And I'm alive again!
Sorry about the month and a half of no updates. Life got really busy and getting this update ready took longer than expected. As promised, I have three chapters ready for all of you readers out there. My computer is giving me shit and I''m having trouble getting Chapter Eight uploaded to the website for some reason. It doesn't help that my internet connection is sporadic tonight either. But Six and Seven are good to go for tonight and I will find some way to make sure that Eight is up no later than tomorrow night immediately after I get off work.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or Black Cat. I only have the rights to my original characters, my plot, and my ideas.
Without further ado, please enjoy!
EDIT: Dates have officially been added to clear up potential confusion and keep the timeline in order without any discrepancies.
Chapter Six: Xanthos
Monday, May 31st 4794 P.C.
"What 'true story' do you have to tell?" Yen Sid said, taking several steps towards the silver-eyed man, who smiled as the former master approached. "Who are you?" The man laughed at Yen Sid as the sorcerer stopped advancing.
"Did I not already answer that question?" The man asked, shaking his head in exasperation. "I'm one of the few who survived the Great War that spanned many worlds and concluded on that barren plain all those years ago. Thousands of souls warred over a prize greater than all others. And thousands died in vain. Warriors of Light and servants of Darkness clashed for control of Kingdom Hearts in a great Keyblade War."
Sora felt a shiver run up his spine at the man's words. The look in his eyes and his solemn tone emphasized the horrors of the war without his needing to elaborate further. Sora glanced at Riku. The older teen's hands were shaking slightly on the grip of the Way to Dawn.
"The Keyblade War ended God knows how long ago," Riku said as he took a step towards the silver-eyed man. The man turned his eyes towards Riku. "No one knows exactly what happened in the Keyblade War. And I don't believe you know the 'true story' about what happened unless you fought in the War. So cut the crap!" Riku raised the Way to Dawn threateningly towards the silver-eyed man, who sighed.
"Have you no respect for your elders, boy?" The silver-eyed man asked Riku. Riku rolled his eyes.
"There is no way in hell you're more than two or three years older than me," Riku said, glaring suspiciously at the man. "Now tell us who you really are and stop lying."
"I agree," Yen Sid said. He raised his left hand and pointed at the silver eyed man. A great roar shook the ground as a massive fireball burst from Yen Sid's hand and headed for the man. Sora and Riku threw themselves out of the fireball's path as it rocketed by them. The man sighed heavily, not even flinching as the fire drew closer.
"This seems highly unnecessary." The fireball was less than a foot from the man when it exploded violently.
"That should take care of him," Riku said, staring into the heavy smoke. Yen Sid cleared his throat.
"Perhaps now that your illusion has been shattered," he said, slowly walking towards the rapidly dispersing smoke. "Would you be so kind as to finally answer the question; who are you?" Mickey turned to look at Yen Sid quizzically.
"Um, Master Yen Sid," Mickey said. "I don't think he survived-" The sound of laughter cut him off.
"Very impressive, Master, but I'm afraid it'll take more than a Firagun spell to harm someone like me."
Yen Sid's eyes widened in surprise. The man stood, unharmed, in the middle of the vanishing smoke, casually brushing dust off the shoulder of his cloak. His physical appearance had drastically changed. His shoulder length, bronze hair now fell to the center of his back and was tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. An x-shaped scar crossed over his right eye and a faintly glowing, pale red scar ran horizontally along the left side of his neck.
Sora noticed that the man no longer seemed to be in his early twenties. He had to be nineteen years old, at most. Sora found his eyes drawn to the man's left ear. In his earlobe was a piercing that was shaped like two Kingdom Key Keyblades crossed into an 'x' with the 'teeth' of each Keyblade facing away from the center of the 'x'. Yen Sid also noticed the piercing. His intimidating demeanor vanished instantly, replaced with shock and disbelief.
"Impossible," Yen Sid said, his voice trembling. Sora stared at the sorcerer quizzically for a moment before looking back at the silver eyed man. Sora gasped and took a step backwards when he caught sight of the man's weapon.
Instead of the blue energy blades the man had used against him in their last encounter, the man held in his left hand an obsidian blade in the shape of a key. The Oblivion Keyblade.
Sora stared at the Keyblade in the cloaked man's hand. Kairi stared at the Keyblade before turning to look at Sora. Sora looked back at her and down to the Oblivion Keyblade in his hand, then looked back up at the silver eyed man.
"What the hell is going on?" Sora demanded, looking from the man to Mickey. Mickey shrugged while cloaked man smiled.
"Who are you?" Yen Sid asked the man again, advancing forward. "Why do you bear the Mark of the Chasers?" The man's grin widened further.
"The Mark of the Chasers? What is that?" Kairi asked. Yen Sid pointed at the man's pierced ear.
"A pair of crossed Kingdom Key Keyblades," he said simply. "Only the Chasers of the Keyblade were ever permitted to wear it and only a Chaser who had passed the Mark of Mastery Exam and proven themselves to be a Keyblade Master could pass along the Mark of the Chasers. It's a Mark hasn't been worn by anyone since shortly after the Keyblade War reached its conclusion, considering nearly all of the Chasers perished in the war."
"Keyword: 'nearly all of the Chasers'" the silver-eyed man said. "That doesn't mean all of us died." Yen Sid and Mickey glanced at each other.
"Who are the Chasers?" Riku asked Yen Sid. His eyes had yet to leave the silver-eyed man. The man grinned.
"The Chasers were the creators of the Keyblade," Yen Sid explained. The silver-eyed man nodded. "According to the legends, the Chasers started the Keyblade War."
"Lies!" The silver-eyed man shouted angrily. Everyone took a step back, shocked by the man's reaction. "WE were accused of starting the War only because no one could remember who started the War first; the Wielders of Light or the Wielders of Darkness. And since the War ended up with us at its center, we were blamed for it." Sora and the others stared at the man in confusion.
"Why would the War end up focusing on the Chasers?" Kairi asked. "I thought the War was fought over Kingdom Hearts." The silver-eyed man took in several deep breaths, calming himself.
"For the most part, that's true," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Keyblade Wielders of Light and Darkness fought for Kingdom Hearts and we Chasers attempted to stay out of the War. We scattered ourselves and went into hiding across the universe to avoid the fighting, but eventually we we're all dragged in." The man turned his back on them and closed his eyes. "When neither side of could find a way to enter Kingdom Hearts and take it over, they sought out the Chasers to create a powerful Keyblade, a Keyblade that would allow them to open Kingdom Hearts and take it for their own. They wanted to use us to make the χ-blade."
Everything seemed to freeze in time for a moment as the word "χ-blade". Sora looked over at Mickey and caught the mouse king exchanging a swift glance with Yen Sid. Sora couldn't help but notice that both of them seemed nervous.
"What's the χ-blade?" Kairi asked. Sora turned his attention to her; Kairi was hanging on this man's every word and her eyes sparkled in excitement.
She believes every word he's saying. Sora realized. He looked back at the silver-eyed man, who had shifted his stance so he was facing Kairi, the only person not glaring at him like he was telling a fictional story.
"The χ-blade is a very special Keyblade," the man explained. "It can only be forged in a very specific way and when it is forged, the Hearts of all Worlds will join together and create a way into Kingdom Hearts, one that only the χ-blade is capable of creating.
"Defenders of Light and Servants of Darkness, we Chasers sought to end the fighting before it destroyed us all and those who sought power. Those who weren't Chasers believed that the χ-blade would appear to whoever proved themselves worthy.
"Their numbers swiftly dropped as the War raged on. Slowly, they began to realize that the χ-blade wouldn't just appear. So they began hunting Chasers. If a Chaser wouldn't help them, they would kill them." The man's shoulders shook as anger crossed his face. "They hunted us down one by one. In a month, we Chasers had gone from being over a thousand Wielders strong to a mere thirteen. And we hatched a plan to end the war: we created the χ-blade, and took it to the center of the barren plain where most of the war had been fought. There, in front of the only surviving Keyblade Wielders, we destroyed the χ-blade."
Sora felt his mouth drop in disbelief. Riku and Kairi were staring at the man with similar expressions to Sora's. Yen Sid and Mickey exchanged another worried glance.
"But I digress," the man resumed after several minutes. "To answer your earlier question, I am Xanthos." Xanthos bowed to Sora and the others holding his Oblivion Keyblade to the side and crossing his right arm over his chest. "I am a Keyblade Master and High Chaser of the Keyblade. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Sora stared at Xanthos blankly. Less than two weeks ago, this guy had been trying to kill him, and here he was, acting as if it never happened.
Is this guy for real?
Obviously he's real. Roxas replied. I don't think everyone else would be able to see him if he was a figment of your overactive imagination.
I know he's REAL, smartass. Sora retorted, I meant, does he honestly expect us to believe anything he's telling us?
How am I supposed to know? I'm in your mind, not his. Just give him the benefit of the doubt.
I guess I can for now. But, if he tries to kill me again, I'm coming after you.
And I will sit here, laughing, as you attempt to harm me.
I can always punch myself in the stomach. I'm sure that'd hurt you.
It'll hurt you, not me. I'm in your mind only and I don't feel any pain you feel. So bring it on. Like I said, I'll just sit here laughing as you hurt yourself and not me. Sora rolled his eyes and turned his attention back towards Xanthos. The silver-eyed Chaser was watching him. Sora glanced at Riku. Riku still had his Keyblade directed towards Xanthos, prepped to strike at a seconds notice, but his expression was now one of mild curiosity. Sora's eyes shifted from Riku to Kairi. Her eyes were glazed over.
She's talking to Naminé. Roxas said, or at least trying to. Naminé found a way into Xanthos' memories and she's trying to see if he's telling the truth.
Kairi's TRYING to talk Naminé? Is Naminé ignoring her?
Naminé isn't intentionally. Hell, I'm trying to talk to her right now as well, but she's completely absorbed in Xanthos' memories. She's practically trapped!
Seriously? Sora glanced warily at Xanthos. The Chaser's left eye twitched and his silver-eyes turned their attention on Kairi.
"Tell me, Princess Kairi," he said. "Is your Nobody finding anything of interest in my memories?" Riku, Mickey and Yen Sid all looked over at Kairi. Riku finally lowered his Keyblade.
"What's Naminé doing?" Mickey asked the auburn haired teen. Kairi swallowed hard. She stared at Xanthos in mild surprise for a moment.
"How did you know she was-" Kairi began, but Xanthos cut her off with a wave of his hand, as if he was saying 'Isn't it obvious?'
"It's my mind and my memories," he replied. "Do you honestly think anyone can go poking around in my head without me being aware of it?" The Chaser laughed. Kairi's face flushed a little in embarrassment. "And now the poor girl's gone and immersed herself so deeply in my memories that she can't find the way out," Xanthos shook his head sadly. "How unfortunate. But, she'll find her way out sooner or later. In the meantime, I believe there is a Mark of Mastery Exam taking place that I interrupted."
Xanthos bowed his head apologetically towards Yen Sid and walked away from the field to stand next to a shrub on the edge of the floating island Yen Sid called home. Yen Sid watched Xanthos for several moments running his hand through his beard. Xanthos raised an eyebrow at him when he realized the elderly sorcerer was watching him.
"Master Xanthos," Yen Sid said loudly. Everyone turned to look at him. "If you really are a Chaser, prove it. Forge a Keyblade, here and now." Sora and Kairi exchanged a glance. Didn't forging a weapon usually require a forge? And materials to make the weapon with? Sora looked over at Xanthos, who had a massive grin on his face.
"I thought you'd never ask," The Chaser said, as he dispelled his Keyblade and slowly removed his black gloves. Sora, Kairi and Riku all gasped when they saw the skin of his hands. Hundreds of silver, x-shaped scars covered his hands to the point they were almost completely silver. On his left ring finger, a single golden band shone brightly, as if it had been hidden by the glove for years.
He's got a wedding band on. Kairi realized, a fact Sora and Riku completely overlooked as they stared at the ring on the Chaser's right middle finger. The ring was completely silver except for the Mark of the Chasers, which had been cut from a sapphire.
"What on earth happened to your hands?" Riku asked, staring at the silver scars. Xanthos grinned.
"This," he replied. He inhaled deeply and slammed his left palm against the ground. The earth beneath their feet shook violently, and everyone except Xanthos and Yen Sid lost their footing. The air became unbearably hot for a brief moment before plummeting as frost formed on the ground and foliage. The wind roared ferociously and thunder shook the sky. Then, silence. Sora and the others pushed themselves to their feet and stared at Xanthos.
Suspended midair between his scarred hands was a pulsating orb of white light. Sora stared at the light in shock. It was solid. Xanthos pulled his hands further away from each other and the orb shifted, becoming a rod of light and elongating itself as Xanthos stretched his hands further until the rod was roughly three feet in length.
He gripped one edge of the rod tightly with his left hand. The white light instantly turned a bluish-purple color. The light shifted around Xanthos' hand, taking the shape of a curved guard. The rod bent slightly in the middle and a crescent moon embracing a star became the teeth on the rods. Everyone watched in amazement as the shape became more distinct in the light. The blade was a dark blue color near the hilt and faded into a bright purple decorated with several white stars. The guard now looked like two shooting stars streaking around the handle of the blade to meet at the hilt.
Xanthos swung the Star Seeker Keyblade several times before nodding in approval. Then, to everyone's shock he dropped it. Sora and Mickey both let out cries of surprise. Sora's mind raced.
Who drops a newly created Keyblade? What if it's fragile?
Everyone's mouths dropped in unison when the Star Seeker vanished in a flash of purple light, leaving a Keychain that resembled a golden crescent moon suspended midair. Xanthos snatched the Keychain from the air in front of him and examined it carefully.
"Catch," he said, tossing the Keychain to Kairi. "A souvenir." Kairi fumbled with the Keychain and nearly fell over before she had a decent grip on it. Kairi grinned and pocketed the Keychain.
"Thanks!" She said. Xanthos nodded, then winced and stared down at his left palm. There was a bright flash of light and a silver, x-shaped scar appeared in the center of his palm where there had once been untouched skin. Xanthos grimaced and began to slip his gloves back on. Everyone was staring at him again.
"Does that happen every time you forge a Keyblade?" Kairi asked. Xanthos nodded but kept his mouth shut. "Does it hurt?" Xanthos looked up at her.
"Like you wouldn't believe," he said, his silver eyes boring into her violet-blue ones. Kairi gasped. Through her connection to Naminé, Kairi witnessed flashes of Xanthos' memories. Xanthos kneeling on a battlefield where hundreds of Keyblades were scattered on the ground, holding a woman as she died in his arms, Xanthos tearing through Keyblade Wielders left and right in his rage, carrying the body of the woman to a grave in the middle of a forest somewhere, a man in a black cloak touching Xanthos' forehead as Xanthos slowly froze in time.
Kairi gasped and snapped back to reality as Sora shook her slightly, calling out her name with a worried expression on his face. Sora glared at Xanthos.
"What did you do to her?" he growled as he pointed his Oblivion Keyblade at the Chaser's throat. Kairi placed a hand on Sora's shoulder to calm him. His head whipped around to look at Kairi.
"He didn't do anything to me, Sora," Kairi said, panting slightly. Her heart was racing from the rush of Xanthos memories. "I accidentally saw flashes of his memories through Naminé." Xanthos stared at her. Kairi looked up at him and saw a tear forming in his left eye. Then she realized that he was seeing everything Naminé was seeing. Kairi felt bad for Xanthos. Xanthos sneezed loudly and wiped his eyes.
"Ugh, allergies," he pulled out a tissue and used it to wipe his nose as he looked at Sora. "See Spiky? I didn't do anything to your Princess." Xanthos dropped the tissue and a burst of fire consumed it before it touched the ground. "Anyway, have I proven to you that I am the genuine article, Master Yen Sid?" Xanthos turned his head to look at the sorcerer. Yen Sid glanced at Mickey and nodded.
"Yes, Master Xanthos," he said as he ran his hand through his beard again. "I believe that you are indeed a Chaser. And as such, I ask that you administer the second half of the Mark of Mastery Exam to Sora and Riku." Sora's and Riku's heads whipped around to stare at Yen Sid. Xanthos grinned.
"It would be my pleasure," the Chaser bowed low to Yen Sid. "But this place isn't appropriate for what I have planned." Xanthos waved his hands and a bright flash of light engulfed them all. For several long seconds, no one could see anything. Then the light faded.
Sora blinked hard trying to clear the spots in his vision. After a few seconds he could see again and he looked around at their surroundings. They were standing on a flat plain that stretched on for countless miles in every direction. Around them, hundreds of thousands of Keyblades, ancient, rusted and battle-worn were embedded into the ground. Four large paths had been left between the Keyblade remains and intersect several miles in the distance. A plateau, divided into a lower side and higher side, stood near the center of the crossroad. Craters dotted the land here and there. In the distance a huge hole had been blasted through a mountain.
Sora, Kairi and Riku stared in solemn amazement at the Keyblades that covered the plain. Xanthos stood several yards from them in the center of the crossroads. Yen Sid and Mickey barely glanced around as they walked towards him. Kairi nudged Sora and tilted her head towards the Masters. Sora looked at Xanthos, who was gesturing at the Keyblades.
"This is where most of the fighting during the Keyblade War took place," Xanthos lowered his hand. "Hundreds of thousands of Keyblades are embedded in the ground here as a testament to those who died for a war that shouldn't have been fought. This world is the Keyblade Graveyard."
Sora and Kairi both felt shivers run up their spines. Kairi rubbed her arms as goosebumps formed. Xanthos gave them a moment to absorb that information before holding his hand, palm up, to Sora and Riku.
"Spiky, Silver, come here." Sora and Riku both glared daggers at Xanthos for giving them nicknames. Riku's face flushed slightly when he heard Mickey and Kairi trying to conceal their laughter at his nickname. Sora and Riku walked over to where Xanthos stood. The Chaser lowered his hand and stared at the two examinees.
"For the second part of your Mark of Mastery Exam you will demonstrate your teamwork in the heat of battle against a powerful adversary." Sora and Riku grinned at each other, both of them remembering taking down Xemnas. This exam was going to a piece of cake.
"What do we have to fight?" Riku asked enthusiastically. Xanthos chuckled as the Oblivion Keyblade appeared in his left hand. He spun it twice and held it across his chest.
"Not a what, but a who. You fight me." Xanthos leapt backwards and at least a hundred feet into the air. He flipped midair and floated gracefully down to the lower side of the plateau before turning and running vertically up the side of the higher plateau. "Come on, don't just stand there!" Xanthos shouted to them from the highest point of the plateau. Sora glanced at Riku.
"Let's do this," Riku said confidently as he and Sora summoned their Keyblades. Sora grabbed Riku's forearm and leapt into the air. In a matter of seconds, Sora had flown them to the top of the plateau. They landed softly and both readied themselves to attack, but there was no sign of Xanthos.
"Where'd he go?" Sora asked. Riku shrugged but didn't let his guard down.
"I smell a trap," Riku said, his eyes darting back and forth as he and Sora circled each other until their backs were all but pressed together. Sora raised an eyebrow.
"You can SMELL a trap?" he asked sarcastically. "Are you half blood hound or something?" Riku rolled his eyes.
"Don't make me throw you off the edge, smart-ass."
"I'll just drag you with me. You know that. Also, I can fly and you can't." Sora turned his head and stuck his tongue out at his silver-haired friend. Riku shook his head.
"Just stay alert," he said. "This guy could be anywhere." The words had barely left his mouth when at least twenty Xanthos clones surrounded them, each appearing out of nowhere. Riku cursed under his breath. Sora grinned.
"Or everywhere," Sora said as the Xanthos clones each created their own set of bright blue Ethereal Blades. "Do you want the ones on my right or the ones on your right?" Riku thought about it for a moment.
"The ones on your right."
"Why my right? What's wrong with the ones on your right?"
"Nothing, they're all the same."
"Then what's the difference?"
"Simple: Last time I chose an option that was on my right, I was lost for a week and a half in a labyrinth filled with Heartless and Nobodies, no light, food or water. You do the math." Sora turned his head to look at Riku.
"When did this happen?"
"I'll tell you later, when we're not trying to pass an exam."
"Sounds fair."
The Xanthos clones all attacked in unison, each rushing the two teens silently. Sora and Riku each rolled to their respective lefts. Riku exited his roll and kicked one clone in the stomach, sending it stumbling over the plateau's edge. He spun on his heel and brought the Way to Dawn to deflect a pair of Ethereal Blades, knocking their owner off balance.
Riku took advantage of the opening the clone presented him with and thrust upwards with the Way to Dawn, slicing the clone in half from its crotch to its left shoulder.
Like slicing through mist. Riku observed as he swung his Keyblade back down to behead the clone before it vanished into black vapor. He rolled out of the way as a pair of Ethereal Blades streaked towards his head. He leapt back to his feet and hurled the Way to Dawn like a javelin, impaling the nearest clone. Grinning, he ran to the clone and grabbed his Keyblade from its chest, ripping it up and through the clone's shoulder area. As the clone collapsed and began to turn into black vapor, Riku jumped up and used what was left of its physical body to propel himself ten feet into the air.
Piece of cake.
LD
Sora sidestepped another downwards slash from his first clone. He was having too much fun taunting the clones by dodging and making them run into each other. Two clones ran at him from either side, both pointing their Ethereal Blades at his head. Sora paused and at the last second, jumped high into the air to avoid the attacks. Below him, the two clones stabbed each other and exploded into black vapor. Sora grinned as he landed and sliced the head off the nearest clone.
Sora spared a glance over at Riku. His silver-haired friend was doing exceptionally well, tearing his way through clone after clone. Riku was so immersed in the three clones in front of him, he didn't see the clone behind him.
Sora's eyes widened in shock as the Ethereal Blades wielded by the clone descended towards the back of Riku's neck.
Sora grunted and kicked away a clone that attempted to strike him. Sora drew his arm back and sent his Oblivion Keyblade spinning towards Riku.
LD
Riku slashed down two of the three clones effortlessly but the third one kept leaping and rolling out of the way. As it rolled behind him, Riku spun on his heel to prevent it from attacking his blind spot, only to be greeted by the bright blue glow of another clone's Ethereal Blades about to pierce his throat.
Riku froze in shock and braced himself for searing pain, followed by a swift death. The Ethereal Blades were less than an inch from slicing him open when the clone stopped moving. Sora's Oblivion Keyblade jutted out of the clone's side for a moment before vanishing in a flash of light and reappearing in Sora's hand across the plateau in time for him to cut through a clone's waist.
"Thanks, buddy!" Riku shouted as he stabbed an attacking clone and punched another in the face. The clone stumbled backwards and fell off the plateau's edge. Riku smiled sinisterly when he heard the satisfying sound of the clone crashing into the ground.
LD
Sora grinned at his friend's thanks. He ducked under a clone's slash and cut its legs out from underneath it. He swung the Oblivion up and parried another pair of Ethereal Blades. Sora grinned as the five clones he had left to deal with quickly circled him.
"Firaga," Sora said as the five clones lunged in for a group attack. A ring of fire surrounded Sora and shredded through the clones, reducing them to nothing more than a cloud of black vapor. He watched as Riku squared off against the last two clones on his side. One clone went for a wide, sweeping slash which Riku easily dodged. The clone exploded into vapor. Riku continued his attack and quickly cut down the last clone. Riku sighed with relief and began walking over to Sora.
"Well that was ex-" he began, but was cut off as the stone below them trembled violently. A column of stone burst from the plateau and knocked Riku twenty feet into the air. Riku gasped for air as the breath was knocked from his lungs. The stone pillar exploded and the real Xanthos burst out. Riku desperately attempted to raise a guard in time, but Xanthos' strike knocked Riku down onto the plateau. Riku crashed into the stone hard and rolled off the plateau's edge.
"Riku!" Sora shouted in shock. He ran towards the plateau edge where Riku had fallen from only to be stopped by Xanthos briefly flashing into existence and striking at Sora before turning invisible again. Sora rolled out of the way and struck at where Xanthos had been a split second before.
Sora grinned in satisfaction as Xanthos reappeared with a grunt of pain. Sora swung horizontally at the Chaser's waist. Xanthos leapt up and over Sora's Keyblade. He slashed down at the spiky haired teen. Sora leapt to the side to avoid being struck. Sora rolled and leapt back to his feet in time to see Xanthos' Oblivion Keyblade swinging towards his chest. Sora hastily raised his weapon to block. His Oblivion Keyblade collided with Xanthos' and was knocked from Sora's hands. The force of the Chaser's strike forced Sora to stumble backwards and fall flat on his back. Xanthos' hand lashed out and caught the Sora's Oblivion. He stood, looming over Sora and raising both Oblivion Keyblades over his head to strike the spiky-haired teen.
Sora grinned cockily and held his hand out towards Xanthos to summon his Oblivion back to his hands. Xanthos smiled sympathetically at Sora and slashed down.
LD
Kairi, Mickey and Yen Sid all watched in horror as Riku fell from the plateau spinning head over heels as he plummeted towards the hard ground a thousand feet below.
"No!" Mickey and Kairi cried out in unison. Mickey looked up at Yen Sid, asking with his eyes what they should do. Yen Sid smiled and pointed up at the falling teen.
"We can do nothing, Mickey. This is their test, and they must pass it without our help or guidance." Mickey followed Yen Sid's finger and saw that Riku was now falling feet first and drawing back his Keyblade. The three of them watched as the silver-haired boy plunged his Keyblade into the rock face, slowing his descent until he came to a stop about a third of the way down. Kairi and Mickey both cheered and whistled.
"Go, Riku!" Kairi shouted.
"Nice save!" Mickey yelled. Riku glanced down at them and gave them the thumbs up. He began swinging back and forth, building up momentum before he flipped up several feet into the air and embedded his Keyblade again in the rock face.
Everyone looked upwards to the top of the plateau, hidden from their view as Sora let out a terrible cry of pain. Kairi's and Mickey's eyes widened in fear. Riku looked upwards in shock and began swinging harder to build up momentum for his next leap quicker.
"Sora!" Kairi cried out worriedly. Destiny's Embrace flashed into her hand and she charged towards the plateau. Mickey tried to grab her but Yen Sid held him back. When Mickey looked up quizzically at the sorcerer, Yen Sid pointed to the air in front of Kairi. Mickey looked back around in time to see Kairi collide with an invisible barrier.
"I just said, we cannot interfere, even if we wanted to," Yen Sid told her. Kairi looked sadly up at the plateau and her Keyblade vanished in a flash of light.
"Sora," she whispered, her voice heavy with worry.
LD
Sora stared in shock at the twin cuts running across his chest. Then he looked at his hands. His Keyblade still hadn't returned to him.
What the-
Sora willed the Oblivion to jump from Xanthos' hand to his own, but nothing happened. Sora tried again and again but nothing happened. Xanthos sighed.
"Did you forget that the Chasers make the Keyblade?" he asked Sora. "I doubt you did. So here's another lesson about Chasers. There were other reasons why we were hunted down during the War. It wasn't only to open Kingdom Hearts; we were feared.
"We could create Keyblades, and if we managed to take a Keyblade from another Wielder, that Wielder wouldn't be able to get it back unless we stopped holding onto it." Sora's eyes widened in a mixture of realization and fear. "We were only hunted down to open Kingdom Hearts after both sides persecuted us to the point that barely a hundred of us were left for them to hunt. You can keep trying to summon your Keyblade back, but it won't listen to you." Xanthos hefted Sora's Oblivion in his right hand and stared at it. "Besides, I'm the Chaser who forged the Oblivion Keyblades." Sora's mouth dropped. "Do you really think it'll listen to your summons when its creator is wielding it?"
Sora couldn't believe his ears. Then he got an idea. Slowly, he picked himself up and held his hand out towards Xanthos again. Xanthos rolled his eyes.
"Didn't you listen to what I just said?" he asked. Sora nodded.
"Yeah, I did," he said as a smile crept onto his face. "But you seem to have forgotten something yourself." Xanthos raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm the Keyblade's Chosen One, remember?" Sora's Oathkeeper Keyblade appeared in his right hand as the Oblivion appeared in his left hand in a flash of light. Xanthos stared, dumbfounded, for a moment before looking down at his right hand. It was empty.
"Impossible," Xanthos said, looking from his empty hand to the Oblivion in Sora's hand. Behind him, Riku had reached the top of the plateau again, panting.
"Alright, you" he gasped as he stood up straight and pulled his Keyblade back. "Let's see how you like falling off a cliff."
"Technically it's a plateau," Xanthos said. His right hand was bathed in a flash of light as a dark blue Keyblade, decorated with a stopwatch style design at the tip and spiked teeth connected by a black web structure, with a blade that was made of the same energy as Xanthos' Ethereal Blades and an hourglass Keychain appeared. The No Name. Riku glanced back and forth between Xanthos and Sora.
"Um, either of you got a spare Keyblade I can use?" Riku asked a little nervously. "I feel a little outgunned." Xanthos glanced at Sora. Sora tossed Riku the Oblivion and summoned the Kingdom Key to his left hand to replace it. Riku caught the Oblivion and spun it twice in his left hand before shifting his stance to strike.
"Bring it," Xanthos said as he aimed a Keyblade at Sora and Riku each. Sora and Riku rushed in for the attack. Keyblades clashed rapidly and sparks flew on the air. Xanthos parried all of their attacks, fending both of them off with one hand each. His Keyblades became blurs and none of Sora's or Riku's attacks could break through. This pattern lasted for several minutes, with neither side giving ground.
Finally, Riku managed to land a hit against Xanthos' leg by feinting and ducking under the No Name as it slashed at where Riku's chest had been a second before. Xanthos grunted in surprise and pain, which broke his guard against Sora, who swung both of his Keyblades into Xanthos' side. Xanthos gasped in pain and stumbled backwards, trying to recover from the blows he had taken but was hard pressed to as Sora and Riku continued their onslaught.
Riku went for Xanthos' legs as Sora went for his upper body. Xanthos stumbled backwards and promptly stepped right off the plateau's edge. Sora and Riku rushed to the edge to try to grab him but they were too late. Xanthos fell head first towards the ground. The pair watched as Xanthos closed his eyes and his Keyblades vanished in a flash of white light. Sora and Riku then did something they never imagined doing in a fight against an opponent who seemed to have given up. They jumped.
As they fell, they kept their eyes and Xanthos who had a decent start of at least two hundred feet if not more. Sora grabbed Riku and used his ability to fly to increase their speed. They caught up to Xanthos in a matter of moments, but as the pair reached out to grab him, he vanished into thin air and reappeared standing on the ground five hundred feet or so below them, smiling up at the two flying teens.
Sora set them down on the ground near the rock face of the plateau. He and Riku summoned their Keyblades back to them and raised their guards. Xanthos smiled at them. He raised his eyes to look just above their heads and raised his hands. Sora and Riku lowered their Keyblades slightly, looking at the Chaser confusedly. Xanthos clenched his hands into fists and quickly pulled them back towards his chest. A deep rumbling noise began to sound behind them.
"That's not a good sound," Sora said as he and Riku looked at each other. The pair turned their heads to look behind them. Thousands up on thousands of cracks were beginning to form all across the plateau. A man-sized chunk of stone fell from high above them and landed several feet away from Riku, shattering into a hundred pieces.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Riku asked exasperatedly as the plateau collapsed in a roar. Hundreds of thousands of chunks of stone rained around them, ranging in size from dust to capable of flattening a house. "RUN!"
Sora and Riku broke out into a flat out run towards Xanthos and away from the base of the collapsing plateau. Xanthos summoned his Keyblades back to his hands and charged into the rain of stone with a wild laugh. Sora leapt onto a large stone that was slowly leveling itself out, he winced slightly as pain shot through the wounds on his chest before he ran up along it at an angle. He had a clear shot at Xanthos, so he aimed his Keyblade and sent a bolt of lightning hurtling towards the Chaser. Xanthos grinned and leapt up onto a falling rock to avoid it. Sora's lightning attack harmlessly stuck a falling boulder.
Riku smashed his way through one stone and rolled under another, barely managing to avoid being crushed. He struck at Xanthos as the Chaser landed next to him. Xanthos easily deflected Riku's attack and the pair quickly leapt from each other in time to avoid a house sized chunk of stone struck the ground where they had been a split second before. Riku watched from the ground as Xanthos leapt from stone to stone into the air, laughing at him.
Riku let out a growl and followed Xanthos' lead and leapt from stone to stone up into the sky, pursuing the Chaser. Sora leapt high and quickly flew himself through the falling rubble. He shattered a stone that Xanthos had been about to land on as he flew past. Xanthos' eyes widened in surprise and fell several yards. Riku leapt from stone to stone quickly as the Chaser crashed into one stone after another, struggling to right himself as he flipped head over heels. Riku chuckled at Xanthos' misfortune.
He quickly caught up to him and lashed out at the Xanthos' exposed back. Unfortunately for Riku, a falling stone intercepted his strike and Xanthos heard the sound of metal striking stone as the Way to Dawn shattered the stone. Xanthos flipped around and swung at Riku with the No Name. Riku deflected it easily and leapt off the stone he was on to avoid Xanthos' next strike with the Oblivion. Riku hurled Sora's Oblivion at towards Xanthos' head like a javelin. The Chaser smiled as if he was amused and knocked the Oblivion out of the way with his own. Riku watched as Sora's Oblivion Keyblade vanished in a flash of light.
Sora watched as Xanthos disappeared into the hail of stone after Riku attempted to hit him with his Oblivion. Sora glanced up. A cluster of small, dangerously sharp stones was falling directly towards Riku and the silver-haired teen didn't seem to notice. Sora knew he wouldn't reach him in time, so he aimed his Keyblade at his friend and focused on the protection Light offered from anything that meant harm.
"Reflect!" Sora shouted. A tiny ball streaked from the Oathkeeper's tip and collided with Riku. The light expanded rapidly, encasing Riku in an orb made of several hexagons of light. The stones crashed into Sora's Reflect spell and disintegrated into dust instantly. Riku looked around him in mild surprise
"Thanks!" Riku shouted to Sora over the deafening sound of stone crashing into stone. Sora grinned and ducked out of the way of another stone that nearly knocked him in his head. Riku slashed left and right through the stone as the pieces slowly began to become fewer. Sora and Riku grinned at each other as they saw the largest chunk of the plateau heading rapidly towards them. Both of them drew back their Keyblades and prepared to slice their way through it.
Then the stone split in half as Xanthos sliced his way through from the other side. Xanthos lashed out at Sora but Riku leapt from the stone he had been riding on and deflected the attack. Sora aimed his Keyblade at the stones over Xanthos' head.
"Graviga!" he shouted. Sora grabbed Riku and yanked him out of way as hundreds of rocks went speeding downwards at a high velocity because Sora had increased the gravitational pull on them. Xanthos swung his Keyblades wildly, attempting to deflect the stone, and quickly vanished from sight in a cloud of dust and stone.
"Thanks for the distraction, buddy," Sora said as he and Riku high fived.
"Any time, man" Riku said with a grin. Sora floated them down as the last of the stones crashed to the ground. Sora grabbed Riku by the arm and set them down. Mickey and Kairi cheered, whooped and hollered from beyond the barrier. There was a long moment while they waited for the dust to settle. They stood back to back with their Keyblades raised, ready for a sneak attack. It never came. When the dust finally settled enough to see around them, Xanthos was lying face down several feet from where they stood. The pair walked over to him and stared down.
"So, did we pass?" Riku asked with a grin. Sora couldn't help smiling as well.
"Yes, you passed the second half of your Mark of Mastery Exam," said Xanthos from behind Sora and Riku. The teens spun around. The Chaser was standing behind them, brushing dust off of the shoulders of his cloak. Sora and Riku looked back at the Xanthos lying face down. That Xanthos was gone, all that remained was a small cloud of black vapor.
"We were fighting a clone!" Riku exclaimed angrily. Xanthos laughed.
"Hardly. You fought the real me up until Sora decided to bring down the remaining stones on my head. So I made a clone and switched places with it," Xanthos walked between the teens and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Good fight, you two."
As Xanthos walked over to where Mickey and Yen Sid remained standing, Kairi ran over to Sora and Riku. She gave Riku a brief hug before turning to her boyfriend and getting to work on healing the two cuts Xanthos had left. Green tendrils of light flowed from her fingertips and wound their way into the wounds. Sora let out a hiss of pain as the green light pulled the dirt and dust from the wounds before slowly sealing them shut. After a few minutes, the only traces of the wounds were two faint pink lines running across his chest.
After making sure the wounds were completely healed, Kairi tackled Sora in a hug and locked her lips tightly with his. Sora grunted in pain as all of his muscles began screaming at him. Kairi immediately backed off.
"Oh my god," she said worriedly, clasping her hands over her mouth. "I didn't hurt you did I?" Sora chuckled, and coughed when the chuckling caused his chest to hurt.
"Don't worry, Kairi," he said, taking in a slow deep breath. "You didn't do it on purpose, my muscles are just killing me. It takes a lot of effort to smash through stone." Kairi chuckled and kissed Sora again, this time more gently. Riku rolled his eyes.
"How's Naminé?" Riku asked. Kairi broke away from the kiss to look at Riku.
"Now that I think about it," Kairi said, placing a hand on her chin. "I haven't heard from her and I haven't gotten any flashes from inside-" She was cut off as Naminé's voice echoed loudly in all three of their heads.
You might want to make a path! Sora and Riku looked at Kairi in confusion.
"What did she mean by 'make a path'?" Sora asked Kairi hesitantly. Kairi shrugged.
"I have no-" She was cut off as Xanthos let out a cry of shock and pain. He collapsed to his knees and began coughing violently. A bright orb of golden light shot out of his back and zoomed straight for Kairi. Before anyone could react, the orb of light passed through Kairi's chest and emerged from her back. Kairi let out a gasp of surprise as she was lifted several inches off of the ground and hurled back half a dozen feet.
"Kairi!" Sora and Riku exclaimed in surprise. They both scrambled to their feet and began to run towards the fallen girl. The orb of golden light hung in midair above where Kairi lay. Sora and Riku were barely ten feet away from Kairi when the orb exploded in a blast of pure white light.
Sora and Riku were knocked backwards off of their feet. Mickey and Yen Sid watched in wonder. Xanthos let out another violent cough and wiped the blood that came up with it off on the back of his glove. Sora forced himself to sit up, despite the pain in his body telling him to lie down and quit moving. He couldn't see Kairi through the thick cloud of dust that the blast had created, but he could hear her coughing.
"Jeez, Naminé," Kairi coughed, still obscured from sight by the cloud of dust. "What the hell was that?" Sora felt relieved to hear that Kairi was okay enough to speak.
"How am I supposed to know?" Naminé coughed back in reply. "One minute I'm digging around in Xanthos' memories, then I got into… something, I'm not exactly sure what it was, but it kicked me out of his mind faster than I thought possible." Naminé coughed hard again. Sora stopped walking towards the settling dust cloud.
Wait a sec. I thought you and Naminé didn't need to breathe, Roxas.
Yeah. Roxas replied. What's your point?
My point is, why is Naminé coughing if you two don't need to breathe?
Huh. I don't know. Reflex?
Sora watched as the dust slowly settled. He could make out the silhouettes of two females sitting by each other. Sora sighed in relief and started walking towards Kairi's silhouette.
"Oh my god," Kairi said, staring at Naminé. Everyone stared at Naminé as the dust settled. The blonde looked around at all of them, confused by the looks of surprise on their faces.
"What?" she asked. "You guys are acting like you've never seen me before." Kairi glanced up at Sora in an I-can't-believe-it way. Sora's mouth was hanging open.
What the fuck? Roxas' voice echoed inside Sora's mind. Naminé was glaring now.
"Would someone please tell me what's with all of you?" she asked. Kairi placed her hand on Naminé's shoulder. Naminé looked down at Kairi's hand in surprise at the touch.
"Two things, honey," Kairi said calmly, "One, I have no idea how, but you're not a projection, you're real." Naminé's mouth dropped open. She brought her hand up hesitantly and placed it on Kairi's shoulder. She gasped in surprise when her hand didn't pass through the auburn haired girl's body. She looked at a pebble on the ground next to her. Grinning, she picked it up and hurled it across the landscape.
Naminé leapt to her feet, laughing excitedly. Sora and the others, aside from Kairi, turned their heads to look away, their faces turning slightly pink. Kairi forced back her own laughter.
"Second, you're completely naked." Naminé froze in place for a moment before glancing down at her body in shock. She let out a small scream and quickly hid herself behind a boulder. Everyone laughed at her while Naminé shouted at them to get her some clothes. Sora, feeling sorry for the blonde, began to remove his jacket.
He stopped only as a ball of black clothing zipped past his head and sailed over the boulder Naminé was hiding behind. Naminé sighed in relief from behind the boulder, followed by the sounds of her unfolding the ball of clothes.
"You have got to be kidding me," Naminé said loudly. Sora and the others looked quizzically at the boulder. Naminé stepped out, dressed only in an ankle length black cloak identical to the ones worn by the former Organization XIII and currently being worn by Xanthos.
"Seriously?" Naminé asked Xanthos, gesturing at the cloak she now wore. "One of these? And you didn't even give me pants, or boots, or underwear for that matter." Xanthos smiled at her.
"You're welcome," he said. "But I figure you've got about three seconds before you get more clothing." Naminé glared at him in confusion then gasped as light covered her hands and feet. The light faded quickly and Naminé was suddenly wearing heeled black boots, black gloves that disappeared underneath the sleeves of her cloak and pants. Naminé gave herself a quick once over before raising an eyebrow at Xanthos.
"I still don't have any underwear," she said expectantly. Then she pulled out the front of her cloak and looked down at herself beneath it. "Or a shirt for that matter. Do those take longer to come into existence, or something?" Xanthos laughed.
"Nope. You have to provide your own underwear and your own shirt," he replied after his laughter had died. Naminé groaned. "So that just means you'll have to go commando." Kairi laughed at Naminé. Yen Sid looked over at Xanthos.
"Master Xanthos," Xanthos turned to look back at the sorcerer. "Would you like to shed some light on what just happened?" Xanthos ran a hand through his hair and stared up at the cloudy sky.
"I haven't a clue, to tell you the truth," he said distantly, "But from what she told us, I'd have to say she accessed part of my power I have sealed away and accidentally released it. The resulting surge of energy and power threw her from my mind and sucked away some of my current strength. That's probably why I collapsed.
"Anyway, she attempted to return to the Princess' mind but the power she released inside me attached itself to her and began creating for her a body of her own. I believe that is why she was unable to return to the Princess' mind and instead simply sent her flying." Xanthos shrugged in an I-don't-care sort of way. "But this is all speculation of course. Congratulations on having your own body." Naminé nodded in thanks towards him. Yen Sid cleared his throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"We have reached our decision," he announced. Sora and Riku quickly got to their feet and went to stand in front of the three Masters. Mickey looked back and forth between Sora and Riku as the pair stood before them.
"Sora, Riku," He said slowly. "You both performed admirably. And despite losing to Master Xanthos in the second part of the Exam, the pair of you demonstrated exceptional skill." Xanthos nodded in agreement.
"I agree whole heartedly with Mickey," Yen Sid said as he ran a hand through his gray beard. "It has been a long time since I witnessed two Wielders prove they had the same level of talent and determination in the heat of battle as the two of you have." Sora and Riku glanced at each other and grinned encouragingly.
"You both demonstrated the strength of your hearts when you helped each other in the second half of your Exam," Xanthos said. "Very few Masters during the time before the War ever did."
"That being said," Yen Sid continued. "It is with great honor that I say that both of you have shown the Mark of Mastery on this day. Congratulations, you are now both officially Keyblade Masters." Both Sora and Riku stared at Yen Sid for a moment in surprise before shouting victoriously and giving each other a high five.
Behind them, Kairi and Naminé cheered Roxas appeared next to them in a flash of blue light, cheering louder than the others. The trio and ran up to congratulate the new Masters. Kairi and Naminé each gave Sora a hug. Roxas attempted to join in the group hug and, forgetting he was only a spectral image with no physical form, passed right through him. Riku laughed and high fived Mickey. Naminé broke from the hug and turned to Riku to hug him as well. Sora swept Kairi up into his arms and kissed her briefly before Yen Sid called them back to attention.
"As the newest Masters of the Keyblade," He said, looking from Sora to Riku as he spoke. "You shall be given the same two choices presented to all Masters after they display the Mark." Sora and Riku stared back at the sorcerer with quizzical looks. "As a Master, you can either embark on a journey to the worlds, a journey which will open many potential paths to you; or you may choose to take on Apprentices of your own." Sora glanced at Kairi. "Which option do you choose?" There was silence for a few minutes while Sora and Riku considered their options.
"Well," Said Riku, breaking the silence. "I'm going to choose to go out on my own journey." He looked over at Sora. "I want to do what Sora's done for the past couple of years; I want to make more friends and see as many worlds as I can." Yen Sid nodded and looked at Sora.
"What about you, Master Sora?" Yen Sid asked. Sora grinned at being called 'Master Sora'. Sora briefly glanced at Kairi before answering.
"I'm going to choose to take on my own Apprentices," He took Kairi's hand and squeezed it gently. "Starting with Kairi." Kairi smiled at him and squeezed his hand back. Yen Sid smiled at the couple.
"Very well then," He said, bowing his head to the two new Masters. "Master Riku has chosen to traverse the worlds and meet new people and Master Sora has chosen to take on Princess Kairi as his first Apprentice. I wish you both the best of luck and as a final gift;" He snapped his fingers twice. Two Kingdom-class Gummi ships descended from the sky and landed in the small field behind where everyone was standing. "I give you each your own Gummi ship. Congratulations on showing the Mark you two, and may the Light guide you." There was a puff of blue and gray smoke and Yen Sid vanished. Xanthos yawned loudly.
"As much fun as this has been, I do have things to attend to on other worlds," he said as he casually cracked his knuckles. "But I do have some parting gifts for you before I take off." He snapped his fingers and three identical packages wrapped in silver paper appeared in front of Sora, Riku and Kairi.
"Firstly, I'm giving all three of you black cloaks like the one I gave blondie over there," Naminé glared at him. Sora, Kairi and Riku all opened the packages and removed the black cloaks. "The forces of Darkness grow stronger with every passing day. And many of them will attempt to find you and do you harm on many worlds. These cloaks will protect you from most of the dangers of the darkness and I suggest you wear them around beings who are too close to the Darkness for their own good and when visiting new worlds for the first time.
"And I am aware that these cloaks were worn by Organization XIII before they were defeated. But I think you should know that before the War, all Masters were presented with these cloaks upon showing the Mark. So I figure it only suiting." And just like that, without even saying goodbye, Xanthos vanished into thin air. They all stared at where the Chaser had been standing a split second before.
"Aside from the fact that he terrifies the hell out of me, I think he's kind of cool," said Kairi
"Whelp, on that note, I guess I'll be leaving too," Mickey said as she shook Riku's hand. He walked over to Sora and gave him a handshake as well and hugged Kairi goodbye. "But here's my gift to the two of you." He handed Sora and Riku each a journal and a professional digital camera. "So you can document your adventures." Mickey said with a smile.
"Thank you, your Majesty," Sora said. "Say hi to Donald, Goofy and the Queen for us!" Mickey nodded to him and pulled out a small, rectangular box with a blue button. He pressed the button and vanished in a burst of white light. Sora turned to face the others.
"Shall we head home?" he asked them. Kairi and Naminé both nodded. Sora looked at Riku expectantly. Riku hesitated and averted his eyes. Sora cocked his head to one side and crossed his arms. "Riku, what is it?" Riku looked out at the thousands of rocks that now covered the ground where the plateau had once been.
"How can I say goodbye to everyone?" Riku asked. Kairi and Naminé exchanged a glance. Sora looked down at his feet. "We've been gone for over two years and now we've barely been back a month and I'm already setting off again, and I don't know when I'll be back." Sora walked up and placed a hand on Riku's shoulder.
"You aren't going to say goodbye to them," he said. Riku's head whipped around in surprise. "You're going to tell them that you'll see them later. Goodbye is permanent. By saying 'see you later', you make a promise to see them again. That's how you do it." Riku grinned and lightly smacked Sora on the back of his head.
"Come on then," he said as he sprinted towards one of the Gummi ships. Sora grinned and looked back at Kairi and Naminé, who were both smiling before the trio ran for the other ship, laughing as they did so.
LD
Maleficent sat on one of the thirteen elevated thrones in the Place Where Nothing Gathers in the Castle That Never Was. Dark gray thorns twisted up the side of her throne and green flames burned on candlesticks encircling the room. She gently petted the top of Diablo's head as the crow cawed contentedly. She stared at the man sitting on the throne opposite of hers. The green flames from the candles cast eerie shadows and obscured the man mostly from view. The only part of him Maleficent could properly see was the rose he held in his right hand as the roses petals seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.
"I must say, that is quite a story, Maleficent," the man said. "But few can say they've died and come back to tell the tale." Maleficent's eyes narrowed.
"If you had been there to help us, Creed," Maleficent spat, her voice like acid. "Then we would've taken Kingdom Hearts with ease. That insolent brat and his friends wouldn't have been able to stop us!" Maleficent was shouting now. Her anger was only spurred on when she saw Creed's smile through the shadows. The man was laughing at her.
"The past is past, Maleficent," he said casually as he twirled his rose in his hands. "Besides, I was too busy fighting Chronos. If they knew what I had planned with you then, they would've fought harder against me and my Apostles of the Star." Maleficent glared at Creed.
"Did you even manage to convince The Black Cat to join you so we could use him in our plan?" Maleficent asked. Creed's smile vanished instantly. Maleficent knew she had hit a nerve. "So you failed." It was a statement, not a question. Creed continued to frown at her.
"I didn't fail," Creed said slowly. Maleficent shivered slightly at the malevolence in Creed's voice. "The Heartless you left behind on my World finally found the Keyhole and took the World's heart before I had the chance to convince him. But I digress, what is your new plan seeing as how your last went all to hell?"
Maleficent glared at Creed, who was smiling again. But she couldn't help but smile now. She had been planning this for weeks, even before Pete had nearly gotten them killed in the digital copy of the journal kept by the mouse king's chronicler.
"It's actually quite wonderful, Creed," she said as she ran a hand over the green orb on her scepter. "I have an army of Heartless lying in wait with numbers that will overwhelm anyone who dares oppose me!" Maleficent let out a long, maniacal laugh. "And that's all I can tell you Creed. No offense but I don't entirely trust you." It was Creed's turn to laugh.
"My dear, Maleficent," he said, leaning from the shadows so Maleficent could see him clearly. "You may not trust me or my Apostles now, but soon you will. I already have to Apostles hiding in plain sight on the home world of the Keyblade Wielder whom you despise so much." Maleficent stared at Creed, surprised at his words. "And with my help, you will soon have your revenge you crave so much."
Maleficent grinned. Soon, Sora would suffer by her hand. She began to laugh, quietly at first but it quickly grew to a sinister cackle. She even knew exactly how to make him suffer before she killed him. Maleficent stared into the green orb on her scepter where she could see the ghostly image of a young teenage girl with auburn hair and violet-blue eyes holding hands with the spiky-haired boy Maleficent hated above all others.
LD
The mystery deepens; just who are the Apostles of the Star? I absolutely loved writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Reviews are greatly appreciated as I would very much like to read your opinion and any theories you might have. On a side note; with the release of the North American version of Re:Coded, I have updated the dialogue between Mickey and Yen Sid in Chapter Five.
Side note #2: I'm really sorry about how long it took me to update but I promise I'll be more frequent now that life has settled down.
-Shadow Horizons