Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the wait. Longest chapter yet!
"Text"-talking
Text-thoughts
/text\-reading
Teams and Revelation
Zak walked down the stone steps with Kite, Suzuko, and John following. It had been two days since they had defeated the enemy forces on The World and freed BlackRose. Zak was listening to some reports from Kite and Suzuko. He had John with him to offer advice if he had any. He had quickly learned John was smarter than his years and looks gave him.
"Recently, with your forces taking part in the recent battle, several players wish to join the ranks of the Spero Guardians." Kite said.
"They're welcomed to the Guardians if they're serious about fighting the Runari and Fidelis Guardians. I'll have Kira and the guy from Port Royal, Reks, handle the whole recruitment." Zak replied. Then he turned to look at Suzuko out of the corner of his eye. "What is it we're going to see again?"
"The base here on The World was the central command that gathered reports from the other operations on other worlds. I never got to see the reports after I left, but when it dawned on me to actually check, I came down here to central library where they were kept. Luckily enough, they forgot to get rid of the reports. We can use that to counter their activities on those worlds." Suzuko said.
They arrived at the double doors to the library. They opened it to see all the heroes standing around a huge circular table. To one side were Eppsa, Haku, Kya, Tya, Jess, Jayfeather, Einette, Sally, Tisa, Terra, Zoe, and Garrow. On the other were Wadi, Kira, Alice, Sora, Riku, Roxas, Kairi, Namine, BlackRose, Shugo, Xion, Yuffie, Larek, Tanar, Axel, and Mimiru. The person directly across from them as they walked up to the table was Reks.
"Hey Reks, glad to see you could make it from Port Royal." Zak said.
"No problem. My second in command is making sure the pirates and soldiers play nice. We just finished gathering the reports from all the worlds we know about. Surprisingly, they're the same worlds your dream memory said." Reks picked up a folder and slid it over to Zak. "This is the first one: Mahora Academy."
Zak picked up the folder and began to read. "Mahora Academy: world of mages and their partners. Under the disguise of teachers of this city sized campus, we have infiltrated and recruited several more recruits from the student body. Targets: Negi Springfield, magical teacher (magic is known only to a select few) and leader of the Ala Alba and Asuna Kagurazaka, elite swordswoman and has unique ability of magic cancellation (presumed to be crystal heart carrier). Have sent an undercover operative to get in close to targets and capture."
Reks slid another folder. "Second world: Vampira."
"Vampira: previously unknown world of humans, vampires, and werewolves. Convinced vampiric kingdom to declare war one the human settlements and werewolf packs. Alliance between werewolves and humans has been formed. We hope to use this to draw out whoever may be the crystal heart carrier. Unique facts are listed below. Vampires are not weakened in sunlight, can see their reflections, and seem to control their first for blood rather well. Unknown what happens to victims who are bitten. Werewolves of the current generation are not mutated wolfmen, but humans who can transform into human sized wolves."
A third folder came his way. "Spira: world of wonder. This world has defeated sin and the rebirth of Shuyin as he activated Vegnagun. Three factions co exist peacefully, but we have managed to stir up trouble once more. Targets: Yuna, heroine of the previous sin conflict and the recent troubles with Shuyin (possible crystal heart), and Tidus, lover of Yuna and her guardian."
Another folder came his way. How many are there?! "Omnitrix Sanctuary: homeworld of the Alien Force. Half alien heroes have banded together to protect their world. Have begun to train other half aliens to help them. Successful infiltration. Targets: Ben Tennyson, leader of Alien Force, and Gwen, best friend of Ben and long time acquaintance (possible crystal heart carrier) [Note to readers: Ben and Gwen are not related in this story]."
"Unknown World: ?. Landed on the strange world. Everything seems…desolated. No life. Before we return however, scans picked up something in the eastern region. Will report at convenience." What happened there I wonder?
"Force Galaxy: galaxy of the Jedi. Order 66 was initiated before we could enter the galaxy. However, it is believed we have found a stronghold where a few Jedi and a Jedi loyal trooper contingent. Will report when we have captured Jedi."
"Ivalice: ?. Homeworld of Queen Ashe and her friends who have successfully ended the war between her kingdom and that of the Archadian Empire. Have convinced some old Imperials to rebel and are preparing for a new war. Targets: Queen Ashe, ruler of the Kingdom of Dalmasca, Vaan, pirate and good friend of Ashe, and Penelo, pirate subordinate of Vaan and friend of both Vaan and Ashe. Unknown who is the crystal heart carrier."
Reks slid the final folder to Zak. "World of Seals: world of dragons and the new breeds. Humans and dragons work together against the monsters of this world. After dealing a blow to the 'gods' of this world, they have begun to discover new types of humans. So far, the leader of these new breeds has kept their abilities secret and their exact numbers hidden. The dragons seem to follow his command. Have infiltrated Knights of the Seal. Unknown who to target at the moment, but possible targets include Nowe, Manah, and Eris."
Silence greeted him as he set the folder down. Each folder had some other info on the maps, culture, and factions on each world as well as some common knowledge/beliefs, but Zak wasn't going into that stuff unless he had to. "You all heard it. Eight worlds for now, not to mention repelling the enemy off of the worlds we already know. They're all under attack or in danger of being attacked. This means we'll need to split up in order to deal with them."
"Zak, with your permission, I can lead the forces here and on Radiant Garden along with Karth to begin our counter attack on the other worlds." Reks said.
"That's good. Contact Karth and get him to help out. See if he can get Leon to start recruiting heroes from the conquered worlds and see if you can get in contact with Sadira. She should be trying to scout out Fidelis Guardian and Runari positions, but we'll need her to help train the new recruits."
"What about the rest of us?" Sora asked.
"Well, as much as I hate to say this, I think we should split up into teams to go to each world." Zak said.
"Well, then let's get into teams." Wadi said. Her eyes narrowed at Zak. "And you are not putting me on anyone else's team but yours, got that?" Everyone laughed as Zak blushed deeply and began to discuss who were on what teams. Meanwhile…
Mahora Academy
Three shadow figures waited from the alleyway between two of the campus buildings of the Mahora Jr. High School for Girls. They observed the World Tree, the largest tree in the world, perhaps even the entire universe, and recalled what they had learned of its' importance.
"Hard to believe this place has so much magic embedded here."
"Indeed. This will be a good area to recruit more potential Promiscus Runari."
"Hey guys. Been waiting long?"
The trio turned to see a female student in the Jr. High uniform walk up to them. She had black hair that came down to her shoulders and framed her face. Her sapphire eyes shown with a fierceness that made even the shadow figures flinch. Her silk white skin reflected what little sunlight was left in the day.
"Ah, Noriko, good to see you. How goes the recruitment?"
"Good. I've managed to get a few people from over at the high schools to join up. You might want to go ahead and turn them before they get cold feet though. I didn't mention how they would become Runari." Noriko said.
One of the shadow figures removed his hood. A Niveus Runari mask gleamed in the twilight. He laughed. "Willing fools. This war thrives on them and we will need them before the Rebirth." He noticed movement to the left of the group. "Keep an eye on the target and make sure he doesn't interfere with our plans."
She nodded and watched as they faded into the shadows. Then she turned to see a red haired boy come around the corner. With him were three girls: a girl with orange hair in a set of twin pigtails that came down to her hips, a girl with brown hair that went down all the way to her lower back, and a girl with black hair in some type of side ponytail. The black haired girl carried something over her shoulder and the boy carried some type of staff on his back.
"Hey Noriko, we're heading over to the class party now. You're coming right?" the orange haired girl asked.
"Yeah Asuna, I'm coming. I just got distracted is all. Hello Konoka," she greeted the brown haired girl, "I trust that Setsuna has been taking care of you?"
"Yeah, but you know her, she tends to get a little carried away sometimes." Konoka replied.
"I'm right here you know!" the black haired girl said.
"Shall we get going? The others won't like us to be late." the ten year old boy asked.
"Of course Professor Negi." Noriko replied smiling. "We wouldn't want you to be missed." As they walked off to their destination, Noriko trailed a little behind them. At least, not yet.
Vampira
The moon shown on a vast castle that overlooked the surrounding area. This castle was the home of a young princess who stared with a boring expression on her face. She wore a white blouse that fit her body well, a white skirt that came down to her knees, a white belt that looped around her hips loosely, and a pair of white laced boots that cam up to her knees. She had silver shin and forearm guards, hip guards, a comfortable set of torso armor, and a circlet set upon her head. Her white hair came down to her shoulders before curling up. Her silver eyes searched the surrounding area for some type of sign she hoped for.
"Princess."
She turned to see eight other people walk into her room and stop before the entry way to her terrace. They all had white hair like her and wore silver armor, but their eyes were golden. On their armor was the symbol of her personal guard unit. These people she entrusted with her life and her secret.
"Hello. Has there been any word from Tsukiko?" she asked.
"Sorry milady, but nothing has…" the guard lieutenant stopped and the princess followed his eyes to the edge of her terrace. Standing on the railing were three figures. She instantly recognized the uniform they wore. "I spoke too soon."
"Princess Sakura?" the one in the middle asked, speaking in a female's voice. She nodded. The woman stepped down and held out a letter to her. "Master Tsukiko asked us to make sure you got this. He sends his love with it."
"Thank you." She turned to her guards as one of them moved forward with a scroll in his hand. She took it and held it out to the woman. "This may not be a love letter, but it is important that Tsukiko and your allies see this. My father is planning something I am worried about. I don't know the exact details, but this holds some numbers of support units and some strange observances my guards have noted."
The woman raised an eyebrow and was hesitant to take the scroll. "Princess Sakura, we can't take this. You hold great respect from our forces despite being a…"
"A vampire?" The woman nodded. "Despite the recent conflicts between the vampiric kingdom and the werewolf and human alliance, we used to be at peace. Even when the first werewolves started to reproduce genetically through their…horrid actions, peace still reigned when their offspring rebelled against them. It is my intention to bring about an end to this war, even if it means I must betray my father."
The woman accepted the scroll. "Then how did being the first vampire to fall in love with a werewolf fit into it?" Sakura blushed and the others chuckled at her embarrassment. "Don't answer. Its' none of our concern. We should get moving before your father's guard finds us."
With that she turned to her two comrades, who had turned into human sized wolves. She slipped the scroll into her loose clothing and hopped onto the closest wolf. Then they jumped down and ran off towards the forest in the distance.
"Princess, she was right. We should get back inside before your father's guards see you outside." the lieutenant said.
As they went back inside, a pair of robed men observed the exchange that had occurred. One had his hood down to reveal white hair in a precise military cut and a red headband wrapped around his forehead.
"See sir? The princess has been collaborating with her father's enemies! We have to do something about this!"
The man with the red headband looked to his comrade. "Easy. I just got here and met with the King yesterday. I need to assess the situation before I can meddle with things. For now, let the princess do as she wants. But if one of the top leaders shows, capture them."
"By your command, Crimson Judge."
Spira
A red aerial ship sped across the sky. It was being pursued by three black ones that seemed like they were from an ancient past. Gunfire chased the red ship as it juked and weaved out of the clouds.
"This is the Celsius calling for the Al Bhed Home Defense Fleet! We are currently taking heavy fire from unknown enemy ships. Requesting assistance along Vector 37258."
"This is Cid, Captain of the Fahrenheit, of the Al Bhed Home Defense Fleet. Yuna, is that you?"
A woman with short brown hair answered the video call. "Yes uncle. I was on my way with Rikku and Tidus to see you about the recent terrorist attacks. We're being attacked by them now, but the thing is I've never seen ships like this before. We've taken some heavy damage and won't last much longer against these guys."
As she finished her statement, four aerial ships rose above the clouds as the Celsius approached their position. It slowed to hover behind them as they fired off their rocket salvos towards the enemy ships. The three ships turned to avoid the barrage, but two of them were hit and destroyed instantly. The last one took damage on its' port side, but started to flee. Two of the Celsius's rescue ships took off after the wounded ship.
"Thanks for the rescue pops!" a blonde haired girl wearing a very revealing outfit said to the video image of Cid.
"No problem Rikku. The Thunderbolt and the Hammerthrow will track that ship down and see what they can get out of the crew. The Solarburn will take you to New Home. Sorry I can't see you there myself, but I have to make sure our border is secured."
"Its' okay uncle. We'll be sure to wait for you until you can get back to New Home." Yuna said. Cid smiled and nodded before the video cut off. The Celsius maneuvered to follow the Solarburn to the Al Bhed homeland. Yuna heard the bridge doors open and she turned along with Rikku to see a blond haired man come in. She smiled as he walked over to her and placed light kiss on her lips. "Hey Tidus, how're you feeling?"
Lately, her lover had been feeling out of touch when the terrorist attacks began. "Better I guess. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that Rikku's brother gave me his aerial ship and a new crew for it."
"He got that new Al Bhed designed ship the Gauntlet. He knew you'd want one and thought it be a good idea to leave his first command to someone he trusts. You've always been able to do the right thing no matter what the rest of the world said." Rikku said.
They looked out the viewport as the pilot and two co-pilots kept the ship following the Solarburn as they descended below the clouds to see an island come into view. Tidus breathed sigh and wrapped his arms around Yuna. "Let's hope I can do the right thing again."
Omnitrix Sanctuary
To anyone watching the activity below wouldn't think of it as training, more like a war zone. People were running back and forth in a bowl shaped valley playing capture the flag. The people wearing black training gear with red markings were attempting to take the compound set in the middle of the valley. Set atop it was blue flag. The people defending the compound wore black training gear with blue markings on it. Scattered throughout the valley were rock formations, groves of trees, and a small stream that cut straight through the valley. The people were using powers gifted to them from one of their parents.
"Come on guys! Let's get them!" a red team member cried out. He wrapped himself in electricity and charged forward with three other red team members. One had a pair of glowing eyes that matched his glowing hands, another had dived straight into the ground and disappeared, and the last one looked different in the fact that their blue skin showed brightly and seem to channel power as they ran forward.
Just as soon as they did, blue team members turned toward them and were taken out easily. This left a gap in one of the compound's defenses. The red team members took advantage of this and got inside the small square fort. The electric member put a hand to the team communicator on his ear.
"This is Red-21, we've broken through on the west end. All members of Red Team, move in now!" An approving cry went up over the comm system as the squads of Red Team charged over the field towards the new gap in Blue Team's fort. They moved in and captured all remaining Blue Team members. A cheer went up as they moved to take the flag. As one of the team leaders took the flag, a red team member looked around.
"Guys, I thought the teams were split evenly?" she said.
"They were."
"Than where's the rest of Blue Team?"
The entire Red Team looked around. Only a third of Blue Team had been outside of their defense and most of them were 'killed'. That meant there should've been at least thirty Blue Team members inside, but there were only twelve of them. Then they saw a platform rise up where the flag had been and it showed a device with a counter on it. It counted down from fifteen.
"Oh crap!" the Red Team members turned to see the Blue Team prisoners disappear underground.
"Dang it, I knew that guy wasn't supposed to be on our team!"
The timer hit zero and a buzzing sound announced the end of the training exercise. The 'dead' teammates from both sides got up from their prone positions, the people on Red Team groaned in defeat, and the surviving Blue Team rose up from the ground as the secret Blue Team member brought them back up.
Both groups looked as a trio walked down into the valley from the ring shaped base that surrounded the small valley. One was a raven haired teenaged guy, the second was a teenage girl with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail, and the last one had brown hair cut short. These three were the leaders of Alien Force, an elite group of humans who had alien ancestry in them, granting them powers unique to that species.
"Not bad Red Team, but next time you might want to run a scan on the base to see what you're dealing with instead of rushing in at the first chance." the girl, Gwen, said to Red Team.
"Normally I'd say just bash the whole thing, but Gwen's right guys. That was a little reckless." Ben, the brown haired guy, said.
"Come on, not you too Ben!" Kevin, the raven haired guy, said.
"Despite that, both teams did well today. Good use of infiltration skills Blue Team as well as the decoy bomb. Along with that, technically both teams lost today." Ben said. When he got confused looks from the trainees, he smiled. "Red Team did capture the flag, forcing Blue Team to lose, but Blue Team did defeat all of Red Team. Today was a draw, so no one has any extra tasks today. Get cleaned up and then have the rest of the day to yourselves."
A cheer went up from the ninety recruits as they grabbed their gear and headed back up the slope towards the base. Grinning, Ben put an arm around Gwen's shoulder as they headed back up to the base as well with Kevin right beside them.
"These kids got potential right?" Ben asked.
"Hell yeah!" Kevin said.
Gwen smiled at the two energetic guys. "Easy guys, they still need to learn to work together. Then they'll be great."
As the trio continued talking about their new friends, the Red Team member with glowing hands and eyes walked with the blue skinned female whose arms seemed to reduce in their glow from the training. They spoke in a hushed tone away from the other recruits as they made their way back to the base.
"My comrades will come here eventually, Courtney. Soon even. But I can't perform the plan without your help. What do you say?" the man asked.
"I…I don't know. The Alien Force has helped e out so much, I can't really even think of betraying them." she replied.
"I've told you the reasons for why we're doing this and you yourself said that it was a good cause. Its' for the greater good!"
Courtney breathed a sigh. "Daniel, I love you and yes I still think the goal is right. I just need time to figure out what to do. Just give me a little more time." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "And don't worry, I won't tell the others. I can't choose sides right now, but I know I can't ever hurt you."
She walked off and Daniel reached up to touch his cheek where she had kissed him. As he was wrapped up in it, he didn't notice another Red Team member walk over to him as he neared the top of the hill. "So, is she with us or not Daniel?"
He glared at the green haired man. His hair was spiked up in a very dangerous look. "I told you I didn't want to involve her sir. But she hasn't decided yet."
"Make sure she chooses us Daniel. Or else the plan will never succeed." The man turned to Daniel for him to see a red headband on his forehead. "Especially if you want your brother to be safe from the Spero Guardians."
"Yes, Champion of Hell, one of the seven."
Unknown World
The shadowed figures scouted the entire area. Dead trees and crumbled buildings stood everywhere. The ground was broken up and scarred. The sky was a dark grey that let only an occasional ray of sunlight in. The truly bizarre thing was that there were no animals or people.
"Sir, this place is weird even for us. What are we even doing here?"
"He's right. There's nothing here."
"Lord Argentum wants us to take a look around. There's something here, but…" the leader stopped as one of the squads id tags on his mask's scanner disappeared. "Unit 6? Where are you?"
A scream echoed around them. They were surrounded by a dead forest at the moment with a hill side to their left. A moment later two more people disappeared. Just as a fourth was about to vanish he managed to yell, "Run for it! There's something…"
They all ran for the hill top. More screams and cries came over the unit's comm channel. When the leader and two of his teammates reached the top of the hill, they turned to see they were the only ones left. They could see some of their comrades lying down dead.
"What the hell hit us?" one of the surviving teammates asked.
"Don't know, but come on. Let's get over this hill and see if there's something worth protecting here."
"Sir, what makes you feel there's something worth protecting here?"
"We haven't been attacked in any other area we've searched on this world except this one. There's something here at least that's different than the other areas."
They finally got up to the very top and looked down the other side to see a very surprising sight. They were so stunned by what they saw they didn't hear the newcomers approach them.
"Why is this place the only place like this on this world?"
"Because we guard it."
The two comrades on each side of their leader fell down dead when something hit their backs. The leader turned around to see he was outnumbered. He was shot in the legs and he collapsed on the ground. As he struggled to look up, a boot pressed down on his chest. He looked up to see two red mechanical eyes looking at him. "What are you?" he asked in fear.
A strange sword hovered over his throat. "We are the protectors of their future. We will protect them from all threats." The sword went down swiftly. "Even if it means we must do it by force."
Force Galaxy
A strange humanoid ran through the forest with five robed men pursuing her. She had orange skin with white markings on it. Instead of hair, she had three head tails that came down to her shoulders, two in front and one down her neck. She wore a red top that covered her chest, a red skirt, tan leggings, and red boots. She also had red fingerless combat gloves and held a cylindrical device in her hands as she ran.
She turned her head to see the men still pursuing her. They didn't fire blasters at her like the previous assailants, but had some type of strange power as they summoned strong bows that shot some type of stun energy at her. She had taken a few hits and felt weak now, but she kept running.
"Halt now and we won't have to keep doing this!" one of them yelled at her.
She kept running despite this and eventually came to a clearing. There she was hit by two of their energy blasts and collapsed. She was tired and weak from the constant running. She managed to turn over and look at the five men as they came out of the trees. One approached her and removed his hood. He had tan skin and white hair that short a little messy. His eyes were what caught her though. They were blank and seemed lifeless. Worst thing was, she knew this man. The only new things were his eyes and the red headband he wore.
"Why are you doing this Seth? You're a Jedi!" Ahsoka asked him.
"Because he believes his sisters are being held by our enemy." A woman stepped out from behind the men with six more following her. Ahsoka recognized the woman as well, but not the outfit she wore. "Good to see you again Ahsoka."
"Yasinda, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIS SISTERS? WHERE ARE AURINE AND SARLI?"
"Relax little one. Aurine and Sarli are safe with my brothers. But he doesn't need to know that yet."
So Cron, Sibar, and Gallis have them. That explains why he's fighting for them, but why isn't he reacting to this? She heard laughter and looked back up at Yasinda. "He can't hear you because we control him. His brain doesn't think about or respond to anything unless we tell him to." When Ahsoka had both fear and concern on her face, she continued. "My new friends gave me the power to control people easily. Our new allies needed me to make sure the one rebellious Elder they had followed their command. Imagine my excitement to learn it was Seth and that he had been keeping a secret from all of us. He's from another universe!"
"Most Jedi aren't from the same universe." Ahsoka retaliated.
""Ah yes, but that's not what I mean. He's…" Yasinda stopped as two of her men were shot in the chest by blue laser blasts. She glared at the direction of the blasts and put on a white mask of some sort. "Runari! Return fire!"
The remaining eight robed men threw back their hoods to show they were wearing red masks. They fired their strange bows at the new arrivals, but they took five more casualties before realizing they were outnumbered. Seth stood up and seemed to emit electricity as he aimed his bow and lightning sprung out to attack the newcomers. An explosion rocked the ground where it struck.
"Men fall back!" he yelled. The masked men nodded and melted into the forest. Seth went out with them too, but Yasinda paused before going. She turned to face her with the mask still on.
"Till next time, little Ahsoka." Then she was gone.
"Commander, are you alright?" Ahsoka lifted her head to see clone troopers moving into the clearing with three Jedi padawans walking with them. One carried a med kit.
"Yes, just stunned big time and have a couple of cuts." Ahsoka said. One of the padawans knelt down by her and began to clean her cuts and bandage them. "How are things back at the base?"
"We received word that the Order was sent out to all worlds. Thankfully though, the clones on this world are loyal to you commander. They've begun taking in and treating all the new Jedi that manage to make their way here." the padawan answered.
"How many clones do we have?" Ahsoka asked.
"A full brigade." one of the clones answered her.
"How many Jedi have made it?" she asked as they propped her up.
"Including those of us that were already here, around sixty or so. That's the good news. The bad news is we haven't had any knights or masters show."
Ahsoka breathed a sigh and the group looked to each other, unsure if it was a sigh of relief or worry. Then she looked to the padawan who was sitting her up. "Any info on those people who attacked me?"
"No mam, the only thing we know is that there's a base of them on this world with similar strength numbers and that Seth is being called the Bowmen of Thunder among them. Also that besides those who don't have masks, the ones that do call themselves Runari. Ever heard of their kind?"
Ahsoka shook her head. The clones helped her up with her arms wrapped around their shoulders. As the group made their way back to the base Ahsoka kept thinking. But if they're strong enough to turn Seth and capture other Jedi, they can't be underestimated.
Ivalice
The blond haired duo walked through the halls of the palace towards the war room. They were quite familiar with this place after so many visits to it's' queen. The boy in the group hadn't changed at all and neither had the girl, but they still liked it whenever they met with old friends. They came to the war room to see several generals and the queen there. They bowed their heads to the queen out of respect before she came over and hugged them.
"Its' good to see you again Vaan," she said as she hugged the guy. Then she turned to hug the girl. "And you as well Penelo. How have you both been?"
"Pretty good Ashe. Been raiding those so called Loyalist forces of the Empire for the past two months." Vaan replied.
"Have you seen any of the others?" Ashe asked.
"Balthier and Fran have been off on their own again, doing whatever adventure comes to mind. We heard from Basch not too long ago, but he's been kept busy leading the Imperial armies against the Loyalists." Penelo replied.
"So what did you need to talk to us about?" Vaan asked.
The blonde haired queen turned to a vierra general and nodded. The general nodded and activated the map on the table. It showed the Kingdom of Dalmasca with its' reclaimed land and that of its' ally Nabradia, the Archadian Empire to northeast, the Rozarrian Empire to the west, the skycity Bhujerba, the vierra territory of the Golmore Jungle, the Garif land of Jahara, and each piece of the Archadian Empire that had been seized by the Loyalists. A bangaa general spoke up and the map moved as he explained the situation.
"A Loyalist armada with several troops is heading for Nalbina Fortress. Our garrison there is still repairing it from the previous war, so we've asked for the Archadians to help us defend it. There's an unknown advance team heading out before them and we need someone to see what they're up to."
"Sending in regular forces would give us away, so we need someone who is good at getting in and out of dangerous situations easily." a seeq general said.
Vaan smiled at the perfect job opportunity. "We'll see what they're up to for you and take care of them right away if needed."
The human, seeq, bangaa, and vierra generals all gave their approval for the operation to commence. Before they could excuse themselves, Ashe stopped them from leaving.
"What's wrong Ashe?" Penelo asked.
"Nothing. I just didn't want you to leave without me." she said as she walked right past them and into the hall. "Its' been a while since I've had some combat experience. And don't think you can change my mind."
Vaan and Penelo laughed. "She really hasn't changed." Then they followed her to the hangar. As the generals left the room, one stayed behind a second longer. A shadow appeared behind him, but he didn't turn to it.
"The plan is in motion. The targets are heading for Nalbina. Have the men ready. Make sure to use the Loyalists as well as our own men to create confusion for them. We cannot fail in this endeavor am I understood?"
"Yes, master Niveus." The masked man vanished and left the general smiling as he thought about his plans to create even more chaos on this world.
World of Seals
A robed unit of people crawled towards the edge of the cliff. They kept low to the ground and cautiously looked over the edge. They watched as the holy dragons began landing around the headquarters for the Knights of the Seal. Column after column of knights, both on foot and on horseback, marched back into the large fortress. The building had nearly quadrupled in size to accommodate the new forces of both knights and dragons, as well as the hangars for the few war balloons and one man fighters. Even the new blimp ships were located nearby. Anyone would be suicidal to attack the new Knights of the Seal.
"Any sign of their leader?"
"Over there! He's at the back of the column marching in."
The group noticed a brown haired man riding on horseback near the end of the column. He wore the white and silver armor of the Knights with hints of blue and gold showing. On his left was a brown haired woman wearing the same styled outfit and on his right was a blond haired woman wearing simple clothing of the common folk. Behind them rode twelve more Knights, but these ones didn't were helmets like the rank and file Knights, allowing their faces to be seen by all.
"Looks like they found more of those new breeds. They're the only ones who don't wear the helmets like their leader."
"Any idea what they can do? I mean, come on, we haven't even figured out why they're called new breeds."
The group turned their heads around as they heard a horse gallop up behind them. They saw a knight dismount with four more staying behind. He approached them and took off his helmet. "You guys should return to camp. There's no chance of getting you in, even with us opening a hole. The dragons watch the perimeter closely."
"But what about…?"
"Too dangerous. There are approximately seven hundred dragons and nearly four thousand knights scattered either within, below, or around the fortress. We don't have the man power to overwhelm them yet."
"Did you discover how many new breeds there are?"
The fake knight rubbed his neck. "Still not sure. We managed to get one of our guys inside the High Guard, the ones responsible for protecting the new breeds from any potential dangers, but he's only managed to confirm around two hundred with perhaps another two hundred as well."
The men groaned. "We're here to capture them. With that goal in mind, we'll have to lead the main forces away, and then attack while they're away." The leader looked back over the cliff edge as the fortress gates closed. "Then we'll be able to have an unstoppable army with us. Return to your positions and let us know if anything changes."
Back on The World
Zak looked up around him as he walked outside to where the teams waited at the portal courtyard. They had divided into teams and were waiting for him to say the word to move out. He walked over to his team and the portal waiting for him. He looked at the other groups as he moved towards his own.
In front of the portal to Vampira, John (team leader) stood with Kira, Alice, Kya, and Tya. Kira had wanted to come with Zak, but agreed to keep an eye on Alice for the mission. In front of the portal to Spira, Sora (team leader), Riku, Roxas, and Jess stood looking like they felt a little awkward. By the portal to Omnitrix Sanctuary, Kairi and Namine were standing with Einette and Jayfeather (team leader). Next to the portal to the unknown world stood Kite (team leader), BlackRose, Sally, and Tisa. Tisa had flat out refused to go with the Force Galaxy team, so she decided to stick with Sally.
By the portal leading to the Star Wars Galaxy, instead of John or Tisa, Shugo (team leader), Suzuko, Xion, and Terra prepped themselves for journey into another dimension. Standing beside the Ivalice portal, Yuffie, Larek, and Zoe stood together. This was by far the most awkward team considering none of them had worked together before. At the portal to the World of Seals, Tanar (team leader) was trying to keep Axel, Mimiru, and Garrow from going overboard with excitement. All three of them were excited to go see dragons.
Finally, he reached his portal to Mahora Academy. His team was made up by Wadi, Eppsa, and Haku. As she had said, Wadi wasn't letting him leave without her. The teams looked towards him as he stopped by her and faced them all.
"Alright guys, this is where we split up. You each have your missions for each world. Prevent the Runari and the Fidelis Guardians from taking control of the worlds, destroying the worlds, or capturing the crystal hearts. Make sure to try and get the heroes of each world to trust you and let you help. Each team leader has a comm link directly to Reks. Use it if you need help of any type."
"Aww, such a caring and inspirational speech from the so called hero." a voice called out. Zak and the others looked around in confusion before a portal opened up in the middle of the courtyard. It was set directly in the ground and robed figures rose up out of the ground. Twelve of them surrounded two set in the middle. One had his hood down to let them all see Hakir with his black hair covering his eyes and the other was an all too familiar figure to Zak.
"Argost! Hakir! What're you doing here?!" Zak yelled. Everyone in the courtyard, including the few Guardians and strange golems from the previous battle, drew their weapons or got in a defensive state. Zak noticed that John and his friends seemed to tense greatly and looked at Haku with fear and concern on their faces.
"So, even in this universe I'm known by you." Argost stated. He looked directly at Zak and grinned. "There you are. At last I can deal with you and end his life. Z5 and Z12, take him. Z43, keep them from interfering."
Two of the robed men vanished in a flash and reappeared beside Zak. They grabbed him and pushed him towards the others. While they did this, a third appeared and kicked Wadi, Eppsa, and Haku to the ground. The man seemed to glare at them through his hood and for a moment, Wadi thought she saw a familiar face.
"Hakir, if you please." Argost said. Hakir nodded and summoned one of his swords and handed it to Argost. "Thank you. Now, Zak Saturday, I believe its' time for you to die." He raised the sword up but stopped as he saw Haku getting up. "Z43, I thought I told you to deal with them."
"Sorry, Lord Argost. Let me correct the mistake." Everyone flinched when they heard his voice. It sounded familiar, but slightly mechanized. He turned back to Haku as she stood. He raised his arms into a fighting stance. "This shouldn't…"
He never finished as Haku summoned her keyblade and, in one quick move, stabbed the man in the chest. Everyone seemed stunned at her movement. Then she followed through by pulling the keyblade out and slashing him across the back as she walked forward. He fell down and vanished in a flash of darkness. Two more robed men jumped at her but she made two quick slashes at them and they vanished as well.
"ARGOST!" Haku yelled.
"I know that voice. Is it Ranpu's twin sister? Oh how delightful. I remember the fight with him. How is he after nearly dying? Where is he? Is he afraid to come out and face the big world now?" Argost flaunted.
Before anyone could react to jump in and help fight Argost, Haku sprung forward and slashed her way past the robed men that intercepted her. She jumped over the ones holding Zak and slashed at their heads. Then nothing stood in her way as she clashed her keyblade with Argost's borrowed sword.
She knocked his sword up and made a sweeping move at his feet. He dodged it and countered by throwing small explosives at her. She dodged them and kicked out at Argost and sent him crashing to the ground. He rolled to avoid her stabbing attempt, but failed to block her as she swung the keyblade up and made a gash on his chest. He stumbled backwards, his hand moving to cover his wound. Before she could continue, Hakir jumped in and blocked her with two blades. He pushed her keyblade aside and slashed at her robe. As it tore in a few places, he kicked her back. She fell back and her hood fell down to reveal…Namine?
"We're leaving. Argost, we have some things to discuss. Z soldiers, move out." The remaining robed men gathered Argost and disappeared through a series of portals. Before Hakir left, he looked at John. "Tell your dad, the Ten Swords of Faith says hello and that I can't wait for a rematch." Then he was gone.
All eyes fell on Haku as she got up. He blond hair was the same color as Roxas's, but everything about her looked just like Namine. Zak looked between her and Namine, trying to figure out what was up. John cleared his throat. "I guess we have some explaining to do."
"Yes you do, but give us the quick version." Zak said. John and his friends explained how they were from an alternate universe, how they really got to their universe, and that they were the second generation of heroes who happened to be the alternate versions of some of the people around them. As soon as they were done, Zak nodded at their explanation and walked over to his portal with Haku following.
"We'll talk more about this later after we deal with the enemy on other worlds. Before we go, I'd like to say that its' an honor to fight alongside the children of other heroes. I'll see you all again and then we can deal with this."
Everyone was amazed at how well Zak took the news. Nut then they realized he was right. This had to come first before anything else. So they all faced their portals and walked through to the various worlds that awaited them. The only ones who hadn't yet were Zak and Haku.
"So, are you Roxas and Namine's kid?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know Zak in your universe?"
"Yep."
"What's he like?"
"A lot like you, what kinda question is that?"
"Heh. Guess I'm just curious about it. Shall we go?"
"Let's." Then both of them walked through the portal and after their friends.
What did you guys think? Sorry it took so long. Been really busy lately. For the next chapter, first person to review and tell us which world they want to see first gets there wish. So with that in mind, REVIEWS!