*First Sora pulls out the surprise of demonstrating the unheard of ability to duel wield two keyblades. Now Vanitas answers back by miraculously summoning the fabled keyblade of legends, the x-blade. Which boy will prevail in this second round of their duel.*

 

     Their fight had taken an interesting turn as both Sora and Vanitas both pulling out surprises on one another with Sora duel wielding two keyblades, a feat which has never been seen before, and Vanitas managing to summon the x-blade of legends. The weapon resembled a lengthy claymore which was more sword-like than keyblades usually came to appear. This peaked a puppy-like curiosity in Sora. The intensity in Vanitas’ glare made it painfully clear there was no time to inquire about the nature of the mysterious weapon though. Sora opted to remain on the defensive and see what new tricks Vanitas had in store for him. The dark twin took the initiative and dashed at him.
       Vanitas’ first strike was rather straight forward. He came down on Sora with a simple overhead vertical swing. Sora crossed his keyblades to receive the strike. He felt his body strain under weight of the attack, just barely managed to maintain his guard. Rippling waves of light and darkness flowed from the blade, increasing the weight and impact behind every strike.
       The sight of light and darkness flowing harmoniously, almost elegantly from the length of the x-blade puzzled Sora. Vanitas was clearly an opponent who’s submerged himself very deeply into the dark ways but he could feel a powerful radiant light intermingled into his opponents attacks with the x-blade. Sora just barely managed to push out from under the blade but Vanitas was quick to whirl around with a follow up slash. Sora was thrown off of his feet when he tried to deflect the blow and slammed into the wall of a small cottage.  Vanitas gave chase, already raining down his next attack on the boy of light. Sora quickly rolled away, weary of trying to block another strike from the x-blade. From the brief exchange alone he could already tell that Vanitas had him outmatched in terms of raw power now. Lending further evidence to this, the house that Sora had been thrown against and pushed off of to evade, took the hit in his place and was completely demolished by the swing of Vanitas’ keyblade as a result.
       Growing tense he watched the mingling waves of light and darkness shred the structure from the sword coming down on it. Vanitas calmly turned and held his blade at the ready. Sora managed a glare as a smirk crept across the rival boy’s face. Vanitas was getting his confidence back the more he saw that the tides of battle where shifting back into his favor. He advanced on Sora once again. This time attempting to lunge at him with the mighty blade. Sora summoned thick clouds of flame to whirl around him in defense, but Vanitas simply pushed through with the next swipe of the x-blade. 
       The flames where easily dispelled by the might of his attack but Vanitas found that Sora had slipped out of site. Growing a bit annoyed Vanitas studied the surrounding street for a possible surprise attack but his opponent had vanished. Sora had in fact used the flame cover to leap up to roof and retreat away. In his current state he knew he was going to lose in a straight forward fight with Vanitas. Trying to meet him head on and beat the x-blade in a contest of power didn’t seem like it was going to work, Sora guessed as he jumped from roof to roof placing more distance between himself and rival. 
       Master form wasn’t going to cut it against the x-blade, he knew. Sora in total had four different drive forms that trade off some of his strengths to priorities others. They were Valor, wisdom, master, and final. Valor form traded in all of Sora’s magical ability to prioritize his physical attacks. It also granted him a two keyblades to work with, the Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his current set up, which made rushing down his opponents with a blinding flurry of blows easy. He gave up approaching and physically striking his opponents in wisdom form. Calling out the Starseeker keyblade he’d then use more as a rifle to fire on his enemies with an array of magical bullets while approaching. Then when close, rush his opponents with a barrage of varying magical attacks in very rapid succession.
       Master form blended elements of Valor and Wisdom together, allowing him to mix and match a vicious assault of keyblade strikes from his Guardian Soul and Hidden Dragon with magical attacks for a reliably unpredictable pressuring game. Though its strength came exclusively from its melting pot of possibilities. His physical strikes were weaker than that of valor’s and his magical attacks were weaker than that of wisdom’s. 
       It’s Final form that was the best of all worlds. His magical and physical abilities were pushed to their peaks in this state. It was for strategy’s sake that Sora still paid attention to the other forms really. While Sora could be considered very light hearted and simple minded by some, the boy had a sharp mind for competition thanks to years of sparring with his closest friend Riku throughout their childhood. He always had to keep inventing new approaches to overcome the older boy and keep their win/loss tallies even.  The experience had at least taught him that it wasn’t a good idea to continually play your best card for every situation. 
       Sora finally stopped on one roof when he felt confident he’d probably bought himself a few minutes while Vanitas went looking for him. He let his two keyblades vanish in a flash of light as he dug in his pocket. He withdrew two more keychains. The ones for his two Ultima Weapons. Twice in the past, Sora had embarked on long journeys to battle the forces of darkness and during his travels on each occasion, he’d searched high and low to gather the materials to craft these two most absolute of powerful keyblades that rumors had spoken of. It had been difficult but he had succeeded. The fruits of his efforts were these two elegantly crafted white keychains dangling from his finger tips. He clutched them tight as he concentrated.
“Okay, Final Form.” Sora whispered with his eyes closed.
       Light began flow around him as he felt the power building. The designs and patterns decorating his outfit began to slowly shift from the radiant gold of Master Form to pure platinum. Something was amiss though. The power was building a bit slower than he was used to. Despite their differences in ability, activating any of the forms didn’t have any differing lag time over the others, but something seemed to be missing as he made his attempt for Final Form now. 
       He felt the power slip through his grasp and suddenly the light that had been over taking him dispersed. Sora glanced down at himself, his attire still carried the golden designs of Master Form. 
“What’s going on?” He asked while trying to shove aside the hint of worry beginning to creep over him. “One more time.”
       He concentrated and felt the power build within him a second time before slipping through his fingers again. 

(It feels like something is blocking me?) With rising concern, he assessed, (Why? Why? Can’t I go into Final Form?)

       “Hey. What are you up to over here?” Vanitas’ voice suddenly spoke out from above him. “Don’t worry, you can let me in on it.”
       Sora looked up to see his dark opponent bring the x-blade down from above him. He dodged at the last moment, leaping away. The energy flowing forth from the Vanitas’ weapon extended the reach of its slash with the boy cleaving the entire house Sora had been standing on vertically in half.  With the aid of magic, Sora glided through the air over the houses and road. He turned back to Vanitas standing on the ruined structure he had split down the middle.
       “Master form it is!” Sora spoke out as he gave up on being able to achieve Final Form in his current predicament.
       With a swipe of the Hidden Dragon he sent a bolt of lightning back at his enemy. Vanitas leaped from the rooftop at remarkable speed after Sora. He dodged the lightning and attempted to stab at duel-wielder. Sora twisted out of the way of the strike before clashing with Vanitas’ next strike. The dark warrior launched him away with the incredible force behind his swing. Sent flying through the air, Sora glanced at the passing houses below in order to see where he would land. Vanitas didn’t give him the chance.
       The rival keyblade wielder used his natural speed and seemingly teleported to Sora’s side while he was still in mid-flight. Sora had an instant to make out the deranged grin of his opponent before seeing that his blade was already coming down on him. Sora was swatted out of the sky at bullet speed when he blocked. He crashed through the roof of a house, landing on a bed and tumbling out into the center of the room. A dazed Sora looked up through the hole his landing had made in the cieling. He spotted Vanitas appear, now about to drop in on him. He rolled aside just in time to avoid the x-blade as it stabbed into the ground. Energy spilled out form the weapon quickly filling the room and pinning Sora against the wall with its pressure before he could make his next move.
       Outside Kaldea dodged another crushing strike from Trinity Armor and landed in the center of the street. Close to her, the house Sora and Vanitas had entered exploded from being filled to the brim by the wild out flowing power of the x-blade.
       Sora was launched out into the street and hit the road, flowing to a stop beside Kaldea. 
       “I see you’re having just as much fun.” She commented as the battered Sora struggled to his feet.
       “I’ve….had better fights.” He admitted as he kept his eyes on the crumbling shell of a house he’d been ejected from.
       Vanitas stood among the collapsing wreckage. He swiped his blade upward towards the falling debris of the house completely caving in on him. The wreckage above him split apart and fell harmlessly around him while he calmly walked towards the pair. 
       “Sora.” Kaldea spoke out to get his attention. “We’re gonna have to change our strategies if we’re gonna make it out of this.”
       “Do you have an idea?”
       “An idea from my teacher comes to mind.” She continued, “The one who taught me how to fight. In a team situation, if you find yourself not that well suited to your opponent, perhaps switch with your partner.”
       Already the boy was prepared with objections to such an idea. From their battles to brave Mt. Gagazet, he knew Kaldea was an extremely capable fighter and teammate to trust in having your back. Yet Vanitas, at least with the x-blade in hand, was seeming like an opponent that is out of both of their leagues. He dreaded the thought of leaving her alone to face him. 
       “Oh look, you found a friend to be buried with.” Vanitas taunted as he stepped out of the wreckage back onto the road.
       “No Kaldea. I can take him.” Sora whispered.
       As they stood back to back, they were sandwiched between the two enemies. From one side, the giant armor was approaching. From the other, Vanitas blocked their way. Kaldea took a moment to glance over her shoulder at Sora. The boy was covered from head to toe in cuts and bruises from withstanding blow after blow from Vanitas’ mysterious weapon.
       “Sorry Sora, discussion time is over. We have to take an action.”
       “I know Kal-“ He was cut off when she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close with an astonishing level of strength.
       Kaldea hoisted the boy over her shoulder, launching him through the air at Trinity Armor. Sora simply let out a brief, startled cry as he was sent flying. He quickly regained his composure, spotting Trinity reaching for him. Tightening his grip on his keyblades, he flipped through the air and struck at the outstretched armored arm of the giant. There was a flash of light when his attack connected. Trinity staggered back as its arm was completely smashed. Its arm exploded into pieces that evaporated into blue vapor upon hitting the dirt road. Sora landed on the roof of a house behind the monster.
       He pondered Kaldea’s words for a moment. She had whispered something to him before throwing him like a ragdoll with a surprising display of strength. 
       “Take out the armor and then we can team up.” She had whispered into his ear.
       She intended to keep Vanitas busy while he took out the giant instead of trying to win the fight, he realized. He still knew fighting Vanitas for any amount of time, as he is now, would be an incredible ordeal, but he chose to have faith in his new friend.
       “Got it.” He spoke aloud with conviction as he turned with his keyblades ready.
       Missing an arm now, the giant turned to him. Its eyes gleamed a brighter red which he assumed meant it was angry over the loss of a limb. He didn’t let himself get intimidated, he was determined to finish off the monster at lightning speed.
~Chapter End~

2: Dissidia 01 Ch.9: A Sadistic Mirror Image

 

       Through shadows between the village houses crept one of Vanitas’ unversed abominations. As the sounds of battle raged all throughout Dali, it tracked its next target. It hugged close to the house while creeping towards the road. As soon as it peaked its small twitching head out into the open, it lost it to a stray flying bullet. The creature collapsed as its body came undone into a cloud of vapors. Rufus strolled down the very same street, the barrel of his pistol smoking from the accurate shot. He continued to scan the surroundings for the next monster that wanted to poke its head out. With predatorial eyes he searched the environment for the slightest flicker of movement. His arm snapped to attention in an instant when one more small unversed crept out from behind a wooden barrel in front of another house. 
        The small shadowy creature attempted to retreat back but he fired anyway. He hit the barrel. After a brief moment the unversed fell back out of its cover, the bullet traveling through the obstacle and spearing through its chest cavity none the less. He continued to stroll on, his gaze seeking the next shadow moving out of place. His wound still ached from the blow he had sustained from Vanitas in their previous fight. Though he could shoot back without any problems, he couldn’t make any quick movements if the need were to rise. Some might call it bold to be out fighting despite his injured condition while others could easily see the actions as reckless. He spotted a flicker of motion out of the corner of his eyes.
        Rufus turned spotting one of the heavy bodied unverse brutes manifest from the dark beside him. Its enormous fist was raised and ready to rain down a crushing blow on the gunman. He could understand the argument. To be a wounded man wandering into the battlefield regardless of the fact. But Rufus was stubborn and also a child born in wealth. As such even in a situation like this, he found that he could afford to be what some would think is reckless.
        The beast brought down a furious punch as he stood in place watching the no doubt mortal strike coming for him. There was a flash of light as it crashed into a barrier that spontaneously appeared to defend the gunman. The nearby Dark Nation, who'd been in a fight of his own with one of the hostile shadows, sensed his master’s plight and disengaged. Swooping back onto the street where Rufus was, the hound intercepted the attack with deadly speed by summoning up a shield. While the lumbering brute reeled back from being repelled by the shield, Rufus raised his shotgun. He fired through the barrier of light and blew a clean hole the size of a car tire through unverse’s abdomen. The monster fell away and evaporated like all the rest.
        Unfazed, Rufus continued on his confident stroll as the hound quickly moved to his side and followed. A group of monsters materialized at the end of the road ahead of him, challenging the gunner. He merely reloaded his pistol and shotgun and marched on with his faithful pet at his side. Meanwhile further back down the road Tseng and Elena found themselves surrounded by a mob of the blue shadow creatures. 
        Tseng let out a sigh when he glanced over the mob at the back of Rufus already advancing even further ahead.
 

        “What’s the matter?” Elena asked, standing back to back with him.

        “We’re really not doing our jobs when he has to come out to the front lines and fight.”

        Although the situation did call for every able body, Elena couldn’t deny her pride as a Turk and subordinate to Rufus was taking a hit for every second he stayed active on the field. Tseng took aim with his pistol. Fierce determination surfaced in his gaze.

“We have to fight harder and keep up with the boss!” He declared.

        “Right!” Elena didn’t object as the two began firing into the cluster of monsters coming their way.

        Elsewhere in town Reno dodged a claw swipe from an attacker. Twirling his stun rod while he twisted away, he summoned a pyramid of light to appear around the unversed. The streets around him were littered with what resembled golden tents trapping their foes while Rude crushed another unversed under his fists. Reno let out groan when another batch appeared on the street to challenge the pair.

        “Come on guys. Where’s the light at the end of the tunnel?” Reno complained while readying himself to fight on.

        Raising his fists for the next brawl, Rude gave a weary sigh as well. They had taken up the task of guarding the townspeople as they fled outside of town. The villagers had all escaped by now. True they were tired, yet the duo was not going to let a single monster get by them and go after the villagers.

        Squall found himself having a much tougher time. Vanitas decided to kick off the battle with the group by unleashing a flood of monsters onto the party. The group had been scattered as a result. He must have been surrounded by hundreds of the shadows. With claws and attacks coming at him from all sides he charged forward. His blade was blur as he launched out attack after blindingly fast attack. He mowed down every member of the horde that reached within a couple feet of him. Blue light erupted from his gunblade when he especially felt himself getting boxed in.

        “Rough Divide” He chanted before bisecting the next monster he saw with an upward slash.

        Moving with the momentum of his swing he leaped up over the street as light began to gather below him and released itself in an upward burst of explosive power that annihilated every monster that had been in his immediate vicinity.

“Fated Circle.” He chanted again, upon landing as he spun quickly in place to summon a ring of fire to explode outward around himself and take out even more of the unversed.

        The gunblade wielder couldn’t seem to catch a break. One of the larger lumbering brutes emerged through the flames after the initial attack and rammed into him with its belly. Squall was sent staggering off balance before being forced to dive under a claw swipe which just put him at the feet of another brute. With its mitten-like fist, the monster struck at him with an uppercut. Squall managed a defensive stance with his sword but the hulking beast carried a lot of weight and power behind strike. He let out a gasp as he launched back and crashed into a couple of other smaller unversed. Their shadowy squirming bodies at least provided some cushioning for the warrior as he swiftly rolled and flipped back onto his feet. He sprang high into the air as he found himself in  the same situation again with attacks coming all at once from all sides.

“Triple cast…” He began while elegantly somersaulting through the air and landing on the roof of a house. “FIRAGA!!”

        As if grenades had been dropped into the sea of monsters, three explosions of fire blew open the crowd of shadows below him. Squall grimaced at the results of all his efforts. He’d pulled off so many expansive attacks and despite how many of the shadows he destroyed, he wasn’t putting a dent in their numbers. He could no longer see the streets below through the mass. It was all a sea of blue quivering bodies with hundreds of gleaming read eyes glaring up at him. The unversed wasted no effort as the smaller more able ones began scaling the building to chase after him.

        The warrior was granted a few seconds of rest before several more of the shadows invaded his space on the roof with their claws ready. He at least had to be thankful for more breathing room than what he had on the streets as he dispatched the first pair that lunged at him. While there were still opponents in front of him he caught a glimpse of one more who had likely crawled up a different side of the building striking at him from behind. He could already make out the claws coming to tear into his flesh and he wasn’t ready to whip his blade around to meet the threat.

        “I have your back!” Rue annouced, dropping in from above and bringing his axe down on the space between the back stabbing unverse and Squall.

        The creatures had been reaching out to Squall before the guillotine had come down. The unversed shook as it saw its claws fall away before Rue cleaved it in half with his next powerful swing. Squall moved away, giving room for the axe fighter to strike down the next brave shadow. When the last one tried to capitalize on Rue being momentarily vulnerable while he followed through with the motion of his swing, Squall intercepted it by driving his gunblade through the creature’s chest. He pulled the trigger. The powerful shock wave that was channeled through the weapon from the detonating shell within caused the impaled unverse to simply disperse off of the blade in perfect circle of blue vapor.

        The farm house continued to shake as more of the attacking shadows climbed over each other to make it to the roof.

        “Any sign of Sora and Kaldea?” Squall asked, standing back to back with Rue.

        “They’re further down the street. There’s no getting through this to reach them.”

        “You have a form to fly don’t you?”

        “Yes, but it isn’t big enough to carry you along.”

        Squall gritted his teeth at the thought that the axe fighter was staying behind because he couldn’t get out of the situation. He had always prioritized training himself to avoid situations like this where someone else had to step in to back him up. Certainly by now he was much more relaxed and at ease with fighting on a team, but he didn't enjoy weighing others down.

        
        (So we’re stuck in our separate fights.) He mentally concluded, (Sora, Kaldea, best of luck guys. Besides, you’re situations can’t be any worse than this.......right?)



 

        Elsewhere in town, Kaldea rounded a street corner at bullet speed in her panther form. Suddenly the farm house she had passed exploded into pieces as Trinity Armor burst through. The anxious unversed giving chase had misjudged its distance from the building and merely bumped into it while rounding the corner. The mechanical titan was gliding over the street as it dashed after the racing dark feline. Kaldea turned her neck, glancing back with the gleaming golden eyes of the transformation.

        Trinity was gaining on her. It raced through the air faster than she could move on the ground. She spotted a house directly ahead of her. Amidst the chaos the villagers had fled outside of town. She knew the building was likely vacant. She ran into the wall passing through it like a ghost.  Trinity armor didn’t halt its chase in the slightest despite losing sight of its target. It reached forward, driving its colossal hand through the house, demolishing the structure with the single motion in an attempt to crush the shapeshifter.

        A counter attacking Kaldea leaped out of the dust and falling debris at the armored giant. Some sparks flashed as her claws swiped against the material. The monster had its arm deep into the collapsing house and couldn’t respond yet. She landed after the attack, pushing off her paws she shifted back to human form and drove a hard punch into the gaint’s leg. She held the pose for a moment with her knuckles pressed against the armor. She noted that small, barely visible scratches from her previous attack in panther form had left. Kaldea’s expression went dull as she casually backed away from Trinity Armor.

        “I'm basically punching an armored tank with my bare fists.” She admitted aloud while massaging her aching hand. “This is not going to work at all.”

        Trinity pulled away from the house and swiped a leg at the woman standing so close to him. Kaldea backflipped just out of range of the attack, shifting back into panther form in the process. The thought that there was nothing her small self could do against the two story tall flying mountain of armor flickered to mind for a moment. She felt reminded of a classic story from her world she’d heard of while growing up. The story of David and Goliath. While not particularly invested in the culture behind the story herself, she still could glean from the tale its gems of wisdom. The words of her teacher, Master Wong, came to mind. To "keep an open mind to other people’s ways of thinking and approaches to situations. It would only serve to make you more flexible and keep your mindset fresh with new ideas. Drawing from only one source of knowledge would only leave one’s thinking rigid and stale" was always how she fondly remembered the old grandmaster martial artist putting it.

        The morale of the story, as she had seen it when looking back on the old legend, had been that even someone small could defeat a giant, whether a physical giant or metaphorical situation that seemed overwhelming. With the right approach and use of tools and knowledge at your disposal, anyone should be able to come out on top.

        Kaldea went into observation mode essentially as she dodged Trinity bringing its enormous fist down on her again. The road began to break and cave in under such force. She watched a gaping hole form in the center of the street leading to darkness below. It wasn’t hard for her to guess the roads were probably poor and fragile with a network of underground tunnels carved out beneath the village. She turned her sights to Trinity Armor itself. Its body was thick and heavily armored but all of its limbs were separated. Its arms and legs simply floated in place and maintained its alignment through some invisible unseen force. The same also held true for its head.

        She noted Trinity’s head hovering very closely to its torso. It was difficult to spot with its head being cradled within an armored collar that protruded from torso but there was still no physical contact. She finally got an idea of how to approach the situation as Trinity pulled its arm out of the road and rushed to smash her again. She easily dodged out of the way of its crushing fist once again. Kaldea leaped onto the giant’s body and began racing up its arm to its head. Trinity attempted to swat her off of its arm using its free hand. It indeed scored a direct hit, bringing the hand down on the panther when it simply jumped up, passing harmlessly through the Trinity’s palm.

        Trinity Armor glanced up, unable to react as Kaldea returned to human form, flipping through the air before she brought down one powerful drop kick on the unverse’s head. The giant’s head was blown off of its shoulders and spiked into the road hard by her strike. The ground cracked but didn’t break under the head’s impact. Kaldea landed on Trinity’s back as its body shook and began to stumble forward in a daze. She ran down its back side and somersaulted off of the monster as it fell to pieces that scattered over the street. She turned back to see the armored parts laying still.

“Oh? That wasn’t so bad after all.” She sighed in relief.

        Then she heard it. The sound of blades clashing. She turned in the direction of the duel. That was Sora’s battle still going on. She was determined to go back him up. All of these monsters were the spawn of that dark child, so no doubt he was a powerful opponent in his own right. Kaldea only managed a single step towards rejoining the keyblade wielder when the sound of rattling metal from behind made her close her eyes in dread. She turned and watched the giant pieces of armor lift off from the street and pull themselves back into alignment. Trinity’s head floated back into place over its shoulders. The  giant hovered, fully assembled, over the road but now its eyes gleamed with an even brighter red than before. She could only see greater intensity and fury in the glowing slits that adorned its face.

       (Perhaps the old legend isn’t as applicable to my situation after all.) Kaldea began to think.

        David had knocked out Goliath with a blow to the head, that much was true. Yet that wasn’t the deciding factor of the fight.

(Great. That’s right, I don’t have a sword, and this giant doesn’t have a neck.) She lamented.



 

        Wisps of darkness and light flickered off the Void Gear and the kingdom Key respectively as the two keyblade warriors continued in their heated duel. Sora worried for the condition of Squall, Rue, and Kaldea but he couldn’t break away while under the ferocious assault of Vanitas. Sora was able to easily deduce that their skills were on a similar level accept for Vanita’s incredible speed. The dark keyblade wielder was practically teleporting around the battle field, forcing Sora to stay on his toes. He could keep up with his twin’s moves but it still required a lot of concentration. After another exchange the two clashed and held their blades against one another. Each tried to overpower the other in their attempts to a parry off or shove the other back.

        More puzzlement surfaced in Sora’s features than rage while Vanitas’ glare more appropriately reflected the aggression of situation.

        “It’s like……..looking into a mirror.” Out of the blue Sora innocently commented.

        All of the energy drained out of Vanitas’ features and his expression went blank for a moment.

        “No.” The villain flatly stated.

        “What?”

        A massive swell of dark energy erupted out from Vanitas that launched his opponent back. Sora quickly regained his balance and landed on his feet while Vanitas stood with the dark energy swirling around him for a moment. The aura of darkness calmed down while Vanitas appeared more irritated.

        “No.” Vanitas repeated. “I’ve already got one INSUFFERABLE IDIOT that I have to share a lot with. I don’t know who you are or what you are supposed to be, but I don’t need you. So…….don’t mind me if I just peel it off okay.”

        “Wait, my face?”

        Vanitas only answered by using his natural speed to close the gap in an instant and struck at Sora. The boy was swift enough to deflect the blow along with the rapid series of strikes that followed after with all of them being head shots. Sora parried a blow and twisted around Vanitas as he twirled his kingdom key. He summoned a rushing circle of wildfire to materialize into a ring around him. Vanitas rolled away dodging the blaze while Sora continued to follow up, laying on the pressure. He held his keyblade as though it were a shotgun and fired off a spray magical ice bolts.

        The spreading shot of blasts missed the racing Vanitas and froze of the side of a house in the process. Vanitas retaliated by launching back a bolt of dark lightning with a swing of his blade. Sora answered with a reflect spell, calling a dome barrier over himself that bounced the lightning back when the attack rammed against it. The lightning ripped up the dirt road, clouding the air with thick plumes of dust as it flew back to strike its original caster. As his barrier fell away Sora watched the clouds before him for any sign of movement. It had looked like the reflected attack had scored a direct hit on his opponent.

        “Got you.” Vanitas taunted while standing to Sora’s back, holding the boy at blade point.

        Sora continued to learn that Vanitas’ speed was going to be a major problem as he turned back to look down the length of the void gear at the weapons holder. The tip of the weapon flickered with blue light, signaling the coming explosion of ice magic. At point blank range Sora knew he couldn’t react. The keyblade wielder of light took the blast head on and disappeared into the explosion of magical light that froze over the street. Vanitas looked up seeing the impact of the blast had ejected Sora up into the air over the road. An agonizing cold came over him as his body quickly began to freeze over. The cold penetrated to the bone. The boy was momentarily paralyzed, unable to cry out as he mentally processed what felt like thousands of icy needles stabbing into his body, starting from his feet and climbing up as the ice overtook him.

        “You’re gonna shatter in the ice when you hit the road you know.” Triumphantly smirking, Vanitas further teased.

        Sora only had a few moments left before the impact but the twisted twin didn’t want to waste a single moment by not inserting a tease or remark to help add to the peril that his opponent was no doubt already feeling. Sora strained as he turned his neck to glance at the road below drawing closer with each fraction of a second. His legs had frozen over, his sword arm which still clutched the Kingdom Key was frozen and useless with the ice reaching his chest and about to bind his second arm as well.

        Sora didn’t give up. Managing to force his free hand into a stiff frozen pocket, he withdrew two keychains. A few yards short of impacting with the road, Sora seemingly combusted into a cloud of fire from Vanitas’ point of view. The boy’s victorious grin faded. Out of the top of the cloud of fire and smoke lingering over the road, a disk of whirling flame shot out, gliding in an arcing path through the air above the farming village. Out of the bottom of the cloud, Sora dropped down, landing on his feet. There had been a change in his outfit now. Golden highlights and accents could be seen creating new designs and patterns all throughout his costume now. He’d summoned up an even higher level fire spell to free himself from the ice and safely escape.

        Vanitas’ expression turned cold before he stepped off and rushed at Sora. He brought his keyblade down on the hopefully unprepared youth. No doubt the boy would be slow to respond after escaping a near death situation as he had, though Sora proved he wasn’t so slow after all. In flash of light the more blade-like dark maroon Gaurdian Soul Keyblade manifested to meet the incoming Void Gear and the two blades clashed. Up until now, Sora had been fighting with both hands on his keyblade but with the Guardian Soul, he used only one arm to block Vanitas’ attempted surprise strike. While managed to successfully guard against the attack, the lack of power in his lone arm showed as it strained and trembled without the aid of the other arm to help hold Vanitas back.

“So you made it out of that one. Big deal.” Vanitas scoffed. “What’s this look supposed to be? A “Style Change”?”

        “Maybe, I don’t know.” Sora answered, maintaining a hint of innocence behind the growing aggravation in his tone. “I always just called these “drive forms".”

       Like a boomerang, the whirling disk of fire that had went off flying in its own direction before, curved back, spinning through the air towards the dueling twins. Sora reached out with his free hand and masterfully caught the mass of incoming flame. The flames dispersed revealing a second keyblade, this one known as the Hidden Dragon. Vanitas’ eyes flashed with a mix of immense confusion and horror at the site of the second keyblade as the embers of the disbursing flames danced around its fiery red form.

        “T-t-TWO!?” Vanitas exclaimed in shock.

        He went on the defensive as Sora brought both keyblades down on him. I strained for a moment holding his ground against the pair of weapons. He jumped away before Sora could initiate any exchange of blows. Vanitas’ mind was racing several miles a minute as he assessed this turn events.

        (What is this!? Two of them? There has never been a keyblade wielder who could carry two of them before!)

“What’s the meaning of this!? Vanitas snapped. “Multiple keyblades wont chose the same master. It’s not possible!”

        “Is this out of the ordinary? I never really knew what to make of it. I haven’t met that many other keyblade users to compare with.” A cold Sora responded as he approached.

        Vanitas merely growled in irritation while Sora went on the offensive. He began to pressure Vanitas hard as the dark warrior deflected a blinding flurry of blade strikes. When Sora missed with a swing Vanitas moved around to his side to bring a powerful slash down on the duel wielding twin. Sora let go of his keyblades and cartwheeled out of the way. Vanitas kept his attention on Sora and was about pursue when he found himself being shocked by lightning conjured from the floating keyblades drifting through the air after Sora.

        Vanitas let out a gasp and staggered forward while he was burnt by the attack. The keyblades darted back to Sora’s hands as he turned. This change of fighting style for Sora was dubbed “master form” and served as potent marriage of the boy’s physical fighting ability and his magical ability. At any point while dueling and clashing with an opponent, he could instantly switch from using physical strikes to bombarding his enemy with magical spells without barely an lag time in between. This was a tremendous contrast from his base form.  While in this form his options on how to deal with a difficult situation only increased.

        Vanitas spotted the attack coming as Sora snatched up his two keyblades and quickly whirled around to deliver the next strike. The boy raised his Void Gear in time to defend against the blow but was still launched back by the force of the attack. He slammed into the wall of a house and pushed off as Sora immediately gave chase. It was a very foreign feeling to the warrior of the dark as he was forced to face the duel-wielder. Sora’s rapid stream of attacks were difficult to predict and even harder to react too.

       It was beginning to infuriate Vanitas before long. This mysterious boy who had the same face as him, somehow has accomplished the unthinkable by summoning two keyblades, and was besting him in a fight. For the most part Vanitas managed to guard and deflect most of Sora’s blows or leap out of the way. Every so often he’d be grazed by an attack that he couldn’t properly guard against. Sora also slipping magic into his attacks didn’t help the situation.

        One moment, Vanitas would begin to feel he’s getting the hang of fighting back against Sora’s technique then BAM! Suddenly in the middle of a string of blade strike, Sora summons a ring of fire to erupt out and encircle himself. Since Vanitas would be standing in range, the outburst of fire would both burn him and violent shove him away. The flames would dissipate quickly and Sora would rush at him once again with another barrage of blade attacks just to sneak in a lightning spell that Vanitas had no chance to anticipate.

        After few minutes of fighting with Sora in this newer state, Vanitas disengaged after their blades clashed again and retreated back several yards down the street. He stood panting with beads of sweat streaking his face. There was a small cut on his cheek where the Gaurdian Soul had grazed him. The dark body suit he wore housed several small scratches and cuts along his arms and torso just like it. Sora was proving to have the better swordsmanship, and that only summoned greater anger in Vanitas.

        “Ventus……” He growled under his breath, so low that no one could hear.

        The sensations was very familiar. This feeling of dueling with another keyblade wielder and being overwhelmed and pushed back. That had been his last memories before he found himself lost in the plains outside of Dali.  Vanitas’ goal, his purpose was to obtain the ultimate keyblade. The x-blade, phonetically pronounced as “Chi-Blade” when spoken aloud. The x-blade was the original, supreme keyblade to which all other keyblades are mere forgeries attempting to be it. He’d almost completed his mission, the x-blade had been within his grasp although the mythical weapon was incomplete by the time his final opponent, Ventus appeared to challenge him. He needed only defeat Ventus and the blade would be complete and…….he lost in the end.

        Ventus came before him spouting nonsense about the power of friendship giving him all the strength he needed. Vanitas recalled rolling his eyes at Ventus’ sentimental babble and their battle commenced and Ventus won. After the final clash, the unfinished x-blade slipped from Vanitas’ grasp as he was falling back, his prize, that his whole existence was built on, drifted out of reach as gravity pulled him away. The area had then been engulfed in a white light and next he knew he found himself lost in the grassy plains.

        He had still been battered and beaten from his bitter struggle with Ventus. Vanitas then had taken the day to recover some of his strength before beginning to explore the new environment. He quickly learned he could no longer use the corridors of darkness, his usual method, involving conjuring a dark portal to travel from place to place. Then he encountered Rufus and they had their brief skirmish. From there he continued to bide his time and recover from his battle. He began using his natural ability to summon unversed, and send them out to scout the area. This caused havoc with the local town of Dali but Vanitas didn’t care. He was only concerned with leaving this world.

        Sora calmly walked after Vanitas with both keyblades in hand. Since the dark twin had decided to retreat back, he chose to take a rest as well. Although he was successfully controlling the battle now, a moment to catch his breath didn’t hurt. Vanitas noted Sora’s serious expression. There was something in the boy’s eyes that only irritated him more. He was reminded of Ventus and how he looked at him during their final battle.

    
        (No. I will not lose like this again.) He swore to himself.

“I will not lose!” He declared loud enough for Sora to hear.

        Sora held his blades in position sensing that the next round was beginning.  Vanitas launched a blast of ice magic. Sora answered with the barrier that the blue rush of energy simply crashed into which clouded the air with snow and glittering diamond dust. Sora glanced ahead through the clearing clouds of white in his way to discover that his opponent had vanished. He spotted Vanitas hovering in the air over head. The boy summoned fire to gather to a ball in his hand before launching it down at the road.

“You’re finished!” He shouted.

        The ball splintered into a multiple orbs of flame that bombarded the street with explosions. Sora disappeared into the clouds of flame that overtook the roadway. Vanitas wasn’t done yet, channeling black currents of electricity through his keyblade he summoned multiple bolts of lightning to rain his fury down on the streets below. Sora leaped out of the clouds of fire, smoke, and dust onto the roof. He’d conjured a domed barrier of light around himself to simply wall out all of Vanitas’ attacks.

        The dark keyblade wielder gritted his teeth in further annoyance with Sora leaping from the roof after him. He dodged Sora’s first strong attack and the boy whirled quickly around with a follow up strike. Their keyblades clashed as the two hung suspended over the streets for a moment. Sora pushed Vanitas back and flipped forward to give himself some extra momentum as he brought his two blades down on his opponent. Vanitas managed to block but was blasted back towards the town below from the Sora’s swings.

        Vanitas crashed into the roof of a house, tumbled violently across the structure, falling off the edge back into the street. His keyblade was thrown from his grasp upon landing. The Void Gear vanished in a cloud of dark energy after a moment of being idle on the floor.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Vanitas grumbled to himself as he looked back at Sora who landed back on the road several yards away.

        Sora’s expression was stern and serious. The boy had a deeply rooted sense of right and wrong and Vanitas’ deeds and the victims he had created had crossed the line. Beneath his often happy go lucky exterior was a person with a strong spirit who could pass judgment on a villain when the need would arise. His expression though continued to greatly unsettle Vanitas and take his mind back to his counter part, Ventus. The cold glare, in the heat of battle this new opponent continued to give him was the same as Ventus’.

        Vanitas is the apprentice to an old keyblade master by the name of Xehanort whom was a twisted man obsessed with darkness and the secrets of the heart. Xehanort had two apprentices Ventus and Vanitas although the truth was he only had one. Ventus and Vanitas were two halves of the same coin essentially. At first there was only Ventus. Xehanort had trained the young boy in the ways of the keyblade and the light. Once Ventus had matured to a certain extent, the master wished for him to begin training in the dark ways of the keyblade and the world. The notion conflicted with the boy’s conscience and he refused his master. From there, Xehanort very cruelly attempted to force the boy to embrace the darker emotions and power that resided within him.

        He pit Ventus against the heartless, feral and hostile creatures of the dark in the hopes of pushing Ventus to his limits and cornering the boy into embracing the power darkness to survive the ordeals. Ventus had stubbornly held out and refused, and was rewarded by simply getting himself mauled by the overwhelming monsters.  This irritated master Xehanort and he eventually decided on a different method to strengthen the darkside of the boy’s power. With his keyblade, Xehanort used the mystical weapon's power to sever off and extract all the untapped darkness that resided within Ventus. He took that pure essence of darkness and gave it form as a new child. The old master dubbed this new creature of the dark Vanitas.

        The master figured that if Ventus wouldn’t strengthen his darkside, then perhaps giving the darkness in the boy a vessel and consciousness of its own would work better. Then Xehanort would train Vanitas as an apprentice along with Ventus. 

        Honestly, the old master and his maniacal scheming was a nuisance to Vanitas but he still went along with it. He learned that master Xehanort coveted the x-blade. He’d theorized that having a powerful entity of darkness come together with a powerful entity of light would forge the sacred blade. That’s where Ventus came into play initially. If the boy attained high enough mastery over darkness and light, perhaps the sacred keyblade would reveal itself to him. With Vanitas, the master went for a different approach since Ventus wouldn’t embrace his darkside on his own. The plan had simply been to keep training Ventus in the ways of light if that’s what needed to be. Meanwhile he'd train Vanitas in the ways of the dark since the boy had absolutely no objections with learning. He was essentially darkness incarnate after all.

        A small problem presented itself though. Ripping the darkness from Ventus and creating Vanitas had been overly traumatic for the boy and left him broken and nearly comatose. The disappointed master opted to take the broken Ventus somewhere “nice and empty”, as he’d put it, so that Ventus could expire in peace once they realized he was beyond recovery. Despite coming from the same source there was no familial bond between Vanitas and Ventus. He found the idea of taking a long journey to the middle of nowhere to drop Ventus off rather pointless when they had perfectly good dumpster where they were.  Still if it kept Xehanort away from him, he wasn’t going to complain. Despite being overall obedient to the master, there was no relationship there either. Of all the relationships Vanitas had, Xehanort was simply the person he hated the least on his list of names. That list, which only carried two names mind you.

        In the beginning Vanitas had no face. Beneath the visor of his helmet was simply a vague mass of darkness with a pair of  bright crimson eyes staring back out at the world. With Xehanort gone for the time being, Vanitas was left alone. Suddenly he felt an unfamiliar sensation grip his body and most notably his face. He ripped the visor away from his helmet and used it to as a quick mirror to examine himself in his reflection. What he saw was an unfamiliar visage staring back at him. He’d had spontaneously gained a face to call his own out of the blue. He probed the soft tan skin with his fingers and noted his now clear golden eyes in confusion.

        Shortly after, master Xehanort had returned and to Vanitas’ surprise with Ventus. The boy was back on his feet and functional again. To see Vanitas with a new face interested master Xehanort a bit. Innitially he had no idea why Ventus finally got back up when they had arrived at the locations where he would have dropped him off but seeing Vanitas now gave him some ideas. Vanitas and Ventus are still connected to each other. Anything that influences one boy will effect the other. Xehanort theorized that some unknown outside force must have taken pity on Ventus and shared its power with him to fill in the missing pieces of his damaged heart after Vanitas had been separated from him.

        By extension, Vanitas gained what was missing from him, a true face to call his own. Xehanort didn’t concern himself with pursuing the theory any further. All this meant was that now he had his child of pure dark and child of pure light that he could use to obtain the fabled x-blade. The boys still needed to be trained and have their power built up though. Vanitas was strong and excelled in his dark art training but Ventus lagged behind though.  He did his best to follow orders and perform the trials that master Xehanort put him through to the best of his ability. Though it was evident he still hadn’t fully recovered from losing his dark side.

        Despite his slower progress Xehanort was patient, his research wasn’t complete anyway so the boys could afford the luxury of developing at their own rates if that was the case. Trouble truly began the day Vanitas approached Ventus and requested that maybe they spar with each other. Vanitas was already exceptionally skilled with his keyblade and magic. In the presence of the superior apprentice, the still shaky Ventus was admittedly intimidated but he accepted the challenge none the less. Vanitas was the only other child there, the only other person his age that Ventus could have related to. The boy was oblivious to their true relationship to each other also. Perhaps this was a chance to bond and form some semblance of a friendship with someone, anyone, in this solitude that Xehanort had made their lives.

        Vanitas on the other simply found the boy revoltingly innocent but still was curious about how strong he was. Their sparring match was to be a test. Ventus summoned his keyblade, known as the Wayward Wind, and took his position when he was ready to start. It didn’t take long for Vanitas to stomp the fellow apprentice into submission but something he hadn’t accounted for happened. Instinct seemed to take control of Vanitas, he’d won the match but was compelled to keep going. True he didn’t regaurd Ventus very highly or even like him, but it wasn’t out of any real emotion or logic or motivation that he continued to savagely punish the boy. From the primal core of his being, he just wanted to destroy his lighter half.

        Master Xehanort came across the two and was quick to repel Vanitas and save Ventus’ life. The old master was relieved he’d come along before any truly permanent damage had been done although he knew it would probably take Ventus weeks to recover from this. On top of what the old master himself and done to Ventus when creating Vanitas. As punishment, the master never did mind flexing his skill with the keyblade or power over magic to discipline Vanitas. He returned all of the pain he’d inflicted on Ventus back to the boy in kind. As he did so, he angrily chastised Vanitas. He complained of what a setback it would be if they lost Ventus now.

        It didn’t sit well with Vanitas in the coming days as he continued his training. Xehanort wasn’t mad because Ventus had been hurt severely, he was mad because if anything happened to either of them, it threatened to throw a wrench into his precious plans. Ventus and Vanitas, their existence was only just a means to an end for the old man who served as the only care taker and guardian in their lives. On one night Vanitas found himself wondering what their parents might have been like. Well Ventus' parent's, but still by extension him as well. He may have been a part of Ventus at the start but he didn't share any of the boy's memories of the past. He actually doubted Ventus remembered anything either from before Vanitas' creation. 
        Did they have loving parents who were probably fools that had gotten tricked by Xehanort's lies. He could see the keyblade master buttering up a couple of naive lovers with heroic tales about a future for their young bouncing baby boy. Probably describe that he saw the spark of a strong light in his heart and by training him in the art of the keyblade he could achieve greatness. Or perhaps they were abandoned. Vanitas found himself subconsciously nodding as he pondered the alternative. That was definitely what must have happened. They weren't wanted so they were tossed out to fend for themselves, and the old monster found them and took them in for his own devices. Anyone with half a brain cell could see something is horribly wrong with Xehanort as a person.  
        The thought once crossed Vanitas' mind, what if they were Xehanort actual child? Though that theory was quickly taken out back and put down. That would mean Xehanort going out on a date and he couldn't imagine the woman that could sit through a dinner with his monologuing about darkness which Xehanort would be guaranteed to do. Vanitas had found himself rolling his eyes at the awkward teenage years the old master must have had. He couldn't see Xehanort having a realization one day and going down his insane path, but otherwise he had a normal childhood. No, he had to have been an unusual, weird, obsessed child from the very beginning.

        Once recovered and back in training shape, Ventus, rightfully so, avoided being around Vanitas. Vanitas noticed this and simply found it to be a relief. Again he didn’t like Ventus around him to begin with. The action still surprised Vanitas though. Since their separation from each other, no part of Ventus was taking longer to recover than his memory.  His long term memory was non existent and his short term memory was a wreck. With everything Xehanort had done to him, the boy really was a mess. One day he decided to quietly observe a training session between Ventus and Xehanort. Xehanort was reciting a lecture on the nature of light and basic techniques for controlling its power. Vanitas could have sworn in a previous training session, he’d heard Xehanort giving this exact same lecture to Ventus. It was always odd to see when Xehanort could display the patience of a saint with the boy.

        That day’s lecture was going especially difficult as Ventus’ attention was divided between Xehanort and Vanitas who did nothing but watch. Finally Xehanort snapped at Vanitas and ordered him away for being a distraction to Ventus’ lessons. It amazed Vanitas when the possibility occurred to him. What if he’d given Ventus so harsh a beating that his brain managed to lock the message down tight. “Vanitas equals danger, stay away”.

        As time went on Ventus continued to avoid Vanitas, or he would stay close to Xehanort. As eerie and unwelcoming of a presence as the master had, he at least meant protection when Vanitas was around. All of this didn’t bother Vanitas in the slightest as he continued to excel at his training, alone. Vanitas had convinced himself that he could just ignore Ventus until the destined day that Xehanort judged they were ready to fight each other again. The clash of Vanitas power over the dark with Ventus’ power over the light would then call the x-blade into existence. Once the master has his precious sword, Vanitas guessed he could probably leave and work hard on never seeing Ventus or Xehanort again.  As it turned out, staying away from Ventus until then didn’t prove so simple.

        Similar to their sparring match, one day the urge took hold of Vanitas once again. He stalked Ventus and attacked him. Master Xehanort had to step in and save Ventus again. He violently reprimanded Vanitas as he had done before but that didn’t keep the incident from repeating itself one more time.  By this point Xehanort realized that perhaps the problem wasn’t completely Vanitas’ fault. Vanitas recalled the theory that Xehanort then proposed. He’d described that every living being held darkness and light within them. But for Vanitas, every last core of his being is darkness. The boy was probably the only sentient being in the world that so purely dark while Ventus was the opposite. Perhaps it was only natural that it was becoming second nature for him to want to snuff out his lighter half.

        With some irritation, Xehanort decided that the boys needed to be separated. He was only annoyed because this meant he would have to spread out his “research materials” for forging the x-blade. Something he didn’t really want to do. Xehanort reached out to the old keyblade master Eraqus. He was an “old friend” As Xehanort had put it. This only prompted Vanitas to laugh. He was aware of the history between the two. Xehanort had been vocal to Eraqus about his beliefs in embracing the power of darkness. He and Eraqus had disagreed so strongly on the matter that they fought each other over it which resulted in Eraqus being injured and getting lasting scars on his face, all of which were inflected by Xehanort.

        A reply did come shortly after Xehanort sent his message out. Vanitas did a facepalm when he read the message. Eraqus sounded pleasant and optimistic about meeting Xehanort again, and was open to taking in Ventus to train him as a keyblade wielder. Up until now, Vanitas had thought that it was just because of all of the horrible experiences with Xehanort that Ventus was so broken and dense, now he began to suspect that it was common trait of everyone who served the light to be beyond commons sense. With a history like the one between Eraqus  and Xehanort, how could Eraqus be so open to welcoming his former rival back?

        Vanitas brushed the thoughts aside. The stupidity of others wasn’t his concern. He simply knew he’d be annoyed if Eraqus turned out to shocked when the day came that Xehanort stabbed him in the back. Few were more transparently evil than this old man. And so Ventus was taken away to a new facility in a place known as the Land of Departures to train under the new master. Vanitas’ training went on without interruption yet the castle where they resided suddenly felt much more empty with Ventus’ absence. He was aware that Eraqus had two other young apprentices. No doubt they welcomed Ventus with open arms as friends.

        These thoughts irritated the keyblade apprentice of the dark. He wasn’t going to allow himself to feel envy for his lighter half as his own situation still consisted of living in this dark place with the twisted master. Vanitas threw himself at his training. His purpose was for the x-blade, then that’s all he would care about. The boy simply dreamed of getting it over with.

        Four years passed and Vanitas had built himself up into a deadly force of dark destruction that made Xehanort proud. Ventus had finally become strong enough as well. Being an entity of darkness so pure and unlike any other Vanitas, discovered his ability to create the unversed. The monsters were his emotions personified into a tangible beast form. He could splinter off his feelings and control them like drones.  After some scheming with the old man and of course Eraqus getting rightfully back stabbed and dying along the way, and by his adoptive son Terra which just made the betrayal all the more deliciously poetic, Ventus and Vanitas stood before each other on the field of battle once again.

         Xehanort’s theories had proven true after all, and their duel of equal rivaling darkness and light had successfully called the x-blade to appear before them and Vanitas snatched it up right then and there. The sword wasn’t complete at the time but while imperfect, still far more powerful than any other keyblade. He needed to defeat Ventus and merge back into one being again. This would complete the sword and then he’d have a perfect x-blade.

        Ventus had come a long way from the broken scatter brained shell he’d known from when they both were with Master Xehanort. He was no longer afraid or intimidated by Vanitas and stood firm, ready to meet his dark counterpart head on in battle. He bragged that he drew his strength from the friends he had acquired along the way believing in him.

        “It’s always about your friends?” Vanitas had replied.

        It had caught him off guard at how weak his voice sounded when those words came out. Something about Ventus’ pride as he fondly spoke of his friends had struck a chord within the dark keyblade wielder. Vanitas hadn’t spoken another word, he shrugged the feelings aside the two did battle. He wasn’t going to let such sentimental nonsense put a chip in his armor. Plus he held the most powerful keyblade of all in his hand, incomplete and imperfect as it may be. He battled Ventus with everything he had……….and he lost.

        Ventus powered through everything Vanitas through at him and beat him into submission. But after that, the arena where they fought was engulfed in an unknown light and now Vanitas was here. Down on his knees in the middle of a some farming village in the middle of nowhere losing his fight to Sora. It was grating on his nerves now. Why did Sora have the same face as his? Why could he call out two keyblades when Vanitas couldn’t? Why was he seemingly stronger? Vanitas pushed himself back to his feet with the Void Gear reappearing in his hand once again.

        (I will no lose. ) He continued to swear in his heart. (I will not lose. I will note lose again. Not to Ventas, and especially not to you.)

      
        As he continued to reflect on his defeat by Ventus, and his bitter struggle against Sora now, his anger continued to build within him. It reached what felt like a breaking point before he felt something simply snap within.

        Sora had stopped his approach and held his keybaldes at the ready. The Guardian soul, and Hidden Dragon keyblades in his hands drew the boy’s attention. They seemed to tremble, as though resonating with some outside force. As Vanitas pushed himself back up to fight, his Void Gear was suddenly engulfed in one massive wave of darkness accompanied by light as well. His dark keyblade had changed shape. Both Sora and Vanitas mirrored each other’s puzzled shock as they both studied the new weapon in Vanitas’ grasp. He held a perfectly formed x-blade.

        Sora studied the blade of his opponent with genuine curiosity, he’d never seen a keyblade like this one. It was very sword-like in appearance,  resembling a lengthy claymore with two intersecting Kingdom Keys, like the one Sora always carried as his basic weapon, forming the handle and guard of the weapon.

        Vanitas eyed the weapon in disbelief. It didn’t make sense, how could he have summoned it all by himself? He needed Ventus with him to pull it off. That much had been proven. He began to wonder if he was in some sort of dream, perhaps he’d been hit harder by Sora’s last attack than he’d realized but the sensation was too familiar. He felt the power of the blade flowing into him, reinvigorating his body. His wounds and bruises and all sense of fatigue from his battle so far were going numb. Maybe the injuries weren’t healing but he assessed he wouldn’t be slowed down by them for now.

        (It doesn’t make sense) The boy continued to insist to himself, but finally he gave up and turned his attention to Sora. (I don’t have time for this. The power feels real enough. I’ll carve you up now and sort it out later.)

        Sora readied himself as Vanitas assumed his stance and the next round of their duel began.

~Chapter End~

3: Chapter 8: Face to Face at Last

 

           Cloud stepped off first as Rufus pulled the trigger. Rufus’ eyes flashed with intrigue when the soldier swatted the bullet aside with a swipe of his sword. His next shot missed when Cloud leaped high into the air over head. 

        (Those reflexes….) Rufus acknowledged, thoroughly impressed by the combatant. 

       As he glanced up he saw the warrior was already coming down on him. Any moment now Rufus would be cleaved in half by the buster sword, but he only looked at the incoming edge with a welcoming smirk. As the helicopter hovered overhead a black blur of an object shot out of the still open door. The dark shape bounced off the side of the corporate building, shattering the concrete from the impact and darted into the space between Cloud and Rufus. The buster sword suddenly slammed against a barrier of light as the modified hound Dark Nation stood between them and roared. The ex-soldier first class was startled by the interception.  Meanwhile Rufus withdrew a sawed off shotgun from his coat now and took aim. 
       Cloud spotted him preparing to fire through the barrier in time. Still suspended in the air for a moment while his blade clashed with the wall of magic, the swordsman shoved against the force field to push himself away as he dodged the spray of gunfire. Nation followed up with its master, slashing at the warrior with its bladed tendril. Cloud exchanged several strikes with the hound before it rushed in and attempted to sink its claws and fangs into him. He raised the buster sword, ready to land a critical counter strike after dodging of the way of Nation when he caught Rufus’ movements out the corner of his eye. Clashing with Nation had proved a very effective distraction while he slipped into Cloud’s flank and fired off several more rounds. 
       The soldier stepped back, dodging the first shot while continuing to swat the next few bullets aside with ease. He quickly realized the pair’s tactic when he felt sharp claws rip into his back. Who was the distraction and who was the one who would take the kill was a role Rufus and Nation were passing back and forth like a ball. 
       In that moment he would have turned to react to Nation but he caught a glimpse of Rufus withdrawing his shotgun again. He crouched low while plunging the buster sword into the ground. The sword managed to stand as an effective shield against the next storm of shot pellets. Now annoyance began to flicker across Rufus’ features at the sword being so broad that it could work as cover against his shots. Nation struck with three more quick slashes of his tendril. Cloud dodged the first while deflecting the much quicker gunfire from Rufus’ pistol. The second slash proved more critical as it tore into his leg before he could get his guard into place. 
       He dropped to a knee while swatting the last bullet aside before Rufus needed to reload. Incapacitated from the leg injury, he proved a bit slow to shift stance from deflecting gunfire back to perfectly blocking the third strike and was launched back when Nation’s attack clashed with his sword. He hit the rough concrete floor and tumbled to a violent stop a few yards away as Rufus finished replacing the clip and carriages in his pistol and shotgun respectively. 
       Seeing that bullets would be flying his way shortly and that Dark Nation was racing after him. Cloud attempted to move but the sharp pain from his leg wound stopped him in his tracks. He couldn’t move at all with such a deep cut. He held up a hand while concentrating on the fire materia he had in his possession. He threw back several bolts of fire magic now. This forced Rufus and Nation to evade and go on the defensive as flame and smoke spread across the roof top. After successfully dodging the series of explosions released by the soldier, Rufus looked forward. He found his view of Cloud had been obscured by a curtain of smoke. Cloud seized the chance to recover while he had them delayed for the moment. He swung the buster sword overhead before holding it at his back. A swelling aura of white energy began to ripple and flow over the blade as he remained in waiting. 
       “Finishing Touch.” He chanted in a whisper before swinging at the empty space ahead of him. 
       The waves of energy erupted out from the blade, whirling into a violent tornado of light. Both Rufus and Nation jumped back, narrowly escaping being swept up into the maelstrom. The winds raged and howled around the Shinra building as Rufus and his pet were pushed to opposing corners of the rooftop away from Cloud. The gunner was forced to stand in place bracing himself against the violent wind, unable to move or attack as long as Cloud’s technique remained in play. The helicopter that had been circling the building also strained and battled against being swatted out of the skies by the winds. Cloud used the moment of cover to use pull out a “cure” materia. He clutched the small pocket sized crystal orb tightly as rays of emerald light began to flow out from it. The light bathed over the wound in his leg, restoring the injury. 
       He calmly took the time to assess his situation. His opponents had numbers, speed, and range over him. Those first two were the most critical of his assessments on the situation. Once “Finishing Touch” dissolved away, which was only moments away, the two were going to rush him again. The winds began to slow in their ferocity as the seconds passed. Since he could predict their next actions, an idea came to mind. Cloud raised up the buster sword once more. For a second time he twirled the sword overhead, whipping up an aura of energy to gather around his blade before bringing it back to its position on his back. The sword swelled with an aura of emerald light now as he assumed his stance. The energy he had released to power the tornado was finally spent as the winds calmed and returned to normal. Cloud stared down his two opponents with no more obstacles between them.
      Rufus continued to grin as he studied the situation. He saw that Cloud had managed to heal himself of his previous injuries but he was certain that he could still set the soldier up for the kill with his next maneuver. He gave a nod to Nation signaling the hound to take off at bullet speed before Rufus stepped off as well. Cloud remained still, concentrating and keeping his mind calm as the enhanced beast darted from side to side to speed blitz him. He maintained a steady grip on the buster sword. There was an opening he was waiting for. He intended to end both Rufus and Nation in a single swipe to keep this fight from dragging out. Yet there was something he was looking for before he took the swing. He knew as soon as the moment of truth revealed itself, his instincts as a warrior would cue him to move. There were only a few more milliseconds to go before the hound would be upon him and no doubt Rufus would have slipped into his flank and begun squeezing off rounds again. 
       Dark Nation reached within striking range and leaped forward with claws and fangs ready. 

       (NOW!!!) Cloud instantly new. 

       While Nation’s paws were off the ground during the lunge, he wouldn’t be able to change direction or evade if an attack came. Cloud stepped forward at that instant. He took the buster sword with both hands and swung the blade down which triggered an emerald crescent shaped beam of light to shoot forward from the blade. 
       As he anticipated, Nation couldn’t evade while airborn for that brief moment and took the blast head on. Rufus paused his advance, seeing the pet disappear within the massive explosion of energy. The blast diffused into multiple shockwaves that scattered off in several directions. The gunman was slow to realize one of the shockwaves was heading straight for him. The broad wall of light slammed into him. Both his guns were thrown from his hands as the wave launched him into the air. Flying through the air without any control immediately summoned up the fear within Rufus of getting launched off the building top. To his, and what some might call “questionable” relief, he slammed into the concrete surface of the roof at full speed and tumbled violently to a stop. Yet at the very least he had stopped a few feet from going over the side. Bruised and shaken, he began to push himself back up. 
       He glanced over his shoulder spotting Dark Nation face the fate he had just barely escaped. Blown back by the explosion, the hound’s limp body sailed quietly over the edge of the roof to face the fall of several dozen stories to the streets below. Rufus hung his head for a moment while letting out a defeated sigh.
       “Soldier first class indeed.” He muttered while glancing at Cloud who remained still after the success of his attack.

       (They’re both down.) Cloud thought in relief, (I angled and timed my strike perfectly.) 

       He raised up the buster sword and turned its point on the rising disarmed gunman now. Cloud’s expression was fierce with the determination to end the Shinra line once and for all. 
       “Extraction.” Rufus whispered to a communication device sewn into his jacket collar as he made it back to his feet.
       His originally pristine white business suit had been tarnished with spots of dirt stains and his hair was now untidy. Even in defeat he managed to hold on to his composure. He had calmed himself enough to run a hand through his hair to correct those strands that had moved out of place.
“That’s enough for today.” Rufus suddenly declared.
        Cloud, sensing that Rufus was about to execute some escape plan he had up his sleeve, took off racing towards the Shinra leader with sword held high. At that moment the helicopter swiftly ascended up into view behind Rufus and shined a massive search light on Cloud. The sudden burst of overwhelming light blinded the soldier and he instinctively stopped his advance while holding up his sword defensively. He was unaware if anymore gunfire would fly his way. He managed to open his eyes a crack and spotted just Rufus’ coat tails as he leaped off of the edge of the building and into the light.  The helicopter quickly pulled away and it was over. Cloud stood watching as his enemy soared out of reach. He clenched an irritated fist before determining the next best move now was to regroup with Tifa and the others.
       Meanwhile, after pulling himself in, Rufus quickly shut the sliding door of the helicopter. Still tender and exhausted from taking Cloud’s attack head on, he pulled himself into a chair. 
       “Are you alright sir?” Glancing back at him, the pilot asked. 
       “I’m fine.” He stubbornly answered. 
       “Well sir while you were fighting our forces have moved into position. The entire building is surrounded. There’s no escape for the terrorists.
       “Good.” Rufus replied with a sigh.





*Back in the present.*

       In their makeshift base within the cave system beneath the town of Dali, Rufus still sat in his chair with the other Turks around him. Tseng was still in the process of explaining the situation to Sora and Kaldea. After reminiscing about his failed battle, only one thought came to mind. A thought that summoned a twinge of embarrassment.
       “…….Why did we leave the keys in the ignition?” He quietly groaned under his breath as he thought about how Cloud and his friends had managed to slip through his grasp that time. 
       Sensing the slight decline in his mood, the loyal Dark Nation approached and studied Rufus with concerned eyes before finally laying down to rest at his feet. Rufus still wasn’t very trusting. He knew there was no mistake. He had seen the dog die that night so why and more importantly how could it be here?
       He brought his attention back to the others in the room, realizing that Tseng had turned things into a veritable lecture. Explaining about the geo-sensors had led to explaining about the land being unhealthy. Why was the land unhealthy? That led to explaining about Sephiroth and Jenova, the remains of whom after death were still lingering on within the life stream of the planet, choking it like a cancer. From there the conversation had diverted into talking about the meteor fall incident in which Sephiroth managed to inflict some damage to the planet by using a powerful spell to call a meteor to crash down. 
      Although they had managed to counter attack meteor with the combination of an equally powerful spell of their own and the planet itself stepping in to intervene, damage had still been done in the process. Then there was the Deepground incident which regarded a group of militaristic sadists who’d been enhanced through the Jenova experiments as well. Driven by the schemes of a mad man, they nearly succeeded in awakening an almighty natural defense mechanism of the planet known as Omega weapon. Omega would have brought about the end of the world for a second time. 
      Omega was only meant to awaken at what was essentially the end of days. Likely when all the world’s wildlife and civilizations had naturally perished and the world itself was about to expire. Omega would gather together all the world’s remaining life energy, known as the “life stream” and lift off into the cosmos to fertilize a new world with that life and start over. It was true that “Omega’s Ascent” was a natural part of the world but not until all life had ended. No one was supposed to be around to actually experience that hell. He wondered what sort of madness had possessed the Deepground leader, a gunblade wielding soldier by the code name of Weiss the Immaculate, to pull off such a plan and wake the beast prematurely. 
      Rufus knew the stress of such ordeals was only forcing the planet even further to the brink. From there they had arrived at the source of all these weapons, monsters, and groups that nearly destroyed the planet several times over. Behind Weiss, behind Sephiroth, and going back further, behind Jenova was the Shinra Corporation itself. They had wished to be the soul ruling power over the world and had opened Pandora’s box in the process. They had tried to use the remains of the Jenova, a mysterious organism they had misunderstood, for their own agenda. As a result they had given birth to and unleashed all of these terrors on the world in the form of these men and monsters who carried her genes.
       Quietly carrying the weight of these misdeeds on his shoulders, Rufus stopped and turned his attention to supporting the restoration of the planet now. He viewed the situation simply as he owed a debt to the world that needed to be repaid. 
       When he glanced up at the listening Sora and Kaldea, he quickly realized, neither of them were really paying attention to Tseng’s explanation anymore. The pair nodded their heads at the appropriate moments yet the expression they wore gave away that the overly bloated and convoluted tale of the president and the Turk’s past had left the newcomers in the dust long ago. Rufus let out a sigh and pushed off from his chair to take over the situation. 
       “You can take a rest Tseng.” He instructed, to which the subordinate did not object. 
       “To keep this simple. We have our reasons to investigate the health of the planet. So we set up these sensors around this town. There’s definitely something wrong with the world as it is right now. You found one of our sensors and smashed it.”
       “Oh! Right!” Sora grinned with embarrassment.
       “I told you that was a bad idea back then.” Kaldea lamented while bringing a hand to her forehead.
       “No you didn’t.” Sora shot back after a moment’s thought. 
       “Well….I definitely thought it.” The girl answered after being caught off guard by the response.
       “But the important detail here is these have cameras on them.” Rufus continued. “They’re still prototypes so they only give back a black and white image. We clearly saw who you were from here. The problem is a young man who bears a striking resemblance to YOU Sora, has been attacking this place for the past few days.”
       “Someone who looks like me!?”
       “You came after Sora and I because you thought he was this attacker?” Kaldea inquired.
       “Sorry. We realized after we finished being a little too rough on you guys.” Reno admitted.
       “So now you have an idea of what’s going on.” Rufus began to conclude. “You’re free to go. Just keep an eye out while you’re in town and never lower your guard. That boy and the horde of shadows he commands could strike at any time.”
       Both Sora and Kaldea gave an acknowledging nod.
“That’s enough for now. We’ve been going over data and information from these sensors all night. What time is it Tseng?”
       “It’s about to be dawn sir.” 
       Rufus let out a sigh.
       “I’m going to get few hours of sleep. The rest of you are free to do as you like.”
       Like true bodyguards, Elena, Tseng, and Nation all followed closest behind Rufus as he made his way through the cave back to the entrance.  Reno and Rude were next to leave the room.
       “Wait, it’s almost dawn?” Kaldea suddenly realized. “Rue and Squall have no idea what happened to us. We need to get back.”
       The pair hurried along with the Turks back to the cave entrance when they had found that Rufus had come to a stop. The exit to the cave was a ladder that led up to a hatch. Sora wondered for a moment why the man was staring so intently at the hatch and not starting up the ladder when the sound of dripping liquid caught his attention. Every few seconds the sound of a droplet splashing against the rock floor of the cave could be heard. It was blood seeping through the hatch from above. 
        The unsettling sight sent the group on alert with both Tseng and Elena immediately withdrawing their pistols. They cautioned Rufus to hold back while they moved up first. Tseng went up the ladder and opened the hatch above. He peeked out at the dark surroundings. Some of the suns light was beginning to creep over the town and provide a bit more visibility. A trail of blood drops led to the hatch where they were but he couldn’t find anything immediately around them as he exited completely. He found the hatch itself stained all over in red but no sign of any creatures or victims. It was simply the sight of the blood by itself. Elena was next to climb out. He signaled for the rest to follow. 
       Dark Nation was the last to exit the tunnel. Simply leaping straight up and out of the hatch with an exceptional display of power. An unsettled Sora eyed the trail of blood leading to the hatch. The secret hatch they had come out from was hidden within the windmill. Kaldea easily recognized the location they had been fighting in front of when Reno first attacked them.
       “From the trail….” Tseng suddenly began, “It’s as if someone who was wounded shambled into the windmill here and collapsed onto the hatch where they would have bled out.”
       “But there’s….no one here.” The shaken Sora pointed out.
       Kaldea studied him for a moment. The kid was an exceptional fighter and handled monsters with near professional skill, but she had to guess he wasn’t as experienced with a gritty scene like this. Everyone turned when a groan alerted them to the open door of the windmill. Reno made his way to the entrance first where a wounded man lay with his back to the wall beside the door. 
       He took in the sight of one of the village farmers who appeared to have been mauled. He was bloodied with numerous tears and deep cuts all over his body. His breaths were quick and shallow as he struggled to turn to the arriving Reno.
       “Hey. Hey! What happened!?” The Turk was quick to ask.
       “More…sh-shadows. They’ve been swarming the town…all night.” 
       “What!?” 
       Reno bit his lip as he regretted that all of the Turks had stayed underground the whole time. Either he or Rude could have stayed on the surface to keep an eye out. They hadn’t heard anything.
“I…..came…..with my brother……..w-w-were…..a-attacked. He went ahead while I held them off.”
       Reno glanced back at the trail of blood that stopped over the hatch. 
“I-is…he a-alright?”
       The evidence was clear as to what had happened. The brother had likely been injured just as gravely, reached the hatch that led into the tunnels, but collapsed onto it instead where he expired. Reno opened his mouth to speak. He couldn’t find anything else to say beyond the truth when Tseng beat him to the punch.
       “Yes, he’s fine. We left him resting from his injuries down below. Do you need to be moved?”
       The question was a comforting bluff at best. From looking over the man’s grave condition, Tseng easily concluded that he could count the man’s remaining breaths on one hand at this point. They had reached him too late. 
       “N-no….don’t….I’m…fine here. Go help the…o-oth….”
       The farmer gave in to his wounds at last and his body went limp. Sora’s eyes widened in shock at the sight meanwhile Kaldea looked away. 
       “No no. I can stop this.” Sora announced as he summoned his keyblade in hand. “I know healing mag-.”
       The man’s body began to shine with light for a moment as they all looked on before it faded away into waves and wisps of light. The farmer had vanished completely.
       “What happened to him?” The startled Kaldea asked.
       “No clue.” Reno grimly answered, still crouching down beside empty space now. 
       The stains of blood on the ground and wall he’d been resting on remained behind though.
       “This isn’t the first one we’ve lost to those shadow monsters.” Tseng announced. “We don’t know if it’s something with this town, but when someone dies here they simply vanish. There’s no way to know how or why yet.”
       “You don’t think that would happen to us do you?” Sora asked.
       “I guess the only way to know is get beaten and find out.” Reno replied.
       “Split up.” Rufus ordered with a blank face. 
       Kaldea hadn’t spotted a change in his expression the entire time. She had almost thought the man was completely unfazed by the situation before he exited the windmill. 
“Secure the town.”  He calmly instructed.
       “Sir? Are you fighting too?” Elena questioned, still keeping in mind he hadn’t healed from his earlier fight with Vanitas. 
       Rufus said nothing. He calmly withdrew his pistol and sawed off shotgun and strolled on ahead with Dark Nation at his side. 
       “Let’s finally find that kid and put an end to this.” Reno grudgingly declared as he took up his stun rod. 
       Rude agreed while cracking his knuckles before the two went off. 
       “Are you two alright?” Tseng asked to Sora and Kaldea while Elena went after Rufus.
       “We can handle ourselves. We’ll be fine.” Kaldea answered.
       Tseng gave a polite nod before leaving to catch up with Elena and Rufus.
“Alright Sora. Let’s hurry back to the inn and find Squall and Rue. We’ve been out all night. They’re probably worried.”
       Sora agreed and the pair hurried out of the windmill as well.
       Squall found himself puzzled over what kind of training Vanitas had as a warrior. They matched each other blow for blow. His and Rue’s battle had dragged on for an extraordinarily long amount of time. Squall was at his limits of fatigue. It Vanitas’ speed that made it a difficult fight for the axe and gunblade wielders. Squall dodged away as Vanitas lunged at him with a strike. Rue moved in and clashed with the boy, pushing him back. Rue remained in place holding his axe at the ready.
       “With my next attack I’m going to create an opening.” Squall whispered, behind him. “When I disarm him, land the finishing strike. You’ll see your chance when he’s open.”
       Rue turned his head slightly in Squall’s direction. He let the subtle gesture acknowledge that he had heard him while still keeping his attention focused forward. 
       “Well what are you mumbling about over there? Want to let me in on the fun?” Vanitas smugly taunted.
       Squall switched back onto the offensive and dashed, with sword in hand, at the keyblade user. After a few exchanges he pulled the trigger of his gunblade. At the instant it clashed against Vanitas’ blade, the sound of a gunshot rang out. The keyblade was blown from the startled boy’s grip after the two weapon collided. Squall hadn’t used the trigger the entire battle. It was helpful during an extended fight, when an opponent has probably gotten used to the strength of your blows, to suddenly strike at them with a swing that had a much greater punch to it. The void gear hit the street and vanished into a burst of darkness as Vanitas staggered back. He clutched his sword arm that had gone numb after absorbing the added shock released by Squall’s gunblade. 
       Before he could recall his keyblade back to him, he caught sight of Rue already up in the air above him. The warrior was in mid-swing, bringing his axe down on the dark haired boy. 

       (Got him!) Squall triumphantly thought as time seemed to slow while watching the blade descend towards Vanitas with each passing millisecond. 

       In a blur of motion Vanitas vanished once again as Rue’s ark edge sliced into the street instead. The young warrior of the dark appeared further down the road. Squall growled in irritation with both him and Rue giving chase. They hoped to catch the boy before he summoned his keyblade once again. Instead Vanitas turned to magic, summoning a ball of fire and launching it back at the advancing duo in retaliation. Squall dodged to the left while Rue dodged to the right, allowing the blast to pass harmlessly between them. 
       Their failed attempt to strike down the keyblade wielder led Squall to lament that they had lost too much time. He guessed now the boy would call out his weapon once more. Vanitas instead remained frozen in place with his arm held out. The boy simply remained still while the two warriors were nearly upon him. Finding something was odd, Squall quickly glanced over his shoulder back at the still flying fireball they had avoided. The traveling ball of flame suddenly erupted into multiple bolts of fire rushing back their way to bombard the two from behind. 
       His instincts instructed for him to cast a shell spell to guard against the magic but it was already too late. Squall realized they couldn’t react fast enough before taking the full barrage of fiery projectiles. Vanitas looked one watching the two take the hit and go up in a storm of fire. As the flames began to die down, in irritation he found that the pair had been shielded after all. 
       Squall and Rue turned, surprised to see that Sora stood close beside them and had summoned a domed barrier around them to repel the incoming fire attack. Squall wondered how he had swooped in so quickly. The boy carried a different keyblade as well. In place of his usual Kingdom Key, he held what was known as the Star Seeker. A blue keyblade with a curved design that had a crescent moon shaped pendant hanging by the chain off of its handle. Rue noted there was a change in his outfit too. Sora’s shirt, jacket, and pants, usually contained colors of black, greys, reds, and yellows. Now his outfit contained more blue and white highlights and accents with wavy watery patterns and designs. 
       “Wisdom form” was the name of this change in combat style for Sora. The Kingdom key wasn’t the only weapon granted to the boy as he battled through difficult journeys in the past. The clothing provided to him by the wise former keyblade master Yensid and his fairy aids had been enchanted with powerful magic too. The enchanted fabric contained the ability to boost and redistribute aspects of Sora’s power. Wisdom form pushed Sora’s magical skill to greater limits. 
       He gave up all of his physical might for the ability to strike with multiple more powerful magical spells in rapid succession along with greater fluidity in his movements. Concentrating magical energy at his feet, he could eliminate all friction with the floor and cruise along the ground at greater speed once he gets moving. He’d used this boost in speed to slip between Squall, Rue and the fire spell and summon up a barrier at the last second.
       Kaldea arrived on the scene, relieved that Sora had proved quick enough to intercept the strike.
       “Are you guys alright?” She called.
       “Yeah fine.” Squall answered, “Where have you two been?”
       “Sorry. It’s a long story.” Sora answered.
       “Fine. As if there’s really anytime to talk.” Squall bitterly said to the boy. “Anyway, a friend of yours? I guess it’s my fault for assuming, but I thought the keyblade was more of a one of a kind sort of weapon.”
       Watching the group, Vanitas’ attention was drawn to Sora. Sora also took notice of the quiet onlooker who had stopped his assault after that last fire spell.
       “Not exactly.” Sora answered as his expression turned more serious. “So you have a keyblade too?”
        Vanitas didn’t respond as the boy took a few steps closer. The Star Seeker vanished from Sora’s hand in a flash of light leaving behind just a keychain with its crecsent moon decoration hanging from its end. He slipped the keychain into his pocket as he came to a stop, placing himself between Vanitas and his three comrades. 
“Why are you doing this? What did this town do to you?” He demanded.
       “What is this?” Vanitas finally asked, completely ignoring Sora’s question.
       They all watched as the visor on the dark keyblade user’s helmet began to dissolve away. Spikes of jet black hair erupted out from the opening. Despite everything Rufus and the others had told him, he still found himself unprepared for the identity of their attacker. 
       (What is going on!?) Squall also thought as his gaze shifted back and forth between the two young men. 
       Vanitas was a near identical twin to Sora with only his dark black hair and golden eyes being the contrast between them. Other than that, they had the same physical build, same facial structure, and even the same voice. Though Vanitas’ manner of speech was much harsher than Sora’s. 
       “I can’t believe this.” Sora continued, “Just…who are you?”
       “I could ask you the same and you also have the keyblade. Tell me, is this your home world?”
       “What? No. But the better question is why are you attacking the people of this town!?”
       “Maybe I just feel like it.” A callous Vanitas shrugged, knowing that would likely be a frustrating answer for his new opponent.
       Indeed, Sora’s face turned red with rage as he clenched his fists. The image of the farmer they had just seen pass on a short while ago came back to mind. Giving into rage he held out a hand as a blinding light erupted forth manifesting into his Kingdom Key.
       “THAT’S IT!!!” Sora shouted. “I wont let you hurt anyone else ever again. No matter how many monsters you pull out, THIS IS THE END!” 
       Squall looked at Sora with surprise. Even in a serious situation like this, it was jarring to see him snap into a complete rage like this. His grip on his keyblade was tight as the boy was just one final straw away from lashing out and going on the offensive.
       “I take it you’re not from around here either. Who would want to hang around a back water world like this one anyway especially when you have the keyblade. You REALLY want to know why?” Vanitas began. “I want off this world. Simple as that. And if that means spreading my darkness to every corner of this dump to find my way out, or whoever dragged me here, then that’s what I’m going to do. And if the locals have a problem with that, tough luck for them, and the one responsible for all of this.”

       (This….twisted kid….) A horrified Kaldea thought, unable to determine what to make of Vanitas.

       “Monster. Involving the innocents.” Rue growled while clutching the ark edge as his blood began to boil.
       Squall let out a breath as he kept a firm grip on his blade. He had been trained as a soldier at a military academy from a young age. After the battles he’s experienced, it wasn’t too difficult anymore to find the resolve to kill his opponents when he needed to. Sora was silent. Vanitas’ cold motives and the deeds he’d committed so far had left him at a complete loss for words. 
       “No matter how many monsters I summon you say?” Vanitas began to laugh as he recalled Sora’s earlier statement. “You can really take them all on? That’s pretty bold. They come from me you know. If you destroy them they just get absorbed back into me and guess what!”
       The boy’s shadow began to expand once again along the floor. Squall recognized the sight from before. Countless red gleaming eyes opened along the dark expanding surface and glared at them. 
“When you manage to destroy them there’s just more where that came from. But since you guys have been doing so well against all of my regular unversed, how about I show you what your prize is. TRINITY ARMOR!!”

       (Now what?) Was all Squall thought as one enormous hazy mass rose up behind the dark doppelganger of Sora. 

       Once the mass had separated from the shadow cast over the road. It’s once cloudy dark features began to solidify and take form. Before the group, hanging suspended over the street, was a towering mechanical monster with features reminiscent of a suit of armor. It glared down on Sora and the others with those same piercing red eyes that all other unversed shared. Still fuming with anger at the injustices committed by the mysterious keyblade wielder, Sora simply held up his weapon to face Vanitas and his monsters. 
       Darkness began to flow from Vanitas’ hand as the void gear returned to him. Grinning with confidence, he held his keyblade at the ready.

*Chapter End*

4: Chapter 7: The President

            

        Rue opened his eyes to the faint glow of Squall’s healing magic fading away around him. His body was stiff as he sat up and looked around. The last thing he remembered was getting taken down outside while dealing with the shadow monsters. The “unversed” as that voice in his head called them before he’d nearly been torn apart by the unstable transformation. Suddenly he realized he was alone. He looked about for Squall but to no avail. The young man scratched his head pondering how much time had passed since Squall had left the inn.
        The sudden sound of commotion from outside the inn caught his attention. He could hear voices and distant shouts. Suspicious, the youth reached for his axe, the ark edge, and moved cautiously for the door. When he made into the lobby he found Squall laying up against the wall by the main doorway. Rue’s eyes flashed with alarm at the sight of the fellow traveler. Squall had made it out of a fierce battle. That much was clear. The warrior was covered in cuts and bruises. His predominantly black outfit was sprinkled with dark spots where blood from his injuries was seeping through. The familiar healing rays of another curaga spell bathed over the fatigued warrior as he rested against the wall. 
        “What happened!?”  Rue was quick ask, hurrying to his side.
        “I…..went searching for Sora and Kaldea.”  The young man answered, his head perking up when he noticed Rue had come to him. “They’ve gone missing but it’s the town. More of those shadows have started appearing. A whole horde of them. And the “ringleader” is here too it seems. He’s not one to be taken lightly.”
        Rue noticed Squall clench his fist tightly at the grudging admission. He quickly reached for the door, still hearing a commotion from outside. If the monsters had broken into town as Squall had said, then it was none other than the townspeople’s cries that Rue could hear. He reached for the knob knowing he had to do when he was pushed back by a sheet of light coating the doorway.
“I’ve sealed the door with a protect spell to keep them out while I recover.”
        “They’re that fierce out there?”
        “It’s just that there’s no end to them.”
       Suddenly the barrier alerted the pair with a flash. Both men’s heads looked up and Squall pushed off the wall springing back to his feet. Rue stepped away while watching the shield over the door way strain and break apart.
        “How!?”  Squall protested as he took up his gunblade.
        The barrier was completely dispelled and a familiar blue haze began to seep through the cracks forcing the doors open as darkness flooded the entryway.
        “Oh the keyblade...” Standing in the doorway the masked boy began while holding up the weapon. “Just the amount of things this little guy can open.”
        (Keyblade….. Is there’s some relationship to Sora?) The Squall wondered.
“Anyway you there. Your clothing. You definitely don’t look like you’re some country farmer hick like the rest of the people in this dump.”
        The statements prompted an eyebrow raise from Squall who quickly realized he was the one being referred to.
“That outfit looks like something I could see someone from Radiant Garden wearing. How did you get here?”
        “What are you talking about? I don’t have anything for you. Pack up your monsters and get lost already.” Was the gunblade wielder’s Sharp response.
        Rue now drew his ark edge and joined Squall in holding his weapon pointed at their opponent. The keyblade user merely sighed as he assumed a stance with his blade at the ready. The darkness that clouded the doorway all around him began to spread into the room along the floors and walls. The surfaces touched by the darkness expanding out from the boy painted everything it crept over in blue until half the room around them had been stained over in the hue.
        “That wasn’t the answer I was looking for.” He bitterly replied.
        Within the blue shadows covering the walls and floor, hundreds of red eyes appeared all over the surfaces of the room around him. The eyes all trained there attention on the two warriors. Squall’s expression tensed with him still not fully recovered from his last bout with this adversary. None the less he stepped forward to meet the challenge head on with blade in hand.





*Underground, beneath the streets of Dali.*

        Kaldea began to stir, slowly waking up when she felt a sudden sting in her arm. Her eyes flashed open to the sight of a young man sitting over her. Using a small set of tweezers, he removed a shot pellet from her arm and set it down in a pan on the table beside the bed. Once she came to, in a panic Kaldea lashed out at the stranger with a fist. He leaped up from his seat, the stool he sat on toppled over as he narrowly slipped out of striking range. Another young blond woman standing by the door quickly withdrew her pistol and took aim at Kaldea. 
        “Wait! Stop! Elena hold.” The man called out, raising his hands to the two women. 
        The girl lowered her pistol. 
        “Who are you? Where am I?” Kaldea was quick to demand.
        “Please stay calm. My name is Tseng. This is Elena. We mean you know harm. Right now we’re beneath Dali. These caves and tunnels run underneath the village.”
        “Why was I brought here?” 
        “It would seem we’ve all fallen victim to a case of mistaken identity. Our boss had instructed that once you wake up he wanted to offer a personal apology. Would you come with us? Your friend is with the others up ahead.”
        With some effort the young woman struggled to her feet. Her body ached with each movement. With the tension in the air dropping Elena holstered her pistol and followed after Kaldea when she exited the small room. Lanterns lit their way as they traveled through the dank cave. The cavern, to her, appeared to be some sort storage area. Crates and barrels lined the halls and rooms they passed through bearing an insignia she wasn’t familiar with. It was at the far back of the cave that they found the room they were looking for. Sora sat atop a barrel nursing a swollen cheek with a slab of steak. 
        “I could really go for an ice pack right now.” He groaned.
        “Sorry kid.” Reno replied, “This town is like the place time forgot. I’ve never seen a place so……old fashioned before.”
        Sora could only agree as the man stood before him twirling the mechanical stun rod with his fingers. Rude remained by the door as if standing watch and was the first to greet the trio when they entered. Still feeling exhausted and enduring a headache Kaldea only nodded when Sora called out to her. 
        “Finally woke up eh sleeping beauty?” Reno greeted, giving her a smirk. “Guess Rude put some extra power in that last hit not wanting to be outdone after the beating you gave him.”
        She turned her sights on the tall figure by the door still wearing his black shades. Rude glanced away uneasily, a twinge of guilt rising within him. 
        “My deepest apologies.” He said to them at last.
        “Well you explained that it was a misunderstanding. I guess that’s okay.” The forgiving Sora replied.
        “Sure….” Kaldea also responded, though she was far less trusting of the five characters who made their company. 
        “The apologies are mine.” A voice spoke out from the end of the room.  Rufus Shinra sat at a desk with his back to the group. He was absorbed in reviewing information streaming across the screen of a laptop computer. The sight of more modern technology was jarring to Kaldea in contrast to the surface of Dali. 
“I take it you and your other friends are not from around here?”
        Kaldea and Sora both nodded.
“Neither are we. Whatever happened to the world a few days ago, we just ended up in this small farming town. The problem is coming from these.”
        Rufus reached for a familiar object propped up against a barrel beside him. He held it up for them to see in plain view. Sora and Kaldea instantly recognized it as one of the mechanical rods they had seen outside the village. 
        “What is that?” Sora quickly asked.
        “They’re geo-sensors. When you stab them into the soil, they then begin gathering data on the land. The health of the land, the lifestream, and most importantly any impurities that may be polluting the environment.” Tseng explained.
        Rufus merely closed his eyes in contemplation, allowing the other members of the Turks to give the explanation. He couldn’t help but wonder how he had arrived at this place in life. It had been years now. He was the son of  the wealthy Shinra company’s president. Shinra had once been the most powerful and influential entity in the world. They controlled cities, the media, and even trade among countries. The Shinra Corporation even possessed their own private armies stationed all over the world. To be president of Shinra very nearly meant being ruler of the world and after his father’s murder that had been Rufus. 
        He couldn’t help but think how life really played jokes on him. Back then he probably would have been revolted with himself and this current situation. He’s lost in a strange land with no support but his four most trusted subordinates. He was stuck in an empty lowly farming town though he concealed his resentment for the place well. Otherwise he was just as astonished as the rest of them when their team arrived in Dali. Not a modern convenience in site. 
        At the time of their arrival, monsters known as the unversed had descended upon the quiet village. Their current mayor at the time had been mauled to death by these beings. When the Turks proved skilled enough to take down all of the shadows that had plagued the people, he had ended up being elected the unofficial president of the town in the former mayor’s place. Completely disinterested, Rufus left looking out for the town’s residents to Tseng while he studied data coming from the geo-sensors they had recovered lost in the fields outside of town.  Luckily he had been curious how healthy the land had been in this foreign place and found the results deeply unnerving. There was no trace of the lifestream, the life blood of the planet, which without it, spelled the end of the world. 
        The company Rufus was surveying that created these made them extremely powerful and sensitive. They can even gather data about the climate and the atmosphere of a region but the information Rufus was getting back was making him wonder more and more. The absence of the lifestream was already unsettling, but beyond that the sensors registered the planet no longer had a core. By definition he knew this should mean the planet doesn’t have any gravity to hold itself together. When this mess had begun, the planet should have simply drifted apart into pieces. According to the readings he had been reviewing earlier that day, the gravity they were experiencing now was externalized. It’s coming from outside the planet’s atmosphere instead. Like someone taking up a clump of dirt and keeping it pressed together between their hands. There was an outside force literally pushing on the planet keeping it together. 
        Whatever was going on was still lacking in giving the world perfect stability. Random quakes and tremors would periodically shake the land multiple times a day. What had been the start of all of this? The thought was nearly driving him mad. 





*Days before*

In his own private room, Rufus sat at his desk. With everything that had gone wrong running the Shinra Corporation and the threats that had befallen the planet, he thought it best to find a place far from the big cities. He’d chosen to set up his office in Costa Del Sol to find some peace while he made his plans. The door opened as Tseng let himself in. 
“Yes sir you called for me?”
“I have a delivery that needs to be made.” Rufus explained.
“To the WRO sir?”
Upon reaching his desk, Tseng caught a glimpse of the check Rufus was indorsing. The faithful assistant raised an eyebrow at the number of zeroes contained within the number. 
“Sir, do you wonder if Reeve will ever get suspicious and start to investigate who’s backing him and the World Regenesis Organization?”
“Doubtful.” Rufus shrugged, “You don’t run a company without knowing who the people you appoint to manage your different branches are. If something is working in Reeve’s fortune, he won’t ask questions.  He won’t “rock the boat” so to speak. It’s similar to a gambler who’s on a winning streak. They should be more rational, they should think to be more cautious, and yet somehow they don’t. At least this allows me an opening repay this debt since the Shinra name has lost all credibility in the world.”
“Gambler you say? I guess that explains his Cait Sith.”
        Rufus nodded while sealing the envelope with the check and holding it up to Tseng. Just as he was about to pass over the envelope they felt the ground quake. The activity on the streets of the resort town grinded to a halt as the startled bystanders searched the surroundings and exchanged puzzled glances. They witnessed cracks begin to form in the ground and even the air itself before light spilled through engulfing the town. Rufus attempted to move away from the window and head outside with Tseng but their building was engulfed in light as well. 
        When Rufus came to he found himself lost in a grassland. Dazed, the former leader of Shinra rose to his feet to survey the new setting. He quickly found he wasn’t alone. Laying close by was another young individual in a mask. The stranger’s thin figure suggested a teen male. He heard the young man let out a groan as he began to rise to his feet. The mysterious figure took a brief look around before turning to Rufus. His words were cold when he spoke.
        “You there. Where is this? Speak.” He ordered to Rufus as he started walking towards him.
        The company CEO’s expression turned into a glare. Recent events over the past few years had taught Rufus Shinra a harsh lesson in humility but none the less he wouldn’t tolerate being spoken to in such a manner.
        “It’s rude to ask of others without even a proper introduction. Who’s asking?”
        The thin young man reached Rufus and came to a stop. Without warning the masked boy’s arm snapped out, grabbing him by the throat. Rufus stood shocked in the youth’s grasp, unable to breath. 
       “I’m sorry, was “introductions” something I was asking about?” He replied while choking the man. “One more time. WHERE ARE WE?”
        This had gone beyond crossing the line for Rufus. Whether this kid had a chip on his shoulder, been through a harsh life, parents were never there, or whatever conceivable reason, he didn’t care. He smacked the masked figures hand away hard enough to leave the limb stinging. Then reached into his coat pocket, withdrew his hand gun, and put it up to the startled young man’s mask visor. With the barrel touching the glass, and pulled the trigger without a second thought.
        The gunshot rang out across the field as the tinted pieces of broken visor hit the floor. Rufus stared at the fragments in shock. The boy had vanished completely save the small pieces left behind. Suddenly he reappeared several yards away. A huge portion of his visor was missing, exposing one livid golden eye glaring back at him. The visor cracked and shattered completely. Spikes of black hair suddenly erupted from the helmet opening as the face of Vanitas came fully into view.  Rufus stood speechless.

        (The bullet….had enough time to leave the chamber, pierce the boy’s visor, AND THEN he recognized the threat and moved out of the way? I’ve only ever seen Sephiroth move at such speeds.)
       “Bad move.” Vanitas coldly stated as waves of darkness began to flow out from his hand. ”And I thought that was a simple enough question to give an answer to.”
        His keyblade, the Void Gear, manifested from the darkness in his hand. He stepped off, dashing at Rufus now. Going on guard, the CEO began firing off bullets. The dark keyblade wielder picked up his speed, vanishing and reappearing with each step as each bullet missed him. He reached the gunman and slashed. Rufus skillfully leaped away while reaching into his coat with his free hand to unveil a sawn-off shotgun now. He fired but Vanitas’ speed gave him the advantage as he escaped the spray of bullet pellets. 
        He appeared right beside Rufus ready to swing at the unprepared gunner.
 
        (No good! His speed is too much!) Rufus couldn’t deny as he struggled to not let panic take hold.

       He attempted to move but could only hiss when he felt the void gear land a glancing blow on his ribs. Blood from the fresh wound stained his white coat and grass as droplets fell. 
        “Pathetic!” Vanitas shouted as pulsing waves of darkness flowed out from his hand.
        The boy leaped away when Rufus attempted to shoot him down once again, and launched back a ball of swirling dark energy. Rufus watched the incoming attack with no way to evade thanks to his cut slowing him down. Suddenly the orb of black energy crashed into a wall of light that appeared before him. A dark beast of a hound leaped up and attempted to pounce on Vanitas who vanished. 
        “Dark Nation!?” A baffled Rufus exclaimed, recognizing his former guard hound. 
        “Oh how sweet. Come to be buried with your master?” Vanitas taunted as the hound took its place at Rufus’ side
        “But how?” A perplexed gunman questioned. 
        Vanitas stepped off rushing at the pair. 
        Seeing their powerful attacker coming, Rufus decided to ignore what chance of fate returned his lost pet to him and fight. The two split up leaping in different directions as the keyblade wielder launched a blast of ice magic at them. The area where they once stood was frosted over in a wave of white light. The sudden movement sent a jolt of pain through Rufus’ body from the wound in his torso. Though he pushed on and fired back at Vanitas. The boy dodged the gunfire meanwhile a darting Dark Nation rushed the incoming boy head on. The shinra company, in the past, employed animals in their military division and experimented on and modified them to that end. Dark Nation was one of those experiments who had received both biological and mechanical enhancements to its body. It was more ferocious than any normal hound. Built into the creature was a long tendril which came out the back of its neck and had a razor sharp bladed tip at the end. Nation also possessed an ability to make use of what was known as “materia”. 
        The beast lunged at Vanitas who dodged to the side, narrowly slipping out of reach of swiping claws and fangs. Suddenly that long tentacle emerging from Nation’s back swiped in to catch the boy off guard. He deflected the strike with his keyblade meanwhile he turned to find that Rufus, still clutching the bleeding wound at his side with one hand, had moved in close. He withdrew his shotgun and took aim. In a blur of movement Vanitas vanished as another spray of shot pellets came his way.

        (That speed of his….) Rufus thought in annoyance as he spotted his opponent reappear a few yards away.

       Though he was sure he wasn’t close enough to land a critical hit on the boy from such a distance, he was quick to point the shotgun in Vanitas’ direction anyway. The keyblade wielder slashed at the air. A dark lightning crackled and danced around the weapon before it shot out at Rufus. The gunman leaped aside as the dark bolt raced towards him while burning and ripping up the grassy field in the process. Rufus dropped to a knee. Every evasive move caused a major pain to surge from the side of his chest. He glanced back at Vanitas who had leaped into the air and was coming to bring his blade down on him. 
        Just as he struck, another barrier of light appeared. The startled Vanitas was blocked out by the wall thanks to Nation’s intervention. This use of magic even more strongly confirmed that the guard dog and the one he had lost in the past were one and the same. In the process of experimenting on and training the hound, the shinra researchers Rufus had put in charge of Nation’s upbringing had been tasked with teaching the beast how to use materia. The objects known as materia were pocket-sized crystal-like orbs. Any of these crystal spheres contained one of an untold variety of magical effects that could be used in battle. 
        In this case Dark Nation had been successfully taught how to use barrier materia. In a fight the beast could summon shields of energy to assist Rufus should an enemy be about to land a blow on him. 
        Ignoring the pain, Rufus pushed himself up and attempted to return fire through the barrier that had stopped the boy’s strike. Meanwhile Dark Nation had almost reached them. His tendril moved indicating the beast intended to spear Vanitas through. Realizing he was about to be caught in a pincer maneuver, Vanitas pushed off of the barrier at the last instant. Small droplets of blood erupted into the air just as the boy had vanished in a blur of movement once again. He dodged the spray of bullets from Rufus but still got clipped by the bladed tip of Nations whip-like tendril. 
        He reappeared once again a short distance away clutching his leg. Nation had manage to cut a deep gash into the boy’s thigh. Vanitas examined the wound and looked up. He stared daggers at Rufus who also clutched his own wound. Before the battle could continue, an object landed beside Vanitas. He glanced down noticing the grenade at his feet. The boy suddenly went up in a fiery explosion although he quickly emerged from the cloud. He coughed while moving fast to escape the blast zone. The small burns on his outfit and the trail of smoke leaving his body indicated he had just narrowly outran the explosion with his speed. He stopped several yards away from the tower of rising smoke.
       “Now what!?” He hissed in rage.
       “Yo boss!” Reno called, along with Rude, Elena, Tseng arriving now.
       “More pests.” Vanitas growled as he slammed a hand down into the ground.
       His shadow stretched into a circle around him as he beckoned a horde of unversed to rise up. The four body guards quickly rushed in to defend Rufus and fight off the mob. Down on a knee unable to move any more with his wound, Rufus held up his pistol. The blast had dazed Vanitas, he could tell as the boy also stood outside the fray as his monsters did the fighting for him. The company president hoped to at least fire through the confusion and take down the source of this madness. His line of sight was broken when a brawling Rude ended up in his way as he took on one of the larger brutes of the unversed that served Vanitas. He managed to be much faster than the lumbering oaf of a creature as they traded punches before he scored a critical upper cut, knocking the creature off balance. From there he went in hammering the monster with one powerful punch after another as its body began to dissipate into blue vapors. He literally managed to punch the creature into oblivion. 
       Rufus spotted a group of five monsters starting to approach him when Elena and Reno dashed past him to face the threat.
       “Reno!” Elena shouted.
       “I gotcha.” He already answered.
       The name call alone had been enough to hint to him what maneuver she had in mind. Elena leaped into the air and tossed out five grenades, one for each unversed in their way. Meanwhile Reno stopped in his tracks and began to trace a triangle in the air with his stun rod before firing off five blasts of light in rapid succession. As the grenades hit the floor at the feet of each beast, they were instantly trapped inside the pyramids of golden light with the explosives. The unversed tried to move about confused but they were firmly bound within the walls of their energy prison. Another instant later the pyramids filled with fire from the explosion before shattering completely from being unable to contain the blast. Not a trace of the monsters remained.
        “Man that maneuver is always so satisfying.” Reno chuckled as he relaxed. 
       Another giant lumbering unversed appeared behind him about to bring a crushing fist down on the Turk when Elena leaped in. She buried a hard kick into the side of the creatures face.  The monster stumbled away, dazed. This allowed Reno enough time to jump away. 
       “Hey I had it covered.” He protested to Elena.
       “Didn’t look like it to me.” She joked back with a smirk.
       “Oh let me show you how it’s done.” He grudgingly stated as he raised his rod. “Turks li-“
       Going up in a spontaneous explosion of fire, the unversed was instantly destroyed before Reno could finish his attack. He merely blinked in confusion at what had just happened while Elena laughed. While she had landed her earlier kick, she let a grenade roll out of her hand and land at the monster’s feet at the same time. 
      “Yeah. That’s how it’s done.” She teased. 
      “Beginner’s luck.” Turning flushed at being one-upped, Reno shot back. 
      “Beginner what? It’s been years since I joined. I’m no rookie. Do I sense that the teacher can’t handle the student becoming the master?”
      “Master? I wouldn't go that far.” A livid Reno mumbled in a low tone as the two moved onto the next group of monsters.
      As his loyal agents continued the fight Rufus began to pull himself up when Tseng hurried to his side. 
      “Are you alright sir?” The head operative of the Turks called as he reached him.
      “I’m fine. But we need to do something about-” Rufus was about to say as he scanned the battlefield for Vanitas. To his displeasure, no trace of the boy remained. 
Vanitas had already taken advantage of the confusion of the fight to slip away. Rufus’ eyes narrowed in irritation with the realization that their enemy had gotten away. It hadn’t taken much longer for the Turks to finish off the last of the unversed before they all hurried to the injured Rufus’ aid.
       Rufus suddenly returned to the moment as Tseng continued his lecture on the geo-sensors. He studied the listening Sora’s features. He found it hard to believe the boy. They had told him the story of the other keyblade wielder they had faced but he claimed to know nothing about. With differences that were slight at best, Sora was still a near identical twin to Vanitas. For now, Sora seemed genuine enough when they spoke so Rufus intended to let them go free once they were clued in on what had been happening in the village. The former company CEO’s attention drifted to the companion resting on the floor by his chair.
       Dark Nation quietly yawned and lowered its head as if about to fall asleep. In the heat of battle Rufus had simply chose to go with the flow and not ask questions but otherwise, the hound’s return was very disturbing. He clearly remembered Nation being killed in a dual with the soldier 
Cloud Strife. Rufus sank into his chair as he thought about that night long ago. It had been years since he last thought about the event. Going over it in his mind now, it was startling to realize how much he had changed in that time.





*Five years ago* 

       The door slid open as the former soldier first class entered the presidential chamber. He traveled in a team of five. At his side was his childhood friend Tifa Lockhart, a master martial artist dressed in a white tank top and black mini-skirt with a belt and suspenders. She donned red and black gloves that extended to her elbows, red boots, and a metal guard on her left elbow. Her long brown hair was long enough to reach down to her waist and was tied. 
       Beside her the ground shook under the hulking steps of their resistance group leader Barret Wallace. Barret was a heavy-set, muscular dark-skinned man with a brown vest, green pants and large brown boots. His right arm which he had lost in an accident long ago had been replaced with a functional machine gun.
       A sprinting canine-like beast with fiery red fur followed behind them. It was a research experiment they had picked up while ascending the building that had been named Red 13. And last the innocent figure of Aerith Gainsborough brought up the rear, whom they had come to save in the first place after her kidnapping. Though they had achieved their goal in rescuing Aerith, that wasn’t enough at this point. The president of the Shinra, and essentially the leader of this entire city of Midgar had proven himself too dangerous and corrupt and needed to be stopped. Although apparently someone else had the same idea. They found the president slumped over his desk with a lengthy katana stabbing into him. He had been impaled clean through and pinned to his desk like an office thumb-tacked note by the sword. The man had been dead for some time they could tell.
       It was the Masamune, Cloud instantly recognized. The blade of a true nightmare he long wished forgotten. The soldier Sephiroth. 
       “He’s dead. The head of Shinra is dead!” An amazed Barret declared.
       “Then this sword…..” Tifa began to say as she hurried over to take a closer look at the body.
       “It’s Sephiroth’s sword. Sephiroth is alive…” Cloud grimly declared before Barret suddenly spoke out.
       “Who cares who did it? This is the end of Shinra.”
       As they remained silent, a whimpering could be heard.  They turned to spot Palmer, one of the president’s business division chiefs hiding behind a pillar. Realizing he’d been spotted he attempted to make a run for the door but was intercepted by Cloud and Barret who held him down.
       “P-please! Don’t kill me!” A panicked Palmer cried.
       “What happened?” Cloud was quick to inquire.
       “Sephiroth, Sephiroth came.”
       “Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth?”
       “Yeah, I saw him! With my own eyes!”
       “You REALLY saw him?”
       “Would I lie at a time like this!?” Palmer complained to the persistent Cloud. 
       “I heard his voice too. He said something about not letting us have the Promised Land.”
       “Does that mean the Promised Land really does exist and Sephiroth is hear to save it from Shinra?”
       “So he’s a good guy then.” Barret offered.
       “Save the Promised Land? Good guy?” Cloud repeated as the very notion struck a chord within him. “NO WAY! It’s not that simple. I know him. Sephiroth’s mission is different.”
       The discussion was interrupted when a helicopter could be heard approaching the building. Palmer seized the moment of distraction and managed to shake off Barret and Cloud before darting for the door that led out to the helipad. The group was about to give chase when suddenly it clicked for Barret who that might be aboard the chopper.
       “Rufus!” He announced. “Shit! I forgot about him.”
       “Who’s that?” Tifa asked.
       “Vice President Rufus Shinra. The son of the president.
       A hint of dread came with this realization. Shinra wasn’t over with the death of its president. His son was simply going to take up the helm. Cloud’s hand drifted to the handle of the buster sword on his back. So there was one fight left to put an end to it they knew as they took off after Palmer.
      “I heard no one has ever seen him bleed or cry.” Aerith recalled as they ran.
      “I heard he’s been assigned somewhere else for a long time.” Barret added.
      “I wonder what sort of person he is?” Tifa also wondered.
      “I only know his name.” The quiet Red 13 remarked.
       The group arrived outside onto the helipad. Rufus had already disembarked. His pure white business suit blew and ruffled in the wind under the whirling helicopter blades as he listened to Palmer’s briefing on the situation. Cloud and his companions filed out of the entrance and stood to confront the pair.
       “So Sephiroth was actually here.” Was his response to Palmer before the frightened chief fled into the chopper to escape Cloud and the others. 
Rufus was left alone to face the five of them. His wintery blue eyes studied the faces of the ones who had gathered to oppose him.
       “By the way, just who are you?” He continued, turning his sights to Cloud now. 
       “Ex-soldier first class.” Cloud answered
       “I’m from Avalanche.” Barret declared, announcing the name of their resistance organization.
       “Me too.” Tifa added
       “I’m a flower girl from the slums.” Aerith humbly admitted.
       “A research specimen.” Red 13 answered.
       “What a crew.” The new Shinra President commented as a smirk flickered for a moment at the sight. “Well I’m Rufus. The president of Shinra, Inc.”
       “You’re only president cause your old man died.” Barret noted.
       “Correct. I’ll let you hear my inauguration speech.” The man in white declared. “Father tried to control the people with money and that worked for him. The people believed that Shinra would protect them. Work at Shinra, get your pay. If terrorists attack, the shinra army will help you. It looked perfect on the outside. But I do things differently. I’ll control the world with fear. It’s too much effort to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the people. There’s no need to waste money on them.”
       “He likes to make speeches like his father.” Tifa dryly remarked as her expression turned to a glare.
       “Get Aerith out of the building.” Cloud commanded, “I’ll explain later. This is a real crisis for the planet.”
       “The hells that supposed to mean?” Barret argued.
       “I’ll explain later. Just take my word for now. I’ll go and take care of him!”
       “Alright Cloud.” Barret agreed, as he and the rest of the team reluctantly withdrew.
Cloud stood alone on the roof, determined to face the Shinra CEO and defeat him in a one on one duel.
   
       (All alone? What are these heroics supposed to be?) Rufus thought while grinning at the determined swordsman.

       “Why do you want to fight me?” With his interest peaked, he asked.
       “You want the Promised Land and Sephiroth.” Cloud answered.
       “That’s right. Did you know that Sephiroth is an Ancient?”
       “Whatever. I can’t let either of you have the Promised Land.”
       The silent Cloud slowly withdrew the enormous cleaver sword from his back and took his stance with the blade held towards the corrupt CEO.

       (It ends for Shinra today.) He resolved.

       (Soldier first class.) Rufus pondered to himself. (Apparently we have a lot of those but the only one to ever obtain any level recognition was Sephiroth. So what are the rest of your lot really worth? Let’s see, “Ex-soldier first class”.)

       “I see. I guess we won’t be allies.” He finally announced.
       Rufus withdrew a 45-caliber pistol from his jacket and took aim. His grin vanished as both grew serious and stared one another down. Only the sound of the helicopter’s propeller cut through the tension in the air as the pilot circled the building roof that was soon to turn battlefield. The two remained still for minutes, sizing each other up to see who would strike first. Then finally Cloud stepped off, making his advance and the fight was on.

 

5: Chapter 6: Brawl in the Streets

           After leaving Squall and Rue to rest in the inn, Sora and Kaldea returned to the streets.

          “Ever been to a place like this?” Kaldea asked.

          “Nope.” Sora bluntly stated, “How about you?”

          “No. I’m from the city. I’ve never even been out in the country let alone a place like this.”

          As they looked around she led him across the street to a shop.

“A store? Is there anything you’re looking for?” He asked.

          “Actually I wanted to help Squall find something he was looking for back in Costa del Sol.”

          “What was it?”

          “He called it a “G-returner.” she explained, “It seemed important to him. I just wanted to do something to help him out since he’s helped me out so much in the past days.”

          “That sounds nice. Anything for me and Rue?”

          She turned to the young teen giving her a wide grin.

          “Well sure if we can find something.”

          “I’m just teasing, you don’t need to get me any gifts. We just met after all.”

          “Well we’ll see what’s there. We’re all so tense and exhausted. Maybe just something small and nice to lighten the mood.”

          A bell rang as they entered the shop. A young girl stood by the counter eager to greet them.

          “Hello and a welcome.” She said to the two potential customers. “How can I help you to-”

          She froze. The girl growing pale as she watched the two approach.

          “I’ve just got a question.” Kaldea began but paused noticing her expression. “Is everything okay?”

          “Oh y-y-yes. Everything is fine. What can I do for you?” She suddenly said. “What are you looking f-for?”

          “Well……” She began to continue though feeling awkward with the clerk giving off a tense vibe.

          (Do they not get strangers around here much?) She wondered.

“I’m looking for something called a G-returner.”   

          Meanwhile as Kaldea made her inquiry Sora rested his back against the doorway. He both looked at the various potions, and items lining the shelves as well as the street outside while he kept the door open. The inn door across the street opened with Squall and Rue exiting.

          “We’re gonna go check something out.” Squall called to him. “We’ll be back in a bit.”

          “Okay.” Sora replied, watching them head down the street and disappear around the corner.

          “I-I’m sorry ma’am.” Sora heard the clerk tell Kaldea. “I’ve never heard of that item.”

          “I see.” She frowned

          She turned for the exit when one of the bottles on the shelf caught her eye. It contained a blue liquid of unknown properties.

“What’s that?”

          “Oh that’s a potion, specially made for treating cuts and other injuries.” The young girl explained.

          “That could be helpful. How much?”

          “It’ll be fifty gil.”

          “Gil…..” A confused Kaldea repeated. “That’s alright. Thank you.”

          Kaldea gave a polite bow and went for the exit with Sora. The two continued to stroll together down the street.

          “Do you know what part of the world uses gil?” She asked, hoping for a clue to pinpoint where they might be.

          Sora only gave a shy laugh.

          “I actually noticed before.” He admitted, “Squall seems to be the only one who knows what’s going on when they ask for gil. That’s kind of why I stayed away when the time came to pay.”

          A comical image of the boy whistling in the corner came to Kaldea’s mind as Squall purchased their room at the inn.

          “So we’re both broke, at least in this part of the world. So much for that plan.”

          “No worries.” He laughed as a gentle breeze picked up in the quiet village.

          The village road guided the pair near a windmill. Sora looked up at the slowly spinning blades in wonder. He’d learned about them in school but had never actually seen one up close before. The sun was bright overhead prompting him to bring up a hand. As he continued to study the structure, the shadowy silhouette of figure could be seen staring down at them. Time seemed to slow as the man held out a hand towards the innocent pair. Suddenly he launched a bolt of light at them. His eyes flashed in alarm as Sora abruptly shoved the unsuspecting Kaldea aside before diving away himself. The blast crashed down with explosive force, demolishing the stone road.

          Sora looked up as the man dropped down from the windmill. Particles of red and golden light scattered to the air from the blast. He landed in the center of the cloud of swirling particles. Before them stood a figure with a lanky physique and unkempt spiked red hair that tied into a ponytail. He had two symmetrical red marks on his cheeks and wore goggles pushed up on his forehead. His outfit consisted of an unbuttoned suit jacket over his untucked white shirt with dark pants.

          “Yo.” The man greeted to the pair he had attacked, “Pretty bold just strutting out in the open like that.”

          “Hey! What’s your problem!?” Sora shouted, summoning his keyblade in a flash of light.

          Kaldea stood up when the doors to the windmill opened before her. A tall dark skinned figure stepped out onto the road. He was bald and dressed in an identical suit to his red haired associate though his outfit was properly buttoned and tucked in. Kaldea saw herself reflected in his black shades as he studied the girl.

          “Oh nice Rude. Don’t you look all suave and smooth strolling in.” Their attacker remarked, “Except you missed your chance! I set them up, you take them out when their down!”

          “Except Reno,” Rude began in a low deep tone, “You didn’t wait for my cue.”

          Rude slipped on a pair of black gloves, tugging lightly on the material to make sure it was firmly on his hand as he spoke.

 

          “Oh whatever.” Reno scoffed before stepping off and rushing at the confused Sora. “Well I liked the idea of a good old fashioned brawl anyway.”

          Kaldea turned to see the towering figure of Rude coming for her as well. He stepped in quickly, unleashing several strong jabs on the young woman. With quick reflexes, Kaldea evaded each punch skillfully. She crossed her arms as he came in with one strong right hook. Though knocked back by the force of the blow, she kept her balance and stood her ground. Kaldea massaged her arm, letting out a faint moan of discomfort. Facing the giant, she could already tell her smaller frame couldn’t handle taking too many blows. Raising both hands, she assumed her stance for round two none the less. Rude was bouncing on his toes, standing with his fists up close to his face. He waited for her to make the first move.

          (A boxer for sure.) She thought, recognizing his form. (Only worry about punches. Not so bad.)

          She moved in quickly, stepping and turning gracefully around Rude’s next attack. He had tried to intercept her with a solid straight punch. While dodging, she dug her heel into the ground so she could stand firm as she guided one strong punch into his exposed rib. The tall fighter was shaken by the blow with all of her weight behind it. She buried several more quick jabs into his abdomen while dancing around his punches before she stunned him with one hard round house kick to the torso. Rude stepped away, using a hand to pat the sore areas where she had struck when Kaldea stepped in fast and slammed him across the face with a backhand. His black glasses were smacked from his face and sent flying into the grass. Grimacing in irritation he raised another fist when a swift Kaldea struck first.

          She stood firm as every muscle in her body moved, flowing unison. She drove her two palms into his stomach. Despite his size Rude let out a gasp as he was blown back. He landed on his feet, visibly winded from the blow but he recovered quickly. The well-dressed brawler took a moment check himself before he would exchange a third round with the young woman. He straightened his tie, patted himself down, and then reached into his jacket pocket to remove a backup pair of glasses to replace the first pair Kaldea had smacked off of his face. To his disappointment the second pair were crushed and had broken lenses. Being in his jacket, one of Kaldea’s punches most have hit them already.

          “You’re martial arts are pretty good.” Rude calmly complimented to a still alert and standing at the ready Kaldea.

          The girl didn’t respond as she continued to watch for his next move. After discarding the broken pair of glasses Rude reached into his jacket pocket yet again and withdrew a third set of backup glasses that appeared to have escaped Kaldea’s assault unharmed.

          (How many does this guy carry on him?) The baffled girl thought, almost dropping her hands in disbelief at the sight.

          Rude didn’t answer and with his attire back in order, he raised his fists and the two went at it again.

          Meanwhile Sora struggled to avoid a furious barrage of strikes as Reno pressured him hard with each swing of his rod. Sora noted a brief spark at the end of the weapon anytime it would have made contact with him if he hadn’t narrowly avoided. The weapon was a taser he was able to determine. Sora finally raised a hand as Reno brough the rod down on him once again. In a flash of light the Kingdom Key appeared in the path of the incoming weapon. A loud bang rang out as the two clashed.

          “Stop! Axel what are you doing!?” Sora pleaded.

          Despite the different clothing he saw the face of a familiar friend when he looked at his attacker.         

          “What are you going on about? The name’s Reno.” His adversary shot back while parrying Sora and shoving him away hard.

          Sora hit the ground and quickly rolled onto all fours. After shaking his head he then peaked over his shoulder. Reno twirled the rod in his hand while drawing out a triangle in the air. Glowing lines trailed off behind the weapon’s movements forming the shape. Reno held up a hand to the floating shape causing a flood of light to rush out of it, racing to swallow Sora. The boy rolled aside escaping the attack as it washed over a wide portion of the street harmlessly. The light didn’t smash or blow away anything, passing over everything it touched that was not its target harmlessly.

          (That’s not Axel.) Sora very quickly accepted I as he thought, (It’s Leon all over again. Alright fine.)

          As Sora dodged the wave of light unleashed by Reno, a spark of flame appeared at the tip of his keyblade as he prepared to retaliate with a fire spell. Reno, already seeing his opponent aim the point of his key shaped sword at him answered by raising a hand. A golden aura of light began to flow over his hand.

          “Fire!” Sora called out, summoning a ball of flame to blast out from the tip of the Kingdom Key.

          “Turks light.” Reno also spoke, launching the same ball of golden light from his hand.

          Sora recognized the attack as the same move Reno had initially ambushed them with from atop the windmill. The two attacks collided with one another and called up a curtain of fire and smoke that blocked both combatants from seeing one another. Sora stood and waited for the smoke to clear but Reno took the initiative. His figure ripped through the smoke dashing at Sora. His arm became a blur as he began to rapidly and repeatedly jab and stab at the keyblade wielder.

          Sora was firmly locked on the defensive, blocking, parrying, and trying to keep any part of his body from being touched by the electrified rod. Reno kept the pressure on thick as Sora found himself unable to put any distance between himself and his attacker and he couldn’t counterattack against the speed of Reno’s strikes. Finally the boy’s reflexes failed him the rod jabbed into his rib. He let out a cry as he was electrocuted before falling to his knees.

          “And this is for the boss.” Reno commented, turning around and slamming his boot into the side of Sora’s face, launching the boy off of his feet. Sora hit the floor dazed.

          “Definitely not Axel.” He groaned while rubbing his jaw.

          With a hand in his pocket as he held the rod over his shoulder, Reno casually walked after the boy.

          Meanwhile Rude and Kaldea’s fight intensified as she brought a drop kick down on the business suit clad brawler. Rude stopped her Kick by raising up one arm and answered with an upper cut. Kaldea pushed away evading the punch but red waves of light erupting from the moving fist, whirled around Rude for a moment overwhelming her. Kaldea was shoved very violently away by the energy released from the attack. She landed on her feet, only taking a moment to regain her balance as Rude slammed his fist into the ground. A second red wave of energy raced out from his fist along the ground coming for her. She rolled out of the way as the attack barreled past. When she looked up again. Rude launched a series of punch, more red bolts came flying off of his punches at her.

          (He’s gotten serious.) She realized as she moved and weaved in between the attacks.

          Rude kept up the pressure until she was backed into the side of a house. She sidestepped one especially powerful bolt of energy which set off an explosion of dust that covered her. Rude stood waiting in the middle of the street with wisps of red energy flowing over his fists. In the cloud of smoke Kaldea kept her hands cupped over her mouth as she used the concealing clouds for a moment of rest and assessment.

          (I guess I’ll play my cards too if he’s not going to pull any punches.) She thought as shadows began to spread over her body, blackening her skin.

          Rude watched as a pair of gold eyes appeared in the thinning cloud of dust. They were the eyes of a black panther glaring coldly at him as the beast growled. The man raised his glasses for a moment, checking if he was seeing things correctly. Rude quickly went on the offensive when the beast dashed at him, launching several more bolts of energy when he threw his next series of punches. Kaldea skillfully darted in between the projectiles before leaping at him. With careful timing, Rude rolled out of the way. He slammed his fist into the ground once again sending another red shockwave racing along the road after her.

          After landing from the missed lunge Kaldea saw the attack coming and dashed forward towards the wall of a house. Like a ghost she passed through the surface, entering the living room of the building. The family of farmers were huddled in the corner holding onto each other as they waited for the battle to end. They froze and went pale at the sight of the black beast standing before them. The house shook and cracks appeared as Rude’s attack collided with the building. Passing the family over, Kaldea rushed back through the wall onto the street.

          She caught the boxer completely off guard and she rushed him. Rude was swift enough to step aside but not before her claw scratched him across the thigh as she passed him by. He sent another blast of energy her way but Kaldea disappeared once again phasing through a wall. She emerged shortly after. She was a black blur, running circles around Rude, disappearing through solid walls and buildings only to reappear from another random location and dart across the street into another hiding spot before he could react.

          Finally she caught Rude from his blind spot and rammed into him with a head but. In her human form, Kaldea had been nothing but a feather weight against the tall muscular figure that was Rude, it proving a testament to her skill that she fought him as evenly as she had. The scales had tipped though with her in her panther form. He was now the light weight compared to the beast form and was sent flying by her tackle. He slammed back first against the wall, his second pair of shades for the battle sent flying from his face. Kaldea stood growling menacingly at the man. The impact had indeed knocked the wind out of Rude and he stood with his back to the stone surface, shaken.

          (Retreat. No more fighting. Give up.) Kaldea mentally urged, hoping the fates would grant her plea.

          She didn’t want to attack or harm her opponent any more than she needed to. She took a step towards him, hoping to put up enough of an intimidating front that he might finally flee. The faint sent of gunpowder in the air caught her attention when the blast of a shotgun suddenly rang out. She leaped away but not before feeling a sharp sting in her back and arm as she was grazed by bullet fragments. Spots of dust whipped up into the air as more bullet fragments struck the wall of the house and ground at her feet. She landed and one of her legs gave out under the injury stalling her for a moment. Rude seized the chance, slamming another fist into the ground. Kaldea saw the red shockwave coming but it was too late as it crashed into her, slamming her into the wall.  Losing consciousness from the impact she shifted back into human form, laying still now on the side of the road.

          “Kaldea!” Sora called, still cringing on the floor as the effects of being shocked wore off.

          With his body still numb and tingling he shoved himself up and attempted to jump in and take her place against Rude and the newcomer who had interfered, yet the still approaching Axel had other ideas.

          “Yo, your fights still over here.” Reno called out as he drew out another triangle in the air.

          He launched the same wave of energy from before. Sora glanced back seeing the light over take him. The golden waves of energy wrapped around the boy trapping and binding him with in a pyramid of energy. Sora pulled and struggled but he was stuck inside the shining structure.

          “And I guess that’s it.” Reno remarked walking up and stopping before his captive.

          While dusting himself off Rude walked over to them.

“Whoa, she really smacked you around.” Reno laughed while looking his comrade over.

          Rude only answered with an irritated grown as he reached into his coat pocket and removed a forth back up pair of shades to put on.

          Sora struggled but his body couldn’t budge an inch against the binding light of the pyramid entrapping him. He concentrated harder, summoning a pulsing white light to emerge from his keyblade. Reno stepped back alarmed when he saw his barrier begin to crack and strain against the swell of light released by the boy.

          (No. I wont be held here.) He kept affirming to himself. (I have to bust out and save Kaldea!)

          The young teen’s efforts were brought to a halt when he heard a third set of footsteps come to a stop behind him.

“B-boss!” Reno exclaimed when he noticed the newcomer walking behind him.

          A figure clad in a white business suit stood behind Sora, reloading a sawed off shotgun. Standing next to the barrier, he held up the bound Sora at gun point. Sora remained frozen by the barrier while he stared down the twin barrels of the firearm.

          “There’s something interesting about Reno’s barrier you should.” The man began, “This barrier is excellent at keeping targets trapped in but it’s like air keeping objects from outside passing through. Have a clue what that means boy?”

          Sora remained quiet, glaring coldly at the trigger man.

“I see the barrier is straining against the power you’re releasing. Sure you’re gonna break out in a minute or even seconds. But the barrier doesn’t act as a shield to block out my bullets if I fire. Do you want to play your luck? Struggling and fighting the barrier to bust free, or me just pulling this trigger?”

          Sora hesitated for a moment as he pondered the situation when the man simply pulled the trigger and fired. Contrary to his words, the shotgun blast crashed into the side of the pyramid and smashed the entire structure apart. Sora remained unharmed as the prison was blown to pieces and he dropped abruptly to his feet. His legs weren’t prepared and the sudden landing shook him more than it should have. Before he could have a moment to even regain his balance, Rude buried one clean punch into the youth’s face, sending him flying. He flew for a few yards, his keyblade falling out of his grasp, before hitting the hard road.

          Sora laid still and unconscious as well now.  His kingdom key which rested, vulnerable on the ground for a moment, vanished in a flash of light. Limping with each step, the trigger man moved towards him. The man showed signs of discomfort as he used one hand to clutch his side. He’d been injured from a previous battle but despite this he still made the trip out to interfere with his subordinate’s fight.   

          “Alright, scratch having one little terror run around.” Reno was first to say, “And nice bluff there with my pyramid barrier.

          Reno’s barrier was indeed meant to trap those inside but it could be blown away easily if hit form the outside by a powerful force. The bosses lies stalled Sora long enough that he wouldn’t be able to dodge the real knock out strike from Rude. While keeping a stony expression, he straightened his tie and patted dirt off of his suit while their boss eyed the downed Sora.

“So with that now, this town should be sa-” Reno attempted to say when he was abruptly cut off.

          “This isn’t the one we’re looking for.” Their boss announced.

          “Wait what do you mean? He matches the description and everything.”

          “I know. The resemblance is uncanny but he isn’t the one who attacked me.”

          Rude began to nervously adjust his neck tie in response to a twinge of guilt that had surfaced. He had put all his weight and power into the punch that had taken the boy out and now to find out he was innocent.

          “So what now?” Reno then asked.

          “I’ll have to think. For now, take them.”

6: Chapter 5: Blue Shadows

* In their travels to reach Order's Sanctuary our team of Squall, Sora, Kaldea, and Rue arrive in a new village, but things are amiss in the quiet farming town. The suspicious townspeople watch them as they try to rest from a brutal journey and hostile demon shadows roam the land.*

 

 

            A light at the end of the tunnel came into view at last for the weary party. It was the final leg of the journey for Squall, Rue, Sora, and Kaldea on Mt. Gagazet. The hike had proved a brutal ordeal with the hordes of monsters they had faced along the way. Yet their teamwork in battle had seen them through it.  Once the four had passed through the opening, they reached a path that led down the backside of the mountain. It was here they came to a stop to rest. Sora was the first to let himself drop onto his back letting out a relieved sigh.

            “Finally.” He exhaled in relief.

            Following Sora’s lead, Squall chose not to waste the opportunity for rest, taking a seat on a large stone near the entrance. In her panther form Kaldea, quietly moving by them all, walked to the edge of the trail. Peeking over the edge, she took in the sight of a grassy plain below at the base of the mountain. The shadows began to recede around her body as she shifted back to human form. All four of them were bruised and battered from the battles but otherwise their careful efforts allowed them to escape with their lives. Kaldea took a moment to examine herself. Spots of a black liquid stained her arms and clothing with one spot on her cheek.

            “You’ve got something on you.” She heard the approaching Rue comment. “Need a handkerchief?”

            “Oh..uhh yes.” She hesitantly answered when he withdrew one from one of the small leather travel bags fastened to his belt and handed it to her.

            Kaldea then began to pat away at the small spots staining her light skin until it revealed a cut underneath. The young woman simply frowned at the sight as she thought to herself. The others hadn’t realized the black substance was the blood shed from her injuries. She turned her attention to Rue, Sora, and Squall. None of the three likely had noticed, she guessed, as they were so preoccupied with mentally recovering from their own battles and getting ready to journey on. She quickly shrugged away disheartening feelings of being an outsider upon seeing the small hints of red staining their scratches and minor injuries.

            “So you can transform too.” Rue suddenly noted bringing her back into the moment.

            “Oh y-yes.” She answered, “Although it’s not like you. The panther is the one and only form I can take.”

            “And you really know how to put that one form to use.” Rue complimented, picking up on a hint of discouragement in her tone. “I suppose that’s the tradeoff. I’m a jack of all trades but master of known. I’m still trying to get the hang of the forms I’ve collected from this mountain meanwhile you outmatched and outran every four-legged creature we encountered.”

            “Thanks. Still don’t sell yourself short.”

            “You said people really live on this mountain?” Sora asked to Rue as he finally sat up.

            “Yeah, the ronso who helped me out before. When the world changed I ended up lost on the mountain. I got stuck fighting battles over and over with the monsters till I collapsed. That’s when the leader of the tribe, Kimahri, found me. I just needed a little rest before I could keep going. They did tell me a story that there was once a time where people called summoners used to cross the mountain as a final trial on an Important pilgrimage. But that stopped a couple years ago. This path has been out of use since.”

            “Summoner?” Squall repeated, thinking of the guardian forces he could conjure. “So we just cleared some sort of ritual obstacle course?”

            “I guess you could say that.” Rue replied.

            “Awesome! We passed the test.” The eternally optimistic Sora said with a wide grin.

            “For whatever it’s worth.” Squall dismissed while pushing himself up. “Alright that’s enough. We need to keep going.”

            “There is a little town not too far off. I can see it from here.” Rue announced when Squall joined him and Kaldea at the edge of the trail.

            “Alright then let’s make it there at least before taking a rest.”

            The four made their way down the last leg of the mountain trail. For some time the weary group traveled in silence as the grass rustled beneath their steps. The ground began to rumble and quake gently for a moment then stopped. They each looked around confused but continued on their way. As they drew closer to the village, an object appeared in their way.  Squall stopped at the sight of a small mechanical four foot high rod stabbing out of the soil.

            “Hey what’s this?” Hurrying over to the object, Sora was the first to ask.

            Squall noted a small blinking light on the short pole.

“Could it belong to the ronso?”

            “I don’t think so.” Rue answered. “This looks advanced.”

            After a few minutes of further examination, Kaldea, Squall, and Rue all chose to leave the foreign man-made object be. They started off while Sora still eyed the rod. Finally in a flash of light the young teen summoned his keyblade and struck the device with one quick swipe. The rod was smashed into pieces with ease by the strike. The crashing sound quickly prompted the remaining three to turn.

            “Hey! What are you doing?” Squall protested.

            “Well, I thought maybe it was a switch or something might have been hidden there.”

            “Why would y-?” Annoyed Squall began to argue, “If anything that thing looked like a…….signal……..beacon.”

            His speech slowed as his irritation shifted to concern. Kaldea also picked up on where his train of thought was moving while Rue watched the three quietly.

            “Let’s keep moving.” Squall recommended as they continued on their way.

            Sora followed after giving one final passing glance at the smashed device.

 

*Elsewhere*

            Deep in the heart of a dark cavern a figure sat at a chair before a slim laptop computer on his desk. He watched the video feed with interest as Sora approached, studying the black and white image of the youth. The image almost appeared as if the group were staring at him directly as they examined the device. Then the still heavily curious Sora held up a hand, manifested his keyblade, and took a swing. The video abruptly went dead with static. The figure’s lips curled into a frown, not the slightest bit amused.

 

*Streets of Dali*

 

            It was the small farming village of Dali that greeted the four. Squall, Kaldea, Sora, and Rue all looked around at the village of stone huts with a rock path leading ahead. Their exchanged glances communicated that none were familiar with the location. They spotted farmers dressed in overalls and straw hats walking the streets. Children in the distance could be seen playing with an energetic puppy darting back and forth among them with another adult supervising. The movement and action on the street slowed when the townsfolk began taking notice of the arriving and very oddly, at least compared to the farmers, dressed newcomers.

            (We stick out like sore thumbs…) Squall lamented, with his black leather and belted attire providing the greatest contrast from the humble environment.

With a glance to the right, he noticed a small inn near the entrance. A mixture of feeling tired and wanting to get away from the horde of onlookers guided Squall’s next steps as he led his group towards the building. A drowsy clerk laying slumped over his desk picked himself up when the door opened.

            “Oh…uhhh…hello.” He said, rubbing his eyes as he took a look at his new guests. “Welcome. How long will you be-”

            Turning pale, the man suddenly froze. After several passing seconds of silence, Squall raised an eyebrow. The man wasn’t staring at him but looking past him. Rue stood beside Squall while Sora and Kaldea stood in the back of their formation. He turned to see what was fascinating the clerk. Nothing appeared remarkable to the young man about the entryway or the wall of the inn which left the sight of Sora and Kaldea drawing his attention. Sora merely met Squall’s gaze as he also picked up on the clerk’s odd behavior. Kaldea was distracted by the purring of a common house cat lounging on the soft quilted cushions of a chair in the corner of the room.

            He focused on Kaldea. The attractive woman must have been the object of the clerk’s attention.

            (Kaldea….) He began to think. (I’ve been noticing it since I met her. She has a really reserved and mature personality. But as mature and conserved as she always seems…..)

            His attention lowered from her face to her torso. The beige sleeveless coat that Kaldea always wore had a very eye catching part down the middle that exposed a sizable portion of her chest and abdomen.

(That…..IS pretty distracting. Okay let me stop looking before I actually do summon Rinoa and she puts Angelo through the back of my skull with that dog launcher of hers. Then again they do look near identical so you can’t really call that….)

            The comical thoughts prompted a smirk from Squall though the reality of Rinoa and the others missing quickly forced it away. Turning back to the clerk he raised a hand, snapping his fingers at the man who was still staring.

            “Hey, up here.” He said, calling the man to turn to address him already.

            “Oh y-y-yes sir.” The clerk stuttered.

            “You have a room for four?”

            “Of course. Right through that door. The room is prepared.”

            “Thanks. How much gil do I owe you?” Squall asked as he reached for his pocket.

            “Oh n-no sir. I couldn’t-uhhh NO! You guys won!”

The four looked at the man behind the desk puzzled.

“You are the fiftieth guests to come this month. You can stay for free. No expenses will be charged at all. Please go right in and relax.”

            (This guy seems nervous….) Rue observed as he thought.

            “Really?” A suspicious Squall queried.

            When the man continued to hastily nod with a forced grin, they hesitantly made their way for the door to the resting quarters. When the door shut behind the four, the man let out a sigh of relief as if he had just escaped death.

            “What in the world?” Beginning to sweat with anxiety, he whispered. “How could that demon child stroll into here like that? Whatever he’s thinking, this could be our chance to stop him. I’d better inform the president.”

            The cat continued to purr to itself, watching the frantic man hurry out the door.

            Squall and company entered a large room decorated with elaborate furnishings. Four beds sat in the corners with a round wooden table in the center of the room. The beds were made up with rich colorful comforters, covers, and pillows. A desk with a chair was on the side of the room beneath the window.  Sora quickly chose his bed and hopped on without a care. Rue approached the window and looked out while Squall and Kaldea also took their seats on their respective mattresses.

            “Never seen an inn like this.” Squall commented as he thought about the size of the rest stop from outside, “This place looked small but just one big room for all?”

            “I guess we just have to make do.” Kaldea remarked.

            Kicking off his boots Squall laid back on the pillow with his arms tucked behind his head. He was relieved to finally be enjoying a moment’s rest after the long journey and battles through Mt. Gagazet. The group allowed silence to hang for a moment as they all rested until Sora hopped off of his bed.

            “I’m going to go look around town for a little.” He announced

            “Not tired?” Rue asked.

            “Nah, I’m not that worn out yet. Maybe the people who live here have seen our friends. We’re all looking for someone right?”

            (Something tells me I’m probably not going to find Rinoa and the others here.) Frowning with his eyes closed, Squall thought.

“I’ll go with you.” Kaldea was next to offer. “It’ll be good to talk with the locals and learn a little about this place before the day is over.”                  

            With a grin Sora nodded, welcoming the company as the two departed.

            Squall continued to lay down when Rue was next to make a suggestion. He still sat by the window looking outside as he spoke.

            “Hey Squall. I see something that could be useful.”

            “What is it?”

            “There’s a tall mountain just outside of the town not too far from here.” Rue explained. “I can see it from here. If we go up there we can see for miles.”

            “You want to climb another mountain?” The young man dryly asked in disbelief.

            “No it’s nothing like Gagazet. I can see a straight and simple path leading up to the top. We’d have a great view of the area from there.”

“Maybe we could spot Order’s Sanctuary? That’s what you’re getting at?”

            “That’s the idea or at least the next closest area. I’m going to head over there and take a look.”

            “Alright I’ll come too.” Squall announced with a heavy breath.

            “Wait. You sure?”

            “Just in case of anything, it’s probably best not to split up too much and go different ways. This seems simple enough, but just to be on the safe side.”

            Rue nodded in agreement while Squall glanced at the clock mounted on the wall.

“Let’s check the place out before it gets dark.”

            Squall noticed the clerk at the front desk had left. He found it odd that the small inn had essentially been left unattended. Ignoring instinct, he brushed the concerns aside and they set foot outside onto the dirt road once again. Across the street they quickly spotted Sora and Kaldea in a shop. Sora stood by the door while Kaldea spoke at the counter with a noticeably uneasy female attendant.

            “We’re going to check something out.” Squall informed Sora with a gesture when the boy glanced their way. “We’ll be back shortly.”

After a brief trek, they arrived at the edge of town where the pair passed through a small farm at its border. Rue eyed the elderly woman tending to the crops. From her sour expression he guessed the coming harvest would be weak.

            (I can’t imagine the world warping…..or whatever has happened due to Chaos’ influence being good for the land.) He thought as they exited Dali and started across the green grassy plains. Fortunately for Squall the journey was brief as he was the least interested of the pair to be out walking around so soon. Reaching the mountain’s base and the start of the trail, the two froze at the sound of a sudden piercing scream.

            A girl suddenly fled out along the path onto the plains. Squall and Rue slowed their approach but continued on as they saw dark shapes race along the ground after her. As she ran, one came close enough and a hand reached out from the creeping darkness, grabbing her by the ankle, the girl was tripped.

 In a fit of spastic motions, monsters suddenly emerged from the shadows. Their bodies were dark blue with red curved eyes. Among the group of attackers they saw several small humanoid creatures with triangular heads and antennae moving around the girl. Taller scrawnier monsters with claws and diamond shaped heads advanced on their prey as well. The last breed to spawn from the shadows were large bottom heavy monsters with conical shaped arms that ended in silver mittens.

One of the creatures reached the girl and raised a clawed hand to make the first strike. Blue light spilled off of Squall’s blade as he raced in, zipping past the crowd and cleaving the would-be first attacker in half with a single slash. As it split in two, the slain monster evaporated into dark smoke. One of the giant brawler types popped up behind Squall, its mitten of a hand closed into a fist with it preparing to flank the young soldier with a powerful right hook. Rue was next to swoop in, bringing his ark edge down on the large brute. Squall didn’t need to budge an inch as he watched the giant get bisected by his teammate. The creatures retreated a few steps back upon the first of them being cut down, their heads twitching and turning erratically as they assessed the two warriors standing with their blades ready to block their way.

After a moment’s pause they charged in. Squall and Rue split up, each moving to take on the wave of creatures. The young girl watched the two hack and slash their way through the mob with impressive skill and precision. When Rue cleaved the last creature apart with a slash from his axe, more shadows erupted around them again and a second horde of monsters appeared. Rue leaped back to the girl’s side while Squall leaped high overhead whirling his blade around. He summoned a circle of fire to appear around them. With a second spinning slash of his blade the ring of fire erupted outwards in one enormous chain of explosions. The entire second wave of shadow monsters were caught and incinerated by the flames. Squall skillfully landed beside Rue and the girl.

            (Well at least that’s something we can take away from that miserable gauntlet of battles on Mt. Gagazet.) He thought, (Our teamwork has really gotten good.)

            “Hey, are you alright?” Rue was first to ask as he held out a hand to help her up. “My name is Rue”

            “Th-thank you. I’m Slai.”  She answered while trembling.

            “Are there more monsters like those around?” Squall inquired.         

            “Y-yes. They’ve been terrorizing our village since yesterday. They’ve even killed some of the villagers.”

            “Why’d you come out here all by yourself then?”

            “Well it’s old man Morrid who lives on top of Observatory Mountain.”

            They looked on as she gestured towards the narrow tower of a mountain they had come to ascend.

 “He’s a sweet old man. I thought it would be better for him to seek shelter in town rather than stay out here all alone. But he refused. He said he was still comfortable up there.”

            (Sounds like a carefree guy.) Squall thought.

            “I guess it was an awful idea but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Him all alone out here.”

            “Do you need help getting home?” Rue asked.

            “Y-yes. They can appear from anywhere.”

            “Alright. I’ll take you back to town.” Squall offered to the girl before turning back to Rue. “Go on ahead up the mountain to check out the view.”

            “Alright. We’ll meet back up at the inn?”

            “Right.”

            They parted ways with Squall escorting Slai while Rue continued up the trail.

 

*Atop Observatory Mountain*

            After climbing up the trail Rue found a small cottage at the summit.

            “This place must belong to the old man Morrid that Slai was talking about. The observatory mountain.” He spoke aloud to himself.  “I wonder if he knows anything about Order’s Sanctuary?”

            He approached the front door and knocked. As he waited, the familiar aroma of coffee filled the air around him. A voice calling for him to enter responded after a few seconds and Rue obeyed. Morrid was an elderly man with a thick greying mustache and eyebrows. The floorboards creaked under the footsteps of his brown boots as he turned and approached.

           

“Ah finally, you’re days late.” The old man complained.

            “Excuse me?”

            “You’re the boy with the cargo ship right? What kept you? No doubt the village has goods waiting to be delivered.”

            “Sorry, I’m just a traveler.” Rue explained.

            “You’re not with the cargo crew? My oh my….” The old man began to grown as he paced the small cottage. “The angry letter we’re going to receive from Alexandria for the late shipments.”

            “Pardon me,” The young man continued, “So you must be familiar with the surrounding areas if you oversee the trading routes the cargo ships travel. Have you ever heard of a place called Order’s Sanctuary?”

            “I can’t say that I have.” Morrid replied.

            “Thank you. I’m sorry to have bothered you.” Rue said before departing.

            He didn’t wish to trouble the old man with further inquisitions. Somewhere deep down he anticipated that reaching their destination wouldn’t be easy.

 “Also you might want to stay with the other people in town rather than out here alone.”

            “Because of those monsters? Young Slai already mentioned that to me. The townspeople have been getting terrorized lately by them I hear but I haven’t seen one appear here yet. So understand if I’m not motivated just yet to move.”

            “I can understand.”

            “While you’re here, care to keep an old man company and share a cup of coffee?”

“No thank you.”

            Feeling tired, the thought of curling up under the sheets of his bed at the inn was feeling like a good idea right now. He didn’t want to compromise it by drinking coffee that would no doubt lead to being up all night at this time.

            The young traveler departed and walked to the edge of the summit. He stared out as far as he could into the distance. A large castle could be seen peaking over the horizon.

            “Hey! That could be it. I guess tomorrow we start for there next.”

            Rue hurriedly made his way down the trail reaching the grassy plains once again. He made a straight line for Dali when the shadows emerged again. He drew his axe as he stared down the mysterious creatures surrounding him for the second time today. Several minutes went by as he slashed and fought his way through the group. After the last large brute was split in half by a slice from Rue, it evaporated into blue vapors leaving just one small monster shambling along the ground for the young traveler to fight. Rue held his blade up while panting.

(I had to be curious about the mountain. I should have waited till morning before going out there. I’m so tired. Wait a minute. If I turn into one of these guys maybe I can just slip by unnoticed. They’ll think I’m one of them. Then I can just get back to town.)

            The last monster lunged at him and was dispatched with ease from a quick swipe of the ark edge. As the monster hit the floor evaporating, like all the rest, Rue quickly held out a hand. A glow could be seen beneath the cloth bandana around his forehead as the jewel it concealed came to life. As the shadow dissolved, the vapors began to weave about in the air and gather to Rue’s palm. The dark blue energy condensed into a small coin shape. Rue eyed the coin in his hand bearing the image of the creature engraved on its surface.

            He clenched his fist and indigo light erupted out from the coin enveloping his body as he took on the form of the small shadow creature. Clad in this new smaller form he stood twitching in place.

            (What a strange form. But maybe I can get home peacefully n-)

            (Whoa! No one has ever just gone and taken on the form of the unversed like that.) I voice from within Rue himself intruded.

            He was forced to tense up and freeze. The words came at an ear shattering volume, seemingly from every corner of his being.

(Pretty bold. But sorry, all that’s gonna do is get you eaten by me.)

Rue felt a painful sensation grip his body. A section of his arm suddenly broke away. This was then followed by a section of his leg. Then his back. His body was breaking apart and evaporating like any of the monsters he had cut down up until now.

            (C-CANCEL!) He thought, while the excruciating experience of his body being torn apart went on.

            That same indigo light erupted out of him and he swiftly returned to his original form but not without a price. For every piece of him that had broken off while in the unversed form, it left deep tears and lacerations in his real body. Just as Rue returned to human form, blood erupted out staining the grass around him from the deep gashes that covered him from head to toe. He collapsed forward into the grass, unable to move.

            He lay motionless, twitching slightly as he tried to move again yet his body would not respond with such critical wounds.

            “W-w-what…..w-was….that?” Straining in pain he managed to whisper.

*Back at the inn*

            The inn was still empty while Squall rested on the bed. He had simply returned, after escorting Slai safely home, to the inn. He found that Kaldea and Sora hadn’t returned yet either. Giving into exhaustion he found he had dozed off for over an hour while waiting for the others to return. He listened for a moment, though an eerie silence hung over the inn.

            (Huh? Rue didn’t come back yet? It shouldn’t have taken this long to go there and come back.)

            Concerned, Squall rose to his feet and exited the inn. With the day at an end and the curtain of night beginning to draw over the skies, he found Dali to be completely dead. All of the town’s citizens had turned in for the night. He noted bars on windows and barricaded doors to keep monsters out. Unsettled by the sight of such heavy protection on the houses, Squall quickened his pace. After exiting the town through the small farm, he didn’t travel far before finding Rue’s bloodied form.

            “Hey!” Squall called when hurrying to his side. “Rue. Can you hear me? Rue!”

            The young man flinched.

            “Squall…..” He struggled to say, opening one eye.

            “Curaga.” Standing up, the gunblade wielder chanted, summoning rings of healing light to appear around the fallen comrade.

            With the energy flooding over his wounds, they began to close at an accelerated rate.

“Unversed.” Rue suddenly muttered.

            “What?”

            “These……m-m-monsters. That’s what…..the voice..c-called them. These things…..are of a hive mind. And whatever is on the……other side pulling the strings……is a monster.”

            The plains grew darker as the sun sank deeper into the horizon. Squall turned, searching the area intently. He had thought he saw a motion in the shadows. His hand drifted to the handle of his blade as he crouched down beside Rue. The rings of healing light around the fallen warrior vanished when Squall picked him up, slinging one of Rue’s arms over his shoulder.

            “Fill me in later.” He instructed, “Put that energy into walking.”

            The pair proved fortunate as Squall got the injured companion, without another encounter, back to the inn and set him down on the bed. Then he cast the “curaga” spell once again. Letting out a breath, he fell back onto his bed. The room remained silent for a moment when sudden realization hit him. He looked around their room. There was no one else there but Rue.

            “I’ll….be right back.” Squall announced before leaving.

            He set foot back out on the streets of Dali. The town had fallen completely asleep. Stepping out into the middle of the road he surveyed his surroundings. Not a soul was in sight in the dark town covered in shadows.

“Kaldea?” He spoke aloud, disturbed at where the rest of their team had vanished to, “Sora?”

 

*Atop observatory Mountain*

            Morrid poured himself another cup of coffee when a mysterious sound came from outside. Curious, the old man opened his front door to investigate its source.

            In the courtyard in front of his cottage, a young man stood. A swirling doorway of darkness appeared before him. He pressed his hand against the swirling mass as if trying to pass through. His hand didn’t pass though. He might as well have been pressing a hand against a solid wall.

            “Why?” The enraged youth growled. “The corridors of darkness are still severed. How is this possible?”

“Excuse me.” Morrid called, “It’s not good to be traveling at night. Especially with more strange monsters appearing lately.”

            The young man turned. He was dressed in a black body suit with red boots. His face was concealed by a helmet with a polished visor.

            “As if I’m not already sick of dealing with old men.” He bitterly hissed before vanishing.

            He reappeared standing right next to Morrid. The old man was startled by his speed but could not react as the youth grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the floor.

“Monsters you say? No, not exactly.” He remarked while choking the old man, “You see I’ve been stuck here in the middle of nowhere for a while now and I can’t seem to leave this world. The corridors of darkness and the lanes between are suddenly dead ends. As you can imagine this has left me PRETTY FRUSTRATED.”

            The masked figure’s shadow began to expand beneath their feet, forming a circle that he and Morrid stood in the center of.  One by one, a mob of the unversed rose up from the shadow of the youth itself, surrounding the two.

“Let’s just say……“Venting” is what you could call these.”

            He held out a hand as darkness flowed over it forming into a keyblade. He took a swing at the helpless old man in his grasp. Unable to utter a single word of defense, a slain Morrid hit the floor with a quiet thud. The body of the elderly victim began to glow with white light as it evaporated into shining particles. The masked keyblade wielder watched the old man vanish. He was curious as to why the old man’s body had disappeared in such a manner after being cut down but he soon turned and departed into the night.

~Chapter end~

 

Characters featured this chapter

Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts Series)

 

 

7: Chapter 4: The Road to Sanctuary Begins

*A new member joins the party with Squall and the others and from there the all decide on their next move.*

 

 

           The main lobby was empty when Squall entered the inn with Kaldea.

            “Room for two.” He announced, keeping her in mind as he approached the attendant at the front desk.

          After a brief exchange with the attendant he turned back to Kaldea, tossing her a key of her own.

“I’m turning in for the night. One nice thing about malboro poison is it doesn’t take too long to run its course through your system. I’m just gonna sleep the rest of this off.”

          “No problem.” She answered, “I’m going to stay outside a little.”

          Squall gave a casual nod before departing while she turned back. Sora stood near the entrance examining a painting mounted on the wall. It was an image of a peaceful sunset overlooking a serene beach with palm trees.

          “Are you alright?” She asked, taking note of his long face.

          “It’s looking like my friends aren’t here.” The boy admitted. “It wasn’t the darkness this time but my island was swallowed by some force.”

          “That sounds like what happened to my home too. A bright light and a sea of energy overtook everything.”

          Kaldea returned to the streets with the boy as they continued to talk.

          “That’s exactly what happened!” Sora exclaimed.

          “Don’t give up. It’s the best I can say.”

          “Oh I already know.” He confidently announced, a warm smile appearing on his features as he pictured the pair. “Riku is strong. He’s not gonna go down easy. And Kairi….she’s been through worse. In the end we always find our way back to each other. So for now I’ll just follow the advice some other close friends gave me. If I’m gonna be going on a journey it’s gonna be one with lots of smiling.”

He then made a heavily exaggerated, wide smile at Kaldea, showing off his white teeth. She brought a hand to her mouth struggling to hold back laughter at the forced expression.

“See. Now you’re smiling already.” 

“You little goof. Actually, you remind of someone else who used to make me smile like this.” She commented.

“What about you Kaldea? Do you have any friends you’re trying to get back to?”

          She pondered to herself for a long time, deep down knowing she really didn’t want to go into talking about her past. Her brief smile gave way to a frown once again as her mood turned somber.

          “No. I’m on my own.” She finally decided to answer.

          “You’re not missing someone? What about the guy you said used to make you smile.”

          “Yeah “used to”. I’m all alone.” She lied, her eyes narrowing on the curious Sora as their trek through the quieting town brought them to the beach.

The soothing tides rolled in echoing through the air. Sora caught her off guard when he reached out grabbing her by the hand.

          “Alright. I’ll be your friend then.” He declared.

          A puzzled Kaldea watched him with uncertainty.

“That way you at least have me. You don’t have to think you’re taking on anything alone anymore as long as you have one friend in your corner. Okay?”

          “S-sure….” She finally sighed, the boy’s antics succeeding in forcing a smile to form across her lips again. “You really do have a lot in common with him. I couldn’t take him seriously sometimes either.”

 

***************

          Squall lay tossing in bed. As he rested beneath the covers he found it a growing challenge to put his mind at ease. Worrying over the unknown fate of Rinoa and the others was proving difficult to keep his mind off of.

(Stop it.) He continued to urge to himself, (I can barely fight in this shape, let alone travel and search.)          

          He exhaled, trying to calm his restless nerves.

          (Damn. Please be okay everyone……)

 

***************

          It was the snowy peaks of Mt. Gagazet that overlooked the seaside town of Costa Del Sol. The land was home to the mighty Ronso tribe. A race of proud horned beast men. The people had canine-like features with fangs and blue fur covering their bodies from head to toe. Gagazet was home to a host of ferocious wild life. Though its natives, the Ronso, had long since learned how to co-exist and live peacefully on the mountains until now. The enormous dragon Deathguise loomed overhead of their settlement laying siege to the disadvantaged people. The many warriors of the tribe had fought long and hard against the monster’s assault and injured the dragon. Despite their efforts, gradually Deathguise was still winning out with most of the Ronso warriors littering the snowy streets either incapacitated or slain outright. The women and children had fled into hiding within nearby caves while tribe elder Kimahri led the forces against the monster.

          Gliding through the air the monster swooped in while striking at the men with its tail. Several of the Ronso leaped at it only to be swatted down hard. Angered, Kimahri growled. The dragon paused for a moment flapping its wings rapidly to summon up powerful whirlwinds which forced back the advancing Ronso.

          “Now! Fire!” Kimahri commanded while beginning to exhale breaths of flame with his words.

          The remaining warriors took in deep breaths before blowing out fireballs at the beast, bombarding it with explosions. Deathguise flailed about in the air taking the blasts before performing a spin and swiping at the warriors with its tail once again. The dragon caught the gathered group of warriors by surprise, smashing them into the rock walls of the mountain. From the entrance of one of the caves the women and children looked on. Gasps escaped some of the group as they watched the warriors struggle with their fight.

 A small shadow detached from the murmuring and fearful crowd, heading past the others. Even the ronso children towered over the small human.

          “It not safe outsider.” A woman warned, barring the shadowy figure’s path at the cave opening.

          “Thank you but I’ll be fine.” He insisted.

          “You not recover yet. Stay in shelter.”

          “I have gotten a lot of my strength back. I just need to make an opening for them to attack. I can at least do that. I’m going.”

            Before he could be subjected to any further arguments from the female ronso, he pushed through, exiting the cave. Stepping out into the light, the figure revealed himself as a young silver haired man dressed in the green attire of a traveler with sand colored travel bags hanging off of his belt. Wearing brown and black boots, he trudged through the snow into battle. In one hand he clutched the handle of a large orange and silver axe fastened to his back by a single strap.

          Back on the battlefield, Kimahri took in another breath, this time exhaling a swirling wind of dust-like material. Deathguise twisted and curved through the air as the winds brushed against it causing a layer of stone to begin taking form over a part of its scales. The beast brought up its tail, swinging it down on the agile Kimahri who leaped away. The smashing impact sent up a cloud of snow. The elder ronso growled in further irritation seeing the petrifying effects of his stone breath technique crack and break apart under the monsters swift movements.

Suddenly a creature zipped past him, gliding towards the dragon. Kimahri spotted the small gremlin-like creature with a single bright red eye. Flapping wide bat-like wings, it hurried up towards Deathguise. The ronso leader recognized it as a “fly-eye”, one of the native wild life to Gagazet’s peaks. It flew circles around Deathguise, staying just out of reach of its claws and fangs. Upon pestering the beast further, the small creature swooped down towards the dragons head, looking it in the eyes as it flew by. A bolt of light flashed out from the small winged creature’s bulging eye. Deathguise was blinded by the light, flapping its wings as it faltered and drifted back. The small fly-eye darted upwards above the creature before going into a free fall. Rays of indigo light spilled out from its form, with the creature’s body shifting and changing shape. It revealed itself to be the falling young man who had set out from the caves a short while ago. The tails of a long yellow bandana wrapped around his hat flowed in the wind as he held up the large battle axe.

With the blinded Deathguise reeling back, its torso was exposed. This allowed the young axe wielder to bury a critical strike into the monster’s chest as he fell. The young man landed then immediately leaped back out of the way. Quickly following behind his descent, Deathguise came crashing down into the snow. He performed a backflip before coming to a landing in the snow. The young man looked on, watching the still blinded and dazed beast flail about on its back.

“It’s fallen!” An astonished Kimahri announced to the remainder of his warriors. “Everyone! Stone Breath!”

All of the Ronso warriors unleashed the same breath of white dust attack Kimahri himself had attempted before. The still staggered Deathguise couldn’t escape in time as it was overwhelmed in the dust storm from the squad of attackers. The axe-wielder remained down on his knee in the snow, using his axe for support as he watched the dragon petrify under the powerful assault. The clouds of dust dissipated, leaving the sight of the dragon completely frozen over in stone. The creature had been stopped completely. Kimahri growled in rage at the thought of the many victims to the beast he had suffered, leaping high into the air with his spear at the ready. He came down, plunging the blade into the beast. Deathguise shattered into pieces, completely annihilated by the ronso elder’s strike.

The remaining ronso warriors let out a victorious cry with Deathguise slain. With the battle over and the dust clearing, the other hiding citizens emerged from the caves to hurry to the aid of the injured warriors. It was the time to begin assessing the damage their settlement had taken from the attack. The youth with the axe looked around at the damaged area. He grew a bit saddened when he heard the approaching elder call.

“Rue.” Kimahri spoke out. “Kimahri grateful for your aid but Rue should rest before fighting anymore.”

“I’m fine.” Rue answered, “Thanks, but I think I’ve rested up enough now. I was getting ready to continue on my way actually, but I wanted to make sure the people were safe as a “thank you” for taking me in. But really I should be going. I have to get back to my group.”

“Kimahri understands. Rue is welcome to return to Gagazet if he ever in need.”

“Thank you elder.”

Giving a polite bow, the young traveler set out for the opposite side of the settlement. He gave words of thanks to the kind inhabitants. Rue had found himself lost on the snowy peaks when the world had been engulfed in the clashing tides of Chaos and Cosmos’ powers. He wandered the mountain until collapsing from exhaustion. Before freezing to death, he was found by the ronso tribe who provided him a meal and a place to stay. He had been stuck resting in bed for most of the day when Deathguise appeared and started the fight with the peaceful mountain folk. His time resting had served him well. Feeling refreshed and confident enough, he was able to step out and make the attempt to distract Deathguise for the warriors.

The path down the mountain trail was clouded with gentle snowfall as Rue journeyed. He had spotted a small town near the shore.

(Well Claire, I know, is safe back home.) Quietly, he fondly thought to himself of his adopted sister. (Hopefully whatever happened hasn’t spread that far but the others. I need to find them and make sure they are okay.)

“Greetings young warrior.” A soft female voice spoke out.

Rue turned, searching the environment as the snow continued to fall. His hand reflexively reached for the axe handle when a young woman dressed in a flowing white gown appeared before him. Her wavy blond hair drifted in the wind as wisps of shining white light flowed over her.

“Do not fear, I mean you no harm.” She assured, “I am Cosmos. Goddess of Harmony.

            Though his grip remained on the handle of his blade, he relaxed while watching the newcomer.

“As you can see, the world is not as it should be. You’ve been pulled from the world you once knew and brought here.”

            “By who?” Rue asked, “What’s this all about?”

            “I come because of Chaos, the god of discord. He unleashed his power and tore the boundaries of the world asunder as a result. But I share the blame as well. I had to unleash my power to restore as much of the world as possible. That is the world you see before you now.”

            “You’re a goddess right? Why have you come to see me?”

            “I sensed a kind and pure heart shine in the distance. A heart that desired to defend the innocent. Even if they were strangers. And so I sent my image to you.”

            (Helping the ronso?) Rue pondered as he glanced away for a moment.

“Chaos is not finished. He still seeks to overpower me and drown the world in absolute discord. Right now I am using my power to counter him and keep these lands stable.”

“Can you keep it up? This world isn’t gonna end is it?”

            “Yes. Our strength is equal. We WOULD be locked in an eternal stalemate but that wouldn’t restore the world. Beyond that, Chaos has begun rallying powerful warriors to his side. He’s building an army. If I am to match him I must do the same.”

            “And that’s why you call out to me? You want me to help you?”

            “Indeed.” Cosmos nodded, “Other warriors have gathered to me already. And so I extend the offer to you. Will you join us in our fight?”

            “I was with friends before. Are they with you?”

            “I do not know if those gathered here share any connection with you.”  The goddess replied.

            “Ruenis? Rod? Mint?” He continued to urge yet the Goddess shook her head.

“I can attempt to search for them if you like and guide them to the sanctuary here, but I cannot promise you anything.”

            “It’s only by chance you found me…..” He frowned, “Basically come to you and find out.”

            “To put it crudely……” The goddess was forced to admit.

            “Alright.” Rue finally agreed, “At least this gives me a starting point. Much better then running around aimlessly. I don’t have a choice anyway. You said Chaos and his forces will destroy the world if they succeed.”

            “There is always a choice.” The goddess corrected. “Despite all of my power I cannot give you back your time. The inevitable end of the world will come someday. Thus our fight is to stop it from being premature and allow the world to remain within its natural order. So what matters in the end is time. I could never tell another how they should use their precious moments. Those who serve me are not my slaves. This IS an offer.”

            Rue remained silent, truly thinking over the proposal of the goddess. He found his mind drifting to his ancient creator. Rue, himself, was not human. He was created to fulfill a specific purpose by the powerful aeon Valen. It was never intended for him to have a will of his own but instead exist as an obedient puppet. Yet in a chance of fate he was able to obtain an opportunity to choose. In the end he had shattered the binding threads of a predestined fate that had been thrown upon him at birth, thus defeating Valen and casting his duties to the aeon aside.

            (To trade one god-like master for another god-like master. Well she wants to save the world while Valen wanted to conquer it.)

            “Alright. I will join your fight Cosmos.” He finally answered.

            “I am grateful. You can find Orders Sanctuary by traveling north where the skies are white and pure.”

            Rue glanced up. Since he had arrived, the skies had been clouded as if a storm were coming, yet aside from the gentle falling snow there had been no change.  Glancing out to the horizon in the distance, he saw the clouds getting lighter. Looking in the opposite direction he spotted the skies turning blood red.

“Towards the red skies is the way to Chaos. Safe travels young warrior and……thank you.” Cosmos said as the image faded away.

            Rue looked around briefly but no trace of the woman remained. He first continued in the opposite of the direction Cosmos had instructed. He still wanted to go investigate Costa Del Sol. He let out a groan at the direction to which she had pointed. It meant traveling deeper into the mountains to come out the other side and he was already worn out from trudging through snow and monsters.

He journeyed down the mountain, succeeding in reaching its base while avoiding confrontations with the wildlife. His hand drifted back up to the axe handle as a hissing sound echoed through the last cavern in his way. If he could just clear this last cave, he’d reach the humble beach town. Rue searched around when he spotted a set of golden eyes stalking him through the darkness. Suddenly the vast body of a Midgar Zolom emerged, the serpent gliding across the rock floor towards him. Stepping away as he undid the strap fastening the axe to his body, Rue watched the predator. Its tongue quickly slipped in and out, licking its lips as the giant snake focused all of its attention on the traveler.

            Already sensing the creature’s intent to have a meal the young man fled as it advanced. The serpent gave chase, racing along the floor.

            “She just wished me a safe trip? Like any ordinary person would……and yet she’s a goddess. She couldn’t teleport me somewhere or give me a field or protection for my travels?” He complained as he dashed.

            The serpent continued to race after him, Rue realizing he would be over taken soon enough. The same rays of indigo light erupted out from his body bathing over him as he assumed the form of a bandersnatch. A grotesque wolf-like monster and another one of the mountain’s native wildlife that he had slain in self-defense during his stay on Gagazet’s peaks. With extra speed now, he managed to keep out of reach of the serpent’s fangs. Up ahead he could see the mouth of the cave where he could make his exit. He emerged out into the open at last yet the zolom rocketed out of the cave’s mouth still gaining. He bobbed and weaved through the trees yet the snake wasn’t losing its trail, much to Rue’s irritation. The creature opened its mouth wide letting out a loud hiss. As Rue hurried in the wolf form he felt the temperature around him rise. The air began to waver and distort due to gathering heat waves before sparking. Suddenly an explosion of fire erupted up into a mushroom cloud near him, blowing the transforming youth off of his feet. He slipped, though keeping control of himself as he landed on all fours.

            (IT KNOWS MAGIC!!?) Horrified, Rue thought as the serpent weaved through the trees, rushing in to sink its teeth into the dazed prey.

            Pushing off on all fours, Rue leaped up into the air as the monster crashed into the space where he had just been, the zolom narrowly missing him. He shifted back into human form, whirling through the air as he slashed the snake with his axe, the blade cutting deep when it struck flesh. The serpent hissed in pain before retreating back several yards. Rue recognized the phenomena beginning to take shape once again with the space where he stood becoming superheated. The youth didn’t waste time, diving away when the surroundings once again went up in another immense explosion. Rue, forced on the retreat again, was chased by explosion after explosion as the monster continued its enraged pursuit.

            Sora and Kaldea still remained on the beach watching the waves when their heads both snapped in the direction of the forest. Explosive towers of fire continued to light up the dense woods. The blasts continued to draw closer to the pair the longer they watched.

            “Something’s coming.” Sora announced to Kaldea while holding up a hand.

            Light abruptly rushed out from his palm taking the shape of an enormous key which he then gripped like a sword. The weapon boasted a golden hilt and grip with a silver, apparently blunt, rod of a blade. Kaldea was puzzled, eyeing the strange object the boy conjured when Rue emerged from the trees. He dove to the sand, rolling to a stop. He turned back as the chasing zolom came into view. The creature rushed at Rue. Kaldea let out a gasp realizing they couldn’t reach him fast enough to help at the speed the snake was closing in. Sora still determined to assist, raced for the scene, his weapon clutched firmly in both hands.

            Time seemed to slow to Rue as he watched the snake weave around a tree onto the sand coming for him in one final straight shot. It tilted its head onto its side as its jaws flew wide opened to receive its meal. On reflex Rue held out his hands to the approaching maw. His body was engulfed in the white light of his powers once again as he took on the form of a wendigo. This tall, furry, muscle bound monster of an ogre had been one of the more difficult encounters of the wildlife on the mountain for him. With skillful precision he succeeded in grabbing the zolom by its upper and lower lip with each hand as it had just about reached him and attempted to take its first bite.

“He transformed?” Kaldea spoke out in shock at the sight.

            Using the hulking form to hold back the weight of the racing snake, Rue was pushed back. Thin sheets of sand erupted up from around his feet as he worked to maintain control and keep his balance. The zolom found itself unable to snap its mouth shut with Rue maintaining a firm hold. The creature’s body coiled and flailed about in rage with its prey so close it could taste him. As its body came to a complete stop against the immovable force Rue had become with this new form, he slammed its mouth shut, sending a shock through the serpent’s body before slamming the creature’s head into the sand. The zolom was slow to regain itself while dazed from being smashed down so hard. Rue let out a monstrous roar raising both fists into the air and bringing them down on the monster’s skull, engulfing the two in a mushroom cloud of sand from the impact.

            Having seen the beast Rue transformed into, the hesitant Sora stopped his advance. Both he and Kaldea held up their arms to shield their eyes with the sand blowing past from the final blow. For a moment the zolom’s body continued to twitch with small spasms before going limp and still with its skull crushed into the sand, staining the surface in red. As the clouds around them cleared Sora looked on seeing the ogre stagger back, enveloped in light once again as the form evaporated, leaving the young traveler Rue standing in its place. Rue dropped to a knee. He felt his body beginning to sting. Reaching for his back he felt a small shallow stab wound. He let out a grown. He had stopped the zolom by catching its mouth before it could take a bite out of him but one of its fangs proved long enough to still stick into him. To his dismay he began to feel a fever beginning to take form.

            “Whoa. Are you alright?” An amazed Sora asked as he hurried to the warrior’s side.

            “Uhh yeah.” Rue said, forcing himself back up to his feet, startled that he hadn’t noticed the spectators.

            “That was incredible! How did you turn into that monster?” Sora immediately asked in what would become the first in a long string of amazed queries about the new comer.

 He held out a hand to help up the traveler dressed in green. Kaldea too, reached them and watched the young man with concern.

            “Well I….” He began to say as his vision blurred, “My name is….this was…”

            Sora’s more cheerful grin faded when Rue collapsed. His hand reaching out to accept Sora’s aid missed him as he dropped into the sand.

 

**************

*The next morning*

 

            Rue began to stir awake in bed as voices could be heard speaking in the room.

            “You sure you’re gonna need more of these poison antidotes Leo-?” The youthful voice of a teenaged boy began to ask when the sound of flinching could be heard.

“Squall, Squall!” The young voice corrected, apparently in submission.

            “Anyway.” A more stern male voice began, “I’m not taking any more chances with this place. This area really is infested with poisonous monsters.”

            “I’m sorry you had to buy them all.” A female voice apologized.

            “You can pay me back the gil later.”

            “Weird, I’ve never been to a place before where they don’t accept “munny” you know.”

            “What an unusual weapon.” The female voice commented.

            “Actually kinda looks like a giant pizza cutter if you ask me.” The boy added.

            “I don’t think its any weirder then what you two are carrying around. A sword with a handle shaped very impractically into a revolver gun and a giant key. Don’t they have just….a sword where you come from?”

            The woman’s question was proceeded by a long silence.

            “Yeah.” The two male voices spoke out in unison.

            “Oh let me guess, that wouldn’t be as fun I suppose.” She replied.

            Letting out a grown, Rue pushed himself up to a sitting position and opened his eyes. He awoke to the sight of the spikey haired boy Sora sitting on a chair by the window, Kaldea standing close to his bed and Squall sitting hunched over with his elbows on his knees on the bed across from him.  

            “Good morning.” Kaldea was the first to greet, “How are you feeling?”

            “Better. Thank you. Where is this place?” Rue inquired.

            “We’re in the town of Costa del Sol. This is an inn.”

            “It’s the strangest thing, this place has no clinics or hospitals.” Squall noted. “We had to make do with bringing you here.”

 (Well more like Kaldea and the kid. That was a rude awakening last night and after I had finally dozed off.) Squall bitterly thought.

            “My name is Rue. Nice to meet you and thank you for helping me.”

            “Not a problem. But why were you wandering the forest at night.” Sora asked.

            “I guess I was eager to get here and thought I could make it. I was searching for my friends. It seemed like the best place to find them.”

            (Another one…….) With his expression turning dull Squall noted.         

            “I guess I should have waited longer. The environment around is treacherous. You haven’t by chance seen another silver haired guy like me around here? He’d be dressed in blue and black with a large black sword on his arm.”

            The trio all shook their heads, only prompting Rue to frown as he brought a hand to his forehead. Alarm suddenly flashed in his eyes. He had lost his hat. On his forehead a blue crystal embedded in his skull was exposed. He primarily wore his hat to conceal it. Upon a quick glance back at Sora, Kaldea, and Squall, he clearly read the curiosity reflecting in their eyes.

            “You dropped your hat when you collapsed.” Kaldea explained with a pleasant grin before handing it back to him.

            “But what is that gem?” Unable to resist any longer Sora asked.

            “The Dewprism shard. Well…….it’s the source of my power basically.” He explained, “Any enemy I cut down with my axe the “arc edge”, I can absorb a portion of that monster’s essence and transform into them. Although the gem does have its limits.”

            “That’s pretty cool.” Sora complimented, “The most I ever got to be was a lion once.”

            The casual comment prompted an eyebrow raise from Squall.

            “Have you ever heard of a place called “Order’s Sanctuary”?” Rue suddenly inquired to the three.

            They all shook their heads.

“I was stopped by a woman who claimed to be a goddess. Cosmos was her name. She explained the world is in danger from the god Chaos.  It seems he’s the one responsible for whatever happened to the world. It happened to you all too when that light seemed to spill through and sweep over everything.”

            Squall, Kaldea, and Sora all exchanged glances before nodding.

            “We’re all lost here.” Squall admitted.

            “So if we stop Chaos things will go back to the way they were.” Sora optimistically offered.        

            “I don’t know. Choas is trying to destroy the world. Cosmos didn’t say if the damage would be undone if he was defeated. Just that we would save the world from being destroyed. I’ll probably have to find her again to ask. But you don’t know her? I took the offer to join her fight. If the world ends after all…….”

            “True enough I suppose.” Squall agreed.

            “But I still have doubts. I would have felt better if one of you had at least heard of her.”

            “Well why don’t we find her and ask her about everything?” Sora proposed.

            “I couldn’t ask you to come with me.” Rue argued.

            “It’s fine. I’ll agree to this one.” Squall added, “This is the first lead to something I’ve had since this mess started.”

            “It is better than wandering aimlessly.” Kaldea pointed out. “Let’s at least check it out.”

            “Right.” Rue began, “I guess this is better than my original plan of going it solo. The monsters roaming the land are fierce. Having a group probably is best.”

            “If it’s all settled then which way do we go?” Keeping his mind on the important issue at hand, Squall was next to ask.

            “We have to head through the mountain first, back the way I came. Cosmos said her sanctuary is where the skies are pure and white. I thought it was vague but the different skies were easy to spot in the distance.”

            “Alright then everyone get your supplies together and we’ll head out.”

            Sora, Rue, and Kaldea all nodded. While the others made preparations to leave, Rue took his chance to search Costa del Sol for his lost companions but like Squall and Sora before him, he failed to find any trace of them as well. With supplies gathered, the group set out to brave their way through Mt. Gagazet as their first steps towards Order’s sanctuary.

~Chapter End~

 

Characters featured this chapter:

Rue (Threads of Fate)

Kimahri: (Final Fantasy 10)

Cosmos: (Dissidia Final Fantasy)

 

 

 

 

8: Chapter 3: Emergence of the Dark Pawns

*Squall and Kaldea finally escape the forest, reaching civilization, and meet a new friend. Meanwhile dark warriors have begun to gather to the god Chaos.*

 

 

       The roaring behemoth raised its giant fist, bringing it down on the evading Kaldea. She dove into the air, somersaulting as her skin and clothing blackened over in shadows. Shifting mid-air into the form of a panther, she landed on all fours. She watched the monster’s fist smash into the soil sending up a cloud of dirt as the floor gave way to its power, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Among the dust and dirt flowing into the air she spotted particles of blue light emerging out from the creatures arm. 

       The creature, only known as a behemoth, was an enormous muscular brute of a canine-esque creature with purple fur, bull-like horns protruding from his head, and flowing manes. Seeing the beast drop down on all fours and roar, brought her attention off of the peculiar particles and back into the moment. Kaldea took off dashing with the behemoth giving chase. As fast and agile as the panther form may have been for her, she couldn’t compete with the monster’s greater size and reach of its limbs. The forest quaked under its thundering steps.

       (He’ll catch me in a few seconds.) She thought, searching her surroundings for an idea when an enormous old tree came into view. (There!!)

       She turned, dashing for the tall tree while feeling the heat from the gaining behemoth’s mouth as it closed in. Its jaws were gaping wide. She dove for the tree, passing through the structure like a ghost meanwhile the monster smashed headfirst into it. She leaped aside as the tree was uprooted and the behemoth tripped, barreling through. Kaldea doubled back, rushing and leaping at the dazed monster shaking itself. She twisted her body, the shadows over her receded as she shifted back into human form, burying a hard jump kick into the side of monster’s face. The behemoth growled as its cheek merely absorbed the impact, the very motion of it turning its head to look in her direct throwing her back as she kicked off of it. 

       (Figures. I don’t have any attack power up against something like this.) With her expression dulling, she thought as she landed gracefully on her feet. 

       Meanwhile standing in the monster’s blind spot, Squall held his gunblade at the ready, wisps of powerful blue light flowing over the blade when he charged in. The monster was about to continue to advance on her but paused noticing the incoming attacker. It stood up on its two legs raising a fist to him as the warrior had already entered within his desired attacking range.

       (Too late.) Squall, already determining the monster’s chances, thought.

       He leaped at his target, burying his sword into the monster’s flesh and dragging the blade through it as he ascended. Bringing the blade out through the creature’s collar bone he kicked off of it triggering the final phase of his attack. The energy released from the blade gathered together below the monster at its feet, and unleashed in one massive upward burst of light slamming against the behemoth and throwing it off of its feet. The creature lay still, succumbing to its injuries as Squall fell back to the ground, managing a successful back flip before staggering and falling to a knee.

       “Not one of my more graceful landings.” He groaned quietly before complaining, “Of course a malboro. It had to be a malboro.”

       Rubbing his head, he stayed on his knee resting while Kaldea approached their fallen attacker. It had fallen silent and still she saw, the young warrior having indeed taken it down in one hit. She searched her surroundings again. The blue glimmers of light in the air still on her mind. At first the environment appeared normal yet when she focused her eyes she saw it once again. No different than dust, the small specks of feint light drifting in the air around them. She hurried over to Squall as he stood back up with some effort.  

       “That was amazing.” Kaldea complimented, “I figured you’d probably use that fire beast again but just your sword was enough. Speaking of which what was that monster you called out before?”

       “A Guardian Force? You’ve never heard of one?” Raising an eyebrow, Squall asked.              
"Kinda odd, they’re pretty common knowledge and standard use within military organiza-wait a minute. You just turned into a panther. Where did THAT come from?”

       “Oh you don’t remember?”

       Squall pondered for a moment. The memory of encountering the malboro had become hazy after regaining consciousness. 

       “Oh so the panther was you all along. I see. What sort of magic is that? How did you learn that?”

       “Oh….w-well…….” Kaldea began to say before trailing off.

       She looked away, her expression turning saddened as she thought. Squall’s eyes narrowed, he recognized the reaction. Orphaned at a young age, Squall, in a vain attempt to prove to himself he was strong became a recluse. He always kept everyone at arm’s length. Other children and adults would then attempt to get close, or pry, as if he was some puzzle to figure out. As a boy this always irritated him, and instinctively THAT expression, the very same worn by Kaldea now would materialize over his features. That distant frown suggesting the mind just wandered to a painful memory which was better left forgotten. 

       “I think that’s the last wave of monsters we’re gonna be dealing with for now.” Turning his attention to the fallen Behemoth he announced. “Actually it’s better if we just keep moving before another bunch of them swarm us.” 

        Letting Kaldea off the hook, he stood back up and started walking. Agreeing, she nodded before quietly following. Up ahead they could see beyond the trees to a large open space. They had reached the end of the forest at last.  Suddenly in the distance a voice could he heard calling out. The two froze in place, listening carefully. They exchanged a glance as the voice faintly echoed out once again.

       “Meeku?” Kaldea repeated, struggling to make out the voice.
       “I heard Henry” Squall declared before the two proceeded cautiously.

       A speck of snow drifted past as they emerged from the forest. Kaldea rubbed her arms while they took in the sight of the new area. The pair had arrived at a beach, welcomed by the calming sounds of the tides in the air as they rolled in. Light snow fell over the area, melting away and drawn into the sand instantly. In the distance a snow-capped mountain range towered over the region. 

       Taking their first steps they found that the ground simply ended. The forest was uneven with the beach, leaving a straight drop of a few yards down to the sand. It would be a hassle climbing back up the loose soil the two knew but neither had any love for the option of returning to the forest as they took the jump. Upon setting foot on the beach, Kaldea looked back at the wall of soil behind them. The wall extended off as far as they could see in both directions. Some trees that had been nearer to the edge of the forest in the soil hadn’t had enough to support and tipped over, collapsing into the sand.  

       “It’s like the whole forest was uprooted and plopped down next to this place.” The observing Kaldea remarked.
       “This definitely doesn’t look natural.” Squall agreed.
       “When I take on that panther form, as you would expect my senses become a lot sharper. There’s something in the atmosphere that just…..feels wrong. Something is out of balance. I think that’s why the other creatures and monsters in the forest were so aggressive and savage. Animals are much more sensitive to the world. They pick up a world of things that our senses would never catch. If they are especially sensitive….They’ll go wild.” 
       “Really………For now, let’s just keep moving, especially before something else finds us.”

       With the approach of night, the skies began to grow dark as they started down the length of the beach. 

       (Oh great, nightfall out in this place?) Squall lamented. (We have to find shelter fast.)

       A figure in the distance came into view after traveling some ways down the shore. It appeared to be someone searching for something before finally taking a rest and having a seat near the water. The pair remained on guard as they drew closer. Clad in baggy black pants, with a blue and red undershirt under a silver and black short-sleeved jacket, sat a younger boy waiting to greet them. From the way he hugged himself the cold weather was obviously getting to him too. Squall and Kaldea exchanged another glance before she raised a hand calling out.

      “Hello?” She called, the boy turning to see the newcomers.

      They saw his face light up as he sprang to his feet racing to them.

      “Hey Leon!” He shouted. “Finally! Somebody!”

      Squall remained silent, the name call going over his head completely as he remained on guard. 

      “Man I’m glad to see you. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

       Squall still remained silent before realizing the young man was trying to get his attention.

       “What?” He bluntly answered. “Me? Do I know you?”

       The boy’s eyes widening in shock.

       “Oh come on. It’s me.” The youth urged. “Sora? Remember Leon?” 
       “…………………….No. And why do you keep calling me that?”

       (Sure my last name is Leonhart but I don’t have a reason to shorten my last name and go by that exclusively.) Squall thought. 

       “That’s your name…..right?” Sora asked, a hint of doubt settling in his tone. 
       “Not quite. It’s Squall.”
       “Okay before we go in circles.” Kaldea interrupted. “What are you doing out here on your own? These lands are pretty dangerous.”
       “Oh I’m fine with the monsters. I’m trying to find my friends. Riku and Kairi.” He sighed, “It’s like we finally made it back home and everything and then the islands were swallowed up all over again. I just had them and their gone again.”

      Briefly sulking he hung his head.

       (Sounds like what happened to Esthar.) Squall noted while observing the despairing boy. 

       “So that was you calling out before.” Kaldea realized, “We heard you from afar.”
       “Yeah.” 
       “Sorry but we’ve been all over the forest back that way,” Squall began, “We didn’t see another soul out there. I think you’re gonna have to call it a day.”
       They all looked up seeing the darkening skies. Sora’s frown deepened.
       “I’m sure they are okay. We made it through after all.” Kaldea attempted to comfort.

       (I suppose. “I’m sure they are okay.”) Squall pondered the words, (I’m having to repeat that to myself too. Rinoa, Irvine…..what happened to everyone?)

       “Yeah. We can’t keep looking in the dark.” He announced, “Is there a shelter close by.”
       “Yeah.” Sora answered, “I passed through a town a little further down the beach. We can head back there.”
       “If you don’t mind would you be able to show us the way please?” Kaldea politely requested. 
       “Alright, this way Leon.”
       “Kid! What did I just say!?” Squall snapped as the boy took off running.
       Kaldea merely chuckled, witnessing the sudden lapse in her companions otherwise always composed attitude. They quickly hurried after the boy. 

*******************************

      A dark ominously red sky hung over the head of the god of discord who calmly sat on his throne. His burning lands below quaked with the emergence of another random tremor. Geysers of fire scattered throughout the land erupted sporadically in the distance he observed while thinking over Garland’s words. Down on his knee, the knight was acknowledging “The child” as his new lord and master. He waited patiently for the god’s reply.

      “….”Chaos” you say……” The deity finally repeated.
      “Indeed. Is it not a fitting name?” The knight replied.

      Garland himself didn’t fully understand the origins of this creature that belonged to Cid, yet one thing he did notice was that he bore a striking resemblance to the demon Chaos of his world’s legend. Garland had seen murals and depictions in the past of the demon lord he himself had been predestined to become. Though he didn’t quite understand the connection to the figure who sat before him now, one things seemed clear. If “the child” had no name then what other name would be fitting?

      “Very well. I am Chaos, the God of Discord.” The beast declared at last. “Now then Garland….”
      “Yes my master.”
      “I have sensed the presence of several strong souls who’s hearts are darkened black. I’ve sent my image to appear before them and instruct them to gather at the shrine. They are waiting there now. Yet beyond them, I sense these lands are filled with powerful souls. From these first few who have embraced the madness of disorder, I want them to venture out and gather even more warriors to our side. Amass an army that will march on Order’s Sanctuary and destroy Cosmos.”
      “I understand."
              “Then go now. Deliver my order.” The god commanded.
      With a bow to the lord, Garland rose and set out for the Chaos shrine once again. A twinge of amusement arising within the warrior. 
      (To return to the shrine where this all began…..) He thought with a snicker.

**************************

Sora, Squall, and Kaldea arrived at the entrance of a tropical resort town. 

        “Costa Del Sol.” Squall announced reading the sign at the entrance. “Isn’t this a little chilly for a tropical paradise?”
        “I know.” Sora agreed, “When I passed through here before the townspeople said the mountain over there never used to be there.”

         Squall glanced at the snow-capped mountain range in the distance. Kaldea’s guess from earlier about the forest being uprooted flashed to mind again. As they entered the town they found several very lightly dressed citizens out and about bitterly struggling with the cold. He searched the walking inhabitants of Costal Del Sol for any familiar face, yet Rinoa and the others didn’t appear among them. He let out a disappointed sigh before turning his sights to the shops and houses in the small town.

        “This place seems like it would be fun if it wasn’t so cold.” Kaldea noted, “Kinda defeating the purpose.”

        (At least I have a lot of blizzard magic junctioned to myself. The cold isn’t really going to bug me.) Squall recalled with relief.

        Continuing to examine his surroundings he spotted the local inn. 

        "I'm going to stop and rest here for the night.” He announced, turning to Kaldea. “I guess this is where we would part ways.”
        “Are you sure?”
        “Thanks a lot. I can’t ask you to tag along any further. Don’t want to take away from you reaching your friends or family.”

        Kaldea frowned for a moment before her lips shifted back into a soft mask of a grin while shaking her head.

        “Are you going to continue traveling?” 
        “In the morning most likely.”
        “Come on Leon, do you really want to head off by yourself?” Sora asked.

        He continued to cast a glare at the young teen.

“Are you sure you don’t know me? You’re the only person I know with that sword. This isn’t the first time people have messed with my memories and you got affected ya know.”
        “I’m sure.” Squall continued to glare. “And I’m about to use this gunblade on you if you don’t get my name right already.”

        Kaldea merely laughed again at the pair’s bickering before returning to the point.
        “This place, you see, isn’t my home.” She began, “I’m still going to be traveling to. I actually think for right now it would be a good idea to stay as a team. At least if neither of us have a clear destination.”
    
        “Alright.” Squall complied. 
        (She makes a point.) He had to admit to himself.

         While Kaldea continued to examine the town Squall made his way over to a shop. Sora had already entered and was looking around. 
         “H-hello s-s-sir.” A shivering store attendant greeted to the entering guest. 
         “Just browsing.” He explained as he searched.

         (I need to find some G-potions, or at least a G-returner. Ifrit took damage after the malboro encounter.) While contemplating, Squall scanned through the shelves and counter of items. (I don’t want to get into many battles and risk them getting hurt badly enough that I lose them. Don’t know how long my stay will be in this place.)

         The young soldier failed to find what he was looking for and upon checking with the shop attendant, he found the man had no clue of what he was asking for. Giving up his search he started for the inn when a familiar face finally appeared. The unmistakable sight of Kiros stepped out from the building’s entrance, dressed in a red body suit with bronze armor. The outfit was completely foreign to Squall yet his tall stature and the unmistakable beaded dreadlocks flowing behind him were all the confirmation he needed as he hurried after the man. 

        “Kiros!” He called, prompting the man to turn. “Finally, is everyone alright?”
        “Pardon?” Kiros replied, his polite manner the young soldier knew all too well. “And who might you be?”
        “Squall. Come on Kiros, it’s me.”

        The man shook his head. 

        “You have me mistaken.” He declared before starting to walk again.
        “What are you talking about, we were just walking together earlier today.”
        “That is indeed not true. If you’ll excuse me. I have something important to attend to.”
        “Kiros……….” Irritated, Squall repeated.

        The man merely shook his head not turning to acknowledge the young soldier again as the distance between them grew. 

        (Did he look younger?) He wondered, clenching his fists in rage. (First Kaldea and now this? It’s like this whole world is messing with me.)

        “Doesn’t feel so great now does it Leon.” An approaching Sora joked.
        “Sora……” Kaldea attempted to warn when she noticed the hints of anger in Squall’s features.

        He merely answered by jabbing the boy in the shoulder with his fist before entering the inn.

 
***********************

    The powerful voice of a mezzo-soprano echoed throughout the halls of the Chaos shrine as a young woman in a red dress stood at the top of the steps. Her red hair flowing in the wind as a strong breeze entered through an enormous hole in the wall. The Chaos shrine had fallen into even worse condition since Garland’s last visit. The surrounding territory was engulfed in flames as the entire forest outside had been completely destroyed. In the distance the scorched ruins of Cornelia could be seen. Not a soul was alive in the land anymore after Chaos had reshaped it into his stronghold.

    “Enough!” A voice shouted at the songstress. “I’m trying to enjoy this desolate site of burning death and emptiness AND YOUR HARMONIOUS SERENADE IS MUCKING IT ALL UP!!!!”

    The singer stopped abruptly, casting a cold glare on the outlandishly dressed jester who stepped out to confront her. The man wore an outfit composed of primarily red and yellow fabrics, a mismatched jumble of stripes and polka dots. Around his neck was a red and white striped ruffle with a red cape boasting yellow and red inner linings flowing down his back. 

“Why don’t you do something a little more destructive to kill time.” He suggested, “I don’t know……like killing something.”
    “I’m thinking of a certain loud mouth I’d like to kill right now actually.” She threatened.
    “Oh really, do go on.” The jester dared, leaning in with a grin when a staff was held out between them.
    “Stop.”  A mysterious priest-like figure instructed.

    The man dressed in flowing long robes with much of his chest exposed. His long blue hair was styled into long antlers.
“Certainly we were not called here to fight amongst ourselves. That would truly be a waste of time.”
    “Indeed.” A dark-skinned young man resting against a pillar spoke out. 

    He was dressed in a yellow trimmed coat over a khaki wrapped shirt and trousers with brown boots. His white hair was styled into a quiff, held back with a blue headband.  He stood with his arms folded holding a long staff in his hand with bladed rings on either end. He continuously twirled the staff between his fingers.

“Unbelievable. Spinning, twirling, rotating, and spiraling. Ten years, a hundred years, even a thousand years and people still fail to change. And now God’s are lowering themselves into the charade of war? This really is a good joke. I’ll lend my hand to this affair if the god of discord can truly plunge everyone into oblivion and finally end it.”
    “You….” The priest said, recognizing the young man but he was halted as he approached.

    An overwhelming atmosphere of malice and hatred emanating from the youth proved too intense.

    “It seems you’ve made some interesting friends since we last met.”

    The priest stepped away, repelled by an otherworldly scent the young staff wielder reeked of.

    “Well that’s a boring way to look at things.” The jester retorted to the young man’s argument, “Speaking of which I’m already bored. I was promised heroes of harmony to bash and burn and I’m not seeing them.”

    “Well said.” A fifth man in their group laughed.

    On the steps below the four a man sat, examining the edge of one of his two gunblades. This newer model blade was crossed with a pump action rifle. With an intact barrel worked properly into the weapon’s design this blade did have the ability to fire bullets when not in close range. The wielder of the unique sword had silvery white hair that was heavily spiked in all directions, even covering a portion of his face. He wore no shirt, his entire upper body completely bare, with white pants, a black sash, and knee high boots.

“I’m only here for a good fight. Something better happen before my blades start to rust or I just might make sport of all of you.”

    He plunged his sword into the steps before laying back, lounging on the stairs.
    “Enough, your wait is at an end.” Garland announced entering the shrine. “I bring word from our lord Chaos.”
    “That’s his name?” The priest inquired.
    “I’m liking him already.” The Jester laughed.
    “Our orders are short and simple.” Garland continued, “We will start by spreading out and gathering even more warriors to our cause. We are amassing an army to march on the goddess Cosmos. It is up to you warriors to decide who is worthy.”
    “The weak shall know no mercy as they are slashed and slaughtered.” The gunblade wielder chuckled with a sadistic grin. “Only the strong shall walk beside me.”

    Two more masked figures stood silent in the corner of the open space. One wore a black mask with red and white markings. The mask covered his face except for his eyes and mouth. Shoulder length wavy silver hair framed his face.

   “I see. So this is our first duty to Chaos……” He noted.
   The final member of their group remained hidden completely beneath a brown facemask and helmet. A long cape draped over his shoulders hung around his body.
   “Even a god has need to seek more power to accomplish his goal? Amusing.” He remarked, raising a fist as waves of crimson energy began to flow over him.
   “That is all. Disperse.” Garland ordered.

   Without any further questions the group broke off heading their separate ways.

 

~Chapter End~

Characters Featured this chapter:

Sora(Kingdom Hearts)

Eve (Parasite Eve)

Kefka Pallazzo (Final Fantasy 6)

Seymour Guado (FF 10)

Shuyin/Baralai (FF10-2)

Weiss (FF7 Dirge of Cerberus)

Ruecian (Threads of Fate)

Grahf (Xenogears)

 

 

 

9: Chapter 2: A Foul First Taste

*Squall's in a new world and his first experiences in this new foreign land are......... definitely pleasant to say the least.*

 

 

        Overhead the grey skies unsettled Squall with their eeriness. Not a single speck of blue made it past the grey barrier of clouds reaching all the way out to the horizon. Much to his dismay Squall guessed that a storm would be rolling in soon. Pressured further, he increased his efforts to find an escape to civilization from the forest. Initially upon arriving, the forest had been silent, but now bird’s cries echoed in the distance. The sounds came off agitated and panicked, not at all like a song one might hear upon waking up. The forest felt more alive, if at tremendous unease to Squall. Along with the rest of the atmosphere around him his own nerves were on edge the longer his journey continued.



      (What if Rinoa and the others were lost in these woods too?) He continuously pondered while searching but still no other people came into view. 



       A rustling coming from the bushes caused him to freeze.  His fingers slowly drifted to the handle of his gunblade as he watched. A black panther suddenly leaped out into the open, racing towards him. Its approaching speeds were startling to the young soldier as he swiftly withdrew his sword though proving still too slow in the process. The creature reached him, Squall’s heart skipping a beat as he knew he couldn’t react fast enough, yet it passed him by. He looked back puzzled seeing the large feline vanish into another bush. 

        “It didn’t want me?” He sighed in relief, “Still…..what was that abo-”

        He began to say when a large grotesque monster tore its way through the bushes where the panther had emerged.  A twinge of fear emerged within Squall at the new sight. He recognized the beast as a Malboro, a very vicious monster to encounter in the wild without the proper equipment. The plant-like monster boasted a large cluster of coiling tentacles supporting its body, twisting and curving as it scanned the surroundings for its prey. Over a dozen eye stocks stuck out atop and around the creature’s body much like antenna. The eyes swiveled about as they searched.

      Squall quickly realized the panther had been fleeing this even greater predator. The eyes continued to search but with the panther missing from view they all trained on him instead. Squall’s expression dulled, knowing it had just changed target. Racing across the grass swiftly, the malboro rushed him. It opened its jaw wide revealing its row of sharp jagged teeth. He dived aside as it took a bite, its teeth sinking into the air alone. Squall turned, swiping at it with his blade. He pulled the trigger at the very instant his blade struck it in the mouth, the loud bang of a gunshot echoed throughout the forest.  A few of the creature’s teeth were blown away as he inflicted a deep cut. 

        The monster squealed, withdrawing a few yards away. Squall stood at the ready, the monster’s blood staining his blade. Gunblades were difficult extremely precision specific blades that Squall was one of the few specialists of. Despite the “gun” aspect of the weapon’s name it had no long range ability. Pulling the trigger caused the bullet to discharge within the blade’s chamber itself, sending an abrupt shockwave through the steel. It’s then up to gunblade practitioner to time when he pulls the trigger right down to the moment his blade comes in contact with a target. As the sword would be tearing through the opponent’s flesh the resulting shock would force the blade to shake and vibrate, allowing his sword to even more violently rip through his victim. An added effect of the sudden vibration also that it softens whatever material it comes into contact with making it more slice or breakable.

       Wisps of black fumes began to flow out from the creature’s mouth as it shook its head to regain its bearing.  Squall’s eyes flashed with alarm recognizing the sign of the incoming attack.  He raised an arm to cast a spell hoping to beat it to the punch.

“Firag-” Squall attempted to shout when the malboro struck first.

       It exhaled, blowing forth a huge black wind that reached over the entire area. He feebly raised an arm to shield his eyes, nose and mouth instead, the black haze washing over him and everything in front of the monster. Squall staggered back gagging on the horrid stench as he felt a sickened sensation grip his body. Struggling to breathe his vision began to blur and lose focus. He spotted the malboro coming again, but with his vision clouded there appeared to be multiple creatures to defend against. It extended one of its tentacles, swiped at the disoriented Squall sending him slamming into the side of a tree. He let out a gasp at the impact. As he lay pulling himself together the monster approached, ready to seize its prey. Squall felt the cold tentacles coil around his arms and legs, lifting him off of the ground. 

       He hung suspended off the ground, his vision still unfocused as he stared into the slowly opening mouth of the monster. The tendrils binding him began to draw him into the gaping maw as the countless eyes all eerily followed him, each blinking in anticipation at the impending feeding. Squall struggled but his body was sluggish to respond.  Soon everything went dark and he could feel the humidity within the creature’s mouth. At any second the malboro’s teeth would rip into his flesh he knew.

“Ifrit!!” The struggling Squall called in desperation, realizing he simply couldn’t fight back while poisoned on his own.

       The Malboro’s jaw snapped shut, attempting to bite the youth in half. The numerous eyes sitting atop there stalks blinked upon feeling the teeth collide with a hard impenetrable burning surface. Squall’s body from head to toe was completely engulfed in a cloak of fire. The young warrior only felt a soothing warmth from the shroud of fire that protected him meanwhile the blaze ate away at the tentacles holding his limbs as well as the malboro’s lips and teeth blackened over, charred. He could feel the creature stubbornly applying more pressure despite being burned. The tentacles released his hand clutching the gunblade, finally giving in to the pain. 

       Finding himself still trapped in the creature’s mouth, his legs outside kicking as he struggled, Squall plunged the sword into the back of the malboro’s throat and pulled the trigger. The shock sent through the blade into the creature simulated being punched in the back of the throat and prompted its jaw to fly open as it reeled back, dazed from the abrupt force channeled through its being. Squall was tossed back tumbling to a stop. His head still cloudy as his body was engulfed in the protective fire. Wisps of steam rosew off of him from the monster’s saliva coming in contact with the flaming barrier.

“Go!” Swiping a hand he commanded.

      The shroud of fire over him erupted out, leaving his body without as much as a burn. The flames danced about in the air whirling into a large column. A beastly silhouette then appeared within the fire hovering over head. The earth quaked as it dropped down crashing into the ground. Ifrit exhaled fire as he roared at the malboro. The monster hesitated in the presence of the summoned newcomer. Ifrit leaped up ascending over the forest folding his arms and fires gathered below his feet, forming into an enormous sphere. The miniature sun that hung suspended over the forest could be seen for miles, with the horned lion-like summoned monster standing atop it. Ifrit raised his fists and pounded down on the blazing orb sending it rocketing at his target. 

      The malboro attempted to flee from the meteor but Ifrit’s accuracy proved on the mark crushing the creature under the ball of fire. The flames from the blast reached skyward, forming a brief tower stabbing through the canopy of the forest. The flames began to scatter to the wind revealing a smoking crater housing the crisped, charred, lifeless remains of the malboro.

“Ifrit, are you alright?” A sickened Squall, down on his knee asked while enduring the heavy toll the malboro's poisons took on his body.

       “Just a scratch.” The fiery beast growled, “Keep your concerns on your own predicament.”

        With no further word, Ifrit evaporated into a cloud of fire whose embers scattered to the winds. The relationship between soldier and “guardian force” was as the name implied. A guardian force can enshroud their master in their very essence and element to defend them from an attack. The price though is they take the damage in place of their summoning soldiers before they launch a near cataclysmic counter attack. 

        Squall staggered to his feet attempting to take a first step yet the nausea and dizziness took too firm of a hold as he collapsed onto his back. He lay still, struggling to catch his breath. Panic began to settle in as all the details of his dilemma ran through his mind. He was lost in a strange wilderness with more potential beasts. His consciousness was beginning to fade due to the poisoning. Suddenly a rustling in the bushes caught his attention. The Black Panther emerged, quietly approaching. 

        Squall attempted to raise his gunblade to point at the incoming predator yet his muscles failed to respond. The predator closed in as his vision continued to darken with each passing moment. His eyes closed briefly, when he struggled and opened them once again discovering the panther had vanished, replaced by a pair of female legs approaching.   The figure wore black boots, with beige coat tails flowing with her steps. Squall finally slipped out of consciousness before he could look up to make out the newcomer.

        The sound of the ocean waves could be heard when he awoke. He let out a groan while reaching for his head. A throbbing headache greeted the young man as he struggled to sit up.

        “Hello.” A female voice spoke out, “You’re awake. Are you okay?”

        Squall turned, his vision was still blurred but he realised he had been laid to rest on a cliff overlooking the sea. A familiar person, dressed in a beige outfit, sat at the edge looking back at him.

       “Rinoa? You’re alright.” Squall wearily sighed in relief.
       “Careful. The poison is probably still in your system. There aren't any places or hospitals around. The best I could do was take you to safety and hope that it runs its course. I’m sorry. That monster wasn't the only one wandering those woods.”

       “It’s alright. I’ll be fine with some more time. Rinoa, have you seen Selphie or Irvine? Anyone else?”

       The girl paused for a moment, puzzled.

       “I think you’re confusing me with someone. My name is Kaldea.”

       He looked up at the woman once again, his vision finally clearing. Squall took a moment studying her features while confused. Kaldea was a beautiful woman with smooth flowing black hair that draped over her shoulders. She wore a beige coat with a green sash. A short red cape hung from her shoulder flowing in the wind. Squall noted the torso section of her coat was open leaving a modest amount of her chest and abdomen exposed. On her arms she wore black leather gloves and near knee high black boots. Yet the most peculiar detail Squall found was she bore a striking resemblance to his lost loved one but upon closer examination he could see she was exceptionally older and more developed physically.


      (She must be in her late twenties, early thirties. Not Rinoa….) He sorrowfully concluded.



       Kaldea saw his features turn sullen as he rose back to his feet with some effort before taking a few wobbling steps. The effects of the malboro’s poisons were still evident within him he knew. The youth grappled for a moment with despair, his raised hopes for finding Rinoa and the others thrown to the wind by this turn of event. 
“Are you alright?” 

      “Yes. I-I’m fine.” Squall finally said recomposing himself after a moment’s silence. “I’ll just have to keep looking. Alright, first thing, you already said you couldn't find any towns or places. You’re not from around here anymore than I am are you?”
     “No. I just suddenly found myself lost in this forest.”
     “Same boat huh?” Squall remarked at their shared predicament. “It’s not going to do any good to stay here.” 
     “Are you sure you want to start moving in your condition?” 
     “It’ll wear off with time. I can deal with it.”
     “Do you mind…….if I accompany you.” Kaldea hesitantly asked, “The forest is crawling with monsters. If not for my speed I would have been overwhelmed. Now’s probably not the best time to be traveling alone.”



     (True……) He had to admit to himself as he thought. (Not my ideal situation to work with a complete stranger. Plus what if she could be behind this, or just a part of whatever I’ve been thrown into. Why does she resemble her? Something isn’t right.  On my own though isn’t a good idea either. Just have to keep my guard up for now.)



     “Sure. You’re right. By the way my name is Squall. Thank you for dragging me out of there.” He finally said, realizing it had escaped him to express his gratitude to his savior.
     “Of course.” Kaldea smiled as the two began their journey back into the forest.

~Chapter End~

 

*Characters featured this chapter*

Kaldea Orchid (The Bouncer)

10: Chapter 1: The Divine Arangement

 

 

 

            The skies over Eshtar were pure blue, barely a cloud obscuring the bright sun of the new day. The young couple of Squall and Rinoa were lead down the streets by Kiros. The leading official of Esthar’s government walked ahead of the pair in a white regal flowing robe. Squall knew the tall, thin, tan skinned figure well, having worked together to defend against the cataclysmic schemes of the sorceress Ultimecia in the past. One year had gone by since the long confrontation.

            “Laguna was really happy to hear that you would make it.” Kiros said. “Thank you for taking your vacation time out to come to the event.”

            “So what’s this all about?” Squall dryly inquired. The youth never too eager to put up with his elder’s antics.

            “My apologies. The president requested for this to remain a secret.”

           

(Watch, it’ll be something really stupid.) Squall sighed as he thought.

 

            “I’m fine with surprises. But………” Rinoa gingerly smiled while holding his hand. “Come on Kiros. Just one hint.”

            “I cannot.”

            “Please.” She persisted.

            “Okay fine.” Kiros groaned, putting up very little of a fight after all. “It’s big.”

            Rinoa still held her smile waiting for him to divulge further yet the tall figure spoke no more. Squall’s expression remained aloof, watching the man along with her.

            (Well?) He thought. The small hint even succeeding in pulling him in along with her.

 

“That’s all. What he’s showing today is exceptionally large.”

            “Now are we talking large as in it has major super duper impact,” A familiar peppy voice called out, “Or large as in landmass wise. You know, miles.”

 

            Their path had crossed with the always childishly cheerful Selphie and casual Irvine arriving from an adjacent road as they too traveled the same way. The two were other friends and comrades in arms they had battled side by side with in the past.

            “Ahhh Selphie and Irvine.” Kiros called out with a smirk. “The rest of our party is here.”

            “Still always wearing the serious poker face.” Selphie laughed hurrying over to the pair of Squall and Rinoa and managing to get her arms around both of them with a hug.

            “How’s Trabia Garden Selphie?” Squall was first to ask.

            “Fully rebuilt and up and running.” She answered, tremendous enthusiasm shining through her wide grin. “And I’ve been promoted to instructor too.”

            “Really!? That’s amazing. Congratulations.” Rinoa said.

        (Heaven…….HELP. THOSE. CHILDREN.) Looking off, Squall thought, trying to piece the image together of Selphie at the head of a class.

            “What are you thinking about Squall? I know that face.” Selphie quickly inquired, recognizing his expression.

        She turned sharp eyes on him, failing in her attempts to give off the aura of an intimidating interrogator.

            “Oh nothing Selphie.” He swiftly replied, avoiding eye contact. “Good job.”

            “Thanks.” Her smile returning again as she twirled off of him back to Irvine’s side.

            “Haven’t lost the cowboy motif I see.” Squall noted studying Irvine’s familiar outfit.

            Irvine stood wearing his usual cowboy hat, purple shirt, khaki-colored long jacket, and brown chaps over black trousers.

            “Hey no need to fix what isn't broken as they always say.” Irvine calmly replied. “I see you’re sticking to all black as usual.”

            “Isn’t broke…” Squall smirked in response.

            “Right. But I see you’ve still made some…….changes.”

            Irvine eyed Squall’s clothing, noting the departure from his usual black jacket and pants over a white t-shirt. Squall walked dressed in a sleeveless black tank top with fingerless gloves, black pants with white fur along the collar and top of his pants. A chain wrapped around his left arm along with a small black sash draped around his right leg flowing with each step. His gunblade, the “Revolver”, was fastened to his waist, held in place by a simple strapped clip on his belt. Squall kept a hand on the hilt of the sword, keeping it steady as he walked.

            “It was Rinoa’s idea.” Shooting back a cold glare he quickly clarified.

            “Well actually my idea was more colorful.” She added with a laugh, “But we ended up compromising with this when a certain someone was being stubborn.”

            “Well look at you two.” Irvine also laughed, prompting Squall to massage his forehead with a hand in mild annoyance at the constant teasing.

            “It’s been almost a year now. How are Zell and Quistis?” Selphie asked.

            “Zell’s still a member of Seed.” Rinoa explained “And Quistis did get her instructor license back so she’s teaching again.”

            “Yay! Then we can compare notes. I need to catch up with her.”

            Squall smirked continuing to bet this whole idea is gonna weird Quistis out too. He still tried to imagine authority wielding instructor Selphie.

            “And Siefer?” She continued.

            “Don’t know.” Looking more distant, Squall answered. “I hear he’s still in Balamb somewhere but he’s never come back to the Garden. Can’t imagine he would after everything that happened.”

            “You’ve never tried to extend an invitation to him to come back?”

            “No. As if he would accept it anyway. If he ever comes back that’s on him.”

            “We’re almost there.” Kiros interrupted guiding the group around another corner.

            “Alright let’s get this over with. What’s good old President Loire got for us?” Squall dryly asked when his walk was halted.

        An ominous thundering faintly echoed from the distance. He turned back when a fleeting tremor in the ground caught his attention. The youth searched the towering buildings and skies for any sign of change yet Esthar remained a still and peaceful sight.

        “Something wrong?” Rinoa inquired, gazing at him in concern when the group noticed he had fallen behind.

        “N-nothing.” Squall finally said, rejoining them as they pressed on.

 

 

*Back at the wasteland*

            With a groan Garland came too, his body still aching from the previous battle.

            “Welcome back.” A soft spoken male voice greeted. “Careful though. Don’t move. My magic was just barely able to catch you from death’s embrace. You’re still going to need some more rest to fully recover.”

            The knight opened his eyes, seeing the man from before greeting him.

            “Who are you?” Garland was quick to demand, completely bypassing any words of gratitude.

            With the knowledge of his predestined fate on his mind, it meant little to him to be saved in such a manner. The man raised an eyebrow, taking notice of this in the knight’s demeanor.

            “I am Cid.” He answered, “A Lufenian.”

            “A Lufenian? A descendant of the sky people eh? What brings you here?”

            “I could ask you the same thing. Shambling mortally wounded through a barren wasteland. What happened to you?”

            “It matters not anymore.” Garland coldly replied.

            “Very well.” Cid bitterly replied, not really caring himself to know Garland’s tale. “As for us, we were brought here by “the child’s” wrath. And her….”

            Garland’s attention drifted to the unconscious maiden laying still.

“Of course it had to be that puppet Cosmos who followed us here.”

            Cid’s words seethed with contempt as his fists began to shake. Garland noted the rage boiling within the man.

“She’s a copy of my wife. My wife……..she’s gone. We were on the run. The government used us for our child’s power. We finally broke free when all was falling apart. Of course there was nowhere to truly run, we knew but…..still. What a twist, that we only truly escaped thanks to her death. They shot at us and she was the first to be taken down by their fire.”

            Garland remained silent. How truly on edge his savior was, was becoming more apparent the longer he observed.

“Excuse me. I’d like to be alone for right now.” Cid suddenly announced, walking away.

            Garland offered no protest as he watched the man return to the unconscious woman’s side. Cid continued to glare at her, arms crossed. Standing quietly alone, the grief ridden emotions simmered within him. Still feeling the pain from his injuries Garland rose and approached “the child” as Cid continually kept referring to it. Garland knelt down beside the curled up demon.

            “And who are you?” He asked, the monster’s head perking up at the words.

            “How infuriating my love.” Cid bitterly whispered to himself, still staring sternly at the motionless woman. “I cannot stop my blood from boiling. What they’ve done. These atrocities cannot go unpunished….”           

            Garland glanced in Cid’s direction, the man still fuming with rage he could tell. He returned his attention to the creature who, though very timid, was more welcoming to speak with. He shared with the knight stories of his home world. Having someone to listen to him calmed the monster Garland quickly realized. Yet the stories he had to tell intrigued the knight. Cid had said he was a Lufenian, leading Garland to assume he’s simply from Lufenia, one of the nations of his world. But “the child’s” stories instead suggested they came from a world that had long since fallen into legend. The monster spoke of a kingdom floating adrift in the skies and airships. Technology that only existed in the legends of Lufenia long past that Garland knew.

  

            (Could these people somehow be from that era of lore?) The knight wondered.

 

            His thoughts over the matter were swiftly dashed when a vast shadow flew overhead sending a raging wind to blast over them. Cid tensed raising an arm to shield his eyes. The winds raged as an enormous dragon elegantly circled overhead before coming to a stop and hovering over the group. At the sight of the dragon’s gaze upon them, “the child” merely remained shrunken within its curled up state, not wishing to react to or deal with the newcomer.

            “What m-manner of b-beast?” Garland struggled to say while raising his sword despite his weakened condition.

            “POWER.” A booming voice echoed from the majestic dragon, “GIVE ME POWER.”

            “Power?” Garland repeated, his head perking up.

            “Power eh?” Cid also coldly repeated, the final straw seeming to snap. “I’M THE ONE THAT NEEDS POWER!! DON’T COME SEEKING ANY MORE FROM ME THAN WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN!!”

            “YOU DARE TAKE SUCH A TONE WITH ME?” The winged beast remarked, his voice thundering across the wasteland.

            “Imbecile!!! Don’t provoke it!!” Garland snapped, shouting at Cid.

            Yet the dragon merely began to chuckle in amusement. Garland returned his attention to the hovering beast in confusion while Cid raised an agitated eyebrow.

            “YOU’RE A BOLD ONE LITTLE MORTAL. AND IF YOU HAD A WAY TO GO ABOUT OBTAINING SUCH POWER? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?”

            “How would I do it?” Folding his arms, Cid began to ponder. “In the end our suffering was merely for the sake of furthering their agenda of war with the other nations. Fighting. Endless fighting………………”

           

*Back in Esthar*

 

 

            “Welcome to Moomba land!!” Laguna shouted in delight as he threw the gates open to the enormous theme park.

            The cheering crowds of Esthar citizens rushed ecstatically past him. Squall merely face-palmed while Selphie hopped in place excitedly with an interested Rinoa smiling.

            “A theme park? Really?” Squall commented, “That was the big issue to call us out for?”

            “Who else to share this big moment with me?” Gingerly smiling Laguna asked, “You know you guys are like family to me. Of course it’s only right to have you here for the grand opening.”

            “Well I guess…..”

            “Oh come on.” Rinoa laughed shoving him roughly towards the gate. “Stop acting. You know you want to ride something.”       

            “Oh yeah you would love the “Ghost ride”.” Laguna added. “We actually have the technology here to make a hover coaster. No track needed, you can’t see the loops or falls coming. It’s the ultimate thrill. You guys wanna try with me?”

            “Uhh I’ll pass.” Squall reluctantly answered.

 

            (A flying coaster with no track? That’s insane.) He thought. (No thanks. I’ve survived dealing with too much to die like that.)

 

            “You absolutely sure.” Laguna further pressed.

            Squall nodded.

            “That ride is all yours. Knock yourself out "Mr. President".”

            “He can’t.” Kiros whispered to Rinoa. “Too afraid to get on his own ride alone.”    

            Selphie joined in with her when Rinoa began to giggle.

            “I heard that.” Laguna protested, “I’m not at all scared. You’ve got me all wrong.”

            “Oh really.” Kiros retorted with a smug grin as he folded his arms. “That contraption of yours is the first thing besides a pretty woman that I’ve ever seen make your leg cramp up.”

            Turning red in the face the president found himself at a loss for words.

            “Here I’ll be your buddy. LET’S DO THIS!!” A hyped up Selphie shouted jumping over and taking Laguna’s arm.

            “Whoa you s-sure?”

            “Alright have fun.” Irvine chuckled watching Selphie escort the president.

            “What do you mean? You’re coming too.” She added, turning back to Irvine with an innocent grin.

            “Uhh s-sure..o-o-of course” He replied, unable to resist her as he joined the departing pair.

            Kiros merely chuckled, starting through the gates himself while gesturing for Squall and Rinoa to follow.

            Squall took his first step when a violent tremor shook the ground. The group looked back alarmed.

            “An earthquake?” A confused Rinoa was first to asked.

            “No, couldn’t be.” Laguna answered, looking to Kiros for an answer. “There’s never been an earthquake in Esthar has there?”

            “None that I’m aware of.” Kiros said with a shrug just when another tremor rocked the city again.

 

*****************

 

            The dragon’s name as they learned was Shinryu. Garland quietly stood as a very intrigued bystander, listening to Cid and Shinryu continue their negotiations. Cid, giving into some absurd urge to be fittingly ironic as far as Garland could tell, intended to request that Shinryu use his power to help plunge the world into endless cycles of battles from which there should be no escape. The drafted innocents who were to be used as pawns in their arrangement would fight until they fall and be revived by Shinryu, the dragon feasting on their power and memories in the process, in order to reap his own rewards from the whole affair. The unconscious Cosmos and “the child” would be made into Gods and would do battle. As gods their powers too would grow over the cycles of battle. Cid’s final goal was to gain enough power to rip his way back into his home world and destroy every nation responsible for the crimes committed against his family. 

            “VERY WELL THEN LET’S BEGIN.” Shinryu instructed.

            “A moment Cid.” Garland interrupted. “I would like to have a hand in this as well. Allow me to look after and guide “the child” through the conflict.”

            Cid merely peaked over his shoulder at the knight, thinking for a moment.

            “Do as you like.” He finally complied though even though he was granting permission, the rage in his words still felt like venom.

 

            (To be part of a cycle of battle and war on such a grand scale,) A heavily interested Garland thought. (This shall be far more entertaining than the cycle of monotony that has been my existence until now. I shall truly revel in this.)

 

            “Alright Shinryu. As agreed, my offering to commence. I don’t need this aging body anyway. My consciousness and spirit are enough for me to carry on.”

            Cid held out his arms towards the dragon, his body beginning to shine in blue light before breaking apart and dissolving. Garland looked on seeing the figure evaporate into light, the remaining particles drawn towards the dragon and consumed. Cid had chosen for himself to give up his mortal body and be nothing but a spirit. From there he would venture elsewhere to continue his research and studies while overseeing the wars to come. Shinryu stretched out his wings gathering his power.

            Upon letting out a roar, he was engulfed in an aura of golden light. The still sleeping Cosmos and “the child” were consumed in pillars of energy. Cosmos’ eyes opened at last as she hovered in the light for a moment, gently drifting to her feet. Garland recalled Cid mentioning that Cosmos had been crafted in the image of his wife. She was incomplete though, but still managed to manipulate their child under the guise of being his mother. She had been used against Cid to control “the child” when Cid and his wife began to withdraw their support to keep controlling and instructing him. The power bestowed upon her by the divine dragon seemed to perfect her being in the process.

            “NOW THEN, BOTH OF YOU.” Shinryu spoke out, “YOU NOW HOLD GOD-LIKE POWER OVER THE WORLD. LET THE FIRST BLOWS THAT WILL SPARK THE ETERNAL WAR BE EXCHANGED.”

            Wearing a sullen expression Cosmos nodded obediently before she then turned to her chosen opponent, an intense aura of blue light kicking up around the woman’s figure. The powerful rays of light produced by the goddess raged throughout the land. Garland struggled to stand so close to the goddess, brought to his knees by the intensity of her power flooding the atmosphere. Now it was “the child’s” turn, standing firm as wisps of red light emitted around his form. The barren wastelands where they stood began to quake with the two forces clashing upon them. Garland looked on, seeing the expanding rays of energy and light from the two gods block out the sky, before massive stretches of the land began to rip away from the earth.

            Soon the energy of the colliding god’s powers overtook everything, leaving the knight floating adrift in a sea of turbulent raging light.

 

**********************

 

            Esthar continued to shake violently, the earthquakes intensifying with each passing minute. Buildings and bridges collapsed under the savage tremors. Squall and his companions were all thrown to their feet. Laguna turned his attention back to the park and the panicking citizens.

            “Kiros! Irvine! Squall!” He suddenly shouted with true authority, “Help me start getting people to shelter. We need to get everyone off the streets now!”

            Squall pushed himself up as Rinoa hurried to his side checking on him. He looked over seeing Kiros and Irvine starting after the president with Selphie quickly behind when the ground began to fracture in the streets around them. Waves of light seeped through the cracks. Buildings, roads, the tree’s, the air, the skies. Everything both tangible and not began to separate as the shining substance spilled through. Squall stepped back holding up his arm instinctively to guard Rinoa.

 

            (What is this!?) He urgently wondered. (The only time I’ve seen something mess things up like this was Ultimecia’s ridiculous time compression! We stopped it!)

 

            “Hey you two. Move!” Irvine shouted back to the straggling pair when the floor shattered before him.

            A pouring geyser of energy rushed up separating the couple from their friends. Rinoa let out a gasp as the floor broke apart beneath them. The two were swept up into the air, engulfed in the rays of energy. Squall quickly realized even a sense of gravity was fading rapidly as he hung suspended off the floor. Spotting a drifting Rinoa in the distance, he quickly kicked off of a floating slab of the pavement, gliding towards her. Beneath him the remainder of the street disintegrated revealing the subway line below. Dust, train cars, rail roads, more masses of stone, and all manner of debris floated up into his path blocking his view of Rinoa.

            Squall’s eyes flashed with rage, as he withdrew his gunblade. Sparks flashed up into swirling waves of energy around the silver blade of his weapon. The enveloping energy around the gunblade serving to boost the destructive force behind his attack. Spotting the first traincar in his path, he found it was empty fortunately as he roughly split the carriage in half with a powerful swipe of his sword before forcing his way through. He caught a glimpse of Rinoa drifting and unable to push off of something to move back to him. Wisps of fire appeared around his hands as he continued to glide.

 

            (Get out of my way!) In his mind he angrily demanded, blasting more pieces of debris aside with fire balls.

 

            More floating wreckage cluttered his path, proving the final straw, as the youth performed a whirling slash with his sword, sending a ring of fire to expand out from him.

            “Dammit! GET OUT OF MY WAY!!” He howled, the ring erupted into a vast explosion obliterating everything around the young soldier, clearing his path towards his drifting love. As Squall closed in the two held out their hands for one another.  He spotted a massive swell of light erupting up from below them.

“Almost….” He hissed, their fingers on the verge of touching, when he realized he was still a hair too slow.

            The rushing torrent of energy collided with the pair. Squall attempted to cry out at his failure to reach in time when they were parted. Swept away in the waves of power he lost all control of where he would find himself.

            Suddenly Squall’s eyes flashed open and he jumped up. The young soldier found himself lost out in the wilderness. He searched his surroundings frantically, seeing nothing but trees and vegetation.

            “Rinoa!” He quickly called, “Irvine! Kiros! Selphie……….Laguna.”

            He spoke Laguna’s name more sternly, as if an adult calling for a hiding child. The looming possibility of if this was all some elaborate joke in the back of his mind. Laguna's whimsical nature had surprised him in the past. Only silence answered as he started walking. The entire forest was quiet, enough so to allow the youth to hear his ears ring. Not even the chirp of a bird echoed out in the distance as he started to walk.

“Way too quiet…….”He whispered while watching for any sign of an ambush. “Come on guys where are you?”

            He paused placing a hand on a tree for support, already beginning to find himself panting lightly.

            (The air in this place feels really heavy. It’s hard to move. It’s like a gravity spell is in effect. What is going on?) He wondered, beginning to venture deeper into the forest.

~Chapter End~

 

*Characters featured this chapter* (Hmmm, okay a lot of Final Fantasy 8 this time around but it’s gonna get diverse very quickly. LOL)

Garland (Final Fantasy 1)

Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy 8)

Rinoa Heartilly (Final Fantasy 8)

Irvine Kinneas (Final Fantasy 8)

Selphy Tilmitt (Final Fantasy 8)

Kiros Seagill (Final Fantasy 8)

Laguna Loire (Final Fantasy 8)

Cosmos (Dissidia Final Fantasy)

Chaos (Dissidia Final Fantasy)

Cid of The Lufaine (Dissidia Final Fantasy)

Shinryu (Dissidia Final Fantasy)

11: Prologue: The fated Duel of Origins

        In the spacious center of the shrine, the emerald haired princess Sarah lay unconscious. The heir to the kingdom of Cornelia held captive by the traitorous knight Garland. Upon attacking the castle and taking the princess hostage, the knight retreated to the derelict shrine of Chaos. Indeed the interior of the old structure had descended into chaos with the clash of steel on steel echoing off the walls. 

       “The King’s lapdogs.” The knight Garland scoffed at the four mysterious youths who had come to confront him. 

       Garland was a hulking mass of armor, the sort of man beneath the thick steel plating unknown to all. A thick cape of ominous velvet shade flowed with his every powerful movement as he raised his enormous broad sword to the group.

       Among the party that had arrived to save the princess stood two warriors, one clad in bright red armor, his light brown hair neatly combed back into slight spikes. The warrior by his side, another young man known as a red mage with charming features. His long silvery hair flowed over his shoulders. He wore a long red cape over a matching red tunic, pants, and feathered hat with brown boots.  Behind them stood the second line of defense to face the knight consisting of a young boy of a black mage clad in a blue robes, his face shrouded in the thick shadows of his steepled hat. Only the light reflecting off of his golden eyes was visible through the dark. A gentle looking young girl with light brown hair dressed in white priestess-like robes stood by his side as a white mage and the final opponent to the knight. 

       Garland stood on the staircase to the princess, on a much higher level above the four with his sword held up. The weapon suddenly produced a loud click, the mysterious sword collapsing and folding in on itself. It shifted into a more axe-like design, alarming the four when Garland suddenly leaped forward.

“Do you have any idea who you are messing with!? You really think you can cross blades with me? Very well….” 

       The four youths scattered, leaping in different directions to evade Garland’s crushing axe swing. The weapon collided with the floor with enough force that sent cracks and fractures throughout the walls and ground upon impact. The surrounding area around the Chaos shrine began to shake with tremors prompting clouds of birds to take to the skies in panic.
“I Garland!” He continued when the Red mage hurried in to strike with their blades clashing. “WILL KNOCK YOU ALL DOWN!!!!”

       The swordsman was roughly shoved away by the overpowering knight as Garland turned to begin an exchange of blows with the second warrior flanking him. The air filled with the rhythmic strikes of their meeting blades while the white and black mages hung back, watching their comrades do battle with the villain. The warrior in red armor proved a step too slow as Garland drove a horizontal slash through an opening in his offensive. The young warrior let out a gasp as he took the blow to the chest. His armor cracked taking a few ribs with it. The impact of the blow launched him into the wall of the shrine with tremendous force.
       Garland immediately went up in a cloud of fire when he was struck by a spell of the black mage who didn’t wish to give the knight a moment’s rest. This gave the girl a chance to hurry to the downed warrior’s aid. With his red cape flowing elegantly in the wind, the second swordsman of their group rushed in to strike the dazed traitor. The knight raised his sword, stopping the incoming attack in time before shoving the Red mage aside with another hard kick. The swordsman recovered, ready to rush at the knight once again when he was halted by Garland’s next action. The handle of his mighty blade disconnected into a chain, revealing the sword even functioned as a flail along with being a blade and axe. He held up his sword to guard as Garland took his first swing, launching the Red mage off of his feet with the colossal force of his connecting blow. Garland turned his sites back to the young black mage sending another blast his way. The villain simply leaped up letting the fire harmlessly barrel through the space below him as he defied gravity, hanging suspended in the air over the blaze. He began to swing the blade around wildly by the chain. 

“You miserable insect.” Garland taunted, large waves of water magically materializing in the air from his blade, flowing into a fat swirling ring around the dark knight. 
“You wish to challenge me in a contest of magic? KNOW YOUR LIMITS!”

       Shouting he threw the sword by the chain at the blue robed boy.  The blade took on a life of its own, slithering like a snake as it sped towards the youth.  The young mage leaped aside, narrowly escaping being skewered on the racing sword yet he was helplessly devoured by the raging mass of water following with and around it. He was dragged along at the mercy of the violent currents and punched into the wall of the shrine by the crushing forces. Water was sent erupting in all directions across the hall from the collision, the sword snaking its way back to its master swiftly.
       Garland landed back on the ground suddenly noticing the first warrior he had taken down beginning to rise, bathed in the healing rays produced by the female mage of their party. Garland attempted to advance on the vulnerable pair when he was forced to clash with a surprise attack from the striking Red mage. He growled, realizing every wasted moment aided in the restoration of his enemy. Garland reached for a section of his blade that could be gripped. The red caped swordsman’s eyes flashed with alarm when Garland split his large blade into two smaller broad swords and swiped at him. The young man leaped away from the counter attack. Garland didn’t waste effort on pursuing the swordsman. Instead he twirled the blades summoning a blazing wildfire to engulf them.

       His efforts were still on taking out the enemy’s white mage as he swiped both swords, launching a volley of fireballs. The fireballs curved through the air gunning for the healer and warrior. The girl looked up, gasping at the incoming onslaught when a sheet of red cloth erupted up before her. Their ally, the sword wielding Red mage, already seeing Garland’s intentions, dashed to their side and jumped in the way to shield them from the attack with his own body. The weary black mage watched his three comrades go up in fire as the attack hit, still gravely injured after taking Garland’s “Tsunami” attack head on. While the traitorous knight’s attention remained on his other three adversaries he was brought to his knees by the surprise lightning bolt conjured from the weakened boy. 

       Meanwhile within the cloud of fire and smoke, the fallen red caped warrior lay on top of the young girl. Through the searing burns the concern for her safety still shined through the pain as their gazes met. The white mage fortunately remained unharmed, swiftly returning to her duty of healing the injured duo at her side. Garland, his body smoking from being electrocuted, snarled as he rushed at the lightning spell’s caster.  The young magician limped, struggling to evade the coming attacker. Garland leaped forward, his sword held at the ready. Sparks began to flare up around the blade forming into a raging inferno over the sword. 

       The white mage, looking passed the two injured by her side, spotted the fourth member of their party in peril. She quickly held out a hand towards Garland, casting a spell. The knight felt a sensation within his body take hold of him, his eyes losing focus on his target. To Garland, what was one weakened shambling black mage, suddenly became two blurred figures moving in unison. Try as he might he couldn’t refocus his vision before swinging the fiery blade down, hoping to finish off the youth once and for all. 

       The mage managed to dive away to safety with the precision of Garland’s aim completely off. The sword smashed into the hard floor unleashing a powerful explosion. Garland growled, enraged as the spell faded and his sight restored.

       Down on his hands and knees, the black mage raised a hand and launched a fire blast in retaliation. While he watched the incoming bolt of fire, Garland held out his sword. The handle rapidly extended, shifting the weapon from a sword to a lance. With a swipe of the polearm, the winds whirled into a raging miniature tornado before Garland. The mage’s fire ball collided with the swirling wind shielding the knight, melding and forming into a cyclone of fire. The winds came apart, leaving Garland standing in the center of clouds of fire dancing in the breeze. 

       With the mage down, giving in to injury and exhaustion Garland turned his sights back to the white mage and warriors. Only the girl stood in place of where all three should have been. Her hands were down by her waist with one cupping the other by the wrist. She stared coldly at Garland, a stern conviction in her eyes. The knight frantically began turning, searching the shrine.

       Where have the two worms gone and hidden themselves!? Garland thought, growing tense with each passing moment.

       When his attention turned upward, then he spotted the two above, fully healed by the young girl’s efforts. They held their swords high. Garland attempted to bring his sword into a defensive position but proved too slow. Falling through the smoke and drifting embers that still lingered in the air, the warrior brought his sword down on Garland’s chest while the red mage struck at the fiend’s back. They both pierced the armor, their blades tearing through the villain’s flesh. Giving in to the critical blows Garland howled, taking a weakened swipe at the two who easily leaped away. A final fire blast from the weary black mage sent Garland crashing into the stairs of the shrine. The knight struggled, unable to rise again.

       (I can’t…….defeated!? N-NONSENSE!!!) He continued to mentally insist to himself as he fought to maintain hold of his sword.

       After forcing himself back up, he staggered towards his four opponents, drops of blood landing on the floor at his feet. A loud bang erupted throughout the shrine as his sword came crashing to the floor. The fading knight not even realizing his grip had weakened. The four watched as he fell to his knees. 

       (I c-cannot…..I must not fall h-here t-to these….the…..)

       The space around the knight began to twist and warp suddenly. Garland vanished into a rift in space before everything returned to normal, leaving no trace of the kidnapper remaining in the shrine. The four exchanged puzzled glances but after a moment’s silence they knew their foe was gone. With the tension in the air lifting, the victorious group hurried up the steps to rescue Princess Sarah at last and return home.


*Meanwhile Elsewhere*
        Garland found himself transported to a wasteland where he continued to stagger, a trail of blood droplets forming behind him. 

        “Endless solitude……” The weakened knight mumbled, his words barely audible as he felt his strength continue to fade. 

        He continued to follow the plan. Being slain and carried two-thousand years into the past where he would be reborn as the godly beast Chaos. Capturing the princess, plotting to overthrow her kingdom of Cornelia, the entire plan of which she would have served as the bargaining chip played really no purpose. To Garland it was just a ploy to beckon the four warriors of light to come and defeat him. From there his then dying self would be plucked from his world by the god Chaos, who resides in the far past. It is there he becomes the beast himself and would reach out to snatch his own future self to bring back all over again. A continuing cycle that goes on into infinity. 

“A cog in the forever churning cycle of time. I grow tired of it all.” Garland admitted aloud, “Two-thousand years into the past. Right now I’ll soon succumb to these wounds. Who is it that carries me the rest of the way? Perhaps I’ll never know.” 

        As Garland continued to limp he paused briefly, clutching his sword for support. His vision blurred and faded as he struggled to remain conscious when he spotted an unusual sight. Three individuals were in his path. The knight noted an older man in robes with platinum colored long flowing hair along with a beautiful blond haired woman laying close by him. Dressed in a white gown she rested by his side, motionless, not even seeming to breathe as far as Garland could determine. 

        The third member of their company drew Garland’s attention the most. He stared at the enormous winged monster that lay curled up into a ball beside the pair. The creature seemed shaken and troubled as it mumbled to itself. Before Garland could understand the abnormality of the newcomers on his usually lonely path, he gave into his wounds collapsing to his knees and passing out. Laying still, darkness began to take hold over his vision. The last images he glimpsed were of the man taking notice of him and approaching before all faded to black.