Fanfiction ► Kingdom Hearts: Waning Days

[Lingering Will]

Okay, so this is my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic, one of my own devising along with a lot of input from a friend of mine, props to him. This will be an ongoing thing, so as I keep writing it, I'll post more chapters here, so let me know what you think as I move on!

Spoiler Show

Light.

Darkness.

Two sides of the same coin.

Two forces that shape all worlds.

One makes people stronger for nothing at all, while the other makes people stronger, but at a terrible cost.

Those who harnessed the light were individuals of great strength, possessing strong hearts and unshakeable resolve.

Those who harnessed the dark were terrifyingly powerful, but acted on impulse, often for the worst, and came to harm those close to them and themselves.

Some didn’t care to harness either, instead deciding to live between light and darkness, on the border of both. These beings could be strong, weak, or average, it didn’t matter, they served as the bridge between realms.

Eon, a dweller in the Realm of Light.

Hyperion, from the Realm of In-Between.

And Aelic, an immigrant of the Realm of Darkness.

With their hearts connected, their fates determined, their destiny will now unfold.
***
The cafe was quiet, it being early morning, and the air was cold, biting at Hyperion’s skin like an overly-zealous puppy.

The young man sat quietly, his coffee steaming in its mug, his head set upon the table in front of him. His breaths were heavy and slow, suggesting he was sleeping, until a large BOOM shook the ground beneath his feet.

He sat up groggily, having hit his head on the table, and blinked several times over.

A small, white and antennaed creature ran up beside him and tugged on his arm, “Heartless! Heartless are in the second district kupo!”

Hyperion glanced down and over, squinting ever so slightly at the thing, “You want me to take care of them again for you, little man?” He asked.

The Moogle nodded, pointing up the stairs towards the Second District, “Yes kupo! Go destroy the Heartless kupo!” It proclaimed.

Hyperion slid his chair back, picking up his coffee on the way, and guzzled the entire thing before hitting the stairs. He pushed open the doors and made his way into the massive district courtyard.

Explosions rocked the ground beneath him, multiple spheres of energy slamming into the surrounding buildings, raining debris all over the stone floor. Hyperion remained quiet, strolling forward and to the right, avoiding every piece of rubble that came his way.

Once down one of the two staircases, the young man found himself faced with several Neoshadows, all staring him down while brandishing their talons.

Hyperion smiled at them, bringing his hands up, palms facing the sky, “You don’t know when to quit do you?”

Flames erupted from his skin, swirling around him in a freakish tornado, “It doesn’t matter!” He roared over the fire, “The darkness cannot extinguish flames like mine!”

With defiance, the teen leapt at the Heartless, as did his foes, and all disappeared in a blinding explosion.
***
Eon skidded back, scraping his Keyblade along the ground to stop, before breathing deeply and letting said breath out in a heavy sigh.

He glanced up, narrowly deflecting another attack, and jumped away, channeling a ball of light at the end of his weapon before releasing, multiple projectiles of energy flying away to seek their target.

A single swipe from his opponent dissipated the attack, much to Eon’s dismay, as the master’s retaliation creating a force strong enough to send him flying backwards. A blade was pressed to his throat as he tried to get up, and he raised both arms in surrender, letting his weapon disappear from his grasp.

The blade was retracted, and a hand was offered instead. Eon took it, and was pulled off the ground in one deft motion. He backed away and bowed.

“Lift your head Eon, it’s unbecoming of you to be bowing to me.”

The student slowly raised his view to meet his master’s gaze, “Even I was lost to the Darkness, you on the other hand, have not been touched.” He explained.

Eon frowned, “But… Master Riku-”

The older man shushed him, “No buts! You have nothing to be disappointed in. You have one of the strongest hearts I’ve ever seen, even compared to Sora, and that’s something else.”

The student nervously smiled, “I’m not anywhere close to Sora in skill Master.” He stated.

Riku slapped him on the shoulder, “Of course not, not in your skill with the Keyblade…”

“Gee, thanks.”

“But in the strength of your heart, yes, you very well are.”

Eon smiled for real that time, and Riku began guiding him out of the training grounds, “Thank you Master.”
***
The Realm of Darkness was brewing.

Aelic observed the Heartless from a distance, watching them writhe in bridled anger, eager to consume everything they could.

Even he couldn’t blame their feeling of anxiety. He too wished to escape this cursed prison. Too long had he been dwelling in the Darkness. Too long had the shadows of anger and hate from all worlds eaten away at his own mind.

However, he knew what he was. He belonged here, in this dominion, there was no place for a creature like him outside those fabled white doors.

No desire came to him however, to steal hearts, or consume worlds, he simply wished for understanding. He knew he was a Heartless, but what kind? He felt alone, even among his brethren Shadows, like a cloud in a clear sky.

For as long as he had existed, he had observed the Heartless’ behavior, and he found they didn’t seem to feel anything, only a primal urge to destroy. Aelic felt nothing like this, only a desire to leave.

Where would this desire lead him, he wondered? Only time could tell...

Spoiler Show

Smoke rose from several of the stones, where the Neoshadows had once stood, now just steaming piles of darkness. Hyperion laughed aloud, “You Heartless never learn…” He claimed, extinguishing a few flames beneath his feet.

Suddenly, from nowhere, four pairs of hands shot out of the ground, grappling Hyperion’s legs and pulling him down into liquid shadow, “Or maybe you have…” He whispered in shock. Trying to struggle, his body was slowly dragged down into the darkness, head following suit.

The shadow dissipated, leaving no trace of Hyperion having ever been there.

“AHHHHH!!!”

From a hundred feet up, the teenager screamed in terror in as he plummeted towards the floor below. Five Neoshadows still clung to him, ripping at his clothes and his body.

He raised a hand, snapping two fingers, “That’s enough of that!” He roared. Multiple explosions erupted around him, incinerating the Heartless in a single moment. Still falling, Hyperion managed to right himself, just as he slammed into the ground with a resounding BOOM!

The young man slowly got up, wincing with every motion, “Ouch.” He muttered.

He looked around, making note of his darkness stained surroundings, and sighed, “Alright then… I guess I gotta get out of here… Might as well start walking…”
***
A cry of fear caught Aelic by surprise. This one didn’t sound like a Heartless, no Heartless he’d ever seen or observed made this kind of sound.

Peering in the direction of said sound, Aelic spotted a figure, engulfed in shadow, falling from a great height towards the ground. Moving towards him, the Human Heartless winced as several explosions erupted around the figure, destroying what he considered were Neoshadows.

Aelic scratched his head and watched as the figure, a young human, rose, rather unsteadily, from the ground.

“How’d he get here?” The Heartless asked himself.

As the young man began to walk away, Aelic found himself following suit, keeping an ample distance behind. With what he’d just observed of the human, he could tell that this was no chump in combat, he destroyed at least five Neoshadows in a single attack.

Proceeding with caution, Aelic moved along with the young man, staying far behind while keeping him in his sight…
***
Eon fenced with himself in the courtyard, thrusting his Keyblade forward and slashing imaginary parries away from himself. The young Keyblade wielder went back into his regular stance, then sighed.

“Just can’t get it. My technique’s always off!” He said, exasperated.

His Keyblade, Prism Break, dissipated in a shower of light, and Eon began walking out of the courtyard, running a hand over his face and through his black hair. Making his way to the Bastion, Eon knocked on Master Riku’s door.

The heavy wooden door opened at his touch, signalling him to enter. He walked in with head held rather low, but was accosted by his teacher in a stern tone, “Head up Eon! You have no need to be disappointed in anything.” He scolded.

The boy’s posture straightened, and he replied, “Yes sir!”

Riku’s face softened into a warm grin, “Now, what is it? Something on your mind?”

Eon summoned his Keyblade and held it out for his Master to see, “I’ve been practicing as hard as I can Master, you say that I’m very skilled with this weapon of mine, but I can find no purpose in its use, when will the Keyblade become something other than a tool for training?” He asked.

Riku’s smile faded, replaced now by the concerned frown, “How do you mean?” He replied.

Eon gestured to his weapon, “All I’ve ever been told is that this Keyblade is used to defend the Realm of Light, but darkness never seems to rear its ugly head in this place. When will I be able to fight the powers of the dark? I think I’ve trained long enough, I want to help!” He exclaimed.

Riku’s warm grin returned, and he stood from behind his desk, summoning his own Keyblade, Way to the Dawn, “You aren’t wrong, Eon, you have trained long and rigorously, without question indeed, but the only reason you haven’t left this place to deal with a threat is because there are none yet, the forces of darkness have been in slumber for a long time.”

He walked around his desk and laid a hand on his pupil’s shoulder, “Trust in me and my judgement, you and I will both know when the time comes for you to travel to other worlds.”

Eon looked down at his Keyblade, and silently nodded, “Alright…”

A tremor shook the room, causing both warriors to stumble to one side. “What was that?” Eon asked.

Riku looked out his door, “Not sure, but we should investigate, could be the Heartless.” He tapped Eon on the arm with his Keyblade, “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get to show me what you’ve learned!” He said, running out of his quarters.
***
Hyperion had been walking for quite a while before he saw the portal.

The landscape never seemed to change, always one form of darkness infused earth or another. He sighed after passing the millionth one, “What is this place?” He asked, “How long does it go on for?”

Questions like these fluttered out of his mouth every so often, inquiring his whereabouts. They didn’t do any good for him, all he could do was walk and hope to find an exit. Without any signs of such a thing after quite some of strolling in the dark, Hyperion plopped down and shut his eyes.

“There’s gotta be a way out of here… It can’t be endless…” He whispered to himself.

“Of course it’s not endless, nothing in this universe is endless…”

The voice seemingly came from all around. Hyperion shot up from his haunches, alert, “Who’s there!?” He yelled. Nothing returned his call, to which the young man squinted his eyes and peered further into the darkness. Finding nothing, he sighed and sat back down again, “Place is making me crazy…”

It was then that he noticed his shadow. Hyperion looked at it, wondering if it was about to take a physical form and attack, but it did nothing, simply mimicking his actions like a normal shadow would.

A shadow meant light, and a light meant a way out.

Hyperion stood and turned quickly, seeing a small portal, made of some sort of luminous energy, standing before him. A feeling of familiarity came over him, and a longing to return to the light. With a little hesitation, the young man stepped forward through the corridor, and out into open sunlight.

Glancing around, Hyperion found himself in a massive courtyard, surrounded by buildings similar to those in Traverse Town. But this place seemed more cheerful, like joy itself floated through the air.

No time to wonder though, as a multitude of Neoshadows emerged around him, twitching furiously. Hyperion growled deep in his throat, “Don’t like me escaping your little prison huh?” He said. Just as before, flames grew from embers into fires on his palms, “I’m not going back!” He yelled.
***
Eon heard shouting from the town center, just in front of the castle gates, as well as the roaring of fire.

“Sure hope the town’s okay, wouldn’t want any buildings burning down.” He said to his master, who was running along side him.

Riku nodded, “Heartless do not seek to destroy what we have built, but rather, what we have, our hearts and feelings. They feel nothing but hate and anger for those who have what they don’t.”

The two of them emerged from one of the many alleyways and found no Heartless, but instead, a tall young man standing amidst the fading shadows of several enemies, flames licking off his hands and dissipating into the air.

Eon got a funny feeling just looking at him, and summoned his Keyblade. Something was eerily familiar about this character, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it.

The two approached slowly, until the man caught wind of their movements and turned, dark red hair waving slightly as he moved. A burgundy leather jacket clung to his arms and shoulders, with a white tank-top underneath. A total of three belts crisscrossed over his chest, two down from his right shoulder and above his ribcage, the other up from his left hip. Brown cargo pants were complimented by orange and red accented hiking boots, along with a fingerless silk glove covering his right hand.

As he turned, all fear and apprehension melted away though, because of his eyes, Eon knew those eyes better than anyone.

The stranger seemed to recognize him too, eyes widening, “Eon?” He stated out loud.

Spoiler Show

A silence gripped the entire courtyard as the three of them stared at each other with complete shock and awe.

Eon let his Keyblade drop to the ground, a clang resounding before it dissipated, and rushed forward, assaulting Hyperion with a fierce bear hug. The taller of the two nearly fell over, but returned the gesture just as warmly.

Eon pulled away and looked him up and down, “Look at you! You’ve gotten taller!” He exclaimed.

Hyperion laughed aloud, scratching his head, “This pointy hair of mine probably adds a couple inches, but yeah.” He punched Eon on the shoulder, softly to not send him flying, “How about you? You seem to have gotten a bit more altitude yourself.”

Eon smiled, “Five ten and three quarters! I checked this morning!” He explained.

Hyperion laughed again, then looked over Eon for himself, noticing how his friend’s attire had changed. “Last I saw you, you were still wearing that stupid v-neck that showed off your skinny chest.” He prodded.

Eon looked down at himself and shook his head, “I didn’t seriously think I looked good in those right?”

Hyperion smiled, “Yeah, you did. But I gotta say, I’m digging the armor.” He pointed to the leather gauntlet covering Eon’s left arm, the rest of his torso covered by a long sleeve white shirt, the left sleeve cut off at the shoulder to make room for the extra protection.

Eon rolled his shoulders in their sockets, “Yeah, sweet right? Got as part of my training!”

Hyperion raised an eyebrow, “Training? What training?” He asked.

Riku stepped out from behind his student, “My training.”

The younger man looked over the master with a skeptical eye, “And you are?” He questioned.

Eon gestured to Riku with his armored hand, “Hype, this is my teacher, Riku, a Keyblade Master and a wise mentor.”

Hyperion reached out a hand, gripped firmly by Riku, and shook, “Pleasure to meet you. I take Eon’s been a good student?”

The master laughed, “Indeed, I couldn’t ask for a more obedient and respectful apprentice.”

Eon scratched his head and looked behind Hyperion, a curious look overtaking his excited one, “So, how’d you get to Radiant Garden? I thought the pathways between worlds were closed.”

Hyperion grimaced, “Radiant Garden? I was in Traverse Town less than an hour ago fighting the Heartless.” He replied.

Riku’s eyes widened, “So the Heartless are surfacing in other worlds?” He asked.

Eon turned to his master, eyes squinted with suspicion, “You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Riku shook his head, “Sora and I weren’t sure, he said he’d go to investigate, but hasn’t returned. And now that Hyperion here has confirmed my fears, it’s time to act.”

Hyperion raised an eyebrow, “This isn’t a regular thing? I’ve been fighting the Heartless for over a year in Traverse Town, they’re nothing new.”

Riku nodded, “No, it isn’t a common occurrence, the Heartless haven’t been sighted or even heard of for over five years until now.”

The redhead frowned, “Well, if they’re that big of a threat, why haven’t you been seeking them out to stop them?”

Eon extended a palm and gestured as he explained, “Like Master Riku just said, Sora went to investigate a while ago, I remember him leaving, though I didn’t know at the time what it was for…” He glanced at his teacher before continuing, “If Sora hasn’t returned, he’s either fighting them wherever they are, or has been incapacitated.”

Hyperion stroked his chin, “So if you find this Sora, you’ll most likely find the problem?” He asked.

Riku and Eon nodded.

The three of them pondered for a moment, before a tremor shook the ground beneath them, a column of flame erupted behind some buildings before disappearing, capturing the attention of the trio. Hyperion angrily frowned, “Some chump thinks he’s good with fire huh?”

Riku adopted a concerned grimace, “Sora’s seen those flames before, on more than one occasion, each time the battle barely ended well for him.”

Eon looked at his master with a terrified glance, “You don’t mean…”

Riku nodded to confirm his student’s question, “Yeah. Him…”

Another column of fire erupted, this time farther away, and a single figure rose out of the flames, smoke trailing from his long black coat, hands barely able to hold the massive sword he possessed, he made his way to the courtyard and dropped onto the cobble paths, boots crunching gravel as he stood up to his full height.

Riku strolled up to him, helping him stand again, before backing away to address him, “Cloud. You alright?”

The young blonde nodded while leaning onto his enormous blade, “Yeah, I’m fine, just need a minute.”

Riku tilted his head while glancing at the multiple burns covering Strife’s clothes, “He’s back isn’t he?” He asked.

“Yeah. Sephiroth's back.”

Eon’s jaw clenched, “The One Winged Angel himself? I thought you finally defeated him Cloud!” He exclaimed.

The swordsman shook his head, “I thought I did, but no matter how I try, there will always be the faintest piece of darkness in me. As long as it’s there, Sephiroth will always return to face me.”

Riku raised an eyebrow, “But you’ve always managed to beat him though, ever since Tifa helped you by giving her light, you’ve been stronger than ever. The darkness couldn’t touch you.”

Cloud frowned and drooped his head, “At one point yes, but this time, something about Sephiroth was off, he was so much more vicious, more cruel. He didn’t seem to want to just turn me over to the dark, but destroy me altogether, I could barely defend myself.”

Eon looked out towards where the pillars of flame had appeared, worry lines appearing all over his face, “You don’t seem to be in any condition to fight, I’m just a trainee,” he explained, and Riku added, “And I’m not as skilled as Sora, I doubt I could defeat him, even when he was younger Sora said Sephiroth was holding back to test his strength.”

Cloud grimaced before asking, “Then what are we going to do? The entire city is in danger!”

The three turned to the sound of knuckles cracking, Hyperion had an evil grin playing on his lips, “Guess we got no choice then… I’ll do it…”

Spoiler Show

All were silent except for Hyperion continuing to crack his joints.

Riku stepped toward the young man, an eyebrow raised in serious concern, “Now, Hyperion, I don’t doubt your strength, fighting the Heartless for a year straight is no easy task, but this is Sephiroth, the One Winged Angel himself, he’s beyond almost everyone.”

The fire-wielder scoffed, “This Sora of yours beat him.”

Eon put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Hype, I know your ability to fight better than anyone. I mean, I never managed to beat you back on the Islands, but this man, Sephiroth, he’s beyond anything you could imagine in terms of strength. He’s a demon, a real monster. I’ve only heard stories about him, and from what Cloud’s said, the Angel’s even stronger than before.”

The Buster Sword wielder nodded gravely, “No kidding, it was a hard fight to win last time, but I was completely out of my league this time, something’s happened to him.”

Hyperion frowned at Eon, “You think I was slacking off in Traverse Town?” He blew a raspberry, “As if, I was training hard for the day I met you again and we could see if I’m still stronger, or you’ve surpassed me!” He declared.

He smiled his trademark devilishly handsome smile, “You thought I was strong before? You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

With that, he turned and headed the direction Cloud had come, his boots crunching the dirt beneath his feet as his leather jacket flapped around his waist.

The three remaining guardians stood silently, watching him go, feeling multiple emotions at once. Fear from Eon for his friend, outrage from Cloud that one person could be so confident, and curiousity from Riku of the strength exuded by the young man.

“Is he insane?!” Strife cried out.

“Possibly…” Eon muttered.

“He’s strong.” Riku mused aloud.

The other two looked at him strangely but said nothing, turning their gaze back to the direction Hyperion had left.

Unbeknownst to them, across the courtyard in the shadows, a figure watched the entire event unfold, an intrigue having been taken in the scenario, and he sunk into the ground. Slithering across the ground as a black spot on the brick, Aelic snuck after Hyperion, intent on witnessing his encounter with this so called ‘One Winged Angel’.
***
This Radiant Garden, as that’s what several signs said along the way, was nothing like Traverse Town, that much Hyperion could tell. As he jogged through the city streets, making note of any destruction caused by Sephiroth, the teen’s anger steadily grew.

He’d only been here for five minutes and some creep was already laying waste to the place? Come on, what was his luck? Everywhere he went, some other-worldly force had to come along and try and wreck the place. He’d been afraid of that on Destiny Islands, which is partly why he left, he didn’t want to be there if it happened, he didn’t want to be wiped away from the world. In his heart he knew it was cowardly, but what was one to do when faced with the threat of destruction, sit there and accept it?

No, Hyperion wasn’t that type of person, certainly not. He was a fighter, not a thinker, when faced with a threat, he was determined to punch his way out. Another reason he had left the Islands, to grow strong enough to return and defend them.

He hadn’t been sure when he’d return, but he knew he wasn’t strong enough at the moment. It had been over a year since he’d said goodbye to Eon and left the Islands. Eon must have followed suit, leaving the Islands, perhaps in search of him, and found Riku instead.

Dashing through the city, Hyperion eventually found himself along a small waterway on the outskirts of the city. He walked for quite a while, taking notice of the great view of the city from so high up. He could see over the tops of all the buildings, even spying a massive castle that sat in the middle of town, the sun was setting over the horizon, and he felt a deep sigh escape his chest, “Just like home.” He whispered.

Hyperion watched for a few more moments, before another rumble, followed by a pillar of flame, appeared to his right. He ripped his eyes away from the sun and watched as the fire receded and eventually dissipated into the air. He growled and made his way towards the sight of its appearance.
***
Making his way to the end of the aqueduct, Hyperion found a set of stairs heading downward. He raced down them and into an open courtyard of some kind. Beneath his feet, glass protected what seemed to be a reactor, generating energy for the whole city.

He was about to get a closer look when that familiar rumbling hit again, and yet another column of flame burst into life, but this time no more than twenty yards away from him. Hyperion didn’t flinch, he’d found he was immune to fire a long time ago, some type of gift he’d received at birth, along with being able to control it. He waited until the flames died out, and spotted a single, tall figure rising from the soot covered ground.

Hyperion instantly recognized it was Sephiroth, not by his long, silver hair, not by his large coat, not even by the sword he held in his left hand, the thing must have been seven feet long! He knew it was Sephiroth, because of the single black wing sprouting from his right shoulder.

A cold hand passed over his heart at the sight of him. Something about the One Winged Angel put him on edge. It was as if the very air around him was charged with tension.

He turned his terrifying blue eyes on Hyperion, and the teen’s face broke out into a fearsome grimace.

“You the one destroying Radiant Garden?” He yelled.

Sephiroth grinned evilly, “Yes, have you come to share in its fate?”

Hyperion grinned right back, “You wish, you’ll be the one burning in the end here, pal.”

The Angel tilted his head, adjusting his sword into both hands before raising it above his head, “Alright… Enough boasting, let our battle decide who will rest in the coffin.”

Hyperion’s fists ignited in flames, just as Sephiroth disappeared, a gust of wind rushing past him. He heard the swish of a blade, all around him in fact, and reacted, swinging his hands all around him and feeling them deflect the edge of a sword.

Within a second, Hyperion stood, panting hard, hands bloody, but otherwise unharmed. He glanced behind him and found Sephiroth, his massive katana pointed forward, as if he just performed a thrust. The One Winged Angel turned and stared at the teenager, the slightest hint of shock in his eyes.

“You hold no weapon yet deflected my attack, how?” He asked.

Hyperion shrugged, advancing, “I’d like to know how you performed that attack in the first place, that was incredible, guess we’re both gonna be disappointed huh?” He replied.

Lunging forward, the red-head smashed a fist into Sephiroth’s cheek, sending him soaring across the courtyard and into a wall, cracking the stone as if it were paper. Normally a blow like that was enough to destroy any Heartless, but Hyperion didn’t drop his guard, as he watched the Angel rise, a bloodthirsty look on his face.

“Impressive, but not enough!” He roared.

Charging forth, Sephiroth led with a blinding flurry of slashes, all of which Hyperion barely had time to avoid, sometimes intentionally letting the blade graze him to be ready for the next swing. Between each strike, Hyperion took note that Sephiroth left himself open every third or fourth strike. After observing this for a few seconds, the brawler made his move, going inside Seph’s guard and landing a hard hook into his ribs. He skidded backwards, but swiped his sword as he went, catching Hyperion’s ankle and sending him tumbling.

The red-head looked up, just quick enough to roll to his left and avoid a vicious stab from Sephiroth’s blade. He kept rolling, avoiding all the follow ups to the Angel’s first swing, until a boot planted itself on his calf and he came to an abrupt halt. Looking up, he saw as Sephiroth was raising his giant sword to attack, and Hyperion knew he was dead.

The blade fell, and Hyperion braced himself for death, but heard a metallic clang instead. Opening his eyes, he saw a brightly colored, strangely shaped sword had intercepted Sephiroth’s. He followed where it had come from, and found Eon’s terrified, worried face.

With a roar of defiance, the Keyblade wielder in training ripped his weapon up and threw Sephiroth back.

He held a hand out to Hyperion on the ground, “C’mon Hype, we can beat him together!” A slightly scared smile managed to find its way onto his face.

The fire-wielder took his friend’s hand, “Alright buddy, let’s…”

Spoiler Show

They rose together and faced Sephiroth, who stood across the reactor, staring them down with squinted eyes. “One, two, a thousand foes against me, it doesn’t matter, I will cut you all down like wheat in a field…”

Hyperion stood behind Eon, his fearsome red eyes glinting, “You talk too much.”

The Angel frowned, and disappeared in a flash of light. Eon and Hyperion instantly went back to back, watching all around to spot Sephiroth. The Keyblade wielder was attacked first, with a downward swing from the Angel, followed by a series of slashes, all of which Eon managed to deflect, until Hyperion dashed forward, under Sephiroth’s guard, and smashed an elbow across the foe’s chin.

Seph went soaring, and Hyperion acted quickly to follow up, grabbing Eon and hurling his partner into the air, right above the One Winged Angel.

With a flurry of strikes, Eon beat down Sephiroth mid-flight in a stylish combo, before bashing Prism Break into his ribs, hurling the man into the same wall where Hyperion had punched him too. Before falling back to Earth, Eon glanced at Hyperion, who looked at him as well, they both nodded, instantly understanding one another.

With a roar, the red-head’s hands burst into flames, swirling wider and wider, bigger and bigger in his palms, twin fireballs so hot, Eon could feel it from fifty feet away, he didn’t know how his friend could stand such heat.

He couldn’t focus on that though, as he concentrated on the end of his Keyblade, summoning forth a ball of light on the tip of Prism Break. He yelled, and it broke apart, the Ragnarok technique bursting forth in several dozen tendrils of light, all snaking rapidly toward Sephiroth, just now emerging from the rubble.

The One Winged Angel reacted as fast as he could, slashing multiple of the beams out of the air, but in vain. One connected, and he staggered, allowing the rest to absolutely pummel him. He disappeared in multiple explosions of white energy, before Hyperion made his move.

With a roar like thunder, the brawler erupted from his stance, fire churning all around his feet as he did, and flew through the Ragnarok, connected with Sephiroth in a crushing blow, and flew straight through the stone wall of Radiant Garden and into the distance, disappearing over the horizon.

Eon watched from the air as he did so, before slowly descending, sighing in relief and renewed concern. “Oh boy…” He scratched the back of his head, Prism Break dissipating into the air, “He overdid it.”

He knew he’d be back, boasting about how his attack had destroyed Sephiroth, Eon knew him too well…

With another sigh, he began walking towards the stairs to the aqueduct, when Riku burst onto the scene, his Keyblade drawn. He looked angry, intense. A look Eon had never seen out of him.

“Where is he?! Where’s Sephiroth?! I’ll take him on with you Eon!!” He yelled.

But, seeing the slightly destroyed top of the reactor, the master’s eyes widened and he let his weapon disappear, “Did you… Defeat him?” He said cautiously, not sure of what to think.

Eon shrugged, almost surprised by his own nonchalance, “With some help from Hyperion, but yeah, he’s gone. Hype carried him out of the city into the horizon.” He put a hand to his chin, pondering, “He hit him so hard I’d wager they’re both halfway back to Traverse Town by now!”

He laughed at the thought, Hyperion landing in the town square with an unconscious and defeated Sephiroth in his grasp, mumbling about destroying everyone, it was amusing, to say the least.
***
Hyperion was actually having more trouble than he first thought with the One Winged Angel. As they flew out of Radiant Garden, Sephiroth continued to fight back, trying to stab the red-head as they proceeded further and further away from the sight of their fight.

The swordsman carried them both into the sky high above the world below, slamming his fists into Hyperion’s face and kicking him in the ribs. The teen refused to let go, determined to send Sephiroth so far away into space that he’d never be able to come back. As they persisted in their struggle, striking the other with every ounce of ferocity they could, Hyperion took notice of something, hanging in the vastness of space, racing towards them.

Too late.


With the force of a meteor, the duo smashed into a building, situated precariously on a crescent moon. They tumbled, crashing through more structures, Hyperion being vaguely aware of the screams of citizens around him. Wherever this place was, it was inhabited, meaning Sephiroth had every chance to hurt innocents. With that thought in mind, the teen fought with renewed viciousness, grabbing the Angel by his throat and slamming a fist into his face. For once since he’d launched both of them into the sunset, Hyperion found himself free to move in the air.

He spotted the ground rapidly approaching, and twisted in midair, as so his feet were beneath him, and he hit the stones hard, rolling to a stop and breaking his fall. Standing up, he glanced around him, spotting several ships floating in midair and buildings, including the ones he and Seph had destroyed on their entry. But their construction was weird, it seemed as the horizon should’ve ended where it normally did in Radiant Garden, it instead bent upward, carrying the houses along with it, as if the buildings were being affected by a gravity in a 180o loop.

He had no time to wonder though, as Sephiroth burst from a nearby house he had crashed into and raced back towards him, blade glinting in the light.

Hyperion braced himself, narrowly dodging a vicious slice from the One Winged Angel, and punched him in the sternum. This time Sephiroth didn’t stagger, seemingly taking joy in the fight. He kept advancing, attacking with ever increasing ferocity, but less control. His face was contorted with rage, his movements telegraphed and more predictable.

As he avoided each strike, Hyperion cloaked his right fist in more and more flame, intent on ending the fight with the next blow, but such focus made him less focused on his current fight, and he grew careless. He stumbled backward to avoid a horizontal attack, and fell backwards onto the cold stone beneath him, watching as Sephiroth, just as before, reared back to strike.

Eon wasn’t here to save him this time, but his right hand still blazed. If he died here, countless others in this city would die with him, and it would be all his fault. He couldn’t allow that to happen, all those people were counting on him, he’d leave Eon, one of the only friends he had, alone to fend for himself.

A surge of furious anger erupted in Hyperion’s heart as he raised his right hand, now engulfed in flames, to meet Sephiroth’s strike.

A flash of light, a clang of metal, and Hyperion was still alive.

He blinked the dots out of his eyes from the flare, and found himself looking at Sephiroth, straining his sword against something held in Hyperion’s right. It was long, nearly the length of Sephiroth’s blade, with a handle surrounded by an ember shaped guard, a chain coming off the very point of the guard and ending in a small symbol, what appeared to be a heart, wreathed in flames. The blade was thick, and broad, more of a bat than a sword, and near the point, two teeth, shaped like axe blades emerged from the weapon.

His eyes widened, he recognized it, Eon had one just like it, but more akin to his personality.

Hyperion was holding his very own Keyblade.

 

[KingdomKey]

I'd definitely like to read more of this! It has quite the interesting start with these three individuals! I really like seeing Master Riku training Eon. It's so cool to think Riku's actually training a keyblade wielder. I'm kind of surprised Riku would mention the darkness like that. I wonder if it still bothers him to of been part of the darkness? Anyways, I really can't wait to see where Aelic goes if he ends up escaping from his prison with the other Shadow heartless? I hope you continue writing this because, you got yourself a fan that would like to read more.

 

[Lingering Will]

Whoo! Finally! Another chapter done! Sorry it took me so long, had school and stuff to do.

Spoiler Show

Smoke rose from several of the stones, where the Neoshadows had once stood, now just steaming piles of darkness. Hyperion laughed aloud, “You Heartless never learn…” He claimed, extinguishing a few flames beneath his feet.

Suddenly, from nowhere, four pairs of hands shot out of the ground, grappling Hyperion’s legs and pulling him down into liquid shadow, “Or maybe you have…” He whispered in shock. Trying to struggle, his body was slowly dragged down into the darkness, head following suit.

The shadow dissipated, leaving no trace of Hyperion having ever been there.

“AHHHHH!!!”

From a hundred feet up, the teenager screamed in terror in as he plummeted towards the floor below. Five Neoshadows still clung to him, ripping at his clothes and his body.

He raised a hand, snapping two fingers, “That’s enough of that!” He roared. Multiple explosions erupted around him, incinerating the Heartless in a single moment. Still falling, Hyperion managed to right himself, just as he slammed into the ground with a resounding BOOM!

The young man slowly got up, wincing with every motion, “Ouch.” He muttered.

He looked around, making note of his darkness stained surroundings, and sighed, “Alright then… I guess I gotta get out of here… Might as well start walking…”
***
A cry of fear caught Aelic by surprise. This one didn’t sound like a Heartless, no Heartless he’d ever seen or observed made this kind of sound.

Peering in the direction of said sound, Aelic spotted a figure, engulfed in shadow, falling from a great height towards the ground. Moving towards him, the Human Heartless winced as several explosions erupted around the figure, destroying what he considered were Neoshadows.

Aelic scratched his head and watched as the figure, a young human, rose, rather unsteadily, from the ground.

“How’d he get here?” The Heartless asked himself.

As the young man began to walk away, Aelic found himself following suit, keeping an ample distance behind. With what he’d just observed of the human, he could tell that this was no chump in combat, he destroyed at least five Neoshadows in a single attack.

Proceeding with caution, Aelic moved along with the young man, staying far behind while keeping him in his sight…
***
Eon fenced with himself in the courtyard, thrusting his Keyblade forward and slashing imaginary parries away from himself. The young Keyblade wielder went back into his regular stance, then sighed.

“Just can’t get it. My technique’s always off!” He said, exasperated.

His Keyblade, Prism Break, dissipated in a shower of light, and Eon began walking out of the courtyard, running a hand over his face and through his black hair. Making his way to the Bastion, Eon knocked on Master Riku’s door.

The heavy wooden door opened at his touch, signalling him to enter. He walked in with head held rather low, but was accosted by his teacher in a stern tone, “Head up Eon! You have no need to be disappointed in anything.” He scolded.

The boy’s posture straightened, and he replied, “Yes sir!”

Riku’s face softened into a warm grin, “Now, what is it? Something on your mind?”

Eon summoned his Keyblade and held it out for his Master to see, “I’ve been practicing as hard as I can Master, you say that I’m very skilled with this weapon of mine, but I can find no purpose in its use, when will the Keyblade become something other than a tool for training?” He asked.

Riku’s smile faded, replaced now by the concerned frown, “How do you mean?” He replied.

Eon gestured to his weapon, “All I’ve ever been told is that this Keyblade is used to defend the Realm of Light, but darkness never seems to rear its ugly head in this place. When will I be able to fight the powers of the dark? I think I’ve trained long enough, I want to help!” He exclaimed.

Riku’s warm grin returned, and he stood from behind his desk, summoning his own Keyblade, Way to the Dawn, “You aren’t wrong, Eon, you have trained long and rigorously, without question indeed, but the only reason you haven’t left this place to deal with a threat is because there are none yet, the forces of darkness have been in slumber for a long time.”

He walked around his desk and laid a hand on his pupil’s shoulder, “Trust in me and my judgement, you and I will both know when the time comes for you to travel to other worlds.”

Eon looked down at his Keyblade, and silently nodded, “Alright…”

A tremor shook the room, causing both warriors to stumble to one side. “What was that?” Eon asked.

Riku looked out his door, “Not sure, but we should investigate, could be the Heartless.” He tapped Eon on the arm with his Keyblade, “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get to show me what you’ve learned!” He said, running out of his quarters.
***
Hyperion had been walking for quite a while before he saw the portal.

The landscape never seemed to change, always one form of darkness infused earth or another. He sighed after passing for the millionth one, “What is this place?” He asked, “How long does it go on for?”

Questions like these fluttered out of his mouth every so often, inquiring his whereabouts. They didn’t do any good for him, all he could do was walk and hope to find an exit. Without any signs of such a thing after quite some of strolling in the dark, Hyperion plopped down and shut his eyes.

“There’s gotta be a way out of here… It can’t be endless…” He whispered to himself.

“Of course it’s not endless, nothing in this universe is endless…”

The voice seemingly came from all around. Hyperion shot up from his haunches, alert, “Who’s there!?” He yelled. Nothing returned his call, to which the young man squinted his eyes and peered further into the darkness. Finding nothing, he sighed and sat back down again, “Place is making me crazy…”

It was then that he noticed his shadow. Hyperion looked at it, wondering if it was about to take a physical form and attack, but it did nothing, simply mimicking his actions like a normal shadow would.

A shadow meant light, and a light meant a way out.

Hyperion stood and turned quickly, seeing a small portal, made of some sort of luminous energy, standing before him. A feeling of familiarity came over him, and a longing to return to the light. With a little hesitation, the young man stepped forward through the corridor, and out into open sunlight.

Glancing around, Hyperion found himself in a massive courtyard, surrounded by buildings similar to those in Traverse Town. But this place seemed more cheerful, like joy itself floated through the air.

No time to wonder though, as a multitude of Neoshadows emerged around him, twitching furiously. Hyperion growled deep in his throat, “Don’t like me escaping your little prison huh?” He said. Just as before, flames grew from embers into fires on his palms, “I’m going back!” He yelled.
***
Eon heard shouting from the town center, just in front of the castle gates, as well as the roaring of fire.

“Sure hope the town’s okay, wouldn’t want any buildings burning down.” He said to his master, who was running along side him.

Riku nodded, “Heartless do not seek to destroy what we have built, but rather, what we have, our hearts and feelings. They feel nothing but hate and anger for those who have what they don’t.”

The two of them emerged from one of the many alleyways and found no Heartless, but instead, a tall young man standing amidst the fading shadows of several enemies, flames licking off his hands and dissipating into the air.

Eon got a funny feeling just looking at him, and summoned his Keyblade. Something was eerily familiar about this character, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it.

The two approached slowly, until the man caught wind of their movements and turned, dark red hair waving slightly as he moved. A burgundy leather jacket clung to his arms and shoulders, with a white tank-top underneath. A total of three belts crisscrossed over his chest, two down from his right shoulder and above his ribcage, the other up from his left hip. Brown cargo pants were complimented by orange and red accented hiking boots, along with a fingerless silk glove covering his right hand.

As he turned, all fear and apprehension melted away though, because of his eyes, Eon knew those eyes better than anyone.

The stranger seemed to recognize him too, eyes widening, “Eon?” He stated out loud.

 

[KingdomKey]

Eon and Hyperion know each other?! :O And I wonder how long Aelic will stay hidden before making his appearance in Traverse Town considering Hyperion found a way out. It's kind of amusing to see the impatience Eon displays about wanting to fight shadows and darkness instead of training endlessly. He might eventually regret the peaceful days being over. Or perhaps, he won't. Sometimes a boy likes his adventures. Overall, I loved this chapter. I'm looking forward to more!

And it's okay! It was worth the wait to see your new chapter, Lingering Will!

 

[Lingering Will]

Hey look! Another chapter done! Whoo-hoo!

Spoiler Show

A silence gripped the entire courtyard as the three of them stared at each other with complete shock and awe.

Eon let his Keyblade drop to the ground, a clang resounding before it dissipated, and rushed forward, assaulting Hyperion with a fierce bear hug. The taller of the two nearly fell over, but returned the gesture just as warmly.

Eon pulled away and looked him up and down, “Look at you! You’ve gotten taller!” He exclaimed.

Hyperion laughed aloud, scratching his head, “This pointy hair of mine probably adds a couple inches, but yeah.” He punched Eon on the shoulder, softly to not send him flying, “How about you? You seem to have gotten a bit more altitude yourself.”

Eon smiled, “Five ten and three quarters! I checked this morning!” He explained.

Hyperion laughed again, then looked over Eon for himself, noticing how his friend’s attire had changed. “Last I saw you, you were still wearing that stupid v-neck that showed off your skinny chest.” He prodded.

Eon looked down at himself and shook his head, “I didn’t seriously think I looked good in those right?”

Hyperion smiled, “Yeah, you did. But I gotta say, I’m digging the armor.” He pointed to the leather gauntlet covering Eon’s left arm, the rest of his torso covered by a long sleeve white shirt, the left sleeve cut off at the shoulder to make room for the extra protection.

Eon rolled his shoulders in their sockets, “Yeah, sweet right? Got as part of my training!”

Hyperion raised an eyebrow, “Training? What training?” He asked.

Riku stepped out from behind his student, “My training.”

The younger man looked over the master with a skeptical eye, “And you are?” He questioned.

Eon gestured to Riku with his armored hand, “Hype, this is my teacher, Riku, a Keyblade Master and a wise mentor.”

Hyperion reached out a hand, gripped firmly by Riku, and shook, “Pleasure to meet you. I take Eon’s been a good student?”

The master laughed, “Indeed, I couldn’t ask for a more obedient and respectful apprentice.”

Eon scratched his head and looked behind Hyperion, a curious look overtaking his excited one, “So, how’d you get to Radiant Garden? I thought the pathways between worlds were closed.”

Hyperion grimaced, “Radiant Garden? I was in Traverse Town less than an hour ago fighting the Heartless.” He replied.

Riku’s eyes widened, “So the Heartless are surfacing in other worlds?” He asked.

Eon turned to his master, eyes squinted with suspicion, “You knew? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Riku shook his head, “Sora and I weren’t sure, he said he’d go to investigate, but hasn’t returned. And now that Hyperion here has confirmed my fears, it’s time to act.”

Hyperion raised an eyebrow, “This isn’t a regular thing? I’ve been fighting the Heartless for over a year in Traverse Town, they’re nothing new.”

Riku nodded, “No, it isn’t a common occurrence, the Heartless haven’t been sighted or even heard of for over five years until now.”

The redhead frowned, “Well, if they’re that big of a threat, why haven’t you been seeking them out to stop them?”

Eon extended a palm and gestured as he explained, “Like Master Riku just said, Sora went to investigate a while ago, I remember him leaving, though I didn’t know at the time what it was for…” He glanced at his teacher before continuing, “If Sora hasn’t returned, he’s either fighting them wherever they are, or has been incapacitated.”

Hyperion stroked his chin, “So if you find this Sora, you’ll most likely find the problem?” He asked.

Riku and Eon nodded.

The three of them pondered for a moment, before a tremor shook the ground beneath them, a column of flame erupted behind some buildings before disappearing, capturing the attention of the trio. Hyperion angrily frowned, “Some chump thinks he’s good with fire huh?”

Riku adopted a concerned grimace, “Sora’s seen those flames before, on more than one occasion, each time the battle barely ended well for him.”

Eon looked at his master with a terrified glance, “You don’t mean…”

Riku nodded to confirm his student’s question, “Yeah. Him…”

Another column of fire erupted, this time farther away, and a single figure rose out of the flames, smoke trailing from his long black coat, hands barely able to hold the massive sword he possessed, he made his way to the courtyard and dropped onto the cobble paths, boots crunching gravel as he stood up to his full height.

Riku strolled up to him, helping him stand again, before backing away to address him, “Cloud. You alright?”

The young blonde nodded while leaning onto his enormous blade, “Yeah, I’m fine, just need a minute.”

Riku tilted his head while glancing at the multiple burns covering Strife’s clothes, “He’s back isn’t he?” He asked.

“Yeah. Sephiroth's back.”

Eon’s jaw clenched, “The One Winged Angel himself? I thought you finally defeated him Cloud!” He exclaimed.

The swordsman shook his head, “I thought I did, but no matter how I try, there will always be the faintest piece of darkness in me. As long as it’s there, Sephiroth will always return to face me.”

Riku raised an eyebrow, “But you’ve always managed to beat him though, ever since Tifa helped you by giving her light, you’ve been stronger than ever. The darkness couldn’t touch you.”

Cloud frowned and drooped his head, “At one point yes, but this time, something about Sephiroth was off, he was so much more vicious, more cruel. He didn’t seem to want to just turn me over to the dark, but destroy me altogether, I could barely defend myself.”

Eon looked out towards where the pillars of flame had appeared, worry lines appearing all over his face, “You don’t seem to be in any condition to fight, I’m just a trainee,” he explained, and Riku added, “And I’m not as skilled as Sora, I doubt I could defeat him, even when he was younger Sora said Sephiroth was holding back to test his strength.”

Cloud grimaced before asking, “Then what are we going to do? The entire city is in danger!”

The three turned to the sound of knuckles cracking, Hyperion had an evil grin playing on his lips, “Guess we got no choice then… I’ll do it…”

 

[KingdomKey]

I was not expecting that at all! I'm really excited to see the face off between Hyperion and Sephiroth! And I'm seriously hoping Sora isn't dead. Or losing a limb for that matter. I wonder if the flames are symbolic to only Sephiroth. Or if there's more to it. Otherwise, it was a touching reunion with Hyperion and Eon. I like the casual talk about armor versus the dreaded V-neck top Eon once wore. It's like they're the best of friends. And it makes me want to see what they'd be like fighting side by side. <3 In the meantime, this was another fantastic chapter, Lingering Will.

 

[Lingering Will]

Spoiler Show

I was not expecting that at all! I'm really excited to see the face off between Hyperion and Sephiroth! And I'm seriously hoping Sora isn't dead. Or losing a limb for that matter. I wonder if the flames are symbolic to only Sephiroth. Or if there's more to it. Otherwise, it was a touching reunion with Hyperion and Eon. I like the casual talk about armor versus the dreaded V-neck top Eon once wore. It's like they're the best of friends. And it makes me want to see what they'd be like fighting side by side. <3 In the meantime, this was another fantastic chapter, Lingering Will.

Wow, didn't know you were still reading this Undyne! Thought this thread had completely died! Heh, might try and get a new chapter out here soon enough. I got summer break coming, I'll have time <3

 

[Lingering Will]

Well now, I got another chapter done, sorry for the double post, but I had it done and wanted to share.

Spoiler Show

All were silent except for Hyperion continuing to crack his joints

Riku stepped toward the young man, an eyebrow raised in serious concern, “Now, Hyperion, I don’t doubt your strength, fighting the Heartless for a year straight is no easy task, but this is Sephiroth, the One Winged Angel himself, he’s beyond almost everyone.”

The fire-wielder scoffed, “This Sora of yours beat him.”

Eon put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Hype, I know your ability to fight better than anyone. I mean, I never managed to beat you back on the Islands, but this man, Sephiroth, he’s beyond anything you could imagine in terms of strength. He’s a demon, a real monster. I’ve only heard stories about him, and from what Cloud’s said, the Angel’s even stronger than before.”

The Buster Sword wielder nodded gravely, “No kidding, it was a hard fight to win last time, but I was completely out of my league this time, something’s happened to him.”

Hyperion frowned at Eon, “You think I was slacking off in Traverse Town?” He blew a raspberry, “As if, I was training hard for the day I met you again and we could see if I’m still stronger, or you’ve surpassed me!” He declared.

He smiled his trademark devilishly handsome smile, “You thought I was strong before? You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

With that, he turned and headed the direction Cloud had come, his boots crunching the dirt beneath his feet as his leather jacket flapped around his waist.

The three remaining guardians stood silently, watching him go, feeling multiple emotions at once. Fear from Eon for his friend, outrage from Cloud that one person could be so confident, and curiousity from Riku of the strength exuded by the young man.

“Is he insane?!” Strife cried out.

“Possibly…” Eon muttered.

“He’s strong.” Riku mused aloud.

The other two looked at him strangely but said nothing, turning their gaze back to the direction Hyperion had left.

Unbeknownst to them, across the courtyard in the shadows, a figure watched the entire event unfold, an intrigue having been taken in the scenario, and he sunk into the ground. Slithering across the ground as a black spot on the brick, Aelic snuck after Hyperion, intent on witnessing his encounter with this so called ‘One Winged Angel’.
***
This Radiant Garden, as that’s what several signs said along the way, was nothing like Traverse Town, that much Hyperion could tell. As he jogged through the city streets, making note of any destruction caused by either Sephiroth, the teen’s anger steadily grew.

He’d only been here for five minutes and some creep was already laying waste to the place? Come on, what was his luck? Everywhere he went, some other-worldly force had to come along and try and wreck the place. He’d been afraid of that on Destiny Islands, which is partly why he left, he didn’t want to be there if it happened, he didn’t want to be wiped away from the world. In his heart he knew it was cowardly, but what was one to do when faced with the threat of destruction, sit there and accept it?

No, Hyperion wasn’t that type of person, certainly not. He was a fighter, not a thinker, when faced with a threat, he was determined to punch his way out. Another reason he had left the Islands, to grow strong enough to return and defend them.

He hadn’t been sure when he’d return, but he knew he wasn’t strong enough at the moment. It had been over a year since he’d said goodbye to Eon and left the Islands. Eon must have followed suit, leaving the Islands, perhaps in search of him, and found Riku instead.

Dashing through the city, Hyperion eventually found himself along a small waterway on the outskirts of the city. He walked for quite a while, taking notice of the great view of the city from so high up. He could see over the tops of all the buildings, even spying a massive castle that sat in the middle of town, the sun was setting over the horizon, and he felt a deep sigh escape his chest, “Just like home.” He whispered.

Hyperion watched for a few more moments, before another rumble, followed by a pillar of flame, appeared to his right. He ripped his eyes away from the sun and watched as the fire receded and eventually dissipated into the air. He growled and made his way towards the sight of its appearance.
***
Making his way to the end of the aqueduct, Hyperion found a set of stairs heading downward. He raced down them and into an open courtyard of some kind. Beneath his feet, glass protected what seemed to be a reactor, generating energy for the whole city.

He was about to get a closer look when that familiar rumbling hit again, and yet another column of flame burst into life, but this time no more than twenty yards away from him. Hyperion didn’t flinch, he’d found he was immune to fire a long time ago, some type of gift he’d received at birth, along with being able to control it. He waited until the flames died out, and spotted a single, tall figure rising from the soot covered ground.

Hyperion instantly recognized it was Sephiroth, not by his long, silver hair, not by his large coat, not even by the sword he held in his left hand, the thing must have been seven feet long! He knew it was Sephiroth, because of the single black wing sprouting from his right shoulder.

A cold hand passed over his heart at the sight of him. Something about the One Winged Angel put him on edge. It was as if the very air around him was charged with tension.

He turned his terrifying blue eyes on Hyperion, and the teen’s face broke out into a fearsome grimace.

“You the one destroying Radiant Garden?” He yelled.

Sephiroth grinned evilly, “Yes, have you come to share in its fate?”

Hyperion grinned right back, “You wish, you’ll be the one burning in the end here, pal.”

The Angel tilted his head, adjusting his sword into both hands before raising it above his head, “Alright… Enough boasting, let our battle decide who will rest in the coffin.”

Hyperion’s fists ignited in flames, just as Sephiroth disappeared, a gust of wind rushing past him. He heard the swish of a blade, all around him in fact, and reacted, swinging his hands all around him and feeling them deflect the edge of a sword.

Within a second, Hyperion stood, panting hard, hands bloody, but otherwise unharmed. He glanced behind him and found Sephiroth, his massive katana pointed forward, as if he just performed a thrust. The One Winged Angel turned and stared at the teenager, the slightest hint of shock in his eyes.

“You hold no weapon yet deflected my attack, how?” He asked.

Hyperion shrugged, advancing, “I’d like to know how you performed that attack in the first place, that was incredible, guess we’re both gonna be disappointed huh?” He replied.

Lunging forward, the red-head smashed a fist into Sephiroth’s cheek, sending him soaring across the courtyard and into a wall, cracking the stone as if it were paper. Normally a blow like that was enough to destroy any Heartless, but Hyperion didn’t drop his guard, as he watched the Angel rise, a bloodthirsty look on his face.

“Impressive, but not enough!” He roared.

Charging forth, Sephiroth led with a blinding flurry of slashes, all of which Hyperion barely had time to avoid, sometimes intentionally letting the blade graze him to be ready for the next swing. Between each strike, Hyperion took note that Sephiroth left himself open every third or fourth strike. After observing this for a few seconds, the brawler made his move, going inside Seph’s guard and landing a hard hook into his ribs. He skidded backwards, but swiped his sword as he went, catching Hyperion’s ankle and sending him tumbling.

The red-head looked up, just quick enough to roll to his left and avoid a vicious stab from Sephiroth’s blade. He kept rolling, avoiding all the follow ups to the Angel’s first swing, until a boot planted itself on his calf and he came to an abrupt halt. Looking up, he saw as Sephiroth was raising his giant sword to attack, and Hyperion knew he was dead.

The blade fell, and Hyperion braced himself for death, but heard a metallic clang instead. Opening his eyes, he saw a brightly colored, strangely shaped sword had intercepted Sephiroth’s. He followed where it had come from, and found Eon’s terrified, worried face.

With a roar of defiance, the Keyblade wielder in training ripped his weapon up and threw Sephiroth back.

He held a hand out to Hyperion on the ground, “C’mon Hype, we can beat him together!” A slightly scared smile managed to find its way onto his face.

The fire-wielder took his friend’s hand, “Alright buddy, let’s…”

 

[KingdomKey]

Hyperion being confident to kick Sephiroth's butt had me cheering for him. Seriously, I'd be standing up from the bleachers and rooting for him. My god, that was awesome. The blow to the face and Sephiroth being shocked about it totally made my day right there. I absolutely loved that part a lot. And the two keyblade wielders and buster sword watching him go was amusing to me. However, I absolutely love Eon coming in to help Hype fight Sephiroth despite being terrified over it. Got to love that friendship and teamwork. Loved this chapter! I do hope to read more from you, Lingering Will!

Oh! Don't worry about double posting updates for chapters and stuff. That's allowed here.

Wow, didn't know you were still reading this Undyne! Thought this thread had completely died! Heh, might try and get a new chapter out here soon enough. I got summer break coming, I'll have time <3

Yup! I'll check in every once in awhile to read what's new. So you definitely got yourself a reader, my friend.
​

 

[Lingering Will]

Well, got one more chapter done, hope you guys like it! Got a major twist coming for you!

Spoiler Show

They rose together and faced Sephiroth, who stood across the reactor, staring them down with squinted eyes. “One, two, a thousand foes against me, it doesn’t matter, I will cut you all down like wheat in a field…”

Hyperion stood behind Eon, his fearsome red eyes glinting, “You talk too much.”

The Angel frowned, and disappeared in a flash of light. Eon and Hyperion instantly went back to back, watching all around to spot Sephiroth. The Keyblade wielder was attacked first, with a downward swing from the Angel, followed by a series of slashes, all of which Eon managed to deflect, until Hyperion dashed forward, under Sephiroth’s guard, and smashed an elbow across the foe’s chin.

Seph went soaring, and Hyperion acted quickly to follow up, grabbing Eon and hurling his partner into the air, right above the One Winged Angel.

With a flurry of strikes, Eon beat down Sephiroth mid-flight in a stylish combo, before bashing Prism Break into his ribs, hurling the man into the same wall where Hyperion had punched him too. Before falling back to Earth, Eon glanced at Hyperion, who looked at him as well, they both nodded, instantly understanding one another.

With a roar, the red-head’s hands burst into flames, swirling wider and wider, bigger and bigger in his palms, twin fireballs so hot, Eon could feel it from fifty feet away, he didn’t know how his friend could stand such heat.

He couldn’t focus on that though, as he concentrated on the end of his Keyblade, summoning forth a ball of light on the tip of Prism break. He yelled, and it broke apart, the Ragnarok technique bursting forth in several dozen tendrils of light, all snaking rapidly toward Sephiroth, just now emerging from the rubble.

The One Winged Angel reacted as fast as he could, slashing multiple of the beams out of the air, but in vain. One connected, and he staggered, allowing the rest to absolutely pummel him. He disappeared in multiple explosions of white energy, before Hyperion made his move.

With a roar like thunder, the brawler erupted from his stance, fire churning all around his feet as he did, and flew through the Ragnarok, connected with Sephiroth in a crushing blow, and flew straight through the stone wall of Radiant Garden and into the distance, disappearing over the horizon.

Eon watched from the air as he did so, before slowly descending, sighing in relief and renewed concern. “Oh boy…” He scratched the back of his head, Prism Break dissipating into the air, “He overdid it.”

He knew he’d be back, boasting about his attack destroyed Sephiroth, Eon knew him too well…

With another sigh, he began walking towards the stairs to the aqueduct, when Riku burst onto the scene, his Keyblade drawn. He looked angry, intense. A look Eon had never seen out of him.

“Where is he?! Where’s Sephiroth?! I’ll take him on with you Eon!!” He yelled.

But, seeing the slightly destroyed top of the reactor, the master’s eyes widened and he let his weapon disappear, “Did you… Defeat him?” He said cautiously, not sure of what to think.

Eon shrugged, almost surprised by his own nonchalance, “With some help from Hyperion, but yeah, he’s gone. Hype carried him out of the city into the horizon.” He put a hand to his chin, pondering, “He hit him so hard I’d wager they’re both halfway back to Traverse Town by now!”

He laughed at the thought, Hyperion landing in the town square with an unconscious and defeated Sephiroth in his grasp, mumbling about destroying everyone, it was amusing, to say the least.
***
Hyperion was actually having more trouble than he first thought with the One Winged Angel. As they flew out of Radiant Garden, Sephiroth continued to fight back, trying to stab the red-head as they proceeded further and further away from the sight of their fight.

The swordsman carried them both into the sky high above the world below, slamming his fists into Hyperion’s face and kicking him in the ribs. The teen refused to let go, determined to send Sephiroth so far away into space that he’d never be able to come back. As they persisted in their struggle, striking the other with every ounce of ferocity they could, Hyperion took notice of something, hanging in the vastness of space, racing towards them.

Too late.


With the force of a meteor, the duo smashed into a building, situated precariously on a crescent moon. They tumbled, crashing through more structures, Hyperion being vaguely aware of the screams of citizens around him. Wherever this place was, it was inhabited, meaning Sephiroth had every chance to hurt innocents. With that thought in mind, the teen fought with renewed viciousness, grabbing the Angel by his throat and slamming a fist into his face. For once since he’d launched both of them into the sunset, Hyperion found himself free to move in the air.

He spotted the ground rapidly approaching, and twisted in midair, as so his feet were beneath him, and he hit the stones hard, rolling to a stop and breaking his fall. Standing up, he glanced around him, spotting several ships floating in midair and buildings, including the ones he and Seph had destroyed on their entry. But their construction was weird, it seemed as the horizon should’ve ended where it normally did in Radiant Garden, it instead bent upward, carrying the houses along with it, as if the buildings were being affected by a gravity in a 180o loop.

He had no time to wonder though, as Sephiroth burst from a nearby house he had crashed into and raced back towards him, blade glinting in the light.

Hyperion braced himself, narrowly dodging a vicious slice from the One Winged Angel, and punched him in the sternum. This time Sephiroth didn’t stagger, seemingly taking joy in the fight. He kept advancing, attacking with ever increasing ferocity, but less control. His face was contorted with rage, his movements telegraphed and more predictable.

As he avoided each strike, Hyperion cloaked his right fist in more and more flame, intent on ending the fight with the next blow, but such focus made him less focused on his current fight, and he grew careless. He stumbled backward to avoid a horizontal attack, and fell backwards onto the cold stone beneath him, watching as Sephiroth, just as before, reared back to strike.

Eon wasn’t here to save him this time, but his right hand still blazed. If he died here, countless others in this city would die with him, and it would be all his fault. He couldn’t allow that to happen, all those people were counting on him, he’d leave Eon, one of the only friends he had, alone to fend for himself.

A surge of furious anger erupted in Hyperion’s heart as he raised his right hand, now engulfed in flames, to meet Sephiroth’s strike.

A flash of light, a clang of metal, and Hyperion was still alive.

He blinked the dots out of his eyes from the flare, and found himself looking at Sephiroth, straining his sword against something held in Hyperion’s right. It was long, nearly the length of Sephiroth’s blade, with a handle surrounded by an ember shaped guard, a chain coming off the very point of the guard and ending in a small symbol, what appeared to be a heart, wreathed in flames. The blade was thick, and broad, more of a bat than a sword, and near the point, two teeth, shaped like axe blades emerged from the weapon.

His eyes widened, he recognized it, Eon had one just like it, but more akin to his personality.

Hyperion was holding his very own Keyblade.

 

[KingdomKey]

Hyperion has a keyblade!

I absolutely enjoyed the fight scenes in this chapter between the duo against Sephiroth. Especially when Hyperion hurled Eon into the air to carry on the fight in mid-air. And I kind of found it hilarious when Riku joins in only to miss out on the fight. Well, I'm curious to see how Hyperion does against Sephiroth with a keyblade in stead of his fiery fists! Good chapter as usual! I can't wait to see what happens next!