Disclaimer- I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters in this story, or the songs mentioned below.
Author's note: Damn. I guess the last chapter wasn't as good as I had hoped. Well fortunately, I know what I did wrong, so I have a chance to make it better with this chapter. There was too much detail in the last chapter, so I'm just touching up a little bit now and then.
Also, sorry for taking so long to update. I've been taking 3 writing classes, one of which is for business writing, and MY GOD is it hard. But because of this tardiness, I've made a new poll in my profile, asking if I'm an ass for taking this long XP. Go check it out and vote for it as you please.
Also, in this chapter I introduce Trevor and Kaiten's battle themes, mainly because I could and I wanted to try something new. The first song is Kaiten's theme, "Mindfreak" by Criss Angel. And although I ended up not using it, the second is Trevor's theme, "With My Mind" by Cold. Both are very, very good. However, to avoid confusion, the lyrics (which are somewhat relevant to the characters) will be written in bold. I've put some links to some good AMV's of these songs which I enjoy in my profile so that you can hear and enjoy them yourself. Go ahead and check them out.
P.S. If you haven't watched any of Criss Angel's magic tricks, you should, because the logical explanation for almost all of them is that they are magic. No I'm not kidding.
With that all said, enjoy the next chapter of Shattered Mind Keep in mind that there is a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter, so keep your eye open for it. ;)
Chapter 7- Kaiten's Battle Plan.
--
So there I was, about to fight to the death with the evil soul shot into my head in front of a mentally projected scene of my ex-girlfriend's house. Not quite a normal day for me, but not a huge stretch.
"Kaiten, don't do this," I asked, backing away slightly. My lack of weaponry gave me a slight disadvantage.
"Why shouldn't I?" Kaiten mocked. "I'm tired of just sitting around here, bored as hell."
"We said we'd work together!"
"That won't work and you know it. You're just buying time to keep yourself alive."
He was right. He was a Terran lieutenant and I had no idea how to fight here. I was screwed. My only hope was that someone would come by and wake me up like last time.
"And don't think you'll get away like last time," Kaiten said. "The human mind is an amazing thing. Take observation of the passing of time. It's moving slower for us in here than in real life. It'll probably feel like another month before the bitch's attack hits you. Don't worry though. You'll be dead long, long before that."
Correction. I really was screwed.
"You're not going to get away with this," I said. It was an idle threat, but what else could I do?
"Yeah, I'm sure," Kaiten said sarcastically. "Goodbye 'Host'."
Kaiten drew both swords and charged them up. I looked around desperately to find something—anything—to use. It was then that I remembered what this memory was. I looked up at the top of the hill and saw an image of a younger me walking along with Nicole at my side.
"Hey!" I called up to the younger me. "Are you going to help me or not?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Kaiten demanded. "People are like holograms here. They can't help you."
You wouldn't have thought so seeing how the younger me reacted. After letting out a loud 'Banzai!' he launched himself down the hill, aiming straight for Kaiten.
"What?" the Terran let out, looking on in astonishment. He took the charge from his sword and released it at the version of me rolling towards him.
I took this small chance to get away while I could. I jumped into the underbrush on the other side of the hill and ran through the woods as fast as I could. Soon enough, I was too far for Kaiten to attack. This was a memory of the first time I went to Nicole's house. The hill in front was so steep I couldn't help but roll down it. It was just lucky that Kaiten was standing where he was and that my timing was so good.
As I dashed through the woods, I saw the memory fade. My guess was that I was getting too far from the memory book. The world molded into a hallway. The sickening color of bland white coated the walls, separated by the occasional poster for some school function going on. I quickly realized it was my middle school and dashed down the hall into one of the classrooms.
Inside, the students were clamoring about one thing or another and there was a tank of cockroaches smashed on one end of the room. I remembered this all too well. Just minutes ago, some dumbass threw me into the tank. He was off being suspended and I was in the medic's room. Good times. I wanted to kill them.
"Okay… weapon… I need a weapon," I told myself. I looked around, and of course didn't find anything. Even if there was a sword lying around by dumb luck, I doubt I'd be able to grab it. Stupid holograms.
"How the hell did Kaiten get his katanas?" I continued to wonder. "He didn't have anything before. He wouldn't have bothered to hide them from me. That's not like him."
"You know, you talk too much."
My eyes shot open from surprise. My eyes wrinkled and I turned around regrettably to see my attempted kill once again.
"That was a good trick with the hologram," Kaiten said. "I think I blew up half that hill before coming to get you."
"You're going to keep doing this, aren't you?"
"If you can think of a better solution, then please, let me know."
"How about you not kill me?"
"Wrong answer!"
Before I could react, Kaiten came at me. His blade slashed my chest and ran down, cutting just beneath the skin. A stream of blood soon followed as I began to bleed out.
I yelped in pain before turning around and running.
"Oh, don't go!" Kaiten provoked. "It was just getting fun!"
Before I reached the door, Kaiten landed a kick to my back, knocking me into the window. It cracked and I would have fallen if Kaiten's foot wasn't pushing me against the door.
"Kaiten…stop-"
"Why? It's not like I'll lose anything."
"You…bastard!"
Kaiten's foot fell back for a second, only to come back and kick me through the door. The wood practically splintered as I fell out into the hallway and into the janitor's closet across the hall, clutching my still-bleeding chest. I got tangled in a mess of brooms and cleaning supplies while trying to stand up again. My hand reached beneath me for support, but instead of tile floor, I was surprised to feel paper. I looked down and saw that I was sitting on a book.
"And here I was hoping you'd give me more of a challenge," Kaiten said mockingly as he walked dramatically towards me. He stood in the doorway and blocked my only way out.
As I struggled to get to my feet, Kaiten brought down a katana and pushed it into my torso. I felt it break through my stomach wall and tear up my organs. Even if this was just taking place inside my head, it still hurt like hell. I belted out a scream that echoed perversely in the small closet. Blood began to pool inside my mouth.
"Running time is over," Kaiten said fatally over my screams. "Time to die."
Kaiten raised the second blade over his head. I clenched my eyes shut and reached below me, feeling the book again and slipped. I prayed that it was the memory book and that it took me to a better memory where it would hold Kaiten off for a while.
I was still growling in pain with the sword still stuck in my stomach. However, after several seconds, Kaiten still hadn't finished me off. I opened my eyes and saw a plain white wall and cushions compressing me on both sides. The air was sterile and I was cramped into an uncomfortably small chair. Kaiten was nowhere to be seen, so I pulled the sword out of my gut and struggled to a more open area.
As soon as I wedged myself free, a voice came over the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming to our final descent. Please put your seat back up and your tray in the upright and locked position."
I looked around in astonishment. For the first time in my life, I was on an airplane and somewhat content with the situation. It must have been the time my father took me to Florida for a week for the summer. That meant Kaiten had fallen on the outside of the plane and was probably still heading towards the ground. Funny as it was, I could only sign in relief as I gripped my stomach in another wave of pain.
"Agh…dammit," I grunted as the nausea began to take hold of me. I was fine for now, but how long did I have before Kaiten found me again? With this wound, I could barely even stand up. I'd have no chance if I saw him again.
"I need to heal," I told myself. "White magic, bandages…or something…"
My thoughts bounced around healing, unsure how to go about it. There was no way to interact with the world around me, so I was on my own. Unless I learned white magic in the next few seconds, there was nothing I could do.
I laid in pain for only a few more seconds before I realized that the ache was dulling. I looked down and saw that my wound was closing. The blood still stained my shirt, but the slit in my skin bound together and sealed itself.
With the pain gone, I was able to get to my feet. I picked up my newly acquired katana and gripped it tightly. Now I had a weapon and a slight understanding how things worked around here. If I could heal myself just by wishing it, then Kaiten would have a harder time taking me down. On top of that, it might have explained why he had armor and weaponry. Now, I knew his tricks.
I geared myself for battle as the plane landed. It bounced once before screeching to a halt.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've landed at our destination," said the voice over the intercom. "Please stay in your seat until we've come to a complete stop at the terminal."
George Carlin would have had a field day with that line.
I walked to the front of the plane, determined to get onto the runway as soon as I could. Kaiten wouldn't stay down for long and I wanted to get into the open to continue the fight.
"Alright," I said, holding my katana at my side in a ready stance. "Here we go."
The plane stopped and the flight attendant opened the door. I was about to take a step out before a sword came through the doorway and sunk into the wall behind me.
"Oh come on!" I blurted out of frustration.
I backed away from the door and saw an arm clad in metallic blue armor grab the katana in the wall and pull it out. Kaiten came into view a second later, looking as pissed as ever.
"Nice trick, changing the scene like that," he said. "But I worked too hard at setting this up to let you screw with it."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Kaiten smiled as he pulled out a pair of books. The first one was titled "Imagination". Kaiten opened it and dropped it to the ground. Immediately, the airplane faded away and was replaced by sheets of blue ice. It swam out from the book and covered the ground as far as I could see. Mountains of snow sprouted in the distance and the floor shined from sunlight reflecting on the ice beneath us.
"This is Ice Land," I recalled. "I made this up when I was a kid."
"I thought it would make for a decent burial scene for you."
The area was wide and open and the ground was slippery. It gave Kaiten a perfect advantage when taking my fighting style into account. Against someone like him, I tended to fight more erratically in order to disorient them, often by passing by them with speed and agility. The wide area gave me the perfect chance to do that, but without friction, I'd just slip and wouldn't be able to control myself as I slid away. Kaiten really had thought this through.
"And just for atmosphere, I thought I'd use this," Kaiten said, putting down the second book. It was titled, "Music". He placed it open to a page in the back and a guitar riff began to play throughout. Are you ready?
"This one?" I asked over the intro. "We're fighting to the death to 'Mindfreak'?"
"Seemed appropriate," he said, picking up his remaining katana. "Prepare yourself."
I struck a defensive pose, leaving me with less than a second before Kaiten charged.
These powers bleed your tears
You talk they scold your name
Kaiten unleashed a brutal flurry of swings at my throat. I was able to block each one, but with only an inch or so each time. My nerves quickly tightened, reacting to the slightest movement Kaiten made. I was beginning to understand why he advanced in the military so well.
I'm staring down your fears
There's pleasure in this pain
Kaiten broke off his routine and took a swing at my legs. I jumped back, but still took a cut to the shin. It was a light wound, but the danger was from the distraction it caused. Kaiten was able to rush in and body slammed me before I could counter. It sent me on my back and I slid across the ice.
Don't think you are alone
'Cause soon I think you'll find
I recovered as quickly as I could, grinding my sword against the ice for traction. I got to one knee and held my blade over my head as Kaiten came in with a blow to my head. If my katana wasn't there, he would have cut me in half. I saw Kaiten grin down at me before I leaned back and pushed against him, sliding back and getting some space for myself.
I am the voice you hear
Screaming inside your mind
I stood again, limping on my cut leg. My thoughts went back to when I used to spar with Sensei. I never felt like I was in danger against him because I knew he had enough control to stop before he really hurt me. And yet, for that very reason, I was afraid of Kaiten. I was only alive either because I was abnormally lucky or because he was going easy on me.
I've got to touch your mind
I hypnotize
"You're not bad," Kaiten smirked. "I thought I'd be able to kill you within a minute like this."
"You're insane," I grunted.
I am the mindfreak
Mindfreak
There's no reality
Just this world of illusion
That keeps on haunting me
"Oh well. I guess I'll just have to use magic after all."
Kaiten's sword washed over with a light purple haze. It deepened to a dark purple centered around the tip when it was done. Kaiten swung once at the mountains in the distance, aiming for one of the closer ones. A sliver of light shot out and hit the mountain, causing a low rumble as the mountaintop crumbled.
"Yeah, that'll work. I haven't used Arc since the last time I fought the bitch."
Kaiten looked back at me and grinned. He powered up his katana again. With no other option or way to defend myself, I did the same, swelling the power at the tip of my blade. Pulse was useless in this situation, so I had to use Explosion to block. I just prayed that it didn't kill me in the attempt.
My ego pushes you
It's never satisfied
As Kaiten's energy glowed a deeper shade, my attack finished forming. An orb sat on the tip of my blade and I stood back to intercept it more easily.
My will is cutting through
I see the truth inside
"Eat this!" Kaiten yelled. He sent a bolt of energy at my chest. I caught it in time, but his Arc bit through my Explosion. The energy released at once and blew up in my face. I fell back on my ass coughing, amazed that I was still intact after that.
Don't think it's killing you
'Cause soon I think you'll find
"We're not done yet!"
Before I could defend, another Arc shot through the air. I moved to block, but it just cut through my katana, cutting off most of the blade and leaving me with just the handle.
You are the voice you hear
Screaming inside your mind
"Hahaha! Run 'Host'!"
I looked up and saw Kaiten somehow flying in the air above me. I would have complained about it, but I could heal myself with no knowledge of white magic, so it seemed out of place.
He held his katana at the ready, but had one hand out at his side. Within seconds, he manifested another katana from nothing, matching the first. He powered them up, flames dancing along both of them.
I've got to touch your mind
I hypnotize
"Aw…shit."
I picked myself and dashed away as fast as I could, slipping occasionally. I felt Kaiten's killing intent coming from behind me as he pressed his attack. A flurry of Arcs came in behind me, slashing into the ground, each going off with an immense blast. They barely missed me, but the terror of being cut in half by them caused me to double my efforts in running until I could retaliate.
"Crap!" I yelped as I picked up the pace.
How did he make a new sword like that? I wondered as I ran. Is that another ability he has? Can I do that?
I am the mindfreak
Mindfreak
There's no reality
Just this world of illusion
That keeps on haunting me
I risked a glance back and saw that Kaiten as now flying behind me and catching up. My legs were starting to burn and my breath was running short. I should have rested more after the previous fight with Alexandria.
Would that even have an effect in this world?
I am the mindfreak
Mindfreak
Another blast came from the side. I jumped over a step and kept running as the scorched ice steamed up. Kaiten was just toying with me, the bastard.
I am the mindfreak
Mindfreak
"That's it, keep running!" he shouted.
I noticed that the Arcs had stopped coming. I didn't have any way of looking back at him at this speed without tripping myself up, but I did still have my sword. There was a little bit of polished metal left on the hilt; enough to use as a mirror.
I am the mindfreak
Mindfreak
To my horror, the reflection in the blade showed Kaiten powering up a new spell. He had a pair of orbs in each katana. He clapped them together, shooting the attack right in front of me. The Explosions came together and made a tornado heading right for me. All his attacks were to keep me running and tire me out.
I skidded to a halt and sank what little remained of my sword into the ice. I slowed down quickly just as the Whirlwind landed in front of me, where I would have been if I didn't react.
I didn't have enough friction to stop moving though, and I slid into the hole that burst through the ice, falling into the darkness. I heard the song fade away as I sank.
I am the mindfreak…
The hole wasn't too deep. I landed after a second, collapsing to my stomach. There was a pain in the back of my head. I hoped that he hole didn't do anything physically to me. We were still in my subconscious, which could have massive effects on my brain for all I knew.
As the wind came back to me, I stood, inspecting the area. My sides hurt from the fall, so I held it tightly as I walked. At first, all I could see was the grass below me. It was soft and swayed gently as a soft wind blew by. There was darkness everywhere else, but the room slowly lit. More and more, the area in which I could see spread out, revealing the land around me. The grass was beautiful and was relaxing, despite the battle I was still in.
Suddenly, the circle of light stopped spreading. At the very edge, I could see something red, like jelly, spread on the grass. I walked up to it, touching it. It was slightly sticky like jelly. It didn't smell sweet. It smelled like… iron.
Blood.
My eyes widened as another breeze fell upon me, but this time it was much hotter. It was like someone was fanning flames at me. As I looked up, the darkness taking up the entire room dissipated. It revealed the scene at once and made me fall back a step.
The rest of the field was not just covered in blood, but soaked in it. Everything was red up to the silhouetted house in the distance. A wall of fire decorated the house, dancing at the sides, licking the wood all along it. Something happened here, I could tell. Kaiten must have burst through a layer beneath my subconscious.
This was where my dream had been coming from for the past few days.
"So there you are. Not very smart to let your guard down in the middle of a battle."
Kaiten was floating down behind me where the hole had been. He had both swords charged and at his sides, looking at me sinisterly. His face contorted for a second though as he checked out surroundings.
"What the hell is this?" he asked.
"This is what I asked you to find," I told him. "I've been dreaming of this place for a while and I don't know why."
Kaiten looked for a second more before floating down to the ground.
"So it was hidden. That's why I couldn't find it," Kaiten noted. "Boy, you have some messed up fantasies, don't you?"
"Go to hell!"
Kaiten kicked me in the side and I landed in the blood. The ground clung to my clothes as I sat up.
"I'll have to remember to redecorate this place when I take over."
"Like that'll happen," I retorted.
Kaiten laughed. "What are you going to do? You don't even have a sword!"
"Shut up."
"The best you could do right now is bleed. You wouldn't even notice with the ground like this though."
"I'm going to kick your ass so hard-"
Kaiten interrupted me with another kick to my jaw. I heard it crack as I fell back, landing on my stomach this time. The scent of blood filled my senses and the heat of the moment caught up with me.
I knew Kaiten had every advantage. I knew I was going to die in this place. I had no way to fight back as I was. Even if I did, I didn't have the same drive that Kaiten did. I was beaten in every way.
"Tell you what," Kaiten said. "You're clearly outclassed, so I'll let you have a quick death. Just turn around and I'll cut your head off in one go. You won't even feel anything."
I dragged what was left of my sword along the grass. I pulled at it until it stuck on something. I looked down and saw something bubbling up beneath the surface. Something came up from the ground, like a square box. A second one followed, bubbling up right next to it.
"Well?" Kaiten said impatiently. "Are you giving up or what?"
I examined the boxes closer, only to realize that they both books. In fact, they were both the same size as the memory books from the upper level.
The blood was washed over it, covering the titles. I put my hand on the first book. It was warm at first, but it heated up and began to burn me. I pulled away quickly, but the heat from the book began to dry up some of the blood. Lighted lines crept over the book slowly.
"What are you doing?" Kaiten barked angrily. "Answer my question!"
"Use…your anger…" came a voice in little more than a whisper. It was deep and dark. Somehow, something inside me told me to be afraid of it. "Kill…everyone…"
As I looked at the book, the burning in my hand intensified. A beam of light shot out and connected with my burn wound. The pain stopped in an instant and filled me with a new energy.
"They will… betray you…" the voice said slowly. "They will…hurt you… Kill them first…"
The energy made my chest hot. It became harder to breath suddenly and the air grew hotter. My pulse doubled and my vision blurred. Everything in my mind became clearer. The world was kill or be killed.
"That's it!" Kaiten yelled. He jumped in front of me and slammed both books back into the ground, stopping the energy transfer. "I'm just gonna cut you in half!"
I felt his blade cut through the air for me, but I twisted my hand above my head, just as a new sword appeared in place of my old one. It sprouted from my fist and stopped Kaiten's katana in its place.
"What?" he cried out in surprise.
"That's enough," I said. My voice sounded like it was full of gravel.
"Damn you, you little shit!"
Kaiten and I raised our blades at each other. They crashed and the metallic clang echoed throughout the area. We struggled against each other until I took one step forward. I spun, unleashing the energy in my blade and sent Kaiten flying back into the fence all the way on the other side of the field. I slowly made my way to him.
"What the hell is that sword?" he demanded as he pushed away from the fence.
I had been so focused in fighting him back that I didn't even notice. I glanced at my sword briefly, then did a double take as I realized what I had made. The blade wasn't straight, like a broadsword. It swam down like a wavy line from the skull-shaped cross guard. It was a Kris, and with its distinct design, there was only one sword it could be.
I had created the Soul Reaver.
Armed with the sword from the Legacy of Kain series, there was little wonder why I was so powered up now. I just smiled.
Kaiten was screwed.
"So you're getting serious this time?" he asked.
"I've put up with you long enough," I shouted.
"I offer help for you in the past and this is how it ends up?"
"You tried to kill me!"
"If I was going to kill you, you'd be dead already! I was just going to hide you away in a corner of your mind until I had gotten the storyline back on track. Like you said, who knows what killing you would have done? But because you had to play the hero, we've lost our edge on knowing what will happen!"
My anger spiked. "Are you saying I should have let Cleyra fall?"
"You can't fight fate! Don't even try!"
I had heard enough. "Go to hell!" I cried out as I began charging him.
"I'm gonna kick your face in!" Kaiten yelled back as he rushed at me.
Kaiten held his blades out front and to the side. I held mine low and to the side. When we swung, our swords crashed, but I had the upper hand. Using my new energy, I was able to push Kaiten's blades up and away for only a second. I pressed the attack, spinning once and using my momentum to hit him low, knocking him into the air.
The attack didn't do much. Kaiten recovered quickly and held himself several feet above me.
"If you want to fight, then let's not do it here," Kaiten suggested. "This place is abysmal."
Kaiten huffed once before he flew up, leaving me below.
"Hey!" I called after him. It was useless to protest, I knew, but I was running more on instinct.
How to get up…, I thought to myself. Well, I created the Soul Reaver. I should be able to fly too.
Just like healing myself on the plane and creating my sword, everything seemed to be linked to what I could imagine. I simply concentrated on levitating myself.
Much to my surprise, it worked. I felt lighter with just a little focus and could already jump much higher than a moment ago. I got a few practice jumps in before really letting go and pushed hard against the ground. This time, I stayed up, hovering a few feet. It wasn't much, but I could continue the fight with Kaiten now.
I headed straight up, going straight for the hole in the ceiling. Kaiten wasn't going to get away with what he had done. I wasn't going to kill him, but I still had to straighten a few things out…
--
"My, my… He finally did it."
"Did what Hart?" came the grouchy reply.
Hart Innural stood by his computers in the wide room, analyzing his latest experiment. It was an honor that he was granted such leeway given that these were some of the last computers still active on Terra. Ever since he had traveled down to Gaia, he had taken strict care of his sample, making sure the soul link was in tact. A pair of computer screens displayed several bars and readings, giving all the data he needed on his test subjects.
"It's Unit 00 and Unit 01," Hart replied. He scratched his bald head, putting what little hair he had left back in place. "Whatever they're doing, they've released Unit 00's potential. His energy levels just went off the chart!"
"Are you sure your technology is working properly?" the second old man asked. "You are assessing their data while on another planet."
"My machines are working fine! To hell with you for thinking otherwise!" Hart blurted out. "I just needed a genetic and soul sample from Unit 00 and the soul data from Unit 01. With that, I had all I needed to track them both and differentiate between the two. My machines analyze their power levels, vital signs and even mental activity perfectly! There are no flaws about it!"
"Isn't that what you said about your regrowth serum? Instead of growing your subject's arm back, it just sprouted random muscle tissue on his shoulder. You had merely rediscovered cancer."
"Do not toy with me Saiko!"
"Or your attempts to administer Terra's resurrection by offering souls to power the planet? Or the Spectral Knights? You know that I'm still upset that you wasted them like that. They were Olesta's best special forces group."
"It was because of them that we were able to properly form Unit 01's soul and inject him."
Saiko stood with a blank expression for a moment. "Your failure rate is beaten only by your stubborn demeanor."
"With the right effort, failure is just a gateway to success."
"And you are sure this is success?" Saiko asked. He stroked his white beard patiently, observing something that Hart hadn't noticed.
"I haven't a doubt in my mind!" the proud scientist proclaimed.
"Then I believe your test subject is dying," Saiko said coolly. "It seems his vital signs are weakening."
Hart turned in horror to the screen once again and saw that the vital signs were indeed fading. The response from Unit 01 was minimal and Unit 00's vitals were just out of reach of death.
"No, no, NO!" Hart cried out. "How is this happening? They were so powerful! There should be nothing that could do this!"
"I'll head for the visual room," Saiko said calmly. "Stay here and make sure he doesn't die. We'll stand no chance if he's not around to fight for us."
Hart was left clinging to the screen, hoping, praying that the vital signs didn't reach zero. They had gone too far and there were no specimens left. If Kaiten died and they couldn't find a replacement for Trevor soon, then Terra had no hope for survival.
--
In the short time I had to get up to the ceiling, I had all but mastered flying. My mind was like a laser now, focused and deadly. I felt like I could do anything.
I was done getting beaten around by Kaiten.
Ice Land opened itself up to me again as I flew back to the surface. The music from before had stopped, leaving the air in an eerie silence. I landed a few feet from the hole, scanning the area for any more of Kaiten's tricks.
"Took you long enough," Kaiten's voice came from above. I looked up and watched as he floated down to meet me. "We can still fix the storyline. Let the bitch go back to her keeper and she'll blow up the tree. Everything will work itself out from there."
"I'm not going to let those people die!" I protested.
"Then I'm not holding back anymore. Just try not to get killed."
"I'm not going to lose!"
As the air thickened around us, the ice started to crack. A large fissure broke off of a glacier in the distance, making a massive block of ice fall. It was the signal to start our fight.
Kaiten and I darted towards each other at the same time. The Soul Reaver met in the middle of his crossed katanas, sticking us in a deadlock.
"Why do you have to be so short-sighted?" Kaiten said.
"Short-sighted?" I asked. "Because of Cleyra?"
"You can't save everyone! It's just not possible!"
I started to buckle under Kaiten's attack. "But I can still try!" I barked back.
"Fool."
Kaiten powered up his swords and each sprouted Explosions at their tips. Before I could turn away, he pulled them together, unleashing the attack. A huge explosion went off in my face, engulfing the Soul Reaver. I thought I was lucky not to have been killed, but Kaiten rushed through the smoke. He sliced through my sword and twisted, kicking me square in the chest. I fell back and bounced once before picking myself up.
I looked down at my sword. There wasn't enough blade left to call it a dagger.
"How the hell did you do that?" I demanded. "You shouldn't be able to cut through swords like that!"
"That wasn't a real sword," Kaiten said. "That was just something from a video game. It doesn't have the same presence that my swords have."
"Presence?"
Kaiten held up a sword to demonstrate. "I've used these blades. They're my memories from when I was a soldier. You sword was just from some game and never existed in real life."
I glanced down at the stubble of a blade that was left and tossed it down to the ground. "So I'll just make a real sword then," I told him, concentrating on one of my katanas from home.
Kaiten let out a laugh. "That takes more time to make a real sword than a fake one. And I'm not going to let you have it!"
Kaiten came again in with both blades across his chest, ready with a double draw. I held out my hand defensively and created the first sword that came to mind.
"Keyblade!"
Instantly, a thin metal bar came into my grasp and grew a hand-guard and some notches at the tip, looking very much like a giant key.
Kaiten clashed his swords and met mine hard. The integrity of the Keyblade kept it safe, but the Terran had his momentum going and leapt up, taking flight. He carried me with him, helplessly. Ice Land faded away and we headed into another memory. This one was Luray Caverns. The sights were amazing and I loved visiting the place when I was a kid. Kaiten must have been trying to use the sights and nostalgia to distract me.
"Another fake sword?" Kaiten asked as we flew into the cave. "This one is even more ridiculous than the last one!"
"You know, you have no imagination," I scolded him. Before we smashed into the cavern walls, I took over flying as well and flipped underneath Kaiten, avoiding his katanas, and wound up behind him. "I guess that's why you want to follow the storyline so obediently."
"In war, Intel is vital," Kaiten said. "Because my men and I didn't have correct information, they were murdered at Ckelen-te-Clu and I was put into this situation."
"What?!" I blurted out. "You mean you're willing to sacrifice hundreds of people just because it would be more convenient for you?!"
"At least I'm including you as a survivor. Be thankful for that."
"YOU BASTARD!!"
I flew straight for Kaiten's chest, meaning to somehow impale him on my Keyblade, but he caught my attack and deflected. I nearly crashed into a wall, but corrected myself at the last second and skidded to a halt.
"I've already told you, this is war!" Kaiten shouted. "People will get hurt, and they will die. You're acting like an idealistic child!"
"Why should I listen to you? You're a heartless bastard."
"You don't have any experience in war! What could someone who's never been in battle know about it?"
I ground my teeth together in anger. Logically, he had a point, and I was idealistic at times, but that didn't mean I was wrong.
"Alright, I've had enou-"
Kaiten suddenly cut me off when he appeared in front of me. He quickly held his katana out and sent a pulse wave that cut through the Keyblade. The rod fell in half, leaving me with only a foot and a half of steel.
"You see what I mean?" Kaiten said. "Your type falters in battle. I'm the type who makes a decision and sticks with it." He held both swords at his sides as he powered up his Explosions spells again…
"Now, just die,"
…And crashed the katanas together, creating a Whirlwind that ripped through the cave. If I wasn't on edge already, it would have killed me easily, but I deflected it with the remainder of the Keyblade at the last possible second.
The Whirlwind ate away at the rock behind me, carving a tunnel long enough that I could see daylight far at the other end.
"I see that thing still has some use after all," Kaiten commented.
"We'll see what else it can do," I said. I took off down the newly created tunnel and ran down as fast as I could.
"Trying to get away?" Kaiten taunted after me.
I didn't answer and just concentrated as much as I could on running. He still had his ranged attack, Arc, after all, and I had nowhere to go but straight ahead.
"Fine, be like that," Kaiten said. I glanced back and saw him power up his sword for an Arc and launch it right at me.
"Crap!" I yelled. I held the remains of the Keyblade out at my side and concentrated as hard as I could. Please work, I begged.
Although the sword was broken, I was still able to conjure up some energy to make an Explosion form at the tip. The second it generated, I thrust it into the wall as I ran, causing the rocks behind me to crumble. Kaiten's Arc was lost as the rubble fell, covering my path behind me.
I made my way out of the cavern as the Explosion lost the last of its energy. Outside was a hill leading down into a grassy field. I charged down the hill and made my way to the field.
I guess I did nothing more than annoy him there, I thought as I ran.
A scream poured out of the caves from behind me. A loud explosion opened up the tunnel from the rubble and cleared the way for the Terran lieutenant.
"Get back here you useless host!" Kaiten screamed. He came flying out of the tunnel and shot right towards me.
Crap!
I ran to the field as quickly as I could, slowing to a stop once I got to the middle. Although it didn't have any cover, there was nothing in the area Kaiten could use against me. If I could best him in a one-on-one sword fight there, I could end this.
Kaiten landed a few feet off. I turned to face him and the two of us had a staring contest to see who would back down first.
"Are you finally giving up?" he said dangerously.
"I already told you, I'm not letting those people die," I explained.
"Ah, yes. That's your mantra, isn't it?"
"Protect the innocent, condemn the corrupt," I recited.
"Very cute, but that kind of thinking will only end in failure."
"Shut up!" I shouted. "No one's going to die because of your cynicism!"
"Oh? Do you have some master plan then? Please tell me. I'm interested because you've been doing so well for yourself lately."
Ever since I began my offensive, I had been using the right idea, but with the wrong method. The Soul Reaver and the Keyblade were powerful, but I shouldn't have been going with power. What I needed was strategy. That meant a new type of weapon entirely.
I held the remains of the Keyblade in my left hand and concentrated, changing its shape. The metal began to glow and shifted, the hand-guard disappearing and the blade widening. Soon, I was left with a dagger that looked more like a decoration than a weapon. The thin, blue metal on the blade and the ornate cross-guard weren't meant for real sword-on-sword combat, but if this went right, I wouldn't need it for that. The important part though was the glowing sand inside the hollowed-out handle.
"You're kidding, right?" Kaiten blurted out. "The Kris you were using before was better than this!"
"You're the one who was harping on about military Intel before," I reminded him. "Don't think you can win anymore."
"With a dagger? Unless there's really a gun turret inside that thing, I think you're deluding yourself."
"You didn't read my memories on video games, did you?"
"Oh yes, I would so love reading tales of children's games all day," Kaiten said, dripping with venomous sarcasm. "What the hell do you take me for?!"
"Now? You're just over-confident."
Kaiten just grinned demonically. "Over-confident, huh?"
Without another word, he came at me with swords aiming for my neck. I just kept my head down, waiting until he was close enough to…
Now!
My finger twitched and flicked a button on the hilt of the dagger. In an instant, all time in the area around me, catching Kaiten off guard as he slid through the air in super slow motion.
"Wwwwwwhhhhhhaaaaaatttttt tttttthhhhhheeeeee hhhhhheeeeeellllllllllll-" he drew out, slow as could be.
"This one is slow-down," I explained. "I can also speed time up, stop someone's time entirely, and even if you did land a hit on me, I could reverse it as if nothing had happened."
"Wwwwwwhhhhhhaaaaaatttttt iiiiiissssss-"
"It's the Dagger of Time, straight out of the Prince of Persia series. Brilliant games really."
As Kaiten hung in the air, I took control of the situation by grabbing his swords out of his hands and throwing them aside. Time was moving so slowly for him that there was nothing he could do to stop me.
"I'm not done yet!"
Keeping my momentum going, I leapt up into the air. I focused for a moment and a pair of translucent blue angel wings came out of my back. I could already feel my control over my flying increasing, which I'd need in a moment. "And here are Lloyd's wings from Tales of Symphonia."
I clipped the Dagger of Time onto my belt to leave my hands free. I stretched my arms open in a spread eagle as two new swords formed in my hands. In my left was a two-pronged sword that looked like it was made up of gels and concentrated energy. "And this is the plasma sword from Halo." In my right hand, I created a sword that was almost as tall as I was and almost as wide. "And why the hell not? Cloud's buster sword from Final Fantasy VII."
Below me, Kaiten landed, keeping his head up at me. I must have been speaking too quickly for him to understand, but his gaze was focused more on me than his surroundings or my new weaponry. He knew what was going on.
Not much time left, I told myself. I'm almost out of sand.
"Here we go!" I called out as I flew down in an arc.
Don't hold back.
Kaiten looked on in shock as the buster sword came in and hit him dead-on in the chest as I flew by. The impact broke through his armor, splintering pieces in all directions. Next, the plasma sword swung, tearing into his chest, severing his upper torso. I finished it off by swinging once more from behind with both swords at the same time. They cut Kaiten clean in two. His body parts fell to the floor, just as time returned to normal.
Finally, I won.
I nearly collapsed out of sheer elation. With the battle over, I disintegrated all three weapons, as well as my wings. I let out a victorious laugh for a moment, amazed that I had survived.
I was exhausted and just wanted to go back to take a nice long nap after this. My body ached all over and I was sweaty as hell. And I was hungry. I'd have to get something to eat somewhere. Now where was the closest place to get some pancakes?
I walked off through the field, stretching my tired arms behind my head, still wearing a victorious smile.
"It seems I underestimated you."
My eyes shot open and I stopped in mid-step. I could only pause for a few moments before I turned around. God must have really hated me because Kaiten was standing, in one, solid piece, where I had cut him down just seconds before.
"What…how the hell did-"
"I'm a soul, dumbass," Kaiten sneered. "I don't have a real body. You can't cut me no matter how many times you try."
"Are you here to fight more?"
"No, we've fought enough," he conceded. "But just remember, this was my victory."
"Yours?" I asked, completely puzzled. "I cut you in half. How did you win?"
"Sometimes, you need to take your victories in whatever form you can," Kaiten said. He gazed at me with a bowed head, making his smile seem all the more demonic. "Goodbye, 'Host'."
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
But Kaiten only snapped his fingers.
--
The world inside my mind faded and reality came back. My head felt fuzzy, but I felt alright.
What was that all about? I wondered to myself. That arrogant freak! The next time he pulls my in like that I'm going to…wait, what was I doing here again?
"Shock!"
"…Ah, shi-"
The blast of lightning so powerful it could rip through a tank shot out of Beatrix's sword and tore through my chest. It exploded upon contact and threw me back, bounding along the platform at the highest level of Cleyra. I came to rest in a small patch of grass, looking on as the Alexandrian General attacked Zidane and Freya. Vivi stood back, glancing back at me, then Beatrix, unsure whether to help the others or me first.
My world swirled into darkness as I blacked out and lost consciousness.
"Kaiten…you asshole…"
--
Well, there you have it. I wanted to experiment with battle scenes a little and think I've found what I was looking for. More specifically, the second scene. I just did the first half of the battle with music as a side project because I wanted to experiment after reading Tristram Shandy. I guess my English major is showing itself again. Hehe. XP
Let me know what you thought of the second half of the battle please. I think it's a better way than what I've been doing and I'd like to hear your thoughts on it. It's fine if you didn't like it of course—I can always use constructive criticism. I know it was long, but I had to get some points out so that I could use them later on in the storyline.
Well, I'm off to not updating for another few months. T.T
…Sometimes, I hate my classes.
