A taste of what's to come
While the battle was going on outside Luxu and Aced pressed toward the castle, struggling against the maelstrom of darkness flowing from the center of this place and the Heartless that were attacking them ceaselessly.
"Come on! We need to reach him before it's too late!" Luxu shouted.
"Right!" Aced yelled back. He waved his hand, surrounding himself with a barrier.
"Good thinking!" Luxu nodded, calling one up for himself as well. Shielded by magic they fared a little bit in the storm of chaos around them. More Heartless attacked them, battering at their barriers, but between the two of them they didn't have much difficulties with them. Step by step they made their way made their way past the walls into the courtyard, then through the doors to the interior.
On entering they were left disoriented. Going past the doors all light disappeared. They could see nothing, not even their hands before their eyes. All sounds likewise disappeared, leaving them standing in an eerie silence. If it wasn't for the darkness still battering against their barriers they would have thought they had stepped into an endless void. A nothingness devoid of any features. At least the Heartless attacks had stopped…
Robbed of all his senses, Aced was briefly left unsure where to go and how to proceed. Then he saw a dim light appear to his right. Luxu was now holding up one of the light vials like a glow stick. A meager source of illumination, but at least it was something. Aced nodded and reached for a vial of his own. Able to see once more they leaned against the wind of darkness and pressed onwards, one step at a time.
The darkness around them was so intense it warped their sense of space and time, so they were not sure how long it took them. But eventually they reached the center of the room. There they found a small figure. It was shrouded in shadows, its outline difficult to make out against the surrounding blackness, but it was vaguely human in shape. It was kneeling, rocking back and forth, hands clasped on its chest. Darkness was radiating from it in all directions, further blurring its outline.
"Light protect us… is that Gula?" Aced gasped.
"Barely. This is really bad. We need to do something at once if we are going to salvage this." Luxu said.
"Aced… I'm going to need you to you to hand over all the light vials you carry. Every last one. And quickly. It's the only thing that might still have a shot at saving him." He commanded.
Aced nodded. He moved closer together, their barriers touching, then merging together. Luxu was already uncorking the vials he had, pouring the light from them to his other hand. Once he had emptied all the vials he had on him he began to take the ones Aced was handing to him. Even this amassed light looked dim and feeble amongst these shadows.
Once the final empty vial clattered to the floor Luxu turned his eyes back to Gula.
"Right. Let's hope this is enough. Here goes." Luxu said, then drove the light towards Gula. When the light hit him there was a bright flash blinding both of them for several seconds. When their vision returned they noticed that the surrounding darkness was abating. They could already see the room, the remaining gloom slowly brightening to normal levels of light. Then they heard a thud as Gula fell face down on the ground and went to his side.
"He alive?" Luxu asked.
"Looks like, though he is unconscious." Aced replied.
"Good… that's very good. And it feels like the Darkness in him has been brought back under control. We're going to need to have a chat with him though, to figure out how this happened in the first place. And how to keep it from happening again. This got way too close. Another few moments and the Darkness would have had full control. We would have been up to our eyeballs in it then." Luxu said.
He shook his head and sighed heavily. "Stupid kitten…"
"I'm going to check on the others. Look after him in the meantime." He then told Aced.
"Right." Aced nodded, his eyes on Gula as Luxu departed.
"So you still live on… friend. Though I have to wonder if you approve of that. This wretched existence that has been forced on us… one can't help but wonder if it would not be preferable to just have it end. To let destiny take its course. And yet... what is wrong about all of this is that we have been driven to that brink in the first place. It's a vile, cruel thing that has been done to us. Just look what it has done to you. And the rest of us aren't much better off. And to think this happened because we were duped by someone we believed in and thought we could trust. The Master… there was a time I would have put my life in his hands." He said to the unconscious form of Gula.
He shook his head, his fists clenching. He shook with fury. "Never again. Our fates may be sealed already. But I shall never trust him again. I curse him. And his schemes!"
On the battlefield the fighting came to an abrupt halt, the Heartless disappearing mid-strike, leaving the Guardians standing around confused as to what had just happened. To have been fighting for their lives in one moment and for the fight to just… end the next. Jarring, to say the least. Looking up they could see the clouds parting, revealing the face of the sun and the blue skies, brightening the world around them.
The attention of the Guardians soon turned to the Foretellers that were with them. They remained tense, their weapons still in their hands. The Foretellers may have fought the Heartless too, but now the Guardians were uncertain what was going to happen next. Now that she wasn't one split second distraction away from being killed Elrena was finally able to acknowledge what her eyes were seeing. Invi. Her old master. One of the most important people from her youth. A ghost from her past in the flesh right in front of her.
She was struck speechless, once again. Several different emotions competed on her face. On one hand she wanted desperately to be overjoyed that she was here. Her savior… mentor… friend… almost a mother. But all the same the very thing she had been afraid of had now come to pass. Invi was with the other Foretellers, and clearly up to their ears on whatever schemes they were up to. With it came all the emotional baggage and potentially horrible scenarios that entailed. And a reminder of the terrible things her mentor had been a participant in. All those keyblades in the graveyard, the tombstones of those who had participated in the frenzy Invi had had a role in instigating. Her conflicting feelings were pulling her apart, leaving her torn in two. It was like she could not breathe, a hum in her ears…
Kairi meanwhile was staring at the Foretellers like she was seeing ghosts, her eyes widening, a quiet gasp escaping from her mouth. In the tension of the moment no one noticed her behavior.
Ira and Invi by contrast remained calm. Unconcerned even, despite the fact that they were faced with nearly a dozen warriors. Invi turned to gaze towards the castle in the distance.
"They did it!" She said with obvious relief, sending away her weapon.
"It certainly looks that way." Ira agreed, likewise dismissing his keyblade. He then acknowledged the presence of the Guardians, taking a step closer to them.
"The crisis for the moment has been contained. I thank you for your part in the battle. However… a word of warning: This could be only a taste of what's to come." He told them.
"Why? What do you know? What happened to cause this? Did you have something to do with this!?" Aqua demanded stepping towards the Foretellers. But suddenly she halted in her line of questioning, retreating several steps. She was now shuddering visibly, her free hand going to her chest as she was gasping for breath. She stumbled and might have fallen if Terra had not caught her.
Ira cocked his head at her. "This one is not well. I can feel the discord in her heart. She should not come near us until she has obtained a resolution to her problem. We… it's not safe."
"Wh… why is that? What are you doing to her!?" Ventus demanded.
"Nothing. At least not deliberately, I assure you. It is merely our presence." Ira said calmly.
"But why would… agh!" Ventus began to ask before he was cut off by a stabbing headache right behind his eyes.
"There you are siblings! And here I am! Can you hear me!? You must hear! Fight loose and set me free!" The voice of Vanitas suddenly echoed in Ventus's mind. He gasped, doubling over and holding his head, earning worried looks from the others.
"No… no! Shut up! Go back and… stop talking in my head!" He whispered sharply.
Ira gave Ventus a long look.
"You… I see our fate has befallen you as well. Unfortunate. Then its presence must be dealt with… It would probably be for the best if you came with us, so we can explain to you what must be done." He told Ventus.
"Your… fate?" Ventus asked before his head shot up as he came to a horrified realization.
"He is going nowhere with you!" Lauriam snarled, pointing his keyblade at the Foreteller. In the back of his mind he remembered the conversations with Elrena on how this was probably a bad idea. And a part of him felt like an ingrate given the Foretellers had fought at their side only moments ago. But he was not about to let them take Ven away. Maybe all of them would be enough to take on two Foretellers…
"He is our friend. No way are you taking him!" Terra echoed, still holding up Aqua, her arm slung over his shoulders. His eyes were darting between Aqua and Ventus, distressed that both of them looked to be unwell suddenly. Aqua also tried to say something, but was overcome by a fresh wave of discomfort.
The others who were able (Kairi was still just staring) gathered around, ready for a potential fight. Even Elrena was snapped awake from her musings, though she was still bewildered, working on automatic. She glanced at Lauriam, then at Invi again, a silent plea in her eyes. She was not ready for this yet…
Ira examined the Guardians calmly, still not calling for his weapon. "You may prevent him from coming with us. The time isn't yet right for this confrontation. But you cannot prevent what has been done to him. That problem will persist no matter what you do. And there is more at stake. I need you to listen to me. There is a very dangerous being nesting in his heart. It must be undone at any cost. Else all worlds are doomed.
Terra shook his head. "We know of the Darkness in him. And we have our own plan. You won't have him! Now leave us alone!"
"You have?" Invi wondered. "Ira… maybe we can leave it at that for now…?"
Ira took a moment to consider, then nodded slowly. "Perhaps we can. His heart is uncharacteristically pure. There will be little for the darkness to take hold of at this time. Maybe in his case there is still a chance…"
"Until then however…" He continued, taking several steps towards Ven until his path was blocked by Lauriam. Terra also put himself between Ven and Ira, only avoiding getting closer because he was still holding up Aqua. Ira looked at Lauriam for a moment, then handed him several glowing vial. Confused, Lauriam took them without question.
"These are for your friend. Should the Darkness trapped in him prove too difficult to handle he can use one of these to stabilize the situation for a time." Ira explained.
"What's in them?" Lauriam asked cautiously.
"Light. Pure, concentrated light." Ira said.
"Light…" Lauriam repeated, eyes on the vial. He had not seen it in this form since their time in Daybreak Town. "How came you by this? Why are you carrying these around?"
"You do not wish to know." Ira said.
He turned his eyes back to Ventus. "For what it's worth I hope you find success in in destroying this darkness on your own terms. But should that fail… then you must come find us. Trace the connection and come to us if you need to."
Ven merely stared, shrinking in on himself, too scared to answer.
Just then a dark portal opened, a figure in a black coat stepping through.
"Hi there. You probably noticed, but we managed to sort things out with Gula. Are both of you still all o…" He asked tapering to a halt when he noticed the Guardians were present too. "Oh. Didn't realize you were having a chat with them. Looks like a serious case of bad timing on my part."
Roxas blinked, gasping in surprise. "That voice… it can't be…"
"Ah, oh no." Luxu said, facepalming. Then he shrugged. "I suppose it was inevitable that you lot would find out at some point." He said, lowering his hood.
"XIGBAR!?" The Guardians shouted in astonished unison.
"Yup. In the flesh." He said. Then he chuckled. "Now that's funny. In the flesh…"
"You slippery eel! You're part of this!? How are you even alive? Sora and Riku destroyed you!" Terra growled, his eyes flashing in anger.
"Correction: You destroyed my Nobody. And by now you lot should know what happens when a Nobody is destroyed."
"It wasn't my time to die yet, so here I am again. And hey, managed to keep my one good eye too! You know, I don't think I ever got to properly thank you for doing that. It really hurt back in the day. But oh well. This is supposed to be my final semblance anyway, and we are nearly at the end of the show. So I suppose a few nicks and scratches aren't such a big deal at this point.
"Final semblance? What are you blathering on about?" Lea asked.
"Only that dear old grandpa Xehanort was not the only one to practice body hopping. Truthfully he was just dabbling at the science compare to yours truly. He was content with just thirteen selves. I, hah, have had quite a few more than that…"
"What the…?" Xion gasped on the sidelines.
"Still not computing is it? Okay. Then let me put it as simply as I can. This isn't the first body my heart has occupied. Not by a long shot. And Xigbar isn't the first name I've been known by. Before that it was Braig, then Bragi, and many others before that. My first name, the one I was born with… is Luxu.
"… And I think that name means quite a bit more to at least three of you." He added, addressing Lauriam, Elrena and Ventus.
"You're… Luxu?" Lauriam asked, mouth agape.
"Sure am. Though at times I don't quite feel like myself." Luxu replied with a mischievous grin.
"But… that can't be! You can't be him! It's impossible!" Lauriam argued.
"Is it? Is it really? Honestly, given how you ended up here I would think you know better." Luxu countered.
"I've been here the whole time, from there to here. Been watching you. Well, me… and this." He said, then summoned his keyblade. A single slitted blue eye on the sword stared at the guardians unblinkingly.
There was a collective gasp among the Guardians, everyone recognizing the weapon.
"Where… did you get that? That belonged to Xehanort. How is it yours to use? And since when are you a keybearer?" Terra demanded.
"Haven't you been listening? I was one a long time before the old coot ever was. As for this? It was mine first, until I passed it on. And now… now it's just back where it belongs." Luxu replied.
"Luxu… enough. This isn't the time for this. We've done our part today. Now we should leave them alone." Invi said.
"I don't think our presence is particularly good for them." She added, glancing at Aqua.
Luxu sighed. "I suppose. But it was fun to gloat at least a little bit. Been waiting for the opportunity long enough…"
"Well… I guess we will catch up with you lot later. Do try to get your act together by then. See ya!" He said, giving a nonchalant wave. He was about to turn away when he stopped.
"But wait a second… this one right here…." He said, eye on Ventus.
"We know. It's being handled." Ira told him.
"Really?" Luxu wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Darkness number eight is right there. And they've got it handled?"
"So they tell us." Ira said.
"Sounds like you wanted to just accept that. I suppose it won't do for us to start trouble over it at this point. Better be worth the wait though…" Luxu mused.
"Okay then." He decided with a shrug, opening a Dark Corridor for the others.
"Invi…" Elrena called out, reaching out with her hand just as her old Master was about to leave with the other Foretellers.
Without turning Invi paused and bowed her head. "It's good to see you again, little one…" She said over her shoulder before leaving through the portal.
"Wait!" Elrena shouted, almost running after her before the portal closed. After Invi was gone she stood in place, her shoulders slumping. Lauriam walked over, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Elrena… I'm sorry." He told her.
"I… she is here. She is really here. I never wanted her to be. Even if in some ways I wanted to see her again, I spent so long wishing she wouldn't show." She said glumly.
"She still calls me little one. How many years and she still calls me that…?" She mused quietly, a momentary sad smile passing on her face.
"I… I really thought you were about to go for it. That we would have to fight her. That I… would have to…" She continued, voice cracking a bit.
"Who is she to you exactly?" Lea unexpectedly asked.
She glanced at Lea. Then she shook her head, and started laughing. "Who is she to me? Who is…?" She said between bitter giggles.
Then her expression grew hard. "What she is to me… is none of your concern. At all."
"It might be, if it affects the rest of us. Sounds like it could." He pressed. "And there is no way to know for sure unless you…"
"Leave her alone." Aqua cut in. Terra had let her go, and she stood upright once again. She still looked uncharacteristically pale and unsteady on her feet. But her eyes were clear and stern.
"But…" Lea tried.
"I mean it." She said more firmly.
Lea paused, his eyes moving to Aqua, Elrena and Lauriam in turn. Then he relented, raising his hands. "Okay, okay. I'll drop it. I hope you know what you are doing."
A pause.
"What… exactly happened right now? What is this?" Isa finally voiced the question on everyone's mind.
Roxas had been watching the argument unfold, but at that moment he finally took note of Kairi, how she was still staring where the Foretellers had just stood.
"Um… Kairi? Are you ok?" He asked of her, the others turning to look at her as well.
It was like Kairi woke up from a trance, blinking and shaking her head to clear it. "Uh… y-yeah. I'm alright. Did… did you see that?"
"Saw what? The Foretellers? Of course… we…?" Isa began to say, realizing halfway through that was not what Kairi was talking about.
Kairi shook her head again. "Not them. Something about them. They had this… aura. Around them and behind them. It hurt to look at the same way it hurts to stare into the sun. Only it was all shadows instead of light. I've never seen darkness like that."
"You… really saw none of that?" She asked after examining the expressions of the others.
Aqua shook her head slowly. "I don't think so. I know I didn't. But there was certainly something off about them. The way just being close to them made me feel… just awful."
"It's real then. There they are…" Ven said, voice almost quivering.
"Hm? Ven? What are you on about?" Lauriam asked.
"Lauriam… since we found out there are other Darknesses than Vanitas we've been wondering where the rest of them are. We just found them. Right there. Inside them. In the Foretellers." Ven explained, teary eyed.
"What?" Lauriam said, a collective gasps coming from the others.
Before anyone could ask anything else there was a flash of light overhead. Looking up they could see the Gummiship make a slow sweep above them before setting down on a clearing close by. Mickey, Donald and Goofy disembarked and joined the others moments later.
"Mickey…" Aqua said. Seeing him reminded her that they had not seen each other for quite a while. And that there were discussions they were yet to have. There was an unpleasant jolt of resentment which she forced back down before it showed on her face.
"Hey there, Aqua." Mickey said quietly. The look on his face told her that Ven had done as she had asked. Mickey knew now. It gave her a moment of pause to see a look of regret on him.
"Here you all are. And it looks like you are still alive. That's a big relief." He addressed the others.
"But I don't see… uh, Yen Sid said there was surge of darkness here. I thought there might be a big battle or something." He added.
"You're too late." Aqua said dryly. "There was a fight here. And a very large one at that. But it's… settled."
"Oh. Then… I'm sorry about not getting here on time. We came as fast as we could. But I guess it wasn't soon enough." Mickey said.
"It's okay. We managed." Terra said.
"You don't seem particularly happy about that. Did something happen?" Mickey asked.
"We just had a boatload of revelation bombs dropped on us all at once. So yeah, you could say that." Elrena said.
"What do ya mean?" Mickey asked.
"We ran into the Foretellers again. And, well… a lot did happen." Lauriam explained.
"So you fought them? Then I'm truly relieved all of you got out of it in one piece." Mickey said.
"No. No fighting between us today. That… is actually one of today's discoveries. They helped us fight the Heartless." Lauriam corrected.
"They did?" Mickey said frowning in puzzlement.
"It might be best for us to leave this place. Naminé is probably worried sick about what might have happened to us here. And there is a lot we need to go over in light of today's discoveries." Aqua said.
"A great deal to discuss." She added pointedly to Mickey.
