Here we go with the next chapter. Here some more of the Light protectors will be introduced. So enjoy!
Tenebrae woke up as groggy as usual. His hair was a mess and he couldn't find his glasses. He felt them in his hand and put them on. Chirithy was in front of him, giggling.
"Funny," he said as he poked Chirithy's nose. He went and got ready for the day.
Tenebrae put on his clothes and strapped on his hip pack. It contained any items he would need for his missions. Mostly potions and Ethers, since it only took a few hits to knock him down. He focused his mana and felt ready for the day.
"Time for another day of collection," Tenebrae said as he left his apartment.
He went to the lighthouse, where his Union normally met to go over missions. He saw the regulars, talking in their groups. He did notice few new faces but recognized them as Wielders from other Unions. One of them was talking to HIM!
Tenebrae felt a spike of jealousy as he watched. HE had short dark hair, a build that showed years of fighting. And, a smile that made all the girls swoon. Everything about HIM made Tenebrae sick.
Tenebrae received his orders. There was a disturbance in town. The mission was to find the cause and, most logically, destroy it.
"Hey!" Tenebrae heard the voice but didn't turn. "On another solo mission? You should join my Party, and we can do a group mission tomorrow."
"I'll pass." Tenebrae started to walk away. "I have no need or desire. Besides, I'm sure you have many eager to join you. So, leave me alone."
Tenebrae traveled to the location specified. He went past the fountain in the center of town. He ascended the east most staircase and traveled through the First District. He proceeded to the Avenue.
The presence of Heartless was as common as it always was. That fact worried him. How could a world, designed to train Wielders of Light, have such a strong presence of Darkness? So many things didn't add up. Just more knowledge for him to find.
His target was near the Underpass. There still was a Target Heartless, but it could wait. He searched the area thoroughly, finding nothing out of the ordinary. There was a nagging feeling.
"No new information acquired," Tenebrae said to himself. "Finishing mission." He walked to the Underpass and lit a flame in his hand. Almost immediately, a swarm of Heartless struck.
Tenebrae jumped back and focused his element. He coated his Keyblade in flames and rushed the swarm. In a few quick strikes, the swarm of Heartless was burned to cinders. He watched with glee as the Darkness burned.
-I…sense…it. -
Tenebrae tensed when he heard the voice. It sounded familiar but it was also foreign. There was a feeling of dread and despair, but also of hope.
-Darkness! –
Tenebrae turned with his Keyblade ready. There was nothing near him. He felt a shiver as he looked around. The voice came out of nowhere, but it was also in his head.
Tenebrae shook his head as he headed to the Library. He fulfilled his quota, so there was no point in staying. He wanted to immerse himself in whatever he could find. Though one thing did stick out to him, one subject he WANTED to study; DARKNESS!
With his mission finished, and a new idea in his mind, Tenebrae headed back to the main part of town. He was in deep in thought when he reached the Fountain Plaza.
'What was that voice? And how did is sense Darkness? I need to go back to that area when it becomes dark. I need to know what that was.'
As Tenebrae was walking by the fountain, he was struck by something warm. That then turned hot, as he was flung back by a huge explosion.
"GAHHHH!" Tenebrae splashed into the fountain. Surprisingly, the water splash was as big as the explosion that sent him flying.
Tenebrae heard laughing as he emerged. He saw pink and lilac hair, and goggles running to him. Her light brown eyes showed fear and hesitancy as she looked over him. To Tenebrae, she was cute and beautiful at the same time. His cheeks started to burn, but he quickly quelled it.
"OH MY GOSH!" the girl said as she ran up to him. Offering her hand, she said, "Are you okay? I was practicing, and I had not thought about how strong the spell was, and then I released it without aiming. Again, are you okay?"
Tenebrae wasn't sure if his head was spinning from the explosion or her speech. And she was speaking fast. But he somehow was able to follow most of it.
He reached up to grab her hand but stopped before they made contact. Tenebrae instead grabbed the edge and pushed himself over. He shook off and loose water, making sure he wasn't near the girl. When he was damp, he placed his hands together and focused his element. His entire body heated up and steam erupted from his body. His clothes dried instantly.
"I'm fine," he said, trying not to show any emotion. "A blast like that is nothing. And as you can see, I can dry myself off pretty easily."
"Oh, that's good!" the girl smiled brightly. It almost caused Tenebrae to blush more. "You see, I was practicing my magic. And then, I was seeing how big I could make it, that way I could work on making it smaller. And then…"
Tenebrae listened and nodded along. This girl seemed both bright and air headed. She was rattling off different things she had tried with her spell. It seemed that a lot of the time, it ended with an explosion like the one he was hit with. There was something off about this girl.
"Oh yeah! My name is Laci." She held out her hand.
Tenebrae had been taken aback by the sudden introduction. "Tenebrae, of Unicornus." He shook her hand.
"I'm part of Leopardus!" Laci cheered. "Oh poo, we're part of different Unions."
"Unions are weird," Tenebrae shrugged. "I can't see the need for them for them, but who am I to complain. Besides people outside of other Unions become friends."
"True," Laci said with a smile, "Well, glad to see you're okay. I should…"
"Laci! Was that you again!?"
Both Wielders turned and saw HIM! Keval came running to the Plaza. He was followed by another, a Wielder that seemed to keep him in line. She had shoulder-length, dark hair that was being kept back by a blue headband. And her light blue eyes were taking in the scene.
"Hey Keval, Cetus," Laci waved innocently. "How'd your missions go?"
"Don't change the subject," Keval said in his 'trying to be in control' voice. "We said to practice in the fields, not in town."
"What does it matter what another Union Member does?" Tenebrae was glaring at Keval. "We are all aware of the hazards of our job. Stop trying to control everyone."
"I'm not trying to control anyone, dude," Keval said, crossing his arms. "Laci is notorious for causing massive explosions. Everyone is trying to help minimize the damage."
"No one got hurt," Tenebrae rebuked, "And this conversation is stupid. I'm leaving." Tenebrae walked away before anyone could stop him.
Tenebrae went to the Library and to his normal spot. He looked for any books on Darkness and spells on mind reading. He wanted to get rid of his anger, by burying himself in his research. There was an interesting article that caught his attention: a Keyblade made in the Realm of Darkness.
"Whatcha reading?" He heard Laci, before he saw her sit near him. She had books on magic manipulation.
"Nothing of interest." He tried his best to ignore the girl near him. "I just like to read."
"Mind if I read beside you?"
"Don't see why you need to ask."
Laci nodded and started reading her book. As the pair read, Laci would occasionally use a spell, that exploded. Tenebrae ignored it for the most part. Her presence helped to calm him. But it did not deter his focus as he read his books.
When the bell chimed for night, Tenebrae put away his books. Laci had left a little bit ago, saying something along the lines of trying a new spell. Not even 10 minutes later, an explosion was heard a bit away.
Tenebrae put away the books he was reading. After that, he left the library and walked to the Fountain Plaza. He checked the area and made sure no one was around.
'I need to find out more.' Tenebrae thought as he walked towards the location of his mission. 'What was that voice? And how did it sense any Darkness in my heart?' He placed a hand on his heart and focused on his Light. It was strong, but there was something else.
He headed to the underpass, where he heard the voice. He needed to find out what it was. It sounded familiar and foreign. How, is what he was trying to understand.
As Tenebrae made it to the Underpass, he readied for battle. He inched closer and noticed purple smoke come from under the bridged. The smoke had the same feeling as the swarm from earlier.
Chirithy appeared behind him, away from the smoke. "What are you doing!? We don't have reason to be here!"
"Yes, I do," Tenebrae rebuked, "Master Ira would praise me on finding out what is going on. We need knowledge to combat the Darkness. And what better way, than finding the source."
"And if the source is destroyed?" The voice did not belong to his Chirithy. But it sounded like one, though deeper and angrier.
Tenebrae looked and saw a PURPLE CHIRITHY!? It looked like someone had dumped purple paint on this Chirithy. It did give off an aura of Darkness.
"You!?" Chirithy seemed shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"Surprised Chirithy?" The Purple Chirithy giggled, "Do you like it?"
"You... You've been tainted!" Chirithy was genuinely worried. Tenebrae could feel it's fear. "You've been tainted by Darkness."
That peaked Tenebrae's interest. A Chirithy tainted by Darkness? Did that mean it was corrupted or it's Wielder? And what would it mean if it's Wielder fell to Darkness? Tenebrae needed to find out more.
"Do you hate the Darkness?" the Dark Chirithy asked. "Do you want to destroy it?"
Tenebrae wasn't sure of its reasoning. Chirithy's reaction was one thing. But the Dark Chirithy, that was a new variable. Tenebrae was trained to fight the Darkness, but he had a fascination to learn about it.
"Well, let me tell a little secret," the Dark Chirithy giggled, "Light and Dark are two halves of the same coin. Like day and night. One cannot exist without the other. So, we should all embrace it."
"Study it, maybe," Tenebrae said, before readying his Keyblade. "Embracing it is a different story. I guess this means my mission was incomplete. Sorry. Tell your wielder, he shouldn't have been so weak."
Tenebrae lunged at the Dark Chirithy, fire coating his Keyblade. The split second before his Keyblade met plush, it transformed. The small plush looking cat changed into a deformed monster. Flames exploded as he impacted its arm. He jumped back enough to avoid decapitation.
He focused as much of his mana into his free hand. A fireball appeared and grew the size in size. And again, his Keyblade caught fire. He threw the fireball above and swiped down.
"Firaga Burst! And Fire Raid!" Tenebrae threw his Keyblade at the monster Chirithy. Many fireballs shot down from the one above the monster. His flaming Keyblade struck the Dark Chirithy multiple times, before returning to him. He grinned as he watched the monster burn.
Tenebrae's smile fell when the Dark Chirithy batted away the flames. It looked unscathed. Tenebrae didn't want to believe he did nothing. He had used most of his mana to use those attacks.
"Do you use the power of Darkness?" The Dark Chirithy cackled, "It's marvelous!" It swung its claws at Tenebrae.
Tenebrae tried to block, but the last thing he saw was the sharp claws. Then Darkness…
That was a thing, it's funny because I almost always lose some battles due to being unprepared in any game.
Anyway, storywise; I do want to thank Kale Thunderhorse Lampkin for letting me use his OC Keval, Blood Rose Knight for letting me use her OC Laci, and PrettyDandelion for letting me use her OC Cetus. All of us are part of the Light Protectors and have individual stories. Also check out Shaylex_Cosplay and her story A New Destiny, because you get to see a future version of Tenebrae in it.
Also check out the Lightprotectors tag on TikTok, to help with visuals of the characters. Most of the Protectors are there.
