Chapter XVIII; No Time Left

Annora sat down on the fountain beside Skuld with a heavy sigh. The two hadn't seen very much of each other recently, with Skuld and the Dandelions preparing for the war that was growing ever closer. Annora was still managing the party, for the most part, taking care of the ones who weren't going to fly away from the battle. It scared her how tired they already were.

"So, how are things going with the Dandelions?" Annora asked, looking at her dark-haired friend. Sitting side by side it was clear how different the two were. Annora with her pure white hair and crystal blue eyes. And Skuld with her ink black hair and brown eyes. They were practically opposites, like light and dark. But they were still best friends.

"Not well, everyone's getting anxious," Skuld admitted, looking to Annora with a sad smile. She looked away, up to the sky where a few clouds were gathering overhead. "And it's only worse since Master Ava hasn't been around." She added wistfully. Annora looked at Skuld in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Beside Annora, her Chirithy appeared in a puff of smoke. Annora was certain the little dream eater was ever present, just remained hidden most of the time.

"Master Ava's been missing for the past few days." Chirithy said for Skukd. Annora frowned, quickly glancing at the Chirithy then back to Skuld.

"Does anyone know where she went?" Annora asked. Of she assumed Kamiko would know. The strawberry blonde was Ava's constant companion for the most part. The only one the master seemed to trust anymore. And maybe rightly so.

"Kamiko won't say if she does. Just insist Ava is fine." Skuld answered, a worried frown crossing her face. She didn't seem convinced by the reassurance.

"Maybe Master Gula knows something. The two of them are friends after all." Chirithy suggested. Annora nodded and stood up. She offered her hand out to Skuld, who looked at it in surprise.

"Let's go ask." Annora said. Skuld smiled and nodded, taking Annora's hand and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

Chirithy led the way to where Master Gula was supposedly hiding. Annora didn't know how the dream eater knew that, but she wasn't going to question it. It was strange the dream eater was willing to help them. It usually did anything in its power to keep them away from foretellers.

Master Gula was rumored to be hiding in an abandoned warehouse in the Leopardus district. Annora thought that was the last place they would find a master, but she supposed that's what Master Gula was hoping for. He probably didn't want to be bothered. The warehouse was dark and unwelcoming. It didn't seem like anyone was in there, nor had been for a very long time. Looking around Annora caught sight of Jax looking down at them from the loft above. She smiled softly at him, and to her surprise, the purple-haired boy returned the smile. Him being here was all the confirmation she needed to know Master Gula was close by.

"It's quiet." Skuld said, not noticing their friend in the loft. Annora glanced at her. It was oddly quiet in there, even with their presence.

"Do you have business with me?" A calm voice asked. Skuld and Annora both jumped at the sound of the new voice. They turned to see Master Gula walking towards them calmly, given away only by his leopard mask and attire that matched the other Masters. He sat down on a table in the center of the room and kicked his feet in a childish manner. Like Master Ava, he was clearly young, the same age as them perhaps. Annora had never seen Master Gula before, and his small stature surprised her. She had expected someone like Ira or Aced.

"Master Gula." Chirithy said, its voice shaking softly. The master looked at Chirithy calmly before turning his gaze up to Annora and Skuld. Annora was shocked by how calm the master seemed to be.

"If you're skipping out on collecting lux to come here, I'll guess your some of Ava's dandelions." Master Gula said. Skuld glanced at Annora before nodding.

"I am." She confirmed. Annora put her hand on her hip.

"I'm not." She said. Master Gula looked at her in interest for a moment before turning his attention away. He seemed rather disinterested in the whole situation. Almost like he was tired.

"Are you looking for Ava?" He asked.

"We are," Skuld confirmed.

"And what will you do when you see her?" Master Gula asked rhetorically. He turned his attention back to Skuld and Annora, this time with more interest. Annora glanced up to Jax, who was watching silently. "Will you beg her to stop the upcoming battle? Not even Ava can pull that off. Or are you going to ask about the situation? Even if you knew, you couldn't do anything." Master Gula continued, asking his questions, only to answer them himself. He was trying to deter them, for some reason.

"We can't just do nothing and wait for the world to end." Skuld objected, shock clear in her voice. Annora couldn't blame her. If the masters had given up, what chance did they stand?

"Are you telling us to just take it lying down?" Annora asked. Master Gula had never objected to their attempts to stop the war. Annora had hoped he'd be sympathetic to their cause. To her surprise, she saw Master Gula smile softly and tilt his head to the side.

"You're a lot like Ava." He said, not specifying which one he was talking to. Annora raised an eyebrow and glanced at Skuld. She looked just as confused. "Ava: always right. But no matter how right she is, she can't save the world. The only one who could be the Master." Master Gula continued to explain. Skuld frowned, looking even more confused.

"Master?" She asked.

"You've heard about him from Chirithy haven't you? The master of us foretellers." Master Gula asked. Skuld shook her head slowly. Annora looked down and nodded. Not just from Chirithy, but from Kamiko and Luxu.

"The Master of Masters." Annora said simply. Skuld glanced at her in confusion but didn't say anything to her friend. Master Gula nodded in agreement.

"Yes. He's the only one who could possibly change the situation now." He explained.

"Where is he?" Skuld demanded. Master Gula chuckled and shook his head.

"I knew you'd go there." He said calmly.

"No one knows. He vanished." Jax said. Skuld jumped looking up. She seemed to just be realizing Jax was present. Master Gula glanced up at Jax before continuing.

"We all tried to find him. But there's no clue. Only one might know where he is." He said. Annora wondered if he would have to,d them at all if Jax hadn't spoken. She had heard rumors they were closer than any other lieutenant master pair. Not even Ava and Kamiko came close.

"Who?" Annora asked.

"Luxu." Jax replied. He received another look from his master, but he only shrugged in reply.

"Master Luxu." Chirithy said, almost in awe. The dream eater looked to Annora. She frowned, trying to remember. Luxu had never said anything about knowing what happened to the Master. Could he know?

"You know him?" Skuld asked, glancing at Annora.

"He was the sixth apprentice. He disappeared right along with the Master." Annora explained. Skuld nodded and looked back to Master Gula.

"So you can't find him either?" She guessed. Master Gula chuckled again.

"Of course you'd go there. You're really like Ava, huh." He said, keeping a soft smile. Annora assumed he was rather fond of Ava. She could understand why. They were the youngest two of the Foretellers. They must have stuck together most of their training.

"That's where Ava went?" Skuld guessed. Master Gula nodded.

"Yeah, she's looking for Luxu." He agreed.

"To try and find the Master." Jax elaborated. It amazed Annora he could pick up where Gula left off so easily.

"Well, maybe we should help her." Annora said. If she could find Master Ava she'd take her to Luxu herself. Luxu had given her permission to do what her heart thought was right, so it's not like she would get in trouble.

"Yeah, Luxu might know who the traitor is." Skuld agreed.

"Unable to permit disharmony, you will be disappointed by fate and lose sight of true strength..." Jax said from above them. The words sent shivers down Annora's spine. Just as she raised her gaze to Jax, Master Gula picked up where he left off.

"Misreading the truth you will venture forth in secrecy..." He said calmly. Despite his calm voice, the words seemed ominous.

"What's that?" Skuld asked breathlessly.

"The lost page." Jax replied calmly. Skuld looked up at him in shock. Annora kept her gaze on Master Gula. If anyone could explain it, he could. He'd had for the longest.

"We still don't know who it's about." Master Gula admitted with a heavy sigh.

"What does it mean?" Annora asked curiously. Master Gula had guarded the lost page so zealously. It was a rare opportunity to hear any part of it.

"It's why the traitor is trying to end the world. I had my eye out for it. But I couldn't stop it. Maybe I was looking for the wrong thing." Master Gula admitted with a shrug. Just as before, it struck Annora that he seemed tired.

"Misreading the truth you will venture forth in secrecy," Skuld repeated in thought. She tapped her chin and looked down at the ground. Her eyes narrowed as her eyebrows came together in a shallow v.

"There's more," Jax said.

"And with that one strike, a bell will toll for the final battle. And the battle will begin at last and the time shall be chosen." Master Gula said. Annora frowned and looked down to Chirithy. The dream eater looked troubled by all this.

"Is it really ok for you to tell us an important passage like that?" Chirithy asked.

"No, not really." Master Gula said. Annora looked up at him in shock. Her eyes met where she guessed his were. The mask made it hard to tell. "But Jax trusts you, so I will." He continued.

"War is already unavoidable," Jax admitted.

"And once you know that, nothing means anything anymore." Master Gula said. Annora realized why he seemed so tired now. He had given up. All of his hope was used up and gone. A bell tolled somewhere in town. It was a loud echoing clang that Annora had never heard before. She and Skuld turned towards the sound, while and Jax just looked down sadly. "There. It's begun." Master Gula said softly. Skuld turned back to him.

"The chosen time." She echoed, sounding as hopeless as Master Gula was.

"You should go. Each Union is likely to be called to assemble." Master Gula said. He surprisingly held a soft smile. Annora supposed he was sad this day had come, and he was wishing them luck. At least she hoped that's what it was.

Annora and Skuld left without another word to the master. Annora had bowed in respect, but Skuld had just left. Maybe she was rushing to meet the other dandelions. Gula almost wished he could go with them. He didn't want to see this war come to pass. He wondered if Jax had ever been offered the chance to flee. If he had and Gula had known, he would have forced Jax to leave. He wanted his friend to survive.

"Jax, call our union. We must prepare them." Gula said turning to his lieutenant and lifelong friend. Jax nodded and turned away from the edge of the loft to leave. "Oh, an I should probably say this while I have the chance. Thank you. For everything." Gula added. Jax paused and looked down at Gula with a smile. He shook his head calmly.

"What are brothers for?" Jax asked. Gula could only smile in reply.

*3*

Outside of the warehouse, Skuld turned to Annora. Annora didn't look at the dark-haired girl, though she knew she should. This might be her last time seeing her.

"I'm going to gather the dandelions. Are you coming, Annora?" Skuld asked.

"No," Annora said simply. Skuld gasped in shock and stepped toward Annora.

"What?" Skuld asked. Worry was clear in her voice, making Annora feel guilty.

"I've made other arrangements," Annora said simply. Skuld frowned at Annora, stepping back warily.

"Other arrangements?" She asked skeptically. Annora nodded and rubbed her shoulder nervously.

"I'm going to join Luxu. Watch the war, then leave. Eventually, take his place." Annora explained. Skuld was silent for a moment, considering what Annora had said. She eventually nodded and stepped back again.

"Right." She said, still looking at Annora with worry. "Well, good luck. May your heart be your guiding key." She said. Annora looked up and smiled.

"You too." She said. Skuld smiled before turning and leaving. Annora let out a deep breath and looked down to the ground. It was so much, all happening much sooner than she expected.

"Are you ok?" Chirithy asked, stepping into Annora's sight line. She looked at the cat-like dream eater with a soft smile. She laughed bitterly and looked away.

"Not really." Annora admitted. She reached up and ran her hand through her hair before turning and walking a short way away. Chirithy watched her with a sad expression.

"Well, let's go meet Luxu." Chirithy said, unsure of what else to suggest. It was really equipt to deal with such stressful situations. Human emotion vastly outreached the dream eaters ability.

"Chirithy, what happens to you if I die?" Annora asked, turning to the dream eater. Chirithy didn't answer. "Do you die too?" She asked, stepping towards Chirithy. The dream eater nodded slowly.

"Yeah." It admitted. Annora frowned. She had never realized how close she was tied to that little cat-like creature. Every choice she made she made for the dream eater too. Her closest companion. The only one who had been with her from the beginning.

"Oh, are you ok with me helping Luxu?" Annora asked. Chirithy looked at her in surprise. It was probably just supposed to follow her without question. But Annora didn't want that.

"I don't want you to die. You're my friend. So if you want to help Luxu, I don't care." Chirithy said. Annora smiled and nodded.

"Thanks." She said. She was about to head off to meet Luxu but stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"You're going to skip out on the battle?" The voice asked. Annora rolled her eyes and walked towards the voice. She wasn't surprised to see the Dark Chirithy waiting for her a street over. "You're going to run away?" It demanded.

"She's not running away!" Chirithy defended. Annora fought her urge to smile at its objections. The Dark Chirithy rolled its eyes.

"Right, just going to watch. But when it comes down to it, she's just abandoning her friends." Dark Chirithy said. It spit out the word friends like it was poison. Annora frowned and stepped back. It wasn't wrong. It was just voicing her greatest fear.

"Who are you?" Annora asked. The Dark Chirithy laughed.

"I'm the dark power you wielders have been collecting." It explained. Annora frowned and looked at Chirithy. She knew wielders were collecting lux, but that was light. She didn't think they had anything to do with darkness. The foretellers abhorred it so much.

"That's impossible!" Chirithy snapped.

"No," Dark Chirithy replied calmly. "The Master intended all of this to happen. He saw everything. Even me." It tried to make a grand gesture, but with its short arms and small paws, it didn't seem to come out as intended.

"Where's your wielder!?" Chirithy demanded. Annora supposed that was a good question. All Chirithy's had a wielder. This one had to be loyal to someone. If Annora had to guess it would be the traitor.

"Right in front of you." Dark Chirithy said, looking to Annora. Annora froze in shock. "She's my wielder."

"You're lying!" Chirithy objected.

"What's the point of lying at this point?" The Dark Chirithy asked. Somehow, Annora knew it was telling the truth. There was no point in lying. And there had to be a reason the Dark Chirithy seemed drawn to her. Before she could speak the Dark Chirithy summoned the darklings like it had before.

"If she's really your wielder then why?" Chirithy demanded as Annora drew her keyblade.

"Nightmares are different than spirits. We show bad dreams. Because if that we can sever bonds and live free." Dark Chirithy explained. It was all lost on Annora.

"Spirit? Nightmare?" Chirithy asked. Before the conversation could continue, the darklings shot forward at Annora. She swung her keyblade quickly throwing them off to the side. She had to keep shaking away the thought that these used to be people like her. She couldn't let that slow her down.

The fight didn't take as long as it did the first time, but Annora was scared of how strong they were. If this was like fighting another wielder, how hard would the war be on everyone? It was tearing apart Annora against something that was only like another wielder. What about if it was another wielder?

After the darklings were defeated Annora turned to the Dark Chirithy. It seemed impressed.

"You've gotten stronger. Good. Well, time for the real deal." It said. Before Annora could question its meaning, the small dream eater turned into a giant monster.

Fighting the monster was just like fighting a raid boss solo Annora decided. A lot of dodging, cursing, and healing herself. It was a long a hard fight that wore Annora down to her bones. She was almost too exhausted to finish. But she managed after a while.

The Dark Chirithy reappeared as it had been and chuckled to itself as Annora and her Chirithy approached.

"Now the bond has been severed." The Dark Chirithy said. Annora frowned looking at it in pity.

"Will you disappear?" She asked.

"For now." It replied. "Let's meet again, in another dream." It said, looking at Chirithy. Chirithy frowned as the Dark Chirithy faded from existence.

"Another?" Chirithy asked in confusion. Annora stood in silence for a moment with her Chirithy.

"We should go." Annora said softly. Chirithy nodded, looking up at Annora.

"Right. To Luxu?" Chirithy asked. Annora smiled and shook her head.

"Not yet. One stop first." She said. Without another word she turned and walked away. Chirithy followed her as quickly as it could.

She reached her destination and let out a surprised breath. All of her party had gathered together, laughing together despite the insurmountable odds they were all about to face. Ventus was the first to notice her. He jumped up with a smile and crossed over to her.

"Guys, Annora's here!" He called, waving his hand in the air. Annora smiled at him and laughed a little looking to the rest of the party.

"You're all here." Annora said with a soft smile. Her eyes wandered from Ventus to Zia. Kariya was standing with Saki and Anri, both of which decided to join the dandelions. Raito and Haku stood with Kirai, all three were going to fight but they didn't look grim. They looked just as happy as anyone else. Kamiko stood beside her brother, Jax, and Skuld. All for of them were the closest to Annora beside Ven.

"Thought we should say goodbye first." Skuld said, glancing to everyone herself, smiling proudly.

"Anyway, you're late. And you look like crap. What happened?" Takiko asked, looking over Annora. She looked down at herself and looked over her appearance. She was bruised and battered from her fight. But nothing was serious.

"Dark Chirithy." Annora replied simply. A gasp spread through the party.

"Are you ok?" Kamiko asked. Annora nodded.

"It's gone now. But, it was mine." She replied. The group was silent for a moment, looking between each other in shock.

"I think everyone has their own. Just like we all have our own Chirithy." Takiko said, quickly calming everyone.

"That seems reasonable." Jax agreed. All attention turned back to Annora. She sighed heavily before speaking. Her voice was surprisingly strong for the situation. She expected it to shake much more than it did.

"Well, everyone. This is it. It's finally time we fight. Or not. But, before everyone goes. I want you all to know, I'm glad I got to meet you. The time with you guys has been the best time of my life. And I'm sorry it has to end this way. So, as we all go off, to our unions, or to the dandelions, or if you have another plan, know we're always together. True friends are never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart. This war, it didn't drive us apart. It made our friendship stronger. And I know nothing can shake our hearts anymore. Best of luck to you all. And may your heart be your guiding key." She said. It was silent for a moment. Annora was almost afraid she had said the wrong thing. The fear was chased from her mind by Kariya speaking up.

"Hear, hear." He said, a crooked grin on his face. Annora smiled at his encouragement.

"And this is why you're the leader." Haku said with a laugh.

The group soon began saying their last goodbyes. Annora made sure every last member was given a hug at least once. She was sad to see them go. Ven was even crying, which earned him an extra hug.

The group slowly slipped away. Annora smiled as each left. Kamiko left first, as she had to gather the dandelions then her own union. Next was Takiko and Jax, who had to be sure their unions were as ready as they were going to be. Saki and Anri left next, not able to wait anymore to join their dandelion companions. Haku and Raito followed soon after, going to find their unions. Skuld left afterward, ready to help Kamiko. Zia was next, ready to face her fate. Much to Annora's surprise, Kariya left with her, trying to get her to laugh as they went. Annora found herself suddenly wishing for more time, just to know what would have become of their group if they had more time.

"Aren't you two going to leave?" Annora asked, looking to Kirai and Ven.

"We want to be sure you're ok too," Ven said. Kirai nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'll be fine." Annora said with a smile.

"I'm gonna miss you guys." Ven said, looking down. Annora frowned and crossed her arms. She looked at Kirai, who shrugged soundlessly.

"Well, do you remember our second party meeting. The one at the hill outside of town?" Annora asked. Ven looked up and nodded. It had been a nighttime meeting that had been Kamiko's idea. There was a meteor shower that night. "Whenever you're thinking of us, look at the stars like we did that night. It can be our special thing."

"I like that idea." Kirai said softly. Ven looked at her and smiled.

"Ok, I'll remember that. Good luck you two." He said.

"You too, Ven." Annora said. She smiled softly, and all together the group split up.