[IC] Kingdom Hearts: The Keyblade War.

[Flood]

Azazel woke up after ten minutes of unconsciousness and listened to Arthal's explanation. He looked around the wastelands of the Keyblade Graveyard and sighed. All of this destruction, all of this death, and for what? A legendary blade that supposedly granted ultimate power? A weapon to end all wars? Unlocking the door to Kingdom Hearts? Who knew if any of these things could even be done? It made him sad to see such madness, brought on by something that might not even exist. Azazel shook his head and summoned his Keyblade. He followed Arthal and observed the Keyhole that had just appeared in front of him. He stuck his Keyblade into the hole and waited for everyone else to do so as well.

[Double]

So he wished to raise the temple? A logical move, as the temple could still contain a clue about the pieces of the X-blade. It was also risky, dangerously so. Arthal said it himself, failure to raise the temple would activate its defense mechanisms and they'd be in trouble. But even if they succeeded, such power concentrated into one location couldn't possibly go unnoticed. It could very well be felt in other worlds surrounding the Keyblade Graveyard, and thus attract unwanted attention. Still, for what seemed like a lose-lose scenario, there was still a thousand-in-one chance of it working. For that, well, they would just have to take the risk.

"This plan of yours... I attempted it myself some time ago." Cyrus told Arthal, in a hushed tone so only the elf would hear him, "I'm sure you can guess how that worked out." with that, the Keyholes began to appear. Carrying two blades, Cyrus was able to open two of them at once, and did so from afar when thin beams of light shot from the tips of his Keyblades and into the Keyholes. Cyrus gave one more look to his would-be leader, "I hope you know what you're doing."

[Rex]

As he listened to Arthal, the memory of his orphanage burning down shot through his mind and he could hear the screams coming from the burning building and the man smiling as he watched t burn. So this power I wanted, the power to protect everyone is nothing more than darkness that won’t help anyone? I can’t protect anyone, but instead hurt those around me. Seth thought. No! I’ll change it! I don’t care if I become consumed by the darkness. Protecting everything I care about is priority. The madness might take me, but I won’t let it mold me into something I hate!

Arthal told him about his plan and Seth was on board with it, but as he summoned his Keyblade he heard the voice inside his head again. Madness will consume you and darkness will take you. You will hurt all you care for and have their blood on your hands. Seth quickly dropped his Keyblade as it disappeared. He stared at the ground where the Keyblade had once been.

“it’s getting worse,” Seth mumbled before he took a deep breath and summoned his Keyblade again. The voice this time didn’t come. He sighed in relief before he turned to Arthal and said, “Ok, I’m ready. What’s next?”

[Apollosarcher]

Arthal begin to move back using both his Keyblades to unlock two more keyholes. "Just a few more!" He called out letting them know they, had almost unlocked enough to disarm the security system. As they did, slowly from the ground stones shot back up towards the temple more and more of breaking free from the sand. As it rose higher Arthal scrambling back unlocking to more keyholes. "Keep going! It's almost risen free of the dunes!" He smiled, they would soon have the first piece of the puzzle in their hands.

In the distance, far beyond the graveyard, a dozen people in black robes watched. A girl spoke up first, long red hair flowed from under the hood. "I see their accomplishing something even our 'great' leader couldn't." You could her the smile in her voice.

A voice responded. "They show a lot of talents... Could be trouble, we should send more people after the shard we've located. We need have the shards of darkness at least to increase our own power." He sounded older, wiser.

A young voice laughed. "I say we organize a little man hunt, start picking them off. Let them know who exactly they've crossed with their little vow to end the war." With that the three faded the rest remained observing.

[Akayaofthemoon]

Bellasiel frowned as another person approached their group, talking about alternate ways to travel and costs. It seemed to her like this was a total sham but either way, this person wanted nothing to do with the groups cause and for some reason they gave her an off feeling. She wouldn't judge them without getting to know them but she did back up a bit, letting Arthal and Azazel handle the situation. She didn't care what the outcome was as long as it got everyone to the graveyard safely. She looked to the two she had thought were friends but it seemed they were having a fight or conflict. Maybe they weren't as close as she first assumed or deeper things were happening. She made a note to try to pull them aside to see what exactly the problem was because she wanted to help if she could.

She was too worried on the pair that she hadn't noticed Azazel pulling away from the stranger, activating the portal anyway. The method of travel was more than disorienting and made her feel a bit dizzy once they had arrived. Bellasiel stood calmly for a few minutes, trying to get her barrings before looking at all the keyblades. It was heartbreaking to know that they were a marker for the fallen and a reminder of just how much death had occurred over the X-Blade. Selfishness and the power hungry had split everything apart as well as taking all these lives that could have been spared. War was really a cruel thing. She kept near Azazel, not wandering like she might have since she wanted to watch out for the sleeping man since he was the most defenseless at the moment. She looked around, doing a mental check to see if everyone was alright. She noticed that Cyrus was standing by one of the graves, placing flowers. At first, she wondered if he had known the wielder of that keyblade but upon a more thorough look at the blade, it was the same one he had used to make the pact with the group. It pulled at her heart strings a bit and made her move her pale green gaze elsewhere to make sure the others were alright.

Seth and Arthal were having a conversation about his keyblade and why it did what it did but Arthal's answer made her frown a bit. It wasn't what she thought, well at least not completely. She was about to focus on other things when the male elf spoke to her which made her nod in reply as she waited for everyone to move to where the other was. It was then that she noticed Mac and Cheese were not with them and instead the stranger from before was. "Hey stranger, you want to start gaining our trust than help us out with this."
That being said, she moved over to everyone else and took the time to look at Seth. "I know you did not ask me but I want to give you my opinion. We all have light and we all have darkness inside. It is a fight all of us deal with wither we want to admit it or not. Balance between the two is needed or else one wins over the other." she spoke, stepping up to the keyhole that was empty. "Once upon a time there were two wolves in a fight...one evil...he is fearful, angry, jealous and negative....the other is good...he is happy, peaceful, positive and content." Bellasiel said, summoning her keyblade before continuing,"The question is, which wolf will win the fight?"

Bellasiel smiled as she place her keyblade in the hole and answered her own question,The one you feed. Don't feed the wrong wolf."

[Daichinaara]

"Hey stranger, you want to start gaining our trust than help us out with this."

Daichi took a look over at all the warrior unocking the keyholes. The plan was to raise an ancient temple which held the power of the so called X-blade. The weapon sounded like nothing he'd ever imagined.

*If this weapon is something that so many have died to obtain, it must be worth getting my hands on.* A new plan entered his mind. Obtain the X-blade's power and sell it off to the highest bidder. Not only would the business he received from it be enough to rebuild his clan and hire men to take out the 40 thieves but he would also be the stuff of legends.

The elfen lady continued her speech about seeing the best in people (which at this point was almost ironic). Daichi summoned his keyblade with a huge grin and announced to the group; I'll do it!. He pointed his keyblade to the keyhole and tried his best to withhold his true intentions.

*A weapon that men have fought battles and lost their lives for? It will belong to me!*

"By the way guys, tell me a little more about this X-blade."

[Xan the G]

Zero was still sitting in frozen animation in the street at Twilight Town. The scenery of permanent husk made it difficult to determine for sure the exact passage of time, but Zero had been so dormant and docile as he waited in place he had been visited by a crow who perched on his head as it would for a tree or a statue. Nonetheless, Zero didn't even flinch at its arrival.

[Apollosarcher]

Arthal sighed as the temple finished rising, it was the size of a great castle. It rose high into the sky slowly the barriers around it melted as Arthal slowly stepped towards it. "Feel free to explore, this building was once the center of the universe. Artifacts and Keyblades of forgotten warriors are here, dark and light." He slowly stepped up as the doors opened. The grand Cathedral revealing itself to them. It sparkled with white and black tiles, armor, weapons, and such lay trapped behind magical barriers.

Slowly Arthal made his way towards the central chamber. "Split up, left hall should have more on the dark and the right have more on the light. I'll check the center chamber. If you find anything come find us." He said his Keyblades vanishing without a command, no fighting or weapons could be wielded in these halls. It was a place of peace and Sanctuary. It felt as a neutral point all who entered here could find peace and balance.

[Flood]

Azazel nodded and let his Keyblade disappear. He looked to the left and to the right and shrugged. He stopped for a moment and looked at the Cathedral and it's beautiful design. How was this sunken into the ground? Such a masterpiece of architecture and aesthetically it was a perfect balance of Light and Darkness.

He felt himself drawn towards the left side so he looked at Arthal and nodded. "I'm heading left." Azazel called out as he walked into the left hallway. He could feel the darkness pulsing throughout the corridor.

[Rex]

Seth’s Keyblade disappeared from his hand as he looked in awe at the massive temple. However, his mind was elsewhere. Arthal’s words still resonated in his mind. For the longest time he thought his Keyblade could help people, but instead it seemed to only hurt those around him and cause his mind to shatter. Those weren’t the only words he thought about. Bellasiel’s words were also going through his mind. The thought of feeding the right wolf to help win the fight made sense to him. He would have to feed the wolf of light to keep the wolf of darkness at bay. However, he could also see the flaw in his thinking.

“Bellasiel, was it. Your analogy of feeding the right wolf makes sense and in a way the wolf of light should be feed so the wolf of darkness doesn’t win. However, how do you keep the wolf of darkness unfed when it will simply take the wolf of lights food? In the end, what matters is which wolf is strong enough to feed,” Seth said before he added, “But thank you for trying to help” Seth followed Arthal into the temple and looked to his left and his right. Something inside of him wanted to head left, but he headed right towards the light wing.

“I wonder why we haven’t seen any of the warriors of darkness yet,” Seth questioned as he walked through the light wing.

[Double]

He watched the temple raise up from the ground, but it only made Cyrus more on edge. It was the uneasy sensation of being watched, and Cyrus had long since learned to take those instincts seriously. It had, on multiple occasions, saved his life. This moment, however, something was off. He felt uneasy, but that was all. The only presence he felt were those he had arrived with, and nothing more. Either someone was very good at hiding, or Cyrus' "healthy" paranoia was getting the better of him. Either way, he entered the temple without a second thought. If half the stories he'd heard about this place were true, then it was likely the safest place they could be in.

When he felt the power of his Keyblades vanish after entering the temple's threshold, he knew that was a good start. This cathedral, this whole world for that matter, was considered neutral ground for a reason. And the temple itself having the power to nullify just about all the powers of those who entered it was one of those reasons, because it meant that fighting in this place was next to impossible. Of course, it didn't stop Cyrus from feeling more vulnerable, but he would just have to get used to that until they were ready to depart. The temple's entryway was essentially an ante room that split off into three distinct paths. Arthal volunteered to take the center path and advised the group to split up between the light path on the right, and the dark path on the left.

Cyrus might have voiced his disagreement with the idea of splitting the party - in his experience it always ended in disaster - but people were already splitting off down their chosen paths. With a sigh of brief contempt, Cyrus took the path on the left. Objects of dark power, even when locked behind barriers, had a nasty habit of bringing out the greed in people. Cyrus knew this from experience, and decided he would be more helpful keeping a watchful eye on that side of the temple, just in case. Admittedly, Cyrus was being a bit paranoid of his teammates. However, if he learned anything from the war, it was that it's better to be prepared for something that doesn't happen than to be caught off guard by something that did.

[Akayaofthemoon]

Bellasiel shook her head as the other didn't understand her explanation but maybe they just needed to figure it out for themselves. Once the temple had finished rising, they all entered and their keyblades disappearing in this neutral place. She had some qualms over everyone being split up, worried about their safety but it was too late to speak up now as everyone was drifting of in various directions. Two had already gone left so she figured that it would be best to go right and at least try to keep the exploration groups somewhat even. It was with that thought in mind that she finally moved from her spot, heading over to the Light corridor and pausing for a moment to look at the other two doors.
Be safe everyone...

She then turned her back to everything but what was before her and headed off, wondering what exactly that might be found.

[Apollosarcher]

Arthal followed the center down a long empty hall, on and on it went until finally it reached a staircase. Slowly he climbed down the spiral stairs never truly knowing if they would end, yet he paused when he reached the bottom. Looking at the door he slowly opened it, a bright light flashed and he stepped through. He now stood in some kind of house, no it wasn't a house it had been living quarters for the temple's care takers. He tried to summon his Keyblade and couldn't it meant this place was safe from attack as well.

He smiled looking down the halls, hundreds of rooms must have been with kitchens and amenities for them all. The fridge and cabinets clean and fully stocked. The temple cared for those who watched over it, this was quite the find and it was theirs. Finally he stepped back towards a blackened door and found it, a warp tunnel, before the Keyblade war these had been how Keyblade wielders could return to the temple. When the war began however none could teleport themselves back inside and the temple itself sank into the sand.

The dark hallway was decorated with heads of beasts, artifacts of war, great treasures. All of them trapped behind magical barriers and defense systems. Towards the end of the hall, they could feel a pulsing, like something was calling out, wanting itself to be found. This could one of the artifacts you needed to find. Something to help find twenty missing shards.

The light hallway had pictures of great Keyblade wielders and of friends posed together taking pictures outside the temple. They could see much of the old temple in these picture, mountains and grassy hills once adorned the lands outside. Villages with farms and towns as well, know it was all just sand and graves. Yet as they moved further down the hall of light, they could here singing, a hopeful song as to tell them to come and join them in song, even if they did not understand the words.

[Rex]

Seth walked through the hall of light looking at all the pictures of warriors and friends. He was most drawn to the pictures of friends smiling for the camera and he instantly thought of his friends back at the orphanage. He remembered when someone was adopted, they’d take two pictures: One to keep in the orphanage, and one to give the one getting adopted so they wouldn’t forget their friends. It brought a smile to his face when he remembered the great times he had with all his friends. The happy memories suddenly changed to the burning building of the orphanage and the man standing there laughing as his friends screamed in the flames.

“I’ll find who sent him, I promise. I’ll make them pay from what they did,” Seth mumbled as he clinched his fist in anger. He turned from the photo in the direction of the singing but even though it was cheerful he had an uneasy feeling about it. No, it wasn’t just this music, it was this whole temple. Ever since he stepped foot in this place he had felt like he wanted to vomit. It could have been any number of things though: the teleportation to this world, the voice, or it could have been all the energy used to craft this place with the other Keyblade warriors. Either way he’d kept it a secret since this place was a neutral ground, a place of peace.

“Telling them I feel like vomiting when I walk through this temple isn’t the best way to go about it,” Seth said to himself. It would make me look suspicious and possible a threat down the road Seth thought. She shook his head and sighed, “Don’t need to worry about that. My little psycho state earlier probably didn’t help.” Madness and peace don't mix. that must be why I'e got this feeling Seth thought.

[Double]

The so-called "dark" hallway was, as Cyrus expected, more brutally decorated. Beasts' heads were mounted on the walls, weapons were proudly displayed on racks or on pedestals, whilst accompanied by occasional suits of armor worn by wooden dummies for display purposes. There were also miscellaneous treasures on display as well such as scepters and crowns, which like the mounted heads were probably trophies meant to boast of the owners' strength and mettle. None of these items felt particularly powerful, at least not the kind of power he was being cautious of anyway.

"Fascinating. This hallway has been treated like a trophy room, I'd wager that everything here was stripped from fallen enemies as proof of the conquest." Cyrus said aloud to no one in particular, except maybe for Azazel who had also taken the right hallway, "And yet this speaks more of the people who once lived here than any photo or portrait ever could. A person in a photo smiles because they are expected to, but more often than not are only feigning their happiness in order for the picture to look good." he glanced from decoration to decoration as he spoke, also continuing to walk straight down the hallway in the process, "And yet, underneath all the forced smiles are hearts that are in pain. Everyone, not just Wielders aligned to the Darkness, are dragged into the war. Ironic, then, that this hallway so savagely decorated as if by a barbaric king, speaks more honestly of its occupants' hearts and feelings than a series of photographs of people forcing smiles and pretending to be happy in the midst of such terrible pain and suffering."

That was about when the pulsing began. Something in the floor or even the air itself pulsated with dark powers. But it all clearly came from a single point at the end of the hallway. Whatever object awaited Cyrus and Azazel there, it had a carnal desire to be found and used, like a ravenous dog awaiting its next meal, "Can you feel it? It's a power that longs to be used, wielded by someone who dares to take it from its resting place. Exactly the kind of temptation I suspected we would find down here. We should tread carefully."

[Flood]

"Curious." Azazel walked through the hallway staring at the various weapons and treasures. He found it even more curious that this hallway existed in the first place though. "I wonder who built this temple. They must have been amazingly kind if they were willing to dedicate a hallway solely for Dark Keyblade wielders. The 'bad guys' so to speak." Azazel commented aloud as he stared at an impressive Scythe that was behind several walls of magic.

Azazel listened to Cyrus and smiled. "I suppose that just because a pictures worth a thousand words, doesn't mean that those words are the truth." He replied as he moved towards the end of the hallway. Suddenly he stopped and his pupils dilated. This power that emanated from the end of the hallway. It was... intoxicating almost. Azazel shook his head and blinked a few times. "We should step lightly indeed. I can feel more raw magical energy from there then I've ever felt in my life." He walked towards the end of the hallway, careful of his surroundings.

[Apollosarcher]

Towards the end of darker hallway was an orb, black as night, it swirled as if filled with mists. It pulsed and thrummed as if it wished to be claimed, it seemed to whisper into the minds of those who neared it. "Claim me and I will lead you to power's you could never fully understand." This orb could lead them to pieces of darkness, no dark power would be greater than those. After all they were shards of the most powerful weapon to ever exist.

Deep in the hall of light the singing became easier to understand, it was a song about reuniting. The orb at the end of the hall was pearly white, perfect in shape and color as if it had come out of clam. It glowed a aura of golden light, friendly and welcoming to all who approached. It seemed to want to be taken, as if it knew it's destiny to reunite the seven pieces of light that had been lost to the worlds beyond.

[Rex]

Seth turned to the sound of the music and saw an orb glowing at the end of the hall. His nausea seemed to pass as he continued to stare at the orb and the aura is was admitting. He couldn’t understand the singing, but as headed towards the orb he could soon understand the words to the song. Stop! Don’t get any closer! The voice in his head screamed before Seth stopped.

“Any closer?” Seth questioned as he looked around before he looked back at the orb and added, “The orb? Why? It seems to want to be taken. What’s so wrong with it?” Stay away from it! it’s aura, it hurts!

“How?” Seth asked before he remembered Arthal’s words. You carry a darkness in you. Seth smiled before he continued towards the orb. Stop! It hurts! It burns! Seth laughed, “So this thing will remove you. Why would I stop?” Please stop, it hurts so much! I beg you!

“I hope it does hurt, all the agony you’ve put me through and everyone around me. You’re getting what you deserve,” Seth said as he reached out towards the orb. You need me! You need me to get revenge! Seth stopped with his arm out stretched. You need me boy; you know you can’t fight the darkness alone. I can help. How can the darkness hurt you when I’m with you? Think about it? Who helped destroy the one that burned down the orphanage? You wouldn’t be here without me. Seth clinched his teeth as the voice explained everything. He didn’t want to believe it, but how could he had gotten here without it? the man who burned down his orphanage was sent by someone and he wanted to find them and destroy them for what they did to his friends.

“Fine,” Seth said as he let his arm fall to his side and step away from the orb. He turned to see that another Keyblade warrior had entered the light hall and called out to her, “Bellasiel was it. I think we need to take this orb with us. Might as well take it. you should take it” Seth pointed back towards the orb before he walked away from it. Don’t disappoint me Seth thought.

[Double]

Cyrus took a moment to stare at the ominous orb he and Azazel had found at the end of the hall. He reached out his hand, hovering it just above the orb. He didn't take it, yet, though, only checking for a reaction. And a reaction he received. The whispering pulses became much stronger as his hand neared it, as if the orb knew there was a hand within reach and was practically screaming to be taken. In fact, Cyrus could feel words in the pulsing now and said them aloud in case Azazel could not feel it.

"Claim me..." his voice echoed in the otherwise empty room, "...I will lead you to powers you could never fully understand. That's what it's saying." he closed his eyes in brief thought, even he was having to resist the temptation now. Cyrus wondered, though, what effect this orb would have on whomever took hold of it. Would it try to corrupt them and turn them into a monster? If it meant putting an end to the war, then Cyrus was more than willing to sacrifice his own humanity. But what of the others accompanying him? Would he be willing to put them at risk? Or what about the remnants of Ren's heart, would that also be sacrificed?

...Take it...

Suddenly Cyrus found himself in a dark, but familiar place. Around him was nothing but a void, Cyrus himself stood on a circular platform lit up with a stain-glass mural. The mural depicted a sad, but familiar story. Around the edge the platform depicted images of two young boys training together, and fighting together against common foes. But as the "story" of the mural progressed the two boys drifted further apart. Finally, the center of the mural depicted the two boys as men, wielding their blades against one another in a fight to the death. But off to the side of each man was the image of them as boys, each one brought to tears by the battle they were witnessing. This... was Cyrus' heart, or so Keyblade Masters believed this realm to be. In this place one could find what was truly in their heart and soul. And it was in this place that Keyblades often tested their chosen master before appearing to them in the real world.

"Take it? You're sure?" asked Cyrus, and in the real world he would be saying the same, appearing to have a one-sided conversation with a person Azazel could neither see nor hear.

The orb can lead you to the X-blade... take this opportunity, before another faction does... quickly now!

Suddenly Cyrus was back in reality, consciously back anyway. In truth, he never left the room. He'd stood there the whole time holding a conversation with a voice only he could hear. Without warning Cyrus untied his scarfed and wrapped the orb in it. Only then did he take it from it's place in the room, "There... I'd rather not have to touch this orb directly, would you?" he asked Azazel as he picked up the now-wrapped-up black orb, "We should take this to Arthal and see what the others have found."

[Flood]

Azazel heard the whispers of darkness from the orb and grimaced. Azazel wanted to take it, he didn't trust anyone else with it. He refrained from doing so though, this thing was obviously tempting him. It wanted his heart, no, it wanted everything. His heart, his soul, his mind. Azazel would resist though, this risk heavily outweighed the rewards.

Azazel looked at Cyrus and watched him speak to seemingly nobody. Maybe the orb? This was a bad idea, the orb needs to be silenced. Somehow. "I think I should carry the orb. May I?" He held his hand out to carry the orb, then withdrew it quickly. "Actually, I have a better idea. I hope this works." Azazel began to summon some minor wind magic, no intent to harm, just transportation. He focused and picked up the orb from Cyrus' hands. "Let's go."