IX. Consequences
In which some things are awoken, and unfortunate choices are made.
'Am I dreaming? Or am I dead?'
The thought haltingly echoed into the dark. The abyss swallowed it whole, and for a moment, the hollow conscience faded out, as if it had never been formed.
Had it ever truly been alive? Had it all been a hallucination? Would it matter either way? It couldn't fully recall, but it had seemed like it had been in pain moments before. Sharp and tight, twisting at its core, bursting at the seams as something ripped through it. There had been no solace, even at what felt like the end. It had been devoured whole, leaving nothing behind to show that it had once existed.
If being alive was painful, then surely this mindless wandering was better. Becoming nothing was better.
"You still have much to achieve as a Something before you should even think of being a Nothing."
The conscience stirred. Soft words floated through the darkness, drifting slowly towards it.
'Huh? Is there… someone else?'
"You've fallen far away from the path, dear Traveler. It's time you made your way back."
The words reached for It, circling the conscience. Something latched onto it, flooding the hollowness with a vibrant warmth, and suddenly, the conscience was aware of its form. It gently stretched its feet as far as they would go, until lightly touching down on a sturdy surface. There came a tug on its hand and it began to move forward through the dark, until, gradually, a dim light began to brighten the area.
The rigid outline of a group of trees formed around it, growing more defined with every step; gnarled branches wound towards the path like outstretched fingers, the overgrown moss draping from them resembling ragged robes. A light fog furled around contorted roots and jagged stones, gliding smoothly forward until it reached the edges of the path and stayed there. The further it looked into the woods, the less it could could make out, and the less it could make out, the greater the darkness became. Somewhere deep within that darkness, terrifying muffled sounds hummed through the air.
"Oh!" The conscience put a hand to its mouth, surprised at its own voice. The sound was sluggish, as if it had been used mere moments after waking, but strong in the ever present silence.
"This place is known as the Woods of Resentment." It whipped its head around towards the source of the voice. A young woman had appeared before it, a warm hand holding onto it as she led it forward. "Here, things once loved by the Light are claimed by a bitter Darkness. Memories that were once precious, people that were once beloved, and feelings that had been poisoned― they come to fester and die here when tainted by negativity, breeding more unpleasantness as they go."
The conscience grimaced. "Then why are we in this awful place, instead of somewhere else?"
The young woman turned mid-stride, piercing it with familiar slate-grey eyes. Looking into those eyes was like drowning in a storm made of reflections. Everything crashed into the conscience at once― memories, thoughts, emotions ―and suddenly, It was no longer an It. She was herself, and herself came with a name.
Smirking lightly, the doppelganger turned away again and continued to move forward. She spoke a little more abrasively. "Why? To lose your mind, and find your soul, of course. Because despite how much you would rather ignore it, a part of you dwells in this place. Oh, and good to see you're back again."
Grey eyes narrowed, and the traveler shook her head lightly to clear the dizziness. A frown pulled at her lips as she shot back, "You know, your religious use of riddles and cryptic attitude is really starting to get old."
"I am aware." The Dreamself released Emryn's hand. "But then again, doesn't that just mean you need to start thinking harder?"
"Ugh, you're insufferable."
When Dreamself didn't respond, Emryn sighed, casting her gaze around warily as she kept following after the other woman. After a while, the questions building up couldn't be contained, and she opened her mouth (and if that hadn't done it, the strain in the silence would have).
"So…," she started hesitantly. "I'm dead now, aren't I?"
"Mm, not dead-dead, just… mostly dead," Dreamself hummed. "When you took the hit meant for Sora, your lung was not the only thing attacked. That woman knew what she was doing, tearing apart your pulmonary veins like she did."
Emryn rubbed the spot where she had been stabbed, her chest aching at the memory. Larxene had literally drove her point home; she wanted Emryn dead, and she wanted her to know it, too.
"Of course, that wasn't what counted as the final blow."
Her head jerked up.
"Your body still hasn't acclimated itself to magic very well. Though I suppose you're not really the one to blame for that. The Cure that was cast on you in your final moments was just too much."
While Dreamself continued to muse as she explained Emryn's state of mortality (or lack thereof) the forest around them slowly began to wake up. Another muffled sound tore through the air, causing Em to jump. That… that sounded like someone yelling! She slowed, scanning the visible edges intently, but to no avail. Another noise rumbled far off, this time sounding like a crash.
"If you dally you might miss some of the answers I hand out, whether done cryptically so or not," Dreamself called, still not looking back. Emryn snapped out of it and jogged to keep up. "Anyway, as I was saying― Up until this point all you've had was tastes of potions and the Realm of Darkness, so when you were hit with a Cure, your body rejected it. The magic fought back, breaking you down in order to build you back up again with a tolerance for it."
Emryn tilted her head to the side. "So it was working kinda like a vaccine?"
"In a sense, yes. But unlike normal vaccines, which utilize dead pathogens to build up an immunity, this was live magic building up a means for coexisting. In this instance, though, the strain was excessive for your heart as it is now. Currently, you are in the midst of a reset. Whether you survive it or not depends upon you."
A reset? Could that be why Dreamself had said she was only mostly dead? But if she was only mostly dead, then there was still a chance that, somehow, during this 'reset', she could still end up completely dead. In essence, she was currently walking along a fairly fine line at the moment.
Dreamself stopped then, the ground crunching beneath her shoes as she turned on her heel to face Emryn. The look she was given made Emryn shrink away, taking a step back. Her heart pattered in her chest as she guardedly stared back. Why was Dreamself looking at her like that? Why was she looking at her like she was angry?
Another muted, hateful yell tore through the woods.
"Why?" The single word was a phantom, slipping softly past parted lips to freely linger in the open. It sent chills traversing down her spine. From the corner of her eye, Emryn caught movement; mist was beginning to trickle onto the pathway.
"Why must you always be so rash?" Dreamself demanded. "Do you not value yourself as much as you value those who are practically strangers to you? Tell me, because while your noble intentions are admirable, I do not understand them."
Emryn felt like a child getting scolded, which irritated her as much as it flooded her with guilt. Of course she cared about herself, but there had been circumstances that required her to care for others even more than that. If she hadn't, if she had stopped to think about herself then Sora would have… Sora would have…
Her hands curled in tightly at her sides. Conflict was a scary thing― it always had been. She'd told Axel just as much when confronting him. If she always thought about how scared it made her, then she'd never be able to face anything.
Emryn looked towards the edge of the road, watching the mist inch a little further. Somewhere, she thought she heard crying. It brought a pained frown to her face.
"If I consider myself first in a moment where I could have done something, then I'm afraid that I'll only have chosen to run away. And I've already spent too much time living like… that."
For a time, Dreamself remained quiet. When Emryn looked up again, she found that the other her no longer seemed to be angry, merely deep in thought. It eased the rapid pulsing in her chest, but did not fully go away. When Dreamself finally met her gaze, she sighed.
"I understand now," she said softly, but continued with a more stern tone. "But you must also remember this: You can't continue to sacrifice yourself like that. Your heart may be strong in its own rights, but it is still also very fragile. Push too hard, and there won't even be any pieces left to put back together. I cannot always help you find the path, you know."
With a slight shake of her head, Dreamself turned around and started walking again. Emryn followed along at a slower pace, contemplating the meaning of her words. Her heart was strong, but also fragile, huh? Was that because of the magic (or the lack thereof of it)? Or could the weakness possibly stem from something within herself?
The road was eerily dim the further into the forest they walked. Each step seemed to invite the mist to creep just a little closer. Emryn often found her attention straying towards the fine tendrils, the way they moved reminding her of feelers blindly searching for something. She didn't like that it kept getting closer, or the fact that it came from the dark woods beyond the path, which was producing more and more unearthly sounds as time continued to pass.
Uneasily, she turned away from the woods and hurried to catch up with her Dreamself.
"So uh, if I'm mostly dead, does that mean that I'm still technically dying?" she prodded. "Cause, like, what's happening to my body is different than what's going on right here and now, right?"
"Oh, very good," Dreamself chuckled. "In this place, time is construed. Much like when you dream, many moments can be compressed in here, while only a single moment has passed out there. The same can be said for how time works in Castle Oblivion, and by extension, all the worlds that are not connected to each other. But again, whether your body out there makes it or not is up to you."
A low ticking chirruped through the forest.
'This is just weird…,' she grumbled, casting a wary glance around before focusing on the back of her― er, Dreamself's head. 'But I guess since it seems I've got the time, and she's actually talking to me, I should see what else I can find out.'
"You said you were me, yet not," she began. "Now that we seem to have a bit of one on one time to spare, mind elaborating on that for me?"
"Mmm, where's the fun in that though? What was it Axel said? 'Things will get too dull if you constantly tell people what's supposed to happen next'?" A cocky lilt tickled the other woman's voice. Emryn tensed. "Why don't you play twenty questions, and I'll tell you if you're close or not."
'Well I'll tell you what I'm close to: Punching you.' The sentiment that she would fight herself was making itself prominent again. But Emryn reigned her temper in, the click of her tongue revealing the only hint that she had been irritated. She reflected, for a moment, on what Dreamself had already told her, and then asked her question.
"Alright. Fine then, if this is how you're gonna be. So you say you're me, but I'm not really you; not that I'm particularly comfortable with this idea, but since it's the first that comes to mind― Does this make you a reincarnated version of me or something?"
Dreamself's response was quick, clipped, and a little too smug. "No."
Emryn groaned. "Are you supposed to be me from an alternate reality, since I guess those are now a legit thing? And somehow we're astral projecting into each other's psychees?"
"Nope. Not even when you dissect the peculiar schematics of this situation."
"Alright, then are you from the future? Wait, no, that can't be. You look like I do now. Kinda like a reflection…"
Emryn frowned as she thought a little harder about it. She narrowly caught the way Dreamself's fingers curled in at her sides, stretching out before slowly falling into place one by one― an action she recognized simply because it was what she did when she knew something and was excited for someone else to catch on. It was incredibly unsettling to see one of her own quirks displayed by someone else, let alone by someone that looked like her and claimed to be her. But something like that… It had to mean she was onto something, didn't it? What was it she had said that piqued Dreamself's excitement?
An idea dawned on her, and it caused her eyes to widen. What if… "You wouldn't happen to be my Nobody, would you?"
Considering the story she was in, and the fact that Dreamself was claiming to be her, yet she was not Dreamself, the theory made all too much sense. But in order for that to work, Emryn would have had to have died sometime before this recent run in with death, since she had been seeing Dreamself long before now. And if she had died, it would have been back when she was… still… on...
When Dreamself started laughing, however, Emryn grew confused. Her frown deepened as she demanded, "What's so funny?"
"I― I forgot how amusing young Travelers were," the doppelganger chortled, hopping over a puddle in the path. "You always try to logic your answers away. Creative logic, but logic nonetheless. Of course, the way your world has conditioned you to grow has played an unfortunate hand in that matter."
Emryn faltered. "What― What do you mean by that? Are you saying that there have been others? I mean, other people that have gotten sucked up and sent to these crazy, impossible places that shouldn't even exist?"
The doppelganger spun around with a lazy grin etched across her face. Emryn stopped just before stepping into the puddle. The water quivered with the tension of having almost been disturbed. With each ripple, Dreamself's reflection seemed to shift; every time Emryn blinked, another shard of the reflection was another piece of someone else. Ghost like mist trickled closer, banding around their feet.
"I've watched you for a long time," Dreamself uttered softly as she evaded the question, "and I am excited to see where you shall wander on this journey, my dear, dear Traveler."
"I―," Emryn struggled to form a coherent sentence, to even comprehend what Dreamself was saying. "I never asked for this! I never wanted―"
The doppelganger gave her a knowing look. "Are you sure you haven't just forgotten what you wanted?"
The question rang ominously in her ears, tolling mighty tones as a bell would in calling for the time.
Grey vapor glided over the puddle and obscured the reflection. It crawled over their feet until it blanketed them, climbing as high as their ankles. It tickled Emryn, partially distracting her from the sudden distress Dreamself's question had invoked in her. She shook her foot a little to try and clear away some of the mist, but the action only seemed to make it solidify around her. As she opened her mouth to say something― whether to point out the odd behavior of the mist or demand Dreamself drop the coy act, she didn't know ―the mist tightened around her ankles, as if they were being bound. Emryn only had a split second to even acknowledge the déjà vu of the situation, before her feet were pulled out from under her.
She whipped violently through the air, branches catching on her clothes, scratching her face. Emryn screamed as she was tossed about, her body snapping wildly from side to side. When she finally swung to a stop, she was breathless, spinning, and dangling dangerously by her feet high above the ground.
Her chest heaved as her revolution slowed to a crawl, bringing her face to face with a cold yellow glow, narrowed by the shape of a dark helmet. Emryn's breath caught in her throat.
Before her was a nightmare she had long since thought vanquished. The last time she had seen the Black Knight, she had been about to lose her head. Sometimes, in the midst of a sleepless night, her thoughts would turn towards the Heartless and entertain the darker "what if's". Those what if's never led to pleasant dreams, and she'd never sleep long because of them; because of it. But the last time she had checked, the Black Knight was supposed to be the Red Queen's Heartless. What it was doing here, attacking her in a dream realm that was surely separate from the normal, Emryn didn't have a single clue.
The Black Knight raised its glaive. Emryn screamed as she forced her body to perform a sit up upside down, just barely avoiding getting hit by the blade as it swiped by.
"What the ― is this thing doing here?!" she yelled, avoiding another hit.
"This creature created a fear so deep running within you that it was able to imprint itself upon your heart and reside in these woods," Dreamself called back, sounding both far and near in the same breath. "If you want to wake up, then you must defeat it!"
"If I want to wake up I need to defeat i― Defeat it with what?!" Her voice steadily climbed higher, until it had reached a shriek. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly equipped to be dealing with this!"
"I cannot clear the path for you every time. You must try to figure this out on your own."
"You are literally the least helpful person ever for someone that's claiming to be me!"
Emryn desperately tried to pull herself up towards the bindings on her ankles. If she could just get untangled from this then maybe she might have a chance.
The thin ribbons, however, had a different idea in mind. As she tried to reach for them, the ones holding her in place began to swing her side to side, causing her to lose whatever form she had managed to get into and get violently shaken around like a dog's chew toy. Even when it stopped, everything still moved wildly in her field of vision. Another ribbon lashed around her right wrist, and then her left. More continued to wrap around her, slowly cocooning everything except her head. No matter how much Emryn tried to resist, she was forced to become immobile.
Now Dreamself started to sound exasperated as she said, "The tools are already in your possession. They'll only continue to be useless if you do not give them meaning!"
"Unless you're actually going to help then just shut up! I'm in the middle of trying to not lose my head here, if you haven't noticed!"
"Emryn," the urgency was becoming more apparent in the doppelganger's voice, "What do you desire, with all your heart? Desires cannot take shape without the power of words to define them!"
"Really? You're trying to get intimate now?" Emryn's eyes were glued to the glaive as it began to move backwards. "How much more obvious can I get about how much I'd rather not die right now?!"
As if triggered by her indignant cry, a searing warmth ripped through her. Light flashed between the dark bindings just as something else shot forward, rendering them apart. It hit the Black Knight dead center in its helmet with a clang. The unexpected attack stunned it, and the remaining ribbons began to loosen. Emryn gaped at what appeared to be a large chain protruding from her chest as it spanned between her and the Heartless.
"Um, quick question: What the ―?"
"Ponder on it later! Quick, summon another one now."
A string of incomprehensible sounds escaped her as she looked between the chain and the Black Knight, which was now starting to snap out of it. Emryn wriggled frantically, casting off the shreds of ribbons that still remained on her, and worked to loose her feet. Metal creaked and groaned as it scraped against more metal. The young woman looked away from her work only to find, much to her dismay, that the other ribbons controlled by the Heartless were steadily pulling the chain out of its head. Every little tug on the chain sent shivers quivering throughout her chest. It was unpleasant as well as horrifying.
In response to the foreign aggravation, a new chain sprung forth, catching both human and monster off guard as it barreled straight through the Black Knight's pauldron. The ribbons abandoned the chain imbedded in the creature's head and immediately converged on the new threat. The more the Heartless attempted to dislodge a chain another was produced in its stead, and another, and another― until the number of chains outnumbered the number of ribbons, and even the Heartless itself.
As the Black Knight disappeared beneath a swarm of chains, Emryn finally managed to free herself from the Heartless' grasp. She fell to the ground, barely managing to twist herself in time so she landed on her lower back instead of her head. It knocked the air out of her hard enough that she almost blacked out then and there, but she just barely managed to cling to consciousness long enough to watch as the chains which emanated from her consumed the Heartless.
'Like being bound into Oblivion,' she thought listlessly. The thought seemed to travel into the chains, and they squeezed tightly around the Black Knight, until, suddenly, it became no more.
As they fell to the ground, the chains shimmered, and one by one they vanished. Emryn remained on her back, mind spinning endlessly upon itself, her vision wavering. Dreamself appeared above her, and even though her mouth moved, not a sound could be heard. Yet somehow, the other her could be understood all the same.
"Wake now, dear Traveler, and cast the riddles from your mind and to your soul, for surely it will show you that it knows the way. I know not where you will go from here, but I promise you, it won't be boring."
Emryn closed her eyes and ascended from the dark.
"Gawrsh, you don't think she's―?"
"No, look! She's still breathing!"
"Emryn, can you hear us? Wake up!"
Her eyes fluttered briefly before snapping shut again. The real light was too bright and blinding after spending time in a dream that was so poorly lit. A low moan formed in the back of her throat and gained volume as it traveled past her lips. Her body was heavy, aching at every joint and nerve possible. Emryn hadn't dealt with a soreness of this caliber since the last time she'd taken an aerobics class (which, quite frankly, hadn't been for a couple years, but still). Yet the fact that she had been magically torn apart and sewn together right before dying just kinda, sorta, maybe just a little bit made the pain of aerobics class pale in comparison. This was going to hurt for awhile.
A collective gasp circled around her.
"Emryn, you're alright!" Sora's voice was easily placed, being on her right and perhaps a little bit too close for comfort. He sure was loud.
"Barely," she wheezed. Carefully, she tried opening her eyes once again.
The first person to fall into focus was Sora, and just as she suspected, he was leaning in towards her too closely. Wide blue eyes stared back at her, brimming with barely contained relief. The boy sniffed and quickly rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. Shakily, he smiled down at her.
Over his shoulder, Donald and Goofy hovered nearby, both grinning in delight. Emryn blinked a couple times, her eyes widening a little bit more each time. Sure, she had known that wherever Sora was then these two weren't (always) far behind, but it still hadn't prepared her for the possibility of actually seeing two of the most popular Disney characters in person. This was probably more surreal than the moment when she had first realized she was talking to Axel!
"How're ya feelin'? Goofy asked kindly. "Everyone was worried about ya for a moment there, ya know."
Emryn's stare slid away from him as she answered hoarsely, "Well, this has been a first for me, but I've definitely seen better days."
She locked eyes with the Repliku, and though he was stoic as ever, the simple nod he gave was enough to convey his relief at her non-corpse-like state.
"I wasn't sure what else we could do. When I cast that Cure, I thought I had…," Sora went quiet, and her gaze snapped back to the other boy. Sora bowed his head and frowned at his lap.
'He was the one that cast the Cure on me?'
Suddenly, it hit her: She had jumped in front of Sora and taken the blow meant for him. He had seen that. He was probably the one that had caught her, and then watched as she bled her life out. Perhaps as soon as Donald had arrived and revived him, maybe even before that, he had desperately tried to cast a Cure on her in hopes that he wasn't too late. Emryn hadn't been aware of anything other than dying, even when the magic had begun to rip her apart.
How had she looked to him then? What sounds had she made before she attempted to become a 'Nothing'? What had she done?
It was with this horrified realization that Emryn came to understand that she had more than likely just severely traumatized a fifteen year old boy, who just so happened to be the hero of one of the most top ranking games ever, and would have left him with the idea that he had been the one that killed her had she actually died.
She averted her eyes, mumbling, "Sorry kid. There wasn't much room to say anything before, but magic and I don't mix well. But if you hadn't of done that then we wouldn't be having this conversation now, so…"
It was uncomfortably quiet as her words sank in. Emryn tried to shrug, feeling antsy with the consequences of her actions now that she was conscious enough to witness them, but her muscles were still too sluggish to respond. With nothing else willing to move, she allowed her gaze to wander again, and this time it landed on a different, but no less scarred, face.
Naminé stared at her with a contorted expression― a mixture of thoughts and feelings that made about as little sense to Emryn as they did to the girl they were affecting. Naminé's knuckles turned bone white as she gripped both the sleeves of the red jacket and the hem of her dress. She almost looked like she was in pain.
Her pale lips trembled as she spoke. "You… Why are you endangering yourself for us? First me and Riku, and now Sora― You don't even know us! And yet… And yet you still stand in front of us when there's trouble, even though you're so powerless. I― I don't understand it!"
Emryn took a slow and deep breath. The things Naminé said sounded an awful lot like what Dreamself had gotten onto her for. It was the same question, but the answer required a different kind of explanation.
"It's true that we're basically strangers, but that doesn't stop me from caring about you," she started slowly. "You guys are just kids, and it seems like everyone is just constantly sweeping that fact under the rug. The fact that you guys are forced into roles meant for adults scares me, because it's not something you should have to deal with, yet you do anyways. And when I'm scared, I don't always think, I just do.
"If I think about being scared, then I can't protect. And if I fail to do that when it was possible for me to do so, then what good am I?"
Speaking about this reminded her of all the times she had run away from a fight and hidden with her little brother. Rigid fear would overwhelm her as she would listen to her father screaming over her mother while they fought. She could only hold Oliver close while covering his ears. Emryn often wished that she had yelled back at her father, or called the cops on him, but that terror would always keep her rooted in place. She didn't want her actions to cause him to turn on her, or worse, Oliver, but the guilt always matched the fear when she left her mother to fend for herself.
It was in her nature to protect, but what good was that nature if she was constantly afraid of the conflict doubling back on her? After graduating high school, Emryn had decided she couldn't stand to live with that fear any longer. So she made an effort to stand her ground in critical moments. As long as she didn't think about it, she could fool herself into ignoring the erratic beat of her heart..
"You've been constantly putting yourself at risk for us, and at what cost? The light in your heart had gone out. For a brief moment, I sensed you vanish! If protecting us means you're just going to die, then…" Naminé shook her head.
'Things haven't really been going any better since I got here, have they?' Emryn internally sighed to herself and looked away. She had no idea how to refute any of what Naminé was saying, not with all this bad evidence piling up against her. Granted, this wasn't too unexpected, either. Emryn knew full well she wasn't meant to fill the shoes of a hero, yet for some stupid reason, she kept trying to all the same. What good was her presence here in a story that was already made up?
"The way I see it, if she hadn't stood up to those Organization members when and how she did, things would have ended up a lot worse." Repliku suddenly said. Emryn trained her eyes on him, only to find him staring at her with a peculiar, contemplative expression. A little more quietly he continued, "And you knew that, didn't you? That's why everyone kept referring to you as the Oracle― because you know these things about the future that they don't."
"Wait, wait," Sora intervened, confused. "What does that mean, 'you know about the future'? Are you a psychic or something, Emryn?"
This was definitely not how she would have liked to establish her presence in this story (if at all), but it was her own fault for running her damn mouth the way she had. Things were problematic enough with the antagonists of this game knowing she was privy to the info about the future, but now the protagonists knew too? That was less than ideal. She'd read enough stories― fanfics and regular fiction alike ―to know that anyone with knowledge of the future sharing that info with characters from another world only created the unfortunate problem known as an imbalance of power. An imbalance of power corrupted a good concept, making what could have been an excellent story a bomb of a failure. Emryn refused to be the reason Kingdom Hearts broke down.
"Let's just go with 'or something' and leave it at that." She cleared her throat in discomfort before moving on. "To be honest, I don't know if my intervening has exactly been what you'd call an improvement. I'm not all knowing like those jerks keep trying to insist I am. Never have been, never will be. And to be quite frank with you, I'm not very keen on the idea of giving information to either side of the friend or foe equation."
At that, Donald leapt forward with an indignant 'wak!', shoving Sora aside. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.
Emryn winced, the volume of his voice sending a lance of pain through her head. She looked at him through slightly narrowed eyes and sighed, beginning her explanation.
"Look, if I were to just hand you all of the information of your story― which is a lot and most of it's confusing, by the way ―then we'd have a gott dang catastrophe on our hands. There's a ton of technical stuff that ties in with that catastrophe, but the main point is that doing so would create a major disruption in the balance of things. Tell me, can you honestly say that you enjoy a story where the heroes know everything and saves the day right off the bat?"
She waited a beat, staring at everyone as they actually thought about her question. When they finally reached their conclusions, shaking their heads, Emryn continued.
"It'd become a boring story, right?" she asked. "You have to overcome challenges and learn things when they're meant to be revealed to you. Me interfering by telling you what I know has more bad implications hiding behind it than good. Besides, 'Oracles' in stories are only messengers for a need to know basis, and they never reveal everything anyways."
That really seemed to sell it for most of them. Donald, however, still looked unconvinced, but Emryn wasn't going to bother trying to persuade him anymore. She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling more drained than she had upon first waking up. All this talk about death and oracle business was exhausting― and she'd only been awake for, what, fifteen minutes? And there was still the rest of the CoM arc to get through…
In the back of her mind she faintly registered Naminé talking, answering a question that Goofy and then Jiminy (why did she always forget that he was here too?) had asked. Emryn had an inkling of a suspicion about where this conversation was going. Something about everyone's memories, and how Naminé would be able to restore them. But now that she wasn't in immediate danger of dying, and no one was badgering her about her supposed psychic powers, all she wanted to do was sleep. Dreamself still had a lot of things to answer for.
"There's a room on the thirteenth floor where I can fix your memories, but…" Naminé sighed.
"That's where Marluxia is," Repliku surmised.
Emryn's eyes snapped open. To her right, Sora was already standing up and preparing to go. "Then you, me, Donald 'n Goofy'll go take care of him right now. Naminé, you should wait here with Emryn. We'll come back to get you when we're done."
Emryn grunted a little as she tried to force her muscles to cooperate. She really didn't want to give away too much information, but she also really didn't want to deal with the bullshit Marluxia was going to bring with him once the boys left.
She finally managed to coerce one of her arms, albeit slowly, into propping herself up. "I suggest that we all go as far as we can together."
"Can you even stand up? Let alone walk?" Repliku asked skeptically, eyeing the sluggish way she attempted to sit up.
"I'll need help, obviously." Her head was starting to spin from the effort she was exerting just trying to move upright. "But I'd rather we moved together as a group as opposed to branching off, so I'll do my best to not slow everyone down."
Everyone exchanged doubtful glances between themselves, but thankfully, no one demanded she elaborate her reason for this suggestion. She ignored the looks they gave her, body trembling fiercely as she finally managed to sit up. Sharp and burning, the most concentrated pain lanced through her chest. Emryn began to rub the spot that hurt the most, only to immediately retract her hand, cringing at the cooled stickiness she'd felt. Upon looking down, she almost fainted.
The hole Larxene's knife had left in her clothes was relatively small, but the stains left on them covered up a sizeable chunk of her front. The blood, still somewhat fresh, made the fabric cling to her skin, so that whenever she moved she could always feel it there. It was a revolting feeling; she had never much liked wearing wet clothes, but knowing that it was her own blood that had soaked them was just downright nauseating.
Swallowing hard, Em looked away from what was officially the worst wardrobe malfunction she'd ever had, and held up a hand for someone to take.
'I'm in no condition to even consider protecting Naminé if they still decide to leave us behind. And even if they left Repliku as insurance, I highly doubt we'd be able to keep Marluxia from getting what he wanted.'
Finally, just before she was about to put her hand down and struggle to get up herself, Sora reached out and grabbed her. He was warm to the touch, and Emryn realized, with a shock, just how freezing she was. Her grip on his hand tightened just a little bit more.
Donald and Goofy took a place on either side of her to help Sora pull her up. In one mighty pull they managed to get her upright, but as soon as she was standing, the blood rushed straight to her head. Emryn blinked rapidly as her vision went black, and she stumbled a little when her knees turned to jelly and threatened to give out on her. Several hands latched onto her at once to keep her steady.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Sora asked.
'No,' she wanted to reply.
"Let's just get moving," she responded instead. The longer they lingered here, the more anxious she got.
Sora nodded uncertainly, before slinging her arm over his shoulders. Goofy took her other arm, and with that, they were ready to begin the tedious task of moving forward. Repliku stuck close to Naminé, and they led the procession forward, while Donald held the middle ground, leaving the new trio to pull up the rear. Moving her legs was a chore for Emryn. At best, she could only slowly drag her feet along, being pulled the rest of the way by her two pillars of support.
As they walked, Emryn noticed something strange on the floor.
"Uh, why's the floor wet?"
"These three put on a water show for the nymph," Repliku responded rather dryly. "Apparently, she couldn't get wet."
Em's brows twitched. She didn't really know how any of the fights themselves actually played out― the only thing she cared about was the cutscenes, as watching other people fight was a tedious and boring endeavor. Because of this, she didn't know what kind of attack Sora and the others could have used to create 'a watershow', as Repliku had so eloquently put it.
Perhaps it was something that had happened in the manga? She'd only really gotten around to reading Days, but just from that alone she knew there was a bit of a different take on things than there was in the game. So it seemed anything was possible.
"Huh, interesting."
No one made any comments on her response, which she continued to be grateful for. They remained silent as they trudged onward. And then―
"Ah, my old enemy." Emryn took a deep breath, glowering at the obstacle before them. "Stairs."
"Aw come on, stairs aren't that bad," Sora said jokingly. A little more seriously though, he added, "But if you don't think you can make it up those―"
She cut him off before he could finish the thought. "If I could manage them when my ribs were cracked, then surely I can manage them when most of my body is on the fritz."
Sora nodded grimly, but didn't try to undermine her resolve. Together, she, Goofy and Sora worked to get up the first step. With the boys helping by lifting her up, the going was a little quicker, but she still had to move her feet, and that's what sucked. Everything tightened as she forced her foot to raise higher than the lip of the step, and she could only raise her foot so high because of it. If it weren't for the guys helping her out, then she would have only ended up making herself trip.
By the time they reached the next landing, her back was drenched in sweat, and her breathing labored. Repliku, Naminé and Donald stood off to the side in wait for them. They all took one look at her and seemed to simultaneously reach a consensus.
"Sora, you guys just go on ahead. I'll stay behind with Emryn," Naminé declared. "We'll wait in one these rooms until you come back."
Emryn opened her mouth to protest, but was immediately shut down when Naminé threw her a sharp look.
The boy frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Definitely." The blonde nodded and turned away from them to open a door. "We'll be fine if we wait in here, I'm sure. Besides, I don't think Emryn is capable of handling another flight of stairs, let alone making it up to the thirteenth floor."
'I mean, she's not wrong, but ouch.' Em gave a tiny wince at Naminé's bluntness.
Sora still looked unconvinced. He side-eyed Emryn thoughtfully. Something in that look said that he knew there had been a reason she had wanted to stay together as a group, yet he hesitated to ask what that reason was, knowing that she very well might not answer. Likewise, Emryn wanted to convey her knowledge on the matter, yet was afraid of how much she could mess everything up if she did.
"It's not like they're going to be alone." Repliku's decisive words cut through the mounting tension. Everyone's eyes fell on him. "I'll stay behind while you guys take care of Marluxia. Then you'll have one less thing to worry about."
Sora blinked, and slowly a sloppy grin crept up his face. "Thanks Riku. I'm counting on you."
His words seemed unexpected, Repliku's eyes widening slightly at the deep display of trust. The corners of his mouth twitched and he shook his head. He didn't say anything after that, instead moving to take Emryn off of their hands.
As they moved into one of the empty rooms, Sora called, "We'll be back before you know it, so hang tight you guys!"
When the door shut behind them, Emryn's unease increased tenfold. Going into a room instead of hanging out in the open didn't mean they were less likely to avoid Marluxia. She didn't doubt for a second that the pink loofah wouldn't not try to collect Naminé, or herself for that matter. If he thought they could still be used then he wouldn't want anyone else to get their hands on his 'tools'. But what could two weaponless girls― one whose body was still half dead and completely useless ―and an inexperienced replica do against a legitimate assassin?
'Perhaps it would be easier if they just left me behind and hurried to catch up with Sora.' As far as she was concerned, her presence had just been denoted to a bunch of dead weight. The best she could do would be to hold Marluxia's attention, even if only for a couple of minutes, in order to allow the other two to get away.
"You know," Naminé spoke suddenly, dispelling the heavy silence that had come to settle over them. Emryn looked up, spying the girl staring aimlessly at the hands in her lap. "I've always been so… afraid. So narrow minded.
"Being here for as long as I have, I've never been able to think beyond much other than myself. How could I make it through another day without getting hurt? How could I go without acknowledging this gaping hole inside as it constantly tries to devour me? Things like that. And now, with everything that's happened, I feel… I feel… Useless."
Em shared a concerned look with Repliku, but when the boy opened his mouth, she held up her hand and signaled for him to keep quiet. "Why do you think you feel that way?" she asked.
Naminé's hands curled tightly. "All this time, I haven't really been able to do much of anything. I've just created problems for everyone around me. Unlike you or Sora, I haven't done anything… good."
"You know," she looked at the ceiling thoughtfully, "useless and good are two different and subjective terms. For a kid in your position, it's natural that your first instinct is self preservation. You do what you think will be useful or good for you.
"But because of it then others try to convince you that this is wrong. That it's bad and that you'll never be capable of being good." Grey eyes slid towards the girl again. "I was the same for awhile. It felt like no matter what I did, the consequences would always round on me, twenty times worse than before. Everything I said, everything I did― it seemed like some kind of test, where one wrong answer would leave me more hurt and powerless than before. But I made a choice, even when it seemed like I had none at all, to keep trying to move forward and get myself to a better place. Just like it was your choice to stop being a pawn and start being someone."
The girl's attention slowly shifted towards her, soft aegean eyes peering back uncertainly, doubtfully. "Was it really my choice?"
A small smile crooked up her face. "Must have been, because I certainly didn't hear anyone telling you to stand up to Larxene, or come up with that plan which let Riku keep his agency."
"But you're the one that came up with the idea though! I didn't―"
"Emryn may have suggested an alternative, but it was you that took it a step further. It was you who put that plan into action. Therefore, it was your choice." Repliku shuffled around awkwardly, but he didn't let his gaze wander elsewhere, nor did he allow his conviction to falter.
Em nodded. "Yeah, just like it's your choice to help Sora by fixing his memories. You acknowledged that you did something wrong, and now you're making up for it by fixing your mistake."
The girl remained in thoughtful silence, slowly processing their words as she fiddled with the hem of her sleeves. Em slowly scooched herself closer and settled herself near the younger teen, lightly clapping her shoulder.
"You don't always have get in the line of fire to do something right. You just have to know that if there's an opportunity to act, you shouldn't always allow your circumstances to keep you from trying."
"A pity that such a moment will never be realized."
In a flash, Repliku was in front of them, keyblade drawn and placed in preparation for a fight. Beyond him, a dark portal materialized, and from it stepped Marluxia. The man scrutinized them all carefully, a faint, haughty smirk rising across his features.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose in accordance to the slight quickening pace of her heart. Emryn looked down just in time to see inky tendrils pool from the ground, slithering around her like lightning. Everything vanished from view, the pearly white of Castle Oblivion turning dark as she was plunged into the murk without a chance to make a sound.
Immediately, she recognized the warping walls of the Dark Corridor― or at least, some pocket of it. The half healed cut on her leg twinged in response to the negative energy surrounding her. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Emryn tried to ignore the sudden increase of pressure that dwelled in her surroundings. But as the seconds continued to to tick by, the more it felt like she was being compressed, and the less she could breathe. The less she could breathe, the more she was reminded of what it was like to die with a hole in her chest, and that made it all the more terrifying.
Before she passed out, the pressure evaporated completely. Instead, Emryn found herself upright and being held at choking point. She glanced down, immediately meeting the black of the Organization cloak and inhaling an inhumane amount of floral perfume.
"Emryn!" she heard Naminé cry out at the same time Repliku yelled, "Let her go!"
Eyes fluttering, Emryn's head shot up in time to see the two take a step towards her, as if they actually intended to straight up charge Marluxia.
"No! Stay back, both of you," she commanded. They stilled, confusion and alarm creating an uncertain cocktail on their faces.
"Now now, if they want to come to us, you should let them." Emryn jumped slightly at the close proximity of Marluxia's silky voice. "After all, it's their decision to make."
The way he kept emphasizing some of his words sent a dreadful chill down her spine. She stared at the two younger teens pleadingly. "Guys, get out of here! Forget about me and just run!"
"Don't be stupid!" Repliku gnashed his teeth together angrily. "After all you've done for us, you think we'd just leave you behind? Get real!"
Marluxia tutted, as if he were agreeing with the boy. Em growled at all of them, gripping the man's arm with the pitable intent of trying to break his hold on her. "Don't you get it? I'm just the bait. The one he wants is Naminé!"
"My dear Oracle, you seem to have a bad habit of spoiling the wrong things." She glared up at Marluxia as he tutted again. Ignoring her, the pink haired man merely sighed before holding out his free hand to the side, and in a flash his weapon appeared. His grip was adjusted so it was around her shoulders instead. Emryn swallowed hard as she felt the cold metal of his scythe press against her throat.
"Well then, Naminé. Will you come to me on your own, or will you force my hand? The choice is yours, after all."
The girl's eyes widened fearfully, one hand automatically reaching up to clutch her chest. Hesitantly, she began to take a step forward, earning her an incredulous look from Repliku. Emryn began trembling, but not from fear. Heat seared the back of her neck and set ablaze the thoughts in her mind as she realized what it was Marluxia was trying to do. Why he seemed so focused on letting everyone know what their choices were.
"Riku!" she yelled, jolting the boy out of his conflicted trance. "Take her and run! He won't kill me, okay? It's a trick! Just get out of here!"
The cold steel pressed a little harder into her throat, causing her to still as she felt it prick. "I wouldn't be so certain of that, Miss Oracle," Marluxia uttered lowly. "You are becoming far more trouble than you're worth, it seems. Knowing the future would indeed be handy, but I'm starting to think that I don't really need you."
"Riku," her voice became more strained. "If you think you owe me something, then you owe me Naminé's safety. Now do as I say, please. Go."
Repliku opened his mouth, but found no voice to speak with. He closed it, visibly struggling as his lips twisted into a fierce frown, and turned away from her. He grabbed Naminé by the hand and began to run.
Naminé gasped. "What are you― Riku let go of me! We can't leave her with him!"
The girl vainly tried to dig her sandals into the smooth floor, but the lack of friction it offered worked against her nearly as much as Repliku's overwhelming strength did. The boy stopped trying to pull her, instead whirling around and clumsily sweeping the thrashing girl off her feet. He continued to sprint for the door, all the while Marluxia remained immobile, more content to watch things unfold than doing anything to stop the fleeing teens.
"Riku stop! I said stop!"
The boy froze mid-stride, and both him and the girl went tumbling to the floor. Emryn went rigid as a scene reminiscent to one that should have played earlier unfolded before her eyes.
Naminé shakily pulled herself off the ground, breathing hard as she stared at the fallen puppet with a blank expression.
Emryn's head filled with static and immediately began to thrash against Marluxia's hold. It didn't matter that in her weakened state her attempts at fighting the man were no more than a nuisance. It didn't matter that the blade of his scythe, which had already been dangerously close to begin with, was beginning to cut through her skin. She just wanted to hurt him for what he had done. To hurt him for using her to do this to those kids, whom she had only been trying to help and protect.
"You ― ! How dare you make her do that!" she howled.
Marluxia chuckled, removing his scythe. "Whatever you may be implying, I did no such thing. Naminé made this choice on her own."
His words brought Naminé out of her trance with a flinch. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and did not look at Emryn as she walked, stiff-legged, towards Marluxia's side. Though she dared not to look at him, Emryn knew the man's expression had become maliciously smug.
"Perhaps now you'll have finally learned that no decision made by you will ever lead to anything good." The man's words were soft, as if he were only gently scolding her, instead of brutally tearing her and every hope she had built up, down. Emryn would not refute him, though, not here, at least. For as much as those words were meant for Naminé, it seemed as if they were meant to strike her as well.
These were the consequences of her interference. All this confusion and pain― it was because of her now, it seemed.
Naminé bowed her head as a portal opened up around her. Emryn watched a small tear slip down her pale cheek, and the darkness separated them from view.
Well... this certainly didn't end how I originally thought it would, but I'm glad either way. Tbh I also didn't think the Castle Oblivion arc would be drawn out this long either, but it's also another pleasant surprise, because I didn't know if I'd be able to draw any arc out for very long, haha. Don't worry though, the arc is definitely getting wrapped up next chapter ;3c
I apologize for updating this right at the end of the month. I really did think I'd update sooner/possibly be able to do a double update, but I'm truly starting to think I'm like, jinxed or something XD Every time I say I should be able to have something finished by a certain time, it always ends up being longer... Oh well, I'll just have to do better next month.
P.S. I'll be doing a bunch of KH short stories based on some prompts I received on tumblr before I start on the next chapter, so feel free to check those out!
