Wow so my computer crashed after I nearly finished this chapter, so I had to start all over again. I'm sorry, but I'm not doing shout outs tonight. Thank you to all who reviewed, and I promise I will do them next chapter. Please enjoy.
Chapter 11: Birth of an Illusion
By the time Marek and his companion made it back to the main island, it was well past midday. As they came close to shore, he was surprised to see a great many children running along the shoreline. He looked over at Bane, remembering something. "Oh yeah, today's Christmas Eve. I've still gotta find you a present, Boy." he told him. Bane cocked his head to the side and nudged his master's hand. Marek smiled slightly and petted his head for a few seconds before they pulled up onto shore.
No sooner had he hidden the raft away than he heard a voice. "Marek Rikkison?" it asked. The voice was female. He turned to look at who was talking to him, and found himself face to face with a black haired girl about his height. He stared at her for a few seconds, her green eyes just as striking as his own.
He nodded slightly, reaching down and resting his hand on a cautious Bane. "And you are?" he asked, unsure of why she had come to him.
"My name's Mist. I'm in the same class as you and Jack, except….you're never there." she introduced herself. He raised an eyebrow and glanced past her shoulder, seeing his brother playing farther down the beach.
"What use is school on an island with ten people, anyway? Besides, I'm getting out of here first chance I get. What do you want from me?" he replied irritably. If she was taken aback by his tone, she didn't show it.
"I was just wondering if you and your brother are anything like each other. Because I mean obviously, you're both pretty good looking guys. But underneath all that, how different are you?" she asked him, and Marek had no idea why she was talking like this.
"Jack is the momma's boy. He always wants to be at home and he doesn't want anything special out of his simple life. I can't stand this life. This place, this home, it's so tedious and stifling that I can't even breathe. So I can tell you like him, and that's why you came to me. If you're into home boys who don't like dangerous things, then go for him. It's not like I'll give a damn what you do either way." he told her coldly after thinking about it for a minute.
Mist stared at him, clearly thinking there was more to himself than he let on, but she chose not to comment on that part his response.
"I guess you think you're cool or something, using language that even the adults abhor, but you're not. It just distances you from everyone else because no one wants to be around that." she told him sadly. He stared at her for a long moment, finally shaking his head in amusement.
"You must really think I care about everyone else, don't you? I guess none of you really know ANYTHING about dumb old Marek, do you?! If I wanted people to like me, then clearly I've been doing this all wrong! You wonder why I am how I am, why don't you go ask my 'perfect' mother and her favorite son. Jack was the son she wanted. I'm the one she got stuck with and she's too get to get rid of. It just makes me hate her even more. I'm distancing myself from everyone? Oh thank you for telling me, because I HAD NO IDEA!" he screamed at her, calm anger flaring up within him, coming from seemingly nowhere.
Instantly, his thoughts drifted to his precious orb and the ethereal contents of it. The old man had told him how to open it, but was even he, as uncaring about his home and family as he was, willing to risk everything to unleash what was trapped inside it?
Right now, he didn't have an answer to that question. But he knew the day would come soon, that he would open it. The old man calling himself Xehanort said he would return in three days to hear his answer. He wasn't sure if he actually wanted to leave with that man and be his apprentice, as he called it. But if he was offering a way off his island-shaped prison, what other choice did he have? His mother didn't care about him as long as she had Jack.
Jack. His little brother would be the deciding factor in his choice. Because deny it as he might, he truly did care about his brother. But there was too much jealousy to ever win out against his brotherly love.
And as Mist sighed and walked away from him, Marek glanced down at Bane and made his decision.
He would leave with Xehanort.
THAT NIGHT…
Marek had been in troubled slumber, waking every hour or so. His dreams consisted of suffocating in black fog, grappling with a foe identical to himself, and other things. They seemed more real than dreams, but he didn't know what they meant.
It was then that he heard the first deafening bout of thunder. The blast was loud that Jack woke up suddenly and hit his head on the bottom of his brother's bed. Marek quickly jumped down and ran to the window. A storm like none other he had seen before was raging across the sea. He could barely see the play island in the distance, and if he was right, it seemed like the entire storm was COMING from that island. A bolt of lightning as wide as half the island shot across the sky, illuminating the beach of the play island. And that was where he saw the old man standing in the distance, a tiny black speck. In his hand was a swirling mass of dark energy, the likes of which neither of the Rikkisons had ever seen before. "Jack, Marek? Are you two alright?" Anna Rikkison could be heard yelling from downstairs. They heard her footsteps as she came running up the stairs to them.
"Mom, what's going on?" Jack quickly turned and asked her. She shushed him and walked over, shutting the blinds on the window.
"It's gonna be alright. These things happen every so often. I don't know what could have caused it this time. They never happen this time of year." she told him softly. Marek pushed the blinds open again and stared back out at where he knew Xehanort was standing. "Marek, get away from there right now!" she yelled at him, standing up to walk over to him.
Marek instantly felt something rise up inside him, something completely foreign to him, but he gladly welcomed its warm embrace. "Do not touch me. Don't tell me what to do!" he told her as he turned toward her. He said it in a normal tone, but it was so filled with menace that it stopped her in her tracks. Suddenly, black vapor began to surround him, but he didn't grow alarmed. He merely looked down at himself and looked up at her one final time. "I'm not coming back. Goodbye." he told her coldly. He reached over and punched out the window with one blow.
"MAREK!" she screamed after him, but he leaped out into the storm.
A FEW MOMENTS LATER…
As he sprinted across the beach, his black vapor trailing behind him, he heard a familiar bark and saw the outline of Bane come running out to meet him by the raft. "No, Boy! It's not safe, go find shelter!" he yelled. Bane barked in argument and jumped on the raft. Marek angrily shook his head but jumped on. "You damn mutt! You're gonna get yourself killed!" he yelled. Bane looked over at him and drooped his ears.
PLAY ISLAND…..
"Xehanort!" Marek yelled as he ran out to the plateau where the old man was standing. Thunder crashed, rain poured, and the wind blew at both of their clothes.
"So, does the apprentice leave with the master tonight? Or does he think he can fight his destiny?" Xehanort asked, his voice barely audible through the storm. He stood with his back to the boy, and did not look at him.
"I choose freedom, and liberation from a false life!" Marek yelled in response. Xehanort smirked and slowly turned to stare at him.
"Then welcome aboard, Boy! Together we will unite the worlds!" he yelled happily. But suddenly, he frowned.
"Marek!" another voice yelled. Probably due to the dark vapor or whatever was coming out of his body, but Marek had attuned hearing and sight, and he instantly recognized the voice. He sighed as he turned to look behind him, where Bane was now standing beside Jack. His brother had obviously following him out of concern.
"Leave, Jack! This storm is no place for Mother's favorite child! You will not survive what is coming; Tsunami!" he yelled calmly. His brown haired brother stepped forward, as did Bane, who growled at Xehanort so menacingly that he could hear it through the storm.
"Even the mutt has turned against you, my apprentice. He must be put down along with your weak brother. Both are trying to hold you back." Xehanort spoke, now appearing right behind Marek's shoulder.
"No. My brother will not be hurt, neither will my dog. Both are the only things I care about on these islands." Marek calmly but firmly argued. The old man sighed.
"I see…." he muttered. Suddenly, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a handle that instantly manifested a dagger made of darkness. He quickly drove it into the boy's side. Marek groaned from surprise and pain and lurched forward. He stumbled away from Xehanort and ripped it out. Darkness leaked out of his side now, much to his surprise.
"What?!" he gasped. Suddenly, Bane barked angrily and charged toward the old man, leaping into the air and baring his fangs. "Bane, no!" Marek yelled. Xehanort calmly raised his hand into the air and shot a blast of darkness that connected with the dog and sent him falling to the ground. "BANE!" Marek roared, tears falling down his face without him realizing. He whirled on Xehanort, one hand clutching his side, and the other the dagger.
"Next it is your brother." Xehanort told him, smirking. As he threw his hand back to shoot another blast of darkness, Marek threw his hand into the sand and wrenched out the orb. He focused all of his willpower on it and widened his eyes as the latch clicked open. (Sanctuary is Lost, Two Steps from Hell)
"NO! Next it will be you!" he roared as he thrust his hand inside the orb. The swirling mist instantly circled his hand and shot up his arm, soon encasing his entire body like ants on a carcass. The sensation brought him more pain than he had ever thought, but at the same time, he felt an unmeasurable surge of power. Xehanort merely smirked wider at this and stepped forward.
"The time has come, my apprentice, to cut all ties to the boy known as Marek and become the hybrid to be known as Illusion! A fusion of a boy destined for the darkness and the ancient being itself known as Darkness! Together they forge something unbeatable, and now that power will be mine!" he yelled, reaching up both hands. His eyes instantly turned white and he began to move his hands like he was a puppeteer.
Marek started toward him, but suddenly lost control of his body. He felt himself being turned around to face Jack, who was bent over Bane. The dog looked greatly wounded, and was only managing to whimper faintly. It was this sight that angered Marek more than anything else he had seen. He felt his anger completely take over, and he repulsed his arms with such fury that it sent Xehanort flying off his feet. "I am nor never will be a servant of yours. You are a lesser pawn who has lived far beyond his time and influence!" Marek spoke, but it was not his ten year old voice that was speaking. It was a voice as deep and ancient as the universe itself. The voice belonged to an entity known as Darkness, and it was he who was mostly in control.
"You cannot turn on me, Boy! You will never be able to control your own self now! Darkness will hold you forever! In the end, you will be struck down by those wielding Keyblades and claiming to fight injustice!" Xehanort roared as he got back to his feet. Marek/Darkness hovered in the air and slowly came toward him.
"It will not be I who dies by the hand of another. The same has not been foretold of you, old man." he replied calmly. Marek/Darkness held his hand out and unleashed a wave of dark power that merged with the storm around them. The energy and power built up before focusing down on Xehanort's position and completely obliterating the stretch of land.
Immediately, Marek looked back to Bane and his brother and felt himself take control again. He quickly ran over and ran his hands across the side of his beloved dog, where there was a long gaping wound where darkness oozed out. There was no humane way to save him. But having now merged with the one called Darkness, Marek knew there was a way to save at least some of his friend. He held his hands over his best friend and channeled slow and calm dark vapors into the wound, sealing them up. Bane jumped to his feet the second the wound was healed, but he was not the same. His eyes glowed with a newfound ferocity and he growled in such a way that Marek could tell he was feral now. But Bane seemed to recognize him, cocking his head to the side like he always used to. In another second, the dog barked once and whirled around. He ran down the beach and a portal of darkness opened up suddenly. He ran inside it and disappeared.
It was then that Marek, having felt like his whole world had been lost, looked up to see Jack standing several yards away, facing him. "Give me back my brother!" he demanded. As he was about to reply, the being inside him surged outward, taking control.
"Your brother is gone, and now you will find him in the afterlife!" Darkness roared, forcing Marek forward and summoning a sword of darkness to his hand. He leaped into the air and readied to bring it down on the brown haired boy, who showed no fear.
The real Marek could see all of this being replayed before him, and he knew that from his own mind that day, he screamed for Jack to run, but the words never came out of his mouth. As Illusion's blade of darkness would have ended the life of the Rikkison who would grow to lead the heroes, something unexpected happened. Jack glowed with an unfamiliar aura of light and suddenly sent that energy flying in every direction, catching Illusion in the attack.
The boy Marek felt his body blasted backward from the impact, but he also felt much power from Darkness leave his body. As he regained control of his mind and body, he looked up to see Jack fall to his knees, eyes closed, and arms across his chest as a long line of darkness(no doubt having come from Marek's own body) covering him and finally disappearing inside his chest.
And thus was the first time that Light and Darkness shared a vessel, although a large portion of the latter remained with his intended host. As his brother collapsed, having no idea what had just happened, Marek felt himself falling to the ground. He looked down to see a pool of darkness sucking him in. His home slowly sank from his view, and it was now that he realized just what his jealousy and lust for power had cost him. It had cost him the love of his brother, his only friend and dog, and everything he had but had never treasured. That was the thought that raced through his ten year old body as even his head sank beneath the darkness.
(end Sanctuary is Lost)
UNKNOWN WORLD, UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TIME LATER…..
He groaned as he felt himself waking up. There was something hard against his back and legs, and he was sitting up and leaning against something. He reached up and clutched his head before slowly opening his eyes. He was leaning against a wall, and there seemed to be small buildings all around him. He stumbled to his feet and began to walk around.
He stumbled into what seemed to be the town square and looked around. He saw a sign hanging above him that read "Welcome to Traverse Town!" and so he figured he was in Traverse Town, wherever that was. His mind was foggy, and he didn't remember much of what had happened to him. He just remembered his life and everything back home, and he remembered two names: Illusion and Xehanort.
He was thinking about all of this when he suddenly saw a girl come walking out from a shop. He stopped and looked over at her. She quickly saw his gaze and stopped to look back. She had dark red hair that reached just past her shoulders, her skin was mildly pale but not enough to make it very noticeable, and her eyes reflected off of his with the color of the ocean. His green eyes met her blue ones, and instantly something was struck between them. Although she didn't move toward him, he knew they would meet again. She smiled and narrowed her eyes at him in a confident way as she turned and walked down a side street…..
REAL TRAVERSE TOWN….
"That's enough. No more, Dawnomar…." Marek told him firmly as he sat up, stretching his muscles. The old man in front of him sighed while Jack was sitting across the room with a small smile on his face.
"These things take time, Brother." he told him calmly.
"You can take your stupid endless patience and shove it…" Marek began irritably, but Dawnomar cut him off.
"I still wonder if you have matured at all since the point in time you just visited, Rikkison. Did you learn anything yet?" he said. Marek sighed and shook his head.
"Of course not, other than the fact that Xehanort caused all of it, but I had guessed that years ago. This is pointless." he replied, standing up and heading for the door. Suddenly, Dawnomar twirled his staff, bringing it around the front of Marek's foot and tripping him. He fell to the ground with a thud and shot back up with a glare that could kill.
"You will listen before you go sulking into the shadows like you have spent the last decade." the Ancient told him calmly as Jack stood up.
"Look, Marek. If our past showed you anything, it should be that you can trust me. So do just that. Trust ME. I don't ask that you trust Jason or anyone else, just myself. Can you do that, Brother?" he asked calmly, sincerely hoping to get through his brother's stubborn head. Marek turned away from the door and stared into Jack's hazel eyes for several moments.
"If there is anyone in the worlds I trust, Brother, it's you." he finally replied, albeit begrudgingly. Jack smiled at him.
"Then return to Jason's Tower with me. We have to make a stand before the LE. Eclipse and his master are the real threat and we have to make them realize that." he pleaded.
"No." Marek immediately replied, turning for the door again.
"Marek!" Jack yelled exasperatedly. The white haired Rikkison instantly turned around, his face growing hot with frustration.
"Jack, if I walk in those doors, I'm a target. Do you honestly think that they'll just sit down at a table and let me talk? No. They'll say I'm too dangerous and attack me. Don't think worried about them, because I can take any of them on, but it's just pointless." he explained, trying to stay calm.
"Marek, there is something sinister at work within the heart of the LE. Jason and Riku have both gone insane. And I don't know whether to blame something from the Time Paradox, some remnant of Xehanort, or Corruption, but something is going on and I can't solve this with just three of us. Lea and Rayne are on our side, but they're both busy and I can't do this alone. Kairi's gone missing, as well. We think Eclipse took her from Denerim. So please, come back and help me find out what's happening to the LE. I don't even trust Terra anymore. I can't trust any of them." Jack pleaded with his brother.
All three in the room were silent for a while. Just when Jack thought his brother was going to refuse and walk out, he spoke up. "Alright, Jack. Since this problem might be tied to Eclipse, then I guess our interests are aligned….for now. But I'll make myself clear. If I'm coming to solve this, then we're doing it MY way." Marek told him firmly, and crossed his arms. Apparently those were the terms, and as reluctant as he was, Jack was satisfied.
"Alright, Marek. Let's meet up with the others." he said, sighing a breath of relief.
Well I hope the chapter itself made up for the long wait. I'm so sorry! Is anyone still out there? Haha I'm sure you guys are, so anyway yeah. Marek and Jack have formed a truce. Will it be temporary? Probably. You know how Marek is. Will they get to the bottom of what's happening with the LE? Maybe. What IS behind Jason and Riku going crazy and turning the LE against Marek? I guess we'll find out later! Alright, guys thank you for reviewing and supporting me! As long you are here, I will do my best to keep on trucking! Later!