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Arcana-Key

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Look at the allusions between them and you'll find it to be true. They're like - the Sora and Riku of the Destati timeline, which ( don't forget ) takes place some few thousand years after the original KH series.

I also needed to follow up on the 13th Reflection series, and I thought 'why not xemnas' for these two? I'll probably seriously follow this up with full length chapters for all of the data organization members, while I think about it-

Begin​.


The 13th Reflection
I
The Superior of the In-Between.


“Say, Suihei…”

“Yeah?”

“Where in the name of the Worlds did that doors take us?” Nor asked, taking stock of their surroundings with a critical eye. They’d ended up in front of a skyscraper, she noticed. With a steady barrage of rain pelting down on both their figures. Ice cold, but not enough to bother her. The question wasn’t exactly one that Nor really expected an answer to, though, considering Suihei’s lackadaisical approach to everything.

The scent of wet asphalt hung in the air. She glanced at Suihei. Suihei glanced back. “Well, what were you expecting me to say-“

Before them, the air rippled with a flux of data. An array of zeroes and ones rose from a circular point in the middle of the ground but a few feet away. Both girls leapt back, keyblades forming in their opposing hands while taking stock of the figure in front of them. He was tall. Incredibly so, actually.

Broad of shoulder, he cut an impressive, if not intimidating figure. His hair was long. Down to about the middle of his back, with a hint of spikiness to it that had Nor wondering, not for the first time, if this were just a natural thing for people of some Worlds. But the most enrapturing things had to be his eyes. A sharp orange, almost amber colour, that immediately put both girls on edge. Oddly enough, his coat seemed to be black and white – never remaining in place, but instead, constantly shifting about.

It may have come as a surprise that the immediate area away from the tower, the area that had once been a city dissipated into a confusing mass of . . . Nothing. Nor could see it with her eyes. ‘It’s a data simulation’, she reminded herself. ‘A place that Suihei found, that had to do with… something eons ago.’ She could manage this. It’d be alright.

All three of them remained silent, until the peculiar man began to speak. “Keybearers of another dawn…” His voice was a rich baritone that fell flat in many respects. There was no inflection, no melodramatics. Merely a detached, logical aspect to his inflection that caused Suihei to clench her the grip of her keyblade even tighter. “What is your purpose?”

Nor’d barely caught the question, as interested as she was in sitting in the rain. “Our purpose?” She asked incredulously, poising her keyblade overhead. An open stance, inviting even, towards the melancholic figure. Would the taunt work? She didn’t really know. But what she did know, was that she didn’t want to be here any longer than she’d already been.Ten minutesseemed to be a huge waste of time and emotional resources, when she could be snoozing. “Well, I dunno, maybe you should tell us who you are in the first place.” Dripping with sarcasm, her voice seemed to cut through the pretenses in a way that had Suihei coughing into her fist awkwardly.

The brunette took the time to interrupt the redhead “Nor.” The redhead looked over. “Don’t you think that maybe we shouldn’t be-“

Her sentence was cut off by a blur of the nameless figure. Twin red beams, ethereal as they were fleeting, whistled through the air, intent on striking both Keybearers down where they stood. Each girl proved quick on the reflex. Suihei brandished Neo-Kingdom Key with expertise, turning on her heel in a burst of speed to catch the ethereal blade between the teeth of the weapon, while Nor twisted out of the way and lashed out towards the Organization Member’s head with a precise blow, her own keyblade crackling with a lightning edge that seemed even brighter in the dark area.

Both girls were surprised in turn, by the silver haired figure dismissing the blades just as fast as they were formed. Before either knew what happened, Xemnas lashed out with a brutal roundhouse that caught Suihei in the side and sent her hurtling towards Nor. He was quick to follow it up, creating several condensed ethereal above him that blasted towards both girls.

It would have been rather unfortunate, too, if they were caught by it. Suihei, having recovered midair with a flip sent a pulse of mana through her keyblade. Hexagonal plates formed in front of the duo, absorbing the lasers before bursting forward with a rush of light and heat. Xemnas raised his hand, barely avoiding the intense burn from the reciprocated attack.

Regardless of this attempt, Nor was on him in an instant. She darted forward, slashing out with her keyblade once, twice, just barely catching the Nobody in his torso. The assault wouldn’t let up, however. Nor continued her aggressive strikes, fueling each slash with a different spell to put Xemnas on the defense instead of the offense.

“How futile…” He mocked, twisting his body out of the way before responding with a flurry of agile blows. It was like he came from everywhere at once. Every time Nor would block, there was another ethereal blade at the edge of her vision. The heat radiating off of them was ridiculous, with sparks bursting every time her Keyblade met the Nobody’s peculiar ethereal weapons. Rain hissed from the deadlock, and though her strength was impressive, it seemed to hold nothing to snuff when it came to Xemnas’ own impressive physical constitution.

Xemnas conjured another ethereal construct, suspended but mere inches from Nor’s face. He caught sight of the other keybearer, quick to rush to the aid of her friend with a blur of speed that would have surprised him, if he held the capacity for it. Suihei lashed out, not with her key, but with a roundhouse that Xemnas managed to block with his forearm.

The strength behind it was enough to stagger him. Distract him enough for her little friend to twirl out of the way and slice at his legs. Xemnas would have none of that. Seizing Suihei by her ankle, the Superior of In-Between attempted to toss the girl towards her ally once more. She didn’t seem fond of that, if the flames bursting at her feet were a sign.

He let her go mid-toss, allowing her to recover for just a few moments. They were moments that both Keybearers used to their advantage. Once again, they rushed towards Xemnas in tandem, and once again, they were deflected with rapid flicks of the ethereal blades.

Deadlocked in an intense struggle, neither girl managed to catch the blunt lasers that struck their backs with such force that it stunned them.

It was painful. Not unlike getting shocked with enough force to blow the air out of their lungs. But they persisted still. “Be Embraced by Nothingness…” Xemnas intoned forebodingly. Around them, a veritable forest of thorns, formed from a peculiar substance. Nothing, Nor had been told by Nyx. Incredibly powerful Nobodies could harness such a thing. Just who- was this guy?! “Nothingness… is Eternal.”

They had to move. Fast. Already, thorns rushed towards the Keybearers, who remained locked in place by Xemnas’ surprising strength.

“Suihei!” Nor hissed out, blue eyes meeting hazel for but a second as a sign to break the limits that seemed to stop them from doing any significant damage.

Suihei seemed to get the idea, at least. “Got it!” Much to Xemnas’ surprise, both redhead and brunette blurred out of the way of the thorns that threatened to tear them to shreds mere seconds before.

Nor took the initiative to bark a sharp curse to Xemnas. “Outta my way!” Metal whistled through the air, both girls rapidly transitioning from joint slashes – vertical, horizontal, diagonal - punishing Xemnas from opposite sides with rapid stabs that made their arms appear a blur.

Xemnas grunted- the first sign that they had been getting anywhere with actually causing serious harm in the first place.

“Let’s go!” Suihei whistled out, banishing her keyblade in order to draw both her hands back. Apparently, she’d decided that holding back wasn’t in her options, and had taken the initiative to draw on a Distortion Drive - Finalé, that that. Light swirled in one palm, whilst Darkness thrummed in the other, before she rapidly fired the blasts. A nonstop assault that was just barely fended off by a hastily crafted shield.

Xemnas attempted to warp behind Suihei, yet Nor was far from inactive.

Yet he was unable to pull away from the assault.

Her own hands thrummed with pure elemental energy. Composed of nearly every type of offensive magic she could force together to create a new, sixth element. “Don’t run away just yet!” She cackled, rapidly thrusting her own arms. Pure energy swirled towards Xemnas, just barely blowing past Suihei, who twisted out of the way with the gliding ability that the Drive provided her with.

The resulting explosion saturated the air with mana, yet they were far from done. “Together!” Nor ordered, both girls standing back to back – it was a good thing that the off-gray energy that seemed to surround Suihei drifted over towards Nor, too, as both girls called their Keyblades back to them and were on Xemnas in less than a blink of the eye.

He met their blows with an assault of lasers once again, but…

Now he could see why they were back to back. Their Keyblades extended to monumental lengths, resembling actual blades more than keys as they swung with such titanic force that the very air rippled with shockwaves. He continued to warp and teleport out of the way, twilight thorns meeting each girl’s blade with such force the air resounded with the sound of electricity sparking and the scent of ozone.

“This is it!” Suihei cried next, holding her hands out with a pulse of Twilight visibly distorting the air around the duo. Thirteen swords twirled around them like the edge of a razor, before they warped? No, no, there was no tug of magic. It was simply the speed behind them. Each of the thirteen blades hovered around Xemnas rotating around him until they became a blur, before they paused suddenly, and lanced forward. Once again, the Superior of the In-Between managed to dodge them, just barely.

Yet even then, the blades continued to hound Xemnas, with Nor giving a sharp whistle and a snap of the fingers that caused them to reform, and shoot one at a time. While the first two were easily avoided, and the next seven, just barely – the remaining four blurred towards Xemnas at such an obscene speed, that he was struck and knocked clear off their feet.

They worked best together, so why not take advantage by tearing them apart, he mused. Just as both girls called their Keyblades back to one another, he made his move. Lurching forward, he broke through their iron-tight guard. Nor tried to give a word of warning to Suihei, but Xemnas quickly kicked the redhead away with suchforce that she was blown off her feet and sent hurtling a few feet away.

“Can you . . . Spare a Heart?” He inquired, gripping Suihei in an armlock to toss her up into the air and catch her in a net of pure energy. It was obviously quite painful, from how the girl was lurching in a silent scream. The voltage was so powerful, that it managed to blow the brunette clear out of her Drive. Limbs flailed, muscles spasming in agony that drove Nor insane, watching.

“Suihei!” She cried out. Attempting to close the space between them proved… difficult, however, as Xemnas was quick to learn from his mistake, and attempted to keep the two separated by creating a duplicate of his own. It managed to hold her off for a few tortuous minutes, yet even thin, it appeared that Nor wasn’t entirely too fond of waiting. Her keyblade lashed out, sending a wave of darkness, then light towards the duplicate whenever it managed to get close.

When she managed to close the gap between her screaming friend and Xemnas, Nor made sure to grab him by the arm with an agile leap. She bashed his face with the teeth of her Keyblade, causing him to drop Suihei to the ground. The girl landed in the ground in a heap, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Xemnas seemed intent on winning one way or another, even if that meant crushing both girls beneath his heel.

He slammed Nor into the ground, causing Suihei to blur into action once more. She leaped forward, legs wreathed in a plume of fire. Suihei came barreling down on Xemnas with such intense heat that his concentration was broken in an instant. She tossed him with her ridiculous strength, allowing him to remain in the air for precious seconds while Nor pushed herself back onto her feet.

“You may go together…” Both girls glanced at one another again, then flicked their eyes up in shock at the seemingly endless field of lasers that floated around them. With a gesture, they came flying towards Suihei and Nor, attempting to overwhelm them with sheer numbers alone.

“Together!” Both Keybearers said, blurring into motion to block, reflect, and disperse each laser with a flick of the wrist.

A twist, a pirouette, a leap over one another’s shoulder to cover wherever the other may have missed.

Both girls worked in perfect sync with one another, their speed only serving to increase as the assault picked up to truly obscene levels. Together, they continued to block, and block, and block – until Xemnas had truly expended all of his energy in attempting to overwhelm them.

Their efforts didn’t go unrewarded, as Xemnas was upon them in another burst of speed, attempting to debilitate Suihei by bashing her back in with one of his Ethereal blades. “Oh no you don’t!” Nor hissed, turning fast enough to catch her friend by the wrist. Suihei was tugged out of the way, yet in her place, Nor was struck with the intense blow.

“Nor!” Suihei exclaimed, worry clear on her features. But the other Keybearer would have nothing of it. She held her Keyblade out for Suihei to grasp, and Suihei needed no cue on what to do. She focused, kicked off the balls of her feet, and dashed forward, grabbing Nor’s keyblade as she did so. The assault on the Nobody was brutal. Explosive with power, even if she was fatigued. Suihei cuffed him in the chin with her Keyblade, then the chest- the legs, the thighs, then used both Keyblades while spinning like a top to completely push him away from both of them again.

By the time she landed? Nor was already back onto her feet, looking exhausting from the grueling fight, but no worse for wear. Heck, Suihei felt like she’d collapse at any given moment! But she held out Neo-Kingdom Key, pointing it directly at the still flying Xemnas. Nor, taking the initiative, settled her hand atop Suihei’s.

The Keyblade radiated with light, a spiral of energy pulsing from the blue seamline that separated that dark steel from the silver edge, before it burst forward in an explosion of pure power that tore through Xemnas.

Neither heard his final cry of perishing, both content with collapsing against one another with twin sighs of absolute exhaustion.

Sensing that one ( or rather, both ) of the combatants had defeated their opponent, the simulation began to dissolve. Code and data whirled around both Keybearers. Both girls remained leaning against one another, even as they were settled right on the cool marble floor in front of the peculiar gate that had led them to such a . . . debacle.

Norwin was the first to speak.

“Remind me to never. Ever. Decide to follow your idiotic ideas in testing this place again. ” It was certainly less of a warning that Suihei would’ve liked, but it was better than nothing.

“Trust me.” She groaned, fishing through her pocket for a potion. “I don’t intend to.”. . . guh. And the worst part probably was that Suihei needed to get back to the main city before her little pets got worried. “We can totally put it off for an hour and rest. I’m beat.”

Of course she’d be the lazy bum and fall asleep right against Nor.

A life and death battle, and the girl decided to go to sleep as a reward to herself.

Sometimes Norwin really wondered why she dealt with the little brat. She really did.
 

KingdomKey

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Norwin and Suihei pairing up to take on Xemnas was freaking phenomenal! I loved Nor coming to Suihei's rescue, when Xemnas was trying to take her heart. Seriously, that was like my absolute favorite part and gave me chills. The end was amusing to say the least. Suihei needing a nap is so like her and fits her character so well. Admittedly, I do think it's dangerous to be taking a nap in TWTNW though.
 

Arcana-Key

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Norwin and Suihei pairing up to take on Xemnas was freaking phenomenal! I loved Nor coming to Suihei's rescue, when Xemnas was trying to take her heart. Seriously, that was like my absolute favorite part and gave me chills. The end was amusing to say the least. Suihei needing a nap is so like her and fits her character so well. Admittedly, I do think it's dangerous to be taking a nap in TWTNW though.


Haha, this piece was connected to an earlier I wrote with the data-battles, so they'd be in the Cavern of Remembrance ; given that Organization members can be fought as simulations, I thought it'd be pretty neat to see them finagle with totally outdated technology by their standards and that just kinda led to--

This. 'w'
 

Arcana-Key

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A/N: I'm not dead! The creator of Norwin had me pick at something for the last few weeks that acted as a pseudo reverse/rebirth prologue for Nor. It seemed like a good way to try to get the gear of the brains working since I'm only about 3k words into the next chapter of Destati. So here, we'll get three neat things - a motive, an interaction, and something else. You guys are free to request if you want to see anything else! It keeps my skills from rusting.

______________________________________________
Begin!

Illuminated Springs

Illuminated Springs was not a large World, not by any means. For all that the people may have been satisfied with being on the little ball of dirt, she often felt the anticipation of being able to achieve more boil beneath her skin. Because her Master had expected it of her. It had never once crossed Norwin’s mind that she may have failed, or that she would not have met the standard set. Why would it? She abided by the tenants and focused on keeping her Heart strong.


There had been few things that Norwin had ever wanted in life more than the ascension to her divine right. It wasn’t that she had never expected it, nor that she had ever been taught to expect anything else. Her Master had always guided her – having her abide by the strict tenants that had been settled and revised thousands upon thousands of years ago. If there was anything, anything that Norwin had ever desired more than anything, it was meeting her own standard without so much of athought. She had to do it. There was nothing more than the desire to learn. Un-quenched as it may have been.


But it had been years. Many years since she had begun training. She had taken to magic like a fish to water. Honing it like a fine craft in the stead of the Keyblade that had never come. The Master had been pleased more than anything, despite her worries of inadequacy, of failure and so she had done her best to exceed that pride with more strength. What’s the point of strength if you don’t have a reason for it. She thought to herself, tucking a strand of hair behind an ear. It was the crack of dawn when she had rose out of bed, spellbooks hoisted over her shoulder, ponytail arranged haphazardly.


She did it every morning. Rise. Read. Then meet with the Master for training. Magic, then history, followed by a brief excursion around the forest to hone her senses. Followed by that It wasn’t something for everyone. It took time, effort and exertion that people weren’t exactly fond of putting forward. There were relatives, people of the village, who believed that she should have tended to her duties instead of the dreams that came from following around an old, decrepit uncle that had seen far better days. ’But I know that I’ll do my best. I’ll do better than my best. I’ll do so perfect that I’ll Awaken some day.’


But what if- Doubts unfurled in her stomach like a serpent. She crushed it beneath her heel before it could do as much as slither even further into her mind. But why was she so afraid to visit the Master today? It had been regularly routine this morning, so why did her mind keep straying away, like a premonition hanging in the air? Deep breaths. Norwin exhaled, shaking away the cobwebs that formed in her head in favour of keeping her eyes forward, gaze lingering on the door but a few feet in front of her.

Her legs felt like they were weighed down by blocks of cement. For all of her bravado, she was scared. The Master had called her for something, and if there was one thing Norwin hated more than anything, it was not knowing something. It was a weakness. And one thing that had never had a place in Norwin’s Heart or mind, it was a weakness.


Norwin thought it best if her Uncle hadn’t even called her. Selfish as it may have been, she didn’t want to confront whatever his summons had been for. The lack of friends made it so she couldn’t mill about with an excuse, and the fact that he knew her schedule as well as he knew her meant that it would’ve fallen straight through anyways. Perhaps it would be best for her to cease her procrastination. Suffering in silence was only something deserved by fools. “So just get a move on.” Norwin muttered to herself impatiently, planting her hand on the wooden door.

The first thing her Master would see, Norwin mused internally, was the fact that she had an awful scowl on her face. If that weren’t enough, her proverbial foot got caught in her mouth with her borderline impertinent greeting. “Sorry I’m late, old man. I got caught up in the middle of thinking, and-“ Norwin was interrupted by a gnarled hand raising up.

“Sit, child…” It was a familiar tune to the Master, who regularly had to contend with the ebb and flow of his wayward apprentice. Dine was not a bad man, not by any means. He was not even a terrible person. He was strict, Norwin recalled with the vaguest sense of annoyance, but he was also fair. The years had taken their toll on him, leaving him looking weathered by the seasons. His skin was leathery, with the few silvery scars stretched across his face denoting years since his last grand fight. That was all Norwin knew. The bare minimum. When she was younger, more fanciful, she liked to imagine that it had come from a fight with one of his friends. Or even better, one of the dreadful Heartless that she had heard so much about. Shame that she never bothered asking, it probably would’ve made him sour up all day if she did.

“Yeah old man?” Norwin asked, affixing her Master with the vaguest look of annoyance. She settled across from him in a seiza. Legs folded beneath her backside, hands atop her knees.

“You are late. I have had pertinent news to tell you all day.” Venom laced his voice, but his grizzled countenance had no spite to it. Harsh as he may have been, he was not foolish enough to berate her for this instance. She would do it enough from the weight of his voice alone. “It has come to my attention that you have yet to call forward your weapon.”

Even as her azure eyes came flicking up from her, frustration ate at her like a toxin. She’d drive herself insane if she was reminded of that one more time. Maybe it was something she was missing? Some lost technique-

“It was not a mistake that I chose you, Norwin.” It was a good decision, he mused. She had the fire and determination needed for a good student. She was callous and brittle, but she was also an overachiever. It put her at great risk for Darkness, he could see, but the winds had been changing for quite some time. He needed an apprentice that wouldn’t be afraid to make use of what they had, when they had the chance to. “You are far from useless.”

Norwin chewed on her bottom lip. It would cause undue punishment to lash out for no reason. Keep a level head, she reminded herself.

“So I have decided that before I reach the end of my days, you must travel off-world.” He reached beneath the table, withdrawing a small box and slowly unclasping the lock on it.

Norwin’s eyes focused immediately, straining for what she was missing. She barely focused on Master Dine’s wrist flicking, hand automatically raising to catch it in her palm. Then she caught it. A glimmer of light that refracted in the low light of his home.

“You have much growing to do, child.” His jade eyes met her own sapphire, pinning her in place with expectation. “While you have grown much, you have yet to awaken to your destiny. And you cannot do it here.”
“Keep your eyes peeled for the truth, child. And do not be blinded by the darkness that has festered in your heart.”




Traverse Town


She should’ve taken the words to heart. It had been a week, perhaps less since her departure from her home. The excitement from seeing a new world had yet to fade, and she made a point of exploring as far as she possibly could. There was the occasional fifteen minute walk that was interrupted by a Heartless or two, but that wasn’t something that her magic couldn’t handle with a flourish of the rapier.


So it came as a surprise when, on what had become a regular exploration out, she met someone.

Or perhaps No One would have been the best way to put it.

Shamefully, she locked up as soon as she felt it. Typically she could discover the nature of something with her eyes, eyes that had been passed down for as long as her bloodline had danced along the world. So when she caught an anomaly, when she caught sight of Nothing, Norwin could do nothing more than blink in confusion.


Is that a…cat? The thought was incredulous. The thought was ridiculous. Yet the figure, swathed in a white coat and with fur as inky as night stood in front of her like an old time friend. She could make out feline features – from the ears to the furred legs leading to…paws.


What had the Master said before? That there were multiple people across the Worlds, yet this creature…it made her skin crawl. “What’re you doin’ in a place like this, Nobody?” Norwin asked, tone accusatory. Heavy. There was no point in beating around the bush if she could just take the direct route, right?


“What am I doing in a place like what, Something?” The voice was masculine, but light, wistful in a way that made him sound tired. “I did not know that a world for refugees needed purpose.” It- he said, disappearing into thin air for just a moment, only to reappear atop a rail, sitting whilst his legs swiveled to and fro.


“Well-“ Norwin attempted to refute. It wasn’t like he knew why she was here. Admittedly, she could have done a lot better job at handling it. But she didn’t back down. Not now. “It’s not like that’s important anyways. One of your kind,” and she said that word in a way that was curious and callous. “haven’t been around in generations.”

“Oh?” The feline-creature nudged his head to the side. “I suppose that you are correct. Nothings are never around, even when they are. Yet for every Something, there is a chance that there is a Nothing, is there not?” His tail scythed through the air, punctuating the question with the most subtle sign of body language. He was genuinely curious.

Norwin was good at reading people, but she hated the fact that she couldn’t so much as get a read on him. There was an air of whimsy that made her clench her fists together. “You’re bein’ annoyin, pussy cat. Think you can talk like a normal person?” It may have been wrong to throw that in its- his face, but the entire week had been rife with looking for dead ends.

The air seemed to still as the creature thought. Her patience had never been her strongest virtue – in fact, it was decidedly lacking. Norwin tapped her foot against the cobblestone impatiently, arms folding across her chest as she watched the beast tilt his head to the side in infuriating contemplation.

“I do not believe so, no. What is a ‘person’ if they are not complete?” If it weren’t for the fact that Norwin knew that it couldn’t feel anything, she was sure that the freak’d be taking amusement at her own annoyance. Sadistic amusement, if that stupid smile etched onto what little of its face she could see said anything.

Norwin tried her best to keep from spewing explicit words, but it really was hard. She watched as he leaped down from his position, landing with an almost ethereal grace. When he – it, strode towards her, she was tempted to call forward her rapier. The disjointed presence he had from everything was disconcerting. It wasn’t natural.

Finally, she tired of waiting – she needed to know something. “Who are you?” Norwin all but demanded. It wasn’t like he was a threat. She could barely sense any magical energy. There was just the plaintive presence that he brought to her senses. Almost like melancholy. She hated it.

“It is not polite to demand a name without giving yours first. Names have power.” The creature said, lips quirking into an easy grin that made Norwin’s forehead throb in a headache. “So do you wish to give me the pleasure of sharing yours first?”

Seeing that this would be a dreadful, roundabout task if she didn’t provide some semblance of what the creature wanted, Norwin sighed beneath her breath. “Fine,” she said, exasperation worming itself into her voice. “My name is Norwin.” The introduction was practically spat. Her arms crossed over her chest, a frown etching itself onto her face. Her parents would’ve been appalled at her manners, she was sure, but for once ( okay, not for once ), she couldn’t bring herself to care too much.


“Oh?” The Nobody hummed, drawing a sleeved arm up to tap a clawed finger against his obscured cheek. At least, Norwin presumed it was a cheek. “I am Nothing. Simply a sentiment of a time long gone by.” A pause. “You may call me Nyx, Norwin Something. It is something that I have taken a liking to.”

“Please,” Norwin said dismissively, scoffing beneath her breath. Belligerently, she continued her thought, “Nobodies can’t feel. One of the first things my Master taught me were that you guys are husks. So why should I think that you got a likin’ for anything, eh?”

Her words seemed to give him a moment’s pause. Nyx made a soft ‘hmm’ at the back of his throat once again, clawed toes tapping against the cobblestone ground of the second district. “I do not need to have an attachment to the feeble thing that guides you in order to prefer something. Such a prejudiced Heart. You understand nothing, I see.” As he scrutinized the young woman, Nyx realized that she had something that made him want to recoil in revulsion. A spark, a potential. Ah, how didn’t he see it before? Was it possible that…

Shaking his head, Nyx stood his ground, far from shying away from the young woman. “Hard as it may be to rationalize, Norwin Something.”

Norwin clicked her teeth together in frustration. Just who did he think he was?! Some kind of know-it-all? Some kind of guru? They had hardly exchanged a few words, and she was rapidly coming to the conclusion that she was starting to hate him. “Well, what do you know about anyone knowin anything, pussycat?” To her satisfaction, she saw his tail whip behind him in agitation. “You don’t even know how to feel, why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?” She straightened her shoulders, haughtily looking down at Nyx with a cocky grin stretching itself across her features.

“Commit it to memory.” She tapped her temple, “I don’t need you or anyone else tellin’ me what I do, and don’t know. I’m more than capable of figuring this kinda stuff out on my own.” Of course she did. The master just sent her out for a test is all. That was right, it was a test of her resolve, nothing more, nothing less.

Nyx remained silent, tail trailing behind him like some sort of serpent. The silence stretched well beyond awkward, and when he spoke again, Norwin had to try her best to tuck away the sensation of alleviation that swelled in her chest. “Very well.” He didn’t sound like he believed her. Now that Norwin focused on his disposition, he didn’t sound like anything much at all. Every word was measured, calculative.

“Is there anything else you wish to say, Something?” While Nyx was ahead of himself, he allowed her to answer another question. It was so intriguing to see the way that someone worked when given the opportunity to do so. Intriguing in a way that he couldn’t quite put a clawed finger on. “Perhaps to defend yourself further? Your attempts at disproving me only show-“

Norwin didn’t hear whatever he said next. It was like a taunt, a taunt that made her jaw creak from the strain of her teeth clenching together. Before she even knew what she was doing, she withdrew her rapier from her hip and slashed the air with a flourish of the wrist. Nyx stepped gracefully back from the attempt only to give a speculative hum at the rumble of thunder and a crack of lighting zapping down. Again, he moved out of the way, weaving with preternatural grace in a manner that looked almost uncanny to Norwin. It made her comprehension click to a pause for a second. It was unsettling. And she had a bad habit of getting angry at things that were unknown.


Feeling just a hint of annoyance bubble up in his stomach, Nyx huffed through his nostrils. “I see.” He muttered beneath his breath. Norwin had a second, just a second to see what was happening, before he was right upon her. His face was barely visible to her this close – cold eyes, almost dead to her own lively cobalt, stared him with such indifference that she felt her stomach creeping with the weight of fear. “You will be lost to the Darkness if you allow your Heart to sway you with contempt.

That was unusual to say. It wasn’t like she had ever shown much in the way of being tainted. Her Master had faith in her, didn’t he? But if he did…

“Perhaps whatever it is that you are seeking, you will find soon.” Almost as if he were satisfied with what he had seen, Nyx drew his head back. Right before Norwin’s eyes, he just…disappeared. As if he wasn’t there mere moments ago.

Arms still shaking from rage, Norwin sheathed her weapon, sweeping her eyes around her towards the assortment of buildings. “Tch.” She scoffed beneath her breath once more, turning on the ball of her foot to storm angrily to the nearest district entrance.

She’d wasted enough time here, clearly, if she would let the words of some Nothing linger on her head like that.






​Olympus Coliseum

The world she had landed on but a day before was a quaint little place. Out of the way of the rest, with a sort of archaic wonder that made her think of the epics that her Uncle often shared with her whenever he spoke of his own adventures. When she had first arrived, it was an exercise in patience to keep from saying anything about the smell. While Traverse Town was subdued, this place was significantly more active. So busy during the day with what she figured was a marketplace, or a bazaar, that when the evening had come and people had retreated into their homes, she had been forced to go into the inn she had opted to rent a room from, lest she end up staying out for too long.

It’s never too smart to keep the attention of natives on you for too long. But the stars were very visible from where she had been, so it was easier said than done. She had come here because it had been a task of keeping her nerves steeled while sitting in Traverse Town. With nothing but her thoughts to be her companion, it was easier said than done. What could that idiotic creature know about what she was going through anyways? The time she had spent pondering what he could have known eventually shifted to why she had kept him alive. It was an uncomfortable weight in her stomach that harkened her mood taking a turn for the worse. Perhaps her master had been right to send her out. Did he doubt her ability as a student? Norwin didn’t know. She didn’t intend on finding out, either. He didn’t cast her out because she was inadequate, he sent her to explore herself and gain understanding.

She was out here for a reason. Not like the dweebs that stopped her in the middle of the street one time too many to ask her for a small amount of currency. Unfortunately, she had spent most of her munny on ensuring that she was well stocked and had a place to sleep. Working for a few pieces of munny had crossed her mind a few times, but the activities that they wanted her to do – accounting, among other things – had practically ensured that she wouldn’t be doing such menial labor. No, she needed fast money.

So it had been a pleasant surprise when she had opted to go out to the market again.

It was a busy enough place, bustling with activity from a wide assortment of merchants offering their wares. The scent of food mingled in the air, exotic to Norwin’s palette without being borderline repugnant. In stark contrast to the strip of stores in Traverse Town, it was like stepping into an entirely new world entirely. People’s livelihoods depended on being able to haggle good enough for people to buy their own things. Norwin found that she liked the familiarity that it brought. She ignored the few glances tossed her way, only stopping to glance at a few products that caught her attention.

“Did you hear about the matches at the Coliseum?”

She had been right in the midst of overlooking a few strange fruits when she heard that. Eavesdropping might’ve been considered disrespectful, but she couldn’t help herself. Just a couple of young men, she noted to herself dryly. Nobody really important in the grand scheme of things, but the topic at hand.

“Yeah? What about them?” said his companion.

“Well, there’s supposed to be a huge amount of prize money if we manage to get to the finals.”

She didn’t even try to feign her interest any longer. “When is it supposed to be?” She tried to hide the overt curiosity that threatened to spill into her voice. Apparently it worked well enough, given that the only thing she found herself on the receiving end of was a few speculative glances.

“The coliseum?” Both boys said in tandem. Norwin narrowed her eyes. As if she would know where that was without some form of a hint. They were simple annoyances, but they were annoyances that she’d deal with until she got the knowledge that she wanted. Folding her arms over her chest, Norwin stared at both boys. The intensity behind her gaze had been learned by her Uncle, who generally made very little time for her sharp retorts when he was in the midst of teaching something. To her satisfaction, both of them began to shift in discomfort after a minute ticked by. She was getting a lot better at intimidating people. “Just west of the here!” The first boy clarified, awkwardly flicking his gaze to and fro. As if that would somehow manage to cure the weight of Norwin’s eyes on his hide.

Ancestors, why did she have to deal with so much stupidity on any given day?

“And when are applicants supposed to turn in their entries?” Norwin followed up with the nonchalance of someone that clearly knew what she was doing. Adjusting her posture so she would be standing over the youths, she took a small degree of gratification at the tangible air of nervousness in the air.

“Before midday-“ Came an awkward response. Norwin noticed the boy’s companion seemed to be trying his hardest to keep on a brave front. She arched one of her brows slightly, offering nothing more than slight incredulity. Looking up to the skies revealed that it wasn’t quite midday yet, but she’d be in quite the rush if she didn’t end up pushing herself from here at a reasonable pace.

“Then I guess I should be on my way.” Norwin said, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder with a disgruntled click of the tongue. Without so much as another word, she set down the fruit in her hand and began to stride in the given direction.

Maybe there she’d find something interesting to push herself into contesting without the burden of anything foolish holding her back.

She could see her victory already.

Mediocrity was the last thing on her prodigal mind.​
 

KingdomKey

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I really like Norwin a lot. I get the feeling it won't be long before she runs into Suihei. The fact that she ran into Nyx first amuses me to no end. You really captured the feline graces of a cat because, that's exactly what I pictured Nyx to be like. His witty banter makes him seem older to me. I like how they both refer to each as Something or Nothing. I kind of feel bad for Norwin because, she still lacks knowledge in certain things. I wonder if Master Dine left her purposely in the dark? Otherwise, I enjoyed reading this snippet. And I wish Norwin the best in the games. I'll let you know if I have any requests!
 

Arcana-Key

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Just the last 1k words that connect to Reverse/ReBirth for Norwin.

This one is a bit in the future ; touching on a few subjects. Presumably around Act 2.




______________________________________________________________________________

“So why’d ya think this was a good idea again, eh?” Noxic looked annoyed, groggy, at being torn from bed at such an ungodly hour. Deciding that he was far too old for this spectacular brand of nonsense, he had been sorely tempted to turn back around in bed and go back to sleep undisturbed for the rest of the night.

The day previous had found the trio of himself, Suihei and Nyx in Radiant Garden once more. This time on a meaningless errand for a few friends that he really, really didn’t want to get dragged into in the first place.


Norwin, it seemed, had arrived but a few hours after them and had some sort of plan on her mind. Some sort of hectic plan that probably would end up with him developing an even bigger headache than he deserved. Just looking at her sitting on the windowsill of his room rented out for the evening, Noxic was sorely tempted to wake up Nyx so he could shunt her out with a…black hole or something.

The thought was apparently visible on his face, because Norwin gave a snort of derision and clapped him on the back before explaining, “Because, Quicky, there’s no better time like the night to do a bit of talking.”

“And just what do we have to talk about, eh?” Noxic was sure that there was an annoyed little tic that formed in the corner of his eye when she spoke to him like that, but he refrained from saying anything that could’ve been considered too crass.

“Something important.” Norwin raised an eyebrow, looking just as annoyed that she had to repeat herself. Where many would’ve struggled to deal with someone late at night, Norwin took to it like a fish to water. Having people stay on their toes was optimal. And that, it seemed, was why not a moment after saying that, she dragged Noxic out of his bed towards somewhere more reasonable. Outside. The rooftops.

“Then make it quick.” He conceded only for a short while, looking just as disheveled as she expected him to. “Because I just woke up, no thanks to you, and I ain’t really in the mood for anythin’ heartfelt right now.” He scoffed, running his claws through his dense mane of headfluff that crowned his head. While he was glad that he was at least somewhat able to wake up without much prompting, he still hated being stirred from his dreams. It was inconvenient.

And then, with a cheeky smirk, Norwin shunted her thumb over her shoulder. The direction of his room. “I know that you got a boyfriend and everything waiting in bed for you.” She ignored Noxic’s indignant snort. “But I think it’s important that we talk about you, me, and a little problem of mine. See, you have a lot of darkness.” She raised a hand to placate him, catching sight of the slight tensing of his shoulder. “And I got my own. So, I guess what I’m asking is…” It hurt her to ask this, it did, but it wouldn’t /hurt/ to ask, just this once. “…if we can pick up what we started a while back. Pointers. You know.”

That seemed to cause the lagomorph’s brow to arch by a notch or two. Not that Norwin didn’t expect the incredulity, but actually seeing it kind of…threw her off. Was she really so closed off that people saw it as a shock when she asked for help?

“Riiight.” He looked as skeptical as he sounded. It made Norwin want to punch him in the face a little. Shrugging, Noxic leaned back against the wall with a vague look of annoyance flashing across his face. “So, what? Y’need my help figurin out how to throw fireballs or somethin’?” Because Noxic had never particularly been talented at using Darkness like magic. It was more of an innate thing. Something to augment his strength in order to destroy ruthlessly instead of, well, the finesse that Norwin seemed to have a taste for. “Because I’m gonna tell ya that if you want me to gallivant darkness around like some kinda prissy mage, it ain’t happenin’.”

Norwin snorted, amused by his expression. The mental image too. “Yeah yeah, rub it in all you want Quicky, I’m asking you for help. No need for you to get up in arms about it.”

“Don’t worry,” Noxic quipped. “I will. I’m sure Sui would love to hear about it whenever she wakes up from her nap.” His foot tapped against the floor impatiently, clearly waiting for her to get to her point.

Norwin rolled her eyes, “She wouldn’t even wake up from a nap if there was an explosion next to her. So good luck with that.” She said, deriving amusement from the prickly look that flashed across his face. “But I need the practice. While a year in the dark realm might’ve, I dunno, done me some kind of phenomenal good in gaining resistance…”

“Y’wanna learn how to harness it.” Noxic concluded, swaying off the wall in order to dust the back of his shirt off. “Well, just meet me on the roof for the next week.”

“Mm?” Norwin asked, squinting at the lagomorph while he stretched his arms over his chest. “Wait, where are you-?!”

The question proved fruitless, because apparently Noxic had taken it upon himself dangle from the rooftop and drop down to the ground silently. “I’m goin’ back to bed.”

“Got a boyfriend to snooze with again?” She teased. That was…that was nice. It was nice to be able to have a friend that was going to go out of his way to teach her something that he had probably spent years to learn.



“Noneya.” He snorted, looking over his shoulder with a sharp fang-riddled grin. “And besides-“ He whistled, offering a drowsy half-salute. “I’m sure you already know.”

Beneath the star-speckled of the night, Norwin’s laughter rang in Noxic’s ears.

“Yeah Quickie,” she smiled, “I know.”​
 

KingdomKey

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Is Noxic's boyfriend Nyx? Anyways, I really like how decent Norwin was to Noxic in this chapter. Especially when she asked for help in harnessing her powers. They seem to get along quite well. C: I like how Noxic agreed to help her out and meet her on the rooftop again. Ah, the friendship blossoming between the two of them makes my heart swell. <3 I wonder what Norwin was doing in the realm of darkness? And I like how familiar she is with Suihei's sleeping pattern because, it sounds like they grew close. Perhaps as best friends, even?
 

Arcana-Key

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Is Noxic's boyfriend Nyx? Anyways, I really like how decent Norwin was to Noxic in this chapter. Especially when she asked for help in harnessing her powers. They seem to get along quite well. C: I like how Noxic agreed to help her out and meet her on the rooftop again. Ah, the friendship blossoming between the two of them makes my heart swell. <3 I wonder what Norwin was doing in the realm of darkness? And I like how familiar she is with Suihei's sleeping pattern because, it sounds like they grew close. Perhaps as best friends, even?


Well! It's something that Norwin teases Noxic about when Nyx isn't around - it's kind of ambigious between the both of them though! As for Suihei and Norwin, they're more like friendly rivals instead of best friends. I don't wanna spoil Act 1 too bad ( because I really wanna finish it without spilling all the beans ), but it does end up with the source of Norwin's joke cropping up somewhere in there!

Oh, and check the art gallery too. You might be pleasantly surprised as to what I posted in there!
 

Arcana-Key

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Gift for my friend that owns Norwin ; that old data battle thing that had never been fleshed out on too much? Given an opportunity to be toyed around with. On that note, I seriously need to post a chapter update on Destati as soon as I figure out how to make that gosh darned trio meet fluidly, haha!

_______________

VIII

The Flurry of Dancing Flames

Norwin had always thought Suihei to be an idiot. Not the typical, she didn’t know what she was doing idiot, because when it came to books, the girl wasn’t dumb, just lazy. No, she thought the girl to be an idiot for somehow managing to make old technology work.

Decrepit pieces of machinery that looked like they’d been sealed for eons. The sort of thing that just always, undoubtedly led to trouble. The last time Norwin had been convinced to go into one, some old man with sabers had attacked her, and wasn’t that something? Yeah. She had learned to stay away from Suihei’s idiocy real fast.
Not that it always worked.

Curiosity ; it’d always been one of Norwin’s faults. She couldn’t stay away from something for too long if it drew her attention.

Trying to push herself away from it, pretending like she didn’t feel a pull of her curiosity would have been stupid. She would’ve considered telling her friends ( and she used that term in the loosest way possible, really ), that she was going to head out, but for some reason, she felt that it would’ve just ended up with them nipping at her heels to make sure she was alright.

So when she had opted to trek her way through the depths of Garden, she made sure that everyone irrelevant to her self-imposed goal stayed irrelevant.
___________________________________________
As she strode down the alabaster vestibule before the terminal area, Norwin stuffed her gloved hands into her pockets. Eyes remained sharp, looking out for the minor distortions in the air that would have told her that those damned Nothings had opted to follow her around again. She had already removed a few of them from her presence with a well-placed spell that had them burned up into cinders, but for some reason, she had the feeling that they weren’t so much as trying to keep her out as they were trying to keep whatever knowledge resided in here in.

By the time she reached the rotunda decorated with the thirteen archways, she had come to a few conclusions. One, that Suihei really was some kind of idiot savant. And two, that this place was older than either of them thought. While her Master hadn’t been the eldest of keyblade masters, he had told her of a time where technology like this had been used. Even before she had left her home, there had been an understanding that she would inevitably have to face different ‘realities’, and would have to adapt to them in order to maintain some sort of illusion.

It made blending in a lot easier when you didn’t draw too much attention to yourself.

Raking her eyes across each terminal, Norwin’s gaze came to heel at the eighth.

Flurry of Dancing Flames, it had said, an epitaph tugged, once again, at her memories. Failing to foil whatever thoughts she had entertained, Norwin came to find herself entering the archway without a second thought.
__________________________________________
Blinding motes of light forced her to bring her hands up, shielding her eyes in order to prevent herself from losing her sight. Curious as to what the phenomena was, Norwin focused her senses, extending them outward. Her Sight, while not as refined as some figures of legend, was powerful enough for her to perceive the World without vision. She could hear the whirr of technology, of ancient computers attempting to process an impossible amount of code in seconds, wiping and refreshing data with an incalculable amount of binary. Peering from beneath an eyelid, Norwin bit back a minor curse.

She had no idea where this was, but she definitely wasn’t happy about it either.

Boxed in square room, she caught sight of a door to her immediate left, and another in the diagonal direction. Mildly annoyed at the abrupt change in scenery, Norwin began reaching inward – beyond the tumultuous storm of Darkness that lay in wait from the depths of her Heart.

Even now, she couldn’t believe that she could do it. After such a long time trying, but her Keyblade materialized in her hand without so much of a hiccup. Bringing her focus to bear, she brought up the chakram-edged weapon, eyes appraising the Keyblade with reverence before something caught her attention.

Not the glint of data that teased at her peripheral vision, but the spectre figure that stepped from beyond it.

Acid green eyes met aqua silently, as if inquiring her purpose.

Whaddya here for, kiddo?

Disdain wrote itself onto Norwin’s face before she could so much as stop it. As if her Keyblade were a rapier, she drew the weapon into a neutral position. Paranoia didn’t appeal to her, but she had a sharp instinct, a sixth sense that went beyond her sight that told her to be careful. The first thing that she could tell about this guy was that he looked sneaky. Tall, lithe, clad in a coat that made her think Order, until she noticed the coloration and shape of it.

Black.

“And who’re you supposed t’be?” She asked brusquely, ignoring the indulgent chuckle pitched her way. To her ears, it sounded fake, robotic, like an unfamiliar flange made of too many voices trying to speak all at once. Clearly this is a little more outdated than either of us thought. The weight of her Keyblade was familiar, at least. A safeguard that made the sudden rush of hot air. Embers danced in the air, illuminating Norwin’s crimson hair like wildfire. What the hell?

Norwin’s biting gaze narrowed against the almost lackadaisical expression of the lion-maned man before her. Admist the major observations, she discovered few minor ones. He looked…similar to her. Right down to the tracks beneath his eyes. Unnerved by the similarities, Norwin did her best to react in the face of adversity with a scoff of derision.

The odds it being anything significant? Not much. She doubted ( rather reasonably ) that it meant anything. It was probably something to test her, make her uncomfortable. Despite the thought that rolled in her mind, she knew, intuitively, that she was lying to herself.

Here to dive head first into the truth?

The truth?

You’re here for a reason, aren’t you?

The floor seemed to grow hotter beneath her feet, like waves, tongues of fire lapped at her skin, and with a snap of the fingers, the peculiar man with a too-familiar face called forward more heat. Right before Norwin’s eyes, a ring carved itself into the floor. It was bizarre. A show of thaumaturgy that went beyond what most people were capable of with a focus and years of training.

Stranger still, was the fact that this wasn’t even the thing that drew her attention. Not the walls of flame rising like bonfires around her. Not the geysers that she deftly had to skip back from. But the chakram that whirred through the air like deadly wheels. Training kicked in near immediately. Turning her upper body, she brought her keyblade diagonal to her body, fending off the weapon with a minor barrier. Pushing her intent into it, Norwin felt the shield dent beneath the odd weapon before it went hurtling back towards the red-headed man.

Her expectation of seeing it tossed aside, or better yet, removed from the situation completely was turned right on its head. Because he caught them. He caught them with a grin that reminded her of a cat, slick with self-satisfaction that caused her to grit her teeth together in frustration. Leaping forward, Norwin sought to at least undermine the man with overwhelming speed—

Only for him to skirt out of the way like a humanoid liquid. It reminded her of that infuriating cat, right down to the smug grin that only seemed brighter from the shadows cast from the conjured flames.
Don’t worry,
It whispered.

I’ll make it all stop.

Certain that she was either going out of her mind or this program was trying to tell her something. Norwin couldn’t help but appreciate the craftsmanship of it all. A lot of work must have went into this, but—

CLANG.
She haad to purge her thought. She took note of his actions. Almost studying him as much as she would her book. He’d step into her guard, lashing out with a flurry of kicks and whirling blades that cut through the air like a dirge, and she’d just as quickly step back, body taking action by its own accord.

Shards of fire bit at her gloved fingers, causing Norwin to hiss and mystery man’s smile to twitch skyward. Another toss, and Norwin attempted to block once more. She failed. The sharp, biting sensation of her skin being cut open would have been enough to down her if it had been critical, but as it were, she could only give another curse of frustration beneath her breath. Focus. It was unimportant.

Apparently that was what the man had been waiting to see, for the air whirled with heat before smoke was diffused from the crackling fires, fed by nothing, but consuming all the same. Norwin fended from the next attack by sliding beneath them, drawing on what training she dedicated herself to entirely in order to change the perception of her weapon. It was all about perception with Keyblades, her master had told her, and as the blade shifted into a bow that eagerly drew on her stores of magical energy, she was inclined to agree. Notching back an invisible string, Norwin released a trinity of arrows –two of ice and one of thunder – with the intent of piercing the man’s boots.

Dammit!

There was a crackle of lightning that settled into the air, the taste of ozone making her skin tingle. Like she expected, the blizzards evaporated without so much of a gale of cold air, but Norwin’s mastery of magic went beyond simply casting spells. She had watched that damned cat and he had taught her what few things they could share, and she knew that so long as there was some sort of balance, the elements could either work together, or against one another.

And unfortunately for her, it seemed like her host leaped away right when the floor began crackling with lightning conducted by the melted ice.

She followed it up by spinning on her back onto her feet, reverting her weapon into a blade right as the man came hurtling from the flames like a beast. As soon as he came, Norwin was there to meet him, her weapon brandished to intercept both his chakram. Twisting her weapon in a way that locked him in the air, Norwin gave a sharp smirk, one that caused the man to widen his eyes minutely, before she drudged up every feeling of hate and spite she had ever felt and tempered it. Flecks of gold flickered into her eyes, but it was the bite of Darkness that rushed through her weapon that caused the man to retreat as if it were his anathema.

And for all Norwin knew, it was.

She wasn’t going to let him get away that easily though, no way, no how! “Chew on this, fireflake!” With distaste spoiling her words, Norwin drew her free hand – her left hand – up and mixed the weaponized darkness in her hand with a fireball of her own. It all but chilled the air around her, blasting the robed figure into the ground with enough concussive force for his head to give a sharp CRACK off the ground. Unwilling to run the risk of leaving a job unfinished, Norwin pushed her Keyblade down, arm shaking with the force pushed behind it as the black-coated man kept her from stabbing him entirely by keeping his chakram crossed over his chest.

Assured of her victory, she didn’t seem to so much as notice when his foot swept at her ankle, knocking her balance off and toppling her to the side. Sharp pain lanced up her gloved fingers, her Keyblade clattering against the still conductive water. The intense heat caused a thin sheen of sweat to break out on her skin, and as she rose to her feet, her action was mirrored by the cloaked figure.

Legacy.

What? Norwin could do nothing to stop the confusion that worked onto her face, but instead of allowing it to compromise her any more than it already had, she drudged up the strongest ice-spell that she could, swiping her Keyblade vertically. Conjuring a solid lance of ice, Norwin banished the construct towards the cloaked figure, who, in a misread of her actions, attempted to block the stroke of a keyblade that never came.

Clank.

Clatter.

She watched coolly as data began filtering off his physique, bits and bytes disappearing aside his figure.

Tch.

“What does that even mean…”


Legacy…
 

KingdomKey

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This was well written, especially as a gift for someone. I like how Norwin met Axel. Even if he was data, I'm curious what he means by "Legacy" and "Truth". Axel was always cryptic, however, usually it means something personal to the person at hand. The battle itself was certainly tense between the two red heads. I wonder if Norwin feels satisfied or not by her battle and answers? Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed reading it. :)
 

Arcana-Key

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It's been ten thousand years with writers block but I come bearing a thing I whipped up in the last night --

Spoilers for Destati though, not completely, but just enough to reveal how Act 1 will end, which leads into a mid-point. So if you want to see how that turns out ( if I ever finish this meeting chapter, lmao ) then look here while I groggily rationalize Norwin's characterization as something other than a shitake mushroom.



______________________________________________________________​
Norwin hadn’t known how much she had detested herself until it had been forced to be addressed. Directly. When it had come to looking back and recognizing the actions she had taken throughout the course of her journey because of her envy, she had realized how much she had, well, made a mistake. She hadn’t wanted to at first, at least, that’s what she had told herself the first few days, when all was said and done, and the only thing she had as a reward for her atrocities had resulted in two-animalistic creatures eyeing her with nothing but contempt. It was because of her, after all, that the one they had deemed their light had dared resorted to trying to give the vessel she had called a friend her Heart to sustain his existence.

And for all her faults, Norwin could respect someone that had nothing to gain from such an altruistic act. Stupid kid didn’t have to go off and almost get herself killed, the vile thought caused something foul to settle in her chest and twist. Like a poison, it trickled through her veins, gnawed at her stomach, and left her feeling disgusted with herself. Her Heart felt…empty, weighed down with an oppressive sense of guilt that spurred her on into doing more. It wasn’t right, that she had to go out of her way to do this, yet here she was with a promise on her tongue – too late to take it back now, she reminded herself.

Up until the point where she had nearly had her Heart stolen away, Norwin felt that she had deserved her birthright. Even if it had refused her call, she had trained for it, she had pushed herself for it.

“ You must awaken to what lies in your Heart, before it comes to you, child.” Her Master looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. They had settled outside their makeshift home, next to a fountain where they often came together to recount her lessons for the day. She took in his features, aged and grizzled, yet wise, patient, even as she gnawed at her bottom lip nervously. A habit she knew annoyed him to no end. “When you do so, you will be guided to the truth that lies within.”

“And what if I don’t?” Norwin bit back. Exhausted and angry and just…so, so tired of everything. There was so much work she had done. So much she had tried. Hours had been put into meditation, days had been put into mediation. Magical tomes were smuggled and studied beneath the light of her own flames, and yet…

“Then you must be patient. Your Heart will be the key that guides you, child…”

Actions spoke louder than words, though, and in the end, she had offered her fealty to someone that threatened to drown the Worlds in Darkness after centuries bathed in the light. And for what? ‘It won’t come to me if I don’t figure this out, The Master was right. I was too blind.’ Her pride had been the Achilles heel that led to her defeat time and again.

They had gone on to save the Worlds, while she… she stayed back. When the Worlds had restored themselves from being near drowned in oblivion, she had grown anxious over the comatose body they had in their custody.

‘It is your fault.’ The cat, Nyx, he had introduced himself to her so long ago, drilled her with a pair of eyes filled with such raw emotion that she was taken aback. He couldn’t stand her presence, and she could deal with neither of theirs. ‘If you were not such a fool, the burden of saving the Worlds would not have fallen to Suihei.’

It was just the two of them, secured away in a spare room. The woman who presided over the mansion, Lucina, Lumina, something, had offered them security in favour of helping her along with the process. Norwin hadn’t wanted to do it, but she had nowhere else to go. Thumper had nearly decked her in the face from hanging around like a ghost, but it was the Cat who had offered to take her aside and speak.

“So what do I do now?” And she couldn’t help the frustration that bubbled in her voice. The rage, malignant and festering, like a wound, swirled in her chest violently. Glancing towards Nyx, she saw that he looked a little more drained. A little less angry and, dare she say it, nervous. Afraid of something she couldn’t put her finger on. “What do you want me t’do? Feel sorry for you guys? Because it isn’t my fault-“

‘It is.’ Nyx whispered this with such certainty, such conviction, that again, she was taken aback. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she had to bend out of the way of claws that carved into the wall next to her, shearing metal into nonexistence. ‘And you will listen, for I know that you have a solution to this. The envy in your heart has led you astray, so you will pay your debt now, or contend with having your life forfeit. An equivalent exchange.’

Norwin’s lips pinched together in disgust, disdain, and she looked aside with an ember of guilt fluttering in her chest. He wasn’t wrong. “Fine. I might know some way to fix this, but..I could di-“

‘Then see that it is done or the consequences will be Just. ’ He snarled in her face like an animal, eyes wild and fierce. His pupils were slit with rage, his lips were drawn back tightly, and his voice was thickened with the honeyed promises. He hadn’t needed to say anything else.

Norwin had offered her solution, and begrudgingly, he had accepted it.

In the end, Nyx had understood her, had trusted her, and allowed her the courtesy of doing so when his anger had simmered down. The small amount of trust he had even given her was telling. It was nice, but…Norwin had shrugged it off, the unspoken threat threaded between the both of them lingering even when she had packed her bags to return to her own homeworld, intent on gleaning as much as she could.

The Sea of Shadows had remained open, and, she recalled a time where her Master had spoken of Light requiring Darkness to remain in balance. Two birds could be hit with one stone, she realized, because the Realm of Darkness had championed keys for its own cause in the past. She had spent days in Illuminated Springs, pouring over the hidden notes of the old man in order to figure out just what she could do in order to make things right. In regarding the notes, her solution came clearly.


There was Light in Darkness. She just had to go digging for it.



The Realm of Darkness was a pervasive place that made her feel like a stranger in her own skin. She could taste the shadows in the air, and kept her wits about her. She hadn’t known, she hadn’t known that those snot-nosed brats had made it this far down ; the other side of the Realms was…eldritch at best. Indescribable colors and unnatural geography framed her at every turn.

As she delved deeper into the realm of shades, time, something she was normally something she excelled at, had crawled to a slow, and then to a stop. Death would have been uncomfortable in the silence that she surrounded by, and several times she had to strain her ears and extend her senses to ensure that nothing was deceiving her.

‘Norwin, must you be so insolent? So rash?’ She could feel her master’s breath on her ear, chastising her about sneaking into his archives. No, no, she was there. In front of the grandiose bookshelves, the Master leaning back with amusement as he watched her jump out of her skin.

“I’m sorry-“ She began, fully intent on apologizing. She whipped around, nearly tripping over her own two feet to meet jade eyes. Dust obscured her vision, and she reached out where she was sure her Master was, only to ghost her fingers through…nothing?

Nothing. There was nothing there. Nothing but darkness but a few feet away from her, and the crags that were speckled with cyans and blues that reminded her of the skies ( that weren’t there, there was nothing here for her, nothing nothing nothing nothing she was wasting her time ) that seemed an eternity away.


Disturbed by the turn of the events, Norwin lowered her hand, clenching them hard enough to bite into the flesh of her hands like blunted teeth.


Tha-thump, tha-thump. Her Heart was hammering against her chest hard enough that it hurt. She hurt.

( She hated it, she hated it, she hated everything… )

Heartless were stronger here too ; they sensed prey, something that was Other in their Realm, and Norwin had to draw on exhaustive wellsprings of strength far too many times tin order to fend for herself. Ease was not something she expected here, but the sheer numbers of them…

( Maybe she should have let them get her, rip her Heart out and feast on everything inside. Everything. Everything until there was nothing left. Because there was an ugliness inside of her that she wanted to claw out. )

“ You know, “ said her whispers, cruel and malicious. “ You could just leave them behind to fend for themselves. That girl stole everything for you. She’s just a copy. A stooge set up by the Worlds to dance to their own tune.”

( But if that were true, why did she have the Keyblade… )

“ Because you were weak,” Came the insidious response, dark glee dancing in a part of Norwin that she hadn’t known she had hated until now. “What kind of loser goes against the Master’s teachings?”

( Shut up. )

“You couldn’t listen. It’s no wonder you ended up clinging to some old fairy tale by an old man…”

( Shut up. )

“Nobody wants someone that can’t even keep their lessons close to their Heart. He should’ve thrown you out to the dogs when he had the chance.”

“SHUT UP!” Norwin yelled, fingers digging ugly trenches into her forearm. The sharp bite of pain, the sticky sweetness of blood in the air drew her attention, and listlessly, she watched the beads of crimson trail down her wrists and pool into her fingers. It was that Damned cat’s fault. He condemned her here, he knew what this would do to her. She hated him hated him hated him-

( He was right. )

Squeezing her eyes shut, Norwin did her best to push aside the foul whispers, did her best to ignore them, but…

“You know, a lot of your issues could be solved if you looked inward.” This voice was unfamiliar. Not like the ones that taunted her, that tantalized her like the devils and demons that ailed her at every turn. It was sweet, delivered with such warmth that it stole the breath from her chest and left her throat clenching in raw relief.

( How do I do that? )

“Mm?” Norwin could feel the smile in the voice ( female, middle aged, now that she listened closer ) almost as well as she could feel the hands over her eyes. (Fake fake fake, this was fake ) Pressure pinched at her nose from both nostrils, causing her to scowl. “Well, all you have to do is hear. Think. Feel.”

( What? )

“ Hear what your Heart must say. Think on why it says it. Feel them, and don’t lie to yourself.” There was a sternness to her tone that brokered no argument, and Norwin found her back going ramrod. She was uncomfortable, but…this wasn’t like the taunting before, where she dressed herself down emotionally and was left feeling raw and sad. That would just draw more attention to her, she had learned.
Norwin listened, ( She regretted everything, and wanted to tell her Master she was sorry. She wanted to make things right, because that was her duty to some snotnosed brat who got herself into something she shouldn’t have been involved in. She was roused to pity because of it, because all that kid wanted to do was go home… )

She thought ( there was a way, she knew it. In the darkness there was Light. It was why she was here, she reminded herself. There was a little of her in the lonely girl she saw every time they crossed blades. )

And she felt ( Light. There was Light just a little deeper than here, she just had to look. Darkness hadn’t drowned her yet, she was just letting it get the best of her because her guard was down. She just had to go a little deeper, she couldn’t give up. Not yet. )

At peace with herself, more than she had been in a decade, Norwin exhaled slowly, cracking open her eyes to reveal that the pressure had been nothing. Not hands as she had thought they were. ‘This place deceives me through the Darkness in my Heart…’ She realized, bringing a hand to her chest. No longer. Norwin would no longer allow herself to be a slave to her own Heart. Flicking her eyes to the abyssal skies, she exhaled, only to start in surprise at the unfamiliar scent. Like jasmine and flowers. One of the old books in the library that belonged to…

Norwin shook aside the thought before it could so much as take a form. “I won’t stop yet.” She told herself resolutely, peeking down the slope of the hill she had crossed into. In the distance she could make out a tower, a tower with a pinprick of something that she could see in a way she swore she couldn’t before.

Tch. Well, she needed to get back on it then.

There was no need for that prickly puss to make due on his promise and make her life Hell in this already Hellish landscape.

She was close to her goal now. She was sure of it more than anything.
 

KingdomKey

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Norwin being responsible for what became of Suihei is kind of heart wrenching. It's also kind of hard to see her being down on herself until the very end. When the voice guided her into finding peace within herself that it was quite touching and beautiful. I'm also surprised by how much Nyx cares about Suihei to threaten Norwin's life like that. Although, I wonder if it was more than just the weight of the worlds that caused Suihei to become comatose or a vessel of sorts? Either way, this was great! I loved reading it! <3
 

Arcana-Key

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I needed something to busy my dark spirit between mountains of homework. Someone forgive me for this weakness. It's been a long while since I've gotten any writing done ( as seems to be the trend ), so I hope that this is at least a tiny bit satisfactory. I have to get used to juggling character dynamics and describing things again. Weeeh.

_______________________________________


No matter what the time
We'll always be together
No matter what the time
Because you're by my side
The light known as "you" finds me,
In the middle of the night

Hikari : GODSON Mix



_______________________________________


Light and Dark interweave like the tapestry of a quilt.

"We can do this." Suihei smiled at her colleagues, her expression dancing with warmth. There was an underlying fatigue there, born from the previous night of battle after battle.

She was weary. Hiding it was difficult. More difficult than she anticipated, and more difficult than she would have wanted to admit. She hesitates even when the eyes of her stalwart companions rest on her in concern.

She would not take their concern as anything more than pity; so afraid was she of being looked down upon. Instead, she hides the annoyance that threatens to flare across her sunkissed countenance with a smile.

The evening was far from uneventful, but it was the dawn that brought with it hope.

She would find her parents. She would restore her World. Tepid air kissed her skin as she gazed to the portal that was her promised exit. "If we don't," Suihei's smile turned brittle. "Then I'll have a lot more to worry about than not being able to go home. Yeah?"


You cannot have one without the other ; it would be incomplete, unbalanced otherwise.

"You are a fool to believe otherwise." Nyx's was aware that his candor would have been appreciated in another situation. But Suihei and Noxic...they were both too idealistic. Too idiotic for him to suffer. He does not attempt to hide the condescending smile that flickers across his furred features. "It is better to suffer than to take ill-gained rewards." It was not something that he supported. He had always looked down on thievery, and the disappointed inflection to his monotone voice somehow managed to be more scalding than his smile.

Both looked away from him. Nostalgic, he watched as they folded their arms over their chest. "We have no excuses." He murmured lowly, turning on his heel with their quarry bundled in his arms. "You cannot keep that which is stolen. There is a difference between pragmatism and unscrupulous behavior."

Noxic bit back the scathing remark that threatened to bubble from his lips ; "Yeah?" He spat it instead. Nyx's behavior necessitated cruelty at the worst of times. "Then maybe y'should get off your high horse an' do somethin' about this." Angrily, his finger jutted towards the hollowed out homes. Charred, what once resembled homes were blackened and emptied. Filled with a soul-aching Darkness that set everyone's hair on end. "Those people ain't usin' it anymore, so-"

"So it is for the best, Noxic, that we let them rest in peace." Blue met crimson in a challenge.

Noxic conceded to his point.


The Body and Heart, capable of being independent of one another, find themselves at their strongest when conjoined.

"Say, Suihei." Noxic bumped shoulders with the smaller girl, drawing her attention from the book that she buried her nose into. Reading, readin', readin'. That was all what she seemed to do. Like the pages would somehow tell her how she'd find her way home. His teeth clicked together in annoyance, sharp red eyes raking across her features to take in the exhaustion that she tried so hard not to show. She ain't takin' care of herself. Noxic frowned. If she wasn't going to do that, then he was going to have to do it for her. He'd throw her over his shoulder if he had to, force her to sleep for a few hours and eat instead of sneaking snacks.

He couldn't flee from someone that had accepted him despite everything. She was afraid. But she still tried to look at him. And that was something he wouldn't be able to forget. Even if he denied it. "C'mon, y'gotta sleep." His foot tapped impatiently against the floor.

Suihei, for her credit, only leveled a vaguely dismissive stare at him. Her back ached and her arms were sore, but... "We can spar instead." She set aside her book. "I'll sleep when I can't move a muscle." She tried pushing herself up with a palm. Standing to her feet, she swayed in place. Noxic was there to catch her before her head cracked against the frame of her bed.

"Tch." He was unimpressed. "Told ya you should get some sleep." He sniffed under his breath, setting her to bed with surprising tenderness.

Noxic didn't bristle when he felt Nyx's presence tickling at the back of his skull. Instead he looked over his shoulder to see the cat gazing at him with an unreadable look.

For the Heart is the Guiding Key, but the Body is the vessel from which it can act.​
 

KingdomKey

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It's been so long since I've read this! I like how much Noxic cares about Suihei! <3 It's so sweet and adorable. I also admire Suihei's stubbornness because, I know what it's like to want to keep a brave face when you're feeling the opposite. Nyx can be such a butt head sometimes, but I think beneath his candor he simply cares too much on certain things. Like the burnt up houses ruined by the Darkness. Or I suppose the heartless. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed reading this as always, Arcana-Key. :)
 

Arcana-Key

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It's been so long since I've read this! I like how much Noxic cares about Suihei! <3 It's so sweet and adorable. I also admire Suihei's stubbornness because, I know what it's like to want to keep a brave face when you're feeling the opposite. Nyx can be such a butt head sometimes, but I think beneath his candor he simply cares too much on certain things. Like the burnt up houses ruined by the Darkness. Or I suppose the heartless. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed reading this as always, Arcana-Key. :)

Ah, thank you so much! I think it's actually legitimately important to be able to show that while they might not get along well at the start of Destati, they do come to appreciate one another as friends. On that note, the next chapter should be put out relatively soon as well-- again, it's just figuring out the pacing that makes it a little more difficult than what it has a right to be, "orz.
 
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