her eyes while Terra was sitting up, though her head was nodding up and down a lot, obviously trying to remain awake.
"Hey Karly..." Xion said before letting out a yawn. Terra copied her and released a cute yawn as well. "What time is it?" she asked while stretching.
"Um, seven I think. Hey, listen! You wouldn't believe what just happened-!" the brunette said excitedly.
"Wait! Did you just say seven?" the ravenette asked fully waking up.
"Uh, yeah..." Karly said not seeing where this was going.
"You were supposed to wake us up at six! Did you fall asleep or something?!" the girl asked, piercing the brunette with her sharp, blue eyes.
"Uh... Well..." Karly said sheepishly as she looked anywhere but into her friend's eyes.
Xion facepalmed with a groan. She was about to reprimand her friend when she noticed the backpack on her back.
"Where'd you get that backpack?" she asked suspiciously.
"Well that's what I was trying to tell you earlier. I found this on the floor in front of the couch when I woke up. And I also found this note attached to it." the brunette said as she walked over to the girl and handed her the note.
The ravenette examined the note and frowned. "Why would he leave us a backpack filled with supplies?" she asked as she looked at the girl.
(Plot convenience?)
"I don't know. But I have a feeling that we might need everything that's in that bag.
'Why do I have the feeling that you're right Terra? And why does that scare me so much?' she asked herself silently. A sense of dread was beginning to well up in her gut. She had a terrible feeling that she was going to have a lot of nightmares for the next few weeks.
Just then a knock sounded on the door and Shin walked in.
"Anyone care to tell me why I found a map with a path highlighted to the mountain on it on my bed when I woke up?" he asked holding up said items.
Karly decided to skip explaining it and just handed him the letter.
The boy read the letter and frowned. He didn't like the fact that someone was able to sneak in and leave these weapons for them without anyone noticing.
"Why would anyone give us these supplies? And why so few?" he asked thinking that this could very well be a trap.
"Isn't it obvious?" Karly asked as she put a hand on her hips. "This guy wants us to get stronger so he could fight us! That's why he left these weapons for us." she said crossing her arms.
"I don't know. If that was the case then why didn't they leave us any weapons or more supplies that this? This whole thing feels like a trap to me." the brown-haired boy said crossing his arms.
"If this person was setting a trap then why give us these supplies in the first place?" challenged the brunette.
"I don't know?!" Shin said throwing his arms up.
"It doesn't matter right now. We should take advantage of this and start making our way towards the place marked on the map." Terra said looking between the two.
"You're right." Shin said with a sigh. "The more time we waste arguing, the more dangerous it gets." he said running a hand through his hair.
"He's right. Let's get going." Xion said with a nod.
"But first I think we should freshen up. I don't know about you three but after the day I had yesterday I could use a shower." Karly said with a grimace. After trekking through a haunted forest, fighting a death obsessed ghost, climbing a freezing cold mountain, fighting a giant demon, and running away from an endless horde of monsters, she definitely needed one.
"We can't waste any time. Once we get back home then you can take a bath. But right now we need to keep moving if we want to stay alive." Shin said crossing his arms.
The brunette huffed and crossed her arms as she looked away.
"Let's get going." Xion said as the situation started becoming awkward.
Several hours later...
Play Kingdom Hearts OST- The 13th Floor
After traveling through the ruined Castle Town of Fortuna the group of four found an old mining town and encountered the remains of a lion centaur, which was a creature with the head of a lion, the upper body of a man, and the body of a lion from the waist down.
The creature appeared to be frozen solid and once Karly touched its icy tomb the giant monster shattered into fine ice crystals.
They continued on through the old abandoned mines situated within the Lamina Peak.
After traversing the mines and fighting the creatures within it using object found in their environment, the party finally reached one of the landmarks on their map called Fortuna Castle.
Outside the castle a fierce snowstorm raged as thunder rolled through the heavens and lightning struck the highest points of the castle.
The party hurried inside for cover.
(One cliché haunted castle? Check!)
They entered the beautiful yet eerie castle's main hall and examined the area.
All throughout the room were shattered furniture as well as a dozen rotting zombie corpses.
(Looks like someone forgot to clean up after themselves.)
"It looks like we weren't the first ones here." Shin said as saw the various eviscerated corpses.
"Whoever went through here must be really strong." Terra said as she nudged a zombie's corpse with her foot.
"Apparently so. We should keep our eyes peeled for any enemies." Xion said as she looked around the area.
"We have to get through this castle in order to reach the spot on the map so let's get going." Karly said as she moved towards one of the doorways at either side of the room.
One Haunted Castle Dungeon Later!
After traversing through the castle and surviving its hordes of Heartless, Zombies, and Demons as well as solving several puzzles and the odd encounter with the corpse of a giant frog-like demon that was completely charred through like an overcooked burger, the party now stood before the drawbridge that led to the next location on the map called Mitis Forest.
"Okay, let's agree to never speak of what happened in that Godforsaken place ever again!" Karly said with a shudder.
"Agreed!" the others said with their own shudders. The things in there terrified and disturbed them enough to last a lifetime. But that would be an explanation for another day.
"That castle took a lot more time than I thought." Shin said looking at his watch seeing that it was around 5:00. In a few more hours night would be upon them. And they were sorely in need of supplies.
"At least we can move on ahead now." Xion said as she looked at the split waterfall that the bridge lead to. Behind the falls was a cave that led to the next location.
"Right." the only boy in the group said and the party began to walk across the bridge.
As they walked across the bridge, Terra was thinking about the numerous dead monsters they had come across so far. It started when they found the remains of that giant lion centaur that was frozen solid outside of the mines. Then there were the numerous corpses of dozens of Zombies strewn all throughout the castle. She assumed that whatever Heartless had been there had been wiped out as well. But it was difficult to be certain since Heartless didn't leave behind any corpses and Demons turn into dust when they die. The trail finally ended when they came across the giant, charred frog carcass. All of this was unsettling to her.
"Hey guys..." the green-haired girl asked earning their attention. "Didn't you find all of the remains we kept finding all over the castle a little strange?" she asked holding her hands behind her back as she looked down in thought.
(Not really. I mean I find remains all over the Underworld and I don't find it strange.)
"It is strange..." Shin said crossing his arms. "But that's something we can't dwell on right now. We have a clear path and the smart thing to do right now would be to keep going. " he said walking to the girl and placing a hand on her shoulder.
(Yes. Logic dictates that you should follow the path of carnage that was left by obviously stronger people. Your mother must be so proud!)
"I know Shin... But seeing all of those bodies... Especially the giant ones... It's unsettling." she said uneasily.
"I agree with Terra. Whoever took down those giants must be really strong." Xion said as she crossed her arms in thought.
If there was someone strong enough to take down such strong monsters then they needed to be wary and avoid any conflict with them.
The ravenette made a mental list of anyone who could be powerful enough to cause such devastation. She added anyone she considered even remotely powerful among the student body and narrowed down the list of likely suspects until she had only a handful of students.
Chief among them were Lea, Ienzo, and Myde. Aeros, Ignis, Kokoro, and that silver-haired girl she had seen with them were also present. But the more she thought on it, the more none of them seemed to match what they had seen thus far.
It was a confusing conundrum.
(I'm surprised that someone supposedly as smart as you could get confused? It's actually quite obvious really.)
(Maybe to you. But they don't know that.)
(The audience or the characters?)
(...)
"We'll most likely find out who the person or persons responsible are later. Right now we should get going." Shin said making the others nod in agreement.
They walked across the bridge and entered the tunnel that lead to Mitis Forest behind the waterfall. As soon as they stepped off the bridge, it rose back up and blocked the entrance. The waterfall closed like a curtain and hid the bridge from view.
"Looks like there's no going back." Shin said with a grimace seeing as they had no choice but to continue.
The group walked down the tunnel towards their next location.
End Theme
They exited the tunnel and came upon the expansive Mitis Forest.
(Mile upon mile of endless trees filled with deadly demons, ferocious wild life, and ravenous, man-eating plants. Have fun!)
Karly's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"I have a feeling that I'm going to HATE this place soon." she said with a groan.
"Let's get going." Shin said as the drop began their descent into the forest.
Four torturous horror filled days later.
It was now the morning of the fifth and final day of the test's third and final part.
Karly, Xion, Shinryu, and Terra trekked tiredly through the foliage as they made their way to their destination.
They had spent the last few days trudging through this subtropical forest, (Getting lost, a lot!) which didn't make sense given the area's high altitude, and surviving it's many death traps, swarms of the plant based Heartless, demons, and of course, fungal based zombies, they were glad to finally be out of that horrendous place, which like the castle, will be covered at a later date.
While traveling through the heart of the forest they found the remains of a giant plant based snake-like creature with the upper half of a woman with the rest of her being a massive snake's body.
They had found the creature lying on the ground completely eviscerated and covered with what could best be described as electrical burns.
It was unsettling seeing another boss class monster dead.
They finally reached the end of the forest and saw their destination at last.
Before them a massive fortress seemingly carved from solid marble stood proudly as it sat in the middle of a lake.
"Thank Cosmos! We're finally out of that God forsaken forest!" Karly said as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Is this the place on the map?" Xion asked as she gazed at the building. She was trying to keep her mind off of the things she had experienced up until now. She had a feeling that she'll be getting terrible nightmares for the next few months!
"Yeah, this is the place." Shin said with a nod.
"Great! Now let's get this nightmare over with!" the brunette said ready to get moving.
"Hey... Do you guys hear that?" Terra asked as she closed her eyes.
"Hear what?" Xion asked in curiosity.
The emerald-haired girl listened for the sounds that we're coming from near by. "It sounds like..." she listened closer. "Music?" she said confusedly as she opened her eyes.
"Music?" Xion asked looking at her friend.
Terra nodded.
"Let me guess... We're gonna go and check it out, aren't we?" Karly asked with a sigh. She was starting to wonder why she decided to form a team with these guys.
"Most likely." Shin said with a shrug.
"Great..." the girl said with a groan as she slumped forward.
The party began to walk forward towards the large fortress to see the cause of the fighting.
Meanwhile with people we haven't seen since last chapter.
The sounds of metal clashing with metal could be heard as several figures fought against a single opponent.
The figures that were fighting were none other than Riku, Sora, Kairi, Naminé, Roxas, Lea, Myde, and surprisingly enough, Vanitas.
The seven were struggling against their opponent, who was skillfully holding them off with ease.
Said opponent was no one else but the alleged Demon of Kingdom Hearts Academy, Damon Chaos.
"Whoa!" Myde cried out in surprise as Damon suddenly appeared in front of him.
The boy smirked and kicked the musician in the chin, knocking him into the air.
He jumped up after him and with a swift spin-kick, sent the blond flying through the air towards the lake, screaming all the while.
Demyx Owned: 6
"Demyx!" Naminé called out as she watched her friend sail through the air.
When the head of the disciplinary committee landed on the ground and spun around in time to face an incoming Riku.
The bad boy smirked amusedly as he locked blades with the exhausted silver-haired boy. His blade held firmly in his left hand as he kept his right hand in his pants pocket.
Riku was panting hard as he jumped back from the blade lock he had with the boy.
'He's so strong! The fact that he's able to hold all of us off single handedly shows just how powerful he is.' the silver-haired boy thought as he glared at the raven-haired young man in front of him.
Damon's smirk then vanished and he sighed boredly. "What a disappointment! I thought you people would be more of a challenge. I mean, I generously gave you all actual weapons for this fight so the least you could do was show me a good time." he said as he holstered his crimson blade onto his back.
"Why are you even fighting us?" Kairi asked as she looked at the boy.
"Haven't you already figured it out?" the boy asked as he looked at the girl. "I'm the final challenge between you and passing. Get passed me and you pass no problem. But since it's so easy for me to kick your asses I guess that none of you have what it takes to stay at KHA." he said with a sigh. "So I guess that it's time to put an end to this farce." he said pointing his left hand at the fighters.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Vanitas asked while gritting his teeth. He had a bad feeling about this.
Energy built up in the black-haired boy's outstretched hand.
"Bye!" Damon said with a friendly grin as he unleashed his attack.
A large explosion engulfed the area, blocking everything from view.
(I'll be taking care of the narration from here on out.)
With Karly and company!
Karly, Shin, Terra, and Xion were running down the long path that led to the large fortress when they saw a large explosion erupt on the raised platform before them.
They stopped dead in their tracks just as a sword and two large masses flew from the explosion and hit the ground in front of them.
"What blew up?" Karly asked as she looked at the giant cloud of smoke blocking their view of the platform.
"I don't know. But we should tread carefully." Shin said as he stared at the cloud.
Terra looked down and gasped in shock.
"Sora!" the Mage said as she looked at the brown haired boy on the ground.
The other party members went to the boy's side and checked his vitals.
"He's still alive. But he's hurt pretty bad." Shin said after checking Sora's vitals.
It was true. Sora was a mess. His clothing was torn in some places, he was bleeding and bruised, and he looked as if he was in terrible pain.
"Terra start healing him. I'm going to see if the other guy's alright." Karly said before she turned to tend to the other individual that was blown away from the blast.
The brunette moved over to the other person and examined their features.
'Whoa... He looks just like Sora! Only with black hair and darker clothes.' she thought as she moved the boy to lie on his back.
The boy was Vanitas and he looked as if he came out of a war zone.
"Hey Xion, help me out with this guy." the brunette said motioning for her friend to join her.
The ravenette took one look at the boy and instantly scowled.
"Oh great... It's him." she said unenthusiastically.
"You know him?" the other girl asked curiously.
"He's the guy that pisses me off on a daily basis!" Xion said with a growl.
"So he's your boyfriend or something?" Karly asked with an arched brow.
The black-haired girl looked at her friend with a look of horror on her face.
"NO! And in case you didn't hear me the first time, HELL NO! This guy's a sexist, arrogant, prick! I would sooner make out with Myde than even THINK of going out with him!" she said vehemently.
"A simple no would have sufficed." Karly said with a sweatdrop. "Let's at least check if he's still alive." she said looking at Vanitas.
"Sure thing." Xion said before giving a sharp punch to Vanitas' gut, causing him to groan in pain. "There, he's alive. You can heal him." she said with a scowl. Even though she hated him, she couldn't leave him to suffer like this.
The ravenette stood up and looked down the path that led towards the platform and noticed the sword lying on the ground.
She looked at the sword curiously as a sense of familiarity filled her. "Where have I seen that sword before?" she muttered to herself as she looked over the blade. The one thing about the blade was the silver guard with an X-shaped symbol on it... wait a minute!
"Roxas!" she in shock as she looked from the blade to the large plume of smoke.
"What was that Xion?" Karly asked looking to her black-haired friend only to see her grab and pull out the sword and run towards the platform.
"Xion!" Terra said in shock.
"Is she crazy?!" Karly asked incredulously.
"Come on!" Shin said as he chased the ravenette with the other girls following after him.
On the platform!
Xion climbed the stairs that led to the platform and nearly choked on the thick smoke there.
As she moved through the smoke she looked around for the owner of the sword she held in her hand.
"Roxas?!" she called out before the smoke started to makes her cough. "Roxas, where are you?!" she said as she looked around for the blond.
She then heard what sounded like footsteps slowly walking towards her.
"Roxas?" the ravenette asked hopefully as she covered her mouth and nose to prevent another coughing fit.
The footsteps stopped and then there was the sound of something swinging through the air and the smoke was blown away by a strong wind within moments.
Xion shielded her eyes from the wind as the smoke dissipated.
When the smoke cleared the girl opened her eyes and saw a terrible site.
All around her were the unmoving forms of Riku, Kairi, Naminé, Lea, and...
"Roxas!" Xion shouted in worry as she ran to the downed blond. "Roxas! Roxas, wake up!" she said as she flipped the boy onto his back and shook him.
Roxas groaned weakly as he regained consciousness.
"X-Xion?" the boy asked weakly as he opened his eyes.
"Thank the Great Will! You're alright!" the girl said in relief as she helped the boy sit up.
"Ugh, it feels like I got hit by a Behemoth." the blond said weakly.
(How would you know what that would be like?)
"What happened?" the girl asked worriedly.
"Yeah, that would be me." a male voice said from right behind the two.
The ravenette turned around and saw a boy with black hair and red eyes with a small smirk on his face and his hands in his pockets.
"Who are you?" the girl asked warily.
"Oh! Where are my manners?!" the boy said palming his forehead. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Damon Chaos. Head Captain of the Kingdom Hearts Academy Disciplinary Committee. And I'll be the boss for this part of the story." he said giving the girl a formal bow with his left arm on his chest and his right arm extended out to the side.
(Did he just break the fourth wall?)
(Like you just did?)
"You're the one who did this?!" Xion asked with a growl as she glared at Damon.
"Yeah." the head of the disciplinary committee said nonchalantly. "I'm the final obstacle they had to get by in order to enter the fortress behind me and pass. But they were all too easy really. None of them were even able to land one hit on me." he said with a sigh while shaking his head.
"He kept playing with us. Made all of us look like amateurs." Roxas said as he gritted his teeth and held his side in pain. The pain was so strong that he had to keep one eye closed.
"Well since you're here now, let's see if you got the chops to take me on?" the black-haired boy said as he drew his broadsword and held it in his left hand while keeping his right hand in his pocket.
"FALCON... PAWNCH!" a female voice shouted as Karly suddenly flew in and launched a punch at Damon.
The boy easily avoided the attack by jumping back.
Karly stood before the head of the disciplinary committee with a fierce look in her eyes as she retracted her still outstretched fist.
Just then Terra, Shin, and the now fully healed Sora and Vanitas, ran onto the platform and stood around Xion and Roxas.
Karly glanced around and saw the defeated forms of her friends. She tilted her head down slightly, causing shadows to cover her eyes.
"Did you do this?" she muttered in a dangerous tone.
The tone in which she spoke was so dark that it sent shivers down the spines of Sora, Roxas, Xion, Terra, and Shin. They had never seen her like this before. Karly had always come off as someone who took things easy and never got upset over anything. Even though they didn't know her all that well, they were still unsettled by the sudden change in demeanor.
"Yep! A few of them were able to put up a pretty decent fight. But they were still pretty weak." He said with a sigh. "Perhaps you might give me a challenge? If you can manage to somehow beat me then you pass. Easy, no?" he asked with a grin.
"Karly wait!" Roxas said urgently. "That's how he got everyone else to fight him. If you take him on you'll lose!" he said as he got to his knees.
"You're on!" the brunette said with a steely look in her eyes.
"Wait, we don't know how strong he is!" Xion said trying to stop her friend from doing something brash.
"I don't care! No one hurts my friends and gets away with it!" Karly said while glaring at the boy before her.
"That's the spirit! Now show me what you can do!" Damon said with a grin as he reached into his right pocket and pulled out a small remote.
He pressed a button on it and loud rock music blasted through the air from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
He then placed the remote back into his pocket, keeping his right hand in there and rested his blade on his left shoulder.
Play Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance OST- The Only Thing I Know For Real
"Huh, never pegged you for a MGR fan." Karly said with a blank look.
"One, it's a good game. And two, there's a lot that you don't know about me babe!" Damon said with a smirk. "Now in order to make this fair you can all grab more suitable weapons from over a that rack right there and we can get right onto the main event!" he said while gesturing to a nearby weapons rack that had many weapons on it, in clouding Karly's sword. (Convenient)
(Hey, I was going to say that!)
The brunette looked over at the rack and saw her sword. She quickly retrieved it and went back to face off against the boy.
"Ready to get your ass handed to you?" Damon asked with a smirk.
"Whatever! I'm not going to hold back!" the girl said before drawing in power. Within moments she released it and was enveloped in a glowing white aura.
"Is that... Ex-Mode?!" Shin said in shock.
"Oh, I can tell that you're going to be fun." the black-haired boy said with a smirk.
With a fierce cry, Karly charged forward at Damon.
Normal Narrator: Our heroes have finally reached the end of the final test. But now they face their most powerful opponent yet. Will they emerge victorious? Or will they know the bitter taste of defeat? Final out next time on Kingdom Hearts Academy!
End of chapter 7
Author's Notes
Titano Man: And that marks the end of this chapter. I would have done much more to bring out the survival horror theme I was going for but someone kept dragging it out!
Hades: I thought you liked constructive criticism?
Karly: Criticism? More like riffing.
Hades: *sarcastically* Is there a difference?
Xion: Um, yes.
Titano Man: Well anyways, thanks to Hades I had decided to split this chapter up. The fight and the test will reach its conclusion next chapter, honest. Now show the teaser!
Teaser:
Karly: I... Lost...?
Terra: He's so strong!
Damon: You got me with that one there.
Xion: How... are you... so strong...?
Narrator: Next time, Final Exam Battle
Titano Man: So with that, this is Titano Man XIII and I am... *trails off when he sees a red glow flashing from the window.* Um, what's that?
Karly: I'm not sure... But it feels intense!
Titano Man: Let me guess... There's a flame war going on outside?
Hades: Yep!
Titano Man: Lots of shouting, cursing, and whining?
Xion: Oh yeah.
Titano Man: Bring it on...
*Three seconds later Titano Man is seen facing his front door with the Sword of Trollsbane in hand.*
Titano Man: *Runs outside* BOOOYAAAA!
Kairi: See you all next time!