Sail paced around the room furiously. He was clearly focused very hard on something. As for what that something was only Sail could have known. So much had happened as of late and as a result so many people had come to pay their respects. That was at least what they called it. They came in groups saying how sorry they were for his loss.
However none of them really meant it. They were all just greedy bastards who were just happy that they hadn’t been the ones to have to save the world and sacrifice their lives for the greater good. They all deserved to pay the price that Ocean had in order to save his beloved home world. Slowly Sail walked over to the TV as he listened to what they had to say before carefully sitting down on the couch behind him.
“…And in further news, the story of the young astronaut who saved our world from certain destruction. Many people around the globe have been praying for him and thanking him for all that he did to save our homes,” the man on the TV said.
This only angered Sail more as he shot his hands out in front of him and grabbed the table before flipping it over violently. Everything that had once been on top of the table was now scattered all over the floor. Sail shot to his feet as he walked over to the counter and moved his hands around to try and feel for the book that he had left there a moment ago. Sure enough in a matter of seconds he’d found it.
Slowly he moved his fingers through the pages until he’d found the page that he’d marked with the corner bent in. Swiftly Sail raised his right hand as he placed his fingers on the first page and felt through the indentations of the letters in order to read the book in his rather unique non-visual method. Each letter had indentations and each letter formed a word and for a man like Sail it was child’s play to read an entire book the way he did. For a man of his intelligence it took only a few minutes to find out all the information that he needed.
Sail had picked a section of the book that focused primarily on key information relating to the darkness as it was named. The darkness held the key to summoning those that were amply named the “Heartless”. They were creatures of all shapes and forms. All however held in common a single major factor that stated how they all yearned for the taste of hearts that all beings young and old possessed. Sail had always and forever been a man of science and now that he had the necessary materials to go deeper into the realm of science than any man on his planet had ever dared to go before, why not? Why not summon them and see how their powers worked in action?
Sail took a deep breath as he considered everything that he had now and everything that he would lose after he summoned the creatures of the never-ending pitch black. In the end he decided that it was truly worth it. It was worth dying, it was worth killing and more than anything it was worth being able to see Ocean once again in whatever lay beyond his restricted human form. Sail closed the book as he walked to the center of the room and placed his right hand gently over his heart.
As he began to focus on his heart Sail suddenly felt something. It was as if his heart were calling out to the Heartless inviting them to join him now. They must have heard him because they almost immediately responded. Out of nowhere Sail heard something move and it was more than just one something. There were a lot of them and they all seemed rather anxious. As if they hadn’t eaten in ages.
Although he couldn’t see the Heartless they could see him and they could see that his heart was ripe for the picking but did not approach him. It was as if they needed to confirm their invitation before they devoured his heart. So then he would give them one, one that they could not refuse.
“You who devour whole worlds hear me! I shall give you my heart voluntarily. But in return I ask that you show me what truth lies beyond this mortal body. Show me what land lies beyond that which is bound solely to heart, body and soul. Now open the gates to that land of prosperity and hunger, and give me what I truly desire! Give me the life that I so desperately seek,” Sail shouted.
Slowly they approached Sail gathering around him until they were close enough to touch him. Then in an instant they had surrounded him from the sides and above and below. Each one tore away at him as they hungrily attempted to remove his heart and in only a few moments they managed to do exactly that. As Sail felt his heart being removed from his body he suddenly felt a hint of regret and fear course through his veins. That’s when he began to panic but the deed had already been done and there was no going back.
Sail tried to move his hands but found he couldn’t as they began to slowly become transparent. He was vanishing! But this wasn’t the life he’d wanted! He’d wanted a good life. He didn’t want to disappear! Sail tried to struggle but already his arms had vanished and the rest of his body was quickly following in suit. Suddenly he felt his thoughts focus on that of his brother Ocean as well as about how he must have felt upon leaving their world and with that Sail felt a overwhelming sense serenity. As he took a deep breath.
“…I’m coming, brother,” Sail whispered softly.
Overall it took only took a few seconds, but to Sail it felt like an eternity as his body slowly vanished piece by piece until he had completely vanished from his god-forsaken world. His last thoughts before he had completely vanished were all focused on that of his beloved brother of whom he would see again soon one day.
Sail laid motionless on the ground as he stared up at the heavens above. It was raining there, just as it always did in the dark and gloomy world. How had he gotten here? Why was he here? He began to think and tried to pull up old memories. Nothing. There was nothing there.
Did that mean he in turn was nothing? He barely even remembered his name. But, if he had a name, that meant he also had a past. It was just a matter of finding out how to recover it.
“So this is where you were,” a rather feminine voice said echoing through the streets.
Sail looked around but couldn’t see anyone. Had his mind been playing tricks on him? Was he losing it? He thought he might be, but then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. An oval shaped object appeared out of nowhere as a young woman slowly walked out of it and approached Sail. Even though she was standing and he was lying on the ground it was clear to Sail that she was pretty short but obviously not a midget.
As the portal closed up the short woman tilted her head slightly. Slowly she came into full view. She donned a black cloak with an odd symbol on the front of it. The symbol seemed oddly familiar, almost as if he had seen it before, but where?
“So what’s your old name,” the woman asked going straight to the point.
“…What do you mean by old name,” Sail asked as he slowly sat up.
“Well everyone has a name, but only people like us have more than one,” the woman replied.
“What do you mean us? How am I at all like you,” Sail asked confused.
“You like myself do not have a heart,” the woman explained.
“The ones who were never meant to exist…” Sail muttered as images and memories suddenly appeared in his head.
Sail grabbed his head tightly as he scraped his teeth together with his eyes shut tightly. His head was throbbing and hurt so much. It felt like he had smashed his head into a cement wall. Slowly the images and memories stopped as the pain in his head began to die down slowly until it had completely gone away.
As Sail released his head he slowly pushed himself up until he was standing for the first time since he had arrived on the dark world. He looked around able to see his surroundings. It seemed so different to him. But obviously this was not his home world so it would naturally feel different. Yet something inside felt different, but he couldn’t understand what it was.
“What does that make us then,” Sail asked emotionlessly. “What are we if we have no right to exist in any world and yet do?”
“Well there’s a lot of things people could call us. But I think that perhaps Nobodies are what we truly are,” the woman answered calmly.
“What purpose does a being who isn’t supposed to exist but does have,” Sail asked. “What do we do as beings with no emotions or a heart?”
“We do whatever we can to get back what we lost and what was taken from us so cruelly,” the woman answered.
Suddenly something caught her attention as the woman turned to see that dozens of black coated human like beings had surrounded them. There were so many! But why had so many been attracted to this one particular spot? Neither one of them possessed a heart. So unless someone of a higher intelligence was manipulating the black coated beings into attacking the two of them, then that meant that they were being attracted or called to something
But who or what was calling them? It surely couldn’t have been the newly born Nobody that stood beside her. So was there someone else, watching from the shadows and waiting for the precise moment to strike? She wouldn’t give them that opportunity if so! Immediately the woman raised her hand in front of herself as she called forth her staff. Even if there were so many of them, she would have to take care of it on her own, as there was no backup that could help her now.
“Just what are those grotesque figures,” Sail asked as he stared at the creatures that had surrounded them.
“They’re Heartless, they’re the result of what happens when a being loses it’s heart to darkness,” the woman explained.
“Why are they here then,” Sail asked curiously.
“I’m not exactly sure. But regardless of why they’re here we need to make them disappear for good,” the woman explained.
Almost as if they had comprehended what the woman had said the Heartless slowly began to move in on the two of them in order to kill them before they themselves were killed. The woman took a deep breath and then exhaled before launching her self forward and attacking the enemies. Swiftly with graceful gymnastic like speed she swung her staff across and upon impact made the Heartless vanish into thin air.
But there were too many of them. On her own and so limited she couldn’t hope to take them all down before they got to Sail. In moments Sail had noticed that the numbers of Heartless had been greatly reduced by at least a fourth of how many had originally been there.
However the others had already managed to surround him and currently Sail had no weapon to defend himself with. What was more he was definitely not a fighter in the first place. The woman who had been fighting the Heartless swung around just in time to see the remaining Heartless jump at Sail to attack him.
“Get out of the way,” the woman shouted as the Heartless attacked Sail.
It was too late the Heartless had already gotten too close to him. Immediately they all jumped on top of him burying him underneath their weight. If he hadn’t already been extinguished he soon would be. The woman turned to face the pile of Heartless and considered the situation thoroughly.
If he had died so easily then was it really worth the effort to bring him in? What use would he be? But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered how much Zaxeldion and Xowlin had stressed the point that they wanted the man to be brought in alive. Just as the woman was about to take a step forward the Heartless began to glow a bright pink as something began to emerge from their bodies.
The Heartless in the area continued to glow a shade of bright pink as their hearts were forcefully removed from their bodies slowly. The woman in the black cloak raised an eyebrow. What was happening? Had the man manifested his power? If so what kind of ability gave him such an odd power?
Slowly the hearts floated up high into the air as the bodies of the Heartless began to dissipate until they had all vanished. Upon vanishing the hearts slowly began to dim until they too vanished but not to the same place as the darkness that had once been a part of the Heartless. Sail had felt the hearts all go into him. As for where they were he wasn’t sure. But he was certain that at anytime he wanted he could call them forth again.
The feeling of the hearts entering his body had triggered something inside of him and he had regained all that he had lost upon becoming a Nobody. His memories, his knowledge and even his blindness had returned. Slowly the woman walked towards Sail and stared at him. She was now more than aware that he was blind and found it awkward to speak to him and so sensing this Sail spoke up.
“Who are you exactly? You came to me not for my own good I can easily assume. So who sent you here to procure me then,” Sail asked as he stood up so his vacant eyes were clearly visible to the woman now.
“My name is Xana and I am a part of the Exiled Order. We’re a group of Nobodies who are trying to find what we have already lost,” Xana answered simply.
“How does that concern me,” Sail asked a curious look on his face.
“We can give you a purpose even though you were never meant to exist. By joining us you will have access to all the information and equipment you need in order to find what you lost before becoming a Nobody,” Xana explained.
“Nothing is free in this universe. What would be expected of me in return,” Sail asked a now suspicious stare on his face.
“Simply that you aid your fellow Nobodies in their own quests to gain what they lost as well,” Xana answered.
Sail paused for a moment considering everything. He was alone at this point. But if he joined up with the Exiled Order he’d get what he’d need to obtain his heart, and more importantly he’d have ample equipment to find the person he’d lost. After all if Sail had been born a Nobody, then there was little doubt that he’d have been born one too.
He wondered if he’d even remember him. But he couldn’t let anyone know what he was after, since it would only weaken his footing within the Exiled Order. Especially if they knew he was only working with them to find his lost brother.
“I will work with you in return for the materials and information that you have so described,” Sail said calmly.
“That’s good, but as for your name. Well I think a bit of a change is in order,” Xana said calmly as she smiled slightly.
“A man reborn as a lifeless shell. A being with no reason to exist and yet he does so anyways. A stubborn creature, he shall be named Salix,” Salix replied calmly an almost sinister smile slowly spreading over his face.
“Welcome then to the Exiled Order Salix,” Xana said as she stretched out her hand.
In response Salix outstretched his own hand and shook hers as a sign of trust and faith. Salix slowly released his grip on her hand as Xana did the same. Turning Xana now pointed her right hand forward and created another portal, which he would later come to know as a Corridor of Darkness. Slowly Xana walked into the Corridor of Darkness as Salix quickly followed behind her. Moments after the two had left, the Corridor of Darkness vanished, leaving the world that they had left behind just as dark and empty as it had been before their arrival.
The conference room remained silent as Salix sat alone with his hood hanging limply down and his face revealed for all to see. However no one could actually see it at the moment since no one was in the general area at the current moment. The room was large and empty save for some large stone chairs that were gathered in a large circle. Each chair possessed the symbol of their brotherhood on the top so that it could be clearly seen by all who entered the large room.
It had only been a few days since his unofficial recruitment into the Exiled Order but already Salix had met three out of the seven current members, which did not including him. Salix was now awaiting the arrival of the remaining four, which he was to meet today, as well as the three he had already conversed with in the short time since his unofficial entry into the Exiled. Without warning several Corridors of Darkness open up in the center of the room as all seven hooded figures arrived on the scene. It wasn’t difficult to guess that they were the members of the Exiled Order that he had unofficially joined thus far.
Slowly all of the members of the Exiled Order each walked gracefully over to his or her own individual seat. To anyone watching them they would have seemed like ghosts as they seemed to almost hover gently above the ground. As they all took their seats one of the cloaked Exiled Order members leaned his right arm against the arm of the chair and pressed his chin against the open palm of his right hand before turning to stare intently at Salix.
“You look like a nerd,” the man said ever bluntly.
Salix quickly raised an eyebrow. It took him a second to recover from the sudden and rather bizarre comment. Upon joining the group Salix had assumed that all the members of the Exiled Order were all superiorly intelligent and well-civilized beings, not dim-witted cavemen. Finally Salix recovered from the unusual and rather spontaneous comment and replied to the man who had just spoken to him.
“What do you mean by that,” Salix asked curiously.
“Well normally nerd means one who is stupid, ineffectual or all and all unattractive. But I suppose it could also mean that you’re just an idiot,” the man answered just as bluntly as before.
“…I meant more to inquire as to why you would say something like that in the first place. Especially something that makes you seem more like a prehistoric beast,” Salix replied.
“You’ll have to forgive Rextanse. That’s just his way of saying he doesn’t really like you just yet,” another man explained as he removed his hood to reveal his face.
The man had long brown hair with white tips and icy blue eyes that seemed to glow ever radiantly. He was obviously quite young but Salix could feel a very powerful aura floating about his body.
“So that’s the Neanderthal’s name. Rextanse. Sounds just as primitive as he acts,” Salix said.
“Fighting fire with fire huh. I like your style. But you can’t win against me. I’m the king of insults,” Rextanse said as he grinned obviously messing with Salix.
“…If we can continue with the real purpose of this meeting please,” a third man said a slightly irritated tone in his voice as he drummed his fingers along the arm of his chair.
“Agreed, petty arguments won’t get us anywhere you two,” Xana said as she removed her hood slowly as he fairly long red hair came tumbling out.
“Bah is he really worth all the trouble that Xana went through to get him here,” Rextanse asked as he stared forward at Salix.
“You read the report Rextanse, you should know why we’ve asked him to join us. You should know as well Salix,” the fourth man known as Xowlin said calmly as he turned to face Salix.
“What is it that I have that you could want so badly,” Salix asked curiously.
“It’s not what you have, so much as what you can do,” Xowlin replied.
“What do you mean by that,” Salix asked although he already knew what they meant by that.
“You can remove safely the hearts from the Heartless as well as normal beings. With that power we could find a way to get what we desire. Of course you too will also get what you need as necessities,” Xowlin explained calmly.
“It’s more than that really. By joining us you’ll also ensure your survival,” the brown haired man from earlier said.
The man’s words echoed deeply in Salix’s mind as he sat there for what seemed like a millennia. It was clear what they meant when they talked about his survival. Either Salix chose to join or they’d eliminate him on the spot and the problem was that they could back up their talk in both quantity and quality. This didn’t really leave many options left. This group was clever, perhaps even cleverer than Salix had originally given them credit for.
“…You intend to kill me if I refuse to join your organization, correct,” Salix asked.
There was a short period of silence as no one spoke in response to Salix’s comment, which told him the truth of what they had meant by survival. They really would kill him if he refused to join. However Salix couldn’t blame them as he would likely do the same if he had his own secret organization. As he waited for a response suddenly the silence in the room vacated the premises and a powerful voice spoke up.
“…Life is precious, even to those who should not exist Salix. If you join us and remain loyal I shall guarantee your protection so long as your loyalties remain in the proper accord,” Zaxeldion said finally speaking up as he removed his large black hood.
Zaxeldion had his lower lip and ear pierced. Salix could tell from the feelings moving about the room and the way that he talked that this Zaxeldion was the leader of the Exiled Order. Slowly Salix took a deep breath, he knew there was no way that they could truly ensure his safety. But if he didn’t join, well he was in a lousy position to say no as they would easily overwhelm and obliterate him in their larger numbers and experience as Nobodies. However Salix had had no other intentions from the beginning. So it really didn’t matter at all either way.
“I hope we can come to an accord involving my own requirements,” Salix said calmly.
“Of course, arrangements can be made to acquire whatever necessities you so desire,” Zaxeldion said as he nodded slightly. “Now perhaps we can introduce ourselves.”
Zaxeldion glanced at the other members of the Exiled Order as if giving them a signal to do something. Then almost immediately the remaining members of the Exiled Order removed their hoods so all could clearly see their faces. Slowly one of the members of the Exiled Order spoke up, it was the man with the long brown hair and icy blue eyes who was the first to speak up amongst the other members.
“Agreed, my name is Charxai it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Charxai said with an almost emotionless facial expression and yet Salix could sense a very powerful aura around him that had hit Salix like a truck when Charxai had spoken.
The second glanced at Charxai who looked over at him with a look in his eyes that said to “get it over with if you don’t like the “new guy” all that much”. The second was a physically a bit odd looking as he had long black hair and two differently colored eyes. One eye was a dark crimson that seemed to appear just like the color of blood while the other was almost entirely white save for the sclera, which was colored a dark shade of black. This man was the same man who had already insulted Salix several times since he had arrived and clearly didn’t care much for him yet. Slowly the man grimaced as he took a deep breath and sighed deeply before turning to face Salix once again.
“Yeah, whatever I’m Rextanse. Just don’t screw anything up while you’re here,” Rextanse said while seemingly putting no energy into his statement.
One of the only two female Exiled Order members in the room turned to face Rextanse. She frowned a bit in disapproval of his comment, but was obviously not angry with the man known as Rextanse. Xana had beautiful crimson hair that was long enough to be tied into two different ponytails and had brilliantly colored green eyes that seemed to shimmer with her different “emotions” whenever she spoke.
“Couldn’t you be a bit more energetic about this,” Xana asked.
“…Well I could, but that wouldn’t be any fun now would it,” Rextanse replied with an arrogant grin on his face though he was obvious joking with her.
Xana continued to frown a bit displeased with Rextanse’s response but nevertheless turned back to face Salix with a slight smile.
“You’ve already met me,” Xana said sincerely.
“Yes, you’re the one who helped me to remember myself,” Salix said calmly as Xana stared at him for a second considering what he meant but then shrugged it off as nothing.