This chapter contains a very short reference to self-harm. If this is a topic you want to avoid please consider skipping to the note at the bottom of the page, there is a short summary of the chapter there which you can read instead.

Day 287

Night after night the Towers came, growing taller every time. They dwarfed many of the buildings in this hollow city by now. All he seemed to do now was fight and sleep, collapsing wherever he found a safe place at the end of each night. Somehow he had managed to avoid more injuries since he was last taken by Rage, but he was tired to the bone. He didn't think he had ever felt this drained before in his life.

He had learnt the hard way that hiding from the Heartless was pointless. Trying this, and accidentally sleeping too long into the night, had resulted in several of the apartments he had taken refuge in being destroyed. The Heartless would tear through the walls to reach him. He hadn't spent any time searching for a way out in weeks.

The Towers he had fought for the last few nights had managed to herd him towards the crossing he had woken up at so long ago. Whether it had been intentional or not, he hated them even more for forcing him back to this place. As usual, he had been too tired at the end of the fight to move far. Tonight he found himself sitting on a stone in a small rock garden full of sand beside the crossing, facing an empty coffee shop in a tall building across the road.

It was a surprisingly peaceful place to sit tonight, because for some reason the Towers were gone. He waited for hours, trying not to doze off and let them sneak up on him. But they never came.

As the moon peaked in the sky, he almost began hoping that tonight they might not come at all. Maybe tonight he could rest his aching muscles. But when he felt rumbling footsteps, he knew he had been wrong.

He waited for them to come to him, and the footsteps became louder as the ground shook more and more.

Another Darkside, the first he had seen in a long time, emerged from one of the wide roads leading away from the crossing and began its lumbering advance. Why on earth would a single Darkside be all that appeared tonight? He'd fought off a hundred of these, they were nothing compared to the Towers that had stalked him for weeks.

As it came closer though, he realised this one was different. Its claws and feet were blood red, not black, and streaks of orange and yellow flared across its skin, like cracks in a surface that was barely managing to contain what was inside. In the centre of the usually empty heart-shaped hole in its chest was a seething mass of yellow eyes and Shadows.

It charged, faster than any Darkside he had ever seen before and though he was quicker, he wasn't sure if he still had the strength to leap high enough to reach the weak points on its hands. He dashed forwards and attempted the jump onto its closest hand regardless, but It lashed out at him with unbelievable speed. His reflexes were slowed from exhaustion and before he knew what was happening it had him in its grasp, his arms pinned at his sides.

He dismissed his Keyblade and resummoned it at an angle that cut straight through the monster's palm, but it didn't react. He tried to blast it with ice, with fire, lightning, but his spells all missed as he couldn't control their direction. He used the last of his magic and strength to summon a barrier around him, trying to push its hand away. The barrier forced its fingers apart but the Heartless fought back. It gripped tightly and shattered the barrier, clasping Sora in its fist once more, knocking the air out of his lungs.

He couldn't move, his attacks useless against this beast. He didn't know what he could do. The Darkside began moving Sora towards its chest, towards the heart-shaped chasm and the Demon Tide. The Shadows' eyes were slowly turning red, moving apart and revealing a stormy ball of red and black energy at their core. He knew he wouldn't survive being submerged inside and as the Darkside pulled him closer in he knew he had no other option. For a moment he considered not doing it, maybe it would be better to accept his fate rather than change... But he'd promised the others he would make it back to them.

A matching orb of darkness exploded in the giant Darkside's hand, blowing its fist apart, as Rage took Sora once again.

It was over quickly. Rage seemed to contain every ounce of energy Sora had spent fighting off these monsters for over 100 days. It dived forward and tore through the Demon Tide in a single slice of the Keyblade and without this central mass, the Darkside dissolved away as well. Rage had always been a powerful form, but this was far beyond anything Sora and it had done before.

He landed lightly on the road below and watched as the last of the Heartless faded into smoke. Rage had been his ally once again for several seconds, his last resort protector. He wondered for a moment, maybe he was his friend once more?

And then it started again.

Sora doubled over in pain, feeling the burning in his chest, knowing the flames were licking at his body and heart alike.

I knew you would be back Sora. You know this is where you belong

Get out of me! Get out!

He heard a growl coming from his own mouth, a growl of contentment.

But Sora, you need me. You want me here

No! You aren't me, get out, GET OUT!

He tried to summon their faces again, and Rage snarled.

Big mistake.

Rage forced his eyes open again, and there they were. Gathered around him, faces still blank and frozen, but looking oh so real. Their eyes were no longer pupilless, but they looked dead and cold as they stared at what he had become.

He lurched away from the visions, desperately trying to run from them, knowing what Rage was trying to make him do, but they wouldn't leave him be. Everywhere he turned they would appear again, looking more and more real every time. He ran through the streets, no idea where he was anymore, crashing against buildings and streetlights as he and Rage fought for control of his legs.

Rage would throw him towards them, telling him to sink their shared claws in, Keyblade long forgotten. He longed to feel their bones crack beneath his teeth. Then he would jerk back and stagger away again, desperate to get away from them. He had to stay away.

Stop... please... Don't make me hurt them

Ventus crumpled as he flung him against a wall. Aqua and Terra threw themselves between him and their friend and dropped to the ground as he blinked past them and slashed through their backs.

I don't want this

Goofy's shield shattered like glass as he tackled him to the ground, crushing Donald and Mickey into the concrete beneath him. Naminè was defenceless, but he swiped at her throat and sent her to the ground just the same.

Why are you doing this... don't make me hurt them again

Xion's Keyblade snapped in two and she collapsed with a crack of bones. Blood covered his hands as he clawed Axel's arms and threw him aside. Roxas charged and forced him back from his friends and Rage snarled. He leapt and tore at him, and Sora had never hated himself so much.

You're killing them. Stop... please, stop

Their eyes were all still dead, faces emotionless as they fought for their lives. He ran from them, staggering as he struggled to control his own legs. He clawed against his own skin, cutting into his arms, his back, his chest. If Rage wouldn't leave he'd rip him out.

Get out, get out, you aren't me

Oh but I am Sora. We're the same

Kairi.

Kairi spinning her Keyblade through the air around her, the way she had when they fought side by side. But she wasn't trying to hurt him. She wouldn't strike him, only try to defend. She fell just like the others. Her blood felt like poison on his skin.

Why, why won't you stop...

And Riku.

Riku with his eyes like the sea.
He stood there. No Keyblade in hand, no attempt to defend or attack. He reached out a hand for Sora to take and for a moment he thought he might be able to do it, that he could hold Rage back. He reached out, and then threw Riku's hand aside.
He cut him just the same.

He pulled himself away too late, and Riku fell as well, his chest and throat slick with blood.
Sora leapt backwards, desperate to escape, jumping as high and far as he could.

He was falling, falling,

and then,

water

He was sinking, thrashing in the sudden darkness. His skin felt like it was on fire but the icy water didn't soothe the burning. It pressed against it, intensifying the flames. It hurt... but it hurt Rage too.

Rage was screaming inside his head, both of them feeling the knives against his skin, and against the tears his own claws had made in his flesh. It was agony. But the visions were gone. They hadn't followed them down here. For all the water stung, feeling himself submerged, floating downwards, drifting... He felt his bloodlust begin to ebb away. Rage was a whirl of fury and fire inside his body, but Sora's own fury and fear were diminished.

His attempts to hold Rage still were finally slowing his body's movements. Knowing he couldn't hold him back long, that his own rage would soon return, he thrust his hand into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the Wayfinder. Rage began shrieking and Sora could barely hold on, the Wayfinder was acid against his black palm. He took it from his pocket and pressed it against his chest, willing it to touch his own heart, to somehow force Rage out, to cast him from his station.

The only pain he had to compare it to was the stab of a cruel, pointed Keyblade he had once buried into his own chest. But he held on.

He was sitting on the dock with Kairi at sunset. She was asking him to never change, as she dreamed of them sailing away together.

He was rowing to the island with her and Riku, as they took her there for the very first time.

He was dodging and weaving on the beach, waving his wooden sword wildly at Riku, who laughed and parried him easily.

He was standing on the edge of a different shore, reaching a hand out to Riku, so they could go home together.

He took it.

"Sora..."

He was choking. Water was filling his mouth and lungs as he desperately tried to breathe.

Rage didn't need to breathe. He was gone.

Sora struck out for the surface, desperate for air. As he broke it and gasped he felt the cool night air on his skin, skin that was once again fully his own. He found himself in one of the wide canals he used to walk beside at night when he missed the sea. There was a bridge directly above him, assumedly the place he had fallen into the water from. The tears in his skin and clothing seemed to have disappeared along with Rage.

He pushed the Wayfinder safely back into his pocket and swam for the side of the river. He pulled himself up onto his hands and knees on the pathway beside the water and coughed and choked, trying to expel the water from his lungs. When he finally caught his breath he collapsed, shivering and immeasurably grateful for the feeling of cold water on his skin.

He heard a roar of frustration and dragged his eyes open. The man was standing in the middle of the bridge he had fallen from, hands in the air.

"So close! So damn close!"

He slammed a fist down on the top of the bridge railing and pointed furiously at Sora with the other and for a moment Sora thought he might attack him. Then he seemed to regain control of himself, switching back to his usual casual demeanour. He sighed, and then laughed, placing one hand on his hip and his head in the other.

"Well, I guess there wouldn't be any point if you weren't this good at fighting it... I'm going to get through to you though Sora!"

"What are you... going on about... now..."

Sora hadn't recovered enough yet to do much more than whisper, but the man heard him and didn't miss the mocking tone. Sora knew he was never going to get an answer from the man, and now he just wanted him to leave him alone. Just leave him be. He felt numb. He'd watched himself murder his friends, what else could the man possibly do to him now?

"Aw don't be like that Sora, we've been having such fun haven't we?" He sighed. "Oh well, I'm sure we'll get there soon, it's already been written after all."

He turned and walked away, raising a hand in farewell. "Until next time Sora!"

Summary:

On this day Sora is attacked by a much more powerful Darkside, and the battle gets so bad that he is certainly going to lose it and be killed, so Rage manages to take hold of him again.

He starts seeing visions of Ven, Aqua, Terra, Naminè, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Xion, Axel, Kairi, and Riku, and Rage forces him to attack them all and he sees himself killing all of them. This is where the reference to self harm is, but it is Sora trying to hurt Rage, not himself. He then falls from a bridge into one of the rivers that go through the city as he tries to get away from the visions of Kairi and Riku's bodies. Being submerged in the water helps him regain control momentarily and he takes the Wayfinder out of his pocket and presses it to his chest. This causes him to revert back to normal.

Once he fights off Rage he climbs out of the water and is too exhausted to move. The hooded man appears nearby and is frustrated that Sora managed to fight off Rage again. He is confident he'll manage to get him to be permanently taken over next time though and leaves Sora lying beside the canal.