Disclaimer: The following series and characters belong to their respective corporations: Nintendo, Disney, and Square-Enix, including their respectful developers. The following characters of this fic: Kyle Nasher, Dirk Lionheart, Alana (Lana) Blade, Drew Devin, and Nived Werd belong to author Mace the Manakete in agreement to his written consent.

Nintendo. Disney. Square-Enix
Kingdom Hearts Chronicles: Vol.1
KINGDOM BLESSINGS

—CHAPTER 17—
Deadly Encounter

Two swords clashed each other on the coldest of nights as Ike and Lyn squared off in a lethal match. Lyn's merciless eyes stared into Ike as the two swords intertwined.

"What do you want from me?" Ike huffed.

"I'm here to kill you." Lyn panted.

The swordfighters recoiled. Lyn bounced toward Ike again but Ike blocked her attempted sword slash. She delivered another one again, and again, and again. Ike kept blocking every move. Another strike from Lyn and Ike countered it and quickly moved out of the way, behind her. Ike did not had the chance to read Lyn's next attack when she quickly turned around and threw a sweep slash. Ike jumped but made a bad landing and sprained his ankle. He let go of his sword as he fell on the muddy ground. Lyn aimed her sword.

There was an uncomfortable pause between the swordfighters. With exhausted panting and drench of sweats on their forehead glistening at the moonlight, there was no silence between them.

"Time's up… mercenary." Lyn broke the pause.

"All right… fine… …kill me if you want……I give up." Ike said.

A minute flew by and nothing occurred. Lyn's grip on the sword started to shake. Ike knew she may back down but wasn't sure she would. She did. She dropped her sword and after a moment, she started to fall. Ike quickly stood up and caught her just in time to prevent her from hitting the ground.

"Hey. Are you all right?" Ike tried to wake her up but to no use. Lyn was unconscious.

"I'm not stooping to your level." Reyson told Sephiroth.

"Are you saying you've changed your mind about human?"

"Humans are the very root of evil. The foundation of darkness. My belief about it remains unchanged. But to use the Forbidden Magic would mean utter destruction, even if it's a retribution for genocide. Retribution for this forest."

"That's true. All true. But think about it. Your family… your tribe… they all died, slaughtered like livestock, because of them. Every single one of them: your mother, your father, your sisters… your baby sister Leanne…"

Sephiroth's provoking reply caused Reyson to blow. "Enough, accursed winged fool!" Reyson raised a fist at Sephiroth, "Do not try to tempt me with your verbal poison. What I intend to do will bring dishonor to my house, and yet I cannot forgive a bit because humans like you have violated the sanctity of this forest without leaving a trace of regret! So do not try and play games with me! I hate games! I spit on games! Especially those played and manifested by the likes of you!"

Reyson's anger has gotten into Sephiroth. The dark-winged angel saw Reyson was not ready to back down. It took a minute for him to speak, "Very well. I will leave you alone in your moment."

Sephiroth turned his back on him and floated away, "I bid you good day, prince. If you ever get one." He said these words as he disappeared into nothingness.

Reyson looked below his feet to watch the heroes crossing the forest and heading toward the riverbank.

"Ike!" Mist called for her brother.

Ike looked up from Lyn to the gang coming toward him from a great distance. Goofy was running awkwardly behind, "Wait for me!" he said before tripping on a rock and forming into a rolling ball down the hill and smacked into the gang. Everyone started to roll downhill until they reached its end to leap into the air, screaming. "YAAAAAAAAA-OOH-OOH-OOH-OOH-OOH-OOH-OOEY!!"

The gang pummeled straight into the putrid lake with such impact that the lake rose up and poured on the land, including Ike and Lyn. Lyn woke up.

"W…Where am I?" Lyn groaned.

"Are you all right?" Ike asked her, "You fainted."

Lyn's eyes went straight on Ike in shock. It was at that moment that she realized she was in an awkward position in his arms. She jumped off him. "What are you doing?"

"You fainted." Ike replied.

"So, who's the gal?" Dirk teased a pinkish Ike.

"This is not the time." Ike exclaimed.

"You're right." Lyn picked up her sword and aimed the pointy edge at Ike, "this ain't the time for jokes."

The heroes got on the alert in response to Lyn waving the sword to Ike's face.

"What is she doing?" Luigi stammered.

"She's crazy!" Donald shook his head.

"Ike!" Mist shouted.

Go ahead. Kill him. A voice rang inside Lyn's head. Lyn shuddered at that voice. She still managed to show no mercy, "You all make a pace and I swear that guy will draw his last breath!"

Mist shed a tear, "Please. He's my brother. I don't want to lose him." She got tempted to approach Ike and help him but Titania restrained her. Ike said nothing as he watched his little sister literally shaking.

What are you waiting for? Kill him! Pierce that blade through his stomach like nail on a wall! The voice kept tormenting Lyn. Lyn shook her head. She didn't want to follow the voice's deed yet, it was a duty she must go with it for a personal gain: to get her brother back. She eyed Mist, "I know how you feel." She said. I don't want to lose my brother either. She thought.

Then you'll win him back if you take away someone's brother. And that is: take out Ike. The voice replied to Lyn's thought. Lyn closed her eyes shut and shook her head again.

"I have no choice." She said calmly.

She turned toward Ike, raised her blade in the air and, to everyone's shock, she landed a blow on Ike's forehead with the hilt. Ike fell on the ground, unconscious.

Mist pulled herself off Titania's grasp and dashed to her brother's lifeless body, screaming, "IKE!"

The heroes formed a fighting stance, facing Lyn. Kyle summoned his Keyblade, "What did you do?"

"You killed this guy! You're going to pay for this!" Dirk said, aiming his gun. Donald raised his staff, Goofy seized his shield and Mario and Luigi were ready for some martial-arts action. Lyn however didn't made a stance. She simply stared at the party of six including Titania and Soren ready for battle as well and Elincia watching from behind the small army.

FOOLS!

A booming voice tore from through the skies, catching everyone off-guard. Lyn looked frantic. She dropped her sword and started shaking uncontrollably.

"What was that?" Mario exclaimed.

"That voice…" Titania said.

Ike slowly came to, to everyone's surprise, "Mist…"

Mist beamed at his voice, "Ike! You're okay!"

Lyn looked even more frantic. She started taking steps back and her heart was beating like a drum. I can't let this happen.

"I have to go." She turned around, only to see a shadow towering over her like a mountain.

Pay the wages of your deceit, traitor.

Lyn felt something sharp piercing through her body in a jabbing stroke. The heroes watch Lyn disintegrating into nothingness, only to leave behind a ball of shining light from its core: her blessing. Her blessing faded into the sky and an army of heartless emerged from the ground at the same instance.

"That girl? What happened to her?" Mist exclaimed.

Ike then faced Kyle and the gang, "What's going on?"

"It's them! The creatures." Titania said just as a group of heartless emerged from where Lyn used to stand.

"Heartlesses." Kyle muttered before charging toward the Heartless and one by one he stroke them with his Keyblade. More heartless multiplied and went charging toward the others. Dirk peppered them with his guns, while Donald scorched them on fire. Mario and Luigi threw their usual martial strikes and fireball attacks on them while Goofy dealt them with his tornado spin. More heartless emerged, stressing the heroes. Titania, Soren, Ike and Mist quickly joined the battle and the heroes finally wiped the heartless army out in a matter of second.

The heroes stopped to catch their breath.

"Good thing we found you in the nick of time, Ike." Titania told Ike, "Princess Elincia seems to know something about what's been going on here."

Ike looked around for Princess Elincia, but something was greatly amiss. The princess was nowhere in sight, "Princess Elincia?"

Everyone took notice that the princess was gone. They all got goose bumps.

"Where is she?" Donald exclaimed.

"Where's the princess?" Ike asked Titania and Soren, "You didn't leave her behind, didn't you?"

Titania and Soren shook their heads. "She was here with us a minute ago." Soren explained.

"She's gone!" Goofy said.

"But where could she be?" Mario said.

"Looking for this?"

A booming voice caught everyone's attention. They saw a knight, clad in a full-body ebony armor suit and a blood-colored cape that reached his ankles, standing in front of them as if he magically appeared. The knight opened his palm to reveal a lock of green-lush hair.

"Princess…" Ike stared at the hair lock in horror before fixing his angry gaze at the knight, "…what have you…" he screamed, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?"

"Princess Elincia is a precious asset for our plan." The black knight explained, "There's no way that I'm going to let her go off my grasp."

"Plan?" Kyle repeated, "Wait a minute. You're from the Dark League, aren't you?"

The Black Knight clasped his hands together, "Bravo. For a Warrior of Light like you, you knew it all along. I must give you props."

"If you're from the Dark League, then Raven's vision was right. You must be the leader." Donald said.

The Black Knight shook his head, "Raven's visions may be accurate, but not accurate enough."

"And why is that?" Mario asked.

"Because the leader you're looking for… is here." Another booming voice caught the heroes' attention. They turned around to see Nergal. Nergal had his hands facing each other and a dark ball was charging between his palms. The sorcerer shot out the dark ball and hit Ike with great force. Ike disappeared in a blinding flash.

"IKE!" Mist screamed.

"Don't worry about your brother, little girl. He's now in a better place." Nergal cackled as Mist broke down in tears.

Dirk stepped in front of the heroes and formed a fist at the sorcerer, "Nergal!" he shouted. Nergal haughtily threw the scarf part of his cloak over his shoulder and smiled at Dirk, "Well, look what the darkness dragged in."

"Dirk?" the heroes were surprised that Dirk knew the sorcerer.

"We've met back at the Disney Empire before you guys found me." Dirk explained, "Be careful guys. He's in charge of these creatures. He can summon them at will."

Nergal laughed, "Bravo, Lionheart. You know me very well. And yet I'm surprised you don't know yourself that much."

Dirk smirked, "I know myself like the back of your head, thank you very much." He grin turned into frown, "Now what do you want?"

"How about you give my children more time to play, while I go open the next Gate?" Nergal snapped his finger and more Heartlesses, in addition to Nobodies and Wire Frames emerged from underground. Nergal disappeared, laughing. The heroes were surrounded.

Luigi: Nergal had us surrounded. And now he's gone to open the gate of darkness. We've gotta stop him before we're too late. Hopefully, we'll be able to rescue Princess Elincia and Ike from the dark league's clutches. Aw man, hopefully we're not too late.

The epic continues.

NeXt ChApTeR