Re: Org. XIV (story)

[NebulaGregarZX]

<And, in sharp contrast to that set-up for an epic duel...>


"Finally..." Aleri muttered, sitting down on his bed. He had changed into his training gear, the suit hung up in the closet. "I thought that would never end." He yawned, stretching his arms as he leaned back, laying down against the tough surface.

It may have been an uncomfortable place to sleep, but he had grown accustomed to it. He was one of the unlucky few in the Organization to receive such a terrible bed. It had actually become softer over time, as his body had forced the rock-hard springs to function semi-properly, so it was livable. While it was never comfortable, it was familiar, and that was enough for him.

The young man quickly fell into sleep. As his senses faded, he immediately entered a dream, which was certainly an unusual occurrence; dreams occur during the REM state, which never happens immediately after falling asleep. This was no ordinary dream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY2UMsLlfGE - Dive into the Heart -Destati- KH1.5

He fell down, through a sea of inky blackness, slowly coming into sight of a circular station...

Aleri's feet met the surface silently, and he looked around. Nothing was out of the ordinary. "...I think I'm ready."

The silent voice spoke within his heart, responding to him.

You have spent much time in preparation for this. Your goal is to obtain mastery over the Keyblade... and so close is that goal. Are you truly ready? Choose wisely.

"Maybe not. I feel my doubts welling up... so I think I'll take a little refresher before I decide that I'm really ready for it." He placed a hand over his heart. "I can't face him unless I've calmed my doubts..."

Then do as you will. This realm is merely the representation of your heart. Perhaps you ought to dive into your memories, to put yourself at ease.

"I'll do just that. I think some of those doubts come from moments in my past..."

But first, you ought to review what you know.




Aleri looked back down at his body, finding himself dressed in his old long-coat, and the ground was much closer. He was in his original, sixteen-year-old body, when he had first acquired the Keyblade.

There will be times when you must fight.

A group of Shadows began to rise from the floor, and Aleri summoned the Kingdom Key in response.

Keep your light burning strong.

[Press X to attack. Keep pressing X to chain together a combo, ending in a powerful Finisher.]

Without much effort, he dispatched the fledgling Heartless; A quick slash at the middle one, turning to cut down the one next to it, basic attacks for basic enemies.

Watch out!

He expected this; there was a Heartless behind him. It was just as in his awakening, all that time ago. He had not understood the dream then, and even forgotten about it due to the trauma involved, but it was clear as day to him now.

[Press R1 to Lock On to enemies. You will automatically aim your attacks at the target. Press R1 again to un-lock.]

That strange message again. It told him of an important property of the Keyblade: it would aim almost on its own to hit enemies almost without fail, like it had a mind of its own. Such was the nature of any weapon that sprung from its wielder's heart.

Focusing on the lone Shadow and letting his heart do the aiming, he whirled about on the spot, slashing down and eliminating the Heartless in a single strike.

All right! You've got it.

A circle of light appeared on the ground, prompting Aleri to step on it. He did so without hesitation, already knowing what it was.

[This is a Save Point. It will restore your HP and MP, as well as letting you save the game.]

This 'save the game' thing was still a mystery to him, as were these messages about buttons. He tried his best to ignore those.

[When your HP reaches zero, the game will end. MP is used to cast Magic, which is still a mystery to you.]

He knew that if he was ever defeated in battle, left unable to continue, then if his enemy were hostile, it would easily spell the end for him. By now, Magic had become much less of a mystery, however, and he smirked at the message. Magic was always a mystery, but at least he knew how to wield it.

As he stood, a door appeared, and the sense of nostalgia wavered.

Go on... you have doubts to clear.

He confidently stepped up to the tall door, reaching out with both hands and pulling it open, engulfing him in light...




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB25ZcTuXaM - Sinister Sundown KHII

He came out even younger than before. This was when he was still a normal person...

The boy, standing at Station Heights, was clutching a sword in his right hand. Right, that oddly-shaped blade he had borrowed from his father...

And he was surrounded by the Heartless. Panic flooded his mind as he realized how this had gone. He dodge left as a Shadow leapt at him, narrowly escaping the attack. He struck out at another, barely grazing it. It would have taken numerous swings to destroy a single one of them, and more were showing up...

There was nothing that he could do. This was why he had fallen into darkness in the first place. Run away? He was cut off. Fight back? He couldn't do anything to harm them. And his body wouldn't obey him as well as it would much later, when he had become a competent fighter. Aleri continued to he struck by the Heartless as he was unable to defend against their attacks. A siren went off in his head as he knew he was running out of strength...

It took only a minute before the Heartless had him on the ground, unable to move at all. They began to pile on, crawling over each other, each one trying to be the first to rip out the boy's heart...

A girl appeared from the hill below staring in mortal terror at the Heartless... and the boy trapped beneath them. Before he could even make an attempt to speak, to tell her to run, he had been covered up completely.

A few seconds later, a heart floated away from the pile, escaping for a moment before it was surrounded with more darkness, taking the shape of a Heartless itself.

All the while, the girl, Vita, watched in horror. She fell to her knees, unable to process what had just happened.

Then the swarm of Heartless turned to her, having caught their attention with another fresh heart. They gathered around her as she knelt in silence, incapable of standing. Before long, they had surrounded her in darkness, too. Her vision left her, obscured by inescapable blackness...

Only for that black tapestry to suddenly be rent in two.

As the darkness vanished, a boy not unlike the one who had been there before stood. He wore the same clothes, carried the same weapon... but wasn't quite right. He knelt in front of her, reaching for something... a pendant, hung from her neck. He grasped the crown-shaped trinket, pulling it from her.

After this, he stood up and began to walk away, shouldering the blade and tightly gripping the crown-shaped charm he had taken from her.

He left in silence, to find a name and purpose for himself.




"That was the memory of when I lost my heart. I don't need my old life; I've got a new one to live. I've endured a lot of pain, and had to overcome many obstacles, but I'm glad I took the path I did."




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7vDnBjqQBI - Friends in my Heart KHII


"You... got your heart back?"

"Aheh... yep!"

He now stood with his friend, Siks, the first person after him to join the Organization. They were in Castle Restoration. His form was that of Rexial, but...

Shortly after their conversation, after his friend had left, the boy clutched his chest. "...So... what's this pain I'm feeling, if I've got my heart back? I can feel some kind of pressure..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8lHK3WN3S4 - Villains of a Sort KHI

Not only that, but darkness began to well up around him. "...This isn't a good sign. I thought I'd feel better when I got it back, but now I just feel... conflicted. But I have to keep fighting. I can't let this feeling stop me."

The once-Nobody squashed the sensation and walked out, the darkness fading away around him.





"...To this day, I don't know what that feeling of pressure was. But I think it was the conflict between Rexial and me... He wanted to be a person of his own, but when he reclaimed our heart, it caused conflict with my own personality. It didn't get any better over time..."




Rexial held the mysterious weapon by the hilt, the point against his chest. It was some kind of Keyblade, but it was certainly not a normal one.

His face was a mess, distorted by pain and emotional turmoil. Not only had the pressure grown worse over time, but Organization XIII had been eliminated while he was away. He had lost his only purpose in life since he lost his old life in Twilight Town. There was no reason to continue to struggle again that pain.

Not only that, but the voices of the dark had been speaking to him since he had awoken. He couldn't find peace of mind anywhere. His emotions were a mess, his heart was in conflict with itself, and his body was in pain.

He jabbed the weapon into himself with a look of despair, his body surrounded by light as his heart floated away. The keyblade fell to the ground, and the heart was pulled into a mirror nearby.

The body... instead of fading away, it subtly began to change. The eyes softened, hair began to obey gravity and fell against shoulders... everything about this new person was brighter than Rexial.

Suddenly, his eyes closed before blinking back open again. He stood up, dizzy and disoriented. As he stumbled over to the mirror, the image he saw was not of his own visage, but Rexial's.

Everything moved fast from there. The image of Rexial attacked, and the boy called a weapon to defend himself... the Kingdom Key appeared in his hands.

As they fought, the image faded away.




"That was a battle that should have been avoided. I unwittingly re-absorbed him in our next clash, recreating the problem that Rexial had dealt with. I began to feel that same pressure building up... but Rexial was able to speak to me. I wasn't trying to subdue him for the sake of keeping it together and completing a goal... I was trying to coexist with him. Still..."

Images flashed into view. Pictures of his battles, wielding both darkness and light in tandem.

"...We created another problem. My light had grown stronger by then, and it naturally began to clash with the darkness. It created even more pressure, a buildup of energy that threatened to tear me apart. I tried to vent it as much as possible, but it got to the point that I tried to use the Recompletion machine to subdue Rexial entirely."

"It didn't work. I was unable to function properly at all during this time, as that only made everything worse."





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVwN3wqW2O0 - Scherzo di Notte KH1.5


Aleri held TELOS in his hand, swinging at the monsters around him. It was the battle on Synthisle, when it was invaded by Ravain.

He struck at one, the massive blade embedding itself in a rock. Another Ravain motioned to strike at him...

...only to be cut into several pieces as Rexial emerged from Aleri, pulling a couple of swords with him that were made from Spirit Metal.





"Yes, at that moment, everything changed. My mind cleared up completely, free of the pressure of Rexial's, able to focus on myself. At the same time, I feel like I became recognized by my peers as my own person as well, rather than just a replacement for Rexial. We finally become our own people. He kept his darkness, I took the light. In addition, my body had continued to hold the energy from the conflict of light and darkness within, and I was able to use it to my advantage in battle."

"Rexial found more potential in the darkness he wielded, going far beyond the limits most users of it experience. We only found our way forward because we went our separate ways, and I'm glad for that."

"And it wasn't long before..."

The image of Aleri lying on rock, TELOS jammed into the ground an inch from his face, appeared for a moment.

"...I decided to become a Keyblade Master. I've dedicated a lot to this. But I'm still not ready until I face my other regrets. I still have a lot to think about..."

[NebulaGregarZX]

<Er, right, forgot.>

Rexial stood next to Thalia, arms crossed, looking at the sunset. "...The sun really doesn't ever set around here, does it? Aheh... well, we'll need to be a little bit more active than the sky if we want to bring him back."

[Admin (HalcyonWandering)]

Thalia nodded stoically, "Yes. So, what would be our method of transit to the other side?" Her royal tongue cracking her voice with a sense of haughtiness.

Thalia shook her head, "Sorry, Rexial... I meant to say, how are we getting him back?" Her voice was plain again as she attempted a weak smile.

[NebulaGregarZX]

"Really? Not a word about the joke? I'm not really against formality, but you've been spending too much time with the stiffest of the stiffs. If we don't get him back here soon, you'll stiffen until you're solid stone!" He chuckled again.

Sighing apologetically, he looked at Thalia and back to the sun. "Sorry. Here I am cracking lame jokes when I should be making an effort to help him out. To be honest, I'm stumped. I dunno if I can just open a corridor to where he is, since it's the Realm of Darkness. We'll really need to surpass the sky to succeed with this..." He paused, a concerned expression crossing his face.

"Anyway, we need to figure out what to do. Being as lazy as the sky here won't do any good. Thalia... can I see that charm?" Rexial scratched his head. "I-I mean... it holds a lot of memories for me, too, but I bet Lance's recent memory is engraved into it. I'll be able to discern exactly where he's gotten to from there, then work on constructing a gateway there."

[Admin (HalcyonWandering)]

Thalia nodded with a small smile, "Thanks, Rexial. I just haven't had the chance to get out much... I have no idea how he was able to keep a division between his royal tongue and commonspeak..." Thalia reached into her robe and handed Rexial the charm careful not to drop them.

[NebulaGregarZX]

Rexial clasped the charm in his hand, closing his eyes as he trained his other senses on it.
...
...
"...So, he's been busy. Fighting his way to the Dark Margin must have been difficult." He grinned. "We'll do our part to make sure it wasn't a futile effort."

His eyes opened again, now glowing yellow. The brown in his hair began to fade to white as darkness began to flare up around him.

Accompanying this change in his appearance...

The sun disappeared.

It had finished setting. The sky had completely changed from its usual radiance, the world illuminated only by the pale moonlight. The stars above began to be obscured, and finally, the moon disappeared into the blackness.

"Stars don't twinkle, the moon doesn't shine..."

The only light now came from Thalia, reflected in Rexial's eyes. As the swordsman held out the pendant, a faint purple glow began to emanate from the space before them. A flat surface, suspended in the void.

Rexial stepped onto the ledge of the Station Tower, then began to walk forward onto the strange surface. "This world has been connected. Tied... to the darkness. The path exists, but can you take it...? Surely you can." He didn't seem to be directing his words to Thalia. "...Your guiding light is here."

The shrouded sky cleared slightly, a gap appearing and allowing the faintest trace of moonlight through. It lit the space before the swordsman, revealing a door that had not been there before.

"Now, step forward. Can you do it?"

[Admin (HalcyonWandering)]

The door budged slightly and Thalia's eyes twinkled with hope.

Then, nothing. They waited... 10 seconds...20 seconds...30... in crippling silence.

Thalia dropped to her knees, "Lance... please..."

----------------------

"Grah!" Lance roared as he slammed into the door with all his might. After his keyblade, the one thing that could unlock any door failed to open it, he resorted to brute force.

"Goddammit! We're so close!" He pounded on it as he resigned from the attempt sliding against it and sitting the tide of the Dark Margin, "Thalia..."

[NebulaGregarZX]

Rexial's form returned to normal as he pounded his fist on the door. "...Rrgh!" I knew that escaping the darkness wasn't going to be easy for Lance, but this is ridiculous!

...

"...At least we made some progress." He stated once he'd calmed down. "There IS a door now. We can't give up when we're so close... so we need to figure out how to open this door. If one Keyblade on his side isn't enough, then maybe one on each side...? Thalia, will your Kingdom Star do the trick?"

[Admin (HalcyonWandering)]

"Maybe..." In a flash of white light, the young woman's unorthodox blade appeared in her hand. She stood and twirled the blade aiming the true end at the door.

A beam fired and a small click was heard.

"C'mon, Lance..." Thalia pleaded quietly.

The door shuddered under a tremendous force but still refused to open.

--------------------

The door glowed with a bright light as Lance stood back from it.

"Fall!" The young king propelled himself at the door with such momentum that the ground shook beneath his feet.

"Thalia!" Lance cried out as he slammed a fist into the door causing it to shudder under his sheer force.

As it refused to give way, he slumped back falling to the beach alongside Soren.

"Tch, its no use... I'm not strong enough..." He growled at his own weakness as his hands dug into the sand.

--------------

Thalia stood at the edge of the Station Tower. Without hesitation, she stepped off the tower towards the door.

"Lance! If you can hear me, I want you to know! I won't ever give up on you! I know you're there!" The young woman smiled slightly as she shouted trying to surpass the barrier seperating them.

"So, no matter how long it takes! Don't give up! Because I'll always be waiting!"

[NebulaGregarZX]

Rexial backed off, smiling faintly. ...I'm glad she's so devoted to him. Most people would have given up by now... but she'll not only wait as long as it takes, but she's trying her hardest the whole time. My hat's off to both of you...





"Waiting... dreading the end... I'm glad that I didn't have time to feel that way."

Aleri continued to go through his memories, reliving the moments up to the X-Sigma battle. The image of Lance, Maya, Thalia and himself sitting on the Station tower together came to mind.

"We made a promise to meet up again. To be honest, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep it. I thought I might die in the battle, and even that we might lose. I was just trying to put on a brave face and keep people from losing hope, since only then would we truly have lost."

The image disappeared. "But... the one who didn't return was Lance. I still don't know if I can forgive him, even if he did save all of our lives. Was there another way...?"

...

"I don't think that particular doubt is going to disappear. Maybe I'll never become a Keyblade Master... maybe I'll die in a far-off world, fighting the Heartless, or just get sick and die in bed. But whatever happens, going forward, I'm not going to back down, or regret the past. If there was another way, then Lance's sacrifice was in vain."


...
...


When his consciousness surfaced again, he was still in his younger body. Aleri stood on Asylum, hesitating. There was something there. It was calling to him, but he didn't know what it was...

The boy walked around, past the gate, to the side wall. A familiar female shape was resting on the ground there, not moving. "Vita...?" Alarm shot through his mind, and he ran over to her. Yes, it was her. She'd been missing from Twilight Town earlier... how had she gotten here?

He knelt next to her, shaking her lightly. She was breathing, at least, but unconscious. "Are you okay?"

Vita seemed... peaceful. She was smiling, like she didn't have a care in the world. At his words she mumbled something. "...find... someday..."

Aleri looked at her sleeping face again before picking her up and carrying her inside.


...


The Keyblade wielder now stood before a most peculiar sight: a scythe, stuck into the ground, with a diamond ring hung on the end. "...Was it right for Xeromus to fight him? Sometimes, I just don't know..."

"...No, Nexas brought this upon himself. He was the one who wanted to fight. I shouldn't worry about somebody else's decision..."


...


In the lounge of Castle Asylum, Aleri sat opposite Vita, who had just started to stir. "Are you awake?"

"Uuuuuugh..." She groaned. "Lemme sleep, I was having a nice dream..."

"Sorry, but we need to have a talk." He scratched his head, not sure how to proceed. He needed to find out what had happened, and she needed to be made aware of her situation.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Hey, I know that voice... You're from the other day." She sat up, still a little sluggish.

"I'm Aleri. Vita, what happened after we last met? You went missing, and we were all worried about you."

Vita blinked for a few more seconds before responding. "I... I went to go find him."

"Who?"

"My friend. He..." She yawned. "...disappeared... and I thought I could find him... if I just tried hard enough."

Aleri stared at the floor. If she's really the friend I remember, then she left looking for me... He clenched his fists.

"...I tried to... make a raft..." She slumped back, not really awake.

"It's okay. Just sleep for now." Aleri walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

She reached up and touched his hand. "I'm glad I... found... him..." Vita mumbled before drifting off again.

All he could do was stand there, not sure how to react.


...


Briskly walking down the hallway, Aleri glanced into the training hall, seeing the damage from his recent spar with Eira. "...I haven't seen her all day. Weird."

He continued without another thought.


...


The two were sitting in the lounge again, and this time, Vita was fully awake.

"...So, you understand your situation now?" Aleri asked, a little nervous.

Vita sighed. "Yeah, I think. So there ARE other worlds out there..."

"What's with the sad face?" The Keyblader asked jokingly. "Aren't you the one who said not to do that?"

"I'll never find him at this rate..." She muttered. "...My friend. He disappeared a while back. I thought I'd go looking for him, but if there are really as many worlds as you say, and he could've ended up in any of them..."

"Relax." Aleri reassured her. "He's probably not far." I have to ask... "What's his name?"

"...I..." She hesitated. "I don't remember."

"Even if you forgot, you'll remember eventually. Memories don't just go away." He put a hand to his chest. "And I'm sure they'll come back to you."

She shot him a smile. "...Thanks, Al."


...



"I thought you weren't going to do this to us..."

He now stood in a frozen, cold, dark world, before a crystalline structure. "Why didn't you tell us first? I just don't get it..."

It looked like... Eira.


...


"So, you say you remembered something?"

"Yeah. His name."

The two were sitting on the front steps in Station Plaza.

"It was... Aleri." She laughed nervously. "Strange coincidence, huh? I'm sure you two will have a good laugh about it when you finally meet!"

"Uh, eheheh, yeah." He forced a smile. "That'll be hilarious."

"B-because you're not him. The Al I knew was never so determined to reach a goal, or anything. He couldn't have joined an organization of heroes. He wasn't strong, either. But... he was a good person. Seeing him always lifted my spirits, so I felt like I had to do the same thing for everyone. Y-you know? And his hair was a lot shorter, and he was less keen on fighting."

Aleri shook his head. "You don't have to keep telling me that I'm not him. I get it." The friend you knew is gone, now... and your search will never come to fruition. I'm sorry, but I needed to find a new purpose when I woke up... and this was my purpose. I'll never go back to those peaceful days.

"Let's keep looking for him. Someday, maybe I'll find him..." The Keyblader said, looking down at his own chest. ...Somewhere, somewhere in here.


...



His consciousness drifted back onto the sea of memories, images flashing by, sometimes accompanied by sounds.

A gravelly voice rung out from one memory. "Vita Colletta, you are now an honorary member of our organization, an Unnumbered. If you would have just joined us properly, there would be no fuss..."


"Fine! Sleep on the floor, you moron!" Vita's voice came from another memory. "I'll just... ... ...augh, the bed's hard as a rock!"

His own voice responded after a short silence. "H-hey! What are you doing?!"

"Mmmm. That's much better... your hair's a lot softer than the bed."

"G-get off. I'm not sleeping with you lying on my back."

"Well, if those two weren't taking up the guest rooms right now, I'd be in one of them instead. This is just temporary, so quit whining and deal with it."

That was an... awkward memory.


Then... pain. This next memory was full of pain, both physical and emotional. His body had been broken, unable to continue the fight, and Lance took the only action he could to save everyone...

Aleri refused to avert his eyes to this memory.


...


Finally, he surfaced again, into another memory. This one was not long after the battle...

Thalia sat on the edge of the Station Tower. Her knees pulled close to her chest as a single tear trailed from her eyes.

"I miss you so much..." She mused quietly as the young woman looked at the emblem that she wore around her neck.

A Light Corridor opened behind the young woman and Aleri stepped out.

"I figured you'd be here. How are you holding up?" The keyblader said with a note of concern.

When she didn't respond, he silently sat down on the ledge watching the sunset alongside her.

[Admin (HalcyonWandering)]

Lance heard.


The voice was tiny at first. Quiet at the back of his mind, but quickly it grew until it was the only thing he heard.

Lance stood.


In a wave of darkness, he dismissed the illusion hiding his terrifying features. The horns on his head appeared alongside his jagged canines in a flourish of golden hellfire. He summoned his sword, Chaos' blade answering his call in a spurt of fire as he smiled confidently.

Lance charged.


With all of his might, the fallen king swung the massive blade swinging down at the door with a destructive force. The door didn't seem fazed by the assault but that only ignited his fury as the young man laid into the structure with a flurry of powerful blows.

Lance howled.


With a furious cry, he continued to lambast the door, "I won't give in! I. Will. NOT. BOW!"

-------------------------------

Thalia held her hands to her mouth as she cried happy tears. The door resounded almost every second bending under Lance's assault.

"Rexial!" She said excitedly, "Call Aleri! I think... If we could get one more keyblade for the lock..."

[NebulaGregarZX]

"I don't know if I can. He's still asleep... after the wedding, he went to his room and asked not to be disturbed. Aleri went to sleep to try and sort some things out in his head. Still, I'll try."

[NebulaGregarZX]

Meanwhile, deep in the realm of dreams...



Thalia stood on the ledge looking out towards the sunlight. She smiled sadly, "Aren't you going to come home?" She spoke with a bitter tone.

A Light Corridor opened behind her and Aleri appeared from within it.

"Hey, Al..." Thalia spoke quietly.

"Thalia... you look pretty down. Why don't we have a seat and watch the sky?" Aleri took a seat on the ledge letting his legs swing over the square below.

Thalia nodded, "Y-yeah." The young woman swallowed the rock that had developed in her throat as she sat down, her head hanging slightly.

"Do you need someone to talk to? I... I may not be the best person, but I'll do my best to help you." Aleri voiced, concern creeping into his tone again.

Thalia lifted her head, trying her hardest to give him an appreciative smile, "No... But, thanks, Aleri..."

"What did I do? It doesn't look like I'm much of a help, to me." Aleri said unhappily, not bothering to fake a smile in return.

"For being here... It... It means a lot to me." Thalia responded.





Aleri was walking down one of the innumerable hallways of Castle Asylum. He passed a few other members, casually greeting them... Zane, Siks, Kotank, Nathan... of course, he had the misfortune of turning a corner and ending up face-to-face with Tony. That... resulted in an awkward scare for him.

Finally, he passed Vita in the hall, greeting her just like everybody else.





Thalia sat on the edge of the tower looking out at the sunset with a calm demeanor. Beside her, Aleri sat watching the sun as well.

"I've decided to take the peoples' offer." Thalia spoke up breaking the comfortable silence.

"Hm?" Aleri looked slightly confused by the sudden statement.

"I'm going to run Synthisle... It'll be tough..." The young woman frowned slightly, "But, I want to do it. I think Lance would want me to."

"Then, go for it. I don't think there's anyone that'd do much better." Aleri responded, trying to cheer her up with a smile.





"This... this can't be... real!" Aleri forced the words out, a piece of paper crushed in his hand. He looked like he was in pain, as if whatever was written there had been almost too much for him to bear...





"Aleri?" Maya's curious voice pierced the silence of another meeting on the Station Tower ledge.

"What's up?" Aleri asked, directing his attention to the girl.

"Umm... Where's Rexial been?" Maya asked.

His eyes widened at the mention of his other half. "You... you didn't hear about it yet?" He stared at the floor, expression growing more and more hopeless with each word he said. "Nobody knows where he is. Not even me... Remember when he left to look for... him?" He avoided saying Lance's name, cringing a little at the thought.

The Keyblade wielder continued to avoid Maya's eyes. "...We found a note in his room the other day. He said... he was leaving... for good." He barely managed to spit out those words. "Rexial... we may never see him again..."

His face had become an image of despair, and he lost his grip for a moment, falling to his knees and clutching his head. "He's gone! First Lance, now Rexial is gone, too! And even before them, Eira...! Why is everybody leaving us!? WHY?!"

Maya looked at the young man with a quiet sense of concern. She knelt in front of Aleri and gave him a happy smile.

"They aren't gone, Aleri. Don't give up yet, Maya still believes that they're coming back." She said giving him a reassuring hug, "Why doesn't Maya hang out with you a little bit? She can help you remember to not give up." She beamed.

"...You're... you're right. Thank you, Maya. I thought that I could get away from most of this by training, but..."





"There may be no avoiding it. I'll have to go there, if I'm going to get stronger." Aleri muttered to himself, sitting on his bed. "If I go there, it's possible that I'll die. Hah... just another casualty on the list? ...No. No, damn it!" He swore out of pure defiance and anger. "I'm not going to die there! I refuse to make this any worse. What would Thalia say if I died? What would Xeromus say? Siks? Dispatch? No, I'm not going to die. I refuse to let that happen."

He stood up, his whole body tense. "...Heh, ahaha... I'm scared stiff. It's not going to be easy, but if I can't survive that place, then how could I expect to become a Keyblade Master? To face Lance again? Besides... they... can't be gone."






Thalia stood on the edge of station garbed in a beautiful purple robe. The clothing was a symbol of royalty and seemed to pronounce the color of her eyes and hair, both things that she despised but had come to terms with.

Aleri exited from his Light Corridor as he had many times before.

"Greetings, Aleri." Thalia gave the young man a small bow as she returned to the sunset.

"...This isn't like you." Aleri noted, trying to keep his voice steady, hiding his worry.

"Hmm? I find that my current state is a far better position than before." Thalia responded.

"I... don't think it is. It's so stoic and emotionless. You're a free-spirited person, Thalia, you always were. This isn't... you."

"Apologies, but I need to maintain my posture in order to put in place the correct measures so that Lance's dreams may be realized." Thalia's voice cut the air with its sharp tone.

"...Just be careful you don't lose yourself." Aleri reminded her softly, knowing that he wouldn't be able to win this argument. We can't lose Thalia, too...





Emptiness.

A black canvas stretched out behind him, lit only by the stars, the many worlds out there shining down like a million lanterns.

Aleri stood at the entrance to a place so terrifying, so dangerous, that only a handful of people had ever seen the inside and lived to tell the tale.

The Edge of Existence.

Steeling himself, the boy walked forward, his coat flapping in the strong wind that blew from the entrance, as if the world itself was telling him to leave, warning him of the horrors within. Still, he had already resolved to go in.

It was finally time.

As he moved through the opening, he came through a hallway lined with gravestones. There was one for each person he knew... it was certainly eerie, seeing the graves of his friends, even though he knew they were still alive and well back home. Passing by one such grave, he stopped, compelled to look at it.

Lance Willright.

Underneath the name was an emblem... it was unfamiliar to him. What could this mean...? Moving on, he ended up in front of another grave, gravitating towards it inexplicably. On it, his own name was written...

His head jerked up as he sensed something up ahead. Was it one of the monsters that lived here!? Aleri, careful not to make any sudden movements or noises, moved closer to the source of the sensation.

Passing through another gateway, what he saw caused him to collapse onto his knees in relief. "Rexial!"

The familiar, spiky head jerked at the sound of Al's voice, and its owner whirled about in surprise. "Al! What are you DOING here?!"

"REX!" The Keyblade charged forward, tackling Rexial and giving him a hug. "You're NOT DEAD!"

"Aheh, you thought I'd go and die so easily? Oh ye of little faith... well, considering the note I left, no wonder you made that assumption." The swordsman nodded. "...Okay, now back off already."

"Sorry." He immediately released Rex.

"...I thought Lance might have ended up here, somehow, so I wanted to investigate. Thing is, you know how this place is. I thought I was going to die here at some point. ...So, what brings you here?"

That brought him back to reality for a moment. "Oh, yeah! I decided to train h- Ow!"

Rexial had hit him over the head. "DUMBASS! Why the hell would you even THINK of training here!?"

"W-well... let's be honest, if I can survive this, I'm going to be unreal in terms of skill. I need to be that good in order to reach my goal." Aleri explained.

"Tch, fine, go ahead and throw your life away! I was doing it before it was cool!" He laughed. "Hell, I'll train with you here! If we find Lance, then great, but it's not likely that he's here anyway. We'll both get stronger, so we can prevent anything like that from happening again. Got it?"

"Yeah! ...Man, I'm just glad you're still alive." Aleri smiled. "I wanna see the looks on everyone's faces when they see that you're alive and kicking!"

"Me too... now, then, let's go in deeper. Careful, though. This place... it's not normal, by any stretch."

And so, the two marched deeper into the abyss...





'You will face this trial alone.'

This truth was apparent to both of them as the took their own paths. This world seemed to conform to the mind of whoever entered it, preparing challenges and tests tailored to each individual. It should have been obvious, since the enemies' strength scaled with that of any challengers.

There had been a split in the path. One path ended in a gate of light, which called out to Aleri, while its darker counterpart echoed Rexial. They had gone their separate ways, to face their own challenges. While the fierce battles against countless, terrible monsters had brought them closer as fighters, they would now have to work independently.

Aleri calmly walked down the path, speculation running wild. What awaited him? A giant, unheard-of Heartless? An evil facsimile of Master Roland? X-Sigma? Having fought monsters in the likeness of past enemies, he didn't out anything past this insane world.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he came to the gate. He held up Broken Soul, pointing it at the keyhole, and with a resounding click, the door swung wide open.

He began to step forward uncertainly. What on earth could be waiting for him in here? Everything was engulfed in blinding light for a moment before settling. They were in a strange place, a battlefield that consisted of a series of platforms made of a transparent, glass-like material, all floating in space. The only source of light were the stars, and yet, he could see without difficulty.

In another burst of light, a new figure appeared. This one was unfamiliar. An armored man, helmet obscuring his face, was apparently his opponent. Wordlessly, this opponent summoned forth a sword made from the same strange material as the surfaces they stood on, charging wildly at Aleri.

The Keyblade wielder had no trouble parrying each blow, deflecting the strange blade and sending it flying far out of reach. With all his experience from the battles within the Edge of Existence, it was child's play.

The enigmatic figure stopped as its weapon was lost, staring at Aleri. A sinister chuckle could be heard from within his helmet. "Hmhmhmhmhm... So, you're as skilled with that Keyblade as I thought. I'm almost jealous of you, having that power." It was a male voice, and an older one at that.

He reached up and removed his helmet, casually tossing it aside as a massive roll of hair spilled down, reaching down to his legs and curling back up a little. His face held a smug grin, but something about it was... strangely familiar. "We've met once before. Twice, even. First as enemies, then as allies during the battle with X-Sigma. I am Sukiru, and I intend on giving you the fight of you life, young man." The strange man was entirely calm as he said this, undoing a few straps and loosening his armor in a few places, stripping off unnecessary articles.

"...Come again?" Aleri said flatly. "We met once before then?"

"Ah, yes. That was an unfortunate meeting. We met in the Datascape, in the computer at your castle. I used the power of darkness to absorb Maleficent and become real, entering your world and escaping to create my own identity. I was the digital record of you, which makes us the same, in a sense." The smirk became more obnoxiously arrogant. "...Except that I outclass you. Your feeble light is naught but a spark in the face of a crushing tide of darkness that I wield. You would have been far better off taking Rexial's path."

"What did you say to me?!" The Keyblader yelled at this strange reflection. "I made my own path, and I don't regret it for an instant!"

That smug grin contorted into an evil sneer. "...Then I'll make you regret it."






"I'm me, you bastard!"

"Tch, what are you talking about? I'M ME!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bcot4c9GYI - Flash in the Dark

Meanwhile, Rexial was in his own battle... against what looked like him. But... different. Lighter hair and eyes, wearing different clothing, even carrying a different sword and fighting with different techniques... this was almost like a light-wielding version of him.

"I've had to beat you down plenty of times already, I'll do it again! You're just the darkness in my heart, anyway, I can make you taste floor any day of the week!" The lighter version yelled.

The darker one spat back. "What are you smoking!? I've never seen you before, faker, but I won't ever see you again once I wipe you out!"

"You've got nothing on me!" The other one responded as he slashed, trying to catch him off-guard.

It didn't work, as he nimbly leapt on top of the blade, flipped over, and slashed at his doppleganger's back. "...I've got nothing more to say to you."

"LIKEWISE!"

They continued to fight, with no clear winner. Neither one had any sort of advantage... and they were equally tenacious. It was a perfect mirror match.

The two were equally convinced of their reality, and would fight until one was proven wrong.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF_T1FplLCk - Fighting of the Spirit

Aleri sidestepped as a column of blue light struck down where he had been a second ago, leaping back to avoid another one. He stumbled back to avoid yet another, then ducked to avoid a Firaga spell, rolled to the side to escape one column, cancelled his momentum to avoid running into another, then had to spring up to avoid a row of crystalline spikes shooting from the ground.

"What ever could be the matter? Tiring yourself already? Feeling a little... regret?" Sukiru chuckled at Aleri's distress as he continued to send endless waves of magic at the boy. "Perhaps you ought to give up your pathetic pipe dream?"

"Shut up!" He responded as he sprung off one of the crystal spikes, flipping away to escape a wide-range Flare spell.

"Ooh, scathing retort, that."

As Aleri landed on another platform, the air around him began to turn red. Recognizing the spell, he dashed out of the way as the very air exploded, another Flare spell. Just as he escaped the blast zone, another explosion triggered right under his feet. A Square Mine spell. He was sent flying onto another platform where another set of mines waited, these being Seeker Mines. Not waiting for them to blast him, Aleri instantly cast Reflega, creating a shield around himself that absorbed all the damaged and blast it outwards, saving him from that particular trap.

"How long can you keep this up?"

As the man said this, a ring of fire appeared around Aleri, closing in quickly. As he jumped to escape it, he was nailed with a Fission Firaga, which exploded around him, sending him flying high into the air. A giant fist made of crystal was waiting there to grab him, pulling him in front of Sukiru. "That was predictable. Well, I do hope you enjoy pain, or you WILL regret choosing to fight me."

And with that, the man began to mercilessly fire spells at point-blank range at the helpless boy, one after another. Aleri yelled in pain, unable to so much as cast Reflect to protect himself for a second.

He was not in any position to win this battle.





The two Rexials had been fighting no less fiercely, the two engaging in melee rather than tricky magic-based attacks and combos.

It had escalated, certainly. Rexial had undone several of his seals, and the other one appeared to be tapping into some source of light...

"That..." The light version panted, exhausted. "...that proves... that you're a Heartless of some kind! You're not... human!"

Indeed, the darker one had lost all color in his hair, and his eyes had begun to glow yellow as darkness visibly gathered around him. "You haven't... seen anything... yet...!" Even so, he was panting just as hard. He released another seal with a roar, this time, his very form became darkness, not even trying to pretend that it was normal.

"I'll... never give in...!" Rexial number two summoned up even more power, somehow, creating a blinding glow around his form.

The two clashed once more, far more intensely than any previous clash. This was fundamental, light against darkness. Two equal and opposing forces.

In the blinding radiance and endless darkness, one could almost see the faint outlines of wings sprouting from their backs.

...No, it wasn't important at all, or symbolic. But apparently, they both thought it looked badass.




Aleri's favorite coat had been burned and torn, part of his hair frozen, his skin bruised and bloodied... a small pool of his blood had gathered on the floor below. He couldn't even force himself to speak.

"All out of banter? How boring." Sukiru mocked in a deadpan tone. "I suppose I'll just killing you now, and save some time."

His heart began to beat faster as he knew that if he didn't take action now, it was game over. He would die here. I... I swore that... I wouldn't let that happen... His consciousness was flickering as it was. Please... help me... You... chose me as your wielder... now... show me why I was chosen!

In a flash, TELOS had appeared in his hand, shattering part of the hand that held him. In a burst of strength, Aleri swung it about in a circle, smashing the rest of the hand and freeing himself. In the process, the part of his hair that had been frozen had moved slower, and was caught in the attack, cutting a sizable amount of his hair off and leaving it looking strange and lopsided. He had no time to be concerned over that.

And in an instant, he was at Sukiru's throat, TELOS's tip against his flesh.

"...I suppose that is checkmate. I am surprised that you were able to pull that off, after being wounded so badly, both your body and your pride. I commend you, sir." Sukiru smiled at the boy, giving him the first sign of approval for the entire time since they had met. "...Oh, and by-the-by, if you meet me elsewhere, I won't remember this little conflict. Well, so long, little Keyblade bearer. I do hope your path leads to a bright future, I really do."

The walking enigma turned around and walked away, as if there had been no giant Keyblade pointed at his throat, and as if there were actually a floor beyond the platform.

Gasping and panting, Aleri struggled just to breathe, TELOS falling limp and disappearing from his hand as he collapsed. He had only been able to win at the last moment because his Keyblade had answered him, lending him the strength he needed. But now...





"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The two forces continued to clash. It really was just a conflict of two forces; no longer just two people. Absolutely equal and opposing. The universe was about to find out what happens when an irresistible force met an immovable object.

And, most likely, what happens when you divide by zero.

The brilliant dance of lights and shadows instantly came to an end as all motion stopped. The two had ended in a perfect stalemate: striking each other at the exact same time, both losing that last of their stamina and collapsing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-0vHZlv94M - Friends in my Heart

"...I... didn't win...?" He gasped.

The other one seemed just as surprised. "But... there can only be one me...! Who... are you... anyway?"

"I don't... really know. I'm just... Rexial."

"So... am I... I'm the path you didn't... take... Ugh!" The lighter Rexial was bleeding. He had a real body, he wasn't just a shadow of a person.

The darker one just stared. "...You... the path you took... is one where Aleri never comes back... into being?"

"...Yeah. I... abandoned that... identity..."

"... ...Then I think... I'm alright with this." He rolled back, laughing a little. "Aheh, heh... Ahahahaha! I feel pretty sorry for you, man!" He coughed. "You're... missing out!"

"You're... friends with him? I s... see..." The other Rexial smiled faintly. "...A friend that close? That's not... something you can replace. I'm a little... jealous of you... now..."

The two of them began to laugh together, in spite of their pain.

"...You've got to go back, then." The other one said, once they had both calmed down. Their wounds had closed, and they were able to stand and speak normally. "You've got a friend in need, and I'm sure there's people waiting for your to come back."

"Yeah..." The Skillful Swordsman nodded at his worthy opponent. "You're damn straight I've got a friend in need. Aheh, he's probably lying around, waiting for me to drag him unconscious body out of this place!"

"And there's somebody else. Somebody, struggling in the darkness. He's going to need both of you to escape it, you know. Keep your light burning strong, and make your darkness the catalyst for his return. I know you can do it... you're me." With those words, the other Rexial walked past the man of darkness. When he turned around, he was gone.

Rexial stood at the same place where he had been, what felt like so long ago, where he had been forced down the path of darkness. He had no regret about his path, if it meant helping him...

Behind him lay the unconscious body of Aleri, beaten, bloody and bruised from his battle. Sighing, Rexial struggled to pick up his light counterpart, heaving him onto his shoulder. "Dammit, Al, can't you make things a little easier on me? I'm half-dead from my fight, too..."

The swordsman pulled a Megalixir from his pocket, throwing it into the air and letting the soothing waves of light pass over them both, restoring much of their stamina and healing their wounds.

"...We'll go together."






"I've had enough, Thalia!" Phoenix shouted as she whirled on the young queen.

"What are you talking about, Clairfield?" Thalia responded with her royal tone.

"I'm talking about how you're treating everyone, Thalia! You haven't spoken to Maya in days. Do you have any idea how crushing that is for her?"

"She was acting like a child." Thalia said coldly.

"She looks up to you, Thalia. You and Lance were the closest thing to parents that she ever had and you're alienating her and everyone else. You don't even use our first names anymore! Do you have any idea how terrifying it is watching you become some sort of slave to politics?" Phoenix lashed back.

"U-umm... I had no idea... That I was effecting you two in that manner..." Thalia stammered, her voice returning to its original tone for a moment.

"Not just us. Aleri and the rest of the Organization, too. Just the other day, I heard you making plans about contracting some of them as an army. This has to stop." Phoenix stomped her foot angrily.

"I'll try to fix this... I'm sorry, Phoenix... Thanks for bringing me back to my senses..."

Meanwhile, in the shadows, Rexial smiled at he watched the event unfold.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=zq7cW2dKcZU&feature=endscreen - Doga and Une / "Meditation"


Aleri stood in his room, taking a knife to his hair to even it out after what had happened. He had to look presentable for any official business, and he just felt silly walking around with half his hair missing, and feeling such an uneven weight on his head.

Long strands of light coppery brown hair now littered the floor. Taking up a band sitting on a nearby table, he tied what was left of the longer part of his hair back into a ponytail, the rest continuing to stick out in spikes, the way it used to.

Hanging the nearly-destroyed coat in his closet, he donned his training garb, lamenting the loss of his favorite coat. Sure, it wasn't as cool as an organization coat, but it was pretty nice. Ah, well. The alternative was him dying painfully, so he figured it was a fair trade-off. He had conveniently forgotten that his coat being wrecked was a result of him being caught, not his finishing gambit...

"I've trained my mind and body. My heart and soul still have a ways to go before I'm ready, though. I need to nurture my inner calm through silence and meditation... or something like that. Maybe just training with Broken Soul to use Focus and Overfocus perfectly will do the trick, or at least point me in the right direction. As for my heart..." He placed a hand on his chest. "...I don't know."






"Aleri." Thalia spoke up, breaking another of their friendly silences.

"Hm?"

"Can I promise you something?"

"What is it?" He looked at her squarely.

"I wish... I want to promise that I won't lose myself like I did before. I don't want to change because Lance is gone. Can I promise you that'll I stay me?"

He broke into a smile, relieved. "Sure. I suppose I should make the same promise."

"Alright," Thalia nodded with a look of determination, "I promise I won't change."

"Good, then I won't change, either! ...Looks like we have just one more promise to keep." Aleri's spirits visibly lifted. I don't have to worry about her any more. She'll be fine.

"Yeah..."

After a moment of staring into the red sky, Aleri blinked. "Oh! I forgot something... I'll be right back." He ran back behind the tower, rushing down the steps.

When he came back, he was holding a pair of ice cream bars. "Here! Let's make this promise official." Aleri handed one of the ice creams to Thalia, sitting back down with her. "It's just not complete without some ice cream, is it?"





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OlkhKh0fwQ - Eternal Harvest / "Aleri's Theme"

All these memories came rushing back into him, filling him with emotions he had almost forgotten. Nostalgia, bitter sorrow, pain, loss, betrayal... friendship, happiness, warmth, strength, kindness.

He stood once again in the station of awakening.

You have purged yourself of all doubt. You have put those trials behind you, and await the trials to come without fear. You may just be ready to open the door.

The wielder of the Keyblade, Organization XIV Number II, the Avenger of Twilight... Aleri Kinsetsu, stood and nodded silently.

You will return to your world now. You cannot stay in your dreams forever, and besides, there are people who need you now.

He turned his head at the sound of a familiar voice, calling out to him. It belonged to Rexial. He would have recognized it anywhere.

Go.

With this, he began to float back upwards, returning slowly from the realm of sleep.




Aleri appeared from the very top of the Station Tower, Keyblade in hand, leaping down to the platform where Thalia and Rexial stood. "The scenery around here has changed, hasn't it? You two could use a hand with someth..." His eyes widened at the sight of the massive door. More importantly, at the banging on the other side, and the ferocious battle-cries beyond it. "...Lance...?"

After a second of slack-jawed gaping, he shook himself out of his trance, jumping back and holding TELOS up, light gathering around it. He aimed at the door, the piercing beam shooting forth and striking the door with a deafening clicking noise.

I... I've been in my memories for a while. I feel so disoriented being back in present-time... I almost felt like Lance had never gone.

...He's coming back?

[Admin (HalcyonWandering)]

Unjust Life-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf90to1u3pU

Lance stepped back as the door became glass from the unlocking of Aleri's keyblade.

"We're so close! I can't give in now!" Lance shouted defiantly.

"Lance! Just a little more!" Thalia begged, happy tears folding her vision.

Time seemed to slide away as Lance felt himself lock into place.

"Hero of the keyblade." Chaos' voice rumbled in the back of Lance's mind.

"Fallen King." He addressed him with a noble voice, no longer gravelly but still dark.

"You are free. Go forth without falter."

The Chaos blade in Lance's hand became Nyx Eterna, his dark keyblade.

"With your heart as your guide."

"You have my blessing, King of Chaos."

Time began to move again and Lance summoned back the familiar blade to his hand.

"I will not bow!" Lance charged forward and slashed the glass barrier with his blade and it shattered with a loud crash.

Dismissing his weapon, Lance stepped through the doorway.

"You're home!" Thalia rushed forward squeezing the young man in a tight hug.

Lance smiled gently returning the hug, "You've grown even more beautiful since the last time I saw you." He didn't move, deep inside, fearing that the moment was just another dream.

[NebulaGregarZX]

Aleri continued to stand, dumbfounded. "...This is real? I'm not still asleep?" He unsummoned his Keyblade, laughing to himself. "Well, while the two lovebirds have their moment..." The young man stepped past the two, to the open door.

"Come on out, will you? I can sense you there, whoever you are. Introduce yourself."

[Eques tenebrarum]

Soren stepped out from the corner, looking at Lance and Thalia, his hands on the back of his head like he was on a Sunday stroll. "It's a beautiful sight isn't it?" He said bringing his gaze to Aleri. The Prince of Souls cast a smile at the keyblader. "I take it nobody knows we're back" he said

[NebulaGregarZX]

"I, uh..." The Keyblade wielder stammered, confused. "...had no idea this was going to happen. I really doubt anybody else is clued in. Though I should probably report in about it in a minute, unless you guys wanted it to be a surprise." Okay, what!? How is Soren here?! H... he was DEAD, not dragged into darkness!

[Eques tenebrarum]

Soren cocked his head at the look on Aleri's face, understanding it. "I also take it your very confused about my current appearance?" He said walking closer to the man. "About how a dead man ends up in the Dark Realm? It's a long story really, but to make it short as of why I'm walking around, darkness merged with a soul can give it a temporary form" he said giving a very short explanation. "I'm still dead, technically, so the Ravain shouldn't be spawned, nor will Xetus be coming up, what's happened in our two year absence?"

[NebulaGregarZX]

Aleri stood there for another second, trying to figure out how to respond. When he did speak, his words were slow and careful. "It is difficult to sum up what's happened in the past two words, but suffice it to say it's been peaceful. ...You helped Lance get back here? We're very grateful. So, do you plan on sticking around? Or are you going to return to Death now?"

[Eques tenebrarum]

Soren shrugged. "Not yet, I want to see Dante, and hang around a little bit more, I just got here after all" he said. That was high on his to do list, see how Dante had changed, he couldn't do that until now, that's why he couldn't have been summoned up sooner. It was new experience, to be alive, in any since, would Dante be glad to see him or be angry he didn't show up sooner.

[NebulaGregarZX]

Rexial spoke up. "Neither of us knows exactly where Dante is right now, so I'd recommend just sticking with Lance for a bit, you'll run into him. So how's that body of the dark treating you? Not too rough, I hope? The darkness can be a bit abrasive at times, to put it mildly. Just give me a shout if you want any help with it, okay?"

"I dunno how impressed you'll be with him." Aleri teased. "He's still talking to his imaginary girlfriend..." Of course, he was at least partially aware that Lily was real to some extent. Not that it stopped him from acting otherwise.

[Eques tenebrarum]

Soren brushed his shoulder like there was dust on his white jacket."I can handle the darkness that's giving me form for now, I check in on your later though in case I think I'm going to go nuts" he said looking at Rexial, but as Aleri spoke, he looked to Aleri again, raising a brow. "Imaginary girlfriend, huh?"

[NebulaGregarZX]

Rexial smirked. "Good to see you still have enough sense to know that a situation involving darkness isn't stable for long."

"...He talks to somebody we can't see, from time to time. Even I can't really get a handle on it, though I get the impression from his words that the thing he talks to is female, and has a tendency to hit on him. In fact, I swear she managed to trip him earlier today, somehow. There's not a soul I've met who could trip THAT easily without being under strain, and Dante was remarkably calm-headed about being the ring-bearer..." Aleri snapped his fingers. "...That's right! Soren, you met Zane and Sally, haven't you? They got married earlier today, and your son was the ring-bearer!"

[Eques tenebrarum]

Soren's eyes widened. "He was ring bearer? I mean its great for Zane and Sally to be married too, ofcourse." He said nodding, but the though oh his son being ring bearer was nice, then the though of Dante falling on his face made him furrow his eyebrows. "So his imaginary friend tripped him? That sounds more like a ghost type deal if he was calm"

[NebulaGregarZX]

Aleri sighed. "You know I'm not as in-tune with the dead as you and Dante. You would know better than I in this situation, so I think you should just see for yourself. ...I, uh, was going to say something about having to go find Master Roland, but to be honest, I wouldn't know where to BEGIN trying to track him down. Perhaps we'll run into each other if I go after a horde of Heartless...?"

[Sponsored content]