Well, we're roughly at the halfway point for Part 2! I'm a little worried because I don't like what comes soon, but you'll get to it soon enough! Shout outs:

Kristen Verne: Well, it's top secret right now, haha. Possibly!

Legionary Prime: Thanks, and yeah that is so true!

Alright, remember what I own. Herald owns Shin, Angelic owns Ava, and Celeron owns Luriel.

Chapter 37: Mistress of Illusions

(Battle for Haven, Dragon Age Inquisition)

"Jason, we need reinforcements like yesterday!" Pierce exclaimed into his earpiece as he ducked underneath a sword swing meant for his head. The Ancient forces had invaded close to an hour ago. Luckily, he and Shin had been manning the front gates at the time. Ava, Lulu, and Terra Branford were scattered throughout the city fighting on different fronts.

"Terra, Aqua, Sora, and Andrix are inbound. They've just returned from patrolling Agrabah." Jason answered.

"I don't think that'll be enough!" Pierce told him as he front flipped over a charging Ancient and slashed at his back as he landed. He turned and locked his blade against a second man, only to wind the weapon lock around and block a third man's strike. He glared at the two of them before jumped up and kicking them simultaneously. At that moment, something slammed against his back and sent him stumbling forward.

"Pierce!" he heard Shin yell from somewhere nearby. He shook his head and looked up at the shield that had struck him. He ran up and pressed against it, raising his hand over the top and casting a burst of fire into the man's face. The Ancient screamed and fell back, tripping some of his fellows. He quickly turned, only to see a massive Ancient with a maul kick him in the chest. He groaned as he fell onto his back. Before he could stand, the Ancient stepped on his torso and pinned him. He grinned wickedly as he raised his maul, but Shin appeared with a yell and tackled him to the ground.

Pierce quickly jumped to his feet as his friend impaled the Ancient and looked back at him. They nodded to each other and dashed in different directions.

"Here!" yelled a deep voice. The two young men looked up to see Dilan and Aeleus joining the fray with their spear and axe.

"I thought you two were protecting the castle and Ansem the Wise!" he yelled to them. Dilan grunted as he blocked a sword strike and pushed his attacker away.

"If we hold them here, they shall not touch the castle!" he declared confidently.

"Humans. They never learn." said an echoing voice from the skies.

"Ah, crap." Pierce muttered and looked up just as Light landed on the ground with enough force to send all nearby fighters off their feet. The Ancients scattered and moved to engage the other defenders, leaving him alone facing the new threat.

The Divine Being slowly looked up at him and narrowed his white eyes. "Ah, Jack's son, fully grown to adulthood. If I cannot have the father…." he began hungrily, but the black haired teen sneered.

"Then you still can't have the son!" he declared and charged. Light raised his arm and clenched his fist.

"Kill everyone in the city. Bring me the head of Ansem the Wise, but bring any LE agents to me alive!" he ordered his troops.

"Ansem!" Aeleus gasped. He and Dilan looked at each other in fear, until a voice spoke.

"Go defend the castle! This is our fight!" Terra Branford declared as she, Ava, and Luriel jumped down into the courtyard, joining Shin and Pierce in standing against Light. The Divine Being chuckled.

"Five defenders against one opponent. This does not seem fair." he said with a touch of sarcasm. He snapped his fingers, and instantly a gray portal sprang up beside him. Lorans leaped out and landed with a crash, looking up at the five teens.

"My chosen rivals. We meet once again." he greeted respectfully. At that moment, everyone but Pierce suddenly screamed with pain and fell to their knees, clutching their heads. He looked around at them with wide eyes.

"What's going on?!" he yelled to them. Shin fell onto his side, face contorted in agony. It was Lulu who managed to answer.

"My blood…..feels like it's on fire. My heart…feels like it's being torn in two. My head…feels ready to burst!" she muttered through clenched teeth. He shook his head and raised his Keyblade toward Light and Lorans.

"Cowards! Release them so we can give you a real fight!" he demanded. Lorans shook his head.

"This is not our doing, boy. You know very well that I am not opposed to a fight. 'Tis Kunomar who causes this." he explained. Pierce grit his teeth and looked to the sky.

"Kunomar, let them go!" he roared. To his great surprise, he felt a veil of energy surround him and his comrades, causing them to stop screaming in pain and to stand up ready to fight. Dawnomar's voice rang from the clouds.

"I have interfered once again. Take up arms. She shall not trouble you again whilst I stand in between you!" he declared.

Pierce glanced back at his friends. Ava nodded to him, Lulu twirled his sickles eagerly, Shin gave him a stoic nod and raised Lightbringer, and Terra gave him a small smile as she placed both hands on the hilt of Apocalypse. "It's not every day we get to battle the man who ruined our lives, and the Divine Being who took the one I love away from me." he told them with a smirk. He looked back at the waiting Light and Lorans, and charged.

Letting out a great war cry, he slashed at Lorans, who blocked with his stained Keyblade. Pierce immediately pushed the attack aside and spun in time to swipe at Light, preventing him from moving in on Ava as she conjured a great ball of fire that flew through the air and connected to Lorans' back. The future Sora grunted as he tore his flaming cloak off and blocked both of Lulu's strikes. He pushed her back and turned in time to lock his blade against Shin's, who glared and vaulted over him and swiped his leg out, knocking both of his ankles off the ground.

Lorans hit the ground, but kicked Shin away when he tried to deal a finishing move. Shin hit the ground with a thud, and widened his eyes as Light swooped in on him with a tendril of energy. Terra appeared and slashed at it with her broadsword, causing Light to rear back with a growl. She went on the offensive, flying right at him. The Divine Being repulsed with energy as she got close, sending her off course and causing her to collide with Ava, who had been attempting to attack from behind. Both girls hit the ground and were getting back to their feet when Light advanced on them.

Pierce appeared out of nowhere and leapt up onto his back, wrapping his arms around the ethereal neck and pulling back. Light growled in a choked voice and reached back, shooting the young man in the face with a burst of light energy. Pierce groaned as he fell onto his back. He got to his feet just as Shin clashed blades with Lorans. The future Sora pushed forward, but it was a feint. Shin quickly spun to the side and swung low, clipping Lorans across the thigh. He smirked, until his opponent furiously punched him in the face and left him sprawled out on the ground.

"Shin!" Pierce yelled as he ran up to help. He had gotten halfway there when Light appeared in the way and grabbed him by the throat, choking him. He groaned as he struggled to breathe.

Lorans chuckled as he stepped on Shin's chest and angled his Keyblade downward. Shin glared at him resolutely. "You think I'm afraid to die? I did it once before." he taunted. He then looked to the right, causing Lorans to glance around just as Ava got there. She let out a scream as she slashed him across the chest. He stumbled backward in surprise, and Terra Branford grabbed onto his wrist and hurled him into the short wall of the courtyard. Shin quickly got to his feet and picked his sword back up, but he could feel the conflict brewing between Dawnomar and Kunomar. He had begun to feel the draining effects of her powers again, and one look at Ava and Terra said that they had, as well.

Pierce tried to punch at Light's arm that was choking him, but the Divine Being just laughed. "So ends the life of Dawnomar's secret weapon." he said arrogantly. That was when Luriel appeared behind him and stabbed both of her sickles into his back. He let out a gasp and dropped Pierce, who called his Keyblade to his hand and struck him across the torso. He and Lulu smirked at each other. "ENOUGH!" Light suddenly roared, throwing his arms apart. The repulse of energy sent the two of them flying.

As they tried to get back up, Luriel, out of breath, looked over at him. "Pierce….I feel drained. Dawnomar's up there doing what he can, but she's still getting through." she panted. He curled his lip in anger but nodded to her as he stood to his feet. He could see the effects it was having on the group. Lorans smacked Ava with the back of his hand and sent her onto her back. She tried to stand back up, but couldn't find the strength. One look at Shin and Terra told him that they were almost ready to drop, as well.

"You wanna cheaply take us down!? We'll fight to the last man, just like before!" he angrily declared to Light and Lorans. Lorans seemed genuinely disappointed by the cheap victory, but Light couldn't care less.

"It matters not which methods are used. Every human among you shall die for standing against Lord Omnivion. It is a just punishment." he replied coldly.

"Well, it's a good thing we're here, then!" Sora's voice announced from above them. The five gratefully looked up to see Sora, Aqua, Terra(the guy), and Andrix descending rapidly on their riders.

"Sora…" Light growled. Sora smirked as he jumped off of his rider and landed with Kingdom Key in hand.

"The one and…..only…." he began as he looked over at Lorans, who smirked.

"I take it you are surprised?" he asked, slightly off guard. At that moment, Terra landed in front of him and shoulder bashed him in the stomach. Lorans growled as he raised his Keyblade and slammed it against Ends of the Earth.

Andrix landed next to Sora, who clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Time to show me what you've learned!" he said with a smile. Andrix nodded sullenly.

"Yes, Master." he replied and ran toward Light. Aqua landed and unhesitatingly shot a bolt of lightning into Light's back. The Divine Being groaned as he stumbled forward, right into Andrix's heavy strike.

Sora took the opportunity to run over to Pierce. "Are you guys alright?" he asked. Pierce shook his head.

"I am, but they aren't. I don't know why it doesn't affect me, but Kunomar's doing something that saps them of their strength. Dawnomar's up there right now trying to hold her back, but he's not holding it all back." he explained. Sora nodded in understanding, looking him up and down and seeing his minor injuries.

"Well, take a moment to rest. Get your people out of the danger zone, and when you're ready, go scout out the rest of the city. We can handle it from here. You guys did great." he ordered. Pierce smiled and nodded in thanks as he turned to help Luriel stand to her feet. He could see Shin and Terra Branford making their way over to him, carrying Ava between them.

"We've gotta take Kunomar down. Until we do, there's not a whole lot we can do to stop this." Shin told him. He nodded and took one more glance at the other group fending off Light and Lorans before following them down the street toward Ansem's castle.

Sora ran in and joined the fray, swiping at Light as he made his way toward Lorans. The older man smacked Terra in the face with the hilt of his Keyblade and moved to strike him while he was off balance, but Sora stuck his blade in the way and engaged him. "Give up!" he yelled. He could see the many injuries Lorans had already sustained from Pierce's group, and he was already tired from that fight.

The older Sora looked at his younger counterpart, and then at Terra, who was on his other side. He looked over at Light, who too had taken a beating from the other group. They looked at each other and nodded. "Kunomar!" Lorans suddenly yelled.

In a flash, two formless clouds spiraled down from the sky and landed several yards apart. Dawnomar stood on one side of the courtyard, where Sora, Terra, Aqua, and Andrix flocked to his side. Kunomar stood on the other with Light and Lorans. "How dare you take my victory from me, Dawnomar? Pierce and his friends would be dead right now if not for your meddling." she asked with cold anger, although she didn't truly seem angry.

"Don't forget us. We helped too." Sora cocked his head to the side and smiled. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes.

"So what shall it be, Dawnomar? Shall we clash here? We lovers who stand firm in our own convictions? You know as well as I that one of us cannot kill the other." she spoke directly to her fellow Ancient. Dawnomar narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

Instead, two more people landed in the center of the courtyard. "I have a solution to that issue." Jack declared as he pointed the Eternity Fang at her. Rayne stood at his side with a firm glare.

"The X-blade is awake now, thanks to you. Luckily for us though, your intrusion into my heart left me familiar with your presence. I could sense you here even without Pierce telling us." she explained as she held Equilibrium at the ready. Kunomar frowned deeply at them and turned to her allies.

"The rest of the Agency is already inside the city. You would do well to call off this attack, Justice." she told them. Light shook his head.

"I will not…." he began. Once again, they heard a voice from above. Though, this one was echoed through a very loud intercom.

"We finished it!" Mickey yelled happily. Everyone standing in the courtyard looked to the skies, seeing the completed Gummi Fleet flying in from the Lanes Between. "Need some help, fellas?" the mouse king asked through the static in the speakers. Kunomar glanced over at Light, who slumped his shoulders forward in defeat. The Divine Being looked over at Lorans, who sighed. A glyph appeared underneath the two of them, and they vanished a moment later. Jack smirked.

"Mickey, if you wanna help the others clear out the city of our unwelcome visitors, they're all yours!" he yelled. The king grunted in confirmation.

"Will do! Guess I'll see ya real soon!" he told them. The group then looked back at Kunomar.

"Hmph." she grunted and looked upwards. She morphed into a silvery cloud and trailed up into the skies at a very rapid speed.

"Don't let her get away!" Jack ordered as he mounted his rider. He looked back to see them all getting ready to join him, but he shook his head. "Sora, you and Andrix stay here to make sure Light doesn't come back. Terra, Aqua, you're with me." he said. He looked over at Rayne. "No." he told her. She rolled her eyes.

"You can say that all you want. It doesn't mean a thing to me." she retorted and sped off on her rider, getting a head start. Jack frowned in anger.

"Rayne!" he yelled as he dashed after her. Terra and Aqua sighed to each other and followed. Sora looked at Andrix and nodded. Together, the two began making their way to where they could still hear fighting. (end Battle for Haven)

MEANWHILE, TRAVERSE TOWN…

"Remind me why I'm actually out in the field? It's not that I mind, I'm just not exactly a regular field agent." Mist asked her earpiece. She had donned LE armor when she had gotten the call from Jason, but she was still having trouble believing that he needed her in the field.

"Because I'm meeting with the Council of Sovereigns and everyone else that was available is in Radiant Garden right now. Look, it's nothing major. I just need you in Traverse Town right now, because it keeps you close to Twilight Town and Camelot at the same time. Can you do that?" he explained. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Me? You're the one who has to explain to the Council that you have to babysit your six-year old grandson during the meeting." she told him. He groaned.

"I would trade places with you if I could. No, Pierce, don't touch that! Give Cecil his sword back! No, put down that scepter! Ugh, I apologize, Cloud. He isn't usually this rambunctious…Pierce, SIT DOWN!" he suddenly roared. Mist cringed. It wasn't often that she heard Jason yell, but it still made her laugh.

"Good. At least one person will understand what it's like to have my life for a day." she shrugged as she walked into the First District Café and sat down at a table. She stopped a passing waitress. "Coffee, please?" she asked. The waitress nodded and walked away. Mist sighed as she took a breath and enjoyed the calm and quit of Traverse Town for just a moment. "Well, I guess this is my day off." she laughed to herself.

Still, she supposed it was a good thing they were meeting in Gaia for that particular meeting, since Ansem's castle was in the middle of a current warzone.

MEANWHILE, FOREST CLEARING OF THE UNKNOWN WORLD….

Rayne, Jack, Terra, and Aqua had tracked Kunomar to the same world where they had faced her the first time. They landed among the trees, but when they reached the clearing, they found her sitting in the center, waiting for them. "So enters the mighty Jack Rikkison. Conqueror of Light, revered Wanderer, and chosen one of the Prophecy." she spoke in greeting. Jack twirled the Eternity Fang.

"I know nothing of any Prophecy. I am only here to help end this war." he replied. She smiled coldly.

"By killing me? I assure you, I am many tiers above Maynaimar. You will not destroy me so easily." she promised. Rayne cleared her throat.

"You woke the X-blade. You nearly caused me to lose myself to it." she accused. Kunomar raised her eyebrows at the young woman.

"What of it? I was simply following my orders. Is that not what you are doing right now, humans?" she asked in response. Jack hissed angrily.

"I analyze orders and determine whether they are worth following before I march blindly into a pointless war!" he spat. The Council member chuckled.

"Pointless is a subjective term, Rikkison. I serve the First who gave life to all we know and live for. What other purpose do we exist for but to appease the one who gave us life? Can you not see it?" she asked as she glanced at the four of them.

"We can see just fine, but we're not about to follow the plans of someone who wants to kill millions of people just because he doesn't like them." Aqua said, trying to remain calm.

"We follow our own hearts, and they're telling us to save the people that Maechil would mindlessly kill. Can't you see that?" Terra asked her. She laughed coldly and stood to her feet.

"I see the enemies of my lord, who stand ready to strike me down simply because I chose a side not their own. Your brother slew my master, Anetar, but I have taken his place! Prepare yourselves, for today you face the Mistress of Illusions!" she declared. (Black Powder, Birth by Sleep)

Jack dashed forward and swung, but the Kunomar standing in front of him vanished instantly. He looked around, only for them to see a dozen Kunomars charging from every direction. Terra gave a war cry as he hurled a ball of dark fire at the nearest one. She vanished upon impact, and he slammed his Keyblade into the ground, destroying two more with a boulder that erupted from the ground.

Aqua pushed her back against Rayne's as she decimated three Kunomars with a broad ice spell. She waited for one to charge her, and front flipped just as she swung, destroying the phantom with a backhanded swipe. Rayne ducked underneath a swing from Kunomar's dagger, slashing through her with Equilibrium in time to block an attack from another.

Jack spun the Eternity Fang and swung in a wide arc, cutting down three Kunomar clones in one attack. With a yell, the real Kunomar appeared above them and dashed downward with a dagger in each hand. He started forward, but she teleported behind him and swung for his back. He spun the Eternity Fang around in time to block and whirled toward her. In response, she threw her hand forward, and he felt something strange splash into his eyes. He stumbled back, swinging like a blind man as he tried to get the stuff out.

He looked up and blinked several times, but moved just in time as Kunomar cast out a thunder spell toward him. He rolled to the side and ran up, slamming his blade against hers, for she now held a thin longsword. "Jack!" she suddenly burst out. He ignored her and pushed forward, knocking her off balance. He advanced on her, but that was when something crashed into him and knocked him to the ground.

He looked up in shock at Saenatar, who stood there staring at him, not even attacking. He reacted by swinging out and jumped to his feet. "Jack!" Saenatar yelled frantically. This caused him to stop momentarily, but he wouldn't let his guard down. He charged toward the waiting Kunomar and Saenatar, until Rayne jumped in the way and stopped him. "Dad, it's a trick! Open your eyes!" she yelled to him. He then stopped and realized that he must not have cleaned out his eyes. Kunomar walked forward and cast a spell that seemed to do the trick.

With a pang, he saw Kunomar and Saenatar turn into Aqua and Terra. "Sorry.." he muttered. They nodded in understanding as Kunomar appeared through the trees.

"Very clever, humans!" she spat as she slammed into the nearest tree and sent it crashing down toward them. Rayne moved out of the way, but Terra leaped up and sliced through it before the other two had moved. He landed in front of Kunomar and swung wide, but she easily dodged it and spin kicked him in the gut. He let out a surprised groan and reached out, grabbing her by the throat and throwing her into another tree.

Kunomar teleported as she landed, appearing behind Jack and running forward. Before he could turn toward her, Aqua slammed into her and swung toward the Ancient's face. Kunomar held up one of her daggers and blocked the attack, moving the other one to strike at the woman's exposed torso. "No!" Rayne yelled as she dashed in to block the second weapon. Kunomar glared at them both, before letting go of her daggers. She grabbed onto the backs of their heads and slammed their faces into each other. Rayne and Aqua groaned from the impact and fell back just as Jack leaped in and slashed her across the arm.

Kunomar screamed as she felt pain seep through her left arm, and then she began rapidly teleporting. Jack turned and tried to keep up with her, but she was too quick. Before he knew it, he felt a blade sink into the back of his leg. He turned to see her bent down with a triumphant smirk, her dagger in his calf. He angrily leaned his leg up and kicked her in the face. She righted herself and leaped up, jumping across the trees until she settled on one.

She stood sideways, defying gravity as if it were a casual thing. The girls rallied around Jack as Terra appeared behind the tree and struck it with Ends of the Earth. Kunomar smiled as she began to fall, and Jack dashed up and swiped at her, only for her to vanish and reveal that it was just a clone.

When she reappeared, she threw her arms into the air, and their surroundings blacked out immediately.

The four of them rallied around each other as the atmosphere began to change. They gasped when they realized they were now underwater. Terra began to gasp for air, as did Jack and Rayne. They looked around wildly for their opponent. Kunomar came swimming rapidly toward them with outstretched daggers. Aqua cast out a line of fire toward her, causing the Ancient to redirect and come in from another direction. The blue haired woman looked to her companions and saw them gasping for air. She swam over and grabbed onto each of them. "It's not real!" she screamed. They looked at her in disbelief, but she took a huge breath in and let it out as if it were normal air. They did as she showed them, and realized that it wasn't real. Kunomar came in at them, and the four charged their weapons simultaneously, slashing her at the same time as she swam past.

They heard an echoing scream, and the water world fell apart to reveal the forest again. Kunomar appeared in the midst of them and went directly for Terra. He swung for her, but she ducked and gripped his arm. She pulled it behind his back and pulled it out of place. He let out a scream, and she pushed him headfirst into a tree. He fell onto his back clutching his arm as she turned her attention to the other three.

Jack charged eagerly, brandishing the Eternity Fang. She side stepped him and drove her dagger into his side. He held in his pain as he swung for her head, causing her to rip it out and spin away. Aqua came to his aid, engaging the Ancient in a flurry of swift strikes. In the midst of it, she tried to put her hand forward and hit Kunomar with an ice spell, but the Ancient had expected it and grabbed on to her hand. She curled Aqua's hand back and punched her in the face with her own fist, before launching her in the air, where she flew forward and collided with her boyfriend just as he was getting to his feet.

She turned her attention to Jack and Rayne, who charged together. Kunomar teleported behind their attack and moved toward Rayne, but the Wanderer turned in time to stop her. He held the Eternity Fang it with the flat side facing their enemy, and he rammed it into her, running forward with Kunomar stuck on his blade until he slammed her into a tree. The Ancient groaned and teleported over to Rayne, engaging her. Rayne jumped back and cast a bolt of lightning at her. Kunomar smirked as she leaped out of the way and let the lightning connect to Jack. Rayne gasped as she saw her father gasp in pain from the spell, but he furiously ran toward Kunomar as he charged with light.

He neared her and reared back, only for her to teleport. As he expected her to. He then twirled the Eternity Fang as he spun around and slashed her across the torso with it. She let out a scream as she flew back through the air and landed on her stomach. He walked toward her and gathered his strength, raising the weapon over his head.

Instead, Kunomar leaped to her feet and grabbed onto his arm, teleporting and taking him with her.

They reappeared in the air, her rapidly teleporting around him while he tried to keep up with her strikes and block as best as he could. Needless to say, she struck him multiple times until he repulsed with light energy and pushed her back. He then descended to the ground and landed on his stomach with an injured groan. "Dad!" Rayne burst out as she started forward, but Kunomar appeared in between them.

"Now you're all alone. Go on, tap into the X-blade. Let it fill your body with its power." she taunted. Rayne swallowed and readied herself. Jack pulled himself to his feet, but knew he wouldn't reach her in time as Kunomar dashed forward.

"RAYNE!" he bellowed. She looked at him in that fraction of a second as she backed up against a tree, and he hurled the Eternity Fang to her with all the strength he could muster.

He watched it rocket through the air, and his daughter reached up and caught it right before Kunomar reached her in a blur of speed. She reached Rayne and raised her daggers, only to stop short with a look of surprise. She had walked right into the blade of the massive Keyblade, and he could see the tip protruding through her back. (end Black Powder)

And that is that! No, she's not dead yet. There will be a conversation or two with her, Dawnomar, and the others next chapter. Be ready for the next one, because it's gonna be a big one! I know I'm NOT ready for it, but hopefully it turns out I want it to. As always, hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!