Deeper Still (Rook, Complete) [Please archive]

The doors to this district were sealed; a visual comparison to a fighting ring, with the length of the district as their battleground.

Butterflies began to rise in her stomach. This fight would be epic. Epic, but deadly. It stood on the edge of a knife. One wrong move, and they'd find themselves in serious danger.

Well then, she'd have to make sure to get it right.

Concentrating, Era let both hands extend slightly to her sides. The thick layer of silence in this desolate area only magnified the sounds of crackling ice as shadows danced from the palms of her hand, extending forward, drawing icy white lines, and finally completing the weapon summoning. "I know you're here! Come out, Erax!" she growled into the nothingness. A chill ran up her spine, a cold wind sweeping the vacinity, and the shadows along the district began to twist and wiggle. Something was coming to life.

A part of the shadow broke free from the wall, wisping, twirling as it condensed into the silhouette of a small, Onyx Dragon. She perched her ghaunt figure along the wall, glaring golden eyes of the beast locking first on her Somebody, and then on Rook. "What's the matter Era, too coward to challenge me by yourself? No matter. I'll wipe the floor with the both of you..." Though she was created entirely of shadow, a devilish smirk still seemed evident, growing across the Heartless' maw.

A cold, hard stare watched her Heartless as Era spat back, not more than a low growl."As if you'll have the chance!" she readied her weapons, checking her peripheral vision for Rook before charging toward the Shadow Beast, unleashing a devastating dance with her dual swords.

Rook was on the right track. Erax wasn't a normal Heartless. She was Era's Heartless. The bonds that held them together were as strong as the ones that seperated them. But being Era's Heartless, didn't that mean by killing her, Era would in turn cease to exist? Indeed it did.

Maybe that was something the girl should've thought about before rushing into this battle head-on. Luckily the Heartless dodged with little effort on her part. The shadows that held her together burst apart half a second before the Human's blades could fall, only to re-assemble a few feet away. The black beast was still clinging to the walls, claws melding with the shade-covered bricks. A low voice emanated from the Dragon of Darkness. "Silly Human. Your efforts are meaningless! Not only am I superior to you in almost every way, but I would not let you destroy us. You're just too much fun..."

It was then that the circle of Humen-to-Heartless existence clicked, but the last sentence left the girl puzzled. What did Erax mean, she was 'too much fun'? With a solid ready position, Era slowly backed up until she was close to Rook. She only dared risk a quick glance toward him, attention far too fixated on her Heartless. It was now that the web of fear began to spin deep in her stomach, and she found herself doing something she was not known to do. A soft but steady voice broke into the intense atmosphere. "So. . . You got any ideas?"

BAM!

The explosion of light made impact with the shadows on her perch, causing the Darkness to dissipate in inky, stringy wisps. At the same time the Heartless emitted a rolling, bestial growl, leaping from the wall and landing herself on the ground between the Humans. A deathly glare was her reaction to Rook, surprise in those devilish eyes. "A Keyblade?!"
This fight was about to get ugly.

Shtiing!

A shadow-sword stabbed the ground, inches away from the Heartless' neck. Her head snapped back, only to see her Somebody rapidly approaching for a follow-up attack. They wanted to fight fierce, huh?

With eyes fixed on cruel intentions, the Heartless sprung into action. "You're mine!" She lept directly toward her Somebody. It was obvious that to Era, her Heartless had gone crazy and was heading straight for a collision course. That was why she swung her sword -- it was defense. But the hardened, twisting shadows didn't stop the fiend... Or even slow her down.

Out of instinct Era braced herself for a hard hit, but then, right when they were supposed to clash, it seemed Erax had just disappeared.

((Bear with me. I have an idea. Congrats on Ansem by the way! ))

A piercing squeak penetrated the immediate atmosphere as Era's steps retreated. She bumped into his back, her body violently quivvering. Fear now resided where confidence had been. Her voice came out weaker, worried. "Rook.. Rook! What's happening to me?!"

Her arms encircled a delicate torso and she hunched over. Her insides were frigid. What was going on? She tried to speak, but her voice somehow seemed blocked. So she did what she was known for, and simply tried harder. The only noise that came out was weak, forced, but perhaps enough.

"Please.. help." A simple, Heart-breaking request.

The shadows around her began reaching out, taking hold of her legs, crawling up her body, covering her in a murky blanket. What took form beneath those shadows was frightening. Era's silhouette was covered in a tattered, flowing Reaper's Cloak. Her icy blue eyes were now impish, glowing slits of gold.

What was this monster? It was colored like a Heartless, but its presence was far fouler. It retained traces of the girl it possesed, and yet it was not Human. This thing -- This Nightmare -- was evil. And it sat, watching him a long, brooding moment.

Its voices were ghastly. Childlike. Perhaps even -- despite its appearance -- cute. Yes, two distinct voices, speaking in unity. "Tell me, Rook, what do you Fear?"

Was this what Era, back in the First District, had been so afraid of?

A shrill, childlike laugh echoed into the corners of the district. "Your courageous words can't reach her now. You're just wasting your breath!" a smirk took to the edges of the grim creature's mouth, and one tattered sleeve raised. A black hand curled around the hilt of Era's sword as a chain took shape from the shadows, dropping from the back of the hilt, coiling around the beast's arm and disappearing beneath the lap of the cloak. Glowing golden eyes were fixed on Rook, brooding the impending assault.

And the demon was in motion, approaching the newly discovered key-bearer with inhuman speed. The strike of the blade was aimed directly for the base of the boy's neck. A simple severing of the spinal column would be all it took to squelch him. The movement of the blade was fast enough to send the cold wind of momentum to graze his skin. And...

It stopped.

The creature's whole body was shaking, torn between dominant entities. The outline was still Nightmare, but then, a flash, and Era was there too. A weak strain of light, obviously fighting against the prevailing darkness. The light of Rook's friendship gave her the strength to fight to the surface, and she was wrestling to keep control. Frozen in place, Era held all her strength against her own arms -- which faught to slice right through her friend's neck.

All she could manage was a quiet whimper. Already she found herself fading back into the dismal creature she had feared. "Rook. . ." But within that plea, she tried to make evident all the words she didn't have time to say: Rook, I don't know what's happening! Scram... Run and don't look back!

A victory was what they came for. Little did Era realize whose victory this would be.

How she held onto her sentience inside Nightmare was a mystery. Usually Era just got pushed into some sort of dark, abyssmal emptiness for a nameless length of time. Now, she was battling with the Dark, harder than she'd ever tried before... Struggling to keep Rook away from the harm that was trying so passionately to ensnare him.

What did he think he was doing? Taunting the Hellion, disregarding any means of sense and self-preservation as though such concepts were mere refuse? Did he not realize the danger here, or was he just too stubborn to let it sink in?

Era had defied the odds and stilled her Heartless once, but even that was a physical strain. How much strength did Rook think she had? And yet, he was so sure they'd both make it out of here.

It was confirmed. Rook was crazy.

Nightmare was trying to sweep her into action again, shadow-sword locked in an iron grip, momentum throwing her body into motion. But Era would not let it end here. She found herself somewhere between the shadowy abyss that was dragging her down, and the ugly reality that might've been the end of her friend's life.

If felt weird to scream, and she was sure that Rook couldn't hear her, but what else could she do? She wasn't going to let this go down without a fight! "Get out of my head!" the words, while she was using a healthy dose of volume, were muted to the outside world... Or so it felt. It was hard to be sure of things here.

A sickening feeling settled near the top of Era's stomach, and she found herself curled in a position akin to the one where Nightmare had first taken hold. Followed shortly thereafter was a heaviness near her temples but, inconceivably, she'd made it. Rook undoubtedly played a role in this unthinkable event, though the extent of his aid in the matter was difficult to gauge.

The grim cloak dissolved into shadows, running off her legs and disappearing into the ground beneath. It seemed that the Heartless had been, for the time, chased away. Rook could celebrate a victory that until now had been unreachable by Somebodies and Nobodies alike.

As Era's appearance shifted back to her own, her face brought on a sallow, weathered expression. The energy that tended to define her had been sapped and she collapsed, however unfortunate, onto Rook.