Chapter Thirteen
Into the Depths of Via Infinito

You can see today, but I see beyond.When I get this feeling, something is about to happen.Without any reason,
It's supernatural.

Some people call me crazy,Some things there's no explaining.Just believe what you see.
It's supernatural.

Supernatural
Raven Symone

Snickering behind a covered hand, Sam tried to keep a straight face as Kairi turned yet again to glare at him.

"It wasn't THAT funny." She complained loudly.

"You touched the statue again, scared the guards, making them fall down the stairs in a group. I'd say that's pretty funny." Sam retorted, looking around the dark corridors of the place Tidus had called Via Infinito. The howls had been echoing off of the walls without end, but they hadn't seen anything. That in itself made Yuna wary, since this place was usually full to bursting with things she called 'Fiends'. It was when the ground trembled under their feet that Sam stopped.

"What was THAT?" He asked, alarmed to hear his voice go to a slightly higher pitch than normal. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "What was that?" He asked coolly, trying to look undisturbed. Ignoring Kairi's snort of laughter, Sam looked to Yuna who had stopped when he had.

"I'm not sure." She replied, worry filling her voice. "Usually there are pyreflies as well."

"Pyreflies?"

"Uh, Yuna looked puzzled, as if trying to find a way to describe something that went without description. "They're, um. I'm not sure what they are, but they emerge from your body when you die and a Sending is performed."

"Sending?"

"It's a dance." Tidus interjected when Yuna made no move to answer. "A special dance that sends to the spirits of the dead to the afterlife, and stops them from becoming fiends."

"Ah." Sam raised his eyebrow. "You guys believe that works?"

Yuna began walking again as the floors settled down. "Yes." She answered simply, not looking back.

Sam frowned. This seemed to be a sensitive for her. Wondering what had happened, he made a mental note to ask someone at a later point.

Groaning as he tried to get onto all fours from a lying down position, Sora blinked as his vision filled with an oppressive darkness. Wherever he was, it hadn't seen a glimmer of light in ages. His entire body seemed to hum as he got to his feet. Looking down at his right hand, Sora frowned as a purple symbol, looking like a hammer shimmered into existence; the Crest of Power. Looking at it in wonder, he wondered at the adrenaline which was filling his body. His ears were picking out faint stumbles from above, his mind sharpened, expanding as the Crest of Power activated the latent psychic gifts within Sora's mind, strengthening and bolstering his natural abilities at them until, without his knowing, he had become the single most powerful mortal psychic within the Universe.

His body felt the same too. Muscles became slightly more defined, his eyesight sharpened, his magical gifts grew. And then, as if sensing the tirade of growth that encompassed Sora's body, it was cut off. Feeling a slight sense of loss, Sora looked around, wondering what had happened.

"The Gods intervened."

Wheeling around, Sora squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the face of the one who had spoken. A flare of white light shone out, making Sora's eyes fizz with pain as Princess Zelda called it up.

"They what?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"You and I are unique among the Crest Holders Sora. Within you is the capacity for limitless power. Left unchecked, it would consume you and destroy your mind." Zelda said quietly, he voice ringing through the silent corridors. "The ability granted to me is omniscience, the ability to know everything. However, as a result, we have been restricted."

Sora looked at her in confusion, his eyebrows coming together with an almost audible click. "Restricted how?"

"Our Crests may only be fully unlocked at certain times, as judged by the Gods of our Universe." Came the prompt reply. "I may only know facts when I need to, and you may use extreme power when it is deemed necessary." The fourteen year old girl smiled; a kind countenance to her grim words. "You are already one of the more powerful individuals in the Universe as it is. The Gods decided to merely bolster your natural abilities, as well as give you control over the element attached to the Crest of Power, that of the mind. In the meantime, you cannot directly channel the excess power from your Crest, instead, you must act as a conduit, lending your power to those weaker than yourself, or simply those in need of it."

"Uh huh. And what about you? What's your element?" Sora's boyish voice rang through the air.

Zelda smiled, flicking her fingers. In response, the shadows drew back, leaving Sora in a space fully made of light. "Much of the Universe's knowledge is kept in the darkness. By knowing everything, I can control the shadows."

"But won't you be able to do whatever you want then?" Sora asked curiously. "I mean, you know everything, won't you be able to do whatever you want?"

"I only know what the Gods wish me to know." She replied quietly. "And I cannot use more power than I naturally have. You and I may work together, but I cannot take power from you, nor can you be granted knowledge of everything you should like. I advise you draw the Keyblade."

Sora frowned at the sudden change of topic. "Why would I do tha-?"

His answer came as a roar shattered the stillness of the level. The shadows which had been kept at bay by Zelda swirled around the two Crest Holders in a whirlpool of darkness. Sinking into a fighting position, Sora summoned the Keyblade, ignoring the familiar clicking noise as it was summoned into being. Looking down at it, his eyes widened as he saw the Keychain at the end change shape, becoming a six-pointed star. "What the?"

"It's the Crest Weapon of Power." Zelda said, walking over to stand next to Sora, her long, white skirts rustling softly. Eying the whirling shadows, she quirked her mouth to the side. "The rank of Keyblade Master is separate to that of the Crest Holders. The Crest of Power usually works through symbols, however, since you have the Keyblade, it combines with it, rendering you that much more powerful than a normal Protector of Power would be." Lifting her right hand, a black symbol, looking like a reversed tick of approval with a small dot over the lower end on it, she expelled a ball of flame into the darkness, letting it explode with a puff of magic. In answer, a reverberating howling filled the air and the tornado stopped, pooling to become the one creature. Standing nearly 10 feet tall, its head seemed to scrape the top of the roof. It looked like an odd mixture of machine and darkness.

"Ultima Shade." Zelda told Sora. "The Heartless of an Unsent called Paragon."

Looking at the Heartless with calculating eyes, Sora made to charge forward. He stopped as Zelda extended a hand, keeping him back.

"It will be fine." She soothed him. "We have help."

A screech of rage reached Sora's ears. Turning, his eyes widened as a large form, taking up most of the passage, soared above him. Landing heavily on the ground, Sora found himself looking into the silver eyes of a giant bird, its feathers black. A full moon shone on its chest, while a quarter moon glimmered on each of its wings. A silver beak parted to momentarily show a red tongue as the bird screeched again. Raising her hands above her head, followed by a whirling motion with her hands, Zelda summoned an orb of green into existence. Staying where it was momentarily, it zoomed off in the direction the bird had come from.

Muttering to himself as he trudged along yet another level of the limitless ruins, Sam paused when he felt a trail of wind saunter across his sweaty brow. It was hot down here; growing hotter the deeper they descended. Looking up, he hadn't realised he was at the front of the group, he stepped back a step as he saw a flash of green light, steadily coming closer and closer. "Uh, guys?"

Kairi, Tidus and Yuna crowded behind Sam. Rikku and Paine had opted to stay topside, though Sam had a feeling Yuna had asked them to quietly. Kairi frowned as the ball came closer, its green light throwing off a tail of sparks behind it. "What do you think that is?"

She got her answer when it paused in front of them. Without warning, it enlarged, engulfing the four of them in a bright light. When he could see again, Sam gulped as he saw the epic shape of the Ultima Shade, the two people he vaguely recalled as being Sora and Zelda standing in front of it. Realising the darkness above wasn't natural, Sam looked up and yelped, just as the bird opened its wings, shining what looked like white moonlight onto the Heartless.

"Celestrial." Sam breathed, his eyes wide with wonder. "The Legendary Bird of Darkness."

"You know what this thing is?" Tidus said, looking up into the feathery underbelly of Celestrial. Catching Sam's amazed look, Tidus nodded. "That must be a yes."

Celestrial continued his attack on the Ultima Shade, looking down at the beings below it with a look that approached confusion. When Zelda turned to him, showing the Crest on the back of her hand, he seemed to nod, concentrating his attack on the Heartless.

Summoning Nirvana, Sam whipped it around in a circular motion, narrowly missing Kairi who had followed Sam's example and called on the Papal Gloves. Angling the tip of Nirvana at the Ultima Shade's head, Sam narrowed his eyes, crying out 'Water!'. In response, a jet of highly pressurised water sprang from the tip of the staff, knocking into the Heartless and knocking it off balance. A blast of white energy erupting from the Papal Gloves completed the effect, making the creation of darkness fall onto its side, its large, imposing legs kicking uselessly.
Extending her hand, Yuna looked pained for a second as she attempted to draw her weapon. When a pistol, a smooth creation of white and brown, displaying the angled bow and arrow symbol of Kindness on the handle of the gun, appeared in her hand, she raised it, pulling the trigger and shooting a blast of heavily compressed air at the Heartless. Impacting, it made the Ultima Shade slide back a few metres, directly into the rain of lightning Sora summoned with the Keyblade. Giving a yell, the Keyblade master ran forward, leaping high into the air and fell, Keyblade first, driving the mythical weapon deep into the neck of the Heartless. Giving a wounded howl, it vibrated, somehow levitating in the air and resuming its upright position. Jumping clear, Sora rolled to a stop next to Tidus who jumped into the air, a golden glow surrounding his fists. Punching the Ultima Shade heavily on the head, his other fist connected with its eye socket. The light generated by the Crest of Determination tore through the body of the Ultima Shade, rendering it blind on one side as the eye dissolved into nothingness. Landing in a crouching position at its feet, Tidus narrowly avoided being crushed to death as Celestrial extended a wing, drawing Tidus closer to his midnight black body. The full moon on the chest of Celestrial began glowing a vivid silver. After a second, a beam shot forward, broadening until it encompassed the Heartless in its entirety. With a final howl of anguish, the Ultima Shade began breaking up, the darkness being carried away by Celestrial's power.

Giving a sigh of relief, Sam looked up at Celestrial still attempting to contain his awe. He watched, silently as Celestrial backed up a few steps until he could see the six Crest Holders before him. And then, to Sam's astonishment, he bowed his head. Feeling as if his heart would be audible up on the surface, Sam felt his stomach enter his throat as Celestrial bowed to the beings before it. This, above all things, told Sam that what had happened earlier with the Gods was true. The Universe was in peril, and only he and the other Crest Holders could stop the darkness.
He dreaded telling his mother he would be leaving again...