LordNoobReview: Beatrix vs Zero was fun to write and I have a thing for ff9 characters. Glad you like the character scenes and lol I just added the bones because I thought it looked cool. For rn the mutated heartless are just basically more bloodthirsty, but they'll have more powers down the line.
Zerofire210: Aw thanks, I hope you've looked more into kh, it's a really great series. Lmao "the disciples as annoying as I remember" they're annoying to write to, *especially* Decadus. I do plan to do something different with the Intoners, you'll just have to see. Greetings from the U.S.
Ian12091995: yea boi
Anon: I think Zero's self taught with the sword like Sora. I was also caught off guard by Zero's regeneration scene, but it's very drakengard. All the characters in D3 except maybe like One and Mikhail have some damning issues to them, jury's out on who's the worst though. Which is why Midgard's such a hotbed for the heartless.
Keybladelight: Eh the whole Zero pretending to be nice to Four in order to kill her depends on if their fight scene will go down exactly like that so not sure, but I like Riku being able to sense the sadness in the Intoners.
A/N: Also since it's CH7 for 7 lights, just wanted to thank you guys for reading my story and sticking with me for so long. I appreciate everyone for taking the time to review, it always makes my day:)
"All Paths Lead Nowhere"
Dear Lady Four,
As your faithful and loyal messenger, I'm writing to you in the case that I do not make the journey to Mt. Bernstein of the Vice Norden where you currently reside. Why do I have such foreboding thoughts you may be wondering? The reason any man might, I fear a premature death at the hands of whom you call a sister.
I've seen and heard of all the horrifying things that Intoner has done to your people, but the infiltration of your castle might've been the worst of them all. Through the accounts of the few survivors that remain and of my own first-hand experience, I will detail the fall of your once great army from one Intoner and her dragon...
...
Defending Four's castle was a challenging feat for the soldiers with the demons and occasional bandit prowling around and threatening their survival on a moment to moment basis. However, despite the hardships they faced, the soldiers bravely fended off against all threats that came their way. Due in no small part to the courageous General Steiner, whose stalwart leadership led them to victory time and time again.
That was until one fateful evening when Four's army received a grim reminder that day. A giant white dragon flew over the courtyards of the castle, casting a looming shadow over them, then he breathed out an enormous fire than burned the soldiers to a crisp. While such gruesome acts of carnage were being committed, all the damned Intoner herself had to say were petty insults that spit in the face of human decency.
"Four! Get your ass out here now!" She demanded.
A platoon of soldiers who managed to escape the hellfire rallied against her. "We won't let you go anywhere near her you wench!"
"Death to the demon and her dragon! Victory to lady Four, hurrah!"
"I'll shove that victory up my ass. Hit 'em with all you got, dummy!"
"You got it! One double awesome fire blast coming right up!" After the dragon's fire laid waste to the soldiers, he landed on the ground and stomped on the stragglers that were left.
Zero seemed to be entertained by the dying screams of men because she casually remarked, "How come you can't be useful all the time."
"What're you talking about?! I'm always helping you out Zero!"
"More like helping me get a headache." She looked around the courtyard. "Huh, with all this shit we're causing, I was half-expecting Four to show herself at some point."
"About that...I'm not sensing her presence anywhere. Are you sure she's even here?"
Before she could respond, the soldiers in the watchtowers brought out what they hoped would be game-changing hyper cannons to deal with their formidable foes.
"Kill it! Kill the dragon!"
"Death to the traitorous Intoner!
"Uh oh, I don't like the looks of those cannons."
"Neither do I! Fly away you dummy!"
As they fired the cannonballs at the fiends, Zero was scheming a way to figure out Lady Four's location. "Hey, you-" She crudely pointed her sword at a soldier who was manning one of the hyper cannons. "You look like you know your shit. Is that little virgin here or not?"
"Why would I ever sell out Lady Four to the likes of you?"
"So she's not here. Great, it's just like her to create some elaborate diversion like this because she's too pussy to face me head on!"
"Don't you dare call her a pussy! Take this!"
Although his innocent nature may suggest otherwise, Zero's dragon was just as savage as his partner. He wasted no time in shooting a fireball at the soldier right as he was about to light the fuse, destroying both him and the cannon in one explosive attack.
"That's one down, now take out the rest of the cannons while you're at it," She said.
"Aw, but Zero that was a lot of work. Think you can use some of your song powers on me to make me super-charged? I'd burn these baddies in no time!"
"Like I'd waste that on you. I died last time because I couldn't use it, remember that?"
"Oh yeah!" He laughed. "That was so gross when your flower turned really big and all that blood squirted out! I just thought you had that flower in your eye because you thought it looked pretty."
"God, how'd you become such a fucking moron?"
Just when all hope seemed lost for the soldiers, General Steiner, a true knight in shining armor, arrived in the courtyard. He was the answer to their prayers and with the strength he bolstered, the last pillar of Four's army.
Steiner unsheathed his mighty broadsword from its scabbard. "So these are the miscreants that threaten Lady Four and have slaughtered my army but fear for naught. I shall put a stop to this foolishness."
"And there's the final boss. He should know where Four's hiding," Zero said.
"Want me to soften him up for ya?"
"You'd only get in the way. I got it." Jumping off her dragon's back, she confronted Steiner.
"My men tell me that you brutally slaughtered General Beatrix. Her death will not go in vain, I will present your head to Lady Four," He said.
"Yeah, whatever. I just hope you're not as talkative as she was."
Squeezing the handle of his sword, he charged at that demon of a woman, his steps drumming on the ground like clasps of thunder. "You will meet your end to my blade wretched Intoner and curse the day you ever stepped foot in the Land of Mountains!"
Verse 5
I dance in a nightmare
Caged by my frozen heart
With each death, I emerge from a crimson forest
And still, I dance in darkness.
The moment that song of death escaped from her lips, she performed such black magic, it could hardly be described in the pages that I write. But I, the messenger, will try my best to transcribe the events that followed.
Her body glowed a sickening pink color and the fast way she moved had to have been some sort of witchery on her behalf. Try as he might, Steiner was too slow to keep up with her lightning-fast speeds and she cut him down effortlessly. I wish the encounter would've ended right then and there, but she kept him alive for her nefarious plans to find Lady Four once and for all.
"Now, before I kill you, you're going to tell me where Four is," She said, digging her heel on the back of his head.
"I-I refuse! Even as I draw my last breaths, I will never tell you where Lady Four is! And even if you do end up finding her through your Intoner magic, the demon slayer will keep her far away from the likes of you!"
"The...demon slayer?"
"Wait- they called Riku that before, right?" Her dragon asked.
"...So, he's with Four now?!" She was obviously enraged by this, although the reasonings behind such strong feelings remain unclear, she adopted a far nastier, violent attitude towards Steiner. "Then I'll kill both of them! Tell me where he is. Now!"
"I will tell you nothing!"
Zero snatched his right arm, then twisted it into an uncomfortable position—By God, she was trying to torture the poor man. "I said, tell me where the fuck Riku is or I'll make sure your death will be slow and painful."
"I...will tell you...nothing..."
"Z-Zero, what're you doing? You're scaring me," Her dragon whimpered out.
Ignoring his pleas, she continued to torment him. "Still not talking huh? How about when I do this-" A terrible cracking noise sounded when Zero broke Steiner's arm, but he made not one sound of discomfort which only proved to anger her further. "Aren't you a glutton for punishment, then I'll go for something that cuts deeper."
Lowering her head, she then asked him in a very low voice, "Do you have a family?"
That's all it took, according to the accounts of the soldier that was pretending to be dead nearby, to break him. After that, she killed him, then was off on her way.
"Um...Zero?"
"What?"
"You didn't really mean it when you said you'd kill his family right?"
"Lucky for him, I'm past my family killing days."
That's as much information I was able to get out of the survivors before they fell unconscious, but their stories are not unique. The Intoner Zero is a blight on humanity who must be executed at once or I fear that wi—
...
The messenger collapsed on the crimson snow after Zero pulled her blade out of his chest. "And that takes care of the trash." She picked up his letter, then skimmed through it. "So he was heading to Mt. Whatever too, huh? At least I'm going in the right direction, guess that soldier guy wasn't lying to me."
Throwing it back on the ground, Zero kept trudging through the snow, trying her best to keep warm. In retrospect, she didn't wear the warmest outfit for the weather, so for now, complaining was her only source of heat. "...I'm freezing my ass off and my stupid dragon's nowhere to be found. He ALREADY got lost in the last chapter, he can't keep doing this shit to me! I'm gonna kill that dummy!"
She kicked a heap of snow out of the way. "Speaking of dummies I wanna kill- Riku's dead whenever I find him! Can't believe he's been fucking Four the whole time right behind my back! That asshat!" But in the middle of her complaining, she was surrounded by a swarm of Frost Serpent heartless.
"Icing on the shit cake."
—
After the discovery of dead bodies beneath their feet, Dito was absolutely ecstatic by the mass graveyard while everyone else was deeply unsettled by it. Especially Four, who took it the hardest, she was down on her knees and shaking her head. 'How can One trust me to be a ruler if I fail to protect my people? No- no stop it Four, it's not like this is your fault! You did everything you could to help them, besides most of them were soldiers anyways so they were already prepared to die.'
Another voice filled her thoughts and it was loudest of them all. 'Dear little sister, YOU'RE the reason why they're dead so the only one to blame is you. Well, I shouldn't expect much from a sister as worthless as you. Why don't you make yourself useful and bury yourself in the ground alongside them.'
"None of that's true, it's not my fault! Stop saying those awful things!" Four cried out.
"What's her problem?" Dito asked.
Despite his masochistic tendencies, Decadus knew when his Intoner needed him, so he bent down to her side and tried his best to console her. "Lady Four, please tell me what troubles you and allow me to shoulder the burden of your pain...nngh, pain- er, uh, ignore that last remark. Just a slip of the tongue."
"Of course you're no help as always."
Meanwhile, Riku decided to confront Five and figure out what was going on. "Five, I saw those same mutated heartless in your shrine. If you're the reason why all of these innocent people are dead, then I won't let you off easy this time."
"Mmm, I love it when you act so big and tough~"
He summoned his keyblade. "I'm serious."
She held her hands up in defense. "Oh I was only teasing, I promise this isn't my doing! The heartless started getting all gross looking after I used my Intoner song on them so there's no way I could've done it."
"If an Intoner's song is what causes them to mutate then that means..."
Four's face tensed up. "Just say it already! You think it's my fault, don't you?!"
"How absurd, no one's blaming you sis," Five said.
"Nah, it's pretty obvious Four mutated them," Dito said.
"Dito!"
"What? I'm just saying what we're all thinking."
"I would never have such ill-thoughts for Lady Four," Decadus insisted.
"Well, all of you are wrong! I'll kill the heartless myself and prove that I'm not the bad guy here!"
When Four tried to run away, Five grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're running off to?"
"Leave me alone!" She wrestled herself free, then ran away while Five followed behind.
Before Riku and the others could chase after them, they were attacked by more mutated heartless, leaving Five to bring Four back.
"Why are you following me Five?! Didn't I tell you to leave me alone!" Four said, kicking a giant crate back at her.
Five quickly cut down the crate with her spear. "Aw, but what good of a little sister would be if I left my big sis all alone~"
"Like you were a good little sister to begin with!"
"You don't really mean that dear, that's just your obsessive jealousy speaking."
"Hmph! How could I be jealous of someone as vulgar and indecent as you!"
"How couldn't you be!"
Four slowed down at a cluster of small village houses where the mutated heartless were in the process of dragging its victims out of their homes and devouring them.
"Umm, hold on a sec, are you sure it's the best idea to fight them all on our own? We should go get Riku at least," Five said.
"No." Four stepped forward, tightening her claw-like combat bracers. "A ruler protects their people no matter what!" A sharp departure from her usual level-headed demeanor, she recklessly threw herself at the enemy, tearing their flesh and bones apart. Despite putting everything on the line in one final stand against the mutated heartless, they were impervious to her attacks, quickly merging their bodies back together within seconds.
Just as the mutated heartless were getting ready to bite off their body part of choice from Four, Five pulled her away. "Oh my god, what's gotten into you Four? You were never this reckless before!"
"Let me go, I- I have to kill them!" She screamed.
"Did you forget already? Only Riku can-"
"I KNOW! This is all I have left, okay?!" She snapped. "I'm not some ditzy whore like you who gets a pass because men only think with their dicks! You can get away with having your whole land destroyed and not have everyone hate your guts, but if I let that happen, then I might as well be trash to everyone. If I can kill the heartless, then maybe...maybe I can do something better than you! Maybe people will see me instead of you for once!"
"Four...I had no idea."
"Shut up! The last thing I want is your sympathy!" Elbowing Five in the stomach, she wrangled free, then ran right back to the heartless with her arms stretched out. At the same time, the mutated heartless barred their rows of razor-sharp teeth at her.
'Even though she's being difficult, I have to save her. She's my sister.' In an act of selflessness, Five jumped in front of her sister so she could protect her, but the mutated heartless merely tore her heart out from her own body and she was enveloped with darkness.
"No...I...don't...want...to...die." Five collapsed on the ground, as the mutated heartless clustered around her, she began transforming into a monster herself. A heartless grew massively from her with multiple tentacles sprouting from the body. The final form resembled a giant octopus monster, complete with glowing yellow eyes and pitch-black flesh swathed by darkness.
FIVE'S HEARTLESS: 𝓞𝓬𝓽𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓪
"No...Five...even though this is the best you've ever looked before...y-you're not...you're not..." Four buried her head in her palms. "No...th-this isn't my fault...this isn't my fault." One of the tentacles snaked around her spine, sinking into the crevices of her body. Four sunk somewhere in between light and dark, day and night. Just when she thought she lost all sense of herself, she found her way back to dawn when Riku's hand wrapped around hers, pulling her free.
"You okay?" He asked in a voice that sent chills down her spine
Four nodded. As guilty as it made her feel, it felt nice for her to be prioritized, for her to be worried about. "...Thank you." She mumbled.
Flipping his keyblade handle around in his hands, Riku directed his full attention to Octavia. "I'll end this."
In that moment, Four felt so sure of Riku, almost making her forget about her sister's untimely demise as he fought against Octavia. He was stacking a fair amount of damage, hitting the weak spot on its head and dodging its sluggish attacks, but that all changed when the disciples finally arrived.
"—Lady Four!" Decadus rushed over to her side, then promptly got down on his knees. "Lady Four, I deeply apologize for my absence! I hope that you are not-"
"Not now! Can't you see we're under attack?!"
Dito was also about to walk up to her and ask where 'ol' blubberbags' was, but his attention was drawn to the terrifying octopus heartless that Riku was dealing with. "Oh man, that thing looks so nasty! Hey Riku, try not to rough it up too much, alright? I wanna cut it wide open and see its slimy brain!"
"God you're such a freak Dito," Four said.
Maybe because a piece of Five was still etched within Octavia, but it started screeching a cacophony of noise.
ގ-⇂ ǝsɹǝΛ
P̵̭͋u̴̪̎̆r̸̤͎̿̂̑̆ȇ̶̹̪͔̱̒ ̵̘͔́̈́a̴̬͓̅n̴̳̜̋̏̏̕d̸̖̗̙̀͝ ̶̝̘̄͆̕͘ś̷͙t̶̛̥̜̹̫̊ŕ̷̘͇̊̽͝o̵̡̪̜̐̀̈n̷̖̻̉͆́g̶̦̜̓̾̋̂ͅ ̵̳̙͈̚a̵̤͆͜r̴̥̺͊̌ͅḙ̸͆ ̷̢̳̥̲͒ţ̸͐͛̚h̶̭̞͋̇̓̀e̴̟̣̬͆̾̀͊s̴̬͕̆̒e̷̙̺̙̎͜ ̵͎͖͊ͅẇ̶̧̜̗h̵̢̖̹̄ȉ̵̳t̵̻̣͐ͅë̸͈̮́͐͌́ ̴̯̺̬̈͌͛c̴̭͕̮̖̃̈́l̸̛͓͒̿̏ä̸͚͈͖́̕w̶̡̦͊͆͘š̷͔͓̃͠
̷̙͎̙̠̔a̸͓͊̒͐n̷̗̈́̋̈́̽d̵̞̒̎ ̴͍̬̼̣̔̇͑͠ą̵̩̰͌͝r̸͈̹̻̬͆́̅̔e̶̗͊ ̸̧̧͍͌͝͝t̴͎̒ͅh̷̭̗͙͎̄̈́̇e̶̠̰̤͒̈̿̽͜s̷̛͚e̶̹͒̆ ̵̂͒̽̓͜t̸̟͈͇́̈́̿̕e̵̥̓́ĕ̴̳̲̈́͆̒ť̷̹h̸͖͓̙̀̚
̴̧̛̼̖̥͘"̶̨̛̮̤͙́͝S̸̨̤͘̕o̸̼̻̊̒̒̇m̸̆̒ͅe̶̮̺̥̿͐̈́́d̴̦̗̃͋a̸̜͌͂y̵̎̀ͅ ̶̹̄͜t̵͓͍̹͆̌͝ḩ̶̻̜̉̂ͅḙ̸͓̾̉̈͜ ̶͚̘̹̅̆̐f̶̫̮̙̗̃̾̕l̶̢̘͉̋̄̽̌͜ó̷͚̺͔̗̈́̚w̵̞̾̄̓̚e̴̮͍̊̔r̷̯̠͐͠ ̵̨̫̺̖̍͝ṡ̷̯̰̥̻̂̓h̴̠̿̃̓ạ̷͆̈́̃͗ͅl̷̛̮͑͛͝ḽ̵̭͕̳̋͝ ̸̜̃͜b̴͇̎͛̕͝l̶̛̬͒͂̈o̷͇͊̽o̶̗̣̽̕m̸̢̻͔̯̈̀̽ ̵̙͐ė̵͍̦̫͈̅̋̓t̵̨̙̲̏̿̓ě̴̞̗̰̫̐͌̒ṙ̸͕͓̍ǹ̶͙a̷̮̣̙̤̓l̵̜̈́"̴̻͍̋͋ ̴͙̔́͗̅T̸͍͚̒͑̀̇h̴̦̹͍͒̄ḙ̵͓̞̇́͝͠y̵͔̗̆ ̶͈̉͝s̸̡̘̪̿̿́͝a̴̰̽̈́y̵͉̳̰̓
̴̭̬̻͒"̷͚͎̽̔S̸̪̯̑̑̚o̵̼̟͑͗̍͂m̶̯̓̆ẽ̴͕̝͇͓͒͝d̷̝̼̘̎̈́̇ä̶͖̙͘y̷̗͕̓ͅ ̶̢̘̫̜̒͂͐t̸̟̣͔̊ḩ̷̬̺̼̐e̵̛̮̝ ̶̬͖̉͜f̷̜̍͑͆ͅl̶̨͓̪͐̎̑͝ȍ̶͔̺̮w̶̢̢̐e̶͔̠̪͉͋̈́̓r̶̦͍̉̔̂͘ ̶̻̱͓̿̽̈́͠d̵̺̩̂̽̍͋e̸͈̱̅͜͝s̶̰̒t̸̹̱̪̜͝r̵͎͎̿̉̈̿͜o̷̗͓̘͗̉̊y̴̯̣͖̾̂͛̌ͅe̵̤̓̆d̵̻͍̪̙̏͘͝"̷̧͓̕͜ ̵̮͌͌Ť̸͔̳̲̈̀h̵͙̻̜͐̿̓ȩ̵̺̺̑͋̄y̶̹̲̅̀ ̷̭͂̽̔͠s̵̘̞̾̓̓͝ͅa̶̠̓̅ÿ̴̤͇͉̗́
̵̧̘̈́͌̃̇A̶͍̰̹̕ņ̶͕̭͋̔̑d̵̺̳̫͋̈́̂ ̴̙̟̑̎̊̀t̸̮̖̲̂͘h̴͈̱̊͝a̴͓̦̯̱̅̃ţ̵̯̆͒̊ ̶͚̫̤̩̉d̶̰͎͚͍̕͝ā̵͇̂̀y̷̜̰̿͜ ̶̦̓͂̈́̌ẅ̴̥͗͠i̴̩̒͊̽͘l̵͈͔̮͌̔l̶̡̻̗̆̕ ̷̳͕͍͙̍͆̎̕b̵͈͛ḛ̵͛̍͗̋ ̸̙̽̅͝ṇ̴̣̠̳̈́̑̕o̴̹͌̏w̵̥̩͍̔ ̵̲͇͕̌̍͐
A black flower sprouted from Octavia's eye and its attacks became substantially more aggressive. It flung its tentacles around like whips, snatching up Dito, Riku and it almost got Four too, but Decadus naturally let himself get captured for her.
"Oh my goodness, Riku!" Four said.
"Damn it! This is not how I wanted to go out!" Dito yelled.
"Ah I disagree, there's nothing more...unngh... pleasurable... than a slow, painful death as our bodies get crushed to death. This is pure e-ecstasy OOOooh!"
"Aw, gross man! I don't wanna have to die while listening to you get off!"
"No one's dying! I'm destroying this heartless!" Riku was able to break free from its hold, but before he could hit the ground, the tentacles shot right back at him and grabbed him by his debilitated arm.
For all the strength Riku lost, he thought he was at least strong enough to move past his trauma, but his old wounds reopened so easily and he just froze up. His mind became a broken record as the memories of all the blood and screams came back to him.
Seeing that Riku was in trouble, Four ran over and clawed through the tentacles, freeing him. "Riku! You're not hurt are you?!"
"No... I'm fine." He said absentmindedly. "I'm sorry about that, I won't let it happen again."
"Um, okay, but let me help you out as well, you and I are a team!"
"If you can save your friends, then I'll finish the rest."
"I mean, I would never call those two my 'friends', especially not-"
"Four!"
"Sorry. Consider those two cretins saved!"
While Four broke the disciples free, Riku bolted to Octavia with unwavering determination. As he drew closer to the cephalopod, it blasted a jet stream of water at him, he dodged the initial attack, then used his keyblade to deflect the round of water bullets it shot at him. Once he got within range, he threw his keyblade and it lodged inside Octavia's head. It tried to attack him with its tentacles again, but Four summoned a force field that protected Riku.
"Thanks!"
"Hee-hee, anything for you Riku~"
Riku finished Octavia off with a series of fast sword strikes and as the darkness returned back to the shadows, Five was left lying on the snow, her original body disintegrating.
He released his keyblade. "Wait- that was Five?!"
"Five!" Four went over to her side. I'm happy that you're still with us at least."
"Barely," Dito said, joining her.
Four held her sister's hand until she was gone from their world. All that remained from her departure was the little girl's doll she once held dear. Four picked it up. 'A doll? How childish.' It was supposed to be a quiet moment, but the second Five died, Dito started celebrating.
"Holy fucking shit! This day just keeps getting better! Ah ha ha! She's dead! She's dead! SHE'S DEAD! Can't work me to the bone anymore you- [redacted] [redacted] [that's definitely gotta be redacted]!"
"Stop it Dito!" Four cried. "How dare you disrespect my late little sister like that! She gave you the world and this is how you treat her? You ingrate!"
"Please, all that bitch ever gave me was a rash. Now if you excuse me, I still have a eulogy to give her!"
"No, that's enough," Riku said.
"What, don't tell me you actually feel bad for her. She was the fucking worst."
"But she could've been a better person. Her heart had the capacity to grow, unlike you."
He rolled his eyes. 'Does this guy always have to talk like a moron?'
"Riku's right. And now that she's gone... I feel immense pain in my own heart," Four said.
"Oh then allow me to share that pain as-"
"Ugh, no, Decadus. Great, you just ruined my moment."
"Apologies."
"No, i-it's fine. I think it's time we all retire for the night anyway, it's getting late."
"It's a little cold to be camping out here," Riku said.
"No worries, there's an Inn nearby so that won't be an issue."
"Sounds good then."
"Perfect! Decadus, why don't you get rid of the rest of these bodies in the meantime."
"It would be my pleasure Lady Four."
Four took Riku and Dito to the town's Inn. "Hello, we'd like to check in for the night," She said.
"Oh, L-Lady Four, I'm humbled by your presence. We have two rooms available for you and your guests, f-free of charge of course," The Innkeeper said.
"Thank you, you're very kind." She grabbed the keys then turned to the boys. "Um...there's three of us and only two rooms so..."
Dito snatched one of the room keys. "So I'm getting a whole room to myself, sweet!"
"We haven't discussed that yet!"
"Hey, don't give me that look. I'm giving you an opportunity to get laid tonight."
"Dito! My sister just died!"
"All the more reason to celebrate right?"
"You have no respect for my mourning!"
He let out a chuckle. "HA! Like anyone's buying that crap.
Four turned to Riku. "Pay him no mind, let's just go to our room."
The two of them walked inside their inn room. "Wow, only one bed? I guess that means we have to-"
"I'm fine on the floor."
She rubbed her arm. "R-Right of course, I'll just get the... fireplace ...going." As she was piling up the wood, she snuck a glance over to Riku who appeared to be in deep thought. "Um...so plans for tomorrow! We can double-check to make sure Linblum is secure then we'll move onto the next village!"
"Sure."
"I'm glad you're still on board after, well... everything that happened." With the fire lit and well-fed on a supply of wood, Four decided to hop up the bed and stare at Riku again until she worked up the nerve to continue their one-sided conversation. 'Why does he seem so disinterested? Is it because he's thinking about Five? Great, she's STILL ruining my life even when she's dead. Well, Five always got men's attention by being indecent so maybe I should try a similar approach!'
"Uh, you know, if my little sister were still with us she'd probably be making a lot of vulgar noises right about now. Which I can't really relate to since I'm still a v-virgin and everything..." Her face was getting so hot she felt like she was going to melt, but she pushed on regardless of how mortified she felt. "So...hopefully I'm not the only one in that regard. Being a virgin I mean."
"Nah, same here."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Then that's one thing we have in common! I'd always used to get teased by my sisters for being a virgin, but don't get me wrong... it's not like I'm against it. In fact, I believe your virginity is a precious and beautiful thing that should be saved for a time when true love blossoms, not whoring it around to every guy that looks your way!"
"You hold your sisters in such high regard," He said sarcastically.
"Really? I'm glad you noticed!"
"Listen, Four, I've been thinking a lot on what happened today and we need to talk about it."
"L- Look it's not my fault, okay? I tried my best to protect her but she was the one who jumped in front of me, so don't think I'm a bad sister or anything when I-"
"No, not that, before your sister passed she said something about the mutated heartless that I want to ask you about."
"Why... would you want to ask me about them?"
"They're the reason why your sister's dead so I figured you wanted to get to the bottom of it, unless you know something I don't."
Her eyebrows knitted together. "I don't understand what you're trying to get at, Riku."
"I think there's something you're not telling me."
"So...you do think this is all my fault?"
"I didn't say that."
"You're implying it!"
"Five told me the heartless only mutated for her after she sang the Intoner song and you're the only other Intoner here."
"No I'm not! Did you forget I'm being hunted down by my eldest sister? She could've very well been behind this!"
He shook his head. "I'd know if it was her and with the way you keep deflecting, I'm beginning to think this was all on you. I just don't understand why you would do any of this if you claim you're trying to save your people."
"I am! You don't understand!"
"Then make me understand!" He stood up from the floor. "Tell me what's going on with these heartless!"
Her voice lowered. "...You're...you're going to hate me if I tell you."
"I'll hate you a lot less if you tell me the truth! Whatever it is, I can figure something out to fix it!"
When Riku looked at her, she looked away from him, thumbing the folds of her skirt instead. "I should start from the beginning. It's a semi-long story..."
...
It all began when the heartless first started to appear.
No one could explain why they were here or where they came from but my sisters and I took an immediate interest in them. Or rather, they took an immediate interest in us. After their arrival, it didn't take long for my sister, One, to summon us all together at her Cathedral in order to address their presence.
Within the arched halls of the Cathedral, One stood before her sisters and their respective disciples. "Dear sisters, I've summoned you all here today to discuss the emergence of these demon-like creatures," She gestured to a cage teeming with heartless. "I've yet to discover their origins, but they've been terrorizing the lands of Midgard, undoing all the order we've worked so hard to maintain."
"...I like 'em," Three said.
"You...like them?"
"I for one have to agree. Some of them are pretty cute, and it's not like they've been bothering us so I don't see what the big deal is," Five said.
"The 'big deal' is they've been killing humans and turning them into demons."
Three broke out into a wide grin. "It's a fascinating process actually, they seem to devour the very life force of their host which in return creates another demon and the stronger their host is, the more formidable of a demon they create. Then they REALLY start acting strange when you use the In-"
"That's enough Three. All I ask is that you don't interact with these demons right now because they have powers we have yet to comprehend."
"I agree wholeheartedly One! I'll take it upon myself to see to it that those demons are no longer a threat to the humans!" Four boasted.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but that's not necessary either. As far as I know, the actual amount of those demons are fairly low and I'd like to keep it that way. Actively trying to kill them might make them reproduce faster so please, all of you, prioritize protecting your people above all else until I can figure them out."
Five stuck her tongue out at Four. "See? No one likes a suck-up, flatty!"
Because One didn't fully understand them yet, she warned us all to stay away from the heartless. In hindsight, I really should've listened to her, but at the time, all I ever wanted to do was impress her so she could see the value in me over my other sisters.
Four and Decadus were on their way back to the castle when they came across a few shadow heartless. However, rather than attack the Intoner, they were submissive to her, waiting on her for a command.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I exerted control over the heartless...and once I found that out, I hatched up a plan that would get me the recognition I deserved.
"This is my chance Decadus! One doesn't know what she's talking about. She'll see, I'll have these demons wrapped around my finger, then she'll have to acknowledge how much better I am than my stupid sisters!"
I would intentionally summon heartless in the villages, then swoop in and save the day. I couldn't kill them but I could control them and it worked. I was propped up as a hero, even One finally acknowledged me, but I guess I just let it all go to my head. I started summoning more and more heartless until eventually the destruction they caused was so overwhelming that I couldn't keep up.
That's when I decided to use my power of song on them because I thought it would make them obedient again and...they started transforming into those terrible creatures you saw earlier today.
...
When Four looked at Riku, he looked away from her. "But...I promise, after that, I devoted myself to destroying the heartless! I did everything I could, that's why I was so happy when I found out about your existence because I'd begun to lose all hope. Now I can make things right again."
Without saying as much as a word, Riku went to the door, his hand resting on the doorknob. "...I need time to sort things out."
"Uh...okay. I'll be here then, waiting."
Closing the door behind him, he left the Inn and walked outside. His cool exterior began to break down by the seams while he grappled with everything that Four told him. 'What did I get myself into? I've been helping out some psycho who let people die just to boost her own ego?'
Riku brushed his hand through his hair, wondering how he could 'fix' any of this. 'This is why I don't want anything to do with these Intoners, how can I get rid of the darkness in this world when they're the ones who keep on creating it.' Sighing, he slipped his clammy hand back inside his pocket. "...I'm just not thinking clearly, maybe it'll help if I go on a walk."
He walked out of Lindblum, making his way down the winding, mountain path. 'All Sora had to do was follow his heart and things always ended up working out for him- for the most part. I feel like I'm failing this world, failing the light. Nothing I do saves anyone, it just brings them closer to the darkness.' Riku was so preoccupied with navigating his own thoughts, he didn't even realize at first that he walked a good distance away from the village and now found himself stuck in an intense blizzard
"What the- where'd this blizzard come from? It was calm just a few seconds ago." He pushed through the whipping winds, eventually finding the source of the winter storm to be from Frost Serpent heartless circling the skies.
"And here's where magic would've been useful. No problem, I can beat them easily without it." Airstepping to one of the Frost Serpents, he slashed his keyblade through its head. It retaliated by shooting an icy blast at him which he immediately countered, then dished out his shotlock against both heartless.
Once Riku landed on the ground, the Frost Serpents teamed up to create a giant blizzard tornado, but he used their attack to his advantage. Throwing himself right into the eye of the storm, he was rapidly lifted up into the air where he flung his keyblade like a windmill at the Frost Serpents, the fast spinning blade slicing them both in half.
With two hearts freed, he was ready to return back to Lindblum when he stumbled across something that made him freeze up again. "No way..." Right at his feet was Zero, who was lying unconscious in the snow, covered in blood.
Encountering the very Intoner he swore off
The keyblade wielder was left with a decision;
Abandon the person who abandoned him
Or foolishly save someone who wouldn't even do the same for him
Flowers for the Dead
A/N II: Sorry this took so long to get out, back at school for a few months so expect erratic updates:/
