Wow! We broke a record with the number of reviews last chapter with eleven total! That's the most reviews I've ever had for a single chapter! Shout outs:
Gohan Roxas: Yep!
TWI1IGHTMAST3R: It was probably the saddest chapter I've ever written, even harder to write than the beginning of the Purge.
Bezerker21: Well, first I killed Xion, Namine, Kairi, Mist, and Aqua, so Rayne wasn't the first. Griffin was being brainwashed to a point by Braig. That's why at the end he apologized to Pierce. Well, right now all I'm saying is Lorans could be anybody. It could be someone you, the readers, know, and he could be someone completely original that I made up. You will learn his true identity in chapter 60, right at the end of Part 3. Not necessarily. If you look back, you never actually see Sora die. Everyone else you see get killed except for Sora. I did that on purpose. Thanks for voicing your opinion, man! You definitely made me laugh quite a bit!
The Unknowing Herald: Don't worry, I have big plans for Braig. Xehanort's been beaten countless times by now, so I never meant for him to have an epic death. He's had like five already. Geez, man. There will definitely be a few moments, yes. With Rayne gone, there's only one person that Pierce can turn to now for comfort. I agree. Well, you're also seeing quite a bit of my mind.
Celeron96: Was it because I did the same thing the writers of Walking Dead did with T-dog(give the character rising screen time and popularity only to kill them off)? But Rayne was never a killer. The way Pierce reacted was the very thing I wanted to point out, because that's the character he is going to become. It depends which theory you mean. If you mean the one about Soriah, you'll just have to wait and see….
13TheAce: I know you didn't, man. Apparently, she was everyone's favorite. I never knew that until now. But her death will reinforce what you wanted to see.
Lucenthia: Well, I did think about it very carefully, and was actually advised by Herald. He was supposed to, so no surprise there. He was just Lorans' puppet this entire time. Well, thank you!
Shadowdragon1317: Sora's been completely in the dark for over a year now. Something I'm going to specify in this chapter is exactly how much time has passed since Rayne's death, and how much has passed since the beginning of the story. They will all be answered eventually, I promise!
Izumi Natsuno: Yes, I'm sad to say she did. Tough guys need hugs too, once in a while. Well, that coffin will be a little while…..
TEL: I didn't do it without reason, I promise!
Legionary Prime: Thanks. It means a lot.
Well, I know you are all very sad about Rayne's death. With Part 3 comes a few differences though that I am going to go ahead and point out. As you will see in the beginning of the chapter, a decent bit of time has passed since the assault on Radiant Garden. Pierce, because of the loss of his sister, is slowly growing colder and more distant with most of the group(except for namely Marek and Ava). So when he doesn't seem like himself, it's done on purpose. Also, the group has finally become one united team. Lorans now stands completely alone except for Braig and his army. But Lorans will not be the only thing the group has to combat in this part…
Alright, well a roll call. I, TerraKH, the humble author of this story, own Pierce, Marek, Lorans, Soriah, and any mentions of the deceased Rikkisons. AngelicWinds owns Ava, Celeron96 owns Luriel, and Herald owns Shin. Shout out to TheEighthLight for his deceased OC Griffin.
Enjoy!
Part 3 Intro/Chapter 46: A Torn Leader
MANY MONTHS AGO, ON A TIRED BATTLEFIELD….
"Griffin, stop!"
"Ava, forgive me….."
"AVA!"
"RAYNE! Damn you, Griffin…for making me do this."
"Rayne….."
"Be strong, Pierce…. The group must unite if we are to win this struggle. Only together….can you defeat Lorans."
"Goodbye, Rayne…my sister. We will defeat Lorans. We have to defeat Lorans."
SIX MONTHS LATER…..
Pierce never stopped remembering that day. Not even now, while he was training and pushing himself much farther than he should have.
They still were camped in the ruins of the Land of Departure, the same place they had been stationed at for the past year. Ava sighed as she walked out of the ship carrying a tray of food. Now that Camelot, Disney Kingdom, Nottingham, Baron, Gaia, and Spira were their allies again, they never wanted for food. She calmly walked through their scattered camp, passing by Luriel and Terra, who were playing with Soriah. The baby was now a year and a half old, and was still learning how to walk. The girls smiled and giggled at him as he took a few steps and fell onto his backside. But he quickly got back up and kept going.
She looked up to the sky to see a flash of light. Ven came flying in on his rider, Kain riding on the back. They put their feet on the ground and began placing their various parcels around the camp, food, water, etc. Ava smiled at them and walked into the castle, where she found Shin sitting on a large stone, his sword draped over his lap and running a sharpening stone up and down the blade. In truth, the blade did not need it, but it kept him alert and occupied.
She walked farther into the castle and found Marek leaning against a wall just outside an old bedroom at the back of the ruins. "He's still in there." he told her calmly, picking an apple off of the tray she was carrying and taking a bite. She smiled at him and walked inside.
Her boyfriend had long ago moved all of the old furniture out of the room, replacing it with work out and training equipment that they had scavenged from the castle yards in Camelot. Pierce was shirtless, only wearing a pair of black shorts that went just past his knees, but his black headband was tied around his forehead. She sighed, but couldn't help smiling as she watched him go. He ran up a wall and back flipped off of it, landing on a stone on the other side of the room. He then jumped up and placed his palms on the ceiling, summoning his Keyblade, impaling it in the stone, and hanging upside down. "What is it, Ava?" he asked in between breaths. She sighed and put the tray down on a short pillar that he had brought in for some sort of use.
"You need to eat." she told him simply. He was stone faced as he flipped around and landed on his feet.
"Are you gonna sit here and feed me if I don't?" he asked her, picking up a towel and wiping his face with it. She raised her eyebrows.
"If I have to." she warned him, taking a few steps toward him. He sighed as she stepped right up to his face. She smiled as she placed a hand on his six pack and reached up to kiss him. He didn't smile, but he closed his eyes and kissed her back. After a long moment, he looked over at the tray and walked to it. Ava sat down across from him as he began to eat. "Why do you push yourself so hard, sweetie?" she asked him in concern. He didn't answer at first, but as she opened her mouth to talk again, he answered.
"You know why, Ava. If Xehanort and Griffin were able to do that alone, then I can only imagine what Lorans is capable of. After all, he killed my parents and the rest of the LE alone. How do you think we can stand up to him unless each of us is at our absolute best?" he told her, setting the tray down and drinking a few mouthfuls of water.
"Do you think you'll have to use Light?" she asked him. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Marek says that Light just wants to take over again, because when he does, he'll be unstoppable. But as things stand, I don't have a plan, Ava. Right now I just know that I will avenge my sister, and my parents." he told her simply. She nodded sadly.
"Pierce, it's not your fault that Rayne was killed. If anyone is to blame, it's me. She stepped in front of me and took that blow." she told him solemnly. He finished the rest of his meal and set the tray aside as he stood up. She stood up too and looked around the room.
"This was my father's old bedroom, you know, before it was mine." he told her, looking around at the faded black, silver, and gold coloring. She smiled.
"Come on, Pierce. The rest of the group is waiting." she told him, holding out her hand. He finally gave her a small smile and intertwined his hand in hers before leading the way out. Marek nodded at him as he walked out the door and quickly fell in line on Pierce's left.
"Distress calls?" Pierce asked. Marek shook his head.
"Everything's been quiet, same as always these last six months. But the other five, well, they're waiting for you to do something to show that you're still capable of leading." his uncle explained as they walked out of the castle and back into the camp. Pierce nodded, and walked toward the ship to change. Marek walked off toward Kain and Ven, but Ava stayed with him.
ARMORY…
As he came out of the shower that Marek and Ven had built into the ship, he looked out to see Ava patiently waiting for him. He raised his eyebrows at her, only wearing a towel. She sighed at him and turned away. He walked over to his personal clothing rack and picked up a pair of underpants. He took off his towel and got into them, but not before Ava had turned back around and been staring at him. He rolled his eyes at her as he put on a pair of blue jeans and a dark blue skintight shirt. She stood up out of the chair she had been sitting in and walked up to him. He stared at her as she gently reached up and touched his scar, caressing the left side of his face. "I remember before all of this happened, Rayne, Lorans, everything. I remember the 15 year old brown haired boy who I first met on the way to his welcoming at the Land of Departure. I remember the boy who wasn't a very exceptional fighter, or a seasoned leader. And now here you are, black hair, a scar, your own outfit, muscled, you've led us through so much in the past 18 months, and you're only 17, Pierce." she whispered to him, smiling at him affectionately. He reached up and held her hand, and they leaned toward each other and kissed again.
"Pierce!" Kain called from outside. Pierce broke away from the kiss and sighed.
"I'll be right there." he said without emotion. He looked back at Ava and smiled at her ever so slightly before heading for the door.
The other six were already sitting in a circle, waiting for him. "What is it?" Pierce asked as he sat down at the head. A moment later, Ava sat down next to him.
"Things have been pretty quiet for the past several months. Lorans hasn't been targeting worlds or sending his armies after us, and that has given the worlds a chance to rebuild their strengths, which will help us in the coming war." Ven explained.
"I know all of this already. The war started six months ago, Ven, when they murdered my sister." Pierce told him in irritation.
"Pierce, are you alright? You haven't been yourself at all lately. Maybe…..don't you think this leader thing has taken a toll on you, especially after Rayne?" Shin asked him cautiously. Pierce turned to him and stared at him for several moments without speaking.
"I am perfectly fine, Shin. I lost my sister, not my sanity." he told him coldly. Shin narrowed his eyes and looked back at him in confusion. He went to stand up, but Terra put a hand on his arm, stopping him. "Anything else?" Pierce asked the others. Luriel, Kain, Ava, and Ven were silent, but Marek cleared his throat.
"We received a call from Twilight Town. Apparently, things are stirring up again. So now that this war is going official, our allies will need an official group to rally behind." he explained. Pierce swallowed, and nodded.
"Well, we know what we are. We've discussed it countless times already." he said simply.
"But we need your go ahead, that is if you're still our leader." Shin told him, trying to sound calm. Pierce nodded.
"Contact our allies. Tell them the LE is ready when they are." he told them.
And so Part 3 begins! Now I know Celeron and Lucenthia are on vacation, but is everyone else here? I know it was a filler chapter, but I hope it sets up the scene for how Part 3 is going to be. The first world, a familiar one! Hope you enjoyed it!
