Heartfelt Adventure : Active Time Event Thread

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : The Cocky Fool : 21 }
{ Ajora : Forests }

"Oh, the fighting was mostly just to see if you'd accept a bet. Figured hey, maybe I could get some more wishes from you like I've gotten from others," he said, shrugging nonchalantly. There was an odd tone of indifference in his voice, coupled with a touch of finality. "What I'm actually here for are your memories. I need to know the exact details of everything you're doing, and the best way to do that is to get it out of your own head."

"Assuming everything's in order and you're not, say, out to permanently erase all existence, then I'll simply erase your memories of the past fifteen minutes and leave you be," he explained, and strangely enough, his brown irises turned a brilliant red; not like blood, nor like any sort of berserker, but more akin to a brilliant ruby in the sunlight, even as he looked down to her with the sun to his back. He seemed keenly aware. "On the other hand, if you are going to be too much trouble, I'll just kill you here and now to save some hassle down the road."  

[Enji_Chou]

[ATE: the Cocky Fool:22]
[Kai: Forests]

“I see, make them bet, win, and get more wishes to do as you like. Though I’m surprised you’ve managed to get decent work out of Eden, that’s not how I remember her. Then again- things tend to be a bit different here.”
A light went off in her head now when he explained his real intensions with her and leaning in closer- even without her magic, Kai could tell there was something – off, no, missing.. yes missing about the man sitting across from her in the tree boughs.

Ajora was different alright. She couldn’t sense any markers from him at all, in fact he seemed almost the same as she- but HOW was he doing this??
Could it be, he wasn’t one of them any more? Did he wish to become something else? Power of the cosmos- probably not, but perhaps something else he had.

“Well I won’t profess to be a good girl, but total erasure of the world is such a wasteful idea… and too cliché for my liking- that’s Kyle’s former partners MO, the guado- what was the quote again? ‘ I shall destroy Spira- I shall save it!” – she hissed in a mockery of Seymour’s initial reveal line form the game.

“…I’ll let you kill me if I start acting that corny.”

Taking her fingers, she ran them down a forelock of hair falling over her shoulder- “..still.. I won’t deny I do have my own plans. I’m not sure how you plan to poke around in my memories, but since you have me at your mercy, there’s nothing I can do except sit here and wait till you’re finished looking. I suggest you look closely- you won’t get another chance.”
 

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : The Cocky Fool : 23 }
{ Ajora : Forests }

"No, I guess I won't," he said, and he continued with the tone of finality--he almost sounded sad. As he spoke again, his voice became enchanted with magic, aimed at inducing slumber in the target through what could only amount to hypnotic boredom--"Sweet dreams, Kai."

Though the dark gifts might have normally made her immune outright, he had used the negating gloves to seal off her connection to the Darkness, and with his momentarily-enhanced magic, he was able to overcome her defenses, sending her into a temporary hexed sleep. As she slipped into unconsciousness, he hopped down and caught her in his arms, slowly hovering down to the ground. Once he landed, he placed her gently against the trunk of the tree.

Then, using the magic he'd learned from the Geist, Prototype I, he touched her forehead and concentrated, copying her memories. It was a backwards process; he started from the moment she drifted into slumber and had to move backwards through time, gradually speeding up; lunch, the morning, yesterday, the day of creation, what memories she had of Kyla's original life, all the way back to their first memories.

... I see.

What little he was able to immediately dissect in the copying was certainly remarkable... ambitious, to say the least.

Dangerous.

He stared down at her sleeping form, kneeling over her. It would be easy. It should be easy; she was a creature like he had been, wholly dark, without conscience, and what she aimed to do would be nothing short of catastrophic.

He didn't realize it, but he'd been holding his breath. As he released it in a heavy sigh, he made his mind. She would live; it wasn't his place be a judge. Not after what he'd done--not yet.

It didn't help that he knew her now.

He frowned.

Reaching back down to touch her forehead, he started going through her recent memories again, but this time, he pulled them straight out of her replicated heart. She wouldn't remember any aspect of this conversation, nor her meeting with 'Cory'. In fact, the last thing she would remember when she woke up would be whatever her thoughts had been just before his sudden appearance. Everything else was simply... gone.

And just as with all memory magic, the monuments of the erased time would unwind as well. Had she made any markings in her sketchpad or elsewhere, they would disappear just as completely as the words from Jiminy's journal when Naminé toyed with their memories. Had those innately connected to her, such as her Unversed, or the Nameless, somehow been able to understand something had been happening to her, then their own memories would fade away, though for them it would be much more natural.

In fact, the only evidence Kai would have that anything had happened would be the change in the sun's height, the strange absence of the defensive spells she'd activated on him, and the mysterious displacement--one moment, she was up in her loft, and the next, she was waking up on the ground. He could not re-enact her magic.

Nor could he trick her mind into thinking all was okay. He was no brainwasher--only an eraser. Kai would inevitably be suspicious, as she rightfully should be. But for all intents and purposes, she had simply lost consciousness without reason.

He stood up, sighing again. His head was starting to pound; he needed to get back to base soon. Looking back at her sleeping form, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the magicite crystal again. However, attached to it was a small cloth ribbon and a regular note, written in unremarkable script and plain ink. He left it by her side--a small token of apology.

Then, he scanned the area one more time, much as he'd done earlier, his eyes still ruby red. Whatever he found, the results made him smile, and he disappeared in a disintegration of golden dust. There weren't even footprints to remember him by.

When she awoke and found the crystal, she would tell fairly easily that it was simple magicite--pure mana condensed into crystal form; it was a magic battery. It was small, and perhaps as strong as an Ether. However, if she were so inclined, she could use it like a second mana pool; for example, if she were attempting to weave a spell with all her mana to increase its power, she could tap into the crystal's mana to add even more fuel to the proverbial flames. Better yet--the crystal was reusable, so long as she took the time and patience to recharge it with her own energy.

Upon opening the note, she would see only a few words:

Magic comes with a price. You've already paid for this.

 

[Jeimuzu Kuro]

[ATE: Healing Bonds : 23]
{James : Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

James remained silent as he watched Kyla and Mizu intently, he wasn't scared, but definitely the spectral weeping was a bit unsettling to put it lightly. As Kyla called out to them the corsair made his way over to the pictomancer to see the figure for himself. The corsair's eyes narrowed as he saw the little girl with his own eyes. His focus didn't leave the girl as Carbuncle approached the little girl and just as Kyla was he was surprised by Tyue's friendly gestures. At the mention of the name Kai the corsair was immediately put on guard, He had to fight off the desire to call forth his hexagun then and there. Kai was not a little girl, that much he knew but the name...

"Kai?" James asked as he looked over at Kyla. "Why does this girl share the same name as your replica?" He asked, trying to understand the situation before taking any sort of rash action. This was Kyla's heart, which meant everything in here supposedly was a part of her. There was an explanation of that he was certain.  

[Enji_Chou]

[ATE: Healing Bonds : 24]
{Kyla : Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

Cue: yonah Strings

Kyla looked on towards the child in the shadows, every moment her eyes growing larger and more distant. When James finally spoke to her it took more than a moment to respond. With fingers weaving together she seemed to fidget a little.
“Because that’s my name.”

It was a cruel and clever concept actually.

“Kai knew by taking that name, it would mean so much. People back home called me Kyla only formally… strangers called me Kyla. But those who knew me, those who actually cared- they called me Kai.”

“Rhymes with both Hi and Bye-“

“Rhymes with both Hi and Bye-“

“Rhymes with both Hi and Bye-“


All three, Kyla, the child, and Carbuncle said that at the same time! It was eerie, and while Kyla was startled by it, and Carbuncle looked back to her, the child didn’t seem to notice anyone else bu the summon herself.
Looking a bit confused Kyla gathered herself and continued talking to James and Mizu.

“... that’s how I’d introduce myself. People found it hard to remember how to say my full name properly. But ...despite that- no one ever used my nick name. So I’d be called Kaylee, or Kaela, or Kylee, or even Kyle, very few got it right. They did it because they didn't want to know me, they had no interest in getting to know me.“

“Those who called you Kai though, did so because it meant they liked you. They knew you. “ Carbuncle continued, while still keeping her eyes on the child who continued to pet her.
“Eventually the difference between those who called you Kyla, and Kai was the signifier between those who didn’t want to associate with you- and those who cared. Like your parents and siblings-
-Kai became the signifier for when someone became your friend.”

So her replica took it.
That way no one could ever call the artist by her endearing nickname, because of all the negativity it now carried. She created an emotional rift just by that act alone. Very insidious.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like my real name a lot. In fact I was surprised any of you were able to say it properly right off the bat. That’s never happened before. “

"My replica was just clever, she knew the connations it meant to me, so to take my nickname before anyone had gotten close enough to me to use it. ...she did it on purpose."

"Now no one can call me that, not without thinking of her."
Kyla looked back tot he child in the shadows of the station, timmidly but steadily petting the summon-fixated on the creature like she was the only one there.
"She's called Kai, because she's me. Judging by her size..I'd say she's a younger me." But why was she here? Even Kyla herself wasn't sure- but it had to have something to do with the darkness leaking from the chamber- surely! Maybe she was a clue?
"Louis- have you seen her before?"

 

[RhikoDemson]

[ATE: Healing Bonds : 25]
{Louis? : Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

Kai... but I don't even know who that is. Is it your name? Is it what you prefer? Who cares if someone else stole it, fight her. Steal it back. Make it your own. Make Kai a name for Kyla again.

The boy called to as Louis turned his gaze to the opening in the large lotus and went to where he was summoned. He strolled up, tilting his head slowly, the pale, dull hues of fur did little to contrast the darkness he was staring into. He looked to Kyla and back to the girl being comforted by Carbuncle, and much to his frustration, he could not aid them even in something this simple. He shook his head, "No, I don't recognize her." Still, even if he didn't recognize her, he couldn't just stand back and watch, something boiled deep inside him. Hesitantly, but with quickening determination, he stepped forward.

The beastial boy spanned the distance till he stood behind the girl, looking at Carbuncle who like a cat seemed to heal just by being present and providing the indescribable treatment that only petting an animal seems to provide. He knelt down on his haunches and was now eye level with the young girl before speaking softly, "Hey there, your name's Kai, I take it?" he looked to Carbuncle before continuing, "What's wrong little one, are you hurt?"  

[Enji_Chou]

[ATE: Healing Bonds : 26]
{Kyla/Kai : Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

“Sorry- I guess I thought, if you shared the same space… I mean.. inside- then, maybe you had seen her about before. S’ok.“ the artist replied, feeling a bit silly she asked. Even so, Louis then turned and began striding up to the girl with pending fervor. Did he get an Idea or something?

Kyla watched on and Louis, while he didn’t recognize her, sat down at her eye level and started talking- to her amazement, the girl looked up at him.
..”she sees him?”

Kai looked at Louis with worn, tired, reddened eyes, one had a swollen lump beneath it, like she’s been given a shiner. “Hi.” She replied, and Carbuncle’s tail flickered back and forth eagerly. Louis had the child undivided attention.
Slowly she turned a bit more towards him, one hand lifting off the summon to reach out and touch his face. Kai looked upon Louis with utter fascination and childlike awe. Her tiny fingers were wrapped up in band aids and pieces of tissue paper bound crudely in tape.


Suddenly remembering Louis asked her a question, the figment shifted nervously, her hand retracted and a look of embarrassment cross her features. “…yeah… b-but, it’s ok. It will be ok...“ She plastered a halfhearted smile on her face.

Kai shifted a little more so she faced him fully now with Carbuncle curled in her lap. Kai's feet, arms, even part of her head had various bandages. she was a patch work of old and new scratches and healing bruises. She looked like a wild child up close- her eyes were so dark they looked jet black, no distincton betwene pupil and iris. Her hair was a messy mop of curly brown and protruding out from between those curls- just above her bangs was something like that looked a large pointed bump. It was the side of an egg and came to a small rounded tip, discolored from the natural tan of her skin.

It looked eerily-


- like a horn.

Realizing he could see it the girl brought her hand up and tried to cover it, cheeks going pink. “…D-..don't be scared, i-it's not what you think!" she muttered in protest.

Meanwhile Kyla shifted uncomfertably in place until she turned away all together, unable to look at the living memory. Looking back to the opening in the Lotus, she tried to figure out the connection between the darkness leaking, and the girl.
"..all this leaking darkness.. and now this... and she can see Louis.. but she doens't seem to notice us."
Kyla looked everywhere but at the figment of her younger self, her own shame growing from having James and Bobbi see this.
 

[RhikoDemson]

[ATE: Healing Bonds : 27]
{Louis? : Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

The burning in the boy's chest only grew as the girl turned to face him, the injuries, scrapes and bruises, as well as their shoddy patchwork, sent a shiver down his spine. How did this happen to her? What caused this? He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and hold her close, yet, he stayed his hand.

“…D-..don't be scared, i-it's not what you think!" she sputtered, much to his amazement.

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you not to be scared?" the young man held out his hands, free for her to touch and observed as she saw fit as he rolled them over for her to see both sides. Fur covered everything from the tips of his razor, serrated claw fingers all the way up to his elbows, all the while glowing in shifting shades of gray, white, and an occasional shimmer of silver. He watched her softly, smiling though part of him wanted to cry. So innocent, how did something like this happen, "Don't worry, I'm not scared. How about you, do I frighten you?"  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{ATE .:. Healing Bonds .:. 28}
{Bobbi .:. Disney Castle .:. Kyla's Station of Awakening}

Bobbi stood aside and watched as the others spoke to the child apparition, torn between conflicting instincts. On the one hand, she didn't like children. At all. They were loud and disrespectful and messy and required far more patience than she cared to give. On the other hand—and heavily laced with irony—she had a strong motherly instinct. She was good with children. So. To go to the child with an offer of comfort, risking tears and sticky hands and leaking orifices, or to stay back and let the others deal with her?

What decided her was the child's reaction to being asked if she was hurt. That was not a healthy reaction. When kids were hurt, they damn well let you know it, usually with a lot of screaming, tears, and sometimes snot. Only a child who was hurt regularly would suppress that reaction, unless the wounds were far in the past—or at least far to a child's reckoning. But judging from the bandages and tissues, these were recent wounds. And then her trying to cover something on her forehead, pleading with them not to be scared! Bobbi couldn't see the child's face from her angle, but the body language and words were enough to send her maternal instincts into overdrive.

With a low, quick, exasperated groan, quiet enough that only someone standing close enough to touch could hear, Bobbi stepped forward and knelt next to the child, gently taking one of the bandaged hands in her own.

"Here, let me see," she murmured. "Trust me, we're a whole lot scarier than you are. 'Specially me."  

[Jeimuzu Kuro]

{ATE : Healing Bonds : 29}
{James : Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

{{Cue: Weep For}}

James fell silent as he listened to Kyla's explanation regarding why the little girl shared the same name as her replica and could empathize. Kuro Oni had taken the name he had for similar effect, for it to mean something to the corsair. Kuro Oni had chosen the name as a means of striking fear into the corsair, where as Kai had done it to take away something important from the pictomancer, in essence a part of her very identity. Was that part of Kai's motives as a whole? The corsair wasn't sure.

While the little girl conversed with Louis and Mizu tried to console the little girl the lunar gunner stayed back, observing and pondering. The girl acknowledged Louis, which so far was more than the rest of them aside from Carbuncle. His focus rested briefly on the little girl. He realized that she was a part of Kyla, a figment of her past that probably represented a piece of her heart now. This child, as lifelike as she seemed, wasn't real. She only existed in Kyla's mind, or in this case, her heart. The corsair too turned his back away from the Mizu, Louis, and the spectral child. He rather doubted the girl would even acknowledge the archer as he moved to stand behind Kyla.

"That's you when you were younger isn't it?" He asked the pictomancer. He remembered the conversation they had had, how she had been bullied by her sister. Which in the gunner's mind explained the bandages. "Is she supposed to represent a part of your heart? Just like the darkness leaking from the lotus, your darkness. They are both a part of it," He stated starting to piece it together. "Neither of them belong this close to the surface. If that lotus is a ward, just like your spell is then I bet they both have to go back in for the lotus to close."  

[Enji_Chou]

[ATE: Healing Bonds : 30]
{Kyla/Kai ??: Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

cue kais sacrifice

She shook her head in response to Louis’s counter question.
“mmm-no..”
The child reached out and touched the clawed hands, tiny bound fingers tracing them with typical curiosity- but lacking the anxiety of fear of the unknown. As he rolled them over, letting her touch the luminous fur “kai” looked up into his face, examining his face. Spotting the fixated gemstone on his brow “kai” glanced between him and the summon making the visual connection-

“..you look like my best friend.”

That’s when Bobbi came to her side and took one of her hands. “kai” didn’t see or respond to her approach- but- once the archer made physical contact with her the child’ attention snapped to her like Bobbi had just popped out of nowhere.

The child looked wide eyed, blackened spheres swallowing everything; Bobbi could not see herself in them. Her tiny hand felt cold in comparison to Bobbi’s, but it rested then non-resistant, while the other took a gentle hold onto Louis’s.

Carbuncle took this chance to rise from her curled position on “kai’s” lap and walk around them.
The child leaned in to examine Bobbi’s face this time. Being so close the archer would be able to see the strange protruding lump parting the girls bangs. It was strangely discolored, and could be mistaken for a welt from a much harder blow to the head- had it not been so oddly shaped.
The girl’s her face would be frightening in a whole other way up close. Not from the differences- but from sameness.

From the curve of her cheeks, pigment of her eyes- lips, lashes- usually in time there was a distinct difference in features that maturity creates- but here, take away the swollen bruising, and she was a dead ringer for the artist standing away behind them!

At least for those who had a moment to observe Kyla’s features; there was very little besides some elongation, different hair style and glasses- and the more obvious lacking of the ’horn’ that separated the older Kyla from the figment.

“Yes. She’s me.” The artist replied, turning slightly to look over her shoulder at James.

“- you don’t seem like the others.” The child commented finally in response to Bobbi. “Because, no one, wants to touch a witch- a demon.” That explanation was muttered with a tone of matter-of-fact, like it was perfectly normal.
A witch.

Kyla hadn’t realized she was touching her own spot on her head where the growth would have been if ti was-no- it still is-
It was always there. She would feel it. It was the reason she couldn’t wear hats, or have hoods or tight bands of any kind on the front part of her head. It was always terribly sensitive there- even the slightest pressure could make her cry out.

Kyla stared at the disturbing recreation of her younger years a long moment before looking back to James. “I think you’re right. She could be like a piece- just like Louis is an inhabitant.” Facing the other three she breathed a sigh-
“…she’s …”

“- I didn’t cry. No matter what they did, I didn’t cry in front of anyone. So it’s ok.” “kai” said, her little hand taking hold of Bobbi’s like she had with Louis.
“You both are nice…” the girl said smiling before suddenly looking concerned. Then worried. She quickly rose, battered legs teetering. “Oh- no, no no no, if someone sees you both talking to me!-” she looked around as if this said ‘others’ were watching somewhere in the darkness. “kai” looked around a few times before holding their hands tightly now and turning to them with a determined look.

“I-it’s ok. I-if someone comes after you, you know for this, don’t worry, I can handle it. You should hide- I’ll protect you, both of you! Promise. I promise. I know all the best places to hide. We can hide- somewhere…together.. “ she seemed to be thinking now of where she could hide Bobbi and Louis.

“…somewhere no one can find us. No one can hurt us..”

Kyla’s brow furrowed- something about what the girl was saying struck a nerve.

“A place all our own. Our own world..” she whispered before suddenly snapping out of it- James was right. This girl had to be the key.

“Bobbi- Louis, we think she’s part of the darkness leaking out. If she could be brought back inside the shield- we think that may make it close.”

‘She’s what I carry- just beneath the surface. ‘ part of her wondered- if this element to her being was so strong, still so influential- then what was it like for someone with absolutely no light at all. At least here, this darkness seemed determined- tempered with a sense of purpose.
What was it like for the other Kai out there?

Now there in lay another problem- just how did they do it? Were they to follow her in? But that couldn't work, James and Bobbi could be trapped further inside- and Kyla, going inside only served to dive further-
"Somehow she has to be lead back inside. but she so transfixed on them now. Now what?"

"I think, this is a job only one of them can do- as for the other, Kai must be reassured her 'friend' will not be harmed." the summon commented indicating between Louis and Bobbi.

Walking up to one sid eof them Carbuncle's tail flickered back and forth like a curious cats.
" I think further in-is a good place for you to hide Aibou." the child turned and seemed to register her surorundings properly now, as if just noticing the open lotus at the epicenter.  

[phoenixianCrystallist]

{ATE .:. Healing Bonds .:. 31}
{Bobbi .:. Disney Castle .:. Kyla's Station of Awakening}

When the child's attention suddenly focused on her, Bobbi took a slow, deliberate moment to finish peeling away the make-shift bandage she had started on, before meeting the child's eyes. She wanted to give Kai a moment to study her, take in whatever she felt like in her actions and words. After that moment, however, Bobbi slowly raised her eyes to meet the child's. Her glance flicked upwards for a second, registering the welt. A frown crossed her face for only a moment—not fear, merely curiosity. Her free hand came up to gently brush the girl's bangs away so she could get a better look, but something about the girl's eyes caught her attention.

"What's the matter with your eyes? Why can I not see myself in your eyes?"

The girl's extreme resemblance to Kyla wasn't all that surprising to Bobbi. The differences between the child's face and the adult's were miniscule, almost nonexistent, but this was not in any way the first time Bobbi had experienced a similar phenomenon. A couple of her cousins hadn't changed significantly since childhood either. It was a lot stranger to wake up and see her mother's face in the mirror every morning where her own should be.

"- you don’t seem like the others. Because, no one, wants to touch a witch- a demon."

Bobbi snorted.

"Whoever called you a demon has clearly never had experience with them," she said sardonically, though her tone was much, much gentler than anyone present—even Kuro—had ever heard it. "As for a witch? I was a witch, for a time. It's a religion, no better nor worse than being Christian or Jewish or Muslim. No…" Her hand reached up to brush the child's hair away again, and Bobbi offered the child a sweet smile. "You remind me of a unicorn."

When the girl said she didn't cry at the bullying, Bobbi's smile widened, taking on a note of triumph or pride, and she hugged the girl close.

"Good. They don't deserve your tears."

Suddenly Kai stood, looking terrified as she gripped Bobbi's and Louis' hands. She started saying something about running, hiding, if someone saw us—

"Shh, Kai, sweeting, you've got it backwards," the archer said, gently cupping her hand under the girl's chin to recapture her attention. "We're here to protect you." Her eyes flicked to Kyla and she nodded, acknowledging what her friend was saying. "Louis and I won't let anything happen to you, okay? We'll take you somewhere safe, and we'll deal with whatever has you scared." She pulled her hand away as Tyue came up, and scratched behind the carbuncle's ears.

"Show us the way, sweetheart."  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : Dissent Before Descent : 1 }
{ Ajora ; Shinryu : World That Never Was }

"Okay, digitize it and we'll make it more manageable," came the voice from the computer's speaker. So, Ajora did just that: had Shinryu drop the large antenna, torn cables and all, directly in front of the digitizer and shipped it straight into the core digital world.

The data-Ajora whistled. "Alright, gimme ten, fifteen minutes." And the view port disappeared. Then, not even a minute later, it was back up.

"Hey, go grab the magicite from the synthesizer," data-Ajora said, with hundreds of small machine fragments hovering around him, the remnants of the satellite. "I'll need it to amplify signal strength."

There was hardly a moment to spare between the message being relayed and one of his Unversed reappearing with the rhombus-shaped magicite, large enough to require two hands to hold. Ajora casually looked at it for a moment, ready to toss it into the digitizer, but he quickly had a double-take, his eyes glazing over as his mist sense kicked in. His mouth gaped momentarily, and as he admired the circuitry, Celia began to type out his message.

Christ, the matrix of this thing, it's so... condensed! You've routed the magic lines through layers and layers and...

Data-Ajora chuckled. "What good is a power crystal without an optimized power matrix?"

How long could this power something?

"Well, that's the thing, once you start to mess with the matrices, they become specialized. You couldn't really use that for much else besides what it's wired for," he explained, shrugging. "Like, example, you couldn't use that for mana, you couldn't use it to power a machine. This matrix is designed for one purpose--amplification. And before you start drooling, it's insanely sensitive. It takes and receives one kind of energy: electromagnetic waves."

The real Ajora gave a similar shrug, still smiling as he digitized the power crystal. He might not have been able to use that specific crystal, but it was nice to know they were already working on specializing these kinds of things.

The view port disappeared again, and once more appeared less than a minute later, with data-Ajora grinning and holding up the power crystal, connected to a ring-like base with spokes rising out and bracing it upright; a near-identical ring structure was above the crystal, held aloft by identical spokes. However, braced inside the upper ring was a basin--a small satellite dish. As well, connected to the bottom ring was a small cable.

"Sorry, took a bit longer with the optimization than I expected. Oracle had a few suggestions," he said. As he did, the device slowly began to break down into what looked like three-dimensional pixels--and simultaneously, it was created once more in reality, sitting at the base of the digitizer. "These guys were way more advanced than Earth as far as data transmission goes, but the power crystal should help it reach the rest of the castle."

Ajora scoffed.

That covers the entire castle???

"What part of 'way more advanced' wasn't clear? They could transmit across entire systems with a dish we might use to transmit a few hundred miles. Just plug the damn thing in."

Ajora looked to Shinryu, who just narrowed his eyes with a raised brow--he didn't know, nor did he care, what was going on. Rolling his eyes, the psion grabbed the crystal contraption and plugged the cable into the central system.

Instantly, some prompts popped up--software installation, apparently, but Ajora couldn't even get a chance to read it as his data-self rushed through it all in a blur. Once it finished setting up, the crystal gave off a soft glow, and the small rings lit up along their circuits.

It was then that the digitizer kicked into gear, slowly digistructing something else. Something unplanned. Lights flickered in the room, some going out, not explosively but as if they simply lost power. In truth, that's precisely what happened; the formation of matter was energy consumptive on an exponential scale. True, they had put energy in in the form of materials, so the energy was inevitably conserved, but all the same this amount of output would flip the breakers on anything Earth had to offer.

He couldn't help but stare, taking a small step back and looking at whatever it was... before realizing exactly what it was. When all was said and done, a dark gray humanoid robot stepped forward, purple lights forming its eyes and the inner workings of its mouth.

"Ta-da!" it--he--said, the voice identical to his own, with a trace amount of electronic static, the result of a speaker as opposed to a vocal chord.

"So that's why you had Lettie just digitize the materials en masse instead," the actual, flesh-and-blood Ajora said, crossing his arms as he looked the machine over.

"Well, after getting access to Hojo and Cid's mist generator schematics, it was just a matter of optimizing them," he said. "That, and reverse-engineering the digitizer schematics--"

"And how do you plan to get out of here?"

"Oh, right, could you go grab the other crystal?"

Celia once again vanished, just to reappear moments later with a second crystal. This one was perfectly spherical, able to fit in one's palm but still not wrap your entire hand around, like a baseball. She tossed it over to the machine, and as he caught it, a panel on his chest opened up, revealing a perfect slot for it. Once he put it in, it immediately began to give off a soft glow before the panel closed once again, sealing it off.

"... and that was?" he asked, raising a brow.

"In a word? Materia. It contains the basic essence of our psionic abilities: the sight and manipulation," he said, and though the exo-modeled chassis had no true expressions, Ajora could tell his counterpart was grinning. "And teleporting is a nice touch, though I also threw in the phasing you took from the Geist. Anyway, it's a nice prototype until we can actually connect to the leylines. More power, more production quality and quantity."

"Good, so you can handle the connection issue. And don't forget to go through Kai's memories with a fine comb."

He paused, hesitating.

"God, this is so ******** pretentious, all this talking to myself garbage. I need to go do stuff, get to work."  

[fractalJester]

{ ATE : Dissent Before Descent : 2 }
{ Ajora ; Shinryu : Radiant Garden : Underneath Hollow Bastion }

s**t!

Ajora bent over backwards, barely dodging a black zweihander that was, save the obsidian-like appearance, identical to his Wyrmhero Blade. He used the backward momentum to transition into a backflip, getting out of Shinryu's way as the dragon-infused man launched forward, assaulting the attacker with platinum sword blazing with golden flames.

The anti-form Ajora, his body like viscous fluid, contorted his body and brought the black blade up to block, the only visible facial feature the golden eyes that seemed too fast, too intelligent.

Shinryu brought up a crystal shield, blocking an identical attack from second anti-form: his own. To his own surprise, he struggled to hold his ground against the attack... and he started growling.

"How many of these must we destroy?"

"I wish I knew!" Ajora seethed, casting Haste on both his summon and himself before trying to dash around to get a better shot on the anti-forms. As he ran, he summoned a Tumulus grenade launcher to his free hand and unleashed a heavy artillery shot of holy fire on locked opponents. The explosion shook the cavern--but the anti-forms had already leapt away.

Ajora saw it in slow motion: the anti-Ajora had a black Tumulus in his hands, and a blazing sphere of black and purple fire was coming straight at him. With an angry shout, he braced himself for the explosion, crossing his arms over the front of his body and ducking his head. The resulting shockwave sent him flying backward into the cavern wall.

Shinryu was already covering as he started to get up, avoiding the large shards of glass that seemed to litter the perimeter of the underground cave.

"This could already be over if you would just stop limiting us," Shinryu growled, holding the blade and shield up and watching the two anti-forms slowly pace back and forth--too fast, too intelligent, looking for weaknesses...

"Then he'd just respawn elsewhere," Ajora said, slowly getting to his feet. "Or we'd take the entire cavern down, destroying the castle above. They're mimicking us down to the strength of the attacks we use."

"So where's the source?"

"That's the problem," he groaned, pulling out his compass--which, as before, simply spun and spun and spun, even if he changed the axes. "This is the source. This cavern... the entire thing. He's somehow filling up the entire space. I'd wager its all the glass shards, but finding the right one..."

He glanced at some of the reflective fragments surrounding him; each flickered with golden light, a mirror image of Shinryu's blazing sword. He'd checked countless shards in the cavern, which he discovered was larger than most average houses in pretty much all directions.

Of course this is where Zexion's Heartless would shack up.

"Okay, I've got an idea," he said, slowly beginning to stockpile mana; the anti-forms golden eyes began to gleam as the sensed something different, and he could once again feel eyes on him from every direction, watching every angle, analyzing everything he did. "Aaaand go."

Ajora unleashed the charged up magic... to create a light show. Specifically, he created a single sphere of white light in the center of the cavern that burned with such intensity, staring into it felt like staring into the sun. It lit up the room as if it were outside in broad daylight--and more importantly, the dozens, hundreds of reflective shards caught that light and sent it back out, filling every inch of the room with brilliant white light.

The anti-forms cringed and recoiled, trying to cover their eyes with their hands, but Shinryu and Ajora paid them no mind. They were too busy scanning the cavern and the mirrors, looking for one outlier, one sign--

"There!"

Registering Shinryu's information, Ajora instantly teleported in front of the mirror shard on the far end, opposite where they had been--this mirror had an odd black speck that stood out in the sea of white. Whereas normally, every fragment had simply shown a reflection of himself or Shinryu, as Ajora stared into the mirror, he saw a black silhouette of himself--with the tell-tale Heartless Emblem that the anti-forms had thus far lacked.

"They're recovering!"

Seizing what little time remained before the doppelgangers inevitably cancelled out the stunning light, Ajora thrust his palm forward at the mirror and began to pull at the possessive essence inside it. The Heartless within began to screech, its furious eyes locking with his own, but Ajora continued to rip it out, bolts of energy connecting his hand and the mirror as he pulled away from it, until finally--

--a dark pulse of magic spread over and beyond him, and the reflective magic that formed the anti-form doppelgangers dissipated entirely. The two guardians broke down into black mist, and all the broken mirror shards did the same, leaving a plain, rocky cavern, Shinryu, Ajora, and the tainted heart of the young Ienzo.

"So," the golden-haired man said, walking up to his host. "How do you plan to cleanse it? You don't have a Keyblade."

He stared at the heart and shrugged. "Eh, I'll figure something out later. Apparently something's happening back at the castle."

---

"So, you're ready?"

"Well, ready enough," robo-Ajora replied, the two of them hovering in mid-air under the castle, high above the basin below. Above them was a small, hollow pipeline that seemed to lead directly into the castle. "The Unversed have made a couple rounds, so the main circuits are primed. The past couple hours, I've been connecting the apex of the circuits here to the main power grid of the castle."

"And what about the overflow?"

"Therein lies the issue. It could take me days to truly, properly rewire the castle's power grid. It has its own magitech generators that were the original source of power, which still need repair," he said. "But even with Celia and Lettie, we're only three people. If you want this done fast, then we need to turn this power on--if only for a little while."

"So you can pump out more of you," Ajora said, rubbing his chin. "Well then, let's get started."

With that, he reached out and lightly tapped at a point in the air; instantly, a visible charge rocketed down and away, following the dozens of trails of magic energy that had been made, and for the briefest of moments, as the igniting charge swept 'round the world, the streams of magic were visible as thin, iridescent auroras. Then they disappeared, as quickly as they had appeared.

---

Up in the castle's core, the large spherical wall that had been scattered with blinking lights suddenly began to light up. Hundreds of small lights became constant, and came from all sides, as every computer on the castle server came back online.

Within seconds, the Digitizer began to whir to life.

---

"Fantastic," robo-Ajora said, and though the mechanical face had limited expressions, it was clear from his tone that he was grinning like a kid on Christmas. "I think you'll like the helpers I'm making.

"I'm sure I will," he said, shrugging. "But Celia's got something from the basin. So keep up the good work."

---

Ajora reappeared in the circular meeting room, Where Nothing Gathers, and walked over to the table, gazing into the stolen observational basin and catching part of what was being said:

"--I found out the source of the field--or at least the likely source. Louis."

"... s**t."  

[Jeimuzu Kuro]

{ATE : Healing Bonds : 32}
{James : Disney Castle : Kyla's Station of Awakening}

James was admittedly surprised by how caring, even motherly Mizu spoke to Kai. Her tone was so gentle, more gentle than the corsair had ever heard from her before. He listened to her words, remembering the time during High School that he thought he had a demon within him. He understood her intentions, but didn't feel like he could join in her consoling efforts, and also felt that they would not be needed at this point. He knew what needed to happen, he wasn't sure how to make it happen though. He remained where he was at beside Kyla, trying to figure it out.

"She shouldn't go with Kai…," he thought out loud, though his volume was so low he didn't think anyone would hear him, not even Kyla.

The corsair wasn't a father by any means, he wasn't even that great with kids. He did know though that if a child did get attached, they would become very upset if the person they became attached to just disappeared. The corsair wanted to avoid that if at all possible. His focus turned towards the fragment of Louis.

"Louis, can you go with her deeper into Kyla's heart? She will want someone to stay with her which would be impossible for the rest of us," He calmly stated, his focus turning towards Mizu briefly before turning his attention back to the fragment. "Once you get her back inside we should be able to close the lotus from here and the wound will finally close and be able to heal."