Hello again! Yeah, I felt like updating a second time today mostly because I really like this chapter. Anyway, as always, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or anything Disney. Just Nairbix.
It was now the second day. Tomorrow, Nairbix would lead his assault on Radiant Garden to kill Ansem the Wise.
Sora had sent a message to his friends living in this world after they left Disney Castle, so they had been preparing for the attack since then. But as a precaution, they had asked for the help and soldiers of a few kingdoms that they were friends with. These kingdoms were, Corona, Disney Castle, Agrabah and The Land of Dragons. Unfortunately, these armies were not that large. But that is not where we are now, we are at the point of answering questions and who better to ask and answer, than Aqua and Master Yen Sid in the Mysterious Tower?
"Master, regarding what I told you about what happened at Gracey Manor, what do you think?" The newly wed Aqua asked.
"You mean of when you accidently used the Flux Wave technique." Yen Sid stated as Aqua nodded her head. "There is a simple answer, you have begun awaken your True Master abilities, Aqua."
"But I don't understand what you mean by awaken."
"When a wielder of the Keyblade becomes a master, their Keyblade in a way recognizes them. This means that your Keyblade is willing to let you learn its secrets." Yen Sid replied.
"Its secrets?" She asked.
"Yes, that is the meaning of being a True Master. It is only reached once a master has truly learned everything about the hearts of their Keyblades and their own. Every master has tried and made progress in this pursuit. I did, Xehanort did even Eraqus tried to become a True Master." Yen Sid explained, "But only three have actually done it."
"The one with no name, your master and Nairbix." Aqua stated evenly.
"Yes. But do not think that Nairbix was able to do this in such a short time because his Keyblade had few secrets." The old man advised, "No, far from it. As I have said, he was a prodigy and is a genius to the ways of the Keyblade. And not once in all his years, has he ever lost a battle."
"Well, then there's a first time for everything." Aqua said with gusto. "I actually have another question to ask you, Master, and I would like for you to be honest because I know you know more than you're telling us. Why is Nairbix wanting to kill Ansem so badly, what did he ever do to him?" She asked. Yen Sid paused and took a deep breath with his eyes closed.
"Forgive me, my pupil." He muttered, he then looked to Aqua and confessed. "In truth, I have always known why he wants to kill Ansem the Wise, Aqua. It is out of vengeance."
"But why?" She asked.
"Allow me to ask you this first. If Nairbix is Elsa's and Scarlet Rose's father, then why haven't we seen or heard of anything about their mother?" Yen Sid asked, "As you know, Ansem was a man who studied the nature of hearts, the more interesting the heart the more he wanted to examine it. Nairbix's wife and children had interesting hearts in Ansem's eyes. Wanting to examine them, Ansem sent out his students to find and bring them to him. This was before Xehanort had taken Ansem's name, of course. It took Nairbix three weeks before he found them in Radiant Garden after Xehanort left his darkness upon the world. Ansem had used his family as test subjects for his research. At the time he may have gone mad due to what his students had done to him. Nevertheless, it was still cruel and inhumane." Yen Sid defended as he told the story.
"Dear God." Aqua whispered.
"Nairbix had finally found his loved ones, by himself he would not let any of us help him. He had managed to get his wife and children out of the castle and to the courtyard, but Ansem had stopped them. He would not allow more of his research to be stolen from him, so in his anger he used an older version of the town's defense system to kill the girls. Nairbix watched helplessly as his wife and children bled to death in his arms." He said sadly. "You know what he did next from what you saw on Ansem's computer."
"Yes," Aqua whispered, "What happened after that, though?"
"His wife and daughters meant everything to him. His lifelong dream of having a wife and children, was destroyed. He had lost the will to carry on with his life. We feared that he would eventually commit suicide, but he would not do it. He felt as though he should suffer further, for in his eyes he had failed as both a husband and a father. Nairbix then went into self-exile in the realm of darkness, mourning over the loss of his family. But then, ten years later, Mickey comes to him with news that they are alive. He had found out where the children were sent, for you see, Ansem had created an illusion of the girls before Nairbix arrived. He had sent them away to different worlds, each one thinking they saw their family bleed to death."
"Ansem made two children see their sister and parents die right in front of them?" Aqua asked in shock, Yen Sid could only nod sadly. "Wait, what about his wife, did they find her?"
"Sadly, no. From what I have sensed amongst the stars, she is dead. Nairbix has realized this and has yet another reason to kill Ansem." Yen Sid explained.
"Then why is he going around taking all of these objects from the worlds?" Aqua asked.
"It is hard to say, but what I can say is this." Yen Sid said while conjuring up a cup of warm tea in his hand. "Nairbix is an unstoppable force, and a fearsome enemy to face, that I am sure of without a doubt in my mind or heart." He said before he took a sip of his tea.
In Radiant Garden, Sora was helping the Restoration Committee prepare for the upcoming battle. So far, all of the troops that came from the other worlds were nervous. Their added numbers were not that comforting, it was roughly 375 soldiers in all. Now, Sora and his friend Leon (the real one) were walking to Ansem's study to see something that the Committee had been working on.
"So what is it you wanted to show me?" Sora asked his old friend as he opened the secret door in the study which led to the computer room.
"Just be patient, you'll see." Leon said in his cool monotone voice, he then stopped once they walked into the computer room. Leon then typed on a few keys and pulled up a picture for Sora to see. "This is what we've been working on." Leon said as they looked at the picture. It was a man shaped creature, it wore a large suit of gray armor that seemed like a trench coat made of metal with shoulder pads. It also had black gloves on and had a sword to its side and a large gray bow over its shoulder, on its back were what seemed to be the bones of wings (also gray) to give it flight. It had no face, for it wore a dark neon blue helmet.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Leon asked.
"Beautiful, impressive…dangerous." Sora stated, he then looked at Leon and asked him, "This is what you've been working on?"
"As strong as we all are, Sora, the Committee isn't as strong as you wielders of the Keyblade. And after our experience with those who have wielded them, we need to have an upper edge against whatever it is he's bringing tomorrow." Leon dismissed as he went out the door to the right of the computer, Sora let out a sigh as he followed his friend.
"Fine, I see your point. Just how many of these things did you guys make?" Sora asked as they stood on the balcony, as far as the eye could see machine pods riddled the vast walls. Leon then brought his index finger and thumb to his mouth and let out a loud whistle. After a few moments of nothing, the creations began to spring out of their pods and float in the air at attention, forming wall in front of wall to the end of the laboratory.
"Roughly about…six thousand." Leon replied bluntly as Sora looked at them in awe.
"So, we have everything ready?" Jumba asked Nairbix as he sat on a boulder in their caves with the giant glowing blue rocks.
"Everything is according to plan." Nairbix replied softly as he was looking at a necklace with his wife in children in a photo in it. "What news has our spy sent us?" He asked not averting his eyes from the photo.
"Aside from that girl Aqua and boy Ventus being married as of yesterday, nothing that will harm the plan." Jumba replied, he then added, "Some of the kingdoms that they are allied with have sent soldiers to assist them for tomorrow. If Jumba is being correct, they were Corona's, Agrabah's, Disney Castle's and some from The Land of Dragons. The numbers however are very small, at most 375 of them were sent."
"Hmph, they will be filled with fear once they see our forces." Nairbix chuckled. "With that much fear, Scarlet Rose and I just may be able to ascend to our other forms." He said darkly. "Jumba, am I a good parent?"
"Yes, you are. Even though they have been fighting alongside you, it doesn't make you a bad father, especially seeing how you have given them so much love after all these years of not only your suffering, but theirs as well." Jumba replied.
"I remember a time when the eight of us would all sit down and have dinner together during the holidays. My wife would make the most delicious food, Mother and Diaval would stop acting so dark and have a good time playing with Rosie as a baby. Mickey would be decorating everything with Minnie and me and Elsa would be drinking eggnog while you always messed around with the lights." Nairbix said causing both of them to laugh at the fond memories lightly.
"Well, Jumba is going to have some rest before tomorrow, goodnight, brother." Jumba said with a yawn, he then stopped and turned to face his brother one more time. "By the way, how many of them are at your command again?"
"Well, with my army plus your experiments with the five of us it is, 10,635 in all." Nairbix replied bluntly, Jumba then walked away. Still thinking about all those happy memories, Nairbix began to sing an old song, an old song that has been taught to wielders of the Keyblade for many years.
"Our keys are watching us quietly. Guiding us through our deaths and our births, from humble home worlds to the stars beyond the worlds. All our pain and suffering is swallowed up in their warm embrace. So knowingly and gently locks them all away. There will come a day I'm sure when I must heed their solemn calls and walk side by side with my old friends. Resting in the sea of stars." No longer looking at the necklace, Nairbix had pulled out an old pocket watch watching the seconds tick by.
"Wait for me, my beloved." He whispered, the watch had read that it was 11:59 about to turn midnight. It seemed as though the ticking of the watch grew louder and began to echo through the caves. Ten seconds remained, soon he would have his revenge and both he and his daughters will have their minds at ease. Five…four…three…two…one…midnight.
The third day had begun.