The Age of Fairy Tales
The New Gods IX
"Did we have to do this?"
Aqua said nothing as she gently placed the unconscious Ozma on the ground. After having used the Sword of Destruction to erase Salem and Ozma's memories she just couldn't leave Ozma unconscious in the desert where he would have likely died from thirst or get killed by a passing Grimm. It had hurt her to do this to someone she had considered a friend but she hoped he would forgive her and understand her actions later. Aqua had taken him to the safest part of oasis to allow him to rest and regain consciousness after the entire ordeal.
Poppy had her reservations but Aqua would not hear them. The Keyblade Master was a little unhappy with the young woman she had taken under her wing, mostly for using the Sword when she was still trying to talk to Ozma and make him understand what was happening. She made a mental note have a little chat with Poppy for her actions but that was for later.
Right now her biggest issue was the Lamp, the Sword and the Staff.
Three of the four Relics were in her possession and they needed a place to be hidden away for good.
Especially the Lamp.
Salem had taken over the Grimm that had been guarding it and smashed the cave and those three monsters that had appeared shortly after knew where it was as well. She had to hide them somewhere, preventing those three and Salem from finding them.
'Aqua.' She heard Penny's voice in her head as she watched over the unconscious Ozma.
'Penny.' Aqua sighed and closed her eyes. 'I'm a bit of a mess here.'
'I can see that.' Penny said, sounding sympathetic. 'Unfortunately you do not possess the magic to conjure the Vaults that Ozma will eventually seal them in to protect them from Salem.'
'The Vaults?' Aqua questioned.
'After the Great War, Ozma created four Vaults to hide the Relics in. These Vaults were actually doorways leading to the Ever After.' Penny answered.
Aqua's eyes widened in surprise. 'He knew of the Ever After?'
'Eventually. The Ever After is a realm connected to Remnant and he learned of its existence…from someone.' Penny trailed off slightly. 'He was able to create the doors leading into the Ever After and made sure the Relics were placed in very remote locations so the denizens here wouldn't find them.'
Aqua sighed and rubbed her head. 'Just one thing after another.'
"Ugh…."
Aqua and Poppy looked down to see Ozma slowly open his eyes. "Where…What…"
"Ozma?" Aqua asked carefully, staring down at him.
"Ozma…My name is Diggs." He said as he slowly sat up.
"Diggs?" Aqua and Poppy asked at the same time.
Did Ozma hit his head when he collapsed or did the Sword do a little more than just destroy the memories Aqua had selected?
"Yeah, I'm the original soul before Oz took over." Diggs answered and looked down at himself. "I really had no idea why but I was so overcome with memories I could barely do anything other than follow what the other soul wanted."
Aqua's eyes widened. "You are conscious the whole time?"
"Somewhat but the merging happened so fast I forgot who I was." Diggs shook his head and sighed. "I can't believe everything that has happened."
"So, what does this mean?" Poppy asked. "You know everything but Aqua wanted to destroy your memories."
"She wanted to destroy Oz's memories of her and Sin." Diggs corrected. "I'm still Diggs, for however that long that might last…" He looked away briefly before looking at the women again. "So I kept my memories. A bit of a loophole I guess."
"Then when Oz comes back, your memories will eventually become his." Aqua realized.
"I'm afraid so." Diggs nodded. "But we're not fully merged yet so it will be some time."
"Can we sever the link?" Poppy asked.
Diggs shook his head. "No. Our souls are too interconnected. We're like this until the day I die."
He looked at the Sword that was on Aqua's waist on one side and the small rod that was actually the Staff of Creation on the other. "You have two of the Relics."
"And the Lamp is still in the cave." Aqua nodded.
"You have to get rid of them." Diggs immediately and urgently said. "If the Relics are brought together, they will summon the Gods here…If the Gods find humanity is divided, they'll destroy this world and everyone on it."
Poppy and Aqua looked alarmed with Poppy voicing her concerns. "What?!"
"I know this much from the old soul. The four Relics are meant to call the Gods back when they are brought together." Diggs explained. "Oz is supposed to try and redeem humanity in the eyes of the Gods. Until then he is going to keep reincarnating in people like me until his task is done."
Aqua and Poppy shared a glance at this new information.
Now Poppy understood why her mentor didn't want all the Relics. She said it was a bad idea because it would bring unwanted attention.
And not just Salem and Ozma.
Those three monsters that Aqua and Oz just fought.
And what happens if all the Relics are found and brought together…
All this trouble made Poppy realize just how bad things were and she knew if she tried fighting any of them without Aqua with her she would lose…badly. It was even worse if those things were as immortal as Salem and from what she had heard they could indeed live for a very long time.
And they still had to destroy the monster known as Sin.
They had to hide the Relics they had, including the Lamp.
"Oz didn't want to do it at first but the God of Light told him his love was still alive." Diggs continued. "He thought it would be worth if he had one more chance to see her."
Aqua had no trouble believing that, considering how close Ozma and Salem had been when she had met them.
"You have to hide them, far away from me and Salem." Diggs quickly said.
Aqua looked at the Sword and the Staff around her waist, realizing that Diggs might have a point. It was too risky to leave the Lamp where it was with the cave it had been in destroyed and she couldn't take the Sword and Staff back to the temple.
They had to be hidden somewhere else for the time being, at least until she could find somewhere permanent for them.
Then an idea hit her.
"I know where they can go." Aqua said, pulling out the Horn of Passage. "Diggs, I can't show you this if you want it kept secret from Ozma."
Diggs nodded. "All right. He'll probably be awake soon anyways."
A growling sound was heard and Aqua turned to see a large number of Grimm, Beowolves to be precise were approaching the oasis.
"Grimm." Poppy pulled out her sword. "So many of them."
Narrowing her eyes, Aqua stood up. "Poppy, stay with Diggs. I have this."
Poppy looked like she wanted to argue but said nothing as Aqua stepped out into the open desert land, watching as the many Beowolves surrounded her.
One stood on its hind legs and growled at her…
And then stopped.
They stared at her before trying to move past her to get to Poppy and Diggs but Aqua would not allow that to happen.
(Kingdom Hearts OST: Destiny's Force)
Aqua summoned her Keyblade…and spun around to slash a Beowulf that tried sneaking past her. A single slash stunned it and Aqua followed up with a lightning blast to its fast, piercing its body in two. Aqua then spun around and pointed her Keyblade at the incoming Grimm, releasing a barrage of fireballs that slammed into many Grimm, incinerating them on contact. One Grimm managed to make past the barrage and leapt at Aqua, its instincts recognizing her as a threat.
Perhaps if their instincts for survival would be enough to make them want to defend themselves from her, despite the orders of their creator.
Her Keyblade transformed, utilizing Formchange and becoming its spear form that Aqua held up to block the Grimm's claws as it tried pushing her back and out of the way. Aqua grunted but her magic and Aura enhanced her strength to the point she could grapple with the beast.
"Thunder!" She shouted.
A bolt of lightning shot from the spear and the recoil was enough that the deadlock broke and the back end of the spear slammed into the Beowulf's face, knocking it down. Aqua spun her spear in one hand and stabbed it through the head. She had no time to relax as another jumped at her from behind but Aqua spun and activated her Shotlock: Bladecharge.
The attacking Grimm was sliced in a second later.
Aqua then slashed her way through attacking Grimm, the blue beam light of the Bladecharge cutting through the Grimm like a hot knife through butter. Just as she finished the first wave, another one was coming straight at her.
"Wateraga!" She shouted, holding up her Keyblade in its spear form.
Water circled around the bladed end as Aqua spun it elegantly while lashing the water out at the attacking Grimm like a whip. The result was many Grimm being cut in half even as they tried to swam Aqua with their numbers.
It was almost like a dance to Diggs and Poppy as they continued to watch.
Just as the Grimm seemingly surrounded her she slammed her spear into the ground and a tornado of water erupted around her, tearing apart any Grimm that came into contact with it and knocking back many more.
As she continued fighting, Aqua for some reason could see visions of herself…
Dancing in water…Sparkling water droplets surrounding her as she dance, reflecting light in an elegant manner.
Her movements like a ballerina as she both fought through monsters and continued dancing through the water, jumping and twirling through the countless droplets of water that splashed through the air.
Aqua's Keyblade returned to its normal form as she shot forward in a dazzling speed of light and cut through five more Beowolves.
She spun on the shallow water, causing more drops to flying around her…
Just as she was surrounded by fire, slashing and burning her way through more Grimm.
Her movements fully in sync with both the water as it splashed around her.
Aqua threw her spear forward and cast a spell as it spun through the air. "Aeroga!"
The result was spear with air circling around it enough to creating a literal disk of death that cut through several more Grimm. Then as a Beowulf lunged at her, she held out her hand and summoned her Keyblade back into her hands.
Then came a surge of energy that Aqua recognized.
The power that told her she had unlocked something.
She reached out to her Keyblade and felt it change.
A single blade into two pistols that fit perfectly in her hands.
Xxx
(Kingdom Hearts OST: Destiny's Force Ends)
"She can change her Keyblade into pistols too?!" Neo gaped in surprise as she watched the fight.
"It's called Formchange." Terra answered, holding up his own Keyblade that changed into a massive cannon. "It's an ability that Keyblade Wielders can use to change their abilities or their Keyblades."
Neo raised an eyebrow and summoned her own Keyblade, the Way to the Dawn. "…Does this mean I can do this too?"
"…Not sure. Mine and Aqua's Keyblades came from our hearts." Terra answered honestly while dismissing his Keyblade. "You found yours…Or Aqua gave you that one."
"What? Because I found it means I'm not getting every fancy ability you guys have?" Neo questioned as she scowled.
"No, I mean I really don't know." Terra raised his arms in the hopes of leveling the tension. "You can use yours meaning you are worthy but I don't know much about that."
"She should." Oscar spoke up, earning their attention. "A Keyblade, no matter where it came from only allows itself to be wield by one it chooses. Just keep on training with it and who knows what might happen."
Neo looked at Oscar for a second and then shrugged. "Fair enough."
They all then looked back to the fight.
Xxx
(Kingdom Hearts OST: Destiny's Force)
Acting completely on instinct she aimed and fired, bolts of blue light blasting through any target that was hit.
She spun again, creating a wave of water around her that followed her movements.
As the last Grimm surrounded her, she morphed her Keyblade back into its default form and activated her Spellweaver Command Style as she made one final slash…
Then all of time seemingly stopped.
She stood in the center of Grimm who bodies had all been sliced in half. A blizzard appearing around her and a snowflake symbol flashing to life above her head.
She held up the palm of her hand, staring at the small droplet of water that remained in the center.
"Wow…" She heard a voice behind her and turned around…
To see Poppy and Diggs gawking at her.
She was about to say something before the ground started to shake. From the ground emerged a giant Grimm resembling a worm. It had a singular red eye and a giant fanged mouth.
This is a Grimm that would one day be known as a Blind Worm.
It rose up into the air and fell down towards Aqua who immediately teleported out of the way. She reappeared several yards away behind the monster as it slowly turned and faced her. Aqua stood her ground, keeping her eye on the beast while readying herself. The Blond Worm stared at her, seemingly knowing her and recognized it could not attack her.
Or so Aqua thought.
'Defend yourself my child.' A voice whispered inside the beast and it knew it had been given permission.
The Blind Worm rose up and reared back before opening its mouth and let loose a stream of green liquid. Knowing it was likely harmful, Aqua raised her Keyblade and acting in instinct, caused it to change again…
Into a pair of figure skates on her feet while also donning a pair of arm blades.
Even though there was no ice and the ground was primarily made of sand, Aqua shot forward, gracefully dodging the stream of acid that would have likely melted her into a pile of bones. Shooting forward with speed, she skated around the Blind Worm, twirling and spinning as she came close and the blades on her arms cut through the Grimm's bone armor and skin. It lashed out with a tail but Aqua jumped and even preformed a Double Jump as she somersaulted over the Grimm's tail and landed perfectly on the ground.
She jumped and vanished, reappearing above the Blind Worm as her Keyblade returned to its normal form and dove down right towards the Blind Worm's head. A pillar of light surrounded her as she impacted the Blind Worm's head, piercing it instantly.
Aqua landed perfectly on the ground while Blind Worm collapsed onto the ground and a second later evaporated into a black mist.
(Kingdom Hearts OST: Destiny's Force Ends)
"I think that's the end of them for now." Aqua sighed as she dismissed her Keyblade and walked back into the oasis.
Firstly, she walked over to the water and knelt down on her knees before cupping some water in her hands to drink. There was a moment of silence before Aqua was done and stood up, wiping her face as she turned around.
"All right, as I was saying before…." Aqua said slowly, feeling awkward now from how they were looking at her. "I think I know a place to hide the Relics for the time being."
…
…
…
"Can you please stop staring at me like that?"
Seriously!
The staring was making her uncomfortable.
Diggs shook his head. "Right…You know where you can hide the Relics?"
"I do but I cannot show you." Aqua answered; glad they were getting back on track.
"I understand." Diggs smiled. "You're more amazing than Oz remembered."
Aqua froze, not sure how to respond to that.
Ozma thought she was amazing?
Aqua shook her head. "Before I do anything else…I have a gift for you and Oz. It might start helping to make things better."
She held out a hand to Diggs who hesitantly but eventually touched. Her Aura flared around her and flew into Diggs' hand, causing a surge of energy to react from within him. He gasped as a green field of energy surrounded him.
Aqua smiled as she let go. "There."
"What was this?" Diggs looked at his hand.
"It's called Aura and it's something that everyone is going to need against the Grimm." Aqua answered. "Now, I know where to hide the Relics but once I am sure no one is actively looking for them I'll bring them back."
"Are you sure about that?" Poppy asked. "It sounds like they should never be found again."
"Whether we like it or not, the Relics will eventually be discovered and people will seek to find them. Ozma has a task and until that task is completed he will be forced to keep on reincarnating." Aqua replied. "He should have a chance to try and finish this task so that he can one day finally be laid to rest."
Diggs had to agree with that, knowing that his soul was now joined with Ozma's.
Speaking of Ozma…
"You have to hurry. I feel him waking up." Diggs said, feeling Ozma's soul seemingly reacting inside of him.
"Sleep." Aqua then said, casting a spell that caused Diggs to fall asleep.
She caught him and gently lied him back down on the ground. She then stepped away from the resting man and pulled out the Horn of Passage.
"Here we go." She whispered as she took a breath and blew into it.
Xxx
"What is she doing?"
Within their new dwelling, the Brothers of Light and Darkness watched as Aqua summoned Heimdallr from the Horn of Passage.
Xxx
Poppy stepped back, looking absolutely stunned at the sight of spirit emerged from the golden ornate looking horn.
Aqua had a Relic like the Sword and Staff the entire time!
"Well, it's been a while since you summoned me." Heimdallr stated, stretching his limbs before looking down at Aqua. "Do you somewhere you wish to go?"
"Yes." Aqua nodded. "I wish for you to open the way to Daybreak Town."
Xxx
The God of Light froze, realizing Aqua's plans. "She is taking them to another world."
The Brother of Darkness chuckled. "An impressive plan. It seems we underestimated her."
"She cannot do this." The God of Light stated.
"And why not?" The God of Darkness asked, looking at his brother.
"These Relics are meant for the people of this world to find and use, to learn and choose what path that they wish to take." The God of Light answered. "She is taking their choice away."
"And that bothers you." The God of Darkness looked intrigued. "You defended her before, even when I pushed to have her eliminated. Now it seems her actions are causing you to rethink your previous standing."
"She said she would not interfere in affairs of the worlds." The Light Brother stated.
"Did she not already do that when she defended us against that woman?" The Dark Brother pointed out. "Even now she is intervening against that monster."
The Brother of Light said nothing as he watched the spirit of the Horn of Passage conjured a portal for Aqua and Poppy.
"Perhaps it is time we meet again."
Xxx
When Aqua and Poppy stepped through the portal, Aqua expected to be back in Daybreak Town.
Only what was on the other side was the familiar setting of Daybreak Town.
It resembled a grand hall you would likely find in a marble palace.
The roof was so tall; it almost appeared like there was no roof but rather a starless night sky. Under the feet were organized tiles that appeared old yet polished and fresh as if they had already been cleaned for visitors. Unlike the other rooms, the walls were not marble but instead had a clay design with hieroglyphics streaming along the lower half along with carefully crafted sculptures of monks, giving it an ornate feeling. On either side of the two were two large staircases, leading upwards to a door overhead and on the other side of the room was another door with statues resembling knights guarding it.
In the center of the room was an altar and hanging above it was a large church bell with an ancient text written on it.
Aqua froze, sensing a familiar power from the bell.
A source of divine power, much like the Relics.
"Where are we?" Poppy glanced around in awe.
"Welcome, Aqua."
Aqua's eyes widened in shock as in a shower of golden sparkles appeared the God of Light, the being she had named Izanagi.
WHOOSH!
Next to him appeared a pillar dark light that upon disappearing revealed the God of Darkness, the one she had named Erebus.
Aqua quickly stepped in front of Poppy who was frozen in pure shock at the sight of the two deities that had just appeared.
"It is good to see you again, Aqua. Though we are surprised to see what you have been doing since we last spoke." The God of Light folded his hands behind his back. "I believe we have much to discuss."
"Yes." The God of Darkness nodded in agreement. "Much to discuss."
Aqua looked back and forth between the two Gods with a wary look on her face and one thought came to her mind. 'This is never easy…'
