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[ Meanwhile : Atlantis : Outside Throne ]

With the immense amount of Darkness in the region, particularly with the Obsidian Water Lily Bud near the seal exuding it in heavy doses, it was only a matter of time before others would take notice.

Heartless, to be specific.

In the dread aura of the Lily, which at this point now reached for almost a dozen meters in any direction (still not quite reaching the party, however), Shadows and Neoshadows began to spawn, growing from the ground en masse. Though they shared a hesitant glance toward the bud, as if curious, they quickly turned their attention toward the large group ahead. Slipping into their two-dimensional shadows, the Heartless began to converge on the heroes, deadly distractions from the true threat of Chaos.

{Bobbi .:. Atlantis .:. Outside Throne Room}

It really is a party!

"Ohai, gaiz, nice of you to join us~" Bobbi quipped when she heard Ohio!Kyle. "Drinks are on the house, and I'll be ordering pizza for all of us later."

She noticed the Shadows and Neoshadows about the same time Dawn did, and tsk'd.

"No one invited them," she snarled, and concentrated a moment so she could let off a Frenzied Fire into the swarm. Dammit, her arms were starting to hurt; she made a note to work on speed and endurance if she ever got the chance. She shook her arrow-hand a bit to loosen the cramps, and turned to scan the field just in time to see Nick incoming. She squawked in surprise and shot at him, though she didn't put much magical oomph behind the arrow; the shot was pure reflex.

[Nick :: Atlantis :: Outside Throne Room]

Gotcha.

Nick sneered, his fingers twitching from the energy gathering near his palms. He knew that using this ability had drawbacks and he had never fully used it in a combat situation, so he had no idea what effects they would truly cause to a human being. But, he really, really, did not give a crap about who badly it hurt. He also knew he was going to have to take a few hits. The ice arrow from the archer clipped his shoulder, distracting him from immediately taking down his target. The fighter placed a well placed dropkick to his chest, and Nick could only curse as the bramble thorns cut into him.

He felt himself begin to fall, instinctively opening a Corridor and vanishing from sight for a moment before appearing right above Joe. "Naughty, naughty~ Now feel my wrath!" He giggled, before a vortex of Dark energy spread from his hands, expanding outwards and enveloping Riku, Joseph, and multiple Heartless. The Heartless within the vortex wrenched around before fading away, and both the fighter and Riku would feel their health fade away.

As soon as the vortex had appeared, it vanished. Nick landed quickly, his arms glowing with a sickly gray energy. He turned quickly and moved towards Riku aiming an open palm strike towards his chest.

[ ? ? ? : Atlantis : Just Outside Throne Room ]

[ Cue : Crystalmethequins ]

With the appearance of the Heartless, and the unleashing of Chaos' Oblivion strike, the Darkness in the area finally seemed to reach a critical mass. The low, intangible rumbling grew exponentially, causing the earth to physically tremble and quake throughout the battlefield and even some distance beyond, and the sub-audible whine increased to dangerous humming.

The Obsidian Lily was shifting again. The crystalline petals were starting to spread, slowly starting with the bottom rung, and as they did, the black leaf-like portions that had already spread broke off. However, instead of falling to the ground, these shards of Darkness hovered, beginning to swirl around the formation like a growing tornado. As each layer of petals bloomed, the previous layers did the same, falling yet spinning, round and round, their velocity and strength seeming to tear at the air itself.

The weight of Darkness was terrible within the near vicinity, causing even the Black Waltz to hesitate and stare. Terror, sorrow, outrage--all things that the Darkness might feed on seemed to spike in those who gazed upon the cursed chrysalis. Tendrils of negativity began to appear spontaneously from the shadows surrounding it, surging to and fro with the fluctuation Darkness, trying but never quite succeeding in touching the black formation with each twist and turn, as if hesitant to approach--because even as the Darkness swelled, the light from the angelic form within was spiking with intensity, like a captured star in the black flower.

Ultima was coming.

The quaking and humming came to a violent, blinding crescendo as a powerful wave of Light, made chilling by the corrupting area's Darkness, erupted from the epicenter. The wave of entwining energies passed over all, but damaged none, and left no aftershocks or effects. Indeed, as all came to the climax, sound itself seemed to stop, and vision--at least in facing the formation--was impossible. Even Ultima's over-powering presence seemed to lessen, as if she were there, but not entirely; still physically present, but not at such transcendent potential.

There was only the sound of an ethereal, high-pitched whirring, much like a machine. After few moments, the drone stopped--at the exact time that Kyle M or Noelle might feel someone gently on the ground, were they using their earthen senses.

With the blinding flash dissipating, all were free to finally see the result of the metamorphosis--and that the resulting eruption had burned away the black tendrils and the nearby shadows of despair. There, standing facing the seal, "his" back to the group, was a changed Kyle, with his spear hovering behind him, spinning clockwise, and his body surrounded by a thick, translucent golden aura of mist-like energy; with every breath, seen by the motion of his shoulders, the Mist seemed to converge, only to expand again when he exhaled.

His hooded, sleeveless cloak was mostly green in appearance, with thin, white trim down the sides and an odd golden tip with white outline coming over the center of his head; in the center of his back was the ever-constant Seraphic Heart, stitched in golden thread. Under the cloak, trailing lower down his legs, was a secondary sarong, its threading a similar green, with familiar golden patterns on its lower edges--the same of his possessor, Ultima. His bare arms were an odd, metallic gold, and every inch of his visible "skin" was covered in physical manifestations of the previously-magical circuits. Notably, while his right arm's circuits seemed to glow an eerie violet, his left arm's circuits were a much darker indigo--not unlit, but blacklit. His shoulders bore golden scale pauldrons, and his hands were still covered by black gloves with a thin, golden plate on the back, engraved with the Seraphic Heart.

The entity lifted his arms, slowly, as if unsure that he could. He moved them, twisted them, manipulated his fingers, all with meticulous patience--as if he weren't used to having a physical body. After this, he rolled his shoulders and his neck, gazing up at the seal before turning--also slowly--to face the group below. Covering his torso was a golden metallic plate, engraved with the Seal of Ultima, and trailing from below it was the esper's golden triangle trail that had once adorned her dress, while above it was a golden cross-threading up to his neck, much like his spear. The green sarong was clearer from this point of view, its emerald threading loose enough to allow easier leg movement. His feet were still covered by boots with thin golden plating covering the toes. His hood could be more clearly seen, revealing the now-apparent pattern of a golden spear, one point going over his head, the other two points outlining the hood opening; along the base, where the hood met his shoulders, there was a white border. Though the hood was up, his face was still fairly visible--because, like his arms, it was made of golden metal, encompassed by glowing violet circuits that filed into his eyes, which appeared semi-normal save the brilliant violet irises.

He scanned the group, his face revealing utter indifference as he passed over each face, both Chaos and Joe, Alice and Matthew, Axel and Noelle--it was if he didn't even care that there was a battle going on. With unnatural grace, the entity began to stroll forward toward the battle, and the golden, glowing Mist slowly seeped into his circuits, disappearing moment by moment as it was absorbed, while his spear remained, still spinning vertically from his left to his right. With all the residual Darkness and magic in the region, it was impossible to get a proper read on him.

"Where..." the entity spoke, glancing between all those present with his piercing violet eyes. Two voices resounded, man and woman, a familiar, human tenor and a chilling, ethereal alto--host and possessor. "... is the pictomancer?"


[ Current Stats:
PS: 6
PR: 2
MS: 14
MR: 7
AS: 7
ER: 11
OS: 5
HP: 11
MP: 10 ]

[Tyue/Carbuncle & Kyla : ???: ???]


What exactly was so surprising?
All this time this entity (whoever he was), claimed to be professing his good intentions towards the earthlings and yet this rescue seemed unusual?

The ghostly woman’s voice rang with truth in it, there didn't seem to be any reason to lie, but Tyue would be a bad guardian if she dropped her guard here. Just as she was about to return to her work another voice, this one all too familiar filled the quiet peaceful respite.
It belonged to the humanoid shadow whose shape loomed and blended into the dark of the room like the things that haunted Kyla’s nightmares. This made it all the more weirder as he talked very calmly to her, reassuring them of the validity of their safe haven. Nothing would disturb them, nothing would find them, and nothing would harm her partner any further.

This was wrong, it had to be, yet with no other options, no other things she could do- for they were truly cut off from the rest of the world, the Carbuncle had no choice but to trust him.

Whatever he was. He did save her life after all.
At last drawing her eyes from the two other occupants in the room the furry creature bathed the girls back in a ruby glow and watched as the flesh torn resumed sewing itself back together.

“…first on the list- when we get back, we need to step up our ability to mend wounds. There just never seems to be enough healers.” It sighed with ears dropping, and antennae flickering back and forth.
A long silence followed and at long last Tyue gave it up.

“Thank you. For saving her. I’m sure that’s what she’d say too.”

[Dawn : Atlantis : Outside Throne Room]

Dawn looked up hearing Riku, witnessing the blow that Chaos put on Joe, she felt her heart stop for a moment when he fell to the ground and didn't get up.

"No, Joe!" she hissed as she danced. Then the Kyle?Person appeared. He looked like him, almost, but it was off. And he was looking for Kyla... "Please be on our side..." she said to herself as she changed the footing of her dances. Though she felt her feet and energy crying as she started to add more movements to it, using some of the energy she was draining from Chaos.

~'Don't you dare! You don't have enough energy to keep that going and help him, too! Focus on what you're doing. Let someone who isn't busy help him. That is unless you want to fall over on your face unable to do ANYTHING TO HELP ANYONE!'~

"Damn it! Someone help him!" Dawn shouted to those around her. Unless someone did something to help Joe, she was going to take matters in to her own hands. Despite whatever Garuda said.

[Joe: Atlantis: Outside Throne Room]

Something happened...he wasn't sure what, though, just that he was up and on his feet as soon as he could move again. Adrenaline was pumping through him, and he was darting around trying to process everything going on. There was the faint smell of flowers around him, and he...was not.where he was before. And apparently Kyle was out. And Noelle was talking about someone being gone. And Kyle was holy sh*t.

Joe just kind of...blinked at what had come out of the cocoon. What...what was going on?

((Crit-Haste active. Current state: Critical, Haste, Faith, Bravery))