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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Rook looked down as Era began to support herself. She had to be exhausted by now, and as such, he shook his head at her, "Take a seat, Era, you've done enough. You saved my life you know..."
He stepped forward, the tip of the Keyblade dragging against the ground, and making a scraping noise that echoed faintly off the walls of the Third District. Here, backlit by the fountain behind them, was where this last stand would take place. The air began to thicken a bit, as if the entire area fell still and heavy, being pushed down upon by something much stronger then they.
Yet Rook was undaunted. "Last time I was here, I brought down a Darkside Heartless. If you think I'm going to cut and run out because of something like you, I must not have properly introduced myself..."
To Rook, shadows would always linger in the dark. For nearly all his life, that was what he knew: watch every shadow because you never knew what might be waiting to reach out and grab you. But now he knew. He was scanning the ground for it, feint traces of darkness, whisping, alive. Erax was still here, he could sense it in his minds eye, picturing a hollow arena, containing Rook, Era behind him, and another, unseen, that seemed to be everywhere at once...
Era could only offer a knowing grin. Her friend's drive for battle was admirable to say the least. Somehow she had hoped that, against the odds, he would actually win.
In all her short memory, she never really took the idea of sitting out of a fight into consideration. Since she'd arrived in Traverse Town a month ago, she had only known to fight. To stay on her toes, lest she be attacked. To watch her own back, because nobody else would. But as of tonight that was no longer true. Now she had a friend. One that would look out for her.
A simple nod, and the girl took a knee. It was hard to accept the awkward feeling accompanied with this lack of action. She could do it, but at as soon as she was needed, she would be ready to jump right back in.
The darkness beneath Rook began to ripple, pulling along the ground in a wavering angle. "Rook, under you!" The girl did her best to strike the darkness first. Shhhhrk! She threw her shadow-sword to plunge into the ground only inches from Rook's feet. Seconds later, the weapon disappeared in a flurry of dissipating purple shadows.
It seemed the attack had stilled whatever was rippling under the surface. But such an easy victory would've been unreal. Era had the sense to realize that much. So then, where would her Heartless strike next?
Onyx wisps shot upward, coiling around Rook's feet and forelegs. "No!!" The girl squeaked as others jolted out from the wall. The cold tendrils hardened, trapping Era, and attempting to do the same to Rook.
Despite her attempts to persevere to freedom, the fragile female was stuck.
Stuck was a very bad position to be in when in a fight. And that's exactly where the enemy wanted them. Rook inparticular. Out in the open -- the embodiment of a perfect target. An inky black dart shot from every direction. Ideally, with Rook's fixed position, their adversary would gain a direct hit.
Rook let out a surprised cry, jumping aside as Era's sword dug into the shadows underneath him. Regardless, he was not fast enough on his toes to keep dancing around the wisps that spread underneath them, his feet quickly becoming entangled in the tendrils that sprung up around them.
Wriggling, he fruitlessly attempted to lash out with his keyblade. His arm was becoming quickly fastened as well, bending until he relinquished the weapon, dropping it, clattering loudly at his feet before shimmering and vanishing in a stream of light. Rook reached out, but not for the weapon. For Era. How could he keep her safe from Erax like this? Useless, and getting less useful by the minute, he struggled against the dark restraints to no avail.
He opened his mouth, reassuring words on his tongue that would never be spoken as the shadowy dart that shot at him struck its target, pinging him dead square in the chest and knocking the wind out of him initially. Limply, he hung his head, grunting and wheezing, his arm falling lifelessly to his side as his body struggled to shut down into unconsciousness.
The faint noise of that dark blade piercing Rook's chest magnified in her ears a hundredfold. "Nooo!" The shout was sudden, worried. In all her short memory, he was the only friend she had. Now, he was on the chopping block, pitted against a Heartless that knew no mercy. Worse yet, Rook was battling to protect her? A deadly mix of fear and anger welled up deep inside her, completely evident in those pale blue eyes. She could not let him suffer on her behalf. She would not let the Heartless torment them this way!
Era struggled to reach for him too, but she could not free her arm from its dark restraints. No matter how she faught it, this Darkness would not conform to her will, and this brought forth a new, awkward feeling. She had always been able to control the shadows before. Why not now? This Darkness had to be different, somehow.
A new idea came to the girl, and her eyes closed as she focussed on her own power. A pearly purple shadow rippled along the wall she was pinned to, slowly, steadily expanding. When it was large enough, it swallowed her, only to spit her out from another patch of shadow closer to her injured friend.
With complete concentration, the girl unleashed her own strands of Darkness. They burst up from the ground, dancing like abysmal flames, slipping up under beneath Erax's snare, pushing the opposing Darkness away.
Her small, but firm grasp found Rook's stomach and she pulled him free of the entanglement, gingerly holding her friend as she took to one knee. "Rook.. Rook, you've gotta fight through this! I'll fight for you, I promise. But only if you fight for me!" Terror had leaked from her eyes to her voice as she held him. Adrenaline was playing its part, giving her a new kick of energy, hightening her senses. Where there had been hesitation in destroying her Heartless before, now there was only assurance. If it meant keeping Rook alive, this Heartless needed to die, and Era was ready to accept the consequences.
Small hands pulled him free of what was most assuredly slow painful death in the shadow's clutches. And for Rook, everything slowed to a crawl as he blinked away his life. He didn't even hurt now. He was numb.
Just... tired.
Bits and pieces of what went on around him caught his ear. Everything was drowned out in bass, his own heart pumping overtime silencing most of what Era was telling him.
"Rook... --'ve gotta fight..! ...for you, I promise. But ... fight for me!"
Willpower alone forced his eyes open to meet her own and he managed to raise his shaking hand and took hold of hers. He had promised a friend many years ago that he would never give up, never utter the words, survive at all costs. But Eden Freyhr had never been run through before, either. Grasping to the last ounce of live was difficult.
"The Light... will guard us," he stammered, squeezing her hand as his began to glow its familiar white, "It... c-can save us... but you need... to be the one to wield it..."
The Guard Light. Like the Keyblade, like his ability to traverse in darkness, its true meaning was well beyond Rook's limited knowledge. To him, it was a weapon, something to be used as a last resort. The truth however, was so much more complicated. But the bottom line of this matter was that it did not need Rook's hand to work it. Like hope, like friendship, it's connections to the Heart was where it's strength lay.
As his hand glowed a warm white glow against her skin, he took a shakey breath, "End this... your other hand... feel it pass from me to you... and let it go..!"
He made it sound like he wasn't going to get through this. But by golly, if Era had anything to do with it, death would NOT be an option! Sure, they hadn't made it as 'far' as some, but that didn't change the significance of a friendship. Especially not this one. Rook was too good to die.
The fire of anger was growing in her chest at the very thought that fate may have chosen to claim him, regardless of how good his Heart was. Gingerly she set Rook onto the cool ground below them, still tightly gripping the hand he had latched onto. The light felt like it was piercing her flesh, fighting the shadows that had taken hold within her. The Darkness fought to extinguish what little bright shine existed. Which in turn made Era try that much harder to keep the small burst of light alive.
She had no clue what she was doing, but she would try. She had to try! With a nod to Rook she leaped up, jerking her hand away. This fight would end here!
It was difficult to tell whether anger or madness was feeding Era's energy as she wildly rushed toward her Heartless. An irate shout echoed through the district. "DIE!" The condensed light within her palm was aching to get free, growing avidly, in unison with her righteous anger. Her hand swung upward, now in line with her arch-self, and an attack exploded from her hand. It shattered all of the Darkness in the district, its power shoving the wielder into a backward stumble.
There was a loud screech and their battleground flashed white, then faded back to the normal glow of the night. The shadows were dissipating in writhing black strands. As Erax shifted through the shadows, her voice left only a string of words in her wake:
"Give in to the Darkness, Era..." The voice was dismal, fading. In fact, Era wasn't even sure if they were audible or just in her head. Not that it really mattered. The important thing was that she and Rook had vanquished the Darkness. The threat was gone, and already the weight of the atmosphere had lifted.
"Rook... Rook, we did it!" she knelt over him, trying as she might to nurse his wounds. She couldn't help but grin, now that the light at the end of the tunnel had revealed itself. They were going to make it -- together.
Victory had seemed so far-fetched. A goal that had been so difficult to attain. Now that it was here, Era wasn't sure what to do next.
Rook could feel it to. The whole area felt lighter, cleansed somehow, as if Era's assault had removed the whole District of the taint of darkness. But that did not last for more than a few moments. With a gasp he sat up, propping himself up on his hands and looking around, taking Era's hand in his own.
"So close to the Darkness...you couldn't possibly hope to drown out every shadow on this World...
It came from everywhere and no where at once. A stern voice that scolded their efforts. "You should know better, girl... the darkness is not so easily destroyed. Why, if Ican return..."
A large-scale Heartless appeared in front of them, it's lower body terminating in a black wisp of slithering shadow, while a muscular body and arms constructed it's upper torso. An evil, grinning face with bright yellow eyes and two long thick antennae stared at the two, hovering in midair, bandages sporadically covering its body and mouth, a symbolic restraint to remind itself of the true master it served.
Reaching in it grabbed Rook by the leg, pulled him away from Era, and gave him a toss, sending the poor wounded boy up and over the wall to the staircase that lead to the Second District where he hit the ground and tumbled a few feet, letting out a pained cry.
The monster then turned it's sights on Era, grabbing her around her body with its oversized, massive hands and leaning in, holding her tightly in his grip.
"Down, Guardian. She is no true threat, and all the more useful alive... her and her Heartless..." said a tan, white-haired man in white and black clothing as he stepped forward out of the shadows and smiled at the girl.
The girl's heart sank at the coming of two more evils. Then it froze as Rook yelped. It felt as if she'd just taken an icy bullet to the chest. That meant that safety had been tossed that much further out of reach. Victory was literally snatched out of their hands, placed on a higher, even more impossible pedestal.
Then, enormous cold hands swallowed her torso, pulling her unwillingly backward. "Let go of me, disrespectful creep!" Small hands pounded vehemently at her captor, teeth sinking ferally into his shadowy composition.
Eventually she wriggled and squirmed enough to slide out of the beast's grasp, and no sooner were her feet on the ground than she was at Rook's side. For however short a time it was, her priority was to make sure he would be okay. And if that meant fighting these monsters to kingdom come, then so be it. She would see him through this. She had to!
It was obvious that her time with him was limited, but she'd do what she could. Already, she had taken to one knee. "Are you alright?" Worry had knit its way across her face, taking the place of the confidence that had drained since their previous, fleeting moments of hope.
The Dark Guardian recoiled as she slipped away, giving his master an apologetic look, before he nodded the creature away. Strength of Heart, this girl had. He would see to this matter personally. His feet lofted free of the ground and slowly, stalkingly, he hovered close to her.
"What could you hope to accomplish? Running from me in this tiny insignificant place...you've no where to go, child!"
He halted his pursuit and raised an eyebrow, smirking at the concern on her face for the young boy on the ground beside her, "Hm, I see... perhaps this can all be avoided? Come with me. And he will be spared."
A weak voice pipped up from beside her, "Era... just go. Get outta here... I'll hold him off..."
Era only shook her head at Rook's comment. She knew he wanted to keep her safe, for her to be smart and flee from the eminent evil, but she was tired of merely pitting it out. It was time to face this problem head-on, and that meant running was out of the question. Her response was gentle. Perhaps meant to be kept to herself, but it was audible regardless. "No offense Rook, but you can hardly hold yourself up." Small fingers pried her black choker from her neck, and she curled Rook's hand around it, nodding her resignation to him.
The girl then stood up, looking at the white-haired, intimidating figure with pleading eyes. The words that followed captured her surrender in essence. "Don't hurt him..." She moved, unwillingly, toward the frightening man. "I'll do what you want, just don't hurt him..."
The small Somebody seemed even smaller in comparison to both Heartless. Forced to go against her will, she was scared to death of the immediate future. What did this beast want with her, anyway? Well, hopefully they could get it over with. The sooner it was over, the sooner she could come back to her friend. Terror practically dripped off of her like sweat, but she wouldn't let it show.
The best Era could do was offer Rook a weak, comforting grin. She was trying desperately to comfort him, to silently tell him everything would work out... but her eyes were emphatically betraying her.
"Don't hurt him... I'll do what you want, just don't hurt him..."
No... NO! It wasn't going to be like this! Rook sat by once while his world fell apart around him and he vowed he would find the power to keep it from happening again. He was NOT about to let it happen to this girl, haunted and alone. He would do anything to keep his history from repeating with her. He grasped the choker in his hand and began to breathe violently.
He shooke his head, "You..."
He pushed himself up to a knee, "...Will not..."
He staggered, to his hands, regained balance and charge, "...Take her!"
He threw a punch at the Heartless' face, which was casually blocked and tossed aside, sending the weakened boy off-balance. He stabalized with his other hand, and threw another.
Ansem sidestepped as Rook tumbled past him, "The heart in this one is quite astounding... but I'm afraid I cannot harm him, given our 'deal'..." He grinned at Era, tilting his head in a knowing fashion.
"C'mon, fight back!" Rook goaded Ansem, turning to face him again as bloodloss began to pale his complexion. He rushed again, ready to summon the BlackJack, but was caught by a wake of dark energy that rippled upward from the ground.
The Dark Guardian.
It sent Rook flying backwards and into the District's wall. All went white for him as his eyes closed and he slipped from consciousness.
Ansem nodded, "Another meaningless effort. You children of the Light need to realize... all Light's burn out eventually. And now, girl... your offer? Come with me."
Immediately resignation evolved into anger, and it took no time flat for that anger to erupt into fury. Spinning on her heels, Era gave the man a hard slap in the face. Her rage seemed to blurr her height, for she was no longer afraid of this looming Heartless. Now, she was just officially P.O.ed.
Impending wrath was now clear in the voice that had once been so quiet. "You promised you wouldn't hurt him!" her icy eyes now burned with a frenzy of unrelinquishable resentment, and like a flustered housewife, she awaited this idiot's futile defense.
Ansem's face recoiled with the slap, but he laughed the assault off. "I did honor your request. He attacked me, and my Guardian, not I, retaliated. I may bend the Heartless to my will, but this one is specifically tasked with safeguarding me. If it sensed danger, it acted. And not of my accord. Regardless, I doubt either of them will be problematic any longer..."
He snapped his finger and the Guardian vanished from it's supervisory position over Rook's prone body. "I could kill him... but I think you know well enough what choices hang over your head now."
Blah blah blah. He was probably making half of this up just to get something out of the whole ordeal. He seemed like an arrogant prude. Just look at the way he tipped that nose in the air... Dispicable!
"I could kill him..." the rest was just 'blah, blah, blah'.
Her fist shot up offensively. "If any of your Heartless disgusting scum so much as lay a FINGER on him again, I will chop you into bits and feed you to that guardian!" The growl was acerbic. She was tired of fighting, and tired of having her friend's life hang in the balance. It was true, ideally this wasn't supposed to happen. But fate never acted on ideals.
When she looked back at her motionless friend, her stomach filled with a new pang of worry. She had the feeling if she dragged this out much longer, this man would only make the situation worse... and despite her haughty words, Era seemed to realize she had no power over this Heartless. "But if you leave him alone from this moment forward, I will keep my promise."
What else could she do, except make things worse for Rook?
"My word, child. Now, come with me..." He opened a swirling backl portal in front of them and gestured her inside. "I will not harm the boy again, so long as he stays put. You on the other hand are and have something I want..."