Kingdom Hearts: Destati

[TwilightRiku_13]

Awesomw, awesome, awesome!!! Great chapter again, Merlin. You are a fantastic writer, and this story definately shows your writing talent. Again, great chapter, and I cannot wait until the next update.

[Riku Fan1415]

I guess there's some good in everyone, somewhere........

[Xuan]

Eeps. How many times they must repeat the same mistake? Never assume a guy is dead without stabbing a few times on his face. Sheesh.

[Merlin326]

and now, for your entertainment... the final battle begins...

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

ENDGAME
Part 5
Aloz the Dark

The throne room was no less magnificent than the rest of the castle. It was a circular room, was the same white walls and floor that decorated the rest of the castle, but this one was unique in two ways. The tapestries that lined the walls of the long hallway were all decorated with the same thing: a heart.
The ‘ceiling’ of the throne room was made entirely of glass, so that one could easily see the giant moon shaped heart that was the core of Kingdom Hearts, which dominated the sky.

The throne itself was magnificent. It was a large, white marble chair with a heart engraved on the back, armrests, and seat. The throne reflected the light from the heart moon as if it had just been polished this morning.

Unfortunately, the room was also unique in one other fashion; casually leaning against the wall to the right of the throne was the form of Aloz the Dark. He was now dressed in a dark suit, buttoned up to his neck, which seemed to make him look even more ominous, if that was possible.

“You have arrived,” Aloz said calmly, “And you defeated both Xehanort and Xion, no less.” Aloz chuckled. “As impressive as that is, I can’t say I’m surprised. I always knew it would come to this.”

Sora forced himself to stand still. Charging blindly at Aloz would be tantamount to suicide. Instead, he summoned his Keyblade and readied himself for battle. Behind him, the others did the same. They would let Aloz make the first move.

“This has been quite the game, Sora,” Aloz continued, slowly walking towards them, “but now the sport has ended. Now is the time to see whose philosophy is stronger. Which will prevail, Sora? You and your desire to preserve the light, or me and my wish to eradicate the darkness once and for all? Which one will triumph?”

Aloz chuckled and held out his hands, and his twin swords began to materialize. When they were fully manifested Aloz held them out in front of him, ready for battle. “I guess we’ll find out. En garde!”

Sora barely had time to raise his Keyblade before Aloz charged forward and brought his two blades down. He managed to push Aloz back, and the Morph stepped back to give some warning distance between him and his foe. Riku, Kairi, and Aqua spread out around the room to maneuver better, while Sora charged forward and arched his Keyblade across.

Aloz parried the blow with ease. He feigned a blow to the right, and circled left around Sora’s off side. Aloz dropped the blade in his left hand and grabbed Sora from behind be the collar of his shirt, and flung through the air and into Aqua. Sora was caught in Aqua’s lighting spell in midair, which she had been aiming at Aloz, and they collided and slumped to the floor, dazed.

Sensing movement behind him, Aloz turned and flung his sword through the air. Caught by surprise from the speed of the attack, Riku was unable to duck before the blade impaled his shoulder, and pinned him to the wall behind. Aloz turned to Kairi, the only one standing at the moment. In the time it took a normal person to bend over and tie a shoe, Aloz vaulted through the air and landed behind Kairi. He swirled around and blasted her square in the back of the head with his fist, sending her flying to the floor. Aloz jumped again and landed in the dead center of the room. The battle so far had lasted only a few seconds so far, and everyone was sprawled on the ground (or in Riku’s case, pinned to the wall), and Aloz wasn’t even breathing heavily.

“Is that all?” Aloz said in mock surprise, as Sora and Aqua untangled themselves, Kairi stumbled to her feet, and Riku freed himself from the wall and Aloz’s sword. “Is that the power of Kingdom Heart’s knights?”

“We’re just getting started!” Sora yelled to the Morph.

“Oh, I sincerely hope so,” Aloz said, “This is, after all, the final round of the game. It should be climatic!”

Aloz rematerialized his blades and charged toward Sora and Aqua. Aqua and Sora both threw powerful blasts of lightning toward the charging Morph. Aloz dropped his swords, and ‘caught’ both blasts with his hands. With impossible might, Aloz pushed his arms forward and sent the blast of electricity back upon them. With no time to react, and already committed to the spell, Sora and Aqua could nothing as their own lightning blast shocked them to near death.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. When the lightning hit, they lost all control over their bodies, and no rational thoughts could be processed through their mind. Therefore, there was no signal from the brain to stop casting lightning, so they continued to do so against their will, fueling the blasts that were hitting them.
Mercifully, the battles from earlier had drained their magic. There wasn’t much left to commit to the electricity. When they finally ran out of magic, the electricity lost its juice, and dissipated. The pair collapsed, numbed and battered, but still alive.

Aloz turned to face a charging Riku, and easily sidestepped the ill-conceived charge. He stuck his foot out as he moved, and Riku, unable to stop his momentum, tripped over Aloz’s foot and sailed into the wall. Aloz turned his eyes to Kairi. She was doing things smartly, trying to pound him into the ground from a distance with fireballs. Unfortunately, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Aloz batted the fireballs with noticeable ease, slowly making his way to Kairi. She ceased the fireball idea, realizing it was doomed to failure anyway, and blasted the Morph with ice. Aloz deflected these too, until he saw a good sized chunk heading for him. He dropped his swords to the ground, which dissipated the moment they hit the ground, and caught the chunk of ice with his hands. With titan like strength, he threw the ball back to Kairi.

Seeing the ball of death heading for her, Kairi jumped to the ground, barely missing the ball as it hit the wall behind her and splintered. She rose to her feet again, but Aloz was already on her. He grabbed her right hand, holding her Keyblade, and threw her into the wall. Kairi recovered quickly, but Aloz was simply faster. He ducked down under Kairi’s swipe, and landed a chop on her right leg. Kairi nearly screamed in pain when she heard the crack of bones and fell to the ground.

Aloz reformed a sword in his right hand, pointing it directly at Kairi. With a broken leg and little magic left, there wasn’t much Kairi could do but watch as the blade came down.

At the last second, Aloz flipped the sword around, and instead of impaling her with the blade, he smacked her in the forehead with the pommel. It was by no means a lethal blow, but Kairi would be only semi-conscious for the rest of the fight.

Aloz turned around to see Riku charging up to him again, this time with a more controlled pace.
“Let’s dance!” Aloz said, chuckling.

Aloz brought his sword up to block Riku’s charge attack, and easily parried the follow-up blows. He slowly circled around Riku, putting the latter’s back toward Kairi. Aloz could sense Riku’s attacks were clumsier now; he had switched his Keyblade to his left hand after Aloz impaled his right shoulder. Fighting with his off hand, Riku was at a serious disadvantage, but the pain in his right arm would never allow him to wield a Keyblade properly.

Finally, Aloz grew bored with the ‘dance.’ He deflected Riku’s last blow, and feinted a thrust to the right. Fully expecting a feint, Riku brought his Keyblade up to block the expected attack. Sure enough, Aloz changed the angle of his blade, about to bring it down on Riku’s left side. But this was the real feint. Aloz changed the angle of his blade again, bringing it around behind his right leg and slicing the hamstring.

Riku let out a cry of pain and fell to his knees, caught off balance with the severing of the tendon. Seizing the opportunity, Aloz grabbed Riku’s left wrist with his free hand, tightening his grip until Riku was forced to let go of the Keyblade. With a smile of satisfaction, Aloz brought his right arm up, holding his sword, and brought the pommel down right on Riku’s arm. Riku cringed and gritted his teeth when he heard the sound of bones cracking, and Aloz let go of the injured swordsman.

With a broken arm, a severed hamstring, and a throbbing right shoulder, Riku realized he was probably out of the fight now. It’s up to you two, he thought, Aqua, Sora, go get him.

At that moment, Sora and Aqua were finally able to stand up. They were still shaking violently from the shocking, but at least they could stand up unsupported and, hopefully, fight. However, both of them were intelligent enough to realize the odds against them, especially with both Kairi and Riku effectively taken out of the fight.

“We’re getting killed out here,” Sora said, breathing heavily.

Aqua nodded, but didn’t answer. There was something strange about Aloz’s tactics. He could have easily killed both Kairi and Riku, and yet he had only broken their bones and taken them out of the fight. With the exception of Riku’s leg, he hadn’t even caused any permanent damage.

“Two against one,” Aloz said, laughing, “really not fair odds, you know. You two don’t stand a chance.”

Sora started to retort, but he stopped. It was painful to admit, but he was right. Two weakened fighters stood little chance against the Morph. Aqua was the one who replied for Sora.

“As long as there is any hope, no matter how slim, we’ll take it. Because that’s what we do.”

Aqua charged at Aloz, carefully measuring the distance between them, and making sure to give herself enough time to react to whatever Aloz would do. She covered the length of the room, her Keyblade held high, and yet Aloz did nothing. Then, he charged at her, bringing his blade up as he went. The blades met in midair, forcing both of them to a halt. But Aloz had been running for less distance than Aqua, thus she had more momentum behind her than Aloz. The Morph knew this, and had reacted accordingly.

When their swords clashed, Aloz was pushed back by Aqua’s momentum. Instead of applying his own force to her, he slowed down just before they collided. When they did clash, he bent backwards and fell onto his back. With no force to stop her, Aqua was carried by her own momentum over Aloz (who aided with his feet), and into the ground behind him. As she flew overhead, she let out a cry of pain as Aloz smashed the pommel of his sword into her right kneecap. She heard the crack of bones, and then she collided with the ground.

Aloz gave a mock look of pity before turning back to Sora. “Only the two of us left,” he said, walking calmly to the center of the room,”the Master of the Keyblade… and the Morph.”

“That’s how you wanted it, isn’t it?” Sora said suspiciously, also walking to the center of the room. “That’s why you didn’t kill any of them. You wanted this to be simply a battle between the two of us.”

Aloz laughed. “Would you rather I killed them?”

“Of course not!” Sora said, “But I was curious why you didn’t.”

Aloz chuckled. “You are right, of course. This is how I wanted it to be, a battle between the two of us, the strongest of each philosophical point of view. Preservation of the light, or eradication of the darkness? You yourself know how powerful the pull of darkness is.”

“What do you mean?”

“The anger you felt when Axel died at Xion’s hands. That impossible anger, strangling the grief. That is an emotion of darkness, to which you nearly succumbed to and sold your heart to. All that for the power to kill Xion.”

Sora flinched uncomfortably. Aloz was right in that respect.

“I seek to put an end to things like that,” Aloz continued, “But darkness and light are so interwoven together, they cannot exist separately. But they both stem from the heart, which in turn come from Kingdom Hearts. So, in my quest to end all darkness now and forever, I will destroy the heart of Kingdom Hearts!”

“You’re insane!” Sora shouted. “Trying to get rid of the darkness is an honorable enough goal, but doing so by killing hundreds if not thousands of lives? Doing it by destroying the source of all emotions, dark and light? Without a heart, Aloz, we’re nothing more than lifeless beings. What about all the joy, Aloz? All those good emotions out there? Happiness, joy, friendship…” Sora glanced over to Kairi. “…love.”

Aloz followed Sora’s gaze to Kairi, and turned back to him, laughing. “Ah, love,” he said, “a dreadful bond. And yet, so easily severed, leaving the surviving person with nothing but grief and, in the right circumstances, rage. Don’t you see, Sora? Any emotional connection, any form of love, can be turned into a weapon to use against you.”

Aloz smiled, and jumped through the air, landing next to the disoriented Kairi. He lifted her up with his left hand, supporting her weight since her broken leg couldn’t do it. With his right hand, he put his sword to her throat.

“Drop the Keyblade!”

Sora began to charge after him, but stopped himself. He would do it, Sora knew, he would be willing to kill her to make his point. Sora sighed, and dropped the Keyblade.

“Do you see?” Aloz said, “I can take that which you care about, and use it to make you do anything I please.”

Aloz moved the sword away, and pushed Kairi back to the ground. He began walking back toward Sora, saying, “But I won’t kill her, no. I’m not the take hostage type. I simply used her to make my point, Sora. Emotions will drag you down. Humans are amazing creatures, I give you that, but as long as they are entangled by emotions, they can never attain true power.”

Sora picked up his Keyblade and shook his head. “I pity you, Aloz. You can’t understand what emotions are truly like. Humans are weak individually, true enough. But together, they’re the greatest power in the universe.”

Aloz smiled, and began to change form again. “Then let us test that philosophy.” He grew taller, up to 7 feet in height. “Let us test your power!” Armor began to form on his now muscular body. “Let us see, once and for all, which side is stronger!” Aloz held up his sword, and it too began to transform. Its slim figure began broader, and a part of it seemed to spit away from the tip. Sora gasped; the sword had taken a new, disturbing form. Aloz’s sword had turned into a Keyblade.

With his free hand, Aloz snapped his fingers, and a wall of fire encircled them, the borders just 5 feet away from where Aqua, Riku, and Kairi watched.

“Would you here my desire?” Aloz said, “To take this blade, and use it to blot out the darkness FOREVER!”

“At your ready, then,” Sora said.

Sora readied his Keyblade. It was time to end this, one way or another. Aloz held the Keyblade in his battle pose. The two charged toward each other at the same time, and the sound of metal clashing rang through the air.
***************
next time, we shall see the continuation of this fight. Sora vs. Aloz. compassion vs. madness.

it will be a night to remember...

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[TwilightRiku_13]

Let the battle begin!!! Simply spectacular! I am really excited for the ending; I just know Sora will beat Aloz into the ground. Anyway, great chapter, as always, and I look forward to the next.

[Xuan]

Eh, the final battle is not the final battle after all...

[Merlin326]

I appologize for taking so long with this chapter, especially when it's the finale of the battle with Aloz. however, i wanted to take my time on this one. it doesnt help that we're starting Senior Projects, and have to do most of it at home. still, it is finally done, and the final battle has ended.

now, there are only one or two more parts to Destati.

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

ENDGAME
Part 6
Of Darkness and Light

Keyblades locked, and Sora was shoved backward, falling onto his back from Aloz’s newfound strength.

What was that? He’s gotten stronger!

Sora rolled away just as Aloz’s follow up attack smashed the ground. If Sora had hesitated a second longer, he would have been cleaved neatly in half. Sora continued rolling, hoping to put some distance between himself and the Morph. When he decided he was far enough, Sora vaulted to his feet, quickly turning his gaze to his foe.

With the exception of raising his Keyblade off the ground and turning towards Sora, Aloz had made no move to attack Sora. He had just stood there, watching, while Sora rolled to the edge of the burning ring of fire.

“Come, Sora,” Aloz called from halfway across the room, “and face me!” But Aloz wouldn’t wait for an answer. He took his Keyblade in both hands and charged toward the Keyblade Master, his Keyblade positioned for a downward slash that would surely spell the end for Sora if he didn’t avoid it. Knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to block or parry the strike with Aloz’s additional strength, Sora chose to dodge it, rolling out of the way just before the murderous blade slashed through the air where Sora’s head had been moments before.

Aloz had seen Sora begin the roll, and changed the angle of his blade slightly just before initiating his cut. Using the momentum of his charge, Aloz bent down low as his sword plunged downward and swirled on his right heel. The blade hit the ground at an angle, and bounced up slightly. Carried by Aloz’s spin, the blade arched around Aloz in a circle, barely missing Sora as it cut its path of death at the same level as Sora’s head.

Sora had to think fast. The whirlwind maneuver Aloz had just performed, as potent as it was, would leave Aloz off balance and off guar, for a second or two. It was at that moment, Sora decided, he would have to strike, if he was to have any chance of surviving this fight.

Sora seized the opportunity. He pushed himself to his feet and whirled around. He caught Aloz’s sword as it completed its spin with Keyblade, between the blade itself and the protrusion near the tip that gave it its key shape. Using this leverage, Sora forced the Keyblade from Aloz’s hand, and then quickly thrust the Keyblade at Aloz’s shoulder…

…where it immediately bounced off. Aloz smiled and smashed his elbow into Sora’s face, disorientating him long enough for Aloz to step out of range.

“A clever tactic,” Aloz admitted with a smug smile, “but you forget my armor.”

It didn’t make sense. Realistically, there should be a gap in the plates at the shoulder area, to allow movement of the arms. Therefore, it should have been unprotected. Even if the armor was created by Aloz’s shapeshifting abilities, it was still subject to real world limitations. And yet the Keyblade had bounced off harmlessly.

“I have absorbed so much Quintessence,” Aloz explained, “that the armor I wear is literally fused to my skin. Even though it may look like it, there is no true gap in my armor, save one.” Aloz pointed to his chest area, right where his heart would be. There was a jagged ‘scar’ about 3 inches long in the chest armor, glowing with a white light.

“I still haven’t taken the time to heal that wound,” Aloz said coldly, “After that oh-so-noble move by dear old Xando.”

Suddenly, Kairi’s voice echoed through Sora’s head. “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.” The scar on Aloz’s chest was from that wound that Xando had inflicted.

Aloz charged at Sora again, locking their blades together as he cut. Aloz stepped back and aimed a horizontal slice right for Sora’s head. Sora ducked under the swipe and kicked Aloz’s feet out from under him. Sora jumped to his feet and thrust his Keyblade forward, and Aloz brought his own Keyblade to block the attack. Aloz pushed his Keyblade forward with a sudden surge of strength, throwing Sora off balance long enough for Aloz to stand up.

“Why do you insist on keeping the darkness alive?” Aloz hissed, “Isn’t the goal of the Keyblade Wielders to destroy the darkness? I want the same thing. We’re both the same, Sora!”

“No, we’re not! Because you’re working to DESTROY everything,” Sora replied, “You’re trying to destroy Kingdom Hearts, and light itself, just to end the darkness. And we’re trying to preserve the light while protecting it from the darkness.”

Aloz laughed while blocking Sora’s diagonal slash. “Surely you must know, there isn’t always a way to save everyone. Sometimes you must choose between two things, both important to you, and decide with one is more important. And back there, at Radiant Garden, you chose to save Kairi and let yourself, and therefore all the worlds, perish! You would choose one girl over the universe!”

Sora wanted to argue, to tell Aloz that it wasn’t true. But he couldn’t, because he knew it was fact. Aloz had even forced him the choice, and he had done just as Aloz said. He chose one person over the universe.

“That is the weakness of the heart,” Aloz continued, “It clouds your reasoning with emotions, making you choose poorly and then suffer the consequences. Because of your choice, Xando died.”

Aloz noted the effect this had on Sora and continued. “And now you are unsure. My simply stating fact aloud has you hesitant and confused. You wonder if you had chosen right. And you will never be able to truly find the answer.”

For one moment, Sora looked down in sadness. When he raised his head and stared into Aloz’s eyes again, they were filled determination and pity.

“And you don’t remember any ounce of joy you may have ever known!” Sora said, “You’re willing to discard everything so easily because you don’t know what it’s like to live. Not to just exist, but really live and be happy. That, Aloz, is the weakness of your heart.”

Aloz smiled, entertained by the speech but unfazed by the words. “And you think my idea is wrong just because you’re a follower of light. Because you have the Keyblade, you think that your ideals should be embraced by everyone in the universe. Whenever someone receives a Keyblade, it is always followed by an undying sense of self-righteousness. Tell me, Sora, if you found a way to save a world, but it meant killing everyone in a village, what would you do?”

Sora didn’t know how to answer. In his heart he knew he could never kill an entire village, but in Aloz’s example, doing so would cost the lives of an entire planet.

Aloz saw Sora’s discomfort and laughed. “There’s no easy answer, is there? Whenever I do something like destroy a village, you label it as genocide instantly. But when you’re forced to kill everyone in a village, your kind would simply call it a necessary loss. And you won’t think twice about it because you wield the Keyblade, and therefore you simply MUST be doing the right thing.”

Aloz shook his head in mock pity. “All you Keyblade Wielders have left is your self-righteousness.”

Sora’s grip on his Keyblade tightened. “Maybe you’re right,” he said, “Maybe the power does go to your head eventually, I just don’t know. But I know this: you’re trying to destroy everything in the universe, and that’s precious to me. So I will do what I believe is right, and that means stopping you!”

Aloz laughed. “And I will do what I think is right, Sora. And thus we have conflict!”

Aloz took his Keyblade in both hands and charged toward Sora once again. This time, however, Sora was ready, and he stood his ground. When he decided Aloz was close enough, Sora took his Keyblade in both hands and leapt into the air. His Keyblade smashed into Aloz’s and Sora, with the momentum of his jump and gravity behind him, managed to force Aloz back a step.

He didn’t let up. Sora continued to push his Keyblade into Aloz’s, keeping the Morph off balance. Finally, Aloz disengaged and jumped back. However, the odds were still in Aloz’s favor. The Morph had the advantages of height and reach, and Sora was tiring fast.

Aloz charged forward again, this time at a slower, more deliberate pace. Then, with lightning speed, he lashed his Keyblade out, Sora just barely bringing his Keyblade up in time to block it. Aloz lashed again and again, giving Sora no room for a countermaneuver. Then Aloz lashed an attack to his left, and Sora brought his Keyblade up to his right to block it. But the movement was a feint; Aloz changed the angle of his strike quickly, bringing his sword around his right.

Sora had no time to react. As he brought his sword up to parry the supposed attack from his right, his left side was completely exposed. He managed to jump back before his right arm was cut off, but the Keyblade still cut deeply into his arm. Sora gasped in pain and grabbed his right arm. He could feel something was wrong with his arm; it seemed to respond slower than normal.

The truth dawned on him suddenly. He was no expert in the human body, but he knew enough to tell what had happened. The cut was deep and on the inside of his right arm. Sora swung his Keyblade experimentally a few times, noticing that the swings seemed to be heavier and slower than normal.

Aloz watched Sora from a distance, smiling. “The tendons are slashed,” Aloz noted, “I doubt you may ever be able to effectively wield a sword in that hand.”

Though he loathed admitting it, Aloz was right. His right arm was stiff and his swings clumsy. But he wouldn’t let it end here, not because of a simple wound. No, he would keep fighting as long as there was breath in him. Sora switched the Keyblade over to his left hand, glaring at Aloz.

“This isn’t over yet!” Sora said.

“Good,” Aloz said, “You persevere even if the odds are against you. Even though you are robbed your stronger arm, you continue to fight with a blind determination. I like that!”

Aloz charged forward with his Keyblade in both hands again. Sora brought up his Keyblade to guard against the attack, and his knees nearly buckled under the strength of the attack. Sora backed away quickly, hoping to put some distance between himself and the Morph.

Aloz had enough advantages in this battle as it was, chief among them height, reach, and physical power. Now Sora had the added disadvantage of an injured, possibly crippled, dominate hand. But Sora refused to give up hope. There just had to be something he could do to win this. There was always something.

Aloz smiled at Sora’s desperate look as he racked his brain to find something, anything, to turn the tables on the Morph. He encroached upon Sora slowly and carefully; after all, a cornered animal was much more dangerous than anything else, because it had nothing left to lose.

Sora jabbed and slashed, hoping beyond hope to someone break through Aloz’s defense. But the Morph easily parried every move Sora made, though he curiously never made any attempt to counterattack, despite the openings in Sora’s defense. But Sora wasn’t complaining there. He continued to attack, faking to the left and heading right, then suddenly switching back to left. Nothing seemed to work, Aloz deflected all the attacks with ease.

“I had hoped for more,” Aloz said, disappointed, “I had hoped for more of a challenge from the Keyblade Master.” Aloz shook his head and leaped backward, landing on the other edge of the ring of fire. “So be it, I grow tired of this. Prepare yourself, Sora! Your body, your heart, your soul, your whole existence… they’re all going to disappear!” Aloz took his Keyblade in both hands and charged full speed for Sora.

Time seemed to slow for him. He could see Aloz coming closer and closer. Sora took his own Keyblade in both hands, readying himself for the charge. As he did so, the memory of his friends, both living and dead, appeared in Sora’s heart. Riku, Kairi, Xando, Aqua, Axel, Terra, Ansem, and all the others.

Aloz came closer and closer, raising his Keyblade for a powerful and lethal slice.

Sora thought of the worlds. Agrabah, Wonderland, Traverse Town, Radiant Garden, Port Royal, the Pride Lands, and the many other wondrous places he had visited on his journeys.

Aloz was halfway there now. It was only a matter of seconds before they clashed.

Sora thought of Kingdom Hearts. The truly amazing place with many diverse lands and cultures. That place that held light and dark in perfect balance.

Aloz was nearly on top of Sora. In only seconds, they would collide.

Sora knew now that it was time for him to carry out his destiny. The young hero jumped into the air with Keyblade in both hands, slamming it down on top of Aloz’s Keyblade. Both forces stopped dead, and the two began pushing each other through their Keyblades, each hoping to knock the other down to strike the final blow.

Aloz had the advantage of sheer physical strength on his side, but Sora had something more. The memories of his friends and all the places he had visited gave Sora a power to be reckoned with, a power that not even Aloz the Dark could equal. The screaming of Sora’s heart overpowered the emptiness inside Aloz the Dark, and the Morph flew backwards and hit the ground hard, bruised and battered, but not beaten.

Quick to take advantage of the situation, Sora ran towards Aloz and jumped into the air. He spun his Keyblade around so the tip faced downward and landed right on top of Aloz, his Keyblade impaling the Morph through the crack in his armor. Sora quickly jumped back, putting some distance between himself and the Morph, just in case.

Aloz did not scream, he didn’t even flinch when the Keyblade impaled him. His reaction was much more disturbing: he laughed. As he forced himself to his feet, Aloz the Dark laughed manically. He pulled the Keyblade from his chest and threw it to the ground. The Keyblade slid along the ground, coming to a stop at Sora’s feet.

“Well played… Keyblade Master,” Aloz called once he ceased laughing, “It seems I am beaten. You have won, Sora. Finally… this game is over.” It was strange, Aloz didn’t sound angry at his defeat. More like… relieved. Aloz fell to one knee, and the flames that had surrounded them both died out.

Aqua, Kairi, and Riku moved up to congratulate Sora, and the young hero was dismayed to see the shape they were all in. Kairi had tied her Keyblade to her broken leg with a piece of her shirt sleeve. Riku was limping badly, his left arm in a makeshift sling using his sleeve. Aqua moved in slowly as well, unable to move without pain due to her broken kneecap. They had all suffered greatly, but at least it was over.

“We did it,” Sora breathed when they had reached him, though he kept a wary eye on Aloz, just in case.

Aqua nodded, “It was a long and hard battle, with many losses, but at long last it is over.”

“Let’s go back,” Kairi said, “I’ve had enough adventuring for one millennium.”

“Riku nodded in agreement. “We need to rest.” Riku looked down to his severed hamstring and then to Sora’s right arm. “I guess you and I wont be sparring for a long time, if ever again.”

Sora nodded sadly. “I guess not. Anyway, let’s go.”

They were about to leave when a new voice entered, a voice they did not think they would ever hear again.

“I need to thank you for going through all that trouble to clear my path. Now there is no one who can keep me from my right!”

Master Xehanort was still alive. He was battered and broken from the fall, but still able to move, still able to fight.

“And here’s my thank you present, Sora!” Xehanort said, holding up his hand. “A one way ticket to oblivion!”
Xehanort pointed his finger at Sora, and a blast of darkness came out of it. It was a sharp bolt of energy, shaped like a spear. Sora was weak and exhausted from the fight with Aloz, and was not able to react in time.

Riku was. Without thinking, he pushed Sora and Kairi out of the way, taking the blunt of the blast himself. The blast seemed to lift him off his feet, and he hung there, suspended, for a second that seemed to last a lifetime, as the spear smashed into him and through his back, continuing on into the wall beyond. Finally, the lance dissipated, and Riku fell to the ground, dying.

Sora couldn’t believe his eyes. First Xando and now Riku. Both had saved him from death, at the cost of their own lives.

“Riku!” Sora yelled, taking his dying best friend in his arms.

Aloz saw what happened. With a scream of rage, he rose to his feet and charged toward Xehanort. The master of darkness shrugged him off, unafraid of the severely weakened Morph. He held out his hand and unleashed a blast of lightning strong enough to kill a man. Aloz took the electricity full force, and yet continued stalking towards Xehanort. Xehanort increased the power, and Aloz’s very bones seemed to glow with the electricity flowing through them. But the Morph did not care. He saw only Xehanort.

Aloz was upon the master in seconds, bringing his hands up and around Xehanort’s neck. Fearing for his life, Xehanort grabbed Aloz’s arms and surged all the electricity he could muster into the Morph. But Aloz was resolute. He did not loosen his grip.

“The game is over!” Aloz seethed in a voice as cold as death, “You had not the right to interfere further!” Aloz tightened his muscles, and slowly rotated his hands. Xehanort’s eyes widened and began to utter cry, but it was quickly silenced by the snapping of his own neck.

Aloz fell to his knees again, his strengths sapped completely. He turned to Sora and locked eyes with the Keyblade master. “Do not think it ends here,” Aloz warned him, “The history of light and darkness will forevermore be written in blood!”

And with that, Aloz’s body began to disintegrate. The Morph closed his eyes and smiled, as if finally being released from his torment. Seconds later, he was gone.

[TwilightRiku_13]

Sweet Jesus Muffins of Holy Hell!!! That was totally insane!!! Riku better not be dead; I will cry if he does die. I know it had been a long time since you had updated, but it was totally worth the wait. Anyway, great chapter, and I look forward to the rest. Oh, and once again, please do not let Riku die; I really will cry.

[Merlin326]

Originally Posted by TwilightRiku_13

Sweet Jesus Muffins of Holy Hell!!! That was totally insane!!! Riku better not be dead; I will cry if he does die. I know it had been a long time since you had updated, but it was totally worth the wait. Anyway, great chapter, and I look forward to the rest. Oh, and once again, please do not let Riku die; I really will cry.

well, he did get impaled by a spear of darkness... and no one has any magic left for healing...

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[Rauxlen]

Originally Posted by TwilightRiku_13

Sweet Jesus Muffins of Holy Hell!!!

Yeeeah... I know I don't comment here, but I still read this fanfic (and comments).
Could you please not say that, please?
I find it offensive.
Sorry if I sound annoying or anything.

[Haku]

Looks like I've been missing out on a lot of action and major storyline details which I just now got caught up on, so far things look to be going in the right direction with ideas stringing together great work.

[Riku Fan1415]

NO!!!!!!!!!!! NOT RIKU!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T LET HIM DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TwilightRiku_13]

@ Rauxlen: I apoligize for offending you. I do not mean to offend anyone, but, since my statement does offend you, I will not say it anymore.

@ Merlin326: I understand that Riku was impaled by a spare of darkness and no one has any magic to heal him, but I do hope you find some way to keep him alive. I do not think it will be the same without Riku.

[Rauxlen]

Originally Posted by TwilightRiku_13

@ Rauxlen: I apoligize for offending you. I do not mean to offend anyone, but, since my statement does offend you, I will not say it anymore.

@ Merlin326: I understand that Riku was impaled by a spare of darkness and no one has any magic to heal him, but I do hope you find some way to keep him alive. I do not think it will be the same without Riku.

Thanks

Yeah, I'd be sad if Riku died.
But, I don't really know about his chances of survival, because of the whole "nobody has any magic to heal him" thing.

[Xuan]

Well, he is impaled by a spear of Darkness...

I think I know, pal. :p