Author's Notes: See chapter one for disclaimer.
Separate Destinies
By Annie-chan
Chapter Twenty-One: Sealing Fate
"Careful, Son."
"I know, I know."
Riku sat on a large, flat boulder that projected out over a riverbank. The river was shallow and slow moving, and Tanis had asked to be taught how to spear and net fish. Though it wasn't guaranteed, these two methods could be faster than using a fishing pole, and were handy to know if in a position where you had to catch or gather your food.
He was watching his son, who was thigh-deep in the cool water, a net in one hand and a pike in the other.
"Careful of the rocks," Riku told Tanis again. "They could be slippery or sharp. No sense getting hurt out there."
Tanis nodded, his eyes fixed on the water in front of him. A good-sized fish had swum near, unaware of his presence. Tanis was standing perfectly still, only his hair and feathers moving in the breeze. His feet were planted in the silt on the bottom of the river, and he could see the scattered rocks as darker patches against the grayish bottom.
The fish was about knee-level, and it moved about lazily, searching for water bugs to eat. It's large tail and fins swayed gracefully in the slow currant, its mouth opening and closing as it sucked in the water and forced it out again through its gills.
Tanis wasn't even breathing. While the rest of him stayed stone still, his left arm raised above his head, inch by inch, bringing the pike into position.
Just a little closer, he thought to the fish. Come on…
The pike came downward and stabbed through the water, almost faster than it took for the thought to pass through his head. Satisfaction made him grin as the sharp tip passed straight through the fish and struck the riverbed, but the sudden movement had caused the silt under his feet to shift. He found himself off balance.
"Gyah!" he managed to yelp before he toppled completely. He hit the water with a splash and sunk, the cool liquid surrounding him. Water rushed into his open mouth, and he choked.
Riku saw his son go under and was immediately on his feet. It was a shallow, slow moving river, and there was little chance of a drowning, but he still felt alarm speed up his pulse and breath. Jumping from the boulder into the water, he waded toward the spot where Tanis had fallen.
Just as he got there, Tanis broke the surface, gasping and coughing, but had not yet regained his feet. Riku grabbed him by the ribs and hauled him up, allowing him to get his balance again. He was still clutching the pike in his left hand, though the net was now on the riverbed.
"I told you to be careful, Tanis," Riku admonished, but it was halfhearted. He could see that the shifting silt could trip up anyone.
"Yeah, I know," Tanis grinned, brushing his dripping bangs out of his eyes. "I got it, though, didn't I?"
"Ah," Tanis sighed, lying on his back in the grass, "what a beautiful night."
"Mmhm," Riku nodded slowly, gazing up at the moons. Six were visible tonight in differing stages of fullness. Usually, there weren't this many moons in the sky all at once like this. "I'd like it better if there were stars in the sky, though." That was what Riku missed most about nights in the Destiny Islands. He had always loved gazing up at the stars, imagining other worlds somewhere out there. Little had he known that every star in the sky was some other world, most with people living on them, perhaps also wondering about what may lie out in the blackness of space. He visited the Many Worlds every so often, and living on the One World just made the stars all the more beautiful.
"Father?" Tanis asked, "are you all right?" He propped himself up on his elbows and looked over the glowing embers of the fire at his father, who was standing on the other side. The four fish they had caught that afternoon had been cooked and eaten, and they were now letting the food digest, relaxing. They would return to Aerie tomorrow morning, and his mother would be waiting for them.
"I'm just remembering home," Riku answered softly.
Tanis watched his father, pity stealing through him. Even after living on the One World for years without count, he still called the Many Worlds, namely the Destiny Islands, "home". He knew that his father was content here with his mother and him, living his life as any other ylfe in the city, but he also knew that it had to have hurt tremendously to leave his childhood home for a completely unknown world, and hardly return except in relatively brief visits.
He leaned back and closed his eyes, feeling the cool night air against his skin. Just as he did so, however, he heard a gasp, which sounded strangely like a suppressed sob, and then the sound of someone falling to the ground. His eyes snapped open, and he reflexively looked over again.
"Father…?!"
The moons suddenly whirled and fuzzed out, a sickeningly dizzy sensation crashing down over him. Riku managed to choke out a gasp before he lost balance completely. He tried to right himself, but only succeeded in pitching forward, and he saw the smoldering embers rushing up at him…
No impact. No burning. In fact, there was nothing around him at all.
Now what? he asked himself, looking around. Is this past, present, or future that I'm about to see? Turning around almost all the way, his gaze suddenly alighted on a familiar face looking back into his.
"Leiya!" he said in surprise, but it was not an unpleasant surprise. He went to her, meaning to touch her. The back of his mind knew very well that people in these visions of his were not the real people, but merely projections of their likenesses. However, as it was happening, he almost never remembered that. "Leiya, what are you doing here?"
As he reached out to touch her arm, she vanished.
"Eh?" Riku blinked, confused. Looking to the side, he saw her again, looking right at him. She again vanished when he tried to touch her, reappearing in another location…
…and again…
…and again…
…and AGAIN…
Is she avoiding me…? Riku wondered, feeling a stab of sadness pierce his heart. Why is she avoiding me? Is something wrong? Why won't she let me comfort her?
He looked around and found her directly behind him. Turning to face her again, he received a sudden jolt to see tears flowing in a steady stream down her face. Her eyes were pleading for help. She needed him.
"Leiya, please…!" Desperate, he launched himself at her, meaning to seize her before she could disappear yet again. Indeed, she did not disappear, but a burst of orange-yellow light and sudden heat made him fall back, instinctively closing and shielding his eyes.
When he looked at her again, his jaw dropped.
Her clothes were on fire. The white fabric of her dress was turning black and smoking, the flames following the scorch marks until all was ablaze, and she, too, began to burn.
"No…" Riku murmured. "No…no, please!" he couldn't move, couldn't help her. His feet were rooted to the spot, and the rest of him refused to respond to his desperate pleas to save her, to put the fire out.
Her soft brown eyes continued to weep, continued to gaze pleadingly at him, until they were also consumed in the merciless flames. She made no sound at all, but when she was entirely engulfed, she knelt and calmly laid herself down, lying on her back, as if ready to go to sleep. The fires expanded and grew larger, taller. An icy feeling of dread lanced through Riku when he realized that he was looking at a funeral pyre.
"No!" he cried again, but it was now a wail of helpless grief. "No, no, no! This cannot be!" He was sobbing bitterly now, and he dropped to his knees, horror and despair tearing at him. "She can't die! Not now! Not yet!"
A sudden sensation of overwhelming power came over him, drawing his gaze to his left. Through his tears, he saw a sight that he would never forget, though he hadn't seen it in a very long time. It was a Keyhole, utterly black in the middle, the golden edges sparkling with the power that poured from it. It was growing rapidly, getting closer and closer.
Kingdom Hearts? Riku thought, his tears slowing. No, this is different…
He passed inside, and he felt as if he were melting, the enormous power in the world heart behind the Keyhole permeating every fiber of his being, moving through him until he could think of nothing else. He screamed.
Total blackness came over him, and everything ceased.
Tanis sat next to his father, his arms wrapped around his knees, which he had drawn up to his chest. Riku was on his back on the ground, seemingly in a deep sleep. Tanis knew, however, that this was not so.
His father had suddenly toppled directly into the remains of the fire, clouds of sparks and small flames leaping up as the embers were disturbed. Faster than he could think, Tanis had leaped up and pulled Riku from the fire, checking everywhere for burns. Luckily, Tanis had pulled him out quickly enough, so Riku suffered little more than reddened skin.
Tanis was worried. He was always worried when he saw his father go unconscious like this. Often, though not always, Riku had emerged from the sudden trance confused or perhaps frightened, usually unable to speak for a few moments. Tanis' natural curiosity made him wonder what his father saw in those trances, but his logical side said that he definitely did not want to experience it for himself. The psychic "gift" often made Riku suffer undue stress.
"Nn…" Riku groaned weakly.
"Father?" Tanis asked, moving so he was now kneeling beside Riku. The older man did not respond, but began to move, his head turning slightly to one side and then the other. His fingers were now loosely clenched, and he had a faint look of discomfort on his face. He made a sound that seemed like a cry lodged deep in the back of his throat, and Tanis saw him begin to tremble. "Father…?" he asked again, touching Riku's cheek lightly with his fingertips.
Riku's chest suddenly heaved upward as he sucked in a deep breath, but his trembling made the inhalation shaky, and he sounded as if he were crying. His eyelids cracked open, but before recognition came into his eyes, he reached up and took hold of his son's hand, which was hovering near the side of his face.
"T-Tanis…?" he gasped, blinking. He was trying to clear his fuzzy eyesight, left over from the unconsciousness.
Tanis was not happy. Riku looked horrible. He was very pale, a cold sweat had broken out on his skin, and looking into his eyes told the redhead that he was absolutely terrified. He was far too weak to act on that fear, however. He could barely speak.
"Don't speak," Tanis warned Riku, searching through the pack they had brought with them from home for something he could dry his father's face with. "You're all right, Father. Everything's going to be okay."
"N-no…" Riku managed to rasp. "D-danger…s-soon…death…!"
Tanis unstopped a drinking flask he had near him, propped his father up with his arm, and made him drink. Hopefully, the cool water would help him speak better. When his father was like this, trying to speak mentally with him was just looking into a jumble of thoughts and emotions. It was easier to get things out of him verbally.
"What are you saying?" Tanis asked when Riku had finished. "Who's in danger?"
"Leiya," Riku replied, less raspy but still having trouble. "Y-your mother."
"Mother…?!" Tanis repeated slowly. "You mean—"
Riku suddenly pushed himself up, denying his present weakness and forcing himself to his feet.
"Father!" Tanis cried, afraid that Riku may overtax himself. He jumped up and moved to steady his father.
"I-I c-can feel it…!" Riku moaned. "She's hurting!"
"Wait," Tanis said firmly, holding his father back. "You'll kill yourself if you're not more careful!"
"Let me go!" Riku hissed, struggling feebly. "I have to go to her!"
Tanis sighed in exasperation, but resisted no longer. Looking at the dying fire, he said a single word: "Out". The fire immediately went out, and he kicked dirt over it to quell the smoking. Gathering up their stuff and shoving it back into the pack, he slung the pack over his shoulder, then went back to his father, who had slid down to his knees. Putting his arms around Riku, he launched them both up into the sky and took off as fast as possible toward Aerie. He was noticeably slower than normal, as he was not used to carrying someone the same size as him.
Damn it, Tanis thought, frustration seeping into his thoughts. If only I knew how to teleport!
Finally, the canyon city came into view, and he began feeling what his father was feeling. It was not nearly as strong a link as Riku had with Leiya, but he could sense his mother's emotions. She was terribly distraught, and Tanis began to worry that his father's detached chatter had been right.
"Open the gate!" he roared to the gatekeepers, and the invisible doors had just barely swung open enough to allow them to pass before they came zipping through. Tanis sped toward their home, holding his father as tightly as possible. In only a few seconds, though it felt like hours, his feet touched the white limestone of the balcony.
"L-Leiya…" Riku breathed, pushing away from his son and stumbling toward the door. "Leiya!"
Tanis swore as his father suddenly bolted through the door. If he didn't be careful, he really would kill himself! His father, though, now seemed to have little difficulty going too fast for him, and if Tanis hadn't already known that Riku would immediately seek out Leiya, he would have lost him within seconds, and would have had to search for him.
As guessed, Riku made a beeline for the master bedroom. He burst through the double doors, went through the parlor in just two bounds, and almost knocked the second set of double doors off its hinges.
"Leiya!" Riku cried when he finally found his mate. She was on the bed, curled in on herself, weeping bitterly about something. A sight like that must have pierced Riku to the bone, for he leaped upon the bed and gathered Leiya to him, cradling her gently to his chest, tears of his own beginning to flow from his eyes.
Tanis sighed, some of his apprehension melting away. His mother was not injured physically, instead wounded emotionally somehow. There was no immediate danger of death. Perhaps his father had overreacted to what he had seen, whatever it was.
He left, quietly closing the doors and retreating to his own bedroom. His parents needed time together, and he needed his sleep.
"Leiya," Riku whispered, his initial surge of emotion dying down to manageable levels. He flicked the tears from his face. His mate clung to him, sobbing quietly against his chest, shaking like a dry leaf in a cold autumn wind. He had never seen her this upset before. "Leiya," he whispered again, gently stroking his fingers through her hair. "Talk to me, Love. Please, what happened?"
"A-another one…" she gasped, her voice muffled. "I l-lost another one!"
Riku felt dread wash over him. Recently, an unusual number of accidents and animal attacks had left many severely wounded, and Leiya had had several die while she was attempting to heal them, too far gone for any amount of magic to help them. Deep down, Leiya knew this, but life was so very precious to her, and any loss of it hit her hard. She held herself responsible for their deaths, as she had been trying to save them, and she felt terribly guilty that she had been unable to. Most of the dead ones left soulmates behind, and those unlucky men and women were plunged into emotional chaos and madness. Some wasted slowly away until they also died, while others were unable to wait for that. They slew themselves, some burning themselves on their mates' funeral pyres, others ending their lives later with violent, often painful methods.
"Do you…do you want to talk about it?" Riku ventured after a long silence.
Leiya shook her head, clutching at him even tighter.
"All right," Riku nodded. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
A few days later, Tanis would hear of a young man, barely an adult, being gored on the long, sharp horn of a nyun, a large, ox-like creature. Something had spooked it in the twilight, and the young shepherd had been unable to get out of the way before its left horn had pierced him just below the sternum, going all the way through his still boyishly thin body. Those who had seen him die said that the healer who had tried to save him had given her all to help him, but to no avail. All who knew him mourned deeply, for he was a kind, gentle intellectual who spent much of the time he wasn't with the herd either in the library or out in the Stretch, exploring the woods and the fields. He would be missed.
Now, however, that same healer was crying into her mate's embrace, the thought that she had let yet another one die clawing at her, as if trying to rip her apart, starting with her heart.
"Leiya," Riku purred softly, trying to comfort her. "Leiya, you can't save everyone."
"I should!" she cried. "I just c-can't!"
"Leiya," he sighed. "We all have a time to be born, a time to live, and a time to die. No one may live forever. When a person's time to die comes, nothing will be able to save them, not even the most skilled of mages."
"I-I just can't stand it…!" she moaned. "I can't stand feeling someone die! I can't stand to feel their soul slip through my fingers like sand, speeding away no matter how desperately I try to hold onto it, no matter how much I cling to it. I-it hurts to feel that! It hurts so much!"
"I am so sorry, my love," he murmured, sincerely meaning it. Tears were no longer falling from his eyes, but her suffering was his suffering. He could never be truly happy as long as she was unhappy. She had stopped talking, and Riku merely held her, holding her gently against him as she continued to weep, mourning the loss of another life. The longer they sat there, however, the longer a small tickle in the back of his mind bothered him. Finally, he could not help but say it.
"Leiya," he said again, "that's not the whole reason you are so upset, is it?"
She looked quickly up at him, eyes wide. She looked almost like a little girl caught in a lie. After a moment, she lowered her head again and nodded slowly.
"What is it, then?" he asked. "Please, tell me. I want to help you."
"I…" she began, her voice trembling, "I tried so hard to save him. I really did! I couldn't stand the thought of another one dying on me, so I tried harder than I've ever tried before. His soul…he was ready to die. He was in so much pain, that he wanted to die, to escape his suffering. He fought me tooth and nail the entire time. He so obviously wanted me to let him go, but I wouldn't listen! I-I just kept pulling and pulling at him, unable to let go. It went on for so long…I lost my grip at the end, and I felt his spirit scream for joy that it was finally free." She paused, her trembling getting worse. "I only prolonged his death! I made him hurt so much more than he should have! I couldn't leave him to his fate, and it was only my own wounded pride that kept me from letting him go!" She dissolved into tears again, her thin shoulders heaving with her sobs.
Riku was silent. Leiya had not only failed to save another life, but had drawn out the death, causing the pain the young man had gone through to eat away at him more than it would have if no healer had touched him. She had trapped him in his own dying body, his own living hell.
"Leiya, my love, my darling," he soothed, kissing her forehead. "It's over. He is beyond all pain and fear now. He forgives you, I am sure."
"B-but…" she stammered.
"No," he said firmly, laying a finger over her lips. "I don't want to hear you blame yourself anymore."
"Riku…"
"Shhhhh…"
He gently laid her down, kissing her eyes as he did so, making her close them. He licked the salty tears from her face and neck, and though he did not magically induce sleep, he did feel her relax against him, responding to his soft, loving touches. Within a few minutes, she was dozing lightly.
As he watched her, Riku felt an unwanted emotion, shoved mercilessly to the very back of his mind, speak up again. He had seen her pyre burn in that horrifyingly real vision he had experienced less than an hour ago. Did it really mean she would die soon? Or, was it signaling the death of her last innocence, the belief that trying to save someone's life was the pure form of selflessness, of concern for others?
Don't die, Leiya! he silently pleaded, his blood running icy-cold at the mere thought of her death. It's too soon! Too soon to say goodbye!
"Lei…"
Riku groaned in his sleep, turning from his side to his back. In the dim light of the lamps along the walls, nearly out completely, his face was troubled. He was dreaming, but what the dream was about, his face would not tell. He looked almost frightened.
For the past several days, Leiya had been detached, distant. She hardly spoke, and when she did, it was a soft, hollow whisper. Riku was with her every minute, afraid to leave her alone. In the vision, her eyes had been pleading him for help. He could never in a million years even think about abandoning her at a time like this. She needed him. He needed her, as well, for he was terrified that any moment together would be their last, so he didn't let her out of his sight. She did not ask, but he was sure that she felt his fear and grief through their mental bond. He was more troubled that she did not ask than if she had asked. She seemed not to care at all. That troubled him more than anything else.
He couldn't bring himself to tell her—or Tanis, though he asked—about the vision he had had, for every time he even thought about bringing it up, his blood ran cold, his hands shook, and he felt dizzy.
Riku awoke suddenly with a gasp, jerking awake as if startled by a loud noise. He lay there for several minutes, staring up at the blank stone ceiling, catching his breath.
"Leiya…" he whispered, reaching to his side. Even if she did not wake up, he needed her near. However, his hand touched nothing but the mattress…
She was gone.
Riku bolted upright, his heart suddenly pounding full-force. He stared wildly at the empty spot where she was accustomed to sleeping, panic clawing up his neck. Where was she?!
"Leiya!" he cried aloud, searching for her presence. To his great relief, she wasn't far off, and she was very much alive. Her spirit was subdued, however.
He jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes more suited to outside, and sped out of the house. What was she doing in the middle of the night? Where was she going?
"Leiya!" he called again when she came into sight. "Leiya, what are you doing out here?" This was her favorite spot in the city, a vantage point that allowed one to look out over much of the canyon and the fields beyond. It was absolutely beautiful on a clear day.
"Riku," she responded, the tone in her voice making him stop short. "Riku, I knew you would be here."
"What are you doing out here?" he repeated, unnerved by the flat, lifeless voice.
She was silent. Finally, she turned to face him, and he felt a rush of fear. Her eyes, though not the pleading, desperate eyes he had seen in that vision, were both sad and happy, as if something long-awaited had finally arrived, but something dear must be given up for it.
"Love?" he managed to ask.
"I have grown weary, Riku," she finally answered. "You gave me true happiness, you made me content; you gave me a wonderful son, and you made me feel whole. You and our son were my whole world for so long…but I think it is time to let it all go."
He couldn't bring himself to speak. He merely shook his head.
"I-I've hurt so much these past few months," she began again. "I've begun feeling my age. I feel so tired now, so old. I…I can't live any longer."
"No!" he choked, feeling sick that her death was indeed near.
"I am sorry, my love," she replied, looking away. "It will only be for a little while. We will be together again soon, I promise."
"N-no, Leiya!" he cried. "I can't let you do this!"
"It is my choice, Riku," she said firmly, but was still looking away. "Didn't you say that everyone had a time to die? Now is my time. Nothing can save me."
His tears began to fall as she repeated his own words, telling him that she intended to die, no matter how much he pleaded or begged. He closed the distance between them, wrapping her tightly in his arms and crying into her hair.
"You can help me, Riku," she whispered. "Help me depart."
"W-what?!" he stammered. Help her die? He could never dream of such a thing! But, then…if it would make her happy…
He dueled with himself incessantly for several minutes, unable to do anything but hold her. Finally, however, when he looked into her eyes—her beautiful, loving eyes—he felt his lips stretch slightly in a soft, understanding smile. Yes…yes, he would help her pass on. It would be absolute hell for both of them until they reunited, but they would have the rest of eternity to be together, to love each other. She was suffering, and her suffering caused him to suffer as well. This was for the best.
He touched their foreheads together and reached out with his mind, gently surrounding her soul and giving her one final farewell before beginning to "uproot" the most basic building block of her existence. Slowly, slowly her heart detached itself from her body, growing fainter and fainter until it vanished altogether.
Oh, God, he felt it. The instant she disappeared from the mortal plane, his soul began tearing in half, and he could all but hear the ripping sound echoing in his ears. Every fiber of himself was stretched painfully, the half of his soul that was her pulling away in a slow, agonizing way, going beyond his reach or thought. A broken sob escaped from his throat. He felt utterly cold, and half of his being was blank, empty. He sank to his knees, clutching her lifeless body, suddenly weeping hysterically for what he had just given up, what he had just willingly lost.
How could you?! HOW COULD YOU?! he wailed internally, shivering violently. A deep chasm was in his spirit, previously filled by her warm, beloved presence. He had helped dig that chasm, and an intense feeling of self-loathing stabbed through him. He had killed his own soulmate.
Overwhelmed by the flood of emotion, he collapsed completely, still clinging to her, and everything went black.
Tanis rubbed his tired eyes, red and warm with the tears he had been crying. This morning, his parents had been found at the canyon's highest point, his father holding tightly to his mother's dead body. It had at first been thought that neither was still alive, but when those who had found them tried to separate the bodies, his father had gripped his mother even tighter, moaning piteously. He would not willingly part from what was left of his mate, and it had taken four men to pry his arms apart.
The two of them had just returned from her funeral pyre. It was late at night, and Tanis was exhausted. His father had immediately disappeared down the long curving hallway to the master bedroom, while the younger man had retreated to his own chamber. Collapsing on the bed without even undressing, he kicked his shoes off and willed the lamps to dim, preparing to sleep.
It's only a matter of time, he thought. Father will be gone soon, as well. I…I hope he doesn't suffer long. With those melancholy thoughts, he sunk into a deep, undisturbed sleep. He dreamed no dreams.
Several hours later, he was woken suddenly by his door opening. It swung open slowly, and as he pushed himself up, he realized that it was his father.
Well, of course, he told himself. Who else would it be?
Riku was standing in his doorway. A carefully crafted mask of calm was on his face, and he was dressed in black. The long, ancient sword was strapped to his back, and his right hand grasped the handle of what looked like a wooden box. On closer inspection, Tanis realized that it was the display case for the keychains. Odd. Why would his father want to take that anywhere? It had always been in the same spot, for as long as Tanis could remember.
"Come on, Tanis," Riku said in a strangely toneless voice. "We're leaving."
"Leaving?" Tanis repeated, confused. "Where?"
"I have something I want to show you," Riku replied. "Then, you can come back here, if you want, or go elsewhere. It is your choice, of course."
Tanis sat up and began putting his shoes on. He doubted that his father would wait for him to change clothes. "Can't I eat first?"
"Grab something to take along," Riku said simply. When Tanis had his shoes on, he turned and went toward the outer rooms, not saying a word. He didn't say anything as they passed through the kitchen and Tanis snagged a round, reddish fruit to eat as they traveled.
"Where are we going?" Tanis asked as they exited the house and headed for the city gate. "What are you going to show me?"
"I don't know where we're going yet," Riku replied as they passed through the gate. "I have to find it." He led his son on foot for several hundred yards away from the gate. The sun was rising, and dawn was spilling over the world. He suddenly stopped, set the case down, and sat on the grass. His back was straight, his hands clasped loosely in his lap, his eyes closed. Tanis knew that he was sending his senses outward, searching for something. He sat down beside him and waited patiently, biting into the fruit he had brought.
A long time passed. Riku seemed to have gone dormant, his meditative trance deepening further than Tanis had ever seen it do before. He tossed the fruit core into the grass for insects, and continued to wait. It seemed like several hours before Riku moved again, and by then, Tanis had begun to doze in the warm morning sunshine.
"Tanis," Riku said, standing up. He stretched his stiff joints, feeling the bones pop. When his son stood up beside him, he picked up the case again, took hold of Tanis' wrist, and teleported.
Everything went white and hot, and the world suddenly and violently spun. Tanis could only gasp before it all stopped, the world falling abruptly back into place. They were now in an entirely different place. He would never get used to teleporting, and highly doubted he would ever learn it for himself.
"Where are we?" he asked, gazing up at the foreboding mouth of a deep cavern, gaping up out of a mountainside. Looking around, he saw that they were in a very narrow valley, mountains rising up on all sides of them. It was rather claustrophobic.
"We are in the middle of the Pelorus Mountain Range," Riku answered.
"The Pelorus Mountains?!" Tanis cried, greatly surprised. "We went almost halfway across the world!"
Riku merely nodded.
"W-why did you bring us here?" Tanis asked, looking up at the towering peaks, feeling uneasy. The Pelorus Mountains were very remote, situated in an area where no ylfen lived and very few traveled. Not even the boldest of the nomadic kitschen came here. Tanis knew that the superstitious, ylfe and kitsche alike, considered these mountains to be evil. They were black and treeless, and they towered up into the heavens. Ylfen couldn't fly high enough to go over them. He suspected that they were the first ylfen to set foot in this tiny valley, leading from which he could see only one narrow passageway leading into the jagged cliffs.
"You will see," was his father's cryptic reply. "Can't you feel it?"
Tanis paused. What he had thought was the chill of his discomfort was actually emanating from the cavern in front of them. It was raw power, and oh how potent that power was. It was literally pouring into the world from deep within the earth.
Riku was entering the cavern. Tanis hurried after him, but stumbled on the uneven floor of the cave. Thankfully, his father conjured up a ball of white light to illuminate the way, and Tanis continued to follow him.
They kept going down, down, down, twisting and turning and sometimes plunging down sheer drops. If they hadn't the ability to float and fly, they could have died several times over. The powerful feeling just kept getting stronger and stronger as they went. Tanis' uneasiness was strengthening. It wasn't too long before he got the impression that they were miles below the entrance, though he had no way of knowing if he was right or wrong.
"Yes," Riku suddenly hissed, stopping. "There it is."
Tanis looked up, and his heart stopped. "A-a…" he stammered. "I-it's a Keyhole. It's the One World's Keyhole!"
"Yes," Riku said again. "This is what I was looking for." He made the ball of light, which lit the surrounding area quite well, float up above their heads as he turned around, set the case down again, and unfastened the strap that held the sword on his back. "My father had me fight him for this," he started slowly. "I will not do the same to you. You are a strong young man, but you are not a physical fighter. You are so much more skilled in the magic arts, and that alone has made you worthy of this sword. I pass it on to you, my son." He dropped down on his knees and held the sword up to Tanis, just as Sephiroth had done with him many centuries ago.
"Father, I…" Tanis murmured, unable to think of what to say. Slowly, he reached out and took the sword. "Thank you, Father."
Riku stood and touched Tanis' cheek, bringing their foreheads together. "You will find your mate soon, Tanis," he said, a sad smile on his face. "Soon, you will know the meaning of true happiness. Just be patient, my son, and you will find her in due time."
Tanis nodded, a lump in his throat.
"You'll need a way out of here," Riku mused aloud, and he called the ball of light down again. He began to mold it, until it received the shape of a large butterfly. Riku blew gently on it, and it fluttered up out of his hands and started flitting around Tanis' head. "When you are ready to go," he explained to Tanis, "just tell that to lead you out, then follow it."
"Yes, Father," Tanis said softly. "Why…why are you going to seal the Keyhole? Why are you going to stop the flow of magic?"
"I am tired of this cycle of death and sorrow we are all caught in," Riku said. "Yes, we can feel happiness, but our lives end in grief and agony. It should stop. No one deserves to suffer like that, yet it is our fate to do so. It has to stop!" He paused, then continued. "My heart tells me that the ylfen are drawing toward their waning time. Our time as the dominant species in the One World is drawing to a close, and the kitschen will take our place. It is time for us to start fading, to start leaving. Sealing this Keyhole will help greatly, perhaps even cause it. Our kind has survived for a very long time, and it is time we stepped aside and all departed for the World Beyond."
"I…I think I understand," Tanis said softly.
"Good," Riku nodded. "Do not worry. It will probably be at least a thousand years or two before changes start to be noticed. This world is so saturated with magic, that even if the source is turned off, the abundance will not start to go down for quite some time. Now, then…"
Riku grabbed his son and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Tanis," he whispered. "I wish I could stay, but your mother is calling to me. I have to go to her."
"Then, go," Tanis sighed. "We will see each other again someday, I am sure." He and his father separated, Riku picked up the case again, and Tanis watched stock-still as his father walked toward the gaping maw of the Keyhole. He was hugging the wooden case to his chest, and Tanis swore that Riku began to glow as he got closer and closer. Finally, he disappeared into the utter blackness.
The Keyhole suddenly blazed with light, the sparkling around the golden edges brightening to a blinding fire. Tanis had to shield his eyes, and as he looked away, he could hear a distinct clicking noise, like a latch falling securely into place.
Goodbye, Son, his father's warm voice echoed in his head.
The brightness died down, and Tanis could look at the Keyhole again. It was disappearing, the blackness fading out in patches, revealing the gray-black stone that made up the cave wall on which it hung. Finally, it disappeared altogether.
The Keyhole was gone, and his father with it. The fate of their people was sealed.
A single tear slipped down his right cheek, but a soft smile gently touched his lips. "Goodbye, Father."
To be continued…Author's Notes: This is not the end. I have one more chapter after this, which I hope you are looking forward to. A brief epilogue will be at the end of the chapter.
I can't believe I'm almost done with this fic. Has it really been over a year since I started on it? Wow. Time sure flies, doesn't it?
So, what did you think of this very long chapter, huh? I would so like to hear from you guys. I've been getting very little feedback for this story lately. Let me know how you like this chapter in a review or an email, onegai shimasu!
