Chapter 14
Battle Lines
The morning sun rose across the grand fields and twinkled in the mosaic windows adorning the Temple of Twilight, but the color that arched across the morning sky was not a lazy blue, but magenta. Blood had been spilt.
Hyrule was ablaze with villagers clambering to make their homes and business prepared for attack and collecting necessary goods to survive an onslaught if the guards were to turn their attention from hunting the heroes to taking over the castle.
Amid all the noise and fear, the young child stood against a dilapidated ironsmith’s shop, staring at the Temple of Twilight. He had seemed like an angel when she had collided with him, a ray of hope to hold on to during the months of suffering, plus, Rinn thought to herself with a slight smile, he was cute.
Rinn blinked out of the daydream and hefted up here pack to return to her home for the morning chores. Each evening she snuck away in hopes that the boy no older than herself would emerge and she could look upon him once more. Rinn was about to enter into the flow of traffic until, a hushed conversation drew her attention to the alleyway behind the Temple. Eager to see the boy again, she hurried over and crouched down next to the Temple foundations edge as bits of conversation could be heard.
“…I don’t care if he says we are to remain neutral, a villager told me last night that others were forming a resistance movement against us, and I say we cut them off before we have a war on our own hands.”
“ Master Nex gaves us a direct order to keep the peace until he captured all of the Rogues.” A more commanding voice declared.
“So they can throttle you in the night then? I say we strike first, show our muscles. That way they will know what they are dealing with.”
Am murmur of agreement rose in the group, the commander seemed to slightly lose his level of authority. “ If you do anything Private Ozeru, you will be committing treason, you’ll be killed.”
The first voice scoffed. “Treason? Isn’t it treason to avoid keeping the peace peacefully? We will show we mean business, with or without you.”
The commander stifled a cry for help as the others bound and gagged the man, and from what Rinn could see around the corner, they were hurting him badly. She saw the man who had first spoken look around with triumph as he held some sort of a package in his hands that the others laughed along with.
“Let’s show these pathetic farmers that we are the law around here. Only one way to do that,” he said, placing the package against the building, “blow up hope.”
Rinn collapsed back in shear shock, these militia men were going to blow up Princess Zelda’s shrine! No, she thought, I can’t let them do this. Rinn silently looked around the ground and picked up a small but heavy rock and tossed it up to judge the weight, and peered around the corner again. The men were huddled around the package as they horrifically tied their commander to the bomb. Rinn picked her target and fired.
A surprised cry of anger erupted from the Private called Ozeru as the rock crashed into his head, he twirled around and his eyes locked on Rinn. “GET HER!!!” he cried.
Rinn ran. She ran along the outer wall of the Temple and into the thick of the crowd. She stole a glance behind her and saw a Milita head through the crowd as she pointed at Rinn. Rinn looked around for options and saw only one, tripped a man carrying an armful of building supplies.
The man fell backwards colliding with the Milita and causing a block in travel, buying Rinn time to race a block again, she turned a corner and collided with Ozeru, holding a hand against his swelling bruise. He unsheathed his sword and advanced on Rinn.
“You have assaulted a member of the Destined Militia, the punishment of which is death.” The blade arched backward and Rinn curled up jamming her eyes closed, wishing she’d seen the boy one more time…metal struck metal.
Rinn opened her right eye and saw Ozeru take a step back panic in his eyes. Rinn turned and saw a group of villagers, some familiar, advancing on Ozeru with a multitude of weapons. The man that had saved her life she realized was her father.
“Corinne, what is going on?” her father asked, not taking his eyes off of Ozeru.
“He—he’s going to blow up the Temple to prove that they are in control.”
The crowd turned instantly from agitated to enraged, vengeance smoldering in their eyes. Ozeru gathered himself and stood straight, an evil grin painted across his face.
“So, you are the one leading the Resistance old man? I would have expected you to be out wallowing in some manure field trying to scrape out a living for you and this pathetic girl. It will please me to no end to watch as the life drains from your face.” He lunged.
Ozeru’s sword seemed to become sluggish as shock and fear drained across Ozeru’s face. He looked from the sword to Rinn and was paralyzed. Her innocent eyes had changed from a soft midnight blue to icy silver as she held a small staff shaped like a crescent moon, her lips moving in silence. Her father stepped forward and stared into Ozeru’s large eyes and smirked.
“Your tenure in Hyrule, is over.”
Riot erupted as Ozeru’s comrades began to fight the crowd and an explosion rocked the ground from a few blocks away sending masonry and smoke in every direction. Hyrule had awaken to war.
Word quickly spread across the world and soon began to be whispered between back alleys on Kanto, to the highest of Mushroom Kingdom. Soon, more and more conflicts erupted across the Kingdom and with it, small fleets of warriors great and small took whatever means of transportation they could, and joined in the fight, some smuggling families and rebels across kingdom borders to make a new life or join up with the Arwing Memory.
Rinn stood gazing out the transportation viewport at the vastness of empty space, twirling her necklace unconsciously. Her father came forward and rested his hands upon her shoulders.
“You did what was right, and for that I’m proud of you.”
Rinn stared at her blurring reflection as tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, but they never fell.
“Hyrule and all the other worlds are fighting against what has so long controlled us, but I want you to know that there is more to life than fighting. Remember that Corinne.”
A voice broke the silence from the speaker system. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the pilot, we are now on approach to the Mushroom Kingdom border, please stand by as we prepare to pass through.”
The ship seemed to rock slightly as it rocketed forwards, stars whizzing by at great speed. Slowly the stars realigned and the ship slowed down as a vast number of worlds greeted Rinn’s eyes.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Kingdom Hearts.”
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The alarms blared as personnel rushed throughout the ship, scrambling to their designated battle stations. Riku pushed onwards, towards the bridge, fighting with his conscious. Sora was here, but something was very very wrong, and New Declaration had just been destroyed…What have I done…
The sliding doors opened to sheer mayhem as Riku stepped onto the bridge. Fox sat calmly at the head display issuing orders and analyzing system malfunctions. Riku looked around and saw Link, Bosku and the King near a bank of monitors he rushed over.
“Mickey, what’s going on??”
The King stood staring, his eyes boring through the monitor. “the world was destroyed by that super weapon.”
Riku shook his head trying to sort everything out. “I know your highness, but did you hear who is here? Did you hear my message?” the King shook his head, his brow knitting together.
“Sora.” The King ripped his eyes from the monitor and stared at Riku, puzzled and fearful.
“Hey what are you doing talking about Sora?” Mario asked as he and the other’s from Outcast Bay stepped forward from the entrance. Riku looked at them questioningly.
“You know Sora?”
Mario laughed. “Course we know him, if it weren’t for him, we’d all still be in that cell on Outcast Bay, isn’t that right Sparrow?”
“Inescapable clear there mate.” Sparrow hollered from the navigational display, his eyes locked on the spinning compass in his hand as he mentioned headings to Fox.
“SIR!! One of our fighters has just left docking bay 92 without clearance and is heading toward the border” a officer yelled, but Riku and Mickey already answering the question together.
“Sora.”
Fox looked back from his displays with disgust and his temper rising. “I don’t care who he is, as long as he doesn’t damage my fighter! Ty, how’s it coming getting a picture of that thing on our screens?” Fox asked pointing toward the approaching moon.
Ty stood at the radar, his shoulders slouched as the image grew ever near.
“I watched both of them blow up.” He responded.
“What are you talking about?” Riku questioned.
Ty remained staring at the radar in disbelieve. “Years ago I flew with a squadron and watched as that weapon was destroyed over Yavin IV, then watched as another version of it exploded over Endor. This, is the Death Star.”
Warning signals and a red flashing light illuminated the bridge as even more chaos ensured.
Bosku and Chappu hollered from the weapons system, “whatever IT is, IT is getting ready to fire on us!”
“Take the Memory on the same trajectory as that fighter, get us out of here!” Fox barked.
The Arwing Memory dipped and rotated on it’s axis as a magnificent emerald beam erupted in the space the ship had been in moments ago.
Riku turned and realized that Sora was going to go and enter Kingdom Hearts and take on Dest himself, he couldn’t permit this, he grabbed Mickey and slowly shook him. “Your Highness, you must open up the border to Kingdom Hearts, it’s the only way that we can get out of here.”
Mickey looked at Riku’s determination and nodded. He pulled out a small transmitter from inside his clothes and began to issue orders for Disney Castle to open all borders between the worlds and to be on the highest of alters, prepared for any form of attack.
Jack gazed down at his compass and watched as the needle took a sharp downwards spin and froze pointing due east. “All ahead full and hard to starboard!!”
Tensions remained high as the Memory sped across the cosmos and appeared before a swirling nebula. Axel stood a deck above watching the madness ensue. He gazed at the nebula and frowned. Roxas, what are you doing? You taught me once that no ones destiny was written, but are you doing this for him, or for her? The ship entered and passed into Kingdom Hearts and the distant Disney Castle floated into view.
Axel shook his head, and opened a corridor to the darkness. It’s time I make you proud Terra…He stepped inside and vanished. Riku stood staring and watched green and black corridor vanish. He didn’t know what Axel was playing at, but he hoped it was in their favor. He stepped forward and stood next to Fox.
“Take us to Worlds End.”
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“Princess Kairi, are you all right?”
Kairisat slouched in the armchair feeling as though the room and everything inside it was whizzing around her head. Grandmother, why didn’t you tell me…Kairi snapped to attention as a distant crash echoed from the main entrance far below.
“Oh dear, I fear that they have come earlier than expected.” The machine cried in alarm.
“Who? Who is coming?” Kairi demanded spinning out of the chair and summoning Three Wishes.
“The Sacrificed.”
Kairi turned her head slowly until the golden beams of the machine met her eyes. An unspoken understanding passed between them as Kairi realized that if her father WAS Lord Colevio, then she was not safe anywhere. “What must I do?”
A section of earth slid aside leading to a dark passage. “Take this passage way, it will lead you to the door back to your reality. You must take up the mantle of the Bloodline of Fate and to do this you must rectify the Balance. History shall repeat itself as it has since the first War: In the end, one will fall.”
A cold hollowness grew inside of Kairi as she stared dumbfounded at what the ancient machine had just said. “What do you mean—“
“There isn’t any time Princess, You are our only hope.” The machine demanded as its head swiveled back around to see a creature appear from the staircase.
Kairi froze in shock as the creature moved closer, it’s left leg hanging broken and twisted behind. “Hello Princess.”
“GO!” The machine wailed as Kairi turned and fled toward the passage. The creature released an angry cry and reached for Kairi. It’s bony fingers were just about to close around Kairi’s leg as the wall crashed down on the creatures hand, blocking Kairi from him.
Kairi stood staring at the wall as she heard the other monsters scream and search the room, and cringed when she heard the machine shatter into dozens of pieces against the far wall. She turned and slowly walked down the cavernous passage until she came across a simple reflective door etched into the cavern. Kairi stepped forward and gasped as her reflection wasn’t herself, but Naminè.
“Hello Kairi, I’ve been waiting for you for awhile now. I take it that C-3PO has told you everything?” she asked with a note of sadness.
“He said One would fall…”
Naminè hung her head. “It’s what must be done. A simple farm boy sacrificed himself to save his kingdom 15 years ago and failed, Princess Zelda was murdered and her Kingdom fell into war, Yu Yevon was imprisoned as an unsent pyrefly on Zanarkand because the balance has shifted so drastically. So you see now, One will fall.”
“NO! I won’t let them take him away!!” Kairi screamed releasing her anger against the cavern itself, the keyblade clanging with each strike.
“There’s nothing you can do, It’s the only way to bring back peace.”
Kairi wiped her cheeks on the back of her hand. “I—I’ll take his place.”
Naminè smiled at her somebodie’s determination but shook her head. “It’s too late to change, it’s his destiny. Come, it’s time you awaken.”
The door cracked open slightly as a warm breeze rushed out, Kairi took the handle and pulled, swearing to herself that Sora would not die.
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Axel walked down the pulsating corridor of darkness and quietly pondered the events to himself. He had thought it was crazy when Xehanort had told the Organization about the tale of Master Nex, but now it appeared that it was all too real, he tightened his cloak around him and in doing so, felt an object in his chest pocket brush against the fabric. He smiled, just a little longer. He paused and stepped out of the darkness to find a sword pointed at his chest.
“What is the meaning of this?” Jones spat, his tentacles flaring as the sword remained rock steady. Axel raised his arms in mock fear.
“Come off it Jonesy. I’m an ally.”
“Beggin your pardon if you understand my failings to accept that. You appear out of a fog and expect me to graciously accept you as one of my own? Not likely.” He advanced.
“I didn’t want to have to do this,” Axel sighed, “Parlay.”
Jones was caught off balance and glared at Axel, he sheathed his sword.
“You better make it quick, traitor, I’ve got a score to settle.”
Axel stepped around the mast and gazed at the worlds as they past. “So you’ve made it into Kingdom Hearts? Huh, I’d have thought you’d be heading toward the other Kingdom myself.”
Jones tilted his head as he watched Axel gaze over the side of the Dutchman. “Why I’m here is of no concern for yourself, you are wasting my time.”
Axel gazed longingly over the side as Twilight Town past away, part of him wanting to kill Jones and be done with it, but it wasn’t what he had concocted. He was about to speak until Aerith and Auron appeared from below deck. Axel looked at both of them and a wide smile grew on his face.
“Well, well Jones, it seems as though you have been busy. Let me guess, you are holding a deal over both of them to have them do your bidding, no doubt to kill Nex?”
Jones began to laugh deep in his throat. “You run a risky game boy, what is it you want?”
“It’s not what I want, it’s what you want.”
“You are not making any sense, I want nothing.” Jones frowned.
Axel smirked, “Is that what your heart is telling you?”
Jones soul shivered, this boy was seeing right through him and he could not permit it any further.
“Heart? I’m Captain of the Flying Dutchman, I HAVE no Heart.”
“You sure it doesn’t belong to someone else?” Axel asked lazily rolling a bottle of rum between his hands, “I know all about you and Calypso. And I’m surprised to see that you haven’t done anything about it.”
“She betrayed ME, Ten years I waited for her and she wasn’t there!” Jones bellowed drawing his sword and began to advance again, this time Axel drew both of his key spheres and tempted fate.
“He didn’t tell you did he…” Axel asked aloud.
“Tell me what?”
Axel met the cold determined stare of Jones and lowered his duel spheres, “Calypso fled Kingdom Hearts and became known as the Goddess of Spira, Yu Yevon….Nex murdered her. He didn’t tell you?”
The silence passed between the two as Aerith silently walked forward and placed her right hand on Jone’s shoulder. “It’s true.”
Jones turned from the intruder and his crew and rushed into his cabin and heavily sat down at the ancient organ. It wasn’t true he thought to himself, but the more it pained him to think about, the more it began to make sense. Jones stared absent-mindedly at the stained ivory keys and worked his way up toward the ancient locket that he had shared with Calypso. He cried out in rage, and upturned his large wooden desk and saw Auron, Aerith and Axel standing in the doorway.
“He will pay.”
Axel held up his hand, “Before we do that we must confront the ones who know him the best and how we can defeat him.”
Jones smiled. And lurched out of his cabin to the stand before his crew.
“Make ready the canvas, set sail for Destiny Island.” He announced while reaching into his coat pocket and extracting a long slip of parchment and a feathered pen. He slowly wrote three names and began to chant.
“He comes, at this hour, hungry for revenge. To he who bears, the black spot.”
Axel gazed at the list and saw at the bottom: Gannon, King Bowser and Nex’s names. It was all going as planned.