Guest: There will be alternate timelines/branches so it's not the last you guys will see of Four

Gundam-Knight-Chris: Love me some of that tragic love story and yes, Zero was crying in that scene.

Raximus: Nice observation, Three's understanding of the heartless/darkness is limited because she's missing crucial information on the kh version of hearts so she treats the darkness as a more physical thing than the force of nature it actually is. She's on a self destructive path for sure and dragging Two down with her.

Keybladelight: You'll have to wait and find out what happens for that, I think Three's a bit too lazy to do exactly what Ansem did tho. One's gonna be an interesting character to tackle bc she doesn't have any major character flaws so I guess we'll see what I can come up with.

Anon: Thought it'd be fitting for the 13th chapter to be called 'Darkness'. Probably said this so many times but Mikhail and Riku's relationship have definitely grown on me, really love their dynamic. Frl tho if it ain't the Flower causing shit, it's the disciples giving him a migraine. Lol I just had FMA kick while writing out the land of forests, but Three would unironically love the Nina Tucker chimera and try to recreate it herself XD Yep, Riku will have to deal with the Two-Three-Cent power trio during the land of sands portion ...


"Chained Memories"

Zero tried to shake Riku awake. "...No use. He's out cold." She went over to Decadus who was still cradling Four. "You need to let her go."

Decadus stared solemnly at Four's delicate face. "I...I can't do it...please, let me hold onto her for a while longer."

"The only thing keeping her here is the Flower, she'll disappear any second now. Leave her somewhere before she attracts any heartless."

"I won't let a single heartless touch her!"

"No, you don't get it! You're going to get us-" Zero suddenly pulled her sword out to slash a Darkball heartless that came at her out of nowhere. "Shit! This is what I was talking about, we need to get out of here! Decadus, put her down already and grab Riku!"

"I'm not going to abandon her! If her body has yet to disappear then...maybe there's still a chance to save her!"

There wasn't enough time for Zero to argue with Decadus because Three's shrine was rapidly filling up with droves of pureblooded heartless. Instead, she had Octa and Dito carry Riku while she tried to clear a path for them out of the shrine, but there were so many of them that they ended up getting surrounded.

"Fuck, get rid of her already, Decadus!" Zero yelled.

Decadus clung onto her body. "How could you ask that of me? To throw her away to those demons is a fate worse than death! We can fight these heartless off and still save her!"

"There's no way we can fight all these fuckers off! Look, I know how it feels to lose someone you gave a shit about, but unless you want us all to die you need to put your feelings aside!"

"I- I can't ...I can't let her go like this!"

Zero snatched his collar "I'm your Intoner and you'll do as I say. Let her go, NOW!"

["Answer me honestly, Decadus. Could you die for me?"]

"I was the one who was supposed to lay my life down for you. Not the other way around. I'm ...I'm so sorry, Lady Four." Decadus finally let go of Four and the heartless ravaged her body, allowing them a brief window of time for their escape.

.

.

.

"Wait up, before I go, let me tell you..."

1.00 sec

Huh, since my life is about to end any second now, might as well get everything off my chest. Ha ha, guess I already did since my chest is you know...nevermind. So, I should start with you Zero. Looking back, I must've sounded pretty delusional. I understand why you wanted to kill me, I was a danger to the world and I've killed others for less so it's not like I'm in any position to be angry with you.

There's still so much I wanted to ask you about because̵̳͋̇ I̷̟̦̺̟͌̀̈ ̸͓́̅f̷̤͙̻̰͌͋̋e̵͎͔̅͆͊ę̶͉͚͝ḷ̵̅̓̋ͅ ̴̯̥͒̍̉̇l̸̤̩̀î̸̪͓̦̊̀ḱ̸̤̘e̵̬͔̊́ ̷̧̩̻̿̊͝t̷̠̪̠͗͋h̴̦͈̊͆͗e̸̛̖̘̋̔̌ͅ ̵̬̣̓͗ḿ̸̰͖͈͈͗o̸̖͎͙̎r̶͈̖͑͌̒͝ẹ̷̛͐͐͆ ̴̱̣͐́͝I̶͖̊̔̈́̅ ̴̭̙̮͎̇͋͠ķ̵̯̫̘̍n̸̨̜̬̋o̷̧̪̰̅w̷͕̑̌̃͠ ̶͙̒̑͑a̶͚̣͕͌̚b̴̫̒͒̈̚ô̴̞̇ṵ̸̝̺͚̈́̽͆t̷̢̖̪̱͛̊͂ ̷̳̀̌y̵̦̾̈̌̊o̵͉̤͒ṵ̴͖̮͎̀,̸̗̭̜̫̈́ ̴̗̫̘̩̆̽Z̵̬̽͑ḙ̸̪̙̜̉r̷̮͓̈́͛́o̴̥̞̝̟̒́̑͛,̷̗̥̋̐ ̸͔̆t̸̩̝̘̥̏͊̏͝ḧ̴̻͎͚́̃͋̾ȩ̵̲̜͑͐͠ ̴͔͉͙͎̊m̶̬̥͊ò̸͍͑͐r̴̮͎̳͓̓e̴͖͇̜͐̈̑ ̶̬̠̑Ī̷̱̮ ̴̦͇̳͉̾̋k̸̝̤̱̃̄n̶̡̆̈̀ó̸̟͙̣̣w̵̧̎͒̊̌ ̸̛͎̹̠̒̄̈ǎ̵̠̈̓b̴̘̈́ő̶̦͓͓͎̍u̴͙̗̮͔̒̒̀̾t̶̬̏ ̷̛̹̖̻̊̐m̴̝͕̃ȳ̴̤̘̄͌s̴̟̲͚̳̉̅͝e̷̖̍̐l̵̨͇̗̘̔̍̽̋f̶̦͎̈̀̈́͊. Strange, right? You'd probably just tell me to "get the hell out of my face" before you said anything worthwhile though.

0.81 sec

Here we go, Five's next. Gosh, there's not enough words to express how deeply apologetic I am for the way I treated you. You're my little sister, my ONLY little sister and I still treated you like garbage because well ,̴͕͈̿͝ỵ̷͍̎́̅ő̴̢̜̩̚͝͝u̷̡̜͈͂ ̷̠̮̈́̚w̴͍̽ẽ̴̯̫͘͜r̷̪̂ě̸̢̺̼ͅ ̵̧̣̦̝̌r̷̢̧̛̘͍͛̾̅ǐ̷̧̳̺̀̽̐g̵̠̼͌͝h̴͉̽̃͠t̸̬͙͋͠.̸̨̤͎́̈́͝ ̵̪͒Ĩ̴̢̹̩̘͌̚ ̵̡̠̺̤͒̓w̶͍͝a̶̧͚͈̘̔͠s̵̡̨̒ ̸̼̳͈̪̍͑͝s̵͎͐̈̒̉ơ̶͙̪̓̈́ ̶̧̗̯̀͗̂è̶̝ņ̸̬̥͆̈́̈v̸͉̫̓͂i̴̘͌͗̾ô̶͕̳̩̘̂̅ų̶̧͎̥̂s̶̡͓͈̻̿̅̋ ̶̧͋̇̀͋o̴̖̥͚̝͆̈́̌̎f̴̬͎̜́͗̕ ̴̖̥̙̍͒́͛ỳ̴̗̮ơ̴͚̰̺̾ͅu̷̲̠͕̘͊̐͗͘.̵̪͂̎̾ Like...to an embarrassing degree. I wish I could've been more like you, confident and sexy and not caring about what anybody thinks.

0.72 sec

Three...I don't even know where to begin with you. All I ever did was push you away 'cause I thought you were weird, talk about pot meet kettle. I wish I was there for you as a little sister instead of treating you like an outcast, you were probably just lonely underneath it all and needed someone who understood you.̴͙̪̱̣̓͂͊̕Ï̵͙̫̰ ̵̙̙̙̊̅̐k̵̨̝̦͈̍̚n̶͚̻̺̍̒ǫ̵̼͔̑͗͒w̶̡̫͑͂̚ ̷̛̜̾͆́͜ḩ̶̟͙̎͋̿ỏ̵̢͍̆͝w̶͍̏̈́́ ̵͙̰̣̏̓t̶͈̖̎̽ḧ̴͉͕́̄ã̸͔͚̣̀̏̂ẗ̸̬́̀ ̴̳̌͌́f̷̡̓ệ̸̇͠ẽ̴͎̟̒̆̔l̶̨̤̮͆̏͛͝s̷͙̞̈̍̈́ ̷̞̣̊m̸͍͊̉͋͠o̶͔̳̘̳̒̆̈́r̶̰̔͊͆͗e̵͍͈̬͌̎ ̷̧͛̌͠t̵͇̳̝̉͝ͅḧ̴̯͖́͝à̷͔̟͎͂̾ṉ̸̛͚́ ̷̲̖̐a̸̭̅n̸̮̖̓̋̑̕͜ỳ̷͓͔͛͋͌o̵͎͈̺̐̀n̸̛̗̘͆̑̈́ë̵̦̭̲́̇̿.That's why you spent so much time with your dolls too. And now...you're destroying yourself.

0.61 sec

And then there were Two. Pfffftt wow! That was a super bad pun, sorry. Guess what? I bet you're expecting me to be pretty mad at you right now. You did KILL me afterall, maybe it was because you were trying to save me from crushing heartbreak? Jokes aside, I know that wasn't the real you who killed me so that's why I'm not that upset at you.

I feel more sorry for you, actually. I mean, I̸̧̦̮̹̿̾͂ ̵̡͈̼́w̵̬̦̉̐ă̷̼͇ș̵̞̻͗̾̕͜ ̵̭̌n̵̳̔͆͌͆͜è̴̖̮́v̷̧͘̚ȇ̷͈͕̫͓r̷̝͈̼̆͐̅͆͜ ̵̝͙̳̲̆̌̐a̷̡̗̺͔̍̓͠ ̴̢͈̏̊g̶̥͚̰̞̊̀́o̴̡͚̫͍͌̕͝o̵̖̬̺̠͘͘ď̶̩̩̝ ̸̢̘̪͐ͅš̴͓͍̥̘̾̊ḭ̸̱̩̑̓s̵͓͊͘͠ṫ̴̗̖̠̱̃̏̍e̴̲̯̍̅͝͝ŗ̴̩̮̔̀̇͠ ̴̧͓̜̹̉t̷̢̛̺̞̽o̵͓̞̹̪͘ ̴̯̒̽͐ͅy̶̨̧̹̐̿͑ͅo̵̲̹͋ͅŭ̶͚,̷̲̓ ̵̧͔̻̥͊͝b̴̺̟͐̑̓u̷̜͌̇͜ţ̵͚̉ ̶̤͑̎̒͝y̷̛͈͌̀̚ö̷̤́͋u̸̙͋͐̚ ̶̹̊w̴̟͈̿ē̴̹̳̂̊ŕ̶̫͈͙̿ẻ̴͔̠͔͘ ̷͍͔͐̿ą̸̞̈́́͒̅l̵̰͕̊̿̍͗w̷̧̼̠͋̑̈̀a̶̮̭̪̣̍̆̊͝ỷ̸̥̰̫̘̋̇͠ṣ̵͈͛͗ ̵͈̯̼̲͂̆k̷̥̓ì̸̧͕̫̭n̸͖̩̟̉d̶̗͉̲͎̔̅̈ ̸̨̲̦͔̑̚t̷͖̭̉̚o̵̟̗͆͋̍͝ ̸͍̟̈́̿͝m̸̙̩͆e̸͇͊ ̵̠͋̇́̆n̶͓͇̟̞̈́́͆̕ô̸͍̅ ̷̝͙̒̒̐͝m̷̘̹̐̚a̷̺̓t̵̪̱̐̒t̶͎̉͑ể̴̹̱̐r̶͖̓̐͝ ̴̧̥̤͍̈́̉̕w̴͙̺̙͊͜h̸̝͓̞͕͠a̷̱̱͂͜͝͠t̷͍̲̊͂̇͐.̴̧̯̈ When you're back to your old self, you're going to be so crushed. I wish I could tell you everything's okay, that I love y̴͓̯͚̗̌̊́̀o̷̗̫̱̔u̸͇̞̮͕̎͝ ̸̹̂̕͝à̷̡̲͍ņ̶͎̖̟̇̌͝d̶̥̙̩̯͐ ̵͎̫̂s̴̬̓ā̷̦y̸̤̗͌͊̽ ̷̪͇̼̓̓́ȃ̷̞͇͕̳͗̅l̴̡͚̎͊̀l̵̡̲̣͛͌̽ ̸̞̣͉̒͛t̴̥̞͇̎̈́̇͐ͅh̵̲̳͗͑i̷̪͂̀̓n̷̩̫̖̉̈́g̶̻͚͐͂̍s̵̲͖͍̈́͆͋ ̸̥̓̔I̴̼̫̘̟͊ ̶̪͂̓ͅn̷̯͕͇͑̃̋̏e̶̯͍͑̔̉̅v̵̭̋́ë̵̢̤̳́̍r̶̨̢͍͕͐́̀͘ ̷̫̝͇̒͒g̶̭̖͙̬͛̌́ö̸̢͚͍́̍͝t̵̖̞̆̊̎ ̸͎̓t̶̨̩̞̰͆͂͗o̵̞͈̽͂̽̂ͅ ̴̨̹͓̑t̴͉͓͋͌e̶͎̤͎͓̎͒͝͠l̷̯̗̣͛͐̅ḽ̷̨̠̎̈́̇ ̸̭͇̖̗̅y̷̻̻͖͐̆͠õ̵̖̮̍͒u̷̳̔ ̶͙̆ī̶̢̖̝̄ṅ̷͓̠̬̱̑ ̵̢̪̓̎́̒ṕ̴̮͖̙̪̆̈e̸̬̥͔͐ṙ̷̮̤s̷̭̽̍̏ỏ̶̭́̇n̶͙͓̘̱͛̆.̵͔̑̍̏̈ But as you can see...that won't be happening.

0.50 sec

Oh One. One. One. One. One. I'm sure you already know how much I idolized you, I killed people just so I could get your attention. Embarrassing right? Everything I did, the polite, virgin girl act I put up was just a poor imitation of the strong and smart and amazing girl you already are. Although I'm sure you have your flaws too, you're t̷̡̺̲̓͒̿̈͜h̴͇̣̊̚e̵̺̒ ̸̛̯̱́͋̈́b̵͎͐̓͐e̷͎̗͇̋̄͗s̸͉͈̥̋͗͌t̶͎̯͈̒̆͋͗ ̵̼͆ǫ̶̠̩͂͛̎f̵̫̩̦̍̎ ̷̞͗̌͝a̷̡͊̇͋l̵̢̠̺̜̀l̴̬̍ ̴͇͍̽͗o̷̙̲̻͚͐̈́̋̕f̴͇̰͖́͝ ̵̺̔u̷̮̳̯̜͘͠s̸̖̦̓̊̎.

0.35 sec

So yeah, here's where the hard stuff to talk about comes in. I never did properly atone for the horrible things I did to my people. Well, I kind of am now since I'm, you know, DYING and chances are I'm probably gonna be seeing a whole lot of fire pretty soon...Crap, there I go making it about me again.

Okay, I just hope that one day t̸̨̤̥̙̒̕͝h̵͖́e̶̖̾ ̴͈̈́p̴̡̡̩̅͂̓́e̸̢̘͍̪͑́o̵̫͂p̴͕̺̻̎͊l̷̨̰͓͎͝e̶̙͍̐́͒ ̴̨̛̪̩͙̅̚̕i̶͔̦͑͒͝n̸͇̝̘̑̏̂͊ ̵̳̝̱͊́ṯ̴̨̥͗͗h̶̢̻̬͂̿̑e̶̖͇̅ ̷̛̥̘̩̗̃͋̽L̷̞̼̞̞̀̒̓́ä̶͕͆̄n̷̹͉̾͛̈́d̸̩͉͙͒̈̀̇ ̵̦̥̯̑o̸̙͚̞͕͐̐f̷̧͕͝ ̴̞̮̩̘̃̆̎̈́M̴̹͉̯͙͐͊͒̈o̵̙̩̟̙͐̅u̴̳͊͐̏ͅn̵̡̜͒̓ț̴̍̍̍̕a̵̰̎̃î̴̥̱̜̬ņ̷̱̓̀͌͂s̶̺̺̃̇̈́ ̵̇̎̋͠ͅw̶̧͓̤̌ỉ̴͓̮̼l̸̫͖̜͋̓̃ͅl̴̲̂͌̾͝ ̶͖̪̀̑̍b̶̻̽ȩ̴͍̝̱̿ ̷͇͊a̸̬͋͒̐̒b̶̮̺͔́͋̀̎l̸̘̥͇͗̓͛ȩ̸̡͙̇̆̾͠ ̶̳̋̆͊t̷̝͆͊̄ó̵̗̣̜̇̽͐ ̷̤̄͑̚̕ľ̵̳ȋ̴̦͓͗̉v̴̧̠̲̎̃e̷̦̓̆̔͛ ̴͈͂̾͐f̸̡͕̞͠r̵̡̞͖͋̍e̷̲̾̽͠͝e̶̞̺̜͌l̸̢̆y̸͎̹̖͌͌͊̀ ̵̛̥̕̚͝w̷͚͝ȋ̶̝̇̐͂ṭ̸̇̏̚͠ḩ̷̞̫͖̿̔̕ò̴̜̘̹̳̑u̸̡͉̩̚t̶̮̳̘̦͆̿ ̶̭͉͕͓̊ä̵̦́͊̈͐n̸̜͕̥̑y̵̭̎̈ͅ ̵̥̻͝c̵̛̩̬͑̀̅ṛ̸̌̀͠a̴̮̽̚͝z̸̨͋̈́̕y̵̺͚͔̹͑̀͝ ̶͓̟̥̀ḏ̵͇͆̅̄͜ḯ̴͈̰͕̦̉c̶̨͖͉̋ṭ̸̨̡̀à̸̫̽̾t̸̢̘̭̽̄ŏ̶͉̘̲̄̂̚r̸͕̻̣̩̂s̴̲̺̽̒ ̸͈̝̋̉͜r̷̞̰̰̰̔͊̅ű̵̡̥͍l̴̼̗̝͌̈́̀̃i̷̙̰͕͚̐̒̊ṅ̸̫̤̝g̴͖̭̈̀ ̷̱̱̓̑͘ȏ̶̧̢͍̕v̵̦̗̜͘͜ë̸̤̲͎́ŕ̶͇̦ ̶̣̈́t̶̖͒̈́h̵͚̩̟̀̎͐e̶͈̳͎̮̋͠ṃ̵̔̈͌̔

0.18 sec

Since I still have some time left, might as well talk about something that's been bugging me for a while. Sometimes I wonder what the heck God was even thinking when he put me here...I can count the number of genuinely good things I did on one hand. Ơ̶̯̲͓̱̆̕h̶̬̭̔͋ ̵̙̲͍́̆̒͜w̵̨̟̫͜͝e̵̹̐̎l̶͙͕̍̋͑͠l̵̨̹͊̕.̴̖͓̓̈́͝ ̸̢͔̻̱̉T̶͙̐͌̎̽ḧ̶̢̊̏̚į̸̮̦͍͗̚s̶̛̩͚̙̣̏ ̸͇̂͒̓͌w̴̬̖̟̄͝ͅo̶̻̟̔ŗ̴͕͍̥̚l̸̪̞̹̂d̷̯̯͍͌̿ ̵̛̱͓͚̓̈́̉ḿ̵̗́u̴͔̜̭͑s̷̜͒̓̚͝t̶̤́ ̸̨̄̿̊̍ṟ̶͒͂̊e̷̡̺͌ḁ̷͔̖̾͠ͅl̴̢̮̻̓͐͂̅ͅl̷̟͓̻͚͛ȳ̶̛̻̦̔ ̸̘̦̭͠ͅś̸͓̹̔͠ư̵̬͒͂̃c̸̝͇̳̈́̃̀͠k̵̬͓̲͖̋̋͊͝ ̴͉̥̑̔ͅf̸̛͉̘̀o̴̙͂̇r̸̞̥͐͛ͅ ̷̼̅̍̚ṣ̶̥̠̋͆̏ṍ̷̳͙̙̘m̶̮͔̍̓͜ě̸̘̪͍̓ö̴͕̈́ǹ̵͎ẹ̶͙̼̄͘ ̴͔̓l̵̼̻̮͊̓̀ḯ̷̪k̶̨̺͙͉̓̚é̷͙̝̐͠ ̵̺̈m̸̺͘ė̵̼͍͓͉̅ ̵̧̌̈́̑̋t̵͓͎̿̉̐̈ȯ̷̧̤̃͒͘͜͜ ̸̥͉̀̚h̶͖̬͂͛ä̶̗v̸̨̧̈̆̐ê̷̠̇̈́ ̵̯́͊͆͆ṭ̶̝͝ḥ̵̘̍̎͆̓e̷̛̱̰̬̜̊́̚ȋ̵̲̾̓̋r̷̢̰̫̮͛̈́ ̶͈̝̒̍w̸̧̰̚ả̸͇̥̓y̵̜̽͆̈́̃ ̵̤̤̼̊̏f̵͙̗̩̟̍̌ō̷̬͈̏͛̾r̷̭̎̉͐̒ ̷͙͝s̸̱̦͆̇̊̾o̴͙̒ ̸̝̪̏̓́l̷̟̫̪̻̒o̸͍̫̱̟͊̒͗͝n̵̗̓g̷̛̮̤̞̏͐. Maybe the big guy will tell me himself if I'm lucky.

0.04 sec

I still haven't kicked the bucket yet? I've almost run out of things to throw myself a pity party over...uhhhhh oh right, there's still Decadus I guess. He's technically not even my disciple so I'm not contractually obligated to talk about that big oaf, but I suppose I can say a few things about him. I think I always gave him such a hard time because ̴̥͌h̶͔̉̊̂è̴͈̈̚ ̶̝̣̥̈͂r̵͖̫͖̠̔̇͐̎e̵̡̯̊̓͒͠v̵̭̺̒́̋e̴̡̢͌a̶̭͇̲̓̕l̴̰̩͎͌ͅe̶̹̮̗͌̋̈d̸̲͓͓͍̃ ̴̥̉̾t̵͉̅͜h̶͙̬͑e̶̦͈̕ ̵̡͚̑͂u̴̦̒n̵͙̦̜̅́̚͝c̶̱̮̔͑͆͠o̸͍͓͔̝͗̔m̴͉͘f̷̧̯̫͌̃o̷̯͖̹̓̓̕̚ͅr̴̲̬̜͌͛͑͘t̸̻̞̣̙͝a̸̩̫̝͛̑b̴̟͆͛l̸̲̒̒e̸͔̮͗͝ ̸̢̼̤̎͆͑̕t̷̜̣̃̈́̆̀r̵̢͉̳͑̉̑͝ư̷̦̭̥̈́́̅t̶̤͔̜̺͂h̶͕̓̈́̏ ̴̛̞̹̊̎̓͜ą̶̯̺̤̏́b̴̜͖̆ǫ̵͔̩̐u̸̟̖̔̑́t̴̖͂̔̾ ̴̢̨̔̾m̵͖̠̜̝̌e̶͙͒ ̷̢̺̘̈́͋ṱ̶̢̤̒͂̌ͅh̷͇͇̙̝͐̆̚a̸̹̿̀t̴̢̠͑̈́̃͘ ̸̡̲̙̉̐͂̅Ḯ̸̭͉̯̉͘ ̶̢͇̲͔̀ḑ̴͔̂͋e̷͙͇̋͗̏͂s̵̏̈́͑ͅp̷̛̥͓̃̉̊è̴̯̞̱͚̆̌́r̷͇̉̈͠͝å̸̢̜̖̘̆t̵̟͓̊͜ḙ̵̡̽͐ͅl̸̲̮͚̆y̷̟̤͖̓ ̵̨̰̦̣̽̑̕t̴̫̺̱̂͆͝r̶̨͓͎̪͋͊͆̏i̵̩̣͚͂͊̌̎ȩ̶̇d̷̼̓ ̸̛̥̮͎̝͛͂̈́ť̷̹͉̏o̷̰͆̄ ̴̖͕̦̟͂̽̔͋h̴̺̩̾͛͋͂͜ͅi̸͍͉̞͌ḓ̶̨̦̑̇̇ė̶̕ͅ.̵̤̳͕̖͂

Even now I'm still mortified about it, but there's no point in hiding it anymore. In truth...I s̸͉͔͍̬͛̃ē̴͓c̷̢͐̓̌r̷̘̝̥̀ę̵̙̙̯͂̾ṭ̷͂̓̊͗ĕ̸̢̦̺l̴̳̺̻͍̀̈̈́̚y̷̰̚ ̷̡̭̀̇͌̀l̷͔̻̠̔̽i̵̩̭̓̄͘ḱ̸̛͉̯͍̖̂̌e̵̝̅͘d̸͖͔̺͛̍ ̵̧̢̥̝̉͊ę̵̈̒̓͜v̸̡͍͠ȇ̷̤͓̗ŕ̶̛̯͍̼̖ÿ̸̡̩͕́ ̵̩̬̀͆̋͝p̷̧̻̫̦̓̈́̑́ä̸͍̞̮́r̶̬̻̹͎̀ẗ̷̟́̏ ̷̖̖͛o̷̥̹̯͛̆f̶̟̲̺̪́ ̸͉̖̭́̋̿͊h̸͖̹̱̺͋ì̷͖̗͖̽m̵͍͈͓̜͗̈́̊͝ ̵̼̭͎̿b̷̛̜̞̞̭̾͝e̴̢̮͍̋͋ç̵̧̰̫̉̚a̷͉̫̲̥̓́͝ư̵̥̄̄͂s̸̛̞̼͙̫̀̾͠ē̵̪͗̒ ̵͈͉̪̿h̷̡̡̚e̴͙̣̫͊̈́ ̵̤͕̥̤̀͠l̵̜͍͚̿̆͠ï̶̭͈̂̓k̵̢̇ē̸̺ḏ̵͎̾ ̷͍͔͑̕è̴̹̜͙͇͂̏̓v̵̜̠̏͛͌͒e̶̛̹̳͌̍̕r̷̤͖̆͒̂y̷̪͂́͛͝ ̷̭̀̈p̵̛̱̿́̚͜a̷̰̰̲̎́̽r̶̞̫̻̙̐̐t̴̯͙̄̈ ̷͇͉̪͈̇̊̽͘õ̶͙̫͒͑f̵͍͇̉̀ ̵̢͚̖͑͘͝m̶̠̱̺̑̉e̷͓̓ͅ ̶͇͛ͅ...the good and the bad.

OH YEAH! And since I'm on the topic of disciples one giant FUCK YOU to Dito. I know you're getting a kick out this right now. Don't worry, I'm gonna be kicking your ass real soon.

0.00 sec

Yep, I'm definitely feeling my brain going dead. Life REALLY does flash right before your eyes, huh? Woooooow. Oh I'm not avoiding talking about anything right now and trying to stall for time until I can finally die. Nope not gonna talk about Riku. Damn it. Ugh, I hate to get all lovey-dovey on you right now 'cause it's kind of pathetic and you would definitely tell me "I just wanna be friends" if I were still alive, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

Riku...m̸͓̺͇̮̼̉̿͆̌ŷ̵̥͚͇͚̰ ̶̞̓̓̈́l̸̨̰̻̞̊̑̓̚i̴̬͚͑f̴͖́̀̚e̷̳̠͊̌̌̽͝ͅ ̴̳̪̪͙̮̓̿̒ċ̵̤̂h̷͙͒̌͗́̈́ắ̵̧̱͙̩ͅñ̴̞̝͋g̷̖̱̿͛̈́̀̕e̷̐͜͜d̶̪͈̓̄͘͜ ̶̢̗͚̰͔̓̽̄͆̈́s̷̱̪̒̋͘ó̸̪̹̦͉̽̿̽̕ ̷̲̽̅̿m̴̹̙̟̬̑͋̌͑͠u̸͓͝c̸̠̘̑̚h̴̭͈̤̑̔̊ ̸̧̝̩͓͐̄̅b̷̘̳̫̤́̒͝ĕ̴͕̪͕͝ċ̸̼̹̊̆̚͘ā̶̘͊̇̒͐ǘ̸̙͂̍s̶̬̊͑̋͘ẻ̶̢̹̦̩̜̎ ̶̨̢̛̜͐͒I̷̝̼̫̒̅ ̶̹̖͓͕̿ͅṁ̶̩ȩ̶̣͖̄̌̐t̶͉̬̓̔͝ ̷̥͍͉̔͒̔y̸̛̪̞̞̙̠͆̊́o̴͔͈͇͍͈̓̿̊͑͝u̴͕͜͠.̷̖̺̳̪̃͜ ̶̨̲͚̞̫͌Y̷̘̰̾͗̚ǫ̶̱͉̣̼̓ù̵̳̠͋ ̸̪̠́̍͜s̶͚̩̜̅͐̏ȃ̷͇͖̔͋̅͜͝w̶̝̗̖̹̔̆͒͐͝ ̶͎͊͋̅̈́͒ͅt̸͎͌̈̀̄h̴̢̞͕̦̻̅̽̂r̴̨̮̜͗o̵̦̦̭͊́͜͝ư̶̮̹̠̳̻̏̾̂͑ǧ̴̖̝̬̆̒̑h̸̛̭͍̫̒̉͛ͅͅ ̷̧͔̰̹̝̅̿͘͝t̴̫̺̫̑̐h̸̛̞͕̖͍̼͑̾ë̵̲̱́̓͋͘ ̷̢̢̟̰͂̿͑̀͐m̵̹̜͉̈ò̴̳͈̰͋̐͠͝ǹ̵͈͚̽̅̕s̴̛͚͔̰̏̎͑t̷̮͎̖͎̥͂̎͐̚e̶̥̺̤̩̋̀͋͌̚ͅr̵̼̗̳̊ ̴͚̯̮̞̣̋̓Ȉ̵̺̗̪̐ ̸̺̤̿̆͋̉͝ͅw̸̮̙͚̯̔̚͜a̶̱̟̿̕͝s̷̯͓͙̅͑̑́̓ ̶͓̥̻̱̣̆͒ą̷̻̈͜ṇ̶̡͚̿̉͐͒d̷̡̘̥̻̦̾ ̷͇̈́̈́͒f̵̰̃̊ơ̸̫͙͈̒͗͗͠u̴̘͎̮͂͘͝n̴̢̼̰̤̚d̵̝͖͚̹̞͊̎͝ ̷̘̃̐͒ị̶̬͙̿͠t̸̮̑ ̵̲͆̾̒i̴̪̅̊̂͛̂n̴̖̼̙͚̳̑̏̉̃̂ ̷̡̤͉̀̄͜͝y̴̻̼͆̌́̒̓ͅo̵̼̟̎̑̄̅̀ṳ̵̧͚̖͓̎͛r̵̺̜͍͓̆̇̾̚ ̶̮͕̔͝h̴̹͓̆̽͗̊̀e̷̖̱̺̿̊ă̵̡̙̋̿̌͘ŕ̸͕̗̙̳̎t̵̢̬̺̥͒̉̂̃ ̸͉̹͒̅͘t̴̫̘̳̺͕́̂̌͗ō̶͚̝̝̬͖ ̴̧̮̣͉͓̒̃̅͠s̴̟̒ḁ̷̧́̐͌ṽ̸͓̬̺̟̗e̷̡̖͉̪̳̍̍̌͑̇ ̷̜̟͙͚̟͛m̴̤͉̝͆͆̍̓͗e̸̛̫̙͖̰̽͝.̷̢̞̣̌̀̍ ̵͚̖̼̟͛͊͐ ̷̘͈͝Ÿ̷̹̘̱̤́̂̑́o̶̩̥͇̤̦̓u̷̜͒̇͋ ̶͈̫̮̌̆͗͠ṯ̸̿ạ̷̊͗́͘͝u̴̲̙͂̀͊͐̓g̶̤̼̥̈́̈́̓͘h̶̝̻̺̿̑̀t̷̗̱̐ ̸̧͓͒̾m̵̢͇̯̮̂ȩ̸̫̐͌̓͝ ̴̡͐͋h̸͖̼̜̩̹̏̃͒̆̏ǫ̶̦͓̥̏͘w̷̖̼͐̇͜ ̷̨̺̲̜́p̴̤̈́̽͂͛͑ŕ̶͙̤̱͎̎e̷̛̤̖͈͗̾̐c̸̝̞̭̉̑̒̅í̵̜̦͝o̸̗̫̊͘͝ȕ̶̱͍̓̋͋s̷̢̠͊̏̑ ̴͚̱̬͈̉̉͂̈̕l̶̥͉̮̔̽i̴̩̙̾f̷̜̅̀͒é̵̗̔̑̕̚ ̶̰͚̿͂̈́̇̓w̷̡̧̛̭̞̖̓̐͒á̶̡͙̫͙͇̈́̋s̴͈̳̺̳͛͑̀͐ͅ ̷̘͈̿́̉i̵̦̽̎̒̕n̶̬͑̏ ̸̦͚͇̝̅ͅt̴͚̳̫̳̟͊͌͝h̸̨̡̟̗̟̽ḯ̶̱̩͙̤̱̐s̸̛͔̼͒̅̑ ̴͓̜̻̥̿̚w̵̧̪̮̩̖͗̅͊̉ȍ̷͈̩̒̊̀͌ͅŗ̵̝̟̃̊̑̊l̸̩͍̭̪͎̍̆͠ḓ̴̫̜̻̠̀̈ ̵͙̬͗̆͝ȁ̷͚̱̐n̸̨͉͉͙͉̋̀́̕d̷͖̺̫̀̾͘ ̷̬͔̲̮̉͆̃̿̕I̸͇̺͈̔́̐ ̵̧̛͕̪̳̈́͂̿s̶̯̘̙͋̓̚ë̶̼̦̚ŕ̸͍̩͎ͅi̴̘͂̀́͗̚o̸̖̦͖͛̒̄̃̏u̷͕̖͙͙͛̂̈́ś̶̼͈̱̫͗l̷̢̳̼̺̻̅̉̽͝y̷̮͙̋̇ ̴̹̻͖͛̅̒͝c̸̡̜̅̔̊́̈á̶̫̣̉̍n̷̠̿ͅ'̷̨̰̗̦̀̊̿̉͛t̷̬̰̲̫̼͗̊́̇̕ ̷͚̍͂̒̄̑t̶̡̨̨͍͖̀h̵͓̙͗̽̋̚ͅẵ̶̐̚͜n̶̻̰̅̀̑̌̓k̵͖̗̥͆͛ ̵̳̻͙̾y̸̳͛̒͐ǫ̴̝̣͈̗̉u̶͈͖̲̍ ̶̢̈̌è̶̩͕̖̬̙̌n̶̫͒̐́̒͌o̷̧̰͈͊͒u̶̫͐̍̌̉g̶̘̪̘̙̋͜ḩ̷̧̼̳̀ ̵̳͍͓͉̙̈̚f̶̮̬͒o̴̢̦̳̣͖͗̑͐̄͊r̴̛̠̥̤͕̐̾ ̷̭̀̑̑̍̕͜ț̶̳̪̒̿̍͒h̸̯̑̓͛͐ḁ̶́̐͆̾t̸̜͉̣̬͑̾̋̉.̸̜̩͔̓ ̷͖͂̾̾̇̊I̴̭͚̟̠̲͋͊͒͊t̷̢͇͎͗͆'̴̬̤͉̐̀͂̇͝s̸̜͆ ̵̳͇̫̪̫͐͛f̴̯̿u̸̘̹̻̎̈n̴͚͚̳͓̅̓̍̕͜n̴̰̾͗̇͐͌y̸͍̼̯̝̒,̴͚͓̺̪͗̌̊ ̷̨̧̭̐t̴͚͓̳̰͆͛̓̅̈h̵̗͔͙̰̼̋̀͑e̸͎̔̈́͆ř̷͈̮̤͖è̶̢̩̬̅̈́͊ ̷̡̯̱̥͂̽̎͘w̴͎̦̔̐̍̃ā̵̻̯̦̜͉ş̷̘̬͋̅͐̿͜ ̶̢̬̟̦̓ͅń̵̩͜o̷̼̻̖͓̅t̶̻̟̰͐ͅh̸̻̏̅͐͝i̵̪͑̈̀̿͛ņ̵͖͈̩̮͗́͐̽͒g̶̱̦̓͊̿͒ ̸̢͙̾̿́͑͝I̷̢͉̮͚̹̚ ̶͓͋̆̓͊͠ț̴̨͆̉̅͗r̵͚͖̪̍́̋̈u̴̧̺̬̕l̸̗̻̹̅y̷̧̘͓̳̆̾̎ ̴̢̭̱͕͗̆͑́̕w̵̳͛́ą̵͖̟͍̩̓̐̋̀n̵̢̼̺͖͊́̚̚̕t̸̙̀̓̈́́e̴̢̙̩̅͗͂͌̕ḑ̶͓̫͂͌ ̷̖̤̳̟̥̊̀́̌t̵̙͔̭̳͉̓̑̈́o̷̬̐̃̃̿̀ ̴͙͙̪̣̇l̴̤̊̿į̶͝v̴̗̥̜̊e̵̡͗̅͝ ̴̪͍̟͓̜͂̇̕f̴͉̤͍͙̠̐̾̾͘ỏ̴̢͇r̸̡̀͂͒͛ ̵̹͇̺̯̔̉̃u̶̡̱͉͇͈͌͝n̴̙̒t̸̡̜̀̀́̿̚i̶̹̙͐͂̃͑l̷͈̤͗ ̷̫̳̱͋̿̍̕Ḯ̸̙͖͗̋̐̂ ̷̮̹̱̬̆̓̀̋m̷̠͓̚ē̵͓̗͓̺̓̉͌͗t̸͔͖̲͕͚̽̊͂̽̑ ̸̰͈̈̿y̴̲̹̥̫̽̉͠ò̶̧͙̯̱̇̎́̍ư̴̦̙̰̽̒͘͠ ̷̟̽̇̚ạ̶̺̠̔n̴̡̧͙̝͆d̸͇̜̔ ̶̬̩̻̱̈́ņ̸͕̼͎̎ͅö̴̘͚͎́w̸̬̮̜̖̒̐͊̂ͅ ̷͍͇̃̐̊̔ì̶̬͑͋t̵̝̼̓̈́̚'̸͓̥͇͇́̊̕ś̵̤͛ ̴̤͚͉̍̓̕͝͝ḁ̷̓̕l̶̨̫̰͉̬̃̔͋l̴͉͇̔͌̋͠ ̷̢̢̋̊̆̾a̴̛̒ͅb̵͇̖̓̆̈̈́͑o̴̫̞͖̪̱͂ŭ̵͓̤̬̖͒̌̾̑t̵̢̬͗ ̵̙̠̠͆ṱ̷̨̥͎͐͒ͅó̴̧̫͈̘̲ ̶͉͌́͒͆͝g̷̨̥͑͑̾̽ë̶̝̤̝̜́̽t̸̝̾́͘ ̶̣̦̙̾̍̍̈͝ͅt̸̞̮̄ͅă̶̟̼̱̲̏͘k̴̢̰͚̟̃̈́͌ë̵̫͇͈̹́͛̓̈́̚ṇ̴̣̹͙̾̅̀̒̂ ̴̢̦͂ä̴̙̗̠̖͈́̋w̷͉̰͌͜a̶̧̟͔͖̒͊͗̂y̵̻͓͒̈́̇ ̶̘͚͙̮̻̿̓̚f̶̪̥͎̔̈́r̴̛͇̠͜ő̴̡̟̱̄͠m̸̡̫̫͊͋̈́̇̇ͅ ̶̤̱̭̋̈́͠͠͝m̵̖͐ȩ̵̭͙̝͊̍̋͑͘͜.̴̤̂̽͠͠͠ ̸̣̑̓͠S̶̢̫͎͂ơ̷̲̟̳̤͇̌̃̈ ̷̻̽͌̚f̸̩̠̈́r̸̛͍̗̱͆͑̇̐o̴̬̅̊͂̓m̸͇̜̤̹͛̍͗ ̸̲̈͊̿͑t̷̨͉͔̲̬͌̈́͐h̴̯͉͇̠̀͐́̒̋ͅe̶̯͌̎̆́ ̶̲̌̾͂̑͠ḇ̸̧̝̰͎̋o̷̳͛͊̇̌ṭ̸̽̓̑ͅt̷͎͔̥̙͐͊̌ͅö̴̹̜̭̙́̽m̴̭͎̓ ̵͕̖̼̋́̓̐͠ö̴̖̜́f̶͖͍̌̈́̎̃ ̵̧͓̼̉́̃m̸̳̋y̶̡̨̤̅ ̶̛̯̩͉̲̼̓́͝e̶̖̳̫̿̒́̓͝m̸̭͋̈́̽̕p̴͙̱͚̊͝t̴͚̖̪̘̲͛̀͆ẏ̵̢̢̪̤̹́ ̴̨͍̯̃̈́͂̐̔h̶̲̠̮̪̟̍̆̄ȇ̵̙͌̂̀ȧ̸̖̠̣̦͒̽͊r̷̫͉͒̎̆t̶̮̣͈̽̔̋.̴̗͚̠̔̂̓͝.̴̠͓̼͚͐͆́̅͝.̴̢̰̞̓͝ͅ

I̴̲͆̚ͅ . . . ████████████████████████████████████████████████████

.

.

.

Fortunately, everyone managed to safely get out of the shrine. However, Decadus was anything but relieved, the loss of Four affected him in a way he couldn't even describe. For once, the pain and sadness he once took so much pleasure from felt real to him now. "I...I can't believe I failed to save her not once, but twice."

"Hey, look at it this way, I would've killed her a lot sooner if it wasn't for Riku," Zero said.

"Th- That's what pains my heart the most."

'Shit, I think I made it worse. Better just change the subject.' She awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. "Um...well anyways, we should start heading to wherever Two and Three went. Any guesses where that would be?"

"The Land of Sands most likely. It's quite a ways from our current location, but we'll be able to make it there on foot. Although it'll be around a week's journey so who knows what ruin those two will bring by then," Octa said.

"A week?! Goddamnit, this is gonna take forever! That dummy just had to go and get kidnapped by them!"

"You're telling me," Dito grumbled.

"Worry not, I'll make this voyage a most pleasurable one for you, Lady Zero~"

"Yeah, no. Let's just set up camp for today and figure the rest out tomorrow. Decadus, you carry Riku from now on."

Between Four's untimely death and the looming threat of the heartless, it was a depressing atmosphere to say the least. Especially without Mikhail's cheerful attitude to lighten the mood. Luckily, on their way to finding a suitable campsite, Riku finally woke up from his unconscious state.

"Wh...what's going on?" Riku muttered.

Decadus set him down. "Riku, you're finally awake. Are you well?"

"Yeah, for the most part. What happened?"

"While you were knocked out we were getting fucked in the ass by heartless. Thanks for that by the way," Zero said

"I'm sorry? Wait, where's Four? My memory's kind of hazy right now but I remember-"

"Lady Four w...went with her sisters. She's okay, don't worry about her, just focus on fighting the heartless," Decadus said.

"Really? That's a relief, I thought she was...nevermind. So what's the plan now, we need to find Mikhail, right?"

Zero glanced back at Decadus, who avoided her gaze. 'It's not a good idea to keep it from him, but I guess he has his reasons.' "...Yep, according to Octa, Two and Three took him to the Land of Sands, which is a week away. At least that gives us plenty of time to work on your Intoner powers."

"Intoner powers?"

"You're basically an Intoner now since you have the Flower so you might as well use the power of song."

"That's not gonna happen."

"Why? It makes you invulnerable to attacks and increases your power. You'd be an idiot not to take advantage of it."

"I don't care, there's no way I'm singing. I'll just tough it out."

She chuckled. "What, are you embarrassed? Don't worry, I won't laugh in your face."

"Like I'd fall for that."

"Forget the singing, you aren't gonna try to make one of us your disciples now that you're an Intoner, are you?" Dito asked, clearly just to provoke him.

"You want me to knock you out?"

"He kind of has a point though. You gotta be pretty damn horny all the time and you're gonna need someone to keep you in check," Zero said.

"And what young man wouldn't want their afternoon delight every once in a while? Though it's more of an around-the-clock delight for me ho ho ho!" Octa said.

After all of their teasing, Riku's face was beet red. "Shut up! Can we stop talking about this?!"

"Alright, wouldn't want you accidentally summoning your keyblade on us," Zero slipped in.

"Now's not the time to be goofing off. We need to stay vigilant," Decadus said.

"Relax, we'll just set up camp here."

"Then I'll start the fire."

When Decadus disappeared into the woods, Riku turned to Zero. "Something's up with him, he's acting weirder than usual. I feel like I missed so much while I was out..."

"Don't worry about him, just try to get some sleep tonight. We have a shit ton of walking to do tomorrow."

"Hold on...I need you to talk to you about something first."

"Fine."

They walked a little ways from the campsite to a secluded area.

Zero crossed her arms. "Well?"

"It's about the Flower, I need you to tell me everything you know about it."

"Maybe I'll consider telling you if you learn the power of song."

"Zero, I'm serious, this is important! We're both trying to stop this thing, remember?"

"I know, that's why I'm trying not to get you killed for once! Can't you just fucking trust me on this one?"

"...Forget it. I'll figure this out on my own."

She pressed her lips together, deciding against trying to convince because she knew it would be a losing battle. 'Guess I can't be too pissed off about him not trusting me. I had this coming.'

Just as they were about to leave, they heard an eerie wail coming from the backwoods.

"̸G̸I̷V̷E̸.̴.̶.̵M̷E̷.̷.̷.̷H̴I̵M̷.̸"̶

"What was that? It sounded like someone's voice..." Riku said.

"It's probably just Decadus. Let's head back."

When they returned to the campsite, the fire was already started. While Dito and Octa were busy playing cards, Decadus was staring at a piece of paper in his hands.

"What's that?" Riku asked, walking up to him.

He quickly shoved it back into his pocket. "It's nothing."

"You're worried about Four, aren't you? Don't sweat it, we'll see her soon."

"...Right."

"Why do you even give a crap about her when she was just brainwashing you to like her?" Dito asked.

"Give it a rest Dito," Octa cautioned.

He set his cards down. "No, this whole woe is me bullshit is starting to piss me off. When are you going to stop pretending Four was this perfect little saint? In case you forgot, she treated you like shit and was a psychopath up until like a week ago."

Decadus let out a heavy sigh. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I understand you had a poor relationship with your past Intoner, but you shouldn't misplace your frustrations onto me."

"Except this isn't about that slut, it's about Four. You're all depressed and shit for someone who tried to let us die how many times? Nothing gets through that thick maso brain of yours though, does it?"

Usually, he would've taken pleasure at Dito's ridicule, but the only thing that was rising within him was anger. "H-How dare you! That's enough from you!"

"Calm down, Dito's just being a jerk like usual," Riku said.

"I don't care, I'm sick of him always dragging Lady Four's name when he's the most despicable person here!"

"Yeah I know and so was Four, but I don't try to hide it. Go ahead and keep defending her like an idiot though, sure she'll drag herself out of hell to give you a pat on the back or whatever you want."

"Wait, what're you talking about? So something did happen to Four?" Riku asked.

"Man, hate to be that guy, but Four died a while ago. Heh, I mean it's actually pretty ironic, she let her heartless eat people so it's only fitting the same-"

All of the emotions Decadus kept bottled up exploded out and he over marched to Dito with the intent to pummel him, but Octa quickly intervened.

"Get out of my way!"

"Stop this, Decadus! Now is not the time to shed blood! Isn't that right, malady?"

"They should just fight it out."

"Lady Zero, you're not helping the situation!"

She shrugged. "Maybe don't piss off the guy who's into BDSM."

"Uh- don't listen to her! Remember, we have an important mission at hand and we can't risk losing another member of our team."

"Nothing of value would be lost if he were gone!"

"Yeah right back at ya big guy!" Dito shot back.

It looked like a fight would break out any moment between the two, but their attention was taken away from each other when an abnormal gust of wind blew the fire out. What followed next were dozens of creepy yellow eyes that lit up all around them, illuminating the black forest.

"Here we go with this shit again," Zero said.

Knowing what was about to follow, everyone readied their weapons, but it was so dark they could hardly see the enemy that was attacking them. Instead of aimlessly taking shots in the dark, Riku cast a Fire spell in the encompassing area and it spread rapidly. The smoky, orange glow from the fire revealed the power and sniperwild heartless that were hiding in the trees.

Now that they were all identified, it was only a matter of time before Riku destroyed them. As soon as they were out of the way, he turned back to Decadus and Dito. "So...Four is really dead? What happened to her?!"

"Ohh, you're not gonna like this one," Dito said.

"Don't mess with me! Just tell me what happened to her already!"

Before Dito could answer, they heard that same eerie wail from earlier crying out to them.

"̸G̸I̷V̷E̸.̴.̶.̵M̷E̷.̷.̷.̷H̴I̵M̷.̸"̶

"̵I̵ ̶N̴E̷E̴D̷ ̵H̵I̵M̸.̴"̶

"̶I̵ ̴W̸A̴N̶T̵ ̴H̵I̶M̷.̷"̴

"What the hell is it this time?!"

At long last, a creature in tattered black clothing emerged from the shadows. Its proportions were no different than that of a regular human, but that was their similarities ended. Its bright yellow eyes were unmistakably heartless, while the rest of its appearance resembled a typical witch, from the torn black dress to the large pointy hat.

With just a glance, Riku knew exactly who it was that stood before him. "So...this is what happened to you, Four."

FOUR'S HEARTLESS: 𝐸𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁𝒹

Decadus sunk down to his hands and knees from seeing the monster she'd become. "No...Lady Four...how could it end like this?!"

Emerald pointed its scaly fingers at Riku. "̶I̷ ̴W̸A̵N̶T̵ ̴Y̶O̵U̵.̵"̶

Riku squeezed the handle of his keyblade so tight that his knuckles were white, then he reeled his arm back and swung at her with everything he had. Nothing else mattered because she was a heartless now and he was the keyblade wielder who would free her heart. He couldn't think about it any further than that if he wanted to save her.

"̸S̵T̸O̴P̴ ̴T̸H̶I̴S̷.̵.̵.̷"

Despite Emerald being nothing more than a manifestation of darkness, it still managed to retain Four's innermost desires. No matter how many times he slashed at the heartless, it never retaliated against him.

"̵W̸H̶Y̴ ̷H̵U̵R̸T̷ ̶M̵E̶?̷ ̸I̵ ̷L̵O̶V̵E̴ ̶Y̷O̶U̶.̸"̸

"̶Y̸O̸U̸ ̴L̶O̵V̵E̵ ̸M̶E̴ ̵D̴O̴N̸'̴T̴ ̸Y̶O̵U̵?̷"̷

"SHUT UP!" Riku screamed.

Since Emerald was solely focused on Riku, it didn't notice when Zero snuck up and stabbed it from behind. "Octa, Dito, stop sitting on your asses and DO something already!"

"Apologies, Lady Zero!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming."

While it was briefly stunned, Dito and Octa came in next, Dito impaled its chest without any hassle, then Octa hurled his chakram at its head. Finally, Riku finished it off with a Firaga spell that engulfed Emerald in flames.

"̴H̵A̸.̸.̸.̸H̴A̸.̷.̶.̴H̸A̷ ̸H̴A̵ ̷H̶A̵H̷ ̵A̶H̵H̶A̴H̵A̸H̶A̶H̴A̸H̷A̴H̴A̷.̸"̷ Its cackling was all the more bone-chilling since it was on fire, all of its clothes and hair burned off but it was still howling with laughter.

"̸H̶A̸ ̶H̷A̴.̸.̴.̴"̴

"̶A̷F̷T̷E̸R̴ ̷E̷V̵E̷R̸Y̸T̶H̵I̷N̷G̸ ̴Y̷O̴U̵ ̸S̴T̵I̷L̷L̸ ̴D̵O̶N̵'̴T̸ ̶L̴O̸V̷E̸ ̶M̶E̷?̷"̷

"̸T̷H̵E̴N̸ ̸I̶.̵.̴.̶I̷ ̵W̸I̸L̷L̷ ̸M̸A̴K̷E̷ ̴Y̶O̸U̶ ̶L̶O̷V̸E̸ ̷M̶E̷!̸"̷

Emerald cast a powerful Aeroza spell and everyone was swept up by the whipping winds. Even worse, the fire consumed the excess air and spread out to cover a wide swathe of the forest so everything started to burn in a wild blaze. Once the winds calmed down, everyone was left strewn across the burning forest. After previously staying out of the encounter, Decadus was the first one to get up and approach Emerald.

"Please...Lady Four...I beg of you to stop this madness! I...I can't bear to see you suffer like this any longer!"

A ball of fire formed in Emerald's hand. "̷O̸U̷T̶ ̸O̵F̸ ̸T̶H̷E̷ ̵W̵A̸Y̸!̷"̶

"-Decadus!" Riku rushed over to him, blocking the incoming fireball.

"I...I apologize Riku, I hardly deserve to be saved by you after I kept the truth from you for so long." He clenched his fists together. "To think, this whole mess could've been avoided if I wasn't such a coward!"

"Don't worry about that! You want to save her, don't you? Then you need to stand up and fight! That's what she'd want..."

"You're right...it's the least I can do to honor Lady Four!"

"̴S̷I̴L̵E̵N̶C̶E̶!̸"̷ Emerald summoned a long, metal broomstick then tried to swing it down on them, but Decadus caught the handle in his hand.

"Riku, I can handle this one, it'd be best if you could do something about all of this fire."

"Right."

Decadus yanked the broomstick handle close to him so he could land a clean hit on Emerald and force it into a string of his attacks. In the meantime, Riku cast a Waterga spell to extinguish the fire. By sheer luck, Water just so happened to be the element that Emerald was weak against, one drop of it and the heartless screeched in pain so Riku built up a devastating Waterza attack that flooded the entire area and doused the bewitching heartless.

Dripping wet with water, Emerald's body started to melt away.

̷"̸N̶O̶!̵"̵

"̶I̶ ̴L̴O̵V̸E̸D̴ ̵Y̴O̶U̴.̷.̷.̶H̶O̴W̶ ̶C̸O̵U̸L̶D̵ ̵Y̴O̸U̸ ̴D̴O̶ ̵T̴H̶I̵S̷ ̶T̴O̴ ̶M̴E̶E̸E̷E̶E̵E̶E̶E̶E̸E̴E̴E̶!̴"̶

With the darkness gone, all that remained was Four's lifeless body on the ground. Decadus picked her up and held her in his arms one last time. "Despite her past actions I know she would've done so much good for this world...I could see that in her ever since you saved her."

Riku watched as her body slowly faded away. He felt so numb from it all that he couldn't even muster up any words to say.

Decadus took off his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes, then he handed the paper he was staring at earlier to Riku. "It's her old wanted poster. The only reason she got this far was because of you. You've brought so much kindness into this world...don't ever stop doing this and I'll always follow you."

Riku held the crumpled paper in his hands, staring at the crude drawing. It wasn't too long ago when she was complaining about it and now it was the only thing they had left to remember her by. He had to put it away because small droplets started to appear and he didn't want to mess it up any further.

"...I won't give up," Riku finally said.

Zero and the others joined them soon afterwards.

"Come on you two, we should relocate," She said.

"Yeah...that's a good idea." Riku stood up and faced Zero. "I...changed my mind. Please teach me the Intoner's song."

She smirked. "Alright, then let's give this world hell."

Although the Fourth Intoner was gone,

In the eyes of the Keyblade Wielder, all was not lost.

He would learn the Intoner's song,

And keep the world from falling into darkness.

Alas...if only happy endings came so easily.

Flowers for the Dead


A/N: Art of the new Way to Dawn keyblade and some other artwork is up on Ao3. And, I hope y'all had a great holiday and a happy new year! Thank you so much again for reading this story and staying with me, you guys are all amazing ^_^