Kingdom Hearts:Birth by Sleep Zero~Terra's Story~Book 1:Chapter 25~
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything except a craving for a copy of Kingdom Hearts:Birth by Sleep. All characters and worlds are owned by Disney, Square-Enix, and the greatest, most awesome video game director in the world/greatest character designer in the world(Tetsuya Nomura).
THE NOTE THAT EXISTS IN ALMOST EVERY CHAPTER:
Well, here we are again. I have created this note to thank my four new reviewers(the most in KH:BBS Zero history), ChoasDivine No.11, ShinobiMatt, blaze03, and Pokelover93. I enjoy seeing people giving me feedback on my story. It gives me the fuel to keep me going, knowing that there really is someone who is excited to read the next chapter. Oh yeah, and I have a recommendation:you should read the story on Fanfiction titled, Kingdom Hearts Marluxia The Graceful Assassin. It is a story that ChoasDivine urged me to read, so I did. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of our pink-haired assassin. Also:Go to my profile to vote on which character in BBS Zero is your favorite:Terra, Aqua, Ven, Geezernort, Igneous, Master Oni, or Pico. That's all I have to announce, so may the awesomeness be with you. Again, I have not updated in...two months, I think? Anyways, I needed to take a break from writing for a while, so sorry for the long-awaited update. During that no-writing period, I have been doing a number of other things. For one, I have been making a replica of Ven's Keyblade, Divided Fate in my terms, out of pine. I'm almost done with the sanding, so my next job is to primer it, then spray paint it. I'm so excited for the final result! P.S: I've heard that Kingdom Hearts:358/2 Days is coming out in Japan(not the USA) on May 30th, only a few days before my B-Day!
The bringer of Geezernort's awesome cheesiness and squeaky boots,
Eternal Symphonia
Chapter 25:Part 1~Enchanted Dominion:
My eyes fluttered open to find a sprawl of pines and other coniferous trees around my position. Birds hummed and whistled as their daily life went on without even the slightest clue that the teenage boy who had suddenly appeared wasn't from this world. But then again, they're birds. What would they know about things like that?
A scathing hiss seethed into my ears. I looked around for a while, trying to pinpoint the original source that was undoubtedly a Dawn.
"You know, you guys are starting to be a real pain in the ass." I found myself slowly getting up from my behind and summoning my Keyblade. One little navy colored monster hopped out of the top of a spruce. It danced a little and then ran off towards a bridge that led to a castle. The impressive fortress loomed in the distance, overlooking a warm, sunny valley that brought the scent of wildflowers and berries. My head jerked back to the Unbirth. It had begun to dance again, waiting for me to catch up. I grunted at its pathetic bravery and started to run towards the eternally smirking Dawn. The little coward paced off towards the castle again, meeting the bridge within only a few seconds.
" You can't run forever!" I found my legs managing to catch up to the monster, eventually within attacking distance. I launched into the air and slammed down Eternal Horizons. Darkness flew up in flames and the Unbirth was reduced to a pile of ashes that blew away in the wind, seemingly going nowhere. I slowly raised my head up to the castle once again. My eyes were transfixed on it for longer than what seemed like only a single moment. Wind blew past my face and tossed my hair around playfully as my focus turned back to the situation at hand.
After my short jolt of peace, Large Nightmares, more Dawns, one or two Crimson Fishers, and a few unfamiliar Unbirths(four to be exact) appeared in front of me. The first one was a human-like, dark blue monster with long white fingers that looked pretty sharp. The symbol of the Fallen was emblazoned upon its forehead, streaking crimson light into eyesight. The second member of the Unbirths was an aerial one; a plain, simple, glossy black crow. Very unique, right?
The third monster was a strange plant-type being that was red, black, and gold. At its base was a pot with the colors I previously mentioned. A black form rose out of the vase and had a simple, pink flower that looked about ready to bloom at the top of its supposed "head". Out of the black form were green vines that were barbed with many thorns. Finally, the last new Unbirth was also a very plain little thing that seemed to look like the bud of a flower. The bottom of it was completely black and rose up to the top by fading into a crimson shade. The top of the Fallen popped off once and a while, slowly coming down to rest on its "head" after the sudden burst, kind of like the tea kettles in cartoons. Aqua would have considered it to have been cute.
By the time the Unbirths had come at me, I couldn't even pause for a moment to name them. But it actually was a little relieving, in an abnormal, deranged sort of way; for once I didn't have to give a title to all of these deformed creatures on the fly and shun myself later for how defective and stupid they were.
Crows whizzed past my head in an effort to rake their talons across my bare skin. My brow lowered in agitation and I heaved my Keyblade in an upwards, diagonal arc as I swerved around on one foot to make contact with the unsuspecting monsters. Ashes fluttered to the stone beneath my feet like confetti, as if the Unbirths' remains were congratulating me for accomplishing the simple task of bringing them to that state.
I turned on my right foot once again to face the clawed humanoid Fallen. The air around me whistled while my weapon was thrust upwards. The monster was sent sky high. I took the opportunity and leaped up to meet it face to face. Time seemed to pause for a moment before Eternal Horizons was able to come around in a full circle and vanquish the stunned creature.
As soon as my feet hit the ground, the energy of some strange, new power began to pump through my muscles. An eerie reddish glow surrounded the edges of my entire being. I had learned a new ability, and judging by how powerful I felt, the futures of the Unbirths who stood before me were obsolete.
Large Nightmares, Dawns, and all of the others charged towards me. I hacked my way through the inferior, smaller ones. Every time metal hit silky flesh, my Keyblade began to develop an even stronger, crimson aura. Finally, I couldn't hold it anymore, and I sprinted up to the Nightmares. They started to close in...the idiots. Too bad they didn't know that I actually was waiting for them to make that move. Just before one of them was able to attack, I commenced a rush of strong combos. Powerful and devastating sideways, forwards, and even backwards thrusts were enough to weaken down the obese monsters just enough to give me some time to start the final attack, which was probably the most awesome ability I had seen so far besides Meteor's Inferno. It began with your standard, unsurprising parries. Then, after seeing about three Nightmares being terminated without a trace, it ascended into these almost unbelievable blows that decreased their ranks with almost depressing speed. Finally, there were only three left. First, I heaved Eternal Horizons to the right, then to the left. After a slight pause, I jumped up to only a foot above the ground and forced my legs and arms out to trigger a fire attack that created something close to a shield of spinning flames. The searing heat didn't seem to bother me, but the same couldn't be said for the Unbirths that had stood in front of me a few seconds beforehand. My feet just barely touched the stone below before I sprung off the bridge again and swung my Keyblade around in a full circle to freeze the Large Nightmares in blocks of pure, blueish white ice. While they were temporarily frozen, I took the chance to peek inside to see what they actually looked like when still. I tapped the glassy prison and cracked a grin, then waved to farewell them before I vaulted into the air one last time. A faint, yellowish glow appeared at where my spiritual heart was. I swung my weapon back like a baseball bat and waited for the aura to grow until I began to slowly move clockwise. Once the tip of my Keyblade was where the back of my head had previously been, I let it go and unleashed four immense pillars of sweltering blaze, all of it destroying everything and anything in its boiling hot path. My feet heavily landed on the stone below. I took a moment to catch my breath after executing such an efficacious string of attacks. After my brief little cool down, I raised my head hastily to look at my surroundings once more; the current of gentle wind was now much more satisfying to feel after battling for longer than fifteen minutes straight.
Suddenly, a voice erupted within the depths of my mind, "Everywhere you turn, you'll be there, and you won't be."
" If I didn't know better, it would seem that you have made the habit of telling me the most pointless things at the most random times." I replied out loud. All that came back was a laugh and the question, "Yes or no?"
I shook my head with impatience.
" Stubborn as always." The Chaser sighed with the heavy feeling of pity in his heart. He had grown to actually liking this one. "Well, if you're just going to ignore my advice, then know this: rejecting the truth will get you nowhere. Follow what your heart tells you, and everything will turn out as it should be."
"As it should be? Is there such a thing?"
" Farewell." He dismissed with an echoing voice.
My next destination was to the castle that towered in the distance. It took me a while to reach the twenty-foot doors, but I managed. Surprisingly they were wide open, ready for any thief or tired and careless traveler to just waltz in; or a spiky-haired, brunette Keyblade apprentice, for that matter.
I raced inside with my weapon still in hand, knowing that at least one Unbirth would pop up and try to attack. The area turned out to be a huge and empty room with two crimson thrones covered with blue and lime green tapestries at the end. It was far too dark in there to see the distant walls, but I could still pick out the bright red, white trimmed tiles that smothered the floor. Suddenly a large obstacle appeared out of nowhere and caused me to stop. It was a gigantic red, black, and yellow spinning wheel with a spool of golden thread. The Unbirth stood on three legs, which supported a small wooden table that resembled an undersized ladder. A few spikes were here and there, while the biggest ones were on top and on the sides of the spool of yarn. Only one question came to mind: Who comes up with these ideas?
The Unbirth boss lurched and groaned before the wheel began to spin rapidly, along with everything else on the enormous creature. Its first line of offense was a simple stomp on the tiled floor, which gave way to a powerful wave that shot out in a three-hundred and sixty degree radius, which was easily dodged by me. I rushed in and hacked away at the center of it, ending the combo with a Thundaga spell. It was temporarily stunned from the sudden burst of voltage coursing through its frame, giving me a minute or two to thrash away at the center again. A creaking noise seeped out of its wooden knees before the Fallen sprung up and landed on the opposite side of the throne room. I started an ability called "Speed Rave", which actually was a temporary power-up instead of an attack. Speed Rave transformed your moves into fast, but strong blows, which seemed helpful since there was a giant, spiked spinning wheel in the compact form of a drill shooting towards me with alarming celerity. I tried to dodge out of the way, but to no avail I was impacted harshly on the leg by one of the incoming spikes. Blood gurgled out of my thigh, causing me to drop to one knee in shock. The Wheel Master stopped abruptly on the right side of the room, stomping its brightly colored wooden legs on the floor in complete joy. The thought that the stupid, normally inanimate object had practically immobilized me made my stomach churn.
"Why don't you come over here and mock me? I'm sure it'll be even more fun knowing that you might just 'accidentally' step on me." I muttered "Cura" as I watched the monster trample over in eagerness. The dull spinning wheel obviously didn't recognize that my moans of pain were utterly dramatic, so unbelievable that even a two-year-old would figure it out. Once the Unbirth had arrived, it raised one of its wooden supports; I could see the inside of my eyelids get darker from the sudden shadow that had appeared over me. My eyes cracked open into tiny slits to make sure that the spinning wheel hadn't begun bringing down its leg onto me yet, and I waited. Though, I didn't have to open my eyes to hear the groaning of the Wheel Master to know that it was time. Just as the bottom of the Unbirth's foot came down, I summoned Eternal Horizons and struck it as hard as I could. A sickening crack erupted from above, and a shower of splinters rained onto my head. Silence cradled the room until the ground began to shake. One of the Wheel Master's legs had fallen in front of me, split in half with a clear, even cut that ran straight through, top to bottom. Steam fizzled off of the pile of wood and the smell of burning pine clogged my nose.
"You see, every time someone mocks me, something bad always happens to them. I just can't imagine why, though." I sneered at the immobilized Unbirth in sarcasm. The only thing left on its right side was a wooden stub, which was what I was now leaning on. It seems kind of cruel, but I couldn't help snickering at the sight of it trying to attack me with its wheel but failing because of its awkward position. "If Xehanort comes to get you, which I doubt he will, tell him that for me." Just as I uncrossed my legs and began to walk away, the Wheel Master made grinding noises and burst into flames. The floor squealed as I twisted around on my right foot.
"And if he wants to play around with my friend's heart, then he's got something just wonderful coming his way. Anyone who toys with me is bound for pain."
"The only person here who is 'bound for pain' would be the one who lacks self-discipline." I could feel pure enmity seeping to the core of my soul.
"Why are you still alive? You'd think an old fart like you would have croaked by now."
"Now, now, Terra." The unmistakable squeaking of the tile below could be heard as Master Xehanort's boots were scored across them. A hand was placed on my shoulder, much to my complete displeasure.
"I thought you would enjoy having a companion to celebrate your victory over my newest creation. And all I had to do was get Igneous to slay a young wielder who had unwisely began out on his own to find us, just like you and your little friends." Xehanort chortled, his revolting breath billowing out in clouds. After pausing to choke, I questioned, "And who would this apprentice be?" I was almost afraid to know; afraid to hear any familiar names that would rip at my heartstrings.
"Why, only that purple-eyed idiot Yamada. I hear you were quite close to him when you were still taking courses."
My pulse began to hasten and increase in volume. Dirk, Rein, and Yamada were the first three other apprentices I had met at Castle Celest, and were my best friends, next to Aqua and Ven. Streams of tears flooded my eyes and eventually found their way to the floor; I could feel my muscles turning into soggy noodles, thinking about how weak and dumb I felt for crying like a little kid whose ice cream had fallen off of the cone due to the arid rays of the Sun. Xehanort took his gloved fingers off of my shoulder and circled me repeatedly, as if savoring the sight of tears. I managed to sputter, "I hate you so much."
"And the best part is, you just crushed his soul entirely. Now he doesn't even have the chance to return to human form." His amber eyes darted over to the burning pile of wood.
"You should have seen his pitiful, pale, cold face after Igneous had killed him; too priceless to forget." A maniacal cackle that sent my veins boiling burst through his mouth.
"Why?" That was all I could ask before I rose to my feet, well aware that my eyes were turning into pools of amber, aware that the unforgettable feeling of Darkness was beginning to consume my entire being. Anger and hatred throbbed from the center of my heart to the tips of my fingers.
"So, you have become a monster of Darkness sooner than we thought possible. Master Oni will be enthralled to hear."
"I doubt he would be pleased to even look at you after all you've done, much less to speak to you." The promise that brought pointed ears also reintroduced throbbing pain. I could feel a burning sensation pulsing from the very bottom of my earlobes to the helix of my ears.
"Are those pointed ears that I see?" My skin tingled with loathing when he brushed my hair away to trace the perimeter of my ears. Instantly, I found my hand swiftly grabbing hold of his wrist, tightening my grip with each and every second. "Don't touch me." I warned, my eyes not even wandering to glare at him.
All he did was stand there and smile, not even wincing from fingernails being driven into his pale skin. Every drip seemed slower than the last. I had counted to thirty-three before Xehanort pronounced, "You're even more similar to Him than I had previously thought." Droplets of crimson dribbled to the floor for a little while longer, almost like the sand of an hourglass counting down to end of time.
Him? I asked myself, hoping that the elderly maniac had been listening.
"Master Xelos, the greatest Keyblade Bearer in the history of eternity. He should be credited with putting the universe back in order, but denizens of Light, who rule the major opinion, still deny him his deserved honor." The elder's eyes sparkled with awe and admiration. Obviously his role model must've been the original Keyblade Master of Darkness. Either he had trained under him, knew him well, or was just honoring his title's previous owner.
"So was Xelos the idiot who decided to choose you as the Keyblade Master of Darkness?" I could feel my ears begin to transform back into normal, round ones. It seemed that the calmer I became, the farther Darkness was.
Xehanort's face turned into a crimson shade, his anger rising with increasing speed. Just about every muscle on his face twitched with impatience and complete disgust. The Darkness that still pulsed through my heart burst at the sight of his hatred, growing with each and every second. Was this how Xehanort felt when he knew that he had touched a soft spot on me?
"You dare to speak his name so casually? In my day you would have had your head cut off on the spot for such disrespect." He snorted with disgust, then shook his head before violet and onyx black swirls of Darkness encircled his right arm, all coming from the point of his spiritual heart; if he even had one.
That's weird. I've never seen that one before. The flames extended from his arm and formed Infatialis Sonata. The colossal room around us seemed to react by darkening a little bit. Then a noise erupted from the ornate doors at the entrance. Before I could even notice, Igneous appeared the opposite side of Master Xehanort, right behind me with his gloved hand around my chin. Xehanort raised his eyebrows at the apprentice which created a sudden burst of strength from Igneous's hand, jerking my head back while exposing my throat. Metallic screeching raked at my eardrums as the blade of Chronosis Terminus was rested on the main artery in my neck. I flailed my arms about to attempt gaining freedom, but I stopped in my tracks when I found the tip of Xehanort's Keyblade just barely touching the center of my chest.
"You see Terra, the more wielders that fall, the more powerful I become." He spotted a speck of dirt on his Keyblade and immediately rubbed it with his thumb. What I previously thought was a splash of grit was actually dried, flaky blood.
"So you're a murderer too?" I asked with the expectation of confirmation.
"Rather a person with goals that can only be completed at the death of others. But since you insist, yes. In your terms I am a murderer." The old man replied casually, not even thinking twice about how he had just announced that he had more than one goal. I was going to ask just what these "goals" were, but he beat me to it. "First of all, Kingdom Hearts. I'm sure you've heard of it quite often, knowing my twin."
"Yeah, but which one?" I recalled that there were four Kingdom Hearts: The Heart of All Worlds, The Heart of All Men, The Heart of All Souls, and finally, The Heart of All Keyblades.
"All of them, of course. In order to gain control of the universe, you must first gain all Kingdom Hearts. But the most important is the Heart of all Keyblades."
"I thought it was supposed to be the Kingdom Hearts of all Souls."
"Yes, but to you it would be. You are a wielder of the Soul. Igneous and I are of the Heart." A clumsy grunt came from the exo-skeleton clad teen behind me. To my relief, he let his Keyblade suspend to his side much to Master Xehanort's disgruntlement.
"Igneous, did I even once tell you to take your blade away from this fiend's throat?" He pronounced quietly, but his tone revealed ascending vexation.
The apprentice shook his head to say, "No."
"Come over here, now." The old man pointed to a spot two feet away from himself. Igneous left to comply to his Master's order. After a few seconds, Igneous had made it over to the designated spot.
Xehanort was still.
All of the sudden, Igneous toppled over and fell to the floor with a loud boom. His Master repeated his trademark, corrupt smirk before taking Igneous by the arm and chucked the teenager towards the sidelines. "Though the Kingdom Hearts of Keyblades is meant to the Soul Wielders, it is the most important one compared to the other three."
I neglected his offer of knowledge and replied with pity for the poor guy who was now awkwardly "reclining" on the floor, "You treat him as if he is a puppet that you can just toss away when necessary." Xehanort's expression tightened; his topaz eyes seemed to burst into an even more engulfing flame, eclipsing my own matching irises for more than a short moment. Our eye contact stood for a while longer. I could tell that the senior was growing quite impatient, as if he expected me to cower and glance at another inconspicuous spot around the throne room.
"You even look like him."
"I didn't know that you could think so much of someone else, Xehanort." I shot back. I knew that he was trying to tick me off by comparing myself to the original dark Keyblade Wielder and ignoring the cruelty he had shown towards the only person who was loyal to him, even by force. He knew that I hated acknowledging the fact that I wasn't exactly doing what my Master would have wished, thus using it against me.
"Why yes, I can." He raised his blade once again, this time resting on my nose.
"Finally! I didn't think you ever going to stop talking. " A long-held, proud sigh burst out of my throat while I summoned my own weapon. Even with only one insult, I was clearly able to get Xehanort's goat quite easily. But of course, anyone who despised Xehanort and anyone he knew of who did so always had the pleasure of easily making him go on a rant about how great he is, thus also revealing how easily he could get ticked by just an inkling of opposal. Was he really that simple to read? And all this time I thought to read Xehanort's thoughts was like trying to turn a impenetrable stone into a delicate flower. Well, that's one thing I was wrong on.
"Very amazing..." The old geezer drooled while staring at me intently. I knew his next remark was either going to some cheesy insult or another reference to his self-proclaimed God.
I clamped my hands over my ears and replied, "You know what? Don't even tell me what you consider to be 'amazing', I just don't want to hear it."
Thanks to my temporary earphones, all I could hear was the muffled remark/insult/snobby comment that makes you want to hurl at his audacity and rudeness. Xehanort realized that I had actually done what I had admitted cheerfully. I could see his mouth forming the words, "Aren't", "You", and "Listening". I almost said out loud, "No, of course not, 'cause I'll only hear some half-assed and crappy attempt at trying to make me feel inferior." And the fact that he could only use those not insulting insults on me was very, very depressing. It's like when Sora got mad at me for breaking his alleged concentrating: the little kid was trying to show his anger at me, but messed up his salty comment by his own rightful(since he was four years old) stupidity. The only difference is that Xehanort knew better.
Actually, he may have not. Scratch that.
The sound of liquid hitting a hard surface echoed throughout my ears. While thinking and silently insulting my loathed enemy, Xehanort had taken the time to slit my nose with the tip of Chronosis Terminus.
"Don't pick battles where you cannot win, Terra."
Shut up. I snapped. At first I thought that the mysterious voice was trying to be helpful, but it was becoming quite annoying to hear rejection of every decision I had made. But I knew it was futile to argue with him. Was there even a way to get rid of it?
"Jeez, I'm just trying to guide you in the right direction. You don't have to bite."
I completely ignored him.
"What? You're not even going to reply?"
More silence.
"You know, you're really lucky that I'm not giving up on you so easily. Most of the time I just tease the apprentices and then let them off with their Keyblades. But you-"
The voice couldn't finish his sentence before Xehanort had started the battle. His weapon locked with mine. The icy metal of my Keyblade met the fiery, warm blade of his.
" Why is it that every time we meet it ends up as a futile fight?" Xehanort sarcastically asked with his amber eyes blazing like the depths of Hell, engulfing my icy blue ones like tight, absorbing shackles. He held his gaze over mine for a few more brief moments, seemingly mocking my every fiber.
"I dunno. Maybe it's because no one, not even your own student, can get along with you."
The geezer paused, then leaned in closely, his eyes not averting mine.
"Or maybe it's because you simply insist to pick a fight with every person who you don't 'like'."
Fury boiled my blood and tensed my muscles. Me? I was the one who had a bone to pick with everyone I didn't agree with? Oh no, Xehanort: you are dead wrong. You are the one who hates everything that opposes you. Not me.
"And yet you don't even notice how easily I can cause you anger." The old man chuckled with a hint of ridicule. I felt my blood begin to boil like a sizzling pot of grease, every once in a while popping to spew off a few spurts of oily droplets.
"Do you see? I only have to mention the fact of the power I have over you, and you always begin to do what I want you to do almost instantaneously. Do you still reject the facts?"
"What facts? All I hear are lies." I shot back. Over a few feet away Igneous began to stir. Master Xehanort lifted his sight to the ceiling and sighed, "Why do I even put up with you?" A sickening crack burst up from the teen's back as Geezernort's boot was brought down brutally. He groaned with pain, but stopped after another blow to his back was dealt. Blood began to carpet the floor and puddled under Xehanort's feet. He glanced down at the oozing red and revoltingly sniffled, "Disgusting."
"You know what? You're sick."
"I'm sick? At least I don't betray my Master."
"That's because you practically worship the toilet he craps on." The elder sighed and looked at his apprentice longingly, "Unlike him."
"Agh! Get over yourself! Your snootiness is making me hurl." Which was true, since I hated almost every snooty person in existence. I began to dash towards the old guy with Eternal Horizons floating in my grasp. Before I had met the distance of ten feet away from him, I raised my Keyblade so that it was now behind my head. Once I had gotten within attacking distance, I swung it at Geezernort's heart-empty chest.
The next few moments seemed to fly by in pictures. The first one was the beginning of a transforming snarl on Xehanort's face. The second one was an image of the middle of his shirt tattering. After that one was a scene of blood spurting out of his chest. I instantly shut my left eye as some of it got in. A burning sensation made me grimace, but a grin replaced it as soon as I saw the look of horror on the geezer's face. Another slide flashed by, one of Xehanort grabbing his chest where the cut had hit.
Time flashed back to normal. I shook my head to regain focus. My eyes opened to see Master Xehanort kneeling on the floor, gasping for breath and wheezing like a crow.
Is he having a heart attack? Surprisingly, I had actually hoped he wasn't.
"Good one..." The old guy managed to choke out. He coughed a few times and some blood came out along with it. Xehanort began to fall, but caught himself with the one hand he wasn't using. Now he was kneeling but bent over, his left arm the only thing keeping him from hitting the floor. I could see his amber eyes flit around the room, then slowly rise up to me. Glistening, sharp, and pure white canines appeared as his mouth formed into a creepy, eerie grin.
"But not good enough."
My vision turned everything into pictures again: Xehanort disappearing, a white, gloved hand that was unmistakably his covering my mouth, his Keyblade appearing, blistering pain, crimson surging onto everything, darkness....
Then nothing.