Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2014 19:13:17 GMT -5
Don't feel. Don't feel. Don't feel.
Elsa repeated the words in her head, even though they did nothing to calm the raging storm inside her. She could feel her fingers and toes, cold as ice, leaking frost into the void that had swallowed her. Fear gripped her chest as though someone had squeezed a vice around her. She suffocated in darkness and fear. Her breathing was frantic, erratic -- breaths coming in short, strangled bursts. She was sure that if there was anything at all around her in this ... nothingness it would be frozen solid by now. But that was the least of her worries.
Where was she? What was this sickeningly empty void that had grabbed hold of her and refused to let go? What hand, small and dark, had pulled her into this non-existence?
Why did little flecks of light keep appearing long enough only for her to throw out her hand and reach for them, and then disappear just as her fingers would have brushed their surfaces? Were they even there at all? Was she just seeing things? What magic was this? Not hers, certainly.
...But what if it was?
Her heart threatened to stop. Her hands shuddered as another violent breath of snow and ice escaped her trembling body.
What was she going to do? She was trapped, a prisoner, in this blackness.
Frozen.
And then came the light, brighter than ever before. As if, this time, it was the light that reached out to her. As it approached, it grew warm against her skin. It did little to fight the blizzard that commanded her very being, but what little humanness was left of her reacted instinctively. Her fingers reached out and, finally, dipped into the warmth of the white. Upon contact, the light burned bright, blinding her.
She closed her eyes and shrieked. Before she knew it, she felt like she was falling. Air whipped her dress in every direction, pulled at her loosely braided hair. Then, suddenly, it stopped. With a slight thud, she hit the ground and groaned. She screwed her eyes even more tightly shut. Already, she could tell that she was back in the real world, out of the dark dream. Ice spread from her fingertips along the ground -- she didn't have to see it to feel the compacted cobblestone beneath her touch grow cold in an instant.
Calm down. Don't feel, don't feel, you mustn't feel... come on, Elsa, pull yourself together! You need to find Anna.
Her eyes opened. This time, she could have sworn her heart did stop.
Anna!
She lifted herself into a sitting position and surveyed her surroundings. Wherever she was, it was far from Arendelle. Arendelle! What had become of it? The very thought made her sick to her stomach. The Darkness... it had been encroaching on her kingdom ever since she'd returned from the Northern Mountain. Whole patches of her world consumed in a thick, dark cloud. Eaten away from reality.
Much like this place. And that didn't help calm her down. The air itself here was plagued with darkness. She could smell it, taste it, feel it against her fair skin. It tried to latch onto her, like a giant cloud of invisible leaches. Beyond the contaminated air, lights of all colours shone through buildings taller than any she'd ever seen. Yellow, pink, neon green, blues of all hues, reds as bright as winter fires all stared down at her, as if judging the intruder. They only added to her panic. Ice sped up along the ground, fanning out in a circular pattern from where Elsa sat in the centre of a massive and empty square. It even began to scale the massive buildings as her heart raced.
But Elsa didn't care about that.
This world could freeze for all she cared.
She stood up. She had to get back to Arendelle. She had to get back to her people.
She had to get back to Anna.
She scanned the square. She had to find a way out of here.
Just as she was about to set off in the direction of a tall, silver building in the distance -- was that a castle? -- she stopped herself. The sound of footsteps coming from behind her rooted her to the base of her web of ice. She turned around slowly, bracing herself, as a figure emerged from the darkness.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 18:15:36 GMT -5
From the very beginning Vanitas had been watching Elsa from a safe distance. The keyblader was on a mission to try to get other beings to help his Master's cause. Of course the task would be very difficult indeed. However, this girl seemed lost and wanting a way home. Of course most new wanderers want the same thing.
Eventually, the girl had made it to the silver castle but, soon turned around hearing his footsteps. Slowly, but steadily Vanitas had emerged from the darkness so that Elsa would be able to see him. Of course the boy was wearing his usual attire which consists of his dark outfit and helmet. "What do we have here?" He said softly.
"I don't think it's wise to enter that castle, it belongs to some nasty creatures." Vanitas knew he had to change up his game a little. In order to get more people to join the cause, he had to act in a kind manner much like how his Master did. "You look a little lost, do you need some help?" Oh how playing nice killed Vanitas on the inside.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 18:52:04 GMT -5
The cold air whipped and danced across his skull. The rumors had far surpassed his expectations. Such power, such untapped fury. With a steady and eager hand, he materialized his blade, raised his arm as he done before so long ago, and.....
"You look a little lost, do you need
some help?"
A sinister smile crept across his wicked face.
Well done.
The Dark Enigma had done as instructed, the ruse was developing perfectly. Everything had been transpiring as he had foresaw. She would appear here, while she would appear there. It was now time to cement the guise of tranquility and concern. "Indeed." The elderly man walked with the usual hunch, steadying his pace while keeping the ruse held oh so perfectly. The boots crunched upon the surface, drowning out the casual air of unease and darkness. His voice sliced through the eerie void, "A terrible terrible darkness has taken hold of that once serene beacon of hope." A false frown of concern etched itself upon his face. Eyes brimming with sadness and nostalgia. Manipulation brought such a warmness to his blackened heart indeed. The trio were none the wiser, and neither was that pathetic Maleficent. This plan was no different. All the meticulous planning was already seeing its rewards. Everyone would play their part, whether voluntary or by force if need be.
He could feel it. She was lost. She was worried. She was hopeless. All according to plan. In time, he would tug on those heart strings until only his note made its presence known, deafening any chance of light returning to her heart. Whether she wanted to or not, she would ultimately further his goals, he had made sure of that.
Tilting a curious head, his voice came out again, resonating compassion and care, "What has brought you to this poor, desolate place dear child?"
Turning his head slowly to his accomplice, the piercing eyes narrowed as he flashed a barely noticeable yet devious grin. Seeking a response from behind the shadowy mask, a decipherable nod was made so as to instruct a continuation of this insidious ploy.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2014 20:20:46 GMT -5
"What do we have here?"
The voice made Elsa jump. She gasped when a figure, dressed in black from head to toe, its face a long perforated mask and dark lines winding like veins across its entire body, emerged from the darkness. "W- Who are you?" she asked.
Her eyes widened. She stumbled away from it, crossing her arms over her chest and willing herself to be calm. Not that it would matter -- the figure, whatever it was, was sure to notice the unmistakable frost that crawled across the square, emanating from her every footstep. She'd been in this world for only a few minutes, and yet already her deepest, darkest, coldest secret was out in the open for all to see. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. As a result, the ice inched forward, climbing higher and higher up the surrounding buildings. The frost directly beneath her feet crystallized into ice.
Conceal, CONCEAL...!
Elsa forced herself to breathe. She shoved Anna and Arendelle out of her mind. If she ever wanted to see her sister again, return to her country -- she would have to deal with this newcomer first.
"I don't think it's wise to enter that castle, it belongs to some nasty creatures," said the figure before her. "You look a little lost, do you need some help?"
She threw a quick glance back at the castle. It loomed, tall and mysterious, glowing slightly in the dim twilight. It did seem a bit ominous, but perhaps its inhabitants were royalty and had news of Arendelle's fate.
"I am," she replied eventually, turning back towards the creature. Her eyes slipped down to his shoes. She massaged her arms with her thumbs half-heartedly. "And I would appreciate any help you could give--"
"Indeed. A terrible, terrible darkness has taken hold of that once serene beacon of hope."
She was interrupted by the voice of another. He emerged from the darkness as the creature had, only this was a proper man. He walked with a hunch and looked, to Elsa, rather old. As he appeared, Elsa felt the darkness in the air shiver, as if reacting to his presence. The crunch of his boots drew her attention from it, however, and as she watched him approach, she noted how his tanned skin wrinkled into a frown on his forehead, how his eyes, yellow as the sun, seem steeped in sympathy. There was something like an ease, a warmth, to this man that perplexed Elsa. But his final words were what grabbed her -- that serene beacon of hope, surely, was Arendelle. And the darkness had won.
Elsa's hands flew up to hold her head as she despaired. She ran her fingers through her snow-blonde hair, eyes wider than they should be, heart racing once again.
"What has brought you to this poor, desolate place, dear child?" the older man asked.
She looked up at the man, hoping with all her heart that he had the answers she seeked.
"That place you speak of... is it Arendelle? The Isolated Kingdom?" she asked, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice. She heard ice crackle somewhere far off, but didn't care to stop it. "Are you sure the darkness has taken hold? I just came from there, I... I'm it's Queen. Queen Elsa. Please, if you know anything of my kingdom's fate, I implore you tell me..."
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2014 20:37:56 GMT -5
Before, the Dark Enigma had the chance to even say a single word his Master had soon appeared out of the darkness. It had only taken seconds before Xehanort had began to work his wondrous magic. His Master is a very smooth talker with everyone in general. Of course Vanitas thought his job was done here. However, his Master had given a grin unnoticeable to the girl.
With an ever so slight nod, Vanitas put his attention back towards the girl. "Of course he knows what has befallen upon your kingdom, or if anything has happened. You see this man here is not only my Master, but probably one of the most wise and knowledgeable people to exist," Vanitas said rather smooth. Oh how playing this little game was burning the boy on the inside.
Right now he'd much rather be taunting and picking on the girl to gain some strength from the negative emotions, but his Master's plans come first. "If you're nice enough maybe, just maybe we'll escort you threw that castle to help you find what your'e looking for." The Dark Enigma sought this to be a great vantage point for himself and his Master.
Vanitas wanted to gain the girls trust, so by helping the queen it would be easier to have her join them. You could say the boy was almost confident that this would work. Of course, he knew that his Master would notice what he's trying to do on the spot. "Oh right, names Vanitas." The Dark Enigma had paused there. It was time for his Master to take over for now.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2014 23:28:11 GMT -5
"That place you speak of... is it Arendelle? The Isolated Kingdom?"
The aged master's brow furrowed, his expression grew puzzled and perplexed at the query. His voice came off as welcoming yet intriguing, given his rummaging of his vast intellect and wizened mind. He took a careful step forward, analyzing both his memory and the memorably distraught female that was before him. His expression morphed into a slightly unsatisfying frown, as if he was both regretful and unhappy with the response he was about to give to the emotional woman.
"Many a world have I traveled to, but none have bore such a name." A deep sigh and then a simple swift turn, not wanting her to see his aching, resentful face. A lump began to swell within his throat. Memories of ages past surged forth. His home castle! His beloved wife! The poor children! Oh what a joy it was to allow a ruse to play its part. Yet, the ancient master did none of this for his own sake. The playful nature of such a ruse was merely a hefty side bonus, procured for the benefit of his recently re-united apprentice. The emotions swirling within her, the power brimming and boiling. With enough time and patience, Xehanort could have the two refined and groomed to their fullest capabilities. And if she were to find out, then she would come into play. Every piece would play their part, every pawn would slide into place. And now? Now came the subtle manipulations of the poor one's heart.
His back still turned to her, a deepened sigh escaped his aging lunges. The cold air forcing itself against the escaping exhalation. If one were to look carefully, the tiniest of tears started to trickle down his twisted and tormented face. His voice called out, shaky at this point, "But......no....." His tone grew ever so weaker, ever so saddened, ever so trembling. He arched and bent his head this way and that, eyes jumping and glancing this way and that way. Gazing upon the castle with false nostalgia. "This place was....."
"My home."
He payed Vanitas little attention. He had been playing his role well but was beginning to overstretch his reach when it came to truly manipulating the hearts of the ignorant properly. To force emotions out we a simple matter, to actually twist the heart took far greater planning and work. With his head falling down in sorrow, a gloved hand balled itself into a fist, only to open slowly yet lightly. Fingers dancing and moving in an impeccable manner. Suddenly, vibrant and wondrous ice crystals materialized and formed a decent sized playful snowball within his hand. A half smile broke through the mask of despair.
"It appears that we are not so different you and I."
Waiting for the words and actions to seep into her, he glanced swiftly at the masked boy. My my, how one's power can diminish so quickly. No matter. A situation that can be easily remedied. Preparing himself for the barrage of questions of both himself and her world, the cruel man stood there, within the darkened void, awaiting the flurry of queries, back still turned.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2014 4:30:46 GMT -5
Elsa remained silent as the two spoke. The smaller figure, Vanitas, spouted nothing but patronizing words of his apparent Master. Everything about him seemed stiff and suspicious -- too rigid, too unnatural. She didn't trust him. He was like something that wasn't entirely there. He spoke as if his voice came from a void that extended far beyond the mask that shielded his face. She perked up at his comment about the castle, but the other man stepped in then, ruining her chance to probe him further.
"Many a world I have travelled to, but none have bore such a name," he said.
Elsa felt as though her heart had fallen out of her chest. So he hadn't been speaking of Arendelle at all. What had been the glorious 'beacon of hope,' then? Was he talking about her? Surely not. She was the farthest thing from a beacon of hope. So what, then, or who? Was he just spouting nonsense?
Elsa watched as the man turned his back on the two of them. Watched as his head swayed this way and that way, his gaze drifting across the still, dark skyline of what appeared to be an empty city. She remembered the feeling of dread that accompanied the air here and tried to dispel the thought. Her eyes finally settled on the silver castle in the distance as he began to speak again.
"This place was... my home," he said, voice cracking.
She couldn't see his solitary tear, but she understood all the same. Guilt, fear and empathy rushed her poor heart all at once. Guilt at having thought so lowly of them, when they seemed to be in the same situation as she was. Fear at what that meant for Arendelle -- would it end up like this place too? Dark and abandoned, air laced with poison? Empathy for the old man, whose strength seemed to have fled just at the pinnacle of his own traumatic experience. Her ice creaked as it jumped three floors up the nearest apartment building.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "How... how did this happen, if you don't mind me asking? Perhaps we could--"
He was doing something with his hand. Fingers wiggling, muscles contracting. Then, with a burst of blue light and a small trail of delicate snowflakes, a ball of snow formed in his palm. Her eyes widened.
No. Surely... he couldn't be like her? Surely no one was like her -- born with a winter storm raging in her chest, a danger to everyone around them, including themselves and yet still able to make some shred of beauty out of it. Without giving it a second thought, Elsa put her hands together. She rolled her palms in a circle, as if building her own snowball, and sure enough, with a little flurry more regal and complicated than his, a ball of ice of equal size materialized between her hands.
"How is that possible?" she asked, breathless. "I thought I was the only one, I thought... I thought I was cursed. They told me I wasn't, but... but you, you can do it too! I--"
She stopped herself, his earlier words returning to her head.
"This place was... my home."
Of course. How insensitive could she be? She hung her head out of respect. The iceball in her hands melted into a little puddle at her feet. She crossed her wet hands over her front and sighed.
"I'm sorry. I guess they didn't help you very much in the end, either. Maybe we should start over. I'm Elsa, the Snow Queen of the Kingdom of Arendelle. What's your name? Where do you come from? How... how did you get your powers?"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2014 18:39:08 GMT -5
Seemingly enough Vanitas knew that he was well ignored. Nothing was said to him so his job here was done. He distracted the girl for the few short moments he had to. So the Dark Enigma knew that he should go do other things. If he was going to make his Master happy, he needs to find a way to get stronger and fast.
"I'll take my leave here Master." With that Vanitas turned around and began to walk away.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2014 15:45:11 GMT -5
Turning around slowly, the guise of sadness was still apparent on his face. However, the slight frown soon evolved into a friendly smile once more. His words flowed like honey, and his tone's true nature was overpowered by his maniacal ruse. "Now now my child. One thing at a time. But first..."
Xehanort firmly cleared his throat, his head turning directly towards his receding apprentice. "Vanitas......"
He paused slightly, knowing full well that the being would stop at the dropping of those two cues. With his face now being taken out of sight from the despairing female, the wicked smile slowly pierced its way through the mask of sincerity. "Surely you wouldn't leave your master defenseless while he cares for such a poor, lost soul?" The lie was so blatant between the two dark individuals, that it was almost humorous. But now was not the time for jokes. No, now was the time for deception. The wicked smile morphed back into its pleasant counterpart as he turned back to Elsa. Having ensured his compatriot's presence for a while longer, the man continued with his concern and worry.
"Now my dear....let's start at the beginning." His eyes were filled with care, and he kept a reasonable distance from her still, so as to not invade her privacy in her time of woe. His smile still remained. His smile was still there. His smile....was invincible.
"This....Arrendelle....what has ailed your home?"
And so it begins.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 6:02:58 GMT -5
She watched the two of them stand at the top of the steps and exchange in their somewhat stilted exchange. It crossed her mind for only a second that the looks they shared between each other were perhaps more suspicious than she was letting herself believe, but before her mind could make any more of the passing anxiety, her heart took her over again. The storm took over. Every minute she wasted, standing here in this empty square, the air humming around her like a thick cloud of invisible flies, her ice crept up the buildings around her, one floor at a time. By now almost every building in the square had been corrupted by her frost -- even the tallest at the end now sported a shimmering ring of blue at its base.
When they finally turned their attention back to her, Elsa stood more rigid than she had before. She wasn't any less frightened or stressed, but something in their conversation, though she hadn't paid attention to the words, had put her defences up.
"This...Arendelle... what has ailed your home?" the man asked.
She exhaled. It had been louder than she'd intended, but there was nothing to do about it now. It helped to calm her heart again, which, slowly adjusting to its new surroundings, was beginning to reel its panic in, for which she was thankful. She needed a clear head to figure out a way back.
In response to his question, she sighed. She raised a hand into the air and unfurled her clenched fist, letting her fingers stretch out into the darkness like feelers. Little flecks of black attempted to latch onto her skin, though something -- as if there was some invisible barrier around her hand -- repelled them. It had been just like this before the invasion that stole her away. Except that time, the darkness had had no qualms in latching on to her. It had tried to smother her, suffocate her -- it nearly succeeded, once, with the help of the little dark beasts it brought along with it. The 'Heartless,' she'd been told they were called.
"The Darkness swallowed it," she said, her eyes unmoving from her hand because she could not bear to look at another and tell this story at the same time. "It arrived in my country only about a week or so ago. At first, it had been nothing to worry about... a few sentries reported it and took care of it. But then it came back. So we sent out more sentries and, again, they dealt with the problem."
She closed her hand faster than one could blink. When she opened it again, a single fleck of darkness was trapped between the pinched skin of her palm. She smiled at it. A malevolent, sad smile. Then she crushed it between her fingers, leaving only the snowflake that had leaked out during the crushing on her skin.
"Then the invasion came. My world looked a little like this one... shrouded in pure Darkness." She frowned. "By then, my sentries' attacks could not hold back the clouds any longer. For some reason, the only thing that seemed to be able to drive it away was my ice-making abilities. And so I fought, long and hard, alone. I stood on the mountain high above my kingdom for three whole days, driving away Darkness with my storms. I thought I had won."
She rotated her wrist, and watched the snowflake on her palm peeled away from her skin. It drifted down gently, past the long, swaying fabric of her dress and onto the dark street.
"I woke up the next morning," she continued and, feeling a sudden pressure build behind her eyes, urged herself to keep calm, "when my sister woke me. I met in the hallway and then some -- some Dark thing grabbed me, and --"
She spun away from the pair. Ice creaked in the distance. Little did she know that in the telling of her story, her storm had run rampant -- suppressed fears for Arendelle's future, for Anna, and even for her own safety had slipped past her heart as easily as the words had slipped past her lips.
The entire city was frozen.
The world locked in a grid of intricate ice.
Her hands flew to her head. She screwed her eyes shut as tears welled at the corners.
"... and then I found myself here."
(Hey, MX. I've started writing your critique but it's not quite done yet and I have course work to finish today. I'll send it to you via PM asap. Sorry for the delay! Hope you can understand. -E.)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 15:44:49 GMT -5
As the boy was walking away, he had soon came to a sudden halt as his Master had asked him to pretty much stay. Right now the Dark Enigma wanted to go to other worlds and spread the Unversed like the plague. By doing this, he could at least try to gain some of his powers back. Particularly making his Unversed stronger.
"Right," He said with a slight nod. Just like that the boy had walked back over to his Masters side and stood there. Vanitas made sure to stay silent for the time being. He had no reason to say anything until further instructed. The Dark Enigma was quite the power hungry being. You could almost compare him to a wounded animal at the moment.
All he wants is too survive and to regain his former power. The Dark Enigma knows he has so much raw potential in his grasp. So playing this waiting game isn't exactly what he wants to do.
Then something strange occurred a black portal appeared right underneath Vanitas and sucked him in. Then slowly it closed.
VANITAS LEFT THREAD
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2014 16:58:22 GMT -5
Foolish child.
Outwardly, his expression refused to betray the elderly master, lest it deconstruct the guise of sincerity. Inwardly, his emotions churned with a mixture of contempt and slight disappointment. True, the world had its tendency to be unpredictable and sporadic with its dark atmosphere, yet any individual with even the most minute amount of skill and intellect could adapt and prevent what had just befallen the Masked Boy. Although unexpected, it merely mattered not.
Glancing over at the now empty spot, the aged voice sliced through the air, "Worry not dear child. A ravaged world such as this tends to..." He paused slightly, analyzing the female with his gaze. Such an interesting amount of power in such an incredulous individual. The serene composure returned, "Misplace things."
Seizing the opportunity, Xehanort slowly made his way to Elsa, with his usual hunch and usual pace coupled with the usual gaze. Every step crunched the iced surface. Every step was meaningful, filled with delicate care and precise grace. Every step brought about a new sentence. "You see, the very nature of darkness,"
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"Is clouded, encompassed by an array of deceit,"
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"An allure of lust and lies,"
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"And is filled to the brim,"
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"With a hunger for chaos."
The ancient master arrived at his destination, having passed the distraught young one by several steps. Back turned, voice still empowered, the ruse went on. Now incorporating his hands into his speech, they flowed out with his arms, as if serving to grasp the topic he was announcing, "It is within this chaos, that our most precious things become lost to us."
Pausing again to motion towards his surroundings, reinforcing upon the girl what he spoke of earlier, of his dear lost "home." The deception within those uncaring gold eyes swirled with unseen potency, masked by the sheer will of Master Xehanort. He continued after deeming his reference to have sunken in sufficiently, replacing his informative yet somber tone with a more friendly and optimistic one, "But that is not to say that these things we cherish, these things we hold so deep within our hearts, are ever truly lost. Light cannot exist without darkness, as chaos cannot exist without order. For what is lost, can also be found. And a world lost to the chaos,"
His turned back was rotated, bringing his gaze back to the Ice Queen. "Always has the chance of being found once more."
The caring eyes and warm smile continued to be displayed, all the while his half truths did not fully betray his beliefs. True, darkness could not exist without light. That gleaming, precious light of legend was submerged in darkness after all. All that was required to bring it back to the surface was but one thing. His prize. Yet, all in due time. First, he had to cement the trust between himself and this foolish, misguided girl. A world lost, and a sibling in peril. Such fickle, brittle souls. To manipulate them brought not a challenge, but an insidious plan to execute with ease.
The frost that surrounded him would soon enter submission, firmly placed beneath his commanding thumb. All it took was the unwitting allegiance brought on by a naive young girl from a now defunct world.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 16:40:17 GMT -5
Elsa had sunk to her knees as he spoke. Clawed at her fraying hair, her fingers unraveling already wild locks into a nest of chaos atop her head. The tears welled in her eyes escaped, drawing wet lines down her cheeks. She clung onto every word that came from the man's mouth, not willing to breathe for fear of missing even one detail. He seemed to have suffered long from his displacement -- enough to have gathered such a repository of knowledge on the Darkness and its moods. She listened to the crunch of his boots over her ice as he descended the steps before the castle and crossed what little of the square separated them. She listened to the words that spilled past his lips in the silence before each footfall.
And then he spoke the magic words.
"And a world lost to the chaos always has the chance of being found once more."
Elsa's heart jumped excitedly. Hope lit up her face, put a halt to her tears, spread a smile across her lips. She ran her hands through her hair again, this time to bring the crazed strands back into their naturally positions as best she could. It wouldn't be perfect, but she didn't care. She stood and turned back towards him.
"Are you saying Arendelle might not be lost?" she asked. She clasped her hands together over her front, but couldn't keep her fingers from fidgetting. Out of excitement, out of stress.
She knew she shouldn't get herself worked up over this. She barely knew the man, despite the weird sense of trust she felt for him. She'd felt this way before about the Trolls on the Northern Mountain. They'd promised one thing and delivered another. She didn't have to look far to see where that bit of trust had led her. The ice crunched under her heels.
"Do you know how I might find it again?" she said. "It's important I get back as quickly as possible. My si-- my people need me, will be looking to me for guidance and protection. I'm sorry for what happened to your home... but surely you can understand why I must do what I can to try and save mine, as you no doubt did for yours."
She raised her clasped hands to her chest, praying he had the other answer she longed to hear.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2014 9:22:26 GMT -5
"Are you saying Arendelle might not be lost?" The aged master gave a simple nod in response. It was such a curious thing, for an individual to cling to their prison with such a vicious ferocity. To be so blind to the miraculous freedom they had been given, only to squander it away, aimlessly attempting to grasp their so-called "home." Ah, but then, the whimsical tone of weakness made its way into his ears.
"My si-- my people need me," A smile made its way to the surface. To many, it seemed genuine. Yet to the people who truly knew of his insidious nature, they would keenly spot the satisfaction that accompanied that smile. The ploy was now cemented within its own perfection, all that remained was to hammer in the final few nails. As the fumbling female made her last utterances, the piercing eyes couldn't help but dart ever so slightly at the ice that laid before them. It would not be long until such a sight would be a malicious familiarity.
The warmed voice once again made its presence known within the hollow void, "Ah my dear, you misunderstand. Such a task cannot be done with ease."
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"If your world is truly still there to be found, then we must act with haste." The arms retreated from the arched back, rising up, beholding the surroundings for examination. His head sank low, saddened and somber within its false resignation. "You've seen what has befallen my world." Xehanort awaited a slight response as his phrases seeped into her mind. The head rose up, the arms returned to their spot, the boots made their marks.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
With the figure now closer to the lost girl than ever before, an arched eyebrow made way for what came next. "Are you willing to do whatever it takes to find your world?"
A gloved hand rose up, as a dreary dark sphere formed within its grasp. "Are you willing cast aside your fears?"
The second glove accompanied its brother, forming a solid pack of ice crystals within its hold. "Are you willing to utilize whatever is necessary?"
The two tightened viciously, with the darkness fading away in insidious whispers, while the ice merely crumbled into the tiniest of fragments. The arms returned.
A lighter tone took hold, the friendly face came once again, the warmth came once again. "Are you willing to let me help you, Elsa?"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted
|
|
|
0 posts
|
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 7:56:21 GMT -5
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2014 3:52:24 GMT -5
"Ah my dear, you misunderstand. Such a task cannot be done with ease."
Elsa's heart sank. The excitement that had briefly pulled her from her despair waned. It was possible, then. Maybe not easy, but possible. That's all that mattered. If there was any way at all she could return to Arendelle, to find Anna and keep her safe, then whatever risk this darkness posed... she would have to face it.
Her hands left her chest and she folded her arms instead, gripping herself tightly. Fear clawed at her heart and only made the ice spread, though the low groan of the advancing glaciers could no longer be heard -- they were too far away, too widespread, halfway across the countryside by now... if this world had a countryside. She wasn't afraid of the challenge, of having to work hard to get back to her home. She was afraid for her sister, her people, all those still stuck, trapped in Arendelle as the darkness invaded the kingdom, its queen and protector gone, erased by the very darkness that threatened to take the rest of it.
She imagined Anna, running down the long corridor that connected their rooms in the palace, away from an encroaching cloud of darkness that gnawed at the skin and consumed her entirely as she screamed for help...
It was practically the same scene she'd been dragged away from only minutes ago.
Elsa's heart stopped again. Her nails dug into the skin of her arms. Her knuckles turned to white.
The man came closer, his feet crunching the ice.
"If your world is truly still there to be found, then we must act with haste." The man raised his arms and dipped his head. "You've seen what's happened to my world."
She surveyed the city as he spoke. Even though her ice gripped every surface, the darkness was making quick work of what was left of the shattered world. Blackness seemed to ooze out of the air, smothering the towering buildings and impressive fountain at the heart of the square like it had tried to absorb Elsa's finger when she had first arrived. It was like a slow, lazy, hungry creature, crawling across the world at a glacial pace, destroying everything in its path. It would destroy them, too, she realized, if they stayed too long.
Fear spiked. Ice quickened in lands beyond either of their perception. A gentle snowfall began in the square, legions of tiny snowflakes landing, settling and collecting on their heads and shoulders.
Elsa's eyes darted around the square, alarmed, her gaze following the gentle, spiralling descent of the snow.
No, no... conceal, conceal...
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
He was closer to her now. Closer than he'd ever been. As if their brief conversation had been enough to consolidate their... relationship, if she could call it that. He was still just an old man in a broken world with a sad story and strange magic. But...
She trusted him.
She knew that.
Even if she didn't know why.
It didn't matter anyway.
It never had.
All that mattered was getting home.
All that mattered was saving Arendelle.
Saving Anna.
"Are you willing to do whatever it takes to find your world?" He asked.
"Yes."
She watched, stuck to her spot by a wild mix of fear, excitement and determination as he raised a hand and conjured a small ball of darkness.
"Are you willing to cast aside your fears?"
Elsa looked away from him. Of course she was willing.... it's whether she could was the question. Hadn't that always been her problem? Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let them know of her powers, don't let the fear take control. The Prophecy had been right, in the end -- her fear had ruined her. She had... well, she knew what she'd done to Anna. Even if her whole kingdom seemed to have forgotten it, overlooked it, ignored it... the truth stayed, frozen, in Elsa's heart.
She'd killed her sister because of her fear. Unwittingly murdered the only family member she'd had left.
The only one that ever mattered.
The only one that could save her.
The only one that could truly keep her fear at bay.
How was she supposed to let go of something that owned her so completely?
"Yes," she said. Her voice was barely a whisper. One hand slipped away from her arm and she clutched at her heart, her fingers curling around the fabric of her dress.
"Are you willing to utilize whatever is necessary?" he asked her again, this time conjuring a ball of ice to join the darkness. She watched as the two collided, as the darkness encroached and the ice resisted, until neither could fight anymore and both withered away into nothingness, fractured shells of their former selves. Exactly what would happen to her, she suspected, if she failed in her task. Either way, it wasn't as if she had a choice.
She'd made her decision. Nothing would stand in her way.
She was the Snow Queen, after all.
"Yes," she said again. She felt the storm within whirl excitedly.
He smiled again. The same warmth he'd shown her earlier returned to his face, to his eyes, to his flamboyant gestures.
"Are you willing to let me help you, Elsa?" he asked.
She breathed. Her chest fell, releasing the air she hadn't realized she'd been keeping in for so long. Her mangled hair cascaded over her shoulders, her dress swayed in the wayward breeze. She stood as tall as she could before him, as if presenting herself to him for the first time. Her fingers unfurled and her arms fell limply to her side, where they stayed.
Like a puppet's.
"... Yes."
|
|