The Tyrant Lord [Sora]

[Castle]

Sora just smirked and shrugged at Riku's comment. He really couldn't deny it; he seldom made plans. It required too much time thinking when he could be physically doing something.

Soon enough, they were walking through the forest with Velis and the horse.

"Well," Sora began, clasping his hands behind his head, "We come from... far away. There's an ocean there, and we do stuff on the beach..."

His mind's eye saw her there. He heard her laughing. On the surface, his expression went blank again, and he stared upward and to the side as they walked, watching the branches above them.

[Administrator]

Not much to say.

Their homeworld? Riku thought back to all of the fond memories they had. It was painful, but he managed not to let it show on his face, the faint smile staying there instead. "We lived on islands. And Sora and I used to race, and I won very frequently." He noticed Sora's face slip for a moment, and figured the indignation would do wonders for him. He couldn't help but remember who it was who had counted down for them countless times, though...

"In fact, I used to be better than Sora at almost everything. Isn't that right?" He managed a weak grin. It was better than nothing, he supposed. But still, it was obviously fake. He just hoped Sora didn't notice the falsity in it.

[Odin]

I didn't want to relive this.

Although he was smiling while they explained their world to him, Velis knew that he'd touched upon the sensitive subject again. "It sounds like a really nice place," He tried to say as cheerfully as possible. For better or for worse, he let silence take over the rest of the way to the village. He didn't have any real memories to share with them, and with how somber they were, he doubted that that would help.

They had been walking for a good fifteen minutes by the time they reached the burnt village. It looked almost ominous as the clouds grew darker and began to block out some of the sunlight. "We're here." He patted the horse twice and walked back towards the fountain, looking closely at the pile of leaves and moss. Sure enough, there was something there: a rusted broadsword, sheathed in a leather scabbard. "This was mine." He said to no one in particular as he picked it up.

The moment he touched the sword, however, everything melted away around him, and he was in a different time. To Sora and Riku, Velis had collapsed to the ground, and the horse had galloped towards him. All while the clouds darkened, blocking out the sun...
---
It had been raining for the past three days, and the sun had finally shown itself. Velis and Mydia walked out of a small house together, arms around each other and laughing. The kissed once, then again. Each time Velis tried to pull away, she'd kiss him again, and they'd laugh. "If we keep doing this, I'll never leave." He said happily. "That's the plan," she said with a sly little smile. "One more." They kissed again, and held onto one another's hands until their fingers slipped...

...He'd been gone for a few months and was excited to be back home. There wasn't much he minded about the soldiering life: the pay was good, he got to see places and meet interesting people. The only thing he didn't like was having to take another man's life, but that didn't happen nearly as often as most thought. As he saw the house, he called out her name, and she came running out towards him. Running the other half to her, they tightly embraced one another...

..."I never thought they'd come here," Mydia said softly, looking at the full moon. She and Velis were just outside the house, and could hear the sounds of the village preparing for battle. "It would be safer in the village for you--" He began, but was cut off. "This is our home. I'm not leaving. I know you'll protect us." Velis smiled, invigorated by her confidence in him, misplaced as it probably was. "If the fighting comes here, run and hide. Don't try to take anything or fight them off, just run. Promise me that." Their eyes met, and she kissed him, whispering, "I promise..."

..."No! No, no, no , no, no!" Velis cried, running towards their house. It was on fire, and he could see two soldiers throwing torches on the roof. They didn't know he was there until his sword had run through both of them. He began to shout her name, running into the house, fearing the worst. And the worst was waiting for him...

...She was in his arms, dead. He rested his head on hers, holding her tightly, hoping that just this act would bring her back. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, the rain mingling and masking them. The thunder drowned out his sobs, and the lightning revealed the smoldering remains of their home. Looking up at the sky, he roared, "How is this right!? Why couldn't you have done something!? Damn you. Damn you, Bahamut!" As he cried out the name, a massive shadow appeared in the illuminated sky, quickly descending...

..."I'll do it." He said to the dragon, still holding Mydia, still weeping. "I'll do anything for that, give anything for it. Please, grant me that strength!" The dragon spread his wings, and as the clamor of thunder rang and lightning split the sky, Velis' vision blacked out, and Mydia slipped from his arms.
---
It had started raining harder as these memories ran their course, and traces of thunder could be heard in the distance. Tendrils of light and darkness began to wrap themselves around Velis, violently tossing and turning while they attempted to restrain him. He began muttering something incoherently to Sora and Riku, rapidly speaking and getting louder and louder until sense could be made. "getawaygetawayget away get away Get away!"

He was fully consumed by the darkness and light now, a small blanket of the intertwining opposites covering him. It pulsed with each strike of thunder, and shuddered with every strike of lightning.

[Castle]

Sora hadn't heard Riku talking, so he completed the silence that reigned until they reached the village.

As they entered the collection of ruined structures, he slowed his pace to take a look around. Velis went ahead toward an old fountain. Sora noticed him pick something up and watched him curiously, seeing that the object was a rusty sword. Velis claimed it was his, but it looked kind of old...

Without warning, the soldier collapsed. Alarmed, Sora ran over as the horse did and dropped to his hands and knees beside the young man. When he didn't move, he reached out and turned him onto his back.

"Velis?" he called, though it was pretty obvious that he couldn't hear him. Sora looked over his shoulder at Riku. "He's out cold!"

It started to rain. In no time, they'd found themselves in a downpour, and Velis was still unconscious. However, something else started to happen. Sora's eyes widened as the light and darkness began to gather over the soldier, and once they intensified, Sora quickly stood up and stepped away from him.

Between that bizarre sight and the raging thunderstorm, he found himself transfixed, waiting and watching to see what would come of this.

[Administrator]

Something's happening, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

There was a sword, rusted almost all of the way through. Velis reached down to touch it, and something happened. Something intangible seemed to strike him; the weight of memories long repressed, no doubt. Under the weight of that, no wonder Velis collapsed. The sky slowly darkened, and the man violently tossed and turned as tendrils of light and dark surrounded him, encased him.

The sky grew darker still, a full-on storm forming and rain falling from the black abyss above. He seemed to be muttering something, just barely too quiet for Riku to hear. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, his voice grew slowly louder, until it was obvious what the older man was saying.

"Get away," was repeated over and over again. Sora had pointed out the man was out cold just before that, but Riku had thought he knew why. Now he wasn't so sure. "Sora, get back," he said, caution entering his voice. Sora was already moving, though; he hadn't needed to say anything this time. He almost summoned Way to the Dawn; nothing was attacking, though, so he didn't. Yet.

That wasn't to say he wouldn't. Riku would if things got much worse.

[Odin]

The Tyrant Rises

Controlling the Iron Beast- FFVII:CC

The storm was in full fury, now. Rain pounded the land as mallets on drums, and pools of water began appearing as grass gave way to mud. The sky was constantly alight with shrill cracks of lightning, and the gongs of thunder that followed shook the earth. As this chaotic symphony of nature grew louder, a voice could be heard from where Velis was, thick with an ancient malice. "Ye who dare to stand before me." The shell around Velis cracked. "Ye who beg mercy, to stay my blade." More cracks appeared, and a vicious wind began whip around the shell, scattering flecks of it.

"I shall determine your worth." A hand covered by a large gauntlet broke through. "And you shall know despair." A second hand broke through, followed by two long, curved horns. "Upon my blade will Death spread his wings!" In a blinding flash of light the shell surrounding Velis shattered, its fragments dissipating in the air. As the light died, two figures could be discerned; before Sora and Riku stood Odin and Sleipnir, their forms illuminated by a flash of lightning.

The tyrant of the battlefield stared down at the two young warriors, his demonic red eyes piercing into their very hearts. Beside him, Sleipnir screamed, a powerful stream of fog deterring the rain near his mouth. Odin knelt down and picked up the sword, and what was once rusted was now serrated and sharp. After having seen enough of what lie in their souls, he turned and mounted Sleipnir, glaring down at Sora and Riku. The words he uttered were full of contempt. "You weep for the loved one lost, drowning yourselves in sorrow. Why then, do you so cling to life?"

Sleipnir's hoof beats echoed in the air, the thunder and lightning now having calmed. "Prove to me the will of your souls..." Raising his blade, Sleipnir reared backwards and gave a shrill cry that could freeze even the strongest man's spirit. "Or join her in the afterlife!" Lunging forward, he brought his blade down upon Sora first. He would first crush the will of the light one, for then the dark one would no sooner beg for death.

[Castle]

What happened next was both greatly shocking and oddly predictable. On one hand, he hadn't expected something like this to come from Velis. On the other, Sora's mind registered the event as simply being the appearance of another "big bad," albeit a very impressive appearance. He was ready to fight in a second, even as the rain beat against him and soaked him through.

However, what he really didn't expect was to hear the being that Velis had become mention Kairi. Sora's heart thumped, freezing him before he could summon the Keyblade. The reaction flashed clearly across his face in a mixture of shock and anger. How could he know about that?

The monstrous being attacked him first. The Keyblade was in his hand in a second, just in time for him to root his stance and catch the enemy's weapon on his own. He gritted his teeth as the force made his arms shudder, but he managed to keep it at bay.

"Velis!" he shouted forcefully, going on the slim possibility that the other man could still hear him.

[Administrator]

Tyrannical, yes. Observant, yes. Good at connecting the dots? No.

Sora had the same reaction to it as he always had. If it was trying to kill him, it was bad; his brain didn't like to think in plural identities. So, instantly, Velis changed from the kind soldier they had met, distraught by his past, into this man on the horse, judging them for unspoken fears. But perhaps it was the unspoken nature of the fears that was causing the judgment.

Riku was shocked less than Sora was, but that was because of resolve at this point. His force of will kicked in at that point, and Way to the Dawn appeared in his hand in a flash of light and darkness both. His keyblade joined Sora's in defense from the strange man's blow. He was no longer Velis, that was for sure.

"Who are you? You aren't Velis." Riku was sure of that. "And what makes you think either of us is drowning in sorrow? We aren't so weak!" With that, he pressed back into the man's sword and attacked, Way to the Dawn arcing for the man's leg.

[Odin]

Give it all you've got

Odin's face was emotionless, ignoring the two warriors words. "Velis was my past." Dragging his sword off of Sora's, he blocked Riku's, forcefully pushing him away. Sleipnir reared backwards, kicking his four front feet at the two. The horse stepped forward, snorting while its eyes blazed.

When Sleipnir settled, Odin continued to speak, the sounds of the storm continuing in the background. "When Mydia was taken from me, I cursed Bahamut, lost in my despair. He appeared before me and I gave up my humanity for power and eternity." Holding his blade up, a flash of lightning was reflected in its surface. "I was given the strength I needed to stop all war, and for centuries that was my purpose. People would fear my coming, hide themselves away from my sight. They knew that the battlefield would be stained with their blood without prejudice."

His eyes and voice took on a weary expression, and the storm began to falter. "But I soon lost all relish for battle. I could never hold her in my arms again, and so I came to rest here. Here, where it all began." The storm started to rage again, Odin's voice becoming fierce. "So tell me, why should it be you who awakens me?" Charging forward, he raised his blade and brought it down on Riku this time, Sleipnir turning and kicking at Sora, attempting to keep him away. "Why has my rest been disturbed!?"

[Castle]

It was no good. Velis was a completely different person now, created from the blood and ashes of his past. It was sad, and it was a shame, but that didn't negate the fact that he was still trying to hurt them for almost no reason.

Sora tried to keep attacking after the sword was lifted from his own, but the horse kicked at him and forced him to jump out of the way. Hooves that big might knock his head off.

"How are we supposed to know?" he yelled in response to Odin's words.

He had to help Riku. Sora dodged the kicks of the monstrous horse and jumped up high to swing the Keyblade at the rider.

[Administrator]

Goodbye, Sad Riku. Hello, Riku with Conviction.

Riku understood then. Even as he blocked the sword slash from the man, he was wearing a sad smile on his face. "You know why, deep within yourself, why we were the ones who awakened you." He was only barely holding the sword at bay, sparks shooting off of Way to the Dawn whenever his grip slipped for a moment.

"You felt a bit of yourself in us, didn't you? Our pain at the loss of Kairi, our wish to have had the strength to do something, anything. That was what made you give up your humanity, wasn't it? You wanted to stop that from happening again, to anyone else. You didn't want another to feel the pain that you did." Riku got him now. They had both felt the pain of loss, and it burned with the intensity of a white-hot star.

"And I bet you awoke because you felt like you failed that. You woke in your original form, first, to remind you, so you wouldn't immediately pass judgment. To remind you of how you once were, how we are now." Riku's grip slipped again, and, through the sparks and the pain, he shoved he blade back against the horseman's. If he couldn't hold his own here, how could he ever make things better in the worlds?

And it was then that Riku stopped grieving. If he stayed in grief, and didn't make things better, who would? The scary thought was that a voice answered, "No one." He would have to do it. Riku needed to stay alive, to fight, and to make things better, for the memory of Kairi. No one else should have to go through that. And he could make it so that they didn't, with Sora. The two of them, fighting the villains and injustices...just like they imagined as children on the islands.

[Odin]

A good answer

The young man's words cut through Odin's stalwart heart. Indeed, they rung true within his soul. They were precisely what he had wanted to hear. If they had lacked the will to live, the conviction to fight through any and all trials that presented themselves, then these two would never be able to defeat him.

Odin's sword struck the ground when Riku tried to push his blade back. Having Sleipnir take a few steps backwards, he looked down at the two in a new light. "You are right on all accounts, young warrior. Whether they are the true reason for my awakening or not matters little, but to my soul they ring without falsity." Dismounting from the horse, he walked up to the two, and looked at them, sensing the conviction present in their hearts. All the trials that they had already overcome.

"Now, show me your strength!" He raised his blade high and brought it down upon Riku. "Not just born from your bodies, but from your hearts and souls, themselves!" He slid his blade quickly off of Riku's and, with a powerful sweep, spun around brought it to Sora.

[Castle]

When his attack didn't work, Sora ended up a few yards behind Riku, skidding a little as he landed. Almost as soon as he did, Riku started talking, explaining the very reason this man had awakened. Rather than continue the fight, Sora ended up listening to him, too. The words, the truths, tugged harshly on his heart, and it showed very clearly on his expressive face.

However, the expression of pain was only momentary. The impact of Kairi's death hurt, and maybe it would never stop, but watching Riku now reminded Sora of something. Throughout everything they'd been through, the key to their victory was never giving up, never just running away from a problem. This grief was no different. He had to stand and face it, just like everything else.

Kairi was dead. Nothing was going to bring her back, and denial wasn't going to help.

Sora's steadfast conviction returned as he jogged to Riku's side. Odin had dismounted and was speaking to them. However, though Riku's words seemed to have had an effect on him, the fight wasn't over yet.

When the sword came at him, Sora blocked it, causing sparks to fly, and parried before swinging the Keyblade in a return attack.

[Administrator]

Is it over yet?

The man on the horse, who was previously Velis, seemed to agree with him. Yes, Riku's words had broken through the walled heart of the man's, and had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was a will to live in both he and Sora, a will to fight, to love, even to lose again. Because without loss, none of them would appreciate how good things were before. Even now, he longed for the island as it was in his boyhood, boredom and all.

Riku summoned all of his inner reserve. This was it. In a few strokes, the battle would likely be decided. The horseman turned his blade to strike at Sora now. To aide in Sora's defense, Riku appeared at his side, a shield of shimmering light appearing around him. This shield was made of the darkness in his heart, tempered by light. As Sora attacked, so did he, a quick three-hit combo with the keyblade.

At the end of the combo, the boyish man pointed his keyblade at the horseman and a ball of darkness shot out. Perhaps he would be lucky and the man would consider this enough? But it almost never ended out in their favor, not until the end. Or did it? Riku thought for a moment. It actually did, to an extent. Huh. And he had never noticed.

[Odin]

Don't dream that it's over

Good--the two were finally showing their true strength. It was a promising start, but they needed more motivation. Through their combined efforts, Odin's attack was blocked, and both of the young men's counters proved effective, although minimal in damage. He didn't even bother to block the resulting fireball that was shot towards him by the older of the two.

Watching the lightning gleam along the blade of Zantetsuken, he looked at the two Keyblade Masters, sensing the wellspring of determination that had bubbled up inside them. Yes, this would be the perfect trial. It was something he had used on many men before them, and only the strongest managed to succeed.

"You needn't prove to me your will anymore. However, I cannot just let you go." Raising his blade high in the air, it seemed to shimmer, the rain being repelled from around it. "Strike me down!" He roared. "Lest you be struck down by my might!"

[Odin began charging Zantetsuken...]