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[Cue: Duel of the Fates] ((Shut up... I could do this.))

Lucian slowly began to rise until he was standing tall before Anthony. The Original watched in curiosity, though something nerve-racking was beginning to build in his stomach. Finally, when the other turned, his eyes widened in horror as he took a step back. There was a long pause as the two stared at each other.

"Hey there, good lookin'," the Replica said, breaking their silence, then grinned at the other. The knight tried to speak, but he couldn't, though his lips moved, almost like a quiver, as if he were mouthing the words he couldn't voice. "Don't hurt yourself, now," the fallen knight said.
"B-B-But how?" Anthony asked.
"D-D-Does it m-m-matter?" Lucian responded, mocking his original.

The Replica's head jerked to the side, then rotated around as his neck made audible popping sounds until it was up right again. His gauntlets began to manifest slowly, starting from his fingertips and, as if digitalizing, ran up his arms all the way to his shoulders. Unlike Anthony's, Lucian's gauntlets weren't bulky. They were black and nearly fitted to his arms, its fingers were sharp and pointy, like claws, and its chains weren't concealed, but wrapped around the gauntlets.

"We all know how this is going to play out. You ask me a question, I don't give you a straight answer, and then we fight. How 'bout we just skipped the foreplay..."

Suddenly, Lucian dashed forward, delivering the first blow to the still bewildered Anthony's diaphragm. The blow knocked the wind out of the young man before sending him flying back, skipping across the deck, into a group of pirates. "I know it's useless, but at least try to defend yourself."

The knight, still somewhat dazed from the attack, rose to his feet, though it didn't take long for his replica to clear the distance between the two and deliver a series of quick and powerful punches. He struggled to block as many of them as he could, but the fallen knight was much quicker than him. "Do something!" Lucian bellowed as he wrapped his hand underneath Anthony's shoulder, pushing up, then pressing down on his head with his other hand and flipped him to the ground. He proceeded to press his knee against the Earthling's face while pinning his arms to the deck.

"Is this all you've got?!" he shouted and took a jab at Anthony's exposed ribs. "No wonder you've been a walking doormat your entire life." Another jab to the ribs. "Oh wait, that's right. You enjoy it because it gives you some purpose in life." Anther jab. "There's also your faith, but if you ask me, I don't think Christianity matters much in this world, don't'cha think?" Jab. "Did you not see Calypso? She sure puts a hole in that 'monotheist' theology." Elbow.

Lucian arose and kicked Anthony to the side. "Pathetic... I actually feel embarrassed that you're my original."

The knight rolled onto his back, pressing against his injured ribs. He turned his head to the side and watched as Lucian walked closer to him and crouched beside him. He grasped the young man's face and drew close. "How does it make you feel knowing I'm everything you've always wanted to be but were too busy being everyone's @*%$& to even try..."

As Lucian let go and walked away, something began to brew inside of Anthony. His training with Louis suddenly came flowing back, along with the memories that fed his rage. Darkness began to rise from his body like a thin vapor as he fought his way onto his feet. His body began to pulsate with electricity and his wounds visibly began to heal.

[Anthony learns: Pulse Heal]

Multiple hands of darkness suddenly wrapped around Lucian, preventing him from walking any further. "You cheeky bast--" Before Lucian could even finish his sentence, the hands turned the Replica around and pulled him back towards Anthony, who met him with a headbutt.

The two began to fight. With the aid of the darkness hands, blocking became easier for Anthony as his range of defense had increased. Bobbing and weaving, ulna to radius, jabs and hooks. The two were able to read each others movements perfectly as if the fight was choreographed. Neither of them were able to land a single punch, though the knight kept aggressively pushing the other back.

Finally, Lucian swung a wide haymaker. Anthony shot his arm out and blocked the swing with his ulna, then sent an open palm to the side of the Replica's head, then retracted his hand to block again if necessary. With his other hand, he jabbed his opponent along the jaw line and retract his hand, then, as he retracted, swung again with his other hand in a hammer-like manner, sending Lucian stumbling back.

Gathering himself, the fallen knight jabbed at the young man's mouth, but Anthony slapped his hand away, stepped forward, drove his elbow into Lucian's face, then, placing one food deeper between his opponent's legs and planting it firmly caused the Replica lose his balance and allowed Anthony to toss him to the floor.

Bobbi blushed when Kyla called her arsenal "impressive," and thought about the Pictomancer's question for a bit.

"I think," she said, slowly, "and think only, mind, because I haven't cast Ice Spirit on anyone yet. But I think that the element would only count once a spell is triggered. Like, if I cast Ice Spirit on you, you can prep all the spells you want, but only the ones you actually cast will have Ice element. And yeah, I can only cast it on one person at a time. It's a duration spell, only lasts for so long."

With the initiation of the Drive, Noelle and Joseph would have found themselves in an all-too-familiar state of descent, their bodies drifting down toward the glowing mosaic of Kyle's Station. As they neared it, however, they would see the scars marring its shimmering facets.

The very rim of the platform was two separate shades of emerald, one somewhat brighter than the other, with a third ring having the typical half-diamond pattern traced around. However, overlaying those rings were the black veins that had been ensnaring his left arm in the outside world; they were a part of the mosaic, but they still seemed alive, pulsing and writhing in a slow rhythm. With each motion, their intent was clear--they wanted to move further into the Station, but were as of now unable.

In the ring within those were the repeating circles bearing the Seraphic Heart emblem, bright gold on a forest green background. Some seemed to glow, while others seemed oddly dulled.

In the background of the central image, the mosaic portrayed a broken shard of a world--identical to the fragments of Earth that they had once been forced to fight on. The chunk of stone hovered over a black mist, and in the sky was the faint outline of that ominous black-and-red star that consumed their world. Numerous gravestones marked the small remnant of land, but the inscriptions were far too small and nondescript to make out.

In the upper ring, which they might remember would normally hold the faces of friends and loved ones, there were numerous circles, quite a few more than the average seven. Each one, however, bore black marks; scars of Darkness that now marred the once-shining faces of his peers and comrades. Most of their faces could be made out through the marks--except for the central circle. The entire background of the circle was so pitch a black that it seemed to go beyond the flat surface of the platform. The face in the circle was no human face; rather, it was a drama mask, its facade one of utmost Joy--an eerie emotion for something that felt so dismal.

Finally, the off-centerpiece of the mosaic showed Kyle in his normal attire, his eyes closed and arms outstretched as if to embrace something. That something, however, was a massive conglomeration of Darkness. It wasn't a natural part of the mosaic, that much was obvious--just as the portraits of his friends were covered in unnatural scarring, this cancer was a growth of Darkness. It ripped, tore, and shredded away at the picture around it, an abomination against his heart--but he seemed to embrace it all the same.

As their decent slowed, they would each land on their respective spot in the upper circle--and there, kneeling in the center, hands reaching into the great pool of black, was Kyle, his back to them.

He pulled his hands up from the black stain, the Darkness a malleable substance. He stared at it for awhile before letting it slip through his fingers, back down into the distorted scar.

"I guess I can add one more failure to my list," he said, his tone sullen--defeated. "That's why you're here, I assume. To berate me."

Well...this wasn't what Joe was expecting Was he even expecting anything? Well, he wasn't quite sure now, but this...this was just sad. Of course, Kyle's apparent state wasn't quite the best, either, judging from his comment and demeanor.

Of course, internally, Joe groaned at the pity party the scenario was turning in to. Outwardly, though, he just ended up rolling his eyes, though his body language was protective of Noelle, sticking close to her. Mainly cause she seemed so nervous.

"Oh, yeah. That's totally why we're here, Kyle. I mean, it can't be because we drove with ya to try and save everyone. It has to be all about you and the things you do." His voice was flavored with the rich, yet acidic, taste of sarcasm as he rolled his eyes yet again. "Please, tell me, what were you thinking? Besides a rush job that would've resulted in the deaths of I don't know how many Atlantians. Oh, sure, Ajora is a threat, but we had a bigger problem to deal with. HAVE a bigger problem. Right in front of us. You also could have talked with us. We're a group, and you could have destroyed us ALL with your rashness. And the fact that you pulled Darkness out of f*cking nowhere! What were you thinking? You're LIGHT, and you'd use Darkness? Did you even think about that before rushing into it? I mean, of course you must have. Using Darkness has ALWAYS turned out well for everyone involved in a Kingdom Hearts game."

Joe let out an irritated sigh, his arms crossed over his chest. He muttered only one word now, "Unbelievable."

{ ATE : To Prove One's Worth : 5}
{ Noelle : Kyle's Heart : Station of Awakening }

Noelle stopped where she was as changes in the Darkness started becoming apparent. She tried not to become alarmed, but her body language became defensive. It was hard not to shoot a concerned glance at Joe. She wasn't sure provoking Kyle--or whoever this was, it couldn't have been Kyle--was a great idea. But at the same time, he wasn't going to respond to anything encouraging either.

'Man, is he a pain to calm down.' She grumbled to herself.

"Kyle, listen, your intentions are good, but when you get angry you just turn . . . well, you turn stupid." Noelle told him, trying not to ruffle his feathers any more but finding it hard to say exactly what she wanted without doing so, "We need you to calm down and work with us. That way you can be more aware of us and everyone is more effective at doing what they're doing. Everyone wins. Can we do that?"

"Your--stupid!" seethed the growth from behind Noelle, her echoed words sounding as if they were coming through a completely different filter.

"Stupid!" came the outrage from Joe's mosaic. They both seemed to be responding to the growing tensions.

"Yeah, stupid would be the perfect way to put it," the sagging Dragoon muttered in agreement, releasing a single, half-hearted chuckle. "Even if I worked with you now, the damage is done. Wounds scar."

"You--aren't strong enough to take on--Ajora!" Joe's voice echoed; the growth was now humanoid in shape, arms pulling themselves from within the mosaic and pressing down on the ground to push itself out. "You--aren't strong enough to--do--any--thing! We--don't--"

"--need--you!" Noelle's voice echoed, her mosaic's doppelganger doing the same thing as Joe's. "Everyone--is more effective--"

"--without--YOU!"

"Don't worry. I'll do it. I'll work with you guys," he said, almost craning his head to look over his shoulder, but still not revealing himself. "And after that... after that, you won't have to worry about me anymore. I'll be sure of it. You deserve that much."

[[Yes, I know the first "Your" isn't grammatically correct, but they sound identical anyway.]]

Joe had peered over his shoulder at the shadowy figures, getting just a bit closer to Noelle, but still facing Kyle, sticking close to her even as she moved away. He was paying attention, he knew the signs well enough.

"...He done, Noelle. He's decided already, and is only hearing what he wants to hear." Was that defeat in his voice? Perhaps a little, mixed in with his irritation and exasperation. ANd just a tinge of sorrow. "Dammit, Kyle...people can do stupid things and not be hated. Look at me." A small laugh escaped him. Why did he bother adding that in? ...well, he didn't want to lose Kyle to whatever was happening to him...to this darkness...but still. It also didn't help that his body was tense in case those figures did something. He was getting too old for this s**t, really.