Here's another chapter! Also, updates won't be as uniform due to work hours, and distractions form gamming.
Also, nice to hear from you again GuestwithIdeas! I agree i might have been a bit heavy handed on the fire on the sea, but i feel like Namine would be hit the hardest out of the group. There will be more interactions between the Shepherds. It's kinda the reason why the Paralogues will have only a certain number. the Shepherds are getting huge!
As for the DLC's... I originaly was going to not do them due to not really knowing if they are 'cannon' or not. although, considering its a fanfic, that's kinda irrelevant. Still, you have managed to give me some ideas for a few of them, and as for Zack, well you'll have to wait and see...
As for your question about Walhart, that will be answered in this chapter.
Hope you enjoy it!
Paralogue 6: A Man for Flower
All is quiet in Yen Sid's tower as the stars continue to glow unabated. Yen Sid himself gazed over tomes pilled around him, ancient knowledge and magic written in their pages. It has nearly been three years since he sent Sora and the others to Archanea. Three years of silence. True, there has been no rise in the Darkness, and Maleficent has not been seen, but still, he could not help but worry.
He was thankful that Hayner, Pence and Olette had been forthcoming in their training, stepping up to fill the gap that Sora and the others have now left. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie's training was still in progress, but it should not be long until they were ready. Of course, it would not be long until their numbers were brought back to seven, but even so, he could not help but ignore the sinking feeling in his heart.
"Master! We have a problem!" the voice of Mickey shook Yen Sid from his thoughts before turning his gaze to his former apprentice. Unsurprisingly, Donald and Goofy were there with him at his side. But what troubled him was the look of urgency on the king's face, not to mention the worry etched into his voice.
Something has happened.
"What is wrong, Mickey?" Yen Sid asks with steel. "Has Maleficent returned?" His eyebrows soon arched when he saw him shake his head, Mickey's eyes narrowing.
"I'm afraid not, Master. During our training at Radiant Garden with the others, Aerith was suddenly kidnapped." Yen Sid's eyes shot open at the mention. He motioned Mickey to tell more. "We were training in one of the open parks with the RGRC, helping Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie get to bond with their Keyblades. It was then a figure in a black coat attacked us."
"A member of Organization XIII? Impossible."
"That's what we thought. But that's not the worst of it." Mickey sighs before his eyes narrow farther. "He was using Xehanort's Keyblade."
"What!?" Yen Sid exclaims while standing up from his feet. How has this figure acquired Xehanort's Keyblade? And more importantly, why was he after Aerith?
"We tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. Not even Leon or the others could hold him back." Mickey says with a deep frown before closing his eyes. "I think we may have gotten a bit soft after the fight with Xehanort. We should have been training to keep our strength up."
"This is most troubling. If we have a new foe after one of the Princesses of Heart, then the others are in great danger." Yen Sid sits back down with a heavy sigh as he rubs his head. He had become distracted with Grima's rise he forgot to keep an eye on the seven Princess of heart! Light be thankful that Kairi would not be easy to capture this time around…
"But what about Kairi? Won't she be targeted as well?" Goofy asks while scratching the side of his head. "I mean, it happened three times before, so…."
"Aww, like Sora would let THAT happen again. Besides, she had been training the most other than Sora so that it wouldn't happen again anyway!" Donald brushes off while folding his arms. Goofy gives off his usual chuckle while Micky fondly smiles at them before turning serious.
"Master, regarding the other Princesses, I suggest you let us and the others protect them. We failed to protect them last time when Maleficent kidnapped them, and I'm not going to let it happen again!"
"I agree." Yen Sid nods at Mickey, his face neutral and impassive. "Mickey, you, Donald and Goofy shall travel to Atlantis. King Triton will be more welcoming to you than the other wielders. Hayner, Pence and Olette will head to Arendelle. As for Tidus, Wakka and Selphie, they shall head to the Kingdom of Corona. They may be young and inexperienced, but I trust they will not bow down so easily."
"Yes, Master." The three reply before bowing towards Yen Sid. As the three turns to leave, Yen Sid leans back in his chair, rubbing away at his eyes as the weight falls again upon his shoulders.
"Yet again, the forces of darkness have set their eyes on the pure lights. But why? The X-Blade has been forged and is in Sora's protection-" Yen Sid freezes before looking back at his book. "The X-Blade is not complete… Xehanort only used thirteen Keyblades of Darkness to forge it. It is missing the seven lights to complete it entirely…." He turns his gaze back to the stars, fear radiating from his eyes. "Light protect us… Sora is in danger as well!"
"C'mon, Sora! Show Teach what you've got!" Vaike cries as he charges at Sora with a wooden lance. Sora, in turn, held a wooden sword in his right hand while a wooden axe was holstered on his back. The two had decided to have a practice spar while the group rested not too far from the 'fortress' housing the Risen and were taking the opportunity to relax and ready before the push.
Grinning to himself, Sora angles his wooden sword to parry Vaike lance before swinging it at his neck, only for the Warrior to roll with the momentum to avoid the strike. "Good one, Vaike." Sora says while changing the grip on his sword. Vaike flashes a grin before charging again, holding the spear with a single hand. He thrusts towards him, aiming at his right lung, only for Sora to block with the shield on his left arm.
Vaike smirks before reaching behind him for his prop axe, only to find himself grasping at thin air. "Wha-? My axe! Not again!" He yells as he looks around for the prop weapon while Sora just shakes his head at him.
"How many times is that now, Vaike? I'm just glad you haven't lost your axe in the middle of a battle. Also, when did you have time to learn how to use a lance anyway?" Sora says while holstering his wooden sword. Vaike simply shrugs before finding said axe somehow embedded into a nearby tree. How that got there, he wouldn't know.
"Eh, I've lost count. Best ask Miriel for that. As for the lance, well, ya never know when it might come in handy. Same with a sword or bow." Vaike nonchalantly replies before pulling the axe from the tree. "I tell ya, sparring against you, Chrom and Lon'qu make me realise just how far I am from getting to my dream." Sora's brow arches at that. Vaike hasn't mentioned anything like that before.
"Hm? What dream is that, Vaike?" Vaike chuckles awkwardly at Sora before glancing back at the camp, a fond reclamation in his eyes.
"It's nothing special. Just to be the warrior amongst warriors." His smile falters slightly as he casts his gaze low. "I wasn't born into any special family or anything, ya know? In fact, the village I was born in was the poorest ya could ever think of. And I certainly wasn't the law-abiding type either. Led my own band of fellow poor kids, dealing out whatever mischief we thought."
"So basically, what you still do today?" Sora quips at the warrior, who chuckles at the comment. That side of him certainly didn't leave him, as Sora and Robin caught on when he tried to drag them into his schemes. Why did he think it would be a good idea to peak on the girls bathing?! He was glad he managed to get away before Vaike dragged him over, although seeing both him and Robin running away from Sully's horse was quite the sight.
"Well, yeah. But all that changed when Emmeryn paid a visit." Vaike's smile grows warm as the memories of meeting Emmeryn come to the surface. "When she came to visit and spoke to us, I was one of the people touched by her words. It was then that I decided to become the greatest warrior in the lands. Enough to bring some wealth to my home village."
"You'll achieve it." Vaike looks at Sora, surprised by the confidence in his voice. "You've already come this far, and you are definitely not the type to stop until you achieve your dream." Vaike looks at Sora for a few seconds before bursting into chuckles.
"Yeah, ya right spike! I certainly ain't the type to quit till I get what I want! But what about you? What's your dream then?" Sora narrows his eyes while crossing his arms at Vaike's question. What was his dream again? It was definitely a long time since he last thought of that. Becoming a Keyblade Master? No, that was more of Terra's dream. Of course, he's already living with Kairi, so that dream is accomplished, but what else? Before he could ponder further, Kairi's voice called out to them, telling them that they were about to head out. Calling back, the two pick up their training weapons and regroup with the others. It was then that Sora remembered what his dream was again. And honestly, it was shared by his friends as well.
To broaden my horizons and meet new friends.
Not too far away, the blue-haired mercenary had finished slaying several risen threatening a nearby village. He smiles at his handy work before casting his gaze at the nearby fort. "So that is the fort, aye? It certainly looks imposing, even if it has changed over the years." He muses to himself before pondering.
"Now then, how to go about this… Risen won't be a problem, but the Heartless will keep coming back unless I have a Blessed Weapon. Or a tome. Then there is the possibility of flyers as well… Starting to wish Noir and Laurent were here." His gaze wanders over the fort, lingering on the imposing entrance until a small gap in the wall catches his eye. "Well, well. Look here. Someone forgot to patch up the wall. This will be easy…" He makes his way over to the wall, using the overgrown foliage to hide in to avoid any Risen or Heartless lookout. The possibility of them being smart enough to do so is low, but in his experience, it is never a bad idea to play it safe.
If he had only waited a few seconds longer, he would have found the Shepherds entering into the valley behind him.
"So, that's the fort where the Risen are, right?" Roxas asks as the twelve of them come into view. "Certainly fits the description. So, how are we going to do this?"
"Well, I may not be Robin, but I have a plan we could use." Virion states, to everyone's surprise, barring Olivia and Cherche. "Come now, what is with the surprise? I am, after all, Robin's opponent in chess, and I have picked up on some of his techniques." He turns his gaze to Cordelia and Cherche, a grin on his face. "Our flyers will have to stay out here. There will not be enough room to manoeuvre in this place. So Roxas and I shall stay here as well to provide support in the case that the Risen have flyers." He turns to look at Sora. "As for the rest, they will be under Sora to enter the fort and eliminate the leader. Without him, the rest should scurry and scatter."
Everyone give surprised looks to each other at Virion's plan, baring Oliva and Cherche. Guess all that time with Robin had helped in some way. Then again, they were not surprised at Virion delegating leadership to Sora and choosing to stay outside instead. Deciding not to dwell on the matter, the Shepherds split into their assigned groups and entered the fort through the main entrance., while Virion's groups stayed outside.
"Good luck, guys." Roxas says before giving out a sigh. He trusts them not to make any mistakes or take any chances, but he still couldn't help but worry.
"Don't worry, my friend. They will be fine. Have faith in them." Virion says to the blond with his usual suave. "Thay have last this far, no?"
"It's not that Virion." Roxas replies before sighing heavily. "I do have faith in them. How can I not? It's just… I can't help but feel like we are walking into a trap." Virion could not help but frown at Roxas's comment. It is rather too quiet now that he thought about it. But he didn't have to think for too long, as soon as several Heartless Pegasus Knights suddenly appeared from the fort's roof, diving down towards the four. Roxas and Virion acted swiftly, firing arrows into the sky to disrupt their charge as Cordelia and Cherche readied themselves to fight, until Cordelia noticed who exactly the Heartless were.
"It's my knight sisters!" She exclaims in shock. Virion and Roxas's eyes widened in shock while Cherche tilted her head in confusion before taking another look at the Heartless. While their clothing sported the usual colourings of the Heartless, there was no mistaking the armour they were wearing. Ylissean Pegasus Knight armour.
"So this is where they went after seeing them in Ferox." Roxas said between gritted teeth. "Cordelia! No matter what, we need to take them down! Can you do it?" Cordelia looks at Roxas before glancing back at the dark figures. A swell of emotions ran within her, but one emotion soared higher than the others. Anger. Anger at seeing the Heartless parade about in the bodies of her sisters, holding their hearts trapped. Gritting her teeth, Cordelia brings out her tome and lets loose with a blast of thunder, striking into several and destroying one. Roxas simple smirks at Cordelia before bringing his own bow up.
It was time to free some hearts.
"Is it me, or shouldn't we have encountered something by now?" Gaius asks as the group of eight walk through the empty halls of the fort. "Dunno about you guys, but this is starting to feel like a wild duck chase."
"You can say that after we have searched the fort on all levels." Lon'qu reprimands as he walks alongside him, eyes scanning the walls. Gaius sighs heavily before continuing on while Sora, Kairi and Olivia lead the group. Miriel and Naminé walked in the middle as Vaike stayed near them. So far, they had not encountered a single Heartless or Risen, and yet there were fresh signs of someone, or something, being here. But who it was, they did not know. Until the sudden echo of steel hitting steel echoed throughout the halls.
"Someone's already here! Come one!" Sora cries before charging forward, with the others close behind. The sound of battle drew closer as they turned a corner, finding the blue-haired mercenary fighting against several Risen and Heartless. But the most curious thing about him was how he was fighting with a constant smile on his face. One of the Risen takes a swing at him, only for him to duck underneath.
"Not today!" He says before bringing his sword up, slicing the Risen in two before staring down at his remaining foes. "Who wants to dance next?" Before his opponents could even move in response, several balls of fire and light, along with some arrows, rained down upon them, returning them to dark smoke. The Mercenary blinks a few times before turning around to see his helpers, eyes slightly enlarging at the slight of the Shepherds.
"You okay?" Kairi asks as the group walk up to him. The mercenary nods as he awkwardly shifts about on the spot. "That's good. But what are you doing here by yourself anyway? Weren't you told how dangerous it is here?" The mercenary doesn't reply, only standing still while constantly looking around, avoiding eye contact while blushing. Eventually, it just got too much.
"S-Stop staring, please!" He says in an embarrassed tone as he looks away. The group looked at each other, bewildered by the sudden outburst, although the way he said it sounded a bit too much like a particular dancer they know. Oliva certainly thought so as she felt the group's collective gaze on her.
"W-Why are you staring at me?!" She asks in a similar embarrassed tone before noticing a peculiar ring on a string around the merc's neck. She gasps silently before looking at her left hand, her wedding ring still on her finger, and yet it was hanging around his neck. "H-How do you have my ring when I'm wearing it?" That got everyone's attention as they looked to see Olivia's ring hanging from the merc's neck. It also seemed to snap him out of his stupor as he held it in his left hand, smiling sadly.
"That is a good question, is it not Olivia?" He says, surprising them by speaking her name. "How does Inigo have your ring when there is only one in the world? Unless… I brought it back from the future."
"Wait, you mean you're like Lucina?" Naminé asks, to which the now identified Inigo nods. "I thought that's why you felt familiar. Your hair and way of talking resembled Virion a lot. And your shyness was an almost replica of Olivia's."
"This is a fine reunion we have, but we should keep moving. The leader of this band will not be slain while we stand here." Lon'qu suddenly interjects, reminding the group of their mission.
"You are right. It was for that very reason I was here anyway." Inigo replies before looking off the side sheepishly. "But while Risen I can handle without a problem, Heartless, on the other hand, are a different dance entirely."
"Well, you're not going to continue on by yourself. Follow us." Sora replies shortly before moving on down the hall. But there was one thing Olivia had to ask her future son.
"So, can you dance, Inigo?" Inigo's smile seemed to grow even wider at the question as he looked at his mother, stating that he could dance very well. Even more so, in his search to find her, he looked for every dancer he came across, who gave him several new ideas. Olivia beamed at her son, asking him to show some of his moves when they were done, only for him to say that it would be too embarrassing for him and asked that she show him one of her dances. In turn, Olivia refused, saying that it would be embarrassing for her, leaving only a very uncomfortable silence amongst the group.
Needless to say, it was an embarrassing situation for all of them.
Cordelia could not contain the anger she was feeling. Before her, cloaked in shadows and with that detestable emblem on her chest, her fellow knight sisters were charging at her from all angles. Sure, Virion and Roxas had managed to free some on them, and Cherche had managed to divert several, but these three were different. Even now, she could still remember seeing them, their eyes pleading her to leave as they charged to their deaths.
She was not going to let them suffer any longer.
Gritting her teeth, Cordelia charged at her former sisters, lancer glistening in the setting sun. The Heartless reacted in kind, charging at Cordelia in the Triangle formation. It was a dreaded attack to a regular soldier, nigh unblockable or avoidable. But Cordelia was no stranger to said attack. She even knew how to avoid it. Moving slightly to the right, the lead Heartless flies past her harmlessly, while the Heartless on the far left found it difficult to change the direction of their mount in time. As for the third one, if it had a face, it would be in sudden surprise as Cordelia ran her spear threw her former sister.
Not even letting go, Cordelia grabbed her tome from her waist and blasted the Heartless with a blast of thunder, destroying it. She could swear she briefly saw her fellow knight, smiling in acceptance for a moment, before turning her gaze to the remaining two. They were already charging at her, only for an arrow of light to suddenly shoot up from the ground and hit the wing of one of the knights, sending it colliding into the other. Taking the chance, Cordelia charged up electrical energy in her book, her eyes narrowing on the two riders as a single tear fell from her eyes.
Closing her eyes at the last second, she unleashed the charged spell at the two, the magic coming out like a river of electricity rather than an orb. The two Heartless didn't even have a chance to move before being caught in the stream until nothing remained. Opening her eyes, Cordelia took a moment to look around, seeing only her and Cherche flying in the skies as Virion and Roxas waved at them from below. Then, sighing to herself, Cordelia motioned her horse to glide to the ground along with Cherche before dismounting. All the while, an empty feeling gnawed in her chest.
"Cordelia, are you alright?" Cherche asks while placing a hand on her shoulder. Cordelia looks at her before shaking her head, emoting running amok.
"I don't know what I'm feeling… I should be happy that they are no longer being used as puppets, yet I feel sad seeing them die again. Then there is this anger gnawing away at me for what caused their deaths in the first place and abandoning them when I should have been with them. I just… don't know anymore…."
"What you're feeling is something anyone would feel, Cordelia. I certainly did." The three turned their gaze to Roxas in surprise, the look of guilt evident in his eyes. "You all know by now how me and Xion were working for an evil organization against our wills, right? Well, there is more to it…." He takes a deep breath before looking at the setting sun. "At one point, just before we managed to escape, Xion and I… were forced into a fight to the death with each other…."
"What?" The Archaeans ask. Roxas had to hide an internal wince. Sure they told them about what they did, but they decided against telling them about Nobodies and Unversed. They were giving them more than a headache just from Xehanort's scheme alone.
"Yeah. It was…hard." Roxas winces before looking back at them. "Even though we were siblings, we were forced into a situation in which only one of us could live. We both survived in the end, but Xion was severely wounded. It took just over a year for her to recover." Not including that she actually DID die, and we all forgot about her! Roxas internally screams before shaking his head. "Then there was another case in which Sora and I thought. Yeah, hard to believe, right?"
"How is that? The two of you are extremely close, so how-?" Virion asks, perplexed. From the time they have been together, they could see the close bonds between Sora, Roxas, Xion and Ventus. To think that they had been at each other's throats was unthinkable!
"Well, let's just say I wasn't in the happiest of moods at the time." Roxas says glumly before looking back at Cordelia. "The point is, I know what you're feeling, Cordelia. But the one thing you must remember is not to let those feelings dictate your path. This might sound harsh from me, but the best thing to do is accept it, and move on. Besides, as long as you remember their memories, they aren't entirely gone, right?" Cordelia looked at him for a few seconds before a sad smile formed on her face while she wiped away a lone tear.
"I had planned to do that anyway. Thank you for reminding me about that, Roxas." Roxas nods in reply before turning to look at the fort. They had managed to fend off the Heartless on the outside, but what was happening on the inside?
Just like on the outside, everything was quiet on the inside. The group of nine walked through the fort, expecting more attacks from the Heartless and Risen, and yet nothing. But still, they could feel a dark presence growing above them, hovering like a dark cloud. Along with the sense of unwavering allegiance. It sends shivers down their spines. Soon enough, they reach the central room from where the presence originates, an old ornate door blocking the way.
The group looked to Gaius, who was already looking over the door before he looked back at them, shaking his head. The door wasn't locked. Nodding at this, Sora and Vaike walked forward before readying themselves to open it. With a quick glance, the two open the door, surprised at how easy it opened, although in Vaike's case, his door fell on the hinges before crashing to the floor. But inside the room awaited a single person.
He is wearing a deep purple robe with golden trim and a hood over his head. His stomach is bare and his face visible, but his skin was a pale lilac colour, his beard a boneish white, and his eyes empty and void. And on his forehead is the Heartless Emblem, but warped in a way that it seemed to be joining another. The man's look disturbed the group as they entered slowly, the dark aura around him gathering in strength.
"Who are you?" The person asks in a zombie-like voice. "Compatriots of Celica?"
"What are you talking about? Queen Celica has been dead for ages." Lon'qu states while tightening the grip on his katana. There was something significantly off this person, the Emblem on his head non withstanding.
"You cannot fool me. You come seeking to end Lord Duma, servants of Celica!" The man yells while a deep black book with a skull on it appears in his hand. "Your persistence in ignoring Duma's teaching will be your downfall! Spirits of the earth, head my call!" No sooner does he utter those words dose the room begins to shake violently, sending all to the ground. Even outside, Roxas and Virion were thrown to the ground by the sudden quake while Cordelia and Cherche flew in the air, confused and shocked at the sudden shake. Inside, the group of nine slowly rose to their feet, just as the man opened up his book as dark energy formed around it.
"Die!" Soon a skull formed from the mist, with blue orbs of fire circling around it and shot straight towards the group. Naminé barely had enough time to conjure a barrier with her staff before it hit, protecting them from the dark magic. The moment she drops the wall, Gaius and Vaike unleash two arrows on the man, only for him to seemingly warp out of the way as the arrow shoot through empty air.
Miriel saw him appear to their right and unleashed a stream of fire at him, only for him to conjure up his own barrier to block the flames. Seeing he was distracted, Sora, Kairi, Lon'qu, Olivia and Inigo took the opportunity and rushed him from the side. However, he noticed the five approaching him as he soon conjured another barrier, seemingly made of dark red dragon scales, which managed to block Sora and Kairi's strikes, much to their shock.
Lon'qu, Olivia and Inigo decided to attack from his left as they ran past Miriel, still unleashing a torrent of flame at the man. However, by the time he turned to look at them, his eyes distracted by Sora and Kairi, it was too late as Lon'qu's blade had sliced through his arm holding his staff, followed by Olivia cutting off the arm holding the tome and Inigo finishing him off by slicing him across the chest. Finally, the force of Inigo's blade forced the man back, right into Sora's sword, finally ending the man.
"Duma's blessings…be upon us…." So are his final words before fading into darkness as the presence evaporates until nothing is left. All the while, the group looked at each other confused.
"Who was that guy? And why was he going on about Duma and Celica?" Sora asks Lon'qu, who seemed to be looking at the book left behind in disgust before turning to leave.
"It is best if we ask Virion. He is more knowledgeable on what happened than I am."
Meanwhile, in a vast throne room draped in red sits a man of large stature. Draped in glistening red heavy armour, with a crow of red that looked more like pointing horns, his eyes are closed while his white hair trails behind him. At his side is a curved red blade called Sol, while on his right, embedded in the ground, is a large red axe, the edge taking up half of the shaft while coloured like the dark of knight. He leaned his head on his hand as he looked over his Generals and Maleficent, his gaze unhappy.
"So, you mean to tell me that our Ylissean force has been defeated, but the Ylissean League has also landed in our port? Furthermore, there have been reports of the Heartless fighting alongside our forces?" The man's voice was deep and foreboding while an oppressive sense of annoyance dripped through his words. His Generals, barring Yen'fay and Maleficent, quietly shook under the gaze, although Pete's bones could be heard audible shaking.
"E-Emperor Walhart! I assure you that we have not told our men to rely on the Heartless!" Excellus exclaims in fear. He may boast of having unrivalled prowess in fire magic, but even HE would not last a second against Walhart. "You have made it clear that you have no intentions of us to use them! But can we say the same of the witch!" He points his finger towards Maleficent, who seemed very calm despite the situation.
"Lord Walhart, I assure you that I have not sent any Heartless. After all, it was one of the deals we made when I offered my assistance. They may be mere stragglers from Gangrel, taking advantage of those in your army with weak hearts."
"Then they will always be weak." Walhart says as he stands from his throne. "I had not made it this far with help from the gods, nor from powers of Darkness! All will bow before the might of man alone! See to it that all are informed! Any caught attempting to use the Heartless will be dealt with by me. Personally!" With that declaration, he leaves the hall while his Generals quietly leave. All the while, Excellus secretly fumed.
That overgrown idiotic lobster! Who does he think he is!? The power of the Heartless will allow us to realise our goals all the more! He shakes his head to calm his breathing before turning to glance outside. Besides, it is already done. I should give thanks to Maleficent for telling me who to summon them. Soon, I will be the ruler of Valm! All will kneel before me! I just need to wait for my opportunity… It will come. It always does. He silently cackles to himself before leaving for his own quarters, unaware that a particular pair of eyes watched him go with disdain.
"Are you certain about this?" Virion asks in shock. The group had just reunited some minutes ago and had just exchanged stories. While Virion recovered from the shock of finding out he had a son from the future, the others talked about the enemies they had just faced. But, baring the Pegasus knights, to which all were thankful they had been laid to rest in a manner of speaking, what mainly drew their attention was the man in the room. The fact he was talking about Duma did not help in the slightest until Virion snapped out of his stupor.
"We are certain. We heard him as clear as you that he was going on about something called 'Duma'. Lon'qu said you would probably know more about it." Virion looks at Kairi with narrow eyes before sighing to himself.
"It is not widely known, but there are rumours of what happened during Alm and Celica's time. In those days, the divine dragon Mila ruled over the south of Valm, while Duma, another dragon, ruled over the north. But in time, their age led them to madness and eventually ruination until King Rudolf took action. Because of him, the path was set for Mila and Duma to be freed of their madness, even if it led to their deaths. But there was a sect of people who would have rather seen Duma continue to live. The Duma Faithful."
"Duma Faithful?" Sora echoes with suspicion. This is the first they have heard of this organisation, though it wouldn't have been a surprise considering how long ago they were talking about it.
"Why yes. As the name implies, they were faithful to Duma, fanatically even. To the point, they gave up their very lives to become mindless enslaved people and servants to him. It is possible you had encountered one of them, brought back from the dead as a Risen or Heartless."
"I don't think someone can be brought back from the dead as a Heartless…." Naminé says with reluctance. "But, he DID have the Heartless emblem on him, or rather, some form of it. It was joined with some other symbol."
"Grima's symbol." The group turn to look and Inigo, his eyes narrow. "The emblem you saw was part of Grima's symbol. In our time, all of the Risen and Heartless bore that symbol. It haunts my dreams even to this day."
"Is it possible he came from the future, same as you?" Cherche asks with wide eyes. Inigo hums for a bit before saying that he has no idea. Either way, it was not a good sign.
"We can discuss this more with Chrom and the others back in the port." Sora says before walking towards the valley path. "Come one, let's head back." The group nodded in confirmation, but Inigo had other ideas. He stated that he had some busy to do in a nearby village, apparently having tea with some village girl. But Virion was not having it, so he took his son by the arm and started dragging him down the path, much to his son's annoyance and Olivia's amusement.
Maybe some things would work out after all.
You didn't think Yen Sid and the others would sit around while Luxu ran around kidnapping the Princess of Heart? Also, Walhart refuses to use the Heartless, due to his views. But that doesn't mean that someone else would use them behind his back.