From the shadows, two figures walked out as the Sora's, and the unknown teen gazed upon the people who were here to help the unknown monstrous-looking teen defeat Xehanort and Erquas. One was a girl wearing a green bulletproof vest and green shorts and was holding a rocket launcher and pistol. She had short brown hair and watched the monster Sora first, as the ooze stayed next to the injured woman. The second person to walk out of the shadows was a small teen, limping from the darkness, eyes white like a ghost, they looked like they were in agony, the moment they saw Xehanort's face, did a long sword come from their hand, as the Spirit wailed towards the elderly master, opening his arms to engulf the man, in a broken body embedded with glass.
"Behold, Xehanort, a handful of the people that your darkness and sickness have brought onto the Multiverse. Now it's time to snuff out another one of you, once and for all." Zina declared, turning around, offering a smile at the young faunas in her arms as she walked away from the master, as he smirked at the young girl.
"Why, what an interesting thing to decree and walk away from my downfall. Tell me this, girl: do you truly have trust in these people? These I'm assuming are other versions of young little Sora in your arms. What gives you the right to act godly and defy my wishes for a better universe?" Xehanort declared, pointing a finger at the brown-haired girl as she walked deeper into the darkness.
"Because unlike you, I was born in a place of technology; my upbringing was of wonder, and curiosity, listening to tales of other worlds from heroes who did everything to give a small little girl the adventure and love of a lifetime. What's wrong with not wanting others to experience that same love and protection from cruel and mad people like you? Even if I can't fix, rewrite, or protect everyone to the finest detail, I will do everything in my power to make sure that in the end, we can all laugh and smile under one sky. A sky born of compassion and honor, one where even though turmoil exists, it can be beaten as long as people believe in the light and each other.
"Now, if you excuse me, I have a little girl who's in need of bedtime, because after tonight, she has a long journey ahead to return home, and be a huntress with the people she loves. So please do keep the screaming down to a decent level; after all, I'd hate to wake up the parents and explain how their daughter was involved with the death of a monster earlier than expected. Goodbye Xehanort, may you rot in the darkest hole possible!" Zina declared, as the young girl smiled, knowing that her plan was working and soon all that would be left was the descent and then peace.
—--
"How hypocritical this master of your claims of her plan is, and yet it feels so simple compared to my own, that one can't help but laugh at the moment." Xehanort said, gazing at the group of warriors readying themselves for battle as Erquas stood beside him, key blade in arm, ready to go for the weakest link of the group. The master smiled as he walked into the chaos, smiling as he prepared to make his move, promising that tonight death would not come for him so easily.
"Maybe, but probably one that's better than anything you and your other selves would have made. After all, each one of us has suffered because you just had to have an ego. That armored woman lost everything from the sounds of things, while the Spirit over there lost their lives protecting a young girl that loved you and paid the ultimate price. The bioweapon next to you died, broken, scared, and has been dying countless times just to defeat you and give us the chance at stopping you. Honestly, the only person who doesn't hate you for what you've done is me, because without you, my parents wouldn't have been together. However, one good thing doesn't account for a lifetime of pain and misery brought to others, across countless universes." Hateko chambers let out, holstering her pistol, as the soldier grabbed hold of the pump action shotgun from her back, ready to battle Erquas.
"Enough talk, show me what your weapons and blades can do, for I shall not allow any of you to stop us from our perfect universe!" Erquas shouted, charging at Hateko, who jumped out of the way of the master's blade, as the ghostly Sora limped over to the master, swinging the broken blade in its arm, wailing and writhing at Erquas, while Hateko raised her shotgun at the old man's head.
"You think an undead ghost shall defeat me; how foolish of you; it almost makes me wish that those mutts were facing me instead." Erquas said, as his blade glowed with light magic, sending a ball of light towards the ghost, as footsteps echoed in the distance, as the room was overtaken with light. The Spirit screamed, as the light was overwhelming, and Hateko tried to shield her eyes, but the light was too strong for her to stop. However, the sounds of footsteps grew closer, as the light spell started to end, and fade away. As the two looked at Erquas, he was smiling and ready to continue to go after the weakest of the group, until blood started to drip from his chest.
"Impossible, how could anyone get me through that much light?" Erquas declared, holding his chest, as the pain began to sink in and his vision started to blur, watching the two people in front of him still suffering from the light, while the sounds of that monster groaning in pain were heard behind him.
"If you're going to cast a spell that affects you as well, always make sure that everyone is dealt with or can't move. But then again, you had so much trust in that snake, Xehanort, thinking that he was going to defeat us in seconds—foolish, how foolish. So Master Erquas, why don't you watch your friend leave you, as that sickening monster feasts upon you? While we deal with your friend, before I die!" Ms. Perfect declared, limping over to the others, as the sounds of footsteps echoed behind her, as she watched Xehanort walk after the little faunas and that mysterious girl.
"Xehanort, how could you do this to me?" Erquas shouted, as the master fell to the floor, as the feeling of something slimy and cold began to touch his wounds.
"It's because that man only cares about himself and his goals, whatever lies, answers or promises he told you were only to serve him. You were just too blinded by your hate to sense anything was wrong. Now then, if you excuse me, I have got to help stop a madman; goodbye, Master Erquas was it; maybe the next version of you that I'll meet is nicer." Hateko whispered, as the young woman grabbed hold of the bleeding woman in blue, as the sounds of screaming began as Ooze Sora started to tear into the dying master, while the Spirit ran deeper into the darkness ahead of them, wanting to take on Xehanort. Hateko watches the master's carnage and screams, making sure that the bioweapon could take out the dying master, while the others gave chase.
"Xehanort you can't escape from us!" Spirit Sora called out, returning their sword into their body, quickly phasing into nothing, as the sounds of heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance, meaning another had joined in the hunt.
—--
"Are they going to be okay? Am I going to be safe once this is all over? Do you think that the other Sora who is bleeding will be ok, and who are those others?" Sora said, looking up at the brown-haired girl, as she hugged her tightly, wondering if Xehanort was going to actually die, or if Erquas would die, for being a bastard of a grandfather.
"So many questions. I'll say yes to the first, I'll make sure to the second, and as for the third, currently no, but I will do everything I can to make amends for her suffering. My name is Zina Tomago, and I am a friend who happens to be heavily involved with the issue of Xehanort and the Multiverse. The others are different versions of you, or future children, if that helps at all. You see, Xehanort has hurt a lot of people, and it's my job to protect and support others, kind of like a huntress if that's the term you prefer.
All I can say is I'm glad to have met you little one, perhaps in the future, once you are big and strong, you too shall help in stopping Xehanort in the end. But for now, promise me something, please become a huntress, protect those who care for you, like we have, and don't let the darkness win. Now close your eyes, I'm about to cast a sleep spell on you!" Zina whispered, as Sora's eyes closed, as the hero smiled, standing in front of the room that held Terra, and Aqua.
"Sleep tight, little faunas, for tonight you'll sleep with your family tonight. I'll make sure to be gentle when putting you to bed. Mom, Dad, soon I'll return home, please don't wait for me to return home. I'll tell you wonderful stories after this night is up." Zina declared, silently entering the room, proceeding to close the door, and allow the others to deal with Xehanort and Erquas as their footsteps echoed in the hallways.
"Everyone, watch every corner, cover the world, and make sure that Xehanort doesn't escape. I shall take our newest friend, and shall help them try and end this version of Xehanort. Please make sure that things go smoothly, for our first test at slaying one of these monsters! I'm sorry to bring some of you here for this conflict, early, but it was necessary to act quickly when notice of that masked man arrived out of nowhere and plagued this universe." Zina whispered, as she exited the room, spotting the blue-haired woman, and what looked like the Spirit, offering the injured Sora an arm, as they gazed at the open door to the outside.
"I'm sorry if this hurts your chances of revenge, but I figured that the ones I could get my hands to help in this endeavor seemed more justified than a few people coming for Xehanort. Sorry if this ruined whatever perfect moment that you're craving." Zina said, walking beside the wounded Sora and ghostly killer, doing her best to flood the dying master with enough healing magic, knowing that she was beyond saving, but would have enough for one last fight.
"That's perfectly fine, as long as the girl is safe, and Xehanort dies soon. The help was needed. I know that my tone, and figure say otherwise, but I am grateful for the assist, and to be honest, me killing Xehanort or any version or vessel of that man would be justified. Even though it would have made the moment feel more bittersweet, in my opinion. Although it's funny, Namine always told me that I was stubborn and headstrong in my opinions. Guess old habits never die hard, wouldn't you agree? Here I am knowing that for most of my life, I fought and did things alone until she came into my life, and once again I am in need of others to finish my goals." Sora said, looking up at the blue sky, it was beautiful, almost as beautiful as the one back at home on that tiny island.
—--
By the time Xehanort made his way to the lookout point, the sky was raising, and the sounds of footsteps faded from his mind; however, it wasn't because they had left from to his own devices, it was because they stood behind him, waiting to see what he would do, and what the next step would be in the end.
"I see that Erquas has faded from his world, what a tragedy, but nevertheless I shall make sure that the plan still goes through to the end. Now then will you all face me all at once or one at a time, after all, I don't think we can keep this up for another day." Xehanort said, summoning his key blade, ready to face the group of people who dared to stop him.
The master could feel his skin crawl as the sense of both light and darkness was upon him. The monster that had crawled from some ocean, the dead spirit, The soldier who had no blade, the wounded woman with the master defender, and the mysterious girl, who claimed to travel the Multiverse to stop him.
"I'm ending you, Xehanort, once and for all! You must pay for Namine, and Nejire!" Sora declared, removing chunks of her armor, as Xehanort watched the Sora bleed spill onto the grass beneath her, she should have died from blood loss long ago, but stayed in the living out of some revenge and willpower. It was commendable, but a weak effort.
"Then come at me, warriors of the unknown, but tell me who else is behind you? Surely they wish to be involved in this discord and violence as well!" Xehanort said, as Zina and the others turned to see a teen with short, messy brown hair, holding a bloody ax, wearing an old rabbit mask that looked like it was from some dark forest hidden from the light.
"It appears that we finally have him cornered, how sad. I was hoping the hunt would last longer than a normal person. Now, if you excuse me, she wants to fight that monster, and I don't think I can calm her down from the bloodshed any longer." Sora said, staring at Xehanort through his mask with cold, tired eyes, ready to slay another. Zina sighed, looking up at the sky for a moment, as the sounds of agony loomed over the lookout. Everyone watched as Sora grew taller, stronger, and more dangerous, as after a moment of pain, a tall woman took his place, growling like an animal.
"What a colorful, and haunting display of power you have there. But answer me this before we all do battle, where are their key blades? I only see two of them holding the blade that could defeat me." Xehanort said, eying the ones with what appeared to be basic weapons like swords, guns, leaving two—the dying master and the monster—to wield the key.
"I'll remember this moment for next time, but what can I say? Plans change, and I wasn't expecting for that masked man to involve other universes so quickly, and when the Mark of Mastery went differently, I had to change things up. But you should be grateful, Xehanort, originally I was only going to send the Ooze after you, but seeing as this first run is going smoothly, outside the night, I figured you shall perish by everyone's hand today. Sadly, most of my friends don't have or need the key blade to be heroes; after all, the key blade is only a small part of what makes a person; anything will do, whether it be magic, swords, or one's own fist; anything can be done, starting now!" Zina declared as Xehanort let out a smirk, wiggling his fingers, as he held the key blade in one arm, as the other started to glow dark.
"Well, that was an interesting speech. Now then come at me warriors, bring your weapons towards me, and strike at me with all you have!" Xehanort declared, firing a blast of ice magic toward the group, as the wounded Sora ran towards the spell, holding her blade tightly, as it glowed red, unleashing a powerful fire spell, stopping the ice magic. The huntress charged towards the master, as the old man held his blade to block the heavy ax, waiting within the smoke for the heavy blow to be dealt, only for a smaller hatchet to come flying in his direction, nailing him in the shoulder, causing Xehanort to step back in pain, as he looked down at his blade, wondering what happened, as in his mind he had seen himself blocking the hatchet before it hit his shoulder.
"Anata wa watashitachi o tomenaide kudasai!" Spirit Sora shouted, as Xehanort looked at his shoulder again, and then he could see it—the broken blade that was stabbing his shoulder.
"I see that sword, and my extended you went invisible for a time, allowing my guard to drop, and for that hatchet to hit me. I guess I'll have to change my approach then, fine, let's see how you like me when I get serious." Xehanort shouted, as a dark pillar of energy surrounded the wounded man, as the ground shook, and the lookout began to crumble, as rocks, stones, and pillars broke at the might of Xehanort's power.
"It's over, Xehanort, so just die already!" Hateko shouted, a rocket launcher from the back of her vest, watching the pillar get smaller, and the air grow heavier than before.
"How foolish of you to assume that I would die this easily in only a few moves. After all, the man you had fought before this moment was only a taste of what's to come. Besides, even if you somehow stop me, as you mentioned, there will be others of me to stop you, and let's not add the fact that I always have a backup plan! Xehanort let out, and as the ground stopped shaking, everyone could see the man was no more, all that was left was a suit of armor that had seen many battles.
"It ends here and now!" Xehanort declared, walking over to the group, as Hateko fired her rocket, as the master grinned beneath his helmet, raising his blade, cutting the shell in half. However, the volley of attacks didn't stop after the rocket, as Hateko started to shoot the master's knees with a shotgun, while The Spirit, and the wounded Sora charged at his sides. Xehanort waved his free arm, as the area was surrounded in a veil of darkness, as the master watched the Huntress trying to close the distance with her weapon, using so much force that it would've sent the key blade flying out of his hands, Xehanort quickly let the blade fly out of his hands, powering through the massive jolt of pain that was run down his body, as the Huntress growled at him like a feral animal.
"Tell me this, Champions of Light, what good does slaying me bring you, if I am but one of many Xehanort's? Surely the mere presence of their being countless guardians of light, and their own offspring and version, would be more than enough to justify me being a must-have for fate to run? So by that logic, what gives you the right to take me out of the equation when you've become the very thing that you are sworn to defeat?" Xehanort declared, throwing his key blade into the air, as everyone looked up at the master's weapon, as a giant ball of dark energy was slowly descending upon the world.
"The reason is that you are a virus, a plague that has destroyed countless lives, countless worlds ruined by your need for knowledge, and cravings for a better world regardless of the cost. The idea that there's still thirteen more of you still roaming the Multiverse, which is more than enough fuel to make sure that things go differently, that darkness expires and light prevails!" Hateko shouted, reloading her rocket launcher, aiming at the master, gazing up at the final strike to decide the fate of everything.
"Prove it then, prove to me that I am truly as deserving of meeting a grim end in this fated battle!" Xehanort said, looking down at the group, floating above his final attack.
"Kill you, stop you for Kairi!" Ooze Sora said, raising his arm up at the ball of energy, as everyone pulled out a weapon willing to make a stand, as Zina smiled, as her hand started to glow brightly, ready to summon her key blade and help defeat Xehanort just like her parents did long ago.
"Your madness ends here, Xehanort; I'm not dying until I end you, because now it's more than revenge; it's for the fate of everything, just like when we fought at the graveyard." Wounded, Sora let out, forcing light magic to engulf her key blade as the sword started to
glow again, ready to join the others at this moment, as each member of the team channeled any magic, and strength into this clash.
"Ah, the key blade graveyard, so it seems that I had acquired my goal, and yet was so close to claiming what was mine. Tell me how I lose to you, since this will be our final moment together." Xehanort said, as he looked down, feeling a sense of pain, smiling at the sight, as a guardian's beam of light was sent flying towards his energy attack. He watched with an unknown level of excitement and curiosity as the beam of light, darkness, and gunfire was sent flying at his attack. The wind howled, the sky erupted in a burst of colors, and darkness, and in that instance, light and darkness were nearly balanced.
The next thing Xehanort knew was that his body hit the ground with a thud, watching as if time had slowed to a crawl, feeling a warmth of light tear through him with a burning, yet comforting feeling. The light of those down below, the light from different universes, was truly stronger than he had thought, however the old man smiled in his last few seconds, as he gazed at his blackened heart floating away to a different world, knowing that one day his dreams would become a reality, no matter the universe, no matter the form, only now had he lost, but nevertheless in the end he would truly win in the final clash. After all, in the end, all would begin in darkness, and all shall end, returning to the beginning.
As the skies returned to normal, the first one to fall was the wounded knight, Sora, as the blue-haired woman let out a sigh, as she felt a cold feeling running down her body. Zina looked at Sora in horror, as everyone rushed over to Sora, as the knight looked up at the sky, putting on a forced smile, looking up at that beautiful sky that felt so familiar to the one she used to experience during her childhood.
"Namine, Nejire it's over. I somehow managed to kill another one. I hope that somewhere you guys are happier in the next life." Sora whispered, as her armor and blade fell to the ground and her vision grew darker.
"It looks like my time is up, isn't it?" Sora said, wondering if the little cat girl was going to have a better life with Xehanort out of the picture. Sora wished she could have seen more of this unknown universe, see what a place like Remnant would have brought to her life; sadly, it wasn't in the cards, as the feeling in her arms went away, as her vision grew darker. The only thing she could barely see was the vague outline of the others standing above her, some sounded like they were crying, and some were silent, growling in pain.
"Why are you all crying? We won, and you have only known me for an hour at most; besides, I think I'm making my peace with all of this. I'll get to see my loved ones real soon, so don't mourn for me not until the others are dealt with, ok?" Sora declared, as the sounds of Zina could be heard, she was crying, and the feeling was so cruel.
"Hey, what did I tell you? Don't cry for me just yet, kid. Come on, you're sounding like Nejire when she got beaten up by Riku, and Kairi's little brat, so please, just for me, put on a smile, it'll help dull the pain just a little. Because you're the leader, stand proud over the fact that we won, and whatever this mission of yours ended mostly in victory. Besides, I don't think I can go on any longer, it's not like I'd give much care without my family, unless you know of some way to bring them back to me." Sora whispered, trying to look at where the outline of Zina would be, as the knight gave her one last smile, as her eyes closed.
"I'm afraid, I don't know what I can do to help you! Your wounds were healed, but the damage was something we couldn't have done beyond a few cure spells, and I don't think you'd want to be an undead weapon like Ooze Sora. Your universe was also destroyed, so I can't simply rewrite it, or bring them back completely. The most I can do is take some of your memories, and attempt to rebuild something new, if that's what you want." Zina whispered, as she looked down at Sora with tears in her eyes, feeling the hands of Hateko, and the rest of the Sora's being placed on her back.
"Sounds to me like, you'll be in good hands once this mess is all over, But to answer your question, I don't really care as long as Nejire is somehow alive and happy. If you do anything, allow her to live, to see more of the life that was taken from her too soon.
But you know what? Whatever happens, it was nice knowing that there are people like you who cared enough about a broken heart like myself to want to make a difference in this universe. Maybe if Nejire does get a second chance, she can be like the rest of you guys? It'll be, ok, I'll be home soon enough with another story to tell you guys, although I don't think I'll have enough energy to give you one that's too exciting." Sora said, feeling the soft touch of the wind, and sun as the master finally passed on from this world and onto the final one.
—--
No one could speak in the moments after the fallen knight passed on to the next world, as their body laid lifeless, looking almost like a peaceful sleep had been placed over them despite the small pools of blood that caked her clothing. Each warrior was taking the death of their comrade differently,
Zina stood over the body of the blue-haired woman, as tears rolled down her face, pondering how cruel it was to die under this beautiful sky. She could only think to herself, whose fate could allow something like this to happen when they had done everything in their power to know and find problems to fix. How did they miss one dying universe until it bled into another universe? Something wasn't right, as all the others to be destroyed by darkness were saved, allowed reconstruction, and given the chance to continue anew. The only thing she could think of was that the masked man, Vanitas, had something to do with the universe, surely he had some part of the Knight's downfall.
The masked Sora, placing the Huntresses mask back on his face, watched the hero from a brighter place sobbing over the Master Defender, as the Ooze placed the blade on top of the knight with one of his left arms, gazing at the knight with his broken mind, seeing a little of his mother and Kairi in the blue haired woman.
The Spirit screamed, and thrashed against a broken pillar, the anger was becoming too much to bear as the ghost hacked into the stone, until they stopped, feeling a feeling of suffering that nearly rivaled the death that Kairi had given them on that tiny island. The only one of the warriors to not break into tears was Hateko, as the young soldier, tried to steal herself from being like the others. She had to be strong until she could break down in her parent's arms. Letting a forced laugh, knowing that this was nothing compared to the Baker Estate, and yet the sacrifices, and stakes felt like they were too much for her to shoulder for much longer.
"Guys, I think, I need to go and talk with a friend about what to do next. Because for once, I don't think I can tell my parents about this job, or how today, despite the fact that we had saved another universe, it feels like we had failed where it was needed, at least that's what my heart is telling me. So if you don't hear from me for a little bit, then you know where to find me." Zina said, holding her arms out as a large blade appeared in her hands. Gently, she held the Nano Gear blade, opening a portal of nanotech and light in the sky, silently jumping into the portal, leaving everyone alone on that silent lookout.
"So what now?" Sora whispered, looking at the others through his mask, as he looked at the castle in the distance, knowing that soon the family inside would be awake and find the sight of bloodshed and battle that happened last night.
"I think it would be best to clean what we can, and at least give our fallen master a proper burial. Huntress with me, we'll allow her soul to rest. Meanwhile, Spirit, you and the Ooze try to clean up some of the blood and the body of Erquas that remains in the castle. It's the least we can do to reduce the amount of questions in case they wake up and catch on to us." Hateko declared, looking up at the great sky above, hoping that wherever Xehanort's heart wandered off wouldn't cause any problems for years to come, or at least until they had more members ready to stop the other thirteen.
Today was another day of trying to end the reign of Xehanort and bring happiness to all, but today was not as they expected, one life had to fade for the mission to be completed, and now in a world of hunters, huntresses and monsters, a new path would be forged and now hopefully a brighter future was ahead.
—--
Meanwhile, on a tiny island, surrounded by water, a young boy with silver hair gazes up at the orange sky above. Amber eyes were looking past the waters, trying to see more of the outside, beyond the veil, as the sounds of footsteps echoed across the sandy beaches behind him.
"It appears that another version of me has fallen, and now has been given another chance at our goals!" A voice called out, as a hooded figure stood in the distance, watching two figures dressed in black robes eying the young vessel that would one day become the next Xehanort.
"Looks to be that way, but what can we say, that the masked man is really becoming quite the pickle? Do you want to go after him, or leave that task to me? Whatever the case, this universe has nothing to offer until the kid is ready to see the outside world, and helps open the door." The hooded man declared, placing a hand on the younger figure's shoulder, watching the kid walk away to a pair of rowboats.
"It's kind of ironic, how we all started out on our journeys. I grew bored with playing with a machine that thought they could defy fate, you know, I figured I'd see what lies beyond the veil, and yet the farther I am away from that hunk of metal, the more my goal slips away from me. I wonder if that kid will feel the same when he finds his own key blade." The hooded man whispered, pulling down his hood, as eyes of amber gazed upon the sea once again, allowing one thought to enter his head. This world is still too small, the perfect prison to allow one's heart to grow or decay, as long as you believe in what lies beyond everything.