Dies Irae [Zexion]

[Slash]

Finishing the job.

Endless Despair - Daisuke Ishiwatari

[/center]

Jericho stepped out into the desolation that had once been part of a village in Castle of Dreams. A small, charred piece of wood snapped under his foot. This was just the place to lift his spirits.

The destruction caused by Nadia was still very apparent, and the darkness still hung heavily in the air and on the ground. He could smell it- that acrid, wonderful smell of fear and anger and death. He called to the darkness, laughing as it rose from the ground to meet him.

But here- here were the signs of reconstruction. What had been broken now was being rebuilt. Tools were scattered around, and a few walls had been repaired.

How pathetic. He took on his newer form, revealing pointed teeth in a smile. There was a job that needed to be done here, one that he had left half-finished.

He begun to walk, a cloud of darkness surrounding him. Eventually, he found people, people who ran as if all the devils of hell were at their feet. How fun it was! He had been a monster before, but now he was a god damn bogeyman. Even seeing him inspired a sort of primal fear, the heart reacting in a panic against the looming threat of destruction from the darkness.

It was wonderful. He began to run, scaling a wall with inhuman speed and looking down at the populace from the roof of a building. Some looked up in shock and terror, believing the great cloud of darkness to be some sort of massive Heartless. Perhaps they even believed it was whatever had destroyed part of their home.

He whistled, and the Heartless that he had created from the friends and neighbors of these people answered his summons.

The resulting chaos was music to his ears. The Other did not need to spur him on to join the massacre. He created the disorienting haze right at the center of the mob, making the fight even more one-sided.

It doesn't affect me. How many of you can I tear through?[/color]

He set out to find the answer, killing with reckless abandon as the Other assisted him. Eventually, though, he had to stop.

I should leave the rest to the Aranea. I could use more Heartless. Corpses are nice, but not as helpful.[/color]

Jericho moved back up to the rooftops, laughing and watching the hell that had unfolded. His suit and Keyblade were stained with blood.

Don't just kill. Destroy. Obliterate everything in your path, tear down whatever you can.[/color]

The sight of people dying was soon followed by the sight of structures falling as the smell of blood grew stronger and stronger.

He now truly knew what it meant to be a monster. The knowledge only made his laughter grow stronger.

[Fate]

This is one interesting dream.
--

First visit to Castle of Dreams, documenting a world he hadn't visited. Zexion stepped out of a Corridor of Darkness, his cloak on and hood down. From a world named "Castle of Dreams", he expected certain things: tranquility, a world filled with much light and little darkness, and citizens ignorant to the worlds outside of their own.

All expectations were dropped after the Corridor was closed. Countless structures and buildings were destroyed, fire running rampant and screams piercing the air. The screams from the small amount of citizens left anyhow. The world stunk of darkness and blood, Heartless everywhere as well as corpses. This world, most likely once picturesque, now resembled what Radiant Garden looked like toward the end of its days with more corpses, more blood. Someone, or perhaps even more than one person, was destroying this world and seemed to be almost complete.

Though, who? Surely, not the Champion. He was no longer involved in the destruction of worlds. No, this stench of darkness was different, twisted. Zexion looked up to where the scent was coming from, a single man with a large spider, laughing almost as if insane. Interesting, a being of darkness he hadn't met yet. His scent of darkness was only outmatched by the Champion's; otherwise, Zexion had never sensed anything stronger and more twisted. This man, whoever he was, was nearly finished bringing this world to its knees with darkness.

Finally, the actual beings of darkness were putting up a fight, doing something to even the score. Not like Maleficent or her pawns, nor even the Champion. The destruction of worlds wasn't something he liked particularly, nor all of this bloodshed, but it was a necessary evil.

[/font]

[Slash]

Such fun.

[/center]

He kept laughing. The darkness grew stronger and stronger, and he kept absorbing more and more of it into himself.

"Ah?" He noticed a figure that the Heartless did not bother touching.

A Nobody. We should play with it.[/color]

Grinning, he shot down the wall and was near the Nobody within seconds.

"It's been a while since I've seen a higher Nobody. Do you like the sights? Ah, what am I saying? You don't like anything. Let me help you with that."

This day was suddenly the best day ever. He connected his emotions to the Nobody, forming the illusion of a heart. The happiness Jericho felt would come as a great shock, even moreso due to its intensity.

"That's a little talent of mine. Enjoy it while it lasts, Nobody. Tell me, what did you come here to do?"

[Jericho activated Empathy.
5 posts remaining.]

[Fate]

Wtf?!
--

The man was fast. Within almost the blink of an eye, he was in front of Zexion and talking to him. Oh good, didn't have to explain the lack of heart since he was already aware of that-- easy to spot from the Heartless not bothering with him. He didn't get a word in edgewise while the man was talking, asking about whether or not he liked the sights when he knew the answer. Though, help him with that? What did he mean by--

Eyes widened as complete shock washed over the Nobody. Was this a heart? He was feeling... happiness? Incredible happiness at that, almost too much for one person to contain. It felt as if he had a-- no, he was a Nobody, a fact that the man reminded him of mere moments later. It was an illusion that the man had done, a powerful one at that. That just made this one even more fascinating. How was he able to do that? Zexion knew illusions, and this one wasn't exactly an easy one to pull off.

"Documentation," he answered quickly and truthfully. He had no other purpose here. "And you're bringing this world down with darkness, the first person of darkness to do something about this imbalance. Any reason this world in particular?" Was his tone actually gleeful when he just said that? He had never talked this way before, not even when he had a heart. It was exhilarating to feel, though oddly timed. Should one really feel this much ecstasy with this much carnage?

[/font]

[Slash]

Ha. You think I have reasons.

[/center]

He grinned and shrugged. "Well, I hit this place once with a very good friend of mine, and I hate leaving a job unfinished. I don't really have a metho- oh man look at that."

One guy was valiantly fighting the Heartless, batting away a few before about ten or so swarmed and destroyed him. Jericho laughed.

"Ha! Ah ha. You'll have to forgive me, I'm usually not this happy. And of course I'm sure you're usually not. Anyway, I don't really have a method to what worlds I pick. Order isn't really something I approve of."

He looked at the Nobody. "The only reason I am what I am is to correct the imbalance. That's why I'm doing these things, though I'm a lot more productive then that one guy. What's-his-lizard-face. He wasn't around long enough to leave a good imprint on the darkness."

Jericho summoned his Keyblade. "Hey, while you're here can you point me to the keyhole of this world? I want to see what it looks like when this place collapses."

[Fate]

Genocide, genocide, so much fun!
--

An unfinished project. He had been working on destroying this world with someone, though he was now alone. His attention was drawn elsewhere by a man fighting off the Heartless, courageously doing so in attempt to fight against the fate this man brought upon the world. Normally, Zexion wouldn't have found it amusing when Heartless would come and destroy another human being-- normally either feeling nothing or slightly perturbed-- but he found himself smiling with the other. Why?! This wasn't normal. He had seen hearts being taken away before-- hell, he helped that process in Radiant Garden. It never made him happy.

Back to business, or somewhat business. He was still grinning as the man continued to talk. He was who he was because of the imbalance. He wanted to fix it. He claimed to be more productive than the Champion, which would be true if this world were actually destroyed. The Champion had made some progress, yes, but Zexion stopped thinking that when the Keyblade Bearers were being killed.

Speaking of Keyblade Bearers, this man was one. And he wanted to know where the keyhole was. Should Zexion even answer that question? Was it wrong to help in a world's destruction. He had done it before no doubt, but these were different times and a different place. Zexion typically did not see a true need for a world to be destroyed, even to further Organization goals. However, this wasn't just for the Organization but for the larger issue, the balance. And he was just so cheerful at the moment, he couldn't find much more reason to refuse.

He didn't answer for a second, looking to the Heartless. They didn't seem to be going in any particular direction, scattering here and there while taking any other hearts that were available. Unusual; they were normally able to find the keyhole. Zexion gave them a skeptical look, then looked to the castle. The keyhole typically hid in the most important places to the world, especially castles. Perhaps it could be there.

"I can't sense it and neither can the Heartless. Though, if I had to guess, it would be in a place of importance like the others are, such as the castle." That was all he could offer.

[/font]

[Slash]

The real fun's only just begun.

Jericho nodded. "Right. I'll have to find it and keep it guarded, then. Don't want anyone ruining my fun."

He turned his head to the sky. This was the part he was really going to enjoy. "Make sure to watch closely, Nobody. This is the best part."

The few people who were still alive had retreated. While some of the Heartless were devoted to rooting them out, most of them turned their heads up as well.

Almost as if they were anticipating something.

The darkness that had spread rose slowly from the ground as all went silent. To anyone watching, it must have seemed horrifying- as if some titanic monster was rising from the earth itself.

At the heart of that monster was Jericho, the person from which the darkness had originated.

How beautiful, he thought, awe driving him into silence. He was one with it- he sensed everything it was near, could control it with just a thought. And why not? It was his.

"Destroy everything," he whispered.

It complied. The darkness consumed all, obliterating anything it touched. It corrupted both the ground and the sky, turning the world into a wasteland where nothing could grow but the most twisted of foliage.

There was a series of deafening noises, then silence.

The new world had been born. Only the castle remained of what had been, albeit in a twisted state. The trees were now twisted, and looked like hands grabbing desperately for the light that had left.

Jericho stood there, completely silent. Right now, he wasn't Jericho, or really anybody. He was nothing more than the darkness itself, and he observed the destruction calmly.

[Fate]

I don't think we need to worry about the darkness anymore. It'll be fine.
--

Zexion stood absolutely still as he watched the man. The screams had stopped, everything almost silent except for the Heartless moving here and there. Most of them stopped just then, looking to the man. Darkness rose from the ground, spreading everywhere it could. This man had quite the true mastery of the darkness, obviously too strong to let his heart succumb to it and strong enough to control it masterfully. If he had not been a Nobody, he would have been either incredibly impressed... or terrified. Right now, he was finding this to be an absolutely joyous occasion.

The world was consumed by darkness. Nothing was left standing, a wasteland coming out of it. He covered his ears as the deafening noises sounded, then stopped as silence took over once more. The world was barren now, the castle twisted and dark surrounded by unnatural trees, hands reaching upward for branches it seemed. Quite the creative touch on that. Zexion looked over to the man now that his destruction of the world was finished, nodding his head in approval and smiling.

"Nicely done," he told the man, "I'm quite impressed by your handiwork. I assume you have other worlds on your agenda, perhaps even the Door to Darkness?" The Champion mentioned the Door to Darkness for a reason. He wouldn't be touching it, but what about this man? Was that on his schedule?

[/font]

[Slash]

Nobodies are okay guys as long as I'm controlling them.

[/center]

Jericho turned to him, regaining his sense of self as he did so. It was about time to cancel Empathy, and he did so. The game was over, and now it was time to cool it down a little.

"The worlds filled with the most light are my targets. And yes, the Door to Darkness is my goal." He smiled and held up two fingers.

"I have two of the Princesses of Heart. There are only five more to go."

He slowly began to walk. The ground seemed to shift under his feet, and the air around him changed constantly. He felt a new rush of joy- this whole place was nothing more than his plaything.

"This is what I exist for, Nobody. It is quite nice, to have a purpose." He looked at it. "However, I don't think you would know...am I right? Nobodies have no affiliation, after all..."

[Fate]

What exactly are you getting at?
--

And then the feeling of happiness, and anything else, was gone. Back to feeling nothing. The smile on Zexion's face disappeared entirely. It had been nice while it lasted, especially with how intensely strong it had been. The man was going after the worlds with most light first, which naturally made sense. And his goal was the Door to Darkness, as predicted. He was keen on unsealing it once he had all of the princesses. He had two already with five more to go. Wait... five? But Kairi was dead. Unless another had become the seventh princess, which was entirely probable. He wouldn't be able to sense her either way.

The man was getting at something, speaking of purpose. Zexion raised an eyebrow as he talked, the ground shifting underneath the man's very feet. No, he didn't know what having a purpose was like. That was common knowledge for everyone who knew what a Nobody was. And then affiliation was brought up. The Nobody put a hand to his chin, the other arm crossing over himself in a thoughtful position. With the Organization as it was, he certainly wasn't affiliated with anything.

"Indeed, they don't. Nor do we have a purpose," he replied, his tone back to being empty, though it became gradually more sly, "I wonder, do you possibly have one for me?" He was curious, admittedly. And without a single purpose, searching for Xehanort futile, he might as well put the imbalance of light and darkness at the top of his list. It could help him get his heart back if he helped the darkness, only if done so carefully of course. Once the Door to Darkness was unsealed, he could make sure it wasn't fully opened. Possibly...

It all depended on what this man had to say next.

[/font]

[Slash]

Want to make a deal?

[/center]

Jericho looked over the Nobody more seriously this time. He hadn't really thought of that- it was more of a rhetorical question. But now that he mentioned it...

The wind around Jericho swirled and shifted as a rock outcropping rather like a chair emerged from the earth. Jericho sat in it and stared with a glint of amusement in his eye.

"Hm? You're interested? I'm surprised...The group I'm with just keeps getting bigger and bigger..." He considered the situation for a moment.

"One of them can alter memories. Another can take on the form of whoever she sees. Aerith is a healer, and Emi, although irritating, is a competent enough Keyblader. What can you offer?"

[Fate]

I like the sound of this.
--

So he already had a group with him? The darkness was growing right under everyone's noses. And to think, the number they saw at the Graveyard was only a small portion. Though, they had been mostly Maleficent's pawns, not this man's. He listed off what a couple of people in his group could do, one able to alter memories while another being able to take on any form they wished. That first one sounded much like Naminé, but she no longer existed since she was part of Kairi... and Sora. He never really delved into how she became a Nobody and he wasn't about to either. Either way, someone else had the power to alter memories at whim.

And then he mentioned two names that sounded familiar, too familiar. He had gotten Aerith into his group? How in the world had he managed that? She was the purest outside of the Princesses of Heart and was even part of the Restoration Committee. What had gotten her to come to this side? And then there was Emi. The last time he had seen her, she was in Halloween Town with Castle. Was she not traveling with him anymore? She had teetered dangerously toward the darkness before. And she had a Keyblade now... too many questions. He'd find out later. Answer this one's questions first.

"I can form illusions, no matter the scale," he explained simply, "I can change appearances of myself, and others if necessary, mimic the powers of others, using that and sense any being with darkness in their hearts wherever they may be." That was about it as far as his powers ranged. He didn't think he needed to go into explicit details at the moment either. "You've got my interest, especially with how you managed to obtain Aerith and Emiline..."

[/font]

[Slash]

You could be useful.

[/center]

"So you can't track down the Princesses...That's a damn shame." He shifted in his seat, thinking. The Nobody couldn't track them down...but he could track down Keybladers, as well as that annoying old witch that was lying around somewhere. Oh, Jericho was going to get to her eventually. She was an ancient, incompetent fool and the sooner he got her minions to his side the better.

Looks like he could get his own personal bloodhound- and he could create illusions, too. That'd be useful. Nobodies did not feel, even when they were committing the most violent atrocities. Besides, if he started acting up, Nadia could play with him for a little while.

"Aerith seeks to correct the imbalance. Emi does, too, although I might have a bit of leverage on her..." He shrugged and smiled. So this Nobody knew her. Maybe he could help control her.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Alan Jericho. What do you go by, Nobody?"

[Fate]

This could work.
--

So Aerith was concerned about the imbalance as well, and oddly enough so was Emi. Zexion still found it a little odd for both, especially the latter since he never saw her display any interest in that sort of thing. But, if the group had a common goal to take care of the imbalance, then he saw no point in questioning it further. And, if things went well, he could still further the Organization's goal. Emi was a Keyblade Bearer now. That could be useful.

Ah yes, introductions. The man had a name now, Alan Jericho. "Zexion," he said, "And I would be obliged to help correct the imbalance with you." If he could, then it would at least give him something to do other than try to track down Xehanort. And, he would be away from the defunct Organization while doing something actually useful.

[/font]

[Slash]

Who knew the darkness was so popular?

[/center]

This wasn't even a question for Jericho. It wasn't as if he could have too many people helping to spread the darkness.

"Well, if you feel obliged I can hardly refuse. Tell me, though..."

He wanted to know a little more about the human Nobodies. They had only made a small impression on the darkness when they used it for their own ends at one time, and he did not know this one so there must have been others.

"What about the others like you? The other Nobodies."