Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me, though that should be obvious.
.
Rolling in the Deep
Without much conversation in between Daybreak Town and the next world, Domino and I sped alongside Rika until we crossed the next border. I had noticed how the Lanes Between were filled with Keyblade Gliders, each heading towards the world of the choice. When we crossed the border of the world, a warm wind swept through my hair. Above us was nothing but bright blue, and white clouds spread out like wings across the endless sky.
Below us was a seemingly endless ocean filled with sparkling blue water. And floating atop the water was something that looked like a ship. A cruise ship. We'd read about them in books, but I was almost certain we didn't have any cruises back on Utopia.
As we lowered to the water, the scent of the salty sea filled my lungs, the water below us lightly spraying in my face from the soft wind. I reached below the Glider and ran my finger along the surface of the cool water. Kale's face flashed in my mind. I shook my head, trying to shake away the memory so I wouldn't be tempted to take control of the Glider and steer us in the other direction.
Rika chuckled as she made her Glider vanish beneath her feet as she jumped into the air, doing a double-flip in midair and diving down into the water. Her head bobbed out of the water and she began to swim like an expert towards the large ship that seemed to be going at a decent speed as opposed to how it looked from an aerial view.
Domino snapped his fingers and the Glider vanished from beneath our feet as well. Domino flipped in the air just as Rika had done, and dived into it almost as perfectly. I, however, wasn't so lucky. I plummeted into the water and nearly swallowed a gallon of water if it weren't for Domino yanking me by the shirt, lifting my head from the water.
I looked above. Several birds flew in front of the sun, their black silhouettes casting shadows on the bright water we swam in. "Come on, watch," Domino said. "Aero!" An orb of wind surrounded us, creating a whirlpool beneath us. The two of us rocketed into the air until we saw the deck of the ship. We landed, Domino landing perfectly on his feet and me landing perfectly on my face. The orb of wind vanished from around us.
I clutched my chest, feeling as though I had just jumped off of a roller coaster, and looked to the side where Rika had appeared out of darkness. I jumped a little, and the black haired girl laughed in amusement. I found it strange how nobody had noticed our sudden arrival. The deck was crawling with a number of people. Where were we exactly?
"Welcome to the Titanic, you three," a voice said from behind me. I whipped around and saw someone sitting on top of the rim that surrounded the deck. He looked calm, even though if he would've fallen he'd plummet a hundred feet into the water. He has short light brown hair, hazel eyes, and fair skin. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and a black t-shirt on top of it. He wore beige pants, white socks, and dark running shoes.
"And you are?" Rika asked rather rudely. Had he noticed that we just kinda appeared? Normally people who go on cruises need tickets to get on the ship. At least, that's what I thought, anyway.
"The name's Robin Cale," he replied, scratching the back of his head. The man looked rather nervous, as if not wanting to speak. "Call me Six." I didn't bother to ask him about the odd nickname. Before I was able to say anything, Six interrupted, "I bet your wondering why I'm not freaking out by your appearance here."
"I knew you looked familiar," Domino said, looking up at Six with a smile. Six looked to be around twenty-one years old, and was pretty tall to show for it. "You're one of the Keybearers who was tapped in Utopia with me. Good to see ya."
"The Utopian race survived, no thanks to you," Six replied with a scowl. He looked to Rika, and merely just disregarded her afterwards, looking back to me. "This world is a rather odd one. People board this ship, and people depart. It's like a never ending cycle. As if this ship is meant to keep on going, and going, and going." The nervousness was gone from his face now; he looked a bit more comfortable speaking to us, or well, me. "The docks and this ship…that's all there is. Try to leave the docks, and you simply appear on the other side of the world on the other dock."
"Does sound odd," I replied. "Kind of interesting."
"I'm here to study what is wrong with this world exactly," Six said, his hazel eyes staring into my eyes. "Once the people depart this boat, they vanish, as if they've never existed. They are soon replaced by new passengers, and once their voyage is complete, the cycle is repeated."
"Six, do you know of our plan?" Domino asked. I gasped at the mention of it. I did not want to hear about that quest for the darkness that Domino had spoken about in Daybreak Town.
"Don't speak to me," Six muttered, averting his eyes from the three of us. He jumped off of the rim, beginning to walk away. "Enjoy your cruise, fellas. I hope it's not your last." He specifically targeted Domino with that statement, as he looked straight at him. Six walked off.
"Interesting guy," I muttered. Putting my hands behind my head, I said, "So, what are we going to do now?"
"Rika, we need to discuss us," Domino said. Oh boy, I knew where this conversation was going.
"Nothing to discuss," Rika replied simply. "I can't be romantically involved with you. I could have if, let's say, I didn't have the darkness coursing through my veins. But times change. Plus, you'd probably just end up in the hall of fame that's filled with everyone from my devastating love life."
"You're probably right," Domino muttered, keeping his eyes on the ground. "Before you became one with the dark, why had you chosen me? Your love-life must suck. Word of advice: Improve your dating skills."
I chuckled. I walked away from the two and decided to explore the ship a bit. And I must say, it was one of the largest I've ever seen. Not that I've seen or been on any ships in my life. I had found my way to a door that led into the interior of the ship. I looked like a lobby to a hotel. I knew this because Domino and I had stayed at a few hotels for a few nights throughout our life.
The carpet was red, lined with golden designs around the edges. The walls were painted an assortment of blue and green colors to represent the colors of the sea. From the ceiling hung a huge chandelier.
Hundreds of people scattered about, heading up and down the stairs or to the elevator. The ship definitely looked of an old style. The elevators weren't even electronically operated. They had a person pull or release a rope on the inside of the elevator to raise it or lower it. Sitting in a chair at the corner of the large lobby was Six, reading an old book that looked to be as old as the book of prophecy Merlin had given to me.
"Six," I said, trying to raise my voice so he could hear me as I began walking towards him. His eyes darted up from his book. "So…you're one of the ones who helped seal away Utopia?"
"Yes," Six replied in a slightly annoyed tone. "I'm also one of the people who helped destroy that barrier and kill hundreds. Can I help you?" I couldn't read his emotions. He was both annoyed and angered as well as a tad nervous.
"It's about Domino," I replied, and as soon as I mentioned that name, his eyes went back to his page. Six refused to speak. "Uh, Six?" I saw his eye twitch in annoyance. "Six?" No response. "Robin Cale!?" That sparked a reaction. His book slammed, and he set it to the side, eyeing me suspiciously. I nearly jumped at his silent outburst. His eyes seemed to sadden, and he said, "I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge. I wasn't panning on spending a cruise with someone who tricked me into killing all of those innocents."
"How did he trick you?" I asked.
Six bit his lip. "He told me that to break the barrier, it would require a sacrifice. He said there's darkness within every heart, and that to break this barrier, we would have to sacrifice our darkness. I for one was happy about this. I would be able to rid myself of that infernal darkness deep inside of my heart. But instead, lives were taken. Escaping Utopia was not worth this."
"I'm sorry," I told him sincerely. "I somewhat feel responsible for this. Domino's a little too codependent on me. He would kill in order for the two of us to live a happy life. And he killed hundreds of Utopians so that we can travel together." Six put a hand on my shoulder as if to say that it wasn't my fault. "What do I do? He's obviously so far into the darkness that he can't get out, but…he's still my best friend, and I love him. Our friendship means more to me than anything. What am I supposed to do?"
I suddenly felt myself on the verge of tears. I blinked away the tears that began forming, afraid of looking weak in front of Six. Memories came rushing back. Domino murdering his parents, hundreds of Utopians perishing from the storm Domino and the other Keybearers generated, Domino killing the Keyblade Hunters, and finally, Domino commanding all of the dark Keybearers in Daybreak Town. All of these memories showed how dark of a person my friend could truly be…but were they enough to make me quit being friends with him?
"Friendship, whether within light or within darkness, reigns supreme over all," Six said with a smile. "I may not like Domino all that much, or at all for that matter, but the two of you are close friends, and no amount of darkness should change that." At least Six understood the meaning of friendship. Every day I spent with Domino, I have been questioning my own views on friendship.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by a burning sensation in my pocket. Reaching into it, I took out a button—Enix's button—which Domino had given me before we had arrived at the demolition of the Castle of Glass. It was hot and glowing white. I had almost dropped it. I felt myself slip away from consciousness, only for a moment. A scene appeared in my head…one I did not recognize.
It looked like a dark, circular room. Shadows danced along the walls in the candlelight that was being generated in the middle of the room, where a tall candelabrum stood. Standing inches behind it was a girl, close to my age. Her hair was a light shade of pink which made it look almost white. Her eyes sparkled an amber-orange, reflecting the candlelight. She wore a white shirt that revealed her belly, white-khaki shorts that went above her knees, and a small white cape that hung from the back of her neck to her back's midsection.
A ray of light shone in the corner of the room, and when the brightness died down, Phoenix Asher stood there, holding the wall to the side of it as if trying to scratch through it with his nails. "What's the matter, Phoe?" the girl asked worriedly, giving Asher a nickname that obviously agitated him. "Where's the boss?"
"I'm tired of all of this," Asher grumbled, making his way to the candelabrum. Shadows danced across his face, the candlelight revealing his emotions. His eyes were wide, as if he were extremely angry. "I was supposed to make sure that Domino and Kane were to perish in that world. The boss left me behind to make sure they died. But…" From his pocket, he yanked out a small white button—identical to the one I possessed. "The tracking device in their button is still activated!" He angrily shoved the button in the girl's face. "They're still alive!" He then shoved it back into his pocket. "Lucina, what am I to do?"
"You can start by calming down," the girl named Lucina said in a soft yet firm voice, grabbing Asher by the hands. "Ash, you'll get through this. You always have, since the day we met three years ago."
"You think it's easy for me to forget about them?" Asher snapped at her, yet she didn't flinch at his sudden outburst. Domino…he's put all of this in motion! The book says he's the Dark Lord!" His eyes narrowed to the side, and then whispered, "I have to take his life…before the boss finds out. The Keyblade Hunters must keep Domino's spared life a secret from Him, at least until I do away with Domino." Asher snapped his fingers.
Portals of artificial light appeared in a circle around Asher, Lucina, and the candelabrum. At least twenty Keyblade Hunters were surrounding them; maybe more. "What do you think you are doing?" Lucina asked angrily.
"Listen up, fellow Hunters!" Asher announced, his sudden booming voice echoing off of the walls. "The one we call the Dark Lord is still very much alive, and is traversing the worlds yet again, spreading darkness with every step, with every breath. You are to all keep this revelation a secret from Lord Ibiki. Half of you, come with me as we go and find Domino. The other half, stay at Lucina's side and continue collecting Keyblades. Our quest is far from over."
Snapping his fingers again, half of the Hunters in the room vanished into bright portals, just as they had entered. "If you're going out again—" Lucina started, a hat appeared in her hand. She put the hat in her hands on Domino's head. It was a black fedora with white stripes lining the rim, and a white feather poking out from the left side of the hat. "—you'd best go out in style."
Adjusting the fedora on his head, Asher smirked. "I won't be long. Domino shall fall by my hand once and for all." Asher ruffled Lucina's hair, making the girl giggle, and the boy before her vanished into light.
My eyes cleared up. I could see…the ground. I had doubled over and fallen to my knees, my eyes staring straight at the ground as Six shook me awake. "What's the matter? What happened?" he called up. I pushed myself up, startling Six.
"I have to warn Domino," I muttered, and began running towards the entrance we came through.
"Warn him of what!?" Six yelled out, following behind me. And suddenly, the glass of the windows lining the walls on either side of the entrance exploded into shards of glass, littering the ground and making everyone aboard scream out in fright. "What the—?"
I pushed the doors open and rushed on deck, where ten figures floated up in the sky, all clad in white robes with hoods pulled over their heads, shrouding their faces. Standing on the rim of the deck was a figure wearing a white robe with a fedora on his face, tilted downward to hide his face. His mouth was still visible. His robe and his white hair blew about behind him.
"Who's that!?" several people yelled. Several children screamed, older people yelling at the people surrounding the Titanic.
"Who indeed." The man on the rim of the deck smirked. "The name's Asher." He tilted his fedora upward, revealing his face. "Phoenix Asher." He threw off his robes to reveal his white suit and black tie. "Obliterator of light…and destroyer of darkness—that's me." Domino and Rika appeared on either side of me, their Keyblades already out, ready for battle. "Surrender Keybearer Domino over to me, and gather under the name… of the Keyblade Hunters!"
He jumped off of the rim and landed softly on the deck floor beneath him. His gun-Keyblade hybrid appeared in his left hand, and he pointed it straight for Domino. "You just had to show up," I muttered under my breath. "In front of a bunch of innocent people who just wanted to ride this ship!"
"They'll thank me for showing up as I did, Kane," Asher said, chuckling. He stretched a hand out before him. "Passengers of this ship! Head inside away from any harm that is to be caused by Domino!" And like that, each of the passengers barged one after the other into the interior of the ship. All that remained were me, Domino, Rika, and Six. "Now, to get rid of any unnecessary distractions!" Snapping his fingers, two orbs of light shot to me, sending a sphere of artificial light around me.
"Kane!" Domino shouted out. Domino was just about to explode as he had done in Enix's world, but something stopped him. Rika held her hand to the back of Domino's head, and darkness seemed to be circling from Domino's head to Rika's hand. What was she doing? Whatever it was that she was doing, it seemed to calm down Domino a lot.
Rika smiled. "So, I can assume that Domino and you are not on good terms? Well, Phoenix Asher, you've messed with the wrong team!" Taking her hand from the back of Domino's head, she blasted forward to Asher, both hands outstretched before her and shooting darkness from her palms, her Darksouls flying by her side as she shot like a rocket towards Asher.
Holding out his gloved hand, Asher generated a ring of light around his wrist, which shot from his hand and expanded. The ring was large enough now to fit on a person's body; maybe even larger. The ring was now around Rika, and instantly, it closed up and squeezed her body. The girl fell to the ground, a ring of artificial light surrounding her and keeping her slightly immobilized.
"Who is this guy?" Six asked.
"Were you not listening to me before!?" Asher screamed out. "I am Phoenix Asher, Keyblade Hunter!" He shot a bullet of light at Six, but Six deflected it with a Keyblade of his own. The color patterns from the tip of the blade, to the base of the handle, are black and white. The keychain at the base of the handle was a Yin and Yang symbol. Tied around the Keyblade's keychain is a pink ribbon. "I've stalled long enough! Domino, you will fall by my hand!"
A beam of artificial light nearly exploded from Asher, rocketing its way towards Domino. Without thinking I jumped in front of Domino to shield him from the attack. Rika yelled from the ground, "Kane, you idiot! You wanna get yourself killed!?"
I braced my arms in front of me, and when I felt no attack hit me, I looked up. Out of magic, I created a large, six-foot octagonal shaped mirror that floated in the air in front of me. It was reflecting the artificial light back at Asher, colliding with the boy and sending him to the ground. Asher slowly lifted his head up. The ring of light around Rika vanished, and immediately, she exploded with darkness and flew towards Asher, grabbing the boy's neck as she slammed his head back to the ground.
"I give up, I give up!" Asher yelled out as blood began to drip from his nose.
"Why do you need to kill Domino?" Rika asked loudly in Asher's face.
"He's the Dark Lord, someone said to bring eternal pain and suffering to the worlds," Asher replied, slowly beginning to chuckle. When he didn't stop chuckling, Rika slammed his head down once more. "Sorry!" Asher yelled out in pain. "The Keyblade Hunters are a band of people who use artificial light, which we are using to take away people's Keyblades and to make sure that a war will not begin. Your darkness shows on your outside, young lady. Domino's darkness, however, runs deep within his heart…with every world he travels to, he sprinkles a little darkness into his every step. It's a plague! He's poisoning the worlds!"
Rika released her grip on Asher's neck, looking to Domino. Domino approached the two of them and muttered, "Just leave us alone. The only war being created is the war you're declaring on the Keybearers."
"The Tome of Prophecy says otherwise!" Asher yelled out. "That prophetic book details the past, present, and future of the war that you, Domino, are starting! If you're dead, the war will never begin, and everything to transpire in the future will never come to pass. Don't you see!? Killing you is the only way!"
He lifted his hand up, and I heard Domino yelp out. My purple haired friend fell to his knees, his fedora falling off of his head as his head hit the ground. He started coughing up…light?
"He's choking him with light!" Six yelled out in surprise. "He's going to drown in it!"
"Doesn't feel good, does it?" he asked out. Rika went to stab him with her Darksouls, but it passed harmlessly through him as he vanished into light. He reappeared on the rim of the deck. "All that light exploding out of your dark heart? It's terrible, isn't it?"
Domino kept coughing and a river of artificial light flowed from his mouth. Seeing my friend down like this was unreal. He was always one of the strongest people I knew. He couldn't die. I wouldn't let him. I extended my hand out, and a ring of fire appeared around my wrist. I concentrated as hard as I could. I felt a burning rage filling my body. My eyes steamed, my hair smoldered, and my teeth nearly glowed with a burning hotness.
Im clenched my fist, and a ring of fire appeared in the air around Asher. "What is this?" he yelled out. "Too…hot…" The ring of fire closed in on him. "Stop! I have to…" Without another word, he voluntarily fell over backwards towards the ocean below. A splash was heard seconds later.
Domino caught his breath. Blood dripped from his lip. Has he been that much in pain? He wiped up the blood from his lips. He smiled, blood staining his teeth. "It's all good; I'm alright, Kane." He rushed to me, wrapping his arms around me. When he finally released me, he said, "You used a Reflect spell and a Fire spell! You're getting better by the minute, buddy!"
"You don't own a Keyblade, but you can use magic?" Six asked, looking at me as if studying my emotions just by looking into my eyes. "You're a wizard, then?"
"Like Merlin," Rika smiled. "I don't know how it's possible, Golden-Eyes, but you may be the first wizard to appear in decades. Merlin was the last. Now you…you're a wizard, Kane."
"I don't feel magical," I replied, holding my palm in front of my face. I concentrated, but nothing happened. "Of course," I said glumly. I couldn't use magic all the time…just whenever Domino or I or anyone else were in trouble. I heard what sounded like a missile.
Rocketing from the water below and towards the sky was a white hot comet, the shadowy figure of Asher inside. "This isn't over!" I heard his voice echo out. "I'll be back, Domino! I will finish you off and stop this prophecy!"
Asher vanished beyond the sky. I fell to my knees. Would our traveling always be like this? We find a nice world, meet someone new, and then get attacked by some prophecy-stopping super team led by Phoenix Asher? The prophecy he was talking about…that was in the book I had gotten from Merlin.
People started stepping outside again, all looking either extremely confused or extremely terrified. Six snapped his fingers and each shard of glass that had shattered from the windows had started glowing with light. They all flew towards the broken windows and reassembled themselves. It now looked like nothing had damaged the ship at all.
Six smiled. "I must find out why this ship goes on an infinite loop. I will stay on here until the voyage is done. What about the three of you?" It almost seemed like he didn't care that Domino and Rika were of the dark anymore. He was referring to all of us when he spoke.
"We'll stay for a night," I decided for Domino. I didn't want to leave just yet. I had to have one night of normalcy for once.
Six's Keyblade vanished. He turned around, and walked away, waving behind him. Although he couldn't see me, I waved back. Almost all at once, the daylight shining from the sun above turned to night, an eerie darkness and calmness casting over the sea.
"How'd that happen so quickly?" I asked.
"That must be the way this world works," Domino replied, staring at the dark sky. Several stars shone in the sky, and were just bright enough to shine onto the water below and to light the way for the ship.
The passengers of the ship were so silent as they just walked back into the ship. Rika walked to one of the foldable chairs and opened it up. She stripped her shirt off and revealed she had a black and blue bikini top underneath. She lay down on the chair as if expecting the darkness to tan her.
Domino and I chuckled, walking to the railing of the boat and leaning over it, staring into the dark unknown. "I'm so proud of you, you know," Domino said, breaking the silence.
"Hm?" I asked, unsure of what he meant.
"I thought I would always have to protect you; I felt responsible for you," Domino explained. His voice shook a bit. "But you protected and saved me today. If you can do that, surely you can take care of yourself." Where was he getting at with this? His fist clutched the railing. "Maybe you don't need your ol' buddy Domino to protect you from evil anymore. You'd do just fine…on your own." I couldn't tell because it was dark, but I thought I could hear him silently crying to himself. Was he really taking all of this that seriously?
"I still need you, dummy," I chuckled, seeing the corner of his mouth rise up as he slowly smiled. "I always will. But don't be completely overprotective—don't let your anger explode out of you."
"My…anger?" Domino asked. Did he not know what I meant by that?
"You possess strong powers, Domino, I understand that," I told him. The wind in the air pushed my bangs to the side. "But you also have serious anger…that explodes from you every time I'm in danger. You kill to be with me."
"Kill?" he asked, as if he didn't know the meaning of the word.
"All of those Hunters back at the Castle of Glass," I replied. "Mr. Brunner, and all of those Utopians who didn't survive. And…" Domino looked at me in the eyes. "And your parents."
"They tried to stop me," he said, hanging his head down. He didn't look angry at me for bringing that up…he looked sad, upset. "They tried to keep me from opening the door to other worlds. To keep me from being with you. After that…I couldn't control myself. I went on a rampage and—" His voice choked. "—and I killed them. They were good people. All of the Utopians were good people. Sure, Elijah lost his way, but he was originally good at heart. But I killed all of these…good people." His crying was more noticeable now.
I put my hand on his cheek and wiped away his tears for him, but he didn't even smile at that. "I almost blew up today as well, but…I don't know, it was like Rika channeled my darkness and controlled it with her own, and it…calmed me. I'm glad you couldn't see me like that…a monster."
"You just need help controlling the darkness," I told him with a smile, putting an arm around him. "You said yourself that the darkness heightens all senses…including emotions. It's not you who explodes like that…it's the mix of emotions you feel about me added with the darkness…and that makes you go a little crazy. Don't worry about it."
"You're too nice to me," Domino muttered, looking to the ground. "I've done nothing but caused pain to you. I took you away from your home, when you didn't even want to leave in the first place. I killed Tara. I'm the reason the two of us had to go our separate ways from Kale, who's in a world in which he doesn't even belong. And now a maniac is chasing us down so he could kill me."
"I don't care," I replied truthfully. "None of it is your fault. You just wanted to leave the place you were forced to be locked in. I understand that."
"Thank you," he replied, and leaned in, gently kissing my forehead before he looked back towards the sky.
After what seemed like an hour of silence, Domino said, "Watch this." He made Starlight appear in his hand. He swung it towards the sky, and shards of ice flew from its tip and to the sky. Each shard of ice exploded in the black sky, spelling out my name in crystal blue letters.
"Whoa," I replied. "What was that?"
"A Blizzard spell," he replied. "So far you've used Thunder, you've used Aero, and you've used Reflect and Fire. Try a Blizzard spell."
"Let's see," I muttered to myself. I used Fire whenever the rage inside me began to build up. Blizzard would have to be the opposite. I had to cool myself down, feel calm, at peace. "Blizzard!" I held my hand towards the sky, but nothing happened. "Blizzard!" I concentrated, clutching my fist, but nothing happened. "It's no use," I said, dropping my hand. "It only works in the heat of the moment."
"Um…Kane?" Domino asked. I looked to him.
"What?"
"Look." I looked down below and gasped. All along the side of the boat was frozen water that trailed onward until it was in front of the ship. "You were pointing at the sky but apparently your ice spell worked on the water."
I chuckled, feeling proud of myself, and ran towards the front of the ship to see where the ice ended. Domino ran behind me until we both reached the railing at the very front of the boat. "Oh no," I muttered. The ice extended far enough in front of the boat, but where it stopped, the ice stood tall like a glacier. The boat neared it, several minutes away from colliding with it. "This can't be good!"
"What did you two idiots do?" Rika yelled from behind us, slipping her shirt on. She approached the edge of the ship and nearly chuckled at the sight of us inching ever closer to a fifty-foot tall iceberg. "Ah, I see, that's what."
"How was my Blizzard that strong?" I asked Domino, but he didn't seem to know.
"Somebody has to turn the boat," Domino said quickly. "If not, a direct hit will end us all!"
"Is that a—?" a voice asked from behind us. Stepping out of the interior of the ship was Six, walking towards us. "An iceberg!? That was never here on any of the other voyages in this loop. Only magic could change things like that. What did you guys do?"
"It was an accident," I muttered, biting my lower lip.
"Someone steer this boat away from that iceberg!" Domino yelled out. As if an invisible person heard him, the boat slowly began turning to the left to avoid the oncoming hazard. "It's not going to work."
He was right. The ship was still going fast. We got closer and closer until…I fell onto my butt. The ship began shaking violently as it hit the side of the glacier, breaking the ice in half and fracturing the side of the ship. I ran to the side railing and saw a large hole in the side of the ship as we passed the iceberg. The ice was inches away from my face, the coolness radiating from the ice.
"We have to warn everybody!" Six screamed out, running towards the door to enter the interior of the ship. Domino, Rika, and I followed him inside. It was quiet, abandoned. "That's not possible…before, there were several people hanging out in here. Where'd they all go?"
"I don't know…" I replied, unsure of what to say.
"I think I understand it," Six said, looking up at the chandelier. "This is a world on an infinite loop…nothing ever changes. People get on, people get off, and the cycle continues. Whatever happened to create this iceberg…it disrupted the flow of the loop. No loop exists anymore. The people on this ship…they're like phantoms. The vanish as soon as they get off this ship. Now that there's no more loop, the phantoms have vanished…the ship's about to go down so they have no more purpose. They're only purpose was to ride this ship and get off. But now…they can't do that. So now all the passengers are gone."
"What kind of world works like this though?" I asked, getting more and more confused by the minute.
"I don't know; it's one of the many mysteries I'd like to solve," Six replied. We suddenly felt the ship tip over. The chairs and desks in the lobby seemed to slide to the left side, where the ship seemed to lean at.
"We need to see how much water came in the ship," I suggested to Six, who nodded. "I'll go with you, Six. Maybe we can patch up the hole and prevent more water from entering. We can save this world."
"That's too crazy to try, but…let's do it," Six replied, grabbing my hand. "You sure you wanna come? I don't want to put you in harm's way." I nodded, symbolizing that I didn't care if I was in harm's way or not. I have a chance to try and save a world…I couldn't pass it up. I couldn't do anything for Enix's world, but this world could be saved. I clutched Six's hand hard, and in a flash of blue light, we felt the world slip away from us. We reappeared in a hallway below deck.
"We're deep in the ship's core," I noted. "Do you hear that?"
Seconds after I said that, turning the corner of the hallway was a river of water that blasted its way passed us. I was up to my neck in water. The water was freezing cold, and I nearly screamed out at its surprisingly cold temperature. This morning it was warm water, but this wasn't anywhere near that temperature.
"Watch," I told Six, holding my arms out to either side of me. And instantly, an orb of swirling air appeared around me, drying off my clothes as it bounced the water away from us. I tried controlling it to the best of my ability so the wind wouldn't cut me or Six, but I failed. Cuts began appearing along Six's shirt. I slammed my hands downward, and the orb of air, Six, and myself blasted upwards, crashing through the ceiling above us until we flew up passed all of the floors. We eventually went through the last ceiling and we found ourselves in the lobby again. "it's no use, there's too much water for us to go through. This is impossible."
I made the vortex of air vanish from around me. Six's shirt was nearly ripped in half from the air. He looked to be aggravated with it so he ripped his shirt off. I gasped. On the middle of his back were six cuts in his skin…it looked like someone would have tried slashing him with a knife and succeeded six times.
Time almost seemed to speed up. The elevator doors and the doors leading to the stairwells blasted open, water being released into the lobby and rising up to our knees. Both Domino and Rika were floating above the water using the power of darkness.
"I take it that patching up that hole didn't work?" Rika asked.
"Too much water down there," Six replied. "There's no way we could have stayed there. We have to leave now. This world's already about to perish!"
He ran outside, followed by Domino, Rika, and I. The top tip of the Titanic began to rise up as the back end sunk into the water. Chairs and desks and everything else on deck and in the lobby slid down to the back of the boat, crashing through the doors and windows of the lobby. Domino, Rika, and Six each made their own Keyblade Glider appear.
I jumped on the back of Domino's, and the three of us took to the skies. Below us, the Titanic's front tip was straight in the air, and the ship began completely sinking until the front tip was underwater. As soon as the titanic sank, rolling into the deep, the water seemed to darken to an eerie purple and the water began to churn. I couldn't see what else happened to the world as we crossed the border.
.
How'd you like this chapter, hm? It's the longest chapter to date so...whoo-hoo! This chapter was in a real-life place, but next chapter will be a Disney world...one you are already familiar with. So, yeah...oh my gods, I don't know what else to say, so...see ya in the next one!
Oc: Robin Cale (Six) belongs to CaleMcManus21