Stranger in a Strange Land

[Nothingness]

The first sensation he experienced was that of pain all throughout his body. The second was a deafening ringing noise in his ears. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was on a rolling green pasture, and that there was a city resting along a large hillside in the distance. As he struggled to stand, Raen found arms and legs weren't responding. Unable to do anything, he managed to roll onto his back if only to see the sky. It was dyed in a bright tinge of crimson and gold, and he could make out the glare of the sun in his peripherals. He tried to recall the events that lead up to him being here, but he couldn't come up with anything.

As he lay motionless the pain began to dull, and his hearing returned. He made another attempt to stand and soon, though with much difficulty, he was on his feet. He felt the side of his belt, feeling the cool crystal of his sword, and a wave of relief washed over him. He looked up and saw the wreckage of the Gummi Ship he and the others had come in--it was completely destroyed. Large pieces of it were tossed about helter-skelter while the smaller chunks were cleanly broken, and a small fire where the engines rested had black smoke billowing directly upwards.

"Yeah...we came here in a Gummi Ship. Wait a second, where are they?" He swiveled his head left and right, looking for any sign of his companions. Letting out a quiet yelp of pain, Raen grabbed the side of his neck. As he did so, he felt something wet, and pulled his hand back--blood. He felt the side of his head, and sure enough there was a small wound on the right side just above his ear. "I need to find the others, and fast."

He began limping away from the wreckage and tried to climb a small hill to survey the land. Resorting to crawling on his hands and knees to climb the hill, he eventually made it to the top and looked around. Directly ahead, he could see just below him two men fighting off a group of three Soldier Heartless. However, they were just as wounded as Raen was from the crash and were hardly fighting back as the Heartless mercilessly attacked them. 'Richard...Jake...come on!' He barely stopped himself from shouting out to them; he already knew what they were doing. They were protecting him. Raen tried to carefully descend the hill, but ended up collapsing and tumbled down to the bottom. As he lay panting at the base of the hill, he heard the grunts of two men and the sounds of their bodies hitting the ground, followed by the Heartless vanishing. He closed his eyes for a moment, calming himself, and then stood up again before limping away towards the town.

[Fate]

A Helping Hand
Sinister Showdown

"Heartless activity seems higher here... how strange." The Schemer mused this aloud as he walked in the shadows of Twilight Town, making sure to stay out of the view of ordinary bystanders. The cloak was recognized everywhere now and he could not be too careful. His Lexicon was cradled in his arm, a pen in his writing hand as he noted his observations. The Heartless ratio was unusually high here, something of interest to him. The creatures of darkness were often outnumbered by the Nobodies that often chose to dominate this world. That could mean one of two things: either the darkness was starting to increase and Heartless numbers were growing, or the Heartless came from somewhere else. Zexion guessed the latter was true; the scent of darkness was not overwhelming here.

There also seemed to be a commotion going on in town as well, which could explain the Heartless. There was a new scent that entered the world, one that hadn't been here before. It seemed slightly stronger than the plain scents most of the citizens of Twilight Town had to offer. The scent was foreign and not of this world, Zexion could tell that much. Though, that didn't help him much; he needed to find more information. As soon as a few bystanders passed, he started sneaking his way more into the town.

It was there that he found what all of the commotion was about. A Gummi Ship, or the remains of one, had crashed here. Heartless seemed to be present around it as well, which most likely meant one of their ships landed here while dealing with the other. The Nobody looked around, keeping his hood up, to see if he could find those that had come from the Gummi Ship. There were three scents now, he noticed, though it did not seem the other two were quite as strong; they were dwindling due to the Heartless attacks. Zexion was not about to interfere with that... or would he?

"I suppose I can help a bit," he said to himself, his tone sly and slightly apathetic. Helping people was not a common thing he did, no. However, he had to get people to trust him everywhere and helping them was the easiest way to do so. The Lexicon's pages started flipping to a familiar page. Zexion concentrated ever so briefly, seconds later having meteors fall from the sky onto the Heartless. A couple of them were destroyed, a few stubborn ones remaining. The explosions were enough to have them stop their attacks short, giving the fighters a small bit of relief.

[Zexion used Meteor Mirage, four posts until next use]

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[Nothingness]

The Mysterious Savior

As Raen reached the halfway point between the city and where his ship crashed he heard a large explosion behind him. He turned around in time to see half-a-dozen meteors raining down near the crash site, and a strange man in a black cloak near the far end of the city watching on. "Are you doing this?" For a moment, his mind was conflicted--should he return to see if his friends were still alive, or search for that man in the black cloak? Getting himself help was the farthest thought in his mind.

"Friends first!" Raen turned around and headed for the crash site, ignoring any pain in his body. However, as he headed there, he was watching the cloaked man the whole time, trying to determine his intentions. If his attack hurt his friends, the worse for him, if he helped, well, he'd have questions to answer all the same. If anything at all, the fact that the man had his face covered didn't help his position very much.

As he reached the crest of the hill, legs shaking and breathing staggered, he could see only two Soldier Heartless left. They seemed surprised by the strange assault they had just received, but were starting to cautiously walk towards the two men lying unconscious on the ground--another minute and their hearts would belong to the darkness. Raen pulled out his rapier and shouted at the Heartless. One turned towards Raen and greedily charged at him: a heart ripe for the taking. Once it got close enough, Raen swung his sword down, driving it slightly into the ground. The Soldier jumped, going in for a swift kill, but soon met with the bite of Ice Fang as it ran itself through the blade.

Raen began stumbling down the hill, trying to reach his friends as quickly as possible. There wasn't much time left. "Hey!" The Heartless continued its approach towards the two men. "Over here! You want something fresh! Come and get me!" Raen fell as he reached the bottom of the hill, feeling all of his remaining energy fading away. "Don't...you...even..." The Soldier turned around and looked at Raen for a moment before turning around. With a quick swipe of both of his claws, the Heartless took the hearts of both men. Rage overcame his senses. As soon as the Heartless turned around to finish Raen, it met Fimbulvetr, piercing through its visor. Having used the last of his energy, Raen collapsed, his vision darkening until he lost consciousness.

[Raen used Ice Fang, three more uses before cooldown]

[Fate]

Kindness From a Nonexistent Heart

Zexion remained stationary as he watched the man continue to fight, looking directly at him before he brandished his weapon. It was clear to see that he had a strong heart; not many put the lives of others before their own, much less continued fighting when they were weak. He ran up the hill and fought the Heartless that were left behind from the meteors. Though, that did not stop them from taking the hearts of his two friends. The man fell unconscious shortly afterward, a Heartless or two still remaining.

The Schemer looked around; as expected, people had fled the scene because of the creatures of the dark. He supposed he could get rid of this last stubborn Heartless that had taken the hearts of the man's friends. He quickly made he way over to it, staring down at it as it stared back up at him. It quickly met a few blows from the Lexicon, disappearing shortly afterward.

The book stayed in his hand as he walked over to the unconscious man, all of the Heartless finally gone. People would start coming back soon and Zexion wasn't completely sure what they would do with an unconscious body. Though, he supposed he could make sure nothing was done for now. He could just leave the body alone and not have anything further to do with this man, which was what most members of the Organization would do. He used to do it as well. However, time had taught him differently. If he could get another strong heart to trust him, it would be a worthy cause to stay here.

Though, there was a bit of a problem with staying and waiting for the man to awaken from unconsciousness. For one, he was out in the open and everyone could see him. If they could see him, they could see Zexion. The Organization cloak was easily recognized and most still did not favor the Nobodies kindly. He smirked to himself at this thought.

It was a good thing he was an illusionist then, wasn't it?

The Lexicon flipped rapidly through some pages and glowed slightly, light shining around the Nobody. It faded after a moment, leaving a teenage boy in its place. He wore blue jeans with black shoes, a dark blue tee-shirt to go along with it. His hair was shorter and didn't cover nearly as much of his eyes as it did in his Nobody form; an older form of Ienzo, one that wouldn't be easily recognized.

After the change was complete, he let his Lexicon disappear and looked around. People were starting to emerge and come back into the town again. Thinking quickly, he dragged the man into the nearest alley and out of sight from others. He sat on the ground and started waiting for the man to slip back into consciousness; he had no healing items nor any power to heal, so time would have to do for now.

It was too bad that this boy had the possibility of turning into one of the Schemer's pawns. That's what all of this 'kindness' was for anyhow. He got out his Lexicon again and started to read to pass the time, hoping he wouldn't look too unusual.

(You can do a bit of a time skip to wake up)

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[Nothingness]

The Stranger's Questions

Although Raen wasn't aware of it, around four hours had passed since his collapse. He opened his eyes to the orange sky, blinking his eyes a few times before sitting up and pressing a hand to his forehead. His skull was pounding, and all the pain in his body came back to him two-fold. Luckily, the wound on his head had stopped bleeding a while ago. He didn't have trouble remembering what happened that made him lose consciousness, but as far as where he was exactly, he didn't know. Looking around, he could tell he was in the city, but as to why he was in an alley he didn't know.

Getting onto his feet was much easier for him this time, and he it actually felt like the pain subsided slightly when he did. Still, he didn't have as much strength as he should, and leaned against one of the walls for support. That's when Raen saw a young man reading a strange black book, sitting on the ground not far from him. "Thank you for saving me. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why? And who are you? Where am I, even?" He felt almost helpless, but didn't let that show. What would the use be in letting emotion get to him now?

[Fate]

Ask Me No Questions and I'll Tell You No Lies

The Schemer waited patiently for the man to awaken, biding his time by reading and occasionally looking out of the alleyway. Twilight Town was as peaceful as it always was, the Heartless no longer appearing. The remains of a Gummi Ship were still there, though various townspeople had gone to clean that up. The people of this world had a rather close-knit community, though he could not say that their scents were particularly strong nor were they that observant. People passed by the alleyway and none of them noticed an unconscious man with a kid next to him reading a strange book.

So this is what the peace had done to people; it made them think that nothing could possibly be hiding in their world.

The man awakened at long last, Zexion having to move around the alley just to stretch a bit; the ground was not particularly comfortable. He had sat down at some point and continued reading, though now that the man was awake, he couldn't anymore. He closed the book, letting it disappear, and looked to the other with a blank face.

"You are in Twilight Town," he replied, Ienzo's softer and more mellow voice coming out of his lips. "Your Gummi Ship crashed into the world along with some Heartless. I helped you fight them off." He stood from his spot, concentrating as a bit of light surrounded him. In another moment, he returned to his cloaked Nobody form. "Tell me, who are you?"

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[Nothingness]

Trading Information

"Twilight Town, huh? Rather fitting name." He wasn't really all that surprised when he saw the young man transform into a much older, more mature self--not that he could blame him. Even Raen was getting a bad feeling from the presence of the black cloak. The man himself wasn't all that intimidating to him, for better or for worse. "My name is Raegan Sarmon, but please call me Raen. I'm from Traverse Town, a haven for those whose worlds have fallen to darkness. I left with Jake and Richard, my companions, in search of an answer to our questions. However, it seems that it's up to me to find them out on my own."

He paused for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to tell this man, whose name he didn't even know yet, about what it was they were searching for. Deciding against it, he instead opted for the more obvious question in his mind: "You still haven't told me your name." Raen was trying to get an idea of who exactly this man was, but his lack of speech and emotion made him a difficult read. He couldn't care less if this man was a friend or foe so long as he got the answers he wanted for the time being.

[Fate]

What Are You Looking For?

"Traverse Town... intriguing," Zexion mused aloud, looking at Raen curiously. "Indeed, it is a world for those whose worlds have fallen. Though, I find it not to have such a purpose anymore, would you?" Darkness wasn't common nowadays and it was being repeatedly squashed anywhere it turned up. Heartless were becoming few in number as the light grew ever stronger.

Zexion was a bit curious now. It seemed Raen had questions, which could quite possibly mean the Nobody had answers. He collected information after all; he was bound to have something of use to the other. Could it possibly have to do with him being from Traverse Town while being born in another world completely? Though, there was always the possibility of being born in the town; it was safe and many chose to remain there.

If he was going to get any sort of information from Raen, he would have to answer questions himself. He managed to avoid giving his name once and he doubted, even with his verbal finesse, he could do it again. He studied the other momentarily before saying his name. "Zexion. Do not let my cloak fool you; I mean no harm." It was a partial lie, for if Raen could be of use to him, Zexion couldn't guarantee a pain-free experience.

"You and your friends were traveling in search of answers that you could not find in Traverse Town. Where would one go to search for such things?" He looked away for a minute, his tone slightly sly as he glanced up. He looked back down as he spoke again, his eyes making eye contact. "What exactly are you searching so fervently for?"

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[Nothingness]

Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

"We certainly haven't got a lot of visitors in Traverse Town in a while. Having been born there, I've seen a lot of people come and go." Raen couldn't help but show some hope when Zexion asked what he was searching for. He felt that this man might have the answers he and the others had been trying to find out.

"Well, Zexion, in Traverse Town, I worked as a member of the Traverse Town Shield--we were a town watch of sorts. We fought off Heartless as they appeared so that way the world would stay a safe place for those unfortunate enough to lose their home." He tried to hold back the excitement pulsing deep inside his heart. "After a while, we had noticed the Heartless population decreasing at an outstanding rate, but for some reason, it didn't sit well with us. After we had discussed the matter, we came up with a theory--a dual existence of Light and Darkness is present, just like all things. And, like all things, the balance must be kept, correct? What if..." He paused for a moment, almost not believing he was going along with this, "What if the balance is disturbed? Chaos would ensue, wouldn't it? We wanted to find out whether or not that was the case, because even if we defeated all the Heartless in our world, if the balance is disturbed, then all of the worlds may be at risk. Do you follow me?" Having said it out loud, he really couldn't believe that he was seriously considering fighting for the side that he had so long spent time trying to eradicate.

[Fate]

What Do You Plan to Do Now?
Scent of Silence

Zexion patiently listened, nodding his head to show that he was registering the information. Traverse Town having a town watch was something he didn't know, which meant it would later go into the Lexicon to be documented. It made sense for a world to have one since it was used to a large Heartless amount. Though, it didn't stay that way for long of course; even Traverse Town saw a decrease in Heartless activity and it wasn't sitting well with some. It certainly did not sit well with Zexion, that was for sure.

"So it didn't go unnoticed... at least some are observant." He put his hand to his chin in thought; the light and darkness was something Zexion always thought he knew a lot about, especially after his studies with Ansem the Wise. Though, the two entities never ceased to surprise him. The recent events were odd to him and unusual, having been raised that the light was good and the darkness was bad. That didn't really hold true any longer.

"The worlds are at risk; there is no question about that," he continued, "Light and darkness were originally balanced and coexisted as such. However, constant meddling has changed that." An image of Ansem the Wise came to his mind, though he ignored it. "The darkness began to take control, taking worlds and many peoples' hearts with it. Most of us remember this time well."

He paused, thinking again. "With the keyblade master's recent excursions and eradication of the Heartless, things have been going out of balance. Heartless activity has been low as well. It is a shame, for the Heartless are a necessary tool... Light has become very powerful thanks to the keyblade bearer, though I don't doubt that things will not stay peaceful for long."

He stopped speaking, looking down at Raen, waiting to see how he would respond to that. He was hoping he wouldn't ask where the information had come from or how he had gotten it. It was no easy task; it was one that required a great deal of patience and experience with a memory to remember it all. Ansem's studies were also beneficial he supposed, though he was not sure how popular that name still was.

"Though, I have to wonder... what do you plan to do with this information?Pick your side and hope it will work out?" He couldn't help that he was grinning a bit as he asked this. It was a trick question; one of the Schemer's favorite kinds, of course.

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[Nothingness]

The Real Question

Raen was certainly gladdened when Zexion confirmed his and the others' suspicions about the balance, but what Raen didn't expect was the next question posed by this man. When Zexion asked Raen what he intended to do, he suddenly realized that, despite his planning, he had no idea. In fact, every single plan he had thought out for this voyage had exploded in his face. None of the outcomes he predicted included the situation he was in now. That reality hit him hard, but he stayed resolute. "That's one of the reasons why we left as well--to see if we could get advice on what to do. With a situation like this, we can't blindly leap to action to see if we can affect it. The Shield broke up because we couldn't decide on what to do, and many thought that we'd just sacrifice Traverse Town for the sake of the balance, and refused to be a part of it. Obviously, we never intended to do that, nor even considered it. Regardless, I honestly don't know." He debated within himself on whether or not to ask Zexion for advice, still slightly wary of the man's motives. However, he had to start somewhere. "What would you suggest?"

[Fate]

Dangerous Possibilities

Advice was not something many people asked of Zexion. Most that even knew him slightly would be wary about him leading them astray down a treacherous path toward destruction or even the price the advice came for; what did he want in return for his advice? Admittedly, that was the sort of thing he would have done in the past and he did enjoy tugging the strings of people's hearts. For now, he couldn't do any string pulling. He needed to get Raen to trust him; he had a strong heart and a willingness to put the lives of others before his own. That was something the Schemer could most definitely use in the future if his plans continued.

"There is no correct answer," he said, his voice apathetic and empty as it typically was, "You can continue to fight for the light and destroy the Heartless; we know the results of that and they are extremely damaging. However, we do not know what will happen with the profuseness of light. It could lead to damage as well, none of which we know. Fighting for the darkness is also a dangerous task, for it has the power to corrupt a heart; though, it would help bring back the balance."

He thought more, glancing around. A person walked by the alleyway and seemingly glanced at the two of them. Though, they must not have thought anything of it, for they walked away without saying a word or difference in their facial features. Zexion waited until they were fully gone to continue speaking. He did not want to risk being overheard, even though he doubted the simpletons of this world would understand what he was talking about.

"Staying in the middle is a tedious task. It seems that one would have to choose which side to fight for at any given time. I do not recommend it for those who have hearts, for it could do damage to keep switching sides; especially when one considers the darkness. However, there is one other alternative..."

He quickly glanced around, making absolutely sure that no one was around to see what he was about to do. Once he was sure, he quickly summoned a Dusk next to him, the creature writhing about as it always did. He then looked to Raen, making sure the Dusk did not move from its spot. "Turn into a Nobody."

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[Nothingness]

Friend or Foe

Raen removed himself from the wall and drew his sword. He winced a little as a tiny jolt of pain went through his arm, but he ignored it. He knew that he was in no condition for any kind of prolonged fight, especially if the man could summon Nobody's at will. "I thought something was off about you." That explained the lack of Zexion's emotions and why Raen couldn't get a decent fix on his character. Taking a few steps back towards the safety of an open exit, Raen continued facing Zexion, holding his rapier in a defensive stance. "Thanks for the info, but I'd prefer to keep my heart; I enjoy being able to feel things. It lets me know whether or not what I'm doing is right." He held his free hand behind his back, just in case Zexion tried to pull anything funny, he'd get blasted in the face with some ice.

[Fate]

A Wise Choice, Though Dangerous In Its Own Right

"Then you made a good decision," Zexion told him, making the Dusk disappear. He then turned to Raen, a sort of amused look on his face. "Want to fight me? You can relax. I am not out to fight or turn you into a Heartless. That is not how I do things." He knew he wasn't the most moral person there was, and that was just a fact. However, becoming a Nobody was not something anyone should want or should strive for. The Organization's goal was to get their hearts back so they could feel and know right from wrong again... or most of them. Zexion knew what morals are; he just often chose to ignore them.

"It is not an option you should want. However, any other path you follow will put you in danger. The light can only keep you safe for so long and the darkness can get rid of you in an instant." He looked away for a moment, thinking. "You and I share the same goal. We want balance. That path is more dangerous for you than it is for me. You must realize that."

He paced a bit, walking up and down the alley. After he finished, he approached Raen and stood about a foot and a half away from him, giving him a grave look. "It is your choice in the end. My lack of heart protects me from becoming corrupted by the darkness. If you choose to fight on that side, it would be a dangerous endeavor. Not all on the dark side are as generous as I am." His voice was thick with sarcasm at the end, now crossing his arms.

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[Nothingness]

Everyone Has an Angle

Raen lowered his blade, but just enough so that way he wouldn't be caught off guard in case this man decided to pull any more tricks. This Zexion person went from being helpful, to strange, to now just pissing him off. He wasn't sure if he could really blame a person who was lacking a heart for being so, well, heartless. Regardless, Raen's opinion of this guy plummeted. And yet, despite that, Raen knew that everything he said was the truth; brutal and honest. Eventually, he would have to pick a side--fighting for both sides would be far too difficult, and may eventually force both sides to view him as an enemy. Could he make it work, though? He thought he could, but he'd have to be perfect, cold, ruthless, emotionless. "A Nobody." He thought with disgust.

Upon hearing Zexion's claim about choose sides, Raen simply retorted, "I realize that, as clear as day. I knew as we left Traverse Town that we'd have to pick a side to fight for." He put away his rapier, slipping it through his belt. He was done with talking: he needed to think of what his next move would be. As he turned around to leave, he said one last thing to Zexion."Frankly, if being neutral turns me into someone like you, I'd prefer ripping the heart out of a world over that." Deep down, Raen knew that he and Zexion would meet again at some point. Whether they were allies or enemies when that time came, well, only time could tell.