This next chapter is up and ready.
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and their respective characters, locations, etc. belong to Square. Golden Sun was created by Camelot.
Mars Lighthouse
As they flew the ship above the sea, the Paladin, Cecil addressed the younger brunette Keybearer"How do you propose we get past the thick sheet of ice blocking our way to Prox?"
Taios thought for a moment"Either we go find the canon and Magma Ball... Or I could use a dangerous spell that Bahamut uses."
"What's that?" asked Tyler, nervously.
"Mega Flare" replied Taios.
Jenna was curious"How dangerous is Mega Flare? And what is Bahamut?"
Yuna spoke up after a moment's silence"Bahamut is an Aeon. Aeons, or Eidolons as they are called in Cecil's world, are beings of great power. Bahamut's mega flare is so powerful that it would not only destroy the ice wall, but any nearby towns and the ship might be affected."
"Finding the canon would be the safest option in this case" said Kraden, thoughtfully.
"The canon is easy to find, its at the village of loho. The magma ball... Not so much. Its ironically in a place called Magma Rock" supplied Taios.
Isaac's eyes widened in realization"Of course, why didn't I see this before?"
Felix turned his attention from the helm"Where is Magma Rock, Taios?"
"Its near Kimbobo. if we fly over the land in the western part of it, we'll reach said dungeon" said Taios.
"Then let's go find the Magma Ball, first" said Felix, changing course in the direction of Kimbobo. They flew the ship until they came to what was said to be the hottest cave in Weyard.
As the group entered, Taios breathed"They weren't exaggerating when they said its near molten rock."
"Yeah, its unbelievably hot" said Sora.
"So, the Magma Ball is somewhere in here" mussed the Paladin.
Felix shrugged as he lead the way deeper inside Magma Rock. As they went, several elemental heartless appeared. Sora summoned his keyblade to deflect a fireball"Wasn't expecting to see Heartless, here."
"Don't let a few monsters throw you, though I've never seen creatures like this" said Felix, slashing at one of the heartless.
"We'll tell you about the Heartless after we get our prize" said Taios, drawing his keyblade.
The group blasted through with their weapons and magic, keeping their eyes out for more monsters. As soon as they reached the core, they found Saxito. The nobody grinned"Hello, idiots. Miss me?"
"You!" Sora readied his keyblade.
"Ah-ah-ah... not another step" grinned Saxito, holding his keyblade to a stone tablet"wouldn't want the tablet to get destroyed, that's the only thing you need to get the Magma Ball. Though I would commend the Adepts... Fascinating race. They left all this for the people to discover, but they've squandered it. The people of Vale, Lemuria as well as the anemosians have known about this fake world for centuries... and really what have they done with it?"
Taios was confused"What do you mean, 'fake world'?"
Saxito stifled laughter"You really don't know? ... Wow, for a Somebody, you are dumber than I remember."
"How dare you call Weyard Fake" growled Jenna.
"We have nothing more to discuss with you, Saxito" said Yuna, getting out her stave. Tidus readied a blitzball.
Saxito shrugged"I suppose there isn't. Oh, well. But wait, I still hold the cards, figuratively and literally."
With that, the Nobody pulled out a card with a Nobody Sigil and a pair of Axel's chakrams. He threw it on the ground, causing a mist of nothingness to form into a shadowy version of the Flurry of Dancing Flames: Axel. The Axel look-alike assumed a battle stance.
"Like it? it's an absent silhouette of axel when he was in Castle Oblivion... Though i made some... Slight adjustments. Chao" said Saxito with a twisted smirk, disappearing into a dark corridor.
"Get back here!" Taios tried to give chase, only for the Axel-look-alike to block his path"Dang it."
Serenia turned to address Sora"Um... That's not really Lea, is not?"
"Axel was Lea's Nobody. He's capable of fire-based attacks, mostly. Not exactly a pushover. This looks like Axel, but it isn't really him. Axel destroyed himself when he helped me fight off some lesser Nobodies on my way to save Kairi from Xemnas" explained Sora, readying himself to confront Illusionary Axel.
"So this monster's elemental type is fire, then. Piers' and my Water Psynergy should work well against it. Fire Adepts on the other hand would be far less effective against fire-based enemies, but Fire Adepts could also resist fire-based attacks to an extent" said Mia, thoughtfully.
"Piers, Jenna, Mia and I will take point in the fight with you and Taios, Sora" said Felix, readying his blade.
Sora nodded"Right."
"I'll try to guard you from his attacks" said Taios.
"BURN, BABY!" snarled Axel? Sending flaming chakrams at the group, prompting them to dodge.
"Blizara!" cried Taios, using magic to douse Axel?'s flame temporarily. Axel? darted forward and swiped with his ckakrams, only for Taios and backflip away from it. Felix and Piers darted forward, driving Axel? backwards. Mia used her Supercool psynergy attack on Axel and Sora cast Blizara, while Jenna stood by to heal when needed.
Then out of nowhere, Taios activated the Diamond Dust command style and attacked Axel? with a horizontal slash, followed by Strike Raid.
Succumbing to his injuries, Axel? gasped"Gah... That's all for that..." and collapsed, fading into nothingness. In his place, what looked like the Bond of Flames keychain was on the ground.
"So much for him" said Sora, putting the Kingdom Key away and going to pick up the item.
Felix glanced at Taios"Impressive."
"To me, its how you use your skills and powers that matter" shrugged Takos.
Sora shrugged as he looked at the Bond of Flame"Well, now we don't have the tablet. Still, this looks like another version of a keychain I've gotten before."
"So now what? I don't see how else we can get the Magma Ball" shrugged Garet.
"No telling where Saxito went, either" muttered Tidus.
Taios thought for a moment, then addressed Sora"Hey, can I see this for a sec?"
"Sure" replied Sora, handing the Bond of Flame to Taios.
Taios held the Bond of Flame, noticing darkness emitting from the keychain. Focusing his energy, Taios absorbed the darkness, causing the Tablet to appear in a flash of light as the Bond of Flame vanished. Feeling wiped from using the darkness to undo the illusion, Taios gasped"Whew... That was... a lot to handle."
"You all right, Taios?" asked Tidus. Felix silently offered Taios an elixir.
"Didn't expect that, but not we can get the magma ball" shrugged Sora.
"Yup... but man... that darkness is different than the ones that I usually absorb" said Taios as he drank the elixir, starting to feel a bit better from it.
Ceodore was puzzled"what do you mean?"
"Remember what I said about my heart being a conduit? well, that's the thing. in order for me to use darkness, I have to absorb it" explained Taios.
"So basically, you have to absorb darkness to use it. Does it wear you down each time? As a Dark Knight, I was able to unleash a wave of darkness from my sword, but it drained my stamina somewhat each time, as I am sure you know" said Cecil, curious.
Sora shrugged"At least we got the tablet."
Taios handed Felix the tablet so that he could get the Magma Ball before addressing Cecil"Not every time... But when I absorb darkness that's poisonous or foreign, it hurts me."
"Well, I'm glad you're all right" beamed Sora.
"We should head for Ioho now, if you're feeling better, Taios" grunted Felix.
Taios squared his shoulders"I'll be fine... I just need to sit down in the ship for a bit."
The group returned to the ship to get ready to head for Ioho. Taios had gone to the ship's cabin to rest. Meanwhile, Yuna found a note near the helm and took it, frowning slightly at the contents, which read:
'Dear Idiots,
I already have the dawn shard. if you don't hurry and get that cannon fast enough, I might leave this world with the mars star that I stole from Agaito and Karst, and cast it down Gaia falls. Good luck with your timing. You guys are completely hopeless.
love, Saxito.
PS: Yuna, you should've known from the start Seymour was obviously evil to begin with.'
Yuna was slightly annoyed by Saxito's message"Looks like we're one step behind. And how was I supposed to know that Seymour was just so... nasty!?"
Sheba was curious"Who's Seymour?"
"He's bad news, I never really liked him from the start. Don't let it get to you, Yuna. Saxito's probably just trying to tick us off" shrugged Tidus, though he was feeling a bit irked, himself.
"We'll just have to hurry to the canon, for now" muttered Isaac.
Felix steered the ship for a while longer until he spoke"We're almost at Ioho, now. One of us should check on Taios."
"I'm fine, now. Thanks for being concerned" said Taios, walking out from the cabin.
"That Saxito guy left us a note. Said he stole the Mars Star from Karst and Agaito and snagged the shard, first" said Tidus, glancing at Taios.
"Its great you're okay, Taios" grinned Sora.
Taios nodded"Yeah. Though I'd like to see that note."
Tidus handed the note to Taios, who spoke after a minute of reading"... Alright... Even though we have to stop him... to an extent... He does have a point, Yuna... Seymour has evil looking head veins and hilariously dumb hair antlers, and not once did you think of him as evil?" He sighed after that outburst"Sorry, had to vent."
"Its okay" smiled Yuna"I can't believe myself that I actually looked up to Seymour once, I didn't realize there was anything wrong until I learned he killed his own father and that was after I accepted his proposal. But what's past is past."
Tidus shrugged"I don't feel like talking about him either."
The group arrived at Ioho village and docked.
"I'll stay here. When you enter the village, the cannon is in plain sight" said Taios, standing near the helm.
"Got it" Sora, Jenna, Felix, Isaac and Kraden disembarked and headed into the village. As soon as they entered, they saw a canon.
"So that's what it looks like" remarked Sora"I've seen those in another world, but didn't picture this."
Felix shrugged"well, then. Lets see how effective the cannon is." The brunette Venus Adept put the magma ball into the canon. After a moment of charging, the cannon fired at the ice wall, destroying it effortlessly.
Sora was astonished"That was... amazig."
"Now we can get to Prox" said Isaac.
They got back to the ship after taking the time to stock up on supplies. With the glacier wall destroyed, the group was able to sail further north, which gradually got colder the further they went.
Serenia shuddered"Man, its freezing, here."
I wasn't expecting this either. You might want to wait In the cabin, your mother would let me have it if I let you catch cold" Sora responded.
Serenia nodded, then went into the cabin with Tyler and Ceodore to keep warm. Taios stood there in silence, as though pondering a complex dilemma.
"Hey, Taios. Something up? You've been pretty quiet" said Garet.
Taios shook his head to clear his thoughts"You get the feeling that you have something important to tell, but can't?"
Ivan frowned"It's the future, isn't it?"
Taios nodded"Yeah... As much as I want to tell you guys who we're up against at the mars lighthouse aerie... I'm kinda conflicted... knowledge of the future could be extremely dangerous..."
"Well, forcing you to talk isn't any better" said Yuna, thoughtfully.
"We'll probably find out one way or another" said the female Fire Adept.
The group docked a short way from Prox and entered the snow-riddled village. As they walked further in, they came across a group of soldiers and what looked to be the Proxian Elder standing at the village's edge.
One of them, Puelle, argued"We can't wait for agaito's men any longer... if we do, the wind and snow would make it most difficult to reach the lighthouse... I'm going on my own... no one should waste their lives.."
One soldier protested"Puelle... you can't go on your own."
"If something were to happen to you, what would become of this village?" said one of his colleagues.
"Please! let US go in your stead" pleaded a third.
Puelle was aghast"how can you accomplish what agaito and karst couldn't?"
Another soldier looked agitated as he said"They may be more powerful than us, but we can't just stand by and let the world die!"
"They aren't coming back, just like Saturos... you have to at least let us try!" the soldier pleaded.
The elder shook his head"I cannot allow that!"
Puelle firmly addressed the soldiers"listen to your elder... he speaks wisely."
"I'm speaking to you too, Puelle. If Agaito and Karst couldn't accomplish the task, how can you possibly accomplish it yourself?" said the Elder, concerned.
"What are you saying? if we stand to debate this, then our village is doomed for certain!" retorted the younger Proxian.
The elder's expression was sullen"We have sacrificed too many lives..."
Puelle thought for a moment"Then we will have to wait for some sort of miracle..."
As Sora, Felix and Isaac's groups came upon the scene, the Proxian Elder beamed as he caught sight of the brunette Venus Adept"Felix! You returned, and grown stronger by the looks of it!"
"Yeah" grunted Felix.
Sora was surprised"You know these guys, Felix?"
"Yes. This man is the Elder of Prox. Two of his warriors, Saturos and Menardi saved me and my parents, three years ago" acknowledged Felix.
"And ironically, Isaac and his crew had no other choice but to fight and kill them at the Venus lighthouse... was there a guy who looks almost like me, but different?" piped Taios.
Puelle shrugged"I believe so... he was with Agaito... though I didn't trust him..."
"We only wanted to stop Saturos and Menardi because they'd stolen Vale's sacred treasure, we didn't think they'd fight us to the death. They flung themselves into the opening of Venus Lighthouse's beacon" elaborated Isaac.
The Elder sighed"I am sad to hear Saturos and Menardi lost their lives in their quest, but there was no avoiding it."
Puelle nodded"What happened cannot be undone, we should cooperate to find a way to save Weyard."
"We understand that Karst and Agatio made for Mars Lighthouse and have not yet returned" said Kraden.
The blond Venus Adept shrugged"It sounds as though Mars Lighthouse is as dangerous as the rest."
"Well, we can't stand and do nothing" said Sora.
"Then let's go" said Ceodore.
"The world isn't gonna wait to save itself. No looking back. No regrets" said Taios, determined.
Sora, Felix and Isaac led their groups into the lighthouse, which looked more like an icy building than a lighthouse of fire. Sora and Felix kept an eye out for any trace of Karst, Agatio and Saxito.
Not far inside, however, the rogue Nobody was seen heading into the basement.
"There he is!" cried Tidus, drawing his sword.
The group chased Saxito down into the basement while avoiding balls of fire. They made it to the bottom-most basement where it looked like an engine room, but with two frozen dragons in a block of ice, and Saxito sitting on top of it.
Taios' Nobody addressed them with an amused smirk"Precisely on schedule. You know, you may be pathetic wastes of existences, with Yuna always being a doormat and Tidus being the whining man child who wants to have sex with his dead dad."
It took all of Tidus' willpower not to lash out in anger. Taios spoke calmly"What do you even want, Saxito?"
Saxito looked up at the ceiling with a power-hungry look before speaking"What I always wanted. Let me ask you a question, Sora. In your experiences what has Xehanort craved?"
Sora gave it a bit of thought"Well, I heard that his Heartless and his Nobody were after something called Kingdom Hearts. Taios mentioned something about him balancing light and darkness, not sure whether that's a good or bad thing entirely."
"If he won't tell us what he's after, I'd say we smack him around" snorted Tidus.
"Or better yet..." Sheba attempted to use her Mind Read ability on Saxito, only to encounter an intense mental barrier and winced.
Saxito sighed"You do realize I can easily block off intrusion of telepaths, right? Anyways, I can't just simply tell you my plan, right? Besides, if you were to actually fight me, I'd destroy the only thing that you guys are after." He held out the Dawn Crystal Shard and made it vanish into darkness"So, really. You don't have a choice to fight me... at least not yet."
Ivan squared his shoulders"I don't need to mind read to see that you are not bluffing. Non-Adepts can't resist my or Sheba's Mind Read ability at all."
"We're done listening to your taunting. Besides, you're outnumbered. Heck, I bet you're more bark than bite" remarked Sora with a grin.
Tidus readied the Brotherhood again"Time for you to take a hike, Saxito. And leave the Dawn Shard and Mars Star while you're at it."
"Tidus, do not antagonize him. We've no idea what he wants of us right at the moment" warned the Holy Dragoon.
Saxito let out another amused smirk as he paced around the group"You should listen to Kain, Tidus. Besides... I know what makes you all tick. Your strengths, your flaws... your weaknesses... how to get you pissed... everything." With that, he disappeared in dark confetti, static could be heard as Tidus felt a twinge of pain as couldn't move and collapsed
"Tidus!" Sora, Yuna and Cecil cried.
Saxito appeared above them in dark confetti static"I even know how to disable your powers and prevent you from moving. Oh by the way, Sora. I don't need to kill you when I know the two things that will get you to do as I say. The dawn shards, and the person you love most." He finished with a sadistic smirk.
"What are you- Oh no" gasped Sora.
"What is it?" asked Isaac.
Sora paled"He's probably talking about Kairi."
"Is this Kairi your girlfriend?" said Sheba, curious.
"Long story" said Sora, trying to keep his cool.
"I AM talking about her, you lovable idiot. and unless you want her dead, I'd suggest you'd do your jobs smart and efficiently. But either way, I still win weather or not she lives or dies" said Saxito with a smirk.
Yuna was horrified"You-... you monster..."
Saxito smirked mockingly"Aww, is someone getting butthurt? Well, too bad. I'm sorry that life and death aren't fair. but then again, since when is it EVER fair to begin with?"
Cecil drew his sword"We'll stop you. one way or another."
Saxito scoffed"This coming from the Maenad puppet? Yeah... as if you even could... But since I am in a good mood, I'll give ya the mars star, if you'll fight these dragons behind me. Deal?"
"Fine by us, you dishonorable cur" growled Ivan.
"Ah, well. To quote Hades: We can't all be heroes" grinned Saxito, throwing dark and ice Confetti Knives at the frozen dragons, breaking the ice. The Nobody vanished, leaving the group to deal with the dragons.
Sora shrugged and readied his keyblade"Shouldn't be too hard. These guys are vulnerable to water and ice."
"You, Kain, Cecil, Yuna and Tidus take one dragon down while Jenna, Mia and I take the other" said Felix, slashing at one of the fire dragons and barely dodging a fire breath.
Sora cast Blizzaga on the other dragon while Yuna healed Tidus with Esuna and summoned Shiva to attack the dragons with her ice magic.
But as they fought the dragons, Taios noticed that something wasn't right with them... They weren't really being effected by water and ice attacks. In fact, almost nothing seemed to be effecting them at all. They retaliated with a meteor blast they both fired from their mouths as power of a tainted dark aura started to come out. Yuna, Jenna and Mia contained the damage their group took with healing magic.
Taios gasped"Of course. guys! I need some cover! I'm gonna absorb their dark aura! Remove the weakness and we got a chance!"
"Got it" said Sora, attacking one of the dragons with Blizzaga. Kain and Ceodore used their Cross Slash Prime attack on both dragons to slow them down.
Taios started to focus his hand on said dragons. Darkness literally started to come out and was being absorbed into Taios, himself. Causing the duo to feel slightly weaker"ngh... Guys, now!"
Tidus hit one of the dragons with Blitz Ace, which is followed by a Supercool from Piers. Mia and Felix tackled the other dragon with sword and psynergy, respectively. Yuna blasted the dragons simultaneously with Shiva's Diamond Dust. Cecil followed up with Radiant Wave attack on one dragon while Sora finished the 'monsters' off with Rising Sun.
As the two dragons fell, they slowly started to disappear, revealing the dying forms of a Proxian man and woman. Felix was shocked as he recognized them"Karst... Agatio..."
Agatio gasped"Why... Why am I lying here? Wait, I think I remember. We were going to light the lighthouse."
"But that backstabbing Saxito took it, and then... no, that's all I remember. Aside from getting lost up here, trying to find the aerie" breathed Karst.
Felix walked up to the two Proxia Adepts"Agatio? Karst?"
"Felix, is that you?" gasped Agatio.
Felix nodded, still not believing what he just saw.
Sora was puzzled"So the dragons were really Karst and Agatio. But how...? I mean, The dragons weren't heartless, and they definitely weren't Nobodies."
"I know who did this to them... Isaac, Felix, if you don't believe me fine... it doesn't change anything... It was the Wise One" said Taios, grimly.
Yuna and Cecil felt a twinge of sympathy for Karst and Agatio for a moment. Isaac, however, was confused"The Wise One? Why would he do that?"
Jenna shrugged"I don't believe it."
"Felix, you must finish this quest... Recover the Mars Star from Saxito and light the lighthouse before its too late" requested Karst.
Felix nodded"Saxito promised to hand it back. We'll see Mars Lighthouse illuminated."
Agatio smiled slightly"Thank you... When Karst and I see the beacon, we'll know we haven't died in vain."
As soon as Karst and Agatio slowly began to close their eyes, Saxito appeared on the left side of the room, his back on the wall. He slowly began to clap his hands as he started walking towards them"bravo, you guys. Bravo. Though, it's not like I didn't expect them to live, anyways."
Ceodore confronted the Nobody"Get to the point, Saxito. what aren't you telling us! what are you planning?!"
Saxito sighed"And why would I tell you guys at all? when this fake world is degrading?"
"Weyard isn't fake! we've lived here for centuries!" exclaimed Piers, indignantly.
Saxito shrugged"Can you prove that it isn't? Let me ask you all a question. Do you really know what's at the bottom of Gaia Falls?"
"We don't claim to know" replied Felix, curtly.
"What's at the bottom of Gaia Falls is actually the true world. The sealing of Alchemy is simply turning off the continental switch of a huge as hell machine" said Saxito with a smirk.
Sora raised an eyebrow"So Weyard's just a floating continent? I don't get it."
Felix shrugged"Its still our home. Innocent lives will perish if Weyard collapses from Alchemy's absence."
Saxito sighed as he pulled out the Mars Star and tossed it to Felix"Stubborn as always, aren't cha kid? A deal is a deal. Go nuts and save your trash pile."
"That's got to be the worst joke ever" muttered Taios. Felix wordlessly put the Mars Star in his bag.
Saxito smirked with amusement"well, at least i can still manipulate you guys to do whatever the hell i want. And it's working."
"Go to hell!" said Tidus, having enough of the Nobody's attitude.
Saxito kept his smirk on"An ironic indictment, considering Taios and I are the same person. Good luck with dealing with the Wise One. I'm sure your ignorant and petty beliefs of worshiping him would go oh so well."
It was then, Saxito left. Taios had a depressed look on his face and hung his head. Serenia glanced at him"What's wrong?"
Taios replied, hesitantly"It's my fault... all of it... that behavior he displayed... to some extent I felt the same way... I despised Tidus for being so annoying and dumb, that I didn't like Yuna either... I mocked Cecil when the Maenads indoctrinated him to be their puppet... and to be honest... I actually wanted to see Sora pissed off that Kairi wasn't doing anything to save herself... I guess becoming a heartless reflected my true feelings towards you guys..."
Sora shrugged"Well, hey, don't beat yourself up over it."
"Everyone has misgivings about something, I cannot fault you for that" said the Paladin, gently.
Tidus smiled"Yeah, no way you could've seen it coming."
Taios let out a sigh"Yeah, I guess your right... I don't feel a bit better... but at least I know one thing...I have friends like you all that can help me through to the bitter end."
Sora smiled for a moment"That's what friends are for. Well, Saxito has the Dawn Crystal Shard, so we're pretty much done. Except for Felix's quest."
"I take it you're leaving, Sora?" said Felix.
Sora shrugged"Well, my group and I interfered too much, already. Besides, Saxito interfered with your world's affairs, first. We'll help you save Weyard."
Felix smiled"Thank you. The top of the lighthouse may not be far, now. Let's go."
"Besides, I always liked this place. No way I'd back off from helping my childhood heroes" beamed Taios.
The group left the basement and headed to the upper floors of Mars Lighthouse. Eventually, they came to the aerie, where they needed to place the Mars Star. As they neared, a voice spoke"Betrayers... And Otherworlders... You arrived!"
"Huh?" Sora gasped.
"Who said that?" said Garet, just as surprised.
The female Mercury Adept frowned"I heard it, too. But the wind's too strong, I can't see anything."
"Felix, hurry and insert the Mars Star before anything has the chance to stop us" urged Sora.
But as Felix started to move, the winds moved him backwards, preventing him from getting close enough to the hole.
"So, you're still determined to light the beacon?" The deep voice spoke again.
"Show yourself, Wise One!" cried Taios.
What looked like a floating rock with a singular organic eye appeared"You know who I am, then, Keybearer?"
Sora was astonished"That's the Wise One?"
"Is it, or should I say he, your deity, Felix?" said Cecil.
Felix nodded"The Wise One is the Protector of Weyard."
"Why have you come to light the beacon?" asked the Wise One.
Tidus shrugged"Why do you think? We have to save Weyard."
"Weyard may be doomed once the forbidden power of Alchemy is unleashed, regardless" said the Wise One.
Taios proceeded to confront the floating being"Ok, let me stop you right there. You do realize that if nothings done, Weyard is gonna die anyways, so move aside so we can save it. How can you justify killing billions over Alchemy being shut off? How can you allow Weyard to crash into the true world?"
"You know too much" responded the Wise One.
Kraden attempted to appeal to the Wise One"Its your duty to protect Weyard, Wise One! If Weyard is destroyed, you fail us all!"
"If Alchemy is unleashed, mankind may well destroy all Weyard itself" said the Wise One, grimly.
"But if we combine our power, we could ensure Alchemy not be used for evil" the old Scholar insisted.
"It is inevitable. In time, one man will seek to rule all. Perhaps sooner than you think" replied the godlike being.
Isaac raised an eyebrow"What are you talking about?"
"The Water Adept climbing Mt. Aleph, is he not a friend of yours?" asked the Wise One.
Jenna paled"Alex!"
"Regardless, we have no choice" said Taios.
Garet grunted"Hmph, we should let the wise one deal with Alex."
The Wise One closed its eye"I cannot interfere with the actions of man."
Taios gave an amused smile"Then do the smart thing and move aside."
Isaac addressed the brunette Venus Adept"Felix, hurry and throw the Mars Star into the well!"
But before Felix could move, The Wise One paralyzed him for a moment.
Piers was shocked and confused"Wise One, didn't you just say you're not allowed to interfere with our actions?"
"That is correct, I cannot stop you. But what if... A miracle were to occur? One that prevented you from igniting the beacon?" said the Wise One, coolly.
Sora hesitated"What kind of miracle?"
"If you can defeat a miracle, only then may you ignite the lighthouse" responded the Wise One.
Kraden tensed"The Wise One is up to something! Be wary everyone! we don't know what he is capable of!"
The Wise One disappeared as a three-headed dragon appeared and stomped towards them. Taios swore"*$%it! The doom dragon! ... still... The future of weyard of depending on us! for Prox, lumuria... and for all the unborn children of future generations!" he summoned his Guardian warrior and Star Keeper keyblades.
Garet scoffed"What is he thinking? We already beat a two-headed dragon. How much tougher can this one possibly be?"
Kraden hesitated"But wasn't that two-headed dragon actually... Then this one is... Wait! Taios, Felix, don't fight it!"
"Its too late, we can't get away from it, now" said Garet.
Sora readied his kingdom key for battle, attacking the Doom Dragon with Strike Raid. Felix and Isaac attacked with their blades, barely managing to minimize damage from the dragon's assault. Tidus struck one of the Dragon's heads with Blitz Ace and attacked all three of them with his Slice and Dice technique. Yuna summoned Bahamut to aid the group.
"Kain! give me and Sora a boost up!" called Taios.
Taios then grabbed Sora's arm, while Kain grabbed Taios and did a dragoon jump, high in the air. Then in the air, Taios threw Sora at the doom dragon as light and darkness filled sora's blade, resulting with him descending with tremendous force on the beast. The dragon reared back in pain and counterattacked with Cruel Rain, which Yuna and Jenna healed. Bahamut staggered the dragon with Megaflare, while Ceodore and Cecil attacked with a joint Vibra Plus combo.
Taios landed on the ground and put his fist near his chest resulting a trinity limit circle to commence. Taios, Sora and Tyler cried out"Light!" which invoked a ball of holy magic to slam into the Doom Dragon. The monster was severely weakened and attacked with a stronger Cruel Rain attack.
"All right, tough guy. Its lights out for you" said Sora, using Curaga to heal his allies before attacking the Doom Dragon with a Ragnarok Combo. Tidus attacked the three-headed dragon with blitz ace, followed by Oddessy and Liquifer from Isaac and Garet.
Eventually, the Doom Dragon writhed and its body collapsed. As the body vanished, the 'heads' reverted into the now-dying forms of two men and a woman.
"Huh? What the..." Sora had again been taken off guard.
Taios: looked away in slight sadness"Isaac... Jenna... I'm sorry..."
"Huh?" Isaac had also been surprised.
Jenna paled"... No... you... you knew didn't you?!"
"If I told you guys... would you have believed me in the first place?" responded Taios.
Isaac shook his head"There may not have been any other way, regardless if you told us and we believed you or not. I knew what I was doing when I drew my sword. Garet, Mia, Felix, Jenna, Ivan and I defied the Wise One."
Yuna dismissed Bahamut and spoke"Hold on. Tidus, use a Phoenix down on the woman, I'll try and use Curaga on the men."
But after a few minutes when Tidus used the Phoenix Down on Felix's mother and Yuna cast Curaga on Isaac and Felix's fathers, the dying Adepts' conditions remained unchanged.
Taios sighed"It's not gonna work... the people of Prox can heal them after the beacon is ignited... but as soon as it is. we have to leave."
Sora shrugged"Well, this is it for Felix's quest, then."
"There's still time to save Weyard, guys" piped Felix.
Mia nodded"Even though igniting the beacon may create wars and strife, I regret none of this."
After taking another sad look at his parents' dying bodies, Felix took the Mars Star out and threw it into the well to ignite the lighthouse. Suddenly, the lighthouse started to break apart as a golden ball of light came out of its stay, while the lighthouse slowly went back to normal.
Taios glanced at his allies"Guys, we have to grab them and leave now! Now that all four have been lit, the golden sun will show up. We have to leave. like now!"
Cecil thought quickly"I'll carry one of the men. Kain, Felix, can you carry the other two?"
They took Isaac, Jenna and Felix' parents and raced out of the lighthouse. The lighthouse began to glow with a golden color fired a beam of light that felt like raw magic itself. As soon as they arrived in Prox, the snow storm was completely gone.
Shortly after they'd taken Isaac, Jenna and Felix's parents to rest at a nearby house, the Elder greeted the group"Thank you all, you saved Prox from being devoured by Gaia Falls."
Isaac nodded"We're just happy to have helped save Weyard."
"It was our pleasure. Sora, we have you and your companions to thank as well" acknowledged Felix.
Sora grinned"Oh, It was no problem."
Taios nodded"We were happy to help the best we could."
The Proxian Elder spoke"You're leaving already?"
Taios nodded"Yeah, their journey isn't over yet. Sora, I'm going with you guys."
Tyler was surprised"What?"
"I'm more experienced with the knowledge of other worlds. Plus, we need to stop Saxito. So... can I join you guys?" requested Taios.
"Sure, no problem" beamed Sora.
Yuna smiled"The more the merrier."
Taios grinned"So when are we leaving?"
"Right now" replied the Paladin.
"Well, let's be on our way, then" said Sora.
Felix acknowledged them"You are welcome back in Weyard anytime, Sora."
"Thanks" Sora grinned"Taios, need help getting around? Cosmos gave us the ability to teleport between worlds."
Taios nodded"Sure. I could use the transportation. I mean, each time I travel between universes, I go through tears in the fabric of reality."
Serenia was curious"How did you get here, then?"
Taios flushed as he pulled out a star shard keychain to show them"How I got here is... a little complicated.."
Sora was amazed"Whoa, amazing. So that's some kind of transportation device?"
"My dad, mom and Uncle Terra used Keyblade Gliders at some point. Is that how the star thingy works?" Tyler asked.
Taios nodded"It's a special keyblade star shard Master Yen Sid made for me whenever I'm on my own glider. It helps me go through wormholes to dimensional universes."
Serenia gasped"Incredible."
"Well, if we're ready, we should go find the remaining shards. That means going to the next world. We ready to warp?" asked Sora.
Cecil nodded"Indeed."
Meanwhile, in the Dark Corridor, Saxito yawned as he relaxed"Man, this was waay to easy. And I got the dawn shard."
The Nobody wasn't alone, however. Not too far away, Lumaria and Arlene had been preparing for their assault on Radiant Garden. They were unaware of Saxito's presence for a moment.
Saxito looked around until he grinned upon seeing the duo""wow... never thought I'd see the day. The gay man and the meathead's somebodies."
The blond former nobody felt that Saxito was watching and turned to see him"Hm?"
Lumaria frowned as he felt the same presence"Go on ahead to Radiant Garden, Arlene. I have a weed to cut, yet the aura I sense is that of number fifteen, Saxito... If I recall."
Arlene scoffed"You telling me that key-slinging brat Saxito is here, too?"
Saxito smirked"Oh goodie, you remember me. Then I don't have to waste time with introductions. I'm gonna need to use you again."
Arlene glanced at Saxito"And why would we help you, when you had to get us killed by sora?!"
"Because I have a plan far more greater than what Yoran is paying you to do... I want you help me destroy the true kingdom hearts" said Saxito.
Lumaria thought for a moment"Destroy the true Kingdom Hearts... Ah. You aim high, I give you that. But... What's in it for me?"
"An army of brutal and ruthless soldiers, a lifetime of munny and riches so that you can live as comfortably as you and the meathead want, and last but not least... a chance of true revenge against Sora... since I know all the weaknesses of said heroes, we can manipulate them to do whatever the hell we want" replied the Nobody.
Lumaria slowly grinned"Heh. We have a deal."
Arlene shrugged"I suppose I'll go along with it. But if you cross us just one more time... I cannot be held responsible. Lumaria and I still retain some of our Nobody powers, just so you know."
Saxito grinned widely. As if Arlene could even scratch him, regardless if she still had her thunder magic"Excellent."
"One more thing, you will help us kidnap Kairi. I must also warn you that Yoran has an extremely powerful warrior on his side: Caius Ballad" explained Lumaria.
Saxito smirked"Oh, no need to ask me to do that. I intend to. That way, Sora will have no choice but to cooperate as my pawn."
Lumaria nodded"We are in agreement, then."
Finally, this is probably one of the longest chapters I've done. Well, the real big bad has shown himself. Yoran will still have a major role, but will be more of an anti-hero from this point. Feral Chaos and Caius will have their importance as well, but I won't say more due to spoilers.
Please feel free to review.