50

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene XIII: "You're not the only one fighting this battle."

"What's a Heart—Whoa!"

Roxas had only made it halfway through the question before letting out a surprised yelp. The Heartless had moved, rushing forward on its tiny little legs, claws extended in an attack. Roxas reacted on instinct, drawing his bokken and swinging it into the enemy with a surprisingly graceful form for the limited amount of practice he'd gotten. The Heartless bounced away from the impact, but it wasn't near enough damage to take it out, and it was back on its feet in no time, heading back to the charge.

Roxas's follow up swings weren't anywhere near as graceful nor as accurate. Luckily for him, Axel had also reacted on instinct—and his instinct was a lot more refined and a lot more deadly.

It didn't even take two swings of his chakrams for the heartless to go down and vanish back into the shadows.

Axel did another quick sweep of the area before deeming it safe enough to not stay in a ready attack stance. During the process, he caught sight of Roxas, who happened to look much better than most people did upon their first encounter with a Heartless.

Then again, most of the time, those things show up in groups, and then you know the world is fucked.

So what did it mean when only one of them showed up? Axel didn't have a ready answer—but it was usually a sure sign that the place was somewhere he was supposed to be. Or at least somewhere he could get away with being without looking forward to a lecture at the end of the line.

Roxas sucked in a breath so deep that Axel was worried the kid was about to hyperventilate, except what came out next wasn't a shuddering gasp, but a torrent of words.

"That was so freakin' cool, Axel! I know I've sparred against you before, but you almost moved like a completely different person. What was that thing anyways? You called it a Heartless, didn't you? Is it supposed to be some sort of—"

Axel held up a hand, which surprisingly got the desired effect. "I can only answer so many things at a time, and you need to breathe. So let's focus on that for a moment, alright?" Roxas nodded, making a show of counting his breaths out. "So, yes, I called that thing a Heartless. Long story short, it's a monster that usually means there's trouble floating about." Sure, there was a lot more to it than that, but how much did Roxas really need to know at this point? It would just complicate things. "And while that was just one, you can bet there's a lot more where that came from."

It was supposed to be a warning, a reminder that Roxas couldn't just run off on his own without potentially smacking headfirst into danger. And he seemed to understand that much, judging by the serious expression he took on. But that light and excitement for the idea of adventure hadn't gone out of his eyes, which were looking bluer and more beautiful than before.

Axel hated that he thought that was a good thing.

Roxas adjusted his grip on his bokken, which had escaped from a collision with a Heartless fully intact. Impressive, in its own way. "I have the feeling I'm going to need a better weapon than this."

"Maybe," Axel said, rolling around the possibilities in his mind. Handing Roxas live steel didn't sit well with him just yet, but neither did leaving the kid with only a half-stacked means of defense. "How about you get used to actual combat with live enemies first, and once I'm convinced you won't accidentally cut your arm off, I'll give you an upgrade."

"Alright, I'll hold you to it then!" With renewed vigor, Roxas gripped his bokken and faced forward once more. He didn't run off on his own again, self-aware enough to recognize that he couldn't fight a Heartless on his own, but that didn't stop his intent to explore everything he could see. Axel stayed in immediate following distance as Roxas worked his way through every bend and turn in the hallways.

That path happened to bring up more Heartless, though only one or two at a time, which gave Roxas plenty of opportunity to smack the things around and practice his technique while Axel knocked away whatever happened to come too close to him. Ultimately, when they came upon a stairway, there was a group of about five of the things, which took a bit longer to clear out, but wasn't anything to sweat about.

It's weird, though. I can't sense anything that would attract these things here.

"Can we keep going?" Roxas asked, standing as close to the stairwell as he could without actually starting to climb the things. The steps only went up, though that didn't completely rule out the possibility of there being a basement level. "Maybe we'll find someone if we go up?"

Axel strongly doubted that there would be anyone living in a place infested with Heartless (well, anyone friendly to guests at any rate), but he forced the frown off his face and nodded. "I dunno about that, but it's worth a shot." Plus it would give him an opportunity to investigate and potentially see if he could find something helpful. "We should keep track of time, though. I know you don't have school tomorrow, but we don't wanna be here for too long."

Roxas pulled a face, as if exploring the world had completely banished any thoughts of Temperies from his mind, which wasn't too far out of the question. "I know, I know. Let me have my adventure, will you?"

Chuckling a bit at the near whining tone in Roxas's voice, Axel waved a hand up the stairs. "Then by all means, lead the way."

That was all it took before the duo was off again, combing their way through the second floor at much of the same pace as the first. The Heartless continued to show up, their numbers steadily increasing with each encounter. There weren't enough numbers to be concerning, but the gradual chance in the enemy could be dangerous. If they weren't careful, they might not even notice they'd walked into a situation they couldn't handle.

But for the time being, things were fine. Axel himself had more than enough skill to make up for Roxas's amateur state, and it genuinely wouldn't have been difficult for the redhead to handle all the enemies himself. It was good practice, though, which was a bonus since Axel still didn't have any idea why the Heartless were in such a place, aside from the fact that it was dark and creepy.

There's gotta be a purpose. Heartless always show up on worlds with a purpose, even if the things don't know it.

"Axel!"

Roxas's shout pulled Axel from his thoughts, bringing the battle at hand into clarity. It was another large group, but the smaller Heartless weren't on their own. Instead, there were a few red ones with hat-like shapes on their heads, floating off the ground. The entire coalition was before a stairwell—number five? Six?—blocking the way forward.

"What are those things?" Roxas asked. He was still holding his bokken high, and his blue eyes squinted at the emblem on the floating creature's chest, which matched the ones on the rest of the familiar enemies. "Are they Heartless, too?"

"Yup," Axel said casually, adjusting his hold on his chakrams. "They wield fire magic, so you're gonna wanna be careful. That little bokken won't stand up for too long, even though it's reinforced." Roxas looked at his wooden sword, frowning a bit. "Just leave those things to me, will ya? You keep practicing on the small fry."

"Right!"

Axel didn't wait for the enemies to make a move, launching himself forward towards the stairwells. The smaller Heartless reacted to his advance, but he swiped his weapons at whichever ones were in arms reach, knocking them out of the way of his footfalls. The little magic users seemed to recognize his intention and started to cast their spells, fireballs forming at their beck and call before launching through the air.

Not bothering to block or deflect the strikes, Axel let the fire fizzle out against his jacket, both the protection spells and his own natural affinity whittling the heat down to the barest impact of warmth. With a deft strike, he split the first red Heartless down the middle, then rounded on the second before it could even start to cast another attack spell. He felled the third in another short span of time, brushing off the ash from the front of his jacket before disposing of the smaller black Heartless still scuttling to cause damage, their feet pattering against the stone floors.

And, amidst that sound, the echo of wood clattering to the ground reverberated throughout the hall.

A shout—of pain? Surprise? Of what—followed soon after.

Axel whipped around, finding that several more Heartless had crawled up from the shadows. Roxas was in the middle of them, but his bokken was on the ground, several feet away. Axel quickly calculated his options, then settled for reaching into his magic, summoning his own flames, burning everything that was an enemy to the ground—but he only got partway through the spell.

Because there was a shift in the world.

Because there was a flash of light.

Because, in Roxas's hand, a new weapon had formed, one of gold and silver that was in the rough shape of a sword but had no edges to speak of.

Oh, Axel thought, this is what it feels like to see one in person.

Roxas moved, swinging the keyblade down.

"Can you…tell me more about it?"

Axel had to pause, almost not recognizing Rhea's voice. She normally wasn't so hesitant when it came to asking about Roxas—demanding information, really—but something in her tone had changed. Though her voice had been quiet, there was still a light behind her eyes, though Axel couldn't have said what emotion was burning there.

"I dunno if you've noticed, but 'it' is a pretty vague question."

Rhea scowled and kicked at Axel's shins underneath the table. He let her, barely feeling the impact even with her boots, glad that she still had a bit of fire in her. "The keyblade, jackass," she said, the insult only carrying half as much bite as it would have were she serious. "Roxas…never really told me a lot about it. Just said that it was effective against Heartless and Nobodies and he was lucky he could use it."

Axel nodded, using the lull in his story to drink from his coffee, the Fifty Minute Room keeping the mug at a comfortable temperature though it had been some time since he'd even touched it. It's not like he could tell you much, since I'm pretty sure he doesn't fully get it. "I mean, that's about the gist of it. What makes you think I know anymore?"

"Because you taught Roxas how to fight, and you know way more about this than either of us do." Rhea's frown deepened. "I'm not stupid. I can tell that you haven't even told me half of what you know. And you didn't tell Roxas, either."

You are way too smart for your own good, girlie. Axel put his cup back down and kept his smirk up in a show that he wasn't ruffled by her accusations. "And your point is?" Rhea didn't say anything, just continued to stare him down. "Like Roxas told you, the keyblade is special. It's not just effective against Heartless and Nobodies, but all sorts of other things. You may have already guessed, but that thing way outclasses any other weapon you're gonna find out there on any of the worlds. But only chosen people get to wield one."

Based on the unimpressed look on Rhea's face, she already knew that much. "Yeah, but what makes someone special enough for that?" Her hands twitched against her empty coffee cup, and Axel wondered if she'd ever dreamed of being like Roxas, someone on the frontlines rather than a support fighter. "I mean, Roxas is definitely special. Even I can tell that, but…"

"But what makes a keyblade wielder a keyblade wielder?" Rhea nodded, and Axel considered how much he could get away with saying. It didn't really matter anymore, all things considered. He could spill all his dirty secrets to Rhea, and it wouldn't make a difference in the slightest. But he tucked the impulse away for another time and shrugged. "They get picked out by the worlds, as far as I can tell. You can try and manipulate things as much as you want, but unless you're the right one for the job, there's no guaranteed way to put a keyblade in your hand."

Rhea's eyes narrowed into a far more dangerous slant than her usual glares, and Axel wondered if he'd picked the wrong buttons to push. But she didn't lash out at him again or storm away, so she couldn't be too upset. "Do you think it's funny messing with me?"

"Loads. But that's not why I'm doing this." Axel raised a finger before Rhea could bite out a retort. "Look, I know you want to know more, but that's not what's going to help you right now. Or have you gone ahead and forgotten why you're here?"

"Because you dragged me here. Or did you not memorize that?" Rhea leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. Though she tried to look tough for a moment, her eyes flickered away to stare at something on the closest wall. "You can just be upfront with me if you're not going to bother letting me know anything. It would save us both a lot of trouble."

Yeah, that would be a lot easier if I actually knew how much I was going to tell you.

Axel let out another heavy sigh. "Look, I'll be frank. I don't know what good it'll do to get you into this mess. There's a lot going on outside of the couple of worlds you've been on."

"Like Radiant Garden and the other worlds that have disappeared?" Axel couldn't hold back his grimace. Where the hell did she hear that from? Rhea latched onto his discomfort with a vengeance, leaning forward. "Are you part of all that? Is Roxas, too?"

"Roxas doesn't know a damn thing about this," Axel said, because it was the only thing that came to mind that wasn't an outright lie. He hoped Rhea wouldn't catch the loophole in that statement: that just because Roxas didn't know didn't mean he wasn't part of it. "I've been telling you about what happened. That we came across each other by chance and that I decided to go along with him and check out the Castle."

Rhea nodded slowly, but her eyes were still tracing over Axel's face, as if she could find an obvious tell. Unfortunately for her, he was pretty confident in his skills of keeping secrets. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean you weren't planning something else at the same time. I mean, you're way more prepared for any of this fighting Heartless and Nobodies junk than Roxas or I ever were."

"Funny how having your world destroyed will do that do you," he said, spitting out the words. Rhea backed up a bit, her expression becoming sympathetic. Axel forced himself to calm down before continuing. "Listen, I went through a lot before I landed on Temperies. But none of that matters now, because I just want to get Roxas back and fix things—"

"Because he's important to your plan?"

"Because he's important to me," he said, the rawness of the words surprising even him. "You get it, don't you? Being a keyblade wielder isn't the only thing that makes him special. Roxas is a good guy and he deserves…" Deserves the world, deserves not to get caught up in this bullshit, deserves something better— "Deserves at least to get his memories back, since I'm the one who pulled him into this mess."

"I think you're severely underestimating Roxas's stubbornness if you think he wouldn't have wandered into that castle without you helping him," Rhea said dryly, but the tone didn't hold in her voice. She raised her hand for a moment, then dropped it back down to the table. "But you're right. Roxas does deserve better, even if he was rude. Because that's…not really how he is."

In that moment, Axel was sure they were both thinking about the same things. About Roxas's smile, his laugh, his kindness, his light, the way he lit up the world. Both Axel and Rhea had experienced those things and lost them, because of an unfair battle in a place that didn't need to exist.

At this point, I don't care what was actually at the top of that castle. But I think the way to save Roxas might be up there. And if I go with her…

He contemplated Rhea for a long time, the girl sitting across from him, nowhere near as broken as she had been when she'd first ended up on the street in the rain. There were still fractures, sure, but the pieces weren't as scattered as they had been before. Even when he hadn't been paying attention, she'd still been putting herself back together, piece by piece.

It would probably be selfish for me to bring someone else into this, but if she volunteered, then…

"Rhea." She looked up at her name, suddenly rapt at attention. "If I said that I was going to make sure that I got Roxas back, no matter what—"

"Of course I'd come with you," she said without hesitation. In fact, she looked annoyed that he'd even bothered to pose it as a question. "I want Roxas back, too, even if I haven't known him as long as you have. I may not be able to fight as good as you two, but I'm pretty confident in my capabilities as a decoy." Her lips curled up into a smile, with a ferocity that Axel hadn't realized Rhea had. "Besides, if you told me no, I'd still find a way to come along.

"You're not the only one fighting this battle, Axel."

Well, if you're gonna put it like that.

"Alright, so let's fight together," he said, offering Rhea a hand over the table. She paused for a moment, then accepted the handshake, her grip surprisingly firm for how small her fingers were. "If you feel up to it, we can start preparing ourselves for what's gonna come next."

Rhea didn't hesitate to nod. "I'm ready."

Axel chuckled, surprised that he believed her bravado. "Alright. Then after we get some rest, we'll head back to Temperies."

"The Mark of Relationship—"

"Has formed, yes."

"It's a small one."

"It will be enough…because it's only one link of a larger puzzle."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. And she can't find what else she needs here."

"So let's send them off, together."

To the next stage beyond this one.

[Author's Notes]

Hey, look, it's the end of Act I! While not planned, I managed to close up this sequence on the thirteenth chapter. How's that for a nice coincidence?

Thanks are going out to syzgy zacker for the follow since last chapter! I much appreciate the support, and I hope you enjoy this special update at the start of 2020!

Here's hoping that everyone is having a good start to their new year! A lot of my plans for 2020 involve writing and working on projects, so you'll see me for upcoming chapters. In fact, Act II will start later this month! I'll see you then, so please look forward to it!

-Avi

[01.03.2020]

NEXT TIME: Act II, Scene I: "It's not just you, and it's not just me."

Scene I: "It's not just me, and it's not just you."