8 - video;

[todomarishi]

[Another video starts up, but about all it records as the minutes tick by is darkness. Some pitch black, shapeless space. There is, at one point, a thin line of light and a flash of color, then the NV shifts and the picture cuts to darkness again. Throughout the entry, there's noise. At first, it's little more than a low rumble, like thunder heard

Comments

action; dated to after any other encounters

[aslandish]

[ The Darkness still reigns, patches of rot and decay giving of a stench that is all too distinct. The odor lessens, though, and the atmosphere brightens, a gradual change that become more noticeable the closer he draws.

Watching the crackle of crimson light with no small measure of sadness, Aslan pauses in the crippled armor's path, his heart burdened with the consequences of Terra's choice. ]

action;

[todomarishi]

[The Sentiment isn't quick to respond to Aslan's arrival. Having destroyed his inhuman assailant (not Xehanort), he is moving on when the lion appears. Sight, sound, and that extra sense, the ability to measure light and darkness, have merged into one unwieldy form through which he perceives his surroundings. And through which he now regards Aslan.

Aslan isn't human (a lion, he knows, but the thought is quieter, further away). Aslan is light. A thought bearing the concept of friendship flits through his being, but it doesn't stay with him long enough to connect. Aslan isn't Xehanort.

Aslan isn't there.

When Terra's voice leaves his armor again, he's addressing no one and nothing.]

He can take care of himself.

[Ven, a memory of home again, far away now, impossible to reach, but that was before...]

It was my mistake.

[He says next, going to walk around Aslan, his visor turned away from the light.]

action;

[aslandish]

[ Turned away not forgotten. Aslan doesn't move, their first meeting coming back quite clearly -- he averted his gaze then, and Terra has done so again now. Like last time, however, Aslan has every intention of speaking before they part ways again. ]

Terra.

[ His tone is low and compelling, not quite a command, but there's strength behind it that demands attention. ]

action;

[todomarishi]

[He stops at that, yielding to a will more powerful than his own. His reply comes after a moment of silence doubtlessly spent grasping at memories.]

I am gone.

action;

[aslandish]

[ So much said with three, small words, but Aslan does not look away. Rather, he pads silently over to the armor, watching his 'face' all the while. Then, gently, as he stops before the other: ]

Would you be free?

action;

[todomarishi]

[His visor tips down as he considers the question, especially that very last word... but in the end, he finds he's not sure what he's been asked. In lieu of an answer, he turns to what he once believed was a reliable solution to his problems: fighting. His helmet shakes from side to side and he steps away from Aslan, struggling in vain against the seal.

The magic holds despite his uncoordinated efforts. He slows and then stops, his focus drifting into the distance.

Xehanort. He needs to find Xehanort.]

action;

[aslandish]

[ The air stills, and for a moment there is nothing. Then, gradually, in no clearly explicable way, sound and color blend and fade, muted somehow as even the Darkness itself appears to fall away. They stand together, alone in a endless sea of white.

Raise your blade.

He does not speak the words, but they will resonate just the same -- a clarity to them that encourages understanding. ]

action;

[todomarishi]

[It's sensory deprivation, of a sort. Surrounded by white, he feels nothing but Aslan's presence. His thoughts still wander, but there's nowhere for them to go, nowhere and no one for them to lead him to. His attention redirects to the lion who shares the empty space with him.

He understands the order but not what purpose the action might serve. Nevertheless, he obeys, lifting his Keyblade and holding it up.]

action;

[aslandish]

[ He watches for a moment, his silence an approving one.

Turn it towards yourself.

The words are calm, exuding reassurance. Though Terra may not understand the reason for this as he is, it will help him in the end. ]

action;

[todomarishi]

[He hesitates at Aslan's next instruction. It calls to mind images of the old man piercing his chest with the Keyblade, loosing his heart to the sky. He wonders briefly if all this might be a trick.

Slowly, numbly, he does what he's told, grasping the blade's blunt edge to turn it on himself.

His helmet moves a small fraction, not quite pointing directly at the source of light beside him but tipping toward it.]

action;

[aslandish]

[ Not a trick. Bowing his head slightly, Aslan exhales, the warm of his breathing brushing lightly over the armor. As he does so, a tangle of red flares to life, the chains that bind now fully revealed.

Meeting Terra's gaze, his look is grave but certain.

Unlock the seal. ]

action;

[todomarishi]

[Just as before, there's a pause after Aslan advises him on the next step he needs to take. More time spent processing the command and following various thought trains to dead ends. Metal whispers in what might be a sigh. Physical exhaustion is an impossibility, but there's a tiredness there all the same.

He grips the blade tighter, his and the key's powers connecting seamlessly. A thin beam of light fires from the tip of Ends of the Earth, aimed at a point on his chest where the red lines converge.]

action;

[aslandish]

[ As light streams from the end of Terra's blade, the warmth already present in the air converges, threading amongst and around the crimson bindings, exerting unseen pressure. A low, feral rumble breaks the silence, the force of it enough to shake the Earth to its foundations.

Red light flares again, but only once, as the chains of magic shatter. ]

action;

[todomarishi]

[The Keyblade slides through his fingers- through the gloves that cover where his hands once were- and the Sentiment takes a shaky step forward. His right hand closes over the hilt just before the weapon can drop to the ground. As the chains break apart, leaving the white space dotted with flecks of fading red, he pushes the Keyblade into the earth and goes down on his knees.

He settles into that position with a soft crunch and clink of his armor.]

action;

[aslandish]

[ He watches in silence for a long moment, the heaviness within returning as Terra sinks to the ground. Letting the sparks settle, he waits for the crimson to fade to nothing before approaching, padding softly to where Terra settled.

His expression, though grave, bears no rancor or disappointment.

My son. ]

action;

[todomarishi]

[The Sentiment doesn't stir, but the memories inside him do. His thoughts flow freely, linking his senses to emotions and memories relevant to the moment.]

King of the Wood.