I do not own Pandora Hearts in any way!
Speech Key:
"The" – Oral/Normal Speaking
'The' – Thoughts
'The' - Telepathic Speech
AN: Sorry for not updating in so long! But I've had a REALLY bad case of writer's block!
Enjoy the chapter!
The Altered Rotation
oO~The Final Shard~Oo
Oz, Alice, Break, and Gilbert along with Cheshire arrived at Reveille to see hordes of Chains attacking the city left and right.
"What's going on?" Gilbert said in shock and disbelief as he watched more and more Chains appear.
Oz took a look at the Chains that were attacking and immediately recognized them, absentmindedly braiding a tiny section of his long hair to the feather Griffyn had given him at the same time.
"They're Trumps and Trump Cards," Oz stated, causing everyone to direct their attention over to him.
"What are you talking about, Oz-kun?" Sharon asked curiously.
"These Chains that are attacking aren't the highest level that you would expect to find," Oz explained, pointing to the specified Chains, "As Alice and I had explained quite a while back, Trumps and Trump Cards are the weakest Chains within the Abyss."
The Trump Cards had large, bulgy white heads with button eyes and mouths that were sewn shut, but came apart when they opened their mouths. Their bodies were long and heavy, but skinny with no legs. They wore green long-sleeved coats with lines of either black clubs (clovers in general terms), black spades, red hearts or red diamonds going down the center strip of white on the coats.
The Trumps, however, varied.
One look just like the hedgehog, they'd once faced. Another looked like a human child's head upon the body of an arachnid. And another was a caterpillar with multiple tongues and eyes that had a human wrist and hand attached to the arm of a strong reptile-like demon; it shot out missile-like blasts from its nails.
"What are the differences between the two?" Break asked, interested at the bit of information.
"Trumps and Trumps Cards can be grouped into the same category, but they aren't the same type of Chain," Oz told everyone, "Trumps attack alone and whenever they choose to do so. Trump Cards, on the other hand, are much different; they are considered the 'pawns of the Abyss'."
"Pawns of the Abyss?" Gilbert interjected. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"That means that while Trumps also obey the Will of the Abyss' command," Oz told everyone, "Trump Cards carry out everything together and stick together fighting for the Abyss herself. In a battle against her, she will always use the Trump Cards first before throwing out any other trump or higher –leveled Chain."
"And you would know this how…?" Gilbert narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"I-um-you could say that I ended up fighting against her once because I fell over and broke her teacup when I stumbled into her lair," Oz laughed nervously, while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
-Pandora Headquarters-
"There's been a massive outbreak of Chains?" a man cried out. "How? That many Chains can't just appear without a Summoner!"
"We don't know, sir," a Pandora member tried to calm the man down, "we just got word a few minutes ago that Chains had started to appear in Reveille!"
"I want every member of Pandora down at Reveille to stop this madness!" another shouted in outrage.
But unfortunately, before another word could be said, the doors to the meeting hall burst open to reveal a mass of Trump Cards dragging themselves in.
"Why are all these Trump Cards attacking?" someone shouted, as half of the Pandora members tried to get all the nobles and aristocrats out of the room as the other half tried to fight off the Chains.
-Reveille-
"It can't be the Baskervilles causing this, isn't it?" Gilbert assumed.
Break nodded. "I have no doubt that for once, the Baskervilles aren't the source of the problem this time, but something else is. But the question is: What is it?"
"Abyss," Alice spoke, "It's the Will of the Abyss. She's the source."
"What do you mean by that, Alice?" Jack asked, slightly panicked, but not showing it.
"The Will of the Abyss is crying out and the Trumps and Trump Cards are all expressing her feelings," Alice explained, "at least…that's what it feels like."
"Maybe Alice-san can sense the feelings of the Will of the Abyss herself," Sharon suggested, her fun-loving air replaced by a serious one as her expression reflected the horror she felt at seeing the town up in flames.
"So grief is what caused the balance of the Abyss to shift," Break mused.
Just then, the platform they all stood on was blasted by the caterpillar-like Trump.
"I believe that we've just received an invitation," Oz said. He spread his arms at both of his Chains and calling out, "Cheshire Cat! B-Rabbit!"
The seal on Alice's and Cheshire's powers were released as Alice shifted into her Rabbit form and Cheshire began slashing at the Trumps with his claws, just as Alice did with her scythe and spear-tipped chains.
"We shall fight as well," Sharon said, before calling out, "Eques!"
The black unicorn Chain appeared and charged right through the group of Trumps headed in her direction, sending them up in flames.
Break just said, "Mad Hatter."
Said Chain appeared and it, too began attacking the Chains in its path, as Break slashed through them, dissolving them, with the hidden sword within his cane.
Gilbert shot any Chain in his path, while oz used his powers and the blood-crusted blade (which always managed to look new when he used it) that always hung at his waist.
Oz hacked through another Chain before a flashed of black caught his eye. Looking over in that direction, he saw the feather he'd braided into his hair and immediately got an idea.
Concentrating on the Chain he was about to bring out, he quietly said, "Griffyn, I have need of you."
-Elsewhere-
Zai Vessalius awoke from his sleep when he felt his Chain being called out, the seal on its power being released.
He sat up in his bed in time to see his Chain disappear within a twister of black and violet.
He quickly changed and donned his maroon cloak before setting out to follow the link he had to his Chain.
'No one but I has the power to summon Griffyn,' the Duke Vessalius thought, leaping form building to building, 'So, then, who has called him?'
Little, did he know, however, that he was about to find himself at a crossroads soon enough.
-Three Hours Later-
It had been three hours since the group had begun fighting and it still hadn't stopped.
"Just how many will keep coming?" Oz panted. "We destroy them and all they do is keep coming back or more come in their place!"
"Damn!" Gilbert cursed at everyone huddled into each other, their backs against one another, creating a small circle, their Chains around them in a larger circle.
"I expect that Chains attack and do anything to get rid of the Will of the Abyss' grief," Oz panted, "But this is just ridiculous! They just keep coming back no matter what we do!"
"Then I believe that it is time for us to fall back and bring out Mad Hatter's powers," Break said, sheathing his blade.
Oz nodded. He re-sealed both his Chains' powers just as Sharon had recalled Eques. He turned to Griffyn and said, "Thank you for aiding us in our battle."
The Chain only nodded before leaving in the same fashion he'd arrived.
Oz pointed his palm at Alice, who held a feline Cheshire in her arms, and place a barrier around them.
Zai watched from the shadows as his Chain helped his son and his companions fight against the onslaught of Chains.
'Where are all of these Chains coming from?' he thought, watching the never-ending approach of Chains.
He looked again at his son and remembered the conversation he and Griffyn had just a while back.
'He's grown to be strong,' he thought, 'And not just physically, but both in intelligence and power-wise as well.'
He watched as Oz slash though another couple Trumps.
'If I'd known that my loyalty to the Baskervilles would cost me my wife and the only chance at a family, I'd never have joined,' Zai sighed, 'I can't say thta I don't blame myself, for I do. If I never lost that battle with Zwei, I wouldn't be in this position. It was because of that, that I condemned my own son to the Abyss.'
'Son. Oz. And there is also my daughter, whom I'd never even lain eyes until that day at the Academy,' Zai watched as Oz blasted another three Chains back from whence they came, 'She's never even known me…all because I allowed myself to be distanced form them…'
Mulling over everything in his thoughts, he came to a decision.
One that just may cost him his life.
"Break," Oz nodded at the white-haired man, who gave a nod back.
"It's time for you to release you true power, my Mad Hatter," Break said as his Chain's large eyes opened and let loose a blinding light.
At the same time, Oz had slammed his right fist down to the ground, creating a large crater in the process mind you, and began pouring his powers through his fist, causing pulses of power to spread from him to all over Reveille.
Gilbert and Sharon quickly shielded their eyes from the brightness of both attacks combined, before opening them once more when the lights had dimmed.
"The power to destroy anything of the Abyss," Sharon muttered quietly, "A truly cruel and thankful power to have."
Gilbert silently agreed.
Just then, out of nowhere, it began snowing, of all things.
"It's not over yet, Jack-nii," Alice said seriously.
Jack only nodded as he told everyone to find shelter.
"What's going on?" Gilbert asked as everyone entered the abandoned building.
"I don't know," Oz sighed, "But I have a feeling we'll find out in a while."
A few minutes later everyone sat by the fire that Gilbert and Jack had started in the fireplace.
"It's such a dismal sight, isn't it?" Alice asked rhetorically, looking out the window at the dark sky and the snow covering the empty town. "It almost feels like the Abyss."
Everyone, but Oz and Cheshire, turned their heads to look at Alice in both shock and curiosity.
"How so, Alice-san?" Sharon asked from her place near the hearth.
Alice came and sat down next to Oz, bringing a feline Cheshire into her lap. "In the darkness where solitude and despair hold sway, I was always alone. Day after day, with nothing to do other than to pick fights with meaningless Chains and wait for something I didn't even know of; my mind and body often grew cold as ice," Alice let Cheshire shift to his humanoid form before letting her lean against him, with his Arm around her, "But that was before Oz-nii showed up and took me away from that place," she looked up at everyone seriously, "The Abyss is a place of endless torment, even crueler than death itself."
"There is a reason for the unbalance," came a voice.
Upon hearing the somewhat familiar, and yet not, voice, everyone stood in different stances, waiting for whomever it was to show themselves.
"Show yourself," Oz commanded calmly, as he'd recognized the voice, but was still wary of its owner.
Zai Vessalius stepped out of the shadows, clothed in his Baskerville robes, though his hood was down, allowing everyone to see him for who he was.
"What is it you want?" Oz said in a monotone voice, face blank of emotion.
"To stop the Will of the Abyss, you must use the power within you," was all the Duke Vessalius said before disappearing in a flurry of black feathers and violet light.
Everyone stared at the spot where the Duke had stood in just moments before.
Jack blinked. "Did he just help us?"
"I think he might have," Gilbert just answered in disbelief.
Zai Vessalius stood outside the building, watching his son and his comrades.
'What I did was completely against my orders as well as my own boundaries,' he thought to himself, walking off to find shelter for the time being.
'But you at least have finally made contact with the son you'd never bothered to get to know out of ignorance,' Griffyn replied.
'I have done no such thing,' Zai denied, 'All I have done is prevent the boy from not doing something he will regret.'
'Then why would you have done that if not for an attempt at redemption?' the Chain countered.
Zai had no answer.
"Well now we know how to stop her," Break commented.
"But the true question is: What has upset her so much that she lashes out the way she has done?" Oz asked rhetorically.
Before anyone could answer, the ground began shaking with harsh tremors.
The group ran outside only to see that many of the buildings were falling over from the force of the quakes.
Just then, a pillar of lavender light shot up from the ground and into the sky, parting the clouds, but only briefly.
"Something's there," Alice muttered loud enough for all to hear before running in the direction of the light.
"That Baka-Usagi," Gilbert mumbled as he ran after his master and the Chain. "Oz!"
"I believe we should be getting along as well," Breal said weakly, still drained from using Mad Hatter's power.
"No, Break," Sharon said, "You can't do anything in the condition you're in. All we can do is watch and hope for the best.
When Oz, Alice and Cheshire, who was in her arms, arrived at the pillar, it shattered in sparks as a large dragon was revealed.
Pandora~Hearts
The Dragon was possibly about six times as large as Mad Hatter at the very least with navy-blue body, sharp claws and teeth, a pair of giant wings in the same color it was, and red eyes that looked as though they say nothing.
Pandora~Hearts
"Oh Goddess," Oz breathed in awe and slight disbelief as the knowledge of the Chain automatically came to him. "Draconis…"
"What?" Gilbert said as Alice and Cheshire looked at Oz with questioning glances.
"This Chain isn't one that is very well known," the gold-haired man explained, gaining strange looks from those around him, "In fact, I hadn't any clue until I was provided with the knowledge." Oz looked back at Draconis. "This Chain, although a very good copy of the Chain, Jabberwock, it isn't exact. It has different capabilities and unlike Jabberwock, who'd been around for longer than Alice had been as a Chain, this Chain was created only moments ago at the most."
"And what does that mean exactly?" Gilbert asked.
"It means that this Chain is source of the Will of the Abyss' grief," Oz stated, "and the only way to stop it would be to destroy it."
"Destr—damnit!" Gilbert cursed. "I don't have any bullets left after that mass of Chains we destroyed before this one!"
"It's alright, just go back to Sharon and Break," Oz told his valet, "I have a feeling that things will be getting quite destructive if you remain."
Gilbert hesitated before nodding and leaving to find the white-haired man and his Lady.
Oz turned back to the Chain that had begun blasting beams of lavender light from its mouth into any and all directions.
He released the seal on his Chains' powers and unsheathed his sword as they began to try and fight Draconis.
Pandora~Hearts
'Fight alongside him and protect him,' Zai commanded as he watched his son and the Chains try to put even a scratch on the Chain.
Although surprised at his Contractor's command, Griffyn just gave a sound of consent and appeared only to leave once more.
'Hopefully they don't do anything stupid,' Zai thought as he continued watching the fight.
Pandora~Hearts
Oz slashed at another horde of Trumps that came his way after Draconis summoned them.
He was so concentrated on getting rid of the lower-leveled Chains to get to the large dragon; he never noticed the large clawed paw coming his way.
That would be why he was so surprised when Griffyn appeared and quickly pulled Oz onto his back before flying high into the sky, narrowly missing the sharp claws.
'Griffyn?' the twenty-five-year-old thought before deciding not to think about the new addition to their team as he focused his thoughts back to the situation a hand.
'There must be a way to stop her,' Oz thought as he saw Alice slash at the dragon, 'But h—' He was cut off when he heard a voice, similar to his, and yet not his at all.
"I'm sorry, Alice," the voice said.
'What was that?' Alice thought before slashing at Draconis once more, only to hear the same voice again.
"This will be the last time I can play with you," the voice stated.
"What's going on?" Oz muttered under his breath. "Could this Chain contain the final shard of Alice's memories?"
'There is only one way to find out, Oz,' Jack said, 'You need to stop the Alice we've never known, and yet have. I have a feeling that only you can stop her and the Chain.'
'If I can stop it and her,' Oz thought frantically, 'How do I do that?'
He was so wrapped up in his thought that he never noticed the large glowing claws headed straight for Alice. It wasn't until Cheshire shouted out Alice's name, that he realized she was in danger.
"Alice!" Oz shouted. "STOP!"
And just then, as though some unknown God or Deity had heard him, Draconis froze. The Chain reared back its head and shot up a beam of violet light from its mouth into the sky, parting the clouds obscuring it before freezing in place and turning to stone.
And it was then that everyone in the area was able to witness the memory, the final piece.
The all watched as Alice and Jack Vessalius sat in a rowboat as he rowed them across and around the lake.
Alice was dressed in a simple Victorian-style lavender dress with a matching ribbon tying her hair back and a stuffed rabbit in her arms.
Jack was dressed in the same clothing as Oz was, though his coat was a deep turquoise.
"This will be last time I can play with you, Alice," Jack stated sadly as he watched the younger girl with sorrowful, yet serious emerald orbs.
"Why?" Alice whispered, silent tears cascading down her cheeks. "Why do you have to go? I don't want you to! I'll be lonely again!" And with that, she threw herself into the gold-haired male's arms.
Oz heard a rustle of clothing; he looked up only to see a girl that could pass as a perfect clone of Alice, but only completely white.
"You're voice reached her," Alice said as she came to stand next to her Contractor, "She heard you and you unlocked the last piece of my memory."
The White-Alice looked at the two in the rowboat before looking up at Oz. Her gaze paused upon him for a few moments before turning around and leaving.
"Was that…?" Sharon asked, wide-eyed not wanting to believe that she saw all that just happen.
"The Will of the Abyss…" Break said, his only red eye wide. 'It seems that she was just a lonely girl after all…'
Gilbert just stood there, mouth agape.
Oz looked down at Alice, face unreadable. "How do feel now that you have your memories?" he asked. "Do you feel the way you thought you would at the beginning of our journey?"
Alice looked down before looking up at him. "No. I thought I would feel complete, but I still feel like something's missing."
"That would be because, despite having all your memories," OZ explained to his Chain, "there are still gaps in the shards you've received; gaps that you as well as someone else had blacked for unknown reasons; reasons that not even I know of."
Links
Draconis: www . draconika types/images/bronze-dragon . jpgThis is how I thought Draconis should look, up picture this dragon in the colors I have listed.
A bientôt,
TsukiyoTenshi