BATTLE SEQUENCE AHOY!
Chasing The Truth
By FlikFreak
Chapter Nineteen: The Fallen Prince
Aerith had woken up fifteen minutes after the group had left. Kairi hadn't had an easy time filling her in, but the woman remained surprisingly calm throughout the ordeal.
"So the boys and Shiki went after Zarxilt," Aerith said as she closed the jar containing the shoalweed. "I see…"
"They'll be fine," Kairi assured Aerith. "Riku and Sora went up against Xemnas before, and Neku is strong in his own way. Don't worry."
Nodding, Aerith placed a cork in a small phial that she had been pouring a thick, murky green substance into and placed it in a small pouch. "I can't help but be concerned, I guess," She said.
Kairi bit her lip. The way Aerith spoke, and the expression on her face…there was an uncertainty that she recognized all too well.
Aerith knelt down in front of the white dog that had remained with them and handed him the pouch. "Bolt, I need you to do something very important for me. Take this to the boys that came by here earlier, and don't let anyone else take it from you."
Bolt gave a low woof and took off out the door at a high pace, the package in his jaws.
Neku swallowed hard. He knew he should have expected Zarxilt to act so malevolent, that the childish behavior was only a façade, but it still startled him into near paralysis. He clenched his fists, backing away a few steps. Sora, meanwhile, had Remembered Dream ready in his hand, and Riku's own keyblade had already made itself known. Shiki, meanwhile, had the rod in her hand held battle-ready, but she didn't look sure of herself enough to use it. Axel had his chakrams in his hands ready for the throwing, and the Traitor had no weapon, simply standing his ground.
"Do you truly believe that six of you can take me down?" Zarxilt taunted, grinning maliciously. "This won't be much of a fair fight."
"Who said we were fighting fair?" Neku shot back, though inwardly he was nervous. I can't fight! I don't have a weapon-
Call out…to your heart…
The voice again…?
There was no time to comprehend. A wave of raw energy raced his way, and Neku jumped out of the way just in time for a crystal javelin to impale the wall. Now was not a good time to be unarmed. Zarxilt was preparing another strike when a pair of flaming chakrams hurled his way, missing by inches, followed by two blackened fireballs and Sora readying an overhead strike. All were easily dodged.
Neku made his way toward Rhyme, doing his best to shove the chaos of the battle out of his focus. She couldn't stay here. He had to get her somewhere safer, somewhere where she wouldn't be hurt.
Neku…
"Who are you?!" He cried, not bothering to care if attention was shifted.
Don't be afraid…
Afraid of what? Neku silently retorted as he glanced back at the battle, noting that Zarxilt was making things difficult for his friends. He had to hurry. Picking up Rhyme, he headed for the wall and placed her gently down. He had to finish this, fast.
The power within you…
Of course. That keyblade…but how was Neku supposed to call on it? He'd seen it show up out of nowhere for Sora, no technique necessary. Perhaps all it took was a thought…
With that in mind, Neku let out an enraged cry, running forward at a nearly inhuman pace. He leapt high into the air, fingers curling around a hilt that wove its way into existence. As the end of the weapon materialized, it struck Zarxilt on the shoulder, causing the nobody to scream and turn, his crystal eye flaring with an angry light. "How…how do you have a keyblade?!"
"I'm surprised you don't know about that," the Traitor remarked.
Zarxilt let out an angry cry and sent a burst of energy toward Neku, whom easily parried it and sent it hurling right back at him. Hit with his own blow, Zarxilt fell downward in the air, leaving himself prone to attack. Surprisingly, the hit didn't come from Neku, Sora or even Axel. Shiki made her way forward and smashed her rod over the boy's head. The weapon snapped in half upon impact.
"Wow," Sora managed to say. "Nice one, Shiki."
The seamstress grinned victoriously, but gave a lamented look to her now-destroyed weapon. "Well, I tried," she said.
Quickly recovering from the blow, Zarxilt tore upward into the air. "Foolish mortals. With only a single command I can read your every thought! Do you really believe that a pitiful light will save you?!"
Sora grit his teeth and had only taken a single step when a stinging sound like the one from before flooded everyone's ears. Neku clamped his hands to his ears, sinking to his knees along with everyone else, but the sound didn't stop. He cracked one eye open just in time to see Zarxilt rush forward and pin him against the wall, his arms forced to his sides and his legs immobile. "Let go!" He cried.
"I don't believe I will," Zarxilt replied, grinning and summoning another crystalline javelin. "Why don't we take a look at your memories before I finish you off?"
The sound increased in volume rapidly. Neku was about to scream when the high-pitched whine was replaced by a soft tune that he recognized all too well. He had heard it when he was traversing the UG with his friends less than a month ago, and again when Sora had also participated in the Reaper's Game. A soft background sound to the chaos about him. He saw Sora on his knees clutching his skull, and Riku in a similar position, only barely maintaining a stance. Shiki was writhing on the ground. Axel seemed unaffected for the most part, but the noise was clearly giving him a strong migraine. The traitor was trembling, hands on where his ears probably where. They were still hearing that pinging noise, but Neku wasn't. He blinked. Why…how is it that…
Zarxilt glared angrily as the javelin in his hands shattered. "Why?!" He cried as he continued to press Neku against the wall, desperate to pry out what he wanted. "Why can't I read you?!"
Neku finally understood. Zarxilt had been referring to reading his mind and his thoughts. He sent a stray glance to the keychain dangling off the hilt of the keyblade. Perhaps the keyblade's power was shielding his mind just like the player pins had?
The Music of Shibuya…remains with you…
The former proxy looked down at his keyblade and smiled. Music of Shibuya. Of course.
Taking initiative, Neku leapt forward and struck Zarxilt from the air. At once the others shook out of their pained state, still dazed but no longer under the influence of Zarxilt's malicious telepathy.
Riku recovered first. He raced forward, hurling numerous dark fireballs from his hand before performing a slash with his keyblade, managing to knock Zarxilt back. The nobody countered with a blast of white-hot energy, knocking Riku down but thankfully not causing major injury. Axel hurled both chakrams forward, the flames catching on Zarxilt's cloak. Sora hurled the keyblade through the air, slamming it into Zarxilt's chest and knocking him to the ground. Neku began to approach, his own keyblade brandished, only to be met by a sudden burst of blue light. He found himself once again crashing into the wall, and moments later a burst of pain in his shoulder accompanied it. When the light dimmed to a manageable level, he found a familiar crystal spear impaling him, and he didn't need to check to know that it went all the way through and into the wall. His feet dangled helplessly, and though he was lucky that his sword arm wasn't the one suffering, his grip on the keyblade barely held.
"For someone so powerful," Zarxilt taunted, "You sure look helpless, dangling there. Perhaps I should put you out of your misery."
Neku winced. I can't let this end here…I won't…
Zarxilt left his victim hanging from the wall via the spear and returned his attention to the others. Neku felt his eyes rolling up in his head but grit his teeth and clamped a hand onto the crystal weapon, his hand burning on contact and causing him to scream in pain.
Footsteps caught Neku's attention and he saw the Traitor approaching and escaping notice of the enemy. Though his entire face still couldn't be seen, Neku could make out the fact that the Traitor was heavily distressed at the sight of Neku being literally pinned to the wall. Leaping up and grabbing the javelin, the Traitor grit his teeth and grunted as he dragged it out of its place, slowly at first until it came out with a sharp, fast tug. Neku crumbled to the ground, the Traitor landing next to him. "You okay, Neku?"
"Do I look okay?" Neku replied, his vision beginning to blur.
The Traitor nodded. "Sora! Over here!"
Even over the chaos, the brunette heard the Traitor's call and cried out a few unintelligible words. A familiar green aura surrounded Neku for a brief moment and the pain ebbed down, his skin knitting itself back together. The blood loss, however, could not be repaired, and Neku found it hard to stand.
Ignoring his fatigue, Neku stood again, his hands gripping his keyblade. With a scream of rage, he ran forward, stabbing forward toward Zarxilt's already battered form. The end of his weapon protruded out the other side of the nobody's chest. Sneering in anger, Neku twisted the keyblade around a bit before jerking it back out, ignoring his enemy's scream.
Zarxilt slumped to the ground. "No…I cannot allow it to end like this! You are all weak! Pathetic mortals! You cannot…you…"
"Actually we can," the Traitor snarled. "Playtime's over, Eald'narche."
With one last scream, Zarxilt's crystal eye shattered, and the aura around him darkened as his body faded into nothing. The scream continued for seconds more before silence overtook the computer room again, the only other sound being the rising waterfall.
The keyblade in Neku's hand faded. He stumbled a bit, the adrenalin rush ending, but managed to stay on his feet. It was almost like…like when we beat Xsoh…
"Is he gone?" Shiki asked.
"He'd better be," Axel grumbled. "Kid was more obnoxious than a three-year-old." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small phial of bright green liquid, tossing it to Neku. "Here. Drink it."
Neku caught the bottle deftly, eyeing it with suspicion before shrugging and uncorking it, taking a sip of its contents. He winced at first; the taste of whatever was in there was rather acidic, reminding him of the awful stuff his mother used to give him when he was home sick from grade school. Whatever the substance was in the phial, it must have done its job; Neku felt his energy returning. With a harsh swallow, he shot the redhead a thankful (though slightly disgusted) look. "Thanks."
Axel shrugged. "Just repaying the favor."
Re-corking the bottle and stuffing it in his pocket, Neku turned to Sora, whom had a strange look in his eyes. The brunette's gaze was locked onto Axel in wonder, and it was hard to tell if he was about to scream, laugh, cry, or just keep standing there silently. Riku placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You okay, Sora?"
Sora nodded quietly. "I'm fine. It's just…"
"Roxas?"
"Yeah."
Shiki looked at the traitor curiously. "By the way…why'd you call him Eald'narche?"
The Traitor looked away before beginning to speak. "Before he became a Nobody, Zarxilt was known as Eald'narche, the Zilart Prince. A magic experiment froze his body from aging when he was young, and one of his eyes, well…you saw it."
"So that's why he looks that way," Riku commented, his expression hard to discern.
"He and his people were looking for an immense power," the Traitor continued. "They wouldn't stop until they had it, and after a massive explosion, they were almost entirely wiped out. The survivors were sent into comas, waking up several hundred years later. Eald'narche woke up as power-hungry as he was before, but when he tried for that power again, he was interrupted, and…"
Sora swallowed. "He became a heartless, didn't he?"
The Traitor nodded. "Yep. His Nobody was created too, and he joined the Zoners. He's still the same though…intelligent, manipulative, and apathetic. I heard he only watched as his brother died."
"What about you?" Shiki asked. "You helped us, and we don't even know what your name is."
Riku nodded. "Shiki's right. Traitor isn't exactly a wonderful name to call someone, whether you're on our side or not."
The traitor sighed. "I suppose I owe you that much." He pulled back his hood.
Sora's eyes went wide and Riku's jaw dropped. Shiki stepped back a bit, and of course there wasn't much reaction from Axel, whom had only recently arrived on the scene. Neku, on the other hand nearly collapsed in shock when he saw what the Traitor's face looked like.
He saw it whenever he looked in a mirror.
Those of you that guessed Eald'narche for Zarxilt were correct! Making an anagram of "Eald'narche" was a bit tough for me, so I picked his race instead. Also, I don't think I've ever written a battle sequence quite that long before (that wasn't chapter-split). Wow.
Also, the traitor's face has been revealed! But who is he really? Is he a nobody? A heartless? Something else? And why does he look like...?
That answer and more, coming next chapter!
Zoners:
The Deceptive Evoker, Meyxours (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Elegant Reaper, Jaxuk (Chasing The Truth/???)
The Fallen Prince, Zarxilt (Chasing The Truth/Final Fantasy XI)
The Ruthless Emperor, Naxeyv (Chasing The Truth/???)
