Evil Practices

[Shinn]

What a cold, gloomy place the End of the World was. It was definitely a place for the denizens of darkness to dwell in. Such a place seems unfitting for someone with as much class and prestige as the leader of Organization XIII. But for whatever reason it may be he chose this dreaded place as a stop for something important. Whatever could this place have value to him? It could best be described as the Heartless of worlds, so what reason would he have being a Nobody to be here?

But he wasn't here alone.....

Stepping out from the Corridors of Darkness the Superior looked around the darkness infested area with much false anticipation. The portal behind him continued to swirl around like a dark vortex awaiting the other guest to arrive. This person whomever they may be was the reason he even came to this place. Or was it? Knowing Xemnas there was always something else behind his plans that only he knew. But for the moment he was here only for his newest recruit. He looked back and waited for his guest to arrive from out of the portal to join him.

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

Out stepped a female, with uniquely blue hair that cascaded down her shoulders. It seemed to almost bright up this gloomy, voidless place. Her outfit showed much of her peach skin. She looked up at Master Xemnas. Her eyes flashing upwards at him, showing the color that they were. Lime green. Bright. Sparkling in the darkness. She then looked around at the world they had appeared in, that she had walked into. She did not know this place. She saw the endless sea of water. Dark as it was.

She was standing on some rocks that the water surrounded she looked up at Xemnas again. No hint of emotion upon her plastic looking face. "W-what is this?" She asked, her voice trembling some at first. But then smoothing out. Like liquid ice. There was nothing behind her voice, no spark of fear. Of being afraid. Not even of happiness. Just void. She did not know where she was. What this placed was, so she had simply asked her Master. Master Xemnas.

She looked at the water, moving some but not by much for there was no wind here. Unlike at the port where she had first met Master Xemnas. When she had been nobody. Now she felt like somebody.

[Shinn]

The Superior looked out into the endless abyss of darkness as he answered the young Nobodys question. "The darkness that remained in worlds taken over by the Heartless. You could say that this is the Heartless of worlds."

Xemnas then took a few more steps before motioning Katsumi to follow him. By now the young girl would probably be wondering why they were here. That would soon be answered once they got far enough. He looked over to Katsumi his eyes staring at her emotionless expression.

"Can you feel the darkness that surrounds us?" Xemnas said sounding ever so melancholic with his words. "This is the darkness that came deep within the heart of worlds. It's hatred, its fear, all of its negative energy created this realm."

But before she could answer Xemnas could sense the shadowy presence of others crawling around them. It took them long enough, now things could get started. Xemnas stopped abruptly as seven Neo-Shadow Heartless surrounded the two Nobodies.

"It appears the hosts have finally arrived. What do you suppose we should do? They don't seem to be very welcoming towards us."

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

Katsumi stared emotionless at the the only other person in this void less, dark world. Her face detached from the world, the surroundings around her. It seemed that not even the darkness, the emptiness of this place bugged her. It did not even put a hint, a sign of her even faltering. Not even a small grin, or frown.

Her face, her features remained perfectly still as she followed the man with the silver hair forward, into the world he had brought her to. She remained still as he explained to her what this all was, what this place was. S-she kind of liked it. I-it felt like her heart. A void. Dark. Empty. Spaceless.

She was also attracted to the water. Water seemed to call to her. She didn't quite know why though. Was she attune to it? Attune? what kind of word was that? She felt herself discovering new words, new things every moment. Every second that she lived. Of which Master Xemnas started to awaken in her.

I like things much colder though...

She saw the shadowy creatures appear around her and Master Xemnas. What were they? She looked to wards Xemnas, unsure of what they were. Her facial features showing no hint of confusion, or being scared. Nothing. Her stature remained the same, strong. Her shoulders raised up, her head a bit high. Turned to wards the nobody with silver gray hair. "What are they?" She asked, unsure.

As she did, one leaped to wards her. Trying to attack her. She raised her hand as she did a few shards of ice were sent to wards the Neo-Shadow Heartless that had leaped towards her. The ice penetrated it, and it disintegrated. Disappearing. She looked at her hand. No emotion on her face again. One would of guess if she did have emotions this one would probably be surprise. "Hmm? What was that?" She asked, more or so to herself. She stared at her hand, curious.

[nascent]

Darkness...

He could feel it all around him, as though drowning in an endless sea of black ink. It was that sense of all-consuming darkness that stirred the shadowmage from whatever slumber he'd fallen into, urging him to his feet lest it should consume him, too.

Strange, though... he didn't remember falling asleep. He didn't remember...

His head throbbed, his body ached. Yet try as he might he could not recall the cause of these sensations. It felt as though he'd been fighting... but could neither recall whom, where, or why. As he stood he cast his eyes across his body, surprised for reasons he could not explain to see no wounds. Even so, this head-to-toe weariness would not release him from its grip, inexplicable though it was. The blue-haired warlock cast his gaze around, surveying his environs. He stood upon a small patch of earth surrounded by still, unmoving water scattered with similar five and ten foot islands and the occasional rocky spire. What was this strange place, caught somewhere between twilight and nightfall?

The wizard reached up and cradled his throbbing head in one hand, willing the brutal ache to subside for at least a moment so that he could think. How did he get here, and why? His memories brought forth no answer; in fact, the deeper he reached for answers the more inexplicable blanks he discovered. His past... his goals... nothing, just nothing. He grit his teeth, willing something - anything - to come to his mind.

Magus.

A name.

His name... or was it? It felt right, yet to some part of him silently urged that the notion was somehow incomplete.

"Meow?"

The wizard looked up as the sound reached his ears. On an island not too distant from his own sat a small cat with peculiar pale-purple fur... seemingly looking right at him. Deja vu swept over him; did he know this creature? Before Magus could make up his mind the furry little animal turned and scampered off, surprisingly walking across the water as though it were solid ground. He hastened after it without thinking, amazed to find himself performing the same feat while only creating small ripples in the surface with each step. Despite trying to keep pace he inevitably fell behind, and without warning the feline suddenly faded out of sight like a ghost. He stopped, momentarily stunned by its disappearance.

You shouldn't stop here.

Magus felt the voice more than heard it, as though it traveled up through his veins and into his mind. Head turning left and right he sought some source for the strange instruction, yet found no new phantoms. What was this?! He felt a cold chill run the length of his spine as the voice, which was not a voice at all, returned.

Can't you feel them? They know you're here.

You don't have what they want... but they don't know that.

"Who are you?" His voice was a whisper at first, but when no reply came it turned to a shout. "Who are you?!"

Run.

Not more than a moment later, strange shadowy forms began to rise up from the ground and the unbroken sea, becoming small black creatures with piercing yellow eyes, long jagged antennae, and lanky claw-like hands. For several long moments they eyed the shadowmancer hungrily, dancing back and forth like greedy impish children. Then they attacked.

A flash of silver cut the first ones down. Guided by instinct Magus had summoned forth a reaper's blade bookended by spear-tips on both ends of its snath. There was no time to marvel over this; wave after shadowy wave charged him, and regardless of how many he divested of form more rose to take their place. The wizard grit his teeth. Death here was not an option. Cutting a last wide swath through the enemy's ranks, he turned on his heels and sprinted away as fast as his feet would carry him.

In the distance he spotted more of the shadowy forms, yet these were engaged with other targets. Two individuals in black... would these people help him? He could see no other refuge, and knew he'd have to try before he was overrun.

[Shinn]

From what the Superior witnessed it would seem that her element was Ice much like that of Vexen. It wasn't too bad but he needed to know what class of Nobody she was before continuing on. He was surprised to not see her summon a weapon to defend herself, but from the look of it she had no idea she could do that. It would take some time but with the right training her Ice powers could prove to be very useful.

Vexen had the ability to use Ice as well, but the fool was more of a thinker than a warrior. She had much potential and could very definetly surpass the Chilly Academic in strength. She could even surpass some of the other stronger members of Organization XIII. But he needed to see what she was capable of doing for right now and to do that he needed to find out her Nobody class.

He looked over to the NeoShadow Heartless who were just standing there twitching around waiting for the right moment to attack them. He looked over to Katsumi.

"There are still the rest of these Heartless to take care of. You need to control your Ice element if you have any hope of defeating them."

The NeoShadow Heartless sprung into action this time the remaining six all went in for the attack on the two Nobodies.

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

"Ice?" She asked the other nobody. The nobody with shiny gray, silver hair. Her eccentric eyes stared blankly at him, they seemed to be the only bright thing in this cold dark watery world. Besides the fact of her brilliant blue hair and Master Xemnas's silver gray hair.

She had asked that simply because she had not known she possessed such powers. And Ice at that? Intriguing. She looked back at her hand, trying to figure out how exactly she did that. She only knew of one weapon that she had. Her dagger, Abelio. She saw the remaining six shadowy creatures spring towards her. Attacking her, as well as Xemnas.

Suddenly ice formations formed around the NeoShadows and then burst into a million pieces, penetrating the six NeoShadows. The only reaction Katusmi had made was raising her hand in front of her and snapping two fingers. "Hmm.."

Her expression remained the same, hollow. Empty.

[nascent]

Magus ran as fast as he was able, scythe rending Heartless left and right as he fled. The shadows were manifesting in front of him now, trying to block his escape while their brethren clawed at his heels. Too many... there were simply too many, and more continued to rise and pursue him. The warlock now felt fully and utterly alive, driven to forget his weariness by the pulse of adrenaline and the primal need to survive. Each step brought him just that much closer to the silver-haired man and the young girl; he watched now as she dispatched six dark attackers with a flurry of icy shards, struck by the fact that such a display of power seemed familiar to him.

By now surely the two saw him coming; if not him, then the dozens of shadows not far behind. Soon they'd be in earshot, but not yet. One of his pursuers leapt up and grabbed hold of his arm, its claws tearing into the flesh as it fastened its grip. Magus snarled, slamming the creature's face with his other hand. It jarred loose and fell, but not without raking several long open wounds into his arm on its way out.

He was close now; they would surely hear him at this distance.

"I beg of you, help me!" Magus shouted, his voice imploring the man and girl. "I cannot fight them all myself!"

He turned on his heel now, cutting a wide arc with his reaper's blade as he faced his attackers. To his surprise the impish shadows halted at almost the same time, their yellow eyes dancing between the two Nobodies and the scythe-bearer as though wondering what their odds were. Taking advantage of this reprieve, Magus glanced at his arm to check the severity of his wound.

His eyes went wide. There was no blood. Instead, the wound spewed forth a vaporous darkness.

'What... what is this?!' He thought, stunned.

Wouldn't you like to know...

The voice from before, echoing in his head. Magus grit his teeth, frustrated and confused, then turned his gaze towards the silver-haired man in the long black coat.

"Please... I'll do whatever you ask of me."

[Shinn]

Katsumi performed better than Xemnas had anticipated. She definetly had a strong Ice element that lay hidden within her. Once she is able to control and harness her full power, Katsumi would prove to be a most valuable asset for Xemnas. After Katsumi defeated the remaining Heartless Xemnas turned to see a newcomer to the area who had been pursued by some Heartless asking for their help.

What an interesting predicament Xemnas and Katsumi were now in. Xemnas had sensed this stranger a while back but decided to pay no attention to him and concentrate on his young pupil. But he knew it wouldn't be long before they would encounter him. Although this was a very interesting turn of events, he came towards them with numerous Heartless behind him and was seeking aid from them.

Now for Xemnas he could care less than he already couldn't for some stranger. But this would be a very interesting little experiment to test Katsumi with. He wondered, would she try and help someone she doesn't know, or choose to let him handle the Heartless on her own? He decided to let Katsumi make this decision for the both of them.

He looked over at Katsumi, "I'll leave you to decide if we should assist this total stranger."

He looked over to the wounded man who's arms were beginning to pour out darkness from his wounds.

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

Katsumi's attention was grabbed by the voice, who was in need of help. Shadows following it. They were no intimate danger to her, or Master Xemnas. She stood there quietly, calmly. Not even reacting to the person's calls for help. Her face remained dry of any sign of wanting to help the person. She just watched. No hint of pity for the person who was being attacked by heartless, shadow people.

I'll leave you to decide if we should assist this total stranger.

"My choice...?" She asked, her face remained the same expression it held since she had come to existence. What was a choice? A choice like choosing what room she wanted? She did not know this person. "Why should I help him? When no one has ever helped me." She said out loud. She looked down as something started to manifest in her hand. A bow. A long bow. It was brown but was intertwined with many different colors of blue, purple and pink. She looked at it.

"Curious." She said out loud. She guessed she might help this person. She raised her bow towards where the man was, heartless surrounding him now. She pulled the string on her bow backwards and a arrow made of ice appeared and she shot it with such precision that one would think she had trained in archery for years. She shot more and more, each accurate. Till all the heartless were gone. She strung one more and raised it towards the man. But didn't let it go. "Who are you?" She asked.

She was learning.

And learning fast.

[nascent]

One by one the shadows fell, icy bolts piercing their ephemeral forms and leaving behind only plumes of black fog. In quick succession the entire swarm had been cut down... but as he turned to face his rescuers, the shadowmage found another frigid arrow leveled at him.

"Who are you?"

Magus looked into the young girl's eyes and saw no expression, no hint of emotion. She wouldn't hesitate to let that arrow fly straight into his chest, piercing his heart... of course, that assumed he still had one. No blood from his wound... what was he? And why did the idea of a heart strike him as strange suddenly?

Foolish one. Aren't you even aware of yourself?

You are nothing. An echo in the void, tainted with darkness from a heart you no longer possess.

That voice in his mind again... it seemed like it could read his thoughts, somehow. He didn't understand any of what was going on suddenly. An echo, tainted with darkness? A heart he no longer possessed? What did that mean?! Was he... some sort of ghost?

In a way.

Except no one died. You were just... cast off.

That arrow was still aimed right at him, and he hadn't answered the girl's question yet. Mysteries could wait; survival came first. Slowly, moving in the least threatening way he could, the mage sunk to his knees and discarded his scythe to one side.

"Magus... that's the only name I can remember. I... I don't know who I am at all... or even if... if I'm actually a real person. I only just awoke here minutes ago. I have no memory of anything before that." He paused, hesitating. "You asked why you should help me." He slowly bowed his face to the ground, prostrate before the blizzard-archer. "I swore to do whatever you asked of me... I will honor that promise. Until such time as you feel my debt repaid, I pledge to be your servant in exchange for sparing my life."

Hmph! How the mighty have fallen.

If you're that weak, then perhaps this is the best outcome for you, indeed.

Ignoring the voice, Magus remained as he was and waited for the girl to render her verdict.

[Shinn]

Xemnas had expected after hearing her words that she would not help out the wounded person but in an interesting turn of events, this did not take place. Just as he was about to leave with her and let the man take care of the Heartless alone, Katsumi somehow summoned a weapon. It was a bow. Could this be her primary weapon? Quickly and accurately she took down the Heartless one by one. For someone who had presumably never used one, she was quite the crack shot. Xemnas interpreted this as a possible body reaction from her past. He suspected, that in her past Katsumi might have been an archer of some sort. But this was of no concern to the Superior. Now she would use this skill for him alone. Just then another surprising turn of events occurred.

After finishing off the Heartless Katsumi aimed her bow and arrow at the fallen man. Xemnas raised an eyebrow at this before giving a quick smirk. The man had given them a name and nothing more due to his inability to remember anything else. Xemnas placed his hand over his young wards shoulder. "I think that we will not get anything else from him. However it will now be up to me to decide what his fate shall be. After all he is one of us."

Xemnas walked over to Magus standing over the fallen Nobody. "From this day on your life will belong to Nothingness. Come if you wish to begin your non-existence." Xemnas then turned his back away from Magus and headed to where he and Katsumi were supposed to go. He motioned Katsumi to follow him.

[♥ kats KAT kats ♥]

Her bow n arrow remained aimed at the man, who for awhile had yet to introduce himself. She would wait until he answered to choose if she would release her arrow or not. She stood where she was, not moving a muscle. Her face void of any kind of emotion whatsoever. Finally the man spoke up.

Magus... that's the only name I can remember. I... I don't know who I am at all... or even if... if I'm actually a real person. I only just awoke here minutes ago. I have no memory of anything before that.

His name was Magus and he didn't seem to remember anything, much like Katsumi had when she had first found herself in the Land of Dragons. Not remembering anything. She was slowly about to lower her bow but before she could Xemnas put a hand on her shoulder saying;

I think that we will not get anything else from him. However it will now be up to me to decide what his fate shall be. After all he is one of us.

Master Xemnas was wise. It seemed that the man, Magus, was one of them. He did not remember anything. She lowered her bow and then it disappeared into nothing. She looked down at her hands, if she would of showed any expression at all this one would be shock. Where had her bow gone? How would she be able to call on it again? How had she summoned it in the first place?

"One of us?" She asked, to no one in particular but instead was questioning the words themselves.

Master Xemnas stood over the fallen man, nobody. Katsumi listened attentively, wanting to gain any kind of knowledge with the wise man's words. Her master's words. It did seem as if Xemnas had Katsumi under his thumb. A nobody could be deceived so easily. Could be taken a hold of and used. Like a toy.

From this day on your life will belong to Nothingness. Come if you wish to begin your non-existence.

Now, both of these nobodies would belong to Nothingness. They would be non-existent.

Nobodies were such frail creatures. They did not know anything, so they could be nothing. Could not understand the true meaning of words, but could only obey those words. Katsumi would be non-existent, to become somebody. Anybody. To find who she was.

In actuality, she would make something of herself instead of finding who she was. All with Master Xemnas's help.

She followed him, hoping he would guide her to who she is.

[nascent]

"...he is one of us."

"...your life will belong to Nothingness."

"Come if you wish to begin your non-existence."

Magus' mind spun in a wild tumble, trying to make sense of what he was being told. Nothingness? Non-existence? But... he was here! He could feel the heave of his chest with every breath and the sting of pain from the open wound on his arm. If he was feeling these things, didn't that mean he existed? Wasn't non-existence supposed to be utterly devoid of everything -- not just senses and experience, but form and substance as well?

Does an echo exist? A color? A memory?

You are now like these.

They, too, are 'echoes', but without your dark taint. Join them. Perhaps they will make it clearer to you.

The man -- the non-existence -- with white hair began walking away; Magus rose to follow him. He reached for his scythe, not knowing what he would do with it now that he was no longer in danger. To his surprise the weapon vanished in a small flash of light... even more surprising, the warlock somehow knew that he'd be able to summon it again if needed. Magus shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Over-thinking what was going on wasn't likely to help -- he had a million questions, but this was not the time. His 'life' had just been spared... it was important now that he continue to 'be' until such a time as he could find answers, and burdening his rescuers with his queries seemed... ill-advised.

The Nobody known as Magus fell into step behind Xemnas, not knowing what, if anything, lay ahead of him.

[Lexaeus]

As the Superior and his new flock began to walk away from the site of the girl's testing Xehanort's Nobody would began to feel the faint presence of a familliar darkness on this world. Not close, but near enough to tell it was small and weak. Would he find it suitable enough to look into?

For the sake of Lexaeus, the Silent Hero, one would hope so. In a tucked-away corner of the End of the World his shell lay horizontally in mid-air, floating in a cavern of blue rocks. It wore its Organization coat, which should have masked his presence from any and all, but fragments of darkness were continuously gathering in towards him. His darkness. These small fragments were returning to his core while bringing the trapped essence of his nothingness body with him. The floating body was surrounded by a capsule of red-tinted darkness, full of his yet-unreturned energy and form. It was this collection that gave off the small source of Lexaeus' presence. If one looked closely at the body they would see bits and pieces missing from it, as if erased, but slowly returning to their proper states as more tiny bits of nothingness gathered back into him.

Lexaeus had saved himself from total oblivion using the power of darkness, but he was still far from a full recovery. At its current rate the former Number V. would still take weeks to fully restore his form and who knows how long afterward to regain consciousness and strength.

Darkness had saved his body, but only Nothingness could restore him...