Erosion
Set during ?;
x.x.x
Alone at last. Just the endless black sky, an abyss marred only by a passing grey shroud and the occasional splattering of rain. The sun never rose. Stars seldom shined. Garish lights, flickering, buzzing, spread into the horizon, amidst a jungle of metal and glass. And amidst that jungle, a lone figure walked, masked in solid black.
He stopped for a moment, peering down an alley. Yellow eyes glistened, but the shadows never strayed. But then, what did they have to claim, really? He was empty now. Free, but at what cost?
The funny thing about losing one's heart was the apathy that followed. Some might cry in rage at the devastation that had ensued. A land ransacked by blackened beasts. Cries echoing across the crags. Where were the heroes, set to stave off the darkness? To save the world, cherish the light, and bring hope across the land?
Lost. Sleeping? Likely, but unclear. The other, fallen far, far, far…
Deep, deep, down…
To an abyss far more wretched than this, no doubt.
And for the little king, who knew? Perhaps by now he'd caught wind of that kingdom's fall. A star, once so radiant, reduced to a hollow husk. But how would he feel? Regret? Deep, crushing guilt trapping his heart in a stranglehold? Ha. An empty laugh, barely a whisper escaped the man's lips. His fingers curled tightly around the single scrap of sentiment he retained.
But what to do, really? This was but a brief reprieve. Once he escaped the concrete… Once he returned from neon lights to lifeless grey halls, he'd have to cast off that sentiment. Tuck it away. Follow the script carved into his mind. Wretched and vile. Laughable, even. Ah, so laughable, that another chuckle followed.
And he looked to the sky, still painted grey and black. Kingdom Hearts… That was the key, wasn't it? And those creatures… those Heartless, the missing pieces of the puzzle. Unfathomable power… So many hearts glistening, pulsating. Swelling with potential.
At this point, why not? So many had fallen, lives claimed by claws and fangs. Dragged into the darkness as their worlds fell to pieces. No doubt other worlds would follow. Other hearts. It would… be a shame not to make use of them, really. To… ha. Honor their loss? Hardly. There was nothing honorable about this. A broken smile formed at the mere thought.
No, to free them only to ensnare, to cage… to transform into tools to serve a grander objective… 'twas the way of the wicked. But alas, he could not care. Only look to the script, picking and choosing the lines. But if the worlds were to fall, best to pick up the scraps. Surely, in time, a Keyblade wielder would rise to the occasion. A hero, brave and bold, to cleave through the dark.
If not the king, then perhaps…
Ah, the sky bellowed. Then came the rain, drizzling down his entire cloaked form. A breeze whipped his face, blowing his hood away, while puddles rippled amidst the growing storm.
But the earth stood still, unmoved by its surroundings. No cracks. No quakes. That time had long since passed.
And the reflection in the water? Pieced together like broken shards. No longer pristine, and certainly not pure. But perhaps it was for the best. Free from the shackles of pain and regret, he could pave a path however dark. And those hearts, once gathered, ah… the things he could accomplish. To go off script, to test the limits… Now, of all times, such thoughts seemed rather appetizing.
Searching had failed. The damage was dealt. And in the end, it was still the lesser evil.
And so he turned from the alleyways, from the metal and glass.
For now, he'd don the mask.
x.x.x
A/N: It has been so long since I updated Antipode. Rest assured, it's not dead! It's just that between Inverted Fate and my life and the long wait for KH3, my motivation has been low.
I do hope to get back to work on Act 3 sometime in 2019. A part of my delay was honestly due to going back and rewriting parts of Act 2 to better execute Riku Replica's arc and fix some elements of worlds that weren't quite to my standards in hindsight. This… is not going to be the case for TYB, though, as I think it is far more pertinent that I move forward with Antipode rather than move back.
For those who are still here, I apologize. I miss this story so very much, and I hope to see you all on Treasure Planet again very soon. :)