Revised:
Charxai stretched his arms above his head, trying to get the cramps out of his aching body. Turning back to his room, Charxai sighed as he realized the book he had been reading was still in his hand. After a late rise that morning, Charxai had decided to take a later-than-usual reflection. Tossing the book carelessly on his bed, he closed the door and turned to walk down the hallway.
As he walked down the stairs, Charxai scratched his head. He had seen head nor tail of the rest of the Exiled on his walk, unusual to him, for he would usually pass Rextanse lounging about or at least Xodyc reading some strange new piece of literature he had acquired. To him the castle seemed especially vacant today.
Pushing the thought out of his mind, Charxai smiled, and took off at a slow jog. His sword bouncing in its strap on his back, Charxai headed in the direction of the training room. The nobody’s extra sleep had him feeling especially energetic, and Charxai was eager to work some of that energy off.
Before he had gone ten feet, Charxai heard the unmistakable clack of a boot on the hard tile floor.
“Hello? Zixan? Xana? Hey! Answer me! Who’s down there?” Charxai shouted down the corridor, hoping that whoever was there could explain to him where everybody was.
Hearing a noise to his left, Charxai turned to see a portal of darkness opening. Wondering who or what could be coming out of it, Charxai leaned his head in to get a closer look.
Noticing a movement behind him, Charxai attempted to turn toward the disturbance, but was unable to turn before a powerful force slammed into him, knocking him into the portal.
Charxai was barely able to get his hands down and flip out of his rapid departure from the castle, coming to a stop inches from a large tree. Looking around, Charxai noticed he was very lucky not to hit quite a few similar trees on his way into the forest.
Taking in his surroundings, Charxai noticed the abundant plant life all around him. The tree he had nearly hit was only one of many, and rose plants seemed to be growing abundantly all around. Inhaling the air around him, Charxai exhaled, exhilarated by what he was feeling. Not only was the air here much cleaner than that of The World That Never Was, the plants around him seemed to give him energy.
Placing his hand on a tree nearby, Charxai closed his eyes, searching for the Nitrogen that lay within. Millions of small bright lights floated behind his eyelids, and he smiled. Solidifying what was already in the tree, Charxai spread the nitrogen throughout, and then stepped back.
Looking over his handiwork, Charxai noticed many of the leaves on the tree had turned a whitish color. Not knowing what would happen, he punched the tree.
Shattering, the tree fell to the ground, crumbling to dust. Watching what was left of the frozen tree slowly fade into the air, Charxai smiled at the result.
“Now to find out how I got here. . .” Charxai’s voice trailed off, and he noticed for the first time the eerie stillness that hung over the forest. He didn’t know much about this type of wilderness, but Charxai knew that there should be more noise than just the occasional wind rustling the treetops above him.
“I can tell you why you’re here.” A voice announced behind him, chuckling. In one fluid motion, Charxai had turned to face the voice and unsheathed his sword. Looking at the figure, he stared for a moment before recognizing the figure.
“Now there’s a face I haven’t seen in quite awhile. How have you been, Marluxia?” Chuckling, Marluxia spread his arms open to welcome Charxai to his domain.
------
“Charxai, Charxai, Charxai.” Marluxia raised a hand to cover his face, shaking his head. Underneath the black cloak, Charxai saw the faint traces of a smile. “You were the last one I would have expected to leave the Organization. You were always seemed so dedicated, and even you were only with us for a short while, many of us thought you would be one of the most dedicated members. I must say, I’m curious. What caused you to leave so abruptly? And more importantly, how did you survive Vexen and Laxeaus’ attack, and in the process, avoid detection from even Zexion?”
“Marluxia, you still think you’re in charge.” Charxai smiled. “It’s sad how those who hold power never want to relinquish it. But, I guess there is no harm in you knowing. To start, I left the Organization because it was not what I though, a safe haven for nobodies. As much as you can deny it was, the main goal of Organization XIII was to collect others hearts to regain their own. I could not willingly take another’s life to regain my own.”
Charxai paused, trying to keep his attitude in check. “As to how I survived, I must say, I hardly know myself. I know that Vexen and Zexion had left Laxeaus and myself to our battle, and that Vexen returned when I proved a match for Laxeaus. I think the reason I was able to avoid Zexion’s detection was that he was simply too far away. As for how I survived, I honestly don’t know.” Charxai’s voice, filled with genuine wonder, faltered, as he looked for what to say next. It had been awhile since he had thought this far back.
“I felt myself fading, and then, I saw a light. I heard a familiar voice, telling me I was going to be fine. The origin of the voice or who it belonged to is still a mystery to me, but when I awoke, I was in a room in one of the many buildings in The World That Never Was, and I was alone. Whoever had saved me had not been gone long, as a fire was lit.” Charxai sighed, saddened at this sudden recollection. “But I never found out who it was. Whoever saved me never returned, but when I realized why I had been hurt, I was forced to leave that house.”
Charxai’s face darkened, know fully aware of the pain Organization XIII had caused him in the past. “I fled the house earlier than I wanted too, and kept running. I knew not where I was running too, I just ran. And then finally, I didn’t have to run anymore. I was safe. And now here I am, standing before the very nemesis I have run from for so long.
Marluxia’s face darkened at this. “Our Organization had some, drawbacks, but now we’re back, and better than ever.” Brandishing his scythe, Marluxia shouted his challenge.
“And now you’ll get to find out why I am called The Graceful Assassin, deserter!” Emphasizing the last word to taunt Charxai, Marluxia came out of his stance and rushed Charxai.
------
The word ‘deserter’ seemed to ring in Charxai’s ears. A memory rushed into Charxai’s mind, enveloping him before he could push it out of his mind.
“You left us, Archai. We needed you with us, and you just left. Out of everyone I knew, you are the last one I would expect to become a deserter.” Charxai’s former self watched in horror as one of his closest friends turned his back and walked into the darkness of Charxai’s mind.
“No, Graham, wa-”
Charxai’s reminiscence faded as he realized Marluxia’s scythe was inches from his body. Dodging the best he could, Charxai winced as the scythe grazed his torso. Jumping back, Charxai placed a hand on the wound, his breathing heavy.
“You better snap out of it, Charxai.” Marluxia smiled. “Or else this fight isn’t even going to be worth the trip.”
Using the nitrogen in the air to clot up his blood, Charxai shivered as he felt the cold frost touch his skin. Taking Dusk, he felled a tree near him with a single slice, and stretched his shoulder in satisfaction. “Alright Marluxia, looks like it’s time for me to give you that fight you desire so badly.”
Gripping the handle of his sword with both hands, Charxai leapt over the fallen tree, rushing towards Marluxia. Feeling something shift beneath him, Charxai looked to see Marluxia smiling. Wondering what his opponent could be up to, Charxai started to slow down, and took an angle so he wouldn’t stop right in front of the Organization member. Attention focused on Marluxia, Charxai noticed too late some of the undergrowth had risen out of the ground. Trying to stop, Charxai’s foot caught right in the vines, causing him to lose his balance and tumble towards the ground.
Doing a (barrel) forward roll to break his fall, Charxai regained his balance only to see Marluxia charging him yet again. Anxious to get out of the way of the impending attack, Charxai attempted to move his feet, but looking down, realized that more vines were wrapped around his feet, trapping them to the ground. As Marluxia swung his scythe at Charxai, Charxai parried the blows, driving Marluxia away with an elbow to the ribs. Closing his eyes, Charxai sensed the nitrogen in the plant, and froze the vines solid.
Lifting his foot, the now crystal white plant shattered easily. Smiling at the result, Charxai pulled free, jumping out and landing on the bough of a nearby tree. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, Marluxia.” Charxai taunted. Feeling the same tremor beneath his feet that he had felt earlier, Charxai looked down to see the tree he was standing on shaking beneath him. Leaping off of the tree, Charxai glanced back to see that is was twisting and turning, as if it were trying to throw something off. As his eyes were on the tree, he only heard the soft whistle of the branch through the air that knocked him square in the chest.
Splayed out on the ground, Charxai slowly got to his feet, struggling to regain his breath. Is he toying with me? Charxai wondered, frustrated that he had been so outwitted by Marluxia.
“Charxai, I thought you were going to start putting up that fight. What happened?” Marluxia laughed at his opponents helplessness. Seething, Charxai just stood in silence.
There’s no way I can fight him with all of these plants around. If I want a chance, I’m gonna have to figure out a way to get rid of this forest.
------
Standing up, Charxai rested on the hilt of his sword, point in the ground. Breathing heavily, he stood still, taking this rest while he could.
Original:
Charxai took a deep breath, and prepared to enter the door framed in pink that stood before him.
Wow, I'll never be able to live it down if I lose to this guy. Charxai joked to himself. However, Charxai knew that Marluxia was chosen as the "King" of Castle Oblivion for a reason. Charxai steeled himself one final time, and entered the door.
The sight that greeted his eyes was both strange and exotic. What could only be described as a forest of roses surrounded him. As Charxai started to walk deeper into the jungle in search of Marluxia, he saw what appeared to be giant man-eating plants dotting the landscape. Finally, Charxai spied his opponent seated on top of a 'throne' made of vines.
"So, this is who the rag-tag band of traitors sent after me? Not even a 'high-ranked' member to face the Lord of Castle Oblivion?" Marluxia taunted.
"I guess they decided you were too weak to send anyone of real importance after, so I guess you're just going to have to deal with me." Charxai replied, playing off the taunt.
"Just so you know," Marluxia started, "You're in my domain now, and I don't expect to just roll over and let you beat me."
"I'm glad to hear it, fighting weaklings is no fun anyways. But enough with the pleasantries, I didn't come here to mince words with you." Charxai said, brandishing Dusk and holding it at the ready. Marluxia stood up, and extended his right arm. A scythe with a pink tinted blade appeared in his hand, and rose petals started to swirl around him.
Marluxia teleported behind Charxai, and whispered a few incomprehensible words into his ear. Charxai turned around, but before he could strike, Marluxia was back near his throne. "It's going to take a lot more than a few words to take me out, Marluxia." Charxai said to him, confused as to what those words had done to his body. Marluxia just smiled at this, and then quickly rushed Charxai, and Charxai attempted to dive out of the way, but too late realized that his feet were tightly entangled with vines that extended from a nearby plant. Charxai barely brought his sword up in time to parry a series of attacks from Marluxia. When Marluxia jumped back, preparing to rush Charxai a second time, Charxai quickly froze the vines restraining his feet using the nitrogen naturally found inside of them. In this state, they were very fragile, and Charxai was easily able to jump out of the way of Marluxia's second attack.
"You're going to have to learn some new tricks!" Charxai shouted down at Marluxia with a smile. Nevertheless, Charxai had become overconfident, and a tree branch he had not seen swung straight at him, catching him off guard and knocking him straight out of the air into the ground. Charxai slowly got to his feet, seeing a smile on Marluxia's face.
He's toying with me! Charxai slowly realized. Charxai then rushed straight at Marluxia, avoiding shockwaves and vines aimed at slowing him down and tripping him up. Charxai finally reached Marluxia, but forced himself to slow his swings down, allowing Marluxia to block them, and hopefully become overconfident. And Marluxia seemed to be doing just that. Knocking Charxai back with a swing from his scythe, Marluxia took on the air of a young child playing with a new toy. Marluxia laced vines into the ground and sent out shockwaves of rose petals to trip Charxai, and laughed maniacally at the scene that unfolded before him. Although it looked as though Marluxia was wearing Charxai out, it was actually the other way around. Charxai had begun to overload the air around Marluxia with nitrogen, making it harder for him to breathe. Charxai had also slowed Marluxia's reaction time down, not enough to be noticeable, but enough to make a difference. Charxai had also removed the nitrogen from the air around him, causing oxygen to flow through his body, making the air he breathed rejuvenate him even more. However, Charxai had been concentrating on this so much that he did not see a vine below him, and tripped and fell straight into the open jaws of one of Marluxia's man-eating plants.
Damn. I'm never going to be able to beat this guy if all of these plants keep getting in the way. Charxai cursed to himself. Just then, an idea struck Charxai, and he cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier.
"Guess your time's up, traitor." Marluxia sneered.
"Huh, you're one to be talking." Charxai retorted as he prepared to use the same technique on Marluxia's jungle as he had used earlier on the vines that had entangled his feet.
"Those are some daring words for someone about to be digested." Marluxia mocking reply rang out.
"Sorry Flower Boy, but I don't plan on being digested anytime soon." Charxai said as Marluxia's forest was altered into a crystalline copse. Seeing the shock on Marluxia's face, Charxai took this chance to burst out of the plant and slash out at Marluxia. Notwithstanding, Marluxia was able to step out of the way and teleport a few yards back in a flurry of roses. Charxai cursed under his breath, seeing Marluxia still standing, but consoled himself, as it seemed he had wounded Marluxia’s right arm.
"Congratulate yourself, traitor, only one other person has ever caused me to go to these measures." Marluxia said as he inserted his scythe, handle down, into the ground. After Marluxia did this, the ground started to shake underneath him, and a giant, grey colored, machine-like nobody. This nobody had two large blades protruding downwards from the arms. Charxai rushed at the machine, and jumped up to try and strike Marluxia, but was knocked back by an enormous shockwave produced from the machine's arms. Charxai escaped unscathed, but knew that he would have to take out the arms of the machine before he would be able to directly attack Marluxia. Charxai blasted black "fire" at the machine's arms, hoping to weaken them, but the machine just reflected these shots. Charxai now knew that if he was going to destroy the arms, he was going to have to have to take them down physically. Charxai rushed the first arm of the machine, and was able to land a few blows before it was able to muster up a large cluster of rose petals, which exploded and forced Charxai back, small cuts appearing on him along the way.
The machine was now sending giant shockwaves out of the ground, and numerous small, floating flowers were appearing around Charxai. The flowers were shooting razor sharp rose petals at Charxai, and at first, Charxai froze them solid. But as they kept returning, Charxai ignored them, he had more important things to worry about. Focusing on the machine, Charxai was eventually able to destroy its arms. Now the machine was resorting to rushing Charxai, which was a virtually useless tactic, as Charxai was easily able to dodge the bulky machine, and even slash it up as it passed by.
"I don't know how you're still alive, but I congratulate you for your resilience. However, this is as far as you're going to go." Marluxia said with a rather annoyed tone. Suddenly, Charxai could see nothing but darkness, as if the whole world around him had been swallowed by it. Slowly, Marluxia came into focus, and Charxai became aware of his surroundings. Charxai noticed that he was on the back of the machine he just destroyed, although now it was much larger, and had grey rings surrounding it. Marluxia had what appeared to be a dark angel behind him, one that was ten feet tall, and had an identical (although much larger) scythe.
"Are you ready to face the beauty of death?" Marluxia questioned. Ignoring the question, Charxai realized for the first time that Marluxia did not have his scythe. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Charxai rushed Marluxia, slashing at his unprotected chest. Even so, Marluxia was easily able to duck out of the way, and retaliated by knocking Charxai square in the jaw with a strong left hook, and followed this by spinning around and jamming his elbow into Charxai's stomach. The force of the attack nearly knocked Charxai off of his feet, and when the 'angel' created a strong gust, Charxai was nearly blown off the platform on which they were fighting on. Charxai was barely able to grab onto the edge of the machine, and strained to pull himself up onto the platform. Bent over and gasping for breath, Charxai was only able to stand a few seconds later, and only with the help of his sword.
Marluxia chuckled. "I guess you figured it out, I'm a lot stronger now. There's no way you can win, we're not even fighting on the same level anymore." Finally rested enough to stand straight up, Charxai spat blood out over the edge of the machine, into the dark abyss below. Holding Dusk at ready position, Charxai again charged Marluxia. This time, however, Marluxia's 'angel' jumped out in front of him, sending out a shockwave of rose petals that caused small cuts on Charxai's exposed skin. The 'angel' then slashed out at Charxai with its scythe, but Charxai easily stepped out of the way. However, the slash was followed by a shockwave of rose petals, and this one tore up Charxai's robes, and almost knocked him off of the platform for a second time. Charxai was now starting to feel as if his life force was being drained away with every blow Marluxia was delivering to him. It had started at the beginning of the match, Charxai realized, but had only felt like normal fatigue until now.
This must be what those words Marluxia whispered to me at the beginning of the battle were for! Charxai thought to himself. Charxai held his sword at the ready, now more aware of the situation he was in. This time, Charxai rushed Marluxia, not with the intent of attacking him, but with the intent of attacking the 'angel' that was jumping up to guard him. When the 'angel' landed in front of Charxai, he jumped over the shockwave, and ducked under the massive scythe. Aiming to stab the angel through the neck, Charxai thrust upwards, and made direct contact. However, the blow glanced of the 'angel' as it would glance of solid steal. A large cluster of rose petals appeared over Charxai's head, and Charxai was able to throw his arms up just before it exploded, forcing him back and causing large cuts on his arms. Charxai breathed heavily, and played out hundreds of scenarios in his head. But as far as his mind could see, all of the scenarios ended up with the same result he had been getting. All, that is, except one.
Charxai then created four walls of solid nitrogen around him, and one over his head, encasing him in a solid barrier. Outside, Charxai began clustering a microscopic ball of nitrogen atoms around Marluxia's 'Guardian Angel." Preparing for the worst, Charxai forced them all together, bracing himself and his barrier for the impact.
Charxai allowed his shield, or at least what was left of it, to slowly fade away. Charxai looked around, only to realize he was back where he had first fought Marluxia. The force of the blow must have knocked me out of whatever crazy dimension I was in. Charxai thought to himself. Scanning the horizon, he was surprised to see a shapeless black blob with a smudge of pink at the top. No, it can't be! How did he survive the explosion! Charxai wondered with a twinge of annoyance. Charxai was not much fit to stand, much less fight. The explosion had taken a lot out of him. Not actually causing the explosion, that was simple; fusing a few atoms together took almost no energy whatsoever. However, creating and maintaining a shield to withstand the force of a nuclear explosion was quite a different matter. Charxai poured nearly all of his energy into that shield just to avoid killing himself, and now he had almost none to spare for Marluxia.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," Marluxia rasped, "but you're still no match for me!" Suddenly, two more Marluxia's appeared in a flurry of rose petals next to the original, and all three suddenly rushed Charxai. Knowing he might have to use all of the energy his body possessed, Charxai delved into his energy reserves, pulling up enough to create a swirling mass of black flame around him. Charxai also used the same technique he did to create his shield to create a duplicate Dusk out of nitrogen. Standing at the ready, Charxai deflected a scythe that was striking at him from his left. He then made a short turn and blocked another scythe that had aimed for his back. The third Marluxia, although he was seen by Charxai, was able to break through and furrow just tho the left of Charxai's left shoulder blade. This Marluxia's scythe had been frozen into Charxai's barrier of flame, and Charxai, wincing in agony, was able to turn around and slash through him. With a shocked expression on his face, Marluxia exploded into a flurry of rose petals.
That's one down, and two more to go. Charxai consoled himself. This time, the Marluxias took a different approach to attacking Charxai. One, holding his scythe above his head, started furrowing through the ground, looking as a wheel would if it was halfway stuck in mud. The other Marluxia formed clusters of petals in his hand, and proceeded to throw them at Charxai. The first Marluxia came tumbling straight at Charxai, and he was easily able to dodge out of the way. However, a cluster of rose petals had been thrown over Charxai, so he wasn't able to jump up as high as he would have like to. The Marluxia in the scythe-like wheel then made a surprisingly quick turn, and was able make a small cut in Charxai's calf muscle. No major damage was inflicted, but Charxai was not able to move as quickly now, as his leg was paining him.
Coming around in a wide arc, the Marluxia in the 'wheel' came straight for Charxai another time. This time, Charxai was able to step out of the way, and kicked the first Marluxia out of his stance. Before the first Marluxia could get up, Charxai ran over and stabbed the original Dusk through the first Marluxia's chest, and he too disappeared in a whirlwind of rose petals. the ran over of this one, but not quick enough to avoid being hit by a few of the clusters of rose petals. Like the others, these exploded on contact, causing small cuts around where they landed. In a painfully slow action, Charxai got to his feet, and stood there, at the ready, heavily breathing.
The remaining Marluxia, which Charxai know knew to be the real one, rose up into the air, a dark aura laced with pink surrounding him. Marluxia was suddenly gone, and reappeared behind Charxai, rising up into the air and taking Charxai with him. Charxai was able to shake off his attacker, but as he looked down to land, he noticed with a sliver of fear that swirling vortexes of black-colored thorns were now covering the ground. Increasing the amound of nitrogen in the air above his feet, Charxai was able to stay above the ground and in the air. However, he did not have much time to stabilize himself, as small explosions were occuring all over the area in which Charxai and Marluxia were fighting. Charxai had to quickly move out of the way of these, but was unable to even see a whirling Marluxia come up behind him and viciously attack him with his scythe. Somehow, Charxai was able to escape this attack with his life, but was now badly cut up. Charxai now felt as if his life was near an end, and knew that if he was hit even once more, that would be the end. Luckily, Charxai was able to find a gap in between the rose thorns, and get a firm stance on the ground. Suddenly, Marluxia appeared a few feet directly above him and dived down. Fortunately, Charxai was able to ward off this attack with his swords, and knock marluxia back. Freezing the thorns, Charxai cleared them away with a burst of black 'flame.' He spied Marluxia kneeling over, panting, and realized that this was his chance to go on the offensive.
Shoving both Dusk and its replica into the ground, Charxai conjured small black 'flames' into the palms of his hands. He then threw these at Marluxia, conjured more, and kept up the assault. Charxai felt as if he was at the end of his limits, and yet he still pushed forward. Marluxia was barely able to dodge these attacks, and when Charxai released an even fiercer barrage of 'flame,' he was able to land a direct hit. Smiling to himself, Charxai pulled his blades out of the ground whilst Marluxia was still reeling. Moving quicker than Marluxia's eye was able to follow, Charxai slashed straight through Marluxia's chest with both swords. Charxai then sat down, crossed-legged and breathing heavily, and watched Marluxia fade into oblivion.
"It's a shame you chose the wrong side. You would have made a great member..." Marluxia rasped out his last words as he faded away. Collapsing onto the ground, Charxai laid back and let sweet oxygen flow through his veins. The thrill of victory was tremendous, and one he had missed greatly.