The Ultima Rebirth~Prologue: Invasion

[Renewed Gemini]

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Opening Song (click the first play button)

The Ultima Rebirth
Prologue:
Invasion

The earth was trembling. It had been doing this a lot lately. Becoming more and more frequent. No one could explain it. Not scientists, not clerics, not anyone. Crazy old men had taken to the street to yell, "The end is coming!" Most people rolled their eyes towards them and moved on. Others took them seriously. There was a good amount of people in Traverse Town believing that this was truly the end of their world, and this time it wasn't going to be like if it were destroyed by Heartless. They believed it was going to literally fall apart.

Starring Renewed Gemini

But this day was different. The tremors were happening within every half hour. It had never occured this often. People were packing their bags with necessities and preparing to board evacuation gummi ships. The mayor was awaiting one final tremor to make the decision to leave. The usual time where the tremor occured was almost upon them, yet none of them thought death, only flight.

Night Sky

This was the world's...the universe's flaw. None of them ever actually believed that death could meet them. Only the true warriors knew that death was possible, and even then, they were not truly prepared. No, the only way one could fear death is if they stared it in the face.

Yuber

And that's why they had to destroy the Gummi Ships.

BOOM

Prythian

The gummi pieces flew through the air left and right. People that were standing in line to board the ships ducked for cover. They were now doomed. Their last savior was destroyed. Tears welled up in people's eyes. Screams of terror. They were all ready to die.

And General Highwind

Kill them.

The order was clear and it was taken into action swiftly. Gray swirling portals appeared throughout Traverse Town. From the portals, shadowy cloaked creatures appeared. There must have been hundreds of them. They all began slaughtering the towns people with their silvery swords. Screams rose up from the burning buildings. Traverse Town had become a scene of shere horror.

The Soulwraiths have returned.

((Please post to establish an order)

[seraph]

His large gaping mouth nearly swallowed the pillow whole. Another tremor had stirred him from his equally short sleep of only twenty minutes. Still fully clothed, the material hunter was sprawled out on his bed moaning and groaning through tiredness. "Was it too much to ask for to send me to a world that isn't going to hell..." he proclaimed to himself. The moogles were going to suffer for this. Plucking the strength to carry on from somewhere inside his body, he managed to stand up off the bed. Lying down for only twenty minutes had done nothing but make his legs feel a bit wobbly.

Stretching them out a bit he headed over to the desk. Another tremor began to occur in which the whole Hotel rocked. To Clovis' alarm a plate fell from the cabinet smashing on the floor somewhere along the other side of the room. Turning back towards the desk he grabbed his utility belt fixing his dagger along with other materials to himself. "Better get off world soon...this place has had it" he stated looking around the room. Although he had no idea what was causing this, he had found that this was not the first world to suddenly 'break' whenever it felt like it. After all it was formed from all the castaways from other worlds and they were all back to normal now. So therefore this place had run its course, or so the blonde young man saw.

Heading to the door he reached for the handle letting himself out into the hallway. Even the staff had deserted this place now and nearly all the residents had been evacuated off-world to god knows where. Clovis had his own methods of jumping from place to place and it required no Gummi blocks. Strolling down the hallway a little bit a fierce tremor hit causing him to fall into the right side of the wall with force. Upon impact he let out a little grunt of pain. Once the seismic activity ceased he pulled himself back together. "That's gonna sting in the morning..." he reminded himself after leaving the building. Now in the first district it appeared to be empty save a few people rushing towards the evacuation point.

Yawning and stretching simultaneously once outside, his ice coloured eyes glanced on the sky. Something didn't quite feel right however he didn't really care. He'd be off this world in a few minutes so what did it matter. Pulling his MAD from his left pocket, he pressed a few buttons to locate his own 'exit'. The moogles had discovered ways to temporarily open corridors of darkness using these devices ( which were used for alot more things than transportation ) at the point that was weakest in the fabric of the world wall. "Third district, better get a move on" he spurred himself on.

Something happened next he wasn't quite prepared for by all accounts. Without a care in the world he marched his blonde slim frame over towards the tailor shop to take the stairs down to the Third District. Before he could do so however a very powerful explosion occurred somewhere in the first district. Slabs of the wall and gates between the two areas flew all over the place in which Clovis himself was thrown from the top layer down into the square a few feet from the fountain. Temporarily incapacitated he got to his feet, his ears screeching at him from the blast shock wave. He felt his arms all numb as well as his legs.

"What...the...hell" he managed to form from his mouth feeling the heat of flames and the screams of the citizens. They were distant but he could hear them clearly once the ringing in his ears died after a few seconds. Slowly dragging his weak body up off the floor, he was cut in a few placed, particularly to his right arm. "Great...all I need. Heartless..." he cursed under his breath. Reaching now into his right pocket, he pulled a vial of Elixer, only to be used in emergencies. Drinking the golden syrup-like substance he felt renewed with incredible vigor and drive as his wounds seemed to heal with a glowing green light. It was a shame it couldn't be said about his clothes but they were torn in a few placed hear and there but Clovis would get over it, well he had no choice.

He did feel bad about leaving the citizens to fend for themselves, no doubt it was the heartless that had caused that explosion which had triggered this mess. Coming to think of it, they were probably responsible for the tremors as well. Deciding to break into a brisk walk across the square Clovis felt as if he was being watched from a distance. "I'm really not in the mood for a round today... he noted to himself. However the man clad in green wouldn't have much of a choice as things were about to take a turn for the worst.

Several swirls of empty husks of grey smoke surrounded him. Something was coming and it didn't feel like Heartless at all. Extending his right hand almost instinctively a flash of light blue emitted from his outstretched palm. In its place was a double ended sword with small hilt guards and a handle to fit four hands around. The Grosserfluss was a very sparkly weapon which only served to dazzle along with death-deal upon receiving a blow from this weapon. Spinning it around he got himself into his usual defensive stance with both hands on the handle raised to his right side. These things were bearing swords whatever the hell they were. A small sense of fear was beginning to grip Clovis' heart. "Come on...get a grip. Sierra will drag you from hell to kill you again if you die here..." he muttered to himself trying to raise his morale. This was all in a days work, but with five of them surrounding him what chances did he have?

[High's .Valentine.]

Sensitive ears do not go well with world disasters. After multiple ringing tremors and loose bricks threatening to clog him in the head, the tall male decided it was best to stop moving and…STAY. STILL. His ears rang from the cacophony. Very Black-Mantis like, he had casted aside all anxiety of the cobble beneath him disappearing into thin air. And the toppling. Of course, it wasn’t going to happen a SECOND time was it? And not every tremor means more pain. Something toppled next to him, erupting into chunks of cement. Or…there might be some kind of correlation.

This was actually the second time he had ever experienced such tremors. The first time had left a permanent trauma on him. Tore his world asunder and ironically down the rabbit hole he had went. It had plopped him in a fanatical world full of whack-jobs. If he had stayed there any longer, he might have ended up like them, which was something very un-Black-Mantis-like.

Ahem. Back on subject.

The Mantis, in all his regal elegance, stepped aside as another brick collided with the spot he had just been standing still on. He waited, imperially, for the tremor to pass. He would have half an hour to continue moving before he must stop again. Half an hour to search for his little lackey. Of course, he could walk right through the quakes with very little disarray, but hey, it’s better to be motionless when the ground is threatening to give way beneath you.

Today, he was missing a shadow.

Usually, to his side, either skipping about or forcefully clinging to his arm or hand, should be a young woman, practically half his size and radiating sunlight…if there is light around. The two were obvious opposites, one dark and lethargic while the other bright and energetic. Yet, she was the only sun that he can see without burning into a pile of ashes. Now he stand in his own shadow, lost his own celestial sun. He wasn’t about to give a melodramatic whining about it, nor cry and sob over his loss. Regardless of how faithful she had claimed she can be, Luther knew it wasn’t much of a paradise, following him around. Sooner or later, she was going to leave. He would have been glad to be rid of her, if not for the fact that her disappearance had alarmed him. She was gone after a few days of their stay in Traverse Town, the world with no sun. He’d expect her to run off in a place always shining, like Twilight Town…but this pitiful pit of a town? It was questionable…enough for him to be suspicious. Not to mention, soon after that, the tremors began…

Brushing long black hair aside, Luther Shiang continued on as the earthquake came to a still. In its wake, he could hear all the shrill cries of the people of this desiccated world. His stomach quietly protested its emptiness. In this madness, there will be no chance to take a head count… He could put off the search for another while until he gets his fill.

The Vampire trailed along the shadows, following a young man with blond hair. Amber eyes observed the strange device he had pulled out. He would have sprung if not, again, for the disturbance. Always the disturbance.

He couldn’t hear, except for that insistent ringing, like a gnat he couldn’t swat. In turn, his whole inner balance seemed to have been smacked with a baseball bat as Luther lost his footing and off the edge he toppled, along with the youth he had tried to eat. The Vampire rolled and into the corner he went, away from the youth who was hopefully too engaged with his own problems to notice another male fall right behind him.

Disheveled, Luther pulled back his long hair into a ponytail and brushed the dust off of his clothes, glowering in the meantime while he waited for the buzzing to cease. It was times like these when the Mantis wouldn’t have minded human ears, dull to the nuances of sounds. As the sound dampened enough for Luther to move without tipping over, the Mantis stopped as another overwhelming force seemed to take over the courtyard. His slowed his breathing as ripples in the shape of portals appeared around the man and himself. Through it stepped cloaked creatures that…reeked of death. Luther scrunched his nose slightly and continued brushing dust off of the magenta fluff hanging off of his belt…

[/blockquote]

[prythian]

Phantasm hadn't been particularly interested in the inhabitants of Traverse Town attempting to flee the world. He didn't care about the random tremors that had been happening. He hadn't even noticed the few townspeople that decided he was a ghost there to terrorize the town in its final hours.

His orb-like body hovered in an inch above the ground in gray fog, the same type of fog his solid body was made off. Off the sides of the large orb were two whip-like tendrils. He moved forwards, leaving behind a trail of fog as he did, which quickly dissipated. He moved up to the attacking Soulwraiths, his interest finally kindled.

"What are you doing, and why are you doing it?" He asked with curiosity, his voice seeming to just come out of the air, unconnected to him, and yet it was somehow innately connected to him in such a way that all who heard it knew it was his.

[xeon]

Another rough day...but not for the usual reason. Michael had been taking regular doses of 'Crying Night' throughout the week; so his withdrawal symptoms were minimal. However his boss was somewhat of an asshole, and was blaming him for the gratuitous amount of broken dishes in the coffee shop. Yes, apparently it was his fault that the ground refused to sit still. Guess he could just at it to the list of things that evidently hated him.

Had he gone along with the blame, he would have been fine...but his stubborn pride had refused to accept the false accusations from his boss, and had been fired as a result. Though if the old doomsayers were right, he wouldn't need to worry about that for much longer. The tremors were becoming more frequent after all...perhaps it really was the end of the world. As another shock-wave rippled through the ground, he began to believe it somewhat himself...after all; hadn't his own world fallen?

Fuming as he walked along the street toward the second district, he noticed something off. There was an ominous tensing in the atmosphere, like the calm before a storm. Then, out of nowhere, several gray swirling gateways came into existence nearby. He would have just thought them bits of fog, and not doors, if it hadn't been for the shadowy figures that stepped out of them with what appeared to be swords made of silver. Normally, he would assess the situation first, and determine whether they were friend or foe; but since one of them dispatched the townsman standing in front of its doorway, he decided to go with foe.

Darkness swirled in Michael's hands as he called Darksorrow into this plane of existance. Swinging the black spear around into a defensive position, he stared the nearest one down, waiting for it to make the first move while at the same time trying to quell his anxiety. For some reason, the sight, nay, the very presence of these beings instilled in him a fear he'd never had even when in the throes of battle. This wasn't good...of that he had no doubt.

[Night Sky]

Another tremor shook the world, right on schedule like the others. The Keyblade Wielder known as Tenebra was a little concerned and felt that it was about time to leave this place. At the time the residents of Traverse Town were starting to leave, he had been in a secluded area where a powerful wizard once lived in. He had been told to check that place out to see if he had left anything there such as a book or a scroll.

The wizard made sure that he took everything when he left, nothing but a stick resting in the middle of a platform was left there. Tenebra wasn't disappointed by this since he wasn't into the whole "magic stuff" still, it sucks leaving a place empty handed. He picked up the stick and left the room.

After leaving the Magicians study he was now in the Third District. Immediately he knew something was wrong. It reeked of death, almost to a point where he couldn't stand it. This couldn't have been the work of Heartless, they don't technically kill people.

Tenebra: Man, what the heck happened here? Heartless attacks never get this brutal.

He continued walking around the Third District rushing to each body to see if any of them were still alive. Sadly, none of them survived. He could see the thick clouds of smoke coming from the buildings in the other districts. There wasn't anything left for him here, Tenebra knew that he had to go and see what was the cause of all this.

Then the worst happened. As he was making his way out of the Third District the lights started flickering. Looking over at the fountain where two dogs were shown, the waters flow ceased. Gray swirling portals appeared around him and he knew already that this was the cause of all this. He immediately summoned his Keyblade and prepared for whatever would come at him. What came out wasn't what he expected. Cloaked creatures wielding swords, but they weren't Heartless.

Tenebra: These things, what are they?

Whatever they were, they were gonna have to be taken care of before more people got hurt.

[Renewed Gemini]

Clovis & Luther

Soulwraiths=5

Five Soulwraiths surrounded Clovis and Luther. The creatures breathed heavily, as if they were severe smokers or incredibly obese. Eyes stared at the two men from underneath their hoods. Not a single one of the creatures moved. They were clearly confused. Their general had told them that all would be accepting of death, but why were these two not? They were ready to fight from the looks of it. No matter, they could not waste anymore time. These two would have to be cut down.

One of the Soulwraiths stuck out. Instead of a silver sword, he held a silver mace. It was clear that this one was a leader. He motioned towards Luther and two of the Soulwraiths moved in on him. The other two moved in on Clovis. None of them spoke, it was as if they could use telepathy to communicate. The lead Soulwraith joined the two that had moved towards Clovis. They did not run or even move fast. They just strolled towards the men, as if they were sure that their enemies stood no chance. Once they were within range, the four Soulwraiths raised their swords and brought them down on the two men. The captain swung his mace at Clovis's face.

((I don't believe any of your weapons are silver, but if I overlooked something and they are, please let me know.))


Phantasm

Soulwraiths=1

"What are you doing, and why are you doing it?"

The Soulwraith had plunged his silver sword into a citizen's back right as Phantasm had approached the creature. Its head snapped towards Phantasm. The Soulwraith began sniffing and soon after that, it screeched. It sounded almost like nails on a chalkboard and it echoed through the entire town. It could be heard even over the screams of the citizens.

The Soulwraith quickly removed his sword from the citizen and sprinted towards Phantasm. It brought its arm back and quickly slashed horizontally and Phantasm.


Michael Raith

Soulwraiths=3

The Soulwraiths turned towards Michael slowly. They noticed the spear and then did something almost uncharacteristic. They laughed. One of them stepped forward. This Soulwraith was wearing a helmet that resembled the face of a ghoul. It was made of silver, had to eyeholes and a hole for his mouth.

We know who you are, Michael Raith. You bear our name.

The voice really had no voice, but it echoed into Michael's head as if the creature was communicating telepathically.

Even through all that you have gone through, you are not ready to die. Why? You could be a strong agent of the Soulwraiths. We need more creatures that utilize the Darkness like you do....

The Soulwraith waited patiently for a response.


Tenebra[/b]

Soulwraiths=4

The four Soulwraiths watched Tenebra ominously. They did not make a move, they only held their silver swords in front of them. They waited for him to make the first attack, but then they noticed the keyblade. One of the Soulwraiths shuddered. It looked like a keyblade, but it did not fully smell like one. Answers were necessary, just to make sure that the Soulwraiths were not going to make a dire mistake.

Why do you hold a Keyblade that does not have a Keychain?

One would think that this was an insignificant question, but it meant a great deal to the Soulwraiths. It was an opinion of life or death.



((Phew. Nevermind on the posting order, guys. Just post in whatever order you'd like, I'll also post in between so that I don't have to do one of these giant posts again. Later on in the plot, you guys may just want to converse between yourselves (cause you all will meet up eventually), and I won't be posting. It just all depends on what's going on that determines how often I post. If you guys wanna post one after another (like Clovis and Luther) go ahead.))

[seraph]

That breathing was incredibly unerring and it chilled his slim frame to the core. Ice cold eyes tried to find a face in the darkness that was concealed beneath those cloaks. Nothing. "These aren't heartless... he noted to himself tightening his grip around Grosserfluss. Swallowing a rather large quantity of saliva, the blonde man thought of just cutting and running but the way they were advancing told him not to bother. Although he tried to back away from the two advancing towards him, their rather impressive levitation ability was faster. Clovis' mind ticked and whirred as he thoughts of many ways to get out of this predicament.

That twinge of fear gripped the hunters heart as he wrapped his fingers even tighter around his weapon. Grunting in a somewhat angry manner, he demanded "What the hell are you people?!" not even noticing another person lingering around. His stance changed slightly with his weapon raised but at his right side with both hands stilled wrapped firmly around the dual ended blade. Several moments of silence ensued. Apparently they seemed to favor swords that conversation. Two rapid strikes came from the two wraiths bearing swords. Without even thinking his instincts kicked in. Immediately he swung his weapon far to the left the bottom end first.

A flash of sparks indicated the blades had collided and with some force. As Clovis had sub-consciously intended the other sword had successfully blocked the second attack from the other wraith. Not a moment after he had parried the blows he backed off a few steps hopping back wards to clear some distance. Relentlessly he noticed a flash of silver. Having no idea what it was his immediate reaction was to lean back with his right leg back and swing Grosserfluss over his upper body. Thankfully his luck sustained him as his adrenaline provided him with a pounding heart. Almost in slow motion he watched the mace collide with his own weapon, the sparks illuminating the area for a fleeting moment.

Forcing his weight forwards Clovis summoned the strength to go on the offensive. Using the momentum from the blocked attack, Grosserfluss swung fast and hard from his left to slam into the right side of the wraith in a almost perfect horizontal line with the bottom blade. If this was not enough, the blonde man got a little over zealous and swung again. Raising the blade, he swung the bottom blade under his arm allowing the top blade for a clean shot at the wraiths right shoulder. This diagonal slash was all that Clovis was willing to go for as he quickly backed off with a backward leap followed by another one clearing about seven meters between him and his foes. It was only then after re-evaluating his standpoint that he noticed the other person. "Guess I'm not the only one with problems..." he muttered to himself as he began to scrape together some formula of a plan to get him self out of this messy situation.

[xeon]

His nerves as far on the edge as they had ever been, Michael waited for the mysterious cloaked figures to attack; to strike him down as they had the other townsfolk. His heart was racing, and his adrenaline pumped through his system at a ridiculous rate. Unfortunately, an increase heart-rate was not helpful in this situation, as it caused his head to begin a dull ache. Not nearly as bad as a full withdrawal, but it would hinder him; and judging by the way the three shadowy figures around him moved, he would be hard pressed to survive this.

They did not strike, however, which confused him greatly. Though that surprise was nothing against what they actually did. They spoke to him. Asking him a question about his will to live, and saying something about "Soulwraiths". They even said that they knew him...and that he carried their name. Whatever that meant.

Depressingly...he really had no idea as to how to answer their first question. Aside from living a half-life caused by his addiction from day to day....he really had no ties to life. His existence certainly wasn't worth much, if anything, at this point...and he had no goals or aspirations to speak of beyond beating his addiction. It was pathetic really, for one who was formerly praised as a great and noble knight to have fallen so very far. Of course, none of this was really these ghosty-thing's business...so he decided to address their second question...leaving the first for his own brooding contemplation.

Summoning what he hope sounded to be a calm, authoritative voice, he addressed the group, not knowing which one the voice had emanated from; Though he assumed that it was the one who had stepped forward.

"Who are you...and what in the darkness is a 'Soulwraith'?"

[Renewed Gemini]

Clovis & Luther

The two blades of the Soulwraiths struck Clovis's. As he parried, so did they. The creatures slid backwards over the concrete to allow their captain to regain composure after the block that Clovis had pulled off against the mace. The giant silver spiked ball dropped to the ground, leaving the creature open for Clovis's attack.

The blade, Grosserfluss, went right through the Soulwraith, leaving a wisp of black mist where there should have been blood pouring out. The Soulwraiths stood there, unharmed. The sword had gone right through the creature, leaving no damage at all. The captain made a growling noise and lifted the mace again. It swung over his head and hit one of the Soulwraiths by accident. That was embarassing. The lesser Soulwraith that it hit was flung across the ground. It lied there, bleeding a gooey black fluid, and then faded.

The fighting space was too close for the mace, so the captain stepped back and allowed the remaining Soulwraith to take over. The silver mace glinted as it disappeared. The lesser Soulwraith stepped forward again, but instead of moving slowly, he moved quickly, making a speedy horizontal slash toward's Clovis's torso.

Soulwraiths=4

Frost

We are what you are not. We have accepted our death with open arms and it was granted to us. Our accepting of the inevitable has made us stronger than you could ever be in this life, but can be in your next. If you want proof...simply attempt to strike me down.

The Soulwraith that had stepped forward dismissed his silver sword. He spread his arms wide open and stared deep into the soul of Michael. It was more than just an offer of trust, it was a test. The Soulwraiths were eager to see this man's strength. If he was strong enough in the Tangible Universe, then he could possibly be a spy for them until the time comes for his promotion into the ranks of the Soulwraiths. All he needed to do was complete the Soulwraith's request.

Soulwraiths=3

[prythian]

Phantasm's arm swept up without a second thought, becoming as hard as metal and flinging itself like a whip to deflect the attack. His other arm swept up and lashed out at the same moment, his body going almost fully instinctual to fight. Some urge, perhaps one that came from outside, had made him feel the need to fight against these creatures now. It was as if some noble soul had taken hold of his own, which was shifting and fluid, ever changing. "You..." Phantasm said, as if trying to puzzle out something on the tip of his tongue. "Do you..."

"...know what I am...?"

[Renewed Gemini]

Phantasm

The Soulwraith pulled it's sword free from the whip like weapon that had blocked the attack, but it wasn't quick enough to dodge or block the whip that had struck it on its leg. The creature screeched again and a black ooze ran from the wound and stained the cloak darker than it already was. It back away slowly. The Soulwraith's opponent WAS what the Soulwraith had thought it was. The cloaked monster growled yet again as a reply to Phantasm's question and took a vertical slash at Phantasm.

Soulwraith=1

[xeon]

The Soulwraith, as the phantom being called itself, surprisingly explained what it was without confrontation. After seeing what it did to the citizens just seconds before, this fact caught him off guard. Apparently they were a form of undead; something that had given up it's life for something more. A form of power that a mortal could never possess. Though it disgusted him to admit it; the former knight was envious of this power. They never had to worry about an addiction; they had powers beyond humans without the heavy cost that Michael's power entailed.

The ghastly being once again caught him off guard by offering to prove it to him. He wasn't about to hesitate, not after what he'd seen them do to the people in the town. They wouldn't hesitate to attack him if he hesitated in launching his own attack. Of that he was sure.

Clicking off the lid of the black vial in his pocket, he immediately downed its contents in one swallow. His eyes slitted and shifted colors from green to a piercing yellow, and the dark world around him was immediately in a much better focus. He summoned up the power that was now thrilling through his body, and leaped over to the unguarded Soulwraith thrusting down with Darksorrow; his silver-shield necklace swinging on his chest as he did so. If there wasn't an opponent between it and the ground, it would have split the rock-paved ground. Though in this case, he hoped it would split his opponent instead.

[Renewed Gemini]

Michael Raith

The two Soulwraiths at the sides of their leader stared at Michael with interest as he drank the black vial. The creatures laughed a deep, guttural, laugh as Michael continued to run at their leader with his physical weapon. The sword went right down the middle of the Soulwraith that Michael attacked, but it didn't leave a mark.

You see what we can do? There are two weaknesses for us, and the living are too close minded to see what it is. Agree to join us, and you will never need that vial you hold ever again.

The Soulwraith held its hand out, revealing a silver gauntlet that was spiked on the knuckles. They were so close to their getting the spy they needed.

Soulwraiths=3

[prythian]

Again, the whip went up to block the attack. This time, the whip-like arm tried to take away the sword from the Soulwraith, instead of a mere tangle or deflect. At the same time, Phantasm's other arm shot outwards to hit the Soulwraith again. "I asked you a question." For some reason, this question seemed more important than anything else in the world right now. "Do you know what I am? Because..."

"...I don't."