Empty Book, the Final Chapter. I have poured my heart and soul into this, and I hope you enjoy it. I think this is my best work ever.
Enjoy
"CYDNEY!" Alex called out. His armor was singed and blackned, giving him the look of a traditional dark knight. Before him lay his best friend Cydney, a tall, muscular girl with her very own power blade. She was unconcious and bleeding pretty badly, her bio-suit was doing all it could to speed the healing regenerative process, but the magic-based poison was stronger still.
All he could think of, was 'Not again.' He was almost eighteen, he still remembered when he and Cydney first met, almost ten years ago, and when they had to leave their home together, nearly seven years ago. His mind was still fresh with the death of his mentor Kayne, how he had been forced to flee that day.
How could he be expected to move on, when so many dark shadows had him pinned to the past?
Against the alchemical abomination before him, something that had once been dead, and was now somewhere between heartless, monster and human, a beast called 'Arana' that had killed so many before him, Alex knew he didn't stand a chance. Not without his friend, not without her.
He stood resolute, and the demon-beast stared back at him. He could see into her twisted soul, and saw a reflection of his own. He saw everything before him, he saw everything after him, he saw all that was of him, and would ever become of him. She licked her silver lips, she would feed again! Her tail flicked, the knife that had been fused to it, dripped with a poison of a malevolent sort. Alex raised his late tachers lance high, and prepared himself for the fight of his life.
He stood over his dying friend, and knew if he did not win, that it wouldn't matter how soon his mother returned, she would still die. At least if he won, she would have a small chance, which was better then none at all.
Alex charged! He closed the ten yard gap in half a second, and drove the weapon into the beast with all of his might! The silver demon moved with a blur and side-stepped the attack, grasping the polearm and slamming her attacker into the far wall of the cave.
"Not good! Not good! You not good!" Arana taunted, performing minor acrobats to demonstrate how little she actually cared or worried about the fight. She moved with another silver blur less then a foot away, dodging the jump-attack Alex tried to pin her with. She spun in a whirl and let loose a flurry of spiral attacks with all four of her limbs, her tail, and even her wing!
"Cyclone!" Alex conjured a small twister ontop of the beast, causing her to spin faster then intended, and rise and hit her head on the cieling of the cavern. Arana hit the ground, and bounced right back at Alex, knife lashing out ahead of her.
Alex tried to dodge, but the blade pierced his right flank, and the poison seeped into hi wound. Arana dawned a look of satisfaction, and even smiled and giggled, like she was a school girl! She hadn't aged a day, not since she had first died, and still looked young enough to actually BE a school girl.
"Hah hah I win! You loose, I win! Poison kill you now, I watch!" She did a hand stand, and watched with no malice in her eyes as Alex's breathing labored, and sweat began to bead on his brow. He slumped over, his bright red hair seemed to straighten out to cover his face, and he still managed to maintain eye-contact with his enemy, even as his vision began to blur.
"I will....not...die...like....this..." Was all he could say, as his vision shrowded, and he lost conciousness. The last image he saw, was a dimly lit Arana, licking her lips, with hunger in her eyes.
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Three Years Ago
"Spire!" Kayne called a pillar of blinding light down onto Arana, or so it seemed. He didn't call down light, but lightning! The silver demon let loose an ear-splitting scream as her body was shocked violently. Fera waited a moment for the spell to end, before dashing in, swinging her long elegant blade at the monster she once regarded as a close friend.
"Die you monster!" Her eye glowed brilliantly, and a second Spire was conjured from her mimic ability! The pulse of electricty went into her blade and she brought it down hard on Arana.
She held the blade of Fera's sword firmly between her palms, her breathing slightly heavier now.
"Not...Stop...ME!" She struck out at the Homunculus with her bladed tail, which Fera narrowly avoided. She had to back off in order to dodge though, leaving her chardged blade in Arana's grasp. She dropped the blade, and with it the electrical current running through her body, and her breathing returned to normal, the burns and cuts on her body regenerating rapidly.
"STOP!" She yelled, her finger pointing directly at Aurie. "You cast spell, I kill children!" She turned to Aurie, who had stopped chanting, and smiled. "You help, they die!" Aurie looked behind her, at the frightened faces of Alex and Cydney, and then back to Arana. Instead of the attack she wanted, she instead called a barrier around her and the others, and was forced to watch the gruesome death match. Arana turned back to her enemies, and charged.
"Blitz!" Kayne jumped high and Fera dashed left. Arana followed Fera closley and nearly got her, when she saw a light in the corner of her eye and swung hard left to avoid the lance Kayne nearly impaled her on. Fera went after her, catching her off gaurd, and took a risky slash at her throat! Arana dug her tail deep into the ground and breaked herself, cauing Fera to be thrown off balance and keep going!
"Luminare Break!" Arana was cought off-gaurd, as the dragoon didn't land, but plunged his fist into Arana's stomach, a luminare spell in his palm. The bright ball of electricty surged into the chimera's body. Arana lost all control of her body and began to sieze up, when Fera came up and used her mimic ability one more time, grabbing Arana's tail and pulsating enough enery into her to power an entire city block.
Both attacks failed.
Kayne was thrown into the wall, while the tail in Fera's hand lengthened and stabbed her in the back. She let go reflexsivley, and then dashed as hard as she could for Kayne across the way. They watched in horror as Arana rose to her feet, badly burned and beaten, but her wounds regenerated again, and much, much faster this time.
"Master send me, kill you! Master make body smart! Body learn pain, learn lightning! Lightning hurt, but fix fast now! Master can't find you, no matter how hard he look, so I kill you, and bring to him! You die, make master happy. He happy, when you dead." She explained her horrible abilities to them.
"Super Duo attack!" Everyone looked around, and were surprsied to find the source of the voices. Alex and Cydney both jumped high into the air and then dived for Arana, a cyclone of wind arround them, spinning them like a football in a spiral. Spinning together in one kick, the two drove into the beasts chest and struck her with tremendous force.
They bounced right off.
The two children landed a short distance away with a small thud, and looked up to see the face of Arana alive and well, having endured their most powerful attack without so much as batting an eye. Arana smiled at the two children, her antannae twitching slightly with delight. Slowly, she closed the gap between her and the two frightened kids.
"Childs fight me, so I kill childs." She lashed out at them with her claw, and the children jumped back, narrowly avoiding it, but were cought in the line of sight of her deadly tail blade, which lashed out at them like a snake!
"St-stupid...Kids...I t-told you t-to...Run!" Kayne said slowly. Blood was dripping from his mouth. He had thrown himself in the way of the atack, stopping the blade, which had penetrated his armor and was now lodged deep into his stomach. Arana's expression changed, she was actually filled with genuine shock and surprise, she felt like she was human again. But, it was only for a moment, and she began to find herself enjoying the litteral twisting of the knife in Kayne's stomach.
"How it feel? You die, I not! How it feel die?!" Arana questioned the dying dragoon. She twisted the knife, and slowly eased it in more and more, loving each and every second of pain Kayne was feeling.
"B-being stabbed... T-to death feels...Like crap...B-but it s-sure as....h3ll beats drowning... Heh" Kayne chuckled and coughed up more blood. "No-not to mention... FREEZING!" Kayne ripped the knife out in one sudden thrust, and used all of his remaining strength to take a single step and place his palm close to Arana's chest. A blue-white ball of light sprung to life, and then flashed, sealing the demoness in a solid block of ice.
Fera ran to him, but it was too late. He was not dead, but would be in only a few moments.
"Kayne! No, no don't leave me! Not now!" Fera tried to plead with the dying knight to stay for just a moment longer. She was pleading against death its self, something similar to what she did everytime she was run through, burned, electrocute, and drowned. She had died so many times, she had lost all sence or mortality. Now, here it was again, slapping her in the face. A single stream of tears was falling from her single eye.
"H-hurry up...Get...Out of here!" Kayne urged her. "Th-that ****ed poison is...Sucking away my time... Not even Aurie can save... Me now! Take them and run!" Fera started to cry, and Kayne only smiled. "H-have I ever told you... How p-pretty you look? Heh." Kayne raised his right hand, and a portal appeared, called forth not by his strength, but his willpower with the Keyblades strength. His was gone.
"S-so long!" Kayne gently pushed Fera, but a gust of wind blew her and the children into the portal. "Take care, Aurie." Aurie turned to him, her eyes red with tears, and nodded. She too ran into the portal.
"heh-heh....D@mn kids..." The dragoon breathed his last, and died with a smile on his face.
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"Flames of Wrath!" From his outstretched palm a jet of super-condensed fire shot out! Arana was hit dead on by the deadly jet of fire and pushed far back, more like being run through by a flaming spear. A deep hole appeared in her chest, and she cried out in pain.
Alex jerked to life. His hands felt hot, as did his face and legs. His whole body felt like it was on fire! He felt a burning sensation inside him, and a power that seemed to come from his very soul. He stood up again, only a moment had passed. The shaft of his spear was made of wood, and had crumbled to ash in his hands. He felt something awaken deep inside him, something he had never felt before.
Arana's wound healed, and she charged with amazing speed! Alex did not move. Instead, a wall of fire sprung to life between him and her. The fire was acting on his will before he could will it to do anything! Alex moved closer, and the wall moved with him. Arana had lept into the air, and he followed after her, a trail of flames in his wake.
He struck her in the stomach and felt great strength course through his body as he did. Arana had gone no higher then ten feet when he struck her, and she was sent flying into the cieling because of his single attack. She hit the cavern cieling with a loud thud, and he followed again, grabbing her by the tail and throwing her into the ground, making a rather large crater.
"How you so strong!? I eat your heart, and I be stronger!" Arana proclaimed, just as determined as ever. Arana ripped her hands into the ground and pulled out giant slabs of rock, and then tossed them at Alex, intent on crushing him to death. Alex remained in the air, floating on his own power, still trying to understand how he was capable of such strength and ability.
"I dunno, luck?" He responded half-heartedly, half-serious. He moved with grace, and struck each slab once as they neared him. The rocks crumbled into pebbles, but did not fall. Instead they floated beside him. Alex had a look of curiosity, and stretched out his hands in oposite directions. The rocks swirled to life and gathered around him! They super-heated, and melted together, forming blades of molten rock, sprouting from his palms.
Arana gazed in astonishment as Alex gathered all the rocks around him, and then pointed his palms at her. Two jets of lava shot for her, which she narrowly avoided.
Alex was too fast! He had moved and grabbed her tail, and with a single motion, ripped it right off! Arana screamed in pain and turned to litteraly gouge his eyes out, when she sudden stopped.
Alex had plunged her tail blade into her stomache, and twisted, hard.
"Adios h3ll b!tch!" Was all he said as he jerked the blade one last time, and then launched a blast of fire from his free palm. Arana was consumed in fire, and before she even hit the oposite wall less then twenty feet away, she had been incinerated into absolutley nothing. Alex paused for a moment, letting himself calm down and his power drop exponentially, before returning to Cydney's side.
She was still breathing, but she was still dying. Alex cleaned her wound and bandaged it, but that was all he could do for now.
Almost ten minutes later, Fera and Aurie both returned. They had left to find something, and returned with it in hand.
"Alex! Whats happened here!?" Fera asked. She knelt down and examined Cydney. She was in pretty bad condition. By all accounts she should be dead! Something however, kept her hanging on, if only by a thread. "This is Anara's poison! Was Arana here?" Fera question Alex. This is when she first looked at him closley. He was taller, or seemed that way at least. He looked exactly the same, but somehow looked different, something indescribable.
"She's dead. I killed her." Alex said plainly. He was now starting to feel the pain of death. No matter how evil a person, the first time anyone kills, it leaves a scar on you, something nothing can erase. Something no amount of time can ever fix. Alex was starting to feel it now. He gripped his hands tightly, so tight in fact that a faint red line appeared on his gloved hand.
"We don't have time to worry about that now! Did you get the stone?" Alex looked at them, and they both took on a solemn look.
"Yes, we have the philosphers stone." Fera said plainly. She spoke plainly. They needed the stone to kill Vecks, but the stone could also be used to save Cydney. Were they willing to trade one life for another? Or, more accuratley, does saving one life mean the same as killing someone who would end billions more?
They never got an answer. A crimson beam penetrated Cydney's spinal column, killing her instantly! The three traced the beam back to where it came from, and found the demon they had sought to kill. They saw the demon king Vecks, hovering in the air, a smug look of satisfaction on his face. Vecks smiled, glanced in the direction of Arana's ashes, and then shurgged.
"Seven years precisley, and I show up too late to watch that worthless creature finally be bested in combat? Ah, such is the curelty of the universe." He launched several more crimson beams into Cydney's body, just to confirm she was dead. "Much like that!" The twisted monster laughed harshly at the shocked faces of his last oppostion.
"So you actually managed to get a hold of the philosphers stone!? Thats incredible! I have been trying to find it ever since that curse was put on me. Maybe I couldn't find it because it was on this world of all places! HAH! go figure!" Vecks laughed hystarically. He knew that even with the stone, Aurie's spell casting might be able to cripple him, maybe even forever, but it could never kill him. She just didn't have the nerve to do it, and even if she did, she didn't have the magical power to do it.
"Sacrifice me." A voice said plainly. Aurie and Alex turned to Fera, who had spoken. "I am a homunculus! You also have the stone! Sacrifice me, and you can save Cydney, and then the gate will open! You two can trap him there, maybe even kill him!" Alex was about to say something, when he was stopped by a beam of light piercing through his body.
Alex fell to the ground, bleeding, and in a lot of pain, but still alive!
"Now, you die!" Vecks called forth a devestating spell; Dark Flare! The ball of black flames sprung into exsistence in his hands, and a crazed look crossed his face. "Tell that b@astard Eiyuu I said 'hello'!" Without further warning, he unleashed his spell onto the trio! Before it collided, a brillaint flash of red light came into being, and then everything became white.
"Goodbye."
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Outside The Gate
Before them was a large gate, the gate of truth, the door to heaven, the highway to h3ll, and so many other names. Alex stood resolute, and knew what lay before him.
"C'mon mom! He's waiting for us inside! We end this now!" Alex started marching for the gates, when something held him back.
"Not this time Alexander. Not this time." Alex turned in disbelief. For the first time in his life, his mother spoke. She spoke with a voice of serenity and angelic beauty, it almost made him cry to hear her stop speaking. She almost sung, more then she spoke actually. Alex stared at her, and tried to form a sentence, but all he could say was 'wha' and 'huh'.
Aurie sighed, and then held out her hands. She dissipaited, anf began to glow, if only a bit.
"Mom! You're an un-"
"An unsent dear, yes. I died eighteen years ago, giving birth to you. I lost the will to live when Vecks died. Something kept me here though, and I didn't know what-until now." Aurie approached her son, and held something in front of her. "This is the hilt to the legendary blade known as Tide. You've probably never seen it before-I've been keeping it hidden for many a year now." She placed the hilt in his hands, and began to walk away.
"Wait-Mom!" Alex cried to her, but she turned and stopped him with a simple gesture.
"Good bye Alex, and I love you." She began to fade away, the spirits that composed her body beginning to leave. She sighed, and laughed lightly. "You look just like your father." With these words, and her mouth moving to the words 'I love you' she vanished, and was gone forever. Alex bowed his head in morning, and then turned back to the gate, looking more resolute then ever before.
"Now it ends!"
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Inside The Gate
Lights flashed, and flames roared. Two combatants, Alexander and the Demon King Vecks, battled for the fate of all worlds. The arena? A simple plane, a black floor in a black endless room, with four lights, each set equally apart from each other.
Alex called on dragon strength. Flames roared at his feet, and he flew with speeds beyond even Vecks' ability. He called forth blades of molten steel, and struck the wizard time and again. Vecks would call on ice, and he would strike Alex again and again.
The shadows creeped in, and the warriors only grew stronger.
"Arc Impulse!" Two balls of light appeared around Vecks, and then became one. From his palms, a beam of white light shot for Alex, who had already called on his 'Flames of Wrath!'. The Beams struck each other, and the two forces battled back and forth.
"You shouldn't mess with your elders!" Vecks taunted. He vanished from sight, the Flames of Wrath going out of control with nothing against them, and Alex was cought off-gaurd! Veck appeared and called forth the deadly 'Dyne' spell, conjuring a blade and slashing at Alex! He dodged hard left, and escaped with only a minor cut, but he was still hurt.
"And you should crall back under your rock!" Alex moved against nothing! He did not hover or float or fly, but it seemed as though he remained still and the universe moved around him! He moved behind Vecks and put his hands together. "Hellfire Jet!" Black flames were called forth and they erupted in a straight line, burning deep into Vecks, but the demon king vanished again.
"Fire ball!" A simple spell, but it got the job done. Vecks appeared again into the trajectory of Alex's burning attack and had to dodge right, where he was met with the young challengers burning hands. Alex grabbed the Dyne spell and broke it into slivers, ending it effectivley. He balled up a fist and slammed it into Vecks, again and again. Finally he trippled the burn on his hands and unleashed it in a jet of fire so dense it could have knocked down a building if it didn't melt.
"Darkness beyond twilight." Vecks began. Alex knew that spell all to well. Kayne had tought it to him. He looked all around, but found no wizard! "Crimson beyond blood that flows!" He heard the voice distinctly now, and traced it to him. There he was, high in the skyless above! "Burried in the flow of time, is where your power grows!" Alex jumped and tried a new approach.
"Dyne Fire!" A prismatic sphere appeared in his hands! For such a rare spell, it was getting a lot of use over the past few years. The ball collapsed as usual, but this time instead of a white light shimmer, turned into a red shimmer.
"I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed, in my unworthy hand!" Alex reached the wizard, and a blade of pure hellfire appeared from the hilt he held in his hand! He slashed at Vecks, and cut him in half! To his horror however, the wizard vanished, and it became apparent that it had been an inlusion. But the power was still getting stronger!
"Let the fool who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I posess!" Alex looked down and saw it! The wizard had played him for a fool! He was standing on the ground, and had merely created an illusion to throw him off! Alex dived for him, but knew it was too late.
"Dragon Slave!!!" The crimson beam fired at incredible speed! Alex brought his blade up and blocked the spell, but it was quickley over coming him!
"What should I put on your tombstone!? Heir to a dead kingdom, or maybe 'Son of whore'!?" Vecks put his all into the attack, and Alex was over come in bright red light.
He felt something. Something inside him, something inside him came out. He felt no pain, and the light was subsiding! Then, he saw it. His blade was gone, as was the hilt. Instead he held in his hands a golden sword, in the shape of a giant key. He held in his hands the keyblade Septeo had wielded before he died. He felt more power, power on all sides, and he knew.
He knew he could win!
"You-" Alex began moving, to Vecks surprise. "-can call-" He pushed the spell back even more, and Vecks bumped it up a knotch! The spell reached criticle mass several times over and was in danger of exploding right there! "-me-" Alex deflected the spell and vanished! The spell ended and Alex reappeared in front of Vecks! At that moment, the four light became the keyblades again, and four beams of light came together on Vecks, and he could not move.
"-AL!" He plunged the blade into the demons chest, and then slammed him into the ground. Vecks let out two deafening roars, one from him, and one from Ryth. The demoness screamed in agony, and the light overcame her darkness. His shadows were gone, and all that was left, was the man, who had a blade in his chest.
Alex stood over the dying wizard, and stared down at him. The light in Vecks' eyes was returning, but now it was fading again. His heart was not being consumed in the darkness anymore, but his life was ending very soon. Vecks smiled, blood trickling down from his chin, and his breathing became hard.
"You have... Your mothers eyes..." He said, and coughed more blood. Al lost his strength, and he fell to his knees. He looked on him and saw something, something he knew to be true, and knew to be sad. He knew this man had not been a monster, he had been turned into one. Not be betrayal, and not by a demon. He was turned into a monster by hate, and now it had all been melted away. He looked at the man who had killed all he ever cared about, and felt he had destroyed an innocent.
The wizard breathed his last, and vanished from sight. Al stayed for a while longer, and then picked up his keyblade, and began to walk. He walked on the roads that lead to nowhere, and yet where tied to everywhere. He walked on the roads of heaven and h3ll, and all points in between. He walked on the road of dreams and nightmares.
He walked on, to find his way home.
THE END
Sorry about it going all wierd on the format.
And read it before you respond to it!
I dunno, Wal, I didn't enjoy it as much as the other chapters... It was still good though, a bit lame, but good.
How was it lame?
Just stepping in to say that whenever I see this thread title I hear Sigma from MMX4 doing his The End attack. :(
Meh,
Maybe I was too subtle on the Al thing though. He didn't magically become more powerful because he wa about to die, it was either one of two things.
1. Eiyuu said the sins of the father redeemed by the son, so Al couldn't die, which is why the seven year prophecy Septeo madre came to fruition right then.
2. Universal balance.
And I just like fire gorramit!
who died?
LMFAO I think I managed to kill everyone!
Cydney lived, but she wasn't part of the originals and all.
Oh no, it was just ripped to tiny pieces.
She died, but she isn't dead! Aurie sacrificed Fera to bring her back to life and open the gate at the same dang 'ol time.
Bonus points if you know where Goramit (I don't know if that is the right spelling) comes from
Well, I was going to cover it in the epiloge. Plus they said they were going to bring her back to life by sacrificing Fera anyway, so I didn't think I needed to, although I had planned on it.
Might make a minor revision of this chapter a bit later, now that I think about it.
I'll clear some stuff up in the epilogue tomorow.
I am going to revise this chapter, and use Cydney more, as well as give Al something more definate.
Oh, and this one will include the epilogue.
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Now thats just mean Sak
Ok, time to BS my way out of this one.
Kiera was just not in it, no real reason behind it.
Angela was killed by Septeo. Septero converted her to his side, she tried to backstab him and take over, and he said 'Yeah well f uck that' and killed her without batting an eye. He killed the other gaurdians who were good to gain their power, but instead Angela got revenge on him (Her spirit I suppose) and sealed the other gaurdians and herself forever. Septero leveled Atlantis for the heck of it, and then went on to start the brood of heartless.
Thats my logic!
Well, lets contact him, he has a myspace I think, or ask Arcadios, see what he thinks.
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And the report a post icon is the top half of an icon from http://www.thewotch.com/
BTW:I haven't read any chapters so far.
The only reason why....is cause you guys wouldn't do the same for my story.
:(
And it's taking me longer then I thought for the chapter and mentally I'm mostly concerned about Wednesday cause I'm gonna ask a girl out.
:(
Sure, go with it.
Only reason I said it was cause Wally wanted my opinion.
But meh, got more important thing to worry over.
Well, I just am not overly fond of Fan-Fiction in general, the exception being the Blank Page.
Well, let me take that back. I am not fond of Fan Fiction using non-orignal characters, such as Sora Riku and Kairi. Just not my thing. Blank Page is different, because as much as we rip-off a bunch a things, we don't use the characters, we make our own characters, build our own scenarios, and so on. Essentially, we're role playing in someone elses universe.