Chapter VI

Seymour and the Land of the Dead

"No!" Bergljot's cry rang through the clearing. "You may be strong, but you're the one whose will is weak. No one can break our wills, but we can break yours. Our hearts are strong enough to endure your attacks."
Seymour merely laughed quietly and said, "What a speech for one so young. Those words shall be recognized as the most famous of all last words!"

"Anselm, Gwandoya, look out!"

Seymour made Renatus reach out her hand and send a jet of water at the group. They managed to avoid it and began their advance at Renatus.

"What do we do? We can't kill the Maester," Anselm said in despair.

"This isn't Renatus. Seymour is controlling her body as Ansem controlled Riku's. The real Renatus would never do this," Gwandoya said as he blocked a lightning bolt.

"He's right. Riku was freed when Ansem was…uh… first killed, right? So if we beat Seymour, he should release Renatus," Bergljot said. She began the Aeroga spells. "Aeroga Gwandoya, Anselm and Bergljot."

"A small whirlwind cannot stop my blows," Seymour made Renatus yell. "I will not be denied the victory I have waited so long for!"

"AH!" Bergljot screamed. Seymour swung the sword at her and nicked Bergljot's shoulder.

"Force!" Anselm cried. The orb that had defeated the Heartless in the studio on Drummond returned on Seymour. Unfortunately, he was too large to be smashed on the ground.

"Ha! Your weak attacks are no match for me!" Renatus/Seymour screamed as she/he charged at Anselm in retaliation. "Take this!"

The blade swung through the air with a shriek. It hit Anselm with the flat side, knocking him winded to the ground, his staff flying from his hands. The blade came up again, this time aimed at Anselm's heart.

"Your blood shall stain the grass this day," whispered Renatus/Seymour. The blade came up and shot towards Anselm's chest. He braced for the oncoming pain.

CLANG!

A long silence followed the sudden noise, followed by a struggle of wills. Anselm and Gwandoya stared as Bergljot sat between the sword and Anselm, the Keyblades crossed to block the blow of the sword. Her shoulder bled heavily and she had removed the Aeroga spell.

"I won't let you take him from me," hissed Bergljot ferociously. She pushed the blades up and in doing so threw the sword aside. She stood and spun the Keyblades, holding them in a fighting position. She glared at Renatus/Seymour.

"Humph. Finally, a challenge."

Before he could react, Bergljot had run at him and slashed at his clothes. To her surprise, the blades cut the skin. She had expected only to be able to smack him. Stabbing a Heartless to death was one thing as they were not truly solid, but piercing a truly living creature? Bergljot was so taken aback that she barely dodged the next blow from the injured.

"Ah…" she moaned painfully. Bergljot had rolled on her bad shoulder and she could feel bits of soil and tiny stones irritating the inside of the wound. She stood and charged at the enemy once again. This time, her husband and brother-in-law followed suit.

"Come on, power!" cried Gwandoya as he arrived in front of the Maesters. He began to spin again, slicing through flesh with his shield.

"Blizzaga!" Anselm yelled, large pieces of ice pelting Renatus/Seymour.

"No… no… NO!" screamed Seymour. He was weakening quickly. The group was attacking from all sides, moving around as they finished each attack. Seymour was having trouble choosing one to hit.

"Let… Renatus… GO! You are no longer the Maester! You no longer belong here!" Yelled Bergljot. She dug the blades deep into Seymour's stomach.

"Ah…" he gasped breathlessly. Renatus then seemed to split into two as the blades connected with flesh. Renatus fell to the ground quietly, seemingly asleep or fainted. She lie still for a moment, breathing shallowly. Suddenly, the second half began to stand up. The young Maester's major wounds disappeared from her body and were transferred to the thing growing from her back. It looked up at the trio with anger and pain burning in his blue eyes. Seymour-Guado stood before them, blue hair flowing slightly, robes flapping in the light breeze. With one last glare, he glided backwards into the woods and out of sight.

"Heal, Bergljot," Anselm whispered.

"Why didn't you do that when we crashed?" Bergljot asked.

"Curaga only heals battle-induced wounds."

"Shouldn't we be taking care of her?" asked Gwandoya.

Renatus bled a little and was still very weak. Bergljot cast heal on her and her injuries disappeared. Minutes that felt like hours passed before Renatus awoke.

"Huh? SEYMOUR!" she screamed upon waking. Renatus began trembling.

"Maester, it's okay. He's gone into the woods," Gwandoya said.

"Of course! He must be going to the cave deep in the woods. There is a secret cave, blocked off by boulders having fallen from the mountains long ago. That must be where the Keyhole is. We must stop him," Renatus said, standing and looking at her friends.

"Very well, but we will need all our strength to beat him," Bergljot whispered. The group began the dangerous journey into the woods, prepared for the worst.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"We have come for you, Seymour! Come out and fight!" Called Renatus into the forest. The group stood alert in the woods, weapons drawn and eyes pealed for anything unusual. A quiet laugh startled all of them.

"Ha. You shall all perish, and I will finish what I started one thousand years ago."

Crash. Rustle. Seymour came out of the woods, but he no longer looked like himself. He was floating above the ground and was a deep blue or black. He was mildly transparent, but he had a glow about him as well to prevent total invisibility.

"No…" Renatus whispered. "Seymour Omnis, the most powerful of his forms."

"We can handle him," said Bergljot. "Charge!"

The group ran at him at full force, but Seymour merely made a sweeping motion with his hands and they were swept off their feet.

"How can we beat that?" Anselm asked.

"We don't," Gwandoya answered. "Bergljot, what are you doing? Get back here!"

Bergljot ignored him. She was walking slowly in front of Seymour and used her blades to form a circle around her. She spun the blades and stuck them in the ground. A small stone was suddenly in her hands and, upon looking at it, discovered the summoning gem. She crouched between the blades and whispered the name of the Aeon.

"Seraphina, bring us your light." As the words left her mouth, the gem rose into the air and glowed. The wind picked up, and Bergljot was forced out of the circle. The blades spun around the circle and soon rested in their master's hands once more. In the middle of the circle stood a tall angel, glowing in robes made of fire, with six wings sticking out of it's back.

"Tell it what to do," Renatus says. "It won't attack until you tell it to, unless you tell it 'free mind.'"

"Okay. Seraphina-" the angel stood alert at its name. "- Cast Firaga!"

Whoosh. A large ball of flame shot at Seymour Omnis from the Aeon's fingertips. Seymour retaliated with a blast of ice.

"Why is she looking at me like that?"

"She has a special attack to use. I think its Feather Shoot," called Renatus. Bergljot nodded in reply.

"Seraphina, Feather Shoot!"

The Aeon turned to face her master and crossed her arms. She spread them forcefully, and feathers from her wings shot at Seymour.

"UH!" he cried as he was pelted with sharp feathers tips. He drew a spear from nowhere and threw it at the attacker. She flinched, but the heat of her robes disintegrated the projectile. A golden light shone around her.

"What's that?"

"Her megattack. All Aeons have super powerful attacks that charge both when they are attacked and when they are the ones doing the attacking, whether it hits or not. Try telling her Dive Bomb."

"Dive Bomb!" Bergljot repeated the order.

The Aeon rose into the air until she was above the clouds. When she looked as though she was another sun, she burst into flames and shot back at the ground in Seymour's direction.

"HUH! NO!" he screamed as the Aeon consumed him in flame. He began to shoot spells at Seraphina. She eventually collapsed in a heap and disappeared as the monster had on Drummond.

"Come on, he's weak! Let's go!"

"Aeroga Renatus, Gwandoya, Anselm and Bergljot!" cried Anselm as they charge at the monster before them.

Seymour Omnis blocked as many attacks as possible and shot many at his attackers, but to no avail. He was taken down with one final blow of Bergljot's blades. As the weapons connected his flesh, he was turned back into his original form, this time even more broken.

"Ah… My daughter… How could you do this? Your own grandfather… Do you… pity me now?"

"No. I'm ashamed to share lineage with you. This is no longer your place. You should never have come back."

"The Keyhole. We must seal it now!" called Bergljot. She ran to the cave that had been hidden behind Seymour during the entire fight. "Renatus, come with me. Doya and Anselm, guard him until we get back."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Bergljot, I apologize."

"For what?" she replied as the two women cleared the boulders.

"Seymour. If I were a stronger ruler…" Renatus trailed off.

"No. He was corrupt from the start. I suspect he met Ansem while they were banished and the thirst for power that was already there was increased with visions of ruling many worlds, not only this one."

"Anyway, I am very excited. I have never seen a sealing before," said Renatus excitedly.

"There it is," Bergljot said quietly.

The hole was in the wall across from them. It glowed bright blue at the arrival of the Keyblade Mistress. She raised both blades and pointed them at the hole. Two lasers shot out and merged as one halfway between the ends of the blades and Keyhole. There was a click, and the outline darkened.

"Wow. Come now. We must decide what to do about my not-so-great-grandfather."

"Right," Bergljot turned to leave.

"Wait. Here," Said Renatus. "Thank you for rescuing us."

"What are they?"

Renatus had handed Bergljot two small items. One was a key chain fashioned into a shape that Bergljot took to be a pyrefly. The other was a summoning gem.

"Put the chain on one of the blades."

Bergljot did so, and was shocked to find that it changed shaped and size. It was longer than the original and had a pyrefly for teeth instead of the normal ones. It also seemed to be made of intertwined wood of various colors, including green, blue and violet.

"The other is a summon gem. Seymour's mother, Anima. She's one of the strongest Aeons. Her special attack is Pain and her megattack is Oblivion. Use it well," Renatus bowed and left, Bergljot soon following.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I say destroy him," said Gwandoya.

"No!" came Renatus' cry as she and Bergljot arrived at the scene. "Allow me to send him to the Farplane."

"You're sure he won't come back?" Asked Anselm.

"No, but I would like to be able to see him, despite his evil ways. Step back."

The group stepped back and watched as Renatus turned the sword back into the staff. She took off her boots and walked slowly up to Seymour, holding the staff a quarter of the way up from the bottom so the head was mere centimeters above the ground. She looked at Seymour sorrowfully and spoke to him for the last time.

"I am sorry, but this is how it must be."

She then began to do the last thing Bergljot, Anselm, and Gwandoya thought she would do.

She began to dance.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Thank you all again for helping me. Your vessel should be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you Renatus. I suppose this is good-bye for now," Bergljot bowed as Renatus had demonstrated when they arrived. Anselm and Gwandoya were buying supplies from the local merchants. "Perhaps we will return someday. Maybe you could teach us Blitzball.

"That would be nice," Renatus said quietly. There was an awkward silence between the two.

"Well, good-bye, and thank you for everything," Bergljot turned to leave.

"Wait. Go find your husband and brother. Bring them back here."

"Doya's not my brother. He can't accept me as his brother's wife," she said sadly. "Before our union, Doya and I got along great. I'm the godmother of his daughter and son, and he was always there if I needed him. But now…"

"I see. Perhaps he will change his mind soon. Now, hurry."

"Why do you need them?"

"Just go. You shall see shortly."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Why did Maester Renatus say she wanted us again?" asked Gwandoya.

"Look, I told you. She just wants us back there."

"Maybe she wants to give us presents. It's not fair that you get a weapon power up and a summons," Anselm griped. The group had left the inn and was heading back to the manor.

"Who says you can't use the summons? They follow who ever calls on them, not one single person," Bergljot explained. Anselm had no reply and they continued walking in silence.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"That didn't take long," Renatus called as the group approached. "Come. I have something to show you."

She led the group through the town and up through the 'tree.' when they came to a hollow with a light post on either side, Renatus stopped.

"Please, close your eyes until we get there."

The group, eyes closed and hands holding the one ahead, made it's way up a path and up a set of steps.

"Be warned, you will pass through a portal here. When you pass, you may open your eyes," Renatus said and stepped through. Gwandoya went next, followed by Anselm, and then Bergljot went last.

"Ah!" the trio gasped. They were on a platform that was jutting out of a cliff. There was a field full of flowers underneath and around. Across there was a large, golden waterfall. A light-blue never-setting sun was high in the sky, and pyreflies flew among the plants.

"Welcome to the Farplane," Renatus said. "Where the dead rise again."

She walked over to one side and bowed her head slightly. A group of pyreflies flew up and formed a picture of Seymour. He gazed at his descendant. Renatus turned to her friends for a moment.

"Think of the dead person you wish to see and he or she will appear. Now if you don't mind, I would like to be alone with Seymour for a few moments."

Gwandoya walked over to the other side and was greeted by his parents. Anselm turned and went to a space next to him. There, a short man with whitish colored hair stood before him. He wore a blue tunic, white slacks, gold-color boots and a blue cap. In his hand was a staff. Anselm began speaking to Donald.

Turning back to Gwandoya, Bergljot saw that he was now conversing with a tall man with black hair. This man wore a green cap, brown boots, an orange shirt, blue slacks, and a green vest. Gwandoya, too, began conversing with Goofy.

Bergljot turned to the last empty side and could think of no one.

Dad…why were you killed? Why did I have to take up the blades? Why this? Why now? Why me? She thought. Tears filled her eyes at the thought of her parents. A movement caught her eye and she looked up. A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it. Before her stood her mother and father. She gazed at her lovingly while he looked at her proudly.

"Mom… Dad… I miss you terribly, and I wish you were here to help me. Anselm has been a good husband, mom. Just like he promised. Daddy, I wish you could have been at the wedding. It was beautiful. I love you both," she whispered. Her thoughts turned to the wedding and her parents disappeared.

"Hey."

"Oh… Anselm. I saw my parents," she began to cry a little on her husband's shoulder.

"Hey, why don't you try calling someone else?" Anselm suggested.

"Okay," said Bergljot. She racked her brain for another, but nobody came. For some reason, pictures from her history classes came to mind. They were of Sora and Kairi on their wedding in the tenth Kingdom Hearts game. Bergljot sighed and looked up. She nearly fainted at the sight of Sora and Kairi standing before her.

"My master…"
Sora was clad in deep blue clothes with black armor. His hair was classically spiked and brown, his blue eyes more brilliant than her own. Kairi stood by, wearing a long lavender skirt and white tank top. Her red hair was long, and her eyes were as blue as her husband's. Kairi's stomach was slightly swollen, showing that she was most likely pregnant when she died. They beamed at their only living descendant.

"I promise to finish what you began, Sora. Ansem will be killed once and for all, as will the Heartless. I swear to it."

Sora and Kairi nodded in unison. Somehow, Sora was able to reach out his hand. Bergljot reached for it and actually touched it. At the instant of contact, Bergljot felt pain surge through her body, and she could barely hear Anselm, Gwandoya and Renatus screaming. Sora pulled her into the side containing pyreflies. The only problem was that her body stayed behind.

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WHOO HOO! SIX CHAPTERS AND ONE PROLOGUE DOWN AND ONLY ABOUT FORTY OR FIFTY MORE TO GO! Okay, enough of that. Bet none of you were expecting to see Sora and Kairi, huh? Well, they're in there. I have a correction to make in the last chapter; I stated that Jyscal had brown hair. In reality, his hair is blue. Is it just me, or is it hard to determine hair color in the damn Farplane? Anyway, the ten KH game was my idea. I personally think that there will be 13 games. In the ASAS Deep Dive video, the countdown starts at 13 instead of a rounded number (Say, 15) and ends at 2... The number that the video is a 'trailer' for. At least, that's what I think. If you know why it's like that or have your own idea, let me know. I may use it; who knows? I decided to put Blitzball in a later chapter. It's too complicated to fit it in here.

Chapter 7: Sora and Kairi reveal some secrets about the Heartless and Ansem. You also discover why Gwandoya has those dreams (reference to some events in the first chapter). Also: Leaving Ogden and off to a new world.