In a cataclysm known as the Nightfall, the worlds were almost completely destroyed by a harrowing surge of darkness.
In the shadows of the ensuing chaos a new group has taken shape. Led by an Aegyl named Kalos, the 11th Hour touts an esoteric knowledge of how to combat the darkness and restore the worlds. They might be the worlds’ best chance at survival; but nobody really knows enough about them to confirm or deny their claims.
On the brink of collapse, the universe holds its breath in anticipation. Of restoration? Of destruction? It is up to individuals like yourself to decide.
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There aren't enough praises in the world I'd like to give to wonderful coders for the Proboards community. The following have contributed to World Destiny in some way: W3 Schools for countless how-tos and countless of other souls who have helped get WD up to where it is.
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Max brought down what had to have been the dozenth Heartless within the past ten minutes. Then again, it shouldn't surprise him. They fit in perfectly in a forest like the one he was in, all full of dead, gnarled, leafless trees.
He'd lost track of how long he'd been in this forest. He couldn't even remember how he'd gotten here in the first place. His mind was so hazy he could barely think. All he could do was continue on and keep cutting down the heartless as they came up.
This entire task, though, was made much more difficult by the fact that Max didn't have his spear. All he had was that sword he'd gotten from that one guy a while back. He couldn't bring the man's name or face to mind, but he could bring up the basic memory. He'd abandoned the weapon, and just left it there. Max had decided it looked like a good weapon and decided to take custody of it until its original owner returned for it...which he never had.
But, he'd done well enough so far,and so Max continued on through the path through the forest. Each time a heartless popped out of the trees, Max cut it down within seconds of it revealing itself. Even so, the Heartless continued coming after him. It was like they never learned, they had no sense of self preservation.
Max continued on like this for what seemed like hours, days, weeks, months, and even years. He continued on until his trek through the forest was all he knew, all he could remember. He could think about nothing else. Eventually, the Heartless began showing up in larger numbers, stronger Heartless accompanying the weaker shadows. He couldnt' explain how he knew how all of them were called. He just knew. It was as he was running, attempting to outpace the newest and largest group of Heartless yet that his path through the forest was cut off by the massive form of a Heartless he knew was called a Darkside.
Max slowly came to a stop as the massive heartless rose from the ground, more Heartless seemingly forming from its very body. He stood there, rooted in place, as it rose up to its full height and looked down at him. Gripping his sword in hand, Max took up a fighting stance. If he was trapped, then he would just have to fight his way through. That's all there was to it.
As the group of Heartless chasing him caught up, he struck out with his sword, cutting several of them down immediately. Soldiers and Shadows and Flying soldiers all fell. Powerwilds dissipated into shadow. Large Bodies, the big fat heartless which were impervious to damage from the front, only survived moments longer than their brethren. However, the Heartless kept coming.
They pushed closer and closer to Max through sheer force of numbers, all while the Darkside watched. EVentually, though, the Darkside grew tired of watching and decided to end it then and there. It brought its fist back, pumping its arm for a punch, and then brought it down, knuckles first, right on top of him....
********
Max jolted awake in the bed he had been laying in for...who knew how long? He didn't remember being in a bed. He didn't remember going to sleep. The last thing he remembered was being ambushed by a bunch of heartess and getting knocked out before he could do anything about it. He'd been too distracted by his thoughts about what he'd talked to Erika about. He hadn't paid attention to what was going on, and by the time he'd noticed the Heartless, it was too late. There had been nothing he could do.
But, that didn't answer any questions. How had he ended up here, in this little hut? He groaned as he started moving, his body aching still from the beating he'd received from those heartless. He pushed the pain aside, though, and stood up on the side of the bed and looked around. Where was he?
((well well well...I'm taking a lot of liberties here... if I overstep, let me know. ^_^))
"Now now, you're in no condition for any of that.” The deep, mysterious voice of Merlin floated into the room, followed closely by the great magician himself. The wizened old man held himself regally, dressed in his usual wizard's robes, flowing down to his ankles. They were a deep, royal purple, lined with a shimmering golden material. His silver hair and beard seemed to shimmer within the low light, and his bright blue eyes had an unnatural shimmer. Walking in casually, Merlin waved his hand, summoning a clipboard. With a gesture from his other hand a chair appeared, right near Max.
"It is good that you are awake, Maxwell. I am not sure if you remember, or even know who I am, but I know you, and I know that you are in no condition to be standing. The more active you are, the quicker the restorative enchantment's pain shield will wear off. I advise you to lie back down, because the shock of your body's pain receptors all suddenly getting lit up may just kill you outright."
Merlin chuckled. "Of course, I would probably be able to prevent the worst damage, but it wouldn't be pretty.” Waving his hand as if to push the thought away, he continued, “You are very lucky my friend. Had I gotten there a moment later, your heart would have already been consumed, not just half removed.” Merlin pulled a pair of small glasses out of his robe and placed them on his nose, looking between the paper on the clipboard and Max.
“Let’s see here…” Merlin’s free hand glowed with a white light, and he held it out, facing the young man’s chest. “Hmm…. Interesting. You seem to have healed almost completely. The hydrokinetic organisms within you have an increased activity rate in comparison to when you were fighting the heartless.” Merlin paused, allowing for the young man to react to the overload of information that had been thrown at him.
"Now now, you're in no condition for any of that.” a voice said from near the doorway. Max looked over to see an old man dressed in purple robes with golden trim walk in. He had a long white beard and had that strange aura of authority around him that Max had gotten in the company of many others before.
"It is good that you are awake, Maxwell. I am not sure if you remember, or even know who I am, but I know you, and I know that you are in no condition to be standing. The more active you are, the quicker the restorative enchantment's pain shield will wear off. I advise you to lie back down, because the shock of your body's pain receptors all suddenly getting lit up may just kill you outright. Of course, I would probably be able to prevent the worst damage, but it wouldn't be pretty.” the man said as he used some sort of magic to summon a clipboard. He examined the paper on the clipboard, and then Max, and then looked back at the paper again, muttering to himself. Then, he put the clipboard aside and put his hand out towards Max's chest, a small glowing ball of white glowing in his palm. Max just stared, still unable to get over the surprise of how this man knew his name, and who he was, and what had happened to him.
“Let’s see here… Hmm…. Interesting. You seem to have healed almost completely. The hydrokinetic organisms within you have an increased activity rate in comparison to when you were fighting the heartless," He muttered to himself. Max, however, cut him off before he could continue.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the soldier said, reaching out to grab ahold of the man's wrist before he could bring the glowing ball closer to his chest,"Hold on. I need a few answers first before you start poking around in my body with your magic. First off, who are you and how do you know me? Second...What do you mean, my heart was only half removed?"
At that, Max slowly released the man's hand and sat back on the bed, waiting for an answer. He needed to know what was going on here, and he couldn't do that with this man just sitting there examining him. This was just one way to get that ball rolling....
Only mildly surprised when the soldier grabbed his arm, Merlin cocked an eyebrow. "My name is Merlin Ambrosius. Most people call me The Magician, but Merlin will do fine."
Merlin continued sternly, with a twinkle in his eye. "And as for 'poking around in your body with magic,' if it wasn't for my magic, you'd be roaming around as a various assortment of soldiers and shadows."
Clearing his throat, Merlin looked out the window. "as for your second question, you were undergoing the process of having a darkside attempt to remove your heart. I say attempt because it was under the effects of my Graviga spell."
Merlin stood up. "you've been sleeping for a week. for that entire time, you have comatose and dead to the outside world. I think you should be fine for now though, but I don't recommend leaving my house."
I don't think he'll be able to make it to the door of this room, never mind to the entrance of my house... Stroking his beard, Merlin merely asked; "Are you hungry?"
"Well well well, this place sure looks better than before." Having wandered outside the bright portal of light, Mikhail continued to look around the town, noticing the recent changed that had been made to its structures. It still had taints of the Hollow Bastion last time he had been there, but now it seemed that the Committee's work was finally blooming and it began to show it's elegant flowers. The man smiled, eyes shining with delight as he raised his hand to slowly touch the city's walls.
Rough and solid.
That was the way they were supposed to be.
He turned away from the gigantic wall, hoping to look for a familiar face or two. Even though he wasn't really there to visit old acquaintances and friends, it was always comforting to meet one of them and calmly chat while drinking some coffee. But of course, such drink would be bitter in the haste he found himself in. He had come to Radiant Garden once more to simply do some... research on a famous magician rumored to roam around its greener pastures. It was said that Melin Ambrosious had returned to Radiant Garden, and Mikhail couldn't possibly stay away from looking for him. If the tales about him were true, then he would really be a valuable ally for the Guardians.
"Excuse me," he began, approaching the Moogle clerk from a nearby shop. For some reason, most of Radiant Garden's shop district was ran by the Moogles. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he continued to face the creature, running a hand through his hair as he continued. "I'm looking for a man who is said to be famous around here. He is known as Merlin. Do you know where I could find him?"
The clerk simply tilted its head, apparently processing the question it had just been asked as it let out a simple "Kupo". It blinked it's small and stretched eyes a couple of times before heading outside, supposing the man would follow him, and pointed at a pathway that seemed to take him to another area of the town. Rutherford nodded, thanking the Moogle as he left the shop and decided to follow its directions.
A couple of minutes later, Mikhail would stop upon noticing a house that sure stood up when compared to the rest of them. He closed his eyes, trying to detect the auras within the building and was almost shocked by the amount of strength of one of the two energies. Yes, he had most likely found the man he was looking for. He proceeded to step forward, heading for the house's door.
Should he knock or simply try to open the door?
Oh well, it would be better to follow the polite standards. Mikhail looked straight ahead, softly knocking the door as he hoped to have finally shot the jackpot.
"My name is Merlin Ambrosius. Most people call me The Magician, but Merlin will do fine. And as for 'poking around in your body with magic,' if it wasn't for my magic, you'd be roaming around as a various assortment of soldiers and shadows. As for your second question, you were undergoing the process of having a darkside attempt to remove your heart. I say attempt because it was under the effects of my Graviga spell." the man said as he turned to look out the window. So, Merlin, huh? Max had heard a small whisper or two about this man before. He was supposed to be an extremely powerful magician. He was definitely not someone Max wanted to piss off.
"Well, Merlin, it's a pleasure to meet you," Max said, slowly and gently rolling his shoulders to work out some of the fatigue that had built up in them, and then looked down at the clothes he was dressed in and noted he wasn't in his armor. Merlin must have taken it off of him when he'd brought him here, "I'm Maxwell....which you already seem to somehow know. Now, I was wondering....where did you put my armor? I need to get moving again?"
Almost as soon as he asked Merlin about his armor, Max could hear a knock at his front door. Max looked over and rolled his neck to pop it a little as the small sound reverberated throughout the small house. He glanced out of the window for a moment to see where the sun was, and noticed it was still probably mid-morning. Who would be coming by someone's house unannounced that early?
Merlin chuckled. "easy, young one. It will be another day or two before you should get moving again, especially if you don't want to have to go back into a coma."
Waving his hand, Merlin summoned Maxwell's armor. "As for your armor, it is here, safe, sound, polished, repaired, and possibly even modified, I'm not sure."
Merlin gazed into the armor for a short time, and opened his mouth to ask another question when there was an interruption. A sweep of conscience, which was assessing his own and disappeared. A short time later, a soft knock on the door made Merlin raise an eyebrow. "hmm... a visitor already? I told Yuffie not to come by today... and it doesn't feel like an emergency.." Muttering to himself, Merlin moved toward the door, and looked out before opening it.
A young man stood there, of similar age to Maxwell. A familiar energy was resonating from the guest and Merlin smiled. hmm...so this is the one who was researching my past. Good to see that his intentions thus far do not prove hostile.
Merlin waved his hand and thr door opened. Slowly walking forward, staff thumping with every other step, he came into view smiling. "Hello there! Good morning! and How may I help you today, young sir!"
Mikhail had to admit, he was surprised by the amount of mystic energy escaping from the now open door. Its power was humongous and it almost brought the pyromancer down to his knees. Yes, that surely was the biggest disadvantage coming with all the energy sensing power pack; if one was to face an aura completely surpassing theirs in all aspects, they were sure to notice.
He was no exception to this rule.
Attempting to show that he meant no harm or hostility the man removed the dark cloak's hood, exposing his facial features for the sorcerer to see. Eyes of blue stared at the old man's faced, filled with curiosity yet looking somewhat... empty. They lacked the joy that had filled them months ago but the pyromancer assumed it was a fair price to pay for the tools he needed. Jet-black hair played with an evening's wind, always worn down in bangs as the man thought it went well with his sun kissed skin.
"Hello there! Good morning! and How may I help you today, young sir!"
"Master Merlin Ambrosious, I assume?" Mikhail asked, attempting to hide the excitement in his voice. Both his blades, Flame's End and Path to Mana, were safely kept on their respective scabbards, but the man knew he wouldn't have to use them; at least not at that moment. "I am honored..." he began, giving the much more experienced man a quick bow. "However, the circumstances under which I have come to meet you are unfortunately not the best, I'm afraid."
"In fact, I have come to ask for your help."
Mikhail was so fascinated by Merlin's powerful aura that he had almost missed Max's energy within the house. However, the magician's strength shielded the hydromancer's aura from in a certain way that told him to assume it was just a minor being... perhaps a pet of Merlin's?
"easy, young one. It will be another day or two before you can get moving again, especially if you don't want to have to go back into a coma. As for your armor, it is here, safe, sound, polished, repaired, and possibly even modified, I'm not sure," Merlin told him as he stood there in front of the old wizard. As his armor hovered in the air in front of them, Max reached out and grabbed ahold of the chainmail body-piece as the wizard went to answer his front door. As he lifted it up, he noticed there was a considerable difference in the weight of the armor. It felt extremely light, compared to how it was before. This was undoubtedly a side-effect of the magical repairs the wizard had done on it, and it was definitely a welcome one.
As the wizard went to see to his unexpected visitor, Max went about the task of getting himself dressed. Stay down for a couple more days? Not a chance. He couldn't afford to be out that long. No, he'd already lost a week. He couldnt' lose any more time. He needed to get back to Mikael and keep organizing their little group of Heartless hunters.
And so, he rummaged through the armor, which he'd now placed on the bed, until he found his shirt and boots, which he pulled on first. After that, he pulled on his chainmail shirt, and then his leather vest with it the emblem of his home nation emblazoned on the chest. Then, he pulled on the single leather pauldron that came with it and the light metal bracers on his arms. Lastly, he strapped on the light shin-guards that completely the small set of armor. Before leaving the room, he checked to make sure the bracers were nice and snug.
Then, he walked out into the front room, where the wizard and his guest were. He looked around the place, noting the tall stacks of books and the haphazard layout of the place. This wizard was definitely disorganized, that was for sure. He pushed that out of his thoughts, though, and directed his attention towards the wizard and his guest. Something about that cloaked man seemed familiar. The way he held himself....
It wasn't until he pulled back the hood that Max recognized him for who he was: Mikael. The soldier's eyebrows went up in slight surprise, a small grin forming across his face, stretching the two new scars on his face that marked the battle with the heartless that had nearly done him in.
"Well, you certainly have a way of tracking people down, you little hot-head," Max said, grinning as he walked up to stand next to Merlin, readjusting the bracer on his left arm to sit more comfortably,"How'd you find me so quick?"
((sorry guys... I have been having midterms all last/this week. should die down soon! promise!))
As the Merlin talked with his guest at the door, he read into the strong aura surrounding the young man. hmm... so here is the complement to the hydro-kinetic... the pyro-kinetic. Even if I found him somewhere else... his light resonates within, similarly to my not-so-patient patient...
Merlin had found it odd that Maxwell's heart was calling out to someone the entire time it was recovering. The oddity was that it didn't seem to be a call to a lover, which was strange for the intensity of the resonations.
Merlin smiled, and responded to Mikhaill with "of course. I'm sure I can help you. But first, Breakfast." Merlin was about to usher the younger man in when his current guest popped up, revealing that the two knew each other.
Laughing, Merlin ventured to answer Max's question. "Well, it seems that you two are close friends. And when hearts are linked by true friendship, they will always be able to find each other again, no matter what. It is like the unique signals given off by your hearts resonate with each other, and if you learn how to work with that resonating, you will be able to synchronize yourselves, and become flawless teammates."
As Merlin spoke, he indicated again for both of the young men to come inside further. Waving his left arm, his books and spell components and who-what-nots, doo-dads, trinkets, all flew into shelves and became neat and orderly, revealing a simple carpet covering part of the hardwood flooring. Merlin pointed at the carpet, which quickly rose into the air and became a medium sized, round table covered in a blue table cloth, and produced two chairs as well. With another sweeping motion of his left hand, his large chair that had been in one corner, flew up to the table and set itself down.
Merlin smiled, with a mischievous twinkle in one eye. "Well now, I would greatly appreciate talking to both of you, but I am known to get terribly cranky on an empty stomach. Especially you, Maxwell, with how long you have been unconscious for..."
Merlin walked over to the new table and thought for a moment. "two eggs, over easy, with some Parmesan cheese and a slice of french bread." The tablecloth rippled for a moment, and Merlin nodded with a satisfied look on his face. "Oh, and setting for three, please." Another ripple from the table cloth produced three spoons, forks, knives, plates, bowls, cups, and napkins, which arranged themselves in an even triangle about the table.
"Come on, don't be shy. The enchantment wont last forever." He indicated to the new arrival. "While we eat, Mikhail, you can tell me what you need help with." indicating the other young man, Merlin continued." Maxwell, after we eat I would like to see a demonstration of how fully you have recovered."
((Also, I am under the impression that it is still early morning in this thread, correct me if I'm wrong, and I'll change my dithering about breakfast.))
((Apologies for the delay. I hope I understood the casted enchantment correctly P:))
"Of course. I'm sure I can help you. But first, Breakfast."
Mikhail nodded at his suggestion muttering simple "thank you"s and "I appreciate it"s. As he watched the magician turn around intending to enter his humble abode once more, the pyromancer's mind came to a powerful and satisfying conclusion: Merlin Ambrosious knew why he was there and what he was talking about.
Was he a fortuneteller or a seer, like the ones he had run into back home? Or was he simply able to sense the energies of Nature, sending them off to gather information for him? Either way, he would be quite a powerful ally and it would sure be wise to climb up the small ladder of influence regarding that one.
The pyromancer began to step inside the small hut, following the experienced host when he heard a voice calling out to him. It was quite familiar... a tad -too- familiar. He did know it was coming from somewhere inside the house and it began to approach him with quite the fast pace. But no, that couldn't be right... he was gone... he had seen proof of it. He had held the bloody spear between his hands... he wasn't supposed to be there.
Maxwell Tendas was quite dead, and he was sure of it.
Still, the predictable look of surprise began to take over Mikhail's features, his eyes staring dead at his friend's figure. He blinked twice, wondering if this was some sort of defensive enchantment of Merlin's to repel unwanted visitors. His brow furrowed as he looked at Max's gleaming face, full of life and relief. Just then, the pyromancer's wonder stare turned into his trademark medusa glare. The sadness in his heart had suddenly turned into a deadly rage as he looked at him, unharmed and alive.
"Well, you certainly have a way of tracking people down, you little hot-head," The hydromancer began, his gleeful face offering a wide grin. He stood before Mikhail, who just limited himself to thank him with quite the cold look., "How'd you find me so quick?"
"Believe me," The younger man began, his voice devoid of expression or feeling. His reply had been begging to leave his lips while Merlin recitated his friendship speech, but the pyromancer had managed to tame it for a while. He slowly closed his eyes, his head slightly turning to his right before he continued. "It was not my intention to find you here... alive. You could have stayed in that grave of yours and I'd probably be just as happy." The last words carried some sort of vile venom in them, small enough for only Max to sense. Without giving him a second glance Mikhail walked inside the house, avoiding the brunet as he followed Merlin into his... dining room.
He took a seat with haste upon being invited to do so by Merlin, attempting to ignore the other man's presence among them. Hmm... perhaps happy thoughts would do the trick. Mikhail turned to look at the tablecloth before him, his mind traveling all the way back to Traverse Town, where a maiden of blue awaited him. A soft smile graced his features as he thought of her, happy that she had been awakened from that dreaded curse.
"A slice of cheesecake... with a cup of coffee..." he muttered, surprised to see the food he had asked for before him in an instant. Antique would probably be loving the spell; perhaps she could take her along in one of his future trips to Radiant Garden. Suddenly the sorcerer began to speak once again, addressing Mikhail. The pyromancer nodded, taking a deep breath before replying.
"As you probably know, sir, I have been looking for you for quite some time. I heard of your deeds in the world of Traverse and I have been hunting down leads in order to speak with you. It was sure hard to reach you, but I am glad that I have found you. What I am about to ask is no simple thing and it involves serious matters that continue to affect the universe as a whole. I am sure you have heard of a group of Heartless known as the Dark XII; a dozen of dark's spawn, corrupting the worlds and their people as they skip around the universe."
"They must be stopped, definately. The darkness has earned an upper hand in its everlasting conflict with the light and if this continues to flow along, the latter will eventually be defeated, leading to the collapse of the universe as we know it today. I have managed to gather a small band of fighters willing to give their life for peace, but I'm afraid it won't be enough to face this threat. That is why I have come to seek your support, anything you could give or teach us would really help."
A soft sigh escaped his lips as he waited for an answer.
"Believe me, It was not my intention to find you here... alive. You could have stayed in that grave of yours and I'd probably be just as happy," Mikael said as Max just looked at him. Max had a feeling the news of his survival wasn't that pleasant for his friend. Why, he didn't know, but it bothered him for some reason.
"And believe me," Max said, rolling his shoulders to work some of the soreness out of his body,"It wasn't my intention to disappear. That tends to happen when you get attacked by a large group of heartless when you're alone. And to be honest, I think my grave would be a little more comfortable than my current situation. Not moving for an entire week makes you incredibly sore."
As Merlin motioned them both to the table, displaying the tablecloth's ability to instantly materialize any food for them they wanted, Mikael quickly made his order after the wizard. Max took his seat at the table and contemplated for a few moments on what he wanted. Finally, he decided to settle on a pair of pancakes with peanut butter slathered on top, with at least two dozen pieces of bacon on the side along with a pair of eggs. It looked like delicious food, and when he dug in, it certainly proved to be.
"While we eat, Mikhail, you can tell me what you need help with." indicating the other young man, Merlin continued. Maxwell, after we eat I would like to see a demonstration of how fully you have recovered."
"That's fine. I could use the chance to stretch out," Max said between bites.
"As you probably know, sir, I have been looking for you for quite some time. I heard of your deeds in the world of Traverse and I have been hunting down leads in order to speak with you. It was sure hard to reach you, but I am glad that I have found you. What I am about to ask is no simple thing and it involves serious matters that continue to affect the universe as a whole. I am sure you have heard of a group of Heartless known as the Dark XII; a dozen of dark's spawn, corrupting the worlds and their people as they skip around the universe."
"They must be stopped, definately. The darkness has earned an upper hand in its everlasting conflict with the light and if this continues to flow along, the latter will eventually be defeated, leading to the collapse of the universe as we know it today. I have managed to gather a small band of fighters willing to give their life for peace, but I'm afraid it won't be enough to face this threat. That is why I have come to seek your support, anything you could give or teach us would really help."
So, Mikael had been busy while Max had been out of commission. That was good. The pyromancer certainly was right about one thing: they could use all the help they could get. This old wizard, who was certainly much more than he seemed, would be a great ally for them. The Light knew they use all the help they could get. Max slowed down his eating and looked over at Merlin as Mikael finished speaking, waiting on the wizard's response....
Merlin's eyes twinkled mischievously as Mikhail angrily retorted about the friendship comment. Definitely... the two will make a good pair. That is the only explanation of why the two, water and fire, wound up upon my door.
As Mikhail talked of Traverse town, Merlin smiled. It had been quite some time since the last visit, and Merlin wondered how Archimedes was holding out.
His thoughts drifted to the people he met last time he was there; Jadis, the White Witch, Caxnon, the confused Nobody, and Antique, the budding water elemental. Come to think of it... Mikhail was surrounded by fragments of their auras... He had a ring that felt like Caxnon's presence, he had the air of Antique floating about him, and he had the magics and learning's of the White Witch within him.
Slowly eating his eggs, and making sure not to get any into his beard, Merlin tapped the table lightly with his finger. There was a small puff of steam, and a mug appeared filled with a steaming liquid substance, which Merlin occasionally sipped from between bites.
It was then that Mikhail had chosen to speak again, and Merlin listened thoughtfully. He nodded in agreement here and there, and smiled, putting his fork down and taking a sip of the steaming beverage before continuing. Hmmm... I might lend more than a spell or enchantment to this group of his...
"Well, I cannot guarantee anything until I see you in action, whereupon I can whip up something that'll help your group. Once we have finished breakfast, we can go out to my personal training grounds."
Merlin laughed. "And as for the Dark XII, I do know of them. They keep getting into the city here in radiant Garden, bypassing the defense systems. Not to cause too much havoc so far, but they come in and just loiter here and there... I am actually fortunate to have had conversations with Ienzo before, one of the members. But it wasn't anything serious, just a passing conversation."
Merlin slowly sipped his green tea after he spoke. He noticed that Max had slowed his voracious eating to pay attention to what the other young man had said.
"As for you, Maxwell. I am not sure, exactly, whether or not any changes have been made within your body." Merlin wiped his mouth with his napkin before continuing.
"You see, your heart was three quarters on its way to being removed from your body before I was able to destroy that Darkside, and when I..." Merlin paused again to sip at his beverage before continuing. "...convinced it to go back to where it was supposed to be, it seemed as if millions of tiny life forms accompanied your revival."
Merlin took another bite of eggs, chewed it carefully and then swallowed. After another sip from his mug, he continued. "If you'll look into your armor, you will notice that similar life forms seem to be created within it, in the same fashion that the bone marrow makes blood cells. It produces them at a very fast rate, but they seem to store themselves within the armor, and each one seems to be brimming with energy. That energy is ready to transfer into you in less than a moment's notice."
Merlin stroked his beard slowly. "I assumed that your abilities stemmed from these little life forms, and so I magically enhanced the armor's storage capacity. It should increase your water-based abilities in interesting ways. You can test that later as well."
Merlin finished the last of his breakfast and drank the last of his tea. The dishes and utensils cleaned themselves and disappeared into the tablecloth, and Merlin looked between the other two. "By all means, take your time with your eating. We have a long day ahead of us if you both are going to demonstrate all of your techniques, but I need to see them so I can help you out here and there. Sound fair?"
((Apologies for the delay, I haven't felt in the posty mood as of late))
"Well, I cannot guarantee anything until I see you in action, whereupon I can whip up something that'll help your group. Once we have finished breakfast, we can go out to my personal training grounds."
The youngest of the three nodded, knowing he'd have to wait some more. He looked away to cut a piece of his cheesecake slice, bringing the silver fork to his lips before tasting its creamy texture. It was quite... delicious, really a wonderful treat. His mind drifted back to the female blue head as he glanced at the tasty treat before him. This was the best cheesecake he had ever tasted, and he was sure that Antique would die to get her hands on such a delicious dessert.
Mikhail looked up at Merlin once more, listening as he talked about his past run-ins with the Dark XII while taking a drink from his cup of coffee.
"Ienzo... I wonder..."[/i] The name seemed quite familiar, as if he was supposed to have heard of him. Rutherford's brow furrowed while he tried to remember anything about this Heartless; Ienzo... Ienzo... Ienzo... Ien-
"Sorry to eavesdrop. My name is Ien. Mind if I join you? I have been looking for something to pass the day."
Mikhail's lips curved to form a smile as the flashback hit him out of the blue. Indeed... he had sensed the aura of this "Ien" and it just screamed out Heartless. Those shimmering eyes of silver, while innocent-looking, carried their own share of malice. It wouldn't surprise him if that man and the Ienzo discussed moments ago turned out to be the same person. He was quite... friendly, though... pretty much like Miyabita Roze...
The pyromancer snapped out of his thoughts, forgetting that he was having breakfeast with the other two. He ate another chunk of cheesecake before he realized Merlin's monologue had not come to an end just yet, and being the wise old man he was it would probably take a while. Mikhail turned to look at Max as the wizard addressed Tendas, telling him about the consequences of his near-death experience.
Suddenly, when he seemed to remember that he was supposed to be mad at the waterbender, he turned away and continued to eat his food as Merlin explained that he had enchanced the other man's armor and so. By the time Ambrosious addressed Mikhail, he had already finished eating. He nodded once more, agreeing with his suggestion.
Max listened nonchalantly as Merlin addressed Mikael's request for assistance for the Guardians. He wasn't surprised to hear the old wizard give the answer he had, and he doubted Mikael was all that surprised by it either. Afterall, he HAD just shown up on the man's doorstep and demanded he assist them. It wasn't the way Max himself would have gone about the task, but....it seemed to be working well enough for Mikael, so he let his pyromancer friend go at it as he saw fit. It wasn't until Merlin turned to him and addressed Max directly that he stopped eating and turned his full attention to the man.
"As for you, Maxwell. I am not sure, exactly, whether or not any changes have been made within your body. You see, your heart was three quarters on its way to being removed from your body before I was able to destroy that Darkside, and when I...,"Merlin paused for a moment as he took a sip of his drink. Max wondered at how casually the old wizard spoke of such important things, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted as Merlin continued, "...convinced it to go back to where it was supposed to be, it seemed as if millions of tiny life forms accompanied your revival."
Max's brow furrowed at this unexpected....explanation of his magic. He didn't understand what the old man was talking about at all. What exactly did he mean by life forms? Max briefly entertained the thought that he was trying to say that Max had little creatures living inside of him that gave him his control over water, but quickly dismissed the thought. Surely the old man couldn't be talking about something so ridiculously impossible.
"If you'll look into your armor, you will notice that similar life forms seem to be created within it, in the same fashion that the bone marrow makes blood cells. It produces them at a very fast rate, but they seem to store themselves within the armor, and each one seems to be brimming with energy. That energy is ready to transfer into you in less than a moment's notice."
Max's brow furrowed further as Merlin finished his explanation. It seemed that he did indeed have some kind of little creatures living inside his body that now, for one reason or another, now also resided in his armor as well. He didn't completely understand all that Merlin said, but he understood enough to get the basic idea of what the old man was telling him. He sat back in his chair. For some reason, this news weighed heavily upon Max. Perhaps it was because for his entire life, he'd been told that his control over water was magic of the highest order, a direct gift from Sira and Siris, who had deemed him worthy of the gift from birth. Perhaps it was just unsettling knowing he harbored life inside his very body that he hadn't even known about.
"I assumed that your abilities stemmed from these little life forms, and so I magically enhanced the armor's storage capacity. It should increase your water-based abilities in interesting ways. You can test that later as well."
Max caught what Merlin said, though he was barely paying attention at this point, his mind buried so completely in contemplating the news the old sage had given him. Well, at least something good had come about of this revelation. He would be able to hold his own against enemies even better now. There was definitely no doubt about that.
Finally, as Max began to come to terms with what Merlin had told him, he looked up from the old man to Mikael. Strange as it was, this news of the tiny creatures living inside him had emboldened Max, and he didn't want to waste any more tim esitting around, eating and exchanging pleasantries. He wanted to get out of there and bring the fight to the Heartless like never before.
"Lord Merlin," Max said, standing up with his hands palm-flat on the table in front of him,"If you don't mind, I think I would rather us get to those training grounds as soon as possible. I have a score to settle with the Heartless, and I would prefer to spend my time on better things than making conversation, as pleasant as it may be. I hope you can understand."
