Hey everyone, hope your having a Hoppy Easter, or day before Easter. This chapter is going to reveal some more about our favorite Blue haired, magic wielding, former best friends. So I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 32: A friend, or at least I'd like to be:
Varian's eyelids lifted open slowly, only to find himself not in his cage, back at Cassandra's tower, but on what appeared to be a cliff. Everything around him was bathed in a reddish light, the sky was purple, and bits and pieces of broken buildings were floating all around this strange place.
"What, w-where am I ?"He asked, sitting up and looking around as the wind blew through his hair, causing it to wave wildly.
As Varian stood up, his attention was drawn to an uprooted tree, which looked speciously like the one at Janis Point, a place said to be so magically that the barrier between worlds was the thinnest there.
"What the ?"he asked, seeing the tree floating like this.
That was until a face of a young girl appeared, all in blue, and she began to approach him, grinning a Cheshire cat grin. Varian backed away fearfully as she approached, remembering the last time he saw the smile, and all the 'good' it brought him.
"Where am I, who are you ?"Varian asked.
"A friend, or at least, I'd like to be ,"the girl told him, floating in the air before falling beneath the platform.
Varian cautiously approached the edge of the platform and looked down. When he did, he saw the girl again. She was many different shades of blue, everything from her eyes to even her skin was a different shade of blue. She wore a fancy, Victorian style dress and headpieces, along with a pair of gloves. Her hair was held up in two buns that sat on the top of her head. Her gloved hands were placed together as she looked at the alchemist. Varian couldn't help but back away fearfully as she began to speak again.
"There is a way to save Cassandra... The final incantation. The Sundrop, must use it against the Moonstone's power ,"the girl told him, approached the boy.
Just as it looked like the girl would stop right in front of him, she merely split herself in half as she continued to walk past him, her two halves flying on either side of the alchemist, causing him to recoil in fear. However, despite this shocking display, Varian was quick to process her words.
"What, no, no! But there is no other incantation, i-it's not on the scroll ,"Varian told her, pulling the Demanitus scroll out of his backpack, watching as the girl's two halves became one once more.
"Isn't there? You just need to know, how to look ,"She told him, her head spinning all the way around, just like an owl, so that she was looking him in the eyes, her smile malicious.
Suddenly, the girl disappeared and the scroll flew out of Varian's hand, and enlarged in front of him. Varian looked at the scroll as it was placed in front of him, he was barely the size of the Sundrop flower that was drawn on the parchment before him.
"You need to use the sun, to see the sun ,"the voice of the girl said, as the pictures of the sun and moon lit up yellow and blue, respectively.
"Use the sun, to see the sun? Wha-I don't understand !"Varian exclaimed, as the sun and moon symbols began to fly around him.
Suddenly the symbol of the sun flew towards the platform, and once it touched the ground, an explosion of green fire lit up the platform. This cause Varian to back away and cry out in shock. His situation didn't improve when the face of the girl appeared above the flames.
"Use the sun, to see the sun ,"she told him, as the flames increased in height.
Varian stepped back in fear, causing him to fall off the platform and fall to his doom below, screaming as he fell.
Varian suddenly woke up, all safe and sound. He was still at Cassandra's tower, all locked up, but nonetheless, alive, and definitely not falling.
"That was a dream... why couldn't this be a dream ?"he asked, breathing heavily as he held his head in his hands.
Varian then reached over to his backpack and pulled out the Demanitus scroll, unrolling it as he looked at the three incantations he had already translated. As scary as the dream was, he couldn't help but wonder what those words meant, what was he suppose to do?
"Use the sun, to see the sun ?"he recited, looking at the scroll in confusion.
"You know, it's actually, kinda pretty out here, minus the ten million foot drop of course ,"A feminine voice said.
Varian looked up from the scroll and outside the bars of his cage. He saw Ballora sitting there on the rock that connected his cage to the tower, her feet swinging back and forth over the edge.
"Oh, hi Ballora. What are you doing here ?"he asked.
"I just came to check on you, I'm guessing that previous deep breathing was because of a nightmare ?"Ballora asked, looking over at him.
"Which one, this living nightmare, or my unconscious dream ?"Varian asked sarcastically, crossing his arms and placing the scroll back into his bag.
"The unconscious one, obviously... But honestly Varian, are you okay ?"Ballora asked, concern filling her voice.
"I'm fine, but why do you care? You tried to kill me, twice, and let's not forget you made my own sister torture me ,"he pointed out, and Ballora gave him a sad look.
Ballora's hand slowly reached through the bars of the cage, and she felt herself relax when Varian didn't immediately back away from her. She gently pushed his bangs out of his face, her hand traveling down his jawline before she cupped the face of the boy in her hand. As this happened, Varian couldn't help but notice that her hands seemed warmer than the last time she had touched him. Something must have changed, but what?
"Did you think I was lying, when I said I didn't want to hurt you? I always regretted hurting you, everyday I did it... The guilt only got worse when I left the Dark Kingdom, I hated myself for a while after that. You didn't deserve what I did to you ,"Ballora explained, looking away as she removed her hand from Varian's face, only to hold her hand close to her chest, the wind waving a few strands of her blue hair.
"You were actually serious about that... But, what about the last time I saw you, you said that you would kill me ?"Varian asked, looking up at her in confusion.
"I know what I said, I was just hurt that Alice... that Angel Cake, didn't want to fuse with me again... I meant it when I said things would be different... I miss being with her, I miss hearing her laugh, and... I miss what we used to be... before our fusion I mean ,"Ballora said, turning away from the alchemist.
"You miss being her friend ,"Varian whispered, his eyes widening as Ballora nodded.
"But then... why didn't you accept being her friend when she offered that day, she said-,"Varian started.
"It's not that easy Varian! Every single keyblade wielder is suspicious of me, and they will turn me into my former master if they get their hands on me! How do I know that Alice isn't just luring me into a false sense of security, so that I will just end up getting captured and locked away for what I've done ?"Ballora asked, hugging herself tightly.
"Ballora, Alice misses you as a friend. She told me so herself, she said when you two were fused... that it was like she had her best friend back. She honestly wants you two to be friends again, but you can't know for sure, if she's lying or if she's your true friend, unless you give her a chance ,"Varian told her, Ballora staying silent after he finished, before her face turned cold.
"I disobeyed my master, I tried to force her to give me a keyblade, I kidnapped you three times, tortured you, and almost killed you, twice! Do you honestly think Al is going to forgive me, or not turn me in for what I've done ?"Ballora asked, staring at Varian coldly.
"You don't really believe she would do that, do you ?"Varian asked, reaching out from his cage to grab Ballora's shoulder, giving it a sympathetic squeeze.
Ballora merely took Varian's gloved hand gently, looking down at his tiny fingers. She couldn't help but hold the young boy's hand like this, her touch moving toward his wrist and feeling the bracelet underneath the glove.
"You mean more to her than anything Varian... there is no possible way she could ever forgive me... and even if she did, her status as a Keyblade Master and a Diamond, mean that she has to bring me to our old master... If she doesn't, she would betray him and everyone she loves... and we both know that would never happen ,"Ballora said, letting go of the boy's hand.
"She will forgive you, especially after you tried to reason with Cass, and you kept her from hurting me back there... I can't exactly, forget about what you did to me, or to her... But I think... If I try... we both, can forgive you ,"Varian told her.
"She will never forgive me ,"Ballora said, as tears came to her purple eyes.
Varian immediately reached through the bars and pulled Ballora as close to him as possible, giving her a tight hug. Ballora tensed up at first, but then relaxed and slowly wrapped her arms around him, squeezing back.
"Thank you ,"She whispered softly.
A few moments later, the two pulled back from the hug, when all of Ballora's tears were gone. She smiled a genuine smile at Varian, before reaching over towards his backpack and pulling out the Demanitus scroll again.
"I believe you were saying something about, use the sun to see the sun ,"She said, unrolling the scroll.
Varian nodded and pulled his goggles over his eyes. They both began to examine the scroll, trying to figure out this new mystery.
I don't think there's much to be said here. Other than feel free to follow, review and like. Stay safe everyone, and Hoppy Easter.
: )