It was quiet. No one made a sound. Xana was huddled up against the wall behind Xowlin. She was clutching his arm like a child clutches its mother’s arm. She was scared, as was everyone else with her. Soon enough, a green, painted caterpillar crawled up onto Xowlin's finger.
"Alright, the coast is clear," Xowlin whispered to the group. It was so quiet you could hear everyone gasp a sigh of relief.
Rextanse looked at Xowlin and nodded in agreement, "This is it guys, there is no turning back now."
Xana , still a little skeptical, "Are you sure it is ok to go?" she whispered nervously to Xowlin, "I still feel scared and I feel like someone’s watching us."
Xowlin turned around smiling, reassuring her "Of course it's ok. I had this little guy check every hallway twice." Xowlin pointed towards the caterpillar that was still on his finger, as it dissolved away into the silent emptiness.
Rextanse, still in disbelief of Xowlin's actions, snickered quietly, "I still don't believe you actually used a caterpillar for the job. Is it really that fast? Hell is it reliable? I'm talking nonsense right now. Don't answer."
Xana, still unsure, clenched Xowlin's arm tighter.
"Let's go now," Xowlin whispered as he waved the group forward with his other arm. They started their descent through the hallways, silent with each step, creeks escaped from within the floor. This wasn't going to be easy. Slowly but surely, they made their way through the dark, desolate hallways till finally the exit gateway was in site.
"We're almost there," Xowlin whispered to the group, and as paradoxical as it was, Xigbar appeared before them upside down.
"And just where do you think you all are going?" He stated sarcastically.
Xana shrieked and jumped back to the arm of Zaxeldion, "I knew it. I knew it," she cried.
Daxic melted in from behind the group, "The superior will definitely not be happy with this.....how you say........circumstance." He smiled his psychotic grin.
"Damn. They got us. Nice job with that caterpillar Xowlin," Rextanse said sarcastically. He was not happy, nor was anyone else for that matter, they had just been caught and it wasn’t looking good.
"Now what?" Xana said still frightened, as she tightened her grip on Zaxeldion's arm.
Pulling a "als;kdfa", Xowlin turned his head in frustration toward Rextanse and summoned his staff, He looked Rextanse in the eyes and shouted, "Look, nobody is perfect Rex, ok?"
Rextanse seeing Xowlins, summoned his Great Blade, “Armageddon”. "We got this you guys. Let's finish it."
"Right!" Xowlin nodded.
"Ok, I'm ready," Xana relinquished her grip on Zaxeldion's arm.
"I guess I'm in too.." Zaxeldion nodded, shaking his arm about
Daxic took a step back from the group as he sent a pair of clones to the opposite side of the others, near Xigbar. In a flash Saix appeared amongst the mayhem, just as Xigbar and Daxic had only seconds, "So it would seem the traitors have shown their true selves afterall," he smirked “ Xemnas will be quite pleased” Saix summoned his hammer.
Xowlin, like his nature, was first to act. He leaped towards Xigbar and Saïx, making a sweeping motion with his brush. From the bristles, a giant slab is formed. Spinning around in mid-air, Xowlin delivered a spinning kick to the slab, knocking it towards the two nobodies. The effect of the attack did nothing, as Saïx destroyed it with a broad swipe of his hammer.
Rextanse became frustrated. "Dammit, now we have Saïx to deal with," he turns to Zaxeldion, "Zax, do you think you can take Daxic's clones?"
"Can I take them out? Of course I can," Zaxeldion replied. Zaxeldion concentrated and readied himself. Power shot out of him as he took out the clones. But just as quickly as they disappeared, they reappeared.
Daxic, with the ever-classic "uh-oh" type look on his face, decided now was the time to go. Despite the strength of the clones, he saw the strength in Zaxeldion, and he high-tailed it out of the hallway.
Rextanse, looking worried, noticed Daxic had left. "Damn, he's getting away. I have to go after him!" Rextanse shouted.
Before Rextanse could take a step, Zaxeldion grabbed him by the arm and says, "No. You must not go. You must stay here. We have to protect Xana!"
"But I have to. Daxic will tell the others, and they will come. We will be in extreme trouble." Rextanse replied, frustrated.
"We'll be fine Rex, trust me."
Rextanse looked at Zaxeldion for a moment, taking his words into consideration. Finally, he nodded.
Xowlin wasn't done fighting yet. In a bit of a dancing fashion, Xowlin began to create various creatures around him, all of which charged towards Xigbar and Saïx. Calmly, even negligently, Xigbar summoned his guns and he quickly took out the oncoming creatures Xowlin created. Xowlin seethed in frustration, finding his attacks to be completely useless.
"Now now, why all the hostility?" Xigbar asks. "It's almost like you're TURNING on us, or something. That's not what it is, is it?"
No one in the group responded, and Xigbar rocked back in mock astonishment. “Well what have we here! It looks like you are!”
Xowlin shot another slab toward Saïx. After realizing that they won't leave, Saïx swung his hammer and broke the slab into thousands of tiny pieces, sending them flying everywhere. "Now you're starting to annoy me. Please, just listen for your own good. I'm not going to ask again. This is your last chance. Go to your rooms, NOW." Saïx shouted angrily, smashing more of the creatures Xowlin created and sending them flying toward him.
After realizing his creatures are doing no good, Xowlin quickly backs up to his 3 companions. He paints a solid wall in front of the group, for protection. He turns to the group, all worn out, and mutters, "It's crunch time guys. This wall ain't gonna last long. Those two are blocking the only exit."
As Xowlin finished his sentence, Saïx smashed the wall down as if it never was there in the first place. "Leave now and you won't get hurt!" Saïx demanded. “And you better get going before I lose my temper.”
Xowlin decided to egg Saïx on. "YOU leave now and YOU won't get hurt!" he shouts back.
Zaxeldion starts to realize there is only one thing they can do. "Ok guys," he says, "I'll try to open an escape for you guys. You go on ahead! I'll handle all this. Don't worry about me!"
Xigbar managed to hear Zaxeldion's little speech, as he turned to Saïx. "Well well well, now doesn't that sound interesting? What do ya say we prevent that Saïx?"
“Actions speak louder than words Xigbar” he replied as he hurled his hammer toward Xowlin shouting "I'll smash you like your pathetic, puny creations."
He barely managed to get out of the way of the hammer. It flew right by Xowlin's body and catching a piece of his coat. Xowlin responded immediately, painting a heavy ball sending it flying back toward Saïx. Out of anguish, he shouted, "Hey Zax, if you're going to do something, now would be a good time.
Saïx preparing like a golfer, smashed the ball in mid-air. “Is that the best you can do?” he taunted the painter. "I'm tired of this Xowlin. You're not doing anything.", Zaxeldion retorted as he took center stage. "As you command sir." Zaxeldion charged up. "FLARE!" he shouted. The area lit up as an explosion ignited the room. "Hurry! Go! Now!" he shouted toward the group.
Rextanse quickly ran ahead. Xowlin grabbed Xana hand and pulled her along before she could take a step, "Let's go Xana." he told her. The three of them sprinted by Saïx and Xigbar, who were distracted and blinded by the light at the time.
Xigbar noticed as they passed, even though he couldn’t see them. "YOU CLEVER LITTLE SNEAKS!" he shouted, turning to where he could hear their footsteps.
Rextanse turned and shouted back, "Zax, come on! You can make it! Let's go!"
"No, you guys go now. Trust me." Zax shouted back.
Saïx is still blinded from what seemed to be a never-ending light, tried to swinging toward Xowlin and Xana, who had just passed by him, but missed badly and accidentally swung at Xigbar instead. “Hey! watch where you’re aiming that thing!” Xigbar yelled at Saïx, dodging out of the way in the nick of time. Furious, he turned around and fired shots into the still piercing light. He managed to hit Rextanse in the kneecap, but didn’t manage to hit anything else. Although Rextanse hobbled the rest of the way, he still escaped.
Xigbar turned; the dots fading from his vision, and saw only Zaxeldion still in the hallway. He quickly teleported to where Zaxeldion stood, pointing his gun right at his head. "You know," he says, "that wasn't very nice of you."
Saïx, who likewise had just started to recover from his temporary blindness, threw his hammer in desperation toward Zaxeldion, but unbenounced to him Xigbar had teleported there. The hammer struck Xigbar square in the back, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud. "What are you doing, Saïx!" he shouts, "I'm standing here! This is the second time you did that, you ass!"
By now, Rextanse, Xowlin, and Xana had made it to the exit.
"That was close. They almost got me back there," Rextanse uttered, "But we have to keep moving. Zaxeldion will be all right. Let's go."
Back in the hallway, Xigbar managed to get back to his feet when Zaxeldion replied, "Watch who you're talking to, friend, before you speak that way again."
Xigbar replied, "Heh. No, FRIEND. I don't think YOU know who you're dealing with." With that, Xigbar teleported behind Saïx, not wanting to get hit again.
Saïx, who for some reason is still blinded, feels Xigbar behind him. He shoved Xigbar aside. "Outta my way!" Saïx said. He started flying randomly all over the place with the use of his hammer, but not actually managing to hit anything.
By the time Saïx finished zooming around like a madman, Daxic returned, however not alone. Momentarily after he appeared, three portals appeared behind him. Xemnas, Zexion, and Lexaeus appeared out of the portals. Zaxeldion had prayed Daxic wouldn't come back, but he did, with more help.
Xemnas hovered over everyone "Heh, it seems that we have traitors amongst us. Teach them what happens to those that try to tamper with our goals." He raised his arms as he casually issued out orders.
Rextanse, Xowlin, and Xana were still close enough to the exit to hear what was going on inside the hallway. Xowlin, however was finding it hard to run back and fight alongside Zaxeldion. How could he allow himself to leave his leader, no his friend, alone? However, he knew his top priority was to protect Xana at any cost, even at the cost of his own life. Unable to contain himself further, Xowlin turned around and thrusted his boa staff forward. With few quick strokes, he had created three perfect clones of himself. He nodded quickly as they doubled back to aid Zaxeldion, each creating small creatures on the way.
Back inside, Xemnas had started to release his Twilight Aura. "This incompetence astounds even me. How is it that you all can’t take down one nobody?"
Xigbar chuckled, "Brace yourself lad. You won’t be able to have your way with Xemnas."
Saix, still blinded, continued to thrash around wildly, hitting everything that came within his range. Deep craters spotted the floor and walls as the castle began to tremble from the force of it all.
Xowlin's clones and their respective creatures rampaged back into the room as Zaxeldion fought off Xemnas.
"Zax, get out of here! You can’t survive and you know it.” one of the clones shouted. “Don’t make unnecessary sacrifices!."
“I said to take Xana and leave!, not to send in reinforcements.” Zaxeldion hollered as the creatures flooded the room.
A strong wave of energy pulsed through the room. Another followed quickly after that. Xemnas’ coat was changed color and the pulses came quicker. The castle shook violently now and parts of the high ceiling fell to the floor.
“….Foolish…, you actually thought you had a chance…” Xemnas said as a huge orb of energy filled the room.
By Now Rextanse, Xana, and Xowlin were a short distance from the castle, but they still heard the commotion from within. They thought they heard Zaxeldion’s voice, but it was quickly drowned out by the thunder. A streak of lightning lit the sky and as it did, The World That Never Was fell into darkness. Every light was blown and silence ensued. The three stood there, taking one final look at the darkened castle..
"Will Zax be okay?" Xana asked as Rextanse held her in his arms.
"Don’t worry about that now.” Xowlin quickly answered.
"Right" added Rextanse. “Let’s get out of here.”
With that, the rain came down and the three walked into the silent, darkened streets of the The World That Never Was.