World of Advent Chapter Twelve
Author's Note: Only four reviews, but… you get a chapter anyway. Please keep in mind that the more reviews I get, the more I'm enticed to make a new chapter. This one varies a bit, being completely in Chaos's perspective, but it will give important insight on his past. IMPORTANT NOTE: I most likely will not post again until I have at least five reviews. Schoolwork is picking up and you'll have to convince me that the extra time working on this and not studying will be worth it.
I've found my place. It's here, in Area Zero. With Mist. Maybe it's time you found where you belong now.
Chaos drifted through the foliage surrounding him, his friend's words echoing in his mind. Somewhere I belong? Where? All my life, I thought it would be with my friends. With Light. With Sanctum… Where do I go now?
Chaos slumped against the side of a tree, looking up against what could be seen of the sky. It was still morning, he surmised, but the forest's branches blotted out most of the sun's light. Shadows covered most everything in the area, save for the telltale signs of danger.
Several red eyes started appearing around Chaos, surrounding him. Soon, the forest was lit with the cruel eyes of those Chaos recognized to be stricken with the maverick virus. A slightly sadistic smile adorned his features as he realized that he was being surrounded. At last. Something to take his mind off the pain.
Chaos immediately took a battle stance, summoning forth two twin blades of chaotic energy. A moment later, the mavericks pounced from all sides. In a flurry of savage blows, most lay at Chaos's feet, but were soon replaced by even more.
Chaos cast out waves of chaotic energy to stun, maim, and stall many of the mavericks, but some of the braver ones rushed forward, only to be eviscerated by the malevolent energy radiating from Chaos. An unexpected side effect, Chaos found, was the weakening of the structure of his barriers. Wave after wave of suicidal mavericks would crash against his walls, but he found the process immensely tiring.
"Urk…" Chaos strengthened the integrity of his barrier, widening it to catch more mavericks and hopefully scare them off. He could feel them collapse against his barriers, but far from slowing down, only continued to throw themselves at him at an even faster rate. Still, the carnage brought solace to his heart as he continued to wreak havoc amongst the hordes.
"What's with these things," Chaos said aloud. It wasn't like mavericks to hunt after a single target so persistently. Much like rabid dogs, even mavericks would back down after losing too many of their numbers. At this point, Chaos fell to one knee, barely maintaining the barrier.
At this rate, I'm going to have to use Darkness Overload, Chaos thought. The consequences of using the attack would be dangerous, deadly even, but at this point, he just didn't care.
"I guess this is it," Chaos said. He halted the progress on the barriers, using up whatever energy that would have been spent on protection for his most devastating attack. "Darkness… OVERLOAD!"
There was a huge flash as the mavericks surrounding Chaos turned to ash. Hundreds collapsed upon coming into contact with the violet explosion, but still hundreds remained. Chaos closed his eyes, unable to move.
I guess this is it. Goodbye, Light. Goodbye Sanctum.
Just before his eyes shut, Chaos could make out the maverick horde advancing. He could feel their hot breath. An image of a girl with bright red hair flashed before his eyes. The only one he had ever loved… What if he never saw her again?
Not now. Not like this. Black armor spread across Chaos's body, yellow fins appearing around his head. The claws scratching at him no longer bothered him.
"Hells Rolling!" Chaos sent tens of exploding disks into the air, making large gaps in the tide of the horde. The mavericks quickly closed those holes, however, and continued to advance.
"Is there no end to them?" Chaos questioned. Just how many of these creatures populated Area Zero's dark forestry?
From behind, Chaos felt his world go into shock. Blood spattered the forest floor as forgotten memories found their way to the surface.
The earliest thing I can remember… That time. My mother had forsaken me. It was for the sake of her human child, I recall. To protect them from the Templars, she sent me out to the unforgiving world. It wasn't long before they found me.
"Hey boss," one of the men garbed in white called out. "Look at that kid. He's got a Mark. Think he's one of them?"
"I dunno," the leader of the Templar group said with a sadistic chuckle. "Sure looks like it though." They approached the small boy with violet eyes, who must have been no older than seven at the time.
"Go away," the young Chaos cried. "I haven't done anything wrong."
"Oh?" the leader said. "But of course you have. You've dirtied this world enough by living this long. How many of our children starve in this desert while you live? Well," he said, "let's change that."
They broke his arms first. Still conscious, they beat him over the head. At once, Chaos fell unconscious.
When he woke, a girl of red hair and green eyes stared back at him. She looked to be about his own age, only slightly taller than him at this point. His body was in bandages, and blood soaked much of the wrappings. With a start, he realized the girl was bloody as well.
"Why am I alive?" It hurt to talk, but Chaos ignored the pain.
"Isn't it obvious, dummy? I saved you." The girl grinned widely. "All by myself. Not too bad, huh?"
Chaos said nothing. "You're wasting your time. They'll come kill us later. They always find our kind in the end."
"No they won't," the girl said seriously. "I took care of that." Chaos's eyes widened as he realized that the blood soaking the girl's shirt was not hers. "They can't find us if they're dead."
Tears welled up in Chaos's eyes. "Why do they hate us so much? We didn't do anything to them... I can't stand it anymore. I can't stand living anymore."
The girl looked down at him and continued wrapping his bandages. "If you have no other reason to live, do it for me. I don't want all this work to go to waste, you hear?"
Chaos nodded slightly. "Okay."
The girl smiled. "There, see? All better." The bandages covering her patient were lopsided and often uneven, but she seemed proud of it all the same. "I learned from my mother," she said. "Before the Templars killed her, she was a nurse."
"So they killed your family as well?"
"Yep," she said nonchalantly. "When I was three. Right after my father left. They left me for dead, but I don't die so easily. See?" She held out her hand, and a bright red oversol started to spread before receding back into her skin.
Chaos sighed. "That must be a terrible life to live."
The girl frowned and shook him by the shoulders. "Don't you love life as well? It may not be much, but it's ours to live. We may not have the right to stay here, it's our god forsaken right to fight for it."
"If you love life so much, then why risk it saving me?" Chaos turned his head so he could look the girl in the eyes.
"I… I don't want to wake up to another day alone. Will you stay with me? My name's Sanctum, by the way."
"It's Chaos. And yes. I'll stay."
And that, he remembered, became his will to live.
Chaos staggered from the blow from behind, wiping off blood from the back of his head just before ensuring the maverick that did it didn't live long enough to repeat the attack. His saber split the maverick down the middle, drenching him in blood, covering his eyes in the crimson liquid.
Years had passed since Chaos had first met Sanctum. The two of them were now older, more sure of themselves, but not quite yet into adolescence. They stood before a massive cavern, its gaping maw appearing to be as if a great beast had taken its place, stony pillars forming the teeth of the monster. A new member of their group stood beside them uncertainly. Blond hair and blue eyes stared at it hesitantly, almost afraid to go inside.
"We're going to train inside?"
"It's just a little darkness. Nothing to be scared of, Light," Sanctum informed her friend.
"I know that!" Light said defensively. "But why there? Won't it be too dark to train?"
"That's the thing," Sanctum said with a maniacal gleam in her eyes. "We're going to train how to fight blindfolded!"
Chaos sighed beside Light. "Is this really necessary?"
"Of course it is! What if the enemy blinds you? What if you get dirt in your eyes?"
Light was nodding now, looking at the girl with rapt attention. Chaos felt a mild feeling of irritation at his companion's blatant admiration of Sanctum. Whatever task she had set out for them, he would make sure to master it.
Inside the cave, Sanctum would jab at them from all sides, punishing every time they let their guard down. Chaos, much to his satisfaction, managed to block all her attacks by the end of the day, while Light was still accumulating bruises from Sanctum's "stick of poking".
"You did it!" Sanctum told Chaos happily as they made their way outside. "I'm so proud of you," she said, hugging Chaos.
Chaos basked in her praise, a new feeling creeping into his heart. He realized that he never wanted to let go of her, never wanted to make her unhappy. Confusion towards these newfound feelings was covered by his happiness to have her praise.
So long as he had her, Chaos thought, everything would be alright. And so he resolved to become strong, stronger even than she was, so that he could protect her.
Chaos found an opening in the line of mavericks wide enough to wipe his eyes. From what he could see, the mavericks were now at last viewing him suspiciously, wary of his prowess in fighting. Still, his stance wavered as another memory found its way to the surface.
Fast forward a few years and they were all in their adolescence. Chaos and Sanctum occupied a desert oasis while it was Light's turn for patrol duty.
In his head, Chaos repeated a mantra, sweaty hands holding a bouquet of flowers behind his back. "You can do it this time. Tell her. Nothing's stopping you now."
"What are you holding?" Sanctum asked him curiously. "Are you hiding something?"
Chaos swallowed painfully. "I got these roses from a traveling merchant. And they reminded me of you. Your hair, that is. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is-"
"You like me?" Sanctum smiled, and tossed the flowers to the side. "Dummy. It took you a bunch of flowers to tell me?" She smiled warmly, making Chaos's heart leap hopefully.
She leaned in, pressing her lips against Chaos's, the two swaying under the pale light of the moon above them. She broke apart. "I don't need pretty things or flowers. I just want you."
Sanctum interlaced her fingers with his, leaning up against them as they looked up at the sky. "It's not such a bad world, is it?"
"Not always," Chaos agreed. "And we'll be making it a better one. Together."
"I'd do anything to protect it," Sanctum whispered fervently. The strength of her conviction unnerved Chaos, but he ignored his ominous feelings, choosing instead to bask in the light of the stars with the girl he loved.
Back to the present, Chaos's vision wavered. The mavericks slowed their assault, but they still surrounded him. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Chaos sorted through his most painful memory.
They were all now fifteen years old. Chaos lay down in a hotel bed, a rare luxury for them. To his surprise, the locking mechanism on his door unlocked, and a girl his age stepped inside, clad in pajamas and a restless look.
Her eyes were troubled, bags weighing them down below. Still, to Chaos, she looked beautiful.
"What's up?" Chaos asked her. "Is something wrong?"
Sanctum fiddled with her fingers before speaking up. "Would you still love me if I were gone?"
More than a little unnerved at this question, Chaos frowned in response. "Of course I would. Nothing could ever make me not love you, Sanctum."
The girl smiled ever so slightly, a tint of sadness to it. "Can I… Can I sleep with you tonight?"
Chaos blushed as he processed the question.
"Nothing- you know- but just side by side," Sanctum said with a matching blush. Chaos made room for her, and the two held each other close. It was, in Chaos's working memory, the best sleep he had ever experienced. But the joys of the night came the bitter realization come morning.
She was gone.
Chaos clutched his heart as he remembered the weight of his loss, staggering on his feet. The mavericks, sensing an opportunity, rushed forward. Chaos closed his eyes once more, this time in determination.
There was still one trick left, Chaos knew. A technique only he had ever learned, something that surpassed even Darkness Overload. "Cataclysm" he muttered, summoning a massive amount of energy from the void, releasing it when he could no longer contain it.
I will see her again.