Fuck-

I shifted to the right, bending unnaturally to dodge a spear of Light- a blast, really, but...

He rushed forwards, his entire body glowing with Light, and moving much faster than he had been before.

But still not as fast as what I was used to.

He came in for an overhead strike, bring his Keyblade down upon me in what was undoubtedly an extremely powerful blow- and one that I deflected, angling my Keyblade and letting it scrape down to the side.

It hit the rocky ground, spreading cracks over the area.

I rammed him, driving the left Pauldron of my Armour into his chest, causing him to groan, slightly.

And then I had to shift to the right as he grabbed at me, the Light surrounding him seemingly providing some degree of resilience.

My Armour shifted and changed as I did, moving underneath his arm and around to his back before resuming a normal form.

I had to bend backwards as he spun around, his Keyblade slashing out in an attempt to cut me in half.

I kept going, turning the hasty bend into a backflip- and bringing my foot up into his chin as I did.

His head shot up to the sky as he stumbled back, and I used that time to reorientate, facing him again.

He growled as his head snapped to me, glaring.

He stepped back, Light beginning to gather within his Keyblade.

With a roar, he twisted, throwing his Keyblade at me, spinning and glowing.

I didn't exactly fancy getting hit by that, so I immediately stepped to the side, letting it fly past me.

He reared up, his Keyblade appearing in his hand, before he hurled it again.

Strike Raid.

Again, I moved to the side, letting the Keyblade fly harmlessly past me.

Three more times, that pattern was repeated, until he finally deigned to stop throwing his Keyblade at me.

He glared at me after the barrage was over, settling into a defensive stance again.

Why go on the defensive? He was perfectly happy to go on the offensive before. Granted, I'd dodged all of his attacks, but still...

I looked at him.

I saw the way that Light twisted and gathered inside of him, slowly increasing and seeping into his Heart, Soul, and Body.

Waiting to regain strength?

The way that he channelled the Light was like nothing I knew. He'd gotten stronger and faster when he had called on it before-

And it was building up inside him now.

Clever fuck.

"Ah. So that's what you're doing." I raised my Keyblade, pointing it at him. "As you draw in the Light, you increase your strength and speed. Bravo, I must say."

I hadn't realised that Light could be used in such a way.

But... perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. There were very few things that the Light wasn't capable of.

I slid into a stance, preparing to rush forwards.

But the same applied to the Darkness.

With a moment of hesitation, I pulled, beginning to draw the Darkness in.

"The funny thing is; if you'd just given me that girl's Soul Gem, none of this would have happened." I directed most of that Darkness into my Armour.

If he did manage a hit, I wanted to make sure that my Armour was up to the challenge. Still going to dodge like it's Touhou, though.

"Give a Heart and Soul to a creature of Darkness? What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"I'm sure you don't need me to answer that question." You idiot. "Besides, you make it sound like I'm going to do something horrible to it. Rather ironic, considering your intentions."

"You do not understand." He sneered -his nose had healed. When did his nose heal?- "The secrets I could glean from that gem are invaluable. Do you have any idea how many lives could be saved if we could move Hearts and Souls into gems? Though you creatures would never care about that."

"I wonder, do you understand how those Soul Gems actually work?" I'd have to get Alice's Soul Gem back into Madoka's World.

If she turned into a Witch, then...

"Those Gems rely on a specific system to continue existing. Without that system, only disaster would follow. By taking that Soul Gem out of that World, you have isolated that Gem from the system." Going to have to thank Madoka for telling me about them. "That girl's Heart and Soul is now in danger."

"And you expect me to believe you?" He scoffed. "I am well versed in the ways the creatures of Darkness. I know how your kind lies, how you corrupt and how you destroy." His eyes narrowed, and he raised his Keyblade in my direction. "It will not happen again, creature."

Well damn, I'm actually interested in what he's talking about.

"Again?" My head tilted to the side. "Interesting. You obviously have some form of history with those who wield Darkness."

"History?" He chuckled.

It was utterly devoid of humour.

"Do not act like you don't know what your kind did."

Annnddddd interest gone.

"I don't actually know. But it doesn't matter now, since I just stopped caring." I flicked my Keyblade to the side, a ball of Darkness pulsing into existence at the end of the shaft. "In fact, the only thing that I really care about right now is that Soul Gem." I pointed my Keyblade at him, the ball of Darkness still growing.

"This is your last chance. Surrender, because I can't guarantee that this won't kill you."

"Su...render? To the Darkness?" He tensed. "I will kill you for the insult."

That hadn't been what I'd mean at all, but-

He charged forwards, moving even faster than before.

I loosed the spell, the ball of Darkness converting to lightning and lancing out in an instant.

The Keyblade, despite its appearance, wasn't made of metal. It wouldn't have changed the result even if it had been.

Xine screamed as the dark electricity coursed through his body, violently twitching under the assault.

I cut it off quickly, moving forwards in the same moment and whacking his wrist with my Keyblade, catching his as he dropped it.

Another wields me.

I flipped it, swinging it at him and hitting him on the side of the head with it, sending him flying.

Are you worthy?

He hit the ground with a thud- and this time, didn't get up.

This one isn't.

I looked over him, noting that he was unconscious, the Light that had been building up now draining out.

I am a toy.

He wasn't dead, somehow.

Treated as a tool.

In my left hand, his Keyblade pulsed, catching my attention.

A training weapon.

I stared at it, seeing the Light within shift around, before it reached out and connected with me.

I do not like that.

A Keyblade created in the earliest stages of the Keyblade War.

I see.

Born as a test of ability rather than for a specific purpose, this Keyblade has been passed from wielder to wielder. It lets itself be wielded by many, but its true power is unveiled only for those who it finds worthy of respect.

You are strange. And familiar.

It's called Proof of Courage.

But, you are worthy.

It pulsed.

Wield me.