Kingdom of Shadows
The Fight between Dimensions
A/N: italics symbolize semi-telepathic communications. Hope you enjoy.
Still frozen Ryu thought as came upon the giant heartless: Ryu unsheathed his gunblade and waited for the beast to move. The beast broke out in what sounded like a loud roar, Ryu took a step back and prepared for the battle to begin…
Shifting his grasp on the gunblade, Ryu dived at the heartless; it lifted its hand and swiped him away. Ryu picked himself up, looked up at the heartless, dodged a sweep from its hand, then activated his limit break, ultima strike; a fast fury of swipes each followed big a quick explosion. Jumping back he, watched the heartless bend in pain then look over at him deep red eyes glaring. Ryu took a step back and went quickly to a defense position. The heartless swung its giant hand down at Ryu, Ryu reacted quickly jumping off to the side, then again dodging the other hand. Ryu standing directly in front of the heartless, jumped up to eye level with the heartless, did a spin flinging his gunblade into the heartless. The heartless roared in pain, Ryu seizing his opportunity threw the brown sack he had grabbed before leaving. The heartless screamed in uncontrollable pain, Ryu thought it must have felt like a hot spike was being driven through it, the heartless put its hands on its head. Ryu jumped up and grasped the now warm handle of the gunblade and pulled it free, then using the force of pulling it free lunched himself up to the head of the heartless. He swung digging into the heartless' head. Using the force of the swing Ryu lunched himself on to the heartless' shoulder and slashed again, with each slash the heartless let out a loud shriek until it finally fell silent. Ryu flipped sideways off the shoulder and prepared a finisher when, he noticed a small golden piece behind the heartless. Seizing the opportunity, the heartless swiped at Ryu hitting hard into a close-by wall.
Ryu fell from the wall hard onto the black pavement he looked next to him and found the golden object to be a small key. Picking it up, he righted himself preparing for the heartless' next attack, rolling he avoided the large hand that hit the pavement behind him. Taking a quick look around him he spotted his gunblade, on the opposite side of the heartless. The heartless turned to face Ryu; Ryu felt red eyes glaring down at him. Dodging another slow punch by the heartless Ryu ran toward the heartless at a mind-bending speed, flipping out a knife with his left hand, threw it striking the heartless in the chest. It just stepped back a little shocked, and then gave a throaty laugh, Ryu smiled reaching the gunblade. Hefting it back into his right hand, he realized the key was still in it. The heartless realizing what had gone on gave him no time to move it to his left hand, sending both hands down at him in one powerful motion.
Ryu jumped back, remembering what the professor taught him of a powerful limit break type skill that defeated a sorceress in another dimension. Pulling the sword up in front of his face left hand he yelled "Lionheart!" then letting the blade fall to his side in a diagonal manner he saw the light activate, but instead of the white like he expected a red whirlwind gathered around him. Similar to what was supposed to happen, but then the Dragonheart seemed to darken and the red whirlwind which was three times larger now then it should have been went into the blade. Stunned Ryu stood there for a second staring, quickly realizing, he ran toward the towering behemoth, he gripping the blade tightly he forgot that the key he had found was in his hand and unconsciously as he ran he found himself pushing the key further and further into the handle. Ryu looked up at the heartless, and didn't have time to avoid a large sweeping hand, that pushed him into a building. All he could do was hold onto the gunblade to hope from not to let it fall away again, knowing that doing so was furthering the key imprint on the handle. Seconds later the power of the hand and the wall behind was too much Ryu passed out.
Ryu woke and found himself in a black void his hand still gripped the gunblade, but the key was gone. Also on the handle where the key's imprint should have been was a shadow of an hourglass, the same on the other side. He wondered where he was, taking another look around he saw the giant heartless knocked out, and its hand only three feet away twitched. Ryu raised the blade and the heartless got up, but before either got the chance to move further the darkness around them began to attack the heartless. Ryu stood not sure whether to run or fight. If it attack that thing maybe I'm next, gripping the gunblade he turned to run but something held him. Turning back help us Lord of Realms help us ran through his head, Ryu looked up at the heartless and felt hate like never before, it had taken Sairi away, or had been the cause, it didn't matter. His strength returned to him, jumping he found himself five feet above the giant heartless blade raised behind him, gravity didn't play its normal role here apparently, time seemed to freeze, shadows headed for him, he braced for pain, but instead as they came close they turned red and gathered into his gunblade, like the whirlwind had earlier. Suddenly feeling confident again he pulled the gunblade down on top of the heartless, searing it into two. Jumping back he watched the heartless begin to smoke a deep black smoke that disappeared almost instantly, suddenly he felt the energy that came to him leave, he felt dizzy and falling he passed out again.
Two times in one day who am I? You are the Lord of Realms. "Who are you what do you mean Lord of Realms?" You are the Lord of Realms here is your domain, we are the Kavandi. "Kavandi? How do I get out of here?" the Blade of Time holds the answer. "Blade of Time? What is that?" Ryu stood looking around and when no answer came he sheathed the gunblade and glimpsed the hourglass on the hilt.
Having no other choice that remaining to him he unsheathed the gunblade and overlooked it again. The dark green blade seem to glow, the engraved dragon seemed hungry. Ryu realized that in the dragon's mouth was a symbol, a twisted key? Ryu gripped the handle and went into the first form of the Lionheart limit break, it worked to get him here could it get him out? Dropping it to his side the glow ignited engulfing him in a globe of green. Ryu stared, this was what he wanted but it left him awestruck, suddenly the light began to shrink. Afraid to lose what he had gained he lifted up his gunblade, immediately it absorbed the light, making itself blinding to look at. Ryu slashed down hoping to break a way open to the other side. Halfway through the light was released in a shockwave of green light, the gunblade returned to its tiny glow. It didn't work! His only way out didn't work.
Click, click, click Ryu turned around to find himself face to face with a tall man only a few inches shorter than Ryu, but buff with long arms, and powerful shoulders. The bare-chested man with an hourglass branded on each cheek stood for a second then gave out a deep mighty laugh. "I thought maybe he had come, the Kavandi said he was here, but they can get confused, it has happened before."
"Who are you?" Ryu asked regaining his posture
"Who are you?" The mysterious character mimicked with a smile.
"I'm Ryujin, the mighty dragon of legend, but you already knew who I was, didn't you?"
"Well you're quick, here to calm you down here are some answers. I am the key guardian, I select where to send keyblades, and let people in here but not out. Here is the realm between realms and all realms at once."
"How?"
"How does your limit break work?"
"By energy stored inside me that I can only release when I get hurt."
"Same idea this is the realms energy, but instead of being in constant hiding waiting to be released it is always being released. To gain access one would only have to walk in the right place at the right time, so it protects itself. My job is to weaken that bond, so people can get in, and then I have to hold them in here."
"Why is it necessary to do such a thing?"
"In order to prepare for the Lord of Realms, when he comes the channel will be closed to all but him and those loyal to him."
"The Kavandi called me that."
"They've been wrong before."
"So to get out I have to beat you and in doing so, I close the force holding open this realm, and effectively name myself Lord of Realms."
"Close I am only the first step to becoming the Lord of Realms, many more battles will follow to prove if you are the true Lord of Realms, and to teach you if you are, to turn your power to a conscious power. To beat me shows nothing I have been beaten before."
"Only by those who knew what they were doing, you lied to beat you will leave a mighty proof that I am this Lord of Realms, which I'm still not ready to accept. Now comes the real battle then, that heartless was only a warm-up."
"And perceptive, but can your fighting hold up?"
"Of course." Ryu replied, the world around them engulfed in white, and they were in a field of flowers, somewhere in the distance a stone structure loomed. In a blink the mighty guardian was on him laying down punch after punch. Ryu worked hard just to block the fury as they came. Taking a step back to hold his position he shifted the blade to one hand and began to use the other to block.
Ryu pulled the blade forward into an attack, forcing his opponent back a step. The muscular man quickly recovered and threw more punches trying to make contact. Sweat beaded on Ryu's brow he couldn't keep this up it was too much to handle. He missed a block and was hit square in the stomach, lunching back three feet. Ryu doubled in pain, he had no choice to beat this opponent he would have to play by his rules, so fists were his only choice. Ryu let the Gunblade drop next to and stood back up.
"So it really begins." The guardian said mockingly.
"Yea, its time you felt some pain." Ryu said smirking. In an instant they were launching fists back and forth. Ryu couldn't even hit the man, but he got Ryu enough, but at least he was no longer holding back, Ryu would get the chance to find his flaw and beat him by it. Finally Ryu scored his first, but got hit at the same time, both hit hard in the face, stumbling a few strides back. Ryu winced at the pain but launched back at the guardian, he knew how to beat him. Ryu recounted it as he went through it block, block, nick him here, nick there, and hit, hit, hit. Ryu landing more hit struck a lasting blow making the guardian take a few steps back.
"So you've figured out that style, you don't have the energy to figure out another." The guardian said shifting his footing.
"I don't have to." Ryu held out his hand, a green glow enveloped it and he swung it out, his gunblade came to him. Ryu pulled the gunblade down his arm and wiped it in his blood. "Blood's fury!" Ryu ran toward his opponent, the guardian braced, Ryu jumped soaring into the air. He was too high to see in a moment, when slashes of fire, ice and thunder rained down. The guardian dodged the slashes easily, looking down though he saw him self standing in the middle of a giant target. In the sky a sliver bullet sped down. The guardian jumped. Ryu hit behind him, just missing the guardian's foot, but a shockwave of the earth hit him hard knocking forward into a wall of earth that had formed. The guardian tried to stand, making it about half-way, and then falling down again. Ryu looked over to where the guardian lay, and dropped his gunblade falling onto the soft grass.
Ryu opened his eyes to find himself in a bed; his gunblade was nowhere to be seen. He was in a white room, a medical place he supposed, he was in bad condition after the last fight.
"Awake! Your awake." A figure clad in blue strode across the room. She was young looking, dark hair, and dark eyes full of worry.
"Yea, yea. I'm fine now, who are you and where am I?"
"Not in a position to make questions, don't you think? I am Rinoa, you are in Garden. Ryu considered it for a moment deciding he knew the name from somewhere, then fell back asleep.
A/N: sorry it took so long, school, writer's cramp, yada, yada. Well I hope its good PLEASE REVIEW!!! If you don't I might sick my squirrels on you.