Chapter 25 up and running! This was really fun to write, it really was. A bit difficult too, but still a lot of fun. I'm officially off of school (cue the heavenly choir), and now my brain is pumping with all kinds of ideas! Enigma is back baby! Woo!
I gotta say, I'm a little proud of this chapter. For one thing, all those voices in Anolani's head will slowly start to click; her little background will start to reveal as the rest of the story progresses, some in major bits and some in minor. While I do that, I'll plan out the rest of the worlds to visit (I think there are three sectors left to do? I would do more but I think that'll take too much time. I'm still iffy about it. If anyone wants to see more worlds, or recommend a few, let me know ^^).
Now to light the torch!
I don't own Kingdom Hearts! If I did, Daisy would've been a much bigger character in the game! Seriously, I've watched the cartoons since I was a kid. That duck don't play o.o (pardon the grammar).
25. Bloody Keyblade?
"Mavis!" My sister's voice cried above the army of Followers attempting to drag us into their black puddles of slime.
I plowed my electrified fist into the nearest hide, throwing a disoriented Heartless into one of the castle's broken topiary bushes that lined the courtyard. "What now!?"
"Is it okay if I file for early retirement!?"
"Are you fucking serious right now!?" I screeched, steam leaving my ears, "Can't you worry about that later!?"
"Language!"
"For the love of Chronus, woman, is that all you're thinking about right now!?"
"Yeah! I thought we were suppose to plan a party after we beat Nil!" Sora piped in, decimating a circle of Heartless and Followers with a single sweep of his keyblade, a smile playing his lips.
Kairi launched a fireball into a group of Heartless, turning her back towards the burning dark creatures to swiftly block a Follower's dripping claws as she spoke. "What happened to all the fireworks, food, and dancing you wanted? You can't go on vacation just yet!"
"Not helping the point here!" I growled, firing small shock waves into the fray.
"Mavis is right," Riku jumped in, sliding through the crowd with ease, leaving dark puddles in the soft green grass, a smirk curling on his cheeks, "We want this celebration to be big! So let's give it all we've got now, then have the time of our lives when things settle."
'Again, not the point I was trying to make,' I thought with a subtle roll of my eyes, but couldn't stop the grin stretching my cheeks and the laughter in me trying to escape, 'But what he said sounds just as cool.'
Our usual banter continued as we cleared the courtyard of monsters, the occasional laughter and strikes at each other's ego making the battle seem more like an annoying chore than a fight for our lives. After a while, Riku decided to make light of the situation and turned it into a contest; to see who can kill the most monsters without using magic and such. Sora and Anolani were quick to agree, and even though Kairi and I opted to stay out of it, we were eventually sucked into the excitement as well. Stealing 'points' from each other, snapping at one another when a twinkle of magic slipped out, this was (strangely) the funniest battle I've ever been a part of in a long time, and I was a little disappointed when it ended and the topiary gardens were cleaned out.
"So," Sora spoke in short pants, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath and showing off the usual goofy grin, "how many... points... was that?"
"Looked like... a draw... to me," Riku, too, was winded, tiny beads of sweat forming on his brow.
Kairi giggled fondly at the boys while I settled with rolling my eyes and sporting a lax smirk. "I think you over did it a bit."
"Aren't all boys like that?" I questioned.
"Might be all that aggressive behavior stored up or something," Anolani shrugged, making a point to gently push the brunette face down in the dirt with her finger, "See?"
"How come you guys aren't tired?" Sora barely muffled through the dirt and grass that caught in his mouth.
"Kairi and I weren't trying to get in the way of your little competition," I replied, then stabbed a thumb towards Anolani, who again decided to deal the same torture as Sora onto the silverette, her face concentrated on poking the poor boy's side when he sprawled, "And Anolani's just weird."
"Choo choo...," The guard paid not mind to my sneer and continued poking Riku's side as a child would do to a dead animal on the street, "Choo choo choo..."
'Scarily enough, that comparison seems to fit nicely for them,' I thought to myself with a hint of mirth in my eyes as I watched Anolani shove Riku's face roughly back into the dirt to continue her prodding.
"Sora!" A cacophony of familiar cartoonish voices called from the colonnade nearby, followed by rushed footsteps tredding through grass. Lifting our heads with an air of relief, we were greeted by an exhausted Goofy and a ruffled Donald, followed shortly by a very familiar female duck dressed in a soft lavender dress with two chipmunks perched on her shoulders.
"Auntie Daisy!" Anolani squealed with joy, stopping her incessant prodding only to step on the poor boy's back in order to embrace Daisy and the two chipmunks resting in her arms, "Chip and Dale too! You're all okay!"
"Glad you're all fine," I said in relief, lifting Riku off the ground and brushing grass blades and dirt off his clothes while he spat out the rest. Kairi did the same with Sora as he brushed grass blades off his tongue, "The queen's been worried sick about you guys."
"You should go someplace safe," Kairi suggested, "the queen is in the Gummi Ship Hanger. It's the only safe place Nil hasn't gotten to yet."
"But the king! He's still trapped in the Hall of the Cornerstone!" Goofy exclaimed anxiously.
"We have to go back and help him!" Donald tried to persuade us to let them come along, but before anyone could say a word, I outwardly refused.
"No way. The inhabitants of this castle need protection, and we need you two to be just that."
"Yeah. We'll take care of Nil," Sora said with a grin and a casual thumbs up, "and bring the king back."
"Alright. Just be careful, all of you," Daisy said sternly, "I haven't seen you all in ages, and would like to have a chance to spend some time with you," she eyed Anolani and I specifically, "and YOU two have a lot of explaining to do! Not visiting for eleven years!? And without a single call! Do you know how worried I was!? "
The two of us cringed at her tone, peering down at the ground shamefully to avoid her fire.
"Eheh..., can we talk about this later, Daisy?" I struggled to get out without angering her more. If there was one person I couldn't piss off, it was the seemingly delicate Daisy Duck, the only person who wouldn't hesitate to tear me through, "We're kind of in a hurry."
The lovely duck huffed, then sighed with a click of her tongue, "Oh, alright. But we are going to have a nice long talk about this when you get back, understand?" Her bill lifted in to a sugary sweet smile, but I wasn't fooled. That basically translates to "You two better come back, or else a stern talking to will be the least of your problems!", in Daisy speak.
I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my head much like the grinning, brunette behind me, "Y-Yes ma'am."
With a quick nod and coaxing from Donald and Goofy, the five made their way towards the Gummi Ship hanger where they were to meet with their queen. Hearing my companions snickering in the background, I growled and turned my sights on the seemingly innocent group of teenagers, a hiss slipping into my tone, "Not...a... single...word. Don't even chuckle."
"Hehe, sissy got chewed out~!" Anolani sang, the others finally erupting into a fit of laughter. I was pretty sure Sora was about to faint from lack of air.
"Just shut up and tell us where the damn Cornerstone is!?" I screeched and flushed a bright crimson.
After taking a few moments to get the giggles out of his system, Sora coughed a bit with little evidence of a smile, "R-Right...it's underneath the king's throne. In the Audience Chamber."
"Really? Man," Anolani pondered, antenna twitching and her arms crossed, "You guys need to hide your stuff better. Keyholes in obvious places, light stones, hearts; no wonder this dimension is always a hot mess!"
If we thought the courtyard was in bad condition, the Audience Chamber was something to cry about. Crawling over the walls and dripping from the ceiling were blackened vines laced with glowing violet veins. Each were deeply rooted and permeated the air with the stench of darkness, a sickening odor that, when we opened the door, slammed my sister and I into submission. Anolani was quick to wave off the smell (how she did, I don't have a clue), but unfortunately it had me floored within seconds.
"Mavis!" Cried the guard as she knelt beside me with red eyes scanning over my body for injury. Through the coughing and hacking, I peered up to answer back and assure her I was fine, when I saw something off. Anolani's entire body radiated a deep red aura, the color of fresh blood, and her normally bright red orbs had taken a darker hue. I could sense something inside of her awakening. Something menacing, a shadow, beginning to eclipse her soul. I flinched when she slid a hand on my shoulder, then quickly stood with a hand covering my mouth and nose.
There's something inside of her, a living being housed inside of her heart. It's not darkness, I know that much, but I can't seem to pick out what it is exactly. When I saw the hurt and fear clear on her countenance, I sighed and shook off the cold feeling that started to grow in my chest. I can worry about that later. For now, it's keeping her safe from the darkness, which is the most important thing.
"I'm fine," I answered hastily through my fingers, feeling a chalky sensation coat my throat, "Just a little winded."
"How do we get you through?" Riku pondered. I can tell he was keen on having me stay, but luckily I had already planned on this sort of thing happening.
"I have an idea, but I need you four to be prepared for whatever happens," I ordered, "Just go without me, I'll catch up!"
With reluctant nods, the team of four ran into the corrupted room and down the entrance to the Hall of the Cornerstone where the darkness seemed thicker. After making sure they were gone, I carefully placed my palm over my pendant feeling a pulse throb erratically in excitement, and chuckled lightly at the ticklish feel.
"Looks like you're coming out a bit early, Visma," I murmured, clutching the crystal core tight as I felt a cold chill run through me. Blackened wisps flared and encircled my body in a vortex, and I watched as the pale complexion of my skin turned a sharp black. "Let's see if father dearest can stand up to a real creature of darkness."
My body twisted and morphed within the dark cloud, until finally I was left standing before the Audience Chamber, a Neoshadow ready to sink my talons into Nil's wretched hide. The heavy silver braces were heavy on my wrists and ankles, and while my vision had turned monochromatic, my senses had heightened as a substitute. I took one step into the darkness and instantly felt more at home. The dark ooze that dripped from the ceiling did nothing but refresh me, and even the stench of it seems to give me more energy to fight.
Without wasting anytime, Visma and I found ourselves surrounded by an armada of Heartless and Followers. We skated swiftly through the sea of antenna and slime, claws already impaled through a Soldier and working its way into the next kill.
"Stop!" Sora exclaimed when they reached the bottom of the stairs and looked on in fear and shock as the monstrous Nil held King Mickey by the collar of his shirt over his grinning jaws. The Cornerstone, though untouched and untainted by the symbiote's darkness, was barricaded inside a hardened cage of slime. No doubt that was going to be his next meal after devouring the defeated king.
Sure her aim was true, Anolani shot a scarlet bullet through Nil's palm. The creature roared and dropped Mickey to hold his clawed hand, black sizzling blood falling from the wound. Everyone gathered around the fallen king in a protective shield, their weapons drawn and pointed at the former Father of Time with equal amounts of anger twisting their features.
"Insolent child!" Nil growled, turning to face the group with a vicious scowl.
"There's no way you're touching the Cornerstone or Mickey's heart!" Sora shot back with just as much fire, feet falling into its battle stance.
Another earth shaking wail escaped Nil's throat, and soon everything from the floors to the ceiling bled black, encasing the room in darkness with only the symbiote's glowing white eyes and the dim light of the Cornerstone brightening the area.
"Protect the Cornerstone!" Riku called out when the creature made a move towards the elegant stone.
Sora and Kairi ran after Riku to face Nil while Anolani stayed behind to keep a watchful eye on Mickey, her pistols raised in case Nil made any moves.
"You know not the true power of darkness!" Nil's distorted voice echoed off the walls, his eyes sinking into the black.
Again the floor shook, Followers growing from the slime and launching themselves at the three islanders while a trail of white fire slithered rapidly towards the red eyed guard. Anolani fired bullets at the evasive flames while Sora and co. dealt with the smaller monsters with ease. When the fire suddenly vanished into the veil of darkness, the earth broke once more, this time with Nil's claws making a grab at the four fighters.
"Sora, look out!" Riku called just in time for the brunette to cleave his blade into the symbiote's enlarged hand as it tried for the Cornerstone of Light. This occurred thrice more until finally Nil melted from the walls.
"Gah! Troublesome mortals! You shall pay for your hindrance!" Nil exclaimed, his black skin practically boiling.
Just as Mavis had planned, Nil was slow due to his gargantuan size (the size of a small Gummi ship at most), and the four attacked without mercy while avoiding his white fire and snapping jaws. It was when Nil was at his wits end when he decided enough was enough.
"No one will get the way of my true power! NO ONE!" The creature screamed, his face and body filled with horrid scars and cuts from the keyblade. With his claws buried deep within the ground, Nil took in a heavy breath of air before exhaling a torrent of hell fire towards the group of weakened fighters. Sora, Riku and Kairi braced themselves, ready to be cooked in the open flames.
"No!" Anolani jumped from her spot by Mickey in front of the current and took the blow whole heartedly. The trio watch in surprise as her body was consumed in the harsh flames, the guard's screams fallen mute to the roaring fire.
"ANOLANI!" They cried, Nil's voice cackling in the background as the tall pillar of white flames continued to burn rapidly at the raven's flesh.
"Now do you see what happens to those who stand in the way of my future?" Nil sneered, watching with cold eyes as his adopted daughter burned to cinders, "The darkness shall consume the light, just as fate intended it to be! Nothing you do will stop my conquest! Every speck of light shall be devoured, and the worlds shall be tossed into an everlasting darkness in which I shall rule unchallenged!"
"..."
...roy...
"...eh?...wha..."
...stroy...
"W-who...is that?"
...Destroy...
"De...stroy?..."
Yes..., destroy. Destroy them...kill them...
"But...But why?"
They wish to trap you. To put you in that cage again. They want to hurt you.
"Hurt me?"
Beat you.
"Beat me?"
Call you names.
"Call me..."
Torment you until you break. But I shall give you power.
"Power?... What kind of power?"
The power to take back what's yours. The power you've always craved. The power to control everyone that has ever held command over you. The power of a true hell spawn!
Suddenly, the flames before them had turned a bloody red and launched themselves back at Nil, burning his wet flesh dry and a chirp of laughter filtering from the pillar as the creature screeched.
"Huh? What the...," The trio watch in terrified awe as the fire was absorbed and dissipated, leaving a familiar raven haired guard standing amidst the wisps and coated head to toe in the flames. But something was wrong. Very wrong. Her usual loopy antenna had sharpened to the very tip, her nails grew into claws and were tainted black, and in her gloves held...
"A keyblade!?" Sora exclaimed, eyeing the deadly looking weapon with a look of astonishment. The bloody sword however held none of the whimsical spark that their keyblades had. Not a trace of light was seen in it. The hilt was in the shape of a demon's open maw, yellow soulless eyes embedded near the stem where the actual blade was curled into elegant, sharp tips until reaching the fangs where the teeth of the key lay. Blackened thorns erupted from the blade, and a dark aura surrounded the weapon, appearing to pulse with every fit of laughter the teen released.
Riku too eyed the sword, suddenly becoming chilled staring into the hilt's eyes, "There's something with it. Something evil."
"Ahhhhh! You ungrateful urchin!" Nil hissed, forming a portal of darkness behind him in an attempt to escape, "You will pay for what you've done to me!"
When the young girl spoke, her voice was distorted, overlapped with that of a cruel, frightening sort that froze everyone to the core, "But where are you going daddy? Don't you want to play with me?" She took a step closer, and surprisingly Nil took a quick step back, "why are you being like that, father? I thought you loved me. Don't you want to play? Here," she lifted her keyblade in the air, a devilish smirk on her lips, "we can play sword fight. The first to die loses. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"Anolani, what are you doing!?" Kairi cried out to the raven. While the girl's back was turned, Nil had run off into the portal, dragging the darkness back with him and leaving the trio with a possessed royal guard to deal with.
"Aw, now you've spoiled the fun," 'Anolani' pouted when she found her potential playmate gone and the darkness completely emptied, "Now why would you do a stupid thing like that?"
"W-What...? Anolani, this isn't a game!" Sora exclaimed, a seriousness taken over his tone, "What are you doing!? And how do you have a keyblade!?"
"Oi, shut up!" 'Anolani' growled, taking them by surprise, "I was just having a bit of fun. Nothing wrong with that, right? And I don't believe you're the boss of me, Spikey."
"Whoever you are, let Anolani go!" Riku demanded, annoyed with the bored look taking place on the girl's countenance, "I know you've possessed her somehow! I don't know who or what you are, but I'd sooner die than let one of my friends suffer in the darkness!"
'Anolani' rolled her eyes and glared harshly at the small group, hand tightening around the keyblade, "First of all, you've got it wrong, buddy. This girl let me take control. I am a part of her, whether she wants me to or not. Second, darkness has nothing on me, so get your facts straight," she growled, raising her blade, "Now you've officially pissed me off. I think I'll just kill you and be done with it; you're starting to really annoy me."
"Not if I can help it!" Sora shouted, raising his own sword in retaliation.
"Yeah! Get out of our friend!" Kairi called, doing the same.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" 'Anolani' roared and quickly charged at the trio, disappearing into the air.
Just as the wind from her strike brushed against Kairi's brow, a black blur intercepted the attack, claws against the metal of 'Anolani's' keyblade and pushing forward on the guard's arms. The moment they laid eyes on the elongated antenna and silver braces, they shared a knowing grin amongst one another.
"Mavis!"
The green eyed Neoshadow twitched in response and shoved the possessed guard into the nearest wall, the keyblade pushed into her neck and claws digging into her shoulder.
"E-eheh...I see how it is," 'Anolani' sneered. She raised her knee, only to hit air as the Neoshadow slipped away, crouching before the guard with her talons ready to strike.
The guard lifted herself up, and held her bloodied keyblade towards the Neoshadow, a sick grin on her lips, "Fine by me. I've been waiting for this chance for a while now. About time you see what it's like being pushed around. To know how it feels to writhe below someone's feet!" A crazed glaze coated her eyes, the grin stretching over her cheeks in a joker sneer.
The Heartless turned and gave a quick nod from the unconscious Mickey to the trio, indicating for them to bring Mickey to safety. She would hold 'Anolani' off until they got back.
"We'll come back soon!" Sora exclaimed to Mavis, knowing she could take care of herself until they returned. Riku lifted the king into his arms, gave a concerned look back at the lone Heartless before trailing after his comrades.
"Hmph, one on one? Fine with me. The sooner you die, the sooner I'm free!" With that, the possessed girl charged, keyblade aiming towards the chest.