Hello everyone. So, by my usual standards, this chapter is up pretty quick, huh? Well anyways, sorry if I haven't been very prompt in getting back to you lately, but I've been temporarily relocated for the summer to an area with pretty poor internet. In fact, I have practically no internet - I'm only barely able to upload this chapter now as it is. Since I had to jump on this opportunity, I didn't have the chance to triple proof read like I normally do, so hopefully there aren't too many errors. If there are, then I'll upload an edited version sometime in the future. That's all for now. Enjoy!
Phantom's body felt…unpleasant. His limbs and joints twisted in unnatural ways that should be excruciating, but the pain was barely held at bay by some unseen anesthetic. Limbs jerked sporadically and his fingers curled tight against his palms. But his external agony was nothing compared to the chaos in his soul.
A dark void was violently probing his mind. Sharp tendrils of darkness ripped every thought from his consciousness. The first thing to go was his memories. Visions of his childhood – his parents, his home, playing with friends, his old lover; all were voraciously devoured by the darkness. And the more memories that it consumed, the more insatiable it became. The tendrils began to probe deeper, delving into all corners of his mind, stripping away his being, until even his name – something so fundamental to his existence– was stripped away… and he wanted it back.
He began to push back. It took intense concentration, but eventually the tendrils began to recede, leaving empty nothingness in their wake. He would not allow it. He opened himself out, extending his will out beyond his limits. He began probing the dark; capturing it; encasing it; pulling it back in. And as his scattered, disjointed memories began to reconstruct themselves, Phantom began to sense his body again. His lungs filling with air. His arms and legs – still bent and twisted – seemed to be under his control again. Fingers stretching into the blackness. Ears straining to hear.
Slowly, his eyes began to work. Vague, monochromatic shapes flashed before his eyes. Phantom extended his growing will, and his vision became crisper. The color returned to his surroundings. Everything around him looked unreal compared to the darkness he had just emerged from. The edges of the tall, stone buildings looked too sharp. The light spilling out from the wavy metal lampposts was too bright. There was no doubt about it – he was in another world.
Huge stone walls loomed around a small courtyard paved with beige stepping stones. Two twisted streetlamps bathed the square in a warm light, which was completely deserted – although signs of life could be seen.
Circular wooden tables – some still having the remnants of a meal on them – were strewn about an empty café to Phantom's left. A candle that was flickering softly in the apartment above the café was suddenly snuffed out as the rooms occupant settled into bed.
Another streetlamp sat at the top of a small set of stone steps. Phantom leaned heavily against the metal railing as he navigated the steps, his eyes drinking in his surroundings. Apparently he was in the town's market. A brightly lit sign at the top of the steps advertised jewelry while the shop to his left bore the vague title of 'Item Shop'.
Passing by several more shops – a significant number of which were vacant – Phantom came upon two massive wooden doors. He pressed a shaking palm against it and paused. Something was bothering him. A memory – no, a purpose. Yes, he was forgetting something. Phantom closed his eyes. Eight figures, hooded and cloaked in black, writhing on the ground. A red tattoo receding. Organization XIII. Simply remembering the name flooded his mind with thoughts and memories of ambition and conquest. The memories flashed through his mind in barely a second, and they left him feeling drained and confused. He couldn't quite place the memories, but it was obvious that he had, at some point, been intent on defeating the Organization. And that thought filled him with purpose.
Phantom pushed the wooden doors open, and proceeded.
The Second District was much larger and more wide-open then the first. Consisting of a rectangular lower level ringed by a raised walkway, this part of the town seemed like it is, or was at one point, the center of business. Numerous shops and apartments lined the edges of the square. Most had dusty 'out-of-business' signs prominently displayed in their front windows, but a few showed signs of occupancy. Scattered beams of golden light shined from the upstairs windows of a smattering of the buildings. One even had a spiral of smoke rising from its chimney. Unlike the lights from the First District, these were not made by the flickering of candlelight, but by some constant and unseen technological marvel. Indeed, everything in this district - from the uniformly cut tiling to the buzzing signs hanging over shop doors - suggested that this part of town was more technologically advanced than the other. Even the architecture of the surrounding buildings seemed slightly different; the lines of the buildings were more precise and uniform and the bricks and tile were machine cut with crisp, clean lines.
Phantom made his way down one of the upper paths, before stopping to catch his breath. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass of a nearby window, which helped somewhat to soothe the headache that was begin to form. Phantom scanned the contents of the shop window: a few flowery dresses worn by faceless mannequins, and several bits of jewelry displayed on satiny red pillows.
The jewelry reminded him of something. Phantom looked at his own hands, noticing with some shock that they were completely unadorned. His jewelry was gone. No…not jewelry…ARM. At the thought Phantom stumbled back from the window as though struck. A flood of memories surged through his mind, overwhelming him and loosening his already fragile hold on his existence. For a second time his memories were stripped away, swallowed into the abyss that was threatening to consume his entire body at any moment. He couldn't even remember his own name. At that realization he fell to his knees. The darkness forced its way into his being, probing far deeper than before. He clutched onto the metal railing, not only to control the spasms that had resumed, but to give his mind something to hold on to. He focused on the cold metal, on the way it pushed back, unyielding against his grip. And slowly he pushed back against the darkness. Forcing it out again. Drawing back his identity from the void.
Phantom spent some time hunched over on the ground, completely blind, sweat dripping from his forehead and pooling on the smooth tile.
Once Phantom had regained his vision, he realized how utterly exposed he was, standing in the middle of the plaza. He shakily made his way down a set of stone steps and into a long alley, which bent behind a row of nearby buildings. Following the path, he came to another large, wooden door, with the words 'District Three' carefully painted above. Like the door leading into the second district, it swung soundlessly open with little force.
Compared to the other two districts, this one was tiny, and definitely the least visited of the three. Bits of wood – left over from previous construction projects - were propped up in the corners of the square, forgotten. The windows of the surrounding buildings were completely dark, and a few even had large pieces missing, leaving jagged holes that grinned at him in the darkness.
Stepping out onto a rather large stone landing, Phantom took note of another change in architecture. His footsteps echoed on the spiral paving stones as he descended a wide set of steps. The stones transitioned to large square tiles as he stepped out into a wide square, edged with more lampposts. His eyes were immediately drawn to the opposite corner of the square, where a brightly lit golden fountain stood. On closer inspection it appeared to be of two dogs kissing. The fountain wasn't running, and Phantom peered into the mirror-like pool.
The face staring back at him was unfamiliar. His skin was a pale, ashen color. He was never very large, but his shoulders and arms were dangerously thin. But what was most shocking (although Phantom noted that his reaction was much more subdued than he was expecting) was his face. A vaguely humanoid sphere, there was little else there to distinguish it as his own. Two thin, pale lips, parted indifferently; a non-existent nose; and two black strips for eyes. No – this is not how he remembered himself. This was all wrong.
An image forced its way into his mind. A young man, dressed in pale blue robes with a large, white bandage concealing his entire right arm; pale blue hair topping a familiar face with deep purple eyes and a small, knowing smile. It was himself – or how he remembered himself looking.
Slowly the vision dissolved, leaving behind only the blank visage reflecting in the still pool. Though it was slightly different. The skin held a healthier flush. His lips were not as thin, and they twitched oddly as they formed a familiar sardonic grin. Phantom recalled the memory, and slowly the reflection in the water morphed into a vague simulacrum of the one that Phantom remembered. He slowly touched his face. Yes, it had changed. He could feel his nose, and saw his purple eyes blinking back at him.
Phantom tore his gaze away from his reflection, and up to the gold statue. For some reason the fountain was bothering him. The way that the golden light fell upon the statue; its prominence in the square; its carefully detailed features – all suggested that the fountain was meant to elicit an emotional response. But Phantom felt nothing – not saccharine joy or happiness, which were the obvious feelings that the sculptor was attempting to evoke. Not even a sense of cloying sentimentality that he knew he'd normally be feeling at the sight of it.
What cropped up instead was even more…disturbing. Images flashed through his mind's eye. Memories of his childhood; of flowers, and candies, and couples holding hands, and a multitude of other remembrances that he had grown to view as being overly-sentimental. And as the stream of consciousness rushed through his mind, he felt himself losing control of his thin grasp of reality. His limbs twitched and twisted more chaotically. His face was wiped clean, back to an unpainted, blank canvas. And that's when he heard the voice behind him.
"Bereft of heart, your form will be claimed by Nothingness. And nothingness, you will become."
Ginta felt his stomach rise up to his chest as he hung, weightless in midair. The image of the shadow filled courtyard was wiped from his vision, only to be replaced by complete, overwhelming darkness. His breath was coming in short, tight bursts. The sudden appearance of those shadow creatures coupled with his inability to see anything in front of him was making him terribly anxious. He kept worrying that the creatures were still there, slinking towards him in the darkness.
Luckily, he could still feel the cold steel of Babbo's handle in his grip. Which meant that he was alive and intact. Hopefully. The odd sensation of weightlessness gave way as his feet settled onto solid ground. His vision, however, was still completely black.
The lack of light was beginning to bother him. He was growing more claustrophobic; the intense weight of the darkness seemed to be closing in about him, suffocating him. Ginta shut his eyes, hoping to escape the darkness. Instead, he used his other senses to figure out where he was.
The air was cool – almost uncomfortably so, and it tasted somewhat stale. The faint sounds of rustling clothing and nervous shifting echoed in the darkness. He scraped one his shoes against the hard, rock-solid ground. Suddenly, Ginta heard a voice.
"Would whoever's hand that is please remove it?" Dorothy said, a note of annoyance in her voice.
"Sorry," Nanashi said, though he didn't sound too ashamed. "I'm trying to remember where I put that light ARM." Ginta strained his eyes, trying desperately to locate the others through the blackness. "Ah, here it is."
A bright, intense light burst through the darkness, causing Ginta's eyes to snap shut again. He spent a few moments blinking furiously, trying to adjust his vision to the light. Once the glare faded from his eyes he took stock of the situation.
He appeared to be in some sort of small cave, except that there was no visible entrance. A small orb of light – similar to the one Dorothy used back in the Chess Pieces' castle – was floating above a square wooden table, around which most of the others were gathered. Numerous dusty crates and old wooden barrels were stacked neatly against the far wall, which appeared to have been created from a recent cave-in. Three small cots were pressed up against the flat rock wall behind him.
"Snow!" Ginta said, spotting her. She was lying, still unconscious, on the stone floor. Kneeling next to her was Ed.
"Oh, princess," Ed said, taking her hand. "Please be okay."
"She's okay," Ginta said, relieved that some of the color had started to return to her cheeks. "Just very tired." He picked her up and laid her down gently on one of the cots. Ed was instantly at her side.
"Thank you," the dog said, his eyes welling with tears. "Thank you for bringing her back." Ginta nodded, then he turned back to the others.
"Where are we?" he said, stepping towards the table.
"My emergency base," Nanashi said. He had his head stuck partway into one of the crates as he rummaged around. "I set it up a few years ago, just in case I ever needed to make a quick escape and the headquarters back at Luberia wasn't an option. Here," he said, tossing a bundle of blankets at Jack. "Make up those beds." Jack caught them and began to spread them out over the cots.
"How did we get here?" he asked as he draped a blanket over Snow.
"I used Adardta to teleport us here," Nanashi said as he busied himself with another crate. "It seemed like the safest place I could think of."
"Good thinking," Dorothy admitted, even though she looked like she was still deciding whether or not to slap Nanashi. "I was running out of ideas back there."
Ginta remembered the small, black shadow creatures and shivered. If Nanashi hadn't thought to run, he was sure that they'd have been overrun.
"What were those things?" Ginta said, taking a seat at the table. "Those – shadow creatures… Were they ARM?"
"I doubt it," Dorothy said, sitting down across from him. "I've never seen anything like it. Which leads me to believe that they have something to do with Organization XIII."
"Agreed," Gaira said, taking the third seat. He had his hand pressed up to his arm, where a large cut was leaking blood through his fingers. Probably a wound from one of the shadow creatures.
"Well, there's good news and bad news," Nanashi said, joining them at the table. He deposited a bundle of bandages onto the table, and Dorothy set to work attending to Gaira's arm. He also set down four wooden tankards full of the red juice that used to be Alan's preferred drink. "The good news is that quite a bit of the food held up, so we have supplies. The bad news is that I never expected there to be this many people in here at one time, so they'll probably go fast."
"I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in a cave, anyway," Babbo said, hopping up onto the corner of the table so that he could look everyone in the eye.
Everyone was bunched together around the tiny table, but Ginta couldn't help but feel like someone was missing. He surveyed the room. Ed was currently keeping watch over Snow, and everyone else was at the table. A faint glistening in the corner of the room caught his eye. It took a few seconds to pick her out, since she was so tiny, but eventually he focused on Belle hovering at shoulder height. Leaning heavily against the wall, partially obscured by shadows, was the person Ginta had forgotten.
"Something's wrong with Alviss!" Belle squeaked.
Alviss was leaning against the wall. He was holding his arms out in front of him, a look on his face suggesting that he'd never seen them before. They did look different, almost…empty.
Ginta jumped up from his seat. "Your tattoo!" It wasn't an illusion. The incurable Zombie Tattoo was conspicuously absent from Alviss' body. Not even Babbo's Holy ARM transformation, Alice, had any effect.
Alviss moved his hands closer to his face. "I don't understand it. The only way to get rid of the tattoo is for Phantom himself to remove the original tattoo from his own body. But he would never do that."
"I guess he did," Ginta said, cracking a grin. Alviss tore his gaze away from his hands, and a small smile crept onto his face. "I never thought I'd be rid of it." The relief in his voice was tangible. His shoulders relaxed, and his eyes gleamed with new life. It was like the weight of the world had lifted from his shoulders.
"Well, at least something good happened today," Ginta said, slapping him on the back. Alviss' smile quickly disappeared, replaced by sheer determination. He strode toward the table, pushing the empty tankards to the side.
"We can't stay here. Nanashi, do you have a map?"
"Yeah." Nanashi rummaged around in another crate before returning with an old, slightly worn map. He spread it out on the center of the table, using the empty tankards to pin down the edges. "It's an old one, but it's still fairly accurate."
Alviss' eyes darted around the map. After a few moments he pointed to Regenlief castle.
"This is where those creatures first appeared," he said, tracing a circle around the castle with his finger. "So we have to assume that it's fallen."
"I would go so far as saying that anything out in the open has as well," Nanashi said. "Our ARM were practically useless against those things. I can't imagine anyone else being able to hold them off for long."
"No way," Ginta interjected. "How can you just say that everyone is gone?"
"We have to plan for the worst case scenario," Alviss said quickly, before returning to the map. "That means that Gheilerul Port, Elto Town, Vestry, Acalupa Port and Pazurika Island are all lost," he said, crossing out each location as he said it.
"The Cross Guard has several secure garrisons," Gaira added, pointing out their locations on the map. "We should check to see if any have gathered there."
"I'll take a look around Luberia," Nanashi said. "I know of a few places like these that the other thieves like to use. I'm sure that a few fled there at the first sign of trouble."
"That doesn't leave us with a lot places to go," Babbo said grimly. "And I would rather avoid being locked up in a cave for the rest of my life. If only there was someplace safe…"
"Kaldea," Dorothy said, her hands on her hips. "It's one of the most protected countries on the planet. It has more magical defenses than you even know exist."
"But you said yourself that you've never seen these creatures before," Alviss said. "We can't assume that Kaldea is untouched."
"I'll go check, just to make sure," Dorothy said evenly, though she looked slightly rigid, like she wasn't entirely sure her home was safe.
"Gaira and I will go search the other garrisons for more troops," Alviss said. "Nanashi, you come with us, and then we'll go check for any survivors from Luberia." Nanashi nodded and rose from the table.
"What about us?" Ginta said. "Who should Jack, Babbo and me go with?"
"Stay here," Alviss said. Ginta opened his mouth to object, but Alviss held up a hand. "Someone needs to look after Snow. If those creatures find her, she'll be defenseless. Ginta frowned. He made a good point, but he still didn't want to be left behind.
"Anyway, you need to rest," Babbo said to him. "You've been through a lot lately with no break." Ginta noticed the ache permeating his body. Not only that, but the all of the running he did during the rescue mission had reopened his wounds. Warm, red blood forced through the medical gel that had been sealing them. The medicine that had been magically keeping him awake for the past few hours was beginning to wear off, too. His eyes were itching with tiredness, and he was finding it difficult to remain standing. Maybe it was a good idea for him to rest a little.
Alviss, Dorothy, Nanashi, and Gaira departed, and Ginta immediately felt his legs buckle. He made straight for the nearest cot. Ed was eyeing him suspiciously, so Ginta chose the bed farthest away from Snow and sank into it. It was stiff and squeaky, but he hardly cared. He barely had time to pull the blanket up to his chin before he was asleep.
Ginta woke with a start. He was still lying on a cot in Nanashi's cave. He must have been thrashing around a bit, since his blanket was coiled tightly around his right leg, cutting off the circulation. He was shivering, too – and only partly from the cold. His dreams had been permeated by the shadow monsters. The creatures were constantly squirming at the corner of his vision, getting closer with every second. Even now Ginta was eyeing the dark corners of the cave suspiciously.
It took a few moments for Ginta to extricate himself from his blankets, and then he swung his legs off of the cot.
"Look who's finally awake," Babbo said from his seat at the table. Jack, Ed, and Belle were there too. Along with Snow.
"Snow!" Ginta said, jumping to his feet and rushing towards her. "You're awake."
"Thanks to you," she said, smiling. She looked much better than before, although she still was awfully pale. Her eyes were red, and the skin around them was puffy.
"We were filling in Snow on what happened after she was kidnapped," Babbo said grimly. "There wasn't a lot of good news…"
"Oh Alan," Snow sniffed. Ginta laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to think of something comforting to say. "We have to stop Organization XIII," she said, and Ginta was taken aback by the steeliness of her voice. Apparently she wanted revenge just as much as he did.
"We will. I promise," Ginta said, nodding. "The others haven't gotten back yet?"
"Not yet," Belle said, fluttering down to take a seat on an overturned tankard. "I hope they're okay."
"They will be," Ginta said, but he wasn't so sure. The shadow creatures from his dream still hovered in the back of his mind. He got a sinking feeling as he realized that the others could be killed and they'd never even know it. Which would leave him and the others who were left behind trapped in this cave forever. No, he shouldn't think like that – it wouldn't do any good. He'd just have to be patient.
"How long was I out for?" Ginta asked, hoping that it was just a few hours.
"About twelve hours," Ed said. "Give or take – it's hard to tell in this cave. You must have been pretty exhausted."
"Twelve hours?" Ginta said, rubbing his eyes. The others should have been back by now. Refusing to dwell on it, he quickly cast his gaze around the room, hoping for something to keep him occupied. He surveyed the table, which was littered with the remains of a recent meal.
"I'm sorry Ginta," Snow said, noticing his gaze. "But we ate without you. We thought that it would be better to let you get some rest."
"There's more food over in those crates," Jack said, gesturing to the corner. "Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Nanashi had some special ARM that sealed the containers and preserved the food."
The containers themselves were simple wooden boxes, but each had a small, triangular ARM set into the top, which presumably prevented the contents from spoiling. Ginta rummaged around one of the already open boxes, selecting a few pieces of fruit, before taking a seat at the table, where Snow was detailing the rescue mission.
"…and that's when I woke up, and we," Snow cut off, blushing. Ginta could feel himself going red, remembering the kiss. Ed was eyeing him suspiciously, so Ginta decided to jump past that point in the story.
"Well, once we got Snow out of the cell we bolted," he said quickly. "And that's when those shadow creatures showed up."
"What creatures?" Snow asked, finally emerging from behind her hands.
"Oh, that's right, you fell back asleep," Ginta said. He then described the creatures, with their lamp-like eyes and sharp claws. But he didn't feel like he was creating a good enough image, since Snow didn't seem too worried. That is, until Jack commented on how all of their ARM were almost useless.
"But then, how are we supposed to fight them?" Snow asked, her hand gripped tightly around her snowman charm.
"I have no idea," Ginta said, shaking his head. "I just remember trying to attack them with Babbo, but they dodged almost every blow."
"It was like they were melting into the ground," Babbo said thoughtfully. "But we did get a few solid hits. Whenever they popped out of the shadows to attack, they were vulnerable."
"That's right," Jack said, remembering. "I definitely took out a few of them with my magic stones. Most of them dodged, but the ones that didn't kind of faded away."
Ginta tapped his chin. "And I remember Dorothy blowing some of them away with her broom." He leaned back in his chair, thinking. "So I guess those things can be harmed."
"It just isn't easy," Babbo agreed. "But difficult to harm is better that impossible to harm."
A small flicker of optimism sparked in Ginta's chest. If those creatures were vulnerable, then they were just like any other enemy. Things weren't quite as dark as they seemed. He was still worried – especially about Dorothy, Nanashi, Alviss, and Gaira. But they were all tough. He was pretty confident that they could fight off those creatures long enough to get back to the cave. Almost as if on cue, a bright flash of light illuminated the gloom of the cave. Ginta jumped to his feet. A bright flash? Just one? Oh no…
"What happened?!" Ginta shouted rushing over. "What's going on out there?"he asked, before the person had even settled into the visible spectrum.
"One thing at a time," Dorothy said, shaking off the disorientation that using Adardta caused.
"What's your report?" Babbo asked, offering his seat. She collapsed into it, exhausted. Jack, Ed, Belle and Ginta crowded around the table while Snow busied herself with gathering up the rest of the food for her.
"It's chaos out there," Dorothy sighed. "Pretty much everything above ground is just…gone."
"What about the others?" Ginta asked, fearing the worst. "Are they okay?"
"They're fine," Dorothy assured him. "Alviss and Gaira found a small group of survivors. They're putting together their resources now. Nanashi is staying with them so he can teleport them to Kaldea when they're ready."
"So Kaldea is safe?" Jack said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Kind of," Dorothy said, accepting the plate of food that Snow offered her. She picked up a purple fruit, but didn't take a bite. "It's magical defenses held up, just like I thought, but…" she paused, turning the fruit over in her hands. "The Chess Pieces are there."
"What?!" the others yelled simultaneously.
"Not all of them," Dorothy said. "But enough to take control of most of the western part of the country. They're disorganized, but a problem."
"What about those shadow creatures?" Jack asked. "Are they there too?"
Dorothy shook her head. "No, but they're right up against the borders. The magical guards at the edges of Kaldea are holding them back, but they do have a breaking point, so I'm not sure how long they'll hold."
"Is there anything we can do?" Snow asked.
"Just make sure you're ready for battle," Dorothy said. "We have to meet up with the others soon. Then, we have to come up with a plan."
"Alright," Ginta said, punching his fist into his palm. "Let's do this."
As soon as the Nobodies that were stationed in MAR returned to the World That Never Was, Xemnas sent out scouting groups. At this time teams of Dusks would be combing the many worlds, searching for Phantom's newly created Nobody – for Xemnas was sure that he would have a strong enough will to retain his form.
Of course, Xemnas did not intend to let a Dusk deal with him. Phantom would pay for attempting to disrupt the Organization's plans. Which is why Xemnas was out searching for the Nobody himself, so that he could deal with him personally.
The task of finding the Nobody was not very difficult. Whenever a Nobody was formed, it would immediately be rejected by both the realms of Light and Darkness. Meaning that it would be thrust into one of the worlds in between light and darkness. And judging by its close proximity to MAR, Xemnas was confident that Phantom's Nobody would appear at any moment.
The First District of Traverse Town was oddly silent. Normally the world served as a refuge for those whose original worlds had fallen into darkness. However, thanks to Sora, many of the refugees have been able to return home. There were a few stragglers, but most of them would probably be asleep at this time. Not that telling time was easy in Traverse Town.
Xemnas perched on the rooftop of one of the surrounding buildings, looking up at the perpetually night sky, counting the stars – each one representing a world – twinkling overhead. So many inhabited worlds. So many hearts. So many mysteries…
Movement from down in the square drew his attention. A small smile spread across his face. Finally, he had company.
Phantom's Nobody was a wreck. Its body was convulsing oddly. Its long, thin limbs twisted into uncomfortable positions. Clearly it was having trouble acclimating itself to its lack of a heart. It took incredible amounts of willpower for a being to survive the transition of losing its heart and becoming a Nobody. If Phantom managed to hold onto his memories, then his body would soon settle back to its normal form. If not, it would remain twisted and weak, taking the form of a Dusk or Creeper, or perhaps one of the Lessers, if it was lucky. Assuming, of course, that it was not absorbed by the darkness altogether.
The Nobody slowly made its way across the square and up a set of stone steps. Its body was still contorting itself, but less chaotically then before. It took small, deliberate steps up the stairs, clutching at the metal railing. Apparently Phantom was slowly getting control over his new form. However, his victory would be brief. The initial acclimation period could take several hours, throughout which the Nobody would be constantly assailed by the darkness as it tried to wipe it from existence. Phantom had not won yet.
Phantom's pace was painfully slow as he trudged through the First District. Every step seemed like an impossible task. The Nobody paused for long periods, observing the most mundane of objects: a wall, a lamppost, a stone step, almost as though he was unsure of their reality. Still, Xemnas waited. It would be a simple matter to destroy the cretin now, but he still had a few questions that he wanted answered. And Phantom's Nobody couldn't handle an interrogation, at least not in its present state.
The Nobody finally made its way to the Second District. It wandered around the courtyard, examining the shops' windows, before it doubled over, clutching weakly at the metal railing above it. A new wave of darkness wracked its body, and Xemnas began to worry that it would be overcome. Phantom's Nobody fought back, and once it managed to get back to its feet it searched the district for an exit. After several minutes of staggering about, it managed to find the door to District Three. Xemnas silently leapt to another rooftop, so that he would have a better view.
Phantom's Nobody made a beeline for the golden water fountain. It peered into the still water, and slowly its body transformed, until it resembled its old self.
Xemnas leapt down from his perch on the rooftops, landing gracefully in the square below. He would have to question the Nobody quickly, before it completely regained its memories and had the good sense to dive into a Corridor of Darkness.
The Nobody was still hunched over the fountain when he spoke.
"Bereft of heart, your form will be claimed by Nothingness. And nothingness, you will become.
The Nobody slowly turned to face him, and while it still retained some of Phantom's normal form – namely his hair and complexion – many of the finer details of his face were wiped away. The Nobody couldn't control the flood of memories rushing through its mind. The world around it was distracting him. It had an innate need to make sense of its memories, but it also longed to anchor itself to the real world. By trying to do both at the same time, it was keeping its grip on neither. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to get a straight answer from it. It would either sort through its memories, or dissolve into nothingness.
Of course, Xemnas couldn't risk that. He needed to interrogate the Nobody. In order to do that, he would have to insulate it from the darkness that was incessantly probing it, attempting to rob it of its memories – of its identity. No matter. Once he was done with his questioning, he would turn the traitor into a Dusk, if he didn't decide to destroy him outright.
Xemnas stretched out his arm, his palm facing Phantom's Nobody. Black and white tendrils shot from his hand, seeking out the Nobody. They coiled around its body, entwining its arms, legs, torso and head in a tight embrace.
The tendrils eventually faded away into nothingness, leaving behind Phantom's Nobody, adorned in the trademark black coat of the Organization.
The Nobody examined its garment, opening and closing its newly gloved hand. It let out a sigh of relief, as though a great stress had been lifted from its shoulders. It closed its eyes, drinking in the memories that flowed through its mind, unfettered by the surrounding darkness.
The first memories that the Nobody would reacquaint itself with were memories of itself – or, more specifically, how it looked. Sure enough, the Nobody's face began to shift as Phantom's old facial features formed on its blank face. Its hair grew to approximately its original length, and began to shift hues until it settled on a shade reminiscent of its natural silver color. Its gloved hands probed its face, relieved at the familiar touch of its features. Its peace was short lived, since now more complicated memories pushed to the front of his mind.
"The…King…" Phantom's Nobody said quietly, almost absentmindedly, to itself. It almost seemed like it didn't realize that Xemnas was standing there.
Xemnas frowned. The King… he'd almost forgotten. Of course, it made sense. The Chess Pieces formed their hierarchy after the pieces in the titular game; it was only natural that there would be a King involved. And if the Chess Pieces kept up their habit of having higher ranks be exponentially stronger than the ones before, than this King could still be a threat.
"Tell me all that you know about the King," Xemnas probed.
The Nobody continued to mumble to itself, repeating the same words over and over. Eventually Xemnas grabbed the Nobody beneath the chin, directing its attention to him.
"I am your superior," Xemnas said, glaring into its eyes. "You will answer me."
The Nobody stared up at him, its eyes having trouble focusing, its mouth hanging slack.
"Name?" it mumbled. "Name," it repeated, more urgently this time.
Xemnas sighed. It was common for new Nobodies to be obsessed with having a name – an identity. It provided them with an anchor for which to stay chained to their existence. If he wanted any coherent answers from the Nobody, he would have to provide him with a name. But it galled him to have to perform the ceremony on this creature. No, this impertinent nothing did not deserve to bear the sigil. He could not be counted amongst the thirteen. Soon enough he would be a faceless Lesser, devoid of individuality. A tool to further the Organization's goals.
Xemnas waved his hand, and seven translucent letters appeared in the air before the Nobody, spelling out 'Phantom'. Normally the letters would rearrange themselves, symbolizing the being's new identity as a member of the Organization. But not this time. This time they remained stationary, spelling out Phantom – the name of an enemy of the Organization.
The Nobody stared at the letters with glossy eyes. It took a few moments, but then comprehension dawned on his face. The name seemed to awaken some deep seeded memory, for Phantom's blank stare became harsher and more focused. He lashed out with his arm, swiping at Xemnas.
Xemnas deftly leapt back, his boots sliding on the tile. So Phantom wanted to fight. That would simplify things, although it meant that his chance to interrogate him had passed. So be it. He would compensate by sending out more teams of Dusks to scout for the King. "The Organization," Phantom said, his eyes glazing over as he recalled the memory. "I wanted to – no, I want to," he said, correcting himself. "To crush you."
"An empty threat," Xemnas responded, his arm swinging as though he was actually brushing the comment away. "You are a broken creature. Filled with nothingness. And that is my domain."
Phantom gave a sly – but forced – grin. "Well, then I will have to dethrone you." A ball of darkness surrounded his right fist. The ball of energy wobbled violently as it thinned and elongated into a long shaft. The tip of the shaft flattened and widened, forming a cruel blade. Once the ball of energy had assumed the general shape of the halberd, the finer details began to sharpen. The three foot long obsidian blade was decorated with silver etchings, which, upon closer inspection, were of all of the different chess pieces – pawn, rook, bishop, knight, queen, and king. The hilt was topped with what appeared to be a crowned skull – a modified version of the Chess Piece's insignia – which was wreathed in shadow and flame.
"Intriguing," Phantom said, eyeing the weapon eagerly. "So my ARM are not gone."
Xemnas' weapons did not take nearly as long to summon. With a flash of electricity his crimson ethereal blades exploded from his palms. The sudden movement shook Phantom from his thoughts, and he lunged at Xemnas, his halberd trailing black flames.
Xemnas deftly sidestepped, almost amused with Phantom's sluggish attempt to attack. With two swift motions he brushed aside the halberd with one ethereal blade, then slammed Phantom into the ground with the other.
Jumping to his feet, Phantom retaliated with a stab from his halberd, but Xemnas pushed it away before spinning and attacking with another slash from a crimson blade. Phantom ducked beneath the blade and then leapt backwards out of Xemnas' reach.
Phantom flexed his fingers, staring at them curiously. "I feel…odd." Xemnas smirked. Phantom had just lost his heart and gone through an immense physical change, and he yet he still expected to immediately have full control of his powers. Pathetic.
Xemnas faced an open palm at Phantom. The ethereal blade contracted towards his palm, shortening to just a foot in length. The bolt grew brighter as Xemnas dumped more energy into it, and with a slight flex of his fingers a volley of red ethereal bolts hurtled toward Phantom.
The Nobody eyed them curiously, following their trajectory with his narrowed eyes. At the last second his right arm flashed upwards, and sheets of clear, hexagonal plates streamed from his arm, ordering themselves into an interlocking dome before him. Splashes of red and bright white blossomed over the shield as the bolts impacted, rattling the windows of the surrounding buildings.
Xemnas cocked an eyebrow. Phantom was definitely full of surprises.
The half-bubble of interlocking plates flickered as they glided back to Phantom's arm, where they shimmered slightly before winking out of existence. Phantom stared at the shards until the last one disappeared.
"Still think this is going to be an easy fight?" he said, looking up at Xemnas and grinning.
"Yes."
Both Nobodies exploded into action; Phantom fired balls of black flames from his palm, as Xemnas stooped low, placing his hand on the cold tile. Xemnas got a brief view of one of the blasts exploding on the ground next to him, sending out shards of shattered tile and shrapnel, before an obsidian dome of darkness burst from the ground, encasing him.
The dome of darkness was an amazing defensive tactic. By plunging himself into the darkness between worlds, Xemnas could effectively dodge any attack, since he no longer actually existed in that world. However, using it sacrificed all sight, meaning that he would have to guess at Phantom's location, and then be prepared for anything. Not that he was worried. He'd used this tactic so often it was second nature. Besides, he was a Nobody - he was incapable of feeling worried.
Xemnas made a mental note of where Phantom was standing, and compensated slightly for Phantoms lean, which made Xemnas anticipate that his position would shift a few feet to the right. The dome glided silently across the stone tile as Xemnas guessed at Phantom's new location. Xemnas took a deep breath, and the dome of darkness dropped back into the ground. Phantom was three feet to the right of where he had remembered, but that was close enough. His two ethereal blades ignited from his palms, and he launched into a flurry of strikes, using his superior speed and acrobatics to dazzle his opponent. Phantom swung low, hoping to take out Xemnas' legs; Xemnas responded by flipping vertically in the air, his ethereal blades pin-wheeling as he scored two bone breaking strikes on his shoulder and ribs. Phantom quickly recovered and blocked all of the rest, and with a series of fluid movements, he switched from defense to offense, his halberd filling the air with black flames as it spun in a series of intricate cuts, parries, and stabs.
Xemnas noted grimly that Phantom's dexterity and agility were rapidly increasing. While only moments before he was almost stumbling around the battlefield like a drunken sailor, now he displayed utmost mastery of combat. His fighting style was refined and precise. Xemnas noted that his expert footwork made it impossible for Xemnas to retaliate. Well, impossible for him to retaliate at his current power level.
With hardly a second of pause Xemnas boosted his energy. With a burst of speed he disappeared from view, reappearing seven feet in the air behind Phantom. He released a small arc of ethereal bolts as he strafed by, drawing Phantom's attention away from the red lasers by circling to his front. The blasts hung in midair for a moment before firing, just as Xemnas was assaulting Phantom's front. With one swift motion Phantom ducked underneath a swipe from an ethereal blade while spinning around, his halberd leaving behind arcs of flame as it gracefully sliced the incoming bolts, deflecting them into one of the surrounding buildings. One glass window shattered as a bolt crashed through it, illuminating the room with a flash of crimson light. The other two pulverized the concrete exterior, sending chunks of masonry crumbling to the ground.
Xemnas landed on the ground behind Phantom. His palm glowed red as a barrage of bolts shot from his palm. Phantom was still in mid turn, his eyes searching frantically for his enemy. Just before the bolts impacted several clear hexagonal plates peeled away from his arm, interlocking a few feet from his face. The plates glowed red hot as they absorbed the impact from the bolts. Xemnas frowned. He had been certain that his attack was going to connect.
The shield of plates separated and condensed, stretching out into needle thin shards. With a snap of Phantoms fingers the shards flung themselves at Xemnas. He fired a few more bolts, which intercepted the shimmering shards with tiny explosions. Xemnas batted away the few shards that made it through, then turned to face Phantom, who had strafed sideways and was sprinting towards him. He stabbed with his halberd, and Xemnas blocked, his ethereal blade giving off red and yellow sparks where Phantom's blade pushed against it. The two Nobodies struggled, each one trying to push their weapon into the other's throat. Xemnas noticed a slight glistening in his peripherals; several of Phantoms hexagonal plates had peeled away from his arm and were floating ominously over his shoulder. The plates lengthened into shards, quivering slightly as they spun in the air, orienting their lethal points to his head. And still he struggled, his two ethereal blades pressing adamantly against Phantom's halberd. The shards whistled through the air, and Xemnas retracted his blades into his palms. Phantom stumbled forward. Xemnas spun, his blades stretching to full length and disintegrating the shards just inches from his head. Phantom caught himself with his left hand, and snapped his right back, his halberd slicing the air behind him. Xemnas had used another burst of speed to disappear, this time reappearing over Phantom's head. He left an arch of glowing bolts in his wake, then disappeared and reappeared again, this time to Phantom's side. The first arc of bolts fired just as he finished laying out the second, and Phantom deployed another shield of hexagonal plates to protect him. He pushed himself to his feet, and immediately had to raise his halberd to guard, since Xemnas had reappeared again in front of him, his ethereal blades extended and pressing towards his throat. No sooner had his shield of plates absorbed the first salvo of bolts they reoriented over his shoulder, preparing to block the next. Phantom turned his attention back to Xemnas, but he was gone, having teleported behind him, trailing more ethereal bolts.
More plates had to peel themselves from his arms to shield him from Xemnas' bolts, which were quickly filling the air around him. Xemnas was varying the time delays before each salvo fired; some shot right away, leaving Phantom with barely a second to order more plates to form a shield; other times the bolts hung, silent in midair, waiting for Phantom's guard to shift before firing. And still Xemnas attacked, at one moment releasing another ring of bolts, the next attacking Phantoms front, his blades fully extended and buzzing as he deftly swung them in complex, acrobatic combinations. If Phantom hadn't been a Nobody – and been an especially powerfully being before that – he wouldn't have been able to keep up. Glistening plates streamed from his arm, shielding him from the bolts or pulling themselves into razor sharp shards and raining down on Xemnas, who swatted them out of the air or else teleported away, leaving another salvo of ethereal bolts in his wake. All the while Phantom's halberd was filling the air with the flicker of shadow flames. He parried Xemnas' ethereal blades, then retaliated with lightning quick slashes and stabs that forced Xemnas to teleport out of the way.
The courtyard was filled with crimson bolts, interlocking plates, glinting shards, and onyx black flames, yet neither Nobody was willing to give an inch. Neither would relent. Finally, after several minutes, once the final bolt had fired and the last of the black flames had died, the two Nobodies stood on opposite ends of the courtyard, neither having broken a sweat.
"This power truly is amazing," Phantom said. He snapped his fingers, and the remains of his hexagonal plates streamed from the ground. The shards liquefied, then reformed, completely undamaged.
"Indeed," Xemnas replied, allowing himself a small grin. "It is a shame. We could have made such use of you."
Phantom raised his eyebrows. "I am not a pawn." The plates floating behind him elongated into shards, each one pointing at the same location between Xemnas' eyes. With a flick of his wrist they launched. Xemnas sighed, then brushed the ground with his hand, summoning another dome of darkness. Had Phantom really expected that ploy to work?
Xemnas allowed a few seconds for the shards to pass, then lowered the dome. Xemnas was almost surprised to see Phantom in mid leap, his halberd angled at his chest. Xemnas could have dodged again, but he decided that he had humored Phantom for long enough.
"Guard!" he shouted, and a pulse of dark electrical energy shot from his palm. In an instant it expanded between them. Both of Phantom's arms and one of his legs got caught in the bolts of electricity that darted through the shield's square framework. He hung limp for a moment before he was hurled backwards and onto the ground.
Xemnas was preparing the deathblow before Phantom was able to push himself back to his feet. He raised his hand, pushing out both the light and the darkness from his palm, leaving behind nothing in its wake. An empty void. Pure nothingness filled his palm, ready to drain existence from whatever it touched.
Phantom eyed the ball of nothing suspiciously, as though a part of him intuitively understood what it was. The orb shimmered oddly, at one minute shining bright as the sun and the other looking as empty as space. With barely a seconds pause Xemnas hurled the orb. Phantom dove left, a dark portal opening before him. He was halfway through when the orb impacted the ground at his feet. Black and white tendrils began snaking up his legs, pulling him out of the portal. Phantom strained against the bonds, which were coiling up to just above his knees. Once the thorns reached his head, they would drain his memories and his identity. Leaving behind only a Dusk. As a final, desperate act Phantom fired a blast of energy from his palm. The resulting explosion trusted him forward, into the Corridor of Darkness, which promptly disappeared. Xemnas barely had time to raise his eyebrows in faux-shock.
What a resourceful being. He would have to send out his best assassins to deal with him.
Xemnas opened a dark portal back to the World That Never Was. He would assemble the rest of the thirteen. Then they could discuss the Organization's plans for MAR.
Hope you enjoyed! Until next time.