A strange place.

The sky tinted violet. Almost completely devoid of stars, but when one looked closely, a few faint glimmers could be seen above. An endless expanse of Night, yet there was no darkness in one's vision. In fact, everything was clearly visible as if the sun itself were shining brightly down upon the land.

The 'land'. Rolling fields separated by grey stone. Expansive valleys created by an alien hand. Too perfect, too expertly cut, too symmetrical. Hard angles of concrete and natural stone, suspended above what seemed to be an eternal pit. Yet when all was blocked out, one could just barely hear the sound of gentle waves coming from below.

What was this place?

The sky resembled nothing seen before. The land itself, beautiful fields of grass and various multi-colored – even sometimes glowing – flowers, the air filled with what could only be petals of black mass…

The soft breeze would be periodic, soothing, as if trying to bid one relax, bid one rest.

And trees. Trees that rang.

They were too far, too far to make out. Most looking like threaded Willows, glittering something hanging from branches bowed towards the ground as if by many weights.

In the distance, far off, as if dividing the horizon itself, a large, black spire. A tower stood, a faint light shimmering above. Immediately, the Moon shone high in the air, acting as if the Sun itself, its glow illuminating the landscape, while giving a faint, ethereal feeling.

A stone walkway, traveled. Just as perfectly cut and formed like the strange half-boxes that held the many flowers and trees. Gently glowing mites of squares, perfectly aligned lines of soft colors, faint mint green tinges, pale yellows and golds, a few violets, sky blues, even quiet magentas and rose.

Some embedded into the stone, others simply floating about, darting this way and that, and still others, streaming along like pulsing veins. As distance was shortened, a realization.

It wasn't valleys of empty space leading to a drop. The waves came due to there being some form of liquid halfway down. As well, more stone cradles of plantlife were seen, floating in the air. Some phased in and out of existence, appearing in one location only to vanish as if being deconstructed by streamers of light, for them to form somewhere else.

Others, remained suspended in place, gently bobbing up and down, as if the air were just a mere lake.

As the steps were climbed further, the sound of running water grew stronger. More of the suspended cradles were being found to be bearing streams flowing over the edges. Lakes? Rivers from an unknown origin? The source and movements could not be discerned from this angle. Waterfalls would drop from on high, gathering in the spaces between stone and life. At the top, an archway. A gate made of swords. A single crystal. Pale green. Inert. The feeling as if it should be filled with life, glow, power, but is silent.

Something was missing. Something unknown, but vital.

The air became dim. Light itself faded. Sound became muted.

Yet before sight was fully taken.

A single figure, rose.

And a soft voice spoke.

"The Seeds have not yet taken root. The Gate held shut. But will open soon."

The darkness came. Sight was no more.

But three words were gifted, in parting.

"I love you."


Four days had passed since the debacle at Olympus. Naminé had returned after the third day, smiling wider than ever before, giving off a feeling that nobody had ever felt from the girl.

She had been made given a home. For her? All was right in the world.

Kairi had of course, tried to push for details of the experience, but Naminé was surprisingly firm in her denial.

"It wasn't 'fucking' or even just sex, Kairi. It was…more. Much more. Something special and unique and probably meaningless to anyone but him and I due to the actual definition of it. All I can tell you was that…he knows what he's doing. And nothing about what I've heard the first time was supposed to be like, was accurate. It was incredible, and that's all I can really say. It was…exactly like he told us all. What he and Ino did, that wasn't ritual. What we did…well...personally I can't wait until Ino does it."

Still, for the following day, Seth had been absent. Considering that he'd given a rough week's timeline for their upcoming journey to enter what he called 'Paradiso', the realm of the Laguna, some had been getting a little worried. Coupled with the events that happened prior to his Linking of Naminé, Kairi had been a little on edge.

Thus, it was a surprise, when suddenly a Dark Corridor opened up in front of, and behind, Sora and Riku, who were walking towards the Grand Hall of the castle. Kairi, according to Sora, had told him to go ahead, as she wanted to take a shower without distractions, for once.

Riku had wisely kept his mouth shut, but elbowed the brunette, and gave a knowing grin.

From the rear gate, stepped Selh'teus. His strides were quick and purposeful, as he reached out his left hand, grabbing Sora's shoulder and forcing the teen to walk with him.

"Takin' Sora. Bye."

That was all Riku had heard, before the two entered the forward Corridor, the black gate vanishing instantly afterwards.

"…well. Shit."


"So Kid, what's up? How've you been?"

The wanderer tossed a bottle of fruit punch to the spiky headed Keybearer. Sora caught the bottle, shaking it instinctively before responding.

"Pretty good, all things considered. The real question is, how are you doing, man? Kairi told me about…the crap you had to deal with on Olympus."

Seth nodded absently, slipping down to his rear, feet dangling off the ledge of the building he'd brought them to. The night sky greeted them, stars twinkling unobstructed by sunlight, nor clouds. The air was calm, a gentle breeze going, as the distant sound of softly churning waves provided a form of ambiance to the setting.

Say what you will about the nature of it, The Grid had its own level of beauty.

"Yeah…that…sucked."

"I can only imagine."

"It's not the sort of thing you…ever want to find yourself dealing with, kiddo. No offense, but that's not something I think you could really handle."

Sora shook his head. "None taken. Personally…I think it makes you one seriously strong guy, to be able to do something like that."

Seth snorted. "No…it's not really a matter of strength versus weakness. It's…just some people end up having to make a shitty choice in between shitty choices. It's not the sort of thing the type of Hero you are, deals with. That's what people like me are for, to do the dirty things, the practically wrong ones, for the sake of everyone else."

"Hmm…" Sora responded absently. "I think that makes you even more of a hero."

"Pfft, tell that to Phil."

Sora rolled his eyes in agreement. There was a companionable silence for a little while, as the two nursed their drinks. Neither one had any sort of alcohol on them, not that either truly drank the stuff, but the pause allowed them both to gather their thoughts.

"It's…really the sort of thing that haunts you. I mean…even having Lyco eat worlds…at least those worlds were dying anyway, y'know?"

Sora nodded. "You'd said that before. Something about the Hearts being too weak to continue."

"Yeah. The Dead Worlds…they can't make Keyblades. They have no Hope. And that sort of thing ends up causing worlds to collapse on their own. Like dying stars. Its not like simple interplanetary travel. It's the collapsing of dimensions, entire realities. They just…loop and loop until the world's energies run dry and then it just…collapses. Pointlessly."

"So by having Lycoris consume the world, you're taking that wasted energy and putting it to good use?"

"More or less. There's no hope for them, even if someone like you or I were to step in and intervene. We'd be too late, y'see. Even if we were to finish the 'story', or coach the one who was meant to, if the world got in that state to begin with, our efforts would be ultimately useless."

"Like with that Lord place."

Seth nodded. "Yeah, like with Lordran. Even if I'd linked the fire, or walked from it, the world would have just re-looped, over and over. No ending. No peace. Just getting worse and worse."

"And the people?"

Seth shrugged helplessly. "When Lyco eats a world, she eats its concepts. People, places, terms, ideas. Everyone vanishes, consumed in a final, true death. Like with…with Olympus…"

"Question." Sora spoke, staring at the waves in the distance. "Was Olympus…"

"About to become a Dead World?" Sora nodded. "I don't know, actually. Damaged, definitely. Possibly Broken, maybe even completely Distorted, but I don't know if 'dead'. The issue with Olympus was that it was a feedback loop caused by the loss of one of its in-house administrators."

"Huh?"

Seth snorted. "Sorry. Technical terms. Olympus…has rules. Rules that it follows. There are Gods. They have Stations. The world functions according to that. Those Gods exist as 'administrators', people who maintain functionality of their station. When Phil activated the Gaia Memory of Hades, the World began rejecting both, because it functions under the idea of 'There is A God of the Dead.' Just one. Singular. With two being there, occupying the same exact conceptual space, the world reacted."

"Like…the body trying to flush out an infection?"

Seth pointed the tip of his bottle at Sora, nodding.

"Exactly. When we wiped the copy, it stopped reacting. What happened this time was…Hades was killed. No, worse than that, consumed. If he was just killed it's possible he could have come back. But another God, a God from Earth, an original god, one of older station, and not only that, one of a station higher than Hades, killed and consumed his conceptual status to solidify her own."

"Which one?"

"Izanami. Japanese Death Goddess, and one I personally believe in. She was originally a Life Goddess, alongside her husband Izanagi. After a mishap of their first attempt at creation, they ended up making many other minor gods and goddesses. But one day, she birthed a god of Fire, Hino-Kagutsuchi. She birthed gods similarly to how humans give birth, so when the newly formed fire god was born, it burned her to death, from the inside out. As per her pantheon's rules, she descended into Yomi, the world of the Dead."

Sora winced at hearing the method of death.

"The next part has a few different interpretations, but ultimately boil down to Izanami abstaining from consuming the food of the Dead, because to do so, solidifies you as being bound to Yomi for eternity. But she was generally apparently tricked by Hades, Lord of the Dead, into taking food from Yomi. Even if not intended to be consumed by the self, the act of merely accepting or procuring food from Yomi, counts as the binding contract. She became his wife, from that. After a bit, Izanagi showed up, to bring her back to the living world, but he'd been too late. But there was a loophole. If one who was dead, and Observed by a living, left Yomi and crossed its gates back into the living world, they would be revived. Izanami bid Izanagi to lead the way, and to not look back. However, for whatever reason, he didn't trust her, and lit a comb tangled with strands of his hair, on fire to shine a light. He looked back, and rather than seeing his beautiful wife, he saw a maggot ridden corpse, barely baring her face. He turned tail and booked it, Izanami screeching in rage at him, sending her servants, the Yomotsu-shikome after him to drag him back so he could finish leading her out."

"eesh." Sora muttered.

"yeah most tales of the Gods are fucked up like that. Remind me to tell you about Zeus at some point. That guy was a fuckass. But anyway. Story ends with Izanagi escaping Yomi, rolling a giant boulder over the entrance, and Izanami demanding him to move it, or she'll kill a thousand of his children every day. Izanagi, being the cocky shit he was at the time, just said he'd make fifteen-hundred more, and fucked off. After which, he cleansed himself of the filth of Yomi in a river, absently creating three more gods, Amaterasu, The Sun Goddess, from his left eye; Tsukuyomi, the Moon God, from his right eye; and Susano-o, the God of Storms, from, get this, blowing his nose."

Sora let out a bark of laughter.

"Yeah, not the most…glorious of ways to be born. But anyway, Izanami killed Hades, and consumed him, which made him completely dead. Because there was no lord of the dead-

"There was nobody keeping that part of reality in check, right?"

"Exactly. People would die, they would be killed, but it wouldn't stick. The other Gods could do nothing about it, because it wasn't their station. The way their world works, doesn't allow for it."

"And that's why you had to do what you did."

"…yeah." Seth sighed. "the Keyblade…is capable of breaking rules. Because it works on a different set of rules, that all worlds are forced to acknowledge. Set the Heart free, and you stop the cycle of Life and Death for that being."

"So what happens to them now?"

Seth shook his head. "The ones Aki ate…turned into Heartless. The ones…the ones…I ate…I don't know."

"Wouldn't they turn into Heartless too?"

"No." Seth spoke clearly. "I have a connection to the Dark, but I'm not of the dark."

"What's the difference there?" Sora asked, tilting his head.

"Having dark powers just means you can channel the Dark element in some way. Being of the Dark means you were born in it, or made from its concept. The Heartless are of the Dark, they live there, it's their home, they eat a heart, they consume its energies, and from its remnants, comes another Heartless. Because even if all hearts shine, all light, when cast upon an object, create shadow. That's why the true heartless have darker colors, blacks, pitch dark blues, very dark purples. They look like moving shadows, or moving night skies."

"And the emblems are more colorful…because they're fake?"

"Yeah."

"So…because you're not of the Dark, you don't make Heartless when you eat a heart?"

"It's less 'eat' or 'consumption' for me, and more…absorption? Obliteration is more like it. I'm pretty sure if I were to ask her, Aki would find some way to let me make Heartless. But they would probably have almost no tie to the purebloods, since I'm not of the Dark."

"Hmm…" suddenly, something struck Sora. "Wait. Don't you have black in your heart?"

"Eh? What are you- OH! Oh you saw that huh? Yeah no…that's…different. That was done on Lyco's suggestion, as a way to further keep me anchored to life. They're pieces of Aki's heart, in particular. Not exactly the Black Heart, which is more of the core of the Realm of Dark, but Aki's heart, which is born from the Black Heart. It's…a synchronicity thing. She has parts of my heart in hers, and I have parts of her heart in mine. The idea, as Lyco said it, was to make it so that even if something like Skeith killed me again, I'd have much less Gaea in me, so I'd have a higher chance of being able to be returned, due to a Life Link. That's…also where I get my ability to gain an energy refill from consuming a heart."

"But because it's not the Black Heart itself, or enough of the fragments of it, you don't make heartless."

"No, they get erased by my natural connection to the Void."

"And that's what hurt the most…huh?"

"…yeah. It…brought me back to a time I…"

"I get it."

"…no…you don't. and I pray you never do. It was…it was hell, Sora. Both times. If anything, worse the second time around. At least…as the Keyblade Hunter, I was only going after people with Keyblades, and those that protected them. Randoms…they were left alone. I had a purpose, even if it was fucked up. I was ending potential threats to proper stability."

Sora just listened, looking at the man who was lost in memory, staring at the sky.

"This time…this time was all me. I mean, even before, as the Keyblade Hunter, I was just releasing them. If Earth hadnt been wiped…if Gaea hadnt commanded Me to shut it all down, there's a chance that at least the ones not using it wrongly, could have been brought back, or reincarnated or something. But…"

"Not this time…?" Sora whispered.

"No. Not this time. I watched them. They were smiling. Smiling. Grinning, laughing, chuckling they were happy they were being erased. It was sick. They knew in the end; knew their continued existence was wrong, knew they needed to be brought to Oblivion to escape the endless cycle of rebirth. It wasn't just…cold, calculated purpose, even if that purpose was a stretch of one, it was…"

"It was personal."

"Yeah. …it was personal."

The haunted look remained, the very feeling around the Voidwalker tinged with sorrow and pain. Not merely his own, but echoes, shades of that of those he was forced to erase in order to keep things from getting worse.

Selh'teus shook his head, banishing the thoughts, clawing back towards a more neutral state.

"anyway…blatant subject change but how's things with you and Kairi?"

Sora gave a small grin. "Pretty alright. She's still crazy about you though."

"Yeah…sorry about that. I…"

"No, I get why. She explained it to me. It makes sense."

"eh?"

"The way she said it…to her, you are the thing that pushes her to get stronger. To be better. To be more. To make herself worthy of her title, of her gifts and station. The driving force to gain strength and knowledge and understanding. You are change, to her. Evolution, growth."

Seth blinked, mildly surprised.

"But me, I'm stability. Familiarity. Her past, her present, her originally desired future. The one that keeps her from going too far, from losing herself in the chase, from forgetting the things that should matter to her. I'm her foundation, the one she falls back to when she's exhausted. A stable, reliable, trusted place of rest and relaxation. The thing that lets her take time to stop and let everything sink in."

Seth sighed. "Still...that can't be fair to you."

"Seth." The man blinked. "It's fine. That's who she is. She's always been a bit headstrong. It's what I love about her. Sure, ever since you possessed her, she was changing rapidly, but at its core, it was always still her. Just her, plus more. More her. Parts of her she paid little attention to, now were being looked at carefully, because she'd felt what it was like to be chaos. She saw herself, as she actually was, and realized, she wanted to be more."

"But she's still chasing after me."

"And she'll probably keep doing that. But that's fine, because when she gets tired, she turns around, and comes back to me. Because she may have discovered she loves you too, but that didn't diminish her love for me in the slightest. If anything, it made it stronger."

"…comparing the distant desire to the cherished now. Understanding the forward, leads to understanding and loving more, the current."

"Pretty much."

"Still doesn't seem fair to me."

"Maybe it's not. But it is what it is. I'm happy, she's happy. And besides…ever since she started chasing after you, it's made me understand my own situation more. Put a few things in perspective."

"Your findings?"

"Seth, man…you and I, even if you don't see it that way, we're heroes. Maybe you come in from the other direction, but you still save people, you help people, you link hearts just as much as I do."

Seth opened his mouth to counter that but found he couldn't. He just scrunched his nose and shrugged.

"That said." Sora continued. "with the things we've done, just cause we thought it was right? If we really wanted to? Man, you and I, we'd be swimming in pussy."

Seth blinked.

And then blinked again.

And then the words hit.

And he twitched.

And then fell to his side, cackling. And Sora just grinned, knowing that he'd managed to get, at least for a moment, the Voidwalker out of his justifiable funk. And with the Raid coming up…it was something needed.

After a solid minute of laughing, Seth finally gasped out. "KID! You're alright."


Kairi was close to freaking out.

Honestly you had to hand it to the girl, she'd been keeping it together quite well, given the circumstances. Her boyfriend gets kidnapped by the guy she admittedly wants to fuck senseless, after said guy had been in a very painful and disturbing battle for his life, and she wasn't around to do anything about it cause she'd decided not to fool around with said boyfriend in the shower that mid-morning.

It wasn't her fault, but she was at her wits end and was very close to considering it that.

Admittedly she didn't know what was happening, but the problem with that was she couldn't know because for some reason the connection to Sora was muffled by something. She couldn't get an accurate read on where he was, let alone what he was doing. This was different from when he'd gone off to gather the Princesses, because she knew the rough pattern of worlds he was going to, and it was only distant, not muffled. This was as if it was being smothered by a thousand pillows.

Worse still, she'd called for Aki twice, and nobody responded. Even Naminé was growing concerned. Kairi was about to Command Yuffie to go hunting for him when the familiar cold plunge of Dark resonated through the Hall. And with the splooshing sound of a gallon of water being dumped into a river, a Dark Corridor opened.

And out came Sora.

…walking backwards. Arms folded behind his head, pose casual, steps relaxed. And then Seth.

Grinning, Seth.

Grinning Seth in the middle of a story, apparently.

"-o I'm completely stumped. And then Cole, she fuckin, plucks it out of my hands, right? And then she hands it to Kitty, who gets whispered to by Elle. And so Kitty just, fuckin grabs the middle ring, and pushes it in on its sides, then fuckin flips the goddamn thing upward. And then the stupid puzzle orb glows and breaks apart into, get this, a fucking keychain."

"That's pretty neat."

"No but here's the fucked up bit. You're gonna love this. I'm literally staring at it, and then staring at the shit-eating grin on Lynn's and Cole's faces. And then it hits me. And I'm like 'don't say it.' And they just grin louder. Not wider, louder. And then I'm like 'don't you fuckin dare.' But see, I was looking at the wrong two. Motherfucking Elle, just casually slides up to me, and pats me on the shoulder like she's giving me her condolences. And in the fucking straightest-faced, most casual fucking voice, goes:"

Here he took a deep breath and schooled his features.

"Well Master. It seems all we had to do, was turn the middle side, topwise."

Sora snorted.

"No see you don't get the joke here. The fucking joke here, that had me giving her the deepest, 'fuck you sideways' stare I could muster, is that, 'turn the middle side, topwise' was practically my goddamn catchphrase, for YEARS! Whenever someone asked about a puzzle, I'd said that shit so much it came pre-loaded and I didn't even have to THINK before I spouted it! And then this bitch goes and DOES it, and it works! And I didn't think of it first! I mean goddamn goddamn!"

Now Sora started laughing his ass off.

Seth just grinned and rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yeah yeah yeah, get your seven-goddamn-chuckles in and take a look around."

"oh hey we're back."

Seth nodded, as Kairi tentatively walked up.

"Sora…? Uhh…is…are you two…cool?"

The brunette wiped a humor-tear from his eye and grinned at his girlfriend. "Well…I dunno…" he looked back to Seth, who actually flicked his head towards, for some reason, Aqua.

Sora followed his motion, looked at Aqua, then back to Seth who motioned with his hand to repeat the action. It was there, that Sora saw Ven, standing very close to Aqua, fingers actually touching her arm. Sora rose an eyebrow and looked back at Seth.

He gave the shit-eatingest grin. That's a word now.

"Swimming in pussy, eh?"

Sora blinked, then his eyes widened, and he absolutely cackled, as Seth's usage of his own words against him registered. "Oh, oh man you're horrible!"

Seth just shrugged, before shooting Kairi a half-grin. "Yeah Red, I'd say we're cool." Kairi just looked, hesitantly at her still chuckling boyfriend, who was now wheezing trying to breathe. She opened her mouth as she turned back to him, but he cut her off.

"I needed to have words. Actually, that has importance, but hold that thought." He'd not been looking at her, but scanning the group whom had been looking at the direction of the Keybearer and Voidwalker, in humor, astonishment and confusion. That's when he found his target, and promptly vanished in a ripple of air.

He dropped out of the Shift, right behind, of all people, Olette.

And then promptly proceeded to shove his right hand up her t-shirt.

Of course, Roxas' hackles rose, before a sudden pressure dropped him to his knees, followed by Olette's chest beginning to glow, as the girl stiffened up.

"Relax, my tiny temporal twister. If I'd wanted you I'd have broken the link between you and yer blonde bedmate already."

It was slow, but she ultimately calmed herself, knowing his words to be true.

"I'd comment on the lack of bra but given this damn thing I'm sure it's just pointlessly uncomfortable to try to wear one." Flushing heavily, she nodded.

"Speaking of, any problems?"

"Ah…uh…n-no…j-just…the usual soreness."

"Good to hear." He hadnt moved his hand, but his left was sitting calmly on her hip, squeezing gently. Suddenly a jolt ran through her. Olette's eyes widened as her body shuddered and she ended up leaning back into his embrace instinctively.

"Ahh, sorry about that. Should have warned you. But I've tweaked it a bit. We'll be able to probably knock this thing out in a few days but I figured I could see what I could do to make it a bit easier on you till then."

"I…thank you…but why?"

"Ehh. Lyco might have been the one to do it but she did it in my defense so I kinda have a bit of responsibility for it. Besides, Rift Scars are supposed to be on things not people. Don't want to have you end up mutating into some eldritch creature because you were tied to an unfinished fragment of Void right on your damn tits."

She flushed again but shook her head rapidly. Unfortunately, he continued his thought.

"I mean, sure they're not the biggest now but that can change and lemme tell you, I know of a lady who got mutated in such a way that when she transformed, her breasts grew mouths. With fangs. And nobody, male or female, wants to be going motorboating only to have their damn face bitten off by a titmouth."

There were no words.

Until Marlene dropped to the ground, screeching in laughter.

"You think I'm kidding over there? I'm fuckin serious."

"THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT FUNNIER!"

Suddenly, Olette grew a pair.

"That…that guy wasn't…you, was it?"

Seth froze. And then snorted.

And then squeezed her boob in retaliation, causing her to jump.

"Little miss snark-face now, arent you? Keep this one around Roxas, the snarky ones turn out the wildest in the sack. Just ask Ino."

"HEY!"

Olette actually giggled.

"Anyway…alright that's done the best I can…buuut…"

He held out his left hand, palm facing up.

"Aki. Deliver."

In less than five seconds, a Corridor had opened up, a horse necked, sharp featured woman in a floral patterned yellow dress came crashing through, before Aki appeared, grabbed her by the hair and then jammed her Keyblade in the woman's chest. The body fragmented, and the heart materialized, before floating over to Seth's hand.

"Nature?"

"Forced sexual relations with two twelve year old boys, one ten year old girl, and was blackmailing a fifteen year old into being her gimp, my King."

"Hmm. Nasty. Fifteen year old set free?"

"Yes my King. Their information is being sent to Lycoris for processing."

"Indeed. We'll leave her to it then, she'll make sure they're all cared for."

"Yes, my King."

"Well then. Good thing I had a different idea in mind for this one. She deserves no less."

It was just settling in, both what they'd seen and what was said. In an instant, the humor had been drained from the situation.

It was really telling how they were all at least subconsciously getting used to things, that nobody reacted when the Corridor opened, and the Queen of Dark, banished another human.

"Alright…this is the tricky bit." Crackles of energy coursed between his palm and the floating heart. The heart-shaped shell around the glimmering crystal seemed to buckle and warp.

"Now…turn the middle side…topwise…"

Despite the irony of the statement given the earlier conversation, they watched in shock as two of the crystal spokes of the glimmering core, cracked and rotated upward, merging into the top.

"Then…I just…reverse…the capture method…"

The entire heart began wavering and shuddering, the air around it warping and folding in barely comprehensible manners.

"And…ha!"

A flare of light, a sound of metallic groaning, the crunch of broken shards of glass, and moments later, in his hand, float a coiled looking, black ring with a broken, onyx jewel set in it.

"Damn…that was harder than I thought."

"Wh…what did…what is-

Olette was cut off.

"This, my dear, is called the Untrue Dark Ring. It originated in a place called Drangleic, but was refined in a later locale called Londor. What it did there, was allow those who had the flesh devouring mark of Hollowificaiton, to appear as normal humans. It was, basically merely a permanent illusion. This however, is different."

He reached down, and grabbed her left hand, removing his right, from her chest.

"I put this on you…" He did so, the girl twitching as something settled in her core.

"And since I crafted it from a heart, there's still life energy floating around inside it. That, allows it to be no mere illusion. As long as you wear this ring, not only is the rift-scar completely invisible, but effectively, nonexistent."

She turned to face him. "What?!"

"It's temporary. I don't know how long that particular conjuration will last. But it should hold for the time it takes for us to do our little Raid, and for me to shove you in the Cauldron."

"I…no. Ok. This goes beyond responsibility. Why?"

"Cause I knew enough girls who'd given themselves scars, that felt self-conscious about it. And I had the feeling you didn't want to walk around tonight parading that damn thing. As well, you'll probably need the mobility."

"Wait. Tonight? What are you-

"Aki!"

"Yes my King?"

"She's borrowing the black one."

"The…black one? Oh. The one that barely fit me."

"Yes well both of you had and have incredible tits that made the damn thing barely cover your ass. On her, it'll be a fair bit less tight so it won't show off the very definitions of her butt-crack, and the damn thing'll likely reach about mid-thigh at least."

"Still sensual, but more tasteful than on myself. I understand, my King."

"Wait, what are you- what's going on?!"

He flicked her on the forehead. "You've got a date tonight."

"A da- with who?!"

He pointed.

She followed his finger…

To Roxas.

"Wait what?" the blonde boy sputtered.

"You've claimed him as your own, but even I know a girl likes to go on a date every now and then. And now you can. Cause there's no reason not to. Now if you'll excuse me…"

He pat her on the head, as she was still trying to figure out what the fuck the last five minutes were, and shifted again.

To Kairi this time.

"Kid?"

"All yours." Sora responded instantly.

"Hai, hai…"

He turned to Kairi, who was looking at him, before sighing and wrapping his arms around her waist. Without hesitation, she did the same, only with his shoulders.

"You."

"Me."

"What am I going to do with you, Red?"

"I can think of about three things and that's the tame shit."

"See that's the rub."

"Not yet its not."

"Grrf, friggin…Look. We need to talk. Properly. Sort all of this out."

"I'm kinda over the talking thing. I'd rather just go directly to the incoherent babble-moans, myself."

"I thought it was an equal split."

She looked at him, frowning.

"Hon, we were never equal. I was only just starting to understand, and Nu was already there. I gave a lot of the me that was purely Kairi to merge with her."

"Is that why you're still connected to Sora then?"

She nodded. "The merger was more Me into Nu than equal. She respected my love for Sora because if she hadn't been born in your heart, tempered by your existence, she'd probably have been born in his. But she chose you, the way I chose Sora. That choice, that love, that devotion, would never fade. So when we merged it just…became kinda background."

"A distant star you wanted to reach."

"While sitting on a foundation of Sky. Yeah."

There was nothing but truth and honesty in her eyes.

"I think I get it now. Fuckin hell. What a mess…"

"I don't regret any of it."

"Hrrkt, you wouldn't. You get the best deal out of anyone here."

"Maybe. But still."

"We'll…figure that out later, alright? I know where you stand, and where he stands. I've still got some shit to sort out, ok?"

"Are you mad?"

"More…annoyed and inconvenienced really…"

"You're not okay with this then." She frowned.

"I'm…going to abstain from answering that because I don't have an actual answer yet. I'm just now getting the last missing bits of information. Hasn't been processed yet."

"Ah. Alright. So…save me a ride?"

"Obviously. Outstanding requests and all that."

She noticed he was glancing at a specific direction.

"Go on then. I'll wait."

He nodded, leaning forward and pecking her on the forehead.

"You're a nuisance. Keep it that way." He said, before dropping into a shift, missing her soft, content smile.


A ripple of air and his arms were around Ino now.

"Hey."

She looked up at him. "Hey yourself."

"Listen. Sorry."

"Sorry?"

"I've been…well kinda neglecting you haven't I?"

She shook her head. "Seth…the last major interaction we had, was me basically blowing off primal energy, fucking you senseless until I passed out. After having spent the year before then, slowly believing you were dead for good. That's…gonna take some time to settle."

"Point." He acknowledged. "Still. Outside of Aki you'd…basically been my number one support. I haven't really been doing much to balance that out."

"Maybe, but…" she shrugged. "it really doesn't matter. I'm still sorting some things out myself you know."

"Aye. One sec."

He disengaged from Ino, though kept his right arm around her waist and held his left hand out.

"Banshō Tennin."

And with a pulling motion, suddenly Alicia was gently lifted and rapidly directed to Seth's left side.

"Hey."

"I…hello."

"Right. Ino. Catch up?"

"Oh. Well…I mean…we've spent a lot of time together…and you and I had the whole time before I was real again…and you and her haven't been able to be around each other terribly much because of…things getting in the way. And I like her. And I think…she'd be good for you as well."

"…you really are aiming to be the Elle here, arent you?"

She shrugged. "My obsession with you has…balanced out. Even moreso since…well…all those pent-up feelings were finally released when we…y'know."

"broke a few windows and tested the structural integrity of a void-forged bed, yes."

She flushed but grinned.

"Well…yeah. But I thought…well…she was brought back by you too…and she likes you like I do, and I'm…still not anywhere near stable enough to have a proper 'normal' relationship so I figured screw it I'll dive face first into the crazy and push for her to join in."

He blinked. "fair enough…I guess." He then turned to Alicia.

"Your thoughts?"

She looks at him. Stares. Searching for something. "…did you mean it?"

"…uhh?"

"When you said you wanted to be the home I came back to."

"…yeah."

She nodded. Then looked at Ino. And then took a deep breath.

And then kissed Ino on the cheek, grabbing her free hand and holding it tightly.

Ino blinked, staring at Alicia, whom had turned back to Seth.

"If you do me. You do her as well. Package deal. Take it or leave it."

Seth was…well, actually floored.

"I…alright, why?"

"She's loyal to a fault. She fought you to a standstill when you were synched with Tia. You fought her to freedom when she was possessed by Tia. You've connected on a level that you and I haven't yet, and only so far that I know, Kairi can boast having felt. You made her. Risked everything, chanced giving up all of your connections, all of your friendships for her. And…"

She took another deep breath.

"I felt you, in her. When she had a Driver. When she first used Zero Form. I felt your nothing, in her. I felt you, in her. I felt everything you were, in her. She had become your echo. Your mirror. She had your power. And as much as I like Kairi, and as heroic as Sora is, I would trust neither of them, with your power. I trust her with it. I trust her, with you."

Still floored.

"So. Like I said. You claim me, you're claiming her too."

A few seconds of staring at Alicia. And then Selh'teus gave a small huff of air, before shaking his head softly.

"Alright. Alright, that's fair."

He sighed. "But…it has to wait. I've got…outstanding requests I have to deal with. Lingering issues and the like."

"We know." Ino said, breaking out of her shock at Alicia's words. Alicia as well, nodded.

"I want you at your best for it anyway. So go do whatever it is you need to, to be ready for us."

Ino gave a half-grin. "I think you mean Who ever, Alicia."

The blonde queen shrugged. "Semantics."

Selh'teus gave a small laugh. "I'll go do that then."

"Have fun." Ino quipped.

"I expect you to knock me unconscious, just so you know." Alicia spoke, haughtily. "So refine your technique all you want. I want your absolute best."

"GODDAMN!" shouted, oddly enough, both Marlene and Barret.

Unheard, was Melody's blushingly muttered "holy shit…"

"Hey, Seth!" suddenly called Sora.

"Eh?"

"You swimming?"

The Voidwalker bowed his head, hiding his grin, before he responded.

"Boah, bring me a damn snorkel cause I'm positively feckin drowning in it."

A bark of laughter was his response, before he gave the two girls a brief squeeze, dropping into another shift.


The ripple appeared next to Yuffie, the kunoichi blinking rapidly in surprise before she felt herself pulled into a brief kiss, and a gentle squeeze around the waist.

"I know. Don't need to say anything. You're on the list. We'll knock that out soon enough and then we'll work on some Weaponskills, alright?"

Her cheeks pinked slightly, as she thought she'd been rather discreet with her feelings, but nodded.

"Alright. I'll be waiting, Master." The last word delivered with a…strange tilt to her voice, to which Seth just detached, whirled around, flipped her the bird while walking backwards, and then dropped into yet another shift.

Which ended, at Aerith.

"Alright. You."

The woman rose an eyebrow, showing no hint to what was really going on in her head.

"Me?"

"Coy wont work, miss 'finish the goddamn job'."

Her nose scrunched in annoyance.

"Bring your A-Game. Tonight. Me and you. We're knocking your Request out."

"Oh? And what request would that be."

"The one that involves you on your back, drenched, and probably a broken room."

"On my back you say."

"Tends to end up that way regardless of the start. Should have seen Ino. If she was actually coherent for most of that I'd probably still be renovating my bedroom. I mean seriously. I had to draw from the damn World-Core to keep up with her."

"Swimming indeed."

"Caught that did you?"

"And if I said no?"

He rose an eyebrow, and matched her game.

"Oi Yuffie! Feel like being moved up on the timetable?"

"THE HELL SHE IS!" Aerith blurted out suddenly, completely breaking the illusion of calm control she was giving off. Seth just gave her a look.

"Fine! Tonight! But I'd better not be able to walk afterwards, mister!"

"Honey, when we're done, your legs won't even be able to comprehend the idea that they're supposed to be legs."

He gave her a quick grin and then turned around.

"MARLENE! Front and Center!"

Confused, but interested, the young brunette teen trotted over to where Seth was. He'd pulled out his Arc, thumb moving rapidly after flipping open the screen.

"Daddy?"

"Lyco I need a transmat of…two diamonds, three garnets and that piece of flawless amethyst we picked up a couple months back."

"Okay Daddy. Transmat in three. Two. One."

A distortion of space and suddenly a small brown sack dropped into Seth's right hand.

"Thanks Lyco. Alright Marlene. I got a mission for you. Multi-stage. You game?"

"Does the Pope shit in the woods?"

"I have no idea, I make it a point not to know the bowel movements of clergymen. It was odd enough when Rhea offered to share a bath with me yesterday. Anyway. Take this." He tossed her the sack.

"You know a few worlds, get those sold for the best prices you can. That's first stage. Second is coming back and grabbing Sora and Roxas. Gonna need a gummy ship for this. There's a place in Traverse Town that does really good tailoring. Dress them up good. Fine-casual. Standard dinner and a movie faire."

Marlene nodded, having caught the sack, and now holding her own Arc out, watching as little check boxes appeared next to shorthand versions of his commands.

"Bring them back home, grab the girls, drop R and O off at Twilight Town, there's a nice italian place there, good sauces. Drop K and S off here, asian place, good noodles, think they were immigrants from a distortion in the Land of Dragons. After that, leave them to it. Whatever's left from clothes and food separation, yours to keep."

"On it, Boss!"

"Good."

"Why are you doing all this?" emerged the voice of Aqua.

"All what?"

"Everything! From the…the girls to setting up the dates to…all of it!"

She wasn't happy with him. She'd never really been. But he shrugged her off.

"Six words. Opening Lyrics to a song actually. 'Don't say no, just live more.'"

"The hell does that even-

"When you've watched the smiling faces of pus-ridden, scabbed over, shambling, growling dead as they throw themselves willingly at your Keyblade, knowing they're not going to be coming back from it, you start to realize what's important in life."

That shut her up quickly, her head jerking back as if he'd swung at her, face pailing.

"Yeah. That lovely mental image is basically always in my head now. Random, bleeding, broken faces, all grinning, all smiling, all happy that I was going to completely erase them."

"What…I-

"You don't have to lay down, hearing the overlapping screams of thousands. You don't have to try to sleep to the sight of terror-filled relieved eyes of the very souls you cut free from their binds. You don't have to watch the final moments of an innumerable amount of people you've murdered just to keep one world from collapse because the very people meant to deal with that sort of thing are cowards."

For a moment, the distinct sound of…clinking glass echoed in her ears.

"We've got a Raid on another dimension filled with things that would happily rip our spines out from our assholes in a day. It's going to be stressful, difficult, and we're going to be limited in offensive power because its against a group of creatures that resist almost everyone's strongest element."

She was quiet, off-kilter. Unnerved by the absolute feeling of…empty being directed at her. Not aggressive. No malevolence. Just nonexistence.

"I don't plan on anyone not making it back. But I also know it's going to be a titbitch to do, especially since there's going to be an antagonistic, almost Aspect-level Goddess involved. And unlike those absolute puss-baskets on Olympus, this one will defend her territory."

Her eyes closed, head bowing. She'd been shut down, rightfully so. She was scared of him, but…it was time to move past her fear. Because he was trying to keep everyone alive.

He was…truly a Chaos Lord.

"Better they go in, backed by happy, links powered up to max, because it's going to be hell."

She nodded. Beginning to understand. Realizing, he wasn't a monster. No…no he was. And he was one by choice.

But he was the kind of monster that was born of a need to do good. The kind of monster that leashed itself on its own, only cutting free when nothing else worked.

The exact kind of monster you'd expect to make friends with a little girl, and protect her for life.

It would be bloody.

It would be messy.

It would clearly desensitize said child to all manner of horror or violence.

But she would be alive.

And she would be happy.

"I'm sorry." She said, calmer.

He shrugged. "I'm used to it."

Oh that hurt. Her eyes widened as something in her heart stabbed at her. It was a pervasive feeling of wrongness, of a pain that wasn't remnant nor echo it was current. And she'd caused it. To herself.

That wasn't an answer, her heart of hearts wanted to hear. It meant something. Something she wasn't yet entirely certain of but it wasn't good. It was wrong.

He turned back to Aerith. "Remember. Tonight." And then back to Aqua for a moment.

"They'll never see the sky again. The stars. The sea. They'll never hear the birds in the air. The rustling of trees in the wind. The crunch of stone and snow beneath their feet. They'll never feel the warmth of a gentle fire. The chill of a passing breeze. The touch of another person."

Each thing, hurt her more and more. Deeper and deeper. It slammed into her like a series of weights.

"They knew that. I knew that. And we both kept going forward. So I've got to do, what they can't. For their sake. Live, where they were forced to pointlessly die. All because the people running things didn't take into account the possibility of disruption to the flow. They're gone. Completely and utterly. Consumed by the Void. Because of idiots. A meaningless sacrifice."

And then it truly hit her.

It felt like an empty pit opening in her core.

The world shuddered. It didn't, but for her, it did.

And she felt something.

For sake of life,

Been torn apart,

Through Silent Tears,

And Nothing Heart…

He shrugged again, air distorting around him.

"It had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

Kingdom Hearts Re: Order

Chapter XXVIII: Gatecrashing for Dummies.

The same landscape.

The flowers seemed more plentiful. Or perhaps it was a different approach.

A strange cylinder of light. Its source, a ring, glowing pale blue, embedded in the center of what looked like a series of stone arches. Strands of a similar color would race along normally unseen pathways along the stone and granite, again, like pulses of a heartbeat forcing blood through veins.

It went unmolested.

The sound of rushing water was softer in this place. Above, one could see the floating stone boxes that held their water sources, but those were still distant, nowhere near as close as before. The strange floating petals still gently coasted through the air, seeming to rise up from the ground like flowery inverted rain.

The destination seemed to be a powerful glow from below. The pathway lit by the pale moon above, supported by the occasional shimmering flower, led downward through the core of one of the boxes of flowers. The stone was carved expertly, perfectly sharp angles and straight lines making an entranceway large enough for two, perhaps three people.

Inside the stone box were strange glyphs. Symbols and crests of various color and shape, strands of script and language shifting about. Innumerable dialects were written here, each one holding some importance but the meaning was still unknown.

The 'letters' were the only source of light in this now leveled out pathway. But even their faint glow was enough to give sight to the internals of the stone cradles.

Seeds.

At least, they looked like seeds.

They were made of crystal. Some sprouting small tendrils, others seeming to be drawing in something from the stone and dirt surrounding them. Some had their apparent roots connecting to others, while some were entirely isolated. It was an unusual sight, but still, no less strange than the rest of the place.

Pushing on, another glow. The return to the outside. However, the light came not from the moon above, but a massive cluster of crystals. And by massive, not just in number, but size.

It was a container.

The world seemed to crackle and warp. Color inverted randomly, at untraceable intervals, as hissing and popping sounds echoed. The distortion seemed to grow worse, stronger, the closer to the gigantic jewel one got.

A pressure erupted into being. Pushing, compressing, denying. As if one was not meant to be here.

Still. Before all became too much, and darkness covered sight.

One could see a shape inside the jewel.

Female.

Young.

Short, cropped hair.

Eyes, once closed, snapped open.

She peered blankly. And then a soft smile.

A hand rose, and the eyes gained focus.

Her mouth moved, and sight was taken.

"I love you."


(BGM: Destiny – The Taken King OST: Exfiltrate)

The day had come.

All of the Restoration Committee, the Keybearers, Selh'teus, Akira, Lycoris, and Olette were all together in the Gathering Hall. Selh'teus had called them here, to finalize the plan of attack upon the Ascendant Realm called Paradiso. Lycoris had manifested what Selh'teus called 'hard light projectors' to illustrate his points of order.

"Right. So according to Lachesis and Atropos, Paradiso exists on a realistic frequency that is 'higher' than ours. While this collection of worlds exists in the Realm of Light, Paradiso could be considered the purest form of this place."

He gestured, and a big archway appeared in the center of the hall.

"This, is our entranceway. A portal at the Seraphic Gate. With the information from Lachesis, it can be attuned to the frequency that Paradiso resides upon. The problem is, once we're through, unless there's a sister gate on the other side, we're stuck there, until Kairi takes over."

"What do you mean, stuck?" asked Aqua.

"I mean stuck. As in we can't get back without enough power to bridge frequencies, and not even Lyco has that right now."

The young woman shook her head. "I can cut spaces, but I'm not yet strong enough to cut levels of existence. I'm close, but not there."

"We'll be out of contact with anyone but one another once we're through, that's why party composition is important, as well as preparation. I know roughly of what to expect in there, but I'm not going to be with you guys."

"Wait what? Why not?" inquired Roxas.

"I've got my own thing I need to do. I'm going to be full-on Halo farming while you all head towards the Core of Paradiso, and fight Jubileus."

"We could probably use your help with that, hon." Nudged Kairi, leaning into Sora's chest.

"You can take her on your own. I've got a Quest to fulfill. Besides, I wont be able to do it once you beat her."

"Why not?"

"Cause it'd be like trying to farm Aki's Heartless for Munny. Killing allies for something not worth their deaths."

Kairi tilted her head. "You…think I'll be able to control those things?"

"Kairi, the point of this is to usurp Jubileus' throne. To take your rightful place as Queen of Light. Once you're Queen, the Laguna will either fall in line, or be crushed by your will."

"Oh…I see."

"Anyway. It wont be easy. We'll be attacking them in their Home, so not only will they have natural field advantage, but we're likely to encounter the higher Tiers as well. Joy, plenty of Kinship, possibly even Gracious and Glorious."

As he spoke, four figures appeared on the floating screens. One was of a cream colored feminine form with pine green trim with gold across her body. Her hands and feet were replaced with glowing orbs that had strange puzzle-like shapes floating around them. The next was the boat-creature from the attack on Radiant Garden. And the last two, were gold, cat-like beings.

"Wait I recognize those!" shouted Aqua."

Selh'teus nodded.

"You all almost got shit on by one back in Valhalla. Those two are some of Paradiso's most powerful warriors. Their strength is so great that legend stated that they were forbidden from descending from Paradiso lest they risk destroying entire worlds. The one you fought was likely one of the weaker renditions of them, seeing as it was a fusion and not a direct summons. Still, they're obscenely durable, obscenely fast, and just as strong. Taking them on without anything than your S game is borderline suicide."

"Fuck me." Muttered Barret.

"What are the bitches?" pushed Marlene.

"Joy. They're almost as dangerous as Graceous and Glorious but a couple levels less so. Joy's most dangerous ability is her power to shapeshift. She's ascended beyond physical limits and thus has gained the power to take on the form of anyone she pleases, basically. Otherwise, she's simply stupidly fast and durable. Those orbs on her limbs allow her to reconstruct her extremities to whatever she desires. Standard shapes are guns, whips, blades, and a temporary two-dimensional barrier for deflecting attacks. She's also extremely flexible and agile, so expect to wiff a lot unless you have her locked down. She can also manifest razor-sharp feather-blades around her that act as a shield, or as homing projectiles."

General noises of astonishment and irritation echoed around.

"Those arent the only threats but those are the most dangerous ones. Oh, also keep an eye out for any Golems."

The screen shifted to show a giant…orb…thing…made of many green boxes radiating golden light.

"They arent technically Laguna, but are machines that have been effectively hacked by them. The can change shape into various forms, but in doing so, leave their core exposed."

The orb broke apart to show a glowing red sphere, a reticule and the word Target next to it.

"Not something to worry too much about, but if you see one and it starts shifting forms, its in attack mode, and not just in passive 'try to impede progress' mode."

Nods around.

"Right. Party composition. If we take too many, we risk getting caught up on ourselves. I'm going on my own way once we're in, Kairi and Sora are definites."

The two nodded.

"Alicia's coming as well, but she's going with you guys."

"What? Seth why-

"Because I'm going full on smash'n'grab. I won't have time to keep an eye out for anyone that isn't me. I'm just going full on master blaster."

Alicia looked at him. Carefully.

"You will be careful…right?"

"Trust me, the only thing I'll be worried about is the Golden G's. Anything else I can deal with no problem."

"…fine."

"Ino…sorry sweetie, but you gotta stay here."

"Okay."

He blinked. "…wait that quick?"

"You wouldn't single me out unless you had a reason. Whatever it is, I need to be here. I'm fine with that."

He sighed. "By the Nine you're almost as bad as Aki…well fine, I'm still explaining."

She shrugged.

"Yuffie might have a new blade but I don't want to leave things up to chance here. Ino's going to stay behind cause she's the second most powerful person here, and while she'd be a damn fine help in my farming run, I don't know that nothing will happen on this end, and having someone close to my level remaining behind, will keep this place secured. You all may be good, but if there's another Horde rush, you'll need some serious firepower to keep things in check while we're away."

"Shishou, any particular tools I should have?"

"Whatever you think will work. Fire and Light elements will do less than stellar damage, and Wind will be a little more useful than those. Once we leave, craft a few extra Utsusemi stacks."

"Hai, Shishou."

"Miné, you're staying behind too. We haven't even figured out if you can still summon a Keyblade, and on top of which, your Time is still settling in Lyco's systems. Help Yuffie with her tool-crafting, ok? If shit goes wrong you'll be needed at least, to help Roxas keep Olette safe."

Naminé nodded softly. "Got it."

"So…I guess that means I'm staying behind too huh?" Roxas piped up.

"Aye. You need to keep your girl covered. That, and we'll have enough type-miscasts due to all the Light wielders we'll be forced to bring. Terra. Ven. Aqua. You're coming with us. Your armored states will give you a better edge against a good number of the Laguna."

"Wait, what about me?" Riku cut in.

"You? You're useless."

"Wh-what the hell-

"You're weak."

That shut him up solidly.

"Listen. I'm only going to say this once so pay the hell attention. I don't have anything against you on a personal level. Get that into your head, stick it there with a goddamn knife. I don't hate you. Me, deciding to leave you behind, isn't personal, it's tactics."

Riku remained silent.

"You're a bitch. A real bitch. You haven't picked a side. You're not even firmly in the middle. Your Code is incomplete because you haven't completed it yet. You don't know who you are, you don't even have an inkling of where you're going. If you were Dark aligned, you'd be staying behind anyway because you would be entirely ineffective due to the nature of the Ascendant Realm we're going into. If you were light aligned then maybe you could be useful but we'll have enough damage reduction done to our side because of the many Light wielders we're bringing in."

Everyone was silent.

"And if you were properly grey then I'd say come along because then you'd be closer to the void which can negate most of the damage reduction from both the Realm, and the fact that we're dealing with mostly Light elemental beings. You bring nothing to the table, and your presence would only serve to be a detriment. Maybe if you had armor like those three then I'd say yeah sure come with but you've got nothing. Not even useful Nothing. I'm not even going to be bringing Aki with us in there."

That made his head snap up. "What?"

"There's an equal possibility that she'd be sapped entirely, to that she'd be immune. The fact that her being absolutely fucked in that place is a concept? I'm not taking the risk. Plus, if there's another Rush, she'll be needed to bring the Purebloods in to try to stem the flow."

Akira sighed but nodded. She wasn't pleased that she wouldn't be able to be with her King, but he was correct. And even she had no idea if the classification of Paradiso would hurt her just for existing in its space.

"You bring nothing to the equation. And like I said, not even useful nothing. You were nothing but a liability and an idiot when your worlds first got Enshrouded, and the only useful thing you did was stop Not-Ansem from capturing Kairi, and that wasn't even you, that was the fact that he was an idiot who failed to take into account that when you're going to steal someone's body you erase the previous owner otherwise their consciousness can return and fight for control at a crucial moment! You steeped yourself in darkness and then pussied out rather than pushing all the way through and simply drinking it in.

Terra may have fucked up a few times but half of that was because Eraqus is a Light-humping blind coward-idiot and his teachings were all about suppression, ignorance, or borderline hatred of anything Dark, to the point that it left Terra easily manipulated by powers he should have been able to fight off since it was his darkness he was capable of wielding. You don't even have that excuse.

While admittedly your fear and confusion was justified for a good while, you kept so badly wanting to go into the Light that your own stupidity and cowardice required you to borrow someone else's shape in order to plumb the fairly shallow depths of the power you'd tapped into, and then like an idiot, you continued to shame yourself by hiding from one of the two people in the Verse that wouldn't judge you for your screwups, and just wanted you to come home.

Seriously, did it not once cross your mind that by staying AWOL while Sora was still awake and active, you were putting him in further pointless danger? You were his brother, of course he was going to keep looking for you, and you didn't even leave a note or anything, hell you told the damn King he respected, to not tell him what was going on with you, risking making a schism between allies that could have easily been widened by Mansex had you not gotten obscenely lucky that Sora hadnt hit his stress-limit yet!"

It was…damning.

The year before, he'd gotten a taste of what it was like to be ripped apart by Seth, both figuratively, and literally. First, by Kairi who had called him out on his foolishness in dealing with the wanderer. The second, by Zero, the being that was effectively, the truest depths of Seth's very soul.

But to have his stupidity thrown in his face so…accurately. To be shown exactly the many outcomes that could have happened, and only didn't because of sheer, dumb luck…

It was…humbling.

"I get it. It's a seriously emotional experience, the whole damn thing. A rollercoaster from start to finish and you don't know where its going to end. But you fucked up. You reached for the Dark and the Dark answered but you didn't even properly turn your back on it. You didn't properly dive through it. Even the damn rat waded through the Dark on his own merit. You were, and still are, weak. And once again, are lucky that something else has stepped in to save your stupid ass.

You should be a broken, dead, wreck. Corrupted and overridden and killed by your own brother and sister because of your own idiocy. But you're not, because we took control of the Dark. The Dark, like the Void, consumes the Weak. You should be nothing but a shade of your existence. Worse than even that Vanitas prick."

"Hey hey, leave me the fuck out of this!"

Selh'teus froze.

"…" He blinked. He blinked a second time. And then he turned to Akira.

"…did…I'm…not the only one who heard that…right?"

"No, my King."

"Well of fucking course you're not, idiot."

And then, from Ventus' body, came the faded echo of the black haired Sora clone, Vanitas.

"What the shit why are you a thing?!"

"Fuck you callin a thing?!"

"He's like me, Seth." Came Naminé.

"eh?"

"Half of an existence returned to a being that was already whole." The blonde continued.

"…wait…so…oh." It made sense now.

Naminé nodded. "Before you came back, we'd been trying to think of a way to take him out of Ven and give him a body…oh! You could add him to your world!"

"Yeah…right ok look. As much as I want my own body…I'm really not into dudes."

"Pfft, wouldn't work anyway. Men cannot become Cauldrons without some seriously invasive surgery, and then a few years of very specific hormone treatments. And by that point, they wont be men, they'd be women."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Akira staring intently at the shade.

"…uhh, Aki?"

"If I may, my King?"

He blinked at her, then just shrugged.

Not like he had any idea what was going through the girl's head.

That stated, she calmly walked up to the shade, before walking around it, eyes glowing, as if analyzing it.

"You wish for a body, a vessel, of your own?"

"Well…yeah. Thought I'd be gone but nope. Stuck here in this loser's head."

She nodded.

"You were born of pure Dark. A true Shadow. No. A Shade. You lacked the Light to properly forge your existence, to cast upon the stone that would be the cradle of your birth. Too pure. And over time, lacking light to be shaped by, you forged yourself. While your origin, your other half, became whole, without you."

Vanitas twitched but said nothing.

"I will grant you form."

His eyebrow rose.

"I am Akira Rodin. Keeper of the Black Heart. Queen of Dark. In my name, the Shadow twists. By my will, the Darkness stirs. Swear your allegiance, and a new shape will be yours."

"I'm…listening."

"Kneel."

It was difficult. Vanitas, being born of less than pleasant means and emotions, was a being of many things, especially pride.

But…he was also exhausted.

The faded image dropped to a knee.

"I am Queen. But he is King. His will, is my will. His word, is my word. His command, is my command. He is my Voice. He is my Heart. When he Speaks, you will Listen. When he Commands, you will Obey. My word is only overcome by his. If He should Call, you will Answer."

Now Seth was raising an eyebrow.

"It is rare that he will Command. It is rare that he will speak. You will be free to do as you please as long as it stands not against my desires, nor his. Which is, a greater amount of freedom than under the rat. It is very rare that he demands unquestioned obedience, and at those moments, you will obey. He sees for the Blind, he hears for the Deaf, he speaks for the Mute. And should you believe yourself to be more knowledged than he of a matter, obey, but as you do so, speak. He will listen. He trusts those around him, at his call, to know themselves and their abilities better than he does. But there will come times when he knows something we will not. Obey. Swear this. And freedom, life, will be yours."

Very slightly, Vanitas' head rose. He'd been listening. The whole time. Since Ven got to this crazy place.

This guy could wipe him and everyone else out. Maybe not easily but ultimately. He…was on an entirely different level than Old Man Xehanort was. Gods feared him. Worlds communed with him.

And he looked absolutely fucking lost.

ehh. Fuck it. Why not?

"I swear."

And then it hit.

Something connected to his chest.

Internally, mostly. But also apparently Externally as well. Seeing as there was the serrated blade of an Invisible sticking out of his chest now.

But it didn't…hurt.

"Then rise again, as yourself. Vanitas. Blade of Nocturne."

He could feel it.

He could feel it.

Not just mentally or spiritually but physically!

Crawling through his flesh, worming in his veins, filling his heart and head and whole being.

Darkness.

True Darkness.

The kind of Dark that Maleficent had never touched. The kind of Dark that Xehanort coveted.

The true, proper darkness that was the natural opposing and yet harmonizing force to Light.

And holy shit did it feel good.

He stood up, silent, power rippling through his frame. Waiting.

And she smiled.

Not his smile.

But still, a radiant one all the same.

"As you were."

She turned around, and walked back to Selh'teus' side.

"…what was that?" he queried.

"Obtaining an extra Blade, my King."

"I meant the part involving me."

"All that is mine, is yours, my King. Including my subjects. You taught me to speak only truth, to give absolute honesty in matters of life, especially of importance such as this."

"I…you…fucking nuisance!"

"I love you too, my King."

He just threw his hands in the air, rolling his entire head and then turning back to the projectors.

"Right. Whatever. Moving on. Final thing. Jubileus."

The image shifted once more. A tall, glowing woman with a golden mask similar to that of a winged sun, golden tendrils coming from the back of her head looking like woven strands of hair, ending in forked tips with large white faces as decorations.

"She's the head of Paradiso. A literal goddess. Borderline Aspect. She can bend reality, reshaping the world around her to her whimsy, she can punch entire planets into dust, enact a temporal field that does…something that even I wont be able to predict…she's fucking awesome and you're going to have your work cut out for you. The worst part is, I only know of how strong she is at half strength. I don't know if she'll be stronger or weaker than my projections so you'll be going in slightly blind."

"That's…a little worrying." Aqua quipped.

"Yeah. It is. But she's beatable. Just hit her hard, hit her fast, don't get trapped, and don't get hit by anything that looks like a galaxy. I wish I could give you more but…"

He shrugged.

"Anyway. That's about it. Get ready and reconvene in an hour. Vanitas, wish I could give you some definite action to break your new body in but you're Dark so you're stuck keeping this place covered. Sora, you're with me, we need to put our heads together to make a ship big enough for everyone."


"Well then. To see you all gathered for war within my throne room paints an ill light."

After two hours' journey, the group reached Valhalla, Selh'teus having already splintered off to plant a beacon. Alicia headed the group of Keybearers, practically marching her five compatriots through the Hall of the Gods, reaching the sitting space of Odin himself once again.

Odin's words were a mere musing, spoken with a wry grin.

"Our quarry rests not with you, Lord Odin. However, we wish to make use of the Water Mirror." Replied Alicia, standing tall.

Just like a Queen should. Thought Odin to himself. The girl has most definitely grown, even moreso since we last clashed. I wonder how she'd fare against my might now…

"And why is this? Considering you all know one whom is capable of crossing dimensions with ease in a single step."

"We need to enter the Seraphic Gate. It is a differing location than where any but myself have been previously, and even then, it was through no vessel save instant appearance, that we arrived there. He cannot go somewhere if he doesn't know where it is."

Now Odin was definitely intrigued. "The Seraphic Gate. Would it be training you require, we have plenty of Einherjar to practice the arts of war with. Would there be no greater need to set foot in such a place?"

"It not be training we seek. Recall you those marble-fleshed avians? The monsters that even the mighty Gungnir could not fell with ease."

Odin's eyes narrowed. Yes, he recalled them. As did the floating Freya, and the stoically standing Hrist. Demons bearing angelic flesh and form.

"Go on."

"We know how to reach their domain. And seek an end to their continued invasions."

"I see. And to get there, you must use what lies within the Gate. Very well."

It was here, that oddly enough, Hrist spoke up.

"My Lord Odin. May I have permission to gather my Sisters and accompany them?"

Odin raised another eyebrow. It would be useful to gather intel on this other dimension…

Yet he was halted from replying when Alicia shook her head.

"While the assistance would normally be welcome, Hrist, we cannot take you with us. Seth…has a plan. And that plan only takes our group into account. His plans…while very often strange and borderline impossible, almost never fall apart without any outside interference. We will be entering combat with a force possibly even more powerful than the True Valkyrie herself. He has planned for this, but…"

Greater than the True Valkyrie? Odin was now concerned. It would explain why those creatures were so difficult to kill.

"Then to the Gate, at the very least?"

Alicia's head tilted to the side. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried about me."

Hrist's stoic face slipped in a soft sigh.

"As cold-hearted as I appear, Alicia, my biggest regret is my betrayal of you so long ago. Duty is my purpose and my honor and my drive, yet…the Seal kept me from recalling the most important thing that we Valkyrie look for in a warrior. Heart. You performed acts of sacrilege and damnation only to restore an order that was beyond your ken or place. You evolved from mere, meek warrior princess into a battle-maiden on the level of us Valkyrie in effectively a blink of an eye. And yet, despite the hurt and betrayals you never lost your compassion."

All were silent. Rare was it that Hrist spoke her mind. Even Odin had difficulty getting her true thoughts out of her most days.

"To be candid, I admire that about you. I did during my guise as Leone and continue to this day. You ascended beyond mortal coil even if you somehow did it by going backwards first, defeated myself, the homunculi of Lenneth and Silmeria, and even merged with us all to claim the title and being of the True Valkyrie. You are, without a doubt, one of us, Alicia. One of my Sisters. I would be remiss, if I were to simply stand back and let you go off without at least accompanying you partway."

Stunned, Alicia just blinked at the Valkyrie before grinning and shaking her head, sighing.

"Even when you're not around, you still make things shift and twist, love." She said to herself, overheard by…well, everyone.

"Well, he is a Chaos Lord." Sora quipped.

Alicia twitched, not realizing she'd spoken aloud but her grin just widened.

"That he is, Sora. That he is. Very well. Please gather my…our Sisters."

Hrist gave a small smile, and nodded.


"This place is a mess…"

Dipan.

The birthplace and home of Alicia. A place seeped in battle and trickery, before a time of peace, broken by Gods.

Yet another place tainted by the folly of the Divine, and their foolish little power games.

Having become little more than run-down houses, broken husks of churches and stores, crumbled archways and dry fountains, the once beautiful city was now just a ruin.

"It was beautiful at one point. And then ruined. Gods hold the majority of the blame but even the humans weren't without their own stupidity."

He was here for a reason.

He wouldn't plant the Beacon here. It would be a damning insult to Alicia if he forced her to witness this place every time she wanted to return.

But he was here for something else. Whether or not he'd find anything was…unknown. But he was going to look regardless.

He owed it to the girl who was born here.

"Gonna be moving some rubble, Aki. Lemme know when twenty minutes is up."


"Eyyup. What's all this then?"

An unexpected scene greeted him when he passed through the quasi-dimensional distortion that was the true 'door' to the Gate. Kairi's group, crowded around the entrance, watching what appeared to be a beaten Silmeria, Hrist, Lenneth and Alicia panting for breath and tending to wounds, grumbling and unhappy.

"Dammit…of all the times…" Alicia muttered, displeased. "Hello, Seth."

"Question stands."

"If you can't get past me, there's no way you can handle what's in the Gate." Came a high-pitched voice.

Its owner was a fair-skinned human woman, with dark, evening blue hair pulled into two long pigtails to either side of her head. Garbed in a red cropped jacket over a white tank top, and similarly red shorts, the perky, and perky-chested young woman stepped forward, right hand crackling with fading magical discharge, a simple looking bow in her left.

A somber grin was on her face, as she gently shook her head.

"There's stuff tougher than even me in there."

"That. Is what happened." Came the rumbling voice of Terra. Selh'teus turned his head to the man.

"We got here, she was in the way. The Sisters tried to fight her, they got beat. Alicia used her transformation, and only just now was defeated. We don't get it."

Selh'teus scrunched his face in annoyance.

"Wait. Alicia…you…came here before, right?"

"Yes! That's why I can't understand how we lost!" Alicia was severely displeased. Kairi and Sora had taken it upon themselves to heal the Valhalla group.

"Uhuh. You cleared it?"

"Completely! We even defeated the Iseria Queen. It was…difficult, but we did."

"Ah. I see. This makes sense then."

Everyone turned to him. Even the archer.

"It's a passive side-effect of the Gate. This place is effectively its own dimension. It has rules of its own, one of which is something along the lines of 'whosoever should conquer this realm, will be granted considerable power. Yet shouldst the same conqueror seek to repeat the act, may greater challenges await.'"

"…I don't get it." Ven quipped.

Selh'teus gave the Roxas looking teen a grin. "Basically it means, if you've beaten the Gate before, and you come back to try to go in again, everything is stronger, the Gate resets, and all previous successes are undone, waiting to be re-done again. Dirna here, is the Gatekeeper. The Test to see if you have what it takes to survive the rest of the Gate. She's on the level of Odin, in terms of natural power. It's the ultimate training ground, because no matter how good you get, if you make it to the bottom and succeed? You're still going to be challenged."

"...so you're saying…that we're screwed?" Kairi asked.

"Not exactly. Just have to beat her. That said…Aki."

A burst of Dark, and the Black Queen appeared at his side.

"Time to-

"WAIT!"

He was cut off by Alicia.

"Wait."

An eyebrow raised.

"You've done a lot. This past week. This…this isn't your problem. It's ours. Mine. It's because of me that we're obstructed so. So…please. Let me handle this. You…you're going to be alone…when we go through. You need to be at your best."

"Well…I guess if you put it that way. But she beat you. As Valkyrie. How're you going to tip the scales?"

Alicia took a deep breath.

"The Queen of Dipan requests audience with the Queen of Dark."

Aki blinked, turning to Selh'teus, who shrugged, before the pulling sensation on her heart bid her walk to Alicia's side.

"Aki…I need your help. Not…not terribly much. But…just enough to beat her. Please."

The child-turned-heartless-turned-woman looked at the blonde Queen. It made sense. Aki knew what it was Alicia was requesting. Her heart was Strong. While naturally aligned with the Light, her experiences, her anguish, her suffering, pushed her more towards the Grey, the middleground.

But she respected the Dark. And that was what mattered.

Thus, Aki had no problem fulfilling Alicia's request.

And even knew exactly how to do it.

"Strip."

Heads jerked back in surprise. Hrist began to protest, when Alicia, without a drop of hesitation, began unbuttoning her jacket. In only two minutes, the Queen had removed every article of clothing she wore. Even her sword was gently dropped to the side, the Queen now standing in a pool of her armaments.

Aki, smiled softly, stepping forward, snaking an arm around Alicia's waist – which actually surprised the blonde Queen – sliding her hand up the warrior's bare chest, stopping just beneath her collarbone, and gently bringing her lips, to Alicia's.

"Oh goddammit with that shit again…" Selh'teus muttered, as he knew exactly what Aki was doing.

Aki herself, was testing Alicia. The strength of her convictions, the force of her drive, the power of her will, and the truth of her Desire. Without these things in abundance, the Dark easily corrupts, easily corrodes, and easily consumes those who try to wield it.

But it was two-fold. Aki would always be at Seth's side. Always. Not girlfriend. Not Wife nor daughter, nor apprentice. But something inseperable. Something powerful. Alicia had accepted Ino's place, even accepted the idea of Seth having multiple bed-partners before her. Now?

It was time for her to accept that no matter what, Aki would always be not merely in his life, but on a level that even Elle might not have reached.

The Dark is many things. Power. Rage. Anguish. Sorrow. Pain. Desire. Passion. It is feelings in their rawest state, the basest of emotion, the unfettered, the tainted-yet-pure. To wield the dark, is to understand, and control. To feel, to submerge, but not be drowned.

To fight someone, is not the only fast way to understand them.

And Aki knew, that by sharing her passion with the young Queen, Alicia would pass the test.

She already shares part of Seth's heart. Not his Heart, not yet, but his heart. As well as a fragment of his being. Reborn through both Seth's will, and his living concept, Alicia shares a fragment of his Code. A sliver of existence that changed her forevermore. Her Time was now different. Everything she was, still held, but now was more.

Thus, resonance between her and Aki, who held shards of his Heart as a safety precaution, was made much simpler.

Alicia could accept Ino. And she now knew exactly how deeply Akira's feelings ran.

There was a soft flare of black, from the Dark Queen's fingertips, as unseen, the crest of the pureblood heartless, a black heart tipped with a fleur-de-lis, shimmered into place upon Alicia's chest. A pulse of black lines traced along Akira's body, from her heart to her fingers, seeming to enter Alicia, who echoed the same. Slowly, Akira pulled away, as Alicia's eyes fluttered open.

There was a lot in that kiss. It almost brought Alicia to tears. She'd felt everything in one instant.

But she had little time to process it. As Akira brought her lips to Alicia's left ear, and whispered a single word.

"Sing."

Another pulse of black ripped through Alicia's body, as her mouth opened on its own, a single croaking noise emerging from her throat.

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

Grinning, Akira stepped back, watching carefully as Alicia's head tilted itself backwards, her eyes wide, body now entirely out of her own control.

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

One final flare of dark, and the Queen of Dipan, began to rise gently, lifting a few feet off the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Abruptly, Akira turned her back on the blonde, taking a few steps forward, grin widening into a feral smile.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

"Let this will be sung through battle."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

"Entrance, O' Darkened song: Black-Stained Wings of Purity."

Waves of dark energy began spiraling around Alicia.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

"The Maiden's plea be answered by the shadows."

The darkness seemed to become solid, as a wall of force ripped from the Queen's body. Everyone save Selh'teus, and Dirna herself, was forced to brace against the pressure.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

"A sacred Lance be sacred still when harrowed by the Dark."

Suddenly, a burst of light around her waist. Alicia's Driver manifested itself, but scarily enough, it was silent.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

"Lay bare your truth in combat."

The dark energy swirling around Alicia seemed to be drawn into the Driver. The core pulsed rapidly, crackles of black and violet emerging from its sides, crawling not only along Alicia's bare flesh, but along the ground around her as well. The Queen's voice had become a shrill echo, the pressure mounting so high that even Selh'teus began to try to resist.

But it mattered not. As a moment later, it all became silent.

"Valkyria, Ascend!"


(MANDATORY BGM: Drakengard 3 – The Comrade's Song / Gabriel)

There was a massive flare of dark energy. Blackness covered the sight of all. Music filled their ears, backed by a single statement, hammered into their very souls, as if screamed there by the voice of Life itself.

SHADOW VALKYRIE

The Black splintered away. Winding outward from the last seen location of Alicia's body like a coil-peeled orange. The Shadow Valkyrie had come.

Her facial structure was the same. Her hair, pitch black, streaked with pale blonde. Her flesh, drained of all but the slightest bit of color. Her garments, tattered. What was once sheer white, was blacker than the darkest shadows. Her chestplate was given an onyx finish, decorated with violet trimmed metals. Her stomach barely covered with a dark blood red colored, frayed cloth. The skirt was torn, changed to a cloudy grey, very similar to the cloth fauld worn by the Warriors of Nocturne.

Two spiked obsidian pauldrons were on her shoulders, as her arms were wrapped in tattered cloth underneath dark grey plates of metal, two white skull shapes on each arm, one just beneath the pauldron, and one on the back of the hand. Around her neck, and onyx and ruby choker-pendant combo. Legs with black and violet greaves, spiked in silver on the dorsum side (the side pointed towards the sky), with bone white skulls just beneath the knees.

Just above her chest, below the choker but above the breastplate, engraved on her flesh, was the crest of the Pureblood Heartless.

Her eyes snapped open.

Dirna struggled against the instinct to take a step back. The girl's once beautiful blue eyes, were now a very angry, demonic red; seemingly glowing like corrupted portals into the depths of hatred and agony itself.

The Dark Valkyrie whipped her hand to the side, but rather than forming a Keyblade like those who knew of Valkyrie Form's power; instead, returned the Rapier, the crimson blade gained from Sephiroth. Grasping it in hand, tip pointed towards the ground, all anyone saw was the Queen's hand twitch ever so slightly, before the runes engraved into the blade – meant to channel magical, spiritual and-or elemental energy – flared to life.

However, rather than flaring a pale white as it usually does, this time, the runes flickered in color, before the blade was engulfed in darkness. The pure dark energy mixed with the blade's runic scheme, seeming to increase its median size by a small amount. Flipping the now supercharged blade in hand, the Dark Valkyrie loosed a borderline bestial growl, before vanishing.

Eyes widening, Dirna leaped back just in time to narrowly evade a nigh-invisible swing from the now re-materializing Queen. A loud rip echoed through the air, as a literal shockwave tore past where the archer had just been standing.

It was almost too fast to dodge. Immediately.

Before, the Valkyrie had only just reached that level of speed, but couldn't utilize it properly due to having reached a state of exhaustion.

Now?

Dirna could tell, she'd been refreshed back to full. As if the previous fight hadn't happened. And the Dark Valkyrie was already at that level of movement. She gave a shaky grin. She relished the challenge, but this…

It was too soon to say, but Dirna Hamilton was nothing if not observant.

She might just have met her match…


A trio of arrows fired in a tri-point pattern were sent scattering, broken, to the side by a single swing. Not an iota of momentum was lost by the charging Valkyrie in her defense, sword flicking like flashes of black, arrows being deflected left and right, as Dirna was forced to repeatedly backpedal out of the rampaging Queen's striking range.

While strong enough to tank hits normally, the augmentation done to the Valkyrie through Akira's temporarily infused connection, had the archer on edge. She was wary of being hit even once, not sure if the strength difference was so minimal that she could suffer serious injury. As it was, she barely had any time to even think of doing anything but try to get out of range, and fire what she could. Her quiver had been enchanted to be endless…

And the Valkyrie was really putting that claim to the test. Even arrows that had turned into golden crescent waves of magical energy (her favored 'Magical Moon' attack) were cleaved through like paper. And worse still, with each failed attempt at slowing her down, the Valkyrie was just getting faster. Dirna quickly found herself cornered, unable to go anywhere but through the Dark Goddess.

Except maybe…

Taking a gamble, Dirna pushed forward. First step, fire. Second step, fire-fire. Third step, leap.

The dark blue haired young woman pushed her considerable might against the ground, launching herself upward and over the Dark Valkyrie. Nocking her blow, she fired thrice more with inhuman speed. But even faster than she herself could react, the Valkyrie had whirled around, blade twirling in hand, slashing the arrows out of the air the instant they were fired. Once again, the force and sheer power of the swings created multiple shockwaves. Dirna felt herself gasping in surprise as the force messed with her landing trajectory, throwing her backwards harder than she'd intended.

The archer tumbled wildly through the air, slamming on the back, the impact bouncing her up once. The bounce too caused problems, as it forced her to end up rolling further, the pain stunning her long enough to not be able to dodge the next thing.

Which was something nobody saw coming. Though at this point, they really should have.

With an echoing growl, Shadow Valkyrie lashed her free hand forward, a wall of dark energy erupting from around her arm, rapidly growing in size. But rather than remain just a formless wave of hurt, it morphed along the way, into a giant, demon-like hand, made of violet-hued black energy.

The claw quickly covered ground, reaching and grasping onto Dirna, yanking her back towards the Valkyrie. Unable to break free of the otherworldly grip, the archer could only brace herself for what was to come.

The growl became a voice, as the Rapier was positioned tip forward, blade held parallel to the ground.

"REAPER STING!"

The blade flared with darkness. A solid thrust was made. The struggling Dirna could do nothing but gasp in agony as the blade pierced straight through, before a blast of dark energy tore into her body, throwing her violently off the blade, tumbling across the ground.

A few harsh coughs and a pained groan, but the archer rose. Shadow Valkyrie gave an annoyed huff, prepping her blade again, taking a few steps before launching forward off of the fourth.


He recognized that.

The last attack that Alicia used. It was his.

Or…it was his. Well, not really. Borrowed. The idea. The Rider Sting was from TheBee anyway…

But…while she got the name…a bit off (though quietly he thought it much more fitting for her current state), the effect was…well, effectively the same.

Truly, it was a simple piercing thrust but…the buildup, the flare of power, the detonation…that was all the Rider Sting, just…replacing neutral energy with Dark.

Yet how could she know? The name, the technique, the…anything? He'd used it once, and on Hrist.

…Could it be that she'd…somehow remembered the move, after it had been used against her Valkyrie Sister?

If that was the case…truly…this was an unexpected development. After all. If she had a vague memory of an attack used against a woman that housed a fragment of her soul, when said woman had her own soul fragment as the active director of the shared body…

What else could she have gleaned, while in her death-sleep?


They watched the clash of warriors. But…it wasn't really a clash. It was a Hunt. And the Shadow Valkyrie had proven herself the hunter of this matchup. Dirna could barely muster defenses, narrowly made evasions, and when she didn't, she was punished.

Harshly.

And yet. The archer wasn't out of the fight entirely. She still had a trick or two up her non-existent sleeves.

Such as one particular one.

During a backspring evasion, the ground beneath Dirna glowed slightly. Not seeing the glow, the Dark Valkyrie followed the flipping archer intently. The moment her foot touched the place the glow had appeared, a series of chain-like tendrils of interconnected glowing purple, red, and black colored runes ripped from beneath her, wrapping around and entangling the raging Valkyrie.

This alteration to the Chaotic Rune spell – a spell which originally was just a severe debilitation array that lowered the target's status parameters a hefty amount – kept the Valkyrie bound long enough for Dirna to focus on her actual attack. A wave of immense force ripped from the archer's lithe body, a series of runes surrounding her feet and hands for three, long seconds, before they dissipated.

The air churned with power, as suddenly a massive rift tore itself open above them.

"No Mercy for the Damned…"

Unseen, far above the planet, mystical, godlike, and temporal forces were all acting in concert. A mass of floating stone and ice, was suddenly pushed towards Midgard.

"No escape from the Catastrophe!"

The heavenly boulder entered the planet's atmosphere, becoming set alight as the ice within it began to melt and bubble, dislodging parts of itself towards the ground below. The rift that had formed above, had its other end directly in the descent trajectory of the asteroid and its fragments. Those fragments shot down towards the Shadow Valkyrie.

But she hadnt simply been staying still.

As the burning fragments of stone destruction rained down upon her, she broke free of her binds, sword flaring to life.

"METEOR SWARM!"

Known as one of the strongest of the Great Magics, the remaining three Valkyrie gasped as one, knowing that this was a spell capable of changing entire maps.

The massive, combusting space-rock dropped upon the Dark Valkyrie. The heat and pressure combined forcing a blinding glare as the country-slayer descended. The vibrations from its nearing-impact deafened all with the roar of a dying world.

And then it stopped.

Dust cleared, light faded. Sight returned.

And silence reigned.

Even the song halted.

Absolute.

Unfettered.

Silence.

Broken.

"…fuck me sideways…" Gently spoke an awed Aqua.

And then, something unexpected happened.

"NAAAAAAAAAAAANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA!
SITHI UHHMM INGONYAMA."

Out of nowhere, Selh'teus had stepped forward, and bellowed those unintelligible words.

Had anyone been looking at him head on, they'd have seen a pulse of colored light, rip through his body, the moment his mouth opened.

Instead, all they could tell, was his garbled yell was shouted in honor of what was before them.

And before them, was an astonishing, if not inconceivable, sight.

The Shadow Valkyrie, was holding, the meteor.

Left hand wreathed in shadows, a gigantic, demonic claw gripped tightly, the very bottom of the falling orbital stone. Scattered around her, broken, sliced smaller boulders. Even in carved pieces, each chunk was half the size of the Valkyrie at their smallest. The Valkyrie pulled back, and with a mighty bellow, the halted country-killer was forced back to the heavens.

But she wasn't done.

The second the stone was repelled, the song abruptly kicked back in, and the Shadow Valkyrie kicked off the ground. In only moments, she'd reached the half-way point of the tower-sized space-rock, demon hand expelling itself through punching the very center, launching the entire thing towards a still shocked Dirna.

Following that, only a second later after the mighty BOOM echoed through the thankfully city-sized chamber, the Rapier flared with Dark once again, as she delivered similar thrust to before.

"METEO REVERSE!"

At her cry, echoing during the motion of said thrust, the Dark ripped from her blade, burrowing itself into the country-crusher like a digging mole. Cracks and creases appeared on the enormous stone's surface, pulsing with angry violet-black in each crevasse, before the entire thing detonated.

Directed by her will, the colossal chunks of space-born stone, now heavily coated in Dark, ripped towards Dirna, who had just now returned to her senses. Unfortunately for her, it was too late to do anything but endure the city-destroying assault of thousands of Dark-infused fragments of gargantuan stone.

A multitude of thooms, booms, crashes, flashes (black, of course) and deafening auditory explosions of absolute destruction, followed a quickly cut-off scream of "SHIT!"

When the final stone, the very core of the meteor, slammed into the ground, Dirna was sent flying. In the instant she was launched into the air, the Dark Valkyrie was on her, blade flaring.

A horizontal slash. Blade swung from right shoulder to left hip. Right hip swing to left shoulder, underhand. Overhead vertical chop. Right dorsum spike to face, left heel to back of the head due to rotation of both attacker and victim, right knee to nose, pommel to left cheek, demon hand grabbing shirt, reverse grip shoulder to hip slash, once, twice, three times, kick, horizontal swing, ended with a rising vertical slash-launcher.

The brutal assault was accompanied by literal rippling waves of Dark. A bellowed, demonic roar. Dark energy ripped from her body, turning into bolts of shadow that circled and shot through Dirna's terribly battered body, before coalescing into gigantic, burning (of violet flame no less) lances that impaled her from shoulder to hip, starting from the right, then the left, then a third piercing through her chest from below.

Exploded.

The crucifixion had detonated in a wave of dark energy, before spiraling counter-clockwise, then forming into a ringed glyph.

What was once the glyph of Valkyrie Form, had changed. For this moment, the Crest of the Shadow Valkyrie, Reaper of Nocturne, took the form of the Pureblood Heartless crest, backed by tattered looking angel wings, a trinity of spears emerging from the bottom left, bottom right and top of the Heartless crest.

The glyph acted like a binding array. Even if she were able to think through the pain, Dirna would not have been able to avoid what came next.

Which happened to be, the Shadow Valkyrie, pulsing with Dark, glowing, violet hued black wings spreading from her back, flapping twice, as she lifted her now empty right hand to the sky. Jagged crackles of dark energy, colors of midnight blue, stormy grey, blood red, onyx black, and twilight purple lightning; gathered to her hand, forming a single tipped, massive spear. The spearhead became engulfed in darkfire, as the Dark Warrior Queen screamed her will to the universe.

"DEMON'S LANCE!"

And it was thrown.

The Spear of the Dark. Crafted from her very soul. A spear made in honor of the forgotten, the lost, the slaughtered, the ones that were not seen fit to reach Valhalla, the ones the Gods ignored, the ones the Gods sacrificed.

The 'dumping ground' for what the Gods would consider, simple, or trash souls. A world run by a twisted goddess, but defended and at times nurtured by an undead King.

Forged in her core, by the knowledge and truth that she too had died. She never reached Valhalla after death. She was simply lost. But she had shared. She held the title, the existence, the being of 'Undeath'. Dead-but-not-quite-stopped.

She made that spear, in the name of those who had died protecting what they loved, but weren't seen as 'good enough' for the Hall of the Gods. In the name of those who had died pointlessly, killed by foolish nobles wanting to further their station or hide their misdeeds. In the name of the children slaughtered in wars by vicious monsters in human flesh. In the name of parents murdered in cold blood so their children could be taken as slaves. In the name of husbands and wives, mutilated for fun and profit.

For the families broken. For the hearts crushed. For the souls displaced.

The Helheim's Fury. The Spear of Vengeance. The Demon's Lance.

In their name, it was thrown.

In their name, it would fly.

In their name, it would pierce.

In his name, it would bring victory.

As such. That it did.

"Congratulations! You passed."


It was a good half hour since the trial against Dirna.

Somehow, she'd not been completely obliterated by the savagery of the Shadow Valkyrie, and made an obscenely quick recovery after the battle's officiated ending. She bore no hard feelings in the slightest, and continued to have a brilliant smile on her face. According to her, that was the soundest she'd ever been defeated, especially so soon after having felt the taste of Victory.

"I don't remember you at all. That might be a side-effect of the Gate though. But I have to say, I believe you when you say you beat me before. Even without that level of power, you're something else, Queen Alicia."

The half-hour break was to let Alicia rest and recover, as well as to simply warm up, and finalize strategies. However, upon hearing Selh'teus' plan for Paradiso, Silmeria had an objection.

"Wait you mean you're going to be on your own? Alone?"

"Yeah? It's nothing I can't handle."

"Why not at least bring Alicia with you?"

"Kairi's group will need the extra firepower against Jubileus' bullshit. Look I've got it all mapped out."

"Yes but you're going to be alone."

"And I've planned for that."

She was practically in his face now.

"Then take one of us with you."

"Look I've already-

"Listen!" she cut him off. "These things are stupidly powerful, we've seen it ourselves firsthand. You're going to be fighting them in their home! I don't doubt at all your capabilities but what if you're wrong? What if you miscalculated the difference in strengths?"

"Then I compensate for it. I've got it all-

"Take me with you."

"What? Silmeria-

"No listen! If something goes wrong, if you're caught in a trap they won't know at all because you'll be alone and I can't stand the thought of what Alicia will go through if she loses another boyfriend to some stupid pointless bullshit that could have been avoided if someone had just not dicked around! I refuse to let something so meaningless happen to you like that darling!"

SKILL TRIGGER ACTIVATED

FATE BREAKER (RANK 1)

FATE BREAKER (RANK 1) SKILL ACTIVATED

MARBLE PHANTASM ACTIVATED

That.

Stopped everything.

He jerked back in surprise, not just at the sheer drive in Silmeria's voice, but most importantly, the last thing she said.

Oddly enough, even Silmeria was shocked. "What…what did I just-

She was silenced by Selh'teus grabbing her arm suddenly. She blinked rapidly, looking at his hand, then looking back into his eyes, which were boring down on her like the unerring gaze of a very confused God. Her own eyes widened, slightly in worry, as he just stared.

And then he saw it.

A flicker of emerald, in the sky blue eyes she held.

His own, closed, as he loosed a heavy sigh of both annoyance, and resignation.

"…sou ka."

"Wh-what?"

His head tilted upwards, as he seemed to gaze listlessly at the fathomless ceiling. His grip on her remained, and now everyone was watching. Another sigh, mixed with a growl.

"ahh mou!"

Suddenly, he yanked her forward, the Valkyrie stumbling as his hand released her arm, before both hands reached up and grabbed the back of her head. She had a moment to blink in surprise, before her breath and motion alike, were taken from her, as he'd smashed his lips upon hers.

Her own hands shot up, gripping at his arms, for a moment trying to pry him off her, before something jolted through her body.

And his Arc, beeped rapidly.

NOISE WAVE

A semi-transparent distortion of pale green wisp-like energy pulsed from Selh'teus' chest, a more solid ring of color emerging from his Arc and engraving itself on the ground beneath the two of them. Strands of faint emerald green began racing along Selh'teus' body, pulsing like beats of a heart, slowly appearing going along Silmeria's visible features.

ACCESS

The Valkyrie's body gave a soft glow, flecks of emerald shine and thin, vapor-like tendrils wafting off of her, before an explosion of power ripped from her body, causing Ven to lose his balance, and the others simply to stumble in surprise. The faint aura around Silmeria flared violently, before engulfing both her and Selh'teus, the two now vigorously making out, Silmeria's hands having reached up to his shoulders, pulling him closer.

CRYSTARIUM SEVER ACCESS

A deep rumble echoed through the air, like rolling thunder, causing the ground to further shake, the waves around the Gate becoming turbulent, the air filled with a growing pressure that felt like it was attempting to crush the very lungs of everyone outside of the ring. Unseen behind the aura, a flickering symbol had appeared faintly upon Selh'teus' left hand, pulsing out of tune of the strands of color, but yet seemingly connected to the source.

HANDHOLD PROTOCOL INITIATION

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of watching the two go at it, of being crushed by Godly pressure, it all stopped.

COMPLETE

The aura gently faded, the pressure vanished, Silmeria's grip loosened, and her hands trailed, almost lovingly, down his arms again. Their lips disconnected, their foreheads gently touched, and of all things, Silmeria began smiling.

"I fuckin' hate you."

Was the first thing spoken, by Selh'teus.

"Seriously you're a fuckin' pain in my ass."

And the damn Valkyrie just smiled wider.

"Would you really have me any other way?" she queried, eyes still closed.

"YES."

She gave a gentle laugh, raising her head, and opening her eyes.

As if that were a switch, suddenly the air flickered around her. Her hair, once a pale blonde, some few shades darker than Alicia's, had shifted, becoming the color of straw.

With multiple, emerald green strands.

"Well…I can't say I'm surprised you'd say that." She responded, gently.

"I should have seen this coming."

"Maybe? To be fair, dear, she didn't either."

He just sighed aggressively.

"Goddamn…bullshit circumstances."

"So. You'll take me with you then?"

He huffed. "Fiiiiiiine."

Her smile turned into a smirk. "Good. Really dear, I have no doubt you can handle yourself but in a situation like this backup is rather mandatory, don't you think?"

"Dammit bitch I already said 'fine' what more do you want out of me?"

The smirk got stronger. "I'm just saying, you're a close range fighter and I've got ranged support covered."

"I cannot 'fine' harder, woman."

"You're still holding my hand."

"You are still not entirely stable."

"You do care."

"All of my hate. All of it."

"I'm going to need better gear by the way. Even the ones that showed up here were too easily getting through my armor."

"Huuuuuuurrrrrghhh it doesn't eeeeend with you does it?!"

She just laughed.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" came the very confused shout of Alicia. Speaking for everyone, it seems.

"I was wondering when she'd snap." Silmeria commented casually.

"Hate."

"yes yes, I know dear."

"Haaaaaaate."

She pat him gently on the cheek.

"Oh you bitch you're going to make me explain."

She just shrugged, grinning still.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate."

Instead of talking, he just flicked open his Arc, pushed a few buttons and held it out.

"D-daddy? Holy fuck daddy what the hell just-

"Lyco. I need a Forge."

"Daddy! There's a shitton of activity that just happened and-

"Lyco! I know."

"Why."

"Remember how I have her soul on me?"

"Yeesss…? …wait. Wait WHAT?!"

"Yeah. That happened."

"You mean that's a thing?! That can happen?!"

"Apparently."

"…fucking hell Daddy."

"That is why we don't fuck about with souls Lyco. Stupid, random, completely unexpected bullshit like this."

"No fucking kidding. Mucking about with Hearts is messy enough…"

"Yeah. So. Forge?"

"Right…uhh…we don't have much left though."

"Should be enough to cover it. I'm about to go farming with her anyway."

"With her? Oh. Oh right. Wow. Well…good! I'm sorry Daddy but even I've been worried if you'd be ok in there on your own. It's annoying it happened but it works out in our favor."

"Allegedly."

"Well…I'm seeing a couple new temporary skills that weren't there prior. Having it happen alone would have been enough but with support it'll be much easier."

"Ugh I guess."

"I don't like it either but…I want you back to me, Daddy. Even if it means working with her."

"Yeah yeah…"

"Right…sheesh. A clusterfuck and you haven't even gone in yet. I'll fire up the Forge. And…Silmeria."

"Yes, Lycoris?"

"If anything happens to him while you could have prevented it…I will redefine your concept of pain."

"I'd expect nothing less."

"Good. Be careful Daddy."

"Haaaaaaiiii…"

"You're still holding my hand by the way."

"You're still unstable, and getting to your heart is impossible with that damn chestplate."

"Hmm, you have a point." She tapped it, and it vanished. And then, with her free hand she grabbed his Arc, before she immediately pulled his hand to her chest, between her now very bare breasts.

He just stared blankly. And then sighed a few seconds later.

"…I can't even be mad about that, I fucking walked right into it."

"Yes. You did. Now, left or right?"

"Press then clockwise." He reluctantly exhaled, in response to her query.

"Thank you dear."

He shook his head. And then pointed.

To Hrist.

"Atropos."

"What? Have you-

He turned and pointed to Lenneth.

"Lachesis."

Lenneth blinked.

Alicia's mouth widened as did her eyes. It…didn't make sense. Not in the idea of 'oh that explains how that works'. But it was beginning to dawn on the Warrior Queen, what might have happened.

"Clotho." Silmeria spoke, casually.

"Clotho."

"...how…?" Alicia whispered.

"The soul, Alicia. Clotho's soul. Apparently there was a resonance reaction."

"But…she was…Slimeria-

"The three Valkyrie are…based off of the three Sisters of Fate. Silmeria, being an expy of Clotho."

"Aspect, really." The blonde corrected.

"Right. Aspect."

"What's an Aspect?" Kairi asked, gazing worriedly at Alicia, whom was shifting between shocked and calculating.

"Some Deities from Earth became so powerful that they'd split off 'pieces' of themselves. Some of them became completely different Deities, like having children, and others were just fragments of Self. Silmeria, being an Aspect of Clotho, must have Resonated with the Soul I'm holding. That…caused a bit of personality bleed-over. And I just…I dunno, I guess forced the part of Silmeria that was Clotho, to wake up."

"Now, I am fully aware of my other self, and have inherited a great deal more power and knowledge because of it. As it stands, I can go with him now, and keep him covered while he farms." Silmeria explained, sifting through various 'windows' of armor.

"She's…still weaker than the True Clotho, as she's just a fragment. She's stronger than Silmeria alone ever would have been, but weaker than Clotho's official maximum power."

"But I know combat, as opposed to my original self."

He sighed again. "Yeah…"

"Listen. I know, quite well, your feelings towards my original self. But she adored you. Before your world was destroyed, she intentionally synchronized with every champion she picked. So many deaths were to be meaningless and she spent ages doing her damndest to try to make each fated end have meaning to someone. A push in a needed direction for somebody. She didn't always succeed but she tried. And as a part of her, I will be damned before I let something happen to you, that I could prevent. If not for my own sake, then for Alicia's."

He said nothing. Just closed his eyes and shook his head.

"That said, I am so crashing your Wedding."

His eyes snapped open. "Wait what?"

"Dear. I can't have you to myself. At this point, I wouldn't want to. I'm already going to get more than my fill seeing as I get to fight alongside you again. I may be an Aspect of Clotho, but when Alicia marries you, I win anyway."

"How the fuck d'you figure that?"

She turned her head to him, smirking widely.

"Remember? I am Alicia."

His mouth opened, and then he stopped.

Technically…she was right.

Technically.

"…fuck me."

"Oh I'd love to. But I'll save that for her."

"HATE!"


It took a few minutes. And Selh'teus had to manually craft each item, but she had picked her gear for the Hunt.

Around her head, a silver and bronze trimmed circlet, draconic wing-like protrusions on the sides. The Dragonwing Circlet was slightly altered, with a single emerald jewel in the circular front, right in the center of her forehead.

The next, was to cover her bare torso. He ignored the shit-eating grin on Silmeria's face as he traced his fingers along her still bare, perky breasts – something she, long after she'd been properly re-equipped, would not stop grinning about – as from a gentle almost loving glow that trailed behind where he touched, formed what looked like a woven cloth halter-top half-camisole, lined with gold plated, engraved metal as an underbust.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you have to be touching her…like that?"

"Cause otherwise I'd have to take her to Lyco, Alicia, and I don't know what that would do."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember, my world is in the Void. The Void removes all. Consumes all. I don't want to bring her there, right now, and find out that it removes her tie to this world."

"Why would it? The others don't have that issue."

"Alicia, nobody I've brought to my world, has a tie to any other world."

"…oh…right."

According to his explanation afterwards, the Maiden's Camisole was woven from cloth-lined steel fibers, providing a level of protection unexpected by its nearly decadent design.

"it's not much against say, a sword, but it has some fair blunt absorption."

As well, it was naturally enchanted to provide a fair level of Petrification resistance.

Over that, a sleeveless white jacket made of …something's hide. Selh'teus claimed it was whatever a 'saurian sage' was. It was fastened by small belt clasps with silvered buckles, but though she wasn't the…chestiest of the sisters, Silmeria's bust disallowed it from closing completely. The Trophy Jacket wasn't the first thing she'd thought of, when scrolling through the Armory collection, but the enhancement to all magics cast by the wearer, as well as its natural resistance to spells and curses that lowered defenses, combined with its trait of refreshing the wearer's facilities, allowing for quicker recovery from successful debilitations such as reductions to speed or strength, she picked it.

Though Silmeria herself knew no real magics, the passive enhancement to all magical things wielded by the wearer, would enhance any elementally tuned arrows, bows or other weaponry, to greater effectiveness. Yet even that was overridden, by her awakening as 'Aspect of Clotho'. For Clotho herself, while limited to what magics she knew, knew them.

"Fuckin leaves your tits wide open though."

"And not many of the Laguna have piercing ranged attacks. There's one archer type, the rest use manipulated energy. Plus it's much more flexible than my weaker armor. Your combat style is mobility based. I'll need that flexibility in order to keep up with you, even from range. It will be fine, dear."

Around her waist, a gold-lined, white skirt. The Maiden's Petticoat, meaning to be paired with the camisole, also added a level of petrification defense, as well as a small boost to Light resistance.

"Y'know…you're already wearing a lot of stuff from Gransys. Hell you wouldn't normally be able to wear the jacket with the skirt."

"Perhaps. But this is not Gransys. And…how does it go again? 'Screw the Rules, I have Green Hair.'"

Beneath the skirt was a simple pair of black tights, underneath a pair of white boots reaching to mid thigh. The material they were made of, was a harder variant of the same that her jacket was. Again, better more protective leg equipment could have been chosen, but like the jacket, the Trophy Boots gave a passive boost to magic, and also had a passive enchantment to allow the wearer swifter movements by way of reducing the weight of their held equipment. The boots strengthened leg and back muscles, granting the wearer the ability to carry heavier weights before becoming burdened.

"You've got a lot of white on, y'know."

"Saurian Sage Hide is very good at resisting stains. Even bloodstains."

"Well yeah but still…"

"Well do you know how to alter the fabrical dyes of these clothes without risking the stat boosts or enchantments?"

"…"

"I didn't think so."

Her arms were adorned with a pair of silver scaled, leather looking gloves, the scales reaching to wrap around her biceps. At her request, the fingers of the gloves were removed. The Trophy Bracers echoed its sister equipment pieces, with the added effect of drawing 'stamina' from things slain by the wearer. The effect apparently worked by refreshing the body, keeping one's muscles from getting bunched up or overtaxed, as well as restoring one's breathing closer to normal.

"Probably some bastardized Lifehunt effect."

"Life energy in itself would be better to drain, but considering some of our targets will take a severe beating before being felled, I'll take what I can get."

And finishing the ensemble, was, of all things, a cape. Brown, almost dried blood colored leather, bound by what looked like bronzed dragon-hide, shaped in a manner of a dragon's spread wings, with a draconic-head shape motif on the left and right shoulders, held by a bronze chain. The Heresy Cloak was fitting for Silmeria, both because she headed an insurrection against Odin, as well as her support of Alicia, whom ultimately, defeated a variation of Odin, in this very gate.

"Full on Gransys armor huh?"

"They do ranged equipment well. Saurian Sages don't exist here. And the armors natural status protections are perfect."

"Don't know of any Laguna that do the Stone thing though."

"…alright I'll admit it was more style than anything."

"Fool."

"You can't say it doesn't look good on me."

"Of course I can."

"Well you'd be lying."

"Could still say it."


"I can't do weapons. We're tapped for Halos as it is."

"It's fine. I'll forge some up myself. I'm familiar enough with a sword and a bow that I can craft one using some Thread."

He gave her a pointed look, to which she rose her hands in defense.

"Don't worry. All the kills will be yours. I'll merely smash a few pots or something. Environmental loot. I swear."

He huffed and turned away.

It was here, that Alicia had finally recovered her senses, and came to a conclusion.

None of this would have happened, if they'd had an archer around.

"Silmeria!"

The Valkyrie turned to her previous host, gentle grin on her face.

"You're teaching me how to Bow."

The grin became a wide smile. Not only because the woman she dared call 'sister' was requesting to learn her chosen weapon and favored pastime, but because of the way it was asked. Prior to Selh'teus' existence in her life, the request would have been phrased so much differently. The direct, shorthand method, tickled something within Silmeria, making her happy that the woman had changed so much.

"Gladly, Alicia."

Sora gave a puzzled look. "But I thought you already knew how to bow, considering what you did to Sephiroth."

"That was-

"Wait wait wait." Seth cut in, confused. "You fought Sephiroth?"

"Well…that's what he said-

Kairi cut her off. "No she didn't fight Sephiroth."

Seth blinked at Kairi's shit-eating grin. "She beat Sephiroth."

"You beat Sephiroth?"

"Yuuuh-huh." Kairi answered for Alicia.

"Tall? White hair down to his ass? Black cloak coat showing off the man-cleavage? Fourteen foot long katana that's gotta be compensating for a shrimp-dick? World-breakingly powerful? That Sephiroth?"

"Yeeeup." Kairi replied, still grinning, popping the p.

"She broke his sword too." Aqua of all people piped in.

"YOU BROKE HIS SWORD?!"

Silmeria jerked back at the sudden volume increase, even though she too was shocked.

"That thing's like his friggin Noble Phantasm! It's practically forged out of his Tia-forsaken Soul! And you broke it?!"

Kairi's grin just got louder. She was positively bathing in the sheer incredulity that was being radiated off of the Voidwalker. She could practically taste the fragment of madness that was trying to push through, as his mind comprehended the meaning behind the information being revealed.

So as any good life-partner-turned-best friend-slash-future bedmate would do…

She added one more log to the fire.

"Oh and Seth? Honey?"

She felt, more than saw his gaze turn to her.

"All that? Happened before Skeith."

Selh'teus' eyes narrowed. Before suddenly, he twitched.

And then vanished.

There wasn't a ripple of air, like usual. This was not Zero Shift.

As suddenly a very loud BOOM ripped from where he'd just been standing only a moment prior, a nigh-invisible blur slammed into Alicia, who had instinctively lifted her arms a half-second after he'd disappeared. A trail of billowing dust ripped forward, from the vanishing site, leading to a liplocked Seth and Alicia, near the far wall of the Gate entrance.

And of course, Kairi, just gave a barking laugh.

Of course, the others were in shock.

"Damn…I didn't know anyone could go that fast…" A nearly forgotten Dirna muttered to herself, slightly jealous at both the movement speed, and the impromptu make-out session that had just occurred in front of her.

After all, a girl gets lonely being the only living thing around for miles.

And don't you dare suggest she find some 'action' from someone in the Gate. Undead, asshole Gods and Wannabe Gods, or Kobalds are all that exist down there.

Perverts.

As the two separated, they could barely make out Selh'teus' voice speaking in a low growl.

"We are breaking two beds."

Alicia, panting, gave a sly grin. "Make it three and we have a deal."

"Right. …sorry."

"You're…going to teach me. Everything. The meaning behind it all. Everything you do. Because you're random. You are a Chaos Lord. And it…confuses me. A part of me wants to feel hurt. Betrayed. But it made sense in the end. You do, what you do, because you know…things. I don't know those things. So you're going to teach me. Because I want to keep trusting you."

He nodded to her. "Soon. Once…I have time."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

His Arc trilled. Both of them knew it had just logged a new quest.

"Good. Now. How do we get in?"

"Well first I take your leggings off…"

She rolled her eyes, before giving a half-smile and slapping his shoulder. "Not like that you pervert."

"You're the one who upped it to three beds."

"Just because I don't initiate often, doesn't mean I wont excel."

"We are going to ruin my tower arent we?"

"What like you and Lycoris haven't already?"

"I'll have you know that when it comes to…those moments, there's a specific room. One."

"The question stands."

"The Gate itself works. I just need to fiddle with the frequency. Change the 'tune' so to speak."

"Get on it then. The faster we get this done, the faster you get to finish up your outstanding requests, and I get you to myself for a bit."

"Yess'm."

Separating from the blonde Queen, Selh'teus walked towards the edge of the circular indentation in the ground they stood on. Known only to him and Alicia, that was the 'true' entrance to the Gate.

"Dirna? Mind opening 'er up for us?"

"Of course."

A low rumble, and a mild vibration, as the ring segmented half way, and opened up like a pair of sliding doors. Nothing appeared, nothing happened just…a big hole in the ground.

"…is that it?" Sora asked.

"Yep."

"I was kinda expecting something more…"

"Extravagant?"

"I was gonna say flashy but that works."

"Yeap. Nothing to it. Just a big ol' hoil in dat dere rock."

"So…what happens now?" Kairi asked.

"The fun part. Aki?"

A burst of black and the girl was at his side.

As she always wished to be.

"Need a Key."

She summoned the Nightfall, handing it to him gracefully.

"Thanks love."

A silent nod as she took three steps back.

Slowly, as if calculating something, Selh'teus walked along the edge of the hole. After a minute of pacing back and forth, scuffing the ground with his foot, tapping his toe on the edge, and doing seemingly random things that made no sense, he stopped.

…about three inches from where he started.

He shrugged, realizing it seemed stupid to even him, but went with it. Holding the Keyblade high, he pointed its hooked tip downward, before stabbing the ground. Two lines of light ripped from the puncture location, curving around the edge of the hole, before connecting into a big glowing pale gold circle.

"Knock knock motherfucker." Selh'teus muttered, barely heard by the others.

His shoulders tensed, and he violently wrenched the Nightfall to the left, a loud grinding echoing through the chamber, preceding an even louder KER-CLUNK. As the sound of an opening lock faded, the ring flared, and a massive pillar of light ripped into the air from the hole. After a minute of shine, the light tapered off, and now, covering the hole, was a rippling pool of silvery-gold, shimmering shine.

"And that's that."

"Alright." Sora piped up. "That was more what I was expecting."

"Figured as much." Seth agreed.

He stepped back and turned to Aki, handing her the Keyblade.

Which she pushed back towards him.

"Ak-wait. This is yours. I don't-

"No."

He jerked back in shock.

"N-no? What? What 'no'?"

"No."

He was now blinking rapidly, shaking his head as if he'd been slapped.

"Whaddy' mean 'no'?"

"No."

"Aki. What the hell."

"You are taking it with you." She said, flatly.

"Aki this is your-

"I am aware of that." She cut him off. "You are taking it with you."

"No, Aki this is your-

"I. Know. That is why you are taking it."

"I can't-

"You can, and you will."

"WHY?!"

"Because I refuse to allow you to be stuck with only a chaotic Goddess from home to be your backup in a place I cannot follow you."

His mouth shut with a click of teeth. Bastard was lucky he didn't bite his tongue off, really.

"I do not like her. I do not trust her. I do not enjoy that she can accompany you and I cannot. But you need her. You need someone to keep an eye on what you cannot. I do not trust her to be where you cannot. I do not trust her to see what you cannot. I do not trust her to be focused on you and only you, at all times."

It was faint, but there was passion, tinged with desperation in her soft voice.

Silmeria felt like she should be offended…

But what fragmentary knowledge she gained from awakening as the Aspect of Clotho, told her that Akira Marie Rodin, cared about one thing, and one thing only: him.

That knowledge, allowed her to understand.

Aki was afraid.

She wasn't the only one to realize that. Alicia, Kairi and even Sora came to that conclusion. Never before had she stood up against his will like this. She'd sworn she never would. But fear…does things to people.

The three of them remembered what it was like to see her experience pain before. Now, they were watching her re-learn what fear meant.

"You will take my Keyblade with you, because it is the only part of myself that can follow."

"I-

"Please. Daddy."

His eyes widened.

As did everyone else's.

Not just at the vernacular she chose.

But at the fact that for a few moments, right before their eyes, Aki's form flickered between the beautiful, busty teenage Queen form she'd developed…

And a small, dirty, grime-covered child, gazing up at him.

But he was the only one, who could see her eyes go from living, to dead.

She'd called him that once before. Once before.

When they'd finally, truly, fully connected.

"…fuck." His voice wavered.

Her stare, however, didn't.

"…alright. Alright, sweetie. I will."

Her shape stabilized. "Good. Come back to me."

"I promise."

Bee-dee-deep.

She nodded. And he pulled her close. The Dark Queen wrapped her arms around his waist, taking a shuddering breath. Her body was trembling. Her fingers felt numb. Her heart was racing.

This was fear.

And she didn't like it one bit.

So she just drunk in his warmth. Pushed her belief into him. He would return.

He didn't break promises. And with the Tower logging it was a Quest, he would be pushed harder to fill it.

She'd swore she'd never go against him again. But she wasn't. It was twisted and loose, but her logic was simply that she was keeping him safe. She was doing what he'd already wanted to do. Just…from a different angle.

She barely flinched when she felt another pair of arms wrap around her.

Part of her, she would admit to herself, expected it to be Silmeria. But Silmeria respected the girl-Queen's distrust and kept her distance.

It was Alicia.

"I might not be going with him directly, Aki. But I promise, I'll rip that whole place apart to bring him back to you if I have to."

Alicia had felt everything, during that kiss. She could feel him, through her. And while she still wasn't entirely sure what that meant, she knew it meant something big.

And she knew she was right, that she had done right, when she felt the girl's body stop shaking.

"How do we get in?" She spoke clearly, as she pulled back.

"Simple." He ruffled Aki's hair, and she gave him a watery smile.

"We make like the Den-O, hit the Climax, and jump."


A/N: Fucking...just fuck.

Here it is. Sorry it took so long. You know the drill. Depression and all that. meant to have it out a couple weeks ago but...guh. every time i'd just be stuck. But i've been chipping at it. And here it is. 84 pages or so. Before this point. Nasty.

So, next few chapters are fuckloads of battle. Not gonna be easy. Warning ahead of time. It might take a while. Also it might be disjointed. I never was good at large-scale fights with more than two people offing randoms. Major bossfights incoming as well.

Lunexion: Was more of a memory embedded in the Keychain than anything. Actually, him doing that is a big friggin hint as to something that's going to come later. Soon later, but later. Something to keep in mind too: he still cant summon keyblades.

ScourgeofshadowsKarx: Honestly? Clotho redeemed herself. As mentioned in this chapter, her whole deal is that she synchronizes with who she's "weaving" for. It's one of the reasons she went so batshit. Being eternally classified as the "youngest of the Fates" she doesnt have as much of a buffer in terms of temporal concept as opposed to even Lachesis. On top of which, she gets the majority of the hate. she also gets the majority of the praise. But she had it coming for a while. and it was what she wanted anyway. And she's not entirely gone. I mean, the primary her is gone, but remnants exist in Silmeria, which are now active. It wont change Silmeria much, on the whole, but it will give her that boost she so badly needed. I guess i'll keep putting Skill Info when new ones pop up.

i should explain that, by the way. They arent "skills" as in things from a video game. not exactly. they're labels that Lyco created to explain the strange shit he can do. It's not like .hack or SAO or something where he's got a skill list he can pick to trigger from and then his body does it. Those are just explanations, reasons, and breakdowns of what various events and phenomena have caused him to be able to do. It's informational purposes, so if she has to say, re-create him, she has a much stronger template, and can better determine how "him" he'd be.

Dragdownintotheabyss: Shit man. if you think i'm good? check out some of friggin Old-Crow's stuff. or Daneel Rush. gabriel blessing too. holy SHIT gabriel blessing. that man is a god. Like, seriously, thanks. But even I know i'm at the lower end of the scale. i've spent years writting shit stories and shit ideas with shit OCs until slowly i started refining things. It starts with the question "what if X changed Y event, and how would it make sense?" and when introducing outside subjects to new work, like say...FSN and Harry Potter, or Final Fantasy XI and Naruto, it's best to ask and fittingly answer "what is at least ONE solid thing that can be used as a reliable binding point between worlds, that allows things to make sense."

Legit though, if you or anyone else came up with a way to directly put thoughts and mental images into words on a screen, you would seriously probably cream your pants at how awesome my fights would be. my problem is i'm always thinking about them. I just...lack all of the right words, sometimes. and that stumps me.