The World That Never Will Be Chapter 24
by the infamous and notorious tocasia
10/6/2019
CHAPTER 24
Sephiroth retracted the unearthly cold for Master Aqua's comfort, allowing a cool breeze to take its place. ...and because his hair looked good in the wind. That was more important than before.
He had promised to destroy the darkness.
The gift of prophecy was not one he possessed. If he said things were going to happen, it was because he was going to do them.
So far, no other worlds had a Lifestream. Instead, there were hearts, which he couldn't... which were difficult to read. It had taken him significant effort to learn to sense light and darkness, to see the vulnerabilities there.
He simply did not know enough.
He hadn't needed to rely on anyone else for so long. But he'd used to, often. He wasn't... well, hadn't been... a one man army, despite the rumors. Though none ever fielded could rightly claim to be his equal.
No. He wouldn't think about how odd it was. He would just be grateful to have her help.
She smiled up at him. Maybe it was nice to have someone to ask. He decided not to be ashamed.
Sephiroth idly flicked a finger and sent Cloud's consciousness reeling into another nightmare so he could give Master Aqua his full attention.
"You must teach me how to destroy the darkness."
Aqua seemed surprised, "You mean, besides in combat?"
"Yes," Sephiroth said. "I know next to nothing of hearts, what defeating the darkness might entail, or what the consequences might be. What is the darkness? The weaknesses of darkness?"
No immediate answer. Was she stunned by the breadth of his request? He'd be more specific. He searched for a practical beginning. "Can the light eradicate the darkness?"
"No. The greater the light, the larger the shadow becomes."
Interesting. So it wouldn't be easy.
"What has been tried and failed?"
"I'm not sure," she confessed, agitated.
"What?" Surely, Master Aqua knew the history of her tradition? Didn't her title demand it? Her training may have been cut short, but... Why didn't she? Was it a forbidden subject?
"The wise say it's impossible to do."
Ha! The smirk was automatic. "It is the duty of a god to do the impossible, Master Aqua. Such words will not deter me."
Her reply resembled a rote recitation of a cherished teaching, "They say light and darkness form a necessary balance. Neither can exist without the other."
He could not accept it.
"No. There will be no balance. I will not suffer the darkness's existence any longer."
Though his response surged towards decree, brave Master Aqua did not surrender her argument in the face of his finality. "Others have probably felt the same, Sephiroth. I know I have. The power of the keyblades is more than you can imagine. So... either destroying the darkness is impossible or it hasn't been done for a reason."
Sephiroth found that difficult to believe. He could imagine a lot.
"Why not, then? Do you have a guess of your own?"
Aqua gave it some thought. "Maybe the light doesn't try to destroy the darkness... because the light is afraid of becoming the darkness?"
"Hmm." He was pleased with her answer. Fear motivated many things.
His approval enticed more information. Pride shone in her eyes, exquisite, "We're supposed to defend the light instead of attacking the darkness directly."
But... they had keyblades, not keyshields. Sephiroth let his confusion be obvious.
Aqua's brows furrowed. "It's true that... the person who told me that wasn't a master. They may have had an ulterior motive. If I'd followed my instincts, the situation would've been resolved earlier, with still probably a happy ending... I trusted blindly, in the past. I regret that. With all of my heart, I regret it."
"It is a painful lesson," Sephiroth agreed.
"If there was no darkness, what would happen? And what if there was no light?"
"...I don't know," Master Aqua sullenly fumed.
Sephiroth sympathized. The exposure of one's ignorance was like the tearing of a raw wound. He must be gentle with her... but this was hardly an interrogation. She would understand.
"Will transport be disrupted? Will the Corridors of Darkness collapse?"
...what would be the fate of those trapped inside?
It would be unfortunate if portal magic ceased to function. Between worlds was a long way to fly. Like a marathon drive, a 96-hour non-stop road trip. A task to occasionally be proud of being able to achieve, certainly, but not comfortable. He did get tired.
...he could work around it. Could devise a new spell, and perfect it until the casualties were reasonable, so refueling would not be apocalyptic, so he could visit the same place twice if he wanted.
...how had Sora traveled between worlds? How had Master Aqua? Her glider? But wouldn't that take too long, by itself?
"There would still be the Lanes Between," Aqua said. "Master Eraqus could open them, with this. Since we're in the Realm of Light again, I could figure out how eventually, I think." She summoned her keyblade in a sublime white flash; rotated the handle in her palm, turning it this way and that. Appraising, respecting the weapon. Lovingly. The blade scattered gleaming reflections. Perhaps it was as comforting to her as Masamune was to him.
She continued her explanation, while her charm sparkled on its chain, "Inside the Lanes, it's beautiful; all the colors of the aurora converge. It's a dimension ostensibly aligned with light, but we were warned how dangerous straying from the path can be. That's why we wore armor, to protect ourselves. From the radiation mostly. Our gliders let us reach the exit in time. But my armor is gone, and my glider was linked to my original keyblade, not Master's Defender. Mine is lost. And I have nothing extra for you to use. You might not need it, but..."
...a dimension he had never heard of! Fascinating!
...her original keyblade? How was a keyblade passed from one person to another? How could they be lost? If taking Sora's keyblade had been more than a taunt, would he know what he needed to, now?
...what did Aqua's armor look like? What was it made of? How strong?
...her keyblade had a name. Could she help him get his own keyblade? Maybe... if she liked him enough... if she stayed by his side, he wouldn't need to.
...ah, but she didn't have the means to leave on her own. She was dependent upon him, or reliant on the town, to furnish transportation.
She was smart, to have hidden that information. Sephiroth admired her for it.
...she could keep secrets. Her loyalty... she'd keep his secrets too, even unprompted. A rare trust.
How lucky he was, to have her for a friend!
"You're very helpful, Master Aqua."
"Sephiroth, can I ask you something?" Master Aqua said.
"Of course."
"What made you decide to use darkness?"
Sephiroth hadn't predicted the topic, and hastened to restrain his bitterness.
"I did not choose this corruption."
He ignored her palpable doubt. "I did what was necessary to survive. Without me, there would be nothing left of my world." He held its pieces, billowing in his hand, black flames made of smoke where purest green should be. "My darkness... it's better than nothing. It's a waste not to use what one is ...given."
Master Aqua shook her head. "You're making excuses." Her statement wilted with timid, haunted, hollow loss. As if she were speaking to a memory. It made him deeply uncomfortable.
"Perhaps. What does it matter? My choice now is to destroy it."
Her heavy sigh. Sephiroth knew then. She wasn't pleading with him, she was pleading with the past.
Alarm trembled at the thought. He spread his awareness, checked and double-checked. Nothing. No foreign presence poised to invade, no trace of Xehanort's magic as he remembered it. They were safely alone on the ridge. In their spot, where the sunrise was best.
Reassured, he resumed his curiosity. "How does one rid oneself of darkness? Is there a special meditation? A spell? Is lasting purification attainable, or can it only be controlled, mastered from within? That attack you used... drawing out the darkness in someone's heart with a keyblade... what would be left?"
He'd seen darkness crystallized in rocks, like materia. Could he extract his and contain it outside of himself as well?
It sounded... incredibly painful. Sephiroth hoped there was some other way.
...Must I destroy the darkness utterly, for my satisfaction, or is it sufficient to destroy it as it currently exists? What if it can be repurposed, transformed, its nature changed, bent to my will alone? If I were its corruption, instead...?
Now that was an idea. An opportunity, indeed! His brilliant mind, free, gloriously afire, seared through the possibilities! His speech could barely keep up! "What does it mean, to become one with the darkness? How does it propagate itself? If the heartless were all dead, would that make a difference? And the manner of their deaths..."
He noticed his precious ally was unusually quiet. Was she terrified? Ah. The shine in his eyes. He'd gotten carried away. Sephiroth blinked twice to dim it. Or, was there more he didn't understand?
"What's wrong, Master Aqua? Do you care, what happens to the darkness? Do you object?"
Her stilted voice hinted at distress he had not foreseen, "A world without darkness. It sounds wonderful, like a dream come true. But... you'll be weakened, won't you?"
Yes. It's a power I cannot forsake just yet.
...was that truth or temptation? Disgusting.
Sephiroth grit his teeth. His was the only Truth. "It is a resource I can do without."
Why was she frowning? Was she worried? Incredulous? Had he taken too long to respond?
Or something else? Information to divulge maybe, a warning...? Comforting temperance for his arrogance?
Aqua was, frankly, shocked. At very nearly the whole conversation.
Black and white, light and darkness... that dichotomy exists in the fabric of reality! We might be able to, no, we will!, defeat Xehanort. But destroying the darkness?
He'd promised his enemy he would, he'd told her it should be done, that they would, together, but she hadn't expected he was serious.
"Sephiroth."
"Yes?"
"One thing at a time, okay? Our target is Xehanort."
Rather than resentful of the interruption, as she thought he might be, he looked... relieved? at her suggestion of focus. "You're right. He will have my answers." Nodding. "We'll finalize the rest later." A pause, and softer, "Thank you, Master Aqua."
"Why?" She'd just hoped it'd give her a break from his rapid-fire questions.
"It's been a long time since anyone offered me that advice. Told me to relax, to scale back..."
Eyes glazed over with nostalgia gradually cleared, and his momentarily vulnerable, terribly lonely expression abated. "How were you going to find Xehanort?" Sephiroth asked.
No luck on that front, then. But she felt sort of guilty for being annoyed at him now.
"I don't know," Aqua admitted, frustrated. "The plan hinged on escaping the Realm of Darkness, first. I was able to hold on to determination, to survive, but..."
Sephiroth finished her sentence, staring into space, "The darkness distracted you. Gave you no time to think about the future, only to regret the past, so as to not want a future."
Within his description prowled a frighteningly intimate familiarity. He understood.
"Yes, exactly. I still can't think of anything I could have realistically done differently! And I've tried. Every little thing, I've considered a mistake at one time or another, thanks to the darkness. But... even if I were stronger, or smarter... I don't think it would have helped me. Terra and Ven still wouldn't have listened. I guess I'd like to know what would've happened if I could've prevented them from leaving? And what about Xehanort? I didn't know at the time what he was doing. If I was able to stop Xehanort back then... I... the darkness tricked me into accepting it, all that guilt... I forgot there could be anything else..."
Enough. She wasn't its prisoner, not anymore, and she was rambling. "Anyway... what you did for me was nice, fixing the stories, especially because of that. I... really enjoyed it. Thank you."
"You're welcome." He grinned; the previously somber atmosphere fled.
..and there was the laugh she wanted to hear, the one she'd waited for. The kind one, with the quiet smile. "Ha! I'd bring you all the books in the universe if it would make you happy."
Aqua thought about it. Wasn't that a bit excessive? But it was a beautiful thing to say.
Sephiroth continued, passionate, "I feel, lately, that the worlds should be as you want them to be. Someday I'll rewrite more than stories, Master Aqua! I wonder what your tyranny over reality would be like..."
...where could she even begin?
"I wouldn't be a tyrant," she protested.
Sephiroth laughed again. What was so funny?
"I wouldn't! I'd be good, and just, and fair!"
"I know," he said, and pulled her close.
Author's Note:
I'll just leave this here:
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney