The Age of Fairy Tales:
The Final Aeon
Despite having spent only a day in their new 'home', Poppy had been amazed at seeing what Aqua's home, her original home had looked like.
The architect design.
The rooms.
The training areas.
And the library…
The Grand Archives in the Land of Departure contained countless lifetimes of knowledge of worlds throughout the Realm of Light, filled with books, scrolls, journals and tomes that spanned over four floors. To Aqua's surprise they were all copies of the very same books Aqua had read through her years of living at in the Land of Departure but even she had not read every little piece knowledge back home and thus the Grand Archives here contained much less information than the rest. Aqua had been shocked by that and she was worried that Poppy would not just find out about her secret as a Keyblade Wielder but also the knowledge of other worlds, the Keyblade and Kingdom Hearts. Luckily the knowledge was locked away as only a Keyblade Wielder could only access or allow any visitors into the archives.
Right now explaining herself to Poppy was the last thing Aqua needed to do right now.
The books she had read on had been mostly basic with knowledge of legends and cultures of worlds that had been visited by other Wielders. Of course, Poppy had already been given a hint from their meeting with Ambrosius.
The first and only mortal to ever traverse the realm of the spirits.
Poppy had not forgotten those words at all.
She knew that there was much more to Aqua than she was telling her and the armor she wore was enough to connect her to the legend of the Ocean and Silver Knight.
If she found out anymore…
Aqua shook her head, deciding it was best not to dwell on such thoughts for the time being. There was another matter to address:
The Cult of Yevon.
They had been responsible for the creation of the monster that would have likely destroyed most if not all of the world if it hadn't been stopped.
And that wasn't even mentioning the horrible methods they took to creating the…spirits they used in battle.
Trapping people in stone.
Extracting their souls and imprisoning them in stone tablets to be used as a power source.
Trying to create a false reality with this horrid power.
They had to be stopped.
Here and now.
Before they did something else horrible.
"Hey Aqua?" The Wielder mentally prepared herself for when she heard Poppy's voice. "Can I ask a question?"
Steeling herself, Aqua slowly nodded as she looked at the girl who was unofficially her student. "Of course."
"What's the difference between the Soul and the Heart?"
Now that, Aqua wasn't prepared for. "Excuse me?"
"Well, you told me this Aura," Poppy flared her Aura as an example. "Is powered by the Soul but you've mentioned before that the Heart is what makes a person powerful and that it's your Heart that fuels your Semblance. And just now, that spirit guy talked about this 'Kingdom Hearts' thing being made from the hearts of all those people is what made that monster in the first place. But what exactly makes a Heart and a Soul different?"
Okay, Aqua wasn't sure if Poppy was fishing for anything but she had a reasonable question and the Wielder saw no reason to not answer. "Well, for starters where I come from the Soul and the Heart are two of three components that make up one's being. A Soul is what makes up one's mind and the mind is what gives an individual life and determines whether they are alive or dead. The Soul is the important component to one's Aura as a person's Semblance is shaped by the Soul, being formed from a person's inner desires and wishes."
It took a moment for Poppy to take it in. "And the Heart?"
"The Heart is primarily formed from light and darkness. It is responsible for feeling emotion and when one holds strong bonds with others, it can allow you to feel the emotions of others." Aqua answered while trying to keep it simple when it was much more complicated.
Like the fact that Hearts separated from their bodies can possess other abilities like possessing others, traveling through time and even surviving the destruction of worlds. Not to mention, those with exceptionally strong hearts are able to wield a Keyblade.
After her explanation, she asked another question. "So, how does the afterlife work then? Doe the Heart and the Soul merge together when a person dies and moves on then?"
Aqua hummed thoughtfully. "Basically, there are two types of afterlifes. A Native Afterlife, where the Soul goes and the Final World where the Heart goes. The Soul is definitely weaker than the Heart, but it's easier to utilize."
She summoned her Keyblade. "The Heart is more powerful, but that power is uncontrollable, even by deities. While a Soul is unambiguously weaker, it is also easier to use in combat, such as Aura or Semblances."
Aqua dispelled her Keyblade as she thought of something. 'So how did Izanagi summon back Ozma's Heart like that? Is it a fake? Or did Ozma's Heart choose to return when Izanagi attempted to bring it back?'
Something to ask Jinn, she supposed.
Xxx
"People of Remnant, the monster we call Sin has been destroyed!"
The temple of Yevon…Well, one of the few surviving temples that weren't destroyed was located near a few villages where messengers were sent to spread the word of Yevon. Today though, it served a new purpose. Survivors from nearby villages were gathered to hear the news of the monster that was larger and more powerful than any Grimm had been destroyed.
By the daughter of Yevon himself.
"With my own hands and powers passed down to me by my father, I Yunalesca have slain the beast Sin, a monster formed by the sins of mankind." The silver-haired woman, now leader of the cult of Yevon proclaimed to the large group of people gathered before the temple. "We, the Cult of Yevon bring you salvation from your sins and offer the chance to repent so this tragedy is never repeated again."
Behind the crowd, Aqua and Poppy were watching this spectacle.
"Can you believe this drivel she's spouting?" Poppy glanced at Aqua with an angered look on her face. "She hasn't even mentioned her dad was the monster."
"And she won't." Aqua quietly replied. "If truth of this 'Sin' got out, their cult would be finished."
"Oh yeah." Poppy glanced at the crowd; astounded at the fact that they seemed to believe Yunalesca's words. "I say we go up there and knock her off her perch."
"Not like this." Aqua shook her head. "We'll come off as the aggressors and she'll twist that to turn the people against us."
"Then what do we do?"
Xxx
Once she was done addressing the crowd, Lady Yunalesca told them all to return home and spread the word of Yevon. While her father's plans had suffered a big setback she could still continue his work in creating a new paradise on this world.
A paradise lead by the teachings of Yevon.
She sighed as she walked down to the basement of the temple. The Yevon Dome was the former seat of power for the kingdom of Spira and her father served as the High Priest as he had been the original leader of Spira. As she walked through the corridors of the temple, she considered what actions she would need to take to make sure her father's dreams would come true.
Just as she entered the core of the temple, the Chamber of the Fayth she stopped.
Something was wrong.
She looked down at the statue of her husband's Faythe that was embedded in the center of the chamber's floor. She could still feel his presence but that wasn't what was bothering her.
"A pretty compelling speech."
Yunalesca spun around, spotting a blue haired woman dressed in black with blue cloths tried around her waist emerge from the shadows, followed by a younger red haired girl.
"You forgot one thing though." The blue haired woman continued with a scowl. "You forgot to mention that your father created that monster and what he did to make it."
Yunalesca narrowed her eyes. "And who are you?"
"Someone who is not allowing this farce to continue." Aqua took a step forward. "You have a choice to make here. You can stop now and tell the truth or you can try and continue lying to the people to take advantage of them. If you chose the former we'll leave with no trouble."
"And if I choose the latter?" Yunalesca asked stoically.
Aqua held out her hand and summoned her Keyblade. "Take a guess."
"You can use magic." Yunalesca raised an intrigued eyebrow. "I believe I have seen you before."
Aqua said nothing as she held herself in a ready stance.
"Yes, that village near the water." Yunalesca slowly recalled. "I made sure to look at every person there and I recall seeing you and your little friend there. You both left after my presentation of my Aeon."
"The one you created from imprisoning innocent souls." Aqua retorted.
"So you know." Yunalesca stated, still remaining stoic. "Sacrifices had to be made. This world has endured a great deal of turmoil since humanity lost the ability to use magic and were abandoned by the gods. My father sought a way to save everyone and give them back magic so we could create a peaceful world."
"No matter the sacrifice." Aqua narrowed her eyes.
"They chose to die…because they had hope." Yunalesca answered calmly. "Yevon's teachings will give the people of this world hope. Without hope they would drown in sorrow."
"And they would spend eternity hoping for things to get better only be sacrificed in the name of a lie." Aqua retorted. "An endless cycle of broken dreams and lost lives. How can you possibly think that is any better?"
"Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is hopeless to try." Yunalesca answered simply.
"No." Aqua pointed her Keyblade at Yunalesca. "It is never pointless to try. To give up and resign yourself to a neverending cycle of sacrificing people for the existence of…a dream world. Only those who have no hopes or dreams of their own, too afraid to live in the real world would ever consider such an idea. No matter what mistakes I make, I will never allow myself or my friends to succumb to such false hope!"
"Poor creature." Yunalesca closed her eyes and sighed. "You would throw away hope. Well…I will free you before you drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope than live in despair. Let me be your liberator."
(Final Fantasy OST Lady Yunalesca Boss Battle)
"Come forth, Paragon!"
Yunalesca's body began to glow along with the rest of the chamber and behind her appeared a giant four legged armored creature that slammed its front legs on the ground, shaking the entire chamber.
"Whoa!" Poppy stumbled from shaking, eventually falling on her back.
Aqua remained standing, facing down the creature.
"This is Paragon, the Aeon created when I turned my husband into a Faye to destroy Sin. If it could defeat Sin, what hope do you have?" Yunalesca asked confidently.
Aqua had to suppress the urge to smile. Obviously Yunalesca had not been present to watch her own battle against Sin and that she had faced the creature inside Sin.
'Aqua, be careful.'
Aqua's eyes widened briefly but she kept her focus on Yunalesca and her creature as she whispered. "Oscar?"
'Yeah, it's me. I'm still here with Terra, Neo and Penny and you can talk to me with your thoughts. Listen, that creature called an Aeon…It's a Dream Eater.'
'Dream Eater?' Aqua thought, following Oscar's advice.
'Yes. Dream Eaters are inhabitants of the Realm of Sleep, the same realm that Remnant was trapped in when you helped restore it. The Dream Eaters are formed from the darkness of worlds trapped in the Realm of Sleep since the Heartless and Nobodies cannot enter that realm.' Oscar quickly explained. 'They also can't appear in the waking world where you are now unless they have something there to summon them and give them a physical form.'
'A summoning and something to give it a physical form.' Aqua glared at Yunalesca. 'Like the summoning glyphs she uses and the souls of the people that were sacrificed.'
'Essentially.'
"I will make this quick." Yunalesca gestured and the Aeon called Paragon charged right at Aqua like a raging bull.
Aqua remained still, simply waiting…
And then immediately teleported out of the way, leaving Paragon to stampede right past where its target was and continue right up until it slammed into the wall.
SMASH!
Poppy winced from the Aeon crashing face first into the wall but remained out of the way as Aqua appeared behind it and spun around, pointing her Keyblade at Paragon's back. "Thundaga!"
Bolts of lightning shot down despite being in the basement of the temple and hit the Aeon as it slowly pulled itself out of the wall. The creature snarled as it spun and faced Aqua again. It charged at her again but she teleported out of the way again. This time the Aeon stopped just short of hitting the wall as Aqua appeared again.
"Triple Firaga!" Aqua shouted, firing three fire balls at the Aeon as it turned to face her.
The fireballs exploded on contact and for a moment there was silence…
Then a barrage of fire balls shot out towards Aqua who quickly dodged. The smoke cleared, revealing Paragon who roared and summoned down a bolt of lightning on Aqua who quickly blocked with her Keyblade.
'Those elementals attacks!' Aqua jumped back while her mind raced. 'Those were Firaga and Thundaga! It can use elemental magic similar to me!'
Paragon as a bright orb of light shot right from it and flew straight at Aqua.
"Defend!" Aqua shouted, summoning a barrier to block the attack just as it collided.
BOOM!
Poppy closed her eyes as blast of white light blinded her but she heard a shattering sound. The light faded and she opened her eyes in time to see Aqua sent flying through the air and crashing into the wall.
"Aqua!"
Aqua grunted as her Aura shimmered, having protected her when her barrier actually broke from under the strain of the attack. She fell to her knees but struggled to get up, holding her Keyblade above her head.
"Heal." A flash of green light covered her and she was immediately healed.
"Behold the power of my Aeon." Yunalesca stated, her expression as blank as ever. "This is the power that destroyed Sin. What hope have you?"
Aqua glared at the woman, finding her taunts and general personality annoying now. She spotted Paragon getting ready to run her over and realized she needed to somehow overpower this creature if she wanted to stop Yunalesca.
'Overpower…' Aqua's eyes widened and she smiled. 'I know who to call on!'
Paragon roared and charged at Aqua again, aiming to trample her to death. Aqua, in a surprising move, dismissed her Keyblade and summoned a gold glowing star shaped glyph under her feet.
"Aqua!" Poppy shouted, not realizing Aqua's plan just as the Paragon collided with her.
Dust was kicked up into the air, covering the two and blinding both Poppy and Yunalesca to Aqua's fate. However Yunalesca was confident her Aeon had killed Aqua with one final strike.
So when the dust cleared, her surprise was quite understandable. "Impossible…"
Aqua was not only alive but holding Paragon back with her bare hands. A golden divine aura surrounded her as she struggled to push the Aeon back. Poppy's eyes went wide but then she remembered this one of her friend's glyphs, one that temporarily made her invulnerable and realized what had happened.
'She's made herself invulnerable to harm!' Poppy smiled as she watched with renewed jubilation.
Aqua grunted as she held Paragon's legs up and with one final cry pushed it back. Knowing she only had sixty seconds of invulnerability she made them count by activating her second Command Style.
"Command Style: Ghost Drive!" Aqua shouted, vanishing in a blur.
Paragon found itself attacked on all sides as Aqua appeared, attacked and then reappeared leaving an afterimage in her wake as she slashed without hesitance or mercy. Then with one final blast of light, the Aeon was sent flying back and crashing near Yunalesca as she watched with stunned wide eyes. Aqua landed perfectly on the ground, the golden aura around her vanishing and she exhaled. The golden glyph of Hercules was a valuable one but it used up all her Aura in making her invulnerable for a full minute but she needed that time.
(Final Fantasy OST Lady Yunalesca Boss Battle Ends)
Aqua looked at Paragon, seeing it was still alive but wounded while Yunalesa was watching helplessly. It was obvious she expected her Aeon, or Dream Eater to finish Aqua off quickly. Still, the battle wasn't over yet as Paragon was working to get back on its feet.
Aqua was about to attack but froze. 'Wait…I sense…Darkness!'
She looked around and her eyes widened to see some form of darkness traveling along the ground towards Paragon. "What in the world-?!"
Before she could do anything, Paragon fired blast of light blue magic that hit Aqua and froze her body up to her head.
"Finish her!" Yunalesca shouted.
"Aqua!" Poppy screamed and was about to rush in to help but that was when the darkness making its way to Paragon made its move.
Shadowy tendrils emerged from the ground, latching onto Paragon who roared in surprise and anger as it tried to break free.
"What?!" Yunalesca gaped.
Aqua grunted, summoning a fiery aura around her that melted and shattered the ice in just a few seconds. She looked at the darkness as it completely covered Paragon and to her shock, a familiar eye shaped symbol appeared on the chest. The Aeon let out one final roar as a pillar of darkness surrounded it and burst through the roof.
CRASH!
As this happened, Yunalesca froze, letting out a pained scream before she fell to the ground.
"Aqua, what is happening?!" Poppy called out over the sound of the darkness bursting through the ceiling.
"I am not sure!" Aqua stepped back, covering her face from the waves of darkness coming off this new development.
She made her way over to Yunalesca and turned her over, seeing her eyes wide but she was not breathing.
She was dead.
There was no explanation of how it happened.
It was as if her body had just died despite suffering no wounds at all.
"Aqua, we have to go!" Poppy called out, grabbing Aqua's arm and urging her to get up.
Aqua immediately stood up and looked up, watching as the darkness blasted a hole through the top roof of the temple before she and Poppy rushed towards the stairs.
CRASH!
Xxx
Aqua and Poppy ran out of the temple, seeing the top had been completely wrecked. It appeared that something had burst out from the inside but they had no idea what.
Until a few seconds had passed.
A sudden tremor caused them to turn around and both paled as a dark shadow appeared over them while the endless screeches of what sounded like countless children filled their ears.
"No way…" Poppy stepped back.
Aqua immediately summoned her Keyblade, watching the monstrosity before her and her friend.
For looming over the two of them and the now wrecked temple, was the monster that Yunalesca had named Sin.
The very monster that Aqua had fought and almost killed.
Aqua stood her ground, moving Poppy behind her and kept her eye on the monster if it tried to attack.
Only it didn't.
It stared at the two for a moment…and then turned away.
Both Aqua and Poppy watched as the monster turned from the temple and surprisingly began to walk away, the screeches growing fainter the further it became.
"But, I saw Yunalesca's summon kill it." Poppy muttered once the monster had vanished into the horizon.
"It did…but they didn't destroy its core." Aqua dismissed her Keyblade.
Poppy looked over at her. "It's core?"
"There is an entity in the center of the monster. It is what's left of the man known as Yevon. Ambrosius said he merged with Kingdom Hearts and his heart was what made that beast." Aqua sighed. "It's not enough to destroy its body. Its core, its heart has to be purified or it will keep coming back. That's what Yunalesca didn't understand and it possessed her summon."
"Why would it need her summon?" Poppy questioned, looking back in the direction the monster had gone.
"Perhaps because only what Yunalesca calls an Aeon is similar to what Yevon had created. The Kingdom Hearts…if he was creating Aeons to be used by his cult it must have created something similar when he merged with it." Aqua brought a hand to her chin. "Which means it takes an Aeon to recreate the monster."
Poppy looked at Aqua and then back in the direction the monster had fled. "So what do we do now? We have to stop it or it will attack again."
"Yes." Aqua sighed and nodded. "…But maybe not now. It's too weak to attack for now…And I'm a little tired myself to be honest. Let's go home and rest for now and then we can try and track it down."
Poppy glanced at Aqua but nodded. "All right."
It was not like she could do much against the beast without Aqua being at full strength anyways and to be honest, she felt a little useless.
She needed to get stronger.
Strong enough to take on the monster known as Sin and all the other monsters out there.
Xxx
At last, he was here.
Far from where Aqua and Poppy had encountered the new Sin, Ozma or rather Diggs stood at a distance from a cottage. The front door opened, and from the darkness beyond, a woman in black emerged. She gave an angry glare while exiting the cottage, but then suddenly her expression softened upon seeing her visitor. Ozma likewise smiled back at her.
Ozma and Salem walked towards each other; the two holding each other's hands, interlocking their fingers affectionately.
"What do we do now?" Ozma asked.
"Whatever we like." Salem answered, repeating the same words her beloved had said to her long ago.
