Here's chapter sixty - eight. Thank you caitlinkeitorin, scrawlx1012, and kingawesome for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Sixty - Eight: Keyblade War
Tollun lifted his head. Not far off, he could see a large mass approaching. "So, they've come to meet us."
"Sir? What should we do?"
Tollun frowned, but responded immediately, "We'll keep going forward." He felt mildly disturbed at the coincidence, but it would save his army the trouble of continuing their march.
The two armies stopped when they were several yards away from each other. The leaders stared at each other across the expanse. "Viril," Tollun said, silver eyes flashing.
"Tollun," the Dark Army leader responded, his bangs parting slightly to reveal the red of his eyes.
Both sides stood tense and still; a single action would be the catalyst for the masses of Keybladers to launch at each other, blades flying. As if they'd rehearsed it, the leaders of both Armies lifted their hands and slammed the panels that would release their armor.
The Keybladers that hovered behind them copied their actions, summoning their weapons with war cries and lunging forward.
The Keyblade War had begun.
Gillick's wings beat rapidly, trying to gain speed. Where the hell could they be? He knew the Light Army would act on the information they'd received, but that didn't mean he knew where they'd be. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Damn it! I don't have time to be searching!
Then a sound reached his ears that caused him to pull up short. He stopped, hovering for a few moments and listening intently. After a few moments, he tuned in to a faint but familiar sound; the sound of battle. That way! He swung towards the noise, going slow at first to make sure he was going in the right direction, then increasing his speed when he was certain. Before long he was going at full speed, his hidden eyes locking on a dark mass that was rapidly become more distinct.
He blanched when he saw the sheer size of the opposing forces. So many of them… The Dark Army and Light Army must've had every Keyblader at their disposal out there, fighting viciously, not for the purpose of annihilating the other, but for creating the X-blade. He stopped to hover over the battlefield, his hidden eyes sweeping over it as the faint hope he'd had shattered. What the hell was I thinking? There's no way I can do anything about this!
During his hesitation, a Keyblader's eyes happened to stray upwards. A finger pointed up towards the armored figure, his mouth parting in a cry. The Keyblader who was moving to strike him hesitated to glance upwards. He did a double - take, then shouted loud enough for Gillick to hear, "It's the Knight!"
The power snapped inside him, seemingly bursting into life at the sound of the uproar. His war cry came out as an inhuman roar, and he dived to the ground, summoning his Keyblade and lifting it to shoot a wave of darkness. The fact that his presence was causing panic restored the little hope he'd had. I'm here; I might as well do something.
He didn't know that that something would amount to much…but at least he could say he tried.
Gillick swung his Keyblade out, letting another stream of darkness spill from it at the attacking Keybladers. The warriors, disoriented from their battle against each other and their fear of the Knight, were doing little to escape. He smirked behind his helmet, feeling the power surge through him. "Flare," he hissed quietly; the dark tendrils of flame exploded around him, incinerating several Keybladers.
The runes on his arm pulsated fiercely, pain suddenly burning them. His breath hissed out between his teeth as he dropped his Keyblade, reaching up to wrap a clawed hand around the glowing marks. What the hell? The power, which had once seemed so alive, which had become one of his greatest temptations, seemed to be pulling back inside him.
Then it lurched forward.
The feeling was disorienting at first, but quickly became painful when the power slammed into his chest. He gasped, doubling over as he clutched at his chest. The power continued to surge forward, trying to pull out of him by force. It pulled back for a few moments before ramming into his chest again, causing his legs to buckle and him to fall to one knee. He suddenly felt short of breath, his lungs not seeming to be functioning properly. The clawed tips of his gauntlets screeched against the metal plates protecting his chest. What…is this?
Then a realization dawned on him. The armies were two massive separate forces of light and darkness; they were clashing against each other to create the X-blade; the Knight held half of the weapon. The power, with so much light and darkness around it, was trying to free itself; trying to return to its other half. But the runes on Gillick's arms trapped it inside his heart and body.
Gillick suddenly felt something collide with his chest. He released a pained, startled, very human cry at the strike. He whipped his head around and saw the Keybladers advancing on him, still cautious because of the Knight's reputation, but growing braver now that they'd seen him in pain. Realizing he'd lost whatever advantage fear had given him, he spread his wings and flapped them rapidly, pulling himself up into the air, away from the Keyblader's weapons.
He hovered in the air high above the battlefield, his wings faltering as the power continued its internal assault against him. He slowly reached for the runes on his arm, fingers twitching to release the seal and free himself from the pain the power was causing him. He paused just short of doing that, his mind recalling what Senn had told him. Damn it…
Then another thought crossed his mind: If I release the Knight, then the X-blade would be whole. It would be a horrible idea to allow that much power to be in the hands of people like Tollun and Viril, he knew…but was it worse than a malfunctioning weapon taking out the world? He felt the bitter pain of defeat creep through him. Sometimes there are no good choices.
He touched the runes on his arm. The power almost seemed to purr with pleasure, its attack easing off slightly. The boy ran his fingers along the runes, silently wondering how exactly he could break the seal.
A fireball flew by close to him, jolting him back to the present. He spun away, trying to avoid any other attacks that were shot towards him. The power withdrew again, leaving him feeling cold and weak. He gritted his teeth in frustration. I don't have time for this!
As far as he could see were Keybladers. The mass of people fought against each other, weapons, magic, and blood flying across the battle field. The sheer amount and force of the attacks was devastating the landscape. As far as Gillick looked, he could see no end. Should I really be giving the X-blade to these people? He snorted. They'd destroy the world, with it complete or not.
If he was truthful…he wasn't completely anxious to give up the power of the Knight, either, despite the pain.
Remaking his decision, he tried to coax the power into cooperating with him, swooping down low towards the battlefield. It struggled against him, but slowly lent him a small portion of it. Frustration seethed inside him at how hard it suddenly was to draw on the power, but it was enough to allow him to fire off another Flare spell in the middle of a group of Keybladers. He curved upwards slightly, then tilted his wings and swooped back down, relying on his own powers this time and launching a blast of darkness.
He quickly noticed that word of the Knight's 'weakness' hadn't spread; those Keybladers who hadn't been nearby while his power was attacking him panicked at the sight of him. Some fled, causing chaos with those they fought with and against; others attacked him desperately. The result was that the Keybladers had stopped paying attention to who they were fighting; they simply attacked whoever was closest to them, jerking whenever he swept in to low.
What was once a battle between Light and Dark was now simply a matter of survival.
As Gillick continued his dives down to the battlefield, releasing magic with each strike, he marveled at just what fear could make a person do. He snorted, the sound reverberating within his helmet. Cowards. He thought of Senn, and added, I don't think any of them have courage. If they'd come to their senses and realized that if they teamed up - even just a few of them - they could beat him, he'd be done for. But no one seemed to think of that.
Unfortunately, Gillick's actions didn't seem to do anything to hinder the destruction caused by the Keybladers; the land was still being torn apart as the mass battled. The only thing he could console himself with was the fact that Light was not necessarily battling Dark.
The power inside him chose that time to renew its furious bid for freedom.
Gillick let out an involuntary cry, clutching at his chest. His wings failed him and he fell out of the sky, plummeting towards the ground below. He tried in vain to catch himself, but he could only open his wings enough to slow his descent. He impacted the ground with a thud, the landing knocking the wind out of him. For a few moments he lay there in a broken heap, stunned. When he'd regained his breath and the power had let off a bit, he lifted himself up, his wings sliding back beneath his armor. The area around him was oddly quiet; why?
Then, as he lifted his head, he noticed the Keybladers staring at him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to his feet. He tried to call on the power of the Knight, but it was receding deep inside him, refusing to allow itself to be called out.
The glowing of the runes faded to almost nothing. As Gillick looked at the Keybladers around him, he felt a sense of impending doom. If there had been any hope - for his survival, for the prevention of the X-blade coming into being - it was now gone, broken on the ground where he'd landed.
But he'd be damned if he went down without a fight.
His Keyblade materialized in his hand, and he launched himself forward into the fray.
Trevor wandered idly, not paying much attention to where he was going. Where could he go now? He couldn't return to the Light Army; they'd abandoned him. The thought hurt, and he clenched at his heart. Master Tollun…how could you? He remembered what Gillick had told him, and flinched. Brother…I'm sorry…
But then he remembered what his older sibling was, and he recoiled. He didn't want to have anything to do with him any more.
Trevor didn't know how long he'd walked before he heard the sounds of battle. He lifted his head in surprise. "What's going on?" he murmured aloud, looking at the mass that had appeared some distance off. Curious despite himself, he continued towards the scene.
He froze, going numb with horror when he got close enough to see what was going on. Keybladers - hundreds, maybe thousands of them - were battling on the plain before him. He stumbled backwards several paces, blue eyes stretching wide. Is this all…for the X-blade? He couldn't even wrap his mind around it.
Then an all-too-familiar cry reached his ears. His head shot up and he saw a shape plummeting from the sky. "Gillick," he murmured, taking an involuntary step forward.
Then he hesitated. No. He's the Knight. He's been my enemy…for so long… There was a part of him, though, that disagreed. Even when they'd fought, Gillick had always looked out for him. His older brother had tried to save him from his fate; a fate he'd been too stubborn to accept.
"You're always relying on other people to help you be strong…when are you going to realize that you have power, too?"
Even after Trevor had stabbed in the back, been willing to kill him, recoiled in fear…he'd still been trying to help, in his own blunt way.
"The people who were really loyal to you were the ones you pushed away."
Trevor's eyes flared with new determination. "I know I can't earn your forgiveness," he whispered, "you never did give it easy. But I'm not going to betray you again." Before he went for his brother, though, he was going to need some help.
As he took off at a full sprint away from the battlefield, his blue eyes flared, changing color into pure, untarnished silver.
Gillick's Keyblade collided with another Keyblader's, the sound of the weapons ringing out amongst countless others. His reputation as the Knight had once been a blessing; now, it was a curse. Where usually the Keybladers would be focused on one of their many other opponents, they now had something greater to face; the monster known as the Knight had shown up in the middle of their battlefield.
Gillick felt attacks pummel his armor, and felt a brief flash of relief that he at least had armor to protect him. It'd be better if I could use the Knight's power, too. It was still huddled in his heart, hiding out of his reach.
He drew his blade up quickly, parried a strike, then summoned an Aeroga spell to force the Keybladers that were converging on him back. He tried to draw out his wings and escape, but they, like his powers, refused to return. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he swung his Keyblade, sending out an arc of darkness. He spun around in a tight circle, Keyblade out, to try and keep the various Keybladers away from him. He lunged towards one, blocking her counterstrike and forcing her Keyblade to the side before plunging his clawed hands into her throat. He jerked the appendage out and kicked behind him at the same instant, dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way of any attacks that would come up behind him. He returned to his feet, shooting a Firaga spell into the midst of the Keybladers.
He knew that, the way things were going now, it wouldn't be long before he was overwhelmed. Feeling desperate, he dashed out further into the battlefield, looking for some sort of refuge. He felt strikes ring off his armor, and parried stray blows that came his way. He whipped around, the frenzy of the battle dragging him in. He became a part of the madness, and, for a few moments, his opponents would fight him like they would any other Keyblader. Then they would realize he was the Knight, and would invariably either run away, act like an idiot, or attack him with more ferocity.
Gillick slid his blade along the blade of another, allowing it to run up to the man's throat. It hit hard, sending the Keyblader flying backwards. He whipped around, already moving forward again, when another Keyblader stumbled into his path. He quickly stabbed the tip of his blade through the visor of the woman's helmet, piercing her skull and removing his weapon quickly. He ducked around two more brawling Keybladers, colliding into a third. He whipped around and his blade met with another's. The two struggled against each other for several moments before his opponent's eyes flashed with recognition. Gillick grabbed the man's head with his free hand and forced it abruptly backward, not releasing until he heard a snap.
He jumped over the falling body, his Keyblade gripped tightly in both hands as he brought it down in a powerful blow towards an unsuspecting Keyblader. She whipped around, her Keyblade pointed towards him and her mouth moving in words he couldn't hear.
Then lightning was jolting through his body, making him spasm. He skidded unceremoniously across the ground, but forced his twitching body back into an upright position.
He was in time to catch the Keyblade that was descending towards him. His arms shook as he stood slowly, trying to force back the woman. Her eyes narrowed, and she shouted, "Aeroga!"
Two can play at that game. "Aeroga!" Gillick countered.
The two powerful wind spells swirled up around them and collided with each other, the force stirred up by them sending all nearby Keybladers flying. The two who stood in the middle of their spells remained unharmed.
The woman narrowed her eyes at him as their wind shields died before both lunged forward, their Keyblades singing as they collided with each other once, twice. Gillick pulled a double feint, sliding around behind her, but she blocked it with a barrier. Frustrated, he kicked out a leg, hoping to move around the barrier and send her flying. She blocked his attack with her Keyblade, sending him off balance. He allowed himself to go with the motion, rolling over himself and returning quickly to his feet.
Her eyes suddenly stretched wide. "That's where I've seen you before. You're-"
Gillick didn't intend to give her time to finish that statement. "Aeroga!" he barked, the wind spell whipping up around him. She stopped speaking and summoned a barrier, trying to defend herself from the whirlwind. Gillick, however, had a plan for that. "Flare!" The dark flames exploded up around him immediately. The two spells collided together, creating a swirling, powerful vortex of dark fire. The other Keyblader's barrier was unable to stand up to the force; the last thing he heard from her was a scream.
When the whirlwind of flames dissipated, Gillick noticed that any Keybladers nearby had been killed. The attack may have been devastating, but without the power of the Knight, it had used up all of his magic; he would have to wait for his spells to recharge. Even more problematic was the attention he'd attracted, since the magical attack could be seen for miles. He had no doubt that other Keybladers would come find him, wondering who or what could unleash such an attack.
At that point, he'd be little more than a walking corpse.
He whipped his head around wildly, looking for some sort of refuge as the Keybladers began to converge on him. There! A rock erupted from the ground some distance away. He dashed from the empty space amongst the ashes and bodies and barreled chest first into the throng of oncoming enemies, hoping desperately to get to that rock. He flailed his Keyblade wildly, the weapon cutting at whatever came his way. He felt attacks slam into his armor, denting it, but ignored them for the most part; he had a single goal in mind.
It seemed an eternity of struggling before he finally reached the rock. He jumped upward, releasing his Keyblade to grip the stone with both hands. Kicking, he pulled himself up on top and crouched there, panting. Now that he was elevated above the battle, the Keybladers would only manage to come at him one at a time.
Gillick took a deep, steadying breath and re-summoned his Keyblade, still in a half crouch on top of the rock. I am a fool. He slashed the weapon down, causing a Keyblader to go tumbling back. What did I think I could do? He blocked another strike, then clawed at the man's helmet, breaking his visor and sending him sprawling across the ground. I'm such a freaking idiot! He struck at another person quickly, then swung his Keyblade in a low arc along the side of the rock, causing Keybladers to go tumbling down into the dirt.
The power chose that moment the unexpectedly surge forward, struggling against the seal that bonded it to him. Gillick jerked at the sudden pain, a choked gasp escaping him and echoing through his helmet. Caught off guard from the sudden attack, he lost his footing on top of the rock. His Keyblade slipped out of his grip, and he began to tumble towards the waiting Keybladers below.
Mala chewed her lip. "Where in the world is he…?" She knew Gillick wasn't exactly a people person, but…to go missing now?
She felt something tug on her pant leg, and she glanced down at Riun. His eyes were clouded with the same worry that she felt. "Mala, do you think he's alright?"
The thief girl sighed. "I don't know…" She looked at the tunnel, an alarming thought suddenly hitting her. No, he wouldn't…he's not stupid. But he had said the Knight had half the X-blade's power…what if he thought it was enough to stop this?
"Mala?" Riun asked as she began to head towards the tunnel.
She came to an abrupt halt when some one burst through the entrance. Her blue eyes stretched wide when she saw who it was. "Trevor?"
He looked at her, and for a moment he had an odd expression on his face. "It's been a while…hasn't it?"
"Yeah," Mala agreed, feeling her heart ache. The last time she'd seen him…was when she'd first realized the truth about him. "How…did you find us?"
"I listened to the plans you made," he responded quietly. Then he shook himself, straightening. "But we don't have time to chat. Gillick's trying to fight the Armies on his own."
"What?" Riun yelped in surprise. Mala simply clenched her fists, looking away.
"I came here to get help," Trevor told her. "I can't save him on my own."
Mala felt the familiar fear begin to rise up inside her. She knew what was being asked of her; to go out into a battle between two powerful opposing forces; a battle where there was a large chance she would die. A battle was no place for a thief; it was the place for warriors.
The thought made it hard for her to swallow, hard to breath.
Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to stay away from something like that; she couldn't go, she'd never make it. She was not a warrior, not a hero; she wasn't brave, or strong.
But the heart pounding against her chest revealed something surprising to her; there was something she feared more than death. That's why, with a shaking breath, she looked at the Keyblader before her and said, "I'll come with you."
"M-me too," Riun stuttered, clinging to Mala.
Trevor nodded. He looked at the rest of the Silver Fang, eyes suddenly hesitant. "I guess…I'll see if I can get anyone else to come, too." His shoulders slumped for several moments before he took a deep breath and squared them, his eyes flashing silver.
As Mala watched him go, the faintest beginnings of a sad smile touched her lips. Silver…you would've been proud of them.
She was not a hero…but she would pretend to be, if it would help save her friend.
That's the end of chapter sixty - eight. Please, review?