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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Taking a seat outside the café, the former soldier sat, arms folded across his chest as he leaned his back on the comfortable chair. You could say he had just been striken by a Deja Vu feeling, having his mind sent to that night at Traverse Town's café. Hmm... it seemed like a long time ago... the Guardians had sure been growing strong since then.
The man he had been waiting for... this man. He was quite strange though... seemed to have some serious personality issues. Not that Mikhail minded much though, since his skills with the blade were really impressive. Rutherford was sure determined to take this opportunity versus letting it go to waste like countless others.
He looked back at his watch.
Eight o'clock at night.
A soft sigh escaped his lips as he glanced arround, bringing the vanilla frappuccino he had bought moments earlier to his lips. Hmm, delicious. Now the real question was: would he take the challenge? The journey ahead would be hard and many people would choose to flee rather than face the trials along the way. It was time for the brave ones to emerge and fight for the rest of humankind. These were other times, full of darkness, distress and turmoil.
It was time to lighten them up a bit.
Moments later, his wish would come true. The raven haired man would notice a human-like figure approaching the café, and he couldn't help but feeling a bit relieved. A soft smile graced his features as he eyed this stranger. Mikhail could only hope he would succeed in this task, which had a double difficulty. Now, he had to impress both sides of Saxen...
Saxen was wandering the streets of Radiant Garden. Once it was nighttime, Deathblade would want to take over. Oh well. Saxen would enjoy the last hour or two before the switch. They had been doing this for a while now, although Deathblade liked to look through Saxen's eyes, especially as it got later. As they walked, they took notice of a man sitting outside a cafe. This man was different. He seemed to have a purpose. He seemed to be looking for someone.
Saxen decided to see if there was anything he could do for the man. "Can I help you, sir?" he asked as he approached the man. As he got closer, he noticed a few things. The man had a similar build and a couple weapons. He was probably a fighter. He also had a very serious and blank look. Fighting destroyed people, both emotionally and physically. Although, most of Saxen's friends were in the army.
"Be careful," Deathblade warned in Saxen's head. Saxen acknowledged him and then ignored him, waiting on the man.
Oct 10, 2010 22:16:24 GMT -4
Last Edit: Oct 11, 2010 15:35:34 GMT -4 by nomacaa
The mysterious man sighed with delight as the younger warrior decided to approach him for some unknown reason. Glancing at him with a smile on his face, Mikhail focused on his energy flow and sped it up a little as he attempted to increase his aura's intensity. One didn't need to be blessed with powers to sense the elemental energies to know something unusual lurked around. By attracting Saxen with perhaps unknown energies and powers he might succeed in catching his attention.
But what about the other one within him?
"Can I help you, sir?"
Blinking a couple of times as he looked up at him, Mikhail faked a skeptical look as he analyzed the boy's aura more closely. As he had already expected it turned out to be symbiotic as one half complemented the other one. The original being, the hume, lacked the power of magic and instead used the one provided by the secondary being. The pyromancer could guess that its forte was physical combat, swordsmanship if he had observed him correctly.
The other entity, on the other hand, was clearly dependant of the hume. It used the his body to deal physical damage while it provided him with its magical powers. Strange... really strange. In these times both of them needed each other to succeed in their roles and fulfill their destinies. If one of them was to perish, the other half would be quite affected and could even cease to exist as well.
Mikhail noticed that the other man also had an interest in him and he could feel his eyes fully scanning his whole being. Realizing that it would best if he answered to his query, Rutherford blinked once more as he uttered a nothing more than cryptic sentences.
"I wonder... am I truly the one needing guidance of another? Tell me, what is your destiny? Your purpose in life..."
The man kept up his blank look and replied with a few simple, yet thought provoking questions. "I wonder... am I truly the one needing guidance of another? Tell me, what is your destiny? Your purpose in life..." he asked.
This immediately got Saxen thinking. He thought so much about the question, that to wonder why this stranger was asking totally slipped his mind. What was his purpose? He knew what he had been told by the Anhs, but was that what he believed himself? Even if that was what he believed, he hadn't read all of the prophecies. He didn't even know what they said was required of him. His hand moved to his Zykon (the gold one on his right hip) as he thought. It then came up to his face as he stood thinking for a moment more.
"My purpose...is to care for someone. The Anhs say I am their warrior, that I have to fight for them and my world. I care about them anyway. I suppose that's why Neiday said it would be me...I have to eliminate the heartless, so they can live. But...now...I don't even know if my world is still there..." He chuckled deeply as he realized how much he was saying. "So, what is your goal? Who do you fight for?" Deathblade was content to watch and listen as this unfolded. It was amazing how Saxen could always find something to do right before it was time to switch...
Noticing his immediate reaction to the question, the mysterious couldn't help but to let a single chuckle escaped his lips. Indeed, not many had asked themselves that basic and fundamental question and a minimum quantity of those who had done so managed to get a single clue with all the world's luck on their side. He patiently waited as Saxen looked for an answer and was sincerely quite surprised when he spoke. Good... this one didn't seem to be lost in the darkness without a path. He just needed to find the way out.
"I see..." The man began, ignoring the boy's question for a moment. "I am truly impressed, you do have general ideas regarding your destiny. However, your judgement seems to be influenced by these "Anhs" and that is not a good thing to do. After all, seers are known to be wrong from time to time." Mikhail extended his hand toward the boy, a small flame dancing on his palm. It would soon be shaped into what seemed to be a round object... a world to be precise.
"By hand of the Heartless or not, you have left your world and have come to this place, the Radiant Garden. Neither will be your home for long..." The world began to change shapes, this time taking the form of a clear night sky with millions of stars shining on it. "This whole universe is your home now, and all its people are now your fellow countrymen."
He paused, closing his eyes for a moment as the flame ceased to exist.
"That is my goal, I fight to protect the universe and bring some peace to it. Wiping out the Heartless would eventually be wiping out humanity but I believe its spawn flow can be slowed down, allowing both species to coexist without major casualities. Balance between light and dark is the key to survival."
This mystery man just kept blowing Saxen's mind away. Everything this guy said just sparked new ideas in Saxen's mind. He said Neiday could be wrong. Saxen had thought about that before, but, so far, he had been lucky that Neiday wasn't wrong. In one of his battles, it was either Neiday was right, and one would die, or Neiday was wrong, and they would all die. Although, if Neiday was wrong, he could still be the scientist and philosopher his mind wanted to be.
The man created a small world out of flame on the palm of his hand. "This whole universe is your home now, and all its people are now your fellow countrymen," the stranger said as the flame changed shape into a night sky.
"Great," he thought to himself, "now I've got to fight for all of these people."
The man paused for a moment, exinguished the flame, and then continued. "That is my goal, I fight to protect the universe and bring some peace to it. Wiping out the Heartless would eventually be wiping out humanity but I believe its spawn flow can be slowed down, allowing both species to coexist without major casualities. Balance between light and dark is the key to survival."
A balance, huh? He hadn't thought much about what the heartless were, he just knew that they threatened his world and others; he couldn't have just stood by. If he was going to know what to do about the Heartless, he had to know more about them. "What are the Heartless exactly? What do I need to do to stop them? How?" He asked this while shaking his head.
He was overwhelmed. If the whole universe was going to be his responsibility, would he be able to rejoin his friends back home and help them in their ruling? He had so many questions, and so few answers. "Oh well," he thought, "I'll get my answers one at a time."
"What are the Heartless exactly? What do I need to do to stop them? How?"
Bullseye, his words had sure hit right the spot on this one. Mikhail slowly opened his eyes once more, eyeing the boy while he smiled to himself; indeed, the Guardians had already claimed this one for themselves. However, there was a slim chance he would squirm away from his clutches and roam around freely through the universe, so the pyromancer decided not to take any chances.
"So, you wish to know about the Heartless?" he asked, creating a dancing flame on his palm once more. It would soon change its shape and form, as expected, imitating the small body of the most basic species of them all. "I assume you have met this one, most of our fellow humes call it simply a Shadow. It will follow you around, hidden in the darkness until an opening to strike suddenly emerges. But to understand each of the Heartless variations you must understand them as a whole."
"They are nothing but a simple beings of pure darkness, who lack light in their hearts. These creatures are normally divided in two main categories..." The Shadow image shrinked a little, letting a Soldier appear beside it. "Purebloods, which are true and real Heartless created when one's heart falls to darkness, and Emblems, artificial Heartless rumored to be created by a group of scientists. All of them can be harmed and forced to retreat into their realm of dark, but there seems to be only a way to truly kill them: using a weapon shaped like a key against them. I've been lucky enough to meet some of its wielders, and when they defeat a Heartless with such key blades a heart seems to be released..." Mikhail himself did not know much about this weapon, but they sure needed a couple of them in order to vanquish the Dark XII.
"The Heartless seem to follow orders... mainly ones coming from people growing darkness in their hearts. Their ultimate masters, however, are a selected group of Heartless posing as fellow humes..."
As he listened to the man's explanation of the heartless, some of it was new to him. He had already know that they were creatures of darkness and that they would follow orders from corrupted people, but there was also plenty he didn't know. Like, what was the "keyblade," and who created the emblem heartless? "So, where do we fit into all of this?" Saxen asked. "I'd still like to know more, especially about the heartless posing as humans." On his world, he was thought to know so much, but in this grand scheme, he knew so very little.
((Sorry about the shorter post. I couldn't think of much else to say.))
Oct 14, 2010 15:54:45 GMT -4
Last Edit: Oct 14, 2010 22:31:39 GMT -4 by nomacaa
Well, wasn't this one a bit too curious? Saxen couldn't be blamed though; he had been living in the shadows, ignorant to the great battles developing around him all across the universe. Sure, knowing about the Heartless was most likely considered as common knowledge now but not many knew as much about them as Mikhail did. In fact, the pyromancer would probably be around in the shadows as well if it wasn't for innocent Roze. The Heartless had accidently spilled information about his race for him to gather up and organize, making the search for proper leads easier.
"Most of these creatures are members of an organization of their own going by the name of Dark XII. You could say they are a result of a mutation in the process the heart undergoes to produce a Heartless, requiring a strong heart and will. Instead of taking a more monstrous appearance they keep most of their human forme, only suffering minor changes." That would be all he'd say for the moment; Saxen hadn't pledged his alliegance to the Guardians and he couldn't risk someone going to tell everyone and their grandma about their efforts to stop the darkness. "As for our place in the current conflict, you could say it's simple yet complex at the same time."
"As you probably know this universe is kept alive by two forces, total opposites yet equal in power. They are the two sides of the coin: light and darkness. When one gains too much power, the universe's balance is threatened thus spreading chaos and destruction among the worlds and destroying the barriers between them. In the past decades darkness has been growing in strength, breaking the balance and peace we all wish upon the universe. Our role is to slow down the growing amount of darkness in the universe, giving the light a chance to strike back. If either force is completely dominated by the other... all living things in this dimension will cease to exist."
He listened to the stranger explain some more about the heartless. "The Dark XII huh?" he thought. "Guess they'll have to be my ultimate target." The man then went into explaining that the balance of light and darkness had to be kept. "So, then," he started, "what can I do to help attain this balance?" He still needed to know what HE could do. He was never one to stand around whie there was something to be done. He almost wanted to just ask what his orders were, but he still didn't know who this guy was. "So, who are you?" he finally decided to ask. His mind was racing.
"So, then, what can I do to help attain this balance?"
And there it was, the million dollar question. This was unfolding perfectly... it was flowing just as he had planned. Mikhail offered his newest recruit a reassuring smile, letting a soft sigh escape his lips before answering to his question. Now now, he would probably have to twist things little inny tiny bit to fully convince him to join the Guardians but it really wouldn't hurt anyone, right?
"It's quite simple, actually. Months ago, all the heroes were scattered all over the worlds, most of them having a gigantic ego that didn't let them work as a team with others. This, of course, gave time for the enemy to become stronger and open its doors for other beings to manipulate and perhaps even turn into Heartless. The Dark XII's numbers soon began to increase and I believe they continue to do so, which is why the Guardians were created."
"A fellow warrior and friend, Maxwell, and I decided it was time to put a stop to this madness. We traveled around the worlds, gathering information about the enemy and selecting adequate candidates to join the organization we were creating, the Guardians of the Worlds. Our primary objective is to bring balance back to the Universe as well as some peace."
"As for who I am, you can call me Mikhail. Though I wonder, what is your name? You did not mention it either."
So, there was an organization, and Mikhail was one of the leaders. "My name is Saxen. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. Now, let's get to the point. Just tell me what you expect from us." Saxen typically liked to be blunt, especially when his loyalty was involved.
Deathblade had been listening the whole time. "What about me?" Deathblade asked Saxen mentally. "Whatever you sign up for, I'm stuck with. Be careful." As usual, Saxen's eyes glowed red as they conversed. Once they were done, Saxen waited for some response. He'd tell Mikhail about Deathblade once he knew what Mikhail was expecting.
"My name is Saxen. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. Now, let's get to the point. Just tell me what you expect from us."
What did he expect from them? Hmm... that was a good question. However, Mikhail did not have the answer for it. Unlike Maxwell, he did not think of The Guardians as some sort of army needed to be ruled by hard, forbidding rules. To earn someone's respect and loyalty, there was no need to fill their heart with fear; freedom and trust was the best course of action and he would apply it on his recruits. His brow furrowed as he pondered on this, thinking about the clashes between both leaders.
Sure, both men had come together with a decision to bring peace back to galaxy but both of them had different goals. While Mikhail believed that balance between Light and Darkness was necessary for peace, Maxwell believed total extermination of the Heartless race was necessary to win. And look where it had brought him, to have his heart almost taken by those so hated by him. If someone had to be higher in the Organization's hierarchy it would Mikhail. He had begun the recruitment while Maxwell was off on his personal journey and didn't give a damn about returning; he had gathered information about the Dark XII while Max only limited himself on talking with a deceased Erika; he had kept the group alive while the hydromancer had been entertained with his Heartless buddies.
But there was no place for doubt in the Organization; they all needed each other and were required to work together; as a team.
Mikhail turned to face Saxen once more, catching a glimpse of red in his eyes. It did now struck him with fear but with curiosity. He would be sure to ask him about that later on. "I expect nothing more but willingness to restore peace. Everything flows from there... patience, dedication, loyalty, cunning. If one is determined to achieve their goals the tools simply come along." It was true; one with a shattered faith in their mission would most likely fail. Mikhail didn't want that; they didn't need that.
"I expect nothing more but willingness to restore peace. Everything flows from there... patience, dedication, loyalty, cunning. If one is determined to achieve their goals the tools simply come along." Okay...that wasn't helpful.
"I meant, what do you expect us to do. We don't agree to anything until we know exactly what it entails." He was aggravated at not getting a straight answer. He had let Anhnyqueg spoil him a little bit. He had gotten used to getting whatever he needed from people. It was amazing how he had gone from being an engineering student to being a general. "Trust me, you'll want to get to the point before my partner does."
A soft sigh escaped his lips while the man before him expressed his... concern regarding the next steps. To be frank and truthful, Mikhail had no idea of where exactly this journey would lead them, of the dangers hidden deep within the surface of the worlds and of the enemy's true potential. The information he had managed to gather about the Dark XII was small... an insignificant portion of what they required to know if they planned to face them properly.
The pyromancer did know, however, that if they didn't step up and fight for the sake of the universe as a whole no one would probably agree to do so in the years to come. He furrowed his brow, pondering on the possible ways he could tell Saxen all of this. Sure, there was some sort of partnership already forged with Queen Minnie of Disney Castle but that was just a start. They needed organization, training and, of course, a place to call home.
"I won't lie to you, I'm not sure where this journey will lead us. The information I have gathered about the enemy isn't much to face them just yet. We need to prepare ourselves and plan our attack in the shadows... and when the time comes to strike I expect all of us to be willing to give our lives."
His point of view now carried along the echoes of a Heartless himself, Miyabita Roze, who had opened his eyes to the threats he was going to expose himself and his loved ones to. Sure, the man had the right idea but Mikhail believed he wasn't taking the right direction when he agreed to aid the Dark XII.
"To think sacrifices must not be made in order to help others would be quite foolish indeed. Anything that is worth achieving will require some sacrifice, and the peace of the universe will need it as well. We might be lost during the battle or perhaps scarred by the conflict... but that shouldn't stop us for fighting for a brighter future... for a better life..."