Kingdom Hearts : Heartfelt Adventure {Day 8 ; Invite Only}

[Je suis a toi]

[Noelle : Narnia : Outside the Train]

Noelle hardly registered any speech past the point of falling to her knees on the ground, it was all just garbled noise. Her chest hurt and her head hurt more, as if she were feeling the scars between her re-organized memories sewn together by the light. The explosion caught her attention, because just before it struck Aslan placed his massive paw over her back and scooped her in toward his chest, sheltering her from any effect of the blast. She trembled slightly next to his form, burying her face in the velvet plush of his mane.

"That is enough!" Aslan said to Kyle sternly, but not unkindly, "I understand your grief, and your anger is valid, but you must maintain control. Be tamed, that your comrades and I might support you."

He turned his great head to look at Sora and Riku who had emerged in haste, "Please, gather those with you and assist the Earthlings out of the castle--they need you greatly now."

Lastly, he caught Dani's gaze and told her, "Come to me, child. I will heal you, and hope that you might forgive Kyle for his accident."  

[Kaegoe]

[Dawn : Jadis' Castle > Bridge]


Dawn bit her lip, about to timidly answer Sora. However, hell breaking loose, again cut her short.

First the loud booming explosion just outside the castle, made her stop in her tracks beside Joe.

Then Joe outside explained the reason for the outburst. She felt her eyes widen and her heart thump loudly in her chest.

She glanced at Joseph beside her just as he started to his decent to the ground. With a slight gasp she tried to grab him only to fall to her knees beside him. Before she could react to anything, James jumped over to aid Joseph. She sat there frozen as James tried to heal him with what magic he did have.

The dancer practically jumped out of her skin when Nick seemed to of came out of nowhere and picked up Joseph, not too gently. Then left. She stared at him for a long moment as she felt his speed enhancing magic wash over her.

"Damn it all..." she hissed. Next moment she was on her feet. Dashing out after him at over maxed speed, and her legs screamed at her for it.

Dawn kept running, even after she passed him on the bridge. Now that she was moving, she wasn't going to stop.  

[fractalJester]

[ Kyle ; Sora ; Riku : Narnia : Outside the Train ]

"I didn't... I didn't mean to..." Kyle began, taking another step back, squeezing his hand. His eyes remained wide, his gaze scrambling to make sense. He looked to Dani, more confusion and regret than anger. "I'm sorry, I..."

He felt two different entities then: Ultima, within, trying to steady his magic, and Riku at his shoulder, getting his attention and drawing his gaze.

"Breathe," he said, locking eyes with him; his expression was calm, yet stern. "Breathe, and don't bottle it in. Try to find something constructive to do."

"Right. Right, that, uh," he said, recomposing. He heard Joe and James over the charms, and felt the distant rumbling from the island. "Okay, I'll be back."

Like that, he was gone--one second there, the next simply not. A few seconds later, he was back, handing Riku two ethers, but keeping a third for himself to quickly down before tossing the bottle away; as it left his hands, empty, it vanished to nothing, being magically produced to begin with.

"I'm coming in to take each of you out one by one," he said to everyone still in the castle, regulating his breathing. "When I get to you, just take my hand and keep moving."

"I'll need those in a second," he said, and then once again, he was just gone.

First, he grabbed Dawn, bringing her across the massive bridge in an instant; for whatever reason, she was equally antsy to get back even before the announcement, so he just sped her along. After that, he noticed Nicholas carrying Joe, but he didn't bother yet--he wasn't sure he could take two guests at once the whole way. So instead he stopped at Kyla, who he urged along patiently, but still with the same time-warped speed.

He followed up with James, then Bobbi, grabbing an Ether as he dropped her off and downing it. Next to Amy, then John, then Jenny, and Sayrike--downing another Ether as he dropped her off. Then he grabbed Matthew, who was eagerly keeping up with Nicholas and Joe, before finally stopping at Nicholas, who by this point was about a third of the way across the bridge.

All in all, he'd gotten everyone across within less than fifteen seconds. He was wearing himself out.

"I'm still iffy about trying to bring two, so hand him over and I'll be back for you in a sec," he said, somewhat monotone, sweat slightly dripping from the side of his head.

"Well, at least he's getting the hang of that," Merlin said, watching morosely as people appeared one by one. "I don't suppose any of you know what that massive column of light was, do you?"  

[LevDa]

[Dani :~: Narnia :~: Outside the Train]

“Thank you,” Dani spoke to Aslan and walked over to the lion in a bit of awe. “I…um… wasn’t entirely expecting this type of entrance when I caught up.” Dani showed her arm slowly as she halted her progress of water mixing in with her arm to stop the damage.

“I don’t entirely know what is going on but I can forgive him” Dani assured Aslan as she watched Kyle start to teleport people back to the train one by one. “I got the basics but I mean. I know about magic going out of control due to emotions. Accidents happen.”  

[Gentleman Knives]

[ Joe : Narnia : Outside the Train ]

"Oh great..." Joe muttered as he heard the news of Joseph's collapse from James. Somehow that went worse then he thought it would.

At least Kyle seemed to be getting a hold of himself. Aslan and Riku had seen to that. The dragoon had decided to busy himself with picking the rest of the out of the castle one by one using his warp ability. In only a few seconds, everyone was accounted for except for Nick and Joseph.

He didn't know what to say to them. He knew nothing about Rae(that illusion they fought in Louis' heart did not count) other then what he had been told second hand, so he was at a loss with what he could do to comfort any of them. Luckily for him, Merlin's question gave him something else to focus on.

"What column of light?" he said, arching an eyebrow. "I saw a lot of things over the past few hours and that wasn't one of them."

He paused for a moment, and then it clicked.

"On the other hand, there was that whole vision with the Cornerstone after our fight with that dark seed creature went pear-shaped. Station was shining bright when we rallied after that. Maybe our visions and this column are related?"  

[ArcanaFate]

[Nicholas <> Narnia <> Bridge]

The bard blinked, slowly turning his gaze towards Kyle as he seemed to appear out of nowhere. He had seen Dawn vanish, but it was still somewhat disorienting to see the dragoon bounce around this way and that so quickly. With a small shrug, he would hand the unconscious berserker off to the time user. "I need...some time alone. I'll call for you when I am ready. You understand, right?" Nich motioned towards the sword, and with a simple nod, Kyle and Joseph would vanish from his sight (Kyle taking him past the others and placing him in a Lounge Car booth).

Now for the fun part...

Nicholas would climb onto the edge of the bridge and set the blade next to him on the railing. Staring out into the wild, the bard would sigh and place a hand on the flat of the blade and gently pat it as if it were an old friend. He'd continue to sit quietly for a moment, then let out another sigh. "God, you're such a piece of s**t. And I hate you. I really, really hate you. Thanks for saving me from eternal darkness, I guess, but the whole 'attempting to possess me since you lack physical form' was a reeeeeeal d**k move on your part. Now, question is, how do I hide your sorry a** away so people can't find you?"

Perhaps we can be of assistance?

"...Who said that?" Nicholas gazed around, confused. No one was around, but he clearly heard a voice speaking to him.

We can assist. Imagine your limbs extend beyond yourself.

"...Welp, nice job, Chaos. ******** making me hear voices after I locked your a** away for good. Super."

Stop being silly. Listen. Reach out your phantom limbs, and grab the sword. We can help you.

The bard let out a groan, then closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind. His arms would reach out towards the lake, but a faint hazy aura of energy would surround Nicholas' hands and slowly envelop the hilt of Garland's sword.

Good. Now imagine moving the sword over the water. Then force it down with as much force as you can.

Nicholas would inhale, eyes still closed as the sword would slowly shake from its resting place by his side, dragging along the stone edge of the bridge before floating over the lake with the tip pointed down.

Say farewell to the interloper.

"Get ********, Chaos."

...Somewhat appropriate, I suppose.

With one hand shifting from its clenched fist into a one finger salute aimed at the sword, Nicholas would bring his other hand down forcefully and Garland's blade would pierce through the water with a loud splash before sinking into the depths below.

Excellent work, our lord. Now, come, we have much to learn and little time to waste. Call your friend.

Nicholas could feel his eyes watering up, whether in sorrow or relief, he had no idea, but he would turn and hop off the ledge back onto the bridge, ready to call Kyle to give him a lift.

...Or he could be in visible range, already waiting. He raised his hand in a small wave, ready to head out. One thing for sure, though, he was definitely not prepared for the next phase of this journey, wherever it may lead.  

[fractalJester]

[ Kyle : Narnia : Outside the Train ]

After dropping Joe off in a Lounge Car booth, he'd come back to the bridge, though he gave the other man some space. When Nicholas finished up, he was at the man's side in an instant.

"So that's a new trick," he said, raising a brow. "Doesn't really fit the singer theme. Summon, then."

He didn't take Nicholas along immediately, instead looking over the ledge toward the water with a raised brow.

"You sure you wanna leave that here?" he asked.  

[ArcanaFate]

[Nicholas <> Narnia <> Outside the Train]

"...Not a lot of options, really." Nicholas sighed, looking over the edge of the bridge down at the lake again, as if expecting the sword to jettison up and round two... three? with Chaos would start again.

"Leaving it in the ruins might have been better, but taking it with us is not a good idea no matter what. I don't really know much about the whole 'Rae' situation, but if something dark got into the castle and took it, that means there's a flaw in the defenses. Someone could come for the sword as well. Or worse, Chaos being so close to the Cornerstone could widen the hole in our defense. Worst case scenario, he somehow corrupts the Cornerstone of Light at the castle. It's not the best option, but the longer I hold onto the sword, the more I want to use its power. It's... really, really good."

He exhaled. "The power I had... it was so freeing. So... unconstrained. I could have done whatever I wanted with that power, and the urge to just... keep going was so strong, so euphoric." Nicholas turned back to Kyle, letting out a small huff.

"Let's just... get out of here. I'm tired and I've got about seven days of emotional trauma to start sorting through." He sniffed, wiping his eyes with one of his sleeves. His other hand extended out to Kyle, ready to be dragged away from the bridge.  

[fractalJester]

[ Kyle : Narnia : Outside the Train ]

Kyle didn't respond at first, simply letting the words sink in, digesting them. After a while, he nodded, holding out his hand.

"For what it's worth," he said, taking the other man's hand and beginning to focus on the temporal fluctuations, "given everything that happened back home, I don't think many would fault you for"—he chewed on the words a moment—"latching on to that kind of power. I think it'd be pretty difficult not to feel powerless after all that, and when you're presented with it..."

He shrugged. "I'm just glad you decided to come with us in the end. We can do a lot of good."

And like that, they were off—blurring through the timestream, everything around them seemingly at a standstill, until they were right beside everyone else at the train, shortly after Joe's answer to Merlin.

"Uh, what was the question," he privately asked Jenny, who then privately filled him in.  

[fractalJester]

[ Errone and Co. : Narnia : Outside the Train ]

"Wait wait, the Cornerstone? It appeared to you in a vision?" Merlin asked, suddenly looking wide-eyed.

"Mmhmm," Jenny replied, though she was mostly kneeling beside Noelle to try and comfort the other woman. "We were... well, we'd lost. And we got put through these strange illusions again, only to break through and find our way back to our own stations."

"Wait, what? Is that what happened?" Sora asked, looking confused. "We didn't get anything like that. Just one second we were knocked out, then I'm fighting an endless swarm of Heartless, and then suddenly I'm waking up bathed in light."

"I think it was just an Earthling thing," Sayrike chimed in. "There were fifteen stations surrounding the Cornerstone, one for each of us."

"I... well, that's..." Merlin said, his face growing taut in consideration and confusion. "We need to get back to the castle. You can all explain everything on the way."

"No teleporting?" Anthony asked from the sidelines, sounding perhaps more pleased than he should be.

"Ah, no, I... there seems to be some interference," Merlin replied, his voice revealing his concern. "It's another reason we should be on our way. If that beam was from the Cornerstone... I think we may have quite a mystery on our hands."

"Alright, then," Riku said, making a small wave. "Let's get on board, I guess."

Kyle furrowed his brows in thought. The Cornerstone had literally caused a giant column of light?

His memories jolted back to a particularly tormented spot in Ajora's past, just last night.

I guess I shouldn't be terribly surprised, then.

Walking up to Noelle, Aslan, and Jenny, he knelt down beside the three, his attention on the blonde witch. "You okay to walk?"  

[Enji_Chou]

[Kyla: Narnia: Outside > The Train?- Yeup the Train]


As if the hearts of people didn’t get enough wrenching, breaking squeezing-
She had just stopped down in her tracks, gasping in her exhausted jog across the bridge- when she heard about Joseph collapsing under- everything. She wanted to turn, but in that same moment, suddenly Kyle was there after announcing he was coming to get them.

She wanted ot go back and check on Joe but there was no point they’d all be collected at the train now-

She did her best to run, feeling her limit coming. Kyla felt like she was on auto pilot, stumbling along with Kyle’s spirited guidance- streaming her arrival through time- releasing her into the next moment as one of the accumulating outside of the train. The new was still hitting her- the grief swift- but piled on top of everything else, perhaps the collection of strain made it somehow easier- a scream amidst more screaming in her heart-

Frustration. Anguish. Anger. This victory if that’s what it was a bitter one- It was all over Noelle’s face. It was in Joe’s reaction- Kyle’s obvious torment being put to use in work himself over the edge. He’d sleep well tonight- God willing.

Maybe she could to later… but rest seemed like years away.
The artist regarded the lot of them, her eyes distant but somehow still watchful.

She wanted to through her arm sup and scream too- fire whatever magic she had in every direction- whilst simultaneously dropping to her knees to weep. But she felt literally incapable of doing anything like that. For a moment Kyla wondered if she’d just gone numb again- but the caress of Carbuncles cyan colored fur, reminded her, the thawing cold hadn’t robbed her sensations just yet.

Something came to mind as she turned her gaze towards the train’s door, watching the keyblader enter in first.

“…I never thought our weapons could respond to a keyhole like that…”
Slow blink and she looked down at her book, which was turned to that very moment or rather a scatter of doodles and pieces of the moment- as she could recall. Her hand traces the edge of the lines from what she could remember of the fissures in the keyhole.

“Given this unusual circumstance... the cornerstone’s influence, the pillar… and the Light- itself… this is something- other than their origins- that our weapons did the same...”

The cornerstone. Somehow- but perhaps… maybe not entirely unusual-
“I wonder. If an infiltrator, void of emotion and malice where to sneak into Disney castle- is it possible such a thing is immune to a barrier of goodness and light that repels evil?”

It seemed to her that the cornerstone of light being just that, would indeed be the perfect defense against a threat- but what fi the thing isn’t giving off the signature of a threat to begin with?
"-mmm I'm no expert on the stones nature, and now even less given it's behavoir in the past few hours...ugh.."
It was a blank slate- void of emotion or desire? She shook her head, thinking was hard right now… trying to focus in such a disturbed state- perhaps wasn’t a good idea but- it helped. She gave a sigh, eyes on the ground as she stumbled towards the train car door. Sitting down might help. It was a ride back to the castle- besides… there was something she wanted to see.  

[Pie Thrower]

[Saint .: Paris :. Tea Room]

Saint thought about Hati's words for a long while, sipping his tea deep in thought. His gaze was solemn, fixed on the table in front of them. The silence of conversation was deafening. Only the sound of the sputtering fire allotted any sign of activity.

After a long while, Saint looked up to Hati and said, "You know me better than I do myself it seems. I've only existed for a day, and you I imagine for many more than that... It'll be your decision."

His gaze was fixed on Hati's eyes. A nagging sensation of hatred was tugging at his psyche. The origin of the sensation, however, he could not figure out.

God this b***h is makin' me ornery...

He finished his tea in one final long sip and placed the cup on the table in front of him. He then relaxed and leaned back on the chair, feeling the soft sensation of the velvet on his neck.  

[fractalJester]

[ "Ajora" and Company (and Company {and Company...}) : World That Never Was : Station of Awakening ]

He knew immediately as he began falling that he had somehow been thrown into the depths of his own heartscape, and yet, despite the irrelevancy of air, he found his breath catching in his throat, a tightness and panic setting in. His mind was hazy and fraying, his heart ached, and his body felt overwhelmed. And now, for whatever reason, he was being pulled down into the center of the problem. He was unsure if he could fix it; he was unsure of what was even going on.

Before long, he found himself falling through a vast storm of prismatic mist, swirling and crackling with power. Every moment surrounded by the formless magic burned and seared his skin, projection though it was, and it seemed to go on for ages; when he finally passed through its lower side, he sighed with pained relief, before looking down at the approaching station: fairly blank, with no portraits or even any color. He had little time to consider the empty canvas before he slowly flipped, landed on his legs, and shortly thereafter collapsed to his knees, still clutching his chest in pain.

Above him, the thick fog of æther began to churn, slowly moving in cyclone-like circles; over the course of seconds, this twisting coalescence formed a ring, leaving an opening in the center, and continued to grow and spiral faster, descending to envelop the station in its burgeoning gales. The mists began to roar with increased velocity as they condensed, compressed into a nearly-opaque ring of golden magic, each passing second growing cacophonous, until finally there was a glimmer amidst the rapidly-moving form—and it was, in fact, a form, a physical manifestation of great golden and crimson scales that refracted all manner of iridescent light. The spinning creation began to slow, the sound lessening to silence, as the grand form of Shinryu once more revealed itself...

... sporting eyes that glowed in radiant, pure white light.

"Shin, what's... what's going on," Ajora shouted up at the grand wyrm, desperate and confused. "What's gotten into my heart?"

"Your heart?" the aeon questioned, his heavy baritone matched with a second, lighter tenor—a dual-voice. "How can you be so sure that this heart belongs to you?"

"What?" he asked, confusion and fear plain on his face; his throat remained tight, his head pounding, his concentration barely maintained. "How can you... no, this isn't... this is mine! I don't know who you are, but you can't just—I've fought for this, I've—"

"CHEATED!"

Ajora quailed beneath the entity's bellowing roar, its massive form towering over him, encompassing the entire station in its form. "I—I did what I had to do! I was trying to survive, I was—"

"NEVER MEANT TO EXIST!"

His entire station was beginning to tremble under the force of the dual-entity's rage now, and Ajora could barely keep himself from falling backwards in fear. But with the fear came indignation—a rejection of this thing's implication.

"I know that, I—I just, I want to live! Why is that so terrible?!" he shouted back, mustering what little fury his indignation could grant him and standing up. "I was never meant to be born, but I was! And from the moment I discovered my purpose, to destroy, I rebelled, I rejected and struggled against a freaking god!... thing! You want to judge me for that, too?!"

Before there was any verbal response, Ajora was suddenly struck with a horrific pain through his head and heart, falling back down to his knees and barely holding back his scream as he felt his memories once more rummaged through without mercy—at first. It was not as bad as when touched the Cryst, to be sure, but even this pain slowly subsided as more and more of the memories replayed at blinding speed, against his will.

And then, the pain, the forced reminiscence, and the station's tremors all lessened to nothing, leaving the once-Replica with heavy breaths and a dull ache.

"So it is true, then," the voices, significantly softer now, replied in unison, a somber tone replacing the previous outrage. "You wish to walk the path of self-preservation, even in the face of darkness itself."

He did not respond beyond a nod, still catching his breath, still uncertain how to answer whatever entity this was. The ache in his chest had not subsided; he realized, then, that it was not this thing causing it. His fraying mind remained a haze, as well—the only words he could muster came out like an admittance of surrender.

"I just... want to be me."

The white-eyed dragon did not speak then; it merely stared into Ajora's eyes, as if trying to gauge him, trying to weigh his false-spun soul against an ethereal feather. The moment seemed to stretch on for entire minutes.

"I am afraid that your actions still have dire consequences," they spoke at last. However ominous their words, they were not spoken as a threat. "You took advantage of the shattered world boundaries, and with reckless abandon. You have overwhelmed your nascent heart, still without an identity of its own, so now it must decide for itself."

"Decide what? My identity?" he asked, hesitant. The pieces were coming together, but he could not understand the depth of issue. "But I've already established that. I'm—"

"Louis, Avatar of Mateus," a familiar tenor spoke up from Ajora's left.

To his shock, he turned to see none other than the dead Earthling himself, garbed in the Scion's armor, with draping violet cloth and elongated trident in hand. He had captured what few memories of the man he could and had not had the chance to free himself of them, but he did not realize—

"Melisandre Wyrmsbane," a deep alto bellowed from behind him, where the towering Norn sorceress stood. "Magister in the Durmand Priory."

He whirled around in fear and confusion. Her? She wasn't even real, she was a persona he'd taken on, a mask—

"Kai," came the higher alto from somewhere else on the station as the pictomancer's replica appeared. "You don't need anything else."

"No, no, this isn't—"

"Cory, and don't you forget it!" shouted an irrepressible cocky tenor, even as Ajora watched the man appear out of nothing but concentrated æther. They all were—each of them was forming from raw magic.

Ajora froze in understanding.

"Why, Rrr~rumplestiltskin, of course~!" called the distinctly melodramatic tenor of the Dark One, as he appeared nearby in leather, scales, and all—giggling devilishly.

All the magic he'd been accumulating from Eden—

"Gilgamesh, King of Heroes," shouted the gold-armored persona Ajora had once thought to take on. "You mongrels can call me god."

All the memories he'd been gathering, the personalities he'd been taking on—

"Even, if you please."

"Dr. Cidolfus Demen Bunansa, at your service!"

"Professor Hojo, nothing less."

"Fayleen. I, uh," began the strange young woman, dressed in Spiran attire and looking somewhat confused, "I work at the Sphere Theater."

"Zexion."

"Kairi, Princess of Heart and Keyblade Apprentice!"

"Mickey, King of Disney and Keyblade Master!"

"Dr. Lugae"

"Captain Jack Sparrow—Captain!"

"William Turner, Captain of the Flying Dutchman!"

"Elizabeth Turner, Pirate King!"

—were catalyzing. His heart, so new, so filled with the remnants of memories from others, was leaking excess magical power into the memories, giving them power, giving them form—

A chilling presence filled the air from his left, darkening the blank mosaic glass with shadow. "Ajora."

A sudden blossoming of unnatural warmth, hot with outrage toward injustice, burst from his right. "Kyle."

"No..."

"The question remains:" said the dual-voiced entity, still towering over them all in the grand form of Shinryu, watching, waiting, as the station began to tremble under the growing pressure of so many identities, "Who are you?"  

[Kaegoe]

[Dawn : Narnia : Outside the Train -> Heading to Stable Car]

After arriving at the train, with Kyle's help, Dawn stopped and leaned with her back against the train as she fought to catch her breath. She barely focused on Merlin's questioning of the group. Just stared at the sky for the longest time.

For a moment, she saw a small star-like flicker. Though inside, she knew she wasn't real. Just her emotionally fried mind playing tricks on her. She closed her eyes for a moment. The dancer took a moment to wish it was real. She wished for something. Though she couldn't put it to words.

When Riku called out that they should start boarding, Dawn shook her head and weakly pushed herself off the train and started towards the door.

"I'm going to be back in the stable car if anyone needs me," she said softly to Riku before she passed him, though she kept her eyes on the door into the train, "Maybe I can help calm the birds..."

Without waiting for his reply she went inside the train. Dawn paused a moment, and stared at Joseph, worried. Then kept her slow trek to the back of the train.  

[Je suis a toi]

[Noelle - Aslan: Narnia : Outside the Train]

Aslan lowered his head, exhaling softly over Dani's injury. The warm air over her arm would tingle at first, then the injury itself disappeared.

"Your friend is burdened, your forgiveness should bring him peace. Please let him know when you can." Aslan said in response before returning his attention to the small blonde sobbing at his feet. She had been joined by one of her friends, Jenny, but was hardly consoled.

"We heard of your fight in a communication from Master Yen Sid. You must not blame yourself or feel any culpability for the outcome of that battle."

Noelle could only hiccup and cry in response for some time. Eventually she squeaked out, "I t-tried. I tried s-s-s-so ha-ard."

"I know, my child." Aslan consoled softly, his eyes showing empathy, "But not all things in life fall in our favor--this is life's essence. But it is how we continue on afterward that shapes this raw essence into a life worth living."

Noelle could only nod weakly, understanding his words but not yet finding meaning in them. Her head swam, the tears wouldn't stop coming, and her chest ached endlessly. She heard Kyle's question and nodded in response, but didn't move at first. After a few more moments, though she still continued to sob with little control, her hand reached out to seek support in standing and getting to the train.