"Bring her back NOW!" Riku had shouted.
"Teeheeheehee! No. Can't do it. Won't do it."
"BRING HER BACK!"
The moment Rachel vanished in the time circle everything stopped being real. This was a stupid ping pong game of going back and forth losing each other to the false princesses. The worlds paled in her absence. But getting taken away was just as infuriating as it was terrifying.
Riku's Keyblade flashed; switching to Foundation. This blade formed from the key chain given to him by Master Yen Sid during his, Sora and Kairi's first Christmas with Rachel and Bryan. The instruction for the gifted key chains was to speak their names to it. A name had power and would guarantee a Keyblade uniquely formed to suit them both in appearance and power. The key chain was about the size of a large copper coin with a picturesque mountain range engraved on it. The handle looked like an elongated hexagon with several inter-connecting pieces around where it was meant to be held. The shaft was a wide column with a thin band spiraling up it. The shaft was blended greens where the spiraling band was more of burnt browns and golden colors like harvested fields where the cut crop piled up in rows. The spiraling band up the shaft twisted and curled around itself like a snail shell. Only the new spiral was made of interlocking triangular-ish pieces. It was like the tail of an armored lizard. This piece was also a golden brown. Overall it was a very hefty Keyblade and proved to be superb for landing heavy, strong hits. Channeling the eternal strength of the land and fueled by the desperate rage of its wielder the blade cut down the Warlord in its way with one fell stroke. Ayomi was next. She didn't look worried. On the contrary she giggled as Riku engaged her.
"Dearie me, dearie me, did I make you mad?"
A great din erupted from the two weapons colliding.
"My, you're boring. Will you relax already? Your little lovie-bird won't be gone long."
More blows were exchanged. Maui hooked a Warlord and chucked it hammer-throw style over the trees.
"Eugh. You guys are really getting worked up over one little girl?"
"You couldn't possibly understand what she means to me. And you underestimate the lengths I am willing to go for her."
"Uh-huh. The fickle and beautiful spell of 'true love'. Bhleh. You hero types are all so mushy-gooshy cliché." Ayomi countered Riku's attack and jumped backwards. Her eyes lit up with an idea. "But that might be fun to play with." She mused.
Riku didn't care what she meant. Only one thing mattered. A faint flash of light out of the corner of his eye suggested Maui had just taken out another Warlord. Good. Her forces were dwindling.
"I'd listen to him," Maui warned. "If he can't make you bring Rachel back, I will."
"Oooh! So scary." The face of her Talisman watch started blinking white light. The hands spun quickly in opposite directions. "That'll be her. Sending other people back in time sadly doesn't last long. And I sent Miss Goody-Goody to the past of another world less than thirty years ago. I knew she'd be back in a snap from the beginning. Of course I wasn't going to tell you that. This time though,"
Ayomi's cackling giggle sent a prickly jolt of panic through Riku like lightning.
"You won't get a next time!" Riku lunged at her again. The blow connected with another Warlord that had been summoned right in front of him.
"More of these?" Maui growled.
"Of course. They're my friends," Ayomi had leapt away from the main fray. She had her talisman and began spinning it like before. "Hmmm, let me think. A short jump on another world didn't last long. Let's see how long a few centuries on this world lasts!"
Glowing circles of clock faces appeared on the ground again. The centermost circle sparked and lit up brighter. Riku tried to push passed the Warlords but they were forming a very deliberate blockade.
After one last giant spark Rachel's glowing form appeared. She was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath. Ayomi was still upholding the spell so the circles did not fade. In fact they glowed brightly seconds after they'd begun to dim.
"Rachel, MOVE!" Riku shouted.
She looked up, searching for the direction of his voice. Cold claws gripped his insides. She looked winded and confused. There was no way she could leave the spells range in time.
"MOVE!" Riku shouted again, his cry joined by Maui.
Ayomi giggled with delight at their futility. Rachel barely had a chance to straighten up before the magic completed and she was gone.
"Phew! That was further back than I've ever sent anyone before. And since it's just to this worlds past we won't be seeing her for a while. That'll be perfect! She'll come back just in time to find this worlds hero dead and her precious shnookie-bug defeated within an inch of his life. Oh! Won't that be an amazing surprise? We wouldn't want to disappoint her, now do we? Oh, oh, oh! Then with her distraught by your sides I'll be able to make it to the finale! Yippie!"
Riku largely ignored the threat. His mind came alive with new focus. Rachel was okay. Getting thrust through time had her looking rough but she'd come back. The spell wasn't permanent or dependent on Ayomi to be reversed. Knowing this ignited a livid fire in this belly for making him worry so terribly for his little star.
The young Master engaged again, demi-god at his side. Maui was constantly shape-shifting. This effectively made discerning any battle pattern impossible. With his focus and resolve renewed Riku channeled the Darkness of his own Heart to Foundation. Rachel was the one who helped him overcome his fear of it. Now he would use it as a controlled tool to save her. At first the Darkness danced like black flame before covering the blade like a coating of living ink. Though not enough to distract him for more than a second Riku was surprised by this manifestation. Wielding Darkness in the past never looked like this before. Perhaps it was like how Rachel's shadow took different forms. He'd put thoughts on the matter on the backburner for now. Although fighting with the Keyblade after it had been temporarily altered in such a way felt, honestly, invigorating. The Foundation Keyblade had always been a heavy hitter but now each time the weapon connected felt like clocking the target with a maximum velocity anvil. And the blade didn't feel any heavier! Warlords went down in fewer strikes than before. Good. Between him and Maui Nobodies would be gone very soon. But the glimpses Riku caught of Ayomi did not portray someone even the slightest bit of concern. She'd been skirting the edges of the clearing, smiling like she had a secret she couldn't wait to tell.
"Time for our grand finale!" Ayomi announced with glee.
The false princess held her hammer at her side. She let go. It floated upright beside her. She took the stolen watch with both hands. Once again the face flashed different colors and the hands spun at different speeds in opposite directions. A bright copper light made Riku look down. A gently glowing intricate clock face had appeared on the ground. The edges were as sharp as laser etching. Riku's stomach dropped. This wasn't the same design as before but he didn't really want to find out specifics.
"Get out of the circle!" Riku shouted to Maui, though the demi-god already looked to be having the same thoughts.
"Oh, I don't think so. Slow."
The hands of the phantom clock on the ground and talisman in her hands started moving at a lagging crawl. The energy Riku was about to release in a great leap suddenly vanished. It felt similar to riding a bike fast then hitting something immovable. The bike stops. A second later, so do you but not before crashing over the handlebars. His muscles felt like lead but at the same time didn't feel heavy. His body was still executing its last command but only at a fraction of the speed. Mentally however everything operated at normal speed. The contradiction felt uncomfortable and, quite honestly, freaky.
"Isn't that amazing!" The way Ayomi talked could have been compared to the delight of a child announcing to a grandparent they'd won the science fair. "Now watch this!"
Another circle appeared beneath Riku. It turned him like a doll on a rotating display pedestal. Now he faced Maui. He too looked surprised but also trying hard to fight against the spell.
"Okay, now Stop."
Movement stopped completely. At this point the few remaining Warlords had retreated to the outer edges of the time circle. Apparently the magic of Time didn't affect them. Wait…maybe that had some merit! Concentrating hard Riku drew upon all he knew about his own Time spell. The power of Stopza burst from the blackened blade. It made a sound like stepping on a light bulb. His muscles relaxed. Yes! That was the-! No. Riku's hopes hit the stratosphere then came crashing back down. The spells release did not last long before it overpowered his. Even so Riku continued to struggle against it. Maui was doing the same. He seemed to be having slightly better luck pushing back against the Time magic. He was a demi-god after all. It would make sense non-godly magic wouldn't have as strong a hold on him. That being said he still wasn't exactly having an easy time of it.
"See? Isn't that something? Took me forever to master holding more than one person at a time. Now, let's get back on schedule. I hate to stop our game early but your girly love could be back any time. I'd feel terrible if her surprise isn't ready and I have somewhere to be." Ayomi took her hammer and skipped closer.
"Your witchcraft won't hold me forever," Maui grunted against the magic confines.
"Witchcraft? Well that's not very nice. But, it won't matter even if you can find the limits of my power. You don't have that kind of time." Ayomi smirked like a true psychopath.
Riku tried again to counter Time with Time but the results were the same. His mind was still sharp but even mustering a grunt was difficult.
Ayomi let go of her talisman. It floated in the air unaided; the chain, limp like the string of a childs balloon. She stood about twelve feet in front of Maui. Riku had a clear view of them both.
"We've done our homework, you know." She said with an I-know-something-you-don't-know tone. "You're just a demi-god. Not human but not a true divine entity. 'Hero to all' is the word. Tsk, tsk. What a sad day it will be for the mortals of this world when they learn of the defeat of their great 'hero'. Immortal here only means you barely age and cannot die of natural causes, isn't that right?"
Ayomi adjusted her stance and took hold of the long Warhammer in both hands. Its clockwork etchings glowed across its head. Another full clock face with the hands set a midnight appeared on the flat end of the hammers head. As much as those changes didn't bode well for the viewers that was hardly the worst part. At the top of the hammer was a three-inch, cone-shaped spike. Its placement and size might have lead one to conclude it was merely decorative. However, as the hammer glowed with unknown energy the spike elongated. Three inches. Five. Nine. By the time it stopped Riku guessed the spike was now easily two feet long.
Ayomi held the hammer like a battering ram. Riku could see the second Maui understood her intentions. He scowled fiercely and gripped his fish hook tighter. The intricate carvings lit up electric blue. Maui continued to fight the spell with only a little more luck than Riku. Even then his movements were sluggish.
"I wonder how difficult it is to defeat a demi-god permanently." Ayomi mused playfully. "Don't die right away, alright? It won't be any fun then."
"Don't get cocky." Maui growled against the spell. "It'll take more than whatever a psychopath like you can throw at me to take me down."
"Lame last words."
Ayomi charged.
Maui was still moving too slowly to parry the attack. Such a dirty tactic; engaging in combat with someone who had no way of fighting back. Riku tried to cry out but the spell kept him silent. A great black mass of Darkness rose up in front of Maui the second before impact.
Wait…
Ayomi had frozen. Why had she stopped? She looked…surprised? The Darkness was not her doing? Hold on, that wasn't just Darkness, it was a dark corridor! Who-?
The surprised confusion suddenly turned to shock and alarm in Ayomi's eyes. The false princess quickly withdrew her weapon and scuttled backward several feet like she were being pursued by a snake. Blackness faded as the corridor closed. A dark-haired figure remained.
"Jesarae!" Ayomi squeak-shrieked in horror.
The Nobody princess of Jasmine stood doubled over in front of Maui. She clutched her stomach with both hands.
"No! No! NO! I-I'm sorry! I didn't-! I didn't mean-! Of all times to join a fight why now!? Why here! Of all places!"
The Jasmine Nobody stumbled forward. She didn't reply. Ayomi dropped her hammer. The Warlords vanished. With a circle motion of her left hand her Talisman glowed again and the hands spun backward once. Riku grunted in discomfort. The Stopragaza magic or whatever had reset or strengthened. Not like specifics mattered. He was still stuck. After re-casting her ability Ayomi rushed to her fellow Nobody and caught her by the shoulders.
"What were you thinking? I had this under control all on my own."
Jesarae didn't answer. She grasped Ayomi's shoulder. Her other hand still held her stomach. Smoke-like blackness seeped from the wound.
"It's okay. Xhosar can fix this. We just need to leave right now. We can finish these two together after. You can even take the first shot. Okay? We can fix this."
With a speed alarming for someone so injured the hand Jesarae had on Ayomi's shoulders reached around the back of her neck and she pulled their faces close, just inches apart.
"You don't want to resist."
Ayomi's entire body relaxed.
"Wait, what? What're you talking about? You ne-."
"Release them,"
"Huh? Wha-? Why wou-?"
Confusion turned into shocked bewilderment. Realization mixed in milliseconds after.
Riku watched, just as confused as Ayomi but also allowing himself to be curious. Jesarae's dark brown eyes had taken on a bright red glint. The crimson jeweled choker also glowed faintly.
"Release them,"
Ayomi moved stiffly and reluctantly but did as instructed. Riku and Maui gasped in relief once the bonds of time had been cut away.
"Listen and obey,"
"I know how you work," Ayomi heaved with fury. "I can resist your power if I really do not want to perform the task. You caught me off-guard before but now-are you seriously betraying us for them?!"
Jesarae panted heavily. "Listen and obey," The jeweled Talisman glowed brighter, as did her eyes. With every word she spoke the light became more intense. "Give them your Talisman. Leave this world. Seek out Alice immediately. Do not be seen. Rejoin with her."
Riku couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ayomi's eyes widened. She stiffened, resisting whatever control Jesarae was trying to hold over her.
"N-no! No, never. You-you traitor! I won't!"
"Find Alice immediately and rejoin with her."
"NO! We're so close to getting everything!"
The light of Jesarae's Talisman shone a vibrant crimson. Her eyes looked demonic.
"Rejoin with Alice immediately. Become a quiet piece of her Heart until the end of her days. Go now."
The earth and trees shook with the now-booming command. Jesarae had to be putting what was left of her strength into this. Ayomi tried to resist the power of her fellow princess but it was a battle she was clearly losing. Bathed in the red glow of Jesarae's Talisman Ayomi's livid and afraid expression faded into passiveness. Then, just like that, she stood up and unclasped her Talisman from her belt. It fell anticlimactically to the ground. She turned then vanished through a Dark corridor of her own.
The jungle was quiet. Every leaf held its breath. What had just happened? Why would one of their own not only turn on them but sacrifice herself to save an enemy?
Jesarae collapsed on the ground. Riku, though a little way-legged, rushed to her side. Carefully he rolled her on her back. She held both hands over the wound. Wisps of black rose up from between her fingers before fading like an exhale on a cold day. The jewel of her Talisman had a massive crack down the center.
"Why did you do that?" Riku asked gently. He'd seen this kind of fading before. She didn't have a lot of time. At this point Healing would be of no help.
Maui came up on her other side.
"Not gonna lie. You probably saved my life. But I don't get why. We fought before. You were there when the Heart was stolen."
"I know. And I am so sorry for my part in the theft. I was actually relieved when you got it away from us." She said quietly.
"But why did you help us? Why did you sacrifice yourself?"
"I don't have much time. Ask Kairi. She knows."
"Kairi?"
"Kairi?"
"One of my friends," Riku told Maui quickly. "How do you know her? Is she all right? Where is she now?"
"When we parted ways she was fine. I don't know where she is now." The black wisps were getting larger. "I have to go. It is my only chance.
"What is?"
"To rejoin with Jasmine," Jesarae closed her eyes. Blackness pooled around her. She had called a Dark corridor. "Tell Kairi from me, 'thank you'. She'll know why."
The Darkness drew around her.
"Wait! What do you know about-?"
She was gone.
Title Translation: Gone on the Road from which There Is No Returning
Gone on the Road from which There Is No Returning