REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE

Tomo the Chameleon © Kiba Sniper

Chapter Thirteen: Fall to Darkness

Last time on Reverse/Rebirth:

Informed of Mewtwo's defeat at the hands of the Keyblade Master, Oracle and Erazor begin to plan their next move. Meanwhile, Espio approached the next memory a little differently than usual. Unlike his previous assailants, Broly appeared at the beginning of the memory and battled the chameleon head-on. It wasn't until the saiyan's defeat that Espio learned the true beast behind the attack: the Necromancer. Mephiles hinted that he knew the origin of the unknown enemy, hinting his relation with the Order.

The scene opens to the white walled corridor of the third basement floor of Castle Oblivion. The Hero of Darkness emerged from behind the blank doors with his faithful Thestral, Deathwing, after a brutal battle with the Necromancer. But they were far from safe. Even as they pushed through the gilded doors, Deathwing instinctively hissed spitefully after feeling a chilling presence on the other side. Following his companion's lead, Espio drew the Soul Eater to his hand the moment the doors flew open. It was neither Tomo nor Mewtwo who stood at the stairway across the hall, but Erazor himself. The Cursed Spirit seemed to have been waiting on Espio for a while.

"Greetings, Espio the Chameleon." Erazor said coolly.

"That scent." Espio said lowly; Deathwing continued hissing. "You're another one of those Nobodies Mewtwo was talking about."

"Temwow is no longer amongst us." Erazor said nonchalantly. "I must say, you have done well coming this far. But to possess your powers and yet fear the darkness, your talents have gone to waste."

"I don't...fear the darkness." Espio said hesitantly.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be the only one that shared this opinion. He could feel Mephiles stirring in his mind, clearly thinking differently of his statement. Even Deathwing looked away from his master, apparently ashamed to admit the truth that he agreed with the Cursed Spirit. Espio felt betrayed – Erazor smirked.

"Even your comrades can sense that you do." Erazor stated. "You're also capable of controlling the darkness, just as Sonic can control the darkness in his heart. If you cast away your useless fear and open your heart to embrace the darkness, you will be capable of unimaginable things."

"And if I say no?" Espio glared.

"Then you will lose both light and darkness..." Erazor scowled, grabbing the shoulder of his cloak. "And disappear!"

The Cursed Spirit ripped the black cloak from his form, revealing what lies beneath it. His skin was a vicious shade of violet-purple like his face with crimson markings on his ribs and forearms. He wore a pair of silky-white pants with a brown cape tied in the back by a copper belt, a gilded bracer. His weapon of choice appeared the moment the cloak was discarded, which happened to be a golden straight-edge razor blade. At the moment Erazor's cloak blew off, a gale of darkness erupted around the warrior, nearly forcing Espio and Deathwing off their feet.

"Such...power..." Espio thought frightfully. "It's unreal."

"I haven't seen such proficiency with the darkness since myself." Mephiles commented. "This one is not to be trifled with."

"Now you know an extent of my power." Erazor said coolly. "I, Erazor, will no yield to the frail heart of an infantile coward. Now stop resisting..." He unsheathed his razor blade. "And allow the darkness to take over!"

Cursed Spirit: Erazor

The member of the Order decided to play it safe and wait out his opponent to get an understanding of his skills. Though Mewtwo wasn't exactly the strongest of their group, being able to defeat a member of the Order was a fest itself. But Erazor was sadly disappointed when it was Deathwing who brought the first strike. The Thestral foal flapped its wings to gain height and jabbed its neck forward to strike. Unfortunately, the Cursed Spirit sheathed his blade and struck Deathwing in the head with the blunt end of his razor. But while the young Thestral staggered in midair, Espio took this opportunity to dive in while Erazor's defenses were down. But the Hero of Darkness was in for a rude awakening when the Cursed Spirit unsheathed his blade and stabbed at Espio's shoulder in a split second. The Dark Chameleon jumped backwards, holding his bleeding shoulder.

"Man, he's fast." Espio groaned. "I barely even saw him move."

"Your fortune falls with the darkness." Mephiles proclaimed. "My darkness has already circulated through the course of your body and has given you advanced senses. Your eyes were able to follow an attack that was moving faster than sound, allowing only your shoulder to be struck."

"Faster than sound?!" Espio exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"This is no joke." Erazor stated calmly; Deathwing was squirmed in his hand. "My advanced speed is only the base of my powers. Allow the darkness to take over and I will show you the rest."

"You're just as bad as Mephiles." Espio commented, raising his Soul Eater. "You two are like a pair of broken records."

"Have it your way." Erazor said.

The Cursed Spirit tossed Deathwing ahead to its master, forcing Espio to catch him. But the dark chameleon had experience in this kind of tactic and held his Soul Eater defensively in one hand and grabbed Deathwing with the other. The Hero of Darkness hissed slightly on impact due to his shoulder, but remained firm. But when Espio looked up to evaluate his opponent, Erazor had disappeared – a small wisp of black smoke trailed the floor.

"Where did he...?" Espio gaped.

"Perish, coward!"

The Cursed Spirit appeared behind the dark chameleon – his lower body was replaced by a cloud of black smoke. Erazor swiped across Espio's neckline, but missed as his opponent rolled forward across the ground. Espio and Deathwing remained close to the ground, watching as the black smoke reformed into Erazor's leg.

"You can transform, too." Espio said exasperatedly. "Anything else you might want to mention? Maybe you can sprout wings and shoot fire out of your nose."

"I was not given with flight." Erazor answered. "But fire...that comes from a different source."

The Dark Chameleon instantly regretted his choice of words. The Cursed Spirit thrusted out his palm, released a menacingly sphere of fire. Espio kicked off the ground and jumped to the wall while pushing Deathwing in the opposite direction. But while the Hero of Darkness clung to the wall, Erazor redirected his fireball with a glance, throwing it back to its original target. Though he disliked the idea, Espio had only one option in saving himself. The chameleon warrior swiped three cards from his deck, tapping into the powers of darkness within his heart. Espio thrusted out his palm and released a fireball of black flames to cancel out the blaze created by Erazor.

"See how helpful the darkness can be?" Erazor questioned. "If you embrace it, even the strongest of opponents will be rendered helpless against you."

"You already know my answer." Espio glared. "I refuse to surrender myself into the darkness. Ding so would turn me into something like you – a Nobody."

"Such a hopeless cause." Erazor sighed, clicked his blade. "No matter. I will be sure to capture Kumori later and then we will see how well you resist the darkness then."

Espio had no idea what he was talking about, but that was the least of his concerns. Once again, the Cursed Spirit dissolved himself into a form of black smoke, spreading across the hallway. The only difference this time around as that Espio had adapted to the situation and predicted the outcome. He stabbed the Soul Eater to his left, only to be blocked off by the Cursed Spirit's razor blade. Erazor scowled as the remainder of his body reformed below. This was Espio's only opportunity for a strike. While the Cursed Spirit was focus on rebuilding his body, the dark chameleon kicked off the wall and swung his leg for Erazor's neck. The heel of his shoe made contact, but the Cursed Spirit didn't even flinch.

"We are part of the Order not because we are weak." Erazor stated. He grabbed Espio by his ankle and lifted him up, allowing him to hang upside-down. "The reason for we continue to live is because of our strength. Even if our existence is faded."

"I already told your buddy." Espio grunted. "I'm not a big fan of riddles."

Espio fruitlessly pulled himself up to strike at Erazor's head, only to have his weapon tossed aside by the blunt end of the Cursed Spirit's razor.

"Such a waste." Erazor shook. He tossed the chameleon up, only to grab him by the back of his head and slam the Hero of Darkness into his knee. "You would be the perfect counterattack against Duskmon, but you're still scared of your power. Once we break the Chain of Memories in your heart, you will serve us."

"I serve no one." Espio scowled. "Especially some second-rate Arabian Knight wannabe with a bad tan."

Now on most villains, such an insult would have distracted them. But Erazor was not like most villains. With a calm and collected attitude, the Cursed Spirit brought up his razor blade, prepared to knock Espio out with the blunt end. But at the last second, he unsheathed his blade and curved around, cutting Deathwing across its miniscule chest. Since Thestrals are creatures that are already dead, Espio didn't have to worry about it dying. But the dark chameleon didn't take the attack on his companion lightly. The Hero of Darkness wrapped his legs around the Cursed Spirit's arms and pulled his body backwards with all his might. The tactic proved successful as Erazor was unknowingly flipped overhead and landed on his back with an audible thud. After breaking free from Erazor's grip, he saw the two blades across the hall – his and Erazor's. Erazor and Espio exchanged quick glances with one another and dived forward with their respective weapons. However, the two dark user got mixed up and grabbed each other's weapon by mistake.

"Man, this thing is heavy." Espio groaned, trying to lift the razor blade.

"Ad this weapon is too small." Erazor stated, holing the Soul Eater with three fingers. "Battle cannot be properly done in these forms of conditions. I demand my weapon back."

"Like I would let myself get killed in an instant." Espio retorted. "You give me back the Soul Eater."

"An equal exchange then." Erazor suggested. "And the victory of this duel will be determined."

"Sounds fair to me." Espio nodded.

The two forces of darkness glared at one another, ready to run at a moment's notice. Deathwing watched motionlessly as its blank eyes watched restlessly between them. Then it happened. Both warriors tossed each others weapon in midair, jumping directly behind them. Erazor grabbed his razor blade with Espio catching the Soul Eater – they clashed in midair. Only a single moment later, both warrior landed on their feet with their backs turned to each other. A bleak silence passed between, only broken by the victor.

"Weakling." Erazor commented.

Erazor: Victorious

Espio dropped to his knees in exhaustion, holding the forming wound on his chest. Erazor had made his mark on the Hero of Darkness, but not without receiving his own injury. The Cursed Spirit's left arm seized up – he was impressed by Espio's progress. Though still tired and weakened, the dark chameleon refused to go down without a fight. Espio struggled to regain his stance, weakly holding the Soul Eater to the air.

"Is that...all...you got." Espio panted. "You're...pathetic."

"Don't mock your superiors." Erazor warned. "Then again, you are too much trouble to deal with."

And before the Hero of Darkness could react, Erazor appeared in front of Espio and jammed the blunt up of his razor blade into the chameleon's stomach. The force of the impact shot Espio directly into the ceiling, forming a powerful imprint in his place when the chameleon dropped to the floor. With the Hero of Darkness resting unconscious across the floor, Erazor moved ahead to collect his prize. But his plans were changed dramatically as a cloud of pure darkness emerged around the defeated chameleon. Needless to say, the Cursed Spirit was shocked when the darkness faded and found Espio standing once again in his Dark Suit, perfectly unharmed.

"Surprised, are we?" Espio smirked; his voice replicated Mephiles'. "That will be your final mistake."

And all of sudden, he vanished in a blur. Erazor gasped horrifically, dropping his razor blade. With the last of his strength, the Cursed Spirit looked over his shoulder, where he found the possessed Chameleon taunting him from behind.

"Too slow." Mephiles said.

"I suppose it is true." Erazor groaned weakly; his body began to fade in darkness and smoke. "I was foolish to take on the Superior's.......forgive me, Oracle. This was a fight I should not have started."

And then he was gone, leaving Espio and Mephiles to resolve one last ordeal.

The scene alternates to the depths within Espio's heart. The Dark Chameleon was floating aimlessly through an ocean of darkness, which he was certain did not belong to him. Espio tried desperately to move away from the darkness, but his body was not reacting to his command. Then...he heard his voice.

"I can see you clearly." The voice said malevolently.

"What's going on?" Espio grunted forcefully. "Where am I?! Erazor!"

"Espio..." The voice called. "I can see your heart."

"No...it can't be." Espio muttered desperately. "Darkness this foul could only be..."

"That's it..." The voice hissed. "Remember me...Let me drift into your heart..."

"Mephiles!" Espio exclaimed.

"You call out my name." Mephiles chuckled. "All your thoughts and concerns have been about me. You're afraid of the darkness I command. Good...the more you think of me, the closer my return draws. And when I have awoken, I will take whole! Your heart will be mine!"

Espio was rigidly forced to stand completely still as a typhoon of shadow formed before him. When the darkness returned to its surroundings, Espio was once again faced with the Seeker of Darkness himself. This time, there was no mistaking him for the imposter of the previous battles – this darkness was too sinister to be replicated. Mephiles held out his crystal claw, pulling it closer with the intention of ripping out the chameleon's heart. All hope seemed lost. Then, a glimmer of light shined between the two, forcing Mephiles back into place.

"Espio, fight back!" The light shouted. "Don't let this freak of nature take you over."

"Your majesty?" Espio gasped.

"You meddlesome king!!!" Mephiles roared furiously.

The scene returns to the white halls of Castle Oblivion. Espio was discovered to be lying on the floor – his Dark Suit had faded with Mephiles' presence. The Hero of Darkness woke up as Deathwing desperately tried licking its master in hopes of stirring him awake. Espio groaned, pushing up to his knees. A disturbing thought crossed his mind and pulled out a card from his deck. It was originally the card used to call King Jet, but now the face was blank – Jet was gone.

"The King..." Espio murmured sadly. "He protected me."

The scene alternates to the darkened room that served as a meeting chamber for the member of the lower castle. With Mewtwo and Erazor's deaths, Oracle was left all alone. The Looming Prophet stared blankly into space with his abnormal eyes, pondering the outcome of these battles. Sonic was growing stronger with each passing memory – something Duskmon had not intended. And then there was Espio. Though he feared the darkness, he seemed to understand it more than most and have greater control than any before him. It wouldn't be long before he had surpassed Mephiles himself.

"Erazor is gone." Oracle said monotonously. "But I had already learned that many hours ago. You were a fool to challenge the opposite of the Superior...Zorrae."

"Don't get so emotional." A moment later, Terro appeared from the darkness with a sarcastic smirk on his face. "Roodaka has been taken care of by the Keyblade Master as well. I suppose in this case, we should start calling her by her true name: Kodoara."

"What do you want, Terro?" Oracle questioned.

"You should already know that, O great prophet." Terro bowed sarcastically. "Temwow, Kodoara, Zorrae. The members of the Order are dying out one by one. I wonder who will be next in line."

"I thought perhaps it might be you." Oracle stated, pointing to his eye. "By vision has never lied."

"Yeah, like I'm gonna roll over and die." Terro said, crossing his arms. "I already took my beating from Sonic and I have no intention of a repeat performance."

"Then you will be sadly disappointed." Oracle said knowingly, drawing a curious look from his ally. "Then who, may I ask, do you think will be the next to fall."

"There is no doubt in my mind." Terro scoffed. "Duskmon will be the next to fall. I'm sure you heard the rumors before arriving at Castle Oblivion. The rumors about a traitor in the Order."

"We already know it is Duskmon." Oracle nodded. "He has been planning to take over the Order by using the Keyblade Master as a pawn."

"That's the idea." Terro nodded. "So what about you? I thought you guys had plans for Espio."

"We were going to set him off against the traitors." Oracle explained, not questioning how Terro knew about Espio. "But with Duskmon gone, there will be no need. In retrospect, he has become nothing but a nescience."

"And he's dangerous as well." Terro added. "After all, he took down Erazor, one of the strongest guys in the Order."

"You know that's not how I do things." Oracle stated. "Why fight when you can control your enemies. All I need is the proper incentive." He smiled lightly as a thought occurred to him. "Tell me, have you obtained the data on Espio's home?"

The trials grow more fierce as the darkness continues to rise. Will Espio be able to ward off the darkness any longer? Will King Jet find a way to return to him? And what is Oracle's plot? Find out on the next Reverse/Rebirth!

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