As Adrian nocked another arrow, gritting his teeth under the pressure of the cams, he took aim at another target that was several meters away from him before letting go of the glowing string.
The arrow was shot with a bang, piercing the target extremely quickly while a gaping hole was left behind. Adrian lowered his bow, breathing a long sigh before wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his cloak, the string disappearing in the process.
"This isn't getting any easier," Adrian remarked before looking to his right where Xigbar was emptying magazine after magazine of bolts on the targets in front of him. There were so many of them latched on the pincushions that Adrian had no chance to count them all. Even the farthest target that was probably more than a hundred meters far had a bolt or two embedded in them as well.
Xigbar flicked both of his crossbows to automatically reload them, the bolts vertically arranging themselves on the armguards with mechanical clicks before Xigbar started shooting again. Even though it looked like he was just spraying and praying, every single shot he made hit their mark somehow. Thunk after thunk, the projectiles found their targets with pinpoint accuracy.
"I guess there is a method to his madness," Adrian thought out loud before Xigbar leaned one of his crossbows on his shoulder while the other hanging loosely in his hand, a content sigh escaping his lips.
"Alright, I think that should do for the day," He said before he turned to Adrian, "How are you holding up?"
He looked at the two targets he shot today, both with those visible holes. "I still barely manage to shoot two arrows. I had a lot of downtime between them too."
He then rubbed his temples, a slight groan escaping his lips as well. "Not to mention the headaches I get whenever I shoot."
"Hey, don't fret about that. You make up for it with power," Xigbar reassured before looking at the two targets as well, "Honestly, you might be able to win fights with that single shot alone."
"Yeah, but I still don't like imagining what would happen if I missed," Adrian said with a small grimace.
"I wouldn't worry about that. I doubt you will have to fight anytime soon. Xemnas wants you alive after all," Xigbar said before he dismissed her crossbows.
"I guess," Adrian admitted, doing the same with his own bow, the sight still didn't get old and the movement became almost second nature to him very quickly. A sudden rumble coming from his stomach interrupted his thoughts, making Xigbar snort, much to Adrian's chagrin.
"How long were you trying to hide it?" He asked with a sly grin, making Adrian cross his arms.
"Long enough," Was all Adrian said.
"Alright, I'll be right back with something. Don't expect me to cook a miracle though," Xigbar relented before disappearing again in a blue and black blur while Adrian sat down on the ground to rest up a little.
He leaned his hand on his leg while summoning his bow again for inspection, or rather to just show off. He just had to because, in his eyes, this was the coolest thing that happened to him so far. Summoning arrows with a glowing string out of nowhere was so mesmerizing and completely new to him.
He played around with the bow, dismissing it away before quickly extending his hand to make it appear again. He did it again many times over, still finding enjoyment in it while a smile was present on his features.
He was happy Xigbar wasn't here to see it, he would have some sort of a snarky comment like he always did.
His musings were interrupted however when he heard quiet steps coming from the corridor, the silence of the shooting range magnifying the sound. He tilted his head towards the entrance to the castle only to quickly stand back up.
"Of course, just when Xigbar leaves," Adrian said while gazing at the single Dusk creeping his way towards him with slow but long steps. Even though the Nobody was spotted, it only stopped for a fraction of a second before continuing forward.
Adrian quickly summoned his bow back, showing it off to the Dusk.
"I'm armed this time. Go away," He said, trying to sound threatening even though he was scared himself. He knew he almost lost his life to that thing last time, the fear finding his way to crawl up his skin while a pit formed in his stomach.
The Dusk stopped a few meters away from Adrian before leaning forward to inspect the weapon in Adrian's hands. Its mouth unzipped before it let out a mixture of a laugh and a small cry that Adrian just couldn't place.
Without further warning, the Dusk dashed towards Adrian with surprising speed, its arm twisting itself into a spear and stabbing with it in Adrian's direction.
With a small yelp, Adrian narrowly dodged the lunge, the spear missing his chest by mere inches. He tried to gain as much distance as possible with a few hops, his boots tapping the ground with small clicks.
The Dusk gazed at its arm with a quizzical look, tilting its head to the side as it expected the fight to be quick and easy before looking to the left side. It spotted the boy, a hand on his bow with a tight grip before it dashed towards his location again.
Adrian was prepared this time and readied his bow for a shot, the same white silk sprouting from his left enveloped the cams and tried to pull the string, but the Dusk was too fast for him.
His concentration faltered from not having enough time for an arrow to form, forcing him to back away again. The Nobody was ready for it however.
It pivoted from its lunge to lash out with its other hand like a whip, slashing at the unsuspecting Adrian's right arm. With a loud crack, he howled in pain from the strike and even though the cloak he wore wasn't damaged, Adrian could feel the burning sensation on his arm, creating another opening for the Nobody to take.
The soldier stabbed with its lance arm again, aiming straight at Adrian's heart, trying to finish the ordeal right then and there.
Time seemed to slow down for Adrian as the spear inched ever-so closely to his chest with wide eyes, cold sweat pouring down his spine. The fear of losing his life didn't seem to paralyze him however, and once he greeted his teeth, he took a hold of his bow like a club and smacked the spear away in the nick of time, passing his hip.
The Dusk's mouth curved downwards, surprised by Adrian's redirect as it slowly but surely passed by him. It couldn't stop its lunge, nor could it slow down, giving Adrian enough time to start pulling on the string again.
The elastic soldier tried to regain its footing, planting both feet to the ground as quickly as possible before dashing back towards Adrian, but it was too late for it. Adrian already had a formed light bolt on the arrow rest, pointing straight at the Nobody.
Adrian was already panting heavily from the exchange, so he had to make sure this arrow would hit, and thankfully, the Nobody was kind enough to make it easy with its predictable charge. Adrian couldn't help but adorn a small smirk.
"Blast off!" He shouted before the string rang in the shooting range, letting loose the light arrow at incredible speeds. The Nobody had any time to react before it pierced its body in one fluid motion, stopping it in its tracks. The bolt then embedded itself into the wall behind it with a bang, creating small black cracks on the white surface before the arrow slowly faded away.
While Adrian was admiring the sight, his hand eased its grip on the bow, letting it drop before it disappeared. His legs gave out, landing on his knees before fully sitting down while breathing heavily. Once he regained a little amount of strength he looked back at the standing Nobody with a hole in its chest.
The wound looked like tears in a fabric, and inside of the soldier was nothing but just the black void, the only thing visible was the wall behind it. It looked up from its wound to Adrian one last time before it slowly dissolved into specks of glowing dust that were picked up by the non-existent wind.
Adrian eventually dropped on his back with a dull thud, arms spread wide while looking up into the dark abyss before his mouth formed into a victorious smile while punching the sky.
"I… did it!" He yelled into the darkness, "You got nothing on me now, you dumbass Dusks!"
His voice didn't echo, nor did he get a response. He didn't need any.
The victory overshadowed everything around Adrian, making his triumph the only thing to focus on. Even though he should normally feel tired from using the bow again, the adrenaline was fueling him with the energy he didn't need, but welcomed it anyway.
He slowly but surely hoisted himself up and stretched his arms before he felt like his arm was burning. He got rid of the cloak and found a giant red mark on his bicep.
He winced once he rubbed it a little with his arm. "Damn, this hurts a lot."
Once Adrian said those words however, Xigbar reappeared out of nowhere with a small spin and two packages in his hand, a grin plastered on his face.
"Alright, I'm back and…" Xigbar trailed off before looking around, catching a glimpse of Adrian and the hole on the wall while scratching the back of his neck, "What the hell happened here?"
"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Adrian asked, trying his best not to irritate his wound.
"Keep it short for me, I'm not usually someone that minces words," Xigbar said while taking a small glance at Adrian's wound.
"I got attacked by a Dusk, again," He answered.
"Oh, that explains a lot," Xigbar admitted, pointing at the wall with the hole, "So, that means you were able to beat it?"
Adrian hummed in affirmation, making Xigbar's smirk broaden even more.
"Then congrats on winning your first fight," He said before throwing one box at Adrian, catching it with a small grunt, "I guess this is more well-earned for you than it is for me."
Adrian only rose an eyebrow before looking down at the small white lunch box in his hand. He tentatively opened the lid with a small pop, revealing inside a shiny blue cube, a green glass bottle, and a few sandwiches.
Just plain old sandwiches. No butter, no ham, no eggs or cheese, nothing. Just a piece of bread. The disappointed look Adrian gave Xigbar was more than palpable.
"You couldn't even put them in a toaster or something?" He asked incredulously.
"Hey, I'll have you know that our kitchen isn't as fancy-schmancy as others, alright?" Xigbar defended himself, but for the first time since Adrian was trapped here, he saw through him rather easily.
"I have a toaster in my kitchen," He pointed out and couldn't help but smirk. "So, you're just lazy."
"Call it lazy, I call it not wasting my time. Food is food, you eat it and you're done with it. No need to make it something big like the Keyblade War," Xigbar said while putting his hands behind his head, "Now eat up, we don't have much time before Xemnas comes back."
Adrian's smirk immediately fell at those words before his head slumped back at the box. He picked up one piece of the white bread before he scarfed it down without second thought. Xigbar had his own sandwich in his mouth before his eyes bulged out at how fast the food was disappearing into Adrian.
One slice after another, all of them eventually found themselves inside Adrian's stomach while he chugged the green bottle with gusto. The taste made Adrian pause for a second before he continued gulping it down greedily. It was like drinking an energy drink without it being too sweet.
What went unnoticed by him was the fact that his wound was slowly but surely healing on his own. The skin stitched itself back together like a million threads forming a new layer. Xigbar kept staring at Adrian before a playful scoff escaped his lips.
"I didn't expect you to be this hungry," He mused out loud before Adrian gulped down what he had in his mouth while turning to Xigbar.
"And can you blame me?" He shot back while wiping any crumbs he had on his face.
"Nah, like I said, you've earned it. From that scrawny little kid you were back we kidnapped you, I dare say you made some progress at least," Xigbar explained before taking out his blue cube from the lunch box before sliding it to Adrian, who raised an eyebrow.
"You look like you need it more than I do," Xigbar said, allowing Adrian to continue his lunch, or what Adrian thought was lunch. He stopped however when he was about to eat another piece of bread, his hand slowly slumped down while having a forlorn look.
"Why the long face? I thought you were hungry," Xigbar asked, playing with the cube in his hand.
"How long have I been here?" Adrian said barely above a whisper, making Xigbar touch his clean chin.
"Hard to say, time flows however it feels like it here. For all we know it could be years in one world or a single day in another," Xigbar answered, not making Adrian feel any better, his appetite slowly disappearing as well. He still was able to eat everything Xigbar left him, but as he stewed more in his thoughts, he couldn't find anything that could comfort him.
Sure, he could try to escape, but he had no way of exiting this place, forcing him to be at the mercy of Xemnas and his crew of Nobodies. The thought made him tear up, a soft whimper escaped his lips as well.
Xigbar noticed Adrian, but he knew he was one of the last persons who could comfort Adrian. He was one of the captors after all, no matter how much he hid it.
"Be sure to use that," He said suddenly while pointing at the blue cube inside the lunch box, prompting Adrian to pick it up through his situation. He inspected for a second before turning to Xigbar.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Adrian said robotically. He knew what it was, but he had no idea how to use something like an Ether. Xigbar raised an eyebrow before the upper half of his body slumped, breathing a sigh in the process.
"For being sort of all-knowing, you sure ask a lot of questions. I'll show you," He said before picking up his own blue cube from his lunchbox before gripping the small blue galaxy into a tight grip. The cube cracked lightly before it was fully crushed by Xigbar, wisps of blue light escaping from his hand.
It then slowly fused with Xigbar, breathing in a deep breath before he let out a long content sigh. "That's how. It's called an Ether, and it's usually used after a long training session or a fight. Keeps you topped off without any side effects."
Adrian kept his gaze at Xigbar before he turned back at the blue cube and followed the Nobody's instructions. He tightened his grip on the cube and it was surprisingly easy to crack, and soon broke under the pressure, the glass structure didn't cut into Adrian's hand.
Same blue wisps circled Adrian before his body unwillingly sucked them inside himself, forcing him to breathe the same long deep breath. His mind went into overdrive for a fraction of a second before settling down while his tired limbs regained a lot of strength back if not even gained more.
He flexed his arms and legs, and sure enough, he was feeling fresh and rejuvenated, like he didn't fight the Dusk earlier at all. His mouth was slightly hung open, not really sure where to place this newfound feeling.
It was then he looked back at his arm that should have had the wound he sustained but it wasn't there. He looked back at the two bottles he drank, only to realize what he had drunk were probably Potions to his knowledge.
At least now he knew that the most common medicine here didn't taste bad.
"This place just keeps getting weirder," Adrian thought out loud while putting his cloak back on.
"Better get used to it quickly then. It'll save a lot of trouble down the line," Xigbar suggested.
"Trust me, I've been trying to do that since Xemnas almost cut my head off," Adrian said with a click of his tongue.
"Now now, no need to take it that far," Xigbar cooed, "I'm just saying that new things are going to come very quickly and sometimes too many to count. Ignoring them will be better than thinking about them."
Adrian only stared at Xigbar before letting out a scoff. "If only it were as easy as you make it sound. If there is one thing I still can't believe is that you are one of the few people that is trying to help me rather than making things worse."
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not," Xigbar said, his smirk betraying his supposedly offended tone. "Though that just made me even more curious about how much you know about us."
He leaned his head on one of his arms, his smirk changing into a fox-like grin. "Care to enlighten me?"
Adrian's gaze narrowed for a fraction of a second before he let out a sigh. "Now I really wish I didn't know anything."
"Spill the beans already, or at least some of them, You're leaving hanging here," Xigbar whined, "Besides, we're buddies, right?"
"You have a wild imagination on what a buddy is then," Adrian remarked.
"Don't be like that, think of it as a small exchange. You get to grow a little stronger, and I get to know a little more than others," Xigbar offered, much to Adrian's chagrin before he sighed.
"Fine, what do you want to know?" He relented.
"You know what the old coot's plan is, right?" Xigbar asked.
"Yeah, and?" Adrian said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, that whole 'building an artificial Kingdom Hearts' plan is right on the nose," Xigbar admitted, "But something tells me you know more than that."
Adrian stiffened under the scrutiny eyes Xigbar was giving him, making him nervous and anxious.
"W-What makes you so sure?" He asked, trying to buy himself some time for something to happen to get out of this conversation as soon as possible.
"Now, this isn't the time to stammer, buddy. It makes it all the more obvious," Xigbar said with a mischievous smirk, "Just give me a small hint."
Adrian wasn't keen on saying anything at all, but it looked like Xigbar wasn't going to drop the subject anytime soon.
"Well, Xemnas actually wants to—" He was suddenly cut off by a small chin flowing down his spine, like the temperature of the place dropped by a few degrees. He jerked his head towards the entrance to the castle, as he felt the cold wind coming from the fortress.
Xigbar followed his gaze, sensing the same surge before he breathed a sigh.
"What was that?" Adrian asked, while slightly scared of what that cold wind was, but glad at the same time he found a way to redirect the conversation.
"That's the old coot alright, he came back," Xigbar answered, the small victory Adrian had was quickly swept away. "Welp, I guess we'll have this conversation another time."
He stood up, dusting his cloak off before he urged Adrian to follow him, "Come on, Xemnas doesn't like when somebody is late."
"Wait, why do I have to go too?" Adrian said, taken back slightly.
"Because you're part of the Organization for now at least. The only reason you weren't at the council yet was that you weren't ready," Xigbar explained but that only left Adrian more confused.
"Ready for what?" He asked again.
"You'll find out soon enough," Was all Xigbar said before putting his hand on top of Adrian's shoulder and vanishing with him from the shooting range.
AN: Sorry, for the long wait, I wasn't able to put up words quite recently so this chapter took longer than expected. Hopefully, I was able to satisfy you a little bit with this chapter.
As always, a shout-out to the Fanfiction Treehouse for giving me the support I need to continue writing. If you want to join our discord server full of writers and readers of fanfiction, here is the link.
Link: gg/9XG3U7a
God's speed.