I tried really hard to finish this before Christmas, but there are still two unfinished chapters to end the story. Apologies!
Please enjoy these three I was able to complete
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Evening was falling. Blue and purple hues painted the sky, and the shadows were faint. The seagulls had quietened, and only a lone owl hooted in the distance. A low hum of voices came from the central part of the city, and beyond that, the calm evening waves of the ocean.
Everything had sharpened, and things that no normal person should be able to hear at such a distance had become discernable. Lea blinked and lifted an arm. He turned his palm over and concentrated. With little effort, a flame sprung to life in his hand. It danced silently, the final confirmation he needed. He wasn't Lea anymore. He should have felt despair, or even anger, but he didn't feel anything.
Several feet away, Vexen turned, seeming to be going through a similar moment. When he saw Axel, he straightened, speechless. Neither of them knew what to say. This wasn't like the first time; it wasn't a curtain pull that left them in utter darkness. They remembered every second leading up to this moment. They knew what was in the trapdoor hidden in the building behind them. They both knew what would happen if Fyer reached the machine, and the heart of the Castle.
"How many of us are there that returned to these forms, I wonder?" Vexen finally said, looking up at the twilit sky. Axel shrugged.
"Doesn't matter," Axel responded, looking down at his clothing. It already felt alien to him.
"Of course it does. You can't think we're the only ones who've changed back?" Vexen mused, reaching out his hand and turning his palm up, as Axel had done. "If we are the only ones, we won't be alone long, I imagine. How many that have come back are on your side, I wonder?"
Axel turned his focus to Vexen, eyes narrowed.
"There are no sides. There's no Organization 13, or anything else now," Axel dismissed, tugging at the hem of his sleeve. It was too short and tight, annoying him. Vexen kept his eyes trained on Axel, his palm still upturned.
"Oh, isn't there, though?" Vexen asked, again capturing Axel's attention. He sighed, looking around for an escape route. He was already bored. "One man is controlling Castle Oblivion, and it won't be long before his opposition arrives. When he falls, so do we."
Axel had begun to turn away when he paused. He studied Vexen carefully, noting that his hand was still upturned, as if he were waiting for something. Axel's eyes traveled up to his face.
"Whose side are you on, Axel?" Vexen asked, eyes cold. "I believe I already know the answer, but I'm going to give you a chance, simply because I'm curious as to what you'll do." Axel laughed, his annoyance turning to anger.
"Five minutes into this hell again, and you're already being sergeant assjack. So you'll give me a chance, and what? I give you the answer you don't like and you're gonna throw some ice cubes at me?" Axel snapped, throwing his arm up. "You know what? Let's skip the question and just get to me kicking your ass. Bring it on, motherfucker."
"Even as a Nobody, your emotions always get the better of you. No rational thought to be found. It is as sad as it is infuriating," Vexen said, closing his hand into a fist. "It's damaged creatures like you that brought us down the first time."
Spears of ice burst through the planks beneath Axel's feet, sourced from the ocean water below. Axel dodged the first bout and shoved off the side of an ice pillar, launching himself over Vexen. He twisted in midair and lashed out his arms. Waves of fire followed, surrounding Vexen with a jagged wall. Vexen lowered his arm and turned, glaring across the blazing light at Axel.
There was a stretched silence. They'd been at odds just like this before, awash with hatred and anger. In their human forms, they'd somehow been able to see eye to eye, but it seemed impossible now. Axel blinked and glanced around behind him, remembering the machine and the two that hid below the port decks. He moved to extinguish his own fires, and then hesitated. The machine meant his end, and those two below were part of it. And Fyer, the girl who had strangely entranced him from the moment they'd met.
Fyer. How her name had tightened his chest and made it hard to breathe. He'd imagined she was someone he'd known well, fondly. But even in this form, she was still just a name. She truly meant nothing to him. Destroying the machine and crippling the two still in human form would be simple. She would pose more of a problem, but it wouldn't take much to sever the bridge between her and the Castle. She was so flighty and anxious that she wouldn't be able to figure this out on her own. She would just be a useless tool without the guidance of someone else.
Logically, this was a sound conclusion. It was simple. Easy.
But not for Axel. As Vexen had pointed out, he had a flaw.
"And you, always so cold and scientific that you miss the obvious," Axel retorted. He moved his hand in a circle and the band of flames grew wider. "You're willing to help the master of the Castle without knowing anything about his plans. If he's anything like our last leader, he'll make mindless slaves out of us. Dark, lonely, miserable. You want to be that again? That's the only path that this leads to."
"You were despondent because you were poisoned by that failure of a Nobody, and you couldn't shake the humanity you thought he put in you. You became weak, and you lost your conviction," Vexen answered without pause, striking a sore spot. Axel's eyes narrowed. The flames turned blue and boards crackled under their intensity. Vexen seemed unafraid. "Now that creature you mistake for anything more than an experiment has done the same thing. It will be your undoing every time."
Axel's temper had never been easy to control in either form, but Vexen knew exactly what to say to push him over the edge at blinding speed.
"You know, even if we were on the same 'side', I'd still fucking kill you," Axel snarled, closing the flames around Vexen as they turned to white. The flames incinerated the boards and hissed as they touched the water below. Axel let them subside, unsurprised to see Vexen standing on a shard of ice, unscathed.
"So rash and predictable," Vexen said in distaste, giving Axel a disapproving stare.
"You make it out like you know me so well, but you've mistaken one thing. I wasn't poisoned by them; they opened my eyes. You're still stuck in the dark, following your next master like a blind idiot. All you'll ever be is somebody's lab bitch," Axel said suddenly, seeing Vexen's calm composure crack.
"It is clear that you and I stand on opposite sides," Vexen said slowly, his eyes narrowed. The boards around Vexen continued to smoke, silently wafting up. Axel knew that Vexen was going to try and eliminate him, right here in this world. Axel knew he could slip away in an instant to avoid this exhausting conflict, but he didn't try it. Fyer would eventually come here, and she needed that machine, and without the pair left down there, she would have no direction. As much as he hated to admit it, Vexen was right in that regard. She was lost, and needed guidance. Thinking about her fate in all of this had some influence on his next move.
This form made him numb, but he wasn't lost like he'd been the first time. He was both sides of the coin now, full of light and dark. He wasn't sure whether it was heads or tails that would take charge, but one thing was for damn sure.
"At least on this side, I'll have my freedom. Fyer will succeed, and I'll kill you right now if necessary," Axel decided, looking down at the wood surrounding Vexen.
"She is our grim reaper," Vexen warned, eyes full of anger. Axel laughed.
"And what do you think your new master is going to do to you? We've been in this story before. We don't matter to power hungry bastards like him. He'll pretend we're a part of this until he succeeds. Then, you, I, and everyone else are dead. It's death either way. You're right; it's the same outcome, but we're going to decide the path to get there. I pick the one that's got less dumbass in it," Axel shrugged, reaching out to his sides. His weapons spun, exuding heat waves as they emerged from the abyss. He caught them and locked eyes with Vexen. Axel blinked, and the battle began.
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Fyer tried to open her eyes. They didn't obey. The first thing she was aware of was the utter silence. The voices, the thrum of discomfort; it was gone. She tried to move and couldn't. Then she became aware of the crippling injury in her chest, over where her heart should be. She couldn't reach up to check it, but she could sense that it was cataclysmic. It was so grievous that it seemed to have paralyzed her. Strangely enough, there was no pain.
She closed her eyes to the same darkness and waited, listening to her surroundings. There was no noise to give away where she was. She felt she was being watched, but she couldn't turn her head to look.
The world had come to a screeching halt. Everything was silent and still, including her. Somehow she'd managed to end it all in a second. She thought back, her memories the only eyes that were working. Her last moves before this darkness was her deadly attack on her silent enemy. She pointed the blade at his heart and had disregarded his terrified look. She'd ignored the darkness that had suddenly ensnared him rather than helped him. How odd it was; how alarming and wrong. Something was awry. But only now, in her stillness did she see it. She'd been so angry and desperate that she needed someone to strike. He'd been the only face she'd seen and she'd tried to kill him.
Had she succeeded, though?
She thought back again, trying to slow the blur. She'd put all of her strength into her strike. The blade had pierced him, as intended. She heard his cry of pain and she felt herself being struck in return. She saw the debris falling around her as she'd finally hit the floor. How strong he'd become in retaliation.
Fyer reined in her memory and turned it back again, trying to remember the moment she'd been thrown back. His eyes had been so bright, she couldn't see anything. They'd blazed to life, and she felt she'd be incinerated in his gaze. In the split second, she'd seen the darkness around them retract, curling and hissing as it recoiled from him. His light had been so powerful that the darkness could no longer touch it.
Still, she couldn't recall what she'd done to him. She'd only felt the strike, and then his retaliation. Before, he'd recovered easily, seeming almost unconcerned, but this time…
It was different this time. He'd finally returned the aggression, and had managed to shut her down. If he'd reacted this way, her blow must have been just as crippling. Was he immobile on the floor, just like her? She tried to hold her breath, but she couldn't feel herself breathing anymore. There was no movement in her. It was as if she'd turned to stone.
Her mind replayed her previous moments, and the devastated look of her enemy. She remembered his eyes, trying to find every memory she had of the glowing amber orbs. Every time she'd seen his face, they'd shone into hers, like a colored mirror. Every time except for one. Unwittingly, those dark memories returned with a biting touch, and she felt her veins turn cold. If she was capable of shivering, she would.
Stop that.
At once, Fyer became alert.
I bring you here to ease your pain, and you bring it back upon yourself. You've lost your sense of self worth…yet again, dear Fyer…
That voice…
She couldn't speak or lift her head to search for him. He was out of reach and sight, as always. The whispers that spoke his name in ineligible tones did not arise this time. He was still a faceless entity, taunting her.
Though the whispers were silent, something about this was all too familiar. This utter silence, this solace…she'd been here before, with this voice.
Don't let go yet.
Fyer listened, unable to question or respond. She finally felt something; a brush of air as someone spoke close to her face.
I never let you go.
Fyer felt a sensation of falling, and then everything came back at once. The air in her lungs, the frantic blinking of her eyes, the pain and all. She flipped onto her back and then up. She coughed and clutched her chest as the pain threaded through her muscles. She looked around, her blurred vision finally clearing. She was in a land of grey, of stillness and death.
She finally calmed when she realized where she was. It was no wonder that the quiet had permeated her dream. This place had long been left abandoned. Fyer lifted her hand from her chest and looked down. She pulled her shirt away from her chest and her eyes widened.
She'd been struck deep, right where her heart should be. If there was blood, it had long since turned black. All that was left now was the wound and the dark veins that spread out across her skin like lightning. It hurt like hell, and it wasn't healing. Somehow he'd managed to inflict the same injury on her that she'd done on him. He'd hit so hard that he'd thrown her back, into the wall, and then…
She looked around, shaking her head to dislodge the gray clinging her eyelashes. She didn't know how she'd gotten here. She wondered if this was still part of that bizarre dream. She made to stand and lacked the strength to do so. She settled in place, eyelids lowered. She was tired and utterly unmotivated. She had nowhere to be anyway. She hadn't been struck deep enough to end her, and she didn't know if her enemy had fared the same. If he was still alive, he'd be along shortly. All she had to do was wait. There was nothing else left anyway.
Her dull eyes studied the landscape around her. She was on a steep hill. The slope gradually became gentle near the bottom where it came to a road. Nearby, a small stream bed sat empty and choked with debris. She looked behind her, at a massive tree. Its gnarled base provided a space that could have been used as a seat. Her eyes locked onto it, confused. She felt it again, though it'd been a long time. It was a stir deep within, longing to be understood and heard. She listened, but there were no words. There was only a feeling that she'd forgotten. She reached out an ash covered hand and touched the bark. It crumbled into black dust under her fingers.
"If you never let me go…why am I alone?" she whispered, and her voice sounded like shouting in this time-frozen valley.
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"We need him to what?" Sora asked in disbelief, not sure he understood correctly. King Mickey looked over dubiously and the Hatter grinned wildly. He giggled quietly while Sora sat back down, under the calm gaze of one of his closest friends.
"Are you absolutely certain?" King Mickey asked, adding to Sora's doubt. Kairi looked at the papers laid out before her again, her eyes sliding across them. They came back to the same one, studying it.
"Yes. It…that's what it says. How is it that I can read this, but no one else can?" Kairi asked, glancing over at the Hatter, who had quietened. He sat with his arms crossed, looking pleased with himself.
"I can only venture a guess that when Naminé was created by your image and memories of you, that her aura was on the same wavelength as yours. Even though she was a clone, she was essentially…you," King Mickey decided, tapping a finger thoughtfully on his chin. Sora mulled it over, still doubtful. He believed Kairi, but the message made no sense. "None of us in this room can see it, but these pages were stowed away in the Castle's deepest reaches, along with Fyer's journal. Our enemy knew this was tied to Fyer somehow. Whether hey could read it or not, I don't know."
Sora focused on Kairi.
"So…Naminé knew Fyer. And she knew that she and Xemnas were…," Sora mused, glancing over at Mickey. "How could Fyer have been Xemnas' lover and none of us ever knew? He couldn't have hidden her forever, especially when the Organization fell. There was never a trace of her, before or after, and he never acted like he had anything to lose."
"All seem to have forgotten, including not-Alice herself. So many memories, intertwining like the roots of the forest…burned and faded away without a trace," Hatter murmured, gazing somberly at his teacup. Everyone at the table was quiet.
"You're not suggesting…," King Mickey began, studying the Wonderland entity. Hatter tilted his cup, lowered eyes giving nothing away. Mickey looked over at Kairi, wondering if it was possible. Sora was watching too, having come to the same conclusion as Mickey. Hatter seemed to be more in the know than he was letting on, whether purposefully or not. He was calmer than usual, but no less cryptic in his answers. Mickey considered his next words carefully.
"You say all have forgotten, but what about you? Did you forget, too?" King Mickey asked. Hatter's green eyes met his in an instant, and at first Mickey didn't think he was going to answer. He looked confused, as though he were trying to understand what Mickey was saying to him. The next instant, they grew as sharp as a blade.
"Of course not. Not always, anyway. Sometimes I forget, but not because of the girl in white. My pages are innumerable and untouchable. But all of yours…not so much," Hatter continued, standing suddenly. He moved closer to Kairi and studied the pages in front of her carefully. He reached out and brushed his fingers across them, eyes hooded. His hand suddenly stopped and he blinked. He snatched the paper up and held its blank surface toward Mickey. "You have no inkling this is even missing from your book, do you?"
"Sora's, too?" Mickey asked, hoping Hatter would continue their game. Hatter lowered the page and traced his hands around the papers as Kairi watched, confused.
"Here," he pointed, setting Mickey's back down on the table.
"And…Axel?" King Mickey asked, holding his breath. Hatter's mind seemed to suddenly leave him and his eyes grew distant.
"Her presence has touched them all. To be rid of her, they had to erase it all," Hatter said sadly, lost in some other plane.
"Hatter, please tell me. Did Axel forget, too?" Mickey repeated. Sora glanced between Mickey and the hatter, on edge.
"One, two, three…four…," Hatter started counting, pointing at each paper. Mickey put his head into his hand, knowing he'd lost Hatter. Hatter continued counting, seeming utterly focused. "Thirteen."
Mickey straightened, blinking. Hatter leaned closer to Kairi, looking at the paper she still held.
"Can a page that has been written over three times ever be recovered?" Hatter asked Kairi, as if she had an answer. She glanced over at Sora, silently asking for help.
"Thirteen? So, the entire organization, and us too…this explains so much," King Mickey murmured, turning to Sora. "As absurd as this sounds, we must trust this note Naminé left."
"Wha-," Sora began, still trying to wrap his head around it. "Wait, if the entire Organization forgot, it was someone from the outside who had Naminé erase everyone's memories. It's unlikely she was able to do all of this on her own without being stopped. If they knew she had this much power, they wouldn't leave her on her own to do this. They would have risked their own memories too. How could she have hidden something like this without them knowing? What if it's a trap?"
Hatter began humming softly, forgetting the discussion at his table. He turned in place and wandered away. Kairi watched him go, intrigued by the strange man.
"That I don't know. But, a message that can only be seen by Naminé would do who any good?" King Mickey asked Sora. Sora's spinning thoughts faded into the background. "Why would Naminé leave herself a message, but no one else?"
"Did she…have to make herself forget, too?" Sora realized, glancing over at Kairi. "They really wanted Fyer gone completely. They knew back then who she really was, and what she could do."
"We were able to see this thanks to Kairi. Without it, we would have nothing," King Mickey added, moving to gather the pages scattered across the table. "We need to move fast."
"Some of this still doesn't make sense," Sora cautioned. King Mickey continued gathering the pages, regarding Sora with exasperation. He was proud of Sora for examining the dark corners of this situation, but the window of opportunity was closing. If it shut before they made their move, he wasn't sure that there would be anything else they could do.
"I know that this situation is ideal, but we're backed into a corner. We have to try what Naminé wrote down. It's the only thing we have to go on now. We have so little time," Mickey said gently, refusing to be swayed. Sora was absolutely right. This came with a terrible risk, but the alternative was just as bad. They had to do something.
"What if this backfires? What if Fyer turns on us when we let this happens?" Sora asked weakly. Mickey hesitated.
"I…I don't know," the king admitted. He looked to Hatter, hoping the fickle entity would offer some last-minute advice. To his surprise, the Hatter was actually turned back toward them, paying attention. He met King Mickey's gaze and grinned. He made a shooing motion before turning away and wandering further into the woods. "We have to try. Sitting idly in indecision is worse than trying and failing. Let's go. We need to get Xemnas and Fyer in the same room, if that's possible. Both of them move so fast, we're going to need a miracle."
"Ah, sad and lonely friend…your friends are just over there. They have your paper, too," Hatter suddenly said, catching everyone's attention. Hatter came back into view, gesturing toward the group enthusiastically. "Go on. You've arrived, just in time, friend. Had you arrived a minute sooner or later, it would have been wrong, but now is perfect. On you go!"
Sora stepped forward in front of Kairi, hand at the ready to draw his keyblade. King Mickey followed suit, eyes narrowed. From the thick tangle of the woods, a tall man appeared, looking at Hatter strangely. He turned to them, expression becoming surprised and afraid. He tried to back away, but Hatter was right behind him.
"Forward. That's not how you walk, go forwards, not backwards," Hatter encouraged, practically shoving the man out of the woods. The man faced off against the two, eyes darting back and forth.
"Well…this is awkward. I'm not even sure how I got here…what are the odds I'd have to run into you two five minutes in?" the man said, tensed as tight as a wire. Sora flexed his hand, waiting for the slightest hint of aggression.
"Same, Demyx," Sora answered. He lifted his chin. "Odds are slim, and suspicious. Who sent you? Ansem?" Demyx blinked.
"What?" Demyx asked. Hatter waggled a hand.
"He speaks only the truth. The faint aura of his humanity is fading…he's only just been born, isn't that right?" Hatter asked, earning a confused and uncomfortable look from Demyx.
"What?"
"Besides, you needed a miracle…isn't this one right here? An ally who can do quite a few things that you can't, way on that side of the playing field?" Hatter asked, winking. King Mickey's mouth twisted in thought for a second before he realized what Hatter meant.
"Can somebody-" Demyx began, cut off.
"If we can convince him to help us, yes," Mickey answered. Hatter patted Demyx on the shoulder and he recoiled away from the magical being.
"All you have to do is ask. The despair grows as the humanity shrinks," Hatter responded, beginning to grin at the game of interruptive banter.
"Excuse me, but-"
"We need your help, Demyx. If you don't help us, Ansem will reach full power and destroy everyone, including the Nobodies who serve him. We have very little time. Each moment we stand here is uncertain; he could gain his power any second," King Mickey explained quickly. Demyx snapped to full attention, eyes wide.
"WHAT."
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Xemnas wasn't in the darkness anymore. What was left of it was a mere shadow in the corner of the room. The door that hung on one hinge allowed the white-blue light of the castle inside. Xemnas gazed at the ceiling, his mind adrift from his body.
Fyer had tried to kill him. She'd looked into his eyes and didn't seem to have any reservations left. She looked at him with desperation and fear; she feared and hated him. He'd never hurt her, but she insisted he had. She'd seen his face on that of another; he didn't have to try hard to figure that one out. He knew who'd tortured her and provoked her to seek revenge on Xemnas by assuring her he was to blame.
He'd hurt her in return. He'd felt her blade pierce him, and he'd seen the same wound appearing on her, like some twisted mirror effect. His death would be at her hands, and hers, he realized. On instinct, he'd lashed out to stop her. Too hard, but too late to rectify. He'd crushed her.
The debris from where she'd met the wall had even reached where he lay. He couldn't move. He'd used the last of his energy to send her to safety. When she reached that silent place, he'd reached for her mind, straining. Without her conscious, there was no resistance; he managed to pull her mind into his own.
For a brief moment, they'd been together. He breathed her in and smelled the ashes on her skin. Underneath, the scent he'd learned to love so early on. She smelled like clean, forest air. She didn't move, eyes closed and as still as death. He listened to her mind rush frantically, confused and afraid. She could move if she wanted, but she couldn't seem to remember how. It saddened him to know that there was nothing he could do to ease the pain in her mind. All he could do was keep her here with him while the pain subsided from the bones mending that he'd shattered. He felt his grip slipping and held tighter, unwilling to let go yet. He remained mute to the world, unable to comfort her.
He'd sensed the sickening darkness creep back into her essence and felt it chill the air. He'd narrowed his eyes, watching her, and spoke sternly, not expecting her to hear him.
He still had no voice, but here, she could hear him. He had so much he needed to tell her, but he didn't even know where to begin. Last time he'd done this, she seemed to forget what he showed her the moment he let her go. Her mind couldn't comprehend her past even when it was shown to her. No, he had to say something else.
For a moment, he remembered seeing her on the beach the second time they'd met, unaware that they'd known each other before. On the beach, she'd been so full of doubt and lost. It was the same now. She'd been so desperate that she'd sought death; whether it be his or hers. It was a cycle that he'd seen twice now; and there was only one way to break it.
All he could offer her for now were words of comfort and reassurance. She couldn't give up just yet. He would ease her pain even if it destroyed him.
Xemnas picked himself up off the floor, his wound all but gone. He took in a deep breath, tasting the bitter tinge of darkness. It was still strong, biting into his senses. His archenemy had tried to drown them in it, and failed every time. He didn't understand at first the black, unyielding scars on Fyer, but after she'd tried to kill him, it had clicked.
Xemnas heard a trickle of dust fall through the debris, behind the dislodged door. Without hesitation, he launched across the room, white blades extended. With a grunt, his blades pierced through the door, tearing it off its last hinge. He gouged stone as he turned, flinging the door free from his weapons. Ansem rolled away from the corner, under the clouds of dust and wooden chunks. Ansem paused to look at Xemnas with a strange expression, seeming unaware of the danger he was in. Xemnas had tried this so many times before; he was stronger, but Ansem was faster. They couldn't do this same dance if Xemnas wanted to come out on top. He needed a different tactic, and he didn't have long to think.
"You still being amongst the living tells me that Fyer is still not dead," Ansem hissed, voice full of venom. Xemnas felt his anger rise and his blades blazed brighter. The hatred burned in his counterpart's eyes, reminding Xemnas painfully of Fyer. He moved just as swift as her, always just out of reach. To the surprise of Ansem, Xemnas' blades faded away. His second of distraction was enough for Xemnas.
A portal opened beneath them both, and Ansem gasped in a breath of shock. He reached out for the edge, but Xemnas leapt across at him, powerful arms wrapping around Ansem's torso and dragging him down. Xemnas saw Ansem pulling his weapon from the void, but he was slow as they fell down the vertical tunnel. Ansem didn't have time to attack Xemnas before they dropped out through the lower gateway, crashing immediately into unrelenting stone.
Xemnas knew what was coming and recovered faster from the rough landing. Ansem was on his feet, but his back was to Xemnas, not ready for Xemnas' attack. He knew he had to make this second count. With one graceful motion, he pulled a blade from the darkness and thrust forward, straight through Ansem.
Ansem didn't fall, and Xemnas didn't let go. The silence in the castle was deafening. Ansem took in a shallow breath and laughed, but it was strained.
"Weak," Ansem uttered. He reached up and gripped the blazing blade and squeezed it tight. To Xemnas' horror, it sputtered and then shattered into bright shards. Ansem turned, studying the wound in his middle. He finally looked up, eyes pitch black. Dark veins spread across his face beneath the surface like the roots of a poisoned tree. Ansem wasn't moving toward him, but Xemnas backed away on instinct.
"Is she truly worth all this trouble? You'd kill a part of who you are to have a taste of something that's only temporary?" Ansem asked, voice deadly calm. "You've wasted time with this creature, and now you're at the foot of the throne instead of sitting upon it."
"Fyer has sought death by her own hand in every life she's lived, and this one is no different. She knew when she struck you that your doom meant hers, too. She doesn't want you; she wants death's embrace. She will kill you if that is the only way," Ansem continued. Xemnas didn't change his expression or move. He couldn't understand how Ansem had gotten so strong in such a short time in control of the Castle.
"If you want to give her solace, give her what she needs," Ansem said slowly, catching Xemnas' focus. His voice seemed to emanate from the walls and surround him. He shivered, cutting his eyes around what was once his home. This castle, too, was being permeated by his poisonous aura. "Die."
Xemnas looked into the pit that was Ansem's gaze, knowing that this was the last stand. Only one was going to leave this castle alive. That's how Xemnas had intended it, but he wasn't sure how he was going to do this. The Castle flickered, but the glowing walls held their light. Xemnas dared not react, but the Castle's resilience was a glimmer of hope.
Ansem tilted his head slightly and Xemnas summoned his last weapon on instinct. To his surprise, both appeared, completely unscathed. Ansem didn't notice at first, seeming fixated on something behind Xemnas. He waited an immeasurable time before he dared a glance back. He gaped in shock.
It was Fyer.