AN: No, your eyes don't deceive you. I got this done real fast. I was so excited to get to this, and I'm damn proud of what I've done here.
This is actually a bit of a weird chapter for me, since I deliberately didn't include any line breaks.
Let's go!
Chapter 120
The blonde woman, who Ruby now knew to be Salem, continued brushing her hair while humming a sad tune to herself in the mirror.
Locked away by her cruel father, Salem was a girl who desired but one thing: freedom. She lived in a time when kings and their Kingdoms were plentiful, when men and women were capable of greatness, and magic was a gift from the Gods that all could wield.
Salem stopped brushing her hair, and lifted her left hand. She conjured four magic spheres that spun above her palm.
And yet, there she sat within her tower. Until one day, a legenday hero came to brav the challenges within the tower's walls.
Ruby watched as the scene changed around her, now showing a young man with tan skin and dark hair standing on the path leading to the castle. He wore armor, and carried a scepter.
The people of the lands knew him as Ozma.
Ozma nodded resolutely and began his approach towards the tower.
Unlike those who had come before, this warrior was not driven by the prize of the young maiden's hand. He fought only for righteousness, and his pure heart and courageous soul prevailed.
Ruby watched as Ozma conquered the challenges and obstacles thrown at him, eventually slaying Salem's father and opening the door to Salem's room. She smiled at him.
They escaped the wretched fortress, and yet something bound them together.
The scene transitioned outside again, where Ozma and Salem escaped the tower, running with the hands intertwined. After a few moments, they stopped to catch their breath, looking back at the castle they had just escaped from. After a second, they gave each other loving looks.
Ozma had been ready to give his life for justice countless times, but now saw a woman worth saving it for. And Salem, to her surprise, found her freedom not in the outside world she had yearned for, but in the eyes of the man that had saved her.
"So, where should we go now?" Salem asked.
"Wherever you'd like," Ozma said with a smile.
The two fell deeply in love, planned adventures around the world, and lived happily ever after.
…Or at least that's what should have been.
The scene transitioned yet again, but to Ruby's surprise, Salem was seen kneeling next to a bed, sobbing while holding Ozma's hand.
Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed.
Ozma's body disappeared, and Salem continued sobbing, holding his scepter close to her chest.
"How could the Gods let this happen?" Salem asked to no one in particular.
The Gods, brothers of light and darkness, creation and destructions. Salem prayed they would see the injustice that had befallen her love and make things right.
The scene shifted again, this time showing a beautiful stairway leading up a mountain.
The Doman of Light was a sacred place. It was here the elder brother dwelled beside his fountain of life and creation. It was here… where mankind would fall to ruin.
Ruby watched Salem walk up the stairs leading to the Domain of light, Ozma's staff held in her hands. At the top of the mountain stood a pristine pool with a tree at the center. Leaves fell from the tree and swirled above the water, and God of Light emerged from the pool.
He was a majestic sight, a large man seemingly made entirely of warm, golden light, with a pair of antlers growing from his head.
Salem fell to her knees before him. "Please… Please, bring him back to me."
"I understand your pain, but you demand of me that with I cannot make so," the God of Light said. "Life and death are part of a delicate balance."
"So… you won't do it, then?" Salem asked.
"To disrupt the cycle of—"
"But that's not fair… That's not fair!"
"Let. Him. Rest."
The wind picked up around Salem, and had suddenly been returned to the entrance of the stairway.
"No."
The scene transitioned again, and Ruby could see Salem standing at the bottom of another staircase, but this one was darker, more foreboding. It was almost like an evil mirror of the Domain of Light.
The God of Darkness… None dare to enter his home, as men knew what monstrosities emerged from his blackened pools of annihilation.
Salem walked up the stairway, looking nervously at a pool of black tar.
And so you must understand the Dark Lord's surprise when he found a lone woman kneeling before him.
From the black pool, a new figure emerged, just like the God of Light. He was large, and his body was dark purple, with ram horns sticking out of his head. Creatures of Grimm spawned around him, and approached Salem.
Salem understood it well. She told him of her loss and professed that she knew only he could answer her prayers, all while careful to make no mention of his elder.
But she underestimated the Dark Lord's cunning. The God of Darkness was distrustful by nature, and had spies watching his brother's domain. He could have simply granted Salem's wish, but instead he saw an opportunity.
"I have heard your plea, child, and would like to lend you my aid," the God of Darkness said. Salem's eyes lit up with hope. "However, I do not have the power to answer your prayers. Only my brother can create life."
Salem's face fell. "But… you're a god…"
"I am a God of destruction," the God of Darkness clarified. "My brother is the one that is capable of creating life."
This was, of course, a lie.
"However, I can attain that power, with your help," the God of Darkness explained.
And thus, the God of Darkness explained to Salem his plan to lure the God of Light into a trap. He gifted her a small Grimm that his brother would be unable to detect.
A few days later, Salem returned to the Domain of Light.
Salem stood once again before the pool in the Light God's Domain, and the golden figure appeared before her once again.
"Why have you returned?" the God of Light asked. "I told you, I will not bring him back."
"Please," Salem pleaded. "I…I need him back."
"Life and death exist in a delicate balance," the God of Light said. "Existing life must die to make room for new life. You called me unfair the last time you visited me. But would it not be unfair to grant your request, but not others? I would have to resurrect every mother, wife, father, and son requested of me. The world would be plunged into chaos. Breaking that balance is not worth a single life."
"Not worth it?" Salem asked, clutching her fist around Ozma's scepter. "He was everything to me! The only one that ever cared about me! All I ever asked was to let me have him back, and you refused! You're no god, you're a monster!" Salem shouted, raising Ozma's staff defensively.
"You foolish child," the God of Light said. "Fine. If you're so eager to see your love again, then you can see him in death!" He raised his hand, and launched a ball of light at Salem. Suddenly, a wall of purple energy rose up in front of her, and blocked the attack.
"What is the meaning of this?!" The God of Light yelled angrily. The God of Darkness appeared behind Salem.
"I am simply rewarding one who offered me her prayers," the God of Darkness replied. "This is nothing personal, brother."
The God of Light shifted a vicious glare at Salem.
"What have you done?" he asked.
"She only did what she felt she had to," the God of Darkness said. "Isn't that right?"
"If you insist on interfering, then you leave me with no other choice." There was a sudden bright light, and both Gods had transformed into large, fierce dragons.
As thus the two gods did battle with each other. Under ordinary circumstances, they would be evenly matched, but the God of Light had an advantage in his own domain. It was certain that the God of Darkness would be defeated.
Until…
"Now!" The God of Darkness shouted.
"What?" the God of Light asked, quickly turning just in time to see Salem throw the Grimm the Dark God had given her, the small creature latching itself onto his face. The God of Light screamed in agony, and shrunk back down into his normal form. The God of Darkness followed suit, and approached his older brother while cackling maniacally.
"Oh, how I've longed for this day," the God of Darkness said. "You've been on top for too long, Brother." The God of Darkness placed his hand on the God of Light's forehead. The older brother screamed as a bright energy traveled from his body into the God of Darkness's.
The God of Light's body slowly shrunk, until he became the size of a normal man. The God of Darkness removed his hand, and took the Grimm with it.
Ruby was shocked at the God of Light's new appearance.
He looked like a young adult man, with black hair that turned red at the tips, and silver eyes. He fell to the ground.
"W-What did you do to me?" The man asked, in a voice Ruby recognized.
It was the voice of the man in the hood.
"Ah, this feels wonderful," the God of Darkness said, brimming with power.
When the deed had been done, Salem asked the God of Darkness about Ozma, but the Dark Lord finally revealed that he had lied to her. His only goal was to overthrow his older brother.
And thanks to Salem's help, he had achieved it.
Thus began the Time of Darkness.
Without the influence of the God of Light, the world fell into ruin, with the God of Darkness ruling over the land.
As for Salem? Well, the God of Darkness wasn't going to let her help go "unrewarded". For her role in the coup against the God of Light, she wasn't reunited with Ozma. Instead, she was kept as a pet by the God of Darkness. The God of Light, now trapped in a human body, was kept in the dungeons of castle his younger brother had built for himself, being tortured constantly.
And thus, this continued for three years, until Salem had found a way to escape and made her way to the dungeons. She knew her only hope of ending this torment was the God of Light. Ironically, the same being she had betrayed to create her own living nightmare.
Ruby watched as Salem, now clad in a very revealing outfit with a collar and broken chain around her neck, approached a prison cell. In the cell, naked with his wrists shackled to the wall, was the man once known as the God of Light. He was beaten and bruised, and one of his silver eyes had swollen shut. He weakly looked up at Salem.
"Well, look who it is," the man said. "Come to get a good look at your handiwork?"
"I…I didn't want this," Salem said.
"Well, it's what you got," the man said. "You were stupid enough to trust the embodiment of destruction and death. So, what did he tell you? That he didn't have the power to bring your little boyfriend back to life?"
"Yes," Salem said. "He told me that you were the only one with it, and he could only do it if he took your powers."
"You idiot," the man said.
"Well, I'm sorry," Salem said.
"Uh huh," the man said. "Sure you are. Are you sorry you tried to disrupt the natural order, or are you sorry it all went tits-up?"
"I'm not here to argue with you," Salem said, pulling a key out of the small piece of fabric that doubled as both a bra and the only thing on her upper body. "I'm here to free you. This has gone on long enough."
"You got that right."
As so, Salem freed the man, the two of them managing to escape the God of Darkness's castle. The duo roamed the world, recruiting others that were willing to fight to rid the world of the tyranny of the Dark God. Eventually, the man came up with a plan.
"What is that?" Salem asked, she and the man standing in a cave, wearing matching long black coats. The coats, Ruby learned, were designed to prevent the God of Darkness from being able to detect them.
"It's a key," the man said, standing over a bizarre-looking weapon. It looked like two Keyblades crossed, with a long glowing blade extending from it. "It's called the X-Blade."
"Keyblade?" Salem asked.
"No, chi," the man said, making an "x" with his fingers. "It's a powerful tool. It's exactly the thing we're going to need to deal with my dear little brother."
And so, with X-Blade in hand, Salem, the man, and their resistance force stormed the God of Darkness's castle. Thanks to the mythical weapon, the man made short work of the creatures of Grimm sent to fight them, before eventually felling his younger brother in battle.
Ruby watched as the man stabbed the God of Darkness with the X-Blade. The god screamed, and was launched into the air. Suddenly, a large glowing heart appeared in the sky, absorbing the form of the Dark God. Ruby recognized it as Kingdom Hearts, but it was far larger and more majestic than she had ever seen before.
The man tossed the X-Blade into the air, and launched a fireball at it, shattering the weapon.
"What did you do to him?" Salem asked.
"I imprisoned him," the man said. "With the X-Blade gone, Kingdom Hearts should never be summoned again. He's gone."
"Finally," Salem said, breathing a sigh of relief. "So, what now?"
"Now?" the man asked, raising his hand at Salem. "Now for your punishment."
"Hm?" Salem asked, before her body glowed very briefly. "What did you just do?"
"This whole thing started because you couldn't accept that your little boyfriend was gone. Guess what, sweetheart? People die! It happens! But no, you decided to screw up the whole world because you wanted him back. The only way you're going to see Ozma again is by dying. So, I just took away your ability to die."
"What?!" Salem asked.
"You will walk the face of this world until the end of time, never dying, and never seeing the man you love ever again. After everything you did, letting you die and reunite felt too much like a reward."
"Y-You can't do this to me!" Salem yelled, clearly beginning to panic.
"Sure I can," the man said. "I may have lost most of my power, but I still have enough."
"No, please!" Salem pleaded. "I'll do anything! Please just change me back!"
"Nope," the man said, turning around and walking away. "Enjoy immortality."
With their actions, the God of Darkness was sealed away inside his prison, Kingdom Hearts. The man thought that would be it, but eventually, creatures of darkness began to appear.
Creatures that would possess people, steal their hearts, and transform them into more of that same creature.
Eventually, the man decided to call them Heartless. Suspecting the worst, the man investigated the situation, and discovered that his younger brother hadn't simply waited out his imprisonment. The overwhelming light within Kingdom Hearts hadn't broken down the Dark God's form, splitting him into thirteen pieces. The man realized that he needed to act to finally fully eradicate the God of Darkness.
To do that, he would need help.
Using the original X-Blade as an inspiration, the man forged weapons in its image, called Keyblades. He then gathered six apprentices, named Ira, Invi, Aced, Gula, Ava, and Luxu. As time went on and his apprentices mastered their Keyblades, the man eventually became known as the Master of Masters.
It was then that he enacted his plan.
He assigned roles to each apprentice, and entrusted all but Luxu with a copy of the Book of Prophecies, which fortold the end of the world after a great war. Luxu was entrusted with the Master's Keyblade, which contained the Gazing Eye and allowed the Master to see the future and write the book of Prophecies. After assigning them all their roles, the Master vanished without a trace. Thanks to a page only Gula had access to, the apprentices learned of a traitor in their midst. Each apprentice was the leader of a Union of Keyblade Wielders, and their paranoia eventually tore them apart.
The result?
The Keyblade War. Kingdom Hearts was summoned, freeing the thirteen beings the Dark God had been split into.
As it was foretold, Darkness prevailed, and the light expired.
But it was all part of the Master's plan. Ava had been entrusted with the training of a group of Keyblade Wielders called the Dandelions, whose job it was to restore light to the world.
As for the apprentices, well, the Master had a plan for them. When Darkness came back, the Master sealed one of them in each of his apprentices, and had planned to absorb one of them into himself.
However…
"Like you said, brother, this is nothing personal," the Master said, approaching a dark cloud in front of him. Suddenly, he was hit from behind with a magical blast, and Ruby was surprised to see that the one who had attacked him was Salem.
Salem was determined to absorb the essence of the Dark God, hoping that sine the Light God had made her immortal, the Dark God's power could take her immortality away. But it didn't work. The force of pure destruction could not destroy a being of infinite life. Instead, it created a being of infinite life with a desire for pure destruction.
Ruby watched as the power of the God of Darkness morphed Salem. Her skin turned ashen, her hair white, and her eyes red with black sclera. Salem let out a blood-curdling scream as she transformed.
Seeing no other choice, the Master did the only thing he could think of.
He put up a magical barrier over part of the dying world, protecting it from destruction, but trapping it in the Realm of Darkness. He attempted to finally remove Salem's immortality, but the power of the Dark God wouldn't let him.
He had to make a desperate decision in an attempt to stop her from ruining everything.
He knew the perfect adversary for Salem.
"Ozma," the Master said, standing in a white void as Ozma appeared before him.
"Where am I?" Ozma asked.
"We're between realms," the Master said. "The world you came from is no more. It's just a… Remnant. That actually has a nice ring to it."
"I… don't understand," Ozma said.
"So, long story short, Darkness ravaged the world, and one being threatens what's left. I need you to stop that from happening."
Four objects appeared around him: a staff, a sword, a crown, and a lamp.
"These objects represent the gifts my brother and I gave to you: Creation, Destruction, Choice, and Knowledge. These are powerful artifacts on their own, but their true power will be known when they're brought together. When that happens, they will lead the way to the Keyhole, the Heart of this Remnant. If the Darkness gets its hands on it, everything is over. It will escape its prison, and threaten the worlds outside. The only way to keep the world safe for good is for someone with a Keyblade to seal it off. You need to keep them safe until one shows up."
"I'm sorry, but…" Ozma said. "That world just isn't as dear to me without her. If I may, I'd rather stay in the afterlife with Salem."
"Well, she's not there," the Master said.
"You mean she isn't gone?"
"She's still alive, if that's what you mean," the Master answered. "But she's not the same woman you loved. In fact, she's the one—"
"I'll do it," Ozma said.
"Fine, don't let me finish," the Master said sarcastically. "I'm sure you'll find out."
The Master snapped his fingers, and the void disappeared.
And so Ozma was reborn.
Ruby watched as Ozma suddenly found himself in a new body, one with a tanned complexion and pale blond hair. The man had just stabbed a Beowolf with a pitchfork. All around him, he could hear screaming and see people running away from a burning village into a nearby forest.
"Where am I?" Ozma asked.
Ozma had found himself in a world completely unfamiliar to him. Cities looked different. Creatures known as the Faunus bore fangs and claws and were locked away in cages. And without the blessings of the Gods, no one could perform magic like mankind was once capable of, no one but himself and a woman known as… the witch.
Ozma walked along a path, coming up on a dilapidated cabin.
During his years of travel, he heard the same frightened whispers that spoke of a terrifying sorceress who commanded dark powers in the wilds among the beasts and monsters. Ozma was convinced that this witch was Salem, and decided he needed to see what she had become.
Ozma knocked on the door, and after a few moments, Salem opened it, glaring until she saw Ozma. Her face softened significantly, and she smiled at him. Ozma smiled back.
Call it magic or call it something stronger, but in that moment, the two knew exactly who it was that stood before them.
Ozma and Salem walked towards each other, interlocking their hands.
"What do we do now?" Ozma asked.
"Whatever we like," Salem said.
As Salem and Ozma recounted the events which had brought them back together, each withheld parts of their story. Salem, fearing Ozma would reject her, blamed the end of the world on the Gods. Ozma, still unsure of where the truth lay, kept his task and the Relics a secret. Though time passed and all seemed well, Ozma's conversation with the Master of Masters still lingered in his mind. He had found happiness, but Humanity seemed more divided than ever before.
"Are you surprised?" Salem asked. "This world is quite literally godless. These Humans have no one to guide them. Perhaps that's all they need."
"What are you saying?" Ozma asked.
"We could become the gods of this world. Our powers surpass all others. Our souls transcend death. We can mold these lands into whatever we want, what you want, create the paradise that the old Gods could not."
Ozma look hesitant at first, but eventually smiled at her.
The hearts of men… are easily swayed.
Ruby watched as Ozma and Salem used their powers to protect the people from Grimm attacks. As they fought, the people bowed before them in reverence. Statues were erected in their honor.
The two amassed a following. That following grew into a prosperous Kingdom.
A large castle suddenly appeared.
And at the head of that Kingdom blossomed… a family.
Ruby watched as Salem and Ozma played with four little girls, their children.
Eventually, Ozma stood near a window, as Salem watched a crystal ball and smirked, as she watched armies battle each other.
"Are we sure this is right?" Ozma asked.
"You said you wanted to bring Humanity together," Salem said. "In order to do that, we have to spread our word, and destroy those that will deny it."
Ozma's eyes widened in shock.
"What are we doing?" his reflection in the window suddenly asked him. Ozma reeled back in fear.
"He was right about you," Ozma muttered.
"What did you say?" Salem asked.
"Mother, father, look!" their oldest daughter said happily, summoning multi-colored wisps. Salem had never looked prouder.
Ozma just looked bothered.
Ozma told Salem everything, the true reason the Master of Masters had brought him back, the Relics that he had scattered around the world, and the Keyhole and Keyblade.
"Don't you see?" Salem asked after Ozma finished explaining. "None of that matters anymore. Why spend our lives trying to protect these Humans when we can replace them with what they could never be?"
Salem offered her hand, but Ozma refused.
Later that night, Ozma tried to sneak out with their children, when their youngest daughter stopped.
"Mommy?" she asked.
Ozma turned around in surprise, seeing Salem glaring at him. He stepped in front of the girls defensively. Salem realized what was happening, and fired a red beam from her hands.
Ruby found it difficult to watch as the ensuing battle leveled the castle.
Eventually, Ozma weakly crawled away from the rubble, passing by a charred stuffed animal. Ruby's heart sank at realizing that Ozma and Salem's battle was so out of control, that they had accidentally killed their own children. Salem reformed in front of Ozma, and kicked him in the stomach, flipping him onto his back.
"We finally had freedom…" Salem said.
"I—" Ozma tried to say, before a blast of fire interrupted him, ending his life.
Thus began a long and painful cycle of death and rebirth for Ozma. Some lives were spent in mourning, many were spent attempting to forget it all. But no matter what, his mind would eventually turn back to the task he had been burdened with. And as the centuries went on, Ozma began to learn the importance of living with the souls with which he had been paired. But no matter where or how he lived, her presence was always felt. If Remnant was to be kept safe from the Darkness, one thing was clear…
"He had to destroy Salem," Ruby said sadly, realizing the true weight of what he had to do. It was one thing when she thought Salem was just some force of evil, but it was another thing entirely to know that she was once the love of Oz's life.
Knowing he could never rid the world of her through any mortal means, Ozma sought out the power of the Relics. Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his task given to him by the Master of Masters.
Ozma held the Relic of Knowledge, summoning Jinn for the first time.
"Where are the other Relics?" he asked.
He asked me his questions.
"What powers do they possess?"
And though I gave him my answers…
"How do I destroy Salem?"
…Not all of them were to his liking.
Jinn looked down at Ozma.
"You can't."
AN: And with this, I have now fully linked the world of Remnant to the Kingdom Hearts universe.
So, a couple of bombshells. First off, we finally have official confirmation that the Hooded Man is the Master of Masters. But on top of that, he is also the God of Light trapped in human form.
So, I tried to adapt the story of Union X about halfway through with the whole "13 original darknesses" thing, but instead it's the God of Darkness having been split into 13 pieces. I basically had to look this part of the story up, so I hope I got it right and the way I did it makes sense.
Man, I hope you all like this as much as I do.
I would like to remind everyone that this story has a Tv Tropes page! Go on, get to filling it out!
As always, thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you all next time!