middleofsomewhere | What their Eyes See: Conclusion

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What their Eyes See: Conclusion

The End?

The Voidtreckers make their way through the circles. Some pressing forwards, others gathering civilians and evacuating them back to the city. Some get lost, stuck among dreams or nightmares.

Those voidtreckers who manage to press on through the third circle will find themselves surrounded by colours, the same colourful almost-lightning that had crackled overhead as they made their way through the maze. Here the colours are thick, swirling. Getting close is almost like getting close to a bonfire. It is not heat but power, something no Voidtrecker can withstand.

Something no creature could withstand yet for those that risk the blinding colouful light they will see a shape. A person? Perhaps. It shifts shape, never still. Thick multicoloured veins run over it. It is hard to focus on, just trying to look into the colours is difficult.

"Fine. Fine. Fine."

It is not just those in the centre who hear the voice but everyone. As if it is speaking directly into their minds.

Indeed for any Voidtreckers who are with civilians, those in the city do not seem to react, as if they cannot hear it at all.

"I know where I'm not wanted. I'll go. I'll go. But know this. KNOW THIS."

For those in the centre the colours seem to pulsate, enough to cause anyone looking at them a headache if they don't avert their eyes.

"I know you now. I will find a place. I WILL FIND A HOME and you will pay. YOU WILL NOT STOP ME. I know you all. I know your souls and you will WEEP BEFORE MY MAJESTY."

The colours seem to erupt, dazzling anyone close enough to see and then they vanish. It all vanishes. The maze, the circles, the illusions. Those inside the maze or the circles still will find themselves stood in the smog, outside the city. Those in the centre of the circle will find themselves in fog, unconscious citizens scattered around them.

Clean Up

It takes a few hours for the last of the civilians to be found and returned to the city, once again the hospitals are full but it seems the quick action of the Voidtreckers prevented any fatalities.

The city bounces back quickly, the people shaken but not broken, not bowed. Any help the Voidtreckers offer will be accepted but it quickly becomes clear that the illusions are gone. No more creatures, no more strange images. The fighting rings have paused for now, as they take stock and try and understand what had happened.

But after a couple of hours all Voidtreckers get a message on their SCA. All teams to return to the Voidtrecker Express.

Their maps will pin point the station, which is luckily a lot quieter with everyone still coming to terms with what has happened. The Voidtrecker Express is there and once all passengers have boarded it flies off, into the void once more.

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"It sounds as though your recollections have not been entirely pleasant." Not that it makes them any less important. Remembering one's regrets is necessary for personal growth, and forgetting mistakes means you may well just make them again. "As I said before, I know nothing of your interactions with those two, only that you have done enough wrong by them that you would make atonement your life's purpose."

"Namine...I used as a tool. A means of revenge against the Organization, once I pulled her from their clutches- and then sought to dispose of her when I was finished." Disgust is clear in his voice. "Roxas...only a means to revive Sora. Trapped in a false world as his very memories crumbled to pieces about him."

"I hate you so much."
"You should share some of that hatred with Sora. He's far too nice for his own good."

Eyes open, but his gaze is down. "To use children in such a way, to consider them less than people...I ruined their lives, in my quest to avenge myself. I cannot begin to think how much darkness was in my heart, to allow myself to follow such a path."

"You were...not the only one to consider Nobodies to not truly be people. Xemnas went to great effort to convince us that we were merely empty shells, so adept at pretending to be people that we might even fool ourselves on occasion. You are not the only one to have mistreated Namine, and I am certain that it was only my limited interactions with Roxas that prevented me from visiting cruelty upon him, as well."

Namine...it seems everyone around her had tried to use her for her power. He can only hope that she has a better life now, freed from the Organization. He takes a deep breath at the thought, and reaches to place a hand on Ansem's shoulder.

"But you shall have your opportunity to atone. The very reason I rejoined the Organization was to perfect my work of the last decade, the Replica Project. With it, I have created bodies that, with the addition of a living heart, are functionally identical to human. Roxas and Namine can coexist with Sora and Kairi."

Neither of them deserved it, he doesn't need to say. None of them. And it hardly makes him feel better to know that Xemnas treated his own in such a way; indeed, to be compared to the man makes him slightly ill. He lets out a breath of his own, looking up as Even reaches across.

And then...he blinks.

"You...found a way to bring them back?"

"With some help from your records, in the case of Roxas. The data you compiled on his heart and memories were so detailed that we were able to prepare the vessel and call to his heart from an entirely separate world. It was quite a marvel to behold, and I say as much as someone who has replicated hearts in the past."

He catches himself dangerously close to a tangent, and awkwardly clears his throat to force himself back on topic.

"We have no such advantage with Namine, but so long as Kairi returned safely from confronting Xehanort's new Organization, we will have everything we need to restore her to life, as well."

He...did what?

That part of his memories has clearly escaped him; Ansem looks bewildered, to say the least, as he processes this information. That he had the foresight to prepare that information, even perhaps knowing it may never be able to be used- and yet it was, and Even.

Even found a way.

Ansem cannot speak for the moment, a hand covering his mouth, clearly overcome. But can he be blamed? Here and now, he had no idea where to even start, what he could possibly even think of doing- and here is Even telling him that what surely must have been a ghost of a belief has found solid ground.

He can tell Ansem needs a moment, and lets him have it. It's a solid half a minute before he speaks again, during which the room slowly starts to warm up.

"I cannot yet be certain how well their Replica bodies will fare in the long run, but I have saved all of my notes from the development process, should it be necessary to make any modifications."

He reaches into his coat pocket and produces a notebook, thickened with sticky notes, stapled in pages, and haphazardly glued progress photos. All of it is written in a hand that is somehow both cramped and scrawling, making liberal use of shorthand notation that Ansem may find very familiar.

Ansem takes the notes with shaking hands, looking through it slowly. After another half minute, he finds the words to speak. "You cannot grasp what this means to me," he rasps, voice so very rough with emotion. "In the dark, gazing by the water, feeling myself slip away- it came to the point where all I could remember that I had wronged others. I could not remember their names, only that I had committed grievous harm- and I knew that so long as I was trapped in that place, there was no chance of being able to atone."

He swallows thickly, looking up.

"With what good is in these papers- what work you have performed for me, even if you did not realize it- how can you say you deserve anything but my gratitude? Even..."

Ansem sets down the notebook and reaches to take Even's shoulder, to pull him close enough to embrace tightly. And whether or not Even is able to process he's just been - well, hugged - Ansem is moving to press lips at the other man's forehead.

"For what you have done to me, for what harm you have caused me- I forgive you. You still bear the burden of absolution, but my forgiveness, you have earned."

It's clear from the way he tenses that he was not expecting a hug, much less the forehead kiss. The latter gesture, he was only aware of between adults as a gesture of respect for a knight acting in one's service, and he...he is hardly a knight. He's done nothing but fail and betray the people who thought they could rely on him, or try desperately to make up for having done as much. As for the former...if he'd been flustered by how personal it felt to have Ansem tending to his injuries, this sends his mind into an embarrassed panic. It takes several moments for his brain to reboot, at which point he squirms to try to turn enough away that Ansem won't be able to see his face turning bright red. The red of his ears, however, is hard to miss, as they stick out past his hair despite his efforts to downplay them.

"I...surely this does not outweigh my betrayal, particularly as I owe Namine a debt of my own."

Vexen isn't held in place; Ansem allows him to turn away, slowly pulling back. The pink of his ears is noticed, and just as much unremarked upon. If anything, it affirms to Ansem that his Apprentice needed those words, needed that forgiveness even if he cannot yet accept it.

"Forgiveness is mine alone to grant," he observes, "and I cannot hold anger in my heart towards you, not any longer. Given your actions, and the fact...you had already had something important taken from you, that perhaps could have made all the difference."

His Heart, that is.

"And as I said," Ansem continues, a hand moving to Even's shoulder, "atonement remains your burden. However, I believe you are in a state to judge whether or not you have achieved it on your own, without my observation." The smile on his face grows a bit softer, as does his voice. "I spoke with Yondu, in the midst of those circles, and he shared with me his wisdom. And so, Even, if you cannot accept my forgiveness...accept that I grant you a second chance, and that I expect you to live up to it."

While there's a bit of a tease in his voice, Ansem is quite serious in this regard. And gazing at Even like this...he has the impulse to turn him back to meet his gaze, but he also senses that it would be a bit...too much right now. Perhaps in more than one way.

(Such brings a feeling of deja vu, but- now is not the time.)

He takes a deep breath before responding, still turned away to hide a blush that his ears betray regardless.

"...Thank you, my lord. Though I have wronged a great many people, it is my betrayal of you and of the people of Radiant Garden that weigh most heavily on my heart, even in its current, diminished capacity."

"Then let what weight remains urge you forwards, rather than hold you back. That is all I could ask of you." Ansem- can't help but give a final squeeze to that shoulder before letting go. "I dearly wish to see my home and its people again, with my own eyes, and know that it is not an illusion- were you able to help me achieve that as well, then I would be overjoyed, indeed."

He still has a flustered blush on his face as he turns, now with a faint, knowing smirk.

"In my own timeline, I was able to rescue you and see you safely back home. I do not know for certain if I will be able to affect when you are able to leave this train or where it leaves you afterward, I can say with confidence that you will not be abandoned to the darkness."

At that...a smile tugs at his lips. Then, a chuckle. And by the last words sinking in...Ansem is shaking his head in wonder, eyes closed once more with emotion.

"Then, if such is the case- I will wait with a heart knowing there is at least one out there whom would guide me as a beacon guides ships home."

He's already done that, in a sense. Through helping Ansem regain his memories, through everything else.

"Ienzo, Aeleus, and Dilan are waiting for you, as well. But Braig..."

His expression darkens, the red of his cheeks now from anger rather than embarrassment. Unlike his usual frustrated outbursts, his tone is brutally cold.

"He chose to rejoin Xehanort, and knew of his manipulations, perhaps even from the start."

"Braig."

Eyes open slowly, as if sensing the change of expression. The tone, at least, is clear- and Ansem is silent as he digests this.

"Such a thing," he finally says, "is the true betrayal. I am...disappointed that I misjudged him so." Though- there is some conflict in his memories, with Braig's behavior. It it simply that he is still missing pieces?...

A prickle creeps up his neck, one he cannot simply attribute to the cold. Ansem lets out a breath and moves to sit back down.

"We both did."

This time, he takes a seat next to Ansem, only to scowl at the far wall. His mentor doesn't need to bear the brunt of a glare meant for someone else.

"I had never regarded him as anything worse than a harmless troublemaker, and yet...I cannot deny the fact that he associated closely with Xehanort from the beginning."

"This web of deceit seems to be complex, indeed." Ansem rubs the bridge of his nose, frustrated. "Though, I almost wonder- nevermind." There is some dissonance in his memories, but he assumes that once the blanks fill in, he will be able to understand them. "For now- I would ask you about your 'diminished' heart."

A sideways glance, from curiosity more than any sort of suspicion.

"Another deception. While it is true that a freshly formed Nobody is utterly devoid of emotion, Xemnas kept from us the fact that we would, over time, develop replacements. It is a slow process, particularly when not aided by bonds with others. I must still pay attention for subtler emotions, and there is little in the way of nuance to what I feel."

It's unsettling, really. Knowing that subtle emotions could easily be lost beneath more intense ones, with little ability to feel delicate nuance. He might remember how complicated emotions feel, know his own heart enough to guess at what should be there...but it's not the same as really feeling it.

"It will improve with time, particularly as I do have people here who are close to my heart, but there are still aspects of myself that are a combination of memory and deliberate effort."

Had Ansem not the reassurance that there was hope for Roxas and Namine, he would have been further appalled. As it is, he grimaces, thinking of how he must have stunted their growths- but that is not the point of this matter. Right now...

"Then it seems we both have our own recoveries," he wryly notes. Though- another thought. "Does that mean- 'Even' and 'Vexen' might exist at the same time, as 'Roxas' and 'Sora'?"

"Roxas is...a peculiar case. Much like Xehanort, Sora's Heartless retained his sense of self. Roxas was thus born without a will or identity of his own, and developed one during his time with the Organization. Not only did he develop a separate heart of his own, but he possesses unique soul as well."

He shakes his head.

"In my case, 'Even' and 'Vexen' are two states of the same individual. One might be able to put my original heart in a Replica body, but it would lack a will and memories to drive it."

"Such explains much." His focus on Roxas, for example. "I take it Namine is special, as well- and Kairi..."

His brow creases. He knows there's something about her, he just doesn't know what, precisely. Nonetheless...

"Xehanort, I imagine, is also a unique case." A combination of unique factors that contributed to the situation, hurtling them forwards like...well. Like they were on an unstoppable train. A humorless smile tugs at his lips, but he continues; "Then you plan to become whole, eventually?"

"Namine is even more unusual than Roxas. She was born from a heart void of darkness, released from a body not its own. Kairi's heart was hidden within Sora, and both Roxas and Namine were born when Sora used a Keyblade to free it, along with his own heart. Ultimately, I question whether we can truly call Namine a Nobody at all, or if it is merely the closest comparison we have for a truly unique being. She possesses neither the will nor the form of her originator, having arose independently from the simple act of a heart being separated from a body and left free, however briefly."

Or maybe it's simply that their understanding of where Nobodies come from is flawed, to begin with. But as Namine is the only known instance of a Nobody arising independently of a heartless body and will, he's more inclined to consider her a special case.

"I am less certain as to what caused the oddity in Xehanort's case, but...I have observed that his Heartless seems more like his original self than his Nobody. Xemnas, I wonder at times how much of his original life he is even able to recall. Since his purpose in the split was to send his heart into the past, it may be that he was able to somehow split his will itself, leaving only the barest spark of his identity with Xemnas, as the majority remained with his heart. As for myself, I do indeed intend to become whole eventually, either through the full regrowth of my heart, or by reclaiming my original one. Although...if I must resort to the latter, I hope to first find a less painful method than the one I currently know."

Fascinating. There's a drive in him to know more, to ask questions; there's also a newfound appreciation for patience. For now, that appreciation is weighing out.

...in certain aspects.

"The heart, arguably, can contain much of the drive of a person; while the will and body remain behind when one's heart is lost, it does not surprise me that the heartless was more like his former self, prior to the loss of his memories." Ansem cannot not believe that Xehanort was not amnesiac for at least part of his stay with them; how soon he regained his memories, though...

He's silent for a moment. Then takes a breath.

"Yondu also mentioned...that you had suffered a brutal encounter with fire. Is that why...?"

The scars remain?

"Interestingly, the original Xehanort and the Xehanort who betrayed us did not...seem to entirely be the same person. It could have made for the basis of a fascinating study of the malleability of the heart in the absence of stabilizing memories, had he not been so vile a person."

But oh, that...question. He reaches for his arm, where a Firaga Bangle is secured snugly under the sleeve.

"As for...your question, yes. Those scars were all from a single incident, wherein I was attacked with a powerful fire spell while already in a weakened state."

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