Been a while: Well, been a bit occupied with KoTOR II, reading, Monster Rancher Advance 2, and making an FLCL AMV, but it's finally here, the next chapter. Finally, a revalation of who the Master is, also explaining the random remeniscing in the chapter at the end of Wonderland. Well, hope you like it.
-
"So you've made it this far, have you?"
Eriks smiled as they walked up the aisle towards him. He stood on the platform before the great portal, the still figures of Riku and Leon at his side. Riku, silver-haired and aqua-blue eyed, was in a long black trenchcoat and tight black pants, with dark shirt and matching black boots. Leon's outfit was similar, though his jacket was shorter than his waist and his shirt was white. His blue eyes stared coldly out from his long brown hair.
"You're not Eriks," said Orchid flatly. "Who are you?"
"So soon forgot me, Orchid? I'm hurt," he sighed. Then he grinned maliciously, and pointed the keyblade at her as the trio came to a halt just before the platform he stood on. "It doesn't matter who I am, nor does it matter that you have the keyblade now. Or should I say, a keyblade?"
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
"These papers here detail it all," he said, waving a sheaf of notes that he had pulled from his jacket. "My studies, Ansem's studies, Elias's studies. All of it in here. You really know so little."
He laughed, the flung his arm up, the papers scattering about the room wildly.
"None of that matters anymore. Through this portal, I shall open the door of darkness, and walk into Kingdom Hearts. I shall have power to do whatever I wish with the universe. Because I have the Princesses of Heart... and this," he said, brandishing the white winged blade he held. "The Keyblade of Heart, Light. The twin of this boy's predecessor's blade."
There was a shimmering as a dark keyblade, black and hooked at the end, formed in Riku's hands. The young man smiled evilly, and slashed the air before him experimentally.
"With me weilding this key, I will unlock to the door to power unstoppable!" roared Eriks, his voice double-layered and maniacal.
"Do you think we'll just let you do that?" growled Arc, pushing up his shades. "I'll kill you first, little punk."
"Annoying," noted Eriks, looking at Arc for the first time. The white keyblade vanished, and he pointed his hands at Arc and Montblanc, who had just finished discreetly gathering the strewn about papers. "Disappear, into the Never-Ending Sky."
The Guardian and the Mage became as dust, and then were gone.
"What did you do to them?" demanded Orchid.
"I destroyed them, returned them to nothing," Eriks lied easily. "Now it's just you."
"Why...why are you doing this?" she asked, her head lowered and body trembling with barely contained rage.
"I do it for power beyond your wildest dreams," he replied. "When all hearts return to the one great heart, Kingdom Hearts will open, and I will be there when it happens, and all that power will be mine." He paused, then sighed and looked at her. "But first, come up here. I want to be face to face with you when I tell you the truth."
Orchid bit back a snappy response, then walked to the right, up one of the set of stairs leading onto the platform. She really didn't have any choice given the situation.
She walked over, trying her best to ignore the standing forms of Riku and Leon, and faced a body that had once belonged to her best friend. The eyes were different she saw, now that she was up close. They were almost entirely black, with gleaming specks in them. She only knew one person with eyes like that.
Eriks smiled, seeing the recognition in her eyes. "Now, do you see? It's me. That two-bit magician. Morpheus, the King of Dreams. The very man who used to do magic shows in Arcadia. Poor, little Arcadia."
"So this is what you've been up to these past four years?" asked Orchid calmly.
"Yes," he grinned. "And now that you know the whole story, this is where it ends for you."
He turned away from her, then walked up to the heart shaped portal. He raised his arm, gleaming white keyblade in hand, then struck it into the middle. Seven rays of light shot out from behind him, in the hall, and struck the gateway. And then it was open. The door of darkness was open. Morpheus smiled with his stolen face, then stepped through the swirling doorway and was gone. But not before saying one last thing.
"Kill her."
-
He walked through paths that he had not seen for four years. He carried no weapon, yet the Heartless trembled before him and ran. He had a purpose, and nothing would stop him. His time was coming, so now he had returned to Hollow Bastion. He smiled.
Soon, he would be powerless no more.
-
Orchid backed cautiously away as Leon and Riku approached her. Their eyes were strange, empty-looking, as if possessed. Which is what she more or less figured.
She dodged back as Riku swung out at her with the dark keyblade, parrying a few of the strikes with her own, but mainly fighting a defensive battle as she retreated. She looked back as her legs bumped into something, and found she was backed against the railing that surrounded the platform.
"Oh..."
She gasped as an arm shot out and a strong hand grasped her throat. It was Leon, who had come up from the side while she watched Riku. He easily picked her up and held her over the edge as she struggled to break his hold.
"Let her go!"
Orchid tried to turn her head to see who had spoke, then suddenly found herself hurling through the air. She slammed hard into the carpeted floor of the Great Hall, tumbling and rolling to a halt at the speaker's feet. She looked up in surprise.
"Sora?"
The young man, eyes set and expression grim, stood above her, glaring menacingly at the two on the platform before him. One arm shot out to the side, hand open as Orchid slowly got to her feet.
"The keyblade. Now," he said flatly.
There was a shimmering, then something appeared in his hand, and he grasped it firmly. It was his keyblade. It was of medium length, white and delicate looking, but Orchid knew that it was strong. The blade portion was an ornate white star, similar to the star keychain that hung off it.
"Oathkeeper," sighed Sora softly, as he held the blade before him, almost reverentially. Something seemed to vastly change about the boy, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he was filled with new life. "The Keyblade of World, Heart, is back."
"But...does that mean...?" asked Orchid, still in shock from the sudden appearance of Sora and the keyblade. She held out her hand and concentrated. She felt deep inside her, and then she found it. The air shimmered, and the Devil's Rose was held in her grasp once more. "So... this is what Merlin meant. The Keyblade of World is complete."
Riku sneered derisively at them, and swung his dark keyblade threateningly in their direction. "It matters not. Be it one frail girl alone, or her and a broken keybearer, they still cannot triumph over us. The Lion-hearted will crush you, and I, the servant of the darkness will break you, and together, we shall bring you before our master, and you, just as I do, shall serve him down the endless centuries. And with the keyblades of Heart and World, all hearts shall return to the one great heart, and the doors of Light and Dark shall open unto our master, and the power of all Kingdom Hearts shall be ours. Then nothing shall stand in our way."
Sora laughed, a short, mocking thing that shattered the oppressive silence of the Great Hall.
"I will never give in, and neither will she, for we are stronger than fool puppets of a ghost in a stolen body. Be it Ansem of the Dark, or the Lady of the Light, or the King of Dreams himself, I will stand before him, and I will win." He smiled, and pointed the keyblade at his long time rival, his one time enemy, and his all time best friend. "Cling to your illusions if you must, but know that with this key, I will unlock the chains that bind those you've hurt, the locks that seal the hearts you've stolen, and the very bonds that bind you to your master. I cast my defiance into the teeth of the Lion-hearted, I cast my defiance into your teeth, servant of darkness, and even more, I cast my defiance in the teeth of him who is your master, but never mine."
And Riku screamed with rage, and all the world shook with his fury.
-
Morpheus closed his stolen eyes and held his arms open wide, as if in supplication to some higher being. He smiled.
"Now, Kingdom Hearts, by darkness and by light, I offer these hearts of nations, worlds, and peoples, to return to you, the one great heart, that you may open upon me and grant me your power. By light and by dark, I offer myself. A sacrifice from myself, of myself, to myself. Open, and let your secrets be mine."
-
The keyblades clashed fiercely as Riku leapt down and lunged at Sora. The brunette young man blocked, then pushed his silver haired opponent back and swung in with a counterattack.
"You take care of Leon," he told Orchid as Oathkeeper clashed off the dark heart keyblade. "Riku is mine."
Orchid nodded, then ran up the stairs to the left onto the platform where the hard eyed swordsman stood.
"You should have stayed home," warned Leon coldly as he drew the gunblade. It glimmered brightly in the light as he slashed at her.
"I've heard a lot about you," said Orchid, dodging back. "But working with the Heartless? This isn't you."
"Me, or not me, this is all there is. I would take anything over that endless nothing."
He struck out again, and the time for words was over.
-
"Riku, you've got to shake this," urged Sora as he neatly blocked his friend's blow and leapt back. "You're being controlled!"
"I don't care," snarled Riku, lunging forwards with the dark keyblade, clashing hard against Oathkeeper. "I won't go back to the pain. I won't!"
Sora reeled from the blow as he fell for a feint and was struck hard in the side. He dodged away, barely avoiding a flurry of strikes.
"I've been there, Sora," he said. "All that's there for me is pain. He brought me out of that. Struggle is no more. No pain. You could have been free too, but you bind yourself with lies and false concepts, like friends and love. Those only lead to trouble." A pained look entered his eyes. For a moment, Riku looked like nothing more than just a lonely, hurt young man, abandoned by the world. "Friends leave you. Loves forget you. And then you're alone, with nothing but your pain." His eyes flared angrily and his face contorted in a grimace of rage. "I won't return to that! Never again!"
Darkness poured from him, his rage and despair unleashed, and Sora was engulfed.
-
Orchid jumped back, then rolled to the side, barely avoiding a fatal assault from Leon. He was strong, there was no doubt about that, but he was also quick, and surprisingly skilled, not just relying on brute force.
She struck out, laying out a string of blows, but was brought up short as he fired off a ball of fire at her. Orchid grunted as it struck her in the stomach, sending her back, and barely brought up the Devil's Rose in time to block his sword strike. She jumped back, then took the opportunity to aim the keyblade and start casting spells.
"Blizzara!" she shouted. Icy crystals shot out, striking the man as he charged and slowing him as frost covered his shirt and jacket. "Bio!"
Leon coughed as poisonous gas spewed forth at him, condensing into a sickly green jelly on him. It sizzled on contact, and he shook himself quickly, pausing in his attack to free himself of the acidic toxins. He stumbled, then lashed out hard as Orchid used the distraction of the poison to attack. Orchid leapt away, but not before hitting the warrior hard with the keyblade.
"It's over!" raged Leon, turning and charging at her. "Renzokuken!"
Orchid staggered back at the ferocity of of his attacks, managing to block only some of the blows, giving little cries of pain everytime the cold steel of the gunblade cut her. Leon pressed on, driving her back as he mercilessly swung with practiced ease, keeping up a steady rain of blows. He gave one final blow, flinging her back, then held the gunblade out to the side. It glowed with energy, much like the keyblade did when fully charged.
"Rough Divide!" he yelled, charging forwards. He swung his sword up, leaping as he knocked Orchid's gaurd aside, then crashing down atop her with the gunblade. Orchid barely managed to block, but the sheer power from the attack nearly crushed her, and the energy exploded violently about her.
"Fine," she panted as she quickly shuffled back away from Leon as he readied his next attack. "I have some tricks of my own, you know?"
She held the keyblade lightly in one hand and smiled.
"Moonlight Rave!"
-
Sora looked about in the darkness, trying to see where his opponent was.
"Poor, poor Sora," said the disembodied voice. "So lost, afraid and alone."
"Where are you, Riku?" he demanded.
"Right here," whispered the voice in his ear. Sora spun about quickly, but no one was there. Only more darkness. Sora's breathing was getting faster, shallower; his eyes twitched this way and that in fear.
He jerked suddenly as something cold and firm grabbed his leg. Pulling back, silhouetted against his skin was a dark hand. A matching hand grabbed his other leg. He swung at them with the keyblade, and they disintegrated into the darkness, only to be replaced by another pair of arms that latched onto his legs. Struggling away from them, more and more pairs of arms came up, grasping his arms, wrapping around his body, cradling his head. He struggled, turning his face upwards away from the darkness as the limbs engufled him, gasping as he felt two shadow hands grasp his neck and slowly beging to crush his throat.
"There," said Riku, stepping out of the darkness to stand before his helpless enemy, "now you know what I felt. The pain, the utter helplessness, the loneliness. Know that you are at the mercy of the dark, and no one can save you but yourself. And only by giving in."
Sora's eyes were wide in agony as he tried to draw in breath. Under the layer of shadows, he gripped Oathkeeper tightly, such that his knuckles turned white with effort, while on his other hand, his fingers dug into his flesh in his fist, drawing blood.
"Do you give in?" asked Riku, walking forwards and pressing the tip of the hooked blade to his victim's throat, drawing a bead of blood, perfectly round and deep crimson.
"Never."
Then there was a flash of light.
-
"Finale!"
Explosions rang out around the Grand Hall as Orchid came to a halt behind the Lion-hearted, keyblade extended like a sword. At the exact same moment, there was a burst of light from below the platform where they fought, and darkness shot about the room, splattering the walls, dripping wetly like cold, dead blood.
"No!" screeched Riku madly, his eyes burning with a broken insanity. "You can't!"
"I can do whatever I want," seethed Sora flatly. His eyes were hard and serious, and he seemed to eminate a strange aura, as if he burned with light. "And neither you nor your master can stop me."
"Sora!" cried out Orchid happily, having been worried ever since he and Riku disappeared in darkness.
"Your fight's with me."
Orchid grunted in pain as a fist drove up hard into her stomach and she was sent tumbling across the floor. She rolled out of the way and stumbled to her feet as Leon struck out with his gunblade. Leon turned and faced her, eyes cold as ice.
"Come on, girl," he challenged. "Fight me."
Orchid ran up and struck out with the keyblade. Leon blocked, then counterattacked. She dodged, then struck again. They were soon lost in a flurry of blows, each matching each other for the other's hits. Spotting an opening, Orchid struck at Leon's side, catching him off-guard. He grunted and stumbled, and Orchid struck again, then leapt back as he swung out with his fist.
"Now it's serious!" shouted Leon, raising his sword skyward. A light flashed down and focused on the gunblade, and when it faded, his weapon was unearthly. Now well over nine feet long, the blade was a shimmering crystallization of energy. "Lionheart."
He charged forwards and struck out with it, and Orchid could not dodge the incredible reach of it in time.
-
Sora, wreathed in light, did then charge upon the servant of darkness.
"The heart is always stronger than that, if you only hold on!" he shouted as he struck at Riku again, pushing him back. He attacked savagely with Oathkeeper as Riku did his best to try to block with the dark heart keyblade.
"Never, I will never go back to the pain!" he screamed as he counterattacked wildly.
Sora blocked, then struck Riku once and followed up with another blow before he could recover. "Ars Arcanum!"
He struck fiercly and quickly, landing hard blows that Riku could not block as the keyblade glowed ever and ever brighter.
"Finis!" he shouted, slashin upwards. Energy shot out in a wave of light exploding outwards and blasting Riku back in its fury.
-
"Burn in my light, and be no more," intoned Leon quietly as he walked forwards, readying the titanic gunblade for his next strike as Orchid got to her feet, coughing wetly.
"Light, huh...? How 'bout I extinguish it?" she asked. She pointed the Devil's Rose at him, darkness forming at the tip. "Nightmare!"
Dark shapes of bats, slick as sin and deep as night came flying down at the warrior, but he swept them away with slashes of his blade and sweeps of his arm, but Orchid could tell it was effective from the cuts that he recieved to his arms and face.
"Just have to take it to him," she muttered, running a hand along the length of her keyblade. Where she touched, inky dark squirming darkness formed. She held the darkly glowing blade out to her side and readied herself to charge. "Nightmare Rave!"
She blurred out of sight, and darkness exploded across Leon's body as she came back in to focus behind him.
"Step!"
She disappeard again, and Leon grunted and stumbled as dark stains struck out across his side.
"Step!"
He gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of him, slick darkness clinging to him.
"Step! Step! Step!"
Controlled strikes sent him stumbling back towards the railing, then flying up into the air out from the platform, tearing darkness clinging harshly to him. Orchid blurred into view above him, keyblade glowing deep black.
"Screaming Finale!"
Explosions of darkness rang out around Leon and his gunblade faltered, then resumed its metallic form as he crashed to the ground in front of Riku, Orchid landing on the opposite side of him lightly. She turned adn faced them, Sora on the opposite side of the pair. He nodded to her.
"It's time to end this," she said.
"Time to free you," said Sora. "And the princesses."
"What? No, you can't!" yelled Riku desperately. "I won't go back!"
"You don't have to go back," reassured Sora. "Come with me, and nothing shall ever harm you, as long as we are together."
"Sora..." breathed Riku softly. Then he shook his head, and the madness burned once more in his eyes. "No, you lie!"
"Then we do this the hard way," sighed Orchid. She readied her keyblade as Sora readied his.
"Keyblades of Worlds!"
"Heart!" shouted Sora.
"Life!" proclaimed Orchid.
"By Light and by Dark, unlock and free!"
-
She blinked. The world came into focus slowly, and she faintly realized that she was lying on the floor. She tried to remember why. What was happening? The last thing she remembered was stepping through the door...
"Kairi!"
She rolled over onto her stomach and slowly got up. Her body felt weak and ungainly. She was on the floor of some hall, made of stone, but richly carpeted. Like a castle...
"Kairi, are you alright?" asked a familiar voice as arms gently embraced her, helping her up.
"Unh...Sora?" she asked faintly.
"Yeah, it's me," he said as his face came into focus, blue eyes concerned. "Are you alright?"
"I...I..."
And then it was black again.
-
"I think she's okay," said Sora, cradling Kairi gently in his arms. They had just released her from her stasis in the Great Hall. "But still weak. We have to get her out of here."
"What about the others?" asked Orchid. "And these two?" She pointed over at the limp forms of Riku and Leon. "And Arc and Montblanc...did...did he really?"
"No," said Sora, turning and facing her. "No, it was an illusion, and a banishment spell. Even if he is who I think he is, that boy doesn't have that kind of power. He may have been saying the words to the forbidden spell, but I can assure you he didn't cast it. No, it was just an illusion."
He held Kairi up in one arm, then summoned the keyblade in his free hand. He pointed it upwards, then turned it. There was an audible click.
"Woah!"
Arc and Montblanc tumbled out of thin air to land in a clumsy heap on the floor.
"Kupo...where are we?" asked Montblanc, rubbing his head.
"Montblanc! Arc!" cried Orchid, running over and hugging them tightly. "I was so afraid that..."
"We were dead?" asked Arc bluntly. "Same here. Floating about in nothing sure is damn boring."
"Hey, can we get going?" asked Sora. "We're battered and bloody, and we have several people to get out of here."
"Are we taking them all?" aske Orchid.
"No, just Kairi, Riku, and Leon. Once we free the other Princesses of Heart, they can stay in the Chapel or Library, and the Heartless can't touch them anyway."
Arc slung Riku over one shoulder and helped Orchid lift up Leon. Sora carried the unconcsious Kairi carefully in his arms.
"Well, let's go."
-
Orchid sighed and stared out the window of the gummi ship as Montblanc healed her. She watched as Hollow Bastion receded in the distance, and they followed Sora's ship back to Traverse Town.
"I'll be back for you later, Eriks," she said quietly. "I promise."
