New chapter, means more story. And Tenebrae is finally looking like how he does in TikTok, which makes me ecstatic.
And we are closing out the BBS Timeline here, though I guess there will be deviations from the games, since he doesn't exactly do well with crowds lol
Still enjoy and let me know what you think.
Gold, black and silver could be seen zipping through the Realm of Darkness. Heartless were being destroyed left and right. Explosions of purple flames rocked the landscape as battles raged. Laughter could be heard from the only sentient being in the Realm.
"Oh! I am never getting rid of you!" Tenebrae smiled at his new Keyblade. He felt the rush from using his abilities through it. "I can accomplish anything with this."
As he spent more time in the Realm of Darkness, he noticed unusual things happening. Buildings and areas, he didn't fully recognize seemed to appear. A castle, a mine, and a weird hallway. He had sensed faint traces of Light from the areas. But he proceeded through them with little difficulty.
As Tenebrae progressed, he had noticed the presence of a beautiful woman. Blue hair and eyes, with a figure that would have men drooling. But there was so much sadness coming from her. He had watched as she progressed through what seemed to be her own personal hell. But how she got here, that was what he wanted to know.
Tenebrae knew better than to interact with her. He went back to a normal part of the Realm. There was where he trained and got used to his new power. The more he fought with the Keyblade, the more balanced he felt. He couldn't shake the feeling of joy, which was weird after all this time.
"It won't last you know. It just won't last."
There went his good mood. Tenebrae growled as he turned. He noticed Heloa sitting on a pillar close by.
"I don't care for your opinion," Tenebrae snapped back. "I got what I need, and I'm stronger for it."
"Is it you that is stronger?" Heloa put a finger to his chin. "Or is it the Darkness? I'm sure you noticed the all the destroyed worlds. The Darkness is slowly encroaching. And yet all you do is swing around that overgrown toy."
"Jealous you can't wield one?" Tenebrae smirked. "Last I checked, you needed Light. And from what I can tell, you have none."
"I may not, but I'm still the strongest being here. You should just submit to me."
"No deal," Tenebrae walked away. "I already won our bet. No need to make another wager."
Tenebrae traveled through a new area of the Realm. Instead of rocks and stone, it started to change to sand. The sand connected to a cave that had light emitting from it. Tenebrae exited and was surprised to find a beach. The tropical landscape caught him off-guard. Elements of a child's playground were everywhere, from the treehouse to the racecourse.
"How could such a bright place be overrun? The Heartless would need a powerful beacon. But what could it have been?"
A presence nearby caught his attention. A large door was set up near the base of a tree. He walked up to the door and opened it. To no surprise, the Realm restarted in it. But to his surprise, he saw a copy of his Keyblade. Just like his, it was floating in midair.
"The same Key huh? It is forged here, I guess." He thought out loud. "But this world is new. What could be the connection?"
Tenebrae decided to head back to his previous location. It had been a while since he last set up camp. And something told him he should rest up a while. He cleared an area of the Heartless and staked his claim. He laid down and closed his eyes, deciding to get some well-deserved sleep. -
Tenebrae was sure he was only asleep for a short while. So why now was he hearing a new sound. Instead of the calming sounds of Darkness, there was the sound of a town. The sound reminded him of Daybreak Town.
He slowly opened his eyes and was greeted with a new sight. Instead of the black and purple of the Realm of Darkness, he was met with dark browns and tans of buildings. He seemed to be in an alleyway.
Tenebrae stood up. He pulled on his hood and goggles to cover his features. 'Time to scout.' Tenebrae exited the alley and noticed it was beside a large building. Walking to the front of it, he saw signs for accessories and jewelry. It seemed to be a shop. 'I wonder if a Moogle works there?'
He went down a flight of stairs. To his left was a mailbox. To his right, there was a café under a building's balcony. In front of him, were two lampposts and a large gate.
Tenebrae walked closer to the lampposts. Examining them, they seemed to be stable and in working condition. The large gate intrigued Tenebrae the most. As he got closer to it, he noticed it wasn't linked to anything. Tenebrae felt plenty of Darkness on the other side. 'It isn't a part of the town. Then where does it lead?'
Tenebrae felt a presence come from the gate. He ran off to the side and sat at the café. The large gates opened as a dog, duck and a…dog!? walked through. Two of the beasts were anthropomorphic. The bipedal dog seemed a bit goofy. The duck seemed to be very serious. The other dog was following behind happily.
The bipedal dog looked up and pointed at the sky. Tenebrae looked up and saw a star flicker and die. 'What was that?' The trio then left, the quadrupedal dog noticed something and ran off. Tenebrae felt a presence appear in the location he woke up in.
He waited as all the presences left the area. Including the one that seemed to belong to a young boy. He came from the alleyway and was looking around. His spikey hair and outfit seemed unusual for the world. He ascended the stairs and out of sight.
Tenebrae felt an unusual Light come from the boy. But at the same time, he felt a righteous heart. One fit enough to Wield a Keyblade. 'But all the Wielders are gone. Or I thought they were. Would someone even be able to bequeath one to him?'
Tenebrae needed to learn where he was. He looked and saw an item shop nearby. He entered it and was surprised to see it run by three bipedal ducklings. They had a hat and shirt combo. One in red, another in green, and the last was in blue.
"Welcome to our shop!" They all called.
Tenebrae looked around. It was a small place and well kept. The three ducklings seemed quite well off.
"I was hoping for some information." Tenebrae said. "I'm new to the area. And…"
"Was your world destroyed?" One of them asked.
Destroyed was the best comparison. Though, decimated and crumbling fit better.
"Yes," Tenebrae nodded, feigning sadness. "I was the only one that I know survived."
"Well this is Traverse Town. A world where those with no where to go end up. It has been around since forever."
'A World to house refugees. No wonder there is so much Darkness around. Is this a world in-between Light and Darkness? Just like that other place?'
"I see," Tenebrae faked a smile. Reaching into his pocket and pulled out a pouch. He had been able to save his Munny pouch, and the Heartless seemed to always drop it. "This isn't much but consider it a thank you." He left the Munny on the counter and left.
Tenebrae felt a strong presence of Darkness, that then vanished. It was definitely a Heartless. But what could have vanquished it? It wasn't his place, he had to get back to the Realm of Darkness.
Tenebrae wandered around and investigated more of the area. Tenebrae wasn't sure how he even got in Traverse Town anyway. He saw many buildings and another gate behind the Accessory shop. There were many Dark presences behind it; Heartless, he could tell.
Tenebrae decided to head back toward the main gates. He didn't feel any presences outside in the plaza. That was a little weird. Something felt off…
"Well…well…well. What do we have here?" A new voice called.
Tenebrae reacted and ducked as something flew over his head. A quick glance and Tenebrae saw what could have been a purple bolt. It did not have the form of an arrow though. It looked to be more of a crystal. That still didn't explain how it traveled so fast.
"Oh, look at that! Kiddo's pretty nimble. I'm impressed."
Tenebrae ran to the staircase and hid behind one of the walls. Whoever this was, had a long-range weapon. So long as his back was covered, he would be fine. He needed a plan.
"Pretty smart." Tenebrae flinched. The voice came from in front of him. He looked and saw something pointed at his face. "But not smart enough."
The "weapon" in front of him started to glow. Tenebrae ducked quickly as something was fired from it. He quickly identified that it was a gun-like weapon. Tenebrae jumped to the side to look at his assailant.
All Tenebrae saw was a black hood and coat. What caught Tenebrae's eye was the weapon in their hand. They looked like pistols, or a crossbow? It was some kind of ranged weapon though.
"Oh, come on," the figure said, "At least make this interesting. You are a Heartless, right?"
'Heartless? Can he sense my Darkness?' "I'm just a traveler." He said to his assailant. "Why mistake me for a creature that destroyed my home?"
The hooded figure wagged a finger. "Oh no no no. You don't get to pretend. I know who you are, Wielder from the Age of Fairy Tales."
Tenebrae reacted to the phrase. He jumped back over the wall behind him. He landed near the lampposts and readied himself.
'Who is this guy?' He was ready to summon Kingdom Key D. 'And he knew about my Darkness and my past. But why did he call it a fairy tale?'
Tenebrae kept his eyes trained on the figure. He couldn't portray a helpless victim now. He had to fight, or…
"Tell me something," he called out to the figure, "You know of who or what I am. Yet you hunt me without remorse. You should at least let me hear the name of my killer. If you can kill me that is."
The figure laughed. "The name is Xigbar. And let's just say, I have a suspicion you and I are more alike than you know. But my name isn't what you should worry about, but the name Organization XIII."
'Organization XIII?' Tenebrae thought, 'Not a Union, but what does it mean? And the number? What significance does it bear?'
"Good" Tenebrae smirked. He focused his mana, and aimed his palms at Xigbar, "DARK FIRAGA ERUPTION BURST!" His hands were coated in purple flames that then shot towards the figure. Many purple fireballs impacted and exploded. Tenebrae had a feral grin as the flames erupted.
"Not bad." Tenebrae flinched as something sharp was pressed to his head. "And to think, some of you actually survived. From what I know, you weren't a Dandelion, were you?"
"How did you…" Tenebrae had a bit of relief when the pressure was gone.
"How about this?" Xigbar said "We show our faces and we have a chat?"
Tenebrae turned around and glared at Xigbar. His guns were away, but Tenebrae knew he was fast. Would Tenebrae be able to win without his Keyblade?
"Agreed." Tenebrae reached up and removed his hood, silver hair coming free. He removed his goggles, letting them rest on his chest. He opened his red eyes and looked at Xigbar's brown.
Xigbar seemed to be much older than him. His salt and pepper hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The most noticeable features were a scar on his left cheek and an eyepatch over his right eye. He had a smirk that hid many emotions.
"So, we know what the other looks like," Tenebrae sighed. "My name is Tenebrae. Former member of Unicornus, current Seeker of the Eclipse."
"Tenebrae, huh?" Xigbar smiled. "Interesting name. But the title is on I'm intrigued with. Why 'Eclipse'?"
"I seek a balance of Light and Darkness." Tenebrae noticed how Xigbar, didn't have a heart. But he wasn't a Heartless. "And I wasn't lying when I said I was a traveler."
"Oh, I got that much. Not many can survive in the Realm of Darkness for so long without protection." Xigbar tugged his coat. "And the Organization has these. To help us."
"Well I'm doing just fine. Don't mind me. I need to go home."
Xigbar started to laugh. "Not sure is I can let you. You see, you are a strange one. One who shouldn't exist, but still does. One on the edge of Light and Darkness, but not on either side."
"I'm simply a researcher. A Wielder I may be, but I only seek knowledge to bring about balance."
"Oh! Then I guess we don't need to worry about you after all." Xigbar smiled, but Tenebrae could feel there was more to it. "Alright Little Darkness, you can go. We of the Organization won't hurt you. Nobody's honor."
Tenebrae raised an eyebrow. He knew it wouldn't be that easy. But he would take what he could get. He needed more information but could tell Xigbar would not give any up.
Tenebrae walked past Xigbar. Tenebrae heard him say, "Run from the next war as well." Tenebrae looked to Xigbar, only for him to be gone. Tenebrae growled as he headed towards the gate.
He now realized why there was no one else. There was a separation of space. He figured it out now that Xigbar was gone. "Great, now I have another mystery to solve." -
A copy Key, a new face, and a new group. How will Tenebrae process all this information? Guess we'll know next time.
And thanks again to Kale Thunderhorse Lampkin for letting me use Heloa, and let's just say his presence will always be there.
And let's just say next chapter,we get into the fun stuff lol
