Apologies for the wait on this chapter. Had to take PC in for repairs. (Who knew that trying to upgrade the graphics card would cause the mother board to throw a fit .)
Chapter 25: Awakening
It was a sight no one wanted to see. A nightmare made real. And yet there was no denying what was before them. Grima, returned in all his glory, with Kingdom Hearts hovering behind him. His shadow falling over them like a dark cloud, lightning striking all around. And his roar echoing across the land, promising death and despair to whether he goes.
"Grima…he's back…" Omoide mutters in muted horror, the visage of Grima hovering over the ruins of the Dragon Table brining memories back of the fall of Ylisstol Castle.
"The demon who destroyed our world, and would see countless others fall under his wings." Gerome adds, a growl emerging from his voice. The other time-travellers shared Gerome's opinion, Kitai most of all as his hand could be heard tightening on his spear.
"What happened in the Table? Where are Chrom and the others?" Sumia asks, worry seeping into her voice. If Grima had appeared, then it could only point to one outcome in the Table. Something that she could only pale at the thought of. She knew that the others shared her thoughts, as they scanned the ruins before them, looking for anything.
Then, a piece of rubble began to move. Slowly at first, before it was quickly pushed over by two pairs of hands. Smoke and dust blocks the view, as two figures slowly make their way out of the hole. One of who caught everyone by surprise.
"Dang, that makes the second time I've been buried under rocks. Did I do something in a past life to deserve this?" Basilio asks, dusting off chalk from his arm as Zack walks beside him, shaking his hair free of dirt. Zack was about to answer him, before they both noticed the Shepherds and Guardians standing before them, shock plastered on their faces. "What are you all staring at?" Basilio asks jovially at the group before him.
"Khan Basilio? We thought you had been slain." Lon'qu asks, breaking the stunned silence. Basilio laughs cheerfully before walking up to his former champion and slamming his hand on his shoulder.
"A story for another day, Lon'qu. But for now, I think we should get moving. Don't you think so Chrom?!" Basilio yells back, causing all present to turn their eyes to the hole as Chrom emerges. Supported by Lucina and Robin, he makes his way out of the hole as everyone looks on with joyous relief.
"Father!" Morgan and Cynthia cry as they slam into their respective parents. Chrom and Robin stumble slightly at the impact, before return the embrace. The joyous atmosphere only grew, as soon after Sora and Kairi emerged with Caelum and Oceania by their sides. But it was the ones after them that caused the most surprise.
"Lady Emmeryn!?" Several people gasp in shock, as the ones believed Exalt emerged from the rubble with nary a scratch, followed closely by the other Princess of Heart, with Lissa, Terra, Owain, Lea, Say'ri and Honō. "How—?" Frederick begins, before suddenly falling to one knee, head low. "Lady Emmeryn. Forgive me for my failure as a knight that day." Emmeryn smiles at him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Peace, Frederick. For there is nothing to forgive." She says softly before glancing up at everyone gathered. "I know what you are wondering, but the tale of my survival will have to wait. Grima's return must be stopped."
"But how did he revive anyway?" Kitai asks, his eyes glaring at the Fell Dragon above them as Grima slowly fly's away towards the ocean. Surprisingly, his answer came from Lucina as she released a distressed sigh.
"Kitai, he followed us here. From the future." She reveals with a heavy heart. "Using Robin's body as an avatar, he followed us back from the future to prevent our actions from stopping his awakening. And while we succeeded, he instead used the power gathered here to recover the strength he lost when he made the travel." Kitai and the other future children's eyes widen in shock and horror, apart from Gerome due to his mask yet the grim frown on his face told all. It never crossed their minds or Naga's that Grima would follow them into the past!
"But what about the Fire Emblem?" Riku asks with narrow eyes. "Chrom is still alive, so he can still preform the awakening, right?" Chrom gives a heavy sigh as he looks to Riku with a grimace.
"I can. But the Fire Emblem was tied to an alter inside the Dragon Table. And with it collapsed, it would be buried under a pile of rock. Assuming that the falling rubble did not damage or destroy it." The moment the words left his lips, it was as through all hope had been sucked out of the Shepherds. Without the Fire Emblem, Chrom could not preform the Rite. And without the Rite, he would not have the strength to defeat Grima, let alone seal him away.
"Are you talking about, THIS Fire Emblem?" A voice suddenly speaks to their right. Looking over, they are met by the Master of Masters once again stepping out of the shadows like a phantom, holding the Fire Emblem in his hands, missing all but one Gemstone. Like the veteran warriors they were, the Guardians not in the know instantly went for their weapons at the sight of him. "Do we HAVE to go through this every. Single. TIME I show up!" He shouts exasperated to the sky as Riku and the others arch their brows at him. With a shake of his head, he tosses the shield over to Chrom, who caches it before turning on his heels. "Anyway, you go and head to you-know-where. I've got something else to do. So much for having an awesome moment." He quietly mumbles the last part before vanishing into a Dark Portal, leaving a very confused audience behind, apart from Emmeryn, who shakes her head gently with a fond smile.
"Can someone explain to me what is going on?" Elsa asks as she and the other Princesses of Heart stare at Grima's vanishing form.
"I think its best we return to Ylisse before we explain everything. Right Chrom?" Sora replies, looking at Chrom.
"Yes, I agree." He replies with a nod before turning around. "We have a lot to explain, and I'd would rather we did so in safety."
The journey back to Ylisse was not an easy one. With Grima's revival, sightings of Heartless-Risen had begun to rise in worrying frequency. Any villages and small towns without walls had been quickly abandoned as the peoples rushed for the safety of walls. But such security would not last as long as Grima continued to live.
And so it was that the city of Ylisse had became a fortress of light, its walls glistening as soldiers watched in constant wariness for any sighs of the Risen. While deep in the castle, Chrom was deep in strategy with his trusted friends.
"Have there been any sightings of Grima since he revived?" He asks with narrow eyes, gazing over the map. While it was vital they needed to preform the rite, it would not matter if they did not find where Grima had vanished too.
"The last sightings we have of him point him towards the ocean between us and Valm." Frederick replies, pointing to a large island not far from Plegia's coast. "It is possible he has fled to this island. As for why, we do not know."
"I think we can guess on that." Sora speaks up with arms folded. "If Grima went to all that trouble just to get his real body back, then its safe to say that he's not a full strength yet. That's probably why he hasn't attacked us yet or summoned enough Heartless to swarm over us."
"A waiting game, one that we would lose in the long run." Chrom surmises with a frown. "Not what we need."
"All the more reason for us to head to Mount Prism." Emmeryn suddenly says, pointing to a mountain range to the east of Ylisse. "There is a shrine located at the peak of the mountain. It is said that the first of our line conversed with Naga and received her blessing from there." She glances up to Chrom with a heavy look in her eyes. "Chrom. You must preform the Awakening there. Its is the only place."
"A small hope is better than none." He replies, before glancing at the Fire Emblem. He frowns as he looks at the four empty slots while the last of the stones, Sable, glistens silently in its home. "But without the other four stones, it will be impossible."
"You mean these four Chrom?" Basilio speaks up, holding a small bag in his hand. With a grin, he opens its up to reveal the other four Gemstones. Safe and untouched. "Remember what I said back in the Table? That how they were switched with fakes? Well here you go." Holding the bag out to Chrom, he smiles with gratitude before taking the bag from Basilio.
"You really did plan for everything, didn't you Robin?" Chrom asks the ash-haired friend, who shrugs his shoulders with a grin. Those around him chuckle at his reaction as Chrom reinserts the Gemstones back into the Fire Emblem, feeling the strength surging into him like a gentle breeze in spring.
"Before we leave, what shall we do with Ariel and the others?" Kairi asks. "We can't take them with us. That would only help Grima. And we can't send them home until Grima is defeated, if we can even send them home that is."
"Our best bet for now is to have them stay here." Robin replies, glancing to the map. "Ylisstol won't be easy to conquer, and with how week Grima is at the moment the men he will be able to deal with the Heartless-Risen without us."
"Time is against us as well." Tiki speaks up with a worried look. "Grima also knows about the Awakening. It is all but certain he will send his minions to the shrine to deny us its power."
"All the more reason for us to leave now." Chrom agrees, before looking to his sister. "Emm, can I ask you to stay and look out for the people?" Emmeryn smiles at him with her glowing warmth, a sisterly love that Chrom and Lissa thought they would never see again.
"Of course Chrom. Leave everything here to me." She replies, lifting a weight from Chrom's shoulders. Glancing back to his friends, Chrom gives out the order.
"Gather the Shepherds and Guardians. We make for Mount Prism."
Harsh winds blow over the mountain peaks, as the waves of the ocean crash on the shores bellow. Small bits of shrubbery dot the sandy plans, as at the centre stands a vast volcano. Its fires long since extinguished. All around, Heartless-Risen prowl and crawl, searching for any signs of life as a great shadow looms over them all.
For hovering above them was Grima, Kingdom Hearts shining above him like a illuminating light. Standing on the nape of the serpents neck, 'Robin' looks over his newly acquired domain with a gleam in his eyes. They island was already abandoned by the time he arrived, and was not covered in his Darkness. And soon the entire world will fall to him and his conquest of the stars would begin.
"Lord Grima, we bring news." Aversa reports as she and 'Luxu' appear behind him. He turns to look at her, his blood red eyes drilling into her. "I'm afraid your fears were right. Chrom has survived as is heading to Mount Prism with the Fire Emblem. He intends to complete the Awakening." Grima looks at her for a few more seconds before turning his back to her.
"That is to be expected. But even with the Awakening, they will still have no chance in defeating me." He holds his hand out as Darkness swarms around his arm. "With the power of the X-Blade in my hands, nothing will stand in my way." He summons the corrupted blade to his hand, his face reflecting in the blade.
"Even so, I think its best you send some of the boys over there. Never hurts to be safe, right?" 'Luxu' asks wearingly. Ever since Grima had recovered his body he had the sudden urge to stay away from his avatar. Not that he could understand why, but following his instincts is what got him this far so he would be a fool to ignore them now.
"Hmmm…" Grima ponders on 'Luxu's' words as he gazes out to the ocean. Purple meteors continue to rain down from above, splashing into the ocean. "You make a convincing argument." He admits, turning his eyes to the mainland. "It never hurts to keep an eye on ones foes. And I know just the ones to send." He points the X-Blade towards the sky, unleashing a beam of Darkness towards the clouds. Soon, a black portal forms beneath the clouds as four figures emerged from within, three of whom where on Pegasus's and the fourth on the back of a Wyvern. With his Heartless-Risen emblem emblazed on their chests, the four figures fly towards Grima.
Aversa and 'Luxu' stare on with wide eyes as the figures stop before Grima, a proud smirk forming on his lips.
"You four, find any Risen in the area around Mount Prism, and make for the summit. Once you do, block it off and prevent Chrom or any of his friends from entering the shrine." The four riders nod their heads obediently, before vanishing into corridors of Darkness. "I wonder how they will like the welcoming I've sent them?" Grima wonders aloud before laughing to the skies as his dragon form roars.
A gentle breeze blows over the rolling hills as trees sway back and forth. Smooth grass rises from the ground as the sky shines with little clouds. A vast rainbow hovers overhead as a mountain rises into the sky, snow-capped as the soft grey stones cascade down to the mountain range its erupts from.
This was Mount Prism.
Compared to the harsh deserts of Plegia, the cool air of the Mount was a welcome change for the Guardians and the Shepherds. More so for Xion and the flyers, as they soared above in the cloudless skies. The peaceful vista before them betraying any sense of impending doom at Grima's hands.
"Cynthia! Don't fly on to far ahead!" Gaia calls out as she chases after the errant knight, her laughter echoing around them. "You never know if you'll run into an ambush!"
"Come on Gaia!" Cynthia calls back, face full of a smile. "Nothing Grima can throw at us will stop us now that father is alive!" Gaia shakes her head exasperated as she chases after her friend as Sumia and the other watch on.
"That daughter of mine…you would think she would be more attentive at a time like this…" Sumia says with a small smile as she fly next to Xion.
"Well, you can't really blame her. This place is rather peaceful. And beautiful." Xion points out as a flight of birds pass them by. "I wouldn't be surprised is Naminé or her daughter started drawing the moment we got here." Sumia nods her head at Xion, her gaze falling to the group bellow them. They had just moved into a forest that climbs up the mountain, before reaching a flat plain while a river rushes down past on the right. But as Sumia's eyes gaze over the flower covered field, her gaze narrows as the outline of figures emerges. A feeling of dread falls over her as she glances to Xion, her eyes locked on the suspicious figures in the fields. "I think we have company."
"Yeah…" Xion turns to look at Cordelia and Cherche only to see the two diving down to the tree tops, most likely to inform Chrom and the ithers of the suspicious figures up ahead. So, she turns her head to Gaia, eyes widening as she see the two getting close to the tree line. "Gaia! Cynthia! Come back now!" She calls out as she and Sumia chase after the two.
Gaia and Cynthia halt at hearing Xion's cry, wondering what it was that caused her to call to them. The where suddenly thankful that they did stop as a torrent of lightning shot down right in front of them seconds later as it slams into the ground. The two fly back, startled by the sudden attack as Sumia and Xion catch up to them.
"Are you two alright?" Sumia asks, hand reaching for her staff as she looks over the two. Seeing no injuries on them, she breaths a sigh of relief before her face turns serious. "Where did that attack come from?" She and Xion glance up to where the blast came from, seeing four figures flying high with the sun to their backs.
"Sumia!" Cordelia calls out as she and Cherche join up. "We saw the attack! Is everything alright?"
"We're okay! That blast missed Gaia and Cynthia." Xion replies, her gaze not leaving the figures above them as she shields her eyes from the sun. "Can't tell who or what did it though…"
"Well, either way that have been naughty children for attacking us unprovoked." Cherche replies, resting her axe on her shoulder. "I'd say we teach them a very painful lesson."
"No arguments from me. No one attacks my daughter and gets away with it." Sumia replies, tightening her grip on Wing Spear. The girls around her nod in agreement, with Cordelia reading an Arcthunder as Xion prepared an Arcice.
That was until the four figures descended down to their level, draining the colour from their faces as their opponents revealed themselves.
"It's been clear so far." Sora comments as the Shepherds and Guardians make their way through the forest. "No sign of any Risen, Heartless or Bandits."
"I don't think we will have to worry about any of them." Kairi says, passing her hand through some blades of grass. "You can feel the aura through every blade of grass, from every leaf."
"I fear I don't share your optimism." Tiki replies with a frown. "Remember, we found Grima's spawn inside one of Naga's temples before. It is very likely we will encounter more here." She looks up, gazing at the trees as they sway above them as she feels Robin taking her hand with his. Without even thinking she tightened her grip, her subconscious reeling from how close she was to losing him to Grima. What did the her of Lucina's future fare when she learned of her Robin's fate? Did she fall to despair or did she resolve to free him from the prison he was entrapped in? While she could never ask her, she already knew what she would do.
The sound of wings flapping brought her out from her thoughts as Cordelia and Cherche soon landed before them. "Lord Chrom, we have spotted suspicious figures on the plains beyond the forest." Cordelia reports. "We haven't identified them yet, but we can only assume that they are not friendly."
"I see. This complicates things." Chrom mumbles as he places a hand over his mouth. But before he could speak, a sudden explosion of lightning erupted not far ahead of them. The flash of light snatching everyone's attention towards it as the roar of thunder washes over them. "What was that!?"
"An attack?!" Robin question aloud, before suddenly gripping his head in pain. He would have fallen to his knees from the sudden spike if not for Tiki and Morgan holding him up. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished. But not without leaving Robin aware of what had caused it. "Chrom, I know what's waiting for us! Grima has sent some of his minions here to stop us!"
"How is that possible? This is holy ground!" Lucina questions with wide eyes.
"I don't know, but somehow I could sense them. Must be from Grima's blood in my veins…" Robin replies with a grimace. Even now knowing that he had Grima's blood in him wanted to make him vomit.
"We can worry about that later. Right now, we need to get to the shrine before Grima can destroy it." Chrom orders before turning back to Cordelia and Cherche. "You two head back to Sumia and the others. Deal with any Risen flyers and keep an eye out for any Snipers on the ground. We will deal with the ones on the plain."
"Understood Chrom." Cordelia replies as she and Cherche fly back to the sky.
"Let's move people!" Chrom shouts, motioning forward with his hand. Leading the Shepherds and Guardians through the trees, they soon found themselves at the start of the plain. Some hills rose with sporadic clumps of trees while several stone ruins dotted the land. A large river flowed by them, but what had their eyes were the foes before them.
A horde of Risen roughly fifty strong, waiting for them.
"Not as much as I thought there was, going by Robin's reaction." Riku comments offhandedly. He was expecting at least a large horde waiting for them, but the small force before them looked easy to manage.
"Like as not they are not here to defeat us, but rather to stop us." Frederick replies with a frown, his hands gripping on his weapons. "They must be here to destroy the shrine!"
"We can't let that happen! Without the shrine, father won't be able to preform the awakening!" Lucina cries with alarm. Chrom looks at his future daughter, seeing the alarm in her eyes. But before he could speak, something else more pressing interrupted them with.
With heavy thuds as they slammed into the ground, Gaia and Cynthia crash right before them with wounds over their arms and mounts.
"Gaia/Cynthia!" Chrom and Riku cry before rushing over to them. "Who did this?" Riku asks with anger behind his voice as he cradles Gaia in his arms, Akeru joining him. Gaia lets out a groan as she opens her eyes before looking up, eyes widening in shock.
"Look out." She weekly shouts as a blast of ice races towards them. Thankfully, a blast of fire from Miriel blocked the strike, but not before a figure darted through the smoke towards Chrom and Cynthia.
Reacting on instinct, Ricken and Aqua send a torrent of wind and water towards the attacker, forcing them to avoid and take to the sky. The moment they did though, everyone's blood ran cold. For flying above them, with faded golden armour covered in blood and arrows sticking out of their chest was…
"Sumia!?" Chrom shouts in horror, seeing his wife hovering above them as a Heartless-Risen. "How could this happen!?" The Risen Sumia stares at them blankly before motioning her dead mount to charge. Only for a flash of white to slam into it, forcing the creature back.
"Stay away from my family!" The real Sumia yells as she engages her fallen shadow. Chrom looks on with relief in his eyes, before narrowing in anger and thought. His eyes fall to the Risen in the plains, shambling their way towards them.
"Chrom! The Risen know we're here! That attack alerted them!" Robin shouts as he readies a Mjolnir
"Blast! Lissa, Naminé! Tend to Cynthia and Gaia! The rest, engage the Risen!" Chrom shouts as he draws Falchion. There would be no time for fancy strategy this time. As they awaited for the charging Risen to crash against them, Chrom's gaze wandered to the sky, locking onto Sumia as she fought against her dark double. "What is going on?"
If you were to ask her what she felt right now, Xion wouldn't be able to tell you. She was no stranger to weird situations, her time in the original Organization XIII and 'death' as prime examples. Then was her time as, again, an unwilling puppet at the Keyblade Graveyard. And even that was topped by their time here in Archanea. At this point, she thought nothing else would be able to surprise her.
At least, she thought so. Until she found herself fighting against an older version of herself. As a Heartless-Risen!
"Take this!" She shouts, sending a blast of ice towards her shadow, only for the Risen Xion to barrel-roll away. As she did, a Risen Cherche came darting forward, the blood coated silver axe in her hand ready to fall on Xion. Only to be blocked by the real Cherche as she pushes her away. A quick glance to her left and she could see Cordelia engaging her own Risen counterpart, keeping her away from Sumia as she chased after her own back into the sky around them.
The quick glance also afforded her a chance to look at Riku and the others on the ground. The Risen had charged against them the moment Gaia and Cynthia had crashed to the ground after the two were struck by a blast of thunder from Risen Cordelia. She flet her blood boil as she heard her daughters scream in her ears. At least she could see she was being tended too by Naminé, and they were now safely surrounded by the others.
A blast of cold air near her head reminded her about her own fight as she moved away to avoid her Risen counterpart's strikes. Locking eyes wither her foe again, she felt a cold sweat drip down her back as she gazed into the soulless red and yellow eyes. Seeing her own face like that, her long hair a mess along with a cut along her check and forehead made her feel nauseous. Not helped by the arrows sticking out of her chest and leg.
Shaking the feelings away, Xion unleashed a blast of fire this time, forcing her foe to fly up. It was like fighting a mirror in this fight as she began to feel exhaustion creeping up on her. Then she saw the Risen Sumia and Cordelia move to Risen Xion's sides, the three of them glowing the light of a Triangle Attack.
"No! Even in death, we are still capable of that?!" Cordelia asks with wide eyes as she and Sumia join Xion.
"We have to counter with our own! If we don't, they could slam into Chrom and the others below us." Sumia points out as Cherche joins them. Her own shadow flying in front of the Risen Pegasi riders. "Cherche, clear us a path!"
"With pleasure." Cherche replies as she engages once again with her double. As the two fly off, their mounts scratching and biting at each other, the pegasi riders ready their own Triangle attack. With experience honed through countless battle, the trio dash forward, Xion in the lead with Sumia on her right and Cordelia on the left. Their duplicates attack with their own Triangle attack, mirroring them as they clash once again.
The two attacks cancel out against each other, forcing the riders away from each other. While Xion and the others struggled to regain their footing, Risen Xion and Risen Cordelia readied themselves to strike. Only for Risen Sumia to put her bloody spear before them, blocking their path.
"No…Mission...fail…Return to…Lord Grima…" Risen Sumia speaks, her voice distorted and broken. The other two look at her, before glancing to the ground. Bellow them, the Risen thay had brought had been soundly defeated by Chrom and the others. But that was to be expected with so little Risen they had. Not enough to overwhelm them. With reluctance, the two turn around and flee through a dark portal, Risen Sumia and Risen Cherche following them shortly after.
"Running away? How unsightly." Cherche comments as the four of them look to where the portal was, before Xion and Sumia took to the ground. Heading straight to where Gaia and Cynthia had crashed.
"Gaia!" Xion cries as she lands nearby, looking as Naminé watches over the injured knight. Leaping from her Pegasus, Xion rushed over to her before wrapping her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe. When I saw you and Cynthia take those hits…"
"I'll live, Mom." Gaia replies, still weak but better than how she was when she landed. Instead, her eyes were locked on the ground in shame. "I'm just sorry I couldn't do anything in that fight…" Naminé looks between the two, eyes dancing with a question as Xion sighs deeply.
"We can talk about that, AND tell the others when you are full rested." She picks her up bridal style before glancing around. The Shepherds and Guardians, those who stayed anyway as Chrom and some others left for the shrine, were busy setting up tents while a few stood watch for any more intrusions. Xion looks over to Sumia, who was looking over Cynthia with worried eyes as the girl was sound asleep.
Where those really us from the future that Grima is using as puppets? If so…how many more of us has he used?
"Chrom, are you sure you want to do this now? Cynthia looked badly hurt back there." Robin asks as he, Tiki, Lucina, Sora, Kairi, Caelum, Oceania and Morgan follow him into the shrine. The shrine had been built into the mountain, as clear blue water flows from marble crafted flows on each side. Arches span the hallway, while at the end, a large statue of Naga, made of marble and white stone, glistened in the back. Untouched by time.
"Believe me, Robin. I would rather stay by her side and see her recover to full health rather than proceed. But the Risen being here could only mean one thing. They wanted to stop us from performing the awakening." Chrom replies with a heavy breath as he glances at the statue. "And while we did beat them back, there's no saying that Grima would not try again. Better to get it done now rather than risk him sending one of his own as we lax our guard."
Those with him couldn't deny Chrom's reasoning. Even Lucina, who felt a little irked that Chrom proceeded on while her own sister was injured. But even so, she knew that this was their only chance of stopping Grima. And besides, she did follow her father in here, so being annoyed would only make her a hypocrite.
"So, how does it work?" Sora asks as he looks around the room. The pristine walls seemed to glow as the air felt lighter than outside.
"It all lies in Chrom's hands." Tiki replies as she watches near the entrance. Chrom looks at her with a nod before walking up to the statue. Holding the Fire Emblem in his left hand aloft, he calls out.
"Hear me, Naga! I bear proof of our sacred covenant! In the name of the exalted blood, I ask for the divine dragon's power! Baptize me in fire, that I may become your true son!"
The moment he stops speaking, blue fire spirals around him before engulfing him in a pillar of fire and light. The group watches with fear as the fire consumes Chrom before fading away. And in its place was a still living Chrom.
"Are you alright, Chrom?" Kairi asks as the group converges on him. He turns around to look at them, breathing deep but physically unscathed. He had survived Naga's fire.
"Be welcomed, Awakener." A heavenly voice echoes around them as a pillar of water erupts from the statue. From the pillar, a tall woman emerges, one whose appearance matches the statue completely as she looks upon them with a gentle smile. "Your heart has been tested and deemed worthy. Cleansed in my fire, your desire has proven to be the stronger." Naga informs Chrom with gentle eyes as the group kneels before her out of respect.
"Lady Naga, please. Will you grant me the power to defeat Grima? The power of a god?" Chrom asks with hope in his voice. Naga looks at him before nodding her head.
"Yes. But know this: I am no god. I am no creator, nor do I posses the powers of making or unmaking. And neither did Grima. Until he acquired the powers of Darkness. Even then, neither of us had the power to destroy the other utterly." Naga's words fell heavy on the group while Sora and Kairi remained silent. They were told by Yen Sid of Grima's origins, but to hear how even Naga's power would not destroy him…
"Then, what power can you grant me?" Chrom asks with desperation. Naga looks at him before closing her eyes with a heavy silence.
"With my blessing, thou may draw forth Falchion's true might. The blade of the exalts shall again strike like the dragon's fang. Your strength will then be my equal."
"But will it be strong enough?" Oceania suddenly says, earning everyone's gaze. "I mean…he's using Dad's heart from the future to use the X-Blade."
"The X-Blade…" Naga says slowly. "So…he did indeed find a way to wield it…" She turns her gaze back to Oceania. "I fear that even with my power, the X-Blade will still give Grima more power than I can give. Unless…" She turns her gaze to Sora. "You fight him with your own."
Sora's eyes widened at Naga's words, but at the back of the mind, he couldn't help but wonder. Could he use it? If what Naga said was true, they needed it for Chrom to land the finishing blow. He hadn't summoned it since they defeated Xehanort all those years ago. He even doubted that he still had it for a moment before dismissing that thought immediately.
Grima was using HIS heart to wield it, so by that logic…
With a calm breath, he holds up his right hand, willing the blade to come to him. A second passes before a golden light illuminates his hand as the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath echoes around them. As the light fades away, Sora opens his eyes to see in his hand, was the X-Blade in all its non-corrupted glory.
"This is what the X-Blade looks like?" Caelum asks as the group, minus Kairi, looks over the blade. Compared to Grima's, Sora's X-Blade not only looked better but radiated a gentle light and warmth that Graim's lacked.
"Yeah." Sora replies. "This is the X-Blade. The weapon I swore to never summon and lock away in my heart. But, if Grima is using the X-Blade to make himself immune, then we will need it." As Sora spoke, Oceania couldn't help but gaze at the blade. More specifically, the two key-like weapons that made up part of the body.
Those…aren't those what Dad's Keyblade is supposed to look like? She glances between them and the sword on Sora's waist before smiling to herself a little. I know that Dad has told us how strong the Keyblades are, but…they just look so strange! She forced herself not to laugh at the strange design of the Keyblade, although now she knew what it was named so.
"Alas, even with both the X-Blade and Falchion, Grima can not be slain." Naga sadly informs with closed eyes. "Just as your ancestor before you and Alm before him, you can only defeat him by sending him to sleep."
"But that's just making our problem someone else's down the path." Caelum points out. "And, who's to say that the next people who have to face him will be strong enough? Or even if one of them can use the X-Blade like Dad?"
"Is there really no way for Grima to be slain?" Lucina asks through gritted teeth. The silence in the room was heavy as they awaited Naga's answer.
"There is, perchance, a power that could end Grima. However… It would be his own."
While the group narrowed their eyes at Naga's words, one of them had his closed in thought.
His own? In that case…
The mood in the Mysterious Tower was grim. Chirithy had recently returned, informing them of what had transpired on Archanea. Children from the future, a mad dragon killing everyone, and foes long fought dead rising again? It was all Yen Sid could do to stop himself from having a headache.
And now, he was still down six Keybladers. While Hayner and the others had put up a valiant fight, 'Luxu' had still managed to gravely injure them in their fights. Not lethal, but enough to remove them from helping in the near future. And he was running out of ideas on what to do next.
"WAK! What's that!" Donald suddenly cries, pointing out the window. Turning in his chair, Yen Sid follows his gaze along with Mickey and Goofy as a new star emerges into the sky. A star he had not seen in ages.
"Gwarsh. Did we see a new world be born?" Goofy asks, scratching the side of his head.
"Not quite, Goof-Troop." A voice suddenly speaks from behind, jolting the free into alert. Behind them was a man dressed in a black coat. But while the four warriors went on the defensive, Chirithy could only stare in shock as the man walked towards them with his hands behind his back. "Have I got a story to tell you."