Hey, guys! Not much to say right now, so straight to the shout outs!

Shadowdragon1317: Definitely hold on to some of those thoughts, because you're on to something! Thanks so much!

Celeron96: Yep, and haha, I see that too! That definitely fits! Well, stay tuned!

Guest: I actually have not, but that would probably be pretty cool! The only reason I choose not to use a lot of Disney worlds is just because of how dark the series has gotten, you know? Thanks so much for the review and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Legionary Prime: Every war has that, don't they? Haha.

Lucenthia: Yeah, I know, but I hope this one makes up for it. That was the last one, promise.

The Unknowing Herald: Yeah, they have a mayor. I meant a military body. My bad, I should have clarified that, haha. Yeah, that was the last time. Thanks.

T1M3: I guess only time will tell, right? Haha, well Terra doesn't want him to take baby steps, is all. Thanks, Twi!

Kristen Verne: That's how my stories usually go, haha! Thanks!

Remember what I own and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 13: Prideful Heritage

"How was Spira?" Sora greeted as they walked into the castle's living room. Pierce glanced over at him as his companions collapsed onto the couches.

"Chaotic, so nothing abnormal." he replied as he opened a protein bar and took a decent sized bite. The other man raised an eyebrow.

"Anything going on besides your run-in with Lorans?" he asked. Pierce nodded as he swallowed.

"What's Sin, in Spiran culture?" he asked as he took another bite. Sora thought for a moment.

"I remember Yuna saying something about it back during the war against Marek, but I don't know any details. Let's see what we can find out." he said as he turned to his computer and began searching through Spira's database entry. "Sin….Sin…." he muttered under his breath. "Found it!" he exclaimed excitedly a moment later. Pierce quickly stood to his feet and walked over to look himself. His eyes widened at what he saw.

On the screen was the image of an enormous whale-like creature with massive arms and a long scaly tail. "Dear light….." he whispered. Sora heard him and began reading the information.

"According to the databanks, Sin got its name from the followers of the Yevon religion, who believed it was a monster of vengeance ravaging their world until they atoned for their wrongs. The Maesters of Yevon used the people's fear of the creature to obtain more and more power." he explained. Pierce narrowed his eyes as he glanced at his companions, all of whom looked back at him with the same look in their eyes. Maesters of Yevon….

"Seymour and Mika used that to enslave the populace?" he asked. Sora nodded, slightly surprised himself by the former vessel of Xehanort being involved with the creature.

"There used to be four Maesters: Grand Maester Mika, Kelk Ronso, Lord Kinoc, and Seymour Guado. All are deceased. Funnily enough, Kinoc and Kelk were both slain by Seymour, who wanted to merge with Sin and destroy the universe." he replied.

"Cliché much…." Shin muttered, and Terra shook her head slightly.

"What else does it say about the creature?" Ava asked as she walked up to stand next to her boyfriend. Sora scrolled down and kept reading.

"Sin's origins were discovered just before its final defeat by High Summoner Yuna and her Guardians. Long ago in the world's history, there was a great war between the cities of Zanarkand and Bevelle. They kept building great machines of war called Machina, and Zanarkand was doomed from the start. At the climax of the war, the city's leader, Yu Yevon, transformed all of his people into undead entities that would forever summon his vengeance, the monster called Sin. For 1000 years, it would travel throughout Spira, destroying all in its path. Let's thank the light that it never spread to the rest of the universe. Why is this so important?" he asked after he read it all. Pierce swallowed hard and looked at the others. Ava's eyes shone with worry, Lulu was shaking her head, and Shin and Terra sighed in exasperation.

"Things….happened while we were in Spira….." Pierce began.

SPIRA, SECOND HALF OF THE MISSION….

"Thanks for meeting with us, Yuna."

"No problem. Baralai's meeting with Jason and the other world leaders right now, but the rest of us are here continuing preparations for the war effort."

"I heard someone outside say something about the…..Beckoning? What's that mean?"

"It's complicated. A couple of months ago, the Pyreflies in the Farplane began taking on the shape of deceased men and women. We didn't notice anything abnormal until they began leaving the Farplane and walking among the living. Soon, it wasn't just humans. Animals and Fiends were reappearing too. It wasn't long before we discovered that those returning were being called back, or beckoned, by the living. They could only come back to the living if someone wanted them back with all of their heart."

"Wait, is this a good or a bad thing?"

"I'm not sure yet. I just know…."

"Yuna! Yuna, where are you?!"

"Wakka, we're in here! What's going on?!"

"You need to come outside, now!"

SEVERAL MINUTES LATER….

"This isn't possible!"

"What is that thing?!"

"Sin! Sin has returned!"

"Who would have called it?! This doesn't make any sense!"

"I'll send word to Baralai! Pierce, you and your friends need to get out of here. I'll speak to the rest of the council and figure out what to do. In the meantime, the LE needs to prepare! We won't be any help in the war if we have to face Sin, too!"

PRESENT….

"Perfect….." Sora muttered after he finished telling him. It was then that Andrix walked into the room.

"So what are we gonna do about it?" he asked. The highest ranking agent there sighed as he stood up and placed his hand on Pierce's shoulder.

"We're gonna wait to hear from Yuna before we jump to their aid. For all we know, they could have something planned already. In the meantime, the five of you are needed elsewhere." Sora told him.

"Where are you sending us?" Shin asked him as the rest of them gathered around.

"Radiant Garden, for now, but don't get too comfortable there. Arthur sent along a message asking for aid, too. Jason said it wasn't urgent, though, so to Radiant Garden you're going. That's where Jack wanted you. It's an obvious target for the Ancients, and the rest of the Keyblade wielders are spread thin. With three of you not being wielders, you're perfect for the job." Sora explained as he turned his back to them.

"And what are we going to do there?" Pierce asked him. The older man didn't turn around when he answered.

"That's where you'll be assigned, for now. We need people on the ground in the event that Adenar chooses that world as his first place of conquest." he told him. The young Rikkison nodded as his team moved toward the door. Lulu had just gripped the doorknob when it was yanked open from the other side.

"Not just yet. Pierce, Jack needs to talk to us before you set out." Terra(the guy) announced as he stepped inside. Pierce raised his eyebrows but nodded and followed him as he walked past.

"Wait for me here." he called back to the others as he walked down to the basement.

He found Riku already waiting down there, and Sora appeared a few moments later. Finally, Jack walked in and shut the door. "I left Aqua, Namine, and Xion in Kamirran because we need to discuss something." he told them

"I take it there's a reason why there's only five us in this meeting instead of everyone?" Riku spoke up. Jack nodded as he sat down in a chair. Sora and Pierce took the remaining seats while Terra and Riku leaned against the wall.

"Something is moving against us. We know the Ancients and the Divine Beings are out there, but I'm sensing something different. I went to Kamirran to track Adenar, but instead I found something else." he began, reaching into his pocket and pulling out something. He held it up, showing it to be a sealed vial with red liquid inside it.

"What is it?" Terra asked him. The former Wanderer glanced at each of them before answering.

"Blood." he replied simply.

"Whose blood?" Sora asked, but Jack just shrugged his shoulders. Riku sighed and shook his head.

"So what's important about it?" he asked. The new field commander tossed it to him.

"Put it close to your ear and listen." he instructed. With a look that conveyed his feeling of stupidity, Riku slowly placed it by his ear and listened. To his great surprise, he heard voices. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but he could discern a few words.

"Where is our Prince?! We cannot live without him…."

"Who is Prince?" he asked as he lowered it again and handed it to Sora, who listened to them himself.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, that's why I brought this back. The only people in Kamirran were the cannibalistic worshippers of the Anvil of Keys. With that now in our possession, they've almost entirely killed each other in their madness. This blood does not belong to anyone from that world. But at the same time, I don't sense any Ancient properties in it, and if there's anything in it from the Divine Beings, it's very minute and I haven't seen it." Jack replied, but his eyes widened as he finished talking.

For the vial had slipped through Sora's fingers and plummeted to the floor, where it shattered on impact. This alone surprised Jack, because it was nowhere near a height that would cause it to break. But what came next surprised him more.

The small amount of blood that had been in the vial morphed into a hard liquid many times its original size. Strong tendrils rose up and wrapped themselves around Sora's body, knocking him out of his chair. "Sora!" they all yelled. Terra quickly stepped forward and stomped on the rising mound of blood, but found his foot stuck in it as the red liquid snaked up his leg and pulled him off his feet. He landed with a crash as the blood wound around his arms and trapped him. Riku and Pierce slashed at it with their Keyblades, causing it to let go of Sora and attack them instead.

Wanderer's Judgment swung through each of the arms, and all of them quickly moved to the doorway where Jack was. "Firaga, together!" he yelled at them. They quickly turned toward the blood, which was now taller than them and coming fast. Great orbs of fire shot out of each of their blades and hit it simultaneously. They heard a shrill shriek like a boar in pain, and for the next several moments saw nothing but smoke.

"What in light's name was that?!" Pierce exclaimed as the smoke cleared and revealed a black scorch mark on the floor.

"Whoever the Prince is, let's hope he's not an enemy…" Sora muttered.

"I kinda doubt that, Sora." Riku spoke as he bent down and ran his fingers through the spot where the blood had been. He held them up to see dark vapor trailing from it for a few moments before disappearing.

"Pure darkness. I haven't seen it like this since Ansem and I shared a body. Whoever the Prince is, his blood has darkness in it, and that probably means he isn't on our side." he elaborated.

"Then he's an ally of Maechil." Terra commented.

"Not necessarily. Wrythenann is a being of darkness, but so far, he's remained neutral. Let's just hope it stays that way." Jack argued, but then he looked over at Riku. "You should look into the Prince and see what you can find out about him. You're the one in the Agency who knows the most about the darkness, and maybe you've met this guy before under a different name or something. We have to learn what side he's on." he told him. Riku nodded after a moment, not enthused at all.

"Got it." he replied as he made for the door. The older Rikkison then looked to Pierce, who nodded.

"Radiant Garden, I know." he told him as he followed Riku, leaving him alone with Terra and Sora.

"Any sightings on Adenar?" he asked them. Sora shook his head.

"Nothing in the worlds on the Council's charter. But that doesn't include the Crossroads and the Keyblade Graveyard." he answered. Jack nodded and turned away.

"I can head to the Crossroads." Terra offered as he walked toward the door. The other man looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks. I'll check the Graveyard. Sora, can you handle things here?" he replied as he looked at his cousin.

"Andrix and I are heading out for a patrol, but Mist can manage here." Sora answered. He saw a shadow pass over Jack's face at the mention of his wife, but none of them said anything more as they walked out and went in their separate directions.

SOME TIME LATER….

(Jack's Theme{Something to Believe In, Epic Score})

To this day, he couldn't set eyes on the Keyblade Graveyard without the events that had happened there replaying before his eyes. He couldn't remember how many times he had thought about those things, but being here made him think about them yet again. This world was so historically important, but he hated it. Almost everything in history had happened here. The three Keyblade Wars, the hollow victory he and his friends had achieved after Eraqus' first demise, and everything else.

Even so, there was something about this world that gave him serenity. He looked up at the cloudy sky, and felt like it was closer to the ground than the other worlds. It was nice to be reminded that no matter how much he was responsible for, he was still only a small piece of the universe and of humanity. With or without him, the life of the universe would tick on, and as odd as it sounded, it helped him to be reminded of that.

He looked back down at the ground and swallowed. Enough nostalgia. He was here for a reason. Even from the atmosphere, he knew something was off. He could tell that someone had been here recently, and there were only two kinds of people who came to the Keyblade Graveyard: LE Agents and their enemies. He didn't know whether it was Adenar that had come here, but he was going to find out. He set off at a jog, going slow enough to notice everything but fast enough to satisfy him.

He could smell it now. The sickly smell of rust that intertwined with the passage of time and created the stench that Marek had labeled Decay, which also served as the original name for Corruption at the time of its birth. After the battle with Eclipse and Anetar, Jack had known that he needed to know as much as he could about their enemies, and so he had dug further into Jason's library than he ever had before.

He had discovered a great deal, but about the Temples and the Divine Beings, very little. Indeed, the most notable things he had discovered were the original names of Light, Darkness, and Corruption. Light, also called Justice. Darkness, also called Discord, and Corruption, also called Decay. One statement had piqued his interest, though, and he didn't quite know what it meant.

"Justice, Discord, and Decay. These three were made before, and showed to be more predictable and containable, and so were chosen instead as the Ancients' handpicked children. Decay quickly fell out of favor with his masters, and was thrust out, forgotten. Justice and Disorder both yearned for their creators' full attention, and began their everlasting war. Only at the end of all things shall the three brothers stand beside each other once more. When the three brothers stand as one, they shall yet again prove to be superior in mind, and show that they were made before."

That one paragraph had stuck out to him more than anything else in the entire library. Made before what? Showed to be more containable than what? They were chosen instead. He had more questions and no answers.

Corruption had been here recently. Why, he couldn't tell. The valley was filled with dead Keys as it had always been, and nothing seemed to have changed. But then he looked out at the center of the valley and saw something.

It had definitely crossed his mind once or twice to use all of his strength and rip down that damn plateau. Ever since Xehanort made it rise out of the earth, it had been a beacon for trouble. And looking now, the thought reappeared in his mind yet again. (End Jack's Theme)

He called Wanderer's Judgment to his hand and walked down the path toward the plateau, where he saw a lone figure standing atop it, waiting for him.

He kept walking until he got within twenty yards of it and stopped. He glared up at the figure, not recognizing him. "Come down and show yourself!" he yelled. The figure laughed as he spread his arms wide, showing his arms were covered in black gauntlets that turned his fingers into claws. In another moment, he leaped off and began to descend as he thrust his hand into the rock face and dragged it, using it to slow his fall.

Within a few moments, he landed in a crouch across from the Keyblader and stood to his feet. "Who are you?" Jack asked him. Truthfully, only Pierce would have recognized him. The man stood up, his red hair reaching past his shoulders as he sneered arrogantly.

"I'm your heritage, Jack. Your daughter is my legacy, and she inherited what I once wielded! I am Blaze Rikkison, son of Naithyk, the original wielder of the X-blade!" he yelled as he reached out his hand. Instantly, a replica of the physical X-blade appeared in his hand, colored completely black. Jack stared at him for a long moment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just wondering why Maechil would call you when he already has another warrior who held the X-blade." he countered politely, staring at him. Blaze's sneer faltered, replaced by a furious glare.

"Vanitas is not worthy of the X-blade! He was never meant to have it. Only I can have the Ancient's most powerful weapon!" he yelled angrily. Jack smirked as he began pacing back and forth.

"Sounds like you've got a superiority complex. That never ends well." he replied. Blaze immediately held his hand up, and a dozen men appeared atop the plateau, wearing shining armor and helmets that completely covered their faces. "So the mighty Blaze has to call for Maechil's soldiers when he takes on somebody." he commented as the Ancient soldiers began rappelling down the cliff side and landed next to their leader. Blaze readied his weapon as his soldiers did the same.

"Don't talk down to me, Jack Rikkison. I am the superior Rikkison. You deny your heritage, you and your pathetic father. We were gods among men once. But now you, your father, your children, and your wretched brother are reduced to vagabonds living apart from humanity. Maechil wants you alive, so I guess I'll have to settle for serious injuries." he announced. Jack held the tip of his blade toward his opponent and then flipped it around into his ready stance.

"Superior, huh? Why don't you prove it?" he taunted. (Hot Wind Blowing, Metal Gear Rising)

"Take him!" Blaze roared as he charged. His troops rallied around him as he ran to meet his descendant. He clashed his blade against Jack's, but the former Wanderer wrung their weapons in a circle, breaking the lock as he aimed a kick at the red headed man's face. Blaze fell back momentarily and three of his men immediately moved toward the LE agent.

Jack's blade rang loudly as he traded blows with the nearest one. He pushed the man's sword to the side and leaped up, spinning around and kicking him back into his fellows. The second man yelled loudly as he leaped into the air and raised his weapon high, intending to crush the hero beneath it. Jack smirked slightly as he rolled forward, causing the man to hit the ground. He instantly dashed back to him and grabbed onto the man's collar, yanking him off his feet and launching him through the air toward Blaze, who coldly impaled him with his blade and knocked him out of the way.

"When can I start trying?!" Jack called out as he struck down another soldier and zapped a third with a thunder spell. He ran forward and engaged two others simultaneously, quickly dispatching them. Then another came up from behind him and picked him up in a crushing bear hug while his fellow came to end him. With an enormous effort, Jack managed to lurch forward and pulled the man with him. He went into a crashing somersault and elbowed the soldier in the face, knocking him out. He then rolled forward and threw his blade as he came up. It connected to the final man and struck him down.

Wanderer's Judgment rocketed back to his hand, and he twirled it as he spun around and blocked Blaze's strike. He pushed forward, raining offensive strikes down on the other man, causing him to back step and block. Blaze then spun and swung low, expecting to strike Jack's legs, but the younger man had seen it coming and leaped forward, front flipping and landing behind him. The red head snarled furiously as he turned and punched the ground.

Boulders shot up out of the ground instantly. Jack leaped high to avoid it, but Blaze jumped up to him and tackled him out of the air. He landed on top of the hero and punched him hard in the face. Jack grunted as he got punched again. "Giving up yet?" he asked as he spat a mouthful of blood into Blaze's face. The other man grunted in irritation as he moved to wipe it out of his eyes. The former Wanderer saw his chance and reached up with his ankles, wrapping them around Blaze's neck from behind and slamming him down onto the ground. He then channeled a stream of fire out of his palms that propelled him off the ground, where he called Wanderer's Judgment back to his hand and brought it crashing down.

Blaze had blocked him, and was smirking. "The mighty Jack Rikkison. Oh, how the Ancients fear you. I see no reason why. You are a capable warrior. I shall grant you that much. However, there is little you can do against this!" he yelled as his eyes began to glow and he looked toward the sky. Jack looked up, as well, only to see a massive portal in the sky, out of which a massive ship was sailing. He and Blaze glanced back at each other, but the red head kicked him in the stomach and knocked him backward. By the time he looked back, the other man was gone.

He turned his attention to the ship, which was already out of the portal and making its way toward the Lanes. He was about to mount his rider when he saw a flash of black armor pass him.

He looked to the sky and saw someone in a suit of black armor that was filled with strange glyphs and indentions soaring toward the ship, dark energy pouring out of his limbs. He smiled to himself as he mounted his rider and quickly followed him.

"You really like to be unpredictable, don't you!?" he yelled to his brother as he pulled up next to him. Marek's helmet turned toward him momentarily, and he heard the other man laugh.

"Would you expect any different?!" he yelled back as he forced more energy out of his limbs, speeding past his brother. Jack rolled his eyes and sped up, as well.

Together, they crashed into the cockpit with weapons in hand. Marek threw his throwing knives in every direction and slammed his Keyblade on top of the captain, knocking him down in one hit. Jack ran to the stairway, seeing a group of soldiers climbing up toward them. He smirked as he smashed the loading bay button and moved to the side, slicing through the stairway railings with one stroke.

The soldiers yelled pathetically as the stairs collapsed underneath them and sent them falling into the loading bay, where they slowly but surely slid down the open ramp and plummeted downward to their deaths.

After that, he quickly looked back to see Marek had dealt with the rest of the crew and was watching him. "What now?" he asked the white haired man. Marek took off his helmet and smirked.

"We send this crashing into the canyon." he replied, whirling around and smashing the controls with Wanderer's Legacy. Sirens immediately began blaring, and within moments they could feel the ship lurching downward.

The ship itself quickly went into a nosedive down for the surface of the Keyblade Graveyard. Those few still alive in the ship could do nothing to save themselves, but as it neared the ground, a decent sized hole appeared in the back end of it, out of which the brothers soared up out of the falling behemoth. They hovered in mid-air and watched the ship hit the ground with a shockwave that blew smoke in every direction for miles.

(end Hot Wind Blowing)

Well, I hope you enjoyed Blaze's first little bit of screen time! I also made a couple of teasers as to what the future worlds will be like, mostly Spira, haha! But alright, thanks for reading and I'll see ya next time!