Exception 2: Puppetmaster

The shine from opening the door began to fade.

Beyond here, there is no light. Not even the ray of light you carry in your heart can save you here. Be careful, Roy Hartmut.

"Can it, Ansem," I said, eyes closed.

I stepped into the endless void of shadows.

So... you finally made it to the heart of darkness, a familiar, but ethereal voice called out.

"Your voice... it's so familiar, yet it escapes me," I called out, hearing my voice echo across the emptiness of where I was. "I..."

I'm shocked, the voice called out. Considering our history together... our blood relation... you shouldn't have forgotten me, even if you haven't seen me in four and a half years.

"Four and a half years...? What happened four and a half years ago?" I asked.

You've forgotten even that? How sad.

"I haven't forgotten... I just don't remember..." I said. "I've been fighting almost nonstop for four years, after all. Some memories are bound to get buried."

Still, it's sad you could forget your own brother.

"Jake? Jake, are you still alive somehow?!" I called out into the shadows.

"No," the voice said, now concrete, behind me. I heard the door I had entered through slam shut.

"My other brother... my older brother..." I said over my shoulder. "You could only be... Lance."

"That's right," he said as I turned around. He was wearing little more than black trousers and a long, black cloak... on the back, I assumed, was some symbol or character.

"Lance... my shameful older brother. What's your self-imposed role in my story?" I asked him.

"Puppetmaster," he replied.

"Puppetmaster? So you've been pulling the strings all this time... from when Amy reappeared and corrupted the world population?" I asked.

"Longer than that," he said. "I pointed the Order of Light at Earth, and since then, I've been watching you, Roy. Hoping you'd die at the hands of one of my minions and make my job a lot easier. But you're as resilient and pestilent as ever."

"You... you bastard!" I shouted, charging at him with my last blade... the Masamune. "You'd try to kill your own brother?! What the hell's wrong with you?!"

"I could ask you the same thing," Lance called out as I charged.

My blow should have chopped him clean in two... but he caught it with his bare hand...

"People inherently fear evil," he said. "However, occasionally a person may be seduced by evil."

He ran his hand down the length of my blade, causing blood to flow down it.

"Seduced by evil? That's a load of crap!" I shouted, trying to push my blade forward.

Lance held it steady.

"Oh, really? Look at Jake... look at what happened to him because of you," Lance said, finally letting go of my sword. As soon as he did, I made a swing, but he vanished just before the blow should have landed.

"What happened to Jake... wasn't my fault..." I muttered to myself.

"Still making excuses for your actions, or lack of actions?" Lance called out from behind me.

"No... I've let go of what I've done. But what about you? What's your excuse for causing this five-year atrocity?" I asked, disgusted at what my brother had become... and the memories he was bringing back...

"You could say... I'm trying to support my family," he said.

"Your family?! Mom, dad, Jake and I are the only family you've got, and everyone but me has died by your hand!" I shouted at him.

"How untrue," he said. "You killed our parents on your blood rampage in the Dark Depths of Hollow Bastion, and if I recall correctly, you battled Jake in a one-on-one duel. He even used the second level of that Cursed Seal you gave him, but you still slaughtered him."

"That's... I..." I stammered.

"I may have pushed you toward it, but you're the one who killed them," Lance said with a grave tone.

"I told you... I've let go of what I've done. But... what 'family' are you talking... about...?" I asked slowly.

"I have a wife and son," he said.

"You do?" I asked, shocked for a moment. "Even so, what of it...?"

"Let's just say I was having a lot of trouble," Lance told me. "I was in debt and struggling. And six and a half years ago, I felt a tinge of darkness touch me from across space. It told me that I could have whatever I needed and desired if I gave myself over to it. I did."

"You coward..." I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say?" Lance asked with an incredulous tone.

"I said you're a coward. You chose the easy way, rather than suffer for what you need," I told him. "You've suffered? Don't make me laugh."

"You went on fantastic adventures, while I worked a crummy job to support my family," Lance said. "What would you know about suffering?"

"I've been forced to fight and kill all the people I hold dear to me, except you," I said. "And now it seems I'll be forced to kill you, too."

"You can't kill me," Lance said. "I've got a family to protect."

This is a difficult situation, I thought to myself. I have to restore the True Light... to change the world, not save it... and to see the end of this. But... he's my brother, and... he's got a family he's fighting for... what should I do?

"If you won't kill me, I'll kill you," Lance said, "and do the world a big favor."

"How would killing me do the world a favor?" I asked with my head hung. "I'm its savior, after all."

"You could never function in the real world, Roy," Lance said, placing particular disgust on my name. "You're a lazy slacker with no value in this world or the next. Just disappear."

I felt a razor wind moving to strike me as I closed my eyes, still hanging my head.

CLANG!!!

"Huh?" I asked, opening my eyes. A familiar katana was blocking a blow from a flamberge.

"There's no way we'd let you die, Roy," I heard Amy say. "Even if you don't believe in yourself, we know you're important!"

"Amy... who else is here?" I asked.

"Everyone... Jake, Jason, Serenity, Sora, Riku, and Kairi!" she shouted.

"Tch... wretched fools," Lance said, backing off. Everyone stepped forth from the darkness. "No matter how many flies gather, they can accomplish little more than what one fly could."

"Right. That's why we... Riku and I beat Xemnas?" Sora asked. "I don't believe you for a second."

"You turned me against our brother... albeit passively," Jake said. "I'll never forgive you, even if the blood in your veins is exactly like mine!"

"See? We're all here for you, Lance," Amy said to him. "Jake and I were resurrected and purified by the light, just like the worlds... and now, we're here to see this battle done for eternity."

"No," I said gravely. "Stay back. This is my fight and my fight alone."

"See? The even worst fool realizes when he's outclassed," Lance called out mockingly.

"Roy... you can't give up on us now," Amy said. "We've come this far because of rivalry and friendship. This is all of our fight."

"You guys..." I muttered.

"I'm at your side, brother," Jake said.

"This is my final test to see if I'm really cut out for fighting at your caliber, Roy," Jason said.

"I refuse to sit on the sidelines any longer!" Serenity called out.

"Well, we've got a tough opponent ahead, eh?" Riku asked.

"No doubt he's got some fun planned for us," Sora said sarcastically.

"That's not funny! We're here to save the world!" Kairi said.

"If that's how you feel, I can't say no," I said, looking up. "Come on! Let's do this!"

"Nothing more than a motley crew of fools, bent on their own selfish desires..." Lance said. "If your wish is to die now, instead of becoming one with the endless void trillions of years in the future, so be it. Come!"

"I would have you know, Lance..." I said solemly, "that even now, I bear no hatred toward you. You... I pity you."

BATTLE QUOTES -the quotes of the various heroes against Lance, done in the style of Fire Emblem (as writing them battling w/the quotes would... be really hard).

SORA

--------
Sora: So, you're the one behind it all. How ironic that your the worlds' savior's brother.
Lance: What do you know of blood ties? You don't have any siblings.
Sora: Riku may as well be my brother, and Kairi is.
Lance: What? Your love?
Sora: I won't let you hurt them, or anyone else.
Lance: Puny Keyblade master. I'll show you the true power of darkness!

SORA (VALOR/WISDOM/MASTER FORM)
-----------
Lance: I see you're trying a little harder now.
Sora: Well... I can't exactly win like I was.
Lance: You still haven't got a prayer.

SORA (FINAL FORM)
------------
Sora: It's over.
Lance: Is that what you think? So foolish.
Sora: If I can't stop you in this form, maybe I am a fool. But I swear... I won't die.
Lance: Perhaps not today. But you will inevitably die.

SORA (LIMIT/ LIMIT BREAK FORM)
----------
Sora: This... is the power of my memories. The memories of light!
Lance: Your past... if you reflect on your past, you can't take me down. The past is my friend.
Sora: You controlled all of this. It's your fault! I'll never forgive you!

RIKU

--------
Lance: And now, before me, stands Riku the redeemed.
Riku: What a pathetic title. Is that the best you can come up with?
Lance: It's not like you can beat me. Be thankful I'm even giving you a title.
Riku: Who do you think you are?
Lance: The one who will bring you to your ultimate fate. Come!

KAIRI

--------
Lance: So, the Princess of Heart is actually standing up to me. I never thought this day would come.
Kairi: I won't let you hurt my friends.
Lance: Like you have a choice in the matter. You're the weakest one here.
Kairi: I have abilities other than physical prowess.
Lance: Let's see it, then.

AMY

--------------
Amy: You did all of this. You corrupted me. You made me betray Roy.
Lance: What of it?
Amy: It was all for your own selfish ends.
Lance: I wouldn't say my ends were selfish.
Amy: It doesn't matter, now... I will fight you, and I will defeat you.
Lance: You will try.

JAKE (NORMAL FORM)
----------------------------
Jake: You always pushed me around, brother.
Lance: Foolish little brother. You can't beat me.
Jake: I'm stronger than you realize.
Lance: Run, while you still can. Run and survive in an unsightly manner such as this.
Jake: I'm tired of being told my life, as it is, is unsightly. This ends now!

JAKE (LEVEL 1 CURSED SEAL)
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Lance: So this is the power Roy gave you... a cursed seal.
Jake: What of it?
Lance: You still haven't harnessed its full power.
Jake: I'm capable of it.
Lance: If you value your life, I'd suggest doing so.
Jake: This power is more than enough to take you down!
Lance: Is that what you think?

JAKE (LEVEL 2 CURSED SEAL)
------------------------------------
Jake: Now this is more like it.
Lance: You're strong, little brother. However, it still isn't enough.
Jake: I'll be the judge of that.

ROY (NORMAL FORM)
----------------------------
Lance: So it comes to this. I never thought you'd get this far.
Roy: You always underestmated me because of my laziness... because of who I was.
Lance: Maybe so, but I think it was a righteous underestimation.
Roy: Not really. I have a few talents.
Lance: Like what? Computers? You always bragged about that. You're still lacking in physical abilities, though.
Roy: My skill with the blade far outclasses your own.
Lance: Is... that right?

ROY (HOLY DEMON)
--------------------------
Roy: Get out. This is my story, and you're not part of it.
Lance: Oh? I'm the driving force behind it all... the very reason you began fighting. I am the darkness that haunts your soul, the being that decides if you live or die.
Roy: I won't say it again. This is my story, and you're not part of it.

ROY (ANGEL)
----------------
Lance: That cursed power... the one that resists destiny.
Roy: I won't allow you to make the light fade.
Lance: As if it matters. You're too weak like that... a form based on defense cannot hope to overcome me.

(The hereos are victorious)