The New Gods X

"So, what is it this time?"

Terra had noticed Aqua sitting by a window where she could read the book she had in her hands, her wooden practice sword leaning against the wall next to her. This wasn't anything new as Terra had come to know that Aqua not only liked reading but absorbed knowledge like a sponge and usually once a day, she was found reading a book from the temple archives. When she wasn't training, cooking meals or sleeping Aqua would take a book or scroll out of the archives to read, usually in her room or by one of the large windows where she could have plenty of light and a grand view.

"Hm?" Aqua perked up, turning her head to see Terra. "I'm sorry?"

"What's the subject you are reading this time?" Terra asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, it's a book on ancient and powerful warriors." Aqua answered with a smile.

"Keyblade Wielders before us?" Terra raised an eyebrow.

"Actually no. This book tells tales of ancient warriors that could travel the worlds like a Keyblade Wielder can, but they didn't have Keyblades of their own." Aqua answered as she turned the book to show Terra a few pages.

"Enkidu…Exdeath…Kefka…Gilgamesh?" Terra slowly listed the names. "Not exactly the most warm titles…Except for this one, the Warrior of Light."

"Well, according to the legends here, the first four are indeed dangerous warriors who can travel back and forth between the Realms of Darkness and Light. Gilgamesh is most famous of them because he would travel the worlds, looking for great warriors to battle. He did not fight for dominance or power but for the sake of finding a worthy opponent and is said to possess a warrior's honor." Aqua read off the page. "The other three…Well, it says Enkidu was the nicest next to Gilgamesh. The other two…They became dangerous threats until the Warrior of Light battled and defeated them both."

"That's all? There's no name for this so-called Warrior of Light?" Terra raised an eyebrow.

"I guess they wouldn't have time to ask for their savior's name when they are busy trying to save the worlds." Aqua replied as she closed her book. "Still, the idea of being able to do all that without a Keyblade is…inspiring."

"Inspiring huh?" Terra brought a hand to his chin. "I guess it would."

Aqua glanced at Terra with quizzical look on her face.

"What?" Terra asked, wondering why she was staring.

"Legends and myths aren't really your thing, are they?" Aqua asked before looking back out the window.

"I…I suppose not. I guess because I like focusing on the present, like my training and working to one day be good a master as our master." Terra admitted.

Aqua sighed and smiled. "I guess…That's good enough for now."

Xxx

The Brothers of Light and Darkness watched as Aqua walked through the portal, returning to Remnant while Terra disappeared back to the Ever After.

The Brother of Darkness growled once they were gone. "The sheer nerve of them, these Keyblade Wielders. Now we know they can actually harm us…Perhaps even destroy us. That woman, Salem would do anything to get her hands on such power. It is their presence that causes Salem to become such a threat."

"Our hands are tied for now, Brother. We have agreed to not interfere as per the original agreement I made with Ozma." The Brother of Light pointed out. "But perhaps we have an opportunity."

The Dark Brother looked at him. "For what?"

"To see if it is possible for a being without a Keyblade to become strong enough to fight and defeat Aqua and other Keyblade Wielders like her." The Light Brother proposed.

The Brother of Darkness paused at that, considering his brother's idea. "And how do you propose that, Brother?"

"We have created this place in between space and time and we created the Relic of Judgement but we can continue our work, learning as we watch Aqua's journey. And look at what has been created since the start of her journey."

The Brother of Light conjured an image of Sin.

"Yes. A particularly interesting monster." The Brother of Darkness regarded, bringing a hand to his chin.

"This monster was powered by the desires of a single man to bring back magic. And look at what he has created." The Brother of Light then showed the dream world that Yevon had created. "An illusionary world of his ancestors but real in every way to them, including their magic. Using the very souls of the people he had sacrificed to power this fantasy."

"What do you propose?" The Brother of Darkness asked.

"Rather than return to wipe out the Remnant, perhaps we can see how this dream world can evolve and see if there will be a different result than with that woman." The Brother of Light mused. "Perhaps it can create a warrior to rival these Keyblade Wielders."

"And rival us?" The Dark Brother pointed out skeptically.

"They do not have to be a threat to us if they do not believe we are a threat to them. In fact, if they come to trust and believe in us as humanity once did, they can perhaps become our greatest allies." The Light Brother reasoned. "However, if Aqua destroys the monster known as Sin and its very core, the world will cease to exist."

Now the Dark Brother was interested. "Then perhaps we can remove it since it is like Aqua, an outside force that was never meant to be here."

The Light Brother nodded in agreement. "And thus, we save an entire world from dying. The people will be grateful, especially with the other gifts we can offer. And there are other things to consider."

The Dark Brother looked confused as the Light Brother conjured several images of people on Remnant. "These ones…Surtr, my former acolyte who has been sealed away. His followers hide in the shadows, looking for a way to free him."

"And there is this one." The Light Brother pointed to a man with one arm, wielding a fiery sword. "He fought alongside Aqua against Surtr. And the one who has the crystal that was once the Flame you made to restore Surtr."

"Are you suggesting to revive them?" The Dark Brother questioned skeptically.

"No, not as humans." The Light Brother shook his head. "I had something else in mind…"

Xxx

In the depths of the sea of Remnant, the monster known as Sin was moving. The gargantuan beast seemingly no destination in mind as it swam through the deep dark depths of the ocean.

Then something happened.

Sin let out a roar as a massive portal opened in front of it and it tried to stop but the pull from the portal along with the water falling into it actually pulling Sin forward into the portal and just like that it was gone.

Remnant's currently greatest threat was gone in the blink of an eye, and no one would discover how or why for quite some time.

Xxx

Penny scowled as Terra returned through the portal that brought him back from the Relic of Time. "We have a problem."

"What happened?" Terra asked quickly.

"Sin has disappeared from Remnant." Penny conjured an image of Sin vanishing into a portal. "I believe the Brother Gods have sealed it somewhere. Likely in a pocket dimension."

Terra stared at the image before it vanished. "Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. I can't see them or track their movements." Penny answered and she was even more unhappy about that fact. "It seems Aqua, and your defiance has caused them to act in a different manner."

"What could they hope to do with that monster?" Oscar wondered. "Are they going to keep it as a pet or something?"

"Or something to use against us later." Terra replied. "Our defiance, as Penny just said as likely made them unhappy. They aren't used to the idea of mortals defying them. The only good thing is that they agreed to stick to the original deal of not stepping on Remnant until those four Relics are united."

"That should give us some time…Hopefully." Oscar said while muttering the last word. "We still have to sort out something here."

Terra glanced over at Neo who was still lying unconscious on the ground.

Xxx

When Aqua opened her eyes, she was back on Remnant, in the exact same location as before. She looked around and felt the Relics such as the Staff and the Sword were no longer on her person, meaning that the Brother Gods had been true to their word. Aqua sighed and took a deep breath as she considered her options now.

On the one hand, the Relics were scattered again, and she had erased Ozma and Salem's memories of needing them so they shouldn't seek out the Relics again any time soon.

Of course, that would change if she didn't deal with the monster Sin soon enough.

"Ugh…"

Aqua's eyes shot up and she spun around, seeing Poppy lying underneath one of the palm trees of the oasis they had been using for shelter.

"Poppy!" Aqua was immediately at her side and checked her over.

She was alive!

Aqua sighed in relief, seeing that the Brothers had been true to their word and had restored Poppy back to life like they promised they would.

Poppy opened her eyes, looking very dazed as she woke up. "…Aq…Aqua?"

"Don't move too fast." Aqua quickly said as she looked the red-haired girl over. "Let's make sure you are okay before you try moving."

"Wh-Wha-What hap-What happened?" Poppy struggled to speak.

"…You were dead…And then they brought you back." Aqua sighed as she lied down next to the girl. "It's a very long story, Poppy."

Xxx

In the meantime, Salem had finally woken from her own sudden slumber, waking to see her servants tending to her in her bed.

Once servant noticed her eyes had opened. "Your Grace, are you all right?"

"I…" Salem hesitated for a moment as she slowly sat up. "I believe so. What happened?"

"You…fainted, Your Grace. There was shouting heard from your personal study and then there was silence. We waited for some time before one of us checked in on you and you were found unconscious. We rushed you to your bed to see if you were experiencing a sickness of any kind." The servant quickly bowed her head as she finished her explanation. "We are relieved you have awakened."

Salem carefully considered what she had been told as she brought a hand to her head. "Where is Ozma?"

"He left some time ago, Your Grace." The servant raised her head.

Salem frowned as she threw her covers off and stood up. "I will find him."

"Are you sure, Your Grace? We do not know what caused you to faint." The servant carefully but respectfully pointed out.

"I am fine now." Salem walked past her servants. "Perhaps Ozma will know what happened."

Xxx

At the same time Salem had awakened, so too did Ozma but he was greeting with a bright sun that temporarily blinded him and made him groan before raising his hand to cover his eyes.

"Wh-What happened?" He wondered to himself.

He sat up, finding himself in some sort of oasis with a pond nearby. Suddenly overcome with thirst, Ozma crawled over to the pond and cupped some water in his hands, bringing the cool liquid to his mouth and sighing in relief as he greedily drank.

'What happened? How did I get here?' Ozma wondered to himself as he took a sip several more times. '…Diggs, do you know what happened?'

Reaching out, Ozma touched the soul he had bonded with. 'You're finally awake.'

"Do you know what happened?" Ozma asked aloud.

'…No, I don't. I must have blacked out like you did.'

Ozma felt something from Diggs, wondering if he was holding something back but couldn't press anymore. He wanted to believe the two were getting used to this new method of living, but Ozma had remained in almost complete control since he had bonded with Diggs who had remained quite for the most part, even as Ozma sought out Salem and the two began their plans of ruling Remnant as the New Gods.

Salem!

"I need to get back to her!" He quickly stood up but staggered a bit, becoming dizzy from the sudden rush. "Whoa…"

'Careful. Even though we were in the shade, the heat can still get to us.' Diggs cautioned.

Ozma shook his head. "Right…Perhaps Salem knows what happened to us."

Calling on the magic that he still possessed, Ozma was lifted off the ground by his own will and he took off into the air, heading in the direction of his and Salem's castle. As Ozma returned to his kingdom, Diggs remained satisfied deep in their shared soul that for the time being Ozma had forgotten about Aqua. If Salem's reaction to Aqua having returned was any indication it was a good idea that she and Ozma's memories of her had been erased. Diggs knew Ozma was a good man but like all good men he was prone to making mistakes and right now Diggs believed trusting Salem was one.

Would something good come from this plan the two had agreed upon?

Doubtful but Diggs would wait and see how it would go.

Would it somehow backfire on him when Ozma learned what Diggs was hiding?

Very likely but Diggs hoped he would understand.

In the meantime, Diggs wondered about the power Aqua had helped awaken in him.

This power known as…Aura.

Perhaps it would be the start of something that would allow the people of Remnant to flourish without the need for Gods.

Xxx

"So…I actually…died?"

Poppy wasn't sure how she should feel about being killed by the Brother Gods, given that she had kind of already died when she was possessed by that Chilled Grimm in her home village. The markings on her still remained even after she was brought back a second time. She guessed she would have to live with them for the rest of her life…third life at least.

"I barely survived fighting against the two myself." Aqua admitted.

The two were on Aqua's glider, returning to their temple home to get some well-earned rest. The last few days had been harrowing to say the least and all Aqua wanted to do was lie down and rest.

There was one problem though…

"Okay, I kind of put this off because I figured you'd tell me when you were ready but…" Poppy took a deep breath. "Aqua, who are you? Really?"

She suspected she couldn't hold back her secret anymore.

Not after everything Poppy had seen.

After a moment Aqua sighed. "I'll tell you when we get back home."

Xxx

Ozma landed at the entrance of the castle he and Salem had erected and sure enough Salem was there, waiting for him.

He landed in front of her, and both held out their hands. As they hands made contact, the magical energies swirled around them, and they both smiled as their magic physically touched each other just like their hands.

This was a custom greeting between their people.

When close enough, people would flare their magical energies that would reach and touch the very souls of those they were close with. It's how Ozma and Salem recognized each other even though both had changed a great deal since the first age.

"Ozma." Salem smiled.

Ozma smiled back. "Salem."

"We have some things to discuss."

Xxx

The thing about being a God is that you were able to do many things mortal could not do.

And what happens when two Gods are existing in a space between time?

They can get very creative.

Izanagi, the God of Light and Erebus the God of Darkness, both named by Aqua were now looking into Remnant's past, specifically the end of the First Age.

"There." The God of Light pointed to the image of a one-armed man fighting Grimm with a flaming sword. "He wields the same sword you forged for your former follower."

"And he was still defeated by her." The God of Darkness muttered. "So, he is the first?"

"I chose this moment because this is the moment he falls."

The God of Darkness watched with silent pride as his Grimm children surrounded and swarmed the warrior, much like pack hunters are meant to. The man would surely meet his end.

And just as the claws of a Beowulf pierced his chest, the God of Light waved his hand and in a flash of light the dying warrior was summoned before them in the Relic of Time.

"Wha-What-" The man could barely speak as he collapsed onto the floor with his chest bleeding out.

"There is no need to speak, Great Warrior." The God of Light said soothingly. "Your thoughts will be made known to us as you hear our voices."

"I am sure you can guess who we are." The God of Darkness folded his hands behind his back. "We have summoned you for a purpose."

Purpose?

"You showed yourself to be strong in life, even after the gift of magic was stripped from mankind for their betrayal. You faced down the last acolyte of my brother and though you were not alone, the fact that you survived speaks grandly of your skills." The God of Light continued. "You lived as a warrior and died as a warrior."

"But perhaps you need not end your journey here." The God of Darkness stated.

Need not…end…

"We offer you to become the first your kind as an immortal warrior." The God of Light answered the question in his mind. "A human to be transformed into a being of magic."

"And unlike your previous life, you will not age or succumb to sickness. Nor will you be limited to just one world now."

Limited to one world?

"You will be allowed the gift to travel between worlds, to seek out new and strong warriors to challenge you and your new might."

"What say you? Do you lie on the ground and die a pathetic death or will you be reborn as the greatest of warriors?"

The man who was known in his life as Gilgamesh struggled to lift his head up, holding the last few moments of life in him as best as he could. "…I…acce-"

Accept.

"Then from this point on, you are reborn." The God of Light proclaimed as he and his brother raised their hands. "The first to receive this gift."

His vision was engulfed in a bright light, and he knew no more as a human.

From this moment he would be known as the greatest of warriors.

Not just of his world.

He would become the greatest warrior of all worlds.

Xxx

"…and that's most of the story for now, Poppy."

After arriving at their temple home, Aqua led Poppy inside and once they had gotten some food and drinks Aqua told her the truth.

How she was a warrior from another charged with protecting all other worlds from a darkness stronger than the Grimm.

How she wielded a mystical weapon called a Keyblade gave her all the powers she had shown.

And that she had arrived here by linking her heart with Ozma's and thus whenever he reincarnated, she would jump through time with him.

Poppy had to take more than a few minutes to take this all in.

Aqua couldn't blame her for the silence after telling her everything.

Well, everything in reason.

She didn't tell her about the Ever After, the girls she had met there, Drasil or the people she knew were actually born in the future which she was following Ozma to reach. She didn't like keeping so much a secret but there is such a thing as too much knowledge. To burden someone with too much and they would likely break in mind and heart from the sheer weight of it all and knowing that so much was happening that they could not hope to control or solve.

After a few more minutes if silence, Poppy finally spoke. "So…what do you do now?"

Aqua blinked, not sure how to answer. "…I am not sure at the moment."

Poppy just stared incredulously at Aqua for her answer.

"My heart is bound to Ozma's because I know that eventually Remnant will face a threat he can't handle and it's not Sin I am talking about. Eventually, the darkness I am trained to fight against will find this world and I have to be there when that happens." Aqua explained but sighed as she leaned back on her chair. "It's not an ideal situation but I couldn't turn back on this world and simply leave."

Not when she knew that in the future, those children will accidently bring the Heartless to Remnant and herself to the Ever After.

Not when she knew it would eventually cause Salem to become a Heartless and thus become even more dangerous to all the worlds.

Not when she knew that the children she had met would be stranded in a strange world, their hearts broken and causing them to succumb to despair.

She didn't want to believe she would be drastically altering Remnant's history as that would go against everything she had been taught about the World Order, but she knew in her heart she was doing exactly that. She wanted to believe she had a good reason for doing this, but she didn't believe in the old 'the ends justify the means' mentality.

By that logic it would mean Xehanort's attempts to restart the Keyblade War for the sake of a new balance was actually right and Aqua would never accept that.

"I suppose we wait and see how things go." Aqua finally said as she looked out the window. "I know I caused a lot of changes just by being here and no doubt the Brother Gods will not forgive me for defying them anytime soon."

Xxx

"So, this is it."

Over a cliff, someone in a traveling cloak could see the temple that Aqua and Poppy called their new home.

"I hope she is ready." She gripped her cloak.

She turned and walked down the cliff, making her way onto the path that would take her directly to the temple.