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[ Ϩ Ѳ Ʀ ¥ Ʉ ϑ Ʉ ]

{Ignorance is bliss... until reality throws a Heartless siege at you.}

[Traverse Town : Third District]

They were everywhere.

Soryuju brought his spear around him in a horizontal arc, sweeping through a number of the weaker Shadows and knocking back some of the more stubborn Soldier Heartless. They each did a little flip in order to recompose themselves, shivering around in a fashion that almost made it look like they were dancing; perhaps they were dancing in some attempt to taunt him. No, they were just Heartless- they had no thoughts like that. Just attack and feast upon the hearts of the weak. Maybe that's why Soryuju found the foes so unsettling- they had no mortal worries, no discretion or mercy, no self-preservation instincts. Even beasts felt that.

The Soldiers decided to swing around from the side, flanking him from both the left and right. A tricky tactic, but they were mindless- they didn't bother planning ahead. Lunging through one group with his spear, he launched one leg behind him in order to deflect the other Soldier, which gave him enough time to do a full 180-swing with the spear, killing the Soldier and a number of Shadows as collateral.

"Hey Hef, how ya farin?" Soryuju shouted out to his ally in combat, who was a few meters away keeping a few others back. The two companions had come into the most dangerous district of town in order to try out one of Hefin's newest inventions- Soryuju was always curious about the man's steam-smithing and was eager to help keep the monsters off him so he would have the chance to get a safe test run.

___[Station of Blackening]

Vain looked around at the strange "towers" all around him as he stood firmly on what he thought to be stained glass. He looked down to his right arm to see nothing but the bubbling darkness from before, wincing a bit as the pain reentered his mind. His arm ached and burned from the heavy pressure wrapped around it, but it was the least of his worries. He looked around again, noticing that the towers had began to crumble under their own weight and fall into the deep blackness below. He ran to the edge of the platform he was on, looking down to see that each of the towers had stained glass on top, similar to the one he was on. Before each shattered and fell out of sight, he could tell that they all had strange, heart-like symbols on them, though it was meaningless to him. Vain nearly lost his balance as he felt his tower shift, knowing already that he was soon to share the fate of those other towers.

_____________________________There's not much time.
_________________Quickly, move now!

Vain looked around as the words were suddenly whispered into his mind, but had no time to ponder them. He noticed a flight of makeshift stairs suddenly appear on the other side of the platform and made a mad dash for them, knowing his life very well made have depended on it. The stained glass began to break apart as parts of the tower began to fall before the rest of it, sending glass everywhere as pieces of Vain's path vanished into the darkness below. The teenager hopped over the gaps in his path, leaping from falling piece to falling piece in a desperate attempt to reach his salvation.

Finally he came upon the stairs but could very easily feel what was now happening. His foot began to sink into what he thought would be a solid object, and could tell that even these stairs were losing their power. Again he ran as fast as he could, the stairs shattering just as soon as he kicked off of each one.

___________The key! Take it!

Vain looked up at the top of the stairs to see a black object resembling a key, the teeth of it embedded in the last step.

_________________________Your right hand...
_____You'll have to use the hand consumed by the darkness!

Vain exploded from the last step int open air, the black key grasped in his right hand. The bubbling darkness exploded from sight, revealing that his hand had been warped into something more befitting of a demon. He would have to worry about that later, though. Vain swung the blade, the act seeming to be second nature to his new right hand, slicing a hole into what he thought was reality. The boy and the giant key fell through the hole and onto solid ground, knocking the wind out of him in the process. He lay there for a moment, attempting to regain his composure as he suddenly realized he was no longer even close to where he was before...

___[Station of Cleansing]

Vain got to his feet and looked around at the new surroundings, noticing immediately the change in scenery from black to white. It was nothing but white in every direction, as far as the eye could see. Vain couldn't even differentiate where the walls or ceiling started, or where the floor connected with them. He looked down at the key in his misshapen right hand, noticing how out of place the two black objects were.

____________You managed to keep your heart clean of the darkness...
____________________________________________Well done.

The key vanished from Vain's hand before he shouted out, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?! My hand looks like it belongs on the arm of a monster!"

_________All of the darkness that would have devoured your heart...
_____________________A father's cry for his son has sealed it there.

The boy looked at his hand one more time before summoning the giant key again. "And this? What is this?" Images flashed through Vain's mind as he attempted to recall what had happened, though he was drawing a blank from the time he opened the basement door to the time he found himself on that tower.

____The fruits of your father's labor.
_________________And the manifestation of your father's cry.
_________It can take you back to Poeres if you use it now.
______________._____._____.
_______A suggested course of action.

Vain looked around, noticing a series of pale blue eyes appearing out of nowhere. With a wave of his arm, reality was torn asunder again...

___[Poeres .:. Destroyed Lab]

Vain fell from the hole in space, finding himself once again in his father's lab. he looked around, noticing nothing different from before... with the exception of the small crater where his father was last standing. The boy got to his feet, feeling nothing from the death of his father. "I guess this is just more like... his body finally left. He's been dead for the past seven years, really..." Vain looked down at his right hand for a moment, only to look up and see darkness beginning to come out of the walls. He stared for a moment, dumbfound, until he saw the yellow eyes appear. The boy turned and ran up the stares out of the basement and then out of the house.

___[Streets]

As soon as he left his home, he noticed the empty streets, followed by the faint red glow from above. Vain looked up to see the large red orb floating in the sky, pieces of buildings being sucked up towards it. "What the &*#$, I evade death just to see the end of the world?!" The young man took off down the street, heading for the town square. As he ran, he couldn't see a single person. It was as if he was the last person in Poeres and everyone else had left. He was so busy looking at the buildings around him for signs of life, he never noticed the dragon dragon-like figure descending upon him. At least, not until it struck him.

The claw dug into Vain's back and sent him face first into the ground. He looked up to see the wyvern turning in the air and coming in for another strike. The young man got back to his feet, his hand itching for excitement as the darkness consumed it. Though wobbly as first from the hit, Vain recovered his equilibrium and started running at the wyvern, jumping up just as it reached him and sending the demonic hand through its entire body with a punch. The boy landed gently on the ground as the darkness faded from his hand, though he was far from fine. With his other hand, Vain clutched his chest, his metaphysical heart feeling as though it had just been cut in half and then put back together.

"I'll have to remember not to use this hand anymore..." The boy continued down the street, finally coming to the place he'd been aiming for.

___[Town Square & Chronograph Tower]

Vain stopped in the square, looking first at the large clock tower that was the center of the town, then to the fountain in the center of the square. Held firmly in a stone just before the fountain was his target, a city artifact from the days of old science. The boy dashed to the stone and looked at the weapon embedded into the the sword, touching its handle for a moment before uttering its name. "The Revblade. A weapon from the days of Steam Science, said to have been placed here by an old king as a sign of its strength." Vain grabbed the handle and attempted to pull it out, but to no avail. "Of course, it's been stuck here since then." Humorous images of the king desperately trying to remove the weapon flashed though Vain's mind, only to be cut short by the appears of darkness all around him. The yellow eyes from before appeared, only this time in much greater numbers.

Soon, Vain found himself surrounded on all sides by small, alien creatures. They were entirely black, seemingly made of darkness, except for their glowing yellow eyes. "Damn... I need that weapon to help me fight these things... I can't use this hand that much!" Vain's right hand brushed against the handle of the Revblade, resulting in something he wasn't expecting.

"I... thirst..."

The boy turned to look at the weapon, suddenly noticing the open eye on its engine. Something that wasn't there before.

"You... boy! Take me and feed the darkness to me. I must devour these creatures!"

Without even thinking, Vain grabbed the Revblade with his right hand and ripped it from the stone, a strange blue energy radiating from his new weapon. The boy dashed into the mix of creatures, swinging the weapon wildly as it shredded the creatures apart. The slow-moving shadowy creatures stood no chance against the boy and the sword, yet continued to move in for more.

"Boy! Above! Take me to that!"

Vain looked up at the red orb again in between swings and nodded, hoping the Revblade planned on saving Poeres from the darkness. He made his way to Chronograph Tower, cutting the door asunder and making his way up the stairs inside.

___[Atop Chronograph Tower]

Vain once against cut through a door, coming outside to the top of the clock tower to find himself directly beneath the red orb. He could feel the lessening of gravity around him as the Revblade spoke again.

"There's no way in hell we're surviving this the normal way, kid. This orb... It'll take us to another world."

Vain stared in disbelief at the weapon and said, "What are you talking about?! How do you know that?! We have to save Poeres!"

"I can feel the foreign energy pulsating from it, this is our only chance. And it's too late to save this place! It's now or never, and I don't feel like sticking around waiting to find out!"

Vain suddenly felt his feet lift off from the ground, looking up at the orb of red and black darkness as the Revblade spoke again.

"By the way, what's your name, kid?!"

"... Vain Paradine."

___[Traverse Town .:. Behind the Accessory Shop]

Vain opened his eyes wearily, his vision blurred as he stared around at his new surroundings. Next to him was the Revblade, leaning against the building. The eye wasn't there anymore. The boy's eyelids were still heavy, though, and he found himself unable to keep them open. So... Tired...

[ Ϩ Ѳ Ʀ ¥ Ʉ ϑ Ʉ ]

{Ignorance is bliss... until reality throws a Heartless siege at you.}

[Traverse Town : Third District]

Soryuju managed to stay out of the cannon's way as the spiked sphere launched through the Heartless crowd, slaying numerable Heartless before returning. The dragon knight grinned, turning to Hefin with a thumbs up. "Get it wrapped up, I'll finish these off," he said, turning to face the remaining group of Heartless. A number of the weaker shadows and a couple of Soldiers, all dancing around, waiting for some sort of opening.

They wouldn't get one.

With a quick inhale of breath, Soryuju threw his head forward and exhaled- his mouth expelled a steady stream of fire that quickly grew wide, sweeping over and incinerating the remaining beasts- the District was now quiet, except for the cannon bringing the sphere back inside itself. Soryuju gave a brief cough, letting out a noticeable puff of black smoke before turning back to Hefin with a grin. "Well, guess it's back to the First District. Looks like this one's good to go!"

[ ȤęҟνƴƦ ]

[Castle Oblivion : Kitchen]

The room was dark. No lights shone in this chamber of the castle, or the stretch of hall outside. Light was piercing, and painful, and totally unnecessary. Why re-invent sight? Why dull the other senses?

For Zekvyr Desparn, light wasn't only useless and intrusive, it was a foreign object. Every shred of light was a painful experience. For someone born in a land of utter darkness, 'sight' was something achieved when the lights were out. Coming to the surface had been an uneasy transition, and one he still had trouble adapting to four years later, and by far and by large the hardest part was this 'light.' The sun had nearly blinded him; even the moon stung his sensitive eyes.

Eyes closed, sitting cross-legged on the floor, body deceptively relaxed, Zekvyr heard a familiar tune. A high pitched squeal that easily pierced through his musings. This tune was followed by a voice, also familiar, and not entirely unwelcome.

"Tea's almost ready." Spoken to no one in particular, of course. Veroer was intriguing, but this one action spoke volumes of predictable. The man was obsessed with his tea. Lesser beings would have their weaknesses, Zekvyr supposed. Suddenly inspired, the drow rose.

Making his way easily through the hallways of the castle, the drow made his way to the kitchen. The shift in lighting left him blinking. -Light. Always light with these creatures- It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He did have four years to get used to it, after all. Light was painful, annoying, and stupid, but hardly debilitating if he had enough time to adjust to it.

He entered the room, but stayed near the door, leaning against the wall next to it, purple eyes considering the man before him, and the wonderful insanity of it all. Tea, of all things. Tea.

"You're predictable," he announced.

[∫ ʋ ʓ ʋ ʁ ᾲ ɳ]
{You look like you fell down a tree and hit every possible branch on the way down.}

[Traverse Town :: First District]

Suzu swung her giant scythe upon her shoulders with ease as she leaned against the brick backing of the first district. The geomancer wiped a bead of sweat as she let loose a sigh of relief. She glanced over at the teen boy aside her and gave him a wide smile.

"Well Maru, that was quite the workout. I could really make do with some ramune. Ohhh~ I think I'm homesick..." Suzu started her sentence confidently before it died off in the end as the bold expression in her eyes dimmed. Stupid heartless...


~Flashback~ [Eiengetsu :: Palace of the Moon]

The palace was a wreck, many of the great wine pillars that supported the majestic building were in splinters on the floor. Many areas were flooded with the lake water, though it didn't make it any less majestic with the moon still illuminating the surface. Luckily for them, the giant timeglass that stood in the center of the watery courtyard was still in tact. The blue sand crystal flowed as it normally would and that was one thing to be thankful for, it's magical properties had dimmed a little but it could always be repaired, as long as there was an emperor standing.

The attack had come very suddenly, the only opposing faction was tiny and made up of people that didn't really have too much support nor were they terribly strong. But the sky opened and from it poured darkness that even the moon couldn't illuminate into beauty. It was a long fight and castle sustained immense damage but finally after the initial shock, everyone rallied and pushed the darkness back.

Suzu was in the main hall, utilizing her geomancy to clean up the mess the attack left behind. That was when she saw her father and mother stride down, purpose in their eyes but she couldn't help but notice the weariness as well.

"Suzu, Kuumaru... I know this whole day has been very stressful. Having to combat something we've never seen before. But if there is a danger like this ... we can't afford to have it happen again. And whoever it is that is targeting our land cannot be given the chance to do it again. I will not standby while our people suffer. You two are seventeen now and I would have liked to wait another year to say this, but I'm afraid I can't wait any longer. You two will have to search for this threat, there is no more that your mother and I can teach you here." The emperor spoke with finality mingled with a sadness of parting with one's own children. Their mother stood by, trying to put a strong look on her face... she was the warrior after all. But in the end she stooped forward to hug her children, holding back tears.

"Suzuru, look after your brother okay? And Kuu you better do the same, I didn't teach you the blade so you can dilly-daddle!" She said sternly before kissing each of their foreheads...

[~End flashback~]


It had been one year since their departure, both of them were now eighteen and they still had not returned home. Suzu sighed before looking over to her twin.

"Whatta you want for dinner Kuma-Chan?"

The teen allowed his weapon gripped hands to fall down towards his sides, and as he did so his blades disappeared forming rings on his fingers. He then proceeded to stare at the sky with a wondering gaze upon his face.

"Suzu... We'll be okay right? With just me and you, we should definitely be okay right?" He eyes escaped from the sky and he began to look a bit down as if upset and then back at his sister as if seeking an answer.

"Why can't we just go back home and stay with mom and dad? I don't see how the two of us can do this all by ourselves... Wouldn't it have been better to just stay in the palace and help to rebuild it!? I just don't get it Suzu!" He then began to ruffle his hair in frustration. "ARGH! I'll have whatever you want Suzu. I'm in no mood to decide what I want to eat!" The boy began to pout and stomp around in a circle staying close to his sister.

The girl stood rigid, pressed against the (slightly ajar) study doors as she peered inside through the small crack.

'He wouldn't dare,' she told herself, glaring at the man in question. He sure did enjoy making her life far more complicated than it need be.

"-aft to allow travel off of our world. I humbly request to take your daughter, Orielle, with me on a trip."

"Hahahahno," she sneered sarcastically, already well aware of her parents' answers.
They hadn't let her socialize with anyone outside of her family, no matter how great their wealth or influence. So what made this bird brain think they'd agree to fly their only daughter off into space at the request of some loony little man who had an unhealthy obsession with life?

Her parents' silence, however, didn't reassure her. She watched their eyes, cold and analytical as they processed every pro and con, every twist and turn that Kazanmachi's suggestion would bring. She felt a jerk in her chest. Yes, they were weighing everything. They would never have risen to their current standing if they didn't do so. But there was no love in their eyes. The fact that their young daughter might leave them didn't even draw a slither of sadness.
Not that she was surprised, of course. They'd come home from business just this morning, and were already expected elsewhere the next afternoon. They'd claimed to be coming 'home' for her birthday (which was months passed), yet hadn't thought of alerting her of their arrival. She'd found out from some gossiping maids but five minutes prior. Even her tutor found out before her.

"-your will?"

The ensuing silence only heightened her nerves. She could see it in their eyes. Their smiles. The corners were already quirking up at the thought of inter-planetary alliances. Of, the influence that would bring!

'Say no, say no, say no, say no, say no, say n-'

"...Very well."

"B***H!!!"



Orielle blocked out Kazanmachi's ranting, instead glaring daggers at the gray stone pavement, all the while pretending it was her tutor's head.
She had been so angry with the turn of events that she'd immediately left her watch by the door and stormed down the corridor, ignoring her parents' calls behind her at her use of profane language (what if an affiliate heard?). Orielle had gone on a full out rampage, destroying priceless artifacts that lined the corridors as she fumed down the halls to her sleeping quaters, which she proceeded to upturn. The pyromancer had even burned much of her things to ash. If anything, however, her little (big understatement) tantrum had only reassured her parents that they'd made the right decision. What better way to learn self-control than some downtime in deep space?
Souzourou pitied the servants foolish enough to approach her after that.

Grabbing a handful of clothes, Orielle seethed to her room, not turning down the chance to give Kazanmachi a good kick in the shins as he mused over what was most likely the events that brought them here. As much as she may hate him, she understood him better than anyone else. And vice versa.