The Resolve of All
Chapter 10: Retribution
Skyler's body was dangling from the tall Clock Tower, and the only thing keeping him from falling to his death was Drex's hand...
If he let go... Xylersk would be gone... for good.
But if he pulled him back up... we don't know...
"What should I do?" Drex asked himself. "...I hope I don't regret this..."
Drex pulled the still limp Xylersk back up onto the ledge and out of harm's way. He propped his body up against the wall behind them as Drex began to heal his injuries.
Exhausted himself now, Drex leaned against the wall next to his former opponent and everything was just quiet and peaceful for a while as the two of them faced the twilight sunset.
Then suddenly that silence was broken as Xylersk began to stir...
"What...? I'm alive...?" He gave a puzzling look as he turned his attention to Drex who was beside him. "Why...?"
"It wouldn't be right to let my friend fall like that..." Drex kindly responded.
"I seriously doubt you still consider me your friend." Xylersk meanly stated.
"Then explain to me why I pulled you back up." He responded.
"Tch... because you're an idiot... but it doesn't matter... no matter what happens to me... Xehanort will get his way..." Xylersk stated.
"What do you mean?" Drex inquired.
"We're all just pawns in his game..." He informed him.
"...Even a pawn can take down a King." Drex smartly responded.
"Maybe... in the right position..." And after another minute Xylersk calmly questioned. "...Drex, how were you re-completed?"
"Actually, my Nodody was destroyed trying to protect my friends... and I failed... again." Drex answered. "But from what I've learned, if you're ever going to put your entire being on the line for something... you stick by it... and protect it. No matter what."
"Your newer friends seem very important to you..." Xylersk noted.
"No more than my old ones..." Drex confessed.
"...Good to know." Xylersk gave a ghost of a smile. "And Mona?"
"...She came on to me." Drex smirked.
"...Yeah right." Xylersk chuckled. "What about the others? Mark... Alliana... Fate?"
"I want to help all of you... you all deserve better than this." Drex comforted. "Do you know where they are?"
"No..." He simply said.
Drex decided to change the subject. "When was the last time you saw a sunset like that?"
Xylersk turned his head towards the setting sun and his demeanor seemed much more lax now. "Too long..."
"It's nice... to just sit here and not fight... Am I right?" Drex asked.
Xylersk sighed. "You know, among all of us... I am still a Nobody..."
"That doesn't matter." Drex replied.
"It does to me..." Xylersk stated. "...Drex... can you do me a favor?
"What is it?" Drex warily responded.
"Put an end to me... so that I may be re-completed." He pleaded.
"...Are you sure?" Drex replied.
"Xehanort will recruit me again, so I can't promise we won't fight again in the future... but I need this... please..." He begged.
Drex nodded. "Okay... I'll do it."
Drex stood up as he summoned his Keyblade, and then he pointed it at Xylersk's chest...
"Wait! Before you do this... I need to tell you something!" He stopped him.
"Well spit it out already." Drex responded.
"The Organization... they have certain investigations underway... I don't know what they're about... but they're after something in Radiant Garden." Xylersk informed.
"I sent Mona to Radiant Garden..." Drex realized.
"Then go! Help her..." Xylersk encouraged.
"Thanks... see you on the other side, Skyler..." He smiled in gratitude.
And without even a warning, Drex thrust Sleeping Lion right into Xylersk's chest. It definitely looked like it hurt a lot, but Xylersk returned his expression with a peaceful smile, satisfied knowing that he may get his heart back... And then he faded away back into darkness...
"It took a lot of guts to do that..."
Drex looked around for the sound of the new voice, but from a distant memory he knew who it was. "Not really, the guy tried to kill me twice."
"That guy sounded like he was your friend..."
Then from around the corner of the ledge, out came a young man with silver hair and bluish-green eyes...
"...Riku, what are you doing here?" Drex inquired still tense with his presence for obvious reasons.
"I've been scouting the worlds to monitor the Organization's activities, but I don't know where their stronghold is." Riku explained. "Yen Sid told me all about you and your friends helping out."
"Yeah, we've had better days though." Drex sadly responded.
"It seems like it. So where are you heading now?" Riku asked.
"I have to go back to Radiant Garden first." Drex informed.
"Do you mind if I tag along? You might be onto something by going back there." Riku requested.
It was odd for Drex to hear Riku say that to him; especially since the last time they saw one another it was completely a less than friendly situation.
"Listen, I know this might be a little awkward for you so if you don't want to-" But Riku was cut off.
"No, I wouldn't mind the company. And it's okay. I forgive you for that. You actually did me a favor for destroying my Nobody." Drex forgave.
"Thank you, that means a lot." Riku nodded. "So I hear you're a Keyblade wielder now?"
"Yep, I've been getting pretty good at it too." Drex demonstrated with a swing of his weapon.
"Not bad. Maybe someday you'll be a Master like me." Riku revealed.
"What?! You're a Keyblade Master now?" Drex said dumbfounded. "But aren't you a wielder of darkness or something?"
"Not anymore, I walk the road to dawn." Riku declared.
"Well aren't you just special." Drex joked.
Riku chuckled. "Let's get going to Radiant Garden."
Riku then summoned a corridor of light with his Keyblade and he walked through the portal. Drex followed suit commenting that this pathway was a lot brighter than he was use to...
Xion stumbled out of her dark corridor and onto the snowy summit of the mountain which resided in The Land of the Dragons.
The cold air hit the raven-haired girl like a train, and she immediately began to shiver as she stumbled in the ankle-deep snow.
Before the dark corridor closed behind her, Lea ran out of it like he was being chased by a ghost. Yet, the freezing altitude had a weaker effect on the pyro since he had a more natural heat within himself, being his element was fire.
"Xion!" Lea addressed the girl. "Stop!"
"Lea..." She wept. "You need to get away from me!"
"But why?!" Lea demanded to know.
"Why indeed...?"
The menacing voice revealed itself via dark corridor as Mark and another hooded figure beside him. Mark gave another smirk at the presence of his company.
"Go on Xion... Tell your friend what you truly are..."
"...! I won't let you control me anymore! I refuse to do anything you say! I refuse!" She declared.
Mark grinned. "It doesn't matter now... for you see; my friend here is my Plan B." He motioned towards the mysterious figure beside him. "Now you... go! Find Mona in Radiant Garden and bring her back to Headquarters. If you fail... don't bother returning. This is your new purpose, fulfill it and you will be greatly rewarded."
The mysterious figure nodded and teleported away into darkness to capture Mona, leaving Mark to contend with Xion and Lea.
Play the 13th Struggle Battle Theme on a second tab.
"I've had enough of this!" Lea proclaimed. "I don't care who you are! Anyone who messes with my friends messes with me!"
"I'd be more than happy to oblige your endeavor!" Mark smirked as he summoned countless Heartless around him on the snowy slope of the mountaintop. "Allons-y!"
Xion and Lea summoned their Keyblades and together they clashed with the charging Heartless who rushed them immediately.
Mark charged directly at Lea himself though while Xion could not help but only attack the oncoming Heartless around them.
Lea swung his Keyblade, only to be blocked by one of Mark's swords. Mark then countered by attempting to thrust his second sword in Lea's chest, but Lea engulfed himself in fire magic, dulling the speed of his attack leaving only a scratch. Lea then stepped back and surprisingly swept Mark's feet out from under him. He was about to piece his torso while he was almost defenseless on his back when Mark desperately threw some snow in Lea's eyes. Mark then spun himself back on his feet and disarmed Lea of his Keyblade. Mark then jetted his black sword at Lea's face, but the pyro was able to dodge it and only get another scratch on his arm. Lea then re-summoned his Keyblade and made an uppercut move on Mark, sending him flying back.
Mark then cracked his jaw and gave a frustrated expression as he retreated behind his wall of Heartless minions, and he called on them to advance on his two opponents.
Lunging and slashing, Lea and Xion were barely holding their own against the seemingly endless onslaught of Heartless while Mark was powering up his weapons with an intense dark energy...
"BURN BABY!" Lea exclaimed as he engulfed his Keyblade in fire and pierced his enemies with pure heat and power.
Xion shrouded her Keyblade with a light based energy and just as effectively handled the Heartless as well if not better than Lea.
"You both have admirable skills." Mark commented in the ensuing battle on the peak. "But... can you stop this?!"
Mark had just launched a powerful death ball of darkness at Lea and Xion. Lea had immediately in response summoned a fire barrier to counter the attack. But, the ball fazed through the flames and seemed unaffected at all!
"Lea! I got it!" Xion stated as she moved in front of her friend.
With all of her might, Xion used the power of her Keyblade to successfully deflect Mark's powerful energy ball to the tip-top peak of the mountain up behind them.
"Impossible! How could you still have the strength-?!" But Mark was cut off from the violent tremor.
Apparently, upon impact on the mountaintop, the energy ball caused a great avalanche to occur and seemingly an endless amount of snow was tumbling towards all of them at incredible speeds!
"Xion! We got to get out of here!" Lea warned her.
"No!" Mark exclaimed.
Before any of them knew Mark, Lea, Xion, and the rest of the Heartless were smothered by the white abyss that came down on them all...
After the cold choas had settled... Xion had dug herself out of the white snow and looked around the white sea for some red hair, and she found him! She ran to Lea where a couple of red spikes had stuck out of the cold powder. She used some fire magic to melt the snow around him and to her relief he was still breathing... but he was unconscious.
Xion then quietly used a healing spell to cure Lea of all of his injuries, and then she created a dark corridor for herself.
"I'm sorry Lea... but... I can never forgive myself for what I did to Roxas... I-I need to go someplace where I'll never hurt anyone again..." She stated sadly as she disappeared into the darkness...
And after a moment or so, Lea had woken up and noticed that he was all alone... Where was Xion? Where was that Mark character? Lea was all by himself again... but he had to keep at it and find his friends...
He pondered out loud as he entered his own corridor. "How did this happen...?"
A/N- So, Drex gave Xylersk his heart back by destroying his Nobody and re-completing him. Will they have to fight again in the future though? And Riku accompanies Drex to Radiant Garden to seek out Mona, but who is this mysterious figure hunting her down now? Where will Xion and Lea go? Did Mark survive the avalanche? So many questions... Post your thoughts on any of them via review. Until next time :)