Sorry for the slow update everyone…having a bit of life trouble x.x Also, everyone, I hate repeating myself but…PLEASE do not spoil anything in the reviews, like who each Zoner is. It could be painfully obvious to you whom one of them is, but not everyone will know. Thanks! n.n
Also, I've already got the worlds that will be visited set in my mind. I will write others as omake if I have time. With any luck this thing will be under 40 chapters…
By the way, a hint on one of the upcoming worlds… Tron never really found that much in those scans, did he? (winkwink)
Chasing The Truth
By FlikFreak
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Ruthless Emperor
The Isla De Muerta was no doubt a foreboding place. Neku didn't need Music of Shibuya to tell him that whatever tune hung around here would send chills up his spine. Joshua seemed calm as ever, Axel was particular about getting off of the boat, and Riku was hard to read as usual. Jack and Sora knew the place rather well. Bolt, on the other hand, didn't look too happy to be here, what with all the snarling he was doing.
"Naxeyv is in there," Riku muttered. "Larsa's brother…or at least his brother's nobody."
Bolt growled.
"He's not Larsa's brother anymore," Sora corrected his friend. "It's just what's left of him…"
Larsa said he had to strike down his brother's heartless in his home world, Neku reminded himself. If that's any indication, then his nobody's definitely worse.
"Might I ask how you know this Naxeyv fellow?" Jack said.
Oh yeah. We never did explain. "He's part of a group called the Zoners," Neku began, crossing his arms. "They're after me because I refused to help them…didn't really help that I killed off one of their members, either. Naxeyv's trying to return the favor, long story short."
Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Cheerful fellow," he commented dryly.
"He'll probably still have that Nethicite with him," Joshua stated. "Be ready for anything."
Neku…
Mind telling me who you are?
Naxeyv hides within nothing…
…huh?
To find him…listen to that which you cannot hear…
That makes no sense whatsoever.
"Neku, you coming?"
The boy snapped out of his daze and saw Sora waving him in. "Yeah…I'm coming."
He hesitated again, however, when Bolt gave a whimper. Neku knelt down and stroked the dog's back. "It's gonna be okay, Bolt."
The canine didn't seem too sure, but he shook off a little and started forward anyway. Neku followed the rest of the group inwards.
The caverns were riddled with natural "windows" to the sea outside, and the way the moonlight filtered in was downright eerie. Neku and Bolt were the only ones really bothered by it; Sora and Jack had been there before, it was hard to frighten Riku, Axel just stared ahead with a narrow gaze, and Joshua…well, who knew what he was thinking.
The final room was entirely different from the rest of the cavern leading to it. It was far more open, and the center of it was home to a small stone platform. Scattered about the cavern were various treasures, many in gold, and atop the platform was none other than…
"Naxeyv," Joshua said casually. "So kind of you to wait for us."
"Well, if it isn't the Composer himself," Naxeyv commented, grinning. "I thought Shibuya would collapse without your presence."
"Shibuya seems to be composing itself as of late," Joshua retorted. "Though I cannot remain away for long, I'm certain that my absence will have no permanent side effects."
"You know each other?" Neku asked, gawking.
"Somewhat," Joshua replied before returning to the Nobody. "I do wonder how you managed to find a piece of Deifacted Nethicite. As far as I know you have no access to Ivalice, and that piece in Agrabah was quite heavily guarded."
"I have my ways," Naxeyv said, "But that is of no importance. You are no further use to us, Neku Sakuraba…only an obstacle which must be removed."
A burst of energy swarmed forward, making its way toward Neku and blasting everyone else out of the way. Neku shielded himself in vain, but a familiar warm feeling washed over him and he found himself diving forward and underneath the strike. His legs moved for him, and he found himself leaping upright. Wha…
Sorry Neku, but whether I have to overshadow you or not, I'm not letting you get hurt.
Neku almost gawked childishly. Ventus! What're you doing here?
You're my friend, Neku. I'm not about to watch you get your butt kicked by this guy.
Don't think you're off the hook about earlier.
I'll explain everything. I promise. Now let's finish this.
"How're things in here, Cid?"
The engineer shook his head. "Not as bad as the crowd of Nobodies outside, that's for sure. Are they crowding the cavern, too?"
Xenuk nodded. "Yeah. Leon says a group of us could cut through if we had to, but otherwise it's too dangerous."
Cid swore. "That means the computer's off limits unless we group up…but that means leaving the town and headquarters wide open. We can't risk that."
"I know," Xenuk muttered. "Destroying the computer is out of the question if we want to keep Axel as an ally, but otherwise it's the only solution we've got. Getting rid of the Zoners is our only alternative."
"How's headquarters, anyway?" Cid asked. "I haven't been there in ages."
Xenuk winced. "Rhyme's gone out of control," he began. "Control of what, I don't know…I just know that whatever's going on with her is running amok. They're barely managing to keep her calm enough to where she doesn't hurt herself or anyone else."
"Geez…did you guys send a distress signal to the Excalibur yet?"
"Yeah, but we haven't gotten a response yet. They're probably dealing with some Nobodies there; they'll come the moment they're done there."
Cid sighed. "I sure hope so. In the meantime, I think I've got an idea on how to bypass that cavern completely…"
Neku hadn't even bothered summoning Music of Shibuya; then again he didn't have the chance to in-between dodging attacks from Naxeyv or the attacks from the Berserkers that he kept summoning. Sora and Riku were having at Naxeyv with their keyblades, Joshua had taken to hovering and blasting away any of the stray berserkers that came too close, Jack was helping Joshua, and Bolt was snapping at anything that came near to him. Ventus was helping Neku dodge when he could, but otherwise they weren't even making a dent.
"I am growing weary of this child's play," Naxeyv complained idly. "I intend to eliminate you, but I see that I may have to extract more of my power to do so." And with that, he vanished, taking his berserkers with him. The room became completely silent.
"Odd," Jack commented. "Normally eliminating someone requires a bit more violence than this."
"Yeah," Axel agreed, spinning a chakram in his hand. "Just what is he doing?"
Bolt growled, baring his teeth as his fur rose along his spine. Neku felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle and he clenched his hands into fists. Where is he?
Hiding like a coward. He's probably planning on sneaking up on us.
Hiding…of course. Neku narrowed his eyes. That voice earlier…it said something about him hiding in the silence.
Then I say that silence needs to go.
Good call. With a deep breath, Neku held out his hand and closed his eyes, calling on Music of Shibuya. I hope this works.
The moment the keyblade Neku was able to wield appeared in his hands, a soft tune reached his ears. It resonation almost caused Neku to fumble; such an empty melody could not possibly exist, and it certainly had no place here. Within the melody, he could feel a malevolence that set him on edge.
Of course! Neku cried. 'That which you cannot hear'…they were referring to the music!
But what's that even mean?
I don't know, but I have an idea…
It came from the left. Neku kept his eyes closed and sped forward, several other tunes soaring past him as though he were flipping through channels on an old-fashioned FM Radio. After only moments, only the empty song remained, becoming louder and louder. He lashed out blindly with the keyblade, almost surprising himself when he felt it make contact with something.
"Urgh…how could you-?!"
Neku opened his eyes, He had struck Naxeyv on the shoulder and made a nice gash down to his chest without even needing his eyesight. Yes! I figured it out!
With Naxeyv now visible, attacks were launched. Riku began firing a wave of dark firaga, but could only stand and stare as Naxeyv grinned and held up a familiar stone, absorbing the blackened flames. "I'm afraid that won't work on me."
"Fancy rock you've got there," Jack stated, waving his sword tip in a circle as he prepared for any sudden lunge.
"We need to get that Nethicite away from him," Sora muttered, "Otherwise we can't use magic, which means if any of us get hurt I can't heal you."
"And how do you suggest we go about retrieving that stone?" Jack asked. "I doubt that he'll give it to us like a proper gentleman."
Neku bit his lip. Sora was right; they needed to get that stone away from Naxeyv. Whether he used it or not, he knew from Larsa that it was too dangerous. The question was…how were they going to get it from him?
A growl caught Neku's attention. He glanced down to see Bolt crouched low, snarling more viciously than ever. He grinned. You thinking what I'm thinking?
I most certainly think I am, Neku.
Neku grinned at the dog next to him and pointed to Naxeyv. "Bolt, fetch!"
Bolt didn't need an explanation. He took off, racing forward at Naxeyv and catching the nobody off guard when he pounced on him. The Nethicite flew out of his hand, and Bolt rebounded off of Naxeyv's chest, leaping upward and snatching the stone out of midair, skidding to a stop next to Neku.
Naxeyv sneered, clenching his fist. "Why, you…"
In response, Neku only smiled and took the stone from Bolt, patting him on the head. "Good boy." Bolt yipped happily in response.
Axel gave a low, admiring whistle. "Nice move, Neku."
"Don't thank me," Neku replied. "Thank Bolt."
"Now that your rock is out of the way," Riku commented, "We can finish this a bit more quickly." He began to summon another dark flame to his hand.
But Naxeyv only laughed. "It matters not who has the Nethicite. As long as it is nearby, you cannot use your magic to harm me!"
Joshua crossed his arms. "Magic, or Imagination?"
The nobody's grin faltered. "Wha…?!"
"Care to do the honors, Neku?" Joshua said, giving his usual smirk to his proxy.
For once, Neku was more than happy to see that look on the Composer's face. He grinned. "With pleasure," he replied.
Music of Shibuya roared in agreement, the melody of the world around him surging in his mind. Trails of graffiti-like flames lit the ground in spite of the water, lightning bolts hurled from the tip of his weapon, and bullets of light fled from the palm of his hand to slam into his enemy. The onslaught of psyches was more than enough to finish Naxeyv off, but Neku didn't stop until his rage was entirely released.
The Ruthless Emperor fell to one knee, his sneer not yet fading. "It would seem that I have underestimated the proxy's power…"
"Damn right you did," Neku growled.
Even as he faded, Naxeyv laughed. "Fascinating…how could you pull off such a feat…if you were only able to revive Axel?"
"Neku is capable of far more than just that," Joshua stated. "I get the feeling you left out several crucial details in your little plan."
Naxeyv grinned. "Of course…you would know such things, wouldn't you, Composer?"
Joshua said nothing. As they watched, Naxeyv gave one last bitter laugh before he faded away.
And so we mark the end of another Zoner's (non)existence.
At any rate...this chapter makes me feel iffy for some reason. Dunno why. Oh, well. Next installment coming soon!
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/Final Fantasy XII)
