Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Kingdom Hearts: Scattered Fragments (Private RP)

Aiko turned her back to the wall and sat down. Obviously discontented with the answer, however the scene before her puzzled her. The whole other side of the room had gone black painted the ceiling, walls and floors. The bed was thrown haphazardly on its side near the corner. Her eyes went wide. Had she done this? Or was it another ploy by her captors? She was interested though, so she stepped over to the other side.

It was peculiarly warm, the feeling worked deep into her bones, alleviating the turmoil within her. She felt only love, the warmth from the darkness made her feel... wanted. Aiko reveled in the feeling, a slight grin coming to her face, she wasn't giving in, of course if she said that she would be lying. As soon as the novice Keyblade Wielder stepped away from the other half of the room. The feeling stopped, cold, empty and confused was all she felt now. Aiko decided to stay on the darker side, it felt better.

The Nobody was greeted only by silence from the other side. The statement she had given would not be so satisfactory, and she wondered what the girl with the heart was thinking. Perhaps she had taken the advice, and stopped wasting energy on something so fruitless. More out of curiosity than anything else, the hooded, cloaked Nobody took the dark corridor to the room where Aiko was in. The sound of the corridor pulsing into and then out of existence would surely warn Aiko of another presence. And if it didn't, her voice, now in the same room with her, certainly would.

Although the hood hid any defining feature of the face, Aiko would surely recognize her as one of her captors. She had been the shadow that had piqued Aiko's curiosity and led her to this demise.

"You seem...comfortable...in the darkness," the Nobody remarked, glancing around at the darker side of the room, seeing that Aiko seemed to have calmed. "I too find myself feeling better here...although I'm told not to stay too long, as it disrupts the balance. I'm told that one like me could vanish entirely if I stay in the dark for too long." She was calm as she said this, as if speaking of a trivial matter like the weather.

Ritsuka and Moguri were relieved that the rest of the town seemed peaceful, the two waving back at the townsfolk as they passed by.

"Well, we're glad you're safe, just try and keep off of the streets for now, ok." Ritsuka suggested. However, just as all seemed fine, two transparent barriers appeared on either side of the house, trapping the three as a hoard of Soldiers appeared around them, followed by the appearance of a Large Body.

"Heartless, kupo!" Moguri exclaimed as he and Ritsuka summoned their weapons.

"Cynthiera, get inside, quick!" Ritsuka insisted as he and Moguri stood protectively in front of her. Two of the Soldiers twirled on their foot, like spinning tops giving their claws some deadly momentum, however Ritsuka quickly cast a Reflect spell that bounced them back and block strikes from two others as Moguri cast a fire spell at the charging Large Body, causing it to fall backwards and roll for a moment, allowing them to hold of the Soldiers while Cynthiera got inside.

Staring at Ayuraime as she entred, Aiko felt a pang of anger run through her. It was silenced by the calming feeling that was this otherworldly darkness. She nodded, acknowledging the hooded Nobody but did no more. Opting for staying still and lying in the bath of inky black around her. With a muffled sigh, Aiko looked towards Ayuraime, "What kind of balance are you talking about?" She asked, a drowsiness setting in that made her words slightly slurred. The girl's mind tried to say move, but was quickly silenced by the shadows, closing her eyes slowly Aiko drifted to sleep slowly, the first enjoyable sleep she'd had in days.

Question unanswered and frankly forgotten, the sleeping girl huddled up into a corner, her heavy breathing was the only sound emitted. She felt at peace in her sleep, in the darkness, away from the blinding light, cold and unloving. A small smile came to Aiko's face, ignoring the world around her and drifting closer and closer, to the hungry dark. Silence became simple silence, and not the ironically deafening sound it usually was. Love was all Aiko felt throughout the first few seconds of sleep. Soon the malice creeped up on her, sending a chill through her bones. Was it the light? Coming to take her newly found happiness from her?

As Aiko slowly wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness, she could hear the Nobody's muffled voice, as if hearing it through deep water. Perhaps Raixon is right, those with hearts succumb too easily to the darkness, or even the light.

The cold and unyielding feeling grew stronger, and Aiko eventually opened her eyes to see the hooded Nobody standing over her, Keyblade summoned, the stream of light that encircled its length glowing an intense white light and cutting through the dark, while the stream of darkness around her blade remained dormant. "Wake up. There is a way to enjoy the comfort of the dark without eventually becoming its pawn. In fact, I know of a way for you to stay in the dark for longer without it consuming you." She held out a black-gloved hand towards Aiko.

Cynthiera squeaked in supprise at the sudden appearance of enemies, frightened, she shot the boy an impatient look.

Cynthiera was immediately demanded to flee. Not being a notion that she was happy with, she was hesitant. Cynthiera slowly went through her house's door. Once she reached the inside, she peaked her head out and asked "What if they come inside?!"

Cynthiera specifically remembered seeing the Heartless whom attacked her crawl on the ground; overwhelming low. Cynthiera imagined the Heartless could crawl under the door and into her reach.

Ritsuka and Moguri were to preoccupied with the fight to reply, however, that didn't meant that her question went unanswered.

"Then I guess you're gonna have to fight them off yourself." A mysterious figure from inside the house said, in an almost sarcastic voice. The figure leaned nonchalantly against the back wall of the room, judging by the voice it was male, and he wore a form fitting, organic looking body suit that had purple flame designs on the gloves and boots. His torso had a large Heartless Emblem covering most of the chest and over his head was a tattered dark grey hood that hid his face.

"Don't bother screaming for help, they won't hear you, and besides, I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help... that is, if you're interested." The figure offered, his voice has low and condescending, but it didn't seem to show any signs of deception.

Meanwhile, Ritsuka and Moguri continued fighting off the Heartless. Ritsuka landed a Sliding Dash that killed three Soldiers and Moguri killed the remaining one with a Thunder Edge. They duo then rolled out of the way of the Large Body az it leaped into the air and came crashing down onto the ground, shaking it a little. Moguri casted a Blizzard Spell that made it stagger, allowing Ritsuka the chance to unleash Blitz on its exposed back, landing three powerful leaping slashes that ended up defeating it. Just when it seemed like they've won, six floating magic Heartless appeared to replace those that had fallen.

"Wind!" They both exclaimed az they brought their weapons together and casted Aero, the two spells combining into Aerora that created a massive gust of wind that blew them all away, ready to be picked off one by one.

As Cynthiera yeilded for reply, the voice frightened her. Cynthiera gasped and immediately flipped around to see a strange figure. The Heartless symbol was not something that Cynthiera recognized; she had little thought of what it could be.

"They won't hear me? What do you mean?" Cynthiera demanded. "Well, besides, how are you going to help me? I don't think I'm capable of doing something like them." She continued as she whipped her head to the side to indicate whom she was talking about.

Cynthiera wasn't completely frightened any longer, however she held her hands at her stomach as an instinctual reaction to being in danger.

The offer was tempting, no doubt, but the dark didn't feel like it was consuming her, it felt like it was comforting her. A blanket of calm that was on the verge of overwhelming her. Oh, how Aiko would've loved for that to happen. However her rational side perked for a second, throwing a heavy brick of logic into the situation. That sounded a lot like consumption didn't it? Sure it did metaphorically, and every time she described the feeling in her head it was another metaphor of the same thing. the darkness was consuming her without the girl being conscious of it. Masking its intentions behind a facade of pleasurable feelings.

As Ayuraime summoned her Keyblade, Aiko was attempting to take her outstretched hand, struggling to move her arm, the shadows felt like they were tugging at her, beckoning for her to stay. She was distracted by the weapon, it was the same item she had received. Sure it wasn't the same in aesthetic appearance but it had the same structure. Her suspiscion was piqued by the black robes but now that the Keyblade appeared she had some questions. With a final heft of strength, Aiko attempted to haul herself up using Ayuraime's weight and her free hand, as she moved upwards though and began to stand the shadows latched onto her ankles, pulling her backwards. A yelp escaped her throat, she scrambled for Ayuraime, latching onto her waist and crying, 'Help me!"

"Oh please, anyone can do what those two losers can do, all it takes is the right... equipment." The figure said tauntingly as he lifted his arm and flexed his hand. In a cloud of darkness a silver rapier appeared in his hand, the blade thin and needle like with an ornate hilt meant to protect the hand that held it. On that hilt was a purple gem that flashed with magical energy, az if to prove the power that the object possessed. The figure took a few steps forward until it stood before Cynthiera.

"Here, my gift to you, a casting sword." He said as he offered her the weapon. "Think of it like a magic wand you can stab things with, sure it's no Keyblade, but it'll do its job." He explained, the gem gleaming again as if to prove the point. "And take this to." He added as he held out his other hand. A cold breeze swept passed her before it collected in the figure's hand, coming together to form what seemed to be a crystal snowflake, floating just above his palm. "The Power of Ice, with this you'll be able to cast the magic spell Blizzard, that ought to get you started." He stated, holding the two items out for Cynthiera to take.

"Light," the Nobody stated simply as she lifted her Keyblade straight above her head, and as she cast Faith, a pillar of bright white light burst from her Keyblade's tip, the beam expanding and yet being diluted over them like a wave of energy, and with the touch of their opposite, the shadows had no choice but to surrender their hold over Aiko's ankles, and the Nobody hoisted her to her feet roughly. The darkness remained all around them, and there seemed to be no trace of the white room that she and Aiko had been inside.

The darkness around them seemed to pulse like a living entity, and once the Nobody managed to keep Aiko from latching into her again, she shifted into a hostile fighting stance, glancing around at the darkness as if waiting for something. Rising from the ground beneath them were shadowy amalgamations that took shape, surrounding the two of them. "The darkness seeks out those who have the power to threaten it," the Nobody stated as the shadows took form into short, spindly-legged, antennaed creatures with bright yellow eyes. "These are called heartless. You have a Keyblade. Fight."

Cynthiera was taken back by the figure's words. She did not want to trust the figure but also felt that she had no choice in the matter.

Cynthiera was very hesitant, becoming especially nervous when the figure became closer. Her heart could practically be heard beating.

Eventually, Cynthiera grasped the weapon in her left hand; furthermore taking the spell in her right.

Cynthiera immediately took a couple practice swipes to figure the item out before she asked multiple questions "Why are you helping me? Who are you? Can you tell me what is going on?!"

Wincing, Aiko squinted her eyes until the light faded and her eyes readjusted. Unfortunately there wasn't much to readjust to except floating yellow orbs. The shadows writhed about the two, slowly converging upon them. Black claws scratched against the floor as they moved forward, pushing both Ayuraime and Aiko back into the corner. Still moving forward, the Shadows lined up around them preparing to jump. Aiko clutched onto the hooded woman beside her with an iron grip. She took a hand in her own, more so for comfort than anything else, it didn't help however. The girl felt so hopeless, she didn't know what a Keyblade was, let alone how to summon one, what was she going to do? She felt weak letting Ayuraime protect her. However, her time to think was out, the Shadows leapt towards them. Aiko stepped in front of her newly met companion and out her hands up as if to shield herself.

Everything slowed, then stopped.

Surprised to find a weapon in her hand, Aiko examined it, did she do that? Make time stop? The blade was divided down the middle, single-edged and simple, the inner blade was black while the outer blade was was a purple, like the blush of the sky during dawn. The hilt utilized a knuckle-bow and cup hilt mix, creating a peculiar combination of the two. Between the hilt and the blade was small orb of which the inner blade converged then separated around. It was a light orange and looked to be spinning. Faded engravings ran down the blades, an inscription on the hilt would read 'Daybreak Cascade'

Aiko's attention turned from her blade to her surroundings. She walked forward, weaving through the Stopga'd Shadows, and to the other end of the room. She looked at all of this in wonder and breathed in, despite the dire situation stopped short they were in, Aiko couldn't help but be in awe.

"Good, you learned Stopga, it's a very useful piece of magic," the Nobody, seemingly unfazed by the spell, nodded in almost a detached approval, holding herself in a loose battle stance, and after twirling and brandishing her own keyblade Soul Runner, she seemed to fly towards the shadows individually in short bursts of speed, zigzagging and striking at least one with her blade with every movement. This seemed to have no visible effect at first, as the shadows were frozen by Aiko's spell.

The Nobody's flurry of physical attacks ended, and her Keyblade dematerialized out of her hands. "These, are called Heartless. They are hearts that have been consumed by the darkness, and are its pawns. They seek only to take hearts and consequently make more of themselves. These particular ones, however, are merely shadows, mere subpar reflections of heartless that do not contain hearts themselves." As she finished her sentence, the Stopga wore off and the hits from the Nobody's attack seemed to register all at once, every shadow within sight seemed to vanish into smoke, as if they never existed. And with the disappearance of their enemies, the room seemed to fade back into normal, the dark portion of the room having gone as if it had never been there. The bright white of the room was harsh on Aiko's eyes after the near-complete darkness they had been surrounded by moments earlier.

"I cannot answer all of your questions," the hooded Nobody stated simply. "But I can try."

"Well, to be completely honest, I could care less about you, or that little fuzz ball outside." He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "But the thing is, there are some scary things out in the worlds now a days, and that kid with the key out there is one of the few people who can deal with it." He explained, gesturing to the door to make it clear that he meant Ritsuka.

"That being said, he's still just a pipsqueak, he won't get anywhere on his own. So I figured it wouldn't hurt to give him a little extra muscle, and believe it or not, you've got potential, just needed a push in the right direction." With that, the figure waved his hand and summoned a portal of darkness behind him.

"Oh, and one more thing, don't go mentioning where exactly it is you got that from, they'll take it away from you and you'll go right back to being a helpless damsel in distress unable to handle even the smallest of shadows in this tiny little world." He said as he walked through the portal. "Good luck."

"Gather!" Ritsuka cried as he casted Magnega, summoning spheres of magnetism that trapped the remaining Heartless in its pull. Ritsuka then threw a Strike Raid at the collection of creatures killing them all. However this only prompted another wave of Shadows to appear, forcing Ritsuka and Moguri to regroup.

"They just won't quit will they, kupo?" Moguri said as he charged a Thundaga spell.

"Well neither will we." Ritsuka replied as he readied his Keyblade for a Sliding Dash.

Cynthiera was somewhat depressed. She didn't know what to believe or what was going on. This feeling however was soon sought by a feeling of power.

Cynthiera charged out the door and haphazardly screamed "FREEZE!" as she pointed the weapon out; unguided. Her casting of blizzard was an absolute mess, she didn't hit a thing, rather she only brought great attention to herself.

One of the Heartless began to come towards her, clearly with malintent. Unknowing about how to deal with the situation, Cynthiera pointed the weapon out like it was a pointy stick and looked away. She clearly had no clue how to fight. To her luck, the Heartless head began to lung as soon as she diverted her gaze, and landed into her weapon. She had slain her first Heartless.

"Oh no!" Cynthiera gasped. She frightened herself. "Uhm- Blizard!" She squeaked as a couple more Hours came her way. It didn't take much for those to perish as well.

Ritsuka and Moguri had to duck out of the way as the blast of icy magic flew right past any Heartless and froze one of the walls of a nearby home.

"Blizzard, kupo?" Moguri said in surprise.

"Where did... Cynthiera?" Ritsuka exclaimed in shock at the sight of the poor girl holding the casting sword, still glowing from the spell. "How did you...?" His question was cut off by a Heartless moving in to attack her. "No!" Ritsuka cried as he tried to help, but was forced to block another Shadow that lunged at him. He made short work of it and returned his attention to the girl, shocked to see the Heartless having alreasy been defeated.

"Thunder!" Moguri cried as he cast Thundaga, bolts of lighting rainine from the sky on the Heartless. The ones that evaded the spell went for Cynthiera but they were quickly taken out by a Blizzard spell.

Ritsuka thus turned his attention back to the remaining Shadows and tossed a Circle Raid, his Keyblade orbiting him as it spun rapidly, defeating all the remaining Heartless. With that, the invisible walls that trapped them faded away, showing that the danger had passed.

"Cynthiera!" Ritsuka called as he and Moguri rushed to her side. "Are you ok, why didn't you say you could fight?" The Keyblade Wielder asked, she was clearly inexperienced, but just the fact that she could cast magic was impressive.

"I-I'm sorry!" Cynthiera said as they approached her. "I am just really confused right now. I don't know if fighting is quite it." She smiled. "I don't really know what's going on." She continued to express her bewilderment.

Cynthiera nervously gazed at the casting sword, still very unsure. "Ah- uhm, where did you two get your weapons?" She asked anxiously. She didn't know much about the hooded figure, but she would perhaps learn more.

Cynthiera was clearly expressing anxiety, and furthermore was attempting to hide where she got the weapon from. It was much more than she normally had to handle in her daily life.

Aiko turned towards the Nobody as she explained, puzzled looks and skeptical raises of her eyebrows were given. The girl didn't comprehend the subject completely, questioning what had happened as Ayuraime began to slash away at the Heartless. She sighed, the wonder and amazement didn't last long, it wore off soon and the only thing Aiko was left with was a miniscule comprehension of what just happened and the blade in her hand. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't much shaped like a key, let alone a realistic blade. A headache came on just thinking about it, she had too many questions.

It was a good thing Ayuraime was there, as the inquiries piled on each time a thought ran through her mind. She turned, looking at the Nobody suspiciously, "Who are you, and why did you kidnap me?" She asked, voice calm. Aiko looked around, she couldn't stop thinking about what spurred her captors to do this. What made her so important to be captured and imprisoned?

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's ok." Ritsuka assured, recognizing her axiety. She really was shaken up, really scared, and fear lead to darkness, and darkness attracted the Heartless. Ritsuka sighed in defeat and put a comforting hand on Cynthiera's shoulder. "Ok, why don't we just go inside, calm down a little bit, and then we'll tell you everything." Ritsuka assured, much to Moguri's dismay.

"Huh, e-everything, kupo!?"

"Yes, everything, it's for her own good." Ritsuka asserted.

"Mmm... Alright, fine, but I'm taking a look at that casting sword in return, kupo." Moguri conceded.