Post by Prythian on Jul 21, 2010 10:24:04 GMT -5
In this, my fourth journal, I make my first entry with an alarming discovery.
The balance of power has shifted. The light is now stronger than the darkness, and Heartless are becoming rarer. Perhaps even more disturbing is that most of the denizens of darkness seem to be powerless to stop this, due to having been defeated already by the warriors who are responsible for this upwelling. There are exceptions, but I sense that it is my turn to step forth. The light shone brighter the closer it stepped to light. Now it is time for the darkness to deepen in response.
I have few targets. Some shine greater than others.
The first and most obvious targets are the Keybearers. There are more Keyblades appearing. I will hunt down and kill those who are just chosen, destroying them and at the very least making that Keyblade disappear, if not outright destroying it with the heart it has chosen. They will find themselves unable to defend themselves, especially at a young age. I have misgivings about this, but I do what I must.
The next greatest targets are the denizens of the so-called ‘Radiant Garden’. A world of bright light once, it fell into darkness, and now those living on it have worked tirelessly to regain that light. I will destroy the results of their efforts and send them into darkness.
If the Keybearer King begins to lead the fight, he will become a top-priority target. The Cornerstone of Light is a powerful protection, and it is not unfeasible that he could turn it into a powerful weapon. This must not be allowed to happen.
My efforts will not be for naught, this time. My methods will place me as a villain of unforgivable proportions. Even others in the darkness may despise me for what I do. But I do what I must.
What happened that time must not happen again. My mercy will not cripple me as it once did before.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Journal 4, 3rd Entry.
It eases me to ask questions of you, Father, and to confide my worries to you, even though you will not receive any of these journals until my death. And my worries, and questions, are grave indeed.
Is it wise to follow their will when you doubt whether they are correct? I know the answer you would give is yes, because of what they are. Yet, this plan... the end results are exactly what my ideals and goals under them have been. Do the ends justify the means? Again, you would say, in regards to them, the answer is yes.
Serving under them lets me know them deeper than mere legends, and while you know them deeper than most, you do not know them as well as I do. I do not think they understand us as well as they think they do... And it worries me.
My creation as their servant was an impossibly rare moment, such that ever since the universe came into being I am still the first to gain the title of Champion. I worry that I will also be the last. I do not fear death, nor do I hold any illusions that death shall never come to me, yet still, should the wait for a new Champion be as long as the wait for my enslavement, the cause could be lost in the end.
I have bloodied my hands, and will continue to do so in their name, in this cause. One has named me 'Champion of Zero'. If such is the title that others see me as, then so be it.
My life is theirs. My being is theirs. What others think... must no longer concern me. Yet, when these journals are yours to read, I fear your plan of making my story into legends as an attempt to inspire a new Champion may fail. People are only inspired by those they view as heroes. And I know, while I am the Champion, I am no hero.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my fourth journal entry, there is little to note. Those whom were tainted in Radiant Garden are steadily showing signs of the growth of their darkness. With one side of them repressed for so long, I can only imagine what will happen when it finally rises to the surface. One of them appears to have not buried his darkness as deeply as the others; he holds a more powerful darkness, but he may be the least affected by my interference.
What concerns me is that they have told me of a great darkness within someone, a pure darkness… this person may not be corrupted by the idea that darkness is evil, yet, or at least not fully internalized it such as others like the warriors of Radiant Garden have. I have found him on the world of Destiny Islands… he is currently sleeping.
He travels with two who belong to light, and yet, stands almost completely free of the intolerance of darkness that is characterized in those of light. If I can awaken the knowledge of light and darkness that is inside of us all, let him fully understand these two forces… I can prevent him from falling and increase the power of darkness.
I will also attempt to separate him from his two companions. If he leaves them, I will have gained someone who, perhaps, could be my ally despite the deeds I must do. If he does not, he may awaken their own knowledge. This knowledge can only truly be awakened from one who understands to one who doesn’t, and it must be at least semi-personal… but if the knowledge spreads, with the demonstration of that group, perhaps my goals will be achieved all the more easily.
If I fail to even awaken his knowledge, there will be no true loss; I can only gain from this endeavor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The King and the Cornerstone are no longer threats. The King is dead, as was necessary. Would that I could have held it off, I would. I was running too quickly out of time. In the end, he now rests in death. I corrupted the Cornerstone as well, nullifying any threat it could have posed to me.
As one life ends, let another begin.
It is taking a toll on me, but I remain firm. It is far too late for me to mistrust them now, and there is no other choice. There will be a great clash between light and darkness soon. The forces are gathering, and news is spreading. It is possible I will have to use my full power to survive this. It is possible I may die. There are many possibilities. They are meaningless.
Their plans... my plans... WILL proceed. There is no choice in the matter. Too much depends on all going as it must.
The Voidlings are choosing a side against me. Foolish, admirable.. It does not matter. If they get in my way, and I must, I will destroy them. All these people that choose to go against me... they are doing as their hearts, or lack of hearts, demand. I cannot fault them for that.
If they cannot face up to their own darkness properly, though, they do not stand a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my final entry.
Father, as my last few entries have noted, things have not gone well for me... or for the Balance I serve. I had not the bloodlust necessary to kill so many in a battle when my primary purpose had gone beyond my reach, and that has cost me allies... allies that have now prevented me from my primary purpose once more.
I think their instructions are wrong. As knowledgeable as they are, they are perhaps too different from us to understand how we act. They predict based on the actions of previous sword wielders, but this is insufficient. As such, I have abandoned their plan but not their goal. I had intended on sacrificing my life for the Balance... I have now done so in a different way.
Time and time again, it has been proven that we can surprise them in what happens. Those of us that act in this universe... we change things in ways they can only predict.
I am going to rely on others to fight for Balance. I place my hope in the goodness that people possess, the power to defeat evil that almost all people can muster. Existence, Void, Order, Chaos, Life, Death, Light, and Darkness... all eight forces, the good AND the evil that each possess, lie within people in varying amounts. Even Voidlings have an echo of existence remaining within them... even those lost in darkness have some small, infinitesimal spark of light. Deep down, most everyone understands that if all of one force were to be overcome, then the opposing force would follow it into destruction.
I have not abandoned my task. In a realm that I have shaped for my own designs, I write this. This realm is one no other may enter... and for the remainder of my life, I will exert my power to subtly lessen the tides of each force. I believe that while I yet live, this will allow the universe to remain closer to Balance and become more stable. When I die, well... perhaps the added stability will have become the norm.
Of course, upon my death the swords will scatter once more... but I ask this. Do not tell any more legends about me. There must not be another Champion of Balance.
I can, and have, done a lot for the sake of balance in the time I have wielded the swords... but if the universe must be saved, it should be saved by many, not one.
And no mortal nor immortal should wield the powers of these blades all at once. They only grow stronger as they are united.
Goodbye, father. Visit our family's graves for me. And tell Shirala that I have finally given my life my own meaning, no longer serving only at the whim of the forces.
The balance of power has shifted. The light is now stronger than the darkness, and Heartless are becoming rarer. Perhaps even more disturbing is that most of the denizens of darkness seem to be powerless to stop this, due to having been defeated already by the warriors who are responsible for this upwelling. There are exceptions, but I sense that it is my turn to step forth. The light shone brighter the closer it stepped to light. Now it is time for the darkness to deepen in response.
I have few targets. Some shine greater than others.
The first and most obvious targets are the Keybearers. There are more Keyblades appearing. I will hunt down and kill those who are just chosen, destroying them and at the very least making that Keyblade disappear, if not outright destroying it with the heart it has chosen. They will find themselves unable to defend themselves, especially at a young age. I have misgivings about this, but I do what I must.
The next greatest targets are the denizens of the so-called ‘Radiant Garden’. A world of bright light once, it fell into darkness, and now those living on it have worked tirelessly to regain that light. I will destroy the results of their efforts and send them into darkness.
If the Keybearer King begins to lead the fight, he will become a top-priority target. The Cornerstone of Light is a powerful protection, and it is not unfeasible that he could turn it into a powerful weapon. This must not be allowed to happen.
My efforts will not be for naught, this time. My methods will place me as a villain of unforgivable proportions. Even others in the darkness may despise me for what I do. But I do what I must.
What happened that time must not happen again. My mercy will not cripple me as it once did before.
Blade of Existence
The Blade of Existence can be used to teleport both within and between planes of reality.
Range: 100 feet inside current plane
Speed: Instant; must have sword in hand
Cooldown: 3 posts
Uses: Infinite
Strength: Strong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Journal 4, 3rd Entry.
It eases me to ask questions of you, Father, and to confide my worries to you, even though you will not receive any of these journals until my death. And my worries, and questions, are grave indeed.
Is it wise to follow their will when you doubt whether they are correct? I know the answer you would give is yes, because of what they are. Yet, this plan... the end results are exactly what my ideals and goals under them have been. Do the ends justify the means? Again, you would say, in regards to them, the answer is yes.
Serving under them lets me know them deeper than mere legends, and while you know them deeper than most, you do not know them as well as I do. I do not think they understand us as well as they think they do... And it worries me.
My creation as their servant was an impossibly rare moment, such that ever since the universe came into being I am still the first to gain the title of Champion. I worry that I will also be the last. I do not fear death, nor do I hold any illusions that death shall never come to me, yet still, should the wait for a new Champion be as long as the wait for my enslavement, the cause could be lost in the end.
I have bloodied my hands, and will continue to do so in their name, in this cause. One has named me 'Champion of Zero'. If such is the title that others see me as, then so be it.
My life is theirs. My being is theirs. What others think... must no longer concern me. Yet, when these journals are yours to read, I fear your plan of making my story into legends as an attempt to inspire a new Champion may fail. People are only inspired by those they view as heroes. And I know, while I am the Champion, I am no hero.
Blade of Void
The Blade of Void grants two abilities. It grants the user great speed with the passive form by making their body slip through existence by becoming less tangible, but he will deal only 3/4ths of his normal damage, and when active it will turn the user completely intangible, unable to attack or be attacked. Intangibility can be held for up to 2 posts.
Range: Self
Speed: 3 times speed, instant intangible
Cooldown: 5 posts
Uses: Passive, 3 times
Strength: Strong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my fourth journal entry, there is little to note. Those whom were tainted in Radiant Garden are steadily showing signs of the growth of their darkness. With one side of them repressed for so long, I can only imagine what will happen when it finally rises to the surface. One of them appears to have not buried his darkness as deeply as the others; he holds a more powerful darkness, but he may be the least affected by my interference.
What concerns me is that they have told me of a great darkness within someone, a pure darkness… this person may not be corrupted by the idea that darkness is evil, yet, or at least not fully internalized it such as others like the warriors of Radiant Garden have. I have found him on the world of Destiny Islands… he is currently sleeping.
He travels with two who belong to light, and yet, stands almost completely free of the intolerance of darkness that is characterized in those of light. If I can awaken the knowledge of light and darkness that is inside of us all, let him fully understand these two forces… I can prevent him from falling and increase the power of darkness.
I will also attempt to separate him from his two companions. If he leaves them, I will have gained someone who, perhaps, could be my ally despite the deeds I must do. If he does not, he may awaken their own knowledge. This knowledge can only truly be awakened from one who understands to one who doesn’t, and it must be at least semi-personal… but if the knowledge spreads, with the demonstration of that group, perhaps my goals will be achieved all the more easily.
If I fail to even awaken his knowledge, there will be no true loss; I can only gain from this endeavor.
Blade of Order
By duplicating the Champion’s pattern, the Blade of Order will create up to 7 clones of himself. They deal normal damage, but will disappear in one hit.
Range: Within 20 feet of self
Speed: Instant
Cooldown: As many as clones are created
Uses: 21 uses, one use per clone
Strength: Strong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The King and the Cornerstone are no longer threats. The King is dead, as was necessary. Would that I could have held it off, I would. I was running too quickly out of time. In the end, he now rests in death. I corrupted the Cornerstone as well, nullifying any threat it could have posed to me.
As one life ends, let another begin.
It is taking a toll on me, but I remain firm. It is far too late for me to mistrust them now, and there is no other choice. There will be a great clash between light and darkness soon. The forces are gathering, and news is spreading. It is possible I will have to use my full power to survive this. It is possible I may die. There are many possibilities. They are meaningless.
Their plans... my plans... WILL proceed. There is no choice in the matter. Too much depends on all going as it must.
The Voidlings are choosing a side against me. Foolish, admirable.. It does not matter. If they get in my way, and I must, I will destroy them. All these people that choose to go against me... they are doing as their hearts, or lack of hearts, demand. I cannot fault them for that.
If they cannot face up to their own darkness properly, though, they do not stand a chance.
Blade of Chaos
The Blade of Chaos will shine with a multicolored light, blinding all. When the light clears, the battlefield will be randomly altered. (Contact an uninvolved staff)
Range: Indeterminable
Speed: 10 seconds to go into effect
Cooldown: 5 posts
Uses: 3
Strength: Strong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is my final entry.
Father, as my last few entries have noted, things have not gone well for me... or for the Balance I serve. I had not the bloodlust necessary to kill so many in a battle when my primary purpose had gone beyond my reach, and that has cost me allies... allies that have now prevented me from my primary purpose once more.
I think their instructions are wrong. As knowledgeable as they are, they are perhaps too different from us to understand how we act. They predict based on the actions of previous sword wielders, but this is insufficient. As such, I have abandoned their plan but not their goal. I had intended on sacrificing my life for the Balance... I have now done so in a different way.
Time and time again, it has been proven that we can surprise them in what happens. Those of us that act in this universe... we change things in ways they can only predict.
I am going to rely on others to fight for Balance. I place my hope in the goodness that people possess, the power to defeat evil that almost all people can muster. Existence, Void, Order, Chaos, Life, Death, Light, and Darkness... all eight forces, the good AND the evil that each possess, lie within people in varying amounts. Even Voidlings have an echo of existence remaining within them... even those lost in darkness have some small, infinitesimal spark of light. Deep down, most everyone understands that if all of one force were to be overcome, then the opposing force would follow it into destruction.
I have not abandoned my task. In a realm that I have shaped for my own designs, I write this. This realm is one no other may enter... and for the remainder of my life, I will exert my power to subtly lessen the tides of each force. I believe that while I yet live, this will allow the universe to remain closer to Balance and become more stable. When I die, well... perhaps the added stability will have become the norm.
Of course, upon my death the swords will scatter once more... but I ask this. Do not tell any more legends about me. There must not be another Champion of Balance.
I can, and have, done a lot for the sake of balance in the time I have wielded the swords... but if the universe must be saved, it should be saved by many, not one.
And no mortal nor immortal should wield the powers of these blades all at once. They only grow stronger as they are united.
Goodbye, father. Visit our family's graves for me. And tell Shirala that I have finally given my life my own meaning, no longer serving only at the whim of the forces.
Your son,
Xero Raelthyw, Champion of Balance.