(BGM: Chrono Cross – People Seized with Life)
The group entered the castle, only to find it in horrible condition. The once pristine walls were covered in slashes, scorch marks littered the ceiling and floors, entire sections were blown out and turned to rubble. And then…there was him…
"KING MICKEY!"
The battered mouse was unconscious, laying in the lap of the Queen.
"Queen Minnie, what happened here?"
"I…I can't be certain. But what I do know is a man came. He came seeking what he called a Fragment of Light. He…he did this to Mickey…to the castle.
"That guy again…"
"Mickey said, he was the one that destroyed your world."
Sora wasn't too phased by that. "No problem, we'll just defeat him and it'll come back."
Minnie shook her head sadly. "No Sora…your world…it wasn't consumed by Darkness like last time…it has truly been completely eradicated. Wiped from the face of the universe. It is because of this, that Mickey went to Twilight Town, hoping to run into you. There is…no return for that world…I am truly sorry."
Kairi's heart was broken. "But…our parents…"
"Our friends…"
"All of them…gone?"
"You are the sole survivors of Destiny Islands…"
"He'll pay for that…"
Kairi wasn't so certain, but she nodded anyway.
"Chip and Dale said they saw him steal a ship and head for Twilight Town. You might be able to catch him if you hurry…I don't know what he'll do with that piece of the Cornerstone…"
"He took a piece of the Cornerstone?!"
"Yes…he claimed it was what he originally came for, a Fragment of Light."
"We'll get it back your Majesty."
"Queen Minnie…where were Donald and Goofy?"
"It would seem he knocked them unconscious before coming…they were completely unharmed though…so maybe he cast a sleeping spell…"
"Either way, he's gonna answer for what he's done."
"We'll head out now."
"Be careful! He's very dangerous!"
"We know…we've seen him in action…he's possessed Kairi before. And when he did, he completely kicked Xemnas' butt without even breaking a sweat."
"When the King wakes up, tell him we might need his help."
She shook her head. "He can't…that man…he shattered the King's Keyblade."
"WHAT?!"
"He broke a Keyblade?!"
Riku was definitely surprised. "I didn't know that was possible…"
"It must have been his eyes…they allow him to cut through nearly anything."
"We definitely have to go now! Who knows what he'll do to Twilight Town!"
The Thirteenth Order
Chapter IV: Return of the Light
(Twilight Town)
In front of him stood a white object.
"Damn thing looks like a flower…and he was asleep in this thing for a year? Man…if he doesn't bang that Kairi chick…"
The black haired warrior pressed a few buttons on a nearby console. The strange object opened up, much like a blooming flower.
"Yep…definitely made by a girl. And not one of them tough girls either…one of them girly girls."
He placed the crystal containing Alicia's soul in the pod, along with the piece of the Cornerstone of Light. He made a humming noise in his throat as he tapped a few more keys.
"Now…for the last bit…"
A keyblade flashed into existence in front of him. He held it tightly and made his wish. A beam of light shot from the keyblade and into the pod. With his free hand, he typed in a few more commands, and everything started.
"Soon…"
Sora, Riku and Kairi all raced down the streets. With them were Hayner Pence and Olette. The six teens ran towards the old mansion, which is where the Twilight Town group saw the strange dark skinned man heading. They burst into the clearing just as an earthquake struck.
(BGM: Chrono Trigger – Schala's Theme)
Floating in front of him stood the naked form of a blonde haired young woman.
Look away…LOOK AWAY!
Resisting the natural urge to look her over, he opened the pod as her eyes fluttered.
"Wh-where…am I?"
"You are currently naked, in the basement of a mansion in the world called Twilight Town."
She shivered as her bare feet touched the ground. She looked down at herself, and indeed, she was naked. She flushed a deep crimson as a handful of clothes was thrust in her face. She pulled back slightly, and looked to the person the hand was connected to.
The young warrior was looking away from her, as to preserve her modesty.
"They aren't what you're used to, but it's something. Please, just put it on before I can no longer resist the urge to stare."
She nodded, not that he saw, and grabbed the clothes out of his hand. As she put them on she noticed the interesting look they gave her. It consisted of a black shirt with an image of a dragon curled around a gigantic sword on the front, a black leather vest, a set of snow white undergarments (to which she blushed again) and a simple black skirt. White nearly thigh length socks, and a pair of black boots.
"There's a lot of black in it…"
"Yeah well…reflex…black and red are my favorite two colors so…yeah."
"It's alright."
He pulled out a mirror.
"Ahh…thanks."
She adjusted herself in the reflection. "Ok, you can turn around now."
He did so and whistled. "Niiiiice. I guess I picked pretty well."
"I feel like I'm missing something though…"
"A crown maybe?"
She shot him a look that screamed "idiot."
"No…I haven't worn a crown in years…oh, my sword! Gods I feel naked without it."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "Do…try not to use the word naked in a sentence referring to yourself…my male instincts are kicking my own ass at not looking when I had a chance…I'd rather not be reminded."
She leveled her eyes with his. "I'd say it shows a sign of restraint, and character."
"It does. But it also means I gave up the chance to see a really cute girl naked. Now think of that from a male point of view. That's worth a punch in the back of the head for sheer stupidity."
She shook her head. "I guess you have a point…uhh…whoever you are."
"'tis been so long I can scarcely remember my true name…so for now, just call me Zero."
"Very well, Sir Zero. I…am in your debt."
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"…Waving goodbye to Rufus…after Lezard was defeated."
"I'll fill you in later then. For the moment, what is important is this. Your battle was successful. The two timelines somehow converged into one, resetting to before Odin was captured. Everyone important, the three Valkyrie, Freya, and Odin himself all recalled the events of the old timeline. The Creator, Lenneth, vanished into the either, her power separating between the three Valkyrie, while they all shared a small fragment of your soul. Odin, understanding now what it was that caused such events to take place, stopped being such a dickwad."
Alicia giggled. "That certainly is an accurate description of him."
"Indeed. Your body and soul was used as a template container for the Valkyrie. No longer were they incarnated into human bodies, for they were linked by a psychic bond that filled them in on the events of their sister's lives. This was something Odin could not break or weaken, not that he even tried. Many decades have passed. Your friend Rufus has long since passed, his existence merging with Odin's to keep Odin in check. Brahms now resides in a castle that shifts planes every night into the human world, and during the day, back into the underworld. Arngrim, being too badass for Valhalla at the time, was sent back to the mortal realm to create a line that would guard the Dragon Orb. He was given a pendant that acts like Rufus' ring, keeping him in his eternal youth, though at any time it seems he is free to remove it and die peacefully."
Alicia teared up when he mentioned Rufus' demise. "I am sorry for your loss Lady Alicia."
"We…weren't exactly in a relationship…but the spark was beginning to grow…"
"At least you were able to say goodbye, though not much of one, it would seem it gave him the courage to attempt to become the new ruler of Valhalla…but then the timeline decided to fix itself, and merge his soul with Odin's so that Odin would not make the same mistakes again."
"I understand…"
"If you need to-
She jumped in his arms and began sobbing. The young man simply sighed and made small spiraling motions on her back. Two orphans of the Universe…neither of us holding anyone we truly hold dear left. Well…at least she still has Silmeria…
"There is…one more thing." She pulled away, fixed herself and stared with red-rimmed eyes at him. "In my quest to return you to the world of the living…I err…kinda ended up splitting the souls of the Valkyrie apart again…so now they're all stuck in their own bodies…"
"So Silmeria is…"
"As if you Materialized her yourself, all over again."
"Thank you…Zero…that calms my heart to hear it."
"I thought it would. Anyway, there is a reason why you have been returned by my hand."
"I thought as much."
"Your world…is only one of many. Throughout this universe there are thousands, if not millions of worlds, each peacefully resting in their own space. All of them have at least one faint link to another, creating a web of interconnected worlds. Each one separate, but yet still affected by the events on their sister planets. There is a force of Darkness known as the Heartless that exists in the shadows of each world. The Heartless are spawned by the darkness in the hearts of mortals. When a mortal is slain with a pre-requisite amount of darkness in their heart at the time of their death, their heart and body separate, and the heart becomes engulfed with darkness, turning them into a Heartless. If the mortal was a particularly strong willed one, the body left behind mutates into what is called a Nobody. I don't know who the hell named these things cause honestly I think that's freaking reversed."
"It does sound rather strange."
"The heartless seek the Core or Heart of worlds, engulf it in darkness and move on. They are a parasite, but unfortunately as Darkness is eternal so are they. Their forces have been considerably weakened by those called Keyblade Bearers."
"I've never heard of such a thing."
"I'll show you later. And whatever you think it is, you're right. Anyway, My world was recently taken over by the Heartless. I'm the sole survivor…as far as I know. However, I was kinda…stuck. For years, I was trapped in what is known as a Dark Corridor. Remember how I said the worlds were linked?"
"Yes. A phantom bond connecting certain worlds, creating an interlocked web in the universe."
"You're good. Well, Dark Corridors are the Shadows of those connections. Lanes of the Dark Realm that inter connect the worlds. They can be opened by those of Dark and Light alignment, but if their user is weak willed, the sheer pressure of the Darkness will instantly turn them into a Heartless. For years I was trapped in the Dark Corridor, my body's energy spent, my life slowly being drained…when a Man appeared. He was the remains of a powerful Nobody called Xemnas. I don't know how he did it, but somehow he stole my body and claimed it as his own, twisting its form into his. Reduced to a soul I was helpless but to watch as he gathered the remaining energies of his Organization. For you see, Xemnas was one of Thirteen powerful Nobodies that sought to reclaim their hearts. This was an impossibility for them, but they had ambition."
"Much like how we attempted to get back the Dragon Orb…"
"Somewhat like that. Only since they have no hearts themselves, they have no morals, no true emotions. They only have the memories of what it's like to have emotions, and that void in their souls constantly nags at them to reclaim their hearts. Well, he gathered their powers and left. Now, not to sound like I'm bragging or anything, but I like to believe I'm a rather powerful being. I wasn't going to take that lying down."
"You followed him, and defeated him, right?"
"Yeah…though since I was just a spirit, I had to inhabit the body of one of the newly crowned Keybearers. Though it did answer my question as to what it's like being a girl."
"You, a girl?"
"Hey, her mind was the weakest one there. She was the most open to possession."
"Undead…"
"So were you."
"You have a point. Continue."
"Well…I kinda made a mistake. You see, I was born with an ability that allows me to see what others can't…more specifically the fault lines of existence, and the points they're connected to."
Alicia gasped. "The Eyes of the Death God!"
"Knowledge from Silmeria?"
"Yes…it was something she had heard of while she was active…and had me research it. Eyes that see the death of all things, living and non…"
"Yes. Well, since he was basically a parasite in my body, I used her keyblade to pierce one of the points…and it made things go boom."
She giggled again at the way he said it. "But…how was that a mistake?"
"I didn't take into account that where we were battling…was the very Heart of their world. The influx of energy from such a powerful being suddenly being erased from existence caused a massive backlash that destroyed that world…"
Alicia gasped again, this time in horror.
"Yeah…I unintentionally caused the death of an entire world…I swear if I had realized earlier how much energy he had within him…I would have taken him away from the heart…"
"There's more isn't there?"
"Yes…and it's the reason I was compelled to bring you back. There are Heartless, and there are Nobodies…but now…something new has appeared. I don't know what they are…hell they look like zombies with armor and swords…but they're kinda stupid really. But there's a lot of them. And judging from their movements, they want to destroy worlds, not just engulf them in darkness."
"And you need my help to slay them?"
"One of the few weaknesses of these Eyes is that if you don't understand what it is you are trying to kill, it is difficult to see their points. These are creatures unlike any other I have encountered. Elements work well, excluding fire, but even then, it takes a while. Dark energy seems to charge them, and yet weaken them at the same time…so I realized I needed someone who held Light in their heart…and I was brought to find you."
"So you brought me back to help you slay them."
"In all honesty, I'd return you to your world immediately, but if I did…when they ultimately attacked, your world would end up destroyed anyway. But if we can get rid of these things…"
"Then I can return in peace, and only have to worry about problems pertaining to my world. I understand. I don't know how much use I'll be though…I don't have a weapon…and offensive magic doesn't come easily to me…"
"You have been trained in the methods of the Valkyrie, and that is a good enough beginning. I can teach you offensive and stronger defensive magic as we go…as for a sword…"
He held out his hand and with a cloud of dark energy, a sheathed short broadsword appeared.
"I believe…this will do?"
He handed it to her. In no small amount of amazement, she pulled it out of its sheath. The blade was tinged red, with no small amount of runes covering the weapon. It seemed to glow at her touch. She gave it a few practice swings, testing its weight.
"Amazing…yes, this is perfect."
"It has served me quite well over the years…I call it Shinigami, the God Slayer. For it can pierce divinity just as well as darkness."
"Is it truly alright that I take such a valuable object?"
"It's fine. It's high time I got used to my new weapon anyway…"
With a swirl of dark energy, an unusual looking weapon appeared in his hand. Alicia's eyes widened.
"Is that…"
"A Keyblade. The Keychain connected is one of my personal equipment. This…is Decadence."
The blade looked like a normal broadsword, except for the two 'teeth' on the top of the blade, just before the tip. Blade was black, with white triangles arranged in a strange pattern in the middle. The hilt was black as well, though the hand grip was grey. The keychain looked like a biohazard symbol.
"Impressive."
"I thought so as well."
He banished the blade as Alicia secured her own to her waist. He was about to speak when he sensed something.
"Ahh…they're here…damn…can't run into them just yet. They're likely to attack first and ask questions later…"
"Who?"
"The Keybearers. I kinda…had to kick the ass of some king they know. So they're probably pissed about that. Not to mention they probably learned I destroyed their world, and knowing my luck they believe it was intentional. You've still got to get used to Shinigami, and after all the energy spent to return you, I'm in no condition to fight…so…"
He closed his eyes and with a flash of black light, an exact copy of him appeared next to him. The clone nodded and walked out of the room.
"He'll deal with them. We, on the other hand, need to get off world. I've got an idea where to go next…"
"Lead the way."
"Alright, hold on…this might feel a bit strange."
He pulled her into his arms, surprising her and making her flush a slight, and then surrounded them with dark energy, utilizing a Dark Corridor to warp them to the ship he stole.
(BGM: Kingdom Hearts – Another Side)
"Is everyone alright?"
"Man…what happened?"
"I think something unnatural caused that earthquake."
"You would be correct."
The group looked up to see the Unknown Man (Zero) in front of them.
"You!" Two Keyblades flashed into existence. Fenrir and Way to Dawn.
"Me. I know why you are here, and I shall tell you what you believe to be truth is in fact false."
"Liar! You destroyed the islands!"
"This is truth."
"Why you…you'll pay for that!"
"Sora wait!"
Sora cut straight through the man…only to have him burst into shadows. The shadows engulfed the clearing, blinding everyone present.
Disney Castle: Castle Garden
They watched as a black portal opened next to the large hedge that was a gateway to the castle's hangar. From it appeared the same man they just saw.
"God…damn that thing's white."
"It came from over here Donald!"
The hell? Is that guy retarded or something?
Donald and Goofy suddenly showed up in front of the man. He stepped back.
A dog…and a duck…what…the…hell.
"Smells like a heartless!"
A duck with a massive lisp. Holy hell this world is fucked up.
"Uhh…hi?"
"Goofy! You hold him off! I'll get the king!"
That doesn't sound good for me…so I'll just…
"Strong is the hold of the Lord of Dreams. Heavy doth thou eyes weigh upon you. Fall silent as the realm of slumber claims you. Now, Sleep!"
A ten pointed star appeared in front of the man, surrounded by rings of runes. A small wave of energy washed over the two strange beings and they dropped to the ground, dead asleep.
"Good thing I picked that one up. Sorry you two, but I'm in a hurry."
Kairi mused. "So that's how he did it…"
They continued to watch as he entered the throne room. Fuckin ridiculously large doors…I really wanna know what the makers of this place were paid, cause it must have been GOOD.
The young man stopped as a voice called from across the room.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
He noticed a small mouse man standing in front of the throne. Images flashed in his mind as his hand raced to his forehead, eyes squinting in pain. A secret passage…under the chair…leading to…a giant orb…
He shook his head and spoke. "I have come for a Fragment of Light."
"Fragment of Light?"
"It is an object vital to my plans."
Mickey thought to himself. This guy…he reeks of darkness…wait, could he be…after the Cornerstone?!
"You…are you the one who destroyed Destiny Islands?"
Destroyed? Agh FUCK! Don't tell me I screwed up somewhere!
"I have recently been to the place you speak."
"Then…you're after the Cornerstone aren't you?!"
"If this 'Cornerstone' is the Fragment of Light, then yes, it is what I seek."
A keyblade flashed into Mickey's hand.
"I won't let you destroy this world as well!"
The young man held up his hands in protest. "Hold. I seek not battle. I seek only a Fragment of Light. There is no proof that-
"Be silent Spawn of Darkness! I know the ways of your kind! You lie and tell half truths to sway others! This world is mine to defend as king! You will not destroy it while I live!"
The king launched himself at the man. Dammit now I have to fight a mouse. What the fuck is wrong with these people?!
Mickey brought his blade across horizontally, only for Zero to hop over the king's reach. The mouse flipped over, bringing his blade towards Zero's midsection only for the man to shift out of the way. Fear and anger in his heart, the king continued to press his assault, growing more and more unsteady as the young man effortlessly evaded all of his attacks. After a few minutes, the king found an opening. Seeing this Zero mentally sighed.
I have no choice…I have to teach this thing a lesson…
Just as the king was about to strike home, a sudden clang rang through the area. The king's eyes widened as a keyblade was held by the young man, easily blocking the king's assault. Immediately he felt the young man's aura shift.
"My turn."
(BGM: Wild Arms Advanced 3rd – Blood, Tears and the Dried Up Wasteland)
He knocked the king's blade aside and slammed the palm of his hand into the king's face. A split second later, there was a bright red flash and the king was blasted away from the young man.
"What is it with you Light Dwellers and thinking that all of us from the Realm of Darkness seek your destruction?!"
The king recovered from the initial blow only to gasp as a giant spear of earth was rocketing for him. He leapt out of the way watching as it smashed into the throne. He turned in midair to see Zero with his fingers laced together in front of his mouth, hands folded except for his two pointer fingers, which were extended just below his lips. His eyes widened as Zero pulled his head back and then snapped it forward.
"Katon: Goukyakuu no Jutsu!"
A massive fireball flew from out of the young man's mouth, enhanced by Axel's power resting in his body. So focused was the king on not getting scorched by the massive flame, he missed Zero coughing slightly. Fuck…gathered the energy wrong…that's gonna sting for a little bit. Gotta practice that one.
The fireball smashed into a wall horribly scarring it. The king was suddenly launched back into the air by a foot to the face. Instead of simply taking it however, Mickey took a leaf from Sora's book and tossed his keyblade like a disk at the young warrior.
"Tch…you call yourself a king…" Watching the keyblade fly towards him, Zero called forth his own. "Someone who judges without listening to reason…does not deserve to wield such Divinity!"
His eyes flared silver as small jagged lines appeared in his irises, coming from his pupil. The world in his, and Kairi's eyes became covered with random dots and scribbled lines. He swung his keyblade down in an overhead line…and sliced straight through the king's weapon. Mickey's eyes widened in horror.
"No…that's…impossible!"
He tried calling for it…but it would not come. He felt a void in his heart where the keyblade once resided. Zero's eyes returned to normal. "You…monster…"
"I'm a monster? I'm not the one who goes around attacking people because they're from darkness!" Extremely irritated, Zero appeared in front of Mickey in the blink of an eye. No magic, no teleportation. That was…pure speed!
A crack was heard as the young man delivered a solid uppercut to the king's jaw. He vanished again and suddenly the king lurched back, then to the left, then forward, then finally to the right. A faint flicker was all anyone could see as Zero changed directions. Zero suddenly appeared in their view, delivering a kick to Mickey's chest, twisted his body and struck again, then struck a final time with a launching kick to the face. The king went flying in an arc, falling to the ground. Suddenly things slowed. As the king's body slowly turned facing Zero upside-down, the young man vanished in a cloud of dust, instantly re-appearing in front of the king, looking at him with disdain.
After roughly three seconds of staring at the king, or at least what Zero perceived as three seconds, he pulled back and then slammed his fist forward. In reality, the young man was moving at such speeds that he was nothing more than a blur that whole time. The speed he was moving at combined with the force he placed into the blow, nearly shattered the mouse king's ribs as he was launched like a bullet into a far wall. A small trickle of blood flowed out of the mouse's mouth upon impact.
Ignoring the downed king, he moved towards the throne. It was still largely intact, despite having a giant rock slammed into it.
"I need to get me one of these…" the young warrior muttered to himself. Raising his palm, he called forth another power. He snapped his fingers and suddenly an orb of pure black formed where the throne was. After a few seconds, the orb faded…and in its place was a crater where the throne was. Sora and the others watched in morbid fascination as the young warrior descended the stairs and faced the Cornerstone of Light.
"If this isn't what I came for, I don't know what is."
The group tensed as he drew his keyblade. His sight activated and they watched as he sliced through.
But he didn't cut the whole thing. He simply cut a small piece from it.
"It looks stupid now…but it's still completely intact…I should blow this thing to bits, to prove a point…but…then she'd hate me…well they'd both hate me. She probably hates me enough as it is…at least I have the excuse of truth that the Islands were an accident…if she found out I intentionally caused the destruction of another place she holds dear…well…I'd probably lose the one person who'd actually listen…"
He pocketed the fragment of the Cornerstone and left the room. Walking to the king he gave a vindictive kick to the mouse's head.
"Stupid rat. Be glad I didn't wipe this place out like I should have…you're lucky I've got something more important than this pathetic world to focus on…You'll pay for your slights against the Realm of Darkness later. Stupid fool…don't know HOW a judgmental sack of meat like you became king of this place…"
He left the castle but as soon as he reached the location Donald and Goofy were still unconscious he stopped.
"Well shit…how the hell am I supposed to get off this stupid rock?" He noticed a door in the hedge. Well that's pretty well hidden…let's see where it goes.
Finding himself in the strangest hangar imaginable he took stock of all the different ships docked.
"Too blue…too white…not enough guns…too many lasers…ahh…here we go…"
A distinctive dark violet gummy ship caught his attention. He hopped in and pushed a few buttons. "Ahh yes…thank the gods for single button start up sequences…hmm…Old Mansion in Twilight Town…well, I guess that's as good as any…"
Starting up the ship, he couldn't help but let out a whoop of joy as the ship rocketed off world. "DAMN am I glad I took this thing!"
(BGM: Kingdom Hearts II – Riku)
The strange darkness appeared again…only this time when it faded, they were back in the clearing.
"So that was the guy that possessed you Kairi?"
"Yes…" Why…why did we see that? Are you really innocent?
"He…almost killed the king…"
Kairi cut in. "But he didn't. You heard him, he didn't want to fight."
"How do we know it's the truth?"
"How do we know it isn't?" Kairi countered.
"I can say one thing…he was definitely cute."
"Olette!"
"What? It's true!"
Sora and the others gave a small laugh.
"Where do you think he went now?"
"Who knows Pence…"
"I guess we'll head back to the Castle for now…maybe the King has recovered."
"You promised to tell us all about Roxas!"
"Alright fine…we'll give you our stories, then we'll head back."
"Awesome!"
What is it you're trying to do…?
Took a little bit, but look at the size of this thing! Mickey fans won't be too happy about this new development, but honestly, who gives a crap? The damn mouse needed to be taken down a peg. Alicia's back and in Zero's debt, and YES she is in character. Go play VP2, she gets a bit more outgoing and forceful after everyone vanishes at the end of Chapter 4.
RCRS: Good, I was going to keep doing it even if you minded. FUCKING PLAY VP2 DAMMIT! It's a fucking good game, even though if you don't get the skill progression right it's a bit tough. If you need help, Game FAQs and I am here to assist. FFX's Blitzball was pretty cool, though HOW they can stay underwater that long is beyond me…Plus…playing VP2 is good to learn how to make new spells!
D&S Master: The first question you'll have answered next chapter. The second one…after that last big headache where her eyes changed, she's not going to get any more. The headaches were reactions to the strange bond she has with Zero, and the distortions left behind by him doing something outside normal laws. The headaches will no longer appear because the link has finally stabilized with her gaining the new sight.
Dunno when the next chapter will be…but I can tell you one thing, Kairi and Naminé meet Zero in an unknown location…and Naminé has an…interesting experience at his behest! What that could mean? Well, think like a horny teenager and you'll figure something out!