REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE
Tomo the Chameleon © Kiba Sniper
Chapter Ten: 10,000 Leagues under the Darkness
Last time on Reverse/Rebirth:
While trying to chase his sister through the castle, Espio once again confronted Mephiles, who provided hi with more cards to travel through. But all the while, he noticed something different about the Seeker of Darkness. The dark chameleon followed through with his journey and found himself in the dark forest of Hogwarts. After a brief exploration through the forest, Espio confronted yet another member of the darkness: Voldemort. And once again, he tried to persuade Espio to accept the darkness within him or remained doomed to eternal loneliness.
The scene returns to the white walled corridors of Castle Oblivion. Espio was coming from the previous level, expecting to be greeted by another member of the darkness when reaching the next floor. But to his relief, Mephiles and Mewtwo were nowhere to be seen. However, there was still one thing that bothered him.
"What if they're right?" Espio thought. "What if I can't face them? How do I know Sonic and the others will accept me back?"
"The question is, can you accept yourself?" Mephiles questioned suddenly.
"Hey, those are my thoughts!" Espio yelled irritably. "Stay out of my head!"
"I would if you did not make it an open book." Mephiles chuckled darkly. "You accepted the darkness, thus accepting me into your heart."
"I never accepted anything!" Espio proclaimed. "I swear that I'll – what was that?"
Even Mephiles remained silent. The dark chameleon focus his senses to his hear, listening in on an unknown noise. It sounded like talons clicking against the floor. The noise drew closer from the stairway as Espio twitched his hand in preparation to call the Soul Eater back. Suddenly, the clicking stop – Espio remained unnerved. Suddenly, a black blur emerged from the stairway and caught the dark chameleon off guard, forcing him backwards onto the floor. Espio expected it to be over quickly before realizing the creature was licking him. Look down his chest; he realized it was one of the Thestrals from Hogwarts. But judging from the size of the winged horse, it was only a young foal.
"What the?" Espio stammered in confusion, pushing the creature off his chest. "What's a Thestral doing here? It should have been left back in my memory."
"This castle has more interesting properties than I imagined." Mephiles said interestingly. "It would seem that objects from your memories become reality in Castle Oblivion. This creature is no longer a figment of your memories – it's real."
"A real thestral, huh?" Espio smirked amusingly as the winged horse nudged his elbow. "It a weird and twisted sort of way, he's actually kinda cute."
"I think he likes you." Mephiles joked.
"Well, I can't send him back to by memories." Espio said thoughtfully. "And since he has nowhere else to go, I think I'll keep him. I'll call him....Deathwing. Because he's a winged horse that can't be seen unless someone dies."
"How original." Mephiles said sarcastically.
Ignoring the dark master's comments, Espio patted his new companion happy. Finally, he could travel with someone other than Mephiles. The dark creature followed its master as he approached the blank door at the end of the hall. Espio didn't know what to decide, so he just randomly selected a card and raised it to the door. Though still pained by the light, Espio pushed forward.
---Mahri Nui---
When the light faded and Espio partially blinded, the dark chameleon was surprised to find himself unable to touch the ground. When he vision repaired itself, he was in for an even bigger shock. The world he had entered was entirely underwater, yet he could breath as if he were on dry land – he had a theory. He stepped in front of a reflective piece of rock to confirm his thoughts. His body was covered in metallic black armor, but his internal organs still remained. To add to the effects of the armor, he wore a dark mask with a breathing tube connected to the mouth.
"This is different." Espio commented.
"Your body has adapted to the environment once again." Mephiles explained. "But I can sense that you appearance has taken on a darker form then what it once was. The armor you wear now is forged entirely from the darkness."
"Oh, that's encouraging." Espio said sarcastically. "I'm only stuck at the bottom of the ocean with.....wait a minute, what happened to Deathwing!"
The Hero of Darkness snapped his head left and right for signs of the winged horse. It was true that Thestrals were able to survive a death curse from Voldemort, but it might not apply the same for things outside the magical world. Much to his relief, he spotted Deathwing feasting on a small tuft of seaweed with air bubble implanted. He must not have liked it as the thestral spat the plant back up.
"Wow, that thing just won't die." Espio chuckled impressively.
"It would make a perfect addition to our army." Mephiles commented.
"There is no army, Mephiles." Espio glared. "And there is nothing between us. If you haven't noticed, I have been suppressing the darkness within my heart. I am still in command of this body."
"For now...." Mephiles hissed.
The dark chameleon could feel his presence slipping away. After collecting Deathwing, the duo of the darkness began to explore their new world. Travel was made exceptionally easy as Espio was able to glide across the water and not waste time walking everywhere – Deathwing glided alongside him. The Hero of Darkness scanned across the horizon in search of anything that might lead them to the next dark leader of the world. Unfortunately, they have only managed to spot a field of plants call airweed, a long chain of stone that reached to the surface, and a domed city. Espio thought they might have had a good chance with the city until he looked through the glass – the streets were empty. With the occasional schools of fish the Deathwing would devour, the world was practically a desert. Of course, Espio was expecting this.
"Your heart is steeped into the darkness." Black Doom proclaimed. "You can only see people who exist in that same darkness...people like me."
"It does get kinda lonely after a while." Espio thought, turning to Deathwing. "At least not all creatures of the darkness are evil."
"I believe it was your sister who said the same thing." Mephiles commented.
"Don't you mention a word about her." Espio sneered. "She is a traitor – a soldier of the darkness. I know my family would have never accepted it like she did."
"But how can you be sure?" Mephiles questioned. "In all honesty, what did you know bout your family?"
The Seeker of Darkness struck gold on that comment. Espio didn't really know much of his own heritage. Before they died, Espio's parents always looked they had a big secret and often avoided the subject of other worlds. And if Tomo had accepted the darkness, was it possible that his own parents relied on the darkness? After all, there was a time when he also accepted that alluring sense of power and drive. Fortunately, before he could dive any further into the thought, Deathwing snapped at his wrist to attract his attention.
"Yow! What is it, Deathwing?" Espio cringed.
The thestral foal hissed – Espio guessed it was their way of communication. Deathwing curved around and darted towards the ground with its new master following behind. The winged horsed dived through a series of dunes before diving into a fracture in the planet's crust. Espio seemed doubtful, but Deathwing didn't give him a reason not to trust him. The Hero of Darkness slipped through the crack, finding Deathwing standing in a long corridor filled with prison cells. Espio was obviously amazed to find a prison in such a place, but was forced to return his attention when Deathwing started hissing.
"What is it, boy?" Espio asked; the thestral started clawing at the nearest cell. "There's something inside?"
Summoning the Soul Eater to his hand, Espio slashed through the rust bars and shattered the metallic bindings. Inside the cell was a hulking silver machine twice as big as himself and wore a red mask breathing mask with a tube connected to the side. The machine appeared deactivated, slumped along side wall. Espio looked around the rest of the small cell, but found nothing. He turned to Deathwing.
"There's nothing here but a worn out robot." Espio stated. "Come on, maybe we'll have better luck in..."
But where they were heading was never revealed. Because a moment later, a silver fist jumped out of the cell and collided with the side of Espio's mask. The Hero of Darkness was thrusted through the wall, landing it a pit that resembled a battle arena – it must have been used for judgment. There was a sharp screech before Deathwing was shot out and landed next to his master. Espio reach out to check him, but found it unnecessary when the thestral shrugged and started shaking off the dirt.
"I never expected to see you again, traitor." A cold voice echoed.
"Now I wonder who that could be." Espio said sarcastically.
You have come so far on your journey." The voice stated. "But yet you run from your true power. The darkness infests your heart, slowly growing more powerful with each passing moment. And yet, you refuse to accept it. That is what makes you weak."
"Why don't you stop with the mind games and show yourself, Teridax?" Espio demanded.
Almost instantly, the wall to the right exploded with a red radiance – Espio used his Soul Eater to block the debris. A hulking shadow emerged from the gaping hole and revealed himself to be the unstable silver machine. Only now, his eyes were glowing with a demonic red aura and the darkness seemed to gather to him like a magnet. Teridax was truly a powerful contender.
"I have seen into your memories, Espio." Teridax proclaimed. "You fight the darkness because you believe it is evil. But you use the powers of darkness to fight against your enemies. You contradict yourself in every conceivable way. You don't even know yourself."
I know myself well enough." Espio glared. "I am Espio the Chameleon, slayer of the darkness. And when the time comes, I will eradicate myself to rid the worlds of the final darkness."
"Then come and show me that power." Teridax challenged.
Makuta: Teridax
The Hero of Darkness charged forward to the silver Makuta and stabbed his blade towards the demon's chest. But to his surprise, the hulking warrior sidestepped at an unbelievable rate and slammed his fist on Espio's wrist. The armored chameleon dropped his blade unintentionally and flipped backwards out of Teridax's reach. Unfortunately, the Makuta was unnaturally swift and appeared in front of Espio a moment later. Teridax wrapped his cold claw around the chameleon's throat and lifted him off the ground. As the dark chameleon struggled to break the grip, Deathwing dived forward and snapped that the Makuta's wrist. Unfortunately, being a machine, he was invulnerable to the pain.
"How amusing." Teridax laughed. "This pathetic insect believes he stands a chance against me."
"Deathwing..."Espio gasped. "Run..."
"Deathwing, is it?" Teridax asked amusingly. "An appropriate name for a disgusting creature." He waved his free hand in front of the thestral's ace, sending it backward with a pulse of darkness. "Too bad it is of no valuable use."
"You're going to wish you hadn't done that." Espio growled.
Not knowing what he was doing, Espio lifted his legs and latched them around Teridax's wrist. The dark chameleon twisted sharply in the Makuta's hand and surprisingly detached the claw from the rest of the body. Once breaking free and landing, the Hero of darkness reach for his gauntlet and whipped out three cards, which faded instantly. Espio shot back around and thrusted out his palm as if to call as Dark Firaga, but only a blast of heated water appeared.
"You thought to destroy me with fire." Teridax chuckled amusingly. He bent down and grabbed the fallen hand. "You have forgotten that we are in a world filled with water. Magic is ineffective here."
"That would have been nice to know, Mephiles." Espio hissed.
"I thought you didn't want my help." Mephiles responded amusingly.
"In this world, even the darkness is at a disadvantage." Teridax proclaimed. Espio watched interestingly as the wires from the Makuta's severed wrist reached out and reconnected his hand. "But that is only a minor set back. What really determines the outcome of a battle is strength. And do you, a boy afraid of his own shadow, think you can defeat a master of darkness?"
"I can sure try." Espio nodded.
But that was easier said than done. Next to Ganondorf, Teridax was the strongest under Black Doom of the Heartless rulers. If he wanted to gain an advantage, he needed to collect his Soul Eater. He could try to use the darkness to call it back to his hand, but he had a feeling that Teridax was expecting this. But while he was busy thinking, the Makuta slammed his fist forward and jabbed into the armored chameleon's chest. The Hero of Darkness was pressed into the wall, creating a massive indent. Groaning lightly, he pulled his head forward, barely catching the sight of Teridax and he stampeded in his direction. Espio flipped backwards onto the wall and kicked off it to jump over the Makuta, who tackled through the wall. With this golden opportunity, Espio raced across the room and collected his Soul Eater off the ground.
"Ok, I've got my weapon." Espio panted. "Now I need a way to beat this guy."
"Allow me to take over." Mephiles tempted. "My power will be enough to decimate him."
"No!" Espio reused. "I will not rely on you for everything. I'll fight with my own strength."
Suddenly, the wall to the left exploded and Teridax walked in slowly.
"You seemed to think you possess the power to defeat me." Teridax chuckled. "Hundreds of Toa before you have tried, but all have failed. I am unstoppable."
"Funny, you weren't saying that when Sonic destroyed you." Espio taunted.
The mention of the Keyblade Master seem to have struck a nerve. To the chameleon's surprised, a blaster suddenly appeared on the Makuta's shoulder and released a series of red lasers. The armored chameleon instinctively raised the Soul Eater and began deflecting the shots. But Teridax was relentless as he stomped close to the dark warrior, forcing Espio to walk backwards upon his approached. The Hero of Darkness was successful in knocking away the lasers, but he knew he wouldn't last forever. Teridax seemed to think along the same lines as he gathered as his collective energy into his blaster. But before he could prepare the final shot, Deathwing suddenly scuttled from behind and snapped his jaws over the wire connecting the blaster. The blaster instantly shut down.
"What?!" Teridax growled. "You filthy vermin! I will crush you with my own hands."
However, when the Makuta tried to reach behind, he found that his body was to large for him to reach the small winged horse.
"Nice work, Deathwing!" Espio cheered. "I'll take over from here!"
Before Teridax knew what had hit him, Espio appeared and slammed his knee into the Makuta's mask. The thestral scurried away as Teridax fell backward and Espio back flipped upwards. This was his chance for the finishing blow. Pressing his Soul Eater forward Espio corkscrewed downwards and drilled his way into Teridax's mask. The Makuta gasped in shock before realizing that was the last thing he would do. From hole present in his mask, a cloud of darkness escaped and eventually dissolved from existence – the body remained a hollow shell. A moment later, Teridax in the silver machine armor appeared on the card given to Espio, who placed it in his gauntlet.
Teridax: Defeated
"You were great, Deathwing." Espio said proudly as he patted the thestral. "You know, I always wanted a pet. And I couldn't have asked for a better one."
"How dreadful." Mephiles commented. "You wish to associate yourself with death than allow your powers to grow with the darkness."
"At least when I'm dead, I won't see you anymore." Espio retorted.
Mephiles growled, but said nothing further. Suddenly, a ray of light shined down one of the hallways formed during Teridax's rampage. The light faded into the form of the black door, signaling the end of the memory. Patting his leg for Deathwing to follow, the Hero of Darkness walked blindly into the light and back to the castle.
Meanwhile, the scene alternates to the highest point in Castle Oblivion. Kumori sat at her table, continually drawing cards and turning them over on several occasions. Though she tried to preoccupy herself with the cards, she couldn't resist staring sadly at the crystal ball in the center of the room.
"Why so glum, Kumori?" The black hedgehog gasped and turned in her seat, facing Roodaka. "Is there something that's been troubling you? Are you feeling regret for tampering with Sonic's memories? Or maybe you..."
"Cut it out, Roodaka!" The bionic female glared and turned to Tomo, who has walked through the door, wearing her Dark Suit. "Kumori – he doesn't want to remember Sonic."
"Is that so?" Roodaka asked tauntingly.
"Don't worry." Tomo said calmly to Kumori. "Whatever's hurting you, I'll make it go away." She pulled out a yellow charm shaped like a Paopu Fruit – the same charm as Sonic. "I swear it on this. The good luck charm you gave me."
With all things said, the confused kunochi proceeded her way out of the room, but not before sending a glare to Roodaka. The Cruel Temptress waited until Tomo was out of hearing range before turning back to Kumori, smiling darkly.
"Simply amazing." Roodaka laughed. "It's almost as if you completely remade her heart from scratch. A nice touch with the good luck charm. I had no idea you could use memories to transform object like cards into keepsakes." She kneeled close, whispering in a hushed tone. "You used the same trick on Sonic didn't you? You change Amy's good luck charm with your magic. Its only a matter of time before he completely forgets her. And then...he'll be all yours."
"He won't forget." Kumori said defiantly.
"What?" Roodaka questioned confused.
"No matter how much I change his memories," Kumori stated. "Sonic will never forget Amy. Memories of me – more false memories of me – will just make Sonic's feelings for Amy even stronger. Because...he loves Amy...and I am only her shadow."
"And what's you're problem with that?" Roodaka asked. "That should be your incentive not to screw everything up. Just do a good job rewriting the memories in Sonic's heart, then you can actually be somebody. And no longer Amy's shadow you'll be real in Sonic's heart."
Kumori only glared at her.
The pressing darkness grows strong with each memory. Will Espio's new companion be the salvation he needs? What does Mephiles have planned for the next world? And why does Kumori refer to herself as Amy's shadow? Find out on the next Reverse/Rebirth!
Please, read and review.
Time to choose the next world:
A) Budokai
B) Wumpa Island