Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me, though that should be obvious. Sorry it's been almost a month since our last chapter. I've been typing this off and on, and now it's the longest chapter thus far. I hope you enjoy! The only reason I picked the chapter name to be this song was because I had no other ideas for this world. Oh well. Let's go the distance with this chapter! WHOO!
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I Can Go the Distance
After explaining the situation that had gone on back in Atlantica to Walt Disney—we had decided to leave out the part about the Disney Report—Disney just slowly nodded his head and held out a hand after drawing a quick sketch on his sketchbook, and another portal of light appearing within the center of the room. We were all set to travel to our next destination to obtain our third Crystal Keyhole. I gazed over to his sketch. Clouds, columns, and old towns could be seen. Why did it look so familiar?
"Let's go find that Keyhole," Domino said without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Interlocking our fingers together we stepped into the light, Rika and Asher once again following closely behind. We were immersed within light. When the light died down, we had noticed that we had appeared in the center of a large crowd of people. People of many different shapes and sizes were shouting out at something we had yet to see. I looked above our heads and saw the bright blue sky, a large green mountain in the distance, the top of it being circled by golden-looking clouds. Was that Olympus? Were we in Olympus?
"We're together this time," Rika noted. "Now what's with all the people?"
The crowd around us parted to reveal someone in a heavy suit of golden-colored armor, a large golden sword in his left hand that was about three times as long as himself. A helmet covered his face, a red tuft of fur poking out of the top of the helmet. The crowd around us seemed to go nuts at the sight of this warrior. Speaking of which, the people around us dressed kind of weird. Domino explained that these were what the Greeks wore—whatever the Greeks were—old looking clothing with sandals.
"Who is that?" I asked.
I was immediately given an answer to a stranger to the side of me. "That's Alexios, one of the strongest warriors in all of Greece. He's a tough competitor in the Games." The Games? "In fact, he's the champion."
"What games?" Rika asked. She looked to me and Domino and replied, "Why did Disney send us here? There's no time for games."
Before Rika could rant some more, the one called Alexios raised two fists into the air and shouted at the sky, "Prepare for the thirteenth annual Games! As with all of the other years, this time I will still be the reigning champ of Greece! Who dares to stop one such as I?" Domino's nose hadn't perked up nor had he stated something then, but something about Alexios seemed dark to me. He seemed like the type to gloat about his victories. He seemed to be greedy, desperate to win.
"I dare to stop you, Alexios!" a voice called from somewhere behind us. The crowd behind us parted again to reveal someone else. He was wearing the normal Greek attire. He had slicked back black hair and bright blue eyes. In his right hand was a short dagger. He wore a simple silver chest plate and some sort of armor on his left arm. Besides that, he didn't seem as prepared for battle as Alexios. He looked to be around my age, or maybe even younger. "My name is Erebus! Maybe you don't remember, but thirteen years ago my father contended in these games…he lost to you in the championship round. I'm here to avenge his loss. I'm here to win." Something about him made Domino smile from ear to ear. What was he thinking?
"Very well, boy," Alexios smiled. "I'll see you on the battlefield. I'll be looking forward to it." He clapped his hands together and shouted out, "Those wishing to contend in this year's annual Games tournament, come into the vestibule at once!"
Not far ahead, where he pointed at, was a simple building comprised of stone walls and columns. Alexios marched onward to the building, and following quickly behind was Erebus. Domino looked back to me and said, "Kane, this could be beneficial to your training! Maybe we can enter these Games. Whaddaya say?"
"I say you're crazy," Rika said, folding her arms and looking upward at where Mount Olympus was. "Alexios, an undefeated champion thirteen years running? You two do what you want. I'll sit this one out. I'll watch you two battle."
"I'll battle as well!" Asher suddenly shouted out, causing Domino and I to jump. "I need to get stronger for when…for when I face Ibiki. Let's go."
As the crowd around us disbanded, Domino, Rika, Asher, and I headed towards the building a few yards away from us. As we entered the vestibule, not many people were inside. There were only six. Two of them, of course, were Alexios and Erebus. Another was wearing a mysterious gray cloak that flapped around behind his legs as he walked and a hood over his head. Asher eyed him suspiciously. The three others were plain warriors, not as built up as Alexios but not as unprepared as Erebus.
"Uh, yeah, I'm not fighting here," Rika said a little loudly, walking to the back wall where an open doorway with chains blocking the entryway was.
He looked around and muttered, "Then there's eight? Hopefully, eventually, the games will get larger than this," Alexios grumbled. "Oh well, I'll still get to mop the floor with at least one of you. Here is how the games work! There will be four blocks, Blocks A, B, C, and D. Two contenders will face each other within each block. The four winners that come out of this block will have to fight another winner. The two winners coming out of those fights will face each other. That winner faces me. Understood? There should be someone rounding up the crowds outside to the stands in the back. Out there—" He pointed to the closed off entryway. "—that's the battlefield in which we will be fighting on."
Rika then did something unexpected—or was it expected since she's, after all, Rika?—she jumped right over the chains that blocked the entryway leading to the back. She looked back to us and waved, and then rushed down the dark corridor.
Alexios looked shocked to see Rika defying the purpose of those chains. He then ignored her and yelled out, "Erebus! You will be in Block A against Tubby!" One of the other contenders who wore a small suit of armor approached Erebus. He didn't look like he was able to fit that suit of metal armor. "White Hair! You will be in Block B with Mister Mystery!" Did that mean Asher? The person in the gray cloak approached Asher. Asher uneasily held up a hand to the mysterious guy, but the guy didn't want to shake hands. "Golden Eyes! You'll be in Block C with Shorty!" Another one of the contenders in armor approached me. He was short and his helmet seemed to not even fit my head. He looked to almost topple over under the weight of his helmet. "And Purple! You'll be in Block D with…the other guy." Out of names, eh? The last one in armor approached Domino and held a hand out, and the two shook hands.
Alexios continued after that, "The eight of you are to head out to the back! Block A's battle will begin, followed by the other three after a winner is determined."
"Why are we even doing this? This has nothing to do with our mission" My whispering to Domino didn't catch his attention.
"The prize for this championship is something I've cherished for well over thirteen years!" Alexios shouted out. "I've found it a while back and no one has been able to take it from me!" He opened what looked like an old wardrobe in the corner of the room and took out something that was sparkling. In his hands was a Crystal Keyhole! I gripped Domino's shoulder, and my friend nodded. "Be the first to obtain this beauty!"
The only ones even a little shocked at what the prize was were me, Domino, and Asher, as well as the guy dressed in gray and the guy who Domino's supposed to be fighting. Alexios picked the Keyhole back up and thrust his long sword forward and cut right through the chains, shattering them like glass. He led the way into the long dark corridor. The other eight of us followed him in. As we walked through the darkness, the light from the vestibule slowly fading away behind us, the sounds of cheering and screaming fans began overwhelming my ears. They were all here to watch the eight of us battle. Me, Domino, or Asher would have to be victorious against Alexios. We needed that Crystal Keyhole. I then noticed…I was probably the only one without a weapon. I would have to use my magic.
Alexios led us out of the dark corridor where we saw a square in the center of this coliseum where I knew we'd be fighting in. All around this square were the stands where thousands of people stood cheering for the contenders of these games. In one of the bleachers nearest to us was Rika, a bag of popcorn in her arms. From the way her eyes looked, it seemed like she was here to watch people be slaughtered, not us trying to win. Very comforting.
Alexios jumped into the ring and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Are you ready for the Games!?"
I muttered, "Shouldn't we be training before the actual games? Shouldn't there be some kind of training session?"
"Who the heck would allow you to train before the fight of your life? You have to be born prepared, boy!" Alexios's answer didn't help me at all. "Now, are you ready to go the distance and win this battle!? See who can take my precious crystal! Block A! Ready for battle!?"
Erebus and Tubby stepped into the ring, Alexios stepping out of it. The two combatants stood on opposite sides of the ring. Erebus slashed his dagger forward for dramatic effect. His dagger was covered in black and golden designs, the tip of it looking extremely sharp. Erebus shifted from foot to foot, looking uneasy at his larger opponent. Tubby unsheathed his own sword. Alexios stood in front of the corridor leading back to the vestibule lobby and clapped his hands together, shouting, "Ready!? Fight!"
As soon as those words were uttered, something within Erebus seemed to click. He leapt forward with such speed that it caught Tubby off guard. Swinging his dagger forward, dark energy seemed to generate at the blade's tip, making the blade elongate into a sword-like, dark weapon. I had never seen the darkness change a weapon's form before. The dark blade slashed at Tubby's armored body, yet the massive contender flew backwards and onto the ground at the edge of the ring. Tubby slowly stood up, showing off the large gash in his armor and the tiny bit of blood leaking down the metal. How had Erebus cut clean through the armor?
Tubby dashed forward, looking as if he would attempt to body slam Erebus. Erebus immediately and swiftly dodged his oncoming opponent. When Tubby dashed passed him, Erebus slammed the blunt of his dagger against the back of Tubby's armor, causing the large man to fall off of the platform with a deafening thud. The darkness quickly vanished from Erebus's dagger, and he quickly hid it within its sheath.
Unbelievable, I thought to myself as I bit my lower lip—bad habit of mine. I could hear Domino to the side of me muttering, "Unbelievable," with wide eyes. He rarely looked at anyone with those eyes except for me or…other opponents who seemed to match Domino's strength. And if this were the case, it shouldn't be a surprise that this kid, Erebus, possessed some form of dark power.
"Unbelievable!" Alexios shouted out, clapping his metal gloved hands above his hands as the rest of the fans cheered on Erebus. "I'd love to see you in more battles, kid! That power, that form, that swiftness—extraordinary!"
Erebus bowed his head with a sense of pride. He looked back up at the cheering fans and smiled, waving at them and making the crowds go wild. All sense of darkness, of power, of uncertainty had faded the minute the match was over. Why was that? I had never seen darkness vanish so quickly before. Sure, Domino could keep his own darkness in check, but it is always there. He could just mask it with his emotions. But not this kid. This one was something special. He seemed like a different person. Erebus jumped down.
Alexios raised his voice and yelled, "And time for the second round, Block B! Fighters, take your positions!"
Asher jumped into the ring along with the guy in gray. Asher held an uncertain hand out at the hooded mystery-man. Then I saw why Asher looked so uneasy. If that cloak would have been stark white, it would have been the clothing of a member of the Keyblade Hunters. Yet this one was gray—different. Before the man held his own hand out, I could hear laughing—a voice coming from beneath that gray hood.
Asher raised an eyebrow as the man clutched both sides of his hood. He lifted it up and off of his head, letting it fall behind his shoulders. Asher gasped. The person standing there had long white-gray hair that reached the center of his back, a few bangs framing his face. His eyes were an icy blue. His hair color, his eye color…they were identical to Asher's. He looked to be around eighteen. Asher took a few steps back, looking almost afraid.
"This isn't possible," he said with clenched teeth. "How is this possible!? Who the hell are you?"
"Come on, Phoenix, you can't even recognize your own brother?" What the man said just then caused me to jump. Asher looked as if he were ready to fall over. "What are you, blind? It's me."
"Raven," Asher muttered in fear, clutching his fists as he slowly backed away. "Raven Asher. You shouldn't be alive…you went missing three years ago!"
"Missing? I don't recall going missing." His snarky remark already made me dislike the guy. "Oh, was that why you had all those Missing Person signs laid out across our homeland? Such a shame nobody got that reward."
"You ran away then?" Asher snapped back, taking one step closer to his brother. "You knew Mother and Father were disabled, that they couldn't work on their own! You had a great a job! I was too young then! I couldn't handle the pressure of caring for them! Where did you even go!?"
"Ha, do you not recognize this attire?" Raven asked, running a hand over his gray cloak that billowed in the wind behind him. "I ran away and found Lord Ibiki. I had been planning to run off with him for quite some time."
"Lord Ibiki!?" Asher yelled out. "You didn't tell me where you were going…I thought you died. I went to work to support our family that you left behind! And you know who I worked for? The one person with the one job that was willing to take in a kid like me? Ibiki. Freaking Ibiki! We were working under the same person and never saw each other? I worked with him, stayed late nights working under him, rising through the ranks…and one day while I was gone, our parents were—"
"—killed?" Raven finished Asher's sentence.
Asher's eyes grew wide. "Rave, please…" Asher muttered in utter disbelief. "Rave, you didn't?"
"They were Keybearers who deserved what came to them," Raven said, holding out two hands in front of him. "They forced us to wield their accursed weapons…the abominations of the world. Ibiki had me assassinate them."
"You ran away to Ibiki like a coward, had me join Ibiki just so our family can still survive, and then you kill our parents and I'm forced to stay with Ibiki because he wouldn't let me go?" Asher's eyes were stained with tears. "I became the second-in-command of a group of discriminatory murderers for what!?"
"Correction," Raven muttered, gray light appearing in both of his hands. "This entire time I have been the true second-in-command of the Keyblade Hunters. I am Lord Ibiki's Number 2. You were nothing but a cover-up, a figurehead posing as the secondary leader. Someone for the other lackeys to look up to. In actuality, I was the only one Lord Ibiki still trusted. I am also the only one still loyal to him after that mess you and Lucina caused."
"And you also broke Lucina's heart when you went away," Asher said, clutching a fist over his heart. "I told her not to but she chose to join the accursed Hunters along with me in hopes…of seeing you again. She loved you, Raven. And you left her. You left all of us. You…traitor."
"You are in no position to be calling anyone a traitor," Raven scowled, the gray light vanishing from his hands as he pointed a finger at Asher. "Not any of the Hunters, nor you nor Lucina, nor Pierce, could ever satisfy Lord Ibiki. I will take back your head as proof of my loyalty to Lord Ibiki."
The crowd had stayed quiet as the two of them talked. I couldn't believe that Phoenix Asher had a brother…one that was the true second leader of the Hunters. Were against not only Ibiki, but Raven Asher as well.
"And what are you doing here besides showing me that you've been alive and working with Ibiki for three years?" Asher quickly asked.
"I need the Crystal Keyhole," Raven muttered. Those words froze through my very core. What could he possibly want with the Crystal Keyhole? "That and your life. All for Lord Ibiki. Now perish!" Out of a mysterious gray light in Raven's right hand appeared a Keyblade of his own. The left side of the handle was black while the right was white, the centerpiece that he held onto being gray. The shaft of the Key was gray, and in the light of the sun above, it sparkled silver. Going up the shaft were small gray spikes that protruded outward. The actual blade was shaped to look like a sword's tip, spikes protruding from it in the form of its teeth, the silvery points looking extremely sharp. "Nothingness!" Was that the name of his Keyblade? Rather odd.
"Who are you!?" Asher shouted out, summoning his Gunpowder and keeping it at his side, waiting for Raven to make the first move. "You can't be the same Raven…the one who took care of our family, the one who made sure his younger brother was always happy, the one who made Lucina the happiest girl in the world…the one who detested those like Ibiki…but here you are, about to harm your own flesh and blood. Just…who are you?"
"I am no one," came Raven's simple response. "I am nothing. I am nobody. I am but a servant to the world. A servant to Lord Ibiki. You are nothing but a tool at best. I hold no feelings for you. Die by my hand and let the ground be stained by thy blood!"
At those words, the crowd in the stands went wild. All of this important family drama was just a show for these Greeks. They thought it was all an act. Some sort of spectacle.
Raven leapt at his brother with Nothingness outstretched, but the attack was quickly blocked by Gunpowder. Raven jumped into the air and back flipped, landing several feet away from Asher. Nothingness was pointed at Asher and a gray light blasted from its pointed tip, slamming Asher square in the chest. Asher was sent flying to the edge of the ring. He balanced himself, leaping back into the fight while swinging Gunpowder forward. From Gunpowder's tip came a bullet of light that shot towards Raven.
And just like that, the bullet pierced through Raven's heart.
Raven stood staring at Asher with widened eyes, a dumbfounded expression laid across his face. His surprised expression quickly turned into a small grin as he reached for the bullet hole in his chest. What came next was horrifying. He had stuck his index finger and his thumb into the wound and pulled out the glowing bullet made of light. The light dissolved from in between his fingers.
"How—?" Asher began saying before getting cut off by Raven.
"I have no heart, idiot," Raven said as if Asher should have known this already. "And thus I cannot be killed by the likes of you. Hearts are for the weak. If you have one, you're either consumed by the light or overflowing with darkness. Getting rid of your heart…gets rid of all these weak emotions. Now die!"
The spikes sticking out from all over Raven's Keyblade shot out towards Asher, implanting each and every one of them within Asher's skin. Two in each leg, two on each arm, one in the stomach and one inches away from his heart. His clothes were stained with blood. He dropped Gunpowder to the ground.
"Asher!" I yelled out as Asher fell to his feet.
Asher closed his eyes and for a split second, he looked as though he were at peace. Like everything bad around him had melted away into nothingness. Like he did not have a single problem in the world. His eyes opened as he stepped forward, grabbing his Keyblade from the ground. The spikes sticking into his knees made him limp, but he trudged onward towards Raven.
"Stop resisting the inevitable!" Raven shouted as Asher made his way even closer to his brother. Asher held a hand out as blood leaked from his lower lip. "It's no use, Phoenix! Give it up!" At last, Asher's hand had reached Raven's shoulder. With one thrust, Nothingness was plunged directly into Asher's heart.
"ASHER!" I yelled out, feeling a tear escape my eye. Rika didn't wince at the sight of Asher's blood like I did. She simply turned her head away. Domino however took a few steps closer and balled his hands into fists at his sides.
"Hey! You can't kill people in this tournament!" Alexios's voice didn't reach Raven. Or maybe it did. Raven simply smiled at his accomplishment.
Asher coughed up blood, splattering the red liquid onto Raven's face which made his brother seem even eviler. "It is done," Raven said as Asher fell to his knees. Raven yanked Nothingness out of the poor boy's heart. I felt my heart ready to explode. How could another one I care about leave me!? How many people had to die!? "And now…" Raven looked like he was about to slash through Asher's neck to take home the head of Asher. Instead an eerie calmness settled over the place before the area all around Asher exploded in a column of light.
Everyone in the stands, as well as Alexios and Erebus, were blinded. Domino shielded his eyes from the bright light. Raven quickly jumped away from Asher who looked to be the source of the light. When the light vanished, all wounds on Asher as well as the spikes that were scattered across his body were gone. His eyes were shining with a hot white aura. He held a hand out to Raven.
"Destati?" Domino quickly asked, opening his eyes again at Asher.
It was Destati. Asher's eyes glowed with a fiery hotness, his hair flew around in the nonexistent wind, and the palm of his hand pointing towards Raven had begun to glow white as well. In a mix between Destati and Asher's voices he said, "You shall not interfere with the course of destiny. This boy shall not die for he plays a role in the destiny of the worlds. You hold no consequence. Begone."
Light shot from Asher's hand and hit Raven in the chest, sending him flying from the ring and into the wall on the side of the doorway leading back to the coliseum lobby. Raven stood himself up and brushed the dirt off of his pants. "Why does Phoenix need to live? How great is his destiny? He's nothing but a tool—a broken tool. I need him dead, and I need the crystal Keyhole."
"You are not the one destined to take hold of the crystalized Keyholes," Asher-Destati said in an echoic voice. "And unfortunately you are not destined to die today. Begone!"
Raven stood up and in a flash of gray, he vanished. Almost as quickly as Destati appeared, the Goddess of Heart had vanished, Asher's eyes closing. The boy fell onto his knees, free from all of the physical wounds inflicted on him by his brother. He lazily opened his eyes which were still glowing a faint white from the remnants of Destati's light. Opening his mouth to speak, his words were a tad slurred and I couldn't understand him all that well. It sounded something like "I saw…face…it was…beautiful…"
Face? Beautiful? Did he actually see the true form of Destati from within his subconscious? I had to make sure he was truly alright. So I ran up to the ring and jumped in, rushing to Asher's aid and wrapping my arms around the boy. Putting an ear close to his heart I felt a beating so strong and fast that I thought his heart was about to fly into my ear. Letting go of the poor guy, I witnessed Asher falling over and to his side. White tendrils coiled around his arms and legs and into the air, vanishing into nothingness. Both he and Diantha had looked almost the same when they were released from Destati. Was her light that powerful?
Alexios jumped onto the stage and lifted Asher into his arms as if he weighed the same as a feather. In a booming voice he said, "This boy wins because his opponent has left. Depending on his condition after these preliminary rounds, he will either be able to face his next opponent, or forfeit altogether." Alexios jumped down and rested Asher on the wall where Destati had slammed Raven into. "The next round…Block C!"
Shorty had to climb onto stage, working up a sweat as he did so. He unsheathed a short sword of his own and pointed it at me. His eyes underneath his helmet were widened as if he was sure the outcome of this battle will be me winning. Looking as if he wasn't thinking straight, Shorty dashed towards me, letting out a battle cry as if screaming would help.
Lifting up a hand, a bolt of lightning escaped my fingertips and collided with Short's sword, making the sword fly from the small guy's hand. It clattered on the ground outside of the arena. Shorty then looked really scared. He turned his back to me to rush off of the stage to grab his sword. He wasn't so successful. Trying to climb down, his armor weighed him down and he clattered to the ground below a mere inch away from his sword.
Was that really my battle? How easy. Being a good sport I jumped off of the arena and helped the guy up. He smiled beneath his helmet and muttered in a squeaky voice, "Thank…you."
"And for our last round of the preliminaries! Block D!" Alexios hollered.
Domino and his opponent stepped onto the stage and each shook the other's hand. Domino's opponent was around Domino's height. He wasn't completely buff but wasn't a scrawny weakling either. After the two let go of each other's hands, Domino smiled. The look in his eyes…did he recognize the guy? I looked hard at his opponent…there was something about him.
And he took off his helmet, throwing it to the side as if it were utterly useless. His black hair had a bad case of helmet-hair. He ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it out. I couldn't believe this. First Asher's brother showed up, then Destati made her appearance, and now…I was staring at—
"Dante Netherwood," Domino said with a cheeky grin. "I thought I recognized that scent. I could smell your odor a mile away. What brings you here?"
Dante returned the grin and replied, "I've been searching desperately for Sanctuary. I heard that you were here so I decided to enter this tournament."
"What do you mean searching desperately for Sanctuary?" Domino asked with a puzzled look. "Could you not find it?"
"That's just it," Dante replied, his muscled arms suddenly tensing. "I can't find it. It's not where it originally was. If you had a map of the entire universe…then the place Sanctuary used to be would be completely empty. It's like the world never existed. A few hours ago I had run into Robin Cale. We came up with a theory that Sanctuary is a moving world…it doesn't stay in the same place. Each and every world has one spot on the map…they don't ever change positions. Not Sanctuary. It's not there anymore. So now we're on a desperate search to find it."
Hearing those words made me think. Would that mean that Diantha and Damian would have a hard time navigating their way back home? Or maybe the world of Sanctuary moved slowly so that a few hours or weeks away from home wouldn't make a difference. But three years…who knows how different its location would be?
Then Domino began to mouth something to Dante. Was he whispering? Did he not want anyone to hear their conversation? I strained my ears to listen. I shouldn't have been able to hear the two, but suddenly I could hear Domino's voice. Much clearer than just a few seconds ago. "…the plan?" I heard him say.
Dante smiled and whispered back, "Jazz has an entire legion of dark Keybearers searching effortlessly for Sanctuary. They're spreading our dark forces throughout the worlds while they search. It seems the darkness is spread out through a multitude of worlds. They are all searching for the light…of Kingdom Hearts. Our plan is going smoothly."
So the darkness is spreading like a wildfire…this couldn't be good. But there was something I didn't understand. I heard these two perfectly, but everyone else looked like they were struggling to hear the two's conversation. Was I the only one who was hearing them? Did my magic somehow heighten my sense of hearing? Odd.
"Are ya'll two just going to chitchat?" Alexios asked rudely. "Let's begin! The final preliminary match!"
Domino and Dante exchanged one final handshake before springing into battle. Starlight and Oathbreaker were summoned and the two Keybearers exchanged blows. Domino swung Starlight forward, barely scraping the side of Dante's cheek, causing a tiny bit of blood to flow out of the cut. Dante jumped back and pointed the Oathbreaker towards Domino, and a beam of darkness shot towards Domino. Domino swung forth Starlight, making the beam of darkness vanish into thin air.
Dante swung Oathbreaker and slashed at Domino's legs, causing blood to run down and to the floor below him. Dante laughed and said, "That's what you get for letting your boyfriend almost drown me a while back!"
"Boyfriend?" Domino said, darting his eyes to me and then back to Dante. He used a Cure spell and his leg wounds vanished along with the blood. "Please." He slashed Starlight once more and Dante barely dodged it…but the man fell to his knees and pretended to be wounded. What was going on? Domino didn't look so puzzled.
"There's a lot I'd rather do than stay here fighting you," Dante whispered, standing up and getting off of the stage. "I withdraw. Domino is the winner!" He gave a wave at Domino and then me, and he flew off with his Keyblade Glider. Domino looked up at Dante. These plans these two had…they were going to help in the destruction of the light, some way, somehow. What was I to do?
Alexios looked startled as if he never had seen anyone actually forfeit before. "Well then! It is time for the next two matches! You two!" He pointed at Asher and I. Asher looked up lazily and sighed a deep breath, a tiny bit of light escaping his lips. Was Destati's light that powerful? "And you two!" He pointed at Domino and Erebus. The two of them exchanged looks. "The winners of these next two rounds will duke it out for the chance to battle none other than I!"
"Asher's too damaged," I said, stepping up to Alexios as I looked back to the boy sitting against the wall. "He can't fight in that condition."
"Are you telling me that one of our fighters can't fight?" Alexios suddenly snapped. "Very well then. Golden Eyes, I guess this means that you win this match by default. Erebus and the other guy, get up there and show me a real battle."
Domino and Erebus jumped onto the stage. The two shook hands and each walked to their end of the ring. Domino drew Starlight and Erebus drew his dagger. And the two began their battle. Erebus slashed at Domino but Domino simply deflected it, followed by a quick lunge that was immediately dodged by Erebus.
As the two fought, I had time to think about everything that was going on here. I looked to Asher who looked up at me and smiled weakly. His face looked pale and sweat beaded down his forehead. I could only imagine the pain Diantha had been in, being a vessel of Destati for so long.
Asher's brother had made an appearance after three long years of being missing in action…only to reveal himself as the true second-in-command of the Keyblade Hunters. I now had not only Ibiki to deal with, but Raven as well. I then suddenly thought back to three years ago, around the same time when the Keyblades were created, when my parents and brother had left from my life forever, and when Domino arrived along with the other nineteen Keybearers. It was maybe a few days after I was introduced to Tara, Kale, and Ty.
I recall another orphan who had appeared one day. His face suddenly jumped out in my mind. He looked almost similar to Asher. But it wasn't him. Get rid of his spikey haircut and replace it with with long hair and you had Raven's appearance. Raven was another one of the orphans! That couldn't have been long after the Keyblade Hunters were founded…and Raven had left Asher, their family, and Lucina behind. But then one day…Raven just vanished. I remember asking Ibiki what had happened to the older orphan but Ibiki would never tell. Ibiki must have been hiding the boy.
Another thing on my mind that was bothering me was the appearance of Destati. She had saved Asher's life, not as an act of kindness, but simply because fate has something in store for him. And I believed her. I was given a glimpse of the future via a dream a while back. I had seen that Asher was on my side. He was destined to be a part of the war against the darkness. Destati simply intervened because Raven was going to change fate. I should be thanking the Goddess or whatever she was, but she still left some residual light in both Diantha and Asher that were causing them pain.
And then there was what Raven said…why would Ibiki and Raven be searching for the Crystal Keyholes? What were they hoping to achieve? I had realized then that we hadn't seen the last of the Keyblade Hunters. I had thought that after the other members had sided with Asher and Lucina rather than their former master, we wouldn't have to deal with the Hunters anymore. I was wrong. Ibiki and Raven still posed a great threat to us and our mission.
My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden yelp. I looked up and saw Domino on his knees, the dagger held by Erebus piercing through his chest and sticking out of his back. The dagger couldn't have been that long. But then I saw it. The dagger was elongated, the longer blade created by the darkness just like earlier. Domino clutched the blade in his chest with both hands, drawing blood that dripped onto the arena's floor. With a quick pull he yanked it out of his chest and fell over with a thud.
"Cure!" came Domino's voice, and Domino immediately sprung to his feet with nothing of the stab to show other than the slit in his shirt. And then Domino exploded. A tornado of darkness formed around my purple haired friend and blasted Erebus away, sending him flying out of the arena and conveniently into Alexios's arms.
Erebus's eyes were widened as if he had never seen such strength before. Or maybe he hadn't seen anyone else use the darkness like that before. Besides himself. "Where did that power come from?" I heard Erebus ask.
I smiled, running up to and jumping into the ring. Domino was to be my next opponent. I've always wanted to test my strength against him and see if I could actually defeat him in battle. I was now going to get my shot. Alexios looked a little angered that I hadn't waited for him to announce the next battle. He dropped Erebus and crossed his arms, waiting for either me or Domino to make the first move.
The two of us stood on opposite sides of the ring, staring into each other's eyes. There was something in his eyes that almost seemed…overpowering, to say the least. The gaze he held seemed as if all of this was destined. That one day the two of us would meet and battle and the winner will decide the fate of…what? The fate of the unknown. The fate of what's to come. Sadly, or maybe thankfully, that time wasn't today.
A blast of light shot from the sky above and landed in the arena in between Domino and I. The light felt amazing and friendly…not at all like Destati's. I saw a hand escape the light and press into Domino's chest, causing my friend to fly out of the ring and into the wall outside. I got into a battle stance. Maybe this light wasn't so friendly after all. The light died down, revealing the person who was standing within it.
And I knew her. It was the woman that had somewhat helped us in our fight against Chernabog earlier. The one who's face was hidden beneath black bandages. All of her face was covered except for one feature. Her left eye. A golden eye. My eye. She held a hand out in front of her and yelled out, "Stop!" Suddenly I felt as if the world around me simply…stopped. The chatter had halted. I couldn't hear the chirping of birds. I looked around me. The scenery around me looked to be gray. Everything was frozen in time. Even Domino who lay motionless on the ground. But I wasn't.
I felt lightning spark around my fingertips as I said, "Who are you? What did you do?"
"Simple time magic," the woman before me replied. She sounded to be around eighteen, maybe nineteen. "I've been watching you for some time now. Since the start of your journey, in fact. I had to meet you. At least once. So hello there, Kane Carter."
"Watching me for some time?" I asked myself, until my brain connected the dots. "That comet! I've seen it and felt it…its light felt...warm. Like a friend. That was you…wasn't it?"
"Sadly, it wasn't," came her response. "I can see by now you're noticing differences in the types of lights. There's Destati's light…not an ounce of darkness within. Unforgiving and cruel that doesn't leave you without leaving a mark." She pointed at Asher. "Then there's artificial light...it could never come close to the real thing. And then there's the light you felt from that comet, and the one you feel from me. The light of friendship…the true light. It's warm and peaceful."
"Who are you?" I asked her.
"You can call me whatever you like for the time being," the woman said, floating a few inches off of the ground. "I came here to stop you and Domino's battle. Destiny has not planned for the Battle of Fate to happen. Yet. So much like Destati, I intervene in certain worlds to make sure nobody tries to change fate. Except I don't try to wipe out the darkness completely. I look for balance. After I leave here, time will resume and everybody will assume that you have beaten Domino. But first, for now, I must test your strength."
Black lightning danced across her fingertips. Black lightning? It didn't feel like darkness, but it sure made my skin crawl as if it was truly powerful. She swiped her hand through the air and I narrowly dodged a slap to the face, backing up until my heels touched the edge of the arena. She balled a fist and whenever she released her fist, an orb of fire floated inches away from her palm. It shot towards me, and I simply deflected it with a strike of white lightning.
She started unraveling a few of her bandages to where I could see her mouth. Now I could see not only her left golden eye, but her pale pink lips as well. And then she blew, and I was hit with a strong gust of wind that sent me flying off of the arena. I landed on my feet, but I stumbled and almost tripped over in the process. I thought I had good enough magic skills…but this woman put all of that to shame.
She swiped her foot through the air and a shockwave of lightning and ice mixed together blasted towards me. I fell to the ground to dodge it, but as soon as I stood up again I saw that shooting from her mouth was fire! I jumped to the side to avoid being it. What could I do to even beat her?
She jumped to the ground off of the stage and as she landed, a tremor traveled through the ground and shook me. I was unable to move. All I could do is stand there shaking as I felt this powerful shockwave. She vanished into light and reappeared right behind me. I whipped around to see that she wasn't there anymore. I felt her behind me once again. I…couldn't do anything.
So I ran. I ran towards the corridor that led back to the lobby. But it was too late. She was now standing in front of the corridor with a hand outstretched. And from her palm came a huge black bolt of lightning that entered my chest and exited my back. I felt a searing pain…and I felt…different. The lightning vanished and I fell to my knees. Why was that black lightning so familiar? I tried to create a ball of fire to blast towards the woman, but nothing happened. It was as if all my magic had vanished.
"Why do you have this much magic?" I asked her, feeling the fear inside me grow larger as she walked closer to me. "I thought I—"
"We are of the same blood," she said simply. "We have the same golden eyes, the same silver hair, and the same magic skills. I've just been training a lot longer than you have. This black lightning has the power to strip people of their magic. But it can also awaken the magic inside of them." She sent another bolt of black lightning through me. I felt a tingling pain, but soon after I felt stronger. More in control. I stood up. "See?"
"The black lightning," I said, casting a Cure spell over my body to wake me up since I was becoming more and more exhausted from this battle. "It was the lightning that hit me on the day Domino and I left Utopia. That…was you?" The woman nodded. I knew something was up. The black lightning that struck me, that gave me my abilities, and that gave me this silver hair…it was all the work of this relative of mine. She awakened the magic inside of me. "You really have been with me all this time."
Her eyes darted towards the sky. I saw what she was looking at. A white comet that filled we with a warm light yet again traveled through the sky and vanished over the horizon. The woman looked back to me and said, "It would appear someone else has been watching you as well." She raised a hand and the two of us lifted off of the ground and flew towards the arena, and we landed safely on its floor. "I have to leave now. Just remember that I'll always be keeping an eye on you. It's what your father asked of me before his death."
"My father?" I asked. As soon as I blinked, she was gone. Domino was now standing in front of me, and color returned to the world. Domino simply fell to his knees. I helped the boy up and said slowly, "Looks like…I win."
"Unbelievable!" came Alexios's bewildered cry. The two of us stepped off of the stage and greeted Alexios. His eyes widened and he looked towards the sky. What was up? "I'm sorry but…it looks like the title match has to be postponed. I…have some business to take care of. You can…have the crystal I've held for so long."
"That isn't fair!" Erebus shouted out. "I needed to win…I needed to beat you! This isn't fair—" His eyes darted to the corridor leading back to the lobby. Domino and Rika seemed to sense something as well. I thought I could hear something as well…like a chuckle. "What is that?"
Erebus rushed into the corridor, and Domino followed without hesitation. Rika rushed after the two. Alexios went after them. I went to Asher and helped the boy up. He found it hard to stand up on his own, but he managed. I helped him along and the two of us rushed out of the coliseum and to the lobby. Once we were there I saw someone I hadn't thought I'd ever see again.
Standing in the center of the room was Hades, the God of the Underworld and Lord of the Dead himself, holding the Crystal Keyhole in his hands. "Ah, would you look at this? The gang's all here to witness my triumph!" He clutched a fist and pumped into the air as if he had just won a war. His eyes scanned the room and fell upon each and every one of us. "This Crystal sure is a beauty, isn't it?" He looked to Asher and smirked. "And you came to me to get rid of Domino all that time ago…yet here you are siding with him? Please. Talk about loser with a capital L." His eyes fell upon Erebus. "I can sense a powerful darkness within you…how about I help you harness it? I can control the darkness like no other!"
While Hades was babbling on, I managed to do something I hadn't thought I would be able to do. The woman I met minutes before inspired this technique. Whereas she blew the air, I sucked it in. Inhaling the air around me, the Keyhole was sucked from Hades' hand and into mine. I smiled with victory. It had worked!
"Come on, kid, we got a show to run," Hades said, vanishing into black smoke and reappearing behind Erebus. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, and the two vanished into black smoke. "And uh, hey, tell the other gods I said hello. I'll be looking forward to seeing you guys again. Really. I'm serious. See you then, small fries."
Hades had vanished with Erebus. Not much happened after that. Alexios told us that we didn't have to stick around. He'd pray to the gods to help Erebus out. So the four of us—Domino, Rika, Asher, and I—stepped out of the vestibule and into the open sunlight again with the crystalized Keyhole in my hands. Before Domino could point Starlight at it to send us back to Walt Disney, I could hear a voice screaming at us.
Flying from the sky and skidding to a halt next to us was Hermes, that messenger god who had delivered Diantha's letter. In his hand was a scroll of paper. He handed it to me and said, "I don't know how the fates did this, but somehow this letter was destined to be sent to you guys today. I've been keeping it for some time, not knowing what to do with it," Hermes said. "Take it." Without another word, the god flew away with his winged sandals.
I unraveled the scroll and held the paper out before us. It was another Disney Report!
Disney Report, II
Soon a third being came into existence alongside us. It called itself the Goddess of Heart. Destati. When her and I were alone, she'd tell me that my brother was not to be trusted. That he would be the reason everything bad would happen in the world. So she told me in order to fight the darkness I'd need to create some worlds on the outside to house people with hearts that could fight the darkness.
But when I began creating the worlds outside, there were already worlds out there. They were simply spawning from the the darkness. I confronted my brother and he had said that all worlds must begin in darkness. That was the way of things. Destati said otherwise, that the light must create the worlds to fight off the darkness. That creating this darkness was changing fate.
While my brother was all about the darkness, Destati was a being filled with, dare I say it, too muchlight. But what was I? I was for balance. These two would have to get along. Destati began creating more worlds of pure light while my brother created more worlds from within the darkness. I sat by and watched. Their feuds would never end.
With that, Domino and I exchanged looks. Domino said, "From the looks of the first and second entries of these Disney Reports, Disney must have lived…in the very first world. Are we collecting these crystals to—" He didn't have time to finish that sentence. Rika had taken out Darksouls and shot a beam of darkness at the crystal keyhole. We were immersed in light. We would soon be back with Walt Disney.
I guess we now knew how the worlds came to be. Disney, his brother, and Destati had helped to create all of the worlds we have today. What he said also made me wonder. Domino and Rika and their followers fought for the darkness. Destati was willing to do anything to protect the light and vanquish the darkness. Where did that lead me? I too, sought balance.
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So...how'd you like this longer chapter? Hopefully it won't take as long next time to type the next chapter. See you then!