(Authors notes: please read this like you were playing it as game. Thank you.)
"I was stuck…..my mind was in such a rut that I had no idea what to believe.
Was I a keyblade master or a neon knight…..
What was the point in saving the heartless when other people got hurt in the process…
So many things ran through my mind….
Questions that no one can answer….except one….
My whole point of view changed when I went to that place….
Chapter 7:
As the name implied to the world, it was Keyblade Graveyard. Full of forgotten keybladers, who had lost their lives for one thing, to become the greatest Keyblade Master. What did it cost, over a billion keybladers lives lost.
Sora felt the wind blow as he walked through the graveyard. It had no green, or anything that would thrive here. Dust from the dry plains and empty canyons were all that was left of this place. Sora felt the wind pick up as he tried to protect himself from the heavy dust wind, letting out a cough as he toppled over from the dryness of sand in his mouth.
"Crunch, crunch"
A shadow cast over Sora as his breath went back to normal. He averted his eyes up as he slowly gained his composer.
In front of him was Master Xen. In his ands was a bouquet of white lilies. "It's nice to see you again. Walk with me" Xen started beckoning for Sora to follow him as he led him through the valley. "I see you've changed since we last met"
Sora said nothing as Xen let out a chuckle, until he stopped in front of a white and blade keyblade on top of a tall hill looking over the land. There was another person there already, he was praying to the sword.
"Vanitas?" Sora whispered astonished.
Vanitas finished his prayer as he slowly stood up and looked at them. He bowed his head and he moved out of his master's way.
Xen placed the lilies in front of the grave and he began to talk "Do you know what happened here?"
"No sir" Sora looked from the vantage point to see thousands upon thousands of keyblades that littered everywhere.
"As you can see, this was not only a graveyard, but a warzone. This war lasted for over fifteen years. Fifteen years of heartache and death… My friend had to pay the price of my own stupidity and I was force to face the true reality.
(Xen pov)
" (When I heard about the war I wanted to join right away. I was young and still in training to be keyblade master when I heard about the war. My best friend, Luneth, was not much of a warrior. I still wonder why he was a keyblader in the first place. Everybody loved him. You could never dislike him, he was kind, loyal, and knew the right words to say.
When we all graduated to keyblade masters, I remember running to find my friend and tell him the good news. I saw him with a handful of lilies and was blushing mad as he gave them to the girl he loved, Lily. She chuckled as she tried to hold the flowers. You never saw such a beautiful sight as that couple.
I waved my hand over to them and told them the great news. They told me a better one. They were engaged. I could not be happier for them, but their faces fell when I told them. I was going to join in the war to prove my power. My friend told me that has stupid and that I should forget about it. I looked at him with anger, saying 'did think I was weak. That I can't hold my own.' I stormed off. Leaving my best friend and his lover on the sidewalk.
The next day, I was at the train station getting ready to leave for the war. What shocked me the most was that I saw, through the crowd, was…. Luneth. I could not believe it. What was he doing here? When I walked up to him, he told me that he would not let me go through this alone. I told him that he should be home and planning the wedding. He told me they wouldn't allow that without his best man. I was so happy that I hugged him right then and there. I told not to worry that it would only be a month and they would be back safe and sound.
It had been six months and the war was still raging. We were tired, cold, and dead. Things were running through our heads,
'Why were we here?'
'How long will it be before we die?'
My mind burned as my friend tried to men my broken arm. I laughed as I said 'Are we having fun?' when another person dropped dead on the rock above us.
I began to realize that we needed to get higher but there was nowhere safe they could go. That's when our new comrade Sara pointed to a high cliff. (Sara was a medic, her dusty brown hair in a messy bun. Her glasses had a scratched and a little crack in one of the lenses. She was very thin from the lack of nourishment.) We decided to head there and maybe signal for a ship to come and pick them up. We knew weren't going to last much longer.
As we dodged, climbed, we met up with other keybladers who wanted to leave as well. Their names were Firion, Gordon, Maria, and Paul. (Firion was small for his age, not dwarf size but almost looked like a teenager. He had Irish red hair and freckles on his face.) ( Gordon was a tall built man with a kind heart. Let's just say his outside didn't match his inside) (Maria was a shaggy short dirty blonde hair girl. She was very energetic, kinda like Rikku or Vanille.) (Paul had dark black hair and his hair almost looked like a helmet until the war made in mangly) We battled our way to the top and became bloodied, bruised and broken. Maria steadied her thin keyblade as Gordon and her watched for any intruders. Firion had broken his leg in three places and both Sara and Luneth were trying to heal it the best they could. The problem was we were all so drained that we couldn't use our magic properly. They had to instead set it which was more of a painful since they had no pain medication.
We set up came for the night, and Luneth decided we should tell each other about us. Luneth started with him living with his mother until he was twelve when he found out he was a keyblader. He left home to train with the masters and was very successful as a medic. How he met me and all about how he fell in love with Lily. Some of the guys laughed at him, saying some comments that made him blush. Maria told him that she hoped he would be able to see her after all this.
We found out that Firion lived with his father and his three sisters. His father tried to make enough money to support them, but it was hard. When he found out that he was a keyblader he decided to make it easier on his family and become a keyblader. Unlike Xen and Luneth, he heard that there was some kind of treasure and thought he could find it and give some of the profit to his family. It seems stupid now though, he got a letter from his family to just come home and forget about it.
Sara was an orphan, she wanted to be a doctor but where she came from no one would allow her since she was a keyblader. A lot of people used to gossip and sneered at her for not joining the fight. Why do all those keybladers have to fight and she doesn't. That she was a coward. So ….she went, with every medical experience she knew, she went.
Gordon came from a military family, his father was strict and all Gordon wanted was to be a writer. He loved to tell stories from the point of view of lovers, adventures, and heroes from a far off land. He had a few journals with him about the different he wrote. They were the most remarkable stories I ever read. He definitely had the talent for writing. He told us once his father found out he ripped and burned most of them. His father told him that he needed to get rid of that pansy attitude and shipped him away.
It was funny to learn that Paul and Maria are actually related. It was even funnier to learn that their parents owned a flower shop. They had roses, pansies, those things that you put on the girls wrist. To Paul it was a nightmare. Maria told us that Paul wasn't a brave kid when he was younger and got picked on a lot. Paul would let out a sigh and say that Maria was the best in the class, popular as well, a teacher's pet too. He was lucky that he evened passed his master test. That's when he joined the war to prove he wasn't a coward, but that all changed ever since they been here. For the first time in his life, he got to protect Maria.
Me you ask. Come from a fine family and had no reason to join in the war. I had heard all the rumors. Some kind of treasure you will find if you make it to the top. You will become a powerful man when you gain access to an ultimate weapon. This war will change you into an ultimate warrior. So far all that was not a big deal…Why did I even join? I sometimes….to this day wonder myself….
We all decided that when we get back, that everything would change…
When morning came…..I will never forget that sound….
Lightning fell as a few keybladers attacked the group. They had little time to react as they slashed at the foes. Maria protected Firion since he could not move do to his leg. Sara fired shots from his blade and Gordon slammed his heavy blade into the foe. Paul quickly stepped his opponent, taking them out with his attack. Everything was happening so fast that I couldn't figure out what to do. I started looking for Luneth but I couldn't find him.
A blade was swung at me; I had no time to react….
I fell to the floor stunned…..
"Drip, drip"
A started at that scene before me…..
"Huff, gasp, huff"
My best friend had taken the blow to the abdomen.
The owner of the blade hands quivered as my friend slid the blade out and fell onto me. I caught him as I cried out his name. Time seemed to stand still as every blader's attention focused on us. Sara rushed to our side and tried to heal him, but the wound…..
Luneth pushed himself off me and told me it's just a scratch. Sara yelled him to lay back down. His organs…were….
He collapsed to his knees on top of the peek. Blood seeping out of him as he stared at his hands. Red with blood and dripping he let out a laugh that made my stomach sink with sickness.
"Is this what we were made to do….
to fight…..
Through all those years of training….
And for what…
to die by the hands of our brothers and sisters…..
We fight…because of the most will get a mighty weapon…..
If there is a weapon…or power….
Then may it stay with the devil himself…
For I was happy as I am…
A person who laughs, sings, and feels joy…..
My pride…dignity…and heart is with the people I was born to…..
Save …..
Protect….
Heal…
We are not mindless being you make us out to be…
Brothers and Sisters!
Have we been reduced to this…
Killing each other in the name of power…..
We are equal…
We share the same feelings...
emotions…..
We are all what make us human….."
He coughed out a mouthful of blood as I rushed to his side. He collapsed into my arms along with another.
"I wish I could have seen Lily's face one more time" Luneth reached his hand towards the sky as Xen grabbed it.
"You will" I spoke with tears in my eyes. "We're going to go back, you're gonna marry Lily, and he slowly seeped into death. "No" I tried stupidly to stop the bleeding "NOOOOO!"
The man who helped stood up and took a hold of Luneth's blade. He stood in front of the crowd and slammed the blade into the dirt.
"This man fought with more courage and power than any of us….
He has spoken the truth while we tried to deny it. Because if it was the truth then we knew that we took one step into hell. This power that we wanted…does anyone see it or doesn't anyone know how it came to be heard."
Everyone became silent.
"No, then how do we know that it exist."
The man continued.
"There is a tale in my homeland, about an evil king who said that after he dies there will be two disasters. One, a man will bring forth a plague that will wipe out the worlds. And the second…a war that will destroy my greatest enemy"
Everyone started to whispering, shocking at what they heard.
"I now know that the second prophecy has come true. Look.." he spread his hands to showing what he meant. "We have already done the deed. Killing each other to the point of losing our minds. What now I say. Do we continue this blood battle" Raising his blade. "Or end it" He dropped his blade to the ground with a clank.
After a few minute, one blade dropped and then another, then soon thousands of blades fell. I looked to see that everyone, even the ones around us followed suit.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The ride home was unbearable. My mind was so blank and I looked like the living dead.
The whisper blew as the train slowly slid to a stop. The warriors filed out and they rushed into the arms of their love ones. Friends hugged or patted each other on the back.
All except….Lily.
The moment I saw her I was stunned. She was six months pregnant….with Luneth's child.
My heart crushed into a thousand pieces. I tried to disappear into the crowd but it was too late. She saw me and came running after me.
"Where's Luneth? Where is he?" she said.
I said nothing while she looked around frantically, but stopped when a cart unloaded with Luneth's dead body.
She slowly walked towards the body and cupped Luneth's face. Shaking he head as tears rolled down her face, she fell to her knees crying into his body.)"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"I didn't see her for a long time" Xen finished. "You see Sora, after that war the keyblade master went almost extinct after that. The old warriors wanted to forget. They went for help, changed their names, and gave up being a keyblader forever. Tell me Sora…why do you fight?"
Sora was lost for words at that tale. He knew both the prophecy and knew that both were coming true. The plague was the heartless and black orb. And the enemy was him. The dark king wanted to annihilate the keybladers because the dark king knew a keyblader would be the key to end this, even before Sora was born. But could he fight. He fought to help the heartless. To protect so they wouldn't be hurt anymore.
Wasn't he….
"My grandmother never married, He never knew about …..She raised my mother by herself until my father asked for her hand. Then I was born..."
Sora could not believe what Vanitas was telling him.
"That's right Sora. I am the grandson of the dyeing hero who stopped the war" Vanitas gave Sora a stern look.
"Vanitas…." Xen closed his eyes as he asked. "What is the meaning of being a keyblade master?"
"To protect, save, and heal. Do not let the name of the keybladers go to your head. You are never alone and should never think of it as a title or source of power. We were bread to help"
"And….?" Master Xen asked.
Vanitas was silent since he could not think of what else to say.
"You see Sora…even Vaintas can't think of the words to describe a keyblader. As it should be"
"BOOM!"
The trio looked to see a big tornado coming from one of the gorges.
"It seems your destiny has arrived" Xen walked past Sora. "Van, go with Sora and protect this place."
"Wai…." Sora was about to protest when Vanitas ran past him.
"You better hurry" Xen smirked as Sora ran past him.
When the two left Xen spoke "How long are you going to stand there?"
Out of the shadows came Eraqus walked over to Xen as they both looked at the view. "You made me out to be some kind of prophet"
"You spoke about what Luneth's being telling me for years" Xen's eyes reverted to the blade.
"I remember when I found you" Eraqus closed his eyes in remembrance. "I had a hard time finding you. You didn't go by your original name, you wanted to be off the grid and not even your family knew what happen to you"
"I wanted to die alone, but for some reason, fate, kept me alive. It was like the gods were punishing me"
"You were trying to drink your troubles away that night. I found you with a wench around your neck and cards in your hand. Kept winning every hand you got. Couldn't believe you were the same man I saw back in the war"
"All I remember is waking up in a room with a headache. You came through the doors with the stupid smile on your face" Xen sneered at the thought.
"That's when I asked you to become a teacher with me" Eraqus smiled. "Then you punch me square in the face."
"You deserved it" Xen slumped. "Telling me this nonsense of helping the younger generation"
"But after a few weeks you agreed" Eraqus grinned.
"How could I not. You wouldn't leave me alone until I did" Xen growled.
Eraqus chuckled as he looked at the scenery. "That's how you saw Lily again…."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sora and Vanitas raced towards the gorge. They stopped when they came face to face with a tornado.
"Where is it?" Vanitas asked.
"Inside" Sora pointed towards the tornado.
"Ready?" Vanitas asked
"Ya…"
They ran towards the tornado as they were transported to another field.
It was a swirl of black and purple with lighting shooting in all directs. They didn't see the heartless anywhere. Both scanned the area until something smacked/zapped Vanitas in the back. Vanitas regain his composer and looked around again but the same thing happened to both. They tried to find out where it was coming from, but it seemed to be too fast. They looked at each other and both nodded then closed their eyes and listened. Waited.
Sora and Vanitas used blizzard and fire and it came into contact with, what looked like a black serpent with two arms and blue firey hair. The beast let out a ghastly roar as it curled its body into a ball and jumped around; electricity was running around its body.
Both Sora and Van nodded to each other as they brought their blades together. Fire coursing through Van's and Bliazard through Sora's blade.
After a few thrusts the beast fell into a heap. The heartless looked at Sora with pleading eyes.
"Oh poor creature who has taken this form….
As of now you shall be free…..
I take away your curse…
Go back to the world in which you came…..
As of now, you are free"
A light shined out of the keyblade and struck the creature in the chest. A light formed around it as it began to turn into a person. A woman in a sun dress looked at Sora.
"Thank you"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"That one word woke me up from my deep slumber. I began to realize why I fought. What they all meant when they said you couldn't put that feeling into words"
"You found you purpose" Chii concluded.
"No…I found me" Sora smiled at Chii.
"What ever happened to Ventus?" Chii looked at Sora with hope.
"I hear…..he's doing just fine" Sora smiled as he listened.
"Did you hear?"
"That child in the Land of Departure saved a young girl from being squashed by a cart"
"You mean that tall fella?"
"No the young one…the one with the blonde hair"
