Sister's Lament [Azalea/Closed]

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Ah, what a dreary place this is. Perfect for such an occasion.

Tenebra had arrived in the Underworld on a scouting mission, of sorts. It hated these sorts of things. Boring, boring, boring. But hey, if you really wanted to make the inhabitants suffer, you had to go the extra mile. Besides, It was also going to meet a special guest. As such, It had done away with the cloak for now. It was a bit too villainy and was all too likely to arouse suspicion. Now It had his suit jacket and fedora over It clothes, looking like just another gentleman going to a nice party. Of course, It couldn't, or probably wouldn't, hide Its yellow eyes, but no matter. The guest It was meeting already met what was beneath the fabrication of humanity It put on.

The guest was the Keyblader that had freed Tenebra from his prison. An innocent, naive little girl who came to Tenebra with a hole in her Heart. While Tenebra took amusement at the girl thinking it was her brother's absence that caused the hole, Tenebra knew the truth of the matter. How could It not, of course? Some thought the Heartless were mere fodder, soldiers to be commanded. For Tenebra, they were his eyes and ears to the other Worlds. It was how he knew so much of what had transpired since his imprisonment, including the pathetic little girl's dark secret. But It had not exploited it... yet. Instead It offered to raise her brother in exchange for freedom, a price the girl was all too happy to pay. Tenebra was free and, true to Its word, raised her brother from the death.

... Well, conjured a Heartless in the shape of her brother and used the Darkness already present in the girl's selfish heart to make her think it was her brother. But who was truly keeping track?

Yes, she would be arriving shortly, possibly bawling like a worthless little baby that wants its mother. It had told her, didn't It? That the Light would turn on her? Keybladers these days... they sure hadn't made them like they used to. Just about anyone thought they could properly wield the ancient weapon of legend and the vast majority of them were just frightened, naive children, flailing wildly at the Dark. Some had even joined the Darkness, but it was hard to tell if they were any better. Worthless bunch, but they may prove to be entertaining. Tenebra adjust his tie as It sat on a ledge overlooking the River Styx, smiling in amusement at the wailing souls below. She'd be here soon... Tenebra licked its lips at thought of eating her Heart...

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Azalea had made her escape, slightly injured from Selena's attacks. The young keyblader felt the inner turmoil crushing her. There was too much running through that mind of her's. Azalea was breaking apart and it was obvious from her appearance. The girl rubbed her eyes, keeping close to Aius as she followed him. Her brother assured her everything would be alright, that Tenebra would be able to help her and that everything would work out.

An amazing thing had happened for her when she freed Tenebra from his dark cage. The man that came forth had brought her brother back to her. The only person in the world that she cared so deeply for. The one she had lost. Tenebra has managed to resurrect him. Unbeknownst to her, this was all an illusion. The brother she had been so desperate to revive was only a mere heartless she had been tricked into seeing as her brother.

Tenebra had warned her that her allies, the light, would view him as a threat and try to harm him. Azalea didn't believe it. Yet, every light being she had come across had attacked him. It took so much effort to protect him. When she found Selena, she had been so excited to tell her. However, she reacted the same as everyone. She said Azalea had been brainwashed. That woman was wrong. Azalea had never seen so clearly.

The Darkness was the better choice.

The darkness offered so much more than the light. It could give the user anything they wanted. Being Light had only given her heart ache. She had lost her family, her brother to the darkness. Now, being on their side, her family was safe. She smiled faintly at Aius as they traveled to the bowels of the Olympus Coliseum. She had been here before for tournaments. It was different this time. She had a reason to be here. She needed to find Tenebra. The man had been right all along.

"Tenebra?" She asked after she felt she was deep enough into the Underworld. The man had to be here, even Aius knew it.

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Azalea's sweet, innocent voice carried over to Tenebra's ears and it made the Heartless Emperor smile. He stood up and bid farewell to the miserable souls of the Styx, hands in Its pockets as It adjusted Its hat. Oh such a plan It had weaved and It barely had to do anything. It wouldn't even have worked with anyone else. But with Azalea... her gullibility and delusional state just mixed together so nicely. Soon, he moved through the foggy caves of the Underworld to see Azalea. Indeed, she had been crying and her "brother" was playing its role rather nicely. Of course, Its new attire mixed with a less insane and more cunning expression on Its face would help to ease Azalea's nerves.

"Well, well, if it isn't the lovely little girl who freed me from my torment! How good it is to see you!" Tenebra smiled and chuckled a bit. "I must say, I hadn't expected to see you again so soo-" It interrupted Itself and looked at Azalea's cheeks, reddened from her tears. "My dear, have you been crying? ... I suppose your friends in the Light saw your brother then?" Tenebra sighed. Of course, this was all an act, but It prided Itself on being a GOOD actor. "Well, saying 'I told you so' would be laying it on a little thick, I suppose. But you must admit, the Light is nothing if not predictable. 'The Darkness will be annihilated', 'The Darkness is the Heart of evil', etc., so forth. It's really quite tiresome."

Tenebra moved in closer and carressed Azalea's cheek, wiping any tears that were there. "Now you are able to see the truth. Light and Darkness do not correlate to Good and Evil. Evil can exist in the Light as well as the Dark. Light dwellers wish to eliminate the Darkness, but what would occur if there was no Darkness. Everyone blinded by an overpowering Light, before eventually being obliterated. The Light, of course, would deny this to be true, but I think you've seen for yourself what they're all really like. So... what brings you here? I'm sure it's not so you can have another shoulder to cry on."

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The keyblader had had a long day. The female stood in place with her heartless brother as she scanned her surroundings. it didn't seem like there was another soul here. Well, in the living aspect of a soul. It was obvious that this was an underworld of sorts. The vibe of the area made her feel uncomfortable. The only comfort was her brother at her side. She smiled softly at the boy she saw there as she saw him smile back, comforting her.

The voice hit her ear before she saw the green haired man step into sight. She blinked and smiled faintly at him. He was far less frightening than he had been the first time they had met. "Heh, you clean up well." She teased, finding his attire rather spiffy. It had cheered her up a bit and her expression showed it. She rubbed her one eye, attempting to hide that she'd been crying. The girl had been through a rather rough fight with Selena. She had a few nice bruises and cuts from their battle. The dried blood mixed a bit with some of the dirt marks. She'd tried to clean up a bit before coming. But it was obvious the two had been through a bit. But, she'd prevailed and kept her brother safe. "But, it's good to see you too."

That's when he called her out on her crying. Her eyes moved to the floor and his feet. She didn't think it was that obvious. She nodded simply in reply to his question. She had been crying and that had been the true reason. She had trusted Selena with her life. But that trust was ill founded. Azalea stayed silent as he spoke. He had been right the whole time. She just didn't believe that they'd turn on her for taking help from the darkness.

Tenebra moved closer and brushed her tears away. It seemed uncharacteristic. But, she smiled softly at his actions. It was sweet in it's perceived sentiment. She listened to his explanation. It made total sense and had been her rationalization as well. The girl looked up at the man, her mind beginning to crack. "No, I didn't even think you'd realize I was crying.... You had said I'd know where to find you if I changed my mind.... I didn't know where else to go." She began to explain.

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Tenebra smiled. Man, was it really going to be THIS easy? Surely the keybladers should've posed a bigger challenge? And yet, here It was, doing a minimal effort at best and this naive little girl was eating out of the palm of Its hand. If Tenebra wasn't so amused by the situation, It would've been disappointed by the sheer lack of resistance. Keybladers... just as worthless a bunch now as they were centuries ago. At least then they had made themselves worthy of the title of Master. Now, it was just laughable. Breaking this girl was going to be a delight.

Tenebra concentrated on his act again and sighed, brushing his hand over Azalea's minor wounds to heal them. "Now, now, there's no need to fret. You were right to come to me. You are ready to embrace freedom. That is what the light is truly afraid of. They cannot abide by the freedom Darkness provides. We of the Dark do not force rules and morals onto others and the Light rankles at that sort of thing. They make up rules and morals to bind you and your heart and should you step out of line... well, you're done for. Follow that? Never, in a million years. Even you, who only wished for her family back, have been cast out." Tenebra shook his head in sympathy before turning around and looking at the caves.

"This reminds me of a story. Once upon a time, there was a girl and her brother. They lived quite happily, playing, laughing, even getting into fights. They grew up and both became warriors of grand reputation. However, it did not last long as a warlord invaded their kingdom. The siblings, of course, jumped at the chance to defeat this barbarian. They fought many battles together, making friends along the way as heroes are wont to do. They eventually met the warlord and... well, he killed the girl's brother. The girl slew the warlord as vengeance but her heart was broken. For many long years, she wept. Finally, she met a doctor living in exile. He raised her brother from the dead in exchange for being allowed back in civilization. However, neither the girl nor her doctor friend were welcome. The brother was regarded as an abomination, especially by the kingdom's Captain of the Army. They were cast out once again and all three made a pact that they would seek vengeance on the ones who betrayed them. But the poor girl... she hadn't known the truth. That the Captain was, herself, a servant of the warlord. She was a spy for him and had infiltrated the kingdom under his orders, befriending the king. Now, she had cast out her only real competition and was set to tear down the kingdom the siblings loved so much as payment for the warlord's demise."

Tenebra turned and smiled cheerfully. "I do so love stories, you'll have to forgive me. So... what'll it be? Do you wish to join my battle and show those of the Light what their hypocritical laws are worth? I will understand if you refuse... it is your choice."

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Azalea felt more than frazzled at all this information. It was like her world had been turned upside down in the matter of a few days. One moment she was on a mission to save her future as well as her brother's. The next, some darkness she released had given her the one motivation to change the future. The darkness had given her Aius back. Her brother was alive and standing there with her. He looked and spoke just how she remembered him. The people who she had called friends turned on her as quickly as they had befriended her. They claimed that her brother was of the darkness. Yes, he had been brought back with dark magic. But he was alive and there. Why did it matter which magic caused this? In the end, the darkness had done a good thing and saved a life.

The young girl was eating up every word that Tenebra spewed from his venomous tongue. He had reunited her with her long lost brother. The man didn't look all that evil either. The voice in the back of her head kept urging her to simply agree with Tenebra and join in his cause. What could possibly go wrong?

Tenebra brushed his hand gently over her nearby wounds and healed her. The keyblader smiled softly at his actions, rubbing her arm softly. Selena really had done a number on her before Aius and herself managed to escape. Her eyes watched as he influences her young and impressionable mind. Darkness simply offered more freedom, which most took too far. She didn't believe in the deaths that followed. Mael had been one of the darkness she despised. He had caused her to dislike the entire faction. But, there was darkness in every corner. The young girl felt like she was going to start crying once more. He was right, she had been cast out. Now she only had Tenebra and Aius. She shifted and hugged the man briefly before he began a story.

Azalea looked up at him, nodding once before sitting to listen to the man preach. This story reminded her much of herself. It made her smile faintly before the story took the same turn as her own did. The voice in the back of her head began merging the similarities, making her believe he was talking about her...and he was right. It had to be Selena. She was an enemy in this story, just like Tenebra stated. History is always doomed to repeat itself.

"No no... It's fine. I don't mind stories." She agreed. This was when Tenebra offered her a position to join him in making the Light pay. It didn't make sense why she'd want to, but something in her mind convinced her otherwise. Tenebra was her only ally now. She needed to assist him. It really was that simple. Azalea glanced back at her brother who simply nodded. If her brother was alright with this, then it must be fine. The girl nodded, smiling as brightly as she could in this situation. "We would be happy to help....Aius and I." She stated, her location forgotten.

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Tenebra clapped his hands together. "Good! Good! I'm always happy to have a powerful ally on my side, especially one so beautiful." Its plan was coming together so smoothly. It was almost begging for their to be a catch just to create a challenge. It walked towards Azalea and caressed her cheeks to comfort the keyblader. "You will never need to fear for your safety or your brother's ever again, I assure you. But now, since you've suffered so much and yet, still wish to fight the injustice, I shall impart to you a gift." Its hands held Azalea's face gently. "You will traverse many places that require a Heart that can weather the Darkness. Even a Keyblader's Heart is insufficient. I shall give to you some of my Darkness. It is powerful, powerful enough to deal with those who would cast you out." Tenebra gave a gentle smile, even though his thoughts were cruel and sadistic. "I must warn you, though. This will hurt..." Tenebra's hands and forearms shifted, the skin becoming something akin to chitinous armor, his hands now armored, razor sharp claws. "...a lot."

In an instant, Tenebra's claws dug into Azalea's cheeks like overly large needles. Within seconds, darkness was injected into Azalea, spreading throughout her body. Unlike with Kuja, where Tenebra merely implanted a "seed" that would react to Kuja's darkness, Tenebra didn't want to give Azalea a chance to keep her free will. No, her mind and Heart would be completely overwritten by Its power, Azalea acting out whatever script Tenebra felt like writing for her in exchange for granting more power than she probably ever dreamed of. Sure, an illusion of free will would be in place, but it was but a fabrication. Tenebra took Its claws out and shifted them back to normal. It waited until Azalea recovered from the ordeal the Heartless Emperor put her through. Once enough time at past, Tenebra adjusted Its hat and said, "Well, like the gift?"

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Azalea smiled a bit faintly at his compliment. Her eyes looking toward the ground. She felt something was wrong deep in her chest. But, with how twisted her heart was right now with the betrayal, she disregarded it. It was hard to trust right now after it leading her into a trap with Selena. She didn't want to fall for it again. Tenebra seemed to understand as he approached her and caressed her cheek. It was actually a bit comforting. It had been a long day and she just wanted to feel safe again, like she wasn't the only one left in the world.

The darkness continued to speak, Azalea leaning into every word. It was as if he knew how she felt and understood. It was truly a comfort to know he understood her fears and would keep her safe. She could not bear to lose her brother again.

The girl was agreeing with everything he was saying until he mentioned giving her a bit of darkness. Yes, she had agreed to fight with him. However, she did not need the darkness any deeper inside her. She already felt like she was cracking under the pressure as it was. Like there was another voice inside her head trying to push through her. The last thing she needed was that voice having any say in her actions.

The creature tightened it's grip on her cheek. Maybe a bit of darkness wouldn't make a large difference. Just enough to give her more power and keep her safe from the darkness as she traveled. But when Tenebra mentioned the pain, she felt her expression change. She opened her mouth to change her mind, trying to pull away. But, it was too late. His hand felt like it was going to rip her flesh from her bones. The pain was excruciating, not just in her cheek. Her entire body felt like it was being flooded, her heart and mind, it was like she was being suffocated from the inside out. She could barely feel herself breath as she felt this wave. She had let out a scream, it quick becoming muffled and silent as she couldn't catch her breath.

She backed away from man as she rubbed her cheek. She felt strange, as if she wasn't herself. She could not describe how she felt. She shut her eyes and shoot her head. It was hard to think. ".....I do." She replied, not really sure why. But it felt like the answer she should give and it was as good as any. Tenebra wouldn't want to hear her complain about something he gave her. It was a gift after all. "Thanks." She smiled, a faint smirk in the corner of her mouth. It seemed like it could be fun. What was the harm in playing this out? She could always tell Tenebra she wanted out. Not that she knew she couldn't opt out. "So? What's first?" She asked.

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Tenebra smiled. "You are quite welcome, Azalea. Only the best for my allies." Tenebra then chuckled at her asking what was first. "Heh, well, aren't we eager? Very well." The Heartless Emperor gave Azalea a note. The note itself was a map that helped direct someone to the world named, "Archipelgo". "I need you to go to the world in this note. There's a city there... Deling City, I think it's called. Regardless, get there and you'll receive your next instruction." Tenebra smiled and adjusted his hat. "Don't worry, this will be an easy mission. Together, the Light will rue the day it cast us out. Now, run along, little flower. We have a lot of work to do and never enough time to do it."

Tenebra probably could've taught her how to use the Corridors but It figured that she had Gummi Ship and could use that well enough. If she wanted to, she could ask. He turned his back to Azalea, but stuck around in case Azalea had any questions. This was getting easier and easier, especially now that It had a Keyblader on Its side.

(GAAAAAAAAAAAH! SHORT POST!)

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Azalea watched the man in front of her as he spoke. He seemed extremely amused at her comments before she accepted the letter he offered. She moved her gaze down to look at the note in her hands. It looked more like a map in her opinion, but she wasn't going to say anything right now. She tilted her head and turned the map in her hands. "Ar-chi-pel-go?" She read from the paper as Tenebra began to give her instructions. She felt herself listening intently as he explained she needed to travel there. It wasn't going to be easy, but she was sure that Aius and her could travel there. Aius seemed to know his way about better than her.

"Okay, so you want me to go to a place called Deling Town on a world called Archipelgo. I guess that sounds interesting. Aius and I will start there now. Okay?" She smiled. She felt a strong need to appease the being before her, that she needed his guidance and approval. The girl liked that he called her a flower. It also amused her because of the irony was that her name was a type of flower.

Azalea turned in her boots toward Aius as she nudged him and started off in a direction. Aius blinked between the two before turning to follow Azalea. He grabbed her arm and started her a little to the left. Azalea giggled a bit, stumbling at the change in direction. "Oh? It's this way? Sorry."

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Tenebra smirked as they went their separate ways. He went back to the bridge that lead to Hades' throne room, overlooking the River Styx. When he was sure he was out of earshot... "... PFFFFFFTAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man, they certainly don't make Keybladers like they used to. Well, as they say, garbage in, garbage out. Heh. This is really getting too easy. It's honestly kind of boring. At least my hungry little playmate found some actual competition." He adjusted his comment and smirked at the wailing souls below, taking delight in their misery. Everything was falling into place.

"Oh! Right... I forgot to tell her the whole story." Tenebra put Its hand up to Its forehead. "They go to fight the Captain of the Guard and... well... SHE DIES!" Tenebra laughed uproariously at his omission. HAHAHAHAhehhehehhehaaaaa... well, I mean, it's not like I lied to her." Tenebra then teleported out, but not before relaying a call to his other servant. This world amused him so much that it needed to have some more fun added to it. His dark chuckle echoed through the cavern as his presence could no longer be felt.

[Thread officially closed.]