I still don't own Kingdom Hearts, or any of the other various universes mentioned!
Alright, so I said last chapter I would tell you how Axel became Lea again, and how he got his immortality.
Better sit back and relax then, this one is a long story and it isn't in any way a nice one.
Get ready for a feels trip...
451. When dealing with alternate versions of Veronica, always asses their mental state from the beginning. Failure to do so is unacceptable.
Okay, so... You probably know how just about every universe has a dark side by now, right? A possible alternate where something went wrong in their timeline and the main character goes absolutely nuts?
Well, that's happened quite a few times in my multiverse.
It's part of the reason that I'm the Lynchpin, I hold everything together because I'm the most developed character of us. Occasionally I also go out an eliminate those dark possibilities before they get too strong and begin to threaten the wider multiverse. True alternates of myself are infinitely more dangerous, because they are just as powerful as I am, if not more so because they choose to fully embrace the darker half of our power and they revel in every blood-soaked inch of it.
This was one of my alternates. Her name was Vanessa, and she was, well, I guess you could call her my almost reflection. We were similar in many ways, but unlike me she didn't have Infinity and Soul to bring her back from the edge of insanity right before she fell.
She snapped, and I didn't realize anything was wrong until it was too late to stop her.
452. Always be aware of dimensional rifts and always check who or what it is that comes through.
When I felt that rift open, I sensed the tainted power that she was giving off and assumed that it was a member of my family paying me a visit.
At the time, I was talking with Axel about a very important thing, when I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and my world went black.
That was the worst mistake I ever made, and to this day I still berate myself for being so stupid.
453. Never knock Veronica unconscious.
The first thing she did was shoot me in the back, then she used something that nullified my powers so I couldn't heal myself immediately.
I didn't wake up for almost three weeks, and by then it was almost too late.
I have been terrified of being unconscious ever since because of what she did while I was out.
454. Just because Veronica is normally mischievous and fun-loving, never mistake her cheer and goodhearted mischief for ignorance.
When I woke up, I immediately knew something was wrong.
The feeling of death, mass genocide on a universal scale hung heavily in the air.
And when I looked up at the sky.
And realized that nearly all of the stars were gone.
There were only a dim handful of them left, and I figured out exactly what she was doing.
455. Just because she prefers to have fun instead of fight, doesn't mean she can't.
Vanessa pulled a Thanos.
She had slaughtered almost all of my universe in cold blood, saving the World that Never Was and the Organization for last.
I am a Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Assassins. I'm also a native of the Warhammer 40k universe. In those worlds, fighting isn't a choice, it's a survival skill.
Though I don't think she expected me to be awake and waiting for her when she arrived. I confronted her, demanding to know why she was doing this.
Vanessa may have been my near perfect mirror, but she relied more on her powers after she snapped and let her physical skills get rusty.
She and I were evenly matched, but eventually we retreated for a short breather.
And her answer chilled me to the bone.
"For fun."
Then she made the worst mistake of her life, and did something oh so incredibly stupid and unforgivable that it ROYALLY. PISSED. ME. OFF.
She pulled out Axel's soul, and shattered it right in front of me.
And she laughed as she did it.
456. Just because she doesn't like to kill, does NOT mean she won't.
I LOST IT in that moment, and for a brief second I embraced my powers completely.
She was still laughing when I turned her into dust.
But by then, it was already too late for everyone else.
Most of my universe was dead.
457. Ultimately, Veronica's powers revolve around balance. This includes the balance of Life and Death.
I raged, screamed, and mourned all that had happened, including the loss of my near Mirror for a total of ten minutes.
Then I embraced my full powers for the second time that day.
By the time I was done, my universe was almost fully restored and all of Vanessa's casualties had been brought back to life.
All except Axel.
458. Veronica is only allowed to visit the Galaxy Cauldron under extreme and desperate circumstances.
Noticing that, I immediately made my way to the Galaxy Cauldron, explained my situation to Sailor Life, and dove headfirst into the cauldron without a second thought and brought out the thing I knew would attract the shards of his soul.
His heart.
I had found it about a week before the entire shit storm started, and I was actually about to offer it back to him when Vanessa attacked.
459. Veronica is a quick learner and an expert at puzzles.
I had to be an expert to piece him back together again from shards.
The most horrible thing about the entire situation however, was that Axel was awake and aware the entire time I was putting him back together.
460. Immortality is not a decision to be taken lightly, or a gift to be given carelessly.
I paused briefly before I could put in the final piece, his heart, and asked him a question.
"Axel, if I do this," I started, my purple eyes meeting his green. "Then you'll be whole again, a complete person, but..." I trailed off in hesitation.
"But?" He prompted me after a second of silence.
I bit my lip, before I averted my eyes and finished. "But it's nearly impossible for a mortal soul to come back from being shattered without having changed in some way." I felt a tear slip down my face. "I used my powers to fuse your soul back together, so there's a good chance that if I do this, you'll be just as immortal as I am. Or, I could send you back now, and with the way the timeline is going you'll eventually be revived as Lea and still be completely mortal."
His eyes widened in shock, before they softened and he wrapped his arms around me. "Do it." He whispered. My head snapped back up to look at him as my eyes widened. "I'd rather be whole, able to fully feel all of my emotions instead of these muted versions, and be immortal with you than spend another day without my heart." He said softly.
"But you'll have to watch everyone else you care about age and die as you stay the same." I muttered into his chest. "Not many turned immortals can survive that kind of grief and stay sane."
Axel shook his head as he put a hand under my chin and gently lifted my head so he could look me in the eyes. "As long as I have you, then I can survive anything the multiverse throws at us."
I couldn't change his mind after that, and so I fused his heart back with his soul.
And that's the story folks. Tragedy all around, and yet a happy ending. Lea did come back as an immortal, the Chaos God of Contradictions, and currently he is in the middle of that century long stage where his previously mortal body is slowly adapting and changing to contain his immortal soul.
I'm bringing him everywhere with me right now, as being in close proximity to me and my power actually helps him stabilize quicker since I was the one who pieced him back together. He doesn't mind it in the slightest, and said that being beside me made it all worth it...