Chapter II: Calling
Traveling between worlds was easy for Kyurg. He only needed to find certain main save points, one of which was in The Usual Spot. This certain point could transport him to his destination, which he had now arrived at.
Radiant Garden was quite the spectacle. Arriving in town, he could see the busy shops and bustling people; the reconstruction was booming. However, Kyurg was in the wrong place; in actuality, the wrong side of this world. He needed to get to the other castle; the true Hollow Bastion.
He began walking toward the Bailey, but stopped suddenly. All of the people were running into their homes and locking their doors. Kyurg sensed a strong presence and looked behind him. A single man was standing just a few yards away, and held in his hands a Gunblade.
"New in town?"
Kyurg looked at this man and scoffed.
"Not precisely" he rumbled.
The man went wide-eyed at the combination of Kyurg's body and voice; a true spectacle of intimidation.
"The name's Leon. I've seen men in black clothing before, and they were always bad news." Leon raised his blade in a fighting stance. "So, what are you here for?"
Kyurg looked down at his hands and clenched his fists.
"To find my purpose" he said.
Leon gave a quizzical look. "Stop being vague and answer me. Why are you here?"
Kyurg's head lifting and he looked Leon right in the eyes. This made Leon uncomfortable, but he stood his ground. They both stood, waiting for the other to speak.
"Well, you asked for it!"
Leon aimed the blade at Kyurg.
"Here goes…"
/
"No, no, no! That won't work!"
Merlin was yelling at Cid. Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud were sitting together, talking over construction plans.
"Of course it will, ya simple magician! If I used the energy from your bag, I could power the whole town!" Cid was tired of Merlin's inability to understand technology, and Merlin was furious that Cid would abuse his magic.
"That is not how magic works, you imbecile!"
Meanwhile, Yuffie was suggesting that they attempt to form a small police service; without Sora popping in to help out, they needed some muscle.
"I've heard some people talking about wanting to build a police station, it could work."
"I could handle anything that this town is threatened by," Cloud explained. After defeating Sephiroth, Cloud had gained new power and felt energized.
A large earthquake rocked the building, toppling Cid's computer.
"Dangit! Now I gotta rebuild this sucker from scratch!"
"What was that!?" Tifa yelled.
"I don't know, but we gotta check it out. Let's go, Restoration Committee!" Yuffie exclaimed. Cloud and Tifa joined her, leaving Cid to wallow in his sorrows and Merlin to his gloating.
"I can see how magic is sooo inferior to your technology. Bravo, maestro!"
/
Saying their goodbyes, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy boarded the Gummi ship and disembarked for Twilight Town.
"So, uh, waddaya think we'll find there, ya majesty?" Goofy inquired.
The king frowned. "I don't know Goofy, but whatever it is, we'll stop it."
Mickey kicked the ship into overdrive, and it zoomed toward their destination.
/
Leon sat up. His chest hurt from the blow, and it was aching horribly.
So that's what the Gunblade bullet feels like… now I feel bad, Leon thought.
He looked at his opponent. Kyurg's weapon was now visible; a medium-length baton. It was pure white, with dark speckles. It looked almost like a long, thin tooth; the end was blunt, and it became thicker as it came closer to the shaft. Right before the handle was a small mass, with small spikes protruding from it. The baton was roughly the length of Kyurg's arm, and it radiated darkness.
He had used it to deflect the bullet back at Leon, which sent Leon flying back into the side of a building, causing the earthquake. Leon tried to stand, but felt weak from the blow. Kyurg walked over to Leon and squatted next to him.
"I don't think you understand," Kyurg explained. "I am darkness. Pure, untouched darkness. I was forged by the Heartless in order to be their king, but that right was stolen from me by other forces. I was created by the Heartless to seek one goal, and I am here to find what that goal is. NOTHING will stand in my way. Not you, not the town, not your little ragtag group of fighters approaching, and no longer Xemnas, the one man who could have beaten me. All that is left is me, and this journey. I am Kyurg, the dark renegade, and I will seek my purpose, and I WILL NOT let you let me stray from it."
With that, Kyurg stood up and let a mighty swing onto Leon. Once the baton made contact, Leon felt pure pain. The baton had an aura of darkness surrounding it, which could cause a variety of sensations; cutting, blunt force, even searing heat.
This time, it was cutting.
Leon flew into another building and passed out. His arm was limp, bleeding from the large gash.
Kyurg walked away, leaving Leon to lay there and perish.
/
Upon seeing Leon's condition, Yuffie fell to the ground in pure disbelief. He was laying in rubble, pale from blood loss. His Gunblade lay at his side.
Squall Leonheart, a warrior who knew no equal in Yuffie's eyes, lay dying. And she had no clue as to why.
Cloud and Tifa stared at the scene. They both knew that they needed to clear the area before the citizens saw what had happened; the last thing they needed was a panic. Even though they were concerned for their friend, they needed to move him.
Cloud ran over and removed the rubble. He picked Leon up and began walking toward Merlin's House.
"Merlin will heal him," Cloud exclaimed. "Let's hurry."
Tifa began cleaning the rubble, and Cloud, with Leon on his shoulder, ran with Yuffie to Merlin's House.
/
"He just… came out of nowhere…"
Hayner was obviously in shock. Mickey was trying to talk to him calmly, despite the grave nature of the situation. Donald was with Goofy in Seifer's hospital room, casting healing spells in order to save his life.
"Describe him Hayner, and don't leave out any details."
Hayner did his best to explain the man's appearance, and as more features were explained, the king's face frew more and more concerned.
"Did you happen to get a name?"
"No…" Hayner said. "He just beat Seifer down… I've never seen someone that big move that fast."
Mickey's mind was racing all over the place. With Organization XIII gone, he didn't know of any other dangerous men in dark clothing.
Unless…
"Did he say anything?"
"All he said was something about a castle, and leaving for Hollow Bastion…"
Mickey's eyes grew wide. "Thank you Hayner, you were a big help."
He put his hand on Hayner's shoulder, and assured him that Seifer would be a-okay. Hayner smiled slightly and nodded. The king stood and joined Donald and Goofy in the other room.
"How's he look fellas?"
"Gawrsh, yer majesty, he looks pretty beat up" Goofy said.
"Gaaah phooey, nothing my magic can't handle. It'll take a while for the spells to take full effect." Donald exclaimed.
He finished the spells and looked at the king. "Where to next, your majesty?"
"Radiant Garden, boys. We'll get our answers there."
/
Upon arriving at the Rising Falls, Kyurg felt a sense of nostalgia. He stepped onto the lift and waited for the long ride to the castle entrance.
He studied the castle. With nobody inhabiting it for a long, long time, it had begun to decay. Some of the towers had rotted to the point of falling off; the main tower remained steady and strong.
The lift had arrived at the entrance. Kyurg began moving toward the castle gate, and saw two Defenders standing guard. They moved out of the way and let him enter.
Hollow Bastion.
Home.
/
After ascending the castle, Kyurg had finally arrived at his destination: the Dark Depths. He approached the hole that flooded darkness into the area and crouched. He closed his eyes and listened.
Slowly, everything became silent. Kyurg strained his hearing, but received nothing. However, after a few moments, he heard a single word. It was whispered, and only heard in his head. His eyes flashed open, and he stood up.
Walking away, he entered the next room. Kyurg breathed in, then out. His journey was complete, and he knew what had to be done. He began his long walk toward his destination.
/
Upon arriving in Radiant Garden, the king immediately sensed despair. He ran toward Merlin's House, and when he entered, he knew how serious the situation was.
Leon was laying on Merlin's bed, unconscious. Yuffie was sitting in a chair next to the bed, staring at him. The others were solemnly going about their work, praying for a miracle.
The king walked over to the bed; no ruckus was made concerning the king's presence, the situation didn't need it. He asked Yuffie what happened, but she said nothing, only stared at Leon.
"Donald, help me out over here."
The court magician rushed over and began casting Heal on Leon. Mickey went and sat with Cid and Cloud, trying to get information, but to no avail.
This was the ritual for days. Mickey would go and get food and other supplies, helping the committee with the reconstruction effort, while Donald's sole job was to cast Heal on Leon whenever his strength allowed. Goofy stood by Yuffie's side, trying to console her, but yielded no results, and joined the reconstruction effort.
Finally, after about two and a half weeks, Donald ran to the king.
"Your majesty, Leon is conscious. Come, quick!"
Mickey immediately ran to Merlin's House. He approached the door and opened it, finding Leon in Merlin's bed. He had fallen asleep, and Yuffie was still by his side. The king walked to her and told her everything would be alright. Yuffie looked at the king, nodded, and began to smile; he first time she had done so since the incident. Goofy and Donald lead her outside, and King Mickey studied Leon.
Color was back in his face, and the rag covering his gash had no bloodstains. Although still in bad shape, Leon would live.
Leon's eyes slowly opened, and he looked at the king. Before falling back to sleep, he uttered but a single word.
"Kyurg…"
Mickey stood and sprinted outside. He gathered Donald and Goofy as fast as he could and boarded the Gummi ship.
"Where are we goin'?" Goofy asked.
King Mickey didn't speak. He put the ship into overdrive and flew toward his destination.
The Destiny Islands.
/
Kyurg stood at the edge of the island. The large wooden structures looked worn and battered by the weather, but still in usable shape. He slowly walked toward the paupou fruit tree, and plucked one off of the branch. He raised it up in the air and took and bite.
He stared into the distance at the mainland, and wondered when his adversary would arrive. As he stood waiting, the voice repeated in his head, just as it had every so often since Hollow Bastion, the single word that would be Kyurg's driving force. The one thing he must accomplish.
The single being he must destroy for taking his throne.
Riku…
~~end chapter II