REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE
Chapter Seven: Tale of Treachery.
Last time on Reverse/Rebirth:
After the previous encounter with the mysterious Mewtwo, Espio was once again introduced to the King of Babylon. The King seemed to know something of the unknown Order member, but said nothing that could help. Afterwards, the Hero of Darkness arrived in the world of his most dreadful memories. Espio clashed against Whisker, but was unable to take the metallic captain seriously, which proved to be his own downfall. Whisker somehow grew stronger in battle and effortlessly backed the Dark Chameleon into a corner. Though by accident, Espio had performed his first summoning and called the mighty dragoness, Cynder, to his side.
The scene opens to the dark room in the upper levels of the basement floors in Castle Oblivion. Oracle was absentmindedly staring into space – his eyes regained their unusual appearance. Not a moment followed before Erazor arrived in a portal of darkness. He remained silent out of respect for the jackal, but he didn't appear patient.
"What's happening to Sonic?" Erazor questioned
"Duskmon is using the girl's unique powers." Oracle answered, never moving from his place. "Even now, the castle's unnatural abilities have been amplified to shuffle Sonic's memories as we speak. Duskmon may well succeed in getting his new puppet. However...Sonic would be a valuable asset to the Order."
"Why do I sense there is something amiss?" Erazor questioned.
"Duskmon and Roodaka's actions are questionable." Oracle responded. "They leave me...uneasy."
"And then there is Terro." Erazor nodded. "Who knows what that one is thinking? Not even the Superior can decipher his intentions."
"I say Mewtwo should investigate this." Oracle suggested, finally breaking his gaze. "He has been very eager to test out the new data he has collected on Espio. It would be a shame not to let him use it."
"But Mewtwo despises Duskmon." Erazor stated uneasily. "Just think of the chaos it would create."
"Which is why we must tell him." Oracle grinned deviously. "Isn't it better for Mewtwo to clean up the mess than leave it to us?"
Erazor finally caught on to the jackal's words and smiled in the most belligerent manner possible.
The scene transfers to the eighth basement floor of the castle. Espio walked up the stairways from the previous floor, stopping occasionally when feeling a sudden trace of darkness. He's been having these feelings more often recently. Somewhere in the castle, people were using the darkness to travel in multiple places in the castle. With this many changes, he knew Mewtwo wasn't the only occupant. There was one especially powerful hidden somewhere in the highest point of the castle, although he was surprised not to detect a trace of light or darkness within him. Pushing this thought aside, Espio approached the blank door with the last card in hand.
"Only one more door." Espio murmured. "Then I can finally put an end to this nightmare."
"But the nightmare never ends." Mephiles returned. "As long as you deny the darkness, you will always be threatened by it."
"I'll tell you what the real nightmare is." Espio scowled. "Being stuck in a body with you. We're just lucky Cynder saved my tail in the last fight."
"I think she has an attraction to you." Mephiles chuckled.
"I think she has an attraction to YOU." Espio countered.
The Hero of Darkness smirked victoriously when Mephiles refused to answer. Espio approached the blank door and raised his final card to the clear surface, watching the door fly open. A moment later, the dark chameleon vanished into the light beyond – he flinched from the superior shine.
---Hyrule---
The light had died down after a few short moments, but it took longer for him to regain his sight. It was now obvious that Mephiles had grown stronger since the last time King Jet had pushed him back. When he could see again, the dark chameleon found himself standing in the square of an ancient medieval town filled with a cluster of unknown shops. In the hill overlooking the town was a large imperial castle that stretched to the dark clouds above. But judging by a large and corporative town such as this, Espio found it surprising that he wasn't stampeded over by shoppers and traders.
"Where is everyone?" Espio questioned. He moved to the nearest shop and peered through the window, catching nothing but endless darkness. "What kind of city is this? Where are all the people?"
"You mind is a quick as your blade." Mephiles cackled tauntingly. "In the realm of your memories, only those submersed in the same darkness can be seen. Black Doom explained this before."
"Don't mention that name." Espio hissed.
"Consider yourself fortunate." Mephiles stated. "From what I've heard, you committed a sinister act that would have resulted in your execution. Do you know how powerful the crime is for stealing a sovereign princess?"
"I made a lot of mistakes in my past." Espio admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm not capable of making up for them."
"But how can you be certain that you will be forgiven?" Mephiles questioned
The Hero of Darkness decided not to answer this – he already knew the answer. Hoping to take his mind off the consequences, Espio decided to explore the grounds for any signs of a way out. After the number of times he traveled the memories, he knew the only chance of escaping was to defeating the commander of the Heartless. This shortened his search down to one place: the castle. Espio knew how the mind of a villain worked and they always sought the position of power – in this case: the throne. The dark chameleon climbed the stairway to the gates of the castle, sliding through the wrought iron doors, and into the castle courtyard. It was definitely equally impressive as the backwards waterfalls in Hallow Bastion. The courtyard was divided into a number of sections, each closed off by boarders, with a number of rose bushes reshaped to resemble a pyramid of three triangles. Once more, Espio had the sense of loneliness.
"Not even an insect." Espio murmured.
"You should be used to this by now." Mephiles taunted. "You threw away everything to be better. Power comes with a price."
"If this is the cost, then I'm not interested." Espio glowered.
"Don't worry." Mephiles sniggered playfully. "You'll have enough company to occupy your time."
"And that's never a good thing." Espio sighed.
Thanks to Mephiles' decrypted words, Espio summoned the Soul Eater to his hand and turned on his heel back to the wrought iron doors. It was there the Hero of Darkness found the entrance to the castle was blocked off by four unknown creatures that were definitely considered Heartless. These "Shadow Beasts" were built with a humanoid body with leathery black skin, a stone disk with several tendrils escaping, and red-neon markings printed across their chests. One of the Shadow Beasts raised their hands to the doors and slammed them shut behind them.
"Ok, any advice on how to take them?" Espio asked as the Shadow Beasts approached.
"These are not Heartless." Mephiles informed; Espio hisses in frustration. "I cannot help you this time. But my advice would be to not stand in one place for too long."
"You a real goldmine of information." Espio said sarcastically.
As the Hero of Darkness raised his blade to eyelevel, one of the Shadow Beasts raised it flat head and released an unearthly howl. Espio didn't know how, but the vibrating sound seemed to paralyze his nerves for a few short minutes. That was all the time they needed to gain an advantage. The second its companion released the howl, another of the Shadow Beasts jumped forward and grasped Espio around the throat. The neon beast lifted the dark chameleon to the air and slammed him into the stone path below – a sudden cracking sound told Espio he had broken through the pavement. The rest of the flock gathered around their partner, each of them reaching out a claw to grab a piece of the chameleon. Unknown of what to do next, Espio used the last thing that would come to his mind. The dark chameleon opened his mouth and extended his tongue to lash at beats hands, effectively snapping them away. Once free, Espio flipped backwards off the ground and connected with the nearest pillar while retracting his tongue.
"What in Kingdom Heart was that?" Mephiles questioned with interested and disgust.
"Another one of my species traits." Espio answered. "Not only can crawl on flat surfaces and blend in with the environment, but we also have extending tongues to use as secondary weapons. But I don't like to use it much."
"What for?" Mephiles asked
"It leaves a bad taste in the mouth." Espio stated, taking a scrub brush to his tongue.
He could tell that Mephiles was finding this humorous. In the meantime, the Shadow beasts were following in his path and crawling up the pillar after him. In no time at all, the dark chameleon tossed the brush and summoned the Soul Eater into his hand once more. They must have been unable to use the howl again while climbing, which only proved to be an advantage that Espio would use. He twisted around one of the Shadow Beast's extended hands and swiped the winged blade for the monster's throat. The neon creature hisses painfully for a moment before falling backwards towards the ground. A second Shadow Beast charged headlong after him, but the Hero of Darkness kicked off its stone head jumped outwards. But before dropping to the ground, Espio curled himself into a ball with the Soul Eater stuck outwards. The tactic allowed him to cut open two of the remaining Shadow Beasts while freefalling, but missed the last as it moved out of his path. Espio uncurled and landed safely – he could hear the twin thuds of the beast's bodies.
"They may not be Heartless, but they fight just as well." Espio smirked.
"Do not take this venture so lightly." Mephiles advised. "Creatures of this stature do not fight without a backup plan."
"Like what?" Espio asked.
Unfortunately, his answer came rather quickly. The remaining Shadow Beast dropped from the pill and landed between its fallen comrades. Just as the Hero of Darkness raised the Soul Eater, the neon monster raised its head once more to release the unholy howl again. Like before, Espio was temporarily paralyzed. But once he dispelled of the momentary shock, he found himself surrounded by the newly resurrected Shadow Beasts.
"I think it would be something like that." Mephiles commented.
"Well, I never thought it would be easy." Espio stated.
"And you were correct."
Much Espio's amazement, the Shadow Beasts trembled in fear of the voice and withered away into the shadows. Though he was much braver, Espio couldn't blame them for hiding as the doors to the castle opened to reveal the master of the domain. He was a tall and well-built man with unnaturally dark, sandy and fiery-red tied back. He wore dark, baggy pants with a sturdy set of pitch-black armor complete with gauntlets, boots, and a bloody-red cape. He carried a long execution sword in a scabbard tied to his back and a yellow opal stamped into his forehead. Espio glowered at the man as he slowly made his way into the courtyard.
"Ganondorf." Espio glared.
"I am proud that you remember me, Espio." Ganondorf chuckled. "Last time we met, I believe that it was you who kidnapped Princess Zelda and left me to die at the hand of that Keyblade runt."
"You can't blame me for your own weakness." Espio said, pointing the Soul Eater.
"Weakness..." Ganondorf chuckled, walking a circle around the chameleon. "You are one to talk about weakness. You betrayed the light to travel world and you betrayed the darkness to regain friendship. Either way you look at it, you've lost something important. Your heart is filled with treachery."
"You don't know anything about me!" Espio exclaimed furiously.
"Don't I?" Ganondorf chuckled coolly. "You should actually be happy to see me, despite all your betrayals. If you were not immersed it the darkness, this world would be empty to you. You would walk the corridors of nothingness for all of eternity."
"If it keeps me from seeing people like you," Espio glared. "Then an eternity alone doesn't sound so bad."
"You turn your blade upon me." Ganondorf smirked. He drew his own blade, which turned to be made from pure-white steel. "This will be you final mistake."
King of Evil: Ganondorf
Espio started off the match by jumping into the air and slashing over the shadow king's head. As he had anticipated, Ganondorf effortlessly blocked the blade with his own sword. What the dark failed to realize was that it was a part of his plan. Quick as a flash, Espio pressed his foot at the broadside of the sword to keep a connecting while bending backwards to face Ganondorf's chest. Just as he prepared to thrust the Soul Eater through his heart, the King of Evil raised his knee and slammed into the dark chameleon's cheek. This consequently forced Espio to release his connection to the sword and sent him hovering over the stone path. The Hero of Darkness managed to catch sight of Ganondorf's sword as it flew overhead and quickly lashed out his tail to grasp one of the nearby bushes. The tactic was able to pull him back to the ground and out of Ganondorf's line of fire.
"Hmm...Not bad." Ganondorf hummed thoughtfully. "I have to admire your skills."
"Should I accept that as a compliment or an apology?" Espio smirked.
"Consider it your last death wish." Ganondorf replied.
For barely an instant, Espio spotted Ganondorf crossing the courtyard before being forced to raise his blade. The Soul Eater connected with the execution sword in a flash of sparks – Espio nearly fell backwards from the force of the impact. Ganondorf was by far one of the most powerful warriors Espio had ever encountered and the most potent with the darkness. The dark king began pushed against his blade, pushing the Hero of Darkness backwards. Suffering from the strain of holding Ganondorf off, he was taken by surprise when the dark king's fist collided with his cheek. The force of the punch sent the chameleon flying across the courtyard and through the wall into the next section. When dragging himself up, Espio found himself leaning against a large tombstone – he was in the castle graveyard. Upon hearing the dark king's approaching footsteps; he ducked behind the stone and dropped from sight.
"What's wrong, Espio?" Ganondorf called; the sound of scraping steel could be heard. "I thought you claimed to be a warrior without weakness. Is this how you succeed? Finding in fear and attacking when their back is turned?"
"He presents a powerful point." Mephiles added.
"You mean his statement or his fist?" Espio hissed.
"You cannot hide in terror of him." Mephiles stated, ignoring the statement. "If you were able to battle against a dragon, then this man should not be any different."
"I don't think Cynder was..." Espio said slowly until inspiration struck. "Cynder! That's it!"
"And this is the end."
The Hero of Darkness snapped his head to the sky, discovering Ganondorf hovering overhead. Espio quickly dived away from Ganondorf's sword – the tombstone fell in opposite directions – and reached into his gauntlet. It was only then when he noticed that a number of his Attack Cards had been drained. This was the first time he realized that all his attacks required an Attack Card – he was never affected by the card drain. As he was flipping through the number of black cards, Ganondorf's blade came into view and slashed across his gauntlet. The armor remained unharmed, but his cards were scattered across the ground. While scrambling for the nearest card, Espio was sent crashing into another tombstone when the dark king's foot connected with his chest.
"Now would be a good time to summon some help." Mephiles stated.
"Normally, I don't agree with you." Espio grunted. "But this isn't one of those times."
As the King of Evil drew closer, Espio swiftly shot the card into the air and watched it explode of a flash of light. In a moment, Cynder would soar in and pin the dark king with her claws. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Espio had picked up the wrong card and summoned the last person that could possible help: Captain Whisker.
"Argh! What be this place?!" Whisker grunted.
"Oh no!" Espio whined. "Anyone but him!"
"You screwed up big time." Mephiles commented, sniggering silently.
"Argh! Ye have some nerve to summon me here!" Whisker scowled, waving his fist to the chameleon. "If I had any idea what was going on, I'd keelhaul ya."
"This is your reinforcement." Ganondorf laughed loudly. "This pathetic scrape pile isn't even smart enough to tie his own shoes. You must be desperate if you want his help."
"I didn't really have a choice in the matter." Espio stated.
Who are ye calling stupid!" Whisker fumed. "I'll have ye know that I have sailed the seven seas and collected a bounty of booty."
"That's luck, not skill." Ganondorf shook. "By the goddesses, you are just as bad as that cheesy pirate accent of yours."
"That draws the final line!" Whisker screamed. "Prepare to walk the plank!"
For a split-second, Espio had the belief that Whisker might have actually stood a chance. Then he was swiftly brought back to reality. Whisker charged ahead with his fists in front, but Ganondorf effortlessly sidestepped him – he laughed when the captain got stuck in the wall. Then inspiration struck Espio for the second time. Ganondorf was too busy being amused by Whisker's futile attempts that he completely ignored the dark chameleon. When the King of Evil wasn't looking, Espio activated the final trait of his species and blended perfectly with the background. In the meantime, Whisker swing his arms like a windmill, but Ganondorf kept him out of reach by holding his hand to the captain's face. Espio sweat dropped. Apparently growing tired of the machine, the dark king closed his palm over Whisker's face, instantaneously caving it in. The Chrome Captain dissolved back into his card.
"That was good for a laugh." Ganondorf shrugged. "Now for the..." He turned back, only to learn that Espio was missing. "What in Hyrule?! Where did he go?!"
"Here." Espio echoed.
The next thing he knew, Ganondorf felt something pierce his back and stabbed through his chest. With extreme effort, the dark king forced himself to look backwards as Espio reappeared behind. After the two exchanged glares for several seconds, Ganondorf's head dropped forward and remained hanging in dread. Like the powerful warrior he was, the King of Evil died standing. As Espio retracted his blade, a black card emerged from the ground and presented itself to him. The card held the picture of Ganondorf, which was the last time it was seen before Espio stuffed it in his gauntlet.
Ganondorf: Defeated
"He was right, you know?" Mephiles stated as Espio began collecting his cards.
"What?" Espio questioned, placing 627's card in his gauntlet.
It is a miracle that you are able to see anyone." Mephiles reminded. "You heart knows only how to betray. By throwing aside the light and darkness, you have become something that doesn't exist: a Nobody."
"Nobody, huh?" Espio repeated coolly. "Maybe that's all I'm good for."
After gathering his cards once more, the blank door appeared to him at the end of the courtyard, signaling the end of the memory. With a heavy sigh, Espio crossed the courtyard and opened the door. As he painfully walked through the light, he began to wonder if what Mephiles said was true. Maybe...he was a Nobody.
Meanwhile, the scene returns to the dark room in Castle Oblivion. Erazor had left earlier to report to Mewtwo, leaving Oracle to continue staring into space. However, something else seemed to draw his attention as he turned back to the other end of the room. A moment later, a portal of darkness erupted from the floor to deliver Terro.
"Is there something you need?" Oracle questioned.
"I was just wandering around." Terro answered coolly, crossing the room in a large circle. "To be truthful, I was thinking about something."
"Such as?" Oracle asked.
"This whole business with Sonic." Terro answered thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head. "Not only him, but the newest member of the Order. It can't be just mere coincidence."
"They have their reasons for being similar." Oracle sighed, turning back to his space.
"That's not what I meant." Terro stated. Now Oracle was drawn by curiosity and turned back to Terro, who had stopped pacing around the room. "Remember what I said before on the day you told me Sonic was chosen by the Keyblade?"
"We were discussing the Superior and the Room of Sleep." Oracle nodded. "You were continually eavesdropping on the superior every time he went down there. You said he was talking to someone he claimed to be his love."
"I didn't tell you everything that day." Terro frowned. "On one occasion, I heard someone talking back." He lowered his head as Oracle continued to stare. "You remember what I told you the Superior was looking for?"
"The Room of Awakening." Oracle answered. "You said the Superior was looking for it, seeking out someone who claims to be his friend." He remained silent for a moment. "You still think that room is hidden somewhere in Castle Oblivion?"
"I don't think the Room of Awakening is in the castle." Terro said slowly. "I think it IS the castle."
The depths of illusion and deceit run low. What new challenges await Espio on the next floor? Will Duskmon capture Sonic as his newest servant? And is Castle Oblivion truly the Room of Awakening? Find out on the next Reverse/Rebirth!
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