The First Step
Moving on.
xxx
(Enchanted Dominion)
The drawbridge was left wide open. The crank controls rooted forever in place by cakes of the unforgiven elements. Alirah's nerves spiked at the pops and snaps of the aged wood. Crossing the portcullis, taking that last step through the arch was not unlike passing the threshold into the realm of darkness. Alirah paused in nauseated nostalgia of the thick, suffocating wall that hits her when she enters this castle. The deathly eyes suffused in the multi millions of cracks constantly following your every move, never parting from you back, front, or side. The whispers that puff at your ear, the laughter echoing in your mind, and the foreboding sense of a presence walking in your shadow. The ghosting brush of the dragon fairy's talons at your back. Those palms teasing to squeeze you dry but never delivering the finishing blow. The evil that permeates from this place drenches the skin to the bones to the marrow. Thick, coagulated sweat drenching to her in globs, dragging her atrophying stamina to her know aching legs. She felt like a block of lead moving through tar.
"Grr…my head." Alirah was disoriented by the oppressive energy. She's starting to remember why she hasn't been back here in over a year. Walking these dank, stark corridors is a trail. The Realm of Darkness was a trip to candyland compared to this. The bright side, Maleficent's disappearance significantly impacted the security her fortress was infamous for. The castle is old, but one would think after a decade Maleficent would hire someone to refurbish and renovate the place. Ha! Maybe Aurora can petition to have it demolished. "Three turns down...another hundred to go." The castle hasn't changed much. Aside from the obvious looting. Old tapestries were missing, voids in their place. Maleficent's throne room was picked clean. Drag marks from the obviously more heavy items were fresh in the stone. "No wonder...spirits are pissed…" She grunted in broken speech. "I'd be...mad to...if someone robbed me." At least this left less to inspect for what's causing this mania. If she's being honest, Alirah hadn't the foggiest where to begin searching for this...Maleficent Channeling Object. If she had, this would be done and over with by now. And that's if it even was an object. For all she knows the castle really is just haunted. No surprise really. As a necromancer since childhood, Alirah's come across dozens of haunted locations. Places corrupted by malice, or unrequited lovers who perished, or even the typical spirit who felt unaccomplished in real life. Scenarios all moot. The castle is miles wide and just as long...and growing...larger...by the...
"Ugh…" The whole entrance tunnel spinning like a top. Her vision blurred in an out of focus. On their own whim her eyes flared bright gold. A green orb leading Aurora past from side to side. Ven...and then Aqua...darted past her. "What...in...Huuh…" And Alirah crumbled to her knees, scraping her elbows on a clumsy save.
"Alirah?!" The Fairies cried, diving to her side. Alirah clutched at her neck, dry heaving in desperation for air. Pressure was mounting in her head. She couldn't get up. Her spine ached at the slightest twitch. She was going pale. Her chest was tightening. "Get her outside! Quickly!" The Fairies rushed her to the nearest staircase. Flora and Fauna carrying her by the arms, with Merryweather trying not to drag her feet. She was heavier than she looked.
Images - or flashes of events repetitively playing in these hallowed halls - bombarded Alirah's vision. 'The Fairies...racing in a panic, screaming a name too muffled to make out. That green orb…' She knows that orb. 'It was floating in a hypnotic rhythm. A girl appeared. The blue dress she wore was gorgeous. Her long sunshine...hair.' Aurora? What's she doing at the castle? Why is she following that orb? No! She can't follow it! It's dangerous! 'The ord transformed...a spinning wheel...with a sharp on the end. Aurora's hand...was reaching for it.' She shouldn't touch that! But...why? "Touch the spindle. Touch it I say." The command rumbled in her mind. Like a dull hum of hummingbird wings. "Maleficent?" She mumbled incoherently. 'Aurora's finger drawing closer.' Alirah's own hand moved with her. 'The Fairies scampered up a spiral staircase, crying out to Aurora…' Her head shakily rose, and her drying lips moving, "R...Ro...se…don't...touch...anything..." The Fairies maintained their rampant pace but nearly tripped at her uttering the warning. She was passing out in their arms, prompting them to hurry.
A wooden door nearly smashed to splinters being kicked open. The moment the fresh air - a term used extraordinarily loosely - touched Alirah she came to. "Ow...my head…" She massaged the ball of her palm to her throbbing forehead. The air outside wasn't any better than inside the castle, but at least Alirah felt like she can breathe without restrictions. "Where are we?"
"The east wall." Merryweather answered. She checked Alirah's forehead for a fever, shined a light from her wand to in her eyes, and tested her breathing. She was fine for the most part. "You collapsed and we carried you outside."
It was coming back to her through the relentless throbbing. She was...hearing voices, saw people running through the halls. Aurora...Aurora was there but...the name called wasn't hers. What was that name? It was on the tip of her tongue. "Who's...Rose?" The name rolled off with a familiar taste. The Fairies exchanged aghast stares, mildly elated by the name. Alirah didn't need her golden gaze to know that name was precious to them.
"That was our name to Princess Aurora." Fauna elucidated enamoured. She balled up her green cape, holding it to her tender bosom as if it were a baby. A tear came down her cheek, worrying Alirah. Merryweather and Flora started to cry next. Alirah concerned stare begged them to explain. Fauna needed to mentally prepare herself. This was...a heartbreaking topic. "Maleficent placed a curse upon a baby Aurora that she would prick her finger on her 16th birthday on a spinning wheel's spindle and would...die."
Alirah gasped with wide eyes. The images of Aurora following that orb...it became a spindle...and she pricked her finger. The Fairies screaming don't touch anything...it makes sense. "When I was here as a kid…" Aurora was dead asleep. "Is that why she was asleep?!"
"That is correct…" Flora mumbled with a hoarse tone. "We raised her in her parents stead to protect her from Maleficent. We failed, and only true love's kiss would awaken her."
"Prince Philip." Alirah knows of him. Maleficent spoke disdainfully and in gory details of him. Hell, if she wasn't with Riku and Aurora hadn't married him, Alirah would have taken Philip. "Rose. That's a beautiful name. Just like her." She swooned.
"How did you know that name?" Merryweather asked defensively.
"Before...I heard you. I...I saw you." She drilled knuckles to her temples. The Fairies ogled her strangely. "I...I don't know how to explain it. These images and sounds were flashing through my mind. Aurora she...she was following this orb. There was…a spindle...in a high tower. The Fairies gasped, taken aback. "You didn't want her to touch it. And...I told her...don't touch anything."
"That was moments before we discovered she had succumbed to Maleficent's curse." Merryweather shook her head. "That was at the castle when we brought her home."
"But that...that was ten years ago. And long before you or your friends ever came to our world." Fauna stressed. And it wasn't here at this castle. Aurora was taken in by the spell at her home. Then Fauna recalled something. Aurora's heart was trapped in these halls. So what she's seeing is...from that. But how is she seeing it? "Dear, how you came to know this...is that why you collapsed?" She asked tenderly.
"I don't…know..." Alirah had turned her head. She sensed something close by, and her jaw hit the floor. "Maleficent?!" She screamed. The Fairies whipped to where she gazed and cried out in fright. There, standing at the top of small steps of the wall, a dark figure said to haunt this land, was none other than Maleficent herself. Those damnable green eyes piercing the darkness, bent horns sharp enough to shred the blackened skies asunder, and her profusely flowing cloak belying the dragon hiding within. A smile peeked to her lips, shooting bolts from the blue straight in Alirah and The Fairies. "This is impossible!" Alirah darted right back onto her feet. The Fairies were startled by her recovery, and the darkness pouring from her. Suddenly Fauna was gripped by an epiphany. Rage, hatred, grief, and this overwhelming craving for blood filled Alirah. "Sora killed you! Riku and I saw it for ourselves! You can't be here!" And if she is, Alirah will take the pleasure of ending that wretched woman herself. Maleficent astonished them all by turning her back to them. She meandered to the other side of a sentry tower, the taps of her staff striking stone like lightning. "GET BACK HERE!"
"ALIRAH! COME BACK!" The Fairies pleaded, flying as fast as they could after the rampaging child. Alirah would have knocked the tower off the wall in her current state. She was frothing at the mouth, growling rabidly at Maleficent taunting her from the opposite end a tunnel. Black ice shards appeared in Alirah's clawed palm. Icy torpedoes launched. Maleficent stood there and smiled. Snow fog blanketed the tunnel as they torpedoes hit their mark. The Fairies yelped at the frigid gust washing over them. When the fog cleared, Alirah and The Fairies were astonished by the empty space where the witch once stood. "She's gone!" Fauna cried.
She never should have been back! Alirah frothed mentally. She summoned her keyblade and charged through the tunnel. She stopped abruptly on the other side, forgetting all about Maleficent and becoming enthralled by the statue of a familiar looking raven. "Hey that's…" The Fairies came through as Alirah studied the statue.
"Where...where's Maleficent?!" Fauna huffed out of breath.
"She was never here." Alirah groaned with a irritated smile on her face. "That old bat did us in with an illusion." Now she knows she's seeing ghosts. Alirah ran her hands over the raven statues, detecting a strong life energy seeping into her fingertips. "What was your name again?"
"Diablo!" Merryweather snarled.
"That's his name! You know him?" Alirah arched a brow.
"I was the one who turned him to stone years ago! Could he be the cause of all this?"
"I don't think so." Alirah curled a hand under her chin. She startled The Fairies trading to her golden eyes. A powerful energy WAS coming from Diablo. But in this case it's nothing more than a powerful urge to live. Poor guy. He's been consciously aware of his imprisonment for a decade. She shuddered at the agony. "Diablo was nothing more than a familiar for Maleficent. I doubt he's doing this." Then a thought came to her. The energy. Diablo..."Merryweather, when you turned him to stone was he meant to be conscious?"
"No. It's...it's similar to a coma state from which he'll never wake." She made herself shiver. Alirha pursed her lips at the slight double standard. Pretty dark for a good fairy. "Why are you asking?"
Alirah knocked on him, "Diablo here is wide awake. And I dare say he's perfectly aware of what's going on." She sneered at the forever frozen raven. She huffed angrily from her nostrils. As aggravating as it is to admit, it isn't a coincidence that - after being hauled outside here - Maleficent's ghost materialized and led them to her frozen bird. "That miserable, clever, and devious old croon. She wants us to release her bird."
"She what?" Flora arched a skeptical brow.
"How do you know that?" Fauna quizzed.
"This all can't be because of a bird!" Merryweather hissed.
"Don't be too sure." Alirah wagged a finger, winking impishly. "We sorcerers of the night love our pets." She was sad when she felt an empty place in her pocket. "Should something ever rob us from this mortal coil, our animals are all that will tie us to this plane."
"But why now?" Merryweather pressed. "You said he isn't the one channeling the evil here! Why is he so important?"
"I don't know." Alirah took a couple steps back. "It could all be a trap for all we know." She aligned Oblivion with the raven. "But it's the only one not sprung by looters, soldiers, and the like." Her golden gaze hardened as the flames of his soul exploded into an inferno. "Maleficent wouldn't have appeared before us without reason." Traces of his auburn soul laced to the blade, beckoning to her. At the tips of those embers...green sparks punctured to view. "And I've known that witch too long to doubt she'd start now."
The Fairies weren't entirely convinced based on the fact that Diablo was an animal. But, when they think back, Diablo was her trusted companion. Her eyes, ears, alert to intruders, and confidant. She'd never travel far or anywhere without him. He's the reason she knew where to find Aurora in the first place. The Fairies nodded to one another, coming to a decision. "Alright…" Flora acquiesced with the grace of her sisters. "Merryweather…"
The blue fairy really didn't want to do this. She likes leaving that contemptible bird as an ornament. But if it helps the land rest easier at night. Alirah stuck Diablo's back with her key tip then stepped off to the side. "Why do I get the feeling I'll regret this later?" Alirah muttered to herself.
Merryweather grudgingly tapped the raven with her wand. Glowing cracks chiseled at his stone skin, shattering apart in a blinding light. The bird's yawn escalated to a piercing howl, his wings and legs stretching after 10,000 years confinement. An exaggeration, but it gave him such a crick in the neck. He shook off his molting feathers, swearing in his birdy trills to make that blue fairy pay for what she's done. When he veered around, his beak came in contact with Merryweather's nose. She growled animally at him. The raven yelped, then flew into the air, casting a fit of squawks in every direction.
"She's dead, Diablo!" Alirah howled with a sweep of her hand. Diablo gaped and sneered at her, finding it impossible that his master was dead. "She's been dead for a while! And she won't be coming back this time!" Diablo's feathers ruffled with abject hatred for the girl and her fairy friends. Kill his master will they. Well he has the perfect divine retribution for this motley crew. Diablo took in a long gut to chest breath, holding it in until he was blue in the face. "Uh-oh." Alirah grimaced.
"CCAAWW..." The screeching call quaked the very castle to it's darkest corners. Years of vines, caked on molds, and the stones themselves shook loose under his cry. The Fairies and Alirah clamped hands over their ears in vain. The shrill cry of the raven pierced their ears to the drum, scrambling their brains. Wyvern, Lance Soldier, and Gargoyle heartless surrounded them.
"I don't suppose you three fight." Asked and answered by the very disapproving glares. They directed her attention to the halos they are proud to wear upon their heads. Figurative, but they are so irritatingly honest and pure that it might as well be literal. "Yeah. Didn't think so." Diablo chortled at their hopeless situation, then took off to the castle towers, ducking inside one of the windows. "That's right…" Alirah crooned, standing at the ready. "Go to your master." While she does some much needed house cleaning. Seriously, I bet Riku's having a walk in the park right now.
xxx
(Agrabah)
"RUN FOR IT, MAN!"
"I'M TRYING!"
Aladdin and Riku were drying out like prunes scrambling in their sprint. The worst part about running for you life in sand is that years of storm masked sink holes that never solidified. Aladdin sank waste deep clamoring to climb a dune. Riku managed to wrench him free, only to have half his leg sink and dragged Aladdin with him on a tumble down the hill. It was a heck of a lot steeper on the other side. Farther down too. Seconds after their harrowing tumble began, the peak of the deceptive dune exploded into a thick cloud of dust. Kurt Zisa, an Emblem Heartless that escaped from the final door in Hollow Bastion, was hot on their tails. He set his khopesh flying. Riku and Aladdin partially buried themselves, losing half their lives to the strands of hair cleanly severe from their heads. The heartless was not without a sick sense of humor. He'd purposefully graze a hair's length from his panicked quarry's backs, or pretended to miss slicing the tendons in their and Aladdin shifted their bodies, managing to skip like pebbles across a pond. Jagged protruding boulders were on a painful head on collision course. Aladdin dug in his sword, maneuvering past the large boulders and laughing in the distance he was gaining from the hilltop. Riku rode the crumbling hill on his feet and hands, guiding himself safely past the boulders and wearing the fingers out on his gloves. The solid bottom literally tripped them up, bringing them to a stumble with faces full of dirt. They quickly picked themselves up They were not getting anywhere fast. Neither of them were sure if they were even heading in the right direction. Without Royce to give them a ride...they were up the Nile without any paddles.
"Of all the guys to be here, it had to be Kurt Zisa!" Riku frothed.
"You know that thing?" Aladdin's voice cracked.
"It's a megalo Lord Heartless that's created by the environment in which it chooses to live!" Kurt Zisa obviously adores the Arabian motifs. And Royce was destroyed so they're on their own for now. "The last time I saw this guy was back where we held Jasmine! He was hiding in the caverns!" Ansem gave himself a tour, and lo and behold who they found.
"Great!" Aladdin grained. If we can just reach that ridge there. Ahead is a portion of desert that drops into an old gorge. Aladdin's semi daily travels through the desert left a map engraved in his mind. A terrain advantage should be on the other side of that hill. "How did he make it here?"
"Good question! I'm the wrong one to answer." He mumbled ashamed. "If I had to guess, the final door Jasmine was forced to unlock set him free, and he followed the opened trails to here." Incidentally, Kurt Zisa could have picked anywhere to come, but he chose Agrabah. And given the ensemble he chose, Riku can venture another guess. "He's likely drawn to the powerful magic coming Jafar who stuck in his lamp somewhere."
"He's looking for Jafar?!"
"And he's a few miles and several traveling incidents off that way!" Aladdin arched a suspicious brow. "I ran into him along the way. He fell down a hole."
"WHOA!"
Speaking of holes, Aladdin darted in front of Riku and shoved him to an abrupt halt. He fell on his rump hard, growling impatiently. The boy's complexion paled with ornamental tears dangling. If Agrabah had folders they'd be turning tail and running for their lives. A remarkably deep slope didn't come close to descending a fraction inside another of the deserts chasms. At the very bottom, too thin to proper make out, there appeared to be a body of water. Riku's been to daring heights before, but right now his stomach wasn't there for him. Pillars chipped away by years of storms scaling high and low, curved and overhanging cliffsides tangled within one another, and ledges that didn't look strong enough to support a squirrel. The wind guided inside the chasm made funnels resounded like disembodied moans. Chills scaled Riku's spine.
"LOOK OUT!" Aladdin cried. He and Riku dove to the ledge. Kurt Zisa landed before them with a thunderous BOOM. He roared to the skies. A twirl of his blades shrilly sharpened their already pristine edges on the coarse silicate. His cobra head unreeled itself, jaws snapping at the feet of the boys, skipping them closer to their falls. "We have to stop this thing! If he reaches Agrabah…"
"He won't! LET'S TAKE HIM!" Riku summoned Souleater. He rapidly flourished the blade. Darkness flocked to it, the streams gracefully twirling like streamers. He twisted half his body back. The darkness channeling to Souleater reached its zenith.
Kurt Zisa poised himself to dodge, or deflect the prepped attack. With all those arms he can do both and more. Riku astonished the ogling masses when he impaled Souleater in the ground. Aladdin was baffled by his choice. Riku smirk and bellowed, "Dark earth shaker!" The darkness drain into the canals of the cracked terrain, racing the crevices for the underbelly of the mighty emblem heartless. An ultraviolet glow illuminated the heartless, tracing his massive figure and reflecting off his intimidating warrior blades. With a warish roar Riku ripped Souleater free. The ground ruptured to the decayed roots beneath, jagged and gnarled violet-black spikes erupting right under him. Kurt Zisa pushed off ground last second. His cloth taking the worst brunt of the grazes, shredding to ribbons as he took to the skies. He growled humiliated by his meager strike. Four of his arms stretched diagonally out, his swords crossing at his chest. A large spellbinding pentagram materialized parallel to his towering form, six brimming orbs amassing and orbiting him. The pentagram split and shrank to two of his palms, ushering the orbs to conjoin at their place. Aladdin and Riku waited for the worst, when all that happened were these sphere spanned at their torsos. Riku considered it a failed attempt and went to launch a wind spell. Not even a breeze came to him. Riku tried again with his dark fire blast. Nothing. Not even the earth shaker he used was working. Suddenly it dawned on him. He touched the spheres Zisa put on him.
"Magic blockers!" He read about them in the Hollow Bastian Library.
"That's not good, right?"
"Nope! JUMP" Riku kicked on the cliff's edge, launching to a pillar yards away. He ricocheted off one pillar to the next, running Souleater across the stone and hanging off the side. Aladdin plugged his nose and leapt into the gorge. He pierced the solid rock with his sword and rode the wall to a safe landing. He always has a spare sword. What he doesn't have are Riku's inhuman abilities. He's never been so jealous.
Kurt Zisa took a grand interest in the younger boy. No doubt the darkness coming from Riku was like a treat to him. He traversed the gorge in an effortless stride for him, stomping from one pillar to a cliff to another. He flourished his khopesh blades. Razor edged pinwheels running deep gashes in solid stone. He twisted left to right,swing his rapidly spinning blades. Riku skipped backwards, weaving side to side. Souleater rang out in agony, on the verge of shattering deflecting the massive blades. The muscles in Riku's arms reverberated under the ringing trauma shocking them numb. Reminds him of Lexaeus. That blow to his ribs was coming back. Kurt Zisa raised those sword hands above his head, bringing them down. Riku bent back, placing his hands to ledge and flipped off the side and to a drop inside the gorge, landing to a narrow ledge. Riku wiped sweat from his brow, taking a relieved breath. "That were any closer I'd be sporting a crew cut." And he's quite fond of his long locks.
The emblem heartless roared heatedly, forcing his arms inside in an attempt to grab the boy. The chasm quaked under his rampant digging. Pillars breaking at their shafts and crumbling to the abyss below. Kurt Zisa went so far as to rip chunks of rock, tossing them about. A camel eating a fresh patch of grass was unphased by the boulder crashing inches from him. He huffed and went back to eating. Riku crouched as low as he could, nerves jumping by the brushes of hair Zisa narrowly missed clenching. If he could use his magic, Kurt Zisa would be done for. Heck, if he had Royce this would be easy. But he can't trust heartless to stay at his side with an emblem around. "Riku!" Aladdin called to him from the chasm wall. He was a sight for sore eyes. He waved crazily, directing attention to the currently offside hands holding the orbs of their problems. Aladdin used crude hand signals, proposing a split offense to take him by surprise. Riku liked the idea, especially since it was the only one they had. He nodded firmly and waited for his signal. Kurt Zisa planted his sword hands to sturdy pillars, bracing himself as he leaned himself further inside. The blades were retracted to his forearm, the holes at the tops closer and giving Aladdin another idea. Zisa kept the palms with the orbs extended in the air and out of reach. His extending neck lowered his cobra head inside, forks tongue and fangs dripping with venom. Riku and Aladdin hid to the best of their abilities, waiting for Zisa to come a little closer. Raspy hisses sent bumps scaling to their necks, standing the hairs on end. The dripping venom burned into the rocks like acid. "NOW!" Zisa jumped at Aladdin's cry. Riku sliced a gash in his cheek, while Aladdin cut into his left hood. Zisa shrilly howled in pain. The two climbed onto his head, scrambling up to the highest pillar. The orbs were within sight. They split off, each grabbing hold of a blade hole and launching to the wrists. Aladdin and Riku ran along the arm to the joints. Zisa inadvertently lowered the orb hands to pull himself free. Aladdin and Riku leapt and sliced the orbs clean in half. The spheres vanished from their bodies. Riku and Aladdin continued their onslaught, grabbing hold of a finger just as Zisa pulled himself free from the chasm. He was disoriented from the blind attacks, lost in debate on which one he'd rend apart first. Riku and Aladdin didn't give him time to think and leapt to the arms holding those huge swords. Their buried their blades into the shoulder joints, jerking and wrenching the coupling apart. Zisa's shrill cry busted their ear drums. He thrashed wildly, desperate to shake them off. Riku and Aladdin poured their weight onto their sword, prying the the joints from the sockets. Stubborn wires snapped off one at a time. The pair gave the wires one final cut and down the arms went sword in all, swallowed by the chasm.
"NICE!" Riku thrust a fist in victory. A premature act. Zisa snatched them up, immune to their pitiful struggling, and threw them back to the soft sand. Their landing felt more like landing on sand paper. "I am getting really sick of this." Being tossed around like a bean bag is more irritating than being used as a puppet. He dusted himself off, coughing up sand.
Aladdin groaned dazedly, massaging his sore rump. "You and me both!"
"At least he's two arms down." Riku shrugged, looking on the bright side. "Hm?" A ball of fire ignited in mid air. Riku blinked confusedly, flinching as one materialized in front of him. Six more appeared, surrounding the boys. "Not good?"
"Nope! RUN!" Riku and Aladdin dove in opposite directions. The fire balls veered in sharp turns, colliding with the sand in an blinding explosion. The aftershock of the blast blew the two boys skipping across the sand. "That...was close…" Riku huffed. Kurt Zisa floated from the chasm within an aura sphere, his four remaining glowing hands swaying in an elegant dance. More of those fiery orbs siphoned the air, each one appearing grew bigger than the last. "Dammit!" Riku clumsily shifted into his fighting stance, Souleater crossed at his torso and against his other palm. Zisa unleashed the barrage of orbs for the silver haired boy. One by one he cut right through them, their explosive nature dulled to nothing but an extinguished hissed.
"I'm coming!" Aladdin ran with his sword extended to the side. Kurt Zisa flourished his hands upward. Twisters sprouted from the sand, trapping Aladdin inside their storm. Aladdin made a dire dodge roll out of the center, sprinkled with sand as the twisters collided. More twisters instantly replaced them, chasing the scrambling Aladdin and ensnaring him in the same trap. Cutting them down to size wasn't an option as his sword just went clean through. He dodged and let them destroy themselves, only to be nearly swept off his feet by new ones. Tired of running, Aladdin made a ditch effort and charged for Kurt Zisa himself.
"Aladdin no!" Riku cried. Aladdin, in a fit of rage, swung his sword at the shield. Regardless of the blade being deflected he attacked. Chips and scratches tarnished the seemingly pure shield, driving the heartless to back away. Aladdin traded hands, slashed from each direction, even performed amazing leaps. He cut away at Kurt Zisa defenses, refusing to yield to him or the fatigue weighing on him. He had to fight. He had to protect his home. He had to protect...JASMINE! Kurt Zisa swatted Aladdin into a long arch. Riku finished the last of the orb, gasping in dismay at the flying street rat. He kicked off the sand into a high speed charge, veering around and catching him. He dug in his heels to a halt. "You alright?"
"NO! I'M NOT!" Aladdin frothed at the mouth. "We can't stop something like this! Who am I kidding?! This is hopeless." Riku's jaw fell agape. He can't believe what he's hearing. Aladdin pried out of his arms, shaking his defeatedly hung head in shame. This is...out of his league. He could barely handle the smaller heartless on his own. This enormous heartless was treating him like the insect he was. "Genie...Carpet...Sora...I need-"
Riku punched Aladdin in the cheek, knocking him clear off his feet. "I've heard enough out of you!" This was bringing Riku close to vomiting. Aladdin touched the throbbing cheek, gawking in disbelief. "Seriously, when did Princess Jasmine take a coward as her boyfriend?"
"What? A coward?" He snarled.
"Yeah a coward!" Riku towered over him. He snatched him by the collar, dragging him in close to see the outrage beaming in his cerulean orbs. "You listen to me! Circumstances are only hopeless if you give up before you start!" Riku knows that better than anyone. If he'd given up when Ansem first possessed him, or when the odds kept adversely stacking at Castle Oblivion, Riku would be nothing but a mindless creature of darkness. "He's huge! So what! I've face bigger, badder, stronger guys than this and have lived to tell about it!" By the skin of his teeth no less.
"You have powers that I don't." Aladdin moaned depressed.
"And you're a crafty treasure hunter with heart, and a girl waiting for you back home!" Who, by the way, saved Riku hind twice now with his quick thinking. "We can beat this thing! Together!" He opened a hand for him to take.
The desert sun, being batted around, or perhaps just severe dehydration. Aladdin saw Riku radiate like a beacon of hope. Newfound strength pouring into him. It reminded him of Sora. Another boy has come along, odds stacked so high you can't see the top, with the courage and nerves of steel to face it down. Aladdin remembers having the same resolve when Jasmine was in danger. When Genie and Carpet were there to help him. Guess when they left they took it with them. Today, Aladdin takes it back. "Together…!" He took the hand and was hauled to his feet. "Let's finish this guy off!"
"Yeah!" Riku and Aladdin studied the heartless mocking them from a distance. What the heartless hadn't noticed is, in his fit of madness, Aladdin did some serious damage to his shield. The wounds he and Riku inflicted to his head left him moderately disoriented. The wound to his eye left him blind on that side. The other one on the other side of his hood was dripping oil. "That's it! The shield!"
"I hear you! We take down that shield, we can take off the head of this snake!" Not a perfect plan, but a plan. "We know his attacks, for the most part." He had to add. If there's one thing you learn in the desert, it's that there are always surprises. "Let's bring him to his last leg!"
On that note Riku was the first to charge, black and blue mists intertwining with his blade. Aladdin kept at the rear, sword with the hilt forward and blade parallel to his forearm. Kurt Zisa conjured a minefield of those fiery orbs. A dozen appeared inches from the encroaching pair, others on the path leading to the floating heartless. Riku skid and jerked himself back on his abrupt halt. A splash of Soul Eater sent a crescent wave of black and blue ice shards tearing the orbs to ribbons. Aladdin ducked and dove past the first set, cutting the orbs clean in half. Kurt Zisa hissed venomously, sending the remaining orbs froth. Their volatile embers brightened to their zenith, on the verge of exploding in their faces.
"DEFLECT!" Riku braced himself, Aladdin at his back, crossed Souleater at his chest. Smoke blanketed the area as the orbs exploded upon the two men. A dome shaped shield cut through the smoke. Riku and Aladdin didn't have a scratch on them. Zisa clenched his fists, growling murderously. He swept his hands into the air, marshalling four twisters. "GO!" Riku dropped the shield. He and Aladdin rolled out of the fray, the twisters erupting to sprinkles of sand. They pushed on with their charge, dragging their swords through the sand. Zisa threw every fiery orb and sand twister at them, backing away in terror as these humans cut through his offenses like they were nothing. The boys drew closer, launching into the air with their swords above their heads. Zisa folded his legs into himself, setting himself loose in a deadly spinning attack. Riku and Aladdin brought the swords down. Blades and metal drilled shrilly against one another. Aladdin and Riku were dragged across the air, Zisa's high velocity spin raining sparks in every direction. He unraveled himself, fanning his limbs wide and sending them soaring. Aladdin and Riku flipped around, their feet touching to nearby boulders, and rebound in the blink of an eye back at the massive heartless. Zisa through his shield up last second. "FIRAGA DETONATION!" Flames wafted to Riku's blade. He let it fly, piercing the shield. The blade feasibly intruded halfway. Kurt Zisa flinched as they blade stopped a breath from piercing his one good eye. He exhaled relieved. The flames traveled to the tip and snuffed out like a fuse. There was a bright dot that inflated right before his eye. An explosion blew the shield to smithereens, and blew Zisa onto his back. Smoking score marks tarnished his armor.
Zisa was seeing stars, bracing his palms to the ground to push up. Aladdin landed on Zisa's chest. He was so weak he was smashed back down. In a blind rage he extended his fangs, lashing out for his ribs. Aladdin roared at the top of his lungs. He swung his sword with all his might. SLICE! SPLASH! Oil and liquids spattered to the chest. Zisa's jaw slackened, the light in his eyes faded. In slow motion the head flew past, liquids spilling from the severed neck cable. Zisa's head hit the sand, his entire body went limp, and then he was returned to the darkness from whence he came. "Whew…" Aladdin collapsed to his butt, sword stabbed so he wouldn't fall over. "It's...over…" He panted.
"Nice work!" Riku helped him to his feet. "Couldn't have done it better myself."
"Thanks...for everything." Aladdin offered a hand.
"No problem." Riku shook it firmly.
"So, uh…" Aladdin itched his head, unnerved by the miles of open desert, "Should we start walking?"
"I have a better idea." Riku winked. He waved a hand. Aladdin was frightened by the portal opening from nowhere. It was funny. And with how exhausted Riku was he'd find a bird being hit by a rock hilarious. "Please keep your hands and arms inside the portal at all times, and do not stray from the trail." Riku didn't leave him much room to protest and shoved him in. Yes, he risks going backwards in what's turning into a great relationship. But it was too good to pass up.
xxx
Luxord kicked the imprint Zisa's decapitated figure left, bobbing his head mildly impressed by this change in the game. He half expected the typical hand to be dealt. One or two cards to play to at least hold the board, the rest of no real worth that require a miracle deal to gain ground. What he witnessed just now was the complete opposite. "A wild card that can literally topple the odds with a card of meek numerical value."
"Remind me never to be alone with this guy." Demyx scoffed from a seat on a rock formation, tuning his sitar with disinterest. A mask for the sweat running down his back not caused by the heat. "Look, I get it. The kid is impressive. He can handle himself on his own, and he looks good in our cloak!" A snap of his fingers sent the sitar away, and he pushed himself off the boulder. "Why are we still sticking around? Saix expects us back with our report, and we can leave out the pure luck of stumbling on him here."
"When starting a new game, the key to victory is knowing the players." Luxord slapped a joker to Demyx' forehead. "This Riku is a wild card we know nothing about. He inspires wealth to the weaker cards in his hand and is capable of pulling out trumps at the slightest disadvantage." The weak card being that street rat, and those improvised trumps he calls spells. A crafty young man wielding a weapon that brings either bliss or chaos. "This boy is a powerful adversary, and a daunting omen for our organization. But even the player with the best hand has a weakness." Luxord opened a portal, fully intending to find that weakness before they depart.
xxx
(Enchanted Dominion)
"XANARA!" Alirah raised her keyblade to the clouds, bringing the full force of black thunder down upon the onslaught of Heartless. Their bodies spasmed out of control, and they were sent back to the darkness. She blew the steam off her keyblade, retaining the full focus of her Soul Sight to that auburn trail the raven left behind. And it was fading fast. The dead are easier to track. "Heal..." Alirah traced a hand up her body, golden bells tolled above her head and green leaves healed her sore muscles. "You three alright?" She beckoned to The Fairies hiding behind a gargoyle.
"We are fine!" Fauna waved.
"Good!" She struck her key to the stone. The sparks ignited a line that ran the path of Diablo's flight. She lost the line in a tower window. "Follow me!" She and The Fairies chased the string. The most direct route took them inside the castle. The line was able to be seen from the windows. The walls Alirah nearly hit, however, not so much. At the very least they were on the right trail. "He can't have gotten too far!"
"Why did we let Diablo go?" Merryweather fumed.
"Because he's drawn to Maleficent! If there's remotely a shot her spirit is haunting this place, he'll sniff her out!" Hiano's no different.
"I see!" Fauna gasped. "Diablo isn't the one causing the malevolence here…"
"But he knows what is and where it's coming from! Good job Alirah!" Flora praised.
"Thanks." She breathed. Flora better not thank her yet. The hard part's barely started.
The hunt didn't last long at all. Running through these corridors isn't a nostalgia she wanted. Felt worse than these images that kept flashing in her mind. She came back to her senses entering an open atrium. She was at the top of a stage, the remnants of an old throne imbedded in the wall. The string circled at the center of the ceiling, and then that was it. "His trail stops here…" Alirah confirmed. She glared at the throne. "This chamber…" She's hasn't been here in years...yet she can recall every crack and crevice. She can see that witch sitting in that chair, full of herself and crowning herself the Queen of all Evil, looking down upon the masses that she will turn into her puppets. Her charm and charisma luring victims into a false sense of security. That silver tongue of hers capable of convincing anyone to drink poison. Alirah hated her. She still hates her. She'll always hate her. "Huh. Wonder when hate became my leading emotion." She glided a hand to the throne. Is it a wonder she'd never be a pure heart like Aurora or Kairi.
'My power ensures I know of the key to bringing me hearts.' Alirah gasped and spun on her heels. There, standing on the ledge, was Maleficent herself. Alirah summoned her keyblade, then froze when she realized...she wasn't real. She hesitantly approached her, waving a hand that went flush through her. She was a shadow...speaking to another shadow. But who? Someone was down there!
"Alirah? What's wrong?" Flora asked fretfully.
"You don't see her?!" Alirah shrieked. She gestured her hands to where the witch was standing. "She's standing right here!"
Merryweather and Fauna knit their brows suspiciously. "Who, Dear?" Flora pressed in what Alirah found to be a condescending tone.
"Who do you think?! Maleficent! She's talking to someone!" She knows she must sound crazy, but it is the truth. Maleficent was right there. "She just said...she knew about the keyblade and-and-and that it would bring her the pure hearts!" She clawed at her scalp, hyperventilating. Flora and her sister wordlessly watched the girl tear herself apart. They have a feeling they know what's happening to her.
'Terra gave me a demonstration.' Maleficent chortled.
"A demonstration?!" The key that would bring her hearts. That's right. Maleficent was told by Xehanort about the Keyblade. And Terra...he was...possessed by her...forced to steal Aurora's heart. And this witch...told someone. "Aqua...or Ven?" It had to be one of them. Who else would care about Terra...besides Alirah? Or Xehanort. She needed a new perspective. That circle. Someone was or is down there. Alirah leapt off the platform. Maleficent disappeared into thin air. Alirah set foot to the inner circle and then was stopped dead in her place. A pulse throbbing at the pit of her soul captured her chest in an anguishing vice. She wobbled dazedly, her feet tripping to stay standing. The chamber went out of focus, regressing to a rippling hue. She was seeing spots and shadows being stirred like a pot of stew, every color and sensation trapped in that abysmal swirl. "What...what is this? What's happening?!" Her head was killing her.
'How do you know about me and the keyblade?!'
Tears glossed Alirah's wide eyes. Beside her was an infuriated Ventus. Keyblade in hand, and his fighting spirit at its peak. "Ven?!" She lunged to hug him. Her heart shattered when she stumbled through him. Another shadow. Just an illusion. Why is she surrounded by FAKES?
'That's a lie! TERRA WOULD NEVER HURT SOMEONE LIKE THAT!' He frothed at the mouth.
Alirah was struck by an epiphany. Maleficent, before, said Terra stole Aurora's heart. Ven doesn't believe a word she said. Alirah's heart sank. "Ven…" Never has she been grateful he wasn't around. "Ventus, what brought you here?"
'Ven! Don't be fooled!' Came running a furious Aqua.
"Aqua too! The Fairies said you both were here!" Those very Fairies were watching from the stage, closely monitoring her scampering. "What are you doing here, Aqua?"
Aqua faced Ven, 'The Master sent me. Ven...let's go home.'
"Wait...you wanted to take him home?" Why would Aqua want to take him home? Then again, she said Ven ran away looking for Terra. Eraqus sent her to find Ven? Why? Wait! What the heck is happening? What is she seeing? How is she seeing this? "AAGGHH!" Searing white pain split her skull down the middle. She dropped to her knees. "HELP ME!" She begged. Flora kept her sister's back. "RIKU! RIKU, PLEASE! HELP ME!" She needs Riku. She can't handle it. It's too much.
'YOU'RE LYING! ALIRAH WOULD NEVER HURT HIM!' Aqua's voice broke through. She was alone. Ven was gone.
"I'd never hurt who? Terra?!" Maleficent was...in pain? She was wounded? When did that happen? The scene was moving. Their lips were moving, but there wasn't any sound. "No...wait...go back!" She ordered. The scenario just kept moving. "What did she tell you?! I never hurt Terra! I wouldn't!" What lies has she spread? Aqua was sucked down the hole. Alirah yelp terrified, falling to the pit that opened. She was completely stricken by shock that there wasn't a hole, just a solid floor. She patted the ground, losing herself in hysteria. "No, no, no, no! Come back! Come back! PLEASE COME BACK!" Don't leave me again! Please don't leave me again! They were so close...so close. 'He stole Princess Aurora's heart.' Maleficent's infamous croon punctured her ears. 'He...did?' Came Ven's response, doubt toward Terra emanating. 'The master sent me.' Was Aqua's insertion. Louder and louder Aqua, Ven, and Maleficent's argument ensued. Shrill cackling, warish struggling, adamant protests. Alirah clawed at her ears. The sounds pierced past her ears. Her mind tore itself in half. The overlapping voices ricocheted off the dank walls, rebounding from the high ceilings, burrowing holes in Alirah's skull. She staggered disoriented, flailing to escape the oppressive onslaught. Throbbing, indescribable pain split her head down the middle. Darkness emanated from Alirah's back, coating her head, shoulders, and legs. Her glowing gold eyes flared open. "ENOUGH!" With a sweep of her hands, dark magic erupted in a violent whirlwind. Gashes tore clean in the hall's solid stone, scorching the inside out. The fiery wind dispersed in puff. The echoing voices of the past with it. Alirah dripped in sweat, panting frustrated and exhausted.
"Breathe, dear." Alirah jumped out of her skin at a hand on her back. The Fairies gave her space, coaxing her to calm with motioning hands. "Calm down, calm down. We're here for you."
"What...the Hell...was that?" She spat. Her glare warned them not to play stupid. They will join her on the floor. They aren't looking at her like she's crazy! They are in awe, and are showing remorse. They know full well what's happening. "Those weren't ghosts. Those were actual voices...from an actual confrontation. Ven, Aqua, and Maleficent!" She slammed a fist to the ground. "All three of them were in this room! All three of them fought! Then...and then…" Alirah assumed silence heightened the thumping of her heart. A closer listen discerned those thumps to be footsteps running. She turned to where she heard them running. She froze in shock. The shadow of Ven was running at breakneck speeds out of the hall. Images of the same people just dashing side to side - on the floor, ceiling, walls - sending Alirah into a spin. "What's going on? What am I seeing?! HOW am I seeing all of this?" This is just like with Eraqus's Keyblade. Shapes and shadows, intense emotions - all being hurtled from that keyblade. This was something completely different. The castle has harbored what Maleficent's evil, and Aqua and Ven's heart left behind. A scar that can never be healed bleeding into the next person that walks in. "PLEASE TELL ME!" She begged the fairies. "What's happening to me?!"
"Your powers are growing." Fauna stated unwaveringly. While her sisters wished she'd take a sugar coating route, equivocating is not an option. "You are a Necromancer, correct?" Alirah bobbed her head. A curse she's dealt with since she was four. "Your powers beget the darkness, thus the darkness is your to wield." Fauna gestured to the space around them. "The darkness within this place is potent, and it is agitating your powers to where you cannot manage them."
"What does that have to do with the voices I'm hearing? Or the shadows that I'm seeing?" The darkness was going to unveil the truth to her, reveal what was left behind after Terra, Aqua, and Ven vanished. What she hadn't expected was it to hurt this much. Or for it to be so aggressive. What she experienced on the bridge had to have only been possible because she lived that moment. But the castle, Aurora's room - events she was never present for are playing out before her. Full on immersive viewing, voices ringing from everywhere - Alirah hadn't signed up for that. Sure as Hell didn't see it coming.
Flora placed a hand on Fauna's shoulder, volunteering to take over. "Like the stars with your grandfather, Master Yensid, the darkness is granting you a clairvoyance. Allowing you to see, hear, and feel what transpired here."
"It is? But...how? Why?" Not that it isn't what she wanted, but how is it that she's being allowed to...re-live what happened? And is that what happened on the bridge? If it is because of her strong feelings, and the feelings of Terra and Maleficent, will she be able to...walk in their shoes?
"Mysteries lie in the shadows." Merryweather stepped in. "Only those willing to brave those shadows will find the answers they seek."
"The bond you share with Aqua and Ventus is the strongest we've ever felt." Flora praised her, brushing hairs from her beautiful face. "Stronger is your will to find the truth." Alirah curled a hand at her chest. That has to be the one light and darkness in her heart. It's a noble cause...that led her to hurt everyone around her.
"In your heart, you carry a strong desire to know what became of those you lost." Fauna tenderly spoke. "Those strong feelings are influencing the darkness within this castle, and your necromantic magic, recreating the events which transpired."
"You mean...because I want to know what happened...the darkness is showing me?" This isn't at all what she expected. She thought she'd have to touch something or siphon energy. But for the darkness to place her in the moment...it's unreal. "It can't be as simple as me wanting to see, though! There has to be more."
"Perceptive." Merryweather forced a laugh.
"Strong hearted people leave a greater imprint than they realize." Flora's words were high praise to Alirah's friends. "On a person, within a place, or in an object - a piece of strong hearted person will always reside. Their feelings, their hearts, their souls." She tilted Alirah's head by the chin, wearing a very serious expression. "We are certain this is not the first time this has occurred." Alirah cast her gaze sideways. Eraqus's keyblade radiates with shame for his master. Wait? Was it the keyblade's shame I was sensing? Or was that Eraqus? "The Forbidden Mountain has harbored the hatred of Maleficent, and the love and courage of Ventus and Aqua, for the past decade." Not an inch of it has washed away. "On your journey, Alirah, you will come across many places, objects, and people that have been imprinted by those you seek. Those imprints will be your guide. By your will or not, your powers will show you the truth you seek so long as your heart desires it. "
By her will or not, eh? Her headache proves those images weren't by her choice. Yet another perk of being a necromance. Riku has it so enviously easy. Headache and shadows be damned, what she saw was the first REAL CLUE she's stumbled upon in a long time. Aqua and Ven crossed paths with Maleficent who undoubtedly crossed paths with Xehanort. How else did she learn about the Keyblade? Really starting to regret no asking her when I had the chance. This encounter with the dark faerie was on the foothold in Terra, Aqua, Ven, and Alirah's journey. Each one sent on the same path, but following a different destiny.
"The battle they waged continues to rage on. The darkness, in its malignance, feeds off those residual feelings and has grown wild." Fauna warned. Unleashing its miasma and causing chaos and fear amongst those of the Enchanted Dominion. "We can tell you who became victorious. But we are certain, if you focus, you can see their battle."
"I don't think she has time for that!" Merryweather cried. She was at a high window. "It's Diablo!" The Raven was flying off into the distance. In his talons were a large cloak. A sickeningly familiar one. "He's heading for the castle!"
"That can't be good!" Alirah stated the obvious.
"We'll never beat him there on foot."
"Then we'll be faster!" Alirah swiped her hand up, tearing open a portal. "Come on! Hurry!" She ran. The Fairies debated fearfully going inside a portal of darkness. Alirah didn't wait for them to decide, "COME ON," And pulled them inside.
xxx
(Agrabah)
"ALADDIN!" Jasmine shed tears of joy. She's never loved the city gates opening so much in her whole life. Aladdin was looking worse for wear. She didn't care. She ambushed him with a hug that could crush stone. Aladdin spun her around, their lips colliding in a passionate kiss. Riku couldn't help admiring. A flush came to his cheeks, seeing those two as himself and Alirah. "Are you okay?! Where have you been?!" She fussed, appalled by how filthy he is.
"Easy, Jasmine! I'm fine!" He held her hands, flexing a muscle for her. She was delirious with grief that she laughed. "And...I'd be worse if Riku hadn't saved me."
Riku's breath hitched in his throat. He waved off the praise, playing it off like it was nothing. He was the next to be constricted in one of Jasmine's hugs. He'd remark on how fast this whole forgiving thing was moving...but he's losing circulation in his brain. "Thank you so much!" She wept. Riku was turning as blue as his eyes. "I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you!"
"You can...not...choke me!" Jasmine quickly released him, waiting to catch him as he caught his breath. The light - the scary one meaning you're passing on - faded away. Thank goodness. He doesn't want to be stuck with Hades for eternity. "And it was my pleasure. After what I've put you guys through," Riku massaged the back of his neck guiltily, "I don't feel as though this is enough."
"It's...more than enough. Thank you." Jasmine reassured him, cupping his cheek. Riku's heart fluttered with butterflies. He had no choice but to accept her gratitude. Honestly, it's the second most awesome feeling in his life. "So is all well in the desert now?" Considering it's a desert, there will be more problems later on. Riku and Aladdin filled her in on Kurt Zisa and the incident near the ruins. By all accounts things should be calm from there on in. "What's next on your list?" Jasmine inquired.
"Not sure. I still have another…dozen or so places to go before I can clear my conscience." That's counting on his hands and feet. And suddenly the warm and fuzzy moment he had with Jasmine and Aladdin went out his back end. "I think Belle and Beast would be the next best place."
Jasmine shuddered at that plan. "Be careful there. Beast swore to tear you apart if he ever saw you again."
"I'd be disappointed if he didn't want to." He snickered. That being said he should invest in a suit of armor. "Take care you guys." He opened a portal.
"Take care!" Jasmine and Aladdin waved, watching him depart until the portal closed.
xxx
(Enchanted Dominion)
Aurora paced from one end of the castle bridge to the other, nibbling anxiously on her nails. She sent Alirah after The Fairies a while ago. She began to fear Alirah didn't find them. Or she did find them and The Fairies didn't respond in the most positive way. She isn't unaware The Fairies aren't fans of the girl who tried to kill their good friend. What if they made it to the mountain and were hurt? The Mountain, from where she was standing, was still stormy but in a more mild temperament. Maybe they were successful and on their way back right now. She just needs to take a breath and-
"AURORA!" The princess jumped out of her skin. Alirah came bursting out of a hole in the middle of the bridge. The Fairies collapsed, utterly paled by the brief travel. That's something they'll never do again.
"Alirah! You're all okay!" She beamed.
"But you may not be! You need to get inside!" Alirah implored.
"What?! Why?! What's happened?!"
"I promise to explain, but you need to get inside now!" Alirah spun her around, shoving her for the portcullis. The princess was really stubborn, digging in her heels and protesting.
Merryweather propped her sisters to the wall, pumping a healing spell into their veins. That was their first trip through through the darkness and it is certainly the last. Flapping on the air sent chills down Merryweather's spine. Sure enough, when she looked up, there was Diablo with that cloak in talon. "ALIRAH! HE'S HERE!"
Alirah and Aurora whipped back. The two gasped horrified. They recognized the cloak he had. "That's Maleficent's!" Aurora cried.
"I don't like this!" Alirah summoned Oblivion. Diablo weaved his body back, tossing the cloak as hard as he could. The cloak spanned open like a glider. A typhoon of darkness exploded from the abyss its ebony silk fashioned, a thick miasma blanketing the bridge. The Fairies cast a shield around themselves. The mist past over them like a hurricane. Alirah threw herself opened armed before Aurora, the mist viciously striking the shield. Alirah winced under the cracks it caused, Aurora ducking behind her. Alirah squinted hard in the black storm, scouring for the monster she knows lurks within. Sure enough a pair of envy green eyes pierced the dark. A scaly, massive razor clawed paw stepped forward, quaking the bridge. A tail just shy of being as long as they bridge wrapped under and over. Wings unfurled, a large hide grew, and a head climbed from the cloud on a long neck. The sickening purple underbelly as thick as a soldier's armor. As the black cloud dissipated, everyone gazed in horror at the return of Maleficent. Her dragon form. "Think we found the source." Alirah stated the obvious in a pitiful joke attempt.
"How is this possible?!" Aurora trembled. "I thought Sora destroyed her!"
"And he did! This is just her shadow!" She directed attention to the flakes falling from the dragon. "This is all that's clinging to this world! We destroy it, she's gone!" The dragon growled rabidly, glaring murderously at The Fairies, Alirah, and then to Aurora. Her pupils narrowed even thinner on the princess. She took a step toward her, green embers gathering in her mouth. Aurora paled in sheer terror, backing away. The dragon retracted her neck, mouth and fangs priming to cleave her flesh from her bones. "Get away from her!" Alirah charged at full speed, slashing at the leading ankle. The dragon howled shrilly, babying the paw. "GET AURORA OUT OF HERE!"
"Come along!" Fauna pleaded.
The Fairies rushed to Aurora's side, taking her inside the castle. Aurora protested, refusing to leave Alirah alone with that monster. The Fairies were firm and got her inside. Aurora broke away from them, running up a flight of stairs to the left wall. She lunged halfway over, spotting Alirah skipping side to side as the dragon finished licking her wound. "Please...Alirah…"
The gash running side to side infuriated the dragon. She redirected her massive jaws, snapping for Alirah's head. She sprang back, the dragon eating a mouthful of stones. Alirah quickly countered with two strikes to her snout and cheek. The third strike missed by a hair. The dragon clutched her in her paw. She smashed her to the bridge, the stone cracking beneath her. Blood exploded from her throat. The Fairies and Aurora could barely watch as they felt the impact. Alirah grit her teeth, slapping a hand to the paw. "XELLA!" Fire poured into the wound, bursting vessels and veins. The pain stood her up on her hind legs. "GALICIA!" Black ice shards pelted her in rampant volleys, edging her back. Her black heart was exposed. Alirah ran far her, jumping to and running along the wall. She pushed off into the air, sweeping her keyblade above her head. The dragon's brow knit sharply. Alirah was jerked to a mid air halt, pain crushing her abdomen. The dragon's tail constricted coiled to her like a serpent. She was whipped around and sent skipping farther down the bridge and away from Aurora.
"ALIRAH!" Aurora screamed. The dragon snapped her glare for the princess. Aurora and The Fairies flinched. When she started coming closer, they were rooted in place. Helpless, terrified, doomed - Aurora held their hands, staring this evil down, refusing to run. Mostly because she couldn't. The dragon cackled in Maleficent's voice, stalking up the side of the castle, coming face to face with the tearful Aurora.
"TEAR ASUNDER THE SISTERLY BINDS!" Alirah's below tore Aurora and The Fairies from their despair. The dragon twisted around. Half her body twisted back, the keyblade parallel to her forearm, Alirah stood fortified within a wafting glow gathering up her body. A wall of shimmering projectiles materialized by a pentagram at Alirah's feet aimed from that heinous witches head, body, and legs. Aurora and The Fairies were entranced by the warm light coming from her. This is a light neither they nor Alirah believed she could possess. She closed her eyes, twirling her keyblade, and stomping a foot forward. She flared golden eyes open, casting her blade forth and cried, "GLACIA LACERO!" In the blink of an eye those projectiles shredded into the dragon, tearing her noncorporeal form to ribbons. The dragon tried to block the attack, swat it away desperately. The power of the light piercing her was too great. She crumbled to her haunches, growling from her gut. She lunged forward, snapping her jaws. Alirah bent back to her palms back flipping and skipping past the blind attacks. A fire of fire roared from her throat, swallowing Alirah whole. The Fairies and Aurora were ready to think the worst. "AERO!" The cry of the spell unleashed a bluster of wind, dispersing the flames from her. "You won't touch her again!" The dragon tested that theory by swatting Alirah away. She turned back for the princess, daring Alirah to stop her. "MALEFICENT!" Alirah picked herself up, dusting off that pitiful hit. The dragon smirked at her posturing. "I said…" The flare of her beaming golden eyes unleashed a shockwave that made the shadow cringe, losing shape briefly, "GET-AWAY-FROM-HEERRR!" She roared. The dragon kindled under her blustery roar, taking a full step back. "You robbed this girl of 16 years of her life in a way she'll never acknowledge because she was at least happy in with those 16! But no more!" Alirah marched towards her, darkness ushering to her keyblade in a fury. "You abducted her twice, stole her heart twice!" Rampant waves tore into the stone, lashing out at the shadow. "I will give up everything before I ever let you touch her again! EVERYTHING!" The dragon shot to her hind legs, roaring to the skies. Alirah drew her keyblade back. The core of the dragon's being brimmed. Alirah let her keyblade fly, piercing the nonexistent heart of Maleficent's shadow. She grasped at the key to pull it out. Cones of light broke through her form, trailing sickening cracks head to toe. The dragon's last will to exist snuffed on the wind, collapsing with a loud rumble, then fading to nothing but flakes in a matter of seconds. Alirah dropped to her knees exhausted, stabbing her key to the bridge. This day has been a chore. A shadow was gliding over her. Maleficent's cloak was intact, floating down to her. Alirah had enough strength to burn it to ashes. Diablo had other plans. He swooped in, stole the cloak, and flew off to the horizon. Under normal circumstances she'd be grateful for that contingency. Unfortunately she knows Maleficent too well. That shadow won't be the last time she sees her. And she's really going to regret helping Merryweather free that bird.
"ALIRAH!" Aurora and The Fairies raced to her, hoisting her to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"I'm...I'm fine…" She lied. She's not fine. She's far from it. Aurora's life was turned upside down more times than anyone in her life should have to endure. She never asked for any of this...and Alirah only succeeded in furthering her torment. "Aurora?" Her voice cracked. This is her fault. All of this...is her fault. She could have stopped Maleficent years ago. "I...I'm sorry…" Tears fell down her cheek. The Fairies were taken aback. "I'm...so...sorry…" She grasped her wirst.
"Sshh…" Aurora took her in her arms, running a hand down her back. "It's alright, Alirah." She's so warm. Aurora was so warm that it killed her. This is why she's a chosen of pure light. "You've nothing to apologize for." She broke the hug, brushing away tears and hair from Alirah's face. "I forgave you a long time ago. Now forgive yourself." She implored, cupping her cheek.
"I will...one day." She sniffled, pulling herself together. That road's longer than the one she's on. That aside, there's a silver lining here. The cloak was the source of the haunting at Maleficent's old castle. With Diablo taking it away, she'd say there's nothing left to worry about. "I'd say my time here is done. "
"Where to next for you?" Fauna asked excitedly.
"I think I'll go see Snow White. I think she's looking forward to seeing me on my knees." She winked at Aurora.
"I know I enjoyed it." Aurora chortled impishly.
"Wow, a Princess who can be a brat." Alirah playfully scolded with hands on her hips. Laughter broke out amongst them all, taking away the tension. Alirah massaged Aurora's forearm, giving her a warm smile. "Take care, Rose."
Aurora gasped, holding hands to her fluttering heart. She hasn't heard that name in so long. "How do you know that name?"
"The Fairies told me. It suits you." Alirah opened a portal and strolled through, leaving Aurora and The Fairies with a great sense of freedom they'd lost long ago. Unbeknownst to The Fairies and Aurora, Alirah let herself out at The Forbidden Mountain. Her job there in the Enchanted Dominion may be done, but her journey demands she stays a while longer. She needs to wander those halls one more time. Because now, thanks to The Fairies, Alirah has the key to learning what happened ten years ago.
To be continued