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

Bobbi didn't realize she was biting her lip until she tasted blood. Of course, she nearly bit through her lip when Ajora caught her arrow. She didn't have much time to react before he was seemingly ripped apart by Kida, and vanished without a trace.

Sunnova--

Bobbi set an arrow to her bowstring, but didn't draw. She watched as Kida walked through the group, heading outside to where a prone figure lay. At first she didn't register who it was, but it didn't take long for Bobbi to recognize Kyle, looking human again if totally wiped out. She let out an inarticulate moan and ran over to him, dismissing Taulmaril as she went, though she was easily outstripped by Noelle.

Even though she knew she couldn't do anything, Bobbi dropped to her knees at Kyle's head, gently grasping it in her hands. It was as if she was confirming to herself that he was real, not some sort of illusion or trick. She heard Kyla talking, but kept her gaze focused on Kyle, searching almost feverishly for some sign that Noelle's ministrations were reviving him.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay..." she whispered over and over, choking on sobs, crying eyes flicking rapidly from his face, to his chest, to his hands, searching for anything, anything, even something as seemingly insignificant as a twitch.

Twitching would be good right about now, Kyle.

[Joe: Atlantis: Throne Room]

Well, that ended...rather quickly. And he didn't have to really do anything but lead the charge. It was a little anti-climatic for him. Of course, the climax for him seemed to come AFTER Kida started leave and Joe ended up following.

Everyone seemed to see it before him, but there he was. Kyle. Alive. And probably broken in more ways then one from how he looked. So of course Joe was immediately sending over healing winds, health restoring and status removing winds, shining green and white as they flew at Kyle with an abnormally fast speed. But Joe himself was stone-faced. He immediately had shut everything down. His anger, his relief, his happiness...all shut down. They weren't done just quite yet, after all.

But damn it ALL if he wasn't so ******** happy that the male was alive and...well, not so well. But alive was good.

[ Kyle ; Riku ; ¿ Kida ? : Atlantis : Outside Throne Room ]

Riku stayed silent, keeping a short distance from the Heart but eying her all the same. He glanced back to Kyle every so often, but still couldn't get a good read--there was still too much interference.

"Matthew's right," Riku spoke up, making sure that Axel was clued in on what was going on. "And we're all thinking it anyway. That was too easy. Stay on guard."

Kyle's breathing remained steady, though alarmingly slow, as they rushed over; as Noelle and Joe unleashed their healing upon him, it seemed to grow more pronounced, normal. Even after they unleashed their status-clearing spells, he seemed slow to respond--though his eyes began to flutter. After a couple seconds, he opened them, squinting against the bright, mystic light above.

He shifted somewhat, but groaned and stopped quickly thereafter, still sore--all the healing in the world couldn't get rid of the ache in his bones. Still, as his eyes began to adjust, he took notice of those surrounding him--Noelle and Matthew at his sides, Bobbi holding his head, Dani off to the side with water.

And he squinted again, suspicious, confused, still glancing around as he acclimated to being awake.

"... what?" he asked, his voice slurred from exhaustion, but the tone was clear--this was all very unexpected. "I don't... but..."

As the Heart-possessed Kida walked out, Trident in hand, onto the main street of her city, she looked around it all, taking it in, as though it was the first time she'd seen in it in years. Kyla's question went unanswered, but only for a moment, as the white-haired woman lifted her head, narrowing her gaze at something in the sky.

"Surrounding us."

"Aww, hell," Kyle scowled, his voice randomly slipping into a southern American accent as his eyes finally found focus beyond the heads hovering around him--staring at the ceiling.

Along the high ceilings of the city, the vast stone dome that covered them what seemed like thousands of feet in the air, something was growing. In multiple spots, something black was spreading, like a web, like a series of veins, the all-too-familiar pulsing dark arteries they'd all seen mere moments ago. Only now, it was on a much larger scale--the fact that the spreading corruption could be seen so clearly from the ground made it clear what was happening.

As well, around the borders of the city, dark shadows began to appear, crawling up the waterfalls and slowly spreading through the city. Though they couldn't see it, even the tunnel they'd come through was beginning to grow darker. The Heartless were coming--converging on the city from all angles.

"I disagree. It's quite divine."

The female alto came from a short distance down the street, only half a dozen meters or so. There, without warning, without announcement, without so much as a breeze or portal, stood... Ajora. His body seemed once more back to pristine health--as far as physical wounds were concerned. He was still covered, from head to toe, finger to finger, with those sickly, pulsing black veins that were now beginning to spread along the Atlantean ceiling. The obsidian wings remained piercing out of his back. As well, his hair was snowy, immaculately white, and his eyes, both of them, were normal... save for their brilliant, vividly glowing violet irises. Even his posture seemed foreign--it was tall, haughty as he might be, but his legs were brought together, and something about his stance gave off more feminine grace than masculine power. The voice was clearly not Ajora's, though it projected from him all the same.

Kyle quickly sat upright to see, though those next to him would have heard a pained groan under his breath before he spoke. "Ultima."

"In the flesh~!" she sang from Ajora's body, grinning happily despite the malevolence that it carried--and then she giggled. "So to speak."

[ Noelle ~ Atlantis ~ Outside Throne Room]

Noelle let out a breath as she watched Kyle open his eyes and struggled to focus them. She was about to fuss to make sure she'd done a good enough job, but was interrupted by the massive influx of Darkness around them. She didn't have to even sit and meditate on it, its presence was highly noticeable. When Kyle sat up, however, all her attention went back to him as she resisted the urge to smack him.

You almost just DIED, you moron, LAY BACK DOWN.

"s**t . . . Ultima's already a mega b***h, now we have to deal with Ajora's version?" She grumbled to herself. This day would just not end.

[Joe: Atlantis: Outside Throne Room]

Joe could feel his face twitch as he watched Ultima in Ajora's form. Oh, sure, others seemed to be talking, but that didn't really quite matter to him. Oh, no, this wasn't going to do at all.

After all, he was done with this s**t for the day.

Joe flung his staff, full strength, at 'Ajora'. Didn't matter if the staff hit or not, or if Ultima wanted to monologue or say anything else. Joe stood there, arms loosely crossed(after all, gotta be able to move quickly), staring at Ultima as if to say '******** off, ya t**t. What are you gonna do now?'

[Daniel : Atlantis : Approaching the Tunnel]

His allies were waiting patiently at the opening left by Ajora and his crew, but Daniel was in in no rush. There was a lot on his mind as the battle echoed through the city behind him.

They sure are noisy..

Daniel scoffed, Is that all you have to say?

Zodiark swam around in his skull impatiently, Dan, you haven't made up your mind yet? What's so hard about this?

With a sigh Daniel turned and looked back at the center of Atlantis. Colors and explosions everywhere, yet the Turk was more focused on the bigger picture. It was abundantly clear that he was not going to defeat Ajora like he was. Yet, here these fellow survivors were, still fighting. Maybe they found something? Had some intel about Ajora that he didn't know? Could he even go back now, tail between his legs for round two? No, the mission was a failure. The primary goal was unattainable; The Heart of Atlantis was simply not compatible with Shinra's goals. His pride was meaningless, pointless.

Zodiark seemed to accept this more readily.

Zodiark, whats the deal here man, what am I missing? What's bothering me?

The summon hummed, pausing for dramatic effect. The Turk let him have his moment.
You are having a moral meltdown moment, Dan. I get it! Doesn’t help that you bout pissed yourself in fear—The Scion chuckled, dodging Daniel’s internal malice. He continued, Ok ok, that was mean~! But hey, those buffoons that were seemingly falling all over themselves are still alive enough to be causing a ruckus. Listen to them go!

Daniel glanced up, noticing instead a lull in the battle’s symphony, possibly signaling the end. Zodiark Monologued on, Maybe there was hope yet? Maybe.. Maybe you should have stayed?

The Turk’s thoughts were blurring again, stomach knotted. Pictures of the faces he had seen, thoughts of the questions he had, feelings of desire and curiosity swirled past his inner eye. Daniel frowned.

I dare say, could there be more to this than your mission for Shinra?

The Turk closed his eyes, as if it would dam the coming tide of the scions probing interest. Instead the memories that troubled him most became Daniel’s focus. Zodiark saw what he wanted to see then.

The Scion hissed, The others? That’s what’s bothering you?

Daniel was quick to respond this time, Woah, woah, it’s not how it seems! Zodiark, you know I’m not going to steer off course. I wouldn’t dare!

The summon was silent.

Zodiark! Zodiark, c’mon… Bro! What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to just act like I don’t care about them? I’ve got Shinra, my fellow Turks.. I’ve got you, I understand that. Discipline, sticking to the mission, I got it, I got it… The Turk was visibly flustered.

You are my brother! I’m not going anywhere.. Just trust me will ya? Look, we are leaving—

Daniel turned towards Tseng and Helga, nodding to both that he was ready to leave. He took careful steps up to the cavern’s entrance, passing between his comrades.

I promised remember? This is not a contest. I’m simply wondering why I didn’t wake up surrounded by Survivors rather than HOJO.. I want to know what they have been through.. I want to know who they are. If you can be all excited about your fellow Scion’s I can be curious about my kin too!

Zodiark remained silent, but it seemed to Daniel that the summon 'accepted' his feelings for the time being. If not, he was ignoring him...

The familiar scent of the ocean wafted down through the cave entrance. Daniel looked up the spiral staircase and attempted to blink away the immediate vertigo. The shaft was impossibly tall. The Turk briefly wondered how Ajora had managed to carve this so quickly. And what if there was no easy way in or out at the top? There really was no easy way to find out, besides the long walk home.

.He glanced back towards Tseng, “Looks like we have a lot of walking to do----“

A sudden drop in temperature alerted the Turk. He whipped his head back up towards the staircase, increasingly aware that it was not cold on his skin but instead within his heart. The entire shaft as far up as Daniel could see was covered in familiar golden lights, rushing like water. They would reach the bottom in moments…



“F@!%!!! RUN!!!”

[ ¿ Kida ? ; ¿ Ultima ? : Atlantis : Outside Throne Room ]

[ Cue : Deep Anxiety Remix ]

Ultim-Ajora chuckled at their words--Kyla's in particular made her give a relishing giggle.

"No, my dear, no credit at all," she explained, tilting her head, all too happy to explain. "You see, I'm merely the herald."

There was a blur of motion as Joe tossed his staff. At the last moment, she lifted her arm and caught it firmly in her grasp without so much as an inch's recoil, her lips curling into a grin.

"No, all credit is due to the Darkness," she continued, and her violet gaze locked with Kida's cerulean eyes as the scion possessor flippantly tossed the staff aside. "That which you know all too well."

Kida's grip on the Trident tightened and she visibly took a step back, eyes narrowing. "No. It begins again?" she spoke, the ethereal voice scowling.

"Indeed!" Ultima cheered, ecstatic. "And once again, I'm called--we're all called! Blinded once, but no more! I know our true lords!"

Those words may have seemed strange, but at that moment, all Ivalician espers would have felt a painful surge of memory unleashed, one that would even sear their masters, if only momentarily.

"The old victors poisoned our memories, but now I know the truth. The Occuria are the Darkness, from whom our freedom is born! We shall rule by their will!" The black veins covering Ajora's body began to pulsate, writhing along the skin as Ultima slowly grew more passionate. The black bone wings spread wide as she simultaneously stretched her arms out, giving them all clear vision of the living Darkness that slithered around her male host. "The Darkness comes! It was locked in slumber, but no more! Ajora woke them, stirred them, freed them, and now they've come for you, traitor!"

"We did what was right!" she shouted in fury. "Darkness poisoned Kashekim, tricked Atlantis to war! The queen saved this world--"

"Saved?!" she shouted, the veins moving wildly around the body. "No, she locked you away! We are your salvation!"

Her words were the only warning to the sudden quaking that shook Atlantis, powerful enough to knock those unprepared off balance. The veins on the dome above grew greater, faster, and the shadows around the edges surged the waters, coming for the city with thousands and thousands of yellow eyes. Around the edges of the landmass, massive hands pulled up the bodies of a Darkside--then another--and another. Dozens of Darksides began to appear from the abyss as Atlantis shuddered, quaking under the vast pressure of the Darkness which sought one thing: consumption.

"Don't you see?!" she shouted, the veins from Ajora's body beginning to spread further, thriving, surging, living, taking every inch of flesh. "The gods dream no longer! They've passed judgment! All shall be saved, brought into shadow's embrace! Bear witness as the shattered Light finally goes out!"

The quaking grew stronger, so much that vision would have even begun to blur as a result. Ajora's bone wings shattered, fragments disintegrating into thick black dust that spiraled around his form, only to be absorbed, leaving nothing but blackness, iridescent and malicious. The darkness slowly sank into the body, revealing the result: an all-black muscle suit that stretched every inch of his body, with a black sarong around his waist. The only part of his body not covered in the dark "fabric" was his head, from the neck up, which was normal flesh-tone, with eyes closed and hair as black as the starless night sky. His legs were spread somewhat as his arm were lowered again, his stance once more masculine. All seemed normal--

--until he opened his eyes. Simultaneously, five other "eyes" appeared on his head: two on either side of his normal eyes, one slightly higher and the other slightly lower, with the fifth in the center of his forehead, aligned vertically rather than horizontally. Most eerie of all was that every eye--all seven--were pitch black, empty, bottomless as an abyss. Just looking into them would strike a heart cold. Meanwhile, the quaking softened to a bare tremor, the "transformation" complete.

"NO!" the Heart shouted, recoiling another step back. "You shall not claim us! We know the truth and we will not be silenced!"

"Truth?" he spoke--his voice unnaturally deep, just as ethereal as hers, yet sounding more like a massive chorus than a handful of old souls. His lips curled into knowing, gentle smile. "We are the truth."

[[ The picture is just meant as a reference. No helmet, no keyblade. ]]

[[ Also, Kyla included quite a bit in her post, and I'm sure she didn't assume Ultima would simply sit back in silence and let her talk to everyone, so you can assume that this post begins shortly after her comment to Ultima about delineation near the beginning. My next post will be between actual character and account for the rest of what was posted. ]]

[ Milo ; King Kashekim : Atlantis : Outside Throne Room ]

Milo could barely move as he watched everything happen in front of him. He was lucky to be insignificant, it seemed. Everyone and everything simply went past him, ignored him, focused on each other.

Then he saw what had happened to Kida.

"No..." he whispered, watching the possessed woman he'd come to know so well walk out of the throne room. They'd read the stories under the water just this morning. He knew what this meant. It only took a glance toward the sorrow-struck king to know his worst fears were coming true.

[ Cue : Enemy Attack ]

And he'd never felt so angry in his entire life. Not even getting called crazy back home topped this.

He ran up to the king, intent on talking to him, when the quakes began. He managed to catch the old man, holding them both steady--how he remained upright he'd figure out later. "Your majesty, can we save her?"

"I... I don't know," he said, obviously concerned. "Perhaps, if she is freed before it is too late--"

"Then we'll help her along!" he shouted, looking around desperately for something, anything that might do just that--when he saw the small, moss-covered statue off to the side. It resembled a fish, much like some of the glyphs he'd seen on the stone walls--and in those glyphs, people rode them.

"Stay hidden!" he said--commanded, really--and dashed off, ripping the moss from the machine. One glance was all he needed--a crystal was required. Running to the nearest dead guard, he grabbed his crystal necklace (yelling an apology all the same) and went back, hopping on and cranking it up without an issue. Palm open, turn so many degrees, easy stuff.

Rocketing into the air, he began his flight, not toward the enemy, but around the city--shouting the same directions to everyone he could find. He'd fight them all on his own if they wouldn't help, but he knew--if he loved the princess, so did her people.

They would stand. They would fight.