Prologue: Dawn of Darkness
It was the last month of summer vacation, and my dad was on tour in Germany. He had let me and the rest of my family stay in Washington. My mom had gone to see him a month before his tour was up. She was staying there two weeks, but little did we all know, our vacations were about to be cut short…
Well, maybe I should start with a little about myself. I'm Roy Hartmut, a 17 year old geek who has nothing better to do with my time than play video games and train with my swords. I'm actually pretty good. I've learned to wield four different types of swords; a massive katana modeled after Sephiroth's from Final Fantasy VII, a twin-bladed katana modeled after Kadaj's from FFVII: Advent Children, a giant-knife type sword modeled after Ichigo's Zangetsu, and a functional replica of Cloud's Buster Sword. Yeah, I'm 17 and lack much direction in my life. I've never had a job and don't have enough common sense to learn how to drive! I've moved a lot… and that's made me into a loner.
Well, anyway, I'd been in our fenced backyard training with my four swords (which my parents don't like me owning, I must add), and got really thirsty. So I headed inside to get a drink. My crazy grandma was in there, and my older brother was out at work. My little bro was off somewhere playing on his laptop. "Wow, you look really tired! You must be training hard!" my grandma said in her silly, airy, and annoying voice. "Yeah, I'm trying to use two of my swords at once," I said. "The twin-edged one and the giant knife." I thought to myself, duh, I'm tired! You try swinging around two ten-pound swords for two hours and not be tired! "Well, I'll go see how Jake is doing and then I'll get back to my training." I told my grandma as I poured myself a glass of root beer. "Okay," my grandma said. Well, with all my swords still equipped (I carry my Katanas at my side and my other swords on my back) I went down our hallway to my little brother's room. I slowly strode up to his doorway when I heard his loud, snappy voice. "What?" he snapped as I walked up to his doorway. He was lying on his bed, and I noticed he had slammed shut his laptop. "Nothing," I said. "Just wanted to see what you were up to." My little brother had always been real demanding and secretive; you never knew what he was up to, but it was usually playing around on Neopets or some other crap like that. "Why does it matter to you?" he retorted. "Just wanted to know, geez…" I muttered as I walked off. I really wish I knew what his problem was, I thought to myself as I walked down the hall, sipping my root beer. I stopped in the middle of the hallway and leaned against the wall to finish my drink because I didn't want to get caught up in one of my grandma's insufferable attempts at small talk, then I walked back into the kitchen and put my cup in the sink. Okay, I'll train for another half- hour and then call it a day, I thought to myself.
I'd been outside for a few minutes, probably five or ten, when I had noticed the sky had turned a dark color, completely different from the sunny, clear day it was just a few minutes ago. Guess this training session's gonna be cut short, I thought to myself. I started walking inside; I noticed the sky was getting darker by the second. "Huh, weird," I muttered to myself.
After I got inside I went back to my little bro's room, and told him about how dark the sky had gotten. He looked outside. "Yeah, it is real dark. The sky's pitch black," he remarked. "Really? It was pretty dark before, but pitch black?" I said. I peeked outside, and sure enough, the sky was as dark as midnight. The streetlights had come on.
"Must be one heck of a storm," I muttered. My little bro had gone back to fiddling around on his laptop. "Roy… Roy…" I heard him say in a terrified tone. "What? What are you so afraid of?" I asked. "It's… it's a… Heartless!" he shouted, instantly diverting my attention to his doorway. Sure enough, there was a Shadow Heatless at the door. "A… Heartless? But those are in Kingdom Hearts!" I yelled. The little creep went into the ground and slinked its way up to the bed. By that time I had pulled out my Zangetsu, and struck it as it popped out. "Ha! Those puny little creeps are nothin'!" I exclaimed. Just then, there was a scream from the living room. "Jake, stay here! It's probably grandma!" I yelled. "But Roy! I can't defend myself with my bare fists!" "Here you go." I tossed my Souba at him. "You can use that for a little while. But I'll need it back. Swords aren't for 12 year olds." I said. He didn't say anything else as I walked out of the room, but I'm pretty sure I saw some tears in his eyes.
As I ran into the living room, I saw my grandma covered in Shadows. "Back, you filthy beasts! Back!" I yelled as I slashed my way through the wretches. I realized my efforts had been in vain when I saw a heart float up through the darkness. "I…" was the only thing I could say.
'course, there's no rest for the weary. I heard another scream, and guess what? Yep, it was my little bro, Jake. When I got to his bedroom and I saw he wasn't there, I guessed what had happened. "Little bro"
I started to cry, and picked up my Souba off of the floor. "I couldn't protect you… and that's what I always try and do. I wasn't strong enough."
"Grandma… Jake…" I cried. Heh, even cold-hearted jerks like me cry when they lose their family. With that, I could only surmise what had happened (or would happen) to the rest of my family. "I swear… I swear I'll avenge you guys… somehow." I said.
"Well, now that I'm alone…" I cried a little more, "I think the best bet of mine would be to go to the High School. Even if I do hate it, I can't think of anywhere else people would gather, besides maybe the movie theater." I said to myself. "Maybe there'll be some other people there"
And with that, I, Roy Hartmut, started a journey that would push me to my limits… to the limits of strength, to the limits of sorrow and despair…
Chapter One:Shadows in the Hero's Heart
As I walked down the road, toting all my blades and a backpack with emergency provisions, I noticed the sky had gotten a little lighter (just a little). That was the major storm, I thought to myself, There will still be Heartless, but I doubt there will be so many. Still, I need to be vigilant. Never know when they could strike. I continued walking down the road until I came to a three way intersection. Which way was the school again? I asked myself. Hm… left, I think it was. As I took the turn, I felt… odd, somehow. I felt like I was stronger and faster than ever before. More weird stuff. Must be because of the Heartless, I thought to myself.
I had just started walking down the left turn when I saw dark clouds appear directly in front of me. Damn, they found me! I watched as the Shadows fell into the ground, and resurfaced. "It… can't be… It can't…" I said in wonder and terror.
The Heartless that stood before me looked like my classmates, as well as some older looking people, likely their parents. As I stood in awe, the creeps plunged into the ground and came after me. "… wait! These creatures are simply the manifestation of the peoples' darkness! It's not really them… just their fading echoes!" I said to myself.
I'll only need one blade for this, I thought to myself as I tossed my backpack to the side of the road. As the creatures shifted out of the ground, I rested my hands on my Masamune, and got into a batto-jutsu stance. Then I charged at them, did the batto-jutsu, and probably slew about a dozen of them at once. Then the mass of creatures (probably about three dozen, I'm not sure how many) swarmed at me. Damn, this is too many! I thought to myself as they nearly overtook me. I continued to slash the pitiful creatures, and soon there was only a single Heartless left. So, that's what's become of Jake… I thought to myself. The last Heartless that stood before me bore Jake's image. It's just his fading echo, I reassured myself. Just his fading echo!
I brashly charged at the pitiful remnants of my little brother, Masamune in a Sephiroth-style pose. He jumped too high for me to hit as I swung my blade at him, and came down hard, hitting me on the head and knocking me onto the concrete road. After that, I quickly got up and thought to myself, this sword is too big for just one guy. I'm not good enough to use it on single enemies yet. I quickly sheathed my Masamune and pulled out my Souba. Perfect! I thought to myself.
I held the blade in Kadaj's fighting style (as if it were a dagger) and waited for Jake's Heartless to attack. He quickly came running after me, and I readied my blade. After he was just in my range, I slashed at him, and took him out instantly. No sooner had I sheathed my blade and picked up my backpack, then I heard someone… clapping. "Who's there?" I shouted. But the somehow sinister clapping continued. "I said, WHO'S THERE!" I yelled. The clapping ceased, but I still felt a presence. I soon met the one who had been, for some reason, congratulating my victory. "Even stronger than anticipated…" I heard a rough voice say. "Perhaps you are the one…" I heard as a grey coated man walked out into the road from the woods lining the road. He had short, blonde hair and green eyes. "Roy Hartmut, age 17. Perhaps you are the Keyblade master?" He said as he strode up to me casually.
"Keyblade? I don't need a big key!" I yelled to the man. "No need to be so loud, boy," the man said. "I simply wished to know if you are the Keyblade master, but it appears that you are not. Also, your heart…" "My heart? What about it?" I said. "I need to know if you exist in the realm of light or the realm of darkness. The test will be short but conclusive." He said. "I won't be subject to some test by a grey-coated creep who I just met!" I shouted. "It's not like you have a choice," the man said coldly. "What…? I… can't move!" I could barely say as I felt my arms moving on their own to behind my back, in a position like I were handcuffed. "Be thankful I'm letting you talk," the main said, again cold as ice. "Now, for the test of your heart…" I heard him mutter as he walked up to me. "Wait! Lemme…" was all I could say before he silenced me somehow. I could no longer move my body at all.
The grey-coated man took my Zangetsu and held it at arms length. "A regular steel sword, eh? This weapon is useless against me. Test time!" I heard him say in an insane sounding voice. Strangely, I saw the blade float up and rest just on my right shoulder. Then it glowed a yellow color. "Judgment time!" he said. And with that, I felt the blade sink into my skin with a searing heat and absolutely excruciating pain. It felt as though my heart and soul were struck by that light… and some part of me that I hate came to the surface…
I blacked out for a few seconds after that from the pain, but came to just as I heard the man saying, "Dark heart… no Keyblade master yet. I'll just leave this one to die here. He probably won't survive," he said as he walked off. I stood up, pain still racking my body and nearly causing me to pass out, and picked up my Zangetsu (somehow). I staggered over to the side of the road, blade still in my right hand, holding my now bleeding right shoulder with my left hand. I collapsed soon after, and was digging my hands into the dirt because the pain was so intense. That was the last thing I remember before I passed out.
If you go there…
That was the first time I realized… I had a heart steeped in darkness. All the pain and sorrow of losing my friends over and over had made me a loner… and a dark-hearted warrior.
Chapter Two: Gathering of Hope
I'm not sure how long I was out, probably an hour or two. I felt a warm light on my face and a throbbing pain in my right shoulder… I groaned as I got up. Was that man in grey a dream, or was it all… My doubts were soon put to an end as I looked at my right shoulder. There was a huge black gash I could see through my T-shirt. Damn! What did he do to me? Must be a bruise or a really deep cut… I thought to myself as I got up.
By now, the dark clouds had dissipated completely and I could feel the comforting warmth of sunlight. I put my Zangetsu in its sheath on my back and then stretched out a little. Gotta get goin' to the school… no telling how long I was out! I thought. And with that, I resumed my journey to get to the school.
It took me a couple of hours to get to our High School. I'm not exactly an athletic person, but I did go on hikes when we lived in Germany. Of course, nothing is as simple as that, as I ran into a few groups of Heartless along the way. I used my newfound strength and speed to dispatch them with ease.
As I walked up to the school gate, I noticed that though the sunlight was comforting, an eerie silence pervaded my being. It was quiet… a little too quiet for a rallying of peoples. I continued to walk up to the door, and opened it, then walked into the cafeteria.
There was only one person there: Amy Riesa. She was one of those anime geeks that I had gotten acquainted with over the year; she was a serious artist. I had wished we could have formed a more solid friendship over the year, but because of who I am I had done my best to avoid making friends, even though this was supposed to be my last move. "Roy? You're still alive?" she asked me. "Yeah… don't count me out so soon!" I half-laughed. "We're the only ones who made it… or had enough sense to come here, by the looks of it," I muttered. "You never know, Roy. There could be other people left, they just didn't come here or they didn't get here yet," she replied. "Eh… that's the way I am. Kinda pessimistic," I said.
"Well, what have you been up to this summer?" she asked. "Eh, you know me… not much, slacking off, training with my new blades." I motioned toward the four swords I carried, as I had just gotten the Zangetsu and the Buster Sword over the summer. I had had the other two since my birthday in March. "What about you? What have you been doin'?" I asked her. "Well, I've been getting ready for college, drawing, ya know, the stuff I usually do. But with the Heartless here..."
"Yeah, kinda weird, isn't it? We got no family left, but somehow we're still alive. We're a little scuffed up, but we're fine." I said.
"Scuffed up? You mean you didn't beat all those puny little Heartless without a scratch?" "Well, the Heartless were easy, but..."
"But what?" she replied.
"… it's nothing." I shrugged it off. I quickly raised my left hand to cover the cut on my shoulder.
"So, you got your weapon?" I asked her. "Yep. Here it is; my sakaboto." I peered down to the blade fastened to her khaki shorts.
"Good… we'll need all the force we can use."
"For what?"
"Well, just to survive, I guess." I said with a smile.
"Help!" I heard two seconds later. "That voice is familiar… well, we can't stand around, now can we?" I said to Amy. "Not a chance!" she exclaimed as we both walked off to find the source of the cry for assistance, or hands on our sword hilts.
We quickly traced the source of the calls for help to the main door. Lo and behold, it was one of the most sensual couples of the school; Serenity Sheno and Jason Rashar! But Jason was passed out, and Serenity was carrying him on her shoulder.
"Serenity! What's wrong… well, besides the Heartless swarming around like locusts?" Amy asked her.
"Well, after the Heartless took my family… I went looking for Jason, and the Heartless nearly got him. But I went in and got him from their clutches. They ignored me for some reason!" she said. Still, I noted a tone of despair in her voice.
"Then what's the problem?" I inquired.
"There's this man in a brown coat that's been chasing us… somehow we managed to get here, but Jason's passed out, and the man hit him with some sort of glowing weapon!" she practically yelled.
"Brown coat, huh? Well, we'll just have to check it out, right Amy?" I said.
"Well, I guess so. No harm in just looking," she replied.
We had no need to go anywhere. Moments later, as I put down my backpack, the man she had talked about came moseying up to the door. We had retreated into the cafeteria again to put our things somewhere when the coated man came into our sanctuary. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes.
"Is this where I can find the Keyblade master?" he asked simply as he shuffled into the large room.
"Keyblade master? We're not even sure there is a Keyblade master here! "Amy replied to the mysterious character's question.
"No doubt about it… there's a Keyblade master in this room. Is it that boy?" he asked, pointing at me.
"No, I'm not a Keyblade master! You're the second person to ask me that today!" I yelled back at the mysterious man.
"Well, neither of you are the Keyblade master… and I can tell that girl over there isn't the chosen one…" he said, pointing to Serenity, "so it must be that other boy, over there," he said, pointing toward Jason.
"He is? What of it?" I replied.
"The Keyblade master is a threat to our plans. He must be eliminated."
"You're gonna kill him?" Serenity asked the man.
"Of course. I can't let a threat go unattended." He said. With that, I felt the ground begin to rumble beneath my feet. I saw the planks of the floor in the nearby gymnasium begin to rise. The planks then came flying at us through the glass windows separating the gym and the cafeteria.
We all screamed as the wood nearly killed us. After that, Amy and I knew what we had to do.
"So, you're under orders, eh? Well, then…" I said, drawing my Zangetsu.
"… we'll just have to beat the truth out of you!" Amy completed my statement, drawing her sakaboto.
After that, we clanged our swords together, and then charged at this mysterious figure who threatened our lives… our lives, and the lives of our few remaining friends…
Chapter Three: The Battle Against Nature
After we clashed out blades together, the man continued to throw wooden planks at us through the gym windows. Amy and I slashed at them, cutting the pieces of wood in half as they flew at us. We had nearly reached the man from across the cafeteria when I heard a scream. It must have been Serenity, but Amy looked away… and got hit by a plank, sending her flying across the gym and hitting the wall near Serenity.
I attacked the man as soon as I was in range, but he quickly ran into the gym. I noticed there was this symbol on the back of his coat?
"Serenity! I need you to stay here! Don't move!" I yelled to her.
"A…alright," she managed to squeak out.
"Amy!" I said, as she had recovered and managed to make it to my present location, unhindered by flying wood planks.
"What? Don't worry about me, I'm fine," she replied.
"It's not that… you see, if we're going to actually defeat someone in mortal combat, we can't let ourselves be distracted! Even if you hear a scream, or see me get hit, don't lose your focus!" I said quickly.
"But Roy…" was all she could say back.
"I know it seems cold, but if we don't focus solely on the battle, even worse things could happen. That man is preoccupied with us; Serenity and Jason will be safe as long as we can win!" I replied.
"Alright, I understand," she replied.
We looked back to see what our adversary had waiting for us. He was now on a floating platform of wooden planks, with several more platforms floating around him. It would be tough… I think we realized what we would have to do.
"You with me in this?" I asked Amy.
"Of course!" she replied.
"To the death?"
"To the death!"
With that, we charged once again at the man through the broken glass doors. As soon as we set foot in the gym, flying platforms of wood came flying at us, with every intention of killing us. I was able to jump over it with relative ease, but through the corner of my eye I noticed Amy hadn't had as easy a time. After that, we did our best to hop across the platforms, though each did its best to either ram into us or just get out of our way so we would fall 20 feet to the now-bare concrete floor below.
Eventually, after much trial, we were able to get to plank platforms just below the mysterious man. He seemed totally focused on maintaining the wood's levitation, and didn't notice us until Amy shouted out at him.
"Who the hell are you?" she yelled.
The man, now aware that we had managed to make it within 10 feet of him, looked up, but the wood continued to fly.
"I said, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Amy shouted again.
"I won't waste my breath on dead people!" the man replied.
Oddly, I sensed something coming from the back yard of the school. With terror, I saw what it was; the trees from the yard floated in through the doors leading to the weight room, and were sharp as spears. "Damn, how much wood can this guy control? How does he do it?" I muttered to myself, though aware of the even more deadly trial ahead of us.
The massive spears came flying at us faster than I had anticipated. I jumped on one of them, but Amy hopped to another platform nearer the man. After that, I ran across the log toward the man as fast as I could, but because it was moving in the opposite direction I was running, I ended up on the same platform I was on before. Fortunately, the man had had his attention on me, so he didn't notice that Amy had gotten onto a platform behind him. "On three!" I yelled.
"What are you yelling about now?" the man said, still totally unaware of Amy's new position.
I sheathed my Zangetsu, then rested my hands on my Masamune and got into the batto-jutsu stance.
"THREE!" I shouted, and we simultaneously leaped at the man. I did a midair batto-jutsu, but I hadn't counted on one factor: the platform was moving in the opposite direction I needed to go, and I barely managed to make a shallow cut in the man's upper torso.
Amy had no more luck; though she was closer, since she was using a sakaboto, all that happened was the man spit up a little blood, and lost his balance. We both managed to avoid falling to the concrete floor below by grabbing onto the man's platform with our spare hands. The mysterious man staggered for a couple seconds, but soon recovered.
"Alright, no more games. I'll show you fools not to mess with the Order of Light!" he shouted. As he did so, the wooden planks and logs began to fall back to the gym floor. Neither Amy nor I had much time to react, especially since we were holding onto a wooden platform with one hand.
I jumped off, then maneuvered through the pandemonium to the gym doors, where I was safe. But Amy didn't make it… I heard her screams as hundreds of wooden planks fell on her, almost crushing her.
"You bastard! She…I… I won't let you get away with this!" I yelled, and charged with my blade in Sephiroth's style. He had landed safely amidst all the chaos, but hadn't been expecting my reaction, or me to react so soon. I hit him and knocked him through the outside door.
After that… I felt a great darkness welling up inside of me… my rage and my sorrow had awakened a darkness… MY darkness…
Chapter Four: Manifestation of Rage
I slowly shuffled forward toward the doors, arms at my side, dragging my sword behind me. I felt that wound on my right shoulder aching… it felt like something was seeping out of that cut.
Darkness, maybe? The darkness sealed deep inside my heart and soul?
I continued to shuffle forwards, head down, looking at the devastation. I passed Amy, who was clearly knocked out. As I did so… I felt even more rage in my heart, and it seemed more darkness was flowing out of that wound. "No more…" I said to myself, slowly treading outside. I looked up to see the brown-coated man slouched against a tree, looking down. I held up my sword in Sephiroth's pose (again), and noticed something weird.
My skin had turned jet black up to my wrist… and maybe further, under my shirt. As I noticed this, I felt my strength increase exponentially, and I felt all my emotions leaving me… all of them except anger and hatred, hatred toward this man who had tried to kill me and my friends…
I decided… I was going to kill that man, here and now.
I rushed at him, still in Sephiroth's pose, and nearly decapitated him in one fell stroke. He looked up just in time to turn his head so that he wouldn't have his throat slit, and proceeded to quickly remove that tree he was leaning on and get it into the air.
I came at him again, but he used more trees to hinder my assault. Even though my blade was now cutting through those trees like warm butter, he had used too many for me to get to him, and I quickly noticed he was floating on that log a few seconds later.
"So, you're the one Jin judged and left to die? Figures… I get left cleaning up his messes." the man said.
"I don't care what you're talking about! I'm gonna kill you!" I yelled back at the man. My voice even sounded different… distorted, somehow.
"Darkness, spreading across your body… those eyes… you're different now." he said.
"I don't care! I WILL kill you!" I shouted.
"Kill me? I doubt it… well, I have some unfinished business with that Keyblade master in there. So, if you'll excuse me, it's been fun, but now I'll have to end our little game!" he hollered at me.
A split second later, the tree he was riding came flying down at me. I cleverly tried to jump over and land on it, but it seems he had anticipated this. The tree stopped descending at the height of my jump, doing its best to ram into me. I reacted as fast as I could and stuck my blade into the tree, seeing a purple aura around my sword. The tree stopped with ease.
"What! How deep does darkness run in this boy's heart!"
I continued rushing at the man, as he was standing on the log's center and I was on the outer edge. He continued to raise walls of wood in my path, but I cut them down faster than he could raise them. Eventually I reached him, and cut him deep in his torso, knocking him off of the log and causing it to fall. I jumped down after him, using the tree to gain some momentum, and during the fall cut off his arms.
I landed smoothly on my feet, but the malevolent stranger wasn't so lucky. He fell flat on his stomach, causing the gash in his chest to burst open and making him bleed even more. I practically flew up to him and had my sword at his throat before he could react.
"Tell me, who are you working for? What are you trying to do? Answer me!" I shouted at him. I noted a hateful tone in my voice, one I don't usually use.
"Heh… I won't bother telling you. You're going to kill me anyways." he replied.
"Maybe I am, but if you don't tell me now, I'll torture you instead of letting you immediately feel the cold embrace of death."
"Torture, huh? No thanks… okay, I'll tell you if you put me out of my misery right after I'm done." he said.
"All right, but no funny business." I stated. As I did so, I felt all that strength leaving my body. "The Order of Light… we're trying to purify the worlds. The Keyblade master stands in our way… sealing the keyhole will no longer allow us to sense darkness."
"The Order of Light? What's that?" I questioned him, no longer feeling that deep hatred.
"We're beings of light… trying to purify the worlds. Simple, really. No darkness will be allowed to exist." he answered.
"No darkness… that's good, from a certain point of view. But not mine." I said.
"Regardless, the Heartless and the Order of Light will continue to hunt your group… especially you, Dark Boy."
"Well, then I'll just kill them. If I have no other choice, I'll kill whoever tries to harm my friends." I said.
"Really? What will you do if your darkness awakens in front of those you seek to protect? That foul darkness that runs so deep in your heart… what will you do then? What will they think and say?" he questioned me.
"… I won't waste my breath on a dead man." I said coldly.
After that, I slit his throat, ending his words of torment and his potential harm.
But something he said made me doubt that strength I had needed to put an end to his threat: "What will you do if your darkness awakens in front of those you seek to protect"
It troubled me as I walked back into the school, and with doubt in my heart, I entered the gym…
Chapter 5: Equipment and Destination
After reentering the gym, I sheathed my sword, and then proceeded to unbury Amy from the wooden planks. I carried her on my shoulder, barely managing to get back into the cafeteria. Seems that little Dark Form (as I call it) outburst really took my energy.
When I got into the cafeteria, Jason was conscious, and took her off of my shoulder while Serenity helped me to lean on a wall.
"Are you okay? What happened to Amy?" she asked me.
"I'm… fine. Just a little tired, that's all." My breathing was still pretty heavy, and I was covered a cold sweat. "Amy got slammed by a bunch of wooden planks, but I think she'll be okay."
"Really, man? Okay, if you say so." Jason said.
"I'm feeling… kind of tired…" I said. About two minutes later, I fainted.
…you will find the truth…
The next thing I knew, I was lying on the cafeteria floor with all three of my friends peering down at me. I heard their voices before I actually opened my eyes.
"Is he alright? What happened to him?"
"He's okay. Still breathing, anyway."
"Look! He's waking up!"
As I heard this, I sat up and nearly head butted Serenity in the process. "Unh… how long was I out?" I asked them.
"About a day. You okay?" Amy asked.
"I'm alright… a little hungry, but nothing too bad. I feel a little sore, though." I replied.
"Well, we've managed to survive by eating the food in the cafeteria. There isn't much, though. It's summer." Serenity said.
"I have some emergency provisions in my backpack," I stated, stretching out and getting up. I walked over to my backpack and got out some pop-tarts, and began eating them as I walked back to my comrades. They were talking about what we should do next.
"Well, there's nothing left for us here. We should go somewhere else and see if we can find the keyhole." I heard Jason say.
"That's right…" I muttered as I approached them, food still in my mouth. I finished what was in my mouth before speaking again.
"You're a Keyblade master, aren't you, Jason?" I asked him.
"Yep, watch this!" he exclaimed as he took a step back. He summoned a unique Keyblade with a flash of light.
I must admit, I was a little jealous.
"Wow! A Keyblade! Let's go see if we can open the teachers' lounge!" Serenity requested.
"Nice thought, but we need to think of what to do now. Not only are the Heartless swarming around, but we've got a trench-coated man chasing us." Amy replied.
"No, there's no man chasing us. He…" I left off, not wanting to tell my friends how I had brutally murdered a helpless man, or about how some zealots wouldn't stop chasing me. "He left." I finished.
"Well, we've got to do something. Well, let's try getting to Washington, D.C. It's a long way from here, but I can't think of anywhere else the keyhole would be, or anywhere else that would be safer." Amy said.
"Washington D.C.? But that's on the other side of the country!" Jason whined.
"Tough luck. I agree with Amy. All in favor say 'Aye!'" I declared.
Amy, Serenity and I raised our hands and said aye.
"Well, that settles it! We're going to Washington!" I shouted.
"But Roy, we're already in Washington." Serenity pointed out.
"Oh…. yeah, well, ya know… Washington… ya catch my drift, right?" I said.
"But that's so far away, we'll never get there!" Jason continued to whine.
"Tough luck, buddy. You're the Keyblade master, so if we find the Keyhole on the way, it's your duty to seal it!" I said truthfully. "You're along for the ride!"
"Well, what are we going to wear? It'll be a long, tough journey, and my clothes are torn!" Serenity complained. Indeed, there was a small tear in her jean shorts, but it was nothing compared to the cut in my T-shirt. At that thought, I raised my hand again to cover the black mark on my shoulder.
"Well… to be honest, for some reason, I've felt like drawing something life-sized ever since the Heartless came here. I think I can make it real. I just didn't have the time." Amy said.
"Okay, let's go get some roll paper from the art room." We all proceeded to the art room, where we took part of the massive roll of paper and laid it out.
"I'll need someone to model the drawing after… how about you, Roy?" she asked of me.
"Alright, alright. Hold your horses." I replied as I laid down on the paper.
"Now… tell me, Roy, what have you always wanted to wear?" she asked me as she traced my shape.
"Well… I guess a trench coat. Like Dante's, from Devil May Cry 3. And some fingerless leather gloves. And some boots." I said. Yeah, I'm a geek. Those really are the kind of clothes I've always wanted to wear.
After Amy finished drawing my outline, I got up, and she proceeded to draw what I had asked on my outline. After that, she touched it with her palm, and some white lightning came up.
"Whoa! What's happening, man?" Jason said.
After a few seconds, the lightning was gone, and the clothes she had drawn were really there! Actual size!
"Well, Roy… want to try 'em on?" Amy asked me.
"Uh… sure!" I replied, not wanting to turn down such a generous offer.
The clothes fit perfectly. She had drawn the coat a little bigger than needed, so it fit loosely on my shoulders. Good, I thought, now I won't have to worry about that scar… or bruise… or whatever it is. The gloves also fit perfectly, as did the boots. I kinda had a problem with the boots, though… I don't know how to tie my shoes, so I just winged it by knotting them.
Everyone else had custom clothes drawn by Amy, as well. When it was her turn, I traced her outline (me being the second best artist), and she drew her own clothes.
Jason had an orange version of Link's tunic drawn for him. It came fully equipped with the white pants and leather gauntlets.
Serenity had a simple black dress drawn for her.
Amy drew herself a red kimono… I vaguely recall seeing something like that on InuYasha, but since I hate that show, I'm not sure.
I didn't question this new ability she had… probably because of how I felt, like I was stronger and faster than before, or maybe it's because of that wound, but I didn't doubt her ability.
Now, there was just the simple matter of how we were going to get to Washington D.C…
So much death…
Interlude: Of Metal and Water
"Jin, why did you do that? That boy slew Oren, and it's all your fault!" a woman screamed.
"Shut up, Lyn. It's not like you wouldn't have assumed he was going to die. Seriously, no one has ever survived judgment and not gone into an Awakening." Jin said back.
"So what? There was always a chance someone could have survived, and now that you were so careless as to leave that boy alive, Oren is dead. Dead, Jin!" Lyn screamed again.
"Shut up about stupid Oren already, Lyn! He was a weakling and deserved to die! Anyone who has a hard time with two normal humans…" Jin argued, but was interrupted by the Master.
"It does not matter who is at fault. I want the Dark Boy and the Keyblade master erased. Do you have objections?" he asked, though it was a rhetorical question.
"No, master." the duo replied.
"Well, good. A small group of humans should be no problem for you, Lyn, especially if Jin is with you. Do not return to Amaterasu until you have done this. Though they are weak at the moment, if allowed to live, the humans could become an even greater threat." "But, Master Charon…" Lyn started.
"Do you object? Ibelieve you value your life." Master Charon replied in a sinister tone.
"No, but about the Dark Boy… he's no longer a normal human, is he?" Lyn asked him.
"True, the Dark Boy is no longer normal. Even when all seems in your favor, do not let your guard down. Enraging that boy will be your downfall. Though Oren was a respectable warrior, his downfall was underestimating the boy. Do not make the same mistake." Master Charon warned.
"So, it would be in our best interests to slay the Dark Boy first, then the Keyblade Master?" Jin asked.
"As I see it, the best course of action for you two to take is to have Jin engage the Keyblade master in battle, and Lyn will take care of the Dark Boy. Attacking either of them together will only draw their friends into the battle. Keep the two separate. Do not harm their female companions. They are pure enough." was Charon's final reply.
"Remember, you may not return to Amaterasu until you have done this, or I will kill you myself."
…my greatest mistake, as well as my salvation.
Chapter Six: War of Shadow
It's been… about a month, I guess, since we set out for Washington, D.C. After we all got some awesome free clothes, we went out to the parking lot to find a motor vehicle to get us somewhere. Of course, it's summer, so there were few cars in the lot. Eventually we decided that a metallic blue pick-up truck would be best, with Amy driving, Serenity and/or Jason sitting in the cab, and I always sit in the bed.
We get our food by looting convenience stores or grocery stores in towns we stop at along the way. There's nobody around, except some Heartless, but they don't stand a chance against us. Everyone else takes showers in rest stops along the way, but me? Nah.
I'm really worried about those Order of Light guys… they said they wouldn't stop hunting us, me in particular. I'm also a little worried about that cut on my arm… no one notices it because of my coat, but it hurts a little from time to time. I don't let my friends see my pain, but I'm afraid… of myself.
Of the darkness within me.
We haven't managed to get very far in a month. We're all slackers, and since none of us have a sense of direction or a map, we have to go about the Interstate on instinct, and we've only gotten to South Dakota! Well, part of the problem is probably that only Amy can drive, and only drives for three or four hours a day. We stay in hotels along the way, but I just sleep in the bed of the truck (with a pillow, of course.
I train Jason in our spare time, so he can learn to defend himself with that Keyblade. He's gotten good, for only a month, and we've tried training in the moving truck, but even more me, it's tough.
We eventually made it to Sioux, yet another eerie ghost town. I knew this was a big town, which meant big trouble from the Heartless.
As the truck drove up to the city, I saw the darkness Shadows make when they enter the ground all over the place. I got up and knocked on the truck window.
"Hey, you guys, we need to stop. Got a few Heartless we'll have to exterminate before we go farther." I told them.
Jason and Serenity were busy making out (did I mention they were an item?), but Amy heard me and stopped quickly.
"A few? Roy, the entire ground is covered in darkness. You can't call that 'a few.'" she snapped back.
"Sorry… sorry… well, JASON, we better get ready." I said loudly. He quickly stopped and looked at me.
"What?"
"There's several thousand Heartless we have to get rid of, and you're too busy making out to notice it?" I snapped at him.
"Shut up, man. Get off my case…" he muttered as he got out of the truck after Amy, who had already done so. I hopped out of the truck bed and leaned against the hood of the truck, looking out at the vast expanse of darkness ahead of us.
"This'll be fun…" I muttered under my breath, and then drew my Zangetsu. Amy unsheathed her sakaboto, and Jason summoned his Keyblade. Then we slowly walked toward the dark abyss.
Within seconds of us reaching ten feet away of the abyss, thousands upon thousands of humanoid Shadows slipped out of the ground, ready to greet us with their awesome number but puny strength.
"Well, let's get to it!" Jason yelled. With his proclamation, we all charged face-first into an army, far more vast than the one Sora faced. Being stronger and faster than Amy, it wasn't too tough for me… at first. Jason also had an easy time, but not as easy as I did. He was fast and fierce, but I noticed he lacked the stopping power I possessed.
The Heartless came at us, and came, and came again! Guess what happened next? Yep, they kept coming. And we kept slaying them. Cutting a swath into the mass of darkness, I pulled out my Buster Sword and charged face-first into the void. Amy and Jason did what they could to keep up, but soon we were all trapped in a circle by thousands upon thousands of Heartless.
"Any ideas?" I asked my partners-in-arms.
"No, you're the one who wanted to fight all of them! You come up with an idea for getting us out of this mess!" Jason snarled back at me.
"Eh… sorry." I muttered.
"This is no time for apologies! We need a way to get out of here now!" Amy said, striking a few Heartless at the same time.
"Well, I've got an idea, but it's a crazy one!" I yelled, doing a batto-jutsu at the same time.
"Any ideas are fine by me!" Jason yelled, slaying a few Heartless.
"Magic! We use light magic! It's our only hope!" I shouted.
"That's crazy talk! We all know magic isn't real!" Amy shouted.
By now, our backs were all against each other, and we stood in a triangle position, our backs all against each other.
"Hey, Amy, if you can just make clothes appear from a drawing and not question it, then maybe we can use magic!" I said.
"Well, we've got no better ideas, so go ahead, Mr. Genius!" Jason shouted.
"Here goes nothing!" I said.
"Purest light, grant me thy strength in this desperate hour and banish these unholy wretches to the netherworld! Divine Light!"
But nothing happened.
"Oh, yeah, magic! Divine Light, my ass!" Amy yelled back at me.
But as she did so, we saw a golden light appear above us, and beams of that light began raining down upon the Heartless, destroying each in one blast.
"So that's magic…" I muttered. The light had stricken thousands of Heartless, leaving us in an empty intersection, but more darkness loomed on the horizon.
CRASH!
Far down the road, I saw the buildings start to fall, either collapsing or falling into the road. The wave was coming at me with frightening speed.
"Um… guys? There's a tidal wave coming at us…" I heard Jason say.
I looked in his direction, and indeed, a massive tidal wave, probably about 30 feet high, was rushing at us with a tsunami's speed.
"Well, time to get out of here! We gotta move fast!" I yelled, sheathing my Masamune and pulling out my Buster Sword at the same time.
We all ran as fast as we could, blazing across the road as fast as our feet could carry us in a desperate bid for our lives. Eventually we got to the Heartless, but I just charged through them, Buster Sword in front, and eventually, after having water rushing at us and buildings crashing around us, all three of us got back to the truck on the outskirts of town.
"You guys okay? You've been gone for a couple hours," Serenity said as we hobbled up to the truck. It was nice to hear someone's voice not shouting at me.
"We're fine, baby. Turns out we can use magic!" Jason exclaimed, somehow, through his heavy breathing. "Well, Amy can, anyway.."
"I saw buildings falling! Are you sure you're all right?" she asked us again.
"Yes, we're fine! Thanks to stupid Roy here, we almost got killed, but we're fine." Amy said, sounding a bit exasperated.
"Well, you can't expect me to know how everything is going to turn out! Eheh…" I sort of laughed.
"Who's that?"
We turned around, and saw two figures walking towards us from the wreckage; one in a blue coat, and one I could never forget…
I want to be forgiven.
Chapter Seven: A Rusted Blade
It was the same grey coated man who had stricken me with the wound that had not yet healed… by now, I doubted it would ever heal. With him walked a voluptuous woman clad in a blue trench coat. They strode up to us, not quickly, but not slowly either.
This time, the grey-coated man was kind enough to introduce himself.
"We meet again, Roy Hartmut… or should I call you 'Dark Boy?"
I could do nothing but stand back and scowl at the man. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jin, metal master of the Order of Light." He answered.
Finally, a name: Jin.
"And I am Lyn, water master of the Order of Light."
More asses to kick. A big one, but still an ass to kick.
She was a tall and intimidating, but beautiful woman, probably about 5'6" tall, with long blonde hair down to about her mid-back and deep blue eyes, not unlike my own.
"We have some business with these two gentlemen, ladies. If you would be so kind as to wait in your truck, we would greatly appreciate it." Lyn told Amy and Serenity.
I expected them to object to sitting on the sidelines, but I heard no cries of refusal for a few seconds, so I turned around, and Amy and Serenity were willfully getting into our stolen truck!
"Serenity, what the hell are you doing?" Jason shouted to his girlfriend.
But the two said nothing as they climbed into the truck.
"What are you doing to them?" I yelled at the duo that was controlling our friends.
"Oh, nothing… just manipulating the water in their bodies so they do what I want. We can't have those two getting in your way, now can we?" she replied.
I turned around again, and the truck was now levitating Now we had no chance of helping the girls in their present state; though they now had control of themselves, the truck was about 50 feet in the air above a paved road.
Plus the doors were locked.
"Come, then, Dark Boy. Show me your rage!" Lyn screamed at me, and came flying at me with a wall of water behind her.
I saw from the corner of my eye as Jason flew backwards from an attack from Jin, even though he managed to parry it, the force in Jin's blow sent him flying. Jason was the least of my worries, though, as Lyn had nearly reached me.
I quickly pulled out my Masamune to block her advance, but she moved around me faster than I could put up my blade.
"Is that the best you can do? I would expect better from someone who killed Oren…" she taunted.
I didn't know how to react, and soon I was sent flying in to one of the buildings on the outskirts of town. I screamed in pain as I was slammed into the concrete with a lot of force. I fell about five feet, spat up a little blood, and staggered up to my feet, then looked up and saw Lyn floating on a wave over the wreckage of Sioux City.
I climbed up the 20' building my using the windows as ledges. I stood atop the building, sword drawn, and looked up as I saw Lyn standing on one of the remaining upright buildings.
"Show me what you got, Dark Boy!" she yelled at me again, a huge wave crashing onto the building and sending thousands of bullet-like drops of water at me.
I used the area she was under, where the water couldn't get me, as a safe zone. I got hit with a few of the drops of water, and it felt like a bullet shot me. I got hit in the left arm, and it hurt a little bit, but it's nothing compared to being mashed onto a building.
Now that I saw what she could do, I was ready for whatever this woman could throw at me. I ran at her, dodging all the water bullets as well as I could (practically running through the school halls really helped), and in a few minutes I was on the toppled building below her, though it was still a fair distance from the building she was standing on.
"Is that all you can do? Throw water at me? How disappointing!" I yelled arrogantly. This seemed to seriously annoy Lyn, as in seconds she was standing on the same building I was on.
"So, it seems your abilities aren't to be doubted. So, let's fight for real now! It's been a long time since I had an actual challenge!" Lyn told me.
"Well, let's dance!" I shouted at her.
She snuck an attack at me; as I yelled, several axe blades made of water rose out of the near-lake wreckage of Sioux City. I bent over, Matrix-style, to avoid the dozen or so blades of water, but my cheek still got clipped.
My move. I straightened out fast, and ran up to her, Sephiroth-style (I love charging like that), and took a slash when I was three feet away from her. The blow connected, but just got wedged into her, about ¼ of an inch into her skin. I was at a loss for words as I tried to pull my blade out of her, but it seemed to be stuck!
"Beating me won't be as easy as swinging around a blade, Dark Boy! Simple metal weapons can't beat me. They only make me stronger!" she proclaimed, holding her hand to my face. I could only watch in shock as a blue aura gathered around her hand, then blasted my chest with a water wave. I was sent flying (almost literally) into the crystal blue waters that were the wreckage of Sioux City.
Am I gonna die here? I thought. But… I've still got to protect my friends… I've still got to see the Keyhole sealed! I can't die here! There's too much at stake. I can't die here! I REFUSE to die!
After I resolved myself to refuse death, I felt a distant, but vaguely familiar power flowing back into my veins…
Two forlorn heroes…
Chapter Eight: The Powers of Darkness
I let myself fall to the depths of the ocean-like wreckage, then jumped up through the 15 foot deep waters onto a building. I felt that familiar strength flowing back into me, and now I understood what it was.
The darkness in my heart. A darkness I could never escape.
From my position, Lyn was about 50 feet away. She seemed to think I was dead, and was walking away. I rushed at her as fast as I could, so fast, I wasn't really running, but more like hovering above the water, causing it to part in my wake. I made a side-slash at her, purple aura flowing around my blade, but she turned around just in time to stop my attack with a small shield of water. As the two connected, a shockwave of force spread across the waters.
"I see it in your eyes… you're no longer the soft spoken boy of just moments ago, are you, Dark Boy?" Lyn sneered at me. "So, this is the power that defeated Oren..."
"Enough! It ends here!" I yelled back, again hearing that distorted sound in my voice. Then I dropped onto the building, and made a sweep at her feet, but that was blocked by greaves of water she quickly made to halt my assault. Lyn then used a spear of water to hit me in the back, and the weapon went through me. It didn't hurt too much, though…
After her attack, I was bent at the waist, and so I stood up and struck her with a side slash. This attack actually did something; it sent her flying into a building about 20 feet away, and then falling into the clear waters.
I walked over to the edge of the building, looking at my reflection. About half of my face was now jet black, as well as my right arm. My eyes had also changed; instead of their normal steel blue, they were now blood red. This must be the price I have to pay, I thought, if I want to protect those close to me!
With that thought, I turned my attention to Lyn, who was rising through a pillar of water up to the top. It was a little taller than the building she had stood on a few minutes ago; it about 30 feet high, I guess.
"So, you want a real fight, Dark Boy! Come! I'll show you what I can really do!" Lyn yelled at me. I continued to rush at her, trench coat waving behind me, up the water pillar. I was soon on the top, squaring down the femme fatale. Words are useless! I thought to myself, blazing at her, water parting around me and coat flapping behind me. I sheathed my Masamune and pulled out my Souba as I did so, ready for some serious action. I also heard a nearby clanking of metal; it must have been Jin and Jason.
In my rage, I hadn't noticed it, but the water that once covered the streets was now suspended above us. It quickly came crashing down around us, and I had almost no time to react. I quickly tore open a hole in the pillar. Lyn hadn't noticed me doing so; it seems she had her eyes closed and arms outstretched, making her appear like a cross.
I jumped into the now gelatinous pillar and closed it again with my own hands, bringing on a huge water pressure around me. I saw the cascade of water fall back onto the streets through the pillar, shattering buildings, and after it was over, I jumped out of the cylinder, bringing Lyn into the air with me. I made several slashes, as she wasn't able to react out of surprise; she didn't know where I had gone.
I hit her about 10 times in the air, which is 20 slashes with my double-bladed Souba. The pillar of water hadn't disintegrated, so we landed on it. Lyn was bleeding badly. Even I was breathing heavily, as that wound from earlier was just starting to sink in.
"Where's your sense… of chivalry?" Lyn asked me somehow, between her spitting up of blood and heavy breathing. "Don't you know how to treat… a lady?"
"So… you only have a sense of humor when you're about to die? How sad…" I told her with a sinister tone in my already distorted voice.
I charged at her, Souba straight ahead, aimed right at her heart.
The blow connected…
A darkness only you know.
Chapter Nine: Sin and Sorrow
I felt the warm blood spatter across my face. My eyes widened in horror. My heart beat faster as the adrenaline pumped into my veins.
I had not stabbed Lyn, Water Master of the Order of Light. My charge was the bane of Jason Rashar, chosen Keyblade Master of Earth. I could only stand in shock, my blade just millimeters away from Lyn's own heart.
"Roy… what…" was all he could say before he went limp. I couldn't move, my body still paralyzed with shock, my eyes still wide as my fists.
"Dead, you say? I don't think so… Dark Boy. I'll live to fight… another day. Too… bad for you." Lyn sneered at me, taking off kneeled down on a platform of water. She was holding her side, which was bleeding profusely, as she "flew" off into the horizon.
Even though I was still in shock, I had to get over my grief for the time being; the pillar of water I was on began to fall. I pulled my blade out of Jason and grabbed his body just in time to jump on a piece of rubble, but my landing was shaky because of my sorrow. "What… what have I done?" was all I could say before I felt myself becoming light-headed. I dropped on my hands and knees, tears welling up in my eyes, and passed out.
…about yourself…
I woke up without sunlight or moonlight to greet me. I was still on that piece of wreckage, Jason's body beside me. I lay there with my eyes closed for a few minutes, not wanting to know the reality of what had happened, not wanting to know if this was a dream or not. I could not escape the reality of what had happened, though. I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes, then stream across my face as I laid there, eyes closed, mind horrified.
I had destroyed the world's salvation, and one of my only friends.
I opened my eyes and stood up, not wanting to face Jason's corpse; the ultimate result of my anger and hatred. I instead turned to the sky, where dark clouds loomed ominously.
"I'm sorry, my friend…" I said through sobs. "I'm sorry…" was all I could think of to say. I finally turned around, barely able to face the body of our savior and friend. I couldn't say anything else… I saw where my blade had connected, and he was lying in a pool of blood. I picked his remains up and stood on the edge of our jagged piece of rubble.
"Rest in peace, my friend… I'll do what I can in your stead." I told him, again through sobs. Then I let him go, and watched as his body fell into the crystal waters.
Still crying a little, I went back across my life boat and stood in front of my blood-stained Souba. I hated how I had to kill people to survive… I wish it didn't have to end in violence. That violence had claimed the life of my friend… no, it wasn't the violence.
It was me. The strength I had drawn from my darkness.
But I needed that strength to protect those dear to me…
I grudgingly picked up my Souba and washed the blood off of it in the water, then sheathed it. Afterwards I proceeded across the pieces of rubble towards where I thought was the outskirts. It had started to rain, and the sound of falling rain calmed me a little. Eventually I reached the outskirts, but the truck was nowhere to be found.
Maybe they've already gone ahead, I thought. No, Serenity cares too much about Jason to leave. I walked around the outskirts of Sioux City, but I found no roads (or blue trucks, for that matter), and took shelter in a nearby crumbled building for the night. The next morning I got up and continued wandering around to find our vehicle. I did so probably at midday, but I couldn't tell because it was still raining.
I had my head hung as I shuffled up to the slightly damaged, but still working truck. I heard my boots squishing in the mud and two other sets of squishy footsteps as the two women came running up to me.
"Roy! What happened to you? Where's Jason? Are you hurt?" Amy asked me.
"I'm fine." I simply replied, head still hanging.
"But… where's Jason?" Serenity asked me.
"He… got killed." I said, walking off toward the truck, unable to summon the strength to face them. I heard Serenity in particular crying as I took up my usual position in the bed of the truck, head still hanging, and rain still falling.
There's more than one kind of strength.
Even though my eyes were closed, I heard them walking up to the truck because of the squishy mud. I knew they were going to ask me about it, even though I didn't want to talk about it.
"Roy… what happened?" Amy asked me again.
"That woman… Lyn, I had nearly beaten her when…" I had almost told them the truth about what happened. I couldn't face them with the truth… not yet.
"She used the water in his body as a shield and stopped me, then ran off." I lied.
"She… she…" Serenity cried, running into the bed of the truck, mud squishing loudly.
"Well… what do we do now? Our only hope was the Keyblade, but now that Jason's gone… was our journey for naught?" Amy asked me.
"… maybe not. I can't explain it, but…" I started.
"But what? We can't seal the Keyhole now, and Jason is…"
"I don't know what else to do but keep going."
"How can you say that? Jason is gone… no, dead! We can no longer seal the Keyhole, Roy! Face it, the world is doomed!"
"I feel like I'm being drawn to D.C. Maybe there is still something there." I said, looking up at last.
"What? You're being crazy! Don't you care if Jason is dead? Don't you care that we don't have a future any more?" she asked me, walking into the cab of the truck.
I hung my head again, silent the whole time.
I'm not sure what to do… but I can't deny this feeling…
A Keyblade? How?
Interlude: Of Fire and Water
"Augh! What is that boy?" Lyn gasped, clutching her side as she staggered up to Charon's throne. "How can he expect anyone to kill him when he can do that?" she gasped.
"Having some trouble?" Charon's haunting voice echoed in his throne room as he approached. "I told you not to come back until you had slain the Keyblade Master and the Dark Boy."
"But, Master, the Dark Boy possesses otherworldly strength! His powers nullify my ability to control him; else I would have killed him when he went berserk!" Lyn yelled at her Master.
"But you could not. That boy's dark powers are the antithesis of our own. When the darkness courses through his body, he is immunized from our control… hm…" Charon went on.
"Master, the Keyblade Master is slain. I used him as a shield against the Dark Boy's assault." Lyn told him desperately, hoping she would be spared.
"But you did not slay the Dark Boy. Though you have bought some time, the Keyhole could still be sealed. There is a way other than fate to obtain a Keyblade." Charon replied.
"A way other than fate? How could that be?" Lyn inquired.
"You'll never know… heheh…" Charon replied with a sinister tone. He snapped his fingers, and a boulder fell on her, silencing her screams before they came out.
"A darkness-wielding boy, along with his three companions, has been the undoing of two of the members of the Order of Light. They could be even more of a problem than I thought…" Charon went on, but was interrupted.
"What's wrong, Master?" the dark-skinned, orange coat wearing teen asked him.
"Nothing, Brenton, nothing at all. It's just the Dark Boy… he's giving me more trouble with Earth than most worlds." Charon replied.
"Then I'll take care of him. He should be no problem for me." Brenton said.
"Take care of him, huh? Very well, then. You shall slay the Dark Boy." Charon gave the order.
"I'll be back in a week. Don't wait for me." Brenton told him arrogantly.
"Are you sure your feelings won't get in the way?" Charon asked him, questioning Brenton's loyalties.
"… yes." said Brenton, back turned, as he walked off.
"We'll see about that…"
So… you've come.
Chapter Ten: Memories Past Our truck kept chugging along the interstate, though Amy and Serenity didn't really want to go. They didn't have anything better to do, and with the only protection we had being our blades, they tolerated my presence in the bed of the truck. They were mad at me for some reason… probably because they hadn't seen me cry over Jason's death. I WAS disheartened, though.
It had been about two weeks since that disaster, and we were in St. Louis when I heard Amy honk the truck horn. Now, this is unuaual… I thought to myself. In this apocalyptic world, what is there to honk at?
"Get out of the road! I'm trying to go somewhere!" I heard Amy yell out of the window. I picked my head up and stood up. There was someone in the road… he was wearing a grey T-shirt and blue jeans. We were near the bridge under the St. Louis Arch.
"Hey, man, you might want to get out of the road! You could get hurt!" I shouted at him. He looked up, but did not get out of the road. Amy managed to make the truck come to a screeching halt just inches from the enigma, and I nearly flew out of the bed of the truck, landing on the windshield.
"Ow…" I muttered, picking myself up off of the windshield. Amy and Serenity had screamed, both at our fast stop and at my… er… "rough landing." I stood up on the hood of the truck and hopped off to face the enigmatic character. He had… red hair and blue eyes.
"What the hell, man? Don't you know to get out of the way when there's a damn truck about to plow you over?" I half-yelled, furious at this enigma.
"Keyblade. Do you have it?" he asked me. I was surprised at such a calm and simple response… I couldn't sense any feeling in his voice.
"Well, no… the Keyblade master is… dead." I managed to reply, despite my difficulty in dealing with Jason's death.
"Then all is lost…" he muttered, taking a step back. "I have no use for you." he said, again with an emotionless tone. He then held his hand out and somehow summoned a yellow bow. I pulled out my Zangetsu, sure there would be trouble.
He proceeded to string the bow, and after he had done so an arrow of electricity formed instantly on the bow. He shot it not a second later, and I put up my blade to block it, but the electricity still shocked me.
By now, Serenity and Amy had gotten out of the truck; the man's attack was so sudden, and it takes a few moments to get out of a truck.
"What the hell is going on?" Amy yelled.
"How should I know? I just started talking to this guy, and now he's shooting electric arrows at me!" I yelled back. The enigma readied another arrow, aiming at Amy now. I quickly jumped in the way to protect her. I shielded her with my body, taking the volt arrow head on. By now Amy had drawn her blade, and I already had my own sword out. We charged at him, swords up, but he moved like a blur to the top of a building, sniping at Amy and I. We dodged it to the best of our abilities, but dodging lightning isn't easy.
Eventually, after about 20 minutes of going around the dance floor, I got tired of this and went into the building. I don't think Amy knew what I was doing, and the enigmatic character certainly did not notice… he kept making Amy dance. On the roof, I walked slowly and quietly until I was inches from the man. I held out my blade over his throat, and quietly said "Game over."
He didn't reply, just sat there with an electric arrow aimed and ready. He then moved with lightning speed to the small roof for the stairwell I had used, and shot his arrow at me. I barely moved to the side to dodge it. Then I continued to walk toward the outcrop, narrowly dodging electric arrows the whole way, an arrogant smirk on my face. Then, nearly at the outcropping, I heard Amy running up the stairs.
At the top, she stood and looked at me. In one of my dodges, I motioned her to go around back, and she did so easily because she was in his blind spot. Then when I was naught but a few feet away from the enigma, I yelled "NOW!" and we simultaneously leaped at the roof, our swords both at the man's throat and back of his neck, respectively.
No sooner had we just about readied to kill the man then I heard a new, but vaguely familiar voice use a cold tone in saying: "Step aside, nihil."
With that, a burst of flame sent the "nihil" flying. I looked to the side to see who had done this, and was shocked… It was my old friend, Brenton.
I quickly realized he was with the Order of Light, from the look in his eyes, to the orange trench coat he was wearing… based on the color, and my recent discovery that their powers were based on Chinese elements, he had power over fire. He was standing on a building a few feet away, coat flapping in the wind, with one foot on the sill of the building. He jumped over to our roof, aided by flame pillars and thermals.
"So, we meet again, Roy." he said coldly. I knew him… my old friend.
"The Order's sent another master to exterminate us? What threat could we pose now?" I asked him, skipping the small talk. "Roy, who is that?" Amy asked me.
"He's…" I started, but was interrupted.
"I don't need you to make introductions for me, Roy." Brenton started. "I am Brenton, Fire Master of the Order of Light and Roy's old friend." he finished.
"You're… our friend?" she asked him, unsure of his allegiance. I knew there was no point in talking, but…
"Friend? Since when do you have friends?" he askedme coldly. I knew what this would come to, so I put away my Zangetsu and pulled out my Souba, then pointed it at him.
"We have no time for small talk, Brenton. Get out of our way or I'll kill you right now." I said, eager toend this before my emotions clouded my judgment.
"Don't you want to catch up with old friends, Roy?" he asked me, though I was sure this was a stall. I rushed at him, eager to get this over with. But he had anticipated my move; Brenton stepped out of the way and blasted my back with fire, sending me falling to the street below. I staggered to my feet, a little battered, and looked up to the roof, but he came jumping down, slowing his descent with flames.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and put away my Souba.
My hatred of you is eternal.
