Kingdom Hearts: Destati

[Lanydx]

WOW! great chapter man u never stop to amaze me. Emo fag dying? No way I WAS GOING TO DO THAT! I kid but Xadio,Axel,and now Riku ?Who the hell do u think u are J.K.Rolling? jk
More reason for me to work harder. End it with bang but for Emo boy fans sake let him live.

Lanydx nomber 15 of Orgaizan XIII

[Lanydx]

I really have no ill will for Riku one of my fav characters but Sora is better. Thats just me.

[Merlin326]

Lanydx, please dont double post. if you want to add a second comment in, use the edit button.

well, here is the moment you all have been waiting (or dreading, lol) for. the end of Kingdom Hearts: Destati. we've got some loose ends and unsolved mysteries ready for the second installation (which will be a new thread, for all those who are wondering), and i have much of the story already planned out (whereas with this one, many things were made up on the fly and recorded for later).

however, this is not the final chapter. I have a little... surprise for you all.

but that is for another time. for now, enjoy the conclusion to Destati.

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

ENDGAME
Epilogue
Aftermath

“Riku… please don’t die on us!” Kairi shouted. She was standing beside her fallen friend, unable to sit or kneel with a broken leg, wishing she could do something. But none of them had a drop of magic left after their fight with Aloz the Dark. There was nothing any of them could do to save him.

“Riku…” Sora breathed, unable to find his voice, “Don’t… don’t die. Please…”

Despite the pain, Riku managed to form a smile. His eyes were unfocused and their light had all but extinguished. “Die?” he asked, “Sora… that’s the last thing… I’ll ever do…” Riku turned towards Kairi, his eyes growing dim. “Kairi… take care of this… bonehead for me, will you?”

Kairi nodded forlornly. Riku turned back to Sora, and lifted his hand to grasp Sora’s own. “King’s to you… mate. Look after her… Sora… since I can’t do it anymore…”

“Riku, don’t talk like that!” Sora said back, forcing his tears, “It can’t end like this! It just can’t. We’ll get help. We’ll…”

Riku interrupted him with a chuckle. “There’s a reason …why we’re born with brains in our heads… Sora… not rocks. There is no way… it is my time…” Riku closed his eyes and sighed. “Now comes for the greatest adventure of all…” And then Riku inhaled one last time and exhaled one last time. Then his hand went limp in Sora’s and his chest failed to rise again. The Keyblade he had wielded for so long disintegrated. The Keyblade Wielder of Twilight was no more.

Sora lowered his head, no longer hiding away his tears. Behind him, Kairi stood with her face in her hands, and Aqua lowered her head in respect for the fallen hero.

Then came the sound. It was a strange, unsettling sound. It sounded like a combination of the whistling of a zephyr and a pulse of a heartbeat. The source was a strange, orange glowing sphere floating in the air. An outline began to appear around the stone. It was barely noticeable at first, but slowly became solider. Sora, Kairi and Aqua let out a gasp.

It was the ghost of Aloz the Dark.

He still wore that same black suit, with the same jet black hair and the same pale skin. And the same golden eyes. But something was different about him, something subtle, something almost unnoticeable. It was in his eyes. Gone was the madness they had come familiar with. In its place was something else. Was it sadness? Regret? No, it was something else. It was a combination of sanity and… resignation.

Finally, Sora found his voice. “You…”

Aloz spoke, but not with his mouth. Instead, the words echoed off the walls of the room and their minds. Aloz pointed to the sphere hovering inside his chest.

It’s this stone, this damned rock! So long as this sphere exists, I shall live on. And eventually, I shall lose myself forever to this accursed rock. I will cease to exist as myself, and only as this gem, this Cruxis Crystal.

“That’s…” Kairi began, but couldn’t find the words to continue. Not even Aloz deserved that kind of punishment. It was worse than death itself, existing only as a lifeless being.

Aloz continued, his voice filled with resignation.

I’m tired of playing your game of good and evil. Hurry up and destroy the crystal. If you don’t, the crystal will seek to absorb Riku’s life force to sustain itself.

Sora didn’t know what to do. On one hand, Aloz was there, threatening to steal Riku’s life force, and yet… who was the real enemy, Aloz or the crystal?

Do it now! Aloz seemed to shout, and nearly collapsed. His image grew dimmer, and his voice was fainter. Before I… too… am no longer myself…

Aqua gasped suddenly. She had seen Aloz’s face somewhere before. But that had been years ago, it couldn’t be possible. And yet…

“Sora,” she said, to the surprise of everyone else, “please, help him. Let him die while he’s still himself.”

Sora looked at the young woman, into her tortured eyes. He nodded in understanding. “Alright.” Sora took his Keyblade in hand and began walking towards the resigned Aloz. As he walked, he could here Aloz speak his last words with closed eyes.

Farewell, my shadow. You who stand at the end of the path I chose not to follow.

Sora stood directly in front of the Morph’s ghostly form now, raising his Keyblade to strike the stone.

I wanted to destroy the darkness, so I don’t regret my choice. I would make the same choice all over again.

Sora brought his Keyblade down, striking right through the intangible form of Aloz the Dark and slicing through the crystal.

I will continue to choose this path!

The Cruxis Crystal shattered, and the ghost of Aloz disappeared. Sora looked down and stared at the dull orange pieces that had once made up the sphere that trapped Aloz the Dark. He didn’t understand how Aloz came trapped in the sphere, or why it threatened to destroy Aloz’s very spirit. He resigned to the fact that he may never know those answers, and sighed.

“Goodbye………Aloz.”

Back by Riku’s body, Aqua whispered something slightly different. It was still a farewell to the Morph, but using a different name. His true name, his true identity.

“It seems I was too late.”

All eyes turned toward the entrance. Standing there, his face hidden under his hood and his body concealed by his cloak, was the Question. Q lowered his head, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner. I’m sorry I couldn’t have saved him.”

Q slowly walked forward towards them, casually looking at the corpse of Xehanort and the shattered shards on the ground that was all that remained of Aloz the Dark. Q paused, studying the shards for a moment.

“He wanted this the entire time,” Question surmised, staring at the crystal pieces that was all there was left of Aloz the Dark, “all this time, all he ever wanted… was death.”

“He… wanted to die?” Kairi asked, understandably confused.

Question nodded. “Morphs lead wretched lives, even a special case like Aloz. The crystals used to give them life, the Cruxis Crystals, slowly absorb their very being like a plague. They feed on Quintessence to appease the crystal, and keep it from eating their own souls.”

Question paused for a moment, letting the information sink in. Deciding to change the subject, Q said, “We should go, everyone is waiting. We should return… and give a proper burial to those who deserve it.”

Sora nodded, and carried the dead body of his friend in his arms. They walked out of the castle and back to Radiant Garden.
------------------
The history of light and darkness will forevermore be written in blood!

That was what Aloz had said before his physical body died. Sora couldn’t help but feel that it was a warning. A warning of some dark threat yet hiding in the shadows.

They had been back at Radiant Garden for a week. They had buried Riku and all the others that died behind the castle, Riku and Xando both being given special ceremonies because of their valor and self sacrifice. Many figures of importance were there, including Key Mickey, Aqua, Ansem, Donald, Goofy, Queen Minney, and others. Sora had shown up for them, of course, but his mind was elsewhere.

Now he was standing atop a cliff, ironically the same one Xando often sat on in the guise of Phantasm, and stared at the rising moon. Several things were crossing his mind. Aloz’s last words, Riku’s sacrifice, and most importantly what the future would hold. He was done being the hero, that was certain. Sora found that he just didn’t have the heart for it anymore. It wasn’t the same without Riku.

“He used to stand here while staring at the moon, thinking as you are.”

Sora turned to face the voice. It was Question. That morning he had told them that he would be leaving that night, returning to his own world.

“Xando, I mean,” Q explained, “he would stand here and think, not only about what to do next, but to reminisce about the past.”

“Xando’s dead,” Sora said sadly, “so is Riku. Neither of them are coming back…they’ve both left us.”

Q gave a sad chuckle. “You think the dead we love ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?”

Sora didn’t know how to reply, mostly because he was right. Q noted his hesitance and continued. “Xando had a little present I gave to him, something that helped remind him that the dead never truly leave us. Before he died, he gave it back to me, and I now give it to you.”

Question took a small black pendent with a green gem in the center from his robe and placed it in Sora’s hand. “It is the Galator, and it holds a very special power. But to function, it must be fed the greatest power in the universe.”

“What’s that?” Sora asked, holding the pendent up.

“Love. Let your memories of your friend flow through you and the Galator. Let your love fuel its fires, and you may be pleasantly surprised.”

Though he had no idea what Q was talking about, Sora nodded his head and closed his eyes. He focused on the many memories of Riku he had. All the races they had held, all the sparing matches he had lost, all the times they had dreamed of adventure.

Sora focused on his memories of Xando. How the young man had saved him from Xehanort, how he had trained them all in combat and beat them mercilessly at the same time.

Even with his eyes closed, Sora saw something. It was a blinding green light, emitting from a small bead sized gem in the Galator. The light continued to intensify until Sora was no longer able to look at it, and shielded his eyes. When he opened them, it was a breathtaking sight.

Three spectral figures stood before him now. Three ghostly forms emitting the same green light that shown from the Galator. The forms became more distinct, until Sora was able to make out each one.

“The Galator allows us to see our dearest friends, no matter the distance between us and them,’ Questioned explained, “not event the boundaries of death can stop its powers.”

One was a girl, about 8 years old in appearance. She was hiding behind the legs of a tall, 20 year old man, his jet black hair and crimson eyes staring at Sora with a smile on his face. The final figure was equally familiar, with silver hair and light blue eyes.

“Riku…” Sora gasped, “Xando…”

Riku smiled and nodded his head. Xando gave a mock sigh of defeat, as if he had been trying to keep things a secret. The girl also smiled, and though Sora didn’t know her name, she felt familiar somehow.

Question turned and began to walk away, leaving Sora to enjoy his reunion in private. Only when he was sure he was out of sight did a frown appear on his face. Aloz was stopped, true enough, but he knew this was just the beginning. Prometheus and Pandora’s involvement gave little doubt of that. Something big was brewing, something bad.
--------------
From his private chambers in the deepest level of a castle existing outside of reality, The Elder sensed it as well. The darkness was gathering. Even with the defeat of Xehanort and Aloz the Dark, the dark force was strong. There was a powerful force gathering, a power that was beyond human comprehension. If it was allowed to regain its full potential, then all would be doomed.

Not even Kingdom Hearts could stop it.

The Elder furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowed to the point where they were just slits. He felt the coming of the darkness, the return of the Great Old One, the Elder Evil.

20 years, The Elder estimated. 2 decades. Near a quarter of a century. That was how much time they had to prepare. That was how much time they had to set the stage before it would happen.

In 20 years, the black wind would begin to blow.

[Zero Inferno]

A fair conclusion, Merlin.

And now, I eagerly await a sequel to this tale.

[Merlin326]

Originally Posted by Blaze

A fair conclusion, Merlin.

And now, I eagerly await a sequel to this tale.

you wont have too long to wait, Blaze. I've already gotten an idea for how it begins. however, i will be taking a short break from writing fanfiction for a while, if only to give my writing batteries time to recharge. I do, however, have a special something planned for this thread in about ten days time, or so.

a very special occasion deserves a special present...

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[TwilightRiku_13]

That was AWESOME!!! A wonderful ending to a wonderful story. Kudos to you, Merlin326. And now, I await for the sequal to Destati; I just know it will be just as good, or even better, as the original.

[Lanydx]

The Ending Or a new begining. You my good sir have made me a happy guy. Now I wait

[Merlin326]

Well, i have an announcement to make:

Destati 2 is cancled!!

lol, no. no it isnt. that was a bad joke. my appologies.

okay, enough random bad jokes. now to get serious. first of all, does anyone know what today is? make a guess before continuing below...






on this day, one year ago, I posted the first chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Destati. this story is now 1 year old.

so, in celebration of that, i have finished merging together all the chapter of Destati into one document, and even threw in a few bonus features (i shall refuse to name these here). anyone who wants one need only PM me with their email address and say that they want one.

the files are in a zipped document. if you do not know how to open a zipped document, let me know and i will tell you how to open them.

well, that's my present to you guys for this special occasion (to me at least). until Destati 2 comes around...

your humble servant,
Merlin326

[Xuan]

The ending is good, although I still wished that you could've spared Riku, haha. After all, I've roleplayed him three times in the same RPG competition. All were failures, simply can't enter the Final 4. >_>

[Coldman9]

I PMed you but I just have to know one thing. Does your second story feature a new, original character, Sora, or Sora's son or daughter?

[Merlin326]

Originally Posted by Coldman9

I PMed you but I just have to know one thing. Does your second story feature a new, original character, Sora, or Sora's son or daughter?

well, i'm not going to spoil it for you, but i will say this.

there are three major characters. one is a completely origional character we have seen before. the other two i will not say. that would spoil the fun.

and with that, i shall no longer be posting in this threat. until next time, everyone...

with all due respect,
Merlin326

[Lanydx]

Later untill next time.

[bizness86]

My first read:
I remembered reading the first chapter before, and now realize that it has clearly been edited since last. What I most enjoyed since then is that you have actually included the appearance of the enemy and a hero directly into your Foreword. That definitely gives me something to look forward to. I can assume that Valzog is the dark soldier introduced in BBS, named, but you could indeed surprise me. Overall, I hope that in following this consistently, I will become reacquainted again with the magic once lost...On to Kingdom Hearts: Destati.

[bizness86]

(Double Post...)

Review

I'd think it'd be quite obvious that Master Xehanort not do anything about Xando's capture. Xando's showing some real weakness right now...He should have overpowered those rebels by now and should have ceased the futile resistance in the name of his father. He had the little servant girl practically eating out of his hands and didn't once ask her to open his cell...! Get ruthless, Xando... Yeah, Xehanort did right, this should have been a test of Xando's capabilities, and so far, Xando is failing, sitting comfortably with the enemy, chilling...

Criticism

Though I've read both 1 and 2, I've found points to make only in Chapter 1.

Chapter 1

- There were a few misspelled/misused words; enough to note anyways (dessert vs desert, spit vs split).

His yellow eyes showed neither mercy nor compassion.

- Why would his eyes be showing mercy or compassion; what did his son do to which Xehanort should show such an emotion in the first place. Perhaps being a little more vague would suffice.

i.e. His yellow glare was hard, as if to pierce through his own son.

This does more of a job by avoiding implication; this doesn't imply that Xehanort should have been merciful or compassionate.

A group of figures cloaked in brown walked slowly towards the wreckage. They had seen the ship crash into the mountain and decided to search for survivors. But now, looking at the ruin, there was no way anyone could have survived.
"The craft exploded on impact," said one of the figures, "the entire thing went up like kindling. If someone survived the crash, then they burned to death.

Something to consider; here, I'm assuming all of the brown cloaked figure witnessed the accident. So, in essence, the talking figure seems reiterative, as in he's seemingly stating the obvious to his comrades. I figure this is just a way to connect with the audience, but I've come to the fact that sometimes the audience doesn't need to be connected with as exensively as we writer think that they do. In short, you probably could have saved yourself a line or two by doing away with the figure's dialogue, OR added a bit of early personality to the figures by have one respond to that line.

Overall

That it's. We find that Xando's not nearly as cold as he was made out to be. Probably his true nature has been long overshadowed by his tyrannical father; the shadow cast is way too engrossing for the young prince to initially break free of. Perhaps, within these two chapters, I have witnessed the light which protrudes through Master Xehanort's dark shroud to touch the dark prince...?

[nojerom_14]

NO MERLIN DON'T CLOSE THIS YET

I STILL HAVE TO READ IT AND POST MY PAGES UPON PAGES OF PRAISE AND ADORATION

AND FANSHIP LETS NOT FORGET THAT

DO NOT CLOSE

I REPEAT:

DO NOT CLOSE

[PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZE]