Thanks to everyone that has read the last chapter. For those not in the know, Mysidia is a location in Final Fantasy II and IV and was the home of the mages of the games' respective worlds. In Final Fantasy II, the party had to go there in order to learn about the ultimate magic at the time: Ultima, and in Final Fantasy IV, the main character, Cecil Harvey, was tricked into going there and stealing the town's crystal for his king.
Will anything like that happen in this fic? We'll see.
-miano53
"It's my fault her light was stolen. It was because I was weak... I'm sorry. I'll get your light back—once I learn to stand up against the darkness."
Chapter Sixteen: The Tower of Mysidia, pt 2
After defeating and sealing away Ren's Heartless, Zoe and the others started their trek through the surrounding forests to find another place they could call home. The tower and the surrounding town were gone, destroyed by the Palamecians. But they refused to give up or allow their culture to die. They had to find a new home and start over in recording the history of the world…Or worlds, as her father told her. They were so close to completing the collection of stories from around the world in regard to the "other worlds". Then Palamecia…
"Hey, what about over there?" a mage asked, seeing a clearing in the forest.
Zoe saw the clearing and found it perfect. It was enough trees in the area to rebuild the houses and enough stones to start on a surrounding wall. Luckily for them, the mages that were left were strong in Earth-based artes. The other mages looked at her and she nodded for them to start the rebuild. They were going to keep Mysidia alive. They had to…
"Leave…"
A voice stopped everyone in their tracks. Within the clearing, a plume of shadows appeared. It coalesced, forming into a human shape and the shape became a small, ashen blonde-haired child wearing clothes that indicated he was from the southern abbey of St. Milo's. But…
He looked at the group with yellow eyes and they were the eyes of a Heartless. Zoe shuddered, as she could feel the darkness pouring from him. He was pale, looking as if he hadn't seen the sun in…ever. The mages and their avian Animi looked ready to run. But Zoe shook her head as they had chosen that place first. That Heartless couldn't have it.
The boy looked at Zoe and tilted his head, like a lupine. He seemed confused and he asked, "Z...Zoe?"
Zoe froze. How did that Heartless know her name?
He approached and the mages immediately summoned the elements. They would defend their leader at all costs. Zoe's lynx Anima, Irene, jumped in front of her and hissed. The boy wasn't perturbed at all and continued his approach.
Zoe summoned the Dawn to Dusk and said, "Wh-Who are you?"
The boy stopped, seeing the Keyblade, and a flicker of red flashed in his yellow eyes. He then said, "I…I…need to se-see them…"
The darkness…It was the same as…
"R-Ren…? Is…No, there's no way. I sealed you away," Zoe said.
The boy shook his head, saying, "I…No…Not Ren…L-Lyon…"
Lyon? The Heartless had the same name as that heretical priest from St. Milo's? A mage asked before she could and the boy nodded and said that his name was Lyon Nakar. He was trying to find his friends, but…
"He didn't have any back at the abbey. That's what Grandfather told us," Irene said to Zoe.
Zoe remembered. If that priest's Heartless had wandered its way to Mysidia, then she would have to do the same she did to Ren's. But why did his darkness feel and smell like Ren's Heartless? She would have to tread carefully if she wanted to rid the region of that heretical priest's remains.
"Um…Lyon…I can help," Zoe said.
The Heartless' yellow eyes lit up, the whites of them now visible. The boy smiled and asked, "Y-You can?"
"Yes. Just…follow us and we'll help you find your friends," Zoe said, looking at some of the lightning-wielding mages.
They nodded, catching onto her plan. If they could get to the waterfall caves in the northwest, then they could keep the two dark energies away from each other. That should keep the continent safe and they would be able to rebuild Mysidia.
Wednesday, November 7th, 2102 of the 11th Modern Astral Era…
Waking up and remembering what he had promised Lady Annalise, Terra stared at the ceiling, wondering if he could keep it. If he went to the tower and found nothing and returned, then he would be charged with whatever happened to Augustus. But he didn't do anything. He was certain of it. And the voice that constantly popped into his head said the same. But if he started listening to it, then what did that say about his sanity?
"We should still go and see if we could at least find some clues," Gaius said, getting up and shaking his fur.
Terra nodded, getting up and still seeing the prosthetics he had to use. After putting them on and getting himself used to them once more. He went to the room's adjoining bathroom and got himself ready for the day.
Waiting outside, Aqua was dressed much differently than usual. She opted to wear a dark blue, sleeveless shirt that exposed much of her back and shorts. Over it was silver armor that covered her chest and abdomen that was connected by pink ties on her back. Her upper arms had shoulder guards while her lower arms had white, silk sleeves on them. Her legs were covered in black leggings and her feet were silver boots. Gloves covered her hands and her hair was tied back in a braided bun. A sword was sheathed on her side, connected by a belt.
She looked the part of a warrior, but the azure-haired youth had never really gone into battle. Not outside of town or in the tower at least. Aqua hoped that her training and some theories she came up with would help if they ran into Heartless. And if they ran into whatever attacked her brother, she would make it regret its decision.
"Whoa…Lookin' good, Aqua."
Zack and Cloud arrived, fully in their SOLDIER attire and gear. Minwu was the next to arrive. The White Wizard was armed with a staff and silver mace, the staff being for healing while the mace was for attacking. He whistled and his snow owl Animus, Deumion, appeared. He landed on Minwu's shoulder, asking, "Where's Terra?"
"I thought he'd be here by now. The sun's rising," Zack said, looking around.
Just as they started to look, Terra and Gaius arrived, looking better than they did in days. He was armed with the standard SOLDIER broadsword and had a pouch full of what Aqua thought were healing items. If the Heartless in the tower were that dangerous, then they needed to be prepared.
"Ready?" Terra asked.
Everyone nodded and the group started for the tower.
"I was told by the master to check up on you three. Are you alright?"
"I-I-I can't…I can't stand being in there any longer. Please. I just wanted to see the world outside. If that's so wrong, then you…you can end me right here."
"All I can remember is…after waking up, the masters…passing books into the room I'm trapped in now…through the mirror. I don't know what they did to do so, but…I figured that there should be a way to escape."
"I'm not a Heartless. I've read about them and I don't fit the bill."
"Whoa…Why does the tower look like this?" Zack said, looking up.
The Tower of Mysidia, the old home of the mages, was even more imposing than usual. Dark clouds were gathered at the top and the crumbling ruins were covered in dark vines and black claw-like scars. Everyone could feel the Heartless running amok inside and Cloud muttered, "You sure we should go in?"
The group looked to Terra, who said, "Yeah. I-I have to prove that I didn't do anything."
He took a step forward and saw the entrance to the ruins was already open. It was just like his visions. The brunet continued, with the others following closely behind and they wound up in the courtyard. Two sets of stairs led to different parts of the tower and Minwu warned, "Be careful while walking through here. Augustus muttered something about powerful Heartless being here."
"And the tower has a habit of 'testing' people. So, please don't wander off," Aqua added.
The SOLDIERs readied their weapons, immediately sensing something off. Minwu channeled energy into his mace, looking around for the approaching Heartless. Aqua readied her sword, spotting a small shadow crawling on the ground.
Channeling ice energy into her weapon, Aqua said, "There's one!"
She fired off a shard of ice, using Blizzard, and the shadow dodged. It rose up from the ground and Zack lunged for it. He swiped at it, only for it to jump from the ground and into the air. Cloud fired off a salvo of fireballs, but the shadow aerial dodged each one. Minwu summoned a barrier and it covered the group, pushing back the shadow.
Terra was about to join in but found that he couldn't move. He looked at his right arm, his sword arm, and found it shaking. It was as if he was afraid to attack. Why was he so afraid? He had to attack or else that shadow would…
"Terra! Do something!" Zack yelled.
Gaius leaped into the air, attacking the shadow with his fangs. He made contact, only for the shadow to disperse and suddenly a horde of Soldiers, Wizards, and Defenders appeared. The group was surrounded and it was just like the vision Terra had yesterday. In the vision, Augustus and the group were able to defeat them all. But they didn't have anyone freeze in fear. And that was Terra.
"Terra! Snap out of it!" Aqua yelled, shooting several Soldiers with Blizzard and Thunder artes.
She held up a hand, creating a barrier that protected her from the seven Wizard Heartless' attacks. The Heartless surrounded her and Minwu chanted, "Dia!"
A beam of sunlight came down, striking two and garnering the attention of the others. That also caught the attention of another five Soldiers. Zack and Cloud countered, blocking the claw swipes and kicks of the shadowy creatures and pushing them back. Minwu then waved his mace, sending an arc of energy at the Wizards. The Heartless were destroyed in one fell swoop and the remaining Soldiers charged.
Aqua raised a hand and yelled, "Fire!"
A large ball of fire formed over her and came crashing down, creating a firewall that incinerated the charging Heartless. The Defenders, four in total, seemed to be biding their time, watching as their shadowy cohorts were soundly defeated. When the fire died down and any smoke from the charred Heartless' remains cleared, one of the Defenders clapped its gloved hands and everyone was confused.
"Well, that was interesting. I didn't think that humans could have such power," the clapping Defender said in a clear, human-like voice.
Minwu's eyes widened and the second Defender said, "Maybe what that man who freed us said is true."
The third shook its head, saying, "We know not of this Maleficent…But if she can make this world more…suitable to our kind…She would have to prove it."
"She already has. Look at that young man right there," the fourth said.
The Heartless looked at the still-shaking Terra and one of them said, "It seems that the darkness inside of him runs far deeper than most. That man said others like him will be made when the door opens."
Zack rushed forward, leaping in the air and yelling, "Terra's not like you at ALL!"
He clashed with one of the Defenders, who parried him with ease. Said Defender sent him flying and he crashed onto the ground in front of Terra. The Heartless immediately changed, turning into four Black Mages wearing different colored robes. They teleported, surrounded the group, and quickly chanted an ancient Arte before Aqua or Minwu could do anything.
A sigil appeared and lightning shocked the group, causing everyone that wasn't Zack to fall to their knees. The yellow-eyed mages had grins on their faces and the one in blue said, "When you go through the tower, you'll change your mind."
The one in yellow added, "You'll see that it's better to be ahead of the curve."
"And that falling into darkness is the natural order of things," the third in green said.
The last one, a mage in red, added, "We all are born into darkness, molded by it, and then to it, we return. Once you accept this fact, you'll realize the darkness is nothing to fear."
A portal opened up underneath the five and their Animi went tumbling down into the darkness.
"All I can remember is…after waking up, the masters…passing books into the room I'm trapped in now…through the mirror. I don't know what they did to do so, but…I figured that there should be a way to escape."
Terra woke up, alone and not able to sense Gaius or anyone anywhere. He was in the middle of a large stone chamber, with a flight of stairs in front of him and another set behind him. He got to his feet, sensing a terrible amount of Heartless in the rather dimly lit chamber. Walking up the stairs in front, the brunet could see a mirror at the very top, flanked by two torches blazing with orange fire.
He came closer, saw the massive reflective surface, and spotted his reflection. Terra could see the scars on his face and neck as well as the prosthetic left arm underneath his white jacket. Placing a hand on the mirror, Terra wondered why the room felt familiar. But he hadn't been in the Tower before. He was sure of it.
A flash of light came from the mirror and the mage in green appeared. He walked up the stairs, asking, "So, have you finally come to your senses?"
Terra said nothing, his hand still on the mirror. The darkness-corrupted mage then said, "Why did you come here? To prove something to those humans? Now that the darkness is a part of you and you a part of it, they will see you as less than human. Or even worse since you used to be a nomad…"
The young man still said nothing, his gaze fixed on the mirror. The mage in green then said, "After that boy, Ren, attacked the tower the first time with such darkness…I came to the realization that the darkness could be wielded, controlled even. And that it was a natural part of existence. So why? Why do the Sanctum and their SOLDIERs hunt those that are like us? Those that have been awakened to the darkness' true potential?"
Still, no response from the young man, as if the brunet was in a trance. The mage shook his head and said, "Hopefully, your SOLDIER and friends from New Mysidia will come to the same conclusion. And if that Maleficent is who she says she is, then we have a future where our kind would no longer be hunted or persecuted. Such a future fills me with…"
"You said…someone named Ren attacked this tower?" Terra finally started.
He looked in the mage's direction and the one in green froze. It was like looking at…
"Why did he attack?" Terra asked.
"I…don't remember. But the darkness. He wielded it with a primal finesse," the mage replied, not sure if he was talking with the youth from before.
The young man seemed different, unafraid despite the mage being a Heartless. But how as the mage was certain that the youth was terrified of Heartless as he was trembling like a leaf earlier. To be sure, the mage in green summoned a host of Soldier and Sergeant Heartless, twenty in total. They surrounded the youth and he was unfazed.
"Who…Who are you? You're not the young man from before…are you?" the fallen mage asked.
Terra had a small smirk and said, "I guess you're more observant than I thought."
He closed his eyes and his skin became incredibly pale. His hair grew longer and became a stark white. The mage spotted black horns and flinched when the transformed youth opened his eyes. They were glowing amber and were fixed on him.
The Heartless around him backed away, sensing imminent doom and the mage asked, "Who or what are you?"
"Terra" summoned a dark grey and beige Keyblade, decorated with red lines and had a bluish, lizard-like eye at the end of the blade. The teeth were draconian wings and the mage recognized it as the End of Pain. The now white-haired, horned youth swung the weapon and released an arc of dark energy. The surrounding Heartless were destroyed with ease and the youth's attention was back on the mage.
The horned youth leaped at the mage, who disappeared in dark mist and reappeared at the mirror. He looked at it and then back at "Terra", asking, "You can't be…I thought we…"
He cut his eyes at the mage, who looked ready to transform back into Heartless form and tossed the Keyblade, throwing it like a boomerang. The weapon made contact, cutting the fallen mage in two. The Heartless disappeared into shadowy mist, leaving behind a small heart that floated to the ceiling and vanished. The Keyblade struck the mirror, shattering it into pieces and revealing a staircase bathed in light.
"One down, three to go. Terra, you're going to have to come to terms with what happened," "Terra" said to himself.
Sensing within that Terra wasn't trying to wake up and thinking everything was a bad dream, Arkan sighed. Sure, what happened to the youth was traumatizing. Anyone would be after getting attacked by a powerful Heartless and finding out that you still had one trapped inside your heart. Arkan grumbled, still not believing that he was a Heartless.
Dismissing End of Pain, Arkan headed for the stairs, only to hear, "Terra!"
He closed his eyes, still sensing that Terra didn't want to wake up, and changed back. Arkan thought about the wolf Animus, Gaius, and he appeared, stepping out of the shadows. Hopefully, whoever was coming wouldn't notice.
Aqua, after getting separated from Cloud, Zack, and Minwu, found herself in a stone chamber. She remembered that the tower had a penchant for testing mages and she just happened to be a fledging one. But the others…Minwu was a White Wizard, so no testing should've been necessary. And Cloud, Terra, and Zack were SOLDIER, so the Tower shouldn't have…
"Aqua?" Terra said, seeing her approach.
Amalia, seeing Gaius, happily rushed to him but suddenly stopped at the top stair. Something was off about Terra, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Aqua did the same, asking, "Terra, is that you?"
"Yeah. It's me. Just got finished taking out one of those Heartless mages," Terra said.
He looked at the door and Aqua joined him. She stared, not getting why Terra seemed different. As if he was more aloof than usual. Terra stared back at her and asked, "What?"
"Are you sure…you're you?" Aqua asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Terra asked her.
"I'm just asking since you…" Aqua said, worried.
Terra gave her a small, reassuring smile, telling her, "I'm fine. Let's just get out of here. If those other Heartless are still in the tower, then Zack and the others are in danger."
He started for the next floor with Gaius following closely behind. Aqua still felt that Terra wasn't himself, but he assured her that he was fine. Maybe it was just her nerves as she was stuck in the tower where her brother was attacked. Or maybe Terra really wasn't fine.
Heading upstairs, the pair wound up on a fire-based floor. Lava pools were everywhere and looked like something from the Dead Fantasy books. The platform they were on was the few safe spots on the floor and Aqua turned to return to the previous floor, only to see it vanish.
"Oh, that's not good…" she muttered.
"Hey Aqua," Terra started.
Aqua turned her attention back to him and he asked, "You think you can get us across?"
"Without dying a horrible fiery death?" Gaius added.
His vocal inflections weren't too different than usual and Aqua figured that using ice or water Artes would work, if only for a few seconds. Looking around for the next platform, Aqua spotted it near what looked like a door. She quickly chanted, "Droplets of rain coalesce: Water!"
Small rain clouds appeared above them and a deluge came down. The water struck the lava, creating a small path of obsidian. But it wasn't going to last long as the Arte was only there for about 30 seconds. Immediately getting it, Terra and Gaius ran across and Aqua and Amalia chased after them. They stopped on the next platform, opened the door, and saw nothing.
Disappointed, Terra slammed the door, muttering, "Why have rooms full of nothing?"
"Maybe it's a 'kill them all' room?" Gaius asked.
That term was only used in the Dead Fantasy books. Aqua was sure that Terra had never read it as she asked him about it once and he thought it was a weird series for bookworms. So why was he making references to…?
"What about that platform over there? On the far west wall?" Gaius asked, the wolf Animus spotting another stone platform.
Aqua could see stairs that led to it amidst the lava pools and another door that was connected to nothing. But it was the next one that was in view. Sudden shaking got Aqua out of her thoughts and Amalia hopped onto her shoulders in fear.
"Uh, Aqua?" she said.
The platform was sinking and Terra immediately used a Water Arte to make another obsidian path. Terra wasn't known to use Artes as he thought that using the sword was enough. So, why?
"C'mon," Terra said, practically scooping up Aqua and running across the makeshift platform to the next safe space.
Realizing nearly too late that they were on a time limit, Aqua immediately spotted another safe zone, seeing a glowing spot on a stone platform in the north. She used more Water Artes, creating more obsidian paths as they darted around the room trying to avoid a fiery death. After several moments, the final path led to a set of stairs and the pair rushed up them with their Animi, seeing the entire room sink into the lava.
"Ah, so you finally made it."
The stairs disappeared and the room became another seemingly normal stone room. A mage in red was blocking the stairs leading to the next floor and the fallen one looked at Terra. It then asked, "Why do you insist on helping them? You're one of us now."
"Pretty sure I'm not," Terra replied.
"Yeah, he's not a Heartless," Amalia added, still on Aqua's shoulders.
The mage smirked and the darkness surrounded it. It transformed, but instead of turning into a Defender or Eliminator, it changed to match the floor they were on: a Volcanic Lord. The fire-wielding, rotund Heartless in a cape of flame waved its wand, and a salvo of red-hot meteors was sent flying in the two's direction.
Terra held up his right hand and a barrier formed, protecting the pair from attack. Aqua immediately figured that whoever was with her wasn't the Terra she knew. He wasn't good at using Artes. If anything, Terra would've rushed it, yelling like a madman while trying to attack the Heartless.
The flames died and "Terra" followed it up with a powerful Blizzard Arte. Aqua recognized it as Blizzaga and even she didn't know any ice attacks in that category. A large spear of ice appeared in front of him and "Terra" made a punching motion, sending it flying at the Volcanic Lord. The Heartless used its wand and fired off a column of flames, striking the ice and creating a large plume of mist.
The entire room was engulfed in the mist and Aqua couldn't hear or see Terra or the Heartless. She looked around, trying to find them, but sensing danger everywhere. Amalia trembled on her shoulders, the cat Anima unable to see through the fog, despite a cat's vision being greater than a human's. She hopped off and said, "Terra? Gaius? Where are you?"
The sound of Heartless appearing caught Aqua's attention and she saw the light of small flames appear in the mist. She dodged, a fireball narrowly missing her, and Amalia hissed. Heartless, 25 in total, appeared and included the fire-wielding Red Nocturnes, Scarlet Tangos, Vermillion Sambas, the horn-like Flare Notes, and the small, rocky Fiery Globes. Aqua saw them surrounding her and Amalia and her cat Anima continued hissing, trying to show that she wasn't afraid.
Seeing the mist and remembering that fire was weak against water, Aqua thought to make the mist coalesce into watery whips. She raised her arms and said, "Mist come together and strike: Watera!"
The mist did as she commanded, coming together in many large water droplets. They crashed into the Heartless, destroying the Fiery Globes, Red Nocturnes, and Scarlet Tangos. Only two of the Vermillion Sambas and three of the Flare Notes got out of the way just as the mist disappeared from Aqua's use of Watera.
She readied the short sword that she had on her hip and swiped at a lunging Flare Note. The Heartless was parried back, but one of the Vermillion Sambas fired off a salvo of fireballs. Aqua cartwheeled out of the way and Amalia lunged, swiping at it with her claws. She missed and another Flare Notes fired off a fireball from its bugle-like mouth and shot her in the back.
The pain surged through Aqua's as she collapsed from Amalia getting attacked. She had forgotten that Animi couldn't and should never be attacked by anyone or anything as whatever affected them, affects the human they spawned from and vice versa. Aqua had a hard time getting up, seeing the remaining Heartless charging up for a final attack on her and Amalia.
She crawled to Amalia, grabbed the cat Anima and shut her eyes as the Heartless fired. The flames engulfed both human and Anima and Aqua thought it was the end. She regretted not taking more fencing lessons. If she had then…
"Seriously, you're going to give up? You're going to go out like this, Aqua?"
That…wasn't Terra's voice. But the vocal inflections were like his.
A bright light and the Heartless were pushed back and the flames dispersed. Aqua looked at her hands, seeing Amalia in her left and a dull blue key-like sword in her right. She yelped, realizing what it was, but the voice urged her to attack. The Heartless loomed in, seeing that she wasn't charred to a crisp, and the azure-haired mage yelled, "Watera!"
A torrent of water surrounded Aqua and five water tentacles slammed about, striking down the remaining Heartless. She then pointed the weapon at what looked like the Volcanic Lord, the water hitting the fiery Heartless like an ocean wave. The large Heartless was defeated, its remains disappearing into shadow and its heart freed, returning to Kingdom Hearts.
"We…We won?" Amalia asked, the cat Anima looking around.
"Yes, but I wore it down while you were trapped in the mist."
Shadows coalesced and a horned figure appeared where the fallen mage once was. He was wearing Terra's clothes, but his hair was stark white, long, and mostly covered what looked like black dragon-like horns on his head. He was also incredibly pale and black scales marred his face and exposed skin on his neck. The power of darkness emanated from him and Aqua immediately got to her feet, oddly feeling energized.
She rushed at him and stopped short of stabbing him in the face. The figure simply stared, unflinching. He then asked, "What are you doing?"
"You…You're…What did you do with Terra?" Aqua asked, ready to attack.
The figure looked at her and then at the Keyblade. He then asked, "You're not afraid of such a thing? I thought Sanctumites were terrified of the Keyblade. Or at least that's what I read."
Aqua mentally admitted that she was terrified of getting such a thing and being seen as a heretic. But if it could help her find and defeat the one that hurt her brother and took out many of her friends, then she would use it. The horned one smirked and said, "I see why he likes you."
"Eh? What?" Amalia asked, confused.
Turning towards the stairs, the horned figure said, "Arkan. That's my name. I don't know how I came to be here. But I'll help you find out who attacked your brother and help clear Terra's name."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Heartless!" Aqua said.
Arkan sighed and muttered, "Why do you all think I'm a Heartless?"
"Yellow eyes, pale skin, horns, darkness coming from your heart like an inky well. Need I say more?" Aqua said.
"But I've no tendencies in consuming hearts or wanting to 'bring all worlds into darkness'," Arkan said, turning back to face the still-wanting-to-slice-him-to-ribbons Aqua.
He saw that she wasn't moved and he said, "Honest!"
This Arkan seemed to have Terra-like tendencies as he was quickly warming up to Aqua. Maybe Terra was still in there somewhere. Aqua lowered her weapon, relaxed her stance and Arkan said, "See? If I was a Heartless…"
"You would've attacked me already," Aqua said.
"Yeah, right as you were trapped in the mist with those Heartless. But since I didn't, I'll help you find out who attacked your brother. And once Terra's name is cleared, he can return to that abbey," Arkan told her.
"After that, what will you do? If you're like this, in Terra's heart, it's only a matter of time until…" Amalia asked.
"I'll stay in the background as best as I can and hopefully figure out how to leave his heart…" Arkan said.
Seeing that Aqua didn't trust him, Arkan said, "I promise, okay?"
He closed his eyes and his appearance turned back to Terra's. But the flash of yellow in his eyes told Aqua that her friend still wasn't there. In Terra's voice, Arkan asked, "Can we head to the next floor now?"
Aqua nodded, but silently determined to keep an eye on him.
And there's chapter 16. We'll soon find out why the tower trapped Aqua and the seemingly-possessed-by-a-Heartless Terra.
