Yes, I'm really back again this quickly! I have a renewed vigor for getting these chapters out quickly and I hope that I can maintain it! Here's the proof that I'm determined to finish this story. Two updates in one day!
Alright, insert usual disclaimer. Rewriting this story makes me realize just how contained the original was. I spent so much time focusing on the characters that I didn't do a lot of world visits. If I was going to extend this rewrite past the 40 chapters of the original, I would probably add in some extra ones that weren't there, but I am aiming to maintain the 40 chapters. So anyways, I hope you enjoy and read on!
Chapter Notes/Revisions and Alterations: Complete rewrite of the original with additional scenes
Chapter 25: On to Spira
"Jack, are you sure that you're alright?" Aqua asked for the third time. It was getting annoying.
"Yes, I'm fine." Jack stated rather forcefully. They, along with Ven, Lea, and Roxas, were on their way to Radiant Garden and were currently flying as a pack on their Keyblade Riders. Ven and the other two were up ahead. Jack had been lagging behind, obviously preoccupied with something and Aqua had noticed.
"Sora is going to be okay. He's strong, probably stronger than any of us." she said, knowing why the Wanderer's mind was elsewhere. Jack briefly shook his head.
"He has the potential to be, yes. But Sora remains worried and indecisive. He's not ready to stand against Xehanort yet. I've done my best to prepare him, but…" he replied, trailing off as Aqua interrupted him.
"Don't regret your choice to leave him for this mission. How many adventures has he been on without you there? Yes, he relies on you but he's also capable of staying out of trouble when you're not around." she said, flying closer to him so that they could hear one another better.
"Sora underestimates our enemies. I, better than anyone, know just what Xehanort is capable of. There is nothing that old man won't do to get what he wants. Right now, he wants Sora more than anything." Jack replied, his mind stubbornly set on regretting his decision.
"Jack…." Aqua began once again, but he spoke before she could say anything further.
"I swore that I would protect him from Xehanort, Aqua; that I would be his shield. If Xehanort gets to him because I'm not there, then I'll never forgive myself." Jack said. She sighed, admiring her friend's protectiveness but also wishing he would turn his thoughts toward their own mission.
"You're just one man, Jack. You alone can't decide what path this conflict will take. Terra and the Master are both under Xehanort's control. Ven and I need you if we have any chance of freeing them from their torment." she reminded him. At the mention of Terra and Master Eraqus, Jack looked over at her. Sighing and not responding, he finally nodded. His thoughts then shifted from Sora to Terra, and to the mission at hand. Radiant Garden was under attack, and under no circumstances could they let Xehanort claim the city of light. Sora would have to fend for himself this time.
MEANWHILE, SPIRA, EDGE OF MOUNT GAGAZET….
With Auron standing over his shoulder and Sora in the pilot's seat, they brought the Gummi Ship down into the abandoned landscape of Spira, homeworld of Auron, Seymour, and many others who had been forced to abandon the world when Seymour caused it to fall into darkness. "Where exactly are we heading?" Riku asked as they passed over a massive sprawling stretch of empty green land. Auron pointed at the windshield and toward a towering snowy mountain in the distance.
"There, Mount Gagazet, sacred ground of the old Yevon religion. The Keyhole lies beyond it in Zanarkand. However, the mountain is treacherous. Land at the base of the mountain and we will proceed on foot. Ships do not do well beyond this point." the Guardian explained.
"Got it. Prepare for landing, everyone!" Sora replied, carefully guiding the ship downward. A few minutes later, they landed in a clearing next to a bridge that led to the mountain trails.
"Anything we should know about this place before we get moving?" Riku asked. Auron slung his large sword over his shoulder and spared him a glance.
"Beware the Fiends." he muttered and walked down the ramp onto Spiran soil.
"Fiends?" Kairi asked as they followed in his wake.
"Monsters of this world. Once humans who have long since died, their lingering emotions cause them to reborn as fearsome creatures who want nothing more than to kill those still alive." Auron explained calmly, as if this were a normal occurrence.
"Sounds kinda ominous, doesn't it?" Sora asked nervously. Auron stopped and glanced back at him.
"Would you prefer to remain here by yourself?" he asked, a hint of humor in his voice. Without waiting for an answer, he faced forward and walked across the bridge. His massive sword seemed large enough to cut any Fiends in half, and he was unafraid of the long trek ahead.
"I don't know about you, but I'm staying close to him." Riku muttered and jogged to catch up with Auron. Sora and Kairi looked at each other, exchanged nervous giggles, and followed. (Servants of the Mountain, Final Fantasy X)
Beyond the bridge, the trail sloped upward and grew rather steep. Despite the frigid temperatures and the falling snow, Sora could see the ruins of a civilization in the areas they walked through. "You said this was some kind of sacred ground, right? Who lived here?" he asked. Auron continued walking, but spoke over his shoulder at the boy.
"None lived here, save for those called the Ronso. They were a mighty people, guardians of the mountain. Not many of them are left, but with luck you shall meet one before much longer." he explained. Sora nodded, looking around with interest as he, Riku, and Kairi followed at Auron's heels.
They had not gotten much farther when the Guardian stopped in his tracks. Riku and Kairi noticed and likewise stopped moving. However, Sora was daydreaming and bumped right into Auron's back, stumbling and falling to the ground. "What…?" he began.
"Be still." Auron muttered calmly. Though his voice was calm, Sora noticed him tighten his grip on his sword.
"On your feet, Sora. We've got company above us." Riku whispered. Sora slowly stood up and looked around him. Finally spotting what the others had noticed, his eyes widened in surprise.
A large purple ogre was standing on a ledge high above them, four muscular arms outstretched and surveying them closely. "Is that a Fiend?" Kairi asked quietly. With the smallest of motions, Auron nodded.
"Yes, both of them." he replied.
"Both?" Sora asked, before noticing a second ogre above and to their left.
"Why haven't they attacked?" Riku asked. Auron grunted.
"They will before much longer. They're trying to target the weakest. Right now they're determining who that is." he explained.
Without further warning, the first ogre roared and jumped off of its ledge. As it plummeted toward them, Auron removed his arm from its sling and placed both hands on the hilt of his sword. "Get down!" he ordered the three Keybearers. They followed his command, and he reared his sword back in preparation for a mighty swing.
As the ogre neared him with four giant fists raised high, Auron timed his swing and cleaved forward with tremendous strength. "You will hurt no one!" he exclaimed as his blade connected to the stomach of the ogre. The Fiend gave a jolt of surprise and fell past the group, its body separating in two as it landed. A moment later, both halves faded into small orbs of light.
"One hit? Impressive." Riku observed. Auron, however, had turned his attention to the second ogre. Seeing the death of its companion, the ogre similarly roared and jumped down to meet them. However, before it reached them they heard the growl of a new contender.
A blur of blue fur dashed in from their left, stabbing the ogre through the chest with a spiked lance. The ogre crashed to the ground, dead instantly. As it too disappeared into orbs of light, the group got a look at the newcomer. He had the look of a biped lion with blue fur, a broken horn on his forehead. He placed his lance into an idle position and looked at the group, studying Sora, Riku, and Kairi closely. "Kimahri Ronso." Auron said and walked over to the lion-like man. Kimahri walked to meet him, speaking as he did so.
"Yuna and Kimahri have scouted the mountain. Seymour already in Zanarkand searching for Keyhole. Yuna wished to confront him already without you, but Kimahri convinced her to wait." the Ronso explained, speaking slightly abnormally for Sora to follow. Auron nodded in response to what Kimahri said.
"Good. I brought the help we needed. Let's hope their stories end well." he replied, gesturing to the three Keybearers. Kairi waved nervously at Kimahri, who grunted softly and bowed his help.
"Anyone who helps Yuna is Kimahri's friend." he told them.
"Where is she?" Auron asked.
"I'm here, Sir Auron." came a female voice. A young woman walked into sight, wearing a white shirt with long flowing sleeves and a blue dress. Seeing Sora, Riku, and Kairi, she bowed respectfully in greeting. "I'm Yuna, first of the Spiran Summoners to return to our homeworld. I'm hoping that by unlocking the Keyhole, we can restore this world and bring back those who fled when Spira fell. I was told that you could help me stop Seymour." she explained. Sora nodded, smiling kindly.
"Beating bad guys and helping folks is kind of our specialty." he laughed. She smiled back and nodded.
"That is good to hear. If you are prepared, then we should begin the journey up the mountain. We have a long ways to go in order to reach the other side, and we must catch up to Seymour as quickly as we can." she explained.
"We are ready, Yuna. Kimahri can climb paths that we cannot. He can take you ahead. Wait for us at the summit. Do not go down into Zanarkand without us." Auron instructed. Yuna nodded, somewhat reluctantly.
"Yes, Sir Auron. We will wait for you before going into the ruins." she agreed. Kimahri nodded once to the group, before scooping Yuna up into his arms and leaping high onto one of the ledges above. In mere moments, both were out of sight.
"Well, that's no fair." Sora muttered.
"We must go the long way. Keep your weapons at the ready; there will be more Fiends on the path ahead." Auron told them. The three friends nodded and huddled together as they began following Auron farther up the mountain.
Indeed, the Guardian's words proved true. Over the next several hours, they encountered dozens of ogres and other vicious creatures on the way to the mountain summit. The higher they climbed, the more Fiends they encountered and the colder it seemed to get.
Finally, after killing his seventh Ogre, Sora was gasping for breath. "They're keeping us busy, huh?!" he said in between gasps. Auron chuckled lightly as his own victim vanished into orbs of light.
"Better than freezing to death." he remarked. He then looked around as the other dozen or so felled enemies faded away. "Still, their numbers do seem overwhelming. Not much has changed in ten years…" he muttered.
As they went back to climbing, Sora could see Kairi shivering. "It shouldn't be much longer." he told her. She nodded, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.
"Had I known we'd be hiking through snow, I would have brought a change of clothes…." she said. Her arms were completely exposed, as well as her legs up to her low thighs. Sora felt sympathetic. After all, they did come from a tropical world. Riku heard her words and fell back to walk beside them.
"Here, this might help." he said, conjuring a large flame in the palms of his hands. Feeling the heat, Kairi huddled closer to him.
"Thanks." she said as her teeth stopped chattering.
"Having fun on our first mission as a trio?" Riku asked them. Sora shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll be glad to get off of this mountain, but at least we're in good company." he said, nodding to Auron's back. The Guardian was several meters ahead of them, huddled against the oncoming snowstorm and clearing a path for them to follow.
"What are the chances that Xehanort's people were actually willing to hike through all of this?" Kairi asked. Riku shrugged his shoulders.
"Depends on how badly they want what's on the other side. Seymour certainly did, and I'm willing to bet that he's got some backup after what you guys did in Gaia." he answered her.
Auron disappeared around a corner up ahead. Not wanting to get left behind, they hurried after him. Much to their surprise, the snowfall ceased immediately after rounding the corner.
They could see the top of the mountain above them, but none of them were looking at the summit. In the distance to their left were the ruins of a once great and proud city that went on for miles. Just by looking at what was left, they could feel a sense of loss and sorrow engulfing the place like a blanket of fog. "The ruins of the great Machina city, Zanarkand." Auron's voice floated down toward them. They stopped and looked up to see him waiting for them ahead. They walked over to him and listened as he continued speaking. "Long ago, there was a great war between the cities of Spira. Zanarkand was on the losing side. In the midst of the conflict, a powerful creature called Sin rose. Sin destroyed what was left of the city and went on to ravage Spira for a thousand years. Until ten years ago, when Seymour caused this world to fall into darkness. Summoners would journey here in hopes of finding the power to defeat Sin, but always it returned. When this world is restored, so too will Sin be reborn. Then, it will be Yuna's responsibility as a Summoner to defeat it once more." he explained to them.
"This world has seen much conflict and loss, hasn't it?" Riku asked. Auron's face flickered with pain for a moment, recalling old memories.
"Yes." he simply replied and turned to walk away. Thinking about what Auron said, all of the sudden it made sense to Sora.
Years ago when they had met Auron in the Coliseum, Sora had experienced a glimpse of Auron's memories when he touched Hades' doll that controlled Auron's will.
"It is not too late, let us turn back!
Yes, but I…I cannot accept it.
Your deaths will mean nothing!"
"You lost people that you cared about." he said. Auron stopped, and turned back to face him.
"Braska, my friend, was the Summoner meant to battle Sin. I was his Guardian. and Jecht, a drunk from Zanarkand who came to understand our struggle. Down there in Zanarkand, I knew that Braska would give his life battling Sin." he explained. He then sighed and walked over to the edge of the summit, peering down into the city.
"I thought that I had accepted it. I thought my mind was made up long before. But as I stood here, my resolve wavered." he muttered. Sora grunted thoughtfully, trying to emphasize with what the older man was saying.
"So even though you were a legendary Guardian, you still had your doubts." he said, walking over and standing beside him while Riku and Kairi continued on to the summit. Auron glanced at him and scoffed.
"Legendary Guardian? I was just a boy; not much older than you, in fact. I wanted to change the world too. But I changed nothing; that is my story." he replied. Sora frowned.
"Well, now's your chance. You can change things here by what we're doing. You're giving your world another chance. That's going to make a difference someday." he said cheerfully. Auron slowly shook his head, though there was a shadow of a smile on his face.
"There you go, meddling again…" he said, at which point they both chuckled quietly.
"Hey, are you guys coming?!" Kairi called to them. Sora looked up at her, and Auron nodded.
"She is right. No time to waste, let's go." he said.
"Right!" Sora said and ran past him to catch up with the others.
Reaching the summit, they reunited with Yuna and Kimahri, who had evidently been waiting for hours. (end Servants of the Mountain)
"Good to see you in one piece." Yuna greeted them. However, Kimahri pointed down at the city.
"Trouble." he growled. At that moment, a pillar of light rose into the sky far in the distance.
"Seymour has opened the Chamber of the Fayth. We are out of time." Auron observed.
"Let's go!" Yuna exclaimed. However, Sora sensed an incoming spell and whirled around. He deflected the blast of darkness with his Keyblade and narrowed his eyes upon seeing they had been followed.
Emerging from the mountain trail was Vanitas, his own Keyblade in hand. "Going somewhere? I'm afraid I can't let you interfere with what Seymour's got going on down there. His work is too important." he said coldly, his yellow eyes staring malevolently at them.
"We must go now!" Auron exclaimed. Riku looked at Kairi, who nodded bravely.
"You guys go. Together, you should be more than a match for Seymour. Kairi and I will handle this." he told them.
"Are you sure?" Sora asked, uneasy about leaving them behind.
"You have to find the Keyhole, Sora, now go! We'll catch up when we're done!" Kairi urged him. Sora swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, hurrying down the path after Yuna, Kimahri, and Auron. (Enter the Darkness, Birth by Sleep)
"Do you really think you're a match for me, kiddies?" Vanitas asked as he raised his Keyblade into a ready position. Kairi narrowed her eyes.
"That's funny. We were about to ask you the same thing!" she exclaimed.
Without further words, Vanitas leaped up and launched a volley of dark lightning toward them. Riku stepped in front of Kairi, deflecting it with a dark shield before launching into a counterattack. Leaping up and reaching Vanitas, the two exchanged a swift flurry of blows in mid-air. Using the distraction, Kairi ran underneath them and leaped up, striking at Vanitas from below.
Sensing the incoming danger, Vanitas spun around and kicked off of Riku. Using this momentum, he plummeted and dove into the ground. As Kairi and Riku landed, they looked cautiously for signs of his presence. A moment later, he emerged between them and slashed Riku so viciously that he was knocked across the arena. Turning his attention to Kairi, Vanitas slashed forward with merciless abandon. Unable to get in an attack of her own, Kairi concentrated on blocking his. As their blades clanged and locked together, Vanitas grinned and growled at her with hungry eyes. Unfazed, she leaned back and looked at the ground. A moment later, a pillar of earth rose up and knocked the dark boy into the air.
Vanitas angrily righted himself and swung his blade in mid-air, launching two dark projectiles toward her. Kairi rolled out of their way as he prepared for another attack. However, Riku leaped up and tackled him out of the air. They both fell to the ground with a crash, but Riku was kicked off before he could deal any blows. Without needing to coordinate with words, Riku and Kairi charged from opposite directions and pinned Vanitas between them. The dark boy had to move quickly in order to deflect both of their continuous attacks, outnumbered but unfazed.
Finally seeing an opening, he ducked underneath both of their simultaneous swings and reached out with both arms. Striking them both, he launched them all up in a spiral of dark energy. Once more in the air, He knocked Kairi's Keyblade out of the way and managed to strike her twice before sending her crashing down with a cry of pain.
Kairi landed, her Keyblade falling from her grasp. She clutched her arm that had been struck and tried to get back to her feet. Seeing her down, Riku's fury rose and he matched his tempo to Vanitas'. Soon both boys were wielding darkness in equal measure against one another. Riku slammed his Keyblade against Vanitas', and immediately pushed it down in order to smack the boy with the hilt of his Keyblade. This sent Vanitas staggering, allowing Riku to run up and slice him across the stomach with a powerful strike. Vanitas cried out in surprise and fell backward. He slowly stood to his feet and saw Riku coming once again. In desperation, Vanitas raised his free hand and unleashed a powerful stream of dark energy. Riku halted his advance and raised his hands to catch it. As it connected to his defenses, his footing began to falter and he slid back several feet.
He groaned under the effort of holding back Vanitas continuing spell, unable to dispel it. However, at that moment Kairi dashed past him in a blur. She reared her Keyblade back, filling it with light energy. "Get lost!" she screamed and slashed at him with all of her strength. A line of light energy was left along his body where she struck him and he buckled backward, ceasing his attack on Riku.
Beaten, Vanitas fell to his knees and gasped in pain. Riku and Kairi calmly advanced on him, their Keyblades ready. However, he did not try and attack them again. (end Enter the Darkness)
"Well done. If this were a real fight, you'd have a victory on your hands. But as it is, I had no interest in taking out two of the seven lights. All I needed to do….was buy some time." Vanitas muttered and began laughing loudly.
"What are you talking about?! Buy time for what?!" Riku demanded. At that moment, a pillar of darkness rose in the distance on the other side of the city. Vanitas saw it and smirked once more.
"And there's the signal. Looks like the plan worked. Guess Master Xehanort was right. I do make a pretty good distraction. Thanks for falling right into the trap. You heroes are as predictable as always…" he said triumphantly. In another moment, he engulfed himself in a dark portal and disappeared.
Now alone, Riku and Kairi ran to the edge of the platform and looked out at the pillar of darkness in the city. It was surely intended as a signal by Vanitas' words, but it vanished only a moment later. "He only needed to buy time, and there was a trap…." Kairi muttered. Riku had already guessed the truth, that their worst fear had been realized.
"Sora…." he whispered in horror.
A bit more of a cliffhanger to this one than the original, but I prefer it that way. Anyone who remembers the original has a vague idea of where we're heading, but I am changing things up a bit at the same time. Chapter 28 rapidly approaches, and with it begins the closing arc of the story. I can't wait to get there, which explains you guys had two updates in one day! Consider it my extended apology for being gone so long. I hope you enjoyed the first half of the Spira storyline! Next time we wrap this world up and find out what happened on Sora's side of things….