Chapter 21
Seryl issued a false smile as he listened to the girl talk. She was saying nothing of interest, only telling him all about herself. He poked at his stew, listening to what Mother had to say. It seemed she was finally ready to emerge and rule this pathetic world. He was jerked out of his thoughts by the girl touching his hand. She was looking deep into his eyes, as if she were searching… Searching for what? For him?
"Who are you?" she asked. Who am I? I haven't thought about it in…a long time. There was no need to. Not when Mother could take care of everything. Her word is infallible, I do not have to question myself.
"I am just…a man," Seryl replied. A man? Am I? Do I qualify as one of these people since I have risen above them? Am I really above them? Of course I am… I am one of Jenova's children. I am chosen… I am pure…
Danielle smiled, squeezing his hand. "I've been talking all of this time, though. I don't know anything about you…" She doesn't know anything about me. Funny, I don't know anything about myself either. My memories have been swept away with the coming of Jenova.
"I…don't remember my past… I guess I just live in the present." But am I truly alive? I rarely think for myself anymore… Seryl tried to shake himself of his thoughts. Why am I thinking of all this? Maybe…Jenova is losing her control of me… Seryl's eyes widened as the realization dawned on him. Maybe Jenova is losing her control of me…
My child…
No… Danielle looked at him, worried. He looked dazed, and his eyes were half-closed. "Seryl…?" But he didn't answer. He didn't even look at her. For at that moment, he was fighting. Not with a weapon, but with his heart.
Fayne awoke from sleep to find Riku absent. Worried, she quickly dressed and jogged out into the hall. Maybe Kairi knows where he is, she thought as she opened the door to her room. Kairi wasn't present, but the demon standing there was reason enough for her to stay. It turned around and Fayne gasped when she saw Sora. Lying there in the bed, eyes closed and covered in blood, Fayne knew there was no way he was alive. She still summoned the Shadowblade, though, to deal with the creature that had brought his demise. The demon smiled and disappeared in a puff of black smoke and sparks. Fayne ran to her friend and was shocked to see that he was still breathing.
"Sora…?" Fayne began to cry as the brunet slowly opened his eyes and coughed weakly, spraying blood. "Don't worry, you're gonna be okay…"
"You…you remembered my name…" Sora smiled and motioned for her to come closer. Fayne obliged and put her head right next to the brunet's mouth. "…I…I want…"
"I'm here, Sora," Fayne replied, still sobbing. She hadn't really gotten to know Sora that well, but the boy she knew didn't deserve to die…not like this. Not stabbed through the chest, blood mingling with his tears. Not dying as a stranger could only watch his life fade away. He deserved to be back at his home, where he belonged, where all he had to worry about was how to get into mischief. But Sora wasn't at home, playing hide and seek with his friends. He wasn't sneaking out of the house or competing with Riku in everything imaginable. He had been chosen as a keyblade master and this is what he had to show for it. The sweet embrace of the Reaper's arms. The cold kiss of Hades. The exquisite requiem of death.
"Tell…tell…Kai…" The brunet coughed more blood and it was thick and dark, almost solid. He didn't have much longer. "Pleas…e…tell…her…that I lo…" Sora eyes widened, as if he saw something that Fayne couldn't. Drenched in her friend's blood, she could only hug him as he reached weakly for the sky, offering his hand. It stayed there for a second, maybe two, until it fell back to the bed, lifeless. In death, Fayne only hoped that he could find what was always at his peaceful islands: utter silence…
"Where do you think you're going?" Bosch was looking at Kairi blankly, but she could care less. Something horrible had happened to Sora, she could feel it in her heart.
"I have to go," she replied, turning around. Standing there was Ryu, his hand on his sword. She looked behind her and saw that Bosch's hand was also near his sword. "What's going on?" Shard sneered as she walked toward Kairi.
"You're a fool, keyblade master…"
Kairi frowned. "What do you mean?"
Shard laughed, a sound that was like beautiful music. "You keyblade masters are so amusing. Always, rushing to the aid of the innocent." She folded her arms and smiled. "Tell me, do I look innocent now?" Kairi remained silent, looking from Shard to Ryu to Bosch. She then did the first thing that came to her mind. She summoned the Promise Keeper, resigning herself to the possibility of an uneven fight.
"Who are you?" Kairi demanded. Shard laughed again and Kairi shuddered. That laugh was unbearable. Kairi's eyes widened as Ryu began to glow a blood-red. His eyes were closed and he was muttering something. Kairi strained to hear but could only make out a part of the word: nova. She turned to see that Bosch was also radiating an intense light, but his was an ice-cold blue. "What's happening…?"
Shard shook her head sadly, a cold smile on her lips. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, my child. But you keyblade masters cannot be allowed to interfere in my plans. And I do have such big plans…" With that she faded away leaving behind a shadow. Except this shadow was white and bright, and it faded away with her.
Kairi turned back to the two teens, focusing on the problem at hand. She decided to escape while they were preoccupied, for she had sensed a power resonating in the both of them that chilled her blood. As soon as she stepped backward, however, both of the teens' eyes opened and energy exploded outward from their bodies. It was like an explosion and Kairi brought up an Aero spell to protect herself. As the energy raced toward her, she just prayed that it was enough to save her.
Jessed stood from his table, eyeing the three hooded figures. There was a sense of foreboding surrounding them, and the patrons of the diner and bar began to leave slowly. Soon the restaurant was deserted, save for the four standing there. and the leader began to speak.
"You have forgotten who you are and you have forgotten where you came from…" Jessed bristled at this. He didn't like to be reminded of his past, especially since he didn't know most of it. He only remembered the loneliness he felt as a kid, going from person to person begging for food. There was no one that loved him and no one he loved until Dariel picked him up.
"Then why don't you tell me who I am, and then you can tell me who you are," he replied. Jessed felt a little uneasy as that glowing eye gazed at him. He felt as if the eye was penetrating his very soul.
"Very well," the figure replied, removing the hood. It was a man, about twenty-five years of age, with short black hair and pale skin. One of his eyes was gold and seemed to glint every time it moved. The other was a crystalline blue. "My name is Kain." He gestured to the two behind him, "They are servants, so they need no mention."
Jessed nodded. "Go on…"
"We belong to the people that created the keyblades. We are called the Unknown. Years ago, our ancestors were all living in a town called Salom, waiting for the keyblade masters to appear and fulfill their destiny. They were to destroy an ultimate evil, and we were supposed to aid them when the time came." Kain sat down in one of the abandoned chairs, motioning for Jessed to do the same. "In all those years, our ancestors waited and waited. Many of them began to wonder if the keyblade masters would ever appear, and even more began to think they were wasting our lives there. So a few of them decided to change their destiny and move to a place where they can live their lives. The ones that stayed in Salom, stayed true to their duty, shunned them and decreed that they could never enter their birthplace again. In spite of this, we flourished and were happy with the decision we made."
"Well that's special, isn't it?" Jessed replied, sarcastically. "But what does any of this have to do with me?"
Kain sighed. "I am getting to that." He stood once again. "We have been looking everywhere for you, trying to bring you back where you belong. We didn't find you immediately because we thought you were still on our world. We didn't realize that you were taken here…"
"Taken? By whom?"
"By an agent of Salom who thought that your home was with them. However, what the agent didn't count on was being attacked by Heartless on the way to Salom."
Jessed frowned. "How do you know that's what happened?"
"It is the only logical explanation. You would never be left alone willingly, you are too important."
The red-head just stared. "Too important? Me?"
"Yes," Kain answered. "Our leader is a skilled magician, and psychic. He once told of the birth of a boy, a boy with fiery red hair and eyes of gold." He looked at Jessed. "Sound familiar?"
"Yeah but…why am I so important?"
"Because he said that you would be the one to make contact with the keyblade masters, that you would bring them to us and our duty would be completed."
"Really?" Jessed was amazed that their leader came so close to the truth. Sure he was hired to hunt and kill the keyblade masters, but he wasn't going to bring them back to their town. "So that's why you all want me so badly? Because I can be the one to give you your lives?"
Kain nodded. "Yes, with our mission completed, we can live our lives in peace and so can our cousins in Salom." Kain put a hand on Jessed's shoulder. "That is why you must come with us…"
Jessed shrugged the hand off. "I'm not going anywhere with you. Just because you guys want to have lives doesn't mean I have to give up mine…"
"We don't want to make you stay. Just visit, and meet our leader…"
Jessed stood up. "No thanks, I have better things to do…" He turned to walk out of the door, but found it blocked by the two hooded figures. Jessed ground his teeth. "Get out of my way…" The two figures just stood there, not responding, but not moving either. "I said move," he commanded, throwing a Thundaga spell at them. Instead of being hurled through the door like he suspected it, the electricity bounced off of them and came back to him. His eyes widened as the currents coursed through his body and he dropped to his knees, smoke rising from his body.
Kain walked slowly to him and knelt down. "That was a bad idea, Jessed. Although they're servants, they are still powerful practitioners of all kinds of magic. Reflect being one of them." Jessed tried to respond, but found himself incapable of doing so. The only thing he could manage was a grunt as he fell into unconsciousness. Kain inspected him to see if he had any serious injuries, and, when seeing that he was fine, ordered the two servants to lift him up…carefully. Kain focused his energy, causing a purplish void to appear in the restaurant. The more he concentrated, the bigger the void became, until it was big enough for two men to walk through. Kain let the servants go through first, carrying Jessed, and walked in after them. The void shrank behind them until there was nothing left except air.
Reeper opened his eyes as he heard a voice. Not Seryl's voice as he expected, but the voice of a siren. The voice was beautiful and Reeper's heart would have cried for it if it were still there. He heard the siren voice again and warned himself. Sirens can lead to the abyss. He sat up and listened for the voice again, but everything was silent. Too silent, actually. His heightened senses should be able to hear some kind of activity inside of the coliseum but…nothing. Something was amiss, and Reeper was going to find out what it was. He picked up his sword and scabbard on the way out and strapped them to his back.
He put his hand on the doorknob and that's when he saw the blood. What? When did this occur? Out of curiosity, he went to the bathroom and checked his reflection, surprised that blood was on his face. He touched it with his fingertips, finding it still wet and still warm. Whose blood is this? He looked at his reflection again and cursed, breaking it. His eyes…they had that glow… That same glow as Cloud and as Seryl… That means…
Wake up…
Reeper cried out as a bone spike ripped from his skin. Not out of pain, but out of surprise. I'm…I'm changing and I can't even stop it, he thought frantically as the bones began to cover his skin. As he changed, he felt his mind fade into darkness as he struggled to stop the transformation. He was powerless however, and was cast aside by the force known as Jenova.
Now, my puppet, I have another job for you to do. The other keyblade master refused to bend to my will and I will not tolerate it. Find him…and rip him apart…
"Wake up, Barret," Vincent commanded. The Avalanche leader, however, was soundly asleep and Vincent knew that not many things could awaken him. Except this, Vincent thought, raking his claw across Barret's shoulder. Barret yelped and awoke swinging out with his fists to catch his victimizer. Vincent jumped back to avoid the blow and smiled. "Sorry, but I had to awaken you somehow…"
Barret, as angry as all hell, struggled to free himself from the tangle of sheets, cursing loudly all the while. "What the #%% was so damn important that you had to cut me with that #&%ed up claw?!"
"Something is wrong, Barret." Vincent looked up. "I can sense it…"
Barret, finally liberated of the sheets, folded his arms. "So what?"
"So we have to investigate. People could be in danger."
"So what?" Barret repeated, pouting. He was still angry about being clawed, but got serious when he saw the look Vincent gave him. "Alright alright, damn. That cold-ass stare always gets to me." He stood up and walked to the cabinet where his gun-arm was stored. "So what we gon' do, Vamp?" he asked, attaching the weapon to his arm.
"We'll just walk around a little," Vincent answered, ignoring the nickname he had been given. "Hopefully my feelings are unfounded."
Riku was truly happy for one of the first times in days. He had resisted the control of that woman and his triumph gave him new hope. If he could resist her, then he could break the control that Ansem had over him. He was walked back to his room, surprised that Fayne wasn't there. She probably just went looking for food or something, he thought uneasily. He noticed a piece of paper on the table and picked it up.
Riku,
I woke up and found you gone so I'm going to Kairi's to see if she knows where you are. Stay there! And sleep! You shouldn't be out of bed after crashing through a door you know. I'll be back shortly.
Love,
Fayne
Riku put the letter down, feeling his heartbeat quicken. That letter should have reassured him that everything was alright, but something told him that wasn't the case. He decided to go to Kairi and Sora's room to see if Fayne was still there. He ran out, slamming the door shut behind him. As he ran, his anxiousness began to blossom into panic and he pushed himself to go faster. He turned the corner and ran to the room, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight before him. There was Fayne, drenched in blood. She was covering up someone and Riku got a glance at the face before the blanket when over it. Sora…
For once in his life, he was simply speechless. This just couldn't be. He tried to say something, anything, but found he was incapable of doing so. Fayne turned around to find Riku standing there, dumbly, and she broke down crying again. Riku rushed to her and seeing her in so much pain caused him to find his voice again.
"Wh, what happened here…?" he asked, slowly. She opened her mouth to answer, but her eyes widened with fear as she looked at something behind him. Riku turned around to find a demon standing in the hallway, waiting. With bone armor covering his body and spikes coming out of everywhere, he looked invincible. He was holding two white swords that looked like they were also made of bone. Fayne stumbled back, frantically trying to put distance between herself and the creature. Riku was confused at Fayne's behavior. Usually she was the first to rush at something, no matter how horrible it looked.
She pointed at it, tears running down her face. "That's him! That's who killed Sora!!" she cried, burying her face in her knees. So it was Sora under that blanket, Riku thought sadly. The grief he felt racking his body was slowly turning to rage. He summoned his keyblade, gripping the handle so tightly that his palm ached.
"You…you killed Sora…" he muttered darkly. His rage exploded at the realization of what that meant. No more competitions with his friend. No more arguing about who was better or fighting over the last piece of food. "You killed Sora!!!"
"Yes I did, and if you had given in to Jenova, this would have never happened," the creature answered, smiling sickly. "In a way it's your fault."
Riku shook his head violently. "No, I'm through playing the self-pity game! I will take responsibility for my action, but I won't take the blame for something I didn't do!" He grasped the keyblade in both hands and his eyes narrowed. "You-are-mine," he spat, slowly and deliberately. With that, he rushed at the creature wildly, to avenge his fallen friend.
