The Land of Darkness
After his humiliating defeat, Sidorak, or what was left of him was taken a secret hut on the edge of the island he had now formerly ruled and his generals called in the best healers they could find.
It was not looking good.
The magic that had scorched his body had also interrupted the pathways to channel his magic, leaving him powerless along with the loss of an arm and he had to be wrapped head to toe in bandages. He could barely move and needed assistance in just eating to stay alive. Without his gem that enhanced his magical powers he couldn't heal from the wounds that had been inflicted upon him.
Ozma…And the blue haired woman that had been with him.
Sidorak's form surged with hate underneath the bandages wrapped around his body. How he loathed them for what they had done to him. How he longed for revenge but without some sort of miracle from the Gods…
"Th…The…Gods…"
"My lord." Mikoto stood over him, being one of the few remaining loyal allies he had left.
"The Gods…take me…to the Gods…" Sidorak rasped under the bandages covering his face. "They can heal me…"
"Such a trip could take days, my lord." Guan pointed out. "And the God of Light will not likely aid you in revenge against Ozma."
"Then take me…To the God of Darkness…" Sidorak ordered. "I seek revenge…I seek the power to kill them…He might be willing…"
The generals shared a look at actually going to visit the God of Darkness in his domain, which no one dared try for fear of the Dark Lord and the abominations he had created.
But Sidorak was dying and they had sworn an oath to follow him.
"Mikoto, you are the most skilled in transportation magic." Cu said to his female counterpart. "You might be the only one who can get him to the Land of Darkness in time."
"He might die if I do." Mikoto pointed out.
"He'll die if we do nothing."
He had a point there and Mikoto knew it. With a sigh, Mikoto took out her swords and they glowed white as she slashed the air, creating a white and blue vortex. Transportation magic allowed for one to create a portal leading from one point to another, depending on the person knowing the location and Mikoto had long since studied all the lands and locations to make her Sidorak's most trusted lieutenant in creating a pathway to places where they could raid and pillage kingdoms and villages but she had never opened a pathway to the dragon shaped continent where the dark one lived. With the portal now opened, Guan picked up the paralyzed body of Sidorak and stepped through the portal, followed by Cu and Mikoto.
On the other side was what could only be described as…Hell.
The land was barren, dark and completely devoid of life save for the dark monsters that roamed it. Glowing red eyes stared at them as they descended down a staircase with purple crystals being the only source of light an even then it was a dark and corrupting light. The three stopped in front of a large pool and kneeled.
From the pool came a twisted and distorted figure, the shape of a man yet glowing a dark purple light that seemed with the horns of a ram. It walked along the pool on all fours like a crab, its head hanging upside down in a twisted angle that was disturbing enough to make them all step back except for Sidorak who remained lying on the ground. Its limbs were all twisted in an unnatural manner yet slowly realigned themselves as the being approached and stood up, its neck twisting back into its normal manner.
"What is this? Does my sight deceive me or do mortals truly enter my domain?" The God of Darkness asked with suspicion in his voice.
"Great…God…I am Sidorak." Sidorak spoke, his eyes straining to catch the God in the corner of his vision. "I come before thee to plead for help in my time of great need….I have been wounded beyond the help of mortal magic…I seek thy help so that I may live…and gain revenge on the ones who did this to me."
The God of Darkness stepped forward, standing over Sidorak. "And why come to me? Why not seek my brother?"
"I need power…I plead with thee for the power to destroy my enemies…Your brother would not give it to me…For he is Light, giver of life. I seek to take it." Sidorak reasoned before coughing badly. "Please…Great One. There is nothing left for me now beyond the mere chance for revenge."
The God of Darkness stared…and then his head back and laughed. "So true. My brother may be capable of destruction but is afraid of it, unlike I. I have never been visited by such a human before."
The God of Darkness was truly pleased, to see a human come to him instead of his brother when nearly all of humanity sought the God of Light for aid. Could he now be gaining the followers he had jealously wanted?
To be worshiped and loved like his brother?
"Please…I beg thee…We are your humble servants." Sidorak said as his three generals knelt and bowed. "Grant us the power to seek revenge and we shall serve you and only you."
The God of Darkness was very pleased. "Have your generals rise and let your faith in me reward you."
Sidorak was engulfed in a purple light as he was lifted off the ground and held above the dark pool. "What are you-"
"May you be reborn now." The God of Darkness said before dropping Sidorak into the pool that had spawned his favorite creations.
The Generals all let out screams as their master fell into the pool with a loud splash. The God of Darkness then held out a hand, casting another dark purple light inside the pool and something red glowed underneath the surface.
"From this day forward, the mortal known as Sidorak is no more. Now, you are the harbinger of darkness, my first true follower." The God of Darkness said as something began to rise up. "You seek power to destroy your enemies? Then you shall have it as my Dark Herald."
The generals of Sidorak were beyond terrified as something covered in completely in the dark water and dripping, emerged from the dark unholy waters. The form twisted and shifted as dark crystals sprouted from the body, forming into purple crystalline armor around the shoulders with a black cape with a purple interior forming from the back. A hood with an armored mouth guard covered where the face would be with only twin purple glowing eyes being seen. The dark being was over seven feet tall now, the remains of the black essence and crystals forming into ancient robes with crystalline armor and purple glowing patterns.
It had a belt with a skull around its waist, a purple glowing jewel on its hood and four bony protrusions sticking out of its back.
"Behold the Dark Herald or perhaps you would prefer a name." The God of Darkness offered. "Sidorak was the name of your former self but we can do better now. Do you have a name of which to call yourself?"
The dark herald formerly known as Sidorak let out a hoarse and raspy voice. "You may call me…Surtr, your bringer of darkness and destruction."
The God of Darkness chuckled. "Surtr…I like it. A fine name."
"How may I repay you?" The new being now known as Surtr asked, bowing to the dark lord.
"There is nothing you have that can repay me but I do wish to see what you will do with this power." The God of Darkness chuckled.
Surtr's glowing eyes gave the impression he was smiling under his mouth guard. "I know of a few things to try with this new power."
Surtr turned to Sidorak's generals, all of them too terrified to flee as their former master held out his hand.
"But first, let's get you three properly prepared for what is to come." Surtr said, a dark and purple essence emerging from his hand.
The Land of Darkness was filled with screams that echoed into the eternal night.
Xxx
"Who are you?"
Three simple words, coming from the mouth of a deity who had supposedly created the world around her.
Aqua supposed it was not the strangest thing she had ever seen. "My name is Aqua. I come here, seeking help."
"You are human but you are not like the ones here, that my brother and I made. You have magic, but unlike the magic that my brother gave them." The God of Light leaned forward. "Who are you?"
"…I-Like I said, my name is Aqua." Aqua repeated, feeling that she might end up going in circles with this being. "And I need help."
The God of Light tilted his head. "You are not of the experiment but you seek aid. What is this power, I sense in you?"
It was hard to tell if he was actually paying attention to her. "I was told I could find help from you by a creation of yours: Drasil."
"Drasil?"
"I guess you would recognize her by her full name: Yggdrasil." Aqua clarified. "You created her, didn't you? She said she was made to be the source of magic on this planet."
"…" The God of Light turned around and looked at the tree behind him. "You sent her?"
Aqua's eyes widened as she looked at the tree behind the God of Light. "That's…Drasil?"
The God of Light looked back at her. "It was made to be what gave this world life. From it, life flowed out to the rest of this planet, barring my brother's domain."
Aqua stared at the tree for a moment in stunned and confused silence before looking back at the deity. "I don't know how…But I guess Drasil is more than she appears to be. She sent me to you, just as she sent to me to the others. Jinn, Ambrosius, Nimue and Janus."
"Who?"
Aqua was starting to become confused and she had to struggle to keep herself from getting frustrated. "…I guess that I have a story to tell."
Taking a deep breath, Aqua summoned her Keyblade and presented it to the God of Light. "I am Aqua, Keyblade Master. I come from another world and I arrived by accident..."
Xxx
After parting ways with Aqua, Ozma decided to return home to the kingdom of Midgard he hailed from for some much needed rest. Defeating Sidorak was a tall order and even with an ally, it was hard work and he was content to just return home and rest for a while.
However it seemed the Gods were not done with him yet.
A whooshing sound was caught by his ears and he looked up, seeing multiple scrolls flying through the air with one landing in his hands. Opening it, he found it to be a message, a plea for help from a girl who was locked in a tower by a cruel monster who wanted to keep her there forever.
The Girl In the Tower…
Ozma had heard rumors a young woman, pleading for help against the man who had locked her there…
The Mad King…
He had also heard rumors of this Mad King, who would abuse his own followers, beat them, torture them, burn them and so much more.
It was even rumored some would commit suicide out of fear of him.
And apparently, the girl who was being kept prisoner was his own daughter who he had imprisoned and abused much like his servants.
Ozma clenched the note in his hands. His own sense of justice made him infuriated at the thought of a man raising a hand to his own flesh and blood. After having been raised by a strong father who taught him magic and a wise mother who instilled her own sense of justice into him, Ozma found himself more than motivated to find this woman and save her and he had an idea where.
The Crimson Keep.
Ozma immediately took off; ready for whatever would await him there.
Xxx
"And that is how I ended up here." Aqua finished her tale to the God of Light who had been listening patiently.
"You come from another world, outside of ours." The God of Light said, almost sounding mystified. "And your weapon?"
Aqua held up her Keyblade. "This is called the Keyblade. It's a weapon only a select few are capable of wielding. Our duty as Keyblade Wielders is to protect the worlds from the Darkness, making sure they are consumed."
"Darkness?"
"Well, basically all living beings have a Heart which acts as the emotional core and it is made of Light and Darkness. While capable of feeling emotions such happiness and love or anger and sadness, these emotions can feed the two sides of the Heart. When negative emotions feed the Heart, it causes the Darkness to grow and to fill that Heart, especially when one feels emotions like hatred, jealousy and rage." Aqua explained. "My master said once that happens, the Heart becomes filled with Darkness and transforms into creatures called the Heartless."
Aqua hadn't seen the Heartless yet but she knew they existed in the Realm of Darkness and had read up on stories about them in the temple library.
"Heartless…And the people of this world, my brother and I, are capable of being corrupted like what you say?" The God asked.
Aqua wasn't sure where this was going but nodded. "Any Heart can be corrupted."
The God of Light looked at her Keyblade next. "And how does your Keyblade counter this Darkness? Is it a weapon of light?"
Aqua looked down at her master's Keyblade which was now hers. "Not exactly. The Keyblade is meant to be…balance. The balance between Light and Darkness as one side will always exist along the other but we fight to keep those two sides in balance."
"Balance…" The God of Light echoed softly. "May I ask where this power comes from?"
Aqua wasn't sure how much she was supposed to be telling this being given the rules of the World Order but given that she needed help she relented and told the story she had been told. "When I was little, my master told me a story about how all the worlds were once one and the people were happy under the light of Kingdom Hearts which is said to be the Heart of all that lives. But then, darkness crept in the people's hearts and they began fighting over control of the light and control of its physical counterpart: the X-blade."
She looked at her Keyblade and held it up for the deity to see. "The X-blade, that starts with the letter 'X' by the way, was the physical manifestation of Kingdom Hearts. People fought over it, learning how to forge Keyblades from their own hearts, thus beginning a war that ended in the X-blade being shattered and when it did, Kingdom Hearts fell into darkness, never to be seen again." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "When that happened, the World was engulfed by darkness but a miracle came when the light of children kept it alive and thus was split apart into many different worlds, forming a new system where all worlds would be kept apart from each other, never to know of their existence. The survivors of the war that caused this vowed to never abuse their powers again and used their power to protect the new world from further destruction."
The God of Light was silent and Aqua wasn't sure if he actually believed her considering he had no facial expression for her to say what he might be thinking. "The World was once one…An amazing tale. And you being here from outside the experiment with magic not like what has been given to our creation, I sense no deception from you."
"I assure you, it's all true." Aqua dismissed her Keyblade and knelt down. "I came here, seeking help from you. I have no way to return to my world and help my friend. Please, I ask for help in returning."
The God of Light considered Aqua's request. "I do not know this world you come from but perhaps you can help me find it for you so that you might return."
Aqua stared at the shining deity. "How so?"
"If one can find their way to this world, one find their way out. I must first consult with my brother about what I have learned." The God of Light raised his hand, allowing small stones to rise up and create a path to the tree. "For now, you can be considered a guest in my domain."
Aqua watched as small plants rose up around the tree and began bearing fruit very fast.
"Rest for now, young warrior." The God of Light began to disappear in a shower of sparkling light. "You have earned it."
Aqua sighed as she walked to the other side, taking a spot under a tree and helping herself to some of the fruit that had been offered. She stared up at the clouds and slowly closed her eyes, falling into a deep slumber.
Xxx
"GAH!"
Dodging a giant sword that was being swung by an enchanted armor, Ozma then ran up to the sword and swung his scepter, as the gem glowed brightly, and released a blast of magic that knocked the armor's 'head' off. It collapsed and Ozma landed perfectly on the ground, watching as more armored guards came out to challenge him. They all released magical attacks of their own as Ozma slammed his scepter into the ground and created a green glowing barrier that blocked all of their attacks. Once the barrage had ended, Ozma lowered the barrier and green lightning bolts shot out from the gem of the scepter, hitting each guard.
With the guards down, Ozma proceeded forward, running up the stairs to the top of the tower where the person he had come to rescue was waiting.
He opened the door at the top of the stairs and there she was.
She was beautiful.
Her skin was fair, her eyes blue as the sky unlike Aqua's whose eyes matched the ocean and strands of her blond hair fell over her shoulder while the rest was tied back in a bun. She wore a two piece dress consisting of a sleeveless, diagonally overlapping white backless pleated top with a raised pale blue halter top square shaped collar adorned with an aquamarine colored rhombus-shaped crystal on the clavicle surrounded by two smaller white rhombuses. Her feet were covered by a long, white, high-waisted skirt with a purple tint adorned with white diamond emblems and white wavy lines near the bottom hem, ruffled around the waist and complete with a purple sash. She wore grey earrings, a pair of dull brown bracers and a thin leather strap that held the same crystal over the sash.
In addition to her accessories her fingernails were painted pale lilac, showing she was of noble birth. When she saw him standing at her door she smiled in pure relief and gratitude. So much she rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you." She whispered into his ear.
Ozma smiled at her. "Don't thank me yet. We still have to go."
Nodding, the woman allowed Ozma to take her hand, to which she noticed how gentle he held her hand, as he led her down the stairs. Unfortunately, more guards waiting for them and they lashed out with magic, forcing Ozma to let go of her hand and hold his scepter in front of them, creating a barrier to protect them.
As soon as they stopped, Ozma lowered the barrier…
And a red magical blast flew past his head and knocked them all down. He looked over his shoulder, staring in surprise at the woman, seeing the remnants of magic circling his hand.
This was…unexpected.
As more guards appeared, they fought alongside each other, blasting away the guards as they made their way into the throne room.
"How dare you?!"
Which was where the Mad King was waiting.
"You dare trespass in my castle, strike down my guards and abscond with my daughter?!" He roared, his eyes glowing with power, rage and madness. "Salem, return to your room now!"
The woman glared back. "No!"
His eyes widened in absolute shock. "…What?"
"I said no! I will return to that tower! I will not be caged again!" The woman named Salem yelled. "I want to be free!"
"How…DARE YOU?! YOU INGRATEFUL WENCH!" The Mad King yelled, insanity creeping in his voice while his eyes blazed with hate. "AFTER EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
"You have done nothing for me! You locked me away in a cage, imprisoned me, abused me, never caring about what I wished!" Salem shouted.
"I AM KING OF THIS LAND AND YOU ARE MINE! THIS CASTLE, ITS WALLS, ITS TREASURES AND ITS PEOPLE BELONG TO ME!" The King roared. "I WILL DRAG YOU BACK TO YOUR ROOM AFTER I KILL THIS FOOL!"
Ozma glared as he stepped forward. "Enough. You call yourself a father but treat your daughter as property instead of your child."
"I will not be spoken to this way. You die now!" The Mad King yelled and lashed out with his magic.
Ozma raised his scepter, unleashing his own magic that clashed with the King's. What came next was a battle of magic between the Mad King and the Great Hero that ended with the Mad King be blasted to bits, his reign of terror ended.
Ozma and Salem fled the castle, its subjects in disarray due to the death of its king.
Once they were far enough away, they looked at each other and smiled.
"What do we do now?" The girl named Salem asked.
"Whatever you want." Ozma answered.
Xxx
"Surely this mortal is lying, Brother."
"I sensed no lie from her and felt the great power in her. It was greater than any of the magic our creations wield."
The God of Darkness was of course skeptical of this claim of a woman from another world, from a place called the Realm of Light and wielded a power of something that was said to be the Heart of all worlds.
As if that would matter to the Brothers.
"I could see it, Brother. She is not of the experiment. She knew things about us that no one should know and what we would possibly do."
"These spirits you created…Why would you create them? Humanity already wields Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice. What use would these spirits be for?"
"I do not know but perhaps…Yggdrasil becomes more than we thought." The God of Light mused.
"It is a mere tree, the first tree you created in your fountain of creation to ensure life would always return. It can do nothing more."
"It channeled the life force of magic through the world and thus is what we used to gift humanity with magic when we created them." The God of Light replied, remembering Aqua's words. "Perhaps the experiment has grown beyond what we expected."
"And what do we do about her? She comes from outside the experiment as you said. She could contaminate and ruin it." The God of Darkness cautioned.
"She has no wish to intervene as she is bound to keep the existence of other worlds secret. She only told me because we are capable of traveling to other worlds." The light brother pointed out. "She came to me for aid in searching for a way to return."
"And will you grant it?" He asked, annoyed that this mortal from another world sought his brother instead of him for help.
"I came to speak with you first how we might handle this. A chance to interact with other worlds may allow the experiment to grow in ways we have never considered before. To see what else can exist beyond what we have made."
"You wish to see these other worlds?" The God of Darkness sounded interested now. "And then what?"
"Nothing at the moment. We could observe the worlds, watch them and see what we can offer and what they can offer." The light deity explained. "And a chance to see how our creations might interact with the creations of other beings like us. She has spoken of gods like us, a world where many exist and even have children with their humans."
"Gods bearing children with mortal?" The God of Darkness almost sounded disgusted. "Why lower and debase themselves like when we can easily create with a mere wave of our hand. Even less effort."
"It is different, Brother but not to be feared or hated. Perhaps it is an experiment of their own. She spoke of knowing a son of the ruling God who is king of other Gods in their world and even faced a God of Death." The light deity recalled Aqua's tale. "She spoke to me with nothing but truth and I could sense the great power in her."
"That could make her a threat to us." The God of Darkness growled. "Perhaps we should eliminate her."
"She is a guest in my land for now and I will not allow anyone, even you to harm her." The God of Light warned.
The God of Darkness seemed to glare at his brother. "…Then will you consider testing the validity of her claim?"
"How?"
"Through a disciple I have recently gained."
