AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Sorry for the delay! Thanks for being so patient, and I hope you enjoy today's update!
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN | THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Aced's keyblade whistled as it sliced down towards her, shattering the shield in a single stroke. Their keyblades collided; the clash left Aqua's ears ringing and her fingers numb as she leapt backwards, her eyes never leaving Aced as he charged.
Terra tackled him from the side, shouldering Aced off-course. It wasn't proper (Aqua could almost hear Eraqus scolding them from the beyond) but all sense of propriety had gone out of the window the moment Aced had wrapped his fingers around Aqua's neck.
"Aqua!"
She span on her heel to see Ven and Vanitas sprinting towards them. Vanitas' eyes flashed and he melted in to a ring of shadows that sped across the floor, leaving Ven behind. Aqua caught his eye.
"Ready, Ven?" she cried, aiming her keyblade towards him. He nodded.
"Ready!"
The tip of her keyblade erupted with ice that shot out towards him. He leapt high, coating his keyblade in a thin layer of frost before throwing it under his feet and using it to ride the river of ice. Aqua dragged her keyblade through the air, leading Ven closer to Aced before shooting him up in to the air. Ven kicked his keyblade in to his hands and plummeted towards Aced, slicing down as Vanitas leapt up. Their attacks combined to create an explosion of ice that sent Aced and Terra flying in opposite directions.
"Oops! Sorry, Terra!" Terra rolled to a stop some distance away and waved a dismissive hand through the air as he wheezed in to the dirt. Aqua sprinted towards him, releasing a healing spell as soon as he was within range. Ven reached him then, and he offered Terra a hand to pull him to his feet as Vanitas sprang up behind them.
"Are you all right?" Aqua asked, unsure exactly who she was talking to. Perhaps it was all three of them.
"We're fine," Ven answered. "We defeated Invi-"
"We know," Terra sighed. "When you did, the Master's control over Aced grew stronger. We almost had him." Terra's face fell. Vanitas narrowed his eyes and pulled his lips back in to a snarl.
"Then he won't stand a chance against four of us," he hissed. He lifted his keyblade, sending out a single dark fireball. Aced blocked, but the attack moved much slower than he anticipated, and when he lowered his guard the fireball split in to five and spread out before zipping towards him, knocking him backwards. Aced dropped low, pressing his fingers in to the dirt as he lifted his head and bared his teeth.
"He's slower than the others," Terra warned, "but he hits hard."
"Not unlike you," Vanitas sneered in a tone that left it impossible to tell whether it was a compliment or an insult. Terra blanched, glancing to Ven who shrugged as Vanitas tightened his grip on his keyblade and prepared to attack.
"Be careful," Aqua urged. Vanitas glanced at her out of the corner of his eye but said nothing as he disappeared in to shadow once more. Terra turned to Ven, a tired but determined smile pulling at his lips.
"You ready?" he asked. Ven's face split in to an eager grin.
"Yeah!" They tapped their keyblades together and a gentle glow danced down the blades, covering their arms and spreading across their bodies. They darted towards Aced in unison, Terra moving faster and Ven hitting harder than ever before. Aqua could almost see the golden thread that tied them together, allowing them to share their strength and magic to release a devastating final blow that pushed Aced back in to Vanitas' fireballs.
Aqua surged forwards, and as Aced turned his wrath upon Vanitas Aqua struck him from behind. He let out a frustrated roar and swung his keyblade through the air towards her, though Aqua had more than enough time to leap out of its path. Vanitas struck again and Aqua used the distraction to dance backwards, fixing Aced in her sights and releasing a salvo of shimmering orbs that zipped towards Aced in a glistening rainbow. She managed two more rounds before Aced's keyblade burst through the wall of light she had created to catch her shoulder and send her tumbling to the ground. Voices called her name, and she threw up a small shield to keep herself safe until the stars in her vision had faded.
"I'm okay!" she called out to no-one in particular. She pressed a hand over her aching shoulder and hissed a small healing spell in to her skin. Her shoulder let out a sickening pop and she felt the muscles underneath knit back together. The feeling made her stomach churn, and she clenched her teeth as she rolled her shoulder and flexed her fingers before recalling her keyblade from where it had fallen some distance away.
"Aqua!" Terra appeared beside her, his eyes watching her closely. She lowered the shield and accepted his hand, allowing him to pull her back to her feet. "Are you all right?" She nodded tightly.
"I'm fine," she answered. Her eyes lingered over the small graze sitting above his temple, and without thinking she lifted her fingers to heal it, a small flush coming to her cheeks. Terra offered her a tired smile and a murmured thanks, and she didn't miss the crimson tint to his ears as he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the fight.
"If we could stun him for more than a moment, we might be able to break the Master's control," Terra suggested.
"Or at least weaken it," she agreed. "Do you have any ideas?" He was silent for a moment, his face a thoughtful frown as he watched Ven and Vanitas keep Aced on his toes.
"Do you remember our Mark of Mastery exam?" he asked suddenly. She blinked at the question and frowned, confused at the sudden change in topic.
"Yes, of course," she answered uncertainly. "I don't think I'll ever forget it. Why do you ask?"
"Remember the orbs of light the Master made?" Aqua shuddered and nodded. One had exploded right behind her, sending out a blazing beam that had caught her in the side and sent her stumbling in to the wall.
"Xehanort tampered with them. He added darkness." She paused, glancing up at Terra who was watching her carefully. "Do you think you could make them?"
"I can't," he answered, "but you could. The Master made five, but what if you only made one, and you made it stronger?" She pressed her lips together, glancing to Aced from the corner of her eye.
"I guess there's no harm in trying," she said. She planted her feet and drew in a deep breath, feeling for the light. She lifted Rainfell and watched as a tiny sphere – no larger than her fist – began to form. She gripped her keyblade with both hands and poured more light in to the orb until it was nearly six times its original size. Terra lifted his keyblade then, and the tip of Earthshaker pulsed with a spark of black and purple that lanced out towards the sphere until the white was marred with black.
Together they pulled their keyblades back in order to push the sphere forwards, sending it speeding towards Aced. Terra let out a warning cry and Ven pulled Vanitas aside just in time. Aced's mouth hung open as the sphere hit him square in the chest, and Aqua noticed the blue in the eyes of his mask flicker for the briefest moment as he was flung backwards.
She dropped to her knees with a gasp, feeling the world spinning around her. Terra crouched down beside her, a hand squeezing her shoulder tightly.
"Aqua-"
"I'm fine," she said, peeling his fingers away. "Go help the others. I just need a moment." He eyed her warily, hovering awkwardly, and she pushed his leg with a trembling hand. "Go!" He gave her one last stern glance before rising to his feet and rushing to where Aced lay on his back, defenceless against Vanitas' latest assault. For a moment Aqua dared to think that they might have won, until his body was engulfed by a wash of purple darkness as the glowing eyes flared blue once more. She bit back a groan; another Foreteller being defeated was hardly a bad thing, but it also served to undo all their hard work, and she didn't know how long she would need to recover her strength to make another orb.
"Aqua!" She glanced over her shoulder to see Axel and Isa running towards her. Behind them, she spied Gula kneeling in the dirt, his keyblade resting across his knees, while Roxas and Xion were sprinting towards Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Ira. Axel skidded to a halt beside her, kicking up a cloud of dust. "Are you-"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she answered. "I just needed to catch my breath." Axel frowned and pursed his lips before turning to Isa.
"Go on ahead," he said, jerking his head towards Terra and the others. Isa nodded once and he turned sharply on his heel, the teeth of his keyblade glowing cold white as he launched himself towards Aced. Axel reached down, taking Aqua's hand and heaving her to her feet.
"You really looked like you almost had him," he muttered, glancing over to Aced. Aqua nodded.
"We did," she sighed, "but every time the Master loses one of his Foretellers, his control over the others grows stronger." Axel nodded tightly.
"Only two to go. The good news is they don't seem that keen on fighting for him once they're free, so that's somethin' in our favour I guess." He paused and scratched the back of his head, eyeing her carefully. "You sure you're okay?"
"I just underestimated an attack."
"His or yours?"
"Mine." Axel arched an eyebrow but made no further comment, for which she was grateful. She turned her attention to the fight; the Master's control might have been rekindled, but four-on-one was still proving difficult for Aced. She tightened her grip on Rainfell; five-on-one would be an even greater challenge, and six… She glanced across the Graveyard. Ira was facing Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Luxord, Roxas and Xion – more than enough cooks for that particular broth.
The Master, by comparison, was facing only three. She nodded to herself and turned back to Axel, finding his eyes fixed on Kairi.
"Go," she said. He jumped, startled, and quickly turned his attention back to her.
"But-"
"We can handle Aced," she said firmly. "They look like they could use an extra pair of hands." Axel shifted his weight – taking a half-step towards Kairi as he glanced over his shoulder to Isa. Aqua took his free hand and squeezed. "We'll take care of him." Something hardened behind Axel's eyes and he nodded, thanking Aqua before taking off. Aqua rolled her shoulders and flexed her fingers and sucked in a sharp breath before diving back in to the fight.
"Terra!" she cried. He turned sharply towards her, and he nodded before turning away.
"Ven!" Ven span on his heel and glanced between them both, and he nodded too.
"Now!"
Aqua leapt high, throwing herself in to the air and lifting her keyblade high overhead. She brought it down sharply across Aced's chest, sending him stumbling backwards in to Terra and Ven who quickly crossed him from behind – leaving trails of gold and green. Aqua landed heavily and rolled to her feet, twisting to keep Aced in front of her. Terra and Ven quickly found her, stepping in on either side of her with their keyblades lowered.
"Ready?" Terra asked. She felt his strength washing over them, and in turn she shared her magic and drew upon Ven's speed until she felt a calming sense of balance wash over their connection. Their keyblades flashed gold and she nodded.
"Ready," she and Ven answered, dropping low. They waited until Vanitas had disappeared in to shadow and Isa had leapt back from his devastating finisher, and then they charged, attacking with a synchronised blow that sent Aced staggering back with a grunt, though he seemed otherwise unaffected. Aqua bit the inside of her cheek and stifled another sigh as she leapt out of his keyblade's path.
The fight was far from over.
"Kairi!"
The sound of her name from his lips still made her heart skip a beat, and the fire in her belly helped stave off the exhaustion in her limbs. She glanced over her shoulder, finding Sora sprinting towards Riku, and she nodded.
"I'm on it!" She turned back to the Master who chuckled.
"Aren't you tired alre-" Light's Promise caught him in the gut as she dashed past him with a blitz attack that knocked him sideways. She turned and did it again and again – six times more before finishing with a blast of light that made him chuckle.
"Either you overestimate your abilities," he taunted, "or you underestimate mine." He brought his keyblade down towards her and she threw up a tight bubble of pink magic to guard against the attack. As his keyblade glanced off the shield she raised her keyblade and pushed the barrier outward. The magic exploded like a firecracker, spitting out stars that splashed against the Master's cloak. He threw his head back with a laugh.
"Is that supposed to hurt me, Princess?"
"No," she answered through gritted teeth. "But that might."
The distraction had lasted long enough for Sora and Riku to join together and leap high in to the air. Their keyblades had transformed – Sora's gold like the sun and Riku's black as the night – and as they circled around each other to form a whole they exploded with a burst of rainbow light. The keyblade flared white-gold and released a blinding beam that lanced towards the Master, striking his chest and sending him flying backwards. He lay in the dirt and let out a low moan, and Kairi almost allowed herself to believe they have finally gained the upper hand until the Master rolled on to his back with a sigh.
"Ah, Gula. You were going to fall sooner or later." He clicked his fingers, renewing his hold on the others, before rolling back to his feet.
"Here!" Sora's voice made her jump, and the wash of healing magic that followed made her skin tingle. Sora and Riku fell in on either side of her, and it was somewhat reassuring to see that their hands were trembling almost as much as hers.
"They've defeated Gula," she murmured. Sora nodded.
"That's good," he said. "We just need to hold out a little longer."
"Easier said than done," the Master called, dusting off the shoulders of his cloak and smoothing out his sleeves. "How much longer do you think you can keep this up, really? And for what? You can't stop the inevitable. The light will die, and this world will give way to the next."
"And what makes that world any better than this one?" Riku demanded.
"Balance," the Master answered. "Light and dark in perfect harmony. No more war. No more fighting-"
"We're only fighting because of you," Sora countered. "If you just stopped-"
"But I can't. That's what you guys aren't getting. All of this-" He gestured wildly. "It was all a mistake, and I'm trying to fix it."
"What do you mean, a mistake?" Sora asked. The Master's shoulder slumped.
"Everything used to be so perfect," he sighed. "The light… the dark… but I got lonely. There are only so many eternities that you can endure by yourself, y'know? So I tried making myself some company, but that didn't work out. They weren't perfectly balanced like I was, and once I tipped the scales… boom. Everything's been off-kilter ever since. But I've got a good feeling about this next one."
"It's a shame you won't get to see it," Riku snarled. The Master giggled.
"Oooh I love it! So dark! So edgy! That reminds me, now that I've got you here: the whole smelling darkness thing, was that really a-"
Riku charged. The Master danced back, easily deflecting the blows with a giddy sort of glee that set Kairi's teeth on edge. Sora nudged her with his shoulder.
"You ready?" he asked. She dismissed her keyblade with a nod.
"Ready." He linked his fingers with hers and they started running. She felt their magic unfurling behind them, and as the golden wings took form they leapt high, barrelling towards the Master and knocking him into the air. The connection quickly faded, and as Sora dropped back to the ground Kairi twisted, calling Light's Embrace and fixing the Master in her sights. Her heart sang and her magic answered, and as the Master began to fall he was bombarded with pearls of light. He quickly recovered and dropped in to the dirt, only to be assaulted by Sora and Riku who moved so quickly that Kairi could barely keep track of them.
"Kairi!" Axel's voice brought a rush of relief, and as she landed he skidded to a halt beside her. "Need a hand?"
"What about the others?" she asked. He grinned.
"They can handle Ira and Aced," he answered. "You looked like you guys could use some backup." She laughed weakly.
"Yeah, you're probably right," she murmured, glancing back at the Master. Somehow he had broken through Sora and Riku's barrage and now he had them both on the defensive, switching between his keyblade and his magic with an unpredictability that bordered on the chaotic.
"Well then," Axel said, planting his fists on his hips. "Shall we?" She glanced back at Axel who tilted his head a fraction towards the Master. She nodded and he grinned, taking off in a dead sprint. She followed a few seconds later, and when she caught up to him he gripped her forearm and swung her around in a high arc, sending her barrelling towards the Master who barely had time to block her flurry of attacks. By the time he had recovered his footing Axel was at his back, landing several blows on his arms and legs. Kairi planted the tip of her keyblade in the ground, sending a pulse of light across the dirt that fired the Master up in to the air where Axel engulfed him in a fiery tornado.
The flames licked Kairi's arms as the Master used a well-placed Aeroza to turn the wall of fire against them. She leapt back with a curse, coating her fingers in a fine frost and pressing them against her skin, staving off the pain long enough to cast a healing spell over herself and the others.
"You think you can turn my fire against me and get away with it?" Axel seethed. The ground erupted with a wall of white flame, trapping Axel and the Master inside as Kairi danced back. Sora appeared at her side, taking her arms and studying her closely.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she answered, though he remained unconvinced. She glanced down, seeing the black scorch marks littered across her dress, and she freed one of her hands to pat down the glimmering embers eating through the hem of her skirt. "Really, I promise." Sora's face softened a little, and he inspected her one last time before stepping back with a grin.
"That was pretty impressive," he said with a light laugh. She pursed her lips to smother a smile.
"You're not the only person I can tag-team with, y'know," she answered.
Axel screamed and her smile fell as she span towards the fire. She started forwards but Sora placed a hand on her arm.
"I've got this," he said, and before she could stop him he had fired a blast of ice that cut through the inferno long enough for him to dart inside. Riku arrived then, sauntering almost casually towards her and staring after Sora with a defeated look on his face.
"We should probably go after him," he sighed, shaking his head with a fond smile. The corner of Kairi's lips lifted in to a smirk.
"You know Sora's completely hopeless without us." Riku let out a bark of laughter at that as he held a hand out towards her.
"Together?" he asked, and she didn't miss the slight trepidation in his eyes. She smiled and nodded.
"Together." She took his hand and her breath caught in her throat as she felt his heart reach out to hers. Darkness awaited her, but it was different; there was no hatred or malice here, only power – light's opposite and its equal – driven by the desire to help his friends and protect the things that mattered. And so Kairi let it wash over her, allowing his darkness to draw her power to the surface, as her light did for him, until they reached a balance – a perfect mix of dark and light that manifested in a blinding streak of white and purple that sliced through the fire and knocked the Master off his feet. He quickly righted himself with a furious roar and he retaliated with a formless blast of magic that shattered Kairi's hasty shield. As she stumbled backwards Axel surged forwards, leaving a trail of fire in his wake as he charged. The Master met him head-on, easily dancing around his attacks and handling his barrage of flaming blows with unsettling ease.
"We can't keep fighting him like this," Riku muttered, watching as the Master continued to dance around Axel. "We've barely scratched him."
"We can't give up," Sora said firmly (and Kairi didn't miss the weak smile that tugged fondly at Riku's lips). "We have to keep going. We just need to break his hold over the others, and then-"
"Then I'll just take control again." Kairi jumped at the Master's voice and she sprang forward, finding him standing behind them. Her stomach dropped and she span on her heel, finding Axel laying face-down in the dirt.
"Axel!" she cried. She darted towards him, dropping down beside him and rolling him on to his side, cradling his head in her lap. She reached for her magic and it flickered weakly in response; she would have to wait to heal him, and every rattling breath sent a spike of icy fear through her heart. Sora and Riku placed themselves before the Master, their keyblades poised and ready.
"Why are you doing this?" Riku asked. "Why even let us defeat them in the first place if you're just going to control them again?" The Master shrugged.
"Curiosity," he answered. "I wanna see if you guys will actually be able to win this fight. Plus I'm kinda hoping that you'll all tire yourselves out a bit which would make my job a whole lot easier. I still need your heart, Sora; that's the hard part. Once I have it, all of your friends will fall – one by one." Kairi's anger flared and she tightened her grip on Axel's shoulders as Sora darted forwards, striking the Master across the chest as Riku circled him to attack from behind.
Axel groaned slightly, his face contorting into a grimace, and Kairi reached for her magic again. It was hardly enough to heal him, but it could at least take the edge off, and so she poured what she could in to a small healing spell.
"Thanks," he wheezed, his eyes fluttering open with a pained hiss. Slowly he turned his head towards the Master, his eyes sharp as he watched Sora and Riku press the attack. "He really likes the sound of his own voice, huh?"
"You heard?"
"I heard enough." He pushed himself up on to his elbows with a wince. "Riku's right, we can't keep at him like this."
"But Sora's right, too. If we lose hope… that's exactly what the Master wants us to do." Axel nodded tightly, tearing his eyes away from the fight to look at her.
"If he wants to see whether or not we're going to beat his little Foretellers," he began, "then that gives us time. If he sticks to his word, then he won't do anything until Ira and Aced go down."
"Which could be any minute now," Kairi muttered, glancing over her shoulder towards the others. Axel grunted and sat up.
"Not if we tell them to back off a little," he countered. "He still seems pretty focused on Sora, so if we use Sora to keep him distracted then he might not notice if we ask the others to buy us some time."
"To do what?" she asked, unable to keep the doubt and despair from creeping in to her voice. Having time on their side would only help them if they had some sort of plan, and if they really were just delaying the inevitable-
"Hey, don't you go giving up on me," Axel scolded, fixing her with a stern look. "Anything can happen in a couple of minutes. Remember the dark-nado? One minute we were done for, and the next we were… well, done." Kairi did remember; the demon vortex was burned into her memories, as was the sight of Sora diving headfirst in to a flash of light-
She sat up taller, turning sharply towards the Master. She thought of Ephemer – lying motionless in the grass, his heart trapped in the Realm of Light. She thought of the legion of keyblades that had helped them fight back insurmountable odds. If Sora could just do it again…
"Tell the others to hold back," she said suddenly. Axel blinked in surprise, his head tilting to the side.
"You got a plan?"
May your heart be your guiding key.
Her mother's words echoed in her mind as she shook her head.
"I'm following my heart." Her magic flared and she washed away the last of Axel's wounds before leaping to her feet and running towards the Master. "Sora!" He turned to her and she jerked her head back in a silent summon. He nodded and twisted.
"Riku!"
"On it!" Riku took to the sky and summoned a blaze of dark fire which caught the Master off-guard and allowed Riku to gain the upper hand, distracting the Master long enough for Sora to pull back.
"We need Ephemer's heart," Kairi said as Sora skidded to a stop beside her. He leant heavily on his knees and tilted his head, too breathless to ask why. "The light from the past – he could help us like he helped you when we fought Xehanort." Uncertainty flashed through his eyes and he didn't try to hide his grimace.
"I don't know if he can," he panted. "I got the impression it was kind of a one-time deal."
"We have to try," she pressed. "If we can just tip the scales, even for a moment, it could be the key to ending this. If we can use Ephemer's heart to create a bridge between their realm and ours, then maybe they can help us." Sora glanced back to the Master, his eyes ablaze, before turning back to Kairi with a nod.
"Let's try it." He linked his hand with hers and they leapt high in to the sky, their magic unfurling behind them once more as they dove down towards the Master, driving him backwards. He laughed as he blocked their attack, back-pedalling with ease, and no matter how hard they tried they couldn't snare his cloak before the magic faded and they fell back to the ground. He charge towards them and Kairi threw up a shield, bracing herself against the attack before pushing the shield out and letting it explode over the Master; a harmless distraction that allowed Sora to strike. He swung his keyblade in a high arc that the Master easily deflected, and as Sora twisted with the blow he reached towards the Master's chest.
The Master snared his wrist, holding him in place and leaning in close – so close that Sora could see beneath his hood, and Kairi watched his expression twist in to one of terror.
"Ohhh," the Master sang. "I know what you want-" Riku shouldered him aside, allowing Sora to break free as the Master grabbed Riku's wrist and span him around before throwing him in to the dirt. Kairi ran to him and quickly pulled him to his feet.
"Is there a plan?" he hissed. She nodded.
"We need the heart," she whispered back as the Master stepped closer to Sora. Sora lifted his keyblade and the Master stopped several paces away. He slipped his hand in to his cloak and withdrew the glass jar, tossing it from one hand to the other with a low chuckle.
"You want this, don't you?" He caught the jar and leered towards the sparkling heart within, placing his free hand on his hip. "I still haven't figured out how you did it. Haven't even figured out whose heart this really is. Not one of your Guardian friends, because they're all here, and yet it must be someone important or else you wouldn't bargain your heart for theirs." He tilted his head towards Sora. "That's what you're about to do, isn't it? Offer me some kind of trade? Because you've tried stealing it from me and that didn't work out. So whaddya say? A heart for a heart?" He held the bottle by its slender neck, swaying it back and forth as the heart continued to spin slowly. Sora's hands tightened around the hilt of his keyblade and Kairi's breath caught.
"Sora," Riku murmured. It took Sora a moment to respond, and when at last he turned it was with a proud sort of smile that made Kairi's heart plummet.
"Be their light in the darkness."
It all seemed to happen in slow motion. It reminded Kairi of the silent movies she had watched in the Mansion with Olette and the others; the feeling of watching the action unfold and being powerless to stop it. Sora charged forwards, his keyblade falling away as he snatched the jar from the Master's hand. Riku cried his name and sprang in to action as Sora launched the heart towards them. The Master let out a triumphant laugh as he reached out, using one hand to catch Sora by the throat while the other threw up a shield – a second too late to trap the heart inside, but more than fast enough to stop Riku in his tracks. He crashed against it, pounding his fists against the barrier. Sora's eyes found Kairi and his lips moved around her name. It was barely a whisper – a hollow, wheezing sort of noise – but it cut through the silence like a knife.
She gulped in air and looked up, eyes catching the bottle as it hurtled overhead. She span on her heel, hands outstretched, and as her fingers closed around it the toe of her boot caught in the dirt and sent her spilling in to the dust. She tucked the heart against her chest and held her breath as she tumbled to a stop, and as she rolled to her knees she felt the heart throbbing through the glass.
Be their light in the darkness.
She closed her eyes and held the heart close, reaching out to Ephemer and to the tenuous connection beyond. For a moment she doubted – she had never been able to reach Sora, despite the strength of their connection – but she brushed the thought aside. If ever there was a time to believe in herself, now was it. This time was different, she reasoned; this time she knew where the connection would lead her. And so she wrapped herself around the connection, reaching the point where it began to fade in to darkness and pushing ahead, lighting the way to the other side where the shard of Ephemer's heart was waiting.
The glass shattered. A fierce wind whipped around her as she felt Ephemer's heart soar. She felt the connection – felt his heart calling out to its missing piece – and she poured her light into him, lending her heart to his in order to strengthen the connection. She thought of her mother, and of Ephemer and Skuld, and little Chirithy, and with each thought she felt the connection growing stronger.
"What are you doing?"
Kairi opened her eyes. She was standing now; the eye of a storm that was kicking up a furious whirlwind of dust. Through it she saw the Master, safe within his shield and poised with the tip of his keyblade pressed against Sora's chest, though they were both staring at her. She felt the Master's focus shifting from her to the heart – back and forth – while Sora was grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes met his and suddenly his heart was reaching out to hers. She opened herself to him and felt her breath catch in her throat.
She wasn't just connected to Sora's heart, but – through him – she was connected to everyone else's too. Every Guardian of Light… every friend they had made along the way… every connection Naminé had taken the time to strengthen was pouring light in to Sora, and he was channeling it in to her. He hadn't just opened the door to his heart, he'd opened every door to every heart he'd ever come in to contact with. Kairi reached out to her fellow Princesses – old and new – and she felt their power answer. The light spilled out of her heart, flooding her body and seeping through her skin until her whole body was ablaze. Ephemer's heart sang, and at last the Master seemed to understand.
"Stop!" He brought down the shield and stormed towards her. "What do you think you're doing?!"
She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his as she smiled.
"What I do best."
Ephemer's heart exploded with light, pushing the Master back with a great wave that knocked him off his feet. The Master was howling – clutching at his hood and bellowing in to the wind as something shifted behind Kairi. There came a gentle wash of warmth, and then a soft hand squeezed her shoulder.
"You do enjoy doing the impossible, don't you?" her mother laughed. An ethereal hand took Kairi's chin and tilted her face upwards. "You can let go now. Ephemer will take it from here." Slowly Kairi let her hands fall away from the heart. It stayed where it was; a brilliant star hovering several feet above the ground, tethered to a great white portal by a glistening golden thread.
"You…" The Master's voice cut through the silence and Kairi's mother turned away, her smile souring as she watched him pull himself to his knees. "Who are you?"
Her mother didn't answer right away. Instead she paused long enough to brush the hair from Kairi's eyes and run her ghostly fingers across Kairi's cheek before turning away. A gentle glow began to engulf her, enrobing her in a blanket of gold that grew brighter and brighter until she disappeared completely.
When the light faded, she was shorter. Her hair was hidden beneath a pink cowl trimmed with gold that spilled over her shoulders. Two gleaming silver ears poked through the hood, belonging to the silver and blue fox mask that obscured her face. She was shorter, Kairi noticed; barely taller than Kairi herself, though she held herself tall as she stared down at the Master who chuckled as he glanced up at her.
"So you finally made it," he snickered. He started to rise, his movements slow and heavy. "And here I thought you weren't gonna-"
Ava's keyblade appeared in a flash, the tip sparkling and see-through as she held it level with the Master's face. It was beautiful, Kairi thought; an ornate golden handle enshrouded in clouds that swirled around the shaft in glorious pinks and golds before billowing out in gleaming wisps of white. The Master froze, still as stone for several long moments before he let out a deep laugh.
"Are you going to hurt me, Ava?" he taunted. "Go ahead, take your shot. This might be the only chance you get before I bring you on to my team, and I know just the person I wanna see you fight first." He tilted his head towards Kairi and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Ava shifted her weight, placing herself between the Master and Kairi and forcing him to look away.
"Enough," Ava said, her voice calm and firm. "Let them be." The Master laughed.
"Are you giving me orders, Ava? I am your Master-"
"Not anymore."
For the first time, the Master seemed stunned. Kairi could almost taste his disbelief as he looked up at Ava, his fingers kneading the dirt – the only sound in the silence. The world had fallen still. Ira and Aced had stopped, standing like silent sentinels, awaiting their next orders. Even the wind seemed to have dissipated; smothered by a blanket of heavy silence that caught in Kairi's throat and threatened to choke her.
Something shifted. Kairi glanced over the Master's shoulder to see Sora slowly rising to his feet. His gaze was locked with Riku's, the two sharing a silent exchange, and after a moment Riku began to move too, slowly sidestepping through the silence. Sora's eyes met hers then and he tilted his head slightly to the side. She needed to move, but not by much. She shifted her weight and it seemed to be enough; Sora held up his hand and motioned for her to stop as he and Riku kept moving.
The Master let out a deep growl. Kairi's heart stopped as he batted Ava's keyblade aside.
"You are my apprentice," he seethed. Slowly he rose to his feet, towering over Ava's ethereal form. "I made you. I made all of you. You don't get to turn against me because you would be nothing without me-"
"And I will become nothing with you," Ava countered. "You created this world – released the spark that allowed for this wonderful life – and now you want to wipe it all out. I refuse to allow that." The Master chuckled, his fingers wrapping around the hilt of his keyblade.
"You don't have a choice," he gloated, a maniacal sort of glee to his voice. "You can't stop me." Ava smiled a little.
"I can't," she conceded. "But they can."
Sora pointed his keyblade towards Kairi and a thin line of blinding gold light cut through the dirt towards her. It collided with her toes and sent a rush of power surging through his body. She gave in to the urge to lift her keyblade, pointing it at Riku, and the golden line continued towards him. He sent it shooting back towards Sora. When the light reached its destination Kairi felt her body erupt with light. Sora and Riku lifted their keyblades and Kairi followed suit, drawing the light from the ground and channelling it towards the Master, trapping him in a ring of light.
Naminé appeared at Kairi's side, and as she lifted her keyblade three golden lines sliced through the dirt, connecting her to Kairi and Sora and Riku as a beam of light lanced from her keyblade to join the beams encircling the master. Axel came next, light springing further underfoot as he fell in on Kairi's other side.
One by one the others joined them, each adding new lines to the spiderwebs of connections setting the ground ablaze whilst the light around the Master became a sphere that hid him from view completely. Slowly the light began to rise from the floor; Kairi felt it pulling the tip of her keyblade up towards it as the Master fought them from within – every attack he threw at the barrier was met with yet more light as Sora reached out to more and more hearts, taking their strength and their light and hope and pouring it in to the dome until the barrier was impenetrable.
"What now?" Roxas called, his eyes fixed on the light. Kairi glanced at him, feeling her breath hitch as she saw Ira and Aced advancing on him from behind. To Kairi's surprise they slipped silently through the gap between Roxas and Xion, the eyes of their masks gleaming gold as they paced the large black box directly beneath the Master. Ira and Gula appeared at their side, and together they beckoned to Luxu who hesitated at the edge of the circle of light before hobbling inside. Together they opened the box, and as the lid fell open with a dull thud Ira turned to Sora.
"I believe you know what to do."
Sora did, and he was quick to share it with them, pushing his intent through the connection until they all understood. Together they lowered their keyblades, dragging the light and the Master down in to the box. The Foretellers heaved the lid closed, and the light underfoot flared. Thirteen locks gleamed and thirteen keyblades answered, sending a beam of light that sealed each keyhole with a click that resonated through Kairi's chest.
Hers was the only key not connected to a lock, though when she tried to lower it she found it fixed in place, held by some unmovable force. It shivered beneath her fingers as a new light sprang forth, striking the back of the chest and forming a fourteenth keyhole. Her mother's ghostly form appeared at her side, but the light that leapt from her keyblade was no less real than Kairi's, nor was the new lock that appeared on the back of the box. Fifteen.
The other Foretellers slowly followed suit. Invi was the first to life her keyblade, and as her lock took form Gula fell in beside her. Next came Ira, then Aced, and finally Luxu, his golden eye streaming tears as he lifted his keyblade towards the box, filling the space opposite Sora's master lock with one of his own.
The light underfoot pulsed one last time before rising from the ground, encircling the box with streaks of gold and white before exploding in a shower of sparks that glistened as they splashed across the lid like rain. Twenty locks flashed one last time before growing dim and dull, and as Kairi's eyes adjusted to the dim light that filtered through the clouds she breathed a sigh of relief.
It was over.
Y'know, for someone who doesn't like writing fight scenes, I sure do write a lot of fight scenes!
Thank you so much to Shahryar, crestoflight3, Alby199800, YumeTakato, and Crystal for your reviews on the last chapter. Also welcome to Samuel Loegan who recently joined the adventure. Welcome!
We're not done yet guys, so stay safe, stay well, and I'll see you next time!