Chapter 66: Calm Before the Storm
It was peculiar. He hadn't perambulated through these corridors for very long. Yet, Riku had committed them to memory. Its structure was familiar like peering into his own reflection; only he knew every secret hidden behind each pore. And that gave him an advantage to escape from Sora and his friends.
After pushing through the congested halls of darkness, he arrived back in the room that used to teem with ignoble individuals that sought something greater themselves – a power that would arrogate the light, eroding it into an infinitesimal molecule that floats throughout darkness' vast anatomy. But they refused to convalesce before the ailment of monomania; as a result, their existence had surcease before hubris.
Only the vestiges of their untoward deportment could never be effaced. But Riku had no prepossessions for them. Never did. His motivation wasn't homogeneous to theirs. It was impelled by one singular desire: to rescue Kairi. But, as he walked to the center of the room, catching his breath, that desire had become threadbare before the bright, youthful visage of Sora.
Riku pressed his hand against a wall, taking a moment to rest, and replete the paucity of stamina. His breathing echoed throughout the room; hearing it was like upbraiding yourself for losing – an ignominious sound of weakness. Everything he worked towards had been retrograded. His desire to see Kairi had become taciturn; it refused to make eye contact with him out of disdain.
But he wouldn't let her go. His efforts wouldn't become derelict, left to rot forever in a dour landfill. Her continuance remained an afloat in a sea of determination. Unfortunately, he was bereft of a paddle to cross that precarious stream.
Riku glanced at his hand, unable able to feel the Keyblade's ethereal energy lassoed around his fingers anymore. "Why? It was mine."
"Know this," a mysterious, ominous voice said. His calm, emotionless tone adorned the still air in a frozen reef. "The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade."
Riku turned around to see the mysterious robed figure that had stalked him, Sora, and Kairi on their island – an entity that that seldom made his presence salient. He chose to remain as a spectator from the shadows, peering out of their branches when opportunity became regal with him.
Blue aura surrounded the man's body, illuminating the solemn halls with a light of intrigue, and fear. Riku couldn't see the man's lineament, as if being concealed behind a dark mask, rejecting admission for even the smallest glimmer of light. But Riku wasn't intimidated. This was the person that guided him through the threshold of curiosity into another world.
Although there were indents that he had to stumble across, Riku wouldn't be here without the man's help. Logic wanted to inquire about his presence, but pride over the man's statement had played a harsh staccato, hammering rational thought straight into ground with unruly notes.
"What?" Riku asked, in disbelief. "Are you saying my heart's weaker than his?"
"For that instant, it was," the man said.
Riku lowered his head in shame, reticent before the stern eyes of the truth. He was the best – not once did he ever lose to Sora. Acceptance was difficult to digest; it would just sit in your stomach, unable to dissolve, accruing unnecessary weight. Riku wouldn't inure this pressure for the rest of his life. His pride would be insatiate without retribution. It wanted to dispose of that dross now.
"Do not threat, child," the man said, offering a remedy. "You can become stronger." He approached Riku. "You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow stronger."
An interesting proposition. But how much further would Riku be willing to go? What waited below the surface? A state of torpor that would trammel his free will with heavy chains? Or, would he emerge, arising above the promontory of weakness with unfathomable power? The decision waged a fierce war, with neither side conceding.
"What should I do?" Riku asked, dejected.
But as the man approached Riku, he let darkness' cold palm caress the boy's chin. It was a nurturing sensation – a strange contradiction that flited through Riku's body, serving him an appetizer of its power. The craving satiated any vacillation he had earlier. Not another expostulation was uttered.
"It's really quite simple," the man said. "Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being become darkness itself."
The man walked closer to him. Riku acceded to the darkness' will. His body was surrounded in a light green aura. He closed his eyes, ameliorated by the energy's loving embrace. It would protect him; the lance of light would not penetrate its cold armor. This was the answer, Riku thought; to obviate the gap between him and Sora, overtaking his rival once and for all. Then, he would be left to languor within that insuperable gap.
Only the darkness could endue him with those desires. Riku could feel the man's presence sear through the protective iceberg of his personal space; his soft, uneven breathing slithered across Riku's skin, causing it to tense, as if bracing for the inexorable.
And then, nothingness. Riku had taken his silent oath.
Sora wanted to remain wrapped in the warm, conforming quilt of his reunion with Luigi and Yoshi. Although their separation was ephemeral, to Sora, it felt interminable. He missed hearing their badinage tickle his inner ear with joy. Or feel the crutch of their support lean against him during vacillating times.
For a moment, life was no longer errant; being in this moment with his friends made him forget about the obtrusive exigencies that upbraided them for their dilatory. They wanted to continue basking in the moment; to be reminded of how much they appreciated each other. But reality was implacable, as it sent a harsh updraft through the quilt, gesturing the group to move forward. And they knew not to linger. Not when their loved ones let out a cry of succor from afield. Sora wouldn't let Kairi's sufferance continue its morose stroll through an endless slumber.
After Sora introduced Fox to everyone, Luigi recapitulated everything Riku had told him and Yoshi during their separation. Each string of sentences was agued with foreboding, incongruous notes. Although Sora seemed rather pleased to hear of Bowser's sojourn in the castle.
"Is he now?" Sora cracked his knuckles, which echoed throughout the hall in alacrity. "Good. My Keyblade has a few things to share with him."
"Fire? Thunder? Blizzard?" Yoshi asked.
Sora grinned. "You got it!"
"That's the guy who has been causing all this trouble, right?" Fox's eyes scintillated, acquiescing with Sora's sentiments. "Well, save a few hits for me."
Luigi took a deep breath, filling his lungs with temerity, and exhaling any sense of disinclination. "I'm ready to face him myself. Mario might not be here, but his courage has always been an influence. I can feel it right in my heart." He faced Sora with a grateful smile. "Someone I know taught me that."
Sora was glad his conviction didn't resonate with just himself. The others pulled inspiration from that same salubrious branch, and swallowed it whole, reinvigorated with newfound strength. They were part of an indefatigable gestalt; nothing could pry them open while their hearts believed in one another.
Although their hearts were ineffectual when it came to giving directions. They had no idea how to reach the crest of the castle. Its massive size was a presage for becoming lost within long, nondescript hallways, causing an incommode. And time was obdurate in giving them even a stint of reprieve.
But after enumerating through a check list of ideas, the group came across one that was written in bold, standing out from others with generic fonts. Luigi and Fox decided to use their devices as an electronic roadmap. Luigi used the 3DS to detect the Star Rod's presence (since its energy signature was akin to the Star Spirit's), while Fox had R.O.B map out the castle's upper floors.
Traversal would no longer be an empirical, bewildering carousel of guesses; it was all thanks to the adroit, electronic minds of technology. To Fox's surprise, despite being an A.I., R.O.B was somehow developing a heartbeat of ardor for the 3DS.
"I am quite enamored by your operating system," R.O.B. said to Luigi's device. "Would you be interested in conflating our programs to surmount some complex algorithms?"
Fox grimaced, glancing at Sora and Yoshi. "R.O.B, please. There are impressionable youngster's present.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, frowning.
"Me not impressionable," Yoshi said, standing tall and proud. "Nothing's harder than Yoshi's skull! In both senses of the word."
"Yoshi, you once came up with a whole scenario for a mustard stain you saw on the floor," Luigi said, snickering.
"Hey, me sympathize with person who accidentally dropped their pizza in terror after finding someone put mustard on it," Yoshi said, somewhat defensive. "What drives the sane to become the insane? It isn't right!"
Sora placed his arms around Luigi and Yoshi with a sentimental smile. How he missed huddling around the campfire to hear the cackles of their eccentric conversations. "I missed you guys."
Sora peered out from his tent of gaiety to see Fox standing alone in the dark, plaintive forest – an outsider coveting for that familiar sense of comradery. Seeing Sora and his friends together in absolute merriment made Fox wander into a museum of nostalgia, containing exhibits of his friends.
But they were nothing but replicas immured behind thick, crestfallen glass. Fox could admire everything about them, but they weren't the genuine articles; only still images that weren't interactable. Every day he pined for them to be real. He wanted to be free from this aberration and be within their supportive presence again.
Sora walked over to Fox carrying a commiserate invitation. "You okay? Guess you're thinking about your friends."
"Yeah," Fox said, as a dew of sorrow slid down his throat. "Seeing the three of you together just reminds me of them. Feel a bit homesick."
"Fox no need to be sad," Yoshi said. "You gonna be with them again soon. With us working together, Heartless stand no chance."
"Right," Sora said with a concurring smile. "Look, the three of us can never replace them, but your part of a new team now. We'll form our own, unique bond that'll find a place to stay in your heart along with your friends. It can never get too cramped in there."
"And trust me when I say it's never a dull moment with us," Luigi said, chuckling.
"Thanks," Fox said, as that dew dried up from a ray of encouragement. "I expect wild times ahead, so don't disappoint me."
"Yes, sir," Sora said, with a salute.
With an alliance forged, the four continued onward, planning to end the aberration that had plagued their lives for far too long. They entered the room Riku retreated to earlier. It was a large, circular area akin to a silo. A plethora of platforms were attached to the outer circle, both above and below, representing the levels contained within the castle.
In the center of the room was the 'elevator' Fox and Sora used earlier to traverse the castle's outer environ; it included the vine shaped bars. The room's walls were drenched in a depressed mauve. Every room seemed to share that same incurable illness. Nothing but misery clogged the halls' arteries. Were the Heartless culpable for ruining its luster? They couldn't humor the thought of speculation now, not when the stakes loomed over their heads, perched on a precarious parapet. If they wended their attention towards inquiry, the stakes would topple over onto them.
Fox took the lead, using R.O.B to point them in the right direction. Yoshi walked alongside him. His countenance aglow from fireworks of fascination. "So, me hear you fly spaceship! That so cool!
"Well, it's more of a spacecraft." Fox couldn't help but let his pride prance onto the stage like an imperious show horse. He was more than happy to enumerate his knowledge. It made him feel important, like passing the baton of information to a new generation. "It's called an Arwing. With a length of 28sm, height of 5.5sms, it's my pride and joy. Equipped with a G-Diffusion system, allowing it to perform many different tasks…I lost you, haven't I?"
Sure enough, Yoshi's eyes were dragged away from Fox's litany, having a predilection for the venerable architecture of the castle. "You ever notice how top parts of elevators look like thorns? Think that why castle deserted? Cause they prick themselves one too many times?"
Fox sighed in aggravation. He was beginning to understand why his friend Falco sometimes labeled him as a nerd. Meanwhile, Sora and Luigi were far behind the two, engaged in an awkward dialogue of silence. An uncomfortable pang of repine pounded at Luigi's stomach, demanding to be liberated. It had accrued over time, becoming intolerable.
Only a redress of his unconscionable actions could end the internal suffering. "Sora?"
"What's up?"
Luigi took a deep breathing, trying to scatter the uncomfortable pedals in his chest. "About earlier…"
"You don't need to explain yourself," Sora said, in a sincere, yet understanding manner.
But Luigi wouldn't let that answer take up residence in his conscience. "Well, how can I not feel bad? What I did was stupid. Heck, I was the one who didn't trust Riku in the first place."
"C'mon. If the roles were reversed, I would've probably done the same thing. I know how much your brother means to you."
"Yeah." Luigi stopped to ruminate, rummaging through a docket of words. "It's just…maybe you were right about earlier. How Yoshi and I were so cheerful despite not finding him? The frustration was starting to build in me. I just didn't want to show it. All I knew was that if I stuck with the Keyblade wielder, it would bring me one step closer to finding him. But I kept banking on that belief. Even to the point of switching sides."
But Sora's forgiveness was obsequious, incapable of being errant from doubt. He placed both hands behind his head. "Guess the people we love can make us irrational sometimes."
"That's a scary thought. But that's what makes us human, I guess," Luigi said, releasing an awkward chuckle, as if at last excommunicating the shame from the sanctum of his soul. Sora's nonchalant attitude was a tacit acknowledgement that he had no bitter resentment for Luigi's action. There was seldom a person he knew of endued with such human decency – a prepossessing trait that conciliated many into his concourse of friendship.
And it was that important attribute that adduced for him reobtaining the Keyblade.
Luigi turned to Sora with a smile. "But you know what also makes us human?"
"What's that?"
"Learning from our mistakes and having someone there who can pull you out of such irrational thoughts."
"Yeah," Sora said. "Guess that's one of the reasons we have each other, huh?"
Luigi's eyes were bedimmed with a serious haze. "And I promise it'll stay that way."
"Same here."
Was Luigi rough around the edges sometimes? Of course. Everyone had received an imprecation of imperfection at birth. But Luigi was one of the esoteric few that knew how to drown out that harsh intonation with elegant, kindhearted notes.
Sora was thankful that, in this inconstant life, his friendship with Luigi would be immutable.
It took a moment for the group's eyes become acclimated with the outdoor light (although one would be belying to themselves in saying it was bright like a sunny day at the beach). But they would always be ready for when the Heartless disrupted the state of quietude. Much to their surprise, not a yellow eye shot a hungry glance as they turned a corner, ascending some stairs.
They found another floating platform waiting at the top, which Fox averred as their next form of transportation. After everyone entered, the platform performed its predetermined task and ascended towards the top of the castle. Unfortunately, its upward path soon ceased as they arrived onto another walkway.
All they could do was follow the curtain upstream; there wasn't a shortcut to exploit. While following the path, they saw an even bigger floating platform; it could fit an entire car with little effort. One would posit that it was used to carry a gamut of supplies. Unlike the smaller platforms, this one had claw shaped pillars sticking out each edge of the octagon.
Two light blue lines of magical energy wrapped around the outer part of the platform, as if forming rope to prevent anyone from falling. Realizing they had no other option, the four boarded the platform, and it started moving towards the opposite side of the castle. Another, regular, protruded platform awaited their arrival. Progress was in sight.
But reaching distance would be cumbersome, because the platform moved at the pace of a snail ascending a hill.
Sora moaned in annoyance. "Are you kidding me? Why is this taking so long? How'd people get anything done in this castle? No wonder there's nobody left; they refused to die of boredom."
"Well, we could pass the time with a story," Luigi said, trying to clear the dust off the dull mood. "Who wants to hear about my continuing adventures in the Waffle Kingdom?"
Panicked, Yoshi turned to Fox. "Tell us more about your flying machine, please!"
"Hey!" Luigi said, insulted.
Their frivolous conversation soon became derelict from the imposing appearance of the Heartless.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but hooray for the inconvenience of the Heartless." Sora let out a sly smirk. "Hope you guys don't mind reuniting with an old acquaintance."
Sora summoned the Keyblade, causing the Heartless to hesitate for a moment; they were anathema towards that aggressive, pulsating light. Although Sora was espoused of the belief in his own skills, he had to admit: it satisfying to feel the Keyblade's warm, powerful presence vacate within his body again – he received a sense of verge and of security from holding the hilt between his gloved hand.
Sora extrapolated that this and future battles would be an easy task. And with the other's help, it didn't take long for that prescient to draw that tarot card. A wyvern tried to attack Fox from behind, but Yoshi hit it on the head with an egg. For a moment, stability was aggrieved from a dizzying earthquake.
Fox thrusted his staff into the Heartless' stomach; he spun the creature around and guided it straight towards Sora. The boy finished it off with a horizontal slash straight across the back. Looking over his shoulder, Sora saw another one flying straight for him. Luigi instructed Sora to give him a boost; he leaned over, cupped both hands together, and pushed Luigi into the air.
With a fierce strike of his hammer, Luigi knocked the wyvern straight onto the ground. The Heartless scrambled to its feet. But Fox hurried over, smacking the creature in the face with the dull side of his staff, and tripping it over with the other. Sora defeated the Heartless with a downward strike.
The Heartless were timorous before the groups' insurmountable teamwork – a perfect conflation of vigor and strategy that sentenced the Heartless to permanent imprisonment in oblivion. Soon, the Heartless' threat had become derelict, forced to lament in silence over its painful defeat.
With the platform still making a slow voyage, the group decided to indulge in time's offerings of leisure and rest until they disembarked (or the Heartless returned for a potential one-sided rematch). The group needed to keep their stamina fortified through a barricade of rest.
The group was divided into two, sitting on opposite ends of the platform: Sora and Yoshi on one side, Luigi and Fox on the other. Everything was quiet; not even an injunction of wind came to pass. They watched the immemorial castle gaze out into the distance, mulling over its state of existence.
The sky was still daubed in that permeant color of pink. Smoke from the chimneys continued their perpetual ascent into the sky, molding into its being as a final resting place. There was something haunting, yet calm about this world – a place that existed in an artist's warped dreams.
Still, trying to decode its mysteries was irrelevant to Luigi right now. Tension had congealed the stream of quietude that ran through his veins. Was he ready to face Bowser by himself? Physically yes, but mentally, he wasn't sure. Doubt tried to be purported with his confidence, saying it was impossible.
But he had to ignore the lies. He was strong on his own and didn't need anyone to tell him otherwise. Just like Sora, he had to believe that the greatest strength came from his friends. He wasn't like his brother, who, at times, faced oppression alone. But Luigi had to remind himself that he wasn't Mario – he would no longer be amenable to the idea of being a shadow anymore. Today, he would take the helm of his own fate, and not plagiarize someone else's biography.
"So it sounds like you know this Bowser guy quite well," Fox said.
"We might've had a few skirmishes with him before." Luigi's expression was arrogated by guilt. "Sorry he got you involved in this mess. Guess he's broadening his horizons when it comes to kidnappings."
"Don't sweat it. Works out better for me since you've faced him before. You probably have the inside scoop on how to beat him." He looked out at the horizon with a serious glaze. "When this is over, he's gonna learn why you shouldn't be too ambitious for your own good."
"Mama-mia! I can tell you must really care for Krystal."
Fox's lineament softened from a heat of ardor. "More than you know."
"Of the L-O-V-E variety," Luigi said, in a commiserate tone. "I know that look anywhere. Same one I give when thinking about my girlfriend Daisy. Although, I might need to tone it down in public. People are going to start thinking I've touched one too many fuzzies."
Fox looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"Never mind," Luigi said. "But I can understand why you feel that way. Anyone would."
"She and I have only been dating for a year," Fox said. His mind slid through an archive of the past, finding a folder filled to the brim with good memories. "But she awakens elation I haven't felt in a while. It's been hard – I lost my mother when I was a pup. There was this void in my life that couldn't be filled. Even though I had my other crewmates, there was something missing. And it was her. Her compassion and encouragement keeps me going. But she's tough as nails, too. Can give me quite a workout when we spar. In fact, this staff belongs to her – a vestige of her destroyed homeland. But I know a part of her spirit is infused within it, too, so I know she'll always be with me."
"Well, it'll feel even more better once you and that staff are whole again," Luigi said. "I'm counting on feeling the same way when I reunite with the ones I care for. You reminded me of what keeps me motivated, despite my cowardice. No matter what happens, I'll never let it get the best of me."
"Good for you," Fox said. "Besides, we shouldn't have to worry – not when the four of us have been wrecking up the place on a landmaster of awesome!" Luigi responded with a blank stare. "It's a giant tank."
"Oh." Luigi smiled. Fox was right; their teamwork had debased the Heartless threat, relegating them to the equivalent of a menial task. The impossible was debauched by their fortitude, and would continue spreading throughout the castle, just like the vines that had took residence long ago. Luigi was confident that they could defeat Bowser, and he didn't need to traverse Mario's interminable path for answers.
"Say, how long have you and Daisy been together?" Fox asked.
"A few years," Luigi said. "Why?"
"Well, Krystal and I really haven't much of a chance to partake in activities together," Fox said. "Kind of hard to do that in the vacuum of space. Got any suggestions?"
Luigi beamed up, excited by the prospect of opening a file in Fox's mind and stuffing it with copious ideas. "Well, you could take her golfing."
"Not a bad idea."
"Or play tennis near a volcano on the verge of erupting," Luigi said, as the zealous halyard kept hoisting up ideas. "You like going fast, right? Maybe a Go-Kart race over thin ice! That gets the blood pumping! Ooh, ooh! How about a party? There's one game you can play. Have her walk across a tightrope while you try to knock her off with cannonballs!"
Fox was speechless for a moment as every dizzying sentence spun around his head, becoming ineffable with each clockwise rotation. "What kind of lopsided world do you originate from?"
"It might be lopsided," Luigi said, raising a defensive shield to his physiognomy, "but we take pride in our pastimes, no matter how nonsensical they are!"
While half of the hexagon had been scribbled with an assortment of loud, tumultuous colors, the other side was empty, diffident, refusing to utter even a monosyllable. Sora's good spirits had tapered off into the sullen stratosphere, to sleep in silence within its drab, blank design. He was happy to be with his friends again. But the entourage was incipient, as there were two pieces missing from the content bookcase.
Right now, one of them was incompatible; no matter which way Sora spun that piece, it refused to be sandwiched between the shelves. Sora stared out at the horizon, despondent; it wouldn't fain the same gesture, offering some form of sympathy. Riku was still his best friend; Sora wanted to exculpate him from every decision he made, believing it was not of his own volition.
The darkness had offered sordid suggestions from the sidelines that Riku imbibed, which cultivated into toxic commands unable to be uprooted. They would continue growing until he was trapped within the poisonous ivy of its will. And Sora hadn't the slightest idea on how cut through them. His words had no influence; it was muffled by indifferent fiberglass.
The thought of losing his best friend – no, his brother – forever was beyond devastating. They had grown up together, sharing a toolbox of support to use against life's faulty design. But, without Riku's presence, it wasn't going to last much longer. Screws started to loosen; the foundation trembled. And it would fall onto Sora, leaving him with an unmovable weight of despair.
But how could he debar such a terrible fate? The task seemed daunting. Ideas were growing faint within murky waters of anxiety. Not even a nip of an idea leaped out from the opaque pond. Sora couldn't imagine living in a world without Riku being a part of his life. Guilt would never stop tailgating him, flashing spasmodic beams of discontent.
All his aggrieves thoughts took a sonorous breath when Yoshi placed a comforting arm around him. "You okay, pal?"
"Just thinkin' about Riku still," Sora said, in a disheartened tone. "Wish things could go back to normal. But they can't."
Yoshi's gentle blue eyes illuminated from a pallid shade of sympathy. "Me sorry."
"Not your fault," Sora said, forcing a smile through the crevasse of sadness. "It's just hard to imagine losing someone you grew up with your whole life. I still refuse to believe it. The old Riku HAS to be in there somewhere."
"Should we slap some more sense into him?" Yoshi asked, with a sudden, zealous urge to fight for his friend.
"No point. That'd make him angrier. Probably sore over losing to us." Through their conversation, a hopeful phosphorescence brightened the lake. Sora saw a prepossessing idea swim by, and he caught it. Although it struggled to stay between his fingers due to some doubt. "There might be one way to get through to him, though. We need to rescue Kairi."
"Oh!" Yoshi said, excited. "Me get it! She can slap some sense into him."
Sora chuckled. "You probably mean that literally. I know you too well."
"Oh, you funny, Sora," Yoshi said with a playful smirk.
"But she's the chain that holds Riku and I together," Sora said, as the conversation rerailed onto the tracks of sincerity. "She always knows how to bring us back down to earth. Perhaps she can reason with him. And if that doesn't work…well…"
Yoshi gave Sora a reassuring lick on the cheek. "It will work. Me believe it."
Sora was amazed by Yoshi's endless optimism; it was immune to any ailment of cynicism. Even though Yoshi knew not every outcome would be in his favor, he wasn't engendered by potential failure's invectives. It would only provoke discouragement into brining that fallacy of the mind to fruition.
The dinosaur's cheerful disposition washed across Sora's face with a cool cloth of confidence. He had to keep that belief in saving Riku from falling over like a tree. Even if doubt's unruly axe cut it down, Yoshi would be there to plant a new seed, keeping the cycle from ceasing. Words couldn't express how grateful he was to have a friend like Yoshi in his life.
But that wouldn't stop him from scouring the aisles of his vocabulary to find the ingredients. "Yeah. It will. I was fighting with a toy sword a little while before. And it still didn't slow me down. This should be as easy as breathing. But, whatever happens, I did gain something out of this whole journey."
"What's that?" Yoshi asked.
"Riku and Kairi have been my best friends ever since I was little," Sora said, his gaze wrapped with in a glowing ribbon of joy. "No one else has connected with me on that level. Until now. You're one of my new best friends. No, not just my best friend. My little brother."
Tears started sliding down Yoshi's round cheeks, which challenged the sky's perpetual blushing with his own. Emotions were strewn throughout his chest like bright, variegated confetti, expressing elation. He loved his family from the Mushroom Kingdom, but Sora was tuned into the dinosaur's wavelength, as if their minds were transparent to each other.
Every article of thoughts and feeling were read without difficulty. Not one word was smeared with ambiguity. They understood on a level only the esoteric could perceive. Yoshi looked up to Sora; his ability to never surrender resonated with him. It gave him courage to step across into a dark, unknown threshold. Sora's upbeat personality kept his spirits adrift within the joyous air.
Which was why it drifted into a downward, crestfallen spiral when Yoshi thought he was going to lose his big brother forever.
"Sora." Yoshi sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes. Sora rubbed his cheek in comfort. "Stop it. You making me cry again."
Sora grinned. He had the perfect remedy, by getting the dinosaur into a headlock. "And as my little brother, you get the ceremonial noogie!" Which he proceeded to perform.
Yoshi's tears scattered in fear from sudden, uproarious laughter. "Cut it out! Me didn't know this was part of the initiative!"
For a moment, the entire world was revitalized by the energetic echoes of laughter. It had gone back to a time that teemed with life – where its denizens could meander throughout the castle's welcoming halls without fear. And that same energy pumped through Luigi and Fox's veins with vigor.
"Those two seem close," Fox said.
"You have no idea." Luigi smiled. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."
Once the platform reached its destination, the four continued upward into the castle, traversing more elevators, along with slaying heartless. But the tacks of this repetitious trek didn't puncture their tires of resilience. They kept moving as determination kept a lead foot on the acceleration. It only hit the brakes when they reached the top of the castle, standing before an opened threshold. Behind it was nothing but darkness – blinders that prevented the group from peering into its cold, stolid soul.
But it expelled a chill that tangled itself all over the group's bodies. They had a posit that the Koopa King was waiting behind the door within an overgrowth of darkness; his fierce, piercing eyes his were the only light you saw before he lunged out from the black blades of grass.
Before they entered, a sudden, urgent thought rapped against Sora's skull. "Hey, if we're going to fight Bowser, shouldn't we summon the—?"
"Oh, I forgot!" Luigi said. "Didn't one of them say we need to concentrate on all of our spells?"
"Let's give it a try," Sora said.
Fox blinked in confusion. "Okay. Totally in the dark here."
"Just watch," Yoshi said. "Fox see what they doing."
Sora and Luigi closed their eyes, feeling out for each spell within their bodies, until they conflated into a beam of flashing light – a beacon that wasn't inhibited by distance. The clouds above them soon parted into a circle, revealing the sky's naked eye. It soon cried a single, golden tear in the form of a spotlight.
The seven Star Spirits descended from the heavens, letting their ethereal radiance cast a brilliant light upon the vicinity. Shadows reeled back in absolute disgust from their mere existence. They continued downward until appearing at eye level with the group. Their warm aura provided a temporary dome of comfort around the group. The darkness' cold breath could not collapse the structure, no matter how hard it exhaled.
"The heck?" Fox asked, as bewilderment continued orbiting around his head.
"See? Now you know," Yoshi said.
Fox glanced at Yoshi like nonsensical gibberish just slid through his ears like a toboggan. "Know what? That just raised more questions!"
"We'll explain later," Sora said. "Trust me. It's taken awhile for the crazy to settle in."
"Greetings, young ones," Eldstar said in his usual cordial tone. "I'm glad you're all in good health."
"We cannot thank you enough for liberating us from those horrid monsters," Misstar said.
Klevar's expression became serious as urgency suppled through his mustache. "But it seems you need our assistance now."
"Yes." Luigi paused for a moment, realizing how close they were to ending this conflict. Tensions had extended to uncomfortable lengths, trembling like a rubber band. "We're about to face him."
Muskular was pulsating with indignation. "Who? That ugly peanut brain of a Koopa King? Oh, count me in! My nonexistent fists need to let some pent-up rage out!"
"In time, my friend," Eldstar said, keeping Muskular's temperament from spilling out through a calming voice. "We will be nearby during the battle. Once the Koopa King summons the power of invulnerability, use the same method you just conducted to summon us."
"Will do!" Sora said, with incontrovertible confidence – his bombastic esprit was a comforting noise to their nonexistent ears. It showed that their chances for success seemed guaranteed. They needed to keep that belief's verve from growing lassitude.
Feeling reassured by the group's positive aura, the Star Spirits vanished from sight, donned in a magical cloak of subterfuge, unseen to all. They would remain within proximity of the group during the battle, only emerging when opportunity made its strident, roistering appearance.
While Sora provided an abridged notation of their plan to Fox, Luigi turned to face the castle's open maw. Darkness waited to consume them within its cold, moist throat, where they would soon encounter the fierce, ignoble heart – each palpitation would discharge scorching blood that would enjoy a savory repast on their vibrant skin.
Luigi could feel his legs tremble from a sudden engine of concern. His confidence became distrait by possible, uninspiring outcomes of this forthcoming fight. Sometimes, when conflict is impending, an eclipse of doubt covers our luminous fortitude. It makes us overanalyze every detail to the point of being overmastered by fear.
But as Luigi was surrounded by the jeers of harrowing thoughts, Sora's voice pushed itself through the malicious crowd, asking, "Hey, you okay?"
Luigi turned to see his friends looking at him in concern. Vibrant light reflected off the surface of their eyes, filled with the same desire to stop the Koopa King's rein from spreading across the universe like toxic smog. Nothing would stop that poisonous grip from asphyxiating the light's salubrious luminescence, leaving it as a desolate wasteland of darkness.
Sora, Fox, and Yoshi's presence in Luigi's circle dispersed the vitriolic crowd. Only one possible outcome was left, giving them venerable applause for remaining unified as a team: success. Luigi pictured himself back home in the Mushroom Kingdom, listening to the pleasant sounds of wrenches turning, as he and his brother alleviated a sink's congested, metal throat.
Nothing would make him happier. And with the help of his new friends, he would no longer peer into that world through lackadaisical binoculars.
"I'm perfectly fine," Luigi said, keeping that confident shawl from being pulled into the incredulous air. "Ready to finally put an end to this! It's time ol' Bowser Koopa was reminded of his constant failures!"
Inspired by Luigi's uplifting mood, the four made their way towards the central nervous system of darkness – where not even a glimmer of light dared step through. All they had was each other, their skills, and a friendship that the cold-hearted could never recondite.
Luigi dedicated this fight to his brother. He was going to make him proud.
Change was an exasperating inconstant. One moment, life was servile to your every desire, dropping a paper of good fortune in front of you like a loyal dog. But the next, they raise their nose in disdain, finding your existence deplorable, and abandoning you to fend for yourself in the morass of life.
That's what Bowser was going through right now. Earlier, he was assured victory. Anxiety was had become a meaningless construct – a feeling that would never contort his stomach into a nervous knot again. Bowser had begun constructing a diorama of his future with assiduity. But now, it was knocked over by a fervent feline of unpredictability.
Kammy informed Bowser that Sora reobtained both the Keyblade and his friends from Riku. They were ascending the castle with enthusiastic springs in their soles; it wouldn't be long before that diorama was demolished. Not even a scrap would be left for him to cherish. Bowser's heart delivered an uppercut straight to his throat; he refused to let his plans go astray this time.
Just for once, he wanted to win. To experience what it was like to be happy. His only choice was to the unlock the keyhole before the group arrived, forcing it to swallow a heavy deluge of darkness.
But there was a problem. The keyhole hadn't formed yet.
"There appears to be a tarriance in the ritual, your gruesomeness," Kammy said, with a grim expression.
"N-No," Bowser said, keeping a firm foot in a ditch of denial. "It's just these ladies have been napping for days. They're just groggy."
He faced Princess Peach with a longing look in his eyes. Even though she was a sleeping statue, her loving warmth shimmered like light reflecting off a calming ocean. It allowed him to lean back into a tranquil garden; negativity would retreat from the overwhelming, protective power of pollen. He wanted to stay in this place forever; only she held the key to this safe zone.
He wanted to experience the feeling of never being miserable again. For both his sake and his son's. Peach was the only one with the cure. No other person could match her kind and caring personality. He wanted to inhale its nurturing fragrance forever. But Sora and his friends were coming to unearth that hollow feeling his chest. He wouldn't let them step on the soil.
Before Bowser could ruminate over this dilemma, he was interrupted by a male voice: familiar, and yet, not, at the same time: "So, I see the path has emerged at last." He spoke with two different voices, as if they had been unceremoniously shoved into his larynx.
Bowser and Kammy turned to see Riku approaching them, donning his dark attire again. But something with different about him. Although his mannerisms were reserved, one could decipher the complex code of emotions written in Riku's eyes. But now, they were empty, inexpressive. Not a sign of humanity raised an inviting hand.
"About time you got back here!" Bowser was overcome with a corkscrew of emotions to question this sudden change now. "Don't think for a second I've forgotten about your embarrassing debacle."
But Riku's face didn't flinch before Bowser's threatening presence, as if uninterested in the potential consequences of failure. Even the Koopa King was somewhat unnerved by Riku's uncharacteristic behavior. It wasn't natural. Every muscle on his face was still as darkness itself – his appearance was as if the element had become personified, and would lunge forward with a wide, unnatural, open jaw, devouring any that detested its presence.
"It matters not," Riku said. "I'm beyond something so immaterial."
With his head ventilating the irrational dust away, Bowser was now perplexed by Riku's strange demeanor. He glanced at Kammy, who reflected the same sentiment.
"You okay, kid?" Bowser asked. "It appears you've…gained…another…voice."
"Better than I've anticipated," Riku said; there was a faint wave of satisfaction that rode on the emotionless flatline. "I've merely tapped into a power hidden deep within the darkness. It has dispersed through my entire being, making me one with its unparalleled power."
"Well, good for you," Bowser said, sarcastic. Riku's current form was a footnote in the essay of his grand plan. "Thank you for sharing that useless piece of trivia. Especially since nothing will matter at any moment." He gestured towards the heart shaped door. "Check it out! The Keyhole to the darkness."
"Unlock it and the Heartless will overrun this world," Riku said, placing a tape of caution on the Bowser's path towards victory.
But Bowser scoffed, tearing straight through it. "Like I'm worried. Unlike you, the darkness can't take ahold of me. I'm going to use its power to rule all worlds. Trying to expand my horizons outside a world inhabited by ugly fungi, y'know?."
"Such confidence," Riku said, exhibiting a smirk for the first time.
Riku held out his hand, conjuring a Keyblade into existence; he grabbed the blade by the hilt, examining its imposing form – the antithesis to Sora's in every conceivable notion. It was the brooding night that sat parallel to the promising day. The blade itself had been dipped in the darkness' black blood, while the handle was sewn from the red thread of its anger.
Bowser had no idea how he obtained one, but perhaps it would prove useful in case their plans hit uneven terrain. "Well, well. Someone's been holding out on me."
"Um sire?" Kammy said, gesturing towards the heart-shaped door in concern.
Bowser turned to see a purple mist within the center of the heart-shaped door. Its strange presence formed the foundation for sudden inquiry. "What is that supposed to be? The keyhole? It looks like something I expel after eating beans and eggplants."
"Keeping it classy, sir," Kammy said, grimacing from the uncouth remark.
Riku scrutinized the keyhole with unblinking eyes. "It would appear only six of the princesses have lent their power to the keyhole's composition."
"WHAT!?" Bowser said, with a roar of rage, which reverberated throughout the hall, making the walls tremble in trepidation. "That's impossible! They're all here, aren't they!?"
His plans were being requisitioned by the stern, apathetic hands of misfortune. But he wouldn't concede before fate's insensible jurisdiction. Not when he was so close to latching onto that precipice, where the princess would be waiting in all her splendor. Right now, though, that ledge showed discouraging cracks; any moment it would fall on top of him, knocking him into a dark, bottomless pit of failure.
He refused to let that be his final resting place.
The rooms clamored in a panic from the echoes of Jr's short, loud breathing. He hurried up the stairs, and stopped at the crest, leaning over, taking a moment to receive the air's generous donation of oxygen.
"Papa! Papa!" Jr. said, being pinched by a needle of agitation.
Bowser turned to Jr. with a faux smile, which belied the cacophonous, discordant choir of turmoil that sang in his head. "Son, now is not the best time. Daddy is possibly on the verge of a nervous breakdown." Jr tried to protest, but the Koopa King squeezed his lips shut. "The grownups are talking right now. Wait until I finish talking."
While annoyed, Jr waited, although impatience continued tugging at his foot like a restless, wild animal. Bowser glanced at each princess, trying to take note of any difference. A small pink sphere of light hovered around their chest as if they had a badge to confirm their esteemed title. But one princess was denied that special, glistening emblem.
And her name was Kairi.
"Oh," Bowser said, frowning at her catatonic form. "Of course. It must be her."
Even Riku seemed somewhat irked by this revelation. "Without her heart, she will never be able to release her power."
"Goody," Bowser said, letting out a warm, deep sigh of exasperation; it momentarily provided the cold, still air with a layer of heat. "Guess that leaves us at a standstill." He turned to his son with a firm demeanor. "Now, son. Calmly tell me what's wrong."
But remaining calm was a command Jr. disobeyed, as he said in shout, "The intruders are here!"
"You know," Bowser said, appearing disappointed, "things like that should be told as soon as possible."
"Yes, papa," Jr. said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Bowser stared at entrance to the hall – it was unavoidable, regardless of not taking any shortcuts through this operation. Nothing was ever truly beseeched to him, despite carrying the title of monarch. Our greatest treasures had to be obtained, not earned. Bowser knew that he'd have to defeat the glistening serpent that coiled around his. And he was prepared for the challenge, despite the risks.
"So it's come down to this, huh?" Bowser cracked his knuckles, discharging a loud declaration of confidence. "Guess I'll have to take care of those buffoons myself." He glanced at Riku. "You stay here and watch the princesses."
Without wasting time's patience, he started to leave the vicinity. But Jr. placed an inquisitive barricade to temporarily halt the crusade. "What about me, Papa?"
"Stay with Kammy Koopa." He looked at her, who responded with a nod of acknowledgement. "I don't want you involved." He then gestured towards Riku. "You've seen what that kid and his friends have done to this emotionless stump. I don't want you to get hurt. Understand?"
But concern for his father couldn't fit within an outlet of satisfaction. It was misshapen, releasing discouraging sparks that electrified the young prince's body with sadness. Bowser saw it in his expression. He couldn't let that thread dangle – parental instinct was hardwired into his design. It could never disobey the need of their child in times of insecurity.
"Son," Bowser said, placing a compassionate hand on Jr.'s shoulder, "tell me what's wrong. You know papa can't leave until his boy is sufficiently spoiled."
Jr.'s eyes trailed off, feeling guilty for presenting such a pessimistic thought to his father: "Are you sure you can beat them?"
"Wh-What?" Bowser said, taken aback, chuckling. "Since when have you lost faith in your old man?"
"It's just….I've always wanted a complete family." Jr.'s voice rose in protest. "We have the princess. Why can't we just go? The Keyblade pest has taken everyone else out. What if—?"
Bowser squeezed Jr.'s shoulder, releasing the anxious pressure with reassurance. "Jr., if we run away, we'd never be able to stop. They'll keep coming after us. Is that what you want? To run for the rest of your life? Would that make things complete for you?"
Jr. ruminated over his father's words. The cycle of kidnapping Peach was the same. Mario would rescue her, beginning it anew. Unless they found a way to apply the permanent break, he would never find true joy in experiencing a complete family. It's what he wanted more than anything.
"No," Jr. said, sighing. "No, I wouldn't."
"We have to stand our ground," Bowser said, sincere. "Fight for what we believe in. In a perfect world, there would be no conflict. But a perfect world is impossible. Sometimes it takes great suffering to reach peace. Listen, I have the Star Rod. They can't stop me. I have you and the princess to think about. That'll always keep me going."
Jr. smiled, seeing the reassurance lift his father's lineament like a flag, decorated in bright, proud markings. "Okay, dad. I believe in you! To fight for a complete family. Go get those meanies! Give them one for me!"
"Sure thing, kid," Bowser said, rubbing his son's head. "I couldn't be prouder of you if I tried."
"Same here," Jr. said.
Being reminded of who he fought for, the Koopa King left to confront his adversaries. Kammy and Jr. watched him walk to the exit, inspirited by each confident, pounding step that shook the room. He was the leader of his entire race – everyone became timorous flowers because of the tumultuous power he exhumed. He would use it make the light grovel just like his own subordinates: weak, worthless, and unable to form their own opinion.
How could anyone deny so much awesome, anyway?
Riku watched in silence. A small smirk thawed out from the aloof icecaps. He was intrigued by the direction this battle would travel. Would it favor the light, or did it see the inevitability of darkness?
Either way, his own path was clear, demolishing all others in the process.
A/N: By the time you've read this chapter, I will have been off one week from writing. I will return to work on January 4th of next year. Have a good holiday, and thank you for your continued support, despite almost ending the series for good. It means the world to me.
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