(BGM: Kingdom Hearts II – Vim and Vigor)
What…? Where am I?
"Fucking bastards! DIE ALREADY!"
A red-haired girl floated above a scene of battle. A young man wearing a black cloak battled against horrid grotesque creatures.
Zombies?!
She watched as he was surrounded.
Look out!
"Can't use fire…doesn't work like in games…don't have very good control over Light…Dark would just help them…so…let's try…"
He raised his fist in the air, and it was surrounded by a golden yellow glow…
"Technique: Gaia Crush!"
He slammed his fist into the ground. A wave of golden energy washed over the area. Suddenly, massive spikes of rock erupted from beneath the ground, impaling the creatures. The rocks exploded, taking with them a mass amount of the beings.
"Damn, not enough…"
Hey…I think I recognize that guy…
He drew his sword. Holding it in front of him, he waved his empty palm over it, causing it to alight with glowing blue energy.
"…their points are difficult to see as well…damn lines are nearly impossible to see…so I gotta wing it…"
He raced forward, slicing one creature's arm off, and then spinning to lob the head off another. The one who's head he sliced off disintegrated.
"Well, that's good to know."
He flipped his sword around backward in his hand and then thrust it forward into the face of another creature. One raised its own sword, a Katana, behind him, only to get kicked away and then cut vertically in two.
Wait…that one is…ABOVE YOU!
"What?"
Confused, he looked up, only to leap away as a spiked club slammed down where he once stood. He began muttering to himself.
"A voice…a familiar one…"
It's coming again!
He looked up to see a massive creature. Its body was big, round but looked like it was covered in some sort of hardened material. Its 'skin' was dark grey, and it held a massive spiked club in its hands.
"Damn you're ugly! Who's ass did YOU crawl out of?"
The creature roared at him and swung its club, the speed surprising both the warrior, and the viewer. However…
"Gruh?"
With a metallic 'shing,' the warrior's sword sliced through the club like it was nothing. The beast lifted its weapon, confused.
"Idiot, never take your eyes off your opponent!"
The beast looked up only to roar in pain as one of its arms was cleanly sliced in two. It clutched the stump as it stomped around wildly. Suddenly it fell forward as one of its legs was sliced through as well. The warrior caught its head in his free hand…
"Say goodnight…"
His hand began glowing red.
"Reppashou!"
A small explosion of energy erupted from the boy's palm, crushing the creature's skull, and causing it to vanish into particles.
"Damn…that was harder than it should have been…"
He looked around, searching for any more targets.
"I REALLY need to get to that Light wielder…"
The Thirteenth Order
Chapter III: Unlocking the Heart
(BGM: FFX – Bisaido Island)
"Whoa, you don't look so good Kairi…"
Indeed, the girl entered the hut with her hair frazzled and messed up, her clothes wrinkled and just generally looking tired.
"I didn't…get much sleep last night…that headache came back."
The day before, not long after Kairi got her keychain, she began getting a small headache. Originally it was nothing terrible and faded away, but a few times during the evening, it returned, each time more powerful than the last, with the biggest one happening just before that strange dream.
"Maybe we should stay here a bit Kai, you look beat."
"No! No…I'm fine…we should just get going, we need to find out what's going on, how we ended up here, right Riku?"
"Yeah…but, I also agree with Sora…for once. You do look like you could use more sleep."
"I'll take a nap after Twilight Town, alright?"
"Fine…that good with you Sora?"
"I guess…it's better than nothing."
"Wow man, you really did grow up. Back in the day you'd have pushed Kairi into staying ya?"
Sora rubbed the back of his head embarrassed.
"Yeah well…can't stay a kid all the time. Besides, if Kairi says she's good to go, then she's good to go. Not to mention I also really wanna get back to Twilight Town."
"You sure you don't just want to see Olette again?"
"Well it would be nice to see those three again, but why'd you single her out like that Kai? Not even Roxas liked her like that."
"Who knows?"
Sora and Riku just stared. She stared back, unblinking. Finally Sora blinked, then Riku. Kairi got a triumphant smile on her face.
"I win!"
"Wait…what?"
"I win."
"Win…wait we were…but you…agh, now MY head hurts!"
Everyone laughed at Sora's plight.
"Damn…now where am I?"
Floating in a glowing orb of light stood the young man, garbed in a black cloak. Around him was a see of lights, the sea of stars known as Space. He looked around, trying to figure out where to go.
"Alright…if each of these stars represents a world…"
Unknown to him, not far from him rest the world of Twilight Town.
"Then…the pull I'm feeling is coming from…that way…"
He turned slightly to his right.
"And…it's straight ahead. So…"
The world around him inverted colors as space distorted. Suddenly he shot like a rocket towards where the strange feeling was originating from.
(BGM: KHII Complete – The Afternoon Streets)
"Hey guys…did you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"That weird cold…like something just happened…"
"Olette I think you're going nuts."
"Now now Hayner, after seeing all the stuff we've seen, Olette getting odd feelings isn't that surprising."
"I guess you're right, I mean, after helping Sora and the King out, stuff started calming down around here I guess. I wonder why he told us that though…"
"Now, Olette, what did it feel like?"
"I'm not sure…like something…powerful was just nearby…and it wa-
She shuddered again.
"Ok, I didn't feel that, but I saw you did, what happened?"
"I'm…not sure…"
Suddenly, right on the brick wall, a swirling ring of black appeared.
"Oh crap not again…"
But instead of spilling out anyone with dark intentions, Riku and Sora flew out of it, landing flat on their faces.
"Sora!"
Kairi stepped out as well, and the gateway swirled shut behind her.
"Kairi!"
"Hey guys!"
"Who's your friend?"
"This? This is Riku. Riku, meet Hayner, Pence and Olette. They were the three who helped us get to the Organization's stronghold."
"And the same three Roxas was friends with in the Other Twilight Town."
"Right…"
Pence piped up. "Oh yeah! Sora, King Mickey was here looking for you!"
"He was? What did he-
Suddenly Kairi dropped to the ground, clutching her forehead.
"Ugh…"
"Kairi! Hey, are you ok?"
She glared at him. "What do you think Sora? Do I LOOK ok? This…stupid headache is back…"
The other three looked nervous.
"What's going on?"
Riku explained.
"After Xemnas came back and attacked our world, someone showed up and…I guess Possessed Kairi. Whoever it was, used her body to completely decimate Xemnas, and did something that caused us to show up in a completely different world. In that world, Kairi got her first Keychain, and not long after, the headaches started."
"Keychain?"
Sora spoke. "It's like a power up for the Keyblade. It's something that's created from the energy of the world we're on, and turns it into a different form of Keyblade. Some make magic stronger, others double the power of our defenses or items, and some just make US stronger. It all depends on the keychain."
Kairi stood up slowly. "It also changes the Keyblade's form. Instead of looking like a giant key, it looks more like a weapon."
"You feeling better Kai?"
"Yeah…sorry I snapped at you Sora…these things are just…really painful…anyway, what did the King say?"
"He said that if we saw Sora, to tell him that there's a Gummy Ship over at Yen Sid's place, and to head for Disney Castle as soon as you can."
"Wow, you remembered all that Olette?"
"Of course, I wasn't about to forget it."
"Thanks guys, we should probably head out right away then."
"Will you come back? I'd like to know more about this…Roxas…"
"Of course. We'll tell you all about him after we see the King."
"Alright, take care guys."
They exchanged goodbyes, not noticing that the entire time, Kairi's eyes were averted.
Why…were they covered in scribbles? It was only for a few moments…but it hurt my head even more…
Kairi…
(BGM: KHII Complete – Magical Mystery)
"This…is Yen Sid's place?"
"Yeah. We should probably head inside, if he's there, I wanna ask him about Kairi's headaches."
"Wait, how would he be able to help?"
"He trained the King, he might know some sort of magic that could help."
The group began climbing the tower.
"Wow…this place is amazing…"
"Yeah it does look pretty cool."
"Look how high we are!"
"This is the last staircase. Yen Sid's room is through here."
They entered the room…but nobody was there.
"Strange…"
"Hey, Sora, here's a note."
"Sora, my apologies for not being around when you arrive, I had pressing matters to deal with. The gummy ship is right behind the tower, just whistle and it will rise to the window to let you board. I believe you already know the way to the castle, so I opted not to bother trying to program the auto-pilot…that, and the King told me how much you enjoyed flying that contraption."
"You can pilot?"
"Pretty well, only crashed once, and that was only cause Donald and I were fighting over the controls."
"There's more."
"You must see the king immediately, a powerful force has awakened and threatens the stability of the worlds. The king knows more of this subject than I do. Be safe. Yen Sid."
"Right then, looks like we're heading for Disney Castle."
Kairi walked over to the window and whistled. In front of her a strange looking object appeared. "This is a gummy ship?"
"Yep, good ol' Tiamat."
"You gave it the name of our boat?"
"Why not? You won that race so I named the ship."
"We should go guys, the king is waiting."
"Yeah."
The group boarded the black and grey ship that looked like a flying fortress, and took to the sky.
As they left the Aura of Twilight Town behind, Kairi suddenly cluched her head with both hands.
"AAAHHH!"
(BGM: KHII Complete – Tension Rising)
"Kairi? Is it another headache?"
A loud ringing noise was circulating through her mind.
"Make it stop…please…make it stop…"
Suddenly the entire world shifted colors.
"Whoa!"
"What was that?!"
Kairi's Keyblade appeared in front of her. The ringing noise grew. The Keyblade began spinning in place, suddenly vanishing and re-appearing outside the ship. Kairi shuddered and screamed again. The Keyblade rocketed forward and then slammed into what seemed like empty space. Kairi's eyes snapped open as it did so. She saw a gigantic black dot, right where the Keyblade stopped. From the dot grew smaller lines. Suddenly the dot shattered like glass, revealing a rip in space.
The ship began to get pulled towards the strange distortion.
"Sora!"
"I'm trying! It won't respond!"
The world shifted colors again. When the world returned to normal, the ship rocketed forward, through the strange rip. Behind them, the rip slowly closed, space returning to normal, the cycle being completed.
"Ugh…what…happened?"
"You alright Kai?"
"Ow…my head…"
"You passed out."
"I…did?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know where we are?"
"No…but Sora's prepping the ship for landing. He says it taxed all the systems, and needs to shut down for a little bit. Whatever that was, it put us nowhere near Disney Castle."
"We're ready."
Kairi got up. The ringing noise was gone, but a small headache remained. She stumbled for a moment, but righted herself and shook her head. The three activated the teleporter and in a flash of light, were gone.
(BGM: Valkyrie Profile 2 – Spinning the Thread of Creation)
"Where…are we?"
"I don't know, but this place is HUGE…"
Suddenly a voice spoke out.
"What's this? New Einherjar?"
"Einherjar? What's that?"
Suddenly the group was surrounded by armor clad warriors drawing their weapons.
"Enough!"
A single woman walked down a large staircase. She was clad in dark purple, nearly black armor. A white skirt hung down her legs, as a broadsword in its sheath rested on her left hip. Reddish-brown eyes stared at the group.
"Who are you? And how have you mortals come to reach Valhalla?"
"Valhalla?"
"Sora, it must be the name of this world."
"Ahh, right."
He turned to the woman, about to speak. She held up her hand.
"No, do not speak now. Come with me, I shall let Lord Odin deal with you."
The group looked at each other, unceartain. Sora then started walking after the woman. Kairi and Riku followed. A few of the warriors followed behind, unsure.
(Throne Room)
The armored woman stopped at the feet of a silver haired man.
"My Lord Odin, I have found these mortals trespassing on this land."
"Rise Hrist, I shall speak with them. Tell me, who are you, and how have you come to Valhalla?"
Riku and Kairi looked to Sora.
"My name is Sora. These are my friends, Riku and Kairi. Our ship got messed up when we got pulled through a rip in space and we arrived here. We came down to take a look around while the ship repairs itself."
The man's eyes narrowed. "I know of no ship of this world that would have such problems."
"We aren't from this world."
The moment Sora said that, the one called Hrist drew her blade. Moments after, three Keyblades flashed into existence. Odin's eyes widened as he understood.
"Hold. Replace thy weapon Hrist, these three are not to be harmed."
"Yes…Lord Odin."
"I see you wield the legendary Keyblades, weapons said capable of bringing entire worlds to their knees."
Riku spoke. "It is not our intention to take this world, or any other. We protect the worlds from the Heartless and Nobodies."
"Yes…vile creatures born from the darkness within the souls of living beings, and the beings spawned from those without them. Then I presume the ship you spoke of is a Gummy Ship, correct?"
The group relaxed their stances. "Yes."
A blonde haired woman, clad in a skintight green outfit with a strange hat that looked like a green football, spoke up.
"Lord Odin…I haven't heard of such things…"
"Few of this world have. It is a legend passed down through the Gods themselves. It would seem that legend is real."
Suddenly Kairi dropped to her knees. The ringing noise grew louder.
"Kairi!"
(BGM: Kingdom Hearts Complete – Another Side)
A sphere of darkness appeared between the two groups. Odin sat up, immediately alert. The sphere collapsed to reveal a tan skinned young man with long black hair wearing a black cloak. Kairi lifted her head.
"It's…him…"
"This…is the place?"
He looked around.
"Who are you?!"
He stayed silent, eyes locking onto Hrist, or more likely, Hrist's chest. She noted where his gaze was and glared, drawing her blade.
"So it's here…"
A flash of light, and he was holding a familiar weapon.
"Is that…the Oblivion?!"
Indeed it was, the Oblivion Keyblade was being held by this unknown man. He spoke.
"You…you hold the one that can help me…"
Hrist stared, blade level. "What are you talking about?!"
"A powerful being…a warrior of Light…" He cluched his own head. Both he and Kairi spoke at the same time.
"…Alicia…"
Odin immediately stood. Hrist stepped back in shock.
"You hold her captive…her soul split between the three sisters…Lenneth…Hrist…Silmeria…"
"How do you-
"She calls to me…her soul…her Light…I shall restore her to these worlds…her power is needed…"
"Alicia's soul is no more! It faded when she gave her very existence up to defeat the Mage, Lezard Valeth!"
"No…her soul was merely absorbed…merged with those of the three Valkyrie…split into three fragments, each one boosting the strength of the three sisters…"
The tip of the Oblivion glowed white.
"I shall release her."
Before anyone could react, the Keyblade fired a beam of light directly into the chest of Hrist. She screamed in pain as she felt the purifying beam grasping at her very soul, sliding the piece that was Alicia away from her. Suddenly, the images of a silver-blue haired maiden, and a blonde haired maiden appeared next to her, both screaming in pain as well.
"Lady Hrist!"
One of the Einherjar raced towards the man in black. Kairi screamed out.
"STOP!"
The armored woman raised her sword, only to have it sliced through by the man's own. From nowhere, the man pulled a thin broadsword out and cut through the attacker's blade.
"Don't get in my way…"
Kairi's headache doubled as the man's eyes flared silver. He turned his body and swept his blade through the woman's armor. The armor split in half, and then shattered like glass, stunning everyone in the room. Suddenly he slammed his blade into her forehead. The keyblade wielders gasped as the woman's body was suddenly ripped to shreds from the point he stabbed. No blood, she just exploded into particles.
Odin's eyes widened further as he realized the power this 'mortal' wielded. "The eyes of the Death God…"
The beam faded as three glowing orbs of silver floated from the three women. The two images behind Hrist solidified and all three fell to the ground. The three orbs fused into one, which was then suddenly sealed into a crystal that floated into the man's free hand.
Immediately, the woman in green attacked.
"You bastard!"
"Freya! Stop!"
She launched a massive sphere of energy at the man. He simply blinked, and vanished in a ripple of air. The attack passed through where he once stood, directly on course for the three Keyblade wielders.
The ringing noise became a shrill screech as her headache reached a peak of intensity like never before. Her body seemed to move on its own as she felt herself stand. The next thing she felt, was the headache suddenly stopping, along with the screeching noise as she felt a wave of energy pass through her.
The cycle was complete.
She saw the giant energy orb in front of her. Her keyblade flashed into existence. Thin black lines suddenly engulfed the orb. She brought her weapon up, and swung it down, cutting through a single vertical line in the center of the orb. The orb split in two, the two halves passing by harmlessly, and then exploded behind them.
Sora and Riku stared at the girl.
"You…have them as well?"
Kairi was panting. "Have…what?"
"The eyes of the Death God…the ability to see the End."
"It must have been him…he must have given me this power…that's…why the headaches happened. We're connected…"
"What do you mean Kairi?"
"When he took over my body…we spoke. He said he's had this power for a long time…the power to destroy anything…his eyes can see the fault lines of existence…and the points they originate from…I guess…when he took over my body…since he was forcing his power through my eyes…he must have given me that power…"
"Lord Odin! The Valkyrie!"
They all turned to see the three maidens slowly rise. "What…happened?"
"We are…separate again?"
Suddenly, Kairi's keyblade began to glow. It floated in the air in front of the two groups. Lingering energy from when Hrist was attacked flew off the three warrior maidens and into the glowing form of the keyblade.
"Inevitable Sin…it's…changing again?"
Energy swirled around the blade, and then burst, revealing its new form.
The keyblade now looked like a spear.
"…that looks like the Lance of the Nibelung…the symbol of the Valkyrie…"
The hilt was the same, a pale grey now, along with the hand guard. The blade itself was now in the shape of a lance. On the end was a chain connected to a tiny silver helmet, one that looked exactly like what the three Warrior Maidens wore.
"Valkyrie…Profile…"
She held it in her hand. She made a few practice swings. "It's still light…just the way I like it."
"Two Keychains in two days! That's awesome Kairi!"
"Impressive…so that is a Keychain…"
Kairi bowed.
"Apologies, Lord Odin, but we should be going now. The ship should be ready, and King Mickey awaits us."
"Indeed. Though your presence has brought an unfortunate event, you are welcome to return should you need it."
"Thank you…but…I have…one question."
"I will hear it."
"Who is Alicia?"
The blonde one, Silmeria answered.
"Alicia was…the princess of Dipan, a kingdom on Midgard, the world of Mortals. The Soverign's Rite, a ritual used to bring a Valkyrie's soul into another body forced my soul inside Alicia's body, where we were supposed to be one being…but…we were two. My presence caused her much turmoil and many problems…but she bore them with dignity and grace. We were…separated, forcefully. After that, she became a powerful warrior of her own right, managing to even become a psudo-Valkyrie herself."
She took a breath and then continued.
"Alicia was the one who understood Lezard Valeth's power, and willingly gave up her own existence to allow us the power to defeat him…her sacrifice led to his defeat."
"I see…why would he want her though…"
"He mentioned a Light Warrior…maybe he knows something we don't?"
Kairi shook her head. "Anyway, thank you. We will be going now."
The groups said their goodbyes and the Keyblade Wielders left.
"Valkyries."
The three kneeled.
"We must prepare. If the Keyblade has become active again, then there is something troubling the worlds. I shall temporarily abolish the Rule of One. The three of you, collect powerful Einherjar, I sense…there will be conflict soon…"
Damn…this is a long one. A lot of stuff happens here. Ok, if you've played Valkyrie Profile at all, just imagine that bigass spear they throw at the end of Nibelung Valesti as a keyblade, that's Kairi's new keychain.
If you haven't, go to You Tube and look up Valkyrie Profile 2 Soul Crushes. That should get them for ya.
D&S Master: Yep, a Holy version of Oblivion…though with the name Inevitable Sin…as for your other questions…hopefully they've been answered with this chapter.
RockCityRoadStar: I'm gonna call you RCRS…cause fuck that's a big name. I'm glad you enjoyed my rants. I wanted people to know where I stood on those characters. And yes, he IS hilarious. Not that evil really, boosts my reviews number, and its nice to hear from a fellow author…well…I'd be the author, you'd be the authoress ne? I hope you like this one.