Author's Note: Yes! Another chaptered story complete! Whoo this story was so different from anything I had ever done. Not only was it set in a canon KH universe, but I tried to create a relationship between Terra and Zack that could be seen in the game, ya know, the pg version. So did you guys see their relationship as friendship or something more? Anyways, thanks so much for the few reviewers that gave me support, you guys made writing this fic worthwhile, and I hope you enjoy the last chapter.
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Mark of a Hero
...
Zack had retrieved my Keyblade, and it appeared in the form of blinding light, before manifesting itself into its physical form. When it did so, Hades became a literal fire; the personification of flames. It was in his eyes, his snarl, and I was sure it raged in his veins.
The realization had finally hit him like one of Zeus' thunderbolts; he had lost.
Zack would be here any second now, and together, we'd end all of this, and once again be free men.
Facing Hades with this new-found strength, I thought back to the Master, and how he hadn't trusted me. He didn't believe I was strong enough to become a true Keyblade Master. I felt a part of me had proved him wrong, and maybe now Aqua wouldn't worry so much. Wouldn't feel the need to follow me as the Master had asked of her. Once I saw her and Ven again, I would tell them everything about what happened here. And I'd tell them about the new friend I'd made in Zack. I'd tell them how I came to realize what darkness was and what it wasn't, I wasn't consumed by it, and I had it in me to fight. Someday, I would master it, that much I knew for sure.
"Well, well." Hades clapped, slow and spiteful. "You think you've won, don't you? You must be pretty proud of yourself."
"Quit the act, Hades. You know as well as I do that you've lost," My knees spread, bracing myself as I clutched my blade and stared, determined. I was ready to fight this last time for our freedom.
"You haven't won!" Hades said, pointing his finger at me, his shoulders heaving. "And I won't let myself fall to a couple of brats!" His arms extended out, and as they did, there was fire that shot forth from his hands on opposites sides of the arena, creating a spectacle of flames. I winced, lifting my arm to shield my eyes.
"You'll fail. You wannabe-heroes always do, you know. You'll succumb to your darkness one way or another, and Zack, he's never been cut out for this anyway. He'll fall to, just you wait.
"You're wrong. Zack and I-"
"Quiet!"
It was suddenly growing hotter, and I looked up towards the sky that began to burn red as clouds gathered over head. That's when I saw fire falling from the sky, tiny molten rocks that fell like light rain on the ground. It fell beside me, but far enough still that I wasn't worried of being hit. It was unbelievable that Hades was so mad that he was making the sky literally rain fire, and my grip on my blade tightened.
"Have you forgotten I still own you?! You're not out of here yet."
He was livid, the flames atop his head growing, spreading, and the air began to grow humid and hot, sweat beginning to break above my brow.
"You've never owned me, Hades," I spat, and his eyes shot open, surprise clear in his face.
I didn't have time to react because it happened in seconds. He swung his arms in a powerful rage, sending a sharp line of fire my way, trying to destroy me with anything he could. I didn't even have a minute to respond, but I did what I could, covering my face with my arms. I could feel the lick of flames graze my arm, ignite my nerve-endings with a searing pain that left me screaming out in pain. I clamped my hand instinctively over my arm, pulling it away only because of the searing pain that followed, and seeing that my palm was coated in blood.
I grit my teeth, and knew this burn was much more serious than the one Hades left on my chest when we first fought weeks ago. Hades had used a simple fire spell, but Aqua, when we were both children, had cast a protection spell over me since she had always been afraid of hurting me severely during our training.
But the difference here was that this burn wasn't caused by a simple fire spell, but by actual fire. And a burn from an actual fire was a much bigger problem, and I knew this burn was going to be bad news if I didn't find something to heal it with. A cure spell wouldn't do the trick either, that much I knew.
Suddenly, Hades was rushing forward, and I tried to jump away. His hand caught my throat, palm heavy as he lifted me off the ground. I tried to breathe, but my voice came out in a strangled gasp. I tried squirming, I tried to pry his hand away, staining the blue of his skin with red, but nothing worked. He tightened his grip, and I winced, a breathy cry leaving my mouth as I tried to cry out. I knew he wanted to crush me here and now, like an ant in his palm. He wanted to see me writhing, blue in the face until I was lifeless, a limp body hanging from his hand.
"Look at you. Puny mortal," He said, eyes wicked as his smirk, as I continued to grab at his hands to release his grip. "Where's your friend now, huh? He won't come to save you. Cerberus had probably already torn him to shreds."
"Guess again, Hades!"
The sound of a familiar voice caught the both of us off guard, and a relief washed over me. For a minute, I had to admit, my pulse had been racing.
"Looks like it's over," Zack said as he ran from his spot at the vestibule towards us. "Me and Terra are going to destroy you," he said, his words sure like a promise.
"Ooh, I'm shaking," Hades said as he dropped me hard onto the ground, and I could breathe again. I grasped at my throat as I shakily regained my breath, and beside me, Zack held out his hand. I saw the fearless look in his eyes, and I knew, this here was our moment. Our last chance.
And as I took his hand, I knew we weren't going to go without a fight.
"Boy, where's an ominous Latin choir when you need one?"
...
I couldn't believe my eyes. What was Hades trying to pull? Coward! He wasn't even going to be the one to fight us. Instead it was a Titan of sorts, who towered above us like the skyscrapers back in my world. Terra and I stood like ants below him, and as he pulled himself up and over the coliseum walls, stepping inside the arena like it was a toy model, I found myself doubting again.
"What are we going to do, Terra?" I asked, as I side-glanced at Terra, whose eyes were focused on the Ice Titan, frail and bony, with fangs like icicles and a frame so lithe it looked like it had been frozen to the very bone. It's ribs were sturdy, imprisoning an frozen heart.
He shook his head, before his eyes snapped down to the ground below us, looking for something. But before I could ask what it was that caught his attention, I felt a rumbling in the ground beneath us, and instinctively I tugged on Terra's arm and jumped back, pulling him with me. Just then, a huge shard of ice burst from the floor beneath us, one that could have punctured us like stakes.
"That was close," Terra muttered, before he looked at Hades who was perched upon the roof of the arena where he could see the view at a safe place. "We have to be careful," he said as he looked back to the Ice Titan.
"Well let's find his weak spot!" I said as I charged forward with a yell and swung my sword at his leg, only for it to become embedded in the ice of his leg. I pulled it out with a strong tug, and my blade was realized, shards of ice flying with it. With a sigh, I realized hacking away at it wasn't such a good idea.
What I needed was a plan.
So, I jumped back and took a good look at my surroundings, just like I had done with Cerberus.
The main thing that caught my eye was the huge ring of fire Hades had created to block us in just moments before he summed the Ice Titan. Fire was the key here. We could use that fire to our advantage, since fire worked obviously well against ice. Maybe we could even melt its legs enough to send him tumbling to the ground. Or better yet, make him collapse onto the fire that blocked the exit so that we could make our escape!
I wasn't exactly sure how we were going to pull this off, but I knew we'd make it work somehow. We just had to.
"Terra, I got an idea. Let's use the fire to melt him like a Popsicle!"
"Worth a shot. Great idea, Zack!"
I wasn't sure about Terra but I knew in my case, the Ice Titan was bigger than anything I had ever dealt with. When it roared, it was deafening. Loud and icy; with shards of crystal and ice mingling with the frost that swept across the coliseum when he cried out. I did all I could to dodge getting hit with the frost, barely managing to land steadily as I tried to avoid my limbs getting frost bite.
I saw fireballs hit the Titan's leg, and when I glanced over, I saw it was Terra's doing. He was using the tip of his Keyblade to shoot fire, something I hadn't known his sword was capable of. No wonder he had been so determined to get it back. I wondered what else ti was capable of doing.
"Nice, that'll speed things up," I said, and he nodded, smirking as spun his blade in a circle like a baton, and a flurry of flames shot out from all sides, hitting and blowing up on the Titan's leg like sun spots.
He was cut short when the Titan swung, claws spread, and knocked Terra back a few feet. I looked back to make sure he was okay, and was relieved to see him jump to his feet in an instant and head back over, fire spurting from the tip of his blade once again, making perfect contact with the Titan's leg. I could already see the ice beginning to melt.
I knew I couldn't let Terra do all the work though, and I swung my sword at it, calling to it to catch its attention and distract it. I egged him on, side-stepping towards the fire, though careful not to get too close. I swung my blade again, making contact with its knee, and once it was stuck there, the Titan lurched forward and I jumped out of the way, causing him to stumble forward, ice catching the fire, and beginning to melt even more of the Titan's weakening leg.
"Oh come on! This is ridiculous. Get the snow out of your eyes and pay attention you idiot!" Hades yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth, his fire flickering angry and wild.
It was funny, he knew we were winning, and yet there was still so much hatred I felt towards him when I saw him up there. For what he had done to me and Terra. The way he had us fighting each other, the way we were locked up with barely any food or water.
But once we were out of here, I wanted to stay out of here, and it was going to be hard for me not to come back here and give Hades a piece of my mind. And more.
I grit my teeth, and just to spite Hates, I stabbed the Titan's weak leg with my sword, damaging it even more, and I watched as the ice cracked and fell. One leg was melted, and splintered, and I could see him stumbling to walk.
It turned around angry and swung at me, and I managed to barely avoid it with a dodge roll.
I looked at Terra, smirking, confident, but my smile fell when I saw Terra gritting his teeth and clutching at his arm.
"What's wrong?" I asked, walking over to him, but stopped when he shook his head.
"Nothing. Just a little burn," he said, as he winced and pulled his hand away, and my eyebrows raised when I saw a smear of blood on his palm. Had he gotten hurt?
"I don't think that's just a little burn," I said, glancing to the side to keep an eye on the Titan, though my main concerns were for Terra, of course. I didn't want to see him hurt. It was bad enough knowing I had messed up his shoulder a while back.
"We don't have time to think about that right now," he said, and before I could ask any further questions, his sword was raised high in reaction to something, and he slashed the Ice Titan, sending a burst of flames and mingling dark magic to fly towards its face. "Be careful Zack!" He shouted, and I watched the Titan stumbled backwards. "He almost..." he sighed and said, "just nevermind. We can't let ourselves get distracted."
"Right," I said, nodded my head and turned back towards the Titan. "But Terra..." I said as I began to backtrack again, walking towards the fire that blocked off the vestibule in particular. Terra followed, and as planned, so did the Titan.
"What?"
"What's going to happen after we get out of here?" I asked, the corner of my mouth turning up in a smile. I was hoping for the best. A part of me was hoping that maybe Terra and I would leave this world together and continue all of our heroic adventures together. But I knew that wasn't likely to happen.
The reality of the situation was that we were going to go back to our own worlds—though I'd have to see if maybe Terra could help me a bit there since I only reached this world by jumping into that dark portal Sephiroth had made out of Midgar—but I just wanted to stay friends with Terra. That was what my heart really wanted.
"I'm going to get off this world and continue my mission my Masters have sent me on," he said, determination ringing true in his tone. "I want to see my friends again," he said, and I could have swore I saw a warmth in his eyes I hadn't seen before at the mention of his friends, "and tell them what happened here."
"Heh, well, anyway can you help me out? Or else I'm kind of ... stranded." I glanced back to the Ice Titan and saw him rearing his head back, mouth forming an 'o' as he blew out ice and snow. Terra and I separated and dived in opposite directions out of the way, while the ice froze over the floor below.
"I got your back, Zack," Terra said as he looked at me and smiled.
"Thanks. ...We're friends, right?" I asked, scratching the back of my head. The friendship had never been established, and I guessed I was just a bit worried that maybe, after all this, Terra could possibly forget about me.
He stopped for a second, and smiled. I mirrored his expression, and nodded, already knowing his answer. I could see how genuine he was. It was in his eyes, in his smile. And I knew I'd always be in his memories.
"Good to know you're not going to forget about me after all those heroic journeys you're bound to go on," I said, laughing quietly as I stood at the edge of the fire, between the Vestibule and the Ice Titan, who continued towards us, a determination, an anger in it's expression, that had thus far been emotionless.
"There's no way," Terra said as he aimed his Keyblade at the Titan again, and said, "Our hearts are linked after all. And I'm sure you're going to have plenty of your own heroic adventures. And you can tell me all about them when we see each other again."
I smiled, but couldn't stop it from falling when a brief image of my future flashed in my mind's eye. I was sure that what the Fates had shown me would continue to haunt me for a long time to come. I wasn't sure how heroic it would be dying in the dirt, covered in blood and rain and mud, but I figured, what other way could it be?
But I wasn't going to tell Terra what I had saw. There were just some things that were better left in privacy, after all. And the sight of my own death could definitely qualify.
And it happened so suddenly I didn't have time to react. I was struck hard by the Titan's claw and was sent flying through the air. I saw ground and floor pass me in a blink of an eye until my body crashed against the wall, and fell against the stairs, head colliding with concrete, and before I finally blacked out, I wondered if the Fates had been wrong about me dying...
...
"Zack...no..." My voice trembled as I took a few steps forward. The fire flickered between Zack and I, and from behind it, I could see his wavering form, lying there, completely still and lifeless.
Behind me, Hades cackled, and I turned around, horrified to see him now in the center of the arena, beside the Ice Titan. "Yes! I love it when I win."
I turned back around, desperate to see Zack sit up, move, breathe, do something. "Zack!" I called his name in hopes of igniting some sort of movement, but there was nothing, nothing but a stillness that left my heart weak.
It all happened so fast, I still couldn't believe it had happened. One second, Zack and I were talking about the future, the aftermath of all this, and then he had been hit. And now...
"Aw, what's wrong, Terra?" Hades asked, suddenly so much closer to me, and I felt his hand touch my shoulder. I shrugged his hand off, stepping away from him, and staring at him with a vengeance.
Adrenaline surged through me, and I felt that strange surge of energy. My mind grew clouded, my fingers practically buzzing with the need, urge to just … break down completely and destroy Hades. I looked back and forth between Hades and Zack; my vision swam.
"You see what your little escape plans get you? Nothing, absolutely nothing, aside from a lifeless friend. See what you did."
"No..." I whispered, shaking my head as I started to hear the ringing, the awful ringing that I had only heard once before...when Hades had used the darkness to control me. I looked down, watching the flickering tendrils of dark energy seep from me, every pore, every muscle pulsating.
"Yes come on, let it out Terra," Hades said, the same words I had heard so much from Master Xehanort, and yet never had they made me so angry.
"Shut up!" I screamed, feeling everything around me grow still, silent, around the eruption that was occurring inside me. The anger, the hatred that poured out of me, channeling the darkness in long pillars that escaped my body, bursting from me like the very fire of Hades.
It made me collapse to my knees, my heard buried in my hand, finger pulling at my hair, face in my palm as I tried, tried so hard to just regain control.
"Whoa, there, Terra. Terra, what if I told you there was something I could do."
Suddenly everything came back to a smooth reality again. I heard myself breathing, gasping even, and I was surprised to hear myself like that. So worked up. I had been so close, so close to letting myself give in, probably would have to, if Hades' voice hadn't pierced through all the darkness.
My hands fell, tears wetting the corner of my eyes, and I found my breath shaky. I looked at him, unable to trust, but finding myself desperate enough to ask, "What can you do?"
"Well you remember that little wager we had going on earlier?" Hades asked as he stepped up beside me again, hand on my shoulder, fingers drumming. I didn't try shrugging him off this time. All I could do was stare at Zack, hopeless, and terrified of what Hades was about to say next. I knew whatever it was though...I would have no choice in the matter. I nodded, and he continued, "Well since thing's have changed a little, I'll make you a new deal: I'll bring Zack back from the dead no problem, boom, it'll be like it didn't even happen."
"And me...?"
"Same thing I've wanted all along. I help Zack, and you help me. You stay here for as long as I decide, and do what it is I decide. No fighting back, no talking back, and none of this escape crap you tried to pull."
Time seemed to still, and there was a lot that coursed through my mind in those few seconds I had to make my decision, but there was one that resonated with me. One that stood out, that I couldn't ignore, no matter how badly I wanted to. Zack had risked his life to help me, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't give up my freedom to help him? If I had the chance to bring him back, how could I not take it?
"Deal," I said, lowering my head, and realizing that I wouldn't be seeing Aqua or Ven again soon. I realized I had just made a deal with the devil, twice, and that spoke volumes about how naïve I really was.
The Master...had been right...
…
Whoah...what happened? My head was pounding, and why was everything so out of focus?
I shook my head, and sat up, trying to focus my eyes on where I was. I had never waken up so confused before, and I tried to cling onto memories of what had just happened.
Oh, right, I remember fighting Hades and then all of a sudden...I was hit, tossed like a rag doll into the steps. I touched my head tenderly, but found no bump, not even blood when I pulled back my fingers. I sat up, and found nothing but tired, shaky limbs. Nothing broken, no pain.
What was going on?
"Zack!"
I glanced up, looking at Terra who looked relieved, and a smug Hades beside him. The circle of fire had died down, and the Ice Titan was there, not really doing much of anything.
"Terra," I called back, stood up, and found it easy to hurry down the steps, hands balled into fists, ready to fight if necessary. "What happened?" I asked, still confused on the matter of what had exactly happened in the time that I was passed out. "Did you win? Are you free?"
"See, there you go, Terra. He's looking good as new." Hades laughed, patting me on the back, to which I stepped aside, wary and a bit confused.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just passed out..." I said, uncertain about that when I saw the strange look on Terra's face.
"Why don't you tell him what really happened, huh?" Hades nudged Terra, who looked down, and I had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"I...you..." he started, and I was sure something was wrong right then and there. Terra was usually so quick-witted, and confident when he spoke. But here he was, stumbling over his words, hesitating to tell me the truth.
"What?" I asked, unable to hide how incredibly nauseous I felt, and Terra hadn't even told me yet.
"...You were dead, Zack. I don't know, I guess you just...when you hit the wall."
"What?" His words repeated in my mind, and yet I couldn't seem to register them. "No, no I didn't. I feel fine." And I did feel fine, better than that...somehow I felt even better than I had prior. And besides, I knew there was no way I could have died, otherwise The Fates would have shown me right?
"I'm the reason for that," Hades said as he gestured towards himself with his thumb. "I'm the one who brought you back. And the deal was—I'd rather have Terra tell you. Go on Terra."
"What deal...Terra, don't tell me, you..."
"I swore I would stay here and be compliant, completely."
"N-No, Terra," I said, feeling my stomach twist into knots. How could Terra really have made that sort of promise for my sake? And even if it hadn't been my fault, I still felt guilty. If it wasn't for me being so stupid and letting myself become distracted, the Ice Titan wouldn't have gotten to me.
Our whole plan ruined in a matter of moments, after everything we worked for. And now I knew there was no chance the both of us would be getting out of here.
"Why did you—I mean how could you—you didn't have to do that, you know?"
"What else was I supposed to do, Zack?" His hands clenched into fists, as he narrowed his eyes, angry at the situation I could only assume. Or maybe...angry at me. "I had the chance to bring you back, and I took it. I would do it again too. There's no way I could leave you when I had the chance to fix things."
"No, no, this is stupid. Forget Hades' stupid deal! Let's fight, you and me. Come on, we can-"
"No, Zack," Terra said, words strong and sturdy. His face was clenched, cold and stoic, and his glare made me flinch. He was serious here. He wasn't going to leave. This was really it. Terra had made his decision, and it seemed he was trying to prepare himself to deal with it.
"What do you mean no? Come on, this isn't the Terra I know. I thought you would never give up, even when everything looked impossible. You were always meant to be a hero," I said, my eyes burning with tears that I angrily swiped away with the back of my hand. I was so angry. At everyone, including myself. "Don't let yourself get caught up with the villain. Don't do this...you can still fight."
How had everything managed to go so wrong?
"I never said I was a hero," he said, looking away as he stepped back from me, his eyes set on the ground, "but maybe this is the heroic thing to do. Besides, it was my plan that got you killed anyway."
"Terra—"
"Listen, this is heartbreaking and everything, but I believe Zack is violating rule numero uno of the deal," Hades piped in as he joined Terra, placed his hands on his shoulder, and grinned at me.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?"
"If you ever, and I mean ever step foot into this coliseum again, you're dead. Permanently. You're thread? Snip-snip. And I'll make sure Terra makes sure it happens."
"Just...go Zack...I'll be fine." Terra said, and my eyes flickered between the two of them, and deep down, I knew I was done fighting. Our plan had failed, and there was nothing left I could do.
I took a step back, grabbing at my discarded sword and placing it back into its sheath, before turning to face Terra again. "Somehow, I'm going to get you out of here. You can consider that a promise," I said as I touched my hand over my heart.
And with that, no matter how hard it was, I turned and walked out of the Vestibule, with a terrifying realization.
Hades had won.
…
"Have you heard about the new fighter at the Coliseum?"
"Yeah! He's Hades' guy I heard."
"Him and Hercules are supposed to battle this week, right? I bet on Hercules."
"No way. I heard that guy uses some kind of dark power or something. He'll totally win."
"Well Hercules is the good guy he's going to win. Good guys always win."
Yeah, I always thought that was true when I was their age. Full of wonder and hope and the notion that there was a thick, black line that separated good from evil. Right from wrong.
"He is a part of the good guys," I told the two kids, dirty and playing with a patched up ball on the streets of Thebes. They looked up at me with wide eyes, scowls on their faces.
"Nuh-uh," one of them said, buck-toothed and shaking his head.
"Yeah," the younger one piped in, "good guys don't work for Hades."
And they ran off, laughing to themselves, with me on the side, wrapped in a cloak that left me hidden in the city, amongst all the people, and amongst all of Hades' minions that I cold only assumed were looking for me. I was stuck, trapped in this world with Terra only miles away, and yet I couldn't reach him.
And it was hard hearing those kids talk about Terra "the new competitor at the Coliseum" that fought for Hades, instead of the reality. He fought under Hades. Under his control, under that contract.
Ya know, at first I was mad. At first...I didn't know what to think. When had that line began to blur? Could Terra still be a hero when he was considered the enemy?
But this time alone gave me time to reflect. And I had come to realize that I definitely still thought Terra to be a hero.
Maybe being a hero wasn't about doing the right thing, but about doing what was right.
Besides...Terra had given up his freedom for me to be alive again, and I knew now that I couldn't waste it being afraid, being so worried about what made a hero and what didn't. I had a second chance, thanks to him, and I knew I was going to make it count.
I had made myself a promise.
Death was inevitable, and I had seen mine first-hand. And with that information under my belt, I knew it couldn't be for nothing. It would mean something. I would stand up to the devil just like Terra had.
I would die doing the heroic thing, doing what was right, without any hesitation, and just as I saw when the Fates had shown me, a smile on my face.
I wanted to help Terra, and I would when the time was right. Pay him back for what he did for me.
Even if it wasn't right now, it was okay. Even if no one else saw it, it was alright because I knew. Terra was a hero. A true hero. And true heroes always got their happy endings.