Search Results

Kaida looked over what he was pointing to and listened to the explanations. When he got to the point about explaining the light, she blinked and asked, "How did you even find out about something as powerful as this... and why in the world didn't I think of something like that sooner. I wouldn't have thought to read through books to find powerful enough magic like that... especially ones that could have saved my friend. I would have thought everything known would have been openly known to the Academy or something..."

He snorted. "Maybe you should try getting into art and stuff." He continued on with his explanation. "Anyway, the guardians come with a few stipulations. One, you need to be a keyblade master to earn the right to even challenge them. Two, their locations are hidden. They only have a riddle to lead you to them. The one for light is 'In the depths of darkness awaits the light. Guarded by sages of time made older. Unlikely, these three now hold the key. In the mystic eye of the beholder' and lastly, given that being a keyblade master is only the starting line, they're probably really really strong." He closed the book, and looked at her. "So, if you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound. What do you say? Want to hunt down all ten of them with me?"
Kaida shrugged a bit and said,

"I don't see why not. Other than being able to help Seiza, I'm sure these other powers would be helpful for us if like, we were to fight Aux again." Kaida's face was straight for a moment before she grinned mischievously and said, "I bet he'd piss his pants if something big came his way."

Beuce returned her grin and followed up. "I bet i could straighten out Nequa with something like this. Just 'oh what's that you use your big powerful magic?'" He mimicked the motion of throwing a fireball underhand and then put his palms together and expanded them so as to signify an explosion. "Bwoooooo~"

Kaida couldn't stop laughing a little before she was like, "And just Vanitas having to duck down when it's like 'hey look at me I've got thunder OH WAIT IT'S A STORM' and it just raining down lightning like... man... huh..."

"Haha. Hell, we could even go and give no heart a run for his money. Sounds awesome..." He trailed off, grinning.

Beuce listened intently. He didn't say anything for a while, just listened. Once she asked about what he would do if he'd ruined a friend's life so that they couldn't follow their dreams anymore in exchange for you being able to. He honestly didn't know. He rolled around thoughts in his head for a minute, clearly lost in thought. He felt like the answer was on the tip of his tongue, so he rolled over everything he knew about Kaida in his head. Finally, he recalled a memory from a while back. A conversation between her and an injured someone in a library a while back. They'd seemed like they knew each other for a long time. He didn't quite know how, but that was at least his best guess

He remembered the man telling him about how a friend had turned on their ship they'd been working on accidentally and he got injured in the process. Putting the two together only now, he looked like something had just dawned on him. "...Are you Seiza's friend? Is it the thing with the ship you're talking about?" He asked. There wasn't really any point in uncertainty about it. He figured it would be better if things were out in the open about this whole conversation. Keeping things ambiguous would only lead to confusion.

He thought about her question for a moment. "Well, to be honest, I was basically told that I singlehandedly carried my race on my shoulders. If i went down, so did we. I just never thought it would be so literally. So, I guess by the time I found out I was kinda used to the concept. Though, yeah it was some pretty heavy stuff at the time. Still kind of is, I'm just more used to pressure by this point. There's a reason I didn't really flinch during the big fights." It was then that she said something which kind of surprised him. She asked about the fact he'd been in there for months. "Yeah. I basically lived out from the time I was named king to when my confrontation happened in real time. And, you were only in there for a day? Man, I feel a little cheated now. I always did have a habit of drawing the short straw" He said with a short laugh.

As she continued, he looked at some of the doors around the hallway. He didn't know whos was whos, but about half of them remained closed. The open ones were the ones that he and his friends had already emerged from. Most of them couldn't be seen into, only a white light as to what lied beyond. The only one that didn't look the same was Karina's door, which was coated with a deep darkness. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure out what that indicated. She'd failed her test. Her past wasn't overcome. It was still coated in darkness and horror. "I...I can't say. I'm already out, so i don't think the amount of time they view it as really has any bearing. Hell, i can't even say how long its been since we entered. Time seems a little fuzzy here." It was then that she hit him with the elephant in the room, and i don't mean she summoned Dumbo. "I...don't know...I'd like to say no, but if they don't come out soon...I don't think it bodes well for them." It was a grim statement, but he was being honest about it.

He watched with interest as she showed it off. It was a little short, but that made it easier to maneuver. "Honestly, i think it suits you well. Though, now that i think of it, it'd be a little worrying if it didn't" He said with a slight chuckle. He held up his arm to give her a better look when she asked about it. He was still wearing the same outfit he had been in the thousand heartless battle, so the sleeve was cut off and not there to obscure it. "Yeah, it sounds a little crazy but uh...I kinda found something out during the few months i was in my homeworld. Turns out my entire race except me was wiped out, but instead of having their souls reincarnated they were put into me for safekeeping until I'm able to reclaim my home. Not only that, but the gods took refuge in my heart as well." Saying it out loud, he realized that it really did sound stranger than he'd expected.

"This was a gift from them for being able to face my fears and carry onward. They said it was so that no matter the path i walked, I'd never forget where it was I came from. The decorations on it are a mural of my people's history." He went over each part of it, giving a brief description as to what exactly was happening in it. It felt a little weird talking about it, but they'd all been through equally harrowing trials. He was sure he wasn't the only one that had something odd happen, or made a discovery about themselves. "Despite the fact it's made of glass, it's not actually fragile at all. In fact, it actually takes a lot to break it." He took his keyblade and gave it a rather hard wack. There wasn't a crack or shatter like the way normal glass would've reacted. Instead there was a resounding clang. It sounded almost melodic. Like a musical instrument made from this would sound not altogether unpleasant.

​

He tilted his head to the side as she began to panicked. What did she think he mea- ohh. Hm. That could've been...a tad misleading. Also probably a tad illegal because she was like six years younger than him and he wasn't into jailbait. Putting the innuendos behind them, she attempted to wave it around, but the keyblade, almost in protest of being used by anyone except Beuce, blinked back into his hand. Well, that was odd. Maybe they weren't able to use each others keyblades. He twirled his fingers and the keyblade spun around to wield the magic side. If you weren't paying close attention, it would look like he simply moved it with his fingers, but closer inspection revealed otherwise. it wasn't so much the force of his fingers moving that turned the blade, as the will that went into moving them. The blade spun around, reacting to what he desired. This will over its movement was largely limited and far from perfect, but it was very much a boon. He twirled it around a few other times, slashing here and there, making the sound effects for spells with his mouth.

"Like that." He said, lowering the weapon. "Though i suppose i could use it as a helicopter. Hm...Maybe that's my glider! That would look...really dumb actually. I hope that isn't my glider." As the sentence went on, he began to speak less to her and more to himself, trailing off. Looking back up, he continued on from the subject of his stupid looking potential-glider. "So, what's yours like? What does it do, if you've figured it out yet?" The man asked curiously. He was honestly wondering what everyone's keyblade was like.

​

Beuce sighed, realizing there was honestly somewhat little he could do with Karina in the current situation. He was honestly not sure what they were going to do with her in the future. If the keyblade deemed her unworthy because she couldn't face herself, then she'd, harsh as it was, be dead weight in combat. With the kind of power they were going against, they couldn't afford to have anything less than their best. If they had to protect Karina as well, he wasn't sure they could win. He scratched his head. Now that his hand was made of glass, it was a very odd sensation. In any case, there wasn't much that he could do at the moment, and so he made up his mind to leave it in Stratos' capable hands. Gods go with him, that kid.

He tapped Kaida on the arm, as she was the closest person. There was something he'd been wanting to do for a bit, but couldn't with the whole Karina thing going on. He motioned his head to the side, indicating for her to follow. "Hey, i wanna talk to you for a minute." He walked over to a part of the castle a bit out of view of everyone else in SOS. In the most oblivious possible manner, he began. "Hey, you want me to show you my keyblade? It's really nice. It's way longer than most I bet you've seen. Only thing is, it's all red and blue and i can't really figure out where the head is. I'll show you mine if you show me yours" He reached his hand out and summoned Lofty Grasp to him in a whirl of red and blue, holding it out for her to take and look at.

​

Beuce watched as Ananta and Kaida both gave her cloaks. He wasn't...entirely sure why ananta gave her the second one. Really she seemed almost like she was about to be alright until she did. He was about to offer her his cloak but nooo. No one trusts Beuce to do anything. He's going to mess things up they say. He can't be comforting or anything, lets just drag him away. Beuce stepped forward following his bitter thoughts expressed through narration, and put his glass hand on Ananta's shoulder. His fingers made a slight clank as they closed, which was a bit odd to him. "She's clearly been through a lot. Just give her some space alright? Crowding her isn't going to do any good for anyone involved Give her some breathing room, and we'll talk to her about it later." He looked toward the frantic girl. "And Karina, we're all here for you. We always will be. We helped you during the thousand heartless battle, and we'll help you now. When you're ready and you've calmed down, tell us what happened." With that, he backed up. Best he could tell, she'd been unable to face her fears, and been deemed unworthy by the keyblade. He didn't know what she saw in there, but whatever it was, it beat her. He'd been able to pass his trial, so he couldn't say he exactly understood what she was going through.

Alright, so, just a little announcement.

I have edited the keyblades page ( http://kingdomheartssos.wikia.com/wiki/Keyblade ) to include your unique keyblade and the limit for it. For those of you that aren't on there, send me your keyblade name, image, ability, ability name, and flavor text. If you don't have anything planned out, I can help you out. Just ask.

​

"Oh, Ignis. Neat." He said, after being corrected. He wasn't very good with changing what he called someone. He'd mistakenly called Hikaru Krowley several times before he finally got out of the habit. Beuce nodded at the prospect of making sure everyone was okay. He put a foot forward to take off toward Karina's door, but nearly fell backwards as the unexpected force pulled his arm back. "Hey, easy. I just that like two minutes ago." He looked back toward Karina in confusion, until he saw a flash of the skin of her hip, which was completely bare. He didn't see the rest of it, but based on everyone's reactions he could assume it was similarly lacking clothing. He regained his balanced and began to walk normally alongside Ignis. "You know, I'm not that rude. She's clearly been through a lot, so i don't think now is exactly the time or place to get a peek in."

​

Beuce opened the door, stepping out into the hallway of the castle. It was the same way he had left, except with only a single other person in it besides himself. He heard a female voice yell out "Gah, would someone else please get back already!? This emptiness is driving me insane!". He didn't recognize her, but he responded nonetheless. "Ask and ye shall receive." He turned to the red-haired woman and looked at her curiously. He walked up, and tilted his head with a look of confusion. He seemed to be thinking, resting his chin in-between his index finger and thumb. After staring at her a moment, he looked up and down at her body, before poking her cheek. "...Raisor..?" He was, understandably, a little confused about the fact one of his friends had suddenly changed genders. "I'd imagine there's an interesting story behind the new look." ​

I'm announcing that with the completion of my homeworld, my path has changed from Warrior-Guardian to Mystic-Guardian

The Story of Beuce
Finale - King's Gambit​

Beuce, having tapped into his newfound power, simply walked at Sorenia. Being smart enough to keep her distance, she made several acrobatic maneuvers to retain the gap between. All the while, she fired bolt after bolt from her crossbow. Beuce didn't even move to dodge them. He flicked his keyblade, and a spiraling wind, shimmering red, engulfed him. Just as each bolt was about to pierce a vital organ, it was suddenly and violently knocked away and destroyed by the vicious winds. Sorenia scowled. She wouldn't go down so effortlessly. She had magic of her own. Loading another bolt into her crossbow, it began to shimmer, imbued with the power of light. Confident in the attack, she fired it at his heart.

The bolt was several times as fast the others, shimmering in a beam of golden light. Beuce brought up the bladed half of the keyblade, now covered in a violet haze, and struck the bolt's tip. A blue energy surged up through the weapon, and the bolt was split in half, down the shaft. Finally picking up the pace, Beuce ran at her, and in an underhanded arc, struck his blade against the ground. No sooner had he done so, a line a crackling blue energy picked him up off his feet and propelled him forward. The line didn't seem to extend infinitely behind him, but rather once it reached a certain length, faded. The butcher fired several more bolts of light, but they had no hope of hitting. Beuce evaded them on his powerline and continued his advance. Moments before he reached her, he spun he keyblade around to wield the magical half of it. With a wave of it, time compressed itself around his target in a show of ethereal gears and clock hands, binding her in place.

He leaped over the woman, landing behind her as the line of crackling blue electricity crashed into her chest. The reaction was delayed, as she was frozen in time, but once the magic wore off she cried out as the same luminous blue energy tore into her. In addition to being shocked by it, she would've been blown back by the force of impact were it not for Beuce's hand against her back, forcing her in place. She dropped to her knees and turned to him with murder in her eyes. In a growl of anger, she drew her blade. There was none of her usual finesse behind her swings. She was simply swinging her sword along the most direct route to him. Each time, he knocked the blade aside with seemingly no effort. He finally kicked her back and went on the full offensive. Spinning his blade back and forth between the two ends, He cut into her over and over, each cut imbued with magical power to further the damage. Between the strikes, he would launch spells of varying elements, each striking with significant force and pushing her back. Finally, made a long cut upwards, slicing into her torso. At the same time, a purple energy flooded the ground beneath her, ripping her forcibly into the air. Flourishing his blade, Beuce delivered the deathblow.

Luminous blue petals flew through the air. With one, impossibly fast slash, he dashed into the air and cut through her. The slash mark that his blade had passed across began to shimmer, until finally it burst into an explosion of magic. Spinning his body around, he fired out all of his remaining power into a massive red-tinted beam of light from the tip of his keyblade which crushed her into the ground. Landing on the ground, he looked to the woman when the dust cleared. She lay there, bloodied and beaten. There was no question he was the victor. She, barely conscious, glared at him with hate. He stood over her, looking down, with his blade in hand.

"Get...Get it over with. Finish the job." She said to Beuce, who simply sighed, put his blade over his shoulder, and began to walk away. "Where are you going?! You've won! At least finish me!" She screamed with what little energy she had left. He shook his head, continuing to walk away.

"When I kill you, it's going to be real thing. Until then, I know that I'm strong enough to step forward." With that, a bright white light began to envelope him.

??? - Dive to the Heart​

He found himself falling through the night sky. There were stars shimmering with light all around him. He was vaguely aware of where he was. He'd been here once before. A long time ago. Once he gained a more aware sense, he looked at the stars to find that they weren't stars at all. They were shards of glass, scattered endlessly, as far as the eye could see. They shone against the endless black, making them resemble the night sky. As Beuce fell even further, he saw a circular platform of stained glass. The representation of his heart. On it was a depiction of himself, knelt over, with a world on his shoulders. Behind him, an unimaginable graveyard, with the chess piece representing a king right in the middle of it. Though, there was something odd that wasn't here last time. Standing around the platform were five ethereal, white, silhouette like figures. There were no discernible features to them, but he knew who they were. The knowledge of them was grafted into his very being.

His feet finally reached the glass of the platform. Before him, just as before, four pedestals appeared. Each one with a different weapon floating above it. A sword, invincible courge. A staff, Inner strength. A shield, Kindness to aid friends. And a spear, Agile and bold. He turned, looking at each of them. He knew that he would have to choose one, and discard another. He walked to each one, but his decision was already made. Last time, he had chosen the blade. The path of the warrior. It mattered not which weapon he took. He would walk both paths in equal strides. So, he walked over to the staff and placed his hand on it. A voice echoed in his mind. "Is this the power you seek...?" He nodded his head. It was. The staff burst into light, and imbued itself into him. Next he walked over to the shield. If he was going to obtain power, he couldn't worry about his protection. He had those he could rely on for that. He knew his job, and he intended to fulfill it. A voice echoed in his mind. "Is this the power you wish to discard...?" He nodded his head once again. The shield dissipated into light and faded away, lost forever.

Now that that was over with, he turned to the five white figures who had watched him so closely. "What is all this? Why are you here? And why are there so many broken hearts?"" He demanded. It wasn't common to demand answers out of gods, but this time he felt he would make an exception. The figures spoke in a disembodied voice. It couldn't even so much be called speaking at that point as much as the air bent to their will and vibrated in the proper way to produce sound.

"You were destined to lose your fight with Dominus." They declared.

"Thanks. Real helpful." He scoffed at them.

"Do not misunderstand. You were not chosen as the king to ensure immediate victory. You were chosen as the king to ensure survival. All these hearts that reside within you are those of your people. Ordinarily, when one dies, their soul is returned to us so that we may place it within a new life, but we were losing the war. We knew there was no way to win from the state we were in. And so, we chose you to carry us and the Umbrian people. We knew you would be able to survive. You would venture out, beyond our world, and gain new strength and allies. One day, you will return to Riven and then, the true battle will begin." The gods of Umbrel seemed sure that their plan would work. Beuce couldn't help but be angry that they let everyone die, so that they could eventually be brought back. He shook it off though. He knew they were right, and it was the only way.

"So, what happens now?"

"You do as you please. You carry us within you, but the heart belongs to you and you alone. Whether your desire be to reclaim Riven, or cast us aside. It is for you to decide."

"I think...I want to see this journey through to the end. Its become important to me. The people have become important to me. I don't want to abandon them." He told the gods. They seemed content with his answer, and began to gather their power and flood it into him.

"Then let us impart onto you a gift. We will restore that which has been lost." From the place where his right arm once was, a flood of light poured out into the shape of what used to be there. It eventually hardened, and formed into what looked like the same kind of stained glass the platform he stood on was made from. Though on it was not depictions of his heart, it was the story of his people. It showed the breaking of Riven, the world's heart being torn into two. It showed the beginnings of them, their suffering in the cold. It showed a leader rising up to guide them through it. Eventually, it showed them gathering themselves, and pushing onward toward a life. The life they made for themselves. Their history, their struggle for survival, their eventual rise from the ashes, it was a part of him now. He would carry his people forward with him.

The Day The Shadow Fell Silent​

From that day, Beuce had spent four months in the city, among his people. He knew it, in actuality, was probably not very long. It was only from his perspective that such a length of time had passed. Still, he was beginning to grow accustom to life in Umbrel once again. At times, it grew difficult to remember that he was in an illusionary world, crafted from his memories of the real thing. Partially because the illusions were so life-like and real. They spoke, walked, and behaved exactly like the real people when they had been alive. He didn't think he remembered them that well, but...Maybe part of it was that deep down, he wanted it to be real. He wanted a second chance to make something of himself here, in his home. He wanted a second chance to save his people.

Still, as the days left grew shorter, Beuce found himself more and more nervous. He could tell that his friends noticed, so he tried to distance himself from them, so as not to worry them. He knew full well that what was about to come, he'd have to face alone. Even if they wanted to help him, they couldn't. It seemed like fate itself wouldn't allow it. Honestly, if that turned out to really be the case, it wouldn't surprise him all too much. As the months went by, the days began to grow longer. Spring was approaching. Every year, they would have a festival to celebrate the coming season. To celebrate that they had made it through the harsh winter. Umbrel was a harsh and unforgiving environment, but the people believed that made them stronger. Most were beside themselves with joy about the coming festival, but Beuce greeted it only with dread.

When the day finally came, Mari came to fetch him from his room. She stood in his doorway with a scowl. "I came to make sure you didn't skip out on the festival. You've been depressed lately, i expected you to sit in your room and sulk instead of spending it with us." She said in a straight to the point tone. Beuce looked over at the woman. He didn't blame her for coming to get him. He'd considered running from today, but somehow, he knew he'd never be able to. If he ran away now, he wouldn't just be running away from his people. He'd be abandoning his friends. The ones he'd made after today. He had to face himself. He needed to reach out to truth. Pushing himself up out of the chair, he gave a smirk.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." With that, they left.

The spring festival was vibrant. One of the few times that the black city was filled with color. Sweet smells filled the air as stands were set up and lined the streets, peddling food and drink of all variety. The buildings were lined with bright floral decorations, grown and preserved from the summer of last year. Beuce walked down the street with his three friends, they laughed and made small talk together, but his focus was somewhat split. He was trying to figure out a way to stop Sorenia's massacre. The very thought of the woman frightened him to the core. Try as he might, he couldn't picture a scenario in which he triumphed over The Butcher. The eleventh hour approached all too quickly.

Finally, he heard his name called out. Darien, The leader of their nation and race beckoned him up to a stage set up in the center of the city. He was a tall, slender man with dark tan skin. His hair was smooth and short. He'd heard Mari comment on more than one occasion how attractive she found the man. The loud conversations turned to hushed ones, wondering what was going on. Beuce could barely force his legs to carry him forward. He knew what was about to happen. This was where everything went wrong. The only time he'd ever heard the entire city stand silent in shock. The day his people died. He stood next to the man who had called him, and looked out at the massive crowd of onlookers. Sweat ran down his forehead as he looked up. It was there that he saw her. The Butcher of the High Throne, Sorenia. The woman had long blonde hair, and deep red eyes. She held a crossbow, aimed at Darien. He remembered this day from when it happened. She was going to fire it, it was going to go through his throat, and the entire city would fall silent, before she and her underlings murdered them.

His legs were frozen. He couldn't bring himself to move to stop her. To push him out of the way. He couldn't even warn him. He closed his eyes, awaiting the event that sealed his fate, but it never came. He heard the whistle of the bolt zipping through the air, but there was no splatter of blood. Instead, there was a metallic clank, and he heard the arrow fall onto the ground. He opened his eyes, and in that one moment, all his worry fell away as he saw a lumpy, buck toothed smile looking at him.

"G'warsh Beuce. I was gonna let ya do this alone, but I ain't never seen ya look so scared before. Is she really that tough...?" He fell backwards with relief, and sat on the ground. He had no idea what the dog knight was doing here, but he'd never been so glad to see anyone in his life. The two didn't have any time for any catching up, because a displeased groan filled the air, and Sorenia leaped down onto the stage between them and drew her blade. Goofy stepped between her and the panicked Darien to protect him, but twelve more cloaked figures dropped next to her. Beuce drew his blade and took his position next to Goofy, but they were outnumbered. "I'll handle the others. You just handle the girl. Seems like she's got a bone t' pick with you too." Goofy said, and he was right. The Dominesian king was glaring at him. Clearly she knew who he was.

Sorenia didn't waste time with words. She simply charged and attempted to sever his head from his shoulders. As promised Goofy, with the help of Zaktus, Mari, and Alana managed to keep the others off of him. He only needed to deal with Sorenia. He gave a mental scoff. Only beat the butcher of the high throne. Right. No sweat there. He blocked her blade and pushed it off to the side, but immediately he noticed something was off. She swung again, but he stepped to the side and avoided it. Several more times, they clashed. What was going on...? Why...

She retained the offensive, striking blow after blow, but none of them managed to get through and wound her opponent. Eventually, the butcher brought the long metal blade down from an overhead swing, but Beuce brought his own up to defend against it and locked their weapons. With her sword pressed against the flat of his blade, they pushed against one another, but the same thought kept echoing through his head. Why...

Why was she so...

weak?

It was then that the realization hit him. He almost couldn't believe it, and he began to laugh. Stepping back, the Dominesian king gave him an odd look. "Is there something you find amusing, boy?" He slowly ceased to laugh, and looked at her in disbelief.

"I used to be so afraid of you...." He muttered, shaking his head.

"Excuse me?"

"You were always the stuff of my nightmares. You were an impossible force that i had to defeat. If I didn't everyone I knew and loved was doomed. An incompletable task that was thrust onto me and said 'do it or die.'. I've been going over the fight with you again and again in my head but...I can't believe i didn't realize it." Sorenia looked at him as though he were insane. She wasn't sure if there was some off the wall tactic to confuse her and create an opening, and so she kept her guard up.

"What are you babbling on about?" Beuce smirked and dropped his blade. "Giving up?" He instead extended his hand forward, and in it a long light appeared. It was a beautiful spiral of red and blue, blurring together in harmony.

"I surpassed you a long time ago. Nequa, Aux, Arma, Spectrum, even Mortimer. Next to what I've already faced, you're nothing. Barely even worth the effort." His voice let on that he wasn't lying. Hesitantly, she took a step back. It seemed like now, for the first time in her life, she was afraid. All her opponents had seen her as a threat which had to be overcome, but no one had ever dared claim that they were so laughably above her as this, and she as she looked into his eye, she knew he meant every word it. The light burst into a dual-ended sword. His keyblade. Based on the look of them, each one of the ends of it could by their own rights have been considered a keyblade, and yet, with the way the melded together, there was no question that they were a single weapon. He gripped the blade by its handle, and, at his command, the two blades sent power spiraling down the chain into the gems grafted into the keyblades handle and causing them to shine with a blur of the two colors. The once-again wielder began to resonate with an azure and crimson aura, all around his body.

"But don't make any mistake. Just because you're weaker than me doesn't mean I won't come at you with everything I've got!"

Blood of the Covenant​

Beuce walked with the others for a good while, talking with them as though no time had passed. He'd forgotten the feeling of being so beside himself with joy. He looked once more at each of his friends as they walked toward the iron fortress grafted into the side of the mountain, from there, they could pass through the mountains and head on the road to the capital city of Astaroth. The four of them had been inseparable comrades, and were a force to be reckoned with in battle. "Beuce, you're a lucky *******, you know that? This is a huge chance for you. If you win the fight with Sorenia, you single-handedly secure victory for us. " Zaktus said in the gruff voice which was typical of him. He was shortsighted and a bit zealous toward their cause, but none of them were more loyal to their race than he was.

Despite his large stature and weathered features, Zaktus was, in fact, a learned mage. Nearly the only thing which might betray his skills was the tome he carried at his belt and lack of alternative weapons. Beuce thought back to when they'd been teenagers, and saved Mari's carriage from a group of attacking bandits. Well, saved is the story they used, at least. The real turn of events was a tad different from the exaggeration they enjoyed in their minds. Beuce was falling behind Zaktus as he flung spells, only able to use a blade. Even in his weapon of choice, his skill was nothing to write home about. The two of them had seen the attack happening, and jumped into help. The bandits turned their attention to the duo and off the carriage, making the last mistake of their lives.

From the carriage, the death of the highway thieves stepped down and cleaved four of them in half with a single sweep of a massive axe. The boys, in the height of their youth, had stood awestruck as a beautiful woman, now covered in blood, stepped out. Her hair was straight until a few blonde curls fell onto her noteworthy chest. An expression on her face as though an unpleasant odor had just assault her nose. The remaining bandits encircled her in an attempt to win over her by sheer numbers, but Beuce and Zaktus stepped in to bar their path. To say the three of them fought together wouldn't be entirely true. Beuce hardly got the chance to get more than a few strikes in, as the other two had obliterated the opposition with little effort. Beuce was entranced at the overwhelming strength of Marianna, and the raw magical talent possessed by Zaktus.

To reward them for their bravery, Marianna invited them in her carriage to accompany her to the capital. They'd only just enlisted into the Umbrian army, and, as it turned out, Marianna was something of a high ranking officer. She wasn't much older than the two of them, but had excelled at martial combat beyond any expectations. To thank them, she offered to train them so as to expedite their climb through the rankings. The training was grueling, but in time, achieved the purpose. Beuce's skill with a blade now rivaled nearly anyone he met.

"Zak, you're truly a mystery. Magic is a practice that requires intense concentration and discipline. How you can be so talented and so dense at the same time is baffling." She commented in response to Zaktus' comment. "It can't possibly be as easy as 'Oh I'll just walk up and stick her with a sword. Maybe throw in a fireball or two. Job done. War over.' " She said, mimicking Beuce's voice with frightening accuracy, which incited a laugh from their other female companion.

To be honest, once he'd thought it might have actually been that easy. He could never understand how horribly ill prepared he would be for the confrontation that came upon him faster than he knew. The quartet continued conversation as they headed home, to where Beuce would have to face his destiny eventually. The trip was long, and took what seemed like days, though Beuce suspected that outside this room in the castle, mere moments had passed. Finally, in the distance, they saw the pinnacle of their achievements. Astaroth. The capital city of Umbrel. Most of their land was barely inhabitable. Alone, they were nothing, but together, anything could be achieved. This city was the most prominent symbol of that. Of the way of their people. It didn't matter what was thrown at them. Nature, Dominus, Fate? None of it would be able to break them. When they stood together against the oppressive light, the shadow they cast would stretch across the entire world. United, they would become one capable of standing against the odds. That was the way of Umbrel.

And so, under the shadow of a great rock formation that branched out into a half dome over the city from the wall behind it, stood the symbol of them. A massive city of silver and obsidian. Seeing the city once again brought back a flood of memories. There, he'd lived most of his life past childhood. There, he'd been deemed the king. The hope of their race. There, he'd failed and lost everything he sought to protect. The very concept of the king went against the ideal of their race. They were all about fighting together, and yet he'd been deemed the sole person who mattered? Beuce had always been skeptical about the idea, but welcomed a chance to defeat Dominus at the time.

His mind was brought back to when he'd met Alana. She was the last person to join their group, but she was welcomed by them as though she'd always been there. Alana was a healer, living in the city making ends meet by curing cuts and bruises and sending away sniffles. She was naturally gifted at the craft, but no one, not even her, realized it at the time. A dominesian assassin had snuck into the city once. How was beyond any of them to identify. It was the singular time such an event happened. Some people theorize that there was a hidden path underneath the city in the sewers. Some people say they managed to bribe their way in. There are a select group that even think they scaled the mountain overlooking the city, and managed to climb along the roof above and managed to drop down past the gates and guards, though that's a tad farfetched. Regardless of how, the reason why they were there became apparent to all. One of their leaders who they were tasked with guarding was attacked in the streets. A knife was shoved into his gut and pulled to slice open his belly. Beuce and his group made short work of the assassin afterwards, but the damage was done. As the man lay bleeding in the streets, no one had the knowledge or skill to step forward and help him.

Except for her. She worked the light of magic carefully around his wounds, stitching them closed and replacing lost blood. Just barely, Alana had managed to save his life, earning her recognition all around. She was brought and put to work as a healer for the army, until she was assigned to Beuce's unit. Beuce went out of his way to make the girl feel welcome, and in time, she did. She blended in with the group as though she'd been a part of it forever. It brought pain to his heart to remember the times he spent with his friends. His mind jumped forward in time. To something that hadn't happened yet in the memory he was living. His mood grew dark, but he hid it as they passed through the enormous arches of the gates.

They stepped onto the smooth black marble streets. All around were buildings made of the same dark stone, with silver metal decorating the rims and creating a shine. It was here, more than anywhere else, that their people gathered together. The gates let out immediately into the open market district of the city. Shops of all varieties lined the streets. Scents of food filled the air. The sweet smell of freshly baked pastries drifted from a shop right to their left as they walked in. People entered and left buildings near constantly, and the many conversations going on at once all blurred together into one massive noise of a crowd. Several young couples spent their day in the enjoyment of their partner's company. Seeing this place once again brought a smile to Beuce's face, and reminded him of why he picked up a sword in the first place. What was most important to him? His people.

I don't think I'll be able to make it, but happy birthday.

Well, if anything happened there, it was that Dreamer had dispelled the little remaining suspicion that he might've been plotting against them. His words were awkward, as though he were a poet trying to figure out how to use common speech. Yet, there was something of a sincerity to them. He was trying, that was for sure. He spoke of what the SOS, as they called themselves, actually stood for. The Servants of Sanctuary. Well, they hadn't done much of a good job protecting many sanctuaries lately. In fact, it seemed like everywhere they went was doomed to oblivion or worse hours after they arrived. Everything had been working out terribly for them nonstop, as though fate were trying to spite them, but he was no stranger to fate rubbing dirt in his eyes. After all, what else had his life been but that?

Beuce shook his head. If he'd learned one thing from his life, it was that complaining about your circumstances accomplished nothing. No matter how bad things got, no matter how hopeless they seemed, no matter how hopeless they were, if all you did was sit around and complain, you had the right to complain least of anyone. You had to accept things as the way they were, even if it wasn't how you wanted them. Once you did that first step, then you could start on the road to make things better. If you couldn't change things yourself, then you had no right to ask anyone else to change something for you. He continued to listen to the white robed man. Once they entered that castle, they'd find a hall of doors, and one of them would lead them to...their homeworld..? Beuce was a bit skeptical as to whether such a thing was possible or not, but nonetheletss, he didn't care. He was going to try it.

"It doesn't take much to be bigger than us. After all, we're pretty small if you ask me." He said dryly as he walked through the massive doors. Sure enough, there was a hall of doors. It was a massive hallway, possibly indicating as to the castle's actual size. He wouldn't want to go through this entire thing at the best of times, let alone without his power. As he strode through the doors, looking at each one, they had a roman numeral, indicating to a number. a few other people seemed to pick a door and enter it. It seemed arbitrary which door they chose until he reached one toward the end of the hallway, but not quite there. it read BEUCE underneath a large XXVII, He assumed most people saw their name beneath the number which alluded to them, but no one else could see who's door was who's.

He reached out and placed his fingers around the handle of the door, and stopped. The once-wielder took a deep breath. If this really did take him to a memory of his homeworld, was he ready for it? He shook the doubt from his head. Even if not, what else could he do? This was to help him regain his keyblade. If he didn't do this, then they were going to be stuck in the realm of darkness forever. To be honest, he wasn't even sure what he was fighting for. He's made friends during his time here, but he'd never really had a real driving force behind his actions. Nevertheless, the only way for him to go now was forward.

Spoiler: RIven

He pulled the handle and his face was hit by an icy wind. He raised his hands to protect himself from the snow which now filled his vision. As he adjusted to the harsh and sudden change in climate, he gradually lowered his hands to find that he was no longer inside a castle in the realm of darkness. Overwhelmed by emotion, he dropped to his knees. Tears began to well in his eyes. Snowflakes fell onto the endless frozen field, with a small fortress grafted into the mountains being the only real landmark within the immediate vicinity. He reached his hands into the snow to make sure it was real. Sure enough, the frozen white substance began to melt against the warmth of his palms, when he realized that the environment wasn't the only thing that had changed. He was the way he was on his homeworld, Riven. His arm was as though it had never been lost in the first place.

He tightened his grip and loosened it once again, inspecting the limb he suspected he'd never have the chance to move again. He'd been getting used to only having one arm, but it was needless to say he was overjoyed to have it returned to him. Pushing himself back onto his feet, he was sure that it was really what he thought it was. This was Nevren. The northern most point on their broken world. More specifically, in their half of it. The part in which they resided had been called Umbrel, because of the shadow the lived in. They had to struggle every day of their lives just to survive, but it was because of this that the bonds between them were all that much stronger. You had to cherish every moment you had with someone, because you never knew if you would get another. Tears began to run out of his eyes before a hand appeared on his shoulder. He turned around to see a red haired woman, nearly as tall as he was. He skin was smooth and had a slight purpleish tint to it. Her hair was long and straight, tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were a deep violet, that reminded him of gemstones. He knew this girl well, and the soft expression in her smile lifted up his heart. He used to have a crush on her, though he wasn't exactly subtle about it. She never quite returned his affection, but she remained a good friend to him.

Behind her stood a man and a woman, both with concerned expressions. He recognized them as well. The fourth of them together had made an inseparable quartet. They were all in the same unit because of their effectiveness and teamwork with one another. It was one thing that made them stand out and rise through the ranks as quickly as they did. He knew this was a memory of his homeworld...but when exactly was it? Obviously before the destruction, but that was still quite a lot of time. Though, right now, he just put his hand on Alana's shoulder, making sure she was really there. She was warm to the touch, and looked at him a little oddly in reaction to it. So, it really was her. He'd actually come back to Riven.

"What...What's up?" He asked her, only prompting an even more confused expression from the woman. He didn't really expect much else, but he was at a loss for words until he could compose himself a bit better and ask about the current situation of the world. Umbrel had remained unchanging for a long time. They mostly focused on survival rather than progress. The only exception was the military, where he resided. Dominus had by far the better offensive force. If they tried to simply defend themselves, it would be a death sentence. Domnius spared nothing in its path. They viewed everything as theirs by birthright, and the Umbrians were merely thieves attempting to steal away what belonged to them. They had to keep on the offensive, or else they would get overrun by the Dominesian forces quickly. The only way to keep themselves in the fight was by taking it to them, and keep the fighting away from their homeland.

"What do you mean 'What's up'? You ran off, and we came out to find you crying in the snow fields. What's wrong, Beuce? I thought you'd be thrilled about this. You're always the one trying to make a bigger impact." That more or less answered his question as to the "when" aspect. The Twin Gods Nazamier and Raun were once one being. Between them, they were the observers of fate. They each belonged to Dominus and Umbrel, respectively. Though they didn't act directly on the race's behalf, they did impart prophecy unto the people of it. When one of them saw a prophecy, the other would see the same from the opposite perspective, and they had just delivered the biggest one in history. They'd named him specifically as the "king" of the race. Though not king as you'd initially expect. King, as in the chess piece. In other words, his life was directly tied to the survival and victory of the entire race as a whole. And it declared that he would have a battle in the times to come with Sorenia, The Dominesian king. Her names was renowned and feared throughout their people. She was one of the enemy's best soldiers, and she had well earned her reputation as the Butcher of High Throne. He'd never met her himself, well, at the point in time the memory was from he hadn't, at least.

"Haha, so i did. I guess it's just a little...Overwhelming, you know? Someone just told me that me screwing up dooms literally everything i know." He said, trying and failing to hide his obvious nervousness in speaking to her. He couldn't help but be nervous. She was dead. She'd been dead for a long time. It was almost like he was speaking to a ghost, one that didn't know it was dead yet. For all intents and purposes, he may as well have been. Yet, she was certainly solid. No transparency or even sheets over her head with holes for eyes. The Alana before him was real, or at least, as real as she could get. She made a displeased face at him.

"Beuce, don't be so pessimistic. You aren't one to look at they grey behind the silver. Come on, its not as though you'll be alone. You'll have us to help you, and you'll probably start special training sessions with the general herself to prepare you for the fight. You won't have to do anything by yourself. You'll win, I'm sure of it. No butcher will be able to stand a chance against us." Her sincere smile shattered his heart with regret. She really believed in him. She always had...

"Yeah...That's right..." He said, avoiding eye contact. She wouldn't have any of that and made him look directly at her. Her violet eyes complimented her skin. He was entranced by them for a moment, but he soon came to realize that she did this for a reason. Clearly she was expecting a less wishy-washy answer, and wouldn't accept anything less. "Right, sorry." He cleared his throat and shook himself into his normal demeanor. "I, Beucephilous Alexander, the chosen king and hero of Umbrel, will secure victory for us once and for all. I could even do it with one hand. I'm good with that sort of thing, you know?" He said with a semi-playful tone in his voice. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, as she normally did with his antics. "And once i have, We can go to Domnius as we like. I hear it's nice this time of year."

"It's always nice in Domnius. That's the point of Domnius."

"Still doesn't make it wrong." She let out a deep sigh and shook her head at him.

"Why do i talk to you?" She muttered.

"Could it have something to do with my dashing good looks? My witty personality? My leaderly presence on the battlefield?"

"Pity?" The man in dark clothes behind her chimed in, marking the first time either of the other two had spoken during the conversation.

"That's the one." She noted, and they all began to laugh. It was as though nothing had ever happened. Things were exactly the way they used to be. He knew it would only be transient but...for right now...He was home.

As the two former wielders were on the path to their destination, Beuce sighed. He wasn't sure if it was relief or worry. On one hand, the guy in the white coat told them to "follow the becon when they were lost in darkness.". If there was a beacon in this place, there was no doubt as to what it was. Though on the other hand, they'd played into the bad guys' hands the whole time. Who's to say they weren't doing it again?

Though, it seemed like kind of a moot point to go so far as to set up a trap when they were cast into darkness and powerless already. They may have been trying to beat Dreamer to the punch by setting up a fake beforehand, but if that were the case...Beuce groaned. "Ah, to hell with it. I'm overthinking this. If it's a trap, we don't really have any alternative. If it's not. Whoop-de-doo. Either way there's not much we can do but go towards it." He said more to himself than Kel.

It wasn't long before they approached their destination. The front of an enormous castle. It looked pretty spooky and ominous. Perfectly like a villain lair. Not so surprisingly, several of his other comerades were there as well. Looks like they weren't the only one "So, let me guess, you want us to go in there?" He said to Dreamer, without turning his gaze down from the castle. After a second, he looked at the man in the white coat and the cornerstone. "Well, looks like you didn't let us down so far. We're kind of in short supply of help these days, so I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Staying stuck in here doesn't exactly strike me as a jolly time. So, lay the details on us. What can we expect in there and how will it help us?" Beuce said to him

Man, Beuce was exhausted. It had been one hell of a long day. Especially considering he wasn't really sure when the day started. "God, this sucks. Like, i know we're in the realm of darkness and all, but i didn't think there would be THIS MUCH DARKNESS. You know what i mean? Like, in the realm of light, we have nighttime. Why doesn't the realm of darkness have a daytime? This is why people think destroying darkness means balance. Because this place just will not compromise." Needless to say, Beuce was not enjoying his stay in the realm of darkness. Kel was a pretty cool guy, but he didn't make for much of a conversation partner one on one. First they'd tried playing I-spy, but the only thing they could find was a lot of darkness and the path in front of them. Then they'd tried chatting about possible affections for the fairer sex, but Kel was a pretty mellow guy. Didn't really have much feeling towards any of the girls in their group. Come to think of it, lately neither did he.

"Man, at least in asmodae we had, you know, normal day and night cycles. Which considering we were on a broken planet that's actually kind of odd now that i think of it." Beuce cupped his chin in between the finger and thumb of his singular hand, pondering the oddity that was the hours on his late homeworld. He looked up. What he wouldn't give for some light- oh hey a giant pillar of light. "How long has that been there...?" He asked Kel, indicating to it. "I guess the guy in white didn't let us down after all." He set off toward it. If they were going to get anywhere, that would be a good place to start.

As long as i still get my job...
I literally almost threw the fight for that