REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE
Note: Espio is unaffected by the card depletion.
Chapter One: Tormenting Memories
Darkness...
It was the one thing that strengthened him, that tormented him, that scared him. He lost his way to the light and for what? To see other worlds? He destroyed his home, betrayed his friends, and allowed himself to be taken over by the darkness. And most of all, he willingly sumbmitted himself to greatest evil in existance: Mephiles. In the end, he was able to save the worlds with the help of his eternal friend in exchange for being left behind. Perhaps this was for the best. He deserved nothing, but the pain and anguish he created for the lives of the innocence. This was the hollowed life of Espio the Chameleon.
Now we open our eyes to a place where no light or darkness exist; only an endless shade of grey. Trapped in farthest reaches of this abyss, a familiar figure floated along the nonexistent winds. He was a purple chameleon around the age of sixteen with a large yellow horn between his eyes and a row of black spikes lined down his back. He didn't wear much except for white gloves with black bandaged cuffs, violet shoes with black straps and more bandaged cuffs above. For a while, this boy drifted peacefully in his eternal sanctuary until he suddenly began to stir.
"W-What..." The chameleon questioned, slowly awakening. "Where...Where am I?"
"You have been sleeping." A new, yet familiar, voice answered.
At the sound, the chameleon was wide awake. He struggled to push himself up, but was unable to find real balance in this strange domain. His eyes wandered over the endless reaches of the dimension, unable to spot the origin of the voice.
"Who's there?!" The chameleon shouted unknowingly.
"You have been sleeping." The voice continued undisturbed. "Here, the realm between light and darkness."
"Between light and darkness..." The chameleon repeated slowly. Suddenly, his memory returned in a sudden outburst. "Hang on, where's the King?!" He turned back and forth, hoping to see his friend. "We closed the Door to Darkness together. After that..."
"You're the only one who washed up here." The voice interjected. "You didn't have the power to prevail over darkness. No, you should have embraced the darkness. It is in your nature."
"Hmph, you talk like I'm some kind of demon of the darkness." The chameleon said spitefully.
"You turned your back to the light before you closed your eyes." The voice stated knowingly. "Here, blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal. But..."
Without warning, a sudden light exploded close to the chameleon's face. The chameleon's expression looked painful in confrontation with the light, but he bared it. Looking once more, the chameleon faced a blue card, much similar to the one Sonic used in his current trials.
"Is this..." The chameleon asked slowly.
"It is a door to the truth." The voice answered. "Take it, and your sleep ends here. Take it, and take your first step to discovering the truth. But the truth will bring nothing but pain. Will you still go? There can be no returning to the sweet security of sleep."
The chameleon bowed his head in thought. If he chose to stay, he would be unable to feel the pain in his heart and no longer see the hurtful expressions on everyone's faces. But if he stayed, if he avoided the truth, he would never be able to amend himself. The chameleon raised his head once more and took the card into his hand. Upon coming in contact, the card dispersed a wave of darkness along his arm. When it faded, it left a gift behind. It was a card gauntlet similar to Sonic's, except it was black/red and held a demonic green eye on top. The chameleon was surprised by this sudden acceptance, but didn't question it.
"This seems like a boring place to take a nap anyway." The chameleon commented.
"As I expected from you, Espio." The voice said proudly.
With all words said, the card in Espio's hand burst into a ray of light and everything vanished from sight.
Once the light died down, Espio's eyes were slowly recovering from the unexplained phenomena. It took only moments before he realized that he was no longer in the eternal abyss. Much like the ones Sonic had discovered, Espio arrived in a large white room that appeared to be empty with the exception of a few white pots. At the other end of the room was a small platform, which held the same blank door that stood out from the rest of the scenery. After spend a moment to take it all in, Espio look back at the card, which seemed strangely familiar.
"A door to the truth, huh?" Espio muttered. "I think it's time to find out where this door leads me."
Espio couldn't explain why, but he felt naturally drawn to the blank door. Without even an explanation as to why, Espio unconsciously held the card out to the door. Before he realized what he had done, the door opened down the middle, releasing a powerful ray of light. A moment later, he was dragged inside by the light itself.
The dark chameleon moaned loudly after his unexpected trip. He was lying on his back, staring distantly at the stone ceiling, which seemed oddly familiar to him.
"Somehow, I just saw that coming." Espio commented.
He slowly stepped up, cracking his spine in the process, as his eyes wandered over his new surroundings. He landed in the hallway of, what seemed to be, a large castle. The walls were made from red stone, the windows were stained-glass, and pipes were jutting from random places along the walls. It didn't take a genius to figure out where he had landed.
"Wait! This is impossible!" Espio exclaimed fearfully. "But this is Black Doom's Castle: Hollow Bastion! How did I end up here?!" He took a moment to calm himself. "Someone must have brought me here while I was sleeping. But who be evil enought to do that?"
"I see you, like many before you, have fallen for this illusion." The voice returned; Espio jumped for a moment. "What you see is not real. It is the world of your memory."
"My memory?" Espio repeated confused.
"The things you remember of Hollow Bastion from your time there." The voice replied. "Those memories became a card. And that card made this world in your mind. The things you see....you have seen them all before, haven't you?"
"Yeah..." Espio said depressingly.
"I can understand your pain." The voice sighed. "It is a bit nostalgic for me to see this world again."
"So you've been here before?" Espio asked; the voice remained silent. "All right, keep it to yourself. But what am I supposed to do now? Am I supposed to learn something while I'm here? Maybe run into someone I know?"
"On normal circumstances...yes." The voice answered slowly. "You will meet people in your memories."
"Normal circumstances? What does that mean?" Espio repeated suspiciously; the voice had vanished. "Hey, I'm asking you a question!" He sighed in defeat. "Fine, but it better be you I run across next, voice. I am sick of talking to thin air."
With a look of ambition, Espio trotted down the dark corridor.
---Hollow Bastion---
Walking down the familiar corridors of Hollow Bastion didn't bring back the most pleasant of memories for Espio. The first room he entered was already one of the most terrible sights he could remember. It was the entrance hall to the castle. It was a two story room supported by a row of columns with a sparkling gold chandelier and a fountain mouth that spurred pure spring water into the pool below. Espio could distinctly remember his ultimate betrayal to his best friends, Sonic, and nearly taking his life in the process. All for the fact that the Keyblade had chosen that hedgehog over him.
"I guess the Keyblade made the right choice." Espio said solemnly, leaning against the columns. "My heart was corrupted by the darkness. Sonic may have held great darkness as well, but he learned to use it for the better." He sighed sorrowfully. "Sonic, Amy, I wish you could hear me. I am so sorry."
But while Espio was lost in self-pity, the chameleon remained unaware of his ever present watchers. Perched from the chandelier were three red dragons with the Heartless symbol stamped on their chests. The Wyvern Heartless were clicking their talons in silent communication before they dived for the chameleon. They were close to their prey until...
"Watch out!!" The voice warned.
"Say wha?" Espio stammered confused.
It took a moment to regain his senses before Espio realized the Wyvern's were closing in. Acting fast, Espio summoned his weapon and cut the center Wyvern across the chest, dividing the beast in two. His weapon was a red/black blade shaped like a bat wing with a demonic green eye at the hilt: The Soul Eater. Espio watched his recent kill fade into the darkness before facing the final two.
"So the Heartless are still here." Espio glared. "Of course, this is my memory. I used the Heartless and now they are coming back to haunt me." He raised the Soul Eater. "Well, at least it's a better sigh than Black Doom."
The remaining Wyverns screeched in anger, witnessing their brethren's cruel death. The Wyvern to Espio's left slowly twisted its body around and shot forward faster than a speeding bullet. If not for Espio's trained adaptation in battle, he would most likely have died within seconds. The dark chameleon flipped backwards over the Wyvern's attack and bound towards the ceiling. Thanks to his species natural ability the cling to any surface, Espio was able to stand at on the ceiling without much effort. The Wyvern that didn't attack snapped its beak in annoyance to the warrior chameleon.
"You're not exactly a looker yourself." Espio said; he jumped to the chandelier to avoid the Wyvern strike. "I never did like these guys. But if I'm going to get anywhere around here, I need to get rid of them quickly."
The Wyvern snapped their beaks at one another before they set their minds back on the dark chameleon. While the calm Wyvern remained levitating, its comrade thoughtlessly charged forward. Using its standard attack, The Wyvern shot towards Espio, but the chameleon warrior grasped the chandelier edge and flipped backwards. Thanks to this tactic, not only was the Wyvern trapped inside the hanging decoration, but it provided Espio with the chance to slice its head off.
"That's one less Heartless plaguing the castle." Espio commented. "Now that just leaves..."
Before Espio could finish his sentence, the remaining Wyvern dived from out of nowhere and grappled the chameleon by his leg. Taking after its fallen brethren, the dragon Heartless twirled its body and launched it prey into the ground. Fortunately enough, Espio caught himself in midair and landed safely back on his feet. Espio barely had a few seconds to regain his senses before the Wyvern was already upon him again. Acting on instinct, Espio swung his Soul Eater around and miraculously cut the dragon Heartless through its mouth and down its body. While the two halves of the Wyvern faded into darkness, Espio dropped to his knees, panting.
"Ok, I'm definitely out of shape." Espio groaned. He stood on his leg, which twinged slightly. "Ow! That damn dragon did a number on my leg. I need to find some place to recover." He barely turned his head when he remembered the room at the side of the room. "That oughta do it."
Dragging his limping leg behind him, Espio staggered through the hidden door behind the columns. He pushed the door open with his shoulder and kicked it closed behind him before turning his attention to the room he entered. It was the grand library where Espio often spent his time when Black Doom didn't have an assignment for him. There was row upon row of bookshelves that contained nearly every bit of knowledge of the universe. While limping past the selves, Espio took a seat near the only table at the end of the library.
"Ugh, it's been a long time since I've seen this place." Espio groaned, gazing distantly at the endless rows of books. "It's like he said; everything is just how I remember it. Even this place..."
"It must be nice to return to your old study." The voice said solemnly. "Think of all the memories you have of this place."
"Oh, it's you again." Espio sneered. "Sorry, but these are the kind of memories I could do without. Black Doom told me hundreds of secrets in this room. It was here I learned about Kingdom Hearts and the Higher Powers."
"You learned a great deal from him." The voice stated. "And you lived in this castle, tempted by the darkness he offered. You cast away your home, your friends, everything." The voice laughed. "But at least he gave you a nice place to stay."
"Shut up!!" Espio roared nastily. "You don't know anything about me! I would never harm my friends of my own will! It was Mephiles! He did all this!"
"If that's true, why haven't you seen anyone besides the Heartless?" The voice responded.
Something from those words seemed to grip Espio's heart with fear. It was true that Espio had only explored a small fraction of the castle, but the sounds of the battle should have attracted someone. If this was a memory, shouldn't he have met that spiky-haired boy that fought with Sonic?
"I...don't know." Espio said unsurely. "Last I heard, Sonic's friends took the castle back after Black Doom was defeated. So why haven't I seen them." He raised his voice to the ceiling. "You know the answers, voice! Where are the people in my memories?!"
"It is a matter of knowing if you can face those people." The voice said. "Are you sure you want to see them?"
"Of course I do!" Espio shouted quickly. "What kind of question is that?!"
"But you cast them aside." The voice stated; Espio's eyes were wide in fear. "To reach the outside world, you passed through the Door to Darkness. Behind you, you left everything you had once cherished, all in the pursuit of darkness."
"But I cast the darkness aside, too!" Espio replied frantically.
"And what do you have to show for it?" The voice questioned. "First your friends, then the darkness. You heart only know how to throw things away. It is empty, like this room, like your memories. That's why no one is in this castle with you. Your heart is hollow except for the darkness you couldn't escape from."
"You don't know anything!" Espio sneered hopelessly. "I rejected the darkness!"
"Hahaha..." The voice laughed; the voice strangely started to sound more feminine. When it spoke again, it sounded normal. "Do you really think it's that easy to escape the darkness? If what you say is true, then you must face it."
"How?" Espio questioned.
Suddenly, a golden card dropped from the ceiling and landed on the table.
"Take this card and confront your fears." The voice answered.
"What will it do?" Espio asked; the voice faded once more. "Typical. Leave me to figure out all the answers."
Espio didn't take the card right away. Instead, he waited until he could regain the feeling in his leg and was able to stand. Once his wound was properly mended, Espio slowly reached his arm out for the unknown card. He slight a slight twinge from touching the card surface, but gripped it tightly in his palm. Without warning, but to be expected, the card exploded into light.
When Espio regained his sense of sight, he found his environment to be completely different than before. The room was shaped like a large chapel with walls of black stone and flames shaded emerald green. Looking down, Espio found the Heartless emblem painted on the cobblestone floor with a nest of growing shadows surrounding it.
"Ugh, this place again." Espio groaned sickeningly.
"Espio..." A cold voice called. "I knew you would return."
Just the tone of the voice was enough to send chills slithering down his spine. He turned swiftly on his heels and found himself with one of his greatest fears. He was a black alien-like creature with three blood-red eyes, two horizontal horns, and levitated off the ground; mostly due to his lack of legs. He wore a tattered brown robe with a golden chain around his neck and multiple crystal jewels clinging to his body.
"Black Doom!" Espio exclaimed in shock. "You're alive?!"
"You never were good at paying attention." Black Doom cackled. "I am but a figment of your memory."
"Of all the people I had to run into, it had to be you." Espio glared.
"What would you expect?" Black Doom said maliciously. "Your heart is steeped into the darkness. You can only see people who exist in that same darkness...people like me."
"You're lying..." Espio said lowly.
"You should be gratefully for someone to keep you company." Black Doom said. "Your heart is hollow. Were it not for the darkness in your heart, you would remain alone."
"That's a tempting offer." Espio said venomously.
"Come to your senses." Black Doom said. "You once pleaded for me to satisfy your hunger for the darkness. You want me here. Who else can provide you with the darkness that you desire?"
Espio hanged his head in despair, knowing Black Doom was right.
"You know, there was a time I did want you around." Espio muttered. "I surrendered my heart and soul to the darkness." He raised his head; his eyes filled with contempt. "But never again! You and your darkness have nothing left to offer." He turned his back to the alien overlord. "All I did was lose myself...empty myself. I'm finished with all that. If I'm stuck seeing people like you, people of the darkness..." He glared to Black Doom. "I'll take you out, one-by-one."
"Then don't forget to take yourself out last." Black Doom said pointedly. "Because you, like me, are one with the darkness."
"That's fine with me." Espio said. "I turned to the darkness because my heart was weak. I hate that weakness. It's like I'm my own enemy. And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just makes it worse!" He drew the Soul Eater. "Enough talk, Black Doom!"
"So you hate the darkness enough to fight it." Black Doom cackled. "Oh, the agony you must feel! Allow me to end your pain, Espio! End it forever with the ultimate power of darkness!"
The alien overlord raised his hands to the ceiling, calling a wave of darkness to surround him. Espio stood firm against the force of the darkness attempting to push him back. Though he was possessed by Mephiles at the time, Espio could remember what happened next. When the darkness vanished, Black Doom's entire genetic makeup had turned. He had mutated to a gigantic doubled-sided gargoyle figure connected to the ground with several horns connected to its body. On one side was a dragon-like head with a single horn, and a beastly head with two appendage jaws on the side of its mouth.
Demon of Darkness: Devil Doom
"Yeesh! And I thought you were ugly before." Espio sniggered.
"I will give this one opportunity to plead for your life." Devil Doom growled. "Surrender your heart to the darkness."
"I meant what I said before." Espio said sternly. "I will never go back to the darkness."
"Then perish for your mistake!" Devil Doom roared.
With all words said, Devil Doom smashed his fists into the ground as Espio raised his Soul Eater into a defensive position. For a moment, the dragon head reeled back his head before throwing it forward, releasing a current of fire from his jaws. The Chameleon swordsman somewhat expected this and flipped sideways to the wall; his feet clinging to the surface. Unfortunately, Devil Doom had predicted his movements and slammed his fist near the place where Espio landed. The dark chameleon was able to support himself from the shockwave, but it caused him to accidentally relinquish his Soul Eater. Devil Doom must have expected him to try and recover the blade since he grasped it the moment it hit ground.
"Well, that worked out well." Espio said, climbing towards the ceiling.
"You can't escape from me." Devil Doom said. He turned his body and was fighting with the beast head. "Just as you can't escape the sins of your past. You are a servant of the darkness, just as it was meant to be."
"You know, I'm starting to get tired of all this darkness talk." Espio said.
Espio pressed his body as far into the ceiling as possible to avoid Devil Doom's swinging claws. The dark chameleon knew he was at a complete disadvantage without his Soul Eater, which remained in the hands of the other head. While trying to avoid being slaughtered, Espio noticed a pattern in his opponent. When Devil Doom turned to the dragon head, it released a wave of fire to the ceiling, forcing Espio to the floor. But when he was only a few feet away, the dragon head didn't attack. Instead, it turned to the beast head and slammed his fists at Espio, who kicked off the wall to avoid it.
"Both of his heads have different attacks." Espio thought, jumping to avoid the dragon fire. "The dragon head can only attack from a distance. While the other head is used for close combat. If I can get my Soul Eater back, I might have a chance."
"I have you now!" Devil Doom roared.
In his moment of distraction, Espio had unknowingly jumped into the beast head's hands. the dark was barely able to slip through the demon's fingers before he closed his fist. Devil Doom suspected he had dropped to the ground, but remained unaware that Espio was actually climbing along his forearm. Thanks to his gentle touch, Espio was able to climb over to the dragon's hand without arousing suspicion. But at the moment Espio was able to recover his Soul Eater, the eye of the dragon head shot open.
"You are truly more powerful than I remembered, Espio." Devil Doom said impressively. Before the dark chameleon could move away, the demon tightened his fist around his body. "But also very foolish."
"Students do tend to take after their masters." Espio grinned, despite the pain in his lower region.
"Then let's begin with lesson one." Devil Doom said deviously. He raised Espio's body and slammed it into the floor, fracturing the Heartless painting. "Never betray your superiors."
"That's something worth remembering." Espio sniggered; he raised his Soul Eater. "Now here's lesson two."
By the time Devil Doom realized Espio's plan, the Soul Eater had already stabbed his eye. The dark demon roared in anguish, unwillingly releasing the dark Chameleon. Taking this opportunity, Espio flipped backwards onto the wall as the beast head turned to face him. However, the demon's eyes was now bleeding and swiping furiously at whatever it could see. Espio was fortunate enough that the demon's aim was terrible. Espio waited out Devil Doom's fury until he found the opportunity to rebound off his wrist. Raising the Soul Eater over his head, Espio thrusted the weapon down and plunged it deep into the demon's eye. For a moment, all was silent with the exception of the sloshing sound of Doom's dripping blood. Espio swiftly retracted his sword and jumped down gracefully as Devil Doom slammed to the floor with a thunderous thud.
"Let's see you darkness save you now." Espio scowled.
With Devil Doom's defeat, a wave of darkness consumed his body. Once the dark tidal faded, Black Doom had returned to his original form. But while Espio turned his back, a black card suddenly formed in front of him. It held a picture of Devil Doom, but it was the last thing Espio wanted to see at the moment. Deciding to question it later, Espio pocketed into his gauntlet.
Devil Doom: Defeated
"Now to find a way out of here." Espio said.
"And where will you go?" Espio turned, spotting Black Doom's blinded body slowly lifting itself off the ground. "You have been banished from the light and darkness. You have nothing to hope for."
"That's where you're wrong." Espio said coolly. "I'm going to follow the path to the truth. And if I were to be lucky, I might be able to the King. Maybe Sonic and Amy will be waiting at the end of the road."
"And you expect them to take you back?" Black Doom questioned sinisterly. "After all you have done, they will never accept you. You are a monster infused with the darkness." Espio gripped the Soul Eater in rage as Black Doom went on. "Face it, you turned your back from both sides. You no longer exist."
Unable to suppress his rage, Espio zipped forward and stabbed Black Doom through his third eye. The chameleon showed no remorse as he slowly drew back the Soul Eater; his blood splashing along the Heartless painting.
"I'm done with the darkness." Espio muttered.
A moment later, a brilliant flash of light emerged from the wall at the end of the chamber. Espio had to cover his eyes with his hands because the light was too strong for him to stand. Though he didn't wish to, Espio knew the light was the only way to escape the castle. With a heavy sigh, Espio blindly disappeared into the light.
A soul lost in between the roads of light and darkness. Will Espio follow the path to finding his friends? Will the darkness continue to haunt him? And who is the person behind the mysterious voice? Find out next time on Reverse/Rebirth!
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