Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Bahamut & the Guardian Forces ❯ World of Darkness ( Chapter 12 )

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"Hey, are you all right kid? Hey!"

"Gurgh...." Glenn moaned, opening his eyes.

Suddenly, everything snapped back to him as he jumped up and realized he was still a dragon.

"AAARRGG....MMUPPHHH!!!"

Terrato and Palidor immediately grabbed him, held his snout shut, and dragged Glenn back down to their hiding place behind a set of boulders.

"Will you not scream like that?!" Terrato snarled. "I've got very sensitive ears you know!"

"Besides, you don't want the Doom agents to come after us!" Palidor whispered.

"Ok...ok..." Glenn took a deep breath. "Just what's going on here?"

"I do believe we've already told you everything." Palidor replied.

"I get the 'in hell' part, yeah." Glenn muttered. "But then, if I'm here, what happened to Bahamut?!"

"So, you do know him."

"Hell yeah, he's the reason I'm here in the first place."

"You care to elaborate, erm..."

"Glenn." He introduced. "And...I'm not supposed to be a dragon. I'm human."

"Human?" Terrato wondered. "Bahamut's bonded partner then?"

"Yes." Glenn nodded. "But it's a long story."

"We'd like to hear it, but over here." Palidor led them into a nearby cavern. "Not the best of accommodations, but it'll be relatively safe."

"Not to be distrusting, but I heard there's a civil war going on with you people, and..."

"We understand, but we couldn't interfere even if we wanted to." Terrato told him. "We belong more Purgatory, sort of in-between the heavens and hell. But a friend asked us to come down here and search for Bahamut."

"I wouldn't really call him a 'friend', but he's this GF known as Doomtrain." Palidor continued. "The Dark Forces are working to awaken the Legendary Beings in our world, and whoever Doomtrain's working under seems to think Bahamut has a part in stopping it. Hey, what was that poem we were supposed to give Bahamut again?"

"Erm, let's see." Terrato scratched his head with his tail. "Beware, for when you ride the train of doom, the holy castle you will arrive at. And thus alone..."

"...seek a key to the door of light." Glenn finished.

"How did you know?" His new companions gasped.

"I...don't know." Glenn sighed, pulling on his horns. "Somehow, I feel as if I've heard it before, but I just can't remember."

"Why don't you tell us everything you do remember?" Terrato suggested.

Sitting down in near darkness, Glenn gave the pair a brief account of their encounters since his group had first met Bahamut's.

"I see, so that explains why you're here." Palidor nodded. "Bahamut ever told you about how your souls are separate, but you share the same physical form?"

"Yeah..." Glenn replied.

"What I think is that when Bahamut was killed, and his body destroyed, your spirit had no choice but to follow his. Here however, your spirit took on a shape similar to the physical body it last 'remembered' having."

"A dragon, just like him."

"It's just a theory though. I'm not too good on these things." Palidor said.

"That's probably why you were hanging up there, awaiting who knows what torturous future." Terrato added in.

"Man, that is very reassuring." Glenn muttered sarcastically. "Then, why's Bahamut in hell? And how do we find him?"

"We should be asking you that actually." Terrato spoke. "You're his bonded human after all."

"But how would I know anything about where he is, or why?" Glenn asked.

"You two should still share some mental link to each other, especially on this plane of existence. Reach out with your mind and you'll manage it."

Glenn closed his eyes and focused. Suddenly, he jerked back in shock as hundreds of voices seemed to be screaming in his mind at once.

"I know it's hard with all these restless souls around, but you have to try."

"Grrr...I can't..." Glenn moaned, clutching his draconic head.

"Come on! You want to help your partner, right? You want to protect your world too? Find him and we can all get out of here!"

Pushing harder, Glenn sought through the multiple voices in his mind. Then, that familiar roar came into thought.

"Bahamut..." He gasped. "I heard him. It was almost like I felt his emotions. Pain...depression...like his will has been shattered. After that, there was nothing."

"You have an idea where he is?" Palidor queried.

"I saw something....a large circular area with a single staircase leading down towards it. And all around, there was darkness."

"The Realm of the Heartless." Palidor muttered. "But then...oh no! I pray that it hasn't happened yet!"

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"What?!" Glenn asked, panicked.

"There's no time to explain! We're got to get to him before it's too late!"

"We know the way, though I dread even stepping into that realm." Terrato continued. "We must be cautious."

The GF pair led him out of the cramped cavern, both hovering/flying slightly above the ground, while Glenn ran along behind them, trying hard to balance with his new tail. The path brought them out of the large chamber he'd been suspended in and through a series of tunnels.

"Just where are we...whoa!" Glenn started as his companions suddenly pulled him aside.

"Quiet. See those cloaked figures?" Terrato pointed. "Doom agents. They are the force through which those condemned to this fiery hell are made to suffer for all eternity."

"They're blocking our path." Glenn nodded, taking note of the large, humanoid figures.

There were 3, each one clad in brown robes that completely covered their entire bodies, except for their bony hands, which held scythes.

"There's no way to permanently destroy them, but we can knock them out of our way!" Terrato rushed forward. "Earth Aura!"

Calling out his special ability, the Earth elemental serpent caused the ground beneath the Doom agents to crack and tremble, throwing them sideways.

"All fades and becomes to illusions! Space Storage!" Palidor chanted.

The three Doom agents were immediately sucked into a glowing dark orb, which resembled a black hole in space, and disintegrated.

"That won't keep them out for long! Hurry!" Terrato warned.

The pair leapt through the opening the Doom agents had been guarding. Glenn was about to follow when he realized it opened into a huge, misty and bottomless crevasse.

"Yargh! Whoa! Hey! What am I supposed to do?!" Glenn screamed, barely managing to keep himself from falling over.

"Those things growing out of your back happen to be called 'wings', you know?" Palidor called.

"So spread them and fly! You can do it!" Terrato encouraged.

"But I..." Glenn turned around and saw the Doom agents were beginning to reform. "OK, here goes nothing!! WWHHHAAAHHHH!!!!"

Taking control of the muscles that controlled his wings, Glenn forced them open and jumped. For a long time, it seemed as if he were falling.

But when he opened his eyes, Glenn was startled to find himself gliding along nicely.

"Not bad kid, you certainly have that Dragon instinct in you." Palidor laughed as Terrato and him flew alongside.

"Heh, what can I say? I learnt from the best." Glenn laughed.

And thank god it worked! Wait a second! Did I actually say something good about Bahamut?! Jeez, I must be going crazy!! Dammit!!

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Through the flight was uneventful, Glenn noticed the surrounding 'mountains' gradually fading away, leaving only a dark, mist-filled 'sky'. The group then entered a large cavern opening and emerged from the other side to another, astonishing scene.

This new area greatly resembled an arctic region. The ground was wet and covered with ice and snow. Chilling winds blew past as the group made their way to a mountain rising in the center.

Eventually, they found themselves standing on a ledge at the top of the mountain, looking at a staircase that spun down into a dark area below, just like the one in Glenn's vision.

"Well, this is it." Palidor pointed. "We managed to find out that the Realm of the Heartless was through here, but I never thought I'd see it for myself."

"Gee, sure is inviting." Glenn muttered, glaring down the staircase. "Hey, you guys say there are Heartless here or something, but where are they?"

"Nothing is as it seems." Terrato whispered. "Be on your guard."

Slowly, the group descended the stairwell and finally arrived at the bottom. It was just as Glenn had pictured it, a circular arena with several rocky projections emerging from the ground. Everything glowed in an odd purple light.

"What is this...?!" Glenn wondered out loud. Then, something caught his eye. "Bahamut!"

Glenn raced towards a large crystal in the center of the area. Suspended within was Bahamut's limp form. His body was mangled, wings ripped and torn, scared and bleeding all over, horns and claws broken.

In horror, Glenn realized that there were sharp points within the crystal prison, which impaled Bahamut's body at multiple points. Like spears driven into a carcass, the points went through his wings, arms and legs, all of which were spread out, and his torso. Red blood was still oozing out and collecting at the bottom of the crystal.

"Bahamut! Wake up! Bahamut!" Glenn yelled, pounding on the crystal with his fists.

"Can we get him out of there?" Palidor looked up.

"Hmmm...I don't seem to sense anything within him." Terrato muttered, closing his eyes.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Glenn demanded.

"His mind, his heart, his soul isn't here. It's just an empty carcass lying there."

"Then where is he?!"

A thunderous roar interrupted the conversation, causing everyone to turn towards the gigantic shadow that materialized nearby.

"No...no way...." Palidor whispered.

"This is...." Terrato staggered.

"Bahamut?" Glenn asked, shaking. "Bahamut, what's happened to you?!"

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The dragon that stood before them resembled the Bahamut Glenn knew and remembered (The Final Fantasy 10 version). Only instead of his normal coloring, this beast was completely black, with a red symbol in the center of his chest.

It was a heart with a cross protruding from the bottom, and a pair of swords forming an 'X' within it (Or the Kingdom Hearts 'Heartless' symbol).

"Consumed by the darkness within his heart." Terrato gasped. "That's how the Heartless are born. They're attracted by it, and thrive on hearts seized from others."

"In English, please?" Glenn growled as all three backed away from their intimidating foe.

"Those whose hearts are taken by the Heartless become Heartless themselves." Palidor explained. "That....that's what's happened to Bahamut. He's...lost..."

"No, that can't be. A thick-headed idiot like Bahamut wouldn't lose like this!" Glenn declared. "Bahamut, it's me, Glenn! Don't you recognize me?! Oh yeah, I look sorta like you now, but that's not the point."

The Bahamut Heartless walked up to Glenn and stared him in the eye. Suddenly, Bahamut's fist came up, landing squarely on Glenn's snout.

The human-turned-dragon went flying across the area, smashing into a pile of rocks.

"Garghh...." He moaned.

"What do we do now?!" Palidor cried.

"I don't know! Doomtrain never said anything about this!" Terrato replied.

"Hey, you're supposed to be the old and wise one!"

"Old?! Excuse me?! That's something you never got to be!"

Bahamut reared back his head and fired off a breath weapon, sending the pair crashing to the ground.

All around, pools of dark energy appeared as dozens of humanoid shadow creatures emerged from the blackness. These had a pair of bat-like wings, two horns on their heads, a tail and wielded large, curved swords ('Invisible' Heartless from Kingdom Hearts).

"The Heartless are coming!!" Terrato yelled, smashing the nearest one away with his tail. "We've got to get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving, not without Bahamut." Glenn said firmly.

"We're too late! He's already lost!"

"No, not yet! I believe he's in there, somewhere! I just have to get to him!"

"Wait kid!!"

With his newfound agility, Glenn somersaulted over a pair of soldiers and landed in front of his former partner.

"Come on pal! You can beat this! You can't let the darkness...ugh!!" Glenn's sentence was cut off as Bahamut kneed him in the chest. "GGARRGHH!!"

Bahamut lifted Glenn up and slammed the young dragon's head into the floor.

Palidor and Terrato were both too far away and too preoccupied to help, barely managing to keep the shadow creatures from overwhelming them.

Meanwhile, Bahamut continued to assault the hapless Glenn, clawing, lashing and punching until Glenn was on his knees.

"Bahamut! Please! I know you wouldn't want to hurt me! RRAARRGGHHH!!!" Glenn roared in pain as Bahamut fired an icy breath at him.

Glenn's entire body instantly felt stiff. He tried to scream and found his jaws frozen shut. Desperately, he struggled to run, only to feel the pain screaming into his muscles, as if they would tear if he forced them to move.

However, Bahamut was more than obliged to do that for him.

The spell weakened slightly as Bahamut drove his claw through Glenn's shoulder, raising him up into the air. Although struggling wasn't of any help in his position.

<Even within the darkness, there is light. Just as long as you hold on to it....> A voice suddenly jumped into Glenn's mind.

What?! Who...?! Glenn wondered.

He then managed to open his eyes, looking down at Bahamut.

Maybe...its right...perhaps...I can get through to you...from within...

"Bite me..." Glenn growled as Bahamut's jaws came down over his neck.

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"What the?!" Palidor snapped up in the midst of the fight.

A bright light had erupted from the other side of the battlefield. The bird noticed Bahamut crunching down on something, although the dark dragon had his back turned towards Palidor's view.

Then, he saw the dragon glowing in purple energy for a while. Then, it roared and spun around, revealing that it had sprouted not only a second pair of wings, but another head and neck on its left side as well.

That new head had belonged to Glenn the dragon.

"NO!" Palidor screamed. "Glenn! Not you too! Gargh!!"

A sword stroke sent him flying into Terrato, ending with both in a heap.

"And I think we're next!" Terrato panted.

Both looked up, screaming as a horde of shadow soldiers sprang upon them.

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Darkness.

It was all around, everywhere, all-consuming.

Yet, in the darkness, one figure bore a faint light, finding himself able to move.

"Is this your mind, Bahamut?" Glenn, still in dragon form, wondered, taking several shaking steps. "Your heart? Or somewhere in-between?"

"You shouldn't have come." Bahamut's voice seemingly echoed in the distance. The tone carried by it, however, was heavy and depressed.

"Hey, you're the reason I'm literally in this hell-hole in the first place!"

"...."

"What? Bahamut, I thought you would've come up with some smart remark by now."

"...."

"What's happened to you pal?" Glenn called. "Why?"

The form of a kneeling dragon materialized and Glenn ran towards it.

"Why? Why bother about anything?" Bahamut looked towards him. "I lost. He killed me."

"You're talking about Neo Bahamut?" Glenn put a claw on his shoulder. "Yeah, maybe we did. But we have a second chance, I know it!"

"About Terrato and Palidor? Who know where they'll lead us to?"

"It's got to be better than here!" Glenn protested. "And better than wallowing here in self-pity."

"Why not?"

"Why not?! You're the superhero-wannabe!! You're the one who wanted to help defend both our worlds!"

"That was what I wanted, but can it be done?" Bahamut stared at the ground. "Perhaps, but not by me. Considering the fact that I'm here, I'm outdated....worn out. Let the others handle it. They can do better without me."

"That's not true! They need you!"

"Need me? Humph, they don't even trust me anymore."

"They were tricked. We all were!" Glenn yelled.

Bahamut snorted and waved him off.

"Even...even me." Glenn lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't know how, but I feel as if some of my memories were messed up. But I...I doubted you, after all we've been through. I'm sorry..."

"Sorry isn't going to help me now, so just leave me alone."

"You just can't accept that you lost, can you? It's hard, but all of us stumble once in a while. We've just got to take every chance we have to get back on our feet!"

"Shut up."

"You just can't face reality, coward!"

"WHAT did you call me?!" Bahamut roared, jumping up.

"Coward!" Glenn repeated spitefully.

With a ferocious roar, Bahamut lunged at him. Glenn stood his ground and the two dragons clashed head-on. With their claws locked, the pair smashed their draconic heads against each other before Bahamut finally threw Glenn aside.

"DON'T EVER call me that, Glenn! EVER!!"

"Great to see you can still pick on someone on a lower rung that yourself." Glenn muttered, wiping his bleeding jaws. "But guess what? You ain't top notch! You aren't on top of the food chain anymore!"

"RRRAAAGGGGAARRGGHH!!!!"

This time, Glenn slid out of the charging Bahamut's way and stuck out his tail, tripping his opponent up. Bahamut uttered a cry of pain as he hit the ground.

"Fine, be that way partner!" Glenn shouted. "I'll just have the rematch with Neo Bahamut myself!"

"What do you think you're going to do against him?"

"I don't know, but I'll find a way." Glenn made a fist with his right claw. "Somehow, I will. I won't give up. I know I'm an idiot at most times, I don't think before I say stuff, I screw up a lot, I piss people off. But that's just me, you know? I started this thing on my own free will...and I'm going to finish it!"

"Glenn..." Bahamut trailed off, still in his lying position on the floor.

"I'm a guy who's not too high up on the prestigious ladder, but being with you, it made me feel like I was way up there anyway." Glenn closed his eyes, tears flowing down the side of his face. "Guess I'll have to get stronger...."

"Then, we'll get stronger together."

Glenn opened his eyes to see Bahamut standing by his side.

"You have a strong heart, and that's the making of a good warrior. My mentor used to say that." Bahamut spoke. "I'd forgotten. Perhaps that's why you were able to bring light into my darkness."

"Great to have you back!" Glenn laughed, happily giving his friend a hug.

"Whoa, hey, don't go all mushy on me." Bahamut shook him off. "We'll still got to get the hell out of here."

At that, the pair blinked. A ray of light was beginning to shine into the world of darkness, slowly changing the background from a dark black to a brilliant white.

"Hey Glenn..."

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks..."

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The two-headed Heartless Dragon now had Terrato and Palidor pinned down beneath its massive feet and was mercilessly stomping on them.

"Gargh...Hey Terrato...ugh...do you believe...argh...in After-Afterlife?" Palidor gasped.

"No...argh...why?" Came the weary reply.

"Well, we'd better start believing."

Each of the Heartless Dragon's two heads opened their jaws, revealing glowing blue energy within.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" Screaming, the bird and the serpent turned away, only to be deafened as the energy beam detonated several of the Heartless soldiers nearby.

"Huh?!" Terrato stared in utter shock.

Just as suddenly, the Bahamut/Glenn Heartless released them and went straight for the soldiers instead. The lunge itself topped several soldiers like dominos. Two more swung their swords at the dragon, who blocked both and struck back, each of his heads chomping down on a different soldier.

The next two soldiers were a little smarter, one distracting the dragon from the front while the other snuck behind him. The dragon parried his opponent's sword strokes with his claws and quickly spun away when the second warrior attacked from behind.

The pair of soldiers crashed into each other, giving the dragon ample time to beat them down with his tail and knock them aside.

As the final group of Heartless soldiers approached, the dragon spread all his four wings and took to the sky. Spinning in several aerial maneuvers, he fired his breath weapons in succession, taking out the entire squad and landing neatly on the ground.

"Think he's...on our side now?" Palidor wondered.

"Something even better." Terrato remarked.

The two-headed dragon proudly strode through the remains of the battlefield and gave the pair a thumbs-up with his right claw. Nevertheless, he remained the same color, completely black, and retained the Heartless symbol in the center of his chest.

"That was great!" The left head laughed, in a voice clearly recognizable as Glenn's.

"You're actually not too bad yourself." Bahamut spoke from the right head.

Then, both heads jerked up and glanced first at each other, then at the body they 'shared'.

"AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! !!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"What in the name of the gods?! Why the f*** are we stuck like this?!" Bahamut screamed in horror. "THIS is a nightmare!!"

"My nightmare! You're the one who turned into a Heartless and ate me!" Glenn shouted. "Lemme go dammit!!"

"Get off me!!"

"Right back at ya!"

"RAAGARGH!!"

"AARRGGHH!!!!"

And so, followed the comical sight of the two-headed dragon trying to pull apart, Bahamut and Glenn pushing and tugging from their respective right and left sides.

Terrato and Palidor just stood there staring, mouth-opened as the double-headed dragon finally exhausted himself and flopped down on the floor.

"Erm...I'll take it you two are back to normal." Palidor commented, flying towards them.

"Maybe, if you call THIS normal that is!" Bahamut yelled, jabbing a thumb at himself. "God, I hope this isn't permanent!"

"Perhaps you need to free your own body first." Terrato suggested, indicating the large crystal Glenn had seen earlier.

"Worth a try." Glenn agreed, pulling himself up. "Gargh!"

The two-headed dragon stumbled and hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Dammit Glenn! Don't move your leg at the same time as me!"

"Hey! Bahamut! Let me move my leg then! Left first, remember?!"

"Grrr...fine, but watch your timing and...whoa!"

WHAM! BAM!

"F***!!"

"Damned dragon!"

"Shut up Glenn! Fold the wings on your side down! And give me control of our tail, you fool!"

"This might take a while." Terrato sighed.