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Kingdom Hearts Eclipse - Chapter 1



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OmniChaos

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=Viceroy of Rego=


--Chapter 1: Fall of Radiance--

Before the window, hands held calmly behind his back, stood the imposing figure known as the Eclipse King. A man, clad in raven-black armor and shrouded in an equally black hooded robe. The man had been standing at that spot, staring out from the window, from the moment they had taken off, not moving or breaking his silence for anyone or anything. If one hadn’t known better, they would have thought him to be a statue. Around him, a collection of Reavers silently went about their work, not stopping to take concern in the Eclipse King or any of the other Reavers. They simply carried out their tasks, as ordered, then reported back for new ones. Such obedient little machines.

"Sire," a Reaver said, its metallic limbs clinging against the ground as it walked up to the Eclipse King. The Reaver was a Guardian model, though it was a special modified model, one with its entire body forged from solid gold. The Reaver stood up on four, heavy-plated legs, each an equal distance from the other. The Reaver was equipped with two pairs of arms, with both of the Reaver's lower arms equipped with a large, bulky shield that, when placed together with the other, formed a larger shield. A large sword was mounted on its right arm in place of a hand. The Reaver's upper arms both had cannons mounted in place of hands, though they lacked any form of shield that the lower two had. On the back of the Reaver was mounted a large, triple barrel turret, which rose roughly one and a half feet above the head of the Reaver. This Guardian Reaver was one of the Eclipse King’s bodyguards—not implying that a man of the Eclipse King’s power actually required bodyguards—and, as such, special attention and care was put into it's creation, making it the most powerful Guardian model currently produced. "I am here to update you on our current status. We are currently less than an hour away from reaching our target: Radiant Garden. Both Carriage Reavers are in good shape and all of the Reaver forces inside have all been accounted for. Your flagship, Odin, while lower in fuel than previously predicted, is in perfect running order. The miscalculation of remaining fuel will not affect our return trip. That is all." The Reaver turned and walked away, its metallic legs clinging against the floor as when it came.

The Eclipse King finally allowed his statue-esque pose break, letting out a long, drawn-out sigh, his whole body seeming to sigh along with him. He released his hand from the other and allowed his arms to limply fall to his side, his right hand twitching ever slightly. They would be arriving at Radiant Garden soon. Though it was not the headquarters for the Resistance, Radiant Garden was, in fact, a potentially more important target, as, according to the intel gathered, it served as the main training ground for the handful of remaining Keyblade wielders and was home to a large number of Resistance members, one being the second-in-command, Ansem the Wise. Therefore, the Eclipse King had decided to lead this acquisition of Radiant Garden personally, as such an opportunity was far too important to trust in the hands of others, even his marshals, who he had already sent on ahead in advance, were told to lay low until he himself arrived. No, he wouldn’t allow for any mistakes on this. This blow would all but seal the fate of the Resistance.

The Eclipse King exhaled, his eyes focusing onto the small world coming into view. Radiant Garden: One of the few remaining hives of the bug infestation that had been plaguing the Eclipse King for far longer than he had wished it to. He released another sigh and lowered his head slightly. "Now it begins."


---------​

"Alright, I believe that is enough for today’s lesson."

A man stood before a large group, his posture calm, but authoritative. He bore a dark gray chest plate which, despite its name, only partially covered the chest, with most of the armor covering the right shoulder blade and stretching down the entirety of the arm, stopping just at the wrist, where it bulged out slightly to form a gauntlet. At the shoulder, a large plate, which bent and partially covered the right upper arm, was attached to the chest plate and had two spikes, which extruded from both sides of the plate, that curved inward toward each other, stopping just short in a sharp point. The plate itself was held on with two straps, which wrapped around the man's body diagonally and met at a small, golden circle in front, forming an 'x' across his torso. The piece of armor was set, almost casually, over normal, everyday clothing: a simple, white t-shirt and a pair of khaki pants, as well as a pair of sandals that clung to his feet for dear life. Over his clothing and alongside his armor, the man wore a long, green coat, which reached just below his knees, that was modified so that the right sleeve was removed and the backside of the coat latched onto the armor he wore.

"Yes, Master Isamu," the group shouted in response.

'Master,' huh? The whole concept of master and apprentice is still quite new to me. I feel like I should have more respect for this guy, as I'm sure he has certainly earned it, but, I just... I don't know. Obviously the problem isn't with him, but with me. Worthless, old me.

Ogen stood erect, his body stiff and appropriate position-wise. Well, not just Ogen, but every other Keyblade wielder who studied under Isamu. It was a show of respect, at least that was what Ogen gathered from it. Though, for him, it was really nothing more than a hollow stance for him to blend into the crowd of fellow wielders. The façade made Ogen feel pathetic.

The tension in every one's stance faded into a state of relaxation as Isamu dismissed himself from before the group and left to handle other matters. Several of the other wielders began talking to each other, though the conversations were mainly related to the training they had all just underwent, which, frankly, did not interest Ogen all that much. Instead, Ogen began weaving his way out of the clustered group, hoping that he would be able to escape into the seclusion of the numerous alleyways. However, knowing his awful luck, Ogen would run into one of his 'friends' and be reluctantly drawn into a conversation with them. Such was the luck of a recluse.
 

Ordeith

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The sky above Radiant Garden was vividly blue and clear, the only clouds in the sky being a few wisps of water vapor from the castle's steam release valves. The sun was so bright that the glare from Animus DeCavis' glasses completely obscured his eyes as he casually scanned the skyline. To the ignorant spectator, it would look as though he was simply taking in the atmosphere of a pleasant midday sky--but Animus' eyes were searching for one thing in particular amidst that enormous swath of blue. Thus far, none of the telltale flecks of black had come into focus; no Reavers, and no darkness. I imagine it will only be a matter of minutes, or at most, an hour...

He fondly rubbed the strap of his leather satchel between his thumb and index finger, humming an improvisational tune under his breath. He was glad to note that it would be a pleasant afternoon up until the invasion fleet's arrival; a gray day made for gray spirits, and poor fighting. Not from the Reavers, of course, he thought with a chuckle. No, those silly things will fight be it rain, shine, storm, or sleet.

The shadow of the small city's buildings had now obscured the sun, and Animus had averted his gaze back to the cobblestone path ahead. Master Isamu gave him a nod of acknowledgment as he passed beside him, and Animus smiled in turn. No, it's the Keyblade wielders we ought to be worried about; they might be inclined to run away if their spirits are too down. It'd be an awful shame if I didn't get to add a few more keys to my keyring...

Up ahead, the soon-to-be-late Isamu's apprentices could be seen milling about in a loose group. Animus' smile broadened as a good number of them looked up from their conversations to give him a friendly wave. They really are a nice group of ladies and gentlemen; I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't regret their last hours being pleasant ones. It's just business as usual, after all. I don't see any need for any personal animosity in it. As he spread around a good helping of warm salutations, a flash of movement caught the corner of his eye: Weaving through the mass of bodies, seemingly preoccupied in his own inner world, a slim young man in a coat was quickly slipping away from the group. Ogen, Animus mentally identified him. The King's favorite, no?

"Ogen!" he called out to him with a smile. "You ought to try and brighten those spirits, hm?" Animus slipped his fingers into one of the compartments of his satchel and retrieved a foil-wrapped chocolate bar, and expertly tossed it in his direction. The young man was far too dour than was good for him. That boy needs to lean more towards the optimistic...After all, the sun will be shining for at least twenty minutes more. That's quite a bit more than can be said for most worlds.
 

LongLiveLife

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Lounging casually on the sofa, head resting on open palms, Hunter gazed at his brother’s fervent scurry through the tomes of magic splayed across the table in Merlin’s study. Sunlight streamed without relent through the open skylight above, igniting the specks of dust suspended in the air with a gold flash, an ethereal boundary between the twins. What it failed to divide was Malik from his books. He was inseparable from Merlin’s library, in perpetual search of some archaic magical art or a new technique to practice in training. It was an oddity that, albeit grateful for, Hunter could never understand. He believed that the only way to improve—to truly improve—was to gain firsthand experience in training or combat itself. All this reading and research were extraneities that he had neither appreciation for nor intention of doing himself. That said, his brother’s eccentric delivery of basic spells had saved their hides more than once. Perhaps there was use in it yet.

“Check this out!” Malik called, wood screeching on wood, followed by a loud crash as his chair fell. Hunter jumped. Through the hazy gleam of dust-filtered sunlight, he saw Malik’s open palm and the scintillating traceries of electricity orbiting it. Peering closer, he noticed their nucleus manifest in a rough sphere hovering inches above the hand. “It’s ball lightning,” Malik continued with unsuppressed glee, “a modification of the Thunder spell.”

“And just what will this accomplish that the regular spell couldn’t?” Hunter remained indifferent.

“Good question. Probably nothing. But have you never sought the thrill of bettering magic just for the sake of it?”

“We live on the brink of war. Our focus is to better magic to protect the keybladers, not entertain them.”

“There will come a time when this spell will save you, and you will eat your words.”

“I look forward to it.”

Silence fell over the two for a fleeting second until Hunter rolled off the sofa. “Go on. Let’s have a look how it works. The keybladers are still on the field; we may as well make the most of our time off it.”

Too occupied either with teaching or learning, neither noticed the growing, high-pitched vibration of the scrying quartz on the table. It was a rudimentary tool for clairvoyance. Ordinarily water-clear, the crystal was now a translucent mesh of internal fractures, an opaque blur that foreshadowed their future. Danger was coming; they just did not know it yet.
 

Ðari

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

With a bit of resistance, yet not unkempt exposure the marshal stretched his arms. Cracking his neck, he sad on the hovel of two jagged pieces rooftop propogated right next to each other. It was likely to say this was the borough next to the marketplace where he was posted up. In all honesty, having been sent ahead was in deed a pretty intrinsic task.

Releasing a yawn confirmed more than boredom, he was in a sense annoyed. As his eyes seemed to pass to both the left and right of him, he noted this was the garden of the keybladers. The size of this world, its great wealth, any man of sizeless vision would seek its soils. Seeming to sit there, hovering with his legs folded, the silver sphere with green crevices about its immaculate shape revolved around him?

"Orbit." he let these words escape him, after seeing his weapon literally circle him. It was as if his own body itself caused it to do this, while the sphere itself was rotating all on its own. A bit of a cunning smirk was crafted from his expression. While he cut his eyes respectively, he stopped it and cupped his hands in his lap for the sphere to hover there.

He decided to take a more active approach, quickly painting himself completely transparent and hovering down, cloaking even his floating sphere behind him. Considering they were simply here to start the data collection, he felt that was his strongest element. Floating through the town, he seemed to phase slowly through a wall of a home. Spotting a fair-sized room, the makings of a humble home of a...bookworm? Two bodies, twin faces, and contrasting personalities were resident. For all of a few moments, he watched before removing himself from the ceiling.

"Talk about pick of the litter." he said just as intrigued as he was of slant perception.
 

Professor Ven

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The sun bathed his meditating form in its pure, unwavering essence, the warmth seeping into his flesh akin to that of a fire on a cold, dark night. His eyes were shut in meditation, as he sat, cross-legged, on a mat, facing towards the west. That was where those of the Void had come, in the beginning, their onslaught swift and merciless; it seemed an eternity had passed since his arrival to this world. This Garden of Radiance. A pity they shorten what would have been a symbol of beauty in the Light.

Quel'loyen Tal'shendar allowed his mind to rest as he silently kept himself seated. The Eclipse is coming, and soon this, and many other Worlds, may yet fall to the being who dares place himself above others. Unfortunately, he has his minions, vast in number, and we are yet small. Young Neraen would have been exuberant at the thought of exterminating the enemy, as they are no better than the Voidlings, but I know better.

Violence only stains the soul. In truth, it is necessary in times of necessity, but were it to be avoided entirely and a truce reached, a utopia founded. . . Ah, utopia - a term that shouldn't exist.


The Dedicated Servant opened his eyes, allowing himself to see beyond the darkness, standing up to stretch for a moment, before turning about, near-feline grace in his shifting, as he glanced to meet his opponent: a young teenager, possibly around sixteen. Tal'shendar bowed in respect towards the younger combatant, who instead summoned his Keyblade in the blink of an eye, and began rushing towards him.

As the bubbling creek murmurs its watery, perfect song, so did the Servant, as he hummed softly with a deep, heartening tone, Keyblade appearing in his left hand's grip. A skillful parry blocked his foe's attack, and in doing so, Quel'loyen began batting the boy about with his blade, ignoring the meager swings his enemy attempted as Q continued to shame the boy by only whipping him with the flat of his door-opening sword, until at last, the youngling fell to the ground, his Keyblade dispersing in a soft mist of light.

". . . Yield. ." muttered the child, towards which Tal'shendar simply smiled, sending away his Keyblade as he strolled off towards the main compound, the white dots and spots on his coat shifting, reflecting the light as he walked. The lesson is simple: respect is never given, only earned - however, some must be brought to the earth in order to realize such a travesty must occur, in order for any chaos in these Worlds to be balanced. A pity, and a blessing, that was not the Monarch of the Eclipse.
 

Eva

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

With an audible sigh, Leilani wandered over to her sister, patting her on the shoulder. Aiyana giggled at her sister, and then two began chatting away immediately. One would think they were talking to a mirror; with a few exceptions on their clothing, the two appeared identical.

"...Just feel like I could've done better." Aiyana gave a small sigh, a curious and slightly down look on her face.

"Worrywart." Her sister teased, though a second later, she too had a frown. "...Maybe I need more practice."

"More? You're kidding. You had it down pat the first time!" Aiyana replied, slightly exasperated at Leilani's response. Of all the people to doubt themselves, it seemed Leilani was always the first--to make matters worse, irony had it so that she was actually good at what she doubted herself with. It was an almost backwards train of thought. Weird enough.

"Yeah, but...maybe I just got lucky." Leilani sighed, rubbing her temples. She was never sure if she was good enough; there was always a flaw she caught, or something always felt wrong. In a way it was a good thing; because of that, she always pushed herself twice as hard. The bad part? She tended to annoy her sister with it.

The two fell silent, mentally attacking each other, though no words were exchanged. Sighing in unison, the two dropped their heads.

What a predicament.
 

Epif

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

This place was surely backwards. The young man was used to wildlife and twists and turns, but this place was anything but. He was used to fresh air and madmen, but this place was lost in bricks and sharp corners. He thought he was used to these things by now. He thought that the strangeness would fade away. He thought plenty of things, but as he turned the corner and found himself at yet another alleyway, he conceited that the woods is his true home. It didn't help him in the slightest that it was hot here. There was always a place to keep cool in his home town in Wonderland; in Radiant "Garden" all there are are buildings and more alleyways.

The young man searched the skies for his employer’s vessel, but Sen only saw a blue canvass framed by the top of the alley. His brain was as lost as he was. He could go that way, towards the darkness; another way, back where he came from; or he could go a different way, leading to who-knows-where, and he couldn't quite go his own way, as he had already been going the King's way. After a few minutes of thought, he finally conceited into standing about unsure of what to do.

"So many directions," he muttered in disapproval. He knew that he couldn't quite stand there when the fighting started; he'd look like a coward or worse, a traitor, so he thought. He thought and thought and thought until it dawned on him that he could use the darkness again. It was what got him there, after all. He could leave these "gardens" to bring himself back to where he needed to be. But he gazed upon the alleyway once more.

The darkness is not a toy, he told himself as he finally left the pitch black painting that was the alleyway. There were a few stories that he had overheard in his travels. Stories of the Rebellion leaders' past journeys; he knew of Wonderland's involvement, but he wasn't sure whether the stories were completely true or not. But he thought little of the validity of the stories of those before him that used the darkness for their own gain. The darkness is not a toy, it was practically his mantra.

As he made his way away from the thoughts and their source, he shifted his attention to the noise his black overcoat made from his lengthened his strides. "SWISH SWISH" He thought it was very relaxing. And he knew that a battle was to begin any minute now; he knew he needed to leave these damned alleyways, but there was a slight sense of going overboard here. The trainees here needed to be taught more than what the Rebellion had to teach them; he knew this, but there was still a sense of doing a bit much. A sense in the back of his head that told him, "They're kids."

He still hadn't gotten passed that. Surely, he would fight to kill any of the trainers or other members. The Rebellion had to either prove its strength both as an organization and a leader in and of itself or die. Turning another corner, Sen thought about what would happen to him if they were to do just that: prove themselves. Though it wasn't a pleasant thought, there was a certainty in him that told him that the Eclipse King's people were stronger to lead the worlds. His stride never wavered until, after turning what must have been dozens of corners, he found himself at yet another dead end.

"Son of a--!"
 

Chromatic

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The midday sun was well in the sky when Anton had awoken from his night's sleep. He didn't much like fact that it was so bright in Radiant Garden; but then, who would after spending their life in an eternally dimly lit world such as Halloween Town? He was simply used to the foggy nights, wherein the darkness made the full moon the only thing capable of shining. Not even the time he had spent in the Garden was enough to weed him out of such an inclination. In an unfortunate blow to his eyes, and his internal clock, he was no longer permitted to sleep until when the dusk hours would creep the night into it place in the skies. The leaders were already being "too kind" by their standards to let him sleep until midday. For that, his body was thankful, even if a bit disheartened.

But was it worth it to tear him from custom? Of course! he had thought every day upon waking at such an unnatural hour. While the change had certainly done a number on his health earlier on, he had been more than happy to awaken when he was told to, and even more so to practice and hone his magic by day for a change (though he did steal a few hours by dark when he could). In more than one way, he was overjoyed by his dramatic change in lifestyle, though not for the changes themselves as much as what he was doing that caused those changes. In all essence, he was living a dream he had carried since his childhood, albeit one that was more dangerous than its thrill might have necessitated. So with each moment he spent waking to the light of the sun on a blue sky, he wore his twisted, joyous grin, and ambled on to each day's proceedings.

This day was not unlike those other days. He had woken up around what he guessed was noon, and clocked in some time with a bit of personal practice early on, such that he could have some time to take a look around for anything that seemed out of place. He had ultimately ended his leg of the search out on the postern of the grand castle that loomed powerfully over the villages and valleys below. There, he took a long gaze across the horizon, peering out beyond even the mountains that stood in the distance through the eye holes of his twisted, pumpkin-like mask. Nothing. As per usual, there was nothing out of the ordinary; no ships, no signs of the Reavers, and certainly no sign of anyone that might look like the "Eclipse King" that everyone seemed to have their minds wrapped around. Perhaps we really are safe here, he thought as he started walking to the base of the castle.

Shame. It would have been kind of cool to see what everyone's been making all the fuss about.
He treked along the path down the side of the castle, using a bone-looking scythe in the manner of a walking stick. Every so often, the bottom end of the weapon clunked in an unrythmic pattern against the stone and metal workings of the surface beneath Anton's feet. From somewhere underneath his coat, he retreived a small pair of skulls, no larger than a pair of tennis balls, and began to juggle them around in one hand as he walked. He remained alone on this walk for a short while, until a set of small talons perched softly on the top of his head. He heard the distinct sound of ruffling feathers, and knew immediately the identity of his company. "Ah! Midnight! You're back I see. Find anything we should report to anyone? I sure hope you did, 'cause I sure didn't!"

The bird on his head gave little more than a soft "caw," in response. However, it seemed to do more than suffice for Anton, who shook his head, and replied, "oh well. I'm sure we'll find something eventually. With all the worry and all the talk, something has to come along for us to give us our chance." He paused for a moment of thought before adding on, "what do you say we go find some people?" Again, he was met only with a "caw," and again, he gave a response, as though translating the noise into true speech. "Alrighty then. I'll bet someone around here will be able to give us something more to do. To the front gates!"
 

Scribbles

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

A single candle illuminated the dark chamber. The item expelled an herbal aroma into the room’s atmosphere, while at the same time sending just a small thin blanket of white smoke into the air. One well physiqued man sat directly in front of the candle, legs crossed hands folded into his lap. He was completely still, the only visible movement on him was the air circulating through his large afro.

This man was Moses, and this was all part of his daily routine. Meditation to center oneself. During this hour long ritual, his mind was normally clear, as still as his body. But today, for some reason a single memory kept surfacing.

That memory was the memory of the failed revival of his wife Alisha, and the creature he summoned in her place. It’s grotesque body and glowing crimson eyes, they still haunted him to this day. And the screams it let out as he burned it to death, in some effort to correct his sin.

The ember atop the candle danced wildly about, signifying Moses’ troubled state of mind. The brown skinned man exhaled, as he struggled to push the memory back. The second the memory was gone; the flame regained its former stillness, as did Moses’ mind.


- - -

Zekkai appeared in the market district of Radiant Garden in a winding flash of light. Gummi Ship Styx had managed to drop him off in the perfect place, amongst a crowd. With an adjustment of his skull patterned fedora, and a lustful lick of the lips, he stuffed Styx’s keys into his pocket and began to wade through the crowd.


Zak had some time to kill before the attack, he might as well live it up.
 

Orion

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Dark silver fingers clinked against a thick metal pole, as Dædalus surveyed the land before him, which was pretty much all the land when it came to Radiant Garden. Atop Ansem's castle, he could easily see over the entire township, and into some of the large valleys within the uniquely-coloured geography around the city. A cool breeze blew over his bare chest, which was unclothed from habit, not necessity, though the habit had for a while been a necessity.

In his earliest years of technological electromancy, lightning pulsating in and over his body had regularly set his clothes alight and burnt them into cinders instantly with the intensity of their plasma. Eventually, he had been able to acquire fireproof, electrically-insulative underwear, trousers, socks and boots, but not anything for his torso and arms. However, along with the breeze blowing over his skin and muscles feeling pleasant, it always brought back the earliest memories of his almost godlike powers, commanding lightning like Zeus himself with grand gestures of his arms.

It was from the world that that God resided that Dædalus took his current name, based upon the greatest architect that world had known. From the depths of his own mind, he dreamed up all the deadly intricacies of the great Labyrinth of Knossos, within which lurked the fiendish Minotaur. That world, despite being so ancient, had shown in so many ways its promise and proficiency with mathematics and mechanics that, if its civilisation did not fall, it would someday create a great empire spanning multiple worlds.

The visible world of Radiant Garden was lain about Dædalus as a great disc, the centre of which was populated by people, animals, buildings, magic, machinery, and much more. It too was less advanced than Dædalus' homeworld, but he loved it all the more for it. It was past the point of primitive, but it was too early for life or the pace of advancement to become overly hectic. It was a place he considered his home, and he stood atop the pinnacle of Ansem's tower for that specific reason, grasping a massive lightning rod.

With the help of Ansem and many citizens, he had had constructed around the town dozens of tall, slender towers, from atop any of which Daedalus could and would draw up a storm to foster the true power of nature's lightning. Able to curve and arch it how he saw fit with the assistance the towers provided, in times of relative peace, he had cobbled together rainless storms of crackling thunder that added brilliantly to the displays already provided by celebratory fanfare of fireworks and magic.

Dædalus had it on good word, straight from the mind of a hijacked Reaver, that an assault would be mounted upon Radiant Garden this day. The augmented man had thus far stood atop Ansem's tower, steadily charging up all the other component ones, since dawn, but felt certainty down to his bones that told him it was still to come, that the Reaver could not have possibly lied, and he knew his reading of the minion was untraceable. It was only a matter of time, but atop Ansem's castle, Dædalus stood as Zeus sits upon his Olympian throne, thunder and lightning brimming in his fingertips, overlooking his whole world, ready to strike down any twisted mortal in an instant.
 

LongLiveLife

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Hunter drew first fire. As always, his brain was gone; he body sensed, his arm flung, and before his eye could finish its blink, the patch of roof that the specter once hovered through crackled in an explosion of electric shower. The unfamiliarity of the new spell left his fingers tingling. Out the corner of his eye he saw his brother’s extended arm. Whatever presence he felt Malik had felt, too, and like Hunter, he had acted on it. And that scared him.

No longer drowned by teachings of spells, the high-pitch whine of the crystal pendant lying on the desk penetrated Hunter’s ears, a chilling sound broken only by the brief sputter of arcing sparks overhead. His eyes shot to Malik, who met his stare with an affirmative nod. Though the act of scrying was hit-and-miss at best, and missed more often than not, that his brother had also sensed the apparition made Hunter believe this was one of the few instances that the crystal spoke the truth. Something ominous had come, but something worse was on its way.

He broke for the window, knowing his brother would follow suit. A sudden gust from behind swept his cheeks and flung open the window. Aero, Hunter thought, Nice touch, Mal’, and dove through the opening. Sweeping both arms open into a swan dive, he unleashed a sphere of black from the chiasm of his forearms, which led his descent to the ground. It exploded on impact and engulfed his body, immediately negating his momentum and suspending him inches from the ground. Hunter felt the sphere ripple as his brother landed on the other side. He closed his fist and the area of Zero Gravity imploded, setting his feet on the pavement.

He started running, the delay almost imperceptible, bounding over raised platforms, sliding under wooden benches, skidding down stairs, brushing aside unwary pedestrians and apologizing profusely after, until reaching the training grounds. Malik followed with equal ferocity.

So consumed in his thoughts Hunter was that the odd-looking foreigner pacing the alleys of the town, his swishing overcoat reverberating in the walls of the buidings’ exterior, went by unnoticed—though on better days his exuberant nature would have compelled him to help the lost stranger.

The twins. He forced a smile. “Training going alright?” he asked.

But before either Leilani or Aiyana could answer, Malik cut sharp. “Something’s up. There was a presence in our home. Even Hunter could feel it.”

Hunter winced. He knew his brother meant no ill will, but that boy needed a course in social etiquette or something. Their eyes met. It seemed Malik had registered the same thought.

“Probably just being paranoid,” he continued, “but better paranoid than dead.”
 

OmniChaos

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Abel sat, silently, atop one of the roofs overlooking the training ground littered with keyblade wielders. His posture was bored, tired even. His eyes looked drowsy, almost fluttering close on a few occasions, and stared out over the grounds lifelessly. His chin was cupped in between his palms, which, via his elbows, rested on his knees. An exaggerated sigh escaped his lips, followed by an equally exaggerated groan, as the training seemed to drag on at a snail’s pace. The king had said ‘hands-off’ of the keyblade wielders and to keep low until he arrived. He had also said that Isamu was his, but that honestly was unimportant to Abel. All Abel wanted was to have some fun before work actually began. At this rate, however, the Eclipse King would arrive well before their practice would end, meaning no fun time for Abel. The boy, now well past the point of patience, stood up and began to walk away, being careful where he stepped on the roofs. For being the so-called ‘Capital of Light,’ Abel certainly found the poor shape of the homes baffling. Seems more like the Capital of Junk, if you ask me.

"Alright, I believe that is enough for today’s lesson."

Abel spun around, his face alit in joy. Finally, with the keyblade wielders free from their fruitless and meaningless training, Abel could go and have some fun with them, as well as pick his playmates from among the litter. With a cheerful shout, Abel jumped from the roof, spinning once while in midair, and, gracefully, landed on his feet, from which he then started straight into a dash toward the first keyblade wielder, or in this occasion ‘wielders,’ he set his eyes onto. Two girls, identical in appearance, though only slightly different in attire.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Abel shouted as he ran toward the twin keyblade wielders. Abel leapt into the air with a joyful laugh and almost came down on top of the two, carefully avoiding doing so by quickly increasing his drag, which caused him to touch down just before the two. “Hey, are you two keyblade wielders? Huh, are you?” Abel laughed joyfully again, though this time it was a bit forced. “I mean, that’s sooo awesome if you were! I’ve always wanted to be a keyblade wielder, but I’m always told I’m just too young. But, but I’m going to be when I’m older. Just wait!”

“So what are your names, huh?” Abel smiled widely. “My name’s Leba.”


---------​

"Ogen!"

Right on cue.

"You ought to try and brighten those spirits, hm?"

Ogen looked up and found the owner of the voice that inevitably spoke to him: Animus. He was a fellow keyblade wielder and Ogen’s ‘friend.’ ’Friend?’ Is that right? How could I possibly know him to be a friend when I can’t even contemplate the meaning of the word? How can I possibly have a friend when, for all I know, it means something that I don’t have? God, I hate this! Why? Why is it I have to suffer in this ignorance? Wait, what is that? Is that a—

Ogen quickly ducked out of the way as something silver came flying his way. He wasn’t going to stick around to see what is was or what it was going all to do. As he slowly got up, slightly dusting himself off, Ogen became incredibly embarrassed to see that what he had been so quick to dodge was nothing more than a wrapped chocolate bar. The boy blushed slightly and walked over and picked up the bar off the ground.

“T-Thank you,” Ogen called back, cautiously unwrapping the bar. It was slow and delicate, as if the boy was planning on keeping the wrapping. He took a bite out of the bar, timid, but the bite was full. The familiar taste of chocolate raped his taste buds and it quickly exploded into a party that engulfed the boy’s mouth. It was a taste he loved, a taste that, even if only for a moment, took him away from the misery that surrounded the boy and raptured him into a state of pure ecstasy. “It’s so good. Thank you.”
 

Eva

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The two looked up as they were approached by the other twins, quickly forcing two small smiles as well as a small greeting before they began to talk. Malik had asked about their training, but before either could answer, he mentioned that something was approaching. The girls looked at one another, slightly confused. Something? What something? Something could mean anything after all. Something good, something exciting, something surprising--but of course, as this world would have it, it obviously meant something bad. Because bad things always happen when someone senses 'something'.

"We should keep our guard up, then." Aiyana said nervously, her eyes looking around. "What could it possibly be?" The girl twiddled her fingers nervously, many scenarios playing through her head.

Leilani agreed with what was said, but before she could answer, someone had approached them; introducing themselves as Leba, Leilani raised an eyebrow at the kid while Aiyana let out a small squeal. Lei wasn't a big fan of kids, but obviously Ai was.

"Oh! You're so cute!" Aiyana giggled, kneeling down to Leba. "Yes, we are, how did you guess?"

The way she was talking sickened Leilani; using the kind of voice you use to talk to kids. They're people too, just talk normal! she thought as her sister kept admiring the kid. She turned instead to the other twins. "...Anything's better than being dead. I'd be more surprised if something didn't happen..."

"My name's Aiyana." Aiyana continued with the boy, smiling earnestly. "This is my sister, Leilani."
 

Alaude Drenxta

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

"This isn't my home any longer."

Verah wandered through the throngs of people littered across the marketplace streets of Radiant Garden, the so called utopia of the Rebellion. Clearly, it wasn't as impenetrable as they claimed, which only served to reassure him that his new home was superior to the old one. For you see, Verah was from Radiant Garden, from very nearby this exact place. Looking out, he could even the see the rebuilt castle off in the distance, so grand it seemed to touch the very clouds. All of their intel told him that this castle was the home of the keybladers, not that he needed intel. Verah knew quite well where they were, and he despised them for it.

They had chosen to cast him away, so instead, he'd taken up his mantle with their enemies, and he'd sworn to eliminate the overconfident fools. He'd served the Eclipse King since a few months before the Black Dawn, so he had certainly gotten his fill when the order for genocide had been given, however, they'd always seemed to elude him, those damned masters whom he most despised. Every trick in the book seemed aimless, and he never was too good at chasing anyway.

As the haze began to shift throughout the streets, Verah cast himself away, down a dimlit alleyway, and slipped out of town. Advancing down the dim streets running the center of town, he slipped into a doorway and vanished from sight. On the surface of this door was a mirror, and as you may have guessed, there was another on the other side. Slipping from one surface to another, Verah dropped into a small, nearly sealed room. The door he'd approached was sealed off when he took the place up, ensuring that no one could, or likely even would, enter his hide-away except for himself. It was here, in this dank place, that he would await the standing orders of his lord.

He was not, however, without his enjoyment. A new hobby he had developed, mechanical work. His hide-away doubled as a garage/mechanical shop, and it was littered with parts and models of Reavers. He liked to take them apart, remodel them, perhaps improve their weaponry or system, if not but to just learn of how they worked. He'd not yet found the real key to their operation, but with each passing test, he felt he would come closer to the answer. Perhaps they operated on a form of mysticism or power, similar to his own experiences. Those that left him entirely alone in the world.
 
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Ordeith

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

"It's so good. Thank you." Ogen seemed to be quite satisfied with his unexpected gift.
Animus stifled his chuckles for the sake of Ogen's self-esteem, even though there wasn't any malice in his laughter. It was plain to see that the young man was quite troubled--even more so than the typical teenager--and to add any more to that burden was something Animus was loath to do. He wouldn't deny that he felt genuine pity for the young man, who seemed to be caught in a perpetual fog of loneliness. His troubles seem to stem from the heart rather than the mind...

As matters currently stood, there was simply no conceivable way that Ogen's Keyblade would willingly cede itself with such a disordered heart as its vessel. The loss of one apprentice's Keyblade would not normally concern Animus; however, he could already sense that, beneath all of the sorrow, depression, and confusion that had momentarily lifted, something powerful rested in the depths of Ogen's heart. If the apprentice survived the oncoming storm, then he could be used to the benefit of them both....

With this in mind, Animus would play no hand in the boy's life or death; he would go about his business as usual, and wait to see whether the results of the battle confirmed what he felt from the apprentice's heart.

Withdrawing himself from the cluster of apprentices with a nod and a smile, Animus returned to his former walking pace, casually strolling through the training grounds. His eyes scrolled across their faces, and most of them grinned as they met his gaze. Journeyman Apprentice Kaifus Lindblum, specialty lies in Gravity magic, Keyblade known as "Hilda Garde", enjoys board games. Overhead, a small formation of black specks caught his passing gaze. Animus grinned, and turned his eyes back to the training courtyard path. Sublime. Beginning Apprentice Iris Alba, specialty lying in Keyblade/environment synergy, Keyblade known as "Twined Ivy", prefers lavender perfume. Towards the edges of the training grounds, the assassin took note of two young ladies--along with two young, less interesting gentlemen--sitting on one of the outlying benches.

Journeyman Apprentices Aiyana and Leilani, power lies predominantly with the latter; they share a Keyblade. Notable target, and--Animus's attention was at once seized by the sight of the excited-looking child at their feet. Ah, sweet little Abel, he remarked with some mental sarcasm as he passed. I can't help but feel moved by sympathy for anyone unfortunate enough to be ensnared by his sadistic little webs...

Animus continued his loop around the perimeter of the training grounds, neatly completing his list before heading off to meet Master Isamu just in time for the assault. It had been decided that keeping the Keyblade Masters alive for very long could prove costly for the attack, and Animus was all too happy to oblige. It wasn't out of any personal grudge against the master; emotions never entered the equation when business was concerned. However, Animus would be lying if he said that he wasn't anticipating an enjoyable challenge. The sky seemed to darken for Animus as his lenses shifted to black, and he made his way towards the inner castle.
 

Orion

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

For a solid hour, Dædalus kept a silent vigil. For an hour he surveyed the world laid out below him and the sky above it, eyes wide and brilliantly observant, a knack any spacefarer learned to pick up on: the minute details and changes in your environment, that helped you not only figure out where you were, but were essential. In space, an attack could come in many forms and from any angle imagineable. A keen eye was absolutely essential. And so, dealing with these issues on a world was simple: The three-dimensionality of space and its hazards were comparatively reduced to two dimensions here. It was exceedingly easy for Dædalus, and monotonous too. When he hadn't found anything after that hour passed, he satisfied himself that nothing was not yet coming, and he would use his time elsewhere before resuming his vigil.

He loosed his mechanical hand from the thin spire he grabbed, and allowed himself to fall sideways, before pirouetting during his descent to slide feet-first down the steeply-angled roof of the tallest tower. When he came to the precipice, he allowed himself to continue downwards. The view down was spectacular, and harrowing. Nearly a dozen individual towers, and jutting from them a collective thousand items upon which a faller could impale themselves rather painfully. Thankfully, Dædalus had his own way to avoid such a demise. When his falling arc strayed more than ten metres from the main, central tower, he shot out his arm towards a thick metal pipe, and a pulse of elecromagnetism drew him toward it. When he was about to hit it, another invisible blast from his hand sent him hovering gently away from it. Thusly he fell down the tower, carefully tracing down its length, drawing to and dodging away from all the metallic furnishings of the magnificent spire that allowed him to guide his descent. When he would have come to a slamming, splattering halt on the ground, a particularly strong pulse emanated from his hand, entirely aimed at a horizontally-spanning pipe, and his descent was slowed until finally he hovered off the ground by a few inches, an attractive magnetic pulse just overpowering a repulsive one to keep Dædalus off the ground. When the pulse was disengaged, he dropped gently to the ground, and made his way toward the training ground, where almost all of Radiant Garden's most powerful fighters were stationed. And many of them were only children.

A brisk pace set by long legs that took fast steps even during what their owner considered an ambling stroll. He still lacked any form of clothing on his upper half, but passed into a small garage - one of his various work houses stationed around the city - and walked out with a dark grey leather coat, the left arm of which was missing. If it had been present, it would quickly enough be torn to shreds by the various blades that extended from the augmented arm, or become totally misshapen if the arm were to be reconfigured and transformed. It also made it very easy to draw out Icarus. However, it did sometimes leave him very conspicuous and noticeable, on top of his height. Entering through a fairly unknown path into the training grounds, Dædalus emerged facing two twin girls, a pair he knew to - curiously enough - share usage and powers of a single Keyblade. Greeting them was an admiring boy, probably not even in his teens, who Dædalus had never before seen in his life.
 

Chromatic

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Walking?? No! Not at all! With each passing step Anton took down the exterior of the castle, the more tedious and undesirable walking become. It wasn't a matter of Radiant Garden being so massive. He had gotten accustomed to that little thorn as soon as he arrived. It wasn't even a matter of not having anything to observe whilst in trek. To that contrary, he had found the scenery as beautiful on one day as he had in the previous. it was nothing more than a simple matter of him having grown bored with walking at that particular moment, and was hence stricken by the desire to attain a more exhilarating form of transportation. And in a definite upside to his desires, he had a swell idea in mind for how he would break from his momentary monotony. Maybe it was a long shot to try, but he certainly knew enough about his spell work try. It was just a matter of giving it a shot.

The first thing being first, Anton gave Midnight a gentle prod forward, prompting the avian companion to flutter from his perch upon his head, and well out of the way of the possibility of harm. Once the crow was well away from his work space, he began contemplating the how to go with his what. "That sounds about right," he said having given it little more than a moment of thinking. "Just needs to be the right force, or something like." Casually, he packed the two skulls back into his coat in preparation. A handful of seconds passed, and his newly concocted trick was put into effect. As if gravity had been put into a forceful reverse, Anton was capitulated skyward. The force that would have normally flung him at such speeds as to leave his body strained, torn, and nearing the clouds, served as little more than a light boost to a desirable height, some fifty, or one hundred feet above where he had been standing. From such a height, he would, as he was certain, be able to glide along a path free of any obstruction.

In the few seconds he spent on his journey upward, he took the liberty of scouting about the area before him for a lively place to embark to. Just about every inch of the town in the castle's shadow was teeming with life and energy. Every street as far as Anton's eyes could see was crawling with others with which he could have his fun before getting to work on his practicing. Practice... the word seemed to resonate with him as he reached the peak of his ascension. At the very thought of it, his mind was made up, and mounting his scythe as thought it were a witch's broomstick, he floated on towards the training grounds, where another of the Keybearers' lessons seemed to have gotten out for the day.

((Bah.. someday I'll finally put out another post that I'm actually pleased with to the fullest)).
 

OmniChaos

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Abel pointed toward the twin who had addressed herself as Aiyana and, as cute as he possibly could, replied “Ai-Ai.” He then pointed toward the other twin, who Aiyana had introduced to be Leilani, and said “Lei-Lei.” He smiled once again, trying to pour as much sappiness as he possibly could into it. It was obvious from the very beginning that Aiyana had already fallen for his cuteness, but Leilani, on the other hand, seemed to be less of a fan for children. Seems they were polar opposites. Still, that wouldn’t deter Abel’s fun.

“I was watching you two fight,” Abel stated, answering the girl’s earlier question. “You two are really good and really pretty!”

Abel’s attention was snatched from the twins when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a new person enter the training field. He turned his attention toward the man. He could tell just by the sight of him that he was far more experienced than the other keyblade wielders and, more importantly, would be far more fun to play with. That’s when he noticed the man’s arm. It wasn’t of flesh, but was metal. Abel recognized the arm, in some shape or form, and spared a moment to study it. The mechanical design and technology seemed to hint that the arm had originated from the world of Treasure Planet, which Abel had briefly visited during the Black Dawn Genocide. Though whether the man actually shared his origins with his arm or if he simply received it there was still a mystery. Abel definitely wanted to play with this guy. He just looked far too fun. Abel didn’t think cuteness would be effective against this man, so, instead, he tried the alternative.

Abel bent down and picked up a decent sized rock, one that was just a little smaller than the size of his palm. He tossed the rock up once, caught it, and threw the rock straight at the man. Abel didn’t want to actually hurt the man too much, at least not yet anyways, so he held back a bit, but, if the man wasn’t careful, the force Abel had thrown the rock would still prove to be a bit painful.
 

Alaude Drenxta

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

Slowly drifting across his garage as if he were apathetic to his surroundings, he came across another mirror. He looked up, seeing his reflection in the surface before him, once more disgusted at what he saw. He had grown to hate his own reflection, having spent far too much time looking into mirrors, to the point that his entire life seemed devoted to a world that was nothing more than a refraction of true reality. Gently, he brushed his hand across the smooth surface, feeling the icy cold of the glass, and with little pressure, his entire form vanished into the surface, melding into the world at the other end of the spectrum.

He immediately reappeared in a dark, sealed room. The air was thick and heavy, a cloying odor filled the place with a rancid scent so strong one could literally taste it in their mouth. The room was dank, and were there light anywhere in this place, one might notice that the floor and walls were wet on the outer surface, but hard and crusted beneath. A flick of a switch, however, revealed the reason for the great security and secrecy of this place. As light filled the room, an onlooker might at first believe that, finally, the room might become more inviting......

There were bodies, suspended from triple-pronged hooks handing from the ceiling. The insides were torn from the chest cavity of every person, their stench and rotting flesh filling the room and layering the floor with wet, as well as dried, blood. Parts and pieces were scattered across the small space, and the heavy, warm air only served to accelerate the nausea inducing sight. Some were mangled, to the point that they were unrecognizable. Others, seemed to be surgically vivisected, and left to die after the procedure. Others still were ravaged wildly and strewn across the room, their many parts separated in a mangle of both insides and out. The only constant that could be ascertained between the several bodies was the fact that not a single heart could be found anywhere in the room. They'd all been removed, delicately, and used in Verah's numerous Reaver experiments.

You see, he'd discovered, at least, the source of their power. Hearts, living hearts. However, he'd come to realize that it was not the physical heart that mattered, it was merely a vessel. The true "power" of the heart seemed to have some magical property that he did not truly understand. However, all the same, every machine can be understood, and soon he would discover this secret, and he would create his own army. His aim was to be granted the title of Marshal, and if he needed to dissect a few living beings to achieve this goal, then he would simply have to tough it out. As if it even bothered him, anyway. He cared little for the insects known as man, and even less for the animals that mindlessly wandered the many worlds.

Heading toward the far end of the room, he nearly slipped on what appeared to be small intestines, stumbling and crushing some person's skull with a loud, and shrill crack. As he regained his footing, he stopped to review his surroundings......

Then he began to laugh.

Loudly, and without cause.

It was a shrill, piercing cackle, devoid of purpose or wonder. Without merriment or joy, he continued his mirthless uproar.

"My time will soon be here.... I can feel the energies of this world fading. Things will quickly come apace..."

And his smile seemed to pierce the blackness as the light bulbs shattered above the chaotic scene.
 

Ðari

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Re: Kingdom Hearts Eclipse

The Phantom seemed to haunt the streets, Clad in black, walking as the invisible spectre above all else. Interest gave way to loathing, in this he found little remorse as he clung to the side of a wall. His playful companion, Harken, rotated in close orbit, passing through the wall in its revolution around the phantom menace.

Diluting the shape, his legs wafted to a tail, and he floated harmlessly transparent along the streets. To his surprise, he'd passed someone hovering...no floating, similar to himself on a descent downward. Just as this became a thought, he'd spotted Abel, undoubtedly having his picking at the locals. Resuming his position and now floating there he looked downward a tad more.

'Things seem to be going well. Must we flirt to seem like we're doing something though?'

Only Abel could do this, pull it off, and still find humor where Seven would've otherwise thought impossible. He didn't have a dreary personality such as Verah, despite the facade he wore to keep his murderous manifesto sedated. A feeling...that gave anyone nightmares, for the sheer unrequited bliss of the instillation of fears, worries, doubts that seeded and gave breath to terror one might say. As a spectre, he felt an obligation to enhancing those fears.
 
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