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I wonder if it's the name.

...NAH! I can't be.

We are Legion?

Aren't jokes meant to be taken seriously?

...wait a minute

I remember when I use to listen to this guy like non-stop last year. xD I always loved his sound. My personal favorite from him would have to be this song.

It isn't on the "A Southern Summer’s Breeze" album but is free for download on his Soundcloud. He also has a new album in works. I can't wait. 8'D

<3

Can't wait for their new album. And I guess I should get around to listening to Living Things. Been forever since I listened to Linkin Park.

Well, you said that you changed a few things and made the effects smoother, right? If it's the better version, then yeah, re-upload it and send it to me.

When it's done. I can't put a date on it. Sorry.

Yes, I did. My bad for not updating. Excluding myself and Stardust, I have gotten the final version of these people's parts.

Anti ☢ Sora
darkhorseD
Hayabusa
Ienzo
Knightshade
Korosu
Leblonk
Lulus_Moogles
lillovedoctor
muff monkey
Okabe Rintarou
Wingly

Both .

Almost done? xD

I actually noticed that I forgot to download a part while putting everything together so I'm working that in right now. Thankfully I don't have school tomorrow so that should give me enough free time to finish things up. After that, the only thing holding me back is my internet connection when I upload this thing. Hopefully it'll be on my side.

WARNING: There might be a few formatting errors here and there. Unfortunately I can't just copy and paste from my document file to current editor that KHV uses and have everything be the same. So I had to go through everything and re-format it but I might have missed something.​

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Chapter 4 – The Lion Awakes​

Everything was monochrome, toned with the indistinct and blurry grays of darkness. Stalagmites and stalactites dotted the surface of the passageways, but Shou could barely make them out as he progressed further into the caverns and one step closer to that shade's domain. Usually, or rather unusually, the walls would flicker with light and static this deep into the cave, helping one make out their surroundings, but they seem to have stopped. If he had trouble with seeing what was right in front of him then how did he expect to fight and defeat that monster? He didn't know. But he did know one thing. That he needed to bring Chikara back no matter the costs. And with his Keyblade clenched in hand, he felt safe, even in the unnerving clutches of darkness, and able to defeat anything.

Advancing further, he found himself back inside the circular room where he had fought the beast. Ashes and soot covered the floor along with the fragments of broken stalactites. And from inside the darkness of the cave, a faint glimmer of light flickered and in response the Keyblade, perched in his hand, glowed. As he stepped forward in the light's direction, the glow became brighter and with each step closer, it became stronger and stronger, clearing away the monochromatic darkness. Never would've thought that this thing could be a flashlight.

And there he was, sprawled out and resting on the sooty floor, to Shou's surprise. Was he still alive? he thought as he ran up to Chi. His clothes were tattered and stained with dirt and soot, his brown hair was unkempt, and his face was slightly pale but he seemed to be fine. Putting his hand to Chi's face, Shou could feel the warmth of his body and with his ear to his chest, he could hear the slow beats of his heart and feel the movement of his chest as air entered and escaped his lungs. “Thank god!” he said, overcome with so much joyfulness that he was on the verge of tears.

But where’s the Heartless? he thought as he rapidly got back to his feet, firming his grip on his Keyblade. Maya had told him that the monster was probably alive if Chi hadn't returned after its defeat. But here he was, safe and sound. Could it have been using his friend as bait? Could something so feral and savage come up with such a plan? But the Heartless could have been right around the corner waiting for the right time to attack for all he knew. And with an unconscious friend to protect, the scales were not tipped in Shou's favor.

With his Keyblade ready to attack, Shou looked around cautiously. Even Chi's almost inaudible breaths could be heard in the uneasy silence. A thump echoed and instinctively Shou swung his blade in the direction of the sound's origin only to hit...thin air.

He swung his glowing Keyblade frantically, washing away the darkness that enveloped him. To his relief, there was no sign of the Heartless anywhere. No creeping shadows. No static. No squishing sounds. Maybe he had defeated it the first time around. But he still felt unsafe. While he had his Keyblade in hand to prevent things from becoming too dark, he felt as if there was something around the corner, just waiting for the kill. “Come on. Snap out of it,” he said as he slapped his cheek, ridding himself of the pangs of fear that had assailed him, and dropped his Keyblade to the ground, it disappearing with a flash of light as it hit the ground. “Time to get out of here.”

He struggled for a moment as he tried to pick up his friend, but with some effort, he was able to get him into his arms. Chikara was lean, but his figure belied how much he actually weighed. While Shou could easily pick up Maya and walk back to the entrance with ease, he didn't have that same option with Chikara. And without his Keyblade as a source of light, navigation would be difficult. But after going through the cave twice, his mental image of the area was much better. "I'm sorry for getting you into this mess, Chi," he said as he began to walk back to the entrance. "But everything will be alright now."

~/////~​

"You better be alive," Maya said as she brought herself up to her feet. Her side still hurt, but the pain was only dull and with each passing minute it seemed to be fading away. This meant that the spell she had cast earlier was working. The bones that she had fractured earlier were practically as good as new and the only wounds left on her body were superficial, barely bleeding, and slowly closing.

Dusting the sand off her clothes, she approached the entrance of the cave. Staring into the impenetrable darkness, she sighed and rubbed her temple. Quite some time had passed since Shou left to retrieve Chikara and she had begun to worry. However would she explain to their parents that they were dead if they didn't come back? Then again did she actually have to? From the little she knew of Shou, she knew that he probably would've charged into a fight with the Heartless with reckless abandon. A surefire way to get you killed.

"Boys," she said in an irritated tone while folding her arms. Letting out a sigh, she summoned her Keyblade into her hand. While a little exhausted because of the spell she had cast on herself, she still had some fight left in her and enough spells in her arsenal to cast. If push came to shove, she still had her Keyblade to rely on. From what Shou had told her earlier, she deduced that the Heartless was nearing its end. It wouldn't have run away from Shou otherwise. But creatures of its kind were sneaky when they were in distress. It could easily hide in the darkness or crawl on the walls as a shadow and attack when least suspected.

Taking in a deep breath, she stepped into the cave and began her descent into the darkness until she suddenly heard footsteps coming in her direction. It can't be, she thought as she held out her Keyblade and shone a light into the darkness. And to her surprise, there they were. Shou was drawing closer to the entrance, sweat running down his brow and drenching his clothes, with Chikara hurdled over his back.

"But how?" she asked with her mouth gaping as he walked past her and out the cave. Barely taking a few steps away from her, he laid Chikara down on the floor and then...fell to his knees. Coughing heavily as he tried to keep himself from falling face first onto the sandy earth, his chest rose with each gasp for air, his face grew paler and he looked as if he was about to vomit from the overexertion. The boy had been put through the wringer today. Fighting a Heartless and carrying two people out of the cave by himself would have done a number on anybody.

Walking over to him, Maya knelt down, gently patted his back and put her hand over his forehead to help, but as she was about to cast a spell to help the fatigue, he quickly swatted her hand away. "I'm trying to help you," she said as she tried to lay her hand on his forehead again, only for him to swat it away like him.

Taking in a few more breaths before talking, he sat down on the floor and simply said, "I'm fine," and then pointed his finger over to his friend lying down on the floor. "Help him."

"You," she paused as she looked at him. Sweat ran from his head to his feet, drenching his shirt. His arms and legs were lined with small cuts and scrapes. And with each breath, he seemed to grow paler. "You can't be serious."

"Always am," he said with a light laugh. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. It'll take a lot worse to take me down."

Idiot! She would've hit him to knock some sense into him but she restrained herself and quickly turned away to walk over to Chikara who was lying on the floor, silent and motionless. In comparison to Shou, he looked relatively well. There weren't any serious injuries on his body, just a few bruises and scarps here and there, and his temperature was normal. To the naked eye, he looked healthy. But what about what lied underneath? The Heartless didn't only attack through physical methods. She kneeled down before him and closed her eyes. She put her hand over his head and concentrated. Everything seemed to be fine as she scanned him, but then she paused, concentrated some more and paused once again. "...How did you know something was wrong with him?"

"Gut feeling," Shou said with a shrug.

"You put your own health in risk on a gut feeling?" she said, her brow furrowing with annoyance at how hazardous such an act was.

"I guess I just did," he said as a jovial smile returned to his face as if that was his default setting. Much more quickly than she expected, he got up from where he was sitting with newfound energy and walked to where she was. As he stretched his arms and legs, it appeared as if the condition he was in earlier didn't happen or as if he was used to something so wearisome. "I knew there was something wrong as I was bringing him out of the cave. He was too...unresponsive, y'know? And I could just feel...something was wrong. So what is it?"

"Darkness," she said as her face grew sullen and somber.

"What?"

"It's what the Heartless are made of." she replied, opening her eyes, and looked towards Shou. "The antithesis to our existence. We are Light and they're Darkness. As beings of Light, Darkness is poison to us. It deteriorates the Heart until it's gone, leaving you an empty husk."

"So I guess that's why it burns whenever they touch us."

"Yes. You're becoming more sensitive to darkness due to be around a Heartless. That's the gut feeling you were talking about. And the Darkness seems to be the reason why Chi hasn't woken up yet."

"Can you help him?" Shou said anxiously.

"Well I could try," she said, trying not to make any eye contact with him, as she brought both of her hands over his body. Closing her eyes, she steadied her breathing and sat still for a few seconds. Suddenly her hands began to glow brightly with light. "I can try washing the darkness with light. Just as a great amount of darkness is toxic to light, the same can be said for the opposite."

"Amazing," Shou said as he knelt down and looked at her perform her craft with eyes glimmering full of astonishment. "You're really good at this magic stuff, aren't you?"

"You could say that," she said as a small smile came to her face. "So...how did you beat the Heartless?"

"The Heartless?" he said with a confused face as if he didn't know what she was talking about. "Oh yeah! It wasn't there." He scratched the back of his head. "Everything was normal when I got back to the place where we fought. No white noise. No flickering walls. Just Chi lying down on the floor where the Heartless use to be. So I picked him up and then I tried to get out of the cave as quickly as possible. There was no sign of the Heartless when I was coming out. And I didn't 'feel' it being around us. Do you think it died the first time around?"

"Weird," she said as she continued to hold her hands over Chikara, shining her light over him. "Usually a Heartless of that size goes out with...a bang. This one ran away. And if the Heartless took Chi then he should have appeared again as soon as it died, but he didn't so...something's off."

"Hmmmm, got any ideas as to what might have happened?" Shou said as he brought his hand to chin. "Maybe it just died while it was running away?"

"Unlikely. They'll just regenerate with time if they're not being attacked."

"So you're telling me that something killed that thing?" said Shou as he raised a brow. "And it wasn't us, the two people who can defeat it."

"Yeah," she said as the glow of her hands began to dim until the shine was gone. "Maybe I'm just overthinking it though. It could have possibly died because of injuries too severe to regenerate from. While it isn't common, I don't believe it's unheard of. Nonetheless I'm done. Chi should be fine now. All we can do now is wait. Besides that though, we've got something more important things to talk about now."

"What could be more important?"

"Your own situation."

​

~/////~​

"What do you mean I have to leave?" A voice shouted. "What if more Heartless appear? I'm the only one here who can fight them, right? I can't just leave."

"That's the thing. More Heartless will appear because of you. The Keyblade, while the best weapon to fight Heartless, also attracts them. They seek out those who wield them. So I need to take you to somewhere safe," responded another voice calmly. “Your town is relatively small and thus the chance of a Heartless attacking is much lower here. Notice how you've seen only one Heartless so far and it only stayed in that cave too. If you stay, you're putting everybody here at risk. That's why I'm going to take you to a safer place.”

Shou? Maya? thought Chikara. His mind felt disconnected from reality, almost as if he was in a dreamscape, but with time, his senses began to return to him slowly. The voices talking were familiar to him, but he couldn't quite make out exactly what they were saying.

It was dark. Lazy waves could be heard crashing off in the distance. Carrying with it the fragrance of sea-salt, a gentle wind blew by, sending a light chill through his body, but lightly touching his skin; heat could be felt, giving warmth back to his body.

Sluggishly the boy opened his eyes to find that everything was blurry. But with time, light washed away the fogginess and he saw that it was dusk and that he lay on the ground close to a campfire while Shou and Maya conversed a small distance away from him.

“Damnit," said a voice that he instantly recognized as Shou's yet its tone was very uncharacteristic of him. He sounded melancholic. At first Chi couldn't believe it was Shou because the melancholy was at such a great contrast with the usually sanguine Shou. For him to be sad must have meant that something was off. "Just...don't tell Chi."

“I promise.”

Tell me what? he thought as he tried to pick himself up and go to where they were, but his body was numb and he felt disconnected from it as if his body was a puppet and his mind its puppeteer. And his mind from the looks of it wasn't the best puppeteer. Groggily he mustered up his strength and pushed himself up with his arms and with time he brought himself to his knees and then finally to his feet. But then everything went wrong as he began to walk. Losing his balance, he wobbled back and forth, struggling to keep himself on his feet. But the more energy he used to keep himself on his feet, the more his sense of balance left him until he finally fell to the ground with a large thud. "Help me!" he yelled, but the sounds that escaped from his mouth seemed to sound more like loud incoherent mumbles instead of words.

"Chi!" yelled Shou as he scurried over to where Chikara was. "Is he okay?"

"It's just a side effect of the spell I used on him," replied Maya as she approached Chikara. Running her hand over his head, she checked his temperature and with her other hand, she checked his pulse. "The spell works by making your body go into overdrive and thus make yourself heal faster, but when you're done healing, your body is exhausted because it's used all of its resources. He just needs some food and a little more rest and he'll up and running soon. Mind grabbing us a bite to eat? After such a long day, some food would be very welcome."

"Sure," said Shou as he began to walk away in the direction of the town, only to turn back around. "You got any preferences?"

"Surprise me."

"Okay and I guess you'll want your favorite, Chi."

Chikara attempted to say "yes" but once again only incoherent mumbles left his mouth. He was pretty sure that didn't sound like a "yes" so he just nodded for his answer.

Shou laughed and ran off in the direction of the town. "I'll be back as quickly as possible." And then he was gone, over the horizon.

~/////~​

An hour passed. Shou still hadn't come back. Both Chikara and Maya tried their best to keep the rumblings of their stomach from being heard. Chikara lay on the ground, looking at the stars, wanting to talk to break the awkward silence that had befallen between the two but he was still incapable of forming proper words. Maya sat by the fire, staring at the embers.

Another hour passed and Shou still hadn't returned with the food. While Chikara's body still felt numb, it seemed that his voice had come back to him and he could form proper words. "So ummm," he began. "Do you have any hobbies?" Was that a good way to start a conversation? he thought to himself. He had never been good at talking with...girls or...with people for that matter. He usually preferred staying quiet and blending in with the crowd, being ignored by most people.

"I like to read," she said, finally sparking a conversation between the two. She got up from where she sat and walked over to where Chikara lay. "I'm personally a fan of fantasy and fairy tales." She giggled. "I guess it's why I've always liked magic."

"Never would I have thought that magic was actually real," Chikara said as he continued to gaze at the stars that dotted the night sky.

"There are a lot of things that we don't know," she said as she sat down next to him and looked up at the stars as well. "So what do you do?"

"I guess you could call me a nerd," he said with a tinge of embarrassment. "At least that's what Shou calls me. I just like to know things so I'm constantly out here with Shou. While he's mostly looking for adventure, I'm looking for knowledge. I think we've been almost everywhere there is to be on this island."

"So that's why a kid as quiet as you hangs out with Shou."

"Well it's a reason but I wouldn't say it's the reason we're friends. We've just known each other for so long."

"Speaking of Shou," she said as she got up to her feet and offered her hand to Chikara to help him get up from the ground. "Where is he? It shouldn't take this long to make food."

"Trust me. It's worth it," Chikara said as he grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. His body was still lazy and lethargic but with some effort, he would be able to walk although not for long. Despite not feeling as good as new, his body sure looked like it. No bruises. No cuts. It didn't even look like he had been attacked by a supernatural monster earlier. "Wait a sec...Whatever happened to the Heartless?"

"What?" She looked confused. "Oh! The Heartless. Yeah, it's gone. I was able to lead it into a trap and defeat it. No need to worry about it anymore," she said as she looked away from him.

Weird, he thought. From what he remembered, she had been knocked out during the fight with the Heartless. The chances of her continuing her fight after that were unlikely. "But..."

"I'm back!" Shou yelled as he approached the campfire with a backpack on his back and a duffle bag over his shoulder. Instead of the clothes he had been wearing previously, he was wearing a black shirt with long sleeves and a pair of jeans. With the clothes covering most of his body, one wouldn't be able to see most of the bruises, scrapes, and cuts. And with his characteristic smile running across his face, he surely didn't look like he was injured.

"Weren't you only getting food?" Maya asked.

"Well I was but after I had finished making everybody's meals," he said as he laid both the backpack and duffle bag on the ground. "I realized that bringing home Chi the way he is right now would spark too many questions. Sure he looks just fine but he falls over on himself."

"Hey!" Chikara said before he began to lose his balance once again, but this time he was able to keep himself on his feet. "Okay, maybe you've got a point."

"So I thought that we'd stay out for the night. I even got my tent and a couple of sleeping bags," he said as he opened up the duffle bag and began to pull out the parts for the tent one by one. "Don't worry, Chi. I ran by your house and told your mom."

"And the food?" Maya said anxiously, trying to keep the rumbling of her stomach quiet. Quickly noticing how desperate her words sounded, she added, "Because Chi won't feel better unless he gets something to eat."

Shou, trying to hold back a fit of laughter, pointed at the backpack he had laid down next to the duffle bag. "They're in there. The bowl with the red top is yours." And quickly she ran over to the bag and opened it to find plastic bowls with food in them, eating utensils, a canteen, plastic cups and...clothes. "Oh and there's a change of clothes in there as well. You and I basically wear the same size, Chi, so I just brought another pair of my own clothes. As for you, Maya, unfortunately I don't crossdress so I just got you a pair of clothes that were getting small for me. I think they'll fit."

"Why...thank you," she said as she pulled out a small green T-shirt and jean shorts.

"Now let's chow down!" Shou said, pumping his fist into the air. He then proceeded to give to both Chikara and Maya a plastic bowl, a fork, and a plastic cup.

"Thank you," Chikara said as he stared at the bowl with the blue top and then opened it to find spring egg rolls. For a while he just stared at the contents of the bowl, eating them with his eyes. Then he grabbed his fork, gingerly picked up the spring roll and put it into his mouth, slowly enjoying the taste with each bite. "You never cease to impress me."

Maya took off the red lid of her plastic bowl to find noodles. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" Shou asked as he opened up his bowl to reveal a delicately prepared salad.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. Shou shrugged his shoulders and returned to eating his meal and she began to eat her meal. "Far too many surprises today. Never would've expected you to know how to cook."

"You're not the first," Shou said with a full mouth and pointed his finger towards the canteen. She threw it in his direction and he caught it as he was picking up his cup. He poured himself some water and drank it almost as quickly as he poured it. "I never understood why people found that surprising."

"You can't blame them, Shou," said Chikara as he stuffed his face. "People put other people into stereotypes. When those are broken, they can't help but be surprised."

"More people need to understand that a real man cooks for himself."

"And is a vegetarian?" Maya asked, slurping her noodles.

"No, I eat meat," Shou said as he finished his salad and began to pour himself another glass of water. "I just maintain a balanced diet. A person who is as active as me needs to eat healthily."

"It's basically why you'll never see him shut up," cracked Chikara as he finished his meal. "He's got so much energy that it's literally impossible."

"Ha ha ha," said Shou as he finished his cup of water while Maya laughed quietly in the background. He stood up and picked up the tent equipment that he brought with him. "Less wisecracking, more tent making." He then threw some of parts towards Chikara for him to catch.

Feeling much better after having some food in his belly, he was able to catch the parts thrown at him with relative ease. "Sure," Chikara said as he began to put the parts together, constructing the frame of the tent. "You might want to change now while we're busy, Maya, or Shou might pee-" But his words were cut off as a rolled up sleeping bag hit him square in the face.

"Less wisecracking, more tent making," said Shou calmly as if he hadn't just thrown a sleeping bag at his friend's face while he continued to construct the frame of the tent.

"Thank you for the warning." She giggled and then finished up her meal. After putting the red top on her plastic bowl, she put it back into the backpack and took out the change of clothes that had been given to her. Looking around the area, she searched for an area where she could change her clothes without being seen. Finding a place far away enough from the campfire, she turned to the boys and said, "I'll be right back." and walked away but not before adding with a beautiful smile, "Remember that I can burn you. So don't peep."

Even Chikara could feel a chill run down his spine when he heard her say those words. The dissonance between her pretty face and harsh words discouraged him from even thinking about peeping. But now that she was away, he could have a conversation with Shou about the Heartless. He was the last person he saw before he was swallowed by that darkness. He must have seen what happened. "So..."

"No, I will not peep," Shou replied as he finished constructing his half of the frame.

"I wasn't even going to ask about that," Chikara said, shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, as he also finished his half of the frame. Bringing their two halves of the frame closer, they joined them together to create the full frame. The wind was weak tonight so firming it down to the ground wasn't necessary. All that was left was the covering and Shou went to retrieve it from the duffle bag. "What I wanted to know was about the Heartless. What happened to it?"

"Uhhhh." He paused and ran his hand through his black hair, scratching his head as if trying to come up with something to say. "Maya took care of it."

"How?"

"Well..." Another pause but this time, he was able to response more quickly. "She was able to set up a spell while it wasn't looking and use that to defeat the Heartless."

"I see." Chikara wasn't convinced. He was sure that Maya was unconscious after that beast had thrown her against the wall. While she could heal, it most likely would take some time and there's also the fact that her spell heals at the cost of stamina. He had experienced that himself. She would've been far too tired to even stand let alone continue fighting if she used that spell. While he wasn't knowledgeable of the inner workings of how her magic worked, it appeared that she needed an incantation to help her focus. If she was unconscious, she wouldn't have been able to recite one. They were hiding something from him. He was certain of this. "But..."

"Well aren't you two gentleman? Not even a single peep. I'm proud," said Maya as she returned with a new pair of clothes on. The clothes Shou had given to her fit her figure fairly well and were much more flattering than the dirty and tattered shirt and shorts she had been wearing earlier. Chikara couldn't help but stare, noticing how beautiful she was, but before she could notice, he shook his head and looked away. After putting her old clothes in the backpack, she turned to the boys and said, "So how's the tent?"

"Just got to put this on it now," Shou said as he threw the covering over the tent and began to tie it to the frame of the tent with Chikara following him shortly afterward. "Ta-dah! Now we can crash."

"Great!" she said as she stretched out her arms and yawned. "Although sleeping in the same tent as two boys would make my dad mad."

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him...or me," said Shou with a laugh as he began to lay out the sleeping bags. "You might want to get changed, Chi. I don't think dirt is in style nowadays."

"There's a good place over there," Maya added as she pointed to where she came from. It was dark and surrounded by a great amount of trees. Privacy was guaranteed.

"Yeah, you're right," said Chikara as he looked at his own clothes. Stained with dirt and soot, they weren't very appealing. He wanted to poke the subject of the Heartless a little further but with both of them together, it would be much more difficult for him to find out what they were hiding. So he grabbed his clothes from the backpack and went off to get changed. He still had tomorrow to find out.

After going behind a few trees that prevented him from being seen, he took his shoes off so he could begin undressing. Loosening the belt of his shorts, he took off the dirty, ruffled and wrinkled pair of shorts he had been wearing for the whole day and put on a clean pair of jeans and then put his shoes back on. Afterward he began to take off his shirt but paused when he heard the rustling of leaves and branches. At first he dismissed it for a bird but then he noticed how quiet it was. The only sound ringing through his ears were the crashing waves of the sea. Even in the dead of night, noises, no matter how small, would be made by the local wildlife. For them to be silenced could mean only one thing. That something that they deemed as a threat was near.

Could it be me? he thought as he began to put on a clean red T-shirt. After putting his head through the shirt, he found round eyes of yellow staring at him. A feeling of danger immediately permeated through his body. The sensation was familiar. Almost as if he had been in this situation before.

Before he could blink, let alone think, a black claw came for his face and reflexively he dodged before it could slash him. "Ma-" he tried to yell but before he could finish calling for help, the creature was on the attack once again and he was on the defensive.

The black creature was both small and quick. As it jumped to attack his face once again, Chikara considered just smacking it away before it could hit him. After all, it was barely the size of a dog, but as it approached closer, a chill ran down his spine and it was as if his mind was yelling "Hands off!", warning him of the impending risk. So he just ducked and it flew over him. Turning around quickly to not keep his eyes off of it, he instead found that it was gone. Did it go for Shou and Maya? he thought as he began to run back to the campfire to warn them but he stopped in his tracks and looked down. A shadow. A moving shadow. Backing away immediately, he was able to dodge the monster as it erupted from the ground with claws ready to attack his neck.

The monster and the boy continued their dance with the Heartless attacking fiercely and Chi dodging swiftly. "Maya! Shou!" he yelled as he dodged yet another attack from it. "Heartless! Attacking me! HELP!" The creature attacked again but as he backed up to dodge, he found himself backed up against a tree. The Heartless was quick to take advantage of this and before he could think of another route to dodge to, it was closing in on him.

The strongest of two hearts will always win.​

There was a flash of silver. A diagonal cut ran through the Heartless, severing it, and it evaporated into a dark mist. "How?" he asked and then he saw it. A shining silver blade clenched in his hand. While this one bore a different design than Maya's own, he could still tell what it was. A Keyblade.

"But why?" he asked himself as he stood back up, entranced by the shine of the Keyblade. He felt like this wasn't the first time he had fought a Heartless. He had seen a creature just like that one before. He had felt that same feeling. Like it was déjà vu, those same pangs of startled fear and panic also felt familiar to him. It was almost as if he had woken from a nightmare. A nightmare? Then it clicked. The memories snapped back into place. Of course! How could I forget this? "The Heartless in the cave!” he said to himself as he snapped his finger and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling his brown hair. “I have to tell Maya and Shou about this."

"Are you okay, Ch-" Shou said as he came around the corner with blue and yellow Keyblade in hand but paused with his mouth agape when he saw the silver blade in Chi's hand. "...no way."

"Come back here. I'll take care of it" Maya said as she came shortly afterward with her own Keyblade in hand and then she saw Chi. "No way."

"When did you get a Keyblade?" Chikara asked as he pointed at the Keyblade held in Shou's hand.

"When..." He paused and looked towards Maya. "I guess we have to tell him now, right?"

Still in disbelief and with mouth partly agape, she just stared at the silver blade. She blinked a few times just to make sure what she was seeing was real. She then threw her hands up into the air and folded them as she pouted. "Lady Luck must like you two. It just doesn't make sense."

Shou chuckled at her reaction and looked back to Chi. "I got it when I was fighting the Heartless in the cave."

"Same here."

Both Maya and Shou looked at each other, back to Chi and then back to each other with faces that said "Is he crazy?”

"Don't look at me like that." He frowned. "There's something that you didn't know about the Heartless. I'll explain at the campfire."

~/////~​

"So it's sort of like a dream bug?” Maya asked. “It gets into your dreams and spreads the darkness around until you're eventually lost in it."

"Yeah that's basically it,” Chikara said with a shudder. “It makes me cringe, knowing that thing was in my head.”

"That's pretty smart for a Heartless,” Maya said, bringing her hand to her chin and nodding her head. “No wonder the mayor was able to find the typical symptoms of being exposed to darkness but no traces of an actual Heartless. I thought it was just very sneaky and learned how to cover its tracks but it didn't even send its real body out in the first place. It just sent a projection of it in a sense."

"Wait...my dad knew about the Heartless?” asked Shou, who had been sitting beside her for the whole conversation, with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yeah, who do you think called for me in the first place? He asked Lumen for help and Lumen sent me to take care of it."

"So that's why you were always around my place?"

"Well yeah, I needed as much info as possible. Why did you think I was there?” she asked and then a devious cat-like smile ran across her face. “Because I liked you?"

“W-what?!” His blue eyes widened and he backed away from her. “Of course not!”

“No need to be shy,” she said. Closing the distance between the two, she leaned forward, laid her hand on his chest and suggestively stared at him with her green eyes twinkling. “Why I'm flattered that you would think of me like that?"

"Don't look at me like that!” He pouted and looked away, trying to hide his red face. Maya and Chi couldn’t help but laugh. Shou folded his arms and grumbled. "Back to the actual subject.” he said, unfolding his arms and turning back to face the other two. “I guess this also explains the rumor that's been going around.”

"A rumor?" This time, Maya’s eyebrow was raised.

"I told Chi about it this morning. You see, there's been this rumor going around lately of a lot of people having nightmares with recurring elements. At first I just dismissed it as just that. A rumor. But it sort of makes sense now that we know this thing is able to get into your dreams."

"I see. This also explains why Chi didn't come back when you defeated the Heartless the first time around. Its other half still existed and was keeping him trapped until he took care of that by himself."

"That's pretty badass, Chi." Shou said giving him a thumbs-up.

"T-thanks?” Chikara said, unsure of what to say. After all, he was so scared when he fought that Heartless. In his mind, he didn’t deserve compliments. Like Maya said, Lady Luck just happened to be in his favor. “Now you two have to tell me. Why did you keep Shou having a Keyblade a secret?"

"Well...you see...” His face grew glum but as if a form of rebellion, he still held onto that smile of his nonetheless to show that it wouldn’t get him down. “The thing is that I've got to leave."

"W-what?"

"And you too," Maya added promptly. “Now that you have a Keyblade.”

"Wait...what?” Chikara’s mouth was partially agape. “B-but why?"

"Well Maya says that you and I are like Heartless magnets now that we've got Keyblades. So she thinks it'd be best for both the town and us if we left and went with her back to Lumen."

"Think about it this way. Towns of your size usually aren't Heartless-prone due to the relatively low population.” She summoned her Keyblade into her hand and drew a small circle in the sand. “Think of your town as this circle. Heartless look at it and think of it as just a small amount of Light. Nothing to worry about. But the Keyblade is different. It's a weapon of Light.” She then drew a much bigger circle around the first one she drew. “Now this second circle is you and Shou. Notice how you’re much bigger than a whole town. Because you two are connected to a Keyblade, you’ve become so powerful that the Heartless are scared of you but it's exactly because of this fear that they’ll seek you out and attempt to eradicate you. Lumen's the best place for Keyblade wielders. It was actually founded by them. And because of that, it's also the place with the most protection against the Heartless. It's an anti-Heartless fortress put simply."

"B-but my mom...she won't let me leave and I can't just leave without telling her."

"Shou's dad can explain it to her,” she said, dismissing her Keyblade.

"You’re not giving me much of a choice, are you?” Chikara sulked, looking down to his feet. “When are you planning to leave?"

"Tomorrow night."

"So little time." He sighed.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. I'll use it to the fullest."

"We'll be okay,” Shou said, giving his friend a pat on the back, with which Chikara responded with a nervous chuckle. “After all, I'm going as well."

"I think that makes him even more worried, Shou."

~/////~​

Getting out of bed was probably the hardest part of today. In the morning, Chikara had just laid there for a good while, staring at the ceiling and thinking. If he got up from his bed, the beginning of his last day on Kismet would start. Maybe if he just lay down forever, it would never start. A futile effort in the end but it put him at ease. He wanted to start and end things on his own terms, at least for today.

So he got up and began his day. The first thing he noticed that morning was how energetic his mother was. If he hadn't known her for his whole life, he would've sworn that she was somebody else. Yesterday she was so lethargic and fatigued but today, despite her frail figure, she emanated an aura of vigor and vim. She just moved so quickly and before he knew it, she had given him a kiss on the cheek and was out the door and off to work, having prepared breakfast for both herself and Chikara already. At first, it didn't make much sense how somebody could change so quickly but then he remembered what Maya had told him about darkness and its effect on people. Had the Heartless been assailing his mother just like him? It explained the sudden change. And it brought a smile to his face that he had a hand in helping her and a lot of other people. If he could do that for others throughout the land, getting a Keyblade started to look more like a blessing than a curse in his eyes.

He decided to stay inside for most of the morning, getting a last look at the things that he had grown so accustomed to seeing day after day. During the afternoon, Shou and Maya came over to discuss their departure such as when we were going to leave and what we were going to bring with us. The rest of the day was much like a blur. Chikara knew that he had experienced the events of today but he felt so disconnected from them when the day drew to a close that he could barely remember what had happened. He felt that if he had been taken out of the events that occurred today then nothing would change. All of the dominoes would tip and fall over without him. I guess that's a good thing since I'm leaving.

At first he thought of just leaving without any warning whatsoever. It'd be easier that way for him. But then he realized how selfish that was. He couldn't just leave without saying anything. So he left an envelope with a letter written to his mother on his desk. At first, he didn't know what to say so he spent a good while wringing his brain to form some sort of idea for what he could write but eventually he gave up and just began to write from the soul, jotting down whatever came to mind. It probably sounded like random babblings and it looked like it with the constant scribbling and striking out of words but everything he could tell her was in there. There were things that he couldn't tell her such as where he was going and why but he did tell her he would be safe. That he was in good hands. With friends.

There was just one person who he had to see before he could get some closure and leave. His father. He didn't meet his father that often. He usually stopped by during his birthday or those odd days when he just wanted somebody to talk to without any fear of judgment. "Hi, dad." He knew his dad would never judge but it always felt weird when he came to visit. "I'm leaving." He paused and swallowed the knot in his throat. "I probably won't be back for a while either. But rest assured that I'll be okay. Now I know you want me to stay with mom, make sure she's okay and help her but I think she'll be okay now." A single tear began to run down his face but he wiped it away. "I brought some flowers for you as well." He kneeled down and laid the bouquet of flowers on the marble gravestone. On the gravestone, words were engraved.

May he always be remembered for his contributions to our lovely town of Kismet.​

Beloved husband, father and friend​

Chikara​

It had been a while since his father died. He was young at the time. He was sure, no, he had hoped that he was just going to sleep that one day but when they took him away the next day, he finally accepted the fate that his father had been given. He wanted to cry so much that day and he still did but he knew that his father wouldn't have wanted that. Just before he went to sleep that night, he told him, "Don't be sad that I'm dying. Be happy that I lived. That I was able to do all of these things. All of these things for Kismet. And most importantly all of these things for you and your mom." Then he smiled, said he was tired and fell asleep.

It always felt weird seeing his name on that gravestone. After his father left, he didn't really like his name since it reminded him of his father but then he grew proud of it and hoped that one day, he would become a man as great as his father. His dad was a well-known man throughout the city. Before his untimely exit, he was the mayor of Kismet. Known for making great advancements for the city of Kismet and making it into what it was today. When he died, his running mate and best friend, Shou's father, decided to take his position. And since then, Shou's father has always been somewhat of a second father to Chikara. Shou's father would always tell Chikara and Shou that he and Chikara's father were much like Shou and Chikara when they were younger. Although that Shou was much more like Chikara's father and that Chikara was much more like himself. Both fathers were quite happy that the two became such great friends when they were young and they hoped that the two sons would always stick together like they had.

With each passing second, his watch ticked and tocked closer to midnight. Maya said that they would be leaving around then and to meet her at the port. Next to his feet laid a duffle bag that he had prepared for himself. It was light. There wasn't much in it. Mostly clothes but he had a few extras such as some food and a few books. The rest he could buy with the munny he had been saving up.

Time to go. A breeze blew by and he zipped up his jacket and put up his hood. He checked his surroundings to see if there was anybody was around. Silence. The only things he could hear were the chirping of the birds and the trees and leaves moving to the flow of the wind. He threw his duffle bag onto his back and began to walk towards the Port.

~/////~​

"Ready to go?" Maya asked as she zipped up her green jacket and rubbed her hands together for warmth.

"I think I am," Chikara said as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry for taking so long."

"It's okay," she said, turning to face the sea. "Well I guess it's time to go."

"Well I guess it's time to ask the question everybody has been wondering," Shou said as he looked towards the port and its apparent lack of ships. "How are we going to leave? Don't tell me we're going by raft."

"Of course not. What idiots would do that?"

Shou sighed in relief. "Great. So how are we going? Do you have a boat or something?"

"We're going by Keyblade." Both Shou and Chikara raised an eyebrow. The Keyblade was a sword. One couldn't ride it. A lot of strange things had happened to them today but riding a sword was just silly. Maya simply responded to their stares by summoning her Keyblade to her hand and throwing it into the air and from the sky dropped a motorcycle-like vehicle that bore the same colors as Maya's Keyblade. While the vehicle resembled a motorcycle, it had no wheels and simply floated in the air. "Do the same thing," she said as she began to get onto the vehicle. "Just throw your Keyblade skyward."

Things just get stranger and stranger. Chikara wanted to ask questions but simply concluded that that was the way the Keyblade was. So both he and Shou summoned their Keyblades and threw them into the air and they transformed into two vehicles that looked like surfboards. They descended slowly to the ground and floated a little above their feet.

"The controls are a little abstract," she said as her vehicle began to rise up in the air without her doing anything. "It's controlled by thought. Right now, I'm thinking 'up'. You think 'faster' and it goes faster. You think 'stop' and it does just that. Now get on and think 'go' and try not to fall off."

Um...okay..., Chikara thought as he placed one foot onto the board and then placed his other more slowly. Firmed to it, he began to think of the word "Up" and he began to rise up to the level Maya was at. He held both arms out, trying not to fall from the board as it rose. "Now...go." And the board jolted forward and toward the horizon at an incredible speed. Slower! Slower! And the board began to slow down until it was brought to a halt. "Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of this." And then Shou and Maya zipped past him, splashing some water on him and making his heart skip a beat.

"Follow me!" she yelled as they raced towards the horizon.

"Hey! Wait for me!" he yelled back as he willed the board to go faster, trying to catch up with them.

"Let the adventure begin!" Shou yelled as he pumped his fist into the air.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

About time I got around to posting a new chapter, right? Sorry for the delay. Writing has very much become an on-off thing ever since I started studying again and I'm trying to fall into the habit of writing more often. This chapter has actually been done for a few weeks now actually. I just had to do a little revising and it was done but procrastination is a *****.

Spoiler: Author's Notes

As for the chapter itself, I'm quite happy with it to be honest even if it's super long. xD What probably held me up the most with this chapter though is that it's mostly exposition and I'm not use to writing chapters where there isn't much plot advancement. Instead I'm setting up things for future points in the story and I didn't want to infodump everything into wall of texts so I was trying to make it more interesting by having the characters interact with each other and flesh them out more. I guess this could be considered the real end to Act 1 of the story. Now it's time for Act 2. Ash and I have actually been planning this one for a while, along with the other acts and we hope that we won't disappoint.

Give me a nickname, broski.

You just noticed?

got me a drunk
*git
*get
*drink

I just went through the XenForo help page for importing and there doesn't seem to be anything about not being able to re-import. Or does this not apply for the importer used for vBulletin 4.x?

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - The Owl

I apologize if you felt insulted by my response. My intention was not to insult you. If there was anybody who I would insult right now, it would be the person who originally wrote this email. I've seen things like this so many times before that I've become sick of it and it just irks me that some people can believe some things without really reading things first and getting the facts straight so if I see any misleading information, I try to get it out of the way so a real debate and civilized discussion can take place.

Well aren't you optimistic?

*fist bump*

Homestuck - Another Jungle