Hey, guys! So, I came to warn you all again that starting this chapter on and the next few chapters, this story will be dark, and I'm talking like, major dark themes going around. Gore, suffering, torture, violence, blood, terror, all kinds of unimaginable dark themes you normally wouldn't see in a Kingdom Hearts game. If you feel uncomfortable reading the parts in the story, you can scroll down to the author's notes and I can try and give a description of what happened to explain things better in a quick manner. With that said, let's get started!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Kingdom Hearts series, only the OCs! Mage of Hope also doesn't own "Call Your Heroes (Medley)" from Amalee, who incorporated that song from the anime, Attack on Titan. Some lyrics were changed to better suit the song in this story. Link to her song is here: watch?v=A5A1uAd2J9c
Ignis had been so excited, and yet so physically and magically exhausted from finally being able to summon her Familiar using Summoning Magic that once she came back to her "inn room" in the stables, she promptly collapsed on a bed of hay and began to fall asleep, too tired to change out of her ensemble and back into her knightly clothes. She figured that once she woke up the next morning, she would change back into them and return the ensemble back to Esmeralda, or any other gypsy that had connections to her.
A whiff of something...odd trailed up her nostrils. It was a potent, skunky-like smell that only seemed to be growing stronger as time passed. No, not just that...the smell wasn't just growing stronger, it was increasing in quantity as well,
This smell...was awfully familiar...Smoke?
A loud, high-pitched scream was what finally woke her up. No, it wasn't just one scream, but three...no, ten...no, twenty, even more so than that! Hair disheveled and ensemble clothes slightly messy, Ignis got up quickly and was greeted at the sight of a building on fire. Scratch that, multiple buildings on fire.
"What the fuc-?!" murmured Ignis, rubbing her eyes and continuously blinking to make sure she still wasn't sleeping. She even pinched herself a few times for reassurance, and the pain told her that she was indeed facing reality. There were indeed buildings being set on fire.
With the screams not too far from where she was at, along with the blazing buildings across the street, Ignis decided to check the situation, hastily gathering her belongings and not bothering to change out of her ensemble, knowing that she didn't really have time to do so.
When she arrived in the scene where she caught sight of the buildings on fire, she still heard screams come from somewhere nearby, and yet, she couldn't pinpoint where those screams were coming from. The only people around were just random bystanders, citizens of Notre Dame, who were standing nearby, muttering amongst each other and pointing to the burning buildings, while some were terrified or breaking down, crying. The screams certainly didn't come from them unless...!
"Hey, what's going on?" questioned Ignis, marching up to some of the bystanders. When they turned to look at her, they were stunned by her beauty, and, seeing that they were distracted, Ignis snapped them out of it by snapping her fingers in front of their faces. "HEY! I'm talking to you guys! What's happening?!"
One of them flinched and said, "Y-Yes! Well, those buildings are on fire-!"
"Yeah, I can see that!"
"But there are still people inside!"
"What?!" exclaimed Ignis, whirling her head towards the burning buildings. "And you guys didn't think to do something, like call the fire department or something?!" Upon seeing the confused looks on the bystanders, Ignis figured that if the world of Notre Dame didn't have a police station, then they most likely didn't have a fire department either. "Ugh, never mind! Everyone, stand back!"
Summoning Phoenix Fairy in her hand, Ignis found it easier to concentrate on her magic with her Keyblade in hand as she gathered up magic power to cast her spell. "Waterga!"
Thanks to some special training from one of the other worlds she visited, her elemental magic has grown stronger and more concentrated than ever before. Thus, any trouble she had with water magic, she can now control it better, though she still prefers her fire elemental magic over her water magic. Geysers of water burst forth from a barrier of water that formed around Ignis, aiming for the fires.
Her third-tier water magic was strong, but because she hasn't had much practice with it, her water magic wasn't enough to extinguish all of the fires. The spell had, at least, extinguished the fires blocking the doors of the buildings.
"You can come out, now!" called out Ignis. After waiting for a few minutes, Ignis began to grow worried because nobody was coming out. Upon stepping forward and taking a closer look, Ignis saw a flare of warmth and the closer she got, the more hotter she felt, indicating that despite no fires being seen on the outside, there were still flames on the inside.
"What's going on?"
Suddenly, Conrad, who was leading a small group of soldiers his age or younger, arrived at the scene, panting as they had hurried without stop. He took a glance at the buildings, which appeared to be charred black, but knightly training had taught him and the rookies behind him that one shouldn't immediately assume that a fire is out unless one verifies it for themselves.
"Conrad!" said Ignis, running up to him. "I just arrived here a few minutes ago, and I saw these buildings were on fire! I think there are still some people-!"
Screams interrupted Ignis midsentence as everyone turned their attention to the charred buildings. The fires within the buildings only seem to be arising once more, indicating that Ignis didn't clear all of the flames inside of the building.
"Crap!" cried out Ignis before turning to Conrad. "Do you guys have any water? We have to put out those fires and save the people inside!"
"R-Right!" agreed Conrad. "Half of you get some water to put out the fires! The other half, we'll have to use our weapons to break down any debris in our way and rescue the people-!"
The fires grew more to the point where they reached the entrances of the buildings once again. Hurriedly, Ignis raised her Keyblade and aimed it at the entrances, spraying geysers of water with her Waterga spell, clearing the pathway and amazing all who witnessed her magic.
"You can use witchcraft, Ignis?" asked Conrad.
"Now's really not the time to be asking that sort of thing, right?" reminded Ignis. "We need to- *cough* *cough* Damnit! This stupid smoke-! Aeroga!" With the increasing amount of smoke beginning to fill the area, Ignis cleared it all in an instant with a wind spell, clearing any further obstacles to reaching the people still trapped inside. She turned her head to see Conrad and his men still standing around, stunned. "What are you waiting for?!"
Conrad flinched. "R-Right! Sorry! Everyone, like I said, one group splits up to get more water! Another group forms a perimeter to prevent other civilians from entering! And the others hurry and rescue as many citizens trapped inside! Ignis, I know you're not involved with the knights, so-"
"I know," agreed Ignis, pointing her Keyblade at the charred buildings and gathering her magic power. "I'll forge a path and get rid of any obstacles in the way! We'll talk later!"
"Right! Let's hurry! But first, wrap this around your nose and mouth!" Conrad advised, giving Ignis a cloth. "It'll block any smoke getting into your body!"
"Okay!"
Ignis' cooperation was a huge help with Conrad and the rookies he was leading, as her water and wind spells extinguished the flames and erased the smoke blocking their eyesight. The rookie soldiers following behind Ignis, as she was busy casting her spells, broke through and moved any debris blocking their path to provide some assistance, as well as carry any civilian trapped inside out of the charred buildings. The others did the same with the other buildings, although their process was a bit slower compared to Ignis and her group.
When the area was cleared of anymore burnt buildings, everyone involved with the evacuating of civilians and putting out the fires were all understandable exhausted and had smudges all over parts of their bodies. Ignis glanced around and saw many civilians that were rescued from the burnt buildings being offered water and some food by some of the rookie soldiers as well as them advising the civilians to rest. As she was overseeing the site of the fires, Ignis gasped and grimaced before looking away at a certain scene she didn't want to see.
Death.
Laid before her were a pile of corpses either having died from being hit and trapped under heavy debris, asphyxiation from inhaling too much smoke, or from the fires themselves. They were all lined up and covered in white sheets to signify their deaths and that the rookie soldiers would be taking care of them. Just looking at them not only made Ignis feel terrible for the innocent people who died, but also ashamed of herself for not acting faster.
Despite Ignis' assistance, not all of the civilians trapped inside the burning buildings could be saved. Even though most of the civilians were saved, the death of the other unfortunate souls was still a huge loss. Ignis still was not used to death occurring around her, especially when she was around and had the power to stop it despite her efforts having saved many other folks.
"What's wrong?"
Ignis looked up and saw Conrad walking towards her with a concerned look on her face. "I...I arrived here first before you and any other soldier came. I could have-No, I should have stopped the fires first. I had magic! I had the power! Even if I didn't know the fire safety rules like you taught me, I-"
"Ignis, it's okay!" assured Conrad, placing his hands on her shoulders. "None of this was your fault! You did the best you could! Actually, it may be hard to hear, but I'm glad you didn't just rush in! Otherwise, you wouldn't have known about the fire safety rules like we soldiers have been drilled to learn in our heads! You probably would have suffered from the debris or been asphyxiated! The fact that we managed to save lots of lives from the fire today proves that without your help, the number of lives saved would have lessened! Be proud of that fact!"
"...Even so..."
Conrad sighed and lowered his arms, looking out into the distance. "I...Earlier today, I received a command from Judge Frollo. He gave an...outrageous command, and yet, I couldn't find myself fulfilling it, so me and a bunch of rookie soldiers decided to join the patrolling in search of someone that Judge Frollo desperately wished to find."
"A command you couldn't fulfill? And you had to find someone?" wondered Ignis curiously. "What happened?"
"I don't know the full details, but I know for a fact that for some reason, Judge Frollo wants to...to find a gypsy woman named Esmeralda."
Ignis's eyes widened. "Esmeralda? I know her! She's my friend! But...could it be that he wants revenge on her for the stunt she pulled yesterday at the festival?"
"It is true that Judge Frollo hates being publicly humiliated and provoked like that," said Conrad. "But he has been treated that way several times before in the past by different gypsies! Some of which he couldn't catch up to this day! He wouldn't give such an extreme command if it was an resentful action like that! If he had been angry like that, then all of Paris would have burned down ages ago! It doesn't add up!"
"Conrad! What was the command?" questioned Ignis, almost afraid of hearing the answer.
Turning to her with just as equally confused, and yet sorrowful eyes, Conrad answered, "Interrogate any gypsy or any gypsy sympathizer who might know the whereabouts about the gypsy girl known as Esmeralda. Use whatever means necessary to find what you're looking for. Even if it means burning down their homes, robbing them, torture, k-killing the impure, and so much worst, all in the name of the Lord."
Ignis's insides turned ice cold when she heard such a...inhumane command. It was as though all of the warmth inside of her had vanished and was replaced with a still coldness that froze her heart and mind when she learned what just happened. No amount of evil, not even the Unversed, could compared to the...insane command she just learned.
"...What?"
"..." Conrad looked away, just as equally horrified as he was when he first received the command.
"...What? What?! WHAT?!" Ignis grabbed Conrad by the front, forcing him to face her. "What?! How could-?! How could that Frollo guy order such a...such a horrible command like that?! Are you sure you heard right?! That's the exact command he gave?!"
"Hey! Let go of our leader!" one of the rookie soldiers shouted, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Ignis. Some of the other rookie soldiers did the same, but then Conrad gave the signal for them to lower their weapons, ensuring that it was alright. They looked hesitant, but they agreed to at least lower their arms, yet not sheathing their weapons.
Conrad nodded to Ignis and swallowed dryly. "T-That's right. I was just as shocked as you when I first received the command. I thought, maybe I was having a bad morning and I was still so sleepy, so I didn't hear the command properly. So, I stay for a while, and watched and listened as Judge Frollo relayed the same command over and over to different leaders and their groups of soldiers. There was no mistake. He definitely gave that...horrendous command."
"...Why?!" demanded Ignis. "Why would he give such a command like that?! What is wrong with him?!"
"I don't really know myself," said Conrad. "You're asking the wrong person. I can tell you this, though. Judge Frollo has always hated the gypsies for a very long time. Yes, he's dealt punishment to any gypsies he's caught, but he's never given commands to this extent, especially when it will affect the entire city of Paris negatively."
"Yeah, obviously giving a command to burn down houses and even resort to killing no matter who it is definitely IS going to affect the city!" shouted Ignis, releasing Conrad and backing up, placing a hand over her forehead as she tried to think of a way to stop this insane plan to locate Esmeralda. "I mean, why does he even want Esmeralda so bad?"
Conrad shook his head. "I...I don't know. He just said it was of the upmost importance that we find her and bring her to him at once. All of this...whatever is going is, it must be important for Judge Frollo to want to find her."
"Killing? Torture? Burning down houses? NONE OF THAT is worth all this mess!" spat Ignis, disgusted and angry.
"I'm not saying what Judge Frollo is doing is a good thing. In fact, I'm not even in the interrogation group. We're just...searching. We're not doing any killing or torture or anything. We were just searching for Esmeralda and hoping that we can talk in a peaceful manner. In fact, we weren't really supposed to put out the fires. If Judge Frollo knew...we'd be executed..."
"Executed for saving innocent lives?" Ignis questioned, shocked.
"We see innocent lives," started one of the rookie soldiers. "But Judge Frollo? He just sees them as useless lives that are in the way and deserve to be trampled in the name of the Lord."
Ignis gritted her teeth, but held her tongue back in favor of something else that was of importance. If Frollo really did give out that outrageous command, then who knows what might be happening in other parts of the city? Oh, dear God...what about her own friends in the city? Granted, she had more gypsy friends than the regular citizens in the city, but they were still her friends, regardless! If any and all gypsy and gypsy sympathizers were being rounded up and interrogated, who knows what horrendous things they may be suffering under?
"Ignis," spoke up Conrad, clenching his fists at his side and trying to keep his composure. "I...me and the rest of the rookies...we can't defy Judge Frollo directly. That said, we also can't allow the city to burn or cause the civilians to get into a riot because of his orders, either. Therefore, we'll try and help out as many people as we can, but...I'm afraid you won't be able to rely on us anymore when it comes to putting out fires. And, we'll have to try and bring in the girl known as Esmeralda." Conrad raised a hand to stop Ignis from interrupting. "And when I say bring her in, yes, we will have no choice but to take her, but we will do so peacefully. You have my word on that."
"Screw your word! Even if you do capture Esmeralda, who's to say that Frollo won't kill or torture her or whatever once he gets his hands on her?!" demanded Ignis. "He's already given out the order to hurt and kill and interrogate others in search for her, after all!"
"He won't. At least, I think he won't," assured Conrad, shaking his hand and understanding her anger. "If he wanted her killed, he would have given the order. But, he wants her alive for something. He specifically said not to harm her, so no soldier is going to disobey that order, though they will take advantage of the whole 'by any means necessary' order."
Ignis then realized something. "Hold on...Why are you telling me all this? Won't you get in trouble?"
"Assuming that you tell Judge Frollo that we were the ones who told you, no. And...there's a reason why," replied Conrad. "Ignis, you have the power to save more people than me and my men. You...We've seen and heard about your skills. How you're an excellent swordsman, and just now, while normally witchcraft is seen as a terrible thing, you used witchcraft to save people. Because of our duties, we can't do anything to go against Judge Frollo."
"Duties...is that really more important than ruining innocent lives and burning their houses?" questioned Ignis, glaring at him. "I know knights are supposed to be chivalrous and all, but I heard in fairy tales that their upmost duty is to protect the innocent! Not follow the orders of a madman!"
"You don't know anything!" shouted another rookie soldier, marching up to her. "You don't know the heavy weight of our duties! Yeah, we're following the orders of a madman, but we-"
"Soldier, stand down!" ordered Conrad.
"No, this...this naïve idiot needs to learn discipline and the weight of duty!" argued the rookie soldier. "Punish me all you want later for disobedience, that's fine! At least a punishment from you or Captain Phoebus would be a hundred times better than a punishment from Frollo!"
"Soldier-!"
"No, I actually want to hear this," Ignis stopped, glaring at the rookie soldier. "What kind of duty is more important than saving innocent lives? If part of your duty was saving innocent lives, I could understand, but your 'duty' is making you hurt innocent lives!"
"Like I said, you don't know anything!" shouted the rookie solider. "If we don't know what that madman Frollo tells us to do, then it's our own families that'll suffer the consequences! Don't you know?! It won't just be us that'll be punished for disobeying orders, but our own innocent families as well! That's just the kind of man Frollo is! He'll hurt anyone just to make an example of his wrath! Innocent or not!"
Ignis' face fell with horror and sympathy. "You...He really does that?"
The rookie soldier nodded. "And a whole lot worst! And nobody can oppose him because we don't have the power! He's the Minister of Justice! He has even more power than the Captain himself! You think we like doing this sort of duty if it involved hurting innocents? No! This sort of duty, we do it for our families! We do it for more innocent people! Not for some...gypsy we barely even know about!"
"Soldier!" scolded Conrad. "I won't allow discrimination-"
"It's not discrimination if it's the truth! We barely know anything about this Esmeralda woman, so why should I care about her? I care more about my family than I do with that gypsy woman!" yelled the rookie soldier before turning to Ignis. "I have nothing against you, and I-we're all grateful for your help earlier, but you are undeniably naïve if you think that we'll just stop our sense of duty simply for a few, innocent strangers. This is reality, not the fairy tales you've read as a kid!"
Ignis opened her mouth to retort but found she didn't even have a single word to counter his argument. She couldn't deny that he is indeed correct that this is reality and not some fairy tale. The knights in Notre Dame-no, the knights in reality aren't anything like the ones she read in fairy tales, though they are at some aspect. They're...there's two sides to the knights. The selfless knights like the ones she's talking to right now but are more concerned with their own families than anyone else, and the corrupt, selfish ones who'll only use their authority to get what they want and not care about anyone other than themselves.
Like...light and darkness.
"...You're right. You're absolutely right," admitted Ignis. "I know that, I know that! And yet, some part of me wishes that you guys were more like the knights in the fairy tales I've read! Chivalrous, more brave, more willing to sacrifice themselves-"
"And you don't think we've been like that?!" demanded the rookie soldier. "If you think that every soldier is going to be just like what you've read in silly, childish fairy tales, then you don't deserve to be here! You should leave this to the professionals and get out of the city while you still can! If you still can't face the facts that we're nothing like the knights in-"
"But I do know!" shouted back Ignis. "I know that not everything from fairy tales are true! I just-! I just hoped for that!"
"...So what are you trying to say? What are you trying to get out of hoping that the same knights from your stupid fairy tales will do?"
Ignis stood her ground and glared back at the rookie soldier-no, at all of the other rookie soldiers with a fierce determination in her eyes unlike anyone's seen before. "I hoped that the knights would uphold their duty of protecting the innocent. Yes, knights have a duty to protect their ruler, but if their ruler is allowing all this violence and hatred and carnage to continue, then he doesn't deserve to be a ruler. If that's the case, then the knights should just abandon a cruel tyrant and focus on the innocent people! Protecting them from the tyrant and any enemies! Because it's-Well, it is their duty, but it's more towards the fact that it's the right thing to do."
The rookie soldier said, "Yeah, right! Like any of us are in a position to disobey orders! Did you forget what I just said earlier or do you have wool in your ears?! If we disobey, not only do we get punished, but so do our own families and loved ones! How can you expect us to disobey orders like that? If we're told to strike down innocents, we'll have no choice but to do so because we don't want to let our loved ones suffer for our actions!"
"And that's why you'll have to entrust the safety of the other innocent people to me," said Ignis, determined.
"What...?"
"Like you said, you and the others aren't in any position to protect the other innocent people. You have to obey your orders and find Esmeralda. But, unlike the other soldiers, you're not willing to harm innocents. In fact, you'd like to avoid that kind of thing as possible. But with the other soldiers, they'll easily take advantage of Frollo's orders and pillage and kill and even burn down houses to get to Esmeralda. But I'm no soldier. I can easily rescue innocents and lead them to safety."
"Ignis, what are you trying to say?" wondered Conrad.
"I have the power to help. I'll do whatever I can to protect the innocent people of Notre Dame," explained Ignis. "I'll put out the fires, I'll heal anyone in need, I'll...I'll try and stop the soldiers from attacking the innocents. And...I'll find Esmeralda and warn her of what's going on."
"...What do you plan to do with her once you find her?" asked Conrad.
"Sir, you can't be serious!" another rookie soldier exclaimed. "Do you really have that much faith in her?"
"She's not even a soldier!"
"She may have helped us out with the fires earlier, but still-!"
"You can't really expect her to help us, can you?"
Conrad raised his hand to silence his men, and they instantly followed his command, though their expressions still confirmed that they were still uneased with what they were thinking he may do.
"...When I find her, I'll talk to her...and I'll help her escape the city," confirmed Ignis. "Before you say or do anything, just hear me out! There's no way Frollo will do anything to her once he gets ahold of her! I've heard what kind of horrible things he's done to gypsies he's captured! He has them tortured and murdered in different ways, like being hung! I can't let that happen!"
"And what about the other gypsies and gypsy sympathizers? Are you going to save them too?" questioned Conrad.
"Yes, I will. I'll help them escape if I can."
"Even if we may end up as your enemy?"
"My enemy?" Ignis looked confused and shocked at his stern words.
Conrad explained himself, "Ignis, you do have the power to save as many lives as possible, I can confirm that for myself. But your reputation around this city has been slowly increasing during the few days since you've been here. As such, anyone can recognize it's you thanks to your red hair. And as such, when you start going around and saving others, Judge Frollo will catch wind of it as well. He may find you a hindrance and have you arrested or worst, killed, because of your interference in tracking down Esmeralda. It's best if you gather as many gypsies and gypsy sympathizers and leave the city with them."
Ignis clenched her Keyblade in her hand and shook her head fiercely. "You know I won't just quit like that. I refuse to abandon people in need."
"...I know that. But if Judge Frollo gives the order, then...we will have no choice but to capture or...or kill you."
Ignis was taken aback, and yet she tried to hide that fact by still trying to keep her determined face. "If I have the power to save lives, then you know that I have the power to knock you all out in an instant with my magic."
"But you won't do that unless necessary," said Conrad. "But like I said, we have our orders. If such an order does come, we'll have to abide by it, whether we like it or not. The entire soldier force in Notre Dame will be your enemy, Ignis. But even so, you still want to save the innocent lives here?"
Ignis didn't even hesitate to give out her firm answer. "Yes. I don't want to be enemies either, but-!"
"And that's why," said Conrad. "I'm giving you a head start. We're in no position to help out the innocent, but YOU are, Ignis. Stop as many fires, heal the wounded, help out as many innocents as you can! I beg this of you to do what we can't! And, when the time comes, when we and...the soldiers have their...order, then just run away! Get away from Notre Dame and never come back, because if you do stay, you'll only make things worst for yourself!"
Ignis went silent for a moment, before giving her choice. "...I'll find them...I'll try and get them out while helping other innocents...I'll find and help Esmeralda escape...and I'll knock out any enemy that gets in my way."
"...If that's your final choice, so be it," Conrad sighed. "But, instead of knocking out the soldiers...you have to kill them."
Flashback...
"Ignis, I..." Looking up, Arthur opened his mouth for an apology when he saw Mim creep up behind Ignis, as though ready to either use her magic, or to strangle the girl from behind. "LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!"
It all happened too fast. Out of the instinct to survive, Ignis gripped her Keyblade, twisted her body around, and stabbed Mim in the heart.
Keyblades may appear blunt and have little to no sword edges, but they definitely function as swords and are even as sharp as one. Thus, it was little to no problem for Ignis to stab Mim right through the heart, though it was out of self-defense and never intentional.
"W-What?!" Even Ignis was shocked along with Mim, who never anticipated she would be stabbed. Shakily pulling her now bloody Keyblade out of the old witch's body, Ignis watched as Mim staggered forward with a stunned expression, reaching all the way to the nearest well before her body fell over towards the bottom of the well.
Falling to her knees once more, Ignis dropped her Keyblade in fear and shock. Granted, she was taught by Eraqus that it was alright to eliminate darkness, and while it was an accident and self-defense, Mim was filled completely with negativity and darkness. Still, that didn't stop the shaky feeling of her killing an actual person for the first time.
Once again, fear struck her heart and Ignis found herself protesting. "No-! I refuse! I can't let myself kill!" She looked away for a moment; the memory of her first kill still stinging into her mind. 'Not again...' "Couldn't I just...I dunno, immobilize them? Trap them in some cage or-"
"Ignis," spoke up Conrad. "I know I'm still a rookie and all, but what you're talking about...it's naivety."
"..."
"The soldiers aren't just going to sit back and let you rescue innocent people, as messed up as that sounds. Even if you trap them or knock them out, they're just going to come back up and hurt others even more, and then all your efforts will be a waste, even if you give the people enough time to heal and leave. If you don't kill them, they're just going to come back for more. And if you can't accept that, then just leave and run away with the people you can help."
"...I can't kill them."
Conrad sighed. "Then just leave the city when you can. If you can't bring yourself to kill the bad guys, then just leave. Nobody will fault you for leaving." He glanced over to his soldiers and said, "We've already wasted too much time in this area. Let's move. Detain the gypsy named Esmeralda, but whatever you do, do not harm her."
"Yes, sir!"
Conrad took one last glance at Ignis before hurrying along with his patrol with the rest of his men. He really liked Ignis. He really did, which is why he hoped that they wouldn't become enemies when the time came. He knew none of this was her fault. No, this entire mess involving the racism towards gypsies and unfair laws began long before she had even arrived, so he hoped that she was at least one of the survivors to this entire situation.
"...Why indulge her at all?" questioned one of the rookie soldiers. "She's just a naïve girl who shouldn't get mixed up in all this."
"That's true," agreed Conrad. "But remember, we were all just like her. She's not that much older than any of us, but Captain Phoebus taught me that there are people out there who are strong, yet inexperienced in a lot of things. I'm guessing that she hasn't had any experience killing when absolutely necessary. We haven't had much experience out on the field either, but we had it drilled in our heads the necessity of...killing. We can't let any innocents have the burden of being a soldier, so let's do our part and finish our assignment quickly."
The rest of the men paused to gaze at their leader's back. Even if he was just as young as they were, and even if he was lower-ranked than the other leaders within the soldiers that Judge Frollo recruited, they admired their slightly shy, yet kind for doing the right thing and hoped that he might be the respectable and kind Captain Phoebus' predecessor.
If only that were to come.
Later...
"Thank you ever so much!" Two brothers that lived together in the same house were thanking Ignis for saving them from their house being caught on fire. It was nothing but a charred mess just like all the other buildings Ignis put out, but what matters is that they were alive.
Ignis nodded and pointed to a different direction. "You two should leave for safety. Get out while you still can!"
"Of course, Mademoiselle! Let's go, brother!"
After watching them leave, Ignis sighed and leaned back against a wall, taking out an Ether and gulping down the contents within to replenish her low magic power. She's been at this for a while now, extinguishing fires, saving people from within, even going to far as to heal any serious wounds, and even warning any gypsies of what's been happening in the city. All those she saved rushed to get to safety somewhere, whether it was in another place within the city or to leave the city to escape the chaos.
She was getting tired both magically and physically, but if she rested for short periods of time while consuming an Ether or two, then she should be able to help save other civilians into getting out of all of this chaos. She already stocked up on a large amount of Potions and Ethers after finding a Moogle Shop yesterday, so she should be good enough.
A scream startled Ignis as she was in the process of resting, but that scream was also the signal that her rest time was over. She finished the remains of the Ether and tossed it away as she ran towards the source of the scream. As she turned a corner of the street, she stopped right in her tracks and froze, horrified at the sight before her.
One of the two brothers she just saved had just been slain.
It was a soldier who took him down with a single slash of his sword, and he didn't even bother hiding the bloodlust grin on his face as he committed the crime. One slash was all it took to kill the brother before blood exploded from the slash on his chest and pooled around his corpse the moment it hit the ground.
Another scream came, but it didn't come from the fallen brother, but the one still alive. The soldier's grin widened and he turned his sights towards the other brother still alive. Raising up his sword coated with innocent blood, the soldier held his weapon above his head and prepared to swing it down.
As swift as the wind, Ignis rushed as fast as she could and summoned Phoenix Fairy in time to block the sword, protecting the brother and his fate of falling alongside his brother. A clash of blades and a sudden spark rang out in the area as Ignis stood her ground and gritted her teeth.
"W-What are you doing?!" she yelled at the soldier. "Why did you suddenly-?!"
The soldier only sneered, as though the answer was obvious. "The Minister of Justice has ordered any who stood in our way to be arrested or cut down. Those two just bumped into me, and as a result, they were in my way."
Disgust filled Ignis' body as she clutched her Keyblade, which started glowing as she emitted magic into it; eye burning with rage as they faced the soldier's now terrified ones. "So...just for that stupid reason...you chose to strike down an innocent life you were sworn to protect-?!"
With an raging cry, Ignis finished strengthening her magic and forced the soldier's sword out of the way, also cutting it in half and allowing the split pieces to fall to the ground. The soldier shrieked as he fell to on his bottom.
"P-Please! I was just following orders!" cried out the soldier, trying to crawl away backwards as Ignis slowly walked up to him. "They're just annoying peasants! Why care for-"
"Finish. That. Sentence," growled Ignis, pointing her Keyblade very closely to his torso area. "I fucking dare you. Finish. That. Sentence."
Ignis' tone gave the soldier the implication not to finish, so he kept his mouth shut.
The other, still-alive brother came up behind Ignis, glaring with much hatred in his eyes. "You...you killed my brother...For such a stupid reason...!" He turned to Ignis and said, "Mademoiselle, kill him."
All of Ignis' anger vanished and was replaced with horror. "Sir, I-I can't. I-"
"FINISH HIM!" roared the brother, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her back and forth. "KILL HIM! STAB HIM! HE KILLED MY BROTHER! HE WAS GOING TO KILL ME TOO! ALL FOR ACCIDENTALLY BUMPING INTO HIM! WE NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG, AND YET HE WAS GOING TO KILL US FOR SUCH A STUPID REASON! SCUM LIKE HIM DESERVE TO DIE!"
Ignis understood his anger and that he wanted vengeance, but even she knew that that was wrong. One of the lessons she learned from Master Eraqus was never to take revenge, as nothing good would ever come from it. Shaking, Ignis shook her head. "N-No! I won't! Yeah, what that soldier did was wrong, but I'm not going to resort to killing just because-!"
"If you won't, then I'll do it!" The brother shoved Ignis back harshly and marched over, grabbing one of the halves of the broken sword, specifically the blade half, not caring about the sharp pain he felt and the blood dripping from his injury as he held the broken blade in his hand. He turned his gaze onto the soldier and headed towards him. "I'll kill you-! I'll avenge my brother and-!"
"AERO!"
Ignis fired a wind spell at the brother, throwing him against the wall and knocking him out temporarily. She glared at the frightened soldier as he shakily pointed his armored fingers at Ignis and cried out, "W-Witchcraft! Y-You're a filthy witch!"
"You know, I lost count of how many times I've had to hear that today," said Ignis, pointing her Keyblade at him. "You are going to leave. Now. And you are NEVER going to hurt another innocent again. If I see you or any other soldier hurt any innocents again so meaninglessly..."
"I got it! I understand! I'll leave! You'll never see me again!" promised the soldier, standing up and running away. Ignis allowed him to and instead tended to the brother whom she had knocked out in order to stop him from committing murder.
Soon, he woke up, seeing Ignis as his first sight upon reawakening before he remembered everything, including her knocking him out. "What..." he coughed before glaring at her, angry that she had denied him his vengeance. "did you...do?"
Ignis opened her mouth to answer before looking away. She heard a bit of scuffle and saw him getting up to his dead brother's side. "I...I'm so sorry for your loss..."
"If you were sorry, you would have avenged my brother's death, or better yet, allowed me to kill that...scum," hissed the brother, gripping his dead brother's cold hand. "...Just leave me alone."
Ignis knew that anything else she would have to say would have fallen on deaf ears, or worst, anger the other brother even more. This...the dead brother's fate...it was her own fault.
If she hadn't given any lousy directions, if she had rescued them earlier so that they would have escaped the area without even encountering that soldier, none of this would have happened. Even if the soldier was the one who dealt the killing blow, she may as well have wielded the blade that killed one of the brothers herself for her incompetent actions...
She stood up straight and dismissed her Keyblade, saying one final thing to the brother. "...I'm sorry. Please, just get to safety when you can."
With that, she left with a pained expression on her face, ignoring the agonizing howls of a brother who lost his only family thanks to her.
Many hours later, at night...
Just when Ignis thought that her actions were increasingly helping out others, that wasn't...entirely accurate. Yes, she healed the injured and stopped as many fires and corrupted soldiers as possible without killing them, but her actions only delayed the inevitable.
No matter how good her intentions were, the healed people had, unknown to her, been caught by the corrupted soldiers later on, being tortured and/or killed on sight. The reasons were meaningless, minor like accidentally bumping into them or getting in their way, or worst of all, for fun. The corrupted soldiers thought killing innocent people were good for target practice and slaughtered any in sight with their weapons, or even stood by and watched as they burned to death in buildings that Ignis hasn't reached.
It was even worse because Ignis kept sparring the soldiers.
Oh, she did stop them from committing more crimes and more so to protect the people, but did she ever put an end to their lives? No, because she was still stuck on the belief that she shouldn't kill them and her mind always flashed back to her first kill, and she mentally swore not to kill again after having to think back on killing Madam Mim over and over again.
Her actions benefitted the innocent, but at the same time, unintentionally condemned them to death by continuously sparring, knocking out, and freezing the soldiers in place. In doing so, she still kept them alive, and the corrupted soldiers were intent on following their orders, but to a very extreme extent to doing what they wanted to the "ones that got in their way."
Ignis was running down another street; the thunder of chaos sounding all through the city as fire sets ablaze Paris. Frollo's soldiers were rampaging all over the city, doing as they pleased under "Frollo's orders," to find Esmeralda by breaking down and burning homes and businesses. They had ambushed any innocents trying to run or hide from all of the chaos, and the way they killed each one differed depending on their gender and age.
For the men and young boys, they weren't hesitant in killing them straight on and did so in painful manners, like stabbing them through the chests, bashing their heads in, crushing their bones and making them die pathetically. For the women and young girls, the soldiers did...even more indecent, horrendous things beyond interrogation before slaughtering them once they've had their..."fun." The children were easy to frighten for the soldiers as they gave false promises to let them live if they told them everything they knew. Once they finished interrogating the children, however, they were all mercilessly killed, whether through arrow or sword. It was even worse for any gypsy regardless of age or gender simply because they were gypsies.
And that was the sight shown before Ignis once she reached a street district.
The men tried to fight back to protect their families, but up against fully trained soldiers with better weapons? It was already a slaughterhouse in the street district. The women were helpless as they tried to run away, only to get caught and forced into indecent situations before being killed. And the most innocent, the children...the sight of them being gunned down by arrows was even more horrendous for Ignis.
She couldn't even look away because no matter where she turned to, the sight was all the same in the district.
In the night, the fires burning the buildings and homes was the only light that lit in the darkness. As much as Ignis loved the light, just this moment, she hated it, because it was showing her sights that would forever grant her and anybody else nightmares to come.
Piles of bodies littered everywhere; some without heads, some with bloody stab and arrow wounds, a large percentage charred from the fires or their mouths and eyes wide open from asphyxiation, and...the female piles were...they did indeed have stab and arrow wounds, but they were...barely clothed.
Ignis watched in horror, standing there as the mayhem continued; the crackling fires, the screams of the innocent being slaughtered and tormented, and the laughs from the gleeful and sadistic soldiers filling her eardrums. She's never been to war, but she could imagine it was a lot like this. No, the scene before her was like...like...
Hell.
The atrocities happening before her were so gruesome, she reflexively vomited from where she stood. But, from where she vomited, she gasped and covered her vomit-covered lips with her mouth when she realized just whom she vomited onto.
Liam.
The little gypsy boy. The first boy she befriended upon arriving at the city of Notre Dame when she first came to this world. He was lying on the ground, slash wounds everywhere on his frail body and his head bashed up and mixed with his blood and brain intestines, mutilated beyond belief. Flames licked at his body, eating up at his upper chest and already in the process of snatching up his torso.
The sight of such gore made her vomit even more; her vomit further entangled with his blood and brain intestines. Even with the vile concoction dripping down her chin, even with the mere sight of his burning and broken frail body making her feel sick to her stomach, she collapsed to her knees and draped him in his arms; the fumes of fire eating into her nose and lungs as she felt tears whelming up in her eyes, threatening to let loose.
She glared up, if only to look away from the gruesome sight of Liam. Fury overtakes her, anger hot and boiling consuming her body as her brown eyes scanned the area, glaring with so much hatred and sorrow in her eyes that she wished that the concept of "if looks could kill" would take effect now.
She hates them. She hates the soldiers who would harm the innocent. She hates the discriminators. She hates Frollo for even causing all of this mess. She hates the fact that Liam, an innocent little boy whose only crime was stealing in order to live but would never steal if he wasn't being discriminated, was dead in her arms, mutilated and irreparable. But most of all...
She hated herself.
Once again, she failed to act quickly. Because she didn't act quickly, more innocents died. She was a Keyblade wielder. She had magic nobody in this city had access to. She had the power to protect, and she did her best to protect as much as she could, but it wasn't ENOUGH. She still failed because right now, people were killing each other right before her very eyes. She failed to save her friend, and now-
"NO! GET OFF ME!"
Startled, Ignis glanced around and her tearful eyes widened in horror when she saw another one of her friends, Jacques, the homeless, blind gypsy, forced on his knees with his arms tied behind his back, vulnerable as he was surrounded by several soldiers.
"Jacques!" screamed Ignis, reaching an arm out to him. Realizing that she needed to rescue him, that meant she had to leave behind Liam's corpse. As quickly, yet gently as she could, she lowered Liam's burning and mutilated corpse down on the ground, ignoring the blood, vomit, and brain guts on her hands as she summoned her Keyblade and ran towards Jacques' location. "JACQUES!"
Hearing something whizzing towards hers, Ignis managed to block an arrow with the blunt of her Keyblade and saw a bunch of archers aiming their arrows at her. She casted a Barrier spell over herself to deflect the arrows before countering by encasing the archers with ice using a Blizzaga spell.
Upon hearing his name being called out, Jacques recognized Ignis' voice. "Ignis...? No, get back! Stay away! Run away fro-"
Ignis turned her attention back to Jacques just as he was calling out his warning, only for her to stop in her tracks when she saw a soldier striking his blade into Jacques' neck before pulling it free.
It didn't stop there. There was another swing. A third swing. A fourth. A fifth. More swings that continued striking at Jacques' neck until there was only a little bit of bone left protecting his spinal cord as the helpless, blind old man writhed in pain and was choking on his blood and the torturous pain that came from his neck being decapitated. The final swung came and shattered the last of the bone, slicing cleanly through his neck before Jacques' decapitated body fell over; the blood flowing through his body spilling out and joining the tiles of the ground.
Ignis dropped her Keyblade, allowing it to disperse before falling on her knees once again. She just...she just witnessed two of her friends dying. They weren't just innocents, they were her friends, and she failed them, just like she failed saving the other innocent people that already perished in this city. What kind of friend was she to let them die like that?
"Please, don't do this! We've done nothing wrong!"
"I beg of you! At least spare my wife and daughter! Take me instead!"
Breath hutching, Ignis turned her gaze and saw several more soldiers covered in streaks of innocent blood surrounding a gypsy family right out in the open. They weren't just any gypsy family, they were a family Ignis was familiar with.
Pablo, Annabella, and their infant daughter who was born just a few days ago; Dawn. And they were about to be killed.
Faster than the blink of an eye, Ignis re-summoned her Keyblade and got to her feet, rushing to the family's aid as fast as she could. No, she wouldn't-! She refused to let several more innocents die right before her eyes! They were just innocent people! Especially Dawn! Dawn, the young, innocent infant, whom she helped deliver to this world. Dawn, whom she held in her arms the very first day she was born and felt the purest of light within that small baby as she sang a lullaby to help her sleep-! Dawn, who would grow up to be a beautiful, young lady like Ignis-!
Then, Ignis was intercepted by a sword swinging her way, forcing her to block with Phoenix Fairy. Gritting her teeth, she hollered, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" She pushed back the soldier and stunned him with her magic before pressing onwards, only for her path to be further blocked with more soldiers. She hurried to knock them out or freeze or stun them in place, all in order to reach the family in dire need for her help. After clearing the path of anymore soldiers, Ignis hurried as fast as her feet could carry her...until she slowly came to a stop at the hellish reality she saw before her.
Pablo was beheaded, Annabella was pierced through the neck and head, and Dawn...She stood no chance of survival.
Ignis screamed.
She was screaming, cursing everything. Cursing the soldiers, Frollo, and even herself...
The soldiers only laughed, mocking her. Not, not just her, mocking anyone, the innocent and vulnerable. Especially the so-called filthy gypsies. However, they didn't laugh for long. Anyone in the sidelines could see a red blur flying towards the soldiers that killed the gypsy family, faster than anything they've seen in their lives. The red blur held a strange key-like sword that glowed with power, the blur's eyes filled with unimaginable rage and sorrow.
The air rumbled, whether it was through the red blur's movements or her own rage, and time seemed to move slowly for her as the red blur named Ignis swung her Keyblade at the soldiers' heads.
In a flash, the soldiers that killed the innocent family a moment ago found their bodies standing before blood sprayed out from their detached heads like sprinkles, coating Ignis with their blood. Before they fell into the darkness of hell, the last sight they saw of life was a beautiful angel with long, red hair, giving them all a murderous glare.
The moment Ignis witnessed Dawn and her parents being brutally murdered, any signs of mercy had left her mind as she allowed her instincts to take over. Her mind was clear, yet broke when she saw an innocent infant killed before her very eyes.
She steeled herself, clinging onto the only ally she had; her Phoenix Fairy. She faced the other soldiers in the area that hadn't taken notice of her and were more fixated on playing their little game of killing the innocents. The soldiers that killed the innocents...could hardly be called innocents.
No, MONSTERS suited them better.
Call Your Heroes (Medley)
Composed by: Amalee
Sung by: Amalee
He lost his brother a while ago
His death is all my fault, and it reminds me
When he's with his brother, he smiles
I wish I could let him live 'til my last breath...
Ignis slashed and hacked with her Keyblade, taking down any and every soldiers that dared bring harm to the innocent and weak. She thought back on the two brothers and the start of the loss of innocents under her watchful eye, beginning with one of the two brothers.
If she had been better, if she had been faster, if she hadn't screwed things up, then those two brothers would have been alive. The other brother wouldn't have been mourning over his dead brother, and when it came down to it, she would have fought until her last breath if she could have even a sliver of hope of changing their fates. It's the same for when she would save any innocent that way.
Can't look back, they will not come back.
Can't be afraid, but time after time,
It is like a nightmare, and it's pain for me
Because nobody wants to die too fast.
Remember the day of grief, now it's strange for me.
I can see your face - I can hear your voice.
It was too late. It was too late to save Liam, Jacques, Dawn and her family, and a whole lot of other innocents.
Ignis was too late.
She so desperately wished that what she saw was a big huge nightmare, but it wasn't. It was reality. Seeing the reality of so many innocents dying was just like being stabbed in the heart over and over again.
She was grieving as she was taking down soldier after soldier. Tears ran down her eyes as she cried out battle cries and her own grief for allowing the innocents to die. No matter how focused she is in the battle, she continuously recalled the deaths of the innocents and their pleas for mercy.
They all served as reminders to how much she failed.
I'm crying, missing my loved ones
I don't have the power on my side forever!
Oh, where are my loved ones in this final hour?
I'm standing alone today, calling out your names!
More tears pooled down her cheeks that were now splattered with the blood of the monsters she was clashing against. Her mind was all in a jumble from witnessing so much death today. She...
She wanted her friends, her most cherished ones.
She wanted Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to come to her rescue, help her fight off the soldiers, save more innocents, ANYTHING! Her throat felt painfully full from the grief and sorrow of watching her other friends die as she tried to croak even a single name out. She wanted help, but right now, she was all alone.
Just her and her Keyblade, facing against nothing but corrupted scum that hurt the innocents she was trying to protect.
Sie sind das Essen? Und wir sind die Jäger!
Sie sind das Essen? Und wir sind die Jäger!
Sie sind das Essen? Und wir sind die Jäger!
Sie sind das Essen - Sie sind das Essen!
Another soldier fell to her feet as Ignis had slain yet another life, panting heavily. She took no injuries of her own, only fatigue as she focused more on the enemy before her. Now, more and more soldiers were beginning to notice her and grow more frightful of her, and the more they paid attention to her, the more the remaining innocents were able to escape on their own.
Before, the soldiers were all gloating and laughing at the deaths of the innocent, killing them like it was a game to them. They were the predators, the hunters, the wolves, preying on the prey, the innocent, the sheep.
But now? Now they've got a brand new challenge. A seemingly harmless, beautiful young girl in an ensemble, wielding a mysterious weapon in one hand, and magic in the other. And now that she's got no mercy left in her body, all that's left is a necessary justice for what they've done.
Now, they were the prey, and she was the hunter.
Finally, we march in victory, this is our first Gloria!
Oh, my friend, let's toast to victory when we meet again!
In this beautiful, cruel world, so dark and frightening!
Are we never to obtain a sign? Or a reason why we're still alive?
Someone once was calling out my name
But now I can't make out a single word!
Is this the end we cannot mend?
We're slowly dying
If we're here, despite the fear, we must keep fighting!
Right now, the only option left to protect the innocent for Ignis was to keep fighting, even if that meant discarding any thoughts of even sparring them, because look where that got her.
When Ignis came into this world, the city of Notre Dame, she thought it was so beautiful. But the more she explored, the more of the dark underworld she discovered. She thought of them as common problems in this world. And now, the beautiful world she thought to be so joyful and peaceful was currently being burned to a crisp.
She was the only one left in this world who could help out any innocent. They were calling out for help, and despite her summons, she couldn't hear them, because of her own damn naivety. Even so, she knew she must keep fighting no matter how painful it was.
Especially after seeing and failing to prevent her friends' deaths.
We don't know what went wrong tonight!
Everybody's got no place to hide!
No one's left and there's no one to go on!
All I know, is my life is gone!
Ignis felt her mind was being split in half as she roared with each slash she delivered, taking down soldier after soldier. No matter how far a soldier tried to run away, she would annihilate that soldier with her magic because of how far ranged it was. The light illuminated her sight on her enemies, and she used the fires burning the homes of innocents as flames of vengeance to scorch the corrupted soldiers in her path.
She called forth fire magic and her Shaddoll darkness magic as soldiers began to form up to attack her from all sides. No matter how draining it is to use two strong magics simultaneously, it didn't matter to her, because all that mattered was allowing more innocents to escape.
No monster was going to live tonight.
Sing for reluctant heroes!
Oh, give me your strength!
Your lives are too short!
Oh, where is my loved ones?
I can see your face - I can hear your voice!
For just a moment, Ignis could feel the souls of innocent fueling her every movement, giving her the strength to cut down the soldiers that cut down their innocent lives. But even then, she still wished that her friends were here, helping her.
Even when she was winning, she...She couldn't...do this alone.
Now, I'm standing alone today
Calling my reluctant heroes!
When the battle ended in the district, Ignis was...standing alone; the sole victor of this fight. Corpses of the soldiers were piled all over the district, joining with the corpses of the innocents. It was only after the battle had ended that Ignis came to her senses and realized what she had DONE.
Touching her bloody cheek devoid of any injuries, Ignis then stared at her hand coated with the blood of her enemies. She kept staring at it, unmoving in the middle of the chaotic fires still burning in the homes and buildings all over her.
"I...I did this...?" she muttered, realizing that she had never even...No, she had killed once before. She killed Madam Mim, out of self-defense. To protect Arthur and herself, whom she was about to attack.
But this? This wasn't merely some self-defense or to protect herself. She had done it out of blind rage. For vengeance.
Now she's done it. She could never go back home.
Falling to her knees, Ignis trembled in fear, shock, anger, and all sorts of emotions swirling inside of her. She covered her head, clawing at the sides of her hair as she curled up. Her voice was too hoarse to scream from earlier, when she first screamed at Dawn's death, when she screamed while killing those soldiers, when she screamed when she casted magic. There was one thing she begged to come true as she regained herself, though. Her voice quivered as tears splattered onto the cemented tiles that were already coated with the blood of innocent and soldier alike.
"Terra...Aqua...Ven...I know you still all hate me, but...Please...help me..."
Yikes...Wow...Yeah...so that happened.
I did mention at the top that I planned to do a summary if anybody wanted to skip through this and not get through all the gore and gruesome things that's happened in this chapter, but I just want to say one thing before I do. I did plan this new...arc for a long time, and I even thought more to add while I was sick this week, but...while I was writing this...I'm not ashamed to say that even I teared up a bit when the most horrendous things happened this chapter. I warned you all that this would get dark, and it did, in SO many levels. I don't plan on being some horror themed author or anything, but this was a level of horror and tragedy for certain.
Summary: Ignis woke up to the smell of smoke, and to her shock, she saw several buildings of the city on fire. Being her heroic and selfless self, she hurried to the scene where she discovered that innocents were still inside the burning buildings. She casted her water spells, but just before she could do more, Conrad and his group of rookie soldiers arrived in the scene, where Ignis quickly explained what was happening. Together, the efforts of Conrad, the rookie soldiers, and Ignis helped extinguished the flames and rescue many civilians inside, but not with a couple of unfortunate losses.
When everything was settled, Ignis finally had a chance to talk to Conrad and got the full story from him. Apparently, Judge Frollo had sent orders to his soldiers to search for a gypsy girl named Esmeralda, using whatever means necessary when interrogating anyone suspicious and to arrest or eliminate anyone that gets in their way. This resulted in many corrupted soldiers into doing what they wanted and taking advantage of Frollo's orders, such as burning down the buildings.
Ignis is shocked and angry at this information, demanding to know what Frollo was thinking, going to this sort of extent. She even angrily questions Conrad and his men, asking if they were really going to do what Frollo says simply because it's their duty to follow his orders instead of protecting the innocent? They say that they will try not to harm Esmeralda and will try and bring her in, but Ignis is still angry that they would still follow Frollo's orders instead of protecting the innocent. This gets one of the rookies angry as he tells her that she's naïve and that if they don't follow Frollo's orders, not only would they get punished and executed, but their families would suffer for their actions as well.
Conrad then tells Ignis, who knows of her intent to help save the innocent from Frollo's tyranny, that they haven't received any orders to arrest her. However, he knows that Frollo will likely see her as a threat if he learns that she's helping out the innocent, in which she does indeed have the power to do so, so he tells her to stay on guard and that if they have orders, they will have no choice but to arrest her. Conrad then urges Ignis to protect as many people as she could and then escape the city with them but Ignis refuses, saying she will protect the innocent and find and help Esmeralda escape.
Conrad then says that if that happens, they may end up as enemies, and if that's the case, then any enemies that Ignis faces, she will have to kill them. Recalling her first kill being Madam Mim, Ignis refuses to even consider the thought, and Conrad tells her that if she couldn't do it, then she would have to leave for her own safety before he and his men leave first, leaving Ignis all alone.
Ignis couldn't come up with a proper solution, so she continues her original plan of helping the innocent by putting out the fires, helping them escape the burnt buildings, and even healing the seriously wounded. She even saved a pair of brothers and sent them away before hearing a scream. She hurried back and saw a soldier had killed one of the two brothers and was about to kill the other when she leapt in the way and stopped the soldier, even breaking his weapon in half.
The brother, enraged and sorrowful that his brother was killed for a petty reason like them accidentally bumping into the soldier, picked up the bladed half and was about to kill the soldier when Ignis knocked him out. She then allows the soldier to leave, warning him never to come back before tending to the other brother. The brother, angry that he couldn't get his revenge, goes to his brother's corpse and instead prefers to stay there. Ignis then weakly encourages him to leave the city before leaving, thinking it was her fault that the other brother was dead.
Many hours later, into the night, Ignis tried her best to save as many innocent lives as possible, and even spared many soldiers after knocking them out with brute force or magic, but in the end, her actions of sparing the soldiers only made things worse. She found herself in a district, watching the buildings and homes of innocents being burned and other innocents being slaughtered by soldiers who thought it fun to kill them.
She saw the dead body of her friend, Liam, her other friend, Jacques being beheaded before her very eyes, and she couldn't even prevent the deaths of a gypsy family she slowly grew found of; Pablo, Annabella, and their INFANT daughter, Dawn. The death of a baby was enough for Ignis to give into her rage and kill the soldiers in the area, not only getting rid of a necessary evil, but also allowing the remaining innocents to escape.
Exhausted and crying, Ignis was the only sole victor in that fight, but she was also alone in the burning area. She cried, pleading for her friends, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, whom she thought still hated her, to please come and help her.
And that's the end of the summary for all of those curious. Yeah, honestly, I do not want this story to get like, a M Rating, but there are going to be very SUGGESTIVE themes going around in this arc.
To start things off, you guys have to remember that despite Ignis going through a lot, she's still a young, 17 year old. The concept of killing when necessary hasn't exactly been drilled to her mind. The one thing before was to protect herself and Arthur, so that was a self-defense kill. But now that she's killed more, even if it was to stop the soldiers from hurting anymore? Of course she's going to freak out and possibly be traumatized. I should also note that despite Ignis being a headstrong girl, she also has a bit of a frail heart.
As for all the innocent killing, I did some research, and you would not BELIEVE how common this kind of thing was back in the 15th century. The soldiers actually had a legitimate excuse for all their killing, no matter how inhumane it was. Civilian kills, rapes, and hell, even killing babies and putting them in PIKES were side effects of 15th century warfare. The soldiers could justify it as being part of their orders, and nobody could punish them for it. Seriously, it's the truth.
The song that was playing at the end? It was mostly towards Ignis' thoughts and feelings as she was killing the soldiers. She wanted a peaceful solution. She never wanted bloodshed or violence from the beginning, but that's how it lead to all of this. It was inevitable. She even hoped-no, BEGGED for her friends to come, to help her out. Remember, she was the one Keyblade wielder in that world, but more help from other Keyblade wielders would have made a great difference.
And you know the worst part? This chapter is only the beginning of the worst to come, and it's only going to get a lot more for Ignis. Like I said, this'll play a major role in her character development, but I never said that the events would be a GOOD thing. Sometimes, when you want to change someone, you have to do so in a...drastic manner.
That said, read and review!
