Kingdom Hearts: Destati

[Zero Inferno]

A count down... Ten days from now. Excellent! That's on a weekend for me, perfect opportunity to get the news as soon as it happens.

You continue to ask me, again and again. The first time was reasonable, but now I've all but forgotten what it was in particular that had me saying that.

Congratulations, Merlin, you are now Number V...

[Lanydx]

Why make us wait? Are yiu not done yet? Also wait for my fan fic Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days: Lanydx XV

[Merlin326]

Originally Posted by Kurix

A count down... Ten days from now. Excellent! That's on a weekend for me, perfect opportunity to get the news as soon as it happens.

You continue to ask me, again and again. The first time was reasonable, but now I've all but forgotten what it was in particular that had me saying that.

yes, a countdown. and when it ends... the end begins. (did that make sense to you? if so, can you explain it to me, lol.). be ready, readers. be ready for the end...

and i continue to ask because i am curious what conclusions you came to. there is a clue in that chapter, that much is certain. what it leads to and what it is i leave for you readers to learn. Many such clues have been left throughout this story. its up to you readers to discover them and learn their meaning.

with all due respect,
Merlin326

The End is Near
10 Days...

[Xuan]

Well, I don't mind waiting for the countdown, although... it's a bit uncomfortable to wait for something you know!...

[Davy Jones]

I noticed the styling of the fight scene was akin to a previous one... I'll have to find it again...

[Riku Fan1415]

Phantasm was.......too late? It can't be!

[Merlin326]

Originally Posted by Riku Fan1415

Phantasm was.......too late? It can't be!

can. but late for what? that is the question.

the answer will come on the seventh day of waiting...

with all due respect,
Merlin326

The End is Near
8 Days...

[Zero Inferno]

Okay, I've looked over the posts in question, and here is my answer, or at least reasons for thinking the way I do.

You describe Phantasm and Aloz as both having unique births, and Xando was a result of the newer ProjectNDLESS, where, as far I could tell, the results were Morphs of some variety, Collette being at least one of the exceptions.

A small, further link between Xando and Aloz, I have found, is that they were both a result of ProjectNDLESS, albeit in two different experiments in two different eras.

'Aloz was the only one not fooled by his disguise; only Aloz had guessed his true identity'. That means that Phantasm's true identity is of a person familiar to at least Aloz.

Phantasm's speech about the right of every living thing to choose for themselves, and his experiences, sounds a bit more like something Xando would say, at least to me.
And then those scorning words, despite being quoted, sound like they'd belong to someone who has lost something dear to them. This easily applies to Xando, but because we know extremely little about Phantasm's past, it could also easily be him.

'Goodbye, you failed excuse for a Morph!' Further evidence that supports my proposal. Most of the things that came out of ProjectNDLESS were Morphs.

Those mostly.

[Riku Fan1415]

Yet when Phantasm removed his mask, it wasn't Xando.

[Xuan]

Doesn't feel like Xando either.

[Lanydx]

In your story you use His world from Sonic 06 will you use Live and learn SA2?

[Merlin326]

Originally Posted by Kurix

Okay, I've looked over the posts in question, and here is my answer, or at least reasons for thinking the way I do.

You describe Phantasm and Aloz as both having unique births, and Xando was a result of the newer ProjectNDLESS, where, as far I could tell, the results were Morphs of some variety, Collette being at least one of the exceptions.

A small, further link between Xando and Aloz, I have found, is that they were both a result of ProjectNDLESS, albeit in two different experiments in two different eras.

'Aloz was the only one not fooled by his disguise; only Aloz had guessed his true identity'. That means that Phantasm's true identity is of a person familiar to at least Aloz.

Phantasm's speech about the right of every living thing to choose for themselves, and his experiences, sounds a bit more like something Xando would say, at least to me.
And then those scorning words, despite being quoted, sound like they'd belong to someone who has lost something dear to them. This easily applies to Xando, but because we know extremely little about Phantasm's past, it could also easily be him.

'Goodbye, you failed excuse for a Morph!' Further evidence that supports my proposal. Most of the things that came out of ProjectNDLESS were Morphs.

Those mostly.

well well, you're quite the detective. this is quite a well thought out theory, Kurix. if you can find an answer to this one question, it would be foolproof:

Originally Posted by Riku Fan1415

Yet when Phantasm removed his mask, it wasn't Xando.

indeed, Phantasm's face behind the mask was not the face of Xando. that is the only hole i can think in your theory Kurix. solve that, and its practically foolproof.

Originally Posted by Lanydx

In your story you use His world from Sonic 06 will you use Live and learn SA2?

I may use it at some point, if i find a place where it would fit. the reason i used His World was because those lines seemed to fit the character "his".




also, an announcement. the answer to the question on everyones mind "where is Xando/what happened to him" will be answered in just a few hours. the final revision is underway, and the chapter will be in the process of posting at midnight tonight (US Pacific time).

with all due respect,
Merlin326

The End is Near
7 Days...

[Zero Inferno]

If wer're still using stuff from the Dark Knight, would you care to make a pencil dissappear?

[Merlin326]

Originally Posted by Kurix

If wer're still using stuff from the Dark Knight, would you care to make a pencil dissappear?

only if i can get a volunteer. *sinister laugh*

and now for the ending of Part V, and the truth, at long last, of Xando...
************

Epilogue
The Worlds End with You

BOOM!

Am I dead? Is this the end?

That was the only thing he could think of at that moment. He forgot everything else, even what had just happened. His mind focused on only one thing.

Am I going to die now?

Then he felt the pain. No, he couldn’t be dead. If he was dead, there would not have been any pain. So he wasn’t dead, not yet at least. But the pain was immense, almost unbearable. There were undoubtedly broken bones, at the very least his left arm and a few ribs. The way his head was pounding, he probably had a concussion as well. So if nothing else, he was alive so far. But for how much longer, he couldn’t tell.

Is this really the end? Am I going to die? Die, and fail the universe?

No. That was not the way it was meant to be.

Wha… Who are you? What are you?

For now, I can say only this: I am an ally, and a Guardian. Here, take my energy, heal your wounds. You will need your strength for what is to come. I will be there shortly to assist you and yours further…

Suddenly, the pain subsided, though it didn’t vanish completely. He could feel his ribs realign and mend together, and the same with his left arm. The throbbing in his head subsided, and suddenly the memories came pouring back to him.
-----------
They had just defeated a giant dragon-shaped Heartless, though not without difficulty. Axel had been knocked senseless, Riku was still down for the count from the blow from Aloz, and Aqua, Kairi and himself were almost completely drained of magic. Aqua was off tending to Axel and Riku, using her little remaining magic to bring them back to consciousness. He and Kairi had been staring at the giant creature as it dissipated into nothing, a single heart floating into the sky and out of sight. They had nearly died in that battle and such a close encounter with death certainly made one think.

“We… we’ve won,” he had said, breathing heavily from exhaustion. The adrenaline from battle was starting to wear off; he hadn’t realized how utterly exhausted he really was.

“Yeah…” Kairi had replied, equally worn from the battle. However, they both knew it wasn’t really over yet. It wouldn’t be over until Aloz was defeated and the Key to Kingdom Hearts reclaimed.

“One way or another…” he had stated, “this war will end soon. Either we stop Aloz and Xehanort, or…” He hadn’t finished the sentence, nor did he have to.

For some unknown reason, Kairi brought up a question no one had thought of. “When it’s over… what will we do? Our island is destroyed, our friends there probably dead, and our family gone. We have nowhere to go.”

To be honest, he hadn’t really thought about it. So much had happened; he never really acknowledged that fact. Their home was gone, and their families dead.

“I… guess we could stay here, in Radiant Garden, or with King Mickey at the Disney Castle. We’ll figure out what the future holds when that time comes…”

“First,” Kairi said, “we have to survive. So… promise me, Sora. Promise you won’t die on me…”
This had caught him off balance. He had always had a crush on Kairi, but never had admitted it. He had often wondered if Kairi felt the same way, but was not brave enough to ask. But now, with the constant threat of death looming around every turn, perhaps it was time to confess that.

“Yeah…” he had breathed, still too winded for full sentences, “…and you?”

The look in her eyes told him she felt the same way as he did. “Yes.”

That was when it all fell apart.

He had heard the maniacal laughter in the far corner of the courtyard, and turned to come face to face with Aloz the Dark. A lance of energy was shot from the palm of his hand, heading straight towards them.

“We are who we choose to be,” Aloz had said, “Now CHOOSE!”

To him, time seemed to slow to a crawl. There it was, the deadly beam of energy heading straight for him and Kairi. It was in that instant that Aloz’s words became clear.

In all modesty, he was the only hope for the universe. He was the Keyblade Master. The leader. Though Ansem may have been the actual ‘leader’ of their little army (if it could be called that), Sora was their spiritual leader. If he were to die, very likely the will of everyone who fought alongside him would be broken. They would be unable to carry on without him. And by the time they could get their heads together to continue this war, it would be too late. The fact became crystal clear to him then: the universe would die with him. He had time, he could save himself. He could jump out of the way and survive the blast.

But there was Kairi. She did not have the time to react to the blast. She would be unable to escape in time. He could save her, push her out of harm’s way. But then he would not have time to save himself, and the universe would be destroyed.

In that split second, he had made his choice. He loved Kairi more than anything. If she were to die, he could never live with himself. So he did the only thing he could do: he shoved Kairi with all his might, pushing her to the ground and out of the path of the dark energy lance. Without time to save himself, he had turned back to the beam and closed his eyes… waiting for the explosion when the lance hit…
-------------
And that brought him back here, in this blackness. Was this death? No, not if the mysterious voice was correct. Besides, death didn’t hurt like this. Then, he heard the voice.

“…ra…”

The voice was familiar, very familiar. He also realized that, unlike the previous voice, this one was coming from somewhere… distant.

“…ora…”

It sounded far away, but at the same time… close by.

“Sora!”

Suddenly, it dawned on him. The first voice, the mysterious voice that had called himself a Guardian, had come from within his mind. This new voice was from outside his head, in the real world. Gradually, the voice became clearer, and he felt something hard pressing against his back. He suddenly realized he was lying on his back, eyes closed. Reluctantly, unsure what he would see, he opened them…
-------------
Sora opened his eyes to see Kairi kneeling next to him, relief in her eyes.

“You’re alive,” she gasped in relief, then nearly suffocated him with a hug.

“Uh… Kairi… need to breathe…” Sora gasped, and Kairi immediately released him. “What happened?” Sora asked after catching his breath, “I shouldn’t be alive, not after a blast like that.”

“You pushed me out of the way,” Kairi explained, “then planned to take the full force of the blast. At the last minute, a sword came flying out of nowhere and hit Aloz, impaling him through the chest. At the same time, he came and jumped in front of you, taking the bulk of the blast.”

Kairi pointed to a figure that struggled to his feet. His black cape was torn and his armor was shattered. Judging by the human shaped dent in the brick wall behind him, several bones must have been broken. But his identity was still obvious: Phantasm.

Before anyone could give thanks to the leader of the Trenchcoat Brigade, Phantasm rose to his feet and charged straight for Aloz. Despite the wounds from the dark spear, he still managed to move with impressive speed. However, Aloz had plenty of time to prepare. He grabbed the sword impaled into his chest, pulled it out, and readied it for battle. Phantasm pulled out his switchblade pocketknife and thrust it forward, but Aloz easily stepped aside.

“Do you want do die?” Aloz hissed, “You are badly wounded from that oh-so-noble move. Why do you insist on fighting me still?”

“You could… never understand” Phantasm replied, “I’ve made up my mind. I will finish this insanity!”

Phantasm thrust his knife forward again, but Aloz knocked it away with his sword. Unable to recover in time, there was nothing Phantasm could do when Aloz counterattacked… and stabbed him through the stomach with his own sword.

In that instant, Aloz’s face was a mixture of confusion, dissatisfaction… and fear.

“Is that… all there is?” he asked the fallen warrior as he pulled the sword out and tossed it aside, “No challenge? No… resistance?”

Even as he stumbled backward, Phantasm continued to look Aloz in the eyes. “It was never my place to stop you, or to show you the goodness that still exists in the people of this universe. It was my place… to show you what you could have been… and just how different the two of us really are.”

With that, Phantasm fell backward, and Aloz disappeared, a scowl on his face. Sora, Kairi, Aqua, and a revived Riku and Axel ran over to the fallen warrior. They knew, even before they got there, that it was too late to do anything for him; all of them were emptied of every last bit of magic, and his lifeblood was already staining the ground. When at last they arrived to his side, Phantasm smiled and reached his hands behind his head. He grabbed something back there, and began to pull. Sora, Riku, and Kairi gasped when they saw what he was doing.

“Played the part well, didn’t I?”

Phantasm tore off the rest of the plastic face mask, revealing for the first time his true identity.

“…Xando…” Sora breathed.

Xando smiled, his voice oozing with mock sarcasm, “gasp. You must be related to Sherlock Holmes.”

“I thought you didn’t like playing the hero?” Riku said, smiling sadly.

“Doesn’t mean… I don’t know how.”

“All this time…” Kairi said, “It was you? You’ve been helping us this whole time? You’ve been alive this entire time?”

“Yup,” Xando answered, “Back at the cliff? I used a gate at the last minute, teleported to where Aqua was. She healed me up, and we came back into the scene as the Trenchcoat Brigade. It was all part of the plan.”

“But why?” Sora asked, “Why didn’t you tell us? We thought you were dead!”

“This type of deception,” Xando breathed, “only works if it’s pulled on both foe… and friend. Only Aloz wasn’t fooled by the trick, but that didn’t matter to me.” Xando stopped for a moment, catching his breath, then added, “And the thinking I was dead part? That was all true… just premature.”

Sora snapped back into reality, remembering that Xando was wounded. “Get help!” he shouted to Kairi, “get Merlin or someone who can help him!”

“No,” Xando gasped, “It is too late for me.”

“You are not going to die!” Sora shouted, “Not here, not now! Not when we’ve just found you again!”

Sora didn’t think of anything else. He forgot that Aloz now had the Key to Kingdom Hearts, forgot that the universe may soon end if he wasn’t stopped. All he could think about was that his friend, his invincible friend, was dying in front of him.

“Sora… you had to live,” Xando said, “you are the one who must stop Aloz. That is something you and you alone can accomplish. Without you, the worlds will die. The worlds will end with you.”

“What are you talking about?” Sora asked, “Are you saying that I should have…”

“No!” Xando cut him off, “I knew you, in all your compassion, would rather let yourself die than let the one you love be murdered. Aloz knew that too. That was why I was here, for when you made that difficult choice, one way or the other. I was meant to be there to save whoever was left behind. I was meant to take that blast. I was meant…”

“To die?” Sora asked, “Is that what you’re saying? You were meant to die here?”

Xando gave a weak smile, “yes. I was meant to be here, in this spot, waiting for death. But do not grieve for me. I am, for the first time in years, at peace with myself. I finally see what a fool I have been. A fool… for not realizing how lucky I was… to have friends like you. I had friends again… but my stubborn pride and my… anguish would not let me accept it. I knew you were my friends, but my grieving heart wouldn’t accept it. I was given a second chance… but I threw it in your faces… and mine.”

“This coming from the guy who said he had no use for friends,” Axel said in mock sarcasm.

“You can’t die on us, Xando,” Sora said, vainly trying to hold back his tears, “not when we’re so close.”

“Die?” Xando said, “Sora… I told you. That is the last thing I will ever do… the last thing anyone will ever do. Death is a fact of… of life, Sora. It is beyond our control. Forgive me… for being such a fool.”

“There isn’t anything to forgive,” Sora said, “You’ve had such a tragic life, Xando. You’ve been through more suffering than any person should have in a lifetime.”

“Think what you will,” Xando said, “But this is a far, far better thing I have done… than I have ever done before…”

“You underestimate yourself,” Kairi said, “You always possessed the courage to do the right thing, Xando. You just had to realize it.”

“How you remind me of her, Kairi,” Xando said. “At least I …can finally see …her again.”

Xando turned his head back to Sora, and took his hand in his own weak hand. “Never give up hope, Sora. No matter what happens, no matter which way the war goes, never ever lose hope. The night is darkest… just before dawn. And I can see it… the dawn is coming…”

Xando smiled and continued, “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems… don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and …end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking… the moment and making the best …of it, without knowing what's …going to happen next. Delicious… Ambiguity.”

“What will we do without you, Xando?” Sora said, cradling Xando’s weak hand and staring into his unfocused eyes. “Where will we turn?”

“Turn… to Kingdom Hearts… Sora,” Xando gasped, “and… to …the stars…”

And then the Prince of Shadows closed his eyes, took one final deep breath, and died.
---------------
I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but…

Xando smiled. Suddenly, everything was gone. There was nothing but white as far as the eye could see. The ground, the sky, everything was white. He rose to his feet, and then turned around to see the one person he had longed to meet face to face for over 2 years.

“Colette,” he breathed.

The 8 year old girl was standing right in front of him, her bright face smiling.

I knew no matter what happened, Xando, you would find the courage to do what was necessary.

“I had help… friends, who helped me rediscover that courage.

I was beginning to wonder if you would ever use that word again.

“Okay, I admit it. I was wrong,” Xando said jokingly. The two took a walk through the white, Colette’s brown hair jumping as she skipped beside him.

So what happens now? With Sora, Riku and Kairi, I mean.

“I believe in them,” Xando said, “I found the courage to do what was necessary for a goal I believed in, and I know they will do the same. They will find a way; they will persevere and stop Aloz.”

I figured you might say something like that. But aren’t you afraid for them? Aloz is still out there, more powerful than ever.

“Aloz won’t win,” Xando said, shaking his head, “I knew him better than I would have liked. He won’t win. He can’t win.”

I guess I’ll take your word for it. Not like I have any other choice at this point.

“… How do you feel about it, by the way? My deception.”
Colette shook her head. Like you said, it was necessary. I may not agree with it, but I’m smart enough to know it was the right thing to do.

“If there is anything I have learned, it is this. No matter the intention, a man can be killed or silenced without difficulty. But beneath the mask of the Phantasm was more than flesh and bones known as Xando. There was an idea, Colette, and ideas don’t bleed. If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you… then you become something else entirely.”

What?

“A legend. And a symbol. That was all Phantasm was. Simply the tool for a symbol so that I could continue my plan. Long I have thought myself a man without any goodness left in him, with no light within his heart. And when I learned my connection with Aloz, my doubts only multiplied. But now I know better. There is some good in me. Maybe not enough to weave a flag with, but a thread large enough for me to find my courage.”

Now you sound like a philosopher.

Xando laughed. “I’m just a man who chose to do the right thing. Whatever comes our way, whatever battle is raging inside us, we always have a choice. It’s the choices that make us what we are, and we can always choose to do what's right.”

I told you so. I believed you had the courage to do the right thing in the end.

Xando smiled, “you never gave up on me.”

Never. And I never will, either.

*********************

now for a rant/achknoledgements thing

For obvious reasons, this is perhaps the hardest chapter (Emotionally speaking) i have ever written. as you can probably tell, Xando was my favorite character. not only because he was my first origional character, but also because what he stood for. besides a slight skill in magic and his sword prowess, Xando had no special abilities. just his mind, his heart, all the things we normal humans have (excluding magical talent).

a lot of things went into Xando, a log of my favorite characters from many sources and many favorite lines. The main character from Final Fantasy Verses XIII (called Prince for lack of a better name so far) was the origional inspiration. Cloud Strife and Squall "Leon" Lionheart gave some of teh emotionally hardened characteristics.

his sense of justice came from many characters, including Sonic the Hedgehog, V (from V for Vendetta), Spiderman, Batman, and other characters. his thirst for revenge came from Raven (a minor character from Fire Emblem), and other sources. the tradgedy of his life came from Hamlet.

his cold, calculating mind is based of off the early Artemis Fowl. His swordsmanship came from Drizzt (The Dark Elf Trilogy and other related books). His Phantasm image was largely based off of V and Phantasm (from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm).

lastly, his final lines come from a variety of sources: Red X (Teen Titans), Spiderman, Batman, V, John Proctor (The Crucible, also a real life figure), Sydney Carton (A tale of Two Cities, many may recognize his final lines: "It is a far, far greater thing i do..."), The Pendragon Series (good books), Groucho Marx, Dragonheart (To the Stars, also i listened to that song while writing this chapter), and finally Harry Potter (that scene towards the end of book , when Harry meets one more time with Dumbledoor).

many more things went into the creation of Xando, but i simply cannot think of what they are at 12 in the morning (lol). but one last thing was put into Xando, something personall. i put a little of myself into the Prince of Shadows. into him i put the lonliness i felt so long ago, when i first encountered death and all the sadness that came with it. i put my suffering and pain into Xando, but especially the fear of feeling that pain again. i took those qualities of myself (though a bit exagerated) and put them into the Prince. that, i think, is the main reason Xando is my favorite character in this story.

i think i've ranted for long enough. needless to say, i have been waiting for this moment for a long time. this is one of the few chapters i wrote long ago, though i revised it alot since then, because this was going to be one of the most climatic moments in the story.

EDIT: wow, that little speech took about half an hour to write...

with all due respect,
Merlin326

The End is Near
6 Days...

[Zero Inferno]

I honestly thought that one of us would suggest a volunteer. Perhaps Xuan?

Also, now that I have Final Fantasy IV on my DS, I finally understand the Spoony Bard.

Do you use the title 'The World Ends With You' not just to suit the scene, but also because you have played the game?

I knew it! I f##cking knew it! Hahahaha! Take THAT, Riku Fan.

Mooore Batman Quotes? And he's reverted back to the V stuf from the beginning!

Your rant is by all means warranted.
At least now, even in death, we know a little bit more about Xando, the Prince of Shadows and his Tragedy.