SO because of the number of the chapter, I decided to have fun with this chapter. And by fun, I mean progressing my OC's mental state by, less than nice means.
So expect some heartache as a special guest makes an appearance.
Tenebrae woke up stiff, again. 'I really need to start sleeping on the ground. Or a bed.' He stretched and jumped off the roof.
It was the hustle and bustle of the town that woke him up. He must have slept for longer than he thought. It looked like a lunch rush was hitting the District. Many people could be seen, and few were startled when he landed.
Tenebrae walked around, but eventually bought some food. He did head over to Cetus' shop to check on her. Cetus stood outside, watering some of the flowers.
'She isn't my friend,' Tenebrae thought, 'And even with her infliction, I have no reason to talk with her. She seemed content with her life. No need to drag her back to this one.'
Tenebrae walked to the Light Protector's apartment. When he got to it, he knocked on the door. Keval was the one who answered. He smiled as he let Tenebrae enter. Tenebrae noticed only Solas and Rylan were there. The latter was working on another sucker.
"Yo bro, how ya feeling?" Keval asked as he sat on a couch.
Tenebrae leaned against the door frame. "Fine. I was curious who I was going to be paired with today?"
"Why not just take a rest day to relax?" Rylan asked, "You could use a day off. You seem tense."
"I'm tense because SHUT UP!" Tenebrae growled. "I just prefer to do something. I don't like being idle. Not when there are things to kill."
The three other Wielders looked at each other, worried.
"You sure you don't want a day to relax?" Solas asked. "That's a bit of an extreme mindset, don't you think?"
"I have spent the last few years fighting to survive," Tenebrae said with a sigh. "It's taking a while to adjust. So, I'd rather do what I do best. And that is killing Heartless."
"Sounds like you need a chill day," Keval laughed. "Look, why not spend the day with us here? We can have a Bro Day!"
"Pass!" Tenebrae growled. He turned to the open the door. "When you want to fight some Heartless, come find me."
Tenebrae left the apartment without another word. He went to the Shopping District to cool off.
Tenebrae couldn't afford to do nothing. He couldn't focus properly, with everything that was going on. There were too many things happening at one time. And none of it made sense to him. At the moment, he had no means of being able to study any of it.
Tenebrae traveled around the Shopping District. He grabbed a snack from a vender before following the Tram tracks. As he walked, he came to a wall with a hole in it. He shrugged before going through the hole.
The change of scenery was drastic. Tenebrae was now in a thick wood. Trees as far as the eyes can see. There did seem to be a path to in it.
Tenebrae chose to follow the path. As he walked it, he was ambushed by Heartless. He made quick work the pests and continued on. The Heartless here were small fry compared to the ones he fought in Hollow Bastion. They were defeated in a few seconds.
Tenebrae continued down the path and came to a break in the trees. A large clearing gave way to a building. It looked like an abandoned mansion. It had a gate with a giant lock on it.
'Guess someone dislikes their neighbors. Also, looks like no one's been around for years.'
Tenebrae did his best to examine what he could. The pillars out front were old and falling apart. Some were covered in vines. There was a window that caught Tenebrae's attention. It was the fact that the window had white curtains. The same curtains seemed to be moving.
'There is more to this place than it seems. I sense a connection to the Darkness. But where?'
Tenebrae was about to head back, when he felt a surge of Darkness. He summoned his Keyblade in time to protect himself. A large sphere of Darkness impacted his guard and he was blasted back. A large Darkside was in the middle of the clearing.
"Oh good," Tenebrae readied his Keyblade. "I was looking for a stress reliever."
He coated his weapon in flames before charging at the Heartless. He focused on attacking its hands, to try and weaken it. When it struck the ground, he took the opportunity and ran up its arm.
"Fire Surge!" Tenebrae cut across its face with a clean cut. Flames spreading as he landed.
The Darkside reared back and slammed its arm into the ground again. A dark portal appeared as its shoulder stopped it from going farther. It pulled out a large sphere that it lifted up. The sphere ascended into the sky, before many dark spheres descended into the clearing.
Tenebrae put distance between him and the Darkside. It took all he could to focus on the orbs and the Heartless. He dodged many of them before projectiles came at him. Tenebrae swatted those away. A few slipped past his swings and were able to hit him.
Tenebrae was almost out of breath. It was getting harder to focus. All he saw was red as he grinned like an animal. All thoughts were on one thing: Destruction!
Tenebrae crouched low, before using as much mana as he could to propel himself up. At his apex, Tenebrae pour as much of his element into his Keyblade. Kingdom Key D came a live with purple flames. On his descent, Tenebrae put all his strength and momentum into a downward strike. He cut straight down the center of the Darkside, landing underneath it.
Tenebrae stood up, facing away from the Heartless. He held up his free hand and snapped. "Let the flames of Darkness consume you."
Purple flame erupted from the Darkside. It was a satisfying view for him. When the Heartless fell, he was its heart get released and float away.
"It's still weird seeing anything but Lux be released," He said as he dismissed his Keyblade. "And it's going to that artificial Kingdom Hearts."
Tenebrae needed to go back to that World. He had to get closer to that moon and see if it was what he felt. Having gone through Kingdom Hearts, or a version of it, he now had a basis to gauge its power. But he wasn't sure how he would be able to travel to other Realms.
Tenebrae turned to head into the forest. Before he could leave, he felt a familiar, disturbing presence. He sighed as he turned around. To no surprise, THEY were behind him.
Heloa and Hashley were there. What didn't make sense was how they were in the Realm of Light. Both were beings of Darkness; they shouldn't be able to cross Realms. Then again, Heartless were always in the Realm of Light. So that theory was disproved.
"Hello again, old friend," Heloa smirked. "Good to see you away from the Light."
"You are not my friend," Tenebrae growled. He pointed to his chest, "And so long as I'm breathing, there will always be a Light within me. I've proven that time and again."
Heloa laughed. "Yes, you have proven you are resilient and stubborn. But don't forget, Light and Darkness go hand in hand. But Light always fails."
Tenebrae summoned his Keyblade. "Says you. All you know is Darkness. I doubt you even know how it feels to have Light. So, for the last time, LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"And why should we?" Hashley giggled. "You are like us. We should stick together. Just like you didn't before the War."
Heloa wrapped an arm around Hashley's waist, the latter purring like a kitten. "However, I know a way to convince you to help us."
"There is nothing you can say or do to convince me," Tenebrae didn't ease up. What was Heloa planning? "What could you possibly know that would make me help?"
"How about where Laci is currently hiding?"
Tenebrae dropped Kingdom Key D out of shock. The Keyblade dismissed, but Tenebrae didn't even notice because of his shock. There was no way! She was gone! But the others should have been as well, yet the Light Protectors were still around.
"You're lying," Tenebrae started to shake. The shaking grew alongside his anger. "YOU ARE LYING!"
"Am I?" Heloa chuckled. "Why would I lie to you, old friend?"
"You are NOT my friend!" Tenebrae roared.
"Then let me prove it." A portal opened next to Heloa. "If you want to see her, go through here. I'm sure your Light will be strong enough."
Tenebrae looked between Heloa and the portal. There was no way his words were true. Tenebrae came to terms that he was alone. None of the other Wielders should even exist. She should be gone too.
But if that theory was sound, what did that mean for the others? For Keval, Shaylex, and the Light Protectors. Even with all the time that had passed, there were still may survivors from Daybreak Town. Maybe… just maybe…
Tenebrae walked up to the portal. He spared a look to Heloa and Hashley. "If you are wrong, I will destroy you."
Heloa had a confident smile. "I can assure you; she is alive."
Tenebrae ignored it as he walked through the portal. As soon as he got the truth, he would be right back to the Protectors. Whether or not she was alive or not would not dictate his future.
As expected, the portal took him to the Realm of Darkness. He should have expected as much. But he wasn't sure how Laci tied into all of this. How would she even had gotten here?
"And who are you?" A new voice called. It sounded familiar, like a long-lost memory.
Tenebrae turned and saw her. The same hair, the same goggles, but there were a few differences. Her eyes weren't brown, but a golden yellow. Her hair wasn't in their normal pigtails either but flowing down her back freely. She was wearing the same coat as Shaylex.
"A peculiar subject," Laci said. "A being of Darkness. But there is something else. Light? Quite the anomaly." She giggled at some weird joke.
Tenebrae wasn't sure how to feel. He was relieved to see her. He was shocked she was still alive. He was confused about how she addressed him. And terrified when she summoned a fireball and chucked it at him.
He narrowly dodged the magic. The resulting explosion was just as he remembered. He wasn't sure why she attacked him though.
"Wait! Laci!" Tenebrae held up his hands defensively. "I'm not a Heartless. I'm a friend."
"Friend?" Laci tilted her head. "I don't have any. And if you aren't a Heartless, then you should be able to handle a small explosion."
Laci held up another fireball and hurled it at Tenebrae. He summoned his Keyblade and coated it in flames. He swung and slashed at the oncoming fireball. The two magics cancelled each other out.
"Guess you aren't a Heartless," Laci giggled. "And that is a cute toy. I'm surprised to see one of those, after the War and all."
Tenebrae relaxed a bit. "And I guess you remember. But I also guess you don't recognize me? It's probably better that way. Just consider me a shadow of the past."
"Well if you are a shadow, then I just need to get rid of it. Just like I got rid of my old self," Laci smiled cruelly as she prepared more magic. "By the way, my name is Alicx. Laci is gone."
'an anagram with an X added?' Tenebrae thought. 'And a coat like Shaylex and Xigbar. What is going on?'
Tenebrae jumped back and barely avoided the explosion. He kept dodging and jumping as Alicx fired off spell after spell. She seemed to be enjoying all of this more than she should have.
"Laci! Wait! It's me!" Tenebrae hoped this would work. "It's Tenebrae of Unicornus."
The barrage of magic stopped. Alicx looked at him wide-eyed. She seemed to be shocked, which worked for him. The shock soon turned to anger. Alicx summoned a fireball larger than all her previous ones combined.
"You left me to die!" Alicx cried as she threw the fireball at Tenebrae. "You ran like a coward!"
"Oh crap!" Tenebrae charged as much mana as he could into his Keyblade. The flames roared as he swung at the incoming attack. "Firaga Blade!" The two attacks collided, with an explosion that sent Tenebrae flying into a nearby rock formation.
Alicx walked up to him, the anger never leaving her eyes. She wasn't the same girl Tenebrae remembered. This girl was different. And it worried him greatly.
"Do you know how long I suffered, coward?" Alicx asked. "Do you know what I endured in that War? All because I held onto the slightest hope of seeing my friends. But guess what? You were never on the list!"
"What?" Tenebrae coughed up a little blood.
"It was pity. You wanted someone to be by your side. You just didn't want to admit it. We were never friends. I just needed a place to work on my experiments in private. And you were someone everyone else avoided."
'That's a lie,' Tenebrae thought, he could feel his Darkness growing. 'No, she didn't need to sit with me, if that was the case. She could have stayed away, like everyone else. Did… did I misread our entire relationship?' His head sagged forward, tears beginning to pool in his eyes.
Alicx turned and walked away. "Too bad. If you were just a bit stronger, I would happily do some experiments on you. But right now," She looked over her shoulder. "The sight of you makes me sick." She walked deeper into the Realm and out of sight.
Tenebrae felt enough pain in his body to force him to pass out. It seemed like he used more mana than he expected today. His last thought before the darkness took hold, was of Laci and her bright smile. -
Tenebrae woke up in front of the abandoned mansion. He wasn't sure how he got there, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he saw Laci, or Alicx now. Did that make her a Nobody like Shaylex?
Tenebrae was too exhausted mentally to worry about all of this. He didn't even feel his urge to kill. He just felt tired. But he also felt charged.
Tenebrae held out his palm and thought of a random spot in Twilight Town. In front of him, a portal to Darkness opened. He poked his head through, and sure enough, the location he chose was on the other side. 'Good to see transportation is possible again. A little late, but better late than never.'
Tenebrae decided to close the portal and walk through the forest. He struck down any Heartless with ease. As he went back into town, his thoughts wandered back to Alicx. He tried to keep her words out of his head, but it didn't work. He felt the tired feeling return, along with a feeling of sadness.
He decided to rest for the night. He jumped onto a random roof and made himself comfortable.
'Guess I'll check in with Keval's group for a mission tomorrow,' Tenebrae thought as he drifted to sleep. 'I was gone all day today.' -
And here we go. Like I said, I needed to mess with my OC's mental state. I also needed a none BS way of giving him some lost abilities.
I will say thanks to BloodRoseKnight, who is the creator of Laci/Alicx. Check out her LP story Fire Light, for Laci's views on the Protectors.
