REVERSE/REBIRTH: ESPIO'S TALE
Tomo the Chameleon © Kiba Sniper
Chapter Eighteen: Way to Dawn, Part 1
Last time on Reverse/Rebirth:
Espio continued to wander through the forest of Soleanna, overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity. The dark chameleon soon discovered the forgotten ruins of an ancient palace along with other things. Tomo, determined not to be outdone by her younger revealed her own Keyblade and challenged Espio to a battle of life and death. From the beginning, the chameleon siblings were equally matched, but Espio turned the tables in one simple movement. After the battle, Espio entered the palace, where he discovered Sonic being guarded by Terro and Kumori. The dark chameleon had a choice and decided it was best to confront his fears head-on.
---
The scene returned to the white-walled corridors of Castle Oblivion as Espio and Deathwing emerged from the previous memory of Soleanna. The dark chameleon, having expelled his Dark Form, waited cautiously to see if there was any dark presence lurking in the shadows. After the conflict between the chameleon siblings, Mephiles was sure to be drawn in by the overwhelming darkness. A wave of sweet relief washed over him when he found King Jet leaning against the blank wall with an impressed smirk on his expression.
"Well, looks like you decided not to go to sleep after all." Jet said proudly.
"How'd you know that?" Espio asked as he and Deathwing approached.
"ZoN told me everything." Jet stated, pushing off the wall. "I might not have told you this, but I have been a member of the Seekers for a long while; roughly about eight years to be exact. Tomo joined us four years ago."
"I don't believe this is the time to tell your life story."
The duo of darkness turned and discovered ZoN standing motionlessly across the hall. This was another that showed their great difference between their level of power and experience. Deathwing, who had great detection skills than his partner, had no clue where the masked enigma came from.
"Do you know her?" Espio whispered.
"Actually, I'm not too sure." Jet said uncertainly. "I've been working with her for the past eight years, but I've never once seen her true face. But something really bothers me. I just feel that I know her from somewhere."
"Ok, start talking." Espio said rudely, approaching ZoN. "Just who in the world are you?"
"I could be nobody or anybody." ZoN said cryptically. "It is up to you whether you choose to believe in me or not."
"You really like pushing decisions on other people, don't you?" Espio commented.
"And you have pushed away slumber, making the choice to confront Mephiles." ZoN responded.
"Do you think I'm reckless?" Espio asked.
"You have chosen your own path." ZoN answered calmly.
"Are you supporting me?" Espio asked in the same tone. "Or are you abandoning me?"
"That will be your choice as well." ZoN replied. The enigmatic warrior approached her younger comrade, holding out a black cloak similar to the ones used by Order XIII. "The Order will pursue you. Like a pack of hunting dogs, they will sneak up on you if they sense your presence." She surrendered the cloak to Espio. "However, this cloak that is worn by Nobodies will render their eyes and noses useless."
"Why do they wear it?" Espio asked thoughtfully; Deathwing sniffed at the cloak. "I've seen them discard their cloaks during battle, so they have no reason to wear them."
"They were this to give themselves protection from being devoured by darkness." ZoN answered simply. "Is it clear to you now? Even the Order cannot rule the darkness."
"Doesn't matter." Espio stated. "I won't run from the darkness."
"Then that only leaves one last detail." ZoN proclaimed. "You must draw out the darkness threatening to devour your heart. You must now confront Mephiles."
"Then that's what I'll do." Espio answered.
The Hero of darkness folded the black cloak and stored it away for safekeeping. Espio and ZoN glanced at on another as he, along with King Jet and Deathwing, passed the enigmatic warrior and made their way up the stairs. If dark chameleon had been counting them right, the team was making their way up to the last level of the basement floors. This would be the last opportunity Espio had to put an end to Mephiles' existence. The trio made it to the top of the stairway, reaching another room with a standing platform and a blank door at the end of the hall. Espio had no cards left – he didn't need one.
"Were headed in for the final stretch." Jet said seriously. "Now we just need to draw Mephiles' attention and bring him down together."
"Yeah....about that." Espio said nervously. "You two can join me on the way, but when we finally meet Mephiles, I want to fight him alone." King Jet and Deathwing tried to argue with him, but Espio's decision remained unchanged. "I'm sorry, but this is something I have to do. What's the point of facing my darkness if I can't do it alone? But...I do need a favor, your majesty."
"Yeah..." Jet said suspiciously.
"If Mephiles is the victor, he's going to enslave me." Espio stated vigilantly. "If that happens, I want you to use your powers to destr..."
"Of course!" Jet interrupted eagerly. "Deathwing and I will be right there to save ya!"
"What?!" Espio exclaimed shockingly. "No, that's not what I wanted to tell you! I want you to destr..."
"Not gonna happen!" Jet yelled with a tone that suited his title. "No matter what happens, we're gonna be right there to help ya. I promise that I won't leave you to suffer in the darkness." He crossed his arms and stared at the chameleon interestingly. "Unless...you don't believe I'll come through for ya."
"I choose to believe in you – always, your majesty." Espio nodded happily.
"And I have faith in you." Jet stated; Deathwing nodded eagerly. "With the three of us together, I know we can't lose."
Espio felt grateful to the friends he had made during his journey. It seemed hard to believe that not so along ago, he was wandering aimlessly through Hollow Bastion, fearful of the darkness in his heart. The notion seemed laughable at this point. The dark chameleon and his team faced the blank door that would lead to the last level of Castle Oblivion and pushed through.
---Castle Oblivion---
The scene opens to an endless white corridor decorated with unknown emblems plastered on the walls and a long row of ceramic pots. Upon closer inspection, one would recognize the emblems if they had met the subordinates of the Order: a turned heart pierced by a spiked cross. Espio, King, Jet, and Deathwing cautiously proceeded down the dark tunnel – Espio had summoned his Keyblade and the king called the Darkside Keyblade. But even in a closely-knit group, they couldn't shake off the undesirable chill in their hearts.
"Ya feel that?" King Jet whispered. "That's the shadow of Mephiles – there's no mistaking it."
If that's true, then why hide yourself!" Espio yelled suddenly, causing King Jet and Deathwing to jump. "We know you're here! Why bother hiding yourself from me! Are you so afraid that you have to hide in darkness?!"
"Poor deluded Espio." Mephiles chuckled lightly; his voice echoed through the corridor. "Why in such a hurry? I'll always be here at the heart of darkness. But the question is: can you handle the darkness."
"I'm not afraid of you, Mephiles." Espio proclaimed.
"But it's not me you should fear." Mephiles said coolly. "I will enjoy watching you plunge into the same darkness inside of you."
Don't try to screw with me!" Espio growled.
"Espio, hold up!" King Jet said warningly.
But the Hero of Darkness refused to listen – his mind was only set on ridding himself of Mephiles. Espio charged ahead into the unseen darkness, leaving his companions to follow in his wake. In took only a matter of moments before the heroic trio breeched the corridor and entered a new chamber within the castle. For the most part, the area was entirely devoid of color or texture with the exception of the Heartless emblem that had been painted on the floor. Espio scoured the chamber and was angry to learn that Mephiles wasn't around. It was more than likely he was hiding in the corridor beyond the room. But the moment he felt a hand touch his shoulder, Espio swiftly reacted by swiping his Keyblade in a complete circle. It was only due to his advance reflexes that King Jet managed to avoid him.
"Hey, what were you're swinging that thing." King Jet scolded. "That isn't a toy, ya know."
"Sorry, your majesty." Espio apologized. "I'm just a bit edgy. We're going after Mephiles, the ruler of the Heartless. Sonic nearly died trying to fight him at Kingdom Hearts. I just wonder if I'll have any better luck."
"Well, it's definitely not going to be easy." King Jet said nervously. "When Sonic fought him, he had Silver and the others to back him up. Mephiles may be weaker than he was before, but that doesn't mean he isn't any less dangerous."
"Your words are too kind." Mephiles echoing with a resonating laugh.
"Where are you?!" Espio roared.
"Patience, little one." Mephiles said nonchalantly. "I still need to see how far you have wondered into the darkness. If I wish to restore my former power, I need to know that my host is able to store such potent darkness."
"What are you planning?" King Jet questioned.
The Seeker of Darkness failed to respond and instead released a bolt of red lightning on the Heartless emblem. Espio and the others quickly ducked away from the strike, raising their weapons as the newest threat emerged. Once seeing their enemy, Espio had to use a great deal of will power to stop himself from dropping the Keyblade in shock. The new threat nearly filled the entire chamber and carried a human-like structure. It's skin was deathly-black like most Heartless, carried a tangle of hair to cover its face, and it's chest was cut open in the shape of a heart. The sight of the giant Heartless brought back many unhappy memories.
"No...Not you again!" Espio shouted fearfully.
"You remember this creature, don't you?" Mephiles chuckled tauntingly. "After all, it was you who summoned this beast to your island and commanded it destroy the home you willingly abandoned. This Heartless represents your very existence."
"Don't listen to him, Espio." King Jet commanded, grabbing his friends arm. "You're not like that anymore. You may have accepted the darkness, but you've turned it into a weapon to protect those you care for. That's why the Keyblade chose you."
"Yeah, you're right." Espio nodded slowly. "I am different from before. And if I want to change completely, I must throw away the evil in my past and move on!"
The Darkside hissed malevolently and crouched low in anticipation. Espio still felt shaken to be facing the creature that had led to his ultimate downfall, but with Deathwing and King Jet at his side, he was not about to fail.
Heartless Superior: Darkside
Both oppositions of the battle stood motionlessly against one another, waiting for their opponent to make the first move. As Espio had predicted, this Heartless held greater intelligence than its predecessors. But as the minutes drew longer, the stress of waiting was beginning to take a toll on the warrior's mental resistance. It wasn't long before Deathwing snapped under the pressure and inadvertently stabbed forward to the beast's face. As expected, the Darkside provided a perfect counterstrike by swiftly raising its forearm, blocking the thestral foal. Having its opponent throw off guard by the sudden defense, the Heartless Superior twisted its arm around with a sickening squelch and swiped downwards. Fortunately enough, Deathwing's thin body was able to slip through the monster's fingers. The thestral foal spearheaded its way through the bramble surrounding the Darkside's head and stabbed its beak directly into its golden eye. The Heartless Superior groaned painfully and dropped to its knees as Deathwing returned to his friend.
"Really?" Espio said inquisitively. "It's that easy? I thought this guy would put up more of a challenge."
"Don't relax just yet." Jet stated seriously. "We've still got a long way to go."
True to the king's words, the Darkside raised its head with a malevolent glare – purple blood was forming a trail down its injured eye. The Heartless Superior raised its right arm and swiftly thrusted it against the colorless floor, unleashing a powerful shockwave in its wave. Deathwing and Espio were able to avoid the strike by flying and sticking to the ceiling respectively, but King Jet took the direct approach. The Keyblade King charged straight ahead into the shockwave, holding his golden weapon in a defensive position. Espio was about to shout words of warning to the king when he noticed a sudden glare of light surrounding him – he could use reflective magic as well. The reflective barrier pierced through the shockwave, leaving the caster unharmed and opening a window of opportunity. With the Darkside too slow to react, King Jet dashed by the beast's submerged hand, swing his Keyblade as he passed by. The Darkside roared even louder than before as its hand had been severed from the main portion of its body.
"This is it, Espio!" King Jet shouted. "Finish it now!"
"Gladly!" Espio grinned.
The dark chameleon kicked off the ceiling with his Keyblade twisted back, ready to deliver the final blow. For a single moment, Espio believed this would have been the shortest battle he had ever fought. But at the last minute, the Heartless Superior turned the tables with an unexpected tactic. The giant warrior raised itself and carefully angled its body so that Espio would dive directly through the heart-shaped hole in its chest. Espio was shocked by this maneuver, leaving himself wide open as the Darkside twisted around and backhanded the chameleon with its fist. Deathwing jumped directly into his partner's path, preventing him from colliding with the wall and producing serious injury.
"Ok, so I underestimated him." Espio admitted grudgedly. "I promise that it won't happen again."
"Well, I'm gonna have to hold you to that promise." Jet said lowly.
"Say what?" Espio questioned.
The Keyblade said nothing, but pointed his golden weapon back to the weakened Heartless. The Hero of Darkness was unable to stop himself from crying out in shock as the Darkside lifted its remaining hand and ripped the wounded eye from its skull. The severed optical disappeared into darkness once touching the floor and the Darkside double over with a concentrated look in its faceless expression. All of a sudden, throbbing veins began to form around the beast's stump of an arm and the empty hole in its skull. Espio felt sick over what occurred next. In an explosion of purple blood that drenched the chamber – the heroes avoided the liquid – the Darkside's hand and eye were replaced.
"Are you kidding me?!" Espio exclaimed. "Now this thing can regenerate?! Since when has it been able to do that?!"
"Every time Sonic fought it, he could always kill the Heartless shortly after." King Jet explained. "We've been giving it too much time to recover. The only was we're gone to destroy it for good is if we strike at its weak point before it can regenerate."
"The head." Espio said strictly. "I remember learning about the Heartless when I was controlled by Mephiles."
"And now that it has shown its healing power," King Jet added. "There's no way he's going to let us by so easily."
The Darkside confirmed this statement as it brought its arms together into a defensive position. Espio reeled to his feet and redirected the flow of darkness to his feet to the point where he hovered a few inches off the ground. This favored his greatly as the Heartless Superior exposed the hole in his chest, which expelled a shower of light spheres. The dark chameleon hovered left and right to avoid them, King Jet performed a number of complicated aerobic movements, and Deathwing flew over them completely. The thestral foal made another dive for the colossal Heartless, but the movement was to be expected. The Darkside twisted its body around and swung its hand to pin Deathwing to the opposite wall. King Jet believed this would be an opportune moment to attack and jumped at the back of the Heartless' head. But the Darkside caught him, twisting its head completely around to discover his whereabouts. The Heartless Superior thrashed its other hand around and used its knuckles to keep the emerald avian grounded.
"Deathwing!" Espio shouted. "Your majesty!"
"Forget about us!" Jet groaned loudly. In an unexpected turn of events, Deathwing curled his tail around the Darkside's wrist and the king stabbed his Keyblade through the Heartless' palm. Both acts rendered the titan unable to move. "This is the only time you're going to get a chance like this! Strike its head before it breaks free!"
"But what about...?" Espio said hesitantly.
"NOW!!" King Jet yelled with a commanding tone.
The dark chameleon felt uncertain of how this would affect his friend's safety, but he wasn't going to get another chance like this. Gripping the Keyblade in his hand, Espio used the powers of darkness to kick off the ground like a rocket. He was only a few feet from his target when the Darkside once again took the battle into its own hands. The seemingly useless hair around its head was brought to life and constricted the chameleon's limbs before he had a chance to react. The Hero of Darkness struggled to break free with all his might, but the Darkside proved the better in terms of strength. And just like that, it dragged Espio into the depths of its coils, dooming him to an eternity of darkness. Deathwing and King Jet was horrified by the incident that they lost track of what they were doing. The Darkside, learning of their temporary weakness, ripped its hands loose and swatted the heroes away. Deathwing opened his wings and King Jet kicked back up to land safely. But despite their own survival, a sense of outrage coursed through their veins.
"Damn you, Mephiles." King Jet scowled. "This is all your fault."
"You give me too much credit." Mephiles cackled. "Though I had hoped to leave the boy in one piece, it seems I will have to use his essence to reconstruct my own body. He just wasn't strong enough to handle the darkness."
"He was stronger than you'll ever be." King Jet proclaimed; Deathwing hissed in agreement.
"Don't worry, you'll be joining him soon enough." Mephiles said lightly.
The Darkside, elated over it victory against the Keyblade Master, stepped forward to finish the job. King Jet and Deathwing took their defensive stances, ready to avenge their fallen comrade. But they soon found it was unnecessary. All of a sudden, a loud rumbled emerged from the Darkside's throat, drawing attention from everyone present. And against all expectations, Espio exploded from the Heartless' throat, soaking in the demon's blood. The Darkside gave a mute cry while holding its pierced vocals and dropped backwards in defeat. King Jet and Deathwing approached his friend, who was trying to clean himself of the blood.
"That was equally impressive and disgusting." King Jet commented.
Darkside: Defeated
"How truly marvelous." Mephiles said pleasingly. "It would see that I have underestimated your abilities. Well done."
"I'm done playing games, Mephiles." Espio said seriously. "Show yourself so that we can end this."
"Yes, this game does grow boring." Mephiles agreed. "Come and find me at the end of the corridor. It is there we will settle this matter permanently."
"This is it, guys." Espio said solemnly as Mephiles' essence vanished. "From this point onwards, I don't want either of you to interfere. It'll be just me and him. And if I end up losing....there will be no coming back."
"You have one more choice to make." King Jet stated. "Salvation or enslavement. Are you up to this?"
Espio felt a sudden tug in his heart at these words. Somewhere, deep inside, he always this was the real reason why he had chosen to wander the castle instead of choosing to sleep in the beginning. This no longer mattered about Sonic, Amy, Order XIII, the Seekers, or the stability of the worlds. For once in his life, Espio was only thinking of himself. Though it may have sounded selfish, this was a matter over his own existence between the light and the darkness. Without responding to the king, fearing his own answer, Espio raced down the corridor.
The final conflict of life draws near. Will Espio's twilight powers be enough to defeat Mephiles? Will the Hero of Darkness leave the castle in one piece? Or will the Seeker of Darkness be resurrected? Find out on the next Reverse/Rebirth!
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