Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or the song Neverender, by Coheed and Cambria.
I do own Sam, Matt, and the story of this adventure.
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When I opened my eyes, I saw through the eyes of God. Before me was a star, a glorious, fiery sun. As I watched, the star grew smaller, and I saw a solar system surrounding it. Then the picture grew smaller, and more and more stars and systems became a part of it. After only a few seconds, or perhaps an eternity, an entire universe lay before me. A reality in my eyes, bordered in the rich red of roses. I did the only thing I felt appropriate to do: I watched, silently and awestruck, observing the existence before me.
However, as I focused upon the endless space before me, my other senses began to alert me of several things, things which had no place in a restful eternity. My ears alerted me to the sound of birdsong. A strange and wholly unfamiliar call, but it could be nothing else. My sense of smell brought me the scent of morning dew on fresh-cut grass. Soon, my sense of touch allowed me to notice a damp chill, as though I lay in a puddle. A cool breeze came along, and I shivered, realizing that I was lying on my side.
Blinking, I slowly sat up, finding myself at the bottom of a small hill, sitting waist-deep in grass that was a strange shade of purple. Strange, because it did not seem the slightest bit out of place. Looking down at the depression my head had made, I saw a rose. A single rose, its petals a soft pink at the outside, turning to a rich, deep red. In the center of this rose, I could have sworn I saw a yellow glow, like that of a small sun, or of a million small suns, glowing together from its depths.
A hand on my shoulder brought my attention back to the world around me, and I turned around, seeing Kairi, Riku, and Sora standing behind me. Riku was staring off to the horizon, talking quietly with Sora. Kairi's hand squeezed my shoulder gently. I stood, smiling, and took her hand in mine. We turned and walked towards the others, stepping from grass onto a once-paved road.
"Glad to see you're awake. Now, maybe you can tell us where the hell we are?" I smiled a bit at Riku's greeting. Somehow, after nearly dying, even his sarcasm cheered me up.
Looking around us, my smile grew. "We're here. This is Keystone Tower. The only world where one could actually enter the Dark Tower, and one of only two where time flows only forward. Whatever we do here, that's it. No take-backs. No do-overs."
Sora spoke up, seemingly for the first time in days. "Well, that's comforting. So, if we don't do this right, that's all there is, right?"
I nodded. Sora nodded back. "Alright. Just means we can't make any mistakes. Shouldn't be too hard." He turned to us, giving us all a glimpse of his trademark grin, something that had been seen all-too-little lately. We couldn't help but smile back. I reminded myself to thank him for that, later.
--
That night (I had awakened during mid-afternoon, and we'd covered a good distance since then down the path of the Beam), we made camp alongside the road, in the purple grass and the roses. We sat around a blue fire, caused by some chemical in the grass we'd used to start it, talking for what felt like hours. We talked about everything, telling each other every story we knew. Every joke, every stray thought. That night, we kept nothing from each other. I think, sometime during that seemingly endless night, something happened in each of us.
I recognized what it was during one of the few lulls in the conversation, but held my tongue for a time, wanting to be sure. By the time it was my turn to speak (somehow, we'd wound up taking turns…nothing arranged, just an automatic thing), I knew that what I was feeling was right.
"I think I just realized something…" I said, my voice distant as I gazed into the fire. At once, I could tell I had their attention. Something in each of them…the way Riku lowered his head, mimicking my look into the flames…the way Sora sat up, stopping his fidgeting…the way Kairi turned to look at me, her eyes skimming my face for some clue as to what I would say next.
"What are we, guys? To each other, I mean. What would you call us?" I asked, twirling a blade of purple grass between my fingers.
"We're Keyblade wielders. All of us. It's what we have in common." Sora offered, summoning his Ultima for emphasis. The act brought a smile to my face.
"We're friends. We'd do anything for each other, without needing to be asked." Riku answered calmly, his eyes flicking up to mine. My smile grew.
Kairi was quiet for a moment longer than the others, finally giving her answer in a whisper. "We're…we're more than that. More than Keybladers, more than friends…we're a sort of family, aren't we? Not by blood, but…stronger than that." She looked up to me, as though she was unsure of herself. I looked to her, my smile wider than ever.
"All of you are right. We're Keybladers, we're friends, we're family. But…even all of those words isn't enough, is it? It still feels like there's so much more to say, even if we don't have the words to say it." Looking around, I was greeted to the sight of the three of them, nodding in agreement. Kairi's hand crept into mine, and I squeezed it gently.
"There is a word in this world for what we are. A word from a language as old as the Tower, maybe older. In the language of this world, we are ka-tet. We are one from many. We come from different paths, different worlds, but…our destiny ties us together. Tonight is a gift, I think. From the Tower, perhaps. Tonight, we have shared khef, the water of life. We have given of ourselves to each other, and yet we would give more, if it was needed. That is ka-tet. That is what we are."
Silence, then. A soft breeze, rustling the grass and the roses. Finally, after a minute, Sora spoke up quietly. "But…we're not whole, are we? Most of us are here, but…it's not all of us. Someone's missing…"
I nodded. "Yeah…I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt that…I think Matt is meant to be here, with us. He's the last of our ka-tet, but…he can't be here. We are one from many, but we are not whole. Only Ka itself should break us apart…and it has not. If it had, we would not feel as we do now. No…this was the work of something else, something that believes itself above Ka. Above destiny."
I looked up to the sky above us, the fire beginning to die down. As I spoke, an unfamiliar edge found its way into my voice. It frightened me. "Tomorrow, or maybe the day after…we finish this. We save Matt…we save everything. And we teach Morthoseth a lesson about destiny. He has broken our ka-tet. Such an act…can only be met with vengeance."
I heard quiet words of agreement, spoken with grim conviction. I laid down, my hands crossed behind my head. "Tonight must now continue, I think. As time would normally allow. Our moment of timelessness, our palaver, is over. Tomorrow comes. And with it, comes the end of this mess."
Another murmur of agreement, followed by the sound of bodies shifting against the grass as the others laid down. Kairi lay next to me, and I pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as she lay her ear over my heart. With a wave of my hand, the fire went out.
I closed my eyes, and, with my love in my arms, and most of my ka-tet near me, I slept.
--
Matt opened his eyes, looking around at the circle of Heartless and Nobodies around him. He swallowed loudly, nervously, knowing why they were here.
"Boy…" Morthoseth's voice growled in his mind. With that single word, a thousand painful fantasies flew threw Matt's mind, projected by the Spirit of Darkness. Matt cringed, falling to his knees as he was forced to feel a fraction of the pain from each.
Clearing his throat, he spoke aloud, his voice raspy, his throat dry. "Please…I couldn't just let them die! They've come so far…they deserve to see this! They deserve to l-"
"DESERVE TO WHAT?? LIVE?! YOU TRAITOROUS, CHILDISH FOOL! THEY COME TO DESTROY US BOTH! YOU WILL NOT BE SPARED, NOT BY THEM, AND MOST CERTAINLY NOT BY ME!!" Morthoseth's rage burst forth from Matt's own lips this time, causing many in the assembled circle to shrink back in fear of their master's voice.
Matt shook his head, grasping at what little courage he had left. "No! They're coming for you! They'll save me!"
A sharp pain seemed to split Matt's spine in two, causing him to cry out in pain, screaming as he clawed at the ground beneath him. The pain was all he knew for what seemed like hours, days even. Then, it stopped, and he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Looking around, he watched as many of the Heartless and Nobodies assembled seemed to liquefy, turning into a sort of mist that flew towards him before flying upwards, collecting above his body.
"You fool…you still believe they CAN save you? That they can truly defeat ME?! I have come, led the way to this place, to the Dark Tower itself! WE BEAT THEM TO IT!! The only thing awaiting them here is death. A slow and painful one, at that. I will kill them all, and then I will let you fall apart, screaming in pain as I climb the Tower, and claim what is mine!"
As Matt lay on the purple grass, he looked upwards, through the thick cover of roses, to the Tower that now stood so close. Above him, Morthoseth, the immortal Spirit of Darkness, stood.
Alone.
--
Alright. Another short one, but I'm fairly sure I'm back in the groove of this thing. I even threw in a twist at the end to keep you guys around! In all honesty, though I hope you guys are still enjoying this. I'm remembering what it feels like to be writing this, and…I don't have the words to describe it.
R+R, as always, and I'll see you guys in the next one!