Kingdom Hearts: Xion’s Second Chance
Hey all, been a little while since I posted anything, I know. Been playing KH Coded, and beat every aspect that wasn’t downloadable, and was inspired to write this story. This is my idea of one avenue the series could go down, with my own twist of course.
Also, I’ll be trying out a new type of writing; italics text will be when Xion is narrating. I’ll ask that you hold off on telling me if you hate that till second chapter, as ‘Xion’ will be doing mostly narrative this chapter, reviewing the series from her perspective…I think that’s about it. So I guess all that’s left to say is, on with the show!
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Chapter 1
[i]The tome you’re about to read contains my life story. Perhaps existence would be a better word to use. In any case, this tome contains my experiences, emotions, and inner most thoughts and feelings. Read at your own risk.
I guess I’ll start at the beginning. My name is Xion, and unlike most people, my birth into existence wasn’t normal, if it can even be called birth. You see, I didn’t meet the requirements to qualify as a human until nearly four months ago, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
My creation was in a place called Castle Oblivion. Sounds like the perfect vacation place, huh? Anyways, what makes my creation so different is the fact that my physical body was made up of memories.
The memories were taken from a boy name Sora. He wields a weapon known as the Keyblade, which is why he was chosen for this. My body took on the physical appearance, bar a few alterations, of his strongest memory, which was his childhood friend Kairi. Like Sora, I too can use the Keyblade, and that was half the reason for my creation.
In this realm, there are many other creatures in existence then just humans and your regular run-of-the-mill animals. Two such races are known as the Heartless and non-existent beings, or nobody for short. Heartless are creatures born from darkness, and travel from world to world, stealing hearts from any and all creatures who have them in an attempt to fill the void the lack of there own creates.
The reason the Keyblade is important is because it is the only weapon that can not only permanently destroy a heartless, but can release the hearts they’ve collected. Because the Keyblade has a unique energy signature, the Heartless swarm to the area it is, in hopes of stopping it’s wielder while they’re young, inexperienced, injured, weak, you name it; they just want the wielder gone.
Now when a Heartless steals a heart from someone, they too become a Heartless except in the rarest of cases, only once I believe. The stronger the heart, the stronger the Heartless created, however, if a heart is really strong, a nobody is created from the body left behind. If that heart was strong enough, then that nobody takes on a humanoid form, and even retains the weapon that was closes to their heart.
The people who created me were nobodies, and formed a group known as Organization XIII. They are easily identified by the black trench coats they wear, which protects them from the darkness within the dark corridors they traveled through. While the corridors were convenient for world travel, the darkness within them threatened to force regress nobodies of humanoid figures, into basic Dusks, hence the protection of the trench coats.
My creation was so I could assimilate the nobody of Sora, named Roxas. Sora…there really isn’t anyone like that boy. Any information we know about the heart, that applies to the majority of the beings in existence, seem to either become twisted or just not apply to him at all. Same could be said for his friend Kairi, though she’s one of the seven Princesses of Heart, a being without darkness anywhere in their heart, so she at least has an excuse. Both have lost their hearts, hence the creation of their nobodies, and yet through each other they managed to regain them. It baffles me to this day.
In any case, had I succeeded in assimilating Roxas, we would have formed a Sora that the leader of the Organization, Xemnas, could have complete control over. Of course, up until nearly eight months of my existence, I didn’t have a clue I was any different from the other nobody members.
Learning I wasn’t even a nobody was a big blow to me, but explained why my treatment in the organization was as it was, despite how big a role I had with my Keyblade. I was constantly pushed to my breaking point and beyond in my training, and often belittled verbally. Despite my best efforts, I was always looked down upon, save for three members.
Worst still was upon learning what I was meant to do; I realized I had feelings for my target. Roxas and I had become friends during the first two months of our creation and he had done a lot for me. He was the first to ever reach out to me…
Roxas was the person I could turn too if I had any problems. When I was having trouble summoning my Keyblade, Roxas convinced the higher ups to partner us together, with the promise of at least double the quota of Heartless. He worked so hard to meet the quota while I couldn’t use the Keyblade, and he visited me whenever I was ill.
We were both there for each other. I…I wasn’t all that strong, so I wanted more power to be able to have his back. In chasing that power, I ran away from the organization for a time, chasing after the man impersonating a member of the group. I had originally been ordered to track down and dispose of him, but he had soundly thrashed me in battle, and upon learning who it was, it wasn’t surprising.
It was Sora’s other childhood friend, Riku. He’s truly an amazing person, he entered the door to darkness without fear, and faces his problems head on. It’s little wonder he’s a Keyblade wielder. The only flaw in his character that I’ve seen is that he tries to do everything himself, even if he could become overwhelmed. We have a big brother, little sister relationship now.
Through Riku I gained the knowledge of my birthplace, and from there the purpose of my creation. Between those times, the organization had managed to capture me, and with a few modifications I was sent back on missions. I reaffirmed my connection with Roxas during that time…
When I was running away, the first time that is, which was before I was ever modified, and he thought I was the imposter, due to my keeping my hood drawn…I’m rambling. Roxas had such a determined look on his face as he chased me around the town, literally flying through the air with his magic as I warped away from him. When I was cornered, and my hood fell off to reveal my face, he was stunned only for a second before he rushed me and wrapped me up in a hug. He was even crying, saying how worried he was about me.
It amazes me how even though he was a nobody, he could convey such a large amount of emotions and dedication to me. What’s amazing about that is that nobodies feel emotions on such a low level, they’re practically non-existent, no pun intended. It was one of the hardest things I ever did, but I turned my Keyblade on him; I wasn’t ready to return. I still had to get stronger, and I couldn’t lead the Organization to Riku, which was why I needed to fight. My determination didn’t make a difference though.
I was forced back by Axel. Sure he was mostly friendly, but his loyalty was to the organization first, his friends second. I ran a second time, and after he brought me back again, Xemnas modified my body to the point I was little more then the puppet he was expecting me to be…
God, even to this day that experience haunts my dreams. Being shackled eagle spread in the air, naked, he fused pieces of armor to my skin. When one suit was done, it would sink into my skin and the process would start again, the last one being the worst due to the amount of armor he used.
All the while, I had these tubes entering my body through my ears, mouth, nostrils, and…my front and backside. These were the devices that stripped away my free will, painfully so…I had enough control to escape before all the enhancements took, but I couldn’t override the primary order; assimilate Roxas.
That feeling of helplessness is a real fear for me, even to this day, and Xemnas isn’t the biggest cause of it. They say don’t get wrapped up in what-ifs, but if Axel, whom I had trusted, hadn’t have captured me a second time, or even a first, I’d never have gone through any of that…never had hurt Roxas. That’s why it took me so long to forgive him.
Because the enhancements weren’t complete, I wasn’t at full strength when my body attacked Roxas. He wasn’t alone in that battle either, I was fighting for control from the inside, though I’m not sure it made a difference…Roxas won the battle, and I faded away, asking him to correct the mistakes I was unable to, and telling him how much the time I spent with him meant to me.
The next thing I know, I awoke up in Castle Oblivion, in one of those weird flower pods. From what I understand, the pods are used for healing; Sora was placed in one when his memories were messed up, and the pod sustained him for nearly a full year while he recovered.
As it opened, and I walked out, I noticed six other pods, and people coming out of them. One of them was Namine, Kairi’s nobody and whom I had only spoken to once. I didn’t recognize the blue haired girl, or the tall guy, but there was a boy who looked a lot like Roxas there. I’d later learn their names were Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, in that order.
Axel was the next person I saw. I was surprised to see him there, but I also held something of a grudge against him for what he’d done to me, and what his actions had ultimately caused, so I ignored him for the time being. Roxas was there as well. The instant I saw him, I ran to him, tackled him to the ground, and kissed him with as much emotion as I could manage.
What made this awkward later on was the fact that we were all naked.
Turns out Ansem the Wise, a foremost expert of hearts, had encoded data of all of us into Sora’s heart while he was trying to restore his memories. Using that code, King Mickey, ruler of the Disney Kingdom and a Keyblade Master, a man named Cid,who was a tech wiz from the world of Radiant Garden, and a powerful wizard called Master Yen Sid were able to summon or restore us in these pods in Castle Oblivion.
What was truly amazing was the fact that each nobody and I were now real humans with hearts! None of us knew how it happened, and to this day we still don’t. Ansem the Wise was truly a genius when it came to the power of the heart, and even he stated that no one would ever truly everything about how the heart works. To this day, he was right.
After Yen Sid magiced some clothes up for us, to our relief, we were briefed on the situation. Thanks to information obtained by King Mickey, we knew something bigger then Xemnas , bigger then anything we or the others had faced, was coming, and we were needed to prepare to face it. What’s more Xehenort, the complete human whom Xemnas was spawned from, was aligned with this force.
The three people I hadn’t been familiar with, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, were trained by an actual Keyblade master, and had combat experience with Xehenort, Keyblade Master Xehenort. As disciples, they had been granted special armor that was resistant against darkness, much like the Organization trench coat, and helped them travel through space safely. I’d later learn that they could transform their Keyblades into vehicles fit for space and planetary travel.
These three were there at the beginning of the crises we were then facing. Thankfully, it would be years before it would arrive, whoever or whatever it was, so we had time to train and prepare.
We all spent four months at the castle, recovering and learning to cope with the changes we were experiencing. A woman named Aerith, a healer from Radiant Garden, was kind enough to help with our therapies. If it wasn’t for her, we’d all have taken years to recover, and she had been a big help in the war to come.
For me, Roxas, Namine, and Axel, it was learning to deal with our new emotion range. I also had to relearn some of my motor skills, due to the mental strain I had experienced fighting Xemnas’s enhancements. I wasn’t alone in that field; the two male Keyblade knights, Terra and Ven, also needed help as they both hadn’t been in their proper bodies for a long time, much less in control of them.
I also joined Terra and the female knight and actual Keyblade master, Aqua, in some therapy sessions. While Terra and I had both been slaves in our own bodies, Aqua had been in the realm of darkness for years, fighting countless Heartless. She had developed a case of paranoia, and quite possibly something called PTSD from how many close calls she’d had. I offered what support I could, but it was really her bond with Ven and Terra that helped her in the end.
My therapy was to deal with the abuse I suffered during my Organization days. Always being called a worthless puppet, my performance on the field degraded, the physical encouragement Saix, the Organization’s second in command, would at times give me, and last but not least, the time Xemnas modified my body…I had a lot of issues to deal with, and the nightmares and night terrors I’d suffer didn’t help me any.
As a result, I developed an embarrassing problem; I wet the bed every night, regardless of if I had a nightmare or terror that night. At first I tried to hide it by burning my sheets, using the magic I had learned during my Organization days, but I over did it, and my mattress caught on fire. Aerith was the one who discovered it, and me being to embarrassed to tell the truth, fibbed and said my nightmares caused me to accidentally unleash my magic while asleep.
The result of that fib turned out better then expected. Later that day Master Yen Sid called me to his temporary office, and from there he began instructing me on how to better control my magic. He tested me on what I knew, and even taught me some new spells. I bring that up because I found a use for the aqua spell I learned.
I’d splash my wet sheets and night clothes with the aqua spell, and then manipulate all the liquid on my sheets into a ball, which I’d drop into a bucket next to my bed, leaving the bed as dry as the night before. I wasn’t skilled enough to move the ball of water very far, hence the bucket, which I would then simply take to the bathroom attached to my room there and dump into the toilet before jumping into the shower.
I got along okay with what I called the Nobody crew, consisting of Axel, Roxas and Namine. Didn’t speak much with Namine, as we had little in common, and she didn’t make much effort either. It took a while, and a long talk with Axel before we started rebuilding our relationship. He told me how he died, giving his all to clear the way for Sora to reach the Organization’s HQ, after losing everyone he cared about…Anyways, Roxas and I goofed around for a time, just like old times, though I sensed something was on his mind.
Aside from Roxas, I found I got along better with the Keyblade Knights, as I began to call them. I learned Ventus had had his heart damaged before it was mysteriously healed. Terra had darkness in his heart, it had slipped in due to his desire to be the best, though that was out of a desire to protect those he cared about. I learned he had also been possessed by Xehenort, hence his physical therapy.
Aqua I learned quite a bit from. Castle Oblivion was created by her! This place was originally her home world, as it was with Terra, and Ventus as well after his heart was damaged. She had created this structure to protect Ventus while his heart was missing. She was also a Keyblade Master. I asked what the difference was between a wielder and a Master, and she answered it was mostly just access to secret information and a life long commitment to the responsibilities of wielding the Keyblade.
Like all good things, my progress in recovering soon came to a screeching stop. It was late at night when I went to grab a glass of water, having just woken up from another nightmare, when I heard noises coming from Namine’s room. Thinking she was having a nightmare, I peeked in…I wish I hadn’t.
Namine was in the room, and in her bed, but so was Roxas. The two were making out! They still wore pajamas, thank god for that, or I would have lost it completely. Not able to bring myself to confront them right then, I banged my fist on the wall next to her door before taking off the kitchen, like I originally intended. When I passed through the hall again, I peaked in, and saw no signs of Roxas.
I was feeling so many emotions, so many intensely, that I didn’t get back to sleep that night. Dead tired, I walked to the dining hall for breakfast just in time to see Roxas and Namine kissing with a strip of bacon between their lips. I turned around and went back to my room after that.
Why would he choose to be with Namine instead of me? As far as I knew, the number of times those two had spoken could have been counted on one hand. Were as Roxas and I had fought together, looked after the other when ill or injured…cared for each other so intently.
I thought over everything I knew about myself and Namine. I realized I was angry, no, pissed off. After everything I had done, Roxas chose Namine over me? What’s more, Namine had powers to alter the memories of Sora and Roxas, so maybe she was using them to manipulate Roxas’ affection. That enraged me even more, and so I stormed off to find her.
I caught her just after coming from a therapy session, dragged her by her hair into a private room, and screamed at her. She yelled back, trying to counter my accusations. To the claim of her powers manipulating Roxas, she claimed she no longer had them, and that Master Yen Sid had confirmed that, which was why she was learning healing spells and medicine. She said I was just jealous of her, to which I agreed and asked what was so special about her that Roxas would choose her?
Then she said if I couldn’t be happy about the two of them being together, I should just stay away from them. I was about to scream at her when Roxas showed up. Seeing Namine’s condition, as I had been physical in dragging her into the room, he had immediately rushed to her and doted on her. Seeing the concerned look in his eyes he’d always shown me, I couldn’t take it, and ran from the room.
Back then my feelings for Roxas were so strong, they had bordered on obsession. When I would remember the times we’d share in the organization, simply seeing his face would set my heart fluttering, and seeing him smile his smile would cause it to melt. The fact that none of those things could apply to me anymore made me angry, jealous, hurt…I began fantasizing Roxas dumping Namine, while having a few dreams of ending her myself.
That was when darkness entered my heart.
With my emotions still hard to control, the Heartless were drawn to me and my dark thoughts, even through the barrier Master Yen Sid had set up, anticipating such a thing. This concerned everyone, and as a result, Riku was called in to help find the source that was able to pierce the barrier set up.
Find it he did, he had watched from the shadows when I summoned them one day. Not intentionally of course, I had had a rough night and a rough session when they appeared around me. I made quick work of them, but Riku confronted me after I finished the last one.
After we went to a private room, I spilled everything to him; my nightmares, my wetting problem, my issues with Roxas choosing Namine over me, and my suspicions of Namine using her powers on Roxas. He never said a word, just sat there listening while I poured out all my feelings, secrets, fears, and insecurities. The few times I broke down crying he would pull me into a hug and rub either my back or hair until I could continue.
Even back then, I always thought of Riku as something of a big brother. He was always the one I could turn to with a problem, or simply vent with. And he always lived up to that role…it’s something I’ll forever be grateful for.
When I had finished pouring my soul out to him, we discussed a few things. Like with Terra, I’d get special training to help me control the darkness in my heart, because unfortunately, once darkness enters your heart, it never leaves. Riku also taught me how to better wield my Keyblade, as I had always favored magic to physical combat.
It was two weeks after we first started training that Riku noticed something was wrong. I had made some ground with containing and controlling my darkness, but with the exercises I was using, I should have had a lot more control. We went over every detail of my past, trying to figure out why my control wasn’t improving, not even considering the fact that it was because I was a girl. Eventually, we found the answer.
The difference between me and the rest of the keybearers was that I had never gone through my awakening process, or the ‘Dive to the Heart.’ It was something of a ritual to earn the right to wield the Keyblade’s true power. Because of that, even though I wielded the Keyblade, it was not the weapon of my heart, and without such a weapon, I could not combat or control the darkness within me fully.
That was when Riku brought up something I found interesting; the weapon of my heart didn’t have to be a Keyblade. If I could find another weapon, I could use that instead of the Keyblade. And to be honest, it was tempting; I had been harassed back in my Organization days because of my ability to wield the Keyblade. That weapon had caused me so much grief, did I really want to continue wielding it?
In the end, I decided to stick with what I knew and was comfortable with. I’d later reflect that even if I hadn’t wielded the Keyblade back in the Organization, and even if I had been an ordinary nobody, I still wouldn’t have been treated all that well. A date was set, and Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, Riku, Ven, and Terra would be assisting should something happen with my darkness during my awakening with Aerith on standby.[/i]
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Xion walked down the hallway through Castle Oblivion. She’d long since abandoned the Organization trench coat, and now wore a black long sleeved shirt, black pants, and black boots. Xion was mentally preparing for the trial to come when a hand clasped down on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Terra.
“Ready to dive into your heart?” He asked with a smile.
“As I ever will be.” Xion answered with a sigh. A second hand clasped onto her other shoulder.
“Hey, it can’t be worse then mine. I had part of my heart missing when I first went through my dive.” Xion looked to her right and saw Ventus smiling at her. Her left fist clenched, and a dark aura began pulsing around it.
“Xion!” Terra barked. Said girl blinked, then cursed when she saw her hand. Clenching her eyes shut, she focused on the mental exercises Riku had taught her, and slowly the darkness around her fist vanished.
“What happened Xion?” Ven asked. The girl was silent for a moment.
“Jealousy.” Xion finally said.
“Huh?”
“I think I understand now.” Terra said, causing the pair to look at him. “Xion has feelings for Roxas, yet when he didn’t return them and instead showed them to Namine, she grew jealous and that is what let the darkness into her heart. Because you look so much like Roxas, she subconsciously reacted.”
“How come it’s never happened during our therapy sessions?” Ven asked.
“Because I wasn’t as nervous as I am now.” Xion answered. “The whole reason you’re all being asked to help is because dives while you have active darkness are different then normal. Riku told me about his dive, and how much damage he did to the area around him. It was lucky he did it in the Agrabah desert.”
“Why would he tell you that if he knew it would make you nervous?” Ven asked.
“So that I could mentally be prepared should the worst happen.” Xion answered. “Riku has been straight up with me, even since the first time we met and he wiped the floor with me. That’s something I admire and respect about him.”
“That he beat you in battle?” Terra asked.
“Hell no, Riku shot any confidence I had after beating me like that.” Xion replied. “It’s that he told me how to get better that I respect. Riku…well, I’ve read a lot of books lately about relationships and…I guess what I’m trying to say is, I think I see Riku as an older brother, someone that I can be honest with and who helps guide me when I need help…is that right?”
“Sounds about right.” Ven said. “I know I consider Terra like a big brother, and he’s done exactly that before Xehenort came along.”
“You gonna tell Riku how you feel?” Terra asked.
Xion smiled up at him. “I’ll tell him when I get through with my dive.”
“That’s the spirit Xion.” Ven said. “And here, this should help with my looks.” Ven slapped his hand on his transformation pauldron, and his knight armor appeared, including the helmet over his face. “Better?”
“Yes.” Xion sighed. “I’m sorry Ventus.”
“Please, we’ve been recovering together for the past few months. You’ve earned the right to call me Ven.” Ven said.
“Thanks Ven.” Xion said, smiling at him.
“We’re here.” Terra stated. The trio looked at the large double doors before them.
“Well, here goes nothing.” Xion said, before pushing the doors open.
The room was large enough to fit a three story log cabin in. Like the rest of the castle, the walls, floors, and ceiling were white in color. Unlike the rest however, all along the room were black ruins painted on with ink. The pattern had five smaller circles surrounding a sixth.
Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, Riku, and Aerith were already in the room. Yen Sid stepped forward. “Are you ready to proceed with your awakening Xion?”
“As I will ever be, Master Yen Sid.” Xion answered firmly.
“Very well then, please sit in the center circle, and summon your Keyblade.” Yen Sid stated.
Xion nodded her head in understanding. Both Terra and Ven patted her on the back before taking their places in the circle as Yen Sid directed, Terra engaging his armor. Riku took the time to come over and ruffle Xion’s hair, causing the girl to giggle and bat his hand away before hugging the surprised Dark Keyblade Master. Xion smiled up at Riku, who returned the gesture and patted her back before they both took their places.
Seated on the ground in the circle, Xion summoned her Keyblade and rested it across her lap. She looked over and saw Mickey and Aerith smiling encouragingly at her before turning her attention back to Master Yen Sid.
“Begin meditation Xion, and your journey will begin.” Yen Sid instructed.
“Yes Master Yen Sid.” Xion replied, closing her eyes. Opening one for a moment, she said, “And thanks for everything.” Evening her breathing, Xion slowly felt her body relax, her mind becoming at ease, drifting…drifting…drifting…
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She was falling, falling through darkness. No matter where she turned, all she could see was darkness. After a short time, she finally looked up and saw a dark pillar emerging from the darkness. Her body shifted position, and she landed on the pillar a minute later.
The moment her foot touched the pillar, light erupted beneath her, the darkness shedding from the pillar. Looking down, she saw the pillar was made up of enormous, illuminated stained-glass. Beneath her feet, the surface of the pillar was sea green in color, the center of which had the image of Sora. Around that image were smaller plates with images of Riku, Roxas, Aerith, and to Xion’s surprise Demyx.
“Did I really care that much about him?” Xion asked herself. Sure, she had bonded with the Organization’s water manipulating and Sitar player while Roxas was in a coma, but did those short weeks leave that much of an impact on her?
“So much to do, so little time.” A voice echoed in Xion’s head. “Take your time. Don’t be afraid.”
Suddenly a loud crack rang out, and three pedestals rose around the rims of the pillar. On one pedestal, a silver sword with gold handle appeared floating above it. On the second, a red shield with a black surface and a red Mickey head figure on the center of it appear. On the last pedestal, a green rod with a blue Mickey head on top appeared.
“Power sleeps within you.” The voice stated. “If you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose well.”
“So this is the choice part Riku told me about.” Xion whispered to herself. “Well, let’s see the options.” She walked over to the shield first.
“Power of the guardian, kindness to aid friends, a shield to repel all.” The voice stated. Xion moved to the next item, the sword.
“Power of the warrior, invincible courage, a sword of terrible destruction.” The voice stated. Xion moved onto the last item, the staff.
“Power of the mystic, inner strength, a staff of wonder and ruin.” The voice stated.
Xion moved back to the center of the pillar. “Riku said that whatever item I chose I will gain strength in, but I will also be required to give up something.” She said out loud. Closing her eyes, she thought about her existence.
“I care about the few friends I have, so logically the shield would be the right choice.” Xion stated. "But on the other hand, magic can also be used for defense as well as offence. Magic can also be used outside of battle, but so can strength. But…do I want the strength of a warrior for the rest of my life?
"No…no I don’t. I…I don’t want to fight the rest of my life. I-The only reason I’m preparing to fight now is because I owe my existence and my second chance at life to Sora and the others. Once Xehenort and this new enemy are gone, I really want to live in peace.
“I’ve made my decision! I choose the power of the mystic, and give up the power of the warrior!” Xion called out. The sword and shield vanished while the staff appeared in her hand.
“Is this the form you choose?” The voice questioned.
“Yes.” Xion said clearly.
“You’re path is set.” The voice said. The pillar suddenly shook, and without warning, shattered to pieces. Xion let out a cry of surprise as she fell through the darkness a second time.
Above her, she once again saw a pillar, only this time Riku was the prominent figure on it, holding his Keyblade ‘The Way to Dawn’. The pillar’s glass was a soft blue in color. Xion landed upright on the pillar’s surface. Around her two black portals appeared, and two Shadow Heartless and two Neo-Shadow Heartless appeared.
“There will be times you have to fight.” The voice said.
Feeling cocky, Xion said, “Stick a label on that and file it under ‘Shit I already know!’” She’d later swear she heard the voice chuckle.
The two Shadows attacked first, one crawling across the floor, the other charging forward before leaping at Xion. The girl easily spun to the side and swung her staff down hard upon the shadow’s head, causing it to slam onto the Shadow on the ground. Xion leaped away from the pair.
“Strange, my attacks would usually destroy a Shadow Heartless in one blow.” Xion stated to herself. “Is it because I’m not using my Keyblade, or because I gave up the warrior strength?”
She had no time to ponder it as both Shadows leapt at her. Jumping back once more, Xion pointed her staff at them “Fire!” A ball of fire appeared before the staff, and shot forward, slamming into both Shadows, causing them to dissolve into nothingness. “At least my magic is stronger then ever.”
Her instincts screamed at her, and Xion rolled forward, missing one of the Neo-Shadow’s claw swipes. The second one leaped at her, but Xion got down on one knee and slammed the staff into its center before hefting it above her head. “Thunder!” A bolt of lightning shot down from above, striking through the Neo-Shadow and hitting the staff, and dissolving the Heartless.
Seeing her staff retaining a charge from her lightning attack, she pointed it towards the charging Neo-Shadow. “Blizzard!” A blast of icy magic, combined with the electrical charge of the thunder spell, shot out of the staff, engulfing the Heartless. Ice encased its form for a second before it dissolved in black mist.
Light shined behind Xion. Turning, she saw a second pillar in the distance, and stained-glass steps leading up to it. Not feeling winded in the least, Xion took off towards the steps. Upon reaching the next pillar, she grimaced at the sight of who was on it.
Decked out in the Organization trench coat was Roxas, his OathKeeper and Oblivion Keyblades in hand. The stained glass was an orangey-gold color. Suddenly, white portals appeared, and two Dusks and two Samurai Nobodies appeared.
Not waiting, Xion pointed her staff at the Dusks. “Aquara!” A small geyser shot out of her staff towards the Dusks. One slithered around it while the other was pushed back by the blast. Xion quickly touched the top of the staff to the now wet floor. “Thunder!”
Lightning shot out of the staff this time, following the water and shocking the two Dusks until the shattered into white dust. A Samurai shot forward, bringing down both of it’s blades on Xion. “Reflect!” A silver barrier surrounded Xion as the blades cut across her, pushing her back. The barrier shattered, sending pieces at the Samurai and damaging it as much as its attacks would have damaged Xion.
Spinning twice to gain momentum, Xion swung her staff at the Samurai, catching it in the under arm and causing it to shatter to dust. Xion shrieked as a blade slashed down her back. Spinning around, she blocked the second strike with her staff, causing it the stagger back off balanced.
“Gravity!” A purple sphere appeared over the Samurai before engulfing it, forcing it to its knees. “Fire!” Xion shot a fireball at it, causing it to shatter into dust. Exhaling, Xion winced at the wound on her back, when a green glow appeared behind her.
“Mana pools exist on all worlds.” The voice said. “They will heal your body and restore you health. But be warned, to much could cause irreversible harm.”
“Thank you.” Xion said to the voice as she made her way to the mana pool. She sighed in relief as the wound on her back healed and her magic regenerated. She stayed in the pool for a full minute before exiting, feeling as refreshed as she normally did when she exited the shower.
Another set of stairs appeared before her, leading to yet another pillar. Xion climbed the stairs to the pillar and looked at the surface. The stained glass was grey in color, and the figure on it was, to her surprise, herself. The left part of her body was in the Organization trench coat, while the right was in the white armor Xemnas had forced fused to her skin.
Xion shivered at the physical reminder of what she went through, until a glimmer caught her attention. There, in the center of the pillar was her Kingdom Keyblade, floating upright just above the pillar’s surface. A light suddenly shone behind Xion, causing her shadow to lengthen till it reached the Keyblade.
“The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.” The voice said.
Xion’s shadow suddenly disconnected from her feet and rushed to the Keyblade. Rising up, it took physical form, becoming the Organization trench coat, covering a figure within it. The figure grasped the Keyblade with their right hand, and swung it once.
“Who are you?” Xion demanded.
“I…I am number fourteen.” The figure answered.
“Face the shadow of your past.” The voice stated. Number XIV took a battle stance, Xion doing the same.
“Face my past?” Xion said. “I was weak in the past, alone more often then not, and with out confidence in my abilities. I’m not alone now, I have confidence in myself, and I’m stronger then I ever was. I can do this.”
Number XIV suddenly shot forward with surprising speed and slammed the Keyblade onto Xion’s staff, causing the girl to fall to one knee with the force. XIV swung the Keyblade, knocking the staff out of Xion’s hand before slamming her heel across Xion’s face.
“Fire!” Xion raised a hand and shot the fireball at XIV, forcing her to leap back to avoid damage. Xion rushed to her staff, and picked it up to parry a swing from XIV’s Keyblade, and kick her in the stomach, forcing her back.
“Okay, maybe this won’t be so easy.” Xion admitted.
