Chapter 7: Enchanted Dominion
A/N: It seems Lumen is starting to see the ugly side of Terra. After hearing that he did something horrible, what will she do? How will she react the more she learns of his horrible deeds?
Epic news! I had to do a project for my Mythology class where I had to create my own Gods and Goddesses and give them a tale. I used Hikari and Ankoku and already have their pictures up on Deviantart. If you want to see the other members from this series turn into Greek gods and goddesses, then let me know!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.
Enjoy!
/
"Ven! Ven, where are you?"
Lumen searched aimlessly as she speed through the between lanes. After hearing that Terra pointed his keyblade at an old woman and supposedly summoned Unversed to harm Snow White, the young boy left Dwarf Woodlands and ran off to who knows where.
The young keyblade wielder was panicking. She was worried where Ven might have run off to, but she was also worried about Terra. Could he have really done those horrible things? Would he really harm people just so he could find Master Xehanort? And what about the Unvsered? Her father told them that they were to destroy them, not use them. Could the darkness in his heart be so bad that is was luring the Unversed to him?
She gripped the handlebars to her keyblade glider. She didn't want to believe these rumors. She knew Terra better than anyone else. What could these strangers possibly know about him that she didn't?
Terra was a good man, she knew it. His heart was in the right place.
"Terra would never go that low for anything" she thought.
She pushed her glider to the max as she headed for the next world.
She had not only the Unversed to defeat, but Ven to find.
"Please be alright" she thought.
/
The next world that she landed on was a lot like Castle of Dreams. While it wasn't as pretty as the first world that she went to, it was still enchanted. The castle had an old, vintage feeling to it that was hard to copy.
She admired the paints that were hanging on the walls.
"Almost like it was from a fairy tale" she said.
She searched the castle to find that there was no one around. She knew that is wasn't abandoned since it was so well kept and decorative. Perhaps there was a reason for that?
"Could there be a ball or something?" she thought.
She carefully went up a set of grand stairs searched the upper floor. She couldn't sense any Unvsered here, but that didn't mean she could keep her guard down. She still had to find Ven.
She peered through the hallways to see if her friend was anywhere.
"Ven?" she called out.
She went up to a thick wooden door and slowly pushed it open. She peered her head inside to see if Ven would be in here.
"Ven, are you in here?"
She didn't find Ven, but she found a young princess sleeping in a bed.
"Oh my" she whispered.
She quietly went into the room and tip toed towards the sleeping princess. She found it rather odd that the only person she could find in this castle was a sleeping princess.
"Why is she asleep when it's sunny out?" she wondered.
She studied the princess a bit more and sensed light pouring out of her being. It was so gentle and pure that there wasn't even a single speck of darkness.
"Just like Cinderella and Snow White" she said.
She waved her keyblade over the sleeping princess and saw dark magic coming off of her. It wasn't coming from the princess herself, but rather someone else. Someone siding with the darkness.
"Someone must have placed a spell on her to stay asleep" she guessed.
She looked out of the window to see a dark, gloomy castle off into the distance.
She narrowed her eyes.
"And I think I've figured out where it's coming from"
She turned to the sleeping princess and gently placed her hand over hers.
"Don't worry" she said.
"I'll break this spell off of you"
She carefully left the room and stormed out of the castle.
/
Lumen ran through a forest that stood between the Enchanted Castle and Dark Castle in the horizon. She noticed that it too was lacking and living beings.
"Not even the birds are chirping" she noted.
"Could it be that this world is placed under the same spell as the princess?"
She looked around the forest and found that everything did seem to be put under a spell.
"This is very powerful magic" she said.
"Whoever did this must be very dangerous"
She walked through the forest and felt the dark magic grow stronger and stronger as she walked.
"This darkness is so foul. It almost makes me sick to my stomach"
Unversed appeared in front of her and swarmed around her.
"It seems their reacting to the darkness too" Lumen said.
She summoned her keyblade tried fighting them. These Unversed were a lot tougher than the ones that she encountered from the last worlds. It was as if the darkness around this place was giving them a boost of strength. When she finished fighting them, she felt worn out.
"If this is how strong the Unversed are getting, then I'm not going to look forward to this world" she said.
She looked at the path in front of her and saw that it was more barren and desolate than the rest of the forest. It seemed that she was getting closer to the castle.
"I hope I can find Terra or Ven" she said.
"I don't like this darkness"
She slowly made her way through the winding path that would lead her to the dark castle.
/
The darkness was so thick around the castle. It was so foul and rotten that not even the plants could handle it.
Lumen gulped as she looked up at the castle. This was where the spell was coming from. It was so strong and powerful that it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. She had never felt such strong darkness before and it was making her sick.
"I wonder if Terra or Ven are here?" she wondered.
"I hope not"
She swallowed her nerves and slowly headed for the castle. With darkness this foul, she knew that Unversed were lurking everywhere.
"Lumen?"
The keyblade wielder turned around to see Aqua standing not too far from here. She was so relieved to see a familiar friendly face that she ran up to her best friend and hugged her tightly.
"Aqua!" she cried.
"Oh, I'm so happy to see you right now. This place is giving me the creeps"
Aqua laughed a little as she hugged her best friend back.
"I'm glad to see that you're still in one piece" she said.
"But what are you doing here?"
Lumen stepped back as her smiled dimmed.
"I came looking for Ven" she said.
"I ran into him on the last world that I was on. He must have ran off because he was looking for Terra. I would have brought him back home, but he got away from me"
Aqua sighed sadly.
"That's the reason why I'm here" she said.
"The Master found out that Ven snuck off and he ordered me to find him and bring him home. I don't know what's gotten into him, but he can't be out here. It's too dangerous"
Lumen nodded sadly.
"He said that Terra was changing and that he wanted to make sure it wasn't true" she said.
"I don't know why he would think that or why Terra would change, but…I'm really worried"
Aqua squeezed her shoulder in a comforting manner.
"I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure it's just a bunch of lies" she said.
"You know Terra better than any of us, and I'm sure Ven is just worried that Terra will get hurt from his travels. There's nothing to worry about"
Lumen gave her a weak smile. She couldn't tell Aqua what she learned about Terra from the last world. She just couldn't. Maybe it was a bunch of lies and maybe she was overthinking things. But even so, she couldn't tell her best friend. This was something for her to figure out and she would solve it on her own.
Aqua smiled at her before frowning when she looked up at the castle.
"What's that?"
Lumen looked at the castle as well and saw a ball of light flying away from it and heading towards the forest.
The two girls looked at each other before looking back at the castle.
"I think we should look inside" Aqua said.
Lumen nodded as she bit her lip. She didn't like the aura this castle was giving off, but she knew she had to go inside.
The two girls, slowly but cautiously headed for the castle. Since they could sense darkness coming from it, they didn't want to take any chances.
"The Unversed have been acting different on this world than they have on the last worlds that I've been to" Lumen pointed out.
"It's as if they're reacting to the darkness here. Almost like they're feeding off of it"
Aqua sighed.
"Then it's as the Master fears" she said.
"The worlds really are in danger"
Lumen gripped her keyblade tightly when they reached the entrance of the castle.
"Should we expect the worse when we go in here?" she asked.
Aqua looked up at the castle.
"Considering the vast amount of darkness that is coming from here…yeah"
Lumen hung her head.
"Figured"
They slowly went into the castle and prepared for the worse.
/
Pressing themselves against a wall, Lumen and Aqua tried to make sure that there weren't any enemies lurking around.
Aqua peered around the edge to see a couple of demonic looking guards carrying very sharp weapons.
She sighed when she looked back to Lumen.
"How skilled are you with defensive magic?" she asked.
Lumen ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm nearly as good as my father, why?" she asked.
Aqua gave her a grim look.
"Because we might need them"
Lumen nodded and peered over the side to see the guards as well.
"Why must the bad guys always get the good weapons?" she whined.
Aqua chuckled a little before she summoned her keyblade.
"Because it would make things super boring for us"
Lumen cracked a smirk before following Aqua's example.
They steadied themselves for a second before running from their hiding spot and headed for the guards. The demonic beings spotted them right away and aimed their weapons at them.
"Intruders!"
A couple of guards fried arrows at them while others threw spears. Lumen quickly got in front of Aqua and cast a shield around them, deflecting their weapons. Aqua took this as the chance to fire off a few spells and burnt the guards with a series of fire spells. The guards squealed like pigs as they ran around, trying to put the fire out of their clothes.
Lumen and Aqua quickly ran from them while they were distracted and ran further into the castle.
"At least the guards around here aren't smart" Lumen said.
Aqua nodded as she knocked a guard out with her keyblade.
"But they multiply like rabbits" she replied.
They ran down a broken set of stairs and were greeted by a group of guards protecting the doors that lead into the castle.
All of them brandish their weapons and made growling noises.
Lumen and Aqua looked at each other before they smirked.
"I think now would be a good time to try out those spells we were working on" Lumen said.
Aqua smirked.
"I like the way you think" she stated.
They both got into a fighting stance. Aiming all of their magic into their keyblades, they cast they're new spells.
"Bubble Blast!" Aqua cried.
"Feather Blades!"
Bubbles shot out of Aqua's keyblade while feathers came out of Lumen's.
The projectiles flew at the guards. The bubbles would burst when they hit the guards, knocking them out from the impact while the feathers would pin them to the walls.
The two girls high fived each other when they saw their spells had worked.
"And Terra and Ven said we would never fight well together" Aqua teased.
Lumen rolled her eyes playfully.
"Men" she said.
They quickly ran into the castle to see if they could find the person who placed this world under a spell.
/
The interior matched perfectly with the exterior of the castle. It was dark, gloomy and depressing. While the castle that Lumen first saw was filled with life, this castle was simply filled with death.
It was so hard to see where she was going since it was so dark out, but at least she had Aqua to help lead the way.
"Who would ever want to live in a place like this?" Lumen asked.
"Someone who sides with the darkness" Aqua replied.
The two of them slowly made their way down the crumbling corridors. There were no sign of the Unversed or guards, but that didn't mean they were safe. If the hired help weren't in here, then that meant the master of this castle was.
As they made their way into what looked like a giant chamber, they heard a familiar voice.
"There's no way Terra would hurt someone like that!"
Lumen gasped when she realized that was Ven's voice.
Looking ahead, she found the boy talking to a dark sorceress. There was so much darkness coming off of the woman that it made Lumen sick.
The sorceress had an evil smirk as she looked at Ven.
"You don't believe me?" she asked.
"That's unfortunate, for he agreed so easily"
Ven looked hurt.
"He did?" he asked.
Lumen gasped slightly. What was this sorceress talking about? Did Terra do something awful on this world as well? Did he try to hurt someone while he was trying to get rid of the Unversed?
"Terra…" she thought.
"Just what in the world are you thinking?"
Aqua looked from Ven to Lumen. She had a feeling that Lumen was thinking the same thing with the hurt look on her face. It seemed that what Master Eraqus said was coming true. The darkness in Terra's heart was affecting him after all. She couldn't tell her best friend the real reason she was on this mission, but that didn't mean she had to see her suffer. She knew Terra was a good person and would never hurt someone.
This sorceress was lying.
Grabbing Lumen's hand, she ran into the chamber.
"Ven! Don't be fooled!" she cried.
Ven jumped and turned to see them running.
"Aqua! Lumen!" he cried.
Lumen managed to compose herself for Ven's sake. He was shaking up by what this sorceress said; he didn't need to see her being shaken up as well.
She gave him a harsh stare as she remembered him running off from their last world.
"You got a lot of nerve running away from me like that" she said.
"I told you to head back home once we found things out"
Ven hung his head shamefully.
"I'm sorry" he said.
Aqua placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Terra would never do that" she said.
"You know that as well as we do"
Ven looked at Aqua with a slight blush on his face.
"Yeah!" he said.
The sorceress just cackled darkly.
"Ahh…the truth can be most cruel even among the closest of friends" she said.
"After all, one never knows the secrets of another's heart. Surely you agree…Ventus…Aqua…Lumen"
Lumen glared at the sorceress. How dare she talk badly of Terra?
Not only that, but how did she know all of their names?
She didn't like this witch.
"And just what do you know?" she asked.
"What gives you the right to judge other people in such a way? What makes you think that you know our friend better than we do? You have no right to say such things when you don't have any proof, so don't you dare spout such lies"
The sorceress looked at her for a moment before she glared.
"You poor, naïve child" she said.
"Your heart is so blinded by light that you cannot even see into the darkest depths of a person's heart"
Lumen glared back at her.
"I'm smart enough to know what kind of person Terra really is" she said.
"He would never do the things that you claim he's done. His heart is in the right place"
The sorceress raised an eyebrow at her.
"Oh? What where do you suppose that right place might be?" she asked.
"The realm of light? Or the realm of darkness? Only Terra can know the answer"
Lumen stomped her foot.
"Stop speaking in riddles!" she snapped.
Aqua squeezed her arm, trying to calm her down.
"She's just getting you worked up" she said.
"Don't listen to her"
She turned to Ven.
"The Master sent me" she said.
"Ven…let's go home"
Ven looked at Aqua's outstretched hand, then at the floor.
"But Terra…" he said.
Aqua gave him a sympathetic look.
"Terra's not ready to leave yet" she said.
Lumen turned to Ven.
"We still need to do our mission" she said.
"Just go home where we know you'll be safe and sound"
Ven looked at the ground, mulling it over.
When he finally looked at them, he had a sad, yet determined look in his eyes.
"Sorry, Aqua, Lumen" he said.
"But I can't go with you. It's just…I have to find him before it's too late!"
With that, he quickly ran off.
"Ven!" Lumen cried.
She went to run after him, but the sorceress stopped her.
"Ah, I see you both wield a keyblade as well" she said.
Lumen and Aqua looked at each other before looking at the sorceress.
How did she know about the Keyblade?
"How do you know about the Keyblade?" Aqua asked.
The sorceress smirked darkly.
"A source of power…" she said.
"A key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds…and allows one to obtain anything and everything. Such power I find most fascinating"
Lumen gulped and looked down at her keyblade.
Could that be what she meant when she said Terra harmed someone? Did he use his Keyblade to unlock something?
"So, Terra…he really…" she said in a shaky voice.
The sorceress smiled darkly, knowing that her words were affecting the girl.
"Yes, my dear" she said.
"Now would you like to assist me as well?"
Lumen's entire body shook. So Terra really did those horrible things. He really did harm people. The darkness affecting him so bad that he was doing things the he normally wouldn't do.
And what made it worse was that this evil woman was expecting the same from her.
She didn't know what Terra did wrong on this world, but she wasn't going to do the same thing.
She glared up at the sorceress and went into a fighting stance.
"Never!" she cried.
Aqua quickly joined her and aimed her keyblade at the witch.
The sorceress had a sour look on her face.
"I see, Xehanort was right" she said.
"You're rather stubborn girls"
The two girls gasped.
Xehanort? As is Master Xehanort?
Lumen knew something was off with the old Keyblade Master, but she didn't expect this.
Was he siding with this witch? Was he siding with darkness?
"Master Xehanort?" Aqua asked.
"How do you-"
The witch held her staff high.
"It seems you both need time to consider my offer" she said.
"Fortunately, I have the perfect place"
Slamming her staff down, the ground surrounding Lumen and Aqua caved in and collapsed on them. They fell to the bottom level of the castle where they were knocked out.
The last thing that Lumen could hear was that same voice from her dreams.
"Hey…can you hear me?'
/
(Flash back)
The cool night breeze blew through Lumen's hair as she looked up at the stars. Tonight was the 7th anniversary of her mother's death. She spent the day with her father, knowing that he would be feeling depressed all day. She tried to keep on a positive mask for him, but now, she felt numb inside.
She couldn't believe that it had been seven years since she lost her mother.
She had cried her heart out so much over the loss of someone that she loved so much that she couldn't produce any more tears. Her heart was shattered and there seemed to be no way to repair it.
How could her mother die?
She was always healthy, so she couldn't have gotten sick. She never fought so there was no way she perish from a fight. So why did it happen? It was so strange and scary. It was as if something suddenly happened to her that made her end her life.
She closed her eyes sadly as she placed her hands over her heart.
'Oh mother' she thought.
'How could this have happened to you? Why couldn't I notice anything wrong? If I had been stronger or more alterative, then you would still be here with father and I'
That was the whole reason why she decided to wield the keyblade. After losing her mother, she feared that she would lose someone else that she dearly loved. Like her father.
Eraqus was starting to get older now and wasn't as agile as he used to be. The day would come where he wouldn't be able to protect her anymore, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and learned to protect herself and others. She didn't want others dying for her, so she wanted to defend herself.
That way, if she did, then she wouldn't lose something that she loved most.
A hand placed itself on her shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Turning around, she saw Terra giving her a sad, yet gentle look.
"Hey" he said.
"How are you doing?"
Every year, he would check up on her to see how she was coping with the loss of her mother. He had been doing this since the day they first met.
Lumen looked at the ground for a moment before looking up at the sky.
"The same as I always feel each year"
"Sad and confused"
Terra gave her a sad look.
"You know as well as I do that it wasn't your fault that your died" he said.
"Even your father has told you that"
Lumen hugged herself as she looked at the ground.
"Just because he believes that, doesn't mean that I do" she said.
"If I had been stronger…if I had been more alterative to what was going on with my mother…then she would still be here with us"
Terra sighed sadly. It always tore him up to see her like this. He would always see the little girl crying by the lake.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at the stars.
"Your father said you've been training really hard lately" he said.
"He said that he's worried about you"
Lumen bit her lip.
"It's nothing to worry about" she said.
"I just need to get stronger"
Terra looked at her.
"That's fine, but you don't have to push yourself too far" he said.
"You'll wind up hurting yourself if you do"
Lumen looked at him.
"I rather it be me than anyone else" she said.
"I don't want anyone to die for me. I lost my mother, I won't lose anyone else"
She jumped a little when she felt Terra wrap his arms around her. He pressed his face into the base of her neck and held her tightly.
"You don't have to shoulder all of this by yourself" he said.
Lumen closed her eyes and placed her hands over his.
"I know, but it's the only way" she said.
"I don't want to see anyone get hurt"
Terra pressed his cheek into her shoulder blade.
"You won't have to see that happen" he said.
"Not while I'm around"
He let her go and turned her around so she could face him.
"On this day, I swear to you that nothing bad will happen" he said.
He knelt down and bowed to her as if he were a knight.
"On my life, I swear to protect you. My arm shall be your blade, my body shall be your shield. I will carry your pain, your suffering, your loneliness. I swear to protect you always. I will strike where you tell me to strike, fight whom you tell me to fight. I will never let you get hurt, nor will I let you die. But most of all…"
He looked up at her.
"I will never betray you"
Lumen placed a hand over her mouth. She had never seen this side of Terra before. His speech was so moving and romantic. It was like stepping into a fairy tale.
A tear slipped from her face as she smiled at him.
"You can be really cheesy, Terra" she said.
"But that's what I love about you"
Terra chuckled as he stood up.
"What can I say?" he said as he held her close.
"I'm just the knight vowing to protect his princess"
/
"Lumen! Lumen!"
With a slight groan, Lumen opened her eyes to see Aqua hovering over her. The keyblade master sighed with relief when she saw that her best friend was alright.
"Thank goodness you're alright" she said.
"You hit your head pretty hard when we fell"
Lumen slowly sat up and looked at her surroundings. They crashed into what appeared to be a jail cell of some sorts. There were barred windows and chains hanging on the walls with a few skeletons attached to them.
Lumen also noticed that they weren't alone and that someone was in the room as well. A young man was chained to a bench and looked just as surprised as they were.
"Who are you?" the man asked them.
Aqua helped Lumen up and addressed to the man.
"I'm Aqua, and this is my friend, Lumen" she said.
"It looks like we were caught in a trap"
Lumen nodded as she nursed the bump that formed on her head.
"Why are you here?" she asked the man.
The man looked at his chained wrists.
"To prevent me from breaking her evil curse" he said.
"I was to meet the most beautiful girl at a cottage in the glen, but now my true love lies in an eternal slumber…and only I can break the spell"
"Slumber" Lumen muttered.
She thought back to the sleeping princess she found back at the castle. Could this be the same princess this man was talking about? And could he really be the only one to break the spell that was placed on this world?
"I have so many questions, yet so little answers" she thought.
Aqua smiled softly.
"You must really love her" she said.
"Is what you said true?"
The three of them turned around to see three fairies fly into the room.
The man nodded.
"Yes. Maleficent told me" he said.
"So that's what that evil sorceress's name is" Lumen thought.
"It fits her perfectly"
The fairy in red gasped.
"Oh, Prince Philip! It's you!" she cried.
She quickly went over to him and released him from his bonds. Philip quickly stood up and rubbed his wrists to get rid of the sore feeling they had for being chained up.
"Now, Philip" the red fairy said.
"The road to true love may be barred by many more dangers which alone you will have to face"
Philip nodded in understanding. If he was willing to get trapped by Maleficent, then he wasn't going to give up now.
Aqua and Lumen looked at each other. They knew that they couldn't get involved with the affairs of the worlds, but they were moved by how far Philip was willing to go for his princess. It could be that they were girls and were considered suckers for these kind of things. But they also wanted to know how Maleficent knew Master Xehanort and the keyblade. There were too many questions that needed to be answered.
"We're going with you" Aqua said.
"There's something we need to know and Maleficent has the answers"
"We've ran into a few of Maleficent's goons when we came here" Lumen said.
"It would be a good idea to have someone with you who knows how they fight. And you can never be too safe in this castle. Especially if it's housing an evil sorceress like Maleficent"
The three fairies nodded.
"Very well then"
"Now we must hurry back to Princess Aurora"
Philip grabbed his sword and shield.
"Let's hurry" he said.
"The longer we stay here, the stronger the spell becomes"
They quickly ran out of the cell and headed upstairs.
/
As they made it to the main level of the castle, the three of them became as quiet as ever. They wanted to get out the castle, but they didn't want to attract the attention of the guards. They didn't know how many guards Maleficent put out, but they weren't going to chance it.
Philip took the front and made sure it was safe for Aqua and Lumen to follow. Even though they were capable of protecting themselves, they still found it charming that they had a gentleman who was willing to get hurt instead of them. It was rare to find a man like that (except for Terra).
As they made it closer to the entrance of the castle, they were starting to wonder if Maleficent even put any guards out to patrol.
"That's weird" Lumen said.
"There were tons of guards when we came into the castle, so why aren't there any when we're trying to get out? Do you think it's a trap?"
Aqua shook her head.
"I can't say" she said.
"I'm glad that we haven't ran into any trouble, but I can't help but feel like this way too easy"
Lumen sighed.
Something was off and they knew it. They didn't know what it was.
"We'll, let's just get out of here alive" she said.
"That's our main priority"
They went up a flight of stairs and quickly made their way to the entrance. Little did they know, Maleficent's pet raven, Diablo was on watch and spotted the three of them making a run for it. The raven let out a great caw and summoned all of the guards into the room.
The three heroes quickly skidded to a halt when they saw how many guards came pooling in.
"I guess that explains why we haven't seen anyone" Lumen said.
"It was a trap" Philip said.
They quickly armed themselves and clashes with the guards. They may have been weak, but they made that up with their numbers. When one went down, two more came in its places. Philip pushed them back by using his sword and shield while Aqua and Lumen defended by casting protective shields against themselves. It was a difficult battle, since they were in such a tight area where there was not enough room to move around and dodge things. But they were able to hold out a lot longer than the puny guards and were able to defeat them before they ran out into an open area.
Aqua spotted the gate that they came in and pointed towards it.
"There's the gate!" she cried.
"Hurry!"
They ran for it, acting like it was their last life line (and in some ways, it was) but just when they nearly reached it, the gate suddenly closed and locked them up into the castle.
"What?" Philip cried.
The guards appeared on the upper level, carrying large boulders and dangerous weapons. They quickly ran into a corner, where they would be safe for the time being until they came up with a plan.
"How do we open the gate?" Philip asked.
"That's our only way out of here"
Lumen peered around the corner to see if she could find anything that could get them out of here. She found her answer when she spotted a set of levers on the upper floor where the guards were.
She quickly looked to Aqua.
"Aqua! Can jump up there and hit the levers?"
Aqua studied the structure of the wall and the height of it.
"I think I can, but not by myself" she said.
"I can give you a boost" Philip said.
Lumen nodded when she formed a plan.
"Good. I'll distract the guards while you two open the gates. I should be able to hold them off for a few minutes, but try to hurry"
Aqua and Philip nodded at the idea.
"Let's hurry" Philip said.
Lumen nodded and quickly ran from the hiding spot, drawing the guards attention.
"Hey! Try and get me you losers!"
The guards focused on Lumen, who was out in the open while Aqua and Philip snuck around the ledge, trying to stay out of sight.
Lumen gulped down her nerves. She didn't know if she could hold all of these guards off, but she couldn't risk having Aqua and Philip get spotted.
Letting out a shaky breath, she launched her first attack. Using the feather blades spell, she managed to pin the guards with the cross bows to the wall. The ones hold the boulders were a little tricky since they couldn't be pushed back by the weight of the rocks they were carrying. Since the feather blade spell wouldn't work on them, she had to use another spell of hers that she created.
Clapping her hands over her head, she chanted her next spell.
"Angel Wings!"
Translucent looking blades appeared behind Lumen and hovered near her back, taking the form of wings. This was her mother's signature move from when she was a keyblade master, and she worked very hard trying to master this spell. She pointed towards one of the guards holding a boulder and had one of the blades fly past her and impaled itself into the guard. Lumen did this a few times, by pointing out her targets and having the blades magically fly out and hit them. It looked amazing, but was very complicated to perform. You had to use a lot of concentration on each of the blades you summoned and focus on your target while keeping the other blades in check. That was why her mother was known as Serenity the spotlight for her marksmanship and for her high level of focus.
With the guards down, Aqua was able to fix the lever and cause the gates to go up.
Aqua quickly flipped off the ledge and landed next to Lumen.
"Hurry!" she cried.
They quickly ran out of the castle before Maleficent's goons arrived.
/
Everyone collapsed when they reached the forest. They ran as fast as they could from Maleficent's castle; fearing that the guards would chase after them.
"Is everyone ok?" Lumen asked when she finally caught her breath.
Aqua nodded as she held her side.
"That was close" she said.
"I thought we were done for. That was a smart move on your part for using that trick, Lumen"
Philip nodded as he wiped his forehead.
"I've never seen female knights fight like that before" he said.
Lumen smirked tiredly.
"Well, you've seen a lot of strange things today, haven't you?" she joked.
She pulled out a few potion bottles and gave them to everyone.
"This should recover your strength" she said.
"We may have gotten out of Maleficent's castle, but that doesn't mean we're out of the danger yet"
Aqua nodded in understanding as she drank her potion.
"So what do we have to do next?" she asked.
"We have to go see Aurora" Philip said.
"I'm the only one who can break the spell that has been placed upon her"
"Sounds like a plan to me" Lumen said.
"Let's go before those guards catch up to us"
They quickly finished their potions and headed towards the enchanted castle, where Princess Aurora resided.
/
The castle was within their line of sight as they ran across the bridge.
They were so close to breaking this spell that they could feel it.
Nothing could stop them now…or at least, that's what they thought.
Even though they managed to get away from Maleficent's castle, they didn't get away from her. The evil sorceress could see them from the top of her castle. She snarled when she noticed how close they were to ruining her plans.
She waited too long for this moment and she wasn't going to let a couple of keyblade brats ruin it.
Holding her staff up high, she spun it around as she cast her spell.
"A forest of thorns shall be your tomb…wound 'round the castle in a bower of doom!"
Dark thorns sprouted around the area and covered the entire castle.
The three warriors skidded to a stop when they were blocked by a wall of thorns. Philip tried cutting them down, but it was pointless. There were so many of them that you couldn't even see through to the other side.
Green flames erupted in front of them and produced Maleficent. If she wanted her plans to continue, she would have to take care of them herself.
Lumen and Aqua glared at the evil sorceress.
"Maleficent! What did Master Xehanort tell you?" Aqua demanded.
They knew that this would probably be the only time that they would get their answers from her. If they were going to fight her, then it was probably a good idea to ask questions first.
The evil sorceress just scoffed at them.
"Such a pity, that you both didn't have Terra's gift for obedience" she said.
"Nor can you see how easy it was for him"
Lumen growled and went to lunge for her, but was held back by Aqua.
"Terra would never do anything for you!" she cried.
He would never side with anyone from the darkness. He swore to her that he would always protect her and stay by her side. He vowed to always be her knight. But most of all, he swore that he would never betray her. If he sided with the darkness, then that would mean he broke his vow.
Maleficent just smirked.
"Quite the contrary" she said.
"He fully embraced the darkness within himself"
Lumen felt her skin go pale.
Was that true? Did he really have no control over the darkness in his heart? Would he really stoop so low as to give in to his heart?
No. That couldn't be true. Terra was strong; he would never let his darker half get the better of him.
This had to be a lie.
"Stop lying!" she cried.
Maleficent just laughed darkly and threw her arms out. Darkness poured out of her body as she slowly transformed.
"See for yourself-all the powers of hell!" she cried.
Her body slowly grew and morphed into a demonic looking dragon. Green flames spewed from her mouth as she snapped her teeth at them.
Philip got in front of Aqua and Lumen. He held his shield up high when Maleficent spewed fire at them.
"Stay behind me!" he cried.
Aqua squeezed Lumen's shoulder. She knew her friend was shaken up by Maleficent's words, but she needed her to snap out of it. She couldn't let her fight when her mind was a mess.
"Remember what I said" she said.
"You know Terra better than anyone else. Don't let her words sway what your heart truly believes"
Lumen looked at Aqua and gave her a weak smile.
"Thanks Aqua"
Aqua smiled and held her keyblade up.
"Now let's go defeat this dragon"
Lumen nodded.
"Right"
Aqua ran out from behind Philip and started attacking Maleficent. She was a keyblade master, and it was her duty to protect her best friend.
Lumen shoved Philip towards her.
"Help her" she said.
"I'll cover you both"
Philip nodded and quickly aided Aqua as she fought the dragon.
Lumen cast protective enchantments around them all as Maleficent continued to bite them and spew fire. Philip would add his protection as well, but his shield could only do so much. A shield could protect their front side, but magic could protect them entirely.
Lumen tired attacking Maleficent, but she wasn't nearly as strong as Aqua. All she could do was block the dragon's attacks and have them reflect off of her.
It amazed her how she was able to stay alive this long.
Maleficent realized that fighting them on the ground wasn't helping, so she took it into the air. Her massive body soared around the bridge as she attacked them from afar.
Aqua and Lumen tried using their far range spells, but it had no effect on her.
Maleficent hovered over them and tried biting at them with her sharp fangs.
Philip pulled Lumen out of the way, but Aqua was in line of Maleficent's mouth. Just as the dragon was about to bite her head off, Lumen panicked.
"Aqua!" she cried.
She slammed her keyblade into the ground and had chains spring up from the ground. They wrapped themselves around Maleficent and slam her into the ground. The dragon let out a roar as the chains burned her with their light.
As Lumen kept Maleficent pinned, she urged Philip to attack.
"Now, Philip!"
The prince held up his sword and flung it like a spear. The blade implanted itself into Maleficent's chest, burying itself deep within her heart.
The evil sorceress let out an anguished cry as she went up in green flames. With Maleficent gone, the spell around the castle was broken. The thorns disappeared, leaving the enchanted castle free from its hold.
Lumen looked at Philip and smiled at him.
"What are you waiting for?" she asked.
"Your princess is waiting for you"
Philip smiled and nodded to her in gratitude.
"Thank you for this" he said.
"I will forever be in your debt"
With that, he ran off for the castle, where his princess waited for him to set her free.
Lumen smiled as she watched Philip leave. It seemed like this world would get their fairytale ending after all.
She staggered a little when she realized how drained she was from using her magic.
"Lumen!" Aqua cried.
She steadied her when she started to fall.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
Lumen nodded.
"I will be"
Aqua sighed with relief before she gave her a stern glare. She was furious that her best friend would use a powerful spell that her father forbid her to use.
"Lumen, you used that spell" she said.
Lumen flinched when she realized she was going to get a lecture.
"I know…" she said.
Aqua placed her hands on her hips.
"Your father has told you countless of times to never use it!" she said.
"Why in the world would you disobey him?"
Lumen gave her a sad, annoyed expression.
"I used it because my best friend was about to get eaten by a dragon" she said.
Aqua's angry expression faded at those words.
Lumen sighed and held her side.
"I know I'm not supposed to use that spell" she said.
"But your life is more important to me than my father's rules"
Aqua sighed.
She did have point. Lumen would always throw away her logic for the sake of her friends. Because to her, her friends where what made her sane.
She pulled Lumen into a tight hug.
"Thanks for looking out for me" she said.
"But promise me that you won't use that spell. I worry about you too, you know"
Lumen chuckled and hugged her in return.
"No promises there" she said.
"But for you, I'll try"
The two friends shared their tender moment. It was hard having such an understanding friend. Lumen and Aqua cherished their friendship greatly and treasured each moment that they could share.
Their moment was interrupted when they heard someone wheezing painfully.
Even thought Philip struck Maleficent down, he didn't kill her. It would take more than a mere sword to finish an evil sorceress.
Said evil sorceress was limping away from the castle. Her plans were ruined thanks to that horrid prince and the wielders of the keyblade.
Aqua and Lumen glared at her.
"It's the power of true love that defeated you" Aqua said.
And it was true. Philip was able to defeat Maleficent because of his love and devotion to princess Aurora.
Maleficent growled at the mention of love.
"I will not be defeated by something as insignificant as love" she said.
Lumen sneered.
"You don't even know the first thing about love" she said.
"You're too clouded by darkness to see that there's something greater. Try all you want, but you will never defeat a heart filled with light"
Maleficent growled.
"Perhaps…" she said.
"But remember one thing-as long as there is light, there will be darkness. And in time, many more will be drawn to it. Then they will all belong to me!"
Lumen shook her head.
"There you go again with that silly belief" she said.
"A person could never be in control of other hearts. The only heart you can control is your own. But after what I've seen…I don't think you even have control of your own"
Maleficent glared at her.
"You have some nerve to say such things to me" she hissed.
"Especially since your precious Terra has no control over his own heart"
Anger coursed through Lumen's veins at that.
Casting a simple binding spell, she froze Maleficent and tugged at her robes so she was eye-to-eye with her.
"Stop claiming that you know Terra!" she cried.
"You keep saying that he let the darkness take control of him, but I know him better than you. I know his heart is too strong to give in like that"
Maleficent just laughed wickedly.
"You poor, naïve child" she said.
"This just proves that the power of love has made you blind. You're so lost in its powers that you can't even see what Terra really is. You have my sympathy"
That set Lumen off. How dare this witch call her stupid?
She used her chain spell and wrapped Maleficent in a vice grip.
"Lumen!" Aqua cried.
Lumen held her keyblade out to warn her friend to stay out of this.
Maleficent continued to laugh.
"So this is the power that Master Xehanort was talking about" she said.
"Now I understand why he's so interested in you"
The caught Aqua and Lumen's attention.
Master Xehanort knew about Lumen's powers?
"What did Master Xehanort tell you?" Aqua demanded.
Maleficent just smirked.
"Let's just say that he's interested in a certain type of power" she said.
"A power that can bring fourth many hearts together"
She looked at Lumen as if she were her prey.
"I must say, I've never encountered anyone with your type of power" she said.
"I look forward to making it mine"
Lumen glared at her and aimed her keyblade at her throat.
"The day that you encounter with someone like me with be your end" she said.
Maleficent just laughed.
"We shall see"
With that, she erupted into green flames.
Aqua looked up at the sky.
Her mind went to Terra. She wondered if what Maleficent said was true.
"Terra…you better stay strong for us" she said.
She looked at Lumen to see her looking at the ground. All her raw emotions from before came flooding forward. A few tears fell from her eyes as she thought about what Maleficent said.
Could it be that Terra really did let the darkness control his heart? She didn't want to believe it, but all the proof from her previous travels proved against it. First he attacked an elderly woman and now he possibly helped Maleficent.
She was trying so hard to believe that it was all a lie, but her heart was starting to tell her that it was the truth.
She thought back about Terra's promise to her. How he would protect her and would never betray her.
"Terra…" she breathed.
"You couldn't have betrayed me…could you?"
Aqua simply hugged her friend in support. She believed that the darkness was getting to Terra's heart, but she refused to say anything to Lumen about it. She was upset enough about it.
Perhaps what Maleficent said was true. Perhaps true love really could blind you from reality.
Or perhaps it brought out the darker side of your heart.
Lumen desperately hoped that wasn't true.
/
A/N: Poor Lumen, she's starting to see that Terra really is having the darkness consume him. Kind of reminds you of a certain heroine who went through the same thing with her knight? ^-^
Speaking of which, I'm sure you caught on to that little foreshadowing note when Lumen said to Maleficent that the next time she meets a person like her would be her end. Now who could that be?
And what does Master Xehanort want to do with Lumen's special powers? What are they for that matter? What can they do?
Next up, we get to see where everything leads up to the main story of this series!
Please review and tell me what you think!
Ja ne!
