The Past Unveiled
After the talk with Naminé, Riku and DiZ, Rixa had gone down below to where DiZ's study was.She had never been there and her curiosity had finally peaked her interest.Going down the stairs in the library, she saw how small the laboratory really was.She expected something much bigger, imagining DiZ to be a mad scientist of sorts, doing evil experiments while everyone was away.But there was no such thing down there.Just a large computer, various screens and a single chair.Thinking that DiZ would let her have it if he found her messing around on the computer, she looked around to investigate the room.She spotted a door near a corner and went through it.Ending up in a white hall, she saw oddly shaped objects lined up carefully.They were crystal clear and almost shaped like a flower.She touched one and felt how fragile it was.
"I better be careful not to break it."
Continuing down the hall, she arrived at a large room with another of the odd, flower shaped objects right in the center.Something inside her told her that Sora had been there, sleeping until his memories had been fully recovered and it gave her an idea.She knew Naminé couldn't do anything for her in order to discover her past, but maybe, just maybe, staying there in that room could reveal a memory or two.Not sure if it would work, she walked up to the object and sat down it front of it, leaning her back against it.
"I can only hope this works.Please, just one memory is all I ask for.Let me remember, just for one moment..."
She closed her eyes and started singing the song she always heard in her head over and over.Before she realized it, another voice began to sing along with her.For the first time in a long time, she felt at ease with herself and forgot about all the pain she had suffered.The loneliness, the sadness, the hurt, it was all gone.Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep into a deep dream.
"Good morning, my dear.You almost could have slept through the whole day.", a woman whispered, looking at her.
"What?Oh, mother, I'm sorry!", a girl responded, picking herself up and stepping away from the bed, "I was having such a nice dream, I didn't want to wake up."
As the girl looked around, she saw a mirror and stared at it.Her appearance was very similar to Rixa's except her hair was slightly shorter than hers.She ran her hand across the mirror and smiled.The woman looked at her and picked up a hairbrush that was on the table next to the large bed the girl had been sleeping on.
Wait a minute...This is me!, Rixa thought, staring at the mirror as the woman walked up to her, And that woman is my mother!Could it be...
Correct, little one., a familiar voice whispered.
Rixa turned to see that everything had frozen in place.She grabbed the hairbrush from the woman's hand to defend herself from the familiar entity.She had recognized it as the voice who had talked to her after Axel revealed to her the truth about her existence.She paced herself, keeping a close eye to her surroundings.
Oh, little one, do you truly expect to hurt me?Even after the time we spent together?
"Wait a minute...I know that voice.Apocalypse!"
"You finally remembered.", the voice said as Rixa's shadow changed into that of a dragon's, "I am glad."
"Apocalypse, it's really you!But how?"
"Hush, little one.It's better that you see for yourself than having me give you the answers directly.You wished to rediscover your past and now, your wish is fulfilled."
"But Apocalypse, what do you mean?Wait!"
The scene returned to normal and the woman looked at Rixa in confusion.
"What's wrong, my dear?Is everything alright?"
"No, I'm fine, mother.", she whispered, trying to reach Apocalypse, but getting no answer, "I'm just fine."
Rixa sat down on a chair and let the woman brush her hair.She was careful not to move or she might get her hair pulled by the woman.Thinking to herself, she remembered that the woman was her mother.
I did call her mother, and her voice is so sweet!Mother, my mother!
When her mother finished, Rixa looked at her straight in the face and saw how beautiful she was.Long, teal hair, eyes the color of aquamarines, the reddest lips she had ever seen.The dark blue dress she was wearing accentuated her figure, revealing a voluptuous body underneath.The woman smiled at her again, taking Rixa's hand to lift her up from the chair.
"Now you can go, once you get dressed.", her mother said, "It's a wondrous day today and it's the celebration.Don't be late!"
She left and Rixa went through the closet, trying to find the simplest outfit she could wear.Giving up, she noticed that a pair of clothes had been left next to her bed with a note on it.She walked to the clothes and picked up the note:
'To our beloved daughter,
Enjoy the clothes you will wearing to the celebration of Dragons and Altarians living together in peace and harmony.Remember that we love you and don't be late!
Love, Mizumi and Draconius'
"Mizumi...Draconius...My parents!"
"So you remember them now.", Apocalypse whispered, still not showing himself.
"Yes, but I need more than that.Off to the celebration!"
She ran out of her room and into the hallway to the garden she had seen in a flashback in Twilight Town.She was certain that if the festivities would be anywhere, that was the place.Continuing on her way, she could see the resemblance between where she was and the castle she had been to when she was following Sora and his friends.It was all coming back to her slowly.She really was a princess, daughter of Mizumi, an angel, and Draconius, a dragon with high ranking among the beasts.The celebration her mother had mentioned was a long going one, celebrating the time that angels, or altarians, and dragons had joined together to live in harmony.Apocalypse was her guardian, a dragon that had been given the task to protect her and in the course of their lives, had become close friends with Rixa.Her interest in dragons had stemmed from the fact that she lived so close to them.
"You, mom and dad, you were my family.And that man that I saw in the flower fields was you, Apocalypse."
"Yes.You hated seeing the flowers destroyed by my size, so I shapeshifted into a human to accompany you."
She stopped running, seeing that she had reached the garden where the festivities were taking place.It was decorated with exotic flowers, and a few dragons were flying while some were laying down, chatting with one another.Rixa saw her mother speaking with a tall man dressed in dark purple royal clothes and had a crown on his head.He was a very handsome man with long, navy blue hair and purple eyes.Lunamé turned to see Rixa watching her and waved.
"My child, you finally got here!", the man yelled, "Apocalypse is waiting for you, but first..."
Walking to Rixa, the man put his arms around her, gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.Rixa looked at him and he winked at her.Passing his hand through her hair, he whispered to her:
"You almost got me in trouble with your mother, Ria.Try not to oversleep.I may be your father and the king, but I can't let you miss out on the party."
"Daaaaad, I didn't oversleep!I got here before it was too late, didn't I?"
"Alright, alright.", he said, patting her head, "Apocalypse is waiting for you over there.It's almost time for you know what."
You know what?The heck's he talking about?
"You will see.", Apocalypse replied, "Now won't you say hello?"
Leviathan walked away and Rixa saw Apocalypse sitting by the fountain in the center of the garden.His tail was curled around the statue of angel in the middle of the fountain and he was waiting for her to come sit next to him.She gulped and headed to the fountain, feeling his gaze on her.
"Sleeping too much again?A bit more and I would have had to pull you out of bed."
"Haha, Apocalypse, very funny."
She sat down next to him and he extended one of his wings to give her some shade.A group of musicians started playing and the party was initiated.Everyone there was having fun while Rixa watched everything unfold.She had a feeling in her gut that something horrible was going to happen and she didn't want to know.A sudden thought came to mind and she remembered what her father had called her:Ria.Her true name was Ria.
"My name is Ria..."
All of a sudden, Apocalypse stood up and formed a circle around her.Rixa was confused when she looked at the sky.It had changed from a light blue to a dark purple with black clouds rolling in.Leviathan grabbed Lunamé and yelled at everyone to look out.It started thundering and Shadows appeared everywhere, attacking the guests.Rixa screamed as she tried to reach her parents, failing in her attempt.Draconius protected Mizumi from the Shadows that had surrounded them, preventing their escape.Rixa screamed again when she saw the dragons fall in defeat, slowly dying.She looked up and saw a large Heartless standing close to her parents.Yellow eyes, a scarf around it's neck, curved toes and a heart-shaped hole in it's chest, it reached out to grab Draconius and Mizumi.Before she knew it, Apocalypse roared and the garden was covered in darkness.Rixa opened her eyes and couldn't see anything through the pitch black fog around her.Her father, mother and Apocalypse were gone, leaving her alone in the empty void.Her world had been consumed by the darkness, just like it said in the report Saix had of her.
"No..."
She cried and cried until she felt something grab at one of her legs, trying to pull her down.She looked at what was pulling her and saw that it was a tentacle like the ones she had summoned in her battle with Saix.She couldn't break free and the tentacle started to burn her leg.It turned black and it slowly went up her body until it completely overwhelmed her.She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.
"It's...too late..."
Opening her eyes, Rixa had awaken from the dream and was back in the white room.Tears had fallen from her eyes from experiencing the event that took her home and changed her into what she was.She pulled her legs close to her and tried to block out the pain.
"Do not cry, Ria.", Apocalypse's voice whispered, "You are not alone."
"W-What?"
"You see, our world was destroyed when the darkness attacked, and everyone but you survived.Before the darkness took my life, I sent a part of me to you, to protect you.I promised on the day I was appointed your guardian that I would never leave your side and now, what is left of me lives inside you."
"Apocalypse..."
"And even though the darkness tried to consume you, it did not.Instead, now you are the darkness itself, my dear Ria.I am sorry I could not protect you when the time came..."
"Apocalypse, that doesn't matter.You're still with me, like you promised.Thank you..."
"My Ria..."
"Rixa, are you down here?Helloooo!It's me, Riku!"
"Riku!"
Riku had walked in looking for Rixa and saw her sitting on the floor.She smiled at him as she ran up to him.He looked at her, confused, but put his hands on her head.
"What happened to you?"
"I remembered everything.My family, my home, even my name.My name is Ria and my home is the world of Altaria, a place where angels and dragons coexist.I was the princess."
"Rixa, you remembered!I, uh mean, Ria."
"No, it's ok.Just call me Rixa.Ria doesn't exist anymore.I'm simply happy that I finally know what happened to me."
"I'm glad to know that.I knew you'd remember eventually."
Taking her hand in his, he lead her back to the library while she looked back.She could see Apocalypse staring at her from the reflection bouncing off the flower pods and she smiled.
"Thank you."
