Here we are at the last five chapters. You can expect a few rapid updates over the coming days since I have a few days off for the New Year. The end of this rewrite is in sight! Shout outs to both soraroxas123 and Legionary Prime for catching up and reviewing. Both of you know how much I appreciate your continued support. This one will be a shorter chapter, but anyone who remembers or rereads the original will know that I do not have much to work with on this one.
Chapter Notes/Revisions and Alterations: Complete rewrite of the original
Chapter 36: The X-blade's Forging
Now with Jack, Terra, and Eraqus all reunited, the rather large group had begun making their way across the valley toward the plateau in the distance. Even from across the field, they could see glowing energy emanating from the top where they knew Xehanort to be. The X-blade was nearly ready.
"We have no time to lose." Aqua said. Everyone nodded and they hurried forward for a few moments. As they neared the base of the plateau they could hear engines overhead. Sora looked up in surprise and couldn't help but smile; the Gummi Ship had arrived.
They stopped and waited as the ship landed. A moment later, the ramp opened and Donald and Goofy came running out with weapons in hand. "Sora!" Donald squawked, his voice filled with fear and worry. Sora ran over to his two friends and threw his arms around them both.
"Don't worry, you guys! We're fine!" he reassured them. However, they shook their heads.
"Sora, we just barely beat 'em here!" Goofy exclaimed. Sora stopped, confused as to what they were talking about.
"What…?" he began. As he began speaking, the ground beneath their feet trembled.
"Oh no, they're here already!" Donald yelled.
"Look." Auron said calmly, pointing into the distance.
They could all see it now: An enormous black tide massing on the other side of the valley…..and coming fast.
"Heartless." Mickey said with narrowed eyes. Eraqus nodded gravely.
"They sense the X-blade's power….and are drawn to it instinctively. They seek to devour its power for themselves." he explained. Ven looked up at his master with worry.
"But Master, Xehanort's up there! We don't have time to fight off a Heartless army! We have to get up there now!" he exclaimed. Auron grunted, remaining calm.
"Yes, you do." he replied. He hoisted his sword onto his shoulder and started walking away from the group, and toward the oncoming Heartless.
"Auron?" Sora asked, but felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. He looked up to see Cloud and Zack walking past him to join the Guardian.
"Xehanort is your fight. We'll keep them from following behind." Cloud muttered. Zack looked back at the group and gave a mock salute.
"Don't go dying on me now! You owe me a drink, Jack!" he said with a smile. Jack crossed his arms, smiling slightly. Vincent reloaded his Cerberus without a word and followed after them.
Kain glanced at the Wielders before nodding and doing the same. As their five friends lined up halfway down the valley with weapons drawn, Sora couldn't help but fear for their safety. "Sora." Mickey's voice called to him. He looked over at the King, to see him standing at the ready. "We're gonna go help them. The best we can do is buy ya time. Put an end to this." he said.
Sora swallowed the lump in his throat but nodded. He knelt down and firmly shook the King's hand. The mouse then turned and looked over to where the other five were awaiting the Heartless. "Donald, Goofy, it's an honor to fight beside you again." he muttered. The two flanked him on either side and sprang to salute their King.
"The honor is ours, your Majesty!" Donald replied. Mickey nodded, and together the three ran forward.
This left Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Lea, Aqua, Ven, Terra, Jack, and Eraqus to ascend the cliff and meet the waiting Xehanort. Knowing that time was not on their side, they each summoned their Riders and flew upward as one united unit.
They reached the plateau's edge and landed together. Their final opponent stood confidently in the center of the area. Before him was a swirling mass of light energy, and he had his arm halfway submerged within it. Sensing them behind him, he chuckled malevolently and turned to face them. (Organization XIII, Kingdom Hearts II)
"At last you have arrived, ye mighty Lights. And you bring with you three who stood in the ranks of my Thirteen. I am afraid such allies will provide little assistance for you now." he greeted them. Angered by his comment, Jack took a step forward.
"You die today, old man. It doesn't matter who finishes you off, but I really hope that it's me." he growled. Xehanort shrugged his shoulders dismissively and began looking at each person individually. He glanced at Lea and Roxas, evidently finding nothing worth discussing in their gazes. His eyes then settled on Aqua and Ven and he chuckled under his breath.
"Ah, yes….the broken boy and the misguided master. The two who only stand here today because I willed it so. " he replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Aqua exclaimed, greatly angered.
"I always knew your location, Master Aqua. All that time you spent in the Realm of Darkness….you would have been an easy candidate to recruit into the Thirteen. But I knew that you would be needed to fill the ranks of the Seven. As for Ventus, I could have easily taken him from you during our spat in Castle Oblivion. It did not happen because I wished him to become one of the needed Lights. As I said, you stand here today because my plan dictated that you would be." he replied. Aqua sneered angrily and stepped forward with her Keyblade reared back, but Ven caught her arm and snapped her out of it. Shaking his head at her, she stopped advancing.
Seeing that they would not be goaded into attacking, Xehanort smiled and looked further along the group's ranks. Seeing Riku and Kairi, he spoke again. "Hm….the Princess of Light. Your emergence into this conflict is not one that I had foreseen. However, it has proven to be of little consequence." he remarked. Kairi glared angrily but steadily held her position. Seeing her refusal to answer, he addressed Riku. "You are but a minor disappointment, my boy. When I realized that Jack would no longer be available to serve as my Thirteenth Vessel, I searched for a new one. I found you, at least until you likewise became immune to my influence. However, when I targeted your friend Sora, it was Jack who gave up his resistance to save him; not you. Why did Jack have to sacrifice himself for your best friend? Surely that task should have fallen to you?" he asked. He was toying with them now, seeing how they would each react. Even now, he had a plan in motion.
Riku shook his head, trying to ignore the old man's taunts. But he found it difficult, as he had asked himself that same question in recent days. Why hadn't he thought to put himself in Sora's place to protect him from Xehanort? Had it been because he wasn't quick enough to do so? Or had he refused to think of it because he had been afraid?
Even as he pondered these thoughts, he refused to grace Xehanort with an answer.
"Xehanort." Eraqus spoke. The two former friends looked at one another. "Have you forgotten the years we spent training together, we and our fellow apprentices? The four of us forged a great bond once upon a time. Why did you so readily cast those aside….cast us aside?" he asked. Xehanort narrowed his eyes, no trace of remorse on his face.
"Friendship means nothing in the face of secrets that lie beyond the borders of all Realms. I have been given knowledge that has been kept out of our hands since the Glory Age of this realm. I hope to use that knowledge to craft a perfect world born of equality between light and darkness. Only then can Kingdom Hearts return to our stars." he replied. Eraqus shook his head.
"Light and darkness are born from people's choices, Xehanort! Our Master taught us that! To enforce the equal division of light and darkness…you speak of taking away all choices for humanity to make. In your world, there would be no choice….only absolute knowledge. That is not a world worth living in." he replied. In his heart, he knew that his friend was long gone. But, he couldn't help himself in trying one last time to reach him. Xehanort grunted and looked away from him.
"Humans make poor decisions. You do not sway me with the notion of taking choice from them and giving it to myself or those with a greater understanding of the world. The knowledge that I have been given shall lead us into another Glory Age." he stated firmly.
"Who? Who gave you this knowledge?" Eraqus asked. Xehanort smiled widely and laughed.
"Someone who resides beyond our borders, a servant of a much higher order. The door to the Keyblade War has been sealed for over a thousand years, but I have been found worthy to open it again!" he explained. Having nothing further to say to Eraqus, Xehanort turned his attention to the remaining three: Terra, Jack, and Sora.
"We're putting an end to your dreams and ambitions, old man. I told you long ago that I'd never stop fighting you. At long last, we've reached the day where you get cast into an abyss of your own making." Terra declared. Xehanort sneered at the young man.
"Yes, you spent many years fighting and losing control of your body to me. I won at every turn, so you'll forgive me if I am unfettered by your idle threats." he replied. Jack stepped forward to back up his friend.
"They're not idle threats. Alone, you've overpowered us. But together, we've beaten you back at every turn. Terra's not alone anymore. Together, we're putting an end to your scheming, plotting, and whining. I was your student once upon a time….and now I will be a driving force in your destruction. Irony is a beautiful thing, wouldn't you agree?" he said, staring daggers at his former master. Xehanort was evidently amused by his words.
"Brave words, boy. I saved you and plucked you from those tiny islands. Perhaps I should have left you to die alone and forgotten, as was your destiny." he replied. Jack smiled confidently.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I've got bigger and better things than that in store, don't worry." he said.
Xehanort then looked at Sora, who stood at the center and forefront of the group facing him. "And so, the boy who was never meant to hold the Keyblade now leads the group intent on challenging me for the future of this Realm. Perhaps destiny is left to chance, after all." he remarked. Sora firmly shook his head and twirled his Kingdom Key.
"Nothing you say now is going to change what comes next. This is the end of the road, Xehanort." he said simply. The old man nodded.
"True enough. But is it the end for you….or I?" he asked. (end Organization XII)
(Nox Divina, Final Fantasy XV)
With his arm still submerged in the hovering energy, he raised his other hand toward the sky. A massive glyph of magic appeared over the valley and the group turned around. A great shape emerged from it in a blur, flying around them while hidden above the clouds.
"What's going on?!" Lea asked. Riku's eyes widened.
"He has an Astral of his own!" he exclaimed. Jack narrowed his eyes cautiously, studying the clouds above.
"Odin…." he muttered. Sensing movement, he raised his Keyblade. "Stand ready!" he yelled. The others rallied on his position and held their weapons up as the clouds parted above them.
Down soared a massive armored knight sitting astride a white horse with six legs. As they fell toward the ground, he drew a shining sword and reared it back. "Reflega, on my mark!" Jack yelled as the Astral drew near. The ten Wielders readied themselves, awaiting the Wanderer's yell.
When Odin was mere moments above them, they heard it. "Now!" Jack exclaimed. As one, the ten Wielders simultaneously cast barriers over themselves. The magical domes connected to each other and extended into one massive dome that covered most of the plateau. Odin landed and struck it with his sword a moment later. Such was the strength behind the spell that the dome held and bounced his own attack back upon him.
Taking the damage, Odin's horse reared up and let out a cry as they both toppled backward over the plateau. Letting down the dome, the Wielders hurried to the edge of the cliff and looked down. "No!" Kairi exclaimed.
Odin was already galloping across the field and heading for where Auron, Zack, Cloud, Kain, Vincent, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were fighting off the Heartless horde. "There's no way they can fight Odin and the Heartless at the same time!" Roxas said urgently. Riku nodded and looked at Sora.
"You guys finish this. The rest of us will deal with the Astral." he said. Sora glanced behind him to see Jack and Terra behind him and he understood: while everyone else faced Odin, it would be him, Terra, and Jack against Xehanort. He could think of no finer team to have at his back.
He nodded at Riku. "Be careful out there." he said. Riku smiled slightly.
"Same goes up here." he replied. He then turned and leaped off of the plateau, plummeting down into the valley. Lea and Roxas followed after him without hesitation. Kairi ran forward and threw her arms around Sora.
"I'll see you at the end of this….promise me." she whispered. He put his arms around her for a moment and nodded.
"I promise. Now go, Kairi." he replied. She nodded and let go of him. Aqua, Ven, and Eraqus looked at Jack and Terra for a moment. Then, the four of them ran and jumped down to join their allies.
Jack, Terra, and Sora looked at one another for a brief moment. Nodding to each other, they then turned their attention to Master Xehanort. "It seems that I have bought myself enough time!" the old man declared. Before the three boys could do anything, there was a flash of light that engulfed the platform.
When they could see again, Xehanort was standing before them with a massive weapon in hand: two Keyblades crossed over each other with a shining sword rising out between them and forming the blade. The X-blade had been forged. He then waved his hand over the blade and began pouring massive amounts of dark vapor into it. "Powers of the Seekers…..join with this ultimate Key. Grant me the powers of all those who came before me!" he chanted.
"What's he doing?!" Sora exclaimed over the noise of the swirling energy before them. Jack narrowed his eyes.
"The Seekers who were slain, he's…putting their powers into the X-blade so he can draw upon them." he explained.
"Only those who were slain?" Sora asked him. The Wanderer nodded.
"Marluxia, Seymour, Sephiroth, Braig, Isa, Ansem, and Xemnas." he replied.
Xehanort then raised the X-blade toward the sky and engulfed himself in a surge of both light and dark energy. Laughing maniacally at the top of his lungs, he turned his attention toward his three opponents. Together, Jack, Sora, and Terra got into their battle stances and readied their weapons. Their friends….no, the worlds were counting on them for this final battle. They could not afford to lose.
The clash now before them would either mark the end of the Dark Seeker….or the end of the Realm of Light. (end Nox Divina)
A shorter chapter, as I said. But the stage has been fully set and both of the final battles are upon us. Those who remember the original story may recall that only Jack and Terra fought against Xehanort in the original. This time around I'm including Sora which should have been the case from the beginning. It actually was my plan before until I decided that I couldn't do justice with a three on one battle. I feel no such hesitations this time. Up next, we have the battle with Odin, the last of the Astral battles in the story, and the final clash with Xehanort. I can't wait to write it and get up here, so stay tuned for it pretty soon!