The Beginning
As the afterglow of the spell faded, I heard a loud bang and immediately jumped behind a pillar, hiding in the shadows from the evidently furious Maleficent, who had thrown the doors open with a wave of her staff. She didn't notice my presence, fortunately, and conjured an orb through which the two of us could see Hook clambering back on board the Jolly Roger, the seat of his briefs torn off, revealing red and white spotted underpants. Below, was a crocodile with said missing fabric clamped in its jaws. Maleficent swiped her hand across the globe, switching to a clock tower where a terrifying cloaked Heartless was battling Sora, Donald, Goofy and Peter Pan. She swiped the globe again, a sour smile on her features. This putrid expression greatened as she watched Riku running with Kairi through the Darkness, and out into the Great Hall, where the Princesses were kept in crystal and Dark magic. He set Kairi in a chamber of pink magic and once again entered the Darkness. Maleficent dismissed the viewing sphere just as Riku exited his Dark portal in the centre of the room, exactly on the circular stonework. He fell to one knee, more out of exhaustion than anything else as he panted heavily, swallowing hard to catch his breath and regain the energy he had exerted by travelling so far by corridor. Maleficent stepped forward to be nearer to him, that same sour smirk plastered on her sallow skin.
"It was reckless to bring her here without at least using a vessel. Remember, relying too heavily on the Dark powers could cost you your Heart." As much as I loathed the witch, I was on her side in this interaction. I could see Riku's heart was seventy percent covered in Darkness. Ansem's Darkness. Suddenly, a ground shaking roar resounded through the castle, startling Riku into standing up. "A castaway." Maleficent remarked. Riku smirked at her over his shoulder. "Though his world perished, his heart did not. When we took the princess from his castle, he apparently followed her here through sheer force of will. But fear not. No harm will come to you. He is no match for your power."
"My power?" I could see it too. Had always seen it. He did have unimaginable potential within him. However I knew that Maleficent was looking to twist that potential.
"Yes, the untapped power that lies within you. Now, Child, it is time that you awakened that power, and realised your full potential!" Riku was coated in the eerie green glow of Maleficent's magic and I saw in horror as Ansem's Darkness fed on it, expanding to eighty percent coverage over Riku's Heart! Before I knew what I was doing, I sprung forth from my hiding place and slammed into Riku's side, tackling him to the ground and successfully breaking the spell's connection. Yet the damage was done. I had Riku pinned underneath me and my arms moved on their own as I placed them securely over his blackening Heart and they stared glowing a faint electric blue. Until Maleficent grabbed me firmly by the hair and hauled me off of him before I could finish whatever it was I had begun doing. Despite her bony fingers and skeletal frame, she was remarkably strong and hoisted me clean off my feet, swinging me into a wall with the aid of a powerful Blizzard spell. My entire right arm and torso were encased by ice, frozen to the stones and the air had been knocked swiftly from my lungs upon impact. Riku was struggling to get up for some reason. Perhaps his strength had already left him. I didn't have long to dwell on it as the evil sorceress hooked her nails into my jaw line and neck, the sour smile now a sadistically gleeful grin. Not at all pleased with her touch, I heated up my body using a technique I'd come across in the Library, spreading the Firaga spell throughout my entire body and blasting free of the icy restraints. I drove her back but while in a state of confusion and anger, my judgement was impaired, leaving Riku a wide opening to hit me straight in the stomach wound and then the back of my neck. The blue flames extinguished at once as I buckled and hit the floor.
"Traitor." He muttered bitterly. My hands raised and my feet spread to shoulder width apart as the witch was using her magic to suspend me. I winced as she looked at me closely.
"Now, now, Riku. I know this is hard for you, but remember whose fault this is." I couldn't use my own magic in the new restraints holding me spread eagle above the floor, so I spat at her, only for it to miss and earn a sharp slap, jerking my head to the side. She moved away and Riku took her place in front of me. "I must see to the preparations and continue to locate the Seventh Princess. I'm sure you have no qualms with watching our little bird in the meantime?"
"Of course, Ma'am." His eyes never left me, even as a veil of pink came between us due to Maleficent creating a sphere around me before she left the Chapel. I assumed it was an extra precaution. "So you decided whose side you're on, finally."
"Riku, this is wrong and you know it! If only you could see what I see! You'd know how much danger you're in!"
"I'm not in any danger, Raven. I'm way too powerful for any real harm to come to me." His hand went through the barrier and cradled my cheek affectionately. I did not return any such affection, only glared at him.
"No, you're too arrogant to know when to quit." His face didn't change in any way as he stepped forward, his upper half within the barrier's boundaries.
"You'll see." He pushed his mouth against mine like he had in Neverland, breaking off every so often to speak in breathy whispers ripe with longing. "I'll show you I'm the more powerful one!" I tried to move my face away to end it, but he held me still. Determined to let him know I did not appreciate nor want his affection, I bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. He retreated from the sphere abruptly and wiped his fingertips over his bleeding lip, looking at the crimson fluid.
"Enough, Riku. Enough." I breathed. Before he replied, another bellowing roar shook the castle walls. Riku smirked, running his fingers through my hair.
"I'll be back soon. I just need to take care of our uninvited guest." With that, he left through the doors to seek out the intruder. As the doors closed behind him, I felt another presence in the large room. I looked up just as an old enemy slithered from the vaulted glass ceiling. Its many limbs waving about erratically. The Vine Heartless wrapped its limbs around my spherical prison, unable to come in like Riku had done, and started shaking me around, trying to make me fall out, even though I was trapped. Still, despite being 'safe' inside my orb, I felt extremely vulnerable to this monster, whether it was merely sent to guard me or if it was rogue.
"Riku! Get back here! Now!" He could control Heartless. He wanted to keep me safe. He could get his ass back to the chapel and get rid of the damn creature. I could not. I closed my eyes as the Heartless opened its mouth and tried to swallow the orb but that only served to get my prison stuck in its not-quite-big-enough jaws. The pinkish barrier may have prevented me from getting out and from others getting in, but it did nothing for the putrid unholy stench that was the Heartless' breath. I gagged more than once at the repulsive odour attacking my nostrils.
And then suddenly, I could see through the back of the Heartless' head. I could see the dark skinned, blue haired girl on the other side wielding a... paintbrush? The same one who helped us in Agrabah, I was sure. The hole in the Heartless' head had residue of some acid green fluid sizzling still before the creature vanished into oblivion and my prison ball was released. Her dark teal eyes opened and she smiled at me, making the purple star on her left cheek deform.
"Aren't you gonna thank me?" She chuckled, walking closer to me and with the same green liquid on her paintbrush, she cut a hole in the purple barrier.
"Oh, uh... thanks? Who are you?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm not staying long. As soon as I get you out, I'm gone." She answered casually as she started cutting the restraints holding me aloft. She released my feet first then my hands. I landed lightly, the entire prison orb had vanished and so had the blue haired girl. I found myself drained of a lot of my energy and eased myself onto the floor to recharge.
'Maybe Riku really is too far gone for me to save him. No! I can reach him! I have to..."
"Or, you could dive into the Darkness at his side." A voice smooth as chocolate and chilling as ice echoed around the cavernous room ominously. I jumped to my feet, making myself dizzy, but I stayed standing.
"Ansem!?" I called out angrily. I recognised the smug chuckle that followed at once and drew out my black Sais defensively. The chuckling grew in intensity at this gesture, reverberating hauntingly off the stone walls.
"What good, pray tell, will those toys do against me? Me, a hollow spectre with no solid form and a proficient skill with the Darkness."
"If you don't leave Riku alone, I'll show you what good these 'toys' can do against you, bastard." I snarled, keeping my guard way up high.
"Foolish girl." Suddenly, my wound pulsated wave after wave of storming, raging, burning agony! I collapsed to my side, clutching my stomach and gasping for breath that just escaped me, as if the air in my lungs was replaced with pain, leaving no room for the vital oxygen my body needed to function! My vision was blurring at the edges as I was suffocated by torturous pain! And... And...
And then it all stopped. I gulped in lungful after lungful of sweet, sweet blissful air as the brown, hood cloak dragged across the floor to my position.
"You see? I can make all of your suffering reappear just as quickly as I can make it disappear. I can bend your will and break your body until you beg for the Dark powers. I can make you happier than you could ever imagine. Give you what you want. What you've always wanted." I didn't see my parents. I didn't see the Guild. I didn't even see my acceptance into society. I saw Riku, smiling sweetly and holding out his hand. I got up slowly, Ansem out of my mind for a few naive minutes as I walked towards Riku and reached out to take his hand. But then in a flash of memory, I saw the giant wave behind him, the dark muscle like clothing, the sinister golden eyes. I came back to my senses, the phantom of Riku still stood in front of me, but my hand had halted on its way to his outstretched one.
"You're right, you probably could give me Riku and everything else I ever wanted." My hand dropped to my side limply. "But you know what? I've done pretty good for myself without those things. I will get Riku back. But I'll do it the same way I pushed through the rest of my life. On my own. I don't need you or your Dark powers, Ansem."
"Insolent brat." He spat and the pain resumed two fold and remained until I passed out from asphyxiation.
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"Umbra Nati..." I opened my eyes blearily. Everything was white.
"Uungh... What?" I blinked a few times. It wasn't white. I was looking up at the clouds and bright blue sky.
"Umbra Nati..."
"Huh?" I sat up and saw Fenrir standing tall in the field of wildflowers.
"Umbra Nati." He said without moving his lips.
"What is that?" I asked, confused by the two words and standing up.
"Umbra Nati, you must not stray from yourself. Your Dark path will not lead you to Tenebris Nati. Nor will your Light path. Only your own path. The path you make, Umbra Nati."
"What? What are you talking... Oh... Thank you, Fenrir. I understand." I bowed to my Guardian Spirit and I returned to the world of reality.
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I was still in the chapel. No harm had come to me. Nothing had been taken. Ansem had seemingly just left me when his attempt to tide me to the Darkness failed. I had no complaints about that. But I knew it was nearly time for the real fight to begin. I needed to find Aleri and Rexial. But first, I needed to wait for Sora.
x Sorry this took so long! I had a really big writer's block! Please review! x
