For the next two days, from dawn until dusk, Mira and Braig surveilled the high priest for any suspicious behavior. But aside from the mysterious potion he ordered the pelt-warrior to concoct, nothing of import had occurred. As far as they could tell, Tzekel-kan was lying low. His window of opportunity to move against Miguel and Tulio was closing quickly as their ship took shape. The craftsmanship and expedience with which the artisans fashioned the vessel was a marvel. It was a shame they were wasting such efforts on charlatans.
Mira and Braig returned to the temple on the second evening, dragging their feet with exhaustion, just in time to walk in on Tulio and Chel lip locked in the central chamber for all to see. They'd passed Miguel earlier posing for a carving of himself hanging upside down, and he still hadn't returned. Mira glanced at Braig out of the corner of her eye, only for her heart to jump when he looked back, lips quirked into an amused smile. There was a yelp; Chel had pushed Tulio onto a pile of cushions and straddled his lap.
"Good grief," she muttered. "They're not the only people who live here." Even so, Mira couldn't help but admire the other woman; she saw what she wanted and seized the moment.
"Let's go," Braig mouthed, and the pair all-but fled. Outside, the setting sun cast orange and pink hues over the city of gold, blinding her temporarily. Mira shielded her eyes, gasping when Braig slid his hand into hers. "Come with me."
The pair stepped through a dark corridor out onto the beach they'd originally arrived on, and the view that awaited took her breath away. The water was a sparkling diamond in the sun's dying light, twinkling and ephemeral as the day faded into night. But there was little time to admire the beautiful sight; anchored beyond the island was a fleet of ships. Cortes's fleet.
Mira squeezed his hand. "Do you think this was this their destination, or did they follow us?"
"Hard to say..."
"How long have they been here?"
"No idea, Princess. I know about as much as you."
Mira raised a brow. "Oh. I thought that's why you brought me here."
"Actually, no." Braig rubbed his neck. "A while ago, you said you grew up by the ocean, right?" She nodded. "Well, we didn't get to spend much time on the beach, so I thought it would be a nice way to relax. Didn't expect all this, though."
Shrugging, Mira tugged his hand. "May as well enjoy it. After all, it's not like we can go back to the temple yet; something tells me Chel and Tulio won't be decent for... a while." Braig snorted. "C'mon, let's get out of view of those ships. They may have spyglasses, and I'd rather avoid another run-in with anyone on board."
They found a secluded spot hidden from potential onlookers, and Mira took a seat on a boulder, dipping her toes into the ocean. The air was still, and the moon rose high in the sky, casting its pale glow over the world. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend it was that night her master had come for her. "You know..." she said after a while, "I think coming here was kind of... pointless."
"What, you don't like the beach now?" Braig waded through the water, hopping onto the boulder beside her. He'd removed his shoes and socks and rolled up his pants.
"No, it's not that – I meant this world in general. The darkness has a foothold here, but aside from Cortes and Tzekel-kan, it hasn't manifested anywhere else. What are we supposed to be looking for?"
"It could be that the darkness was drawn to their hearts because they're particularly corrupt."
That was a good point. Tzekel-kan wanted to 'purify' the people of El Dorado through sacrifice. He was abusing his position as high priest to eliminate his enemies or those he perceived as undesirable. Cortes... his motivation was unclear, but his brutality left no question as to the state of his heart. "Do you think there's a way to remove the darkness from their hearts? Without killing them?" she added as an afterthought.
"Depends on how attached it's gotten to them. The more closely bonded the darkness gets to their heart, the greater the danger, I'd think." Braig shrugged. "But what'd be the point of that?"
"Well, if it was separated from them, couldn't we destroy it easier?"
"You'd think so." His expression clouded, as if he was mentally far away.
"You disagree?"
"Hm? No, that's probably the simplest way to get rid of it. But depending on how strong the darkness is, you could have one heck of a fight on your hands."
That was true; the more powerful the darkness, the stronger the dark creatures would manifest. But a those could be fought and destroyed. Considering the damage Tzekel-kan could inflict on the people of El Dorado, it might be their best bet. At least they could leave the world better than they found it. "I think we could win, together."
"Maybe, but what about your keyblade's little disappearing act? Have you figured out why it does that yet?"
Her shoulders slumped. "No." It was a valid point, but it never failed to sting.
"Hm," he rubbed his chin, "the old coot mentioned something about keyblades being derived from the wielder's heart..."
"What's your point?" she muttered.
"Do you think there's something going on with yours that's affecting it? It's just a thought."
She bit her lip. "You could be right," she mumbled. What if it was the thing around her heart? The voice had called it a cage... But it was difficult to know for sure. "I wonder if there's a way to check..." Was there a way to get back to that place? Without almost dying?
"I'm sure there is, but whatever you do, be careful. This is your heart we're talking about."
Mira smiled, lacing their fingers together. "I'll try."
The last day of boat construction was as eventful as the previous two. Tzekel-kan spent the day pacing around the pyramid's interior, while the pelt-warrior continued brewing his mysterious concoction. Mira yawned, scowling at the two men. Their time was nearly up, and nothing had happened. Had they made a mistake?
Beside her, Braig lounged on his back, facing the sky. She leaned over him; his eye was closed and his breathing even. The bastard was sleeping. Typical. Mira returned her attention to the men in the chamber, but her gaze slipped to the sharpshooter again, roving over his form. The black coat accentuated his muscular physique, showing off sculpted pectorals and biceps, though he was leaner than Terra or Dilan. His scar did little to mar his appearance; in fact, it only accentuated his strong jawline. And his lips... Her cheeks colored. Those lips she had kissed twice now; and he said he wanted to do it again-
"As hot as it is to watch you checking me out, now's probably not the time, Princess."
Mira jerked away faster than a hand from an open flame. "Sorry!"
He covered her mouth with his hand. "Shh, unless you want them to find us..." She shook her head, heart racing a mile a minute. "Good." Braig pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Why don't we check on them, hm?"
They peered into the chamber once again; Tzekel-kan had stopped his pacing and stared at the pelt-warrior expectantly. The other man handed him a bowl filled to the brim with the mysterious potion. Was that a little umbrella? Sniffing it, the high priest frowned. "Hmm... it seems to be missing something..." Tzekel-kan pulled out the tome, flipping through its pages as he'd done many times over the past few days. Finding what he was looking for, he murmured, "Ah, that's it." He resumed his pacing, coming to a stop behind the pelt-warrior. "It needs more... body."
To Mira's horror, Tzekel-kan kicked the other man into the mixture and it erupted violently, spewing the concoction all over the chamber. Billowing smoky vapor swirled, overtaking the priest and slamming him into the carved slab. Within seconds, the gas had thickened, obstructing their view. His maniacal laughter echoed around the room, but his mirth quickly changed into screams of agony. She glanced at Braig with wide eyes.
"Mira, don't-"
But Mira didn't wait for him to finish, instead jumping to her feet and dashing into the darkness. This was their shot to stop him! The murderous wretch didn't deserve mercy, so if he succumbed to her releasing the darkness from his heart, then so be it. Mira pointed her keyblade to where she knew the carved slab stood, and a beam of light jetted from the end, piercing through the darkness. Tzekel-kan's screams abated and the shadow melted away, slithering across the floor toward the immense stone jaguar. The carved eyes glowed yellow.
Behind her, the priest came to, growling deep in his throat. Her heart dropped. Mira whipped around as he lunged, knocking the slab back. It fell to the ground, cracking down the middle. As if copying the movement, the stone jaguar pushed itself free from the wall, sending stone and debris flying in all directions.
"Reflega!" Mira shouted, flinging large projectiles away from her. But that wouldn't be enough if the building came down on top of her; she needed to get out of there!
"Do... as I command!" bellowed the high priest, crouching in front of the creature. It followed his movements like a marionette on a string.
The dark creatures her master had summoned never acted like this. Was the darkness somehow still tethered to Tzekel-kan's heart? Both the priest and the jaguar snapped their gazes to her; the priest bared his teeth, eyes glowing yellow.
At once, Braig appeared at her side, gripping her bicep in a vice. His eye was molten gold, and his muscles tense with fury. "Let's go!" Throwing her over his shoulder, he teleported them to the base of the crumbling pyramid. In in an instant, there was an explosion behind them and a mighty roar; the jaguar burst free from the building, hurtling even larger chunks of stone into the air. "Shit!" Braig teleported them again, this time into the city square, where panicked people were already running and screaming.
"Now everyone will know the truth of your 'divinity!'" shouted Tzekel-kan. The jaguar leapt from the crumbling ruins of the pyramid into the streets below. The chief's warriors threw their spears, but they had no effect against the dark creature of stone. With a swipe of its enormous paws, the warriors were thrown aside like little more than leaves in the wind.
"We have to stop him!" Mira yelled, struggling to break free from Braig's grasp.
"No! Think about it!" He tightened his hold on her. "For now, it's only after Miguel and Tulio, and maybe you. But if you kill the priest, it might cut that thing loose to go after more people!"
Mira gulped. He was right. "Then we destroy it first. Let's go."
Mira and Braig chased the jaguar through the city, dodging falling debris and pulling as many people to safety as they could; but it largely ignored the citizens of El Dorado, choosing instead to chase after the conmen just as Braig had predicted. Mira tried hitting it from afar with her magic and Braig shot it multiple times, but it ignored them too, focused solely on its pursuit. Whether by design or coincidence, the conmen were leading it out of the city. But it was too dangerous to continually teleport after it – especially not with the destruction it was causing. Instead, the pair chased after it on foot until they reached the platform overlooking Xibalba.
Mira burst from the jungle, Braig at her side, gasping and out of breath just as the jaguar cornered Miguel and Tulio between itself and the plunge below. They wouldn't stand a chance if thing attacked them! "Thundaga!" Lightning rained down on the beast, stunning it long enough for Mira to position herself between the conmen and the creature, sliding into a defensive stance. She needed to drive it back far enough to allow the men to escape to safety-
"I know what you are..." Tzekel-kan materialized out of the menacing darkness wafting from the creature, "and I know what you are not. And you are not gods!"
Tulio gasped behind her. "Wait... you're not a god?" There was a rustling of fabric, but Mira didn't dare take her eyes off the jaguar. "You lied to me? How dare you!"
"Hey! It was his stupid plan!" Miguel snapped.
"My plan was that we should lie low! But your plan was to run off and be all 'look at me, I'm a god!'"
"That's not true!"
"No?! Who're you kidding? You're buying your own con!"
"At least I'm not dating mine!" Miguel stalked past her toward the high priest and his monster. Tulio followed closely behind. Her jaw dropped. They were smarter than she gave them credit for. They were closer to safe ground than a minute before, and Tzekel-kan had turned his back on her.
"Listen, Mr. High-and-Mighty, we'd both be sailing out of here with a mountain of gold if you had just listened to me!" Tulio smacked the back of the blond's head.
"Well now you've got all the precious gold and Chel, so what do you need me for?!" Miguel shoved Tulio.
"Maybe I don't need you anymore!"
"Then why don't you just go back to Spain, and I'll stay here, and we'll both get what we want!"
Mira crept up behind Tzekel-kan, hardly daring to breathe. If she got close enough, maybe she could knock him out and then deal with the monster. It was a gamble, but if it was still tethered to his will, maybe him being unconscious could work in their favor. Further beyond, partially concealed by greenery, Braig crouched with his arrowguns trained on the priest.
"Fine with me, pal!" A sharp smack echoed around them; Miguel had backhanded Tulio.
"Fine!" Tulio slapped Miguel, though the blow was far lighter than the one he'd endured. Had she missed something? Were they this good at acting, or were they actually arguing?
They continued pushing each other, distracting the priest as Mira drew closer. But when she was within reach to deliver a swift blow to his head, the pair swung their fists, striking him instead of each other. Tzekel-kan slammed into Mira, knocking the air from her lungs and sending them both skidding across the platform. She cried out as her head knocked against the stone. Tzekel-kan growled beside her, recovering quickly, and clawed hands wrapped around her neck.
"Mira!" Braig yelled distantly, but his voice was far away compared to the blood rushing in her ears.
Tzekel-kan's grip was a vice, crushing her airflow; black spots invaded her vision. But then he cried out, grip slacking, and her eyes snapped open. He clutched his shoulder. A beam of energy slammed into his chest. Coughing, Mira swung her leg straight into his groin. He howled, clutching himself in agony. She brought a hand brimming with healing magic to her head, running it down to her neck. At once, the pain receded.
Scrambling to her feet, she dashed away from the priest, but the jaguar pounced, shaking and cracking the platform with its landing. Mira fell back with a cry. Screams registered nearby, but Miguel and Tulio were nowhere in sight. She whirled around, grabbing Tzekel-kan by the hair. "What have you done?!"
His face was twisted in fear, but his words were lost as the stone gave way beneath the jaguar's immense weight, crumbling and breaking free from solid ground. Mira threw the man down, dashing between the creature's legs. From her vantage, she found Miguel and Tulio hanging safely from vines. Braig was running toward her, arm outstretched. Not far to go! She leapt from the edge, reaching for him - she was so close!
Tzekel-kan wrapped his arms around her legs, throwing off her momentum and dragging her down. Mira's heart dropped to her stomach as she and Tzekel-kan spiraled down just a few feet shy of the ledge. As if in slow motion, Braig's determined expression morphed into one of terrified horror. She struggled against the priest, kicking off from his face, but it was too late. She'd fallen too far. The stone jaguar landed in the maelstrom with an enormous splash. That was about to be her-
Braig bent space, shoving his arms through and wrapping them around her tightly. "Shit-shit-shit!" came his panicked shout. He fell through the portal he'd opened with a yelp.
They were in this together, now. All thoughts drifted from her mind; there was no time for fear, or they'd both be lost. Mira wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Trust me," she murmured into his ear. Braig nodded, clutching her to him in an almost uncomfortable grip. She took a deep breath and raised her keyblade high into the air.
"Reflega!"
If it was anyone else, he'd have abandoned them. But he couldn't bear to let her go, not even when she pulled him through, and he couldn't gather his bearings to teleport them to safety. They might not have survived the impact with the violent waters, but this damn, precious, ingenious girl cast a reflective sphere around them, shielding them from the torrent and debris and allowing the maelstrom to carry them out, all while ensuring they didn't drown.
With every impact against the underwater stone caves around them, he was grateful for her quick thinking. But while they were protected from harm for the time being, every impact drained her magic a little more. If this cave system didn't have an end that led to the surface, they were going to be in trouble.
He cradled her to his body. "Hang on, Mira."