Endless Part One: RM

[KH2_FinalSora]

For those who may not know, RM stands for remake/remix...which means I'm making things bigger, badder and better.

Oh...and I'm not exactly back fromt he grave, but I am back for a short period of time. Sorta. I have free time right now (amazing, honestly)

Regardless...

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Darkness swirled around for a moment, silence seemingly piercing through the boy’s mind. Where am I? He growled, lowering his stance. Something in the darkness was moving towards him, faster and faster. The boy’s blade quivered in his hands, the anticipation of the fight edging him forward, ready to kill the shadow of a man who had sent him to this dark place.

The dark figure was difficult to see, but the boy’s silver eyes flashed quickly, and his senses reached out. The two warriors moved in tandem, blades clashing with frightening speed. The dark cloaked warrior let out a strange growl, and quickly blasted the boy back with a spell of dark energy. The boy tumbled backwards, quickly righting himself, searching around for the dark warrior.

Where did he go? Nothing. The boy waited for what felt like hours, even though in reality, only minutes ticked by. His senses were reaching out, trying to feel the dark warrior.

There was a sudden spike of energy, and the warrior appeared behind him. The dark man was holding a sword, dark in color, one that was pulsing dark energy. It was a lightning fast attack, in which the boy was barely prepared for. Easily, the dark man did a three hit successive combination that knocked the blade from the boy’s hand.

“You’re weak…” The man’s voice was dark, yet the boy knew he had heard it before.

“What are you doing here?” The boy stood up straight as the man pointed his blade at the boy, the edge mere inches away from the youngling’s throat.

“Simple enough…I’m here to destroy you…” The man laughed, letting his dark, low voice echo through the strange shadows that surrounded them. “Drake Rozarria Armageddon… I hereby claim your life!”

The boy’s eyes widened, He knows who I am!? The boy, Drake, let out a low growl, and his stance lowered. Even without a weapon, he was a skilled fighter, and wouldn’t go down so easily.

“It seem you know who I am,” Drake let out a quick breath. “So then…” I know him, I have to. His voice…I’ve heard it!

The man laughed again. “Foolish…” He lunged forward, his blade ready to stab right through Drake, when suddenly, Drake was gone. He let out a quick growl, spinning around. The boy had quickly moved behind him, so fast that the dark man had missed it.

“Such a simple trick.” The evil man growled, “I should have seen it.”

Drake let out a quick laugh of his own, a snide smirk across his face. “Yeah, yeah…” He was standing upright, his sword in his hand. How he found it was anyone’s guess, though Drake thought he was just simply lucky.

The other man sighed, “I did not want to prolong the fight for this long.” He raised his blade, “I will finish it right now.” A quick spike of energy alerted Drake to his movements, a burst in speed that was far more than Drake had ever seen or felt. Within a mere second, the man was above Drake, his blade raised high.

“Die!”

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake opened his eyes slowly, his mind trying to comprehend what happened. “What…what happened?” He sat up, letting the warm light from the window close to his bed wash over him. A dream? He yawned, stretching his limbs out. He was laying in an ornate, large bed with dark red colors and an insignia of flames. As was the treatment of the Prince of Dragons, Drake Armageddon. His clan, the Firesong Clan of Dragonis, was the leading clan at the time, the clan of Dragonans, the humans who made pacts with Dragons. They had long ago forsaken the old Earth, and instead, made a new life upon the planet of Dragons, Dragonis.

Drake was only twelve, but already, he was stronger than most normal humans. In fact, he was stronger than most normal Dragonans as well, but he had been trained from birth to fight. His father, Dragon Armageddon, was a master warrior, one that had ruled since a great war that was against a great power, that of darkness. He had defeated the darkness, and in turn, was granted the right to rule. Together, he and his wife, Sakuya, created a family.

Drake was the second son, his older brother being Zero Eternia Armageddon. Zero was slightly different than the rest of his family. Although Dragon had dark brown hair, and Sakuya had jet black hair, Zero was gifted with silvery blonde hair, which he kept only about mid-length. He was only around twenty-three himself, though for the humans who made a pact with Dragons, twenty-three was young. Dragonans, unlike humans, had extended lives, such as the dragons did. An average Dragonan could live for nearly nine-hundred years, if not longer. Dragon Armageddon, the king, was around three-hundred himself.

Of course, none of that really mattered to Drake. He yawned again, jumping up from his bed. He ran into the bathing room, and quickly washed his face. When he was finished, he looked at his image in the mirror, admiring what he had become. Although only twelve, he was greatly toned. He wasn’t too muscular, but built small and compact, with not only strength, but speed as well. His silver eyes glanced up at his messy, jet-black hair. It was spiked up, mostly towards the front, but it was highly erratic and messy. The boy shrugged it off as usual. Instead, he quickly rushed to get dressed. Supposedly, today was the day he was going to be trained by his brother again.

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake walked out of his room wearing a light red tank-top and black jeans, his usual training attire. Attached to his waist was a wooden blade, the usual practice blade that he used. Normally he would carry a steel blade, but training was dangerous and live, so they used wooden blades for safety.

The boy adjusted his belt slightly just as his brother, Zero, stepped out from around the corner.

“Zero?” Drake turned, and the older of the two dashed forward, drawing his blade. Drake let out a cry of alarm, his hands fumbling to unsheathe his blade. Zero growled, lashing out quickly.

Drake let out a grunt of his own, abandoning his sword, and instead leapt back a few feet, narrowly dodging the swipe. So, he’s starting training early today, ne? This time, Drake placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, lowering his stance. “Ready now…” He muttered.

Zero’s stance was different than Drake’s much harder to read than most. Both Zero and his father were skilled, but some say that if the two were to battle, that Dragon wouldn’t stand a chance due to the strange, almost perfect fighting style Zero had. Zero’s stance was strange to begin with. He was standing straight up, not crouched over at all. He held his blade loosely in his right hand, his left casually behind him, sometimes in his pocket, almost as if he didn’t care. This was a part of his strategy as well, but Drake knew better. Anyone who attacked Zero was usually disarmed in one quick, powerful strike.

Drake’s stance was different, low and ready. He fought using his left hand, even though he could use his right as well. Using his left hand, he could easily throw off an opponent to surprise them, for most people fought with their right. It made for an interesting fight, even more so when Drake could switch to his right hand, and change his style completely.

But Drake wasn’t focusing on that. He was focused on Zero, and winning the match. Zero was standing still, his stance solid and unmoving. Drake let out a low breath, and suddenly lunged forward, drawing his blade at lightning speed.
Zero sighed, and his blade moved with the flick of his wrist. It connected with Drake’s blade, and knocked it aside, which gave Zero the opportunity to simply kick Drake hard in the stomach.

Drake skidded backwards a few feet, his eyes slammed shut. He let out a grunt of pain, kneeling down. “D-damn…”

“Drake…that was far too easy to block. You should know by now, frontal assaults as basic as that won’t work on me. You might have tried for something a little more creative, no?” Zero let the tip of his blade touch the ground. “I must say though, you reacted fairly well when I attacked first.”

Drake let out a shuddering breath, and coughed. “Did you have to kick so hard?” He managed to say after a quick, gasping breath.

Zero laughed, “I’m not going to go easy on you. I don’t understand why you seem not to grasp that concept. I’ll go all out on you all the time.” He sighed, “Take five. I’ll be in the courtyard when you’re ready.”


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That's all for now, but it's far different fromt he first version, ne? Comments?

[TwilightPrince]

The great chees iss back for a moment XD
of course its good cant wait for the rest
yup

[DestinyHolder]

*Tightly latches onto Chase's leg and never lets go*

You will never leave me again!

and good remake, you can see both Drake's and Zero's personalities more.

[TwilightPrince]

Are you going to do just this one

[KH2_FinalSora]

I plan on doing all of them, but this takes a lot of time and effort, and it's fairly difficult to do. It'll take me a long time to do this.

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake went back into his room, staggering across the floor. He took another strangled breath, shuttering as he tried to stand up straight. He went straight to his weapon’s closet, where another wooden sword was located. Although Zero and his father were training him, Drake had taken it upon himself to train on his own time, and develop his own style of fighting.

Drake smirked, swinging the sheath of the practice blade across his back, letting it rest there. Time to show Zero something new.

Drake walked out of his room, and towards the courtyard. It only took him a few minutes to find the opening in the large castle. Zero was standing with his back to Drake, his arms crossed. The wooden sword he was using was placed firmly in the ground, his hand resting on this hilt.

Zero didn’t move when Drake walked in, only continued to stare towards the back of the courtyard. Without moving, he spoke quickly. “Be ready. You and I are working together now. Our Father wants to test us.”

Drake’s eyes suddenly darted around. If Dad is in on this, then we really need to work hard to even keep up with him. His gaze lingered for a moment when he spotted a shadow on the ground. His mind worked for a second, and suddenly his eyes widened.

Zero looked up just as Drake shouted, “He’s up there!” Both of the brothers launched into the air, exerting power to propel them high enough to reach the man who was falling towards him.

[KH2_FinalSora]

Zero expertly scanned his enemy. Dragon Armageddon was wearing a simple red tank top and dark blue pants, a wooden katana casually placed on his belt. His light brown eyes were darting back and forth between Drake and Zero, skillfully judging the distance and speed between the two, and the threat level that they posed. Although Zero was focused, he couldn’t help but wonder why his father’s hair differed so greatly from Drake’s or his own. Dragon’s hair was light brown, and short, spiked up barely in the front. Akthought he warrior looked only a few years older than Zero, he knew that Dragon was far more powerful than both Drake and him.

Drake, himself, was analyzing Dragon as well, but not the same way as Zero was. Drake let his senses reach out, wild and untamed, and he felt the powers of both Zero and Dragon, but not combined. He focused more of his efforts on Dragon, and scanned his speed and energy level. It’s lower than mine! What is he thinking!?

Dragon let a smile slide across his face. “Hey guys!” With a blur, his blade was drawn. He moved quickly and skillfully, spinning in the air counter-clockwise, faster and faster until he was merely a blur. Both of the brothers growled in unison, raising their blades together. As the two had synced, they each made for a swiping slash at the same time.

The blades hit at the same time, but bounced off of the whirling mass that Dragon had formed into. Both Zero and Drake fell backwards, both thrown off guard.

Zero was the first to recover, flipping backwards as he fell. “Alright then! Dragon Arts! Dragon Fire Blaze!” He felt a burst of flames circle around his arm, and blast out at the spinning Dragon. The flames burned brightly, but had no effect, simply mixing in with the spinning warrior.

Drake managed to recover mere seconds after Zero, a plan forming in his own mind. The three landed altogether, and Dragon stopped spinning, letting his blade rest on the ground. He was grinning madly, a smirk across his face as well. “Wow, not bad. You’ll need to do better, still!”

Drake sheathed his single blade, and let out a burst of energy, “Dragon Arts! Dragon Fire Spiral!”

Zero blinked, “Huh? I’ve never heard of that one.”

Dragon spun around, “Not bad, inventing your own move now!?” He laughed, “Takes a while to form it, but I’ll let that slide.”

[KH2_FinalSora]

A sudden blast of flames circled up from underneath Dragon, engulfing his entire body. The flames shot to the sky, spinning around madly, but in the opposite direction that Dragon had been spinning earlier.

“Thanks for the idea, Dad…Zero! That was an awesome move to test out!” The flames ended suddenly, abruptly, as Dragon dispelled the flames.

Zero laughed as well, “Too bad out Dad is the most powerful FireSong warrior alive, and can withstand the heat of an attack like that.” He crossed his arms. “Not bad, Drake. It was a good move, nonetheless.”

Drake nodded, “It’s not like I’ll be fighting anyone immune to flames, ne?”

Dragon and Zero both stopped laughing. Zero’s face grew dark. “Never say that. Anyone can turn on you at any moment, for any reason.”

Dragon nodded, “The war long ago, the Armageddon War, was something similar. The Prince of the opposing country was thought to be noble and brave, but he fell to the embrace of powerful demons. The same could happen to anyone here.”

Drake nodded solemnly, “I understand.”

Dragon smiled suddenly again. “Drake, I want to go one on one with you. I’ll go easy on you, but I want to see something.” His eye twinkled, and Zero looked to his father, nodding. “Zero, I want you to do what we talked about earlier this morning.”

Zero nodded, “Yes, Father.” He walked to the side of the courtyard, sheathing his blade.

Drake looked over to his brother, and back to Dragon. “Wait, what?” He was confused.

“It’s part of your training. Now c’mon!” Dragon drew his katana again, taking a two-handed, low stance, with the blade pointed at Drake.

Drake nodded, drawing the sword at his waist. Neither his father nor Zero had commented on the second sword on his back. Or, maybe they just hadn’t noticed yet. Either way, Drake’s surprise was ready.

[KH2_FinalSora]

Dragon lingered for a moment. “Ready or not.” His body seemed to blur, and then it disappeared. Drake felt a sudden spike of energy behind him, the weak energy that his dad was giving off. The boy instantly spun around, letting out a growl as he raised his blade. The two weapons connected, and Drake felt a jarring pain in his arms. His dad was going easy on him, but it was still a lot for the young boy to take.

Drake went on offensive suddenly, lashing out with several quick, accurate strikes. Dragon skillfully blocked each and every one, a wide grin spread across his face. Apparently, Dragon was having a blast, even though his movements seemed a little slower than he wanted to go. Drake suddenly had a flashback, remembering segments of the dark dream that had occurred. He remembered the fluid movements of the fighting, and he let a smile come across his own face. I may not know the end of the dream, but I can certainly learn from it! He let out a quick breath, and let out a quick burst of energy, and felt himself move faster.

Dragon laughed, “Wow, two new moves in one day, though this one you didn’t invent.” He let out a low chuckle, spinning around as Drake appeared behind him. “Too slow, though!” He let out a quick, straight forward kick that slammed into Drake’s chest, knocking him back.

Drake tumbled back, trying to regain both his balance and his breathing. His balance came first, and he caught his grip on the ground, his feet skidding lightly. His breath came moments later as he took a quick, gasping breath. Time for the third new trick!

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake’s right hand went to his back, and gripped the hilt of the sword lightly. “Alright…” He muttered under his breath. “Just how I practiced…” He unsheathed it, twirling it in his hand to adjust to its weight.

Dragon raised an eyebrow, “Sure you want to do that, kiddo?” He grinned when Drake nodded slowly. “Bring it, then!”

Zero was sitting on the sidelines on one of the benches to the side of the courtyard. He didn’t move or seem unnerved when Drake drew the second weapon, and instead yawned.

Drake dashed forward, his mind focused on remembering the few techniques he had practiced. Right as he got close to his father, he made a quick whirling motion, and spun into a quick and powerful double spin with both of his blades stretched outwards. Drake grinned, calculating the move that his dad was going to use. He’s either going to block it, jump in the air, or dodge back. All three ways, I can counterattack!

Dragon jumped up, his face a little more relaxed than even before. He said, tauntingly, “You’ll have to do much better than that, Drake!”

Drake smirked, “Just watch me!” As he finished the double spin, he crouched down at the very end, and launched himself into the air, right at his father. Both of his blades went forward in a two-sword stab.

Dragon let out a low growl, “Not bad…” He quickly took his left hand, which was free, and aimed a well timed magical blast of energy. It was small, but well aimed, and slammed in-between Drake’s two swords, knocking them not only apart, but out of the stabbing motion they were in. The young boy let out a growl of his own, and quickly adapted the change. He let the blade continue to fall back, and loosened his grip on the handle. He switched fighting styles completely, letting the blades reverse in his hands.

“Interesting.” Dragon muttered.

[KH2_FinalSora]

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Hmm...I was going to try and write more, but I got distracted and couldn't do anything.

Comments?? Ne?

[TwilightPrince]

Looks good so far

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake let out a fierce cry, swiping both oh his blade inward at Dragon, almost scissor-like in the slash motion he made. Dragon let out a quick growl, bringing his single blade up to block right in the middle, catching Drake’s dual blades and stopping them from completing the slash.

“Zero! Now!” Dragon yelled.

Drake’s eyes widened as he felt a powerful presence appear behind him. Zero smirked, his blade raised high.

“Hello, Drake.” Zero smirked, and brought his blade down. Only…Drake was no longer where Zero had seen him last. Dragon and Zero both landed on the ground at the same time, and went back to back in a quick motion.

“He’s getting fast,” Zero muttered. Dragon nodded quickly, and let out a quick chuckle.

“He’s getting better.” Dragon growled as a sudden spike of energy burst from under the two, and flames spiraled up from under them, reaching to the sky. Both Zero and Dragon had leapt out of the fire easily, but they had been separated.

Drake attacked Zero first. The spiraling tornado of flames continued to spin, and from there, Drake made his move. The flames separated quickly, letting the boy launch himself forward at Zero, a ferocious look across his face. Zero grinned darkly, bringing his blade up to parry the blow that Drake had dealt.

“You’ll have to do more than-“ That was all Zero could say, because he had underestimated Drake’s speed. Without a second thought, his motions became a blur of several, well timed strikes with his blade. Zero wasn’t expecting this; he had never seen the likes of Drake’s moves in his life. It was almost like an elaborate dance, something in a technique he had never seen used before.

Drake wasn’t focused on Zero’s words at all, he was, instead, focusing on his blade and his style. He was making things up as he went along, but he had the general idea of his fight in his head. He was going for wild and unpredictable, which was exactly what he had achieved. However, this required much more thinking and focusing than Drake was ever used to.

That would be his downfall. Drake paused for a brief second, hesitating. He had two choices, and he couldn’t figure out which one to do next. That was the perfect opening. Dragon burst through the flames from behind, and Zero kicked Drake hard in the chest. The boy was tossed back easily, right into the foot of his father, Dragon, he quickly launched Drake straight into the ground.

“Alright, I think we can call it a day for now.” Dragon landed with ease, sheathing his blade. The flames behind him died down quickly, leaving only the heat behind. Zero followed Dragon’s suit, and sheathed his own blade.

The older brother knelt down next to a small crater that Dragon had left behind, with Drake inside of it. “Not bad. You almost had me there. Of course, you couldn’t keep it up for too long. I was also holding back a little. Your grip was slightly loose, and-“ A quick burst of energy knocked Zero back, although Zero had been prepared for it.

“The last thing I want to see when I wake up from a hit like that is your ugly face.” Drake replied sarcastically. “Jeez…” The boy picked himself up, managing to crawl out of the small hole. “Why does everyone kick so hard…”

[KH2_FinalSora]

The sun was high in the sky, about noon-time. Drake let out a yawn as he stretched out, laying down on the strange, red grass that surrounded the Firesong Castle. He couldn’t help but stare at the blood-red sky, a wide grin across his face. As far as he could remember, the Firesong Clan had the best of everything. They were the top clan, and always had been since the Armageddon War, a bloody conflict between the Dragonan Race, and another race known as the Crossfire. No one really remembered who started the war, only how it ended. The dark demons that had hidden away on the planet Dragonis had broken free, claiming the life of the Crossfire Prince. Then, they led a full on assault to kill off the Dragonan and the Crossfire. In the end, they ended up teaming up and together, they won.

Dragon had been the general at the time, and through his noble efforts, he and the Crossfire King had worked out a truce. In the end, everything worked out. All of the other clans, the brutal warriors of the Shadowfang, and the wise casters of the Talonwind clan had agreed. The last major clan, the Thunderclaw Clan, had yet to be formed. Many other clans existed, but none of them were as big as the main four. Each had a chosen ruler, and each of the rulers met in a council every year to determine many issues thast may plague each clan, and the solutions that they would take.

All in all, Drake wasn’t too worried about the clans. He was the second son of the king, which meant that if for some reason Dragon were to die, that Zero would ascend the throne. That would then make Drake next in line, but the chances of his father dieing were slim to none. And then Zero dieing after that? No chance at all. There would be a better chance of a Clan War, or even the planet ending, before anyone of the Firesong Clan died.

Drake thought for a moment, letting his mind wander. He knew a lot about the other clans, namely from his studies in the Kingdom Library. Reading was one of his favorite hobbies, among other things, such as technology. The Firesong Clan’s leader was Dragon Armageddon, the King of Dragons. The Clan of the Dragon of Fire, so they were called, were masters of the elemental flame, and were the strongest of the clans in terms of fighting with the use of skill and magic balanced out. The Shadowfang Clan’s leader was a man named Raiyth Avira, the Dragon of Death. The Clan of the Dragon of Shadows, so aptly named, were the masters of the elemental darkness and shadows. They were the strongest in dark, powerful magic, and physical strength, though they were never much of thinkers. Then there was the Talonwind Clan, who’s leader was the illustrious Seth Rush, and his younger brother, Trey. They ruled as one, the Twin Dragons of the Wind. They, along with the Clan of the Dragon of the Winds, and their talents lay in the control of the elemental winds. They were heavily weak in physical stature, but they had the most knowledge out of the most clans. They were also thought to be Chroniclers of the Dragons, and they wrote down much of the history of Dragonis. The last Clan, Drake knew the least about. It was the newest of Clans, the Thunderclaw Clan. Their leader was a mysterious person whom Drake had only ever seen once, a woman named Kirin Nova. She and her clan were masters in the elemental lightening. They’re clan specialized in many things, none of which Drake could comprehend at the time. It had something to do with new age technology, that which Old Earth had used, but modified for environmental safety.

[Azure]

mmmmmmm

Nice, the revision of Endless is very good, and I like the story so far... (Still, Shadow dragons being brutes... I would have thorught they would have been more like assasins, and backstabers.... but meh)

Still continue on.... this is proving interesting, so dont give up...

[Roxas 1994]

I like it! The story is very interesting. More!!!

*Pokes Azure* Look in the RPG sketches, Azure.

[KH2_FinalSora]

((I changed the last clan up a bit, cause I needed to))

While his mind wandered, Drake was unaware of the events that were conspiring inside of the castle.

Dragon and Zero were sitting at the table, discussing the clans. Dragon was seated at the head of the semi-long table, and Zero to his right. Strewn across the table were maps, letters, and random scrawls of notes, all about the four main clans, and many about the minor clans that existed.

“The Talonwind and Thunderclaw have backed out of this affair completely, but the Shadowfang are determined to find out what is happening. Something attacked NeoEarth, and caused a great disturbance across many of the realms. It was something dark and powerful, as well as evil. They want to investigate, but they need our permission. Seeing as the dark force is headed towards us next, I think it would be a wise choice to let them.” Dragon laid back
in his chair, letting the information sink in to Zero.

Zero sighed, “I don’t like this one bit. Should I go with them to ensure success?”

Dragon shook his head, “No. That would be unwise.” He leaned forward, letting his arms rest on the table as he thought. “I think…we’ll let them go, and see what happens. I have trust in Raiyth.” His eyes closed, and he took a deep breath.

“Are you going to be okay?” Zero asked. His father was rarely like this. Most of the time, he was laid back and very calm, but today, the King was stressed. “I think we should-“

There was a call from outside, “Zero! Hey! Something’s in the sky! I think it’s a ship!”

Zero and Dragon looked at each other, and then dashed outside. Drake was standing, staring at the sky with his hand pointed. “It’s a small one, one person. But it’s falling from the sky.”

Dragon crossed his arms as he stared at the burning streak in the sky. Is this a part of the dark force that is coming? Is this the beginning of the assault? “Zero, take Drake, and go investigate the crash.” His voice was stern and commanding. “Report back, but try not to kill whoever is in this ship.”

Zero nodded, and looked over to Drake. “Go to the armory, grab my blade, and whatever blades you want. Meet me back here in fifteen minutes. We’re flying.” He dashed back into the castle, and disappeared.

[KH2_FinalSora]

It was dark, but the boy inside of the falling capsule wasn’t afraid. He had been sent here for a reason, but…what for? He shook his head, running his hands through his light red hair. He could feel dark energies pulsing through his body, but they felt so unnatural to him. “Who…am I?” He closed his eyes, letting his mind work again. It was giving him a headache, but he had to remember who he was. It was all he wanted to do now. I hate you, Lord Riados. I hate you so much, for all of the pain you caused me. And my dear child, A second voice, other than his own, echoed in his mind, that of his Lord and Master, Despite all of this, you will serve me as always. The boy growled, “Yes…sir.”

The darkened boy felt the capsule around him shudder slightly, but he wasn’t alarmed. He would be landing soon, and then his task was to destroy everything he could. It was a dark task, but he was far more powerful than anyone truly knew. A simple boy with the power to decimate a world, that was his fate. A dark smile spread across his face, And so it begins.

There was a loud crash, and he lost consciousness.

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Drake, keep up!” Zero was flying in the air, turned back towards his younger brother. Flight was one of the most basic of abilities, something that took very little energy to do. However, flight took a lot of concentration on energy control. Of course, Drake was not quite as adept as his older brother.

“Yeah, yeah…I know.” Drake closed his eyes for a moment, re-organizing his energy flow for the third time. When am I gonna get the hang of this? I’m tired of focusing so much. “How much farther do we have to go?” The young boy quickly adjusted his blade on his belt. He had a solid looking sword on his waist, but he couldn’t find a second blade for his back. In a hurry, all he could grab was a metal pole.

Zero stopped, hovering in the air. They were quite a distance in the air, higher than most would dare to go. It was a little chilly, but it wasn’t much for the two Dragonans. “I saw it fall somewhere close to here. I can’t sense it, probably because of the pulse the metal was sending out.”

Drake crossed his arms, hovering behind his brother. Zero can’t sense it? Well… I could always try. He closed his eyes, and let his own senses reach out. Nothing jumped out at him at first, but then a sudden chill ran down his spine. He shivered uncontrollably, and his eyes shot open. “That…was weird.”

“Hmm?” Zero glanced back at his younger brother. “You okay? You look a little pale.” He looked genuinely alarmed at the safety of his younger brother, despite the fact that only a few hours before, they had been fighting with full strength.

“I tried sensing out, and…I found something. It felt…evil.” Drake shuttered, and pointed in front of him and slightly to his left. “It was over there.”

Zero’s eyes narrowed a little. Interesting. Is it possible he can sense the dark powers that may be here? If so, he is much more powerful than he realizes. “You might be on to something, Drake.” He nodded, and turned towards where Drake pointed. “Let’s go check out there, first.”

The two flew in that direction for a brief few minutes, both silent. Each one was thinking the same thing: What exactly were they going to find? Zero, who was in the lead, spotted it first.

[KH2_FinalSora]

“A crater.” The older of the two spoke softly. “You see it yet?”

“Yeah,” Drake spoke just as softly. It only took them a minute to reach the small crater. In the hole was a ruined, one-man pod, big enough to maintain space travel, but small enough to show that it had to have come from somewhere close. It was in ruins, for the atmosphere had weakened the metal, and the crash had nearly completely torn the main hull apart. However, the one person who came in the ship was in one piece, laying a few feet from the wreckage. He was face down, but already, Drake could tell he was no older than himself.

The boy had striking red hair, and a small muscular build, similar to Drake’s own. He was wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and blue jeans, and as far as Drake could tell, he wasn’t moving.

“Zero, is he dead?” Drake asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

Zero walked forward, towards the boy, drawing his blade. Always on guard. If this boy really has the darkness that Drake felt, then he’s dangerous. He extended his foot, nudging the boy. When no movement came, he nudged the boy onto his back, pointing his sword down.

“Zero, he’s just a kid like me, he’s not dangerous! You can put your sword away.” Drake looked back and forth between Zero’s stern gaze and the boy who looked to be dead.

“I don’t trust this…not at all,” Zero muttered under his breath. “Drake, step back.” Something was happening, and Zero couldn’t tell what. Power was rising all around him, but none of it was his.

Drake took a step back, his eyes widening. He could feel the same, evil energy forming up in front of him, right below Zero. It was coming from the kid, which Drake couldn’t believe. How can this be? He’s just a kid like me! Why is he consumed by so much evil? The boy’s eyes shot open, glowing a dark and dangerous red.

“Hmph, first target sighted.” The boy spoke, his voice monotone. He raised his hand, and pulsed a blast of pure darkness at Zero. The man, who was not expecting such power, was blown back, his body slamming into the remains of the capsule that the boy had come from.

“Zero!” Drake called out. There was no response. The young dragon boy let out a growl, drawing his blade. “Alright then…my turn.”

[KH2_FinalSora]

The boy stood up, cracking his neck. “Ready?” An evil grin spread across his face as he dashed forward, faster than even Drake could see. But Drake was on guard, and predicted where the dark boy would end up, and quickly blocked a powerful blow from the boy’s fist with the edge of his blade.

“What are you!?” Drake growled as the two leapt back from each other.

“You could call me a slave…” The kid growled, lowering his stance. “A slave to darkness.”

Drake lunged forward, but the boy was too quick, and kicked Drake’s blade out of his hand, managing to catch the blade. Drake stood dumbfounded at this feat, but quickly regained his stature when the boy slashed at him. Drake dodged to the left, and quickly drew the metal pole from his back, deflecting a second blow. The third blow was a simple overhead swing, which Drake easily parried, knocking the other boy back.

“You’re swordsmanship sucks.” Drake smirked, “All the more chance for me to win!” He lunged forward with his pole in a stabbing motion, but the other boy was too quick, moving swiftly to the left.

“You’re far too cocky, and you give yourself too many openings in combat.” The other boy spoke with no emotion in his voice, just the same creepy monotone. “Your moves are non-original, which make them easy to predict.” All this time, the boy was moving Drake into a certain position, in which he suddenly thrust out with his hand, sending a powerful pulse of dark energy straight into Drake’s body.

Drake felt searing pain like he had never felt before, and his body was lifted off the ground and catapulted back, right in the same place where Zero’s body had slammed into earlier, in the wreckage of the capsule.

The other boy, shrouded in darkness, chuckled darkly. “That was too easy…” He crossed his arms, looking around, examining his surroundings. “This world will fall…”

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Not if I have a chance!” Drake burst out from the wreckage, hovering in the sky. He threw his arms into the air, summoning energy from the earth. “Dragon Fire Spiral!” He roared, sending flames bursting into the air. The boy was caught of guard, and thrown into the air, caught in the terrible whirlwind of flames. The dragon boy let out a growl, and then plunged himself into the flames, slamming into the other boy hard. The two crashed onto the ground, Drake on top. His fist was raised, ready to smash it into the other boy’s face should the need arise.

“So…you’re a lot stronger than I first thought.” The boy grimaced, trying to move. Drake’s grip held, and the boy stopped after a moment. “Do you really think you can win? More of us will come.”

Drake’s voice was nothing more than a growl, “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” Energy pulsed into his hand, and it started to glow with power. “I could smash your skull in right now.”

The boy laughed, “It would be a wondrous escape. Kill me now, please. I wish to escape this dark hell, to escape this torment. Please…do it.” His gaze lingered, and his eyes, once dark red, flashed bright green. “I want to escape…”

Drake’s fierce gaze softened. “I…” The energy in his hand stopped, but something else appeared. There was a sudden bright flash of energy, and Drake felt the darkness all around him, from both the boy and the remnants of the battle, disappear. The young dragon boy blinked, standing up. The red-haired boy was laying on the ground, his eyes closed in a peaceful sleep.

“The darkness is gone…” Drake blinked, and stared at his hands. What…what just happened? Did I do that? A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him, and he kneeled forward. What…did…I…do…? The world went dark, and Drake was out cold before his body hit the ground.

-----------------

That's all for now. And comments? Critizism?

[Roxas 1994]

Interesting. I’m looking forward to more.

[KH2_FinalSora]

A soft wind blew around the fallen bodies of the two boys. High above them, a man looked down, floating in the air. He was almost like an apparition, the way he appeared, but he was quite real.

“So…you have failed me, then.” The man was cloaked in great shadows but his voice was deep and harsh. “The Goddess will be displeased that I lost one of them.” He looked over towards the fallen wreckage and chuckled darkly. “Although I may have lost one of the Guardians, I have found another.” He floated towards the wreckage landing lightly on the ground.

A slight stirring occurred in the wreckage. A silvery-blonde haired man jumped up, his blade in hand. “Back off!” He rushed forward, bursting through the air. He managed a quick sideswipe as he moved past the dark man. The man shrouded in the shadows laughed.

“You can’t touch me.” He laughed again, turning his body to meet Zero’s gaze. “I can give you the power to protect them all. I will give you the power you seek. I know what you want.”

Zero lowered his guard slightly, narrowing his gaze. “You…you know then?” The older dragon hybrid grimaced. He had always been doubtful of his powers, doubtful that he could rule after his own father. He thought he was weak, and in truth, he was, compared to his father. But that was to be expected.

“I can give you the power to surpass anyone. All you have to do is follow me.” He held out his hand and darkness seemed to surge from it. Zero had already seen what power the darkness had and how powerful a mere boy could become with it.

“Who are you…?” Zero asked.

“My dear friend, my name…is Riados. I am known as the Guardian of Shadows.”

Zero’s gaze wandered over to Drake, and he sighed. “I…”

[KH2_FinalSora]

My name is Rhonnin Mikimaru. I’m…free now, from the darkness. The red-haired boy felt a dull pain in his muscles, almost as if he had been using them more than he should have been. He felt really tired, too, but the feeling was quickly fading. His eyes flickered open and his first sight was a blood red sky. Where am I? He groaned, sitting up and looking around. His vision was slightly blurred and his head felt light, but all of this was quickly leaving his body. It was like waking up from a really long slumber.

He didn’t remember anything, for some odd reason. He tried to think of what had happened and all he could get was a blurred fragment of memories. He stood up, only then realizing that he had a sword in his hand. The weight of it felt natural, yet he felt the blade was not his. His eyes wandered across the elegantly made sword, across the engraved steel.

“Why am I here?” The red haired boy felt a sharp pain burst in his mind and a name embedded itself in his memory. Rhonnin Mikimaru. “My name…” He closed his eyes, and tried to think again. “Now…where am I?”

“I can help you with that.” Another voice came from Rhonnin’s left, and the red-haired boy jumped, pulling his blade into a defensive stance. It came from another boy, the same age as him. He had jet black, spiky hair and silver eyes. It was then, that something else struck his memory. Kill them all… It was the voice in his head, one that wasn’t his own. He felt a sudden urge to leap onto the other boy and run the blade through his heart but he stopped. No one was controlling him.

“Who are you?” Rhonnin lifted the blade a little using the edge to point at the other boy. “And where are we?”

“My name is Drake.” The dark haired boy stood up, stretching. “I knew something wasn’t right, and you seem okay now.” He crossed his arms, smiling. “You’re free from the darkness now.” The boy, Drake, held out his hand. “I can help you, now. You came from a different planet, though I’m not sure where. This is Dragonis.”

Rhonnin felt another spike of pain in his skull, and the blade slipped through his grasp as he gripped his skull. Augh…what…the darkness…it was… Memories flooded his mind and agonizing pain surged through his body. I was controlled for the longest time by something Dark and Evil. But why? And… He fell to his knees and whimpered. “Make it stop…the pain, just make it stop.”

Drake was at the other boy’s side, “Hey! Just hold on a minute, it’s probably some aftereffect. It’ll be over soon. I promise.”

The red haired boy let out a shuddering sigh and opened his eyes. It was quiet in his mind once more and he shuddered again. “My name…is Rhonnin. I don’t remember…much of anything. All I can…remember…” He waited for a moment, pausing in case any more pain occurred. “All I can remember is pain and suffering, all from the darkness.”

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake nodded slowly, “All right…let’s go home. I’ll help you up, so let’s go.” He went under Rhonnin’s arm, and pushed the two of them up with Drake supporting most of the other boy’s weight. “You all right?” Rhonnin nodded, and the two set off.

Drake would have flown but it was unlikely that Rhonnin could fly. Neither of them had the time to teach nor learn. Drake would have carried Rhonnin but his ability would barely carry his own weight, let alone both of them.

It had taken Drake and Zero nearly an hour of flying to get to the crash site, and that had been flying over vast amounts of the Dragonian landscape. Instead of trying to take the exact route he had taken before, Drake made his way to the next town. He knew, from memory that it was the main stronghold of the Thunderclaw Clan. All the time Drake had been walking, however, he had been thinking heavily.

Drake had helped Rhonnin to the wreckage to check for any items of Rhonnin’s that may have sparked a memory. This gave Drake a chance to check up on Zero but he had a clue that he wouldn’t find his older brother. Although Drake had been knocked out, he had felt Zero’s presence leave the area. What that had meant, was that Zero was probably taken against his will because there was no way the older dragon hybrid would have left his younger brother alone.

Drake knew he should have looked for Zero but decided against it. First of all, he had no clearance from his father to search for Zero. The eldest brother would have certainly been able to look after himself and could easily escape from any prison he was sent to. Besides, Drake had to deal with Rhonnin. He wasn’t about to abandon his new friend.

Rhonnin was walking on his own accord now, which meant the two could move faster. They had been talking a lot, about anything but the darkness. Drake had explained to him in great detail about his family, the Dragonian race, and the Clans that ruled. He had also explained where they were headed.

“The Thunderclaw Clan’s main city is called Revel and their Clan Leader is a woman named Kirin Nova. I don’t know much about her and I’ve met her only once. Honestly, I’m a little scared. I’ve never actually talked with her but I’m sure she remembers me.” Drake was keeping up a brisk walking pace which Rhonnin seemed to have no trouble following.

[KH2_FinalSora]

“So,” Rhonnin’s voice was a little rough, but it was clearing up, just like most of the other problems with his body. It was lower than Drake’s voice but not by much. He cleared his throat, “You’re the son of a King. That’s pretty amazing, within itself.” He smiled lightly and shook his head. “This is a little hard to take in but I’m trying my best.”

Drake nodded. “I understand, and I’ll try and make this as easy as possible.” He stopped for a moment and crossed his arms. I wonder… He looked into the sky, and back to Rhonnin. We’re making excellent time… “Hey, I just got an idea.”

Rhonnin stopped and looked up, trying to figure out what he had just missed. “What are you talking about?” He looked back to Drake and blinked. “Seriously…you’re scaring me.”

“Ever wanted to learn to fly?” Drake grinned.

[KH2_FinalSora]

The King, Dragon Armageddon, stood firmly in front of two other people. The leaders of both the Talonwind Clan and the Shadowfang Clan stood opposing the Firesong Leader. Behind Trey, the Talonwind Clan Leader, stood his brother, Seth, hidden in the shadows. Raiyth, the leader of the Shadowfang, had his arms crossed, and was glaring at Dragon.

“You mean to tell me that you sent two boys to go investigate. You said that-“ Raiyth was cut off when Trey spoke.

“It seems to me that it was a wise choice. They needed an immediate reaction to this and none of the Clan leaders would have been able to go. All in all, it was an acceptable move.”

Dragon nodded, his hand resting on the pommel of his blade. “I thought as much. Though it has been several hours and I’m worried. Neither of them have reported back. I’ve alerted Kirin and she will be looking for Zero and Drake.” He turned to his side, looking out the elegant window. They were in a large room built for meetings such as these, though none of them had decided to sit down. It was to be a short meeting.

“I have faith that your children will be fine.” Seth walked out of the shadows, and nodded to his brother. “If they are as powerful as they were when I met them, they will be fine. Maybe they are on the way now?”

Trey nodded, and turned to his brother. “Speaking of, we must be on our way. We have some dark times ahead, I fear. We need time to prepare.” The two brothers turned to Dragon and nodded. They said their goodbyes and walked out of the room.

Raiyth shook his head, “I don’t like them. They have no backbone.” He grumbled and crossed his arms. “I don’t like the idea of sending such younglings to do the work trained professionals should be doing. My soldiers are more than-“

“Raiyth, if you must know, I have given thought to you and your clan investigating this disturbance. I want you to do this. You requested it, right?” Dragon’s eyes wandered to Raiyth.

The Shadowfang Leader nodded. “Yes. We will begin right away.” He seemed much happier, though his voice was still rough. It was always how he sounded. “If you wish, I will keep an eye out for your…offspring.” He smiled and nodded to Dragon.

“Dismissed.” Dragon turned, and walked over to the door. “We will talk later and discuss what you have discovered.”

“Thank you, King Dragon.” Raiyth walked through the door, leaving.

Dragon watched as Raiyth walked through the halls. He turned, and went back to the window, gazing out of it. Trey and Seth had already left and there was no sign of them on the horizon. The king barely registered Raiyth walking out of the castle and running off in the distance. No, Dragon was thinking about his two sons. You should have been back by now. Even if not, I would know if you were both okay. There is something wrong and I don’t know what. He turned away from the window and crossed his arms. His eyes drifted shut and he shook his head. I’m afraid…

[KH2_FinalSora]

“This is really weird!” Rhonnin’s voice wavered as he tried to regain his balance in the air. “I didn’t know focusing your power like this could result in flight!” He was only a few feet in the air, but already, he was amazed.

Drake himself was floating a few feet higher, mainly to observe. He had explained the main focus of energy, letting it simply constantly fuel the power of flight. Rhonnin had seemed skeptical at first, but Drake demonstrated his flying and had convinced the red-haired youth to try it. His arms remained crossed as he waited patiently, a wide grin on his face.

“You’re learning pretty quickly, which is good. I knew you’d be able to learn it-“ Drake paused, his ears picking up a sound. Hmm? A dark, cold feeling suddenly overwhelmed the youngling and he cringed. He let himself fall to the ground, a low groan escaping his lips.

“Drake, are you alright?” Rhonnin let himself drop next to the dark-haired youth, a worried look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I don’t…” Drake let out a quick gasp, his head coming up. Darkness!? “Get down!”

Rhonnin blinked. “Why do you want me to-?” A sudden feeling of power seemed to echo from across the field and a beam of pure energy shot forth aimed at Rhonnin. The red-haired boy let out a cry of alarm, bringing up his arms to guard against the powerful blast. The glowing energy slammed into Rhonnin’s crossed arms, knocking him off his feet. Within a moment, he was on his back, pain surging through his body.

Drake was up in an instant, ignoring the dark feeling. His hands were up and aimed, channeling powerful energy through them. His eyes were trained on the distant area from which the blast came, but no one was there.

“What the…?” Drake’s eyes narrowed. Where… His eyes widened as he heard laughter from above. Before he could look up, another blast rocketed down upon Drake. The young warrior growled, and felt himself move to the left, but not fast enough. The blast slammed into the ground and exploded, sending a powerful shockwave that knocked Drake back.

As the young Dragonian tumbled over and over on the dusty ground, he tried to comprehend what was happening. They were under attack; that was clear. But…who was attacking them?

The young dragon boy righted himself, standing firmly on the ground. A groan of agony came from behind him. Rhonnin staggered up, his arms bloodied from the initial blast. Drake was already moving, leaping into the air to combat against the new threat that had appeared.

The man, if it could be called one, was tall, and obviously older than Drake. He was wearing dark, leather armor. Strapped to his back was a great broadsword, almost bigger than the man himself was.

Yet, Drake recognized him. It wasn’t the Dragonian himself, but the style of armor, the weapon, and the crazed look in his eyes. “Shadowfang!?” The boy aerial dodged to the left, narrowly escaping the blast of dark magic the man had sent at him.

“So…the Firesong wretch has some talent, eh!?” The Shadowfang warrior cackled madly, sending a flurry of blast towards Drake, all of which missed. “You will know the wrath of Xythen, the TRUE Prince of Dragons!”

[KH2_FinalSora]

The crazed man paused for a moment, looking around. Rhonnin was still beneath him, staggering about as he tried to regain his senses. “Where…are you…” Xythen’s eyes scanned around wildly. “Did I obliterate you?” He grinned darkly.

“You know…you really need to watch your back…” Drake was hovering behind the insane Shadowfang warrior, a smirk across his face. “I mean, I thought you guys were good at this fighting thing…”

Xythen let loose a furious roar, spinning around. His arm reached back, grabbing the broadsword upon his back. With a mighty cry, he threw the blade straight at Drake. Taken by surpise, the young boy wasn’t able to move fast enough.

Within a mere second, another person was in-between Drake and the blade. It took Drake a moment to realize that it was Rhonnin. By the time he had figured it out, Rhonnin had caught the broadsword at the handle.

The red-haired youth swung the blade around with a one hand, wielding the blade as if it were a single-handed sword. He continued to swing it around, steadily growing accustomed to its weight. Xythen was staring in shock, as was Drake.

Drake was the first to recover. All he could do was laugh and shake his head in awe. “That was amazing!”

Rhonnin looked back, smirking. “Really think so?” he replied. “I think I could use a little practice.”

“You little RUNT!” Xythen raised his arm, pointing at Rhonnin. “Give me my blade back!” His eyes widened, a dark smile crawling across his face. “If you do…I’ll be sure to give you a nice, slow…and painful death, unlike what I was going to do before…” There was hunger in his voice. “I was going to keep you alive…so I could torture you for days on end. But, give me the blade back, and I’ll be nice…”

Both Rhonnin and Drake were staring at Xythen. “Dear god,” Drake muttered. “The Shadowfang were never this…brutal.”

Rhonnin shook his head, “I think his mind has been warped.” He raised his new blade, “I will release your from you torment.” He flew forward with incredible speed, and before Xythen could react, impaled the man.

Drake felt it immediately after Xythen died. “Rhonnin! Look out!” The boy moved forward towards Rhonnin, grabbing the blade.

The red-haired kid blinked, “What are you…?”

Darkness burst from the gaping wound that Rhonnin had made, wrappoing itself around the broadsword. It traveled up almost snake-like, reaching for Rhonnin and Drake. Drake, using his other hand, grabbed the darkness. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and the darkness was gone, Drake gripping the air.

The young dragon boy shuddered, his power weakening. Rhonnin quickly flew under Drake catching him before he fell. Drake was barely conscious and his awareness was quickly fading.

“Drake?” His voice was far away. Drake could barely hear it. The dragon boy was going farther and farther into darkness.

He was gone.

[KH2_FinalSora]

The shadows threatened, once again, to consume Drake. He blade moved quickly, ready to block the oncoming strike from the dark warrior.

“Die!” The voice came from the daemonic warrior, who was attacking from above. The blackened blade came down with a new force, striking Drake’s own blade, and shattering it.

Drake let loose a string of curses as he slid back from the impact. “Damn it…” He raised the remains of his blade. Not even half of it… He cursed again, throwing the useless scrap to the side.

The enemy laughed, bringing his blade to eye level. “Not even a scratch. I must say, this blade has proven itself over and over.” He chuckled darkly, and sauntered towards Drake. “You have fought well. I must say, I wasn’t expecting such a fight from you.” A smirk. “But I win.”

Drake lowered his stance, as low as he could go. He was changing his fighting style to something he had never used. The man opposing him knew too much about Drake’s fighting style, so he would simply change it. “It’s not over yet!”

“You have no idea.” Another laugh. “I’ve already won.” His hand trailed upwards towards the hood that covered his face. Drake readied himself to attack, wary of any tricks. But there were no tricks. Nothing could have prepared him for the dark truth.
“Drake…” His voice changed, and was much more sincere. His hood fell back, and his eyes flashed blood red. However, the eyes were not important to Drake.

No, Drake was set upon the familiar face, the face that he would have never guessed, even in his dreams. The face of…

[KH2_FinalSora]

When he woke up, it was dark. But that wasn’t the strange part. He was in a large bed, covered up. His worn clothes were gone, replaced by what looked to be noble clothes. He was wearing a gold tunic, and dark colored pants. What happened?
Drake sat up in the bed, and a sudden flash of pain surged through his skull. Augh… He laid back in bed, and closed his eyes, willing the pain to pass. Within seconds, it was gone. Another dream…a continuation of the last one. What does it mean? And…who was it, at the end of the dream? He sat up once more, this time moving slower. No pain. Drake took that as a good sign.

He stood up, and looked around the room. “Thunderclaw? Is that where I am?” He recognized the signets around the room. Added on to the color of the tunic he was wearing… “How did I end up here?”

“We found you, Prince Drake.” The voice came from the doorway. Drake made a startled jump, reaching for his blades. Of course, they weren’t there. “Ah, do not worry. You are safe. The boy who kidnapped you has been locked away.”

Drake crossed his arms. “Kidnapped? Heh, you think he kidnapped me? As if. He saved me. Get him out, right now.”

“I’m afraid you must be muddled.” The man stepped out of the shadows. “My name is-“

“I could care less. You’re going to take Rhonnin out of the prison cell now, under my command.” Drake flashed his pendant, grinning. “Or do I have to pull rank?” Being the son of the Firesong Leader, he was a higher rank than most other people. The few people he couldn’t command around were other leaders, guests, and his brother.

The man stuttered, “B-but…”

“Now.” Drake growled.

“As you wish.” The man bowed, and left.

“Highly impressive, Drake.” A woman’s voice reached his ears. As she walked in, Drake turned around, gazing out the large window that was next to the bed. “You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you. Getting taller everyday.”

Drake nodded. “I take it you’re Kirin?” He looked back. Kirin had long blonde hair, placed carefully into a ponytail. Her eyes shone a strange electric blue, and her face was incredibly beautiful. It nearly threw Drake’s thought pattern, but he quickly regained control.

“Yes.” She walked forward, her dark blue robes following her. The robes were royal, and underneath them she had the clothes of a kunoichi, a female ninja. That gave Drake the impression that the Thunderclaw were good with stealth more than anything. That, and their technology. The technology of the old world adapted to fit the new one.

“Why did you imprison Rhonnin?” Drake turned around fully, crossing his arms.

“We didn’t imprison him with the rest. It was more or less what I had guessed. He had saved you. It was simply a precaution. He was treated as a guest, but placed under careful watch.”

“Sure.” Drake nodded, “I understand.”

“So, you’ve survived quite a lot, I hear.” Kirin walked over to Drake, examining him closely. “You don’t see, to hurt though. That’s a good sign. Rhonnin told me you did some amazing things out there.”

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Yeah, sure…fighting that weird Xythen guy was a piece of cake.” The young Dragonian looked out the window near the edge of his bed. “Strange, though, how he called himself the true Prince of Dragons.”

“Xythen…” Kirin crossed her arms. “That is interesting…”

“Hmm?” Drake looked back at Kirin. “Why?”

The Thunderclaw leader shook her head. “It is nothing. I’m sure it’s just coincidence. The Shadowfang’s leader, Raiyth, has a son named Xythen…”

“Xythen, when I fought him, seemed to have the qualities of a Shadowfang, but…I don’t know. Don’t they have more honor than that?”

“It might be a trick of some kind, someone trying to start clan wars.” Kirin headed towards the door. “Drake, you must be hungry. Come with me to the main hall.”
Drake nodded, and followed her. They went through the halls, taking turns here and there. All of this time, Drake was trying to remember the route, but his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about the possible threat that was growing.

Clan wars…that would be horrible. The entire planet would be thrown into chaos. Who would be trying to do this? Maybe it’s the person who sent…

“Rhonnin!” Drake looked up and saw his friend already at the table. Rhonnin was munching on food when he heard his name called. And looked over. He swallowed the food, nearly choking, and then smiled.

“Drake! You’re finally awake. You’ve been out for quite awhile!” He got up from his chair, and walked over to Drake. “Good to know I won’t have to carry you around anymore.”

“Whatever,” Drake sighed. “At least you didn’t get hurt by that dark stuff… That would have ended worse than when I grabbed it.” He walked past Rhonnin to the table with mounds of food covering it. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starved…”

Several plates of food later, Drake sat back in his chair, and relaxed. “Thank you, again, for your hospitality. But, we need to talk about other things, ne?”

Kirin nodded. She had been thinking the entire time the two boys were eating. “It seems to me that you need a bit of help returning home. I have a few possibilities…” She stood up, and motioned for them to follow. “Unfortunately, we cannot do anything about this for a few days. We are currently in the middle of a small crisis. A few of the Thunderclaw Clan decided they would attack their fellow members…but it was strange…”

“Hmm?” Drake looked up from his food. “Strange? How?”

((I'm EXTREMELY sorry for cutting off in the middle of a thought...but that's how I ended it....I'll write more later, sorry! Anymore comments or complaints, critisizm?))

[Roxas 1994]

This. Is. Awesome!

I love how the story is turning out. There are a lot of mysteries, suspense, and Drake is a pretty likeable character.

[KH2_FinalSora]

Um, thanks! This may sound weird, but I know what I want to happen, I just can't write it. I hate...writers...block...

I need to find a way to waste time with Drake and Rhonnin...or find an escuse to make them train for a few days to extend this so I can get them to learn new attacks. Any suggestions?

[KH2_FinalSora]

((WARNING!!!!!! ZERO'S NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED TO RASZEAL FROM THISPOINT ONWAWRD! THIS IS STORY IMPORTANT!!!!!!))

“Hmm?” Drake looked up from his food. “Strange? How?”

“They were acting differently than they should have been. We use technology a lot, as you may know. With it, we’ve developed strategic stealth abilities, many of which involve high grade magic and devices that require precise calculations to create. Every warrior we have is trained to use these, and yet…when our fellow members attacked, they seemed to forget they had the devices. They fought with a more brash type of style, almost like-”

“Almost like a Shadowfang, ne?” Drake stood up. “Can I see the ones you’ve contained? I want to…er…see something.”

“See what?” Kirin asked calmly. She was used to the oddness of most of the Firesong Clan’s officials. They were all talented in their own way, and each seemed to formulate plans quite well, even if no one else understood it. “You seem to know something that the rest of us don’t. Care to explain?”

“It’s not much, but…” Drake crossed his arms. “Rhonnin’s fighting style…” The Firesong Prince drew his blade. “Fight me, please. Just a sparring match, okay? Nothing too difficult.”

Rhonnin smirked, drawing his greatsword. “Sure you can handle this?” He swung it around, and ended the swing with his grip reversed in his hand. The blade glimmered slightly, and Rhonnin’s eyes narrowed. Drake’s stance lowered, and he lunged forward with a quick jab. The other boy’s eyes flickered slightly as he dodged to the left.

Drake smirked. “Analyzing, just as I thought.” He paused in mid stab, and lowered his stance. “When we fought before, while you were under the control of that darkness, you had no sense to your attacks. They were random, but powerful. And, on top of this all, you dodged the blow to look for an opening. Earlier, you simply parried the blows, almost as if dodging were a taboo.”

Rhonnin blinked, sheathing his blade. “You mean to tell me you were studying my fighting style?”

“I’m impressed, Drake.” Kirin clapped softly. “So, what you’re suggesting is that someone or something forced this dark energy into my clans people?” She rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes to think. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to expose you to this darkness.”

“The strange thing, is that I don’t agree with you.” Rhonnin looked to Drake. “He’s encountered it twice now, and overcome it…somehow.” He blinked. “It has…”

The young Dragonian shrugged. “I don’t really know. I’ve pulled off a bunch of fire spells before, and I’ve used the regular energy channeling techniques that I’ve been taught. This other thing, this light that I’ve used, it…it came differently. I had no control.”

“Hmm…a light, you say?” Kirin looked from Drake to Rhonnin. “You’re both powerful, so I have no fear when I tell you this, but I think it’s time you learned advanced techniques and energy. Most people usually either can’t obtain it, or can’t control it. Come with me.”

Drake’s eyes brightened as they walked through the halls. “Where are we going?”

“To the library, of course.” Kirin turned left, and the two boys followed. “The library holds vast amounts of knowledge, most of it on ancient and new machines. However, as with all Dragonians, we also have books on enhanced magics. Now, I must warn you, you will be learning most of this on your own. I do not have the time to teach you myself. I will pop in, time to time, to help, but for the most part, I will be doing my duties.”

“Alright.” Rhonnin nodded in response. “So, how big is your library?”

Kirin stopped abruptly, and Rhonnin nearly ran into her. “Well, it’s fairly big.” She pushed open a double-wide door, and walked in. “I’ll have a contact get in touch with your father while you study here.”

Drake walked in, his eyes wide. “This is…incredible.” The library was more than ‘fairly large.’ It was huge. The young Dragonian remembered his father’s library, which was small, but contained a lot of knowledge about the Firesong traditions. Drake had, in a short amount of time, read the entirety of the library.

Rhonnin looked around as he walked in. “Wow. Pretty big.” He didn’t seem too impressed. “Of course, I’m not all that much of a reader.” He yawned, and made his way over to a couch placed strategically in the middle of the library. “So…”

Drake found himself facing the first of many walls, all filled with books. His trained eyes scanned the rows and rows of books, searching for one in particular. “Ah! There it is!” He pulled a book off of the shelf, and opened it.

“Hmm? What is it?” Rhonnin asked.

“It’s a book on different types of energy.” Drake started to read, his eyes moving back and forth. “Alright, most of this is basic, but there are a few new types I haven’t heard of…”

“Um…I actually don’t know the first thing about power.” Rhonnin smirked. “In fact, I’m not sure really what the types are.”

“B-but you were using it…and the flight…and…” Drake’s gaze was locked on Rhonnin in disbelief. “That can’t be possible.”

Kirin chuckled. “Well, it actually is possible. Rhonnin is probably the kind of person who can learn something just by watching or feeling. Just because someone knows how to do something, doesn’t exactly mean they know the particulars.” She started for the double doors of the library. “I’ll leave you two here. Dragon should be here in a few days.”

“And we’ll have something new to show him.” Drake smirked. “I’ll impress him.”

[KH2_FinalSora]

A swirling dust cloud whirled its way across the Dragonian plain. It crossed over a crumpled figure on the ground. The crumpled figure appeared to be dead, caused by a deadly stab wound. The wind picked up his silver hair, whisking it across his face.

Another man appeared above the dead one. The newcomer chuckled darkly. “The Goddess is displeased. So is your father.” His arm lifted up slowly, bringing with it a dark aura of power. “I bring you, however, a second chance. Kill them, and the Thunderclaw wench. Then, you will be redeemed.” The dead figure convulsed as the dark aura surged into the wound.

His eyes opened slowly, and a crazed grin spread across his face. “Second….chance?” The reborn laughed crazily. “I’d kill for this chance…the chance to prove that I am the true Prince of Dragons…”

“Go. Kill them all.” The shadowed figure turned away, walking. Without another word, he vanished in a flash of darkness.

“Kill…kill…kill…” Xythen chuckled. “Let’s go have some fun…”


“Physical energy,” Drake started. “It’s the basis of…” He looked to Rhonnin.

“Let me guess…physical movement and such. Allows us to move and all, right?” Rhonnin was laying back on the couch.

“Right. Next is…” Drake looked in the book. Most of this was review for him, but he was helping Rhonnin understand at least some of it. “Alright, next is Life energy. This is the energy that-“

“Supports our life. I get it.”

Drake glared in the other boys direction. “Next is Radical energy.” He paused, smirking when Rhonnin couldn’t come up with an answer. “Radical energy is a special kind of energy. It’s the power that is basically always in the air. It has no effect on anything we do, nor does it have any use.”

“So then why are we talking about it?” Rhonnin sighed. “This is kinda boring.”

“Because, it directly related to Refined energy. Refined energy is the power that we use to do anything. The way we fly, obviously, the way we can lift amazingly heavy objects, and the way we create the beams of pure energy. Refined energy comes from our excess Life energy, and the Radical energy from the air. This is why we learn to control the energy at a young age, for fear of using too much Life energy. Refined energy can also be transferred into Mana, which is what allows most of the dragons, and us Dragonians, use elemental attacks, such as flames.”

“Fascinating…” Rhonnin said, rolling his eyes. “Continue.”

Drake sighed. Just keep reading. He’s learning, whether he knows it or not. “Next is…” Drake read the book. “Hey, Rhonnin. This is new to me, and I doubt you’ve seen it. Let’s try something.” He placed the book down. “Spirit energy I s a powerful energy that resides in everything. Few people know how to use it, and even fewer can use it to its full potential. It simply exists in everything, but is not required to live. I think it might be a by-product or something of Refined energy.”

Rhonnin had gotten up and walked over towards Drake. The two gathered around the book. “Alright, so what do we do?”

Drake closed his eyes. “Spirit energy…it’s like a willing of it to come to you. So…” His eyes grew tighter closed as he took a deep breath. Small particles of energy formed in the palm of his hand, forming into a small orb.

Rhonnin stared at it. “Wow…that’s…” He was about to say how stupid it was until Drake accidentally released it. Power shot out in every direction, and both of the boys took a staggering step back. “Amazing.” Rhonnin blinked. “How….how can we never notice this kind of power?”

Drake kneeled over, panting. “Because…it’s…hard…to…use…” He was obviously tired out.

“Let me try…” Rhonnin closed his eyes, willing himself to focus. Drake looked up in amazement as powerful energies formed around Rhonnin. The Spirit energy that he was summoning around him was massive, yet erratic.

“Rhonnin…you can’t release hat here. That would…” The energy circled around the red-haired boy, and slowly dissipated into nothing.

He let his arms drop, and his eyes slowly opened. “That…was really cool…” He closed his eyes again. “I’m hungry now, though...” He more or less drifted over to the couch, and plopped down on it. “That took a lot out of me…”

Drake picked up the book. “Good…means you’ll listen to the rest of the book.” He turned the page, and started to read again. “Other types of energy include: Chaos, a dangerous energy that was sealed away; Purified energy, a power associated with…light…” Drake paused. Is that what I was using? “And Defiled energy, a power…corrupted by…darkness.” He closed his eyes. And…that power that was inside of Rhonnin and Xythen?

Drake looked over at Rhonnin, who was snoring softly on the couch. “Great…he fell asleep.” He rolled his eyes, and started to read more on Purified energy. Maybe…maybe I can learn how to use it.

[KH2_FinalSora]

The dark dungeons of the Thunderclaw Clan held very few prisoners. That was why it was a rare moment for anyone, least of all the Queen, to step foot in the shadowy place. It was a sad day, however, when members of the Thunderclaw Clan itself were imprisoned there.

Kirin sighed solemnly as she descended the dank stairs. Her eyes were quick to adjust to the darkness, just as she was trained to do. I haven’t been here since… She stopped, her footsteps continuing to echo in the darkness ahead of her. I can’t remember the last time I was here. She shook her head, and continued down.

Since the prison was barely used, no guards had been posted. Kirin wasn’t worried at all, however. No one had escaped. No one ever would. The Thunderclaw had the most advanced security systems created. No one could get out.

She walked down the metal corridor, turning at the first cell. It looked to be normal, but both Kirin and the inhabitant knew better. “Flayr.” Kirin spoke softly. “Made yourself comfortable, I see…”

A snarl came from inside the shadowy cell. “I would have your head….” Flayr growled lowly. “Damn you to hell.”

“It is unfortunate that you feel that way. It was only a few days ago you were saying how much you loved me…” Kirin turned away. If Drake is right, then he is no longer my love. If this is all true…then he must die. A single tear slipped down her face. She had shown great resilience in front of Drake and Rhonnin, but down here, none of that mattered. She wasn’t the Queen, she wasn’t looked up to, she wasn’t even powerful. Down here, in the darkness, in front of her love… here, she was simply a heartbroken woman.

She turned around suddenly. “Flayr. You have been charged with high treason against the Thunderclaw Clan, and ultimately, the entire Dragonian Race. How do you plead?”

A dark chuckle resounded from the man’s cell. “I plead guilty. We all do…” More echoes of laughter came, not only from Flayr, but also from the other cells down the hall.

“So be it.” Kirin turned, and stormed off.


Drake closed his eyes once more, welcoming the darkness. Now…find the light. His face became contorted in his focus, and a small spark of light formed in his darkened vision. It grew within his mind, larger and larger until…

“Drake!” Rhonnin called out, excited that he had finally gained more control over his Spirit energy.

Drake eyes shot open as he lost all focus, and a sudden burst of Purified energy left his hand, which had unconsciously been outstretched. The small blast went awry, dissipating before any actual damage was done.

“What do you WANT!?” he snapped.

“Oh…you were doing something… oops…” Rhonnin took a step back, smiling. “I didn’t mean too…just wanted to…heh…”

“That’s it. Time to test your reflexes!” Both of Drake’s blades were drawn in a flash as he lunged forward in a flurry of slashes. Rhonnin’s smile quickly faded as his mind switched gears completely.

Rhonnin took three, quick steps back. With a quick, swift motion, his great sword swung into action. His first three steps had evaded Drake’s initial attack, which meant Rhonnin had the next chance to strike. Drake was still moving forward, making Rhonnin’s best choice a sweeping horizontal slash. The red-haired boy swung the heavy blade hard in a sideways arc, bringing himself into a full 180 degree spin.

Drake smirked. Too slow. He jumped up, just a few feet off the ground. It was high enough to evade the swing, but that wasn’t the main objective in Drake’s mind. He kicked down right as the blade came under him. Rhonnin yelped as the heavy blade suddenly crashed down, throwing him completely off balance. Drake stood on the edge of the blade, smirking. His own sword was pointed at Rhonnin’s neck.

“I win.”

“Not yet, you don’t!” Rhonnin’s muscles flexed as he hefted his blade straight up, tossing Drake into the air. The dark-haired kid could barely comprehend what was happening. Rhonnin swung himself into another horizontal arc, letting loose a furious roar. The timing was perfect. As Drake fell back from the fall, Rhonnin’s blade would make contact.

Drake’s eyes widened, yet he knew what to do. He crossed his blade in front of him, and braced for the impact that was to come. His eyes slammed shut as he felt a painful jolt and a resounding crash of steel on steel. He felt himself fly back, the blow sending him into a nearby bookshelf.

Drake opened his eyes as his back hit the shelf, sending books everywhere. He managed to land on his feet, despite the immense pain that surged through his body. “Damn…” he growled, trying to stand straight up.

“So…you managed to stay conscious…” Rhonnin took a few steps forward. “The difference between you and me…you won’t try to hurt me. You’ll simply come close to doing so. I’ll hit you as hard as I need to, and I won’t worry too much about killing you. You’re holding back…”

Drake lifted his blades, “You want me to go all out? Alright…” He changed his stance completely, letting his blades drop to his sides. A sudden calmness came over him, and he relaxed.

Rhonnin raised an eyebrow. What is he doing? The red-haired boy took a hesitant step forward.

Drake smirked, sheathing one of his blades. “My brother, Raszeal, taught me this. It’s quite an interesting stance and ability. Come at me, with everything you’ve got.”

Rhonnin lowered his stance, raising his great sword high. I don’t like this, but what other option do I have? He won’t move… He lunged forward with a powerful arcing slash, straight downward. Only…Drake wasn’t there anymore. He was gone. A sudden burst of stars clouded his vision as Drake kicked Rhonnin from behind. How did…he…!?

“Channeling my energy into the molecular particles of my body, I can move almost four times my normal speed.” Drake landed, sheathing his first blade. “You wouldn’t have stood a chance if I used the sword.”

“How do you counter something like that?” Rhonnin leaned against a wall, waiting for the dizzy spell Drake had caused to pass. “I couldn’t see you at all.”

“There are only two ways I can think of to counter speed as such. The first way is to match that speed. This isn’t always possible, as you may have noticed. The second way is to sense out your opponent, and feel where and when they move.”

Rhonnin stood up. “I think I get it…” His body blurred momentarily, and he was gone. Drake smirked, jumping into the air, dodging a sweeping strike from behind him. Rhonnin was a quick learner, and taught himself by watching others, and in he short time Drake was talking, he figured out how to move at the same speed as Drake.

“But not quite as fast…” Drake landed on the ground. “You’re speed can’t match mine. That blade you use slows you down, just enough to matter.” He sheathed his blades, and walked over to one of the shelves. “Not bad, though…”

Rhonnin rolled his eyes, letting his giant blade fall to the ground in a loud clash. “Right. Whatever…”

A soft knock at the door sounded through the now quiet library. “Come on it,” Drake said quickly. “You’re not interrupting anything.”

Kirin walked in. She had a somber look across her face, and looked much different than before. “Had a good few hours of training here?” She received nods from both of the boys, and smiled. Or, she tried to. It looked to be more of a grimace than anything.

“Are you…alright?” Drake looked over as he picked up a book.

“I’m fine…” The clan leader went and sat down on the couch that they had been using. “I just need to think a little. Regardless…” She looked up. “Any questions?”

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake was flipping through the book. “This book…the Armageddon War. I’ve read our version, but this one... This one has the hero named as Vulkan Alzrahi. I thought my dad was the hero?”

“It is a long story, but I can tell you this. Dragon was a name given to him, and Armageddon was the name bestowed upon him because of a technique he invented and perfected.”

“You mean Satayu, right? The Armageddon Burst?” Drake put the book back, and stared over at Kirin.

“That was a derived version of the technique. The true technique…is something I have been forbidden to disclose to you, or anyone for that matter. Only the clan leaders, and those who were there that day, can know what that technique costs…” Kirin crossed her arms and leaned back. “Enough of this talk. Show me what you’ve been working on.”

Rhonnin smirked, “Well…I’ve been working on Spirit energy. It’s been going quite well, actually.”

“Sprit energy? I’m quite impressed.” Kirin eased up a little from her dark mood. “Let’s see what you’ve done with it.”

The red haired boy closed his eyes, and started to focus. “Watch and be amazed…” He muttered. His eyes shot open, and he felt a powerful aura burn around him. Energy focused from all around him, coming at him at a fast rate. He held out his hand, and with extreme focus, channeled it into a small orb of energy. “Don’t let the looks fool you. It may be small, but it’s the most powerful thing I’ve ever made in my life.”

“Interesting.” Kirin looked to Drake. “And you?”

“Purified energy.” Drake looked down. “Not much luck. I can use it in uncontrolled bursts…that’s all.” He looked up and grinned. “But, I did manage to learn a few new strands that I can link into my dual blade fighting style.”

“Not bad.” Kirin smiled, and stood up. “How about lunch, then?”


Kirin lead the two kids through the halls, mentioning off-handedly some of the rooms and areas. Drake paused at a window, looking out. “It’s raining pretty hard, ne?”

Kirin stopped. “Hmm…must have just started. It wasn’t raining earlier.” She continued on, leaving Drake staring out the window.

The boy blinked, and looked a little harder through the window. The rain…add the dark clouds, and it had an ominous feeling to it. Maybe it’s just my imagination. I think I’m becoming paranoid…

He continued on, catching up to Rhonnin and Kirin. “And here we have…” She continued to rant on. Rhonnin yawned, but Drake was thinking heavily on his energy, and how to control it.

In fact, he was thinking so much, that he nearly ran into someone. “Woah!” Drake moved to the left, just in time. “Sorry, sir-“ He was cut off when he looked up. No way…

The man was taller than Drake. That was just about the only thing he could tell. The man was wearing a jet-black cloak with the hood up. He simply nodded, and continued to walk on his way. But Drake stood still, his mind working rapidly.

No…that man. Was…was he…and my dream. “K-Kirin? Who was he?”

“His name is Vulcan Raize. I think he said he was named after the great hero of the Armageddon War before his name was changed. Your dad, of course…” She looked at Drake’s astonished expression. “Why, is something wrong?”

“He…” Drake closed his eyes. Get a grip. Dark cloaks are common. But it hadn’t been just the cloak. The motion…the way he walked, the way he simply felt. It was all just like the man from his dream, the one who… “Never mind.”

“Alright…” Kirin shrugged. “But remember, in these times…anything and anyone is under suspicion.”

Drake nodded, and froze. Wait… “Kirin! Down!”

[KH2_FinalSora]

Normally, when a child yells ‘down,’ an adult would assume a prank of some sort and not be worried. When a child who has power that rivals the adult, however… Kirin ducked down, drawing small knife that was hidden in her cloak.

It was just in time, too. No one saw it coming, not even Drake. The walls on either side of Kirin were covered in deep slashes, made by a powerful sword. To be specific…

“A sword like Rhonnin’s.” Drake muttered, looking to Rhonnin. And I know who did it… “Give me your blade…” He held out his hand to the other boy. “We don’t have time to argue. Just do it.”

Rhonnin passed the blade, and Drake stood up. “Show yourself, assassin!” A blurred image appeared in front of Drake, followed by laughter. The image cleared in a rush of shadows.

“Xythen of the Shadowfang, the TRUE Prince of Dragons…at your service.” He raised not one, but two great swords at Drake. “Ready or not, boy! You may have ruined my initial attack, but I’m faster AND stronger than you, now!”

“As am I…” Drake lowered his stance, using one blade: Rhonnin’s. Drake took Raszeal’s stance, casually waiting for his opponent to make a first move. Xythen took the bait. He moved with speed that Rhonnin couldn’t follow, matching what Drake had done earlier.

No…he can’t be matching it. He has to be moving even faster than Drake now. And Rhonnin was right. Xythen was behind Drake before even the boy knew it. It was only luck that saved Drake. Xythen’s blade came down with brutal strength and accuracy, aimed to cleave Drake in two.

The blade never made it all the way down. It clashed against another blade, the blade of the cloaked man. “It is not your time to die, boy…” The voice was chilling, cold and calculating. I swear…I’ve heard it before! The dream voice…it has to be! Drake spun around quickly, using Rhonnin’s blade with all of his force. Xythen parried the blade with his second sword, and laughed. “Two on one? Hardly fair!”

The cloaked man, Vulkan, leapt back. “True…but Drake cannot lose this battle yet.”

Drake growled, “And I won’t!” I underestimated his speed. I won’t do it again! Channeling energy, he felt himself speed up, faster and faster. I’ll have to match his speed if I’m going to win this battle. He abandoned Raszeal’s old stance in favor of his classic, one-handed stance. He raised the blade with his left hand only, using his right as a shield and steadier. He dashed forward, silent and ready.

Still, Xythen was faster. Drake had blinked, and in that moment Xythen had disappeared. Damn! The boy cursed in his mind. No, I have to focus, or I’ll- Blinding pain struck his as the tip of Xythen’s sharp blade grazed his back. The dark haired kid rolled turning himself towards the platinum haired man. Damn it all… He closed his eyes, and took a calming breath. Focus… He opened his eyes to find Xythen was gone.

Study his attacks. He moves fast, and appeared behind his enemy. If I hadn’t been moving last time, he would have slashed me in half. So that tells me he doesn’t think too far ahead. Drake smirked, spinning around. His blade moved quickly, and although he never saw Xythen coming, he parried the powerful blow that the older man was about to deal out.

“What!? How did you…!?” Xythen’s eyes were wide.

Drake let go of Rhonnin’s blade. Now… “Heh…that’s all I needed!” He drew both of his blades quickly. Before Rhonnin’s blade hit the ground, Drake was behind Xythen. Both of his blades were crossed, making a scissor-like vice that held the man’s head.

“How…did you move that fast in the end!? I never-“ Rhonnin was gaping at Drake.

Kirin looked at Rhonnin’s heavy blade, smiling. “Drake used that blade to slow himself down intentionally. Although he nearly died in the beginning due to his carelessness, it was a good plan. He used the weight of the blade to fool his opponent to thinking he was slower than he really was. Then, once Drake read the opponent, he dropped the extra weight…and with that, he was able to move much faster.”

The red haired youth nodded. “I get it…”

Xythen relaxed slowly, chuckling darkly. “I’m highly impressed. You had me fooled…” His laughter grew louder and more erratic. “But you cannot kill that which has already been destroyed. It is against the laws of Fate…”

Drake’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?” But deep down inside, Drake knew exactly what Xythen was saying. Xythen was dead. Rhonnin had impaled him, yet here he is. “You can’t be alive. No one could have survived that…”

“And yet…” Xythen turned around, unafraid of the blades that Drake held. “Here. I. Am.” Darkness was pouring out of him now, forming into a dark mist that circled about him. “And just like me…I know you want power.”

Drake didn’t move, but kept his blades steady. “I’m not afraid of you!” I’m not afraid of the darkness…I’m not afraid of the shadows!

Xythen’s hysterical laughter continued, “I don’t think you know what’s going on. How can you be properly afraid when you have no idea what you’re up against! Let me show you!” His eyes widened, glowing a deep red. The evil mist that surrounded him averted its path, circling around Drake.

Kirin lunged forward, Rhonnin attempting to follow, but the two of them were thrown back by a blast from Xythen. “No, no! He’s mine!”

“Damnit!” Kirin staggered to her feet.

“Don’t worry…” Vulkan’s strong arm helped Rhonnin to his feet. “Xythen is underestimating the boy…”

“Who are you, really?” The Thunderclaw leader’s eyes narrowed slightly. “This was far to convenient…”

“I am merely someone who is watching out for Drake…” Under the hood, his eyes gleamed slightly. “He cannot die yet.”

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake, meanwhile, hadn’t moved. The darkness was slowly thickening, and all he could see was the strange figure of Xythen. The Shadowfang Prince was still cackling madly, but it was growing distant. The shadowy veil was closing in.

I won’t give up. It was oppressing him. I can’t give in. The air was getting stagnant. This is too much… Drake was having trouble getting a clear breath. Yet this darkness is familiar. It’s… His eyes were closing. But why? Darkness was swallowing him. Why would you? He was losing himself. The power around me… It was growing within him. It could make me the most powerful being alive… And yet… And yet… Something was wrong. This power is not my own. Something was happening. The whole act of becoming stronger… Something much greater than the darkness was growing. I won’t accept power that is simply given to me. Awakening… I’ll use my own power…the power I rightfully earned. Power.

Power…

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Divinity!” Drake’s eyes shot open, glowing brighter than it’s usual silver. The darkness around him closed in for the kill, willing itself to swallow him whole, only it couldn’t kill him. It was being obliterated. But the source…was it…?

“No way…” Rhonnin stared at the spectacle before him, unable to believe that powers that he could now feel. “Is that Drake!?”

Kirin couldn’t believe her eyes either. “Is this what you were waiting for, Vulkan?” She looked behind her, but the man was gone. Did he know this was going to happen? How…?

“Well, well…the whelp has some fight left in him.” Xythen was no longer laughing. Instead, there was a scowl across his face. “You should have accepted my gift while you still had the chance. Instead, you have chosen death.”

“Tell me…Xythen,” Drake’s body lifted off the ground, hovering in the air. An aura of pure silver seemed to flow off of him. “Why is it that you have come here…was it to kill me? Or maybe Rhonnin. Or…what about Kirin?”

“My job was to start a war…with the assassination of three key people. My first target…” Xythen glared, “Was the Thunderclaw Leader. Yet, why waste an opportunity to kill my second target when it shows it’s face to me?” He laughed.

“And you’re third target!?” Drake glared.

“My third target…was Raszeal, the heir to the Firesong Kingdom.” He smirked. “But, it seems, according to my master, that he has perished.”

Drake gasped, “N-no…you lie!”

“He was offered a chance…the very same chance you were.” Xythen laughed. “And he…”

“You bastard!” Drake roared. His arm shot up, and power blasted through him. “Die!”

“Drake! NO!” Kirin tried to move forward to stop Drake, but it was far too late. The powerful beam of light erupted from Drake, blinding all who were foolish enough to stare. When the flash was gone, Xythen was no more.

The power that Drake held ebbed away, and he fell to his knees. “No…” A steam of tears slipped down his face. It can’t be. Raszeal…

[KH2_FinalSora]

Everything that happened next was a blur. Drake didn’t remember most of it. No, he was far too dazed. His mind was in total shock. He heard voices around him, voices of worry, of pity, and of anger.

One voice in particular broke through.

“Drake.” The boy looked up from his spot. “C’mon…” Rhonnin. Drake let himself be helped up by the other. Together, they moved away from all of the commotion, to somewhere quiet. Drake blinked, realizing where they had come to.

“The Library…” The dark haired boy shook slightly. His voice was barely audible. “Why…why is this all happening?”

“Drake…are you alright?” Rhonnin closed the main doors, worried for his friend. “Please be all right…”

“I…” He found himself curled up against a bookcase, his mind almost entirely shot. “I don’t…”

“I’ll keep them away from you. Just…please…be okay.”


This cannot be. None of this can be happening. Raszeal can’t be dead. My older brother, the hero…the most powerful warrior. My…my brother. This can’t be happening. He was supposed to live, supposed to become King after my father decided it was… But now he’s gone. And that means I’m next in line. But…I…Raszeal. My brother…my…my mentor.
My friend.


Rhonnin opened the Library door again, and stepped outside. Best to leave him be for now. He closed the door behind him, and looked to his left. Kirin was standing there, her arms crossed. “Well?”

“Nothing left of him. Xythen was completely destroyed. Any information he had is gone now.” Kirin sighed. “But we can’t blame Drake.”

“Far from it. We have to help him.” Rhonnin shook his head. “None of this really makes any sense to me, but Drake is my only friend right now.” And he needs all of the help he can get.

“Right. First thing’s first, however.” She let her arms fall to her side. “We need to call Dragonan Council. King Dragon is already on his way from the Firesong Province. I’ll send for the others as well.”

“What should I do until the King is here?”

“To be honest…I’m really worried about Drake. Just….keep an eye on him.” Kirin turned away. “I don’t know why, but Drake seemed to trust you. I have no reason to trust you myself, but…”

“I understand completely…” Rhonnin’s voice was low. “I don’t quite understand myself. Drake is…”

Kirin chuckled. “He’s a unique child. He is not to be taken lightly.” Her stern gaze returned to Rhonnin. “Please…take care of him. I’ll send some servants with food and drink.”

“Right.”


Rhonnin wandered into the hall that Drake and Xythen had fought in. “There it is…” His sword was laying right where Drake had dropped it. He’s a master tactician… I’ve never seen anyone think like that in the middle of a battle. He picked the blade up. It’s weight was the same, but for some reason it felt…different. It was in the range of Drake’s…what did he call it? Divinity? He sheathed the weapon on his back, and turned back to the library hall.

The door to the library was still shut, and Rhonnin doubted that Drake had gone anywhere. It was a public library, of course, but Rhonnin knocked regardless. No answer.

“Drake?” He moved the heavy door slightly, slipping in through the smallest crack he could. “Are you still in here?”

Drake was no longer crying, but he hadn’t moved. “Xythen…I want to believe he was lying to me, but…” He stood up. He was talking in a low tone, one that made him sound dark and dismal. It was understandable. “Somehow…I know it to be true. Raszeal is…”

“Listen…Drake.” Rhonnin closed the door softly. “I understand your pain, and…”

“You don’t understand. You never had a brother. And…even if you did, you don’t remember anything. You can’t know the pain I’m feeling right now.”

“Damnit, Drake!” Rhonnin’s soft voice was suddenly furious. “You seem to forget who I am. You think I don’t feel the same pain? At least you know who you are, you your family is. I have no idea who I am, I have no clue what I’ve done, I don’t even now my family. Yeah, so I don’t know the pain of losing my family. But you know what pain I feel? I feel the pain of never knowing if I was loved or hated, if I’ve ever saved or killed anyone. I feel a pain that you’ll never have to feel!”

Drake was staring at Rhonnin. “I…”

“Stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself, and start working towards solving the problem at hand. If things go worse, we’re going to need you. You’re one of the most skilled fighters I’ve seen in this planet. If we have to fight, then you will have to be ready.”

“Rhonnin.” Drake closed his eyes. “I…I’m sorry.”

“Good…” Rhonnin was panting slightly. “Now…I think we should get something to eat now.”

Drake nodded slowly. “All right…”

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Master…” The cloaked figure sauntered up to the pedestal that held the throne of the Shadowfang. “I have word that Kirin and Dragon have summoned all of the Clan Leaders. They want to discuss an attack…”

“I take it Xythen failed, then?” The voice was low, almost daemonic.

“My lord…Xythen was merely a pawn. Even in his loss, we have gained valuable information.” The cloaked man bowed. “I was impressed at the way Drake handled the situation.”

“Good.” The head of the Shadowfang stood up. “Raiyth will go. We need not play our hand yet.”

“Yes, my lord.” The cloaked figure stood up. “But I have a word of caution. Do not underestimate the boy…”

“Drake?”

“No…he is not the one to worry about. Rhonnin…he is becoming…different. His release was not planned. He was supposed to die.”

“Then Drake and Rhonnin…they are a dangerous pair.” The Shadowfang head laughed. “With Rhonnin’s free mind, we may have a powerful Guardian as our enemy.”

“And…what is the state of the Projects?”

“That is for me to know, my dear pawn.” The head figure waved his hand. “Raiyth and Project One had fused smoothly. Xythen and Project Two, as you can tell, was disastrous.”

“And what of myself and Zero?”

“We can only tell in due time…Now go.”


Darkness. Here again?

“No…it can’t be!?” He was standing opposite of the cloaked man, the one he thought he knew. Only, his hood was down, but…

I can’t see his face.

“You…” Drake’s gaze lowered. “You betrayed us…?” More laughter came from the cloaked man. “I’ll never forgive you.”

What’s happening? Who is he?

“Poor, poor Drake. It’s your time to die now.” The blade in his enemy’s hand was suddenly piercing Drake’s heart. Agonizing pain swept through his body as the blade’s evil energy poured into his heart and soul. It was the end.

But…I can’t die, right? This is a dream!

Drake’s gasps of pain were caused not by the sword, but by the man holding the sword. His mind was in a total meltdown. “N-none…of this…can be…happening.” He coughed, a small trickle of crimson red escaping the side of his lip. “No…it’s not…possible…”

Wake up. I don’t want to see any more of this. Please…wake up!

“Why…?”

“Why?” The man laughed. “Because…I wanted to see you die.”

“W…why…?” Drake’s eyes slid shut. “Why….why….why?”

Please…no more. Leave me…let me be! Wake up! Please!

“…w-why?”

Because I don’t want to die!

[KH2_FinalSora]

Darkness. Not the evil, constraining dark, but the cool, mellow shadows of night. Despite the chill the evening provided, Drake was drenched in sweat. He was quivering in his bed, whimpering silently to himself. Death…why did I dream of death? His eyes closed, but no more sleep came. Why?

He laid there until the sun came across the horizon. His mind reeled wildly. Raszeal is dead. But I’m alive. Tears threatened to overtake him, but he fought them back. No. He sat up, staring at the rising sun. “Raszeal…for you. I’ll fight to avenge you. I’ll fight to become as strong as you were. I’ll kill anyone who comes in my path, who will fight against you and your name.” He stared down at his hands. “I’ll protect your honor…most of all, I’ll murder the bastard who took your life.”

“Impressive.” Kirin was standing at the doorway again. “It’s better than moping, at least.”

Drake glared at her. “I won’t give up now. I’ve got too much to fight for.”

“Good, you’ll need it. Your father is here already. He wants to see you when you feel ready.” Kirin turned, and walked away, closing his door.

“Dad…”


Rhonnin leaned against the pillar in the main hall. He was waiting for the King of Dragons, the Firesong legend. He was told that he was to be introduced when Drake was up. So, in all essence, Rhonnin was waiting for Drake.

“Speak of the devil…” The red haired child rolled his eyes as Drake walked passed. “You seem in a cheery mood this morning.” That earned Rhonnin a glare. “Glad to see you aren’t depressed, at least.”

“Far from it. I’ll make the one’s who killed Raszeal pay.” The boy stopped, looking down at his hands. “Though…I’m afraid that my rage may cause to to do something dangerous and stupid…” He glanced over to Rhonnin, and sighed. “I need you to…help contain my rage. Just…help me, please?”

“You have my support…” Rhonnin nodded. “You had every chance to kill me, every right. I…I kinda owe you. Now, let’s go meet your father.” The two looked forward, and walked onward.


“What’s the status report so far?” Dragon grabbed the papers that were in front of him, quickly leafing through them. “Xythen attempted an assassination, yet it wasn’t him. Have we had confirmation from Raiyth and his son’s whereabouts?”

“No. In fact, they haven’t responded to the calling, either.” Kirin took a quick bow. They were in the main feasting hall, made temporary war-room. Dragon sat at the head of the long table, an untouched cup of the finest wine next to the stacked reports and files.

“Ah, Kirin. Just who I was looking for.” Dragon stood up, bowing slightly himself. “The Thunderclaw hospitality is as grand as ever, Mistress of Lightning.”

“No need for formalities, Dragon. No time.”

“Agreed.” Dragon sat down, glancing through the reports again. “Alright, as far as I can tell, Raszeal is dead. It is…regrettable. My son…” He lost his stern gaze for a moment. “But we cannot grieve yet.” He regained his stature, and continued, “Raiyth hasn’t responded, but it is believed that the Shadowfang Prince, Xythen, is the one behind both the attack on Drake and this…Rhonnin, and the attempted assassination on you.”

“Yes.” Kirin sat down next to Dragon, to his left. “And, it is believed that Raszeal was taken shortly after Rhonnin’s…er…darkness was dispelled by Drake. The two were out cold, but Drake seems to recall Raszeal’s energy.”

“It’s…strange.” Rhonnin sounds like the chosen Guardian from NeoEarth. If that’s true, then… “I wish to see Rhonnin soon. We have much to discuss.”

“Are you thinking about the Guardians again?” Kirin’s eyes flickered. “Is that Vulkan Alzrahi arising again?”

“It might be needed.” Dragon closed his eyes. Vulkan Alzrahi, the Guardian of Power. And with Sakuya being another Guardian, it’s entirely possible that… “Raszeal’s death…we need it confirmed. I know it is harsh, but…”

“The Guardians…you think Raszeal was one of them?” Kirin raised an eyebrow.

“His mother and I were both Guardians, so the gene is in him. Rhonnin was supposedly the name of the NeoEarth’s next Guardian, right? This all seems to…coincidental.”

“You think Fate is behind this?” Kirin looked around. “Should we find the Guardian of Legends?”

Dragon shook his head. “No…Legends is dead. He died a long time ago, and so far, no one has shown up as the next Guardian.”

“That means the Library is out of reach.” Kirin sighed. “This isn’t good. If that’s true, then the enemy we’re fighting is after the Twelve Guardians. If Rhonnin was a potential Guardian, then…”

“The enemy lost Rhonnin, but took Raszeal instead.” Dragon crossed his arms. “It means Raszeal was closer to becoming a Guardian. Rhonnin must not have been anywhere near.”

“This still doesn’t explain how the hunter found out Raszeal was a Guardian.” Kirin stared down at the remaining papers on the desk. “Not unless this person had access to the spells that Legends kept, the ones that summon the rune tattoos.”

“It is possible.” Dragon narrowed his gaze as he thought. I don’t like where this is going. It seems that the Shadowfang found something…and this enemy is working with the Shadowfang.

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Drake!” Kirin stood up. “Are you alright?”

This snapped Dragon out of his deep thought, and he looked up. “Ah, Drake. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” He paused at the doorway. “Dad, Kirin…” He took a quick, proper bow. “Father, this is the child you wish to see…Rhonnin.” He moved out of the way, and Rhonnin stepped forward.

“An honor, Rhonnin.” Dragon stood up. “Pleased to meet you.” He walked out from behind the table, and up to Rhonnin. He held out his hand.

Rhonnin blinked, staring at it. “Dragon Armageddon, I presume? Pleased to meet your acquaintance.” He took the King’s hand, and shook it.

“Rhonnin, Drake, please sit down.” Drake and Rhonnin dis as they were told, Drake sitting to the right of his father, and Rhonnin next to Kirin. “Now, we have much to discuss.”

Drake nodded. “First of all, I’ll explain the details of what happened. I suppose Kirin told you of…Raszeal.” He had paused for a moment, but he shook himself free of the pain, if only for a moment. “Needless to say, the darkness that I have encountered both in Rhonnin and in Xythen…it has had an adverse effect on me in several ways…but that’s beside the point.”

Dragon cocked his head to the side. “No, please explain.”

“First of all, the darkness has awakened a type of…power within me, Purified power. I’ve been working on controlling it, but have had little success. At least, not until…”

“I understand. Xythen…” Dragon looked down, “Never mind that, please continue.”

“Regardless, I-“

“Hold on.” Kirin interrupted. “You seem not to realize this, Drake, but what you used against Xythen was not Purified power. It was far from it. That was something completely different.”

“Wait…” Drake closed his eyes. She’s right. The power that I was learning to control felt different, almost bound. The power that I used on all of those other occasions, it felt…free.

“Interesting, but please continue.”

“Right,” Drake started. “Ok, the second adverse effect is…” He paused. “It’s more like a dream. I’m fighting a shadowy man…and he…he is working for the enemy, but I catch him off guard, and I reveal his face. I recognize him in the dream, yet as myself I cannot see who he is.” Drake stopped for a moment. “It’s hard to explain, but…he kills me. The part I don’t like though…”

“Vulkan…” Kirin looked down.

“Hmm?” Dragon looked up at the spoken name. “What did you say?”

“A man by the name of Vulkan Raize has been visiting here.” Could he be the cause of all of this? “But what doesn’t make sense is…”

“If he wanted me dead, then why did he save me from Xythen?” Drake leaned back in his chair.

Rhonnin closed his eyes. “Well…maybe he wanted to save the fun for himself?”

Dragon looked over to Kirin. Maybe…maybe he wants to let Drake live for awhile longer because of the chance that he may be a…

Kirin nodded. A Gaurdian…Vulkan wants him alive because he’s another Guardian.

“From now on, Vulkan is your enemy.” Dragon looked back to Drake. “Understood?”

“I get it…” He nodded. “Vulkan could be working for the Shadowfang.” Drake sighed. “This is getting complicated…”

“Just hold out a bit longer.” Dragon turned his gaze to Rhonnin. “Now, it’s your turn. Where are you from?”

Rhonnin gulped, and looked around. “I…I, uh…” The poor boy cleared his throat. “To tell you the truth, I can’t…remember.” He stared down at the table. “Whatever darkness I was possessed by…it erased my memory.”

((Ish all I have for now....))

[TwilightPrince]

Must be made into Anime

[KH2_FinalSora]

To be honest, I was thinking of that versus it being a book. Maybe I should persue this...

[Roxas 1994]

This is really, really good. I enjoy reading every chapter!

It would be awesome if this was turned into a book and even better if it was an anime. Perhaps even both!!

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake crossed his arms. “None of this really makes sense. Why is it happening?”

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure.” Dragon stared at Rhonnin a moment longer. Fate might be working against us… Another sigh. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s moving quickly.”

Rhonnin stood up. “I think I need to go out for a bit.” He walked around the table, and met Drake’s gaze. What is happening? Is this all my fault?

Drake closed his eyes, “Hey, Dad?” His father looked back to Drake. “Can we train with Rhonnin later today? I think he and I would benefit with a bit to take our minds off of things. Besides, we’ve learned a few things…”

“Yeah, sure.” Dragon relaxed slightly. “That would be a good idea.”

“Thanks, Dad…”


I don’t quite understand it all yet, but as far as I can tell… Rhonnin blindly kicked at a rock. The sky was still filled with dark clouds from the storm, but the rain h ad subsided. The pale red grass around him soaked what was left of his sneaker-like shoes, but he didn’t seem to notice. All of this suffering I’ve gone through…all of the suffering I’ve caused. Is it my fault that Drake’s brother is dead? Did I cause it all to happen?

“Rhonnin,” Kirin’s voice drifted from above him. The castle wall was behind him, and sitting on the ledge was none other that the Thunderclaw Queen. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Never been better…” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. “I mean, it’s not like I’m responsible for the possible downfall of an entire race.”

“You think you’re the one causing this?” Kirin actually laughed. “That’s ridiculous.”

Rhonnin felt himself shrink down a little more. “But…”

“But nothing. This would have happened regardless of where you were. It is very unfortunate that you are caught up in the middle of such a disastrous event. But it is not your fault.”

“How do you figure that?” The red-haired boy looked up to Kirin. “All of this seemed to start when I came here.”

“But you were controlled. Against your will, even.” Kirin dropped down, landing next to Rhonnin. “So, the way I see it is…” She smiled warmly, “You’re one of the victims.”

“Wow…” Rhonnin blinked, thinking about what Kirin had said. “I…I guess your right.” It wasn’t an immediate mood change, but he was sounding better. “I think…I think I’ll take up Drake’s offer and spar with him and his father.”

“Heh, I might even join you.” Kirin turned away. “Anyway, good luck with your training match.”

Rhonnin looked to the dark sky, and stared out. Strange…this is supposed to be the part where the sun comes from behind the clouds. Only this isn’t some cheesy story, but still… I have a bad feeling.

[KH2_FinalSora]

Drake crossed his arms, tapping his foot. He had been staring at a wall in the library for quite some time. Something’s off here… There was a soft knock at the Library door, and Kirin slipped in.

“Hey…” Drake called out, without moving an inch.

“Hi, Drake.” Kirin stopped. “Er…what are you doing?”

“Something’s off about this wall.” Drake looked overt to Kirin. “It’s not like the rest of them. The color is slightly off, and it doesn’t have the same pattern as the rest of the wall.

Kirin blinked. He’s highly observant. “Well, I guess I could show you. You are the son of the king.”

“Show me…what?”

“The project we’re working on.” Kirin walked to the wall, and tapped what looked to be a normal tile on the wall. Only, it opened up to reveal a keypad.

“Woah…It’s technology like the kind we have at my kingdom. It needs a pass code, ne?

“Mhmm” Kirin nodded. “And, I trust you enough Drake. In fact, since you spotted it…you might be able to help the project along.” He tapped a few keys, “The password is WYVERNX.”

“Wyvern? Isn’t that a type of dragon?” Drake asked, just as the hidden doorway opened. It moved fairly slow, but opened up within ten seconds. What was behind it was a dark, metal corridor leading downward.

“Onward forward,” Kirin said, ignoring Drake’s question. The two walked into the corridor. Drake was, once again, plunged into pitch black. All he could hear were the echoes of his and Kirin’s footsteps.

“Just a little farther. I think you’ll like what you’ll see.” Kirin sounded happy, at least for the time being.

Almost at once, Drake walked out of the dark corridor and into a brightly lit room. He was temporarily blinded, and instinctively reached out with his other senses. He could hear the sounds of humming; an engine working in the background. He sniffed the air, breathing in the scent of burning metal and oil.

At last, his eyes adjusted, and he started upward. His mouth dropped into a gape. “That’s….incredible.” Drake was almost at a lost for words. In front of him was a working airship.

“An airship. I’m guessing it’s called Wyvern X, right?” Drake gazed back to Kirin. She nodded, and smiled. “This is incredible.”

“It flies, too. We’re still working on a few minor details, but it works.”

“So…what does it use for fuel?” Drake turned back to the airship. “And…can it fly in space?”

“Space. It was meant for space.” Kirin walked towards the blue ship in front of them. She touched to cool metal. The airship was huge, almost as big as the interior of the castle they were in. “We haven’t tested it for space, however. We’re afraid, to be honest. As for its fuel, it runs off of a special invention of ours, the Matrix Drive.”

“Matrix…Drive?” Drake closed his eyes. The Matrix Theory? The randomization pattern that allows for an erratic, yet somehow stable constant draw of energy into the body. “You mean it uses and refines Radical energy? Like we do?”

“Yup.” Kirin sounded genuinely proud. “Amazing. It took us years to track and develop the formula.”

“It must have…” Drake looked to the ship. “So how do you prevent it from overloading or drawing too much energy?”

Kirin chuckled, “To be honest, I’m not sure. It has something to do with limitations of the random pattern that’s generated. It took a long time to replicate, but once it was done, we had the ability to copy it as many times as needed.”

“So, in total, how many actual drives are you using?” Drake asked.

“Two. One for the engine, and one for the cannon.” Kirin pointed to the ‘neck’ of the Wyvern X. “It’s right above the cockpit. We haven’t installed the Matrix Drive for it just yet, though. We can allow for a higher output on the cannon.”

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Right.” Drake stared at the gigantic ship. “…So how do you fly it?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.” She picked up a heavy, thick book. “But I can let you read on how the ship works. Maybe you could even learn to better it.” Kirin tossed the book to Drake, who caught it with ease.

“I guess I’m a little young to be piloting…” He smiled. “Oh well.” And with that, he sat down and opened the book. “I’ll stay here, for now. Can you send for me when Dad is ready?”

“Sure, Drake. Not a problem. Have fun!”


To explain the Matrix Theory in depth… Drake read quickly, flipping between pages to study words and diagrams. The Matrix Theory is a completely random set of numbers that always add up to the same number. The random numbers are set in such a way that the body draws energy through one part of the body more than another, due to both the fact that too much energy drawn in one part of the body could have adverse affects, and because the body starts to build up a resistance to the amount of power drawn in. So, the randomization allows time for the body to lose its temporary resistance and also steadies and balances the power throughout the body.

Drake paused for a moment. So then, the Matrix Drive runs on these very principles. Several problems occurred, however. First was to find a way to draw energy from the air. A simple solution was formed; use a crystal. Crystals, once properly started, could draw and store energy at a continuous rate.

Drake blinked. “Crystals…does that mean that the World Crystals that power each world were created to draw power as well as give it?” He thought for a moment. The World Crystal for Dragonis is the Dragon Star, an orange crystal located in the forest near the Thunderclaw. “Power…”

Back to the Matrix Drive. Once they found the source, their next problem to overcome was to figure out how to interpret the Matrix Theory into a machine. That took years of scanning and testing random patterns. Once figured out, it was a matter of simply replicating the formula again. The process was done simply by studying power intake and levels throughout the body down to the last ounce of power. Once the formula was written down, they would move on the next subject and run the results against his power intake.

“Interesting…”

With that solved, they powered up the first prototype. It was disastrous. The machine siphoned far too much energy, and overloaded. It was an easy fix; they simply limited the random pattern to that of the containers limits. It worked to perfection. And with that, they applied the power to the airship.

“And it worked.” Drake smirked. “I’m impressed…”

[KH2_FinalSora]

Dragon found himself, hours later, standing opposite of Rhonnin and Drake. They were outside of the castle walls, under the dark sky. Night was approaching, and soon they would be in a much darker setting.

“Ready?” Dragon lifted his blade. “No training weapons today. We’re going all out with real weapons. The only rule: No death blows.” The wind whipped around the three.

Kirin, from above, watched. She was balanced on the castle wall, and would act as referee. “I’ll make sure no one kills. Don’t worry!”

“Alright then,” Dragon started. “If everything is set, then we can…”

“Ready?” Drake smirked over at Rhonnin.

“On three.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three!” The two moved in tandem, a strange sense of unity overcoming them. Dragon lifted his blade, ready for anything.

Drake rushed left while Rhonnin went in for a frontal assault. He raised his blade, showing his intent for a powerful stab. Dragon glanced to his left, following Drake’s movements. The other boy was coming at him from an angle, his sword aimed for an upward swing.

Interesting. Rhonnin’s move is intended to make me move out of the way, or jump. Drake is prepared to slash me either way. Not bad. Dragon smirked, and lowered his blade, intending to leap to his right. The only problem with your plan is that you haven’t covered me entirely. Dragon sidestepped to the left, and swung hid blade out at Rhonnin as he passed by.

Rhonnin parried the slash with a quick movement. Dragon saw the calmness on Rhonnin’s face. It was almost as if…

Dragon spun around, a quick sense of alarm overtaking him. Did Drake have this part of the plan covered too? He was right. Drake came at him, but not from behind.

“Spiral!” Drake’s voice came from above. Dragon knew better than to look, and instead leapt back quickly as flames burst from the ground.

“Not bad…” Dragon grunted.

“It’s not over yet!” The whirling flames slowed to a stop. Dragon raised his blade to prepare or whatever was coming. The flames became a single pillar of fire, with Drake right above it. “Dragon of the Flames! Firesong!” The pillar of flames sank into the earth, quaking the ground until it was totally beneath the surface.

“Hmm…” Dragon looked beneath him. This is new… He, at that point, remembered Rhonnin, and looked up just in time to see the other boy coming at him with a downward slash. Dragon deflected the heavy sword with ease, and kicked Rhonnin square in the chest.

Rhonnin tumbled back, managing to keep his battle stance at the last second. Dragon smirked, “You’re not going to get me that easily…”

“Really?” Rhonnin coughed, and chuckled. “Tell that to Drake.”

More quaking from the ground. Dragon looked down, and suddenly knew what Drake was doing. He lunged to his side, rolling out of the way as the ground beneath him exploded. A huge, fiery snake-like creature came spiraling up into the air. Upon closer inspection, which Dragon had already done, he noticed the creature was made entirely of flames.

“Drake…that is impressive…” Dragon watched the flaming dragon Firesong spiral around in the air momentarily.

“You think that’s impressive!?” Drake came down from the air, both of his blades drawn. Dragon stepped back as Drake attempted to double-slash his father. “Get this…” Drake moved forward with a strange motion, a quick twirl of his left blade and a stab hit his right. Dragon moved to the side to dodge, which left an opening for Drake’s left blade. He quickly brought it across with a horizontal slash.

Fast. Dragon lifted his own sword, stopping Drake’s strike. “Not bad, Drake. You’re getting better.”

“Rhonnin, go!” Drake yelled out.

Dragon spun around, “What?”

“Spirit Chain!” Rhonnin, who was behind Dragon, thrust his arms forward, sending a small line of white spirit energy straight at Dragon. The chain pierced through Dragon’s chest, and went straight through him. It kept going and went through Drake as well.

“Rhonnin…this attack didn’t do anything. And you hit Drake as well…” Dragon glanced back. “Not a very bright idea.”

“Drake isn’t using his Spirit energy. I’m simply going to borrow it. And yours too.” Rhonnin yanked the chain hard, pulling a small ball of energy from Drake. It came back through Dragon, pulling a greater amount of Spirit energy from him.

“Well…that’s…creative.” Dragon raised his blade at Rhonnin. “Impressive.”

“You can thank Drake…” Rhonnin swung the chain around, using the ball of energy as a morning star, more or less. “It was his idea.”

“Hmm…and I thought this would be over quickly.” Dragon took a step forward, and vanished.

Rhonnin’s eyes went wide with alarm, but Drake was already covering Rhonnin. The red-haired boy heard a clash behind him, and quickly turned to see Drake and Dragon there, blade against blade.

That speed is amazing! Rhonnin leapt back, “Drake, to the left!” The other boy jumped, but not to his left. Dragon, hearing Rhonnin, jumped to the left. “Heh.” Rhonnin slammed down the ball of energy right on top of Dragon, cracking the ground beneath him.

Only Dragon’s arms were around the ball. The king’s blade clattered against the rocky ground as he focused all of his strength into keeping the Spirit Morningstar from crushing him.

Dang…these kids are getting to me.

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Forgetting something?” Drake roared, shouldering his father from the side. Dragon staggered, dropping the ball of energy. Drake was already gone, but in his place, Rhonnin was there with his blade posed to strike. Dragon cursed, moving to his left.

“Not a good move, old man!” Rhonnin plunged forward with his blade, intending to stab Dragon straight through. Dragon narrowly dodged the blade, spinning around to see Drake come at him with a downward slash from behind. Dragon smiled, using his spinning momentum to bring himself into a powerful roundhouse kick, using it to roll around Drake’s slash and kick him in the back of his head.

Drake staggered forward with a curse. Rhonnin’s stab from early had turned into a 360 twirl with his blade, now that Drake was out of the way. Dragon rolled his eyes, They won’t give in, will they?

The Firesong King’s eyes narrowed, and he lowered his stance. Even without a weapon, he had several talents. His eyes focused in on the edge of the blade, and without a second thought, leapt forward. With a slight channel of energy into his hands, and precise timing that neither of the boys could match, his hands clapped together on the flat of the blade, stopping it and Rhonnin completely.

“Wha!?” Rhonnins eyes were wide with shock. “No way!”

Dragon swung the blade to his left, dragging Rhonnin with it, and slammed the red-haired boy into Drake. The two fell to the ground in a tangled heap. The king let his guard down, and laughed lightly.

“I’ll admit, you nearly had me there. But I won.” Dragon smirked, and held out both of his hands to help the boys up.

When Drake reached out for his father’s hand, a sudden agnonizing pain shot through his mind. Darkness… It surged through his body until…

[KH2_FinalSora]

Nothing. No…wait. Is that…? He was floating above the ground, yet everything was blurry. Dragon was standing above…Drake? But I’m right here! No wait. Something was wrong. Rhonnin, who was next to Drake’s body, wasn’t moving. Neither was Dragon. What…what is this?

Suddenly, everything began to move once again. Dragon smiled and pulled Drake and Rhonnin up. “Good job.”

This can’t be happening. Dad! Rhonnin! Dragon and the two boys turned to look up, looking at Kirin. Dragon motioned for her to come down, and she jumped from her perch, landing with the grace of a queen.

Why is this happening? The answer was instantaneous. A spike shot up from the ground, impaling Kirin. Dragon’s eyes were wide in fear as tendrils shot out from the one spike, wrapping themselves around him and the boys. There was no hope. Everything went dark…they were dying.

Why…why am I watching this….? Why!? Tell me? Why can’t I DO anything!? Why can’t I…?

[KH2_FinalSora]

“Why can’t…” Drake’s eyes fluttered open. “W-wha?” Dragon laughed. What…what’s happening?

“I’ll admit, you nearly had me there. But I won.” Dragon smirked, and held out both of his hands to help the boys up. Didn’t this already happen? Drake reached out for his father’s hand. When he touched it, he recoiled back slightly. There was no pain.

“Drake, the match is over. No need to be paranoid.” Drake took his hand, and the two boys were lifted up. The three of them turned to Kirin, and Dragon motioned for her to come down.

She nodded, and landed with the grace of… With the grace of a queen. He looked to his left, and then his right. If this is…

“Kirin!” Drake closed his eyes. It’s too late! I can’t stop it. He could already sense the darkness seeping from the ground. Why didn’t I sense it earlier!? He did the only thing he could do. He leapt forward and shoved her out of the way.

“D-Drake!?” Kirin stumbled right as the pillar of darkness erupted from the ground, striking Drake in the chest. No…not in the chest. The tip of the spear slammed into Drake’s pendant, cracking the surface lightly. What came next, no one could have expected.

The pendant began to glow brightly, and a powerful beam of light shot out, forcing the dark pillar back into the ground. Drake landed on the ground with a dull thud, coughing. Although the pendant saved him, it drained him. Dragon and Rhonnin were helping him up immediately.

“How did you…?” Rhonnin had Drake’s arm oer his shoulder, helping the dark-haired boy stand. “You saved her…”

“We’re not out of this yet…” Dragon took a fighting stance, still blade-less. Kirin stepped up next to the King of Dragons, unsheathing her blade. The two seemed to to be waiting for something.

They didn’t have to wait long. Dark figures rose from the ground, completely black in color. Most were vaguely human shape, and some even had weapons. Only one did not appear this way. Instead, it appeared through a dark portal. It was clearly a man from the build he presented, but his face and body were covered by a dark cloak.

“So…this is where the King has hidden.” His voice was deep, dark, and daemonic. He raised his arm, pointing at Dragon accusingly. “You will die.”

Drake looked up, ignoring his fatigue. Is that… A memory flashed across his mind to the man who had saved him. Vulkan?

The dragon boy shrugged away from Rhonnin. “I’m fine.” Without another word, he drew his blades, taking his stance. Rhonnin looked at Drake with a sense of awe. Drake’s determination and stamina was amazing to witness, and it filled Rhonnin with a sense of power.

The other boy picked up his great sword and smirked. “Well then… let’s take them out.” Drake nodded, and the two boys rushed forward.

“Dad! Down!” Drake yelled out. Both Dragon and Kirin kneeled down, and the two boys jumped over the adults. Their timing was perfect. The first of the shadow beings lunged forward, and were immediately slain by Drake and Rhonnin. Dragon and Kirin rushed in-between the boys, slashing through the next wave of Shadows. Only, the blades simply cut through them, doing them no harm.

“What…?” Dragon leapt back, dodging a swipe from one of the more animal-like beasts. “Why can’t we strike them!?”

Drake deflected a blow from a beast that was about to stab his father, and countered with a horizontal slash. The beast took the hit, and disengrated into the darkness. My blade and the light I’ve been using. And then Rhonnin’s must have gotten it when I borrowed his.

“Dad! It’s the light! Rhonnin’s and my blade are blessed with light!” Drake yelled to his father.

Of course… Dragon rolled his eyes in disgust. “Just my luck.” He parried a blow, and countered using a quick burst of energy. It had more affect than his blade, but it still wasn’t killing them.

That was when the cloaked man summoned more of them to his aid. “Kill them all. Leave no one alive!” He cackled madly from his safe haven behind what seemed like an army of the daemonic shadows. And they were nearly unstoppable.

Drake and Rhonnin were shoulder to shoulder, slashing through the shadows. Several of the shadows were attacking the two at once, but both of them seemed to have synchronized with each other. Drake parried a slash from one shadow to his left as Rhonnin ducked under Drake’s arm in a fierce stab. Another one down to Drake’s right at the whim of a blast from Dragon behind them.

“There are too many…” Kirin cursed as she blasted one out of the air that nearly jumped the two boys. “We need to move into the forest. We’ll have a better chance there!”

Dragon nodded, yelling,” Drake! Rhonnin! Retreat!” The two boys started stepping backwards, still holding off the onslaught of daemonic beings. Dragon and Kirin retreated back as well, stepping into the cover of the surrounding forest.

“Ready?” Drake asked, slashing the next shadow in line.

“Of course,” The crimson haired boy replied with a smirk. The two leapt back suddenly, channeling all of their remaining energy…

[KH2_FinalSora]

Divinity!” Drake focused on the light within him, using his newfound power and thrust his hands forward.

“Spirit Charge!” Rhonnin absorbed the life energy from around him, including that of the very Shadows they were fighting. It formed into a ball of energy at the palm of his hands.

The two boys let loose the powerful blast at once, blasting back the main attack force that had formed around them, and many more that had followed behind the first wave. And there were still more coming for them.

Drake and Rhonnin turned and ran. There was nothing more they could do.

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And finished for now. I'll update when I write more.