Kingdom Hearts: The 13th Requiem [PG-13/Not Accepting]

[Phantom Roxas]

[url=http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/294540-kingdom-hearts-the-13th-requiem-pg-13nsa/](Out-of-Character Thread)[/url]

"I will need more recruits," Kreix said to himself. The Dusks were rushing off the castle, their shambling bodies floating through the air. Kreix doubted any of them would survive, though. The castle was hundreds of feet below the ground. Even if they survived the fall, it would be a pathetic sight watching them climb up. He decided to return to the castle and see who among them could survive.

Opening a Corridor of Darkness, Kreix entered the Hall of Empty Melodies. Much to his surprise, there was someone else in the castle. Not a mere Dusk, but someone who looked like a human. Was this person truly a human, or another Nobody just like Kreix? Kreix decided not to antagonist his guest, and approached them with open arms.

[Mugendramon]

The castle was ominous, even in ruins. Marcos held tightly to the strap of the bag hitting his back. Whatever those things that had pointed him this way, they were obviously pointing at this place for him to find. The nobody took a few steps into the crumbled fortress.

After several minutes of exploring, he began to notice a symbol repeating itself throughout the castle. This symbol was not unlike a heart. However, it seemed that the peculiar shapes were all pointed up, instead of how one would expect a heart to look like. It also seemed that the upper side of the symbol was a cross, of sorts, as the elongated point of the heart was crossed with a double-sided arrow...

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"OW!"[/font] Marcos suddenly felt something sting his back. He quickly dropped the pack, and opened it. Inside were a few assorted garments, though none of them seemed particularly useful. They mostly looked like gear one would wear against the cold.

But that was not what caught the man's eye. Extending through the entire length of the bag, was a white sword. Edged on only one side, its guard... resembled the symbol found around the castle. One of the points extending to the side had stung his back. [font=comic sans ms,cursive]"What... what is this... Where IS this place?"[/font]

Then he remembered. [font=comic sans ms,cursive][i]The silver and grey... [b]things[/b] that pointed me in this direction! They had this symbol on their heads as well! I need answers. I need to know what the hell is going on. [/i][/font]

Then around came a man. He was coated in black, with a hood pulled over his head. And he creepily approached Marcos with his arms outstretched. Marcos took a step back, and put the sword up despite being completely unaware of how to use it.

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"Not another step! Who are you!"[/font]

[The Warden]

A Corridor of Darkness formed in the Hall of Empty Melodies, and Haxz exited it. [font=georgia, serif]"Hey Kriex, I got few questions about the living arrangements and- Umm, do you guys need a moment?"[/font]

It seems he had walked in on one of Kriex' creepy moments again, as he was trying to hug, or possibly rape someone. Haxz took a few cautious steps back before addressing the situation. The stranger (or daterape victim) was holding a blade rather defensively at the Superior, but, the look on his face seemed to indicate confusion, rather than malice. He didn't look to sure about his own weapon either; this could only mean one thing. [font=georgia, serif]"Interesting, it appears we got another one. What's your name stranger?"[/font]

[Mugendramon]

A new figure appeared. But... [font=comic sans ms,cursive][i]O-out of nowhere...![/i][/font]

Marcos had a panic attack. He swung his blade away from the first hooded figure, and pointed it to the recently appeared one. [font=comic sans ms,cursive]"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"[/font]

His arms were shaking in fear, and all he could do was step back. The second man asked for his name. Though reluctant at first, Marcos slowly let his fear subside. Sword still held tightly between his hands, his lips split open. [font=comic sans ms,cursive]"M-M-Marcos is the name. But more importantly, who are you two? And that shadow you came out of... wh-what was that?"[/font]

[The Warden]

Haxz lowered his hood, freeing his hair, which had been unmoved by the hood (translation, too much hair gel). He walked forward and held out a friendly hand to Marcos. [font=georgia, serif]"I'm Haxz, and the guy trying to ra- embrace you is Kriex, better known as the Superior. And that shadow I came from is our transport system, called the Corridors of Darkness. Now, about you: Seeing as you're here on this world; what is the [i]very[/i] last thing you remember before appearing here? Do you at all remember strange beings of darkness and shadow that attacked where you lived, more to the point that you recall being in a pit of darkness before you willed yourself out of it?"[/font]

[Mugendramon]

Marcos listened to the man's words, and upon mentioning beings of darkness, he dropped the blade and kneeled on the ground.

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"M-my home... my fiancée... the... the CREATURES! The... the void?"[/font] The boy began to relive the screams of rage and agony that had pulled him out of the abyss. And he repeated them. The screech was loud, but it soon subsided.

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"I remember... I remember those things. Eating me alive. Eating [i]her[/i] alive. But... she turned into one of those monsters. Why did I not? How is it that I'm still here, alive... and that she became one of, of THOSE [i]things[/i]?!"[/font]

[The Warden]

Oh great, the new guy was already traumatised, and he hadn't even listened to Kriex yet. He raised his hands to calm Marcos down. [font=georgia, serif]"Those creatures are called Heartless. They're made from darkness and go around to worlds to steal Hearts from beings, which then create more Heartless. See, when your wife's Heart was taken, her body faded into darkness whilst her Heart became a new Heartless. You on the other hand, got lucky... or unlucky, depending on how you look at it. See, you are, well, not meant to exist. Like the rest of us, you are now a Nobody. A Body and a Soul, without a Heart. See, right now, you aren't actually angry or distressed, you just think you are. You actually have absolutely no feeling whatsoever since your Heart in question, is now another Heartless. So, welcome to the club Marcos, or, whatever you'll soon be called."[/font]

[Phantom Roxas]

Kreix removed removed his food, revealing a face with neck-length black hair and dark shades. Alas, Haxz had introduced him to their guest. Kreix was intrigued by the man begging to hear for his fiancé. Kreix knew very well how to take advantage of that cry for help.

"[b]Kreix[/b]," he corrected. "[b]Kreix[/b], Haxz. The sooner you remember that, the sooner we'll get things done. Anyway, Marcos? Yes, what my friend has told you is correct. Without a heart, you a simply recalling what you would feel in this sort of situation. However, I do know the pain you suffer. I too have lost a loved one - two, in fact. Before I became what what we are, my dear wife Beatrice and our beautiful daughter Alice were to be lost to the Heartless. I am searching for answers to where they may be, but I fear I must assume the worst, as should you. But do not despair, Marcos. You see, there is a place called Kingdom Hearts. It is the heart of all worlds, and with it, we can bring back those we have lost. Interested?"

[Mugendramon]

The men both took of their hoods. But, after that explanation... they weren't men, were they. Marcos looked at his own hands, with tears which now felt plastic falling on his hands. [font=comic sans ms,cursive][i]That means I am not a human either, am I...[/i][/font]

This man, Kreix. He had lost his family to the... Heartless, as well. He seemed very fatherly, despite his young appearance. And he spoke of resurrection. He spoke of... [font=comic sans ms,cursive][i]Kingdom Hearts? [/i]"What kind of name is Kingdom Hearts? That sounds like plural, but you're clearly talking singular..."[/font]

Marcos very quickly noticed that, his fear and confusion had disappeared. There was suddenly no place for that anymore in his hea- No. No heart to place those things anymore. He shook his head.

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"So suppose what you're saying is true and you can bring my loved ones back. How exactly can a confusingly-named place do something like that? More importantly... this sword..." [/font]The man crouched to pick up the blade, and turned it around with his hand to examine it; [font=comic sans ms,cursive]"This is no normal blade, is it? What was it doing with me? And this symbol... those things that led me here, they had this symbol on their foreheads. Were they Heartless too?"[/font]

[The Warden]

Haxz shook his head. [font=georgia, serif]"My guess is that those guides of yours were Nobodies too. Whilst we are also Nobodies, we kept human form. Others, aren't as lucky. Those that aren't human are the Lesser Nobodies, which are subservient to us. Dusks are the pretty common sort; they appear as jumpsuit-like creatures that float about like empty bags. However, there are also Elite Nobodies that serve each specific members of the Organization. My Elites are called the Deadbeats, whilst Kreix's are called he Paladins. When you settle in, you'll most likely get your own sect to control. As for your sword, it probably has something to do with your element. All members of the Organization possess control over a specific element. I hold domination over Luck, and Kreix controls Time. As for the Kingdom Hearts bit, Kreix will fill you in."[/font]

[Love of Ghibli]

Nerhyx, thought that isn't his formal name yet, was busy wondering the forest like he had been for the past two months in what seemed to be the clothing of the uppercrust. He had on a suit with a nice tweed trench coat that blended nicely with the autumn leaves. He kept looking around trying to make sense of his surroundings but this forest was weird. It held nothing but thin eerie black trees. This was certainly disconcerting and unfortunately no nobodies had located him yet.

After a little searching his found a gap where all the trees seemed to be facing each other. He looked in the middle of these circle of trees and he soon saw that the bark was exposed in the center. Not only that, there were pictures on each piece of exposed bark. These pictures seemed to represent holidays, Nerhyx was glad he could remember that much. While he had become quite famished thanks to barely eating for two months he figured that the tree with the green Christmas tree on it was a nice place to start. He wondered how to activate the tree though. Was it a wish upon a stat scenario or what?so he did the one logic thing he could think to do, touch it. The bark fell in and he realized it was a door. [i]Well that was underwhelming[/i] he thought to himself. Once he went through the door however it was another story entirely he was in a winter wonderland.

"Amazing!" he said out loud as he ran to house known as Santa's workshop to get out the cold. While running took in all of the sites and giant oversized toys. He then peeked into the window and saw little elves making toys for all the young girls and boys. Not knowing what to do he let himself in. At first the elves were shocked at how this intruder, but wasn't the first, or second, or third time this has happened to them so the surprise doesn't really happen as much as used to. Needless to say Henry as he still calls himself explained his situations. Ironic that the elves at Santa's workshop knew more about the heartless than the man who got attacked by the Heartless, but Henry had been on Santa's nice list for a while so it was okay to feed him.

Eventually Henry met Santa, because that is the only human-esque creature here so it just made sense and while they were chatting about the Heartless, stories that creeped Henry out to no end, their conversation got interrupted. The dusk had appeared right in the middle of Santa's living room. Henry was alarmed at this event. Santa...admittedly not so much this was beginning to become a little routine. Santa prepared for combat, but Henry quickly stepped in the way. Henry was entertaining the notion of serving Santa for the rest of his natural life so defending the plump one was natural. He called forth his cane sword and prepared for combat. But it was at that moment both Santa and Henry tilted there heads for a second. They both noticed how Henry summons his weapon similar to how the dusk appear. The Dusk didn't move though, they were just floating and waiting. It was quite odd. Henry went to slash one but they just moved out of the way. They didn't counter attack they just moved.

"Okay, well if they outnumber us then I shall even the odds." Henry turned his cane sword into and umbrella sword and called forth the Gentlemen. Santa was mortified and while it took Henry a second he saw the similarities. The weird heart-esk symbol on the enemy was on the hats of the Gentlemen. What an odd feeling this must have been for him. He turned to Santa as they both knew this was goodbye. Santa more saddened than Henry because Santa knows Henry's probably not going to be on the Nice list for a while. Henry and his Gentlemen walked into the Corridor of Darkness with the Dusks. When they came out...well only Henry came out on the other end by himself. It seems that there was already a strange conversation going on between two figures in blacked and a semi-confused man with a sword. Henry thought it best not to interrupt and maybe wait his turn.

[Phantom Roxas]

"I understand your confusion," Kreix assured Marcos. "As I have said, it is the heart of all worlds. As such, it is the place from which all hearts are born, and the place where they shall also return to. Simply put, it is a kingdom of hearts. This castle once belonged to a group of Nobodies known as Organization XIII. They were thirteen Nobodies - completely human in appearance like us - who sought to attain the power of Kingdom Hearts, but they were not successful. With your help, we can pick up where they left off. But to do this, we must do things we would never have dreamt of when we were whole. Your heart is out there, somewhere Marcos. No, perhaps not Marcos. You must understand everything. I was once named Erik, but look at what I have become. As a Nobody, I have been reborn. And so have you. You are no longer the Marcos you once knew. You are now someone else entirely. Do you accept that?"

[Kidd Buu]

Xelo found himself in front of a castle after following a strange silver creature he followed. He entered the castle cautiously looking around, no one was in sight. Xelo started to poke around going from room to room. "Why is this castle here? Is this where I'll find my answers?" While poking around he heard someone yell. Walking slowly towards the noise , he peaked around the corner he saw it was coming from a man surrounded by two others in black coats.

Not knowing their intentions he stayed hidden listening to their conversation. Hearing scraps of information about something called kingdom hearts and recovering lost ones. "If my mother is truly gone could this "Kingdom Hearts" bring her back?" He though to himself. Wanting to know more about Kingdom Hearts he stayed behind the corner listening for more vital information.

[Phantom Roxas]

Two silver centaurs appeared behind Henry and Xelo, holding their lances - which they hand in place of a left hand - by the two eavesdroppers' necks. They grunted, which caught Kreix's attention, who chuckled at the arrival the soldiers whose faces were helmets with the symbol of Nobodies emblazoned on it like the Dusks. "It appear I did not need to search for recruits after all. Tell me, who are you two? You see, Marcos? These are my loyal Paladins. They will do as I command, as will the group of Nobodies you choose shall serve you." Kreix approached the paladins, who were keeping the Henry and Xelo where they stood. He looked up and down at the two of them. An old man and a young one. Quite the contrast, although the younger man didn't seem to be much younger than Haxz.

Below the symbol on one Paladin's face, three slits appeared, arranged vertically. They appeared to be zippers, and they moved as words that had an echo to them were heard. "My liege, what do you wish for us to do with these two?"

"Let them go," Kreix said. "You may leave us. See if those Dusks I sent for have made it here yet."

"We did," the other Paladin said. "The Gamblers actually took bets on it as they scurried up. All ten of the Dusks have been accounted for."

"They all made it? Good to hear. Now then, return to your duties."

The paladins turned away, their lance-arms no longer pointed at the two.

"Would the two of you like to introduce yourselves?"

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Lightning is having enough of of these robotic Heartless. For who knows how long, she has been jumping from point to point on the Tangled Continuum, which isn't so much as one world but a string of possible future worlds created due to multiple time paradoxes, all centering around the mysterious Robinson family and a young man named Lewis. An enigmatic figure wearing a sentient bowler hat is in league with the Heartless, utilizing one of the versions of this world for his own benefit. In between the period Lightning is in now and a future period, the man with the bowler hat opens the door to the heart of the world, resulting in parts of the Continuum being lost to the Heartless, but other possible tangents remain. She blasts one of the Clanker Heartless with her Blazefire Saber, only to swiftly convert it into its Blade Mode to take out a Rustbucket, a much larger mechanical Heartless. Curiously, all of these Heartless seem to be made from scrap and spare parts, as if they were failed iterations of inventions that succeeded. That would fit the theme of the Continuum, this world of possibilities, could bes, maybes, and what ifs. If only someone could help her resolve this debacle...

[Mugendramon]

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"Reborn..."[/font]

Once again, Marcos was dumbfounded. [font=comic sans ms,cursive][i]Hearts are suddenly the source of all evil? And are the key to resurrecting people? That sounds [/i][i][b]extremely [/b]cheesy. But these guys, they're so shady and living in a castle like this. Appearing from shadows and whatnot. They mean business. And so do [b]I[/b].[/i][/font]

Marcos looked up at the man with the shades and opened his mouth to agr- he was gone. Marcos quickly turned around to see a pair of humans, of completely different ages, halted by more of the silverish creatures, this time shaped like centaurs and armed with rather scary lances.

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"So, if I get this straight; [i]we[/i]'re Nobodies. [i]They[/i]'re Nobodies. [i]What[/i] exactly dictated that I remain human and not them? And... what exactly grants you control of them?"[/font] As skeptical as he could get.

He turned to Haxz. [font=comic sans ms,cursive]"This whole business doesn't make much sense on paper, does it?"[/font]

[The Warden]

Haxz shrugged. [font=georgia, serif]"It takes a while to understand it fully, but hey, I don't find much troubles with not having a heart. You're not weighed down by remorse, regret or any of that negative stuff unless you choose to be, which of course we don't. As for the different in Nobody forms, the difference was willpower and how strong your Heart truly was. Me, when I lost my heart, I was fed up with the s**t hand life had dealt. I simply refused to fade into darkness like that. By sheer willpower, I resurfaced as a Greater Nobody. The difference between Lessers and Greaters is that we Greaters have a human form, but, more importantly, we still carry our memories. We can remember what it was like to have a Heart. The Lessers are mere cannon fodder compared to us. We can fling them around with impunity, as Kreix would put it. But, I think it's about time Kreix gave you your new name."[/font]

[ListenToLife]

[font=courier new,courier,monospace]"At least three new presences have been reported, Sir." [/font]

[font=courier new,courier,monospace][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"What rank?"[/font][/font]

[font=courier new,courier,monospace][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][font=courier new,courier,monospace]"Possibly human...sir."[/font][/font][/font]

[font=courier new,courier,monospace][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][font=courier new,courier,monospace][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"Human ranks....? Dammit, seems like he's recruiting. He cant possibly be thinking of...."[/font][/font][/font][/font]

[font=courier new,courier,monospace][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][font=courier new,courier,monospace][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][font=courier new,courier,monospace]".....Sir?"[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

A group of three dusks, merely scouts, rushed after their master. Their slim bodies seemed to merely bend through the air, and what came out of their zipper-like mouths was not speech, but more of the echo of silence, formed into words. They were nothing more than shells...husks that still held onto reality. They 'spoke' in unison, as if each one was no more than part of a whole. And they all chased after this one person.

This one man paid little attention to them; they had told them what he needed to know, and they had done their duty as his subordinates. He had business to attend to. With a click of his fingers, three nobodies appeared along side him, each much more threatening and powerful than the Dusks. At their appearence, the dusk slaves stopped and fled, and these brawlers became the human-like nobody's entourage. The stood just a little shorter than him, and had a very muscular tone. Their arms were slightly disproportionate to their bodies, but this only made them look more threatening.

The humanoid himself was possibly the most terrifying of the lot. He wore a cold stare that showed little mercy, but hid a small sparkle; the knowledge of the stars, the skies, the heavens. The power of [i]space[/i]. But currently, he had his mind focussed on other things. He wore an open, black jacket, its hood framing his face similar to that of the organisation of old, though his face was not hidden in darkness. Beneath this, he wore no top, his scarred, muscular torso needing no coverage.

He furrowed his brow and turned around a corner, opening a door that appeared around said corner, and stepped out into the darkened streets of Dark City, ruined and rotted by age. The once neon lights had gone dark, and all that illuminated the paths was the faint glow of the heart-shaped moon, a hollow, fragmented shell of its original form.

[font=courier new,courier,monospace]"Do you wish us to send a group up to confront these intruders, my lord?"[/font] One of the Brawlers asked, his faded 'voice' emanating from the air around him, for no mouth could be seen.

"No." This 'lord' commanded. "I've been too lax these last 10 months. I have ruled this city for 60 years, and this intruder came uninvited and has gathered forces. I cannot allow others to go in my place. Only us 4 shall meet these people. Should it come to a fight, I am confident enough in my abilities." He added, shrugging his shoulders and approaching the large, ruined castle of the old Organisation. A broken spire, perhaps one of the top most, lay next to the road leading to the new entrance, and the Humanoid nobody laid a soft hand on the white stone as he passed it.

[font=courier new,courier,monospace]"Lord Lexamus...surely if we..." [/font]The nobody started, his advice cut short by a simple wave of the hand from Lexamus.
"Five human-rank nobodies, and you think you could win? I would think that even all 20 of you, my top Brawlers, would struggle to defeat such power; if you could even defeat them." Lexamus explained, walking up to the new entrance to the Castle, a large set of doors, that towered above him. His knuckles rapped against the cold stone of the doors three times, before retreating back to Lexamus' sides, while he awaited a response.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

[center][i][url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIka45qSyFA]Final Distance ~ Utada Hikari[/url][/i][/center]

[color=#daa520][i]Another set of kids...even parents have disappeared...the hell is going on?[/i][/color] Trevor thought, as he sighed, drowning out the outside world by immersing himself in his headphones. Something was just wrong about this entire situation....but he couldn't do anything...how could he? He slouched a bit on the building's roof he sat on, watching the sunrise over the horizon. [color=#daa520][i]I shouldn't worry about it...but something is telling me to find out how to help them. Heh, there's nothing I can do to help out...[/i][/color] He sighed again as he walked onto the roof and headed down the staircase.

Trevor strutted down the streets of New York, still immersed within his music. A few guys his age told him that with all the music he listened to, he could start being a concert conductor, and even showing people how to let the music flow from the heart. ...This, although was a great idea to Trevor, felt like there was something more he could do...just unsure what that was. As he continued to walk, he paused as he slowly removed his headphones, looking up at the building he paused in front of: Balthazar Blake's Fantasy Game Shop. He had heard about this shop before from a bunch of people....but he was reluctant to visit it at first. But, he was here now...so...hell what would be the harm of checking it out!

He walked inside the shop as the bell ringed through the door. [color=#daa520]"Hello? Is anyone here?"[/color] Trevor asked, looking around inside the shop.

[Mugendramon]

Marcos rubbed his chin for a moment. The idea of a new name didn't please him.

[font=comic sans ms,cursive]"Why should I change my name? I'm perfectly fine with the one I have. And If I am to draw conclusions from all this nonsense about Nobodies, it'd probably end up being something stupid sounding, like Omcraxs. Who the hell would want to be called that?"[/font]

After a minute of quiet, he looked up at Haxz again. [font=comic sans ms,cursive]"All that aside... I remember how I got out of that void. I was fading, my mind was going blanks. But then I heard my own screams. My own anger trying to pull me out of this abyss. I... let it. I felt my fall stopping, then... passed out? I'm not sure that's what it really was. But when I opened my eyes, I was in the forest not far from here. And I had those monsters burned into my memory. Can still see them. But now that I think of it, I saw two kinds of them. Some were large, roughly humanoid. They had claws. The other, the one my loved one turned into... it was small, somehow less intimidating. Yet very ominous. What caused that difference? Were they even the same... Heartless, you said they were called?[/font]

[Kidd Buu]

While listening from the corner Xelo felt something on his neck he turn his head a little and saw a silver centaur. [i]"What is this?"[/i] he thought to himself seeing another centaur holding another man hostage who seemed a lot older than the rest. Xelo dared not to move knowing the centaur would probably kill him if he did. He heard a chuckle from around the corner followed by foot steps. One of the three men had walked up to him and the other man who was captured by a centaur. The monsters asked their master what to do with them though he didn't show emotion Xelo hoped they wouldn't kill him, he still had to find answers, though he could care less what they did with the old man. The mystery man told the centaurs to let them both go after a conversation with their master they removed their weapons from their necks. [i]"What now?" [/i]The man asked them their names, knowing this man was probably the only way he would get answers he answered the man. "My name is Xelo."

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Suddenly, as Lightning dispatched the last of these Heartless, a swirling blue portal opened up several meters behind her. She turned to see a Tesseract, a by-product of the lack of a coherent timestream in this world. Parts of the city, displaced only by time and not by space, could intersect, allowing for two moments to connect and form bridges between time periods. In one district in the not-too-distant future, Lightning saw what would happen if these Tesseracts got out of control, as a future version of the district actually merged with its past equivalent, with disastrous consequences that were too disturbing to worry about at the moment. What was worrisome was the figure emerging from the Tesseract. She had on a pinstripe suit with a red tie and a white undershirt, as well as black shoes and gloves. A black bowler hat with a glowing red eye emerging from it was placed on top of her head, and she had a vacant look because of the hat's influence. But she had the same braid of pink hair, the same shade of blue in her eyes, and the same fair skin as her past self.
This future Lightning readied her gunblade, a different model from the present Lightning's own, and intoned. [color=#DE5285]"I have been sent here to eliminate you on the orders of my master."[/color] Her counterpart looked at her and wondered. [color=#FF69B4]"You do know that, by defeating me, you erase your own existence?"[/color] The assailant didn't flinch or even acknowledge on an emotional level that this was true as she raised her weapon. [color=#DE5285]"That information is irrelevant."[/color] The future Lightning fired at the present Lightning, while the present Lightning just barely dodged and returned fire, noticing that her weapon had a slower rate of fire than her doppleganger's. Lightning snapped her fingers and activated her GravCon, sending her flying backwards. The mind-controlled Lightning follows suit and activates her own GravCon unit, pursuing her past version. Lightning flipped her sword open to steer herself away from the rounds her opponent was firing, as well as to dodge parked cars and other obstacles. After falling for a bit, she saw the stairs leading down to a subway station, and slipped down the underhang, which acted like a slide for her and broke her fall. Her pursuer did the same thing, though Lightning managed to switch back to normal gravity to try and catch her off-guard. The attempt was unsuccessful, as the Lightning with the bowler hat countered by activating her own sword. The two of them danced across the platform in a deadly waltz, metal clanging against metal, but the fight was not in the present Lightning's favor. Clearly, there was a slight age difference between the two, as well as a gap in skill, as the current Lightning could not land a hit on her future self, while she took several scrapes and cuts.
Finally, Lightning heard something that gave her hope. She started leading her foe towards the edge of the platform, hoping to push her back. The brainwashed Lightning had an inkling of what her past self had in store, but she played along, as their dance was about to come to an end. In her frantic hurry, the present Lightning left a brief enough opening for the future Lightning to seize, and the blower hatted soldier stabbed her regular counterpart in the chest. Lightning stood there in shock as blood started to pool around the wound, but she gathered the last of her energy and pushed her attacker back, then kicked her in the chest, sending the future Lightning over the edge...and into the path of an oncoming subway train. For a brief moment, the bowler hat came off, and the future Lightning actually displayed a look of horror upon her face before exploding into a shower of green orbs and yellow tetrahedrons.
The wounded Lightning grimaced as she slowly pulled her opponent's weapon from her gut, which instantly became more green spheres and yellow prisms. The green spheres started to move from their resting places on the platform and on the tracks up to her, healing the hole in her torso, as well as the other wounds she received and the damage done to her clothes, while the yellow tetrahedrons also floated to her and became Munny, and quite a sizable amount, for all of the effort. Now rejuvenated, Lightning stowed her weapon in its holster and walked out of the subway station, hoping the Tesseract was still open. Maybe she still had a shot at ending this insanity once and for all. As she climbed the stairs, Lightning pondered, as she did with all of the other Lightnings she had killed, whether that truly was her fate. Did she actually just murder herself, and created a closed loop from which there was no escape? Or was that merely a possibility, a way that her life here could have turned out? Either way, she didn't want to dwell on it. She had to escape from this nightmare, so she could resume her search for her sister. She briefly whispered [color=#FF1493]"Serah..."[/color] before heading off to the Tesseract.

[Love of Ghibli]

Henry was struck in awe with the mighty centaur beast had bound him. So many new things in such a little time. Now not to be rude Henry had every intention of telling this imposing cloaked figure his name it was just that one with the sword and the other hooded fellow were having such a detailed conversation and Henry was still trying to listen in on it. He learned that apparently and his Gentlemen are called "Nobodies" creatures that have lost their hearts to darkness and are the remaining husk. It was odd not having a heart, or more accurately to power to feel emotions. Well Henry felt some emotions he was saddened that he doesn't have heart, he was saddened to think that his family may not have gotten away. At the same time however he was a little happy to know a little more about himself. It seems that he had stalled long enough and the other man who was held captive standing next to him.

"Um my name is Hen..."He remembered the part about getting new names its seems that the letter X had to be involved. "Its uh Neeerrr...hyx? Yes Nerhyx that's my name." It was then that he heard loud banging on the door. It seems company had arrived.

[The Warden]

Haxz ignored Kreix's shenanigans, and focused on Marcos. [font=georgia, serif]"Heartless come in a lot of varieties, usually based on the worlds themselves. It's some sick joke they'd probably find funny if any of them acted beyond instinct. The Heartless that attacked you are Neoshadow Heartless, evolved forms of the little ones your wife became, which are just called Shadows. Shadows aren't all that threatening, but the Neos, you have to watch out for them. They're a lot smarter than your average Shadow, and can employ group tactics to bring people down."[/font]

The loud banging resonated through the castle, and Haxz looked off in it's direction. He then looked back to address Kreix. [font=georgia, serif]"Want me to get that?"[/font]

[Kōsuke Ueki]

Walking alongside one of the less-busy streets of Manhattan, Ryan Jameson, a foster child ever since the age of 10, had a lot on his mind. But hey, when doesn't he have a lot on his mind? True, he knows that one line from one of the Lord of The Rings movies that was said by Gandalf (Though its escaping his mind at the moment) about focusing on the present, but ever since his 10th birthday, he can never forget what happened. He remembers it so vividly, he could write an essay at the least, the most being a book, about all of the days that went towards planning for his 10th birthday up until the moment when his door was broken down and his father was shot through the chest without hesitation, his mother getting the same result, and Ryan being knocked out cold and having his life spared. But just seeing what happened to him just brings a bad taste in his mouth. So he might still dwell on this nightmare of the past, but what he has planned ahead for him are currently two things:[list=1]
[*]Find some form of inspiration to create his first novel and start off his possibly fluctuating and random career.

[*]Take advantage of his new interest, Fantasy Games, and head straight for the only store that specializes in it
[/list]
A few minutes later, he finally made it to that out-of-place shop that peaked his interests. "[color=#b22222]'Balthazar Blake's Fantasy Game Shop', huh?[/color]" he asked himself. "[color=#b22222]This should be interesting...[/color]" he said to himself as he moved up to the door. He then began to open the door, and made sure that there was someone at the cashier desk before taking in the scenery inside. He didn't see anybody at the desk, so he walked in and tried to get a better look for any sign of life. "[color=#B22222]Hell-[/color]" he almost called out when he noticed someone else here. [color=#b22222][i]And I thought I'd be the only one calling out for signs of life.[/i][/color] he thought.[color=#b22222] [i]Good thing I'm not alone here.[/i][/color] He then walked up to the other teen in the shop. "[color=#b22222]What's up?[/color] [color=#B22222]Nice to know someone else is interested in this kind of stuff.[/color]" He then stretched his hand, gesturing for a handshake. "[color=#B22222]Name's Ryan. What's yours?[/color]"